Sundance Deal Record; Key Weinstein Witness; Letterman Talks 'Oprah-Uma'; Grammys Ratings Low; Oscars Class Photo

What's news: A key witness testifies in the Harvey Weinstein trial, Grammy Awards ratings fall to new low, David Letterman reflects on the 25th anniversary of "Oprah-Uma," a new Sundance deal record, two more Transformers movies in the works. Plus: The 2020 Oscar nominee family photo, and Glen Keane reflects on working with Kobe Bryant on Dear Basketball. --Alex Weprin [The Hollywood Reporter]( [The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment JANUARY 28, 2020 What's news: A key witness testifies in the Harvey Weinstein trial, Grammy Awards ratings fall to new low, David Letterman reflects on the 25th anniversary of "Oprah-Uma," a new Sundance deal record, two more Transformers movies in the works. Plus: The 2020 Oscar nominee family photo, and Glen Keane reflects on working with Kobe Bryant on Dear Basketball. --Alex Weprin What's news: A key witness testifies in the Harvey Weinstein trial, Grammy Awards ratings fall to new low, David Letterman reflects on the 25th anniversary of "Oprah-Uma," a new Sundance deal record, two more Transformers movies in the works. Plus: The 2020 Oscar nominee family photo, and Glen Keane reflects on working with Kobe Bryant on Dear Basketball. --Alex Weprin [Key Weinstein Witness Testifies] Key Weinstein Witness Testifies ►"I was mortified": Key witness testifies that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her. Miriam Haley, a former Project Runway production assistant, is one of the two women mentioned in Weinstein’s New York indictment. “I was just crying 'No,'" she said. After the alleged assault, Haley said she told a roommate about what happened but did not call the police. “I thought about my options, but I decided that going to the police was not an option for me,” she said. “Obviously Mr. Weinstein has a lot more power and resources and connections. I didn’t think I would really stand a chance.” --Weinstein's defense attorney argued that Weinstein was “useful” for Haley. “You wanted a connection with Mr. Weinstein to help your career,” he said. “The truth of the matter is that you had a consensual relationship with Mr. Weinstein. The truth is that you had a friendship with Mr. Weinstein.”[Here's Jeremy Barr's report from the courtroom](. +Harvey Weinstein slapped with cleaning fees after smoking inside New Jersey hotel room. Before his rape trial began, the disgraced mogul was spotted at the Molly Pitcher Inn with friend Alexandra Vino. A source told Tatiana Siegel that they "stunk up their no-smoking room with marijuana, then ordered 'several ice creams' from room service, and were required to pay extra to cover room damage when they checked out." [More](. ►David Letterman reflects on his "Oprah-Uma" Oscars 25 years later: An "explosion of excrement." The TV legend opens up to Scott Feinberg for the first time in a deep-dive comedy analysis of how and why his 1995 Academy Awards emcee gig bombed: "My personality was attacking itself." Quote: I remember when Steve Martin came out to present — and I idolize and love Steve Martin — he said, 'I really enjoyed Dave’s opening monologue.' And then he said, 'But then again, I also like cleaning up after my dog.' And I just thought, 'Oh, my God, Steve Martin hates me.' And I felt horrible about that. But it was just embarrassment — that’s all it was. It was like when your body turns on itself. 'Well, what happened?!' 'Well, your liver is eating your kidney.' My personality was attacking itself. So the story of the evening started to harden." [The interview](. ^Grammy Awards ratings: As they usually do, the Grammy Awards ruled Sunday's ratings — although they were down a little year to year. The 62nd annual awards, airing on their earliest date since 2013, drew 18.7 million viewers and a 5.4 rating among adults 18-49 in time zone-adjusted ratings. Those numbers are down about 5 percent in viewers and 4 percent in the 18-49 demo from the 2019 awards. Last year's ceremony ended up with 19.88 million viewers and a 5.6 in the 18-49 demographic. [The numbers](. +Inside the emotional 2020 Grammys following Kobe Bryant's death. With news of the basketball legend's death breaking just five hours before the show, the music award ceremony carried on at Staples Center under a heavy gloom, Kirsten Chuba reports. The scene [from inside the Staples Center](. +On social media: Billie Eilish left the 2020 Grammys as the night's big winner, though she was also one of the night's attendees to win over social media. Demi Lovato's performance of "Anyone" was the most popular moment of the ceremony on Twitter. [More](. ►New Transformers movies in the works with Zodiac, Army of the Dead writers. Paramount and Hasbro are rebuilding Transformers, hiring not one but two writers to pen scripts for the multibillion-dollar film franchise, Borys Kit reports. Takes on the direction of the new projects were not revealed, but Paramount and Hasbro see the hires as giving the franchise a chance to build out multiple arcs and to also expand the Transformers universe. [The details](. Elsewhere in film... --The Japanese box office [jumped more than 17 percent]( to a record $2.39 billion (¥261 billion) in 2019, with admissions up more than 15 percent to 194,910, the highest attendance since 1971. --How J.J. Abrams [convinced costume designer](Michael Kaplan to take on Star Trek and Star Wars: "I was intimidated." --The latest industry poll from NPACT, the trade association for nonfiction production companies working in the U.S.,[reveals that those](in the community overwhelmingly prefer working with Netflix and HBO, while they are less keen on Viacom networks MTV and VH1 and Disney properties Hulu and Freeform. --American Factory directors [talk Trump](, globalization and Oscar gold. --Why commercial producers [are entering]( the unpredictable indie movie market. Key Weinstein Witness Testifies ►"I was mortified": Key witness testifies that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her. Miriam Haley, a former Project Runway production assistant, is one of the two women mentioned in Weinstein’s New York indictment. “I was just crying 'No,'" she said. After the alleged assault, Haley said she told a roommate about what happened but did not call the police. “I thought about my options, but I decided that going to the police was not an option for me,” she said. “Obviously Mr. Weinstein has a lot more power and resources and connections. I didn’t think I would really stand a chance.” --Weinstein's defense attorney argued that Weinstein was “useful” for Haley. “You wanted a connection with Mr. Weinstein to help your career,” he said. “The truth of the matter is that you had a consensual relationship with Mr. Weinstein. The truth is that you had a friendship with Mr. Weinstein.”[Here's Jeremy Barr's report from the courtroom](. +Harvey Weinstein slapped with cleaning fees after smoking inside New Jersey hotel room. Before his rape trial began, the disgraced mogul was spotted at the Molly Pitcher Inn with friend Alexandra Vino. A source told Tatiana Siegel that they "stunk up their no-smoking room with marijuana, then ordered 'several ice creams' from room service, and were required to pay extra to cover room damage when they checked out." [More](. ►David Letterman reflects on his "Oprah-Uma" Oscars 25 years later: An "explosion of excrement." The TV legend opens up to Scott Feinberg for the first time in a deep-dive comedy analysis of how and why his 1995 Academy Awards emcee gig bombed: "My personality was attacking itself." Quote: I remember when Steve Martin came out to present — and I idolize and love Steve Martin — he said, 'I really enjoyed Dave’s opening monologue.' And then he said, 'But then again, I also like cleaning up after my dog.' And I just thought, 'Oh, my God, Steve Martin hates me.' And I felt horrible about that. But it was just embarrassment — that’s all it was. It was like when your body turns on itself. 'Well, what happened?!' 'Well, your liver is eating your kidney.' My personality was attacking itself. So the story of the evening started to harden." [The interview](. ^Grammy Awards ratings: As they usually do, the Grammy Awards ruled Sunday's ratings — although they were down a little year to year. The 62nd annual awards, airing on their earliest date since 2013, drew 18.7 million viewers and a 5.4 rating among adults 18-49 in time zone-adjusted ratings. Those numbers are down about 5 percent in viewers and 4 percent in the 18-49 demo from the 2019 awards. Last year's ceremony ended up with 19.88 million viewers and a 5.6 in the 18-49 demographic. [The numbers](. +Inside the emotional 2020 Grammys following Kobe Bryant's death. With news of the basketball legend's death breaking just five hours before the show, the music award ceremony carried on at Staples Center under a heavy gloom, Kirsten Chuba reports. The scene [from inside the Staples Center](. +On social media: Billie Eilish left the 2020 Grammys as the night's big winner, though she was also one of the night's attendees to win over social media. Demi Lovato's performance of "Anyone" was the most popular moment of the ceremony on Twitter. [More](. ►New Transformers movies in the works with Zodiac, Army of the Dead writers. Paramount and Hasbro are rebuilding Transformers, hiring not one but two writers to pen scripts for the multibillion-dollar film franchise, Borys Kit reports. Takes on the direction of the new projects were not revealed, but Paramount and Hasbro see the hires as giving the franchise a chance to build out multiple arcs and to also expand the Transformers universe. [The details](. Elsewhere in film... --The Japanese box office [jumped more than 17 percent]( to a record $2.39 billion (¥261 billion) in 2019, with admissions up more than 15 percent to 194,910, the highest attendance since 1971. --How J.J. Abrams [convinced costume designer](Michael Kaplan to take on Star Trek and Star Wars: "I was intimidated." --The latest industry poll from NPACT, the trade association for nonfiction production companies working in the U.S.,[reveals that those](in the community overwhelmingly prefer working with Netflix and HBO, while they are less keen on Viacom networks MTV and VH1 and Disney properties Hulu and Freeform. --American Factory directors [talk Trump](, globalization and Oscar gold. --Why commercial producers [are entering]( the unpredictable indie movie market. [Remembering Kobe Bryant] Remembering Kobe Bryant ►Kobe Bryant’s Oscar-winning director: "We talked about our love of Beethoven." In a guest column for THR, Glen Keane, the legendary Disney animator who helped Bryant make Dear Basketball, writes about their first meeting: "I put out my hand and he pulled me in for a hug." [The column](. +In late night: An emotional Jimmy Kimmel dedicated his entire one-hour episode show Monday night to pay tribute to the late Kobe Bryant. At the top of the first episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following Bryant's sudden death on Sunday, the host noted that he and his producers eschewed a studio audience and guests: "Going forward with a comedy show didn't feel right given what happened yesterday, so I'd like to just speak to you directly," he said. [More](. +NBA postpones first Lakers game following Kobe Bryant's death. "The decision was made out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is deeply grieving the tragic loss of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash on Sunday," the league tweeted Monday. [More](. +Kobe Bryant and Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho were working together on a children's book, but the author of The Alchemist said he deleted the draft after Bryant's death. [More](. Sundance deals... ►A new Sundance record... barely. Neon and Hulu have landed worldwide rights to the Andy Samberg-fronted comedy Palm Springs (pictured above). UTA Independent Film Group brokered the $17,500,000.69 deal, the companies announced Monday. That figure breaks a record for the biggest sale ever at the Sundance Film Festival by 69 cents: The mark was previously held by 2016's The Birth of a Nation, which was bought for $17.5 million. [The story](. +More deals: Sony Pictures Classics has [acquired worldwide rights]( to Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's documentary The Truffle Hunters... Apple and A24 have [acquired worldwide rights]( to the documentary Boys State, a political coming-of-age story, examining the health of American democracy... Amazon Studios [has picked up]( Alan Ball's family drama Uncle Frank... Sundance Cold War drama Ironbark [has landed]( at Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions for North America... Sundance reviews... ►The Father review: Todd McCarthy reviews the Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman drama, writing "fronted by a stupendous performance from Anthony Hopkins as a proud Englishman in denial of his condition, this penetrating work marks an outstanding directorial debut by the play’s French author Florian Zeller and looks to be a significant title for Sony Classics domestically later in the year." [The review](. ►Lance review: Daniel Fienberg reviews the ESPN "30 for 30" documentary about the cyclist, writing that "Lance is surely the most in-depth piece of Armstrong's Tour de Redemption, but it doesn't feel close to definitive. It should be called 'Lance Right Now.'" [The review](. +And: [The Last Thing He Wanted](... [The Social Dilemma](... [Relic](... [Feels Good Man](... [Beast Beast](... [La Leyenda Negra](... [Sylvie's Love](... [The Evening Hour](... [City So Real](... +Also: Hillary Clinton [talks Jamal Khashoggi doc]( The Dissident... Here's THR's photo gallery from Park City, featuring Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift, and many more. [The gallery](. Netflix is investing further in the adult animation genre. The streamer, which launched its own in-house studio in 2018, on Monday announced that it has signed an overall deal with Titmouse, the animation company behind its hit comedy Big Mouth. Under the terms of the multiple-year agreement, Titmouse will produce multiple original adult animated series for the streamer, which will also have a first-look option at all adult animated series that will be created and developed by the company. [The story](. +Aline Brosh McKenna is on the move. The former Crazy Ex-Girlfriend showrunner has departed her longtime home at CBS TV Studios and signed a three-year pod deal with Disney-owned ABC Studios. As part of the deal, Brosh McKenna's newly launched production company, Lean Machine, will create and develop new projects for all platforms for ABC Studios. [The details](. ►Critics' conversation: The brilliant messiness of Showtime's Work in Progress. Critics Inkoo Kang and Robyn Bahr discuss why Abby McEnany's semi-autobiographical series may already be among the year's best. [The conversation](. Elsewhere in TV... --CBS is [moving forward]( with The Equalizer. The network on Monday handed out a formal pilot pickup to its reboot of the classic series, which will star Queen Latfiah. --NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock has[rounded out the cast](of its Saved by the Bell revival. --Ratings: Comedy Central hit a [multi-year ratings high]( with the series premiere of Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens. --Ahead of the Feb. 5 premiere of Fox's newest reality competition series, Lego Masters, the iconic building bricks [are taking over]( the network's studio lot and kicking off an augmented reality experience. --The market for subscription video-on-demand, or SVOD, will nearly triple across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the next five years, growing some $2.1 billion, according to a [newly published study]( by British-based Digital TV Research. Remembering Kobe Bryant ►Kobe Bryant’s Oscar-winning director: "We talked about our love of Beethoven." In a guest column for THR, Glen Keane, the legendary Disney animator who helped Bryant make Dear Basketball, writes about their first meeting: "I put out my hand and he pulled me in for a hug." [The column](. +In late night: An emotional Jimmy Kimmel dedicated his entire one-hour episode show Monday night to pay tribute to the late Kobe Bryant. At the top of the first episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! following Bryant's sudden death on Sunday, the host noted that he and his producers eschewed a studio audience and guests: "Going forward with a comedy show didn't feel right given what happened yesterday, so I'd like to just speak to you directly," he said. [More](. +NBA postpones first Lakers game following Kobe Bryant's death. "The decision was made out of respect for the Lakers organization, which is deeply grieving the tragic loss of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash on Sunday," the league tweeted Monday. [More](. +Kobe Bryant and Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho were working together on a children's book, but the author of The Alchemist said he deleted the draft after Bryant's death. [More](. Sundance deals... ►A new Sundance record... barely. Neon and Hulu have landed worldwide rights to the Andy Samberg-fronted comedy Palm Springs (pictured above). UTA Independent Film Group brokered the $17,500,000.69 deal, the companies announced Monday. That figure breaks a record for the biggest sale ever at the Sundance Film Festival by 69 cents: The mark was previously held by 2016's The Birth of a Nation, which was bought for $17.5 million. [The story](. +More deals: Sony Pictures Classics has [acquired worldwide rights]( to Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's documentary The Truffle Hunters... Apple and A24 have [acquired worldwide rights]( to the documentary Boys State, a political coming-of-age story, examining the health of American democracy... Amazon Studios [has picked up]( Alan Ball's family drama Uncle Frank... Sundance Cold War drama Ironbark [has landed]( at Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions for North America... Sundance reviews... ►The Father review: Todd McCarthy reviews the Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman drama, writing "fronted by a stupendous performance from Anthony Hopkins as a proud Englishman in denial of his condition, this penetrating work marks an outstanding directorial debut by the play’s French author Florian Zeller and looks to be a significant title for Sony Classics domestically later in the year." [The review](. ►Lance review: Daniel Fienberg reviews the ESPN "30 for 30" documentary about the cyclist, writing that "Lance is surely the most in-depth piece of Armstrong's Tour de Redemption, but it doesn't feel close to definitive. It should be called 'Lance Right Now.'" [The review](. +And: [The Last Thing He Wanted](... [The Social Dilemma](... [Relic](... [Feels Good Man](... [Beast Beast](... [La Leyenda Negra](... [Sylvie's Love](... [The Evening Hour](... [City So Real](... +Also: Hillary Clinton [talks Jamal Khashoggi doc]( The Dissident... Here's THR's photo gallery from Park City, featuring Hillary Clinton, Taylor Swift, and many more. [The gallery](. Netflix is investing further in the adult animation genre. The streamer, which launched its own in-house studio in 2018, on Monday announced that it has signed an overall deal with Titmouse, the animation company behind its hit comedy Big Mouth. Under the terms of the multiple-year agreement, Titmouse will produce multiple original adult animated series for the streamer, which will also have a first-look option at all adult animated series that will be created and developed by the company. [The story](. +Aline Brosh McKenna is on the move. The former Crazy Ex-Girlfriend showrunner has departed her longtime home at CBS TV Studios and signed a three-year pod deal with Disney-owned ABC Studios. As part of the deal, Brosh McKenna's newly launched production company, Lean Machine, will create and develop new projects for all platforms for ABC Studios. [The details](. ►Critics' conversation: The brilliant messiness of Showtime's Work in Progress. Critics Inkoo Kang and Robyn Bahr discuss why Abby McEnany's semi-autobiographical series may already be among the year's best. [The conversation](. Elsewhere in TV... --CBS is [moving forward]( with The Equalizer. The network on Monday handed out a formal pilot pickup to its reboot of the classic series, which will star Queen Latfiah. --NBCUniversal's streaming service Peacock has[rounded out the cast](of its Saved by the Bell revival. --Ratings: Comedy Central hit a [multi-year ratings high]( with the series premiere of Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens. --Ahead of the Feb. 5 premiere of Fox's newest reality competition series, Lego Masters, the iconic building bricks [are taking over]( the network's studio lot and kicking off an augmented reality experience. --The market for subscription video-on-demand, or SVOD, will nearly triple across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the next five years, growing some $2.1 billion, according to a [newly published study]( by British-based Digital TV Research. [2020 Oscar Nominees Family Photo] 2020 Oscar Nominees Family Photo Oscar nominees luncheon: Kobe remembered, diversity touted and #BongHive represented. THR's awards columnist Scott Feinberg reports from inside the room, where Leonardo DiCaprio, Florence Pugh and Al Pacino learned about the Academy's inclusion initiatives and enjoyed a plant-based meal. [The story](. Also: [The photos](. +Decoding the Oscars best picture race using just math. Over the 92-year history of the Oscars, the top prize has gone to the predictable and the unprecedented, but the numbers behind the winners start to show some interesting patterns, writes data scientist Ben Zauzmer. [The column](. +Oscar nominees luncheon serves completely plant-based menu. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has just announced a collection of moves to make the Oscar season more environmentally friendly. It will serve an entirely plant-based menu at its Oscar Nominees luncheon on Monday. In addition, all food served in the Dolby Theatre lobbies on Feb. 9 prior to the Oscar show itself will be vegan. The Governors Ball, however, will still serve meat this year. [More](. +Lumiere Awards: France's Oscar submission Les Misérables on Monday took top honors at the 2020 Lumiere Awards, often called the Golden Globes of France. The film, which is an Academy Award nominee for best international feature film, won three trophies, including for best film, screenplay and supporting actor for Alexis Manenti, but helmer Ladj Ly lost out to Roman Polanski for the best director prize, as the controversial filmmaker received the Lumiere for his historical drama An Officer and a Spy. [The winners](. +Also: The Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization dedicated to achieving LGBTQ equality, [revealed Monday](that Dan Levy will receive the Visibility Award at the HRC's gala dinner March 28... Why Bong Joon Ho [is making]( an awards season pit stop in Rotterdam... Writer John Musero can [proceed with his lawsuit](alleging his former CAA agent redeveloped his pilot script for Main Justice with another writer client without his knowledge or permission, an L.A. judge has ruled... The mother of "Success Kid" is [threatening to sue]( Rep. Steve King for using her son's meme in his campaign fundraising efforts and claims people may be "repelled" by her son's perceived association with him.... Sinclair Broadcast Group has [settled the lawsuit](stemming from its failed $3.9 billion takeover of Tribune Media, paying Nexstar Media $60 million and a Kentucky TV station... ►Starz shakeup: Nearly a year after CEO Chris Albrecht was forced out amid a power struggle with new owners Lionsgate, programming president Carmi Zlotnik is exiting as the premium cable network's roster of executives left form its previous regime dwindles. [More](. +Revolving door: ICM Partners [has promoted]( six agents to partner: Courtny Catzel, Di Glazer, Shade Grant, Andrea Johnson, Craig Shapiro and Howie Tanenbaum... Ana Gasteyer [will host](the Writers Guild of America West’s 2020 Writers Guild Awards L.A. show... Longtime CBS executive Deborah Barak [will leave the network]( at the end of the year... ►It Happened In Hollywood podcast: Legendary director Peter Bogdanovich stops by the podcast to share stories about the making of 1971's The Last Picture Show. The tale of a small Texas town in the 1950s was nominated for eight Oscars and won two, for supporting turns by Cloris Leachman, now 93, and the late Ben Johnson. [Listen](. ►Samantha Bee's late-night challenge: The TBS host unveiled a new [family leave policy]( for staff at Full Frontal, and challenged the other late night shows to match it. "Sam just implemented 20 weeks paid leave for new moms or primary caregivers! That means it's the best paid leave policy in late night. We challenge the other late night shows to beat it. Seriously! We'll be waiting." What else we're reading... --"‘You’re able to grow audiences much faster’: For some creators, Facebook Watch beats YouTube" [[Digiday](] --"Planters pauses promotion of Mr. Peanut’s Super Bowl funeral after Kobe Bryant dies" [[WSJ](] --"U.S. media polarization and the 2020 election: A nation divided" [[Pew Research Center](] --"The Post's misguided suspension of Felicia Sonmez over Kobe Bryant tweets" [[Washington Post](] Today's birthdays: Alan Alda, 84, Ariel Winter, 22, Bruce Helford, 68, Elijah Wood, 39, Frank Darabont, 61, Rick Ross, 44. 2020 Oscar Nominees Family Photo Oscar nominees luncheon: Kobe remembered, diversity touted and #BongHive represented. THR's awards columnist Scott Feinberg reports from inside the room, where Leonardo DiCaprio, Florence Pugh and Al Pacino learned about the Academy's inclusion initiatives and enjoyed a plant-based meal. [The story](. Also: [The photos](. +Decoding the Oscars best picture race using just math. Over the 92-year history of the Oscars, the top prize has gone to the predictable and the unprecedented, but the numbers behind the winners start to show some interesting patterns, writes data scientist Ben Zauzmer. [The column](. +Oscar nominees luncheon serves completely plant-based menu. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has just announced a collection of moves to make the Oscar season more environmentally friendly. It will serve an entirely plant-based menu at its Oscar Nominees luncheon on Monday. In addition, all food served in the Dolby Theatre lobbies on Feb. 9 prior to the Oscar show itself will be vegan. The Governors Ball, however, will still serve meat this year. [More](. +Lumiere Awards: France's Oscar submission Les Misérables on Monday took top honors at the 2020 Lumiere Awards, often called the Golden Globes of France. The film, which is an Academy Award nominee for best international feature film, won three trophies, including for best film, screenplay and supporting actor for Alexis Manenti, but helmer Ladj Ly lost out to Roman Polanski for the best director prize, as the controversial filmmaker received the Lumiere for his historical drama An Officer and a Spy. [The winners](. +Also: The Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights organization dedicated to achieving LGBTQ equality, [revealed Monday](that Dan Levy will receive the Visibility Award at the HRC's gala dinner March 28... Why Bong Joon Ho [is making]( an awards season pit stop in Rotterdam... Writer John Musero can [proceed with his lawsuit](alleging his former CAA agent redeveloped his pilot script for Main Justice with another writer client without his knowledge or permission, an L.A. judge has ruled... The mother of "Success Kid" is [threatening to sue]( Rep. Steve King for using her son's meme in his campaign fundraising efforts and claims people may be "repelled" by her son's perceived association with him.... Sinclair Broadcast Group has [settled the lawsuit](stemming from its failed $3.9 billion takeover of Tribune Media, paying Nexstar Media $60 million and a Kentucky TV station... ►Starz shakeup: Nearly a year after CEO Chris Albrecht was forced out amid a power struggle with new owners Lionsgate, programming president Carmi Zlotnik is exiting as the premium cable network's roster of executives left form its previous regime dwindles. [More](. +Revolving door: ICM Partners [has promoted]( six agents to partner: Courtny Catzel, Di Glazer, Shade Grant, Andrea Johnson, Craig Shapiro and Howie Tanenbaum... Ana Gasteyer [will host](the Writers Guild of America West’s 2020 Writers Guild Awards L.A. show... Longtime CBS executive Deborah Barak [will leave the network]( at the end of the year... ►It Happened In Hollywood podcast: Legendary director Peter Bogdanovich stops by the podcast to share stories about the making of 1971's The Last Picture Show. The tale of a small Texas town in the 1950s was nominated for eight Oscars and won two, for supporting turns by Cloris Leachman, now 93, and the late Ben Johnson. [Listen](. ►Samantha Bee's late-night challenge: The TBS host unveiled a new [family leave policy]( for staff at Full Frontal, and challenged the other late night shows to match it. "Sam just implemented 20 weeks paid leave for new moms or primary caregivers! That means it's the best paid leave policy in late night. We challenge the other late night shows to beat it. Seriously! We'll be waiting." What else we're reading... --"‘You’re able to grow audiences much faster’: For some creators, Facebook Watch beats YouTube" [[Digiday](] --"Planters pauses promotion of Mr. Peanut’s Super Bowl funeral after Kobe Bryant dies" [[WSJ](] --"U.S. media polarization and the 2020 election: A nation divided" [[Pew Research Center](] --"The Post's misguided suspension of Felicia Sonmez over Kobe Bryant tweets" [[Washington Post](] Today's birthdays: Alan Alda, 84, Ariel Winter, 22, Bruce Helford, 68, Elijah Wood, 39, Frank Darabont, 61, Rick Ross, 44. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2020 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. JANUARY 28, 2020 [UNSUBSCRIBE]( [MANAGE PREFERENCES]( [PRIVACY POLICY]( [TERMS OF USE](