Variety 2/23/2022

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF I’ve always wondered what it’s like for journalists at news organizations to have to cover their own outlets when they become the news. The most recent case is CNN reporting on the shocking story that its beloved leader of nine years, Jeff Zucker, abruptly resigned Feb. 2 over failure to disclose a consensual romantic relationship with his close lieutenant Allison Gollust. (There are news reports that there were other factors at play.) CNN has continued to cover the fallout from Zucker’s hasty departure, including Gollust’s resignation Feb. 15, which unlike her boss’s was widely expected. In early December, CNN had also covered Zucker’s firing of Chris Cuomo after an outside law firm came forth with information about how the star anchor had helped his brother, Andrew Cuomo, when the…

“Working with Lizzo was amazing from start to finish,” say Atlanta-based African American fashion photography duo AB+DM (Ahmad Barber and Donté Maurice), who captured the multitalented singer-songwriter and TV star in Los Angeles on Feb. 8. “It was super fun to work with someone who’s into our ideas and has no fear in taking that creative leap with us.” Formed in 2018, AB+DM has collaborated with Zendaya, Lady Gaga, Mary J. Blige, Kerry Washington and Viola Davis, to name just a few. Their images have graced the covers of magazines including Vogue, Elle and GQ. Most recently, they shot two covers for the inaugural issue of Black Fashion Fair.…

For months, TV industry insiders have been wondering why private equity giants like Apollo Global Management and Blackstone have been kicking the tires on local TV station groups. Television stations — the medium’s oldest form of distribution — hardly seem like a sexy acquisition target these days. By definition, local stations are regionally focused hubs at a time when Big Media is consumed with competing in the global streaming wars; they serve up linear live programming at a time when the on-demand revolution is upending the industry. TV stations also deviate from streaming in another important way: Most of them churn out a healthy amount of profit and free cash flow. On Feb. 22, Tegna, one of the last large publicly held station groups, announced a $5.4 billion deal with…

After scrambling to map out contingencies amid the most recent COVID surge, SAG Awards producers are relieved that the event is back on track for Feb. 27 at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar and heartened by the number of nominees and presenters who have already RSVP’d to attend the ceremony. “There were a lot of unknowns for a long time,” says Jon Brockett, executive producer with Kathy Connell, of the planning process. “We were always hopeful that we would have an in-person show, and we kept driving to that fact — but knowing that we may have to pivot.” This marks the return to an in-person event after last year’s pretaped one-hour special, and producers have created an open design to alleviate COVID concerns. Vaccination is mandatory for anyone in attendance.…

If there’s been an underdog on “NCIS” throughout its 19 seasons, it’s been the nervous, happy-golucky guy in glasses down in autopsy played since mid-Season 1 by Brian Dietzen, who’s long done a lot with less screen time. “People were sleeping on Jimmy Palmer, man,” says fellow cast member Diona Reasonover. “He’s kind of the undercover sniper of people’s favorite characters.” Now Dietzen has become the first actor in the show’s nearly two-decade history to co-write an episode. “The Helpers,” which he penned with “NCIS” executive producer Scott Williams, will air on CBS March 1. Dietzen, who had some background in writing an independent feature and short films, was as bashful as, well, the younger Jimmy Palmer about pursuing it for the show, “because we have one of the most…

GUEST COLUMN “Black excellence” is one of those phrases that might be difficult to explain, but you know it when you see it. It almost instantly pops into my mind — often in hashtag form — when I see images of classic Black icons or beautiful Black bodies dressed to the nines and stunningly captured in photographs; everybody Black at award shows; the Obamas; or anything Beyoncé and Jay-Z do. Black excellence is a feeling. Any time we see someone Black at the pinnacle of their field, achieving greatness, it’s a form of applause. There’s great pride in calling it out, as if to say, “That’s what we do!” I’ve had the honor of composing the scores for projects that highlight the stories of individuals who embody that feeling of…