Should Bill Maher Be Fired?; Inside Ariana's U.K. Tribute; 'Wonder' Weekend; Megyn's Putin Problem

What's news: Who gets to draw the line on acceptable comedy? Kathy Griffin lost her CNN New Year's hosting job after her tasteless decapitated Trump photo, should Bill Maher be fired or suspended by HBO for using the N-word? Plus: Wonder Woman shatters the superhero glass ceiling, a report from inside the emotional One Love Manchester concert and Dan Aykroyd blasts Ghostbusters director Paul Feig for spending too much. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( June 05, 2017 What's news: Who gets to draw the line on acceptable comedy? Kathy Griffin lost her CNN New Year's hosting job after her tasteless decapitated Trump photo, should Bill Maher be fired or suspended by HBO for using the N-word? Plus: Wonder Woman shatters the superhero glass ceiling, a report from inside the emotional One Love Manchester concert and Dan Aykroyd blasts Ghostbusters director Paul Feig for spending too much. — Matthew Belloni, Erik Hayden and Jennifer Konerman 'Wonder Woman' Saves DC After languishing in development hell for more than a decade, the comic book world's most famous female superhero is finally getting the chance to flex her might on the big screen, Pamela McClintock writes: Over the weekend, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment's Wonder Woman[debuted to $100.5M]( at the North American box office, the top opening ever for a woman director (that being Patty Jenkins). Wonder Woman, starring Gal Gadot in the titular role, becomes only the 16th superhero title to launch to $100M or more domestically, not adjusting for inflation. It is no small feat, considering Wonder Woman isn't a sequel. Plus [the movie skewed female]( (52 percent), while most superhero films rely on 60 percent or more of the audience being male. It is also the first featuring a female heroine to work at the box office after the quick death of both Catwoman and Elektra in the mid-2000s. Earning rapturous reviews and an A CinemaScore from audiences, Wonder Woman is a much-needed critical win for Warners and DC Entertainment, whose Man of Steel (2013) and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) were largely snubbed. Wonder Woman also restores the luster to the early summer box office after the worst Memorial Day weekend in 18 years. Overall weekend revenue was up 33 percent over the same frame last year. "Patty's vision mesmerized the audience. She is a real talent. Clearly, this is a movie that is resonating with moviegoers around the globe," said Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Jeff Goldstein. "I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of Diana on the big screen." [Where the series should go now]( I [Spoilers chat]( I [One thing missing]( I [Oscar talk?]( Elsewhere in film... ► Box office: Wonder Woman soars in China, too. The superhero picture received over 80,000 showings per day and accounted for about 34 percent of China's total screen share for the weekend for a $38M opening.[Full wrap.]( ► What everyone's talking about. Taking aim at director Paul Feig, Dan Aykroyd said Sunday that there will be no sequel to last year’s Ghostbusters reboot because Feig spent too much money shooting the film and that “he will not be back on the Sony lot anytime soon.” [There's more.]( ► Angelina Jolie buys Cecil B. DeMille estate. Per the LA Times: the actress "[closed sale]( on the Cecil B. DeMille estate, a Los Feliz mansion once owned by the early filmmaker, according to real estate sources not authorized to comment on the deal. The sale price was $24.5 million." ► Terry Gilliam finally wraps Don Quixote project. Some 17 years after he first started pre-production, the director [has wrapped](principal photography on The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, a project once so notoriously beleaguered and stuck in near-mythical development hell that a documentary was even made about it. ► Bradley Whitford joins Godzilla sequel. The actor has [closed a deal]( to join the cast of the Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros. sequel. The sequel stars Kyle Chandler with Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown as his family members. ► New Mutants casts newcomer as its lead. Blu Hunt has nabbed the [lead role]( of telepath Danielle Moonstar in Josh Boone’s X-Men spinoff. The Fox movie has been casting up with the roll call including Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams and Charlie Heaton. Rep Sheet Roundup: BWR co-heads of talent Melissa Raubvogel and Nicole Perna, whose clients include Gal Gadot and Jessica Chastain, leave to form Imprint PR. … Tony Robbins signs with WME. … Iconic girl group TLC signs with 42West … American Idol alum Casey James sign with APA … Silence composers Kathryn and Kim Allen Kluge sign with First Artists. [More](. Showrunner Roundtable Arrives Six TV masters — Ryan Murphy, Lisa Joy, David E. Kelley, Ava DuVernay, Noah Hawley and Jenji Kohan — reveal to Lacey Rose the risks and rewards of storytelling without a net. An excerpt from [the full drama showrunner roundtable:]( Collectively, you've explored themes including harassment, rape, murder, racism, misogyny, mental illness, etc. When was the last time you were genuinely nervous to tackle a big subject? JENJI KOHAN "I don't get nervous about that, although we had to take terrorism insurance out …" RYAN MURPHY "Really?" JENJI KOHAN "Yeah, we're developing a teen Jesus project [for Netflix] that got some people nervous. It's like The Wonder Years but with Jesus, and there are all sorts of things where we cross lines — and there are crazies out there. I remember Shonda [Rhimes] telling a story of people camping out outside her house when she killed McDreamy [on Grey's Anatomy]. People get crazy because they bathe in these characters, and they take it personally." DAVID E. KELLEY "The writing [about domestic abuse on Big Little Lies] was upsetting and disturbing. It took a toll on [Nicole Kidman], and it does for the writer as well. You don't live in that and then go whistling home to pick up your Starbucks. But once you've surfaced from the world and the scene itself, you put your producer hat on and ask your confidants for opinions, because you want to make sure that you've treated it responsibly." RYAN MURPHY "In the executive suite, it has changed. If you do a piece of material that doesn't dig into the things you just listed, the executives tell you you're failing, you're not doing enough. Whereas when I started, you couldn't do anything. A gay person trying to write a gay character in 1998 — it was so difficult. There has been a generational shift in people coming up who are more socially [conscious], liberal, more interested in leaning into that. There's an enlightenment going on in every arena of television now." Elsewhere in TV... ► Should HBO keep Bill Maher? The host has come under fire for his use of a racial slur on Friday night's episode of Real Time, when he responded to Sen. Ben Sasse's question, "Would you like to come work in the field with us?" by saying, "Work in the fields? Senator, I am a house n—er." [Bill Maher's apology:]( "Friday nights are always my worst night of sleep because I’m up reflecting on the things I should or shouldn’t have said on my live show. Last night was a particularly long night as I regret the word I used in the banter of a live moment. The word was offensive and I regret saying it and am very sorry." ► Even if Maher stays, his Emmy chances are probably gone. Scott Feinberg writes: This is the [second time]( Maher has said the racial slur on TV. But setting aside a discussion of his use of the word, his timing couldn't have been worse: Emmy nomination voting begins June 12. This year, the category has never been more competitive. ► About HBO's The Leftovers finale last night. Critic Daniel Fienberg writes: Instead of a finale that was all about explanations and settling story, The Leftovers had a series finale that was all about emotional resolution for its two main characters. In that sense, it was an expertly made and appropriate wrap-up for what was always a small, personal story set against the backdrop of a global cataclysm, with locations spanning the country and the planet. And in a show that has leaned on the weird and unsettling to tremendous effect, it was a finale that was as close to straightforward as The Leftovers gets, at least depending on how you viewed what transpired. [Full review.]( ^How did Megyn Kelly's NBC News debut go? The former Fox News star's show debuted with a Putin interview and a familiar mix of hard news, investigative journalism, human interest and fluff. Frank Scheck writes: Considering how closely it resembles its competition, slotting Sunday Night With Megyn Kelly directly opposite CBS’ venerable show seems a bit strange. Yes, its host boasts strong television journalism skills, has a large fanbase and is appealing. But why not take advantage of the high demand for such quality newsmagazine fare by placing it somewhere where a good chunk of its potential viewership is not already spoken for? [Full review.]( Etc... ► Cheddar jumps to TV in Fusion Deal. The online financial news streaming network will now bring its live programming to a cable channel, airing on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Fusion network. It will [premiere]( later this month. ► Kevin Can Wait adds Leah Remini series regular. The King of Queens actress [has joined]( Kevin James' CBS comedy as a series regular for season two, reprising the role she played in the season one finale and reuniting the former TV husband-and-wife. ► Ben Stiller's Showtime limited series adds Paul Dano. [Escape at Dannemora]((previously called Escape at Clinton Correctional), based on the 2015 prison escape in upstate New York, also stars Benecio Del Toro and Patricia Arquette. ► Law and Order: Menendez Murders casts Anthony Edwards. Edwards [will play]( Judge Stanley Weisberg, who presided over the brothers' murder trial, in the eight-episode first installment of the NBC anthology series. Hacker leaks episodes of Steve Harvey's Funderdome. Hacker The Dark Overlord, which leaked episodes from Orange Is the New Black's fifth season, uploaded eight episodes of Harvey's new ABC series on torrent site Pirate Bay. [Details.]( At Ariana's U.K. Tribute At the concert, Billboard's Richard Smirke writes: "Some of the world’s biggest pop stars put on a powerful show of unity in Manchester Sunday night to honor the victims of the terror attacks that have devastated the U.K. over the past two weeks -- and promote a message of peace, love and solidarity." [What it was like at the venue.]( What else we're reading... — "What was Bill Maher’s big mistake?" Wesley Morris writes: the host "overstepped his privilege as a famous comedian. That’s bad. But it’s not a hate crime." [[The New York Times](] — "Rebecca Hall's complicated inheritance." Rebecca Mead's profile: "There was never really any doubt that Rebecca Hall, the child of theatre veterans, would act. These days, she is attempting to expand her artistic horizons." [[The New Yorker](] — "How Carrie Coon quietly became TV's most valuable player of 2017." David Fear's profile: "She's flexed both comic and tragic muscles on Fargo and final season of The Leftovers – and the Midwestern actor is just getting started." [[Rolling Stone](] — "The new ecology of the old-movie scene in L.A." Mark Olsen writes: "The scene around the city for showing older films ... has been recently revitalized, flying in the face of conventional wisdom." [[The Los Angeles Times](] — "How Sofia Coppola’s best director win at Cannes is both historic and disappointing." Jada Yuan writes: "No matter what light you put it in, this honor still just places Coppola in the company of the ten other women directors who have climbed half-way up the mountain of the Cannes’s boys’ club." [[Vulture](] What's ahead this week... Monday: Bill Cosby trial begins in Pennsylvania ... ABC News' $5.7B "pink slime" trial begins in South Dakota ... CFDA Fashion Awards held in N.Y. Tuesday: Time Warner holds annual meeting ... USA hosts Mr. Robot FYC event in L.A. ... Netflix hosts Stranger Things FYC event in L.A. Wednesday: NBC hosts This Is Us FYC event in L.A. ... IMG Models L.A. launch party held. Thursday: AFI holds Life Achievement Award award gala for Diane Keaton in L.A. .... Comcast holds annual shareholder meeting ... Yahoo shareholders vote on Verizon deal ... Annual ATX TV festival kicks off in Austin. Friday: Universal's The Mummy, Bleecker Street's Megan Leavey and A24's It Comes at Night hit theaters in wide release ... Netflix's Orange is the New Black season five arrives at midnight. Today's Birthdays: Amanda Crew, 31, Nick Kroll, 39, Liza Weil, 40, Mark Wahlberg, 46, Ron Livingston, 50, Jeff Garlin, 55, Kathleen Kennedy, 64. Follow The News Is this e-mail not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser.]( ©2017 The Hollywood Reporter. 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036 All rights reserved. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Preferences]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Terms of Use]( June 5, 2017