• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has set inclusion standards for all films competing for best picture, going into effect for the 2024 Oscars, which will require nominees to meet at least two standards across four categories — “Onscreen Representation, Themes and Narratives,” “Creative Leadership and Project Team,” “Industry Access and Opportunities” and “Audience Development” — that are aimed at increasing on-screen representation of underrepresented groups and the diversity of the off-camera workforce. (Los Angeles Times) 

• WarnerMedia is considering an ad-supported, reduced-price version of HBO Max that would feature up to four minutes of commercials each hour, with ads airing alongside programs from WarnerMedia television networks, HBO Max originals and older films, according to a marketing survey sent to consumers last week, though the plans could change before the launch of the new tier. Executives declined to comment. (Variety) 

• Bela Bajaria has been named head of global television for Netflix Inc., while Cindy Holland, who worked at the company for nearly 20 years and oversaw the development of Netflix’s originals, including “House of Cards,” “Orange is the New Black” and “Stranger Things,” will depart the streaming service next month. The move will place oversight of all television programming under Bajaria in what Ted Sarandos, co-chief executive, called part of an effort to “simplify the way our content teams operate.” (The Wall Street Journal) 

Study: Hollywood casts more light-skinned actors for Chinese market
Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Axios 

An academic study has found that since 2012, when the Chinese government began allowing more foreign films into the country, Hollywood movies have cast more light-skinned actors in starring roles.

New Music Drops Every Minute. But Back-Catalogs Are Driving the Industry’s Transformation
Tim Ingham, Rolling Stone 

There was a telling stat buried within the results of BMG, the recorded music and publishing company with a $670 million-plus annual turnover, last week. According to its German parent Bertelsmann, BMG’s total recorded music streaming revenue in the first half of 2020 was up by 26% year-on-year — an impressively larger percentage jump than that seen at bigger music companies Universal (+12.4%), Sony (+15.6%) or Warner (+9.1%) in the period.

TMZ’s Newsroom Is A Hotbed For Racism, Misogyny, And Verbal Abuse, Ex-Employees Say
Krystie Lee Yandoli, BuzzFeed News

Since its debut in 2005, TMZ has built its brand on not only breaking celebrity news, but also a brash tone that former employees say is consistent with a toxic workplace where the staff regularly endures verbal abuse, misogyny, racism, and other inappropriate behavior.

Cardi B’s Sexy ‘WAP’ Rides Controversy to the Top
Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg 

Atlantic Records Co-Chairman Julie Greenwald knew she had a smash hit the moment she heard Cardi B’s new single “WAP.” She also knew she needed to clean it up for radio.

‘Aquaman’ Star Jason Momoa Posts “#IStandWithRayFisher” Amid Fisher’s ‘Justice League’ Fight With Warner Bros
Anthony D’Alessandro, Deadline Hollywood 

Jason Momoa has waded into the fracas between his Justice League co-star Ray Fisher and Warner Bros., siding with the former today on Instagram, posting “#IStandWithRayFisher.”

Tenet Could Be Chasing Profit at the Movie Theater for Months to Come
Chris Lee, Vulture 

On the heels of months of repeated delays, untold Hollywood hand-wringing, and a Hail Mary foreign-first release scheme, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet finally made its way into domestic theatrical circulation over Labor Day weekend and did … resoundingly okay at the box office. 

‘Tenet’ Had a Tepid Opening Weekend. Will That Drive Other Blockbusters Toward Streaming?
Miles Surrey, The Ringer 

While there have been films that beat it to the big screen (i.e., Unhinged, The New Mutants), Christopher Nolan’s Tenet has long been viewed as the true litmus test for whether audiences would be compelled to return to theaters in 2020. If Tenet performs well, we could be looking at other tentpoles—like Wonder Woman 1984, No Time to Die, and Dune—keeping their current 2020 release dates; if not, well, don’t expect to see another blockbuster until at least 2021. 

As Toronto Film Fest Screenings Go Mask-Optional, Attendees Fear Event Will Be a Coronavirus “Superspreader”
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter 

While the Venice film fest and major U.S. cinema chains have mandated face masks during movie screenings to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the Toronto International Film Festival — which is offering both in-person and virtual screenings — has adopted a more relaxed stance that makes masking up compulsory in its TIFF Bell Lightbox venue, but not “when seated in-cinema.”

‘Watchmen’ star Regina King makes history with Venice Film Festival distinction
Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times 

One night in Venice, Oscar-winning actress Regina King made history. Her feature film directorial debut, “One Night in Miami,” which premiered Monday at the Venice Film Festival, is the first movie directed by an African American woman to be selected in the festival’s history.

‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ Sets Premiere Date & Guest Lineup As Host Says She Will Address Controversy
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood 

The Ellen DeGeneres Show will kick off its Season 18 on Monday, Sep. 21. As previously announced, the daytime talk show will resume filming from the Ellen stage on the Warner Bros. lot without an in-studio audience.

How the Pandemic Transformed What You Will See on TV
John Jurgensen, The Wall Street Journal 

For the major television networks, whose Covid-severed supply lines only recently began to flow again with fresh shows, the fall season is resting on fallback plans. In what is normally broadcasters’ time to shine, they will be working to regain momentum against streaming rivals whose output didn’t dwindle.

‘There wasn’t a huge shift’: TV upfront market did not undergo expected overhaul this year
Tim Peterson, Digiday 

This year did not lead to the seismic shift that the TV upfront market seemed set to undergo in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ To End In 2021 With Season 20
Peter White, Deadline Hollywood 

Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the long-running reality series that has made stars of the likes of Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, is to end next year. The family broke the news in an Instagram post (below).

‘Golden Girls’ recast with Black cast including Tracee Ellis Ross and Regina King
Lisa Respers France, CNN 

“The Golden Girls” is getting an all Black cast for a one night charitable performance. Alfre Woodard, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sanaa Lathan, and Regina King will star in the re-imagining of the hit 1980s comedy series Tuesday for a Zoom Where It Happened virtual watch party.

‘Dancing With The Stars’: The Inside Story Of How ABC’s Competition Format Is Waltzing Through The Pandemic
Peter White, Deadline Hollywood 

Dancing With The Stars is returning to the ballroom next week. However, the long-running ABC competition format, which premieres its 29th season on Monday September 14, will be dancing to a slightly different tune as a result of COVID-19.

Apple doubles down in fight with Fortnite creator Epic Games, seeks damages for breach of contract
Todd Haselton, CNBC 

Apple on Tuesday shot back in its legal battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games, filing a response and counterclaims alleging that the gaming company breached its contract with Apple and seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Netflix still on track to release more originals in 2021 than this year, but production woes are setting in
Julia Alexander, The Verge 

Netflix co-CEO Reed Hastings is still confident that 2021 will see more Netflix originals released than this year, but he is acknowledging that with the pandemic affecting production, especially in the United States, it won’t be as many as previously predicted.

Early Signs Point to ‘Mulan’ Outpacing ‘Hamilton’ on Disney+, Even With Premium Price
Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire 

The newest trend in home viewing: the hot title that seems to come out of nowhere. This week it’s “The 2nd,” which jumped to #1 on the AppleTV and GooglePlay movie rental charts. 

Apple Launches Oprah’s Book Club Podcast
Natalie Jarvey, The Hollywood Reporter 

Apple and Oprah Winfrey have expanded their partnership into podcasting. In its latest move to develop original podcasts tied closely to its content ecosystem, the tech giant on Tuesday released the first episode of Oprah’s Book Club. 

Fortnite Is Launching More Music Concerts. Dominic Fike Is Up First
Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone 

Popular video game Fortnite — where Travis Scott hosted his explosive “Astronomical” concert earlier this year — announced on Tuesday a new series of concerts set to air in-game throughout September. Rapper Dominic Fike is kicking off the event, called Spotlight, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on September 12th, and the video-game company says it will announce more performing artists for the series in the next few weeks.

Coke Wants to Add Life to Streaming Video, Where Soda Commercials Aren’t Necessarily Welcome
Brian Steinberg, Variety 

The Coca-Cola Company has spent decades making soda, iced tea, fruit juice, water and something that may not be as easy to get in front of consumers in days to come: commercials.

‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Drama Reboot Lands at Peacock With Two-Season Order
Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter 

NBCUniversal-owned streamer Peacock has emerged as the winner in the bidding war for the drama reboot of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, handing out a straight-to-series, two-season order for the update from original series star Will Smith.

How Kids’ Videogame Accounts Get Hacked: Advice for Parents
Julie Jargon, The Wall Street Journal 

After his high school switched to remote learning last spring, Luke Martin had a lot of extra time on his hands. He filled his idle hours playing videogames. 

What the end of E!’s ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ says about the changing TV industry
Ryan Faughnder and Wendy Lee, Los Angeles Times 

Since “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” premiered in 2007, the reality show has been a ratings-generating, attention-grabbing stalwart for NBCUniversal’s E! network. That all ends next year when the show concludes its run on the Comcast-owned cable channel after what will be its 20th season.

Why virtual screenings should be a permanent fixture of the film festival experience
Mike D’Angelo, The AV Club

Did you know that the Chinese word for “lockdown” is a combination of two characters that mean, individually, “disrupt” and “rethink”? Probably not, because I just made that up.

TV show to brand? The real power of merchandise
Martin Dunn, The Drum 

Ever wondered how those Stranger Things sweatshirts landed on the Topshop rails, how many Game of Thrones fandom gifts are circulating, or why the printed Love Island water bottles were always pitched to be personalised? Of course, this is no casual coincidence.