40(ish) Most Important People in Podcasting; ABC Reveals Next 'Bachelor' Lead; Reality Stars, Crew Want Out of NBCU NDAs; Hollywood Therapists Talk Strike Impact

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( August 22, 2023 What's news: Lionsgate has instituted a mask mandate for employees due to the current COVID wave. Demi Lovato is the latest music star to part ways with Scooter Braun. Once Upon a One More Time is set to close on Broadway. ABC's The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise will air on Thursday nights in the fall. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. 40(ish) Most Important People in Podcasting ►The best of times and the worst of times. In 2023, the podcast industry put the brakes on a period of lavish spending and nine-digit megadeals and — much as its streaming counterparts did last year — followed largesse with austerity. And yet, more people are listening to more content than at any time since the heyday of radio. THR's list of podcast power players are those best poised to take advantage of this paradoxical moment. [The list.]( —"Big bottle of water, put my phone on silent, remind myself not to say anything dumb." 45 top podcasters, including Rachel Maddow, Kara Swisher and Audie Cornish, reveal to THR's [Lacey Rose]( their pre-show rituals, role models, dream guests, early inspirations and the podcasts only they would want to consume. [The story.]( —"We need greater diversity." The most powerful people in podcasting, including Bill Simmons, Alex Cooper and Emma Chamberlain, weigh in with their predictions, plans and biggest pet peeves. [The story.]( Reality Stars and Crew Want Out of "Draconian" NBCU NDAs ►"NBC has been wielding these contractual terms like a sword." The cadre of reality stars and crew alleging they’ve experienced or witnessed “grotesque and depraved” mistreatment on NBCUniversal’s reality television series is demanding to be released from nondisclosure agreements. THR's [Ashley Cullins]( reports lawyers representing cast and crew on Bravo, E! and CNBC reality series say "NBC and its production partners are grappling with systemic rot for which sunlight is the first necessary remedial measure." [The story.]( —Is it starting again? Lionsgate has instituted a mask mandate for its employees in light of the current COVID wave. The studio emailed staff asking them to mask up on certain floors of its Santa Monica office after several employees caught the virus. Lionsgate is also asking employees to conduct self-screening before coming to the office. The move comes amid some national buzz about whether mask mandates might be returning as variant EG.5 has become dominant in the U.S. [The story.]( —Crisis. Demi Lovato has parted ways with talent manager Scooter Braun. The singer is seeking new management after splitting with Braun last month. The news comes days after a report that Justin Bieber had left Braun. Singer J Balvin parted ways with Braun in May, after signing with the manager in 2019. [The story.]( —Next up. Blue Beetle director Ángel Manuel Soto is set to helm The Wrecking Crew, an MGM project that is expected to star Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa. Both stars were in talks for the film before the actors strike commenced last month. Wrecking Crew, described as a buddy comedy, has a script from Jonathan Tropper, the creator of the TV series Warrior. He penned the script and closed his deal before the writers strike began in June. Bautista and Momoa last worked together on the Apple series See. [The story.]( —A few more times. Once Upon a One More Time, the musical which features the songs of Britney Spears, will play its final Broadway performance Sept. 3. THR's [Caitlin Huston]( reports that the closing notice comes as the musical failed to catch on with critics and with Broadway audiences, with the show reporting capacities in the 50 percent range for the past seven weeks. The show began preview performances at the Marquis Theatre on May 13 and opened June 22. [The story.]( 'Bachelorette' Finale: ABC Reveals Next 'Bachelor' Lead ►Emotional ending. After Charity Lawson handed out her final rose during Monday's three-hour finale of The Bachelorette, the ABC dating franchise revealed the star of its upcoming 28th season of The Bachelor. Warning: Spoilers! [The story.]( —Tweaks. ABC is making some changes to its fall schedule, including pairing up its two Bachelor franchise shows on a single night. The Golden Bachelor, the senior version of the long-running dating show, and Bachelor in Paradise will air on Thursday nights in the fall, the network announced. Both will premiere on Sept. 28. [The story.]( —Drag television universe expands. MTV and Paramount+ have greenlit additional seasons of the flagship original series RuPaul’s Drag Race along with RuPaul’s Drag Race: All Stars and Untucked. The news follows the franchise’s nine Emmy nominations, the most of any reality competition series this year. The forthcoming season of Drag Race will mark the show’s 16th. [The story.]( —"You are all numba one in my heart!" Charles Martinet, the voice of Mario in the Super Mario video games, is retiring from portraying the character and starting a new chapter with Nintendo. The Japanese video games giant said that Martinet will become a company ambassador and "travel the world sharing the joy of Mario." Martinet has voiced Mario since 1991 and is also the voice of Luigi. [The story.]( —"‘Bitch, I’m just aging! It doesn’t mean I got bad plastic surgery." Charlize Theron is dismissing rumors that she got a facelift, while also discussing how the aging process has made it more complicated to address weight gain and stunts for roles. In a new interview, the Oscar-winning actress said that while her “face is changing,” she loves that as well as that she’s “aging” visibly. [The story.]( Hollywood Therapists See Mental Health Effects of Strikes ►"I vary between being depressed and being inspired. That’s the challenge." Depression, anxiety and feelings of “powerlessness” and “loss of identity” are taking hold during the entertainment industry’s ongoing work stoppage. For THR, Hadley Meares writes that psychotherapists who work with a largely Hollywood clientele say their patients are unsettled and triggered during the dual strike. [The story.]( —"An unprecedented wave of solidarity." THR's [Katie Kilkenny]( reports that production on the Food Network’s Worst Cooks in America has been shut down after around 50 crew members went on strike in a bid to have the project covered under an IATSE contract. The stoppage began on Wednesday after IATSE made an initial attempt to negotiate pay and benefits for the workers, which didn’t succeed. Crew members in the camera department, grip and electric and set decoration were all said to be involved. [The story.]( —Not again! The NBCUniversal campus, already a flashpoint for Hollywood’s ongoing labor unrest, as the writers’ and actors’ guilds have alleged picket-busting, is now the site of a new strike controversy. THR's [Gary Baum]( reports that this time, Unite Here Local 11, the Southern California hospitality union that’s also currently staging walkouts, is claiming that the Sheraton Universal is retaliating against its workers for protesting. [The story.]( Emmys: Melancholy Falls on Comic Leading Men ►The guys are going through it. For THR, Esther Zuckerman reflects on the Emmy comedy actor and supporting actor categories. Esther writes that masculinity is in crisis among the nominated comedies, as protagonists wrestle with their vulnerabilities and inner demons. [The story.]( —"[Dre] was weird on the page, but her performance made her even weirder." Esther also spoke to Swarm showrunner Janine Nabers about courting the discomfort found in the Amazon Prime Video limited series. The co-creator discusses the Emmy-nominated pilot episode, co-written with Donald Glover, which serves as an intro to the world of the serial killer Dre, played by Dominique Fishback. [The interview.]( —"The original name for this show when it was still a spec script was Wild, Wild Petey." THR's [Abbey White]( spoke to Praise Petey showrunner and EP Anna Drezen about bringing cults and romance to Freeform’s first adult animated series. Drezen also discussed casting for the comedy, the real cults that influenced the series, an unexpected backlash to the show's art style and her plans for a second season. [The interview.]( Hollywood Therapists See Mental Health Effects of Strikes ►"I wanted to find joy in my work. I wanted to experiment and take some big risks." THR's [Mia Galuppo]( spoke to Still:  A Michael J. Fox Movie filmmaker Davis Guggenheim and Carita Rizzo spoke to The Last of Us director Peter Hoar about their approaches and the risks they took on their Emmy-nominated work. [The interviews.]( In other news... —Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell [reunite in Good Burger 2 teaser]( —Benicio del Toro [investigates Justin Timberlake in Reptile trailer]( —John Cena [tries to protect Alison Brie during a coup in trailer for Freelance]( —Sylvester Stallone [to keynote Toronto Film Festival]( —Mubi acquires [Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla in major multi-territory deal]( —James Marsh, Neil Burger, James DeMonaco [films tapped for TIFF sales market]( What else we're reading... —Carlos Aguilar helpfully breaks down all the TV shows and movies from Latin America referenced in DC's Blue Beetle [[LAT]( —Citing new details, author Susan Casey writes that the Titan submersible disaster was years in the making [[VF]( —Harriet Sherwood reports on 100 U.K.-based actors backing a campaign to cut the climate impact of riders [[Guardian]( —ICYMI, Elon Musk got the Ronan Farrow profile treatment, and it's both incredible and frightening to think this guy has so much power [[New Yorker]( —On the subject of Musk, Kylie Robinson reports that the super business genius plans to remove headlines from news articles shared on X [[Fortune]( Today... ...in 2008, Focus Features released Andrew Fleming's Hamlet 2 in theaters. The Steve Coogan-led comedy about a politically incorrect high school musical sequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet had debuted at the Sundance Film Festival earlier that year. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Dua Lipa (28), David Chase (78), Kristen Wiig (50), Richard Armitage (52), Ty Burrell (56), Regina Taylor (63), Rodrigo Santoro (48), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (56), Rick Yune (52), Courtney Gains (58), Andrew Wilson (59), Jennifer Finnigan (44), Colm Feore (65), Melinda Page Hamilton (49), Ross Marquand (42), Jenna Leigh Green (49), Aparna Nancherla (41), Scott Waugh (53), Jackie Geary (46), Kay Cannon (49), Brandon Quintin Adams (44), Brooke Dillman (57), [Chia-Hui Liu]( (68), Lara Harris (61), Laura Dreyfuss (35), James Corden (45) James Fitzgerald, a Hollywood publicist and manager who represented his wives Jane Powell and Erin O’Brien as well as Rock Hudson, Louella Parsons, Chuck Connors and Howard Keel, has died. He was 91. [The obituary.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} by The Hollywood Reporter. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. Copyright © 2023 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 [View in Browser]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Your Privacy Rights]( | [Ad Choices]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Unsubscribe](