Will Smith Apologizes to Chris Rock

►"Unacceptable and inexcusable." A day after Will Smith made global headlines for slapping Chris Rock onstage during the live Academy Awards show, the actor apologized to the comedian, saying his actions were inexcusable. “I would like to publicly apologize to you, Chris. I was out of line and I was wrong," Smith wrote in an Instagram post Monday. The story. 

—Formal review. Monday saw a flurry of scoops from THR's Oscars insider, and man seriously in need of sleep, Scott Feinberg. Among Scott's exclusives was the news that the Academy's board of governors, including president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson, convening for an emergency phone call about the Will Smith incident. 

Scott later learned that a full meeting of the board of governors has been called for Wednesday evening. On Monday, the Academy also released a more detailed and strongly worded statement, saying that it "condemns the actions of Mr. Smith at last night’s show. We have officially started a formal review around the incident and will explore further action and consequences in accordance with our Bylaws, Standards of Conduct and California law." The story. 

—"Did that just happen?! Oh my God!" Scott's also got the goods on what happened backstage, in real time, as Will Smith stormed the stage. Scott writes that in a green room packed with A-listers, Chris Rock's manager Jason Weinberg sat stunned, Smith's publicist Meredith O’Sullivan Wasson huddled with the Academy's president and CEO, and "people were gasping." The backstage goings-on. 

—"This was a very painful moment for me." Oscars producer Will Packer took to Twitter again on Monday morning to address the Will Smith incident. Packer's latest tweets went some way to explaining his rather flippant "Welp" missive on Sunday night and how the incident caused him pain on "many levels." The story.

—"We’re not going to take that Oscar from him." The Oscar fiasco was the subject of debate on Monday's episode of The View, with Whoopi Goldberg, also an Oscar winner and former show host, voicing her own thoughts on the fate of Will Smith’s best actor Academy Award. “There will be consequences, I’m sure, but I don’t think that’s what they’ll do — particularly because Chris said, ‘Listen, I’m not pressing any charges,'” said Goldberg. The story.

—"The union condemns any such conduct." On Monday, SAG-AFTRA weighed in on the Will Smith incident, describing it as "unacceptable" and said that the body was in contact with the Academy and ABC about what happened and make sure it is "properly addressed." The story.

Oscars Ratings Rebound From Historic Lows 

►Slap bounce unclear. The 94th Academy Awards drew a bigger audience than last year’s least watched Oscar ceremony ever. Sunday’s show, however, is still well below past years. ABC’s broadcast drew 15.36 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among adults 18-49, according to time zone-adjusted fast national ratings from Nielsen. The slap came about two-thirds of the way through the 3 hour, 40 minute ceremony, by which time the audience had been with the show for some two and a half hours. The story. 

—"It was so shocking." Jimmy Kimmel, who knows a thing or two about hosting an Oscars that goes off the rails, reacted to the slap in his monologue on Monday night's episode of his late night show. Kimmel compared the incident to Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield's ears and remarked on Smith's speech: "It was historic in that it was the first acceptance speech in which the winner apologized to the Academy before he thanked them." The story. 

—"What you saw on TV was a guy with real issues." Howard Stern wasted little time on his radio show Monday before tearing into Will Smith and the Academy over the slap. Stern and co-host Robin Quivers called the entire situation unacceptable and grotesque. Comic Nikki Glaser called into the show and said she was also shocked, adding she was worried about what Smith's actions signal to others who don't like a joke at a club and attack a comedian over it. The story. 

—Bruce's take. Longtime head writer of the Academy Awards Bruce Vilanch weighs in on the slap heard 'round the world, his overall views on the show and discusses how Elizabeth Taylor once signed off on a mean joke and how Judy Garland paved the way for Chris Rock. The story. 

—ICYMI. Amid the Smith-Rock fiasco and the subsequent fallout, some of our more traditional Oscars content may have got a little lost. Here is THR's gallery of all the corporate leaders, studio heads, top executives, agents and producers, and their dates, who showed up for the 94th Academy Awards. The executive gallery.

—"Shame on you!" Protestors picketed Jay-Z’s Oscars Gold Party on Sunday after the billionaire musician had declined to move his event from Chateau Marmont. Hotel staffers have had long-simmering workplace issues, including allegations of systemic racial discrimination and sexual misconduct and had hoped that Jay-Z would change the venue. However, the protests didn’t stop Emily Ratajkowski, Rosario Dawson, Michael B. Jordan, Zoe Kravitz and plenty more from crossing the picket line. The story.

Nielsen Sold to Private Equity Firms in $16B Deal  

►The value of waiting a week. The video and TV ratings giant Nielsen has been sold to a consortium of private equity firms, led by Brookfield Business Partners, in an all-cash deal that values the company at $16 billion, inclusive of debt. Nielsen had rejected an $14 billion offer from the companies just a week ago, saying it “significantly undervalued” the company, but it accepted the higher bid on Tuesday. The story. 

—"Should never have passed and should never have been signed into law." Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law, the bill which threw The Walt Disney Co. into chaos earlier this month, after employees demanded the company speak out against the bill. On Monday, Disney condemned the signing in a statement. The story. 

—"It was the fastest I’ve ever said yes to anything." Camelot is returning to Broadway, with the Lincoln Center Theater revealing details for a new production inspired by the world of Lerner & Loewe’s show and under the tutelage of artistic director André Bishop, writer Aaron Sorkin and director Bartlett Sher. Sorkin told THR's nicest man Chris Gardner that he jumped at the chance to work with Sher again, to work on a musical and also material which he loves. The story.

—Arrested and charged. Hawaii County police department arrested and charged Ezra Miller with disorderly conduct and harassment following an incident in a karaoke bar in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday night. The Flash star posted bail and was released. The story. 

—All change...again. TNT’s Snowpiercer is getting a new showrunner — the series' third. Paul Zbyszewski (Agents of SHIELD) is taking over from Graeme Manson for the fourth season of the sci-fi show. Production on the new season started Monday in Vancouver, with Clark Gregg and Michael Aronov joining the cast. The story.

About town  

►CNN+ launch party. THR media and business writer Alex Weprin writes: Former CNN president Jeff Zucker was not in attendance, but on Monday night, the executive received a warm round of applause from CNN anchors and employees at the CNN+ launch party held at an event space high above its HQ in NYC's Hudson Yards.

In attendance were CNN+ hosts Anderson Cooper, Chris Wallace, Brian Stelter, Scott Galloway, Kate Bolduan, Kasie Hunt, and Rex Chapman, as well as CNN execs Andrew Morse, Amy Entelis, and Ken Jautz, among others. Even WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar was there, talking with CNN talent and touting the streaming service to attendees. Also spotted: Ethan Hawke, Ben Smith and Justin Smith, NYT's Michael Grynbaum, CBS News' Lance Frank, and Matthew Hiltzik.

Morse, who told attendees that the first subscriber to CNN+ was CNN founder Ted Turner, also thanked Kilar for his commitment to the streaming service, before noting the work that went into the platform from Zucker and CNN's former CMO, Allison Gollust. It was the mention of their names that drew the applause from a corner of the room packed with CNN talent and employees. 
 

TV review: 'Moon Knight'   

►"More successful as an Oscar Isaac acting exercise than a superhero thrill-ride." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Disney+'s Marvel series Moon Knight. Oscar Isaac stars as the avenging hero with dissociative identity disorder in a series that blends Egyptian mythology with superhero mythology. The review. 

—"Frantic fun." THR critic Justin Lowe reviews Jeff Fowler's Sonic the Hedgehog 2. James Marsden, Jim Carrey and Tika Sumpter return for this sequel about the otherworldly, bright blue hedgehog (voiced by Ben Schwartz) who faces off against rival Knuckles (Idris Elba). The review. 

—"Inspiring, then sobering." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews David France's How to Survive a Pandemic. The HBO documentary charts the development and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, in the U.S. and abroad. The review. 

—"The action is basically three extended doodles." THR's David Rooney reviews Neil Simon's Plaza Suite. Real-life couple Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker play three different sets of characters in John Benjamin Hickey’s Broadway revival of the 1968 comedy about complicated relationships. The theater review. 

In other news...

—The CW’s Gotham Knights adds All American alum Anna Lore

—Paramount Pictures COO Andrew Gumpert to also oversee Nickelodeon Studios

—Taylor Swift to receive honorary doctor of fine arts degree at NYU

—U.S. advertising forecast cut slightly amid geopolitical uncertainty

—CBS News to feature The Weather Channel reporting in wide-ranging content partnership

—Netflix unveils 5 new unscripted series and films from Japan

—Netflix sets up Eastern European hub in Poland

—Disney+ sets South Africa, Middle East launch dates, prices

—Kerning Cultures podcast network signs with CAA 

What else we're reading...

—Leaving aside the slap, NYT critics wonder, given a frustrating telecast, if the Academy holds movies in contempt [NYT]

—Chris Murphy posits the view that, actually, with that one slap, Will Smith electrified the Oscars [VF]

—Great piece from Jemele Hill on the two Americas debating Will Smith and Chris Rock [Atlantic]

—Tayo Bero on why white outrage about Will Smith’s slap is rooted in anti-Blackness [Guardian]

—Lucas Shaw on how the streaming services now rule at the Oscars and why there’s no going back [Bloomberg]

Today...  

...in 1959, Billy Wilder’s Some Like It Hot, starring Marilyn Monroe and Jack Lemmon, held its premiere in New York. The comedy went on to be nominated for six Oscars at the 32nd Academy Awards. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Brendan Gleeson (67), Amy Sedaris (61), Ed Skrein (39), Lucy Lawless (54), Marina Sirtis (67), Annabella Sciorra (62), Christopher Lambert (65), Hidetoshi Nishijima (51), Terence Hill (83), Elle Macpherson (58), Perry Mattfeld (28), Bud Cort (74), Hayley McFarland (31), Eric Idle (79), Jill Goodacre (58), Sam Hazeldine (50), Michael Winterbottom (61), Michel Hazanavicius (55), Alain Moussi (41), Vangelis (79), Godfrey Reggio (82)