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The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019A DECADE OF CHANGE, A NEW VERSION OF HOLLYWOODI have no idea if Quibi will be successful. And neither do you. But that doesn’t stop most of us — gossiping over lunch, chatting via texts — from offering our takes on whether Jeffrey Katzenberg’s $2 billion mobile video venture can compete when it launches in April.Hollywood always has been an especially chatty business, and even in this age of data science and machine learning, most of us still value what “the town” thinks. Unlike back in 2010, “Hollywood” now includes a Seattle-based retailer and a Swedish music streamer, but it’s still a community. So for this issue, the last of this decade, THR editors asked some smart showbiz people what the future holds in 2020 and beyond (page 66).In an industry undergoing unprecedented (and, for some traditionalists, depressing)…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019How Will Jeff Shell Manage NBCUniversal?On Dec. 12, NBCUniversal executives and talent were gathered in the capacious Studio 9C at 30 Rock for the company’s annual holiday press party. It was amid this tableau that news of Jeff Shell’s impending ascension to CEO of NBCUniversal broke. And, on Dec. 16, Comcast confirmed that he’ll take charge of NBCU beginning Jan. 20, while Steve Burke moves to chairman and then retires Aug. 14, after the Tokyo Olympics. “If you could create the perfect job for Jeff, this is it,” says an insider. “He loves current events and entertainment. He literally watches movies, news and sports every weekend.”Shell, 54, has been a savvy operational steward of his growing NBCU portfolio as chairman of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. Internally, Shell’s rise, which has been expected since at…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019America’s Got Talent Probe Looks Beyond Simon CowellIf NBC is looking for a silver lining to the messy fallout from Gabrielle Union’s America’s Got Talent dismissal, at least time is on the network’s side.The network’s investigation into Union’s accusations of racial insensitivity and toxic culture at AGT comes three months before production on the top-rated competition’s next cycle is scheduled to begin — and no one familiar with the situation predicts a swift completion to the investigator’s scheduled interviews. “It’s not a shortlist of people,” one insider tells THR.Spinoff AGT: Champions, which does not feature Union, returns Jan. 6, and all seven episodes already are in the can. A March start of production for the flagship series’ 15th season means breathing room for some resolution to the inquiry and, key to the network, time to find replacements…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Star Wars Soars, Cats Careens as Academy Hones NomineesDOCUMENTARY FE ATUREKnock Down the HouseRachel Lears’ portrait of four Democratic congressional campaigns in 2018 — including that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — seemed to have faded from the conversation but wound up as one of Netflix’s field-leading four of the 15 shortlisted doc features.INTERNATIONAL FEATUREHoneylandTamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov’s portrait of one of Europe’s last female bee hunters made this shortlist (positioning it to become North Macedonia’s first Oscar nominee in 25 years) and the doc feature shortlist too. (That’s happened only once before.)ORIGINAL SCOREStar Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerJohn Williams received a standing ovation at the Hollywood premiere of the ninth Star Wars film Dec. 16, shortly after his score (and the film’s VFX work) was shortlisted, setting him up for a record 52nd Oscar nomination.ORIGINAL SONG“Beautiful Ghosts” CatsHours…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Julia FoxJulia Fox worked as a dominatrix in high school in New York, has staged an art show with paintings using her own blood, and directed a short film about sex trafficking in Nevada. Fox, 29, has now made her acting debut in Josh and Benny Safdie’s Uncut Gems, playing a feisty jewelry saleswoman who’s sleeping with her gambling addict boss (Adam Sandler). “She’s incredible and very instinctive,” says Sandler. “I never knew what the heck would happen.” The role has landed her representation at WME and a breakout actress nomination at the Gotham Awards.What was your first job?JULIA FOX I worked at a shoe store on 86th Street called Orva, in the hosiery department because nobody went there. That’s where they put me because I was too incapable of doing…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Yes, I Did Say That!“Of course he’s nice to you. If you’re in this room, you have something that he needs.”TAYLOR SWIFT The pop star, accepting Billboard’s Woman of the Decade award, explaining how Scooter Braun’s behavior is “the definition of the toxic male privilege” in the music industry and dragging financial backer George Soros into her battle over Braun’s ownership of her catalog.“I feel like the forgotten man.”HARVEY WEINSTEIN The disgraced producer, in the New York Post, complaining that the numerous charges of sexual assault against him are overshadowing his professional contributions.“The next 18 months are going to determine where this business goes for the next 20 years.”STEVE MOSKO The CEO of Village Roadshow, in Variety, assessing the upcoming critical mass of streaming platforms with the 2020 arrivals of HBO Max, Peaco*ck and…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Rambling ReporterBarneys’ Final Days: ‘It Feels Like Our Parents Got Divorced’When Barneys says everything must go, it isn’t just talking about the merchandise. The staff of the soon-shuttering high-end department store chain’s Beverly Hills branch — where Beyoncé, David Beckham, Madonna and many more shopped — are scattering to the winds. Michelle Goodman, personal shopper to the A-list, has moved to Neiman Marcus, where she’s joined by Barneys jewelry associate Lisa Lenhoff. Saks Fifth Avenue has poached Barneys’ shoe department of Jonathan Pascual and Richard Valenciano, while other salespeople have decamped for Rodeo Drive: Nick LaSure is working at Bottega Veneta, Chelle Kearney is at Gucci and Kevin Harris is at Saint Laurent. Says Barney’s studio services manager Sharon Taylor — who’ll be staying till the bitter end, “At Barneys, we…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Robert GreenblattTucked in the top drawer of Robert Greenblatt’s desk at HBO Max’s Burbank headquarters is a years-old pitch that never got much traction.Dated August 2015, the multipage deck outlines the former NBC Entertainment chairman’s vision for an over-the-top streaming service at NBCUniversal. Per Greenblatt, his bosses weren’t remotely interested at the time. They had a stake in Hulu, they reasoned, to say nothing of a cable company in parent Comcast to protect. So Greenblatt carried on at the network, which he’d taken from last place to first in his seven-year tenure on the back of such hits as The Voice, This Is Us and a collection of live musicals.Four and a half years later, Greenblatt, 59, has moved from NBC to WarnerMedia, where he now oversees a 3,000-person group that…12 min
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At the Mercy of TiberiusThe Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019What Tarantino Left in the Editing RoomFred Raskin had a big challenge on his hands. The first cut of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was more than four and a half hours long, and he had to cut it down to almost half that length.Luckily for the film editor, Tarantino joined him in the editing room after principal photography, already knowing what half of the cuts should be.The rest, Raskin says, “came from watching the movie over and over again [while considering] that if we lose something, do we upset the balance of how much time we are spending with each character and do we need to move things around?”In the end, Raskin — who also edited Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained — managed to hone down Once Upon a Time…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019‘This TV Is Dope’: An Insider’s Buying GuideBuying a new smart TV can be like spooning through a bowl of alphabet soup. Sets now come with specs like UHD, HDR, QLED and OLED. And then there’s the question of whether to add components such as Roku’s built-in software, Dolby Atmos immersive sound and Alexa compatibility.“I love to watch movies, TV shows and sports, especially my Chicago Bulls, at home in the best possible way,” says Black and Blue director Deon Taylor, a fan of LG Signature’s new Z9 88-inch Class 8K Smart OLED TV ($30,000) with AI ThinQ, the brand’s artificial-intelligence technology. “It’s got Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and has Air Play compatibility for my iPhone and iPad, plus Google Assistant and Alexa. This TV is dope.”THR sifts through the jargon to help make finding the right…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019‘AS GLACIAL AS AN INGMAR BERGMAN FILM FESTIVAL’Quick, define this decade of Hollywood history in one word: Disruption? Diversity? Disney? The Donald? THR looks back (and forward) by surveying 3,500 industry pros for their favorite movies and shows of the 2010s, highlighting the business moments that will influence the 2020s and beyond, examining the inclusion movement and showcasing the talents that have become industry forces (all captured on the rise by THR’s cameras).We have come to the end of another exhausting year and the end of another transformative decade. These are traditional milestones for self-reflection, just like on Real Housewives reunion shows. And, like Real Housewives, we are both self-congratulatory and accusatory. We praise ourselves for our perceived personal growth and demand apologies from those who have not lived up to our expectations. This kind of self-examination…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019THR POLLTV SERIES TOP 201 Game of Thrones (2011-19)HBO Created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss2 Breaking Bad (2008-13)AMC Created by Vince Gilligan“‘Breaking Bad’ is an old Southern expression that I thought was more widely known than it is, apparently,” Gilligan told THR in 2011. “I always thought everybody knew what it meant because I grew up hearing it all the time.”3 Mad Men (2007-15)AMC Created by Matthew Weiner4 Downton Abbey (2010-15)PBS/ITV Created by Julian Fellowes5 Stranger Things (2016-present)Netflix Created by the Duffer brothers6 The Crown (2016-present)Netflix Created by Peter Morgan7 Fleabag (2016-19)Amazon Created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge“People get over sh*t,” Waller-Bridge told THR of the end of her Emmy-winning dark comedy.“If something doesn’t go well, you’ll get over it. And if something goes brilliantly, we’ll all get over that too.”8 The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019‘A REVOLUTION OF CINEMA’Anyone interested in playing six degrees of separation would have had a field day at this year’s Director Roundtable — and not just because half of the helmers made their films for Netflix. Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), 77, came this close to producing Joker from Todd Phillips, 48, only to pull out and leave it in the hands of his producing partner, Emma Tillinger Koskoff. His last movie, Silence, screened for Pope Francis I, the subject of The Two Popes by Fernando Meirelles, 64. And he’s been longtime friends with Steven Spielberg, who gave Greta Gerwig, 36, notes on her new drama, Little Women. Gerwig, of course, is life partners with Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story), 50, and in case you’re thinking Lulu Wang (The Farewell), 36, may have felt left…23 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019‘PROSTHETICS DON’T LIKE MAKEUP’BOMBSHELLFor the Bombshell hair and makeup team, the considerable task of transforming some of the most famous acting faces in the world began with the delicate, intricately crafted prosthetic work of Kazu Hiro, whose subtle applications helped turn Charlize Theron into a doppelganger of Megyn Kelly, who inhabits the core of the story of sexual harassment among the Fox News ranks. From there, hair and makeup artisans completed the metamorphosis, including an extra degree of difficulty that involved replicating the broadcaster’s thick on-air cosmetics.“I can’t imagine having to paint the way that I’ve had to paint without that absolute finesse that Kazu did in his pieces — he was unbelievable,” says makeup department head Vivian Baker, who called her team’s work “a technical challenge on top of just the normal…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019MAKING OF1917Back when Sam Mendes was a boy in the U.K., he would sometimes visit his grandfather at his home in Trinidad. Sitting on a porch with some of his cousins, Mendes would listen as the old man spun harrowing tales of his time in the trenches during World War I. “His stories were pretty anti-romantic and unsentimental,” recalls Mendes, now 54. “There was no heroism or bravery. They were all stories about luck and chance.”After marinating in the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s imagination for 40-some years, those stories are now the basis of Mendes’ latest film, 1917, a $90 million World War I movie that Universal opens on Christmas Day. Its plot is simplicity itself: Two British soldiers — played by relative newcomers George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman — are sent on…9 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019SALUTATIONS IN THE DESERT (WITH DESSERT)ANTONIO BANDERASInternational Star Award, ActorLAURA DERNCareer Achievement AwardJENNIFER LOPEZSpotlight AwardJOAQUIN PHOENIXChairman’s AwardMARTIN SCORSESESonny Bono Visionary AwardCHARLIZE THERONInternational Star Award, ActressRENÉE ZELLWEGERDesert Palm Achievement Award, ActressDAVID M. BENETT/DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR PATHE PRODUCTIONS.…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Heat IndexBilly PorterFX’s Pose star leads Google’s top trending red carpet searches for 2019 as he picks up a Golden Globe nom for best actor.Clint EastwoodRichard Jewell’s $4.7 million debut becomes the director’s worst wide box office bow since Bronco Billy opened to $3.7 million nearly 40 years ago.Rian JohnsonThe director’s Knives Out emerges as a mid-budget breakout ($165 million worldwide) as tepid reviews for Rise of Skywalker fail to match his Last Jedi.Mike PerryThe Hallmark CEO apologizes for removing an ad featuring a same-sex wedding as the channel faces criticism from both social conservatives and LGBTQ activists.Showbiz Stocks$40.28 (+7%) VIACOMCBS (VIAC)Bank of America gives the newly merged conglomerate a “buy” rating because of its valuable content library and growing streaming business.$7.64 (-9%) TIVO (TIVO)The International Trade Commission further delays an…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Harvey’s Health Mystery: Faking or ‘Fall From Grace’?Lots of 67-year-old men have back issues — about 80 percent of them, say experts — but when Harvey Weinstein used a walker to enter a Manhattan courtroom for his bail hearing Dec. 11, it sparked pervasive speculation that he was faking it. But multiple attorneys and legal observers consulted by THR say exaggerating an ailment would be a risky move, especially in a high-profile criminal trial (beginning in January) that already lends itself to cynicism. “This shows everything is going to be under a microscope,” former prosecutor Laurie Levenson says of Weinstein’s upcoming sexual assault trial. “The very nature of this crime raises questions about whether anything he says or does will be believed.”Weinstein’s lawyer Donna Rotunno claims that his health has been deteriorating since an August car crash.…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Netflix’s Subscriber Growth Story: Focus OverseasOn Jan. 6, 2016, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings stood onstage at CES in Las Vegas and declared, “You are witnessing the birth of a global TV network,” as he turned on his streaming service in 130 new countries. Nearly three years later, Hastings finally gave Wall Street a glimpse of how Netflix has fared in those regions in recent years. The company, facing a threat of competition from Disney, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal and others as their direct-to-consumer offerings hit the market, released new data Dec. 16 that shows growth abroad even as it begins to slow at home. Europe, the Middle East and Africa is Netflix’s largest international region with 47.4 million subscribers, but the Asia Pacific region is its fastest-growing, up 123 percent to 14.5 million subscribers. And though subscriber…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019ICM PARTNERS TAKES THE COOL CASH AS AGENCY INVESTMENTS HEAT UPDeal of the WeekICM Partners is getting in business with private equity, becoming the latest Hollywood talent agency to do so. In bringing aboard New York-based Crestview Partners as a “strategic investor,” the agency joins CAA and WME — which have been majority owned by TPG Capital and Silver Lake Partners, respectively, since 2014 — and UTA, which sold an equity stake to PSP Investments and Investcorp in August 2018.Crestview’s ICM stake — one-third for $150 million — puts the agency’s valuation at $450 million, far below WME parent Endeavor, which was aiming for an $8 billion valuation in its shelved IPO this fall, as well as CAA, which THR estimated in April is worth about $2.5 billion. Sources say that outside investors’ stake in UTA is just under 40…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 20197 Days of DEALSFILMPaula Patton (ICM, MPE, Ziffren Brittenham) will star in and produce an adaptation of Sherry Jones’ biographical novel Josephine Baker’s Last Dance.The Favourite’s Yorgos Lanthimos (CAA, the U.K.’s Sayle Screen, Ilene Feldman) is in talks to direct New Regency’s adaptation of Gothic Western The Hawkline Monster.Phil Lord and Chris Miller (UTA, Ziffren Brittenham) are teaming with Ready or Not filmmaking collective Radio Silence for an untitled bear-driven horror comedy for Universal.David Ayer (WME, Sloane Offer) is in negotiations to write and direct a Warner Bros. remake of The Dirty Dozen.The End of the F***ing World creator Jonathan Entwistle (CAA, Grandview, Jackoway Austen) is in negotiations to direct a Power Rangers reboot for Paramount.TELEVISIONViola Davis (CAA, Lasher, Lichter Grossman) and Andre Braugher (WME, Artists First, Keith A. Klevan) will star in…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019CAA’s Million-Dollar Cat ClientIt’s been a tough year for viral cats. Grumpy Cat passed away May 14 at age 7 following a urinary tract infection, and, on Dec. 1, Lil Bub, a special needs perma-kitten with an ever-dangling tongue, died in her sleep at age 8. Going strong is Nala Cat, a Siamese-tabby mix with 4.3 million Instagram followers, who is CAA’s sole feline client. At age 9, she has launched food line Love, Nala; has shilled for companies such as Bissell vacuums; and donates cat food to needy pets while supporting pet-adoption efforts. Her first book, Living Your Best Life According to Nala Cat (Penguin), bows in April. It’s nothing to meow about: Multiple parties confirm the enterprise is a seven-figure-a-year operation.“The pet industry is such a booming market and we saw…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019The Red CarpetTHR’s Women in EntertainmentLos Angeles, Dec. 11Party CrawlerWonder WomenThe Hollywood Reporter’s Power 100 Women in Entertainment event, presented by Lifetime, took over Milk Studios for the annual celebration, this year honoring Reese Witherspoon (3) and Ronan Farrow (19). The breakfast, sponsored by Cadillac, Fiji Water, Moroccan Oil, eOne, Gersh, SAG-AFTRA and Loyola Marymount University, in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and the Entertainment Industry Foundation, gave out $1.6 million in college scholarships to girls in THR’s Women in Entertainment (WIE) Mentorship Program among such stars as Chelsea Handler (7), Kaitlyn Dever (6) and Eva Longoria (12) and execs Cindy Holland (16), Meg Whitman and Jennifer Salke (9). WIE issue guest editor Olivia Wilde (6) kicked off the ceremony — which also fetes THR’s annual Power 100…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Power DiningJay-Z and Beyoncé were at Felix Trattoria.… Over at Mr Chow, Hannah Minghella was in. Bobby Shriver and Maria Shriver shared a table. Jaleel White sat nearby. On a different day, Joe Pesci was in.… Jennifer Garner stopped by The Draycott.… Tom Hanks was at Katsuya Brentwood.… Bruce Willis lunched at Farmshop.… Jason Alexander checked out Pacifique.… Taron Egerton popped by Sunset Tower’s Tower Bar.… Jeffrey Katzenberg had lunch at Republique. Vanessa Bayer was in separately.… Post Malone was at Doheny Room.Found OysterThe Quick PitchLast seen at Culver City’s ill-fated Hayden, chef Ari Kolender has opened this 22-seat bivalve specialist on a buzzing block of East Hollywood. Along with the eponymous shellfish, there’s everything from lobster rolls and lobster bisque to a rendition of Swan Oyster Depot’s famed crudo.The Inside…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Pain, Gain and More Merger ManiaMy bold prediction for 2020 is…JON JASHNI, investor Apple+, Quibi and Peaco*ck admit (by their actions) that they cannot truly and effectively compete in the streaming wars.FRANKLIN LEONARD, The Black List founder An unfortunate percentage of the industry will continue to underestimate the improvement that real inclusion could make to their bottom lines.AMY BAER, Women in Film president A studio will buy a theater chain and the shrinking of windows will finally begin.LINDA LICHTER, attorney Sony and Netflix will be bought by Amazon or Apple.STACY L. SMITH, Annenberg Inclusion Initiative founder Five of the top 15 films of 2020 will have a female director attached.RICK GENOW, attorney Short strikes by the guilds, tech dominance, agency spinoffs and, sadly, fewer major studios.CINDY HOLLAND, Netflix chief content officer More Americans will watch…6 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Noise Cancel or No? Sound Experts Sound OffNoise-canceling headphones — available commercially since the mid-1990s — are now go-tos for flights and loud offices. But they aren’t beloved by everyone. THR spoke with prominent composers and sound designers to get their recommendations for the best headphones and discovered that while some pros love them, many don’t — because, as composer Diane Warren puts it, “I want the true sound.”Eight-time Oscar nominee Wylie Stateman (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) wears headphones for hours, and he finds noise-canceling options fatiguing. “Unless you’re listening in a noisy environment, I would not use them,” he says. “In order to cancel outside noise, they produce anti-noise that reduces the sound that is entering your ear.” He prefers Sennheiser’s HD series ($80 to $400, en-us.sennheiser.com), which are “designed to isolate noise rather…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Don’t Say Dorms: How the Town’s Millennials Are Going CommunalAfter moving to Los Angeles in 2018, Raquel Dominguez bounced around various ZIP codes before stumbling upon the co-living startup Eddy. During a tour of its two buildings in Hollywood, she was struck by its central location, the value and the opportunity to simplify her life. “I remember feeling so much peace,” says the 26-year-old actress (CBS’ All Rise, NBC’s New Amsterdam), who signed a six-month lease for $800 a month to rent a private pod — a bunk-like enclosed sleeping space — along with access to facilities including offices, a gym and community spaces. The lease will get her through pilot season. “For those of us pursuing this dream, we’re kind of nomads, and carrying around a bunch of things can be stressful,” she says.Dominguez’s experience is reflective of…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019THR POLLFILMS TOP 201 Get Out (2017)Universal Directed by Jordan Peele2 12 Years a Slave (2013)Fox Searchlight Directed by Steve McQueen3 Black Panther (2018)Disney/Marvel Directed by Ryan Coogler“I never thought I would see a studio say, ‘Yeah, we are going to put the money behind this movie with a mostly black cast,’” star Chadwick Boseman told THR in 2018 of the $200 million superhero movie. “As African Americans, we have the ‘black version,’ and it’s never as good. They never put as much into it.”4 Inception (2010)Warner Bros. Directed by Christopher Nolan5 Avengers: Endgame (2019)Disney/Marvel Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo6 La La Land (2016)Lionsgate Directed by Damien Chazelle“I’d been bedridden with a 104-degree fever that whole week,” Chazelle told THR in 2017 of those epically awkward 145 seconds that his film was…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019YES, SOME PEOPLE STILL WATCH JIMMY FALLON IN BEDIn the 2010s, everyone started watching late night in daylight. Or at least that’s what the numbers seem to indicate. Live viewership for the three top-rated late night programs dropped from 9 million in 2010 to 7 million in 2019, while the shows’ social media hits skyrocketed during that period. Granted, it was a smaller social media world 10 years ago, but still: Stephen Colbert’s Late Show on CBS has 5.7 billion YouTube views (about 1,800 times his nightly viewership), while Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show on NBC has 12.7 billion (7,000 times). And it’s not just talk shows that have gone digital: Saturday Night Live registered a 48 percent increase in subscribers in 2016 alone (credit viral videos like Melissa McCarthy’s Sean Spicer impersonation, which racked up 34 million hits).But…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019THE Saga BEHIND WhyRUTH WILSON Left THE AFFAIRIn the summer of 2018, actress Ruth Wilson stunned fans and the television industry at large when she abruptly left The Affair, the Emmy-nominated Showtime drama in which she starred, with no explanation.Days after her departure, the actress embarked on an awkward press tour for an upcoming film. Asked repeatedly about her mysterious exit from the show, she would only drop baiting hints. “It isn’t about pay parity, and it wasn’t about other jobs, [but] I’m not really allowed to talk about it,” she told The New York Times in August 2018, urging the reporter to contact showrunner Sarah Treem: “There is a much bigger story.”That bigger story, it turns out, is much like the Rashom*on-style narrative of the show itself, which explored different character perspectives on the same events…13 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019MATCH THE LYRICS TO THE TUNEA “I’m up to be the king, it’s gotten clear. The voice inside my head is the one I hear”B “You’re not a voice, you’re just a ringing in my ear And if I heard you, which I don’t, I’m spoken for, I fear”C “Don’t you wanna see that little girl who loves you so? Her heart would break if you should go”D “Here comes a wave meant to wash me away A tide that is taking me under”E “Had to find my own way, make my own mistakes But you know that I had to go”1 “Speechless” ALADDIN ↑2 “Glasgow” WILD ROSE3 “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” TOY STORY 44 “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” ROCKETMAN5 “Into the Unknown” FROZEN 2Answers: A) 4, B) 5, C) 3,…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Todd McCarthy’s Top 101. ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOODAlthough it does have one conspicuous flaw — Sharon Tate should have been made into a real person, not just a one-dimensional starlet — Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to Hollywood is as rich, flavorful and deep-dish an immersion in revisionist Tinseltown lore as anyone could ever want or imagine. It’s a film unlike any other, one that provides both repeated and increased pleasure on multiple viewings. Whereas most previous works about the movie capital have taken a jaundiced view, Tarantino goes the opposite way, to glorious effect.2. UNCUT GEMSJosh and Benny Safdie conclusively show that they’re the real deal, and so, once and for all, does Adam Sandler, who is spectacular as a New York jewelry merchant for whom risk is all. The man…4 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Daniel Fienberg’s Top 101. FLEABAGFrom the perfectly awful dinner party in the premiere to the awfully perfect wedding in the finale, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Amazon comedy was, well, pretty perfect. Boosted by the addition of Andrew “Hot Priest” Scott and expanded roles for Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman and Brett Gelman, Fleabag ended its run with an uncomfortable, provocative, crazily romantic reflection on faith, sex, love and trauma.2. SUCCESSIONIn its second season, Jesse Armstrong’s dark HBO comedy made its core family even more insufferably privileged and corrupt. Somehow, though, as much as we wanted to hate the Roys, we became more deeply invested in Shiv’s ambition (and haircut), Connor’s presidential aspirations and Roman’s relationship with Gerri. And though awards groups won’t, I’ll single out the Shakespearean depth and pathos in Jeremy Strong’s turn as Kendall.3.…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Star Wars’ Holiday Special Got Past George LucasIt’s definitely possible to be ostracized from the Star Wars universe. David Prowse, who played but didn’t voice Darth Vader, spilled some plot points in the 1980s that put him on creator George Lucas’ dark side. And Jar Jar Binks, the goofy Gungan from the planet Naboo, got the cold shoulder from fans after his much-maligned debut in 1999’s The Phantom Menace. But neither suffered the complete ex-communication bestowed on CBS’ 1978 The Star Wars Holiday Special. At an Australian sci-fi convention a few years after it aired, Lucas said, “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every bootlegged copy of the program and smash it.” The mostly live-action, two-hour show aired the week before Thanksgiving and starred the original Star Wars cast plus TV…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019MSNBC’s Biggest Election Year Fight May Be With the LeftMSNBC is used to taking shots from Republicans and conservative media competitors. But, in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, the network is facing consistent criticism from some of the people most likely to champion it: progressive Democrats.“Some members of the public are under the mistaken impression that MSNBC is the progressive counter to Fox News, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” says Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “It’s not a progressive perspective. It’s an establishment perspective.” Cenk Uygur, who spent six months as an MSNBC host in 2011 before founding the brand The Young Turks and recently embarking on a run to replace Rep. Katie Hill in Congress, has also emerged as a critic. “The problem is having everybody think you’re the progressive…4 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Trump Taxes, Deepfakes on SAG-AFTRA’s AgendaJust before Thanksgiving, a SAG-AFTRA envoy left Hollywood for Capitol Hill. The objective: drum up interest about the Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2019. The bill, which was introduced in June by Rep. Judy Chu (D), aims to curb the impact of 2017’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on entertainers. It would allow performers making up to $100,000 a year to deduct expenses like agent commissions without filing through a loan-out company — the cap for the so-called Qualified Performing Artists deduction is currently $16,000. It’s one of SAG-AFTRA’s top priorities in a big year, including:1. Streamlining copyright fights.Backing the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act is also on the guild’s agenda under president Gabrielle Carteris. The bill would effectively establish a small claims court within the U.S.…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Behind the HeadlinesBILLBOARD HOT 100: The week’s most popular current songs, across all genres, ranked by audience impressions, sales data and streaming activity by online music sources tracked by Nielsen Music. BILLBOARD 200: The week’s most popular albums across all genres, as compiled by Nielsen Music, based on multi-metric consumption (blending traditional album sales, track equivalent albums, and streaming equivalent albums).FRANK MASI/SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT. KIRSTY GRIFFIN/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. COURTESY OF A24.…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Scale Matters in Movie Exhibition, TooBig DealDespite declines at the North American box office, the U.K.’s Cineworld is doubling down in the region.The London-listed exhibitor is acquiring Cineplex, which has a 75 percent market share in Canada with 165 cinemas and 1,695 screens. The $2.1 billion cash and debt deal will give the combined company the most screens in North America, with more than 8,900 (11,200 worldwide).“The industry is consolidating, and Cineworld is determined to be predator rather than prey,” Canaccord Genuity analyst Nigel Parson tells THR.“The surprise is that it came so quickly after the Regal deal,” adds RBC Capital Markets analyst Julian Easthope, referring to Cineworld’s $3.6 billion takeover of the U.S.-based chain in early 2018.Weakness in Cineplex shares may have provided an opportunity to strike now, even amid sluggishness at the North…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 201930B Big NumberRep SheetMaitreyi Ramakrishnan, who will star in Mindy Kaling’s coming-of-age comedy Never Have I Ever for Netflix, has signed with Paradigm.Fox News anchor Bret Baier has signed with UTA.Insatiable executive producer/director Andy Fleming, who also has helmed Hulu’s Difficult People and TV Land’s Younger, has signed with CAA, as has Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist pilot helmer Richard Shepard.Next Big ThingZackary MomohREPS UTA, the U.K.’s Identity, Hansen JacobsonWHY HE MATTERS Fresh off breakout performances in Harriet and Doctor Sleep, the British actor, 31, will star opposite Lupita Nyong’o in HBO Max’s limited series adaptation of Americanah. Momoh, who has previously appeared on Netflix’s Seven Seconds, also will be a series regular on Joss Whedon’s upcoming HBO drama The Nevers.…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019A 77-Year-Old Silent Movie Theater Reborn (Again) in L.A.Screen GemAfter the Cinefamily ceased operations at L.A.’s Silent Movie Theatre in 2017 amid sexual misconduct allegations, the venue’s landlords, Dan and Sammy Harkham, decided to reopen it themselves. On Christmas Day, after a yearlong full renovation, the rechristened 163-seat Fairfax Cinema debuts with a showing, exclusively in 35mm, of Uncut Gems. The film’s directors, Josh and Benny Safdie, will guest program eight other films during the run.“I’m excited to be making a theater that can create a context for films of various decades,” says Sammy, a cartoonist and graphic novelist and the for-profit theater’s creative director.The two-story building, opened in 1942, will include an outdoor patio, bookstore, cafe and art space. Harkham says additional filmmakers, plus film experts, will program the theater. Says Josh Safdie, “We respect the genuine…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019‘Driven by IntellectualCuriosity’When you’re raised in South Central, you get used to witnessing components of death and violence early on,” wrote Trinity (39) in an essay that helped land her a $100,000 scholarship, awarded Dec. 11 at THR’s annual Women in Entertainment gala, presented by Lifetime. “I’m accustomed to the deafening sound of bullets ripping through the air and going straight into my home,” continued the high school senior, who’s been mentored by HBO’s Chika Chukudebelu. “I’m accustomed to having my long-awaited slumber abruptly disturbed by helicopters hovering above my backyard. But I’ve never assimilated to these conditions; instead, I’ve always been driven by my intellectual curiosity.”Trinity received the first Spotify scholarship, presented by music stars John Legend and Maggie Rogers. She was joined by six other scholarship winners, all hailing from…3 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Hitched, Hatched, HiredWeddingsJeffrey Consoletti, founder of entertainment event production firm JJ|LA, married Robert Czechowicz, digital marketing director at Sony Pictures Entertainment, on Nov. 23 in front of 280 guests at The Bougainvillea Estate in Indio, California. The three-day event included a performance by Betty Who.BirthsJulie Feingold, a stylist whose clients have included Harry Styles, and husband Stas Lipovetskiy, a TV editor, welcomed son Levi Alexander Lipovetskiy on Oct. 31 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.CAA agents Ida Ziniti and John Garvey welcomed son Luca James Garvey on Nov. 6 in Santa Monica.CongratsJoseph Marchese and Joe Hodorowicz were upped to coheads of talent at Studio71 on Dec. 16.Mark Mulcahy was hired as senior vp in-theater marketing and Tom Sweetser as vp operations at Solstice Studios on Dec. 10.Michelle Rodriguez was promoted to…2 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019The Power and Predicament of Wielding FemininityEarly in Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, Amy March, played by Florence Pugh, is putting on jewels and rouge as she gets ready for a party she’s too young to attend. Ever the pesky little sibling, Amy can hardly believe her tomboyish older sister Jo (Saoirse Ronan) is squandering the chance to primp for the event.“You could be pretty if you tried,” Amy tells Jo.“Don’t want to,” Jo responds.“Won’t do it.”An aspiring author from a poor family, Jo is the heroine of the Sony Pictures movie and of the beloved Louisa May Alcott book on which the film is based. She’s a trailblazing character who normalized professional ambition for generations of girls during the past 150 years. Amy, a painter who seeks a husband as a path to financial stability, is…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019Six Gadgets Hollywood Loves Right NowAudio Sunglasses“I can walk my dog and be on the phone, without having anything in my ears,” says Exile production company founder Isaac Lee of his pair of Bose Frames with Bluetooth-enabled speakers; $200, bose.comCharging Hub“Nothing is worse than checking in to a hotel and finding only one outlet near your bed,” says director Barry Sonnenfeld, who likes the EUASOO 10-in-1 for its long cord and multiple ports; $90, amazon.comPortable SpeakerWatchmen actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II finds JBL’s Charge 4 Bluetooth speaker “loud, durable, waterproof and easy to carry around. Plus, it doubles as a phone charger. It’s basically my party on the go.” $130, jbl.comSleep Mask With SpeakersSonnenfeld (whose memoir Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother is due in March) uses Fenvella’s Sleep Mask with Bluetooth speakers to listen to “books…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019… AND WHY ALL ROADS LEAD TO BABY YODA PAST, PRESENT AND FUTUREFor Star Wars fans, ‘The Child’ is a delightful surprise in a tiny package. But for Hollywood, it marks a decade-long culmination of trends as powerful as the decline of the movie star and the rise of cord-cutting, the influence of IP and the brilliance of a Beyoncé album dropn a remote fortress on a desert planet, a baby had been gestating for the better part of a decade. Tucked into an orb-shaped pram, wide-eyed and pointy-eared, sweet and wise, “The Child” emerged into the world Nov. 12, 2019. To millions, this infant alien, born 35 minutes into the first episode of Disney+’s marquee show The Mandalorian and instantly coined “Baby Yoda” by admirers, was an utter surprise. But one could date The Child’s moment of conception to a morning…13 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019FIRE IN THE HOUSE OF DREAMSAROUND 10:30 A.M. ON July 18, a disheveled, heavyset man wearing a red T-shirt and jeans arrived at the quiet entrance of a three-story yellow building in Uji, a serene suburb of Japan’s historic city of Kyoto. Inside were some 70 employees of one of the country’s most beloved entertainment companies, Kyoto Animation, or KyoAni, as it was affectionately known to fans. Pushing through the building’s unlocked front doors, the man toppled over a large bucket of gasoline he had hauled inside with him. Then he flicked a lighter and screamed, “Die!”Within 10 seconds of the initial explosion, the building’s first floor was a furnace burning at 957 degrees Fahrenheit. Within 20 seconds, the second floor was fully ablaze. Windows on the third floor fell off 25 seconds later. In…27 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019TWO FRENCH FILMMAKERS EXPLORE CLASS STRIFEThe Academy branches for documentary, visual effects, international feature, makeup and hairstyling, song and score have narrowed their picks ahead of the Jan. 13 nominations as THR takes a look at some of the standoutsTheir stories may seem quite dissimilar, set in different nations and representing different countries in Oscar’s international feature category, but Ladj Ly’s and Mati Diop’s projects have plenty in common when one scratches below the surface. Both were inspired by their own lives, both were short films first and both were breakout award winners at Cannes. Now, they’re both on the shortlist of 10 contenders.FRANCELES MISÉRABLESThere’s a photo of Ladj Ly, taken by French photographer JR, back in 2004. It shows the French director in a white T-shirt and tightly shorn hair. Ly holds a video…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019From Macedonia to Syria, Battles on Many FrontsHONEYLANDA remote village in the mountains of Macedonia is the setting for Honeyland, a documentary by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov that follows Hatidze Muratova as she maneuvers through the wild and treacherous landscape to collect honey using primitive beekeeping techniques. What begins as an intimate nature doc and character study soon turns into an emotional thriller: When a nomadic family moves in next door to the home Hatidze shares with her mother, their attempts to collect honey threaten the bees’ ecosystem and Hatidze’s livelihood.Kotevska and Stefanov described, in an email exchange with THR, what drew them to Honeyland’s setting and how Hatidze’s story slowly unfolded in front of their cameras over a four year shoot.How were you introduced to Hatidze, and what made you interested in following her for…5 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019SECOND OPINIONSJon Frosch1 Marriage Story2 Give Me Liberty3 Once Upon a Timein Hollywood4 Sorry Angel5 Non-Fiction6 Parasite7 Booksmart8 Hustlers9 End of the Century10 UsSheri Linden1 The Last Black Man in San Francisco2 The Irishman3 Apollo 114 Parasite5 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood6 Portrait of a Lady on Fire7 Waves8 I Lost My Body9 An ElephantSitting Still10 The SouvenirDavid Rooney1 Pain and Glory2 Parasite3 Marriage Story4 The Souvenir5 Invisible Life6 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood7 Give Me Liberty8 Portrait of a Lady on Fire9 The Irishman10 Us…1 min
The Hollywood Reporter|Thursday, December 19, 2019‘I’m a Role Model’Zack Gottsagen was just 4 years old when he saw a television show that would set him on his acting journey.“I learned a lot from the character Corky from Life Goes On as he was an actor with Down syndrome,” Gottsagen tells THR of the groundbreaking ABC family series that starred Chris Burke as the lead, Charles “Corky” Thatcher, from 1989 to 1993.Fast forward 30 years and Florida native Gottsagen, who has Down syndrome, is set to receive the Rising Star Award at the 31st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival for his lead role in this year’s heartwarming indie tale The Peanut Butter Falcon. The film follows a man with Down syndrome who escapes from a retirement home, where he has been placed for safety, and embarks on an…3 min
