Today In Entertainment

FEBRUARY 15, 2021

What's news: Chris Harrison "stepping aside" from the Bachelor franchise amid controversy, a tale of two box offices as China surges and North America slumps, Croods make a surprise comeback, Lost City of D gets dated, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its Scientific and Technical Awards, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry broke some Valentine's Day news. Plus: Zack Snyder's Justice League trailer, and a review of Amend: The Fight for America. --Alex Weprin

 Harrison, Out

►Chris Harrison is stepping aside from The Bachelor franchise "for a period of time" after growing controversy over his recent interview about a contestant on the current season. "This historic season of The Bachelor should not be marred or overshadowed by my mistakes or diminished by my actions," the longtime host and producer of the ABC reality franchise said in an Instagram post on Saturday. "To that end, I have consulted with Warner Bros. and ABC and will be stepping aside for a period of time and will not join for the After the Final Rose special." The story.

+The backstory: On Tuesday, Harrison began to receive backlash over an Extra interview conducted by correspondent Rachel Lindsay, who was the franchise's first Black Bachelorette when she led her cycle in 2017 and continues to work with the show — including co-hosting a franchise-sponsored podcast, Bachelor Happy Hour, with fellow Bachelorette alum Becca Kufrin.

When Lindsay asked Harrison to weigh in on the allegations of racism that were surrounding Rachael Kirkconnell, who is a frontrunner on Matt James' currently airing season of The Bachelor, Harrison refused to denounce her racially insensitive behavior. At the time, Kirkconnell herself had not yet spoken out to verify the revealed online activity, but a resurfaced photo of the Georgia native attending an "Old South" plantation-themed college party in 2018 was proving to be especially problematic. More.

 A Tale Of Two Box Offices

►Box office: In a surprise twist, Universal's animated pic The Croods: A New Age appears to have narrowly won the holiday frame in its 12th weekend, beating newcomer Judas and the Black Messiah. Universal is projecting that Croods 2 grossed an estimated $2.04 million from 1,890 locations for the three-day weekend — a 21 percent uptick — and $2.7 million for the four-day holiday frame. Croods' domestic total through Monday is an estimated $48.9 million as the DreamWorks Animation title crosses $150 million worldwide.

--That's far more than anyone expected for the family pic, which opened in cinemas at Thanksgiving amid a surge in COVID-19 cases before being made available on premium VOD around Christmas. Box office analysts are hard-pressed to remember another film that shot shock back to No. 1 in its 12th outing. The story.

+Meanwhile, the Lunar New Year is turbocharging China's box office: After a 12-month postponement caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Wanda Pictures' much anticipated comedy tentpole Detective Chinatown 3 finally opened in China Friday for the first day of the week-long Lunar New Year holiday. The film debuted with a record-setting haul of $160 million and finished the weekend with an astonishing $397.2 million three-day total, according to Artisan Gateway. The story.

+In other film news: Paramount has wasted to no time in setting a release date for the adventure-action comedy The Lost City of D. The Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock starrer will hit theaters on April 15 of next year. The film is a major priority for newly installed motion picture group president Emma Watts, who hired in 2021 by Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos. (The duo had worked together for years at 20th Century Fox.) More.

 Academy SciTech Awards

►The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday during a virtual ceremony that recognized 17 technologies representing 55 individuals—including three women, a first in a single season.

--“The motion picture innovation train never stops. Its progress is in fact vital to the art form," said James Cameron during the presentation. "Technical advancement is disrupting the creative process at a breakneck pace. Filmmaking shouldn't merely keep up, it has the power to lead.” He also paid tribute to the year's honorees, highlighted the work of the Academy Software Foundation, as well as noted that the Academy's first innovation summit is on the way. The story.

+From Nomadland to Pieces of a Woman: This year's downbeat films make for apathetic Oscar voting. Looking for a little escapism? You won't find it among most of the films courting consideration, and that has some Academy members feeling blue, Scott Feinberg writes. The column.

►TV review: Inkoo Kang reviews the Netflix docuseries Amend: The Fight For America, writing that "Perhaps it’s just as well that Amend debuts not only during Black History Month, but also the pandemic, when the quality of schooling has slumped for most students. Brisk yet meticulously researched, the educational series makes as lively as possible the rhetorical hair-splitting within the courts that tends to have an outsized impact on the populace." The review.

In other news...

--Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are expecting their second child, a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirmed on Sunday.

--Zack Snyder's Justice League celebrated Valentine's Day with a new trailer. And while the heroes are front and center, it's Jared Leto's Joker that steals the show... Here's Richard Newby's analysis...

--The BBC unveiled on Monday plans for "The Festival of Funny," a "celebration of British comedy with the aim to put a smile on faces across the country" that will take place across the U.K. public broadcaster's outlets.

--The Haunting of Alma Fielding, Kate Summerscale’s Baillie Gifford Prize-shortlisted novel, is to be adapted for television by New Pictures with writer Charlotte Stoudt (Fosse/Verdon) and director Minkie Spiro (The Plot Against America, Fosse/Verdon).

--TV writer Melissa Gould on the stars who helped her journey through grief.

--Nicki Minaj's father, Robert Maraj, was killed in a hit-and-run. Maraj, 64, was hit by a car that kept going in Mineola, Long Island at 6:15 p.m. ET on Friday night, according to a spokesperson for the Nassau County Police Department.

--John Oliver returned with the season premiere Last Week Tonight on Sunday, noting that a lot had happened since his last show aired in November. 

--Sergio Hudson finally has his star-making moment after dressing Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris for inauguration day.

What else we're reading...

--"Clubhouse, a tiny audio chat app, breaks through" [NY Times]

--"Facebook meets Apple in clash of the tech titans—‘we need to inflict pain’" [WSJ]

--"White House deputy press secretary resigns after threatening reporter over story about him" [CNN]

--"Meena Harris, reluctant influencer, wants to democratize who holds sway" [Vanity Fair]

Today's birthdays: Jane Seymour, 70, Matt Groening, 67, Amber Riley, 35, Megan Thee Stallion, 26, Gary Clark Jr, 37.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2021

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