Latest news with #PhillipaSoo
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Former ‘Doctor Odyssey' crew members sue Disney for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation
Three former 'Doctor Odyssey' crew members are suing Disney and 20th Television for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and negligent hiring. Caroline Mack, Alicia Haverland, and Ava Steinbrenner filed a lawsuit Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court detailing their alleged experience working on the props crew of the ABC medical drama. In the court docs obtained by The Post, the plaintiffs claimed their supervisor, assistant prop master Tyler Patton, subjected them to 'an unchecked campaign of sexual harassment.' Advertisement 7 Sean Teale, Phillipa Soo and Joshua Jackson in 'Doctor Odyssey.' Disney The trio alleged that Tyler — who reported to his wife, prop master Tammie Patton — constantly harassed the plaintiffs with 'sexual jokes, innuendoes, comments, sexual gestures and images, and unwanted touching.' The court docs claimed that in July 2024, Tyler texted the prop department group message a link appearing to reference a news story about Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race. But according to the plaintiffs, the link sent them to an image of a naked male. Advertisement 7 Director Paris Barclay and Joshua Jackson on the set of 'Doctor Odyssey.' Disney via Getty Images 7 Crew members on the set of 'Doctor Odyssey.' Disney via Getty Images In another alleged incident, he asked aloud to other employees why 'no one had broke her yet,' in reference to one of the plaintiffs, according to court docs. Tyler, according to the crew members cited in the lawsuit, 'engaged in much of his sexually harassing conduct in the presence of management,' including his wife, who 'took no action to stop him.' Advertisement During one confrontation, Tyler allegedly told other employees, 'If I wasn't f—ing the boss, I'd be fired,' the lawsuit claims. 7 Phillipa Soo on the set of 'Doctor Odyssey.' Disney via Getty Images The plaintiffs eventually complained about Tyler's behavior and he was fired, the court docs state. However, the lawsuit alleges that Don Bracken, described as 'a friend of the Pattons,' was hired as Tyler's replacement and demoted the crew members to 'demeaning' tasks. Mack, Haverland, and Steinbrenner were later fired alongside the rest of the entire props department except for Bracken, and Disney 'then almost immediately hired a whole new set of employees,' they alleged. Advertisement 7 Don Johnson in 'Doctor Odyssey.' Disney 7 Adrianne Palicki, Michael Medico filming 'Doctor Odyssey.' Disney via Getty Images In the lawsuit, the crew members claimed they've been 'blacklisted' by Disney 'in retaliation for bringing forward their good-faith complaints.' The plaintiffs said they 'have suffered and will continue to suffer pain and suffering, extreme and severe mental anguish and emotional distress, as well as economic damages including the loss of past and future earnings and benefits.' The former crew members are requesting a jury trial. They didn't specify the damages they are seeking. 7 Phillipa Soo, Sean Tale on the set of 'Doctor Odyssey.' Disney via Getty Images The Post has reached out to Disney for comment. The Pattons could not be reached for comment. Advertisement 'Doctor Odyssey,' which premiered its first season in Sept. 2024, stars Joshua Jackson as a physician working onboard a luxury cruise ship. The cast also includes Phillipa Soo, Sean Teale and Don Johnson. ABC has yet to renew the series for Season 2.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
How Lily Chu's interest in obituaries inspired a bestselling 'enemies-to-lovers' rom-com
Lily Chu has always been fascinated by the obituaries — and particularly how they offer the final story of someone's life to the world. "I'm in such awe of the responsibility of pulling those lives together and just kind of having the final say on what someone has contributed," Chu told CBC Books in an interview. That long-standing interest takes centre stage in Drop Dead, Lily's Chu latest novel — smart enemies-to-lovers rom-com with a twist of mystery. The novel follows two rival journalists: Nadine, now an obituary editor after a career setback, and Wes, an aspiring investigative reporter stuck writing lifestyle pieces. After Nadine accidentally publishes a premature obituary for a literary legend Dot Voline, she and her old rival are thrown together in a race against time to uncover a hidden scandal from Dot's past. With just weeks before Dot's eccentric mansion is sold, Nadine and Wes dive into the mystery — and their tension-filled history. As the story unfolds, Drop Dead explores deeper themes, including racism, sexism and complicated parent-child relationships. The 2025 CBC Poetry Prize is currently accepting submissions Chu writes romantic comedies set in Toronto with strong Asian characters. Her debut rom-com novel was The Stand-In. She's also the author of The Comeback and The Takedown. Like Chu's three previous novels, Drop Dead was released first as an audiobook — featuring award-winning actor Phillipa Soo, known for her role in the original Broadway run of Hamilton, and actor John Cho as the lead voices. In her own words, Lily Chu shares how she wrote Drop Dead. Balancing romance and mystery "The romance always had to take centre stage — it was the primary focus at all times. That really guided how I approached the mystery elements. They were there to support the story of Wes and Nadine, the two main characters, and their relationship growth, rather than taking over the entire story like a typical mystery might. So it was really more about balance. As I was writing it, I realized that mysteries are actually really hard to write. "The biggest challenge was that the mystery hadn't originally been planned. It just sort of came up. As I was writing it, I realized that mysteries are actually really hard to write. Doing any mystery-related stuff is extremely difficult. I've always wanted to write a mystery, though, so this was a way to dabble in it. But, looking back, had I done it again, I would have plotted it out much, much more clearly for myself." Big and wonderful "I think she [Dot Voline] is my favourite character I've ever written. She is so epic. She's mega. Everything about her was fantastic. "I think many of us have one of those kinds of women in our lives, like an older woman who is maybe nearing the end of her time here, and they have a lot of wisdom to give. They have not a lot of care left about how they give the message. She's based on all of these women that I've met in my life who are just so honest and strong and have lived their life to the fullest - Lily Chu "She's based on all of these women that I've met in my life who are just so honest and strong and have lived their life to the fullest. Like, they are just out there doing what they want to do. And her lifestyle reflects that — you know, the caftans, jewelry, the car — everything. "I wanted everything about her to be big and wonderful. And just the kind of woman — she walks down the street and I'm like, 'I want to be like her in 20, 30, 40 years. You know, that's what I want to be.' "She's not based on any particular author in general, but just an amalgam of all of the fantastic female writers out there." Grounded in reality "A lot of those topics — racism, inter-family strife, mental health, the general unfairness of life — that's something that everybody experiences. So, even though it's a rom-com, it would be odd to me to remove these aspects of what I consider kind of everyday life for a lot of people and have the characters exist in a world where those things don't exist. "The way I've written the world is a contemporary Toronto. These are things that people who live in contemporary Toronto have to deal with. So, those are things that characters will naturally have to deal with themselves. These are things that people who live in contemporary Toronto have to deal with. "I personally really like books that also deal with these topics because I think that helps make the characters a little more grounded. And it also is more emotionally resonant. "I think books are, and storytelling in general, is how we gain a lot of knowledge about the world and how other people react to experiences that we might be having ourselves. "Wes' mom is not great, not the best mother he could hope for. She's very selfish, she's very demanding. She is someone who Wes has had a lot of trouble dealing with and shields his sisters from her. I really wanted to look at that dynamic of somebody who felt the need to step up and be a parent and what that meant kind of within the family and for that character himself — not just within the family, but also within his other relationships." Inside the audio process " Drop Dead is my fourth rom-com, and like the others, it was released in audio first because of my deal with Audible. My book deal covers both print and audio, so it comes out exclusively on Audible first, then later in print. Drop Dead came out in audio last summer. "The creative process is actually really interesting because we all work on the book together. Normally, a writer works with one editor to shape the book — figuring out what's missing, what needs to be strengthened, what's working and what's not. But in this case, it's collaborative. My audiobook editor, my print editor, and I work as a team, which is great. They're both fantastic. My audiobook editor, my print editor, and I work as a team, which is great. "On the audio side, I submit a draft, and then my editor helps shape it into an audio version. And when I say 'we,' I mean she does most of the heavy lifting, and I add comments. We include a pronunciation key, notes on accents or speech patterns, even audio snippets if needed. "We also make small changes to smooth the audio — like cutting redundant dialogue tags — but otherwise, the audio is about 99 per cent the same as the print. "Philippa Soo has narrated all of my books so far, so she was always going to be Nadine. When they asked what I thought of John Cho for Wes, I said, 'Sure — call me if you get him.' And then they actually did. I nearly passed out. "Philippa always fits my books really well. The way she performs the characters is fantastic — she brings so much brightness and nuance to the words. I completely trust her to do an amazing job. "And John was amazing. When you're writing, the voices live in your own head. So when you finally hear the narrators, it's funny — you start to hear their voices mixed in with yours. Now, when I go through Drop Dead, I hear their voices in my head alongside mine."
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Doctor Odyssey' Is a Dream Boat Doctor fantasy
'Doctor Odyssey' finishes its first season on Thursday at 9 p.m., on ABC, and as of press time it still hasn't been renewed (nor has it been officially canceled). My candles are lit; my fingers are crossed. I love this stupid — so stupid, oh God, stupid, stupid — show. The season thus far is available on Hulu. Joshua Jackson stars as Dr. Max Bankman, the doctor for the luxury cruise ship the Odyssey. He works closely — extremely closely — with Avery (Phillipa Soo), a nurse practitioner who wants to go to medical school, and Tristan (Sean Teale), a nurse. 'Love triangle' is too quaint a term, but 'throuple' is too resolved. Both men are in love with Avery, though neither holds her full attention. In the sixth episode, prompted by a nourishing goal-setting exercise, they have a steamy, adoring and mutually enjoyable threesome. In fandom parlance, 'shippers' are viewers who want the characters to get into a romantic relationship. And oh, 'Doctor Odyssey' has plenty of ship. I'm old enough to remember when a time when a devil's threesome on network television would have been on the news. But here on the high seas, everyone is so sexually liberated that the show loops back around to being wholesome. Sexy, sure. Dirty, no. 'Odyssey' operates like 'The Love Boat' in that each episode features new guests to both the ship and the show. Each cruise has some kind of theme, which inevitably leads to a series of medical crises, at which point our heroes take a brief break from all the sexual bliss and hobnobbing to save some lives. All the medical instruments and machinery are in a brushed gold instead of stainless steel because intravenous poles deserve glam, too. The show was created by Jon Robin Baitz, Joe Baken and Ryan Murphy, and 'Odyssey' feels like a lot of other Ryan Murphy shows, most especially 'Nip/Tuck,' the lush, bonkers plastic surgery drama that ran from 2003-2010. But where that show was framed by the recurring prompt 'Tell me what you don't like about yourself,' 'Odyssey' is a bacchanalia of self love, of acceptance, of validation. It can feel as if 'Nip' got a gentle-parenting glow-up, its luridness revised for the more empowered, enlightened standards of today. 'Odyssey' is in some ways the inside-out version of 'The Pitt' (streaming on Max), TV's buzziest doctor show. Jackson's Max and Noah Wyle's Dr. Robby are both brilliant and ethical leaders with high standards. They are both haunted by their experiences at the beginning of the pandemic, Robby by his mentor's death and Max by the fact that he was among Covid's earliest patients — he was hospitalized and in a coma, near death. Both Max and Robby cope admirably with a partner's reproductive choices. Both shows indulge in a bit of medical gore, and both use a sense of 'Oh no, we don't have the resources we need' to intensify the drama. In 'The Pitt,' it's for budgetary reasons; in 'Odyssey,' it's because they're at sea. But 'Odyssey' is only sort of a doctor show. It is better understood as a fantasy, and not just because of fan theories that the whole show is Max's Covid hallucination, or that the characters are all in purgatory or some such. This is a show where a straight(ish) man's No. 1 fantasy is monogamous marriage and child rearing, and not only is he a doctor and former Peace Corps volunteer, he is also always wearing an all-white naval uniform. He loves reality television and sees depth and significance in it, not just mindless fun. He loves teamwork. He once broke his penis — on account of its being so big and the lovemaking so vigorous — but 'the body is a miraculous healing machine,' he says, and the experience even made him a better doctor. He entices patients to shed their hypocrisies and walk in the light. He emerged from the pandemic as more caring, more joyful, more attuned to the world, more open. Even BookTok romances don't go this hard. And he's not the only, er, dream boat. The ship's captain (Don Johnson) tells Max that the Odyssey is 'heaven' for its passengers. That's true beyond the snazzy vacation of it all because the themed cruises also mean the characters are among their people, the like-minded folks who share their obsession with, say, little rubber duckies, wellness nonsense or May-December romances. The various liars and grifters always admit defeat, and on the rare occasions that someone dies, you always get ample warning through corny slow songs and gentle, predictable character beats. Much of the fun in 'Doctor Odyssey' comes from its guest stars, who this season have included Kate Berlant, Bob the Drag Queen, Margaret Cho, Gina Gershon, Cheyenne Jackson, Margo Martindale, Fred Melamed, Amy Sedaris, John Stamos and Shania Twain (who recurs), among many many others. Everything is done in good fun and usually in gay rococo fun. The only true ailment here is shame, and Max and Co. have so many ways to treat and alleviate it. All the sex here is free of danger, coercion or violence, and all forms of love are studied and treasured. I have no idea what's coming in the finale, and while some fans are anticipating a twist, I think 'twist' requires a kind of torsion the show is not capable of because it isn't anchored to being any one thing. It's already dopey and dreamy and diffuse, whatever plane of existence it's on. It's the beauty of being at sea: You can head off in any direction.
Forbes
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Hamilton' Isn't Just A Success On Broadway — It's A Historic Win On The Charts
Hamilton celebrates 500 weeks on the Billboard 200 and the Cast Albums chart, marking a first on the ... More all-encompassing albums list for Broadway. NEW YORK, NY - JULY 09: (L-R) Phillipa Soo, Christopher Jackson, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Ramos attend Lin-Manuel Miranda's final performance of "Hamilton" on Broadway at Richard Rodgers Theatre on July 9, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by) Hamilton became a phenomenon even before it reached Broadway. In just a few months, it will celebrate a full decade on the Great White Way — and amazingly, it still remains one of the most in-demand tickets, as well as one of the most successful shows ever. It's not just the production that continues to bring people in, either. Millions of fans still buy and stream the original cast recording every week. The album that accompanies the Broadway show reaches an incredible milestone this week in America, proving that there's still room for great and inventive new musicals, even if they only come along every once in a while. Hamilton has now spent 500 weeks on the Billboard 200. Billboard reports that it is the first Broadway cast recording to hit that incredible milestone, which remains elusive even for the most successful non-theatrical releases. This week, Hamilton manages to climb on the busy tally. While it doesn't approach its former high of No. 2 on the Billboard 200, it does improve from No. 39 to No. 32. Luminate reports that the cast recording shifted another 19,000 equivalent units in the past tracking period, with almost all of those units coming from streaming activity. As it reaches 500 weeks on the Billboard 200, Hamilton also climbs to another notable landmark on Billboard's Top Streaming Albums chart. That list measures the most successful titles on Spotify, Apple Music, and other similar platforms. The cast recording lifts from No. 31 to No. 28 this frame. That marks its new high on the list, though it has only spent 12 weeks on the tally overall. The same release also reaches 500 weeks on the Cast Albums chart — where one might expect Hamilton to perform best – at the same time it makes it to that sum on the Billboard 200. Throughout that time frame, it has racked up 427 stays at No. 1, and it holds in first place yet again this frame. Hamilton may be one of the only Broadway cast recordings to appear on Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart, which ranks the most consumed full-lengths in that genre throughout the U.S. It climbs on that list as well, pushing from No. 10 to No. 6. Amazingly, after 383 weeks, it still ranks among the 10 most consumed rap albums in the country, despite competition from some of the biggest names in that genre – and it's on that tally where it has previously reached No. 1.
