The all-new Hollywood Reporter offers unprecedented access to the people, studios, networks and agencies that create the magic in Hollywood. Published weekly, the oversized format includes exceptional photography and rich features.
It’s not every day I go out and decide to take on extra work. Trust me, I have plenty. But when I heard that our senior awards editor Anna Lisa Raya had booked our first-ever Songwriter Roundtable and needed a moderator, I raised my hand. On Nov. 7, it was my pleasure to greet six of the biggest talents in music today: Justin Timberlake (who not only wrote and performs Trolls’ “Can’t Stop the Feeling!” but stars in the movie), Alicia Keys (Queen of Katwe’s “Back to Life”), Pharrell Williams (Hidden Figures’ “I See a Victory,” a film Williams produced), Sting (“The Empty Chair” from the documentary Jim: The James Foley Story), John Legend (“Start a Fire” from La La Land) and Tori Amos (“Flicker,” from the anti-bullying doc Audrie…
Not since John F. Kennedy, whose father, Joseph P. Kennedy, had once owned a major movie studio, and Ronald Reagan, movie star and California governor, has a president-elect been on such familiar terms with the leaders of the American media business. And to add to all the other Donald Trump paradoxes — rich man but populist leader, social liberal but head of the Republican Party, libertine but beloved by evangelicals — he’s a mogul buddy but at war with the media. CBS Corp. chairman Leslie Moonves, Disney chairman Bob Iger, 21st Century Fox and News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch, WME-IMG co-CEO Ari Emanuel, CNN Worldwide chief Jeff Zucker, former Fox News chairman Roger Ailes and Viacom and CBS controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone (and his daughter, Shari, now running her…
Getting canceled is a television rite of passage that dates back to the early days of the medium. But you’re not likely to hear the word often in executive suites these days. As viewership fractures and the bar between success and failure becomes more blurred than ever, broadcast networks have become more gun-shy of outright yanking a show off the air. Hence the rise last season of wishy-washy buzzwords such as “trimmed” or “reduced” as unproduced episodes foretold a slow death for several shows. That trend has continued this season. ABC dud Notorious was reduced from 13 to nine episodes, and on Nov. 8, the network said it would not order more of Hayley Atwell’s barely watched Conviction, but it wouldn’t be pulled from the schedule (at least not immediately).…
$7.6M Silver’s purchase price in 2012. He used the property for a $15.6 million loan When Joel Silver purchased the iconic Venice Post Office building in 2012, the producer of The Matrix and Lethal Weapon films told elected officials that converting the 1939 building into the headquarters of Silver Pictures would result in jobs, free arts-related programs and the preservation of historical features — including the famous Story of Venice mural that adorned the building’s entry for 70 years. Four years on, Silver’s pledge has become a debacle. The structure at 1601 Main St. is covered in graffiti and scaffolding. Signs warn squatters to keep out. “It’s an eyesore,” says Teddy, a tattoo artist and barber who works across the street and who regularly sees people urinating and defecating at…
On Nov. 7, 20th Century Fox marketing president Marc Weinstock became the latest in a string of executives to make the move to Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, joining onetime HBO president Sue Naegle and former Weinstein Co. distribution chief Erik Lomis. The high-profile hires have led to speculation that Ellison, 30, will move the indie-focused film production company into distribution. But according to a source, Ellison is thinking much bigger. Four top Sony games execs, including designer Nathan Gary, also have quietly defected to Annapurna in recent months. Ellison is said to be seeking to move aggressively into the mobile game and VR space and will leverage relationships with Hollywood auteurs to create content. Given Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, made billions as the forward-thinking Oracle sultan, perhaps it should come…
AWARDS SEASON 2 0 1 P ICTURE Nocturnal Animal Focus staged the Los Angeles premiere of Tom Ford’s sophomore directorial effort, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, on Nov. 11 at the Hammer Museum in Westwood, and Academy members in attendance were impressed. Rules Don’t Apply The first film Warren Beatty has written/directed/produced in 18 years opened AFI Fest on Nov. 11 and got applause. But that was followed by a barrage of middling reviews — on Nov. 14, it was at 68 percent on RottenTomatoes. ACTOR Michael Keaton The Founder The star of the past two Oscar best pictures returns here as McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc. The film had bad buzz after release-date changes, but that’s turning around as it screens for insiders. Sunny Pawar • Lion The 8-year-old…
