Netflix, Apple Upend Studio Hierarchy; Gothams Winners; Fox Nation Goes Live; Disney Theme Park Lawsuit; Bertolucci's Legacy

What's news: What the Gotham Awards mean for the Oscars race. Plus: Fox and Disney face a $1.75 billion lawsuit over a foiled theme park deal, WarnerMedia finds its streamer's boss and Thanksgiving's strong TV ratings. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( November 27, 2018 What's news: What the Gotham Awards mean for the Oscars race. Plus: Fox and Disney face a $1.75 billion lawsuit over a foiled theme park deal, WarnerMedia finds its streamer's boss and Thanksgiving's strong TV ratings. — Will Robinson ^"A new paradigm": Paramount and A24 agreeing to produce original films for Netflix and Apple represents an about-face in the traditional pecking order and signals a major shift in the entertainment industry, Rebecca Keegan reports: + Tougher reality: Movie studios are no longer making films just for themselves, but for the deep-pocketed technology companies that have become Hollywood’s latest conquistadors. It’s not hard to visualize a time when an iconic studio like Paramount becomes a supplier in the face of rampant M&A. "Everyone is trying to withstand the onslaught," says Tuna Amobi, senior analyst for investment firm CFRA Research. "Everyone is playing offense and defense." * What'll hit streamers: In producing new films designed for Netflix from the greenlighting stage, Paramount will mine its IP and creative relationships to make movies that might not justify the expense of a theatrical release, most likely the decent dramas and mid-budget movies that have a hard time luring audiences in a marketplace driven by tentpoles. + Brand establishment: A24 represents an asset that, at least theoretically, you can’t buy in the movie business: taste. "Apple is projecting an aesthetic by committing first to A24," says Jason Squire, author of The Movie Business Book and professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. "They’re making a statement that they are committed to these mid-range, independent movies." [Full story.]( Gotham Awards Upsets Recalibration: Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite and Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk were upset for best feature by Chloe Zhao's modern-day Western The Rider — and wound up winning no competitive awards, Scott Feinberg analyzes: + Big winners: Both Eighth Grade and First Reformed — indies' indies — took home prizes for their respective writer/directors — Bo Burnham won best breakthrough director and Paul Schrader won best screenplay — and stars — Eighth Grade's Elsie Fisher won best breakthrough actor and First Reformed's Ethan Hawke won best actor. But neither film won best feature. + Predictive power: Where the Gothams can be helpful is highlighting, for people both inside and outside of the ceremony itself, smaller films that might otherwise get overlooked. Many more Academy members will probably check out The Rider now. Three of the last four best feature Gotham Award winners went on to win the best picture Oscar, and the fourth got a nom. [Analysis]( | [Winners list]( | [Red carpet gallery]( Elsewhere in film... ► Fox, Disney hit with $1.75B suit for backing away from Malaysian theme park. GENM says that a "soft opening" was [set to occur]( in the first half of 2019, but that lately, Fox has been throwing up roadblocks including insisting upon "less qualified" vendors, failing to provide style guides for digital assets, and failing to provide required on-site support. ► Manhattan DA won't pursue financial charges against Weinstein. Investigators [aren't pursuing]( claims related to payoffs made to Harvey Weinstein's accusers. Weinstein, who in June pleaded not guilty to multiple sex crimes, is now facing five charges after the DA in October dropped one because of information the police had but didn't share with prosecutors. ► Viola Davis' production company signs first-look film deal with Amazon. Under the deal, JuVee [will produce]( feature films for the streaming service. Davis recently worked with the studio on the feature Troupe Zero, starring alongside Allison Janney and Jim Gaffigan. ► Jonathan Majors in talks to star in Aaron Sorkin's Trial of the Chicago 7. The White Boy Rick star is [set to play]( Bobby Seale, the co-founder of the Black Panther Party. The project for Amblin Entertainment would see Sorkin write the screenplay and direct, with Marc Platt to produce. ► A24 library heads to Kanopy. The public library-affiliated streamer now boasts Moonlight, Lady Bird and more on its free service. [[The Verge](] [Quoted:]( "Sometimes Julian [Schnabel] would see a painting that was a good copy of Van Gogh ... and he'd work on them some more. He'd make some of the well-known self-portraits look more like me. You might think, 'Oh that's a betrayal of van Gogh,' but the best way you can honor him is in spirit. What you want is a living painting, not a museum piece." — Willem Dafoe, on At Eternity's Gate's Van Gogh's replicas. ^Re-creating 1930s London: Mary Poppins Returns director Rob Marshall looked to his six-time collaborator, Oscar-winning production designer John Myhre, to build a Depression-era British capital "dipped in reality," Cathy Whitlock reports: + Prepping the homestead: The iconic home of the Banks family on Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane is depicted in its current neglected state with a family in mourning, repossession looming and an elderly housekeeper who is not up to the task of good housekeeping. Oscar-winning set decorator Gordon Sim scoured antique markets all over southern England to create interiors for the Banks’ Georgian house. + Making an icon: One of the most impressive designs was the recreation of Big Ben where hands-on research — and a good set of earplugs — came in handy when the design team climbed into the belfry of the actual tower. "We got to walk up and go behind the clock to see the mechanism that turns it. When Big Ben ran, I thought, how amazing is this?" [Full story.]( On the festival circuit... ► Roma's Alfonso Cuaron picked for Palm Springs' Sonny Bono Visionary Award. The Oscar-winning auteur [will collect]( his hardware at the fest's annual Awards Gala on Jan. 3. Coming attractions... ► First look: Donald Glover offers glimpse at secret Guava Island project with Rihanna. The actor shared footage of the collaboration during his PHAROS Festival in New Zealand over the weekend. [Watch.]( A Star Is Born soundtrack producer Dave Cobb signs with CAA. Cobb served as music consultant on the film, whose soundtrack was No. 1 for three straight weeks and is still in the top five, seven weeks after it was released. The agency will help [expand]( his work in film and television. Warners' Streamer Boss Gearing up: Brad Bentley has been named general manager of WarnerMedia's forthcoming direct-to-consumer streaming service, Natalie Jarvey reports: + Reporting structure: Bentley — who logged more than 15 years at DirecTV before the satellite TV provider was acquired by AT&T — will report to WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey and work to coordinate the late 2019 projected launch of the service, which is expected to offer a combination of HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. programming. * Tech shifts: Stankey also announced that Turner chief technology officer Jeremy Legg will assume responsibility for HBO's technology operations, a move that he wrote would allow WarnerMedia "to execute decisively to align on target platforms, and coordinate the resources across these organizations that represent components of a unified direct-to-consumer technology platform." [Full story.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Australian court clears Nine Network, Fairfax Media merger. The combined entity will become Australia's largest media company when it [starts trading]( on Dec. 10, after clearing the final hurdle for their planned $3.1 billion (AUS$4 billion) merger. ► Comcast raises cable prices. "The newly raised broadcast TV fee will be $10 a month, and the sports fee will be $8.25 a month. ... The fees, which have become common in the industry, are controversial because they are not included in Comcast's advertised prices and because Comcast imposes fee increases even on customers who are under contract." [[Ars Technica](] ► David Heyman, NBCUniversal's Heyday Television U.K. name Tom Winchester president. Winchester is the former creative director of DNA Films and TV, the [banner behind]( the likes of Trainspotting and The Last King of Scotland. ► 2019 Emmy Awards return to Sunday on Fox. It will be the first Emmys of eight in a new deal between the Big Four networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) and the TV Academy — as well as the [first to air]( on New Fox once Disney’s acquisition of the company’s non-network entertainment properties are complete. A host for the September kudos has yet to be named. ► "The War for Christmas TV." Josef Adalian breaks down the programming slate: "As much as modern audiences love streaming shows on demand, Nielsen data suggests live viewing — no DVRs, no on-demand — spikes dramatically for holiday-themed programming, as friends and families gather in front of the electronic hearth for a dose of carefully curated small-screen cheer." [[Vulture](] ► Tamera Mowry-Housley returns to The Real after niece's death in Thousand Oaks shooting. "It's obvious that [we need change]( when it comes to gun violence," Mowry-Housley said on the syndicated daytime talk show. ► CBS' MacGyver star George Eads to exit. The CSI grad had an altercation in October and [stormed off]( the show's Atlanta set despite having several remaining hours of production remaining for the day, Lesley Goldberg reports. ► ABC joins ESPN, NFL Network for 2019 NFL Draft. ABC's draft telecasts [will focus]( on casual fans, while ESPN and NFL Network will cater to hard-core football fans. ► Kelsea Ballerini, Chainsmokers to headline New Year's Rockin' Eve West Coast event. Foster the People, Dua Lipa, Macklemore, Skylar Grey, Ella Mai and Charlie Puth also will perform. [Lineup.]( ► Alec {NAME} appears in court in parking-spot case. The actor [said nothing]( as he was arraigned on misdemeanor and violation-level charges. [Quoted:]( "We've been besieged by really hateful language, and the power of denial. I think the sort of gaslighting that's going on in the show really does reflect the times we're in, where you know you've seen something, you know that there's a reality around you, and yet you're told over and over that what you know isn't true." — Marti Noxon, how Sharp Objects resonates. ^Wake up to Fox Nation: The Murdochs' $5.99 a month streaming service went live at 10 a.m. ET and seeks to lure young viewers, Marisa Guthrie reports: + Setting expectations: Fox News exec John Finley won't say how much the company is investing to launch Fox Nation nor would he share internal subscriber targets, but insiders note that 1 million-plus should be a benchmark. The new service will start ad-free, which could be a good thing given the growing trend toward advertiser-targeted consumer boycotts. [Full story.]( * What to expect: "Fox Nation may be the id of Fox News," Michael M. Grynbaum writes, "but it is also a potentially shrewd bet for the Murdoch family, which is testing the digital waters ahead of news rivals CNN and MSNBC." [[The New York Times](] Deals and greenlights... ► Amazon taps Anne Hathaway, Tina Fey for star-studded cast of anthology Modern Love. Dev Patel, John Slattery and Brandon Victor Dixon are also [among]( the half-hour anthology's cast; Emmy Rossum and Sharon Horgan will direct episodes. ► ABC orders comedy pilot from Modern Family duo. Abraham Higginbotham and Jon Pollack are behind Happy Accident, which [hails]( from 20th Century Fox TV and ABC Studios. ► Starz picks up pole dancer drama P-Valley to series. The premium cable network has also [confirmed]( its series order for Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama Hightown, starring Monica Raymund. ► Meredith Vieira-hosted syndicated game show picked up for fall launch. 25 Words or Less [pits]( two teams composed of celebrities and civilians against each other in a fast-paced word game with a top prize of $10,000. The show will return on Fox TV Stations following its summer trial run. Digital digest... ► Facebook exec: Cambridge Analytica data harvesting "damaged public trust." Policy vp Richard Allan [addressed]( a landmark fake news and disinformation inquiry in the British parliament in London. CEO Mark Zuckerberg declined to attend after earlier apologizing for the Cambridge Analytica scandal to members of the European Parliament. ► Facebook Watch going for older viewers. "In talks with at least three media companies, Facebook has hinted it wants Watch shows aimed at post-college millennials around parenting age and older," Michelle Castillo reports. "Facebook responded most positively to talent in their 30s through 50s." [[CNBC](] ► Washington Post launches daily news podcast. "Each Post Reports episode will feature three segments, the first being the newsiest, followed by a deeper dive-type segment, then a third, lighter segment. A team of eight people is working full time on the podcast, including five new audio producers." [[Digiday](] Ratings notes... ► Thanksgiving TV viewers feast on Macy's parade, NFL. Rick Porter emails: With big events throughout the day and the vast majority of people home to watch them, Thanksgiving is stealthily one of the biggest TV viewing days of the year. All three NFL games — one each on CBS, Fox and NBC — [averaged]( well more than 20 million viewers. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, also on NBC, should also end up way above 20 million in the final tally. ► Walking Dead midseason finale rebounds. The AMC series [ended]( the first half of season nine with 5.1 million viewers, a 6 percent improvement on the series-low 4.79 million for the Nov. 18 episode. Just under half of that audience (2.5 million viewers) fell in the 18-49 demo. Legal briefs... ► Richard Simmons drops appeal over National Enquirer sex-change story. The fitness guru [filed]( his lawsuit in May 2017 and characterized the false tale of a "shocking sex surgery" as "cruel and malicious." He further alleged that he had been stalked and that the source for the stories in National Enquirer had recanted. Talking points... ► Trump seeks to reignite feud with CNN, proposes state-run TV. "While CNN doesn’t do great in the United States based on ratings, outside of the U.S. they have very little competition," the president wrote on the quiet news day. "Throughout the world, CNN has a powerful voice portraying the United States in an unfair and false way. [Something has to be done."]( Rockstar unveils Red Dead Online. The multiplayer version of the Western epic [finally arrives]( with Tuesday's beta version. During the beta process, Rockstar will listen to player feedback and suggestions on how to shape Red Dead Online for the future. Remembering Bertolucci Creative exploration: Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci's legacy is defined by his bold examinations of transgressive sexual themes, writes Deborah Young: + Following passions: An intellectual and a sensualist capable of combining poetry and social issues in his films, the filmmaker was an ever-inventive auteur backed by the finest technicians of his day. His eclectic talent moved nervously between Europe and Hollywood, China and the world, as his themes touched the topics that most piqued his curiosity, from politics and society to psychoanalysis and eroticism. + Besting backlash: Bertolucci (like Marco Bellocchio, his illustrious contemporary) was inspired by a keen interest in psychoanalysis and the psychodynamics of relationships, and sexuality is never left out of the equation. He seemed well able to handle the public outcry and censors’ attacks on the transgressive sexual themes that recur in his films. [Full essay.]( What else we're reading... — "Break the Internet: Amanda Bynes, Please." Abby Schreiber profiles the former child star: "After retiring from acting, Bynes found herself feeling adrift, having quit what had been basically, up until this point, a lifelong pursuit. 'I just had no purpose in life. I'd been working my whole life and [now] I was doing nothing.'" [[PAPER](] — "Bringing To Kill a Mockingbird to Broadway Was Nearly Impossible." Aaron Sorkin reflects: "[Scott Rudin] wanted me to adapt the novel into a play. He was right — it was very exciting. It was also a suicide mission, and I understood that right away." [[Vulture](] — "The Supercalifragilistic Lin-Manuel Miranda." Brucy Handy chats with the Hamilton creator and Mary Poppins star: "Not a jaded bone in his body. Sam Wasson, a friend of Miranda’s from their undergraduate days at Wesleyan, said much the same thing when he described Miranda as 'a human gumdrop.'" [[Vanity Fair](] — "Winston Duke Is Reveling His Breakout." Erik Tanner chats to the Black Panther star: "Creating a character that’s charismatic, statuesque, and slyly funny, Duke gives a performance that instantly cemented him as an actor to watch." [[GQ](] — "Shawn Mendes: Confessions of a Neurotic Teen Idol." Patrick Doyle chats with the singer: "It’s easy to be skeptical of his success — just ask Mendes himself, a self-described 'extremely neurotic' 20-year-old who spends much of his time second-guessing his career choices. 'It’s literally my biggest fear, to wake up tomorrow and nobody cares.'" [[Rolling Stone](] What else we're watching... + "Glenn Close set up tea & tequila table for her Off-Broadway co-stars." [[Tonight Show](] + "Nicole Kidman is blown away by Stephen Fry’s intelligence." [[Graham Norton](] + "Stephen takes questions from the audience." [[Late Show](] From the archives... + On Nov. 27, 1976, MGM's prescient Network hit theaters. The R-rated satire claimed four Academy Awards and remains as relevant as ever, as a Broadway adaptation looms: "[Paddy Chayefsky] is looking at an industry that has the power to strip each of us of precious individuality, and mold us into acquiescent members of a fascist state." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Alison Pill, 33, Jaleel White, 42, Kirk Acevedo, 47, Robin Givens, 54, Fisher Stevens, 55, William Fichtner, 62, Bill Nye, 63, Kathryn Bigelow, 67. Enjoy reading this? Six days a week, look for Today in Entertainment in your inbox to stay up-to-date on the industry. Sign up for this newsletter (and others) at [THR.com/Newsletters](. 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 27, 2018