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Television MTV Upheaval What’s behind the executive changes p. 18 ↑ Digital Amazon Aspirations Is Bezos taking streaming global? p. 20 Heat Index Lin-Manuel Miranda Disney’s Moana, which includes the Hamilton creator’s music, scores an $81.1 million holiday weekend as he signs on to adapt The Kingkiller Chronicle fantasy books for film and TV. Warren Beatty The Rules Don’t Apply filmmaker’s first effort in 15 years flops with a $2.2 million opening after middling reviews, putting its awards chances in peril. Andrew Gumpert Sony’s former top dealmaker lands at Paramount as COO as the Viacom-owned studio begins its rebuilding effort under Shari Redstone’s guidance. Michelle Dockery The Downton Abbey star’s follow-up series Good Behavior opens low, even for TNT, with 1 million viewers after three days of DVR. Showbiz Stocks…
MTV president Chris McCarthy is cleaning house just a month into the job. The third leader of the youth-targeting network in the past two years has led Viacom sibling VH1 to its biggest ratings growth in 15 years in 2016 and hopes to bring MTV back into the daily conversation. That means eliminating several unscripted series that don’t resonate with his brand vision, including Prison High, Air Sex, Almost Impossible Game Show, Acting Out, Down to Earth and Stupid Man, Smart Phone, with more potentially joining them on the scrap heap. (Safe for now is ratings hit Teen Mom, though that could be refreshed.) “The opportunity for MTV is to embody everything it is to be young — optimistic, hopeful, idealistic, diverse, messy and fun,” McCarthy tells THR of his…
Did Jeremy Clarkson, former host of the BBC hit Top Gear, inadvertently divulge what Jeff Bezos has planned for his Amazon Prime streaming service? “Amazon has gone global,” Clarkson tweeted Nov. 16 before the launch of his new motoring series The Grand Tour, which he co-hosts with James May and Richard Hammond. In a video, the trio said the Amazon show would be available in more than 200 countries. The comments sparked industry buzz that Clarkson may know something CEO Bezos hasn’t revealed — namely that it will expand its video service globally to challenge Netflix. Amazon has declined to confirm global aspirations, but some believe it’s inevitable for a company whose e-commerce service is in fewer than 20 countries and whose streaming video offering operates only in the U.S.,…
Your show might be the most highprofile anti-Scientology effort ever. Did A&E consider not airing it? I don’t know how close they came to pulling the show. I’m sure this is the first network that’s done a series on the subject, and that’s pretty ballsy. Your lawyer demanded the church pay $1.5 million for harassing you. How do you counter its claim that you’re just in this for the money? First of all, [my demand of $1.5 million from the church] was a response to the horrific and libelous letters they sent me. I haven’t sued them, so I’m not going to see one red cent. What about profits from the show itself or your new book? Is the church donating money to any charity or giving back the money…
PICTURE Moonlight It, along with American Honey, led the Spirit nominations — both films received six. And it cleaned up at the Gothams, winning best feature and screenplay, plus a special ensemble prize and the audience award. Manchester by the Sea Kenneth Lonergan’s critically hailed dramedy has come on strong in limited release, grossing $1.6 million in its first two weekends while bagging five Spirit noms, including best feature, and a Gotham for best actor Casey Affleck. ACTOR Tom Hanks Sully Robert De Niro The Comedian How many other 2016 Oscar contenders picked up a Presidential Medal of Freedom this season? These two got theirs at the White House in an emotional Nov. 22 ceremony marking the last time President Obama will hand out the honors. He praised De Niro,…
DIRECTV’S RISKY STREAMING LAUNCH WITHOUT CBS AND NFL SUNDAY TICKET Deal of the Week Call them “chubby bundles.” AT&T’s long-awaited DirecTV Now streaming service, which launched Nov. 30, offers packages ranging from 60-plus to more than 120 channels for $35 to $70 per month, in the hopes of giving viewers everything they want. Everything but CBS and Showtime, that is. CBS Corp. is the only major entertainment company that hasn’t inked a content deal with DirecTV Now, but talks between the parties are underway, AT&T Entertainment Group CEO John Stankey said when he unveiled details about the service on Nov. 28. CBS, whose chief Leslie Moonves has called the company’s output “must-have content,” hasn’t said why it has declined to be part of DirecTV Now, but it likely boils down…
