Today In Entertainment APRIL 23, 2021
What's news: The Film Independent Spirit Awards winners and snubs, why some Hollywood execs are hoping for a Scott Rudin return, the Producers' Guild weighs in on Rudin, Disney going to the Putnam County Spelling Bee, Sorkin scrubs Chateau Marmont shoot, ABC sells out of Oscars ads, a court rules that that Dr. Luke isn't a public figure. Plus: Interviews with Samantha Bee and Chris Wallace, and the math behind Oscars' biggest best picture upsets ever. --Alex Weprin The Film Independent Spirit Awards ►The Independent Spirit Awards: Nomadland was the big winner at Thursday's Film Independent Spirit Awards, taking best feature and best director for Chloé Zhao, among other awards. In the acceptance speech, producer Peter Spears noted that Zhao met star Frances McDormand at a previous Spirit Award ceremony. "It began an incredible journey," he said of the annual awards show. Other film winners included Carey Mulligan, Riz Ahmed, Yuh-Jung Youn, Paul Raci and Emerald Fennell, while honorees in the inaugural TV categories included Michaela Coel's I May Destroy You. The full list of winners. --The Spirit Awards have long been the quirky, self-referential foil to the Oscars. Where the Academy Awards had the palatial Dolby Theater on Hollywood Boulevard, the Spirit Awards had a tent in a beachside Santa Monica parking lot. "This year we aren't in a big tent on the beach but are in a place familiar to people in independent film: A completely empty theater," joked host Melissa Villaseñor in her opening monologue. (The show typically takes place the day before the Oscars in a daytime ceremony, but in a break from tradition, organizers decided last month that the show would air in a primetime ceremony three days before the Academy Awards, a move sparked by the pandemic.) +The snubs: Never Rarely Sometimes Always and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom were both shut out. Also shut out by the Spirit Awards, after not landing any Oscar nominations, were four-time nominee Miss Juneteenth, three-time nominees First Cow and The Assistant and double nominees I Carry You With Me and Nine Days. The snubs list. +What you didn't see on the TV broadcast: "If this were any other awards season — one not dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic — pulling together a list of 'what you missed on TV' bits from any major awards show would generally be an easy swing," Chris Gardner writes. "Spot who ducked out early after their category was announced, mention any major mishaps near the restrooms and chat up a few actors near the valet to ask about post-party plans" --So what'd they do instead? "Film Independent found a way to pull off a lively production by teaming with Looped for an at-home streaming experience for those not tuned into the ceremony on broadcast partner IFC... There were breakout rooms that offered guests the chance to mix and mingle with other film industry insiders (to beats by DJ Dan). Sponsors FIJI Water and Bulleit Frontier Whiskey hosted groups of guests, The Wine Bar featured a Napa winemaker sharing pairing secrets, a Cinephile Trivia Tent offered up fast film facts, and other community tents (The Pier, The Bungalow, Carousel, The Quiet Cabana and The Beach) served as conversation hubs where topics ranged from favorite films to quarantine travel." Here's what happened. Why Some In Hollywood Hope For a Rudin Return ►Why some Hollywood execs are hoping for Scott Rudin to return. Amid fallout over abuse claims against the producer, two things are clear, Kim Masters reports: More reports of bad behavior are likely to come, and many in Hollywood are nonetheless rooting for Rudin. --"Whether he does or doesn’t, two things are clear: More reports of abusive conduct are likely to come, and many in Hollywood are nonetheless rooting for Rudin. One top rep whose firm previously worked with Rudin calls him 'a real asshole and a bully' but says, 'I suppose the basic issue is, do we, as a community, want those types of offenders to have a chance at changing their behavior, some path to redemption and forgiveness, or not?'” The story. +The Producers Guild of America has broken its silence over workplace bullying claims in the wake of THR's April 7 cover story on allegations made against Scott Rudin. On Thursday, the Hollywood producers organization announced it has created a new task force dedicated to rooting out workplace harassment in the wake of allegations made against the Hollywood mega-producer. The PGA didn't name Rudin in its statement, but THR earlier reported that producer Gale Anne Hurd had entreated leadership to take a stand on the producer. The story. ►Disney is spelling "m-u-s-i-c-a-l," closing a deal to pick up the rights to hit Broadway show, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, with the intent of mounting a live-action adaptation. Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich, who produced the billion dollar-grossing live-action Aladdin remake for the studio, are producing Spelling Bee via their Rideback banner. The company’s Ryan Halprin, who appeared in a college production of the show and helped chase the rights, will executive produce. The story. In other film news... +A night shoot at the Chateau Marmont for Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos was canceled just hours before production was to begin on Thursday, April 21, when it ran afoul of a union picket line and a celebrity-fueled boycott movement. Over the past year the legendary hotel has faced allegations it unfairly left its workers without affordable healthcare during the pandemic and permitted a climate of racial discrimination and sexual harassment before COVID-19 hit. More. +Will Packer is weighing in on Georgia's new voting law. Like Black Panther II director Ryan Coogler made clear last week, the Atlanta-based producer said on The Real that he plans to keep his productions in Georgia despite the restrictive bill. More. +And: John Carney — the director behind critically acclaimed musical dramas Sing Street and Once — has set his next feature, which will include music from legendary composer George Gershwin. Irwin Winkler and Martin Scorsese will produce the feature. The Gershwin estate is also on board for the musical drama. More. The Math Behind Oscars Upsets ►The math behind Oscars' biggest best picture upsets ever. Yes, Crash tops the list of best picture shockers, mathematically speaking, with only a 23 percent chance to claim the top honor over Brokeback Mountain, Ben Zauzmer writes. What might contenders this year glean from Oscar history? The data. +The Academy Awards have sold out ... of TV advertising space. It isn't much of a surprise, but The Walt Disney Co. says it has sold out all of its ad inventory for Sunday's Oscars broadcast. While there are doubts about the potential TV ratings, the Oscars remain one of the most watched (non-NFL) live events on TV, making them a big draw for marketers, many of whom are willing to pay top dollar. The story. +How showrunner Krista Vernoff tried (and failed) to credit 25 writers in a single episode. Vernoff and her director of diversity open up to Lacey Rose about the messy process of putting together Station 19's powerful George Floyd episode. More. +Samantha Bee is asking her viewers to write more sternly-worded letters. The Full Frontal host discusses patriotism, pantyhose and her push to free Reality Winner — the NSA leak who shared proof that Russia tried to influence the 2016 U.S. election. The interview. +Fox News' Chris Wallace doesn't think the press was tougher on Trump than Biden. As Wallace's Fox News Sunday turns 25 this weekend, the anchor also talks to me about covering the pandemic, and his newsmaking interview with President Trump last July: “There was a lot of spin and a lot of disinformation, a lot of it coming from the Trump White House, and I wasn’t going to give it any air.” The interview. ►Dr. Luke, world famous music producer, isn't a public figure, NY appeals court rules. In a libel battle that is on the verge of trial, Dr. Luke's summary judgment advantages against Kesha are upheld in a decision that brings a sharp dissent, Eriq Gardner writes. The story. ►Increasingly diverse audiences in the U.S. prefer diverse film content. That's the conclusion of UCLA’s latest annual Hollywood Diversity Report released on Thursday. The 2021 report, subtitled "Pandemic in Progress," pointed to people of color accounting for over 40 percent of the U.S. population and increasingly driving attendance at the multiplex and movie viewership for dominant streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. The story. +It's not all good news: Age impacts the careers of movie directors and their opportunities to continue behind the camera, says a January 2021 study from associate professor Shu Han and finance professor S. Abraham Ravid, both from the Yeshiva University in New York. For an entertainment industry hooked on spotting young talent and seizing on the Next Big Thing, the careers of film directors do not improve with age. More. ►Zendaya, Whoopi Goldberg and Michaela Coel were honored at Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Awards. In her acceptance speech, Coel detailed one disastrous meeting with Hollywood studio executives and a celebratory night with Janelle Monáe: "I am just eager to be here and I’m grateful for the invitation to sit down at your table." The story. ►Film review: John DeFore reviews Mortal Kombat, writing "A B-movie that would benefit immensely from some wit in the script and charisma in the cast, it’s not as aggressively hacky as [Paul W.S. Anderson's] oeuvre, but it runs into problems he didn’t face in 1995: Namely, the bar has been raised quite a bit for movies in which teams of superpowered young people have fights to save the universe." The review. ►TV's Top 5 podcast: This week Shadow and Bone Showrunner Eric Heisserer joins hosts Lesley Goldberg and Daniel Fienberg to discuss his journey to the streamer's YA fantasy realm in this week's podcast, which also features a discussion about the Oscars and Golden Globes. Listen. In other news... --Adria Arjona is joining Andy Garcia in Warner Bros.' remake of Father of the Bride, which will center on a Cuban-American family. --Justin Simien is set to help Disney build its new Haunted Mansion. Simien is in talks to helm Disney’s latest film revolving around its iconic Haunted Mansion theme park attraction. --Nielsen is digging deeper into the streaming world with a new product measuring time spent on specific platforms. The main provider of TV ratings is launching Nielsen Streaming Video Ratings, which it says will provide data and insights into how much time viewers spend on a variety of streaming services. --Maya Erskine is joining the Star Wars galaxy. The PEN15 and Insecure actress has signed on for an unspecified role in the upcoming Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. --PayPal-based assets owned by the companies behind Popcorn Time will be frozen until further notice, as a Virginia federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction in a suit from several Hollywood companies who say their films are being pirated on the site. --WME has signed the UK-based podcast production house Broccoli Productions with an eye to empowering minority talent both in front and behind the microphone. --Michael J. Fox will receive the ATX Television Festival's annual Award in Television Excellence. What else we're reading... --"A Black superman? It's happened, and could again" [NY Times] --"Embrace the Oscars as yet another COVID-era awards show" [Wired] --"Shock G, who got his own dance as Humpty Hump in rap group Digital Underground, dies at 57" [LA Times] --"Daniel Kaluuya can see what's coming next" [The Ringer] Today's birthdays: John Cena, 44, George Lopez, 60, UK's Prince Louis of Cambridge, 3, Michael Moore, 67, Gigi Hadid, 26.
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