EMMY HEADLINES
Emmy Documentary Overview: Inside This Year’s Outstanding Doc Series And Specials
This year’s stand-out runners and riders for the Creative Arts Emmys documentary categories—series and special—tackle the crucial sociopolitical issues of today, investigating everything from the 2016 presidential race, to possible wrongful imprisonment and the significant challenges of growing up trans. Here are the standouts. (DL)
Open Battlefield for Late-Night After Shake-Up Gives Way to Newcomers
With former Emmy winner David Letterman and record-breaker Jon Stewart off the air, this year’s race for the Emmy in late night has become an open field for newcomers. Meanwhile veterans Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel continue to seek that elusive Emmy win. (VAR)
OTHER HEADLINES
Netflix Will Take ‘David Brent: Life On The Road’ in UK ‘The Office’ Spinoff Deal
The Office fans can rejoice! Ricky Gervais, the creator of the popular UK and U.S. television series, announced that Netflix has just bought the rights to his ‘Office’ movie spinoff, David Brent: Life On The Road. (CNN)
Mega Joint Venture Between CAA & Global Brands Group Includes Jennifer Lopez, Coca-Cola & Hershey’s
CAA has teamed with Hong Kong-based Global Brands Group for a joint venture that will expand the agency’s capabilities in brand management, licensing, product development and retail activities. The deal makes the newly created CAA-GBG a subsidiary of Global Brands. (VAR)
Bradley Whitford to Lead TNT’s Timely ‘Civil’ Series Based on Fictional Hotly Contested Election
Emmy winner Bradley Whitford is set as a lead opposite Enrique Murciano in TNT’s modern-day Civil War pilot Civil. It takes place in the wake of a hotly contested Presidential election, as America finds itself plunging uncontrollably into a modern day Civil War. (DL)
Peter Chernin-Backed Ellation to Bundle Digital Channels Crunchyroll & Nerdist in New Streaming Video Service Vrv
Digital media company Ellation is announcing a big push into streaming video with Vrv, which will offer a variety of channels aimed at gamers and other geeks. The service will go the targeted route, with social features that allow viewers to feel more involved and part of a community. (TC)
Netflix’s Secret “Project Beetlejuice” Revealed Through Lawsuit
“Project Beetlejuice” — about which little is known — pays people to pick the best still images and videos from thousands of titles to help users figure out what to watch. Now, two of them are suing for overtime, paid vacation, health insurance and more. (THR)
Filmmakers Assemble! Steven Spielberg, Matt Charman & Marc Platt Re-Team for Walter Cronkite Film
Steven Spielberg, Matt Charman and Marc Platt, who worked together so memorably on Tom Hanks Cold War-starrer Bridge of Spies, are re-teaming for a feature project about legendary newscaster Walter Cronkite for Amblin Partners. (DL)
Believe it or Not Kanye West Beat Donald Trump as TV Season’s Twitter MVP
With nearly a billion Tweets sent in the U.S. about TV during the 2015-2016 season, social media continues to play a starring role in fans’ living rooms. At the close of this eventful TV season, Nielsen took a look back to highlight the top series, specials and sports events on Twitter in the U.S. from Aug. 31, 2015, through May 29, 2016. (NL)
Trailer Buzz: ‘The Young Pope’
In Paolo Sorrentino’s new series The Young Pope, Jude Law stars as the fictional Pope Pius XIII, the first American Pope. The series also stars Diane Keaton as Sister Mary, a nun who raised Pius and helped him reach the papacy. (IW)