CAA's ICM Buy Suffers Deal Fatigue as Agents Defect

►"Never leave a deal open." Seven months after a proposed megadeal between CAA and ICM was announced, the pact that would narrow Hollywood’s agency landscape to three majors has yet to close amid an ongoing antitrust review. Sources inside and outside ICM, already beset with high profile defections, tell THR's Borys Kit that declining morale at the agency is pushing more people towards the exit. The story.

—"We lost our miracle baby." Britney Spears publicly announced that she and her fiance Sam Asghari had the miscarriage in an Instagram post on Saturday. The news comes a little over a month after Spears revealed she was pregnant and six months after the singer was released from a 13-year conservatorship. The story.

—"Absolutely appalling." John Oliver took on Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and her state’s Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act, aimed at transgender youth, on Last Week Tonight. The law made it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, to prescribe or administer gender-affirming medication to transgender minors to help affirm their new gender identity. "No one should ever be facing criminal punishment for providing health care to young people," Oliver said. The story.

—Removed. Livestream service Twitch has deleted video posted by an 18-year-old who authorities say opened fire Saturday at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people and wounding three others. A rep for Twitch told THR that the company removed the livestream less than two minutes after the shooting began at the Tops Friendly Market. The story.

—Shot in the arm for the streamer. After a long break, Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror is returning to Netflix for season six. The acclaimed dystopian anthology series that explores technology’s impact on humanity is ramping up for another season. The new season is expected to have more episodes than season five (which only had three entries) but will continue the show’s trend of producing longer and more cinematic stories. The story. 

Box Office: 'Doctor Strange 2' Drops 67 Percent In Second Week 

►Twisted firestarter. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness finished its second weekend with nearly $700 million in global ticket sales. In North America, the Marvel-Disney film grossed $61 million from 4,534 theaters for a 10-day domestic total of $291.9 million. However, the movie dipped 67 percent from its $187 million opening — Disney had hoped for a decline more in the 65 percent range.

Doctor Strange 2 easily stayed atop the chart as new offering Firestarter — based on the Stephen King tale — flamed out. The Universal and Blumhouse pic opened to $3.8 million from 3,412 cinemas.

THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Firestarter debuted day and date on Universal Pictures’ sister streaming service Peacock, making box office comparisons difficult. Poor reviews and a C- CinemaScore certainly didn’t help. The box office report. 

—Limbo. Fox announced its lineup of series for the 2022-23 season Monday morning — one that’s missing two anchors of the network’s schedule for the past several years. As of this morning, Fox had not yet worked out renewal deals for 911 and The Resident, which rank first and fifth in total viewers (excluding sports) on the network this season. Both shows are set to close out their fifth seasons this week. The story.

—Hero. Anthony Edwards made his Broadway musical debut in unusual circumstances on Friday night. The ER star stepped in to replace Robert Joy in Girl From the North Country after the latter had tested positive for COVID-19. Edwards, who is married to the musical's star Mare Winningham, took on the role to prevent the performance from being canceled. The story.  

—"The show must go on, as hard as it may be." Naomi Judd was celebrated with words and soaring music at a public memorial service Sunday that ended with her daughter Wynonna announcing that a The Judds tour planned for later this year would go on. Brad Paisley and Emmylou Harris were among the performers who took the stage to honor Naomi Judd during The River of Time memorial service, which was broadcast live on CMT. The story. 

Cannes: David Rooney's Top 5 Most Anticipated Titles

►Fab festival five. THR’s chief film critic David Rooney looks at the films he’s most looking forward to in Cannes, from a host of art house A-listers like James Gray, Kelly Reichardt, Park Chan-wook and Claire Denis. The list.

—A legend returns. French soft-core icon Emmanuelle is returning to screens. Léa Seydoux is set to play the character in a new film inspired by Emmanuelle Arsan’s erotic novel, with Audrey Diwan, who won the Golden Lion in Venice last year for her abortion drama Happening, set to direct. Emmanuelle — being launched in the Cannes film market — will mark the English-language debut of Diwan. The story. 

—On royal duty. Top Gun: Maverick is set for a lavish screening in Cannes on Wednesday, May 18. While Tom Cruise will be getting an all-star welcome at the Palais by Thierry Fremaux, there will be no afterparty, alas. Instead, Cruise will be flying to London that evening as he’s set to play a starring role in Queen Elizabeth II’s ongoing Platinum Jubilee celebrations and also will hit the red carpet alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton on Thursday night. The story.

—Is Cannes ready for TikTok creators? At the 75th edition of Cannes, the staid French film festival is debuting a partnership with the world’s buzziest and fastest-growing social media app, TikTok, marking the event's first official collab with a digital platform. In addition to a competition complete with its own jury headed by auteur Rithy Panh, 20 TikTokers from around the world will descend on the Croisette to chronicle their experiences. The story. 

Billboard Music Awards 2022

►"Uncancelling the canceled." The 29th edition of the Billboard Music Awards took place on Sunday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Among the big winners were Doja Cat, who was named top R&B artist and later won best R&B album for Planet Her. Megan Thee Stallion was named top female rap artist. Janet Jackson presented Mary J. Blige with the Billboard Icon Award. 

Among the night’s performers were Morgan Wallen, marking his first performance at a major awards show since he was caught on camera using a racial slur, and Travis Scott, who has been keeping a low profile since 10 people died at his Astroworld Festival in Houston last year. The winners. 

—"If you’re feeling a little bit froggy tonight… " During Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards, host and executive producer Sean “Diddy” Combs didn’t take long to allude to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. After taking the stage at the start of the show, Combs made a subtle reference to the slap when teasing the party atmosphere set for the rest of the night. The story.

More from the BBMAs...

—Mary J. Blige declares her “Real Love Is Me” during BBMAs Icon acceptance speech

—Machine Gun Kelly calls Megan Fox his “wife,” refers to “our unborn child” during BBMAs performance

—Travis Scott delivers snow-filled performance at first awards show since Astroworld tragedy

—Silk Sonic makes BBMAs debut with “Love Train” performance

—Morgan Wallen doesn’t address N-word video controversy in BBMAs return

—Megan Thee Stallion delivers booty-baring performance at BBMAs

TV Review: 'The Time Traveler's Wife'    

►"Maybe it's time to break up with this story." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews HBO's The Time Traveler’s Wife. Rose Leslie and Theo James play a couple whose romance is challenged by his uncontrollable tendency to travel through time in Steven Moffat's adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's novel. The review. 

—Champions. Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest on Sunday in a clear show of support for the war-ravaged nation. The six-man band that mixes traditional folk melodies and contemporary hip-hop in a purposeful defense of Ukrainian culture was the sentimental and bookmakers’ favorite. The story. 

—ICYMI. The fractious Johnny Depp and Amber Heard’s defamation trial was the subject of SNL's cold open. The sketch focused on the claims that Heard defecated on Depp's bed. In her opening monologue, host Selena Gomez poked fun at her friendships with Only Murders in the Building co-stars Steve Martin and Martin Short, as well as Miley Cyrus. More importantly, however, she said one of the main reasons she wanted to host was because she’s single. The recap. 

—"It breaks my heart that my son isn’t here to see it." Lisa Marie Presley took to Twitter this weekend to continue reflecting on the loss of her son Benjamin Keough, who died nearly two years ago. Presley also shared her appreciation for Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis, which chronicles the life of her father, Elvis Presley — and the immense disappointment that her son will never get to see the film. The story.

—"You’re not allowed to kid." THR gadabout Ryan Gajewski spoke to comedian Howie Mandel about his new Netflix show Bullsh** The Game Show. Mandel also weighed in on debates in the comedy world surrounding Dave Chappelle and Will Smith, the current "tough, tough time for freedom of speech" and explained why he's not optimistic about where stand-up is heading. The interview.

In other news...

—Bachelorette couple JoJo Fletcher and Jordan Rodgers marry 6 years after TV proposal

—Jason Momoa apologizes after posting photos at Sistine Chapel

—Woody Harrelson opens West Hollywood cannabis dispensary 

—Indulge your Yellowstone obsession at these six sprawling ranch escapes

—Why Idyllwild, a town with a dog as mayor, is drawing Hollywood home buyers

—Kourtney Kardashian reportedly marries Travis Barker in Santa Barbara

—Paramount names international general managers for Paramount+, Pluto TV

What else we're reading...

—Resurfacing this compelling Nicholas Confessore piece on Tucker Carlson hosting the most blatantly racist show on cable [NYT]

—Tatiana Siegel, formerly of this parish, has a blockbuster report on Amber Heard, the ACLU and the donation that never was [Rolling Stone]

—Lillian Rizzo goes inside the rapid and spectacular collapse of CNN+ [WSJ]

—Julie Miller reports that the makers of The Staircase doc feel “betrayed” by HBO Max's dramatic adaptation [VF]

—Miles Surrey on the beloved yet dying film genre of Dad Cinema, and how Top Gun 2 is giving it a much-needed shot in the arm [Ringer]

Today...  

...in 1986, Paramount unveiled the Tom Cruise jet-fighter thriller Top Gun in theaters. The Simpson/Bruckheimer tentpole, directed by Tony Scott, would become a summer smash and pop culture phenomenon grossing $357 million worldwide. The original review. 

Today's birthdays: Janet Jackson (56), Pierce Brosnan (69), Debra Winger (67), Melanie Lynskey (45), Megan Fox (36), Jim Sturgess (44), Lynn Collins (45), David Boreanaz (53), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (32), Danny Trejo (78), Vincent Regan (57), Mare Winningham (63), Tiya Sircar (40), Khary Payton (50), Rebecca Front (58), Stephen Mangan (54), Tori Spelling (49), Peter Onorati (69), Jason 'Wee Man' Acuña (49), Jesper Christensen (74), Brían F. O'Byrne (55)