By Mike Cidoni Lennox, Entertainment Reporter
LOS ANGELES (AP) --There were neither tears nor cheers at this TV-season premiere.
That's partly because the cast and crew of HBO's drama series "The Newsroom" had already moved on. They wrapped the finale weeks ago.
The party Tuesday night at the Directors Guild in Hollywood was simply to kick off the show's third and last season, which premieres Sunday (9 p.m. EST), and to say "good show" one last time.
"The bittersweet part is the people," said Jeff Daniels, who portrays the star anchor of a cable-news network struggling with more than ratings. "This was a good group."
"The Newsroom" debuted in June 2012 to much fanfare and strong ratings. But critics were out-of-the-gate mixed on the series, and fans began to tune out as the first season came to a close. The second season earned generally stronger reviews, and its premiere saw ratings rebound — though it eventually became clear the show would never become one of HBO's blockbusters, such as Alan Poul's own "Six Feet Under."
The network gave a green light to a truncated third and final "Newsroom" season, which is not to be confused with a cancellation, Poul said.
"''You don't spend the money for a season of television unless you want to make that season of television. And it was our choice. We wanted to go out this way. And I think we're going out as strong as we've ever been."
Season three deals with dilemmas surrounding reporting on the Boston Marathon bombings. Network brass face a possible hostile takeover. One key character's career may be destroyed after a leak of classified government documents.
Co-star Olivia Munn said the series' legacy is that it inspired a new crop of journalists.
It made viewers "really fascinated with the guy sitting behind the news desk and the girl writing that column," Munn said. "So I think that was really an exciting thing, and I think it was a great thing."
Daniels said spending three seasons walking in a reporter's shoes left him with a greater appreciation of the challenges facing journalists.
"The struggle these guys have between being right and being first," Daniels said. "It's so difficult now with Twitter, with Facebook. When news breaks, a lot of people go there instead of waiting for journalists to tell you what's really going on or what's true. And the real guys battle that every single day."
Canada orders TikTok’s Canadian business to be dissolved but won’t block app
Canada announced Wednesday it won't block access to the popular video-sharing app TikTok but is ordering the dissolution of its Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind it.
Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said it is meant to address risks related to ByteDance Ltd.'s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.
"The government is not blocking Canadians' access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content. The decision to use a social media application or platform is a personal choice," Champagne said.
Champagne said it is important for Canadians to adopt good cybersecurity practices, including protecting their personal information.
He said the dissolution order was made in accordance with the Investment Canada Act, which allows for the review of foreign investments that may harm Canada's national security. He said the decision was based on information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada's security and intelligence community and other government partners.
A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of local jobs.
"We will challenge this order in court," the spokesperson said. "The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive."
TikTok is wildly popular with young people, but its Chinese ownership has raised fears that Beijing could use it to collect data on Western users or push pro-China narratives and misinformation. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company that moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2020.
TikTok faces intensifying scrutiny... Read More