Golden Globes Eve: Party Details, Red Carpet Preview; Wolff Interview; Inside TCA; Landgraf Talks; Peak TV Rises

The Weekender: The Golden Globes are upon us — and so are the parties. Plus: A chat with Trump target Michael Wolff, an inside look at Fox and FX's TCA days and a preview of what to expect on the red carpet on Sunday. — Ray Rahman [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( January 06, 2018 The Weekender: The Golden Globes are upon us — and so are the parties. Plus: A chat with Trump target Michael Wolff, an inside look at Fox and FX's TCA days and a preview of what to expect on the red carpet on Sunday. — Ray Rahman Globes Party Trail The get down: Yes, the Golden Globes aren't until tomorrow, but the parties have already begun. And while the mood may have changed this year, the stars still came out in full force. Chris Gardner emails: "Subdued" happened to be the popular word Thursday night in the penthouse at Chateau Marmont where W Magazine toasted the Golden Globes while celebrating its Best Performances issues. This always packed party usually shifts the awards week into high gear, but many stars and industry insiders were in a decidedly quieter mood. Why so? Could be the serious focus of the #MeToo and Time's Up initiatives or any number of Donald Trump's tweets that day. That's what everyone was talking about, anyway, well, those subjects, and all of the black gowns that will be showcase the strength of the movements on Sunday's red carpet. However, by Friday, the word du jour became "frenzied" as the party schedule filled up (despite CAA taking its annual Friday night party off the social calendar) with a heavy itinerary of A-list parties. Universal celebrated Get Out at Sunset Tower; A24 took over Craig's; Leonardo DiCaprio hosted a private dinner for Gary Oldman at Chateau Marmont, also where Steven Spielberg hosted a buffet for his film The Post; Moet's film festival kick-off party with Billie Lourd; and Mike and Irena Medavoy opened up their home for an Esquire bash. Expect the dizzying schedule to continue up until the big show with other parties today like the Spirit Awards nominees brunch at BOA, the BAFTA Tea at Four Seasons and ICM Partners party to celebrate Handmaid's Tale and clients Margaret Atwood and Bruce Miller. (Atwood already bowed out of the weekend, however.) Winning the weekend thus far has to be Brooklynn Prince, the 7-year-old Florida Project star who has had A-listers racing after her to compliment her performance. The best combo we've seen so far is Gal Gadot and Steven Spielberg with her, [seen here]( I [Full party guide]( I [Party photos]( I [Film predictions]( I [TV predictions](. ^How pigeonholing Oscar contenders affects the race: Pundits are quick to relegate awards hopefuls to specific slots, but that's not necessarily the way the Academy thinks, writes Gregg Kilday: The urge to neatly label films in the awards race might be ignored except for the fact that Oscar balloting is beginning and so all those labels that are being attached to films take on an even larger significance. The Post, one writer tweeted, is Steven Spielberg's "first overtly feminist film since The Color Purple." In The New Yorker, a critic declared Get Out "a giant leap forward in the history of black cinema." Accurate descriptions all. But too much of the punditry assumes the descriptive labels attached to individual titles inevitably relegate each to a specific, predetermined slot - the gay movie, the black picture, the feminist film. [Read more.]( In other film news... ► Weekend box office: Jumanji heads for the top spot, with a projected weekend total of $25 million. Meanwhile, newcomer Insidious 4 is in a close battle with The Last Jedi for No. 2, and Molly's Game goes nationwide with an estimated $5 million weekend take. [Full story.]( + U.K. box office: 2017 was the highest year on record. Much of it had to do with The Last Jedi, though local productions such as Dunkirk and Paddington 2 helped as well. [Report.]( ► Al Gore hits the Oscar trail: Unveiling a new spot for An Inconvenient Sequel, the former vice president has [filled]( his calendar with Q&As and receptions as Oscar nomination voting begins. ► Paul Haggis accused: Four women have come out [accusing]( the director (Crash) of sexual misconduct, including rape. Haggis, through an attorney, denied the rape allegations. The Wolff Interview Fire, Fury, Wolff: The THR columnist and author opens up to Seth Abramovitch about his new notoriety, that infamous Ailes-Bannon dinner party and the process of gaining unprecedented access to an administration in chaos. THR: So there was no long con here. You were just a neutral observer? Wolff: "Completely. I would have been perfectly happy to have written a contrarian book about how interesting and potentially hopeful and novel Trump-as-president was. I would have written a positive Trump book. And I thought it would be a fun thing to do — an audacious way to look at the world. But then I got in there and I thought, 'Oh my God.' Day after day it just seemed that this guy was more dysfunctional. It wasn't even me seeing that. It was listening to the people around him." What to you was the single most surprising thing about the president? "Almost every new thing you heard was astounding, from his John Dean obsession to the way he screamed at people to locking himself in his bedroom. Again and again and again and again it was something you thought, 'This is not how it is supposed to be.'" Who in his inner circle did you find to be most sympathetic? "Nobody knows who I've spoken to. I think it's obvious I spoke to Bannon because he's on the record a lot of the time. But it's not just Bannon. If not everyone, it's pretty close to everyone with minute-by-minute contact with [Trump] has contributed to this book." It seems many are saying Trump's hopeless behind his back. "One-hundred percent of them are saying that." [Full Q&A]( Inside TCA Critic's notebook: Fox and FX express no Disney nervousness as the TCA press tour begins. Are they telling the truth? Daniel Fienberg, president of TCA, writes: To hear Fox Television Group chairmen and CEOs Gary Newman and Dana Walden tell it, things are currently "business as usual." That was a phrase they uttered three times in their opening press conference Thursday, the same number of times they used the word "robust," which was applied to New Fox, the TV studio and future ad sales. For nearly 30 minutes, critics tried finding different ways to get Walden and Newman to break down and yell, "We don't know what the future will be, but it's dark and cold and we're scared." Instead, it was variations on Newman's "The truth is we don’t really know, but I will tell you that we remain super-committed to the network and studio" and Walden's acknowledgement, "Clearly, we will have decisions to make over time." Yet it's hard to imagine "business as usual" being the case. [Read more.]( FX at TCA: Friday saw the once-Fox, soon-Disney network take center stage, and a lot happened: ► Ryan Murphy touched on a number of topics, including hopes for [American Crime Story: Versace]( ("The first season was a court room boiler; the second season is a manhunt") and his newest drama [Pose](. "We're past an era of straight men playing these roles," he said of the series, which will boast a record number of transgender actors in regular roles. "It's time to think differently." ► John Landgraf also had plenty to say at his usual mayor-of-TV speech. The FX CEO once again pointed out Peak TV's relentless growth, announcing that 2017 found television hitting a record [487 scripted originals](. + He also [assured]( critics and reporters that "it's a good thing" FX and Disney are so different. "He seems to have really wanted FX to be part of the larger plans," Landgraf said of his conversation with Iger after the merger announcement. "We do something that's unique ... What we do doesn't currently exist within that company." + Landgraf also faced questions about Louis C.K.: "We didn't know," he [said](. "The only thing I'm aware of is a blind item in Gawker, which to me, that's not an actual news story." + FX news and notes: Kurt Sutter's Sons of Anarchy spinoff Mayans MC has been [given]( a 10-episode series order ... The second season of Atlanta will [return]( March 1 ... Trust, a series focused on the Getty family, [premieres]( March 25 ... The sixth and final season of The Americans [premieres]( March 28. In other TV news... ► David Letterman's Netflix talk show plans Obama as first guest. The 60-minute series, titled My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, will drop one episode a month, with the first one [launching]( Friday, Jan. 12. That episode will mark Barack Obama's first talk-show appearance since leaving the White House. + Additional guests announced include: George Clooney, Jay Z, Malala Yousafzai, Tina Fey and Howard Stern. ► Apple orders its first docuseries: And it's a real estate entry titled [Home](, an hourlong series that will examine the world's most extraordinary homes. (To give you a sense, one of the show's producers comes from Netflix's Chef's Table.) ► NBC, HFPA strike deal to live-stream the Golden Globes: This means that for the first time, cord-cutters will be able to [watch]( the ceremony live via services like DirectTV Now, Sling TV, YouTube TV, and Hulu. ► R.I.P., Billy Harbach. The two-time Emmy winner who served as the first producer of The Tonight Show passed away at the age of 98. [Full obit.]( In THR, Esq: CBS can't dodge $750 million defamation suit from JonBenet Ramsey's brother. Burke Ramsey, who says his reputation has been ruined after a CBS show's experts concluded he killed his sister, will see his $750 million defamation lawsuit proceed after a Michigan judge on Friday denied the network's motion to dismiss the matter. [Full story.]( The New Red Carpet Notes on a blackout: Tomorrow, Hollywood women will leverage the red carpet as a platform for protest — and some are wondering if this might change the red carpet forever. Booth Moore emails: Could this also be the beginning of a change in the economy of the red carpet — and the nearly two decade’s old practice of pay-for-play that has some stars and management teams pocketing six-figure fees from jewelry and fashion brands for the exposure? “Instead of stylists taking money from brands under the table for their clients to wear the goods, or celebs taking money over the table, people are asking for a sizable donation to the group,” a fashion publicist told me. As word spread of the Time’s Up movement this week, even designers who don’t pay talent to wear their clothing were feeling generous. Prabal Gurung, who is known for his feminist stance, and has dressed Gal Gadot, Tracee Ellis Ross and many more, announced he donated to Time’s Up. “When future generations look back on this watershed moment, I hope they will realize that fashion served a crucial role in conveying this powerful message - and that fashion is no longer just about beauty and glamour,” he said. + A short history of fashion's charged relationship with the color black. "Black is probably the most multi-faceted color of any other color in fashion," says Valerie Steele, curator and director of the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the author of The Black Dress. [Read more.]( + "I'm a rape survivor and I'm against Hollywood's all-black Golden Globes dress code." THR social media editor Sarah Gidick speaks out in a guest column: "I find 'solidarity' an interesting word choice when it comes to assault, because nothing is more isolating than being raped." [Read more.]( What else we're reading... — "How this year's Golden Globes red carpet became a political statement and why a boycott was rejected." Amy Kaufman writes: "Gathering at the homes of celebrities like Brie Larson, Eva Longoria and Sarah Jessica Parker over the past few months, Time’s Up members have been grappling with how to handle an awards season that falls in the midst of a cultural reckoning." [[L.A. Times](] — "The bright (and dark) side of Roger Deakins." Mekado Murphy's profile gets right to the point: "Would somebody give Roger Deakins an Oscar already? The cinematographer has been wowing us for decades with his vivid, evocative camerawork." [[The New York Times](] — "Does an awards show owe us anything?" Sean Fennessey writes: "This year’s Golden Globes could be a bellwether for the most unpredictable Oscar race in decades. Does how much we love a work of art matter to the outcome?" [[The Ringer](] — "What will happen when the red carpet is forced to get serious?" Megan Garber writes: "The red carpet - an ornament that has become, TV being what it is, an event - has been a setting of gender essentialism, performed and made pretty." [[The Atlantic](] — "Young black girls are going to rule the screen in 2018." Candice Frederick writes: "Between A Wrinkle in Time, Grown-ish, The Hate U Give and more, 2018 marks a welcome resurgence of leading roles for black teen girls." [[Daily Beast](] — "What the hell is Brie Larson doing is Basmati Blues?" Nate Jones explains "how an Oscar-winning actress wound up in a VOD rom-com about an American scientist in India." [[Vulture](] What else we're hearing... + "Jerry Seinfeld, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Jon Hamm." David Remnick assembles a murderer's row to discuss comedy. [[The New Yorker Radio Hour](] + "Film composer Jon Brion; TV critics press tour; political art show." John Horn covers a potpourri of cultural topics, including an interview with the man behind the Lady Bird score. [[The Frame / KPCC](] + "Is today's jazz finally outrunning the past?" Jon Caramanica brings on Giovanni Russonello and Natalie Weiner to discuss the genre. [[Popcast / New York Times](] Today's Birthdays: Hilaria {NAME}, 34, Kate McKinnon, 34, Eddie Redmayne, 36, Cristela Alonzo, 39, Julie Chen, 48, Norman Reedus, 49, A.R. Rahman, 51, Nigella Lawson, 58, Rowan Atkinson, 63. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2018 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( January 6, 2018