| | | | | | What's news: Gavin DeGraw is facing a backlash from fans for agreeing to perform at an inauguration event. Drake has filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group. Liv Golf is moving to Fox Sports. Tubi will stream the Super Bowl live. Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17 will premiere in Berlin. — Abid Rahman
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Biden Warns of Tech Oligarchy in Final Address ►"A dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a few ultra-wealthy people." Joe Biden used his farewell address to the nation Wednesday to deliver stark warnings of an “oligarchy” of the ultra-wealthy taking root in the country and of a “tech-industrial complex” that is infringing on Americans’ rights and the future of democracy. Speaking from the Oval Office as he prepares to hand over power Monday to President-elect Donald Trump, Biden seized what is likely to be his final opportunity to address the country before he departs the White House to spotlight the accumulation of power and wealth in the U.S. among just a small few. The recap.
—Almost set. The inauguration festivities for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance are taking shape as the (near) final roster of events, performers and participants has been unveiled by the committee. Carrie Underwood, confirmed earlier this week to sing “America the Beautiful” in a move that surprised some fans, will have plenty of company from the country music world when she arrives in Washington, D.C. Billy Ray Cyrus, Jason Aldean, Lee Greenwood, Parker McCollum and Rascal Flatts are booked to hit the stage, either at one of three official inaugural balls or the Make America Great Again Victory Rally. Gavin DeGraw will perform at the Starlight Ball. News of DeGraw’s participation was met by criticism from a portion of his fan base, so much so that his name was a trending topic on X. The story. |
State Farm Cancels Super Bowl Ad ►"Our focus is firmly on providing to support to the people of Los Angeles." State Farm, California's largest insurer, says that it will not be moving forward with a Super Bowl ad this year, as it is focused on responding to the fires. State Farm had been a frequent Super Bowl advertiser in recent years, and last year’s Big Game saw Arnold Schwarzenegger (playing “Agent State Farm”) joined by his Twins co-star Danny DeVito. It was not immediately clear what State Farm’s 2025 Super Bowl ad would have entailed, or whether it would include other celebrity cameos. The story.
—"Devastating our city." Leonardo DiCaprio is joining the wildfires relief effort. The Oscar winning actor and longtime environmentalist has confirmed a $1m commitment in partnership with his organization Re:wild and its rapid response program. The funds will be directed to support both urgent needs and post-fire recovery with initial aid immediately benefitting the L.A. Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation, Pasadena Humane Society and SoCal Fire Fund. The story.
—"This tragedy is deeply personal for us." City National Bank, one of the regional financial institutions with broad ties to the entertainment industry, is adding to the wildfires response effort. The Howard Hammond-run bank, along with its parent firm the Royal Bank of Canada, has pledged $3m to the Entertainment Industry Foundation, International Medical Corps, Neighborhood Housing Services Los Angeles County, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, West Los Angeles Community Development Corporation and more groups. The story.
—Stepping up. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has donated $250,000 that it planned to spend on this year’s Oscar Nominees Luncheon, which it canceled on Monday, to the Motion Picture & Television Fund to help Angelenos affected by the ongoing wildfires. This brings the total contributions of the Academy — a nonprofit organization — to the wildfire relief efforts of the MPTF, a staple of the Hollywood community since 1921, to $1m. The story.
—"Los Angeles is the heart of entertainment and storytelling and has an impact on culture all over the world." YouTube and Google are committing $15m to wildfire relief, pledging to help rebuild after wildfires. While YouTube is based in San Bruno, many of its top creators live in and have studios in and around the L.A. area. To that end, the company will open its production facilities to creators that have been impacted by the disaster, and is planning events to bring the local YouTube community together. The story.
—Seeking help. The Palisades Charter High School, which has become recognizable to millions as a location where multiple movies and television series have been filmed inside its halls and exterior, is seeking a temporary campus after 40 percent of the property was scorched in the ongoing Palisades Fire. Damage from the fires could send students back into remote learning, but administrators are seeking an alternative. The school was famously the backdrop in Brian de Palma’s horror classic, Carrie, and to Lindsay Lohan in Freaky Friday (2003), as well as MTV’s hit Teen Wolf series. The story. |
Conan O'Brien to Receive Mark Twain Prize ►Well deserved. Conan O’Brien will be the next recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. O’Brien will be honored at the annual gala for the Mark Twain Prize on March 23 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. (Netflix will stream the event sometime later in the year.) The comedian, podcaster and erstwhile late-night host — who is also set to host the Oscars on March 2 — will be the 26th person to receive the award, joining a list of honorees that includes Richard Pryor, Carl Reiner, Whoopi Goldberg, Tina Fey, Eddie Murphy and his late-night predecessors Jay Leno and David Letterman, among others. The story.
—🎭 Next in line 🎭 Country star Orville Peck will make his Broadway debut as the Emcee in Cabaret this spring. Peck, known for wearing his signature mask and albums including Pony, Bronco and Stampede, will take on the role opposite Tony nominee Eva Noblezada as Sally Bowles. The two will play a 16-week run starting March 31. Adam Lambert and Auli‘i Cravalho will play their final performances in the roles on March 29. Lambert and Cravalho took over from Eddie Redmayne and Gayle Rankin, who opened the musical on Broadway in April. The story.
—The saga continues. Drake has filed a defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group, the parent record label he and Kendrick Lamar are signed to. Drake filed a lawsuit in federal court on Wednesday and called the release of Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” which is aimed at the Canadian rapper, an example of valuing “corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists.” On the song Lamar calls Drake a pedophile and accuses him of appropriating Black culture. Drake is signed to UMG subsidiary Republic Records, while Lamar is signed to UMG’s Interscope Records. UMG responded to the lawsuit with: “Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist — let alone Drake — is illogical." The story. |
Trio of Tom Green Projects Get Dates at Amazon ►📅 This is the Tom Green streamer 📅 Amazon Prime Video will debut three separate projects later this month featuring comedian and 1990s MTV star Tom Green. The trio of programs — a stand-up special, a feature documentary (which Green directed) and an unscripted series about his life on a 100-acre farm in Ontario — were announced as part of a slate of Canadian content for Prime Video last year (they’ll be available to Prime subscribers worldwide). First to launch is This Is the Tom Green Documentary on Jan. 24, followed by the Tom Green: I Got a Mule! stand-up special on Jan. 28 and finally the unscripted show, Tom Green Country, premiering Jan. 31. The story.
—The Big Game gets bigger. The 2025 Super Bowl is set to air on Fox, and will also be available on Fox Deportes, the NFL’s digital properties and on NBCUniversal’s Telemundo. In a first, the Big Game will also stream for free on Tubi, Fox’s ad-supported video service. Fox last had the game in 2023, and while it streamed for free without pay-TV authentication on the Fox Sports app and website, Tubi was not included. That will change this time, with Tubi reporting earlier this month that it now has 97m users. The NFL has long pushed to make the Big Game as accessible as possible for consumers, ensuring it remains the biggest TV event of the year in the U.S. The story.
—🤝 On the move 🤝 Liv Golf is leaving The CW for a new multi-year rights deal with Fox Sports. It is a major upgrade in terms of broadcast reach for the upstart golf league, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. LIV says that more than half of its schedule will be televised on the Fox broadcast network or Fox Sports 1, with FS2 and Fox Business Network also carrying some matches. LIV Golf will continue to produce the events itself, with its own broadcast team. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The story.
—Concerning. Filming in Los Angeles is bouncing back, though overall production last year finished at historically low levels. The three-month period from October to December saw gains across most types of production except reality TV, which logged its ninth consecutive quarterly decline compared to previous years, according to the latest report from film permitting office FilmLA on Wednesday. Shooting in L.A. increased roughly six percent versus 2023 to 5,860 shoot days. The overall bump in shooting, however, came too late to rescue last year from the combined impact of years-long runaway production fueled by film and TV shows opting to shoot in locations with more generous tax incentives, slower-than-expected strike recovery and industry contraction. The story. |
WGA Awards Nominations 2025 ►🏆 At last 🏆 The Writers Guild Awards nominations have finally been revealed. The original screenplay nominees are A Real Pain, Anora, Challengers, Civil War and My Old Ass. The adapted screenplay nominees are A Complete Unknown, Dune: Part Two, Hit Man, Nickel Boys and Wicked. Top awards contenders The Brutalist, Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Sing Sing and The Substance were not eligible for the WGA Awards‘ adapted or original screenplay nominations. On the TV side, Fallout, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Shogun and The Simpsons all lead with three nominations each, followed by two nominations apiece for The Bear, Bob’s Burgers, English Teacher and Hacks. The nominations.
—📅 It's happening 📅 The Berlin Film Festival has confirmed that Bong Joon Ho's highly anticipated Mickey 17, the director’s first feature since his historic Oscar sweep with Parasite, will have its international premiere out of competition in Berlin. The film will bow first in South Korea on Jan. 28, and will roll out in the U.S. on March 7. Warner Bros. is releasing the film worldwide. The Robert Pattinson-starrer will get a special gala screening at the festival. The sci-fi film features an ensemble cast including Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette, and Mark Ruffalo alongside Pattinson. The story.
—Weighty themes. The Berlin Film Festival’s 2025 Panorama section will launch with Welcome Home Baby, a psychological horror film from Austrian director Andreas Prochaska, leading a lineup of 34 films from 28 countries. The section head Michael Stütz unveiled the full program that addresses societal fractures, health systems, and democratic instability on Thursday. The lineup.
—Making moves. AMC Theatres has tweaked Stubs A-List, the company's movie ticket rewards program, with an eye to turning occasional cinema-goers into more loyal repeat visitors. AMC Stubs Insider members who see at least 8 Hollywood movies or earn at least 5,000 AMC Stubs points in a calendar year will graduate to a new AMC Stubs Premiere GO! status. That allows moviegoers to secure nearly the same benefits of the Premiere GO! Tier — including waived ticket fees and size upgrades for drinks and popcorn — without paying a $17.99 a-year membership fee up front. The story. |
Film Review: 'Wolf Man' ►"A bit basic but still bloody creepy." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Leigh Whannell's Wolf Man. The Aussie director follows The Invisible Man with another update on a classic from the Universal archives, unfolding in an isolated farmhouse in the Pacific Northwest. Starring Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner and Sam Jaeger. The review.
—"A hilarious ride." THR's Lovia Gyarkye reviews Lawrence Lamont's One of Them Days. Two friends race to avoid eviction in this comedy starring Keke Palmer, SZA, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Lil Rel Howery, Katt Williams, Janelle James and Maude Apatow. The review.
—"Glossy and surface-level, but not without charm." THR's Angie Han reviews Peacock's SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night. Each episode of the Morgan Neville-produced series examines a different aspect of the comedy institution, with stars including Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Bill Hader and many more. The review.
In other news...
—Matt Murdock, Wilson Fisk collide in Daredevil: Born Again trailer
—Spartacus lives again in teaser for Starz follow-up House of Ashur
—Annecy Festival to honor Michel Gondry
—NBCU content distribution chairman Matt Bond to exit
—David W. Duclon, Punky Brewster creator, dies at 74
—Michael Gerety, former publicist and MGM executive, dies at 82
—Ronda Cooper, longtime talent agent, dies at 77
What else we're reading...
—Mary McNamara writes that it is absolutely right that the Academy goes ahead with the Oscars, despite the fires [LAT]
—In light of the Gaza cease-fire, Michael R. Gordon and Alexander Ward wonder which president will get the credit [WSJ]
—Caitlin Dewey writes that Trump’s inauguration will be a brash display of Big Tech’s realignment [Vanity Fair]
—Sam Lubell reports that the fires have taken several cherished L.A. buildings, including work by Richard Neutra, Gregory Ain and Eric Owen Moss [NYT]
—Jake Kring-Schreifels goes in-depth into the heist at the center of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, which is inspired by a robbery that actually happened [Ringer]
Today...
...in 2015, Sony Pictures Classics released Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's Still Alice in theaters. Starring Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin and Kristen Stewart, the film was a big critical hit and won Moore an Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Sade (66), Lin-Manuel Miranda (45), John Carpenter (77), FKA twigs (37), Debbie Allen (75), Jennie Kim (29), Kate Moss (51), Marwan Kenzari (42), Ricardo Darín (68), Julie Ann Emery (50), Yvonne Zima (36), Richard T. Jones (53), Caroline Munro (76), Birgitte Hjort Sørensen (43), Aspen Kennedy (30), Josie Davis (52), Jake Epstein (38), Renée Felice Smith (40), Atticus Ross (57), Eva Habermann (49), Dameon Clarke (53), Lee Min-ki (40), David Chokachi (57), Katie Maloney (38), Shaun Benson (49), Manuela Vellés (38), Jennifer Dale (69), Keong Sim (56), Gillian White (50), Liz Larsen (66) |
| Christian Juttner, a child actor in the 1970s who appeared in the films Return From Witch Mountain, I Wanna Hold Your Hand and The Swarm and on several TV shows, has died. He was 60. The obituary. |
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