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Spectator
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Stephen Colbert's Late Show should have been axed long ago
Things are not going so well with left-wing comedian talk show hosts over the water. Last week came the news of the cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert by CBS/Paramount. And Ellen de Generes, whose daytime chat show was chopped back in 2022, revealed this weekend that she's moved permanently to the Cotswolds, where she is currently farming chickens (she was keeping sheep too, but they kept running away from her). Both of these developments are being attributed to the reelection of one Donald J. Trump as President. Colbert's firing by Paramount came very soon after his outburst on his show about the company settling a lawsuit by Trump, who had accused them of favourable editing of a campaign interview with Kamala Harris. Many have linked Colbert's exasperated blast at his bosses to them firing him – which occurred less than 48 hours later. Paramount/CBS, for their part, issued a statement saying that the axing 'is not related in any way to the show's performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount'. Though it also states that the decision was a 'financial one', taken 'against a challenging backdrop in late night'. Which looks very much like the 'performance' of the show was indeed their main consideration. All linear TV is in its death throes, yes, and the late-night talk show is no exception. Hilariously, this week we kept hearing that Colbert has the highest-rated of these shows; which, as commentator Matt Osborne noted on X, is 'like saying he's the hobo with the biggest shopping cart'. One of the strangest spectacles of the culture wars of the last decade has been that a formerly ruthless business – television – has been so absorbed by its role on the 'progressive' side, that its previously sharp edge when it comes to a show's 'performance' has been blunted. American TV in particular was always legendary for pulling under-performing shows – even if they were critical hits – the moment that their bottom line was threatened. The history of American TV is littered with cancelled shows, yanked off the air mid-season, of hard business decisions and orders relayed to studios from above to down tools, right now. But, according to Puck News, Colbert's show was losing $40 million (£30 million) a year – and costing $100 million (£74 million) a year to produce. Lest we forget, this is not a sci-fi spectacular or a razzle-dazzlin' showbiz extravaganza. It is just Colbert, riffing to the camera and then talking to a few other people on sofas. Why did it cost so much to make, and why has it taken Paramount so long to can it? The reaction to the canning explains why, I think. It is a truism of the TV industry (or it used to be) that dying, unwatched shows attract the most public comment. 'If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,' tweeted California Senator Adam Schiff. 'America deserves to know if his show was cancelled for political reasons,' fumed Elizabeth Warren. Personally, I think America 'deserves to know' why the show was kept on air for so long when it was losing cash hand over fist. My suspicion is that CBS/Paramount delayed the agony until the last possible moment because of the show's politics, to try to avoid losing face and taking a culture wars hit, to deny commercial reality because thousands of conservative Twitter accounts gloating 'go woke, go broke' would've been too unbearable. Anything but that! It was more acceptable to lose millions and millions of dollars. And my goodness, this show was political. The friendly format created by David Letterman – your pal easing you into the night after a hard day – was exchanged for Colbert's increasingly insufferable exasperation and ranting. I get tired of viewers saying that they are 'disappointed' in entertainers who take stances they dislike; it's not as if we have relationships with these celebrities. But I've watched Colbert's trajectory with sadness. He was one of the funniest people on TV, a long time ago. He co-created, produced and starred (as teacher Chuck Noblet) in the bad-taste sitcom Strangers With Candy (1999-2000), a gem of a forgotten show – swiftly yanked from the air for low ratings, ironically. His transformation to a partisan ranter was horrible to behold. Doing angry stuff very last thing at night, when people are looking to unwind, seemed particularly wrong-footed. Similarly, Ellen de Generes dropped what made her special – a light comic touch – and became something of a deranged culture wars activist. Her asylum flight to Gloucestershire is the funniest thing she's done in years, though sadly unintentionally so. Because I am an awkward sod, political comedy of the 'clapter' kind – where the performer and audience are united in a partisan way – automatically makes me antsy and I start rooting for the other side, even on the rare occasions when the performer aligns with where I stand. British attempts at this style – The Mash Report, The Last Leg – are even more repellent than their American inspirations. Hopefully the return of the bottom line will mean that TV comedy, both in America and over here, can just be funny again. There is a place for lectures and spluttering rants, but it is a small place. The other day, scrolling through YouTube, I stumbled on a sketch from ancient BBC hit Three Of A Kind (1981-1983) in which the stars David Copperfield and Tracey Ullman perform a ridiculously silly spoof of the then-current hit makers Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes as 'Joe Cock-Up and Jennifer Prawn'. It was crude, obvious, kind of pathetic in its perfunctoriness – and very, very funny. This is the comedy we desperately need in today's horrible world: knickers falling down, limericks, smut and sauce, the surreal and the silly. Ellen should extend an invite to Colbert to join her in her rural idyll. Perhaps he could rustle up her lost sheep. Let them rave and fume at each other while we have fun again.
Indian Express
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Superman cast salary revealed: David Corenswet among lowest-paid superheroes, Nicholas Hoult walks away with mega paycheck
David Corenswet's earnings as Superman fall short by today's industry standards, when compared to what other Marvel and DC actors made in their first superhero roles. According to Puck News, it's Nicholas Hoult, who plays Lex Luthor in director James Gunn's Superman film, who is leading the pack with the highest salary of anyone in the cast. Made on a reported budget $225 million budget, Gunn's DC reboot has already raked in $22.5 million from box office previews. Also read: Superman movie review: James Gunn delivers Interstellar-level show-and-tell universe with a cute David Corenswet Hoult, who's already worked in the X-Men franchise, reportedly bagged $1.25 million more than Corenswet. As the main villain in Superman, he was paid $2 million, while David Corenswet (Superman) and Rachel Brosnahan (Lois Lane) each earned $750,000. But this isn't the first time a villain has out-earned a superhero. Christopher Reeve was paid $250,000 for the 1978 Superman movie. His Lex Luthor, Gene Hackman, took home $2 million. And Hoult's resume and longer career in Hollywood (two Golden Globe nominations, an Emmy nod) counts. Corenswet, on the other hand, is still new. Brosnahan, meanwhile, comes with an Emmy, two Globes for The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, and a solid background of indie and studio work. She also voiced one of the leads in Spies in Disguise alongside Will Smith and Tom Holland. Corenswet's biggest credits include The Politician and Hollywood, plus recent roles in Twisters and The Greatest Hits. If you stack Corenswet's paycheck next to others, Robert Downey Jr. was paid $500K for Iron Man in 2008, almost two decades ago. His fees skyrocketed as Marvel blew up. In 2011, Chris Evans got $300K for Captain America. Chris Hemsworth was paid just $150K for Thor the same year. Scarlett Johansson earned low seven-figures for Black Widow. On the DC side, Henry Cavill was paid $300K for Man of Steel (2013), same with Gal Gadot for Wonder Woman. Ben Affleck, though, thanks to his A-list status, reportedly made between $10–20 million for his Batman debut. Also read: Superman ending explained: What it means for new DCU movies and Peacemaker season 2 So, Corenswet isn't exactly underpaid by superhero debut standards. In fact, his $750K is higher than what Cavill, Evans, or Hemsworth took home for their first caped gigs. But if you look at more recent first-time leads like Brie Larson (Captain Marvel) or Ezra Miller (The Flash), who were paid $5 million and $3 million, respectively, then $750K starts to look pretty modest according to the current standard, especially for the guy carrying the weight of DC's reboot. Earlier, while speaking to CNN, Gunn said he's proud of finding breakout stars. 'I think I'm really good at finding people who become huge stars,' Gunn said. 'I think David Corenswet is the biggest movie star in the world—and people don't know it yet. That's exactly what I said about Chris Pratt early on, too. There are very, very few people who've got the acting chops, the comedy timing, and happen to be ridiculously handsome all at once.'
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
A star-studded film about Sam Altman is coming. Vote here on your favorite business movie.
Movie-goers will be able to decide for themselves in 2026, when a movie about Altman's dramatic five-day firing and re-hiring at OpenAI is set to come out. The $40 million film, " Artificial," is funded by Amazon. And, as Puck News reports after obtaining an early draft of the script, the movie could ruffle some feathers in the Big Tech world. The movie will focus on OpenAI co-founder and former board member Ilya Sutskever 's reported role in trying to push Altman out, per Puck News. Few people end up looking good in the dramatized, Hollywood-ified version of the story, least of all Altman, according to the report — and it sounds like Elon Musk and Dario Amodei will also be portrayed at least briefly on screen. So, who will be depicting the real-world tech execs in Hollywood's retelling? A few key roles have already been cast, according to IMDB. Here's what we know so far about the cast list. Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman Andrew Garfield is slated to play Altman, and it's not the actor's first foray into the world of tech dramas. He starred in " The Social Network" as Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin. Garfield is also known as Spider-Man and recently starred in the teary drama "We Live in Time." Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever Yura Borisov has been cast as Ilya Sutskever. The Russian actor snagged an Oscar nomination for his role in " Anora" as a surprisingly tender henchman. Sutskever was crucial to OpenAI's success during nearly a decade at the company. He was on the board in November of 2023 and reportedly voted to oust Altman, but later said he regretted his "participation in the board's actions." When Altman eventually returned, Sutskever's role at the company moving forward was a big question mark — he was not as present in the San Francisco offices in the weeks following and hired his own lawyer, as BI previously reported. Six months after the failed ousting of Altman, Sutskever left OpenAI altogether. He's since started a research lab promoting "safe superintelligence." Sutskever is pretty much the only person to come out of the Hollywood version of the story looking good, according to the script Puck News saw. Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati Monica Barbaro, who starred in the Oscar-nominated film "A Complete Unknown," has been cast as Mira Murati, OpenAI's former chief technology officer. Murati stepped in to temporarily fill Altman's shoes while he was on the outs, before returning to her job as CTO. She left OpenAI in September 2024 and has since founded Thinking Machines Lab, a secretive AI startup that is developing AI models focused on human and AI collaboration. The company has hired OpenAI alums. What's your favorite business movie? Here at BI, our editors have their own go-tos. Andy Kiersz likes "Trading Places" and "Margin Call," while Jack Sommers is partial to "Steve Jobs." For both Pete Gelling and Graham Flanagan (whose opinion might hold extra weight as chief video correspondent), "The Secret of My Success" is a winner (though Gelling likes "Dumb Money," too). Taylor Berman agrees that "Trading Places" is best, and Steven Tweedie opts for a modern classic, "The Social Network." But what about you?
Business Insider
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Meet the cast of the coming movie about Sam Altman's brief ousting at OpenAI, which stars Andrew Garfield
Casting has started for Amazon's upcoming movie about OpenAI. "Artificial" will focus on the brief ouster of Sam Altman in 2023 and the drama with his cofounder. Here's what we know so far about the film, including who will play key roles. Movie-goers will be able to decide for themselves in 2026, when a movie about Altman's dramatic five-day firing and re-hiring at OpenAI is set to come out. The $40 million film, " Artificial," is funded by Amazon. And, as Puck News reports after obtaining an early draft of the script, the movie could ruffle some feathers in the Big Tech world. The movie will focus on OpenAI co-founder and former board member Ilya Sutskever 's reported role in trying to push Altman out, per Puck News. Few people end up looking good in the dramatized, Hollywood-ified version of the story, least of all Altman, according to the report — and it sounds like Elon Musk and Dario Amodei will also be portrayed at least briefly on screen. So, who will be depicting the real-world tech execs in Hollywood's retelling? A few key roles have already been cast, according to IMDB. Here's what we know so far about the cast list. Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman Andrew Garfield is slated to play Altman, and it's not the actor's first foray into the world of tech dramas. He starred in " The Social Network" as Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin. Garfield is also known as Spider-Man and recently starred in the teary drama "We Live in Time." Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever Yura Borisov has been cast as Ilya Sutskever. The Russian actor snagged an Oscar nomination for his role in " Anora" as a surprisingly tender henchman. Sutskever was crucial to OpenAI's success during nearly a decade at the company. He was on the board in November of 2023 and reportedly voted to oust Altman, but later said he regretted his "participation in the board's actions." When Altman eventually returned, Sutskever's role at the company moving forward was a big question mark — he was not as present in the San Francisco offices in the weeks following and hired his own lawyer, as BI previously reported. Six months after the failed ousting of Altman, Sutskever left OpenAI altogether. He's since started a research lab promoting "safe superintelligence." Sutskever is pretty much the only person to come out of the Hollywood version of the story looking good, according to the script Puck News saw. Monica Barbaro as Mira Murati Monica Barbaro, who starred in the Oscar-nominated film "A Complete Unknown," has been cast as Mira Murati, OpenAI's former chief technology officer. Murati stepped in to temporarily fill Altman's shoes while he was on the outs, before returning to her job as CTO. She left OpenAI in September 2024 and has since founded Thinking Machines Lab, a secretive AI startup that is developing AI models focused on human and AI collaboration. The company has hired OpenAI alums. What's your favorite business movie? Here at BI, our editors have their own go-tos. Andy Kiersz likes "Trading Places" and "Margin Call," while Jack Sommers is partial to "Steve Jobs." For both Pete Gelling and Graham Flanagan (whose opinion might hold extra weight as chief video correspondent), "The Secret of My Success" is a winner (though Gelling likes "Dumb Money," too). Taylor Berman agrees that "Trading Places" is best, and Steven Tweedie opts for a modern classic, "The Social Network." But what about you? Vote below to see the results:
Miami Herald
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘There was no warning': Joy Reid is speaking out about how she was fired from MSNBC
Surprised that Joy Reid was pulled off the air back in February? So was she. The former MSNBC anchor is speaking out about how she found out that her show 'The ReidOut' was, poof, gone. During a new interview on 'The Breakfast Club' with Charlemagne tha God, Jess Hilarious and guest host Lauren Larosa, Reid reveals that her bosses reassured that her numbers were adequate just two weeks before the ax came down. 'They were like, 'You guys lost less than your competitors, and you're actually doing fine,'' the ex host said, adding, 'The ratings have not gotten better since I left. So it wasn't numbers.' Reid, a former Miami Herald columnist, didn't initially find out that she no longer had the gig from network honchos, but from a news article. The Feb. 22 Puck News 'scoop' rumored her primetime show was 'vulnerable.' Early the next morning, management texted her that they needed to talk to her at noon. Hours later, she was unemployed. 'I was fired immediately, there was no warning,' said the Emmy nominee. 'They said, 'Oh, like, we just want to make some changes.'' Among the other talent let go in the MSNBC bloodbath: Katie Phang, Jonathan Capehart and Ayman Mohyeldin. Reid said she believes discussing 'uncomfortable' topics like Gaza and Donald Trump (because he is 'suing everybody') may have contributed to the decision to let her go. 'Joy Reid is leaving the network and we thank her for her countless contributions over the years,' MSNBC president Rebecca Kutler wrote to staff upon the cancellation of 'The ReidOut,' adding that the nightly program had recently received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding News Series. Soon after the pundit's firing went viral, the mother of three called in to 'Win With Black Women' podcast. 'I've been through every emotion from, you know, anger, rage, disappointment ... guilt, that I let my team lose their jobs,' Reid said, tearing up. 'But in the end, where I really land, and where I've landed on today is just gratitude. Not just because people would take the time to get on a call like this or to take care of me. But also that my show had value.'
