| NEWS OF NOTE
MTV to Air “Jersey Shore” Reunion as a Pilot for a Series Revival
“Reunion Road Trip,” a reunion special and pilot on MTV for a proposed new series featuring the cast from 2009-12 docuseries “Jersey Shore,” has been confirmed as a go by Mike “The Situation” Torrentino MTV on “Entertainment Tonight” on Friday. The logline: Viewers will follow the lifelong friends as they come together to gossip about each other’s lives, what has been said about them in the press, the juiciest moments and stories from behind the scenes that we never saw, and most of all talk about the pop culture hit that has bonded them forever.
Who exactly will be returning from the original series is not confirmed yet, with the producers exploring both unscripted and scripted series casts as possibilities for future episodes, should the show move forward. Greg Lipstone, Simon Knight, Adam Greener, Emily Mayer and Lauren Stevens will be the executive producers.
Rumors that the stars of the MTV reality hit were getting back together surfaced earlier this month after sightings of the cast were reported to the “Asbury Park Press.” The speculation increased with the news that the company that produced Jersey Shore, Bright Road Productions, had applied for a permit to film in Asbury, New Jersey, under the title “Reunion Roadtrip.”
Oscar Winner Martin Landau Dies at 89
Martin Landau, one of the original stars of CBS spy drama “Mission: Impossible,” not to mention roles in Alfred Hitchcock thriller “North by Northwest” and his Academy Award winning performance in “Ed Wood,” has died. He was 89 and he passed away of unexpected complications after a brief stay at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Born June 20, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York, Landau attended the Actors Studio, becoming good friends with James Dean and was later in the same class as Steve McQueen. In 1957, he made his Broadway debut in “Middle of the Night.” In 1959, Landau made his first major film appearance in aforementioned “North by Northwest,” and had other notable early roles in “Cleopatra,” “The Greatest Story Ever Told” and “Nevada Smith,” which starred Steve McQueen.
Landau played the role of master of disguise Rollin Hand in “Mission: Impossible” from 1966 to 1969, exiting in a contract dispute along with his then wife and co-star Barbara Bain. In the mid-1970s, Landau and Bain returned to TV in the British science-fiction series “Space: 1999,” which aired for two seasons.
In the late 1980s, Landau earned his first Academy nomination for his role in “Tucker: The Man and His Dream. This was followed by a second nomination, for 1989’s “Crimes and Misdemeanors,” and later a win for “Ed Wood.”
Landau’s film roles in the 1990s included “Mistress” with Robert DeNiro, “City Hall” with Al Pacino and “Rounders” with Matt Damon.
More recently, Landau earned Emmy nominations for CBS’ “Without a Trace” and guest-starring on HBO’s “Entourage.” He portrayed billionaire J. Howard Marshall, the 90-year-old husband of Anna Nicole Smith, in a 2013 Lifetime biopic about the sex symbol, and starred opposite Christopher Plummer in “Remember” (2015). Landau also appeared opposite Paul Sorvino in “The Last Poker Game,” which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.
Survivors include his daughters Susie (a writer-producer) and Juliet (an actress-dancer) from his marriage to Barbara Bain; son-in-law’s Roy and Deverill; sister Elinor; granddaughter Aria; and godson Dylan.
Jodie Whitaker Named the New Doctor Who
The BBC and BBC AMERICA have announced that Jodie Whittaker will be the new Doctor Who. She will be the Thirteenth Time Lord and the first female in the role and she will take over from Peter Capaldi, who will exit the perennial drama at Christmas. New head writer and executive producer Chris Chibnall who takes over from Steven Moffat on the next series made the decision to cast the first ever woman in the iconic role.
“I’m beyond excited to begin this epic journey – with Chris and with every Whovian on this planet,” said Jodie Whitaker in a statement. “It’s more than an honor to play the Doctor. It means remembering everyone I used to be, while stepping forward to embrace everything the Doctor stands for: hope. I can’t wait.”
Viacom Announces Multi-Year Deal with Tyler Perry
Viacom has entered into a multi-year content partnership with writer, director, producer, actor and playwright Tyler Perry, encompassing television, film and short-form video. Under the terms of the agreement, Perry will produce approximately 90 episodes annually of original drama and comedy series for BET and other Viacom networks, and Viacom will have exclusive licensing rights on this programming. In addition, Viacom will have exclusive distribution rights to Perry’s short-form video content, and Paramount Pictures will have exclusive “first look” rights on any new feature film concepts created by Perry.
The film agreement is effective immediately, with the partnership on Perry’s TV and short-form video content to go into effect in May 2019, following the expiration of Perry’s exclusive agreement with OWN. Viacom’s agreement will extend through 2024.
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