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‘Hollywood Squares’ Host And Broadway Star Peter Marshall Dies At 98

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1 month ago

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Los Angeles — Peter Marshall, the actor and singer turned game show host who played straight man to the stars for 16 years on “The Hollywood Squares,” has passed away. He was 98.

He died of kidney failure on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles’ Encino neighborhood, according to publicist Harlan Boll.

On more than 5,000 episodes of the series, which aired on NBC from 1966 to 1981, Marshall helped create the mold of the slick, professional, but never overly serious modern game show presenter.

‘Hollywood Squares’ Host And Broadway Star Peter Marshall Dies At 98

But he was often more like a talk show host, and the tic-tac-toe game the participants played, while legitimate, was only an excuse to have fun. Marshall’s queries to regulars such as Paul Lynde, George Gobel, and Joan Rivers were aimed at setting up comic answers before the actual ones.

“It was the easiest thing I’ve ever done in show business,” Marshall stated in a 2010 interview with the Archive of American Television. “I came in, said ‘Hello stars,’ read the questions, and laughed. And it paid quite well.”

“The Hollywood Squares” would become an American cultural institution, establishing Marshall as a household name. During his tenure, it won four Daytime Emmys for outstanding game shows and inspired dozens of international equivalents as well as several US reboots. Not only did it provide a platform for character actors like Charlie Weaver (Cliff Arquette’s stage name) and Wally Cox, but the show also featured several major stars as infrequent guests, including Aretha Franklin, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Ed Asner, and Janet Leigh.

Marshall enjoyed a good rapport with Weaver, Lynde, and others but noted that Gobel, the sarcastic comedian, actor, and variety show host, held a special place in his heart, tweeting in 2021 that “no secret he was my closest friend on Hollywood Squares and my absolute all-time favourite Square!”

Marshall had been in show business practically his whole life before taking the “Squares” stage at forty.

He had toured with big bands as a teenager, was a member of two comedy teams that appeared in nightclubs and on television, had appeared in films as a contract player for Twentieth Century Fox, and had sung in several Broadway musicals when the opportunity arose after Bert Parks, who hosted the pilot, bowed out.

“I am a musician first, not a game show presenter,” Marshall told his hometown newspaper, the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington, West Virginia, in 2013. “That was just a freak opportunity. I had previously worked on Broadway with Julie Harris and was about to return when I took the audition, and I assumed it would be a few weeks, but it turned into 16 years.”

“The Hollywood Squares” was more formal at first, but early on, a producer suggested they create jokes for Lynde, the ever-snarky comedic actor who occupied the center square and became as synonymous with the show as Marshall was.

The first joke would lay the groundwork for the years that followed:

Marshall asked: “Paul, why do motorcyclists wear leather?”

She replied: “Because chiffon wrinkles.”

“That changed the whole thing,” Marshall told the TV archive. “I’d been a straight man. So working with comics was simple for me.”

Born Ralph Pierre LaCock in Clarksburg, West Virginia, Marshall moved about the state as a youth, residing in Wheeling and Huntington.

Marshall’s father died when he was ten, and he lived with his grandparents while his mother and sister, actress Joanne Dru, relocated to New York to pursue a career in show business. Marshall would eventually join them.

At 15, he went on tour as a singer with the Bob Chester Orchestra. He also worked as an NBC Radio page and an usher at the Paramount Theatre. During World War II, he was drafted and stationed in Italy, where he began his career as an Armed Forces Radio DJ. In 1949, he created a comedic team with Tommy Noonan and performed in nightclubs, theatres, and on “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

In the 1950s, he worked as a cinematic contract player for Twentieth Century Fox, playing in films such as 1959’s “The Rookie” and 1961’s “Swingin’ Along.”

Major roles eluded him in Hollywood, but he discovered them in musical theatre.

He performed opposite Chita Rivera in “Bye Bye Birdie” in London’s West End in 1962 — Lynde had already had a key role in the Broadway version, which he would reprise in the film — and made his Broadway debut in “Skyscraper” with Julie Harris in 1965.

‘Hollywood Squares’ Host And Broadway Star Peter Marshall Dies At 98

He also appeared in Broadway productions of “High Button Shoes,” “The Music Man,” and “42nd Street.”

After “The Hollywood Squares,” Marshall hosted a few additional short-lived game programs before returning to his singing career, appearing in over 800 Broadway and tour performances of “La Cage Aux Folles” and singing in the 1983 film adaptation of “Annie.”

He was married three times, the latest being to Laurie Stewart in 1989.

The pair survived an episode of COVID-19 in early 2021. He was hospitalized for a few weeks.

His four children include Pete LaCock, a professional baseball player for the Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals. Marshall is also survived by two daughters, Suzanne and Jaime, a son, David, twelve granddaughters, and nine great-great grandchildren.

SOURCE | AP

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How To Watch And Stream The 76th Annual Emmy Awards

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2 days ago

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2024-09-16

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emmy

Los Angeles — If it appears that the Emmys have only recently occurred, you are correct.

The 76th Emmy Awards will be held on Sunday, approximately nine months after the previous celebration of the best in television. Last year’s Hollywood strikes pushed the show’s 75th edition back to January, when “Succession” and “The Bear” prevailed.

“The Bear” will play a significant role in this weekend’s show, but the “Succession” celebration was for the show’s final season, paving the way for a new drama series winner.

Enter “Shogun.” The FX series about feudal Japan enters the show with 14 prizes following the Creative Arts ceremony last weekend. It now holds the record for the most wins in a single season, and that lead is expected to grow.

Here’s everything you need to know about Sunday’s Awards, including how to watch and stream the red carpet and ceremony, as well as who has been nominated.

emmy

What time do the Emmys start?

The show starts at 8 p.m. Eastern and is broadcast live on ABC, which is available via antenna or cable and satellite providers.

What if I want to watch the Emmys?
The Emmys may be seen live on live TV streaming platforms that feature ABC, such as Hulu+ Live TV, YouTube TV, and FuboTV.

For those who do not have the service, the show will be available on Hulu on Monday.

So, who has already won an Emmy?
Lots of people from “Shogun,” including actor Néstor Carbonell. Maya Rudolph was also honoured for her performance on “Big Mouth,” and Jamie Lee Curtis got her first Emmy for her guest appearance on “The Bear.”

The Creative Arts Emmys recognise many of the craftspeople that make shows possible, leaving the top awards for Sunday’s ceremony, presented by brothers Eugene and Dan Levy.

If I’m not in the United States, how can I watch the Emmys?
The Emmys can be watched in hundreds of countries. The Television Academy website provides a useful list of broadcasters and, in certain cases, broadcasting times.

“Live from E!” will premiere its red carpet broadcast at 6 p.m. Eastern on the cable network E!. The coverage will be hosted by Laverne Cox, the first transgender person to receive a nomination, comedian Heather McMahan, and Keltie Knight from E! News.

People magazine and Entertainment Weekly will also broadcast a live red carpet show on their websites and YouTube, beginning at 6 p.m.

emmy

Who is nominated for an Emmy?

“Shogun” has the most nominations, with 25, while “The Bear” has 23, including best comedy series and Best Actor in a Comedy Series for Jeremy Allen White, both of which it won at January’s strike-delayed presentation. Ayo Edebiri, who won best supporting actress in January, is nominated for best comedy actress this year.

“The Crown” with 19 nominations and “Hacks” with 16 each return to the Emmys after their respective years away. Elizabeth Debicki is nominated for best supporting actress in a drama for her role as Princess Diana, and Imelda Staunton for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II.

Jodie Foster, a two-time Academy Award winner, is expected to receive her first Emmy for outstanding actress in a limited or anthology series or television film for her part in “True Detective: Night Country.”

Robert Downey Jr., the reigning Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner, might also win his first Emmy. He’s nominated for best supporting actor in a limited series for his five different parts in “The Sympathiser.”

SOURCE | AP

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ESPN And Other Channels Return To DirecTV With A New Disney Deal After A Nearly 2-Week Blackout

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3 days ago

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2024-09-15

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ESPN | AP News Image

DirecTV stated Saturday that it has reached an agreement with Walt Disney Co. to restore ESPN and ABC-owned stations to its service following a nearly two-week dispute that had blacked out the networks for millions of consumers in the United States.

The standoff ended just in time for sports lovers to see ESPN’s college football schedule on DirecTV. It will also assure that ABC’s Emmy Awards telecast on Sunday night is available in more big locations where DirecTV subscribers pay for the service.

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ESPN And Other Channels Return To DirecTV With A New Disney Deal After A Nearly 2-Week Blackout

Since September 1, ABC has been unavailable on DirecTV in various locations where the channel is owned by Disney. They were located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Fresno, California, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, and Raleigh, North Carolina.

During Labour Day weekend, DirecTV’s 11 million subscribers were abruptly cut off from ESPN, ABC-owned stations, and other Disney-owned channels such as FX and National Geographic due to a dispute over carriage rates and programming flexibility.

Some viewers were watching the fourth round of the United States Open tennis event when ESPN went dark, while others were preparing to watch a college football game between LSU and Southern California.

The standoff also prevented DirecTV from broadcasting the NFL’s Monday Night Football opener.

The financial terms of Disney’s new arrangement with DirecTV were not disclosed as part of Saturday’s announcement. According to the partnership announcement, DirecTV would pay Disney based on “market-based” pricing.

The agreement also allows DirecTV to sell Disney’s video streaming services both a la carte and in its own bundled bundles. DirecTV acquired the ability to incorporate ESPN’s upcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service at an additional cost to its subscribers once it launches.

ESPN And Other Channels Return To DirecTV With A New Disney Deal After A Nearly 2-Week Blackout

The agreement occurred a few days after escalating tensions prompted DirecTV to file a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission, accusing Disney of bad-faith negotiations.

This is the second year in a row that Disney’s wrangling for programming rights has caused its networks to go dark on a pay-TV provider. Last year, Disney pulled its channels from Spectrum, the second largest cable-TV provider in the United States, for 12 days before settling the disagreement shortly before ESPN’s Monday Night Football start.

SOURCE | AP

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Annapurna Interactive’s Entire Staff has Resigned from the Company.

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4 days ago

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2024-09-13

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(VOR News) – Annapurna’s entire interactive team has resigned from their positions as a result of disagreements within the firm regarding the direction that the company ought to go in the future.

These disagreements have been caused by internal conflicts. As a consequence of this, development partners are currently contemplating the impact that this will have on the projects that they are simultaneously working on during this time period.

It has been stated by Bloomberg that the resignations occurred as a result of conversations that took place between Megan Ellison, the creator of Annapurna, and Nathan Gary.

The president of Annapurna Interactive is the person in charge of the company.

These conversations took place when the two individuals were working together. If these negotiations had been successful in securing an agreement on a contract that would have resulted in the gaming sector being established as a distinct entity, then the gaming industry would have been divided into its own company.

As mentioned in the report, Ellison cancelled the negotiations, which resulted in Gary, division co-heads Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella, and the remaining members of the team departing the company.

The outcome of the negotiations was as follows: this was the result of the conclusion of the negotiations. Following the conclusion of further deliberations pertaining to the topic, the organisation made the statement that is shown below to Bloomberg.

“The Annapurna Interactive team, which consisted of twenty-five individuals, has collectively resigned from their positions,” according to the official announcement.

Given that this was one of the most challenging decisions we have ever been asked to make, we did not choose this particular course of action without giving it a great deal of thought and deliberation. This is because we were required to make this option.

As reported by Annapurna, the company has appointed Hector Sanchez, a former executive at Epic Games, to serve as the new president of interactive and new media.

Sanchez was appointed to this position by the company. Sanchez was given this job by the firm, which appointed him to it. It just so happened that the announcement that the company had formed a collaboration with Remedy coincided with the release of this information. Sanchez is likely to succeed Gary in that position.

Sanchez will take over as head of Annapurna Interactive from Gary.

Gary will be succeeded by Sanchez. Gary’s current responsibilities will be taken over by Sanchez in the near future.

Neither Jason Schreier, a writer for Bloomberg, nor Thomas Puha, a reporter for Remedy, claimed that the resignations did not result in any revisions to the arrangement that Remedy had with Annapurna. Both of these individuals are employed by Remedy.

In their respective statements, both of these persons indicated that the deal had not changed. These two individuals were referring to the statement that came before yours when they made their comments.

In addition, Ellison issued a statement in which he vowed to the other gaming partners that the company would honour the pledges that it had made to them. In order to accomplish this, he gave them assurance that the corporation would meet all of its commitments.

One of the statements that Ellison made during his presentation was as follows: “During this transition, our top priority is to continue to support our other partners in the publishing and development industries.” “We acknowledge and appreciate their contributions.”

We are dedicated to not only our current range of games but also to increasing our influence in the interactive realm as we actively seek chances to adopt a more cohesive strategy to linear and interactive storytelling across the domains of cinema and TV, gaming, and theatre.

With regard to the question of whether Gary and his coworkers will go their separate ways or establish their own company, there is presently no information that can be provided because there is no information accessible. This is because there is no information that is currently available.

SOURCE: Gamespot

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