MJ Doc Takes Sundance; New Nolan Pic Dated; Bakish Pay Dips; Sony's Turnaround; SAG Awards Preview

What's news: Protests against the controversial HBO's Michael Jackson doc take place outside its Sundance screening. Plus: Sony's return to form as a movie player, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish's pay dips and previewing the SAG Awards. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( January 26, 2019 What's news: Protests against the controversial HBO's Michael Jackson doc take place outside its Sundance screening. Plus: Sony's return to form as a movie player, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish's pay dips and previewing the SAG Awards. — Will Robinson ^Leaving Neverland takes Sundance: The premiere of HBO's doc detailing Michael Jackson's alleged sexual abuse of underage boys was met by a small protest outside Park City's Egyptian Theatre, Tatiana Siegel reports: + Protestors' take: By the intermission, over 20 pro-Jackson protestors were there. Aaron Madsen came for the day from Salt Lake City and said that he and his fellow protestors were there peacefully and weren't looking for trouble despite the sizable police presence. "Sundance is propping up a gaggle of purgerers and liars," Madsen said. "Michael Jackson was found not guilty in a court of law." + What's in the doc: Using mostly one-on-one interviews with the two accusers, director Dan Reed goes into forensic level detail on the relationship the two boys had with the King of Pop at the height of his fame and how they were kept apart from their parents for long stretches. Wade Robson and James Safechuck each gave on-camera, on-the-record accounts of Jackson's alleged abuse. [Full story.]( * The doc, reviewed: "They're incredibly persuasive, but I don't want to review them," Daniel Fienberg writes. "It happens that beneath these two harrowing narratives, Reed's film is also a complicated story precisely about the challenges of reviewing the film and reviewing Robson and Safechuck's filmed testimonials." [Full review.]( -> Study: Female-directed features at fest rose 20 percent since 2009. However, women of color remain the most invisible demographic among directors, helming just 7.4 percent of Sundance's U.S. dramatic features and less than 1 percent of top-grossing films, Rebecca Sun details. [Full results.]( Other Sundance reviews: Viola Davis and Allison Janney [shine]( in family comedy Troop Zero... Amy Berg [turns]( a critical eye to the Women's March... Ryan White [details]( the life of Dr. Ruth... Shia LaBeouf, Lucas Hedges [star in]( a moving pseudo-biopic of the former. Prep for SAG Awards "I am an actor": Over the past 25 years, more than 100 actors have participated in the ceremony's iconic first segment, but Kathy Connell says there is a formula on who is included, Tara Bitran reports: + Origins: Though Angela Lansbury gave her first story in the debut 1995 ceremony, Michael Keaton was actually the first to distinctly say, “I’m an actor,” at the second show in 1996. Until the ninth ceremony, only one actor regaled the audience with tales of their work, consecutively Dennis Hopper, John Lithgow, Kathy Bates, Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods and Ian McKellen. + Whom to pick: Connell says deciding those five actors comes down to, "Who would we like to hear from?" after taking a look at who is in the room every year. "Maybe in some cases, they’re already presenting a film clip on their own, so those people wouldn’t be an actor’s story. We do try to make sure we have a seasoned actor and a younger actor." [Full story.]( * Megan Mullaly wants to set the right tone: Ahead of emceeing Sunday's ceremony, the Will & Grace star reveals that she isn't looking to be snarky or political, Mia Galuppo reports: "I really do love actors and talent. [I am geeky that way](." Elsewhere in TV... ► Viacom CEO Bob Bakish's annual pay falls slightly. Bakish received compensation worth $20 million in the latest fiscal year, [compared with]( $20.3 million in the previous fiscal year, which had been his first as CEO. The CEO earned a base salary of $3 million, compared with $2.8 million in the previous year, with the rest coming in stock, options and other forms of compensation. ► Netflix orders Behind Her Eyes limited series from The Crown. The six-part drama, adapted by The Punisher creator Steve Lightfoot and produced by Left Bank, will be [based on]( Sarah Pinborough's best-selling thriller following a woman drawn into the orbit of a picture-perfect marriage. ► CBS renews FBI, Magnum P.I., The Neighborhood. The three rookie series [will join]( the final season of Criminal Minds on the 2019-2020 schedule as the network begins to solidify its scripted roster. ► MTV orders up Jersey Shore Family Vacation dating series. The reality competition show — titled A Double Shot at Love with Pauly D & Vinny — is [set to premiere]( later this year. ► Disney Channel renews Coop & Cami, sets first IGTV series. Coop & Cami Ask the World star Ruby Rose Turner and her castmates and family [will star in]( Ruby's Gems on Instagram. -> "R. Kelly Documentary Hits Close to Home for Chicago’s Top Prosecutor." John Eligon interviews Cook County's state attorney Kim Foxx: "The documentary on Mr. Kelly 'sickened me,' Ms. Foxx said. But she insisted that she was separating her feelings as a prosecutor, who must follow the law and the evidence, from those as a sexual assault survivor and mother of two teenage daughters." [[The New York Times](] ^Rent live's long journey to the screen: Julie Larson and the original creative team explain why it took so long for the musical to make it to the small screen, and why they're not worried about conservative backlash, Jean Bentley reports: + Finding the right time: "We held back and wanted to wait until it felt like it was the right mix of people, the right timing of what we were going to be able to do, and be authentic to Rent and still bring it forward and expand it for this generation, and have the flexibility to do all that," Larson, sister of the show's late composer Jonathan, explained. Producer Marc Platt, she said, "organically understood the show and was a fan of the show." + Creative set: Production designer Jason Sherwood conceived a "360-degree immersive event" housed in one soundstage on the Fox lot that includes audience seating all around, and two standing room-only pits for more audience members. "That means that everyone and everything needs to be dancing together, which means the actors and the camera and lighting and sound and the live band that's in the room all need to be moving as one unit," he detailed. [Full story.]( * Meet the cast: Jordan Fisher, Vanessa Hudgens, Brandon Victor Dixon and the rest of Fox's live musical cast tell Bentley about their favorite scenes, biggest challenges and [favorite songs]( from the Tony-winning Broadway musical. Digital digest... -> Ad-supported streaming services find new footing in Hollywood. With U.S. video ad spending expected to hit $50 billion by 2022, per eMarketer, there's a valid incentive for media businesses [to not abandon]( the advertising that long has been television's bread and butter, Natalie Jarvey details. -> Netflix, Hulu price changes smartly prep for 2019's streaming wars. Tim Goodman analyzes the moves: "More important to the industry as we move forward, Netflix and Hulu increases won't keep people from subscribing to Disney+ as well. All three 2019 newbies could be seen as [must-have services](." GammaRay to host Shaw Brothers movie marathon on Twitch. With films like One-Armed Swordsman and The Five Deadly Venoms, Shaw Brothers [turned]( martial arts cinema into an international phenomenon. 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](. Sony's Uphill Climb Rising up: Tom Rothman's film division has turned lesser known IP into hits to grow studio revenue to $1.5 billion — despite a few flops, Borys Kit reports: + Joining franchise game: Facing a dearth of IP to call its own, the studio has managed to manufacture its own franchises to grow its theatrical division revenue 50 percent in 2018 to $1.5 billion. Sony will unveil its new Men in Black movie in June and has found itself with three new franchises thanks to surprises at the box office: Jumanji 2 begins production in early February; a Peter Rabbit follow-up is in the works; and a sequel to 2018 top earner Venom is in development. + Promising future: Still, the outlook for Sony's film division is brighter than it was a couple of years ago. Says an agency partner who does business with Sony, "Tom has been able to build franchises for the studio with the bits and pieces that Sony has and launch them out of thin air." [Full story.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Next Christopher Nolan film to open in July 2020. Nothing else is known about Nolan’s latest venture, which is [described]( as event film. The writer-director has a propensity for secrecy, writing his scripts away from any prying eyes. ► Detective Pikachu sequel in the works with 22 Jump Street writer. Legendary [shows confidence]( in its upcoming release by moving to develop a sequel almost three months before Pikachu, with Ryan Reynolds, opens. ► Glass slamming The Kid Who Would Be King, Serenity. M. Night Shyamalan's pic is staying atop the domestic box office in its second weekend with an estimated $15 million-$16 million. Neither new release can crack No. 2, as Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston's The Upside is projected to pull in $10 million-$12 million. [Weekend box office.]( ► Netflix nabs Ron Howard's Hillbilly Elegy adaptation. Howard is to direct, with The Shape of Water co-writer Vanessa Taylor [to adapt]( J.D. Vance's memoir. ► Saban Films acquires Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob reboot. Jason Mewes and Smith are [reprising]( the lead roles as the stoner icons. ► Alex Ross Perry to direct Fox's Fear Street 2. The horror pic is the second in a trilogy of films [based on]( the R.L. Stine book series of the same name. ► Queen Mary horror finds captain in Dracula Untold director. Gary Shore's film — being [introduced to buyers]( in Berlin by Rocket Science — will be shot on the real-life and allegedly haunted former ocean liner the Queen Mary. ► Chris Evans to narrate Imax doc Superpower Dogs. The Captain America: The First Avenger star [appears]( in the first trailer for the March 15 giant-screen release. -> Column: "The Long History of Media (Mis)representation of Native Peoples." N. Bird Runningwater, director of Sundance Institute's Indigenous Program, writes: "The contrasting representations of Indigenous peoples in the news in the past couple of weeks offer vivid proof that ongoing mistreatment happens in modern times and that despite those challenges, exemplary talent has the potential to transcend and be recognized." [[THR](] Casting call... ► John Cena to star in Netflix action comedy directed by Jason Bateman. The film [reteams]( Bateman with Mark Perez, the writer of Game Night. ► Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes board Farnsworth House. The film, from the Little Miss Sunshine producers, will tell the true story of the creative and emotional entanglement in 1947 between legendary architect Mies Van der Rohe and his client Dr. Edith Farnsworth, which [resulted in]( the first glass house. ^Behind Shia LaBeouf's pseudo-memoir: Based on an original screenplay by the embattled actor, former TV host-turned-commercial director Alma Har'el's narrative debut, Honey Boy, examines the troubled relationship between an abusive father and a child actor, Mia Galuppo reports: + Meeting LaBeouf: LaBeouf's introduction to Har'el was through the director's Tribeca-winning doc Bombay Beach by way of Amoeba Records in Hollywood. The actor was searching for a Bob Dylan documentary when he stumbled upon the doc (Dylan provided music for the feature). The director came home to an unexpected email: "I'm Shia. We have to meet." + Addressing male masculinity: "There is this perception that women directors only have to make movies about women's topics," she says. "It was a challenging thing to say, 'No, I'm actually going to make a film about a little boy and his father, but I'm going to show things that you maybe wouldn't have seen if a man directed it.'" [Full story.]( Upward mobility... ► Participant Media promotes trio of execs. The company behind Roma, Green Book and RBG [just earned]( 17 Oscar noms, the most ever in its history. ► UTA promotes eight agents to partner. "These eight individuals from across our business have been a critical part of UTA's growth over the past years," the agency's board of directors said in a joint statement. [Details.]( Coming attractions... ► Trailer: Zac Efron embodies serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. The Joe Berlinger-directed movie is set to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday. [Watch.]( ► Trailer: Netflix unveils look at Chiwetel Ejiofor directorial debut. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, a true story, set to premiere at Sundance and based on the book of the same name, follows a 13-year-old boy as he tries to save his famine-struck village. [Watch.]( Judge approves changes to Weinstein's legal team. The disgraced mogul was in court in Manhattan — along with new lawyers Jose Baez, Ronald Sullivan and Duncan Levin, and former lawyer Benjamin Brafman — as Judge James Burke [approved]( the switch. Alda Reflects Six decades of work: Alan Alda, who'll receive the SAG Awards' Life Achievement honor at Sunday's ceremony, also reflects on his actor father and why he frequently plays Republicans, Benjamin Svetkey reports: + The sexism of M*A*S*H: "We worked really hard to try to put that in relief. Loretta Swit [as Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan] was very instrumental in getting her character from a one-note joke to a three-dimensional person," he reflects. "And I kept pressing for relationship stories between Hawkeye and the women. ... But I think M*A*S*H's [sexist] attitude was something that lingered from Robert Altman's movie. The film was very hard to take, the way Margaret was treated." + On Woody Allen: "I'd work with him again if he wanted me. I'm not qualified to judge him. I don't know all the facts," Alda says. "I don't know if he's guilty or innocent. But you can be uncertain — that's what I go on. I just don't have enough information to convince me I shouldn't work with him. And he's an enormously talented guy." [Full interview.]( What to watch this weekend... THR critic Daniel Fienberg sends his recommendation: Most of this weekend's options are self-selecting. If you're an Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fan, you're definitely watching [the last episodes]( of the Netflix comedy. If you're a Rent fan, [nothing will keep you]( from watching Fox's Rent Live! on Sunday. But if you're looking for something new and interesting to watch, THR's Tim Goodman [raved]( about Netflix's Black Earth Rising, which has political substance and nuance, though if you aren't into those things, Netflix's Kingdom [offers zombies](. What else we're reading... — "Why Do the Oscars Keep Falling for Racial Reconciliation Fantasies?" Wesley Morris writes: "These pay-for-playmate transactions are a modern pastime, different from an entire history of popular culture that simply required black actors to serve white stars without even the illusion of friendship." [[The New York Times](] — "How Peter Farrelly and Adam McKay Pivoted to Drama." Lindsay Zoladz examines: "When test screening a movie like Step Brothers or There’s Something About Mary, you either get the laugh or you don’t. This does not necessarily mean that directing comedies has taught them how to pander, though; it is valuable in any genre to hold an audience’s attention and to know when you’re losing them." [[The Ringer](] — "PBS President Paula Kerger on the Network's Future." Stephen Battaglio interviews the chief — on replacing Charlie Rose: "What we set out to do was to find someone who brought the right quality of conversation. The fact that [Christiane Amanpour] is a woman made it an even better choice." [[Los Angeles Times](] — "The Art of Jim Carrey." Jerry Saltz chats with the actor: "Art is a very vulnerable, open soft spot, and you lay yourself open to be criticized, ripped apart, told you should stay in your lane, and I’ve never believed in lanes." [[Vulture](] — "How Apple’s White Earbuds Changed the Game Forever." Jonathan Heaf reflects: "Jobs initially was hesitant when he saw the ads, worried that the hardware (the actual iPod player) wasn’t nearly visible enough. Yet that was their genius: the adverts weren’t selling the tech, they were selling emotion." [[British GQ](] From the archives... + Today in 1986: Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera opened at New York's Majestic Theatre, beginning its amazing run as Broadway's longest running musical: "For now, if not forever, Mr. Lloyd Webber is a genuine phenomenon — not an invention of the press or ticket scalpers — and Phantom is worth seeing not only for its punch as high-gloss entertainment but also as a fascinating key to what the phenomenon is about." [[The New York Times](] Today's birthdays: Kelli Barrett, 35, Colin O'Donoghue, 38, Bryan Callen, 52, Ellen DeGeneres, 61, Mimi Leder, 67, David Strathairn, 70, Scott Glenn, 78. 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 26, 2019