Variety 1/19/2022

Hollywood insiders and movie fans are still scratching their heads over Kristen Stewart being shunned by the Screen Actors Guild last week for her ballyhooed performance as Princess Diana in “Spencer.” I too am totally mystified as to why one of the best performances of the year was ignored by Stewart’s actor peers. From the moment “Spencer” premiered to great fanfare at the Venice and Telluride film festivals, Stewart was considered the hands-down favorite to win the Oscar. I can’t imagine that she won’t score an Oscar nomination on Feb. 8, and I want to believe she still has a good shot at winning — SAG be damned. Three supporting actors in years past were overlooked by SAG, then went on to score acting Oscars — Regina King, Marcia Gay…

1 Humayun Saeed to Play Princess Di’s Companion Dr. Hasnat Khan on ‘The Crown’ Humayun Saeed has been cast as Dr. Hasnat Khan in Season 5 of Netflix’s “The Crown.” Saeed debuted as an actor in 1999 with Urdu-language film “Inteha.” He is known for adventure-comedy “Jawani Phir Nahi Ani” and its 2018 sequel, “Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2.” Other notable roles include romantic comedy “Punjab Nahi Jaungi” and sci-fi film “Project Ghazi.” Khan stated in 2004 that he was in a relationship with Diana from 1995-97 and that she broke up with him after she met Dodi Fayed on holiday with Mohamed Al Fayed and his family. —Naman Ramachandran 2 Nickelodeon, Jace Norman Pact Includes ‘Henry Danger’ Jace Norman has inked a deal with Nickelodeon and AwesomenessTV that will…

Alexi Lubomirski captured “Pam & Tommy” stars Lily James and Sebastian Stan in New York on Dec. 17. The inspiration for his shoot: “An elegant, poised studio vibe, mixed with a more party, ‘caught moment’ feel,” he says. “It gave the couple a chance to be looser and mess around for the camera.” Born in London and based in New York, Lubomirski is known for his Hollywood portraiture. He was chosen as the official photographer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2017 engagement and 2018 wedding. His work has appeared in publications including Vogue, Elle and Esquire.…

One year into the Biden administration, the nation’s big TV news organizations’ hopes for a return to normalcy have yet to be borne out. While White House activity has found a more familiar cadence during President Joe Biden’s first year — ABC News political director Rick Klein calls it “professional” — many of the TV reporters who cover the place say their working lives have yet to return to pre-Trump rhythms. The ongoing pandemic and ramped up demands for streaming initiatives have increased pressure on correspondents and news organizations at a time when traditional ratings are down. “Today was bananas,” says Cecilia Vega, ABC News’ chief White House correspondent, during a recent phone interview that started just after 11 a.m. — before the day was even halfway through. She had…

Variety has promoted Michelle Sobrino-Stearns, president and group publisher, to the newly created post of CEO, effective immediately. She will retain the duties of group publisher. As CEO of Variety, Sobrino-Stearns will oversee both the editorial and business units of the venerable entertainment news brand. She is responsible for setting Variety’s strategic agenda and driving its overall financial health and profitability while working closely with Penske Media’s senior leadership and its board of directors. “There is no one who understands and cares more deeply about Variety and no one more deserving to lead this team than Michelle,” says Jay Penske, chairman, founder and CEO of Penske Media. “It is a privilege to work with such a brilliant individual, whose creativity, passion and vision for the brand knows no bounds and…

While overall television viewership is declining fastest among 18- to 49-year-olds, some channels manage to beckon the demographic. Of the top 25 networks last year, the greatest proportion of that cohort watched the majors you’d expect — MTV, Comedy Central, Adult Swim — with very few tuning in to the largest networks (including the Big 4 broadcasters). Ones that made the list tended to be niche (Cleo TV, FXX, Vice) or Spanish language, with notable exceptions: More than half of VH1’s audience is under 50, and reality nets E! and Bravo continue their appeal. The younger-skewing NBA also scores, both for its own network and for league partner TNT. The results offer a blueprint for advertisers on how to reach the target demo but also highlight the erosion of traditional…