Academy Infighting Mounting Over Categories Controversy

►"The word ‘excluded’ is a powerful one for many." THR's awards columnist Scott Feinberg has the scoop on "something of a civil war" at the Academy over the decision to present eight awards prior to the live Oscars telecast. Scott, who has been all over the firestorm at the Academy since the news broke, reports that the 54-person board of governors who oversee the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are at significant odds on the way forward. The story.

—Free Guy, Apes and Na'vi, oh my! THR's Borys Kit spoke to 20th Century Studios President Steve Asbell and boy was the chat newsy. Asbell outlined the studio's strategy for "10-plus movies just for streaming" by 2023, more Avatar (and the sequel is sticking to its 2022 release date), more Free Guy, more Branagh as Poirot, more Planet of the Apes. The interview. 

—Rejoice! Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s followup to Fleabag is officially on its way after Amazon greenlit a series from the multiple Emmy winner. Premise and plot details — and even whether it’s a comedy or drama — are yet to be revealed. The project is the first to result from an overall deal Waller-Bridge signed with Amazon Studios in 2019. The story.  

—Mask no more. Universal Studios Hollywood will no longer require a mask or proof of vaccination to enter the park beginning Friday. The rules change occurs in accordance with Los Angeles County expected to drop its mask mandate today. The story.

—"He was abhorrent. He was evil personified." Melinda French Gates recalls meeting once with Jeffrey Epstein, and once was enough. In an interview with CBS Mornings anchor Gayle King, the billionaire philanthropist said she was disappointed former husband Bill Gates held meetings with the convicted sex offender. The story.  

—In-depth look. ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos is taking an in-depth look at the history of the two men at the forefront of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. George Stephanopoulos Productions is producing the special, Two Men At War, which will begin streaming on Hulu Sunday, March 6. The story. 

—All over. RT America, the Russian government-controlled U.S. cable news channel, will be “ceasing production” and laying off all its employees, according to a memo sent to staff Thursday. Staff were also informed of the decision in a town hall meeting Thursday. Employees in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and Miami are said to be impacted by the decision. The story.

—Censorship law. Russia’s national parliament is expected to pass a new law Friday that will make it a criminal act to call the war in Ukraine a war. The legislation envisions penalties of up to 15 years in prison for the distribution of “false news” about military operations in Ukraine, which the Russian military invaded Feb. 24. The story. 

Oscars: Gaga, Rock, Costner and Kravitz Among Presenters

►Hosts with the mosts. Lady Gaga is just one of a handful of presenters announced Thursday for this year’s Academy Awards. Also set to take the stage at the Dolby Theatre are Chris Rock, Kevin Costner, Zoë Kravitz, Rosie Perez and last year’s best supporting actress winner Yuh-Jung Youn. The Oscars often have the previous year’s acting winners present this year’s acting awards. Additional presenters and other talent joining the show will be revealed in the next few weeks. The story.

—Returning home. Hulu has picked up streaming rights for Ryan Murphy’s series Pose and American Crime Story — meaning all of the producer’s shows for FX now live in the same place. The two shows move from Netflix and join American Horror Story on Hulu after rights reverted to 20th Television, the Disney Television Studios unit that produces all three series. The story. 

—New endeavor. Kristen Campo, former exec vp TV at Chernin, has launched her own production company, Campout Productions, and renewed her first-look deal with Endeavor Content. Additionally, Campo has hired FilmNation’s Hannah Getts to serve as vp development and production. The story. 

—An interactive first. Netflix is getting into the game show space with Trivia Quest, a game billed as the streamer's first interactive trivia series and could be considered its first original daily game show. The project is based on the hit Etermax app Trivia Crack. The story.

—Wheeling and dealing. Sony Pictures Television is making a strategic push into unscripted content, buying a majority stake in Industrial Media that values the company at $350 million. Industrial produces over 100 unscripted programs, most notably the 90 Day Fiancé franchise, Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance and ABC’s American Idol. The story. 

Why Amanda Seyfried Originally Turned Down the Chance to Play Elizabeth Holmes

►"A young woman enduring the pain and fear that comes with power — and not in an empowering girlboss way." THR's Mikey O'Connell spoke to The Dropout actress Amanda Seyfried explains why she initially said no to the prospect of portraying the disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, how she managed to see through the persona that fooled some of the tech world’s savviest investors — and why nailing that distinctive voice wasn’t a priority. The interview. 

—"It’s an extraordinary vision." THR's nicest man Chris Gardner turned the nice up to 11 to bag a quick interview with Francis Ford Coppola at the 50th anniversary screening of The Godfather at the Paramount Pictures lot, and he managed to get the filmmaking icon to talk about his long gestating blockbuster Megalopolis, confirming he's using his own money ($120 million!) and the big names in the cast. The story. 

—"TIFF stands against the Russian invasion." Toronto is the latest major film festival to announce a boycott of some sort of the Russian film industry while expressing solidarity with the people of Ukraine. TIFF organizers said they would welcome indie Russian filmmakers to this year’s festival but ban official Russian delegations. TIFF joins Cannes, Venice and others in instituting a boycott of Russia. The story.

—Lee Jong-suk hive assemble. Disney+ is dropping new details about its 2022 slate of hotly anticipated original Korean content. The streamer previously said it would release over 20 Korean titles this year, including at least 12 Korean originals. The deets. 

—"A cute comedy about not-so-bloodthirsty pirates." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death. Loosely inspired by historical events, the comedy stars Rhys Darby as Stede Bonnet, an unhappy aristocrat turned inept pirate captain, and Taika Waititi as the notorious Blackbeard. The review. 

—"A hollow, bland thriller almost saved by Toni Collette." Angie reviews Netflix’s Pieces of Her. Based on the novel by Karin Slaughter, the thriller sees a young woman (Bella Heathcote) searching for the truth about her mother (Toni Collette) and their family history in the wake of a violent incident. The review. 

—What the blazes! A blazing fire broke out on the former set of Peaky Blinders and Downton Abbey in Yorkshire, England. Scores of fire trucks tackled the blaze Dalton Mills, Keighley, a former textile mill that was partially restored to host production on a number of popular British TV dramas and movies. The story. 

Thank Pod It's Friday

►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.

—TV's Top 5. Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. This week the guys begin by running through the headlines and debut a new mini segment “show me the money.” They preview March TV and discuss Ryan Murphy's FX shows moving to Hulu and Marvel's adult-skewing shows departing Netflix for Disney+. Winning Time co-creator and showrunner Max Borenstein drops by for a chat. And Dan offers his reviews of Winning Time, The Dropout, The Tourist, Carol vs. Joe and Shining Vale. Listen here.

—Awards Chatter. Awards analyst Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott speaks to CODA star Emilia Jones. The 19-year-old breakout reflects on her years as a child actor, her exhaustive preparation to play a child of deaf adults who finds her voice in more ways than one and becoming a star during a global pandemic. Listen here. 

In other news...

—Netflix debuts trailer for unscripted dating series The Ultimatum from Love is Blind creators

—Director Sophie Hyde signs with CAA

—Sundance Institute taps Adam Piron to lead indigenous program

—Podimo podcast subscription service signs with CAA

—Swan Song director among Irish Film and TV Academy Rising Star nominees

—BAFTA Games Awards: It Takes Two, Returnal lead nominees

—Fremantle acquires Italian production company Lux Vide

—WarnerMedia signs first-look deal with Head-On director Fatih Akin

—Late actress Yvette Mimieux’s Bel Air compound is an elegant $50 million fantasia

What else we're reading...

—The race to save Ukraine's artistic treasures [BBC]

—A global hunt for Russian oligarchs’ yachts has begun [WSJ]

—Yasmeen Serhan on why the cultural boycott of Russia matters [Atlantic]

—Amazon’s Twitch suffers exodus of executives amid strategy fight [Bloomberg]

—Wild story on fantasy author Brandon Sanderson raising $15.4 Million in 24 Hours to self-publish four new books [NYT]

Today...  

Today's birthdays: Catherine O'Hara (68), Tamzin Merchant (35), Audrey Esparza (36), Amanda Collin (36), Jenna Boyd (29), Christine Baumgartner (48), Patricia Heaton (64), Patsy Kensit (54), Sam Taylor-Johnson (55), Paula Prentiss (84), Brittney Powell (50), Leonie Brill (25), Park Min-Young (36)