Kevin Hart and the MDA Look For a Reboot; Two Networks, Two Universes; Clooney Tackling 'Calico Joe'

[The Hollywood Reporter]( Today In Entertainment OCTOBER 16, 2020 What's news: NBC and ABC's town halls took place in different universes, how Kevin Hart hopes to reboot the MDA telethon, George Clooney tackling Calico Joe, C-SPAN places political editor Steve Scully on leave, Tony Award noms, Ryan Seacrest talks Live! and Idol. Plus: More executive shakeups at NBCU and Netflix, the pandemic impacts more TV shows. --Alex Weprin [Two Networks, Two Different Worlds] Two Networks, Two Different Worlds ➤NBC and ABC felt like two parallel universes last night. On ABC, George Stephanopoulos and members of the audience asked serious questions of former Vice President Joe Biden, who typically gave long, substantive answers. On NBC, Savannah Guthrue began by [grilling President Trump]( on everything from masks and Qanon to his retweets ("You're the president — you're not, like, someone's crazy uncle who can just retweet whatever," Guthrie said at one point), and Trump remained combative during audience questions. --Only Guthrie acknowledged the dueling town halls, [telling viewers]( "We want to say right off the top this is not how things were supposed to go tonight... This was supposed to be a town hall debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, but after the president contracted COVID, the debate Commission announced that it would have to be a virtual debate because of health concerns," she added. acknowledging ABC's Biden town hall. "So the two candidates go head to head tonight, though not face to face, each in a key battleground states tonight." Meanwhile, the Trump and Biden campaigns had their own responses to the dueling debates --Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said “Even though the commission canceled the in-person debate that could have happened tonight, one occurred anyway, and President Trump soundly defeated NBC’s Savannah Guthrie in her role as debate opponent and Joe Biden surrogate. President Trump masterfully handled Guthrie’s attacks and interacted warmly and effectively with the voters in the room." --Biden communcations director Kate Bedingfield said "Joe Biden gave thoughtful answers to voters' questions about COVID-19, taxes, racial equity, climate change, and more. And even after the town hall ended, Biden stuck around to discuss more about the challenges they face, and what he’ll do as President... President Trump was once again weak and angry. He’s losing, and he’s desperate." +Meanwhile, Steve Scully, the C-SPAN political editor who was supposed to have moderated tonight's debate, has been suspended. The cable channel suspended Scully for falsely claiming his Twitter account was hacked after he sent an errant message to former Trump comms chief Anthony Scaramucci. "These were both errors in judgement for which I am totally responsible," Scully said Thursday. "I apologize." C-SPAN says it expects Scully to return after his leave. [More](. +CBS News will host election night coverage from ViacomCBS' Times Square headquarters. The network has also tapped former CNN D.C. bureau chief David Bohrman to be executive producer of its coverage, which will be led by Norah O'Donnell, Gayle King, John Dickerson, and Margaret Brennan. [The story](. [The MDA And Its Telethon Turn To Kevin Hart] The MDA And Its Telethon Turn To Kevin Hart ➤Kevin Hart aims to reboot the MDA Telethon (and his hosting career). In need of a boost, the Muscular Dystrophy Association taps the comedian, who resigned as 2018's Oscar host after offensive tweets resurfaced, to reinvent the star-studded fundraiser long emceed by Jerry Lewis. Gary Baum writes about what it means for non-profit...and for the comedian. [The story](. ➤Tony Award nominations: Broadway may still be shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic, but Thursday morning the Broadway League and American Theatre Wing announced the nominees for the 2020 Tony Awards. The nominations were revealed on the Tony Awards' YouTube channel by James Monroe Iglehart. --Jagged Little Pill, the musical based on Alanis Morissette's beloved 1995 album of the same name, scored a leading 15 nominations, followed by fourteen nods for Moulin Rouge! The Musical and 12 nominations each for Slave Play and Tina — The Tina Turner Musical. The Inheritance landed 11 nominations, with A Christmas Carol, Betrayal, Sea Wall/A Life and Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune among other prominent shows landing multiple nominations. [The full list of nominees](. ➤George Clooney and Grant Heslov have teamed up Bob Dylan to adapt John Grisham’s baseball-themed novel, Calico Joe. Clooney is attached to direct the feature and will produce with Heslov via the duo’s Smokehouse Pictures banner. Dylan is producing under his Grey Water Mark Productions. The novel, published in 2012, is described as a “moving story about fathers and sons, forgiveness and redemption, set in the world of Major League Baseball." [The story](. +In other film news: Cole Hauser, who stars alongside Kevin Costner in Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, will topline Panama, an action thriller to be directed by Mark Neveldine. Mel Gibson has nabbed a supporting role in the thriller which will shoot in Puerto Rico in December. The script, by Daniel Adams and William R. Barber, follows a rugged and decorated ex-marine (Hauser) who is sent undercover by his former commander (Gibson) to execute a high-value deal with untrustworthy adversaries. [More](. +How Laura Dern’s Jaywalker Pictures got Pete Souza in front of the camera. The actress and her producing partner, Jayme Lemons, backed The Way I See It, a documentary on the former White House photographer, to showcase "what we want to keep in mind when we vote." [The story](. ➤There's another shake-up at NBCUniversal. NBC International Studios president Jeff Wachtel is out after a nearly 20-year run. Sources say there were discussions over concerns that were raised regarding respect in the workplace that prompted his immediate exit from the company. A search is under way for a replacement. [More](. +Another high-ranking executive is out at Netflix. Head of comedy Jane Wiseman has departed the streamer. Wiseman, who had served as vp originals at Netflix, had been with the company for six years. [More](. +Revolving door: Studio71 [has appointed]( Adam Boorstin and Matt Crowley as co-CEOs. They succeed co-founder and CEO Reza Izad, who is assuming the role of Studio71 chairman. The changes will go into effect on Nov. 1... Soledad O'Brien will be given the 2020 Frank Stanton Award for Excellence in Communication by the Center for Communication in a virtual event Dec. 9... [Seacrest, In] Seacrest, In ➤Ryan Seacrest on Live's hot start, American Idol plans. Seacrest spoke with THR's Rick Porter about returning to the (socially-dstanced) Live studio, restarting his coast-to-coast American Idol travel schedule and the end of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, which he executive produces, among other things. --"As far as I know today, the way it stands is [American Idol will be] back in a studio with safety protocols, on a set that's a big scale set, most likely without an audience. Hopefully we can stay in a world and a place where we can execute that plan. I think the audience wants to see it look like a big show." [The interview](. +Issues stemming from the pandemic has sunk another show. Americanah, the planned limited series starring Lupita Nyong'o and from showrunner and actress Danai Gurira, is no longer moving forward at HBO Max. Sources say Nyong'o had to drop out of the series after running into a scheduling conflict. [The story](. +The Last O.G. is coming back to TBS with a few major changes. The WarnerMedia-backed basic-cable network has renewed its comedy series starring Tracy Morgan for a fourth season. Co-star Tiffany Haddish is also exiting the series after a three-season run, sources say. The in-demand actress does not currently have a contract for season four and is not expected to return. TBS declined comment on Haddish's status, but the actress and comedian is not name-checked in the Thursday press release announcing the show's renewal. [More](. In other TV news... +Pearlena Igbokwe's purview is expanding. The newly installed chairman of NBCUniversal's Content Studios is adding oversight of Toby Gorman's Universal Television Alternative Studios team. Ousted NBC alternative boss Meredith Ahr previously oversaw UTAS, which was behind hits including NBC's The Titan Games. Igbokwe made the announcement in a memo to staff Thursday. [More](. +Emma Roberts is sinking her teeth into a vampire drama at Netflix. The American Horror Story regular's Belletrist Productions has landed a series order for First Kill, based on a short story by best-selling author Victoria "V.E." Schwab. Belletrist won rights to the story in a highly competitive situation, outbidding multiple other parties. [More](. +Award-winning children's programming creator Chris Nee is unveiling her first slate of Netflix originals. The Peabody-, Emmy- and Humanitas-winning creator of Doc McStuffins and Vampirina has set three new animated preschool series for the streamer, bringing her number of originals at her new home to four. Of the three new shows, Nee created one of them (action series Ridley Jones) and is spotlighting new voices for the other two (Spirit Rangers and Dino Daycare). [More](. +Also: Showtime on Thursday [handed out a third-season renewal]( for its dark comedy Black Monday starring Don Cheadle... Epix has greenlit a series called Bridge and Tunnel from the writer-director Edward Burns... Blumhouse TV is developing both a scripted drama and an unscripted series [about the Detroit Youth Choir](... Two dramas that are about to premiere on HBO Europe, part of AT&T's WarnerMedia, [will next year make their way]( to HBO and streaming service HBO Max in the U.S., the company said on Friday... ➤More than 270 Latinx TV and film writers, showrunners and creators have penned an open letter that calls for more action on inclusivity and representation in the industry. The letter, whose signatories include Gloria Calderón-Kellett (One Day at a Time), Tanya Saracho (Vida), Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Leguizamo and Pose creator Steven Canals, demands action on hiring and promoting Latinx writers and producers. "Inclusivity is not enough," they write. [The story](. ➤"Superheroes are inherently MAGA": The Boys boss on his zeitgeisty hit. THR's Seth Abramovitch caught up with the show's creator, Eric Kripke (also creator of the long-running CW hit Supernatural), to explore the show's anti-fascist underpinnings, its jabs at Hollywood cults like Scientology and NXIVM and why Marvel movies led to a leader like Donald Trump. [The interview](. ➤FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will "clarify" Section 230 protections. The timing of Pai's announcement, with just weeks to go before the election and early voting already underway, sparked immediate backlash — with one of his own commissioners saying, "The FCC has no business being the President’s speech police," [Ashley Cullins reports](. ➤Netflix earnings preview: Financial observers, on average, expect a subscriber gain of around 3.6 million worldwide for the latest period, per Goldman Sachs, Georg Szalai reports. [The story](. Casting roundup: Kim Kardashian West, Dax Shepherd and Yara Shahidi [have joined]( the voice cast for Paw Patrol, the upcoming Paramount Pictures feature based on the hit preschool television series about rescue dogs on Nickelodeon... Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins and Rhys Ifans [have joined]( Mark Rylance in the comedy-drama The Fantastic Flitcrofts from director Craig Roberts... TV reviews: Inkoo Kang reviews Netflix's Grand Army, writing that "the series’ biggest letdown is its sludgy, soporific pacing, which robs many of the storylines of their urgency." [The review](. +Daniel Fienberg reviews HBO Max's A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, writing that "I might have wanted to see a smidge less cheating and redecorating of set between stages, but [Thomas] Schlamme generally executed the episode with a high level of theatricality." [The review](. In other news... --Disney+ subscribers selecting Peter Pan or The Aristocats for viewing [will now be met]( with new content advisories likely to get their notice: "This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures." --California state officials [visited the Disneyland Resort]( and Universal Studios Hollywood this week as Gov. Gavin Newsom mulls issuing guidelines to allow the major theme parks to reopen. --Cinema tech developer Christie [has been issued a U.S. patent]( that could enable exhibitors to stream movies directly from their cinemas to customers' homes, potentially giving struggling theater owners a way to supplement their businesses while the pandemic has caused many cinemas to remained closed. --Twitch will [host a live homepage takeover]( event titled Unfinished Business: Race and Equity in America this weekend. The Amazon-owned platform has partnered with former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, media company ATTN, the University of Southern California and Reverend Al Sharpton for the summit event. --Adam Rehmeier's Dinner in America comedy [has picked up]( the audience award at the inaugural NIGHTSTREAM collaborative film event. --DOC NYC, the documentary film festival set to run Nov. 11-19 in New York City,[has unveiled]( its virtual 2020 edition lineup. What else we're reading... --"YouTube becomes latest tech giant to curb Qanon" [[WSJ](] --"Trump town hall sparks behind-the-scenes fury at NBC" [[Politico](] --"How ice Cube ended up advising the Trump campaign" [[Vanity Fair](] --"Your local bookstore wants you to know it's struggling" [[NY Times](] Today's birthdays: Angela Lansbury, 95, Tim Robbins, 62, John Mayer, 43, Suzanne Somers, 74, Flea, 58. [Image] [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn]( Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? 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