'Star Wars' Backstory; Film Fest ‘Exploitation’; Emmerich Reups; Big Tech Backlash

What's news: The backstory behind the latest Star Wars departure, Toby Emmerich reups at Warner Bros., big tech's political ad backlash, how streaming impacts movie talent deals, below-the-radar film festivals prey on struggling moviemakers. Plus: How Kanye West's Imax movie came to be. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment OCTOBER 31, 2019 What's news: The backstory behind the latest Star Wars departure, Toby Emmerich reups at Warner Bros., big tech's political ad backlash, how streaming impacts movie talent deals, below-the-radar film festivals prey on struggling moviemakers. Plus: How Kanye West's Imax movie came to be. --Alex Weprin What's news: The backstory behind the latest Star Wars departure, Toby Emmerich reups at Warner Bros., big tech's political ad backlash, how streaming impacts movie talent deals, below-the-radar film festivals prey on struggling moviemakers. Plus: How Kanye West's Imax movie came to be. --Alex Weprin ['Star Wars' Drama] 'Star Wars' Drama ►Why the Game of Thrones duo bailed on Star Wars. Borys Kit and Lesley Goldberg take a deep dive into David Benioff and Dan Weiss' departure from Disney's Star Wars universe, from a meeting with George Lucas in Italy, to unhappiness with their $250 million Netflix deal, to a summit with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director Rian Johnson to plot the next decade of Star Wars films, here's what happened behind the scenes. Quote: "One underlying problem Benioff and Weiss' exit illustrates, one source notes, is that there is still no consensus as to what Star Wars is and what Star Wars should be." [The story](. ►Emmerich reups, Blackwood elevated at Warner Bros. Toby Emmerich has extended his contract as chairman of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, while Carolyn Blackwood has been promoted to the newly created COO role at the film group, the studio said Wednesday. Emmerich has been chairman of the film group since 2017 and his role will be expanded to include a "broad range of emerging strategic priorities" at Warner Bros. and parent company WarnerMedia. Blackwood, who had been with the studio for 20 years, will be overseeing the day-to-day operations. [The story](. ^Twitter bans political advertisements amid Facebook scrutiny. Twitter C.E.O. Jack Dorsey announced on Wednesday that his company will stop accepting paid political advertisements and issue advertisements, unlike its rival Facebook. Dorsey said the company will announce a "final policy" on political ads by Nov. 15, including plans for "a few exceptions," including ads that promote voter registration. "We’ll start enforcing our new policy on 11/22 to provide current advertisers a notice period before this change goes into effect," he said. [The story](. Speaking of big tech... ►Mark Zuckerberg predicts "more investigations" of Facebook over speech policy. "Frankly, if our goal were trying to make either side happy, then we're not doing a very good job, because I'm pretty sure everyone is frustrated with us," he told analysts. Facebook said Wednesday it had 1.62 billion daily active users in the most recent quarter, up 9 percent from a year earlier and 2.45 billion monthly active users, up 8 percent, news that sent the stock 4 percent higher in after-hours trading. [The numbers](. ►Apple's services business grows to $12.5 billion in quarterly revenue. Two days ahead of the launch of its ambitious new video streaming service, Apple on Wednesday revealed that the sale of services now make up nearly 20 percent of its business. [The story](. ►How Kanye West's Imax film Jesus Is King arrived on the big screen. Pamela McClintock has the backstory on how the film, which was financed by Imax, came to be. A month after Imax's entertainment president Megan Colligan attended West's Sunday Service in Calabasas, the company and West were filming the movie at artist James Turrell's remote Roden Crater, an expansive art installation in Arizona's Painted Desert. [The story](. Elsewhere in film... --The Film Academy [has launched]( a revamped streaming service for members to watch best picture contenders. --Todd McCarthy reviews the [big-screen follow-up to The Shining, Doctor Sleep](. --Terminator: Dark Fate takes a marketing approach similar to that of the first Jurassic World and the recent Halloween by ignoring the franchise's more recent offerings, and offering a direct sequel to Judgment Day. [The story](. --Lionsgate is[co-producing the supernatural thriller]( The Devil's Light with Gold Circle, the producer of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Pitch Perfect franchises. --Here's our report from the [red carpet premiere](of Harriet, at L.A.'s Orpheum Theater. 'Star Wars' Drama ►Why the Game of Thrones duo bailed on Star Wars. Borys Kit and Lesley Goldberg take a deep dive into David Benioff and Dan Weiss' departure from Disney's Star Wars universe, from a meeting with George Lucas in Italy, to unhappiness with their $250 million Netflix deal, to a summit with Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and director Rian Johnson to plot the next decade of Star Wars films, here's what happened behind the scenes. Quote: "One underlying problem Benioff and Weiss' exit illustrates, one source notes, is that there is still no consensus as to what Star Wars is and what Star Wars should be." [The story](. ►Emmerich reups, Blackwood elevated at Warner Bros. Toby Emmerich has extended his contract as chairman of the Warner Bros. Pictures Group, while Carolyn Blackwood has been promoted to the newly created COO role at the film group, the studio said Wednesday. Emmerich has been chairman of the film group since 2017 and his role will be expanded to include a "broad range of emerging strategic priorities" at Warner Bros. and parent company WarnerMedia. Blackwood, who had been with the studio for 20 years, will be overseeing the day-to-day operations. [The story](. ^Twitter bans political advertisements amid Facebook scrutiny. Twitter C.E.O. Jack Dorsey announced on Wednesday that his company will stop accepting paid political advertisements and issue advertisements, unlike its rival Facebook. Dorsey said the company will announce a "final policy" on political ads by Nov. 15, including plans for "a few exceptions," including ads that promote voter registration. "We’ll start enforcing our new policy on 11/22 to provide current advertisers a notice period before this change goes into effect," he said. [The story](. Speaking of big tech... ►Mark Zuckerberg predicts "more investigations" of Facebook over speech policy. "Frankly, if our goal were trying to make either side happy, then we're not doing a very good job, because I'm pretty sure everyone is frustrated with us," he told analysts. Facebook said Wednesday it had 1.62 billion daily active users in the most recent quarter, up 9 percent from a year earlier and 2.45 billion monthly active users, up 8 percent, news that sent the stock 4 percent higher in after-hours trading. [The numbers](. ►Apple's services business grows to $12.5 billion in quarterly revenue. Two days ahead of the launch of its ambitious new video streaming service, Apple on Wednesday revealed that the sale of services now make up nearly 20 percent of its business. [The story](. ►How Kanye West's Imax film Jesus Is King arrived on the big screen. Pamela McClintock has the backstory on how the film, which was financed by Imax, came to be. A month after Imax's entertainment president Megan Colligan attended West's Sunday Service in Calabasas, the company and West were filming the movie at artist James Turrell's remote Roden Crater, an expansive art installation in Arizona's Painted Desert. [The story](. Elsewhere in film... --The Film Academy [has launched]( a revamped streaming service for members to watch best picture contenders. --Todd McCarthy reviews the [big-screen follow-up to The Shining, Doctor Sleep](. --Terminator: Dark Fate takes a marketing approach similar to that of the first Jurassic World and the recent Halloween by ignoring the franchise's more recent offerings, and offering a direct sequel to Judgment Day. [The story](. --Lionsgate is[co-producing the supernatural thriller]( The Devil's Light with Gold Circle, the producer of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Pitch Perfect franchises. --Here's our report from the [red carpet premiere](of Harriet, at L.A.'s Orpheum Theater. [Talent Deals Fall Into The Stream] Talent Deals Fall Into The Stream ►As movies go direct to streaming, talent bonuses "just go out the window." Contracts haven't kept pace with studios' stepped-up efforts to forgo theatrical releases for direct-to-consumer options, Tatiana Siegel and Mia Galuppo report. Consider Superintelligence, the Melissa McCarthy comedy now becoming an HBO Max exclusive. Quote: "I think we’re going to be seeing this from every studio. Not just Warner Bros.," says a source. "They tested this movie. If it had been a crowd-pleaser, they would have released it theatrically and paid the $30 million to market it. More people will watch it now, and she’ll still make plenty of money." [The story](. +Wall Street cautiously bullish about HBO Max. Georg Szalai finds that analysts had "mostly positive" takeaways from WarnerMedia's unveiling. "AT&T exceeded expectations," Wells Fargo's Jennifer Fritzsche wrote, while Cowen's Colby Synesael lauded content, interface and pricing, but was "skeptical" of financial guidance. [The story](. +How HBO Max may approach its global rollout. AT&T's WarnerMedia is taking a page out of the international playbook of HBO for the global rollout of upcoming streaming service HBO Max. The streamer will arrive in Latin America and Europe in 2021, but WarnerMedia will be "leaning on our licensing relationships with key partners" in such markets as Canada and Sky's European territories. [The story](. ^Adam McKay sets Jeffrey Epstein limited series at HBO as part of rich overall deal. The Succession executive producer has inked a five-year, first-look TV deal with HBO for his newly launched company Hyperobject Industries, Lesley Goldberg reports. McKay has a long history with HBO, having worked on series including Eastbound & Down, Funny or Die Presents and, more recently, critical darling Succession. Earlier this year, McKay landed a pilot order for Showtime, the 1980s-set look at the NBA's L.A. Lakers. +McKay has also set his first project as part of the pact: a limited series focused on Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown's upcoming book about Jeffrey Epstein. Brown's reporting has sparked renewed interest in the Epstein case and was a driving force behind the multimillionaire financier's arrest last July on sex trafficking charges. [The story](. The business section... +AMC Networks on Thursday surprised Wall Street with [slightly higher third-quarter earnings]( that exceeded analysts' estimates. But its U.S. advertising revenue fell 2.6 percent amid lower ratings a lack of new episodes of original series Better Call Saul, which AMC had aired in the year-ago period. +More earnings: American game company Zynga posted the [highest revenue]( in the company's history last quarter, up to $345 million, a 48 percent bump year-over-year... SiriusXM [added 210,000 satellite radio subscribers](, 33,000 Pandora subscribers, and touted its Marvel podcasting deal... Giant-screen exhibitor Imax on Thursday [reported higher]( third-quarter earnings, due largely to a strong Hollywood and local- language film slate.... +Walmart is weighing a sale of its Vudu digital video service. In a statement, a [Walmart spokesperson said]( “We’re constantly having and open to conversations with new and existing partners to explore opportunities for continued growth; however, we never share details of those discussions.” +Activision Blizzard and developer Infinity Ward [delivered a massive opening weekend]( with their latest offering, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which racked up $600 million in its first three days of release last weekend. ►Bill Simmons to Launch Book of Basketball 2.0 Podcast. Ten years after publishing The Book of Basketball, Bill Simmons is returning to the text to offer an updated look on how the game is played, Natalie Jarvey reports. The weekly series will use his 2009 New York Times best-selling book as source text for an exploration of the sport and its best-known players today. [More](. Pickups and renewals: AMC Networks' streaming platform Shudder [has renewed]( Creepshow for a second season... Disney Junior [has renewed]( Puppy Dog Pals for a fourth season... Premium cable network Epix [has renewed]( Pennyworth, about the early days of Batman's butler, for a second season... David E. Kelley [is teaming]( with Brad Garrett for an hourlong dramedy called Big Shots, which has received a 10-episode, straight-to-series order at Disney+... Elsewhere in TV... --Robyn Bahr reviews [Netflix's Queer Eye: We're in Japan!]( --Connie Chung on what [still needs to change]( in TV news after #MeToo. --Here's what the critics are saying about [Apple TV+'s Dickinson](. --Ratings: Game six of baseball's World Series [jumped in the ratings](Tuesday, giving Fox its largest audience of the series so far. Also: The Oct. 16 episode of American Horror Story: 1984 [nearly tripled]( its initial 18-49 rating with a week of delayed viewing. --How the Apple drama The Morning Show [captures a media culture]( at a crossroads. Talent Deals Fall Into The Stream ►As movies go direct to streaming, talent bonuses "just go out the window." Contracts haven't kept pace with studios' stepped-up efforts to forgo theatrical releases for direct-to-consumer options, Tatiana Siegel and Mia Galuppo report. Consider Superintelligence, the Melissa McCarthy comedy now becoming an HBO Max exclusive. Quote: "I think we’re going to be seeing this from every studio. Not just Warner Bros.," says a source. "They tested this movie. If it had been a crowd-pleaser, they would have released it theatrically and paid the $30 million to market it. More people will watch it now, and she’ll still make plenty of money." [The story](. +Wall Street cautiously bullish about HBO Max. Georg Szalai finds that analysts had "mostly positive" takeaways from WarnerMedia's unveiling. "AT&T exceeded expectations," Wells Fargo's Jennifer Fritzsche wrote, while Cowen's Colby Synesael lauded content, interface and pricing, but was "skeptical" of financial guidance. [The story](. +How HBO Max may approach its global rollout. AT&T's WarnerMedia is taking a page out of the international playbook of HBO for the global rollout of upcoming streaming service HBO Max. The streamer will arrive in Latin America and Europe in 2021, but WarnerMedia will be "leaning on our licensing relationships with key partners" in such markets as Canada and Sky's European territories. [The story](. ^Adam McKay sets Jeffrey Epstein limited series at HBO as part of rich overall deal. The Succession executive producer has inked a five-year, first-look TV deal with HBO for his newly launched company Hyperobject Industries, Lesley Goldberg reports. McKay has a long history with HBO, having worked on series including Eastbound & Down, Funny or Die Presents and, more recently, critical darling Succession. Earlier this year, McKay landed a pilot order for Showtime, the 1980s-set look at the NBA's L.A. Lakers. +McKay has also set his first project as part of the pact: a limited series focused on Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown's upcoming book about Jeffrey Epstein. Brown's reporting has sparked renewed interest in the Epstein case and was a driving force behind the multimillionaire financier's arrest last July on sex trafficking charges. [The story](. The business section... +AMC Networks on Thursday surprised Wall Street with [slightly higher third-quarter earnings]( that exceeded analysts' estimates. But its U.S. advertising revenue fell 2.6 percent amid lower ratings a lack of new episodes of original series Better Call Saul, which AMC had aired in the year-ago period. +More earnings: American game company Zynga posted the [highest revenue]( in the company's history last quarter, up to $345 million, a 48 percent bump year-over-year... SiriusXM [added 210,000 satellite radio subscribers](, 33,000 Pandora subscribers, and touted its Marvel podcasting deal... Giant-screen exhibitor Imax on Thursday [reported higher]( third-quarter earnings, due largely to a strong Hollywood and local- language film slate.... +Walmart is weighing a sale of its Vudu digital video service. In a statement, a [Walmart spokesperson said]( “We’re constantly having and open to conversations with new and existing partners to explore opportunities for continued growth; however, we never share details of those discussions.” +Activision Blizzard and developer Infinity Ward [delivered a massive opening weekend]( with their latest offering, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, which racked up $600 million in its first three days of release last weekend. ►Bill Simmons to Launch Book of Basketball 2.0 Podcast. Ten years after publishing The Book of Basketball, Bill Simmons is returning to the text to offer an updated look on how the game is played, Natalie Jarvey reports. The weekly series will use his 2009 New York Times best-selling book as source text for an exploration of the sport and its best-known players today. [More](. Pickups and renewals: AMC Networks' streaming platform Shudder [has renewed]( Creepshow for a second season... Disney Junior [has renewed]( Puppy Dog Pals for a fourth season... Premium cable network Epix [has renewed]( Pennyworth, about the early days of Batman's butler, for a second season... David E. Kelley [is teaming]( with Brad Garrett for an hourlong dramedy called Big Shots, which has received a 10-episode, straight-to-series order at Disney+... Elsewhere in TV... --Robyn Bahr reviews [Netflix's Queer Eye: We're in Japan!]( --Connie Chung on what [still needs to change]( in TV news after #MeToo. --Here's what the critics are saying about [Apple TV+'s Dickinson](. --Ratings: Game six of baseball's World Series [jumped in the ratings](Tuesday, giving Fox its largest audience of the series so far. Also: The Oct. 16 episode of American Horror Story: 1984 [nearly tripled]( its initial 18-49 rating with a week of delayed viewing. --How the Apple drama The Morning Show [captures a media culture]( at a crossroads. "People Can Be Exploited" ►How below-the-radar film festivals prey on struggling moviemakers. Beyond the glamour of Cannes and Sundance, a network of international events promises to boost the careers of nascent filmmakers, but those opportunities often come with hefty price tags — and plenty of disappointment, Katie Kilkenny and Alex Ritman report. [The story](. Litigation between the Writers Guild of America and the major talent agencies, which the WGA kicked off April 17 with a California state filing, has been a slow slog that may gain momentum in the wake of the union’s Oct. 18 refiling of its claims in federal court. But with no substantive hearings scheduled until Dec. 6 — a date that could slip — industry observers will have to wait at least another six weeks for a court ruling on what are expected to be cross-motions for dismissal, in which the WGA and the largest three agencies each seek to knock the other side’s claims out of court. [The story](. In other legal news... +Johnny Depp has resolved a lawsuit challenging the some $30 million he paid Bloom Hergott for representing him in transactional matters. A settlement announced by the parties avoids the need for a trial that was scheduled to take place in December. [The story](. +The U.S. Department of Justice says it has reached settlements with fugitive Malaysian businessman Jho Low for the recovery of more than $700 million in assets allegedly acquired through funds stolen from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). [More](. +Facebook has agreed to pay a 500,000-pound ($643,000) fine in a privacy case stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, agreeing to accept the fine without admitting any liability. [More](. +Here's the "MAGA" libel dispute worth everyone's attention (no, not the Covington teen). [More](. The day in deals: Political superstar Stacey Abrams is finally going Hollywood, [signing with UTA](... Will Arnett is [expanding his relationship]( with Lego. The actor, who voices Batman in the animated Lego feature film franchise, has been tapped to host the company's forthcoming Fox reality competition series Lego Masters... ^Fox News has never faced a real conservative TV rival, will that soon change? None of the "amateurish" challengers to the Murdochs' cash-cow TV channel has the resources to compete, leaving a door open for a well-funded conglomerate (say, ViacomCBS) to roll the dice, Paul Bond reports. [The story](. ►Two big executive shakeups: NBCUniversal is [merging its international and domestic operations](. Kevin MacLellan, chairman of NBCU's global distribution and international operations, is exiting the company. As part of the restructuring, former Peacock chairman Bonnie Hammer — weeks after she moved to oversee NBCU's studio operations — is adding international to her expanding purview. +Also: ViacomCBS is [building out its post-merger executive ranks](. Armando Nuñez will serve as chairman, global distribution and chief content licensing officer at ViacomCBS. Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer at CBS, will serve in the same post at ViacomCBS, and John Halley, executive vp and COO of Ad Solutions at Viacom is set to become COO, advertising revenue and executive vp advanced marketing solutions at the merged entity. +Revolving door: Sandra Jackson-Dumont, formerly chairman of education at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, [will oversee]( the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art... The editorial staff of NBC News Digital said Wednesday [that it was unionizing]( with NewsGuild of New York... Jennifer Gwartz [has been tapped]( to serve as exec vp comedy and drama development at the 20th Century Fox Television... Regal Theatres executive Paul Serwitz [has been named]( president and COO of Landmark Theatres... ABC's senior vp communications Jori Arancio [is leaving]( the broadcast network following a three-year run... Taylor Swift [will be honored]( as the artist of the decade at the 2019 American Music Awards... Quentin Tarantino and his longtime cinematographer Robert Richardson are [set to receive]( the Camerimage Cinematographer-Director Duo Award on Nov. 16, during the closing night award ceremony at EnergaCamerimage... ►Southern California wildfire near Reagan Library jumps to nearly 1,000 acres. A large new wildfire broke out in Southern California amid high winds Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and nearby homes, as both ends of the state struggled with blazes, dangerously gusty weather and deliberate blackouts. [More](. Obituaries: [Bernard Slade](, the Oscar-nominated writer who created The Partridge Family and wrote the enduring romantic comedy Same Time, Next Year for Broadway and the big screen, died Wednesday. He was 89... [Kelly Crabb](, a special counsel at the sports and entertainment law firm Sheppard Mullin, died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Alpine, Utah, the firm announced. He was 72... [Zev Braun](, who produced the Vietnam-set CBS drama Tour of Duty and an Oscar-nominated documentary about German screen legend Marlene Dietrich, died Oct. 17 in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 90... From the archives... On Nov. 1, 1967, Warner Bros. unveiled director Stuart Rosenberg's prison drama Cool Hand Luke, starring Paul Newman, in theaters. The film went on to be nominated for four Oscars at the 40th Academy Awards, winning one in the supporting actor category for George Kennedy. [The Hollywood Reporter's original review](. What else we're reading... --"Ten years ago, I called out David Letterman. This month, we sat down to talk." [[Vanity Fair](] --"Apple plays the underdog in streaming wars" [[WSJ](] --"‘I Was Proud to Do This Work With Him’: David Simon on James Franco Controversy" [[Rolling Stone](] --"Aaron Sorkin: An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg" [[NY Times](] --The toughest job in journalism is defending Trump on CNN" [[Politico](] Today's birthdays: Brian Stokes Mitchell, 62, Adam Horovitz, 53, Dan Rather, 88, Dermot Mulroney, 56, Jane Pauley, 69, Peter Jackson, 58, Piper Perabo, 43, Vanilla Ice, 52, Willow Smith, 19. "People Can Be Exploited" ►How below-the-radar film festivals prey on struggling moviemakers. Beyond the glamour of Cannes and Sundance, a network of international events promises to boost the careers of nascent filmmakers, but those opportunities often come with hefty price tags — and plenty of disappointment, Katie Kilkenny and Alex Ritman report. [The story](. Litigation between the Writers Guild of America and the major talent agencies, which the WGA kicked off April 17 with a California state filing, has been a slow slog that may gain momentum in the wake of the union’s Oct. 18 refiling of its claims in federal court. But with no substantive hearings scheduled until Dec. 6 — a date that could slip — industry observers will have to wait at least another six weeks for a court ruling on what are expected to be cross-motions for dismissal, in which the WGA and the largest three agencies each seek to knock the other side’s claims out of court. [The story](. In other legal news... +Johnny Depp has resolved a lawsuit challenging the some $30 million he paid Bloom Hergott for representing him in transactional matters. A settlement announced by the parties avoids the need for a trial that was scheduled to take place in December. [The story](. +The U.S. Department of Justice says it has reached settlements with fugitive Malaysian businessman Jho Low for the recovery of more than $700 million in assets allegedly acquired through funds stolen from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). [More](. +Facebook has agreed to pay a 500,000-pound ($643,000) fine in a privacy case stemming from the Cambridge Analytica scandal, agreeing to accept the fine without admitting any liability. [More](. +Here's the "MAGA" libel dispute worth everyone's attention (no, not the Covington teen). [More](. The day in deals: Political superstar Stacey Abrams is finally going Hollywood, [signing with UTA](... Will Arnett is [expanding his relationship]( with Lego. The actor, who voices Batman in the animated Lego feature film franchise, has been tapped to host the company's forthcoming Fox reality competition series Lego Masters... ^Fox News has never faced a real conservative TV rival, will that soon change? None of the "amateurish" challengers to the Murdochs' cash-cow TV channel has the resources to compete, leaving a door open for a well-funded conglomerate (say, ViacomCBS) to roll the dice, Paul Bond reports. [The story](. ►Two big executive shakeups: NBCUniversal is [merging its international and domestic operations](. Kevin MacLellan, chairman of NBCU's global distribution and international operations, is exiting the company. As part of the restructuring, former Peacock chairman Bonnie Hammer — weeks after she moved to oversee NBCU's studio operations — is adding international to her expanding purview. +Also: ViacomCBS is [building out its post-merger executive ranks](. Armando Nuñez will serve as chairman, global distribution and chief content licensing officer at ViacomCBS. Jo Ann Ross, president and chief advertising revenue officer at CBS, will serve in the same post at ViacomCBS, and John Halley, executive vp and COO of Ad Solutions at Viacom is set to become COO, advertising revenue and executive vp advanced marketing solutions at the merged entity. +Revolving door: Sandra Jackson-Dumont, formerly chairman of education at Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, [will oversee]( the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art... The editorial staff of NBC News Digital said Wednesday [that it was unionizing]( with NewsGuild of New York... Jennifer Gwartz [has been tapped]( to serve as exec vp comedy and drama development at the 20th Century Fox Television... Regal Theatres executive Paul Serwitz [has been named]( president and COO of Landmark Theatres... ABC's senior vp communications Jori Arancio [is leaving]( the broadcast network following a three-year run... Taylor Swift [will be honored]( as the artist of the decade at the 2019 American Music Awards... Quentin Tarantino and his longtime cinematographer Robert Richardson are [set to receive]( the Camerimage Cinematographer-Director Duo Award on Nov. 16, during the closing night award ceremony at EnergaCamerimage... ►Southern California wildfire near Reagan Library jumps to nearly 1,000 acres. A large new wildfire broke out in Southern California amid high winds Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and nearby homes, as both ends of the state struggled with blazes, dangerously gusty weather and deliberate blackouts. [More](. Obituaries: [Bernard Slade](, the Oscar-nominated writer who created The Partridge Family and wrote the enduring romantic comedy Same Time, Next Year for Broadway and the big screen, died Wednesday. He was 89... [Kelly Crabb](, a special counsel at the sports and entertainment law firm Sheppard Mullin, died Sunday of natural causes at his home in Alpine, Utah, the firm announced. He was 72... [Zev Braun](, who produced the Vietnam-set CBS drama Tour of Duty and an Oscar-nominated documentary about German screen legend Marlene Dietrich, died Oct. 17 in Los Angeles, his family announced. He was 90... From the archives... On Nov. 1, 1967, Warner Bros. unveiled director Stuart Rosenberg's prison drama Cool Hand Luke, starring Paul Newman, in theaters. The film went on to be nominated for four Oscars at the 40th Academy Awards, winning one in the supporting actor category for George Kennedy. [The Hollywood Reporter's original review](. What else we're reading... --"Ten years ago, I called out David Letterman. This month, we sat down to talk." [[Vanity Fair](] --"Apple plays the underdog in streaming wars" [[WSJ](] --"‘I Was Proud to Do This Work With Him’: David Simon on James Franco Controversy" [[Rolling Stone](] --"Aaron Sorkin: An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg" [[NY Times](] --The toughest job in journalism is defending Trump on CNN" [[Politico](] Today's birthdays: Brian Stokes Mitchell, 62, Adam Horovitz, 53, Dan Rather, 88, Dermot Mulroney, 56, Jane Pauley, 69, Peter Jackson, 58, Piper Perabo, 43, Vanilla Ice, 52, Willow Smith, 19. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2019 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. OCTOBER 31, 2019 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](