NBC News Fights Back; Media vs Trump Meme; 'Gemini' Flops; Scorsese Doubles Down; MIPCOM Buzz

What's news: NBC News president says Ronan Farrow has "an axe to grind," media condemnation for a violent pro-Trump meme, The Addams Family buries Gemini Man, but Joker slays both, Martin Scorsese doubles down, streaming the talk of MIPCOM. Plus: Hollywood stars are embracing YouTube, and Stephen Galloway on South Park's "act of courage." --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment OCTOBER 14, 2019 What's news: NBC News president says Ronan Farrow has "an axe to grind," media condemnation for a violent pro-Trump meme, The Addams Family buries Gemini Man, but Joker slays both, Martin Scorsese doubles down, streaming the talk of MIPCOM. Plus: Hollywood stars are embracing YouTube, and Stephen Galloway on South Park's "act of courage." --Alex Weprin What's news: NBC News president says Ronan Farrow has "an axe to grind," media condemnation for a violent pro-Trump meme, The Addams Family buries Gemini Man, but Joker slays both, Martin Scorsese doubles down, streaming the talk of MIPCOM. Plus: Hollywood stars are embracing YouTube, and Stephen Galloway on South Park's "act of courage." --Alex Weprin ['Addams Family' Buries 'Gemini Man,' But 'Joker' Reigns] 'Addams Family' Buries 'Gemini Man,' But 'Joker' Reigns Box office: Joker laughs its way to another win, while The Addams Family buries Gemini Man. Todd Phillips' supervillain origin tale earned $55 million in its sophomore weekend for a 10-day domestic total of $192.7 million and a massive global haul of $543.9 million. MGM and United Artists Releasing's early Halloween family pic The Addams Family came in a strong No. 2 with $30.3 million, ahead of expectations and more than enough to bury Ang Lee's big-budget Gemini Man, starring Will Smith, which followed at No. 3 with an estimated $20.5 million. [The numbers](. ►NBC News responds to Ronan Farrow: "We have no secrets and nothing to hide." NBC News president Noah Oppenheim sent a long, detailed email to NBC News employees this morning, responding to specific claims made in Farrow's book. The email includes details on the three Matt Lauer-related settlement claims in the book, and a point-by-point rebuttal of Farrow's timeline of the Harvey Weinstein story. "Farrow's effort to defame NBC News is clearly motivated not by a pursuit of truth, but an axe to grind," Oppenheim wrote. [The story](. ►Media condemnation for a violent Trump meme. The New York Times [reported last night]( that a video showing President Trump shooting, stabbing, and assaulting members of the media and his political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters, held at one his resorts. The scene is actually pulled from the first Kingsman movie, with Trump's face superimposed over that of Colin Firth, and logos and faces of his media and political "enemies" placed over his victims. The video ended with Trump impaling "CNN" against a wall. +In a statement late Sunday night, a CNN spokesperson said that "the images depicted are vile and horrific" and called for "the president and his family, the White House, and the Trump campaign need to denounce it immediately in the strongest possible terms." ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, also released a statement calling for the president to denounce the video. [The story](. +This morning, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham [said that](Trump had not yet seen the video, “but based upon everything he has heard, he strongly condemns this video.” ^Martin Scorsese doubles down. At a press conference for The Irishman in London over the weekend, the director said that cinemas are being "invaded" by "theme park" films. Now, before making any assumptions about his thoughts on the Jungle Cruise trailer, Scorsese was expanding on his comments about Marvel and superhero blockbusters. Quote: "Theaters have become amusement parks... That is fine and good for those who enjoy that type of film and, by the way, knowing what goes into them now, I admire what they do. It’s not my kind of thing, it simply is not. It’s creating another kind of audience that thinks cinema is that." [The story](. Elsewhere in film... --Vietnam [has yanked]( DreamWorks Animation's Abominable from cinemas over a scene that shows a map depicting China's interpretation of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. --China's 2019 box office [turns to growth]( thanks to anniversary blockbusters. --The BFI London Film Festival on Saturday [unveiled its award winners]( for 2019, with Alejandro Landes' Monos taking home best film honors. --Here's the [first trailer](for Robert Downey Jr.'s next movie, Dolittle. ►A Fortnite mystery. The wildly popular online game Fortnite is the focus of a major mystery, as developer Epic Games took the game offline Sunday, following one of its signature in-game "events." In this case, a black hole swallowed the game's map, leaving players unable to join games. "Epic had teased 'The End' as an in-game event to wrap up the game's 10th season of content. Fans, however, did not expect such a literal interpretation," Patrick Shanley writes. The current speculation is that when the game comes back online, there will be an entirely new map.[More](. 'Addams Family' Buries 'Gemini Man,' But 'Joker' Reigns Box office: Joker laughs its way to another win, while The Addams Family buries Gemini Man. Todd Phillips' supervillain origin tale earned $55 million in its sophomore weekend for a 10-day domestic total of $192.7 million and a massive global haul of $543.9 million. MGM and United Artists Releasing's early Halloween family pic The Addams Family came in a strong No. 2 with $30.3 million, ahead of expectations and more than enough to bury Ang Lee's big-budget Gemini Man, starring Will Smith, which followed at No. 3 with an estimated $20.5 million. [The numbers](. ►NBC News responds to Ronan Farrow: "We have no secrets and nothing to hide." NBC News president Noah Oppenheim sent a long, detailed email to NBC News employees this morning, responding to specific claims made in Farrow's book. The email includes details on the three Matt Lauer-related settlement claims in the book, and a point-by-point rebuttal of Farrow's timeline of the Harvey Weinstein story. "Farrow's effort to defame NBC News is clearly motivated not by a pursuit of truth, but an axe to grind," Oppenheim wrote. [The story](. ►Media condemnation for a violent Trump meme. The New York Times [reported last night]( that a video showing President Trump shooting, stabbing, and assaulting members of the media and his political opponents was shown at a conference for his supporters, held at one his resorts. The scene is actually pulled from the first Kingsman movie, with Trump's face superimposed over that of Colin Firth, and logos and faces of his media and political "enemies" placed over his victims. The video ended with Trump impaling "CNN" against a wall. +In a statement late Sunday night, a CNN spokesperson said that "the images depicted are vile and horrific" and called for "the president and his family, the White House, and the Trump campaign need to denounce it immediately in the strongest possible terms." ABC News correspondent Jonathan Karl, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, also released a statement calling for the president to denounce the video. [The story](. +This morning, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham [said that](Trump had not yet seen the video, “but based upon everything he has heard, he strongly condemns this video.” ^Martin Scorsese doubles down. At a press conference for The Irishman in London over the weekend, the director said that cinemas are being "invaded" by "theme park" films. Now, before making any assumptions about his thoughts on the Jungle Cruise trailer, Scorsese was expanding on his comments about Marvel and superhero blockbusters. Quote: "Theaters have become amusement parks... That is fine and good for those who enjoy that type of film and, by the way, knowing what goes into them now, I admire what they do. It’s not my kind of thing, it simply is not. It’s creating another kind of audience that thinks cinema is that." [The story](. Elsewhere in film... --Vietnam [has yanked]( DreamWorks Animation's Abominable from cinemas over a scene that shows a map depicting China's interpretation of territorial disputes in the South China Sea. --China's 2019 box office [turns to growth]( thanks to anniversary blockbusters. --The BFI London Film Festival on Saturday [unveiled its award winners]( for 2019, with Alejandro Landes' Monos taking home best film honors. --Here's the [first trailer](for Robert Downey Jr.'s next movie, Dolittle. ►A Fortnite mystery. The wildly popular online game Fortnite is the focus of a major mystery, as developer Epic Games took the game offline Sunday, following one of its signature in-game "events." In this case, a black hole swallowed the game's map, leaving players unable to join games. "Epic had teased 'The End' as an in-game event to wrap up the game's 10th season of content. Fans, however, did not expect such a literal interpretation," Patrick Shanley writes. The current speculation is that when the game comes back online, there will be an entirely new map.[More](. [Streaming Dominates MIPCOM] Streaming Dominates MIPCOM MIPCOM is officially underway in Cannes, France, but there has already been a rush of news and deals to come out of the global TV market. +Streamers the talk of the festival. With Disney+ about to launch, and HBO Max and Peacock on the horizon, streaming video has become a hot topic in Cannes. Missing were the headliner execs of years past as major keynotes from streamers and studios were notably absent, Rhonda Richford reports. But the buyers and producers on hand were bullish about the upcoming launches of Disney+, Apple TV+ and NBC's Peacock, in part because they are expected to bring about an end to Netflix's domination. [The story.]( +In other streaming news: Amazon focusing on “quality,” not quantity, in its global video expansion. The streaming giant is [preferring to make]( fewer, better global shows, such as Fleabag, two top executives tell the Cannes market... Ad-supported video-on-demand service Tubi[is coming]( to the U.K. in early 2020. The country will be the first in a “rapid international expansion” for the company, he said... +Deals: Hulu [has made]( the first big drama deal of this year's Mipcom TV market in Cannes, picking up U.S. rights for Baghdad Central... Germany's Beta Film [has made]( a major move northward, taking a majority stake in Finnish production company Fisher King and launching a new Swedish operation, Beta Nordic Studios (BNS)... NBCUniversal has [picked up]( the Canadian dog-friendly police procedural Hudson & Rex for its operations across Eastern Europe and Africa... Bear Grylls is about to start another adventure, [launching his own]( production company The Natural Studios under Banijay Group... British TV giant ITV has [gotten off to a strong start](at this year's MIPCOM, racking up multiple international sales for several titles on its new drama slate... +News: Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern [talk about their]( War of the Worlds series... Sibling directors Michael and Peter Spierig (Jigsaw, Winchester) [are on board]( the new supernatural thriller series based on the Ben Walker literary franchise... Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten has a new sidekick. China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group [has signed on]( to co-produce the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring animated series... Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution, [has commissioned]( new series The Curious Life and Death of..., which will explore mysterious deaths of famous people... ►On Saturday Night Live: There are two sketches people will still be talking about by the water cooler today, the Democratic [town hall cold open](, featuring guest stars Woody Harrelson, Billy Porter, and Lin Manuel-Miranda, and a parody of the Joker chronicling the dark origin story of Sesame Street's Oscar The Grouch. [The sketches](. Elsewhere in TV... --John Oliver turned a segment about the NBA's woes in China [into a mocking promotion]( for new streaming service HBO Max on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. "HBO Max — it's not HBO, it's just TV." --Succession's season two finale sacrifices a family member [and unveils]( a new whistleblower. --President Trump [sent a tweet](Monday morning encouraging people to vote for Sean Spicer on Dancing with the Stars. --The [secrets behind]( Bryan Cranston's clandestine El Camino cameo... Will the Breaking Bad movie El Camino [influence the end]( of Better Call Saul? --Mr. Robot: Sam Esmail [reveals]( a shocking final season twist. Streaming Dominates MIPCOM MIPCOM is officially underway in Cannes, France, but there has already been a rush of news and deals to come out of the global TV market. +Streamers the talk of the festival. With Disney+ about to launch, and HBO Max and Peacock on the horizon, streaming video has become a hot topic in Cannes. Missing were the headliner execs of years past as major keynotes from streamers and studios were notably absent, Rhonda Richford reports. But the buyers and producers on hand were bullish about the upcoming launches of Disney+, Apple TV+ and NBC's Peacock, in part because they are expected to bring about an end to Netflix's domination. [The story.]( +In other streaming news: Amazon focusing on “quality,” not quantity, in its global video expansion. The streaming giant is [preferring to make]( fewer, better global shows, such as Fleabag, two top executives tell the Cannes market... Ad-supported video-on-demand service Tubi[is coming]( to the U.K. in early 2020. The country will be the first in a “rapid international expansion” for the company, he said... +Deals: Hulu [has made]( the first big drama deal of this year's Mipcom TV market in Cannes, picking up U.S. rights for Baghdad Central... Germany's Beta Film [has made]( a major move northward, taking a majority stake in Finnish production company Fisher King and launching a new Swedish operation, Beta Nordic Studios (BNS)... NBCUniversal has [picked up]( the Canadian dog-friendly police procedural Hudson & Rex for its operations across Eastern Europe and Africa... Bear Grylls is about to start another adventure, [launching his own]( production company The Natural Studios under Banijay Group... British TV giant ITV has [gotten off to a strong start](at this year's MIPCOM, racking up multiple international sales for several titles on its new drama slate... +News: Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern [talk about their]( War of the Worlds series... Sibling directors Michael and Peter Spierig (Jigsaw, Winchester) [are on board]( the new supernatural thriller series based on the Ben Walker literary franchise... Stan Lee's Superhero Kindergarten has a new sidekick. China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group [has signed on]( to co-produce the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring animated series... Smithsonian Channel, a joint venture between Showtime Networks and the Smithsonian Institution, [has commissioned]( new series The Curious Life and Death of..., which will explore mysterious deaths of famous people... ►On Saturday Night Live: There are two sketches people will still be talking about by the water cooler today, the Democratic [town hall cold open](, featuring guest stars Woody Harrelson, Billy Porter, and Lin Manuel-Miranda, and a parody of the Joker chronicling the dark origin story of Sesame Street's Oscar The Grouch. [The sketches](. Elsewhere in TV... --John Oliver turned a segment about the NBA's woes in China [into a mocking promotion]( for new streaming service HBO Max on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. "HBO Max — it's not HBO, it's just TV." --Succession's season two finale sacrifices a family member [and unveils]( a new whistleblower. --President Trump [sent a tweet](Monday morning encouraging people to vote for Sean Spicer on Dancing with the Stars. --The [secrets behind]( Bryan Cranston's clandestine El Camino cameo... Will the Breaking Bad movie El Camino [influence the end]( of Better Call Saul? --Mr. Robot: Sam Esmail [reveals]( a shocking final season twist. [Hollywood Goes YouTube] Hollywood Goes YouTube ►YouTube becomes popular side hustle for Hollywood stars. Six-figure deals for filming everyday trips to the store? It's enough to lure high-profile celebrities to the platform, but the global audience and creative freedom (plus ad revenue and marketing opportunities) help keep them there as growing an online following becomes "a great point of leverage." [The story](. In his latest column, THR executive editor Stephen Galloway writes that Hollywood has a duty to follow 'South Park' and take a stand against tyranny. Quote: "[South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone] did what they did with full awareness of the underlying situation, supporting demonstrators who have never advocated separatism, whatever China would have us believe. They chose to speak boldly, knowing the economic effect their words might have on themselves and Comedy Central. It was a rare act of courage at a time when Hollywood has kowtowed to almost every autocrat in sight — as we saw when rival studio heads failed to give Sony their full-throated support following the North Korean hack and when they flocked to meet Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad bin Salman at a Rupert Murdoch-hosted dinner." [The column](. The New Yorker Festival was held in New York over the weekend, with panels and performances touching on media, entertainment, and politics. Some of the highlights: --David Simon on Philip Roth "caution" for the Plot Against America [miniseries adaptation](: "Never confuse Trump for Lindbergh." --Nancy Pelosi received[an enthusiastic reception](when she joined New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer at the 2019 New Yorker Festival on Saturday night. --Paul Rudd has made a name for himself in Hollywood as the "nice guy," but during a Saturday night panel at this year's New Yorker Festival, the Ant-Man star [attempted to playfully dispel](that image while sharing why he's drawn to it in his films. -- Also: Sarah Silverman spoke with New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz [about the dangers]( of clickbait culture and how headlines don’t always accurately reflect the nuance of the discussion... Ramy Youssef on [his priorities]( when making Hulu's Ramy... Sarah Paulson teases Netflix's Ratched and [how she plans]( to transform to play Linda Tripp... The week ahead... --In TV: Comic book adaptation Watchmen debuts Sunday on HBO... Also debuting Sunday, the Bourne universe-set Treadstone, which will launch on USA... Looking For Alaska debuts on Hulu Friday, while Modern Love drops on Amazon Friday... Netflix reports earnings Wednesday, after the market closes... --In movies: Will Joker be able to win another weekend? The competition is getting tougher. On Tuesday, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot opens, while Friday brings Jojo Rabbit, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and Zombieland: Double Tap... --MIPCOM: The TV conference officially kicks off today in Cannes. [The full schedule](. --Democratic debate: CNN and The New York Times will host their debate Tuesday night. Remembering Robert Forster: Quentin Tarantino [mourns the Jackie Brown actor](: "One less square shooter." Tarantino said that casting Forster in the film was "one of the best choices I've ever made in my life."... James Gunn, Bryan Cranston, Aaron paul, Lou Diamond Phillips, Gary Sinise, Breckin Meyer, Frances Fisher and more stars took to social media [to pay tribute]( to the actor... What else we're reading... --"Fox News is Trump’s chief TV booster. So why is he griping about it?" [[NY Times](] --"Are these end times for binge culture?" [[LA Times](] --"Meredith to launch magazine built around HGTV’s Property Brothers" [[WSJ](] --"Star Wars fans wonder, where's Rose?" [[Vanity Fair](] From the archives... On October 14, 1994, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, the frenetic follow-up to his debut feature Reservoir Dogs, hit theaters. When it premiered at Cannes Film Fest earlier that year, [The Hollywood Reporter first reviewed the film](. Today's birthdays: Jay Pharoah, 32, Arleen Sorkin, 63, Ben Whishaw, 39, Isaac Mizrahi, 58, Stacy Keibler, 40, Steve Coogan, 54, Usher, 41. Hollywood Goes YouTube ►YouTube becomes popular side hustle for Hollywood stars. Six-figure deals for filming everyday trips to the store? It's enough to lure high-profile celebrities to the platform, but the global audience and creative freedom (plus ad revenue and marketing opportunities) help keep them there as growing an online following becomes "a great point of leverage." [The story](. In his latest column, THR executive editor Stephen Galloway writes that Hollywood has a duty to follow 'South Park' and take a stand against tyranny. Quote: "[South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone] did what they did with full awareness of the underlying situation, supporting demonstrators who have never advocated separatism, whatever China would have us believe. They chose to speak boldly, knowing the economic effect their words might have on themselves and Comedy Central. It was a rare act of courage at a time when Hollywood has kowtowed to almost every autocrat in sight — as we saw when rival studio heads failed to give Sony their full-throated support following the North Korean hack and when they flocked to meet Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad bin Salman at a Rupert Murdoch-hosted dinner." [The column](. The New Yorker Festival was held in New York over the weekend, with panels and performances touching on media, entertainment, and politics. Some of the highlights: --David Simon on Philip Roth "caution" for the Plot Against America [miniseries adaptation](: "Never confuse Trump for Lindbergh." --Nancy Pelosi received[an enthusiastic reception](when she joined New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer at the 2019 New Yorker Festival on Saturday night. --Paul Rudd has made a name for himself in Hollywood as the "nice guy," but during a Saturday night panel at this year's New Yorker Festival, the Ant-Man star [attempted to playfully dispel](that image while sharing why he's drawn to it in his films. -- Also: Sarah Silverman spoke with New Yorker staff writer Andrew Marantz [about the dangers]( of clickbait culture and how headlines don’t always accurately reflect the nuance of the discussion... Ramy Youssef on [his priorities]( when making Hulu's Ramy... Sarah Paulson teases Netflix's Ratched and [how she plans]( to transform to play Linda Tripp... The week ahead... --In TV: Comic book adaptation Watchmen debuts Sunday on HBO... Also debuting Sunday, the Bourne universe-set Treadstone, which will launch on USA... Looking For Alaska debuts on Hulu Friday, while Modern Love drops on Amazon Friday... Netflix reports earnings Wednesday, after the market closes... --In movies: Will Joker be able to win another weekend? The competition is getting tougher. On Tuesday, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot opens, while Friday brings Jojo Rabbit, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and Zombieland: Double Tap... --MIPCOM: The TV conference officially kicks off today in Cannes. [The full schedule](. --Democratic debate: CNN and The New York Times will host their debate Tuesday night. Remembering Robert Forster: Quentin Tarantino [mourns the Jackie Brown actor](: "One less square shooter." Tarantino said that casting Forster in the film was "one of the best choices I've ever made in my life."... James Gunn, Bryan Cranston, Aaron paul, Lou Diamond Phillips, Gary Sinise, Breckin Meyer, Frances Fisher and more stars took to social media [to pay tribute]( to the actor... What else we're reading... --"Fox News is Trump’s chief TV booster. So why is he griping about it?" [[NY Times](] --"Are these end times for binge culture?" [[LA Times](] --"Meredith to launch magazine built around HGTV’s Property Brothers" [[WSJ](] --"Star Wars fans wonder, where's Rose?" [[Vanity Fair](] From the archives... On October 14, 1994, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, the frenetic follow-up to his debut feature Reservoir Dogs, hit theaters. When it premiered at Cannes Film Fest earlier that year, [The Hollywood Reporter first reviewed the film](. Today's birthdays: Jay Pharoah, 32, Arleen Sorkin, 63, Ben Whishaw, 39, Isaac Mizrahi, 58, Stacy Keibler, 40, Steve Coogan, 54, Usher, 41. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? 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