  |  | | | | | | What's news: Bohemian Rhapsody is on pace to pass A Star Is Born for the better musical opening of 2018. Plus: Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey are teaming on a film version of The Color Purple's musical, HBO vs. Donald Trump and the rise of animated TV shows. — Will Robinson |  | | ^Trump's DOJ chokes: Contrary to what a DOJ spokesperson is now saying about the government's tremendous foresight, HBO going dark on Dish showcases the way the government wimped out from a potentially stronger case, Eriq Gardner reports: | | + Misstep: When the Justice Department filed its lawsuit nearly a year ago to block the merger, there was every reason to expect that the government would make a bigger fuss about HBO and AT&T potentially blocking out distributors. On the road to trial, though, the Justice Department pulled back on the argument of market foreclosure, which is antitrust speak for when a downstream buyer is denied access to an upstream supplier. | | + What the DOJ argued: The government was not making the case that AT&T/TW would deny a distributor like Dish access to HBO's content. Instead, what the Justice Department was really contending was that distributors would be denied use of HBO in promotional campaigns. At trial, the defendants responded that this theory made no sense given that HBO's business model depends on winning subscribers. | | + Too little too late?: That theory didn't convince the trial judge, and now the government is telling an appellate court that U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon has ignored economic logic. While there are plenty of observers who believe the Justice Department could have made a stronger case from the get-go with alternative theories about the competitive harms arising from the merger, that opportunity has now passed. Full story. | | | | | | Horror Saving Indies |  | | | | Small budgets, big wins: While AFM's other mainstays have weakened — action films can be a tough theatrical play, star-driven dramas can no longer count on global TV sales — horror has gone from strength to strength, Scott Roxborough reports: | | + Demand for nuance: "In the past three to four years, we’ve seen a real resurgence in theatrical distribution [for horror films] from new companies that really know their target audience," says Miguel Govea, managing director at U.K.-based production and sales outfit Alief. "There’s a real appetite for horror films that aren’t typical ghost stories or slasher stories but have a strong character arc or are heavily art-directed or have some kind of a twist." | | + Numbers game: As with all indie filmmaking, the key with horror is getting the numbers right. "When filmmakers come to me and say, 'I’m making a horror movie for $1 to $2 million,' I tell them, 'I hope you realize you’re going to lose 70 percent of that,'" says Richards. "If you want to make money, you can only really spend about $300,000. The rest has to be tax relief and soft money. Otherwise, you’re in trouble." Full story. | | Elsewhere in film... | | ► Bohemian Rhapsody rocking to big $43M-$45M U.S. debut. That's easily enough to win the weekend ahead of fellow new offerings The Nutcracker and the Four Realms and Tyler Perry's first R-rated comedy, Nobody's Fool. Friday's estimated gross of $17 million-$18 million will include $3.9 million in Thursday-night previews. Box office analysis. | | * Behind the Screen podcast: Hosted by THR tech editor Carolyn Giardina, the new episode goes into the making of the long-awaited Queen biopic with award-winning editor John Ottman, who details the struggle of re-creating the Live Aid crescendo. Listen | Subscribe | | ► Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey bringing Color Purple to big screen. Warner Bros. is developing a movie-musical adapting the Tony Award-winning stage musical. Winfrey, Quincy Jones and Scott Sanders, who produced the Tony-winning Broadway version, will produce the big-screen musical along with Spielberg. | | ► Will Ferrell joins Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Fox Searchlight's Force Majeure remake. Descendants writing duo Nat Faxon and Jim Rash are set to direct. | | ► Christopher Plummer in talks to join Rian Johnson's murder mystery. Knives Out, the all-star detective thriller from MRC, also features Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette and Ana de Armas. | | ► Lady Macbeth director to helm Focus Features' Body Cross. From William Oldroyd, the mafia story follows two immigrant brothers living in London, where a Russian agent has risen to become a mafia boss’ trusted lieutenant and is soon instructed to assassinate one of his fellow countrymen. | | AFM developments... | | ► Michael Shannon, Alex Pettyfer, more team for Echo Boomers. Based on a true story, the film centers around a group of disillusioned 20-somethings who use the city as their playground by breaking into the homes of the wealthiest citizens, stealing from the rich and giving to themselves. The heist thriller is being shopped by Fortitude. | | ► Deadpool 2 star Brianna Hildebrand joins sci-fi movie. Persephone takes place in the late 22nd century and also stars Mary-Louise Parker, Malcolm McDowell and Emile Hirsch. | | ► Milla Jovovich joins period thriller Corto Maltese. The Christophe Gans-directed film is based on the stories by comic book author and novelist Hugo Pratt. | | ► Screen Media takes A Violent Separation for North America. Brenton Thwaites and Ben Robson star as brothers in the crime thriller from Martyrs directors the Goetz brothers. | | ► Dakota Fanning joins Sweetness in the Belly. Fanning will play a woman caught between two worlds in Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s adaptation of the bestselling novel by Camilla Gibb. | | ► Odin's Eye to build Sanctuary City three-film animated franchise. The franchise will start with The Wishmas Tree in Dec. 2019, followed by films released semi-annually, with the potential for spinoffs and consumer products. | | Quoted: "If you’ve read anything about the rise of the Third Reich and Adolf Hitler, you will see the parallels. Attacking the media is the first step in the move towards fascism. The cornerstone to democracy is an independent, democratic media." — Jane Fonda, on the danger of President Trump's attacks on the media. |  | | ^Tom Hanks, author: Speaking with Gayle King at the 92nd Street Y, the two-time Oscar winner reflects about his best-selling short-story collection, Uncommon Type, and the publicity he's garnered for playing Mister Rogers, Frank Scheck reports: | | + State of the country: "I grew up in a time when we thought America was on the verge of a revolution," Hanks pointed out, referring to such militant organizations as the Black Panthers and the Symbionese Liberation Army that were particularly active in California. He went on to take the long view of history. "We have never stopped becoming a more perfect union," he said. Full story. | | Musical notes... | | ► Why A Star Is Born soundtrack won't compete for 2019 Grammys. The lone eligible track is "Shallow," sung by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, which made the cut by coming out before the Oct. 1 deadline. | | ► Hailee Steinfeld releases single "Back to Life" from Bumblebee soundtrack. On the electro-pop tune, Steinfeld sings of a powerful and uniting love that “transcends through space and time.” Bumblebee opens Dec. 21. Listen. | | ► RuPaul releases Christmas Party album. The brand new album comes in tandem with the announcement of a brand new Christmas special, RuPaul’s Drag Race Holi-Slay Spectacular. | | Fashion scene... | | ► Black Lives Matter launches art, culture and fashion initiative. The platform launched online with numbered prints and tote bags featuring artwork by Emory Douglas, the graphic artist who worked as the minister of culture for the Black Panther Party. Photos. | | In memoriam... | | ► RIP Raymond Chow. The legendary Hong Kong film producer introduced the world to Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, and even brought the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the big screen. He died at 91. Obit. |  Kesha argues Dr. Luke's $40M defamation lawsuit undercut by way he continues to earn millions. A court brief, currently under seal and obtained by THR, points to what the two sides are presenting in summary judgment papers, Eriq Gardner reports. Details. | | | | | | | | Delayed-Viewing Winners |  | | | | TV Long View: The delayed-viewing audience is changing a bit; one particular hour of primetime serves up huge returns after the first run; and a couple of shows are developing into under-the-radar powerhouses, Rick Porter reports: | | + Younger viewers cool on DVRs: In 2017-18, at least 18 shows increased their adults 18-49 rating by at least a point over seven days. Through four weeks of the 2018-19 season, only 11 broadcast series are doing so (along with The Walking Dead, American Horror Story: Apocalypse and Mayans MC on cable). That suggests that viewers in the key ad demo are using DVRs and on-demand ever so slightly less than they did last season. | | + Mondays at 10 p.m. is king: Along with Manifest, ABC's The Good Doctor and Bull on CBS — both of which have histories of strong delayed returns —all rank in the top five in viewers added over seven days. The three shows add a combined 18.68 million viewers — 4 million-plus more than any other hour of the week. Ratings analysis. | | AT&T wades into politics... | | ► HBO tells Trump to stop using Game of Thrones copyright for politics. President Trump invoked the drama on Twitter Friday morning when delivering a warning to Iran via meme about reimposing all U.S. sanctions that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal. HBO, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner and George R.R. Martin all spoke out against it. | | ► AT&T not offering further support for Rep. Steve King after controversial tweet. AT&T's actions follow those of other companies who arrived at a similar conclusion days earlier, including Intel, Land O' Lakes and Purina. King tweeted his support of a Canadian politician who has appeared on an alleged neo-Nazi podcast. | | Elsewhere in TV... | | ► Leslie Moonves shuts down a possible return to TV. Nearly two months after exiting his chairman and CEO post at CBS amid sexual assault claims, Moonves said he is done with showbiz. "I'm retired," he told TMZ. | | ► Divorce renewed for season three at HBO. Season three of the comedy will consist of six episodes — its lowest tally yet. That's down from 10 and eight in seasons one and two, respectively. Season three will feature the show's third different showrunner, as Liz Tuccillo will take over for Jenny Bicks. | | ► Alec Baldwin arrested for punching man over parking spot. Baldwin was arrested at the 6th Precinct station and will be charged with assault. | | ► National Geographic head Courteney Monroe re-ups. Ahead of the Fox-Disney merger, the exec has also given expanded roles to two key members of Nat Geo's creative team. | | ► Disney's bet on ESPN+. Estimates pin the first year of the service costing the worldwide leader between $200 million and $500 million, but it's "meant to reach viewers who will eventually be cutting their cable subscription — even if it means losing money for now," Michelle Castillo reports. [CNBC] | | ► Hulu casts Lamorne Morris to play cartoonist Keith Knight in Woke comedy. The comedy, based on the life of Knight, is from writers Keith Knight and Marshall Todd, with Will Gluck and Eric Christian Olsen set to exec produce. | | ► Freeform cancels Alone Together. The Lonely Island comedy struggled to draw an audience at the cabler and wrapped in August with a mere 60,000 live same-day viewers. | | ► CNN's Bill Weir hosting Discovery show on border patrol. Border Live "will document the work of law enforcement on the U.S.-Mexico border as well as the real lives, real moments and real stories of those that live and work along its remote stretches," according to the Friday announcement. | | ► The TV shows airing the most political ads. CBS This Morning, Good Morning America and Today headline the list with the most number of ads in 2018 as of October 30, Hunter Schwarz and Aaron Kessler report. [CNN] | | Quoted: "He sat in my chair in my trailer the day he left, and he was covered in blood. I won't let anyone clean the chair, so I just have this big bloody chair in my room as a little ode to him." — Norman Reedus, on Andrew Lincoln's final day on The Walking Dead. |  | | ^Claire Underwood's presidential addresses: As Robin Wright's House of Character assumes control of the White House in the show's final season, the actress opens up about how her character utilizes Frank's signature audience address, Jackie Strause reports: | | + Opening up: "Frank [Pugliese] would always say, '[Francis is] always campaigning to you guys.' No matter what he was unveiling, sharing or lying about, he was campaigning for your attention and for your loyalty," Wright says. "And Claire is saying, 'Not only am I going to tell you the truth, but I’m going to let you know how vulnerable I am as well. How scared I am sometimes.' And pose questions to the audience and want their help." Full story. | | * Why a magazine editor was cast in House of Cards' final season: Elizabeth Thorp, who ran the glossy pub Capitol File, will become the first female U.S. Secretary of Defense on the final season of the Netflix series. | | Deals and greenlights... | | ► NBC sets Me and You rom-com from Single Parents producer, Fred Savage. Sarah Tapscott will write the comedy about a couple who move in together after only a couple of dates, and will executive produce with Savage. | | ► AMC developing dramas from Rashida Jones, Halt and Catch Fire creators. Kevin Can F*** Himself and Rainy Day People have both opened writers' rooms under the cable network's script-to-series development model. | | ► Hulu gives series order to Kat Dennings comedy Dollface. The Margot Robbie-produced comedy hails from ABC Signature Studios. Production will begin in 2019. | | Anti-Semitism following Pittsburgh... | | ► Ilana Glazer synagogue event canceled following anti-Semitic vandalism. The Broad City star's political event was canceled Thursday night after Brooklyn Heights' Union Temple was vandalized with hateful messages. A custodian at the synagogue told the New York Post that multiple examples of hateful messages were written on the building, including "Kill all Jews" written on one door. | | * Glazer's response: "The Generator community experienced, together, how white supremacy, anti-Semitism and racism silences human rights politics and halts progress. But they won’t stop us from communicating, canvassing, and voting. We will continue to learn, organize, and act and make this country as safe for as many people as possible." | | * Twitter apologizes for an anti-Semitic trending topic. The phrase "kill all Jews" was trending Friday morning after it appeared in several news reports about the vandalism of the Brooklyn synagogue. | | Digital digest... | | ► Disney Digital Networks posts more layoffs. Fewer than 20 people were let go as part of the cuts, which came from the group that includes Maker Studios and online brands such as Oh My Disney. | | Three days until the midterms... | | ► Obama campaigns for Georgia Gov. candidate Stacey Abrams. The former president joined Oprah in supporting Abrams, telling a capacity crowd at Atlanta's Morehouse College that voting for her is a way to choose a prosperous and generous vision of America. | | ► Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt urge Americans to vote and volunteer in new PSA. The co-stars of Quentin Tarantino's upcoming Once Upon a Time in Hollywood on Friday released a PSA produced by NowThis Politics on DiCaprio's Facebook page explaining the issues that will be decided Nov. 6. Watch. | | ► Fox News host criticized for saying asylum seekers mostly don't show for court. Advocates spoke out after Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt said incorrectly on Friday that "as many as just 2 percent" of immigrants show up for their court date. | | Coming attractions... | | ► Trailer: HBO unveils third True Detective glimpse. The new teaser for the HBO series gives a bigger picture what viewers will see in the Mahershala Ali-led installment. Watch. |  Star Trek Fleet Command mobile game takes place in rebooted movie universe. The game, published by Scopely and developed in partnership with DIGIT Game Studios, allows players to choose from hundreds of possible missions as they explore the galaxy, with the opportunity to team up with Kirk, Spock, Uhura and other familiar faces. | | | | TV's Animation Boom |  | | | | Drawing up plans: As adult animation continues to explode (more than 10 new series orders in 2018 to date), Netflix is launching an in-house studio to better monetize what can be hugely lucrative programming, Lesley Goldberg reports: | | + The streamer's plan: Netflix's studio, say sources, will animate kids programming, originals and films, working with writers including Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls) and Shion Takeuchi (Disenchantment) to create new projects. (In a sign of the booming genre, sources say Hirsch's Netflix overall deal is worth more than $10 million per year.) | | + Cost-effective projects: "You can do five animated shows for the price of one live-action drama," former 20th TV and Cartoon Network animation exec Katie Krentz — who has an overall deal with CBS Eye Animation — tells THR. "The hope is one of those animated shows pops and becomes a big success with not only viewers but also merchandising." Full story. | | What to watch this weekend... | | THR critic Daniel Fienberg sends his recommendation: | | This is a good weekend to concentrate on what it means when a show loses its main character and main actor under ignominious circumstances, yet decides to continue on. | | Check out the first three episodes of The Conners and think about whether this Roseanne spinoff works better or worse without Roseanne Barr and whether you can watch the show without reflecting on the circumstances behind its becoming free. Either you'll relish what John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf and Sara Gilbert are getting to do with more room to breathe, or you won't. | | Then check out the new run of Netflix's House of Cards. Can you ignore the black mark Kevin Spacey's departure left on the show? Does it feel like the series wrote Frank Underwood out completely enough and did enough to make it Robin Wright's show? Are Greg Kinnear and Diane Lane replacement enough? | | What else we're reading... | | — "L.A. Arena Battle Pits Celebrities Against Suburban Mayor." Anne Steele and Nour Malas report: "The nonpartisan mayoral race in Inglewood has become a proxy for a standoff between music mogul Irving Azoff and Los Angeles Clippers owner and former Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer over the location of a proposed arena for the NBA team in Inglewood." [The Wall Street Journal] | | — "Return of the Scuzzies: #MeToo’d Men Like Matt Lauer and Louis C.K." James Wolcott details: "Stand back from the individual cases of #MeToo Men that incite debate and look at the larger panorama, hundreds of familiar names on an ever-growing wall of shame." [Vanity Fair] | | — "The Attention Games." Megan Garber reflects on the ethics of choosing what to focus on: "The slights and sleights of Donald Trump, however, make clear the limitations of those frameworks: There is more to attention as Americans tend to give it and receive it and exploit it in 2018. Yes, attention is capital. But it is also something deeper than that. It is also a moral good." [The Atlantic] | | — "Why We’ll Never Get Rid of TV Program Guides." Pete Pachal interviews Sling TV exec Jimshade Chaudhari: "When we first launched, we were focused on cord-nevers, and we thought they would skew younger were used to the browsing experience of on-demand content. ... Then what we realized was those people found value in our service but we were getting a lot of people that were cord-cutters." [Mashable] | | — "Lin-Manuel Miranda Shares His Favorite Movie Musicals." Julie Bloom chats to the Mary Poppins Returns star: “When you make a movie musical, the suspension of disbelief is much higher and it’s harder to buy people singing. Maybe it’s because the settings are more realistic, but when someone bursts into song in a movie, for some reason we really have to earn it." [New York Times] | | What else we're watching... | | + "Rami Malek's surprise audition for Steven Spielberg & Tom Hanks." [Late Late Show] | | + "Minka Kelly stole someone's shower head in response to a prank." [Tonight Show] | | + "Violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to Ed Sullivan Theater 60 years later." [Late Show] | | + "Late-Night Lately: Minhaj's debut, Kimmel's Halloween, Streisand's karaoke." [THR] | | From the archives... | | + On Nov. 3, 1975, Good Morning America first went live on ABC to challenge NBC's Today. It's endured as a strong rival and occasional ratings winner — original ep Woody Fraser: "I said, 'That's ridiculous. You're going to have an actor interview Menachem Begin, interview the president of the United States?' But it worked out. The audience connected with David [Hartman]." Oral history. |  Today's birthdays: Kendall Jenner, 23, Antonia Thomas, 32, Dolph Lundgren, 61, Gary Ross, 62, Kate Capshaw, 65, Dennis Miller, 65, Roseanne Barr, 66, Anna Wintour, 69. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
