Netflix Scare; Amazon Retreats; Sanchez Brother Speaks; Dem Debates; Lasseter's No. 2

What's news: Amazon withdraws its plans to set up one of its new HQ2s in New York City after public backlash. Plus: Netflix gunman scare, CBS touts strong earnings (despite a miss) and Oscar-nominated producers reflect on their films' best picture nods. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( February 15, 2019 What's news: Amazon withdraws its plans to set up one of its new HQ2s in New York City after public backlash. Plus: Netflix gunman scare, CBS touts strong earnings (despite a miss) and Oscar-nominated producers reflect on their films' best picture nods. — Will Robinson ^Parity still lacks: The Academy has diversified its ranks in terms of race and gender, but when it comes to its biggest awards — best picture, directing, screenplay — it's still a boys' club, Stephen Galloway writes: + Progress, but not in limelight: Academy president John Bailey noted at the Feb. 4 Nominees Lunch that more women have been nominated this year than ever before: 59 of the 212 nominees for the 91st Oscars are female. True, there's a panoply of women filling less prominent categories such as live- action, documentary and animated shorts. But there's not a single woman nominated for director, a decade after Kathryn Bigelow became the first female helmer to win the Oscar, for The Hurt Locker. + Hard to parcel blame: To some extent the organization is reflecting the reality of the industry, though some of the more male-saturated branches seem to vote for people they like, whether or not they truly deserve it. Meanwhile, the business lurches on at its familiar snail-like pace, women only glacially penetrating the below-the-line fields. Contrast that with film schools, where women often outnumber men. So when will the tipping point come and when will Oscar reflect it? + Using its "bully pulpit": If the Academy threw its weight behind Frances McDormand's demand for an "inclusion rider" (a contractual requirement for diversity) — which briefly made a splash at last year's Oscars, only to recede from view — the studios, networks, agencies and other pillars of the establishment might take action. And the Oscar nominations would prove it. [Full story.]( Amazon Retreats One HQ2 left: Amazon's New York operation in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens, which has been canceled by the e-commerce giant, would have added some 25,000 jobs to the region, Natalie Jarvey reports: + Company statement: "While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City." + Money at hand: In New York, Amazon would have taken advantage of around $3 billion in city and state incentives, a move that drew opposition from local lawmakers. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio had both supported the move. [Full story.]( -> New York's political fallout: "The Amazon fight has exposed deep fissures within the Democratic Party between business-friendly centrism and unalloyed populism, in New York and beyond. Mr. Cuomo and Mr. de Blasio had pushed the Amazon deal as a vehicle to not only create jobs, but to boost the economy while transforming the nature of Long Island City." [[The New York Times](] About Amazon's CEO... -> Lauren Sanchez's brother speaks out about involvement in Jeff Bezos affair leaking. Michael Sanchez told Gabriel Sherman that he had "nothing to do" with Bezos' "below-the-belt" selfies making their way onto the pages of National Enquirer. [[Vanity Fair](] Elsewhere in TV... ► Netflix HQ was on lockdown as police swarmed. Several posts surfaced on social media claiming that someone had a gun outside the building; one of the buildings was evacuated, according to sources. Los Angeles police say the suspect, now in custody, said he had a gun, but no weapon [has been recovered]( and there have been no injuries reported. ► Record CBS quarterly results marred by drop in content licensing. CBS was [expected to earn]( about $4.2 billion in revenue but posted $4 billion in revenue. Interim CEO Joseph Ianniello also disclosed that CBS All Access coupled with the Showtime streaming product have exceeded 8 million subscribers a couple of years ahead of the company's original schedule. ► Chicago Police ID two persons of interest in Jussie Smollett attack. "These individuals are not yet suspects but were in area of concern and are [being questioned](. Investigation continues," said Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi via Twitter. * Police deny attack is being investigated as a hoax. 20th Century Fox also released the following statement, disputing the report, shortly after: "The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of EMPIRE is [patently ridiculous](. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him." Deals and developments... ► NBC News/MSNBC and CNN hosting first two primary debates for Dems. Both debates will [likely be held]( on back-to-back nights in primetime this summer "to make room for as many as twenty candidates, with the lineups for each night determined at random," the Democratic National Committee said. ► ABC renews John Ridley's overall deal for five years. This is the third pact for the Oscar winner, who [first signed]( with the Patrick Moran-led studio in 2014. ► Netflix developing Transformers animated series. War for Cybertron [will tell]( an origin story set in the Transformers universe as the streamer continues to expand its animation roster. ► NBC renews American Ninja Warrior. The summer staple will go back [into production]( in the spring for season eight. ► USA orders sequel to Psych movie. The series cast will reunite for a second time for a feature-length movie [due to air]( in late 2019. ► Mattel launching slate of 22 multi-platform TV shows. The series will be a mix of animated and live-action, based on the toy company's storied brands and franchises. [Details.]( ► Nickelodeon reviving All That, spinning off SpongeBob. The sketch comedy series [will return]( in the summer with a new cast and alum Kenan Thompson as an executive producer. ► Nickelodeon scores Paddington TV series. The small-screen spinoff — due to land in 2020 with film star Ben Whishaw — will be [aimed]( at preschoolers. Casting call... ► Good Fight creators' CBS pilot casts female lead. Westworld actress Katja Herbers [will play]( a forensic psychologist in supernatural drama Evil from Robert and Michelle King. ► Syfy A.I. drama pilot casts young leads. Gabriel Bateman and Kyla-Drew Simmons [will star]( in Cipher, from writer Allison Miller. ^New TV's Top 5 podcast: On this week's episode, Lesley Goldberg and Daniel Fienberg discuss the upcoming Breaking Bad movie (which Netflix has first dibs on), Friends' unlikely future on that streamer and Hulu's slew of moves. Plus... + What is going on at Starz?: Critical darling Counterpart, starring J.K. Simmons, was canceled after its initial two-season order. Why? Ownership. Now that Starz has new parent Lionsgate, the latter will likely be doing the same thing other broadcast, cable and streaming outlets are: focusing on ownership now that CEO Chris Albrecht is no longer calling the shots. [Listen]( | [Subscribe]( Digital digest... ► Apple eyeing April to launch new video service. "HBO may join its premium network brethren but isn't as far along in discussions with Apple, one of the people said. Apple hasn't offered HBO the same terms that Amazon offered, said the person." [[CNBC](] ► Univision reveals write-down of struggling Gizmodo Media Group assets. The company [reported]( that the assets lost $32.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2018. But the losses were even greater in the third quarter of 2018, with the company reporting a loss of $96.1 million for the U.S. digital brands. Ratings notes... ► Fox's Masked Singer winning streak continues. The show delivered a 2.4 rating in the demo, up from 2.2 last week, and [has now led]( seven straight Wednesdays in adults 18-49. CBS' Celebrity Big Brother's season finished down about 15 percent in adults 18-49 and off 13 percent in viewers compared with its first run in 2018. From the Live Feed... ► Star Trek stars open up about resurrecting Discovery LGBTQ love story. "It shows LGBTQ relationships as complex, rich, and [explored]( with a lot of integrity and depth," star Anthony Rapp tells Mike Bloom about his character's epic reunion. Latest reviews... ► Netflix's The Umbrella Academy. "The writing is superficial and the acting suboptimal [and] the whole thing relies on an ostensible quirkiness and viewers' innate sense that they've seen echoes of this many other places," Tim Goodman writes. "The series is annoyingly inert, in short, and derivative in the process." [Full review.]( ► DC Universe's Doom Patrol. "It's basically impossible to review Doom Patrol positively or negatively without insecurity that you might be falling right into the show's aggressively meta trap," Daniel Fienberg poses. "All I can say for sure is that no matter what the narrator might have expected, I don't hate Doom Patrol. Whatever that means." [Full review.]( Legal briefs... ► Bill Cosby vows no remorse, even if he sits in prison 10 years. Cosby's stance on the sexual encounter that [sent him]( to prison could leave him serving the high end of a three- to 10-year term since sex offenders must show remorse to gain parole. Speaker series... ► Handmaid's Tale ep Ilene Chaiken to keynote at MIPTV. The Emmy winner [will speak]( as part of the "pushing boundaries" program in April. Coming attractions... ► Trailer: Sandra Oh's obsession grows in Killing Eve season two. The next batch of episodes of the acclaimed series hit BBC America and AMC on April 7. [Watch.]( ► Trailer: Mafia rivals fight for power in Gomorrah. The groundbreaking Sky Italia show returns in March. [Watch.]( Copyright office refuses registration for Fresh Prince star's "Carlton dance." A government examiner [also questioned]( the submission of the Alfonso Ribeiro's performance on ABC's Dancing With the Stars, pointing to internet research about celebrity partners and raising a work-for-hire issue. 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](. Reflecting on Nominations The contenders: Producers for best picture-nominated films in this year's Academy Awards reflect on their cinematic achievements, while keeping an eye on the prize. + Black Panther's Kevin Feige, on knowing film's impact: "That amazing line, that [Ryan Coogler] and his co-writer, Joe Robert Cole, wrote for Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) as he lay dying outside the vibranium mines looking over Wakanda: 'Why, so you can lock me up? Just bury me in the ocean with my ancestors who jumped ships, 'cause they knew death was better than bondage.' That was in the first draft. It was [one of the best lines]( we ever read." + Roma's Gabriela Rodriguez, on learning from Alfonso Cuaron: "He doesn't take no for an answer. So it's, how do you find creative alternative solutions to satisfy the needs of this person? ... On to more of a production level, it was how do you, if you have budgetary limitations or timing issues, how do you give him — if it's not a no, because he'll never take a no, what are the alternatives and how can you [creatively find]( solutions?" + A Star Is Born's Lynette Howell Taylor, on timelessness: "Each version of the movie stands alone as its own unique version with its own set of characters that are unique to that time. This one is no different. It's a contemporary retelling, but the characters are very much their own characters. People love a good love story. This is a movie that makes you fall in love and then completely [breaks your heart](." Oscars draw more backlash... ► Alfonso Cuaron, George Clooney and Brad Pitt join call for Academy to reverse Oscar decision. The revolt [stems from]( the decision to present four Oscar categories during commercial breaks. They join a first round of names including Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino. ► Cinematographers Guild president calls Oscars plans "humiliating." "People wait their entire lives to receive an Oscar in front of millions, and it is humiliating to have that moment [reduced]( to an afterthought," writes Steven Poster. * Cinematographers society rejects Academy's justification. "Your response to our protest letter of Feb. 13 is [unsatisfying and oddly inaccurate](," said the ASC in a new statement. ► American Cinema Editors head calls on reversal, too. "We respectfully ask that the Academy and ABC please [consider an alternative]( to this decision and equally honor the people who actually make the movies," writes Stephen Rivkin. Elsewhere in film... ► Skydance Animation chief John Lasseter promotes Holly Edwards to president. Edwards [previously served]( as president of production at Skydance Animation before doing stints at DreamWorks Animation. She will serve as Lasseter's top lieutenant. ► Captain Marvel tracking for marvelous $100m-plus debut. Rival studios with access to tracking say metrics for the film are "giant," including unaided awareness and definite interest. Disney and Marvel's first female-led superhero movie [flies into]( U.S. theaters on March 8. ► Alita: Battle Angel winning Valentine's Day with $8M-plus. That puts the Fox movie on pace to earn $36 million to $38 million in its five-day debut if traffic holds, good enough for a first-place finish ahead of Isn't It Romantic and Happy Death Day 2U. [Weekend box office.]( ► Netflix sets sequel to Kissing Booth rom-com. The film — starring Joey King, Joel Courtney and Jacob Elordi — was Netflix's [most rewatched]( movie of 2018. ► Isn't It Romantic director teams with Miramax. Todd Strauss-Schulson and Matthew Fogel [wrote]( the comedy Silent Treatment. ► American Girl doll movie in the works from MGM, Mattel. The toy company also has Hot Wheels and Barbie movies in development. Cassidy Lange [will oversee]( for MGM, and Robbie Brenner will oversee for Mattel. Home news... ► THR sets Empowerment Gala; Oprah Winfrey to be honored. The star-studded event will [kick off]( THR's groundbreaking diversity initiative, the Young Executives Fellowship, as it celebrates individuals who are breaking down barriers for people of color, women, the LGBTQ community and other emerging voices in Hollywood. Console wars... -> Inside the Activision Blizzard layoffs: Jason Schreier spoke to 20 current and former employees in the wake of cutting over 750 jobs: "If there’s a consensus, it’s rage. ... Even those who felt layoffs were necessary or justifiable said they were shocked by the scale, scope, and coldness from executives." + Money vs. creative: "Activision’s influence has raised questions among Blizzard staff about whether the studio can retain its culture. Said one former Blizzard employee to me last December: 'There’s a real struggle now between developers and the business people… Strategic decisions are being driven by the finance group.'" [[Kotaku](] Casting call... ► Jason Momoa in talks to join Timothee Chalamet, Josh Brolin in Dune. Legendary’s adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert is [being directed]( by Denis Villeneuve. Music's #MeToo... ► FBI opens inquiry into Ryan Adams' relationship with younger fan. The singer-songwriter has [not been contacted]( by any member of a law enforcement agency, Adams' lawyer told THR. Musical notes... ► Vivendi earnings up on strength of Universal Music Group. Revenue was up due to the growth in streaming, which [climbed]( 37.3 percent on subscriber growth and stronger market share. The uptick in streaming offset the company's 23 percent decline in downloads and 16 percent decline physical sales. Streaming also drove 14.5 percent growth in music publishing revenues. ► "We Can't Stop" lawsuit vs. Miley Cyrus should move ahead, judge recommends. The singer is [being sued]( for copyright infringement over her track "We Can't Stop," and a magistrate judge doesn't buy her arguments that the suit should be dismissed at this early stage. From the stage... ► Michael Jackson musical heads to Broadway in 2020, cancels Chicago run. The Actors Equity strike [involved]( the labor union in a dispute with the Broadway League over weekly salaries for those working on developmental labs for Broadway shows, specifically musicals. ► Jake Gyllenhaal in Sea Wall/A Life, reviewed. "[The play] is composed of thematically linked monologues delivered by young men relating their experiences coping with personal tragedies. It's a subject to which all of us can sadly relate, making the evening as painfully harrowing as it is [engrossing](," Frank Scheck writes. Around town... ► California storms trigger mudslides. Flash flood warnings [blanketed]( east and south Los Angeles, including areas burned bare by a summer wildfire. Why Lucas Hedges is happy to be out of a job. With six films released since 2016, including Manchester By the Sea, Lady Bird and Boy Erased, the Ben Is Back star is happy to only focus on [working on]( "relationships outside of work-related environments" and taking a family trip, Chris Gardner reports. Rock Stars Friendship takes hold: Seemingly superhuman climber Alex Honnold — star of Free Solo — and Oscar-winning actor-musician Jared Leto have struck an unlikely friendship, and they invited THR to join a recent wall session, Scott Johnson reports: + Pre-Free Solo: Unlike the many people in Hollywood who have reached out to Honnold since the release of Free Solo, Leto, who has been climbing with him since 2015. Shortly after they met, the pro climber took Leto up a classic mountain route called Matthes Crest northeast of Yosemite Valley. "There was one part where I grabbed on the end of a rope during one really slabby section," he says. Leto continued to climb, and his friendship with Honnold grew. "I'm getting my ass kicked," the actor says, "which is great." [Full story.]( What else we're reading... — "Animal House Revived Frats — and Their Excesses." Lewis Beale writes: "Yet despite its admirable reportorial balance, Fraternity can also be seen by non-Greeks ... as a cautionary tale about the stupid, sadistic things frat boys—who ... are more likely to be white, wealthy, and conservative—do to each other." [[The Daily Beast](] — "The Return of Celebrity Purity Culture." Britni de la Cretaz considers, in light of the Biebers: "But while social sexual mores have evolved, public expectations often have not. In more recent eras, studios and publicists have dedicated an immense amount of energy to covering up scandalous affairs or preserving images of innocence or purity when it served a star’s image." [[The Ringer](] — "Phoebe Waller-Bridge Will Make You Laugh So Hard It Hurts." Amanda Hess profiles the writer-actress: "She is so good at making people laugh that her facility for pathos can sneak up on them. While her audiences are distracted by sparkling punch lines, she is secretly messing around in the dark reaches of their psyches." [[The New York Times](] — "Every Oscar Best Picture Winner, Ranked." Tim Grierson and Will Leitch consider: "It’s very easy to second-guess the Academy on its Best Picture picks, but while putting together our ranking of every winner, we decided that, all in all, there aren’t that many terrible choices." [[Vulture](] What else we're watching... + "Ben Affleck retires Batman cowl." [[Jimmy Kimmel](] + "Bradley Cooper retired his A Star Is Born voice." [[Late Show](] + "Fred Armisen's impressions of accents through the decades." [[Tonight Show](] + "Fred Armisen, Nick Kroll saved Aubrey Plaza's Border screening." [[Conan](] From the archives... + Today in 1950: Walt Disney Productions premiered in Boston its latest animated feature in Cinderella. The pic earned strong reviews and cemented its legacy in the Disney canon: "Mr. Disney and his craftsmen have brilliantly splashed upon the screen a full-blown and flowery animation of the perennially popular fairy tale." [[The New York Times](] Today's birthdays: Amber Riley, 33, Omarosa Manigault, 46, Renée O'Connor, 48, Steven Michael Quezada, 56, Christopher McDonald, 64, Matt Groening, 65, Jane Seymour, 68. 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]( February 15, 2019