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'Rick and Morty' creator dropped by Hulu after abuse charges

LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Hulu on Wednesday became the second television company to cut ties with "Rick and Morty" creator Justin Roiland after felony domestic abuse charges against him were revealed. “We have ended our association with Justin Roiland," 20th TV Animation and Hulu Originals said in a statement. On Tuesday, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim division, home to the animated sci-fi sitcom “Rick and Morty,” made the same move, saying in a brief statement that they have ended their association with Roiland. Squanch Games, a video game developer Roiland co-founded, said on Twitter later Tuesday that he had resigned from the company. Roiland provided the voices of the two title characters, a mad scientist and his grandson, in “Rick and Morty."

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For 1st month ever, streamers rule broadcast, cable networks

NEW YORK — (AP) — This summer has been a breakthrough for streaming, with the time viewers spent watching services like Netflix and Hulu outpacing broadcast and cable television networks in July for the first month ever. Viewers spent 35% of their time with streamers, 34% on cable networks and 22% watching broadcast television last month, the Nielsen company said Thursday. July is an unusual month — broadcast TV is essentially on vacation with little live sports or scripted programming and a prime-time schedule clogged with game shows — but it's a clear indication of how rapidly the business is changing. The return of football games and a new season of fresh scripted shows this fall should boost the broadcast networks, Fuhrer said. For one thing, media companies that own broadcast networks also have sister streaming services — CBS and Paramount+, NBC and Peacock, for instance — and generally see streaming as the future, he said.

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Dan Loeb's Third Point takes new stake in Disney

Daniel Loeb's Third Point has taken a new stake in Disney, according to a letter obtained by CNBC's David Faber. In a letter to Disney CEO Bob Chapek, Loeb urged the entertainment company to integrate streamer Hulu directly into the Disney+ direct-to-consumer platform. Comcast has an agreement to sell its 33% stake in Hulu to Disney in two years. Loeb said Disney should "make every attempt" to acquire Comcast's remaining minority stake before the 2024 deadline. He had held a stake for two years from 2020 to early 2022, pushing Disney to ramp up its streaming services.

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Keanu Reeves takes rare TV role in historical thriller

TV-Keanu Reeves FILE - Keanu Reeves appears at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2020. Reeves will star in a TV adaptation of “The Devil in the White City.” The nonfiction thriller about ambition, a killer and the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago was written by Erik Larson. The Hulu streaming service says that Reeves will portray Daniel H. Burnham, an architect who helped design the fair. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File) (Jordan Strauss)LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Keanu Reeves will star in a TV adaptation of “The Devil in the White City,” the bestselling nonfiction thriller about ambition, a killer and the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. The fair’s nickname was White City, stemming from the color of many of its building exteriors.

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Ellen Pompeo cutting back on her 'Grey's Anatomy' episodes

TV-Grey’s Anatomy-Pompeo This image released by ABC shows Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey in a scene from "Grey's Anatomy." (ABC via AP) (Uncredited)LOS ANGELES — (AP) — Dr. Meredith Grey will be cutting back her workload on “Grey's Anatomy.”Series star Ellen Pompeo is set to appear in eight episodes of the hospital drama — about a third of the usual per-season number — when the ABC show returns for its 19th season on Oct. 6. Pompeo is reducing her commitment as she prepares to star in an untitled, limited series based on the real-life story of a tangled 2010 adoption involving a U.S. couple. There will be newcomers to help pick up the slack at fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital in Seattle. Pompeo is one among the few original remaining cast members, which include Chandra Wilson and James Pickens Jr.

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Jamie Foxx to play Mike Tyson in boxer's take on his life

Foxx will play the boxing great in the project that also counts Foxx and filmmaker Martin Scorsese as producers. (Photos by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, left, and Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)LOS ANGELES – Mike Tyson is getting in the TV drama ring against himself. On the heels of Hulu's announcement of a Tyson miniseries to be made without his involvement, the boxing great said he's producing a limited series starring Jamie Foxx. Filmmaker Martin Scorsese and Foxx also are among the producers. Last month, Hulu said it had ordered the eight-episode series “Iron Mike,” saying it would explore the “the wild, tragic and controversial life and career” of a polarizing athlete.

Hulu sets Mike Tyson miniseries, but the boxer punches back

FILE - In this Aug. 2, 2019, file photo, Mike Tyson attends a celebrity golf tournament in Dana Point, Calif. Hulu on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, announced it has ordered Iron Mike, a limited series about the life of boxing great Mike Tyson. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)LOS ANGELES – Hulu announced it has ordered a limited series dramatizing the life of boxing great Mike Tyson, who quickly slammed the production as “cultural misappropriation.”In a press release Thursday, Hulu said “Iron Mike” will explore “the wild, tragic and controversial life and career” of a polarizing athlete. Tyson, who is not involved in the project, criticized Hulu on social media, saying the series smacked of insensitivity. “Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized mini-series of the Tyson story without compensation, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising,” Tyson said in an Instagram post. The eight-episode “Iron Mike” is from the makers of “I, Tonya,” the 2017 movie that starred Margot Robbie as ice skater Tonya Harding.

Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny co-writing mystery novel

This combination photo shows former secretary of state Hillary Clinton at the premiere of the Hulu documentary "Hillary" in New York on March 4, 2020, left, and a portrait of author Louise Penny. Clinton is teaming up with Penny on the novel State of Terror, out Oct. 12, 2021. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, left, and Jean-Francois Brub via AP)NEW YORK – One of the world's better known fans of mystery novels, Hillary Rodham Clinton, is now writing one. “Writing a thriller with Louise is a dream come true," Clinton, who has expressed admiration for Penny and other mystery writers in the past, said in a statement Tuesday. Hillary Clinton, secretary of state during Barack Obama's first term, has written a handful of nonfiction works.

New this week: Billie Eilish, Billie Holiday and Superman

This combination photo shows promotional art for Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, a documentary debuting Friday on Apple TV+, from left, The United States vs. Billie Holiday," premiering Friday on Hulu and Superman & Lois," a new series premiering Tuesday on The CW. (AppleTV+/Hulu/The CW via AP)Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Ad— Based on Johann Hari’s 2015 book, “Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs,” Lee Daniels' “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” chronicles the legendary jazz singer's addiction and activism. Andra Day, who's nominated for a Golden Globe, plays Holiday in the biopic, which premieres Friday on Hulu. ET at the Amazon Music Twitch channel and will feature music from the group’s new album, “Life Rolls On,” released on Feb. 12.

Disney+ subscribers reach 86.8 million worldwide

Chapek said Disney+ subscribers worldwide have reached 86.8 million, up from 74 million last month. But Disney also kept its biggest films — including Marvel's “Black Widow," Pixar's “Luca,” a “Lion King” prequel — on course for theatrical release. Jenkins becomes the first woman to direct a “Star Wars” film. Among the “Star Wars” series are two spinoffs of “The Mandalorian,” set during the series' timeline: “Rangers of the New Republic” and “Ahsoka,” with Rosario Dawson. Seven Disney films topped $1 billion worldwide.

Greta Thunberg on 2 very surreal years of protest and fame

This image released by Hulu shows activist Greta Thunberg, center, in a scene from the documentary "I Am Greta." (Hulu via AP)NEW YORK – In the first days of Greta Thunberg’s solitary sidewalk protest outside Swedish Parliament in August 2018, most walk right past her. I think: Oh, I was so young and naive back then — which is quite funny,” says Thunberg, recalling her first days of protest in an interview. “I don’t really like the title of the film, ‘I Am Greta.’ It makes it seem like I take myself very seriously,” says Thunberg. Asked how she felt watching news clips of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin deriding her in the film, Thunberg laughs.

New this week: 'I Am Greta,' Chris Stapleton & CMA Awards

This image released by Hulu shows activist Greta Thunberg, center, in a scene from the documentary "I Am Greta" the story of Thunberg, the teenage Swedish schoolgirl who is leading the global school strike for action on climate change. (Hulu via AP)Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIES— When Greta Thunberg began protesting outside Swedish Parliament two years ago, it only took days for director Nathan Grossman to start trailing her in her mission to prod government leaders on the climate crisis. “I Am Greta,” which premieres Friday on Hulu, documents the enormous movement fueled by Thunberg’s one-person school strike, and a few very surreal years for the Swedish teenager. — After releasing two chart-topping albums in 2017, superstar country singer-songwriter Chris Stapleton is back with a new collection of songs coming out Friday.

'Bad Hair' movie explores Black women and hairstyle messages

(Tobin Yellan/Hulu via AP)LOS ANGELES – Several scenes in the film “Bad Hair” were so horrifying that some cast members initially second-guessed their own use of hair weave or extensions. The dark comedy horror is “only a film," they say, but the story’s underlying messages of harmful hair weave and false beauty standards for Black women had a lasting effect. Ultimately, she discovers that her newly installed hair is possessed, taking over her body and causing harm to others. A weave is a popular method where hair wefts are sewn onto braided hair and styled in any manner. He said the writing process started with talking to some of his closest friends who are Black women.

What to watch this weekend: ‘Pen15,’ ‘Ratched’ and more

Thinking that you’ve dried up the old Netflix cue when it comes to new shows and movies to watch? Here are a few suggestions if you’re looking for something new to watch this weekend. It kind of resembles another Netflix competition show, “Nailed It," in which amateur bakers are encouraged to just do their best. ‘Great British Baking Show’The tent is back, the tent is back! ‘American Barbecue Showdown’If you’re a fan of “Great British Baking Show,” then “American Barbecue Showdown” will be right up your alley.

Padma Lakshmi’s ‘Taste the Nation’ on Hulu is the perfect TV show for a food getaway

Truly, Padma Lakshmi’s new show on Hulu, “Taste the Nation,” is the perfect thing to watch if you’re missing life on the road. The first episode of “Taste the Nation” illustrates just how Lakshmi will get to the bottom of her questions. “Taste the Nation” is also just a great showcase for Lakshmi. After being a cookbook author and reality TV show host, getting to take the lead on “Taste the Nation” is the cherry on top for this gifted woman. All episodes of “Taste the Nation” are currently streaming on Hulu.