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Trump vs. NY Times; 'UnREAL' On-Set Chaos; Ken Ziffren on TV's Future; A Producer's 'Oldchella' Diary; 'Rogue One' Trailer

October 13, 2016

What's news: Donald Trump had a very bad day and is threatening to sue The New York Times over its story on new groping claims. Plus: Bob Dylan wins a Nobel Prize, Rogue One gets a plot-filled new trailer, The Room director makes his comeback and a look at how Lifetime's UnREAL can overcome its behind-the-scenes chaos. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman.

"He Was Like An Octopus"

Point, Anderson Cooper. When Sunday's presidential debate co-moderator got Donald Trump to say he had never groped women, the floodgates seem to have opened.

► The New York Times report: Two women, Jessica Leeds and Rachel Crooks, went public yesterday with detailed stories of being physically attacked by the GOP contender. The claims "have never been made public before. And their accounts echo those of other women who have previously come forward, like Temple Taggart, a former Miss Utah, who said that Mr. Trump kissed her on the mouth more than once when she was a 21-year-old pageant contestant."

Trump tweets: "The phoney story in the failing @nytimes is a TOTAL FABRICATION. Written by same people as last discredited story on woman. WATCH!"

↱ About Trump's NYT lawsuit threat, Matt writes: Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz demanded a retraction from the Times for its "false" story, the first step toward a defamation lawsuit. But Trump hasn't sued yet, and doing so would be a very risky move. Trump is a public figure, raising the standard for proving defamation. A lawsuit also would expose Trump to an invasive discovery process where more scandals could be uncovered. Also, just saying: truth is a defense in defamation cases. ↲

► A People writer's first-person account. Shortly after the Times story went live, Natasha Stoynoff, a former writer at the magazine, penned a lengthy account of being sexually assaulted at Trump's Florida home in Dec. 2005 as his wife Melania was in a nearby room.

Trump tweets: "Why didn't the writer of the twelve year old article in People Magazine mention the "incident" in her story. Because it did not happen!"

► The Palm Beach Post report. The local Florida paper, which has reported on Trump's Mar-a-Lago dealings, published an account of a woman, Mindy McGillivray, who claimed "she was groped by Trump at Mar-a-Lago 13 years ago. She said she never reported it to authorities."

► Mark Burnett speaks out: Under pressure over calls to see if The Apprentice has unaired tape of Trump akin to the Access Hollywood footage, the producer issued a statement:

"Given all of the false media reports, I feel compelled to clarify a few points," said Burnett. "I am not now and have never been a supporter of Donald Trump’s candidacy. I am NOT 'Pro-Trump.' Further, my wife and I reject the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign."

► Trump cable news surrogates scramble: In a surreal CNN moment, Jeffrey Lord and Katrina Pierson's attempts to defend the candidate became outlandish. Pierson tried to discredit some of the allegations made by women in the New York Times story by claiming that the incident didn't happen because "first class seats have fixed arm rests."

► The end game. Columnist Michael Wolff ponders what happens next after Trump likely loses this fall:

"But what is he going to do with them, with the great unwashed, the deplorables? That’s the real question, not whether he’s going to win or lose the presidency. In fact, in its way, it’s almost as unsettling a question as what would happen if he actually won. That’s a role that would likely hem him in. Being outside, standing with his huge aggrieved portion of the electorate, might be much more threatening."

The "Skinny Bundle" Storm

The dreaded "skinny bundle" is one of the many threats to traditional TV. Kenneth Ziffren, a partner at entertainment law firm Ziffren Brittenham, lays out how the industry is responding to a "skinny" future in a guest column:

As OTT choices grow and fat bundles get too costly for customers, programmers are experimenting more with OTT options to target younger audiences (and get higher stock valuations). Losing the big bundle and moving either to a skinny bundle or, even worse, an "a la carte" channel system would be bad for both the TV industry and consumers.

No doubt the TV industry is in the throes of transition, and more attention will be devoted to whether an OTT skinny bundle will be beneficial for the production industry and the viewing public.

My position is the skinny bundle can and should help both — but only as something that is additive to the big bundle, not as a replacement.

Elsewhere...

► GOP pollster built a replica of the Oval Office in his L.A. home. CBS and Fox News contributor Frank Luntz turned his six-bedroom house into a shrine to presidential patriotism — complete with a replica of the Lincoln Bedroom — where he has played host to Clint Eastwood, Warren Beatty and more. Bonus: The courtyard is outfitted with speakers that blare "Hail to the Chief." See photos here.

More TV...

► Steve Harvey revives Showtime at the Apollo. A new spin on the classic talent showcase will run as both a two-hour event on Dec. 5 and as another one-hour special in early 2017.

► Ricky Gervais is returning to the small screen. The comedian and actor is teaming with ABC and Banijay Studios North America for a game show called Five to Survive. ABC has handed out a series order to the hourlong unscripted entry.

► Fox's Lethal Weapon scores full-season order. The series scored a five-episode pickup, bringing its order to 18 episodes for this season. The show opened as Fox's highest fall premiere in two years. With seven days of DVR, it grew to a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49 and 12.4M viewers.

► Game of Thrones star joins Good Wife spinoff. Rose Leslie has joined the upcoming CBS All Access drama as a series regular. Leslie will play Maia, Diane's goddaughter who joins her firm just after passing the bar, and is a key part of Diane's plan for the future.

► R.I.P., Martin actor Thomas Mykal Ford. Martin Lawrence, Larry Wilmore, David Alan Grier and more remember the actor best known for playing sidekick Tommy Strawn on Martin.

↱ Can UnREAL overcome its behind-the-scenes chaos? Co-creator Marti Noxon exits Lifetime's critical darling amid infighting, leaving the Emmy-nominated series with its third showrunner in as many seasons. ↲

► Comedy Central orders stand-up/music series. An extension of the “Comedy Jam” special that aired in August, the series gives top comedians the chance to play out their rock 'n' roll fantasies. The series, which hails from Ugly Brother Studios and Tenth Planet, will bow in 2017.

► MTV to explore the dark side of social media. The cabler has teamed with Judy McGrath's Astronauts Wanted and digital studio Canvas to develop drama series Socio, which will dive into the mind of a teenage sociopath who operates online.

► Disney sued by Doc McStuffins actress. Popular Disney Junior series Doc McStuffins has been failing to pay the show's young star her share of merchandise revenue, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.

↱ Falling Water, reviewed. USA's dream-drama, which premieres Thursday, "has too much ambition in its current iteration, which is more frustrating than admirable," writes chief TV critic Tim Goodman. ↲

Bob Dylan gets Nobel Prize. Organizers lauded the 75-year-old singer and songwriter in the literature category "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition." Details.

Box Office: Will 'Accountant' Add Up?

Ben Affleck's latest starring vehicle is poised to overcome mediocre reviews and top the box-office chart, Pamela McClintock writes in the weekend forecast:

The Accountant, rolling out in 3,222 locations, is projected to open in the $15M-$20M range. Affleck plays a gun-wielding, small-town accountant who cooks the books for menacing mobsters, starring opposite Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Bernthal, Jeffrey Tambor and John Lithgow. Currently, The Accountant sports a 44 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Kevin Hart: What Now? and Max Steel also open nationwide this weekend. Boasting 89 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Hart's film chronicles the final performance of his successful stand-up tour and is projected to open in the $13M-$15M from roughly 2,500 theaters. Max Steel, based on Mattel's toy action figures, is looking at a modest opening in the $4M-$6M range.

Elsewhere in film...

↱ New Rogue One trailer: It shows a lot more of the plot for the Star Wars spinoff (but not too much), mostly about the backstory to Felicity Jones' character. Watch here. ↲

► The Room director Tommy Wiseau is back. Nearly 15 years after Wiseau directed and starred in cult classic The Room, he is reuniting with costar Greg Sestero in a new movie called Best F(r)iends. Watch the trailer.

► Sofia Coppola's The Beguiled adds to cast. Addison Riecke, who stars on Nickelodeon’s The Thundermans, has joined the remake of the 1971 classic. The cast includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning and Colin Farrell, and begins shooting this fall in Louisiana.

► True Crime, reviewed. Jim Carrey and Charlotte Gainsbourg star in Greek director Alexandros Avranas' English-language debut, a Polish-American thriller. Takeaway from critic Neil Young: "ends up dourly overwrought."

↱ Never-seen Disney sketches: A new book reveals drawings and photos from the making of its most iconic animated films ever (and some never made), along with stories of those who made them. Photos. ↲

► Netflix's luxury theater deal courts awards voters. The streamer's deal for iPic to play 10 of its films at posh L.A. and NY locations (without reporting grosses to comScore) might be more about Netflix's awards ambitions and its battle with Amazon than anything else.

In Heat Vision: New Justice League look. A new image of Amber Heard's Mera — the love interest of Jason Momoa's Aquaman in the upcoming Justice League movie — has surfaced online, revealing an armor-clad warrior look.

A Hollywood Producer's "Oldchella" Diary

Woodstock? Hardly. Oscar-nominated producer David T. Friendly takes off for a once-in-a-lifetime weekend of Desert Trip, the three-day fest nicknamed "Oldchella" — but forget the tent in the mud, he's got a mansion, luxury golf and a VIP skybox. An excerpt of h is account:

For us aging boomers, it was a chance to return to the sights and sounds of our youth. Well, not quite. I bump into Julia Louis-Dreyfus, my classmate at Northwestern. Cindy Crawford is at the bar. Harvey Weinstein is chatting up CAA's Nick Styne and MGM head Gary Barber. I find Doug Ellin, creator of Entourage, and we get into a spirited conversation about the merits of the pit versus the distance of reserved seats.

People seem genuinely happy to have made this pilgrimage. CAA music agent Mitch Rose sums it up perfectly: "I would argue that to see pros like McCartney, The Rolling Stones or The Who performing their hits brings you back in time and gives you comfort and happiness. And who does not want that?"

FRIDAY, 7 A.M. Headed east on the 10 and anxiety kicks in. Will it be hot? Will it be dusty? Will it be hot and dusty? Will the bathrooms be clean?

FRIDAY, 9:30 A.M. I am one of the first "reporters" to check in. I learn that my THR credential allows me into the pit directly in front of the stage. However, like any self-respecting journalist, I jump back in the car and head straight to the golf course.

FRIDAY, 3:30 P.M. After 18 holes with my host for the weekend, Steve Rader of Clarity Partners, we arrive at his home at the upscale Madison Club.

As we drive in, we spot two police cars and several black SUVs stationed in front of the house two doors down. Dylan is our neighbor.