MoviePass Losing Fans; FBI Joins 'Con Queen' Hunt; Goodman Backs Roseanne; Louis C.K. Returns; Taylor Swift's Free Agency

What's news: Multiple law enforcement agencies are further investigating Hollywood's "Con Queen." Plus: MoviePass' tumbling customer satisfaction, Netflix hires its Jonathan Friedland replacement and all eyes are on Taylor Swift's next record label deal. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( August 28, 2018 What's news: Multiple law enforcement agencies are further investigating Hollywood's "Con Queen." Plus: MoviePass' tumbling customer satisfaction, Netflix hires its Jonathan Friedland replacement and all eyes are on Taylor Swift's next record label deal. — Will Robinson ^"Con Queen" in legal crosshairs: The FBI and NYPD have [opened]( investigations into the prolific scam artist impersonating Amy Pascal, Kathleen Kennedy and other top female execs — including one male suspect with a talent for female voice work, Scott Johnson reports: + New thread for con artist: At least one of the tips that investigators are actively pursuing involves a male con artist who appears able to disguise his voice to mimic the powerful women. Though investigators will not divulge details of the ongoing case, one person who has been briefed confirms to THR that a special unit within the NYPD is “working to confirm the identity of the scammer.” * Abroad queries: At the same time, the FBI has opened up a parallel investigation that spans the U.S., Europe and Asia. The NYPD and the FBI both declined to comment. + More victims: Two more high-profile women have been impersonated recently by the scammer, and more victims continue to emerge. One of the newly impersonated individuals is a successful Hollywood executive. The other is a high-net-worth public figure. Sources declined to reveal the identities of the women. + THR background: The “Con Queen” ruse is centered around a cunning imposter who, perhaps with the help of a team of collaborators based in Indonesia and, possibly, the U.K., uses the personae of these powerful executives to persuade people in the industry — stylists, stuntmen, photographers and others — to travel to Indonesia with promises of work. [Prior cover story.]( MoviePass Fandom Falls Dissatisfaction rising: In its second survey of the theater subscription service, National Research Group finds that many patrons no longer find the embattled company trustworthy or reliable, Pamela McClintock reports: + Approval plummets: This spring, a resounding 83 percent of MoviePass patrons were more satisfied with the company than with any other monthly subscription service (think Netflix). Four months later, that number has plummeted to 48 percent, according to a follow-up survey by NRG. And nearly half of the MoviePass customers polled, or 47 percent, are considering canceling their membership. + Who was polled: NRG surveyed 1,558 moviegoers about MoviePass and other movie subscription plans in mid-August. Those polled included 424 MoviePass customers, and 100 consumers who had recently canceled their MoviePass subscription. * Behind cancelations: Half of those who canceled had done so in the month prior to the NRG poll. The chief reasons for doing so were continual rule changes and not being able to see a movie of choice. For those who remain, brand problems and negative headlines have left many feeling that MoviePass isn't reliable or trustworthy, according to NRG. It's unclear how many subscribers the service presently has, or how many it has lost. [Survey results.]( Elsewhere in film... ► How Netflix is invading the fall festival circuit. Following its high-profile battle with Cannes, the streamer is [making]( a strong showing on the late-2018 calendar, and indie producers and filmmakers seem supportive, Scott Roxborough. ► EA cancels Madden Classic qualifier events following Jacksonville shooting. The Madden NFL 19 event that left three [dead](, including the purported shooter, and 10 injured was also a qualifying tournament for the Madden Classic. ► Global Road film studio braces for layoffs. The production company's precarious financial situation [grew]( worse over the weekend as the family adventure A.X.L. bombed in its debut. ► City of Lies staffer defends Johnny Depp in lawsuit over alleged on-set attack. Location manager Greg "Rocky" Brooks in July sued Depp, along with the film's director and producers, alleging Depp screamed at him, punched him twice in the ribs and offered him $100,000 to hit back. Script supervisor Emma Danoff on Monday [submitted]( a declaration stating that she witnessed the altercation and it was nothing like what Brooks described. ► Tate Taylor to helm Jessica Chastain's Eve. Former helmer Matthew Newton [dropped out]( of the project after accusations of assault and domestic violence dating back to 2007 resurfaced. ► Trump's new trade deal with Mexico could extend copyright term. A fact sheet put out by Office of the United States Trade Representative indicates that the copyright term will be extended to 75 years from 70 years, Eriq Gardner reports. [Details.]( ► Rose McGowan encourages Asia Argento to "do the right thing." McGowan issued a lengthy statement in [response]( to the allegations facing her onetime friend and #MeToo ally: "Be honest. Be fair. Let justice stay its course. Be the person you wish Harvey [Weinstein] could have been." ► Alec {NAME} joins Joker as Bruce Wayne's dad. Given this project will [veer]( off-center from the traditional Batman canon, sources say the script paints Thomas Wayne as a cheesy and tanned businessman who is more in the mold of a 1980s Donald Trump. Joaquin Phoenix stars as the titular villain in Warner Bros' film, while Todd Phillips will direct. ► Danny Strong, Sydney Sweeney join Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The movie, set in 1969 Los Angeles, also has [added]( Polish actor Rafal Zawierucha to play a young Roman Polanski. Clu Gulager, James Landry Hébert and Better Things star Mikey Madison also have been tapped as castmembers. ► IFP's Joana Vicente hired as TIFF co-head. The veteran indie film producer also [becomes]( executive director as she and Cameron Bailey replace outgoing CEO Piers Handling. ► Teamsters union reaches a deal with studios. Although details were not [released](, the deal is likely to be similar to IATSE’s deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, in key aspects such as basic wage increases, a phenomenon called “pattern bargaining.” ► Producers Guild sets date for 2020 awards ceremony. Penciled in for Jan. 18, 2020, the game of musical chairs [begins]( as the various guilds and awards groups book available dates in advance of the 2020 Academy Awards, which will take place on Feb. 9 of that year. [Quoted:]( "I hope that the movie comes across as a relentless experience that’s going to go deep into your skin all the way down into your spine. I want the movie to perform as the most disturbing experience you can have." — Luca Guadagnino, on desired effect of his new film Suspiria. ^Summer box office revenue booms, attendance still lags. A wide array of titles — from The Incredibles 2 to Crazy Rich Asians — fuels a 14 percent [uptick]( in revenue over a terrible summer 2017. Attendance is also up, but will still be the second worst showing in more than 25 years, Pamela McClintock reports. ► Warren Beatty among pallbearers at John McCain's memorial service. The veteran Hollywood [joins]( a list that includes a who's who of American politics, including former Vice President Joe Biden and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. ► Detroit saying farewell in royal fashion to Aretha Franklin. The all-star lineup of performers at Franklin's funeral includes Stevie Wonder, Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Jennifer Holliday and her son, Edward Franklin. [Details.]( ► Kino Lorber takes provocative Berlin winner Touch Me Not for North America. The experimental drama about sex and intimacy, from Romanian director Adina Pintilie, [won]( best first feature and Berlin's Golden Bear for best film. ► Japan selects Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters for foreign-language Oscar. Hirokazu Kore-eda's tale of a dysfunctional family of petty criminals [won]( the top prize at Cannes this year and became the director's biggest box-office hit. ► Sweden selects Border for foreign-language Oscar. Ali Abbasi's story of trolls in modern-day Scandinavia [comes]( from the writer of vampire fable Let the Right One In. ► Blockchain platform TaTaTu to release Friedkin Uncut documentary. The new social entertainment platform will [handle]( Francesco Zippel's star-studded doc on The Exorcist director William Friedkin in North American and the U.K. ► Sam Mendes directs Emma Stone in Louis Vuitton short. The short film, [debuting]( Sept. 13, stars Stone directed by Mendes, assisted by DP Hoyte Van Hoytema (Interstellar). LV’s film focuses on a woman’s journey in life and centers on the spirit of traveling. ► RIP Henri Bollinger. The former president of the Publicists Guild and the Entertainment Publicists Professional Society [died]( Monday at the age of 89. His client list included the likes of Bob Barker, Shirley Jones and Jack Jones. Lena Waithe reacts to being mistaken for Ava DuVernay in Ready Player One. After a Twitter user urged everyone to see the Steven Spielberg-directed film while [tagging]( DuVernay as a castmember, Waithe didn't take offense: "It's an honor to be mistaken for Ava — Ava is gorgeous." CBS Shareholder Sues Misconduct mishandling: The complaint alleges the company should have disclosed that enforcement of its own harassment policies was inadequate, Eriq Gardner reports: + The case: Gene Samit, represented by the firm of Pomerantz LLC, is suing in New York federal court with the contention that CBS promulgated its ethical standards in proxy statements and then failed to disclose information that would have a material impact on its business. + Possible class-action: Samit seeks to represent a class of CBS stockholders who purchased securities in the four years prior to the New Yorker story and points to a 2014 proxy statement that included the company's standards for ethical conduct. CBS directors had to certify certain things, according to the complaint, including a commitment to providing a bias-free and harassment-free workplace environment. * The financial rub: The July 27 report immediately sent the company's share price tumbling and has triggered an investigation now being handled by two outside law firms. Eriq Gardner emails: The significance of the new lawsuit if it survives initial hurdles — and that's a terrifically big if — will be to put exploration of the Moonves scandal in open court for the first time. That could mean a probe into what CBS' top ranks knew about the allegations and when did they know it. [Full report.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Netflix hires top Facebook exec to replace Jonathan Friedland. Rachel Whetstone will [replace]( the streamer's former head of communications, who was fired in June for using the N-word at the office. ► Harlan Coben inks Netflix producing deal. Under the multiple-year pact, the international best-selling author will [develop]( 14 existing titles and future projects, including his upcoming novel Run Away, into English and foreign-language projects. ► Netflix builds animation roster as Gravity Falls creator inks overall deal. Alex Hirsch will create and [develop]( new animated TV series and features for the streaming giant. The deal arrives as adult animation has become more of a breakout genre of late as streamers including Netflix, Apple and Amazon continue to make aggressive plays in the space. ► John Goodman breaks silence on Roseanne Barr. The actor — who played Barr's TV husband for years — [shared]( his thoughts about ABC's decision to cancel the Roseanne reboot and hinted at how the spinoff, The Conners, will handle the loss of the main character when it debuts in the fall: "I went through a period, about a month, where I was very depressed." ► HBO adapting hit British podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno for TV. The podcast, which has amassed in excess of 100 million downloads, sees Jamie Morton [reading]( a chapter from the “Belinda Blinked” series of adult novels, written by his real-life father under the nom de plume Rocky Flintstone, with his friends James Cooper and Alice Levine providing commentary. ► HBO Asia boards regional remake of The Bridge. The new version of the hit Scandinavian crime series, which had its American remake go to FX, is being [produced]( by Viu, the Hong Kong-based streaming video service. ► The Walking Dead adds Sons of Anarchy star as key comic book villain. Ryan Hurst, best known for his starring role on five seasons of FX's Sons of Anarchy, has [joined]( the cast of the AMC zombie drama in the recurring role of the villainous Beta. ► Yellowstone cements ratings streak, cable's biggest launch since 2016. After its season one finale, Taylor Sheridan’s contemporary rancher drama starring Kevin Costner [averaged]( 5 million weekly viewers across platforms, the biggest audience for an ad-supported cable freshman since FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson in 2016. ► This Is Us promotes Lyric Ross to series regular for season three. Ross is the second actor to get a [promotion]( on This Is Us in the past week. Melanie Liburd, who appeared in the season two finale as Beth's cousin — and Kevin's (Justin Hartley) girlfriend in a flash-forward sequence — will also be a regular. ► Billions season four adds Samantha Mathis. Mathis (The Strain) will [play]( Sara Hammon, the new COO of Taylor Mason Capital, in Showtime's financial drama. [Quoted:]( "I think people are ready now for women to give their actual real opinions and not be shy. Luckily, I have a voice and it's very grating and it's hard to tune out." — Michelle Wolf, on impact of her HBO stand-up special, Nice Lady. ^Taylor Swift may become label free agent. "Big Machine has been negotiating hard to re-sign Swift for months, multiple sources say, but as of her big Nashville homecoming show at Nissan Stadium Saturday night, no deal had been reached. While talks with BMLG have not ceased, she is now also talking with other labels to evaluate how much she is worth on the open market as one of the world’s biggest superstars." * Fight for masters. The negotiation for Swift's past works could be at the center of the talks. “What’s the value of these masters going to be over the next 30 years? And you have to weigh that against, what is the value of keeping the artist for four or so more albums?” one source told Billboard. “You’re weighing out the value of the back catalog versus the value of a few new albums.” * Money-maker. "While Swift, 28, does not account for that high a percentage of BMLG’s sales and streaming numbers, she is responsible for a tremendous amount of BMLG’s revenue. Year-to-date, her sales and streaming account for 34.6 percent of BMLG’s market share." [[Billboard](] ► Louis C.K. returns to stand-up with surprise NYC gig. C.K. made a [surprise]( appearance at the Comedy Cellar in New York City, one of his regular haunts before he disappeared from the public eye after admitting to inappropriate conduct such as masturbating in front of women. ► Michael Avenatti thinks Hollywood would back him for president in 2020. The ubiquitous lawyer says he's already had many good [conversations]( with entertainers and executives about a potential run. ► RIP Susan Watanabe. The television writer, community leader and political activist, [died]( Sunday of a brain tumor, her family announced Monday. She was 49. She is survived by her husband, David White, SAG-AFTRA national executive director; their 9-year-old daughter, Sophia; her parents, Don and Ida Watanabe; and her brother, Scott. ► Nickelodeon streaming classics Clarissa Explains It All, Kenan & Kel. A number of 1990s classics — including Doug, All That and Are You Afraid of the Dark? — are [available]( via the NickSplat channel on VRV. ► Altice picks up Sky's Britannia for lifetime run. The drama is [set]( during the Roman invasion of Britain in the first century AD. Altice also joined the epic as a co-producer. ► Adam Brody joins Sky's street racing drama Curfew. The Fast and the Furious-style eight-part series will be [heading]( to the U.S. on Spectrum Originals. ► BuzzFeed News asks for donations with no feature. Asking for between $5 and $100, "the donation feature asks readers to 'help us report to you' and calls upon them to join a community that will shape the future of BuzzFeed News.'" [[Wall Street Journal](] Coming attractions... ► First look: Tobias Menzies debuts as Prince Philip in The Crown. The actor replaces Matt Smith in Netflix's royal drama, due to return to screens later this year. [Photo.]( ► Sneak peek: NBC shares opening act of new drama Manifest. The first nine minutes of NBC's supernaturally tinged drama starring Melissa Roxburgh and Josh Dallas are now live. [Watch.]( Emmy forecast. In a Feinberg vs. Fienberg showdown, THR's awards analyst crunches the stats to reveal the shows and actors most likely to take home trophies while a chief TV critic makes his final winner wishes. [Debate.]( Redgrave Reflects on Political Oscars Powerful stand: Venice Film Festival lifetime achievement honoree Vanessa Redgrave reflects on her comments in which she congratulated the Academy for standing up to "a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums" who had attacked her for producing and appearing in a documentary about Palestine, Scott Roxborough reports: + Background: Her comments were directed at extremists in the Jewish Defense League, which had not only burned her in effigy but had offered a bounty to have her killed. There was even a firebombing at one of the cinemas showing the documentary. But the phrase “Zionist hoodlums” discredited Redgrave for many —even if she concluded her speech promising “to fight anti-Semitism and fascism for as long as I live” —and many have sabotaged her career in Hollywood. * Unapologetic: "I didn't realize pledging to fight anti-Semitism and fascism was controversial. I'm learning that it is," she says, chuckling. She notes that she has always
 felt a responsibility to speak out, no matter the 
consequences. "I had to do my bit," she says. "Everybody had to do their bit, to try and change 
things for the better. To advocate for what's right and not be dismayed if immediately you don't see results." + Politically imbued career: Redgrave has never been afraid to leverage her influence to champion political causes, no matter how radical 
or unfashionable they might seem at the 
time. Redgrave demonstrated against the Vietnam and Iraq wars; ran for political 
office in Britain as member of the Trotskyist Workers Revolutionary Party (she lost); and, 
at age 80, directed the doc Sea Sorrow, exploring the plight of refugees to Europe. [Full interview.]( What else we're reading... — "Ethan Hawke Is Still Taking Ethan Hawke Extremely Seriously." Taffy Brodesser-Akner profiles: "Mr. Hawke is forever haunted by the notion that he himself should have rejected fame. He kept thinking that he’d be a better artist — more defined, with a sharper philosophy — if he didn’t have to keep taking gigs for the money." [[New York Times](] — "Aretha Franklin Finally Gets Credit for the Term She Popularized." Ben Zimmer considers: "Regardless of whether 'propers' might be concealing something less than proper, the word has had a lasting impact on the lexicon, particularly when it got shortened to a single syllable: 'props.'" [[The Atlantic](] — "Kendrick Lamar On What Drives Him." Lisa Robinson profiles the acclaimed rapper: "I remember when good kid came out, the people I grew up with couldn’t understand how we made that translate through music. They literally cried tears of joy when they listened to it – because these are people who have been shunned out of society." [[GQ Australia](] — "Stanley Tucci Is The Greatest American Character Actor." Martin Bergman pounds the table: "He is recognized yet underappreciated; though his long nose, bald head, and rich voice are distinct, his roles are not. He remains the kind of actor who elicits in most viewers the question 'Where do I know that guy from?'" [[BuzzFeed News](] — "The Pokémon Invasion, 20 Years Later." Claire McNear reflects: "As those notes first played, they—and their parents—couldn’t have grasped the extent to which this world of electric mice, stubborn caterpillars, and drowsy gorillas would come to dominate their own." [[The Ringer](] What else we're watching... + "Nick Offerman can breakdance." [[Late Late Show](] From the archives... + On Aug. 28, 2005, HBO premiered Rome, an audacious and shiny period drama. The BBC collaboration only lasted two seasons, but it's hard to not see the show as Game of Thrones' forefather. "Across two sprawling season, as epic in scope as Gladiator or Ben-Hur, Rome never lets its feature film scale overwhelm the intimacy of the human drama. That drama is what really makes this series such a remarkable achievement." [[IGN](] Today's birthdays: Quvenzhané Wallis, 15, Armie Hammer, 32, Carly Pope, 38, Kelly Overton, 40, Jack Black, 49, Jason Priestley, 49, Amanda Tapping, 53, David Fincher, 56, Jennifer Coolidge, 57, Luis Guzmán, 62, Ken Jenkins, 78. 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 28, 2018