Tag: Entertainment – Variety

Leonard Morpurgo, the London-born international film publicist and communications executive who had senior posts at companies including Rogers & Cowan, Universal Studios, Columbia Pictures, CBS Theatrical Films and Lorimar Pictures, died of cancer on Aug. 12. He was 93. 

Morpurgo’s career spanned over 50 years. He worked at newspapers before becoming a publicist. A gentlemanly figure who was a fixture at film festivals and markets worldwide, he was fluent in multiple languages and specialized in sharing his global perspective while representing independent and major-studio film and television productions. His experiences and observations from the international film world formed the basis of his 2009 memoir “Of Kings and Queens and Movie Stars,” a collection of stories recalling encounters with figures in the entertainment industry including Cary Grant, Steve McQueen and Omar Sharif.

“He was in one desert for the filming of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ and another for ‘Dune,’” said his son, Thierry Morpurgo in a statement. “That was the kind of life he led — always close to the world of movies, wherever the work took him.”

Morpurgo was a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and frequently participated on the Academy’s International Feature Film Committee. He also was a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles.

In 2022, Morpurgo was nominated for the International Cinematographers Guild’s Les Mason Award for Achievement in Publicity, recognizing his longstanding contributions to the profession.

“Leonard brought uncommon experience, intelligence, and perspective to every campaign and every conversation,” said longtime collaborator and president of Weissman/Markovitz Communications Rick Markovitz. “He was a skilled raconteur, and I will miss his passion for storytelling and hearing about the old days of Hollywood.”

Morpurgo’s vast experience and enduring presence made him well-known as an international film publicity professional. 

“Leonard was a sweet, kind and generous soul — and my second boss after I moved to Los Angeles nearly five decades ago,” said publicity executive Pamela Godwin-Austin. “He shared his knowledge generously and was a great mentor. He knew how to temper the pressures of the job with humor. I am grateful he showed me the way.”

Along with his contributions to the film industry, Morpurgo was an accomplished needlepoint artist. In his final months, he took pleasure in seeing his work exhibited in a virtual-reality art gallery.

Morpurgo is survived by his wife Elena-Beth Kaye, his twin sons Benjamin and Thierry, and his grandchildren, Violet, Oona and Lucien.

“Only Murders in the Building” has set a release date for Season 6 on Hulu, but the crime-solving trio will not be in the building.

Season 6 of the show takes a trip over the pond as “Only Murders in London.” The season premieres Dec. 8 on Hulu with new episodes on Tuesdays.

Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) must travel to the UK to solve a new murder. Their latest case is brought to them by Cinda Canning (Tina Fey), the host of the podcast that bonded them in the first place.

Guest stars in Season 6 include Fey, Olivia Colman, Meryl Streep, David Tennant, Nicola Coughlan and Martin Freeman.

“Only Murders in the Building” was created by Martin and John Hoffman. Executive producers include Hoffman, Martin, Short, Gomez, Dan Fogelman, Jess Rosenthal, Ben Smith, Jennifer Crittenden and Gabrielle Allan.

See the first look photos below.

FIRST LOOKS/TRAILERS

Netflix has released the trailer for ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85’ Season 2, which premieres Sept. 17. 

Per the official logline, “Valentine’s Day is approaching, but that’s not stopping the otherworldly creatures lurking in Hawkins. And with supernatural entities now haunting the woods, the gang is at risk when even Eleven’s powers can’t save them.”

The eight-episode sophomore season welcomes back voice actors Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will and Brett Gipson as Hopper. Also in Season 2 are Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, Lou Diamond Phillips, Alessandra Antonelli, Valeria Rodriguez and Jack Griffo. 

Eric Robles serves as showrunner and executive produces alongside Matt and Ross Duffer for Upside Down Pictures; Shawn Levy via 21 Laps; Ian Graham; Hilary Leavitt; and Dan Cohen. Flying Bark is the animation studio. 

Watch the trailer below.

PROGRAMING

Podcaster and comedian Hannah Berner is adding reality tv host and matchmaker to her resume with the new Paramount+ series “Making Love.” 

“Making Love” is an unscripted reality show giving singles the opportunity to take destiny into their own hands with Berner as their wingwoman. The series is set to premiere in early 2027. 

The series comes from Chris Coelen, CEO of Kinetic Content, who also created “Love Is Blind” and “Married at First Sight.” Coelen executive produces, along with Kinetic’s President of Television Ally Simpson, Brent Gauches, Lauren Dunlop and Jayson Elmore. Co-Executive Producers are Stefanie Cohen-Williams and Maegan McDonough.

AWARD SHOWS

“Love on the Spectrum,” “The Pitt” and “All Her Fault” are among the nominees for the inaugural Disability Arts & Culture Awards (The Darcys).

Formerly known as the Media Access Awards, The Darcys recognize authentic representation of disability in film, television and social media. Comedian Tina Friml will host, and actor, comedian, activist and author Geri Jewell will receive the first Legacy Award, which celebrates people with disabilities whose contributions have impacted entertainment. 

Vincent Rutley will receive the Christopher Reeve Emerging Talent Award, which is presented to a rising actor living with paralysis and includes a $5,000 cash grant. 

The ceremony will take place Oct. 10 at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica and is co-produced by Film Independent Spirit Awards’ executive producers Shawn Davis and Andrew Schaff, in collaboration with Live Digital Entertainment executive producer Eddie Delbridge. The Darcys were created by Easterseals Disability Services and Film Independent

See the full list of The Darcys nominees below. 

Best Feature 

“Color Book”

“Espina”

“Horsegirls”

Best Performance in a Feature

Autumn Best, “BRB”

Aidan Delbis, “Bugonia”

Anna Sargent, “Take Me Home”

Best Documentary

“The Haunting of Pennhurst” 

“The Ride Ahead”

“You Look Fine”

Best Scripted Series

“All Her Fault”

“The Pitt”

“Pulse”

Best Performance in a Scripted Series

Liz Carr, “Good Omens”

Daniel Monks, “All Her Fault”

Jessy Yates, “Pulse”

Best Unscripted Series 

“Jay & Pamela”

“Love on the Spectrum”

“Renegades”

Best Achievement in Casting Ensemble

“The Pitt”

Christopher Reeve Emerging Talent Award

Vincent Rutley

Best Social Creator 

Molly Burke 

Cassidy Huff

The Squeaky Wheel

Jennifer Peedom’s Everest drama “Tenzing,” starring Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe, will open the 22nd Zurich Film Festival on Sept. 24.

Hiddleston, Dafoe and Peedom will be on the green carpet in Zurich for the European premiere of the Apple Original Films production, which follows the first ascent of Mount Everest.

Zurich Film Festival CEO Christian Jungen said, “This year’s Zurich Film Festival motto is ‘dream big.’ Our breathtaking opening film ‘Tenzing’ fits perfectly, because it shows how you can grow beyond yourself when you have a big dream.”

He added, “The film offers powerful emotion and mountain scenery of sublime beauty. But it also carries an important message for our time: The first ascent of Mount Everest only succeeded because the climbers respected the local Sherpa people and the laws of nature.”

Peedom said, “At its heart, ‘Tenzing’ is about a man who dared to imagine a life beyond the limits the world had placed on him, and the courage, sacrifice and belief it took to reach the highest point on earth. The spirit of ‘dream big’ feels incredibly fitting.”

Based on a true story, “Tenzing” tells the story of Tenzing Norgay (Genden Phuntsok), a gifted mountaineer from the Himalayas who, together with New Zealand alpinist Edmund Hillary (Hiddleston), became the first person to reach the summit of Mount Everest, 8,849 metres above sea level, in 1953.

Encouraged by his wife Dawa (Thinley Lhamo), Tenzing finds an ally in expedition secretary Jill Henderson (Caitríona Balfe). Together, they convince Colonel John Hunt (Dafoe) that Tenzing should not merely serve the British expedition team but belong to it as a full-fledged member. While Western climbers regard Everest as a peak to be conquered, Tenzing reveres the mountain that they call Chomolungma, as a sacred mother goddess. What follows is an ascent shaped as much by tensions of origin, class and conflicting ambitions as by the dangers of the mountain itself.

Australian director Peedom, who is also the film’s producer, has spent more than two decades working in the Himalayas and on Everest. Her relationship with the region and the Sherpa community began through her early work as a filmmaker in high-altitude environments and has shaped some of the defining projects of her career.

Her directing credits include the feature documentaries “Solo,” “Sherpa,” “Mountain,” “River” and “Deeper.”

“Sherpa” premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, won the Grierson Award for best documentary at the BFI London Film Festival, and was nominated for the BAFTA for best documentary.

The 22nd edition will take place from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor has signed with United Talent Agency for global representation across live touring, filmed entertainment, digital media, theatre, brand partnerships, and more.

The signing follows Trainor’s on-screen acting debut in Ryan Murphy’s FX series “The Beauty,” and the April release of her seventh studio album “Toy With Me,” although she canceled a North American arena tour slated for earlier this year amid low ticket sales, citing the challenges of balancing work, family and a new baby. She also has appeared as a judge, coach, mentor and advisor on “The Voice,” “The Voice UK,” “The Four” and “Australian Idol.” She also published the motherhood memoir “Dear Future Mama: A TMI Guide to Pregnancy, Birth, and Motherhood from Your Bestie.”

Trainor is managed by Nikola Barisic for Bond Artist Management and represented by Aaron Rosenberg for Myman Greenspan Fox Rosenberg Mobasser Younger & Light LLP.

+ The Guitar Center Music Foundation has named Valeisha Butterfield as its CEO & Executive Director, effective immediately. She will work closely with GCMF’s Board of Directors to advance the Foundation’s strategic plan, grow fundraising and donor engagement, develop partnerships with schools and community organizations and strengthen the reach and visibility of its programs.

She was previously co-president of the Recording Academy and VP of global partnerships at Google; she currently serves on the Grammys’ Television Committee and is the founder of Seed Media.

“Valeisha brings the rare combination of nonprofit leadership, music industry experience and operational expertise that GCMF needs for its next stage of growth,” said board president and chair Curtis Heath. “She has spent her career building organizations, developing partnerships and bringing people together around a shared purpose.”

+ Songwriter Phil Barton has announces a global publishing deal with BMG in partnership with Liz Rose Music, marking the next chapter in a career that has produced more than 900 songs.

Barton first broke through with Lee Brice’s No. 1 hit “A Woman Like You,” and has had songs recorded by artists including Sara Evans, Gabby Barrett, Dustin Lynch, Eli Young Band, Priscilla Block, Matt Stell, Alison Krauss, Ashley McBryde and others.

“We couldn’t be happier to welcome Phil to BMG,” says BMG’s Amy Hendon Scott. “I’ve believed in Phil since the beginning, so getting the opportunity to work together again makes this partnership especially meaningful. Phil is the kind of songwriter every publisher hopes to work with. His songs are honest, memorable and beautifully crafted, but just as importantly, he’s someone artists love writing with. He brings curiosity, consistency and an incredible work ethic to every room, and we’re proud to partner with Liz Rose Music as we help champion the next chapter of his remarkable career.”

+ BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville has signed award-winning Canadian country artist Jade Eagleson, whose track record includes four Juno Award nominations, 2025 Canadian Country Music Association’s Male Artist of the Year, 2024 CCMA Album of the Year, and 2023 CCMA Entertainer of the Year and Male Artist of the Year honors.

In addition to signing with the label, Eagleson also expanded his team signing with Range Music for management, CAA for booking and Spirit Music, in a joint venture with Alliance Music Partners, for publishing.

“I’m incredibly excited to begin my journey with BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville,” Eagleson said. “I have always had a profound respect for their team and the way they love and elevate their artists. The whole team feels like family and I’m so very proud to call this label my home. Regarding Range, that team has already been such a strong support for me, and we’re only just getting started. In addition, I love my agents at CAA, and I am so grateful that they rolled the dice on me and my obsession with steel and fiddle. For the Spirit Music team, I remember coming to Nashville close to 10 years ago exploring publishing options, and most folks politely turned me away because what I was doing at the time was too country.”

+ Independent distribution and services company Amuse has named Mark Mitchell general manager and Tim Cronin senior VP and head of music.

Amuse is also announcing a new London office, located in Farringdon, from which Mitchell and Cronin will lead Amuse’s London, New York and Stockholm teams.

Mitchell joins from Parlophone Records, where he served as Co-President for five years and worked closely with such artists as Coldplay, Iron Maiden, Gorillaz, Pink Pantheress and David Guetta. He most recently spent a year at 0207 Def Jam/Universal Music Group, and prior to Parlophone, served as GM at Atlantic Records UK. Cronin joins from FUGA, where he served as Senior Director of Business Development, leading business development and sales across the UK and Ireland.

Giorgio D’Ambrosio, CEO of Amuse, said, “We’re seeing growing demand from labels and managements looking for an active, modern partner. Amuse combines a human approach and data with the scale only a distributor can offer. Mark and Tim bring more than 40 years of combined industry experience between them, and will be able to bring Amuse’s unique offering to artists and labels alike.”

Hulu will not be moving forward on a second season of its recent comedy “Not Suitable for Work,” from creator Mindy Kaling. The series, which Kaling executive produced with showrunner Charlie Grandy and 3 Arts Entertainment’s Howard Klein, launched in June and ran for nine episodes. Warner Bros. TV, which produces the series, plans to shop it to potential new homes.

Ella Hunt, Avantika, Will Angus, Jack Martin, Nicholas Duvernay and Jay Ellis star in the series, which per the show’s logline, centers on “work-obsessed 20-somethings striving for professional success and, if they have time, personal happiness in Manhattan’s most glamorous neighborhood, Murray Hill.”

Recurring guest stars on “Not Suitable for Work” include Victor Garber, Greg Germann, Judy Gold, Ego Nwodim, Harry Richardson, Constance Wu, Laura Bell Bundy, May Hong, Bhavesh Patel, Emilia Suárez and Michael Benjamin Washington.

The series stars Hunt as AJ, an investment banker from Boston, who moves to New York for a new job and begins living with her best friend, aspiring celebrity stylist Abby (played by Avantika). They live across the hall from male best friends Davis (Will Angus), who is AJ’s co-worker and has a crush on her; nepo-baby/young journalist Josh (Jack Martin); and aspiring actor/med school dropout Kel (Nicholas Duvernay).

“Not Suitable for Work” was produced under Kaling’s Kaling International label in association with Warner Bros. Television, where both Kaling and Grandy hold overall deals.

“Not Suitable for Work” repped Kaling’s first sole creator credit on a project since “The Mindy Project,” the comedy that began its life on Fox for three seasons before moving over to Hulu, where it ran for an additional three seasons as one of the streamer’s earliest original hits. After “Mindy Project,” Kaling continued a string of successes with Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” HBO Max’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls” and Netflix’s ongoing series “Running Point,” which has already been renewed for a Season 3.

In her review of “Not Suitable for Work,” Variety‘s Alison Herman wasn’t too impressed, but she did see some “glimmers of a more biting, memorable take on young people juggling jobs and love in New York City throughout the nine-episode season.”

India’s Zee Studios has unveiled a diversified multilingual, multi-genre content slate for 2026-27, spanning Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati and Kannada cinema.

The portfolio brings together commercial entertainers, action spectacles, thrillers, mythology-driven epics and regionally rooted stories.

On the Hindi-language side, the slate includes “Baap,” starring Sunny Deol, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff and Mithun Chakraborty, directed by Vivek Singh Chauhan. “Shri Ram Bhoomi,” starring Anupam Kher, Ritwik Bhowmik and Amruta Khanvilkar and directed by Kamakhya Narayan Singh, draws on Indian mythology and history. Other Hindi titles include “Delhi 2021,” starring Richa Chadha and directed by Abhishek Acharya; “Blind Babu,” starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and directed by Ravi Varma; and “Blind Game,” starring Arjun Rampal and Priyamani and directed by Sangeeth Sivan.

The Telugu-language slate features a project currently identified “NBK111,” starring Nandamuri Balakrishna and directed by Gopichand Malineni, and “Indraputra,” starring Kiran Abbavaram and directed by Srikanth Puppala. Also on the slate are “Kanaka Durga,” “Anasuya General Stores” and “January 12 Vidudala,” which stars Venkatesh Daggubati, Keerthy Suresh and Kalyan Ram and is directed by Anil Ravipudi.

In the Tamil language, the studio is backing “Hi,” starring Nayanthara and Kavin and directed by Vishnu Edavan, and “Sathyavan Savithri,” starring Keerthy Suresh and Mysskin and directed by Praveen S. Vijaay. The Kannada-language entry “Anna From Mexico” stars Dhananjaya, Reeshma Nanaiah, Umashree, Rangayana Raghu and Sadhu Kokila under director Shankar Guru. Zee Studios has also stepped into the Gujarati-language market with “Tom and Cherry,” starring Siddharth Randeria and Dhanya Doshi and directed by Dharmessh Mehta.

Marathi-language cinema forms another pillar of the strategy, building on the Indian National Film Award-winning “Aatmapamphlet.” The new slate includes “Jhep,” directed by Priyadarshan Jadhav; “Phulwara,” starring Priyadarshini Indalkar and directed by Ravi Jadhav; “Jogai,” starring Jitendra Joshi and Sajiri Joshi and directed by Vishal Modhave; and “Maan.”

The genre mix extends further with “Silaa,” starring Harshvardhan Rane, Sadia Khateeb and Karanveer Mehra and directed by Omung Kumar.

Zee Studios is also set to collaborate with Anil Kapoor Film & Communication Network for the first time on “Paaltu.”

“Our portfolio strategy is driven by the belief that India cannot be represented through one kind of story, one language or one cinematic lens,” a Zee Studios spokesperson said. “Every market has its own audience, talent, creative ecosystem and entertainment sensibility, and our ambition is to reflect that diversity through the films we back.”

“From Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam and Gujarati to Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and other language markets, we are dedicated towards building an unconventional content ecosystem with differentiated storytelling,” the spokesperson added. “For us, entertainment serves as the backbone for multilingual and multi-genre cinema, blurring the geographical and colloquial boundaries.”

Watch the slate sizzle reel here: