Death of a Hollywood Studio; CBS' Moonves Investigators; Fox News to Supreme Court; Ocasio-Cortez's L.A. Visit

What's news: CBS hires two law firms to investigate allegations against CEO Leslie Moonves. Plus: Disney's kid-friendly box office challenger, Annapurna's Fox News movie staffs up and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez makes her first trip to Los Angeles. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( August 02, 2018 What's news: CBS hires two law firms to investigate allegations against CEO Leslie Moonves. Plus: Disney's kid-friendly box office challenger, Annapurna's Fox News movie staffs up and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez makes her first trip to Los Angeles. — Will Robinson ^Remembering Fox: In the aftermath of its July 27 sale to Disney, film historian and author Leonard Maltin eulogizes Fox, recalling its wild early days, a predatory mogul, firings and backstabbings, and along the way, movies from Cleopatra to Titanic (and movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Temple) that impacted the world: + Born of nepotism: 20th Century Pictures was financed, in 1933, by the top brass of MGM — president Nicholas Schenck and studio chief Louis B. Mayer (who was looking for a studio job for his aspiring producer son-in-law, William Goetz, just not at MGM) — with no idea how their little side project would soon grow into a formidable rival. Within a year, 20th Century earned its first Oscar nomination, for best picture for The House of Rothschild, headlined by former Warners star George Arliss. + Zanuck's recklessness: Production head Darryl F. Zanuck always had someone waiting in reserve in case one of his stars became uncooperative. Betty Grable was hired as a threat to musical star Faye and soon surpassed her as Fox's premier attraction (and No. 1 pinup) of the 1940s. Faye grew tired of Zanuck's belittling behavior and walked off the lot one day without saying goodbye. + Future of the fanfare: Alfred Newman composed the world-famous piece for 20th Century Pictures in 1934. That emblematic theme is still heard at the beginning of nearly every Fox movie. Will that tradition continue under Disney's ownership? Will that fanfare survive the merger? If it doesn't, it will truly be the end of an era. [Full story.]( + Scandal and stardom: Gregg Kilday and Benjamin Svetkey [detail]( 83 years of ups, downs and superstars for the studio. + Fox Searchlight's Oscars machine: From The Full Monty to The Shape of Water, the studio's specialty division [fended off]( rivals by following three basic rules, recalls Sony Pictures chairman Tom Rothman, who launched it in 1994. Investigation's First Steps CBS hires law firms: The corporation hired two law firms and formed a "Special Committee" on its board to investigate the sexual misconduct allegations levied against CEO Leslies Moonves, Katie Kilkenny reports: + Lawyered up: The CBS Board of Directors said that it had retained Covington & Burling and Debevoise & Plimpton to conduct investigations into Moonves following the New Yorker report that detailed allegations from six women, as well as the culture of CBS News and CBS at large. + Board shuffling: The board also announced that it had formed a "Special Committee," consisting of Bruce S. Gordon, Linda Griego and Robert N. Klieger, to help the investigators in their efforts. Moonves is recused from the inquiry. In addition, the board announced that has decided to name Bruce S. Gordon Lead Independent Director of the Board of Directors. [Full story.]( + Moonves disappears at USC: USC on Wednesday [announced]( that the CBS CEO has been suspended from the board of its School of Cinematic Arts in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations made against Moonves. USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism is also temporarily removing the name of its student newsroom, which was been called the Julie Chen/Leslie Moonves CBS Media Center since it opened in 2015. + Moonves departs board of Anita Hill-led anti-sexual harassment group. In the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct, Moonves has decided to [recuse]( himself from his role as a commissioner to Hill's Commission on Eliminating Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace. + Time's Up demands "transparent" investigation. "Six women have courageously shared their stories and accused CBS Les Moonves of sexual harassment and assault," the tweet [read](. "We believe you. We are with you. CBS, We are watching. We expect a full, transparent and expedient investigation. Now. #TIMESUP." + 60 Minutes shake-up?: Brian Stelter reports from inside the newsroom: "The accusations of misconduct came as no surprise to 60 Minutes veterans, who had long suspected that stories might be coming. Now CBS staffers are openly wondering if [executive producer Jeff] Fager will be replaced -- a smaller-scale version of the speculation that has enveloped CBS CEO Les Moonves in the wake of Farrow's story. Multiple staffers told CNN that they don't see how Fager can remain in the job." [[CNN](] Elsewhere in TV... ► Fox News facing potential blockbuster Supreme Court case. Media monitoring service TVEyes [indicated]( in an application to the high court that it would indeed be petitioning for review of a recent appellate loss to Fox News, which sued TVEyes five years ago, accusing the service of making "verbatim reproduction" of the cable news network's programming, Eriq Gardner reports. ► Norman Lear to go obscure with new Sony TV pact. The legendary TV producer [asserted]( he would avoid remaking his big hits. "I'm not about to reimagine Good Times or The Jeffersons," Lear tells THR. While he and producing partner Brent Miller say they have yet to formally pitch Sony on anything, the plan is to mine lesser-known titles from Lear's career. ► Warner Bros. developing ALF reboot. A reboot of the 1980s sitcom, [starring]( the friendly alien ALF (Alien Life Form) who lands in the home of a middle-class family, would reportedly focus on ALF returning to Earth, with a new family and characters. Original writers Tom Patchett and Paul Fusco are attached, sources tell THR. ► Netflix orders prequel series to Indian epic. The streaming giant has [ordered]( two seasons of Baahubali: Before the Beginning, a prequel to the blockbuster movie franchise Baahubali. Netflix is partnering with Arka Media Works and director S.S. Rajamouli, who helmed both 2015's Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, released in 2017. Deva Katta and Praveen Sattaru will together direct the series. ► AMC Networks earnings miss estimates. The cabler [reported]( lower-than-expected adjusted earnings of $113 million for the second quarter, or adjusted earnings per share of $1.93, compared with $126 million in the year-ago period, or $1.88 a share. U.S. advertising revenue rose 0.6 percent to $247 million, following an 8.8 percent decline in the first quarter. ► James Andrew Miller's Origins podcast tackling SNL, Sex and the City. The pop culture, sports and business podcast [hosted]( by best-selling author Miller is going behind the scenes of the new season of SNL and the beginnings of Sex and the City on the HBO show's 20th anniversary. The new run debuts Aug. 8. [Quoted:]( “The fact that we are dealing with a situation so intense in our current political climate — it felt almost dangerous, to me. So I decided I was going to embrace that and use it for this character." — Laura Gomez, on her Orange Is the New Black storyline. ^Google eyes China. The internet giant is [developing]( a version of its search engine for the Middle Kingdom that would censor material the Chinese government deems sensitive, which would end its eight-year boycott, Bloomberg reports. ► Hulu picks up Aidy Bryant-led comedy to series. Hulu has [handed out]( a six-episode series order for Shrill, a comedy starring the Saturday Night Live favorite. The project, based on blogger Lindy West's memoir of the same name, counts Elizabeth Banks and Lorne Michaels among its executive producers. ► Hulu's Less Than Zero pilot fills out cast. The Fox 21 production [has cast]( five young actors in regular roles: Lily Donoghue (The Goldbergs); Cooper Koch; Keenan Jolliff (The Americans); Ronen Rubinstein (Freeform's Dead of Summer); and James Bloor (Dunkirk). They join star Austin Abrams, who's playing the lead role in the show based on Bret Easton Ellis' novel and the 1987 movie. ► Supergirl taps Brent Spiner to recur. The former Star Trek: The Next Generation star will [appear]( as U.S. Vice President Baker on season four of The CW's superhero series. Supergirl's new season premieres Sunday, Oct. 14. ► NBC's I Feel Bad ups Brian George, Madhur Jaffrey. The first-year comedy has [made]( George and Jaffrey series regulars, Rick Porter reports. The duo plays the parents of the lead character, Emet (Sarayu Blue). The series premieres Thursday, Oct. 4. ► Spotify removes episodes of Alex Jones podcast over "hate content." The music streamer has [removed]( specific episodes of The Alex Jones Show after online complaints about the right-wing personality's comments. Several technology companies, including Facebook and YouTube, have come under fire in recent months over their willingness to continue to host his content, but have recently removed specific posts. ► National Comedy Center opens in Lucille Ball's hometown. The $50 million center, in Jamestown, New York, [features]( a mix of interactive exhibits, a hologram theater and comedy artifacts such as the late George Carlin's archives. Epix Network chief opens L.A. bar. On July 20 in Montrose, local bar Avignone's held a grand [reopening]( after a renovation with Epix president Michael Wright and screenwriter Jason Filardi serving as the new owners. Pooh's Return Disney challenges MI:6: The late-summer family film Christopher Robin — inspired by the classic children's tale Winnie-the-Pooh — is expected to make the most honey among the new releases unfurling at the weekend box office, Pamela McClintock reports: + Challenging Cruise: The Ewan McGregor-starrer targets a domestic debut in the high $20 million-$30 million range. Christopher Robin's biggest competition will be Paramount holdover Mission: Impossible — Fallout, which debuted to a strong $61.2 million last weekend. If the Tom Cruise movie falls 50 percent or less in its sophomore outing, it could best Christopher Robin. + Other contenders: Lionsgate and Imagine's The Spy Who Dumped Me, the R-rated action-comedy starring Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, is pacing to open in the low- to-mid teens... Fox enters the fray with YA film adaptation The Darkest Minds directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson (Kung Fu Panda 2 and 3)... Death of a Nation opens from controversial conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza, who was pardoned earlier this year by President Trump after pleading guilty to violating campaign finance laws. [Full report.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie join Fox News pic. Kidman is [in talks]( to play former Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson in Annapurna's untitled movie about the women of Fox News, joining Charlize Theron, who is attached to star as Megyn Kelly. Robbie [will play]( an associate producer of the network. Annapurna is financing and producing the project that was written by The Big Short scribe Charles Randolph and will be directed by Jay Roach. ► Glen Powell joining Top Gun sequel. The actor, who stars in Netlix’s Set It Up, was [in contention]( for — and lost — the part of Goose’s son, which will be played by Miles Teller. Joseph Kosinski, who directed Cruise in the sci-fi thriller Oblivion, is directing the long-in-the-works sequel. ► Andy Serkis directing Netflix's Animal Farm. The George Orwell adaptation will be [produced]( by The Imaginarium, the London-based performance-capture studio headed by Serkis and producer Jonathan Cavendish; and 6th &Idaho, steered by director Matt Reeves. The streamer recently acquired Serkis' feature directorial debut Mowgli from Warner Bros. ► Christopher Nolan's 2001 restoration books Imax run. Four Imax cinemas will [carry]( Nolan's 70mm restoration for a one-week exclusive engagement starting Aug. 24 in Burbank, New York City, San Francisco and Toronto. More than 350 other Imax locations will show a 4K restoration to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Stanley Kubrick's film. ► Doctor Sleep eyes Westworld star. Zahn McClarnon is in talks to [join]( Ewan McGregor in Doctor Sleep. The film is an adaptation to Stephen King's 2013 The Shining sequel, and will be directed by Gerald's Game filmmaker Mike Flanagan. Warner Bros. is releasing the film on Jan. 24, 2020. ► Jessica Chastain starring, producing action film. The Molly's Game actress is set to [lead up]( Eve, a forthcoming action film from Voltage Pictures and Chastain's banner Freckle Films. Matthew Newton (Who We Are Now) has written the script and will direct the pic described as a character study. ► Warner Bros. developing animated Super Pets pic. The DC property, which revolves around DC's finest animal heroes, is [in the works](, set to be written by Jared Stern and John Whittington, who worked together on the The Lego Batman Movie and The Lego Ninjago Movie. Stern will be directing. ► MoviePass pays off debt, stock still dire. Parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics repaid the $5 million it borrowed this week, but its stock is still struggling, [hitting]( 26 cents on Wednesday. With the stock sinking some 98 percent in a couple of weeks' time and trading right back to where it was, under a buck a share, despite the reverse split, it remains to be seen how much of the targeted $1.2 billion Helios and Matheson can possibly raise. [Quoted:]( "We were all talking and at one point Walter [Matthau] stops the conversation, turns to President Ford and says, 'There's a question I've always wanted to ask you.' Ford said, 'Of course, Walter, what is it?' And Walter says, 'Can you pass the cookies?'" — Sherry Lansing, former Fox president of production, on standout memory from Fox's legendary commissary. ^Netflix dates Quincy Jones doc. Quincy will [stream]( starting Sept. 21 on the platform. The film, which also will have a limited theatrical release, is directed by Rashida Jones, the actress and writer who is also Jones' daughter, and Alan Hicks, the director of Keep On Keepin' On, which focused on jazz musician Clark Terry. ► J.J. Abrams begins Star Wars IX production with Carrie Fisher tribute. The filmmaker [penned]( a message honoring the late Fisher, and shared the first photo from the Star Wars set Wednesday. "Bittersweet starting this next chapter without Carrie, but thanks to an extraordinary cast and crew, we are ready to go," he tweeted. ► CAA China acquires Momentum Sports. The China-based marketing and representation company will be [merged]( into the media and entertainment platform formed by the Hollywood agency. ► Toronto adds Xavier Dolan's latest. The Death and Life of John F. Donovan will [receive]( a world premiere in Toronto after it bypassed Cannes. Set in the early 2000s, Dolan's seventh film centers on an American TV star, played by Kit Harington, and his correspondence with a young actor-to-be (Jacob Tremblay) living with his mother (Natalie Portman) in England. ► Paramount's Dora the Explorer adds Madeleine Madden. The actress will play Dora's friend, whom she [meets]( in high school. Isabela Moner is starring as Dora, with the movie version updating the character into a teenager. The Muppets director James Bobin is helming and co-writing the feature. He is sharing scripting duties with Neighbors filmmaker Nick Stoller and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel. ► Rom-com Welcome to Pine Grove! adds five. Ann-Margret, Jane Curtin, Loretta Devine, Christopher Lloyd and Elizabeth Mitchell [all join]( Ellen Burstyn and James Caan in the indie to be directed by Michael Lembeck and based on a screenplay by Donald Martin. The film is described as Mean Girls meets Golden Girls. ► Tonya Lewis Lee nabs YA novel from former Spotlight team reporter. Lee and her ToniK Prods. partner Nikki Silver have [acquired]( the rights to Dick Lehr’s Trell, Tatiana Siegel reports. Inspired by the true story of one of Boston’s most notorious murders, the story chronicles an African-American girl’s fight to free her wrongfully convicted father from prison. ► Julian Schnabel's At Eternity's Gate closing NYFF. In Gate, artist-turned-filmmaker Schnabel [takes]( a fresh look at the final days of another artist, Vincent van Gogh, who’s played by Willem Dafoe. It'll screen Oct. 14 at Alice Tully Hall. The cast also includes Oscar Isaac, Rupert Friend, Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Seigner and Mads Mikkelsen. ► RIP Mary Carlisle. The lovely blonde actress who was the object of Bing Crosby's crooning [affection]( in three breezy musical comedies of the 1930s has died at 104. She also appeared in Greta Garbo's Grand Hotel and opposite the likes of Jack Benny, John Barrymore and Basil Rathbone. Steve McQueen's children sue Ferrari for using name for marketing. As explained in a new lawsuit, anything associated with the deceased movie legend — "especially cars" — drives value. Porsche finds itself [answering]( for "The McQueen," said to be special-edition automobile allegedly marketed through the use of the late actor's persona without consent, Eriq Gardner reports. Ocasio-Cortez Goes to L.A. New era for Dems: Newly minted Democratic star Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez makes her first appearance in Los Angeles on Thursday — but she isn't meeting with traditional Hollywood power brokers for now, Peter Kiefer and Chris Gardner report: + Breaking tradition: Ocasio-Cortez, who labels herself a democratic socialist, has no plans to meet with any of the entertainment industry's Democratic political power brokers while she is in town. She will not be having coffee with Carl Reiner. There will be no sitdown with Jeffrey Katzenberg or David Geffen. No $5,000-a-plate dinner at Robert Iger's mansion in Brentwood. + Counterprogramming: The Bronx native and member of the Democratic Socialists of America will be holding a sold-out luncheon Thursday in downtown L.A., where tickets are going for $27. That event is in partnership with Occupy ICE L.A., an organization that stages demonstrations to disrupt operations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) locations. + Keeping a distance: "I totally get why she is staying away from the industry. She doesn't need us," says screenwriter Jennifer Levin (Beauty and the Beast). Levin, who moonlights as a grassroots activist working to flip a number of California seats in the House of Representatives currently held by Republicans, says she is taking her 15-year-old daughter to see Ocasio-Cortez on Friday. "Let's be honest: We represent the money. We are the elite. And I think it's a smart move." [Full story.]( What else we're reading... — "Behind the Fight to Improve Netflix's Closed Captioning." Katie Kilkenny and Patrick Shanley report: "How [Queer Eye's] captioning came to be fixed, experts say, shows how captioning can easily go wrong, and how social media users and advocates are helping to address still-rampant closed captioning errors in the 'Peak TV' era." [[THR](] — "Almost Famous: Malcolm D. Lee Profiled." Allison P. Davis covers the Girls Trip director: "It’s wild to think that over the course of a 20-year career, Lee, 48, is just now feeling at home in his industry. He wrote and directed his first major studio film (with Universal) in 1999." [[The California Sunday Magazine](] — "In #MeToo Era, Is It OK to laugh at Animal House?" Hannah Yasharoff considers: "Rewatching it in a time of hyperawareness about issues of sexual abuse, there are a handful of parts that don’t sit well and make appreciating the movie as a whole frustrating and troublesome." [[USA Today](] — "'Ozymandias': An Oral History of the Best Breaking Bad Episode Ever." Alan Siegel reports: "The downfall was five seasons in the making. Capturing it required beautiful but unforgiving filming locations, clever writing and direction, and one of the most surprisingly gut-wrenching acting performances in television history." [[The Ringer](] — "Can Reality TV Ever Really Be Nice?" Sonia Saraiya ponders: "It’s a preponderance of warm and fuzzies, which should be a relief—and sometimes, it is. Yet there’s also something a little cloying about all this niceness, a sense of perfume being sprayed over rot. Can reality TV really be nice? Can a manufactured product with a profit margin ever be kind?" [[Vanity Fair](] — "Vincent Cassel Has Just 20 Minutes to Spare." Ruth La Ferla profiles: "An unnerving blend of easy charm and menace, he is among the latest in a line of celebrated French cinema hard guys (Jean Gabin and Jean-Paul Belmondo come to mind): wily, brooding antiheroes who exude a machismo rarely matched in modern American cinema." [[New York Times](] What else we're watching... + "Bob Odenkirk thinks Saul Goodman would represent Donald Trump." [[Late Night](] + "Sean 'Diddy' Combs lived with an Amish family." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] + "Ewan McGregor dishes on co-star Winnie the Pooh." [[Late Show](] + "Kate McKinnon breaks down her Rudy Giuliani impression." [[Tonight Show](] From the archives... + On August 2, 1968, Virgil Tibbs reported for duty in In the Heat of the Night. The Oscar-winning pic was a critical film detailing race in film and continued Sidney Poitier's ascent. Novelist Walter Mosley reexamined the film earlier this year: "In the Heat of the Night is as much a part of American lore as any book or poem, racist superstition or anthem. It is the descendant of the institution of slavery, the Civil War, the cotton fibers in our clothes and that unique American notion that anything, anything, can be bought and sold." [Full essay.]( Today's birthdays: Britt Lower, 33, Nadia Bjorlin, 38, Edward Furlong, 41, Sam Worthington, 42, Simon Kinberg, 45, Jacinda Barrett, 46, Matthew Del Negro, 46, Kevin Smith, 48, Mary-Louise Parker, 54. 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]( August 2, 2018