Variety 5/10/2022

At our May 5 Power of Women dinner in New York, it’s no surprise that the biggest and most urgent topic of discussion among our honorees and guests was the potentially devastating impact the Supreme Court’s attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade would have if it were to come to pass. Were this to happen — which, unfortunately, appears to be inevitable — 26 states could move to ban abortion, including 13 with laws that could immediately go into effect. That means that in half of our country, women would no longer have a say over their own bodies and lives. Our POW honorees took the opportunity on our white carpet and in acceptance speeches to address the court’s private vote to strike down the case that has guaranteed women…

1 Disney+ Series ‘Percy Jackson’ Casts Aryan Simhadri, Leah Sava Jeffries The “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series at Disney+ has found its Grover Underwood and Annabeth Chase. Aryan Simhadri (“Cheaper by the Dozen,” “Spin”) will star as Grover, with Leah Sava Jeffries (“Empire,” “Rel”) set to play Annabeth. They join previously announced series lead Walker Scobell, who will play Percy. The series adaptation of the Rick Riordan book series was ordered at the streamer back in January. Production on “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” will begin soon in Vancouver. —Joe Otterson 2 M-Appeal Buys Erotic Love Story ’99 Moons’ Berlin-based sales outfit M-Appeal has acquired the global sales rights to “99 Moons,” directed by Jan Gassmann, which will have its world premiere in Cannes’ ACID sidebar. The film centers…

“As Michelle was trying on the clothes (for the cover we chose a dress by Ukrainian brand Sleeper) she mentioned that she was pregnant, which added an extra element of beauty to the shoot,” says Celeste Sloman, who captured Michelle Williams in Brooklyn on April 25. “Being able to photograph Michelle during the early stages of her pregnancy made for a unique and very special portrait session.” Born and raised in New York City, Sloman studied art history in Scotland before returning home to pursue her photography career. Her work has been published nationally and internationally in National Geographic, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Der Spiegel and Elle, to name just a few.…

The industry hasn’t gathered for in-person TV upfront presentations since 2019, and so much has changed — including the ways that Madison Avenue heavyweights are spending their money. Billions of dollars are at stake during the upfront sales process, a period when big marketers such as Apple, McDonald’s and Procter & Gamble reserve TV spots in hopes of locking down lower prices. And this year’s scramble for ad dollars is likely to be more intense, complex and confusing than anything in recent memory — even the 2007 session when networks changed how they measured audiences who were using DVRs. Madison Avenue’s attention is pivoting to ad-supported streaming, thanks in part to new commercial-supported tiers of HBO Max; the expected debut of an ad-supported version of Disney+; and the hope that…

One year into its original programming push, Roku is debuting its first major international title. This week, the company will launch “Children Ruin Everything,” an already popular Canadian series, on its free streaming service. Created by “Schitt’s Creek” and “Kim’s Convenience” alum Kurt Smeaton and produced by New Metric Media, the half-hour comedy revolves around young parents Astrid (Meaghan Rath) and James (Aaron Abrams) as they struggle to define their lives outside their roles as mom and dad. Roku snapped up the U.S. streaming rights for “Children Ruin Everything” last October, ahead of its January debut in the Great White North. The show was CTV’s No. 1 new comedy of the season and had the biggest debut for a Canadian comedy among the 25-54 demo since 2019. “We were so…

From his office window, attorney Jon Katz has a direct view of the Fairfax County Courthouse in Virginia, and for the past several weeks he has watched fans gathering outside to catch a glimpse of Johnny Depp. The trial pitting the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, is the biggest case Katz can recall in 20 years of practicing criminal defense in the area. He also does free-speech work — clients have included strip clubs, adult toy shops and the Westboro Baptist Church — so he has a professional stake in the outcome. “I want a verdict against both of them,” he says. Depp and Heard are suing each other for defamation. Depp alleges that Heard destroyed his career when she accused him of domestic violence.…