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Megyn's Role in Ousting Ailes; Katzenberg's Post-Election Letter; Trump's Media Crusade; Who Killed Publicist Ronni Chasen?

November 16, 2016

It's magazine day at THR: Megyn Kelly is opening up about Roger Ailes and her predictions for President Trump. Plus: Jeffrey Katzenberg writes a post-election open letter to Hollywood, Beauty and the Beast becomes the most viewed trailer in 24 hours and an investigation into what really happened to slain publicist Ronni Chasen six years ago. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman.

In the latest issue, Megyn Kelly sits down with Marisa Guthrie to talk about post-election Trump, her role in former Fox News chief Roger Ailes' ouster and why she's keeping her job options open. Some newsy quotes:

► On Roger Ailes: "When [sexual harassment] happens at the hands of a CEO, it is particularly dangerous because [to] whom are you going to report it?" Kelly says. "Especially at a company like Fox, where Roger Ailes was like a king. What, are you going to go down and talk to HR? Good luck with that. How do you think that's going to go for a first-year reporter?"

► On a Trump presidency: "Hopefully we’re going to get the charming, magnanimous Trump and not the small, petty, mean-spirited version that we’ve seen occasionally in this campaign."

► On Rupert Murdoch: “He’s scaring the shit out of people. He’s walking up and down the halls, popping in on people unexpectedly. It’s great fun. He has brought a new wave of energy into the building.”

► Full cover story | 13 revelations from Kelly's memoir, Settle for More.

Jeffrey Katzenberg's Letter to Hollywood

Jeffrey Katzenberg, one of Hollywood’s Democratic leaders and a Hillary Clinton supporter, pens a THR guest column about the "heart wrenching" loss and his cautious optimism toward the president-elect. An excerpt:

"It all comes down to a fundamental, disturbing question: Is our next president a demagogue or democrat?

In the post-election days, I have been seeing niceties that are, well, nice to see. He was gracious in victory, he was respectful at the White House. Of course, there hasn't been a complete transformation. He's made statements and appointments that are concerning and troubling, but clearly there is a different tone and demeanor. This gives us some reason to believe that President Trump may be more reasonable than Candidate Trump. Maybe he is now prepared to forsake reality TV for reality.

All this said, a week with moments of encouraging behavior by Donald Trump does not erase a year of offensive, divisive, corrosive rhetoric. And so, while I am hoping for the best, I am still planning for the worst."

Elsewhere in TV...

► AMC Networks acquires minority stake in Funny or Die. The deal will see the entertainment company's IFC comedy channel create deeper ties with the online brand. IFC president Jennifer Caserta will also join the FOD board.

► Top TV execs gather to support health care. Nearly a week after the election, 700 industry insiders attended the Saban Community Clinic's gala at the Beverly Hilton. FX's John Landgraf: "We give our time and our resources in the hope that one day the dream of universal health care will become a reality."

► Acting CEO lays out his strategy for Viacom. Bob Bakish has assembled a task force and with the $345M acquisition of TV network Telefe in Argentina, says Viacom is "moving forward aggressively and continuing to work to grow our company as a strong and independent company."

^New Michael Wolff column: His latest looks at how President Trump will interact with the media he says he hates but very clearly loves. Trump's media friends include CNN's Jeff Zucker, WME's Ari Emanuel and, of course, Roger Ailes, but the only Murdoch family member close to the new president might be Rupert's ex Wendi.

And more TV...

↱ Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, reviewed. The Netflix revival, out Nov. 25, is "flawed, but a must for fans," writes critic Daniel Fienberg. ↲

► Empire taps Rumer Willis for recurring role. The actress, who will play a singer-songwriter in the show, joins an impressive group of season three guest stars that includes Mariah Carey, Taye Diggs and Phylicia Rashad.

► How Steve Harvey's new TV deal benefits WME-IMG. While talent agencies have in the past been forbidden from owning content, WME-IMG will produce the new Harvey-hosted talker, which sources say will offer Harvey more creative control.

► AMC picks up BBC's McMafia. AMC has inked a co-production deal with BBC Worldwide North America for the eight-part drama starring James Norton. Also greenlit: Killing Eve, a thriller from Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

► Stranger in a Strange Land series in the works. Syfy is teaming with Paramount Television and corporate sibling Universal Cable Productions to develop Robert Heinlein's 1961 sci-fi classic.

Snapchat parent company files for IPO. An IPO would be the latest in a series of steps that CEO Evan Spiegel has taken recently to transform his company. In September, Snapchat rebranded as Snap Inc. and announced plans to launch its first hardware device, Spectacles.

Megan Ellison Mystery: Is She Building a Studio?

Recent high-profile hires have led to speculation that Megan Ellison will move into full distribution. But according to a source, Ellison is thinking much bigger, Tatiana Siegel reports:

20th Century Fox marketing president Marc Weinstock, HBO president Sue Naegle and former Weinstein Co. distribution chief Erik Lomis are just a few of the executives who have left their posts for Ellison's Annapurna Pictures. Four top Sony games execs have recently defected as well.

With the recent poaching, Ellison is said to be seeking to move aggressively into the mobile game and VR space and will leverage relationships with Hollywood auteurs to create content, making Annapurna into a major player in digital storytelling.

"She wants a content empire," says one source. “She wants the best people, and she’s picking off the best people.”

Elsewhere in film...

↱ Bad Santa 2, reviewed. Billy Bob Thornton stars alongside Kathy Bates and Tony Cox in this long-gestating sequel to the Christmas-themed black comedy. The takeaway from critic Justin Lowe: "Badder and better than ever." ↲

► Steve Carell in talks to star in Minecraft movie. Warner Bros. and director Rob McElhenney are putting together an ensemble cast to translate the video game to the big screen with The Office alum set to star. Roy Lee is producing.

► Irrfan Khan joins refugee drama Lions of the Sea. The Slumdog Millionaire star will topline the film about 376 South Asian passengers denied entry to Canada in 1914. The project is to be co-produced by Bollywood star Salman Khan and Ajay Virmani's First Take Entertainment.

► Jonah Hill teams with O.J.: Made in America director. Ezra Edelmen will direct The Ballad of Richard Jewell, Twentieth Century Fox’s take on the security guard who went from hero to suspect at the '96 Olympics. Jonah Hill will play Jewell and produce with Leonardo DiCaprio.

↱ Trailer watch: Beauty and the Beast has become the most viewed trailer ever in its first 24 hours of release. The clip dethroned Fifty Shades Darker, nabbing 127.6 million views in that time. ↲

► Frank Marshall to produce Boston Marathon doc. The Jon Dunham-directed Boston will document the race, from its origin to present day, and is set to premiere in April 2017, in conjunction with the 121st Boston Marathon.

► Good Deed nabs J.K. Simmons, Emile Hirsch comedy. Directed by Gavin Wiesen from a script by Seth W. Owen, The Runaround sees Simmons team up with his daughter’s ex-boyfriend (Hirsch) to find her after she goes missing. The project is aiming for a 2017 release.

► Carrie Fisher reveals affair with Harrison Ford. The actress writes in her new book, The Princess Diarist, that she and Ford were together while filming Star Wars: A New Hope in 1976. "It was so intense," she told People. "It was Han and Leia during the week, and Carrie and Harrison during the weekend."

Kevin Hart, Captain America lead People's Choice Award noms. In TV, Grey's Anatomy led the way with five nominations, and in music, Drake and Rihanna got four noms each. The 2017 People's Choice Awards will air Jan. 18. Complete nominee list.

Who Really Killed Ronni Chasen?

Six years after publicist Ronni Chasen was fatally shot in Beverly Hills, her closest friends still feel no sense of closure. Now newly released documents raise serious questions about a flawed investigation, Gary Baum finds:

In 2010, Chasen was shot as she drove home from the afterparty for the premiere of Burlesque. In the following days, nobody knew who had done it or why. Rumors spread of dark links to gambling debts, art deals and shady film finance.

Eight months after the shocking shooting, the Beverly Hills police department announced it had closed the case, insisting that impoverished ex-convict Harold Smith, who'd fatally shot himself when confronted at his Hollywood flophouse after the incident, had acted alone in a robbery attempt gone wrong. Yet everyone in town wondered immediately: Was this the full truth?

Until now, the identity of the America's Most Wanted tipster who initially fingered Smith has been a mystery. He's now speaking for the first time under his real name to THR because "after six years, I've felt forgotten, and I want credit. Due to my assistance, the Ronni Chasen case was solved and closed." Where the case stands now.