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Gayle King Signs New Contract To Remain CBS Mornings Co-Anchor 

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Gayle King is officially staying with her CBS family. The anchor has signed a new contract to remain with CBS Mornings after months of speculation about her future, PEOPLE Magazine reported. 

The speculation came from a report from Variety that stated King would be leaving the network once her contract expires in May. However, King herself recently gave a statement saying that: “Rumors of my demise were inaccurate and greatly exaggerated.”

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“CBS News is my longtime home, and I am committed to our mission. I’m excited about continuing and CBS Mornings,” she said. 

“As always, I’m open to new adventures here and ready to go. It took a minute, but we got here. And now that we are here, I am all in.”

Bari Weiss, CBS News editor-in-chief, stated that the network is “so proud that she’ll continue to call CBS home. There is only one Gayle King.”

“We’re thrilled to have her on in the morning – and equally excited to work with her on new, enterprising projects that bring her talents to new audiences.”

CBS News President Tom Cibrowski gave a similar sentiment, stating that “Gayle and Nate Burleson are fantastic partners on the show and morning TV is more vibrant than ever. We are excited to continue to evolve CBS Mornings and can’t wait for what’s to come.”

When Variety made their initial statement about King leaving the network after her contract expired, CBS denied the report. 

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“There have been no discussions with Gayle about her contract that runs through May 2026,” a CBS News spokesperson told PEOPLE. 

“She’s a truly valued part of CBS and we look forward to engaging with her about the future.”

King herself also never confirmed what her future plans were when the report came out. 

“What I’m hearing in the building is not what I’m reading in the press, and what I’m not going to do is negotiate in the media,” she said to TMZ. 

She also said that CBS News Executives always held her in high regard and constantly gave her their appreciation for her work. 

“I like the job and the people that I work with. I don’t know what to tell you,” she said. 

This year marked King’s 14th anniversary as co-anchor on the morning show as well. She celebrated this feat by rewearing her yellow and white dress that she sports annually since her first day on the show. 

“I knew for the first day, I knew I wanted to wear yellow because it’s my happy place, and I don’t know why I started doing it, but I said, ‘I’m only going to wear this dress on my anniversary.’ I love it so much.”

late show

Stephen Colbert Says ‘Gloves Are Off,’ Takes Aim At Trump And Paramount After Cancelation Announcement

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Stephen Colbert hosted his first episode of the Late Show after it was announced that it would be canceled. During the episode, among a slew of celebrity guests and other late night hosts offering their support, Colbert proclaimed that the “gloves were off” when it came to Paramount and Trump’s alleged involvement in the decision to axe the show.

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Legendary CBS Sportscaster Greg Gumbel Passes Away At 78

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Trailblazing longtime CBS sportscaster Greg Gumbel unfortunately passed away from cancer last week at the age of 78, his family posted in a statement released by CBS. 

“He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said.

Back in March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to “health issues” according to his family at the time. 

Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year which allowed him to continue to host college basketball while taking a break from NFL announcing duties. 

Gumbel left an incredible legacy throughout the past few decades. In 2001, he became the first Black announcer in the US to call play-by-play for a major sports championship when he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS. 

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David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Gumbel as “breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness,” according to the Guardian. 

“A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time,” said Berson.

Gumbel was mainly known for his announcing in football and basketball. He hosted the CBS NFL studio show “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and in 2004. 

He called NFL games as CBS’ lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003. During that time he announced for Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He came back to the NFL booth in 2005 where he worked until the 2022 season. 

“Like all who knew and loved him, I too am saddened by his death, yet also so very grateful to have known him in my life,” Clark Kellogg, a CBS Sports college basketball game and studio analyst, said in a statement. 

“What a gift to be touched by such a good man and partner.”

Football Stadium Field

Super Bowl LV Most Streamed Game In NFL History

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In general, this was the least-watched Super Bowl in recent history, but it was the most streamed game in NFL history, likely due to the multitude of platforms that now exist and offer live television for its users.

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Star Trek: Picard Premieres January 23rd on CBS All Access

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Star Trek is one of the longest-running entertainment franchises in American history, as the first episode of the original series aired in 1966 and the franchise continues in various forms to this day. Over the decades, the franchise has enjoyed tremendous success among the general public and has spawned a tremendous number of die-hard fans, leading to several television series and more than a dozen feature films. One of the most celebrated iterations of the Star Trek formula is the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation, which ran from 1987 to 1994 and starred Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, who commanded the USS Enterprise on its missions through space. The series enjoyed widespread critical acclaim for its tackling of serious philosophical and political questions, as well as its fantastical science-fiction setting. And now, the story of Star Trek: The Next Generation continues with Star Trek: Picard, the first episode of which premieres exclusively on CBS All Access on January 23rd.

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Sir Patrick Stewart, now 79 years old, reprises his role as Picard in an environment set twenty years after the events of The Next Generation. In this follow-up series, Picard has retired from his life as a starship captain, and lives in a society that has deteriorated dramatically relative to the one depicted in the series’ predecessor. Judging by the trailer released to promote the new series, Star Trek: Picard looks to have much higher production values than its predecessor, and looks to be filled with action-packed scenes in a variety of settings. Sir Patrick Stewart originally did not wish to reprise his role as Picard, as he had felt that the franchise had explored the character enough and that he didn’t have anything to add to the character. However, the show-runners eventually convinced Stewart by showing him the proposed script for the series, which takes the character and indeed the franchise in new and surprising directions.

This is not the first time CBS has created a new Star Trek series. In 2014, CBS launched its own streaming video service to compete with the likes of Amazon and Netflix. The service saw little success until the release of Star Trek: Discovery, which led to a record number of sign-ups. Star Trek: Discovery received positive reviews from critics for its first and second seasons, though fans criticized the series from straying too far from narrative elements established previously in the franchise. Evidently, the success of Star Trek: Discovery inspired CBS to invest even further into the Star Trek franchise, inspiring Star Trek: Picard, which appears to take a unique spin on the Star Trek formula and is sure to delight fans of The Next Generation.

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Star Trek: Picard will stream exclusively on CBS All Access, with new episodes being released on a weekly basis. Fans will need to purchase a CBS All Access subscription in order to watch the series, though CBS offers a one-week free trial. If Star Trek: Picard proves to be successful, as it appears that it will, CBS All Access may join the ranks of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney Plus as top-tier streaming video services. Although the first season of the series has not yet premiered, CBS has already ordered a second season for the series, and Sir Patrick Stewart went on the TV show The View not only to promote the show but to invite fellow Star Trek alum Whoopi Goldberg to return for the show’s second season, which she happily and tearfully accepted.

Netflix

How Netflix Influenced Georgia And Hollywood To Stand Up For Women’s Rights

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Georgia has become known as a second Hollywood throughout the past few years. With its vast and diverse landscapes, the state can be transformed into practically any setting, and with the tax credits, more and more production teams are choosing Georgia over standard Hollywood sets. Tyler Perry just opened a record breaking film and production space that takes up 330 acres of the famous state. Additionally major TV Shows and movie productions such as “The Walking Dead,” “Atlanta,” “Stranger Things,” “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “The Hunger Games” were all filmed there, according to CNN. 

Georgia also made headlines this past year for announcing the passing of their restrictive abortion law stating that an abortion cannot be performed anytime after 6 weeks of pregnancy, or when the fetal heartbeat can be detected. Georgia received a lot of backlash for this law, mainly for the fact that most women don’t even know they’re pregnant at 6 weeks, giving them little to no chance of even thinking about what decision they would want to make. 

When Georgia made this announcement earlier in the year, Netflix decided to also make an announcement, and let the world know that they would be “rethinking” any of their current or future investments in Georgia if the law actually did go into effect in 2020. Netflix was the first major corporation to speak up against the Georgia legislation, and it posed a major risk for them. Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos is the one who made the official statement back in May, and by doing so Sarandos was also making a much larger general statement to everyone that does or may work with Netflix; the company will always choose its core personal values over anything. 

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Ted Sarandos (Right)

“We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.” Sarandos said in a statement back in May to Variety Magazine.

The following two days after Sarandos issued that statement, Disney, AMC, Sony, CBS, and WarnerMedia (which also owns HBO, TNT, and TBS) all issued similar statements threatening to withdraw future investments if Georgia keeps the heartbeat law. With all these major production companies threatening to withdraw their billions from the state, it seems as though Georgia had no choice. Two weeks ago a federal Georgia judge blocked the heartbeat law from going into effect this upcoming January. For now, this means that there’s no chance that the law will be enforced once 2020 hits, however, many experts are predicting the state will appeal the blacking and the case will end up in front of the Supreme Court, according to CNN. 

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Young women protest against abortion ban bills at the Georgia State Capitol building

However, this was a hopeful blocking, as the federal court has made it abundantly clear many times that the states do not have the right to ban abortion, and the 6 week rule will most likely see its end. In the time being, Netflix and companies alike will be waiting and seeing. While it’s hard to say how much of the blocked law decision was made from the Netflix, Disney, Warner, etc. statements we definitely can conclude it had a major impact. Georgia’s economy would see a serious decline if all those production teams actually did go through with their threats. In 2019, over 455 television and movie productions were shot in Georgia, bringing in over $9.5 billion in indirect spending, according to CNN. That type of financial loss could be detrimental; so for now production corporations and viewers will have to wait to see what the future holds for Georgia and its restrictive laws. However, regardless of what happens, seeing such a large amount of corporations being so outspoken about their own personal values is truly a milestone for this country. 

“It is essential that Netflix treat creatives with respect, and many of them have trouble with abortion restrictions and any laws that impact women’s rights. They totally could have remained silent, and they didn’t. They’re aware that corporations speaking out are an important part of the big-picture strategy to keep abortion safe and legal. They know that they play a role in that and have power in that situation,” said Kirsten Schaffer, executive director of Women in Film, Los Angeles, to CNN.