Category: TV

EXCLUSIVE: Keshet International (KI) has struck its first ever natural history content deal with Finland’s MRP Matila Röhr Productions, along with picking up a Channel 4 sexual harassment doc.

Ahead of this month’s London Screenings, the Israeli powerhouse has taken on four feature-length docs, more than 70 shorts and two ‘making of’ shows, led by MRP feature Tale of the Sleeping Giants. Filmed over three years in Lapland, the pic recently opened in Finnish cinemas and follows the lives of animals such as wolverines, reindeer, foxes, weasels, bears and humpback whales.

KI has also taken on MRP’s older features Tale of a Forest and Tale of a Lake, along with 2019’s Nature Symphony.

Anke Stoll, KI’s SVP of Acquisitions and Co-productions, said the outfit is “in the process of expanding our catalog” and will “leverage the incredible archive footage to produce new titles for a growing market of buyers of blue-chip natural history content.”

Elsewhere, Channel 4’s Undercover: Sexual Harassment – The Truth joins the KI slate. In the doc from Kalel Productions, broadcaster Ellie Flynn carries out hidden-camera experiments to expose the sexual harassment of women in the real world and online, from ‘dick pics’ to being flashed, groped, spiked and raped. In one particularly poignant scene, she is followed by a man all the way to her hotel room, where she confronts him.

KI has a busy London Screenings ahead, as it also unveils scripted shows from its ₪100M ($28M) fund that includes the likes of A Body that Works, which will premiere at March’s Series Mania, and Leonard Cohen drama Who by Fire. The London Screenings runs from February 27 for a week.

“The Sales team and I are thrilled to unveil this high-quality slate of newly acquired content to our clients,” said Distribution MD Kelly Wright. “This year we are all coming together in person for what is quickly becoming a very important gathering for international distributors like us.”

Raquel Welch, the big-screen star of the 1960s and ’70s who gained famed in movies including Fantastic Voyage, One Million Years B.C., Myra Breckinridge and many others, died today after a brief illness. She was 82.

Her death was confirmed by her reps at Media 4 Management.

Welch got her start as TV weathercaster in San Diego before starting to land guest roles on such classics TV series as McHale’s Navy, Bewitched, The Virginian and others. Her breakout role came as Cora in the wild 1966 sci-fi pic Fantastic Voyage, opposite Stephen Boyd, Edmund O’Brien and Arthur Kennedy. It followed the adventures of a group who are miniaturized along with a submarine and injected into the bloodstream of a scientist who was the target of assassins in an effort to save the life. But they only have an hour before they return to real size.

The film won Oscars for its visual effects and for Art Direction.Set Decoration and became a cult classic. It maintains a 91% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Welch then starred as a clan cavewoman in the 1966 British film One Million Years B.C., another wild tale set in an age when humans and dinosaurs existed together. A slightly censored version was released in the U.S., and the film became a TV staple in later years.

She went on to star with Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in the London-set 1967 comedy Bedazzled and opposite James Stewart, Dean Martin and George Kennedy in the 1968 western Bandolero! Welch’s next major film was with Mae West and John Huston in the title role of Myra Breckinridge. Based on the satirical Gore Vidal novel that reportedly was the first whose main character underwent a sex-change procedure, the 1970 film followed her character’s journey to Hollywood in search of stardom and a cut of her wealthy uncle’s estate.

Firmly established as a movie star, Welch continued her big-screen career opposite some of the era’s biggest stars. She appeared with Burt Reynolds in the 1972 cop comedy Fuzz; with Richard Burton in Bluebeard the same year; with James Coburn, Richard Benjamin and others in Herbert Ross’ The Last of Sheila, written by Stephen Sodnheim and Anthony Perkins; and opposite Chamberlain, Oliver Reed and Michael York in 1973 The Three Muskateers. That pic spawned a 1974 sequel, The Four Musketeers: Milady’s Revenge. She also starred with Bill Cosby and Harvey Keitel in the 1976 ambulance-crew romp Mother, Jugs & Speed.

Among her lesser-known films of the era was Kansas City Bomber, the 1972 drama set in then-popular world of roller derby, along with The Beloved (1971) and toplining the western Hannie Caulder with Robert Culp and Ernest Borgnine.

Welch also appeared twice on Broadway. The first time in 1981, when she filled in for a vacationing Lauren Bacall in Woman of the Year. In 1997, she played the lead role of Victoria Grant in Victor/Victoria, replacing original star Julie Andrews.

MORE TO COME…

Netflix has ordered an anime series based on the acclaimed manga Pluto. The series is produced by Genco, with animation by M2Studio and is set for release later this year.

The Japanese voice cast includes Shinshu Fuji as Gesicht, Yoko Hikasa as Atom and Minori Suzuki as Uran. Watch a sneak peak below.

Praised by many as a masterpiece, the manga Pluto is based on Tezuka’s Astro Boy “The Greatest Robot on Earth” arc from 1964 and created by Naoki Urasawa (20th Century Boys, Yawara!, Master Keaton) and his long-time co creator Takashi Nagasaki. Macoto Tezka supervises with the cooperation of Tezuka Productions.

The suspense drama takes place in a neo-futuristic world where humans and high-functioning robots live in complete harmony. The globally acclaimed manga has won numerous awards, including the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. The 2015 stage adaptation of Pluto returned in 2018 by popular demand and toured Japan and Europe.

“I applaud the courage of everyone that has taken on the challenge of making an anime based on Pluto. I am excited about the birth of this new series to win over people’s hearts. I hope that now more than ever, Osamu Tezuka’s message reaches the world,” said author Naoki Urasawa.

Added co-author Takashi Nagasaki, “Pluto inherits the philosophy of Tezuka and does not merely convey a message of  anti-war, but reminds us that there is suffering on both sides… but still, the only remaining answer is peace.”

EXCLUSIVE: ITVS veteran Tamara Gould has been named Chief Content Officer for PBS SoCal, KCET and Link TV. She will lead a team of content producers across multiple platforms to amplify the voices and stories of the communities within and beyond Southern California.

Gould will report to Andrew Russell, President and CEO of the Public Media Group of Southern California, the parent of PBS SoCal and KCET

“Tamara Gould is an extraordinary talent and she brings a wealth of production experience and deep ties to public media,” Russell said. “She has great skill in building strategic collaborations with both local and national partners to support independent filmmakers and is an industry-recognized leader in the world of documentary storytelling.”

She spent the past 18 years at ITVS, the nonprofit that funds and incubates documentaries for public TV outlets. Gould held numerous positions during her tenure, most recently Head of Co-Productions and Strategic Partnerships. She served as production executive for multiple documentaries and series for public broadcasting and has worked with media outlets and ITVS’ federal partners including CPB, NEH, NEA and USAID to increase opportunity and support for independent filmmakers.  

Her production credits include Hell of a Nation, a PBS documentary film about on the Constitutional Convention in Afghanistan post-9/11, produced with Actual Films. She also worked on projects including Matter of Mind, TED Talks Live, Half the Sky and American Graduate Latino.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Public Media Group of Southern California, a tremendous hub of talent and creativity producing critical content for the Southern California community and beyond,” Gould said. The nation and the world look to California for insight into the future of climate, culture, technology and entertainment. PMGSC and all of its platforms and partnerships are an essential conduit to tell those stories.”  

Prior to joining ITVS, she served as an Executive Producer of Television at KQED and as Executive Director of the Bay Area Video Coalition. 

  

Monday started with a shock and awe campaign at Showtime as the exits of a slew of top executives were announced in short succession. By the end of the day, about 120 people in total had lost their jobs in the layoffs, sources confirm to Deadline. That represents more than 10% of the company’s workforce.

Leading the departures are Co-Presidents of Entertainment Gary Levine (who is segueing to an advisory role) and Jana Winograde as well EVP Nonfiction Vinnie Malhotra, COO and CFO Michael Crotty, EVP and General Counsel Rob Rosenberg and EVP Content Acquisition Kent Sevener.

As Showtime’s content strategy is shifting under Chris McCarthy, its scripted content team under EVP Amy Israel is believed to have remained largely intact as it now reports to Nina L. Diaz, Chief Creative Officer & President of Content, alongside Paramount Network’s Keith Cox, who has been named President of Scripted.

Already on track to be integrated with Paramount+, Showtime is now merging with MTV Entertainment Studios. The double consolidation has resulted in the layoffs, which had been looming for months. Dubbed internally as The Valentine’s Day Massacre, the cuts reportedly involved shared services as well as other areas, including nonfiction.

McCarthy addressed the layoffs in his memo this morning.

“With this new structure, we will be saying goodbye to several colleagues and friends who have been vital in making Showtime what is today including from the executive team,” he wrote. “Please join me in thanking them for their invaluable contributions and wishing them the best in their next endeavors.”

The changes at Showtime continue, with Co-Presidents of Entertainment Gary Levine and Jana Winograde stepping down from their posts. The announcement was made this morning by Paramount Global’s Chris McCarthy, who took oversight of the pay cable network in the November restructuring that saw longtime Showtime CEO David Nevins leave the company.

McCarthy is expected to announce a new leadership team for Showtime, soon to be renamed Paramount+ with Showtime, which is rumored to include a new role for his top scripted executive on the basic cable side, Keith Cox.

Since McCarthy took over Showtime in November, it was unveiled that the pay cable network will be integrated into Paramount+, which intensified speculation about the future of Levine and Winograde, especially the latter, whose business and operations-related duties likely would become redundant in the new structure. Winograde has been at Showtime for six years, during which time she also added creative oversight alongside Levine.

“Many of the current functions that Jana oversees including business affairs, production, operations and casting are being centralized, and therefore Jana will be leaving,” McCarthy wrote in the memo. (You can read it in full below.) “Not only has Jana been a deft steward of the Showtime brand, her strategic acumen has boosted the network’s profile domestically and around the world.”

Last week, McCarthy unveiled his new content strategy for Showtime that relies heavily on IP by expanding existing series like Billions and Dexter into TV universes, which Levine helped build as Showtime’s top creative executive. Levine also developed upcoming series Three Women and Ripley, which recently were released and have found new homes at Starz and Netflix, respectively.

“I am very pleased to say that Gary will be taking on a new role as Senior Creative Advisor for Showtime, reporting to me,” McCarthy said. “I am delighted that he will now be able to dig in, in a more focused way, on several key shows and franchises, while continuing to advise me and the leaders of Showtime,” McCarthy added, using one of Levine’s favorite phrases.

Levine had been rumored for awhile — long before Nevins’ exit — to be mulling a departure after more than two decades at the network.

Meanwhile, Cox would fit into the new programming strategy for Showtime as has been involved in expanding Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone franchise.

Another key programming executives on McCarthy’s team, head of unscripted Nina L. Diaz, also would be getting additional responsibilities at Showtime, I hear.

Here is McCarthy’s internal note, followed by Winograde’s email to staff.

McCarthy:

Winograde:

EXCLUSIVE: The Night Manager’s Indian remake launches this week and its stars are now set to feature on the cover of the original John le Carre novel — a first for an Indian series.

Stars Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur will appear on a re-issue of the novel, which was first published in 1993, following an discussions involving Disney+ Hotstar, The Manager Rights owner The Ink Factory and Penguin Random House India.

This is believed to be the first time characters from an Indian series have appeared on an international bestseller. It provides more momentum for the buzzy series, which launches in India on Disney+ Hotstar on February 17 under the Hotstar Specials brand. The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia made the show, with Sandeep Modi the showrunner.

In the series, Kapoor and Kapur take on the roles Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddlestone first made famous in the BBC and AMC series back in 2016. Sobhita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome, Saswata Chatterjee and Ravi Behl also star.

The espionage drama follows a hotel manager and former soldier who decides to take down an illegal arms dealer.

“The Night Manager is John Le Carré’s best-known work of espionage writing,” said Manoj Satti, Group Vice President – International Product & Marketing, Penguin Random House India. This is a moment of absolute joy for us to witness an international book of such renown being made into an Indian OTT show. We hope this endeavor spreads the thrill of reading Mr. Carré’s works amongst a wider audience set.” 

Le Carre’s sons Nick, Stephen and Simon Cornwell said in a statement: “Moments like these prove how well the story has traveled, and how it has echoed across the globe. And it’s incredibly exciting to see two of Bollywood’s greatest actors, Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur, on the cover of the book.”

Head of Content for Disney+ Hotstar and HSM Entertainment Network for Disney Star Gaurav Banerjee said the agreement was “such a strong validation of what we have done with the Indian version.”

“The Night Manager has been a very special project for me. I’m a huge fan of the book and for our poster to make it to the cover of the book it’s based on, we couldn’t have asked for more,” said Kapur.

Last week, we sat down with Kapoor, Ink Factory co-CEO Simon Cornwell and Modi ahead of the show’s launch.

The Walt Disney Company marks its 100th anniversary on Oct. 16, 2023, and will celebrate that milestone today with a special commercial debuting during Super Bowl LVII that spotlights its storytelling and innovation.

“As we commemorate our historic 100^th anniversary, it is remarkable to look back at Walt Disney’s legacy and his passionate pursuit of excellence that continue to propel the Company forward today,” said Robert A. Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “We are incredibly grateful to the generations of people all over the world for being such a special part of our history and for inviting our stories and characters into their lives over the past century. Disney100 represents a celebration of all of our fans and families, and our storytellers and creative visionaries whose talents and imaginations have created the magical moments that make Disney such an enduring part of the global culture.”

“Disney100 Special Look” features scenes from iconic Disney films, series, stage productions, theme parks, and fans, as well as a collection of inspiring words from Walt Disney.

The debut of “Disney100 Special Look” kicks off a full-year of activities.

In addition to its full slate of films, television and streaming, on Feb. 18, Disney100: The Exhibition will have its world premiere at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, inviting guests into a 15,000-square-foot, ten-gallery exhibit that will bring Disney stories to life through technology. The Walt Disney Archives is opening its vault of treasures, showcasing more than 250 of its “Crown Jewels” – rarely seen original artwork and artifacts, costumes and props, theme park attraction vehicles, and more. The exhibition will also make stops across the United States and throughout Europe.

Disney Parks has already begun special Disney100 celebrations. On Jan. 27, Disneyland Resort introduced the new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway attraction, two new nighttime events: “World of Color – One” at Disney California Adventure and “Wondrous Journeys” at Disneyland park, and all-new, limited-time Disney100-themed entertainment, food and beverage, and merchandise offerings.

Disney will also celebrate its biggest fans with exclusive events, sneak previews, and, in September, a Disney100-themed Destination D23 just for members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club.  

UPDATED with complete winners list: Oscar Best Picture nominee Elvis scored wins in both motion picture period make-up and hair styling categories Saturday at the 10th annual Make-up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards.

The contemporary make-up team from fellow Best Pic Oscar nominee Everything Everywhere All at Once and the special make-up effects team behind The Whale also took top honors tonight in the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton, as did Black Panther: Wakanda Forever for its contemporary hair styling.

Tonight’s film winners are now vying for Oscar frontrunner status in the Make-up and Hair Styling category; Elvis, Black Panther and The Whale are nominated there this year along with All Quiet on the Western Front and The Batman. Elvis and Batman were triple MUAHS nominees tonight.

On the TV side tonight, multiple winners include Pam & Tommy, The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special, the children’s series The Quest and the competition series Legendary. Also a double winner was American Horror Stories, which swept the Commercials & Music Videos category.

It was a good night for Black Panther, with star Angela Bassett kicking off the night being presented with the Distinguished Artisan Award by the guild, IATSE Local 706. Melissa Peterman was the emcee.

Other individual honorees on the night included Vanguard Awards for Make-up to Fred C. Blau Jr and for Hair Styling to Judy Crown, the latter presented by her Seinfeld pal Jason Alexander. Life Achievement Awards for make-up artist Steve LaPorte, who was presented by Rick Baker, and Josée Normand for hair styling.

Here’s the complete list of tonight’s winners:

FEATURE LENGTH MOTION PICTURE

Best Special Make-Up Effects

The Whale
Adrien Morot, Kathy Tse, Chris Gallaher

Best Period and/or Character Make-Up

Elvis
Shane Thomas, Angela Conte

Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling

Elvis
Shane Thomas, Louise Coulston

Best Contemporary Make-Up

Everything Everywhere All at Once
Michelle Chung, Erin Rosenmann, Dania A. Ridgway

Best Contemporary Hair Styling

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Camille Friend, Evelyn Feliciano, Marva Stokes, Victor Paz

TELEVISION SERIES: LIMITED, MINISERIES OR MOVIE FOR TELEVISION

Best Special Make-Up Effects

Pam & Tommy
David Williams, Jason Collins, Mo Meinhart, Abby Lyle Clawson

Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling

Our Flag Means Death
Margarita Pidgeon, Stacy Bisel, Kate Loftis, Christopher Enlow

Best Period and/or Character Make-Up

Pam & Tommy
David Williams, Jennifer Aspinall, Dave Snyder, Bill Myer

Best Contemporary Make-Up

Euphoria – Season 2
Doniella Davy, Tara Lang Shah, Alexandra J. French

Best Contemporary Hair Styling

Abbott Elementary
Moira Frazier, Dustin Osborne, Christina R. Joseph

TELEVISION SPECIAL, ONE HOUR OR MORE LIVE PROGRAM SERIES

Best Period and/or Character Make-Up

The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special
Michael Ornelaz, Matt Sprunger, Jon Moore, Robin Pritchard

Best Special Make-Up Effects

The Guardians of the Galaxy: Holiday Special
Alexei Dmitriew, Scott Stoddard, LuAndra Whitehurst, Mo Meinhart

Best Contemporary Hair Styling

Legendary
Jerilynn Stephens, Kimi Messina, Dean Francis Banowetz, LaLisa Turner

Best Period and/or Character Hair Styling

Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration
Anthony Wilson, Jennifer Guerrero, Maria Sandoval, Myo Lai

Best Contemporary Make-Up

Legendary
Tonia Green, Tyson Fountaine, Silvia Leczel, Sean Conklin

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN HAIR STYLING

Josée Normand

COMMERCIALS & MUSIC VIDEOS

Best Hair Styling

American Horror Stories: Season 2 Promo
Joe E. Matke III, Tiphanie Baum, Jerilynn Stephens, Johnny Lomeli

Best Make-Up

American Horror Stories: Dollhouse Promo
Kerry Herta, Jason Collins, Alyssa Morgan, Christina Kortum

VANGUARD AWARD In MAKE-UP

Fred C. Blau Jr

THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS (Live Stage)

Best Make-up

Kinky Boots
Brandi Strona, Glen Alen, Lilia Villasenor

Best Hair Styling

La Traviata
Jeanna Parham, Christina E. Martin

CHILDREN AND TEEN TELEVISION PROGRAMMING

Best Hair Styling

The Quest
Erica Adams, Alyn R. Topper, Lauren McKeever, Jennifer Tremont

Best Make-Up

The Quest
Elle Favorule, Michelle Sfarzo, Sonia Cabrera

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IN MAKE-UP

Steve LaPorte

DAYTIME TELEVISION

Best Hair Styling

The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tara Copeland, Roberto Ramos

Best Make-Up

The Boulet Brothers Dragula: Titans
Swanthula Boulet, Dracmorda Boulet

VANGUARD AWARD IN HAIR STYLING

Judy Crown

DISTINGUISHED ARTISAN AWARD

Angela Bassett

UPDATE: The family of Street Outlaws: Fastest in America racing star Ryan Fellows has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. They claim gross negligence in a street race held on a Nevada road that led to Fellows’ death.  

Warner Bros. Discovery and Lions Gate Entertainment were among those named. 

The drag races that led to Fellows’s death were filmed last year on a “dusty, weather-beaten, rough asphalt roadway” in the Las Vegas desert. The location “didn’t meet any of the industry safety standards” for drag racing, the suit claimed. The defendants allegedly oversaw numerous crashes at the location and had opportunities to move the races, but did not.

“We continue to extend our deepest sympathy to Ryan’s loved ones and the entire Street Outlaws family. We cannot comment on pending litigation,” said a Discovery spokesperson statement.  

 EARLIER: Street Outlaws: Fastest In America star Ryan Fellows has died in a fiery crash while filming the Discovery show, Deadline has confirmed.

Fellows was racing another driver early Sunday morning outside Las Vegas in a scheduled race for the night of the show when he lost control near the finish line, TMZ reports citing a source. The vehicle, a gold Nissan 240z, rolled over and caught fire. Onlookers tried to pull Fellows out of the burning car, but were unsuccessful.

You can watch a preview clip of the episode below.

“The Street Outlaws family is heartbroken by the accident that led to the tragic death of Ryan Fellows,” a Discovery spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “We extend our deepest sympathy to Ryan’s loved ones as they process this sudden and devastating loss.”

Holidays were much on the mind of Real Time host Bill Maher on Friday. He talked about the Super Bowl, Election Day, and Valentine’s Day during the course of the show, starting right at the top by acknowledging this weekend’s big game.

“The game is in Arizona, so don’t be shocked if Republicans don’t accept the results,” he quipped, adding, “The game is on Fox, with aerial coverage by China.”

Maher quickly shifted back into his wheelhouse of politics, noting this weeks’s State of the Union address. “The state of our union is uncivil,” he claimed. “Republicans acted like it was a bachelorette party at a comedy club.”

Maher’s panel discussion with Kristen Soltis Anderson; pollster and host of SiriusXM’s “The Trendline with Kristen Soltis Anderson,” and Democratic strategist and CNN political contributor Paul Begala dove into the question of who will be the presidential nominees for 2024.

“We do have voters that are this mad and hate the options,” said Anderson of the prospects of another Trump-Biden confrontation. “There’s a little bit of chaos that could come out of it,” adding, “I think you should not assume that Trump will get the nomination.”

Maher noted that Joe Biden is just nine months older than Mick Jagger, and “Mick Jagger is still touring.”

Biden won the battle of the ad-libs in his contentious back and forth with Republicans at the State of the Union, Maher said, which the host claimed was because the GOP replicated “The Maury Povich Show” in the chamber.

Begala stayed largely on Democratic talking points about crime, and at one point brought up a bad example tying abortion to the rise in crime, which drew a rebuke from Maher.

One thing that was agreed was that Ron DeSantis faces a tough task getting the Republican nod, since he’s already facing Trump attacks, including one calling him “a groomer.”

“Running against Trump is like running into a woodchipper,” Anderson said. But she said that DeSantis has his moment now, and despite Maher’s contention that the Florida governor shuld wait, she insisted, “He’d be foolish to take a pass on (the nomination battle).”

The panel also explored Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ post-State of the Union rebuttal, where she claimed the coming battle was not between left and right, but between normal and crazy. The problem, the panel decided, is that both political parties claim the mantle of “normal,” demonizing the other.

Maher’s “New Rules” editorial saluted next week’s Valentine’s Day celebration. The host insisted that apps and phones have stolen the romance out of the holiday, and that women have been suckered into a system where men have an electronic harem in easy reach.

Noting the games being played where singles are resorting to trips to Home Depot in hopes of meeting someone, Maher said men need to man up if they want to win a woman’s heart.

“Here’s a life tip for men,” Maher said. “Try this trick: talk to her in-person.” The phone ruined dating, and porn ruined sex, he insisted.

The phone took away the need for swagger, courage, and communication, which women want, Maher said, as noted by the proliferation of TV shows like “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “Farmer Wants a Wife,” and “the other thousand shows where women want the roses, romance – they don’t want an eggplant,” Maher said. “They want someone to compliment their hair, notice what they’re wearing, and hear about their day. I know, it’s a f***ing nightmare. Still, it’s better than the incel life.”

Maher opened his interviews with a one-on-one with Malcolm Nance, a counterterrorism expert and New York Times best-selling author of They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency. Nance, whom Maher called “a great patriot,” just returned from fighting on the front lines in Ukraine at age 60.

“The Ukrainians have something,” Nance said. “These people have heart. They don’t want to fight. They don’t’ have the hatred of the men in front of them. They are fighting for their existence. And that’s why I joined them.”

Super Bowl LVII pitting the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and the NFC champs the Philadelphia Eagles is Sunday, February 12 in Glendale, AZ, with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Fox and in Spanish on Fox Deportes, with the game also available on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app.

It will mark the 10th Super Bowl broadcast for Fox Sports. The network’s lead NFL team Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play) and Greg Olsen (analyst) will have the game call from State Farm Stadium, marking their first Super Bowl assignment following the departure of longtime team Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.

For this year, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will report from the sidelines, with Mike Pereira to provide rules analysis.

Fox Deportes’ coverage will include Jessi Losada and Rodolfo Landeros from the studio and play-by-play announcer Adrian Garcia-Marquez and Alejandro Villanueva calling the game. The Spanish-language network’s pregame show begins at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

This year’s halftime show will be headlined by Rihanna, the first year for the showcase under the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show branding. DPS is producing the show with Roc Nation, with Jesse Collins executive producer and Hamish Hamilton directing. Last year’s show featuring Dr Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Eminem was watched by 120 million viewers.

Fox’s pregame coverage of this year’s Super Bowl will begin with Fox NFL Sunday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT with its regular lineup of Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, Rob Gronkowski, Jay Glazer and host Curt Menefee. Also joining for the 5 1/2-hour pregame: Charissa Thompson, Sean Payton, Charles Woodson, Michael Vick, Peter Schrager, Kristina Pink and Cooper Manning.

One thing that won’t happen during this year’s pregame: the mostly usual sit-down interview with the President of the United States by the covering network’s news division. Joe Biden won’t be doing that this year.

Ahead of kickoff, Chris Stapleton will sing the national anthem, with CODA Oscar winner Troy Kotsur performing the ASL version. Babyface will sing “America the Beautiful,” while Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

In the mix throughout the day on Fox are the usual slew of Super Bowl commercials, including Hollywood movie trailers, as marketers take advantage of the year’s biggest TV platform. Last year, Nielsen estimated that 90% of the U.S. who had their TVs on during the Super Bowl were watching the game. An estimated 112.3 million across all NBC platforms (NBC, Telemundo, Peacock) watched the game, which saw the Los Angeles Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.

It was the most-watched TV program in five years, since Super Bowl LII.