Steve Pond's Blog, page 176

‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Broadway Review: Netflix Mashes Up With ‘Grease’ and Stephen King

Stephen King apparently returns to Broadway. After a disastrous debut with the musical “Carrie” in 1988, the best-selling novelist found much more success with William Goldman’s stage adaptation of “Misery,” with Laurie Metcalf winning a Tony for best actress in a play.

I never thought of King while watching a few episodes of the Netflix series “Stranger Things.” I couldn’t get him out of my mind while watching “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” which opened Tuesday at the Marquis Theatre after its world premiere in London.

This stage adaptation could be retitled “The Dreaming.” The disturbed teenage Henry Creel (Louis McCartney, who is absolutely riveting) has a love-hate relationship with his portable radio, the static of which allows him to manifest dreams or enter into them. (I’m not sure which.) In the most typical King tradition, Henry can blow up pet cats, laboratory hamsters and, yes, people by simply marshalling his powers, which are seemingly infinite.

The New York Times recently published an article on “Strangers Things: The First Shadow.” Since this report focuses on the show’s enormous set (by Miriam Buether), illusions and visual effects (by Jamie Harrison and Chris Fisher) and video and visual effects (by 59), the playwright Kate Trefy is not mentioned until halfway through the article. Trefy, who also writes for the TV series, weighs in with only one quote regarding her stage adaptation of the Duffer Brothers’ original story about the small townspeople who are terrorized by a hostile alternate dimension called the Upside Down.

Trefry gets off easy in that article. Her stage play is a muddled, pedestrian prequel, set in the 1950s, in which a government experiment-gone-wrong unleashes lots of ill effects. The Netflix series, at its best, delivers a gritty film noir quality to this supernatural tale. What’s on stage at the Marquis resembles a jukebox musical comedy with lots of shock effects haphazardly thrown in. My personal favorite stunner comes when Henry conjures up a nightmare that has haunted his mother (Rosie Benton, being very tall), and he soon finds himself wrapped in multiple insect legs.

Elsewhere, the special effects are much less imaginative. The Times article makes much of the show’s opening scene in which scientists attempt to render a U.S. battleship invisible, by sending it to another dimension. Under Stephen Daldry’s direction, the visuals are big and accompanied by lots of noise (sound design by Paul Arditti), but sorry, I’ve been more frightened by the appearance of the ghost ship in any number of stagings of “The Flying Dutchman.” Then again, the Wagner libretto is far better material, and special effects mean nothing if they don’t emerge from a strong story.

Anyone who took Shakespeare 101 in college knows all about comic relief. Trefry’s many efforts at comic relief translate into endless scenes showing rehearsals for a high school production of a scary play called “The Dark of the Moon.” The performances of the students are so broad they make the cartoon characters in “Boop!” appear downright Chekhovian.

Daldry ladles on the feel-good nostalgia by loading “Stranger Things” with lots of pop hits from the 1950s. Someone has watched “Grease” twice too often.

A bright spot is the creepy, often loopy performance of McCartney. His subtly delayed delivery produces the show’s only genuinely funny moments. He’s unarguably the best special effect in the show’s first act. Unfortunately, in the second act, he is required to do little more than impersonate a person enduring electro-shock treatments.

The post ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ Broadway Review: Netflix Mashes Up With ‘Grease’ and Stephen King appeared first on TheWrap.

Ryan Lizza Says Politico Hit Him With a Cease and Desist Over Substack Criticizing Trump Coverage

Former politico reporter Ryan Lizza said Tuesday that lawyers for his previous employer sent him a cease and desist order in response to comments he made about the outlet’s coverage of Donald Trump, and have ordered him to take down not just those comments but the entire article in which they appeared.

Lizza, who for 6 years was Politico’s Chief Washington Correspondent as well as co-author of its “The Playbook” newsletter, revealed Monday that he was no longer affiliated the with website in an essay announcing the launch of his new Substack newsletter, Telos.

Lizza hadn’t actually written for Politico for nearly 6 months by that point, having gone on leave after becoming collateral damage in his ex-fiancee Olivia Nuzzi’s ethical scandal over her affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

But in his debut Telos post, Lizza said the “main reason” he left Politico was because “their style of political coverage is not meeting the unprecedented moment of democratic peril we are facing.”

As part of a larger argument that major media is failing in how it covers the things, Lizza also wrote, “I saw up close how easy it was for a media conglomerate to grovel before the Trump administration when the wrong people are in charge.”

Lizza also criticized the outlet for allowing one of its reporters to participate in the Conservative Political Action Conference, which he described as a “regrettable mistake,” and alleged it was an attempt to make nice with Trump.

Politico objected to this and, Lizza wrote on Tuesday, is accusing him of violating a non-disparagement clause in the agreement he signed when he left. The company is also demanding he take down the article in its entirety.

Lizza for his part refuses to do so, and in his defense argues he didn’t actually disparage Politico. “Writing that ‘Politico made a regrettable mistake’ is the definition of respectful criticism. Far from being of little worth, I believe Politico is important—and I also believe there’s a lot of room for improvement and I’m not going to be censored or intimidated by legal threats.”

“I’m holding out the possibility that the letter was sent to me in a moment of pique by an otherwise well-meaning Politico attorney before the editorial staffers—many of whom I know would be appalled by this kind of a request—were informed,” Lizza also wrote. “I hope cooler heads prevail here, and I hope that my friends at Politico will think carefully about whether they really want to go around censoring journalists.”

The post Ryan Lizza Says Politico Hit Him With a Cease and Desist Over Substack Criticizing Trump Coverage appeared first on TheWrap.

Paramount’s Shari Redstone Says Freedom of the Press Means ‘Giving the Facts, Not Opinions’

Just hours after the surprise resignation of “60 Minutes” boss Bill Owens, Paramount Global non-executive chairwoman Shari Redstone described her views on the role of media in the current era, and what freedom of speech means.

Speaking to TheWrap after the premiere of the documentary “Children of October 7,” Redstone said, “there is nothing controversial about telling the truth. There’s nothing controversial about getting the real story out there. And I think companies have not only an opportunity, but a tremendous responsibility, to use the resources that they have to tell these stories and to get them to as many audiences, let people decide how they feel about something and how they react to something, but give them the facts.”

Asked how she balances press freedom with the financial demands of media companies, Redstone said, “I don’t think there’s ever a time you have to compromise what it is that you say and do, but freedom of the press involves telling both sides of the story, giving the facts, not giving opinions. And I think that’s our responsibility as a media company.”

“The days of Walter Cronkite, where, whatever it is, people believed in the truth, people really crave the information they need to be independent and make their own judgments. That’s what freedom of speech is,” Redstone added.

Redstone however declined to talk about “60 Minutes” or Owens’ resignation.

Owens, a 37-year CBS News employee, 24 of those years at “60 Minutes,” announced his resignation Tuesday morning. In a staff meeting, he said part that the show’s independence had been effectively revoked due to CBS parent company Paramount’s $20 billion lawsuit with President Donald Trump.

Oliver Darcy later reported in his Status newsletter that Owens also told staff “I am the corporation’s problem.” And Semafor reported Tuesday night that his resignation followed recent heightened scrutiny from Redstone herself, who “sought to know which upcoming ’60 Minutes’ stories were about President Donald Trump.”

An insider with knowledge of the matter told TheWrap, however, that Redstone had no role in CBS or “60 Minutes” newsroom matters. The insider also said such matters were under the purview of Susan Zirinsky, the interim executive editor who previously served as president of CBS News.

The post Paramount’s Shari Redstone Says Freedom of the Press Means ‘Giving the Facts, Not Opinions’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Kevin O’Leary Thinks Everyone Needs to ‘Get Over’ Trump Derangement Syndrome and Focus on His Policies

Kevin O’Leary, one of the “sharks” on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” said he thinks too many people are hung up on their hatred of President Donald Trump and not focusing on the effectiveness of his policies, calling on Americans to get over their “Trump derangement syndrome” and to “get stuff done.”

“I do business all around the world, in the Middle East and in Europe, 50% of the people in the world have Trump derangement syndrome. And they still have a really hard time understanding why he’s back in the White House,” he said Tuesday on CNN News Central.

“It doesn’t matter. He’s in the White House. We have to deal with the policy, not Trump, but policy. Let’s forget about the fact that he’s in the White House. There’s nothing you can do about it,” the Canadian businessman continued. “Let’s get over the derangement syndrome. Let’s focus on the policy and get stuff done.”

O’Leary is hopeful that Trump will “get this policy right” and backs the president’s tariffs against China.

“I’m an example of someone who’s really been screwed by the Chinese in I.P. theft and I’m kind of done with it,” he said. “So, I’m very happy that some administration, this one particularly, is taking them on to resolve this problem once and for all. And Xi needs the U.S. and the U.S. needs Xi. So, let’s get this thing resolved. I’m OK with the volatility.”

“If he gets this policy right and circles the wagons with the Europeans, the Mexicans and the Canadians, that’s a more powerful charge against China,” O’Leary continued.

The SoftKey founder also disputed that the U.S. is in a recession because of economic chaos created by Trump’s tariffs. “Let me just say that we’ve been talking about recession now for four years in a row, you may recall. Forecasters of recessions have been wrong for four years straight. So, probabilities of 32–55%, that’s interesting, but we are not in a recession right now,” he told host John Berman.

Earlier this month, O’Leary said that Trump’s actions against China were not enough called for a 400% tariff on the nation.

“I’m advocating 400%,” he said. “I do business in China. They don’t play by the rules. They’ve been in the WTO for decades. They have never abided by any of the rules they agreed to when they came in, for decades. They cheat, they steal, they steal IP, I can’t litigate in their courts. They take product technology, they steal it, they manufacture it and sell it back here.”

The post Kevin O’Leary Thinks Everyone Needs to ‘Get Over’ Trump Derangement Syndrome and Focus on His Policies appeared first on TheWrap.

‘60 Minutes’ Chief Bill Owens Held Back Tears During Staff Meeting Over Resignation: ‘I Am the Corporation’s Problem’ | Report

Legendary “60 Minutes” executive producer Bill Owens fought back tears while announcing his forced resignation from the news program in a staff meeting Tuesday, according to audio obtained by Oliver Darcy’s “Status” newsletter. Journalistic stalwart of the program Lesley Stahl was in attendance while Anderson Cooper called in from Rome while reporting on Pope Francis’ death.

Owens was seen struggling through emotions when he gathered staff at CBS’ Manhattan offices to announce his departure. He said it had become evident he had become a “problem” to CBS and Paramount.

“So an email is going to go out now that says I’m leaving,” he said. “It’s clear that I’ve become the problem. I am the corporation’s problem.”

The beloved producer said he hoped his departure would “be a moment for the corporation to take a hard look at itself and its relationship with us.” He added that this is the time for the “60 Minutes” staff to stay and continue the work they are known for.

“People have asked, should we walk out? No. The opposite,” Owens said. “I really, really, really believe that this will create a moment where the corporation will have to think about the way we operate, the way we’ve always operated, and allow us to operate like that.”

Owens – who worked at CBS News for 37 years, 24 of which were spent at “60 Minutes” – announced his resignation citing that he lost the ability to make independent decisions as the network and parent company Paramount battle a $20 billion lawsuit with President Donald Trump.

“My 60 Minutes priorities have always been clear. Maybe not smart, but clear. Over the past months, it has also become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it,” Owens wrote in a Tuesday memo to staff, reviewed by TheWrap. “To make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes,’ right for the audience. So, having defended this show — and what we stand for – from every angle, over time with everything I could,  I am stepping aside so the show can move forward.  The show is too important to the country, it has to continue, just not with me as the executive producer.”

Owens’ resignation came following heightened attention from Paramount chief Shari Redstone, who “sought to know which upcoming ’60 Minutes’ stories were about President Donald Trump” in recent days, according to a Semafor report that published late Tuesday.

The post ‘60 Minutes’ Chief Bill Owens Held Back Tears During Staff Meeting Over Resignation: ‘I Am the Corporation’s Problem’ | Report appeared first on TheWrap.

When Is ‘Andor’ Season 2 Set in the Star Wars Timeline?

As the “Star Wars” timeline gets more and more prequels and sequels tacked on, it can be confusing where everything falls – including “Andor” Season 2.

Films and shows in the Star Wars universe take place anywhere from hundreds of years before the prequel trilogy to decades after the original trilogy. “Andor” falls somewhere in the middle and manages to be both deeply connected to the events of the classic films and to feel wholly original.

Here is just where “Andor” Season 2 falls in the timeline – which is both simple and a bit more complicated.

When does “Andor” Season 2 take place in the timeline?

The easy answer to this question is: Season 2 takes place between “Andor” Season 1 and the film “Rogue One.”

The broader answer is that the second season of the Disney+ show takes place over the course of four years – ranging from 4 BBY to 1 BBY (BBY standing for Before the Battle of Yavin). The release cadence of the episodes dictates the passage of time.

Each week beginning Tuesday, April 22 three episodes of Season 2 will drop. So the three-episode premiere takes place in 4 BBY, then the following week episodes 4-6 drop, which all take place in 3 BBY. The goal of the season is to capture the exhausting five-year period that Cassian (Diego Luna) was a rebel spy.

The entire first season of the show showcased the first year of the titular character’s time fighting the Empire. This season covers the next four years as the Empire makes moves to shore up resources for the secret work on the Death Star.

How to Watch Star Wars in Timeline Order

If you want to go beyond “Andor” and know where the other films and shows – both live action and animated – fall in the timeline look below for an easy and comprehensive guide from oldest to newest.

“The Acolyte”“Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”“Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones”“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”“Obi-Wan Kenobi”“Solo: A Star Wars Story”“Andor”“Star Wars Rebels”“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope”“Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back”“Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi”“The Mandalorian”“The Book of Boba Fett”“Skeleton Crew”“Ahsoka”“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

The post When Is ‘Andor’ Season 2 Set in the Star Wars Timeline? appeared first on TheWrap.

Lorde’s Mystery Washington Square Park Event Cut Short by Police, Singer Says ‘You Gotta Disperse’

Update: Eager Lorde fans apparently stuck around Tuesday in Washington Square Park, and while the singer did not attend the event herself, producer and musician Dev Hynes arrived near sundown with a speaker system and played the new single, “What Was That.” Watch a video clip below:

A closer look on Dev Hynes playing "What Was That"!!pic.twitter.com/OFOAgXcJXh

— Lorde Updates (@LordeUpdatesBR) April 23, 2025

Original story: Lorde’s mystery event at Washington Square Park was shut down minutes before it was set to start Tuesday, with the singer sharing that the New York Police Department were ordering her legions of fans to disperse.

Earlier in the day, the Grammy winner sent out a message to her “community text thread” (see: Instagram Story) telling them to be at Washington Square Park Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Shortly before the event was set to start – and with a large crowd gathered – the police shut things down.

“Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down,” Lorde posted. “I am truly amazed by how many of you showed up!!! But they’re telling me you gotta disperse … I’m so sorry.”

The police have shut down Lorde’s event at Washington Square Park, just minutes before it was set to start. pic.twitter.com/CJjBvyAldO

— Pop Base (@PopBase) April 22, 2025

The event was likely to tease the release of her upcoming single “What Was That,” due to drop Friday. The singer first teased the song last week in a TikTok of her walking through Washington Square Park.

The area has been the site of a number of recent viral gatherings. Back in October, hundreds of people gathered for a Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest. The event got so big that even the A-List actor himself rolled through for the festivities. The winner of the contest was awarded $50.

Similar to Lorde’s planned event, the lookalike contest also ballooned in size to the point that police shut it down after ruling it an unlawful gathering. One of the contestants was also arrested during the festivities.

 FM104 reported at least 900 people RSVPed for the lookalike event in October. No word yet on the numbers that showed up for Lorde’s gathering.

The post Lorde’s Mystery Washington Square Park Event Cut Short by Police, Singer Says ‘You Gotta Disperse’ appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Golden Bachelor’ Renewed for Season 2, Led by NFL Vet Mel Owens

“The Golden Bachelor” will return to ABC and Hulu, with a new leading man in NFL veteran-turned-lawyer Mel Owns.

After the inaugural season of “The Golden Bachelor” broke ratings records for the franchise, ABC has renewed “The Golden Bachelor” for a second season, which will debut in the 2025-26 broadcast season. ABC announced the news Tuesday during Hulu’s unscripted event in Los Angeles. An exact premiere date has not yet been set.

“The Bachelor” spinoff series found its second ever “Golden Bachelor” in Owens, a 66-year-old from Detroit. After Owens graduated from the University of Michigan, he was selected as the ninth overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft by the LA Rams. After retiring from football, he became a lawyer in Orange County, Calif., where he focused on cases for those seeking justice for sports-related injuries.

During his time in Orange County, Owens met his first love and had two sons with her. When his marriage eventually ended, he focused on raising his sons and coaching their extracurricular sports teams. Per ABC, Owens is now ready to rediscover a love rooted in the simple joys of companionship, and is seeking a teammate who shares this vision for their golden years.

The news comes over a year and a half since “The Golden Bachelor” debuted its inaugural season in September 2023, led by Gerry Turner, who got engaged to Theresa Nist on the show and eventually tied the knot to her on a telecasted “Golden Wedding,” though the pair eventually divorced.

“The Golden Bachelor” scored an average viewership of 10.4 million across ABC, Hulu and other platforms in its first 35 days, ranking as the No. 1 most-watched season of an ABC unscripted series since “The Bachelor’s” 2019-2020 season.

The next fall, ABC debuted “The Golden Bachelorette,” which was led by Joan Vassos, who dated Turner on “The Golden Bachelor.” With Vassos being selected from the women on “The Golden Bachelor,” casting Owens is a departure from traditional “Bachelor” casting, which typically would have seen a man from Vassos’ season of “The Golden Bachelorette” be selected to lead “The Golden Bachelor” Season 2.

Despite not finding a lead from Vassos’ season, the “Bachelor” franchise is still keeping their “Golden” cast members involved, with “The Golden Bachelorette” alum Gary Levingston and “The Golden Bachelor” alum Leslie Fhima both set to appear in the upcoming “Bachelor in Paradise” season this summer, which will feature a mix of “Bachelor” and “Golden Bachelor” cast members.

Behind the on-screen drama, “The Bachelor” franchise has been undergoing some shifts, with showrunners Claire Freeland and Bennett Graebner exiting amid reports that the pair was creating a toxic work environment. “The Golden Bachelor” is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with
Warner Horizon.

“The Golden Bachelor” Season 1 is now streaming on Hulu, with Season 2 coming to ABC and Hulu in the 2025-26 TV season.

The post ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Renewed for Season 2, Led by NFL Vet Mel Owens appeared first on TheWrap.

Warner Bros. Discovery TV Viewership Grew 3% in March Thanks to NCAA and ‘The White Lotus,’ Nielsen Says

March was a good month for Warner Bros. Discovery. During that time, the company saw the largest monthly viewership increase among media distributors, according to Nielsen’s latest Gauge report. Warner Bros. Discovery saw a 3% growth in television viewing compared to February.

This growth was largely due to March Madness coverage on TBS, TNT and truTV. Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming vertical, also had a notable month. It saw a 6% increase in viewership, the largest month-over-month increase among streaming services. Along with March Madness, which brought in younger consumers, new episodes of “The White Lotus” and “The Pitt” contributed to this growth. Mike White’s vacation thriller was Nielsen’s No. 4 most-streamed title in March, accounting for 4.5 billion viewing minutes. As for the Noah Wyle-led “The Pitt,” that medical drama generated 2.3 billion viewing minutes and ranked on Nielsen’s Streaming Top 10 for the first time during the week of March 17. Even with those numbers, Warner Bros. Discovery was still seventh on Nielsen’s rankings of media distributors, only counting for 6.7% of overall television viewership.

For the second month in a row, YouTube was at the top of Nielsen’s Gauge list. The behemoth captured 12% of overall TV viewing in March, breaking its own previous record of 11.6%. YouTube set that previous record in February.

The Walt Disney Company came in second place on the Gauge report, gaining half a share point over its February numbers and accounting for 10.5% of total TV viewing time in March. The company’s simulcast of The Oscars across ABC and Hulu contributed to the lift as the event brought in 20.3 million viewers. “American Idol” and “ABC World News Tonight” also contributed.

And third place for the month went to Paramount, a jump from its fifth place ranking in February. Paramount’s viewership total jumped by 0.3 points and accounted for an overall 8.5% share of television. This rise was also due to March Madness paired with a crop of strong CBS dramas. During the spring month, “Tracker” drew 10.7 million viewers, and “Matlock” drew 9.2 million viewers.

NBCUniversal then came in fourth place with 8% of the overall share of viewership despite seeing a 0.1 decline compared to February. Finally, The Roku Channel set a platform record, accounting for 2.2% of television. Regardless, the record did not change the channel’s ranking on Nielsen’s Media Distributor Gauge.

The post Warner Bros. Discovery TV Viewership Grew 3% in March Thanks to NCAA and ‘The White Lotus,’ Nielsen Says appeared first on TheWrap.

Jimmy Kimmel Wonders What the Odds Are Trump Declares He’s the New Pope: ‘They Are Not Low’ | Video

Jimmy Kimmel had a pointed question, and pithy answer, about Donald Trump’s reaction to the death of Pope Francis on Monday.

“What are the chances Trump declares himself Pope?” Kimmel asked. “They are not low. They are not low.”

The joke came during his Monday night “Jimmy Kimmel monologue which, naturally, focused quite a bit on the Pope’s death.

“As I’m sure you know, Pope Francis passed away this morning,” Kimmel said before adding, “don’t clap for that, you’ll go right to hell.”

“The Pope, who was very well-loved, he was, seemed to be a kind and humble man, had been in poor health, but he sucked it up, he rallied, he delivered a message at Easter Mass, and then he passed away this morning,” Kimmel continued. “Is there anything more Catholic than waiting until Monday to die so you don’t upstage Jesus Christ?”

“I don’t think there is. It’s the Pope version of a mic drop. Really,” Kimmel added.

“Hours before his passing, Pope Francis met briefly at the Vatican with, of all people, Vice President JD Vance. Oh man. What a way to go. Huh? I mean, ‘Holy Father, do you have any last wishes?'” Kimmel went on. “’Not this! Not this! Not a, not a meet and greet with Vice President Maybelline! No, thank you!’”

“Shortly after his visit, Vance tweeted, ‘Today I met with the Holy Father Pope Francis. I am grateful for his invitation to meet, and I pray for his good health. Happy Easter!’ So now we know JD Vance is bad at praying too.”

Kimmel then brought up Trump’s reaction to this, noting that he gave “an eloquent tribute to the Pope, and used all the best words to honor him.” Kimmel was of course kidding, and read Trump’s actual statement instead.

“Then Trump announced that he will be attending the Pope’s funeral. He said they’re ‘looking forward to being there!’ Like he got tickets to Coachella or something.”

It was then that Kimmel asked about Trump declaring himself pope. But you can watch that and the entire monologue below:

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