• Movie theaters in New York can increase capacity to 33 percent starting Monday, according to new guidelines from Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cinemas currently operate at 25 percent capacity, a measure New York’s chapter of the National Association of Theater Owners said will not allow some theaters to survive the pandemic. (Deadline Hollywood) 
• Oscar attendees will not be asked to wear face masks during the televised portion of Sunday’s ceremony, according to a Zoom meeting held yesterday with Academy representatives and nominees, though they will be asked to mask up when not on camera. The in-person audience for the show will be capped at 170 people, who will be tested for coronavirus three times prior to the ceremony and subject to temperature checks upon arrival. (Variety)
• BTS is the latest musical act to collaborate with McDonald’s on its Famous Orders campaign, with the fast food chain rolling out the South Korean group’s favorite meal — a 10-piece McNugget meal, medium fries and a medium drink with sweet chili and Cajun dipping sauces that are being sold in the United States for the first time — on May 26. Travis Scott and J Balvin participated in the campaign last year, with Scott’s meal leading to a temporary shortage of Quarter Pounders. (Billboard)

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Former HFPA president faces a backlash over email calling Black Lives Matter a ‘hate movement’

Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times 

An email sent Sunday by a former Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. president criticizing Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors and likening BLM to a hate group touched off a firestorm among many of the organization’s members.

New California Rule Allows 75% Capacity, No Physical Distancing For Indoor Concerts, Sports Events, Theater Performances With Fully-Vaccinated Crowds

Tom Tapp, Deadline Hollywood 

Weeks after it first issued capacity guidelines for indoor live events, California health officials issued an addendum on Monday increasing limits for performances at which all attendees are vaccinated or have tested negative for Covid-19.

March On Broadway Organizers Call For Action From Producer Scott Rudin, Actors’ Equity And The Broadway League

Greg Evans, Deadline Hollywood

The organizers of this week’s March on Broadway: Broadway Fights Back event protesting racism and inequality in the theater industry have released a list of six demands, including calls for action involving stage and film producer Scott Rudin, Actors’ Equity Association and the Broadway League.

MTV Movie & TV Awards: ‘WandaVision,’ ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ Among Nominees

Kimberly Nordyke, The Hollywood Reporter 

WandaVision leads the nominees for the MTV Movie & TV Awards with a total of five noms. Close behind in the TV categories are “Emily in Paris” and “The Boys,” with four noms apiece, and “Bridgerton” and “The Mandalorian,” with three noms each.

Are the Oscars Finally Giving Asian Talent the Recognition They Deserve?

Tim Gray, Variety 

For the first time, there are two Asian Americans in Oscar’s director race: Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) and Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”). That’s notable, but it’s even more extraordinary considering only four Asians were ever nominated as director before this.

MGM hopes for a James Bond rescue with “No Time to Die”

Jordan Lebeau, Quartz

MGM reportedly has big-budget dreams for a possible in-person premiere for its James Bond film, “No Time to Die.” If proven true, the news could be one indication that studios are ready to hedge their bets against the coronavirus pandemic, and use the appeal of blockbusters to get butts off the couch and back in theater seats.

How Paul W.S. Anderson Broke the Video Game Movie Curse

Miles Surrey, The Ringer

If there’s one thing that’s remained constant in Hollywood’s approach to adapting video games, it’s that the industry has a terrible reputation for doing it.

Networks Mull Next Steps After Nielsen Declines Demands for a Third-Party Audit

Kelsey Sutton, Adweek 

An industry group representing the major television networks is mulling its next steps after Nielsen rejected its demands to evaluate and potentially retroactively change its measurement of TV audiences over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

How much TV money could the European Super League command?

Adam Epstein, Quartz

A dozen elite European soccer clubs announced plans yesterday to create a new league that would upend more than a century of the sport’s history. The primary reason for the proposed league, according to a statement from its founders, is, essentially, “money.”

FCC to Scrutinize the Rise in Those Annoying Loud Commercials

Tim Baysinger, The Wrap 

It’s not just you: Commercials, particularly those that air on streaming services, are too loud. The FCC is now asking the public to weigh in on whether or not it should update its rules that are supposed to prevent commercials from being louder than the programming they accompany.

‘Rutherford Falls’ marks one of TV’s first Native American sitcoms

Lauren Sarner, New York Post 

Jana Schmieding was ready to give up on Hollywood right before she landed a writing/acting role on Michael Schur’s sitcom “Rutherford Falls” opposite Ed Helms.

‘The Flight Attendant’ and ‘Chad’ to Move Production to California

Bryn Sandberg, The Hollywood Reporter 

More television shows are relocating their production to California thanks to the state’s film incentives program.

Chip & Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network Unveils Four New Series For Launch, Sets Second Preview Special

Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood 

Magnolia Network, Chip and Joanna Gaines’ multi-platform media joint venture with Discovery, has set four new original series for premiere when the network launches this summer.

Netflix Faces New Test as Economies Reopen

Micah Maidenberg, The Wall Street Journal 

Netflix Inc.’s subscriptions soared last year as the Covid-19 pandemic curtailed big parts of economies globally. The company must now contend with people looking to leave the house more and a growing number of competitors.

MLB seeing record-high streaming viewership despite All-Star Game backlash

Jabari Young, CNBC 

Sports fans streamed Major League Baseball more than ever through its first three weekends of the season as the sport continues to battle through Covid-19 and political backlash.

DAZN Chairman Kevin Mayer Sees Profitability in Sports Streaming, Fitness Videos and TikTok-Style Social Commerce

Patrick Frater, Variety 

Kevin Mayer, the hard-charging executive who was one of the architects of Disney Plus, says sports-only streaming platforms have every chance of being viable. As chairman of DAZN, he now has a chance to prove his point.

Colton Underwood backlash brews over rumored Netflix series, with 20,000 opposing it

Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times

An online petition urging Netflix to cancel its rumored reality series starring Colton Underwood has amassed more than 20,000 signatures and counting.

Apple Spring Event Expected to Reveal Latest iPad Pro, Subscription Podcasts

Tim Higgins and Benjamin Mullin, The Wall Street Journal 

Apple Inc. on Tuesday is expected to reveal its annual update to high-end iPads, among other new products, and introduce a paid subscription option within its podcast app.

Clubhouse’s Monthly Downloads Plunged 72% Last Month

Sean Burch, The Wrap Pro 

Is the party on Clubhouse already dying out? New data provided by Sensor Tower this week — coupled with some user complaints — indicates the audio-driven app may be losing some of its momentum. 

Mark Zuckerberg announces Facebook is working on a Clubhouse clone

Salvador Rodriguez, CNBC 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Monday announced that the company is building audio features where users can engage in real-time conversations with others, similar to the app Clubhouse, which gained a lot of buzz in Silicon Valley circles earlier this year.

NFL, iHeartMedia teaming up to launch podcast network

Joe Reedy, The Associated Press

The NFL is making a more aggressive push into podcasting. The league announced Monday it will partner with iHeartMedia in launching a podcast network.

During the pandemic, viewers have turned to content creators for mental health support

Abby Lee Hood, The Washington Post 

During a recent live stream hosted by Abdallah Elayan, an official Nintendo Brand Ambassador with 884,000 subscribers, a viewer donated $5 along with an accompanying message. 

Apple will reinstate Parler

Kif Leswing, CNBC 

Apple will allow controversial social media app Parler back onto the iPhone App Store, according to a letter released Monday by Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo.

Does Spotify pay artists a fair rate? Here’s what musicians, managers and Apple Music have to say

Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times 

Frustrated by what they consider an inequity, last month a group of independent musicians who’d endured a year without live-performance income commenced a series of protests called “Justice at Spotify” at the music streaming platform’s offices around the world.

Music Executives Are Dominating the Music Industry Again

Devon Leonard, Bloomberg Businessweek 

Since the pandemic began, Kevin Liles has been running his New York record label, 300 Entertainment, from the patio by the swimming pool at his home in suburban Cresskill, N.J. Early one afternoon in January he’s there, smoking a cigar and conducting a staff meeting on Zoom.

U.S. Representatives Pen Letter Urging Biden to Investigate Live Nation-Ticketmaster ‘Monopoly’

Ellise Shafer, Variety 

Five members of the United States House of Representatives have signed a letter urging President Joe Biden to launch an investigation into the Live Nation-Ticketmaster merger, which they call a “monopoly.”

British Musicians Are Already Feeling the Pinch From Brexit

Isolde MacDonogh, Bloomberg 

In 2010, Jonathan Clarke left his job as the principal trumpeter of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to become a U.K.-based freelancer. He reasoned that high-paying gigs in Europe every year, plus the odd concert in his native Britain, would be enough to cover the bills.

Star Songwriter Ali Tamposi Sells Catalog to New Female-Focused Music Fund

Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone 

Less than a month after announcing a $100 million fund to acquire catalogs from female music makers, Influence Media has made its first purchase. It has struck a deal with prominent songwriter Ali Tamposi for her publishing rights, the company tells Rolling Stone.