Variety 9/7/2022

We’re almost there. The journey to the 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards feels like it’s taken about three years, because it’s been that long since the TV industry has gathered for an old-fashioned, in-person, tux-and-gowns-required Emmy fete. Remember the “Succession” team accepting the Emmy for best drama from a dark hotel room in the middle of the night in 2020? It just didn’t have the charm of watching a flock of giddy writers, actors, directors and producers clambering up onstage in formalwear. But we’re back to basics, finally, and there’s palpable excitement in the biz about an extended Emmy weekend, culminating in the Sept. 12ceremonyat Microsoft Theater. The fall launch period is not what it once was, of course, but this is usually an opportune time for showbizzers to share toasts,…

Variety TV editor Michael Schneider spoke to David E. Kelley as the prolific producer prepares to receive Variety’s Creative Consciousness Award. Schneider and his team will be busy blanketing the town over Emmy weekend. Variety senior TV features editor Emily Longeretta interviewed more than 100 showrunners to create the annual TV Producers Impact Report, highlighting the best in the business. Photographer Brian Bowen Smith captured Kelly Clarkson in Los Angeles on June 9. “We were joking the whole time on set,” says Smith, whose work has appeared on the covers of People, GQ, Ebony and more. “We talked about horses, music and of course the beautiful yellow sunflowers.” Stylist Candice Lambert kept Clarkson well kitted out: “The shoot was fun because we touched on all sides of Kelly: Daytime Kelly…

Make no mistake: CJ ENM is on the move. The South Korean conglomerate that has done as much as any company to build out the nation’s entertainment ecosystem is actively looking to expand its “production capability and competency.” That’s the word from Kang Hosung, CEO of the cluster of film, TV and music companies that now share the CJ ENM banner. Kang gave a rare, extensive interview to Variety on Aug. 21 in downtown Los Angeles on the sidelines of CJ ENM’s KCON LA pop culture convention, which brought in close to 100,000 fans from across the U.S. Despite the palpable teen spirit that KCON brought to two packed concerts at Crypto.com Arena, Kang describes CJ ENM’s current mission in terms that are both humble and loftily ambitious. “Our core…

HBO’s “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus,” as well as Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” lead the early Emmy tally heading toward TV’s big night: All three series landed five trophies during the Creative Arts Emmys, dispensed on two consecutive nights over Labor Day weekend, and are in the hunt for more high-profile prizes Sept. 12 when the 74th annual Primetime Emmy ceremony gets underway on NBC. Variety special “Adele: One Night Only” and docuseries “The Beatles: Get Back” also scored five trophies, though they won’t figure in the Primetime Emmy ceremony. Those wins, along with the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show’s victory for variety special (live), led some to quip that the Creative Arts Emmys felt more like the Grammys. Also notable: Former president Barack Obama landed his first Emmy win, as…

Zach Cregger has delivered one of the most twist-filled movies of the year with “Barbarian.” But perhaps the biggest shock to fans is that a member of irreverent sketch group Whitest Kids U’Know switched to horror so effortlessly. For Cregger, the two worlds are not far apart. “I don’t think horror and comedy are too dissimilar,” Cregger says. “The anatomy of a scare is very similar to the anatomy of a laugh. It’s all about timing and tone and zigging when the audience expects you to zag. I feel like my time in sketch comedy has equipped me to play in this pool.” Cregger got advice from a friend who had a similar trajectory: Jordan Peele, who went from sketch comedy series “Key & Peele” to directing his breakout feature…

After all that has transpired with MoviePass, Mitch Lowe still believes the $9.95 subscription ticketing service he championed while at the helm of that company could have worked. In a new memoir, “Watch and Learn: How I Turned Hollywood Upside Down With Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass,” released on Sept. 6, Lowe cops to making mistakes at MoviePass. “It truly was embarrassing and hurtful,” says Lowe of the company’s spectacular crash and burn in 2019, which led to a bankruptcy filing in early 2020. “I tried as hard as I could, but I should have tried harder, I should have been more thoughtful, and I should have been more strategic. But I’ve got to live with that.” In hindsight, MoviePass should have had a waiting list, Lowe argues, which could have…