What's news: Sundance 2022 winners have been announced. Spotify continues to grab headlines for all the wrong reasons. Sean Penn is doubling down on his "feminized" men comments. Adam Brody joins FX's Fleishman Is in Trouble.Plus: Netflix failed to toss out a defamation suit related to The Queen's Gambit — Abid Rahman
Joni Mitchell Says She Will Remove Music From Spotify Over Joe Rogan
►Canadians don't play around. Spotify's Joe Rogan problem just got a lot bigger after Joni Mitchell said she will remove her music catalog from the service in solidarity with fellow Canadian national treasure Neil Young. The counterculture icons are making the move in protest against the COVID misinformation being signal boosted by Rogan’s podcast. "Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives," Mitchell said in a message posted to her official website on Friday evening. The story.
—"I don't know where it started." Barry Manilow, who is not Canadian, has shut down rumors that he is also pulling his music from Spotify. Speculation that the “Copacabana” singer was taking his music off the streamer began circulating on social media Thursday, when Twitter users including Debra Messing said that Manilow was following Young's lead. The story.
—Win for Jeff Bezos. After leaving Spotify, Neil Young's team reached out to Amazon Music on Thursday to make sure his music would still be available to fans. And Amazon Music obliged with a free four-month subscription deal. Young was not paid to promote the rival streaming platform, according to the music service. The story.
—Egads man! Sean Penn has doubled down on his recent comments about shifting gender norms impacting masculinity and leading men to become “wildly feminized.” In an interview with The Independent, the two-time Oscar winner said, “there are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt.” The story.
—New tentative agreement. The Teamsters Local 399 and Hollywood Basic Crafts have reached a new three-year tentative agreement with employers after negotiations began in early December 2021. The deal covers film and television workers working across 13 Western states. The story.
Jason Momoa in Talks to Join 'Fast 10'
►More beef. THR scoopster Borys Kit reveals that Jason Momoa is in final negotiations to join Vin Diesel and the "family" in the tenth chapter of the Fast & Furious saga. Alas, no plot details as yet, but the Aquaman star could be one of the film’s villains. Directed by Justin Lin, Fast 10 shoots this spring. Universal currently has the movie set for a May 19, 2023, release. The story.
—Even more beef. The long-awaited live-action Masters of the Universe movie from Mattel Films has landed at Netflix, with West Side Story actor Kyle Allen set to play He-Man. The live-action feature, which is eying a summer 2022 start date, will be directed by the Nee Brothers from a screenplay they wrote with Shang-Chi scribe David Callaham. The story.
—Stacked. Adam Brody is the latest star to join FX's limited series Fleishman Is in Trouble based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s best-selling novel. Maxim Jasper Swinton and Meara Mahoney Gross have also been added to the ensemble, led by Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes and Lizzy Caplan. The story.
—Villainy.Saturday Night Live's Alex Moffat has scored a recurring role on Apple TV+’s Bad Monkey. The series is based on Carl Hiaasen’s 2013 novel and adapted by Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence. The streamer picked up the show, starring Vince Vaughn, with a straight to series order in August 2021. The story.
—"That first step."THR's Rebecca Sun has the scoop on Pachinko showrunner Soo Hugh's new story incubator with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. The Thousand Miles Project, which was first teased when Hugh’s overall pact with the studio was announced a year ago, will develop creators who want to tell stories about the Asian Pacific diaspora. The story.
Sundance 2022 Winners
►Take a bow. Nikyatu Jusu's Nanny has won the U.S. Grand Jury Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Among the other top prizes, the top doc award went to Ben Klein and Violet Columbus’ The Exiles. The top Audience Award for a U.S. Dramatic title went to Cha Cha Real Smooth, while the U.S. Documentary prize went to Navalny. The full list of winners.
—Sold! Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Sundance doc Descendant, which tells the story of the last known ship to bring slaves to America. Barack and Michelle Obama’s Netflix-based Higher Ground is set to release the film in partnership with the streamer. The story.
—Buy low. As Netflix’s stock price tumbled over the past week, co-CEO Reed Hastings pounced. According to filings with the SEC Friday evening, Hastings purchased approximately $20 million worth of Netflix shares Thursday and Friday, paying between $379 and $393 for the privilege. The story.
—"Reckless disregard." Netflix has lost a bid to end a lawsuit from Georgian chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili who says she was defamed in an episode of The Queen’s Gambit. In September, Gaprindashvili sued the streamer in response to a fictional chess commentator’s line in the series finale, which refers to her by name and says she’s “the female world champion and has never faced men.” She contends the statement is false and sexist. The story.
—"I officially signed on the dotted line."CBS Mornings co-anchor Gayle King has signed a new deal with CBS News, keeping her at the news division and its signature morning show for years to come. King announced the decision on her SiriusXM radio show. The story.
'The Batman' Controversy That's Unsettling a Portion of Fandom
►Lines in the sand. THR's Richard Newby writes that with every new Batman movie the issue of the character's fundamental “no-kill rule” comes up for debate amongst fans and it's been no different with Matt Reeves' upcoming film. A vocal minority of fans have taken issue with comments from star Robert Pattinson, who confirmed his Dark Knight does not kill. The story.
—"Enjoyable if not very revealing." THR critic Lovia Gyarkye reviews Lifetime documentary Janet Jackson. In this doc special, executive produced by the artist, Jackson tells a partial story of her life. The review.
—"I have to find a new way to do it."THR's second-nicest man Aaron Couch spoke to Roland Emmerich about his latest world-ending feature Moonfall. The German filmmaker spoke about his 'master of disaster' reputation, shares his thoughts on Adam McKay’s disaster pic Don’t Look Up and reveals hopes for more intimate films — including a Marilyn Monroe movie. The interview.
—In a surprising twist. THR's Brian Davids spoke to M. Night Shyamalan about the third season of Apple TV+ psychological thriller series Servant. The ever-busy filmmaker also talked about casting Dave Bautista as the lead in his next film Knock at the Cabin and why he thinks Christopher Nolan is going to be happy at Universal Pictures. The interview.
—Why Netflix is struggling to breakthrough in India [BBC]
—Kyndall Cunningham on Andrew Garfield charming the pants off everyone this Oscar season [Daily Beast]
—Manohla Dargis' review of the best of Sundance 2022 [NYT]
—The Afterparty and the rise of the TV comedy-mystery [The Ringer]
—Who really got rich from the Gamestop revolution? [WSJ]
Today...
...1964, Columbia unveiled Stanley Kubrick’s nuclear satire Dr. Strangelove in theaters. The film went on to earn four Oscar nominations at the 37th Academy Awards, including in the best picture category. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Oprah Winfrey (68), Lisa Emery (70), Heather Graham (52), Justin Hartley (45), Tom Selleck (77), Katharine Ross (82), Madeleine Madden (25), Edward Burns (54), Sara Gilbert (47), Kelly Packard (47), Adam Lambert (40), Madison Bailey (23), Terry Kinney (68), Sam Trammell (53), Sharif Atkins (47), Mark Rowley (32)
Argentine singer and musician, Diego Verdaguer, died on Friday at a hospital in Los Angeles due to COVID-19 complications. He was 70 years old. 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.