Hey, it’s another weekend. Yaaaaaaaaaaay.
NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy has been accused by dozens of NBC employees of engaging in racist, homophobic, and sexist behavior, particularly during his stint running the reality division from 2009 to 2018. This story comes out in the wake of Gabrielle Union’s explosive departure from America’s Got Talent and reveals the real reason Sharon Osbourne also left the show many years ago:
Sharon Osbourne, who was a judge on America’s Got Talent for six seasons, tells The Hollywood Reporter that Telegdy threatened her in 2012 when she told him her family was considering holding a press conference to protest NBC’s decision to drop her son Jack from the reality-competition series Stars Earn Stripes shortly after he disclosed that he had MS. “He said, ‘Go fuck yourself,’” Osbourne recalls. “If you call the press you’ll never work in this town, you fucking witch.’” She quit the show over the dispute. Through his spokesman, Telegdy denies Osbourne’s account of the call.
…
… sources say they have seen Telegdy mock gay executives, sometimes to their faces; use homophobic and misogynistic slurs; and disparage or make sexual comments about the physical appearance of network talent. Current and former insiders say they have heard Telegdy participate in what one former insider describes as “appalling” discussions in the office that included crude sexual remarks.
So it’s not just NBC News that is a mess. Cool. NBCUniversal is investigating. OK.
Ellen Degeneres has offered an apology to her staff for the show’s toxic work environment. But Brad Garrett (that Brad Garrett) isn’t buying it:
Sorry but it comes from the top @TheEllenShow Know more than one who were treated horribly by her. Common knowledge. DeGeneres Sends Emotional Apology to Staff – Variety https://t.co/D0uxOgyyre
— Brad Garrett (@RealBradGarrett) July 31, 2020
Bryan Callen, from The Goldbergs and Schooled, and best friends with Chri D’Elia, has been accused of sexual misconduct and even rape by four different women. He will not appear on the show in the next season.
Ashley Judd has the legal OK to go ahead with her lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein.
Some documents from the Ghislaine Maxwell case have been released, and this will shock you, but Alan Dershowitz isn’t the innocent bystander he claims to be. Also, Bill Clinton’s name shows up, and not in a good way.
Tig Notaro says she was relieved when her Amazon show was canceled so that she could close the Louis CK chapter in her life. It’s a shame, One Mississippi was a very good little show, but Louis CK, he tainted everything good he ever did by being a gross jerk and then mishandling the whole thing. Ugh.
Going Viral
Ho, boy. Another MLB game has been postponed after two Cardinals players tested positive. You guys. What’s the plan here? How is it going to be possible to have a fair playoff season if all teams don’t play the same number of games? What happens if during the playoffs a player tests positive? HOW DOES ANY OF THIS WORK?
Comcast says they will be offering some sports rebates to customers.
American Idol is beginning their auditions on August 10 — they will be done remotely.
With/In, an anthology film made in quarantine starring Don Cheadle, Julianne Moore, Chris Cooper, Emily Mortimer, Rosie Perez, Julianne Nicholson, is in the works.
Bryan Cranston revealed that he’s recovered from COVID-19, and urged folks to wear a damn mask, wash their hands, and socially distance.
It’s been a lifetime ago, so I don’t blame you if you don’t remember this, but back in the spring, it was announced that Jared was in charge of putting together a plan to deal with testing. And he (kinda) did. So what ever happened to it? Well, it’s a funny story that Vanity Fair tells in great detail:
By early April, some who worked on the plan were given the strong impression that it would soon be shared with President Trump and announced by the White House. The plan, though imperfect, was a starting point. Simply working together as a nation on it “would have put us in a fundamentally different place,” said the participant.
But the effort ran headlong into shifting sentiment at the White House. Trusting his vaunted political instincts, President Trump had been downplaying concerns about the virus and spreading misinformation about it—efforts that were soon amplified by Republican elected officials and right-wing media figures. Worried about the stock market and his reelection prospects, Trump also feared that more testing would only lead to higher case counts and more bad publicity. Meanwhile, Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, was reportedly sharing models with senior staff that optimistically—and erroneously, it would turn out—predicted the virus would soon fade away.
Against that background, the prospect of launching a large-scale national plan was losing favor, said one public health expert in frequent contact with the White House’s official coronavirus task force.
Most troubling of all, perhaps, was a sentiment the expert said a member of Kushner’s team expressed: that because the virus had hit blue states hardest, a national plan was unnecessary and would not make sense politically. “The political folks believed that because it was going to be relegated to Democratic states, that they could blame those governors, and that would be an effective political strategy,” said the expert.
That’s right, they let the plan die because they didn’t care if Americans in Blue states died of the virus because it would benefit them politically.
All Other TV News
Oprah and OWN are launching 2020 Own Your Vote: a campaign to help Black women vote this year. GOOD. LET’S GO.
We have a bunch of awards news today:
Here are the VMA nominees. [insert Gen X joke about how its surprising anyone watches videos anymore]
The GLAAD Media Awards were announced yesterday, and Pose and Schitt’s Creek were the big TV winners.
And the BAFTAS are happening this afternoon. Here are the nominees.
The Big Brother cast won’t be announced until the live premiere of the show. Big Brother returns on Wednesday.
Naya Rivera will appear as a judge on Netflix’s baking competition series, Sugar Rush.
Basically, Bryan Fuller is telling you, Hannibal fans, that if you want a fourth season, you need to go binge the other three seasons on Netflix right now so that the streamer knows there’s interest.
Tamar Braxton put out a statement explicitly blaming reality television of being the cause of her suicide attempt. She and WeTV have cut ties.
Renewals
- Vice has been renewed for a second season on Showtime.
Cancellations
- Money Heist will end after five seasons on Netflix.
In Development
- The Happy Endings guys are making an action-comedy starring Damon Wayans Jr.
- Splinter Cell is being turned into an anime series on Netflix.
- One Night in Miami, a movie about young Cassius Clay directed by Regina King, has been bought by Amazon.
- Bad Sport, a docuseries about sports scandals, is coming to Netflix.
- Savage Kingdom will return on National Geographic on August 14.
- Ya Bint, an Arab American dramedy is in the works at Freeform.
Mark Your Calendar
- The Vow will debut on HBO on August 23.
- A Wilderness of Error will premiere on FX on September 25.
- Dark Ditties has begun streaming on Amazon today.
- John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero will air on CBS on August 4.
- The Secret Life of the Zoo will return on Animal Planet on August 1.
- In The Long Run has been pushed back to October on Starz.
R.I.P.
Alan Parker, Director of Midnight Express among other classic movies
WATCH THIS
FRIDAY
Black is King: Beyoncé’s new visual album tells the story of a young African king who undergoes a journey “through betrayal, love, and self-identity” to reclaim his throne. Disney+
Muppets Now: The Muppets’ first unscripted series will be part talk show, part cooking show, and part game show. Series premiere. Disney+
The Umbrella Academy: Season premiere. Netflix
The Go-Gos: A look back at the iconic punk girl group. 8 p.m., Showtime
SATURDAY
Jojo Rabbit: Taika Waititi’s World War II dramedy was met with mixed reviews for its irreverent take on one of the darkest moments in recent history. 7 p.m., HBO
Children of Men: No reason. 6:30 p.m., Showtime Showcase
SUNDAY
The Real Housewives of Potomac: Season premiere. 7 p.m., Bravo
Hiroshima: 75 Years Later: A look at the bombing of Hiroshima as told by survivors, soldiers, physicists, and leaders. 8 p.m., History
Fridge Wars: In this Canadian cooking competition, chefs are challenged to make restaurant-quality food from the contents of actual families’ refrigerators. Series premiere. 7 p.m., The CW
Taskmaster: It’s a British game show. Series premiere. 8 p.m., The CW
The Osbournes Want to Believe: Jack Osbourne shows his parents paranormal videos to try to turn them into believers in this new series. 9 p.m., Travel Channel
| FRI. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | Shark Tank (repeat) |
20/20 |
| CBS | The Greatest #AtHome Videos (new) |
Magnum P.I. (repeat) |
Blue Bloods (repeat) |
| CW | Masters of Illusion (repeat) |
Masters of Illusion (repeat) |
Whose Line is it Anyway? (repeat) |
Whose Line is it Anyway? (repeat) |
Local |
| FOX | Friday Night Smackdown | Local |
| NBC | The Wall (repeat) |
Dateline |
—
| SAT. | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 | 11:00 | 11:30 |
| ABC | AFV: America This is You! (repeat) |
Shark Tank (repeat) |
The Good Doctor (repeat) |
News/Local |
| CBS | NCIS (repeat) |
48 Hours | 48 Hours | News/Local |
| FOX | MLB (live) |
News/Local |
| NBC | Stanley Cup Playoff | News/ Local |
Saturday Night Live (repeat) |
—
| SUN. | 6:00 | 6:30 | 7:00 | 7:30 | 8:00 | 8:30 | 9:00 | 9:30 |
| ABC | America’s Funniest Home Videos (repeat) |
NBA Basketball (live) |
| CBS | 60 Minutes | 60 Minutes Presents | NCIS: Los Angeles (repeat) |
NCIS: New Orleans (repeat) |
| The CW | Local | Fridge Wars (new) |
Taskmasters (new) |
Local |
| FOX | Last Man Standing (repeat) |
Duncan-ville (repeat) |
The Simp-sons (repeat) |
Bless the Harts (repeat) |
Bob’s Burgers (repeat) |
Family Guy (repeat) |
Local/News |
| NBC | Cannonball (new) |
The Titan Games (new) |
America’s Got Talent (repeat) |
Stick to TV and stay out of politics. It’s not a good showing for you.
Always great to hear from a fan. Thanks for reading!
–T
Yeah Therese stop doing what you have been doing since, like, the whole time this blog has existed. Not a great look. LOL