'Aquaman' Conquering Overseas; CBS Sets $20M Donation; Warner Streamer's Creative Chief; New Harvey Allegations; Oscars Forecast; Cuaron Podcast

What's news: CBS announced how it will donate its $20 million taken from former CEO Leslie Moonves' possible exit package. Plus: WarnerMedia finds a creative chief for its streamer, a new set of allegations against Harvey Weinstein and Aquaman continues its overseas success. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( December 15, 2018 What's news: CBS announced how it will donate its $20 million taken from former CEO Leslie Moonves' possible exit package. Plus: WarnerMedia finds a creative chief for its streamer, a new set of allegations against Harvey Weinstein and Aquaman continues its overseas success. — Will Robinson ^CBS sets $20 million donation: The company detailed which women's advocacy groups would get portions of the eight-figure sum that it had previously said it would be donating as part of its separation agreement with former CEO Leslie Moonves, Georg Szalai and Paul Bond report: + Who gets the money: The 18 groups selected include the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund, RAINN, the National Women's Law Center and others. CBS said in September after Moonves' exit that the focus would be on "organizations dedicated to fostering safe and equitable work environments and eliminating sexual harassment in the workplace." * Moonves' exit package: Moonves would have been due $180 million or more in severance if CBS were to let him go without cause, but he agreed to depart without any immediate compensation. The separation agreement sees the company holding $120 million for Moonves that he will or will not get depending on the results of an investigation. The $20 million that RALLY helped CBS spend presumably also would have gone to Moonves. [Full story.]( + Producers Guilds' plans: The program will use the funds from the CBS grant to pay for on set, in-person, anti-sexual harassment training as well as up to two hours of legal consultation to any qualifying independent film, television, or digital production. "With fewer and fewer studio films and more and more independent films being made," PGA co-president Gail Berman tells Gregg Kilday, "many don't have budgets large enough to train cast and crew in this area, and so it is often neglected and that's when problems arise." [Full story.]( Time's Up launches initiative to diversify Hollywood's producer, exec pool. The new "Who's in the Room" program, [jump-started]( by its CBS grant, will provide participants with industry mentors, instruction and financial aid for those in need. New Suit vs. Weinstein New allegations: An unnamed actress is suing Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company, claiming the embattled producer repeatedly sexually harassed and assaulted her over the course of more than two years, Eriq Gardner reports: + The claims: The actress says Weinstein "manipulated, harassed, flashed, groped, fondled, sexually battered, forcibly performed oral sex, sexually assaulted" her and threatened her career, all while setting a series of meetings tied to promises of roles in TWC's films. Weinstein's rep says, "There is absolutely no truth to the malicious claims made in this lawsuit." * First meeting: The actress was 22 when she first met Weinstein in 2013 at the Sundance Film Festival, where she claims he walked in on her in the restroom during a meeting in his suite and began masturbating. Afterward, she claims, he told her it was "fun" and "things would be okay for her" as long as she was his friend. + Jennifer Lawrence assertions: After alleging being forced to perform oral sex on Weinstein, the woman claims Weinstein said he was the "gatekeeper" to her dreams of being an actress and bragged about allegedly sleeping with Jennifer Lawrence. Both Lawrence and Weinstein denied the claims. [Full story.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Weinstein accusers want to ban him from disclosing their emails to media. Weinstein's lawyer is allegedly [threatening to unleash]( emails in the media to sway the court of public opinion, Eriq Gardner reports. ► Aquaman hurtles past $150M overseas. The superhero pic is heading into its second weekend of play in a raft of international markets and is well [on its way]( to recouping its $200 million budget before debuting in North America on Dec. 21. ► Spider-Verse swinging to $35M; The Mule trots toward $18M. Though those two films are [pegged]( for solid openings, the outlook is grim for Mortal Engines, which appears DOA with an estimated $8 million-$9 million debut. ► Benicio del Toro to play villain in Dora the Explorer. Del Toro has [closed a deal]( to voice Swiper, the thieving fox, in Paramount Players’ live-action feature based on the character from the popular Nickelodeon TV series. ► Adria Arjona in early talks to join Jared Leto in Morbius. The Pacific Rim star would play Martine Bancroft, who in the comics was [engaged]( to Dr. Michael Morbius. ► Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark gets summer 2019 release date. The movie is [based on]( Alvin Schwartz's internationally best-selling book series. It'll arrive on Aug. 9, 2019, via Lionsgate and CBS Films. ^Podcast: Alfonso Cuaron explains wanting Roma to have a "digital quality." The director shared to tech editor Carolyn Giardina that during pre-production, his usual cinematographer Emmanuel "Chivo" Lubezki, who wasn't available for the shoot, told him, "You have to do it." [Listen]( | [Subscribe]( For your consideration... ► The Favourite leads Vancouver Film Critics Circle awards nods. Yorgos Lanthimos earned a nomination for best director, while his three female leads also earned best actress or best supporting actress nods. [All nominees.]( On the festival circuit... ► Kenneth Branagh's All Is True to open Palm Springs. Bruce Beresford's Ladies in Black will close the fest, which runs from Jan. 3-14. [Lineup.]( Coming attractions... ► Teaser: Downton Abbey movie reopens doors to Crawley family residence. Highclere Castle has been given a thorough dusting ahead of the film's September 2019 release. [Watch.]( Feinberg Forecast update. Awards columnist Scott Feinberg examines the new landscape after nominations from the Globes, Critics' Choice and SAG Awards. [Forecast.]( Reilly Takes on Warner's Streamer Going OTT: Kevin Reilly, chief creative officer at Turner and president of TNT and TBS, has been appointed chief creative officer for the forthcoming WarnerMedia streaming service, Natalie Jarvey reports: + New responsibilities: In addition to his current work at Turner, he will add oversight of all content strategy for the service, which is expected to blend programming from HBO and other WarnerMedia brands alongside library content and some licensed fare. Reilly will continue to report to David Levy and will also work directly with WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey on the direct-to-consumer service. * Stankey's praise: In a memo to staff, Stankey described Reilly as having "a reputation as a forward thinker when it comes to programming formats and cross-platform opportunities." + Past career: Reilly has, over his many-decade career, overseen NBC, Fox and FX, along with his current role running TBS and TNT. With a track record for hits that includes ER, 30 Rock and Glee, he will bring a programming point of view to the new streamer. [Full story.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Disney Channel actor fired after arrest for attempted sexual liaison with minor. Stoney Westmoreland [was arrested]( Friday after asking a 13-year-old he met via an online dating app to engage in sexual acts and send pornographic images. Disney severed ties with the actor hours later. ► CBS This Morning ep Ryan Kadro stepping down. The executive producer who's been with the morning show since its inception [informed]( the staff on Friday morning after today's episode wrapped. * New ep to start next month. "We have a number of compelling internal and external candidates [to lead]( CTM," CBS News chief David Rhodes said in a Friday night memo. ► Netflix takes aim at the legality of Viacom's executive contracts. The dispute between the two companies is both similar and different than the fight between Netflix and Fox, and [could impact]( others in Hollywood — especially talent agents. ► Netflix renews David Letterman talk show. Like the first run, season two will have six episodes and include long interviews with guests the long-time late-night host finds interesting, along with some taped pieces. The new season [will air]( sometime in 2019; no firm date is set at the moment. ► Apple lands rights to Charlie Brown, Snoopy and Co. in new Peanuts deal. DHX Media [will produce]( the new content based on Charles M. Schulz’s beloved comic characters that will start rolling out in 2019. ► AMC renews Black-ish, three other comedies. The ABC Studios series will add two more episodes to its order, for a total of 24 on the season; Black-ish has [ended up]( with 24-episode orders for each of its five seasons. The Goldbergs, in its sixth season, got one extra episode tacked on, as did first-year shows The Kids Are Alright and Single Parents. All three series will run for 23 episodes. ► WME agent Kevin Hill joins Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions. During his six-and-a-half years in the agency's non-scripted TV department, he [worked frequently]( with the duo, packaging their upcoming NBC series The Titan Games and BET series Finding Justice, as well as HBO's Rock and a Hard Place among others. ► Pacific Life Insurance will pause ads on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show, "reevaluate" relationship. "As a company, [we strongly disagree]( with Mr. Carlson's statements," the insurance company said following a segment about immigration on his show. ^TV's Top 5 podcast breaks down SAG noms, streaming's growth: The second episode of the new weekly TV podcast with West Coast TV editor Lesley Goldberg and chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg features a discussion about the Kevin Hart/Oscars fallout, the SAG Awards and recent Star Wars series casting. [Listen]( | [Subscribe]( Digital digest... ► Facebook photos of nearly 7 million users exposed. The bug [disclosed]( Friday gave hundreds of apps unauthorized access to photos that could in theory include images that would embarrass some of the affected users. Legal briefs... ► Katie Couric wins appeal against gun rights group arguing doc was defamatory. According to the Fourth Circuit, even if the film was deceptively edited, 9 seconds of silence [in response]( to a question about background checks doesn't mean pro-gun individuals are ignorant. Honorees... ► Claire Foy, Chuck Lorre to be feted at Critics' Choice Awards. The Crown star will accept the #SeeHer Award, which recognizes a woman who [embodies]( the values set forth by the #SeeHer movement, launched by the Association of National Advertisers. Lorre will receive the Critics' Choice Creative Achievement Award. ► Game of Thrones actor Aidan Gillen to be honored at Oscar Wilde Awards. The event [takes place]( Feb. 21 and returns to J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot offices in Santa Monica. Latest reviews... ► Netflix's Watership Down. "The biggest obstacle the new version has to overcome," Tim Goodman writes, "is that the animation is decidedly flatter than what modern movie-goers are used to in the last chunk of years (decade?). ... The saving grace to all of that, of course, is the magnificent voice cast." [Review.]( ► Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: A Midwinter's Tale. "[The special] beautifully marries horror with holiday spirit, allowing us to revel in the good tidings of the witches' Winter Solstice holiday," Daniel Fienberg writes, "replete with gingerbread house effigies, spellbound yule logs, decorative pentagrams adorned with colorful baubles and the cheerful mantra, 'Satan bless us, everyone!'" [Full review.]( Talking points... ► The Weekly Standard to shutter. The anti-Trump conservative magazine, which has been around since 1995, will publish its final issue on Monday. [[The New York Times](] Marvelous Mrs. Maisel star explains why Joel isn't the enemy (anymore). Michael Zegen talks with THR about season two's redemption story and, yes, that cliffhanger ending, Emma Dibdin reports. [Spoilers.]( Gaming Therapy Alternative healing: For decades, the industry has been pointed to as a scapegoat for real-world crimes, but its potential to heal rarely gets the same attention, Patrick Shanley reports: + Soothing moment: Given the interactive nature of the medium, playing video games can often be a therapeutic experience. In a simulated environment, games offer a sense of control to the user — literally. While many games present a stiff challenge (Celeste, particularly) many others exist as a sandbox the player can explore through their own autonomy. + Effect of violent games: "It’s not just a game, it’s a virtual world," Dr. Jay Hull, Dartmouth professor of psychological and brain sciences who conducted a study that linked violent games to violent behavior in children, said. "When you inhabit a game world, you become a particular type of person and if they warp your sense of right and wrong you can come back to the real world with a different sense of what's acceptable behavior." [Full story.]( What to watch this weekend... THR critic Daniel Fienberg send his recommendation: Two years ago, movie critics tried pretending ESPN's phenomenal O.J.: Made in America was a movie for their top 10 lists. Last year, movie critics tried pretending that Showtime's revival of Twin Peaks was a movie. They were both TV shows, but for one week we're going to pretend that Alfonso Cuaron's Roma is a TV show, because [the year's best movie]( is, after a couple weeks in a VERY select number of theaters, arriving on Netflix. Ideally, Roma should be seen on the big screen, but if you can't, make sure you set yourself up to succeed with Cuaron's largely autobiographical Spanish-language film about his childhood in Mexico City. Turn off the lights. Make sure you have no distractions. Turn up the volume. And let yourself get pulled into the deep focus and sound design of what is practically [a virtual reality experience](. What else we're reading... — "How a Scorned Form of Gossip Changed Hollywood." Alyssa Bereznak reports: "With the rise of the #MeToo movement, blind items have become harbingers for the next major sexual harassment scandal, reframing the sites that publish them as industry watchdogs and commanding the attention of curious celebrities, publicists, and the mainstream media." [[The Ringer](] — "CBS’s Toxic Culture Is in the Stories It Tells." Kathryn VanArendonk writes: "The common feature of so many of CBS’s most successful dramas, the ones that have spun off multi-city franchises and run for dozens of years and are watched by millions of people each week, is pretty basic: A man has power, and he wields it for his own ends." [[Vulture](] — "Sony Finally Untangles Its Spider Web." Joanna Robinson reports: "The key to the Spider-Verse, [Amy Pascal] said, is 'character and emotion. That is the thing that makes all of Marvel so rich, and that’s what Stan Lee did—and I think that is the most important thing is never to forget that, never to get confused that it’s about anything else.'” [[Vanity Fair](] — "The Octomom Has Proved Us All Wrong." Adam Popescu catches up with Natalie Suleman: "I was pretending to be a fake, a caricature, which is something I’m not, and I was doing it out of desperation and scarcity so I could provide for my family. I’ve been hiding from the real world all my life." [[The New York Times](] — "How ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ Went From Parlor Act to Problematic." Jacey Fortin details: “We’re all kind of mystified. The #MeToo movement, which I approve of, has really overstepped in this. You have to look at things in cultural and historical context.” [[The New York Times](] What else we're watching... + "Mark Ronson sings Lady Gaga as Adam Sandler." [[Tonight Show](] + "Tony Shalhoub learned that kids don't appreciate Paris." [[Late Show](] + "Jason Momoa’s mom has brilliant dancing advice." [[Graham Norton](] + "Late-Night Lately: Bee tears into Fox Nation; hosts react to Cohen's sentence." [[THR](] From the archives... + On Dec. 15, 1974, Gene Wilder's Young Frankenstein, now recognized as an essential part of the Mel Brooks canon, first hit theaters and was met with a generally warm reception: "It is an old-fashioned programmer-type comedy in which all your favorite funny people get together and ham up a well-known story." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Rachel Brosnahan, 28, Nichole Bloom, 29, Camilla Luddington, 35, Charlie Cox, 36, Michelle Dockery, 37, Adam Brody, 39, Michael Shanks, 48, John Lee Hancock, 62, Julie Taymor, 66, Don Johnson, 69. 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