What's news: David Ellison and the tech mogul class hit the White House last night for its China state dinner, while CNN was denied access. A bipartisan push for a federal film and TV tax credit for Hollywood is creating unusual allies. And it's now a three-way race to buy Letterboxd. — Erik Hayden

Winston Cho reports from the court hearing where the goal of the 12-state coalition was to convince a judge that their Paramount settlement should proceed. It offered insight into why California AG Rob Bonta's team made the move: 

 

Nodding to that criticism, Paula Blizzard, the lead attorney for California, did most of the talking. Blizzard placed the decision to settle squarely on theater owners that ultimately supported the megamerger and are thought to be protected under annual film quotas guaranteed in the settlement. "Those are the voices that carry weight because those are the people we’re trying to protect," she said. The report. 

 

In the C-Suite...

 

► David Ellison attends White House dinner. The Paramount chief was at the event with China's Xi Jinping along with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and CEO Sundar Pichai. Details. 

 

► Bob Iger interrupts the Bob Chapek news cycle. In an interview with Harvard Business Review, the former Disney chief said that the challenges facing CEOs are tougher than ever: "We live in a state of almost perpetual crisis." And he reveals a six-page letter he wrote to successor Josh D'Amaro when he left.

 

► Unusual allies: Adam Schiff teams with Spencer Pratt. A push to pass a major tax incentive for Hollywood has brought together the Democratic lawmaker from California and the former reality star, who've been "strategizing" together.

 

► Paramount investor RedBird clinches deal for Puck. The powerhouse venture firm has completed its deal to become the lead investor in the digital media company, valuing the enterprise at $250 million. "It does not change our editorial independence," Puck founder Jon Kelly told staff.

  

Before the Movie

Writer Luke Dittrich reflects to David Canfield on his widely read Esquire article on Chris Hansen and To Catch a Predator from 20 years ago, how his perspective has evolved over the years, and what it was like to visit A24's Primetime set.

 

In film...

 

► A24, New York Times circle Letterboxd. The social film community platform Letterboxd is closing in on a sale, a deal that could value the company at $300 million. The studio, the paper and Sony Pictures are all still in the running.

 

►  Lionsgate, Blumhouse find new Saw helmer. Mike P. Nelson will direct the next installment, the first in years to have James Wan on board as a key creative voice. The franchise was last in theaters with 2023’s Saw X, which grossed $112.8 million. 

 

►  Black Bear lands latest Taylor Jenkins Reid adaptation. Atmosphere is planned as a feature from writer-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the filmmakers behind Half Nelson, and the studio Laika, which is pushing into live-action.

 

► Netflix plans Sesame Street movie. The feature, currently in development, hails from Rideback and Sesame Workshop. In addition, the streamer's series deal has been extended through season 62.

 

The Race: Scott Feinberg has a stage-setting scoop for the season: "La Bola Negra, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s Spanish-language epic that Netflix acquired out of Cannes, was named Spain’s best international feature Oscar pick, and won Toronto’s audience award, is beginning to look like a — perhaps the — primary challenger to The Odyssey in the best picture Oscar race." Where it's competing.

In her new collection of essays, Actually, Nevermind, former host of CBS' After Midnight Taylor Tomlinson writes about a deeply personal decision that left her "shaking with shame." THR has the book excerpt on the messy demise of her late night career: 

 

I know I couldn’t have kept hosting and been okay. My physical and mental health would have only deteriorated further. But knowing that doesn’t make it easier. What’s that quote — 'You can’t set yourself on fire to keep others warm'? Some days this comforts me. Others I think, You should have gone up in flames, you selfish bitch.

 

+ Tomlinson speaks with Lacey Rose on staying quiet — until now. 

 

In TV...

 

► Disney+ and Hulu Raise Prices. The biggest jumps will come on the ad-free tiers: Disney+ and Hulu will each cost $21.49 per month, an increase of $2.50 (or 13 percent). Ad-supported subscriptions are getting a more modest increase of 50 cents per month (4 percent) to $12.49 for each service.

 

► Netflix orders more of The Beast in Me. The project, which was conceived, executed and won Emmys as a limited series is getting reworked for a second season, with Claire Danes set to reprise her role and showrunner Howard Gordon returning.

 

► Tubi plans NFL doc Just One Before I Die. Addison Henderson and Kevin Polowy directed the docuseries, which has Chad Michael Murray, Ryan Fitzpatrick and more interviewed for the five-episode project about Buffalo Bills’ long-suffering fans. 

 

► Ryan Murphy finished Glee reboot script. The prolific creator says he has a finished script and around 10 of the original castmembers enthusiastic about the possibility: "Nobody has read it. So I don’t know, we’ll see."

 

Quote of the Day

"I think two hours of a kick-ass, fast-paced show is what people need." — MTV Video Music Awards producer Van Toffler, promising to keep things short and teasing the Taylor Swift, Madonna, Nirvana and Dolly Parton parts of the show.

 

► ABC's Scrubs casts Tamera Mowry-Housley. She will appear in the second of two episodes on premiere night next week. The revival had a successful (if short) first season, finishing among the top 25 network series of last season.

 

► SiriusXM scoops up TV's political indies. The audio giant is stocking the shelves of its POTUS channel with Stephen A. Smith, Chris Cuomo, Dan Abrams, Julie Mason, Michael Smerconish, among others. Smith makes the case on why that matters. 

 

► Foolish Club Studios inks with UTA. That's the Kansas City Chiefs in-house entertainment studio, which has a busy lineup including  Hallmark Media’s Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story as well as the ESPN and Disney+ docuseries The Kingdom. The play. 

 

► Susan Sarandon, Hannah Einbinder detained at U.N. protest. The Hacks actress, Sarandon and Caleb Hearon were among those reportedly taken into custody alongside around 100 protesters before Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the General Assembly. Details. 

 

► R.I.P., Richard S. Reisberg. The top television exec for Viacom, MGM/United Artists, Reeves and Lionsgate, died Wednesday at his home in Woodland Hills after a battle with Alzheimer’s, his family said. He was 85.

 

Trailer watch: Johnny Depp’s comeback rolls on in Day Drinker with Penélope Cruz ... Alex Gibney reveals first look at his four-hour Musk doc ... Kristen Bell and Adam Brody are cohabitating in season three of Nobody Wants This ... Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw reunite in Black Doves season two. 

Prime Video’s Reacher continued its strong season four run, scoring more than a billion minutes of viewing for the fifth consecutive week on Nielsen's latest streaming ratings snapshot. The Gentlemen improved after the premiere of season two, rising 22 percent on Netflix. Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives rejoined the charts with a new season and former TNT series Major Crimes was the latest to benefit from the Netflix effect of being added to the service. Details. 

 

What else we're reading...

 

— Paradise for Creators. "Creators say that it’s much easier to shoot videos in New York than in cities like Los Angeles, which is stricter with filming permits, and that its density helps fuel spontaneous man-on-the-street interviews." [New York Times]

 

— MGM Resorts Eyeing Bid for People Inc. The casino giant "is discussing making a bid to purchase Barry Diller’s People Incorporated, which owns a roughly 27% stake in MGM, according to people familiar with the matter." [Wall Street Journal]

 

— France Steps Up Bid for International Shoots. "As the US moves to introduce its first federal film and TV tax incentive, the global race to woo productions is heating up, with France upping the ante by strengthening its own rebate." [Screen Daily]

 

— David Beckham Takes $51mn World Cup Dividend. "Tournament boosts profits at DRJB Holdings, the former footballer’s brand business company, to record level last year." [Financial Times]

 

— Christie’s Launches Pop Culture Division After $105M Blockbuster. "The auction house confirmed Wednesday that it is launching a dedicated pop culture division, a new global operation that will hold multiple auctions each year spanning film and television." [Robb Report]

 

— How Much Should We Really Be Worried About AI Safety? "Is this a panic that will prove itself overblown and underwhelming? Or a warning shot that we will look back at and wonder why we didn’t take more seriously?"  [Mind and Iron]

 

From the Archives

Today in 1999, NBC introduces Freaks and Geeks: "offers the most sensitive, touching and, yes, humorous look at the joys and pains of adolescence since The Wonder Years."

 

Today's Birthdays: Michael Douglas (82), Pedro Almodóvar (77), Mark Hamill (75), Will Smith (58), Catherine Zeta-Jones (57), Donald Glover (43). 

 

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