What's news: The Omicron hits just keep coming with the Critics Choice Awards and the Academy Governors Awards the latest casualties. Ryan Kavanaugh is taking Triller public. Nielsen has been undercounting home viewers for over a year. John Wick 4 is pushed back to 2023. Plus: Michael Keaton is set to don his Batsuit once more in HBO Max's Batgirl feature — Abid Rahman
Sundance: COVID Boosters Now Required to Attend
►Go booster or go home. As Omicron leads to a spike in COVID-19 cases, Sundance has updated the visiting requirements for the upcoming 2022 edition in January. Those planning on attending Sundance in-person in Park City, will now be required to get their booster COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks prior to arriving at the event, organizers revealed this morning.
All attendees will need to show vaccine status on-site at what the festival is callings its Vaccine Verification and Testing Hub. Once shown, each participant will be provided a wristband that will need to be worn at all times at the festival. The story.
—Postponed. The Critics Choice Awards will no longer take place as planned on Jan. 9, following numerous other January events that have recently been scuttled amid rising COVID cases. No new date has been set. Although the Critics Choice Association stated Monday that the event would still happen as scheduled, the updated decision follows news of record-breaking virus cases in New York. The story.
—Another one. The 12th annual Academy Governors Awards, which was set for Jan. 15, has been postponed because of the recent surge in COVID cases. The story.
—More closures.Sex and the City author Candace Bushnell’s Off-Broadway one-woman show Is There Still Sex In The City? is ending its run early. The producers announced on Wednesday that Bushnell, the writer and star, tested positive for COVID-19, making it impossible for the production to continue. The story.
—What's canceled, so far. After the wave of cancelations this week, THR has put together an ever growing list of entertainment industry events that have been postponed or scrapped due to the Omicron-fueled surge in COVID cases. The list.
James Franco Admits to Sleeping With Students, Addresses Lawsuit
►"I got addicted to validation." James Franco is speaking out for the first time after reaching a settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed by former students in 2019 alleging sexual harassment and discrimination. Appearing on SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show, Franco opened up about why he remained publicly silent following the allegations, with the actor blaming his sex addiction. The story.
—Let's get nuts. Michael Keaton is joining Batgirl, the HBO Max film from Warner Bros. and DC centering on fan-favorite hero Barbara Gordon. Keaton is expected to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman, which he originated in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman and played again in 1992’s Batman Returns. Keaton is also reprising the role in The Flash.The story.
—Going public. Ryan Kavanaugh's social video platform Triller, which began as something of a TikTok clone and more recently expanded into pay-per-view boxing matches, will go public through a merger with video advertising technology company SeaChange. The merged company will go by the name TrillerVerz and will be valued at about $5 billion, the companies say. The story.
—Oooooooof. Nielsen has told clients it has undercounted some out of home viewers for over a year. The company, which has come under intense criticism from networks and ad buyers over possible undercounting of viewers during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, says a software issue is to blame for the problem. The story.
—"So, I guess this was just an oversight?" Paul Feig wants to know why his 2016 Ghostbusters film was not included in a new box set celebrating the Sony franchise. In honor of the planned Feb. 1 home release of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the studio is releasing an eight-disc Ghostbusters Ultimate Collection to Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on the same day. Notably absent is the Feig-directed film that starred Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth. The story.
L.A. Crimes Spark Rush for Bullet-Proof Cars, Rolex Replicas and Safe Rooms
►"It’s been crazy busy." Private security contractors report that a recent string of high-profile retail robberies and home burglaries in upscale Los Angeles neighborhoods has caused a dramatic uptick in requests for their services and prompted many of their wealthy clients to change their routines out of a mix of caution and fear. The story.
—"Genuine issue of material fact." Disney’s latest attempt to sink a lawsuit over the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has been scuttled by a California federal judge. In November 2017, A. Lee Alfred II and Ezequiel Martinez Jr. sued Disney claiming their spec script defied pirate topes and that their work was plundered to create Jack Sparrow after their producer sent it to the studio. The story.
—The wait just got longer. Lionsgate is pushing back John Wick: Chapter 4 by almost a year, from May 27, 2022, to March 24, 2023. The film was originally set to hit the big screen May 21, 2021, but was delayed due to the pandemic. The story.
—Expanding. AMC Theatres is taking over the leases of two additional theaters in Los Angeles and Chicago previously operated by Pacific Theatres and ArcLight Cinemas. The mega-theater chain plans to reopen the newly branded AMC Northridge Fashion Center and AMC Chicago 14 in spring of next year. The story.
—Doc deal. Sky Studios, the production arm of Comcast’s European pay-TV giant Sky, has inked a development deal with U.K.-based banner Dorothy St. Pictures for a slate of documentaries. The projects will cover topics "often told from the female gaze." The story.
Review: Denzel Washington's 'A Journal for Jordan'
►"Undermined by missed opportunities." THR critic Lovia Gyarkye reviews Denzel Washington's A Journal for Jordan. The film stars Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams in this drama about the ill-fated romance between a journalist and an American soldier. The review.
—"Limited context or depth, but an amusing look at a silly moment."THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Yemisi Brookes' Beanie Mania. HBO Max's feature-length documentary looks back at that weird moment in the late '90s when people thought that their collections of mint-condition stuffed animals might be a sound business investment. The review.
—"We were able to show a Black love story."THR's Jackie Strause spoke to Bachelorette star Michelle Young and her fiance, Nayte Olukoya, the morning after revealing their engagement on the season 18 finale of the ABC reality series. Young and Olukoya, the first Black couple across 43 seasons of both The Bachelorette and The Bachelor, opened up about their historic journey reflecting a long-awaited shift in the storied ABC franchise and why representation on TV matters. The interview.
—Mythology. THR's Hilary Lewis spoke to Dickinson showrunner Alena Smith explains why a track from Taylor Swift's Evermore plays over the credits instead of accompanying the love scene closing the episode "Grief is a Mouse." Warning spoilers.The interview.
15 International Series to Binge-Watch
►Roxy's top picks. THR's Europe bureau chief, and kindly Canadian uncle, Scott Roxborough lists the must-see binge-worthy shows from "abroad" to stream over the holidays, including an Italian mafia saga, a look inside the lives of Jewish people in 1950s Turkey and the best new Korean series. The list.
—Best of the best.THR TV critics Daniel Fienberg and Angie Han break down their favorite episodes of the year, with installments of Squid Game, Hacks, Only Murders in the Building, Yellowjackets and WandaVision making the cut. The list.
—Best supporting accent? Biggest mood? Best song by a fake girl band? Dan and Angie go the extra mile and pick the best, weirdest, baddest and more small-screen superlatives from 2021. The list.
—Lovia's loves.THR critic Lovia Gyarkye lists her favorite pieces of arts and culture from 2021, including a harrowing one-woman show, the second season of a swoony HBO Max rom-com, a rediscovered film from an Ethiopian auteur and a painfully funny Instagram account. The list.
—The Internet Did Too Much, Even for 2021 [Vulture]
—Elon Musk Says He Lives in a $50,000 House. He Doesn’t Talk About the Austin Mansion. [Wall Street Journal]
Today...
...in 1952, John Huston’s Moulin Rouge was unveiled at the Fox Wilshire Theatre in Beverly Hills, where it was described at the time as “one of the most dazzling world premieres ever staged in Hollywood.” The film went on to earn seven Oscar nominations at the 25th Academy Awards, winning for costume design and art direction. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Alison Sudol (37), Finn Wolfhard (19), Joan Severance (63), Holly Madison (42), Harry Shearer (78), Susan Lucci (75), Mishel Prada (32), Peter Ramsey (59), Eddie Vedder (57), Peter Medak (84), Carla Bruni (54), Noël Wells (35)
Nicholas Georgiade, who played the brawny Eliot Ness ally Enrico “Rico” Rossi on the hard-hitting ABC crime drama The Untouchables, has died. He was 88. The obituary.
This email was sent to billboard2@gmail.com by Penske Media Corporation. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox.
Visit the Preferences Center to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive.