Innholdsfortegnelse for Wednesday April 4 2018 i The Hollywood Reporter

While music streamer Spotify’s IPO is generating the most headlines, Chinese streaming video giant iQiyi somewhat quietly went public March 29 on the Nasdaq exchange, raising about $2.25 billion for a valuation of $12.7 billion. The cash influx of the second-largest IPO by a Chinese company will be integral to helping iQiyi, led by founder and CEO Tim Gong Yu, retain its slight edge over rivals Tencent Video and Alibaba’s Youku Tudou. To claw its way to 61 million subscribers, iQiyi has had to innovate rather than pour capital into licensing and originals. A promising new tool has been a unique revenue sharing model targeting China’s market for online movies. As recently as 2015, filmmaking for the internet in China was equated with the basest of B-movies — cheaply made…

FILM Zazie Beetz (Gersh) is in talks to star opposite Natalie Portman in Fox Searchlight’s Pale Blue Dot. Kate McKinnon (UTA, Principato Young, Hansen Jacobson) will join Lily James in Danny Boyle’s musical comedy for Universal. Colin Trevorrow (Verve, 3 Arts, Ginsburg Daniels) will direct Universal’s Jurassic World 3. Narcos star Pedro Pascal (WME, Untitled, Jackoway Tyerman) will co-star in Wonder Woman 2. Damon Lindelof (CAA, Myman Greenspan) is teaming with Blumhouse and Universal for political thriller The Hunt. Scarlett Johansson (CAA, Morris Yorn) is in final negotiations to star in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit for Fox Searchlight. Hugh Jackman (WME, the U.K.’s Lou Coulson, Sloane Offer) is in talks to star in Cory Finley’s Bad Education. The Handmaid’s Tale director Reed Morano (WME) is in talks to helm Anne…

The Dying of the Light (HARPERCOLLINS, JULY 3) BY Robert Goolrick AGENCY Gotham Group The author, whose A Reliable Wife spent 53 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list and is being developed by Jami Gertz and Michael De Luca, is back with a new novel about a Southern belle who marries for money and eventually pays the price. Mr. and Mrs. American Pie (INKSHARES, AUGUST 7) BY Juliet McDaniel AGENCY Inkshares The startup publisher has had success getting material optioned. This 1969-set debut about a newly separated Palm Springs woman who tries to win a housewives contest by faking a new family will continue the run. It’s Brady Bunch fashion with a Time’s Up vibe.…

THR’s Power Stylists Event Hollywood, March 20 Party Crawler Stylish Soiree The Hollywood Reporter and Jimmy Choo hosted an exclusive dinner to fete the magazine’s eighth annual ranking of the top 25 most powerful stylists in Hollywood. Gwyneth Paltrow (3) came by to surprise her No. 2-ranked stylist, Elizabeth Saltzman (3), with a big hug and kudos: “She is best in class.” Armie Hammer (2), who has been working with No. 6 Ilaria Urbinati (2) since the start of his career, said she makes fashion accessible — though “she does always try to put pinky rings on me — which I refuse,” he quipped. Elle Fanning (1), who was photographed alongside No. 3 stylist Samantha McMillen (1) for one of the Power Stylist issue’s four covers, hung out with big…

Since the Oct. 5 New York Times article detailing the atrocities of Harvey Weinstein, a growing tsunami of outrage has washed through American culture. From celebrities Matt Lauer, Kevin Spacey and Charlie Rose to political powerhouses Trent Franks, Roy Moore and President Trump, the list of infamy grows daily. But when that list includes names of beloved artists associated with social progress, such as Bill Cosby, Sherman Alexie and Al Franken, we are shaken on an even deeper level. Our initial anger and sense of betrayal makes us want to purge their artistic footprints from our cultural identity, and we are forced to ponder: What do we do with good art from bad people? On her Hulu show, I Love You, America, Sarah Silverman, in response to the accusations of…

Baume & Mercier A double-wrap steel bracelet adorns the Petite Promesse, which features a diamond-set mother-of-pearl dial in a 22mm stainless-steel case; $2,850, at Tourneau, Costa Mesa Chane A steel chain woven with leather evokes the handles of a Chanel bag on the Premiere Triple Row, which features a lacquer dial; $4,200, at Chanel Fine Jewelry, Beverly Hills Cartier This diamond-embellished Mini model of the Panthere de Cartier features a pink-gold triple bracelet; price upon request, available in May at Cartier, Beverly Hills Hermes A sleek Milanese bracelet wraps twice around the wrist on the latest Hermes Cape Cod, with rhodium-plated dial; $3,625, at Hermes, Beverly Hills Jaeger-LeCoultre Diamonds brighten the pink-gold bezel on the 38.2mm Rendez-Vous Night & Day ($19,300), which features a day/night indicator and can be accessorized…

When Ryan Murphy arrived at Netflix’s Hollywood headquarters on a stormy afternoon in January, the 53-year-old producer of such TV breakouts as Glee, The People v. O.J. Simpson and seven installments of American Horror Story says he was expecting a tour of the streaming giant’s luxe new space and “maybe a croissant.” But coming in out of the rain, he was whisked to a theater on the top floor of the 14-story building, where content chief Ted Sarandos along with his heads of marketing, social media, scripted and young adults programming awaited. “We want you to know what you mean to us,” Sarandos told Murphy, whose catalog of hits streams on the platform. Over the next two hours, the group dazzled him with highly confidential data on the viewing habits…

Dick Wolf Hill Street Blues I first met Steven when I was 5 years old. His parents and my parents were best friends when we were growing up in New York, and the families would meet once a month. He was three or four years older than me, and when you’re 5, a 9-year-old seems like a college student, so we never got close back then. We played some games — something like Scrabble — but he had a much better vocabulary than I did. He was always coming up with words that I had never heard of. And then, when I was 13, I went away to boarding school and didn’t see him again for probably 30 years, not until I got a job writing for Hill Street Blues.…

ANN FROMHOLZ The Fromholz Firm Fromholz, who’s currently investigating allegations against WME partner Philip Raskind, says, “Investigations are more heavily scrutinized after the Harvey Weinstein bombshell.” With the stakes increasing, Fromholz says, “companies see what fallout can come from a complaint and feel it’s worth the money to engage someone from the outside.” LINDA GOLDSTEIN Dechert New York-based Goldstein is Fox News’ go-to counsel for harassment, discrimination and retaliation allegations, including ones against ousted host Bill O’Reilly and late founder Roger Ailes. She recently handled a rash of high-profile lawsuits from Andrea Tantaros, Scottie Nell Hughes and Jessica Golloher and others. GENIE HARRISON Genie Harrison Law Firm Lately, the phone has been ringing off the hook for Harrison, who reps clients alleging they were sexually harassed, battered or retaliated against…

SUIT UP! (TIE OPTIONAL) IT’S ALL ABOUT GOOD JEANS…

In today’s booming global market for TV drama, everything old is new again. Fueled by the seemingly insatiable hunger for high-end TV among international broadcasters, cable outlets and streaming platforms, producers are dusting off decadesold novels and films and turning them into limited series. AMC and the BBC are adapting the John le Carre 1983 thriller The Little Drummer Girl as a six-part series featuring Michael Shannon and directed by Korean auteur Park Chanwook (Oldboy). Italy’s 11 Marzo Film and Palomar, together with TMG in Germany, is rebooting Umberto Eco’s 1980 medieval crime drama The Name of the Rose as an eight-part series starring John Turturro and Rupert Everett. And George Clooney has teamed with Hulu on a six-episode adaptation of Joseph Heller’s seminal anti-war classic Catch-22. The drive behind…

During the first months of 2018, TV’s three biggest awards shows — the Oscars, Grammys and Golden Globes — lost 14 million viewers, a stunning 18 percent decline from their collective haul the previous year. Hot takes from the #MAGA peanut gallery called it a referendum on Hollywood elitism. Insiders have another explanation. The exodus of younger viewers is now impacting even event TV, while unexciting nominees are scapegoats in network conference rooms. But even that narrative can’t quiet the fight for broadcast rights. And the Globes and Emmys are currently up for grabs. “These things are still incredibly important to broadcast television,” says Rob Mills, senior vp alternative series, specials and late-night at ABC Entertainment, which has the Oscars through 2028. “It’s important to lock them in long term.”…

If I had to sum up Suzanne in one word, it would be passion. Or warmth. Possibly laughter. Or wine. Or conversation. Or creativity. Or joy. Suzanne was so much bigger than one word. She made my first pilot, fighting like hell to get my vision through the gauntlet of network TV when I was too young to understand how rare that shot is or how passionate an advocate that requires. And I am one of countless young, often female artists she fought for. Yet fighting was her least favorite thing. Her voice would shake and her face would flush, and when she was particularly angry, her eyes would brim with tears. She was afraid it made her look weak. Yet she was fierce and fiercely feminine, like the heroines…

ON FRYMAN PLACE In January, director Kevin Bray (The Americans, Black-ish) purchased this three-bedroom, three-bathroom Cliff May-designed single-story, listed by The Agency’s Jonathan Ruiz, that sits on a half-acre lot. The open-air midcentury home has custom windows, high-beamed ceilings, a pool and outdoor dining area and fireplace. 3416 FRYMAN ROAD Keller Williams’ Robert E. Howell holds the $3 million listing on this very private (as in, behind a 12-foot block wall) 4,000-squarefoot four-bedroom with two master suites (one with sauna), a pool and a gated front entrance opening to a carport that can hold 10 cars.…

JAN. 15, 1981 Hill Street Blues Bombs The NBC cop drama, which didn’t finish its first season in the Nielsen top 30, becomes the lowest-rated show ever renewed for a second season. But it sets a record at the time for most Emmy noms (21) given to one show. SEPT. 27, 1986 L.A. Law Bumps SNL The two-hour pilot airs Sept. 15, and the critical buzz is so good, NBC drops Saturday Night Live for a late-night rebroadcast. SEPT. 26, 1990 Cop Rock Sings and Misses Bochco was so powerful, he could get this off-the-wall premise — police singing on the streets and in court! — on the air. (He had a six-year deal with ABC.) But he wasn’t powerful enough to keep it there; it was gone by December.…

Growing up in Long Island, Gwen Marcus, the longtime general counsel for Showtime, knew she wanted to go to law school when she was 10 years old — but not because she wanted to be a lawyer. She wanted to work in entertainment. Her father, an insurance executive, warned her that, as a woman, if she got a job as someone’s assistant, she risked never being taken seriously. A better route, he told her, would be to earn expertise that demanded respect, like a law degree. After college at Brandeis University, Marcus went on to New York University School of Law — planning to collect her J.D. but not actually practice law. But as a summer associate at the Paul Weiss firm, something surprised her: “I love being a lawyer,”…

The explosion of social media and the resulting ease of sharing photographs online have created a raft of novel legal questions. For Richard Liebowitz, a photographer turned New York attorney, it’s been a business opportunity. In the three years his boutique firm has been open, he has sued just about every major media company — CBS, Vice, Yahoo, iHeartMedia and The Hollywood Reporter parent Prometheus Global Media, to name a few — for copyright infringement on behalf of more than 350 photographers. “It’s very tough to make a living as a photographer,” he says. “My goal is ultimately to get them paid for their work so they can focus on taking pictures.” Liebowitz, 29, won’t say how many lawsuits he’s brought against media firms, but searches of federal court records…

More than 100,000 broadcasters, manufacturers, content creators and politicians are expected at the annual National Association of Broadcasters Show when it kicks off April 7 in Las Vegas. The opening session alone will feature YouTube chief product officer Neal Mohan; House Energy and Commerce Committee chair Greg Walden, who leads the Communications and Technology Subcommittee; and NAB president and CEO Gordon Smith, the former Republican senator from Oregon who offered THR a preview of what’s expected to be on the conventiongoers’ minds. With the term “fake news” saturating the culture, are broadcasters likely to respond? New York Sen. Chuck Schumer said something recently that I think really rings true. He was at an NAB event and said that at a time when cable news is so polarizing and partisan, he…

↑ Film 007 Hunt MGM uses Bond as bait for a potential sale p. 22 Digital China’s Netflix IQiyi strikes gold with internet-only movies p. 18 Steven Spielberg The legendary filmmaker’s Ready Player One debuts to $41.8 million stateside (and $181.2 million worldwide), his biggest opening weekend in a decade. Michael Rapino The Live Nation CEO faces a Department of Justice probe into “serious accusations” of anticompetitive business practices based on its ownership of Ticketmaster. Channing Dungey The ABC chief’s bet on a Roseanne revival pans out spectacularly, with more than 25 million viewers tuning in to the premiere in just four days. David Smith The Sinclair executive chair draws ire when a video of anchors reading anti-“fake news” editorials goes viral and an email surfaces of him calling all…

Big Deal How many houses in Malibu does one guy need? For Larry Ellison, the answer is apparently a dozen. The Oracle co-founder has scooped up Joel Silver’s Carbon Beach property for $38 million, Ellison’s 12th acquisition in a collection that began in 2002. The former megaproducer originally listed the home for $57.5 million in 2016 before dropping the price to $52 million last year and ultimately settling for 33 percent less than the initial price. Silver bought the seven-bedroom, eight bath spread from the late film producer Robert Chartoff (Rocky franchise, Raging Bull) for $14.34 million more than a decade ago. The 5,600-square-foot main house sits on three-quarters of an acre that features 137 feet of beach frontage, a tennis court — reportedly Carbon Beach’s only oceanfront court — a…

The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. put the Academy Awards in a tricky position. The 1968 ceremony was shaping up to be one of the most diverse Oscars to date, with two African-American nominees (Quincy Jones and Beah Richards), two best picture nominees that centered on race (In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) and four black artists (Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong, Sidney Poitier, Diahann Carroll) slated to perform. But the show was scheduled for April 8, the night before King’s funeral. The day after the killing, Davis declared on The Tonight Show that he wouldn’t perform. “I certainly think any black man should not appear. I find it morally incongruous to sing ‘Talk to the Animals’ while the man who could make a…

“It was just a friendly conversation about work and television and ratings.” ROSEANNE BARR The Roseanne star on Good Morning America, talking about President Trump’s call to congratulate her on her sitcom’s success. “I find that argument — that if you’re not paying that somehow we can’t care about you — to be extremely glib.” MARK ZUCKERBERG The Facebook CEO, on Vox, rejecting Apple CEO Tim Cook’s criticism that because the social media site is free, it treats its customers as product. “It was like the least surprising thing that she could’ve said.” SETH ROGEN The actor and director, telling Ellen DeGeneres that adult star Stormy Daniels had mentioned her affair with Trump a decade ago when she appeared in two of Rogen’s films. “I’m doing just fine. Thick skin…

When Victoria Alonso, executive vp of physical production for Marvel Studios, walks into any meeting, the first thing she does is tally the number of men and women in attendance, and at the end, she announces the stat. Alonso, 52, first arrived in L.A. in 1990 to pursue acting, but she says she quickly learned she was “too tall, too short, not this, not that.” So she moved into the male-dominated field of special effects. “For the longest of times, I was always one of the few women on set,” she says. “Thank God, there was a makeup artist or a costumer or a hair person.” Today, Alonso is part of the holy trinity that runs Hollywood’s most successful superhero label, along with Marvel president Kevin Feige and co-president Louis…

IWC Schaffhausen Named for watchmaker Josef Pallweber, the 45mm Tribute to Pallweber Edition “150 Years” in steel is limited to 500 pieces and features jumping hours and minutes; $23,100, at IWC Schaffhausen, Costa Mesa Bulgari An anthracite sun-brushed dial features jumping hours in a 41mm pink-gold case on the limited-edition Octo Maserati GranLusso; $30,700, at Bulgari, Beverly Hills Bovet A jump-hour complication features numerals on a disc (seen via an aperture) that “jump” every 60 minutes. Bovet’s limited-edition 43.5mm white-gold Amadeo Fleurier Virtuoso V with guilloche dial converts to a pocket watch; $73,500, at Feldmar Watch Co., Los Angeles Van Cleef & Arpels Dual time-zone jumping hours and retrograde minutes adorn the galvanic brass dial of the 42mm rose-gold Pierre Arpels Midnight Heure d’Ici & Heure D’Ailleurs watch; $28,300, at…

Employing materials ranging from shell cordovan leather to the finest crocodile, a new generation of accessory brands are producing luxurious watch straps that are as bespoke as the finest John Lobb shoes. Two of the most highly regarded makers are Jean-Paul Menicucci, located in Lucca, Italy, and L.A.-based Attila Aszodi. “I make each strap as if I made it for myself,” says Aszodi, whose pieces range from $275 to $2,500. “Each strap is unique to accommodate the individuality of each customer and tie into the details and feel of the watch and dial.” Still considered the king of the custom strap, Menicucci is known for his vintage leather and suede pieces with trademark contrasting stitches at the lug ends (starting at $85). It was Menicucci who created the black crocodile…

Dana Fox Writer, 2016’s How to Be Single Alfred Coffee “I love the chia pudding with matcha granola, but I’d never tell anyone that because I’d sound like a bougie douche.” 12077 Ventura Place, Studio City Fatamorgana Gelato “Its other outpost is in Rome, so we’re feeling pret-ty cool. They have ‘sushi’ boxes. Gelato in sushi form. Come on!” 12021 Ventura Blvd., Studio City Flask Fine Wine & Whisky “They suggest stuff you’d never think to play with. My only hobby since having kids: an intense interest in ‘mixology.’” 12194 Ventura Blvd., Studio City…

Kenya Barris ABC Studios (expires in 2021) Sources say Barris, 43, who’s behind Black-ish and Grown-ish and has a killer movie track record (see Girls Trip), is actively looking to get out of his four-year deal with ABC in favor of a Netflix pact. “Talks are very real,” says a source. The move would come after “creative differences” on a racially themed (and ultimately yanked) Black-ish episode and a recent series order reduced to a pilot. Greg Berlanti Warner Bros. (2020) While the prolific producer — 11 series on the air, plus the recent film Love, Simon — would seem the most likely candidate to move to Netflix, sources say it’s doubtful — at least for now. The 45-year-old’s success, which includes Arrow, Supergirl and The Flash, is deeply entwined…

When Harvey Weinstein’s alleged victims came forward, few anticipated how transformative a cultural moment they would spark. In the media and entertainment industries, at least, #MeToo and Time’s Up are here to stay, and women — and men, too — are silent no more. The divergence between a slow, deliberative legal system and media outlets forced to operate at internet speeds creates numerous dilemmas. Not every allegation is true — yet for too long, even true allegations often have been suppressed, ignored or discouraged. And there’s that word “alleged.” In the eyes of the law, even Weinstein, the poster villain for the new movement, is still considered innocent until proven guilty. He’s been convicted of nothing, criminally charged with nothing, found civilly liable for nothing, and denies every allegation of…

JOHN BRANCA Ziffren Brittenham Branca reps the estates of several music icons. Among recent deals, he negotiated a record breaking seven-year agreement for Sony to continue distributing Michael Jackson’s catalog, the release of two Elvis Presley symphonic albums and a CBS-Grammy primetime tribute to the Bee Gees. DAVID BYRNES Ziffren Brittenham Byrnes reps The Voice judges Kelly Clarkson, whose current stint on the show marks her return to network TV, and Blake Shelton, who re-signed with Warner Bros. It wasn’t all highs for Byrnes in 2017, however, as the death of client and Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington left him “heartbroken.” ALLEN GRUBMAN Grubman Shire Grubman reps Spotify in its licensing deals with record companies and publishers, as well as artists like Bruce Springsteen and Bette Midler, both of whom…

1. UCLA SCHOOL OF LAW (18 alums) Los Angeles Proximity makes the Westwood campus one of the top providers of Hollywood legal talent, and the school is a draw for moguls such as Leslie Moonves and Stacey Snider thanks to the annual symposium put on by the Ziffren Center for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law (named for power lawyer Ken Ziffren, who gave $5 million to the school). 2. HARVARD LAW SCHOOL (15 alums) Cambridge, Massachuset ts While graduates of the Ivy League stalwart often have their choice of career options, the school has numerous programs that steer grads to Hollywood, from its Entertainment Law Clinic and Recording Artists Project to the school’s Harassment Assault Law-Student Team, founded about three years ago to advocate on behalf of sexual abuse…

OPENING KEYNOTE Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts will be presented with the NAB Distinguished Service Award on April 9. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Women will take center stage at the “Future of Cinema” conference session, which will feature Pixar’s Britta Wilson (left) and Cynthia Slavens. THE RED PLANET NASA JPL’s Robert Hogg will discuss how artificial intelligence is being used with NASA’s Curiosity and Opportunity rovers on the surface of Mars. CREATIVE MASTERS SERIES Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski will speak about his long collaboration with Steven Spielberg and their work on Ready Player One. WE ARE BROADCASTERS CELEBRATION Several awards will be presented, highlighted by Kristen Bell receiving the NAB Television Chairman’s Award.…