Variety 7/27/2022

1 Mo’Nique Announces First Netflix Comedy Special Oscar-winning actor and comedian Mo’Nique is planning a comedy special for Netflix. The yet-to-be-titled special is set to film later this year in Atlanta. News that Mo’Nique is bringing her comedy stylings to Netflix marks a happy (albeit surprising) resolution to a yearslong standoff between the star and the streamer. Last month, Mo’Nique, whose legal name is Monique Hicks, reportedly settled a racial and gender discrimination suit against Netflix. In the November 2019 filing, the comedian alleged the streamer broke the law when it gave her a “lowball” offer for a comedy special in 2018. — Angelique Jackson 2 Netflix Ends Customer Support on Twitter Netflix has quietly pulled the plug on its popular Twitter customer-help account after 13-plus years and more than…

In Hollywood, it’s never too early to start thinking about the Oscars. There are seven more months until the next Academy Awards, but studios and indie players are busy planning their campaigns for films they hope will go the distance. Already there are a pair of populist contenders in Paramount’s blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick” and A24’s metaverse action-dramedy “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which have cemented themselves in the best picture discussion. But as fall festivals such as Venice and Toronto unveil their slates, it’s clear the battle will be joined by many more Oscar candidates. “Many of the studios that are expected to vie for awards are grappling with major corporate shifts or even new parent companies.” To be sure, a lot has changed since “CODA” captured the top…

However this tweetstorm ends, Elon Musk will come out a loser. This spring, the right-wing celebrity tech CEO agreed to pay $44 billion for Twitter — boasting that he would turn his favorite social media site into a bigger revenue machine and a bastion of “free speech.” (Critics interpreted that as Musk condoning a flood of misinformation and harassment.) A little more than 10 weeks later, Musk told Twitter he wanted to kill the deal. What happened? After waiving his right to due diligence in the Twitter agreement, the entrepreneur complained that he suddenly needed verification of Twitter’s estimate that fake and spam accounts are less than 5% of its total user base. On July 8, Musk’s lawyers accused Twitter of failing to provide necessary data after his repeated requests…

Hollywood created a series of lavish immersive experiences for the first full Comic-Con since 2019, giving fans gathered in San Diego the chance to visit the worlds of Apple TV+’s “Severance,” HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” and the upcoming “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” movie, among others. Here are five of the most notable activations this year. Abbott Elementary: ABC’s “New Teacher Dis-Orientation” gave fans of the Emmy-nominated freshman comedy a chance to walk through the “school,” located next to the Hilton Bayfront hotel. Attendees could visit Janine’s classroom and contribute to real teachers in need through curated wish lists. Performances included a professional step-dance crew. Severance: Apple TV+ turned a wing of the Hard Rock Hotel into the mysterious Lumon Industries, giving visitors their…

Megan Klein has joined Warner Bros. Discovery to lead corporate communications. A PR veteran, Klein recently served as senior VP of corporate communications for Fox Corp. Daryl Evans has been appointed senior director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Crown Media. Evans joined the Hallmark Channel parent company in 2012 and has worked in content production and digital posts. Kimberly King has joined NBCUniversal as VP of diversity, equity and inclusion for global advertising and partnerships. She had been with NBCU’s One Platform Marketing division. Aaron “Dash” Sherrod has been named president of urban A&R at Geffen Records. He was most recently senior VP of A&R at RCA Records. Edward Mejia has been promoted to VP of current series for Disney Television Animation. Mejia, who began his career at Disney…

Revered by cinephiles for moody character studies like 1970’s “Five Easy Pieces,” filmmaker Bob Rafelson, who died July 23 at 89, also co-created and produced the far less moody, madcap television series “The Monkees” with Bert Schneider and went on to direct that makeshift band in the comically avant-garde 1968 film “Head,” co-written by Jack Nicholson. He and Schneider found willing actor-musicians in Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz, who recorded a dozen hits and starred in the 1966-68 NBC series. Dolenz, the final surviving member of the group, spoke with Variety following Rafelson’s death. How did you wind up meeting Bob Rafelson in the first place? I was going to college at L.A. Trade-Tech, studying to be an architect. I had already been in the business…