'Marvel' Milestone; ESPN Courts Manning; Apple TV Slate; Fox News Yanks Pirro; College Scandal Mastermind

What's news: A look into Tim Cook and Apple's plans to take on Netflix. Plus: Captain Marvel continues its fruitful pace, ESPN is courting a big name for Monday Night Football and a look at Rick Singer, the man in the middle of the college admissions scandal. — Will Robinson [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( March 18, 2019 What's news: A look into Tim Cook and Apple's plans to take on Netflix. Plus: Captain Marvel continues its fruitful pace, ESPN is courting a big name for Monday Night Football and a look at Rick Singer, the man in the middle of the college admissions scandal. — Will Robinson Apple Goes Hollywood Entering the fray: One week ahead of Apple's grand unveiling of its streaming service, buffeted by Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Reese Witherspoon, consumers and talent aren't sure what to expect. Josh Koblin extracts some details. + In the can: "Around a half dozen more are on the verge of wrapping production, according to several people familiar with the shows who were not authorized to speak publicly. And the number of original productions is expected to increase in 2020." + Apple mystique rattles: "Players expect to be kept in the loop. But many of the people working with Apple said they have received little or no information on how, exactly, their shows will be released. Or even when they will be released, other than a vague assurance of 'later this year, probably fall.' They also don’t have a clear idea of Apple’s marketing plans for the shows." * Keep an eye on this: "People involved in the coming series also said that Apple executives had expressed squeamishness when it comes to the portrayal of technology in the shows — how exactly are you using that iPhone? Or that Mac laptop?" [[The New York Times](] Elsewhere in TV... ► ESPN courting Peyton Manning for Monday Night Football. Network president Jimmy Pitaro and content chief Connor Schell made a trip to Denver on March 11 to meet with Manning, Marisa Guthrie reports. But it’s unclear whether Manning is interested in [pursuing]( a career as an analyst at this time. ► Fox News quietly suspends Jeanine Pirro. Brian Stelter reports that the network would not confirm or deny that Pirro was suspended for controversial comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar wearing a hijab. A source tells Stelter that Pirro has not been fired. [[CNN Business](] ► Trump slams SNL after rerun, calls for FCC "collusion" investigation. "There must be Collusion with the Democrats and, of course, Russia!" the president [tweeted]( Sunday morning. "Such one sided media coverage, most of it Fake News." Digital digest... ► Facebook's local news push hitting obstacles. "One-third of Americans live in a place where Facebook can’t find enough local news being shared on its service to justify building a localized aggregator for that area, according to data released by Facebook on Monday." [[The Wall Street Journal](] ► “After Vice and Big Screen Fame, What’s Eddy Moretti Doing in Banking?” Jeremy Kahn and Sonia Sirletti look into the Italian banking start-up: “Called Epiphany, the company makes software that it says will help banks survive new rules designed to give clients more control over their personal information.” [[Bloomberg](] On the PaleyFest stage... ► Stephen Colbert slams Trump as a “delicious idiot.”. Despite [expressing]( his political viewpoints on his show, Colbert assured that his goal for The Late Show is to create a community and "make everybody feel better." "When we’re laughing, we’re not afraid," he explained. "I don’t think what I’m saying is important, I don’t think it’s going to change people’s minds, I don’t think I’m a political player." ► Crazy Ex-Girlfriend cast bids farewell with intimate concert. Yes, It's Really Us Singing: The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Concert Special! was filmed over two nights at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles and [will air]( after the series finale April 5. From the Live Feed... ► Walking Dead reveals deadly Michonne backstory. Danai Gurira's sword-swinging survivor steps into the spotlight in a lethal series of flashbacks. [Spoilers.]( -> Game of Thrones final path: The journey of Theon Greyjoy. Will Theon's renewed confidence as a son of both Houses Greyjoy and Stark finally [propel]( him into triumph over the demons of his past — or is redemption too much to ask for given Theon's past sins? Josh Wigler explores. In memoriam... ► RIP Richard Erdman. The mirthful character actor who stood out on the big screen in The Men, Cry Danger and Stalag 17 and then on the sitcom Community, died Saturday at 93. [Full obit.]( NBCUniversal, Sky combine advanced advertising services. The global expansion of Sky's AdSmart [will combine]( its addressable advertising tools with the targeting solutions of NBC's Audience Studio. 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](. Flying High Another milestone crossed: Captain Marvel's standing among Hollywood studio superhero pics continues to impress, as Marvel's first female-led pic has cleared $760 million at the global box office in its first 12 days and is racing toward the $1 billion threshold, Pamela McClintock reports: + Strong standing: Captain Marvel, with $69 million domestically in its second weekend, has already become one of the most successful female-fronted properties in history at the worldwide box office, passing up all of the Twilight films and three of the four installments in The Hunger Games series. + International play: Wonder Woman earned $409 million internationally, or roughly 50 percent of its gross. That stat no doubt passed on to studio honchos, considering that international often makes up 60 percent to 70 percent of a film's total box office earnings. Captain Marvel's international tally through Sunday, however, is a massive $494 million (65 percent). [Full story.]( Other weekend box office notes... * Paramount's animated family pic Wonder Park, costing as much as $100 million to produce before marketing, opened in second place with a dismal $16 million from 3,838 cinemas. The silver lining: it had been tracking to take in only $8 million to $12 million. * CBS Films' teen drama Five Feet Apart followed in third place with an estimated $13.2 million from 2,803 theaters, nearly double its modest production budget of $7 million. [Box office hauls.]( Elsewhere in film... ► Chang Chen joining Denis Villeneuve's Dune. The Crouching Tiger actor is [in talks]( for Legendary's adaptation of the sci-fi novel. Filmart developments... ► Wanda's festival favorite The Crossing sells to North America. Bai Xue's acclaimed feature debut [won]( best film and best actress at Pingyao, as well as best screenplay at Dublin. ► Mean Girls helmer boards Sun Entertainment’s $120M sci-fi epic. The Hong Kong-based mini-conglomerate ambitious new project, Inversion, [comes from]( director Mark Waters, with The Revenant’s Markus Barmettler and Philip Lee producing. ► Jackie Chan, Wu Jing to star in Chinese mountain climbing epic. Tentatively titled Climbers, the film tells the real-life story of the first Chinese mountaineers [to summit]( Mount Everest. ► Chow Yun-fat to star in family drama Be Water, My Friend. The veteran Hong Kong star plays a pathological gambler seeking a way to [connect]( with his autistic son. ^Leonardo DiCaprio shares Once Upon A Time in Hollywood poster. DiCaprio [tweeted]( a shot of him and co-star Brad Pitt with the caption of "Hollywood. 1969." The Quentin Tarantino pic is pegged for July. Admissions scandal fallout... -> "'Pied Piper' of racket had all the answers." Julie Bosman, Serge F. Kovaleski and Jose A. Del Real profile Rick Singer's central role of the federal indictments: "Those who knew Mr. Singer described him in interviews as a man constantly on the move, in and out of airports, hotels, boardrooms and living rooms. "He was selling himself — a trim former athlete with salt-and-pepper hair who bragged about his connections in college admission offices and his encyclopedic knowledge of the higher-education landscape." [[The New York Times](] One last review from Austin... ► Paramount’s Pet Sematary. "The [Stephen King] book's creepy premise [justifies]( this modern second look, which proves to be a solid if not earthshaking horror pic built around notably good performances." And the winners are... ► Shoplifters named best film at Asian Film Awards. Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s martial arts epic Shadow top the awards list with four technical wins. [Who else won?]( On the festival circuit... ► Aretha Franklin concert film Amazing Grace to open Ebertfest. The annual festival, which [honors]( late film critic and Illinois grad Roger Ebert, runs April 10-13 at Champaign’s Virginia Theatre. In memoriam... ► RIP Dick Dale. The Strat-wielding champion of surf rock whose biggest hit soundtracked one of the most iconic opening sequences in film (Pulp Fiction) died Saturday at 81. [Obit.]( Danny Bilson named new director of USC Games department. The screenwriter, director and father of actress Rachel Bilson also has [exec experience]( at game companies like THQ and EA. Murdoch's Reign Taking a step back: When the Disney-Fox mega-deal officially closes Tuesday night, the multi-billion-dollar operation Rupert Murdoch established will become a smaller version of itself. Meg James reflects on the 88-year-old's Hollywood run. Praise from... Peter Chernin: "Rupert has been the most influential person in Hollywood in the last 25 years. He has been the key driver of trends that now define the industry.” Tom Rothman: “I do not remotely share Rupert’s politics, but he was an excellent boss of a creative operation because creativity involves risk, and Rupert understood risk. And I admire him for that.” John Landgraf: “Fox has always had a pugnacious attitude. And Rupert is not someone who operates out of fear. He really believes in the value of making bets. We are not a box company.” [[Los Angeles Times](] What else we're reading... — “Regina Hall on the Two Hollywoods, Spirituality and Success.” David Marchese chats with the actress: “I’m potentially in a position where I could become more of a force.” [[The New York Times Magazine](] — “David Costabile, Prestige TV’s Most Important Character Actor.” Miles Surrey profiles: “Costabile is in the midst of transcending his That Guy status, thanks in large part to his breakout performance on Billions. The Showtime series has built a foundation on over-the-top characters, and Costabile’s character is, rather delightfully, far more over-the-top than the rest.” [[The Ringer](] — "Mark Hamill Tries Knighthood Without the Lightsaber." Darryn King talks to the actor: "In Hollywood, if you do something well, they want you to do the same thing over and over. Star Wars was overwhelmingly impactful, but it set me on a narrow path in a way." [[The Wall Street Journal](] — “How Cambridge Analytica Sparked the Great Privacy Awakening.” Issie Lapowsky reflects one year on: “The scandal and backlash grew to encompass the ways that businesses, including but certainly not limited to Facebook, take more data from people than they need, and give away more than they should, often only asking permission in the fine print—if they even ask at all.” [[WIRED](] On late night, last night... + "John Oliver details good, bad of public shaming." [[Last Week Tonight](] + "Hasan Minhaj analyzes India's complex democracy ahead of elections." [[Patriot Act](] What’s ahead this week… Monday: Writers Guild's next meeting with Association of Talent Agents... ABC debuts The Fix... Fox returns 911. Tuesday: Disney-Fox finally closes at midnight... NBC returns This Is Us and premieres The Village... Netflix streams Amy Schumer's next stand-up special. Wednesday: Hulu premieres true-crime anthology The Act. Thursday: March Madness tips off in earnest. Friday: Universal unveils Jordan Peele’s Us... Netflix returns The OA. Sunday: HBO airs Alex Gibney's Theranos doc The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley. [-> Full week in TV]( From the archives... + Today in 1942: Paramount unveiled Cecil B. DeMille's high seas adventure movie Reap the Wild Wind in Los Angeles. The film went on to earn three nominations at the 15th Academy Awards ceremony, winning in the special effects category — presumably for the giant squid attack prominently featured in the marketing: "The show, on a grand DeMille scale, is technically magnificent." [Flashback review.]( Today's birthdays: Lily Collins, 30, Adam Pally, 37, Adam Levine, 40, Dane Cook, 47, Queen Latifah, 49, Vanessa Williams, 56, Geoffrey Owens, 58, Luc Besson, 60. 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]( March 18, 2019