Innholdsfortegnelse for 6/10/2016 i The Hollywood Reporter

TELEVISION’S BIGGEST WINNERS OF THE 2015-16 season are barely winners at all. The few returning broadcast series that saw zero ratings movement are considered the hits, as fractured viewing and the era of Peak TV rewrite the rules of conventional audience measurement. That’s why this season might be the last judged by Nielsen’s current live-plus-7-day measuring stick. Despite the May axing of 19 first-year series and such surprise dumpings as ABC’s Castle and Nashville, cancellations are proving rarer, even as linear ratings shrink. That’s because, of the 60 returning scripted series to air on the five main broadcast networks this season, only one finished with improved ratings from the previous year. And that show premiered in the ’90s. Law & Order: SVU’s modest gain, up an incremental 4 percent during…

TV EXECUTIVES MAY BE HUNGRY FOR EMMYS — BUT BY THE END of a three-hour telecast, they’re often pretty thirsty too. THR polled more than a dozen network chiefs to find out how they’d make the TV Academy’s flagship awards show more pleasurable for both the people in the room and those watching at home. The executives did not hold back. The long running time, the relative absence of Golden Globes-style fun and the increasingly muddy definition of what qualifies as a “limited series” top the list of gripes. So with a little more than four months to go before the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted affair airs live (Sept. 18) on ABC, here is a collection of their top requests — the most popular of which, as Fox TV Group chairman and…

KANYE WEST RETURNED to CAA on May 26 after a year at UTA, bringing a whirlwind 12 months of music-related agency moves full circle. A year ago, UTA music head Rob Prinz left to co-lead ICM’s department, bringing with him artists including Celine Dion, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis followed their reps from The Agency Group to WME. TAG then was acquired in August by UTA; some artists stayed on (Muse), while others followed their TAG agents elsewhere (The Black Keys, to Paradigm). Meanwhile, West’s former CAA rep Cara Lewis departed for a solo practice, after which client Iggy Azalea joined WME. Other recent artist shuffles: Last summer, Beyonce moved her touring business from ICM to CAA, which lost Mariah Carey to UTA; this past winter, Lady Gaga switched from…

“When audience members say things like, ‘What did she say?’ to each other real loud. There are times when I want to repeat the line for them!” LINDA LAVIN Collected Stories (2010), The Sisters Rosensweig (1993) “Taking a picture with you at the stage door with your iPhone and pushing the button 753 times. Can we just take one picture?” KELLI O’HARA The King and I (2015), The Bridges of Madison County (2014) “When there’s a kid in the line who is being really respectful and a parent behind them is like, ‘Honey, get in there,’ and being aggressive about this kid getting a photo, where maybe this teenager just wanted to shake hands.” DAVEED DIGGS Hamilton (2015) “Reading the program during the show. When you come to the theater,…

SAMUEL BAYER HAS WON AWARDS for directing videos for such artists as Nirvana (“Smells Like Teen Spirit”), Green Day, Justin Timberlake and Metallica. Soon, he’ll shoot episodes of HBO’s upcoming series American Lion, starring Sean Penn. But when it came time to helm the renovation of his four-bedroom Santa Monica Canyon home a block from the beach, Bayer was the one in need of direction. So he and his wife, Ericka Danko (a video producer who has worked with Jay Z and Usher, she’s now a full-time mom), turned to Olivia Williams of MW Design after buying the 4,200-squarefoot Santa Fe-inspired hacienda, built in 1991, for $3.65 million five years ago. “It was orange stucco with ornate wood,” recalls Williams. “It had good bones but needed a complete update.” With…

ABC, CBS and NBC Campaign 2016 coverage accounted for 1,284 minutes out of 4,750 minutes of news in the first four months of the year: Trump 333 min. Clinton 89 min. Sanders 87 min. Cruz 71 min. ► Trump took up 26% of all political airtime. WHAT ELSE THE NETWORKS WERE COVERING DURING THIS TIME PERIOD: Brussels bombings 132 min. Winter weather 125 min. Zika virus 122 min. Flint water 86 min. War in Syria 68 min. BY COMPARISON Politics coverage in first four months of these election years: 2004 739 min. 2000 705 min. Specifically, in 2008 ... Obama 243 min. Clinton 193 min. McCain 138 min. 1996 587 min. 1992 844 min. 1988 1,100 min. 2012 736 min. 2008 1,492 min. THE CALIFORNIA PRIMARY Where the state’s allegiances seem to…

WHEN HE CO-WROTE, PRODUCED, directed and starred in the audacious 1998 political satire Bulworth, Warren Beatty probably had no idea that the closest present-day equivalent to his title character would be … Donald Trump. And yet, as horrified by the thought as Beatty would be, the parallels are obvious. His character, Jay Billington Bulworth, a liberal Democratic senator from California, suddenly goes off the deep end and begins delivering rabidly politically incorrect speeches in which he tells the naked truth to his constituents for the first time. That, in essence, is the Trump playbook. Although he hasn’t been a career politician, Trump sells himself as politically incorrect and incorruptible, not beholden to special interests, corporate donors or even the very political party with which he’s affiliated. And while Bulworth incongruously…

THE STRUCTURED AND UNSTRUCTURED reality show categories were introduced in 2014, but a sense of deja vu already has settled in. Among the structured shows, ABC’s Shark Tank has won twice, so a third nom would seem automatic. Antiques Roadshow (PBS), Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network), Mythbusters (Discovery Channel) and Undercover Boss (CBS) all have received two nominations each and could well be back. And if history does repeat itself, that leaves only one open slot. Who Do You Think You Are? (TLC) and Property Brothers (HGTV), nominated in 2014 and 2015, respectively, have claimed it in the past. But if a newcomer crashes in, look for a breakout like NBC’s Little Big Shots or Spike TV’s Lip Sync Battle. On the unstructured side, it’s much the same. Discovery…

AFTER FIVE YEARS DOWNTOWN, THE Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by Film Independent, is on the move. Its 2016 edition, running June 1 to 9, will be headquartered at the ArcLight Cinemas in Culver City, with screenings also taking place at the ArcLights in Hollywood and Santa Monica. Some highlights: LOWRIDERS June 1, ArcLight Hollywood Cinerama Dome With a focus on diversity — 38 percent of this year’s films were directed by people of color, 43 percent by women — the festival kicks off with Peru-born director Ricardo de Montreuil’s feature about Southern California car culture. THE MUSIC OF STRANGERS June 2, Bing Theater LACMA The documentary from Oscar winner Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom) looks at cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble. NATE PARKER’S LABOR OF…

MUCH LOVED LOCALLY, THE SHANGHAI International Film Festival gives nearby residents a chance to see 300-plus movies they wouldn’t normally experience because China’s censorship regime is relaxed for the nine days. Serbian auteur Emir Kusturica will chair this year’s main competition, and the program also features retrospectives of Luchino Visconti, Andrei Tarkovsky and Woody Allen; a special screening of Laszlo Nemes’ Oscar winner Son of Saul; and the second annual Jackie Chan Action Movie Week, a slate of 20 contemporary action pics overseen by the actor. The festival coincides with another big opening: After two decades of courtship, seven years of construction and $5.5 billion spent, The Walt Disney Co. is throwing open the doors June 16 to Shanghai Disneyland, its first theme park in mainland China. Disney CEO Bob…

SHARI REDSTONE Sumner’s daughter takes pole position in the battle for his empire as the removal of Philippe Dauman from the family trust and company board paves the way for her to exert control, even as the fracas heads to court. JOHNNY DEPP Alice Through the Looking Glass tanks with $34.2 million during Memorial Day weekend, a fraction of the $116.1 million his 2010 original grossed over only three days. Did his estranged wife’s abuse claims hurt box office? DRAKE The rapper’s Views tops the Billboard 200 album chart for a fourth straight week and owns the four biggest-streaming weeks for any album. BILL WOLFF The showrunner of Chelsea Handler’s Netflix talk show exits after only three weeks and nine episodes amid poor reviews and a lack of buzz. SHOWBIZ…

Lethal Weapon (Warner Bros. TV) The remake of the 1987 film emerged as a favorite among the 1,600 foreign buyers in L.A. in late May. The appeal, per Warners’ worldwide TV distribution president Jeffrey Schlesinger: “It’s a well-known franchise, it’s got action, it’s got heart, it’s not heavily serialized and it’s repeatable. It hits the bull’seye on every level.” This Is Us (20th Century Fox TV) Dan Fogelman’s NBC dramedy is the only original concept to generate the buzz of the reboots and spinoffs. “It emotionally sucks you in within the first five minutes, and you suddenly care about these people,” says German buyer Rudiger Boss. “It’s like Love Actually without the Christmas theme.” 24: Legacy (20th TV) Despite initial concerns about a Kiefer Sutherland-less 24, new star Corey Hawkins…

LIONSGATE’S POSTHUNGER GAMES PLAN: 7 POWER RANGERS? DEAL OF THE WEEK WITH LIONSGATE’S theatrical runs of The Hunger Games and Twilight over, it’s morphin’ time! Before the ministudio’s Power Rangers reboot hits theaters March 24, CEO Jon Feltheimer is betting audiences will embrace the teenage superheroes in a big way. “We are really, really excited about the Power Rangers movie,” he said during a May 26 earnings call. “We could see doing five or six or seven.” Insiders caution Lionsgate isn’t really planning for seven films yet; the studio hasn’t even officially greenlighted a sequel. Feltheimer and film chiefs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger just want everyone to know Lionsgate and franchise owner Saban Capital Group see Power Rangers as a possible huge property with multipicture potential at a time…

“Post removed for unintended shade thrown.” ANNE HATHAWAY The actress, in a meme posted to Instagram explaining why she took down a photo of her Alice Through the Looking Glass co-star accompanied by the caption, “In a world of Kardashians … be a Helena Bonham Carter.” “I can defend myself. Most of the people they attack are not people in my category.” PETER THIEL The Facebook board member and tech billionaire, revealing the motives behind his $10 million funding of Hulk Hogan’s invasion of privacy lawsuit against Gawker, which outed him as gay in 2007. “We are a nation of immigrants … at least for now.” STEVEN SPIELBERG The director, in his commencement address to Harvard graduates. “Anyone looking for cheap chunky LOW-lights, a blow out and a blowjob call…

In New York, Leslie Moonves joined Gil Schwartz at Michael’s. … James L. Brooks shared the room with Brian Grazer at Bouchon. On other days: John Davis, Gersh’s Roy Ashton, plus Bob Cooper. … Grazer and Jon Feltheimer shared the room at Toscana. In at other times: Irving Azoff, T Bone Burnett, John Stamos and Al Michaels. … Aaron and Lauren Paul checked out Redbird. … Matthew Weiner picked up sandwiches at Bay Cities in Santa Monica. … Recent arrivals at Freds: Louis C.K., Kylie Jenner, Leslie Mann and Kid Cudi. … Ewan McGregor hit L’Ami. … Damon Wayans visited Terroni. … Flea ate at M Cafe on Melrose. … Samuel L. Jackson, Michael and Shakira Caine and Maggie Smith joined Toni Howard and husband David Yarnell at Scott’s in…

HOLLYWOOD’S IN A MAJOR drought right now in terms of capturing people’s hearts and minds,” says Zachary Levi, 35, ex-star of TV’s Chuck and best actor in a musical nominee for She Loves Me. Adds School of Rock’s Alex Brightman, 29, also nominated in that category, “They’re sacrificing talent over whatever sells tickets.” Blackbird’s Jeff Daniels, 61, and Long Day’s Journey Into Night’s Gabriel Byrne, 66, both best actor in a play nominees, have toggled between Hollywood and Broadway and confirm the situation. “They’ve got a lot of problems, and diversity is a big one,” says Daniels. Laments Byrne, “It’s run by corporations, and movies are products that have to sell to the widest possible audience. In order to sell them, they shave off anything that’s emotionally challenging or complex.”…

MICHAEL WOLFF Donald Trump’s Only Real Platform Is Donald Trump The candidate invites THR to his Beverly Hills house and lets loose on Murdoch, Redstone and Ari Emanuel (‘He calls me a lot’) as the author attempts to parse the private man from the public media phenomenon THE LONG DAY IS ENDING FOR DONALD Trump with a pint of vanilla Haagen-Dazs ice cream. We’re settling in for a late-night chat at his Beverly Hills house, a 10,400-square-foot Colonial mansion directly across from the Beverly Hills Hotel. He’s here for the final presidential primary, a California coronation of sorts, after rallies in Orange County (where violence broke out and seven people were arrested). He is, as he has been for much of our conversation — and perhaps much of the last…

THE INCENTIVE FOR HOLLYWOOD and Chinese film studios to collaborate never has been stronger, says Bennett Pozil, executive vp and head of corporate banking at East West Bank, a Pasadena-based institution that helped facilitate Beijing-based Perfect World Pictures’ $250 million investment in a slate of Universal movies and Chinese studio Huayi Brothers’ 2015 pact to produce at least 18 films with Robert Simonds’ STX Entertainment. “From China, a lot of the companies want to better understand how to distribute pictures internationally,” says Pozil. “This is something the [U.S.] studios are excellent at.” As for the studios, Beijing relationships aren’t only about securing market access. “Now it’s also very much about co-investment in local production,” says Pozil, noting that the Chinese cinema market is on pace to surpass North America as…

WHAT’S UP DAVID Copperfield’s sleeve? A burgeoning side career as Hollywood’s go-to guy when movies meet magic. The famed illusionist quietly has been consulting on major films including Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige and Martin Scorsese’s Hugo. His next project, Now You See Me 2, arrives June 10. Fans might wonder why Copperfield — with an empire worth an estimated $850 million, 38 Emmy nominations, 11 Guinness World Records and a successful Las Vegas residency — would need a part-time consulting gig. The reason: “Cinema is where I began — that’s what inspired me,” he says. “People in my business say Harry Houdini was their idol, or [Harry] Kellar or [John-Eugene] Robert-Houdin. My idols were Victor Fleming and Walt Disney and Orson Welles. I was really good at magic, but all…

The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love BY Sarvenaz Tash (Simon & Schuster) AGENCY ICM The Iran-born, NYUeducated Tash’s third novel, a Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist for comic book fans (peppered with John Hughes homages and pop-culture references), has made many summer YA “must read” lists. The Reader BY Traci Chee (Putnam) AGENCY APA This YA fantasy, out in September, is set in a world without literacy, where a young girl’s only clue to her father’s murder is a book. Chee’s debut novel already is attracting attention as a Publishers Lunch Buzz Book and a hot title at the recent BookExpo America.…

Bloodline: Season 2 Los Angeles, May 24 AS INDUSTRY INSIDERS GATHERED AT THE Landmark Regent for the season-two debut of the Florida Keys-set drama Bloodline, the cast and creators described the new episodes as more of a gallop than a trot. “The first season I loved because it was like a good novel, but it’s a much quicker pace this year, more of a psychological thriller,” star Kyle Chandler told THR. A third season remains uncertain because of the Sunshine State’s lack of tax incentives, but creators Todd Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman acknowledged it would be nearly impossible to shoot the highly atmospheric series elsewhere. Chandler admitted it was a question he asked Netflix vp original content Cindy Holland at the premiere, which counted Chris Messina and Dan…

BROADWAY’S BEST ACTRESS NOMINEES gathered on May 23. Full video of their conversation is at THR.com/video. Lupita Nyong’o, 33, for Eclipsed: “For me, the hardest time is the moment before I get onstage. The mountain is ahead of you and you’re like, ‘I can’t’ — with the exhaustion, being parched in the throat … Then they say, ‘Places,’ and before you know it, it’s over.” Jessica Lange, 67, for Long Day’s Journey Into Night (she first portrayed Mary Tyrone in 2000): “At this point in my life, there’s no greater role. Returning to a part after 16 years, there’s so much more that you bring to it because of your experience, loss, disappointment, all things that come with living.” Cynthia Erivo, 29, for The Color Purple: “I did [the show]…

GATHER AROUND THE TV, kids. Walk-on-the-moontype history is being made and it’s coming to you in HD clarity and flatscreen brilliance. The 2016 presidential race is America’s first interactive reality show, with a carefully coiffed candidate who has more in common with Real World-ers, Real Housewives and contestants on America’s Got Talent than serious civic leaders. In fact, Donald Trump reminds me of the AGT contestant a few seasons ago who called himself “Horse,” whose sole talent was having people kick him in the scrotum. The live audience screamed in delight at every strike, so naturally, the judges voted him through. Like Horse, Trump has delighted the voting audience by enduring a series of kicks to the nether region from the political left, right and center that would send any…

1. Know Thy Enemy Channing and Jenna Dewan Tatum were on another level. They first resisted doing the show because they are unbelievably competitive; they wanted the time to rehearse. It was a house divided. They had two choreographers working on opposite ends of their home. Jenna was coming in at midnight to rehearse. 2. Celebrity Friends Don’t Hurt Taraji P. Henson did Mary J. Blige’s “Just Fine.” She and Mary are best friends, so Mary came out during the song. The audience loved seeing what that song meant to her. 3. This Isn’t a Shill Our audience acknowledges that it’s not a very promotional show. The guests don’t bring clips. They don’t come on to plug. They’re just there to entertain and connect with their fans. 4. Pick From…

RUSSELL SIMMONS IS just one of the headliners who will speak at the Producers Guild of America’s eighth annual Produced By Conference, which will be held on the Sony Pictures lot June 4 and 5. The 58-year-old entrepreneur and philanthropist co-founded Def Jam Recordings, has produced movies like 1996’s The Nutty Professor and, most recently, founded All Def Digital to reach out to urban millenials. Here, he holds forth on Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and how to effect change in Hollywood. You’ve always been politically outspoken. If Trump is elected president, how will that impact the entertainment business? I don’t think he’ll have much impact on entertainment. It’s funny, because I’ve known him for 30 years, and as a person who lets everyone do what they want, he’s a liberal…