All posts tagged: Ted

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Attend Ted Sarandos’ Beef Event Amid Netflix Drama

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle Attend Ted Sarandos’ Beef Event Amid Netflix Drama

Published by Daniella Wilson

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are once again shutting down reports of a falling out with Netflix, but this time with an in-person appearance. The famous couple attended an event in Montecito, California, on Friday, hosted by Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and ambassador Nicole Avant, celebrating Beef season two, which premieres on the streamer April 16. Season two cast members Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny, as well as Emmy-winning creator Lee Sung Jin, were also in attendance. Prince Harry and Markle’s appearance came nearly a month after Variety reported that Netflix had been distancing itself from the pair. The publication also claimed that Sarandos, who is the couple’s neighbor in Montecito, had grown tired of the pair. However, both the couple and Netflix’s leadership have shut down those claims, with a spokesperson for the streamer previously calling them “absolutely inaccurate.” Netflix chief content officer, Bela Bajaria, also said at the Next on Netflix presentation, “I would say don’t believe whatever you read. Maybe we should all do a little fact-checking. But …

Celebrity Traitors and Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed: ‘SNL UK is the best thing for British comedy since The Office’

Celebrity Traitors and Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed: ‘SNL UK is the best thing for British comedy since The Office’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Nick Mohammed has been faithful to the stage for a very long time; his helium-voiced comedy character Mr Swallow has been a fixture at comedy venues for 16 years. But he reckons he landed the gig hosting the Oliviers, the biggest night in theatre, because of a strong performance elsewhere: The Celebrity Traitors. There, he sleuthed his way to the end, almost taking down eventual winner Alan Carr, before falling at the final hurdle. “I’m sure Celebrity Traitors is one of the biggest, if not the single reason I’m getting to host the Oliviers,” the funnyman tells me. “I could have gone out on day one or two, and then I probably wouldn’t be doing it.” Mohammed is an inspired choice, picking up the mantle from Beverley Knight, Billy Porter, and his Ted Lasso co-star Hannah Waddingham, who hosted in 2023 …

Father Ted star Ben Keaton dies suddenly aged 69: ‘We are all in shock’

Father Ted star Ben Keaton dies suddenly aged 69: ‘We are all in shock’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Father Ted actor Ben Keaton has died, aged 69, with his family leading tributes to the Irish star. Keaton, who was born Ben Burke-Kennedy, was best known for playing Father Austin Purcell in the Channel 4 show, appearing in a 1996 episode. He later appeared in Casualty, Doctors, children’s programme Hububb and Emmerdale, in which he played Rita’s Brannigan’s father, Jeff. While Keaton’s cause of death has not been announced, his family described his death as “unexpected”. Ben Keaton is survived by his son Waldo and daughter Daisy (BBC) Keaton’s family announced his death in the Irish Times on Friday (20 March), writing: “Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette.” His ex-wife, Polly Kelly Keaton, also paid tribute to the actor on Facebook, …

Father Ted actor dies aged 70 as fans mourn ‘wonderful’ man | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV

Father Ted actor dies aged 70 as fans mourn ‘wonderful’ man | Celebrity News | Showbiz & TV

Published by Sam Flores

Fans of HUGE 90s sitcom Father Ted go wild as castmates Patrick McDonnell, Paddy Ward and Ben Keaton reunite almost 30 years after show first aired (Image: undefined) Father Ted actor Ben Keaton has died aged 70. Keaton, who played Father Austin Purcell in the cherished comedy series, alongside roles in Casualty and Doctors, passed away at Lincoln County Hospital on Friday, it has been confirmed, The Mirror reports. His death notice states: “Ben will be forever greatly missed, loved and fondly remembered by his ex-wife Polly, son Waldo and daughter Daisy, brothers Des and Thom, sister Jeanette.” Paying tribute, the Nottingham Playhouse remarked: “We are so sorry to hear of the death of Ben Keaton, a wonderful actor who is fondly remembered in our 2008 production of Vertigo. Sending our deepest sympathies to his family and friends.” Ensure our latest news headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings. Meanwhile, a …

Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Shifts Focus to Europe After Failed WB Deal

Netflix’s Ted Sarandos Shifts Focus to Europe After Failed WB Deal

Published by Daniella Wilson

Ted Sarandos is so over Warner Bros. Less than one month after Netflix walked away from its takeover bid for the storied studio major, the co-CEO is trying to shift the focus from the streamer’s failed Hollywood merger to its future plans for Europe. In a wide-ranging interview with Politico in Brussels, published on Tuesday, the Netflix Co-CEO was keen to discuss new efforts by the EU to regulate the media industry, but appeared eager to put the story of Netflix’s unsuccessful WBD bid to bed. In the interview, Sarandos insisted there was “no political interference” from the Trump administration in the WBD negotiations, which saw Warner Bros accepting the $111 billion bid by David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance over Netflix’s lower offer. The political dynamics “complicated the narrative [around the deal], not the actual outcomes,” Sarandos said. “I think for us it was always a business transaction.” He also dismissed President Trump’s Feb. 21 post on Truth Social calling for Netflix to fire board member Susan Rice as simply “a social media post… It was …

Seth MacFarlane issues disappointing update on Ted series’ future

Seth MacFarlane issues disappointing update on Ted series’ future

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Seth MacFarlane says there is “no plan” to make a third season of his Ted prequel series because production costs are too high. Ted follows an obnoxious teddy bear, voiced by MacFarlane, who was gifted sentience by a child’s wish. The film partners the sleazy bear with a slacker played by Mark Wahlberg; Ted the series reimagines Wahlberg’s foil as a misfit teenager in the 1990s, played by The Purge’s Max Burkholder. It returned for its second season on Peacock on March 5 to broadly positive reviews; however, it might be the last audiences see of this particular Ted iteration. “What I kept hearing [from Peacock and Universal] was, ‘Listen, the show is really expensive to produce and there’s no way to do it at a lower cost.’ So I said, ‘All right, I hear you loud and clear.’ So I …

‘The Orville’ Season 4 Is Written, Can Return to Hulu

‘The Orville’ Season 4 Is Written, Can Return to Hulu

Published by Daniella Wilson

Seth MacFarlane‘s The Orville may be ready to take flight again. MacFarlane, who is promoting Thursday’s launch for the second season of Peacock series Ted, tells The Hollywood Reporter that the writing team behind The Orville has penned 10 episodes for a potential fourth season. MacFarlane created and stars in the sci-fi series that aired its first two seasons on Fox before moving to Hulu for a third run that debuted in June 2022. “I will be honest with you: Season four is written,” MacFarlane says of The Orville. “It’s just a question of when we have the time to produce it.” The prolific producer confirmed that Hulu would be ready to move forward on the new season, but his own packed schedule has made it challenging to find time for him to shoot. “The 10 scripts are done,” MacFarlane continues. “I’m the problem. It’s [a matter of] when I can make that my year, with all the other stuff we have in the works. But we can hit the ground running when it happens.” …

Ted Sarandos on Netflix Nixing Warner Bros. Bid

Ted Sarandos on Netflix Nixing Warner Bros. Bid

Published by Daniella Wilson

When Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos left the White House on Feb. 26, journalists tracking the streamer’s bid to buy Warner Bros.’ storied movie and TV studios, along with HBO Max, scoured photographs capturing his every expression, from the slightest hint of defeat to a smile. Ultimately, he looked like the cat who ate the canary. That interpretation isn’t so far off the mark, according to the first interview Sarandos has given, to Bloomberg News, since Netflix unveiled that it was pulling out of its $82.7 billion proposed deal minutes after Sarandos drove away from 1,600 Pennsylvania Ave., rather than try to match a sweetened bid submitted by David Ellison‘s Paramount-Skydance, valued at $111 billion. That includes taking on more than $95 million in debt, making it the largest leveraged buyout in history in a move that could disrupt Hollywood to its core and result in massive layoffs. Many assume that Ellison’s father — Oracle founder and Trump friend Larry Ellison, who is among the world’s richest men — will always provide a life raft, although …

Ted Sarandos Responds to Trump Telling Netflix to Fire Susan Rice

Ted Sarandos Responds to Trump Telling Netflix to Fire Susan Rice

Published by Daniella Wilson

Netflix boss Ted Sarandos has responded to a social media call from Donald Trump to fire board member Susan Rice. “This is a business deal. It’s not a political deal. This deal is run by the Department of Justice in the U.S. and regulators throughout Europe and around the world,” Sarandos told BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today program on Monday. His comments came as Netflix and Paramount are battling to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Currently serving as a Netflix board member, Rice formerly served as the U.S. National Security Advisor from 2013-2017 and the Domestic Policy Advisor from 2021-2023 during Democratic administrations. Sarandos also brushed off a question about Trump intervening directly as the bidding for Warner Bros. plays out by adding: “He likes to do a lot of things on social media.” The Netflix co-CEO, who was in London for the BAFTA Awards on Sunday night, also talked up his bid for WBD ahead of a Monday deadline for rival bidder Paramount to submit a “best and final” offer. Sarandos argued a Warner Bros. …

As Ted Sarandos Went to the Senate, Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ Raised Eyebrows on Netflix

As Ted Sarandos Went to the Senate, Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ Raised Eyebrows on Netflix

Published by Sam Flores

Netflix can’t move forward with its proposed deal for Warner Bros. Discovery unless the federal government approves the merger. Meanwhile, Paramount Skydance—run by David Ellison, whose father, Larry Ellison, is a longtime Trump ally—has been attempting to coordinate a $108 billion hostile takeover of WBD. Variety reports that Senator Cory Booker invited David Ellison to the Netflix-Sarandos hearing, but the Paramount Skydance CEO declined to attend due to the WBD board’s rejection of its offer. Even so, Ellison has remained vocal about his disdain for the proposed Netflix-WBD deal. On Thursday, Ellison published an open letter to the UK creative community suggesting that Netflix’s takeover of the WBD library would create a “monopolistic or dominant entity,” per Deadline. Cinema United, the trade organization for theater owners that was previously known as the National Association of Theatre Owners, made its own objections to the proposed deal in a six-page statement to the Senate committee that was released publicly on Thursday. A merger would be “economically and culturally catastrophic” for the entertainment industry, the statement reads. But …