AWARDS HEADLINES
Is There a Change In the Offing? Stunt Coordinators Set To Protest Oscars For Inclusion
Mad Max: Fury Road garnered 10 Oscar nominations this year, including one for best picture, but the stunt coordinators who made the movie’s action sequences possible aren’t feeling the love. As in the past, there’s no Academy Award category for them. The stunt community is not happy, and they’ll be rallying in front of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday afternoon in Beverly Hills. (HRA)
Oscar Pool Upheaval: Five Major Upsets That Could Rock the Big Night
The Oscars are five days away, if you can believe it. Will best picture go to The Big Short, The Revenant or Spotlight? That’s the question on everyone’s minds. Underneath it all, there are a few categories that seem locked up, but could give way to a shocker. Here are five potential upsets to keep an eye on next weekend. (IC)
Cheek Alert: Fusion Inks Deal To Air All Def Movie Awards During Oscars
In a scrappy bit of counter-programming aimed squarely at the Academy, Fusion has forged a multiyear partnership with Russell Simmons’ All Def Digital banner that will make the news and satire outfit the exclusive broadcaster of the All Def Movie Awards. An offshoot of All Def Digital’s weekly comedy showcase All Def Comedy Live, the All Def Movie Awards happens February 24th, and Fusion’s cable channel will broadcast them throughout Oscar night. (AL)
OTHER HEADLINES
TV Development for 2/23/16: ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Finds New Catwalk, ‘Lip Sync Battle’ Headed to Spike/Nick, eOne Shopping Amy Adams Series
In other deals, Hank Azaria has something new, as does Community creator Dan Harmon. Amazon stays in business with Jill Soloway, while Marti Noxon and Amy Adams team to bring Gillian Flynn to the small screen. There’s a lot more, so click on the link to read on. (SSN)
Looking To Buy a Studio? Viacom CEO Phillippe Dauman Pursuing Paramount Stake Sale
The Viacom chief executive has put Paramount Pictures up for sale in a bid to help prop up the ailing media giant after a string of wrong-way moves that has crippled the company’s stock price. Dauman told analysts during an investor conference today that Viacom has “been approached by several potential strategic investors” about taking a stake in Paramount, long considered one of the conglomerate’s crown jewels. (HRB)
Ryan Reynolds’ First Post-‘Deadpool’ Pic, ‘Hitman’s Bodyguard’, Adds a Very Impressive Duo
Millennium Films has added Elodie Yung and Salma Hayek to join Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson and Gary Oldman in the flick. The action film starts production April 2nd in London, directed by Jeff Wadlow from a script by Tom O’Connor. Reynolds plays the world’s top protection agent who gets a new client: a hit man who came in from the cold (Jackson). They hate each other but have 24 hours to get to the Hague. (DH)
It Looks Like Jimmy Kimmel Might Just Be Your 2016 Emmy Host
ABC is in negotiations with the late night star. Kimmel, host of ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, is a natural choice for the Alphabet, which is airing the Primetime Emmy Awards in September under the wheel system wherein the telecast rotates each year among the Big Four networks. This would mark the second time Kimmel has hosted the Emmy ceremony; his first round was back in 2012, when ABC last carried the kudos. (VAR)
Jon Bernthal Becomes the Latest To Join Edgar Wright’s ‘Baby Driver’
Bernthal joins a movie that stars Ansel Elgort as a getaway driver, a near mute with an ear condition who relies on the beat of his personal soundtrack to be the best in the game. Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm, Jaime Foxx, Lily James and Eiza Gonzalez are also on the roll call for the tale of what happens when the driver is coerced into working for a crime boss and must face the music when a doomed heist threatens his life, love and freedom. (HV)
Now That the ‘X-Files’ Revival Is Complete, Fox Definitely Wants More, the Question Is When
Creator Chris Carter and star David Duchovny have long suggested they’d be up for more X-Files following the miniseries revival. Now, it seems, the network is on board, too. But a big question remains: when? “They’re going to ask for more,” Carter said in an interview. “The ratings were very good.” He noted, however, that his conversation with Fox Television Co-Chairman/CEO Dana Walden was “casual,” and there’s no deal in place. (CBR)
Jenna Elfman Returns Too TV, Will Star in ABC’s Imaginary Friend Comedy From ‘The Goldbergs’ Duo
The Dharma & Greg alum has signed on to star in the untitled Adam F. Goldberg-David Guaracio comedy pilot. The live-action/CGI comedy centers on Alice (Elfman), a 30-something bachelorette whose life is turned upside down when she finally meets the love of her life — a divorced father with three kids. That’s when the slightly unhinged imaginary friend she created as an only child suddenly reappears in her life to help her navigate life. (LF)