• Jessie Henderson, former executive vice president of feature films for WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, is set to join Apple Inc.’s entertainment team as the company looks to increase output and produce more than 10-12 movies a year for its Apple TV+ streaming service, according to two people familiar with the situation. Henderson joins Colleen Grogan and Erika Clarke, who were hired last year to oversee non-fiction programming and unscripted content, respectively. (The Information)

• “Godzilla vs. Kong” led the domestic box office for the second weekend in a row, earning $13.4 million to become the highest grossing film of the pandemic era domestically, with a total of $69.5 million. Universal’s “Nobody” and Sony’s “The Unholy” rounded out the top three with respective hauls of $2.6 million and $2.4 million. (Variety)

• Paramount Pictures has delayed the release of several blockbusters, pushing the premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” from July 2 to Nov. 19 and moving “Mission: Impossible 7” from Nov. 19 to May 27, 2022. As part of the shuffle, the G.I. Joe spinoff “Snake Eyes” will move up from Oct. 22 to July 23. (The Hollywood Reporter)

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Chloé Zhao Wins Top DGA Award for ‘Nomadland’

Adam B. Vary, Variety 

Director Chloé Zhao won the top prize at the 73rd annual Directors Guild of America Awards for “Nomadland,” certifying the elegiac exploration of the lives of itinerant workers in the American West as the film to beat at the Academy Awards.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson teases White House run after surprise poll

Mary Kay Linge, New York Post 

Dwayne the swamp! Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson added fresh fuel to his rumored plans for a White House bid with a coy tweet on a poll that found surprising levels of support for the idea.

‘Nomadland’ wins 4 BAFTAs including best picture, director

Jill Lawless, The Associated Press

Gig-economy Western “Nomadland” won four prizes including best picture on Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards, which were handed out during a pandemic-curbed ceremony that recognized a diverse array of screen talent.

China’s box-office dominance was accelerated by the pandemic and it has big implications for Hollywood’s future

Travis Clark, Insider 

China had for several years been projected to dethrone the US as the world’s largest theatrical market. But the coronavirus pandemic accelerated its ascent, and pushed it over the top, as it surpassed North America last year with $2 billion.

‘Godzilla Vs. Kong’ Set To Profit During Pandemic At Global Box Office: Here’s How

Anthony D’Alessandro, Deadline Hollywood 

Here’s something nobody was expecting during the pandemic at the global box office: An event film which is bound to profit.

Arclight Gets an Eviction Notice, Regal Defeated by Landlords: Theater Battles Get Real

Tom Brueggemann, IndieWire 

A three-day eviction notice landed on the front door of ArcLight Cinemas’ Culver City, California location last week. Landmark Theaters in River Oaks closed — Houston’s only dedicated first-run specialized theater. 

‘Hotel Transylvania 4’ Gets Full Title, Moves Up Release Date to July

Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap 

Sony Pictures announced Friday that the final chapter of the “Hotel Transylvania” series will be called “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania,” and its release date will be moved up to July 23.

Wanda Sold $220 Million of AMC Theatres Stock Amid Reddit Surge

Diane Haithman, The Wrap 

Wanda America Entertainment (WAE), the U.S.-based division of China’s Wanda Group, sold 15.6 million shares of AMC Theatre stock for around $220 million amid a stock surge in social news aggregator Reddit, according to a Friday SEC filing.

Under Scrutiny, Nielsen Defends Coronavirus Count of TV Audience

Brian Steinberg, Variety 

The media industry’s go-to authority for measuring audiences acknowledged on Friday that the recent coronavirus pandemic bent its yardstick, but maintained nothing is broken.

Starz Teams With Alliance Of Women Directors To Boost Network’s Representation Of Female Directors

Alexandra Del Rosario, Deadline Hollywood 

Starz has partnered with Alliance of Women Directors to increase the representation of women directors across the network, through its #TakeTheLead initiative.

Why Black Biopics Reign at Lifetime

Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter 

When the idea of making a biopic about Mahalia Jackson first came up, about half the members of Lifetime’s Original Movies group hadn’t heard of the gospel legend and civil rights leader — which, for that team, was a selling point.

Inside the ‘Jeopardy!’ Guest Host Rotation

Claire McNear, The Ringer

When Zach Newkirk arrived at the “Jeopardy!” studio on March 11, 2020, little about the experience dazzled him like getting to meet Alex Trebek, then well into his 36th year as Jeopardy!’s host.

ADL calls on Fox News to fire Tucker Carlson over racist comments about ‘replacement’ theory

Brian Stelter, CNN

The Anti-Defamation League is calling for Fox News to fire Tucker Carlson. “Given his long record of race-baiting, we believe it is time for Carlson to go,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt says.

Kim Godwin to face ‘cutthroat, divisive’ culture at ABC News

Alexandra Steigrad, New York Post 

ABC wants Kim Godwin to run its news operation responsible for shows like “Good Morning America” with George Stephanopoulos and “The View” with Whoopi Goldberg, sources tell The Post.

How the Pandemic Super-Charged Broadcast’s Interest in Women’s Sports

Mollie Cahillane, Adweek 

Lisa Baird became the commissioner of the National Women’s Soccer League on March 10, 2020. Two days later, she suspended the season—and then plotted the league’s careful June return from their quarantine bubble that would end up breaking sports rating records.

Broadcasters Turn to Documentary Series and Factual Shows to Inform, Inspire and Entertain

Leo Barraclough, Variety 

The pandemic has hit the supply of new shows in the factual and documentary space, as it has in the scripted arena, attendees of the virtual edition of TV conference MipTV heard Friday.

How A New Cable Network Dedicated To The Chicago Cubs Is Trying To Gain Fan Loyalty

Mike Juang, Ad Age 

A new cable network dedicated to the Chicago Cubs is tapping into homegrown talent for an ad campaign aimed at all levels of fans of the baseball team.

‘Making the Leap to a Broadcast Model:’ Inside The Independent’s TV Ambitions

Lucinda Southern, Adweek 

The British digital-only news site The Independent is getting into the documentary business.

Netflix Sets Post-Labor Day Return to Office Life

Kali Hays, WWD

Netflix expects its employees to make the return to office work at the start of September. The streaming and entertainment company told employees this week that they should plan to return to working from an office after Labor Day, Sept. 6, after more than a year of working from home, WWD has learned. 

Vox Media to Buy Owner of Preet Bharara’s Podcast

Benjamin Mullin, The Wall Street Journal 

Vox Media said it is acquiring Cafe Studios Inc., publisher of a popular podcast hosted by former Manhattan U.S. attorney Preet Bharara, part of a bid to expand its growing audio business.

Livestreaming report: The sudden rise of sleep streaming; GTA role-playing; Twitch keeps growing

Thomas Wilde, GeekWire

Twitch hit another viewership record last month, buoyed by hot content like watching people sleep and a roleplaying mod for an eight-year-old sandbox game. It’s possible we’ve all finally gone insane.

Clubhouse only has about 35 employees. Meet the 13 executives and earliest employees behind the year-old startup in talks for a $4 billion valuation.

Melia Russell, Insider 

The small but mighty team behind Clubhouse is growing by the day. Clubhouse hit the app store only a year ago and has already been downloaded 15 million times worldwide. 

Chopped 420 Taps Into Cannabis Culinary Trend for Discovery+

T.L. Stanley, Adweek 

Fans of the Food Network’s long-running competition show, “Chopped,” are familiar with its celebrity story arcs. Martha Stewart will drop in for a handful of episodes this month and the show will offer cross-over kitchen battles—can anyone beat Bobby Flay?

When Pandemic Ends, Will Artists Go Back to Pricey In-Person TV Tapings?

Steve Knopper, Billboard 

For much of the past year, Adrian L. Miller has arranged for his clients, including R&B singer-songwriter Mereba and jazzy instrumentalist Cassowary, to perform on squeaky clean private stages with minimal staff and musicians.

How Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ Fared on Streaming Platforms Its First Day Out

Lexi Lane, Variety 

Taylor Swift’s re-recorded version of her 2008 album “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” is finally out today. With the release, many digital streaming platforms are attempting to capitalize on the fans’ attention through charts and curated playlists. 

This musician is calling on Spotify to ditch any plans to track listeners’ emotions

KC Ifeanyi, Fast Company 

Earlier this year, Spotify elicited sheer panic when it was granted a patent for analyzing users’ voices to decipher their emotional state and then make music recommendations to match.

What Spotify Ratifying Ringer & Gimlet Unions Means for Music’s Labor Movement

Steve Knopper, Billboard 

Spotify may have quickly ratified contracts with its employees’ labor unions because, emerging from the pandemic in coming months, the music-streaming giant has “opportunities to make money quickly right now,” says Kate Bronfenbrenner, Cornell University’s director of labor research.