| | | | What's news: Bob Iger is back at Disney and Wall Street is very happy. Elton John played his final gig in North America. Universal's She Said bombed at the box office. ABC's The Good Doctor celebrates 100 episodes. Ticketmaster is set to be investigated over the Taylor Swift ticket fiasco. — Abid Rahman |
Disney Shocker! Iger Returning as CEO ►Bob in, Bob out. In a stunning turn of events, The Walt Disney Co. says that Bob Chapek will step down as CEO, with Bob Iger returning to lead the company. Disney’s board of directors announced the decision Sunday night. Chapek had only just signed a new multi-year contract in June. Iger even acknowledged in an email to Disney employees Sunday that he is returning “with an incredible sense of gratitude and humility — and, I must admit, a bit of amazement.” The story.
—A quick decision. THR's Kim Masters and Alex Weprin write that Bob Iger's reinstatement — which shocked top insiders — marks a triumphant comeback for the once-again CEO, who made little secret of his disappointment with chosen successor Bob Chapek. The story.
—"Magic is back." Wall Street analysts and investors welcomed Iger's return to Disney, with speculation underway of possible strategic changes that he could usher in. Disney's stock, in pre-market trading on Monday, was up 9.3 percent at $100.29 as of 7 a.m. ET. The stock had hit a 52-week low of $86.28 earlier this month. As of Friday’s market close, it had fallen about 40 percent so far this year. The story. |
Inside Noah's Bombshell Decision to Leave 'Daily Show' ►"I’d rather people be sad than be happy, like, “Good riddance, that d-ck is out of the building." In his first expansive interview since surprising fans (and his entire staff) with news of his exit during a taping of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah reveals to THR's Lacey Rose what led to the move, why he kept the news secret and why now is the time to go. The interview.
—"He’s decimated his staff and degraded his product." John Oliver took jabs at Elon Musk for his early chaotic reign as Twitter CEO on Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight. "It has now been three weeks since it was taken over by Elon Musk, a man who answers the question, ‘What if Willy Wonka benefited from apartheid?'" Oliver said on what was the show’s season finale. The recap.
—"I know what kind of freedoms artists long for." Matt Damon and Ben Affleck say they plan to give freedom and profit-sharing back to artists — from writers and directors to costume designers and editors — with their newly launched production company Artists’ Equity. In a new interview, the duo spoke about their plans for the new company, which has obtained $100m in financing from investment firm RedBird Capital Partners. The story.
—Heroes. Iranian authorities have arrested two well-known local actresses after they showed support for the country’s protest movement and appeared in public without their hijabs, or headscarves. Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi were detained after putting up “provocative” social media posts. The story. |
Swift Sweeps American Music Awards ►"I have the fans to thank essentially for my happiness, and I love you more than I can say." Taylor Swift dominated the 2022 American Music Awards Sunday night, winning all six awards for which she was nominated including the top prize of artist of the year. Lionel Richie was honored with the Icon Award and an extended tribute from Stevie Wonder and Charlie Puth. The winners.
—"My heart is with you." A number of stars used their time onstage at the AMAs to speak about the Saturday night shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, which left five people dead and 25 others injured. Host Wayne Brady paid tribute to the victims and their families directly after honoring Migos rapper Takeoff, who was shot and killed in Houston earlier this month. "We have to stop this senseless and terrible gun violence,” Brady said. The story.
—Touching tribute. Pink pulled double duty at the AMAs, following her opening performance with a passionate mid-show tribute to the late Olivia Newton-John and her eternal hit “Hopelessly Devoted to You.” During the tribute, photos of Newton-John were shown on the big screen and fans swayed their arms behind her. The story. |
Elton John Takes Final Bow at Dodger Stadium ►"It’s been a long journey." Elton John turned in his final North American performance at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Sunday with fireworks and guests Dua Lipa, Brandi Carlile and Kiki Dee joining on stage for special duets. An A-list crowd that included Bernie Taupin, Taron Egerton, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Donatella Versace and Jude Law were in attendance as was THR's nicest man Chris Gardner, who reports from a memorable and emotional performance. The story.
—Back with a bang. THR's Scott Feinberg reports from the Academy's 13th Governors Awards on Saturday night, as Oscar hopefuls returned in huge numbers. Adam Sandler, Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Hanks and Cate Blanchett were just a few of the big-name contenders who packed the Fairmont Century Plaza's ballroom. The story.
—Dead good advertising. Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort partnered with AMC Network’s Content Room to produce custom ads for The Walking Dead series finale that resurrected four fan-favorite characters. Milton Mamet (Dallas Roberts), Andrea Harrison (Laurie Holden), Rodney (Joe Ando-Hirsh) and Gareth (Andrew West) all appeared in funny spots for the likes of Door Dash, Deloitte and Ring years after they died in the series. The story.
—More Ryan. Ryan Reynolds is set to headline Just for Laughs’ inaugural comedy festival in London. Just for Laughs London, set to run March 2-5, 2023, will see Reynolds take part in an informal conversation about his career as a Hollywood actor, producer and co-owner of Welsh soccer club Wrexham A.F.C., with Deadpool 2 co-star Rob Delaney moderating. The story. |
'Good Doctor' Creative Team on Tonight's 100th Episode ►"It’s definitely surpassed my expectations." Ahead of the 100th episode of ABC's The Good Doctor tonight, Aramide Tinubu spoke to star Freddie Highmore and co-showrunners David Shore and Liz Friedman about their fondest memories of the first 99 episodes of the groundbreaking medical drama and the power of neurodiverse storytelling. The interview.
—"Trouble, trouble, trouble." The breakdown in Ticketmaster’s sales of Taylor Swift tickets is a mess some attorneys general aren’t shaking off. With fans sharing outrage and heartache over the fruitless hours they spent trying for seats for Swift’s upcoming concert tour, top legal chiefs in Nevada, Tennessee and Pennsylvania have launched investigations into the fiasco. The story.
—The price of love. A collection of touching and sometimes prescient personal letters written by a young Bob Dylan to a high school girlfriend has been sold at auction to a renowned Portuguese bookshop for nearly $670,000. The Livraria Lello in Porto, Portugal, plans to keep the archive of 42 handwritten letters totaling 150 pages complete and available for Dylan fans and scholars to study. The story. |
Box Office: 'Black Panther 2' Leads, 'She Said' Bombs ►Mixed news for adult dramas. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever stayed atop the chart in its second weekend with a relatively sturdy $67.3m for a 10-day domestic total of $288m. The Marvel Studios and Disney tentpole had hoped to clear $70m in its sophomore outing but fell a bit more than expected, or 63 percent. Globally, its gross stands at a whopping $546m.
Searchlight’s new epicurean horror-comedy The Menu came in second, grossing $9m from 3,211 theaters — the widest release in the history of the specialty label. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that nearly 65 percent of ticket buyers for The Menu, which earned a modest B CinemaScore, were between ages 18 and 24.
Another new offering, Universal's She Said, became the latest adult drama to stall at the box office, opening in sixth place to just $2.3m from 2,022 theaters. That’s one of the worst starts in recent memory — excluding the pandemic — for a major studio release going out in more than 2,000 locations. The film, which chronicles the work of New York Times investigative reporters Jodi Cantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) in bringing down Harvey Weinstein, has been embraced by critics and earned an A CinemaScore from moviegoers. The box office report.
—Place in the pecking order. Pamela McClintock looks at where Wakanda Forever's second weekend drop ranks among the 30 MCU titles released in theaters over the past two decades — including Sony’s Spider-Man pics, which are produced in conjunction with Marvel. The story. |
TV Review: 'Welcome to Chippendales' ► "A well-acted disappointment." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews Hulu's Welcome to Chippendales. Kumail Nanjiani and Murray Bartlett lead this drama series from Robert Siegel (Pam & Tommy) about the meteoric rise and bloody fall of the world's most famous male-stripper empire. The review.
—"Triumphantly crosses the finish line." THR's Frank Scheck reviews Christian Duguay's Ride Above. Mélanie Laurent, Pio Marmai, Danny Huston and Carole Bouquet star in this film about a girl with dreams of becoming a jockey. The review.
In other news...
—Florence + The Machine postpones tour after singer breaks foot
—Tár wins Golden Frog at Camerimage
—George Lois, ad guru who popularized "I Want My MTV," dies at 91
What else we're reading...
—Nicholas Gordon writes that Bob Iger isn't the first "boomerang CEO" and that history suggests he won't have an easy time of it [Fortune]
—Mary McNamara looks at how The Walking Dead changed the course of the TV revolution [LAT]
—Ben Strauss reports on the Qataris underwriting Fox's World Cup coverage [WaPo]
— Andrew Keh interviews Welsh soccer legend Gareth Bale 🏴 ahead of the crunch World Cup game against the U.S.A. [NYT]
—Simone Foxman and Alex Webb write that Qatar’s tarnished World Cup is too big for brands to boycott [Bloomberg]
Today...
...in 1976, Sylvester Stallone was vaulted to “the hottest new star” of the year with the debut of Rocky. The film, which claimed the best picture Oscar at the 49th Academy Awards, became a pop-culture milestone and an enduring franchise for Stallone. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Björk (57), Goldie Hawn (77), Marlo Thomas (85), Jena Malone (38), Ronny Chieng (37), Isabel May (22), Grace Van Patten (26), Jimmi Simpson (47), Alexander Siddig (57), Nicollette Sheridan (59), Cherry Jones (66), Cynthia Rhodes (66), Lindsey Haun (38), Sam Palladio (36), Daniella Pick (39), Park Hae-soo (41), Paul W. Downs (40), Andrew Davis (76), Dahlia Salem (51), Rain Phoenix (50), Sara Tanaka (44), Carly Rae Jepsen (37) |
| Jason David Frank, who portrayed Tommy Oliver, the original green ranger on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, has died. He was 49. The obituary. |
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