Brokaw Fights Back; Cosby Verdict Effect; MoviePass Halts Repeat Viewing; Hollywood's Pot Economy

The Weekender: Insight, lessons and stars from this year's CinemaCon. Plus: Tom Brokaw defends himself as he finds support from colleagues, Avengers: Infinity War brings in big numbers and a look at how the Bill Cosby trial could become a #MeToo test case. — Ray Rahman [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( April 28, 2018 The Weekender: Insight, lessons and stars from this year's CinemaCon. Plus: Tom Brokaw defends himself as he finds support from colleagues, Avengers: Infinity War brings in big numbers and a look at how the Bill Cosby trial could become a #MeToo test case. — Ray Rahman CinemaCon Takeaways CinemaCon has wrapped up in Las Vegas — but what actually mattered? Pamela McClintock, Mia Galuppo and Carolyn Giardina on their takeaways: Shifting studio sands: Disney chairman Alan Horn didn't address his company's acquisition of a huge swath of the 20th Century Fox empire, including the storied film studio. But two days later, in what felt like a poignant goodbye, Fox film chairman Stacey Snider choked up after pointing to Fox's illustrious past and commitment to taking risks on a wide variety of films — a clear reference to whether the merger will cut off a major source. Also in the spotlight: the new power structure at Warner Bros., Paramount and Sony earning high marks as the studios restore their glory and Universal's consistency. Dazzling fall films: Bradley Cooper's directorial outing A Star is Born (Oct. 5) was arguably the biggest hit of CinemaCon after an early look at the first trailer was shown to theater owners. Another musical-infused fall film, Bohemian Rhapsody (Nov. 2), with Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury of Queen, also impressed, as did First Man (Oct. 15), the Ryan Gosling-starring Neil Armstrong biopic from La La Land director Damien Chazelle. Stunts and surprises: The biggest applause this year — and only standing ovation — came when Cher performed ABBA's "Fernando" to promote her upcoming film, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! (July 20). There was also a loud burst of clapping when, during Sony's time on stage at the Colosseum, Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio came out to discuss Once Upon in Hollywood. [Full CinemaCon wrap.]( "I Was Ambushed" A fiery email: Embattled TV icon Tom Brokaw is responding to the accusations made against him, writes Marisa Guthrie: In an email obtained by THR and sent to a handful of NBC News colleagues, Brokaw penned a blistering rebuttal to accusations that he subjected an underling to unwanted advances in the 1990s. In the note, he strenuously denies the detailed account of Linda Vester: "It is 4:00 am on the first day of my new life as an accused predator in the universe of American journalism. I was ambushed and then perp walked across the pages of The Washington Post and Variety as an avatar of male misogyny, taken to the guillotine and stripped of any honor and achievement I had earned in more than a half century of journalism and citizenship." [Full email.]( Andy Lack's email to staff: "As you have all seen now in reports from last night, there are allegations against Tom Brokaw, made by a former NBC News journalist, which Tom emphatically denies," the NBC News chairman wrote to staff. [The email.]( Brokaw finds support from Rachel Maddow, Andrea Mitchell and more: A cadre of female journalists including Maddow, Mitchell and Maria Shriver have signed a letter characterizing the veteran journalist as "a man of tremendous decency and integrity." In the letter, current and former colleagues of the NBC News special correspondent write that "Tom has treated each of us with fairness and respect. He has given each of us opportunities for advancement and championed our successes throughout our careers. ... We know him to be a man of tremendous decency and integrity." [The letter.]( What's next in the Cosby saga... Bill Cosby's appeal could become a #MeToo test case: The comedian's appeal will likely focus on whether his constitutional rights were violated and whether he got a fair trial. The outcome won't just impact Cosby; it could shape the future trials of others in the #MeToo era.. [Read more.]( How Cosby's conviction could change defense tactics. The trial could very well impact defense strategies of others accused of assault and harassment and provide some insight into how changing cultural perspectives are affecting the courtroom. "Certainly Harvey Weinstein would have to take a long hard look at this," says one prominent criminal defense attorney. [Full story.]( In other TV news... ► Jeff Bewkes' pay rise: The Time Warner chairman and CEO's compensation [rose]( to $48.99 million in 2017, compared with $32.6 million in 2016 and $31.5 million in 2015. ► DirecTV can't escape the government lawsuit: DC federal judge Richard Leon has [decided]( that DirecTV, a subsidiary of AT&T, should remain in the Time Warner merger case as a co-defendant. ► AMC Networks buys majority stake in comedy venue operator: The [acquisition]( of Levity Live, whose brands include The Improv, fits into the company's focus on diversifying its revenue sources and expanding beyond traditional linear TV. ► R.I.P., Paul Junger Witt: Witt, who produced such classic TV shows as The Partridge Family, Soap and The Golden Girls, [passed away]( Friday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 77. 'Infinity War' Receipts Record-breaking opening? Close but not quite so far, but the movie is headed for a massive U.S. bow: Disney and Marvel's latest Avengers movie is on course for a domestic debut of $225 million-$235 million, the second-best showing of all time behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($248 million), according to early returns. Friday's gross alone will come in at $100 million-$107 million, making Infinity War only the third film in history to clear $100 million in a single day behind Force Awakens ($119.2 million) and Star Wars: The Last Jedi ($104.7 million). Infinity War has an A CinemaScore from audiences. [Read more.]( + Black Panther also rises: The movie has moved up the chart from No. 8 to No. 5 in its ninth weekend. [Full story.]( In other film news... ► MoviePass halts repeat viewing: Just in time for Avengers: Infinity War, users of the subscription service woke up Friday to see a new wrinkle in the MoviePass terms of service, written in all capital letters: “THE SERVICE PROHIBITS REPEAT VIEWINGS OF THE SAME MOVIE.” [Details.]( ► Mexico's Cinepolis heads to Saudi Arabia: The world's fourth largest exhibitor has [announced]( plans to crack Saudi Arabia's untapped and potentially highly lucrative cinema market. ► Michelle Pfeiffer joins Angelina Jolie in Maleficent sequel: She will [play]( a queen in the Disney film centering on the Sleeping Beauty antagonist. ► Guillermo del Toro's new horror project: The Oscar winner has co-written and will [produce]( Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, a movie that Entertainment One and CBS Films will co-finance. Andre Ovredal is directing the project, based on Alvin Schwartz’s internationally best-selling book series. ► Annabelle: Creation sequel in the works: Gary Dauberman, the writer behind the Annabelle movies, will make his directorial [debut]( with an untitled project that'll serve as the newest installment of New Line’s horror franchise, based on a devil doll from The Conjuring cinematic universe. ► Kathy Bates, Eva Green and Ed Skrein join a sci-fi thriller: The trio are set to [star]( in A Patriot, an indie with Dan Pringle attached to direct. How Hollywood Does Cannabis THR’s guide to pot in Los Angeles reveals a smoking-hot (and high-end) market: "The normalization happened more quickly than expected." Booth Moore writes: Four months after recreational marijuana became available in California, new products and experiences offering a high-end high are blooming, and in some corners, cannabis is becoming as much a part of the L.A. lifestyle as juice cleanses and hiking Runyon. You can work it out at Higher Self Yoga, where vape pens are distributed at the beginning of class to help "ease into the sacred"; treat yourself to a Canna-cure pedicure at Bellacures; score an $889, one-of-a-kind, hand- carved Argentinian blue onyx pipe from pot lifestyle boutique Mister Green; then hit Alfred Tea & Coffee for a CBD-infused peach ginger iced matcha. "The theanine in the tea works in harmony with CBD to produce a super-zen like feeling," says Jordan G. Hardin, food and beverage director of the Kardashian- and Jenner-loved chain. [Read more.]( This week's social media rankings: Mike Huckabee and Joanna Gaines top [TV personalities list](, D.L. Hughley tops [comedians list]( and Verne Troyer tops [actors list](, What else we're reading... — "Inside Facebook's content clean-up operation." Hannah Kuchler writes: "If it is Tuesday at 9am, it must be time to discuss uncovered nipples, dehumanising speech and visible innards." [[Financial Times](] — "Cable TV's cord-cutting woes grow, highlighting divergence with Netflix." Shalini Ramachandran writes: "The upheaval in the pay-TV economy is stark." [[Wall Street Journal](] — "Will Choose Your Own Adventure work on the big screen?" Stuart Heritage writes: "It wouldn’t be the first time that something like this had been attempted." [[The Guardian](] — "Bob Dylan's latest gig: Making whiskey." Ben Sisario writes: "Dylan is not simply licensing his name. He is a full partner in the business." [[New York Times](] — "David Duchovny's truth is out there, between covers." Maureen Dowd's latest celebrity hang. [[New York Times](] Today's Birthdays: Jessica Alba, 37, Drew and Jonathan Scott, 40, Penelope Cruz, 45, Kim Gordon, 65, Jay Leno, 68 Ann-Margret, 77. 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. 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