| | | | | | What's news: Trump has picked Brendan Carr to be the next FCC chief. Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with Trump. Beyoncé is set to perform during halftime of the Ravens-Texans NFL Christmas Day game on Netflix. Nearly 60m households watched the Paul-Tyson fight. Disney has removed a planned Star Wars movie from its 2026 release calendar. — Abid Rahman
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Governors Awards 2024 ►Starry evening. On Sunday night, A-listers descended on the Ovation Hollywood for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards ceremony, a black-tie dinner at which the organization presents special awards to industry legends. The 15th Governors Awards honored filmmaker Richard Curtis, casting director Juliet Taylor and James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. The night's highest profile honoree, composer/producer Quincy Jones, was celebrated posthumously. The most moving part of the evening came toward the end, when Jones’ honorary Oscar statuette was accepted by his daughter, actress/writer Rashida Jones, who, flanked by some of her siblings, tearfully paid tribute to her father and read the speech that he had planned to give at the ceremony. The story.
—Hollywood shows out. As per annual tradition, a host of Oscar hopefuls — among them Daniel Craig, Angelina Jolie, Paul Mescal, Demi Moore, Adrien Brody, Selena Gomez, Kevin Costner and Pamela Anderson — as well as other famous faces were present at the Governors Awards. The gallery. |
Inside the Fulwell, SpringHill Unscripted Mega-Merger ►🤝 "We have scale on day one" 🤝 The SpringHill Company — founded by LeBron James and Maverick Carter — and Fulwell 73 — founded by Ben Winston, James Corden, Leo Pearlman, Ben Turner, and Gabe Turner — have officially inked a deal to merge their companies together, creating a powerhouse player in unscripted, live, and branded entertainment content. THR's Alex Weprin spoke Carter and Winston, who both break down what the just-announced deal means for their companies. The story.
—"A warrior for free speech." Donald Trump has chosen FCC commissioner Brendan Carr to be its next chairman. Carr, who is the senior Republican member of the commission, was first nominated to the FCC in 2017 by Trump. He made headlines earlier this month, just two days before the election, when he claimed that Kamala Harris‘ appearance on Saturday Night Live violated the “equal time” rule. The story.
—"It’s time for a new approach." Seven years after they last spoke to him, MSNBC Morning Joe hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski traveled to Mar-a-Lago over the weekend to meet with Trump. The duo, who used to be friends with Trump, turned into fierce critics during his first term in office, and he returned the favor, occasionally ripping into them in tweets. At the top of Monday’s program, they disclosed their trip, acknowledging that his decisive win influenced their decision. The story.
—"We need views from both sides." Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong detailed his plan to move his publication towards sharing “the views of all” in an appearance on Fox News. The owner and billionaire biotech entrepreneur expressed the view on Fox News @ Night that the Times, which he purchased in 2018, had not recently demarcated which stories were news and which were opinion. “We’ve conflated news and opinion,” Soon-Shiong said in the appearance. The story.
—Seeking arbitration. A legal brawl has broken out between mogul Alexander Shustorovich and IMG Talent, whose affiliate WME faces the prospect of losing a portion of its music roster as part of a forced sale of the premier classical music management firm IMG Artists. A company owned by the Russia-born U.S. citizen has filed a lawsuit looking to enforce an arbitration ruling that holds that IMG Talent must sell its stake in IMG Artists to Shustorovich. The deal includes a noncompete that would allegedly bar Endeavor-owned WME from business related to classical, jazz or world music and festivals for three years. IMG Talent, also owned by Endeavor, has refused to sign the 2021 purchase agreement. The story. |
Beyoncé to Perform During Netflix's NFL Christmas Day Game ►The good news. Beyoncé is set to perform during halftime of the Ravens-Texans game as part of NFL Christmas Gameday live on Netflix. The singer will perform in her hometown of Houston, and the performance will take place during the second of Netflix’s two games, as the Houston Texans host the Baltimore Ravens at NRG Stadium at 4:30 PM ET, Dec. 25. The performance will be available to all 283m Netflix subscribers worldwide. The news of Beyoncé performing is some good news for Netflix after the streamer took a mauling from users over the weekend following a series of technical problems that dogged the Jake Paul – Mike Tyson fight, and many have questioned Netflix’s ability to stream live events at scale. The story.
—The bad news. About that Paul-Tyson fight, well it turned into a bit of a disaster for Netflix, as millions of fans suffered screen buffering and freezing issues during the live event. This isn’t the first time Netflix has faced technical problems during a live event. Last year, the live reunion for season four of Love is Blind was delayed by more than an hour due to issues. The story.
—The ugly news. Despite the embarrasing technical problems, and the absurd spectacle of a 27-year-old YouTuber fighting a long-retired 58-year-old boxer, Netflix did claim a win from Saturday's event. Nearly 60m households tuned in for Paul-Tyson fight live around the world, according to the streamer. The event peaked at 65m concurrent streams. As for the co-main event of Amanda Serrano versus Katie Taylor, nearly 50m households tuned in, with Netflix touting it’s "likely to be the most-watched professional women’s sporting event in U.S. history." The story. |
'Inside the NBA' Will Air on ESPN, ABC ►Are we back, Chuck? Inside the NBA will appear on ESPN and ABC beginning next season as part of a settlement between Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA. WBD, the parent company of TNT Sports, sued the NBA in New York state court after the league did not accept the company’s matching offer for one of the packages in its new 11-year media rights deal, which will begin with the 2025-26 season. The story.
—The latest. The lawyer for a former cast member of the Real Housewives of New York told a federal judge Thursday that the First Amendment cannot shield the show’s creators from a lawsuit alleging that the show’s participants were subjected to a “rotted workplace culture.” Leah McSweeney's attorney said the lawsuit should advance to the stage where evidence can be gathered for trial, while Andy Cohen's lawyer told the judge that the suit should be dismissed. The story.
—🎭 One more 🎭 HBO's Lanterns is expanding its cast with the addition of Poorna Jagannathan. The Never Have I Ever star will have a recurring part in the show from DC Studios and Warner Bros. TV. Her character, Zoe, is described as an effortlessly confident and poised woman in any setting, and as composed and cunning as the influential men around her. Lanterns is based on DC’s long-running Green Lantern comics and stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as, respectively, Hal Jordan and John Stewart, two of the best-known characters in the comics’ long history. The story.
—Copyright claim. Showtime Networks and Lionsgate’s Entertainment One have been drawn into a legal battle accusing them of ripping off a 2015 movie in Yellowjackets. In a copyright infringement lawsuit filed on Nov. 14 in New York federal court, a company that holds the rights to survival thriller Eden alleges “strikingly similar elements” in the works. Both follow a soccer team whose members start to exhibit cult-like behavior and are forced to resort to cannibalism after crash landing in a remote location. Eden, written by Nate Parker and distributed by Voltage Pictures, was released in 2015. Showtime sensation Yellowjackets premiered in 2021 to critical acclaim. The story. |
'Yellowstone' Director on That Epic Sibling Confrontation ►"You are not supposed to be OK." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to Yellowstone director Christina Voros about the second episode of season 5B of the Paramount Network drama. After revealing the fate of Kevin Costner's show patriarch John Dutton, TV's No. 1 series sets daughter Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) out for vengeance. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"Jamie is in a place where he’s dangerous." Jackie also spoke to Yellowstone star Wes Bentley for his take on the latest episode. The actor who plays Jamie Dutton talks about what his Montana politician will become now that he's free of John Dutton. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"You have to love the underlying material." THR's Zoe Phillips spoke to Silo showrunner Graham Yost about season two of the excellent Apple TV+ dystopian sci-fi drama. Yost reveals he was never worried about making an accurate series adaptation of Hugh Howey's books, adding that a good book-to-screen project requires more flexibility than you might think. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—House of the Dragon in space? The end of an old war brings about a regime change in a faraway fantasy land. From that moment forward, one organization holds all the cards over the rest of civilization, while others scheme and plot their way toward ultimate power — or die trying. Sound familiar? For THR, Josh Wigler breaks down the premiere of HBO's new epic book adaptation, Dune: Prophecy, and why it might ring a bell for fans of HOTD. Warning: Spoilers! The analysis.
—"It was really hard to film for everybody." For THR, Brande Victorian spoke to Sweetpea writer and executive producer Kirstie Swain about the finale of Starz's serial killer series. Swain discusses the shocking events of the episode, the differences with the book and why star star Ella Purnell just had to do it. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I needed the audience to invest in Alex Cross and I think one of the most searing ways to do that is to put your hero in jeopardy." Brande also spoke to Cross showrunner Ben Watkins about the season finale of the Amazon Prime Video show. Watkins discusses his four-year plan for the series. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
How They Transformed Demi Moore in 'The Substance' ►"Demi was willing to do as much as possible." Boobs sprouting, spines separating, heads exploding — in Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance, nothing is off-limits. That’s what quickly became clear to prosthetics designer Pierre-Olivier Persin when he began working on the Mubi movie in which Demi Moore takes a fountain-of-youth drug with some jaw-dropping (literally) side effects. THR's Beatrice Verhoeven spoke to Persin about how they created all those unforgettable practical effects. The interview.
—📅 Well, well, wellity, well 📅 Disney has removed a planned Star Wars movie from its 2026 release calendar. Ice Age 6 is taking the slot and is now slated to hit theaters on Dec. 18, 2026. Details of the Star Wars film that was initially set for that date had not been disclosed. Disney announced last week that Simon Kinberg had been brought on to write and produce a Star Wars trilogy that would involve new characters and would not be a continuation of the previous Skywalker Saga that spanned Episodes 1 through 9 of the sci-fi film franchise. The story.
—Call the cops! THR's Borys Kit has the scoop on Zack Snyder's next feature project for Netflix. The Rebel Moon filmmaker is reteaming with the streamer for an untitled action movie centered on the LAPD. Snyder will direct the feature and is co-writing it with Kurt Johnstad, his frequent collaborator with whom he’s worked on the 300, the adaptation of the Frank Miller comic, and the Rebel Moon movies, among others. Snyder is producing along wife and partner Deborah Snyder and Wesley Coller via the trio’s Stone Quarry banner. The story.
—Dismissed, for now. A lawsuit against Adam McKay, his production company and Netflix accusing them of ripping off a self-published novel in Don’t Look Up has been barred from moving forward. U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett dismissed the lawsuit, finding that several of the alleged similarities are too “generic” to constitute a copyright infringement claim. She allowed the book’s author William Collier an opportunity to fix his claims and refile the complaint, according to the ruling. The story. |
'Red One' Opens to $34M, 'Gladiator II' Soars Overseas ►Yikes! Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans‘ Christmas movie Red One came in on the higher end of expectations with a $34.1m domestic debut after it looked like the big-budget holiday pic might have trouble getting to even $30m. Overseas, Red One took in $14.7m from 75 markets in its second outing for a foreign tally of $50m and $84.1m globally. Amazon MGM Studios wisely chose to open the film early overseas in order to avoid a direct showdown with Paramount’s Gladiator II, which launched internationally this weekend ahead of its Nov. 22 domestic debut.
Red One played in a total of 4,032 North American cinemas this weekend, including Imax, Dolby Cinema and other premium large-format screens. While many critics didn’t care for the action-adventure film, audiences felt the opposite and gave it an A- CinemaScore. Amazon originally intended to send the film straight to Prime Video but gave it the big-screen treatment in hopes of providing a boost for exhibitors. Red One's box office performance will be closely monitored, considering it cost a whopping $250m to make.
THR's Pamela McClintock reports that Gladiator II roared to a record-shattering $87m from 63 markets — the biggest R-rated international opening in history for Paramount, as well as the biggest foreign launch ever for director Ridley Scott. The box office report. |
TV Review: 'Interior Chinatown' ►"More exhausting than electrifying." THR's Angie Han reviews Hulu's Interior Chinatown. Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng and Chloe Bennet star in Charles Yu’s adaptation of his own acclaimed 2020 novel, about an unassuming waiter who gets caught up in a cold case involving his missing brother. The review.
—"A dry portrait struggles to mine fresh depths." THR's Daniel Fienberg reviews Molly Bernstein and Philip Dolin's Art Spiegelman: Disaster Is My Muse. Debuting at DOC NYC ahead of its eventual PBS American Masters release, the documentary traces the biography, work and influence of the underground comics legend. The review.
—"Everything pales next to the runways." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Reiner Holzemer's Thom Browne: The Man Who Tailors Dreams. This fashion doc surveys the career of the American designer who built a half-a-billion-dollar luxury brand out of five reconceptualized gray suits. The review.
In other news...
—Emile Hirsch’s Holocaust drama Bau: Artist at War gets early 2025 release and trailer
—Jonathan Majors, Meagan Good reveal engagement at Ebony Power 100 gala
—USPS reveals Betty White stamp coming in 2025
—Ojai Playhouse relaunches as awards season destination under new owner
—How to watch Dune: Prophecy online, the prequel to the Dune films
What else we're reading...
—Maggie Haberman reports that Trump is standing by defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth after an allegation of sexual assault came to light [NYT]
—E.J. Dickson writes that influencers are going full MAGA, as donning the red hat no longer seems to be bad for business [The Cut]
—Ben Cohen looks at how YouTube became one of the biggest platforms for podcasts [WSJ]
—Anthony Faiola and Niha Masih report that Pope Francis has said that Israel’s attacks in Gaza should be investigated to determine if they meet the legal definition of genocide [WaPo]
—Austin Considine interviews Billy Bob Thornton about entering the Sheridan-verse with his new Paramount+ show Landman [NYT]
Today...
...in 2005, 20th Century Fox unveiled the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line in theaters. The film went on to earn five Oscar nominations at the 78th Academy Awards, winning one for Reese Witherspoon in the best actress category. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Chloë Sevigny (50), Damon Wayans Jr. (42), Allison Tolman (43), Owen Wilson (56), Delroy Lindo (72), Julia Ducournau (41), Mike Epps (54), Steven Moffat (63), Micheal Ward (27), Dennis Haskins (74), Jocelyn Hudon (30), Mekia Cox (43), Elizabeth Perkins (64), Nasim Pedrad (43), Miranda Raison (47), Susan Sullivan (82), Peta Wilson (54), Georgia King (38), Mathew Baynton (44), Daphne Rubin-Vega (55), Linda Evans (82), Nick Bateman (38), Nick Chinlund (63), Lia McHugh (19), Han So-hee (31), Christina Vidal (43), Josh Heuston (28), Steven Pasquale (48), Jake Abel (37), Oscar Nuñez (66), Kevin Nealon (71), Tim Guinee (62), Robert Kazinsky (41), Dan Bakkedahl (55), Romany Malco (56), Rich Fulcher (56), Nathan Kress (32), Goran Kostic (53) |
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