Trump's 'Morning Joe' Obsession; Greta's MSNBC Exit; 'The House' Panned; 'Melrose Place' Secrets

What's news: The President is doubling down on his inexplicable war with an MSNBC morning show. Plus: Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler's The House gets panned, Greta Van Susteren is looking for a new news role and the Melrose Place cast gathers for a nostalgic look back on its 25th anniversary. — Matthew Belloni and Erik Hayden. [The Hollywood Reporter - Today In Entertainment]( June 30, 2017 What's news: The President is doubling down on his inexplicable war with an MSNBC morning show. Plus: Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler's The House gets panned, Greta Van Susteren is looking for a new news role and the Melrose Place cast gathers for a nostalgic look back on its 25th anniversary. — Matthew Belloni and Erik Hayden. 'Morning Joe' Hosts React to Trump Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough delayed their planned vacation and appeared on their show Morning Joe Friday morning to respond to President Trump's shockingly personal attack on them a day earlier, Jeremy Barr writes: "I’m fine," Brzezinski said. "My family brought me up really tough. This is absolutely nothing for me personally. But I am very concerned as to what this once again reveals about the president of the United States." "[We’re OK, the country’s not](," Scarborough said. "Yesterday was just another example of how deeply personal he is. He attacks women because he fears women." Brzezinski also said she's concerned about the larger ramifications of Trump's actions, and what they signify. "He appears to have a fragile, childlike, impetuous ego that we’ve seen over and again, especially with women," she said. "It’s like he can’t take it." [Full video.]( Yet, Trump still tweeted in response: "Watched low rated @Morning_Joe for first time in long time. FAKE NEWS. He called me to stop a National Enquirer article. I said no! Bad show." Elsewhere in TV... ► CBS News President says anchor transition hurt morale. In an employee town hall Thursday, David Rhodes was asked if he thinks the rocky transition has hurt company morale. "I absolutely do. And [I'm concerned about it.](" ► BET Networks names new general manager. In streamlining its leadership, the cabler has named Viacom International exec Michael D. Armstrong to the role. Jeanine Liburd and Donna Blackman also get new executive roles. [Details.]( ► CMT president exits after 16 years. Brian Philips announced his departure in [a memo]( sent to staff Thursday. Subsequently, TV Land general manager Frank Tanki has been tapped to serve the same capacity. ► NBC's Timeless relocates production to California. The show, which had a surprise last-minute renewal after being canceled earlier this year, is now moving from Vancouver. It has been approved for [$9.9M]( in state tax credits. ^MSNBC parts ways with Greta Van Susteren. The former Fox News host, who was hired in January, will be replaced by Ari Melber during the 6 p.m. hour. Across cable news in the latest quarter, For the Record ranked a [lackluster]( 39 among all shows + "If anyone from a news organization calls, I will listen ... otherwise will look to other projects," Van Susteren tweeted. + "Greta is a well-regarded television veteran and one of only a few broadcasters who can say they’ve hosted shows at all three major cable news networks. We are grateful to her and wish her the best," MSNBC president Phil Griffin said in [a memo](. ► NBC renews Jennifer Lopez's World of Dance. The summer reality competition, the most successful reality competition launch in quite some time, has been renewed for a second season. Current ratings have it averaging [11M](viewers. ► Netflix plans two-hour Sense 8 finale. A finale episode is in the works for the canceled series, co-creator Lana Wachowski wrote in [a letter]( to fans: "Improbably, unforeseeably, your love has brought Sense8 back to life." The special will release next year. ► Instagram's video push draws digital creators. According to the company, the number of videos produced each day on the app has grown [four times]( in the last year, and time spent watching video on the platform is up more than 80 percent year over year. ► Amazon nabs Comrade Detective. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Channing Tatum [are behind]( the Romanian cop show spoof, which has landed at the streamer for an early August premiere. ► AXN enlists Jerry O'Connell for detective drama. The veteran actor is set [to star]( opposite Sydney Tamiia Poitier the straight-to-series drama Carter, which has been picked up for 10 episodes. Bachelor in Paradise star won't return. Corinne Olympios has ended her personal investigation into what happened on the set of the show that led to a misconduct allegation, and despite being satisfied with the results, she says she declined an invitation to [return to the series.]( 'The House' Gets Panned A Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler studio comedy is out this weekend? Yep, but things are looking grim for Warner Bros.' The House. From John DeFore's [review:]( Having penned two surprisingly funny parents-gone-wild hits with writing partner Brendan O'Brien (Neighbors and its sequel), Andrew Jay Cohen makes his directing debut with this variation on the theme. But the third time is anything but charmed for this luckless effort, which is unlikely to return even close to what producers expected when they teamed Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler with the successful screenwriters. It's telling that Warner Bros. is sneaking this release out sans critics' screenings despite its well-liked stars: This House will likely collapse under its word-of-mouth burden. + Early takes: [The Guardian:]( "comic talents of Ferrell and Poehler are wasted." [NYDN:]( "isn’t an absolute disaster."[IGN:]( "not hugely memorable, but it's still great fun." Current Rotten Tomatoes score: 17 percent. Elsewhere in film... ► Cinedigm sells majority stake for $40M. In the latest China-Hollywood tie-up, Cinedigm has agreed [to sell]( majority equity ownership to Bison Capital, a Hong Kong-based investor in film and TV production. ► Netflix's Okja opens in South Korea during exhibitor boycott. The Bong Joon Ho film showed on less than 100 screens but enjoyed [sold-out]( showings. Major cinemas refused to show the film over Netflix's policy of no hold-back time. ► Alice Braga joins one X-Men spinoff as Rosario Dawson exits ... The actress, who stars in USA's Queen of the South, is [stepping]( into the role initially inhabited by Dawson, who has exited the Fox studio project. The reason for the departure is unclear. ► ... Evan Peters returning as Quicksilver in X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The actor, who played the breakout character in Days of Future Past and Apocalypse, is [reprising]( his role. The film is beginning production in Montreal this week. ^Life after Hollywood: Disney Studios chief to family vineyards owner. "I was 'been there done that,'" says Rich Frank of leaving Hollywood behind in 1994 to focus on his family business after helping launch hits like Pretty Woman. [His story.]( ► Dunkirk breakout lands next major role. Fionn Whitehead, the rising British actor whose big screen debut lands next month as the lead in Christopher Nolan's WWII epic, is set [to star]( in Caravan, the next project from Sebastian Schipper. ► Ron Howard starts work on Han Solo spinoff. The director officially began working on the Star Wars Han Solo stand-alone on Thursday. And to commemorate the moment, he trolled a little on Twitter with [a "set" photo](. ► Justine Skye, Seann William Scott join Green Dolphin. The duo have been cast in the coming-of-age road movie, written and directed by Chris Kenneally and exec produced by Keanu Reeves. Production will [begin]( in July. ► Academy elects Whoopi Goldberg to board of governors. In addition to the actress being elected, 10 of the 17 seats that were up for grabs were won by individuals who have never previously served on the board; 21 of the board's 54 seats now will be held by women. [Full list.]( New! "Why the Academy got it right with invites this year." Stephen Galloway's column: "cutting a new course through a thicket spiky with thorns can’t help but draw blood. This is what the Academy is trying to do — find a way forward. Like it or not, it must embrace the future or risk being swallowed [up by the past.](" 'Melrose Place' Turns 25 Friday's fun read: The creator and cast of Melrose Place, including Darren Star, Grant Show, Heather Locklear, Marcia Cross and more, tell all as the Beverly Hills, 90210, spinoff celebrates a quarter century. Show: "[If there was a shark, we were jumping it.](" What else we're reading... — "MTV News: the good, the bad, and the contradictions." Jordan Sargent's in-depth back story: "with a celebrated new staff departed or laid off, an experiment in the power of longform journalism is dead." [[Spin](] — "An upgrade that cuts commercials." John Koblin on AMC's idea: "to appeal to fans of its biggest shows, the network is teaming up with Comcast to offer a $4.99-a-month option that lets viewers watch without interruption." [[The New York Times](] — "Will Ferrell needs to be weird again." David Sims writes: "Films like The House, which cast the actor as a frustrated suburban everyman, are a waste of his unique comic talents." [[The Atlantic](] — "The future of Spider-Man rests with indie director Jon Watts." Jen Yamato profiles the helmer, who "had a background in music videos, commercials and comedy with episodes of the Onion News Network." [[The Los Angeles Times](] — "Did you catch the translation Joke in Okja?" E. Alex Jung notes: "there’s another joke buried in the subtitles, a little gem reserved for that special group of people who can speak both Korean and English." [[Vulture](] — "What Hollywood insiders are doing on summer vacation." A running list of which execs and power players are going on vacation where, including island hopping and touring Europe. [Full tally.]( Today's Birthdays: Michael Phelps, 31, Lizzy Caplan, 35, Tony Rock, 43, Molly Parker, 45, Monica Potter, 46, Mike Tyson, 51, Vincent D'Onofrio, 58. Follow The News Is this email 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 30, 2017