GAMES OF RISK AND REWARD
Two stories about Harvey Weinstein
In September, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey of the New York Times told the story behind their bombshell Harvey Weinstein reporting in the book “She Said.” Then in October, Ronan Farrow did much the same — but widened his net to include harsh allegations against NBC News. “Catch and Kill” linked Weinstein, Matt Lauer and allegations that the network tried to quash Farrow’s work.
Old Hollywood, meet New Hollywood
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino’s ode to late-1960s L.A., ran smack into mid-2019 when Bruce Lee’s daughter slammed the depiction of her father as a mockery. The director doubled down by calling the martial artist and film star “kind of an arrogant guy.” Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth never would have put up with that kind of thing — but look for this one in the 2020 Oscars’ best picture contest anyway.
‘Leaving Neverland’ and the King of Pop
HBO’s “Leaving Neverland,” which premiered in January at Sundance, added explicit, crushing new details to sexual abuse accusations against pop star Michael Jackson, who died in 2009. The Jackson estate denounced the four-hour documentary and sued the network in February. After the film aired on TV, fans were left wondering if they could separate the art from the artist.
Surviving ‘Surviving R. Kelly’
Rumors about R. Kelly and underage women circulated for years but never stuck until the docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” premiered on Lifetime in January. The R&B singer was dropped by his label later that month, and he was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. After pleading not guilty, he remains behind bars, facing harsh penalties if convicted on sex-trafficking, racketeering and child pornography charges.
The great streaming wars of 2019
This was the year the streaming wars got real: Disney+ and AppleTV+ joined the ranks of Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, with HBO Max and Peacock set to enter the fray in 2020. Then there’s Quibi, Tubi, Crunchyroll and a mouthful of others — and a mere $448 a month will pay for all those and more. Good luck keeping track of what’s good. Netflix isn’t worried, but maybe viewers should be.
ASAP Rocky’s international dilemma
Rapper ASAP Rocky got in a street fight in Sweden and went to jail in July. Fans and celebrities lost their minds because Sweden doesn’t have bail. Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West asked President Trump to help, which didn’t work, so POTUS hit up Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland to go watch the trial. Rocky wound up convicted of assault but got off with a Swedish slap on the wrist, which appears to be that country’s favorite penalty. Months later, the rapper’s name came up in the impeachment inquiry, because that’s the world we live in.
‘Empire’ actor a victim or a mastermind?
Jussie Smollett of “Empire” told police in late January that he was a victim of a late-night, racist, homophobic, noose-and-bleach attack in Chicago. Amid an outpouring of sympathy, his story began to fall apart, with the two suspects saying the actor set it up (he says he didn’t). He was arrested, but by the end of March, charges had been dropped, and Smollett got a bill for the $130,000 investigation. Lawsuits are pending.
‘Jeopardy!’ delivers thrills and sadness
run on the 35-year-old syndicated show “Jeopardy!” came against the backdrop of beloved host Alex Trebek’s March announcement of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Audiences followed both men’s journeys closely: Holzhauer’s big bets and eventual June dethroning and Trebek’s treatment successes and setbacks.
Disneyland delivers Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland at the end of May, offering guests an immersive experience never attempted on this scale before — this is not your mother’s theme park — but the massive crowds that were expected this summer didn’t show up. See what happens when you plan for the worst? Good thing Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is worth repeating, because the second ride, Rise of the Resistance, was delayed until next month.
In a world where agents and writers do battle …
Hollywood’s writers and their agents had until April 4 to hammer out a deal on packaging fees and agencies’ growing involvement in TV and movie production. They didn’t do it. Now the agents are fired, the agencies are working around the writers and everybody is suing everybody else. It’s kind of crazy. But at least the WGA president got reelected.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ blows the roof off
With “Avengers: Endgame” in April, Marvel Studios and directors Anthony and Joe Russo brought a chapter in the MCU to an impressive end as the world said goodbye to some beloved superheroes (though not every Avenger). It shattered openingweekend box-office numbers and grossed nearly $2.8 billion worldwide, setting records. Martin Scorsese was not impressed, but most in the MCU didn’t much care.
Disney/Fox merger, and Viacom-CBS too
Disney finalized its $71.3-billion purchase of much of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox in March, positioning CEO Bob Iger’s company as an even bigger force in Hollywood. The home of ESPN, ABC, “Star Wars,” Disney+ and most of the Marvel superheroes now owns 20th Century Fox, “The Simpsons” and a controlling stake in Hulu. Job cuts at Fox began almost immediately and continued through the year. Fox News, Fox Sports, the Fox Broadcasting network and the Fox lot itself, however, still belong to Murdoch. In August, CBS and Viacom followed suit, agreeing to merge in a $12-billion deal. It was a coup for Chairwoman Shari Redstone, daughter of ailing Sumner Redstone, as she’d championed a reunion.
Seriously, that is the new LACMA design?
It got ugly on the Miracle Mile as architect Peter Zumthor presented his new LACMA design, which was OKd by county supervisors in April. Critic Christopher Knight slammed the smaller and colder building (how do you hang art on concrete walls?) as a complete rejection of the LACMA collection’s curatorial needs. But, hey, on the plus side, costs are ballooning like mad. But what’s an extra $100 million or two between friends, right?
It wouldn’t be 2019 without Kim and Kanye
Kim Kardashian West, who’s now studying to be a lawyer, got active in criminal justice reform, appealing to President Trump to free folks like Alice Marie Johnson. Then she put a reality twist on it by having Johnson model her new shapewear line, reinvented as Skims Solutionwear after a culturally-appropriating debut under the name Kimono. Meanwhile, flawed messenger Kanye West was all about his Sunday Service, bringing it to Coachella and beyond before releasing the album “Jesus Is King,” complete with a movie and merchandise. He also appeared on prosperity pastor Joel Osteen’s TV broadcast and released an opera. Yes, an opera.