| News Short | News Headline |
| Paramount+ planning 2 animated series based on Mo Willems' books | Paramount+ announced Thursday that two animated series based on Mo Willems' beloved picture books are now in the works. "Mo Willems has delighted kids and 'former kids' around the world with these beloved characters," Jane Wiseman, head of originals for the streaming service, said in a press release on Thursday. "Whether it's Elephant and Piggie navigating the hard work of 'best-friending' or The Pigeon confusing wants and needs (a hot dog! a cookie! to drive the bus!), these characters remind us that the best stories are the ones that make us laugh and feel something real. We're thrilled to bring them to life on Paramount+." No voice cast or premiere date for The Elephant & Piggie Show! and The Pigeon Show! |
| EJAE never thought she'd have to sing HUNTR/X songs live | Singer-songwriter EJAE says she joined KPop Demon Hunters back in 2020 when it was a small creative team trying to put together an animated musical movie that would eventually become a global phenomenon. Her first creation with co-director and co-writer Chris Appelhans, co-writer Danya Jimenez and music producer Ian Eisendrath was "How It's Done." "It was a lot of pressure, but I was writing a lot of girl crush songs back then, so it was really fun to experiment with my voice. It had to be iconic -- girls slaying it and killing it," EJAE said at a special screening of the film this week. "That's how it started, I think. |
| Lifetime announces Buttafuoco, Karen Read, more true crime films | Lifetime announced its January slate of "Ripped from the Headlines" movies on Thursday. They include the participation of subject Mary Jo Buttafuoco. Buttafuoco narrates and executive produces I Am Mary Jo Buttafuoco. The film premieres Jan. 17 at 8 p.m. EST. Chloe Lanier plays Mary Jo in the story of her shooting at the hands of her husband Joey's (Dillon Casey) mistress Amy Fischer (Maddy Hillis). The affair led to a media frenzy in the '90s dubbing the 17-year-old Fischer the "Long Island Lolita." "What many didn't see was the private toll it took-battling depression, suicidal thoughts, and addiction as I tried to make sense of a life that had been so violently and publicly shattered," Buttafuoco said in a statement. |
| Hugh Laurie joins new Amy Poehler, Mike Schur comedy 'Dig' | Hugh Laurie is joining the forthcoming comedy series Dig, which is also reuniting Amy Poehler with Parks and Recreation executive producer Mike Schur. Deadline and Variety reported Thursday that Laurie will play the male lead opposite Poehler in the Peacock series. Dig follows four women working at an archaeological site in Greece who find "a long-buried secret with the potential to rewrite history," bringing them to "the center of a high-stakes international conspiracy." Poehler, who also executive produces, stars as one of the four women, while Laurie is set to play Neville, a professor who acts as a mentor to those involved in the dig. |
| Diane Kruger: 'Little Disasters' mum overwhelmed, living a nightmare | The Bridge, Inglourious Basterds and National Treasure actress Diane Kruger says the mother she plays on the new drama, Little Disasters, needs help, but doesn't known how to ask for it following the birth of her third child. "She is completely overwhelmed and shut into her own nightmare, right? She is incapable of addressing it, of naming what is wrong," Kruger, 49, told UPI in a recent Zoom interview. "There's a lot of, to me anyways, relatable struggles within her that I can relate to. Obviously, I never lived them out to that extreme, but I think it's so scary when you become a parent and we don't talk about it enough," said the actress, who shares a 7-year-old daughter with partner Norman Reedus. |