Conan Ends Late Night Run; Britney Spears Speaks Out; Jonny Lee Miller Joins ‘The Crown’; 'Blacklist' Creator Exits; Comedy Actress Roundtable

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( June 25, 2021 What's news: Conan says goodbye to late night with the help of Homer Simpson, Jack Black and others. The Recording Academy has reached an agreement with former president and CEO Deborah Dugan. Plus: Mumford has one less son after banjoist Winston Marshall quit the band — [Abid Rahman]( Conan Ends Late Night Run ►"4,000 hours of television." Conan O'Brien officially ended his nightly TBS show Conan Thursday, bringing to an end his 28-year run in late night television. During his final opening monologue, O’Brien was quick to admit that it was hard to grasp that the end of his show had arrived. "Every night, I always said, ‘Tonight we have a really great show’ and I have to tell you I was often lying. But tonight we really do have a great show! And if we don’t, what are you going to do about it? I’ll be long gone," he quipped. [The recap.]( —The Conan legacy. As Conan O’Brien exits late night, sidekick Andy Richter reflects on Conan's legacy and the absurdity of the show: "I don’t see [other hosts] having a masturbating bear or a robot that’s a pimp," Richter says. "Our show is full of nonsense like that. And I'm pretty proud of that." [The interview.]( Quote of the Day "I could remain and continue to self-censor but it will erode my sense of integrity." In a Medium post, Mumford & Sons banjoist Winston Marshall quit the Grammy-winning band months after provoking a backlash for supporting a book by right-wing provocateur Andy Ngo. [The story](. Comedy Actress Roundtable ►Kaley Cuoco, Jean Smart, Lena Waithe, Aidy Bryant, Holly Hunter and Cristin Milioti join THR's [Lacey Rose]( for a full and frank talk about "dreadful" sex scenes, the fights to play messy, flawed women and the early advice they wish they’d gotten, like, "Don’t do it!" [The roundtable.]( —No more pretending. Britney Spears is speaking out after requesting to end her longstanding conservatorship. On Instagram, the pop icon apologized for "pretending" she’s "been OK the past two years" and offered an explanation as to why she didn’t speak out before about what was happening behind the scenes. [The story.]( —Major casting news. Jonny Lee "Hackers" Miller has joined The Crown for its penultimate fifth season. The Elementary star has been cast as British Prime Minister John Major. [The story.]( —"They were super close." Busy Philipps shared her thoughts on the distant relationship between her Freaks and Geeks co-stars Seth Rogen and James Franco while reflecting on some of the less savory parts of her early years working in Hollywood. [The story.]( —Settlement. The Recording Academy and former president and CEO Deborah Dugan have reached an agreement over her departure following an arbitration process, bringing an end to an acrimonious and very public dispute between the parties. [The story.]( Crunching the Numbers $1.5 Billion ICYMI, BuzzFeed is merging with a special purpose acquisition company and going public in a deal that will value the company at $1.5 billion. [The story.]( Best Films of 2021 (So Far) ►Halftime champs. THR's film reviewers pick faves from the first half of the year, including a South African drama about a gay soldier, a female buddy comedy featuring Kristen Wiig and an adaptation of an exotic dancer's tweetstorm about a nightmarish Florida road trip. [The selection.]( —Wait, what? Polly Pocket, the miniature brand that grew to prominence in the ’90s, is being developed as a live-action feature film, with Lena Dunham set to write and direct and Lily Collins attached to star. [The story.]( —Babylon bubbling. Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Phoebe Tonkin and Tobey Maguire have joined the call sheet of Babylon, the ode to Hollywood’s golden age that Damien Chazelle is directing for Paramount. [The story.]( —Bloody good news. An Interview With the Vampire series is a go at AMC. Breaking Bad's Mark Johnson will oversee the development of a TV adaptation of Anne Rice's book, which will arrive 28 years after the Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt film. [The story.]( —Yet more drama. A day after female lead Megan Boone departed The Blacklist after an eight-season run, creator Jon Bokenkamp announced that he, too, would not be back for the NBC drama’s previously announced ninth season. [The story.]( Thank Pod It's Friday ►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio. —TV's Top 5. [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Daniel Fienberg]( break down the latest TV news. This week the guys discuss the best TV of 2021, so far, and what's coming up in the next six months. They look at the streaming-led restructuring at ViacomCBS. Gossip Girl's Josh Safran is the showrunner under the spotlight. And Dan offers reviews of The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Choe Show and Central Park . [Listen here.]( —Awards Chatter. Awards analyst [Scott Feinberg]( talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In the latest episode, Scott speaks to Elizabeth Olsen. The indie darling turned Marvel star reflects on what she learned from older sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley, overcoming debilitating panic attacks, and finally getting to portray Wanda Maximoff's humor and complexity on WandaVision. [Listen here.]( —Behind the Screen. Tech editor [Carolyn Giardina]( podcast focused on the filmmaking crafts. In this episode, Carolyn speaks to The Underground Railroad composer Nicholas Britell. [Listen here.]( In other news.. —Film review: Liam Neeson in Netflix’s [The Ice Road](. —Marvel unveils an action-filled [Shang-Chi trailer](. —Critics Choice Awards [eyes Golden Globes venue]( amid HFPA scandal. —Supernatural: The CW is attempting [a third spinoff](. —Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar-Jones to star in [Under the Banner of Heaven]( for FX on Hulu. —TV review: FX's [The Choe Show](. —[The Upshaws]( renewed at Netflix. —Tubi to release TikTok [“nostalgia” special with ’90s, ’00s TV stars](. —HBO Max's Gossip Girl update [to air on The CW](. —How I Met Your Father [welcomes back key member of Mother team]( for the Hulu update. —[Sing 2 trailer]( reveals Bono, Halsey and Letitia Wright as additions. —Blink-182 bassist [Mark Hoppus announces cancer diagnosis](. —Lifetime Television [gets a big win after 8 years]( in court with a convicted murderer. —Blumhouse TV, ITV America [set unscripted pact](. —Henry Winkler [played a crucial role]( in helping Sylvester Stallone make Rocky. What else we're reading... —"Buzzfeed Grew Up. Now It’s Going Public." [[Vox]( —"How Loki's Bisexuality Fits Into the History of LGBTQ+ Representation in the MCU" [[Time]( —"How Basquiat and Street Artists Left Their Mark on Hip-Hop Culture" [[New York Times]( —"Lorde: "I'm Not A Climate Activist. I'm A Pop Star"" [[The Guardian]( —"Will We Ever Hold Chris Brown Accountable?" [[Daily Beast]( Today... ... in 1982, Warner Bros. brought Blade Runner to theaters. Ridley Scott’s noirish, R-rated, 116-minute sci-fi film, featuring “dynamo” Harrison Ford, became a cult hit. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Mckenna Grace (15), Ricky Gervais (60), La La Anthony (39), Jimmie Walker (74), Busy Philipps (42), Rain (38), [Carly Simon]( (76), Angela Kinsey (50), Lele Pons (25), Karisma Kapoor (47), Sheridan Smith (40) This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. 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