General
Garth Brooks to Perform at Biden Inauguration: “This Is a Statement of Unity”
Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter
Country music icon Garth Brooks will perform at President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ inauguration on Wednesday. The Presidential Inaugural Committee revealed the Brooks performance in a press conference Monday.
How the Recording Academy and Its Industry Allies Scored Big Wins in the Pandemic Relief Bill
Chris Eggertsen, Billboard
After months of partisan bickering over a follow-up to the CARES Act, U.S. lawmakers reached a deal on a $900 billion pandemic relief package (included as part of a $2.3 trillion catchall spending bill) on Dec. 22.
The Future of Live Events Could Look Like Friends
Lucas Shaw, Bloomberg
In early 2020, Jonathan Mayers and his three partners at concert promoter Superfly made a well-timed sale of their stake in Bonnaroo, the Tennessee music festival they’d founded in 2002.
Disneyland killed its annual pass program. Why, and what comes next?
Hugo Martín and Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times
When the Disneyland annual pass debuted in 1984, it sold for only $65. Things were different then: Splash Mountain didn’t exist yet.
Film
Open Road’s Liam Neeson Pic ‘The Marksman’ Takes $3.7M At MLK Weekend Box Office
Anthony D’Alessandro, Deadline Hollywood
In a continuing pandemic marketplace such as this, with 57% of all movie theaters still closed, whether you’re a distributor or an exhibitor, you have to be thankful for any amount of money you can get your hands on.
Your Movie Is About to Be…Delayed, Again
Erich Schwartzel, The Wall Street Journal
When it comes to the movie release calendar, Hollywood studios are stuck in a “Groundhog Day” routine of delays.
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Release Date Moves Ahead Two Months
Rebecca Rubin, Variety
While nearly every movie has been delayed in wake of the pandemic, Warner Bros. has taken the unusual step of releasing “Godzilla vs. Kong” two months earlier than expected.
Movie Theaters ‘Aren’t Going Anywhere’ But Must Evolve
Tien Tzuo, The Wrap Pro
When Warner Bros. announced that its slate of 2021 movies would all be released on HBO Max the same day they hit theaters, Hollywood flipped out and declared the death of cinema.
Will Oscars’ new inclusion standards have an impact? The consensus is … maybe?
Randee Dawn, Los Angeles Times
When Radha Blank, writer-director and star of “The Forty-Year-Old Version,” arrived in Hollywood to work in the writers room of “The Get Down,” a friend advised: Don’t take off your head scarf.
Pixar’s ‘Soul’ Has a Black Hero. In Denmark, a White Actor Dubs the Voice.
Lisa Abend, The New York Times
Like most of their counterparts around the world, Danish film critics initially greeted “Soul,” Pixar’s first animated feature to focus on Black characters and African-American culture, with rapture, hailing its sensitive, joyful portrayal of a jazz musician on a quest to live a meaningful life.
Inside the Release Strategy for Searchlight’s ‘Nomadland’: Hulu, IMAX, and Oscars
Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire
In the uncharted territory that is the 2021 Best Picture Oscar race, Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” may be the current front runner.
Television
Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott’s Job Is in Jeopardy, Insiders Say
Lachlan Cartwright et al., The Daily Beast
Amid ongoing ratings struggles, Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott and President Jay Wallace are fighting for their jobs as their boss Rupert Murdoch has swooped in to take a more hands-on role at the network in recent days, multiple network insiders told The Daily Beast.
Fox News launches new opinion show with Bartiromo, Gowdy and Pavlich among the hosts
Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times
Fox News has lined up six rotating hosts for its new 7 p.m. opinion program aimed at feeding the appetite of conservative viewers in the hour.
From Ad Loads to Upfronts, the TV Industry Braces for Another Wild Ride in 2021
Jason Lynch, Adweek
As 2020 began, the television industry was focused on launching new streaming services to keep pace with Netflix while simultaneously trying to stop audiences from abandoning linear TV.
Could TV writers help curb the pandemic? This group thinks so
Anousha Sakoui, Los Angeles Times
Neal Baer has experience changing audiences’ opinions. The pediatrician turned TV writer wove public health storylines into shows like “ER” as part of a campaign to popularize the use of designated drivers to reduce drunk driving.
Late-Night Laughs: Inside The Ratings Battle Among Colbert, Kimmel & Fallon
Peter White, Deadline Hollywood
The first night that The Late Show with Stephen Colbert beat The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in total viewers after his opening night, the bespectacled host sprung for pizza for his crew.
Technology and New Media
How fast do you cancel streaming services? It’s a problem for Hollywood
Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times
Say you sign up for HBO Max to watch “The Flight Attendant.” The eight-episode season concludes, and you browse for your next binge-viewing fix.
Samsung’s Peacock Standoff with NBCUniversal Shows Power of TV Makers
Jessica Toonkel, The Information
As streaming TV becomes the default viewing option for Americans, the makers of streaming devices are taking the place of cable operators as gatekeepers, deciding what streaming services will be available to viewers.
Netflix Partners with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi for Three Projects Based on His Books
Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter
Historian Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s writings on antiracism rose to mainstream prominence last summer amid a widespread social reawakening about continued racial injustice in the nation, with four of his books landing on the New York Times bestseller list.
WandaVision Ushers In Streaming’s Franchise-Dominated Future
Kelsey Sutton, Adweek
A month before Disney+ was officially unveiled, a message for Marvel fans trickled out: Get ready to pay if you want to understand what’s happening in future movies.
Apple is once again extending TV+ free trials
Igor Bonifacic, Engadget
Apple will once again give some of its customers a few extra months of TV+. Since 2019, the company has offered a free one-year trial of the service with the purchase of a new device.
US consumers spent record amounts on video games in 2020, NPD reports
Jon Porter, The Verge
Spending on video games set a new record of $56.9 billion in 2020 in the US, according to a new NPD Group report, a 27 percent increase compared to 2019.
‘Selena: The Series’: Netflix Reveals Viewing Data For Latin Original Ahead Of Part 2
Peter White, Deadline Hollywood
Selena: The Series is the latest Netflix series to get the ratings treatment. The Selena Quintanilla drama was watched by 25M households around the world in the first 28 days after its December debut.
How Foreign Streamers Could Save a Canadian Industry on the Brink
Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter
Canadian TV producer Gordon Loverin recently opened an email from Netflix after pitching the American streaming giant on Kanata, a fantasy sci-fi series about First Nation explorers landing on the shores of Europe in 1492 to save their people from extinction.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
After the Resistance, What’s Next for the Crooked Media Podcasting Empire?
Natalie Jarvey, The Hollywood Reporter
The hosts of Pod Save America had planned to use their Jan. 7 show to talk about the Senate wins that the Democratic Party had just pulled off in the Georgia runoff election.
Fox Settled a Lawsuit Over Its Lies. But It Insisted on One Unusual Condition.
Ben Smith, The New York Times
On Oct. 12, 2020, Fox News agreed to pay millions of dollars to the family of a murdered Democratic National Committee staff member, implicitly acknowledging what saner minds knew long ago: that the network had repeatedly hyped a false claim that the young staff member, Seth Rich, was involved in leaking D.N.C. emails during the 2016 presidential campaign.
How to Make a Movie About the Covid-19 Pandemic During the Pandemic
John Jurgensen, The Wall Street Journal
At Hollywood’s normal pace, it could take years to set up a movie about a jewel heist starring two Oscar-level actors. “Locked Down,” featuring Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor, was written, shot and wrapped in a few months—mostly because the cast and crew had nothing else to do during the pandemic that froze their industry.
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