Innholdsfortegnelse for 6/3/2016 i The Hollywood Reporter

EARLIER THIS YEAR, a fight broke out at HBO over a punctuation mark. Should a Veep poster riffing on President Obama’s famous “Hope” tagline read “Maybe?” or “Maybe!”? The network preferred a question mark, but showrunner David Mandel wanted the exclamation point. Weeks later, after hearing Mandel plead his case, then-comedy chief Casey Bloys called him about another issue. “At one point in that conversation, he stops and goes, ‘By the way, you were right about the exclamation point,’ ” recalls Mandel. “To have an executive who in your lifetime says to you, ‘You were right’ about something, I’d elect him president of the United States, never mind president of HBO programming.” Bloys wouldn’t need Mandel’s vote. On May 23, the 12-year network veteran was appointed to that position, replacing…

WHEN SONY Pictures’ second trailer for its female-fronted Ghostbusters reboot appeared online May 18, fans initially had to find it on Facebook. The studio had switched from YouTube, which hosted the first trailer, in a deliberate effort to combat a cacophony of negative reaction emanating from a very vocal minority online. With the YouTube trailer, bloggers could embed the player on their sites to congregate negativity on Sony’s official YouTube channel, a move akin to spraying toxic green slime all over the studio. As a result, the Ghostbusters teaser was dubbed the most disliked trailer ever — not the kind of buzz Sony or director Paul Feig want just months before the $150 million comedy’s July 15 release. Given the high stakes riding on the franchise reboot starring Melissa McCarthy,…

STARZ CEO CHRIS ALBRECHT IS taking a page out of his old HBO playbook. The former HBO chairman and CEO tells THR he’s moving Starz’s entire original programming slate from Saturday to Sunday nights, where it will go head-to-head with fellow premium cablers HBO and Showtime. The migration begins July 17 with the season three premiere of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s Power, Starz’s highestrated original series, and the third run of Survivor’s Remorse bowing a week later. “We see opportunity,” says Albrecht. “Saturdays have worked so well that we feel our shows are going to be able to stand up on the most watched night of the week.” The risk of facing such juggernauts as HBO’s Game of Thrones and AMC’s The Walking Dead is worth being part of the…

TIME-STARVED HONCHOS WHO PUT A PREMIUM ON convenience increasingly are relying on a vast and growing array of time-saving (and generally healthy) meal and mealkit delivery programs. “I sign up for Paleta meals every time I direct, for the length of the shoot,” says director and producer Bill D’Elia. “It keeps me away from the temptations of the craft service table.” Adam Stotsky, president of E! Entertainment and Esquire Network, tried Sakara to get his diet on track. “I wanted to feel lighter and brighter and simply eat more clean,” he says. Jon Favreau was sold as a subscriber and later, an investor, after touring the Munchery headquarters with Roy Choi while working on their film Chef. To review some of Hollywood’s favorite meal makers, THR recruited chefs Jon Shook…

WHEN BLUESMAN B.B. K ING DIED LAST YEAR, he bequeathed to the world a body of work spanning six decades that brought joy and comfort to millions. The crooner of “The Thrill Is Gone” and “Sweet Sixteen” transformed American music, inspiring such rockers as Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson and Buddy Guy. King was 89 when he succumbed to congestive heart failure in his Las Vegas home and died peacefully in his sleep on May 14, 2015. The year since then has been decidedly less peaceful. While neither of King’s two marriages resulted in children, he managed to leave behind a vast family: 15 kids from 15 women. If that family history weren’t complex enough, King’s authorized biographer Charles Sawyer wrote in his book, The Arrival of BB King, that doctors…

LONGTIME 60 MINUTES CORRESPONDENT MORLEY SAFER, who died May 19 at the age of 84, had spent an astounding 46 years on the program, joining just two years after it launched. Safer changed war reporting when he revealed video of U.S. servicemen setting fire to Vietnamese villages in 1965. But he also was an artist, and among the first things he did when he was on the road was to paint a still life of his hotel room. Here, 60 Minutes executive producer Jeff Fager remembers his friend and colleague: Some of the most fun I had with Morley was pranking each other or pranking other people. Morley and Mike Wallace got [60 Minutes creator and executive producer] Don Hewitt so badly that they thought he might have a heart…

DEAL OF THE WEEK EVEN IN A LUKEwarm Cannes year, new and old players managed to reel in a few splashy projects. Amazon, which entered the festival with five official selections, paid eight figures for North American rights to Mike Leigh’s upcoming period drama Peterloo and beat out A24 for Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here, to star Joaquin Phoenix. The streaming giant also upped the price of foreignlanguage films when it bought Oscar nominee Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman, which screened in competition (Amazon will partner with Cohen Media Group on the release). Also brandishing a big (if less active) wallet was Netflix, which paid $10 million for worldwide rights to the action thriller Wheelman, starring Frank Grillo. The company was said to be negotiating a comparable deal for…

FILM Dwayne Johnson (WME, Gang Tyre) will star in Universal’s adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s The Janson Directive, the first film in a series based on the late novelist’s works. Jeff Goldblum (ICM, Industry, Hansen Jacobson) and Karl Urban (UTA, McKuin Frankel) have joined Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok. Octavia Spencer (WME, Jackoway Tyerman) will star in the indie Small Town Crime. Vinson Films (WME) will produce a movie based on the mobile game Fruit Ninja. The Big Number $1.4 B Record gross (on 13.3 million admissions) for the 2015-16 Broadway season that ended May 22. The Oscar winner will star in gritty Small Town Crime with John Hawkes and Anthony Anderson. Fox 2000 is in talks for the life rights of online personalities The Dare Divas, with Shonda Rhimes and Betsy…

Hamilton Heals Spielberg of Color Purple Guilt Steven Spielberg never saw the 2005 Broadway adaptation of his 1985 film The Color Purple and occasionally has felt guilty about that over the years. After premiering The BFG at the Cannes Film Festival, the director touched down in New York to see Hamilton on May 18 and finally felt relief after watching Renee Elise Goldsberry, who originated Purple’s Nettie, rap in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit musical. “How is it possible that the director of the film didn’t see us do that show?” Goldsberry said to THR, laughing. So what was Spielberg’s excuse? He told her: “I was in Europe making movies! But I’m so glad I had the privilege of seeing you on the stage today. I feel like I made up for…

DOWNTON ABBEY With 59 nominations and 12 wins to its name, Downton Abbey rides off as a true Emmy darling. The last significant nod it got — sorry, hairstyling — was for Maggie Smith’s supporting work in 2012. Expect her, as well as co-stars Michelle Dockery and Joanne Froggatt, to at least be part of the farewell conversation. THE GOOD WIFE The May wrap-up to CBS’ heavily serialized, critically lauded legal and political drama has been thoroughly eulogized, but The Good Wife hasn’t gotten a mention in the top drama race since 2011. Star Julianna Margulies, twice a winner for the series, also was snubbed in 2015. Still, nostalgia works wonders. GETTING ON Quietly wooing critics for three years, HBO’s relatively shortlived comedy about workers in the geriatric wing of…

FORGIVE ME IF THIS DAY becomes slightly emotional for me,” says LeVar Burton. “Being here in this house, at this particular time in history. This is a moment.” This house being the White House. This moment being a daylong event — hosted by Valerie Jarrett, the president’s closest adviser — devoted to A+E Networks’ Roots, a reimagining of the blockbuster 1977 miniseries about several generations of a slave family. The four-part, eight-hour project will debut on Memorial Day (May 30), airing simultaneously on History, Lifetime and A&E. The White House screening and panel discussion is a key step toward making Roots not just a successful television show but also an old-fashioned, watercooler-style collective cultural event. Burton was a 19-year-old student at USC when he starred in the original as Kunta…

Notice is hereby given that on June 9, 2016, at 10:00 a.m., at the offices of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (“SAG-AFTRA”), located at 5757 Wilshire Boulevard, 1st Floor (Bella Bruck Boardroom), Los Angeles, California, Guild Intellectual Property Realization LLC (“Creditor”), as the successor-in-interest and secured party to various security documents (the “Security Documents”) entered into in favor of Screen Actors Guild, Inc. or SAG-AFTRA (as applicable) by certain debtors and/or obligors, including, without limitation, (i) Films on Tap, LLC; (ii) Bart Got a Room LLC; (iii) Broken The Motion Picture, LLC; (iv) Chrystal Productions, LLC; (v) Dead End, LLC; (vi) Captain Movies SARL; (vii) Sagittaire Films, SA; (viii) Philip Craeger; (ix) Rounding 3rd Productions, LLC; (x) Ten Deeds Productions, LLC; (xi) October Kingsley Films,…

Elle Paul Verhoeven’s sleek, provocative, thrillingly complex and darkly funny portrait of a rape victim (the peerless Isabelle Huppert) made other films in competition seem safe and complacent in comparison. Paterson Jim Jarmusch’s understated comedy about a couple of unrecognized artists unspools into a poignant meditation on city life, romantic love and the power of creativity to sustain us. Sieranevada With an impressive mastery of camera and space, Romanian New Waver Cristi Puiu puts you right in the middle of a tense, funny, sometimes explosive family reunion. Adam Driver, Paterson Playing a bus driver with a passion for poetry, the actor makes indelible use of his deep voice and distinctive face to pull us into his character’s rich inner world. Kristen Stewart, Personal Shopper Triumphantly reteaming with Clouds of Sils…

AS SHARI REDSTONE MOVES to gain control over Viacom, her father’s replacement of Philippe Dauman and George Abrams with National Amusements lawyer Tad Jankowski and Shari ally Jill Krutick as trustees on the trust that will control his media empire marks a dramatic provocation (Krutick and Sumner granddaughter Kimberlee Ostheimer also joined the NA board). Sumner, who turns 93 on May 27, next could sack Dauman, 62, from Viacom’s board, too, although corporate bylaws, litigation and the prospect of paying Dauman a massive severance will factor into whether to move quickly or play the long game. Shari, 62, and Sumner are demonstrating confidence by asking a California court to affirm his trust changes. They may feel emboldened by a judge’s April dismissal of the health-care lawsuit brought by Redstone’s ex-companion…

IN 2012, STEVE CARBONE, known online as Reality Steve, settled the first of two lawsuits brought by producers of ABC’s The Bachelor franchise: For at least five years, Carbone agreed he wouldn’t solicit any information on the show from cast or crew. Flash forward to this season of The Bachelorette, which began May 23. Even before the premiere, Carbone had revealed the man who wins JoJo Fletcher’s heart. How has a Texas-based man turned spoiling into a fulltime job despite the wrath of Hollywood lawyers? The lawsuits may have changed Carbone’s tactics, but they haven’t slowed him down. The terms of the settlement require only that he not solicit information from people under contract to the show. He waits for spoilers to come to him — and they do, says…

Sweetbitter BY Stephanie Danler (Alfred A. Knopf) AGENCY CAA This Kitchen Confidentialmeets-Bridget Jones story is getting rave reviews and adoring profiles for its waiter turned author. Inspired by Danler’s life, a Midwestern ingenue gets swept up in the world of the hot Manhattan restaurant where she works and is swept away by its handsome bartender. Genius: The Game BY Leopoldo Gout (Feiwel & Friends) AGENCY CAA Edited by Jean Feiwel (Harry Potter), the James Patterson protege’s YA novel has three friends from different countries joining a contest of 201 teen brainiacs that propels them into a highstakes parallel reality of spying and suspicion.…

“I was like, ‘You better pay me or I’m going to go public.’ And they did.” ROBIN WRIGHT Netflix’s House of Cards actress, revealing what she said in order to get paid the same as co-star Kevin Spacey. “I’ve been led down dark paths to realize that these things are probably still happening.” ELIJAH WOOD The Lord of the Rings Star, discussing pedophilia in Hollywood, although he later made clear to THR that he had no personal knowledge of child abuse. “I cannot speak with any authority beyond articles I have read and films I have seen,” he said. “Disney’s just got to contend with that.” IDINA MENZEL The singer and actress, responding to the viral Twitter campaign that urges Disney to make her Frozen character, Elsa, a lesbian. “F—…

Steven Bochco tucked in at The Grill on the Alley. … Maria Shriver waited a beat at Sugarfish Brentwood. … Rob Reiner had lunch at e. baldi. … All in at Mr Chow: Bob Daly, Walter Mosley, Serena Williams sports agent Jill Smoller, Shonda Rhimes, attorney Michael Gendler and Michael Jackson estate co-executor John Branca. … Brooklyn Decker ate at Le Pain Quotidien in Larchmont. … Jason Schwartzman had brunch with his family at Kitchen Mouse in Highland Park. … In New York: Mariah Carey and Lee Daniels chatted at Reserve Cut. … Tony Danza dined at 54 Below. … Blair Underwood grabbed a bite at Sardi’s. … Malcolm Gladwell and Sony’s Michael Lynton had dinner at The Dutch. … At Cannes: Woody Allen was spotted at Baoli Restaurant. ……

STEPHEN WHO? CBS’ Leslie Moonves raised eyebrows during his May 18 upfront when he showered his 12:30 a.m. late-night star, James Corden, with praise — “We love that guy,” he said after backto-back performance bits from Corden — and made no mention of his 11:30 p.m. host, Stephen Colbert. One insider insisted it wasn’t worth reading into, though the source acknowledged recently hired Late Show EP Chris Licht is looking to “make his mark” — rumored to include layoffs. THE FACE OF ABC? ABC’s decision to open with a song-and-dance performance by Quantico star Priyanka Chopra had several scratching their heads. Sure, the Bollywood star oozed talent, but her series failed to break out. Many note that the net’s upcoming Dirty Dancing musical event would have been a smarter choice,…

SKINNY BUNDLES PlayStation Vue PRICE $49.99 a month WHAT IT’S GOT More than 50 channels of live and recorded television, with sports costing extra. Sling TV PRICE $20 a month WHAT IT’S GOT More than 20 cable and online video channels as part of Dish TV’s skinny live bundle; some sports. Xfinity Stream TV PRICE $15 a month WHAT IT’S GOT Access to broadcast networks and HBO. But it is available only to Comcast broadband subscribers in a few cities. Charter Spectrum TV PRICE $13 a month WHAT IT’S GOT A free Roku player and access to network channels as well as options for premium content. But it’s offered in only a few cities and only to Charter subscribers. DirecTV Now PRICE N/A The satellite provider this year will roll…