Tag: Entertainment-HollywoodReporter

  • NAACP Image Awards: ‘Sinners’ Captures Three Prizes on Third Night of Non-Televised Winners

    NAACP Image Awards: ‘Sinners’ Captures Three Prizes on Third Night of Non-Televised Winners

    The NAACP Image Awards has continued to announce winners in various non-televised categories ahead of the 2026 NAACP Image Awards ceremony taking place live on Saturday.

    On Wednesday, the third and final night of a virtual event hosted by actress and writer Angel “ThatChickAngel” Laketa Moore and actor and rapper Khleo Thomas was streamed on the NAACP Image Awards’ YouTube channel, and Sinners, which leads this year’s NAACP Image Awards nominations with 18 nods, racked up three wins.

    The Ryan Coogler-written and -directed Warner Bros. film, which scored a recordbreaking 16 Oscar nominations, won best stunt ensemble, ensemble cast and cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw.

    Other projects racking up multiple wins from Wednesday’s virtual ceremony include Gracie’s Corner, which won for best children’s program and animated series; Ironheart, which won best editing in a movie, TV series, movie or special and outstanding breakthrough creative (television); Celebrity Family Feud, which won best reality or game show, with host Steve Harvey named best host of a reality, variety or game show; and Netflix’s Straw, which saw Teyana Taylor and Glynn Turman win best supporting actress and actor, respectively, in a TV movie, limited series or dramatic special.

    Another notable win Wednesday night went to the late Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died just this past summer, for best guest performance for Fox’s Murder in a Small Town.

    Wednesday night’s awards in film, TV and writing categories come after two previous nights of winners being presented in non-televised categories during the virtual event. Michelle Obama, Will Packer and Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show were among the winners on night one. Lamar, SZA and Cardi B were among the night two winners. Additional winners will be announced during Thursday’s Creative Honors, where Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant will be presented with the Mildred Bond Roxborough Social Justice Impact Award. And Friday, A$AP Rocky will be honored with the Vanguard Award for Fashion at the NAACP Image Awards’ Reception & Fashion Show, hosted by Meagan Good.

    The 2026 NAACP Image Awards, hosted by Deon Cole, will air live on Saturday, Feb. 28, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET and CBS from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Special honorees include Chairman’s Award recipient Viola Davis and President’s Award recipient Colman Domingo. Additionally, Salt-n-Pepa and DJ Spinderella will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards’ Hall of Fame.

    A complete list of the winners announced Wednesday night follows.

    Outstanding Children’s Program

    Eyes of Wakanda (Disney+)       
    Gracie’s Corner (YouTube TV) (WINNER)
    Iyanu (Cartoon Network)
    Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Disney+)
    Reading Rainbow (Kidzuko)             

    Outstanding Animated Series

    Disney Jr.’s Ariel (Disney Jr.)
    Gracie’s Corner (YouTube TV) (WINNER)
    Iyanu (Cartoon Network)
    Lil Kev (BET+)
    Weather Hunters (PBS KIDS)

    Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television)

    Anika Noni Rose – The Mighty Nein (Prime Video)
    Ayo Edebiri – Big Mouth (Netflix)
    Cedric the Entertainer – The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (Disney+)          
    Graceyn Hollingsworth – Gracie’s Corner (YouTube TV)
    Kyla Pratt – The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder (Disney+) (WINNER)

    Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance – Motion Picture

    Anthony Mackie – Sneaks (Briarcliff Entertainment)
    Craig Robinson – The Bad Guys 2 (DreamWorks Animation)
    Danielle Brooks – The Bad Guys 2 (DreamWorks Animation)
    Lil Rel Howery – Dog Man (DreamWorks Animation)
    Quinta BrunsonZootopia 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) (WINNER)

    Outstanding Stunt Ensemble (TV or Film)

    Butterfly – Yeonheon Jung (Prime Video)
    F1 – Gary Powell (Apple TV)
    G20 – Grant Powell (Prime Video)
    Shadow Force – Dartenea Bryant (Starz)
    Sinners – Andy Gill (Warner Bros. Pictures) (WINNER)     

    Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

    40 Acres (Magnolia Pictures)
    Love, Brooklyn (Greenwich Entertainment) (WINNER)
    Magazine Dreams (Briarcliff Entertainment)      
    Opus (A24)
    Unexpected Christmas (3 Diamonds Entertainment)

    Outstanding International Motion Picture

    40 Acres (Magnolia Pictures)
    My Father’s Shadow (MUBI)
    Souleymane’s Story (Kino Lorber) (WINNER)
    The Fisherman (Luu Vision Media)
    The Secret Agent (NEON)

    Outstanding Documentary (Film)

    Being Eddie (Netflix) (WINNER)
    Fatherless No More (First Gen Films)
    Left Behind (Corso Films)
    The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix)
    Who in the Hell is Regina Jones? (Weigel Productions)

    Outstanding Cinematography in a Motion Picture

    Autumn Durald Arkapaw, ASC  – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures) (WINNER)
    Kira Kelly – HIM (Universal Pictures)
    Martim Vian – Love, Brooklyn (Greenwich)
    Sean Bobbitt – Hedda (Amazon MGM Studios)
    Shabier Kirchner – Materialists (A24)

    Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie, or Special

    Deanna Nowell, ACE – Ironheart (Disney+) (WINNER)  
    Maysie Hoy, ACE – Ruth & Boaz (Netflix)
    Michael P. Shawver – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures)
    Ralph Jean-Pierre – The Beast in Me (Netflix)
    Shaheed Qaasim – Poker Face (Peacock)

    Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture)

    Cassandra Mann – Unexpected Christmas (3 Diamonds Entertainment LLC) (WINNER)
    Contessa Gayles – Songs from the Hole (Netflix)
    Nnamdi Asomugha – The Knife (Relativity Media)
    R.T. Thorne – 40 Acres (Magnolia Pictures)
    Rachael Abigail Holder – Love, Brooklyn (Greenwich Entertainment)

    Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture

    Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Buddy Guy, Delroy Lindo, Peter Dreimanis, Lola Kirke, Li Jun Li, Saul Williams, Yao – Sinners (Warner Bros. Pictures) (WINNER)

    Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams – One Of Them Days (Sony Pictures Releasing)

    Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Coleman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Ariana Grande, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh – Wicked: For Good (Universal Pictures)

    Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky – Highest 2 Lowest (A24)

    Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke – A House of Dynamite (Netflix)

    Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)

    Tiny Desk Concerts Celebrates Black Music Month 2025 (NPR)
    HBCU Honors (BET Networks)
    BET Awards 2025 (BET Networks)
    Wicked: One Wonderful Night (NBC)
    Ali Siddiq: My Two Sons (YouTube/Moment PPV) (WINNER)    

    Outstanding Guest Performance

    Brandee Evans – Reasonable Doubt (Hulu)
    Dave Chappelle – Saturday Night Live (NBC)
    Janet Hubert – Bel-Air (Peacock)
    Malcolm-Jamal Warner – Murder in a Small Town (Fox) (WINNER)
    Morris Chestnut – Reasonable Doubt (Hulu)

    Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

    Aisha Muharrar – Hacks – “Clickable Face” (HBO Max) (WINNER)
    Frida Perez – The Studio – “The War” (Apple TV)
    Lizzy Darrell – Abbott Elementary – “100th Day of School” (ABC)
    Monique D. Hall – Sesame Street – “Tamir’s Art Show” (MAX)
    Naomi Ekperigin – St. Denis Medical – “Buffalo Bruce and the Matty Kid” (NBC)

    Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

    Ajani Jackson – Law & Order – “Episode 10” (NBC)
    Bryce Ahart, Stephanie McFarlane – FBI – “Episode 12” (CBS)
    C.A. Johnson – The Beast in Me – “Thanatos” (Netflix)
    Cynthia Adarkwa – The Pitt -“12:00 P.M.” (HBO Max) (WINNER)
    Walter Mosley – The Lowdown – “Tulsa Turnaround” (FX/Hulu) 

    Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie, Documentary or Special

    Aireka Muse – Friends & Lovers (Lifetime Movie Network) (WINNER)      
    Jas Summers – Stay (Hulu)
    Jerrod Carmichael – Jerrod Carmichael: Don’t Be Gay (HBO Max)
    Michael Elliot, Cory Tynan – Ruth & Boaz (Netflix)
    Roye Okupe and Brandon Easton – Iyanu: The Age of Wonders (Cartoon Network)

    Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

    Amy Aniobi – Survival of the Thickest – “It’s Not A MoMent, It’s A Movement, Bitch!” (Netflix)
    Colman Domingo – The Four Seasons – “Ultimate Frisbee” (Netflix)
    Paul Hunter – Government Cheese – “Father Facts, Figures, and Failures” (Apple TV)
    Theodore Witcher – Demascus – “The Thanksgiving Episode” (Tubi)
    Tyler James Williams – Abbott Elementary – “The Science Fair” (ABC) (WINNER)

    Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

    Angela Barnes – Ironheart – “The Past Is the Past” (Disney+)
    Anton Cropper – Reasonable Doubt – “Feelin’ It” (Hulu)
    Jet Wilkinson – The Copenhagen Test – “Copenhagen” (Peacock)
    Mario Van Peebles – Power Book III: Raising Kanan – “Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself” (Starz) (WINNER)
    Salli Richardson-Whitfield – The Gilded Age – “My Mind Is Made Up” (HBO Max)

    Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie, Documentary or Special

    Alanna Brown – Ruth & Boaz (Netflix)
    Nicole G. Leier – Trapped in the Spotlight (Lifetime)
    Olatunde Osunsanmi – Star Trek: Section 31 (Paramount+) (WINNER)
    Tailiah Breon – Not My Family: The Monique Smith Story (A&E)
    Troy A. Scott – I’ll Never Let You Go (Lifetime)

    Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)

    Chinaka Hodge – Ironheart (Disney+) (WINNER)
    Daniel Lawrence Taylor – Boarders (Tubi)
    Haolu Wang – Black Mirror (Netflix)
    Jas Summers – Stay (Hulu)
    Tearrance Averelle Chisolm – Demascus (Tubi)

    Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special, or Movie)

    Angela Bassett – Zero Day (Netflix)
    Lyric Ross – Ironheart (Disney+)
    Marsai Martin – G20 (Prime Video)
    Sherri Shepherd – Straw (Netflix)
    Teyana Taylor – Straw (Netflix) (WINNER)

    Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Television (Series, Special, Movie)

    Glynn Turman – Straw (Netflix) (WINNER)
    Jay Ellis – All Her Fault (Peacock)
    Rockmond Dunbar – Straw (Netflix)
    Sterling K. Brown – Washington Black (Hulu)
    Ving Rhames – Dope Thief (Apple TV)

    Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

    Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough – Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
    Barbara Corcoran, Lorie Grenier, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Daniel Lubetzky, Kevin O’Leary – Shark Tank (ABC)
    Bozoma St. John and Jimmy Fallon – On Brand with Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
    Kevin Hart – BET Awards 2025 (BET Networks)
    Steve Harvey – Celebrity Family Feud (ABC) (WINNER)

    Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition/Game Show

    Celebrity Family Feud (ABC) (WINNER)
    Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
    Full Court Press (ESPN, ESPN+)
    Love & Marriage: Huntsville (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)
    Ready to Love (OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network)

  • TV Ratings: State of the Union Trends Down in Early Numbers

    TV Ratings: State of the Union Trends Down in Early Numbers

    The State of the Union address drew a smaller audience than last year’s presidential address to Congress, based on preliminary Nielsen ratings.

    President Donald Trump’s 107-minute speech (the longest on record) drew about 27.8 million viewers across the seven most watched broadcast and cable outlets: ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, the Fox broadcast network, MS Now and NBC. That’s down by about 12 percent from 31.45 million viewers for those same networks for Trump’s address to Congress last year (which was not technically a State of the Union as it came at the start of a new administration).

    Fox News led the way with 9.1 million viewers, well in front of ABC’s 5.1 million. The latter was the top broadcast net for the speech for the sixth straight year, outdrawing NBC (3.6 million), CBS (3.3 million) and the Fox broadcast network (2.1 million). MS Now (2.4 million) beat out CNN (2.2 million).

    Fox News also topped the core news demographic of adults 25-54 with 1.47 million such viewers, followed by ABC (1.22 million), NBC (1.02 million) and CBS (815,000). CNN (655,000) moved in front of the Fox broadcast (560,000) and MS Now (323,000) in the demo.

    Last year’s address drew a total of 36.63 million viewers across 15 broadcast and cable networks. Final ratings for Tuesday’s address, which will include both additional outlets and Nielsen’s big data measurement, will be out Thursday afternoon. The numbers above may undergo some adjustments in the finals.

    A decline for the State of the Union a year after a president takes office is fairly common in recent history. Following their initial addresses to Congress shortly after taking office, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Trump in his first term all drew smaller audiences for the next year’s State of the Union. The exceptions are George W. Bush in 2002, a few months after the 9/11 attacks, and Joe Biden in 2022, whose first address to Congress came much later than usual (late April 2021) due to health restrictions during the height of the COVID pandemic.

  • Harvey Weinstein Replaces Legal Team as New York Retrial Looms

    Harvey Weinstein has swapped in a new attorney as an upcoming retrial in his New York rape cases looms. The imprisoned former Hollywood mogul has jettisoned his powerhouse team for the next moment in court as his longtime attorneys carry out an appeal on his other verdict.

    Jacob Kaplan of Agnifilo Intrater has been tapped by the disgraced convicted rapist, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. A scheduled court appearance to iron out details of the upcoming trial was pushed on Wednesday to next week. Prosecutors and defense counsel are working toward resolving the remaining third-degree rape charge that ended in mistrial, but it may go to trial.

    Weinstein has been in prison for four years, initially serving a now-vacated 23-year New York sentence after his 2020 trial in New York ended with him found guilty. The 73-year-old former Hollywood kingmaker was originally convicted in New York of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. But the verdicts were overturned in April 2024 when, in a 4-3 decision, New York’s Court of Appeals ruled that the 2020 trial judge allowed testimony from women whose allegations were not part of the formal charges.

    Weinstein’s retrial in March would come after the initial 2025 retrial, where a partial jury verdict was unable to decide whether he raped actress Jessica Mann. In the retrial, he was convicted of forcing oral sex on Miriam Haley, a former Project Runway assistant, in 2006. He was acquitted of forcing oral sex on former model Kaja Sokola during the retrial. The trial for the third-degree rape charge comes after the ex-mogul failed to respond to a plea deal offer that could have allowed him to serve time on the sexual assault and rape charges concurrently and could include time served.

    Weinstein’s bid for a new trial based on claims of juror coercion in the 2025 retrial was recently rejected by the court.

    Kaplan, who represents accused killer Luigi Mangione in his state murder case, will be joined by his colleagues Marc Agnifilo, also representing Mangione, and Teny Geragos, who recently defended Sean “Diddy” Combs in his sex trafficking and racketeering trial.

    Weinstein’s previous team of attorneys with the firm Aidala Bertuna & Kamins, who handled the first two times this case went to trial, will stay on to work on an appeal of his latest verdict. Attorney Arthur Aidala said “serious errors” in the recent conviction will be looked at; he’s confident that it will be overturned.

    “As trial counsel for Harvey Weinstein in two separate proceedings, we have fought vigorously to protect his rights and ensure that he received a fair trial,” Aidala said in a statement to THR. “Our work does not end here. We will continue to advocate forcefully on his behalf in appellate courts, where we are confident that serious legal errors will be addressed and his most significant conviction will ultimately be overturned, as we have achieved in the past.

    “In addition, we continue to represent Mr. Weinstein in all pending civil matters and are fully supporting his new counsel in every way necessary to ensure a coordinated and comprehensive legal strategy,” he added.

    In addition to the New York convictions, Weinstein was found guilty in a separate West Coast trial in 2022 of rape and sexual assault against one of four women he was accused of assaulting in Los Angeles. While his New York convictions were vacated, he remains in prison at Rikers Island in New York based on his L.A. conviction.

  • Gonzaga Basketball Doc ‘The Slipper Still Fits’ Sets March Release (Exclusive)

    Gonzaga Basketball Doc ‘The Slipper Still Fits’ Sets March Release (Exclusive)

    The Gonzaga Bulldogs are ready for their close-up.

    Focusing on college basketball‘s perennial Cinderella team, sports documentary feature Gonzaga: The Slipper Still Fits is set to debut as a Tubi Original on March 6, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned. Director David Check’s feature marks the second project hailing from the FAST platform’s partnership with Teton Ridge Entertainment, following Tubi’s launch earlier this month of women’s college basketball documentary The Moment.

    Gonzaga: The Slipper Still Fits centers on how head coach Mark Few turned the small college program into a national powerhouse that became a regular contender in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament known as March Madness. The film includes interviews with such prominent figures as Few and Steve Kerr, along with Gonzaga alums John Stockton, Adam Morrison, Chet Holmgren, Andrew Nembhard, Jalen Suggs and Domantas Sabonis.

    Thomas Tull produces the movie that hails from Teton Ridge Entertainment and Words and Pictures. Jillian Share, Josh Miller, Connor Schell, Jonathan Hock, Libby Geist, Alexa Conway and Angela T. O’Neal serve as executive producers. Negotiating the deal were Miller and Jessica McCourt for Teton Ridge Entertainment and Ian Nelson for Tubi. The trailer can be seen below.

    “We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with Teton Ridge Entertainment with Gonzaga: The Slipper Still Fits,” says Tubi senior vp of content acquisitions and partnerships Sam Harowitz. “The Gonzaga story resonates beyond the court and has the power to shape culture, and we’re proud to bring Coach Few’s remarkable legacy to our audience with this compelling documentary.”

    The film’s title references announcer Gus Johnson exclaiming, “The slipper still fits,” after a key win during Gonzaga’s 1999 March Madness run. The Bulldogs were the runner-up in the national championship games of 2017 and 2021.

    Adds Teton Ridge Entertainment president Share, “At Teton Ridge Entertainment, we look for stories that reveal something bigger about who we are. We saw that in Gonzaga — a program built on grit, humility and an unshakable belief that where you come from doesn’t define where you end up. Working with Tubi, we’ve created a documentary that captures that spirit.”

  • ‘Cross’ Star Alona Tal Is Blurring the Line With Aldis Hodge in Season 2

    [This story contains spoilers from season two, episode five of Cross, “Climb.”]

    For those who have read the more than 30 James Patterson books on homicide detective and forensic psychologist Alex Cross, Cross aficionados will know that one of the protagonist’s best friends — and eventual greatest enemy — was an FBI agent name Kyle Craig.

    But in the Prime Video series Cross starring Aldis Hodge as the titular Cross, the Kyle Craig character is reimagined. Instead of a male archenemy, Kyle is gender-flipped into a competitive law enforcement agent named Kayla Craig, who is played by Alona Tal. She is still an FBI agent, but much has changed and for Tal, she wouldn’t have it any other way.

    “When we first meet Kayla in season one, she’s there in the capacity of an assistant in the main storyline,” Tal tells The Hollywood Reporter of this new iteration of Craig (who first appeared in season one). “She’s someone who Cross finds as a good confidante and good part of the team to help support him in his journey to figure out who the killer is in season one. She provides invaluable help, access to information they don’t have and the ability to help him solve certain things because she has a lot of the same abilities that he does in the profiling world.

    “Then in season two,” she continues, “I get a lot more runway to explore who Kayla was in her past, and a little bit more into the question of who she is now. She is extremely ambitious, extremely successful in her field. She is a woman who is very driven who very much understands that in order to achieve what she wants with her career, she has to put herself first. And she talks about it. She’s not in a relationship. She tried and it didn’t work. She understands sacrifices and is learning to understand the meaning of repercussions of choices.”

    In season one, Craig did not want a relationship. She found her sexual release from being an FBI field agent by getting into bed with Cross’ pal, Det. John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa). But in the third episode of season two, “Feed,” Cross and Craig, who have been longtime associates, begin seeing each other differently. In the episode, Cross, Sampson and Craig discovered a truckload of children being trafficked in Texas, while tracking the movements of a disciple-like follower of serial killer Luz (Jeanine Mason). Lincoln Esteban (Rene Moran) traveled down there to take photos at the rendezvous location when he was captured by Cross and his team.

    After the arrest, Cross and Craig decided to go out to a local Western bar to have some “stress shots.” That’s when the two law enforcement officers drink and dance up a storm, and the tune of a slow country song strips away their inhibitions. The two passionately kiss on the dance floor, and end up drunk at Craig’s motel room door. She tells Cross goodnight, but leaves the door open. He accepts the unspoken invitation. 

    If you ask Hodge who has caught more feelings, he will wager on Alex Cross.

    Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge).

    Prime Video

    “Cross, even if he is not fully aware, presumably is about to lose the love of his life,” Hodge told THR about the breakup with season one love interest Elle (Samantha Walkes). “He has to deal with that. He’s in a stage of grief. And with Kayla, there is obviously some familiarity and history. I think based off of the friendship, he felt safe enough to engage. It was a safe place for him to grieve and deal with what he was going through at the time. But, in the interim, his true love still rested with Elle.”

    Cross creator, showrunner and writer Ben Watkins breaks down those heated moments between Cross and Kayla.

    “From the writing perspective, we looked at it like we intentionally set up a chemistry between them, but a chemistry that was built out of appreciation of a shared obsession with getting inside the minds of killers and hunting down people,” says Watkins, who also plays FBI Assistant Director Roy McElhannon. “They have a shared appreciation of each other’s brilliance. And what we did in season two was set a situation up where that chemistry turns into something physical, and we were very specific about how that happens.”

    Watkins points out that Cross is struggling about being on the outs with Elle, and also in the midst of a “high-stakes, very emotional and pressurized case, and a hunt for a killer,” he says. “In the aftermath of a chase and a shootout and rescuing some kids, that’s when they actually cross the line into something physical. We thought that was really important because it asked these questions about what happens when you’re in different emotional states, and what do you need and what do you cling to? And when it happens, is it real or is it something of the moment? It’s like a war-zone relationship.”

    The new relationship, or fling, between Cross and Craig gets even messier as the season progresses. In this week’s fifth episode, viewers learned more of Craig’s backstory. Earlier in the season, Craig was tasked with discovering a person known as Mastermind who holds dark secrets about her that could derail her career and potentially send her to prison. This week, Craig’s serial killer C.I., Bobby Trey (Johnny Ray Gill), discovers video footage from years back of a lab experiment with a U.S. military soldier who was drugged and ends up killing himself. When the technician in the lab coat turns around to face the camera after the soldier dies, it appears to be Craig. Bobby Trey is about to end Craig’s life over the video footage, but she convinces him that the image is not her, and a deep fake created to frame her.

    “That was so horrendous — that she knew about those experiments,” Tal adds. “She was involved, but she wasn’t involved, like the deepfakes are trying to make it seem. That’s them trying to frame her. And that’s what she’s trying to prove. There’s a bigger story here. There’s a bigger reveal later.”

    Kayla Craig (Alona Tal).

    Prime Video

    Craig is in a precarious situation trying to uncover who is trying to frame her while these new feeling are developing between her and Cross. She’s just as strong-willed as Cross and wants to be in control, and have the lead on the case they are working on. But she can’t lean on Cross and tell him about her side issues.

    In episode five, “Climb,” when Cross decides to meet with Luz privately against Craig’s wishes, Craig has a feeling that her new lover may be putting his life in danger. Her instincts are right, as Donnie tries to kill Cross. Yet Craig has Bobby Trey trail the detective and ultimately saves his life in the episode. But meeting with an alleged serial killer by himself without her is also grating on Craig’s nerves.

    “It’s not safe, she doesn’t know enough,” says Tal. “And he is going around to take the lead, after she warned him not to do it. He can’t help himself, and she gets annoyed with that. She’s also conflicted because she trusts Alex, but doesn’t want to give him full rein because that goes against his ego.”

    If Cross gets a third season, Tal believes there will be questions that need answering after the forthcoming finale.

    “I was told by one of the writers [initially for this season], ‘You have no idea. Whatever you think you’re doing, you have no idea,’” Tal recalls. “What I hope to see is that there will be a reckoning and repercussions to what happens at the end of our season. When alliances change and choices are made, I would like to see that there has to be a series of consequences. I would like to know more about my character, and what this means in the world we live in.”

    ***

    Cross is now streaming the first five episodes of season two on Prime Video.

  • SAG-AFTRA President Sounds Alarm Over Local TV Station Layoffs Across U.S.

    SAG-AFTRA President Sounds Alarm Over Local TV Station Layoffs Across U.S.

    SAG-AFTRA leaders are laying into Nexstar for conducting sweeping layoffs at local television stations across the country, saying the action demonstrates the dangers of media consolidation.

    Local L.A. station KTLA, Chicago station WGN and WPIX in New York have all reportedly been impacted by the cuts. In L.A. alone, anchors Glen Walker and Lu Parker and meteorologist Mark Kriski have been swept up in round the layoffs, The Los Angeles Times reported. SAG-AFTRA claims that eight union members have been laid off at Chicago’s WGN.

    Leaders of the performers’ union, which represents local TV journalists, went on the offensive about the layoffs on Wednesday. “By laying off journalists across the country, Nexstar is eroding the resources and talent that local communities rely on for trusted news,” union president Sean Astin said in a statement on Wednesday. “These actions highlight the risks of media consolidation and underscore the urgent need for regulators and the company to prioritize the public interest and the professionals who serve it.”

    The Hollywood Reporter has contacted Nexstar, the largest television station owner in the U.S., for comment.

    Nexstar is currently in the process of attempting to consummate a $6.2 billion merger with rival station owner Tegna. With his remarks, Astin appears to be flagging regulators to consider the deal closely, even as Federal Communications Commission chairman Brendan Carr has previously signaled support for the transaction.

    SAG-AFTRA, meanwhile, is presently negotiating several labor agreements with Nexstar stations. “At the table, Nexstar is pushing to gut severance pay and insert onerous provisions into the union contract that limit workers’ ability to freely negotiate the terms of their own employment,” SAG-AFTRA claimed in its press release.

    The union’s chief negotiator vowed to get his members a good deal in those ongoing negotiations. “SAG-AFTRA will not stand by while the future of local news is put at risk,” said SAG-AFTRA national executive director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “We will continue to fight for strong agreements that protect journalists and the audiences who rely on them every single day.”

  • Connor Storrie Showcases His Accent Range in First ‘Saturday Night Live’ Teaser

    Connor Storrie is making it clear he’s the master of accents in his first teaser for Saturday Night Live.

    In the video released by SNL, the 26-year-old is seated across from Marcello Hernández and Ashley Padilla when Hernández mentions how great Storrie’s Russian accent was in Heated Rivalry. “I actually do all kinds of accents,” Storrie bashfully tells the cast members, causing James Austin Johnson to challenge the actor to an accent duel.

    Hernández and Padilla call out a slew of accents for Storrie and Johnson to showcase, with the Heated Rivalry actor trying out his German, French, “bad” Shakespeare, Shrek, and of course, Russian accents. “When you get to hell, tell them Rozanov sent you,” Storrie says in the trailer, a callback to his Heated Rivalry character, Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov. The duel ends with Storrie excitedly claiming his victory and Johnson “dying” from the duel.

    Storrie is set to make his SNL debut on Saturday (Feb. 28) alongside musical guest Mumford & Sons. The hosting gig, announced last month, is the latest in a long string of appearances for Storrie and his co-star Hudson Williams since the queer Canadian hockey drama took off at the end of 2025. Last month, Storrie, who has signed with CAA, and Williams served as torchbearers ahead of the 2026 Olympic Games and presented at the Golden Globes.

    The actor has is in talks to join the ensemble cast of Molly Gordon and Allie Levitan’s A24 comedy Peaked. If the deal makes, Peaked will mark the first post-Heated Rivalry role for Storrie. Levitan is also a writer on SNL.

    Heated Rivalry, hailing from Canadian streamer Crave and airing on HBO Max in the U.S., centers on a fictional hockey universe based on books by Rachel Reid. The show focuses on two rival professional players — Canada-born Shane Hollander (Williams) of the fictitious Montreal Metros and Russia-born Ilya Rozanov (Storrie) of the fictitious Boston Raiders — as they navigate a near-decade-long situationship-turned-relationship.

    Crave renewed Heated Rivalry for a second season, and HBO Max confirmed it will continue to air the series. Reid announced earlier this year that she’ll be publishing her seventh book in the Game Changers series, which Heated Rivalry and its sequel The Long Game belong to. The book, Unrivaled, will be the next chapter in Shane and Ilya’s story. She announced Tuesday that she’d be pushing the book to a 2027 release date.

  • German, European Filmmakers Back Berlinale Boss

    German, European Filmmakers Back Berlinale Boss

    The German and European film academies have thrown their support behind Berlin Film Festival director Tricia Tuttle amid media reports that she is about to be fired following a political backlash over pro-Palestinian speeches at the Berlinale awards ceremony.

    “As filmmakers in Germany and beyond, we are following the current debates surrounding the Berlinale and the proposed dismissal of Tricia Tuttle with deep concern,” the German film academy wrote in an open letter. “Recent criticism has focused on statements made from the stage. None of these remarks were made by the festival leadership itself, but by invited filmmakers. An international film festival is not a diplomatic instrument; it is a democratic cultural space worthy of protection. Its strength lies in its ability to hold divergent perspectives and to give visibility to a plurality of voices.”

    The letter is signed by the academy, the German directors, screenwriters and distributors and exhibitors associations, and a who’s who of German filmmakers, including Wim Wenders, Volker Schlöndorff, Margarethe von Trotta, Dani Levy, and this year’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Ilker Çatak (Yellow Letters). Several international directors, including Kleber Mendonça Filho, Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Radu Jude, and Oren Moverman, are also signatories.

    Earlier, the European Film Academy, Europe Film Promotion and sales body Europa International issued a joint statement in support of Tuttle.

    “We look back on a strong and inspiring Berlinale and would like to express our sincere appreciation for the work of Tricia Tuttle as Director of the Festival,” the statement reads. “This year’s Berlinale lineup showcased a remarkable breadth of European cinema and brought together audiences and industry professionals from around the world. Under Tricia Tuttle’s leadership, the Berlinale has reinforced its role as a key international festival and marketplace for European film. We value the artistic vision and commitment she has brought to the festival. We believe her leadership provides a strong foundation for the Berlinale and for European cinema to move forward with confidence into the future.”

    The letters are in response to a report that Tuttle is about to be fired. German conservative tabloid Bild reported that the German culture ministry will hold a meeting on Thursday to discuss Tuttle’s future at the festival. Without citing any sources, Bild suggested that Tuttle would be let go, just two years into her five year mandate at Berlinale director.

    Bild has been leading a conservative backlash against the Berlinale following Saturday’s award ceremony, where a number of filmmakers made pro-Palestinian statements from the stage. German Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider walked out of the ceremony after Palestinian director Abdallah Al-Khatib, whose film Chronicles From The Siege won the top prize in the Perspectives section, accused the German government of “being partners in the genocide in Gaza by Israel.”

    During the ceremony, several filmmakers spoke out against Israel’s military action in Gaza, including Marie-Rose Osta, whose Someday a Child won the Golden Bear for best short film; the best screenplay winner Geneviève Dulude-de Celles (Nina Roza) and Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner Emin Alper (Salvation).

    On Tuesday, Bild ran a column by right-wing journalist Gunnar Schupelius, who accused Tuttle of having “posed for Gaza propaganda,” citing a photo of the festival director with Al-Khatib and the Chronicles From The Siege crew at the film’s Berlinale world premiere on Feb. 15.

    Schupelius took offense at the Palestinian flag the crew members were holding, and the fact that several men were wearing the traditional Palestinian headscarf, or keffiyeh, which he called “the Arafat scarf, the symbol of armed struggle against Israel.” He accused Tuttle of allowing the Berlinale to be used as a tool by “antisemitic” activists.

    In its letter, the German film academy dismissed such claims.

    “Being photographed with international guests is part of the practice of such a festival. The visibility of different identities is not an endorsement; it is an expression of an open and democratic public sphere,” the letter reads. “When personnel consequences are drawn from individual statements or symbolic interpretations, a troubling signal is sent: cultural institutions come under political pressure.”

    The academy warned that threatening to fire Tuttle because of statements made by festival guests would put “artistic freedom” and the “institutional independence” of the Berlinale under threat. The independence of cultural institutions, they argue, “safeguards not only artistic freedom, but the vitality of democratic discourse itself. If every controversy leads to institutional repercussions, discourse gives way to control. We stand for a culture of exchange, not intimidation. Where diversity remains visible, democracy remains alive.”

    The Berlinale confirmed the Thursday meeting with the German Culture Ministry but declined to comment further.

    Ironically, the controversy comes after two weeks in which pro-Palestinian activists accused Tuttle and this year’s festival jury president Wenders of showing insufficient public solidarity with the Palestinians, even of “censoring” filmmakers who wished to express pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli views.

  • MrBeast Editor Accused of Insider Trading on Kalshi

    An editor for MrBeast has been referred to federal regulators for allegedly making insider bets on prediction market Kalshi.

    The company announced on Wednesday that Artem Kaptur, the MrBeast employee, traded roughly $4,000 on markets related to Jimmy Donaldson’s videos. He had “near-perfect trading success” on bets with low odds by leveraging access to nonpublic information, Kalshi said.

    The disclosure of the investigation’s results — a first for the company — comes amid prediction markets looking to gain a foothold in Hollywood. It’s largely viewed as an untapped source of monetization to drive engagement, and dealmakers are happy to take the money. The Golden Globes became the first program this year to feature real-time odds for each award when it partnered with Polymarket. “By pairing cultural debate with market-based probabilities, we’re giving fans a new, more interactive way to follow the show as it unfolds,” said Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan in a statement.

    Wagers on MrBeast are among several obscure bets people can make on the platform. They include what Donaldson will say in his next video (billion? car? Saudi Arabia?), the duration of his next upload and if he’ll donate to East Carolina University athletics programs. The nature of these kinds of trades, critics say, make Kalshi highly vulnerable to insider trading and manipulation.

    Kalshi said its surveillance systems flagged Artem’s statistically anomalous wins. At the same time, a number of users sent the company tips about unusual trading volume for those bets since the trading data is publicly available.

    “We investigated and found that the trader was employed as an editor for the streamer’s show and likely had access to material non-public information connected to his trading,” the company said.

    Artem was fined over $20,000 and suspended from Kalshi for over two years. The case was reported to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the regulatory agency that oversees prediction markets.

    In a statement, a spokesperson for Beast Industries said the company has “no tolerance for this behavior” and that it has a “longstanding policy in place against employees using proprietary company information.” It added, “We’ve already initiated an independent investigation as part of our overall ongoing efforts to ensure the integrity of our workplace and trust with our global audiences.”

  • David Harbour Has a New Dark Comedy About Swingers and “Weird People Looking for Meaning”

    David Harbour Has a New Dark Comedy About Swingers and “Weird People Looking for Meaning”

    As his Stranger Things chapter has come to a close, David Harbour is onto new — and more adult — terrain.

    He has spent the last several years developing HBO dark comedy DTF St. Louis, which follows three people battling middle-age malaise by exploring an app of that same name, made for singles and swingers looking to spice up their marriages. Harbour and Cardellini play a married couple with Jason Bateman as their also married friend, who end up in a love triangle with one of them soon found dead.

    The series marks Harbour’s first executive producing credit and has been in development for years, originally starring himself and Pedro Pascal in a different premise; Pedro later departed and Bateman came on board as a fellow EP and co-star, and the new story was set.

    “My ability to watch things has gotten so limited — like I don’t like so much stuff — but I love like The White Lotus and I love shows where you get eight hours with a couple of characters who you love, in your bed, and you’re watching them,” Harbour told The Hollywood Reporter at the show’s L.A. premiere on Tuesday. “You have a really good hook like a murder but then you have the freedom to play with these characters. I like humor and pathos and [showrunner] Steve Conrad has such a unique point of view so we started working on this thing.”

    Linda Cardellini and David Harbour on the carpet swings.

    JC Olivera/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

    DTF stands for “Down to Fuck,” and HBO has leaned into the swinging aspect in the show’s marketing, embracing the slogan “You never know which way a friendship will swing” and even installing a swing set on the red carpet.

    But Harbour downplayed how much the series is about swinging, dating apps and kinks, noting, “I don’t know that it is an exploration of it. We tease you with that but the DTF app only functions to get the characters to explore the meaning that they lack in their lives. The only guy who is really on it is [his character] Floyd at one point and he only goes on a couple of things. But it’s really more about this existential need for connection and about weird people being weird.”

    The star — whose own relationship and breakup with Lily Allen has gotten plenty of attention in recent months — continued, “There’s a line that Steve’s always clung to which is the first line he wrote: ‘Nobody’s normal, they just look that way from across the street.’ That’s really what the whole series is trying to be, this empathetic response for weird people looking for meaning.”

    Cardellini echoed that she was drawn to how “peculiar and individual all of the characters are” and commended the way that intimate scenes “were handled so delicately and so technically and just no lack of information or care or preparation.” And co-star Joy Sunday teased she has been “kind of hiding” the show’s subject matter from her parents. “My dad texted me the other day and he was like, ‘Oh I saw your trailer’ and I was like, ‘Oh great!’” she laughed. “I don’t know if he fully understood, maybe he didn’t. So we’ll see, but I’m so proud of the work I did on this show.”

    DTF St. Louis premieres Sunday on HBO.