Avengers to Save Oscars?; Lasseter Skydance Backlash; Bezos Bombshell; Facebook's Legal Problem; CES Update; 'Glass' Reviews

What's news: John Lasseter, who left Disney/Pixar after a rash of #MeToo allegations, will lead up Skydance Animation. Plus: The Oscars are scrambling for the Avengers, the latest eliminated Masked Singer celebrity speaks and Facebook's impending legal nightmare. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( January 10, 2019 What's news: John Lasseter, who left Disney/Pixar after a rash of #MeToo allegations, will lead up Skydance Animation. Plus: The Oscars are scrambling for the Avengers, the latest eliminated Masked Singer celebrity speaks and Facebook's impending legal nightmare. — Will Robinson ^Facebook's fear: Jay Edelson isn't the only class-action attorney going after the social media giant following the Cambridge Analytica scandal. But by teaming up with the state of Illinois in a novel gambit, he may be Mark Zuckerberg's worst legal nightmare, Eriq Gardner reports: + Difference maker: Edelson is ostensibly representing the people of Illinois through Cook County, Illinois prosecutor Kimberly Foxx on a claim that Facebook engaged in unfair and deceptive conduct. Having now been given the role of a Special Assistant State's Attorney thanks to possessing the "required legal expertise," as a court order confirming his appointment put it, Edelson aims to punish Facebook for violating The Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. * What's at stake: It carries massive repercussions, including $50,000 in civil penalties per violation, injunctive relief and — if egregious circumstances call for it — a lost business license to operate in the state. Theoretically, Facebook could pay billions and be prohibited from offering its service in Illinois if it loses this lawsuit. + Seizing opening: "I've been saying for years that by and large, privacy class actions have failed to compensate people," says Edelson. "There is a hole — and someone is going to fill it. That's going to be regulators. In the past, it's been federal regulators. The FTC. The FCC. But that's now shifting to state regulators. I think that's what you are going to see in 2019." [Full story.]( Lasseter Joins Skydance After #MeToo: Former Disney and Pixar animation chief John Lasseter will head up Skydance Animation, report directly to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison and will be based in Los Angeles, Borys Kit reports: + Why now: Ellison said the decision to hire Lasseter was not taken lightly, saying in the memo, “John has acknowledged and apologized for his mistakes and, during the past year away from the workplace, has endeavored to address and reform them.” Ellison sent a memo to employees where he addressed potential concerns, adding the company even hired outside counsel to "thoroughly investigate the allegations." * Who he replaces: Bill Damaschke, the former DreamWorks Animation chief creative officer, has been serving as president of animation and family entertainment at Skydance Media since October, 2017. Ellison said that with Lasseter's hire, Damaschke, "will be transitioning from his current role, and we are hopeful he will choose to remain with the Skydance family." [Full story.]( * Time's Up, Women and Hollywood blast Skydance: "At a moment when we should be uplifting the many talented voices who are consistently underrepresented, Skydance Media [is providing]( another position of power, prominence and privilege to a man who has repeatedly been accused of sexual harassment in the workplace," Time's Up said in a statement. + Lasseter hire could cause problems for Paramount: The studio, set to release animated films from Skydance, was not informed of the decision to hire Lasseter until shortly before the announcement, Pamela McClintock reports. Sources have said the move has been particularly poorly received on the Paramount lot, with some wishing the studio [could refuse]( to distribute films made by Skydance's Lasseter-led animation division. Animation shake-ups... ► DreamWorks animation names Margie Cohn president; Chris DeFaria to depart. Under the new structure, film and television will continue as separate production operations, the studio said, with feature animation, which didn’t have a movie in the marketplace in 2018, expected to release two films per year, beginning this year. * Resume check: Cohn, who joined DreamWorks in 2013, has overseen a burgeoning TV animation business, which has a multiyear output deal with Netflix, which carries such series as Guillermo del Toro’s Trollhunters, Dragons: Race to the Edge and The Adventures of Puss in Boots. [Full story.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Oscars team scrambling to reunite Avengers on telecast. Without a host, The Academy is looking for a star-studded Marvel superhero team-up to add luster to a show that airs on Disney’s ABC network, Scott Feinberg reports. Specific details are still being [hammered out]( about how the actors who play the popular characters will be incorporated into the 91st Oscars ceremony. ► Kevin Hart's The Upside takes on Aquaman, Dog's Way Home. The Upside and A Dog's Way Home, the first PG release of 2019, are each tracking to open in the $9 million-$12 million range. Keanu Reeves sci-fi pic Replicas is projected to earn an unimpressive $4 million-$5 million. None are expected to topple Aquaman. [Box office preview.]( ► Netflix names STX exec Sheroum Kim director of independent films. Kim, who will be [based in]( the streamer's Los Angeles office, will be a part of the content acquisition team headed by Ian Bricke and Matt Brodlie. Kim's credits include The Edge of Seventeen and I Feel Pretty. ► Captain Marvel flies to huge advance ticket sales on first day. In terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the March tentpole was second only to 2018 blockbusters Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther when it comes to the number of advance tickets [sold]( by Fandango within the first 24 hours, according to the online ticketing site. ► Indie film The Cave wraps in Thailand, beating Hollywood studios to rescue story. Thai-Irish director Tom Waller's The Cave is the first feature about last summer's sensational Thai cave rescue mission, [scooping]( announced projects from Universal Pictures and Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu. ► Netflix drops "European Spanish" subtitles for Roma. Netflix has replaced the Castilian Spanish subtitles on Alfonso Cuaron's Mexican drama with closed captioning that more accurately reflects the spoken dialect. The director had [panned]( the previous subtitling: “It’s parochial, ignorant and offensive to Spaniards themselves.” ► Green Book director Peter Farrelly apologizes for past genital-flashing. After a 1998 story detailing the director's previous "joke" was uncovered, Farrelly admitted he's "embarrassed" by his former actions: ["I was an idiot."]( ► Rose McGowan pleads no contest in drug case. She [pleaded]( no contest to a reduced drug charge in Virginia and avoided jail time. Casting call... ► Stellan Skarsgard to play villain in Legendary's Dune. Skarsgard will play Baron Harkonnen, whose family [previously ruled]( the planet Arrakis. Denis Villeneuve is directing. Sundance developments... ► Sundance adds Michael Jackson sexual abuse doc to lineup. Also [set to have]( a world premiere at the first is Steve Bannon doc The Brink from director Alison Klayman and producer Marie Therese Guirgis. Sundance runs from Jan. 24 to Feb. 4 in Park City, Utah. ► Magnolia Pictures picks up Steven Bannon doc The Brink. RYOT Films co-financed the movie, which was produced by Marie Therese Guirgis and Klayman. This is the second Sundance pick-up for Magnolia, which [acquired]( the worldwide rights to Satanic Temple doc Hail Satan?. ► IFC Films nabs The Nightingale from Babadook director. Sam Claflin and Game of Thrones actor Aisling Franciosi [star]( in the period drama from Jennifer Kent. [Quoted:]( "I was going to be good. I had some stuff. I had some heat. I had some real good jokes. ... The reason I was going to host the Oscars was to take the tension out of the room ... everybody is uptight. No one can breathe or move." — Kevin Hart, on what his Oscars plan would have been. ^Universal's Glass, reviewed. "As a trilogy-closer, it's a mixed bag, tying earlier narrative strands together pleasingly while working too hard (and failing) to convince viewers [M. Night] Shyamalan has something uniquely brainy to offer in the overpopulated arena of comics-inspired stories," John DeFore writes. [Review.]( * What critics are saying. The superhero pic isn't faring well, rating at 37 percent on [Rotten Tomatoes]( and 43 on [Metacritic](. [Roundup.]( For your consideration... ► Black Panther, Vice lead Makeup Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards. Due to ties, there are six nominees in the motion picture contemporary makeup and children and teen TV programming hair-styling categories. [Nominees.]( ► Mary Poppins Returns, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel lead Costume Designers Guild Awards nominees. The 21st annual CDGA ceremony will take place on Feb. 19 in Los Angeles. [Nominees.]( ► Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper feted at National Board of Review Awards. The previously announced awards were handed out to stars in New York following the Golden Globes on Tuesday night at Cipriani 42nd Street. [Inside the event.]( ► Movieguide Awards: Mary Poppins Returns, Spider-Verse among nominees. The awards, honoring "well-made and uplifting" films and TV series, will be handed out Feb. 8 in a ceremony set to air on Hallmark Channel later in the month. [Nominees.]( On the festival circuit... ► N.Y. premiere of Gugu Mbatha-Raw starrer Fast Color to kick off female-focused Athena. The annual Barnard College event [revealed]( the film slate for its 2019 edition, including a number of women-centric features like Can You Ever Forgive Me?, On the Basis of Sex, The Favourite and The Miseducation of Cameron Post, three of which were directed by women. Musical notes... ► SiriusXM CFO David Frear on iHeartMedia speculation: "You never say never." Frear said SiriusXM has eyed the free radio sector for possible acquisitions, but "you don't have to look further than our strategy with Pandora and where we [see the growth]( coming." ► Cardi B, Drake, Ariana Grande lead iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations. Shawn Mendes, Post Malone, Maroon 5 and Imagine Dragons also received multiple nominations for the 2019 awards. [Nominees.]( From the stage... ► Carrie Coon joins Steppenwolf Theatre Company as ensemble member. Coon stands with a roster of Steppenwolf ensemble members including Gary Cole, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf and Joan Allen: “Steppenwolf [changed my life]( and it’s a privilege to be welcomed into the ensemble." ► Musicians union declares support for actors strike over share of Broadway profits. The Actors Equity strike, in its third day, [targets]( the development process used by new shows, especially musicals. In memoriam... ► RIP Gregg Rudloff. The prolific Hollywood sound mixer won Academy Awards for his work on Glory, The Matrix and Mad Max: Fury Road died Sunday at 63. [Obit.]( Coming attractions... ► Trailer: Issa Rae becomes 13-year-old's assistant in Little. The film also stars Regina Hall, Marsai Martin, Justin Hartley, Tone Bell, JD McCrary and Rachel Dratch. [Watch.]( Jeff Bezos, newly divorcing, now seeing Lauren Sanchez-Whitesell. The Amazon billionaire has been seeing Sanchez-Whitesell, wife of Endeavor executive chairman Patrick Whitesell, [following his split]( from his wife MacKenzie after 25 years of marriage. TV Re-Bundling Future? One fee for streamers?: Consumers are "sick of paying for 500 channels" — but one fee for Disney, Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and WarnerMedia offerings? That could dictate the not-so-distant future, Paul Bond reports: + Roku's plan: The maker of smart-TV devices led by CEO Anthony Wood said its customers could now choose from 25 offerings — including Showtime, Starz and Epix but not Netflix, Amazon or Hulu — and pay for them all on a single bill. Financial terms weren't disclosed, but observers estimate that Roku is taking up to an ongoing 20 percent commission on each subscriber it enlists. + Future competitors: Some analysts believe that Comcast and AT&T, whose WarnerMedia is launching its own streaming service (as is Disney) in 2019, could be in the catbird seat should bundles of streamers go mainstream. These conglomerates have a relationship with millions who already subscribe to their various services (internet, wireless, cable and more). Simply add a bundle of streamers into an existing monthly bill. [Full story.]( Elsewhere in TV... ► Viacom CEO says he's mulling small acquisition targets. "A simultaneous reduction in supply from trusted suppliers combined with a resurgence of Viacom is the perfect setup for our company," Bob Bakish said. Given the opportunity to predict whether Viacom might merge with CBS, Bakish said he'd ["abstain"]( from commenting. ► AT&T CFO touts WarnerMedia library as competitive edge in streamer battle. "When WarnerMedia is one of your companies, and they've been a studio well over 80 years and they have this treasure [trove of quality content]( built up over decades and decades ... you're in a different spot than other people," Stephens told the Citi 2019 Global TMT West Conference. ► Marvel's Vision and Scarlet Witch series lands Captain Marvel writer. Jac Schaeffer [has been tapped]( to run point on the series that will focus on the two characters that are integral members of the Avengers. She will pen the pilot and executive produce, say sources. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen are expected to reprise the roles they originated on the big screen. ► The Hate U Give director inks first-look pact with 20th TV. George Tillman Jr. and his State Street Pictures banner will create, develop, supervise and [possibly direct]( projects for the studio. ► CBS orders pilot of Good Fight creators' supernatural drama. The network has [ordered]( a pilot for Robert and Michelle King's Evil, an X-Files-esque show about a team investigating extraordinary events. ► Lego TV competition in the works with Brad Pitt’s Plan B. Lego Masters premiered on Channel 4 in 2017, earning a [quick renewal]( and some comparisons to The Great British Bake-Off. Other international iterations of the format are also in the works. ► Hulu cancels I Love You, America With Sarah Silverman. The Emmy-nominated series [will conclude]( after its two-part, 21-episode first season. ► BuzzFeed's Netflix show will not return for second season. While Follow This won't continue, the company is [cheering]( the renewal of its profitable Twitter morning show AM to DM. ► Disney Channel renews Star Wars Resistance. The second season is [due to air]( in the fall of 2019. Lucasfilm Animation stalwart Dave Filoni (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) created the series. ► Michael Che playing comedy show to benefit NYC projects. The SNL star grew up in projects in New York's Lower East Side: "You go without heat. You go without food. You go without doorknobs. You go without everything. ... And the thing is, it’s all fixable! We can do something about this." [[The New York Times](] ^Netflix's global growing pains: Backlash over pulling an episode of Hasan Minhaj's show may only be the beginning as the streaming giant courts controversy with politically charged original series from India to Israel, Natalie Jarvey reports: + Loaded choice: "Netflix has paying customers in Saudi Arabia, and not complying with the order likely would have resulted in the government blocking Netflix," notes Jillian York, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "At the same time, it's a choice to operate in Saudi Arabia at all, and we believe that Netflix and all companies should take into account the human rights situation of a country when choosing to enter the market." + Fine line: But could Netflix run afoul of creative talent if it continues to bow to hardline international regulators? So far, there has been very little pushback in the Hollywood community over the Patriot Act decision. "I don't think there will be a backlash," says Wedbush's Michael Pachter. "If they want to do business in repressive countries, they have to deal with repression." [Full story.]( Scenes from CES... ► AT&T Communications CEO defends 5G phone update. AT&T came under fire for updating some phones to include the label 5G E, even though its new wireless technology is not yet widely available. The 5G E network is currently available in hundreds of markets for certain phones. Per John Donovan, it is a [stepping stone]( to the fifth generation of wireless technology and is twice as fast as the 4G LTE network. Digital digest... ► The Ringer to debut Big Little Lies aftershow on Twitter. The website is ready to [dive deep]( into the hit HBO show following the success of the Game of Thrones' #TalkTheThrones franchise. ► NBA, Turner plan single-player camera stream on Twitter. During the second half of 20 NBA games on TNT this season, Twitter will [live-stream]( a camera view that focuses on just one player. From last night... ► The Masked Singer's week two eliminated celebrity speaks. Jean Bentley catches up with the musician and comedian who was just voted off the Fox show: "I've got the biggest mouth in Hollywood." [Spoilers.]( Ratings notes... ► Trump speech, Dems' response draw 40 million viewers. CBS had the [largest share]( of that audience with 8.09 million viewers — thanks in part to lead-in NCIS averaging better than 12 million viewers — just ahead of the 8.04 million for Fox News. Latest reviews... ► ABC's Schooled. "Schooled is still having trouble finding its replacement for the heart and sense of family that make the original series work," Daniel Fienberg writes. [Review.]( Coming attractions... ► First look: HBO's The New Pope shows off Jude Law, John Malkovich. Malkovich joins Paolo Sorrentino's eight-episode follow-up to the limited series The Young Pope. [Photo.]( ► Trailer: Russian Doll reveals hook of Natasha Lyonne and Amy Poehler Netflix comedy. Lyonne, who stars in, directs and co-created the Netflix comedy, has described the series as "an existential adventure show." It debuts Feb. 1. [Watch.]( Judge refuses to shield the key terms of CNN's deal with Dish Network. Despite many sealed documents and [redactions]( that would make the CIA blush, the dispute seems to be about people watching CNN on airplanes, Eriq Gardner details. Becoming 'Stan & Ollie' Re-creating legends: To become Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel, John C. Reilly and Steve Coogan turned themselves over to the makeup and hairstyling team, which used an air-conditioned costume to make sure the often frustrated Ollie never lost his cool, Carolyn Giardina reports: + Extensive work: Makeup supervisor Mark Coulier explains that to transform Reilly into Hardy, he covered the actor nearly head to toe in prosthetics and a fat suit — which took as long as three to four hours a day. "Only my face and the flats of my hands were exposed," Reilly recalls. "In a way it was like wearing a mask on your whole body." [Full story.]( What else we're reading... — "Louis C.K. and Aziz Ansari Are Squandering Their Bid at Redemption." Anna North contends: "Before they were publicly accused, these men wrestled with thorny questions of identity and power in ways that, while not always satisfying, were usually thought-provoking. After the allegations, they began parroting tired complaints about political correctness." [[Vox](] — "The Art of the Pan." Rob Harvilla considers the point of bad reviews in 2019: "Reviews aren’t necessarily meaner now, nor are there necessarily more of them, but the social-media outrage that necessarily follows a righteous takedown might convince you otherwise." [[The Ringer](] — "Paul Schrader, In Conversation." Mark Jacobson speaks with the legendary screenwriter and director: "It’s a mistake when you think that any of us do anything new. All we do is reassemble our montages. If you reassemble in an interesting enough way, it will become something new." [[Vulture](] — "Brexit Is Dividing Britain. So Is a Brexit Movie." Alice Jones reports, talking to write James Graham: “On stage and screen, we’ve always responded to the political climate. People saying Brexit is the exception, that it’s too complicated for culture to tackle and we should quarantine it off, is ludicrous and dangerous.” [[The New York Times](] — "How Do We Live With Music Made by Problematic Artists?" Jayson Greene considers: "Finding ethical ways to consume music is confounding. In the end, aesthetics and morality simply don’t talk to each other. One can spoil the other, the way acid curdles milk. But music makes a terrible container for ethics." [[Pitchfork](] What else we're watching... + "Andy Samberg shares his rejected Golden Globes jokes." [[Late Night](] + "Kevin Hart's superstitions during Eagles games." [[Late Show](] + "Maura Tierney played David Bowie records with the Pixies." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] + "Tony Hale drops hints about Toy Story 4." [[Tonight Show](] From the archives... + Today in 1952: Paramount's 151-minute circus extravaganza The Greatest Show on Earth held its world premiere at Radio City Music Hall in New York. The film went on to win two Oscars at the 25th Academy Awards, including best picture: "With the aplomb of a modern Mesmer, [Cecil B.] DeMille forges [the film] into a fabulous entertainment experience — a big, seething SHOW, spectacular, exciting, colorful." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Sarah Shahi, 39, Jemaine Clement, 45, Evan Handler, 58, Rod Stewart, 74, William Sanderson, 75, Walter Hill, 77. 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. 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