What's news: 2022 has claimed another entertainment industry legend with the shock death of Bob Saget at 65. The Golden Globes happened, no really, they did. Take-Two Interactive is buying Zynga to create a gaming giant. Alec Baldwin has strongly denied he's not cooperating with the Rust investigation. Plus: Apple has a Sidney Poitier doc in the works — Abid Rahman
Bob Saget 1956-2021
►"We are devastated." Bob Saget, whose comedic and affable portrayal of widowed dad Danny Tanner on the sitcom Full House made him one of TV’s most popular fathers, was found dead Sunday in a hotel room in Orlando, Florida, the Sheriff’s Department confirmed to THR. He was 65.
"We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today. He was everything to us and we want you to know how much he loved his fans, performing live and bringing people from all walks of life together with laughter," the Saget family said in a statement to THR. "Though we ask for privacy at this time, we invite you to join us in remembering the love and laughter that Bob brought to the world." The obituary.
—"As lovely a human as he was funny." A number of Hollywood stars took to social media on Sunday to remember Bob Saget including his Full House co-stars John Stamos, Candace Cameron Bure and Dave Coulier. A much-loved figure in the world of comedy, Saget's untimely passing led to tributes from legends such as Norman Lear, Billy Crystal, Gilbert Gottfried, Kathy Griffin, Jon Stewart and more. The reaction.
'Power of the Dog,' 'West Side Story' Top Golden Globes in Private Ceremony
►Amid an ongoing boycott. The Power of the Dog, West Side Story and Succession were among the winners of the 79th Golden Globe Awards that were announced on Sunday night via social media and not, as in years past, as part of a star-studded, boozy, nationally televised gala.
Sunday’s Globes honored Power of the Dog with key wins, including best drama, best director for Campion and best supporting actor for Kodi Smit-McPhee. West Side Story won for best musical or comedy, in addition to best actress for Rachel Zegler.
On the TV side, Succession was honored as best drama series, in addition to picking up acting wins for Jeremy Strong and Sarah Snook. Hacks collected the prize for best comedy series and best actress for Jean Smart. The winners list.
—"The door is now open." Although much of Hollywood reacted with a shrug to the Golden Globes, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez was not one to downplay her appreciation. The Pose star became the first trans woman to score a Globe when she won for best actress in a TV drama, and she took to Instagram to celebrate the moment. The story.
—"The very light of my life." Sinead O’Connor’s 17-year-old son, Shane, was found dead in Ireland on Friday after the Irish singer-songwriter notified authorities that he had gone missing. Police said the missing person case was closed after a body was found in the eastern coastal town of Bray, about 12 miles south of Dublin. The story.
—Gaming giant. Video game company Take-Two Interactive has agreed to acquire mobile gaming powerhouse Zynga with the deal valued at approximately $12.7 billion. The combined group will own the titles Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, FarmVille and Words With Friends. The story.
Box Office: '355' Opens to Paltry $4.8M
►Stalled. The 355, Simon Kinberg's star-packed female spy-action pic starring Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Fan Bingbing, Diane Kruger and Lupita Nyong’o, missed the mark in its domestic office debut, opening to $4.8 million domestically from 3,145 theaters.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the movie’s poor showing comes as a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the highly infectious omicron variant further spooks older female moviegoers, the target demo for The 355. Poor reviews certainly didn’t help (the current Rotten Tomatoes score is 27 percent). Audiences liked it more, giving the movie a B+ CinemaScore.
Spider-Man: No Way Home stayed atop the chart earning $33 million in its fourth weekend from 4,012 theaters for a domestic total of $668.8 million. No Way Home has now passed up Titanic ($659.4 million) to ranks as the No. 6 total of all time, not adjusted for inflation, and it will soon overtake Avengers: Infinity War ($678.8 million) and possibly Black Panther ($700 million). The box office report.
—"That’s bullshit." Alec Baldwin is responding to apparent claims that he is not cooperating with the ongoing investigation into the October shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the Rust film set. The actor took to Instagram on Saturday to share footage of himself asserting that he is “one thousand percent going to comply” with the investigation. The story.
—In the works. A documentary about Sidney Poitier is in the works at Apple with Oprah Winfrey executive producing and Reginald Hudlin directing. The doc, which has been under wraps and in production with the participation of the Poitier family for more than a year, is an Apple Original Films release from Winfrey’s Harpo Productions and Network Entertainment. The story.
—The bandwagon rolls on. The National Society of Film Critics’ named Drive My Car as its best picture of 2021 during the 56th annual meeting, which was held virtually on Saturday, marking the latest critics prize for Ryusuke Hamaguchi's film. The winners list.
Review: 'Euphoria' Season 2
►"Even darker, if you can imagine."THR critic Lovia Gyarkye reviews the second season of HBO's Euphoria. Sam Levinson’s hyperactive teen drama starring Zendaya returns with a more introspective and melancholic season. The review.
—"A winning cast elevates over-familiar storylines."THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Fox's Pivoting. The single-camera comedy stars Eliza Coupe, Ginnifer Goodwin and Maggie Q as three 30something women who make big life changes after the death of their friend. The review.
—"We wanted to redeem ourselves."THR's Lesley Goldberg spoke to Dexter: New Blood showrunner Clyde Phillips about sticking the landing (this time) with the show's finale that hopefully went some way to consign the whole lumberjack thing to the dustbin of history. Phillips also talks about the future of the franchise. Warning spoilers.The interview.
—Big hire. Former All Things Considered co-host Audie Cornish, who left NPR last week after 15 years, is joining CNN. Cornish will host a weekly program for the forthcoming CNN+ streaming service, and appear as a correspondent on live daily programming on both CNN’s linear channel and on streaming. Cornish will also host a podcast for CNN Audio. The story.
—Keanu's legend grows. It's well documented that Keanu Reeves is Hollywood's nicest man, donating millions to charity and regularly coming through with impressive wrap gifts for cast and crew. THR's own nicest man Chris Gardner reports that Keanu added to his legend by inviting all of his reps, members of his inner circle and other key insiders to the premiere of The Matrix Resurrections. All expenses paid. The story.
—Jeopardy! Keeps Seeing Winning Streaks. Champions Ponder Why [New York Times]
—Podcasting Hasn’t Produced A New Hit in Years [Bloomberg]
—Microsoft Hit by Defections as Tech Giants Battle for Talent to Build the Metaverse [Wall Street Journal]
—Mark Rylance: "Theatre Is a Thousand Times More Enjoyable Than Film" [The Guardian]
—The Metaphysical World of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Movies [New Yorker]
Today...
Today's birthdays: Jemaine Clement (48), Reneé Rapp (22), Evan Handler (61), Emily Meade (33), William Sanderson (78), Hrithik Roshan (48), Walter Hill (80), Dani Kind (42), Brandon Cronenberg (42), Kelly Marcel (48), Fran Walsh (63), Rod Stewart (77), Reid Carolin (40), Gurinder Chadha (62)
Dick Carson, the five-time Emmy-winning director who helmed installments of The Merv Griffin Show, Wheel of Fortune and, for his older brother, Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show, has died. He was 92. The obituary.
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