Hillary Makes History; Shonda's Clinton Clip; Viacom vs. Colbert; Another Summer Flop?

What's news today: So, how do you think she did? The pundits seem to be mostly positive on Hillary Clinton's big speech last night. Full coverage of the highlights (and Hollywood's starring role) below, plus a full day in film and TV, and which mogul got a big raise despite recent troubles at his company. — executive editor Matthew Belloni, assignment editor Erik Hayden [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment] July 29, 2016 What's news today: So, how do you think she did? The pundits seem to be mostly positive on Hillary Clinton's big speech last night. Full coverage of the highlights (and Hollywood's starring role) below, plus a full day in film and TV, and which mogul got a big raise despite recent troubles at his company. — executive editor Matthew Belloni, assignment editor Erik Hayden DNC Night 4: Hillary's Best Speech Katy Perry sang "Roar," Shonda Rhimes crafted a highlight reel (Morgan Freeman narrated) and a parade of celebs sung the praises of Hillary Clinton. And, making history last night, the Democratic nominee gave the best speech of her life, critic Frank Scheck [writes:] Clinton delivered a forceful speech that touched every major political point — at times it felt more like her first State of the Union address, or possibly Barack Obama's eighth, than an acceptance speech — while hurling savage digs at the Republican nominee. ([Watch]) We'll soon find out if Hillary succeeded in her goal of winning over undecided voters. But she certainly managed, at least for a moment, to seemingly quell the Bernie-or-Busters and unify the party. Hillary was introduced by her daughter Chelsea, who took pains to make her tribute deeply personal, at one point staring into the camera and telling her mother, "Mom, grandma would be so, so proud of you!" ([Watch]) Elsewhere at the DNC... ► About Shonda Rhimes' intro video. The Scandal creator and producer Betsy Beers worked on the 12-minute film, which features interviews with Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, a 9/11 survivor and first responder as well as Freeman narrating. "It is an honor to provide America with an intimate portrait of Hillary," Rhimes said. ([Watch]) ► Katy Perry's call to action. Before her performance of both "Roar" and "Rise" to a cheering convention crowd, Perry implored viewers to register to vote: "You'll have as much say as any billionaire." ([Watch]) ► Kareem Abdul-Jabbar goes on offense. The former NBA star introduced a film about an American Muslim soldier who died in combat. Taking aim at Donald Trump's proposal to ban Muslim immigrants, he said: "At its core, discrimination is a result of fear." ([Watch]) ► Chloe Grace Moretz's address to millennials. "I am so excited to be able to say that my first vote for president will be for Hillary Clinton," said the actress during her DNC remarks. ([Watch]) ► Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen pay tribute. The husband and wife acting pair, in onstage remarks, spoke of a friendship with Clinton. "Anybody can brag, anybody can talk," added Danson. "Hers is the poetry of doing." Steenburgen followed: "She's got more guts than anybody in the room." ([Watch]) ► [Watch all top moments] I [Hollywood reaction] I [TV ratings race] I [Hillary's style.] Can Viacom Stop "Stephen Colbert"? What everyone is talking about: Can Stephen Colbert really be forced to stop doing his Colbert Report character? It's a fascinating case study, senior editor Eriq Gardner [explains:] It has the potential of becoming one of the all-time great cases concerning split personality, and not only due to the nature of the character itself. After all, Viacom would be suing CBS. Both companies are substantially owned by Sumner Redstone. In 2005, the same year that The Colbert Report premiered on Comedy Central, Viacom spun off from CBS. Now, Viacom's chief Philippe Dauman is suing Redstone, and there's plenty of speculation that if he fails, the two companies might merge again with CBS' chief Leslie Moonves ruling both. [Back to the case:] If Viacom did sue, it would probably prompt a fair use defense; those can be complicated, and no doubt if a judge was asked to weigh the purpose and character of the use, the nature of "Stephen Colbert," the amount and substantiality of the portion taken and the effect of the use upon the potential market, it would add up to one hell of an opinion. **"Viacom is being ridiculous," Matt Belloni said on Kim Masters' radio show yesterday. Listen to the [discussion here].** Elsewhere in THR, Esq... ► Philippe Dauman gets judge's go-ahead. The Viacom chief exec received welcome news from a Massachusetts probate judge, who is allowing him to move forward in a lawsuit [contesting removal] from the seven-member Redstone trust. ► Empire beats $10M copyright suit. The Fox show [didn't copy] self-described "gangsta pimp" Ron Newt's life story Bigger Than Big, according to a federal judge. Newt had sued Lee Daniels, Terrence Howard and Fox for $1 billion. ► Sony sued over failure to prevent piracy after hack. The studio was hit with [a complaint]in Florida federal court by Possibility Pictures, the producer of To Write Love on Her Arms, starring Kat Dennings and Rupert Friend. ↱ Earnings season update: Lionsgate CEO [Jon Feltheimer] got a big raise, making $10.9M in the latest fiscal year; NBCUniversal extended CEO [Steve Burke]'s contract four more years; CBS CEO [Leslie Moonves] boasted that the broadcaster "continues to fire on all cylinders" as it beat expectations; Amazon CEO [Jeff Bezos] led the e-commerce giant to profit again in the last quarter. ↲ Meanwhile, in TV... ^^The CW's Supergirl unveils first look at the new Superman. Tyler Hoechlin's Man of Steel will make [his debut] in Supergirl during the early episodes of the former CBS drama's sophomore season in October. ► TBS plans Notorious B.I.G. scripted comedy. The network said it is [developing a series] inspired by the late rapper titled Think B.I.G., which will chronicle the misadventures of an inner-city teen desperately trying to create a better future for his daughter and infant son. ► HBO's Ballers stays in the game. Two episodes in to its sophomore season, the cabler has picked up the show for a third. The series boasts impressive ratings so far, averaging 9.1M viewers in season one, making it HBO's [most-watched] half-hour comedy in six years. ↱ [TV Review, Last Chance U.] Netflix's new football docu-series, streaming today, centers on East Mississippi Community College's championship team. The takeaway, by critic Daniel Fienberg: It's "Hard Knocks goes to junior college." ↲ ► Lifetime enlists Idina Menzel for Beaches. The Frozen favorite has [been tapped] to take on Bette Midler's role in a TV movie remake of 1988's Beaches. Production is set to begin in Vancouver during August. ► Netflix renews Will Arnett's Flaked. The streaming service, a day after presenting its lineup to critics at TCA, confirmed that the personal Venice, Calif.-themed dramedy [is returning] for a second season. ► F is for Fired. Sesame Street dropped longtime castmembers Bob McGrath (music teacher Bob), Emilio Delgado (fix-it shop owner Luis) and Roscoe Orman (science teacher Gordon). At TCA, PBS president Paula Kerger said only that the decision was made by Sesame Street Workshop. [Details.] Another Big Budget Bomb? Add Ben-Hur to the list of summer disappointments? It's looking pretty grim for MGM and Paramount's costly sword-and-sandal epic, senior writer Pamela McClintock [forecasts:] Early tracking suggests Ben-Hur will open in the $14 million to $15 million range over the Aug. 19-21 weekend, a sobering start for the faith-centric ancient epic, which reportedly cost just under $100 million to produce. A glimmer of hope: MGM and Paramount still have three weeks to make their final marketing push, including targeting faith-based moviegoers. Two of the film's executive producers are Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the producing team behind the hit movie Son of God and the miniseries The Bible. Elsewhere in film (lots of reboots!)... ► Meryl Streep in talks for Mary Poppins sequel. The actress is in talks to join Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda in Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns. Streep will play Topsy, [Poppins’ cousin], in the film, which is set in Depression-era London. ► Disney's new Rocketeer will be a black woman. The project, in the early development stages, is being looked at as [a sequel-reboot] of the 1991 film and will be headlined by a black female character. Max Winkler and Matt Spicer are penning the script. ↱ Weekend movies: Universal's [Jason Bourne] is "pretty good until its flat finish" and may gross $50M to $60M. STX's [Bad Moms] is "funny enough" and should nab north of $20M. Lionsgate's [Nerve] is "visually engaging if not very convincing" and could hit $12M to $15M in a five-day debut. ↲ ► Suicide Squad adds key role weeks before release. With a last-minute bout of filming, an iconic DC character will be making an appearance in Warner Bros.’ heavily-hyped DC superhero movie, several sources tell THR. It could be a spoiler so we'll [link here.] ► Sony's Jumanji reboot enlists Nick Jonas. The singer is [in talks] to join Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in the remake of the 1995 feature that starred the late Robin Williams. Director Jake Kasdan is helming the film. ► Fox to reboot Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The franchise based on the popular book series is relaunching with two new young stars: Jason Ian Drucker and Owen Asztalos. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson [are producing]via their Color Force banner. ↱ New trailers: Mel Gibson's WWII drama Hacksaw Ridge gets a gritty first teaser ([Watch]). Matt Damon's warrior fantasy The Great Wall debuts in China ([Watch]). And Ben Affleck's thriller The Accountant gets a character-driven second take ([Watch]). ↲ #SDCC Surprise: "Black Heroes Matter" There were plenty of surprises at San Diego Comic-Con, but one of the most buzzed-about events at the convention had nothing to do with Marvel or DC, Heat Vision editor Aaron Couch [writes:] What was planned to be a small Black Lives Matter flash mob grew into a phenomenon after comics writer URAEUS showed up at the convention with twenty t-shirts sporting the phrase "Black Heroes Matter." Award-winning comic book writer David F. Walker, whose credits include books for Marvel and DC, organized the flash mob, with it growing into something bigger than he imagined. "It just sort of snowballed. I'm not much of an organizer. So it really took a couple of other people to take the lead on things. The next thing you know, URAEUS, he shows up with his Black Heroes Matter t-shirt," Walker tells THR. "And everyone lost their minds over that." [Here's what's planned next.] Today's Hollywood Birthdays: Big Hero 6 actress Genesis Rodríguez, 29, Smallville actress Allison Mack, 34, How I Met Your Mother actor Josh Radnor, 42, The Sopranos actor Tony Sirico, 74. Follow The News Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.] ©2016 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe] | [Manage Preferences] | [Privacy Policy] | [Terms of Use] July 29, 2016