What's news: TV animation work continues amid the coronavirus pandemic, SAG-AFTRA approves emergency powers while WGA tells members to plan to work under an expired contract, Wonder Woman 1984 and In The Heights pushed, Europe sees theatrical windows shattered, Discovery borrows $500 million, the Clippers buy the Forum, remembering Terrence McNally. Plus: Netflix expands its unscripted slate, and 10 shows to watch for home-cooking inspiration. --Alex Weprin

 TV Animation Work Continues

►Animated series adapt to keep production going amid industry-wide shutdown. All of the animated shows produced by Disney-owned 20th Century Fox TV — including The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers and Duncanville, among others — are using a program called Toon Boom in order to work on shared storyboards. (In a sign of the times, the service has waived its license fee for artists for a month.) Other shows, like Netflix's Big Mouth, recently completed virtual table reads.

Quote: "Production hasn't skipped a day or lost a beat," The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean told THR this week. "We intend to do the 22 shows we were contracted to do. … There's been no change in how we do things." The story.

►Wonder Woman 1984 release pushed amid coronavirus pandemic. The movie, which was set to hit theaters in North America on June 5, has been rescheduled to Aug. 14. "When we greenlit WW 1984 it was with every intention to be viewed on the big screen and are excited to announce that Warner Bros. Pictures will be bringing the film to theatres on August 14th. We hope the world will be in a safer and healthier place by then,” said Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group Chairman Toby Emmerich in a statement. The story.

+Warner Bros. also delayed release of In the Heights and Scoob! The Scooby Doo animated film, which stars an ensemble voice cast including Mark Wahlberg and Zac Efron, was slated for release on May 15. Meanwhile, Jon M. Chu's adaptation of the Lin-Manuel Miranda musical In the Heights was set to hit theaters on June 26. The studio has not yet determined new release dates. More.

►SAG-AFTRA votes to delegate board’s powers to executive committee as virus rages. Among the delegated powers granted by board members across the country is the right to approve multiemployer collective bargaining agreements and submit them to the membership at large for ratification. The current SAG-AFTRA agreement expires June 30, but the feasibility of bargaining — which entails meetings of about a hundred negotiators from around the country — is at best unclear. The story.

+Writers Guild may work under expired contract, won’t seek strike vote prior to expiration. The Writers Guild of America on Tuesday advised its members that previously scheduled bargaining for a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which did not commence as scheduled Monday, has been upended by the coronavirus.The existing agreement expires May 1.

--“Given the current health crisis we cannot effectively negotiate this important three-year agreement in our usual fashion,” the guild’s negotiating committee wrote in an email. “It may not be possible to conclude a new contract by May 1st, nor will we be asking you for a strike authorization vote in the interim. Even if no new contract is in place by May 1st, writers can continue working under the 2017 agreement.” The story.

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►The White House and Senate leaders of both parties announced agreement early Wednesday on unprecedented emergency legislation to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. The $2 trillion pandemic response measure is the largest economic rescue measure in history and is intended as a weeks- or months-long patch for an economy spiraling into recession and a nation facing a potentially ghastly toll. More.

►Euro indies break theatrical windows, launch VOD strategies amid coronavirus crisis. As the continent goes into lockdown amid the coronavirus outbreak, indie distributors in the U.K., Poland, Belgium and Germany and other territories, are ignoring traditional release schedules and taking films directly to consumers. As they do so, they are creating new models for independent distribution that could outlast the current crisis. The story.

+China to rerelease Avengers franchise, Avatar to boost reopening cinemas. With the coronavirus epidemic essentially contained in the country, approximately 600 to 700 cinemas have reopened, and regulators are turning to past blockbusters to help fill seats. More.

 In Business News...

+Discovery retracts guidance and borrows $500 million amid coronavirus crisis. Discovery on Tuesday pointed to improved TV ratings in global markets as viewers self-isolate amid the coronavirus outbreak. But the media giant added that the "unknown impact" of the pandemic on its financial results and the Tokyo Olympics postponement had forced it to retract its full-year 2020 performance outlook. More.

+L.A. Clippers buy Inglewood Forum for $400 million in cash. To execute the transaction, Clippers owner Ballmer created a new entity called CAPSS LLC. According to a news release, the Forum will continue to operate as a live-music venue and all current Forum employees are being offered employment offers by the Clippers. Most importantly for Ballmer, Tuesday’s deal resolves litigation brought by The Madison Square Garden Company to halt the Clippers’ proposed privately funded, billion-dollar new arena along West Century Boulevard. More.

+Universal Studios extends park closures amid coronavirus pandemic. "We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed, based on guidance from health agencies and government officials," the company said in a statement. More.

+Facebook warns global coronavirus spread "weakening" online ad demand. "We don’t monetize many of the services where we’re seeing increased engagement, and we’ve seen a weakening in our ads business in countries taking aggressive actions to reduce the spread of COVID-19," Alex Schultz, vp analytics, and Jay Parikh, vp engineering, said in an update. More.

►TCM Classic Film Festival to hold "special home edition" amid coronavirus outbreak. TCM will air films that have been a part of the TCM Classic Film Festival, both from years past and slated for this year’s event. This special edition of the fest begins April 16 and will include TCM hosts, special guests and events to follow on-air and online. More.

Fundraisers are springing up to support workers in the entertainment business...

--The Producers Guild of America is joining the ranks of organizations hustling to provide financial assistance to industry members who are out of work amid the coronavirus outbreak. The guild is launching Producers Guild of America Relief Fund with a starting gift of $100,000 from Grey's Anatomy producer and former PGA president Mark Gordon.

--Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing professional actors and stage managers in live theater, on Tuesday announced the creation of the Actors’ Equity Emergency Curtain Up Fund, and issued a grant to The Actors Fund, a nonprofit assistance organization, to provide support for members at risk due to work cancellations resulting from COVID-19.

--Netflix has donated 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) to help establish a new fund set up by the British Film Institute and the Film and TV Charity, The COVID-19 Film and TV Emergency Relief Fund.

--Two leaders of the American fashion industry — Anna Wintour and Tom Ford — are creating a fund to help young designers impacted by the coronavirus.

--The COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund set up at long-running charitable organization Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS to provide financial relief and services for entertainment professionals impacted by the coronavirus pandemic has received a boost from some of the sector's most successful producers.

+However: A deal reached Friday between a coalition of stage unions and the organization representing Broadway producers for wage payments and additional health contributions to aid stage workers in distress doesn’t — and couldn’t — include playwrights.

--The reason? Unlike screen and television writers, playwrights are independent contractors who license their work to producers for a fee. They’re not employees, and for that reason their organization — the Dramatists Guild — could not participate in the collective bargaining that resulted in the deal between the Coalition of Broadway Unions and Guilds and the Broadway League.

In other coronavirus-related news...

--Prince Charles has tested positive for the novel coronavirus... Jackson Browne has as well....

--The 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony has moved from spring to fall. The event, which was postponed due to the worries about the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, will now take place Nov. 7.

--Inside Out, one of the largest LGBTQ film festivals in North America, has postponed its previously scheduled 30th anniversary festival dates in May due to the global coronavirus outbreak.

--To aid educators worldwide who have shifted to online teaching amidst the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine, Minecraft is offering up a number of lessons from its Education Edition for free.

--Amid continuing cord-cutting and a coronavirus pandemic changing TV viewing habits, AT&T's streaming service DirecTV GO on Tuesday launched in Mexico.

--Goodwood, Ontario became a tourist hot spot as the location has served as a backdrop for Schitt's Creek. Now Pop TV's cult hit on its Twitter account has warned fans not to visit the picturesque town just north of Toronto to avoid spreading the new coronavirus among local residents.

--One of the more popular experiments in instant online theater cooked up in response to the coronavirus pandemic, The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues has pulled together a surprise second round.

--ICM Partners' head of literary dep. hosts Facetime wedding amid coronavirus shutdown.

►Obituary: Terrence McNally, the admired playwright and librettist who won received five Tony Awards while bringing his perspective of the world to such productions as Kiss of the Spider-Woman, Master Class, Ragtime and Love! Valour! Compassion!, has died. He was 81. McNally died Tuesday at a hospital in Sarasota, Florida, due to complications from coronavirus, publicist Matt Polk told THR. McNally battled lung cancer since the late 1990s, and the disease cost him portions of both lungs. He had lived with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ever since. The obituary.

+Tributes: Lin-Manuel Miranda, George Takei and others remembered the "virtuosic" McNally. The tributes.

+Stuart Gordon, the horror director best known for the '80s classics Re-Animator and From Beyond, has died, his rep, Dominic Mancini, confirmed to THR Wednesday. He was 72. The obituary.

 The rest of the day's news...

►Musical anthology National Anthem, from Contagion's Scott Z. Burns, nabs AMC series order. Breaking Bad's Mark Johnson will oversee the series via his new overall deal, while T Bone Burnett will serve as music producer. National Anthem is described as the tragically funny story of a middle-class midwestern family tumbling down the ladder of American society; periodically bursting into song as they struggle to catch themselves. It's unclear when production will start given the current the massive shutdown that is having a dramatic impact on all film and TV work. The story.

+Love Is Blind, The Circle renewed for two additional seasons at Netflix. Music competition series Rhythm + Flow has also been picked up, while organizational guru Marie Kondo will return to spark joy with a new unscripted series as the streaming service picks up a slew of unscripted series. The story.

 Comic Con fans had coronavirus refunds stolen, organizer alleges in fraud lawsuit. In a complaint filed in New York federal court on Monday, ACE accuses GrowTix of "stealing millions of dollars" of customer refunds. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that ACE gave GrowTix $680,000 to facilitate refunds only to be advised that the refund plan no longer worked. The event organizer is now suing for breach of contract and fraud. The story.

+Donald Trump must face First Amendment suit for revoking press badges. PEN America is a literary organization that fights to protect free speech. The group sued Trump in October 2018 for using his power to punish and intimidate The Washington Post, CNN, NBC, the White House press corps and others who cover his administration. More.

►Songs from Glen Campbell, Dr. Dre, Fred Rogers, Tina Turner enter National Recording Registry. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has named "Y.M.C.A." and 24 other aural treasures as worthy of preservation this year, picked because of their cultural, historical and aesthetic importance to the USA's recorded sound heritage, it was announced Wednesday. Here's the list.

►Shithouse, An Elephant in the Room top SXSW film competition winners. The festival unveiled its list of film competition winners on Tuesday, which took place digitally over the past week after the festival was canceled by the City of Austin to prevent further outbreak of coronavirus. The list of winners.

+Neon picks up SXSW apocalyptic thriller She Dies Tomorrow. Kate Lyn Sheil stars as Amy, a woman ravaged by the notion that she is going to die tomorrow — it sends her down a dizzying emotional spiral. When Amy’s skeptical friend Jane (Jane Adams) discovers that Amy’s feeling of imminent death may be contagious, they both begin bizarre journeys through what might be the last day of their lives. More.



^10 shows to watch for home-cooking inspiration. From chef competitions to mouth-watering travelogues, a drama showcasing New Orleans cuisine to a kitchen-centric comedy, THR's Inkoo Kang and Daniel Fienberg highlight shows that will help cure your quarantine-induced foodie blues. The list.

►Review: East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story. Daniel Fienberg reviews the PBS documentary series, writing that "Either a documentary about urban planning and the successes and failures of America's public housing initiatives is going to sound like your kind of escapist intellectualism (or intellectual escapism) or it won't." The review.

►TV ratings: ABC's The Good Doctor hit its highest ratings of the season Monday, and American Idol also grew. The Voice stayed strong for NBC as linear TV continues its strong performance amid the coronavirus pandemic. The numbers.

►A Fox News Channel producer promised Betsy DeVos "an easy interview" in 2018 email. THR's Jeremy Barr reviewed more than 1,000 pages of emails between Fox employees and aides at the Departments of Homeland Security, Education and Agriculture. Here's what he found.

►This Is Us creator answers the biggest burning questions from the season four finale. Dan Fogelman discusses new characters, major storylines and the NBC drama's final two seasons as it heads closer toward its endgame. More.

►Council of Dads star Sarah Wayne Callies on the importance of feel-good stories. "The world is frightening and we need a reminder that we can be there for each other," she tells THR of her new NBC family drama. More.

►The Mandalorian is welcoming a sci-fi pioneer into its ranks: The Terminator and Aliens star Michael Biehn is joining season two of the Disney+ Star Wars series. More.

What else we're reading...

--"The coronavirus is a media extinction event" [BuzzFeed News]

--"Medical consultant on pandemic movie Contagion has coronavirus" [NY Post]

--"The best movies with a virtual dose of nature" [Vanity Fair]

--"How social distancing has changed stand-up comedy" [The Ringer]

--"The do's and dont's of online video meetings" [NY Times]

Today's birthdays: Sarah Jessica Parker, 55, Sir Elton John, 73, Danica Patrick, 38, Jim Lovell, 92, Gloria Steinem, 86.