Moonves Denied; 'SMILF' Creator Probed; Couple of the Year; Harvey Case Crumbling?; Dungey to Netflix; Black List Revealed; 'Vice' Review; New THR Cover

What's news: Power couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski were some of the biggest Rule Breakers in Hollywood this year. Plus: CBS denies former CEO Leslie Moonves his $120 million severance package, the crumbling case against Harvey Weinstein and troubling conduct on the set of SMILF. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( December 18, 2018 What's news: Power couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski were some of the biggest Rule Breakers in Hollywood this year. Plus: CBS denies former CEO Leslie Moonves his $120 million severance package, the crumbling case against Harvey Weinstein and troubling conduct on the set of SMILF. — Will Robinson [On the cover:]( As 2018 comes to a close with Mary Poppins Returns, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski give a rare joint interview and reveal why they've kept their careers separate, the reason they made an exception for A Quiet Place, and how they navigate marriage, parenthood, famous friends and the globe-trotting demands of modern stardom, Rebecca Keegan reports: + Teaming up: The couple had two healthy young daughters, a new home in Brooklyn and careers that were thriving — separately. It seemed like a good idea to leave it that way. When Blunt finally read her husband's Quiet Place script on a plane ride, Blunt's reaction stunned them both. "I went sort of gray," she says. "I couldn't imagine the thought of letting someone else play the part." Krasinski: "It was like she was proposing to me." + Work-life balance: As working parents, they rely on a magical nanny of their own (theirs is Irish) and various strategies for maintaining sanity, including some that they readily acknowledge are the good fortune of being extremely well-paid people in a gig-based business. "I have a minimum of a five-month rule between projects, other than A Quiet Place," she says. "I broke the rule for him and him alone." * Implicit understanding: Working in the same industry brings a shared understanding of how all-consuming Hollywood careers can be. "There's a large fraction of stress that is taken out by someone who's so supportive," Krasinski says. "Meaning, 'You are directing this movie, so when you reach for your phone, I know you're not trying to isolate me as your wife. You actually have something to do.' I don't have any of that pressure of, 15 percent of my day is explaining to my wife that I have a job to do." [Full cover story.]( Blunt and Krasinski go Fishing for Answers. The couple reveals their respective first celebrity crushes, their favorite movies growing up and their ties to their recent blockbuster characters. [Watch.]( CBS Denies Severance Fired for cause: Leslie Moonves will not be getting his $120 million severance, as CBS concluded after a months-long investigation that there is, indeed, merit to numerous claims that its former CEO sexually harassed several women over the course of decades, Paul Bond reports: + Board of directors' statement: "With regard to Mr. Moonves, we have determined that there are grounds to terminate for cause, including his willful and material misfeasance, violation of Company policies and breach of his employment contract, as well as his willful failure to cooperate fully with the Company’s investigation. Mr. Moonves will not receive any severance payment from the Company." + Scope of probe: CBS hired an investigative team that interviewed as many as 300 people, according to insiders, in order to get to the bottom of the allegations against Moonves after Ronan Farrow listed a half-dozen accusers in The New Yorker on July 27. The final nail in the coffin may have come on Nov. 28, when The New York Times published an exhaustive account of how Moonves tried to gain the silence of little-known actress Bobbie Phillips and her agent, Marv Dauer, decades after Moonves allegedly forced himself upon her. + Moonves' attorney responds: "The conclusions of the CBS board were foreordained and are without merit. Consistent with the pattern of leaks that have permeated this 'process', the press was informed of these baseless conclusions before Mr. Moonves, further damaging his name, reputation, career and legacy. Mr. Moonves vehemently denies any non-consensual sexual relations and cooperated extensively and fully with investigators." [Full story.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► SMILF creator Frankie Shaw investigated over misconduct claims. Numerous employees have made claims about inappropriately handled sex scenes and one actress has left the show alleging breach of contract, Kim Masters reports. * Nude scene malpractice: Sources say Samara Weaving is exiting the show after she claimed her contract was breached during the filming of a sex scene in the second season. She is said to have complained to both Disney and SAG-AFTRA after Shaw instructed video monitors to be turned on even though the set was supposed to be closed, with only limited crew present and with outside monitors off. Weaving declined to comment. [Full story.]( ► Netflix taps Channing Dungey to oversee Originals with Cindy Holland. In her new role, Dungey [will partner]( with Holland in setting strategic direction as well as oversee a large and what Netflix described as a "crucial portion" of the slate — including some of the company's overall deals with their high-profile producers, including Shonda Rhimes, Kenya Barris and the Obamas. * Netflix vs. Disney heats up. Disney eventually plans to pull its Marvel movies from Netflix, as they will move to Disney+. The relationship between the two companies has soured of late, prompting Netflix to cancel three of Disney's Marvel originals (Iron Fist, Luke Cage and Daredevil) as only two (Jessica Jones, The Punisher) remain. ► Apple inks Justin Lin to overall deal. In a massive blow to Sony, the Fast & Furious director and his production company Perfect Storm Entertainment [have inked]( an exclusive multi-year overall television deal with the tech giant to develop, produce and direct TV series "with a global perspective." Lin had a longstanding TV deal at Sony. ► Tucker Carlson Tonight loses another advertiser as Bowflex backs out. "We have requested that Fox News [remove our ads]( from airing in conjunction with Tucker Carlson Tonight in the future," a spokesperson for parent company Nautilus said Monday, Jeremy Barr reports. NerdWallet has also backed out, while others [have remained](. ► Tonight Show heading to Puerto Rico with Hamilton for Hurricane relief episode. The Jan. 15 broadcast [will feature]( Lin-Manuel Miranda reprising his role from Hamilton alongside his touring cast. ^Disney's top dealmaker talks Fox plans, new streamer: Kevin Mayer, the chairman of Walt Disney direct-to-consumer and international, offers an inside look at the $71.3 billion deal with the Murdochs, Hulu’s future and why launching Disney+ is "an excitement more than it is a nervousness," Natalie Jarvey reports: + Lessons from ESPN+: "It validates our strategy," Mayer says. "If you put high-quality content in front of people that want it and you have the technology that works and you market it the right way, you can succeed. I think that enhances our expectations for the rest of our launches." [Full interview.]( Deals and greenlights... ► Netflix renews Chilling Adventures of Sabrina through season four. The streamer is [billing]( the additional 16-episode order as "parts three and four" — all ahead of part two's debut in April. ► Netflix's Dark Crystal prequel sets star-studded voice cast. Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel [will play]( the lead roles and be joined by a host of other actors. ► CBS' Elementary to end with season seven. The Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu drama has been a [cash cow]( for producers CBS TV Studios. ► CBS developing widower comedy with Ant-Man director. Peyton Reed will executive produce The Unicorn, about a man [adjusting]( to an unwanted new phase of life; sitcom veterans Bill Martin and Mike Schiff are writing. ► CBS All Access renews Tell Me a Story. The fairy-tale-themed thriller from Kevin Williamson [will explore]( new stories and characters in its second season. ► Hulu renews Canadian comedy Letterkenny for four more seasons. The U.S. streamer has [picked up]( seasons three to six of the CraveTV scripted original after debuting the first two cycles this past summer. ► HBO developing female skateboarder comedy with Love co-creator. From Crystal Moselle (The Wolfpack) and Lesley Arfin, the project is [inspired by]( Moselle's indie film Skate Kitchen. ► HBO Europe renews Polish drama The Pack. The first two seasons of the original drama, which [follows]( the lives of border guard officers tested to their physical and psychological limits in the Bieszczady Mountains, were ratings hits, becoming the most-watched shows on HBO Poland when they were released. ► 20th TV renews The Passage boss to eight-figure overall deal. This is Liz Heldens' [second pact]( — a three-year deal, Lesley Goldberg reports — with the studio after stints at Sony and Universal TV. ► Fox claims Extra. The syndicated news magazine will air on Fox stations in seven major markets, after [making the move]( from NBC's owned-and-operated networks. ^Best episodes of 2018: A vigorous debate about race relations in America, an interpretive coming-out dance and an exhilarating jolt of silliness featuring a killer unicorn: These are some of the episodes that blew Tim Goodman's and Daniel Fienberg’s minds this year. [Top 10.]( Digital digest... ► CBS News' streamer to go local. "CBS’s decision to create local extensions of CBSN comes from internal research that said that users wanted more local coverage, according to Christy Tanner, evp and gm of CBS News Digital." [[Digiday](] ► TNT to launch I Am the Night companion podcast. Root of Evil will debut Feb. 13 [to tell]( the real story of the Black Dahlia murder. Peak TV update... ► FX chief: Scripted originals could top 530 in 2019. While overall volume appears to have slowed, basic cable's decline [offset]( the massive gains in the streaming space (up 43 year-over-year for a high of 160 originals). "What I didn't foresee was the level of aggressiveness and pace of ramp-up the streaming businesses would pursue ... which is a little cuckoo when it comes to the sheer volume," John Landgraf says. Legal briefs... ► Making a Murderer filmmakers sued by former Wisconsin police sergeant. Andrew Colborn [asserts]( the documentary left viewers with the conclusion he wrongfully framed an innocent man for murder, Eriq Gardner reports. ► Fresh Prince star sues Fortnite creator over Carlton dance. Alfonso Ribeiro says his signature move "The Carlton Dance" — which became famous on a 1991 episode of the hit series — [was copied]( in Epic Games' blockbuster product. ► CNN legal setback points to tougher times ahead for media companies. In a defamation case, the Eleventh Circuit [rejects]( how CNN and other media companies demanded the special-dismissal provision of Georgia's anti-SLAPP statute. ► Peaky Blinders dispute arising from Weinstein misconduct settles. Endemol [will withdraw]( objection to the assumption of a contract by Lantern, which acquired assets once belonging to The Weinstein Company. Awards Chatter podcast — Julia Roberts. The biggest female movie star of the last 30 years, "America's Sweetheart" herself, reflects on pre-stardom life and loss, how she wound up in Pretty Woman and becoming the queen of rom-coms and what it's like to now be playing a mom. [Listen]( | [Subscribe]( Harvey Case Crumbling? #MeToo letdown?: As a key hearing approaches, disgraced Harvey Weinstein's defense hinges on discrediting accusers with emails and preventing "prior bad act" witnesses — which helped convict Bill Cosby — from speaking, Tatiana Siegel reports: + Recent setback: The prosecution suffered its biggest blow in October when Judge James Burke tossed a count involving allegations made by Lucia Evans, one of the original accusers in Ronan Farrow's New Yorker exposé, who said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004. Evans' grand jury testimony was thrown out because an NYPD detective failed to pass along information to prosecutors that contradicted the former actress' account. + Case of timing: “The timing to bring this case was right from a publicity standpoint,” says criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos. “It was absolutely wrong from a jurisprudence standpoint. I think that a lot of times when you make charging decisions based on public pressure this is what ends up happening.” [Full story.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Aquaman, Mary Poppins Returns to lead Christmas box office crush. Aquaman is expected to top the long Christmas weekend with $110 million or more after already earning nearly $300 million overseas, while Disney's sequel eyes $70 million for Poppins' Wednesday-Christmas window, Pamela McClintock reports. [Box office preview.]( ► Sumner Redstone's speech impairment warrants a legal guardian, judge rules. The court on Monday [granted]( a request from the mogul's grandson to appoint a guardian ad litem to look out for Redstone's best interest. ► Global streaming revenue set to outpace box office in 2019. Comparing the cost of going out to the movies with staying home to “Netflix and chill,” the Ampere Analysis study found that in nine out of 15 markets, including in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Japan, the average price of a cinema ticket is higher than a one-month subscription to an SVOD service. [Details.]( ► Black List unveiled: Matt Drudge, Serena Williams' father among subjects of unproduced screenplays. Since The Black List’s creation in 2005, more than 325 of its scripts have been produced, and the films have grossed more than $26 billion at the worldwide box office. Black List movies have won 50 Academy Awards, including four of the last nine best picture Oscars. [The list.]( * The Black List unveils short film revealing 2018 screenplays. “Part of the fun and part of the utter terror of it is that we have made something that we're going to put into the world and it could go badly,” list founder Franklin Leonard told Rebecca Ford a week ahead of the announcement. [Watch.]( ► Screen Media nabs Terry Gilliam's embattled The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The decades-in-the-making passion project starring Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce is [finally getting]( a North American theatrical release after Amazon Studios got cold feet. ► Brooklyn Media, Child of God author partner on tales of injustice. The recently launched production banner from civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump has tapped best-selling author Lolita Files to pen two true-life tales [centering on]( injustice. ► Canadian actors ratify new labor deal with N.A. producers. ACTRA [has included]( new language for auditions and on-set filming to protect its members and combat sexual harassment as it renews its Independent Production Agreement for three years. ^Is The Mule Clint Eastwood's 11th-hour Oscar play? In 2004, the actor-director upended awards season with the late arrival of best picture winner Million Dollar Baby. Now the 88-year-old has just dropped another strong drama, but history likely won't repeat itself, Stephen Galloway writes. [Column.]( Latest reviews... ► Annapurna's Vice. "This film is not Saturday Night Live-style mockery designed merely to score easy political points but," Todd McCarthy writes, "rather, deep dish satire of the sort that is in general short supply." [Review.]( * What critics are saying. The film is receiving generally favorable reviews, boasting 66 percent on [Rotten Tomatoes]( and 61 on [Metacritic](. [Roundup.]( For your consideration... ► Roma named best picture by Vancouver Film Critics Circle. Ethan Hawke, Melissa McCarthy, Richard E. Grant and Rachel Weisz earned acting prizes in the vote, while Paul Schrader was named best director. [Winners.]( ► Best documentaries of 2018. From an examination of skateboarding and toxic masculinity to a stranger-than-fiction tale of triplets separated at birth, portraits of Jane Fonda, Whitney Houston, Fred Rogers and more, here were the best non-fiction films of the year. [Top 10.]( From the stage... ► Daveed Diggs sets New York stage return. The Tony Award-winning breakout Hamilton discovery [will star in]( the Public Theater's world premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks' play about race and friendship, White Noise. Around town... ► Trader Joe's shooting suspect pleads not guilty. The bail for Gene Atkins, who [was charged]( with eight crimes including two murders, is set at $15.1 million. ► House believed to be Quentin Tarantino's burglarized. Police [do not identify]( victims of such crimes, but TMZ reported the home belongs to Tarantino, and he confronted the intruders. Police confirmed to THR that the suspects were gone by the time officers arrived. In memoriam... ► RIP Galt MacDermot. The composer best known for penning the scores for the Broadway hits Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona died Monday at 89. [Obit.]( Academy unveils 2019 Oscar shortlists. It is the first time that the Academy has released all of its shortlists on the same day. Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, Mexico's submission for best foreign-language film, secured a spot in that category, where it will compete against such other films as Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War, the Polish entry. [Shortlists]( | [Feinberg]( Is Showbiz Recession-Proof? Prepping for the worst: As the stock market plunges and pundits debate an economic downturn, entertainment insiders soothe themselves with the troubling and faulty myth that the industry does well in depressions, Paul Bond reports: + Events & movies could thrive: "People need to get out of their houses. To a certain extent, they need other people," says Peter Tempkins, managing director for HUB Entertainment Solutions, a risk-management firm. "Entertainment will adapt, even if it means lower prices. People need a release. Maybe it won't be dinner, but it will be a movie, concert or sporting event — something to get their minds off the economy." * Recent history: During the Great Recession of 2008-10, about 57,000 U.S. workers in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector lost their jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while hiring rates dropped 16 percent, the second-largest decline among 17 industries tracked. Meanwhile, many stocks were more than halved, including shares of Walt Disney, Discovery, CBS and Viacom. Shares of SiriusXM plunged a whopping 95 percent. [Full story.]( What else we're reading... — "How Pose Broke Through the 'Homophobic, Transphobic Ceiling of Silence.'" Star Billy Porter writes: "Pose reclaims our vibrant culture from the silencers and appropriators of days gone by. 'Tis a new day, and I’m grateful to have lived long enough to see it and be a messenger in it." [[THR](] — "Inside the Exploding World of Nerdy Merchandise." Jacob Gallagher reports: "In 2011, when Game of Thrones launched, the merchandise was mostly restricted to basics, said Jeff Peters, the vice-president of licensing at HBO. Sometime around the third and fourth seasons (2013 and 2014), he explained, 'people just started pounding down our door looking for opportunities to work with us.'" [[The Wall Street Journal](] — "Hollywood and the New Female Grotesque." Soraya Roberts argues: "The conversation around gendered exploitation in Hollywood has helped to expand the definition of women’s roles. Lena Dunham, meanwhile, spent much of her ascent exposing her own body on screen to liberate those of regular women." [[Longreads](] — "The Black List, Illustrated." Artists bring the buzziest unproduced screenplays to life: "It’s hard not to feel that if this list resulted in 73 immediate green lights, the next two years at the movies — including the misfires — would be infinitely more interesting." [[Vulture](] — "Netflix Won't Always Be There to Stream Your Favorite TV Reruns. Your DVDs Will." Ashley Rodriguez defends discs: "The interface on the 2000s-era box sets is archaic, and requires navigating through a virtual graveyard and at least three menus of options before I can press play on an episode. But it’s a small price to pay to watch my favorite shows whenever I want." [[Quartz](] What else we're watching... + "Seth MacFarlane details his big celebrity Christmas party." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] + "Lin-Manuel Miranda & Jimmy sing holiday pop parodies." [[Tonight Show](] + "Barry Jenkins sees Warren Beatty everywhere." [[Late Show](] + "Amber Heard & Armie Hammer are kind of pyromaniacs." [[Late Late Show](] From the archives... + Today in 1997: NBC aired the Seinfeld episode "The Strike," which birthed Frank Costanza's counter-Christmas holiday, Festivus. The holiday was inspired by a (very different) celebration thrown by the family of series writer Dan O'Keefe: “At the time I was just a terrified staff writer hoping that this episode wouldn’t let everyone in America know that my family suffers from mental illness." [[Uproxx](] Today's birthdays: Ashley Benson, 29, Christina Aguilera, 38, Katie Holmes, 40, Josh Dallas, 40, Jason Mantzoukas, 46, Brad Pitt, 55, Ray Liotta, 64, Steven Spielberg, 72, Cicely Tyson, 94. 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]( December 18, 2018