Innholdsfortegnelse for Wednesday July 11 2018 i The Hollywood Reporter

Deal of the Week KKK RETURNS TO HAUNT MOVIES: ‘IT’S UNSETTLING HOW MUCH IT RESONATES’ The Ku Klux Klan is back in the public consciousness, and in cinemas as well. First up is Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, which Focus Features will open on 600 to 800 screens Aug. 10, one year after the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Also likely to get a wide release is Burden, which Roadside is in talks to acquire after a Sundance pact with Byron Allen’s Entertainment Studios fell apart. The Endeavor Content-repped drama, about a Klansman who forsakes hate for redemption thanks in part to a black reverend, has potential in the religious market, says director Andrew Heckler. (Roadside already is a winner in the space after teaming with Lionsgate for the…

Latimer and Urbahn collect campaign posters including a vintage psychedelic Bobby Kennedy and a hirsute Jimmy Carter. They collaborated with Rumsfeld on an app for Churchill Solitaire, a version of the card game that Winston Churchill played. Nixon poster with “spending more on human resources than on defense” tag. Says Latimer, “In the Trump era, this would never fly.” Matt Latimer and Keith Urbahn credit their former boss Donald Rumsfeld with inspiring them to make the leap from politicos to publishing agents, but they owe his wife, Joyce, for their company name. In 2011, when they decided to turn a six-month project helping the former defense secretary with his memoirs into a new business venture, they called their company Javelin, after her Secret Service code name. Seven years later, the…

THE CLASSIC REBORN MICHAEL’S SANTA MONICA 1147 3RD ST., SANTA MONICA Ever since chef Michael McCarty opened his eponymous Santa Monica spot in 1979, the patio has been a magnet for the entertainment community. One of the progenitors of gourmet-fresh California cuisine, Michael’s (sister restaurant to the media-favored one in midtown Manhattan) has been re-energized since the arrival in 2016 of 30-year-old chef Miles Thompson, who sparked a new global direction with more cerebral fare like the duck confit with cucumber nectarine and Vietnamese mint. Known for its sunken patio with wall-to-wall tropical foliage, the still-hot spot has seen such recent power diners as Leslie Moonves, Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Downey Jr., who prefers to sit tucked away in a private corner outside. “People always…

David Begelman It would have been petty forgery, barely worth noting, except the guy who was forging the checks turned out to be the head of Columbia Pictures. Begelman got caught in 1977 when actor Cliff Robertson received a form from the IRS for a $10,000 payment from the studio that Robertson knew he’d never been paid. The ensuing investigation traced the bogus check with Robertson’s fake signature back to Begelman, who had been forging tens of thousands of dollars of hot checks all over town. “But what was really interesting about it,” says Wall Street Journal reporter David McClintick, who wrote Indecent Exposure, the best-selling 1982 book about the scandal, “was the drama it caused in the studio. They wanted to keep it out of the press, so there…

928 Record number of industry talents invited to join the Academy this year, bringing the group to about 8,366 active members Who are they all? While there were plenty of familiar names when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited a record 928 people to join on June 25 — especially among the actors, who ranged from relatively new stars like Timothee Chalamet and Daisy Ridley to long-established players like Kyra Sedgwick and Wendell Pierce — there also were a lot who aren’t well-known at all, even to Academy members. Still, says composer Laura Karpman (The Beguiled), who represents the music branch on the 54-person board of governors: “If you don’t know them, that doesn’t mean they haven’t done significant and devastatingly fantastic work. Right there is the key…

Drake The rapper’s new album, Scorpion, becomes the first to cross 1 billion streams in its first week of release and generates seven of the top 10 tracks on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking The Beatles’ record. Vincent Sadusky The Univision CEO presides over mass buyouts at the company’s digital Gizmodo Media Group and explores a sale of the division after its canceled IPO plans. Margaret Peterlin Leaving Washington for Hollywood, the former chief of staff for ex-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson joins AT&T’s WarnerMedia as senior vp global external and public affairs. Luc Besson The veteran filmmaker is hit with a second sexual assault allegation as his EuropaCorp studio struggles to stay afloat amid layoffs. Showbiz Stocks $418.97 (+5%) NETFLIX (NFLX) Barclays raises its target price on the streamer…

In its voracious quest to attract as many eyeballs as possible, Netflix might soon be aiming for those of the influencers who traverse the fabled Sunset Strip. Sources tell THR that the streaming giant is hammering out a $150 million deal with Regency Outdoor Advertising for about 35 billboards strategically located along the boulevard. The prime corridor, where billboard rentals can range from $25,000 to as high as $55,000 per month, is favored by studios and networks for high-profile signage when trumpeting their newest projects — and it also attracts ads for liquor and luxury goods. Reed Hastings’ Netflix, which has more than 56 million paid U.S. subscribers and is expected to spend $8 billion on content this year, can obviously save money by owning its billboards — for example,…

Lincoln’s Last Trial (HANOVER SQUARE PRESS, JUNE 1) BY Dan Abrams/David Fisher AGENCY Folio Literary ABC’s legal correspondent goes back to 1859 when Lincoln, emerging as a dark horse presidential candidate, defended a family friend on murder charges in a sensational trial that was covered in newspapers coast to coast. Little Comfort (KENSINGTON, AUG. 28) BY Edwin Hill AGENCY APA The debut novel introduces a Leopold and Loeb for the digital age: The only thing stopping charismatic grifter Sam Blaine and his friend Gabe from fleecing a rich mark is the relentless Harvard librarian Hester Thursby, who moonlights as a sleuth.…

Newly signed Laker LeBron James’ $23 million digs on Tigertail Road in L.A.’s Brentwood come with a deep roster of industry neighbors, from stars (Jim Carrey) and execs (ABC’s Ben Sherwood, Scooter Braun) to reps (CAA’s Fred Specktor, Lighthouse’s Margaret Riley), writers (John Sacret Young) and movie royalty (or at least movie royalty-adjacent: John Goldwyn’s ex Colleen Camp). The community is taking well to its new neighbor, says one homeowner, who adds that there’s more concern about the explosion of “McMansions” in an area that boasts many architecturally significant houses, like the William Krisel-built midcentury modern that was torn down in 2014 where James’ home sits: “[His house] is set on the hillside, very tasteful and pretty, and it’s been low-key so far,” says the resident. “People were a lot…

Michelle Obama lunched at Fred’s at Barneys Beverly Hills. … Noah Oppenheim had breakfast with Paramount marketing exec Rebecca Mall at Porta Via. … Aaron Paul and wife Lauren Parsekian enjoyed a double date with Nicole Richie and husband Joel Madden at Scratch Bar & Kitchen. … Joe Russo stopped by Crustacean Beverly Hills. … Lena Dunham sat for lunch at The Pikey. On another day, Lana Del Rey and Jay Chandrasekhar were in separately. … Andrea Bocelli popped by Il Pastaio. … Miley Cyrus was at Doheny Room. HOT NEW RESTAURANT Tesse Restaurant The Quick Pitch Restaurateur Bill Chait (Republique, Bestia) returns to L.A. with his latest Francophile endeavor. The sleek Sunset Strip spot sits adjacent to Fred Segal, with the retailer’s president, John Frierson — a CAA alum…

A.O.C. (8700 3rd St.) “The patio is like a Mediterranean oasis in the middle of the city,” says UTA partner Keya Khayatian of Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s Beverly Grove walled-outdoor space with fireplace, olive trees and herb gardens. Styne says the tiled alcove round patio tables closest to the kitchen are the most in demand since they allow famous faces and boldface names (among them, Leslie Moonves and Netflix’s Scott Stuber) to pull off quiet exits. THE BELVEDERE (9882 S. Santa Monica Blvd.) Dining alfresco at The Peninsula Hotel’s luxe restaurant is a natural for CAA and APA agents hailing from Century City and Beverly Hills, says hotel managing director Offer Nissenbaum. The power-privacy spot is table 75, a round table next to the fireplace; and the charred Caesar…

“Most [people in Hollywood] are gamblers and risk-takers,” says entertainment attorney David Albert Pierce, whose firm specializes in representing independent filmmakers and film investors. But although the industry’s unique combination of lofty ambitions and limited opportunity leaves its members (and hopefuls) especially vulnerable to scams, there are red flags to watch out for and best practices to guard against fraud. DON’T Pay for anything upfront Talent “scouts” who stop people in shopping malls, promising stardom in exchange for hefty portfolio and representation fees, are by now practically a scam cliche, but the “pay-for-play” model manifests in more sophisticated forms as well, such as so-called casting workshops that get struggling actors in front of casting directors for a price. “It’s payola to meet people,” manager Darryl Marshak told THR for a…

With its dramatic influx of new members, is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences finally going to nominate a superhero movie for best picture? Looking to remain relevant in the eyes of the moviegoing public — and, not incidentally, to boost ratings for the annual Oscar telecast, which have been in decline for the past three years — there are those in the Academy who have been enviously eyeing the popularity of blockbuster films even as the Academy’s own voters have largely ignored them. When The Dark Knight failed to secure a best picture nomination in 2009, the Academy opened up that category so that instead of just five films, as many as 10 could be nominated, in hopes of possibly corralling a blockbuster or two. That didn’t…

How vulnerable is Hollywood after President Trump escalates what could become a damaging and protracted trade war with his China counterpart, Xi Jinping? The Middle Kingdom’s box office grew 16 percent in the first half of 2018, and the country could surpass North America as the world’s biggest theatrical movie market by 2020. Hollywood’s biggest films now make a substantial share of their revenue in China, such as Universal’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, which has earned nearly 25 percent of its $1.061 billion in global ticket sales there. Yet film analysts in the U.S. and Beijing remain sanguine about the trade spat so far. Peter Schloss, CEO at CastleHill Partners, a Beijing-based merchant bank focused on the media and entertainment industries, points out that Beijing has been very specific with…

UTA Fine Arts has a new gallery home — in a Beverly Hills building “that’s 200 yards from the main steps of UTA,” says Joshua Roth, a former art lawyer (and son of CAA founding partner Steven) who heads up the five-person division. “I’d always driven by it and thought, ‘I bet the inside of that building is cool.’ Then one day I saw a guy putting up a for-lease sign.” Roth immediately pulled over and convinced the realtor to let him inside the 1940 building on Foothill Road, once home to the West Coast Diamond Tool Co. UTA Artist Space Beverly Hills opens there July 12. UTA Fine Arts, launched in 2015, doesn’t replace the work of galleries in representing artists; it focuses on helping them land projects in…

“They can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto and Felicity Huffman’s reps for comment.” SCARLETT JOHANSSON The actress, via a spokesperson, referencing other cisgender stars who have played transgender roles in response to the backlash against her playing a trans man in the upcoming biopic Rub & Tug. “It’s the 4th of July and I’m feeling patriotic. I don’t want to represent you anymore.” KEN KAPLAN The Gersh agent, in an Independence Day email to client James Woods, an outspoken conservative and fan of President Trump. “This is one woman you won’t have.” EMMANUELLE SEIGNER The actress and wife of Roman Polanski, in an open letter to the Academy rejecting the “insufferable hypocrisy” of inviting her to join after expelling her husband. “He’s a handsy guy. Thankfully I was…

I took a friend to the airport early this morning, and when I came home, my wife, Jill [St. John, the actress], was in tears. She told me about Tab, who was a wonderful friend of mine for so many years. Tab and I both started out in the early ’50s during the last days of the studio system, and we more or less grew up together. Everyone — colleagues and fans alike — loved Tab not only because he was so handsome and talented, but because he had a kind of purity about him back then that he managed to retain for the rest of his life. He was a big star — the top one in Hollywood, for a while — but he was also a very special…

Sumner Redstone could make California history by becoming the first living individual to go to trial over the fortune he’ll bequeath. The media titan, 95, is battling former companion Manuela Herzer, who was largely removed from a trust that would have given her at least $70 million. Herzer, 55, has responded with a wrath of litigation alleging that Shari Redstone spied on her and interfered with her inheritance. After Herzer voluntarily dropped a probate court petition to invalidate the changes to the trust, Redstone filed his own petition to keep moving it forward. The case is before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Cowan, who cut short a 2016 trial about Herzer’s efforts to make health decisions for Redstone. That trial ended abruptly after a deposition showing him calling Herzer…

He was a freelance documentary photographer, 27 and eager, but not inexperienced. He’d worked in conflict zones for several prestige newspapers and magazines and shot ad campaigns for corporate clients. One day in late 2017, he opened his email to find an unusual message. The first thing he noticed was the sender’s name: Amy Pascal, the former co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment. That kind of thing didn’t happen every day. Pascal wanted to know if he would be interested in traveling to Indonesia to pursue an exciting project. They got on the phone the next day to discuss it further. His previous assignments had often taken him overseas. He’d explored 16 countries during the past year, including Indonesia. He knew the terrain and could hit the ground running. After the…

On Nov. 1, when the Los Angeles Times first published allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Ratner, Sil Lai Abrams thought, “Russell’s next.” Abrams, 47, is an author and domestic violence activist who, like many accusers in the hectic aftermath of major exposés about Harvey Weinstein, felt an urgent need to speak out. She already had told her own story of not one but two alleged sexual assaults — 12 years apart — in her 2007 book, No More Drama. But she had not dared to use real names. Then everything changed. Abrams felt emboldened by the #MeToo movement to reveal that “Ronald,” described in the book as “well known for only dating models and for his hard-partying lifestyle funded by his very successful record label,” was Russell Simmons, who…

After 18 years at New York’s iconic Guggenheim Museum, Brendan Connell Jr. arrived June 20 to take up his new post as COO of the Academy Museum. Surveying the construction site at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, he insists the move from high art to pop culture isn’t that dramatic, saying, “This building in a way reminds me of the Guggenheim, which was Frank Lloyd Wright’s temple of the spirit, and something about this project struck me in the same way as far as the ambition behind Renzo Piano’s amazing sphere.” The Academy Museum, slated to open in mid-2019, took another step forward in recent days as the scaffolding that has surrounded the sphere, which will house the 1,000-seat David Geffen Theater, was removed. For the first time, it’s possible…