'Kill Bill' Stunt Coordinator Speaks; Amazon Studios' New Boss; Early Olympic Ratings; Hollywood Powder Players

The Weekender: Hollywood prepares for its own winter games. Plus: Amazon Studios finds its new chief, the Kill Bill stunt coordinator breaks his silence, intriguing trends from Fashion Week and a review of the Pyeongchang Opening Ceremony. — Ray Rahman [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( February 10, 2018 The Weekender: Hollywood prepares for its own winter games. Plus: Amazon Studios finds its new chief, the Kill Bill stunt coordinator breaks his silence, intriguing trends from Fashion Week and a review of the Pyeongchang Opening Ceremony. — Ray Rahman Hollywood's Powder Players Weekend read: Where does Hollywood go when it wants to hit the slopes? Elycia Rubin writes: Fresh snowfall in the Rockies is expected to lure insiders eager for a winter wonderland adventure straight to higher elevations over the upcoming holiday (President’s Day is Feb. 19). Fortunately, the nation’s industry-frequented mountain resorts are raring to go with thrilling terrain, posh accommodations, and roaring après / culinary scenes, all an easy direct flight away from L.A. VAIL Who goes: David Letterman, Michelle Obama, John Wells, Clint Eastwood, Lindsey Vonn, Taylor Swift. Why: With more than 5,200 flawlessly groomed acres, including seven grandiose Back Bowls and the Blue Sky Basin, and tips up after just a two hour flight to Eagle County Regional Airport, EGE, (and average 30 minutes into Vail Village via Colorado Mountain Express), discriminating powder hounds continue to bow down to this regal resort destination. ASPEN Who goes: Rihanna, Elton John, David Geffen, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Chastain, Jack Nicholson Why: What once was a silver mining town still reigns as the playground for the rich and famous. While the quaint streets are decked with swanky boutiques and buzzy restaurants helmed by revered chefs, Aspen boasts a variety of grand mountain ranges guaranteed to satiate everyone from beginners to hardcore thrill seekers (Ajax, Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass are a few of the choice runs). The atmosphere may come off more mighty mogul than mountain mama, but it’s a town filled with depth thanks to its indigenous delights and inspiring cultural scene; Food & Wine hosts their annual culinary festival in June and The Downtown Aspen Art Festival is held in July. [Read more.]( Opening Ceremony Game on: Peace and harmony, nature and technology were signature themes of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, built on elegant pageantry and a unifying political message. David Rooney reviews: When it came to NBC's commentary, there were few if any major clunkers among Mike Tirico and Katie Couic's banter, and in the artistic sequences, the co-hosts had done their homework, providing useful context for some of the more perplexing vignettes. Most notably, NBC did not shy away from the political angle. [Full review.]( + Early ratings: Pyeongchang down from Sochi. But not by too much: Per Nielsen's overnight [returns](, coverage averaged a 16.9 rating among metered market households — a drop of only 9 percent from for years ago. 2014's Sochi, for comparison's sake, took a 18.5 rating by the same measure. + Fox News ended up [removing]( that controversial "darker, gayer" Olympics column that caused so much uproar in the run-up to the Games. ^Loony toon: Showtime's animated comedy Our Cartoon President debuts tomorrow. But is it any good? Daniel Fienberg writes: With a dozen nightly and weekly comedy shows focusing on current events, the presidency of Donald Trump has turned into a weekly arms race. How do you make your jokes different from the jokes all of the other guys are making? With Our Cartoon President, Stephen Colbert and his cohorts have determined that the only way to win this game is not to play. The result is a fuzzy and facile animated sitcom composed of reductive, occasionally lightly amusing, characterizations of the Trump White House. [Full review.]( In other TV news... ► Jennifer Salke lands top Amazon Studios job: The wait to find Roy Price's replacement is over. Salke is [jumping]( from NBC, where she serves as president of entertainment, to the top job at streaming giant Amazon Studios. The appointment, of course, fills one of the industry's most high-profile posts, which has been vacant since Price's ignominious resignation in October amid sexual harassment claims. + Why she got the job: Salke is a gregarious Hollywood insider, who comes with strong creative relationships and perspective, as evidenced by a roster that has included scripted mega-hits (This Is Us, Glee) and the support of several top TV agents throughout the process. The other top contender, New York-based A+E chairman and CEO Nancy Dubuc, paled in both her scripted experience and rolodex. + Who will replace Salke at NBC? Sources say a successor, to report to NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, will be named by the end of next week. [See who's in the running.]( ► Facebook orders Elizabeth Olsen series: The social media platform is beefing up its original content strategy with a half-hour dramedy, created by Kit Steinkellner (Z: The Beginning of Everything) and to be run by Lizzy Weiss (Switched at Birth). The series has been given a 10-episode [order](. ► Logan Paul is at it again: YouTube has [suspended]( all advertising from social media star's videos just four days after he returned from his suicide-video exile. This time, he tasered a rat and encouraged his audience to eat Tide Pods. ► More Daniel Tosh: Comedy Central has [signed]( the comedian for three more seasons of Tosh.0, meaning he'll be on the network until at least 2020. the show's tenth season returns in March. ► House of Cards actor Reg E. Cathey dies at 59. Cathey, an Emmy winner who also starred in HBO's Oz and The Wire, has [passed away](. David Simon reported the news on Twitter. 'Kill Bill' Fallout Set secrets: Keith Adams, the stunt coordinator on the Kill Bill movies, breaks his silence on a disturbing recent allegation made by Uma Thurman regarding a crash during production that left her injured. Jonathan Handel writes: Adams tells THR that he and his entire department were kept off set the day Thurman was allegedly pressured by director Quentin Tarantino to drive a rattrap convertible down a curved, sandy Mexican road at 40 mph, resulting in a crash that gave her a concussion, damaged her knees and could have caused worse injuries. "No stunts of any kind were scheduled for the day of [Uma] Thurman's accident," says Adams. "All of the stunt department was put on hold and no one from the stunt department was called to set. At no point was I notified or consulted about Ms. Thurman driving a car on camera that day." "Had I been involved," Adams continues, "I would have insisted not only on putting a professional driver behind the wheel but also insuring that the car itself was road-worthy and safe." [Read more.]( ^Bad news: Blade Runner 2049 producer Alcon Entertainment has been hit by layoffs. Gregg Kilday writes: Alcon Entertainment, having been hit with significant losses due to the muted box-office performance of Blade Runner 2049, said Friday that it is instituting a round of layoffs. The company did not reveal how many employees will be affected. Alcon characterized the move as a modest streamlining and consolidation of its operations to become more efficient. Alcon, along with Sony Pictures, produced last year’s Blade Runner 2049, Alcon’s first big franchise movie. Costing $155 million to produce after rebates and tax incentives, the futuristic sequel, which was released domestically by Warner Bros., went on to gross $260 million worldwide, and initial estimates were that it would result in a loss of about $80 million. Since Alcon shared some of those losses with Sony, it may have actually experienced a bigger loss on its recent comedy Father Figures. It fully financed the $25 million movie and also ponied up for P&A, but the film, released by Warners in December, has collected just $22.7 million worldwide. [Read more.]( In other film news... ► Weekend box office: Fifty Shades Freed [sizzled]( on Friday, earning $17.5 million on its way to a $38M+ debut. Meanwhile, Peter Rabbit is on track for $20 million or more, while Clint Eastwood's 15:17 to Paris is looking to come in down in the $11 million range. ► Elisabeth Moss will play a Kennedy: One of TV's best actors is moving to the big screen to [star]( in A Letter From Rosemary Kennedy, a biopic about John F. Kennedy's troubled older sister, who was kept from public view, institutionalized and, at 23, was one of the first people to receive a prefontal lobotomy. ► King Timothée Chalamet: The Call Me By Your Name/Lady Bird breakout will [play]( a young Henry V in The King, a drama from director David Michod and co-writer Joel Edgerton. Unfortunately, it does not sound like he'll be getting a Falstaff. ► Jake Gyllenhaal, Ansel Elgort and Zendaya, all in one movie: The A-list trio is [assembling]( for Finest Kind, a Boston-based crime drama from Mystic River scribe Brian Helgeland. (Gyllenhaal in particular seems to be becoming a Bay State favorite: He recently portrayed a Boston Marathon bombing survivor in 2017's Stronger.) ► There's a Gucci Mane biopic in the works. Paramount Pictures and Imagine Entertainment (which produces Empire and was behind the Eminem movie 8 Mile) are teaming up to [adapt]( the rapper's book The Autobiography of Gucci Mane into a feature film. Mane isn't a stranger to the film world: He appeared alongside James Franco in 2012's Spring Breakers. ► New Yorker survivor story optioned by Imperative Entertainment. The company is [developing]( a survival drama based on the newly published New Yorker feature "The White Darkness," in which reporter David Grann chronicles British explorer Henry Worsley’s 2015 attempt to re-create his hero Ernest Shackleton’s infamous odyssey across Antarctica. ► R.I.P., John Gavin. The movie heartthrob who starred in Imitation of Life, Psycho and Thoroughly Modern Millie — and came close to playing James Bond — [passed away]( at the age of 86. Roxanne Gay Talks Time's Up Q&A: Culture critic and Twitter phenomenon Roxanne Gay, who'll speak about her memoir Hunger at the Hammer Museum Feb. 12, talks to Rebecca Sun about Hollywood, Time's Up and women's stories: THR: With #MeToo and the Time’s Up movement, is this an unprecedented moment? Will we go back? ROXANNE GAY: That’s a good question. We don’t know yet. Women are just fucking fed up, while also living in the real world and recognizing that there are consequences to coming forward. But some very brave women and men have come forward to talk about these men that are behaving badly, from James Toback to Kevin Spacey. We’re seeing very real consequences to these men’s careers. We also need to see it outside of the glamorous industries. It’s easier to talk about it in Hollywood, where these people are known quantities, and it’s easier to feel outrage because you know them. People working in insurance companies and people who are cleaning hotel rooms, and people who are working in factories who are dealing with sexual harassment and violence every single day. Until those women are supported enough to come forward, we have a lot of work to do. [Read more.]( Fashion Week Pret-a-Reporter: Fashion Week is currently underway in New York, and, as always, there's lots to observe, on the runway and off. Booth Moore dashes off a quick note from Manhattan: The Trumpian ‘80s are back in all their glitz n’ glory. Tom Ford is the new Giorgio of Beverly Hills. Raf Simons had the audacity to reference America’s opioid crisis in what was actually a very dope men’s show. And Juicy Couture has remade the iconic tracksuit in sequins for next gen stars like Ashley Benson (sorry, Paris Hilton). These are a few of the takeaways from the fall 2018 collections being presented through Feb. 14 at New York Fashion Week, where Cardi B, Armie Hammer, Selma Hayek, Priyanka Chopra and Whoopi Goldberg, and Julianne Moore have been spotted in the seats, and berets and dad sneakers are all over the sidewalks. Still to come? Red carpet favorite Carolina Herrera will stage her swan song Feb. 12 at the Museum of Modern Art before stepping away to make way for Wes Gordon as the new head designer at her namesake brand, Simons’ buzzy Calvin Klein show on Feb. 13 will draw plenty of stars, and Michael Kors will present a love letter to the American theater at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater on Feb. 14 before master showman Marc Jacobs wraps up the week that night. + The Front Row: See which stars at whose shows, from Justin Theroux Sienna Miller. [Gallery.]( ^Dad shoes: That's right — ugly sneakers are fashion's latest hot trend. Non-dad Vincent Boucher tests them out for a weekend: Friday night, I met my millennial-age niece who was visiting Manhattan for the weekend and staying with a friend from college who’s a videographer for Thrillist. They weren’t that impressed at first but eventually allowed that the shoes looked cool. My niece then added they reminded her of Shape-Ups, the late, lamented walking shoes for women that made any teenager in the vicinity of Mom roll her eyes. Not exactly the response I was looking for. The next day I wanted to see how some real dads might react to my borrowed footwear, so I headed up to the Museum of Natural History. First, it’s a kid magnet, and second, it’s on the Upper West Side, which is about as close to suburbia as Manhattan gets. Well there were dads everywhere. And they were all wearing sneakers. Nikes. Vans. Adidas. There was such a fantastical variety that, try as I might, nobody paid my feet much notice. I did wonder though if, someday, leather shoes would become extinct like some of the animal species on display. [Read more.]( + From Gucci to Prada, ugly sneakers may cost you a pretty penny. [See the gallery.]( ^Necking: Turtlenecks are sexy again, Sam Reed writes: Turtlenecks, rather unfairly in my opinion, tend to get a bad rap. (We have this iconic photo of the Rock in a turtleneck and fanny pack to blame for that.) But thankfully, two cool girl-approved labels, Cinq a Sept and Ulla Johnson, are making turtlenecks sexy again. At Cinq a Sept’s fall 2018 presentation, designer Jane Siskin styled the very practical staple under a silky lavender slip dress which was styled with a matchy-matchy cropped coat. Your mother’s sporty-chic ski look, this was not. Meanwhile, Ulla Johnson’s more bohemian take on the turtleneck is, according to show notes, just one example of the designer's exploration of power and sexuality "in a time of political and social upheaval." [Read more.]( What else we're reading... — "Black Panther brings hope, hype and pride." Salamishah Tillet writes: "For African-American viewers around the country, the Marvel movie represents an overdue communal moment." [[New York Times](] — "They're Disneyland superfans. Why a lawsuit is alleging gangster-like tactics against one social club." Hugo Martin writes: "The lawsuit reads like mob movie set in a theme park. The plot revolves around the Main Street Fire Station 55 Social Club, whose leaders claim they have been bullied and terrorized by the head of the White Rabbits Social Club." [[L.A. Times](] — "Why do Star Wars fans want the new Han Solo movie to flop?" Chris Lee writes: "Increasingly, Star Wars fans are known to rain down righteous scorn whenever confronted by a perceived affront to their cherished IP." [[Vulture](] — "Vice's Action Bronson problem." Jordan Sargent writes: "Vice has turned the rapper Action Bronson into a television star, but over a dozen sources at the company say his disruptive presence and rude behavior is everything they're seeking to eradicate from the company." [[Spin](] — "'Vindicated': The return of Dashboard Confessional." Hannah Giorgis talks to Chris Carrabba about the band's first album in eight years." [[The Ringer](] What else we're hearing... + "Remembering John Mahoney." The program resurfaces a 1990 interview with the late Frasier star. [[Fresh Air / NPR](] + "Have we reached Star Wars fatigue?" The question many are asking. [[Mothership / USA Today](] Today's Birthdays: Yara Shahidi, 18, Chloe Grace Moretz, 21, Emma Roberts, 27, Uzo Aduba, 37, Elizabeth Banks, 44, Laura Dern, 51, Vince Gilligan, 51, Alexander Payne, 57, George Stephanopoulos, 57, Jim Cramer, 63, Bob Iger, 67, Michael Apted, 77. Follow The News Is this email not displaying correctly? 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