New Worldview

MOVIE MELTDOWN Cinemas in Crisis WORK FROM HOME Learning to Cope DIFFICULT SPOT TV’s Ad Woes

NEW WORLDVIEW

Amid pandemic and panic, Amazon — at the fore of a rapidly transforming economy — delivers HEIDI KLUM and TIM GUNN’s ‘Making the Cut’ to a global community stuck indoors

BY ELAINE LOW P.28

MARCH 25, 2020 US $9.99 JAPAN ¥1280 CANADA $11.99 CHINA ¥80 UK £ 8 HONG KONG $95 EUROPE €9 RUSSIA 400 AUSTRALIA $14 INDIA 800 you dream big we deliver

Barco Series 4

20030.CINI.ad.SeriesUntitled-1 1 4.resize.v2.indd 1 18/03/20203/19/20 10:26 10:08 PM P.2 8 CONTENTS On a Bigger Runway Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn take their reality competition chops to Amazon’s “Making the Cut.” By ELAINE LOW

P.3 4 Cinema

CASADEI; GUNN’S SUIT: SUIT SUPPLY (THIS PAGE) DRESS: DUNDAS DRESS: (THIS PAGE) SUIT SUPPLY SUIT: GUNN’S CASADEI; Uncertainty The exhib biz is in limbo due to coronavirus outbreak shutdowns. Will it survive? By DAVID LIEBERMAN and BRENT LANG

P.4 0 Homeward Bound Execs are finding creative ways to transform their homes into their new workspaces. By CYNTHIA LITTLETON TILBURY; HAIR; LORENZO MARTIN/THE WALL GROUP; GUNN’S GROOMING: LISA ZIMMITTI; (COVER WARDROBE) DRESS: CHRISTIAN SIRIANO; BOOTS: SIRIANO; CHRISTIAN DRESS: WARDROBE) ZIMMITTI; (COVER LISA GROOMING: GUNN’S GROUP; WALL MARTIN/THE LORENZO HAIR; TILBURY;

“This is about finding the next great global brand. Everything about it was supposed to be more real ... less showy, less super stressed for [the designers].” Heidi Klum on her new Amazon fashion reality series “Making the Cut” P.28 (COVER & THIS PAGE) PHOTOGRAPHS BY CLIFF WATTS; STYLING: ROB & MARIEL/FORWARD ARTISTS; KLUM’S MAKEUP: LINDA HAY/AIRE/CHARLOTTE HAY/AIRE/CHARLOTTE LINDA MAKEUP: KLUM’S ARTISTS; & MARIEL/FORWARD ROB STYLING: CLIFF WATTS; BY PHOTOGRAPHS & THIS PAGE) (COVER

VARIETY 3 CONTENTS

TOP BILLING P.3 4

13 AD MARKET MAYHEM The exhibition biz is The global coronavirus crisis facing an unprecedented is making TV commercials a challenge as theaters risky bet for Madison Avenue close in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. 16 INDIE INFLUX? Completed independent films are looking attractive to distribs and other buyers

19 SHOWRUNNER’S JOURNEY Pulitzer-winning author Michael Chabon on his move to TV with “Star Trek: Picard”

21 THE NETFLIX WAY Reed Hastings gives the inside scoop about the streamer’s success in his new book

EXPOSURE

23 DEVOUR ALSO Sweet Flower cannabis INSIDE dispensary offers calming products for stressful times 8 FIELD NOTES FOCUS Musings on hot topics

9 50 INT’L TV ACHIEVEMENT PLUGGED IN Variety honors U.K. Channel What’s trending 4’s CEO Alex Mahon at Variety.com

53 STUN AT 20 10 Now called Known, marketing CLOSE-UP agency celebrates key mile- The big picture stone with a merger

ARTISANS

57 RIGHT ON THE MONEY Soundtrack for Netflix miniseries “Self Made” goes eclectic

58 THE WHEEL DEAL DP Katelin Arizmendi brings P. 2 5 her realistic style to Sony’s dirt bike movie Mark Ronson spins 59 DOING IT YOURSELF sale in Los Feliz Cinematographers and crews tweak equipment to suit the needs of their project’s

REVIEWS

61 MUSIC “Before Love Came to Kill Us” “I think that I’ve learned a lesson that it’s important for an artist to 62 FILM P.6 4 “There Is No Evil” focus on the music — which is a track on my new record — and let 64 TV “Self Made” the message speak for itself.” review “Self Made: Inspired by the Lukas Nelson on his new album, “Naked Garden,” Life of Madam C.J. Walker” with his band Promise of the Real P.66 WESTWOOD VILLAGE: PHOTOGRAPH BY MICHAEL BUCKNER; SELF MADE: AMANDA MATLOVICH/NETFLIX: LUKAS NELSON: JOEY MARTINEZ NELSON: LUKAS MATLOVICH/NETFLIX: SELF MADE: AMANDA MICHAEL BUCKNER; BY PHOTOGRAPH VILLAGE: WESTWOOD

4 VARIETY “FINELY CRAFTED AND CHILLINGLY TIMELY”

“++++…RIVETING…FRIGHTENING PARALLELS TO TODAY”

“MASTERFUL…HAUNTING AND TIMELY” “MUST-WATCH TELEVISION” “GRIPPING...EERILY EVOCATIVE” “DEEPLY MOVING”

“THE BEST THING ON TELEVISION IN THIS YEAR OF ELECTIONS”

“DAZZLING…PASSIONATE, GUTTING ADAPTATION”

“A DEVASTATING, RELEVANT ALT-HISTORY DRAMA”

“GRADE: A...ASTOUNDING”

BASED ON THE BEST-SELLING NOVEL

MONDAYS AT 9PM

STREAM IT ON

Untitled-3 1 3/23/20 4:26 PM Michelle Sobrino-Stearns

GROUP PUBLISHER & CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER

SALES MARKETING Donna Pennestri Dea Lawrence

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

MILLIE CHIAVELLI JOHN ROSS VP, FEATURES & EVENTS Claudia Eller SVP SALES & GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS TIM BOYER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAWN ALLEN CREATIVE DIRECTOR VP OF FILM & TALENT Andrew Wallenstein SUSANNE AULT MICHELLE FINE-SMITH DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMMING CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF VP, GLOBAL CONSUMER PARTNERSHIPS DAYNA WOLPA EDITORIAL FEATURES JASON GREENBLATT DIRECTOR, EVENT MARKETING Lesley McKenzie Steven Gaydos VP DIGITAL SALES DAVID S. COHEN SENIOR PRODUCER, MANAGING EDITOR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, ERIC LEGENDRE VARIETY CONTENT STUDIO GLOBAL CONTENT CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SALES HOLLY DILLON Cynthia Littleton ANDREW BARKER SENIOR PRODUCER, BUSINESS EDITOR SENIOR FEATURES WRITER LINDSEY ELFENBEIN VARIETY CONTENT STUDIO DANIEL HOLLOWAY PETER CARANICAS MANAGING DIRECTOR, GLOBAL SUMMITS & STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS JAMIE ARONSON EXECUTIVE EDITOR, TV MANAGING EDITOR, FEATURES DIRECTOR, BRENT LANG SHALINI DORE HENRY DEAS EVENT MARKETING EXECUTIVE EDITOR, FILM & MEDIA DIRECTOR, MARKETS & FESTIVALS FEATURES NEWS EDITOR EMMA SCHMIDT SHIRLEY HALPERIN DIANE GARRETT PATRICE ATIEE MANAGER, EVENT MARKETING EXECUTIVE EDITOR, MUSIC EDITOR, FEATURES DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS LAURYN KISTNER RAMIN SETOODEH CAROLE HORST JUDI PULVER SENIOR BRAND MARKETING MANAGER NEW YORK BUREAU CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR, FEATURES DIRECTOR, MUSIC ADVERTISING NATASHA MILLMAN KATE AURTHUR JENELLE RILEY CHRISTIE RICCI ASSOCIATE MANAGER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE EVENT MARKETING DEPUTY AWARDS & FEATURES EDITOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR MANORI RAVINDRAN MALINA SAVAL BIANCA CALOCA INTERNATIONAL EDITOR VALERIE FATEHI ASSOCIATE MANAGER, CONTACT PMC EDITOR, FEATURES DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS EVENT MARKETING DANIELLE TURCHIANO » Los Angeles AMY JO LAGERMEIER ALEX BULLARD JEM ASWAD SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR, TV 11175 Santa Monica Blvd., ASSOCIATE MANAGER, FEATURES SENIOR MUSIC EDITOR DIRECTOR, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS Los Angeles, CA 90025 CHRIS WILLMAN WHITNEY CINKALA +1 323-617-9100 GORDON COX EDITOR, FEATURES CRISTINA QUITANIA LEGIT EDITOR ASSOCIATE BRAND MANAGER MANAGER, SUMMITS & » Chicago ART & PHOTOGRAPHY STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS MARK DAVID VICTORIA LENNOX 20 West Kinzie St REAL ESTATE EDITOR MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS ASSOCIATE JENNIFER DORN KEVIN TAGUE Chicago, IL 60654 MANAGER, CONSUMER BRAND HANNA HENSLER MATT DONNELLY PHOTO DIRECTOR » Nashville SENIOR FILM WRITER PARTNERSHIPS MARKETING COORDINATOR TED KELLER 501 Union St BILL EDELSTEIN DESIGN DIRECTOR SOUMAYA CASSAM-CHENAI ROBYN OZAKI Nashville, TN 37219 ASSOCIATE EDITOR INTERNATIONAL SALES DESIGNER ELLIOT STOKES » New York TERRY FLORES & MARKETING MANAGER CASEY KWAN ART DIRECTOR 475 Fifth Avenue SENIOR EDITOR STEFAN NICOLL JUNIOR DESIGNER JAMES SLOCUM New York, NY 10017 ACCOUNT MANAGER TIM GRAY SPECIAL PROJECTS ART DIRECTOR LUANA PINTO +1 212-213-1900 SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT (SPAIN, PORTUGAL, LATIN AMERICA) JUNIOR DESIGNER HALEY KLUGE » London MAE HAMILTON WILLIAM LIN SENIOR DESIGNER GREG KICHAVEN 11 Golden Square EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, DIRT.COM SALES EXECUTIVE, ASIA FEATURES COORDINATOR RICHARD MALTZ London, England ANGELIQUE JACKSON SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR KIMBERLY CERVANTES PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION W1F 9JB EVENTS & LIFESTYLE PRODUCER SALES PLANNING MANAGER ALEX GITMAN » Paris JUSTIN KROLL PHOTO EDITOR AMANDA SCHULZE ELLEN DEALY 11 Rue Royale WRITER VP, AUDIENCE MARKETING TARRYN SILVER MEDIA PLANNER Paris, France 75008 ELAINE LOW PRODUCTION DESIGNER ISABELLA DALENA NATALIE LONGMAN » Milan SENIOR TV WRITER PRODUCTION DIRECTOR MICHAEL BUCKNER SALES & MARKETING COORDINATOR Via Albricci, 7 GENE MADDAUS CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER MIKE PETRE 20122 Milan, Italy SENIOR MEDIA WRITER SADI KUPERMAN DIRECTOR, DISTRIBUTION SALES COORDINATOR FILM & TELEVISION MARC MALKIN ONLINE » Mumbai ANDREA WYNNYK Vishwaroop IT Park, SENIOR FILM AWARDS, Stuart Oldham SEAN SOPER PRODUCTION MANAGER EVENTS & LIFESTYLE EDITOR Sector 30A Vashi, STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS COORDINATOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER EDITOR, VARIETY.COM Navi Mumbai 400703 JAMES MCCLAIN

EDITOR-AT-LARGE, REAL ESTATE MEREDITH WOERNER » Hong Kong DEPUTY EDITOR DAVE MCNARY 21/F, The Phoenix FILM WRITER DAN DOPERALSKI 23 Luard Road, Wan Chai DIGITAL ART DIRECTOR Hong Kong MACKENZIE NICHOLS VARIETY BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE STAFF WRITER MAANE KHATCHATOURIAN » Tokyo SENIOR ONLINE NEWS EDITOR JOE OTTERSON Mark Hoebich Lapiross Bldg. 4F, SENIOR TV WRITER ALEX STEDMAN 6-1-24 Roppongi, PRESIDENT SENIOR ONLINE NEWS EDITOR Minayo-Ky, Tokyo PAT SAPERSTEIN 106-0032 DEPUTY EDITOR REBECCA RUBIN CAROLYN FINGER RYAN PIGG MICHAEL SCHNEIDER NEWS EDITOR SVP SENIOR COORDINATOR, RESEARCH EMAIL US SENIOR EDITOR, TV AWARDS MEG ZUKIN GEOFF ELSNER JULIE SESNOVICH [email protected] SENIOR SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TODD SPANGLER SENIOR COORDINATOR, [email protected] BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT NEW YORK DIGITAL EDITOR AUDREY YAP FILM RESEARCH NEWS ANCHOR/REPORTER JENNIFER NIEVES FOLLOW US BRIAN STEINBERG LINDSAY STRACH SENIOR TV EDITOR PRESTON NORTHROP SENIOR DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SENIOR COORDINATOR Twitter.com/variety SYLVIA TAN SUPERVISING PRODUCER Facebook.com/variety BRIAN DEPASQUALE BAILEY WILDMAN ASSOCIATE EDITOR MACKENZIE JOHNSON Instagram.com/variety DIRECTOR, RESEARCH SENIOR COORDINATOR JAZZ TANGCAY VIDEO PRODUCER/EDITOR YouTube.com/variety STEPHANIE DIEHL ARTISANS EDITOR NICHOLAS STANGO KEELAN BROWN DIRECTOR, RESEARCH TO SUBSCRIBE WILLIAM THORNE VIDEO PRODUCER INTERNATIONAL TV KEVIN KELLY COORDINATOR Variety.com/premieroffer TV WRITER TUCKER MORRISON DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 1 Year (48 issues) for $199 ADAM B. VARY VIDEO PRODUCER/EDITOR YOOMI CHOI CHRISTINE MORENTE 6 mos (24 issues) for $109 SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER JORDAN MOREAU INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH DIRECTOR, FILM RESEARCH ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER JUNIOR CONTENT SPECIALIST COORDINATOR, ASIA CHRIS SVEHLA Variety, VOL. 347, NO. 8 (USPS 146-820, ISSN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT BATHILDE ODOLANT INTERNATIONAL DIRECTOR, TV RESEARCH 0011-5509) is published weekly, except the fourth CRITICS FEATURE EDITORS FILM RESEARCH COORDINATOR week of June, the first week in July, and the fourth JIMMY DOYLE and fifth weeks in December, with 40 special LEO BARRACLOUGH PETER DEBRUGE MANAGER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ALIX KALAHER issues: Jan (8), Feb (8), June (7), Aug (6), Nov (5) LONDON and Dec (6) by Variety Media LLC, 11175 Santa CHIEF FILM CRITIC TV RESEARCH COORDINATOR JORDAN LEIPZIG Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025, a division of JOHN HOPEWELL OWEN GLEIBERMAN MANAGER, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AUBREE SCHAEFER Penske Business Media. Periodicals postage paid CHIEF FILM CRITIC MADRID at Los Angeles, CA and at other mailing offices. SCHUYLER FASTENAU TV PRODUCTION RESEARCH Postmaster send address changes to: Variety, P.O. DANIEL D’ADDARIO INTERNATIONAL REPORTERS SENIOR COORDINATOR COORDINATOR Box 15759, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5759. CHIEF TV CRITIC Canada Post International Publications Mail REBECCA DAVIS HANNA PACHMAN CHELSEA TAM Product (Canadian Distribution) Publications Mail CAROLINE FRAMKE BEIJING SENIOR COORDINATOR SALES COORDINATOR Agreement No. 40043404. Return undeliverable CHIEF TV CRITIC Canadian addresses to: RCS International Box 697 PATRICK FRATER STN A, Windsor, Ontario N9A 6N4. Sales OPERATIONS HONG KONG agreement No. 0607525. Variety ©2020 by Variety Media, LLC. Variety and the Flying V logo are SHEILA DIXON HOWARD ELSA KESLASSY trademarks of Penske Business Media. Printed in EDITORIAL COORDINATOR PARIS Sime Silverman VARIETY FOUNDER, 1873-1933 the U.S.A.

6 VARIETY AFTER 20 YEARS,

[ is now ]

Thank you to all our clients, family and friends who have helped our team achieve this incredible milestone.

Untitled-1 1 3/23/20 11:00 AM FIELD NOTES

There’s No Place VARIETY IS OWNED & PUBLISHED BY PENSKE MEDIA CORPORATION Like ... a Newsroom Jay Penske CHAIRMAN & CEO

GEORGE GROBAR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER GERRY BYRNE I HATE working from home. people who are losing their jobs due VICE CHAIRMAN SARLINA SEE Don’t get me wrong: I love being to the financial hardships caused by CHIEF ACCOUNTING OFFICER surrounded by my family, and it’s the closure of Broadway and movie CRAIG PERREAULT swell wearing sweats and T-shirts theaters and the cancellations or EVP BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TODD GREENE and walking around barefoot or in a postponements of film and TV pro- EVP, BUSINESS AFFAIRS & GENERAL cozy pair of socks. ductions. Nor do I want to disre- COUNSEL But I sorely miss the commu- spect the health care workers who DEBASHISH GHOSH MANAGING DIRECTOR nal nature and constant hum of the are putting their lives on the line by JENNY CONNELLY newsroom and the in-person deal- showing up to clinics and hospitals SVP, PRODUCT ings I have regularly with our writ- the world over to take care of people KEN DELALCAZAR SVP, FINANCE ers, editors, copy editors, web desk, with the coronavirus and other seri- TOM FINN designers, photo editors and col- ous ailments. SVP, OPERATIONS leagues on the business side. We’re I was struck by what CNBC cor- NELSON ANDERSON a tight-knit group here at Variety, respondent Julia Boorstin said in VP, CREATIVE JONI ANTONACCI and we’re in constant contact with an interview with Cynthia Littleton VP, PRODUCTION OPERATIONS one another not only discussing sto- for her terrific feature in this issue REBECCA BIENSTOCK ries, brainstorming and strategizing about how executives who’ve turned VP, TALENT RELATIONS STEPHEN BLACKWELL on how to beat the competition, but their homes into workplaces are far- HEAD OF PORTFOLIO SALES also talking politics, sharing per- ing: “I am so incredibly grateful to GERARD BRANCATO sonal anecdotes and joking. That have the resources and technology VP, PMC DIGITAL ACQUISTION comic relief is very therapeutic to be able to broadcast from home,” ANNE DOYLE VP, HR given the deadline pressures and the says Boorstin. “There are so many MARA GINSBERG intense pace at which we all work. journalists who are out on the front VP, HR For a highly social person like lines telling important stories and YOUNG KO VP, FINANCE myself, I find working in my per- so many doctors, nurses and sci- GABRIEL KOEN fectly lovely home office to be pro- entists who are putting their own VP, TECHNOLOGY fessionally dehumanizing. I love the health at risk to do their jobs and KEVIN LABONGE spontaneity of conversations not help people.” VP, GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS & LICENSING “For a highly NOEMI LAZO anticipated, or informal meetings OK, I’ll never complain about this VP, CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE social person that weren’t planned but happen again. Promise. AND MARKETING OPERATIONS BRIAN LEVINE like myself, multiple times throughout the day. VP, REVENUE OPERATIONS I find working The newsroom is a kind of living, JUDITH R. MARGOLIN in my perfectly breathing organism, unlike tradi- VP, DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL lovely home tional offices at most companies. JULIE TRINH VP, GLOBAL TAX office to be I hope I don’t sound too whiny, LAUREN UTECHT professionally spoiled and ungrateful about work- Claudia Eller VP, HR & CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS dehumanizing.” ing at home when there are so many Editor-in-Chief MIKE YE VP, STRATEGIC PLANNING & ACQUISITIONS CHRISTINA YEOH VP, TECHNICAL OPERATIONS JULIE ZHU VP, AUDIENCE MARKETING & SUBSCRIPTIONS NICI CATTON ASSOCIATE VP, PRODUCT DELIVERY KARL WALTER Uncovered ASSOCIATE VP, CONTENT GURJEET CHIMA Photographed Jan. 14, 2020 SENIOR DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL MARKETS “It was such an honor and pleasure to shoot EDDIE KO SENIOR DIRECTOR, ADVERTISING fashion icons Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn as OPERATIONS they prepare to launch their newest show,” ANDY LIMPUS says photographer Cliff Watts. The fashion and SENIOR DIRECTOR, TALENT ACQUISITION AMIT SANNAD celebrity portrait photographer and commercial SENIOR DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT film director creates intimate portraits that CONSTANCE EJUMA reveal the sensuality, humor and humanity that DIRECTOR, SEO LAURA ONGARO lie behind the public image of his subjects. He is EDITORIAL & BRAND DIRECTOR, widely known for his ad campaigns for Hugo Boss, INTERNATIONAL Revlon and Armani and his work with celebrities KATIE PASSANTINO DIRECTOR, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT such as Chris Hemsworth, Gigi Hadid, Cate DEREK RAMSAY Blanchett, Angelina Jolie and Adele. SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER

8 VARIETY PLUGGED IN WHAT’S ON VARIETY.COM

the coronavirus outbreak and its impact Stars of on travel and athletes’ ability to train and TV Series participate in qualifying competition. But the organization said the definitive deci- Premieres sion to go ahead or postpone would be made in mid-April. However, a cancellation or delay became 55 increasingly inevitable when both Canada and Australia on March 23 said they would Rita Moreno not participate this summer. That same One Day at a Time The comedy’s Season 4 day, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Com- premiere Pops up with mittee had said the decision to postpone her score on the rise. the games needed to be made speedily. It cited the interruptions of training and qualifying already wreaked by the pandemic. “Our most important conclusion from 49 this broad athlete response is that even if the current significant health concerns Clive Standen could be alleviated by late summer, the Council of Dads He’s really cooking, with a enormous disruptions to the training five-point boost since the environment, doping controls and beginning of February. qualification process can’t be overcome in a satisfactory manner,” the committee said in a statement. News THE SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES IN TOKYO will The postponement will have a dra- 23 be postponed until 2021, Japan’s Prime Min- matic impact on the TV industry. Comcast, Olympics ister Abe Shinzo announced. which has the rights to show the games Jessica Frances Dukes Ozark The games were scheduled to start on in the United States, had been count- The Netflix drama offers July 24 and run through Aug. 9. The Summer ing on hundreds of hours of coverage of Postponed a good opportunity for Paralympics were set to run Aug. 25-Sept. 6. swimming, gymnastics and track and this Marvel-ous actor. “I proposed to postpone for about a year, field events to lure millions of viewers to and [IOC] president [Thomas] Bach responded its screens in an era when many of them

with 100% agreement,” Abe told reporters. might opt for a streamed movie or TV Vscore, powered by Variety Business Intelligence, identifies the social The IOC had previously acknowledged the series. The postponement is also expected footprint, familiarity and availability of over 25,000 actors. For more info please • For the full story, head to Variety.com. growing pressure on the games caused by to hurt the Japanese economy. visit Vscore.com ROB LATOUR/SHUTTERSTOCK; KIM: ALBERTOREYES/SHUTTERSTOCK LATOUR/SHUTTERSTOCK; ROB

Variety Poll SayS What?

‘Invisible’ “Please,“ please stop the prejudice and senseless violence against Asian people. Randomly beating elderly, sometimes homeless Asian Americans is cowardly, Gets Noticed heartbreaking and inexcusable. Yes, I’m Asian, and yes, I have coronavirus, but With theaters closed across the country, I did not get it from China. I got it in America. In New York City. And despite Universal Pictures made a recent selection what some political leaders want to call it, I don’t consider the place where it’s of its movies available to rent at home from as important as the people who are sick and dying. If I did, I would call for $20 each. “The Invisible Man” was the this thing the New York virus, but that would be silly. The point is, the name- most popular choice to stream among the calling gets us nowhere. What matters is how best to take care of ourselves Variety 5,816 respondents to ’s Twitter poll. and one another.” 13% Daniel Dae Kim on anti-Asian racism during the coronavirus crisis Trolls World “I“ would have loved to say goodbye, but it’s OK. It feels very emotionally raw to Tour not get that last performance. That’s speaking from a place of great privilege of having been able to do an entire run. I know there are people in our 17% 49% community who only performed one show or were just starting a run, which is The Hunt The Invisible a different pain I don’t know.” Man “The“ Inheritance” actor Samuel H. Levine on not being able to do the show’s final 21% performance due to Broadway’s shutdown Emma “When“ you’re shooting, you create this micro-society, this community. You’re aware of the world beyond, but in all of my years directing and producing, I’m hard-pressed to come up with any comparisons for this truly global situation.”

Data provided by Variety’s Twitter poll for Variety Intelligence Platform. “Stranger“ Things” executive producer and director Shawn Levy on shutting down production

OLYMPICS: FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK; MORENO: AURORA ROSE/SHUTTERSTOCK; STANDEN: KATHY HUTCHINS/SHUTTERSTOCK; DUKES: HUTCHINS/SHUTTERSTOCK; KATHY STANDEN: ROSE/SHUTTERSTOCK; AURORA MORENO: FRANCK ROBICHON/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK; OLYMPICS: For more in-depth data and analysis, variety.com/vip-sample amid the pandemic 10 VREY VARIETY

GUTTER CREDIT GUTTER CREDIT least sixfeetleast from anyone else. whilemaintainingasafehoods, distance of at and exercise intheir neighbor- towalk orrun ers orbecome infected.” where, andwe allhave toinfect oth- thepotential that thereareCOVID-19 any- positive people … We tooperate with theassumption allneed places whereyou distance. arenotable tosocially Ferrer.tor Barbara “You inspacesand cannotbe L.A. County Department of Public Health Direc- of PublicHealth County Department L.A. at parks, piersoronthetrails,” beaches, said across thecounty. lotsandhikingtrails parking the closingofbeach concurrently announced Department Sheriff’s state TheLosAngeles andbeaches. County parks at many lotsclosed parking Newsom ordered from congregating. todissuade people parking shut down beach ignoring advice tostay home, even asthecity a Beachhead Establishes How Pandemic SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTOGRAPH BYDAVIDBUCHAN/ MARCH 22,2020 LOS ANGELES CYCLISTS INSANTA MONICA The county thoseseekingfreshair advised “It’s inappropriate for tocongregate people The next day, March23,California Gov. Gavin CLOSE UP VARIETY are amongthose 11 Thousands of SAG-AFTRA members need urgent help right now.

Give to the covid-19 disaster fund today.

donate now

sagaftra.foundation/donate

The SAG-AFTRA Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonproﬁt organization. Tax ID 95-3967876.

Untitled-1 1 3/19/20 10:27 PM MYCHAL WATTS/SHUTTERSTOCK Madison Avenue’s Bumpy Road a timewhenofﬁcials arecallingfor social otherthe sameway.feeding ittoeach At hands,bowl of dipwiththeirbare andthen froma eating showed at people aparty viewedcommercial, onCNNlast week, tially owned by actorRyan Reynolds. The that aimsfor young customers andispar fromMintMobile,spot awireless carrier daysthese uncertain of coronavirus was a morelike looking they’re ariskygambit. onMadisonAvenue.surest bet Suddenly, CORONAVIRUS CRISISTIESU.S. TV COMMERCIALSTV HAVE One adrecently makingtheroundsin long been the longbeen TOP BILLING TOP - should beonTV. what theirmessage trying tofigureout on billboardsare companies advertising March 23.Manyofthe virtually empty Times Squaresits COMMERCE DISRUPTED TELEVISION ADMARKETINKNOTS and instead reached outtothecompany’s reached and instead fromMintMobilerepresentatives,heard WarnerMedia at CNNparent team never familiar withthematter says theadsales ple now working fromhome.” Aperson givenquickly asnormal, somany peo weren’tﬁc instructions executed as in astatement. “Unfortunately, thetraf fromtheirlogs,”spot] thecompany said asked allnetworksalready topull[the of behavior toshow ontelevision. thatdistancing, hardlyseemslike thekind “We understand thesensitivitiesand

yBin Steinberg By Brian - - and therecession of 2008-09.But thecoro throughtoughtimeslikemuscled 9/11 spots out of rotation. And perhaps most outof Andperhaps rotation. spots toyank andneed their business crumble the times. Othersareseeingtheirlinesof notthatcreated longago, suitthetoneof ers areunsurewhethertheircommercials, hasnever Someadvertis seen. industry confusion thelikes of whichthemedia alevel hassparked of pandemic navirus by agency contactedmedia afterbeing The nation’s biggest have adspenders Variety . VARIETY TOP BILLING 13 - - and move of ‘BlueBloods.’” itintoarepeat “You can’t take really your entireschedule of viewership,” says onebuyingexecutive. replace theNCAA championships interms nigh impossible. “There’s nothingthat can March Madness gameiswell basketball client that they mighthave witha snared and delivering thesameaudience toa areoff thegridfor thetimebeing, sports solid places toputtheirpitches. Live says onebuyer. and fullreliefisonethat we’re getting,” cellations. willdiscuss alloptions, “They ers. But they arealsoaccepting ordercan- commercials air, according buy tomedia thetimeframe when sider pushingback adsinotherprograms, ortoconrunning networks have toconsider asked sponsors joints have forced been toclose. Television showrooms, theaters, stores andfast-food tolobadsatlittle audiences reason when dios, retailersandrestaurants may have automakers,or ahotelroom; movie stu aflight the airurgingconsumers tobook tokeepare hard-pressed commercials on wise tofollow.” acuse University. “Other brandswould be of PublicCommunicationsSchool at Syr fessor of advertising at theSINewhouse son fromFord,” says apro- BrianSheehan, 14 would-be suitors. insurancewith afriendwhotalksabout to show spokeswoman Floinasinglesbar for instance, commercials that isrunning tuitive to thenation’s crisis. Progressive, others have that spots seemcounterin say: “We’re here. Andwe areready.” But “built tolendahand.” Verizon hasadsthat telling consumers that itsvehicles are and inallthebetter days ahead.” Ford is tells viewers, “We areherefor you —now reassure. Toyota that aspot haslaunched into thefray withcommercialsto meant primetime broadcast. news amongthebeneficiaries, alongwith withkidsprogramsandcableis growing, in frontof viewing consumers. TV Linear the righttimefor somecompanies toget rise toconditions that mightmake itjust the rest of themarketplace.” havoc, on andithasacascadingimpact buying firms. unknown iswreaking “That America, oneof thenation’s largest media officer at Omnicom GroupNorth Media Catherine Sullivan, chiefinvestment right now andit’s thebigunknown,” says might take place “isthebiggest issue ure outwhat they oughttodo. 24 until2021—areleftscramblingtofig 2020 Tokyo onMarch Olympics, postponed events of theyear —sports includingthe someofthemost-watchedlions tosponsor many whohaveimportant, invested mil- TOP BILLING What’s more, advertisers have fewer Not Travel allof themcan. marketers “I think every marketer could“I thinkevery take ales And so, someadvertisers arejumping hasgiven thepandemic Oddly enough, The inability toknow what events VREY VARIETY

------“We are trying totake“We aretrying thistwo by thehosts asthey hunker down at home. efforts often things going created withlo-fi tokeep down andaretrying production Meanwhile, shows late-night have TV shut lion inadcommitments for primetime, between $9.6billionand$10.8bil secured English-language networks broadcast for thecoming cycle.tory In2019,thefive tosellthebulkof theiradinven-works try upfront salesmarket, whenU.S. net TV was itsannual tostart slated the industry four months.” months of andshove inventory itinto challenges,” hesays. “You can’t take six out now andcomelater. back are “There of clientswhocantakethe number money right now,” hesays. But heworries about ries that arefeeling themost challenged accommodating forvery thosecatego- to take thistwo weeks at atimeandbe is aimingfor flexibility. “We aretrying dent of adsalesPeter Olsensays histeam buyer.a media a new, higherprice. “It’s abigpuzzle,” says they become moredefinite—most likely at want intothoseevents toget back when havingmean torenegotiate allover ifthey change theirplans. But doingsowould or theSummerOlympicscould certainly ers whohave committed totheNBA Finals weeks atatimeandbevery categories thatarefeeling the most challengedrightnow.” Peter Olsen,A+ENetworks accommodating for those There’s alsosomeparalysis. Advertis The pandemic hitjust weeksThe pandemic before At A+ENetworks, executive vice presi

- - - with buyers. with buyers. aims tobeflexible says hiscompany ad salesPeterOlsen Networks execVPof the admarket;A+E “wreaking havoc”in uncertainty is America, saysthat Media GroupNorth officer atOmnicom chief investment Catherine Sullivan, IN THETRENCHES able totellastory, Ithinkthey should.” Omnicom’s Sullivan. “Ifthenetworks are understanding of where we aregoing,” says for of better munity islooking somesort entireadvertising com “The what itcan. ers withmarqueeprograms.” could drive pricinggrowth for broadcast supplywithoutlive Thisin short sports. withlarge audiences islikelytory tobe wrote inarecentnote. “Ad research inven ment networks incoming quarters,” he of newcontent for thegeneral entertain- movies islikely theavailability toimpact “Delayed of newshows production and analyst amedia withUBS. John Hodulik, suggestsfind someshort-term benefit, IsUs” ora“Walking“This Dead” —might aprogrammingfavoritenews about —a withbusiness.” and thendeal through thenext threeorfour months go intoanupfront,” says “Let’s Olsen. get weeks difficultto isgoing tofinditvery butanyonecall, over thenext sixtoeight isnotmy “This will have little totrumpet. somuchthat thenetworksproduction TV back haspushed that thepandemic video. There’s growing concern, however, outviastreamedshowcases beamed coming programs. Intheirplace willbe in May tocelebrate of their therelease they hold parties andsushi-filled booze- “We arestaying flexible.” keting officer of GeneralMotors’Cadillac. aged,” says Melissa Grady, thechiefmar- waiting toseehow man upfrontswillbe “Given we’re thecurrentsituation, now it would quiteanaccomplishment. be ing volume for theirprimetimeschedules. consecutive year thenetworks saw increas according to Madison Avenue may want tolatch onto networkAny that TV canoffer some All thenetworks canceled theglitzy If they match suchlevels thisyear, Variety estimates —thefourth - - -

- -

SULLIVAN: AWNEWYORK/SHUTTERSTOCK; OLSEN: A+E NETWORKS TOP BILLING

to VOD. Meanwhile, Memento Films Distri- bution, which risked releasing the Juliette Binoche-starring “The Good Wife” just four days before the theater shutdown after spending more than $1 million in P&A, is planning a second theatrical release when cinemas reopen, even if it means forking over additional marketing dollars. “This crisis is unprecedented and more violent than anything we’ve had before because it doesn’t only slow down economic sectors — it stops their activity altogether,” says Didier Duverger, honorary president of leading film and TV financing institution Natixis Coficiné. “If it lasts 30 to 45 days, it will be OK, but beyond that, there will be casualties,” he adds. A $23.9 million plan was unveiled March 17 to help cultural industries, while the National Film Board has allowed companies to postpone social security payments, in addition to offering loans and options for repaying existing credit. In Italy, where the box office was down 70% the week before theaters shut down, the motion picture association Anica has also been exploring what to do with dozens of local and international films in release Damned if You Do, limbo and finding ways of offsetting the loss of the theatrical revenue stream, the org’s chief, Francesco Rutelli, tells Variety. On Demand if You Don’t Rutelli is negotiating agreements with platforms including Netflix to find a “new balance” that will also benefit theatrical dis- ITALY, FRANCE AND SPAIN GRAPPLE WITH A RADICAL tribution. Under the plan, exhibitors would be compensated for the time they are forced STREAMING FUTURE TO REDUCE COVID-19’S ECONOMIC to stay shut. DAMAGE — ESPECIALLY TO INDIE DISTRIBUTORS The damage in Italy is at $108 million for

By Elsa Keslassy, Nick Vivarelli and John Hopewell the television production business, according to Giancarlo Leone, head of Italy’s TV producers’ association APA. WITH ITALY, FRANCE AND SPAIN in full lock- In France, which has Europe’s strictest Damages to film production are expected down in the face of the unrelenting coro- release window policy and the most power- to be greater. A $145 million aid package to navirus outbreak, their respective film ful lobby of exhibitors, film board CNC is in help exhibitors, distributors and producers industries are preparing to take exceptional talks with guilds to bend the rules and allow was unveiled by Italy’s culture minister on measures that could limit the anticipated movies to bypass cinemas and debut on March 16. economic damage by opening themselves transactional VOD. Meanwhile, in Spain, where release win- up to an uncharted gamble in streaming. Under the existing release windows, dows aren’t as strict as in France and Italy, To date, dozens of film releases have movies that have been pre-bought by TV the government is also considering abol- been postponed to between July and Octo- channels must debut in theaters first in ishing the requirement for Spanish films ber across all three countries, which are the order to benefit from TV financing, and can to bow in local theaters in order to trigger hardest hit in Europe. This could trigger a launch on transactional VOD no earlier than state subsidies worth up to around $1.1 mil- bloodbath for theaters in markets where four months after that. These films eventu- lion per title. independent distributors are already strug- ally are allowed to land on streaming ser- That would also allow the distributors of gling to compete with U.S. majors, such as vices such as Netflix no sooner than 36 roughly 50 Spanish titles ready for release France, where Hollywood titles accounted months following their theatrical release. to approach broadcasters and streaming for 59% of the nation’s record-breaking 213 However, in light of the dramatic circum- platforms to negotiate the films’ release. million admissions in 2019. stances, almost every film body in France One idea is to open up a pay-per-view The crux of the battle is ensuring the appears to be on board with shaking up window before platforms’ SVOD general box office debuts of independent Euro- the current rules, albeit temporarily. The release because “pay-per-view isn’t so differ- pean movies aren’t crushed by a tsunami of sole note of discord came when France cul- ent from cinema,” suggests Alvaro Longoria, movie releases. One increasingly attractive ture minister Franck Riester and the CNC A SECOND CHANCE? president of the European Producers Club. option is to offer these films immediately on announced unilaterally that all films that “The Good Wife,” Losses to Spain’s film and TV sector are demand via streamers or broadcasters — a were in theaters as of March 14 could be starring Juliette calculated to be at around $165 million to Binoche and Noémie radical move already enacted by the likes released immediately on pay VOD — a deci- Lvovsky, was released $220 million, says Pilar Benito, president of of Universal Pictures in the U.S., and one sion met with outrage from some exhibitors. four days before Spain’s Asociación Estatal de Cine. A $220 that requires traditionally immutable Euro- Shellac, a distribution company that the shutdown; its million stimulus package was announced distributor plans pean film boards to tweak the schedules for also runs theaters in Paris, has decided to to rerelease it when by Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez

CAROLE BETHUEL/MEMENTO FILMS BETHUEL/MEMENTO CAROLE release windows. release its ﬁlm “Monsieur Deligny” straight theaters open again. on March 17.

VARIETY 15 TOP BILLING

to one top sales agent speaking on the Unsold Indies Seek condition of anonymity, though it faces a unique roadblock: the amount of time and money it would take to dub acquired films in the languages of its 160 million global Shelter in Stream subscribers, which could be prohibitive in streaming those movies immediately. Spokespeople for Apple, Hulu, Amazon and Netflix declined to comment on the COMPLETED MOVIES HOPE TO LURE BUYERS AS matter, though many inside those com- PRODUCTION HALTS, SELF-ISOLATION GOES GLOBAL panies say clarity will come by the end By Matt Donnelly of March, when employees get used to working from home. AS THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC forces Sales agents at the big talent firms — global audiences into their homes and CAA, WME, ICM and UTA — have been film and television production grinds to energized by the buyer interest in the a halt, unsold independent films have past two weeks, not only to dust off their become attractive options for distributors stockpile of completed movies but also to seeking fast content, numerous industry get the work of their filmmakers in front insiders tell Variety. of a nation trapped indoors. Streamers including Apple TV Plus, Projects that immediately sprang to Hulu, Amazon Prime and the major stu- mind for buyers include Sara Colange- dios are showing renewed interest in lo’s “Worth,” starring Michael Keaton, a NOVEL APPROACH finished films from festivals past, like Jan- drama about dividing up the 9/11 Vic- Jillian Jacobs and Jemaine uary’s Sundance, as well as orphans from tims Compensation Fund, which por- Clement star in director the canceled SXSW and postponed Tribeca trays an eerily timely story of Americans Kris Rey’s “I Used to Go Here,” which had been set film festivals, sources say. rallying in a national crisis; Dave Fran-

to debut at SXSW. Netﬂix is also in the game, according co’s directorial debut, the horror-thriller HERIZA TONY

16 VARIETY “The Rental,” which screened for buyers a push to June, the agencies will have a in February at the Berlin Film Festival GIMME SHELTER These finished festival indies could find a digital home for their sales titles and co-stars his wife, Alison Brie; “Dis- home as the coronavirus keeps America indoors. — Matt Donnelly where buyers can screen movies and closure: Trans bid on them from the safety of their Lives on Screen,” a documentary from Violet provided visas suspicions that the chaise longues. and opportunity group isn’t alone. Dir.: director-producer Sam Feder, producer Olivia Munn plays Creatives are thrilled by the notion for hundreds of Dave Franco Sales: Amy Scholder and executive producer a 30-something of selling their work, not only for the refugees. Dir.: Alice Endeavor Content movie executive Laverne Cox; and “I Used to Go Here,” a Gu Sales: CAA economic benefits but also to provide who realizes her college dramedy that had been slated to sorely needed entertainment and inner voice (Justin Worth debut at SXSW, starring Gillian Jacobs fulfill the dreams dashed by corona- Theroux) has been Disclosure: Trans Michael Keaton and Jemaine Clement. lying to her all her life. Lives on Screen and Amy Ryan virus cancellations. “A lot of distributor taste is shifting Dir.: Justine Bateman Filmmakers, give strong “Statistically speaking, more people Sales: at this moment, and we’re hoping to take CAA including executive performances got into Harvard than the SXSW Film producer Laverne as the lawyers advantage of this to help our clients’ Festival this year,” deadpans writer-di- Cox (“Promising responsible I Used to Go Here work get seen while people are capti- Young Woman,” for distributing rector Justine Bateman, whose Oliva Gillian Jacobs stars vated at home,” says another top indie “Bad Hair”), explore the 9/11 Victims Munn and Justin Theroux film “Vio- as a novelist whose sales executive. Hollywood’s role Compensation let” was meant to premiere at the Aus- debut misses the in both molding Fund, devising a That “taste” refers to a broad range tin, Texas, event. “Look, things come mark. An invitation and inspiring mass model on how much of programming that streamers are to speak at her alma anxieties around money human lives up. Certainly not of this magnitude, suddenly in dire need of, from typical mater plunges gender identity. are worth. Dir.: Sara but it’s not like we’re in a steady 9-to-5 her into a circle Dir.: Sales: festival fare like narrative drama and Sam Feder Colangelo business. We’re adapters by nature in of students and a Sales: ICM UTA and ICM horror films to unscripted episodic confrontation of entertainment.” and documentary programs and broad, her early mistakes. Alice Gu’s documentary “The Donut The Rental The Education of Dir.: Kris Rey Sales: low-budget comedies. Fredrick Fitzell King” was also meant to debut in Austin, Variety Myriad Pictures Actor Dave Franco One filmmaker told that makes his directorial Dylan O’Brien and follows the inspirational story Netflix’s first-quarter original program- debut in this horror goes down the of Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy, who The Donut King ming block for 2020 has been devoured thriller, which stars rabbit hole in this emigrated to the U.S. in the 1970s. The inspiring in the past two weeks as companies his wife, Alison techie mystery Ngoy built a doughnut shop empire, story centers Brie, and Dan thriller, described across the nation have shut down, the on Cambodian Stevens, about two as “Donnie Darko” empowering hundreds of other refugees president declared a national state of immigrant Ted couples whose for gamers. in the process. emergency and governors have issued Ngoy, whose pastry idyllic getaway Dir.: Christopher “We went from the highest of highs to Sales: shelter-in-place orders in states like empire in the 1970s reveals secrets and MacBride ICM the lowest of lows when they canceled California. Even the major studios, the festival on March 6, but at that time slavishly devoted to appeasing movie we didn’t understand the [scope] of theater owners, broke ranks and rushed COVID-19,” Gu says. their theatrical movies to home enter- Gu, who makes her directorial debut tainment platforms. summer, sources say. on the documentary, is one of a tragically Universal Pictures was the first to One silver lining from Hollywood’s small group of female cinematographers. blink, sending titles like “The Hunt,” complete shutdown, a half-dozen “There has to be a reason for an event “Emma” and “The Invisible Man” to the agents say, is a renewed sense of collabo- like this,” she says of the virus. “Maybe digital marketplace well ahead of the 90 HE’S A GAMER ration. The notoriously competitive tal- it’s people realizing how important they days that theaters expect to have movies Dylan O’Brien ent agencies banded together last week are to each other, or that we need less exclusively on their screens. Most signifi- toplines techie to create a virtual marketplace around pollution. But this is my first film. We mystery “The cantly, Universal is bringing the ani- Education of the Cannes Film Festival. While the worked really hard, we’re really proud mated film “Trolls: World Tour” to VOD Fredrick Fitzell. annual French celebration is considering and we want it to get seen.” before it’s set to open in theaters on April 10 (assuming cineplexes are allowed to reopen by that time). Warner Bros. quickly followed suit with the Margot Robbie vehicle “Birds of Prey” and Ben Affleck’s redemption pic “The Way Back.” Even the goliath that is Disney, acknowledging “challeng- ing times” in its announcement, rushed blockbusters “Frozen II” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” to early streaming releases on Disney Plus. The streamers aren’t exclusively gun- ning for festival darlings, sources say. The bigger players, known for deep pockets, are chasing the studio projects that have been pushed down the release calendar as COVID-19 has spread across the globe. The Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae comedy “The Lovebirds,” a Para- mount Pictures and Media Rights Capital production, has already sold to Net- flix and is expected to premiere in early

VARIETY 17 home inself-isolation, it’s hardlyasur States intheUnited tostaymore people day viewership tallies, andplentymorehit shows live-plus-same- scored season-high they have for some time. for network each have rosierthan looked atof research Fox. Somers, executive vice presidentandhead towatch,”tions drivingpeople says Will usage of television isavariety of motiva screens whenthisisallover. new content tokeep viewers totheir glued as iswhetherthenetworks willhave any ues tosweep thenation is abigquestion, months,perhaps contin that thepandemic the currentspike willlast beyond theweeks, ings, take numbers atumble. But whether cally at thistimeof year, post-daylight sav- andtypi ismuchpublicized, streaming ratingsbroadcast declineintheface of ing for thenetworks. therecent Afterall, almost across theboard. prise that viewership up broadcast hasbeen — BUTBROADCASTERS FACE SEVEREUNCERTAINTY A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE ISFUELINGINCREASED VIEWERSHIP 18 a Ratings Revival LinearNets TV Amid Pandemic, AS THECORONAVIRUS FORCES TOP BILLING

Between March15and21,morethan theratings headlines week, Over thepast we’re“What seeingintheelevated inviewership isablessThe sheerboost yWl Thorne By Will VREY VARIETY moreand - - - - - Singer” scoring 8millionviewers (itshigh Singer” Masked onCBS,“The thisseason) prior best 7.4 millionviewers (500,000morethanits on NBC, to Neighborhood” leaping “The ers (1millionmorethanthepreviouspeak) its way 10 millionview toaseason-best for network Voice” each were “The belting multi-week highs. Amongthehighlights jump week-to-week. grew by 19%,while thelatter saw a21% 2-11) andteens(ages 12-17).Theformer that saw by farthelargest jump:kids(ages of week thepast arethetwo demographics according toNielsen. and 35-49,7%amongthoseover 50, roughly 10%amongadultsages 18-49 (Households Using Television) were up PUT (People Using Television) andHUT week of March14,primetimelevels of was inlockdown)country throughthe the week muchof the of March7(before lion viewers, respectively, onABC. highswith7.1millionand7.5 mil season and“Station scoring 19”easily Anatomy” Bowlper premiere)for Fox, and“Grey’s excludingest tallythisseason thepost-Su- Worth notingamidtheratings fanfare Taking awiderviewof thegrowth, from

- - - stay home. stay home. population to has forcedthe as thepandemic seen biggains Singer” have “The Masked shows likeFox’s Non-scripted INTEREST GROWING around thenation arenavigating thetortu the sofa towatch TV. Whilekidsandparents to thedays of entirefamiliesgathering on orat somekindof least co-viewing, return possible,” says. Gaither promotingitasmuch tobe need to introduce theshow now, they definitely notgoing Ifthey’re toreach. opportunity network normallywouldn’t have the someone intoanewprogramthat the there, andyou have achance tohook somethingnew.for thenetworks totry ume aspresentinga“bitofanopportunity” ence aswell astheoverall invol- increase Group. totheyounger points Gaither audi of adagencyto JimGaither TheRichards timetolaunchaseries,a good according &Grace,”and “Will tonamejust afew. This Mess,” “Superstore” Goldbergs” “The Conners,” were bests season “The “Bless someof theseriesthat front, hitscripted 29% and11%respectively), whileonthe significantly(up14%, climbed Singer” “Ellen’s Masked and“The of Games” Game biggest gainersonbroadcast. comedies havely-oriented amongthe been trend isthat alternative andmorefami than choice —morecommonplace. outof forcethe television—perhaps rather made sitting down for anevening infrontof ent that theself-isolation has predicament ous waters it’s of homeschooling, appar- network exec. most senseinthelongterm,” says one it’s toevaluate soon too what makes the according tomultiplesources. isina“play-it-by-eareveryone situation,” summerschedule, ditionally rerun-heavy change thingsupwhenitcomes tothetra new shows intotheringandperhaps put ontheairwaves. outof originalcontentnetworks to willrun that thereisapossibility the but decimated, allof timeandthetraditionalpilotseason shutdownthe globe for anunknown length they territory. areinhighlyuncertain works stress that intermsofprogramming, informed andentertained,” says Somers. ant functioninterms of keeping viewers few years. thanthey haveescape over thepast forare turningmoretobroadcast an times, people that inthesedeeplytrying Wednesday of last week), andit’s plain of between 16%and22%fromMonday to ABC, CBSandNBCstations saw bumps were up33%amongadults18-49,while ership withthat news(Fox of local stations This suggests asignificantbumpin However, sources at allfour majornet “You have somany moreeyeballs out On theface now of would it, seemlike space, Voice,”In thenon-scripted “The Among thesplashy headlines, oneclear But couple view theriseinbroadcast “Although we’re assessing ouroptions, So whilethetemptation may tothrow be around production With every virtually “It’s animport serving broadcast

- - - - -

MICHAEL BECKER/FOX TOP BILLING

he understands how new versions have always had to build up goodwill with the franchise faithful. “It’s been interesting for me watching the response unfold in real time, and being able to understand where a lot of this is coming from as a fan,” he says. “It’s made it easier for me to, you know, accept when fans express their dissatisfaction.” Some reactions, however, have surprised him — like the outcry over the deaths of two beloved recurring characters from earlier “Trek” series. “I don’t think I quite understood that there were going to be people who would be upset about a character’s death regardless of how that character died,” Chabon says. “Simply the fact of a character dying. I just don’t understand television in that way.” Chabon saw it as his imperative to ensure that “Picard” remains relevant in a post-“Game of Thrones” and “Breaking Bad” era of TV. “To me, the standards have changed, whether some ‘Star Trek’ fans are willing to acknowledge that — or will ever acknowledge that,” he says. Still, as a novelist, it’s been both edifying and gratifying for Chabon to acclimate to the extended metabolism of long-form television. “It was all- consuming,” he says with a grin. “I loved every minute of it — the hard parts as much as the easy parts.” Chabon enjoyed the experience so Freshman Showrunner much, in fact, that he’s launching a series adaptation of “Kavalier & Clay” for Showtime with his wife and frequent Boldly Goes Forward writing partner, Ayelet Waldman; the couple signed an overall deal with CBS Television Studios last year. PULITZER-WINNING AUTHOR MICHAEL CHABON EXPLORES HIS But that means he’s had to step back TRANSITION TO TV WITH ‘STAR TREK: PICARD’ By Adam B. Vary from showrunning duties for Season 2 of “Picard.” “I mean, truthfully, you can’t really MICHAEL CHABON has been a die-hard hours each week answering viewers’ be the showrunner of a show and do “Star Trek” fan since he was 10. Given questions on Instagram about the anything else,” he says. “I recognized that he’s the showrunner of the latest latest episode. that I couldn’t do it again, and also “Trek” iteration, “Star Trek: Picard” — “The questions about Vulcans’ inner finish a novel, and also develop ‘Kavalier the first job at the helm of a television eyelids and all those kinds of things, & Clay’ and ultimately co-showrun that series for the Pulitzer Prize-winning that’s been so fun,” he says with a huge with Ayelet.” author of “The Amazing Adventures of grin. “What makes me feel good is Chabon is still an executive producer Kavalier & Clay” — the 56-year-old has when I see [the series] being treated, in on “Picard,” and he’s writing two episodes found it particularly satisfying to engage a sense, the same by fans as previous for Season 2. And he will cherish the with the vast “Trek” fandom as the first versions of the show.” lessons he learned running his first-ever season of “Picard” heads into its finale As with all fandom, that treatment TV series. on March 26. cuts both ways. While Chabon says “the “To just give one example: the value “It’s fun to see [the show] getting vast majority” of the response “seems of a bottle episode,” Chabon says. “If you absorbed into the kind of greater to be really positive,” he’s also acutely can have an episode that takes place corpus of ‘Star Trek,’” Chabon says via aware of fans’ displeasure with certain entirely on standing sets, in terms of Skype while sitting in his home office bold creative choices made this season. ONE ‘TREK’ production it’s such a blessing, such a BEYOND in Berkeley, where he’s been sheltering Some of it Chabon could see coming. gift to your budget. That kind of thinking Michael Chabon in place with his family amid the He himself “hated” the first season with director is something I couldn’t have possibly coronavirus pandemic. of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” Hanelle M. brought to ‘Kavalier & Clay’ without Culpepper and Over the run of the first season of — where his show’s namesake, Jean- having worked on ‘Picard.’” Patrick Stewart “Picard,” Chabon has surveyed reactions Luc Picard (inimitably performed by on the set In other words, Chabon now knows

MATT KENNEDY/CBS MATT on Reddit and Twitter, and he’s spent Patrick Stewart), made his debut — so of “Picard” how to make it so.

VARIETY 19 Value ofLocal TV Bright Spotlight on Pandemic Puts this monththat thecompany’s pegged mar year. Finally, earlier tosurface bidsstarted for asubject of acquisition nearly rumors news, from TV outlets.news, fromTV still gets most of itsnews, local especially others conﬁrm halfthecountry that nearly by Pewafter survey Research Center and is available survey onlineinananosecond, environment media inwhichnews heated in timesof crisisandemergency. play indisseminating newsandinformation the invaluable stations TV rolethat local hasputaklieglighton pandemic navirus ofthecoro- Thespread ferent kindofworth. for grabs at Tegna have dif taken onavery ket value at $8.5billion. about BROADCASTERS’ RESPONSIBILITIESTO COMMUNITIESDURINGCRISIS SUITORS FOR TEGNA STATION GROUP SHOULDRESPECT 20 THE TV STATIONTHE TV GROUP TOP BILLING Even inahyperconnected andover But theassets inthespaceof up aweek, VREY VARIETY Cynthia Littleton BUSINESS STRICTLY Tegna the hasbeen

- - - ers arelaser-focusedmarkets ontheirlocal andparades. These broadcast openings and they sendanchorstosupermarket andwalkathons,sor Little teams League lots.job fairsintheirparking They spon theonesthatThey’re host fundraisersand than notthey are pillarsof thecommunity. brands,est established andmoreoften TV serve, thesenetwork afﬁliates aretheold Moines’ WOI (ABC). (CBS), Memphis’WATN (Fox) andDes Seattle’s KING(NBC),New WWL Orleans’ (NBC), Washington, D.C.’s WUSA (CBS), network afﬁliates, suchasDenver’s KUSA 51 markets. Most of themareBigFour stationscompany in ishometo62TV station owners togo onthemarket. The Tegna isoneof TV thelast old-school In themidsize andsmallermarkets they

- -

- 51 markets. 62 stationsin group thathas a broadcast Lougee oversees Tegna CEODave PARTNER INVALUABLE because that’sbecause how they maintain in the transaction. in thetransaction. and community aren’t goodwill sacrificed ing that theintangiblesof newscredibility As thebiddingprocess plays here’s out, hop- and religiousoutfitTrinity Broadcasting. StudioschiefByron AllenEntertainment Management, giantApollo Global equity informationof local in atimeof crisis.” source turn to theirmostthat trusted people ofourlives.aspect Andit’s anotherreminder every says. isimpacting outbreak “This yard, at theirown peril. intheirback of theoutbreak the impact have working tocover been aroundtheclock news prosat Sinclair’s KOMO-TV Seattle newcastslocal at somestations. But the over theyears for tilton putting apolitical guidelines.health contact withothers, coronavirus public per box inordertominimize locations close markets viadrop pickingupequipment stations.local He’s now got crewsinsome newscastsproduce for Sinclair’s 170-plus who photographers andcameraoperators ofsteers some4,000journalists, ateam news for Group. SinclairBroadcast He tooursmartphones. addicted can provide, nomatter how muchwe are that station onlyabroadcast reach geted provided througha wide butregionallytar CPMs. It’s information of credible abeacon tion plays transcends profit marginsand anxious, sta therolethat TV astrong local moving andviewers at are lightningspeed pany’s of $708million. 2019earnings of eightto10timesthecom neighborhood tag inaTegna somethinginthe saleasbeing ontheultimate price thenumbers crunch into sharpreliefintheU.S., itwas to easy to shine. Before thecoronavirus came threat ers allows operators thestrongest TV local life-savingwhat canbe information toview isthesame.of thecountry corner signalsintoevery to get TV broadcast ofconstruct alocal/national system delivery topay theiraffiliates.used But thebasic intheolddays, whereas affiliation, networks now thenetworks pay for theprivilege ofthe Tegna station andotherbroadcast owners ball” andotherhigh-wattage programming. IsUs” and“Sundayand “This NightFoot provides Tonight KUSA with“The Show” toDenverentertainment viewers, whileNBC over theyears. KUSA newsand delivers local that compact hasn’t changed allthat much withnational networks.partnership And aregionalaudience in affiliates serving States was builtonthefoundation of local station’s revenue. drives somuchof anetwork-affiliated which innewsprogramming, credibility Tegna’s suitorsat presentincludeprivate “We are onthefrontlines,” Livingston heat Sinclair hastaken somedeserved Just askScott seniorVPof Livingston, But at amomentlike this, whennewsis During acrisis, themission todeliver The televisionbusiness intheUnited

- - -

ETHAN MILLER/GETTY IMAGES TOP BILLING Five Takeaways From Netflix CEO’s New Book

IN ‘NO RULES RULES,’ REED HASTINGS UNSPOOLS THE INSIDE STORY OF THE STREAMER’S CORPORATE CULTURE —

WITH SOME SURPRISING REVELATIONS By Todd Spangler

DO YOU WANT your company to be like Net- against company policy: “We now say that it flix? Co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings is disloyal to Netflix when you disagree with has written down the recipe, step by step, an idea and do not express that disagree- spilling the secret sauce for all interested. ment,” Hastings writes. Hastings’ forthcoming “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention” Employees don’t need preapprovals for spells out how his company fosters an expenses or certain strategic decisions, but environment of employee “freedom and they’re fired if they do something dumb. responsibility” — referred to internally as The book reveals that a Netflix employee “F&R.” Hastings claims Netflix’s unique in Taiwan had been reimbursed for more ways of doing business have formed the than $100,000 spent on lavish personal basis for its astronomical growth and cat- vacations over three years without his egory-dominating position today, with 167 manager catching it. He was canned after million customers globally. Netflix’s finance department ran an audit Much of the book, an advance copy of of his receipts. which was obtained by Variety, is a rehash of well-documented Netflix practices. Netflix asks employees to get salary esti- Those include its unusually radical trans- mates from recruiters trying to poach them parency and feedback loops, lack of an offi- and relay that to their boss. cial time-off or vacation policy, and the Managers are encouraged to know the famous Keeper Test in which managers are “market value” of their team members encouraged to fire employees who aren’t and proactively give them raises so they “stars.” Indeed, the book almost reads like don’t jump ship. “It costs a lot more to lose a 270-page-plus elaboration of the Netflix people and to recruit replacements than Culture document outlining the company’s to overpay a little in the first place,” Hast- corporate culture, which Hastings first put ings observes. out for public consumption in 2009. In the introduction of “No Rules Rules,” The Netflix “F&R” approach doesn’t work Hastings boils down Netflix’s competitive across the entire company. advantage over Blockbuster — which 20 Hastings admits that eliminating oversight years ago rejected his $50 million asking and rules altogether is impossible. He cites price for Netflix — to three things: “a culture the company’s processes for employee that valued people over process, empha- adequate performers brings down the per- safety and sexual harassment; customer sized innovation over efficiency, and had formance of everyone on the team.” data privacy; and financial reporting. very few controls.” Those are instances “where error preven- Here are five takeaways from the new Netflix’s policy of frank feedback stemmed tion is clearly more important than innova- book, which was co-written with business from Hastings’ experience with marriage tion,” he writes. professor and author Erin Meyer. counseling. When he was CEO of Pure Software in the In the end, it’s debatable how differ- The Keeper Test started by accident. mid-’90s, Hastings was frequently away ent Netflix really is from other Silicon In 2001, after the dot-com bubble burst from home, and his wife grew frustrated Valley outfits that espouse move-fast-and- and venture capital funding evaporated, and distant. They went to couples’ ther- break-things principles or pay top dollar Netflix laid off one-third of its 120-person apy, where he learned to express resent- for talent. But Hastings makes a persua- staff. Hastings and his HR chief agonized ments and be honest. As a result, back in sive case that Netflix has successfully cod- over who the “keepers” were, prioritizing the office, “I began encouraging everyone ified processes (and yes, it still has many the most creative and collaborative peo- to say exactly what they really thought, but of those) that buck age-old conventional ple. In the months after the layoffs, Hastings with positive intent.” Even then, the man- wisdom. More important, it has done so expected morale to hit the floor. Instead, the date for complete candor didn’t come to in a way that scales across the company’s “entire office felt like it was filled with peo- fruition until after Hastings’ disastrous 8,600-member global workforce. ple who were madly in love with their work,” decision in 2011 to split Netflix streaming he writes, calling it a “road to Damascus from the newly named Qwikster DVD-mail- moment.” Netflix says it doesn’t have quo- ing business — a move reversed after less Reed Hastings’ “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the tas or hard rules about firing less-than-stel- than a month. The CEO found out later that Culture of Reinvention” lar workers. But the lesson, Hastings says, lots of his underlings thought it was a bad will be released May 12 by Penguin Press NETFLIX was that “a team with one or two merely idea. Today, withholding honest feedback is

VARIETY 21 INTERESTED IN ATTENDING OUR EVENTS?

TELEVISION AWARDS VOTERS

REGISTER NOW TO RECEIVE INVITATIONS TO VARIETY'S EXCLUSIVE EVENTS + a free 6-month subscription to Variety TIM BOYER/VARIETY TIM

VARIETY.COM/AWARDSUPDATE

CONTACT WHITNEY CINKALA | VARIETY AWARDS OFFICE | 323.617.9340 | [email protected] CRIP CAMP: HOLLYNN D’LIL/NETFLIX; JAR: ANNE FISHBEIN in SouthernCalifornia wellness —hasbecome ago-to des- as of April 5, across L.A. sweetﬂower.com.as of April 5,across L.A. latter available and, location withina5-mileradiusofeach Sweet Flower’s —the services curbsidepickup and delivery Gummies offer times, of mindduringtroubled peace asdo spaces. Best-sellers like Dosist Calm DialandKiva Camino for selectionasfor itscuratedproduct itssleekretail brandisasknown female-led predominantly wood-loved, Westwood settodebutonApril location 20),theHolly- With inMelrose, boutiques DTLA andStudioCity(anda tination for cannabis connoisseurs andnewcomers alike. EDITED BYPATSAPERSTEIN|[email protected] Sweet Flower Flower Sweet Buy THE LARGEST independently owned marijuana dispensary owned marijuanadispensary independently Pot roast from Jar LESLEY MCKENZIE acrossservice Los Angeles: time ever. Here are justafew offering eateries order-out ens open Sosomerestaurants areneed toeat. keeping theirkitch- extreme measures toprotect peoplestill publichealth, navirus oftaking shutdowns. thenecessity But despite by has beendevastated The restaurant coro- industry While someshutdown entirely, otherstrygrab-and-go, oftenfor thefirsttime RestaurantsMany Pivot L.A. toTakeout andDelivery ily box andwine. steak adoubleporterhouse thatincludes orsplurgeNerano andeggplant Parmesan, with Nerano — and,like Spago, doingtakeout for thefirst ’s takeout anddelivery menuoffers linguine alla ‘ disability rightsmovement. from Woodstock whocreated the early ’70s down theroad atasite focuses onsummercampersinthe The award-winning Netflixdoc Crip Camp’ Watch DEVOUR Jar ‘ ’s what policiescanleadusout. that ledustotheCOVID-19 crisisand Dr. AbdulEl-Sayed looks atfactors Crooked Media’s new podcastledby Dissected’ America Listen

fam- fish salad,for delivery through Postmates. your usual,whetheraroasted brisket sandwich orwhite- sandwich. Call sandwich. Call of favorites like crispy ricesaladandtheturkey breakfast extended hoursandhasaddeddinnerplatterstoitsmenu smoked cauliflower EastHollywood’s tacos. hickory sandwich, theApple-Pantastic cheese burger and delivery, withoptionsincludingthebarbecuebrisket grilled ited dinner-only menuavailable for curbsidepickup and Sherman Oaks barbecue spot

Nate ‘n Al’s Sweet Flowerboastsacurated selection ofproductsacross its fourretaillocations. directly for takeout, or order ‘ Abrams, IdrisElbaandPaulFeig. stars alongwithJamesSpader, J.J. anecdotes andinterviewswiththe is packed withbehind-the-scenes popular seven years afteritended seems tokeep gettingmore The oralhistoryoftheshow that The Office’ Read Boneyard Bistro VARIETY

PAT SAPERSTEIN Sqirl hasalim- features 23 of B2B marketers are outsourcing content creation.

VARIETY.COM/CONTENTSTUDIO For more information contact ENTERTAINMENT IS OUR DNA SEAN SOPER [email protected]

Source: 2020 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, North America: Content Marketing Institute / MarketingProfs DIRT

$4.8M

LOS FELIZ 5,200 SQ. FT. 5 BEDROOMS

7 BATHS

on the bungalows at the Beverly Hills Mark Ronson Spins Hotel. Between the main house and the two-story poolside guesthouse, there are five bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms in out of Los Feliz Villa approximately 5,200 idiosyncratically styl- ish square feet. Original floor tiles enhance the MUSIC PRODUCER and international DJ Mark Ronson has taken in almost $4.8 gold-ceilinged entrance hall, where a million on the sale of a 1930s Spanish Revival villa in an affluent area of L.A.’s wrought-iron-railed staircase curves up to second-floor bedrooms. The commodious Los Feliz area. The Grammy-winning musician, who splits his time between Lon- step-down living room features a fireplace don, New York and Los Angeles, purchased the residence about 4½ years ago, and carved-wood beams across the ceiling, around the time he and his now ex-wife, French actor and singer and the dining room is wrapped in whim- Joséphine de La Baume, split up. sical animal-print wallpaper. A sprawling Set on about a third of an acre, enshrouded in a verdant fantasia of tropical second-floor master suite incorporates a gardens and recently fawned over in the pages of Architectural Digest, the main spacious sitting room, a fireplace and a crisply modern chandelier-lit bathroom. residence was designed by architect William Asa Hudson, best known for his work Branden Williams and Rayni Williams of the Williams & Williams Estates at Hil- ton & Hyland held the listing; the buyer MARK DAVID was repped by Sheena Sadaghiani of THE REAL ESTALKER Keller Williams. RONSON: BROADIMAGE/SHUTTERSTOCK RONSON:

VARIETY 25 DIRT

and spa. A dark, stone-covered counter- invisible behind a towering hedge and top separates the dining area from the aus- secured entry gates, while voluminous, terely streamlined galley kitchen, where an multilevel interior spaces feature angled, oversize glass door pivots open to a covered cotton-white walls, polished concrete poolside patio with built-in barbecue grill. floors and muscular dark-wood beams The master suite spills out to a private ter- across soaring ceilings. A massive TV-sur- race with a fire pit. mounted fireplace serves as the focal point of the sunken living room. The sleekly appointed kitchen, with its massive L-shaped island, is open to a light-filled $7M Halsey Records Sale double-height atrium. A separate dining in Beachwood Canyon room includes a marble-topped built-in HOLLYWOOD HILLS 4 BEDROOMS buffet. The airy master bedroom looks out Mononymous music artist Halsey has sold over a forested hillside through a floor-to- 3,000 SQ. FT. 3 BATHS her former home in L.A.’s Beachwood Can- ceiling picture window, and the minimal- yon. The slightly better than $2.37 million ist poured-concrete bathroom comprises Jason Statham Offers sale price is a tetch under its final ask of not one large wet room tucked up under a quite $2.4 million and a wee bit above the pitched roofline with an open, oversize Sunset Strip Stunner just over $2.2 million she paid for the boldly shower area. Outdoor spaces include a ter- Action film stalwart Jason Statham no lon- contemporary hillside residence a bit more raced patio with a built-in barbecue and a ger wants a meticulously renovated and than three years ago. Nestled along a wind- mirror-backed loggia that cantilevers over carefully updated midcentury residence ing road just below the Hollywood Sign, an infinity-edge swimming pool and spa in the ritzy foothills above L.A.’s Sunset there are three bedrooms and three bath- backed by a thick wall of bamboo. Strip, setting it out for sale with an almost rooms in the roughly 2,500-square-foot The property was listed with Josh Myler $7 million price tag. One of Hollywood’s architectural showstopper. at The Agency; the buyer was repped by most bankable stars, whose 2019 block- From the street, the house is discreetly Brian Campbell at Compass. buster “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbes & Shaw” hauled more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in worldwide box office, Statham purchased the property in 2015 for $2.7 million. Built in 1957 with a distinctive, asym- metrical roofline, the modestly sized home was rigorously restored by the actor and his savvy team of architects and designers in a manner that smoothly blends midcentury Scandinavian design with up-to-date crea- ture comforts. There are pale-gray polished concrete floors, clerestory windows that fill the house with ambient light and cedar planks on the vaulted ceilings that continue out to form deep overhangs. Listings held by Branden Williams and Rayni Williams of the Williams & Williams Estates at Hilton & Hyland show the roughly 3,000-square- foot domicile has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. $2.37M In the combination living-dining room, a huge glass slider opens one side of the room BEACHWOOD CANYON to a serene courtyard with a picturesque 2,500 SQ. FT. olive tree at its center; an even more gigan- tic glass slider on the opposite wall opens 3 BEDROOMS the room to a basalt-accented plunge pool 3 BATHS

The Duggars Finally market without any serious DIGS FlFlipip Out in Arkansas buyers — and it’s no wonder, considering that the average Move Into Moby’s Old Jim BBobo and Michelle Duggar listing price in Springdale is Home in Central Park Westst ooff the popular TLC reality show around $201,000. But after ““1919 KiKidsd & Counting” have fiddling with the asking price and A four-story penthouse formerly owneded fliflippedpped a house in Springdale, outfitting the home with furniture, by singer-songwriter Moby and locateded Ark. KKnown as Baylor Mansion, Baylor Mansion finally sold for in New York’s El Dorado building in Cen-en- the 110,000-square-foot0 property $1.53 million, meaning the family tral Park West is on the market for $5.7575 was ppurchased by the fecund and has four bedrooms and five netted around $1.3 million. million. The three-bedroom, three-bath-h- coucoupleple in 2014 for $230,000. and a half bathrooms. After its Considering the cost of the room space has its own semi-private eleva-eleva- ConstConstructed in 1961, the home makeover, the Arkansas property revamp, though, only the Duggars tor and offers views of the park and hthee cit cityy was mmodeled after Frank Lloyd was initially listed for $1.8 million know how much they truly made

skyline from every room. MAE HAMILTONTON WriWright’sgh Circular Sun House in May 2019, but idled on the off their project. MAE HAMILTON AFF-USA/SHUTTERSTOCK MOBY:

26 VARIETY DIRT

the clapboard-clad 1930s Colonial-meets- farmhouse-style traditional is fronted by a manicured sweep of lawn and a deep porch that extends the full width of the house. Listings held by Patricia Ruben of Sotheby’s Intl. Realty indicate there are a total of six bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms among the almost 4,800-square-foot main house, a self-contained guesthouse and a poolside pavilion. A tomato red front door opens to a center-hall foyer defined by an elegant curved staircase. A fireplace anchors the formal living room, and in a nod to modern-day home trends, the dining room is not-so-formally open to a vintage-inspired kitchen decked out with up-to-date culinary accouterment. $2M There’s also a separate breakfast room that features a built-in banquette dressed up LOS FELIZ with grass-green upholstery, a cozy library/ 2,100 SQ. FT. den with a fireplace and a spacious family 3 BEDROOMS room. A discreetly situated en suite bedroom for guests or staff completes the main 3 BATHS floor, while a trio of second-floor bedrooms, each with a private bathroom, include a small shade garden and a vast dining ter- master suite that spills out through French Anthony Russo Sells race outside the living and dining room. doors to a slim wraparound balcony with a Los Feliz Property Another tree-shaded terrace has a fire sweeping, over-the-treetops view of the sur- pit, while a classic kidney-shaped swim- rounding neighborhood. “Avengers: Endgame” co-director Anthony ming pool sits in a sunny clearing against Walled and hedged for maximum Russo, a busy film and TV producer and a planted hillside. The property was listed privacy, the flat and grassy backyard a 2004 Emmy winner for helming the with Richard von Ernst with Compass; the centers on a simple, rectangular pilot episode of the cult-favorite TV series buyer was represented by Patricia Ruben of swimming pool flanked by a detached “Arrested Development,” has sold one of his Sotheby’s Intl. Realty. one-bed, one-bath guesthouse with full two residences in the Los Feliz area of Los kitchen and a semidetached poolside Angeles for a small bit more than $2 mil- structure that incorporates a large loggia lion. Tucked into a discreet, gated enclave with an outdoor fireplace. in the low-key foothills above Bronson Producer Henrik Bastin Canyon, the late-1940s traditional quietly evokes the clean lines of Streamline Mod- Lists Hollywood Estate erne architecture but without all the sexy A casually deluxe Hollywood estate owned curves and nautical affectations. Exten- by Swedish-born TV producer Henrik sively remodeled about seven years ago, the Bastin has come available at a smidgen comfortably unassuming dwelling has three shy of $4.7 million. Tax records show the bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in just about veteran entertainment industry exec, cur- 2,100 square feet. rently serving as executive producer on The spacious living room has a fireplace the Peter Sarsgaard-starring crime series and lustrous, honey-toned oak floorboards “Interrogation,” as well as the Amazon that run into the adjoining dining room Prime police procedural “Bosch,” has $4.7M and retro-style eat-in kitchen, the latter owned the property since 2009, when it was of which retains a distinct 1940s feel with acquired for almost $1.9 million. original St. Charles cabinets (and up-to- Completely concealed behind mature LOS ANGELES 6 BEDROOMS date appliances). A massive trellis covers a trees, a high hedge and imposing gates, 4,800 SQ. FT. 5 BATHS

Property Brothers Are their journey to fame and fortune. garage into a guesthouse. The Shooting for the Stars Each episode of “Celebrity IOU” Property Brothers, known for their sees the brothers traveling across ability to tug on heartstrings, HGTV makeover dream team the country to focus on a different will likely be tapping into the Jonathan and Drew Scott are celebrity guest (with big names emotional aspects behind the taking on yet another television like Brad Pitt, Viola Davis, Rebel celebs’ reasons to renovate, so get home improvement series. But this Wilson and Melissa McCarthy those tissues ready. “It’s amazing time, instead of lending a hand to gracing the roster) and will end to see someone who is extremely couples transforming fixer-uppers with a surprise reveal of the results successful be grounded enough to into their dream homes, they’ll be of their projects. Some major always remember the people who helping A-list celebrities conduct undertakings being featured on helped them get there,” Jonathan special renovations for family the show include revamping a Scott said in a press release. members, friends and mentors backyard, updating a ’70s-style The series is set to premiere on

RUSSO'S HOUSE: HILLARY CAMPBELL (3); PROPERTY BROTHERS: HGTV BROTHERS: (3); PROPERTY CAMPBELL HOUSE: HILLARY RUSSO'S who have ushered them along condominium and converting a April 13. MAE HAMILTON

VARIETY 27 28 VARIETY Global Gambit

HEIDI KLUM AND TIM GUNN RETURN WITH ‘MAKING THE CUT,’ AMAZON’S BID TO LAUNCH AN ESCAPIST UNSCRIPTED FRANCHISE IN UNCERTAIN TIMES

By Elaine Low

Photographs by Cliff Watts possible COVID-19 diagnosis. (Klum, when asked about her health and her test results, declined to divulge her diagnosis.) There is also the small matter of trying to build a global fashion brand — the show’s very premise — that is now made even tougher as a recession looms. The industry’s new normal includes shuttered movie theaters and an upended status quo, with major studios such as Universal and Disney closing theatrical windows and making films available on demand to home audiences. People cooped up indoors want, perhaps even need, entertainment and distraction during the crisis. THE EIFFEL TOWER LIGHTS UP THE VELVETY “I think that ‘Making the Cut’ is a much-needed antidote to everything that we’re going through,” says co-host Tim Gunn, who speaks night sky. Blue, red and white lights from the with the warmth and reassurance of your favorite college professor. traffic below twinkle through the arches of the “It’s feel-good television. People want to be inspired; they want a distraction. They’re not going to see designers squabbling; they’re going to landmark — the centerpiece of an opulent outdoor see designers helping each other. It’s going to be uplifting for people.” fashion show. The bass thumps, the audience That viewers may find comfort in the escapist, high-fashion, retail-ready world of “Making the Cut” is of particular significance to hurrahs and models bathed in gold light strut Amazon, whose Venn diagram of sprawling businesses — a stream- down the runway. Designers weep backstage in ing service at a time when remaining home is key to public health, an online retailer at a time when people are avoiding physical stores grateful disbelief at where they are and what they — is not least a story of the modern age of art and commerce.

are doing, lifelong dreams realized. The scene, SUIT SUPPLY OUTIN; SUIT: From the appropriate from Amazon Studio’s forthcoming design com- social distance of her home in greater Los Angeles, Klum says she hopes her new show can “bring a small bit petition series “Making the Cut,” is a postcard of joy and entertainment into our day.” Tens of millions of Ameri- from the past. Paris today is a ghost town, streets cans are in a state of lockdown akin to Paris, and by the looks of Twit- ter chatter, people are going a bit stir crazy. That’s still no reason to devoid of people. It is one of numerous cities leave the house. “We are all in this together,” Klum says. “This virus around the world implementing social austerity knows no borders, so as people of this planet, we all need to do our part to protect each other and to stop the virus from spreading. It’s measures, allowing its residents to leave their COUTURE; SHOES; LOUB VALENTINO DRESS: so upsetting to see that people are not listening to guidelines and homes only for groceries or other essential needs, are out and about when they don’t need to be. The virus will keep in a bid to stop the spread of the novel coronavi- spreading, and we will all then need to isolate for even longer.” It was not that long ago — and yet what feels like so very long ago rus fueling a worldwide pandemic. These are — that Klum was speaking to Variety in mid-January about her deci- anxious, uncertain times. And to launch a reality sion to venture into new territory with Amazon Studios. Klum and Gunn have long been synonymous with “Project Run- show at this moment, when life itself is surreal, is way,” and for 16 seasons sought to spotlight talented apparel mak- both a tall order and a potentially welcome salve. ers. They bid “auf Wiedersehen” to that franchise two years ago The 10-episode series will premiere on Prime amid a network shuffle, and ran into the open arms of an Ama- zon entertainment division trying to right itself under new leader- Video on March 27, even as the entertainment ship. Looking to create a program on their own terms, the pair first industry has been brought to a standstill. The talked with Netflix before landing at Amazon Studios, where newly installed head Jennifer Salke had taken command of a strategy to show was filmed over the summer of 2019, jetting invest significantly in unscripted programming. The former presi- ZIMMITTI; LISA GROOMING: GUNN’S GROUP; WALL MARTIN/THE LORENZO its internationally sourced group of competitors dent of NBC Entertainment, Salke was more than familiar with the from New York to Paris to Tokyo, months before splash that a competition show like “The Voice” could make. This year, Amazon Prime Video will debut “Making the Cut” and nations began closing off borders in service of the Bear Grylls’ “World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji,” a Mark greater good — and months before its top-billed Burnett revival, as Salke aims to establish the streaming service’s unscripted presence in a “needle-moving” way. “Making the Cut” star, supermodel and executive producer Heidi will be its first major international competition series. Klum, quarantined herself over concern about a “This was really the foundation — this plan to commit to a couple big, big shows that we could really, truly say are global but would be compelling, that we could then experiment with [in] a week-to- week cadence on the service, which is different for us,” says Salke. “Making the Cut” will air two episodes a week, in contrast with the binge model popular of most streamers, and it summons the studio’s corporate synergies in a big way: Viewers will be able to buy the winning looks from Amazon Fashion. Retail tie-ins aren’t new, of course. Netflix’s “Next in Fashion,” as a recent example, partnered with online luxury shop Net-a-Porter to hawk the winning designer’s collection. But Amazon’s intercon- nected web means that you can watch a show, buy a dress, consider another item that’s “frequently bought together” (as recommended by the site) and have it shipped to you for free, all without leaving the platform. It’s a flex that no other Hollywood player can boast. In developing the series, Amazon Studios had told Klum, Gunn and showrunner Sara Rea to think big. Klum had dreams of “Fashion Force One” — an imagined 747 jet housing rows of sewing machines, so designers could work en route from one fashion capital to the next.

She also wanted $1 million for the winner to fund his or her business. HAIR: TILBURY; HAY/AIRE/CHARLOTTE LINDA MAKEUP: KLUM’S ARTISTS; & MARIEL/FORWARD ROB STYLING: PAGE) (PREVIOUS SPREAD & OPPOSITE

30 VARIETY

“They said no to the plane, but they said yes to the million dol- in which Klum and Gunn explore the Moulin Rouge or a Japanese lars,” says Klum. “That was amazing, because you need that startup seafood market. money and you need to have people behind you who believe in you, “Like, I’m in Paris — I want to see the Eiffel Tower, I want to see who support you — and also a place where you can sell.” the Louvre, I want to see all these spectacular places,” says Rea. “So And of course, they landed a runway show outside the Eiffel Tower. we wanted to make that event as big as it could possibly be. If you “We went in to Amazon, and we asked for the world,” says Rea. just watched the fashion show, you’d enjoy that moment because of “And they said yes and yes and yes.” all of the spectacle that we wanted it to be.” The panel of judges that decides the designers’ fates is a who’s The move to Amazon Studios dates back to the spring of 2018, who of the sartorial elite: supermodel Naomi Campbell, CFDA when the “Project Runway” cast and crew were two weeks away from award-winning designer Joseph Altuzarra, actor and designer shooting Season 17. The show was without a broadcast home, after Nicole Richie, digital entrepreneur Chiara Ferragni and former Lifetime parent A+E Networks earlier in the year cut ties with “Proj- Vogue Paris editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld. ect Runway” series owner The Weinstein Co. amid mounting sexual Roitfeld may not be as familiar to the average viewer as Anna assault allegations against TWC chief Harvey Weinstein. Working Wintour, but she is an influential figure in the fashion realm, enough with production partner Bunim/Murray and backed by funding from so to reportedly inspire a character in “The Devil Wears Prada” — Jac- private equity firm Lantern Capital (which had acquired the bank- queline Follet, the French magazine editor set to pounce on Miranda rupt Weinstein Co.), Klum and Gunn were nevertheless forging ahead. Priestly’s job. Roitfeld is a proponent of democratizing fashion, lik- Then came “Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen’s sur- ening Amazon Studios’ efforts to the runway show she presented last prise announcement at NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation: “Project summer in Florence, Italy, for 5,000 members of the public. Runway” was heading back to Bravo, the show’s network for its first “To open these gates to people who [would] never get a chance five seasons prior to a decade at Lifetime. What might have seemed to see Gigi [Hadid] on the runway wearing a Tom Ford dress, that’s like good news instead blindsided everyone. The following day, pro- what I like,” she says. duction shuddered to a halt. New contracts had to be negotiated. How audiences in lockdown mode will like it remains to be seen. The Friday before the news, “I had been out in Long Island City Will they yearn for escapist, fun fare that distracts from the gloomy looking at the workroom, which had just been finished — the paint- headlines and days spent in sweatpants? ing, the furniture arrangements and lighting,” says Gunn, who Ferragni, an influencer with 19 million Instagram followers, has assumed Bravo would pick up where Lifetime had left off. The crew been sheltering in place with her family at home in Milan, located in had turned down other commitments. “Oh! And we had the design- the region where coronavirus has hit Italy hardest. She posts daily ers selected. I felt bad for everybody.” photos and videos of her outfits, her toddler and her musician hus- The homecoming at Bravo prompted Klum to reevaluate her ties band, Fedez, serenading the neighbors; she also urges her followers to the show she fondly refers to as her “first television baby.” Chaf- to stay at home, and has spearheaded a huge fundraising campaign ing at the proposed contract and recalling that she “didn’t have the to provide a local hospital with more beds. most amazing experience” during the Bravo seasons, Klum wished For her, “Making the Cut” is not just a sartorial romp but an the show luck and jumped ship. Gunn readily went with her. (Jump- opportunity to refuel enthusiasm for exploring the world. She hopes ing along with them was longtime showrunner Rea and, later, 15 or it will inspire people to “follow their passions.” so members of the crew.) “The program was shot months before the coronavirus disease The budget for “Making the Cut” far exceeds the limits of its was an issue, so it will be beautiful for me to re-see New York and spiritual predecessor. In the well-appointed Paris design studio, Tokyo from the eyes of the program,” she says. “I hope it will remind there is no Piperlime accessories wall, no HP and Intel challenge, people how beautiful it is to travel.” no Mary Kay makeup room. The designers do not engage in the sponsor-heavy feats that dogged contestants on “Project Runway,” Amazon is perhaps one of the few companies to flourish amid from handing out Yoplait frozen yogurt samples on the Coney Island this massive public health crisis. The travel, restaurant and airline boardwalk to creating server uniforms for Susan Sarandon’s ping- industries have been crushed, but the e-commerce giant is hiring pong social club. No one is enlisted to sing the praises of Dixie Cups 100,000 more people as its order volumes spike. (It has also come (another onetime “Runway” sponsor). under scrutiny for its treatment of hourly warehouse workers, the In lieu of product placement are famous landmarks, as the “Mak- lowest-paid but arguably most integral part of its workforce, amid ing the Cut” designers roam the streets of Paris for the first half of the contagion.) the season. Some choose to sit and sketch on a grassy hill by the Of the 150 million Amazon Prime subscribers around the world, Sacré-Coeur, or soak up sartorial history at the Yves Saint Laurent some analysts estimate 90 million are Stateside. That, in theory, Museum. After a particularly tough day, the designers decompress means Amazon Prime Video’s reach in the U.S. is greater than that of at a sidewalk café with glasses of wine. Later, in Tokyo, they wander Netflix, which has 61 million subscribers domestically. It’s unknown the Harajuku district for inspiration. how many Prime subscribers regularly watch the streamer. “We really wanted those locations to be an experience for the Says Campbell, who joined “Making the Cut” at the behest of long- viewer,” says Rea. “Food [programming] does a lot of travel. Fash- time friend Klum: “What I love about this platform and this show is ion, you don’t see that.” the reach, and how many people it’s going to attract around the world.” In light of the current state of the world, Rea’s instinct to channel Unlike the movie business, which has been completely upended the designers’ wonder at their surroundings turns out to have been by the pandemic, the release of new TV shows on direct-to-con- prescient, resulting in a loving, travel documentary-like tribute to sumer platforms has thus far been relatively unaffected. And with so these fashion capitals. many more people working from home and engaging in social dis- Director Ramy Romany, a documentarian and an Egyptologist, tancing in recent weeks, streaming usage is up globally, per video lavishes attention on the scenery. At a runway event at the Musée distribution provider Wurl. Netflix will not be the only streamer that des Arts Décoratifs, the camera lingers on the interior of a three- gains during this time of forced homebody-ism. story sculpted-stone hall. The episodes break for playful interludes It would not be surprising to see Amazon boost its subscriber level even more in the coming months, as people ramp up their reli- ance on delivery services, particularly fresh-food couriers. The com- “THIS IS ABOUT FINDING THE NEXT pany owns Whole Foods, after all, and with grocery stores packed with panicked shoppers and shelves perpetually empty, the e-com- GREAT GLOBAL BRAND. EVERYTHING merce behemoth is in command of a major food supply. Based on ABOUT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE REAL survey data, Jefferies analyst Brent Thill found that amid the crisis, AND LESS GIMMICKY.” people were spending more money than usual at Amazon, the only store to see such an uptick.

Heidi Klum For newer Prime subscribers, the platform’s video content is a (3) STUDIOS AMAZON

32 VARIETY siren call to become more deeply enmeshed in the Amazon ecosys- calls “very user-friendly but no-nonsense” — Beauchamp is a mem- tem. And “Making the Cut” deftly reroutes those customers from the ber of Bezos’ elite “S-team,” the group of 20-plus senior lieutenants video side back over to its wide retail maw at the end of the program, who lead Amazon’s army of divisions in retail, web services, artifi- encouraging them to buy new looks every week. cial intelligence, hardware and more. Salke and others are quick to stress that any revenue from the The two final contestants are asked to present their business show’s apparel would be “icing on the cake” (although Amazon plans to Beauchamp, in a manner akin to ABC’s “Shark Tank,” the Fashion has since decided profits will now go directly to the design- prime example of an unscripted series that has supersized dozens ers). Amazon’s total net sales in 2019 were $280.5 billion; one brand of businesses through investment and audience exposure. or product is but a drop in the bucket. Of course, reality TV has no shortage of promises of greatness: Be Yet getting customers to buy more stuff is a core part of Ama- the next top model, top chef, voice, American idol. But its collective zon’s business, even from a streaming lens. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos track record for creating household names is spotty. In the design famously said at the 2016 Code Conference, “When we win a Golden world, “Project Runway” alum Christian Siriano (now the show’s Globe, it helps us sell more shoes in a very direct way.” And Amazon resident mentor) broke into the mainstream, but he is the exception. is estimated to be the No. 1 apparel retailer in the country, outsell- “We just wanted to make this an actual, real brand that can exist,” ing Macy’s and Walmart, the nation’s largest department store and says Klum. “Look at Christian Siriano — he worked it out, and not a brick-and-mortar chain, respectively. lot of people do work it out after doing something like this. You win Salke says that her goal upon arriving at Amazon Studios two something, and then it’s like, where do you go from here?” years ago was to “synergize with as many parts of the company as As such, simulating an environment that reflects the retail we could.” Prior to “Making the Cut,” she was already leaning into industry was important to the show’s creators. Unlike the competi- this area, creating shoppable offerings for Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty tion-in-a-box format that other reality shows rely on, “Making the fashion show on Prime Video, for example. Fashion and music are Cut” has few restrictions. The designers are given two days to com- the two largest crossover areas for the studio. plete their assignments and a season-wide budget that can be par- A valuable opportunity for the “Making the Cut” winner in scal- celed out however they wish, keeping in mind that the final product ing up his or her business comes in the form of a yearlong mentor- will be made for retail. ship with Amazon Fashion head Christine Beauchamp, another key “One of the major differences is that [‘Project Runway’] was component of the prize. The former brand president of Ann Taylor intent upon limitations, intent upon saying, ‘We’re going to give you and chief exec of Victoria’s Secret Beauty — whom Gunn admiringly parameters that are so constrained that it’s going to test your cre- ativity in ways that no one can anticipate,’” says Gunn. “As a teacher, I loved that aspect. But ‘Making the Cut’ is very different. We want to give you all the resources that we believe are important for you to succeed, and then it’s all up to you.” Seamstresses are at the designers’ disposal, akin to a real-life fashion house. Competitors must create a couture look and a more “accessible” one; the winning accessible look will be produced in a limited-edition batch and sold on Amazon for $100 or less. “This is about finding the next great global brand,” says Klum. “Everything about it was supposed to be more real and less gimmicky — not that gimmicky’s bad — but less showy, less super stressed for them.” That’s not to say the pressure doesn’t get to them; the designers know that $1 million is career-changing. But the free-range realism of the show prioritizes their work above all, dampening the interper- sonal drama. The theatrics come from the craft itself. Perhaps the contestants, each plucked from their lives as business owners, also sense they are not vying with one another so much as bracing against larger capitalist forces. The real competition is not in this room full of sewing machines but out there: from the fast-fashion factories to the prestige design houses to the perennial wave of new TOUR DE FORCE labels that comprise the competitive, saturated apparel retail market. Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn One challenge for Amazon in working to elevate the winning host a runway show in Paris on “Making the Cut” designer to international status is building its credibility as a desti- (top); Klum in New York nation for tastemakers and style enthusiasts. with Naomi Campbell; Gunn Despite the company’s apparel dominance, retail analysts agree critiquing designer Megan Smith’s work for the that it is better known for socks or multi-packs of white T-shirts Amazon Prime program. than for fashion-forward outfits. Amazon’s Stitch Fix-style service Prime Wardrobe and influencer-led limited-collection hub The Drop are efforts to expand past that. Given the evolution of Bezos’ company from bookstore to “the everything store,” Altuzarra believes the show has “the opportunity to help shift that perception of Amazon and allow for people to think about Amazon as a destination for fashion with a capital F.” The winner will have even more to contend with amid the coronavirus-induced stock market crash that has sent the economy spiral- ing. To that end, it is fortunate that Amazon Fashion will be funneling all profits from the show’s winning looks back to the designer who created them. To Gunn, at this surreal moment in history, the show is about a collective appreciation of art and humanity. “For me, ‘Making the Cut’ celebrates the global community of fashion and the extinction of boundaries and barriers; we are but GUTTER CREDIT one world,” he says. “It’s a feel-good show and a tonic for troubled times.”

VARIETY 33 LIGHTS OUT

WITH COVID-19 FORCING CLOSURES, THE EXHIBITION INDUSTRY — ALREADY SQUEEZED BY ACQUISITION DEBT AND DECLINING ATTENDANCE — IS IN PERIL. WILL IT RECOVER?

STORY BY DAVID LIEBERMAN AND BRENT LANG PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL BUCKNER

34 VARIETY VARIETY 35 MOVIE THEATERS have endured world wars, depressions and recessions, and the advent of everything from television to streaming. But COVID-19 and the public health crisis it has generated around the globe represent an existential threat to the cinema business like no other. ¶ In a matter of days with the accelerat- ing spread of the contagion, most of the largest cinema chains announced they were going dark for six to 12 weeks, and major studios postponed the releases of tentpole films such as “Black Widow” and “A Quiet Place M Part II.” It’s unclear what awaits these theaters when they reemerge from the unprecedented quarantines and how severe the economic toll of the work stoppages will be. ¶ “There’s never been a situation like this,” says Eric Handler, an analyst with MKM Partners. “Fear of the unknown is never a good thing for stock prices. We will return to normalcy at some point, but as we ride this out, there’s going to be near-term pain.” ¶ It’s not the same as yelling “Fire” in a crowded theater, but the words “coronavirus” and “social distancing” are scary enough to send exhibition investors stampeding for the exits. They’re unloading movie theater stocks as hundreds of venues temporarily close, studios begin to stream new film releases directly to consumers and the U.S. economy hurtles toward recession. If cinemas remain closed for a few months — which is seen as a real possibility — then the exhibition industry as we know it is “genuinely at risk,” says Wedbush Securi-

ties analyst Michael Pachter. UNIVERSAL TOUR: WORLD TROLLS JONNY COURNOYER/PARAMOUNT; 2: QUIET PLACE

36 VARIETY Investors concur. In the first half of and “Thor: Love and Thunder” — as well as CONTINGENCY PLANS recliner seats. Their stock could become March, the companies that control North “Jurassic World: Dominion,” “The Batman,” The releases of worthless if they can’t make their interest “A Quiet Place Part America’s five largest theater chains lost “Mission: Impossible 7,” “Guardians of the II” (above left) and payments and have to file for bankruptcy more than half their market value. AMC Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Avatar 2.” “Black Widow” (above) protection. A few exhibition companies Entertainment’s stock price fell 58%. Cine- “When the 2021 box office eventually have been postponed, were shocked by the industry down- while Universal world — which owns Regal Cinemas and is reported, we believe it will be the pes- Pictures announced it turn before the onset of the coronavi- has agreed to buy Canada’s Cineplex — fell simists and the naysayers who will turn will rent DreamWorks rus. High-end movie-and-food chain iPic; nearly 76%. Cinemark dropped 68%. Cin- out to have been wrong,” AMC chief Adam Animation’s “Trolls the industry’s largest maker of recliner World Tour” (center) eplex, with its sale to Cineworld seen to be Aron told analysts in February before he to home viewers. seats, VIP Cinema Holdings; and Midwest in jeopardy, plummeted 72%. And Marcus and others had to close theaters. chain Goodrich Quality Theaters filed for Corp. lost 58%. Boasts like that have not aged well. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection over Other companies tied to exhibition suf- Because of the shutdown, several mov- the past 12 months. LightShed Partners fered similar losses. Imax declined 41%, ies, such as “F9” and “Minions: The Rise of analyst Richard Greenfield predicts that and cinema ad seller National CineMedia Gru,” have been pushed back or delayed more bankruptcies “will be inevitable for fell 60%. Last week theater owners asked indefinitely. Consequently, this quarter most of the industry.” the federal government for a bailout will see the loss of hundreds of millions of All eyes are on AMC, the world’s biggest package that would include loan guaran- dollars in ticket sales. It’s possible that the exhibition company. Benchmark Co. ana- tees and tax relief, which they said would infection rates won’t have peaked when lyst Mike Hickey says he’s “increasingly allow them to stay solvent. As of press the summer movie season kicks off, forc- concerned” about its ability to handle the time, it was unclear whether the stimulus ing exhibitors to sit out one of the most $4.9 billion in debt on its books at the end bill that’s being debated in Congress will lucrative times of their year. of 2019. include everything the exhibition com- “This year’s box office is going to look The chain, controlled by China’s Dalian munity is seeking. like the biggest asterisk you’ve ever seen,” Wanda Group, might lack “financial flex- As they enter uncharted territory, exec- says Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor ibility to cover a longer-than-anticipated utives plead for patience. “Without a doubt Relations. “You’ll never be able to compare slowdown or the potential for a complete we will get to the other side,” says Jim Orr, 2020 to any other year and have it mean shutdown of its theatrical network,” Hickey president of domestic theatrical distribu- anything. It’s going to be a lost year. It just said this month as he downgraded AMC tion for Universal Pictures. “How long is all won’t be there.” shares to “hold.” The company has several of this lasting? Nobody knows.” locations in cities such as New York and Theater owners believe that after two Los Angeles, where rents are notoriously years of declining box office sales, business high. Analysts expect that the company will will return to normal, and they will see a MANY INVESTORS DOUBT that try to negotiate with landlords as it hustles record high in 2021 as Hollywood releases time is on the industry’s to find ways to save on overhead. a truckload of franchise sequels. The M side. Some of the larg- Before the virus upended Ameri- haul includes four films from the Marvel est companies are loaded can life, Aron said his “single top prior- universe — “Shang-Chi and the Legend with debt after years of ity” was reducing the debt. He plans to cut of the Ten Rings,” “Doctor Strange in the borrowing to finance acquisitions and 2020 capital expenditures by as much as

BLACK WIDOW: MARVEL STUDIOS/DISNEY MARVEL WIDOW: BLACK Multiverse of Madness,” “Spider-Man 3” investments in improvements such as $135 million. He also sliced the company

VARIETY 37 dividend from 20¢ a share to 3¢, partly Many of these employeesployees were hourlhourlyy If studios see that the numbers work attributable to a term in one borrowing and have been dismissedssed or furloughed for early home viewing, and consumers agreement that would penalize AMC if it as theaters shutter, leavingeaving tthemhem witwith-h- become accustomed to watching the new didn’t reduce the outlay to 10¢ or less by out income. Joel Valentin,ntin, a 24-year-old24-year-old films in their living rooms, then it “stands mid-September 2020. employee at the Alamomo Drafthouse in YoYon-n- to rewrite studio business dynamics,” To underscore his optimism, Aron and kers, N.Y., was told thathat he would be let ggoo Wells Fargo Securities’ Steven Cahill says. other AMC executives in February took an hour before his shifthift was susupposedpposed to Universal and Warner Bros. have espe- a 15% pay cut for the next three years in start on March 13. Hee was ggiveniven a GooGooglegle cially strong incentives to break the 90-day return for options that begin to pay off doc outlining the stepsps to applapplyy for uneunem-m- window. Their parent companies, Comcast when the stock price exceeds $12 a share. ployment and informationmation about ggettingetting and AT&T, make most of their money from “I just put my money where my mouth health insurance throughough COBRACOBRA.. subscribers who want content for TVs and is,” Aron said on Feb. 27 after AMC’s stock “It’s stressful,” sayss Valentin. “The“Theyy sasayy mobile devices. price — which traded at about $17 a share my job will be there wwhenhen thetheyy reopen, These studios might be tempted to shat- less than a year ago — closed at $6.09. The but who knows when thithiss will be oover.”ver.” ter the window in order to offer some of shares closed March 20 at $3.19. their most appealing productions on their Meanwhile, Cineworld plans to borrow emerging streaming platforms, including $2.3 billion to fund its recent deal to buy Disney Plus, HBO Max and Peacock. Some Cineplex, Canada’s largest chain. That adds THEATERSERS WILWILLL EMERGEEMERGE industry observers believe that Universal’s to the $3.5 billion in debt still on its books from thethe emergencyemergency dan-dan- moves to shorten the window could also from the 2018 purchase of Regal Entertain- T gerouslysly weakened. change the way consumers think about the ment Group. Given the uncertain impact Withth cinemas temtempo-po- big-screen experience. coronavirus is having on the distribution rarily dark, studios are “You are getting viewers accustomed to industry, that deal could be in jeopardy. feeling emboldened toto test how much watching movies in the home earlier, and “That’s going to be tough to manage,” consumers will pay too rent and watch new that’s going to alter the psychology of an says Handler. “Is Cineworld really going releases at home — encroachingncroaching on the average moviegoer,” says Hal Vogel, a vet- to want to go deeper in debt to buy it? Do 90-day window when exhibition chains eran media analyst. “I’m not saying they’ll they want to have more expenses going on insist they need the fifilmslms exclusivelexclusively.y. never go munch on popcorn and watch when there’s no revenue coming in?” Last week Universalal PiPicturesctures sasaidid it a movie in the theaters again, but it does Cineworld said last week that it, too, would rent DreamWorksorks AnimAnimation’sation’s change things.” plans to cut expenditures — and should “Trolls World Tour” too hhomeome viviewersewers fforor Analysts say streaming services weather the storm, unless theaters must about $20 for a singlee showingshowing bebeginningginning began to eat into moviegoing before the close for more than two months. If that April 10 — the same dayday it’s supposed to corona-virus chaos. And although there’s happens, it added, then “there is a risk of hit theaters. The studiodio isis aboutabout toto oofferffer little empirical evidence of a connection, breaching the Group’s financial covenants the same home viewingng opportunities that might change. “There is going to be [with lenders], unless a waiver agreement for “The Invisible Man,”n,” “The Hunt” and an impact from streaming on moviegoing,” is reached.” “Emma,” although eachch is still in theaterstheaters.. MoffettNathanson Research’s Robert Fish- Many owners of small to midsize Exhibitors have saidaid ththatat ththeireir sasalesles man says. “The open-ended question circuits also are straining against short would suffer — and momoviesvies wwouldould lloseose is: When?” leashes. their cachet — if consumerssumers knew they When you add it all up, “I don’t see any “I’ve asked my two landlords: ‘I’m not could watch current fifilmslms aatt hhome.ome. ThThat’sat’s shining silver lining to get people to want to proposing to not pay my rent. But if I get why the largest chainsns dug in their heels invest in this group anytime soon,” B. Riley in a jam, can I postpone it?’” says Mark last year when Netflixx sought a short ththe-e- FBR analyst Eric Wold says. “You never O’Meara, who owns University Mall The- atrical window for Martinartin ScoScorsese’srsese’s “Th“Thee know why someone does not go to see a atres in Fairfax County, Va. “Neither one Irishman.” The moviee appeared in just a movie. So people always assume it’s some- has responded yet. I have high rent at both few dozen independentent venues. thing systemic that’s keeping them away.” my locations. I’m just really lucky; I’ve had “We are open to a ddealeal [with studios] Exhibition bulls say it’s a bad idea to people donate money to me to stay open. … but we have to have a window,” GreGreg-g- bet against an industry that’s survived so But at some point I can’t.” ory Marcus, CEO of Thehe Marcus Corp. — much social and political upheaval. Movie Employees will be among the first which owns the fourth-largesth-largest domestic fans have “demonstrated time and time to suffer. theater circuit — told invinvestorsestors in FFeb-eb- again a desire to experience the magic “We can cut payroll, to an extent,” ruary. “If they shortenn the window, they and wonder of a larger-than-life immer- says Jeff Logan, who owns Logan Luxury degrade the value becausecause we are in a babat-t- sive cinematic experience that can only Theatres, a three-venue chain in South tle against the couch.”” happen in a large darkened auditorium Dakota that his father started in 1933. “You Marcus and his exhibitionhibition cohortcohort havehave among fellow moviegoers enthralled in the sell tickets at the concession stand so you little leverage for the time being. being. on-screen action,” Cinemark CEO Mark don’t need a separate person at the box Theater owners “cannotannot threatenthreaten Zoradi told investors in February. office. It’s not ideal. But if volume gets low, to not show a movie inn their theaters” If he’s right and sales pick up, then his you can get away with one or two people because “exhibitors ccannotannot show any company and others are well positioned to doing it.” movies right now,” LightShedghtShed Partners’ benefit as they decrease their spending. The pain could be acute. Greenfield says. “2017-18 was the peak” for capital “I have a lot of kids working here who He adds that the 90-day90-day window “was expenditures, Wold says. “As you get into make a living on a shoestring, and I can’t never consumer-focused;used; it was aalwayslways next year, with box office going up and pay that well,” Logan says. “They can’t about the business. UniversalUniversal makingmaking [capital expenditures] going down, free afford to lose more than one or two shifts content more easily availableavailable is putting cash flow should increase materially.” a week, and I don’t know what to do. … It consumers first in 202020 — justjust trytry explain-explain- Why don’t Wall Street wizards take really is scary. We’re trying to cope the ing the 90-day theatricalical winwindowdow concept advantage of exhibition’s depressed stock best we can.” to a millennial, let aloneone a Gen Zer.Zer.”” prices and buy them while they’re cheap?

38 VARIETY There’s a disconnect, National Assn. of Theatre Owners executive Patrick Corcoran said in early March, because weekly reports about box office sales provide industry watchers with “a lot of ups and downs” that distort the big picture. “Over time it doesn’t add up to anything,” he says. “The fundamentals have not changed. It’s product driven. Roughly the same number of people have gone to the movies year in and year out for the last decade. And box office revenues are increasing, and concession revenues are increasing.” Corcoran says journalists who cover exhibition share some of the blame by hyping its problems. “You have people writing [in newspapers and magazines] about our industry who were deeply affected by digital disrup- tion,” he says. “But it’s not happening in our industry.” Exhibition bulls also reject the idea that a great deal of movie fans will buy fewer tickets to stay home and watch the offerings on Netflix and other streaming services. That’s “a misperception held by a bunch of morons,” Wedbush Securities’ Pachter said before the coronavirus crisis. Indeed, a late-2019 NATO-commissioned survey by consulting firm EY’s Quantitative Economics and Statistics group found that the people who visit theaters most frequently also tend to be the most active streamers. But wait. Don’t young people love streaming — and hate spending hours in a venue where they are not allowed to text? “It’s actually just the opposite,” Corcoran says. “Young people want experiences. They are not buying things. They go to bars and restaurants and go on vacations. They want something interesting and fun. Our best customers are people 18 to 34 and especially 18 to 24. They go the most often REP HOUSE BLUES Audiences “want to know that they have release schedule. Those tentpoles will be because they’re social. Young people go With movie something valuable there,” Corcoran says. what will draw people back to theaters. venues shut down out. Old people stay home.” “People fall back on things that they know. Those tentpoles will provide a road map indefinitely, That’s not to say that theaters have been operators of And theatrical provides awareness and the to success.” unaffected by TV and streaming. But the independent sense of quality. … Netflix knows this. That’s Despite the job losses, plunging stocks theaters like trade group says the change was driven by why it goes after filmmakers like Martin and possible bankruptcies, Aronson isn’t the Aero in Santa studios, not consumers. Monica, Calif., Scorsese and gives him a token release.” ready to roll the credits on the movie The number of releases that gross must figure out how There may be pent-up demand for mov- theater business. to cover rent and between $50 million and $100 million ies when theaters reopen, but industry “I think theaters will survive,” he says. overhead. declined 44%, to 23, from 2004 to 2019, veterans believe that the ramp-up will be “It may be altered, and the landscape Corcoran says. Many of those films — slow. Theaters may only come back in cer- might be different. But it’ll survive.” including romantic comedies and charac- tain regions. Most likely they will introduce That unvarnished forecast won’t ter-driven films for adults — now go straight cleaning precautions and social distanc- excite Wall Street. Yet at a time of indus- to streaming platforms and TV channels. ing measures that weren’t enforced before try-wide mayhem, executives might be That hurts theaters: The non-blockbust- they turned out the marquee lights. content if investors stayed calm — and ers accounted for 172 million admissions “There are going to be challenges to in their seats. last year, down 61% from 2004. reopen the marketplace, but as long as stu- NATO says studios would help their dios and exhibition work together, we just Rebecca Rubin contributed to this report. streaming services if they introduced need to have an orderly marketplace to more of those movies exclusively in the- reopen,” says Chris Aronson, domestic David Lieberman is an associate professor in aters, instead of sending them directly distribution president at Paramount. the graduate Media Management program at to the home. “That starts with setting a reasonable The New School.

VARIETY 39 40 VREY VARIETY

GUTTER CREDIT FULL

EXECUTIVES TRY TO LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF HAVING TO TURN THEIR HOMES INTO WORKPLACES

By CYNTHIA LITTLETON Illustration by JORGE COLOMBO HOUSE

VARIETY 41 FOR AN INDUSTRY FULL OF picture chief Couper Samuelson. Their sons, ages 6 and 8, have been put to work helping to center her in the frame and bring some structure to their day when all of a sudden both Mom and Dad are COMMANDING, HIGHLY PAID home but trying to work. Boorstin’s older son made a sign with “Stop, on TV” on one side and “Go” — it’s OK to interrupt me — on the other for posting around her makeshift workspace. “He instructed me to flip it over so they EXECUTIVES, THE EXPERIENCE know what’s going on,” Boorstin says. Amid the unsettling experience of living under a “stay at home” order, there have been bonding opportunities. A number of senior OF SUDDENLY WORKING executives mentioned having a protocol of asking staffers to check in on a personal note before getting down to business. “It’s a different way of keeping in touch. It’s worked really well for us,” says Klein. “I think it’s something we’ll carry on.” REMOTELY — OFTEN SHARING Hernan Lopez, founder-CEO of podcast network Wondery, has tried to keep a close eye on employee morale at his startup that has caught the wave of the podcasting boom. He set up a company THEIR NEW WORKPLACES WITH playlist on Spotify for staffer-suggested tunes, including Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” and Gloria Gaynor’s disco classic “I Will Survive.” The CEO’s contribution: “For Now” from “Avenue Q.” “I think the key is in communicating daily, striking the right bal- KIDS AND DOGS — HAS BEEN ance between realism and optimism,” he says. Vice Media Group has tried to assuage employee anxiety by host- ing “ask me anything” sessions with an infectious disease crisis A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE. expert, for employees on a global work-from-home status. Vice’s newly acquired Refinery29 set up a standing Thursday 5 p.m. date for a “movie club” viewing party of a female-led film. First up was FOR MANY, the jolt has certainly brought anxiety and a sense of the 2000 version of “Charlie’s Angels,” followed by “The Craft,” then displacement but also a broader perspective on life, maybe most of “First Wives Club.” all a deep appreciation for the privilege of being able to work where Working remotely is hardly an unfamiliar situation for a digi- they live during a terrifying public health crisis. tal media firm like Vice. But the mandated separation still takes In the effort to carry on with regular business as much as pos- getting used to. sible, the Great Stay-Home Phenomenon has also yielded plenty of Vice staffers threw a virtual going-away party for one departing comedic material. co-worker, and one of the commercial teams in North America one A television casting executive who’s a mother of two young sons morning all showed up on a video call wearing costumes. “We’re turned her walk-in closet into a covert office to steal away from her trying to foster a meaningful, inclusive and, dare I say, even fun rambunctious toddlers for some work time. More than a few indus- WFH culture,” says Cory Haik, Vice’s chief digital officer. tryites have adult children living at home who are also under a WFH For some, the sudden change in daily routine has made them directive from their employers. And everybody’s talking about the feel slightly off-kilter. “Brady Bunch” effect of being in so many video conference calls “Since I was 22 years old I’ve been getting up in the morn- with tiles of participants stacked up in video tic-tac-toe boxes just ing and driving a considerable distance to the office,” says Chris like the time the lovely lady met a man named Brady. “Always find the mute button before connecting to any video or phone conference – it will be necessary,” says Jodi Lederman, head of communications for ViacomCBS’ Pluto TV streaming service, who is the single mother of a 4-year-old daughter. With schools in Los Angeles and New York shut down, nobody is surprised to see a kid wander into the frame or hear a dog bark in the background anymore. Video conference calls have allowed co-workers to glimpse small slices of one another’s homes. Even longtime colleagues have learned things from the art on the walls, books on the shelves and decor choices. Some have taken great care to find the perfect frame for those video calls. “I’ve been trying different areas to see where the lighting looks “THE TRUCKS COME IN THE best,” jokes Sharon Klein, exec VP of casting for Disney Television MORNING, AND THERE’S Studios and FX. THE BROADCAST CENTER Video and telephone conference calls have become musts as a AND THE NEWSROOM. IT’S means of communication. Many say how impressed they are at how effective technology tools like Zoom calls and the BlueJeans confer- A VIBRANT, ACTIVE LOT. ence service are for keeping people in touch and facilitating group YOU MISS THAT SENSE OF communication. HAVING THE ENTERTAINMENT Julia Boorstin, senior media and entertainment correspondent COMMUNITY AROUND YOU.” for CNBC, set up her own high-quality broadcast system at her home using a high-end Padcaster device. Chris Ender, CBS “Within an hour of opening the giant box it came in, I was ready to go on TV,” says Boorstin, who is married to Blumhouse motion

42 VARIETY “ALWAYS FIND THE MUTE BUTTON BEFORE CONNECTING TO ANY VIDEO OR PHONE CONFERENCE – IT WILL BE NECESSARY.”

Jodi Lederman, Pluto TV

Guru Gowrappan, CEO of Verizon Media, is practicing mini-meditations and exercise regimens throughout the day at his home in New York. “One of the benefits of working from home is I can make effective use of small pockets of time,” Gowrappan says. He’s also setting aside time to do pushups and squats throughout the day: “Depending on how long we work from home, who knows how high my target number can go,” he says. More than a few industry insiders have been caught in an awk- ward transit limbo by the widespread lockdowns and warnings about the need for social distancing to save lives and slow the rate of infection. MORE THAN A PET PROJECT Jordan Levin, the newly named G.M. of WarnerMedia’s Rooster CNBC correspondent Julia Boorstin assembled a home studio Teeth division, had been in the process of traveling between Los to stay on the air amid the work-from-home mandate. Angeles and Rooster Teeth’s headquarters in Austin, Texas. But with the coronavirus outbreak, he’s been grounded in Texas for nearly a month. He’s living (and working) at his sister-in-law’s house along with one of his kids, a student at the University of Ender, executive VP of communications for CBS. “I don’t have that Texas at Austin. commute anymore. Your rhythms are off.” The coronavirus warnings had just started building when Ender’s Santa Clarita home is almost becoming WeWork terri- Michael Chabon, screenwriter and showrunner of CBS All Access tory as it now hums at all hours with the daily activity of his wife, drama “Star Trek: Picard,” opened offices near Venice Beach for former “Entertainment Tonight” producer Laurie Ender, three his new Showtime series based on his novel, “The Amazing Adven- adult sons, two daughters-in-law and three dogs. “We’re all try- tures of Kavalier & Clay,” which he’s co-showrunning with his wife, ing to juggle around each other’s space, and mostly keep the dogs author Ayelet Waldman. quiet,” he says. The couple headed north to their home in Berkeley for what At the same time, the veteran CBS employee definitely misses they thought would be a quick visit with their son on a break from the atmosphere of CBS Studio Center in Studio City, the storied lot boarding school. that was home to “Gunsmoke,” “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “He’d been home for like a day or two when his school closed many other TV classics. and all schools closed, and now we’re under sheltering-in-place “The lot is this huge, living, breathing community unto its own,” here in Berkeley,” Chabon says. Ender observes. “The trucks come in the morning, and there’s the The pair have made the most of their togetherness on a pro- broadcast center and the newsroom. It’s a vibrant, active lot. You miss fessional level. “We have figured out two seasons of ‘Kavalier & that sense of having the entertainment community around you.” Clay,’” he says. “But our [production] timeline has definitely become Disney’s Klein is like many in the business who have abruptly thrown into great chaos and disarray.” turned the kitchen into a conference room at the same time that The temporary limitations on life as we knew it just weeks ago a spouse is doing the same thing. Her husband, 20th Century Fox have only heightened the appreciation of many housebound workers TV business operations president Howard Kurtzman, has taken for those who don’t have the luxury of working where they live. to using the baby room they recently set up for visits from their “I am so incredibly grateful to have the resources and technol- granddaughter. ogy to be able to broadcast from home,” Boorstin says. “There are The pair have heeded the advice of experts to keep to a famil- so many journalists who are out on the front lines telling import- iar schedule even while working at home by continuing the tra- ant stories, and so many doctors, nurses and scientists who are dition of taking an early walk with their two dogs in their Santa putting their own health at risk to do their jobs and help people.” Monica neighborhood. Usually, there’s a bit of tugging along for Klein echoes Boorstin’s sentiment, calling herself “incredibly the older pup to keep them on schedule to get to the office. But not blessed” at a time when a pandemic threatens millions of lives. She these days. “We’re taking our time,” she says. “We get home when sees it as an important wakeup call for a hurting world. we get home.” “Maybe this is sort of a worldwide pause to say: Let’s be more Another firm rule for Klein: “I’ve learned not to turn on CNN conscious of our own health and the people around us,” she says. until I’ve had a glass of wine, and I don’t have a glass of wine until it’s dark.” Todd Spangler and Adam B. Vary contributed to this report.

VARIETY 43 I VOTE. I READ VARIETY.

Creative Partners Zach Anner Writer / Producer / Actor Awards Voter Gillian Grassie Writer / Producer / Director Awards Voter FOCUS

VISIBLE SUCCESS Elisabeth Moss has led the genre hit “The Invisible Man” to over $122 million worldwide.

STATE OF THE SCREEN: FOREIGN FILMS HOPE TO REPEAT ‘PARASITE’ BOX-OFFICE NUMBERS; WOMEN FLIP HORROR FORMULA UNIVERSAL PICTURES UNIVERSAL

VARIETY 45 FOCUS STATE OF THE SCREEN

WINNING ‘PARASITE’ Studios and theaters hope upcoming foreign films will come close to the success of the Oscar- winning drama.

arthouse audiences. It jumped when we A UNIVERSAL first opened it, and was very well-attended. It was right up there with ‘Star Wars’ in our particular case.” LANGUAGE Collins’ theaters are just steps from the University of Michigan campus, AFTER THE SUCCESS OF ‘PARASITE,’ WHAT’S THE and over the past couple decades, he’s worked with foreign-language depart- FUTURE OF FOREIGN FILMS? By Akiva Gottlieb ments to build attendance for international programs and festivals. (Upcom- ing weeks include retrospectives of DRIVEN BY EXCELLENT REVIEWS, steady Specialty exhibitors across the Agnès Varda and Abbas Kiarostami.) word-of-mouth and an energetic mar- country would love nothing more As a curator, he’s tried to broaden hori- keting campaign, Bong Joon Ho’s “Par- than to keep the momentum going. zons, introducing French films to high asite” was, by many measures, 2019’s “I think we’re always a bit surprised school students and anime classics to most surprising success story. The when something breaks through to college freshmen. class-conscious South Korean thriller the extent that ‘Parasite’ did,” says “Subtitled films are kind of like earned more than $50 million at the Greg Laemmle, president of the 81- going to a Shakespeare play,” Collins U.S. box office and became the first year-old Los Angeles arthouse chain says. “There’s that first 10 minutes or foreign-language film to win the Oscar Laemmle Theatres. “We’ve never seen so when you’re adjusting your ear to for best picture. a film from [South] Korea do over $2 Shakespearean English. And subtitles, As the film finally concludes its [million] or $3 million at the U.S. box if you’re not familiar with them, are theatrical run, the question remains: office, and to see something move kind of the same way. And then two days Was “Parasite” a fluke, driven by a that by a whole order of magnitude after you’ve watched the film, you’ve deliciously suspenseful storyline and is really impressive.” forgotten that it was subtitled. You just director Bong’s brand-name auteur Russ Collins, CEO/executive director hear the film in your own language.” status? Or are American audiences of the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, Collins is thrilled about the success primed to continue turning subtitled Mich., says, “‘Parasite’ caught on with of “Parasite,” but is careful to put its

films into blockbusters? college students as well as mainstream blockbuster status into perspective. He NEON

46 VARIETY says he’s frustrated that we talk about to find the people who liked some pre- as ‘Parasite’ in terms of the awards movies as representing a singular mar- vious French film. As best we can, we season,” Bernard says. “It was going ket, when there are different categories are using the tools at our disposal.” up against ‘Gladiator’ and there was with different barometers of success. Looking from the distribution lots of talk of it winning best picture. “People who write about music side, Tom Bernard, co-president and But the demographics of the Academy wouldn’t think of including the New co-founder of Sony Pictures Classics — have changed dramatically since York Philharmonic in the same breath one of the most significant players in that day.” that they talk about Taylor Swift. foreign-language cinema — says a cur- In addition, exhibitors no longer There’s all kinds of market gradations rent “disaster” facing subtitled films is shy away from foreign-language films. that we understand broadly in music, the collapse of newspapers, the death “That was a problem back in the day,” and cinema is the same way. ‘Parasite,’ of alt-weeklies and the diminished sway he says. “And they’ve come around. All in terms of its gross, was a very, very of film critics. the major circuits now have an outlet successful film, but it didn’t do nearly “This is the biggest problem I see in for specialized product.” the business that ‘Joker’ did.” exhibition today,” Bernard says. “It’s a For Jeff Bock, an analyst with For Laemmle, whose theaters’ slo- huge problem for any specialized prod- Exhibitor Relations, it’s telling that gan is “Not Afraid of Subtitles,” the L.A. uct that’s not Marvel or ‘Star Wars.’ You “Crouching Tiger,” a 20-year-old film, audience has never been resistant to [used to have] the newspapers and the is the nearest available comparison for international programming, and he critics, you had all that media that you the success of “Parasite.” says that the breadth of foreign options read on a weekly basis that informs you “‘Parasite’ is a massive outlier,” available on streaming services has when the movie was opening.” Bock says. “I don’t think even [the dis- helped expand tastes further. Collins agrees. “There’s nothing good tributor] Neon was expecting this kind “We’ve been operating for 80 years about the death of local news. However, of box office performance, much less with the premise that Americans should in Ann Arbor, people still read the the attention. When we look at the enjoy subtitled films, that it shouldn’t New York Times. We distribute Film historical box office of foreign films, be a barrier. And in many respects, Comment to our members. There are there are certain peaks, but they’re the barrier, at least from a commercial a lot of online resources for them to very few and far between. We can go standpoint, was access.” learn about new films, but it’s up to us back to ‘Like Water for Chocolate’ and A more durable challenge, at least as curators.” ‘Il Postino’ in the early ’90s, and, obvi- for exhibitors in big cities, is volume. In other ways, though, Bernard feels ously, ‘Life Is Beautiful.’ But we’re “There are 20 films being released the terrain is getting friendlier. The talking years apart and sometimes every Friday,” Laemmle says. “It’s the previous touchstone in terms of a for- decades apart.” work of the distributor or the producer eign-language blockbuster was Ang Now that “Parasite” has turned to create that awareness. Sometimes Lee’s martial-arts epic “Crouching its director into a household name, you rely on mass-market techniques, Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which grossed it’s possible that his next film could because you think it’s a film that can $128 million at the U.S. box office after match its success. Bong has worked in appeal to everyone, and sometimes you Sony Classics released it in 2000. English before (“Snowpiercer,” “Okja”), rely on niche marketing techniques, “If you look at ‘Crouching Tiger, Hid- and he could do so again. and you’re spending $100 on Facebook den Dragon,’ it was in the same position “If Bong decides to keep working out of Korea and keep doing the films that he does that would be phenom- enal for the foreign-language film,”

WORLDWIDE HIT Bock says. “That said, there’s going “Crouching Tiger, to be a lot of money thrown at him by Hidden Dragon” made Hollywood to get him to do his next $128 million in the film in English.” U.S. alone. Neon was already trying to parlay its “Parasite” success into the release of another well-reviewed subtitled film, Celine Sciamma’s “Por- trait of a Lady on Fire.” The French period piece had already grossed $3.7 million in the U.S. until its climb was halted by theater closures across the U.S. as the coronavirus pandemic grew. The entire exhibition industry is reeling as closures hit ’plexes across the U.S. “Yes, [“Lady”] made it into multi- plexes and mostly because of the success of ‘Parasite.’ You will see exhibitors give these films more of a chance, but unless there’s another hit like ‘Parasite,’ that window is going to dwindle quickly. And that’s how it’s always been, at least over the last 30

MOVIESTORE/SHUTTERSTOCK years, for subtitled films.”

VARIETY 47 FOCUS STATE OF THE SCREEN

women around her. Her complicity then is portrayed as an almost complete absence of free will. Riley in “Black Christmas” and Cecilia in the blockbuster “Invisible Man” are characterized through their traumas — in Riley’s case a date rape, and in Cecilia’s an abusive relationship. They don’t have personalities, they have PTSD. In the filmmakers’ efforts to take trauma seriously, they have wiped out anything distinctive about these women, turning them into trem- bling masses until they inevitably must fight back and become bad-asses. The men are likewise flat. The boss in “The Assistant” is nothing more than a menacing voice on the other end of a phone. In “Black Christmas” the enemy is literally a marble bust of the founder of the college.. In “Invisible Man,” the ex is a super bro-y blank, looking like he would spend too much time drinking beer out of a plastic cup to build the tech empire the movie says he did. Put those two characters together and that leaves one story left to tell: that of predator and prey. The inevitable result of which is a conclusion of kill or be killed. Never mind that the American prison system is full of women who OPINION felt pushed into that exact scenario, and rather than go brunching the next day with their gal WOMEN IN PERIL pals as Nicole Kidman in “Big Little Lies,” they were arrested and charged. HORROR FILMS FEATURING FEMALE VICTIMS ARE SLOWLY Some new films look to flip this formula on its head. “Promising Young Woman” debuted CHANGING THEIR TRAJECTORY By Jessa Crispin at the Sundance Film Festival, where viewers flocked to see Carey Mulligan’s character looks WE LOVE MOVIES ABOUT WOMEN IN PERIL. around them. These stories should be better. OFFERING to avenge some wrongs. That includes posing ASSITANCE From “Gaslight” to “King Kong” to Jennifer And yet. as drunk in bars and seeing what men bear Julia Garner Lopez with a ridiculous haircut in “Enough,” I asked myself, as I watched the girl being works for the ill intentions. audiences will almost always pay to watch a chased by a literal manifestation of the patriar- boss from Entertainment is under no obligation to hew woman stare helplessly as a doorknob slowly chy armed with a bow and arrow in the horror hell in “The closely to real life, and yet the gap between Assistant.” turns, or hold her breath as a shadow looms movie “Black Christmas,” “Do I feel like my how these things go in movies and how they go next to where she is hiding. experiences of violence and harassment are in real life are as wide apart as ever. Recently But as much as we like these movies, we have being accurately represented here?” I asked Plan B bought the rights to Miriam Toews’ hit also been asking for a couple decades now, is it myself, as the music swelled behind our novel “Women Talking,” about women in an OK that we like these movies? Is it insensitive or beautiful heroine right after she murdered orthodox religious community who, after dis- exploitative? Is it actually entertaining to watch her stalker in “The Invisible Man,” “Do I feel covering they had been drugged and raped a woman character be tortured or murdered empowered yet?” repeatedly for years by the men they lived just to give her pretend spy or superhero hus- These films create an easy division between amongst, must decide whether to stay and band something to do? two types of female protagonist: the pure forgive, or leave and start over. The international conversation around the victim and the strong heroine. Or, a third This is the era of the Strong Female Charac- #MeToo movement has amplified these ques- version, where the pure victim is transformed ter, so of course in the novel, they leave. tions. As women and men have told their sto- into the strong heroine by being exposed to Despite not knowing the language of the coun- ries of surviving violence in the workplace, in violent experiences). These types are not nec- try in which they live, despite having no educa- their homes, on college campuses, and on the essarily any more complex than the women tion or job skills, they leave together, storming streets, there has been a call for these stories to tied up in tank tops in the lair of the terrorist off to create a better, fairer world. Except that in be listened to and taken seriously. And that or supervillain. the real-life version of events that the book is which enters the discourse, also appears on our In the indie “The Assistant,” our heroine is so based on, the women decided to stay. The nov- screens, and a bevy of tales seek to speak to blank I watched it twice without ever catching el’s ending is easy; it practically writes itself. But this urgent moment. her name; according to the internet, it’s Jane. that other, more complicated and realistic story So are these new ones better than the old She moves passively through the frame as she of pressure and fear and indoctrination, now ones? Many of the new crop have women direc- cleans up after her sexual predator of a boss, that is a story worth tackling. tors, writers and producers attached, and they sponging up fluids from his couch, picking up center their stories around the experiences of stray earrings and hair pins, running interfer- Jessa Crispin is the host of the podcast Public the women, rather than using their suffering to ence with his wife. She is not harassed herself, Intellectual and the author of “Why I Am Not a

tell us something about the male characters but she stands idly by as her boss preys on the Feminist: A Feminist Manifesto.” MEDIA STREET TY JOHNSON/BLEECKER

48 VARIETY Storytelling.

: Javier Bardem / Ed Begley Jr. / James Cameron / Suzy Amis Cameron / Don Cheadle Ted Danson / Laura Dern / Marshall Herskovitz / Alan Horn / Dave Matthews / Bill Nye / Robert Redford / Shailene Woodley Hollywood & 2020 Election SUNDANCE 2020

ROUGH Climate in Crisis The clock MORNING is ticking. Can Hollywood muster its storytelling power and influence to sound the alarm on global AT 73, THE warming? THE OSCAR-WINNING By Cynthia Littleton STAR OF P.33 ‘CABARET’ AND DAUGHTER OF FIGHTER JUDY GARLAND SAYS HER SNOWFLAKE HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI BIGGEST HAS EMERGED AS A MEDIA STRUGGLE STAR AND PRESIDENT TRUMP’S WAS ‘GETTING MOST FORMIDABLE FOE TO BE KNOWN AS MYSELF’ By Cynthia Littleton p.28 Legendary NOBODY’S NOBODY’S

Taylor Swift is no longer ‘polite at all costs.’ In her Sundance P.4 8 By Marc Malkin doc, ‘Miss Americana,’ the pop superstar TV’S A.M. NEWS MAINSTAYS finds her (political) voice. ARE GRAPPLING WITH FORCES P.4 0 BEYOND THEIR CONTROL By Chris Willman

BY BRIAN STEINBERG P.46

Sarah Paulson Marshaling Marcia Clark Indie Diversity Sundance-to-Hollywood Slog Contenders Best Picture Race

JAN Nº4

SHAME ON US

Hitmakers

LIKE A BOSS PLUS

VIOLENCE & TEEN MUSIC SENSATION BILLIE EILISH − MEGAN THEE STALLION BY JAMES RAINEY & TIM GRAY p.11 REIGNS SUPREME AS THE STREAMING − SWAE LEE ENTERTAINMENT − GENERATION’S SINGULAR VOICE BY JEM ASWAD ELLIOT GRAINGE

Stream Scene Nets Boldly Go Digital Awards Contenders The Race Is On Business Managers Industry’s Best Big Studio Dreams Can STX Succeed? ‘Bessie’s’ Battles Helmer Dee Rees Coming Soon Golden Trailer Awards ROBERT EVANS 1930-2019 MUSIC FOR SCREENS SUMMIT The Lowdown 10 ACTORS TO WATCH On the Rise

NOV 110 MAY 110 Marriage Equality & The Supreme Court / Special Report / 06.29.15 YEARS YEARS Nº2 EST. 1905 Nº1 EST. 1905 OCT Nº5 The Honorees

* FROM LEFT * JIM PARSONS HANNAH GADSBY DON LEMON MJ RODRIGUEZ ASIA KATE DILLON BILLY EICHNER

HOLLYWOOD TRANS FORMATION How Laverne Cox and a new generation of storytellers are taking BROADWAY POWERHOUSE the industry by storm Cynthia Erivo AIMS By Ramin Setoodeh TO TRIUMPH ON THE BIG p.40 SCREEN WITH HER STARRING ROLE AS HARRIET TUBMAN

BY KATE AURTHUR p.40

HOLLYWOOD’S PARITY PROBLEM Sticking It to the Man HOW TOP ACTRESSES ARE FINALLY FIGHTING BACK AGAINST WAGE INEQUALITY By Ramin Setoodeh p.38 Jim Obergefell TV Directors STILL AN OLD BOY NETWORK p.44 Broadway Diversity ONSTAGE ONLY p.48 from Obergefell vs. Hodges P W E R P R I D E OF

Subhed: Coverline_15pts Xxxxxxxx Subhed: Coverline_15pts Xxxxxxxx Subhed: Coverline_15pts Xxxxxxxx Harvey Weinstein, the once mighty mogul who for decades abused his power by ensnaring and power of women LEADING MAN Buttigieg Takes Hollywood BOOK EXCERPT Spotify TV Interrupted CHEAT SHEET Emmy Voters’ Guide | assaulting women, is now a convicted felon By Gene Maddaus, Elizabeth Wagmeister and Brent Lang P.3 0 The Recovery Issue

STAYING JULY Nº4 SOBER SPECIAL JULY IN AN Nº3 REPORT INDUSTRY OF EXCESS AND TEMPTATION PUNCHING BY CYNTHIA LITTLETON A P.40 SYLVESTERESTETER BACK STALLONELOLONE FEELS ROBBEDOBBBEDD OF ANY OWNERSHIPNEERSSHIP MONSTER OF THE ‘ROCKY’ FRANCHISECHIHISEE HE CREATED.EATEEDED. INSIDERS COUCOUNTERUNNTERTERR THAT HE SHSHOULDHOULDD FALLS BE GRATEFULATEEFUL FOR THE FOFORTUNEORTUNUNEE HE’S MADEMAADEA

BY CLAUDIADDIA ELLERELLLLERLEE P.38383

Headline Goes Here This is a Mencken Deck style that can go multiple lines right here ﬁlling out right here centered, left or right By Name Here p.XX

TIFFANY HADDISH THE CRASH REGINA KING

NATALIE PORTMAN Jamie Lee Curtis on getting LENA WAITHE clean and giving back

REPORTING REAL NEWS SINCE 1905

did was too far away.” Mahon, this year’s recipient of Variety’s Intl. Achievement in Television Award, prefers to see change up close. Often, she’s the vector of change. The 46-year-old became the first female chief executive in the broadcaster’s 38-year history in October 2017 — a role she quietly secured after two years as CEO of VFX tech firm the Foundry. Prior to that, she ran Shine Group for eight years — first with Elisabeth Murdoch and then on her own. Mahon took the reins of Channel 4 from ex-advertising executive David Abra- ham just as the publicly-owned, commer- cially funded broadcaster was advised by the U.K. government, after years of tense volleying, to relocate outside its £100 million ($129 million) Victoria digs. “We’re doing a difficult thing moving to a multi-site organization and having to work out how to become digital-first,” says Mahon. “But Channel 4 is really good at innovation and change. It’s not an organization that’s good at staying still and doing nothing.” Neither, it seems, is Mahon, whom Murdoch, her former boss at Shine, calls the “sharpest intellect in TV.” “She has incredibly broad shoulders for work and she’s an unbelievable executive,” says Murdoch, now a close friend. “Her capacity to get things done and be really thorough, while having fun doing it, is a remarkable quality.” Both Murdoch and Mahon have appeared in contenders lists for the big BBC director general job, soon to be vacated by Tony Hall. Murdoch laughs off her inclusion as “setting the cat among REGARDLESS OF WHOM YOU ASK in the the pigeons,” insisting that Mahon is “by THE U.K. television industry, the astronomical far the best candidate.” feat of expanding public service broad- But asked whether she’s in the run- caster Channel 4 outside the safety of its ning, Mahon says she’s “very committed” SCIENCE OF edgy, central London home and across to Channel 4, with “lots still to do.” How- three new locations in various corners of ever, questioned about the role on two the country could only have been carried separate occasions by Variety, she’s never REINVENTION out by Alex Mahon — a would-be astronaut actually said “no.” turned supersonic television executive. It would be the second once-in-a-life- Mahon, chief executive of the “Leaving time opportunity for the executive. WOULD-BE ASTRONAUT TURNED Neverland” and “The Circle” broadcaster Joining Murdoch had been a “super CEO ALEX MAHON OVERHAULED across the pond, discusses high-energy risky” move, says Mahon, whose first job physics as if she’s delivering a Starbucks after getting her doctorate was in internet U.K. BROADCASTER CHANNEL 4 order. She’s attended space camps in Rus- consulting, helping banks and retailers By Manori Ravindran sia, South Korea and Japan; worked at set up their first web shops in the 1990s the European Organization for Nuclear internet boom. She then landed at Ger- Research; and has a doctorate in medical many’s RTL Group, which “needed some- physics. If anything has brought her down one who knew about the internet,” before to Earth, it’s television. embedding in television in a strategy role

MAKING HISTORY “You could say it took me quite a long at RTL-owned “Got Talent” franchise pro- Alex Mahon is the first time to work out what I like doing, or you ducer-distributor Fremantle and, subse- female CEO of the U.K.’s could say I know a lot about physics,” says quently, one of its production businesses, Channel 4 and this year’s the London-born Scot, who explains that Talkback Thames. recipient of Variety’s Intl. Achievement in she decided against a career in science “Shine had been growing, but it wasn’t Television Award. because “seeing the impact of what you a massive company,” she says. “I was

50 VARIETY pregnant with my first child, so it was she admits, but when recruiters came nel 4 was at odds with regulators. That risky to leave a well-paid, stable job and calling for the Channel 4 chief executive was a smart move,” says Fincham. go to a much more volatile, start-up role, “it was tugging on my heartstrings Mahon’s most dire challenge, however, environment.” every day,” she says. is a philosophical one: dusting off the But it was “love at first sight” for Mur- Set up by Margaret Thatcher’s gov- broadcaster’s clunky catch-up AVOD ser- doch, who had been encouraged by con- ernment in 1982 to split up the duopoly vice All 4 and sparking a digital revolution tacts to meet with Mahon, and virtually of public broadcaster BBC and commer- to compete with the likes of Netflix and hired her on the spot as COO. cial broadcaster ITV, Channel 4 is legally Disney Plus. “We were thinking about how to launch required to champion alternative points John McVay, chief executive of U.K. international scripted shows, and how of view and reflect the country’s diversity. producers’ trade body Pact, worked to make ‘MasterChef’ into a format that “It’s the dream organization because closely with Mahon in a new terms of could travel the world, which people said it’s got purpose seeping out of every pore. trade deal in June that allows Channel 4 we could never do,” says Mahon. “There It stands for LGBT rights, diverse commu- to exploit commissioned programs across was a spirit of thinking if we had the right nities and feminism,” says Mahon. its channels and All 4 without negotiating energy and worked really hard, we would Now one of Mahon’s history-making further rights. work it out.” achievements is the broadcaster’s expan- In return, independent producers — Mahon, who had four children during sion to a northern national headquarters who contribute 100% of Channel 4 her Shine tenure, was integral in a in Leeds, as well as newly opened regional content — can exploit secondary revenue “game-changing” $200 million acquisi- hubs in Bristol and Glasgow. from international and a second window tion of Ben Silverman’s “Ugly Betty” pro- There’s been “complexity” in the redis- in the U.K. ducer Reveille in 2008. tribution of employees, she notes, high- “That gives her flexibility on assets and “We were there making presentations lighting around 100 redundancies, “which allows her to get those eyeballs,” says to bankers on the West Coast and jug- is quite significant because we’re a small McVay. “It was a major thing because we gling the deal and putting the financing organization of just 800-900 people.” had been at an impasse with Channel 4 in place,” Murdoch says. “When you know But the most radical change is “hav- for at least five years previously.” someone’s got your back and one plus one ing a set of different people with differ- The broadcaster’s most recent figures, equals 10 and not two in terms of how we ent backgrounds who live in different for 2018, show 19.6 million registered work together, that was a turning point in places, rather than risking a mono-cul- viewers for All 4 — an 18% year-on-year our relationship and for the company.” ture,” Mahon says. All the more import- spike. Meanwhile, digital revenues hit a When Murdoch stepped down in 2012, ant, too, given the U.K.’s divorce from the record $177 million, an 11% increase on Mahon led the company as CEO for its European Union. 2017 that constituted around 14% of Chan- final three years before the Endemol It’s this attitude that’s made all the dif- nel 4’s total $1.2 billion in corporate reve- merger. At that point, Mahon, who speaks ference, says Expectation Ent. co-CEO nue. “It’s about continuing this switch over devotedly of Shine but not without fatigue, REAL HITS Peter Fincham, who hired Mahon at Talk- the next few years until we’re a completely “The Circle,” was keen to do something “completely back Thames more than 15 years ago. digital-first organization,” says Mahon. (left) and “The different,” and was lured as CEO to the Great British “There was absolutely no point in Between a digital and physical expan- Foundry, a “really hardcore” tech busi- Bake Off” are Channel 4 assuming a defensive stance sion and continuously pushing the con- popular series for ness whose software made the VFX possi- and saying, ‘We don’t want to [relocate].’ tent offering with punchy formats such Channel 4 that have ble for HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” translated across The Leeds headquarters is important as catfishing reality show “The Circle” Mahon hadn’t finished the job there, the pond as well. because it removed the sense that Chan- and a reinvented “Great British Bake Off,” Mahon, by the time she’s done, will have reinvention down to a science. “There aren’t any transferable skills from a career in physics,” she says. “It’s just adding up and being logical. But you can’t underestimate that.” THE CIRCLE: NETFLIX; GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW: PBS SHOW: BRITISH BAKING GREAT NETFLIX; THE CIRCLE:

VARIETY 51 Music forScreens Emmys 2020

Music for Screens, Variety’s quarterly feature exploring the intersection of music and visual media, reaches the eyes — and ears — of the industry at large. On deck for the June edition: a special Emmys editorial package looking at the categories and contenders in this year’s race.

ISSUE DATE June 9 | SPACE May 29 | MATERIALS DUE June 4

CONTACT JUDI PULVER (323) 654-5433 [email protected] STUN AT 20 FOCUS

their time and attention to be treated with respect,” Schireson says. “If you want to be effective, you can’t just jump up in front of consumers — and that’s where the three legs of our business come together: You have the strategy to identify who you are and what your brand means; the science to decide how, when and where to reach your audience; and the studio that can deliver all of that beautifully and evocatively.” Stun Creative founders and principals Brad Roth and Mark Feldstein, as presi- dents of Known Studios, continue to lead the creative charge. Schireson refers to them as “world-class creative leaders with an incredible legacy who are still focused on the future and potential on what creative can become.” Roth and Feldstein, both self- professed “pop-culture junkies,” say the new company shares the same philosophy behind Stun Creative’s early successes. “We wanted to do things differ- ently and better than the other creative shops,” Roth says. “What propelled us then, and still propels us today, is telling stories and creative campaigns that people are going to talk about — that are meaningful, and that will hopefully drive some consumer behavior as well.” “When Stun launched as a creative agency and a commercial production company in 2000 we focused on servic- ing the entertainment industry,” Feld- stein adds. “Key to our successes has been our ability to adapt and expand our client portfolio beyond entertainment into consumer brands. It used to be that you did one or the other. We’ve always STUN’S BRIGHT FUTURE felt that great storytelling and world class creative and production could be applied anywhere.” MARKETING AGENCY, NOW CALLED KNOWN, CELEBRATES Stun is a three-time winner of the prestigious PromaxBDA North Amer- ITS 20TH YEAR WITH A MERGER ican Agency of the Year Award (2017, By Thomas K. Arnold 2014, 2013). “We have had the privilege to be working with a diverse roster of clients, from Google to Citi, from Disney to Microsoft, from Unilever to Rocke- feller Center,” Roth says. Known for its smart, funny, celebrity-driven work, YOU WOULDN’T EXPECT anything less: Schireson Assoc. and Blackbird. Known MAKING WAVES the company has produced promotional Stun Creative, one of Hollywood’s top is headed by Kern Schireson as chairman Stun’s spots campaigns starring the likes of Larry marketing agencies and production and CEO. Schireson recently returned for TBS’ “The David, Andy Samberg, Jack Black, Conan Real Gilligan’s companies, is celebrating its 20th birth- to the company that bore his name after Island” crashed O’Brien, Magic Johnson and Dwayne day with a three-way merger that has led five years as chief data officer at Viacom, the network’s “The Rock” Johnson. to the establishment of Known, a modern where he was hailed for having led the website, Out of the gate, Stun staged a “provoc- according to marketing company that says its creative transformation of advanced advertising co-founder Mark ative” cream pie fight between Ginger work going forward will be equal parts for television. Feldstein. and Mary Ann to promote the TBS reality analytics and art. “There’s an explosion of platforms series “The Real Gilligan’s Island” at the The new company was formed in Feb- and opportunities to reach consumers, height of the cable era. ruary and combines Stun Creative with but we also have an increasingly sophis- “We crashed the Turner website,” the data science, research and strategy of ticated population out there that expects Feldstein says.

VARIETY 53 “ When we this started 54 FOCUS were more siloed.” in 2000, companies with SchiresonAssociates andBlack couple,” anewodd about Roth says. Tony intracksuits. both “Talk Randall, videowith Mr. ahip-hop created Tand right time.”right ontherightplatformpeople at the theright toreach to buildcampaigns we do,everything and that allows us We putdata science at thecenter of audience, audience. butapersuadable notjust anaddressableand reach and analyticsallows ustoidentify So tohave thepower of data science who they are, buthow them. toreach to know your audience, and notjust orshows.to products You need really difficult toget anyone topay attention it’sfractured, become increasingly has migrated into digital, andwithhas migrated intodigital, sodramatically;changed everything not 20years ago. Marketing has marketing company builtfor 2020, us.” behind instantly rallied cametogether,the deal andthebrands ing ourselves asonegroupeven before way.in aseamless We present started theseclientstogether,bine andservice ifwemuch moreimpactful could com says. “And we thoughtwe could so be brands, butworking independently,” he the samecircle, working onthesame together for years. “We were allin Blackbird have working been closely touch points.” across allconsumer story telling agreat and people toreaching connected back dio, soaswe greworganicallyeverything and animation studio, andakey stu art ecosystem like adesign other services “And thenwe tobringintoour started nut butter Roth withchocolate?’” says. of content.” creating duction sowe aspect could control every combine creative withlive-action pro stein says. “We were amongthefirst to werepanies muchmoresiloed,” Feld- intooneoperation. ing parts growth: tobringallofacampaign’s mov powerthat thecompany’s helped early bird was driven by thesamephilosophy Mark Feldstein The two Stunfounders say themerger timelater,A short Stun Land, for TV audiences growing moreand Known, Roth says, “isamodern Feldstein says Schiresonand Stun, “We can’t ‘why said, we combine pea we thisin2000,com started “When STUN AT 20 STUN VREY VARIETY

- - - -

- - - Feldstein topicktheirfavor- asked BradRoth andMark a major milestone, a majormilestone, picture withhim.” much, heasked ustotake a ‘Curb’ Larry. loved Larry itso between real and Larry intended toblurtheline er’s Thespotwas questions. answer any oftheinterview- his noseandhewouldn’t came precariously closeto feltinterview theclapboard ofthe atthestart rails. Larry with himwould gooffthe where junket aninterview loved thatLarry with anidea Roth says. “We hadcomeup ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’,” David for acampaignaround lights was working withLarry ative 20years ago. since thelaunchofStunCre- ite campaignsorprojects THE PAST TWO DECADES STUN CREATIVE EXECS PICKTHEIRFAVORITE PROJECTS FROM STANDOUT SPOTS AS THECOMPANY “Getting to shootwith “One ofourcareer high- celebrates Variety

the chairman.’” us, ‘Of courseIcan,I’m which heemphaticallytold inthevideo,participate to toget theUMGartists we asked Lucian ifhecould lights,” Feldstein says. “So resume reel ofcareer high- not justanothertypical would betalked about— comedy videofor himthat us themandatetocreate a Lucian, whopersonallygave pre-Grammy party. Award attheClive Davis being honored withtheIcon man Lucian Graingewas Universal MusicGroup chair- Feldstein says, was when Feldstein adds. that offthebucket list,” checkbeef sandwiches, cornedtogether eating the next day intheeditroom DavidLarry andthenspend

By ThomasK.Arnold “We gotconnectedwith Another career highlight, Feldstein. (left) andMark heads BradRoth flanked byStun Larry Davidis PRETTY GOOD reject Lucian’s request, andtheyallparticipation, and soon,askingfor their Jovi, EltonJohn,theWeeknd, Richie andU2toJonBon Swift, KatyPerry, Lionel fromthe UMGartists, Taylor Lucian reaching outtoallof for ofthevideo— theidea Lucas madecameos.” Ari EmanuelandGeorge blast makingthevideo. Even andtheyhadaUMG artists, his hair!We shotallthetop because hewas blow-drying for example, refused Roth adds.“Rod Stewart, top excuse thanthenext,” withamoreeach over-the- “So thatwas thecatalyst

GUTTER CREDIT 0325 WV Stacked Ads_MILLER KAPLAN & Amuse Group USA.indd 6 3/23/20 12:02 PM PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS INCLUDE

SHOW BUSINESS… BOB BAKISH VIACOMCBS

DAVID ZASLAV IS STRICTLY BUSINESS. DISCOVERY JEFFREY KATZENBERG & MEG WHITMAN Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Andrew Wallenstein and QUIBI Business Editor Cynthia Littleton’s weekly conversation DANA WALDEN with industry titans and seasoned executives aimed DISNEY entirely at the business side of show business. CHUCK LORRE CHUCK LORRE PRODUCTIONS

JON FAVREAU FAIRVIEW ENTERTAINMENT

ESTHER NEWBERG ICM PARTNERS

FIDJI SIMO FACEBOOK

BYRON ALLEN ENTERTAINMENT STUDIOS

RICHARD PLEPLER EDEN PRODUCTIONS

DAVID NEVINS VIACOMCBS

RICH GELFOND IMAX

SARAH BARNETT AMC NETWORKS

JOHN LANDGRAF FX NETWORKS

STEVE MOSKO VILLAGE ROADSHOW

ERIKA NARDINI BARSTOOL SPORTS

MARK CUBAN 2929 ENTERTAINMENT

MINDY HAMILTON MARVEL

KEVIN HART

GABRIELLE UNION

STEVE HARVEY

LAWRENCE EPSTEIN UFC

LINDA YACCARINO NBCUNIVERSAL

COLIN CALLENDER PLAYGROUND ENTERTAINMENT

MIKE FARAH LISTEN NOW | variety.com/podcasts FUNNY OR DIE ARTISANS TOPARTISANS BILLING

LOTS TO SING ABOUT Octavia Spencer plays the title role in Netflix’s “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker.”

British rapper Little Simz’s “Offence” An Eclectic Soundtrack accompanies the opening titles in Epi- sode 1, with Santigold’s “Creator” over the end titles. Episode 3 opens with Queen Latifah’s “Nature of a Sista’” and closes Fit for a Millionaire with Raiche’s “Drive.” Other artists show- cased throughout the four-part minise- COMPOSER, MUSIC SUPERVISOR PRESENT RANGE OF SONGS, FROM JAZZ TO ries include Janelle Monáe, Shanice, Tiana Major9 and Latasha Alcindor. HIP-HOP, THAT HELP TELL STORY OF MADAM C.J. WALKER By Jon Burlingame Still, Rhodes’ passion for 20th-century African American artists — and her NETFLIX’S “SELF MADE: Inspired by the Life wealthiest and most powerful women. When habit of acquiring classic vinyl — moved of Madam C.J. Walker,” the story of Amer- she died in 1919, she lived near the Astors her to also feature songs from the 1920s, ica’s ﬁrst self-made female millionaire, and the Rockefellers on Millionaires’ Row in including Sippie Wallace’s “I’m a Mighty takes place between 1908 and 1918. But New York’s Westchester County. Tight Woman” and Mamie Smith’s “Keep a the music, instead of focusing on the early Executive producer Elle Johnson says she Song in Your Soul.” She also found “Sweet jazz that might be expected, runs the gamut wanted to portray Walker “as the visionary Kisses,” a 1919 Ziegfeld Follies tune that from ragtime to hip-hop. she was, a forward-thinking, more modern Tiffany Haddish (as Walker’s daughter “Madam C.J. Walker is a central, seminal woman,” and that music could help present Lelia) sings on camera in Episode 2. historical ﬁgure who I had heard about her in that light. Johnson praises Rhodes as Los Angeles jazz pianist Larry Goldings from my mother, who heard about it from a force of nature. “She would send us music composed the score, joining the team her mother,” says music supervisor Morgan that we hadn’t heard before and really make early in order to arrange the music for Rhodes. “Her story has been part of the fabric it work,” she says. several scenes involving bands and choirs. of black history down through the years — To Rhodes, Walker “wanted to be a “What would you hear in a speakeasy in one that belongs to generations of women.” voice for women.” So, she reasons, why 1910?” he asks. “Would they have a bass, Octavia Spencer plays Walker, the daugh- not an all-black female soundtrack? “Let’s a tuba, a banjo?” ter of freed slaves who created a line of just have women tell her story sonically,” Plenty of research was required, and specialized hair products for African Amer- and not just period pieces but artists who as recordings of the era are both rare and ican women. Her entrepreneurial skills and crossed genres and generations, from hip- not necessarily indicative of the musi- intense drive made her one of the country’s hop to indie artists. cal realities of that time, he also relied on AMANDA MATLOVICH/NETFLIX AMANDA

VARIETY 57

ARTISANS

MUSIC TEAM

Morgan Rhodes has been a frequent collaborator of Ava DuVernay and Justin Simien; Larry Goldings has contributed to several productions.

MORGAN RHODES LARRY GOLDINGS Bad Hair (2020) Second Act (2018) Director: Score musician Justin Simien The Founder (2016) Dear White People Write-/performer: “In (2017) Spite of Everything” Creator: Simien Being George Clooney Queen Sugar (2016) (2016) Creator: Ava DuVernay Musician Selma (2014) Trainwreck (2015) Director: DuVernay Write-/performer: Middle of Nowhere “The Morning After” (2012) Neighbors (2014) Director: DuVernay Writer-performer: “Tanglefoot Bounce” Dealin’ With Idiots (2013) Composer photographs from the period and colleagues who were immersed in early-jazz history. Goldings says he put together arrangements for “five or six” scenes that involved music or dancing on-screen. One of the most satisfying, both for viewers and the filmmakers, was a church choir singing the gospel favorite “His Eye Is on the Sparrow” in Episode 1. Goldings arranged the number based on an a DP Goes Full Throttle cappella version by the Norfolk Jazz and Jubilee Quartet of the 1920s. Notes Rhodes: “That one I really wanted on ‘Charm City Kings’ to be period. It’s a song I heard all my life, growing up in church, and their version Cinematographer uses a saddlebag of tricks to seemed straight out of the time. All those boost realism on dirt-bike movie contemporary gospel intonations wouldn’t By Carlos Aguilar ring as true. That was one of the best finds.” Goldings’ dramatic score was “a work in progress” throughout post-production, he PUERTO RICAN DIRECTOR ÁNGEL MANUEL In comparison with “Swallow,” another says. “At first we thought it would be peri- Soto stuck with his decision to bring on feature Arizmendi recently lensed, which od-sounding, but that was pretty quickly cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi for shot on a single site and involved mostly set aside. [Producers] wanted something Sony’s “Charm City Kings” despite the stu- interiors, Soto’s film unfolds outdoors in that was a little more timeless-sounding dio’s desire for someone with more experi- real locations, with a predetermined cin- and contemporary.” ence. Though Arizmendi’s credits included ematic grammar. “Controlling continuity What the composer felt was “emotion- just a pair of indie features, Soto knew that between cloudy and sunny days was diffi- ally and contextually right” was a more her use of naturalistic light with touches of cult, and there’s not much that you can do textured score with the focus on piano heightened realism were ideal sensibilities except help with the grading,” Arizmendi and trumpet (the latter of which subtly for his high-octane, Sundance-winning, says. “Much of the film was fluid, long hinted at the Louis Armstrong influence Baltimore-set coming-of-age story about an Steadicam shots, so I had to embrace the on jazz of the era) mixed with samples and African American boy, Mouse (Jahi Di’Allo imperfectness of that.” “glimpses of horns” here and there. “We Winston), eager to be part of the city’s dirt- Because of the intricacies that “Charm started to combine the jazz with the hip- bike-riding subculture. City Kings” demanded, Arizmendi opted hop,” he says. “My work can be stylized but doesn’t for working behind the monitor to ensure For producer Johnson, their efforts were stray from what the story needs,” the lighting was dialed in correctly and echoes of Madam C.J. Walker’s life. “She Arizmendi says. There was a photogenic to oversee all other technical eventuali- was surrounded by music,” she says. “In quality to the overgrown trees, abandoned ties. She trusted camera operator Stewart earlier parts of her life, she lived in apart- buildings and lived-in textures of the city Cantrell, with whom she’d worked previ- ments that were close to all these ragtime she was portraying that she didn’t want to ously, to carry out the most physical part of music halls.” eliminate or sanitize. Judicious use of vin- the process with great expertise. The expe- The songs and score “illuminate the tage Panavision Ultra Speed lenses helped rience helped Arizmendi push her abilities story in a sonic way,” Johnson explains, READY TO ROLL her capture its raw beauty by adding light in new directions. “giving the audience insight into the Donielle Hansley flare and a sense of foreboding. “We tried “I hadn’t done long, choreographed takes subtext of what’s going on without ever Jr., Jahi Di’Allo to make this not too glossy a film,” the DP like that in the narrative space before,” she telegraphing or being on the nose. In that Winston and Kezii says of the movie, co-written by “Moon- says. “It’s a challenge to light shots like those Curtis star way, music added another deeper layer in “Charm City light” director Barry Jenkins. “We wanted it while having to keep contrast as the camera

to everything.” Kings.” to be authentic and embrace the grit.” moves along. You have to get creative.” CLASSICS PICTURES WILLIAM GRAY/SONY

58 VARIETY ARTISANS DIY Gear Helps Camera Crews Get the Job Done

DPs and assistants help create bespoke products to develop efficient workflows on set

By Valentina Valentini

TRUE GRIT CINEMATOGRAPHERS AND THEIR CAMERA Cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi checks When DP Edd Lukas invented CAP IT!, out a shot with camera operator Stewart crews often tweak equipment to fit their a biodegradable cover for cameras and Cantrell on the set of “Charm City Kings.” needs. Sometimes it results in Garrett equipment, his goal was to make a protec- Brown inventing, designing and building tive product that could be deployed quickly Such lengthy shots, which the Oscar-winning Steadicam, or Nic Sadler and be more environmentally friendly than included plenty of variables, were developing the Artemis Director’s View- the conventional shower curtain or rain the norm throughout the production, finder, which earned him an Engineering bags that were being used. “I made CAP IT! whether on Steadicam or handheld. Emmy. But DPs and camera assistants reg- to be applied in seconds and adapt to any The approach gained even more ularly create tools and accessories to help camera build,” Lucas says. “I found a plas- significance aesthetically and them and their colleagues become more tic that is not only biodegradable but also practically as the team re-created efficient — and occasionally gain a second- touch-screen friendly and tougher than what’s known as the “Sunday Ride,” ary revenue stream. conventional [covers].” Lukas launched in a large gathering where dirt bikers Second assistant cameraperson San- just a few stores, but his sales have grown perform tricks for locals and spend dra Pennington devised the Pennybox LTC internationally, mostly via word of mouth time with family and friends. (lens temperature control), a programma- — “proof they really work,” he says. The “When shot-listing the Sunday ble, heated lens that prevents condensa- covers have been used on “Lion King,” Ride, we wanted it to feel like we were tion — particularly useful on cold-weather “Game of Thrones” and “1917.” floating through this environment via shoots, underwater and in tropical climates. DP Vanessa “Ness” Whyte was going to Mouse and his friends. We wanted it “The idea had been around for decades,” she be working on a pro bono gig in Thailand to have energy,” Arizmendi says. “We says of the concept, based on the practice of and Mali where she needed to carry the wanted to pan off of him onto a bike wrapping lenses in heated dog blankets. “I camera kit and all the lights with her in a that goes by, and then another bike took the idea further.” rucksack — and use it in villages with no crosses, and that takes the camera in Pennington read a 1,000-page electronics access to electricity. In conjunction with the other direction. We then pick up book and began by building smaller circuits. engineer Steve Howard, she designed the with Mouse again, and it feels almost A friend at Google helped with programming, NessLED for Panalux, a set of small bat- dreamlike. There’s so much to take and another friend loaned out a motion con- tery-operated bicolor LED panels that can in, so we wanted to do shots as long trol workshop for her to work in. Over three be dimmed, remotely operated or powered as possible.” years, when she wasn’t on a gig, she worked by a car’s cigarette lighter. To pull off the complex sequences up a prototype — one that was used last year After the first prototype kit, Whyte featuring the bikes, Arizmendi on the upcoming Bond film, “No Time to gave Howard feedback, and went out and used a Russian Arm crane and an Die,” for a few weeks as a test run and is a tested the rejigged version. Panalux also E-car (a remote camera attached staple on Netflix series “Zero Chill.” lent the NessLED to other DPs so they to a motorcycle that could navigate “I would often struggle with condensed could provide feedback. narrow alleys where the Russian lenses and lost time on sets, not to mention “It kind of started organically out of Arm wouldn’t fit). Still, that the the safety risk in leaving lenses lying around necessity rather than a real plan to invent sequence had underage actors at in the open to acclimatize on a busy set,” a new kit for hire, but it ended up taking the center of it required her to cheat says Pennington. “I wasn’t aware of how on a life of its own,” Whyte says. “It was several key moments. “We had to big the market was, but I’m proud of what I really exciting to see that it was an in-de- do a lot of Texas switches where we built, and now I’m expanding slowly.” mand product.” would see Jahi Di’Allo Winston get on

the bike. Then he would get pulled HOT IDEA out of frame; we would pan over to The Pennybox LTC, something else and then turn back devised by 2nd AC around to him,” she explains, “but in Sandra Pennington, can keep up to the distance there would be a stunt six lenses warm, double riding away.” preventing condensation during shoots. “We tried to make this not too glossy a film. We wanted it to be authentic and embrace the grit.”

ARIZMENDI/CANTRELL: WILLIAM GRAY/SONY PICTURES CLASSICS; PENNY BOX: SEBASTIAN BLENKOV/PENNY BOX LTC BOX BLENKOV/PENNY SEBASTIAN PENNY BOX: CLASSICS; PICTURES WILLIAM GRAY/SONY ARIZMENDI/CANTRELL: Katelin Arizmendi, DP

VARIETY 59 ISSUE DATE JULY 14

SUMMERDAZE CANNABIS GUIDE

Promote Your Brand in Variety’s Summerdaze Cannabis Guide ISSUE DATE July 14 ARTWORK DUE July 9 For more than 115 years, the industry’s most powerful and influential decision-makers have relied on Variety for exclusive, credible, and straightforward truthtelling news ADVERTORIAL MATERIALS DUE July 1 comprised of the in-depth coverage critical to the business of entertainment. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your brand and premiere products to the affluent RESERVATION DEADLINE July 1 influencers of the entertainment business community this season in Variety’s Summerdaze Cannabis Guide.

FOR AD UNIT SPECS, RATES & DIGITAL ADVERTORIAL OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT Sean Soper (949) 702-3485 [email protected]

0718 WV CANNABIS GUIDE.FINAL.indd 115 7/17/18 12:23 AM REVIEWS TOPREVIEWS BILLING

STAGE PRESENCE Jessie Reyez makes a cameo in the 2019 Netflix film ‘Someone Great.’

MUSIC REVIEW “Gatekeeper” about sexual harassment in collaborators that evidences not just her tal- BY JEM ASWAD the music industry. Accompanied by a DJ ent but her adaptability), it wasn’t captured and herself on acoustic guitar, Reyez pre- in a single body of work — until now. Before Love sented a charming onstage persona that The extraordinary studio LP “Before contrasted jarringly with the intensity of her Love Came to Kill Us” delivers on all the performance — her sweet voice cracking or promise the now-28-year-old singer-song- Came to shifting into an even-higher register, often writer-rapper’s previous work suggested seeming on the verge of hysteria or vio- — a wild and unique mix of songs and Kill Us lence or worse — especially on “Gatekeeper,” sounds and scenes and moods. It ranges which had many people in the small audi- from the smooth R&B of “Imported” to the ence shifting uncomfortably in their seats. deranged Kanye-meets-Missy Elliott hip- Fast forward a few months, and that same hop of “Dope,” from the Spanish-language

ARTIST: Jessie Reyez Jessie Reyez was performing for 18,000 peo- ballad “La Memoria” to the girl-group tones LABEL: Island ple at Jay-Z’s Tidal X concert at Brooklyn’s of “Cofﬁn” (which itself undergoes a star- Barclays Center and absolutely slaying them. tling shift when a guest verse from Eminem While a couple dozen artists performed and bursts in like an unruly guest at an other- she played just two songs (the ones above), wise civil party). IN THE SPRING OF 2017, a young Colombian she had the crowd, most of whom had never Which isn’t to say that it’s intention- Canadian singer named Jessie Reyez per- heard of her, in the palm of her hand. ally or overly commercial: The ﬁrst words formed a short set in a small upstairs bar That dramatically swift transition she sings on the album are “I should have in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. She’d from a tiny stage to a massive one show- fucked all of your friends / That would have built buzz in Canada via a series of sin- cased Reyez’s indisputable talent and star been the best revenge,” and even the most gles, particularly the minor-at-the-time hit power. But although it came across on cer- approachable songs go a little bonkers in “Figures,” and had just released her debut tain songs from her two EPs and featured places. The album’s musical dichotomies EP, “Kiddo,” which included an aggressive appearances on tracks by Eminem, Sam mirror the sprawling emotional polarities and startlingly in-your-face song called Smith and Lewis Capaldi (a bizarre group of of her lyrics, which are as foulmouthed and SARAH SHATZ/NETFLIX/KOBAL/SHUTTERSTOCK SARAH

VARIETY 61 REVIEWS

sexually explicit as any rapper’s. There are but unpredictable friend whose antics are FILM REVIEW eyebrow-raising passages in nearly every met with a shrug and a “She does that.” BY PETER DEBRUGE song, but highlights include “You make me (Dropped from the track list is a torchy wanna jump off the roof, ’cause I love you to cover of Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” released There Is death” (“Coffin”); “You’re such an asshole, as a single last year, that not only shows off but I see a prince / I’m a good girl but you her range and phrasing but also features a see a bitch /I wanna make love, you wanna weird spoken ad-lib about ex-boyfriends.) No Evil burn a bridge” (“Same Side”); “Fight just to Then again, when an album opens with a fuck just to fight again / World War Three song like “Do You Love Her” — which mixes justified in bed” and “Strippers and liquor a gentle piano and a string quartet with and cigarettes / Apologized but your twitter trap beat — and also features the smoothly DIRECTOR: Mohammad Rasoulof STARRING: said no regrets / I’d kill for a mute button in acoustic, Erykah Badu-esque “Intruders,” Ehsan Mirhosseini, Kaveh Ahangar, Mahtab Servati, Mohammad Valizadegan, my head” (both from “Ankles”). the girl-group vibe of the title track, and Shaghayegh Shourian, Alireza Zareparast, At a glance, those lyrics may read like the the eerie “Ankles,” almost anything could Salar Khamseh, Darya Moghbeli, Mohammad work of an older and more unhinged Bil- be coming next. Seddighimehr, Jila Shahi, Baran Rasoulof lie Eilish: The two are friends; Reyez is the And indeed, it does. The album closes opening act on Eilish’s postponed North with a pair of hand-waving, soulful ballads, American tour, and, as Eilish revealed to “Love in the Dark” and the gently bizarre “I Variety, they have collaborated on still-unre- Do.” The latter song has an odd, almost jazzy IN IRAN, executions are often carried out by leased songs. And while some may seize on melody embellished with dustings of gui- conscripted soldiers, which puts an enor- the fact that the words “bad guy” — which tar and piano (and a distant yell in the back- mous burden on the shoulders of ordinary happens to be the name of Eilish’s biggest ground) — until the halfway mark, when citizens. And what are we to make of the hit — come up repeatedly in Reyez’s “Same the rhythm and piano ease into a smooth condemned, for whom guilt can sometimes Side,” she’s been working this vein for years, groove and a gospel choir joins in for a glori- be a capricious thing, dictated by a severe and any influence is minor and mutual. ous coda on the chorus. and oppressive Islamic regime — the same Yet most impressive is the way that It would be a perfect way to end the one that accused Iranian director Moham- the album’s wide and wild range of mate- album, but first there’s a brief spoken-word mad Rasoulof of “endangering national rial and feelings is shaped into a unified, outro — and then suddenly we’re back to security” and “spreading propaganda” coherent vision. There are multiple song- where things all started with 2016’s “Figures” against the government? writers and producers and a stellar guest (which became a slow-building hit and was When Rasoulof returned from Cannes in spot from rapper-singer 6lack (who brings certified gold last year). It’s unclear whether 2017, following the premiere of his film “A new verses to the previously released it’s a simple bonus track, a statement on Man of Integrity,” he was banned from film- “Imported”), but that focus is probably how far she’s come, or a tie-in to the album’s making for life and sentenced to a year in down to executive producers Reyez and larger narrative in some way — or all of the prison. But as a man of integrity himself, longtime collaborator Tim Suby, who’s also above. Regardless, it’s a solid cap on a defin- the director could not stop making movies. worked with Eminem, Ariana Grande and ing work from an exciting new star … even if His latest film, “There Is No Evil,” earned Travis Scott. The album’s track list and it’s landing in a world very different from the the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, sequence, which is quite different from the one in which it was created. where instead of being silenced, Rasoulof version that was initially sent to the media launches his most openly critical statement late last year, make its abrupt shifts of tone yet, a series of Kafkaesque moral parables CREDITS: Executive producers: Jessie Reyez, Tim Suby. Co-executive and mood feel natural, like a charismatic producers: Byron Wilson & Mauricio Ruiz Featured guests: Eminem, 6lack. about Iran’s death penalty and its perpetra- tors, made in open defiance of the restrictions the government put on him. The resulting feat of artistic dissidence runs two and a half hours, comprising four discrete chapters, each one designed as a stand-alone short film exploring a different facet of the subject. By subdividing the project in this manner, Rasoulof was able to direct the segments without being shut down by authorities — who are more carefully focused on features — and, in the process, he also builds a stronger argument. There are a few Iranian directors, among them Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”) and Saeed Roustaee (“Just 6.5”), who are successful in disguising their social criticism within compelling Western-style genre films. Rasoulof overstepped with 2013’s “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” and finds himself far more limited here. Even so, many of the Iranian films that find their way onto the international festival stage are famously light on plot — a boy wants to buy a goldfish in Jafar Panahi’s “The White Balloon,” a kid searches for his sister’s shoes in Majid Maji- di’s “Children of Heaven” — and could be told as half-hour shorts. By contrast, “There

Is No Evil” comes across as four ﬁlms for the RECORDS FMLY/ISLAND

62 VARIETY REVIEWS

“Instead of being silenced, director Mohammad Rasoulof launches his most openly critical statement yet.”

foolish, orchestrated in what appears to be a single extended shot. The soldier we meet in the next segment, Javad (Mohammad Valizadegan), might appear to be on the run as well, when in fact he’s on a short three-day leave from his service. He strips off his uniform and bathes in a river before going to see his girlfriend, Nana (Mahtab Servati), whose hand he seeks. This beefcake display marks an unex- pectedly sensual moment in the ﬁlm’s most voluptuously melodramatic sequence, iron- ically christened “Birthday.” Yet the ritual seems intended to cleanse his conscience, since Javad, unlike Pouya, follows orders, and the weight of his actions threatens to destroy the life he seeks to build with Nana.

RESISTANCE Trying to rationalize what’s demanded of WITHIN them, soldiers insist, “They don’t hang peo- Mohammad ple without a reason here.” But, of course, Seddighimehr and no legal system is infallible, and as a vic- Baran Rasoulof tim of a corrupt autocratic regime, Rasoulof star in the “Kiss Me” chapter of knows firsthand how designations of “guilt” “There Is No Evil” can serve as a tool for suppression. Accord- (top); Kaveh ing to Amnesty International statistics, Ahangar appears in the segment Iran was responsible for more than half the “She Said, world’s recorded executions in 2017. The ‘You Can Do It.’” number has since dropped, but the country continues to kill its citizens at alarming price of one, none of its segments anemic, next paragraph to avoid a spoiler), he awak- rates. It’s significant that Rasoulof seems so and each contributing fresh insights to the ens at 3 a.m. and drives into work, where unconcerned with charges against the film’s paradoxes of capital punishment in Iran. his job is not what we might expect — and condemned criminals. They are humans, Unlike Panahi — who circumvented the yet, the humanizing half-hour that precedes after all. Rather than agreeing with the sol- 20-year filmmaking ban imposed against this revelation suggests that it is just that, diers, “There Is No Evil” is a challenge to all him in rhetorical terms, responding with a a job. Rasoulof doesn’t condemn Heshmat, those who passively accept their role in the low-res conceptual video essay titled “This but the wrenching twist raises the question machine, calling on them to question the Is Not a Film” — Rasoulof refuses to let the of how such a man could murder, while the sentences they carry out — as well as those sentence compromise his cinematic stan- segment’s title places blame on the system levied against their neighbors. dards. “There Is No Evil” looks gorgeous, more than the individual. Pouya’s story models how that might shot in widescreen with compelling actors Heshmat is a voluntary functionary in happen, while the final chapter, “Kiss Me,” (some subtle, others over-demonstrative, a morally corrupt system, whose choice illustrates its consequences. The film takes but all of professional caliber) in real-world of career affords his family a comfortable place far from civilization — where Rasou- locations. For certain sequences that occur (though hardly extravagant) life. But what of lof was presumably free to direct unen- in public, he delegated duties to assistant those who are obliged to kill — namely sol- cumbered — and concerns a young expat’s directors while handling interiors and less diers, enlisted not to protect the country in return to Iran, which she can barely conspicuous scenes himself. Some portions war but to pull the stool out from under their remember. Darya (Baran Rasoulof, the may still feel thin or slow, and yet, the style fellow citizens? The three remaining chap- director’s daughter, a casting choice that evolves from one segment to the next, a rea- ters concern such characters, starting with adds yet another layer) arrives a bit dis- son that intercutting wouldn’t have solved “She Said, ‘You Can Do It,’” whose nervous tracted, unaware of the somewhat obvi-

the film’s episodic structure. handheld tension contrasts with what has CREDITS: A Cosmopol Film, ous secret the family is hiding, and objects Europe Media Nest, FilmInIran Presented in rigid, locked-down frames, come before. “I don’t want to spill any blood, production. (International sales: when her uncle (Mohammad Seddighimehr) Films Boutique, Berlin.) Pro- the eponymous opening chapter, “There but if I have to, I’ll kill the person forcing me ducers: Mohammad Rasou- takes her hunting. “I refuse to kill a living lof, Kaveh Farnam, Farzad Pak. Is No Evil,” delivers something of a shock, to execute someone,” vows deeply conflicted Executive producer: Farzad thing,” she pronounces. But is she ready for Pak. Director, writer: Moham- following middle-aged family man Hesh- Pouya (Kaveh Ahangar) on the night of his mad Rasoulof. Camera: Ashkan the truth? Are any of us? The truth, the film Ashkani. Editors: Mohammad- mat (Ehsan Mirhosseini) around Tehran first execution. Without a completion cer- reza Muini, Meysam Muini. clearly understands, is more complicated Music: Amir Molookpour. Cast: as he deals with everyday headaches: pre- tificate for their mandatory service, Rasou- Ehsan Mirhosseini, Kaveh Ahan- than its title: There is evil in the world, gar, Mahtab Servati, Moham- paring for a friend’s wedding, caring for his lof instructs, Iranian men cannot apply for mad Valizadegan, Shaghayegh and it corrupts us when we don’t take a Shourian, Alireza Zareparast, elderly mother-in-law, collecting his child a passport, or a job. Still, Pouya undertakes Salar Khamseh, Darya Mogh- stand. What would you do in the characters’ beli, Mohammad Seddighimehr,

COSMOPOL FILM (2)COSMOPOL from school. In the ﬁnal minutes (skip to the an act of resistance that’s as thrilling as it is Jila Shahi, Baran Rasoulof shoes? What will you do in your own?

VARIETY 63 REVIEWS

TV REVIEW BY DANIEL D’ADDARIO MODELS OF INVENTION Blair Underwood and Octavia Spencer star in “Self Made: Inspired by the Self Made Life of Madam C.J. Walker.”

DRAMA: Netflix (four episodes; all reviewed); March 20 STARRING: Octavia Spencer, Blair Underwood, Tiffany Haddish

LAST YEAR THE DIRECTOR KASI LEMMONS did something interesting, if not consistently successful, with the character of Harriet Tubman: She turned her into a modern action hero. Lemmons’ film “Harriet” had the beats and the posture toward its audience of a thrill- ride multiplex feature, but set in the 19th-century South instead of the present day and starring Cynthia Erivo instead of, say, Liam Neeson. Similarly, Lemmons’ new television project, “Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker” — which she executive produced and episodes of which she directed — recasts a figure from black history in the argot of the present. Though characters in the story of hair-care pio- neer Madam C.J. Walker are dressed in turn-of-the-century garb, they speak with unappealing for what Addie presents as inertly appreciative tone that this work was the frankness of characters from, well, the obvious reason of the texture of her based on a biography by Madam C.J. Walk- contemporary television. If it’s a project hair — Sarah sets out on her own, taking er’s granddaughter.) But the miniseries’ that’s once again more fascinating than on the name of her husband, C.J. Walker reverence toward Walker isn’t matched by across-the-board well made, fascination is (Blair Underwood,) and moving from St. stodgy storytelling; it ﬁnds moments of not nothing, certainly not when applied to Louis to Indianapolis to escape her rival. briskness and charge that might elude a a figure whose contributions deserve to be The show can be credited, then, with more straightforward period drama. To wit: better heralded. pushing toward complicated and often W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington Octavia Spencer plays Sarah Breedlove, painful matters of prejudice on the basis make appearances, the latter in a turn that who takes on the name and the persona of of skin color and hair texture from its ear- treats Washington’s “bootstraps” philoso- Madam C.J., eventually the first self-made liest moments; it deserves mention, too, phy with outright dismissal, suggesting it female millionaire, after experiencing for for the ways in which Spencer’s Sarah elided the rights of women not by accident herself the transformational power of hair combines a modern-minded understand- but by its nature. It’s an argument that is regrowth. Sarah’s life is changed by Addie ing of her worth and her capabilities as a made with startling, productive bluntness. (Carmen Ejogo), an industrious maker of budding businesswoman with her expres- This contemporaneity bears other balms and a figure who tries to over-prove sion of simple ecstasy as Ejogo’s Addie fruits as well. Elsewhere, a scene in which her case: Addie’s products truly work to fix massages her scalp. “Self Made” under- Madam C.J. and her daughter visit Har- patchy or broken hair, and yet the inven- stands that both feeling confident in one’s lem bursts with curiosity, with visual gran- tor, born with lighter skin and long, loose appearance and the process of arriving deur and plainspoken excitement about curls because of her mixed race, insists there are luxuries that connect us, ele- being there. The camera toggles from per- on marketing them as if they will gener- mentally, with our humanity. It’s easy to son to person, as if trying to take in all at ate hair of an entirely different texture. forgive some of the silliness around the once a cityscape in which black people are Spurned by Addie after having offered to Addie character — whom Sarah fantasizes not just economically liberated but free in help sell her products — Sarah is deemed about boxing and later sees as an appari- every sense. It feels less like a vacation for tion taunting her — for the small touches Madam C.J. than a utopia. A show bound of grace like this. by convention might not bolster Spencer’s The show loses momentum as its pro- performance of enthusiasm and curiosity tagonist’s career gains it; it puts forth with such jazzy camera and costume work; “The show pushes issues in her life such as her husband’s this one, modern in every sense but espe- toward complicated philandering and the attraction her daugh- cially in its understanding of moments of and often painful ter (Tiffany Haddish) feels to women with- change, nails it. out always having much to say about them matters of prejudice beyond a somewhat basic communication

that Sarah can stand up for herself, or that CREDITS: Executive producers: Janine Sherman Barrios, Elle John- from its earliest son, Maverick Carter, LeBron James, Octavia Spencer, Mark Holder, she is tolerant. (It comes as no surprise Christine Holder, Kasi Lemmons, Jamal Henderson. 60 MIN. Cast: Octa- moments.” via Spencer, Blair Underwood, Tiffany Haddish, Carmen Ejogo, Garrett given the loving, generous and at times Morris, Kevin Carroll, Bill Bellamy MATLOVICH/NETFLIX AMANDA

64 VARIETY si W ak a te e F gents. EBRUARY 26, 2019 d laying the ing News de Mediaon Business Couldhat aMean Mag ia

APRIL 30, 2019 With many economists predicting a recession could hit the U.S. economy in the coming months, the media business could be in for a rou … From the READ MORE

BreakingJANUARY 15,News 2019 'Because They Can': Insi the Growing Debate on Med CEOs' Jaw-Dropping Salaries Can Hollywood’s Biggest Media Companies

Avoid Getting Crushed by Debt?

Elizabeth Gabler is joining tive media deal that will see the v READ MORE

Sony Media giants have piled up mountains of debt. AT&T, Disney and Comcast now need to make sure they don’t get crushed under… READ MORE ete

Discovery chief David Zaslav's 2018 windfall fuels growing opposition from investors and activists over excessive CEO pay. READ MORE 'Lord of the Rings' Series at Amazon Taps First Cast Member (EXCLUSIVE) BreakingJULY 08, 2019News

Breaking News

JULY 22, 2019 Sony Pictures Buys Nurulize, a Virtual Production Software ;OL\WJVTPUN¸3VYKVM[OL9PUNZ¹ZLYPLZH[(THaVUOHZTHKLP[Z casting decision... Startup (EXCLUSIVE) READ MORE

Celebrities Demand Gun Control Amidst Multiple Shootings: ‘It’s About Life and Death’

Breaking News Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Sony Innovation Studios has acquired Nurulize, a startup whose software lets users edit...

AUGUST 4, 2019 READ MORE

ÄYZ[

Celebrities from across Hollywood are demanding more gun control following two mass shootings in... READ MORE

Viceland Will Relaunch Primetime With Nightly Live 2-Hour Variety Show (EXCLUSIVE)

Breaking News

JANUARY 17 , 2019

"Vice Live" will air four days a week from Vice's Brooklyn headquarters, HUKZLY]LHZHÅHNZOPWMVY[OLIYHUKZ[HSLU[HUKWYVWLY[PLZ READ MORE

BreakingAPRIL 01, News2019

Writers Guild Preps Members for Life Without Agents, Debuts Trusted News Submission System

The leaders of the Writers Guild of America have started laying the groundwork for writer members to operate without agents. READ MORE DailyMARCH Variety 27, 2019 Bi A Delivered to ei How America's Theater Chains Your Inbox Exploiting Th

The coun wome AD RE

NEWSLETTERSE #TRUTHTELLING SINCE 1905

Why did you decide to release “Naked Garden” so closely behind your last LP? Lukas Nelson When we ﬁnished “Turn Off the News,” I was hoping we would put out a double record. Turns out it didn’t make sense to put out ‘We Picked the Songs everything all at once, and it also was a great thing, because now we’ve got this other record.

That Had Taken a Five of the songs — including the tracks “Civilized Hell” and “Bad Case” — are versions of songs that appeared on the Longer Journey’ prior album. Why revisit them?

By Lesley McKenzie We all kind of talked as a band, and we had alternate takes on some of the songs. We just picked the songs that had taken a longer IN THE WAKE of the coronavirus pandemic, Lukas Nelson is in self- journey to get where they were, and some of our favorites from the [earlier] record. imposed isolation on his family’s ranch outside Austin, Texas. But that doesn’t mean the singer-songwriter, who inherited his guitar “Naked Garden” sounds more raw, chops and unmistakable vocals from his dad, country legend Willie by comparison. Nelson, is resting on his laurels. In between playing in live-streaming By the time [“Turn Off the News”] came out, we had done a lot of production on it and cleaned shows Nelson is gearing up for the release of “Naked Garden,” the everything up really nice. It still felt loose and latest LP from the artist and his longtime band, Promise of the Real. live. But this stuff feels to me [like] a lot more Out March 27, the 15-track collection comes on the heels of last year’s instruments in a room — here we are, these are “Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)” and Nelson’s Grammy win for the takes, we didn’t do anything to them. We just left them the way they were. his work on the soundtrack for “A Star Is Born.” Last year, you and the band launched “Good News Garden,” a video series dedicated to sharing fans’ stories of positivity, activism and gardening. Why was that important to you? When I wrote “Turn Off the News (Build a Garden),” I just realized, while it’s important to stay informed, there’s only so much news you can ﬁll in a day. They know that negativity keeps you gripped and keeps you watching, and it’s a psychological ploy they use to keep viewers. I just don’t trust news channels not to sensationalize things. Now this is a different time; we need to keep informed and stay informed, and listen to the messages put out by the CDC and WHO, but I think to sit and watch a talking head, all these pundits freaking out, it’s not good for you.

Is there a message to be found in “Naked Garden”? “Turn Off the News” just happened to resonate with so many people, I thought, ‘Oh, that would be a good title track.’ And yes, it is something good for people to do now and then, just shut off the devices and everything. But I think that I’ve learned a lesson that it’s important for an artist to focus on the music — which is a track on my new record — and let the message speak for itself.

THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT LUKAS NELSON

AGE: 31 BIRTHPLACE: Austin, Texas CURRENTLY READING: “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius IF HE WASN’T A MUSICIAN: “I’d probably be working with animals, or be a writer.” JOEY MARTINEZ

66 VARIETY VARIETY & IHEARTRADIO'S WEEKLY PODCAST

LISTEN NOW JENNIFER LOPEZ

OR WHEREVER YOUR FAVORITE PODCASTS ARE FOUND

VARIETY.COM/THEBIGTICKET NEW EPISODES AVAILABLE EVERY THURSDAY VARIETY ANNOUNCES CORONA CHRONICLES

Essays from Entertainment Industry Insiders

How the Corona Virus is Impacting Their Lives and Their Business

READ NOW variety.com/coronachronicles