Big Ten Strikes New Rights Pacts With CBS, NBC, Fox; Drops ESPN

Saturday Night Live has added its first non-binary cast member.Comedian Molly Kearney, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, will star in the sketch show's upcoming 48th season.The news comes amid a mass exodus of veteran cast members, including fan-favorites Pete Davidson and Kate McKinnon. A first: Saturday Night Live has added its first non-binary cast member Comedian Molly Kearney, who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, will star in the sketch show's upcoming 48th season; pictured in 2019'MEATBRICK MOVED TO NEW YORK !!!!' captioned Kearney, who eagerly shared their SNL headshot to Instagram on Thursday.They are no stranger to television as they recently starred as Fern Dannely in Amazon's series remake of the classic 1992 film A League of Their Own.They've also appeared in the Disney+ comedy-drama series The Mighty Ducks, which was released in March 2021.

Jared Leto cut a very relaxed figure while riding a bike through the streets of New York City on Thursday. The 50-year-old actor donned a white and red Gucci x Adidas jacket and slim black trousers. He accessorized with black sneakers, and he pulled a ball cap with a huge smiley face on it low over his eyes.  Looking relaxed: Jared Leto cut a very relaxed figure while riding a bike through the streets of New York City on ThursdayThe Morbius star carried a red backpack and black fanny pack which seemed to have his band's name, Thirty Seconds to Mars, on it.    He rode on a CitiBike and threw up a piece sign for the onlookers. Thursday marked a rare day off for The Fight Club actor who has a number of projects coming soon.  Stylish jacket: The 50-year-old actor donned a white and red Gucci x Adidas and slim black trousers Big reboot: He's set to appear in the Disney reboot of Haunted Mansion starring Owen Wilson. The film will be released on Disney+ next year (pictured March 2022) He's set to appear in the Disney reboot of Haunted Mansion starring Owen Wilson.

Jeff Bridges is sharing about his recent fight for life, where he battled both COVID-19 and cancer at the same time.And what made things extremely dire was that he had to undergo chemotherapy treatments while the coronavirus wreaked havoc on his immune system.'The chemo wipes out your immune system and when COVID hit me, I had nothing to fight it,' the Crazy Heart star, 72, revealed to E! News, before confessing, 'I was just really at death's door a couple of times there.'  Story of survival: Jeff Bridges, 72, is opening up about his recent health battles that the actor revealed had him on 'death's door' The Academy Award-winning actor revealed he had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in October 2020. While most people with NHL survive at least 5 years after a diagnosis, older people like Bridges are more likely to die from the condition, according to Medical News Today.Other factors that affect an individuals outlook include the stage and spread of the cancer.

Casper Van Dien, known for his iconic role in 90s classic, Starship Troopers, supported his daughter, Grace Van Dien, at the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday.The talented actor, 53, walked the red carpet with his daughter and the two posed for a few adorable photos together. The budding actress, 25, has followed in her father's footsteps and recently starred as Chrissy Cunningham in season four of Netflix's Stranger Things.   Proud father: Casper Van Dien, 53, supported his daughter, Grace Van Dien, 25, on the red carpet of the premiere of her latest film at TIFF on Thursday Grace opted for a chic, all black ensemble to attend the red carpet screening of her newest thriller titled, Roost.  She donned a fitted, black mini dress with thin straps which she paired with sheer, black tights. The beauty chose to slip into a pair of Mary Jane heels to complete her overall look for the exciting evening. To accessorize her elegant ensemble, the Stranger Things actress added a black choker and a pearled headband in her blonde locks along with a pearl bracelet.  Talented actor: The star is known for his role in the Starship Troopers franchise which began in the 1990s Beautiful: The Stranger Things actress looked elegantly chic in a fitted black mini dress and Mary Jane heels The 90s heart throb matched his daughter's ensemble by wearing a black suit along with a matching black dress shirt. The actor opted for a pop of color along with his black suit by adding a leopard print tie and dress shoes of the same pattern. The father daughter duo appeared to be in good spirits as they posed for a brief photo session.

Allison Janney opted for classic black while her co-star Jurnee Smollett wore a funky blue top on Thursday for the premiere of their film Lou in Los Angeles. The 62-year-old Hollywood star wore a demure knee-length black lace dress with long sleeves and a high collar.She completed her outfit with black heels and added a pop of color by carrying a bright red purse.  Classy look: Allison Janney opted for classic black while her co-star Jurnee Smollett wore a funky blue top on Thursday for the premiere of their film Lou in Los AngelesAllison accentuated her natural beauty with full makeup and accessorized with dangling earrings.Jurnee, 35, stood out in a wild blue top with puffy shoulders, plunging neckline and dangling strands of shades of blue. She finished her look with black capri pants and matching black heels.Jurnee had her dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail and accessorized with earrings and rings.

Chrissy Teigen has revealed that her late son Jack's passing in September 2020 was the result of a life-saving abortion, not a miscarriage as she originally stated.The wife of John Legend, 36, explained that she made the 'difficult decision' to terminate the pregnancy at 20 weeks after coming to terms with the fact that she nor Jack would likely survive.'Let's just call it what it was: It was an abortion. An abortion to save my life for a baby that had absolutely no chance.

Angelina Pivarnick turned to Uncle Nino for late-night advice amid her imminent divorce on Thursday's episode of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation on MTV.The 36-year-old reality star during a group trip had a serious conversation with Uncle Nino who normally entertains with his drunken antics and foul-mouthed jokes.'You've also been divorced. Was it hard for you, or were you just, like, done?,' Angelina asked him.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor When Brian Stelter signed off from the last installment of CNN’s “Reliable Sources” Aug. 21, the number of mainstream vehicles analyzing an increasingly confusing media industry shrank even further.  Stelter bid farewell the same day Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan ended her run — asking such notables as Carl Bernstein and Jeffrey Goldberg on air whether the press is doing enough to cover topics ranging from disinformation to climate change. The lead story of his hour was a dire one: his program’s own cancellation after three decades. “It’s going to be on you to hold CNN accountable,” Stelter told viewers in the show’s waning moments, later adding: “The free world needs a reliable source.” 

Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor NBCUniversal is getting out of the Washington sports business. Comcast, parent of NBCU, agreed to sell its 67% stake in NBC Sports Washington to Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which currently owns the remaining 33% of the entity. MSE acquired the stake in 2016. Financial terms of the current deal were not disclosed. NBC Sports Washington holds exclusive rights for Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals games, and is distributed throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, as well as parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware and West Virginia. The regional sports outlet launched as Home Team Sports in April of 1984.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN sure likes to keep ’em guessing.After canceling media-affairs show “Reliable Sources,” which often tilted at the content of Fox News Channel, CNN plans to air a previously-announced documentary mini-series about that network’s owners.“The Murdochs: Empire of Influence,” a seven-part documentary series previously planned for the now-scuttled streaming site CNN+, will debut on CNN”s flagship cable outlet in the fall. The original series will debut with a two-episode premiere on Sunday, September 25.The series was produced with The New York Times and Left/Right and is based on the New York Times Magazine article “How Rupert Murdoch’s Empire of Influence Remade the World,” by journalists Jonathan Mahler and Jim Rutenberg. They serve as consulting producers on the series. The program aims to examine the rise of Rupert Murdoch, his global influence and the battle for succession among his children. In an announcement about the series in February, CNN said the series “charts the high-stakes deal making, political maneuvering and dynastic betrayals — and how the ambitions of one family birthed one of the largest media empires in history.”

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCNN has enlisted a new executive to help it generate programming ideas.Ryan Kadro, a veteran of “CBS This Morning” and several digital ventures, is set to join CNN as a senior vice president of content strategy, overseeing the development of new programming such as a revamped morning show and other new concepts,  according to a spokesperson for the network and two other people familiar with the matter.Kadro is a former lieutenant to Chris Licht, the CEO of CNN, and succeeded him as executive producer after he left the CBS morning program to work with Stephen Colbert on CBS’ “Late Show.”His hire puts a trusted executive in place to create programming in which Licht is said to have a strong interest.  Licht, who helped launch “Morning Joe” and the most recent iteration of “CBS This Morning,” is said to be eager to revamp to play more robustly against the A.M. competition and to find a new program to fill CNN’s 9 p.m, hour.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorBobby Flay plans to introduce a new recipe for cooking completions.Food Networjk will launch “Bobby’s Triple Threat,” a six-episode primetime series that has one hopeful chef compete against a trio of culinary titans picked by Flay himself. The show debuts Tuesday, September 27 at 9 p.m.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorPeyton Manning wants to go to the mat in his ongoing bid to create a sports-content empire.The football legend, who gained notice last year when he and his brother Eli launched an accompanying “ManningCast” for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” is backing a similar concept for ESPN’s UFC pay-per-view streams. Fans who opt to watch Saturday night’s welterweight bout between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards via ESPN+ will also have access to a second stream featuring Rob Gronkowski and his brothers Chris, Dan, Glenn and Gordie Jr. along with father Gordon, who will host what is being called “ UFC 278 with The Gronks.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorThere’s a new resident making a home in Fox Nation alongside Nancy Grace and the police from “Cops.”Amanda Whittier is a widow trying to make new friends in a small seaside town after the death of her husband. Unlike Grace and the police, Whittier is fictional, a character in a new original movie meant to pluck the heartstrings and continue to broaden the audience on the streaming outlet, which is part of Fox News Media.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorOne of the commercials running on the streaming-video site Pluto is big enough to look just like one of its many content selections.Rather than break up a streaming show with a selection of traditional commercials, Ancestry decided to create a short film that its executives hoped would be as enticing as anything else consumers tried to binge. As part of a pact with Paramount Global, the vignette streamed on Pluto as well as CBS News’ streaming-video properties.Before Juneteenth, the online genealogy service released “A Dream Delivered: The Lost Letters of Hawkins Wilson,” which follows one family’s effort to find relatives of an ancestor, Hawkins Wilson, who was born into slavery.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWall Street recently cheered Disney’s fiscal performance, judging by how the stock has performed since the company offered details of its second quarter performance. And yet, there are some investors who still think the owner of ABC, Disney World and Hulu has much further to go.In an Aug.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorCarrie Underwood doesn’t have to open NBC Sports’ “Sunday Night Football” all by herself.The show, one of TV’s most-watched programs each year, hopes to take on new relevancy this season by incorporating scenes from each week’s host city and activity from the stadium in the opening segment starring Carrie Underwood.Fans have seen the famous singer belting out “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” for years. NBC hopes dedicating a film crew to capturing the action around the game on the day it’s played will add a boost to the proceedings and get fans more engaged.“This season, with stadiums full again, we wanted to get that sense of reality and optimism and energy – and the more authentic connection that comes with that,” says Tripp Dixon, creative director for the show open for each of the past 10 years.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorJeffrey Toobin, the veteran legal analyst and writer who has opined on cases and the courts for CNN since 2002, appears to have offered his last testimony at the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed news outlet.In a letter sent Friday to colleagues, Toobin revealed that he is parting ways with CNN, which has backed him in good times and bad.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorShannon Bream has been picked to take over “Fox News Sunday”, the Fox News politics and public affairs program long anchored by Chris Wallace, making her the first female correspondent to anchor the show in its 26-year history.Her official tenure on the show begins September 11, Fox News said Thursday. Bream will continue as the network’s chief legal correspondent.