Tag: Entertainment-Variety

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass doesn’t show up for the grand openings of many local businesses. But early Monday morning she trekked all the way out to the northwestern edge of the city, more than 25 miles from City Hall, to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremonies for Cinespace’s new studio complex in Woodland Hills. If there was any doubt as to why she made the effort, she cleared that up when she stepped behind the podium on Stage 1 and greeted the press and other assembled guests with her signature toothy grin.

“When we invest in the [entertainment] industry, the industry invests in Los Angeles, and I think it’s important that we always educate Angelenos to all of the ways the industry impacts our economy, all of the ancillary businesses, and all of the economic growth that happens when industry stays here and films here,” said Bass, who also attended the opening of East End Studios’ new Mission Campus in L.A.’s Arts District back in January.

Built inside the shell of the former headquarters and manufacturing facility for Catalina Yachts, the new 180,000-square-foot Cinespace campus boasts six 18,000-square-foot soundstages with 30-foot clearances, along with 72,000 square feet of production offices and support space. The complex’s first tenant, the thriller “Nightwatching,” starring Mila Kunis, has been shooting on Stages 2 and 3 since early February, and on Monday, the production had also commandeered one of the lunch rooms to rehearse a stunt sequence.

Speaking to Variety following the ribbon-cutting, Cinespace Studios co-CEO Eoin Egan explained that when the company – which also has production campuses in Chicago, Toronto, Atlanta, Wilmington, North Carolina and Germany – began looking for a site in Los Angeles around 2022, it wanted a place where they could establish a turnkey “one-stop shop,” where “we don’t have parking down the street.”

Egan got all that and more. Cinespace Studios Los Angeles is located in a bustling retail district on one of the Valley’s major thoroughfares, Victory Boulevard. Across the street is a mini-mall with tenants that include a deli, a liquor store, a nail salon, a chiropractor and a foot and body massage business. Directly behind the studio is a Home Depot, which “productions are in and out of all the time for everything from gaffer’s tape to toilet paper to lumber,” said Egan, who also noted that crew members regularly patronize the nearby B.J.’s Restaurant & Brewhouse location.

The San Fernando Valley may not be where Hollywood’s cool kids hang out, but despite the confusing constellation of names given to various sections (North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Northridge, etc.), most of it is part of the City of Los Angeles. More importantly, a wealth of talent makes its home on this side of “the hill” (aka, the Santa Monica Mountains), particularly the below-the-line variety.

“Heads of department tend to live here in the West Valley and in [nearby] Studio City, so we’re seeing those synergies and it’s already been an added value,” said Egan.       

The surrounding neighborhood is no stranger to production. Another one of the day’s speakers, L.A. City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, pointed out that Cinespace Studios Los Angeles sits on land that was once part of Warner Ranch, where numerous Westerns were shot back in the ‘30s and ‘40s. More recently, the suburban developments that replaced it in the 1950s onward have served as locations for projects ranging from “Curb Your Enthusiasm” to various Paul Thomas Anderson movies, including 2021’s “Licorice Pizza.” The facilities are also about two miles northwest of the former site of the RKO Encino Ranch – sold in 1954 and redeveloped, primarily as the Encino Village subdivision of mid-century modern tract homes – where downtown Bedford Falls was constructed for 1946’s “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

But building a studio complex is a risky proposition. When Cinespace embarked on the project, the industry was in the midst of a post-pandemic, peak-streaming production boom. Since then, there’s been a major contraction, exacerbated by dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023, followed by renegotiated IATSE and Teamster contracts in 2024 that spurred more projects to shoot outside the U.S.

That lent added urgency to the lobbying efforts mounted by Cinespace and other industry players in support of California’s Film and Television Tax Credit Program 4.0, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law in July 2025. It raised the annual cap on the incentive from $330 million to $750 million and bumped the base tax credit from 20%-25% on qualified expenditures to 35%-40%. It also made it fully refundable for the first time, enabling companies to get cash back from California if their credit exceeds their state tax burden. The initial results were positive: As of January 2026, 119 projects (39 television and 80 feature film) had been approved under the revised program, which are estimated to produce 25,000 crew hires and $4.1 billion in economic activity.

Bass also did her part, issuing an executive directive in May 2025 dubbed “Reel Change: Supporting Local Film and Television Production,” ordering city departments to take a proactive film-friendly approach to production and make iconic locations like Griffith Observatory and the Central Library more accessible and affordable for filming.

Despite these improvements, success is far from assured. According to the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s 2026 Annual Economic Forecast released last month, sound stage occupancy hovered above 93% between 2016 and 2021, but by 2024 it had dipped to 63%. Meanwhile, sound stage square footage grew by 53% between 2020 and 2025.  

But California Film Commission executive director Colleen Bell struck a positive note when she spoke to Variety on Monday.

“When a project is accepted into [California’s incentive] program, they have 180 days to start principal photography, so you’re not going to see an instant spike,” said Bell, who also addressed the crowd at the event. “There’s a gradual increase of production taking place, so stages will start to fill up slowly, but it’s happening.”

Superstars don’t stay relevant by doing what people expect, or even what their fans necessarily want. Crowd-pleasing is a fast track to becoming a nostalgia act, where an artist is trapped in a loop of playing to type (i.e. the hits and only the hits) year after year. It’s not a bad life — Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Elton John and countless others are making millions playing their decades-old hits to adoring, affluent, increasingly older crowds, with new songs being an indulgence for them and a bathroom break for the fans.

But staying culturally relevant is a totally different game, one that requires a constant element of surprise, or at least the unexpected — a sense that the artist knows exactly what they’re doing, even if they’re not obvious about it. That combination of engagement and elusiveness, of knowing how much to say and how much to hold back, creates a tantalizing sense of mystery that keeps people curious, not only wanting more but wanting to know more.

That elusiveness is a big part of what keeps us engaged with the Beyoncés, Arianas, Lanas, Taylors and Kendricks of the world — not knowing what’s coming next, the anticipation of getting something unexpected and exciting, because what’s more exciting than getting something awesome that you didn’t even know you wanted? Of course, countless artists have tried to lead their audience into places the fans knew they didn’t want to go, and faceplanted accordingly. But the risk is also a big part of the reward — even if it can lead to some ambivalent reactions to one’s dancing ability.

Without putting Harry Styles in the same league as some of the above innovators, he has shown an unusually strong self-awareness in terms of his career, his audience and simply keeping people interested. After six years with One Direction, one of the biggest boy bands in history, his 2017 self-titled solo debut sounded like absolutely nothing he’d done before — not to mention nothing else on the charts — and gave him a clean slate from which he could go anywhere, yet “Fine Line” two years later found him shifting into the upbeat pop that fans probably expected from his debut. And although 2022’s “Harry’s House” continued in that musical vein, it arrived surprisingly quickly after the pandemic-delayed “Fine Line” tour, and basically made for a multi-year — and multimillion-dollar-spinning — extended album cycle.

So what’s the move with the fascinatingly punctuated “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.,” which comes out on Friday? Not what the title, or Styles’ stated inspirations from Berlin nightclubs, would lead people to expect, because there’s very little here that anyone would consider disco (albeit with one glorious exception we’ll get to in a moment).

There are a lot of upbeat songs, big drums, heavy bass and loud electronic noises to go with Styles’ alternately cheery or melancholy melodies, but the beats on this album tend to pound rather than groove; even the upbeat and promisingly titled “Ready Steady Go” stomps more than it swings. Throughout most of the album, there’s a sense of restraint, of holding back — even the songs with the heaviest beats would be almost impossible to dance to. There are lots of electronics, few guitars, and one song, “Coming Up Roses,” is a lovely ballad with Styles accompanied only by a piano and orchestra.

But in line with the sense of mystery and elusiveness mentioned above, it’s an album that reveals itself gradually, and there’s plenty for fans to grab onto. The shimmering pop songs “Taste Back” and “The Waiting Game” have the album’s sweetest melodies; “Pop” is driven by a Daft Punk-esque arpeggiated synthesizer hook; the closing “Carla’s Song” is the kind of track that could be an exuberant, set-closing, confetti-dropping finale in a more concert-friendly arrangement. Oddly, the memorably titled “Season 2 Weight Loss” is one of the least memorable songs.

Even more oddly, the one true banger — “Dance No More” — is the outlier in the batch. With a funky groove, ‘80s synthesizer stabs, party noises and a put-your-hands-in-the-air-wooo! chorus of “DJs don’t dance no more!,” it has a loose, fun, carefree vibe found nowhere else on the album. It’s a prime early candidate for Song of the Summer 2026 — and, perfectly on brand for this album, it’s sequenced way toward the end, the tenth of 12 songs (maybe to manage expectations?), and is followed by the slow, acoustic-guitar-led ballad “Paint by Numbers,” squelching the party vibe just as it was getting a late start.  

Initially, fans may greet this album with confusion or hesitant enthusiasm, because it may not be what they were dreaming of or expecting. But do we really want the same birthday present every year? “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.” is actually the opposite of its opponent in pop’s 2026 heated rivalry: the new Bruno Mars album, which delivers — immediately, and on a silver platter — exactly what a majority of his fans presumably wanted. Styles could have done that easily — you can almost feel him not doing it, with the restrained vibe of many of the songs on this album — but artistically, he might be trying to play a longer game with songs that take some time to sink in.

However, his concerts are a different story — a musical group hug, filled with hits and sparkle and laughs and unselfconscious joyful dancing, and many of his songs often take on a different life onstage, where the heat and grit of a live band let them loosen up and swing. That will probably happen with a lot of the tracks here too — witness (in the unlikely event that anyone reading this hasn’t already) his performance of “Aperture” at the Brit Awards last weekend, which saw the low-key song transformed into an anthem.

So even if a lot of the songs on “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally.” are a bit on the chill side, they almost definitely won’t be when he hits the stage. We’ll get to find out on Friday, when a one-off concert in England will be livestreamed in advance of the tour starting in earnest in May.

Netflix has set an official premiere date for its “Little House on the Prairie” series, with the streamer also announcing the show has already been renewed for Season 2.

The new “Little House on the Prairie,” based on the beloved Laura Ingalls Wilder book series, will launch on July 9. The show was first announced with a series pickup in January 2025.

The logline states, “Part hopeful family drama, part epic survival tale, and part origin story of the American West, this fresh adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s iconic semi-autobiographical ‘Little House’ books offers a kaleidoscopic view of the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the frontier.”

The cast includes Alice Halsey as Laura Ingalls, Skywalker Hughes as Laura’s older sister, Mary, Luke Bracey as Pa, aka Charles Ingalls, and Crosby Fitzgerald as Ma, Caroline Ingalls.

Rebecca Sonnenshine will serve as showrunner and executive producer on “Little House on the Prairie.” Joy Gorman Wettels of Joy Coalition will also executive produce along with Trip Friendly for Friendly Family Productions, Dana Fox, and Susanna Fogel. CBS Studios and Anonymous Content Studios will produce for Netflix. Directors on the series are Sarah Adina Smith (101), Julie Anne Robinson (102, 103), Kat Candler (104, 105), Erica Tremblay (106), Sydney Freeland (107, 108)

Friendly is the son of Ed Friendly, who executive produced the original “Little House on the Prairie” TV series.

“I’m incredibly grateful to our wonderful cast and crew, who put their hearts and hard work into making our first season come alive,” Sonnenshine said. “We can’t wait to share this new adaptation of the ‘Little House’ books with the world, and we’re thrilled that Netflix is giving us the opportunity to continue the story.”

Ingalls Wilder released eight “Little House” books in the 1930s and ’40s, while a ninth was published posthumously in 1971. The books are based on her childhood in the American Midwest in the late 1800s. More than 73 million copies of the books have been sold to date.

“We are delighted to renew this beautiful reimagining of ‘Little House on the Prairie’ for a second season ahead of its Netflix debut,” said Jinny Howe, Netflix’s head of US and Canada scripted series. “The exceptional work by Rebecca Sonnenshine and the entire cast and crew on Season 1 has established a rich foundation of storytelling for years to come. With its hopeful spirit and emotional authenticity, we’re confident that Little House will deliver even more of what fans truly love.”

TLC’s newest show about an insular religious community, “Suddenly Amish,” has almost wrapped its eight-episode first season, and despite the conservative reputation of the religious sect, it stars a churchgoing diva named James who delivers more drama than a whole season of “Real Housewives.” Below, I attempt to explain why this reality series — and James — have me riveted.

OK, what is this crazy show?

The premise of the reality series is that six English (Amish slang for “non-Amish people”) head to an Amish community in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, because they want to consider joining the lifestyle for…reasons? It’s all very unclear, but each one of them seems to have done a laughably poor job at even the most basic research, which would tell them the lifestyle is incompatible with their personalities.

To wit: Judah is bisexual, but that isn’t OK in Amish communities; Aaron’s hearing aids are bluetooth enabled by his cell phone, but cell phones aren’t allowed; Esme feels uncomfortable without makeup and fake nails, which aren’t a part of Amish life; Matt is divorced, which is forbidden; Kendra wears clothes with cleavage, which is a no-no; and Billie Jo says she’s an Amish fangirl, but also packed a sex toy in her luggage, which, wouldn’t you know, is not allowed in Amish culture.

Despite these extremely bumpy starts, Bishop Vernon, the patriarch of the community, is worried about the shrinking Amish population, so he wants to invite these people (and cameras) in to see that their way of life is calm and honest in an increasingly complex world.

Meet James (and his straw hat)

Amazingly, Vernon tasks James to be a leader for these curious English, and the journey is set to be his own redemption tale. Before the show, James was shunned from the community for cell phone use, so he’s working on proving that he’s godly enough to be seen as a positive influence and get back in good graces.

Seems simple, right? Brace yourself, because it quickly becomes clear that James is vindictive, conniving and stuck in a love triangle between one of the English and his third cousin.

James starts to unravel quickly, as it’s clear he has eyes for Kendra, a former dancer whose body he sees dressed immodestly one too many times. While her outfits are par for the course for an L.A.-based content creator, she inadvertently hypnotizes James, who takes special care in overseeing her journey and advocating for her.

James grabs an ax

Unfortunately for him, Matt quickly starts flirting more overtly with Kendra, which James clocks. During a group dinner in Episode 2, Matt mentions that he is divorced, which James notes is forbidden in the community, and he has to leave immediately. (“I’m not going to let them bring any evil in here … They could cause enough disharmony to the point that it topples the church,” James said, with a smirk, while discussing it in a testimonial.)

From there, James grabs an ax and, swinging it absentmindedly in his left hand, escorts his romantic rival off the property. It’s the kind of moment that likely made producers cheer, as well as pray that no one would get murdered with an ax during their shoot.

Once James returns to the dinner, Judah has the most sober analysis of the situation, saying in another testimonial: “James is crazy. James is a psycho.” Allen, a kind, older mentor in the community, agreed that James’ behavior wasn’t called for. “James driving Matt off … he should not have the ax in his hand. That gives Matt a very nasty picture of the Amish way of life.”

Twerking at the Rumspringa tailgate

Matt’s departure upsets Kendra, which James leverages by allowing her to use her hidden cell phone to call her mother. At this point, the English, Allen and James’ live-in third cousin Emma start regularly discussing his crush on Kendra.

It doesn’t take much longer for secrets to start spilling out from under James’ straw hat, as Matt returns to the community at the end of Episode 4 in order to see Kendra again. Things come to a head at a Rumspringa tailgate party, where young Amish people leave the community and temporarily live English in order to confirm they want to stay religious.

James drinks to excess and shows too much interest in Kendra twerking in her Amish garb, which upsets a jealous Emma. This causes the cousins to spend much of the evening play wrestling and caressing in ways that I personally avoid with family members. It’s gross, but although they claim they’ve never hooked up, they’ve done the math and confirm that they can.

As the cast notes the hypocrisy of James’ drinking and his PDA with Emma — both of which are not allowed for the Amish — blurry footage is shown of the cousins running around the house late at night, up to some funny business in both the bedroom and the bathroom.

Breakups and departures

The next day, Matt takes Kendra on a date and, after another confrontation with James, he decides to leave again, and she opts to stay with him at a motel for the night before he goes. James furiously grabs a lantern, a horse and a buggy and heads to the motel in order to confront the pair.

“There are many ways to be tempted: Serving the flesh, serving self … Kendra is somebody I want to protect. Kendra has a future here. Kendra has great potential. I don’t want her to be defiled,” James says, chillingly.

Despite James’ nonstop knocking, the pair doesn’t open the door, and when James arrives back home, Emma is angered by the stunt. This causes the relatives to finally get real in their testimonials, as both Matt and Kendra leave for good.

James, on Kendra: “She has this potential to be a good Amish wife. It would have been nice to have her around longer. There’s natural chemistry.”

Emma’s rebuttal: “If Matt and Kendra would have been given an honest chance, if we would have treated them right, they would have stayed. The biggest reason why they left is because of the way we didn’t do our part. We’ve done something extremely wrong, and there should be no reason why they want to leave.”

This disconnect causes Emma to flee the house and move out entirely due to James’ actions, but she’s hesitant to describe them at length — except via a late-night hidden camera, which catches her talking furiously with James.

“You want Kendra,” she says. “I can’t associate myself with people who lie, with people who deceive … I’ve never heard so much bullshit in my entire life.” (Note: Profanity is, of course, not looked highly upon by the Amish.)

The biggest blow? When the cousins are in testimonial together, and Emma looks at James and says, “I feel like I did my best in setting a good example, but I need a better leader.” Ouch!

Lurching towards the finale

After sending his cousin fleeing, banishing two of the contestants, and quickly losing the trust of the elders that could help him get un-shunned, James is still acting like a villain to the remaining four English. The night before their Reckoning Day, when they determine if they’ll stay in the Amish community or not, James continues to toy with their emotions at a group dinner.

“Me and Allen could put in a good word — if we desire to,” James says, wiggling his eyebrows.

“There’s only one night left, and James is still playing games, playing with our emotions. When does it ever end?” Judah laments in a testimonial.

“I am very disappointed with James dealing with the English that way,” Allen says in his testimonial. “His viewpoints on the Amish lifestyle are very different from mine or my brothers. He can be very, very hard.”

Ultimately, James makes a compelling case for nature versus nurture when it comes to reality show villains. Unless he’s sneaking a smart TV into the communal phone shanty, he doesn’t realize he was born for this shit. Manipulative, mean, self-righteous — and that’s just in his first season!

Ultimately, while Allen is the sincere soul who makes the Amish lifestyle seem calm and forgiving, it’s great to know that, however secluded the community is, there are hot messes like James everywhere.

Watch James confront Matt before he grabs his ax in the scene below.

“Suddenly Amish” streams on HBO Max, and its first season finale — which includes Reckoning Day! — airs tonight on TLC.

Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion bid for Warner Bros. Discovery is not just a Hollywood deal. Powered by $24 billion from sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the proposed merger is sparking debate over soft power, influence and media independence at a company that includes CNN and HBO.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Abu Dhabi’s L’imad Holding Company, and the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) are jointly putting up a total of $24 billion investment into the Hollywood mega merger — a power move that coincides with efforts to build local entertainment industries across the Middle East.

In an SEC filing, Paramount said the investors will not receive governance rights, including board seats or voting rights, so their involvement will not require a sign-off by the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment (CFIUS).

The question, however, isn’t whether the Arab funds have formal voting rights — it’s whether a $24 billion stake can ever truly be passive inside a company that controls CNN, HBO and one of Hollywood’s most powerful IP libraries.

Before pulling out of the deal, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos – speaking to the BBC in London on the morning after the recent BAFTA Film Awards – called the Gulf sovereign funds backing Paramount’s bid a “bad idea,” noting that they are from “a part of the world that is not very big on the First Amendment.” 

“It seems very odd to me with the level of investment that we’re talking about that they’d have no influence or editorial control over media in another country,” Sarandos added.

“They may be sleeping partners. But there will probably come a time when they are going to wake up and want to exert their influence” agreed Middle East analyst Neil Quilliam, partner at Azure Strategy in London.

“Big sovereign investors negotiate the level of visibility they want into strategy and major decisions,” said New York-based lawyer and analyst Irina Tsukerman. “They automatically get ongoing access to leadership and leverage tied to future financing, even without publicly acknowledged voting rights,” she pointed out.

“Would you spend that kind of money to just be a silent partner? “I doubt it,” said Dubai-based media consultant Mazen Hayek who is a former spokesman for regional broadcasting powerhouse MBC Group.

“Does it guarantee you direct influence? No, it doesn’t,” he added. “At least not in normal corporate America,” according to Hayek.

Quilliam underlined that the decision on the part of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi – which is part of the United Arab Emirates – to join forces on this Hollywood mega deal marks “an unusual three-way alliance,” especially at a time when tensions are simmering between Saudi and the UAE who are on opposite sides of Sudan’s civil war.

But these Gulf countries are casting aside their differences because “They’ve got their eye on the bigger prize,” Quilliam noted. That reward being that “all three Arab states want to occupy a major place in the global media space.” So they are “really stepping up to project their [soft] power beyond the region.”

“They are looking for ways to diversify from their oil-based economies,” said Georgetown University political economist Robert Mogielnicki. And “Pushing into the entertainment realm is an important part of their broader economic diversification strategies.”

But what’s in it for them?

Besides the prestige of being minority partners in the Hollywood mega merger “They get a piece of IP, a movie premiere, a movie shoot: all they care about is reputation and soft power,” says Hayek. At a more granular level, there could be synergies between Saudi-owned MBC’s Shahid streaming service and HBO Max, he noted.

Saudi Arabia – eight years after the removal of its religion-related ban on cinema – has major moviemaking ambitions as part of the kingdom’s larger efforts to transition from an oil-based economy to becoming a digital world player.

Hollywood, meanwhile, is beginning to move past the backlash caused by the grisly murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Turkish Embassy in 2018 which was attributed to Saudi agents following an investigation. The Saudi government denies involvement of its top leadership. 

Saudi money has already found its way in Hollywood through multiple splashy deals. To name one, Electronic Arts, the maker of video games like “Madden NFL,” “Battlefield,” and “The Sims,” in October was acquired by an investor group led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund in a massive deal valued at $55 billion. 

Qatar, after being put on the global map by Al Jazeera and the 2022 FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, is now turning to film and TV and courting Hollywood. This became crystal clear last November during the Industry Days component of the new Doha Film Festival that were attended by top executives from Sony Pictures and U.S. indie studios Neon, A24, Department M and Miramax that is jointly owned by Qatar’s beIN Media Group and Paramount Global.

Meanwhile, Hollywood-backed theme parks have been sprouting in the region. In May, the Walt Disney Company announced plans for its first theme park in the Middle East in Abu Dhabi, joining the nearby Warner Bros. World resort on Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island.

That said, the broader issue remains that “Hollywood is not used to Arab money in media,” Hayek pointed out. “They are used to Arab money in strategic places: in airports and football clubs and shopping malls,” he noted. But they are not comfortable with Arab countries owning even a relatively small interest in the parent company of a global news operation such as CNN.

CNN in fact could become the main stumbling block for the Paramount Warner Bros. merger from a regulatory standpoint. But it’s probably not an insurmountable obstacle.

François Godard, an analyst at Enders Analysis, has pointed out that the U.K. regulator recently blocked a deal for RedBird Capital Partners — backed by Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments (IMI) to buy the Telegraph Media Group.

However the EU regulator is likely to be more lenient than its British counterpart since CNN is “not a significant player in Europe’s national media landscapes” said Max von Thun, director of Europe at the Brussels-based Open Markets Institute. Von Thun also noted that, more in general, the EU “rarely blocks merger deals.”

As for how the foreign investments would sit with the U.S. regulator, Mogielnicki said that for Arab sovereign funds in the U.S., there are now “fewer hurdles, and they are easier to get over than in the past.”

“The FCC, the Justice Department, and national security review bodies will still run through the formal processes,” said Tsukerman.

“But leadership in those institutions reflects the administration,” she added. Especially now, under U.S. President Donald Trump, “appointees tend to follow his instincts – and sometimes explicit direction – on foreign investment.”

And, as Tsukerman noted, since Trump “has already been comfortable operating alongside Saudi-backed capital, regulators under him are unlikely to treat the same capital as automatically disqualifying in a media deal.”

Indian thespian Anupam Kher is developing a new film set in Varanasi that echoes the themes of his 1984 breakthrough “Saaransh” while unveiling his latest directorial effort “Tanvi the Great” for its global streaming premiere on Prime Video March 3.

“I’m working on a story about Banaras [Varanasi], about a person in Banaras,” Kher says of the new project. “I was discussing with [“Saaransh” director] Mahesh Bhatt… it’s a ‘Saaransh 2,’ basically. This time, the man is not passive in the sense he was aggressive in his thoughts. This time I just feel that I need to reinvent myself.”

The actor-director describes the Varanasi-set film as the story of “a 70-year-old man who feels like a 28-year-old man” – a reversal of his iconic debut where he played a 65-year-old character at age 28 in “Saaransh,” Bhatt’s 1984 drama about an elderly couple coping with the loss of their only son. That film, which was India’s entry for the Oscars, established Kher as a serious actor and remains one of his most celebrated performances. “When I was 28 I played a 65-year-old man role. Now at that time, I portrayed 65 what I thought 65 will be like, but I’m going to be 71 on March 7, I feel like a 28-year-old man,” he says. The new project will unfold “in the genre of a funny thriller, but human story. I don’t know how to tell other stories. I can only tell stories which are human, which have a human angle, which have a human feeling, but positive. I like happy endings.”

As Kher discusses his future projects, he’s simultaneously unveiling “Tanvi the Great” for its worldwide streaming debut, bringing the autism-centered drama to audiences worldwide after a festival and theatrical run. The film follows 21-year-old Tanvi Raina [debutant Shubhangi Dutt], an autistic woman who discovers her late soldier father’s unfulfilled dream – to stand at Siachen, the world’s highest battlefield, and salute the Indian flag – and becomes determined to fulfill this mission despite societal pushback and institutional barriers against autistic recruits in the military. The film portrays autism as a superpower rather than a disability.

Following its world premiere at the Cannes Film Market, “Tanvi the Great” screened in London, New York – where Robert De Niro attended – and Houston before being shown to the President of India, the army chief, and 2,000 cadets at the Indian National Defence Academy. The theatrical release in India came on July 18, alongside the blockbuster “Saiyaara.” “‘Saiyaara’ was like a tsunami, so it got lost in that,” Kher acknowledges, though the film found life through special screenings for 20,000 school students and a re-release that has now reached its 23rd week in limited theaters.

“If film is to be judged from a box office, it did not do well, but if it is to be judged by appreciation and the kind of response of the Autism Society of India, the army, the children, the school children, the people who saw it, is, it is, I think, priceless,” Kher says.

But perhaps the most meaningful validation came from De Niro, who had initially planned a brief 10-minute appearance at the New York premiere. “He had come for 10 minutes, but he stayed till the interval,” Kher recalls. De Niro, who Kher starred alongside in “Silver Linings Playbook,” later requested to see the complete film. “He said, ‘It’s very moving.’ And he told the girl [Dutt] that you are terrific, which I thought was the ultimate compliment for any actor in the world, that the God of acting is telling a person who has done her first film that you are terrific.”

The response from the autistic community has been particularly gratifying. “We have presented Tanvi as a superpower… they like that because they say that there is some special things about them,” Kher explains. “Usually, people portray them as helpless and tragic and this and that. They love the quirkiness of Tanvi. They loved that she takes up a job which her father could not fulfill. They love the portrayal of Shubhangi very well. They love the relationship of grandfather and granddaughter. That she can sing and she can do things and that she’s naughty. She’s not portrayed as somebody with a disability.”

As Kher unveils the film for its Prime Video release, he emphasizes its appeal as a rare family film in today’s market. “You very rarely can see films where the whole family sits together and can watch it,” he says.

Kher positions “Tanvi the Great” as an antidote to contemporary cynicism, particularly as it reaches a global streaming audience. “It makes you believe in humankind. And that’s what we need in today’s time. I think if you want to practice a religion today, that needs to be that of humanity. And this film makes you believe in that,” he says. “It also makes you feel that the only good people in this world are people who are neurodivergent.”

The director describes the viewing experience in evocative terms: “It’s like a first sip of coffee in the morning, which makes you feel good. It’s like sunshine in winter through a window. When I was in Shimla, on the winter nights, the sun used to filter through these chinar trees. I wait for that feeling to happen. It makes you feel warm, like you’re wearing a quilt of goodness around you.”

Lead actor Shubhangi Dutt from “Tanvi the Great” “is winning awards right now” and working on another Anupam Kher Studio production called “Flicker.” On the acting front, Kher has just completed “Khosla Ka Ghosla 2” and is finishing an untitled Sooraj Barjatya film. He’s also preparing a new musical play titled “Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane” (Intimate Strangers).

“Tanvi the Great” is produced by Anupam Kher Studio in association with India’s National Film Development Corporation, with music by Oscar winner M.M. Keeravani (“RRR”) and sound design by Oscar winner Resul Pookutty (“Slumdog Millionaire”).

The combo of Disney+/Disney Channel/Disney Jr. dominated Monday’s Children’s & Family Emmys, landing 19 wins — the most of any outlet — thanks to programs like “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” which was the evening’s most-awarded show, with five Emmys (including outstanding fiction special).

Disney also scored four wins for “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,” which was named outstanding young teen series, and four for “Win or Lose,” which was named outstanding children’s or young teen animated series, among other prizes.

Other big winners for the evening included HBO Max’s “Sesame Street” (which has since moved to Netflix), with four wins — including outstanding preschool, children’s or family viewing series. “Sesame Street” was also recognized for its viral video “Andrew Garfield and Elmo Explain Grief,” which won for short form live action program, and Leslie Carrara-Rudolph (as Abby Cadabby & Tango) won for best puppetry.

Netflix earned the second-most Emmys of the evening, with 10, including five for “Sweet Tooth” (which won the supporting performer prize, for Nonso Anozie, and younger performer Emmy for Christian Convery).

Joe Locke won the Emmy in lead performer in a preschool, children’s or young teen program for playing Charlie Spring on Netflix’s “Heartstopper,” Ana Gasteyer landed the Emmy in outstanding voice performer in a preschool program for Disney+/Disney Jr.’s “RoboGobo,” and John Lithgow won the single role voice performer in a preschool program Emmy for Netflix’s “Spellbound.”

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, which administers the Children’s & Family Emmys, moved the 4th Annual Children’s & Family Emmys to New York for the first time this year, at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall. Bill Nye received the Lifetime Achievement Award, and actor, director, writer, puppeteer, producer, and creator for television and theater John Tartaglia hosted.

Honorees, as determined by juried panels, for individual achievement in animation (in each of the six animation disciplines) and outstanding public service initiative were announced last month.

On Monday, here’s how the network tally stacked up: Disney (19), Netflix (10), HBO Max (5), YouTube (4), Nickelodeon (3), Apple TV (2), BYU TV (2), Nat Geo (2), PBS (1).

Here are the 4th Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards nominees and winners:

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Outstanding Preschool, Children’s or Family Viewing Series

“Jane” (Apple TV+) [Sinking Ship Entertainment]

“Kids Baking Championship” (Food Network) [Sonic Dog]

“Ms. Rachel” (Ms. Rachel – Toddler Learning Videos YouTube Channel) [Songs For Littles, LLC | Lifeboat Productions]

“Odd Squad” (PBS Kids) [Sinking Ship Entertainment | BBC Studios | Fred Rogers Productions]

WINNER: “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

“Tab Time” (Tab Time YouTube Channel) [Kids At Play]

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Outstanding Young Teen Series

“Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+) [Sony Pictures Television]

“Heartstopper” (Netflix) [See-Saw Films]

WINNER: “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

“Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

“Time Bandits” (Apple TV+) [Paramount Television Studios | Anonymous Content | MRC Productions]

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Outstanding Fiction Special

“Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip” (Disney+)

WINNER: “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+) [Disney Branded Television]

“Girl Haunts Boy” (Fifth Season) [Wonder Worldwide]

“Henry Danger: The Movie” (Nickelodeon)

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Outstanding Informational Program

“Building Outside the Lines” (Magnolia Network) [Painless Productions]

“Harlem Ice” (Disney+) [Imagine Entertainment]

“Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World” (Netflix)

WINNER: “A Real Bug’s Life” (National Geographic) [Plimsoll Productions]

“Super Animals” (FOX)

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Outstanding Preschool Animated Series

“Carl the Collector” (PBS Kids) [Spiffy Pictures | Fuzzytown Productions | Yowza! Animation]

“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” (PBS Kids) [Fred Rogers Productions]

“Molly of Denali” (PBS Kids) [GBH Kids | Atomic Cartoons]

WINNER: “The Tiny Chef Show” (Nickelodeon)

“Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum” (PBS Kids) [9 Story Media Group | Brown Bag Films]

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Outstanding Children’s or Young Teen Animated Series

“Big City Greens” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Dream Productions]

WINNER: “Win or Lose” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

“Wolf King” (Netflix) [Lime Pictures Limited]

“Wylde Pak” (Nickelodeon)

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Outstanding Animated Special

“An Almost Christmas Story” (Disney+) [Cuarón’s Esperanto Filmoj | Titmouse | Maere Studios]

“Kiff: The Haunting of Miss McGravy’s House” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Titmouse, Inc.]

“Kiff: Lore of the Ring Light” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Titmouse, Inc.]

“That Christmas” (Netflix) [Locksmith Animation]

WINNER: “Ultraman: Rising” (Netflix) [Tsuburaya Productions]

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Outstanding Short Form Live Action Program

WINNER: “Andrew Garfield and Elmo Explain Grief” (Sesame Workshop YouTube Channel)

“Girls’ Voices Now” (Here TV)

“My Way” (PBS Kids) [Fred Rogers Productions]

“Together We Can” (PBS Kids) [Sesame Workshop]

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Outstanding Short Form Animated Program

“Acoustic Rooster: Jazzy Jams” (PBS Kids) [GBH Kids | Global Mechanic]

“Count on June Bug” (Thirteen)

WINNER: “Daffy in Wackyland” (HBO Max) [Warner Bros. Animation]

“Eva the Owlet” (Apple TV+) [Brown Bag Films | Scholastic Entertainment]

“How Not to Draw” (Disney+ | Disney Channel)

“Road Trip” (Disney+ | Disney Channel]

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Outstanding Lead Performer in a Preschool, Children’s or Young Teen Program

Kit Connor as Nick Nelson, “Heartstopper” (Netflix) [See-Saw Films]

Danya Griver as Gwendoline Mary Lacey, “Malory Towers” (BYUtv) [King Bert Productions]

Lisa Kudrow as Penelope, “Time Bandits” (Apple TV+) [Paramount Television Studios | Anonymous Content | MRC Productions]

Jude Law as Jod Na Nawood, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

WINNER: Joe Locke as Charlie Spring, “Heartstopper” (Netflix) [See-Saw Films]

David Schwimmer as Anthony Brewer, “Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+) [Sony Pictures Television]

Nina Toussaint-White as Sarah Robinson, “The Primrose Railway Children” (BYUtv) [BBC Studios]

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Outstanding Supporting Performer in a Preschool, Children’s or Young Teen Program

WINNER: Nonso Anozie as Tommy Jepperd, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

Rosalind Chao as Helen Zhang, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

Ellie Goldstein as Nancy, “Malory Towers” (BYUtv) [King Bert Productions]

Stefania LaVie Owen as Bear, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

Dara Reneé as Uliana, “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+) [Disney Branded Television]

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Outstanding Younger Performer in a Preschool, Children’s or Young Teen Program

Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Wim, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

Lucian-River Chauhan as Ben, “Me” (Apple TV+)

WINNER: Christian Convery as Gus, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

Ava Joyce McCarthy as Phoebe Robinson, “The Primrose Railway Children” (BYUtv) [BBC Studios]

Naledi Murray as Wendy, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

April V. Woods as Felicity Rivers, “Malory Towers” (BYUtv) [King Bert Productions]

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Outstanding Puppetry Performer

WINNER: Leslie Carrara-Rudolph as Abby Cadabby & Tango, “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

Frankie Cordero as Purple Panda, Turtle-Lou & Penguin Referee, “Donkey Hodie” (PBS Kids) [Fred Rogers Productions | Spiffy Pictures]

Stephanie D’Abruzzo as Duck Duck, Harriett Elizabeth Cow, Mama Panda & Doc Skunk, “Donkey Hodie” (PBS Kids) [Fred Rogers Productions]

Ryan Dillon as Elmo & Felix, “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

Carmen Osbahr as Rosita, “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

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Outstanding Voice Performer in a Preschool Program

Pamela Adlon as Aunt Lola, “SuperKitties” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Sony Pictures Television Kids]

Dee Bradley Baker as Nubs & Zeepohz, “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

WINNER: Ana Gasteyer as Crabitha, “RoboGobo” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Brown Bag Films]

Jay Thomas Manuel as Jeff Mouse, “Donkey Hodie” (PBS Kids) [Fred Rogers Productions | Spiffy Pictures]

Amber Riley as Ursula, “Disney Jr.’s Ariel” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Wild Canary]

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Outstanding Single Role Voice Performer in a Children’s or Young Teen Program

Erik Todd Dellums as Aaravos, “The Dragon Prince” (Netflix) [Wonderstorm | Bardel Entertainment | MWM]

Cynthia Erivo as The Slink, “RoboGobo” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Brown Bag Films]

Ernie Hudson as Marlon, “Angry Birds Mystery Island” (Prime Video | Amazon Kids+) [Titmouse Animation | Snipple Animation]

WINNER: John Lithgow as Bolinar, “Spellbound” (Netflix) [Skydance Animation]

John C. Reilly as The Folk Singer, “An Almost Christmas Story” (Disney+) [Cuarón’s Esperanto Filmoj | Titmouse | Maere Studios]

Maya Rudolph as Jean, “Dream Productions” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

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Outstanding Multiple Role Voice Performer in a Children’s or Young Teen Program

Eric Bauza as Daffy Duck & The Do-Do, “Daffy in Wackyland” (HBO Max) [Warner Bros. Animation]

H. Michael Croner as Barry Buns, Rat, Chubbles Wubbington, Soda Jerk & Buffalo Security, “Kiff” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Titmouse, Inc.]

WINNER: David Errigo Jr. as Hamton J. Pig & Plucky Duck, “Tiny Toons Looniversity” (HBO Max) [Warner Bros. Animation]

Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Janeway & Hologram Janeway, “Star Trek: Prodigy” (Netflix | CBS Studios) [Nickelodeon Animation Studios]

Kari Wahlgren as Evelyn & Mrs. Grant, “Legends of Evergreen Hills” (Chick-fil-A Play App) [Bento Box]

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Outstanding Younger Voice Performer in a Preschool, Children’s or Young Teen Program

Summer Rose Castillo as Alma, “Alma’s Way” (PBS Kids) [Fred Rogers Productions]

Vanessa Huszar as Zuri, “Wonder Pets: In the City” (Apple TV+) [Nickelodeon Animation]

WINNER: Christopher Sean Cooper Jr. as Tate, “Wonder Pets: In the City” (Apple TV+) [Nickelodeon Animation]

Chanel Stewart as Kai, “Win or Lose” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

Kensington Tallman as Riley, “Dream Productions” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

Alkaio Thiele as Peter Parker, “Marvel’s Spidey & His Amazing Friends” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Marvel Studios | Atomic Cartoons]

Ja’Siah Young as Dax, “RoboGobo” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Brown Bag Films]

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Outstanding Children’s Personality

WINNER: Tabitha Brown, “Tab Time” (Tab Time YouTube Channel) [Kids At Play]

Yvette Nicole Brown, “Cookie Monster’s Bake Sale: Block Party” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop | RIVR]

Perdita Felicien, “All-Round Champion” (BYUtv) [Blue Ant Studios]

Alia Pope, “Chip Kids” (East Tennessee PBS YouTube Channel) [East Tennessee PBS]

June Squibb, “Storyline Online” (Storyline Online YouTube Channel) [The Story Garage]

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Outstanding Writing for a Preschool or Children’s Series

“Love in the Forest”, “A Real Bug’s Life” (National Geographic) [Plimsoll Productions]

“Odd Ones In”, “Odd Squad” (PBS Kids) [Sinking Ship Entertainment | BBC Studios | Fred Rogers Productions]

“Pan troglodytes”, “Jane” (Apple TV+) [Sinking Ship Entertainment]

“People We Care About”, “Secrets at Red Rocks” (BYUtv) [Libertine Pictures]

“Potty Training with Ms. Rachel”, “Ms. Rachel” (Ms. Rachel – Toddler Learning Videos YouTube Channel) [Songs For Littles, LLC | Lifeboat Productions]

WINNER: “When We Lose Someone”, “Tab Time” (Tab Time YouTube Channel) [Kids At Play]

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Outstanding Writing for a Young Teen Series

WINNER: “Journey”, “Heartstopper” (Netflix) [See-Saw Films]

“Kevin Haddock”, “Time Bandits” (Apple TV+) [Paramount Television Studios | Anonymous Content | MRC Productions]

“Pilot”, “Me” (Apple TV+)

“Stay Out of the Basement, Part I”, “Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+) [Sony Pictures Television]

“This Could Be a Real Adventure”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

“This is a Story”, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

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Outstanding Writing for a Preschool Animated Series

“Daniel Finds Out What’s Fair”, “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” (PBS Kids) [Fred Rogers Productions]

WINNER: “The Fall”, “Carl the Collector” (PBS Kids) [Spiffy Pictures | Fuzzytown Productions | Yowza! Animation]

“Save the Runaway Egg”, “Wonder Pets: In the City” (Apple TV+) [Nickelodeon Animation]

“Thanks-For-Giving”, “Molly of Denali” (PBS Kids) [GBH Kids | Atomic Cartoons]

“Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular”, “The Tiny Chef Show” (Nickelodeon)

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Outstanding Writing for a Children’s or Young Teen Animated Series

“Crushed”, “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Flying Bark Productions]

“The Devourer of All Things, Part I”, “Star Trek: Prodigy” (Netflix | CBS Studios)

“Frand or Foe”, “Goldie” (Apple TV+) [Mercury Filmworks]

WINNER: “Pickle”, “Win or Lose” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

“Worst Birthday Ever”, “Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld” (Netflix)

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Outstanding Directing for a Live Action Series

“The Chamber”, “Malory Towers” (BYUtv) [King Bert Productions]

“Journey”, “Heartstopper” (Netflix) [See-Saw Films]

“Kevin Haddock”, “Time Bandits” (Apple TV+) [Paramount Television Studios | Anonymous Content | MRC Productions]

“Love in the Forest”, “A Real Bug’s Life” (National Geographic) [Plimsoll Productions]

“Stay Out of the Basement, Part I”, “Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+) [Sony Pictures Television]

“This Could Be a Real Adventure”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

WINNER: “A Trip to the Moon”, “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

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Outstanding Directing for a Preschool Animated Series

“Auntie Freeze! | Goin’ Camping!”, “Super Duper Bunny League” (Nickelodeon) [Nickelodeon Animation Studios | Gigglebug Entertainment | Scull & Belt]

“The Battle of Tenoo”, “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

“Save Tate?”, “Wonder Pets: In the City” (Apple TV+) [Nickelodeon Animation]

WINNER: “Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular”, “The Tiny Chef Show” (Nickelodeon)

“The Ulti-Bat Rises”, “Batwheels” (HBO Max) [Warner Bros. Animation]

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Outstanding Directing for an Animated Series

“Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Flying Bark Productions]

WINNER: “Home”, “Win or Lose” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

“Part 4: A Night to Remember”, “Dream Productions” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

“The Rise of the Wolf”, “Wolf King” (Netflix) [Lime Pictures Limited]

“Welcome to Byjovia”, “Max & The Midknights” (Nickelodeon)

“Worst Birthday Ever”, “Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld” (Netflix)

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Outstanding Voice Directing for an Animated Series

“Francis Wants to Be Alone | The Sash”, “StuGo” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Titmouse Animation]

WINNER: “If This Be My Destiny…”, “Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” (Disney+) [Marvel Studios]

“Petey the Stargazer”, “Goldie” (Apple TV+)

“Save the Roly Poly!”, “Wonder Pets: In the City” (Apple TV+) [Nickelodeon Animation]

“Shoot for the Moon”, “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Flying Bark Productions]

“Up All Night | Rotten Banana”, “Kiff” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Titmouse, Inc.]

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Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Live Action Program

“Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+) [Disney Branded Television]

“Henry Danger: The Movie” (Nickelodeon)

“Love in the Forest”, “A Real Bug’s Life” (National Geographic) [Plimsoll Productions]

WINNER: “Open Your Mind a Little”, “Secrets at Red Rocks” (BYUtv) [Libertine Pictures]

“Welcome to Camp Nightmare”, “Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+) [Sony Pictures Television]

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Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for an Animated Program

WINNER: “Heart”, “WondLa” (Apple TV+) [Skydance Animation]

“Part 4: A Night to Remember”, “Dream Productions” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

“Spellbound” (Netflix) [Skydance Animation]

“That Christmas” (Netflix) [Locksmith Animation]

“There’s Always a Fortune in the Cookie Factory”, “Gremlins: The Wild Batch” (HBO Max) [Warner Bros. Animation]

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Outstanding Cinematography and Technical Arts for a Single Camera Live Action Program

“Love in the Forest”, “A Real Bug’s Life” (National Geographic) [Plimsoll Productions]

WINNER: “The Road Ends Here”, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

“This Could Be a Real Adventure”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

“Tiny Heroes Down Under”, “A Real Bug’s Life” (National Geographic) [Plimsoll Productions]

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Outstanding Cinematography and Technical Arts for a Multiple Camera Live Action Program

WINNER: “Happy Trails”, “Bunk’d: Learning the Ropes” (Disney+ | Disney Channel)

“Nigh is Now”, “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” (Disney+ | Disney Channel) [Entertainment Force | Potato Monkey Productions]

“A Trip to the Moon”, “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

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Outstanding Editing for a Preschool or Children’s Live Action Program

“Abby Taps into Kindness”, “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

WINNER: “Love in the Forest”, “A Real Bug’s Life” (National Geographic) [Plimsoll Productions]

“Pan troglodytes”, “Jane” (Apple TV+) [Sinking Ship Entertainment]

“People We Care About”, “Secrets at Red Rocks” (BYUtv) [Libertine Pictures]

“The Primrose Railway Children” (BYUtv) [BBC Studios]

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Outstanding Editing for a Young Teen Live Action Program

“Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World” (Netflix)

WINNER: “The Real Good Guys”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

“This is a Story”, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television]

“We’re Gonna Be In So Much Trouble”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

“You Have A Lot To Learn About Pirates”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

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Outstanding Editing for a Preschool Animated Program

“Adventure Night”, “Eva the Owlet” (Apple TV+) [Brown Bag Films | Scholastic Entertainment]

“The Battle of Tenoo”, “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

“Moon Girl and the Dino Dilemma | Hulk’s Squirrely Switch”, “Marvel’s Spidey & His Amazing Friends” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Marvel Studios | Atomic Cartoons]

“Pillow Can’t Sleep”, “Gabby’s Dollhouse” (Netflix) [DreamWorks Animation]

“The Spider’s Stolen Silk”, “The Creature Cases” (Netflix) [Silvergate Media | TeamTO | Netflix]

WINNER: “Tiny Chef’s Spooky Stump Spectacular”, “The Tiny Chef Show” (Nickelodeon)

“The Ulti-Bat Rises”, “Batwheels” (HBO Max) [Warner Bros. Animation]

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Outstanding Editing for an Animated Program

“An Almost Christmas Story” (Disney+) [Disney Branded Television | Cuarón’s Esperanto Filmoj | Titmouse | Maere Studios]

WINNER: “Mixed Signals”, “Win or Lose” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

“Part 4: A Night to Remember”, “Dream Productions” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

“Spellbound” (Netflix) [Skydance Animation]

“That Christmas” (Netflix) [Locksmith Animation]

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Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Action Program

“The Girl Next Door”, “Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+) [Sony Pictures Television]

“Jam Session Jam Up”, “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

“Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World” (Netflix)

“Once a Pond a Time”, “A Real Bug’s Life” (National Geographic) [Plimsoll Productions]

“The Primrose Railway Children” (BYUtv) [BBC Studios]

WINNER: “You Have A Lot To Learn About Pirates”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

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Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Preschool Animated Program

WINNER: “The Battle of Tenoo”, “Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

“I am Gwen Ifill | I am Matthew Henson”, “Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum” (PBS Kids) [9 Story Media Group | Brown Bag Films]

“Moon Girl and the Dino Dilemma | Hulk’s Squirrely Switch”, “Marvel’s Spidey & His Amazing Friends” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Marvel Studios | Atomic Cartoons]

“Music Meister Mayhem”, “Batwheels” (HBO Max)

“Stop Those Cars! | Self-Destruct”, “Hot Wheels Let’s Race” (Mattel Studios) [OLM Digital | Sprite Animation Studios]

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Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for an Animated Program

“Dying Light”, “The Dragon Prince” (Netflix) [Wonderstorm | Bardel Entertainment | MWM]

“Fire in the Piazza”, “Jurassic World: Chaos Theory” (Netflix) [DreamWorks Animation]

“Home”, “Win or Lose” (Disney+) [Pixar Animation Studios]

“Part Two”, “LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

WINNER: “Ultraman: Rising” (Netflix) [Tsuburaya Productions]

“Welcome to Byjovia”, “Max & The Midknights” (Nickelodeon) [Jane Startz Productions]

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Outstanding Art Direction / Set Decoration / Scenic Design

WINNER: “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+) [Disney Branded Television]

“Everything Is Not What It Seems”, “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” (Disney+ | Disney Channel)

“Kevin Haddock”, “Time Bandits” (Apple TV+) [Paramount Television Studios | Anonymous Content | MRC Productions]

“Messiest. Episode. Ever!”, “Surprise and Seek” (Prime Video | Amazon Kids+) [Imagine Entertainment | Amazon Kids+]

“Welcome to Camp Nightmare”, “Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+) [Sony Pictures Television]

“You Have A Lot To Learn About Pirates”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

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Outstanding Costume Design / Styling

“Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+) [Disney Branded Television]

“Here, There Be Monsters”, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix)

WINNER: “Joy”, “Dandyland” (TELUS STORYHIVE YouTube Channel)

“Me”, “Yo Gabba Gabbaland!” (Apple TV+) [Yo Gabba Gabba, LLC]

“Way, Way Out Past the Barrier”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

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Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup

WINNER: “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+) [Disney Branded Television]

“Here, There Be Monsters”, “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix) [Warner Bros. Television | Netflix]

“Kevin Haddock”, “Time Bandits” (Apple TV+) [Paramount Television Studios | Anonymous Content | MRC Production]

“Losing My Religion”, “Beyond Black Beauty” (Prime Video) [Sinking Ship Entertainment | Leif Films | Saga Films | Amazon MGM Studios]

“Zero Friends Again”, “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+) [Lucasfilm Ltd.]

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Outstanding Original Song for a Preschool Program

WINNER: “Grow Your World”, “Rise Up, Sing Out” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.)

“I’m on My Way”, “Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band” (PBS Kids) [GBH Kids | Global Mechanic]

“I Want To Go Home”, “Kindergarten: The Musical!” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Oddbot Inc]

“Music, Music”, “Sesame Street” (HBO Max) [Sesame Workshop]

“One Colorful Ocean”, “Disney Jr.’s Ariel” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Wild Canary]

“The Show Will Go On”, “RoboGobo” (Disney+ | Disney Jr.) [Brown Bag Films]

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Outstanding Original Song for a Children’s or Young Teen Program

“It’s Okay”, “Zombies: The Re-Animated Series” (Disney+ | Disney Channel)

“No Better”, “Ultraman: Rising” (Netflix) [Tsuburaya Productions]

“Red”, “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+) [Disney Branded Television]

WINNER: “Red Christmas”, “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney Channel/Disney+)

“Still Haunted By You”, “Girl Haunts Boy” (Fifth Season) [Wonder Worldwide]

“The Way It Was Before”, “Spellbound” (Netflix) [Skydance Animation]

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Outstanding Show Open

“Dream Productions” (Disney+ [Pixar Animation Studios])

“Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+ [Sony Pictures Television | Sarofsky])

WINNER: “Jentry Chau vs. The Underworld” (Netflix)

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+ [Lucasfilm Ltd.])

“Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” (Disney+ [Marvel Studios])

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Outstanding Visual Effects for a Live Action Program

“Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+ [Sony Pictures Television])

“Henry Danger: The Movie” (Nickelodeon)

WINNER: “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+ [Lucasfilm Ltd.])

“Sweet Tooth” (Netflix [Warner Bros. Television])

“Time Bandits” (Apple TV+ [Paramount Television Studios | Anonymous Content | MRC Productions])

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Outstanding Casting for a Live Action Program

“Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+ [Disney Branded Television])

“Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+ [Sony Pictures Television])

“Malory Towers” (BYUtv [King Bert Productions])

WINNER: “The Primrose Railway Children” (BYUtv [BBC Studios])

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+ [Lucasfilm Ltd.])

“Sweet Tooth” (Netflix [Warner Bros. Television])

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Outstanding Casting for an Animated Program

“An Almost Christmas Story” (Disney+ [Cuarón’s Esperanto Filmoj | Titmouse | Maere Studios])

WINNER: “Dream Productions” (Disney+ [Pixar Animation Studios])

“RoboGobo” (Disney+ / Disney Jr. [Brown Bag Films])

“Spellbound” (Netflix [Skydance Animation])

“Win or Lose” (Disney+ [Pixar Animation Studios])

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Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Live Action Program

“Beyond Black Beauty” (Prime Video [Sinking Ship Entertainment | Leif Films | Saga Films | Amazon MGM Studios])

“Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+ [Disney Branded Television])

“Goosebumps: The Vanishing” (Disney+ [Sony Pictures Television])

“Henry Danger: The Movie” (Nickelodeon)

“Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” (Disney+ [Lucasfilm Ltd.])

WINNER: “Sweet Tooth” (Netflix [Warner Bros. Television])

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Outstanding Choreography

WINNER: “Descendants: The Rise of Red” (Disney+ [Disney Branded Television])

“Henry Danger: The Movie” (Nickelodeon)

“Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2024” (Nickelodeon [Done | Dusted])

“XO, Kitty” (Netflix [Awesomeness Studios])

On this week’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart went after President Donald Trump for keeping the press in the dark about his goal with America’s newly started war with Iran.

“Now, the interesting thing about this war, which just started, was that it was clearly a long time in the planning, and yet the American people have heard very little that is consistent about the war’s justification, or ultimate aims,” Stewart said. “In fact, the normally loquacious president had an opportunity with the national press on Sunday night after flying back from Mar-a-Lago to the White House, where I’m sure he’d want to clarify the public’s uncertainty and reassure us.”

Stewart then cut to a clip from CNN, in which an anchor claimed that Trump “completely ignored” the press on Sunday night, hours before the U.S. and Israel began their joint attack on Iran.

“Come on, that is fake news!” Stewart joked. “He’s not a doddering Mr. Magoo having full-on conversations with inanimate sculpted bronze.”

The show then cut to a clip from Sunday night. An off-camera reporter asks Trump, “Who do you want to lead Iran?” Trump, standing in front of a rose garden statue, replies, “Unbelievable statues, you’ll see.”

Later in the show, Stewart covered Pete Hegseth’s press conference on the war, during which Hegseth repeatedly said that he was “not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do” because that would be “foolish.” When asked if there was any “concern of this spiraling into a long war,” he snapped back, “Did you not hear my remarks?”

“I know you’re the defense secretary, but you don’t need to get so defensive,” Stewart joked.

Stewart then zeroed in on another quote from Hegeth about the President: “There’s no better communicator than our president. He has shown an ability to do that other presidents can’t quite seem to have the aperture to do.”

“Laser focused,” Stewart said of Trump. “You’re not some three-year-old that gets easily distracted by something shiny on the wall.”

The show then cut to the President talking at a Medal of Honor ceremony.

“We’re improving the building. See that nice drape? I picked those drapes in my first term,” Trump said. “I always liked gold. But I think we can save a lot of money. I just saved — I just saved curtains. But it will be, it will be spectacular. It’ll be the most beautiful. I believe it because I have built many a ballroom. I believe it’s going to be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world.”

“I can’t believe that our bombs are now smarter than our president,” Stewart said.

Watch the entire monologue below.

Christina Applegate‘s memoir “You With the Sad Eyes” publishes March 3 and an exclusive excerpt is now available to read on Vulture in which the Emmy winner writes candidly about her body image struggles while filming “Married… with Children.” Applegate starred as Kelly Bundy on all 11 seasons of the classic Fox sitcom. She originally passed on the show after “I read the script and thought it was trash.”

“To me, and to my mom, it read like a bunch of poorly written potty humor,” Applegate explains. “I’d turned down ‘Married …,’ so the pilot featured another kid in the role of Kelly, but it just didn’t work so they came back to me. The casting director sent me a VHS of the pilot, and my mom and I reluctantly watched it one evening. I’m not sure what we thought we’d see, or why we even watched it in the first place as I was dead set against it. Boy, how much we wanted to hate it. We sat there like two little snotty actory assholes who’d spent their lives doing Shakespeare. And then, as the show played, we realized we could not stop laughing. I looked at my mom. She looked at me. ‘Fuck!’ I said. ‘It’s funny. It’s good.’”

Applegate already suffered from body dysmorphia and anorexia prior to being cast as Kelly Bundy, and the character only worsened the damaging effects on her body. Kelly was the Bundy family’s promiscuous and rebellious teenage daughter who played into “dumb blonde” tropes.

“I dug myself into a hole with that character, though, because I had to be skinny,” Applegate writes. “I had a vision of the specific clothes I wanted her to wear, and to wear those clothes — clothes that would show if you ate something as tiny as a single grape — I had to lean even deeper into my eating disorder.”

She continues, “If I was going to eat something as horrendously huge as a bagel, say, I would scoop it out and maybe have half of it, or half of a half. That would be my food intake for an entire day. Sometimes I’d punish myself and wouldn’t eat at all. I was a size 0, and the costume people on ‘Married …With Children’ would often have to take my clothes in. I was bone, bone, bone.”

“I worked so hard on my body, but I was never satisfied,” Applegate adds. “There were days when I’d go to a spin class, then work out with my trainer, then go to a dance class for two and a half more hours, always chasing the unobtainable, abusing my body in the service of a quest for perfection that was as damaging as any addiction.”

Playing Kelly meant Applegate often wore clothes that showed off her bare midriff. She writes that the clothes became “tighter” and the skirts “shorter” as the show progressed.

“By season five, my God: I could walk into the living room, as I did in episode 13, ‘The Godfather,’ in a leather fringed jacket over a short red shirt and there would be a five-second break in the scene while the crowd hollered lustily at me,” she writes. “I look at all this now and cringe. The show was indeed
broad, and lewd, and it wouldn’t have a shot in hell of being made these days. That’s a good thing: It’s hard enough for young women to thrive in a world of appearances.”

But Applegate does not hold any resentment towards the cast and crew of the show, nor does she blame anyone for the ways in which playing Kelly impacted her anorexia.

“Sure, it was always part of the show that I would be an object for men to leer at, but I wanted to wear those Kelly Bundy dresses, “Applegate writes. “And as hard as it may be to believe, I was genuinely innocent of my effect on people. I was just a kid. I knew my self‑denial of food and my generally damaging relationship with it were all trauma‑based.”

Head over to Vulture’s website to read the full excerpt from Applegate’s memoir, “You With the Sad Eyes.”