Steve Pond's Blog, page 19
September 16, 2025
Robert Redford, Leading Man and Oscar-Winning Director, Dies at 89
Robert Redford, the iconic, leading man actor and Oscar-winning director, has died. He was 89.
The founder of the Sundance Film Institute died in his sleep early Tuesday morning at home in Utah, according to Rogers & Cowan PMK’s Cindi Berger.
More to come…
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Broadcast, Cable Notch First TV Viewership Gains Since April, Boosted by College Football, New School Year
In a disruption of summer TV trends, a new school year and the return of football boosted broadcast and cable in Nielsen’s Gauge report for August. The categories finished the month with 19.1% and 22.5% shares of TV viewing, marking their first gains since April.
Broadcast notched its largest share of TV viewing since May as viewership climbed 1.1% on a monthly basis. Across the five-week measurement interval, the peak in broadcast viewership occurred during the final week of the month, coinciding with the official return of college football.
Fox’s first “Big Noon Saturday” game of the season, between Ohio State and Texas on August 30, drew the largest telecast audience this month with over 16.6 million viewers, while ABC owned the next three top telecasts with college football games that each drew over 10 million viewers, including Notre Dame vs. Miami, Alabama vs. Florida State, and LSU vs. Clemson.
Meanwhile, cable gained 0.3 share points month-over-month, with its strongest viewing in the final week in the interval, driven by 18-49 year-olds and college football coverage, specifically on ESPN. Cable sports viewing in August was up 30% compared to the prior month, and represented over 9% of all cable viewership.
Photo courtesy of Nielsen
As for streaming, the category finished August with a share of 46.4%, down over 4% from the previous month. In no surprise, YouTube continued to lead with a share of 13.1%, followed by Netflix with 8.7% and Disney with 4.6%.
Netflix originals “Wednesday,” “KPop Demon Hunters” and “The Hunting Wives” and the acquired series “Sullivan’s Crossing” took the top four slots and combined for over 22 billion viewing minutes across the five weeks of the interval.
Though monthly viewing levels were down for each streaming platform, Prime Video added 0.1 point to finish the month with 3.9%, just shy of its record 4% set in December 2024. The Amazon-owned streamer benefitted from “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “Ballard” and an NFL preseason game on Aug. 21.
Rounding out the remainder of the list for August was The Roku Channel with a share of 2.8%, Tubi with a share of 2.2%, Paramount with a share of 2%, and Warner Bros. Discovery and Peacock with shares of 1.4% each.
Total time spent watching TV was down 2% month-over-month in August, but viewing among kids and teens ages six to 17 was down 9% over the same period. Viewing levels between the first (July 28 to Aug. 3, 2025) and last weeks (Aug. 25 to Aug. 31, 2025) of the interval dropped 21%. Streaming usage among school-aged viewers also exhibited similar declines, dropping 8% on a monthly basis in August, and losing 22% from the first week versus the last week of the month.
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September 15, 2025
Coachella 2026 Sets Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G as Headliners
Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G have been locked down to headline the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the event’s organizers announced Monday. Passes for the event will go on sale on Friday, Sept. 19 at 11:00 a.m. Pacific.
The 2-weekend event is set for Friday, April 10 through Sunday, April 12 and again on Friday April 17 through Sunday, April 19. The lineup will be the same both weekends. YouTube returns as the event’s official streaming partner.
Sabrina Carpenter will headline Fridays, Justin Bieber leads Saturday and Karol G closes on Sunday. Star DJ Anyma will also be debuting the world premiere of an event called “Anyma presents Æden” during the festival.
Some of Friday’s biggest performers are Teddy Swims, Ethel Cain, Central Cee, Sexyy Red, Dijon, The XX, Foster the People, Disclosure and Nine Inch Noize. On Saturdays The Strokes, Given, Addison Rae, Labrinth, Sombr, Swan Lee, 54 Ultra, Royal Otis and David Byrne are among the performers. And on Sundays, Iggy Pop, Young Thug, Laufey, Major Lazer, and FKA Twigs will perform, among others.
See the full lineup below:
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Coachella (@coachella)
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Rolling Stone Hit With Layoffs Amid Ongoing Staff Reductions at Penske
An unknown number of Rolling Stone staff, including some of the storied publication’s most prominent voices, were laid off on Monday, Oliver Darcy reported.
The cuts come as parent company Penske Media Corp. is actively looking for ways to shrink headcount across its many properties. However, they may also be the sign of a change in direction under new CEO Julian Holguin, rather than a staff reduction, as Rolling Stone has also posted multiple new job listings.
According to Darcy, among the affected Rolling Stone staffers are executive digital director Lisa Tozzi, chief television critic Alan Sepinwall and copy chief Steven Pearl. As of this writing, none of them have commented publicly. Representatives for PMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
In August, PMC owner and CEO Jay Penske surprised employees companywide when he announced that, beginning in Oct. all employees are required to work at least 4 days per week at one of the company’s offices, or lose their jobs. Penske’s memo indicated the company is expecting some attrition as a result.
The mandate applies not just to staff working for PMC, but to all publications and brands, which includes Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Deadline, the Golden Globes and South by Southwest.
The mandate is reportedly a source of much confusion among the company’s publications, as many Penske-owned media properties have never required staff to work on site at all. In fact, many of them employ people who live nowhere near Los Angeles, New York, Austin or Miami, where PMC maintains offices.
Penske indicated in his announcement that the in-office requirement is related to corporate culture and productivity goals, and isn’t connected to financial or business concerns. The memo even suggested outright that remote workers are less devoted to their job and less productive, an assertion multiple studies since 2020 have found to be untrue. Speculation by outside observers is that the move is more about reducing headcount without having to report layoffs.
If so, it may be producing the desired result, as earlier Monday, NBC announced it has hired reporter Rebecca Keegan away from THR.
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Trump Sues New York Times for Libel Over Unfavorable Coverage, Demands $15 Billion
President Donald Trump filed a $15 billion libel lawsuit against the New York Times over unfavorable coverage of him ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The 85-page lawsuit was filed early Tuesday morning in U.S. District Court in Tampa, paperwork became available online. Read it here. It names reporters Peter Baker, Susanne Craig, Michael Schmidt and Russ Buettner as defendants along with the New York Times and Penguin Random House, which published a book by Craig and Buettner.
The lawsuit, which lacked specific examples of alleged libel or defamation, accused the Times and its reporters of publishing articles “filled with repugnant distortions and fabrications about President Trump.”
It states: “Defendants made numerous other malicious, defamatory, and disparaging claims about President Trump in the Book and the Articles, including about his family, his overwhelming success, his businesses, his acumen, his brand, his wealth, and much more. This is all consistent with the modus operandi of the New York Times and its so-called journalists—a pattern of falsehoods and defamation.”
But ironically, the complaint uses numerous New York Times articles – while accusing the paper of setting out to maliciously defame him – to prove his points. For example, the complaint cites a December article about ABC’s settlement of a Trump lawsuit for $15 million as evidence of “the importance of the President’s highly meritorious and successful cases.”
The bar for any defamation lawsuit is high, and even higher for a public figure like the president. Trump must prove that the statements published are false and that the defendants knew they were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
In a rambling statement announcing the lawsuit, Trump accused the Times of “becoming a virtual ‘mouthpiece’ for the Radical Left Democrat Party,” and claimed the paper’s endorsement of Kamala Harris last year was “the largest illegal campaign contribution, ever.”
Trump also complained about negative coverage of his businesses, his family, the MAGA movement and even “our nation as a whole.”
Trump then gloated about how his similar lawsuits against Paramount and Disney resulted in both companies capitulating — and he took time during this portion to repeat one of his frequent insults against ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos. And he repeated his numerous claims of wrongdoing against both companies’ media outlets, claims most legal experts have long insisted were frivolous at best.
Trump then said the suit will be filed in Florida. See the statement below:
BREAKING
— Yashar Ali
The President of the United States says he’s going to sue the New York Times for $15 billion. pic.twitter.com/QiyUj5c8Iq(@yashar) September 16, 2025
It is of course only the latest of the president’s many lawsuits against media organizations whose coverage has not been deferential. And, as critics of Trump feared, it is more evidence he has been emboldened by the settlements he wrung out of two of them — ABC in December, and Paramount on July 1, just before the Trump administration approved its merger with Skydance.
Indeed, on July 18, Trump filed a $10 billion lawsuit against the Rupert Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal over its coverage of his ties to deceased billionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. For its part, Wall Street Journal is standing behind its reporting, and has vowed to fight that lawsuit “vigorously.”
As of this writing, the New York Times has not commented publicly on this lawsuit.
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Rachel Maddow to Interview Kamala Harris in First Primetime Appearance Since Leaving Office
Kamala Harris will sit down with Rachel Maddow for what will be her first news interview since leaving office, the MSNBC host announced Monday.
The full interview will air live on Monday, Sep. 22 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern (6:00 p.m. Pacific) during special edition of “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
The discussion will cover Harris’ new book, “107 Days,” which details her experiences suddenly becoming the Democratic nominee for President in 2024 and subsequently conducting the shortest campaign in modern history. According to Maddow, the interview will also touch on the current state of democracy in America, and Harris’ time as Vice President, and her future inside, or outside of politics.
While the chat will be Harris’ first broadcast news interview since leaving office, she’s already appeared in other formats to discuss her new book, and with it her criticisms of the Biden administration and fellow Democrats. And those may provide a hint of what might be up for discussion with Maddow.
Appearing last month on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Harris said at one point, “perhaps it’s naive of me… but I believed that on some level, you know, there are many — there should be many who consider themselves to be guardians of our system, and our democracy, who just capitulated. And I didn’t see that coming.”
She also called that approach to dealing with Donald Trump “completely naive,” adding, “I think there are a lot of people who think they’re riding out the storm as an excuse to be feckless.”
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‘The Pitt’ Creator Says Season 2 Production Showed How ‘Hungry’ People Are to Work in LA, Thinks Other Producers Should Follow Suit
With production underway on the second season of “The Pitt,” creator R. Scott Gemmill said the HBO drama’s return showed how “hungry” people are to work in Los Angeles, pointing to the thousands of casting submissions that came in for each new role.
“When we get casting, I think they get like 3,000 submissions for each role — that’s how hungry the people are out there to work in Los Angeles,” Gemmill told press backstage minutes after receiving the Emmy for best drama series.
Gemmill added that it’s important the team do their “small part” to keep production in L.A., but he hopes other producers “take note” of the show’s commitment to the city. “I think one of the things we showed was that you can make a show in Los Angeles, and you can make it for a price,” he said.
The push to stay in L.A. is also near and dear to “The Pitt” star Noah Wyle, who took home the Emmy for lead drama actor on Sunday. Wyle recalled to press that he spoke at the ceremony celebrating the expansion of California’s film tax credit program with Gov. Gavin Newsom, he brought up “The Pitt’s” special effects coordinator, Rob Nary, whose father and grandfather both worked in the craft.
“I said it to highlight the fact that there’s generational talent of this city that’s worked in this industry for over 100 years,” Wyle said on Sunday. “When you shoot a show here, you benefit of three generations of talent. You get a Rob Nary. You can put up a sound stage in another state, but they don’t come with Rob Narys.”
Gemmill added that the most important thing about shooting in L.A. is enabling cast and crew to go home to their families every night.
In total, “The Pitt” took home five Emmys, including casting and guest actor for Shawn Hatosy at the Creative Arts Emmys last weekend, as well as lead actor in a drama series for Wyle, supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa and, of course, the coveted win for best drama series.
“It was designed as a love letter to first responders to talk about the aggregate toll that these ships have taken on them since COVID, these tours of beauty that they’ve done without a break,” Wyle said. “This is an attempt to put the spotlight back on these trenches, which are flagging in morale and in personnel, and try to inspire the next generation to want to go into this line of work because we’re going to need them, and that was the audience we made the show for. That was the first audience that responded overwhelmingly, and it was their word of mouth that gave us the stamp of approval that really had this resonate elsewhere.”
“The Pitt” Season 1 is now streaming on HBO Max.
The post ‘The Pitt’ Creator Says Season 2 Production Showed How ‘Hungry’ People Are to Work in LA, Thinks Other Producers Should Follow Suit appeared first on TheWrap.
Greg Gutfeld Blows Up at Jessica Tarlov Over Her ‘Both Sides’ Charlie Kirk Shooter Assessment: ‘That S—t Is Dead!’ | Video
Greg Gutfeld went off on his “The Five” co-host Jessica Tarlov over her assessment that political violence is enacted by both sides of the aisle in the week after Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
During Monday’s episode of “The Five,” Gutfeld interrupted Tarlov while they were talking about Kirk’s alleged shooter Tyler Robinson’s education and hobbies to ask why this kind of violence is only happening on the left and not the right.
“We don’t need more information,” the Fox News star said. “What is interesting here is why is only this happening on the left and not the right? That’s all we need to know.”
“What about Melissa Hortman?” Tarlov responded, citing the political killing of the Minnesota state representative in June.
“Did you know her name before it happened?” Gutfeld asked, now angered. “None of us did. None of us were spending every single day talking about Melissa Hortman. I never heard of her until after she died.”
“So she doesn’t matter?” Tarlov came back.
“Don’t play that bulls–t with me,” Gutfeld argued. “What I’m saying is there was no demonization amplification about that woman before she died. It was a specific crime against her by somebody that knew her. Then you’ll bring up Josh Shapiro, but you will not bring up that that was a pro-Palestine person.”
He finished: “The fact of the matter is the both sides argument not only doesn’t fly, we don’t care. We don’t care about your both sides argument. That s–t is dead.”
Watch the moment below:
Gutfeld: We don't need more information… What is interesting here is why it's only this happening on the left and not the right?
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 15, 2025
Jessica: What about Melissa Hortman?
Gutfeld: Did you know her name before it happened? None of us did. None of us were spending every single day… pic.twitter.com/YcIzhbP88t
Gutfeld has been outspoken since Kirk’s assassination during an event at Utah Valley University last week. During his monologue starting last Friday’s episode of “Gutfeld!,” the host spoke with a grave face about processing the loss and how the killing would “backfire.”
“So why was Charlie assassinated?” Gutfeld posed. “It wasn’t about his ideas, it is that he was so good at them. He was the best. There was no one like him. This will backfire. Look at the history of those murdered because they were good. MLK Jr.’s dream did not die with him. Or JFK’s. Or Lincoln’s. As much as I hate the song ‘Imagine,’ it still gets played thousands of times a day around the globe. So their legacy grows, and Charlie’s will as well, beyond his wildest dreams … He already knew his impact, which will only grow with his passing … A man whose entire career was built on polite conversation. But that grief now hardens into resolve. If you want to kill an idea, the worst thing you can do is kill the man behind it. Because that gives the idea not just likes, but also wings.”
The post Greg Gutfeld Blows Up at Jessica Tarlov Over Her ‘Both Sides’ Charlie Kirk Shooter Assessment: ‘That S—t Is Dead!’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
Megyn Kelly Says Charlie Kirk Was Slated for Her Live Tour, but She Won’t Cancel ‘One Stop’ | Video
Megyn Kelly says Charlie Kirk was slated to appear on her just-announced live tour during a stop in California – and she’s heard “everyone’s concerns” since his assassination last week – but she’s planning to forge ahead, adding: “I don’t care if every single guest cancels on me.”
“There is no f–king way I am canceling one stop on this tour,” she said Monday on “The Megyn Kelly Show.” “Not one stop.”
The former Fox News host and podcaster announced her first-ever live tour last Monday, two days before Kirk was killed by a sniper’s bullet while speaking to a throng of students at Utah Valley University. Stops on the tour, which begins next month, are scheduled in California, Florida, New York and elsewhere, with announced guests including Adam Carolla, Piers Morgan – and, until Wednesday, Kirk.
“We paused all of our promotional efforts as soon as Charlie was killed,” she said. “Just out of respect, first of all, and second of all, because he was in a lot of the materials and the ads that we were running … totally inappropriate, given what’s happened.”
Kelly said Kirk’s death prompted discussions with her team and family about the tour, because “I don’t actually go out there that often. I’m not like Charlie in that way. I’m more of a private person … and most of my spare time is spent with my family.”
After hearing out their concerns and considering the challenges such public appearances now present, Kelly was still resolved to get the show on the road.
“It’s not that I don’t have some concerns, of course I do,” she said. “I’m human. I, as you know, have been covering the news very closely, but there is no f—king way we’re not doing this tour. It’s more important now than ever.”
And she’ll stay on the road, no matter what happens.
“I said to my team at this point, I don’t care if every single guest cancels on me,” she added. “I don’t care if there are two people in the audience as we go from city to city, I’m going. I’m going to stand on these stages, and I’m going to say all the things that we say all the time on this show, and I will speak to those two people from the heart and be forever grateful to them for showing up. I see no other way.”
She encouraged people to attend, as there will be “significant security” at each event: “I really hope you do show up. I really now more than ever, would love to see you all face to face. God, I would love to see you face to face. I need to see you face to face. I think this is probably the best thing I can do for my own emotional state at the moment, just to see all of you.”
Kelly conceded that plans for added security measures will mean “it’ll be a pain in the ass” to get into the venues, but added “we’re going to make it safe.”
“You know, I was really looking forward to the tour sort of having a raucous good time, and I think that still will be the case, because if you’re coming out of your homes and you’re just and you’re gonna spend your time with me, I want you to enjoy yourself,” she added. “I’m sure that the stop in California where Charlie was going to join us will be more somber, and we’re still debating what to do there. We’re not canceling it, trust me, I’ll be there.”
Watch the video clip above.
The post Megyn Kelly Says Charlie Kirk Was Slated for Her Live Tour, but She Won’t Cancel ‘One Stop’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
HBO Max Acquires Fox Oct. 7 Drama Series ‘One Day in October’
HBO Max has acquired the U.S. rights to “One Day in October,” a scripted retelling of seven real-life stories set in Israel during the events of Oct. 7.
The series, which will release on the two-year anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attacks, tells several distinct stories of families and individuals who found themselves at the center of the events. All of these narratives, which are interwoven throughout the series, are pulled directly from real-life memories and accounts of the day.
“The tragic events on October 7th had a profound impact on all of us,” said Fernando Szew, President and Head of FOX Entertainment Studios. “From the very beginning, we approached this series with the utmost care, sensitivity and urgency to ensure that the stories were told with authenticity and respect and paying homage to the victims and the heroic survivors. Oded and the incredible cast, crew and teams at Sparks Go, ZOA and yes TV have truly created compelling storytelling that we are proud to showcase. We appreciate Moriah Media for joining us on this project and to HBO Max for giving One Day in October a platform in the U.S.”
Fox Entertainment Studios produced “One Day in October” in partnership with Israel’s Yes TV and in association with Moriah Media. The series, created by Oded Davidoff and Daniel Finkelman, presents the events of Oct. 7 in a real-time scripted format. Davidoff also wrote and directed on the series.
“Filmed on location in Israel, One Day in October presents seven emotionally gripping and artistically interwoven narratives of love, courage, sacrifice and survival,” a plot description reads. “From families torn apart to moments of hope emerging in the face of unspeakable tragedy to incredible bravery against the odds, each episode reveals the human cost and resilience born out of chaos. The series portrays the victims’ and survivors’ experiences of that day and is brought to life by a distinguished cast and acclaimed creative team.”
“One Day in October” stars Swell Ariel Or, Noa Kedar, Naomi Levov, Hisham Suliman, Wael Hamdoun, Yuval Semo, Avi Azulay, Naveh Tzur, Yael Abecassis, Moran Rosenblatt, Michael Aloni, Neta Roth, Sean Softi, Lior Ashkenazi and Uri Perelman. Writers include Liron Ben-Shlush, Amir Hasfari, Keren Weissman, Orit Dabush and Yona Rozenkier. Production is led by production led by Finkelman, Chaya Amor, Aviv Ben-Shlush, Lee Ben-Shlush Kuperman and FOX Entertainment Studios’ Fernando Szew, while Jim Berk and Sheldon Rabinowitz with Moriah Media executive produced. New York’s Sparks Go and Israeli production company ZOA additionally co-produced the series.
“For me, film and television have always been more than entertainment, they are a way to bear witness. These are stories of ordinary people facing extraordinary moments,” said Daniel Finkelman, Founder of Sparks Go. “In a time when truth is fragile, the most powerful thing we can do is to appeal to humanity itself. My hope is that these stories will open hearts and spark meaningful conversation”
“One Day in October” debuts on HBO Max on Oct. 7, 2025.
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