Fox vs. Fox News Culture War; 'Favourite' Rocks Oscar Race; Netflix's Academy Problem; CNN vs. Trump Analysis; New THR Cover

What's news: A culture war is brewing at Fox as the Murdochs' empire shrinks. Plus: A look at Fox News' streamer, Netflix takes on the Oscars and The Favourite blows up gender politics. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( November 14, 2018 What's news: A culture war is brewing at Fox as the Murdochs' empire shrinks. Plus: A look at Fox News' streamer, Netflix takes on the Oscars and The Favourite blows up gender politics. — Will Robinson [On the cover:]( The Favourite isn't your mother's costume drama as Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz preside over a royal spectacle of cunning ladies and dandied-up men with a lot to say about Trump-era power struggles, Tatiana Siegel reports: + Years in the works: As timely as it may seem, the original screenplay for The Favourite was written 20 years ago. It wasn't easy to find financing for a historical love triangle with three female leads and virt­ually no parts of significance for men in 1998. "[Studios] were like, 'Oh, wait a minute, this is [lesbian] activity going on here,'" producer Ceci Dempsey recalls of those first pitch meetings. "People were kind of, 'What's the demographics of that kind of thing?'" + Unconventional rehearsals: They mostly involved crazy-sounding games, like having the actresses fast-walk backward toward one another to see if they crashed. "He wanted to see how much we could sense each other without seeing each other," explains Stone. Director Yorgos Lanthimos, though, insists there is a method to his madness. "It enabled them to not take themselves too seriously." + Equality reigns: "How can it set women back to prove that women fart and vomit and hate and love and do all the things men do?" Colman asks. "All human beings are the same. We're all multifaceted, many-layered, disgusting and gorgeous and powerful and weak and filthy and brilliant. That's what's nice [about The Favourite]. It doesn't make women an old-fashioned thing of delicacy." [Full cover story.]( Fox Culture War Fox vs. Fox News: As Disney buys the studio, the remaining media empire's balance of power shifts to NYC's cable news cash cow as TV creators and broadcast employees in L.A. feel increasingly marginalized, Paul Bond reports: + Tides change: Fox News could not inflict its will on other segments of the Murdoch media conglomerate — a dynamic many insiders fear will be reversed once Disney acquires most of 21st Century Fox, leaving Fox News as the dominant profit driver of so-called "New Fox," run by Lachlan Murdoch. "I kind of wish Disney was buying us, too," laments one broadcast network worker. + Cash cow: Analyst Douglas Mitchelson projects Fox News will generate about $3 billion in annual revenue in 2018, and SNL Kagan says about $1.7 billion will come via fees from cable and satellite distributors, which means as much as $1.3 billion should come from ads — sales of which increasingly are difficult with activist groups like Media Matters for America pressuring advertisers to dump Fox News. [Full story.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Amazon to split second HQ between New York City, D.C. suburb. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant [announced]( in September 2017 that it was looking for an additional corporate home for thousands of its employees, and settled on Long Island City, N.Y. and Arlington, Virginia. * Blowback: It has also drawn the ire of critics who believe Amazon may have been planning a two-city move all along. People in some of the cities that have lost out on the bid have also expressed frustration that Amazon ultimately chose to build in dense metropolises that already boast headquarters or large offices for big corporations. * What Amazon saw in the two sites. Stephanie Stamm breaks down what led the corporate giant to pick these two cities, accompanied with graphics detailing particular categories. [[The Wall Street Journal](] ► Amazon developing bilingual rom-com from Broad City producers. The untitled project, set in L.A., [comes from]( writer-director Catalina Aguilar Mastretta and will film in English and Spanish. ► CNN lawsuit isn't just about Jim Acosta's White House badge. CNN's lawsuit also [alleges]( a violation of the Fifth Amendment and it's this cause of action that could provide Acosta's best chance of prevailing, Eriq Gardner writes. * Acosta gets "death threats regularly." The reporter [opened up]( about threats to his safety in a sworn statement submitted with his network's lawsuit against the White House. ► The Redstone saga takes another turn. "[Sumner] Redstone obviously was incapable of any meaningful communication or ability to conduct any sort of decision-making regarding directing his care and, in my opinion, incapable of conducting any legal or financial transactions whatsoever," L.A.P.D. detective Jason Perez wrote of his October visit to Redstone's mansion. [[Vanity Fair](] ► Animal Planet boss Susanna Dinnage steps down to run Premier League. The veteran TV executive [will replace]( Richard Scudamore as head of the prestigious U.K.-based soccer league steeped in lucrative broadcast and streaming rights. ► Univision earnings fall on Dish dispute, World Cup move to Telemundo. The company [reported]( third-quarter earnings from continuing operations of $12.4 million, compared with a year-ago profit of $109.6 million. Quarterly adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization, another profitability metric, fell 33.7 percent to $231 million. ► Disney+ picks Pedro Pascal to lead Star Wars TV series. Pascal is the first castmember to board The Mandalorian. The actor [broke out]( in the fourth season of HBO's Game of Thrones as the fan favorite Oberyn Martell and went on to star in Netflix's Narcos. ► HBO dates Game of Thrones for spring 2019. HBO's megahit [will open]( its final run of episodes in April (exact date TBA), 20 months after the show's seventh season wrapped in August 2017. ► Hulu nearing multi-series deal for George R.R. Martin's Wild Cards universe. A writers room [has been opened]( for two new series that would create a shared universe based on the book series edited by the Game of Thrones creator. ► Netflix cancels The Good Cop. The hourlong dramedy, starring Tony Danza and Josh Groban, [dropped]( its 10 hourlong episodes on Sept. 21 and could not cut through the cluttered landscape as the streamer attempted to battle the crowded broadcast premiere week with the series. ► Netflix taps Dark creators for historic horror 1899. Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, who have a multiple-year overall deal with Netflix, [will produce]( the series revolving around a steamship of European migrants traveling from London to New York, whose trip turns into a horrifying nightmare. ► Netflix sets Cardi B, Chance the Rapper to judge hip-hop competition. T.I. is also [on board]( the streamer's first music competition, Rhythm + Flow, produced by John Legend. ► Queer Eye cast named Entertainers of the Year by Out magazine. The five guys made famous by Netflix's reboot [headline]( the magazine's 2018 Out 100 list alongside fresh faces (Keiynan Lonsdale, Kiersey Clemons), funny people (Kate McKinnon, Hannah Gadsby), and power players (Ryan Murphy, Jill Soloway). ► Jimmy Kimmel partners with Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse Entertainment. The duo [have]([formed]( media company Kimmelot for the late-night host, with Kimmel also boarding Wheelhouse as partner. ► USA rebooting Temptation Island. Original host Mark L. Walberg [will return]( for the 10-episode dating series, which is set to launch Tuesday, Jan. 15. ^Can Fox News reach young viewers with streamer? The cable news giant is betting that a $5.99 subscription service for superfans, Fox Nation, will quickly scale to 1 million subscribers, Marisa Guthrie reports: + Peddling opinion: Unlike competitors, Fox News is mounting a digital offering that will eschew news in favor of the kind of opinion programming that has swelled the Fox News audience to more than 2.8 million viewers in primetime in the Trump era. "Does anybody need another OTT service where it's just people sitting behind a desk reading headlines all day? I don't think so," notes John Finley, Fox News senior vp development and production. + Crowded field: CBS News' CBSN and ABC News Live hold young audiences. CNN Digital reached 132.9 million unique users in September, according to Comscore. And NBC News in mid-2019 will launch NBC News Signal, a streaming service aimed at young adults that will include news and analysis programming with shows hosted by Steve Kornacki and Katy Tur. [Full story.]( Ratings notes... ► CBS' Late Show pulls even with NBC's Tonight in demo. Stephen Colbert's CBS show has [pulled even]( with Jimmy Fallon and NBC for the season, as both report a 0.51 rating in the key 18-49 demo. Legal briefs... ► FX tells Supreme Court not to take up Olivia de Havilland Feud fight. The 102-year-old actress' petition [doesn't warrant review](, argues FX, because of lack of jurisdiction and proper application of the "actual malice" standard. Digital digest... ► How Funny or Die saved satirical web series behind infamous L.A. mural. Like and Subscribe [premieres]( Nov. 13 on Funny or Die, nearly five months after the shuttering of Verizon's Go90, Natalie Jarvey details. ► China's iQiyi takes exclusive online rights to Late Late Show. The deal [will bring]( James Corden's talk show and hit "Carpool Karaoke" segment to China for the very first time. ► Pandora's Genome Project tackles podcasting. "On the surface, the Podcast Genome Project exhibits much of the same skeleton. Podcast episodes are said to be ingested, transcribed, and analyzed for taxonomical elements that are then grouped into discovery clusters." [[Hot Pod News](] ► Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest partners with YouTube Music. The 2019 New Year's broadcast marks the [first-ever]( presenting partnership of the show. Latest reviews... ► Netflix's Narcos: Mexico. "The action may move to Mexico and the specific law enforcement and criminal figures may be new, but the conflicts and structure and overall feel are of a piece," Daniel Fienberg writes. "The result is a season that, through its first five episodes, makes enough of its fresh faces and characters to avoid boredom and yet is still resolutely and successfully Narcos in its DNA." [Review.]( DOJ demands major TV broadcasters stop sharing advertising data. The DOJ has reached a [proposed settlement]( with six broadcast television companies in a dispute claiming they illegally shared information to boost ad revenue. Will Oscars Shun Netflix? Streamer referendum: The streamer's about-face announcement that it will give four contenders, including Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, limited theatrical runs has split Academy members into two camps, Rebecca Keegan reports: + Beating system?: Some Academy skeptics are railing against Netflix's reliance on four-walling, in which a distributor pays theater owners for the privilege of screening to the general public. If Netflix secures a best picture nomination for Roma based strictly on these purchased screenings, multiple knowledgeable sources say they believe the film will become the first ever four-walled movie to do so in the modern era. + Pet project savior: As Netflix grows, it's employing increasingly large portions of the Academy's membership and supplying a lifeline to the industry, even sometimes bailing out the traditional studios. "Netflix is like Kaa, the snake with the spinning eyes in the Jungle Book," says an executives branch member. " 'Let me make your passion project.' The eyes go around like money signs. It's hypnotic. I get it. But I believe there are people who are not hypnotized." [Full story.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Paz de la Huerta sues Harvey Weinstein for sexual battery. The actress is also [suing]( TWC and the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills for intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other claims. ► Netflix nabs Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. The film — which [was shot]( in Malawi last year — is based on the best-selling book of the same name by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. ► Netflix sets Mexico theatrical release for Roma. Alfonso Cuaron's film [will open]( Nov. 21 in arthouse theaters in Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey, then expand to cinemas in five more cities. ► Legendary adapting indie superhero epic Black Hammer for film, TV. Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston's Dark Horse Comics series will be [developed]( into a multi-platform franchise. ► Chance the Rapper developing musical Hope with MGM. Chance's longtime collaborator Nico Segal — the Grammy-winning writer-producer formerly went by stage name Donnie Trumpet — will [oversee]( the creation of the film’s music. Empire writer Carlito Rodriguez will pen the original screenplay. ► Aretha Franklin doc Amazing Grace to screen at AFI Fest. The documentary about the late singer's legendary performance at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in 1972 will have its [West Coast premiere]( Thursday. ► WGA tweaks theatrical credit rules. Most of the changes are cosmetic and involve [clarifications]( to the guilds’ screen credits manual, which is one of the key documents governing the credit process. The only material change involves the timing of credit arbitrations. ► Playboy Germany admits it misquoted Ennio Morricone in interview. “We must unfortunately assume that the words spoken in the interview have, in part, been reproduced incorrectly,” the magazine said Tuesday, after first [defending]( the controversial interview. ► William R. Moses joins indie drama The Mental State. Based on the play of the same name by Josh Adell, The Mental State tells the story of 17-year-old Andy and his relationship with his family, classmates and a mysterious recluse in the woods who [convinces]( him that there is a town-wide conspiracy. ^Remembering Camp Hess Kramer, destroyed in Malibu fire: Actor Zachary Gordon pens a tribute to his lost childhood campground: "No natural disaster can take away what our community has built, experienced and nurtured. ... We will come together to help rebuild this special place." [Essay.]( California fires rage on... ► L.A. shelters receiving "unprecedented number of animals." The Southern California blaze [has led]( to a sudden influx of creatures to care for and house, the majority of which are horses. ► Jamie Foxx says family is "safe" after evacuating Thousand Oaks. "[Pray for everybody in California](. People are losing their whole existence. We were fortunate enough to be able to move but a lot of people aren't, so just God bless all," the actor told Entertainment Tonight. ► HFPA cancels Golden Globes Ambassador Party. The party, hosted by the HPFA and InStyle, historically announced the Golden Globe ceremony's "Miss Golden Globe" (now the Golden Globes Ambassador) who assisted with ushering presenters on and off stage and handing out awards. This year's party [was set]( to be held at The Henry instead of its usual location at Catch LA. ► Widows, Destroyer red carpet events canceled. The screenings for both films [went on]( as planned at the TCL Chinese in Hollywood. Remembering Stan Lee... ► How Stan Lee brought humanity to superheroes and altered the face of entertainment. He didn't invent comic book heroes, but Marvel's late mastermind brought them down to earth, creating a universe of ultra-lucrative superhumans whose humanity altered the face of entertainment, Marc Bernardin writes. [Remembrance.]( ► Ant-Man and the Wasp actress Evangeline Lilly pens tribute. "There was a lustrousness to how he would look at you with those childlike eyes, talk to you in that gravelly voice and drape his arm around you like you were [an old pal](," she writes. "It seemed, with Stan, there wasn’t enough time in life for strangers – everyone was a friend." ► Marvel vet recalls his final Saturday with Lee. Former editor-in-chief Roy Thomas [talked]( Spider-Man with the comic book creator and showed him photos from a forthcoming biography: "He was still talking about doing more cameos." Honorees... ► Amy Adams, Steve McQueen, Boots Riley set for SFFilm Awards Night honors. The trio [will collect]( their honors during a dinner and awards presentation on Dec. 3 at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts Exhibition Center. Musical notes... ► Metallica, Foo Fighters set for Chris Cornell tribute concert. Jimmy Kimmel is [set to host]( the Jan. 16 Los Angeles event, "I Am the Highway: A Tribute to Chris Cornell." Coming attractions... ► Trailer: Roma highlights everyday moments of Mexico City family. Alfonso Cuaron's film based on his childhood memories will get a theatrical release before it arrives on Netflix, the latest example of a new approach the streamer is taking to distributing its awards-contender films. [Watch.]( ► Trailer: Alita: Battle Angel shows off a dangerous side. The manga adaptation produced by James Cameron arrives in theaters in February. [Watch.]( ► Trailer: Felicity Jones fights for gender equality in On the Basis of Sex. Mimi Leder directed the film, while Daniel Stiepleman penned the script. Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates and Sam Waterston round out the cast. [Watch.]( How Beyonce helped Jones play RBG. The British actress [channeled]( another female icon on the set of On the Basis of Sex, the upcoming biopic of the Supreme Court justice, out Dec. 25. Animated Contenders Familiar faces vs. indies: That Incredible family and the wreckage-prone Ralph are among the friendly faces competing against Wes Anderson's quirky stop-motion dogs and GKids' latest Japanese find as 25 toons vie for Oscar attention, Carolyn Giardina reports: + Finding new ground in sequels: Incredibles 2 director Brad Bird says he actually had the idea for the new movie — Holly Hunter's Elastigirl takes center stage, leaving Craig T. Nelson's Mr. Incredible to care for the kids — while promoting the original movie. It just took him a while to get to it, but, he says, "I just thought it would put both characters in unexpected places and bring something out of them." + Indie machine: While GKids' films' grosses pale beside those of studio fare, it's a formidable awards-season competitor, having earned a remarkable 10 animated feature nominations since 2009. This season, its biggest hope among its five submissions is the hand-drawn Mirai. From Japan's Studio Chizu and writer-director Mamoru Hosoda, the film premiered at Cannes in the Directors' Fortnight section. [Full story.]( What else we're reading... — "How to Capture the Feeling of a Movie in a Single Font." Eliza Brooke explores: "For the most part, it’s the spoken words in a film that we pay attention to. But sometimes the look of a movie’s title — or chapter titles, end credits, or subtitles — can really attract the eye. ... So it’s rare, and exciting, when a movie mixes things up." [[Vox](] — "Comedians You Should and Will Know." Vulture rounded up 21 comedians, duos, and groups:" "How and when each get their break is still to be seen, but you should know these comedians — and you will." [[Vulture](] — "Inside Garry Shandling's Secret Pickup Basketball Game." Anna Peele reports: "Participants weren't allowed to network there or talk about it afterward. 'It was Fight Club with better jokes,' says Shandling's writing partner Suli McCullough. The players respected this to protect the singular refuge Shandling carefully constructed." [[ESPN](] — "Hellboy's David Harbour Keeps It Real." Connie Guglielmo interviews the actor: "I knew the medium might be the message here, in the sense that social media might be best used to provide some fun for the world -- maybe do some good. Because I do think it has power when you have millions of followers. It's a sort of currency that you can use." [[CNET](] — "J.K. Rowling Enters George Lucas Mode." David Sims critiques: "In film history, there are a few gloomy middle entries that work despite lacking a real beginning or end, but it’s a difficult trick to pull off. ... From a business perspective, that just might work. But as a new part of Rowling’s expanding canon, The Crimes of Grindelwald is tragically underwhelming." [[The Atlantic](] What else we're watching... + "Dick Cavett recounts the time a guest died on his show." [[Late Night](] + "Kurt Russell reveals gift he gave Charles Bronson." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] + "Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) wants to fight... Russian stereotypes." [[Late Show](] + "Viola Davis spectacularly failed a 28-day cleanse in two days." [[Tonight Show](] From the archives... + On Nov. 14, 2003, 20th Century Fox unveiled the naval epic Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World in theaters, a film that won two technical trophies at the 76th Academy Awards: "Skillfully adapted from the meticulously detailed historical novels by Patrick O'Brian, the epic adventure, set during the Napoleonic Wars, boasts at least two artists at the top of their respective games." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Stella Maeve, 29, Vanessa Bayer, 37, Josh Duhamel, 46, Patrick Warburton, 54, Laura San Giacomo, 56, Prince Charles, 70. 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]( November 14, 2018