Innholdsfortegnelse for July 21, 2021 i The Hollywood Reporter

The July 19 shuttering of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production of Cinderella just hours ahead of its world premiere in London is the latest major setback to that city’s once-thriving theater industry, decimated by the pandemic. A strict government contact-tracing program has led to a string of high-profile show closings, The Prince of Egypt and Hairspray among them. Closely watching the fallout unfolding across the pond are the producers, performers and publicists who keep Broadway alight, all of them hoping to avoid the same fate once the Great White Way begins to fully reopen come September. So far, Broadway has taken a more cautious approach than the West End. It began with Springsteen on Broadway, the Bruce Springsteen confessional concert that returned June 26 to a sold-out crowd of 1,721…

This is not the column where I tell you that the Primetime Emmys no longer reflect a changing TV landscape in which terms like “television,” “streaming” and “movies” have become so blurred that the only solution is an overhaul of a multitude of categories. It’s true, but there have to be limits. You must have the serenity to accept that certain categorizations rely on subjectivity and thus you aren’t going to be able to do anything with how a panel decides to classify “drama” or “comedy.” That won’t stop me from saying ad nauseam that Succession is a comedy, that The Flight Attendant started off as a comedy but was clearly a drama by the end of its first season or that if you use actual discretion, something like Shameless…

Red Carpet’s New Normal: Mask, Show Vaccine Card or Nada? L.A.’s July 17 reinstated indoor mask mandate is highlighting disparate COVID-19 protocols as Hollywood continues to step out (although in-person attendance may reverse as well, if Megan Fox’s declining last minute to go to her July 19 Midnight in the Switchgrass premiere at L.A. Live is any indication). Apple TV+ required attendees of July 15’s premiere of Ted Lasso’s second season to be tested in advance, wear masks and show proof of vaccination. At a Bachelorette: Men Tell All taping at Warner Bros. Ranch, reporters took a PCR test 48 hours prior, a rapid test upon arrival (regardless of vaccination status) and an online health screening. For Neon’s July 13 Pig premiere at West L.A.’s Nuart Theatre, guests were…

David S. Goyer’s home office in the Hancock Park area of L.A. is lined with totems of personal significance. There’s a wall of comic books, which Goyer points at when asked his reaction to Stephen Dorff’s recent viral comment slamming Marvel movies as not legitimate art. There’s a framed Zen proverb that reads, “First tea, last tea,” which he’s taken to mean: Try to approach everything like it’s the first time you’re doing it — or maybe the very last time. And then there’s perhaps his most prized possession: a 1908 silver dollar peso from the Philippines. As a 6-year-old in Michigan, Goyer found the coin while digging in a mound of dirt and was stunned to learn it was then valued at $400 — he literally found buried treasure.…

The soaring contemporary architecture and breathtaking views of the Palazzo di Vista in Bel Air may seem well worth the $87.77 million it’s listed for. But the lucky buyer will also acquire a $7 million art collection, including an NFT (non-fungible token) art gallery, curated by MDP Art Curators, with works by Ghost Girl and BigHead Music Producer. “The art world is changing so fast in this digital world, so we thought, ‘Why not incorporate it into the house world?’ ” says Compass’ Aaron Kirman. He holds the listing with The Agency’s Mauricio Umansky, who says, “It adds another level of fun where you just might attract the right buyer. And it’s a great marketing campaign.” One early booster of NFTs has been developer Phillip Braunstein, president of…

If last year’s Emmys were the first proof that a pandemic-era awards show is possible, this year’s will highlight the entertainment we consumed during all that time spent at home — and based on the nominations, it seems many of us turned to television as a means of escape. Ted Lasso is the clear frontrunner in the comedy race with 20 noms, setting a record for the most-nominated freshman comedy in history. But the success of the Apple TV+ show — which stars Jason Sudeikis as a happy-go-lucky American soccer coach who travels across the pond to lead a struggling English football club — stems from its summer 2020 launch amid the COVID-19 pandemic when collective morale seemed at an all-time low. Its kill-them-with-kindness brand of comedy, which in turn…

Colby Bachiller remembers “crying my eyes out to another fellow script coordinator” about mounting bills when she got the idea for a hashtag advocating for higher wages in her role and for others in her union. As she was fretting over whether to cut back on her cat, dog or car expenses, Bachiller says, “Right then and there, calling back to #PayUpHollywood and #MeToo, [I realized] it was time for us to share our stories.” That “aha” moment for Bachiller, who worked on OWN drama series Greenleaf for several seasons as a producer’s assistant, resulted in the #IALivingWage hashtag. Members of her union — IATSE Local 871, which represents four crafts that all have minimum pay rates of less than $18 an hour in their contracts — have been using…

Will we ever see another financial filing drop like the one on July 16 by AMC revealing a $200 million settlement resolving Frank Darabont’s profits from developing The Walking Dead? Perhaps not. It’s not merely the eye-popping figure, which ends eight years of litigation and buys the season one showrunner out of his rights to any future compensation from the zombie series and its spinoffs. It’s also that the TV industry has changed rapidly in the years since a cable channel once devoted to movie classics launched a postapocalyptic drama that it, importantly, self-produced. In short, this settlement could be the last of its breed. “The success of The Walking Dead, and even the litigation itself, resulted in clarifications and changes to artists’ profit definitions by the studios to avoid…

Last year, amid the downturn, L.A. seemed awash in “for rent” signs. Now, says broker Jay Luchs of Newmark, “there are a lot of deals in the works, and fashion brands are coming back to the market. The last month has been crazy and we’re seeing multiple offers on prime blocks.” Here are three fresh spots to shop. Colette Jewelry Jewelry designer Colette Steckel has moved her flagship store from Melrose Place to Santa Monica, where offerings include French chocolates and curated home and fashion items; 250 26th St., colettejewelry.com Farm Rio The Brazilian brand has opened a popup (through November) in Venice that showcases its resort-style prints. With every purchase, Farm Rio will plant a tree in the Amazon through a partnership with One Tree Planted; 1360 Abbot Kinney…

For much of 2019, headlines across California news outlets trumpeted AB 5, the bill that its supporters hailed as righting the alleged wrongs of gig-economy workers suffering from a lack of unemployment benefits and health insurance at the hands of companies like Uber because they’d been labeled independent contractors. Ultimately, most industries with any skin in the game — from ride-share firms to music studios to real estate brokers and newspapers — negotiated an exemption to the law, which changed the test used to determine if someone is an employee or independent contractor and reclassified scores of workers as the definition of “employee” became more broad. But while AB 5 took the spotlight, other labor woes went relatively unnoticed. The California Labor Commissioner’s Office, and many legal experts, say a…

The next evolution in creator houses is here — and legal: Thirty Four Fifty West is a collection of townhouses starting at $1.015 million. Across from Universal Studios, it has hybrid zoning that permits people to have a full studio with industrial grade electrical and the like in spaces where they can also live in luxury. According to Hana Cha at The Agency Development Group (the co-developer with BLDG Partners), 12 units have sold in 12 weeks to buyers including TikTok and YouTube creators. Says resident Malika Lim Eubank, co-founder of content studio Hyper Rabbit Media, “Having four floors facilitates work-life balance and aids in keeping up with social media and live streaming.”…

The last time NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt was in Tokyo, he had to leave his shoes behind. It was 2011, and Holt was in the country covering the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. He and his team evacuated Fukushima after a second explosion rocked the plant. “We were on the ground there, and the decision was made to get out as quickly as possible,” Holt recalls, adding that they took refuge for a day or two at a ski resort in the mountains. “I made my way back to Tokyo, where I was met by an expert that NBC had hired, with a Geiger counter. They actually found radioactivity — a very trace amount — on our shoes. So my shoes were bagged and left…

In a bid to drive younger audiences toward watching the Tokyo Games on its streaming platform Peacock, NBCUniversal is counting on a boost from official partnerships with social media companies Snapchat, Twitch and Twitter. NBC and the International Olympic Committee have partnered with Snapchat to create a slate of eight original programs, as well as augmented reality lenses, to bring Olympic diehard viewers and casual fans closer to the event. In addition to a reprise of Chasing Gold, a show produced by NBC for Snap that profiles Team USA athletes, Snapchatters will get original programming that includes a daily studio show hosted by Jacques Slade, NBC Olympics ICYMI, and another program, NBC Olympics IRL, that highlights the best social clips and user-generated content from fans following along from home. “Our…

CONAN TBS The veteran host’s talk show ended June 24, putting a wrap on O’Brien’s 28-year late night presence. This year he may finally take home the Emmy for outstanding variety talk series. THE KOMINSKY METHOD NETFLIX Two-time nominee Alan Arkin left this series ahead of its third and final season, clearing the way for Paul Reiser to earn his 11th career nom for his supporting role in the comedy. LOVECRAFT COUNTRY HBO The horror series picked up 16 noms for its first (and last) season, including mentions for stars Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, Michael K. Williams, Aunjanue Ellis and Courtney B. Vance. MOM CBS Allison Janney earned her sixth nom for playing the titular character of this multicam comedy. She’s already won twice for the role, and the final…

Where is Peter Pan when he’s needed to battle the pirate Captain Hook? Throughout the pandemic, new studio event pics — from Wonder Woman 1984 to Godzilla vs. Kong to Black Widow — are fueling piracy because of their dual releases on streaming and in cinemas. The minute a movie hits a streaming service, pristinecopies are available on myriad sites. In normal times, there aren’t such good-quality options until a title has come to the end of its traditional theatrical run, but the COVID-19 crisis has shortened windows dramatically in a bid to grow streaming services. Following a long period of relative peace between exhibitors and studios, the National Association of Theatre Owners on July 18 blasted The Walt Disney Co. for compromising the fate of theatrical by disclosing that…

The Ice Swan (THOMAS NELSON, JULY 6) BY J’nell Ciesielski AGENCY Hartline Literary Agency A period romance for fans of Bridgerton, the story follows a former princess who flees the Russian Revolution to Paris, where she marries a Scottish surgeon out of convenience. Soon they both have to go on the run, bringing them closer together. The War for Gloria (KNOPF, SEPT. 7) BY Atticus Lish AGENCY ICM Partners A coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of a small Massachusetts town in the early 2000s centers on a teen boy who becomes the primary caretaker for his mother after she is diagnosed with ALS as well as his struggles with his estranged father.…

Real Estate Attention Netflix executives: Four penthouses, including the most expensive one currently on the market in Hollywood (2,658 square feet for $20,240 a month), have just come on the market at Jardine, a new 193-unit rental right on the streamer’s new campus in the neighborhood. Part of Kilroy Realty’s On Vine Project — where Netflix is taking over two buildings as well as occupying a 260-seat theater — Jardine features touchless elevators and a rooftop pool, plus studios starting at $2,800 a month. “If you are running late,” says Justin Alvaji, Jardine’s senior community manager, “you run out the door and you are already at work.”…

The Tokyo Games will almost surely bring NBC and its sibling cable networks their biggest primetime audiences in months. They’ll probably also fall well short of previous Games. How can both statements be true? The first is rooted in the TV history of the Games, and the second in the reality of viewer habits today. The Olympics have never failed to draw in large numbers of viewers — the four winter and summer Games from 2012 to 2018 averaged close to 25 million viewers across all platforms in primetime. The past two summer Olympics, London in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016, averaged 30.3 million and 27.5 million viewers, respectively. The Winter Olympics are usually a smaller draw, but 2014’s coverage drew 21.3 million people each night; the 2018…

Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso is an antidote. In a TV landscape dominated by darkness and irony, here is a series that follows its protagonist’s example, entering every room with the thematic equivalent of a carefully wrapped box of homemade biscuits. It’s sweet, hopeful and obstinately corny; no wonder the show struck a chord during a global pandemic. It’s easy to imagine how, with expectations raised by a heap of Emmy nominations, a second season of Ted Lasso might struggle to reproduce that magic. Maybe you can walk into a locker room with no understanding of the offsides rule and inspire a group of cynical pro athletes with folksy wisdom once, but what are the chances of doing it again? Good news: Through two-thirds of the comedy’s 12-episode encore season (eight…

While 1999’s The Sixth Sense is rightly regarded as the film that launched M. Night Shyamalan’s career — his latest, Old, opens July 23 — the India-born, Philadelphia-raised director had made two features before it. The first, 1992’s Praying With Anger, was an autobiographical film starring Shyamalan and shot while he was a student at NYU. His second outing was a step into the big leagues: On the strength of its script, Wide Awake drew a cast of big-name talent like Rosie O’Donnell, Denis Leary, Dana Delany and Robert Loggia (plus a young Julia Stiles in one of her first roles). The film, produced by Harvey and Bob Weinstein for Miramax, was made in 1995. Wide Awake did not follow the supernatural template (plus twist ending) that would become the…