Today In Entertainment

DECEMBER 02, 2020

What's news: SAG-AFTRA faces a class action lawsuit ... Disney's next round of TV restructuring ... Elliot Page comes out as transgender, non-binary ... A call for action to Hollywood to help save restaurants. — Erik Hayden

 Dear Hollywood ...

"Support the Restaurant Act!" Studio exec turned Dear John's co-owner Patti Rockenwagner writes in a guest column:  "I have worked with you for more than 20 years, heading up corporate communications and branding at Paramount Pictures, Time Warner and Comcast. You have also become regulars at Dear John’s, a revived old-school steakhouse in Culver City that I co-own with my husband Hans Röckenwagner and our partner, chef Josiah Citrin. I know my way around opening weekend as well as a soft opening. While worlds apart in many ways, the truth is we have been in a symbiotic, if co-dependent relationship for some time and while it has worked for many years, this pandemic is showing us how fragile our alliance is – and how, if we don't do something now, we will lose each other forever." Full column. 

Developing ...

+ SAG-AFTRA health plan facing class action over cuts to coverage. The union health plan is at the center of a putative class action brought by a group of actors, led by Ed Asner, who say premiums have skyrocketed and medical coverage is being stripped from elderly guild members under the guise of a COVID-19-related restructuring. Full complaint. 

+ Cineworld stock soars as U.K. approves COVID-19 vaccine. News that the U.K. has become the first western country to license a COVID-19 vaccine has sparked optimism for the local exhibition industry, with shares in beleaguered cinema giant Cineworld, which owns Regal in the U.S., hitting a five-month high.

TV news ... 

► Disney unveils TV restructure. Dana Walden has consolidated Disney's three TV studios into two, merging Bert Salke's Touchstone (formerly Fox 21) into 20th Television. Salke, who had overseen the studio for the past decade, will step down from the post and has signed a new multiple-year producing deal.

+ Meanwhile, ABC Entertainment president Karey Burke will move over and oversee the newly expanded 20th Television as president of the super-sized studio. Carolyn Cassidy, who previously served as president of 20th TV, will now serve as exec vp development at the studio. Salke's No. 2 at Touchstone, Jane Francis, will serve as exec vp series at 20th. More.

► Umbrella Academy and Juno star Elliot Page comes out as transgender, non-binary. "I can’t begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self," Page shared in a statement.

+ Many in Hollywood were quick to support Page on social media, including Natasha Lyonne, Miley Cyrus, Emmy Rossum, Olivia Munn, and Alyssa Milano. Netflix and Universal Content Productions, which produces Umbrella Academy, also shared support for the star. 

► HBO, HBO Max pact with Charlize Theron. The actress and producer's Denver & Delilah banner, previously housed at Universal Content Productions, has signed a two-year first-look deal.

► Starz adds Helen Hunt to Blindspotting series. Hunt will star with Jasmine Cephas Jones in the Lionsgate TV series, based on the 2018 movie of the same title. The film's stars and co-writers, Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, are executive producing.

► Paramount+ lands lead in Godfather series. Armie Hammer is set to play a producer of the 1972 film in a limited series titled The Offer about the making of the movie classic. Details.

► CBS' The Talk adds new co-hosts. Amanda Kloots and Elaine Welteroth will join the panel starting Jan. 4. They'll take over for Marie Osmond, who departed at the end of last season, and Eve, whose final shows air this month.

► Daytime Emmys to stay virtual through 2021. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said that, despite the fact that a vaccine is possibly on the horizon mid-next year, it will keep all events virtual rather than delay its events.

► WarnerMedia names new CFO. Jennifer Biry replaces Pascal Desroches, who will be moving into the role of CFO at AT&T. More. 

+ Antenna, a startup that provides analytics about subscription businesses, has raised $4.2 million in seed funding led by Raine Ventures.

- Meanwhile: Rupert Murdoch readies a TV news channel in the U.K. ... Ron Howard defends Hillbilly Elegy against its critics ... Peter Chernin's TCG invests in Surfline ... BTS "becomes first group to rule Artist 100, Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts at the same time" ... Dave Chappelle's Netflix stand-up sketch is among YouTube's top 10 trending videos of the year ... The New Yorker's Richard Brody picks the best movies of 2020. 

Film deals ...

► Universal plots Van Helsing reboot. The studio has tapped Overlord filmmaker Julius Avery to direct a new take on the classic character with James Wan producing the untitled film. 

► MGM's Dog adds to cast. Yellowstone star Q'orianka Kilcher is joining the road comedy co-directed by Channing Tatum and his longtime creative partner Reid Carolin. Details.

► Samuel Goldwyn Films nabs Savage State. David Perrault's western drama, about French settlers who flee Missouri to return to Paris as the Civil War breaks out, is planned for 2021 release.

► Hellraiser writer reclaiming U.S. franchise rights after lawsuit settlement. Clive Barker, who wrote and directed the 1987 horror flick, has successfully leveraged copyright law to recapture the American rights.

► Casting Society of America names co-president. Rich Mento will serve in the role at the organization alongside Russell Boast. More. 

* Oscars update: Contrary to a report that the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony will definitively take place in-person on April 25, 2021, neither the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nor its Oscars broadcast partner ABC has made any such decision, sources tell Scott Feinberg. 

What else we're reading ... 

— "Netflix plans to double spending on original content in Asia." Shirley Zhao reports: "the world’s largest streaming platform is seeking to cement its stronghold in a region that’s seen the fastest growth in subscribers, said Minyoung Kim, Netflix’s vice president of content." [Bloomberg]

— "The culture is ailing. It’s time for a Dr. Fauci for the arts." Peter Marks suggests: "Now, more than ever, we need a secretary of arts and culture." [Washington Post]

— "The hardest-working man in show business." Julian Kimble's profile: "For years, Alfonso Ribeiro couldn’t escape the shadow of his most iconic character, Carlton Banks. But pure, unfettered joy like his can be restrained for only so long." [The Ringer]

— "Further doubts cast over Berlinale 2021 plans." Martin Blaney writes: "The city authorities are concerned by the prospect of large numbers of film industry professionals – albeit not as many as for the 2020 edition – descending on the city from abroad." [Screen Daily]

— "Why marketers are ringing in the holiday season with more influencers."  Kristina Monllos reports: "Ahead of this season, influencer marketing agency execs say here’s been a lift of between 20-30% from last year in requests for holiday influencer campaigns." [Digiday]

— "Nobody is going to conventions. Convention centers are growing anyway." Mary Williams Walsh writes: "The pandemic is intensifying the competition among cities, which are rushing to build bigger, more alluring event spaces." [New York Times]

Today's birthdays: Charlie Puth, 29, Britney Spears, 39, Nelly Furtado, 42, Joe Lo Truglio, 50, Lucy Liu, 52.

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DECEMBER 02, 2020

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