Academy President and CEO on Oscars Changes: We're "Making Every Effort to Contend With a Very Difficult Global Crisis" (Q&A)

Moments after news broke on Tuesday that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' board of governors had approved major rule changes ahead of the 93rd Oscars, some of them in response to the ongoing pandemic, The Hollywood Reporter spoke with the organization's president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson about the...

Alamo Drafthouse Won't Reopen Texas Theaters This Weekend

Earlier on Monday, the state's Republican governor said certain businesses could begin flipping on the lights as of Friday. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Monday cautioned consumers it won't reopen its Texas locations this weekend hours after the state said it would begin lifting stay-at-home orders instituted because...

Maya Rudolph Reveals Kids of 'SNL' Alumni Put on "Delightful" Zoom Talent Show

The actress also shared her appreciation for the at-home versions of the Saturday-night variety show when she visited 'Late Night With Seth Meyers' on Monday. Maya Rudolph revealed details of a talent show put on by the children of Saturday Night Live alumni when she visited Late Night With Seth Meyers on Monday....

Oprah Winfrey to Deliver Commencement Speech for Facebook Graduation Event

Awkwafina, Jennifer Garner and more stars are also set to speak, while Miley Cyrus will perform her 2009 hit "The Climb." Facebook on Tuesday announced the star-studded lineup for its upcoming event, #Graduation 2020: Facebook and Instagram Celebrate the Class of 2020. The multi-hour live event will stream on both social...

Daisy Ridley in Talks to Star in 'The Ice Beneath Her' Thriller

Andrew Lazar is set to produce and the 'Ready or Not' filmmakers to direct for STX the movie adaptation of a Swedish crime novel. Star Wars star Daisy Ridley is in talks to take a lead role in the crime thriller The Ice Beneath Her for STX Entertainment, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The movie project, which...

Kesha, Barbra Streisand, Matt Bomer Voice Support for LGBTQ Centers During GLAAD Fundraiser

Billy Eichner and Lilly Singh hosted 'Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone,' which aired online and also featured Adam Lambert, Billy Porter, Dan Levy and Melissa Etheridge. Kesha, Barbra Streisand, Matt Bomer, Adam Lambert and more stars took part in GLAAD's Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone, a fundraiser hosted...

Kristen Anderson to Oversee Freeform Communications

Freeform has found its new PR chief. Kristen Anderson has been tapped to serve as vp communications for the Disney-owned, younger-skewing cable network. In her new role, Anderson — who was hired before the novel coronavirus largely shut down the industry — will oversee Freeform's corporate and consumer media relations....

Academy Sound Branch Governors Brief Members on Consolidation of Editing, Mixing Oscars (Exclusive)

Among the major rule changes implemented Tuesday by the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is one that has no connection to the ongoing pandemic: the consolidation of the best sound editing and best sound mixing Oscar categories into one best sound category, which is likeliest to be the...

Amoeba Music's Iconic Sunset Boulevard Location to Close

“This is heartbreaking for us,” reads a statement posted to the store's website. “We never envisioned not being able to give the store the send-off it deserves, to give you all a chance to say goodbye." The doors to Amoeba Music’s iconic Sunset Boulevard location have permanently closed ahead of schedule due to the coronavirus...

'Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story': Film Review

Netflix's unauthorized doc recounts the case of a teen convicted of murder and later granted clemency due to the changes in law and culture since her trial. In 2004, when she was 16 years old, Cyntoia Brown shot and killed a man she alleges had picked her up hours earlier in a Nashville parking lot intending to pay for...

New York City Mayor Aims to Create Roadmap on How to Rebuild Amid COVID-19

The mayor, a Democrat, said at a news conference that city leaders he’s invited to help plan the city's recovery should give him the roadmap by June 1. He said a full rebuild will take about 20 months. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Sunday he hopes to have a roadmap by June 1 on how to rebuild the city after...

L.A. Lakers Return $4.6M From Stimulus Loan Program

The team, thought to be the NBA's second-most valuable franchise, qualified for the program because it has only about 300 employees. The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers have repaid a loan of roughly $4.6 million from coronavirus business relief funds after learning the program had been depleted. The Lakers applied for the loan...

Hillary Clinton Endorses Joe Biden for President

Clinton made her announcement during a Biden campaign town hall to discuss the coronavirus and its effect on women. Hillary Clinton, the first woman to become a major party's presidential nominee, endorsed Joe Biden's White House bid on Tuesday, continuing Democrats' efforts to coalesce around the former vice president...

Watch Live: Meryl Streep, Patti LuPone and More Stars Pay Tribute to Stephen Sondheim

A host of notable names are gathering to perform in a special virtual concert 'Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration' that will benefit youth in underserved communities. Hollywood stars and Broadway veterans are teaming Sunday to celebrate the 90th birthday of the legendary composer Stephen Sondheim....

TV Ratings: '9-1-1' Tops 'Voice' Clip Show in Demo

Monday was a fairly quiet night in the broadcast ratings, as all five English-language networks were down year-to-year in adults 18-49. All but The CW declined week-to-week as well.  Fox's 9-1-1 led the night in the 18-49 demographic with a 1.2 rating and was the only show to climb above the 1.0 mark for its initial...

Writers Guild Advises Members On Next Steps After Court Ruling

"The agencies will be required to defend, in public, those practices that for decades they sought to keep private," the guild stated. A day after a Los Angeles federal judge dismissed most of the Writers Guild of America's claims in its lawsuit against the major agencies, the guild wrote a note to its members on its...

How I'm Living Now: Wanda Sykes, Comedian

From her home in Pennsylvania, the Emmy-winning comic acknowledges she's been light on jokes: "Right now, we're too deep into it to step back to see what's funny about about it." With production grinding to a halt in the face of the novel coronavirus, the entertainment industry has found itself navigating uncharted territory....

Radhika Jones, Eva Longoria, Brooke Baldwin to Speak at Virtual Graduation Ceremony

Margaret Cho, Andrew Yang, Liam Payne, Jesse McCartney and Tamron Hall are also set to perform at "I'm Still Graduating," an online commencement event. As the novel coronavirus outbreak has overturned college graduation plans nationwide, one college-focused media brand is planning a star-studded virtual ceremony to celebrate...

The Future of 'Ninja Turtles' to Be Told in 'The Last Ronin'

A lost piece of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles history is about to be seen for the first time — and, in the process, reveal the future of the heroes in a half shell, courtesy of the men responsible for creating the characters in the first place. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin is a five issue comic book miniseries...

Actors' Equity Enlists Former OSHA Chief to Help Reboot Live Stage Safely

The union's model standards could help the film and television industry, as well. Actors’ Equity Association, the union for stage actors and stage managers, on Friday announced that epidemiologist and policy veteran Dr. David Michaels will consult for the union, effective immediately, to help develop health and safety...

Bleecker Street Sets VOD, Hulu Release for 'Military Wives'

The drama about British women who form a choir while their soldier spouses are away, which stars Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan, will be rolled out Memorial Day weekend. Military Wives, the latest movie from Oscar-nominated director Peter Cattaneo (The Full Monty) and starring Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon...

Italian Kids Film 'My Brother Chases Dinosaurs' Wins European Young Audience Award

Stefano Cipani's drama, about a boy with Down syndrome, won the first-ever European Film Academy youth prize to be handed out virtually due to the COVID-19 lockdown. Italian children's film My Brother Chases Dinosaurs has won this year's Young Audience Award from the European Film Academy. The drama follows Jack and...

Sondheim 90th-Birthday Tribute Filled With Stars, Technical Difficulties

The special featured performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Meryl Streep, Patti LuPone and more, kicked off on YouTube more than an hour after the announced start time. Josh Groban, Nathan Lane and Jake Gyllenhaal honored composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim on Sunday with an online 90th birthday concert that was stuffed...

Unions Ask Congress to Restore Business Expense Deductions for Hollywood Workers

Their goal: restore tax deductions for unreimbursed business expenses, which can be quite large, even for working- and middle-class personnel. A coalition of almost 20 entertainment unions, management organizations and associations on Monday urged Congress to pass legislation restoring deductibility of business expenses...

'Vanilla': Film Review

Two virtual strangers go on a three-day road trip together in Will Dennis' romantic comedy. Road trips are a comedic narrative staple that are as reliable as they are formulaic. That's why you'll find Will Dennis' first feature enjoyable, even as you're all too aware of its narrative gears moving too heavily. Despite...