Election Day! Cable's Bonanza; Anchor Lineups; Late-Night's Final Pleas; 'Borat' Writer's Message for Millennials

It's (finally) here. As America considers electing a former reality TV star as Commander-in-Chief, who are the real winners of the election? Cable news networks. Plus: Norman Lear's grim take on the campaign, Jon Stewart's last plea to voters, a Borat writer's NSFW Trump takedown and what (and who) to watch tonight. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman. [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment] November 08, 2016 It's (finally) here. As America considers electing a former reality TV star as Commander-in-Chief, who are the real winners of the election? Cable news networks. Plus: Norman Lear's grim take on the campaign, Jon Stewart's last plea to voters, a Borat writer's NSFW Trump takedown and what (and who) to watch tonight. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman. These Are the Election Winners No matter what happens today, no one would argue that cable news is the biggest winner of the 2016 cycle, Michael O'Connell [writes:] With gross primetime viewership for CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC up 50 percent from 2015, and 55 percent in the key demo, all three are on track for record ratings. Cable news ad sales is expected to reach nearly $2 billion for the entire year, per SNL Kagan. That's a 15 percent improvement from 2015 and a thrilling 25 percent jump from the last presidential cycle (2012). CNN alone has reaped an additional $100 million than originally forecasted. It's quite justified. All three have seen ratings climb in the double digits. Year-to-date, Fox News Channel retains its lead among adults 25-54 and total viewers, while CNN has posted the most volume growth, nabbing a historic demo streak in October, and MSNBC has seen the most percentage improvement. [To be sure:] All three are in such good shape, the real victor now will be who drops the least in the coming months. Which anchors are on lead election night duty? ABC: George Stephanopoulos, David Muir, Martha Raddatz. NBC: Lester Holt, Savannah Guthrie, Chuck Todd, joined by Tom Brokaw. CBS: Scott Pelley w/ Norah O’Donnell, Charlie Rose and Gayle King. Fox: Shep Smith. CNN: Wolf Blitzer, Jake Tapper, Dana Bash and Anderson Cooper. Fox News: Megyn Kelly and Bret Baier. MSNBC: Brian Williams, Rachel Maddow and Chris Matthews. Or: Looking for unconventional election night TV? Like Stephen Colbert, the ladies of The View have no slot on their network during election night. Unlike Stephen Colbert, it's not exactly clear why they should be. Well, they are anyway! Joy Behar, Jedediah Bila, Candace Cameron Bure, Sara Haines and Sunny Hostin will anchor live, on corporate half-sibling Lifetime, [for two and a half hours.] Speaking of Colbert, last night Jon Stewart stopped by The Late Show to join his old friend and former colleague to urge voters to do their civic duty Tuesday. [Watch here.] ↱ Tonight: THR will be inside both Clinton and Trump election night events, which for the [first time in decades] will be in the same city. And: Here's [a list of places]in L.A. to get free stuff just for showing your "I Voted" sticker. ↲ Elsewhere in TV... ► Amazon's spending spree continues. The streamer landed a drama series package from David O. Russell that stars Robert De Niro and Julianne Moore. Amazon has committed to a two-season order for the mafia drama with [a price tag] of a whopping $160M. ► CBS preps Big Bang Theory prequel series. The comedy, from Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady and overseen by showrunner Steve Molaro, will center around the young version of Jim Parsons' Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Insiders describe [the project] as like Malcolm in the Middle. ► Fox teams with Darren Criss for workplace comedy. The [project], titled Royalties, centers on the unseen, unsung and unglamorous heroes behind the pop stars. It hails from the Glee grad and writers Allyn Rachel and Patrick Carlyle. ► Curb Your Enthusiasm gets the cast back. Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen are set [to return] for the ninth season of the HBO show. The husband-and-wife duo will join the series’ core cast Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines and Susie Essman. ↱ [Norman Lear's call for sanity.]The legendary TV producer's THR guest column: "The more I think about it, Trump may be a particularly painful and embarrassing outbreak, but the underlying disease that has allowed him to flourish has become a chronic condition, feeding on fear, bigotry and misinformation." ↲ ► TV Land adds American Woman to its roster. The cabler has [handed out] a 12-episode series order to the Alicia Silverstone starrer. Inspired by the upbringing of co-executive producer Kyle Richards, the single-camera comedy is set in the 1970s. ► Fox plans hotel comedy from How I Met Your Mother creators.The network is teaming with Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the single-camera comedy, Open Arms, with [a script commitment]. Peter Warren will pen the script and executive produce alongside Bays and Thomas. ► Stranger Things season two rounds out cast. Joining the streaming giant's summer sensation are Sean Astin, Paul Reiser and Danish star Linnea Berthelsen. Plot details about the second season of the breakout 1980s drama [are sketchy] so far. So, you're a celebrity who wants to move to Canada... Bryan Cranston, Lena Dunham, Barbra Streisand and Neve Campbell have all suggested they'll pack their bags if Trump wins today. If that scenario comes to pass, Seth Abramovitch has a compiled this [handy A-lister relocation guide.] Disney's Next Holiday Hit? The studio, already having a record year globally at the box office, is getting raves for its animated Moana (currently at 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes), which hits U.S. theaters in time for Thanksgiving. From Michael Rechtshaffen's [review:] "Appealing equally to the eyes, ears, heart and funny bone, Moana represents contemporary Disney at its finest — a vibrantly rendered adventure that combines state-of-the-art CG animation with traditional storytelling and colorful characters, all enlivened by a terrific voice cast... It may have taken a village, but when you add in a selection of infectious, soul-stirring songs by Hamilton sensation Lin-Manuel Miranda along with score composer Mark Mancina and Samoan musician Opetaia Tavita Foa’i, you’ve got a tropical Frozen with the potential for a similarly wide-reaching audience when Moana (pronounced 'Mo-ahna') sails into theaters Nov. 23 (it will have its world premiere Nov. 14 at AFI Fest)." Elsewhere in film... ► China adopts film law, with mixed implications. The country's law provides stiff penalties for box-office fraud and piracy, which Hollywood will cheer; but also vaguely worded rules designed to stifle negative statements about China. [The details.] ► Fox shake-up: Marc Weinstock departing studio. The exec is exiting his job as president of domestic theatrical marketing to run Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures. Weinstock [notified staff] yesterday afternoon, but has promised to stay on through the release of year-end films. ► AFI conservatory dean to exit post after controversy. Jan Schuette is stepping down as dean at the end of the current academic year, the school said. In September, faculty issued a vote of no confidence in Schuette and called for his immediate resignation. [The backstory.] ↱ [Two stuntmen drown during Indian film shoot]. An action sequence for an Indian film went very wrong this week when two stuntmen drowned after jumping from a helicopter into a reservoir while filming a scene for the movie Maasti Gudi, The Times of India reported. ↲ ► Max Landis to direct American Werewolf in London remake. The Chronicle writer will also pen the screenplay. Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman and cohort David Albert, who exec produce the hit show, will produce the Werewolf remake, which is [set up]at Universal. ► Margot Robbie, Warner Bros. to adapt Beautiful Things. The studio has[picked up] the rights to the novel by Gin Phillips, which Robbie's LuckyChap Entertainment production banner will produce along with Denise Di Novi. It's unclear if Robbie will star in the project. ↱ [Quoted, Joss Whedon:] "Superhero stories are on some level fascistic. I still love them, but you’ll notice that as much as I love the elevated self, I hate the idea of the few being rightfully better than/in control of the many." ↲ ► Dan Stevens to portray Charles Dickens. The Downton Abbey star will play the author in The Man Who Invented Christmas, which focuses on when A Christmas Carol was written. Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer was [cast]as the film's "Scrooge" character. ► Hawaii Five-O star Grace Park joins Public Schooled. The actress will star along with Judy Greer in the coming-of-age comedy from filmmakers Kyle Rideout and Josh Epstein. Shooting is set [to begin] this month in Vancouver. Rep Sheet Roundup: Ice Cube, who spent the last seven years at UTA, has left the agency ... Pixar stalwart Andrew Stanton signs with UTA ... Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing moves from WME to CAA ... Into the Woods actress Lucy Punch has moved from CAA to UTA. [More signings.] "Make Trump Fake Again" Your amusing, but NSFW, Election Day essay is from Borat screenwriter Peter Baynham. It gets dark. [An excerpt:] "Be afraid. Be very afraid. Imagine this man in the Trump Armageddon — previously known as the White House — in January. Imagine Lennon’s 'Imagine,' but with all the nice sentiments about everyone living life in peace, replaced by words of division, hatred and cooking your cat in your basement, over a burning Bernie Sanders bumper sticker, as your face peels off. Please vote. Even if some bastard tries to stop you, like North Carolina Republicans did to Grace Hardison, the 100-year-old African-American whose voter registration was challenged despite her living in the same place her whole life. Vote, even if there’s a wannabe American Sniper turd in a Duck Dynasty hat patrolling your polling station with his gun, accusing you of voting 11 times or being dead, or both. [This isn’t the time to register your silent protest.] It’s maybe not even the time to be right. When the ship is threatening to sink, you don’t have a choice of lifeboats. Maybe Bernie Sanders was the closest you’ll ever get to the candidate you approve of and when he quit the race, so did you. But a) he didn’t win, b) He’s With Her and c) He’s going to be in power, too. Friend, your country needs you, your world needs you. Your future needs you." Today's Birthdays: Tara Reid, 41, Matthew Rhys, 42, David Muir, 43, Michael Nyqvist, 56, Bonnie Raitt, 67. Follow The News Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.] ©2016 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe] | [Manage Preferences] | [Privacy Policy] | [Terms of Use] November 8, 2016