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SAG-AFTRA President Criticized for Italy Outing; Miss America CEO Addresses Doc; 'Miracle Club' Review; Paul Feig Talks 'Minx'

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July 11, 2023

What's news: Top publicity firms prep for a SAG-AFTRA strike. Tom Cruise chats about M:I 7. Tamika Etheart is tapped to lead New York operations for the Film Academy. The trailer for Napoleon reunites Joaquin Phoenix and Ridley Scott. Andrea Evans, star of One Life to Live and Passions, dies at age 66. And your typical Today in Entertainment guiding light, Abid "Big Dog" Rahman, is enjoying some much-deserved time off. — Ryan Gajewski

Top PR Firms Meet With SAG-AFTRA Ahead of Potential Strike

►Prepping ahead of Wednesday's deadline. Leading PR firms representing top Hollywood actors had a conference call with SAG-AFTRA officials to go over protocols and best practices for promotion should there be a call for a strike if the union and the AMPTP do not reach a deal prior to the Wednesday deadline. The conference call comes as negotiations are coming down to the wire after a two-week extension that has seen the union and studios battle back and forth on a new contract. The question of promotion has been looming as the summer movie season continues to grind onward and with Emmy nominations coming this week. The story.

—"This is a terrible look for a union president." With days to go before the expiration of SAG-AFTRA's current TV/theatrical contracts package, union president Fran Drescher was spotted in Italy attending a Dolce & Gabbana event, where she posed for a photo with Kim Kardashian. Drescher’s outing is not sitting well with some Hollywood insiders who have called out the optics of attending a lavish event at such a pivotal moment. Others are pointing a finger at the fact that she socialized with Kardashian, who recently faced controversy after reportedly crossing WGA picket lines to film a lead role in Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story. The story.

—"We have hired fantastic new team members." Tamika Etheart has been hired to lead the New York operations of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Starting next month, the former director of membership and events at The Paley Center for Media will be the New York director of member relations and global outreach. This follows the departure earlier this year of Patrick Harrison, a longtime Academy employee who was popular with Tri-State members. The story.

—He worked on the first feature screenplay to sell for at least $1 million. Manny Coto, the Cuban-born writer and producer who received an Emmy for his work on 24 and spent four seasons on American Horror Story and two more on American Horror Stories, has died. Other credits included Star Trek: Enterprise, Dexter and Odyssey 5. He was 62. The obituary.

Miss America CEO Responds to A&E's 'Secrets' Doc

►"That's definitely been part of the learning curve." For THR, Cori Murray interviews Miss America CEO Robin Fleming about A&E's new docuseries Secrets of Miss America. The exec, who has been on the job for seven months, discusses dealing with the fallout of former leaders' sexist behavior and how she's talked with multiple title holders interviewed for the four-part program who "felt the entirety of their voices were not heard." The interview.

—💅🏻 But which one are they seeing first? 💣 According to AMC, around 20,000 of its Stubs members are planning on a same-day double feature of Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, the two high-profile (but very different) films both set for release July 21. Stubs is the theater chain's monthly rewards program, which ranges in price from free to $24 a month, and at its high end allows members to see three films a week at no extra charge. The story.

—"We dreamed about it." THR's Hilary Lewis spoke to Tom Cruise at the premiere event for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One. As the film gets ready to hit theaters after a number of tentpoles underperformed, the star said he wants his film and "all of the films to perform well" at the box office. The story.

—Life goes on. Max's comedy The Sex Lives of College Girls is saying goodbye to one of its core quartet of suitemates. Reneé Rapp, who plays Leighton Murray, will exit the series during its upcoming third season. The actress and recording artist will appear in a few episodes as a recurring guest star to set up her character's departure from Essex College. The story.

Film Review: 'The Miracle Club'

►"Secrets that are all too obvious." THR critic Caryn James reviews director Thaddeus O'Sullivan's The Miracle Club. The film stars Maggie Smith, Laura Linney and Kathy Bates as three women who travel from Dublin to the shrine at Lourdes. The review.

—"Purely of the superficial jolting variety." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Insidious: The Red Door, the fifth installment in the popular horror franchise. Patrick Wilson makes his directorial debut and returns as lead Josh Lambert. The review.

—"Script does both too much and not enough." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Bird Box Barcelona, the spinoff to the Netflix horror hit. Mario Casas and Georgina Campbell star in Alex and David Pastor's survival thriller. The review.

'Minx' EP Paul Feig on Leaving Max for Starz

►"It's all about how can people access a show." THR's Abbey White interviews Minx executive producer Paul Feig about the adult-magazine show's move from Max to Starz for season two. Feig discusses why the experience wasn't "a total rug-pull," loving the storytelling impact of the "woke movement" and producing a sex-positive show that isn't about daring the audience to watch. The interview.

—"The roof collapsed on top of all the instruments." Abbey White also talks to the team of the stage adaptation of The Lion King in honor of its 25th anniversary on Broadway. Anthony Lyn, Clement Ishmael, Marey Griffith and Lisa Dawn Cave discuss the process and challenges of bringing the musical to international audiences. The story.

—Actor Randy Havens portrayed him in The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Rev. Stephen Pieters, the influential HIV/AIDS activist and survivor whose televised interview with Tammy Faye Bakker in 1985 transformed him into a national spokesperson in the battle against the disease, has died. He was 70. The obituary.

—"The ideal series and characters to bring from series to stage." Amazon Studios' A Transparent Musical is aiming for Broadway in 2024. This comes after the show premiered at Center Theatre Group's Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles for a month-long run starting in May. The musical, based on the Transparent television series, is the first stage production from Amazon Studios. The story.

'Barbie' Movie Reactions

►Time to start the Ryan Gosling Oscar campaign? Following the recent Barbie world premiere in Los Angeles, a range of reactions to Greta Gerwig's highly anticipated film have been rolling in from those lucky enough to have already seen it. The responses are mostly favorable, with more than one Twitter user singling out Ryan Gosling's take on Ken. The reactions.

—Sony's epic hits theaters this fall. Ridley Scott returns to the historical action epic genre in this first trailer for his sweeping Napoleon, which reunites the director with his Gladiator star Joaquin Phoenix. "I'm the first to admit when I make a mistake," intones Bonaparte (Phoenix) at one point in the footage. “I simply never do." The story.

—"You up for playing outside the lines?" Paramount+ released the first trailer for CIA-focused series Special Ops: Lioness, which stars Nicole Kidman, Zoe Saldaña and Morgan Freeman. The latest project from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan debuts later this month. The story.

—Preparation for Emmy noms begins now. To honor Wednesday's announcement of the Emmy nominations, it's time to revisit all of THR's Roundtable TV interviews. Watch the Comedy, Drama and Reality Roundtables that feature Pedro Pascal, Jenna Ortega, Jennifer Coolidge, Tyler James Williams, Kieran Culkin and many more. The Roundtables.

In other news...

—The Good Doctor actor Hill Harper announces a run for Senate in Michigan

—Hugh Jackman dons yellow Wolverine costume in Deadpool 3 photo

—Madonna speaks out after hospitalization: "I have felt your love"

—THR's Sustainability Issue wins SFJ's Excellence-in-Journalism award

What else we're reading...

—Matt Stevens examines how striking writers have pivoted to target Ryan Murphy's productions [NYT]

—Danya Issawi's profile of Keke Palmer explores the star's life beyond being the Queen of Meme and includes discussion of last week's discourse involving the father of her child [Cut]

—According to Nate Igor Smith, Gen Z is helping to make Insane Clown Posse's annual Gathering of the Juggalos cool again [Daily Beast]

—Jacob Passy explores why Florida's Walt Disney World feels emptier than it has in years [WSJ]

—Katey Rich misses the not-long-ago era of gleefully relishing in a classic Hollywood bomb [VF]

Today...

…in 1997, Robert Zemeckis unveiled his sci-fi adaptation of Carl Sagan's Contact, starring Jodie Foster. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Stephen Lang (71), Michelle Fairley (60), Sela Ward (67), Lisa Rinna (60), Justin Chambers (53), Michael Rosenbaum (51), Melanie Papalia (39), Bruce McGill (73), Serinda Swan (39), Connor Paolo (33), Mindy Sterling (70), David Henrie (34), Cristina Valenzuela (36), Lil' Kim (49), Rachael Taylor (39), Sophia Anne Caruso (22)

Andrea Evans, the popular soap opera star known for her turns as Tina Lord on ABC's One Life to Live and Rebecca Hotchkiss on NBC/DirecTV's Passions, has died. She was 66. The obituary.

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Written by José Vizcarra
on Tuesday, July 11, 2023 at 7:01 AM.

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