General
Sexual Harassment Remains Persistent in Hollywood for Men and Women After #MeToo, Survey Finds
Elizabeth Wagmeister, Variety
Three years after the #MeToo movement garnered mainstream attention in Hollywood, sexual harassment in the workplace remains a persistent problem in the entertainment biz, according to new research from an industry-wide study.
The Lincoln Project is becoming a media business
Sara Fischer, Axios
The Lincoln Project is looking to beef up its media business after the election, sources tell Axios.
What is a COVID-19 compliance supervisor? What to know about Hollywood’s newest job
Anousha Sakoui, Los Angeles Times
The pandemic has spawned a new job on Hollywood sets — the COVID-19 compliance supervisor. The role was created under an agreement last month between entertainment unions and an alliance of producers as part of the terms for Hollywood’s return to production.
California Governor Gavin Newsom Won’t Budge On Theme Park Reopening Rules, Refuses To Say The Word “Disneyland” When Asked About Anaheim Park
Tom Tapp, Deadline Hollywood
For the first time in at least a week, California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed his ongoing disagreement with theme park operators over state orders that are keeping them closed.
Older Actors Fear Pandemic Has Made Hollywood’s Ageism Worse
Jeremy Fuster, The Wrap Pro
While the pandemic has hit all of Hollywood hard, older actors in Hollywood are facing a perfect storm of problems as the new financial and health stresses of COVID-19 blend with the ageism that has plagued the industry for decades.
Inside the Broadway Community Project: How Marketers Are Working to Develop New Generations of Theatregoers
Ryan McPhee, Playbill
The arts and culture industries remain largely at a standstill in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, affecting millions of workers in an already delicate ecosystem. The Broadway Community Project, from industry veterans Greg Schaffert, Tiffani Gavin, Situation Interactive, and Playbill, was developed to shed light on the myriad fields and roles that go into making the curtain rise.
The unlikely partnership between pop stars and Crocs
Marc Bain, Quartz
Two years ago, singer and rapper Post Malone teamed with Crocs for a special version of its signature foam-resin clogs. It was an unusual deal for a pop star, but Post Malone, with his offbeat style and face covered in tattoos, is a bit unusual himself.
Comic Relief To Stop Sending Celebrities To Africa After “White Savior” Criticism
Tom Grater, Deadline Hollywood
Major UK charity Comic Relief, founded in 1985 by Lenny Henry and Richard Curtis in response to famine in Ethiopia, says it will stop sending celebrities to Africa for fundraising appeals due to recent criticism.
Film
Cannes Film Festival Sets Three COVID-19 Contingency Plans for 2021
Ben Croll, Variety
Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Fremaux has detailed a three-prong contingency plan should next year’s festival, due to run May 11–22, be forced to delay due to ongoing uncertainty around COVID-19.
AMC to reopen eight theaters in California
Tiyashi Datta, Reuters
AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc said on Tuesday it plans to reopen eight theaters in California, one of its key markets, providing some much needed hope to an industry that has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aretha Franklin Biopic ‘Respect’ Delays Release to Late Summer 2021
Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter
MGM and Bron’s Aretha Franklin biopic Respect — starring Jennifer Hudson as the iconic performing artist — is delaying its release yet again amid the ongoing pandemic.
Television
CBS Trims Episode Orders As Broadcast Series On All Nets Face Abbreviated Runs In COVID Impacted 2020-21 Season
Nellie Andreeva, Deadline Hollywood
The coronavirus pandemic cut short the 2019-20 seasons of most broadcast series as production shut down in mid-March. Now the continuing effects from the pandemic are altering the course of the 2020-21 season, with late launches and shorter runs for scripted series.
Sheila Ducksworth to Head Up CBS-NAACP Production Partnership
Tim Baysinger, The Wrap Pro
CBS Studios has tapped Sheila Ducksworth to head up its production partnership with the NAACP. Ducksworth, who will serve as president of the partnership, will oversee development and production of all series.
NBCLX to Debut Virtual Set on Election Night
Jon Lafayette, Broadcasting & Cable
NBCLX, the NBCUniversal Owned Television Stations streaming news service aimed at Gen Z, will be offering election night coverage on its over-the-top, linear, digital, mobile and cable platforms.
During ‘The Bachelorette,’ a Michigan TV affiliate accidentally airs (mock-up) election results.
Kathleen Gray, The New York Times
There was a lot of drama between Clare Crawley and her beaus on Tuesday night, so fans of “The Bachelorette” already had reason for confusion.
Technology and New Media
Behind MGM’s Apple Overture: How Much Is a Bond Movie Worth?
Borys Kit and Tatiana Siegel, The Hollywood Reporter
In recent days, Hollywood producers and executives have been taking part in a guessing game: How much is a complete, unreleased, James Bond movie worth? The short answer: Even the worldwide rights are not enough.
Spotify criticised after Joe Rogan interviews conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
Roisin O’Connor, Independent
Jones was banned from Spotify, as well as Facebook, Apple and YouTube, in 2018.
Netflix Sets Live-Action Assassin’s Creed Series Franchise
Kelsey Sutton, Adweek
Assassin’s Creed is coming to Netflix, beginning with a live-action adaptation of the popular video game franchise. The show marks the first project in a wide-ranging development deal between the streaming giant and the video game company Ubisoft to develop live-action shows based on Assassin’s Creed.
Jon Stewart Returns With Current Affairs Series for Apple
Lacey Rose, The Hollywood Reporter
Jon Stewart is headed back to our TV sets. As part of an expansive, multiyear deal with Apple, the Emmy-drenched former writer, producer and host of The Daily Show is set to front an all-new current affairs series for the streaming service.
Netflix Global TV Head Bela Bajaria Sets Leadership Team
Daniel Holloway, Variety
A little more than a month after being named head of global TV at Netflix, Bela Bajaria has set her leadership team.
‘CTV took from everybody’: How connected TV won this year’s upfront
Tim Peterson, Digiday
Traditional TV may still receive the bulk of advertisers’ upfront budgets, but connected TV continues to steal away share, especially in this year’s upfront market. “CTV took from everybody. It took from linear folks.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Will Animators Inherit the Post-Pandemic Earth?
Don Hertzfeldt, Vulture
Animators are good at isolation. When I lived alone for years, deeply focused on a project, it wasn’t unusual to go several weeks without speaking to another person.
6 Ways Reese Witherspoon Is Changing the Film and TV Industry
Jason Lynch, Adweek
In this week’s cover story, Reese Witherspoon—Adweek’s Media Visionary—talks about how she turned Hollywood on its head by becoming a producer to make the female-centric stories the industry had long ignored. “If you want systems to change, you have to rethink how you want the system to work,” she told Adweek.
The hidden cost of the Peanuts holiday specials moving from ABC to AppleTV+
Emily VanDerWerff, Vox
Each October for more than half a century, the beloved Peanuts Halloween special It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown has risen out of the pumpkin patch of TV programming and aired for free on a broadcast network, making it accessible to almost everyone. But that probably won’t happen in 2020 — for the first time since the special debuted in 1966.
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