Fonda Talks Jail; Netflix Oscar Noms?; Debating Nigeria’s 'Lionheart'; Doc Roundtable

What's news: THR's Documentary Filmmaker Roundtable, Jane Fonda on spending the night in jail, can Netflix secure three Best Picture Oscar nominations? Debating the Academy's Lionheart decision, John Wells on making TV in a streaming age. Plus: The latest news from the American Film Market, and Quibi's Meg Whitman on what she learns from her Gen Z staff. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment NOVEMBER 07, 2019 What's news: THR's Documentary Filmmaker Roundtable, Jane Fonda on spending the night in jail, can Netflix secure three Best Picture Oscar nominations? Debating the Academy's Lionheart decision, John Wells on making TV in a streaming age. Plus: The latest news from the American Film Market, and Quibi's Meg Whitman on what she learns from her Gen Z staff. --Alex Weprin What's news: THR's Documentary Filmmaker Roundtable, Jane Fonda on spending the night in jail, can Netflix secure three Best Picture Oscar nominations? Debating the Academy's Lionheart decision, John Wells on making TV in a streaming age. Plus: The latest news from the American Film Market, and Quibi's Meg Whitman on what she learns from her Gen Z staff. --Alex Weprin [THR's Documentary Roundtable] THR's Documentary Roundtable ►Finding the truth in a time of media mistrust: The Documentary Roundtable. Alex Gibney (Citizen K), Lauren Greenfield (The Kingmaker), Asif Kapadia (Diego Maradona), Todd Douglas Miller (Apollo 11), Julia Reichert (The Factory) and Nanfu Wang (One Child Nation) sound off in a discussion with Rebecca Keegan about their transformed business, how to secure skeptical subjects and their attempt to counter the encroaching threat of propaganda. --Gibney: "It's not so new, this idea of fake news. Lauren's film, Nanfu's film and my film deal to a great extent with how the government tries to create fake news. But I think what everybody here at this table is doing is creating films where you change your mind every 15 minutes, you're taking a journey. That is the antidote to fake news — to invest in a deeper truth that is not so simple to express or understand except by the watching of the film." --Greenfield: "We're not beholden to anybody. This is independent, documentary film. And so in a time when our country's news is profit-driven, we're not doing this for ratings, we can have the film be truth-telling in a time of manipulation both by governments and by corporate interests." [The roundtable](. +Video: Alex Gibney discusses Citizen K subject Mikhail Khodorkovsky. [Watch](. ►Nielsen plans to split in two. The TV and media measurement firm will spin off its Nielsen Connect business, the company told investors this morning. Nielsen Global Media will focus on media measurement, while Global Connect will house the company's market analytics and consumer preferences business. The company will discuss the plans further in a call with analysts today. ►Video game spending up to nearly $28 billion in U.S. despite falling hardware sales. As has been the trend all year, software sales were the main source of revenue, with digital console content, mobile and subscription spending seeing a double-digit increase in 2019, while hardware and physical copies of software have decreased. There has also been a decline in digital content spending on PC platforms. [More](. In other business news... --Paul Bond reports that Glenn Beck's company The Blaze [will shut down]( its traditional cable channel at the end of the year. The Blaze will continue to operate its subscription VOD service, its website and radio presence. --Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who was interviewed Wednesday by Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times Dealbook Conference, [weighed in on]( his company’s relationship with theaters and the decision to censor a show in Saudi Arabia, among other topics. --Acceleration Community of Companies — the firm founded in 2018 by 30-year marketing and communications veteran Michael Nyman after he exited PMK*BNC — [has acquired]( national creative agency MKG and national design and fabrication shop Pink Sparrow. Quarterly earnings roundup... --Fox: Fox Corporation on Wednesday reported [impressive quarterly financial results]( — largely due to rising affiliate fees and its decision to rent the Fox Studios Lot to Disney and others — that had shares of the company led by CEO Lachlan Murdoch trading 5 percent higher in after-market action. --Dish: Charlie Ergen’s Dish Network on Thursday said it added [148,000 net TV subscribers](in the third quarter as growth at streaming service Sling TV outweighed a continued customer drop in the traditional pay TV business. --AMC Theaters: Cinema giant AMC Theatres on Thursday said its[third-quarter loss narrowed]( as revenue rose amid a quarterly company record of 87.1 million tickets sold at its theaters. --Discovery: Discovery [earnings and revenue grew]( despite U.S. ratings and subscriber drops. --Roku: The streaming video platform Roku [says it now has]( 32.3 million active users, 1.7 million more than last quarter, and 36 percent more than it had a year ago. ^Jane Fonda on her night in jail: "It was just me and the cockroaches." Seth Abramovich spoke to the 81-year-old screen legend as she traveled on a train heading from New York City to the nation's capital for a fifth straight week of climate protests and arrests. Quote: "I was in for 20 hours and for seven hours I was in a cell. It was a holding pen. All of the cells had multiple people in them except mine. In my cell it was just me and the cockroaches. But after seven hours I was taken to another cell block where there were four other women. And then another one where there were six other women. I talked to them and heard their stories." [The interview](. ►ABC News on a leak hunt. ABC News confirmed on Wednesday that it is pursuing the "source" of a leaked video that showed anchor Amy Robach expressing frustration with the network for not broadcasting an interview she conducted in 2015 with one of Jeffrey Epstein's chief accusers. [More](. Pickups and renewals: CBS [has ordered]( Game On, a comedic mix of trivia game and physical challenge that's based on British format A League of Their Own. Keegan-Michael Key will host the show... Ava DuVernay and former Queen Sugar showrunner Kat Candler [are developing]( a drama about a Texas labor activist for WarnerMedia's TNT.... +A pair of reboots too: ABC is dipping into its (recent) past for its [latest piece of development:]( a reboot of its 2011-15 drama Revenge... Another reboot is in the works at The CW, and this one is [based on]( the cult 1970s series Kung Fu... Elsewhere in TV... --Ratings: The Little Mermaid Live [delivered strong ratings]( for ABC on Tuesday — stronger than any other entertainment program of the fall. --This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman on spinoffs, [special episodes](and the streaming wars. --Fox News host Mark Levin [rallied and fundraised]( for a Virginia political candidate. --Fox and Warner Bros. hope syndicated TV [format change]( keeps viewers around. --The ninth annual ATX Television Festival [has set up its big reunion]( for 2020, reuniting the cast and creators of NBC's family drama Parenthood. THR's Documentary Roundtable ►Finding the truth in a time of media mistrust: The Documentary Roundtable. Alex Gibney (Citizen K), Lauren Greenfield (The Kingmaker), Asif Kapadia (Diego Maradona), Todd Douglas Miller (Apollo 11), Julia Reichert (The Factory) and Nanfu Wang (One Child Nation) sound off in a discussion with Rebecca Keegan about their transformed business, how to secure skeptical subjects and their attempt to counter the encroaching threat of propaganda. --Gibney: "It's not so new, this idea of fake news. Lauren's film, Nanfu's film and my film deal to a great extent with how the government tries to create fake news. But I think what everybody here at this table is doing is creating films where you change your mind every 15 minutes, you're taking a journey. That is the antidote to fake news — to invest in a deeper truth that is not so simple to express or understand except by the watching of the film." --Greenfield: "We're not beholden to anybody. This is independent, documentary film. And so in a time when our country's news is profit-driven, we're not doing this for ratings, we can have the film be truth-telling in a time of manipulation both by governments and by corporate interests." [The roundtable](. +Video: Alex Gibney discusses Citizen K subject Mikhail Khodorkovsky. [Watch](. ►Nielsen plans to split in two. The TV and media measurement firm will spin off its Nielsen Connect business, the company told investors this morning. Nielsen Global Media will focus on media measurement, while Global Connect will house the company's market analytics and consumer preferences business. The company will discuss the plans further in a call with analysts today. ►Video game spending up to nearly $28 billion in U.S. despite falling hardware sales. As has been the trend all year, software sales were the main source of revenue, with digital console content, mobile and subscription spending seeing a double-digit increase in 2019, while hardware and physical copies of software have decreased. There has also been a decline in digital content spending on PC platforms. [More](. In other business news... --Paul Bond reports that Glenn Beck's company The Blaze [will shut down]( its traditional cable channel at the end of the year. The Blaze will continue to operate its subscription VOD service, its website and radio presence. --Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, who was interviewed Wednesday by Andrew Ross Sorkin at The New York Times Dealbook Conference, [weighed in on]( his company’s relationship with theaters and the decision to censor a show in Saudi Arabia, among other topics. --Acceleration Community of Companies — the firm founded in 2018 by 30-year marketing and communications veteran Michael Nyman after he exited PMK*BNC — [has acquired]( national creative agency MKG and national design and fabrication shop Pink Sparrow. Quarterly earnings roundup... --Fox: Fox Corporation on Wednesday reported [impressive quarterly financial results]( — largely due to rising affiliate fees and its decision to rent the Fox Studios Lot to Disney and others — that had shares of the company led by CEO Lachlan Murdoch trading 5 percent higher in after-market action. --Dish: Charlie Ergen’s Dish Network on Thursday said it added [148,000 net TV subscribers](in the third quarter as growth at streaming service Sling TV outweighed a continued customer drop in the traditional pay TV business. --AMC Theaters: Cinema giant AMC Theatres on Thursday said its[third-quarter loss narrowed]( as revenue rose amid a quarterly company record of 87.1 million tickets sold at its theaters. --Discovery: Discovery [earnings and revenue grew]( despite U.S. ratings and subscriber drops. --Roku: The streaming video platform Roku [says it now has]( 32.3 million active users, 1.7 million more than last quarter, and 36 percent more than it had a year ago. ^Jane Fonda on her night in jail: "It was just me and the cockroaches." Seth Abramovich spoke to the 81-year-old screen legend as she traveled on a train heading from New York City to the nation's capital for a fifth straight week of climate protests and arrests. Quote: "I was in for 20 hours and for seven hours I was in a cell. It was a holding pen. All of the cells had multiple people in them except mine. In my cell it was just me and the cockroaches. But after seven hours I was taken to another cell block where there were four other women. And then another one where there were six other women. I talked to them and heard their stories." [The interview](. ►ABC News on a leak hunt. ABC News confirmed on Wednesday that it is pursuing the "source" of a leaked video that showed anchor Amy Robach expressing frustration with the network for not broadcasting an interview she conducted in 2015 with one of Jeffrey Epstein's chief accusers. [More](. Pickups and renewals: CBS [has ordered]( Game On, a comedic mix of trivia game and physical challenge that's based on British format A League of Their Own. Keegan-Michael Key will host the show... Ava DuVernay and former Queen Sugar showrunner Kat Candler [are developing]( a drama about a Texas labor activist for WarnerMedia's TNT.... +A pair of reboots too: ABC is dipping into its (recent) past for its [latest piece of development:]( a reboot of its 2011-15 drama Revenge... Another reboot is in the works at The CW, and this one is [based on]( the cult 1970s series Kung Fu... Elsewhere in TV... --Ratings: The Little Mermaid Live [delivered strong ratings]( for ABC on Tuesday — stronger than any other entertainment program of the fall. --This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman on spinoffs, [special episodes](and the streaming wars. --Fox News host Mark Levin [rallied and fundraised]( for a Virginia political candidate. --Fox and Warner Bros. hope syndicated TV [format change]( keeps viewers around. --The ninth annual ATX Television Festival [has set up its big reunion]( for 2020, reuniting the cast and creators of NBC's family drama Parenthood. [Netflix's Oscars Push?] Netflix's Oscars Push? Can Netflix land three Best Picture nominations? With massive campaigns for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story and Fernando Meirelles' The Two Popes, the streaming service is going all-in for the Academy's top prize — the hardware it covets the most, Stephen Galloway writes. [The story](. +Debating Lionheart: THR's awards columnist Scott Feinberg and senior film editor Piya Sinha-Roy debate whether or not the Academy was right to disqualify Nigeria's Oscar entry. --Feinberg: "I feel sorry for Nigeria, which had never before entered a film for consideration in this category — but I also am unclear why anyone would find the Academy's decision surprising. This category is and always has been reserved for films not in the English language, just like BAFTA's equivalent award, which is more explicitly called 'Best Film Not in the English Language.'" --Sinha-Roy: "Yes, but there is a valid discussion to be had about that, because the language requirement feels restrictive in many ways, and this is a good example of where it's negatively restrictive. Many countries use English commonly because they also speak so many other languages. India is a great example because while the national language is Hindi, English is widely taught and spoken as well." [The debate](. Here's the latest from the American Film Market... ►AFM Hot List: Here are 10 titles set to heat up the market, including the Billy Crystal-Tiffany Haddish romantic comedy Rocket Science, Neill Blomkamp's next sci-fi feature Inferno and The Asset, which stars Michael Keaton, Maggie Q and Samuel L. Jackson. [The full hot list](. +An AFM hidden gem: Killer Sofa depicts a haunting tale about a possessed armchair. [More](. ►Indie film's call to action: embrace change or die. AGC Studios' Stuart Ford urges theatrical distributors to work with streaming services for the best chance to thrive: "We believe we can do business with everybody." [The story](. ►Can Hong Kong’s film sector stand up to China? As U.S. stalwarts like the NBA, Apple and Disney struggle to navigate issues raised by Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, the city’s movie industry faces a similar divide when it comes to working with the Middle Kingdom, Karen Chu reports. [The story](. +City of Tears documentary series sheds light on Hong Kong protests. The Veteran Hollywood visual effects artist Cori  Chan has taken to the streets of his native country to draw global attention to the city’s turmoil: "I felt like I need to do something." [More](. In other AFM news... --Roland Emmerich's $150 million sci-fi epic Moonfall has secured the [final piece of its financing]( from China and will go into production mid-2020 for a 2021 release. --Film, TV and media financier BondIt Media Capital has [formed a joint venture]( with sales and production banner Film Mode Entertainment that aims to bring what they describe as a "one-stop solution" to producers that includes financial lending, sales and production services. --South Korean sales outfit Finest has[gotten off to a strong start](at this week's American Film Market, unveiling a raft of sales across its current slate, including the gritty thriller Bring Me Home. --Also: It Screenwriter Chase Palmer on making his [first directorial feature]( with Naked Singularity... Why it's [difficult to pre-sell]( Nicolas Cage projects... Genre specialists XYZ Films [has raised]( about $100 million [to fund a slate](of 15 to 20 titles cofinanced by Finnish venture capital company IPR.VC... ►Chris Evans, Elijah Wood and more criticize James Dean CGI casting: "This shouldn't be a thing." Dean's casting in a Vietnam era action-drama 64 years after his death led to a social media uproar with those in the industry finding the casting "shameful" and setting "an awful precedent" for the future of film and visual effects. [The story](. Elsewhere in film... --Jon Frosch [reviews The Good Liar](, starring Ian McKellan and Helen Mirren. --French film star Catherine Deneuve, 76, [has been admitted]( to a hospital in Paris after suffering a mild stroke, according to multiple reports. --Jordan Peele and Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley are the latest Hollywood figures to [lend their voices]( to the ongoing conversation about what constitutes cinema. --When Robert Evans [beat O.J. Simpson]( on his home tennis court. --Wendy and the lost boys take over a mysterious island in [the first trailer]( for Fox Searchlight's Wendy. Netflix's Oscars Push? Can Netflix land three Best Picture nominations? With massive campaigns for Martin Scorsese's The Irishman, Noah Baumbach's Marriage Story and Fernando Meirelles' The Two Popes, the streaming service is going all-in for the Academy's top prize — the hardware it covets the most, Stephen Galloway writes. [The story](. +Debating Lionheart: THR's awards columnist Scott Feinberg and senior film editor Piya Sinha-Roy debate whether or not the Academy was right to disqualify Nigeria's Oscar entry. --Feinberg: "I feel sorry for Nigeria, which had never before entered a film for consideration in this category — but I also am unclear why anyone would find the Academy's decision surprising. This category is and always has been reserved for films not in the English language, just like BAFTA's equivalent award, which is more explicitly called 'Best Film Not in the English Language.'" --Sinha-Roy: "Yes, but there is a valid discussion to be had about that, because the language requirement feels restrictive in many ways, and this is a good example of where it's negatively restrictive. Many countries use English commonly because they also speak so many other languages. India is a great example because while the national language is Hindi, English is widely taught and spoken as well." [The debate](. Here's the latest from the American Film Market... ►AFM Hot List: Here are 10 titles set to heat up the market, including the Billy Crystal-Tiffany Haddish romantic comedy Rocket Science, Neill Blomkamp's next sci-fi feature Inferno and The Asset, which stars Michael Keaton, Maggie Q and Samuel L. Jackson. [The full hot list](. +An AFM hidden gem: Killer Sofa depicts a haunting tale about a possessed armchair. [More](. ►Indie film's call to action: embrace change or die. AGC Studios' Stuart Ford urges theatrical distributors to work with streaming services for the best chance to thrive: "We believe we can do business with everybody." [The story](. ►Can Hong Kong’s film sector stand up to China? As U.S. stalwarts like the NBA, Apple and Disney struggle to navigate issues raised by Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, the city’s movie industry faces a similar divide when it comes to working with the Middle Kingdom, Karen Chu reports. [The story](. +City of Tears documentary series sheds light on Hong Kong protests. The Veteran Hollywood visual effects artist Cori  Chan has taken to the streets of his native country to draw global attention to the city’s turmoil: "I felt like I need to do something." [More](. In other AFM news... --Roland Emmerich's $150 million sci-fi epic Moonfall has secured the [final piece of its financing]( from China and will go into production mid-2020 for a 2021 release. --Film, TV and media financier BondIt Media Capital has [formed a joint venture]( with sales and production banner Film Mode Entertainment that aims to bring what they describe as a "one-stop solution" to producers that includes financial lending, sales and production services. --South Korean sales outfit Finest has[gotten off to a strong start](at this week's American Film Market, unveiling a raft of sales across its current slate, including the gritty thriller Bring Me Home. --Also: It Screenwriter Chase Palmer on making his [first directorial feature]( with Naked Singularity... Why it's [difficult to pre-sell]( Nicolas Cage projects... Genre specialists XYZ Films [has raised]( about $100 million [to fund a slate](of 15 to 20 titles cofinanced by Finnish venture capital company IPR.VC... ►Chris Evans, Elijah Wood and more criticize James Dean CGI casting: "This shouldn't be a thing." Dean's casting in a Vietnam era action-drama 64 years after his death led to a social media uproar with those in the industry finding the casting "shameful" and setting "an awful precedent" for the future of film and visual effects. [The story](. Elsewhere in film... --Jon Frosch [reviews The Good Liar](, starring Ian McKellan and Helen Mirren. --French film star Catherine Deneuve, 76, [has been admitted]( to a hospital in Paris after suffering a mild stroke, according to multiple reports. --Jordan Peele and Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley are the latest Hollywood figures to [lend their voices]( to the ongoing conversation about what constitutes cinema. --When Robert Evans [beat O.J. Simpson]( on his home tennis court. --Wendy and the lost boys take over a mysterious island in [the first trailer]( for Fox Searchlight's Wendy. [John Wells Speaks] John Wells Speaks ►John Wells on Shameless future, the "strange" enduring appeal of ER and the writers-agents standoff. Among TV's most successful drama writers, the showrunner now sets his eyes on an empire — with plans to expand his series load from two to 15, he tells Lesley Goldberg. Quote: "All of us who've had successful shows in the past and now see them finding new audiences, 20 and 25 years later, find it a little strange. We tend to think of what we're making as having a shelf life. We used to describe it as a salad bar: Everybody watches it on Thursday night, and then on Friday morning it's not worth anything. Now people are discovering things they've never seen. I'm watching shows that are 4 and 5 years old that are new to me." [The interview](. ►BritBox launches in U.K. ITV and the BBC said early Thursday that they have officially launched streaming service BritBox in the U.K., making good on their promise to start offering an alternative to global streamers like Netflix and Amazon in the fourth quarter. In addition, they struck a deal with Channel 4 to add its content to the streamer starting next year. [The details](. Sandra Bullock and Ellen DeGeneres have jointly filed a lawsuit against 100 anonymous individuals and entities. According to a complaint that was submitted on Wednesday to Los Angeles Superior Court, the two stars are "joining forces in this action to expose the Celebrity Endorsement Theft Industry." [The story.]( +TV networks and newspapers aren't publishing the Ukraine whistleblower's name. MSNBC and NBC News have both decided against publishing the official's name until or unless they go public while Fox News hasn't named the person, Jeremy Barr reports. [More](. Savannah Film Fest: Olivia Wilde on Booksmart, directing and Delta's "vagina" problem. The actress/director participated in a public conversation with The Hollywood Reporter at SCAD, a few hours before collecting the fest's Rising Star Director Award. [More](. +In other awards news: Natasha Lyonne and Zazie Beetz [have been drafted]( to announce the nominees of Film Independent's 2020 Independent Spirit Awards... Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Lizzo will[take the stage]( to perform at the 2019 American Music Awards... E! announced the [presenters and performers]( for the 2019 People's Choice Awards... ^Meg Whitman: What I've learned from Quibi's Millennial and Gen Z staff. The veteran tech executive, 63, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, 68, may be mentoring their young staff, but they've been taught a thing or two as well, she says in a first-person account.[The story](. Casting roundup: Ben Affleck has [signed on]( to star in Hypnotic, a new action thriller from Sin City director Robert Rodriguez... Child actors Summer Fontana and Jack Fisher have [joined the English voice cast](of Ella Bella Bingo, a 3D animated feature... Armie Hammer [will return]( to Broadway this season as part of the ensemble cast of Tracy Letts' new play, The Minutes... Revolving door: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president David Rubin, producer Mark Johnson and actress Laura Dern [are among]( seven newly-named trustees of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures... Vivian Lien, who joined the the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers six years ago, [has been promoted]( to vp, labor relations... Eric Cummins has [been promoted]( from CFO to CEO of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group... Obituaries: [Christopher Dennis](, aka the "Hollywood Superman" and arguably the most recognizable of all the characters who line Hollywood Boulevard to entertain tourists, has died. He was 52... [Lorin Salob](, an assistant director, production manager and Emmy-winning producer with credits including The Getaway, Charlie's Angels, Tron and A Woman Named Jackie, has died. He was 77. What else we're reading... --"Bob Iger takes the gloves off for Disney's streaming debut" [[Bloomberg Businessweek](] --"Trump and Apprentice creator Mark Burnett are discussing their next TV show" [[The Daily Beast](] --"Thousands of college kids paid to work for a viral party kingpin. What could go wrong?" [[NY Times](] --"How Doctor Sleep earned Stephen King’s endorsement and still honored Stanley Kubrick" [[LA Times](] --"Black News Channel will launch broadcast in new year on Jan. 6, 2020" [[USA Today](] Today's birthdays: Adam Devine, 36, Joni Mitchell, 76, Lawrence O’Donnell, 68, Lorde, 23, Morgan Spurlock, 49. John Wells Speaks ►John Wells on Shameless future, the "strange" enduring appeal of ER and the writers-agents standoff. Among TV's most successful drama writers, the showrunner now sets his eyes on an empire — with plans to expand his series load from two to 15, he tells Lesley Goldberg. Quote: "All of us who've had successful shows in the past and now see them finding new audiences, 20 and 25 years later, find it a little strange. We tend to think of what we're making as having a shelf life. We used to describe it as a salad bar: Everybody watches it on Thursday night, and then on Friday morning it's not worth anything. Now people are discovering things they've never seen. I'm watching shows that are 4 and 5 years old that are new to me." [The interview](. ►BritBox launches in U.K. ITV and the BBC said early Thursday that they have officially launched streaming service BritBox in the U.K., making good on their promise to start offering an alternative to global streamers like Netflix and Amazon in the fourth quarter. In addition, they struck a deal with Channel 4 to add its content to the streamer starting next year. [The details](. Sandra Bullock and Ellen DeGeneres have jointly filed a lawsuit against 100 anonymous individuals and entities. According to a complaint that was submitted on Wednesday to Los Angeles Superior Court, the two stars are "joining forces in this action to expose the Celebrity Endorsement Theft Industry." [The story.]( +TV networks and newspapers aren't publishing the Ukraine whistleblower's name. MSNBC and NBC News have both decided against publishing the official's name until or unless they go public while Fox News hasn't named the person, Jeremy Barr reports. [More](. Savannah Film Fest: Olivia Wilde on Booksmart, directing and Delta's "vagina" problem. The actress/director participated in a public conversation with The Hollywood Reporter at SCAD, a few hours before collecting the fest's Rising Star Director Award. [More](. +In other awards news: Natasha Lyonne and Zazie Beetz [have been drafted]( to announce the nominees of Film Independent's 2020 Independent Spirit Awards... Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Lizzo will[take the stage]( to perform at the 2019 American Music Awards... E! announced the [presenters and performers]( for the 2019 People's Choice Awards... ^Meg Whitman: What I've learned from Quibi's Millennial and Gen Z staff. The veteran tech executive, 63, and Jeffrey Katzenberg, 68, may be mentoring their young staff, but they've been taught a thing or two as well, she says in a first-person account.[The story](. Casting roundup: Ben Affleck has [signed on]( to star in Hypnotic, a new action thriller from Sin City director Robert Rodriguez... Child actors Summer Fontana and Jack Fisher have [joined the English voice cast](of Ella Bella Bingo, a 3D animated feature... Armie Hammer [will return]( to Broadway this season as part of the ensemble cast of Tracy Letts' new play, The Minutes... Revolving door: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president David Rubin, producer Mark Johnson and actress Laura Dern [are among]( seven newly-named trustees of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures... Vivian Lien, who joined the the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers six years ago, [has been promoted]( to vp, labor relations... Eric Cummins has [been promoted]( from CFO to CEO of Deluxe Entertainment Services Group... Obituaries: [Christopher Dennis](, aka the "Hollywood Superman" and arguably the most recognizable of all the characters who line Hollywood Boulevard to entertain tourists, has died. He was 52... [Lorin Salob](, an assistant director, production manager and Emmy-winning producer with credits including The Getaway, Charlie's Angels, Tron and A Woman Named Jackie, has died. He was 77. What else we're reading... --"Bob Iger takes the gloves off for Disney's streaming debut" [[Bloomberg Businessweek](] --"Trump and Apprentice creator Mark Burnett are discussing their next TV show" [[The Daily Beast](] --"Thousands of college kids paid to work for a viral party kingpin. What could go wrong?" [[NY Times](] --"How Doctor Sleep earned Stephen King’s endorsement and still honored Stanley Kubrick" [[LA Times](] --"Black News Channel will launch broadcast in new year on Jan. 6, 2020" [[USA Today](] Today's birthdays: Adam Devine, 36, Joni Mitchell, 76, Lawrence O’Donnell, 68, Lorde, 23, Morgan Spurlock, 49. [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. NOVEMBER 07, 2019 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](