There’s some casting that just seems obvious and the only way it would/could ever go. The Crown has cast its season 5/6 Princess Diana: Elizabeth Debicki.
It’s worth noting that this won’t be the first appearance of Diana in The Crown - she will appear in the upcoming fourth season (which is likely to launch on Netflix at the end of Nov/early Dec). She will be portrayed by Emma Corrin (best known so far for a four-episode stint in Pennyworth).
Debicki will next be seen in the highly anticipated Tenet, which debuts in cinemas from this coming weekend.
It’s not a streamer unless there’s a +
Will the new CBS All Access rebrand find the service branded as: Paramount+? As per the Financial Times, that’s apparently a brand under consideration by ViacomCBS as they work towards relaunching their streaming product in 2021.
Something I’d suggest noting: Early next year ViacomCBS is rebranding international streaming services 10 All Access in Australia and, in the Nordics an existing service called Paramount+.
I’d consider it unlikely for there to be two complete distinct brands in effect. Maybe Paramount+ in the US and just Paramount internationally (where there isn’t an existing Paramount Channel brand to avoid confusion)?
Read more: Financial Times
Nature is healing
UK panel show QI will once again have a studio audience.
As per The Sun newspaper:
"The audience will be temperature checked and there will be sanitisation and social distancing.
"So for those who have been before it will be a little smaller than usual. But the main thing is – we're back."
As part of the safety protocols, groups of four are being accepted into the studio, provided they are in the same bubble or household.
Filming with the audience starts from today (Monday 17 August) at London’s BBC Television Centre.
Source: The List
The hero we deserve
Animated show DuckTales will see the revival of another early 90s animated classic: Darkwing Duck.
The original Darkwing Duck cartoon (which produced 91 episodes from 1991-92) was a spin-off from the first incarnation of DuckTales, so it is only fitting that they make a big deal about the characters return, celebrating it with an hour-long episode.
Source: Dark Horizons
And now a story about what the kids are up to
While the adults are streaming TV in higher-than-usual numbers and baking bread, kids have instead been focusing their attention on a new platform: Roblox.
Because I don’t spend any time with 12 year-olds either, this one had gotten past me too.
Roblux is a platform that, since February, has seen active players bump approx 35% to reach 164 million in July. Within the world of Roblux, players can play a wide variety of games, such as first-person combat, decipher puzzles or participate in egg hunts. Online chat is also a major component of living the Roblox life.
What I found interesting was that the Roblox platform allows third-party developers to create and monetise games.
One beneficiary is Anne Shoemaker, 20, who said she moved from Palm Coast, Fla., to Silicon Valley two years ago with $100 in her pocket to live near other developers as she coded games for Roblox. For a while, she said, she didn’t earn enough from the platform to justify turning it into a full-time job.
Ms. Shoemaker said she has now made about $500,000 through Roblox, most of that since March. Before the pandemic, she could afford to pay just one or two people to help her. Now her game studio, Fullflower Studio, employs 14 contractors and she is plotting new games.
Real life issues have also impacted the game platform. Obvious safety concerns related to the safety of its young users have arisen and are being dealt with. But there’s also issues of racial identity, such as young users darkening avatar skin colours - a form of digital blackface.
Read more: New York Times
TeeVee Snacks
- Disney animated show The Owl House has made history by revealing the bisexuality of its lead character. Source: Variety
- Colbert’s Late Show will go live again for the Democrat National Convention. It’s worth remembering that it was the DNC and RNC events back in 2016 that saw the start of his ratings climb. Source: Vulture
- Former Dynasty and Models Inc star Emma Samms has spoken out about her ongoing health problems related to COVID-19. Source: Deadline
- The Clueless TV show will stream at Peacock. The new version is being retooled as a murder-mystery exploring the disappearance of the movie’s lead character Cher. A Clueless TV show without Cher as the main character - as if! Source: THR
What’s next?
