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Apple TV+’s Girls State and HBO’s Ren Faire scored three nominations apiece to lead all broadcast nominees announced Thursday for the 18th Cinema Eye Honors. The group, which recognizes the year’s outstanding nonfiction and documentary films and TV series, also revealed the 16-film longlist for its annual Audience Choice Prize, won last year by National Geographic’s Bobi Wine: The People’s President, which went on to get nominated for the Documentary Feature Oscar.

The past six winners of the Best Documentary Feature Oscar — this year’s winner 20 Days in Mariupol, Navalny, Summer of Soul, My Octopus Teacher, American Factory and Free Solo — were all Audience Choice Prize nominees. Fans voting will whittle the list to 10 beginning next week, with winners in that and all categories to be announced at an awards ceremony January 9 at the New York Academy of Medicine in East Harlem.

The full list...

Cinema Eye Honors today shared a string of announcements, including the 16 films on its Audience Choice Prize Longlist, the unveiling of this year’s Unforgettables Honorees, nominees in its five Broadcast categories, and its annual Shorts List — spotlighting 11 of the year’s top documentary short films — at its 7th annual Cinema Eye Fall Lunch in Downtown Los Angeles on October 24, 2024.

Spotlighted on the film side are several major Best Documentary Feature contenders including “Will & Harper,” “Black Box Diaries,” and “No Other Land,” which all also factored into the organization’s list of Unforgettables — standout on-camera collaborators from eight feature documentaries. This next ceremony will be the first time those honorees, like Harper Steele, Shiori Ito, and Basel Adra and Yuval Abraham for those respective films, receive a special medallion honoring their contribution to their Cinema Eye-winning films.

Highlights among the Broadcast nominees include filmmaker Lance Oppenheim, nominated for both...

The Apple TV+ documentary “Girls State” and the HBO doc series “Ren Faire” led all projects in nominations in the Cinema Eye Honors broadcast categories, which were announced on Thursday in Los Angeles.

“Girls State” was nominated in the Broadcast Film category and also for its editing and cinematography. “Ren Faire” was also nominated in those last two categories, as well as for Nonfiction Series.

Other broadcast films and series with multiple nominations included Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders,” Apple’s “The Enfield Poltergeist,” HBO’s “Telemarketers” and National Geographic’s “Photographer.”

At its annual Cinema Eye Fall Lunch at Redbird in downtown Los Angeles, the New York-based organization also announced the Audience Choice Award Long List, 16 films that will compete for the audience-voted award; 11 semi-finalists in the short doc category; and “The Unforgettables,” its annual list of the year’s most interesting documentary subjects.

The Audience...

“Somebody Feed Phil” has been renewed for an eighth season at Netflix.

The Emmy-nominated food travel series, which is among the streamer’s longest-running unscripted shows, debuted its seventh season March 1, featuring the “Everybody Loves Raymond” creator eating his way around Mumbai, Washington, D.C., Kyoto, Iceland, Dubai, Orlando, Taipei and Scotland.

The first season of “Somebody Feed Phil” debuted in January 2018 as the followup to Rosenthal’s PBS food travel series, “I’ll Have What Phil’s Having.”

No release date has been set for the Season 8 “Somebody Feed Phil” episodes, but Netflix has announced that the show’s catchy theme tune from Lake Street Dive, aptly titled “Somebody Feed Phil,” will be available for streaming on all platforms Oct. 4.

“Somebody Feed Phil” is executive produced by Emmy, James Beard Award, and Critics Choice Award-winner Rosenthal, his brother Rich Rosenthal and John Bedolis on behalf of Lucky Bastards, as well as...

The HBO Original documentary Wild Wild Space, directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Ross Kauffman (Born into Brothels), will debut on Wednesday, July 17 (9:00 p.m.-10:30 p.m. Et/Pt) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

Wild Wild Space chronicles the modern-day celestial land grab happening above our heads. It’s a fast-paced, high-stakes race of epic proportions in which companies compete to blast satellite-carrying rockets into low earth orbit.

From exhilarating triumphs to gut-wrenching setbacks, we witness the fierce competition to tackle humanity’s next great frontier. However, beneath the shiny veneer of progress is the dark side of capitalism’s insatiable appetite for profit and the far-reaching reverberations of a world controlled by the skies.

Inspired by the New York Times best-selling book When the Heavens Went on Sale by esteemed technology and space journalist Ashlee Vance, Wild Wild Space follows three rocket and satellite companies – Astra Space,...

The series premiere of the P-Valley-inspired docuseries Down in the Valley will drop a week on Friday, June 28, at midnight Et on the Starz app.

For linear viewers, the episode titled “Diamonds of Memphis” will air on Starz as previously scheduled, followed immediately by episode 102, “Saints & Sinners” on July 5 beginning at 9 P.M. Et/Pt in the U.S. and 10 P.M. Et in Canada.

Down in the Valley is hosted by Nicco Annan, best known as “Uncle Clifford” on Starz’s P-Valley, and will consist of six-half-hour episodes. The series will take viewers on a tour of the Deep South, unveiling a complex area where “Annan immerses himself in the people, sensuality, music, culture and stories of the South. From strip clubs to sex workshops, rap performances and ancient hoodoo rituals, Annan, as well as the audience, will experience it all,” a release for the show reads.

Exclusive: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field, an award-winning documentary from Michael Selditch about the famed costume designer of the same name.

On the heels of its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, the film will open at NYC’s IFC Center on September 20, with Selditch, Field and surprise guests in attendance for Q&As after select screenings. Release plans for additional major markets and home entertainment will be announced at a later date.

Happy Clothes offers a candid, fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the creative process and the extraordinary life and career of retailer, stylist and costume designer Patricia Field, whose unique vision has impacted fashion and popular culture for nearly six decades. As a two-time Emmy-winning costume designer, Field is best known for her work on Sex and the City. Her resume also boasts some 30 other television shows including Ugly Betty,...

The legacy of iconic culinary master and TV staple Anthony Bourdain (“Parts Unknown”) lives on with an Adult Swim adaptation of Bourdain’s graphic novel series “Get Jiro.”

The Warner Bros. Discovery’s brand has ordered an animated-series version of the comics from DC/Vertigo. The “Get Jiro” graphic novels, cowritten by Bourdain and Joel Rose and featuring artwork by Langdon Foss and Alé Garza, are New York Times bestsellers. Bourdain and Rose’s first graphic novel in the franchise was published in 2012.

This “Get Jiro” will be a half-hour animated series set in a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the city and people will murder each other to get a reservation at the best restaurant. The show centers on a mysterious, revenge-focused sushi chef named Jiro.

The screenwriters for A24 feature “Sharper,” Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, serve as co-creators and showrunners for the upcoming series.

Starz has revealed the premiere date and the first photos for the new docuseries Down in the Valley, hosted by the dynamic and iconic Nicco Annan (P-Valley). These photos offer just a glimpse into the captivating stories Annan explores with our sizzling Southern warriors.

Additionally, Starz has also released an enticing teaser trailer unveiling the power of resilience and the inspirational beauty of the human spirit as they confront brutal realities head-on.

For six 30-minute episodes, the audience will dive into the fascinating duality of the Deep South from a kaleidoscopic marginalized lens starting on Friday, July 5, at midnight Et on the Starz app. On linear, it will debut on Starz at 9:00 p.m. Et/Pt in the U.S. and 10:00 p.m. Et in Canada.

Down in the Valley will pull back the curtain on the surprising but always intriguing people and places that make the Deep...

Starz is heading down south with Uncle Clifford.

The Lionsgate-backed premium cable network has ordered Down in the Valley, a half-hour docuseries exploring the Deep South with P-Valley star Nicco Annan set to host. The six-episode series will launch at a date to be determined this year and explore the people, music, culture and stories of the South, per Starz, as the show will feature everything from strip clubs to sex workshops, rap performances and ancient hoodoo rituals.

The order for Down in the Valley arrives as P-Valley — from creator Katori Hall — has been off the air for nearly two years. Sources say production on P-Valley is expected to resume later this year, though the show is not expected to air in 2024.

“P-Valley has authentically captured Southern Black culture in our fictional world of Chuccalisa and piqued the curiosity of our Pynk Posse to learn more,” said Kathryn Busby,...

Starz has greenlit Down in the Valley, a documentary series inspired by the hit series P-Valley from executive producers Katori Hall and Nicco Annan. Hall is the creator of P-Valley and Annan has starred as Uncle Clifford since the show’s inception. The project will debut later this year.

Hosted by Annan, the six-half-hour episode series will take viewers on a tantalizing tour of the Deep South, unveiling a complex South that is equal parts poignant, joyful and magical, Starz said in a release. Additionally, Annan is set to be “immersed in the people, sensuality, music, culture and stories of the South. From strip clubs to sex workshops, rap performances, and ancient hoodoo rituals, Annan, as well as the audience, will experience it all.”

Down in the Valley will “pull back the curtain on the surprising but always intriguing people and places that make the Deep South a place where...

Season 7 of “Somebody Feed Phil” sees the titular comedy writer and globetrotter visit eight all-new locations — Mumbai, Washington, D.C., Kyoto, Iceland, Dubai, Orlando, Taipei and Scotland — as seen in a new trailer.

The series follows Phil Rosenthal, best known for creating and showrunning “Everybody Loves Raymond” for nine seasons on CBS from 1996 to 2005, as he travels to different cities throughout the world. Per the official logline, Season 7 is spent “uncovering hidden gems and encountering the heart and soul of each city with each bite. Phil forges connections through the universal language of food, celebrating the joy of discovery; and the shared experience of breaking bread together.”

Rosenthal’s travels are punctuated in the series by interactions with his friends and family. Notably, one episode of Season 6 was titled “Tribute to Helen and Max” and featured Rosenthal, his brother, their wives and their family friends reflecting on the lives of Rosenthal’s parents,...

Paramount+'s new music-centered docuseries De La Calle provides viewers with an in-depth look at Urbano Music, its history, evolution, and influence on culture worldwide. Executive produced, co-created, and hosted by award-winning journalist Nick Barili, best known as the founder and host of Hard Knock TV, the eight-episode series features interviews with renowned artists and insider looks at the communities that have propelled Latino Urban Music's popularity. Fat Joe, who was born in New York's Bronx borough and is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, is one of the many artists who sits down with Barili for De La Calle. Fat Joe shares what inspired him to create his record label in this exclusive clip from the new docuseries.

Fat Joe (real name Joseph Antonio Cartagena) began his career as a member of the hip-hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew before embarking on a solo career. He would later...

Paramount+ has set Tuesday, November 7 as the premiere date for journalist Nick Barili’s new docuseries De La Calle in the U.S. and Canada.

Across 8 episodes, Barili explores Latino urban music from the U.S. to Panama, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Spain and beyond. The series takes a journey into the Latine diaspora to map the evolution of Urbano music and cultures that ignited the musical revolution of Rap, Reggaeton, Bachata, Latin trap, Cumbia and other sounds that influence music and culture worldwide.

Interviewees include Fat Joe, Nore, Residente, Mala Rodriguez, Nicky Jam, Nicki Nicole, Villano Antillano, Sech, Goyo, Nathy Peluso, Santa Fe Klan, Jessie Reyes, Feid, Aleman and Gente De Zona, among others.

“As a first-generation immigrant who learned how to speak English through Hip Hop at Malcolm X Elementary, I grew up straddling two worlds, speaking English at school and Spanish at home,” Barili, the project’s co-creator,...

Former TV host Ellen DeGeneres will return with a two-hour documentary on gorilla conservation and the creation of The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. The documentary will highlight DeGeneres' love for animals and her admiration for primatologist Dian Fossey, showcasing the impact of the campus on gorilla conservation and biodiversity. The upcoming documentary represents a shift in genre for DeGeneres, marking her return to television after the controversial end of her long-running talk show.

Former TV host Ellen DeGeneres will return to television with the upcoming Discovery Channel two-hour documentary special Saving the Gorillas: Ellen's Next Adventure. A new report from Variety reveals that Saving the Gorillas is directed by Abigail Harper and executive produced by Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, and Craig H. Shepherd for Zero Point Zero Production. DeGeneres and Jeff Kleenman executive produced for A Very Good Production. The special is set to air on September 23rd at 10 p.

Discovery Channel has set September 23 for the premiere of Ellen DeGeneres’ Saving The Gorillas: Ellen’s Next Adventure two-hour special. The documentary will air at 8 Pm Et/Pt on Discovery Channel and, in honor of World Gorilla Day, will be followed with an encore presentation on Sunday, September 24 at 10 Pm Et/Pt on Animal Planet. It also will be available to stream on Max and discovery+.

The documentary follows DeGeneres as she fulfills her dream of protecting the legacy of world-renowned primatologist, Dian Fossey, by building the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.

The documentary project began as a birthday gift from DeGeneres’ wife, Portia de Rossi and snowballed into one of the largest architectural and landscaping projects in the history of Rwanda, along with challenges like volcanoes, earthquakes, and a global pandemic. It culminates with the opening of The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund,

“Every...

Ellen DeGeneres has a new adventure on the horizon.

The TV icon has set a new two-hour special, Saving the Gorillas: Ellen’s Next Adventure, that will premiere on Sept. 23 on streaming services Discovery+ and Max. In addition to streaming those platforms, the special will have an encore presentation on Sept. 24 in honor of World Gorilla Day. The doc project follows her as she fulfills a dream of protecting the legacy of primatologist Dian Fossey in building the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.

As previously reported, the campus opened in early 2022, located outside Volcanoes National Park. The multi-acre, eco-friendly spread was designed to provide the Fossey Fund with a space that helps amplify its mission of protecting and studying gorillas, training the next generation of conservationists and building the conservation capacity of local communities.

“Every single thing has led me to just have a big enough platform to say,...

More than a year after her daytime show went off the air, Ellen DeGeneres is returning to television — in a much different capacity.

DeGeneres is bringing a passion project, showing her love for animals, to Discovery Channel with a two-hour documentary special, “Saving the Gorillas: Ellen’s Next Adventure.”

The special will air on Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. on Discovery Channel, and then again on World Gorilla Day, Sept. 24 at 10 p.m., on Animal Planet. The documentary will also be streaming on discovery+ and Max.

The doc showcases DeGeneres’s passion for animals and her respect for the primatologist Dian Fossey as she works to build The Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda. Since opening in 2022, the campus has helped with gorilla conservation and biodiversity in the area; it also hosts visitors, including local school children.

“Every single thing has led me to just have a big enough platform to say,...

The 2023 Tribeca Festival, which announced its film lineup on Tuesday, has now also revealed this year’s TV offerings — including eight series premieres and two first looks at fan favorites. Leading the world premieres is “Full Circle,” from Max (the soon-to-be renamed streamer formerly known as HBO Max) and director Steven Soderbergh. The show, about a botched kidnapping in New York, stars starring Dennis Quaid, Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Zazie Beetz and Jharrel Jerome.

Networks and streamers represented at this year’s Tribeca Festival include Disney+, Max, Apple TV+, Starz, AMC, A&e and BET+. Other premieres include Amazon Prime Video’s “The Horror Of Dolores Roach,” starring Justina Machado; and BET+’s “Diarra From Detroit,” a dark comedy about a divorcing school teacher, from writer and star Diarra Kilpatrick, as well as executive producer Kenya Barris.

Also on tap is the HBO Sports doc “The Golden Boy,” about Oscar De La Hoya,...

The 2023 Tribeca Festival has announced its lineup of world premieres of new and returning television, including the world premieres of Steven Soderbergh’s Max series Full Circle about a botched kidnapping that reveals long-held secrets in present-day New York City, Prime Video’s Sweeney Todd-inspired The Horror of Dolores Roach and BET+’s Diarra From Detroit, a dark comedy executive produced by Kenya Barris that centers on a divorcing school teacher.

The fest, which runs June 7-18, announced its film slate earlier this week.

The eight series premieres and two first looks also include The Golden Boy, a documentary about Oscar De La Hoya, Disney+’s Choir, the story behind America’s Got Talent finalists the Detroit Youth Choir, A&e’s Exposing Parchman, an investigative documentary about the efforts to reform the Mississippi correctional system and Paramount+’s De La Calle, a docu-series that delves into the Latino diaspora.

Also...

Netflix has ordered a seventh season of one of its longest-running docuseries, Somebody Feed Phil, created and hosted by Emmy winner Phil Rosenthal.

The series, whose sixth season was released in October 2022, will once again follow the Everybody Loves Raymond creator on his culinary adventures as he takes in the local cuisine and cultures of cities around the world.

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Somebody Feed Phil is produced by Lucky Bastards and Zero Point Zero Production. For Lucky Bastards, executive producers are Phil Rosenthal, his brother Rich Rosenthal and John Bedolis.

Netflix has renewed Phil Rosenthal’s food and travel show “Somebody Feed Phil” for its seventh season.

The series follows Rosenthal, best known as the creator and showrunner of “Everybody Loves Raymond,” as he travels to different cities throughout the world and experiences different cuisines and cultures.

In an interview with Variety, Rosenthal explained how his comedy background informs his work on “Somebody Feed Phil”: “What I borrow from sitcoms is I’m always looking for characters. I understand that I am a character. My brother [Richard Rosenthal] who produces the show with me, understands by putting me in certain situations that, for instance, Anthony Bourdain would be very brave and fearless in. He understands that I would not fare as well as him. And that’s fun!”

This is Rosenthal’s second food and travel series, with the first being “I’ll Have What Phil’s Having” on PBS. The...

CNN announced that Alison Roman’s new project (More Than) A Cooking Show will join the network’s lineup this fall.

It’s the latest CNN+ series to get a new home in the Warner Bros. Discovery universe. Roman’s show had yet to debut when the subscription streaming service was shut down after one month last April.

The new CNN Original Series will be produced by Zero Point Zero Production.

According to CNN, Roman will embark “on a journey to learn about some of her favorite ingredients – where they come from, how to cook them, and why we should and must love eating them as much as she does.” She will share recipes and journey to New York and the Amalfi Coast.

In a statement, Roman said that they set out to “reimagine what a cooking show can be, to make something new and have the best time doing it.

CNN is tweaking its programming recipe for noted food author Alison Roman.

After unveiling an alliance with the culinary influencer that would have put a new original series with her at the center on streaming hub CNN+, the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet will launch a program from her on its flagship cable outlet this fall.

A four-episode series, “(More Than) A Cooking Show,” featuring Roman learning about ingredients, traveling, and trying recipes, will debut on CNN in the fall. The series is produced by Zero Point Zero Productions, the company that was to have created her CNN+ program, and its announcement suggests that CNN is continuing to work to find roosts for several of the concepts it created for the broadband service. CNN+ was quickly scuttled after its launch by a corporate parent eager to cut costs and place CNN content in other parts of its streaming portfolio.

“I...

Brett Hansen, who has spent 22 years at UTA, is moving to Paradigm Talent Agency.

Hansen, who was a partner at UTA, becomes a senior content agent at Paradigm. He will join he agency’s senior leadership group working across both unscripted and scripted television.

During his time at UTA, where he started in the mailroom, he has represented clients including SallyAnn Salsano’s 495 Productions, Propagate Content, Bunim/Murray Productions, Elizabeth Banks, Bryan Cranston and Sean Combs.

He was formerly head of UTA’s Alternative TV division but moved to a different role in October 2020 after David Kirsch and Geoff Suddleson were named co-heads of the agency’s unscripted television department.

After graduating UTA’s Agent Training Program, Hansen worked as an assistant on the desks of television literary department head Sue Naegle and UTA co-founder Peter Benedek. He was promoted to television lit agent in 2001 and switched his focus...

The sixth season of Paramount+ original series “Seal Team” has a new official trailer ahead of its September 18 premiere. Produced by CBS Studios, the series will debut episodes of its ten-episode season weekly on Sundays on Paramount+.

The show stars David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, Neil Brown, Jr., A.J. Buckley, Toni Trucks and Raffi Barsoumian. The military drama follows the professional and personal lives of an elite unit of Navy SEALs, who are often deployed on missions worldwide at a moment’s notice.

“Seal Team” is produced by CBS Studios and executive produced by Spencer Hudnut, Christopher Chulack, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, Mark Owen and David Boreanaz. The series is distributed worldwide by Paramount Global Content Distribution. Watch the full trailer below.

Also in today’s TV news:

Streaming

The CNN Originals hub on Discovery+ debuted today in the United States giving subscribers access to a library of CNN content from...

Exclusive: MTV Entertainment Studios has greenlit the docuseries De La Calle from creator and host Nick Barili in partnership with Zero Point Zero Productions.

The project will take viewers on a journey into the Latino diaspora to explore (and map) the evolution of Urbano music and cultures that ignited the musical revolution of Hip Hop, Reggaeton, Bachata, Latin trap, Cumbia, and other sounds that are influencing music and culture worldwide.

Featured artists include Ivy Queen, Residente, Snow Tha Product, Nicky Jam, Youtel of Orishas, Goyo of Chocquibtown, Sech, Arcangel, Renato, Dimelo Flow, Vico C, El Aleman, and Duki.

The partnership builds on MTV Entertainment Group’s key strategy and commitment to diverse storytelling and fostering global connections and communities. The series connects the dots of a global movement that has never been told before in this magnitude. Uniting Latino urban music from the US to Panama, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic,...

“Somebody Feed Phil” has been renewed for Season 6 at Netflix ahead of its fifth season premiere, Variety has learned exclusively.

The five-episode “Somebody Feed Phil” Season 5, which debuts May 25, was filmed back to back with Season 6, which also consists of five episodes.

“We filmed 10 episodes in the sweet spot between Delta and Omicron. Remember that? So from August to January, we pretty much filmed everything,” Rosenthal told Variety. “We only had to postpone one location because of Omicron, but we swapped in another one in the United States for that. And we’ll go back to [that other location eventually].”

For Season 5, episodes will feature Rosenthal heading to Oaxaca, Portland (Maine), Helsinki, Portland (Oregon) and Madrid.

Rosenthal says Netflix is targeting a fall premiere for Season 6, though no official date has been set for those already taped episodes to be released.

“Somebody Feed Phil” is produced by Lucky Bastards and Zero Point Zero Production,...

Exclusive: Imagine being the son of NBA great Dwyane Wade – one of the game’s all-time greats – and wanting to play basketball too.

That’s the reality for Zaire Wade, Dwyane’s eldest son, who was drafted last October by the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. Zaire, who turns 20 on Friday, has got some skills like his father, who just turned 40.

“Now, when I ask him to play [1-on-1],” Zaire said in a recent interview, “he doesn’t want to play me no more. He says he’s too old.”

Joking aside, those are some big shoes to fill. The six-part documentary series Legacy: In the Shadow of Greatness, launching on the Discovery+ streaming platform on March 8, explores what it’s like to be the offspring of a famous athlete and, like your dad, wanting to excel in sport.

Jonathan Hock, winner of 11 Emmys, directs the series...

HBO Max is saying goodbye to the Sex and the City universe in style.

The streaming service has confirmed a documentary special will launch on the same day as the And Just Like That finale.

Here is the logline for the project:

In the late ‘90s, “Sex and the City” took television by storm with its honest and hilarious perspective on love, relationships… and sex, earning legions of devoted fans.

Over 20 years later, this exclusive and immersive documentary offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the new chapter, “And Just Like That…”

Featuring new and returning cast members, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis, as well as writers, costume designers, producers, and crew – many of whom reassume their previous positions – this loving tribute celebrates the return of Carrie, Charlotte, and Miranda as they continue navigating their friendship and life in New York City.

The streaming...

Alison Roman is the latest personality to sign on to CNN’s upcoming subscription streaming service CNN+.

The writer and author will host what the network describes as a “brand new, highly opinionated and never finicky, cooking show,” produced through its CNN Original Series unit.

Roman said in a statement, “I’ve been dreaming about bringing a new sort of cooking and food show to life for years and I can’t think of any place better to make it a reality.”

Roman is the author of Nothing Fancy and Dining In. She produces her own YouTube cooking series Home Movies and a newsletter. She was previously a columnist for Nyt Cooking and editor at Bon Appetit. Roman left Nyt Cooking in late 2020, after comments she made about Chrissy Teigen, suggesting that she was a sellout. Roman later apologized, but her column was put on hold.

The show will debut...

Alison Roman, the outspoken food author and influencer, is set to try a new video recipe at CNN Plus.

Roman, the author of cookbooks such as “Nothing Fancy,” will launch a cooking program for the CNN-backed video hub, which is set to launch in the first quarter of 2022. Episodes will show her both in and out of the kitchen, teaching recipes and also venturing out to learn about the ingredients, people and the stories behind what she prepares.

“Alison’s unique style and tone make her a perfect addition to our CNN Plus line-up,” said Amy Entelis, CNN Worldwide’s executive vice president for talent and content development for CNN Original Series and Films, in a statement. “From vinegar chicken to shallot pasta – we are thrilled that Alison will share the stories behind her signature recipes with the subscribers of CNN Plus.”

Roman’s new project with the subscription-based...

“Fries! The Movie,” a documentary created by Anthony Bourdain’s Emmy-award-winning production company Zero Point Zero and Chrissy Teigen’s Huntley Productions banner, will debut on Peacock in the U.S. tomorrow, Aug. 10.

The movie, which premiered earlier in the year at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival, is described as a lively exploration of what makes fries so ubiquitous and beloved throughout the world. The documentary scours the globe uncovering local flavors and untold stories from well-known chefs, celebrities, food scientists and farmers, along with an eclectic mix of fry aficionados from all walks of life.

Celebrities in the culinary landscape and beyond are featured throughout the documentary, including Teigen, in which she shares her fanatical love for the fried potato side dish. Other well-known participants include best-selling author and host of the hit podcast “Revisionist History” Malcolm Gladwell, world-renowned Michelin Star chef Eric Riper and founder and president of the...

Anthony Bourdain is remembered fondly in a heartbreaking retrospective of a great adventurer. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain takes an intimate look at a complex individual. Award-winning documentarian Morgan Neville explores his life from meteoric stardom to shocking 2018 suicide in provincial France. Bourdain's friends, colleagues, production team, and second wife, Ottavia Busia, speak frankly about their tragic loss. But it is Bourdain's own haunting words that best illuminates his hopes, dreams, and struggles. He experienced the world on a grand scale. It was not enough to silence his personal misgivings.

Roadrunner begins in 1999 with Anthony Bourdain at forty-three as the executive chef of the French Brasserie Les Halles in New York City. A recovering cocaine and heroin addict that started in the kitchen as a dishwasher, Bourdain was perennially in financial distress. Philippe Lajaunie, the owner of Les Halles, comments how Bourdain always had difficulties paying bills. But he...

The epitome of the celebrity chef as culinary rock star, Anthony Bourdain gave off a seen-it-all, snorted-shot-and-survived-it-all vibe when he first came to the public’s attention — a New Yorker forged in the fires of upscale restaurants whose zen-punk personality helped turn his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential into a bestseller. (His monogrammed smock logo: a skull with a chef’s hat and a knife between its teeth.) Scratch any cynic, however, and, well, you know what you find lurking underneath. Once the chef-turned-author added “TV travel show host” to his resume,...

Documentarian Morgan Neville didn’t know Anthony Bourdain personally, but he felt the globe-trotting chef and author was a kindred spirit. “In many ways, we were doing the same kind of work,” says the Oscar-winning director, whose raw and personal documentary “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain” premieres Friday at the Tribeca Festival ahead of a theatrical opening on July 16.

In Neville’s eyes, Bourdain was “this champion of the democratization of food, of treating street foods seriously and ethnic foods seriously, breaking down the border of Michelin star cooking.” With “Roadrunner,” Neville wanted to explore that adventurous side of the man who traveled hundreds of days every year, from Iran to the Congo to L.A.’s Koreatown. But, he says, there was also a question mark over his life: “How does that happen? How does a guy like that kill himself?”

Neville did know several people in Bourdain’s orbit,...

Exclusive: Longtime The Profit and Streets of Dreams host Marcus Lemonis is getting into business with Zero Point Zero Production. Lemonis has made an investment in Zpz, a leading film and television production company founded by Lydia Tenaglia and Chris Collins, and also will serve as Zpz’s chairman.

Zero Point Zero is behind Streets Of Dreams, a five-part docuseries hosted by Lemonis, aired earlier this year on CNBC.

Under the partnership, Zpz will expand its non-fiction portfolio with content focusing on lifestyle, business and a 360-degree approach around sports and the business of sports. Additionally, it aims to provide a creative environment for smaller and underexposed production entities who could benefit from such synergies.

“We had a wonderful opportunity to work with Marcus on our new critically acclaimed series, Streets of Dreams,...

Exclusive: ID Films has acquired The Witmans, a documentary feature that tells the tragic story of a Pennsylvania couple whose teenage son was convicted to life without parole for the killing of his younger brother. The film will air on Investigation Discovery on Tuesday, December 1 at 9 Pm, a week after its premiere at the 2020 Philadelphia Film Festival.

In 1998, 13-year-old Gregory Witman was found lying in a pool of blood, stabbed over 60 times in the laundry room of the family’s home. He was discovered by his 15-year-old brother Zachary, the only other person in the home at the time, who was subsequently tried, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole for his brother’s murder. Despite newly uncovered evidence that might have exonerated him, after 21 years of appeals, reversals, and professions of innocence, Zach Witman took a plea bargain in 2018 and was released from prison in May 2019.

The documentary,...

In today’s TV news roundup, Courtney Hope will reprise her “The Bold and the Beautiful” role on “The Young and the Restless,” and HBO Max announced a premiere date for “Chelsea Handler: Evolution.”

Casting

Courtney Hope will reprise her role from “The Bold and the Beautiful” on “The Young and the Restless.” Hope’s character Sally Spectra, a dynamic fashion designer based in Los Angeles, will move to Genoa City to join the CBS soap opera. The actor originated the role in 2017 and last appeared on “The Bold and the Beautiful” in August, when Sally left town after her scheme to win back her ex-boyfriend didn’t pan out. “The Young and the Restless” also stars Marla Adams, Lauralee Bell, Peter Bergman, Donny Boaz and Eric Braeden, among others.

Dates

HBO Max will debut “Chelsea Handler: Evolution” on Oct. 22. The hour-long special will mark Handler’s return to stand-up after a six-year hiatus.

In today’s TV news roundup, Cartoon Network greenlit “We Bare Bears” spinoff, “We Baby Bears,” and Raymond Ablack has been cast in a recurring role in Netflix’s “Maid.”

Casting

Raymond Ablack has been cast in a recurring role opposite Margaret Qualley in the upcoming Netflix dramedy “Maid,” Variety has learned exclusively. The series is about a single mother who turns to housekeeping to barely make ends meet, as she battles poverty, homelessness, and bureaucracy. Ablack will play Nate, a recently divorced structural engineer and old friend of Alex (Qualley) from their days working together at a local restaurant.

Paula Pell, star of “Saturday Night Live” and “A.P. Bio,” has been cast in the upcoming Peacock series “Girls5eva.” The comedy series will follow former members of a 1990s girl group, who reunite to bring their girl band dream to life. Pell will portray Gloria, a member of the LGBTQ...

David Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction is set to return for its third season in October, Netflix announced on Wednesday.

The show, which features the late night television legend having one-on-one conversation with some of current events’ most newsworthy names, is set to return on Oct. 21. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction season three will offer in-depth conversations with a new slate of guests including Kim Kardashian West, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Chappelle and Lizzo.

The four-episode season’s premiere date was pushed back due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Seasons 1 and 2 of My Next Guest saw a wide array of stars and figures. Among the previous guests were President Barack Obama, Malala Yousafzai, Jay-Z, Tina Fey and Howard Stern.

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman is executive produced by Lydia Tenaglia, Chris Collins, Chris Cechin-De la Rosa and Alexandra Lowry for Zero Point Zero Productions,...

David Letterman is coming back for a third season of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction,” Netflix announced on Wednesday.

The series returns on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Unlike past seasons, which put out one new episode a month, the third season will drop the entire four-episode season at once. It also the shortest season.

This season features interviews with Kim Kardashian West, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Chappelle and Lizzo. According to Netflix, the series sees the former “Late Show” host “combining humor, curiosity and in-depth conversations with extraordinary people.”

The first season of “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” launched in January 2018, with Netflix releasing six episodes; each is dedicated to Letterman’s interview with just one guest. Over the course of Season 1, Letterman sat down with Barack Obama, Jay-Z, Malala Yousafzai, George Clooney, Tina Fey and Howard Stern.

In Season 2, Letterman interviewed Kanye West, Ellen Degeneres, Tiffany Haddish, Lewis Hamilton,...

David Letterman is bringing his talk show talents back to Netflix. His series “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” will launch its third season on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

The new season of in-depth interviews will consist of four episodes with guests including Kim Kardashian West, Robert Downey Jr., Dave Chappelle and Lizzo. This is a smaller season than the first two, which delivered six episodes each, with the most recent season coming to streaming in May 2019.

Letterman hosts the series — his first talk show since leaving CBS’ “The Late Show” in 2015 — while executive producers are Lydia Tenaglia, Chris Collins, Chris Cechin-De la Rosa and Alexandra Lowry for Zero Point Zero Production, and Tom Keaney and Mary Barclay for Worldwide Pants.

Letterman recently appeared in Netflix’s “Hey, Remember Comedy?” a 20-minute digital video released through the Netflix Is a Joke banner Monday in order to support comedians in the Bipoc community...

In today’s TV news roundup, the cast and creator of “The West Wing” will reunite for a voting special, and Syfy greenlit “The Pole,” an animated adult comedy show featuring Bobby Moynihan and Jillian Bell, with Nicole Byer and Colin Jost.

Dates

“Somebody Feed Phil,” a show where creator and host Phil Rosenthal travels the world and explores different cuisines, will have its Season 4 premiere Oct. 30 on Netflix. The upcoming season will see Rosenthal travel to Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Singapore, The Mississippi Delta and Hawaii on his food-tasting mission, which also combines comedy into the mix. Rosenthal also serves as an executive producer for “Somebody Feed Phil” alongside Rich Rosenthal, John Bedolis, Christopher Collins and Lydia Tenaglia.

HBO Max revealed a that its upcoming project starring fashion designer Jenna Lyons, “Stylish with Jenna Lyons,” will premiere on Nov. 26. She previously served as the creative director and president of J. Crew,...

Are you hungry for more “Somebody Feed Phil”? Good, because Netflix has set the premiere date for the fourth season of Phil Rosenthal’s adorable travel series.

The “Everybody Loves Raymond” creator announced the news himself, telling fans in a video posted to Twitter on Tuesday that Season 4 will premiere Oct. 30.

The third season of “Somebody Feed Phil” launched May 29 and consisted of five episodes, with Rosenthal and friends traveling to Marrakesh, Chicago, London, Seoul, and Montreal.

At the time of Season 3’s premiere, Phil told TheWrap to expect Season 4 of his Emmy-nominated series to hit some time this fall or winter. And that (yummy) scoop has proven to be accurate.

“We filmed Season 3 and 4 back to back. We filmed from August through the middle of January,” Rosenthal told TheWrap in May. “So we got it in just under the wire [before the pandemic]. So Season 4 will come out in the fall or the winter.

Zac Efron’s morbid title for his new reality series “Killing Zac Efron” hit dangerously close to home when the actor was forced to receive medical treatment while on location in Papua New Guinea.

Efron confirmed on Instagram Sunday that he had gotten sick in Papua New Guinea, but “bounced back quick and finished an amazing 3 weeks in P.N.G.”

“I’m home for the holidays with my friends and family,” he continued. “Thanks for all the love and concern, see you in 2020!”

View this post on Instagram

Very thankful to everyone who has reached out. I did get sick in Papua New Guinea but I bounced back quick and finished an amazing 3 weeks in P.N.G. I’m home for the holidays with my friends and family. Thanks for all the love and concern, see you in 2020!

A post shared by Zac Efron (@zacefron) on Dec 29, 2019 at...

Chrissy Teigen is hitting the big screen, signed on to produce a documentary about French fries, called “Fries! The Movie.”

The documentary dives into the reasoning behind the universal love for fried potatoes and will include appearances by Teigen, best-selling author and podcast host Malcolm Gladwell, chef Eric Ripert and founder and president of the Museum of Food and Drink Dave Arnold. The film, produced by Teigen’s Suit & Thai Productions company, will follow chefs, celebrities, farmers, food scientists and more as they tap into the stories and flavors behind the French fry.

“I always knew my love of fries and years of experience in the field were meant to serve a higher purpose. Thrilled to work alongside this incredible team and share our findings,” said Teigen in a statement.

Zero Point Zero Productions’ co-founders Christopher Collins and Lydia Tenaglia are also producing the documentary with Unilever Entertainment’s Kelly Mullen,...

Zac Efron has conquered the High School Musical, navigated the age-swapping movie genre in 17 Again, was in charge of the big top in The Greatest Showman and stepped into the shoes of a serial killer in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Now the actor is stepping into the wild and going into survival mode with his new Quibi series Killing Zac Efron.

The new adventure series, starring and executive produced by Efron, will feature the East High School alum venturing “deep into the jungles of a remote, dangerous island to carve his own name in expedition history.” In true Man vs. Wild fashion, Efron is ready to go all-in and rid himself of all luxuries, falling off the grid for 21 days with nothing but basic gear, a guide partner and a will to survive.

“I tend to thrive under extreme circumstances and seek out opportunities that challenge me on every level,...

Zac Efron is ready to tap into his hunter-gatherer DNA for a new adventure series for Quibi, the upcoming mobile-only streaming service from Jeffrey Katzenberg, the company shared on Wednesday morning.

The show, dubbed “Killing Zac Efron,” will place the “Greatest Showman” actor on an empty and dangerous island for three weeks. Looking to add his name to the list of exploration greats, Efron will have nothing but “basic gear, a guide partner and a will to survive” to help get him through his journey through the jungle, according to Quibi’s announcement.

“I tend to thrive under extreme circumstances and seek out opportunities that challenge me on every level,” Efron said in a statement. “I am excited to explore any uncharted territory and discover what unexpected adventure awaits!”

Also Read: Quibi: How Past Short-Form Video Fumbles May Signal Tough Road Ahead

The series, according to a person familiar with the project,...

The long list of series coming to Quibi just got whackier.

Zac Efron is set to venture deep into the jungle on a remote island for a new show intriguingly titled “Killing Zac Efron,” the short form content platform has announced.

“Killing Zac Efron” will see the actor go “off the grid” on this island for 21 days with nothing but basic gear and a guide partner.

“I tend to thrive under extreme circumstances and seek out opportunities that challenge me on every level,” said Efron. “I am excited to explore any uncharted territory and discover what unexpected adventure awaits!”

Efron is also executive producing the series which hails from his Ninjas Runnin’ Wild banner and Zero Point Zero. Jason Barrett, and Michael Simkin are executive producing for Ninjas Runnin’ Wild. Chris Collins and Lydia Tenaglia will Ep for Zero Point Zero.

“We are excited to partner with Quibi on this...