movies
‘Landman’s Billy Bob Thornton: Playing Tommy Is Like “Nice Pair Of Worn-In Pants”
Deadline’s Contenders TV panel for Landman hosted a very cool group of guys: Sam Elliott, Andy Garcia, director/EP Stephen Kay and Billy Bob Thornton — who looked at every bit the rock star and cowboy onstage at the DGA Theater after playing a sold-out show with his band The Boxmasters at Stagecoach the night before.
Thornton explained why becoming the series’ Tommy Norris came naturally to him.
“It’s easy to play father-son relationships when you’re a father, and when you had a father that you had a very tricky relationship with,” he said. “I was just kind of putting on a nice pair of worn-in pants.” He added of his TV dad, “Sam and I go way back, so it was easy.”
As for why this second season of the hit Paramount+ drama has resonated with so many people, Elliott summed it up best. “This show is a reflection of what we all would like to deal with from day to day,” he said. “People that you want to be around, people you love that are decent to each other. Today more than anytime, that’s what we’re all craving.”
The Season 2 finale in January drew in 15.8 million viewers in the first two days, making it the most-watched original series finale ever for Paramount+. Director Kay believes the immense international success of Landman is due to a genuine affection that exists amongst them. “We love each other, and you can sort of feel it when you watch the show. There’s a whole lot of heart.”
RELATED: The Coyote Is Back: ‘Landman’ Resets In Season 2 Finale
Thornton admitted to being surprised by the international attention Landman has garnered, thinking that they were making this show for a much smaller audience.
“We thought it was going to appeal to the middle of the country, that was the hope for it,” he said. “We didn’t think the coasts would go for it — we certainly didn’t think it would become this huge international hit. We had no idea; we’re humbled by that and very proud of it. We have fans in Uganda, Australia and everywhere else. I think a lot of it, and this is just my feeling, it’s because the characters are all unabashedly who they are, and they’re just honest about everything. Taylor [Sheridan’s] shows normally will have a vibe, and this has several — emotion and humor and drama and absurdity and danger, all those different things. I think the variety on it appeals to people.”
For Elliott it’s not about Emmys or other accolades. Getting the chance to continue doing what he loves is all he can ask for. “It’s an amazing bunch of people to work with. That’s the gift,” he said. “I can’t call it anything but a gift. The fact I’m still working at this point is a gift.”
Season 3 of Landman was announced in December and is set to begin shooting in May.
Check back Monday for the panel video.
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movies
‘Real Time’: Bill Maher Makes Boob Joke About Dolly Parton
As Dolly Parton leaves behind an untouchable legacy, Bill Maher went for an easy boob joke in his on-air tribute.
On Friday’s episode of Real Time, the comedian mentioned the 11x Grammy-winning Queen of Country’s death at age 80 this week in his opening monologue, before making a quip about her signature busty appearance.
“All this was going on, and all America could really talk about this week was how sad it is we lost Dolly Parton,” began Maher. “Everybody around the country, even around the world—London, they’re doing things, the Santa Monica ferris wheel is lit up with hearts, the Empire State Building was put up in pink. The Sphere in Las Vegas added a nipple.”
Parton’s family announced that she died in Nashville on Tuesday following a brief sickness with cancer. Although she remained busy until her final days, the “I Will Always Love You” artist had dealt with health issues over the past year.
In addition to her legendary country music career and Golden Globe-nominated screen career, Parton was also heavily involved in philanthropy through the Dollywood Foundation, advocating for children’s education and literacy. She also raised money for HIV/AIDS research and helped fund the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, as well as dedicating herself to disaster relief, animal welfare and LGBTQ causes.
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movies
Judge Jackie Glass Dead: ‘Swift Justice’ Host Was 70
Judge Jackie Glass, the former Clark County judge who hosted the syndicated court show Swift Justice, has died. She was 70.
Glass died on Friday afternoon in Las Vegas, TMZ reported after Glass’ daughter Rachel Wolfson posted a tribute to her late mother on social media.
“RIP my rock,” wrote Wolfson on Facebook. “I don’t know how I’ll do this life without you, I love you so much mommy Jackie Glass, I’ll see you again someday.”
Judge Glass made headlines in 2008 when she sentenced O.J. Simpson to 33 years in prison for armed robbery in a Las Vegas hotel. Simpson was released on parole in 2017 before dying of cancer in Vegas in 2024.
In 2011, Glass took over for Nancy Grace as host of the small claims court show Swift Justice in Season 2, which moved production from Atlanta to Los Angeles. Glass hosted the syndicated reality series until it ended in April 2012.
Glass is survived by husband, Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson, and two daughters.
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movies
CA Lawmakers Compromise With Film Industry On Corporate Tax Credit Cap
The California production community can breathe a sigh of relief: State lawmakers have officially introduced a bill meant to allow studios a few key exemptions from a recently enacted restriction on corporate tax credits.
AB136, introduced Friday evening, addresses concerns raised from stakeholders including the Motion Picture Association about the threat of undermining the efforts to expand California’s Film & TV Tax Credit pool to $750 million.
Lawmakers have to consider legislation for 72 hours before voting. With that in mind, a vote on AB136 is likely to come Monday evening, hours before the midnight end to the legislative session.
The state budget, passed this summer, seeks to stabilize revenue by preventing corporations from offsetting more than $5 million in tax liability annually for the next three years. Several advocacy groups pushed for a complete exemption, but the solution introduced by lawmakers on Friday evening does fall short of that.
Instead, only independent productions will be completely exempt from the $5 million cap. The legislation also addresses concerns about the payback period for studios that have elected to refund credits for cash. Current law allows studios to get cash instead of claiming the credit against tax liability for a 10% discount on the total with a payback period of five years. The fix accelerates that to two years with just a 5% discount.
The new legislation will also extend the expiration date of the non-refundable tax credits that were issued prior to 2025.
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