The Hollywood Reporter

The moment I knew I wanted to make a film about Brooke Shields was when she handed me a hard drive. We had just met for the first time in person. I certainly enjoyed talking to her — she was intelligent, hilarious and deep — and I imagined she was generally someone I’d like being around. But Brooke Shields was still more idea than person to me at that point, a symbol of a time right around my childhood that I know I lived through but wasn’t sure if I related to or understood. I wondered what I could personally bring to this project that was unique, what about her life could be resonant for me. We were meeting specifically because Brooke wanted someone, a director, to come into her home, her…

SCRIPTED VARIETY SERIES A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO/Max) Robin Thede’s baby is in contention for a fourth season offering everything from a “Mary J. Brunch” to Slack-using gangs, with three new castmembers and guest stars including Colman Domingo and Issa Rae. Two prior seasons were nominated for this category’s predecessor. History of the World: Part II (Hulu) At 96, Mel Brooks has finally delivered a sequel to his cult-favorite 1981 film — though much of the heavy lifting was done by younger comics like Nick Kroll, who wrote, directed, produced and starred on the show, which references pop culture while revisiting historic events. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO/Max) Thanks to TV Academy rule changes, the once-a-week talker is now in the running for this Emmy, having previously competed with — and every year…

Showbiz!” is not only actor and nightlife legend Murray Hill’s signature catchphrase — it’s a perfect descriptor of the besuited Somebody Somewhere star’s Old Hollywood charm. Hill has been a cabaret host and Lower East Side fixture since arriving in New York City more than 20 years ago. It was at a lesbian dive called Hershey Bar that Hill was first exposed to drag kings (women impersonating men). “It was all about masculinity and passing, very heavy and dark,” says Hill. “It wasn’t camp or comedy like the drag queens I’d seen. It wasn’t euphoric.” Detecting an untapped market, Murray Hill was born, the name adopted from Hill’s actual East Side neighborhood at the time. Anyone who’s seen Hill onscreen or onstage — or simply sat down for a cocktail with him…

Father of the Bride (HBO/Max) This remake is the third iteration of this story (after the 1950 Spencer Tracy original and 1991 adaptation starring Steve Martin). This time, the tale of a possessive father preparing for his daughter’s wedding is set in the context of a Cuban American family living in Miami. Andy Garcia stars as the eponymous patriarch, Gloria Estefan portrays his wife and Adria Arjona plays the bride. Fire Island (Hulu) Andrew Ahn directs this sweet and edgy comedy written by star Joel Kim Booster, who modernizes Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice for a contemporary queer audience. The comedy of manners takes place on the gay enclave in Long Island, where Booster and co-stars (including Bowen Yang and Margaret Cho) spend a summer week partying, looking for love and celebrating their…

At just 25, Sydney Sweeney is seemingly everywhere. Indeed, over the past year, she received two Emmy nominations, best supporting actress in a drama series for Euphoria and best supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or TV movie for The White Lotus. She also landed a spot on Time magazine’s 100 Next list. And she is now garnering the best reviews of her career and, once again, Emmy buzz, for her portrayal of Reality Winner, a former NSA contractor who leaked government secrets, in Tina Satter’s Reality, which HBO released May 29. As a guest on Awards Chatter, Sweeney — described by Elle as “the TikTok demographic’s favorite bombshell” and “the queen of Gen Z characters, Hollywood’s newest ‘It’ girl” — reflects on her “overnight success” that was,…

EVERYTHING SUCKS! (2018) Sweeney starred in 10 episodes of the series created by Ben York Jones and Michael Mohan. The show, which parodies teen culture in the mid-1990s, was canceled in 2018 after one season. EUPHORIA (2019-) Sweeney plays Cassie Howard on the hit HBO series created by Sam Levinson. Last year, She was nominated for an Emmy for her work on the show. THE WHITE LOTUS (2021) Sweeney played the snarky and outspoken Olivia Mossbacher on the Hawaii-set first season of Mike White’s series. The cast included Jennifer Coolidge, Connie Britton, Murray Bartlett, Steve Zahn and Brittany O’Grady (pictured, right).…