Grammys: Jon Batiste Tops With 11 Nominations

►Jon's banner year. Jon Batiste topped the nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards, scoring a near-record 11 nods. The Oscar winner, who currently serves as the band leader on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and released the album We Are earlier this year, landed nods in the top categories of record of the year and album of the year. Three artists, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R., tied for the second most nominations this year, eight each, followed by seven-time nominees Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo. The full list of nominees. 

—Snubs. Amid all the artists getting recognized there were also some suprising (in some cases, glaring) omissions from the nominees list. Kacey Musgraves, Drake, BTS, Ariana Grande, Tyler the Creator and 2021’s best new artist winner Megan Thee Stallion are amongst those that fared worse than expected for the 2022 Grammys. The story. 

—Something for the Weeknd. After the quite ridiculous snub in 2021, The Weeknd said he would boycott the Grammy Awards, but that didn't stop him getting three nominations for the 2022 ceremony. The artist is featured on Kanye West’s song “Hurricane,” which received a nom for best melodic rap performance and on two album of the year nominees, West’s Donda and Doja Cat’s Planet Her (Deluxe). The story. 

—Canceled, sure. Controversy-plagued comedians Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle and were among the acts nominated for Grammys. Chappelle, who has been dogged by accusations of transphobia, was nominated in the best spoken word album category and C.K., who has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct, was nominated in the best comedy album category. The story. 

'General Hospital' Loses Second Regular Over Vaccine Mandate

►Worst hospital ever? General Hospital has parted ways with a second member of its cast over the production’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Steve Burton said on Instagram that he’s no longer with the ABC daytime soap because of the mandate. The network confirmed that he has departed after being unable to comply with the vaccine policy; his last day of work on the show was Oct. 27. Burton follows Ingo Rademacher in leaving GH over the mandate. The story. 

—"We’re trying to take original swings." THR's Pamela McClintock speaks to MGM’s motion picture group president Pamela Abdy about the studio's slew of potential awards contenders including Ridley Scott's House of Gucci, Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza and Joe Wright’s musical Cyrano, as well as its future with the pending completion of the Amazon deal. The interview.
 
—"There were concerns." Fox News anchor Bret Baier has broken his silence on network contributors Jonah Goldberg and Stephen Hayes resigning from the channel in the wake of the Tucker Carlson's Jan. 6 conspiracy series Patriot Purge. Baier also confirmed that the news division had issues with Carlson’s series. The story. 

—Casting news. NBC’s Law & Order revival is bringing back its first familiar face with Anthony Anderson reprising his role as Det. Kevin Bernard. Also joining the cast as a series regular is Hugh Dancy, who will play an assistant district attorney in the series from Dick Wolf and showrunner Rick Eid. The story. 

—A very British thing. It's a Sin creator (and most famous person from my high school) Russell T. Davies is writing Nolly for ITV, a series based on the rise and fall of Noele Gordon, one of the most famous faces on British TV in the 1960s and 1970s. Helena Bonham Carter will star as Gordon in the three-part drama. The story. 

—PR offensive. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has said it will dip into its reserves to maintain its charitable giving. Hit with a loss of licensing fees due to NBC's cancellation of the Golden Globes in 2022, the group vows it will continue its grant-making program, which has given away $50 million to date. The story. 

Trans Rights Groups Struggle to Win Hollywood Funding

►"There's a lot of need in the trans community for philanthropic support." Every year, Hollywood gives millions to LGBTQ organizations, but it's “T” that seems to have gotten less financial commitment than the rest of the acronym, as transgender organizations report a mixed bag of industry support — even as Dave Chappelle’s transphobic comments in his recent Netflix special brought a renewed spotlight to the issues many trans people still face. THR's Kirsten Chuba looks at the funding struggles of trans rights groups and how these organizations feel that the entertainment industry focus on representation on casting and characters isn't enough. The story. 

—Deep discounts. Streaming platforms are using Black Friday deals to boost sluggish subscriber growth. Hulu, Peacock, Paramount+ and Discovery+ are among the services offering steep discounts this week to entice new subscribers. Disney pushed its Hulu deal on Good Morning America on Tuesday, offering one year of the streamer for $0.99 per month, a $6 discount per month, or a $72 discount for the year. The story. 

—Make Clifford even bigger, you cowards. After a strong box office opening, Paramount Pictures has confirmed that a sequel Clifford the Big Red Dog is in the works. The original film had a 5-day theatrical opening of $22.2 million despite being launched simultaneously in theaters and on Paramount+ around Veterans Day. The story.

—"I want to go to space." Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan is heading to sort-of space after signing up for a Blue Origin flight that blasts off on Dec. 9. It will be the third human flight for Blue Origin. Famous flyers so far have included Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, as well as his brother Mark Bezos, and William Shatner. The story. 

—What's in a name? London-based NBCUniversal International Studios has rebranded as Universal International Studios, with the company saying the change was designed "to further align with Universal Studio Group and its sister studios UCP, Universal Television and Universal Television Alternative Studio." The story. 

Review: Marvel's 'Hawkeye'

►"A refreshingly low-key outing for Marvel — at least so far." THR critic Angie Han reviews Disney+'s Hawkeye. The Marvel miniseries sees Jeremy Renner reprising his role as Clint Barton, who must team with a young New Yorker named Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld) for a Christmastime mission. The review.   

—"I always say that TV writing is a team sport." THR's second nicest man Aaron Couch speaks to Hawkeye head writer Jonathan Igla, who drew on his experience as a writer on the critically acclaimed drama Mad Men as well as the unlikely source of inspiration he found with Hallmark Christmas movies for the the Marvel series. The interview.

—"Not quite unforgettable." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Nora Fingscheidt's The Unforgivable. Sandra Bullock, Vincent D’Onofrio, Viola Davis, Jon Bernthal and Rob Morgan star in this Netflix redemption drama about a damaged woman navigating her freedom after 20 years in prison. The review. 

In other news... 

—Jurassic World: Dominion unveils first 5 minutes with prehistoric scene

—Dwayne Johnson is Superman’s dog in DC League of Super-Pets trailer

—Bel-Air teaser puts a dramatic spin on Fresh Prince reboot

—Casey Affleck to lead sci-fi thriller Slingshot with Laurence Fishburne, Emily Beecham

—Beta Film acquires Swedish production company Unlimited Stories

—TV ratings: American Music Awards inch up from 2020 low

—IBC 2021 in-person event canceled amid COVID-19 concerns in the Netherlands

—Why Noto, Sicily is becoming a hot-spot travel destination for Hollywood

—California beach town Oceanside emerges as foodie and getaway destination

What else we're reading...

—Hayao Miyazaki Prepares to Cast One Last Spell [New York Times]

—What Does An Actor Lose When Their Prosthetics Become The Star? [Vulture]

—The Athletic Searches Far and Wide for New Subscribers as It Seeks a Sale [Bloomberg] 

—The Tolkien Estate Has Smote JRR Token — But The NFTs Persist [The Verge]

—Marilyn Manson’s Treatment of Evan Rachel Wood Set Off Alarm Bells at HBO [Daily Beast]

Today... 

...in 1956, George Stevens’ 195-minute epic Giant hit theaters. The film, which nabbed 10 Academy Award nominations, starred Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson as well as James Dean, who was killed in a car crash before the film was released. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Katherine Heigl (43), Sarah Hyland (31), Stephen Merchant (47), Colin Hanks (44), Garret Dillahunt (57), Billy Connolly (79), Shirley Henderson (56), Lola Glaudini (50), Denise Crosby (64), Conleth Hill (57), Lior Raz (50), Emir Kusturica (67), Ruben Santiago-Hudson (65), Joey Ansah (39)