More stories

  • in

    Late Night Cheers Donald Trump’s Rejected Absolute Immunity Claim

    “It was a devastating moment for Trump, especially when Melania started clapping,” Jimmy Kimmel said.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.Immunity DeniedOn Tuesday, a federal appeals court rejected former President Donald Trump’s claims that executive immunity protected him from criminal charges related to subverting the 2020 election.“I mean, kind of a bummer because poor guy drank all that bleach for nothing,” Jimmy Kimmel said.“OK, so he doesn’t have immunity, but after all these trials, he must have built up some antibodies.” — SETH MEYERS“The three-judge panel shot down his arguments in a strongly worded 57-page ruling. It was a devastating moment for Trump, especially when Melania started clapping.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Trump’s campaign said that he respectfully disagrees with the ruling. Although, if Trump knew to respectfully disagree with a loss, he wouldn’t be on trial in the first place.” — JIMMY FALLONThe Punchiest Punchlines (Speaking to the Manager Edition)“And now Trump plans on going to the Supreme Court. And if he loses there, he plans on going to Brazil.” — JIMMY FALLON“Of course, he will now appeal to the Supreme Court, which is the legal equivalent of, ‘Well, then, I want to speak to your manager.’” — JIMMY KIMMEL“The Supreme Court hasn’t announced if they’ll hear the case, but Clarence Thomas announced that he’d like an Apple Vision Pro and Super Bowl tickets if they do.” — JIMMY FALLON“According to a new poll from CNN, a majority of Americans want to see a verdict in the Jan. 6 case before they vote in the election. It’s vitally important that we find out whether the former president did what we all saw him do on television or not.” — JIMMY KIMMELThe Bits Worth WatchingThe journalist and “Late Show” guest Joy Reid told Stephen Colbert what she learned about courage while researching her new book, “Medgar and Myrlie.”What We’re Excited About on Wednesday NightSheryl Lee Ralph will discuss the new season of “Abbott Elementary” with Seth Meyers on Wednesday’s “Late Night.”Also, Check This OutTracy Chapman making a rare public appearance to perform her 1988 song “Fast Car” with the country singer Luke Combs at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesTracy Chapman’s return to the Grammy stage on Sunday has fans wondering where she’s been and when they’ll hear more from her. More

  • in

    Crew Member Working on Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ Dies in Fall

    The worker fell from a catwalk at Radford Studios early Tuesday, officials said.A crew member working on the set of Marvel Studios’ “Wonder Man” TV series at Radford Studios in Los Angeles died on Tuesday after falling from a catwalk, officials said.The man who died worked as a rigger, Deadline reported, and he died on set. A Marvel spokesperson confirmed those details in a statement, adding that “our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends, and our support is behind the investigation into the circumstances of this accident.”Members of the Los Angeles Police Department responded to Radford Street for a death investigation at about 6:55 a.m., said Officer Tony Im, a police spokesman.The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees said in a statement posted on social media that the organization was “shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss.”“We are working to support our member’s family and his fellow members and colleagues,” the union said.“Wonder Man,” a Disney+ series that is set to star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, was not filming at the time of the incident. More

  • in

    Movies and TV Shows Coming to Netflix in February: ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ ‘The Tourist,’ More

    A live-action remake of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and a new season of “The Tourist” highlight the new offerings this month.Every month, Netflix adds movies and TV shows to its library. Here are our picks for some of February’s most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.)‘Orion and the Dark’Now streamingFans of the writer-director Charlie Kaufman’s playfully complex art films like “Synecdoche, New York” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” may be surprised to see his name in the credits of an animated kids’ movie. But while this adaptation of an Emma Yarlett picture book (directed by Sean Charmatz from a Kaufman screenplay) is very much oriented toward children, it has some of the metafictional layers for which Kaufman is known. Jacob Tremblay is the voice of a young boy, Orion, whose fear of darkness prompts a visit from the physical manifestation of Dark (Paul Walter Hauser), who tries to show him the wonders of the night. Colin Hanks is the voice of the older Orion, describing this boyhood adventure to his own nervous daughter, who keeps questioning her dad’s version of what happened. The tension between the story itself and the way it gets told adds some poignant, adult undertones to a family-friendly romp.‘One Day’Starts streaming: Feb. 8Based on a David Nicholls novel (previously adapted into a 2011 movie), this romantic dramedy miniseries covers 20 years in the lives of two University of Edinburgh classmates, who have one painfully awkward date after graduation in 1988 and then spend much of their young adulthood staying in touch but failing to become a couple. Leo Woodall and Ambika Mod play these distant friends, whom “One Day” revisits on the same day each year, to show how their careers and relationships go through dramatic changes, often pulling them further apart. Like the book, this is the story about the loves and times of two very different people, who could actually be perfect for each other if they can ever get past their hang-ups.‘Players’Starts streaming: Feb. 14In this romantic comedy, Gina Rodriguez plays a New York sportswriter named Mack, who alongside her best friend and colleague Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.) is a master at running “plays” in singles bars, telling lies to help each other coax their romantic quarries into bed. Then Mack meets Nick (Tom Ellis), a renowned war correspondent who might be worth more than a one-night stand. Directed by Trish Sie from a Whit Anderson script, “Players” combines the mechanics of a heist film with the trappings of a old-fashioned big city love story, for a portrait of middle-aged adults starting to realize it may be time to grow up and stop playing games.‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Season 1Starts streaming: Feb. 22Fans of the epic animated fantasy series “Avatar” have been anxious to see this live-action version, after the previous attempt to adapt the franchise into a live-action movie fell flat. This new take is overseen by the writer-producer Albert Kim — the creators of the Nickelodeon cartoon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, were initially involved but withdrew in 2020, citing creative differences. Like the original, this version is set in a world where four kingdoms — each representing one of the classical elements — have been in crisis since the Fire Nation went on the attack. The first season’s eight hourlong episodes introduce the title character, Aang (Gordon Cormier), a superpowered youngster who despite his small size and occasional clumsiness may be the one to restore balance to society.‘The Tourist’ Season 2Starts streaming: Feb. 29In Season 1 of “The Tourist” (which originally aired on HBO Max now streams on Netflix), an Irishman traveling through rural Australia suffers a bout of amnesia after getting run off the road by a truck. With the help of the friendly small-town cop Helen Chambers (Danielle Macdonald), this man (Jamie Dornan) — who eventually learns his name is Elliot — tries to piece together who he used to be and why someone may be trying to kill him. In Season 2, Helen and Elliot keep following that trail to Ireland, where he learns more about his violent past and tries to reconcile it with the gentler person he has become since the accident. As with the first season, the second weaves some jarring twists and dark comedy into a story about someone who has been on the run for as long as he can remember.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    A Super Bowl Broadcaster With Slime and Swagger

    Nate Burleson spent 11 seasons playing in the N.F.L. He now balances several TV assignments, and will announce the Super Bowl with SpongeBob SquarePants.Nate Burleson, far removed from the 11 seasons he spent toiling in the National Football League, pulled up his shirt to wipe sweat from his forehead during a well-deserved break.Burleson was in a buzzing laboratory with green slime-filled industrial containers, recording Nickelodeon’s “NFL Slimetime” days after explaining the challenge of overcoming turnovers on “The NFL Today,” the CBS football show that was in Baltimore for the A.F.C. Championship Game. Hours before the Nickelodeon taping, he had provided updates about the widening conflict in the Middle East on “CBS Mornings,” the network’s flagship morning newscast.After a productive but unglamorous football career, Burleson, 42, has found high-profile success in the television industry. Now he faces a daunting schedule this week in Las Vegas, where the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will face off in the Super Bowl.Burleson is setting 1:30 a.m. alarms to anchor “CBS Mornings” from the Las Vegas Strip throughout the week. And on Sunday, he will announce Nickelodeon’s first alternate Super Bowl telecast for children, changing into a suit and racing down Allegiant Stadium’s elevator with help from security to join his “NFL Today” colleagues for halftime analysis.“I never played in a Super Bowl, so I feel like this is my Super Bowl,” Burleson said.Tony Dokoupil, left, Gayle King and Burleson on “CBS Mornings.” Burleson impressed producers with the energy he brought to segments while guest hosting.Mary Kouw/CBSNickelodeon’s alternate telecasts are an attempt to attract younger viewers by infusing N.F.L. games with augmented-reality animations on the field — yes, there will be plenty of virtual slime — and incorporating popular cartoon characters. Burleson will call the Super Bowl with the voice actors for SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star. (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are announcing the traditional broadcast on CBS.)We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    $7 Million for 30 Seconds? It’s Worth It at the Super Bowl.

    In a time of fragmentation, advertising during the game’s broadcast is still a reliable way to boost company revenue and familiarize viewers with a brand.A cat meowing for Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Peyton Manning chucking Bud Light beers to patrons in a bar and Kris Jenner stacking Oreo cookies. They all have one thing in common: Those companies paid seven figures to get their products in front of viewers during this year’s Super Bowl.For the second consecutive year, the average cost of a 30-second ad spot during the Super Bowl was $7 million. Even as many businesses are being more disciplined with the money they have for marketing, and with spending on advertising slowing in recent years, the cost of a Super Bowl ad continues to go up.The reason is simple: There is no opportunity guaranteed to reach more people than the Super Bowl, and the slice of every other pie keeps shrinking.“It’s a throwback in terms of reaching everyone all at once,” said Charles Taylor, a professor of marketing at the Villanova School of Business.In an increasingly fragmented media landscape, the number of opportunities for companies to reach a mass audience through advertising on network television has dwindled. Popular shows have increasingly moved to streaming platforms, along with audiences. More and more, networks find themselves relying on live events, like award shows and sports, to draw viewers.“Live events are still huge for advertisers, and those are the ones that draw the highest attention,” said Frank McGuire, a vice president at Sharethrough, an advertising integration platform.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    I’ve Never Bought Anything From QVC. I Can’t Stop Watching It.

    The playful pleasures of David Venable keep pulling me back in.Last fall, I lived in a hotel in the small college town where I teach, an admittedly strange arrangement that came with a serendipitous perk: cable TV. At the end of most days, after stocking up on ice from the machine down the hall, I would get beneath the sheets and click on QVC. If I was lucky, I got to watch the incomparable David Venable, whose most distinct trait — aside from his striking height (6 feet 6 inches) and the dulcet tones of his North Carolina drawl — is his “happy dance”: a hands-over-head, 360-degree twirl that he executes when a product especially delights him. In seemingly every moment of his cooking and housewares show, “In the Kitchen With David,” he radiates joie de vivre.I don’t think I’m part of Venable’s target demographic. I can’t cook. I don’t like accumulating things. I appreciate when a living space feels homey, but I’m just as content in a spare room as I am in a curated one. Still, I’ve become one the many David Venable faithful. Regardless of what he’s selling, I’m watching. Venable avoids falling into the wolfish smarm that typifies the shopping-show genre. There’s a forthrightness of approach that tells us he’s interested in more than just selling things to us. When he’s talking up a portable power station, warning us that we won’t know we’ll need it until it’s too late, he’s not being a doomer; he’s being honest. He comes off like a mindful parent cautioning a naïve child, much like my folks, who, when I was in high school, always made sure I had an extra coat and blanket in the car during Minnesota’s brutal winters, just in case my car broke down. Like any salesperson, Venable uses scarcity as a tactic. But he doesn’t promise that any particular item will solve all your problems. Rather, he imagines a life for the viewer already brimming with warmth. Whatever he’s selling could make that full life a bit less unwieldy. You might feel compelled to buy those airtight, spillproof LocknLock storage containers, not just because they’re selling out fast, and this deal will only last tonight, but also because with Venable’s encouragement you can imagine walking to your parents’ home, holding your child’s hand, juggling a stack of gifts and laughing so hard you might drop your homemade hot-dish on your way to the front door. With LocknLock’s proprietary technology, however, you can be confident that your casserole won’t spill! For me, “In the Kitchen With David” functions as therapeutic entertainment. Venable’s screen presence never activates anything in the realm of stress or embarrassment. Just like us, we learn, he drops dishes at home, and his kitchen goes through various states of disarray. “There’s no shame in your game if you go to the store bakery and you buy something store-bought and put it in there,” Venable will say while holding a pie-carrier with handle-lid. His nonjudgmental energy transforms solo TV-watching into a communal experience, inviting us to marvel alongside him at the quotidian: a nonstick pan or a vegetable wedger or sugar-free caramels. And he is never desperate to make a sale. Look closely as a jittery brand ambassador fumbles over his or her pitch, and you’ll see Venable’s eyes soften and a smile spread across his face. He seems to enjoy it when things don’t go as planned. For him, spills and mispronunciations are not reasons to panic but opportunities for play.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    Jimmy Fallon Reports ‘Today’s Taylor Swift News’

    “If you thought she was on your TV a lot last night, well, wait till next Sunday,” Fallon said after the pop star’s big night at the Grammys.Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous night’s highlights that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.‘Today’s Taylor Swift News’Taylor Swift made Grammy history on Sunday night, winning Album of the Year for a fourth time.“Let’s get to today’s Taylor Swift news,” Jimmy Fallon said at the top of Monday’s monologue, before quipping that everyone else at the Grammys “got an Emmy nomination for acting surprised when she won.”“Yep, Taylor dominated the Grammys. If you thought she was on your TV a lot last night, well, wait till next Sunday.” — JIMMY FALLON, referring to the upcoming Super Bowl“Last night at the Grammys, the big winner was Taylor Swift, who became the first artist to win Album of the Year four times — all for the same album.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Not only did Taylor make Grammys history, she also announced that on April 19, she’s releasing a new album called ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’ Then every other artist releasing an album on April 19 was like, ‘Well, looking more like a June release now.’” — JIMMY FALLONThe Punchiest Punchlines (Rainy Day Edition)“We are getting hit by a biblical amount of rain here in Los Angeles. All around town, they’ve been gathering Kardashians two by two.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“You know, they closed our kids’ school today because of rain. And this is, I just want to mention, not an outdoor school. There is a roof on the school, but they said it’s too dangerous to come to school, somebody could get wet.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“When I was a kid in Brooklyn, for them to cancel school, there had to be, like, at least six inches of snow, there had to be black ice on the road, and, like, Son of Sam had to be on the loose.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“Now, meteorologists say the drastic weather is being caused by something called an atmospheric river, which is also the name of my easy-listening dad band.” — STEPHEN COLBERT“Here’s how you know we have a lot of rain: when the L.A. River is actually a river. Usually it’s just a big, empty skateboard park.” — JIMMY KIMMEL“These bizarre weather emergencies are just going to keep happening. We all know the cause. Al Gore warned us about this, and it’s getting worse every year, so I’ll just say it: The witch’s curse!” — STEPHEN COLBERTThe Bits Worth WatchingJimmy Kimmel had some thoughts after Donald Trump asked Truth Social users if they thought he looked like Elvis.What We’re Excited About on Tuesday NightThe “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans” star Molly Ringwald will talk to Seth Meyers on Tuesday’s “Late Night.”Also, Check This OutThe “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David.HBOFaithful viewers can test their fandom in this pretty, pretty good “Curb Your Enthusiasm” quiz. More

  • in

    Quiz: Do You Respect ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’?

    Photo credits: HBO (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”); NBC (“Seinfeld”); Craig Barritt/Getty Images (Elmo); Albert Ceolan /De Agostini Picture Library, via Getty Images (St Benedict amongst Angels, detail from The Glory in Heaven, 1746, by Johann Jakob Zeiller); Peter Dazeley/Getty Images (snakes); James Warwick/Getty Images (zebra); Simon Maina/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images (Moamer Kadhafi); Paramount (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”); Shawn Thew/EPA, via Shutterstock (Bernie Sanders); Universal Pictures (“Back to the Future”); Kenny Holston/The New York Times (Sanders); Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images (Sanders)Produced by Sean Catangui, Alicia DeSantis, Gabriel Gianordoli and Josephine Sedgwick More