What's news: The Omicron surge is leading to more postponements and cancelations. Raya and the Last Dragon topped the Annie noms. Ted Sarandos is set to out-earn Reed Hastings in 2022. Plus: Scandal-plagued Armie Hammer appears in the promo materials for Death on the Nile — Abid Rahman
Fox Cancels New Years Eve Show Amid Omicron Surge
►What will Fox News think!? Fox is scrapping its live New Year’s Eve show due to the Omicron surge. The network was set to air its second-annual Toast & Roast special hosted by Community alums Ken Jeong and Joel McHale, but admitted defeat on Tuesday and canceled the show, adding in a statement that "the recent velocity of the spread of Omicron cases has made it impossible to produce a live special in Times Square." The story. —Omicron strikes. Tayshia Adams was unable to co-host the live finale of ABC’s The Bachelorette with star Michelle Young after being exposed to COVID-19. Ahead of Monday’s show, which was filmed in L.A., the former Bachelorette star announced she was recently exposed to the virus in NYC and didn’t travel “out of an abundance of caution” to ensure safety on set. The story.
—Suspended. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation of Cinderella has been forced to temporarily shutter in London’s West End due to the Omicron surge. The production, which canceled several shows last week at the Gillian Lynne Theater, announced late Dec. 21 that it was suspended all performances until Feb. 9. The story.
—"I don’t want to be back here." As Hollywood cancels red carpet events amid the Omicron surge,THR's Evan Nicole Brown and Kirsten Chuba spoke to people in L.A.'s hospitality industry who say they are wary of returning to the kinds of restrictions the city saw during past COVID waves. The story.
—What's canceled, so far. After the wave of cancelations this week, THR has put together a list of entertainment industry events that have been postponed or scrapped due to the Omicron-fueled surge in COVID cases. The list.
Review: 'The Matrix Resurrections'
►"After 22 years, doing little more than remaking the original is probably fair play." THR film critic John DeFore reviews The Matrix Resurrections. Neo and Trinity are back in Lana Wachowski’s very self-referential fourth entry in Warner Bros.' Matrix film franchise. The review.
—Shortlists. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its shortlists for the 2022 Oscars in 10 categories, including documentary and international features. It also includes documentary short subject, makeup and hairstyling, original score, original song, animated short, live-action short, visual effects, and — returning this year — sound. The story.
—Scott's take. With the shortlist reveals for the Oscars, THR's awards columnist Scott Feinberg considers what it means for the race and in particular the news that No Time to Die showed up on all five lists for which it was eligible, and Dune did so on four, whereas Licorice Pizza and C’mon C’mon were totally MIA. The analysis.
—Raya leads the way. The nominations for the 49th Annie Awards for animation were revealed Tuesday, with Walt Disney Animation Studios leading the feature competition with 10 noms for Raya and the Last Dragon and 9 for Encanto. Close behind are Pixar’s Luca and Sony Pictures Animation/Netflix’s The Mitchells vs. The Machines with 8 apiece. The nominations.
—Changing fortunes. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos is set to out-earn his colleague and co-CEO Reed Hastings in 2022. The executives are expected to earn $40 million and $34.6 million, respectively, next year, according to a regulatory filing published Tuesday. The story.
'No Way Home' Box Office Is Mixed Blessing for Hollywood
►The haves and have nots. Fresh off its record-breaking opening weekend, Spider-Man: No Way Home showed no signs of slowing down scoring the second-biggest Monday of all time for December. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the huge success of the film is a mixed blessing of sorts. While it’s indisputably a big win for theatrical and the box office recovery, it also underscores that the massive divide between big, splashy event pics and everything else, a gap that was exacerbated by COVID-19. The analysis.
—Deal done. Sony Pictures Network India and Zee Entertainment Enterprises have completed their merger, the deal creates India’s second-largest entertainment network by revenue and forms a regional content giant covering film, TV, and streaming. The story.
—More deals! Dark Horse Comics properties such as Hellboy and The Umbrella Academy are finding a new home. The indie comics publisher has agreed to be sold to Embracer Group, the Swedish video game conglomerate. The deal is expected to close in early 2022. The story.
—Hiding in plain sight. Disney and 20th Century has kicked off its marketing campaign for Kenneth Branagh’s mystery-thriller Death on the Nile, and they've decided against hiding away Armie Hammer. The scandal-plagued star appears in both the new trailer and poster revealed on Tuesday. The story.
—"Shameful." Britney Spears' lawyer Mathew Rosengart is calling out the singer's father Jamie Spears’ petition to have her estate continue to pay his legal fees, describing the ask as “shameful.” The story.
22 Most Anticipated New Scripted TV Shows Coming in 2022
►The future hits and possible epic misses. THR's Lesley Goldberg looks ahead to the biggest shows to drop next year, including the race to be the next Game of Thrones begin as the spinoff House of the Dragon battles Halo and Lord of the Rings, while reboots, Ryan Murphy, politics and Shonda Rhimes duke it out for ratings, buzz and Emmys. The list.
—"A gripping and haunting portrayal of childhood."THR critic Lovia Gyarkye reviews Laura Wandel's Playground (Un Monde). A 7-year-old girl navigates the fraught social dynamics of her new school in Belgium's 2022 Oscar submission. The review.
—"I was trying to make sense of chaos."THR's Brian Davids spoke to Station Eleven star Mackenzie Davis about shooting the pandemic-themed show during a real pandemic and consulting a Shakespeare expert to help her perform the Bard's work in the HBO Max series. The interview.
—Expansion. Netflix has landed its first Arabic original feature, an all-star adaptation of Italian box office hit Perfect Strangers. The streamer has also signed a first-look deal for Arabic features with the film’s producer Front Row, the Middle East distributor that has been ramping up its production arm over the last few years. The story.
—Know a Power Lawyer? THR is now accepting nominations for its 16th annual feature, which highlights the 100 most influential attorneys in the entertainment industry — and the deadline is quickly approaching. Nominations must be received by end of day Jan. 7. The form.
—The Most Adventurous Comedy Right Now Is Also the Most Real [New York Times]
—How Accurate Is Being The Ricardos? We Break Down What’s Fact And What’s Fiction [Los Angeles Times]
—Jessica Henwick on Watching Keanu Reeves Watch Himself in The Matrix [Vulture]
—How Only Murders in the Building Put Together TV’s Starriest, New York-iest Cast [Vanity Fair]
—American Workers Are Burned Out, and Bosses Are Struggling to Respond [Wall Street Journal]
Today...
...in 1965, the 197-minute Russian epic Doctor Zhivago held its world premiere at the Loew’s Capitol Theatre in New York. The David Lean classic went on to win five Oscars at the 38th Academy Awards and to this day remains in the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time, when adjusted for inflation. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Ralph Fiennes (59), David S. Goyer (56), Meghan Trainor (28), Dina Meyer (53), Hector Elizondo (85), Vanessa Paradis (49), Shioli Kutsuna (29), Jordin Sparks-Thomas (32), Victoria Alonso (56), Hugh Quarshie (67), Diane Sawyer (76)
Sally Ann Howes, the radiant star of stage and screen who portrayed Truly Scrumptious in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and replaced Julie Andrews on Broadway in My Fair Lady, has died. She was 91. The obituary.
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