Trump-Free Golden Globes?; Parties List; Netflix Censorship; Inside 'Masked Singer'; 'True Detective' Review; New THR Cover

What's news: Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg are ready to take on the Golden Globes this weekend. Plus: Netflix is picking up Activision Blizzard's recently ousted CFO, The Mule's great business domestically and the new season of True Detective, reviewed. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( January 02, 2019 What's news: Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg are ready to take on the Golden Globes this weekend. Plus: Netflix is picking up Activision Blizzard's recently ousted CFO, The Mule's great business domestically and the new season of True Detective, reviewed. — Will Robinson [On the cover:]( First-time Golden Globes MCs Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg interview each other (with Bryn Elise Sandberg's help) about their "five days" of prep, taking advantage of the "looser atmosphere" and why they will avoid Trump during NBC's telecast on Sunday: + How the Globes differ: "The Globes is a great room for comedy, so it's something that I always thought I'd love to do. That said, I am so much happier to be doing it with you than to do it alone," Samberg tells Oh. "I like playing off someone else and having there be a looseness to it and the ability to try things that are not necessarily just straight jokes to prompter." + Avoiding roasting: "I don't think it's shallow to 1) have fun and 2) be honestly celebratory. Just the fact that I'm fucking up there is crazy-pants in a great way," Oh says. "And I'm not interested in [talking about Trump] at all. What I'm interested in is pointing to actual real change. I want to focus on that 'cause people can pooh-pooh Hollywood all they want — and there is a lot to pooh-pooh, sure — but we also make culture." + How SNL has changed: "From what I can glean being outside it now, it's more under a microscope and more scrutinized than ever," Samberg says. "When we were there, it was sort of the beginning of places doing recaps and ranking the sketches and talking about the inner politics. But it also has changed because everyone is on social media now, so you know about everyone's personal lives." [Full cover story.]( The complete guide to Golden Globes parties. In the days leading up to the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Hollywood hits the party circuit. Chris Gardner and Ramona Saviss have compiled a round-up of the biggest events. [Calendar.]( The People's Globes Most popular shows: Though public perception has no voting power in Globes voting, the public's top picks in a recent THR/Morning Consult poll are The Americans and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Erik Hayden reports: + Top picks: The Americans, which claimed 16 percent of respondents' vote, topped BBC's Bodyguard (11 percent), Amazon's Homecoming (10 percent) and BBC America's Killing Eve (7 percent) in the drama category. Mrs. Maisel, meanwhile, nabbed 17 percent of respondents' vote, edging out NBC's The Good Place (16 percent), Showtime's Kidding (8 percent) and Netflix's The Kominsky Method (8 percent) in the comedy category. + Favorite actors: In the dramatic space, Jason Bateman (Netflix's Ozark) led actors with 22 percent of the vote, while Elisabeth Moss (Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale) paced the actress category with 14 percent. As for comedy actors, Kidding's Jim Carrey claimed the most votes in the survey, with 14 percent, as The Good Place's Kristen Bell was the favorite, with 19 percent of respondents' vote. [Full results.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Netflix to hire Activision Blizzard CFO. The streaming giant is [expected to name]( Spencer Neumann its new CFO after the video game company reported he would be fired earlier Monday. The Wall Street Journal reported Neumann would be fired "for cause," but no details were given. ► Netflix pulls episode of Patriot Act in Saudi Arabia. The episode featured segments [criticizing the country]( in the wake of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder. ► Netflix reveals Stranger Things season three premiere date. The streaming service will return to the Upside Down on July 4. [Watch teaser.]( Stand-up sets... ► Tiffany Haddish apologizes for disappointing New Year's Eve show. The comedian took to Twitter to [confirm reports]( of a less-than-stellar Miami gig before the end of 2018: "Yes this happened. I wish it was better Miami. I prayed on it and I have a strong feeling this will never happened [sic] again." ► Pete Davidson makes stand-up return after suicide scare. The comedian did two [sold-out shows]( in the Boston area Monday and reportedly discussed his break-up with Ariana Grande and Louis C.K. ^How The Masked Singer secretly scored top talent: EP Craig Plestis explains how he cast top-level talent for the new Fox reality series, based on a format that is dominating Asian TV, Jean Bentley reports: + Serious about secrecy: "All the stars, before they even left their house, they had to meet at another location. They dressed in cloaks and masks. We had drivers who had no idea who they were," Plestis details. "Everyone was under a different alias, and when they pulled up on the lots, everyone had to wear these cloaks and wear these masks. They were sequestered into a private area that was guarded by security guards." [Full interview.]( Digital digest... -> "Hollywood Is Buying Up Hit Podcasts." Jaclyn Peiser reports on the recent trend: "Mindful of the trend, Gimlet hired Jenny Wall, a former Hulu and Netflix executive, as chief marketing officer, to help the company better navigate Hollywood. 'We created an I.P. factory,' Matt Lieber, the president of Gimlet, said. 'We generate a lot of stories.'" [[The New York Times](] ► Showtime, Starz subscriptions join Roku Channel lineup. The premium add-ons will be [available for purchase]( alongside Roku's free, ad-supported streaming channel. Ratings notes... ► Comscore, Nielsen battle to heat up. "In 2019, both companies plan to roll out new measurement tools to give advertisers and media companies an equal look at cross-platform video audiences, whether people are watching a show or see an ad on linear TV or a streaming videos service." [[Digiday](] ► New Year's Eve broadcasts fall, as ABC stays dominant. The primetime portion of ABC's telecast [averaged]( a 2.2 rating among adults 18-49 and 7.92 million viewers from 8 to 10 p.m. and a 3.5 and 11.47 million from 10 to 11 p.m. For all of primetime, the network is down 30 percent versus New Year's Eve in 2017 and 25 percent in viewers (9.1 million versus 11.21 million). ► Ratings low for time-shifted Doctor Who festive special. Showing on New Year's Day instead of Christmas Day, Jodie Whittaker's first festive special landed 5.15 million overnight viewers in the U.K., the [lowest level]( for the annual Doctor Who event since 2005. Latest reviews... ► HBO's True Detective, season three. "Given a 3.5-year respite to either go fallow or diminish expectations ... [season three] may be hailed as a full comeback by those with short memories, but actually falls into that vast middle ground as less nuanced and rich than the start of the first season yet still in most ways superior to whatever you've been trying to repress about the second," Daniel Fienberg writes. [Review.]( Correction... In Monday's newsletter, NBC News' ratings win was misstated: It was the first time Today, NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press and Dateline NBC all bested competitors in key demos three years in a row. Apologies about the error. How the MLB Network became a hit with fans 10 years on. Executives Tony Petitti and Rob McGlarry talk with Tom Hoffarth about the highs (and lows) that came with launching the baseball-focused network: "Everything was ground zero — [fun and a little scary](." Eastwood's Run Holiday win: Clint Eastwood's new film, The Mule, packed a major punch at the holiday box office, earning a better-than-expected $61.1 million in its first three weekends of play at the U.S. box office, Pamela McClintock reports: + Strong follow-up: The Mule has already surpassed the entire lifetime gross of the last film Eastwood starred in, Trouble With the Curve, which topped out at $35.8 million domestically in 2012, not adjusted for inflation. Box office experts expect The Mule to get to at least $90 million in North America, and possibly $100 million. + Eyeing international returns: The film, costing $50 million to make before marketing, won't begin rolling out overseas until January. Eastwood has an avid fan base in certain markets, such as France, where Gran Torino did its biggest business ($27.9 million). [Full story.]( * Other box office returns: Mary Poppins Returns crossed $28 million over the weekend and now boasts a worldwide cume of $174.4 million and rising... Paramount's Transformers spinoff Bumblebee stayed at No. 3 in its second weekend with $20.9 million for a North American total of $67.1 million... Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came in No. 4 in its third weekend with $18.8 million for a domestic gross of $104.1 million. Elsewhere in film... ► Kevin Spacey must attend arraignment for sexual assault case. The disgraced two-time Oscar-winning actor [requested to waive]( his right to appear Jan. 7 in Nantucket District Court, according to a motion filed by his legal team, which was denied by Nantucket District Court Judge Thomas Barrett. The actor intends to enter a plea of not guilty. ► Joanna Lumley returning to host 2019 BAFTA Awards. The ceremony, to be held Feb. 10, will once again [be held]( at the Royal Albert Hall. For the third year, Cirque de Soleil, which will be in residence at the Royal Albert Hall at the time, will perform a piece especially created for the ceremony. Next films? ► New works entering public domain. As of New Year's Day, works by Marcel Proust, Joseph Conrad, Agatha Christie and Rudyard Kipling — among others — can now be adapted into film, plays or other works without securing rights, Alexandra Alter details. [[The New York Times](] Book report... -> "How Hollywood Gets the Publishing Industry Wrong." Author Sloane Crosley sets the record straight: "At least Hollywood’s version of book publishing is consistent in its warped ideas: Every company is publicly owned, and there is zero padding between a junior copy editor and 'the board' or 'the shareholders.' And everyone’s jobs are completely interchangeable." [[The New York Times](] In memoriam... ► RIP Don Lusk. The prolific animator whose pencil drawings brought to life Pinocchio, Fantasia and 11 other classic films during Disney's Golden Age, died Sunday. He was 105. [Obit.]( ► RIP Don McKay. The actor, singer and dancer who portrayed Tony in three early productions of West Side Story died Wednesday in Manhattan. He was 93. [Obit.]( John Krasinski joins Awards Chatter podcast. The beloved star of The Office talks to Scott Feinberg about his prior struggles to break into the biz, his subsequent transition into film acting and directing, and his remarkable 2018 playing a superhero on TV and writing, directing and starring in the year's most successful elevated horror flick. [Listen]( | [Subscribe]( Breakout U.K. Dramas? 2019 preview: Richard Gere's return to the small screen after 30 years, the world's deadliest street race, Rob Lowe as a small-town cop and a dramatic look at shifting U.S.-China power are among the biggest British TV events landing in 2019, Alex Ritman details: + Wild Bill, ITV: Rob Lowe is heading to small-town England to ruffle feathers for a six-part crime drama. In Wild Bill, the star plays a high-flying U.S. police chief who lands in the U.K. port town of Boston with his 14-year-old daughter in an attempt to flee their recent past. + MotherFatherSon, BBC: Richard Gere's first TV role in 30 years is in an eight-part political and psychological thriller, with Gere playing a self-made U.S. businessman who owns media outlets in London and around the world. His 30-year-old son (On Chesil Beach’s Billy Howle) looks set to take the reins, but his self-destructive behavior jeopardizes his family and the company. [Full list.]( What else we're reading... — "The Real Louis C.K. Is Finally Standing Up." Matt Zoller Seitz scathes the comedian: "This latest routine was a doubling down, recasting the comedian as a casualty of political correctness whose true crime was speaking his mind, yada yada yada. It’s a gimmick that doesn’t fly in mainstream entertainment anymore." [[Vulture](] — "How Chadwick Boseman Embodies Black Male Dignity." Reggie Ugwu profiles the Black Panther star: "[Boseman] has established him as the rare breed of actor with both widely recognized chops and old-school star power — the kind any producer in post-Netflix Hollywood would trade a good kidney to clone in a lab." [[The New York Times](] — "The Grocery Store Where Stars Are Born." Alison Herman tracks down the Star Is Born grocery store: “Super A is a supermarket that still exemplifies old-school L.A., before it became globalized, before this new wave of supermarkets came in. And their products still reflect that.” [[The Ringer](] — "Voices Behind Time's Up Celebrates One Year." Chloe Melas talks to the group's key players, including Tracee Ellis Ross, Shonda Rhimes and Emma Watson: "Many women told us that hearing high profile women in Hollywood speak out on these issues emboldened them to speak out too. That made me even more committed to raising our voices. I feel we have a mandate to speak up." [[CNN](] — "Big Tech May Look Troubled, But It’s Just Getting Started." David Streitfeld reports: "Nothing has hit them on the nose hard enough to tell them to cut back. Instead, they are expanding. They’re going around the country acquiring the best human capital so they can create the next whiz-bang thing." [[The New York Times](] From the archives... + Today in 1980: Sherry Lansing made headlines for becoming the first woman to head a major studio, becoming president of 20th Century-Fox Productions. In 1992, she was named chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, where she held that title until 2005. [Original story.]( Today's birthdays: Ben Hardy, 27, Kate Bosworth, 35, Paz Vega, 42, Dax Shepard, 43, Renee Elise Goldsberry, 47, Taye Diggs, 47, Cuba Gooding Jr., 50, Todd Haynes, 57. 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.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( January 2, 2019