Michael Schneider: Last News

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeInstructional streamer Wondrium has ordered three seasons of “Wondrium Insights,” a new speaker series featuring guests including world champion boxer and Olympic gold medalist Sugar Ray Leonard, swimming legend and host Diana Nyad and singer/songwriter Mary Lambert.The series will be distributed globally on Wondrium later this year. According to the service, “Each speaker will present their personal stories and challenges giving viewers an intimate opportunity to learn and discover tools that can help with perseverance, resilience, and success.”Besides Leonard, Nyad and Lambert, the speakers also include former NBA player Jay Williams, social entrepreneur Shiza Shahid, astronaut/athlete/author Leland Melvin, former NFL linebacker Ryan Shazier, Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, STEM education innovator Knatokie Ford, mentor/entrepreneur Ivy McGregor, rock climber Kevin Jorgeson, science and technology journalist David Kushner, Flickr co-founder/venture capitalist Caterina Fake, AI artist/musician/storyteller Taryn Southern and clinical psychologist Dr.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeIf you were expecting this week’s “Saturday Night Live” to kick off with a sketch parodying the Will Smith/Chris Rock slap at the Oscars, you may have been disappointed by the cold open. The slap was indeed mentioned, but it was just one of several topics brought up as the show once again turned to a Fox News parody to lead the episode.This week, it was another go at “Fox and Friends,” featuring hosts Steve Doocy (played by Alex Moffat), Ainsley Earhardt (Heidi Gardner) and Brian Kilmeade (Mikey Day). The hosts welcomed Clarence Thomas (Kenan Thompson) and wife Ginni Thomas (Kate McKinnon) — whose support of the January 6 attempted coup has become a lightning rod for scandal.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe Alec Baldwin-hosted “Match Game” isn’t expected to return to ABC, as the Alphabet web begins to firm up its plans for its annual game show-heavy summer lineup.Also unlikely to return are “Card Sharks,” “Celebrity Dating Game” and “The Hustler,” while “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Press Your Luck” and “The $100,000 Pyramid” are expected to be back.The fate of “Match Game” had been the source of speculation in the wake of Baldwin’s accidental shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the independent production “Rust” last fall. But ABC’s decision to cancel “Match Game” is not related to that incident; “Match Game” hasn’t been in production since 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic — and only aired two new episodes in 2021, which had been left over from the previous year. The latest revival of “Match Game,” hosted by Baldwin, debuted in 2016, and ran for five seasons.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeFor his landmark 700th vanity card, Chuck Lorre chose physics. Lorre’s 700th card happened to coincide with the 100th episode of “Young Sheldon,” which he co-created and executive produces with Steve Molaro.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large“Young Sheldon” isn’t so young anymore — and as the hit CBS comedy marks its 100th episode, the series is growing up along with its title star. Co-creator and executive producer Steve Molaro told Variety that as Sheldon, played by Iain Armitage, enters his teenage years and starts attending college, more grown-up storylines have started to reflect that change.“It’s hard to believe that we started out the pilot [in 2017] when Iain was eight years old,” Molaro said. “And Raegan Revord, who plays Missy, was eight or nine.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSupermodel Bella Hadid has joined the cast of Hulu’s “Ramy” as a recurring guest star in Season 3. Details have not yet been revealed on Hadid’s character or her relationship to the show’s other characters just yet.“Ramy” reps the first credited scripted role for Hadid.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 7, Episode 4, of “The Masked Singer,” “Masking For It — The Good, the Bad and the Cuddly — Round 2,” which aired March 30 on Fox.It was a brief, but eventful, tenure on “The Masked Singer” for supermodel Christie Brinkley, who was revealed on this week’s episode as the Lemur. According to Brinkley, she was ill the actual day of the performance on the show.“I had a real bout of food poisoning the night before,” she told Variety. “And so I was running on empty that morning.”Brinkley was the first celebrity to depart during Round 2 of Season 7, which means she only got to perform one song on the show: “I Feel the Earth Move,” by Carole King.

Variety Staff Follow Us on TwitterMichael Schneider has been elevated to Television Editor of Variety, overseeing TV industry coverage as well as TV awards-related news and features.Variety is also expanding its TV presence with editor-at-large Kate Aurthur taking on new responsibilities for leading fan-focused coverage of TV content. Variety is increasing its investment in coverage of current series, from series previews and first-looks to episodic recaps, cast and showrunner Q&As, critical commentary, post-mortems, scene breakdowns and other content that fuels word-of-mouth and social conversation around TV.Schneider and Aurthur will work closely together in steering the industry’s largest team of TV-focused reporters.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeVariety’s Clayton Davis has seen a lot of things. But nothing prepared him for being in the audience at Sunday’s Oscars, and witnessing Will Smith leap on stage and smack Chris Rock — and the awkward aftermath inside the Dolby Theater.“It’s the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been in my life,” Davis says on this week’s special Oscars Recap edition of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. “And I grew up in the Bronx, where fights happen all the time! I was squirming in my chair, like, I couldn’t function.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeABC’s Rob Mills was sitting in the Oscars production trailer on Sunday night when the show’s producers and director Glenn Weiss realized things were starting to go awry.“Chris Rock came on and he was doing, I think, material based on what happened that night as any comedian will do,” Mills recalled to Variety the day after the now-infamous Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscar Slap. “He made the [‘G.I. Jane’] joke.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeIn support of Ukraine, the Executive Committee of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has announced that it will bar all programs from Russia from this year’s International Emmy Awards competition.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 7, Episode 3, of “The Masked Singer,” “The Double Unmasking — Round 1 Finals,” which aired March 23 on Fox.Nope, the unmasking we’re all dreading still didn’t happen in Week 3 of “The Masked Singer,” as two more celebrities exited the show in a double elimination. Exiting this week were “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0” star Jorge Reyes, who had performed as the Cyclops, and Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, revealed as the Thingamabob.Reyes, as Cyclops (from “Team Bad”), ended his run after a stirring rendition of “Flashdance (What a Feeling),” by Irene Cara, while Mailata, as Thingamabob (from “Team Cuddly”), sang “Classic,” by MKTO. Neither were guessed by any of the show’s panelists.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeChris O’Donnell was on set at “NCIS: Los Angeles,” checking his emails, when co-star LL Cool J started looking over his shoulder. O’Donnell happened to be reading about a reality TV idea that his buddy Reinout Oerlemans had just pitched.The concept is what would become “Come Dance With Me,” a new family-oriented dance competition that premieres April 15 on CBS.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “The Love Boat” soon will be making another run, promising something for everyone — but this time as a reality dating series.CBS and its sister Australian broadcaster Network 10 have both ordered local versions of “The Real Love Boat,” set to air in the U.S. and Australia later this year.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeThe Chippendales appear to be making a comeback — on the screen, at least. Hulu is developing the eight-episode “Immigrant,” following the story of Chippendales founder Somen “Steve” Banerjee, while Dev Patel and Ben Stiller have been attached to a project about the 80s-era male revue, from producer David Permut, for several years.But beating them both to the punch is A&E’s latest documentary series, the four-part “Secrets of the Chippendales Murders,” which launched March 14. The series continues this Monday with a hefty contribution from longtime Hollywood publicist Jay Schwartz, who in his 20s served as an associate producer at the Chippendales nightclub.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeGet those paternity tests in now, because “Maury” won’t help you find out whether you’re the father beyond this September. “Maury” is the latest daytime talker to announce that it’s ceasing production in 2022, in what is now amounting to a major shift in the daypart.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeWhen DeVaughn Nixon and Norm Nixon Jr. both showed up in the casting offices of HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” on the same day — at the same time — it could have been awkward. And at first, it was.“They both lovingly shit talked each other,” says exec producer Max Borenstein.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAs “Hacks” takes Deborah Vance’s show on the road, she’s encountering a bevy of new characters in Season 2. The series, which is expected to return later this spring on HBO Max (premiere date still TBD), has added Laurie Metcalf, Martha Kelly and Ming-Na Wen as recurring guest stars this season.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeDisney Television Studios has launched an investigation into “Grey’s Anatomy” writer Elisabeth Finch, following questions about personal stories and essays she has written and shared in the past, Variety has confirmed.As first reported by the Ankler, Finch has been put on administrative leave as the studio looks into whether she exaggerated certain aspects of her life, particularly her medical history. Some of Finch’s ailments, which includes a rare form of bone cancer, the loss of part of her leg and knee replacement surgery, were said to have later inspired storylines on “Grey’s Anatomy.”Finch’s resume also includes HBO’s “True Blood” and The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries.” According to the Ankler story, “there are serious concerns within Shondaland and Disney that at least parts of Finch’s life story she shared in the writers room and with press were made up.” “Only Elisabeth can speak to her personal story,” a Shondaland rep told the newsletter.Finch has been credited as a consulting producer on “Grey’s Anatomy” in recent seasons, having previously served as a co-executive producer, supervising producer and producer on the show (which she joined in 2014).

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeSPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 7, Episode 2, of “The Masked Singer,” “Masks at Dawn — Round 1,” which aired March 15 on Fox.Well, this is awkward timing. Joe Buck was the latest celebrity to be revealed on Fox’s “The Masked Singer” — on the same day that Buck also announced that he was splitting from Fox Sports and moving to ESPN.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAs production on Season 2 of HBO’s “The White Lotus” continues in Sicily, Italy, the Television Academy has now confirmed that the show’s first season will nonetheless be eligible to compete as a limited series in this year’s Emmy Awards.The ruling comes even though original cast member Jennifer Coolidge is set to return for the seven-episode second installment of the hit series. Even though that would appear to make Season 2 a continuation of “The White Lotus,” and therefore a drama, the Academy ruled that it could still fall under its rules in the outstanding limited or anthology series category.That’s because, according to the org, “In this case, the reappearance in a subsequent ‘season’ of one character from a large ensemble does not prohibit eligibility based on Academy’s main criteria for limited series.” Coolidge, as wealthy hotel guest Tanya, was a supporting character in Season 1 — though, given the large ensemble cast, all of the show’s actors will be submitting in the supporting categories at the Emmys.It may be a bit of semantics, but the TV Academy stipulates that for a show to be considered a limited series, “the story arc must be completely resolved within its season, with no ongoing storyline and/or main characters in subsequent seasons.”Because Coolidge’s character is not a “main” character, it passes that test on a bit of a technicality.