Here's the latest news about TV that I read and that you should read too:
■ The Ellen DeGeneres Show is rife with rampant sexual misconduct.
One executive producer "had a reputation for being handsy with women", other executive producer wanted oral sex at a work party, groped men.
- 36 former Ellen employees at the Warner Bros. talk show speak of horrific harassment, sexual misconduct, and assault.
■ Ellen tells execs at Telepictures and Warner Bros. she's ready to quit as staffers say "there's really no way to save the show from this PR nightmare", "had no idea that Ellen would implode during quarantine":
"Warner Bros. should cancel our show or swap her out. Viewers have been fed lies for years. The Ellen you see on TV is disingenuous and inauthentic. She's a horrible person".
- The backlash of Hollywood celebrities against Ellen starts as more come out for a pile-on against the talk show host.
- The eager James Corden is rumoured to take her place if Ellen DeGeneres is pushed out.
■ James Murdoch abruptly quits News Corp.'s board, upset with editorial issues and content at FOX News (StarSat 261).
■ 10 things we learned at the (virtual) 2020 Baftas.
■ Netflix is now letting people watch content faster or slower with new playback controls.
■ The latest TV reboot of the Muppets, Muppets Now on Disney+ (that you can't see in South Africa) has wit, warmth and charm.
■ Netflix content is a wasteland during Covid-19.
Netflix's most-watched content is part of the utter mediocrity of pandemic monoculture.
■ After her suicide attempt, Tamar Braxton is now done with the American TV channel that she alleges "betrayed, overworked and underpaid" her as she tried to do another reality show.
■ New Swahili series Karma starting on Maisha Magic Bongo channel in Tanzania.
Shockingly, MultiChoice Tanzania saw nothing and chose to hold a physical media launch for Karma, without any social distancing between MultiChoice Africa executives, the cast, or the Tanzania Basketball Federation - who all attended since Disney's ESPN channels on DStv also got announced.
■ New Nigerian reality TV series Love Come Back starting on Africa Magic Showcase (DStv 151).
Participants get the chance to get back into a relationship with an ex-lover.
■ Jacob Elordi of The Kissing Booth on Netflix who frequently appeared shirtless says it "really bothered him" that fans went crazy over his chiselled body.
■ In the new season of Grey's Anatomy seen on M-Net (DStv 101) the Covid-19 pandemic storyline "won't be all death and despair".
■ Why America's Emmy awards now loves video streaming services and their content over traditional broadcasters.
■ Disney's ESPN could lose millions as pay-TV subscribers get upset over having to pay for nothing.
■ Is ZEE Entertainment Enterprises considering shutting down some of its international linear TV channels?
■ From Sheldon and Penny to Chandler and Joey and many more - TV's unconventional friendships.
■ The secret diary of a TV news editor in India.
"My job is to be a seasoned showrunner for the reality show I put up for you every day. Twists, spins, speculation, conspiracy theories – whatever it takes to keep you engaged and entertained."
■ Global pay-TV market set for massive growth between 2020 and 2024.
■ In Mexico, telenovelas cut down on sex scenes because of Covid-19 .. the result? A surge in viewership as people seek out the familiar in uncertain times.
