Hollywood Execs to Stay Away From Academy Museum Gala; AI Tech Goes Mainstream; THR's Top 25 New York Entertainment Attorneys; 'Lessons in Chemistry' Review

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( September 29, 2023 What's news: Netflix has mailed out its last ever DVD. Outfest Festival has fired 5 staffers. HBO's The Janes won the best doc prize at the News and Documentary Emmys. AMC+ has launched a cheaper ad-tier. Amy Israel has left Showtime. Ashley Brucks has been named president of Screen Gems. — [Abid Rahman]( Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at [tips@thr.com](. Dianne Feinstein 1933 - 2023 ►A fierce debater who did not suffer fools. Dianne Feinstein, a centrist Democrat from California who was elected to the Senate in 1992 in the “Year of the Woman” and broke gender barriers throughout her long career in local and national politics, has died. She was 90. Feinstein was a passionate advocate for liberal priorities important to her state — including environmental protection, reproductive rights and gun control — but was also known as a pragmatic lawmaker who reached out to Republicans and sought middle ground. [The obituary.]( Academy Museum Gala: Execs to Stay Away Amid Strike ►Optics. The Academy Museum Gala, the annual Met Gala-like fundraiser that raises millions of dollars, usually attracts Hollywood’s highest-profile executives and stars, who often sit together at $250,000 tables ($25,000 per seat) paid for by studios. Sources tell THR's Scott Feinberg that Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, the chair of the Academy Museum's board of trustees, rallied his fellow studio execs to bow out of attending this year's event on Oct. 14. [The story.]( —Omnishambles. THR's [Chris Gardner]( reports that Los Angeles LGBTQ film festival Outfest is facing turbulent times as executive director Damien Navarro is stepping aside for a “minimum” 45-day leave of absence. Separately, five staffers were notified Thursday that they have been laid off, effective Friday. The staffers were part of a larger coalition of 12 Outfest employees who had notified Navarro and Outfest board members of an intention to unionize following a majority vote in partnership with the Communications Workers of America Local 9003. [The story.]( —"It was an embarrassing oversight for which I’m incredibly sorry." Patrick J. Adams took to social media to apologize for sharing Suits throwback photos amid the ongoing actors strike. Earlier this week, the actor, who played Mike Ross, was reminiscing on his time in the legal drama by sharing photos with several of his former co-stars, including Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, Gabriel Macht, Rick Hoffman and more. Adams has since deleted the posts and issued an apology on Instagram. [The story.]( —🏆 Big night for HBO! 🏆 HBO Max’s The Janes was among the top winners at the 44th annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, with the film — centered on a pre-Roe v. Wade abortion network in Chicago — taking home best documentary as well as best social issue documentary. In addition to winning best doc with The Janes, HBO Max led the night’s wins with a total of six. [The winners.]( —"In 1998, we delivered our first DVD. This morning, we shipped our last." Netflix has mailed out its last red DVD envelope. The streaming giant on Friday published a blog post commemorating its legacy DVD-by-mail business, which will end its operations today. The first DVD it shipped in 1998 was a copy of Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice. No word yet on what the final disc it mailed out was. [The story.]( AI Tech Is Now Mainstream. What Could Go Wrong? ►"These tools can make it easier for bad actors to be able to do things on platforms like YouTube and really kind of everywhere." As YouTube, Meta and Getty Images empower creators with new tools, THR's [Alex Weprin]( and [Winston Cho]( write that courts are wrestling with whether training AI systems on copyrighted works violates IP laws. [The analysis.]( —What's a subscriber? Alex Weprin writes that the WGA deal makes the question of what counts as a subscriber even more important as bundled offerings like Amazon Prime and Apple One complicate an issue with critical importance to the union's new streaming success metric. In some cases, such as Netflix and Disney+, the question of who counts as a subscriber is pretty straightforward. But some companies, perhaps most notably Apple TV+, keep their subscriber numbers close to the vest. [The analysis.]( —Hijacking IP claim. Evil Genius Games is suing Netflix for allegedly claiming a confidentiality breach in a contract to develop a video game based on Zach Snyder’s upcoming Rebel Moon as pretext to steal ideas and concepts created for the space opera franchise. Netflix was accused in a lawsuit of terminating “without any legitimate basis” a licensing agreement with Evil Genius in a “bad faith attempt” to hijack intellectual property by asserting ownership over parts of the project to use in the movie. [The story.]( —The deets. AMC Networks has released details and pricing for the ad-supported tier of its AMC+ streaming service. The new, cheaper tier of AMC+ is launching at a $4.99 per month price point (the ad-free tier costs $8.99 per month). It will initially be available on AMC’s own direct-to-consumer platforms and apps, and will expand to third-party platforms in the coming weeks. The new tier will include access to Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited. [The story.]( —Welcome to hell. Amazon Prime Video has ordered two seasons of Hazbin Hotel, a series based on a 2019 animated pilot of the same name by Vivienne Medrano. A24 is producing the series, with Fox’s Bento Box Entertainment handling the animation. The show centers on Charlie, the princess of Hell, and her mission of rehabilitating demons as a means of peacefully reducing overpopulation in the realm. The first season is set to premiere in January. [The story.]( —Preschool blitz. Netflix has ordered more episodes of Gabby’s Dollhouse and announced three preschool series set in the worlds of Hot Wheels, The Wizard of Oz and Universal’s classic monsters. Leaning heavily into established screen IP, the streamer will debut Hot Wheels Let’s Race, Dee & Friends in Oz and Mighty MonsterWheelies in 2024. [The story.]( —Luffy supremacy. Netflix’s One Piece sailed to the top of Nielsen's original streaming series rankings in its first week of release. Suits, meanwhile, maintained its grip on the top of the overall charts. One Piece, a live-action adaptation of the beloved manga and anime, delivered 1.31b minutes of viewing in the U.S. for the week of Aug. 28-Sept. 3 (it premiered on Aug. 31). It ranked first among original series in the weekly rankings, bumping Who Is Erin Carter? (1.02b minutes) from the top spot. [The streaming rankings.]( THR's Top 25 New York Entertainment Attorneys ►The Power Lawyers 2023. In THR’s NYC spotlight, meet the 25 attorneys handling big-ticket catalog deals, navigating AI copyright fights, buying and selling sports teams, and helping clients chase Broadway dreams. [The list.]( —Role transition. Thomas Schumacher, longtime president and producer of Disney Theatrical Group, is stepping down from his role overseeing business operations and will instead focus on the creative elements as chief creative officer. Schumacher, who helped shape DTG into a powerhouse on Broadway and develop productions such as The Lion King, has been at the unit since its inception and has been president since 1999. His two deputies, Andrew Flatt and Anne Quart, will take over his duties, acting as joint executive vice presidents. [The story.]( —Another exec exits. Amy Israel is stepping down from her position as head of scripted programming at Showtime. The news, which was announced internally Thursday via a memo from Chris McCarthy and Nina Diaz, follows the February departures of Gary Levine and Jana Winograde from their top roles at the premium cabler. (Levine remains an adviser.) Israel is leaving the role effective today, but will remain on in an advisory role through year’s end. It’s unclear if she will be replaced. [The story.]( —Shakeup. Banijay Americas is undergoing changes in the C-suite of its unscripted TV business. Christian Sarabia is exiting as president of 51 Minds Entertainment, the producer of Bravo’s Below Deck franchise and Netflix’s Marriage or Mortgage. Sarabia was promoted to president of 51 Minds in 2014, just a few years after it was acquired by Endemol. Julie Pizzi, the president of Bunim/Murray Productions, will add oversight of 51 Minds, and will continue to report to Banijay Americas CEO Ben Samek. [The story.]( —New leader. Ashley Brucks has been named president of Screen Gems, the Sony film division best known for its lower-budgeted genre and comedy fare. The exec, coming in from Paramount where she served as an exec vp at studio label Paramount Players, steps into the shoes worn by Steve Bersch, who stepped down last week and retired after a 16-year stint at Sony Pictures Entertainment. [The story.]( 'No One Will Save You' Director Talks Film's Wild Ending ►"I love horror movies that have a real slap-in-your-face ending." THR's [Brian Davids]( spoke to Brian Duffield about his excellent new Hulu film No One Will Save You. Duffield discusses the global implications of the alien invasion in the film and breaks down the Kaitlyn Dever-led thriller’s monocle-popping finale. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —"We love Benicio, and we’d work with him on anything and everything." Brian also spoke to indie producers Molly Smith and Trent Luckinbill about their new film, the Benicio Del Toro-led crime thriller Reptile. The Black Label Media leaders also discuss the origin story behind their partnerships with French-Canadian directors Villeneuve and the late great Jean-Marc Vallée, and the very real prospect of a Sicario 3. [The interview.]( —"It really truly was a physical experience during the show, not to make a pun; I trained so hard every time every season." Ahead of the SAG-AFTRA strike in July, THR's [Tyler Coates]( spoke to Rose Byrne about the series finale of the Apple TV+ drama Physical. The actress and EP praises co-star Zooey Deschanel, the season-three antagonist, and breaks down how she and creator Annie Weisman figured out the right tone for Sheila's journey to self-discovery. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —"I love to think about who she would be, what she might transform into in the '90s or the aughts." For THR, Brande Victorian spoke to Physical creator Annie Weisman and director Stephanie Laing about the series finale. The duo discuss Sheila's recovery and the character's future. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( —The "perfect show." THR's [Christy Piña]( spoke to Sex Education director Alyssa McClelland who unpacks the final moments of the phenomenally popular Netflix series. McClelland discusses her favorite scene to both watch and shoot, and the key contribution she made to the series finale. Warning: Spoilers! [The interview.]( TV Review: 'Lessons in Chemistry' ►"Imperfect but tasty." THR TV critic [Angie Han]( reviews Apple TV+'s Lessons in Chemistry. Oscar winner Brie Larson stars with Lewis Pullman in an adaptation of Bonnie Garmus' bestselling novel about a scientist turned cooking show host battling the patriarchy in midcentury Los Angeles. [The review.]( Thank Pod It's Friday ► All the latest content from THR's podcast studio. —TV's Top 5. THR's [Lesley Goldberg]( and [Dan Fienberg]( break down the latest TV news. This week's super-sized episode is unsurprisingly another strike special! The WGA strike is over and so that joyous news gets three whole segments, including an interview with Chris Keyser, the co-chair of the WGA’s negotiating committee. Dan and Rolling Stone critic Alan Sepinwall get emotional as they discuss the end of FX/Hulu's excellent Reservation Dogs . And to end things, Dan reviews season three of Max’s Starstruck and Amazon’s Gen V. [Listen here.]( In other news... —TV ratings: [Republican primary debate down, still leads primetime]( —Eric “Airrack” Decker [signs with UTA]( —Oscars: [Singapore selects Anthony Chen’s The Breaking Ice for international feature category]( —L.A.'s [home market stalls amid Hollywood labor disruption]( —The [35 go-to L.A. real estate brokers for Hollywood heavyweights]( What else we're reading... —In a tribute to the late Michael Gambon, Julia Jacobs writes that the legendary stage actor made the movie version of Dumbledore all his own, despite replacing an icon like Richard Harris [[NYT]( —Hector Diaz looks into how wrestler Cassandro (subject of a new biopic starring Gael García Bernal) changed the perception and the role of exoticos in lucha libre [[LAT]( —David Canfield talks to veteran producer Christine Vachon, who may finally get her first Oscar nomination with the movies May December and Past Lives [[VF]( —After Damian Lillard chose the Bucks, Kevin O'Connor wonders what's next for Pat Riley and the Miami Heat [[Ringer]( —Here's your Friday list: "Who’s the hottest villain in Star Wars history?" [[Vulture]( Today... ...in 1998, The WB premiered Felicity during the 9 p.m. hour, kicking off a four-season run. [The original review.]( Today's birthdays: Ian McShane (81), Zibby Allen (43), Halsey (29), Nicolas Winding Refn (53), Chrissy Metz (43), [Robert Webb]( (51), Martin Ferrero (76), Erika Eleniak (54), Zachary Levi (43), Nicholas Galitzine (29), Dale Dickey (62), Sasha Lane (28), Mackenzie Crook (52), Cindy Morgan (69), James Lance (48), Luke Goss (55), Roger Bart (61), Natasha Gregson Wagner (53), Shay Astar (42), Andrew Dice Clay (66), Patricia Hodge (77), Nathan West (45), Preeti Desai (42), Anna Khaja (49), Marco Ilsø (29), Sebastian Lach (48), Isla Blair (79), Anaïs Demoustier (36) This email was sent to {EMAIL} by The Hollywood Reporter. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. 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