Today In Entertainment

OCTOBER 08, 2020

What's news: The second Trump-Biden debate will be virtual... if it happens at all, it's Gavin Newsom vs. the theme park operators as things get heated, the Supreme Court could reshape TV's ownership landscape, Miky Lee keeps rising, Dan Loeb takes on Disney, ICM enters sports arena. Plus: Drive-in screenings now Oscars eligible, SNL drops its musical guest for ignoring COVID restrictions. --Alex Weprin

 The Debates

➤The second presidential debate will be virtual, if it happens at all. The commission on Presidential Debates says that the debate will still be held Oct. 15 and will still be a town hall, but Trump would participate from the White House and Biden from a different venue.

-Appearing on Fox Business shortly after the news broke, Trump told Maria Bartiromo: "I'm not going to do a virtual debate... I’m not going to waste my time at a virtual debate." The story.

+The eye and the fly were among the hot topics on social media from Wednesday's vice presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence. More.

+Critic's notebook: "When he wasn’t mimicking Trump’s tendency to project his own flaws onto others ('You’re entitled to your own opinion. You’re not entitled to your own set of facts,' he scolded Harris), Pence appeared obnoxious, condescending and not altogether present in the moment as he ran roughshod over the two women on the stage and kept addressing issues the moderator had moved on from," Inkoo Kang writes. "If Trump did his best to get his picture under the definition of 'alpha male' in the dictionary last week, Pence’s portrait might be found under 'mansplainer.'" The notebook.

➤The theme parks vs. California: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday told reporters he was not surprised that Disney chairman Bob Iger recently resigned from the state's coronavirus economic task force. Disney has been clashing with the state in an attempt to reopen Disneyland. Newsom made it clear Wednesday that will not be happening anytime soon.

--“We don’t anticipate in the immediate term any of these larger parks opening until we see more stability in terms of the data," Newsom said. “We feel there’s no hurry to put out guidelines, and we continue to work with the industry." The story.

+The California Attractions & Parks Association blasted Newsom after his comments. “We find it disconcerting that Governor Newsom has no planned timeline for issuing guidance for theme parks, and of great concern that he does not anticipate theme parks opening soon," CAPA executive director Erin Guerrero, said in a statement.

--"We absolutely reject the suggestion that reopening the Disneyland Resort is incompatible with a 'health-first' approach," Disney chief medical officer Dr. Pamela Hymel said in a statement. "The fact is, that since March we have taken a robust science-based approach to responsibly reopening our parks and resorts across the globe..." More.

➤The Supreme Court will reshape TV’s megamerger future. Top justices have taken up a major case about media ownership rules that will have a far-reaching impact on M&A and broadcast regulation, Eriq Gardner writes.

--“To be clear, local broadcasters are committed to diversity,” stated the brief from a coalition of CBS, Fox and NBC stations. “But those commitments to diversity will be for naught if broadcasters’ businesses cannot succeed. Without healthy, economically viable broadcast businesses, no opportunities for women or racial minorities to own, operate or invest in local broadcast businesses will exist at all...'" The story.

 Hollywood's China Troubles

➤China, the world’s second-largest film market, moves beyond Hollywood. As the country's box office aims to overtake the U.S.’ this year amid the pandemic, industry observers say political tensions could lead to a permanent drag on major studios’ bottom line, Patrick Brzeski reports.

--“The trade and political environment has created a perfect storm of uncertainty,” says Stephen Saltzman, an attorney for law firm Paul Hastings who often represents Chinese studios in Hollywood negotiations. "And uncertainty breeds caution, which leads to a lack of progress and impediments to growth," he says. The story.

➤Dan Loeb targets Disney. The Walt Disney Co. should halt its $3 billion annual dividend and instead spend that money on content for Disney+. That is the crux of a letter sent by activist investor Dan Loeb — the founder of the hedge fund Third Point — to Disney CEO Bob Chapek and the company's board of directors Wednesday.

--Loeb called streaming a "transformational opportunity" for the company, and that increased investment would let the company "thrive in a world beyond the box office and the cable TV ecosystem, alongside digital-first businesses like Netflix and Amazon." The story.

+In other business news: ICM Partners is significantly expanding its footprint in the sports representation space. The Century City-based talent agency is buying the sports management company Stellar Group, the firms said on Thursday. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed but layoffs are not expected, a source familiar with the acquisition says. The story.

➤Anita Hill-led Hollywood commission reveals gender, racial bias gap in industry workplaces. "Men in Hollywood appear to inhabit a parallel universe when it comes to their overwhelmingly positive perception of progress in welcoming and valuing diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives," the Hollywood Commission, chaired by Hill and founded by Kathleen Kennedy and Nina Shaw, said as it released its second report from an industry-wide worker survey. More.

➤Production on Universal's Jurassic World: Dominion is shutting down after multiple people involved with production tested positive for coronavirus. "Woke up to the news we had a few positive Coronavirus tests on Jurassic World: Dominion," filmmaker Colin Trevorrow said Wednesday. "All tested negative shortly after, but due to our safety protocols we’re going to pause for two weeks. Back soon." More.

 Revised Oscars Rules

➤Oscars: Drive-in screenings will now count towards eligibility. For drive-in screenings, there will only be one screening per day required, as opposed to three for all others.

--The move was part of a series of tweaks to Awards Rule Two regarding eligibility, following a first wave of COVID-related changes that were announced back in the spring in response to theater closures, the most notable of which was allowing films that were no longer able to proceed with a planned theatrical release to still qualify if they screened on a streaming or VOD platform first, provided they then screened on the Academy Screening Room members-only streaming service within 60 days thereafter. The story.

➤Morgan Wallen will no longer serve as musical guest for this week's Saturday Night Live. The country singer took to Instagram on Wednesday to announce that he was called by the NBC variety sketch series to inform him that he was not allowed to play anymore due to breaking COVID-19 safety protocols. Though he has not tested positive for the coronavirus, Wallen said "my actions this past weekend were pretty short-sided and they have obviously affected my longterm goals and my dreams." The story.

In other TV news...

+Add Showtime's On Becoming a God in Central Florida to the list of scripted series that have been canceled because of the pandemic. The ViacomCBS-owned premium cable network has reversed course on doing a second season of the Kirsten Dunst dark comedy, citing scheduling issues relating to the novel coronavirus. More.

+High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is coming home for the holidays. The Disney+ series will return on Dec. 11 for a 45-minute holiday special starring the show's cast. High School Musical: The Musical: The Holiday Special will feature performances of holiday classics, popular hits and a medley of Hanukkah favorites from series regulars. More.

+U.S.-based TV series location shoots in British Columbia have begun to restart production after a number of popular shows were put on pause due to shortage of rapid COVID-19 testing capacity in Vancouver last week. THR confirmed that production has resumed on CW's Riverdale and Batwoman series in Vancouver, while Warner Bros. TV is back to shooting the dramedy Maid for Netflix in nearby Victoria, B.C. More.

➤Super producer Miky Lee keeps rising after Parasite Oscar win. THR's international producer of the year talks to Tatiana Siegel hitting a peak with her Oscar-winning movie, how her multibillion-dollar CJ Entertainment is pivoting in the pandemic, and building relationships with the likes of Jimmy Iovine and Julian Schnabel. Says David Geffen: "She's the big deal." The story.

➤ViacomCBS' Marc DeBevoise talks streaming wars and Paramount+ at THR's virtual power business managers celebration. ViacomCBS' chief digital officer spoke with THR senior digital media editor Natalie Jarvey during a virtual keynote Q&A as part of the 10th celebration of the entertainment industry’s Power Business Managers. More.

+Hollywood's top business managers of 2020: While most of the entertainment industry has been standing still during the pandemic, its money mavens are as busy as ever as clients use the downtime to reassess financial priorities. THR's annual list highlights those keeping the town's finances in order. The list.

+Business manager Steve Savitsky quietly counsels Hollywood's elite and keeps calm amid chaos. THR's 2020 Business Manager Icon recipient talks about following in his father's footsteps and avoiding "pilots and premieres." More.

+Hollywood's business managers get frank about improving diversity. Amid renewed nationwide and industrywide demands for racial equality, leaders are starting a pipeline to financial professions as early as middle school and pulling talent from different backgrounds: "There needs to be room for their voices, their stories and their experiences." The story.

➤How top cinematographers are working with new safety protocols. Multiple pros tell Carolyn Giardina that new set standards have minimized risk for resuming production amid the pandemic: "My approach is, assume the people around you have it." The story.

➤Awards Chatter podcast: Harry Reid, Nevada's longest-serving and most influential U.S. Senator reflects on his odds-defying journey to D.C., key fights during his decades there and Trump, Biden, McConnell and more. Listen.

Revolving door/Casting roundup: ICM Partners CEO Chris Silbermann and the agency’s senior political strategist Hannah Linkenhoker are starting a political consulting and social impact company called Vivify... Gemma Chan and Kiki Layne have joined the high-powered cast of Don’t Worry Darling, the psychological thriller that Olivia Wilde is directing for New Line... Edgar Ramírez has signed on to star opposite Jessica Chastain in Losing Clementine, an adaptation of the novel by Ashley Ream... Former Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt has signed on to lead a thriller called Angela Black for Spectrum Originals and ITV...

➤Film reviews: John DeFore reviews Netflix's Hubie Halloween, writing that "silly, overstuffed and as sweet as anything Adam Sandler has done, Hubie Halloween is a full jack o' lantern in which the chocolates you hoped for far outnumber the butterscotch tooth-breakers. The review.

--DeFore also reviews Alex Gibney's Totally Under Control, writing that "unlike the Enron scandal, the charade of Scientology or the crimes of Catholic priests, topics the prolific Gibney has summed up in the past, we've had little choice but to study this horror show in minute detail for the last seven months or more." The review.

+TV review: Daniel Fienberg reviews NBC's quarantine comedy Connecting, writing that if you "leave aside how many of the punchlines are verbatim punchlines the entire world has already been reading on Twitter for six months, you can settle in painlessly with this group." The review.

In other news...

--Steve McQueen helped raise the curtain on the 2020 BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday night, with his feature Mangrove — one of his five films in the BBC/Amazon Small Axe anthology — getting its European premiere in London and simultaneously across select cinemas around the U.K.

--Get Out actor Allison Williams is getting back into business with Blumhouse, the producers of the 2017 Oscar-winning film. Williams will star and executive produce M3GAN, a tech horror thriller centering on Gemma (Williams), a brilliant roboticist who uses AI to develop a life-like doll that is supposed to serve as a kid's best friend.

--The reason why Netflix may not be concerned over an indictment by a Tyler County, Texas grand jury for its Cuties film is Texas Penal Code§ 12.51. That would be the punishment for Netflix if the local prosecutor actually moves ahead and obtains a conviction against the corporation for promoting alleged child porn. It's $20,000, or at most, double that amount for whatever Netflix gained from streaming the Sundance-winning French documentary.

--No popcorn and soda? Then no reopening for movie theaters in San Francisco. The California chapter of the National Association of Theatre Owners said Tuesday that cinemas in the Bay Area city — one of the largest moviegoing markets in the U.S. — says its members have decided to remain shuttered because of a ban imposed by city officials on concession sales.

--MGM has acquired the domestic rights to Breaking News in Yuba County, the Tate Taylor-directed comedy-drama stars an A-list ensemble that includes Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Regina Hall, Awkwafina, Wanda Sykes, Ellen Barkin and Samira Wiley.

--International distributors have focused on Minamata, the period drama, starring Johnny Depp, about the environmental disaster in Minamata, Japan in the 1970s. 

--Fox News says that it will launch its own publishing imprint, Fox News Books, through News Corp.'s HarperCollins.

--YouTube has unveiled some of the projects financed by the platform's $100 million #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, announced in June.

What else we're reading...

--"It's no time to die for James Bond merchandising tie-ins" [Bloomberg]

--ESPN may be hit with layoffs in the near future [Front Office Sports]

--Betty Gilpin wrote her eulogy for GLOW [Vanity Fair]

--"How Russia Today skirts high-tech blockade to reach U.S. readers" [WSJ]

--"Bloomberg Media aims to grow its six-figure subscriber base through new OTT campaign" [Digiday]

Today's birthdays: Sigourney Weaver, 71, Matt Damon, 50, Chevy Chase, 77, Jesse Jackson, 79, Bruno Mars, 35.

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OCTOBER 08, 2020

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