Today In Entertainment MARCH 27, 2020
What's news: The Emmys and Golden Globes shake up their eligibility calendars as the virus crisis hits awards season, Endeavor brought down to earth by the virus and debt, ViacomCBS and Sony slash their outlooks, Disney stays mum on parks reopening as it raises more cash, NBCU CEO tests positive as Peacock plans a launch without the Olympics, TV advertising forecast to collapse in 2020. Plus: THR's 2020 Power Lawyers list. --Alex Weprin Awards Season, Postponed ►Emmys push voting and eligibility windows, ban "FYC" events amid coronavirus concerns. While the 2020 date for the Primetime Emmys is not changing, the calendar is shifting and all “For Your Consideration” events this campaign season have officially been suspended. The Board of Governors met remotely Thursday evening and voted to shift the initial round of voting to accommodate the uncertainty in the month of May — when campaigning typically gets into full swing. In lieu of a late June window for the first round of voting, nomination round voting will now run July 2 through July 13. Nominations will be announced July 28. The story. +Golden Globes amend eligibility requirements in light of coronavirus. Films can qualify for Golden Globes consideration even if they do not first screen in a theater, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced on Thursday. Instead, in a potentially game-changing decision that was made in light of the coronavirus pandemic that has shuttered all L.A.-area theaters, films "may instead be released first on a television format (e.g. subscription streaming service, subscription cable channel, broadcast television, etc.) and will still be eligible." The story. +Cannes outlines reasons for postponing festival, extends deadlines. In a FAQ posted on Cannes' website, the festival said it consulted with “sector stakeholders” who pushed for a postponement, not a cancellation, of the 2020 event if at all possible. “Every stakeholder in the sector asked us not to give up on holding it this year,” it says. More. +Peabody Awards postponed: Peabody said Thursday that its annual ceremony will be postponed from the previously announced date of June 18 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ceremony this year was set to take place in L.A. — at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel — for the first time in its 80-year history. More. ►High-flying Endeavor brought down to earth by virus and debt. As layoffs commence and CEO Ari Emanuel forgoes 2020 pay, insiders question how backer Silver Lake Partners will react after a failed IPO and a heavy-borrowing growth strategy put a 7,500-person company in a position "where things had to go great," Kim Masters reports. Quote: “'My sense is they’re in so deep they have no choice but to put more money in, but the terms they extract will be tough,' says one veteran studio executive, echoing an opinion articulated by several well-connected industry players. These observers agree Silver Lake is likely to work to restructure Endeavor's debt as they install new managers and reshape the company." The story. ►TV usage spikes even more amid coronavirus quarantines. Total TV usage — including live and delayed viewing, streaming and use of video-game consoles — was already on the rise prior to last week, having risen by 6 percent in the second week of March compared to the previous week. That figure grew by 18 percent in the week of March 16-22, according to new data from Nielsen. The story. +It may not matter all that much: Calling the fallout from the novel coronavirus pandemic "totally unprecedented" and "a combination of the Great Recession and 9/11; a brutal economic downturn and a ‘Black Swan’ national disaster," the advertising research firm Magna Global predicts that U.S. TV advertising will drop by 13 percent in 2020, revising its earlier forecast of a 1 percent decline. The story. In Business News... ►ViacomCBS eyes cost savings as virus crisis could have "material" impact. The company withdrew its 2020 financial guidance, mentioning postponed film releases, canceled sports events and production delays, but also noted "increased viewership across its broadcast and cable properties." The story. +Sony outlines coronavirus impact on film, music, game units. In the motion pictures business, the company noted that "shutdowns of movie theaters around the world and various restrictions on people's movement" have led "termination of theatrical runs and delays in release dates." Sony also explained that it has suspended "all of its film and television production, resulting in future changes in theatrical release dates for some titles." In a dash of bright news, Sony estimated that its gaming segment would experience "no material impact on this business for the current fiscal year." The story. ►Broadcasters get OK to dole out free ads to everyone but politicians. After TV stations told the FCC that the COVID-19 pandemic was causing advertisers to cancel contracts, the regulator provides guidance on the consequence of offering advertisements to some at no cost. The story. ►NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell tests positive for coronavirus. "I recently have been feeling under the weather and just learned that I have tested positive for COVID-19. Although the virus has been tough to cope with, I have managed to work remotely in L.A. and am improving every day," Shell said in a memo Thursday obtained by THR. Here's the memo. +Peacock loses Olympics but its vast library provides a timely launchpad. The NBCUniversal-backed streamer will become widely available July 15 with 15,000 hours of programming, Natalie Jarvey and Lesley Goldberg report: "Their launch platform is now going to be the fact that everybody is home and wanting content." The story. ►Disney raises $1.3 billion in new debt in Canada. Disney said it intended to use the new Canadian debt financing "for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of indebtedness (including commercial paper)." Disney had previously disclosed it had raised $6 billion in the U.S market, again to pay down other debt obligations. The story. +iHeartMedia boosts liquidity by $350 million, withdraws guidance amid pandemic. "The challenges that COVID-19 has created for advertisers and consumers has impacted iHeart’s revenue in recent weeks, creating a less clear business outlook in the near term," the audio giant said. More. ^Disney mum on moving April 1 North American parks reopening date. In Orlando, the earliest Disney World would be allowed to reopen is 11 p.m. on April 9 under the Orange County stay-at-home order. Orange County officials confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that Disney is included in the order. For the moment, the website for Disneyland and Walt Disney World state the parks will be closed through March 31, which has been the message since March 12. More. ►TV companies worldwide hit by sports shutdown. With virtually all professional sporting events postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, global broadcasters are facing massive subscription losses and extreme revenue drops, Scott Roxborough reports: “There is no conceivable loss cap.” The story. ►China shuts down all cinemas, again. Over the past two weeks, movie theaters had begun to gradually reopen in the country. No reason was given for the abrupt reversal, but insiders say they believe the government is worried about a potential second wave of coronavirus infections. More. ►Jimmy Kimmel Live! sets ABC return as late night starts back up. The ABC host tweeted that the show will resume production on March 30, with episodes produced remotely and guests joining via video chat. Kimmel has been producing short segments that he calls "Quarantine Minilogues" from his home during stay-at-home mandates. His tweet also notes that former vice president and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden will join him Thursday. More. ►SAG-AFTRA processing 100,000 residuals checks weekly even amid virus crisis. Even as most Los Angeles workers are under stay at home orders, a third of SAG-AFTRA’s L.A. staff continues to report to work under an exception for essential businesses granted by the mayor’s office. And last week, the union’s residuals processing and related departments — roughly 60 workers out of the 120 deemed essential — processed about 95,000 checks worth an estimated $20 million. More. +The Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plan — the plan used by IATSE crew members including cinematographers, editors, production designers and sound professionals — has been temporarily revised to aid members as they navigate through the coronavirus crisis. Notably, these changes include a waiver of next quarter’s premiums for active participants and the ability to make a one-time emergency hardship withdrawal from Individual Account Plans. More. +How Hollywood can step up now to help support staff. While crowdfunding efforts may help, the best way to protect assistants is by encouraging employers to keep them on the payroll wherever possible, write #PayUpHollywood founder Liz Alper and screenwriter John August. The guest column. ►How I'm Living Now: Billy Porter, Pose star. Porter was just about to wrap the first episode of Pose’s third season, when production was shut down. Since then, he’s been quarantined with his husband, Adam Smith, in New York City, where he tells THR he’s been filling his days with memoir writing sessions, Zoom calls and just the right amount of Caio Bella blueberry passion fruit sorbet -- and, if the style icon is to be believed, he's doing it all in sweats. The interview. ►Sony Pictures TV replacing canned L.A. screenings with digital platform. With the L.A. Screenings among the near-countless industry events to have been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sony Pictures Television has joined a growing number of companies and festivals to go down the online route in order to keep wheels moving. The story. +Hot Docs Festival plans virtual market. The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has gone to plan B — a virtual market for film buyers and sellers — after the physical festival set to run April 30-May 10 in Toronto was canceled as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic. More. ►L.A. mayor says Hollywood sound stages may be utilized if virus cases surge. Eric Garcetti says the L.A. Convention Center, hotels, motels, empty sports venues and sound stages are being considered as venues to house hospital beds amid the coronavirus pandemic. More. In other coronavirus-related news... --HFPA bestows $25,000 grant to LA Press Club for journalists affected by coronavirus. --The U.K. government has unveiled a financial support package for the self-employed and freelancers impacted by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, answering – partially – a call from all corners of the hard hit creative sector. --After Hollywood location shooting in Canada shut down to help contain the coronavirus spread, the country's reeling production sector is seeking an industry bailout as the federal government develops COVID-19 rescue packages. --U.K. leader Boris Johnson has tested positive for coronavirus and is experiencing mild symptoms, he has revealed. --BTS is rescheduling the upcoming North America dates for its world tour amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. --How the Save With Stories initiative enlisted Amy Adams, Reese Witherspoon and more... A number of comedians will join forces to participate in Laugh Aid, a four-hour live-stream that benefits Comedy Gives Back's COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund... Inside Bethenny Frankel's fight to help those impacted by coronavirus... Obituaries: Mark Blum, a veteran stage actor who appeared in such films as Crocodile Dundee and Desperately Seeking Susan and on TV shows including Mozart in the Jungle, has died. He was 69. Blum died Wednesday at NewYork-Presbyterian hospital of complications from the novel coronavirus, his wife, actress and acting teacher Janet Zarish, told THR. The obituary. +Josh Wallwork, known for his costuming on NBC’s Law and Order: SVU and CBS's Madam Secretary, has died from coronavirus complications. He was 45. +Fred "Curly" Neal, the dribbling wizard who entertained millions with the Harlem Globetrotters for parts of three decades, has died. He was 77. Power Lawyers ►Power lawyers 2020: Hollywood's top 100 attorneys. Forget nine-figure overall deals and exec poaching fights. For the lawyers on Hollywood Reporter's 14th annual power list, a war between writers and agents, collapsing theatrical windows and canceled productions amid a global pandemic are now just another day at the office. Here's the full list. +7 of Hollywood's legal legends: In 2019 The Hollywood Reporter launched a new feature in Power Lawyers to honor attorneys whose whose career achievements and contributions to the entertainment industry are extraordinary. It's called Legal Legends, and those who are selected retain the title for life. Each year, a handful of attorneys will be inducted. Meet this year's seven new additions. +From Lizzo's lawyers to BTS Esq.: Meet the top music attorneys of 2020. Here are the men and women who negotiate tours, brand deals and Hollywood roles for music's biggest stars. More. ►$20 for a theatrical movie on-demand? Americans want to pay more like $6. As distributors experiment with releasing films to on-demand with theaters shuttered, the old windows that determined when projects were released and where have been in flux. U.S. adults say the on-demand price range that they'd be willing to pay for a movie currently in theaters is $5 to $8, with the optimum price being $6, a new Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult poll finds. The survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,200 adults from March 19 to 21. The story. The publisher of the video game has beat a copyright suit over LeBron James' tattoos. In a landmark decision on the tattoo front, a federal judge rules that Take-Two's depiction was de minimus and that an implied license was granted. More. ►TV ratings: NBC's Chicago Med and Chicago Fire each delivered their biggest overall audiences in more than four years Wednesday. Survivor also grew, passing The Masked Singer in total viewers on another heavy night of broadcast viewing amid widespread stay-home mandates during the coronavirus pandemic. The numbers. ►The CW shuffles schedule after production shutdown. Premieres of In the Dark and Whose Line Is It Anyway will move up to fill in for Legacies and Supernatural. More. ►Messiah canceled at Netflix. The streamer has canceled the Mark Burnett-produced drama after a single season. The series centers on a CIA agent (Michelle Monaghan) who investigates a man (Mehdi Debhi) whose followers claim is the second coming of Jesus and who can apparently perform miracles. It debuted Jan. 1. More. ►Review: Robyn Bahr reviews the Disney+ cooking competition series Be Our Chef. ►Drake to produce 48 Laws of Power series for Quibi. First published in 1998, the book The 48 Laws of Power has long been a favorite in the hip-hop community — it's referenced in songs by Drake, Jay-Z and Kanye West, among others — and in Hollywood. More. Chaz Bono on stepping out of his comfort zone with "Big Johnson" role on Curb Your Enthusiasm. After playing a well-endowed member of the Funkhouser clan on the HBO hit, Bono talks to THR about his chemistry with creator Larry David ("I loved working with him"), the no-assholes-allowed set ("They just want to work with nice people") and letting trusted friends navigate the minefield ("I just want to act"). The interview. ►TV's Top 5 podcast: During this week's podcast, hosts Daniel Fienberg and Lesley Goldberg are joined by One Day At a Time showrunner Gloria Calderon Kellett and also explore what Peacock can do without its Olympics launchpad, how animation is bucking the production shutdown and more. Listen. Today's birthdays: Mariah Carey, 50, Quentin Tarantino, 57, David Coulthard, 49, Brenda Song, 32, Jessie J, 32.
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