Matthew McConaughey Named Philanthropist of the Year

►"I want this to be a legacy." Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey, whose just keep livin Foundation has raised $7.7 million for Texas storm relief, opens up to THR's James Hibberd about how gratitude will transform your life and the latest on his looming governor race decision that’s coming "shortly." The story. 
 
—"This isn’t how I thought things would end." Terra Field, a trans engineer at Netflix who was suspended and then reinstated by the streamer in October amid outcry around Dave Chappelle’s special, has resigned. Field said the decision comes after the firing of B. Pagels-Minor, the former Netflix staffer who was let go in October for allegedly leaking confidential information on the Chappelle special. The story. 

—Where is Jho Low? House Of Cards creator Beau Willimon and his Westward producing partner Jordan Tappis have teamed up with SK Global, to produce a series based on Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World, the bestselling non-fiction book about Jho Low and Malaysia's massive 1MDB corruption scandal. The story.

—Star boy. The Idol, a drama starring and co-created by The Weeknd, has landed a series order at HBO. The show, set in L.A.'s music industry, centers on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop singer. Amy Seimetz is set to direct all six episodes of the show, which also stars Lily-Rose Depp. The story. 

—Generation meh. Ridley Scott can't stay out of the news, this time blaming apathetic millennials for his (excellent) film The Last Duel bombing at the box office. The veteran Brit director dropped some truth bombs on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, suggesting that Disney actually did a good job promoting his film (that made only $27 million against a $100 million budget) but the film couldn't win over phone-obsessed whipper snappers. The story.

Spacey Must Pay $31M for Breaching 'House of Cards' Deal

►Flouting contracting obligations. After a two-year legal battle behind closed doors, an arbitrator has ruled that Kevin Spacey must pay House of Cards producer MRC nearly $31 million for sexual misconduct behind the scenes of the political series. On Monday, MRC filed papers in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking to confirm the arbitration award. 

Spacey was cut from the influential Netflix series following explosive allegations of sexually preying on young men. The accusations, which included groping of a production assistant, caused MRC to conduct an investigation and ultimately terminate his acting and producing contracts. The story.  

—First project. Netflix is teaming with writer Roberto Patino to develop a series adaptation of Image Comics title Nocterra. The drama, which is in development, marks the first project to stem from a new, multiple-year overall deal Patino has signed with the streaming giant. The story. 

—Short memories. It wasn’t too long ago that Hollywood power brokers rushed to distance themselves from Saudi Arabia after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Now, three years later, the country is hosting a star-studded film festival with Justin Bieber, Anthony Mackie and director Joe Wright set to attend and also backing big-budget features with U.S. talent. The story. 

—The Flavortown Extended Universe. THR's Mikey O'Connell has the scoop on national treasure and frosted tip ambassador Guy Fieri lining up his next competition series for Food Network. Guy’s Chance of a Lifetime, premiering Jan. 2, will see contestants compete to win a franchise of Fieri's Chicken Guy restaurant chain. The story. 

—Acquisition news. Netflix plans to acquire Scanline VFX, whose work for the streaming service has included Cowboy Bebop and Stranger Things 3, along with the show’s upcoming fourth season. The deal is expected to close in early 2022. The story. 

'Morning Show' Cast Unpack S2 Finale

►"It was relentless!" In a Herculean effort, THR's Jackie Strause managed to wrangle The Morning Show's stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Julianna Margulies, Billy Crudup and Greta Lee, as well as showrunner Kerry Ehrin to talk about the season two ending while sharing their thoughts about where things could go next. Warning spoilers. The story.  

—Reflecting society The Brit Awards is scrapping gendered categories. From 2022, the U.K.’s biggest music awards is removing four awards — best male solo artist, best female solo artist, best international male solo artist and best international female solo artist — and replacing them with artist of the year and international artist of the year. The story. 

—Global gongs. Atlantic Crossing and Tehran scooped the big prizes at the 2021 International Emmy Awards, winning best TV movie/mini-series and best drama, respectively. Brit stars David Tennant and Hayley Squires won the acting prizes. The full list of winners. 

—Hurdle cleared. The Matrix Resurrections has gotten the green light for an eventual theatrical release in China, local media outlets in Beijing reported Tuesday. The fourth film in The Matrix franchise has cleared local censorship but has yet to receive an exact release date. The story. 

—🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄. Peter Kiefer's Los Angeles Magazine cover story "‘Shrooms! Shamans! Kosher LSD! Why Los Angeles Is Suddenly Tripping Out" is set to be developed as a TV series after Scott Steindorff's Stone Village acquired the rights. The company's plans for Psychedelic City, as the project is titled, also include a metaverse platform set to focus on crypto, digital and immersive art, music components and experimental therapies. The story. 

Review: 'House of Gucci'

►"Overcooked pasta, smothered in sauce." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Ridley Scott's House of Gucci. Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Jared Leto, Jeremy Irons and Al Pacino star in this true-crime saga of the turbulent years that led to the murder of Maurizio Gucci, head of the eponymous Italian fashion house. The review.

—"Only Wesley Snipes makes this extended mewling about celebrity watchable." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix's True Story, starring Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes. The seven-episode drama revolves around two brothers, one of them a movie star and stand-up comic whose life goes into a downward spiral. The review.  

—"Not much difference." In a guest column for THR, JFK director Oliver Stone calls out the Biden administration for not yet declassifying all the records related to the death of President John F. Kennedy. The filmmaker, whose new documentary JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass examines additional evidence about the assassination, says Biden is acting just like his predecessor Trump with a delay in releasing records. The column.

In other news... 

—Inventing Anna: Watch the trailer for Shonda Rhimes’ Netflix show about con woman Anna Delvey

—Trolls 3 set for 2023 release

—Casting Society of America Artios Awards: Netflix, HBO and Hulu lead nominations

—Harold Ramis’ daughter reflects on Ghostbusters: Afterlife and her father

—Netflix thriller The Night Agent finds its two leads

—Nielsen to roll out individual ad ratings

—Exclusive: Triller launches program to pay $4k a month in cash and equity to Black creators

—Matt Damon sells $18m Pacific Palisades estate to Warner Bros CEO Ann Sarnoff

—How the Academy Museum quickly became Hollywood’s new hotspot for premieres and glitzy fundraisers

—Exclusive: Time Studios to develop animated children’s series based on “Robotos” NFTs

What else we're reading...

—Comcast Weighs Pulling Some Content From Hulu in Effort to Boost Peacock [Wall Street Journal]

—From Outlander to Belfast, Caitríona Balfe Has Learned You Must "Create Your Own Destiny" [Los Angeles Times]

—Raya and the Promise of Private Social Media [New Yorker]

—Paul Thomas Anderson Goes Back to the Valley With Licorice Pizza [New York Times]

—Adele Is Right – An Unshuffled Album Is the Proper Way to Listen [The Guardian]

Today... 

...in 1988, moviegoers met a slightly darker holiday tale. Bill Murray’s Scrooged was greeted as a “scathing satire” and eventually became a holiday staple. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Miley Cyrus (29), Kayvan Novak (43), Robert Towne (87), Destin Daniel Cretton (43), Oded Fehr (51), Vincent Cassel (55), Kelly Brook (42), Lesley Fera (50), Nicole Polizzi (34), Rodrigo Prieto (56), Ludovico Einaudi (66), Bruce Vilanch (73), Lonnie Chavis (14), Joe Eszterhas (77), Robin Roberts (61)