More M&A in '19?; CBS News' New Era; Networks Cede to Trump; Early 2000s Nightlife Photos

What's news: How big of a story will mergers & acquisitions play in 2019? Plus: Susan Zirinsky lays out her plan for CBS News, CES is underway and a look at Hollywood nightlife before social media. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( January 08, 2019 What's news: How big of a story will mergers & acquisitions play in 2019? Plus: Susan Zirinsky lays out her plan for CBS News, CES is underway and a look at Hollywood nightlife before social media. — Will Robinson ^More M&A on the way?: Some insiders caution that the volatile stock market investors are witnessing, plus an economy some say is headed for recession, will lead to a cooling off in deal activity, Paul Bond and Georg Szalai report: + New environment?: Some caution that the volatile stock market investors are witnessing, plus an economy some say is headed for recession, will lead to a cooling off in deal activity. Plus, analysts says it is unclear what the regulatory outlook will be for deals after the Democrats have retaken control of the House of Representatives. + Smaller deals took over: Mergermarket data that focuses on announcements of strictly U.S. media companies being acquired shows $25.9 billion worth of deals in 2018, which is down 77.2 percent from $113.6 billion in 2017, even as the number of deals increased by 14 to 191. The data excludes, among others, Comcast's purchase of Sky since the latter is not a U.S. company and Disney's Fox deal since that was first unveiled in late 2017. + Watch music space: "We continue to believe Sirius' controlling shareholder, Liberty Media, wishes to eventually control a combined Sirius XM, Pandora and Live Nation, and that this will become reality with a Sirius acquisition of Live Nation and a clean-up of Sirius' share structure," BTIG analyst Brandon Ross said in a research note three months ago. [Full story.]( #MeToo's Limited Effect? Outside Hollywood?: Some 34 percent of respondents think that the movement has not opened up more opportunities for women, a new Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult survey shows, Katie Kilkenny reports: + Industry crisis: Maybe in part due to stars' outspokenness in the last two years, Americans' concern over assault and harassment in Hollywood trumped that of any other industry polled, as well as "society in general." In 2018 the majority of Americans believe that Hollywood has a "major problem" with sexual harassment (54 percent of respondents) and assault (50 percent), though less of a problem with the gender pay gap (37 percent) and unequal treatment of genders (41 percent). + Little change: When asked if the problem of sexual assault or harassment had changed in entertainment, finance, politics and government, tech, and society-wide since #MeToo, the largest percentage of respondents repeatedly said these problems had not changed. Nor did Americans polled believe the issue of a gendered pay gap had disappeared society-wide — nearly half (49 percent) said nothing had changed — while unequal treatment of men and women was also considered more or less the same than it was pre-#MeToo (46 percent). [Full results.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Lantern says it's not responsible for Weinstein Co. debts to Hollywood stars. Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, and Robert De Niro [may be owed]( for Silver Linings Playbook, but the company that bought the film's copyright essentially says that's tough luck. ► Kevin Spacey makes first court appearance over alleged sexual assault. The alleged victim was 18 at the time when he [claims]( the actor assaulted him after getting him drunk at a restaurant on Nantucket. ► Kevin Hart apologizes again, defends past jokes on SiriusXM show. In the segment, Hart uncovered the original homophobic joke that landed him in trouble. Explaining that he had to unearth it to remind himself of the exact wording, he continued: "Here is how it starts off," he said, with his longtime collaborators in the room. [Details.]( ► Venom sequel in the works with writer Kelly Marcel. Marcel is among the writers of the first film, and [also counts]( Disney's upcoming Cruella as among her credits. The Tom Hardy film has earned more than $855 million globally. ► Tim Miller, David Fincher to create adult-themed animated shorts series for Netflix. The series will be [a collection]( of 18 animated short stories that span the science fiction, fantasy, horror and comedy genres. Monday's announcement promises characters such as "sentient dairy products, werewolf soldiers" and "robots gone wild." ► Dave Bautista joins Timothee Chalamet in Denis Villeneuve's Dune. Bautista will be playing "Beast" Rabban, the sadistic nephew of a baron who [oversees]( the planet Arrakis. ► Universal to take over eOne's theatrical distribution in Australia, New Zealand. The deal [will begin]( with films released after April and will include such titles as Wild Rose. Sandra Bullock's streaming blockbuster... ► "Netflix Opens Eyes in Hollywood as Bird Box Soars." "[Netflix] said a record-setting 45.3 million of its 137 million accounts watched at least 70% of the movie in the first week of its release. ... The movie’s budget is modest by Hollywood’s standards: about $30 million, according to a person familiar with the matter." [[The Wall Street Journal](] * Nielsen: Viewers for Bird Box outnumbered Will Smith's Bright. According to Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings, Susanne Bier’s apocalyptic survival tale attracted almost 26 million U.S. viewers in its first seven days, [besting]( all other Netflix Originals except Stranger Things season two. [Quoted:]( "I went to see [DC's] Aquaman [Saturday] night and I really, really enjoyed it. I don't see a rivalry, I see cool things being made. One thing you know about James Gunn, he makes cool things." — Kevin Feige, on Gunn joining DC after Marvel. ^How the Globes could affect Oscar nomination voting. Though some choices — like awarding its best picture prizes to Bohemian Rhapsody (drama) and Green Book (musical/comedy) — surprised viewers, Academy members may find themselves more inclined to support some of the Globes' unexpected choices because of the way in which those winners handled their moment in the spotlight, Scott Feinberg writes. [Column.]( For your consideration... ► A Star Is Born, Bohemian Rhapsody among CAS Sound Mixers Award nominees. In six of the past 10 years, the winner of the feature category went on to claim the Oscar in sound mixing. That was the case a year ago, when the sound mixing team from Dunkirk won both awards. [Nominees.]( ► Roma, Cold War among American Society of Cinematographers Awards nominees. Rounding out the nominees in the feature competition of the ASC awards are Matty Libatique for A Star is Born, Robbie Ryan for The Favourite and Linus Sandgren for First Man; meanwhile, The Handmaid's Tale headlines the TV categories. [Nominees.]( ► Yara Shahidi joins Harry Shum Jr. as SAG Awards Ambassador. The Grown-ish and Crazy Rich Asians stars will give the audience a [behind-the-scenes look]( at efforts leading up the celebratory event on Jan. 27. Around town... ► Man charged with murder in Malibu camp site shooting. Prosecutors [charged]( Anthony Rauda with one count of murder in the death of Tristan Beaudette. [Background](. Musical notes... ► L.A. community leaders call on iHeartRadio, Radio One to pull R. Kelly's music from services. Project Islamic Hope President Najee Ali and Los Angeles Urban Policy Roundtable President Earl Ofari Hutchinson held a press conference on Monday morning to call on the companies [to stop playing]( the singer's music. ► Lil Wayne, The Strokes, Florence + the Machine & Tyler the Creator to headline 2019 Governors Ball. This year, Governors Ball will celebrate its ninth anniversary; over 10 million worldwide viewers tuned in last year for the live broadcast of the Live Nation-owned event. [Lineup.]( From the stage... ► Actors Equity on strike for share of record Broadway profits. The Do Not Work order [targets]( the development process used by new shows, especially musicals. The union, which represents performers on stage, said it had been trying for two years to negotiate a new contract with the Broadway League, which represents theater owners, producers and others. Coming attractions... ► Trailer: Brie Larson shows off powers in new Captain Marvel. The new teaser debuted during the college football National Championship game on Monday night. [Watch.]( Behind the Screen podcast: Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park talks Early Man. Park joins THR tech editor Carolyn Giardina to talk about his classic characters and his newest film, which recently earned seven Annie Award nominations, including for best animated feature and director for Park. [Listen]( | [Subscribe]( Zirinsky's Plans New era: In replacing outgoing CBS News president David Rhodes and inheriting a division rocked by internal and corporate sexual misconduct scandals, Susan Zirinsky seeks to improve morale and to "to make sure the right people are in the right places," Marisa Guthrie reports: + New job: She will retain her title as senior executive producer even as she transitions to president of the division. "I’m looking at the broadcasts as a producer. How do we craft them? What needs to be adjusted? How do we create memorable programming?" she asks. "What are the things people want to see? Are we stacking the shows right? Are we involving the correspondents enough in the story? Are we doing franchise investigations that are having enough legs?" + Bill Owens to lead 60 Minutes?: Zirinsky did not say directly that Owens would get the job, but when asked if there would be an announcement in the near-term, she allowed: "They deserve their independence, but Bill and I because we respect each other so much, [will have] an open line of communication. They will maintain their independence, but I’m not going to be a stranger." [Full story.]( * CBS This Morning hosts cheer pick of Zirinsky to replace Rhodes. "We were sort of like a ship, not sinking, but taking on water," Gayle King said on Monday morning. "I feel that she is somebody who can [right the ship](." Elsewhere in TV... ► TV blackouts accelerate in the new year amid carriage disputes. Just seven days into the year, there have already been 26 blackouts in 2019, according to American Television Alliance spokesman Trent Duffy, while in the entirety of 2018 there were 164 blackouts. In all of 2010, there were only eight blackouts, but that number has [headed north]( ever since. ► Joe Earley to lead marketing and operations for Disney+. The former Fox TV Group chief operating officer [will exit]( his post at Gail Berman's Jackal Group and serve as exec vp marketing and operations for the forthcoming direct-to-consumer video platform, reporting to Ricky Strauss. ► Broadcast networks deliberate, then decide to carry Trump's border speech. The president's upcoming Tuesday night address on immigration and border security [quickly became]( a political hot potato, Jeremy Barr details. ► ABC's Grey's Anatomy scores supersized season 15 order. The Shondaland drama [has scored]( three extra episodes, marking its largest tally since season three. The news comes as the Ellen Pompeo-led series ranks as ABC's No. 1 series for the broadcast season, averaging a 3.1 rating among the adults 18-49 demographic. ► Supreme Court denies review of Olivia de Havilland's Feud lawsuit. The 102-year-old actress has [lost her case]( over a series that she claimed depicted her falsely and unfairly. ► Showtime tackles U.S.-Saudi Arabia issues with Alex Gibney doc. Gibney and author Lawrence Wright [will explore]( the two countries' complicated history in House of Saud. ► Justice League vs. The Fatal Five sets voice cast. DC veterans such as Kevin Conroy and Susan Eisenberg [will be joined]( by Diane Guerrero and Elyes Gabel. Ratings notes... ► Golden Globes hold steady in viewers, rise in demo. In time zone-adjusted ratings, NBC's broadcast — which had an NFL playoff game as a lead-in — [delivered]( 18.61 million viewers (down from 19.02 million) and a 5.2 rating among adults 18-49 (up from 5.0). ^Scenes from CES, Day 1: Natalie Jarvey emails from the Las Vegas convention: For a company that notoriously doesn't exhibit at CES, Apple is making its presence is felt in Las Vegas this year. The iPhone maker bought space on a hotel to unveil a large ad that reads, "What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone," a dig at rival Google. Meanwhile, inside ballrooms, it was also a much-discussed partner. Both Samsung and LG announced during media presentations that they [plan to integrate]( Apple's AirPlay technology into their television sets. Samsung also is adding an iTunes app to its TV interface. Other CES headlines... ► Sony touts creative strategy with Spider-Verse, Avatar sequels. Spider-Verse creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were [on hand]( for the presentation, on the heels of their film's Golden Globe win on Sunday for best animated feature. "We tried to make a never-before-seen style," Lord said, adding that the movie's tagline was "Anyone can wear the mask" and "that went for the crew," who were encouraged to take risks. Digital digest... ► Fox Sports expands Twitter partnership for Women's World Cup. Fox will broadcast FIFA Women's World Cup Now live on Twitter [every match day](. ► WGA East scores at Vice Media, SAG-AFTRA at NY Public Radio. Vice workers [ratify]( four Writers Guild East contracts, while NYPR agrees to voluntary recognition of online Gothamist reporters by SAG-AFTRA. ► Roku stock swells as monthly users climb. Monthly users in Q4 rose 40 percent, Kamaron Leach reports: "While Roku remains a volatile stock, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sean Handrahan said the account growth 'is a big positive surprise and I really think they’re starting to get leverage on smaller content players.'" [[Bloomberg](] -> Feds crack down on celebrities shilling digital currency. In a threat to the new influencer economy, regulators send a message to stars like DJ Khaled and Floyd Mayweather who are [getting paid]( to promote coin offerings, Ashley Cullins reports. Latest reviews... ► History's Project Blue Book. "The clear recognition of the [X-Files] template is the thing that's most promising about Project Blue Book, even if the execution in the first six episodes offers neither satisfying stand-alone episodes nor any sort of mythology worth getting wrapped up in," Daniel Fienberg writes. [Full review.]( For your consideration... ► DGA Awards unveils nominations in TV, commercial and documentary categories. The awards will be handed out Saturday, Feb. 2, at the Hollywood & Highland Center's Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood. [Nominees.]( From last night... ► Chris Harrison opens up about The Bachelor's "virgin season." Jokes ran rampant about star Colton Underwood’s virginity on night one, but the host talks about how the season will take a [deeper turn]( after that three-hour premiere, Jackie Strause reports. Console wars... ► Without Red Dead competition, God of War is WGA Awards game favorite. Of the five games up for the award, Sony Santa Monica's reimagining of the tragic Greek god Kratos is the clear standout, and its biggest competition [isn't even nominated](, Patrick Shanley details. Golden Globes wrap: Shuttlegate sequel, Taylor Swift's security sweep and Sandra Oh's last call. Wannabe revelers were [stuck in a line]( waiting for shuttles to take them to Golden Globes after parties, Taylor Swift snuck into the Fox party and Oh and Andy Samberg ended their night with tequila, Chris Gardner reports. Nightlife Before Social Media The most candid shots: In the early 2000s, stars could still go to bars and let their hair down without becoming a Twitter Moment, as Pantera Sarah, one of the era's top club promoters, reveals in her personal pictures of A-listers at now-defunct hotspots, Melinda Sheckells reports: + Origin story: One of the most aggressive young nightlife promoters around the turn of the millennium, after arriving in L.A. from Wisconsin in 1994, "Pantera Sarah" soon became, as Ryan Gosling once called her, "the midwife to L.A." for a new generation of young stars. They were coming of age (and, often, blowing off steam) in Hollywood in the internet era, but the proliferation of gossip blogs and celebrity weeklies hadn't metastasized. + Celebrity haven: "The reason we had a lot of people come to our clubs was because they knew they were safe," she says. "Now it's 20 years later, and most of the people I talk to have said, 'Yeah, it's fine' " to reveal the images. Together, they serve as a time capsule for a not-too-long-ago era that seems ancient because it's pre-Facebook, pre-iPhone, pre-everything. [Full story.]( What else we're reading... — "David Chase Reflects on 20 Years of The Sopranos." Jeremy Egner chats with the show's creator: "I didn’t think that The Sopranos would chart any kind of new course. All I wanted to do is just get as close to cinema as I could." [[The New York Times](] — "M. Night Shyamalan, In Conversation." Adam Sternbergh gets the director to open up: "I had stopped doing the things that allowed me to feel at peace. I was the one who allowed that to happen. I did not make the right decisions. And you’re complicit in all that when you take that much money to make a movie." [[Vulture](] — "The Blurring of Reality From 'Reality.'" Brian Lowry writes: "Even giving the [HFPA] credit for cleaning up its act, the attention showered on the Globes feels disproportionate relative to the academy-backed honors (the Oscars, the Emmys) and the guilds representing directors, writers, actors and producers, which have the added legitimacy of being presented by bodies consisting of Hollywood's peers." [[CNN Entertainment](] — "Ellen DeGeneres and the Trap of Trying to Be Relatable." Carrie Battan examines: "Once the well of jokes about how rich she is has run dry—and it happens quickly—there is only a thin layer of material, most of it extremely breezy, to use." [[The New Yorker](] — "I Gave R. Kelly Rave Reviews. How Much Damage Did They Do?" Chris Richards reflects: "After watching Surviving R. Kelly, I’ll hear voices I hadn’t truly listened to before — the voices of Kelly’s survivors, reminding me to turn the radio off, reminding me to leave the dance floor, reminding me that it shouldn’t have taken so long." [[The Washington Post](] What else we're watching... + "Jimmy puts federal employees to work during shutdown." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] + "Ethan Hawke got a rave review in the bathroom." [[Late Show](] + "Neal Brennan's embarrassing story about John Mulaney meeting the Obamas." [[Late Night](] + "James Spader pranked Jimmy with ridiculously expensive sushi bill." [[Tonight Show](] Today's birthdays: Gaby Hoffmann, 37, Rachel Nichols, 39, Josh Meyers, 43, R. Kelly, 52, Michelle Forbes, 54, John McTiernan, 68. 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? 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