What's news: Hulu CEO Randy Freer is out as streamer is absorbed into Disney, Spike Lee's next movie, Adam Sandler reups with Netflix, Fox and Roku strike a deal, behind the Dolittle debacle, new Sundance deals, Emmys rule changes. Plus: A Super Bowl TV viewing guide. --Alex Weprin

 Hulu Shakeup

►Hulu CEO Randy Freer out amid reorganization. As part of the change, leaders at Hulu will report directly into Disney's direct-to-consumer and international division leaders. Freer will remain in his role for the next several weeks to help with the company's integration.

Quote: "With the successful launch of Disney+, we are now focused on the benefits of scale within and across our portfolio of DTC businesses," said Disney's direct-to-consumer chief Kevin Mayer in a statement. "Further integrating the immensely talented Hulu team into our organization will allow us to more effectively and efficiently deploy resources, rapidly grow our presence outside the U.S. and continue to relentlessly innovate." The story.

►Adam Sandler and Netflix extend partnership for four more films. Netflix has re-upped its partnership with Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions, committing to produce four more films that will be distributed exclusively on the platform. With the announcement comes the news that Sandler will write, produce and voice star in an animated feature for the streamer. The details.

►Spike Lee to direct film of Broadway show David Byrne's American Utopia. The film, which will include live performance from the Broadway show, is planned for release in 2020. Meanwhile, the stage production opened in October 2019 and runs through February 16 at the Hudson Theatre. It features Byrne — from the band Talking Heads — together with a group of musicians performing numbers from Byrne's 2018 album American Utopia. More.

Elsewhere in film...

--Why awards shows still matter for movies.

--Harriet to celebrate Black History Month with free screenings.

--F9 trailer brings Fast & Furious family together again.

--How Once Upon a Time in Hollywood secured clip clearances to re-create 1969.

►Sundance deals: Hulu pays $8 million for Justin Simien horror film Bad Hair... HBO Documentary Films has picked up the worldwide television and streaming rights to doc feature Siempre, Luis about the work of Luis Miranda, the father of Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda, in his native Puerto Rico... Magnolia Pictures has picked up the worldwide rights to Sundance doc Assassins, about the assassination of Kim Jong-nam, the half-brother of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.

 Behind The 'Dolittle' Debacle

 "I have some new ideas": The scramble behind Robert Downey Jr.'s Dolittle debacle. Despite a "good sense of community" on set of the $175 million Universal tentpole, director turnover and lack of creative cohesion led to a bizarre climax and a potentially major loss for the studio, Borys Kit reports. The story.

+Owen Wilson is headed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The actor is in talks to join the Disney+ show Loki, though his character details are hidden in Odin's vault. More.

+Jenny Marchick has been named head of feature development for DreamWorks Animation. Marchick will spearhead the building of DreamWorks’ slate of animated films. DreamWorks is producing two to three films a year that are released by Universal. To keep that pace up, the company is looking to expand its pipeline. More.

►Ryan Seacrest signs with UTA. Seacrest is bringing his radio, television and red carpet empire to UTA, signing with the talent agency in all areas. Seacrest hosts American Idol and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on ABC, E!'s red carpet coverage, a daily radio show for iHeartMedia, and Live! with Kelly and Ryan. The story.

►The Harvey Weinstein trial: Breaking down in tears, second key accuser testifies that Harvey Weinstein raped her in 2013. After being introduced at a party in Los Angeles, Weinstein and Jessica Mann met up for drinks at a hotel bar. When Weinstein fretted that he was being noticed by fellow patrons, he moved the meeting to his room. Once inside, he asked Mann if he could give her a massage. She chose to give him one instead.

“I was a little stunned," she said. "I didn’t want to go up there, but I thought I was helping him get away from all the public attention he was getting. I didn’t have a reason to sense anything bad was coming. It was odd. It was odd.” The story.

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Emmys: TV Academy's awards guru John Leverence retiring, and rule changes are announced. One major category has been renamed, the eligibility of 'hanging episodes' has been tightened and self-published programming will now face a higher threshold to make it onto the ballot. Julia Shore, meanwhile, will succeed Leverence. The story.



^TV Long View: This week Rick Porter takes a look at a little game called the Super Bowl (which will be held tomorrow in Miami, and airing on Fox, if you are so inclined). The big game has remained a ratings constant even as the rest of the TV industry has undergone dramatic changes.

Quote: Whether the Super Bowl climbs back above the 100 million viewer average Sunday remains to be seen and will likely be determined by how entertaining (and close) the game turns out to be. Odds are, though, that it will fall into line with historical precedent. Even with infinitely more options for viewing than there were in the Super Bowl's early days, on Sunday somewhere north of 60 percent of the TV-watching public will be watching the big game." The column.

+Fox and Roku have a deal. The two companies came to terms late last night, keeping Fox's app on Roku's platform in time for the Super Bowl. Still, the Fox vs. Roku fight may set "new precedent" for streaming carriage fights going forward. The story.

+Super Bowl Sunday TV viewing guide: Let's get the basics out of the way first: the game starts at about 6:30, and it will air on Fox and stream on all Fox digital platforms (sorry Roku users) as well as on the NFL's website. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman will call the game. Pre-game coverage starts on Fox at 1, with the official pre-game show beginning at 2. Sean Hannity will interview President Trump at some point during the pre-game show. Demi Lovato will sing the national anthem, while Jennifer Lopez and Shakira handle halftime show duties. Fox will air a special episode of The Masked Singer following the game. Christy Piña has the full guide.

►Critics' conversation: Saying goodbye to The Good Place and BoJack Horseman. THR TV critics Daniel Fienberg and Inkoo Kang discuss the series finales for the shows, two of the most unlikely great TV shows of the Peak TV era. The conversation.

Elsewhere in TV...

--The song is over for Netflix's Soundtrack. The streaming giant has canceled its Josh Safran musical drama after one season.

--The CW has handed out formal orders to Rob Thomas' Lost Boys and a presidential family drama from Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage.

--LeBron James, Usher, Boyz II Men remember Kobe Bryant at L.A. Lakers game.

--The Masked Singer to feature its biggest reveal yet in post-Super Bowl episode.

--Richard Plepler has held talks with former Vice News boss Josh Tyrangiel about a job at his Eden Productions.

--Ratings: The series finale of The Good Place Thursday night delivered the show's best same-day ratings since its season premiere.

 What Happened To Oscars Indies?

^Where have all the indie Oscars contenders gone? There was a time when studio films struggled to find a place in the best picture race. But the 2020 crop includes only one true independent (Parasite). The shortened awards season and a shift in studio thinking may be to blame, Stephen Galloway writes. The column.

+The best Oscars speeches that were never quite delivered. Remember Marlon Brando’s stirring words on winning an Oscar for 1972’s The Godfather? Or Dalton Trumbo’s noble oration when he received a screenplay award for The Brave One? Of course you don’t. Because those speeches were never spoken. Stephen Galloway has the back story of memorable remarks that weren't always made onstage. More.

►Bob Greenblatt remembers hero Fred Silverman: "He just lived for the business." The WarnerMedia executive pays tribute to the "man with the golden gut," who died at 82 following a storied career running ABC, NBC and CBS.

Quote: "He really loved the game. He was also one of the first network executives to then become a hugely successful producer, which gave us all a little hope that there was life after whenever we got fired." The column.

 Leah Remini assistant headed to Scientology's "religious arbitration" despite gun accusation. Valerie Haney suffers a setback in a defamation lawsuit arising from what was posted about her in the aftermath of her appearance on Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. More.

+Marlon Wayans' free speech victory stands, appeals court rules. In a long-running case that was revived by the California Supreme Court, appellate judges now rule that the Marlon star's conduct toward a co-worker can be connected to public discourse. More.

►Obituary: Mary Higgins Clark, the tireless and long-reigning "Queen of Suspense" whose tales of women beating the odds made her one of the world's most popular writers, died Friday at age 92. Her publisher, Simon & Schuster, announced that she died in Naples, Florida, of natural causes. The obituary.

Behind the Screen podcast: Editor Thelma Schoonmaker — one of Martin Scorsese's most trusted collaborators for half a century — is featured in a new episode of the podcast. Listen.

What else we're reading...

--"Nearly 3 million subscribers ditched DirecTV last year. Will AT&T do the same?" [LA Times]

--"iHeartMedia laid off hundreds of DJs. Executives blame AI. DJs blame the executives" [Washington Post]

--"The Super Bowl is still TV's ballgame, with streaming far behind" [WSJ]

--"The future of BuzzFeed: Win or LOL?" [NY Times]

Today's birthdays: Harry Styles, 26, Lisa Marie Presley, 52, Michael C. Hall, 49, Big Boi, 45, Ronda Rousey, 33.