Conan O'Brien to be honored with Mark Twain Prize for American Humor / Wendy Williams denies being cognitively impaired / Netflix announces Surviving Black Hawk Down
PLUS: Noel Fielding stopped showing up to work, so The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin has been reportedly axed amid filming of Season 2.
Conan O'Brien to be honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Conan will follow in the footsteps of David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jon Stewart as the fourth late-night hosting veteran to be honored with the prestigious comedy award. The award's 26th recipient, Conan will be celebrated at a Kennedy Center ceremony on March 23 that will stream on Netflix at a later date. “I am honored to be the first winner of the Mark Twain Prize recognized not for humor, but for my work as a riverboat pilot,” Conan said in a statement. Deborah F. Rutter, president of the Kennedy Center, said in a statement that Conan is “a master of invention and reinvention, consistently pushing the envelope in search of new comedic heights.”
Noel Fielding stopped showing up to work, so The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin has been reportedly axed amid filming of Season 2
The Great British Bake Off star, who play the titular infamous highway bandit in the Apple TV+ comedy series, hasn’t been to work since the holiday break after filming for three months last fall. So The Completely Made-Up Adventures Of Dick Turpin has "ceased production,” according to Variety, According to The Sun, the show has been axed for good. “Naturally, the rumour mill is in overtime as to what has happened with Noel, but it must have been very serious to axe the whole show," a source tells The Sun. “In most circumstances execs will at least consider pausing filming, but for some reason they decided to throw in the towel before the situation got any worse.” Fielding is still expected to start filming The Great British Bake Off this spring.
Wendy Williams denies being cognitively impaired as she denounces her conservatorship: "I feel like I’m in prison"
In a call-in interview with The Breakfast Club this morning, the former daytime host, who has been under a conservatorship since 2022, denied her care team's claim she had been diagnosed with dementia and aphasia. “I am not cognitively impaired, you know what I’m saying? But I feel like I’m in prison,” she said of the care facility where she has been living. “I’m in this place where the people are in their 90s and their 80s and their 70s … There’s something wrong with these people here on this floor.”
Netflix announces docuseries Surviving Black Hawk Down from Ridley Scott
Scott, who directed the 2001 Oscar-winning film Black Hawk Down, is producing a docuseries that will tell the true story behind The Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia that inspired his movie, featuring interviews from both sides. Surviving Black Hawk Down premieres Feb. 10. Watch the trailer.
NFL and federal law enforcement are increasing security for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans following New Year's Day terrorist attack
"We've increased our security posture significantly so that people can come here, they can see a strong law enforcement presence," said Eric DeLaune, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans who is leading federal coordination for Super Bowl LIX, in an interview with ESPN. "I'd like to say it doesn't change a lot in our security planning, but it does change things," the NFL's Chief Security Officer Cathy Lanier told ESPN. "Are we doing anything differently? Of course."
ABC News announces day-long "SoCal Strong" coverage and fundraising for the Southern California wildfire for Friday
From Good Morning America to World News Tonight, ABC News correspondents will devote their resources on Friday to wildfire coverage.
Jimmy Fallon's Tonight Show has begun adding a pre-show tease
Monday and Tuesday shows opened with a brief clip from the upcoming episode in a possible attempt to keep viewers tuned in amid disappointing ratings.
LIV Golf leaves The CW for Fox Sports
In what is being called "a major upgrade in terms of broadcast reach for the upstart golf league," the golf league backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund will move to the Fox network, FS1 and Fox Business Network.
Gabriel Basso's press tour for The Night Agent Season 2 keeps getting awkward as he avoids hugging Kelly Ripa
On Wednesday, Good Morning America's Lara Spencer playfully scolded Basso for replying to her by saying "Yes, ma'am!," according to EW. Spencer responded: "Oh, don't call me ma'am!" This morning on Live with Kelly and Michael, Basso awkwardly tried to avoid hugging Ripa, also according to EW. "Welcome, hello. We do hugs here. Is that okay? Was that weird?" Ripa said, making light of the awkward exchange. "No, I just... you're married, I just wanted to give you a handshake," Basso replied, which made her husband and co-host Mark Consuelos laugh.
Tom Green's Amazon standup special, documentary and reality show get premiere dates
This Is the Tom Green Documentary, premiering Jan. 24, will document Green's rise to stardom on MTV in the mid-1990s and early 2000s. Tom Green Country, premiering Jan. 31, chronicles Green’s life on a farm with a 1,500-pound mule, a donkey and six chickens. Standup special Tom Green: I Got a Mule! will premiere between the documentary and reality show.
The Bachelor's Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell split after four years of dating
James, who briefly broke up with Kirkconnell in 2021, announced the breakup on Instagram this morning.
Laverne Cox surprises small-town America in the trailer for Norman Lear-produced Amazon comedy Clean Slate
Produced by the late Norman Lear, Clean Slate "follows Henry (George Wallace), an old-school and outspoken car wash owner, who is thrilled his estranged child is finally returning home to Alabama after 17 years. However, Henry has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as the determined, proud, trans woman, Desiree (Cox)." Clean Slate premieres Feb. 6.
Hulu unveils the trailer for A Thousand Blows
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight‘s period drama series, set in the perilous world of illegal boxing in 1880s Victorian London and starring Stephen Graham and Malachi Kirby, premieres Feb. 21.
Watch the trailer for Disney+'s Harlem Ice
The five-part docuseries, premiering Feb. 12, follows the coaches and girls of Figure Skating in Harlem.