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Trump-Hillary: The Sequel; Billy Bush Fallout; Mark Burnett Under Pressure; Spielberg's China Deal

October 10, 2016

To think, on Friday morning the big issue at the debate was supposed to be Trump's taxes. Today, it's all about the infamous Access Hollywood tape, the fallout for NBC and Billy Bush and pressure for Mark Burnett Productions to release any bombshell material. Plus: Birth of a Nation flops but gets a warm reception at its (half-empty) Academy screening. — Matthew Belloni and Erik Hayden.

Early ratings were lower than Round 1. Michael O'Connell writes: With a combined 37.2 overnight rating among the households, the early numbers for the six main networks carrying the debate are down roughly 20 percent from the record-breaking haul of the first showdown (46.2 overnight).

CBS benefited the most among the broadcast networks, with its 10.4 rating among households during the debate edging past the dipping coverage of Sunday Night Football. NBC, which led all networks for the first debate, aired Sunday Night Football.

The debate sequel was ugly. Critic Frank Scheck writes: Yes, this was another gloves-off encounter between the two candidates, who by now clearly despise each other. ... Moderators Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper pushed hard against Trump, who repeatedly whined and moaned about their supposed unfairness. But short of using a whip and a chair, there was little they could do.

Other reviews for the moderators...

"Raddatz was forceful and fair. She refused to allow Trump or Clinton to filibuster, and she fact-checked when the moment required it." — Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post.

"Sure, there were occasions when they were bulldozed, mostly by Trump, but for much of the time they kept things on track. Raddatz was particularly effective at restoring order." — Rem Rieder, USA Today.

"The moderators appeared willing to buck the debate’s format when they deemed a particular interaction newsworthy or illuminating." — Michael Grynbaum, The New York Times.

From Twitter, the most retweeted comment on the debate last night...

► Most-tweeted debate (again) I Hollywood reax I Trump compared to SNL Baldwin

"There Is Simply No Excuse"

Those are the words of the Today show's top exec Noah Oppenheim in a memo yesterday to staff informing them that Billy Bush, co-host of the show's 9 am hour, would be suspended indefinitely for his role in perhaps the biggest story of this presidential cycle.

Sure, Bush didn't say "grab them by the p----" or "I tried to f--- her. She was married." But he's heard egging Trump on and laughing along and then asking a soap star to give Trump (and himself) a hug.

Until midday Sunday, Today insiders were telling THR editor Marisa Guthrie that Bush would appear on Monday's Today show and apologize, but pressure mounted and by mid-afternoon he was suspended and Oppenheim's memo went out.

Matt writes: Don't expect to see Bush on Today ever again, or at least not as a host. The show is simply too valuable a property for NBC to screw around with it, and Bush was not an entrenched member of the team (in fact, many of his on-air colleagues were said to dislike him before this incident).

This morning: Savannah Guthrie made a short on-air statement with the basic information roughly 15 minutes into the program, but that was it so far.

Will The Apprentice outtakes be next to leak? Pressure is building on Mark Burnett Productions, which is owned by MGM, to allow access to the archives of Trump's reality show. A producer on the show's first two seasons tweeted yesterday that the Access tapes were "just the beginning."

How NBC got scooped: An Access Hollywood producer uncovered the tape early last week but network lawyers were worried about possible legal claims for publishing the audio without Trump's consent. Here's why that was a concern (and why The Washington Post, which broke the story Friday, didn't share that worry).

Elsewhere in TV...

► Do TV shows get a boost from American in the title? Maybe. As ABC's American Housewife is entering a crowded space, here's a closer look at the reasons why showrunners may choose to reference the U.S. in the title of a broadcast series. A few reasons.

► Marvel-Netflix's first full Iron Fist trailer debuts. Saturday at New York Comic Con, Netflix unveiled the first full trailer from its upcoming superhero series, which stars Finn Jones as the martial arts master. Watch here.

↱ SNL ratings: "Are you not entertained?" With another pre-election visit from Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump, the NBC late-night series posted its best week-two overnight returns since the 2008 season (and election) over the weekend. Two weeks in, SNL is already pacing 24 percent ahead of last season. ICYMI, the Baldwin clip. ↲

► Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind heads to small screen. Anonymous Content's Steve Golin, who produced the original film, is remaking the romantic drama into a TV series with studio Universal Cable Productions attached. Zev Borow is near a deal to pen the script.

► Comedy Central renews @Midnight. The 40-week pickup keeps the Chris Hardwick-hosted series on the air through 2017. The renewal comes on the heels of the show's second straight Emmy win for outstanding creative achievement in interactive media/social TV experience.

► Starz renews Ash vs. Evil Dead. The news comes days after the Oct. 2 season two premiere of the half-hour. The comedic follow-up to the cult classic Evil Dead sees Bruce Campbell reprise his iconic role of the chainsaw-handed monster hunter Ash Williams.

Jon Hamm to the rescue. The Mad Men actor, speaking to reporters on the red carpet for the premiere of Keeping Up With the Joneses, shared a story of saving his L.A. neighbor after he fell off of a ladder next door: "I was like, 'What happened!'"

Box Office: 'Train' Thriller Gets Win

Emily Blunt and Luke Evans saw Girl on the Train rumble at the U.S. box office, Pamela McClintock writes in the weekend wrap:

Tate Taylor's female-fueled The Girl on the Train opened to a solid $24.7M from 3,133 theaters over the weekend. The film, produced by Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks for under $50M and distributed by Universal, received a B- CinemaScore and nearly 70 percent of ticket buyers were female.

Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine's placed No. 2 in its second weekend, falling 48 percent to $15M for a domestic total of $51.1M for Fox. The fantasy adventure won the overseas race, earning another $42.5M from 71 markets for an early foreign total of $94M and global cume of $145.1M.

Meanwhile, Nate Parker's Birth of a Nation, bought for $17.5M and marketed for many millions more, debuted to a disappointing $7.1M from 2,105 theaters.

The film nabbed an A CinemaScore and appealed heavily to African-American moviegoers (51 percent). It skewed female, while as much as 80 percent of ticket buyers were over the age of 25. "This is a satisfactory, not disappointing result," said Fox Searchlight distribution chief Frank Rodriquez.

ICYMI, from Kim Masters: "Nate Parker's Failed Media Tour."

Elsewhere in film...

► Birth of a Nation gets half-full Academy screening. On the plus side of the Sunday afternoon screening at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, the film's end credits were greeted with what one member described as "warm and very appreciative applause." What Academy members are saying.

► Finding Dory crosses $1B worldwide. The sequel is only the third film of the year so far to cross $1B following two fellow Disney releases: Marvel Studios' Captain America: Civil War ($1.153B) and Disney Animation Studios' Zootopia ($1.023B).

► Tom Hanks' Inferno, reviewed. The actor reteams with his Da Vinci Code director Ron Howard for another round of European adventures in this action thriller based on the novel by Dan Brown. The takeaway from critic Leslie Felperin: "Not as hellish as one might expect."

↱ Which film won N.Y. Comic Con? Graeme McMillan writes: The movie that produced the most buzz of the weekend was one which prides itself on a lack of visual trickery. The Saturday panel for Lionsgate's John Wick: Chapter 2 had audiences on their feet at Ian McShane's Winston and the reveal that Keanu Reeves will be joined in the sequel by Matrix vet Laurence Fishburne. ↲

► Quoted, Steven Spielberg. The director, speaking in Beijing on Sunday about his Amblin Partners' pact with China's Alibaba Pictures Group, said he hoped the partnership would "bring more of America to China, and bring more of China to America."

► New Wolverine teases more violence. After spending months shrouded in mystery, the third Fox spinoff film has revealed its name (Logan) and its first images, with the R-rated third installment looking to have violence like any seen from X-Men so far.

Annette Bening, back in the Oscar race. After the New York Film Fest premiere of 20th Century Women, Scott Feinberg writes: The four-time Oscar bridesmaid is likely to be back in the running — and could even win — for her lead performance in Mike Mills' very personal third feature. Here's why.

Today in 1956: 'Giant' Faces Critics

60 years ago: On Oct. 10, 1956, prior to its theatrical bow, the 195-minute epic Giant, starring James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, faced critics. An excerpt from The Hollywood Reporter's original review:

"Miss Taylor gives a fine performance, lilting in youth and sturdy in age, suggesting the latter much better through her own acting ability than through the overdone makeup. Rock Hudson is powerful in perhaps the best portrayal of his career, a real acting job that gets under the skin of the character and gives substance to the most important single role in the picture. [...]

As for James Dean, there is no doubt that his death has added poignancy to his every appearance. But there is nothing macabre about it, he is too vital; it is easy to see why the fact of his passing is so hard to accept by so many. Stevens had directed him beautifully, taking full advantage of Dean's unusual ability to act with his whole body as much as with his voice or face.

A single scene, where Dean paces out the first land he has ever owned, is unforgettable. Shot from below, with only Dean's expressive silhouette seen against the sky, it has rhythm and beauty and says more than a thousand words could."