EXEC SUMMARY: I'm back after a few splendid days at the beach. Awards season is ending and a brand-new political season is beginning. Scroll down for our media week ahead calendar and much, much more!
And the Oscar winners are...
Netflix's moment in the best picture spotlight will have to wait another year. "Roma" won in the best director and best foreign language film categories, but "Green Book" took home the top prize.
The chemistry between Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen was "apparently enough to help Academy voters forget the controversies that have plagued the film," CNN's Sandra Gonzalez wrote. | | The NYT's news alert said that "by backing 'Green Book,' voters slowed the ascendency of Netflix, which had been pushing a competing nominee, 'Roma.'"
THR's Matthew Belloni quipped: "Netflix clearly didn't spend enough." On a more serious note, he added, "That people consider 'Green Book' an upset is a testament to how successful Netflix's 'Roma' campaign was. They took a black and white foreign language film all the way, in the process sparking a dialogue about the future of film. A pretty remarkable achievement."
>> Variety put it this way: "The preferential ballot struck again..."
>> Looking beyond best picture, "Roma" and "Blank Panther" both won three awards... Spike Lee won his first Oscar for best adapted screenplay for "BlacKkKlansman..." And "Bohemian Rhapsody" picked up the most wins of all, with four Oscars...
Lowry's take
Brian Lowry emails: There's going to be a ton of grumbling about "Green Book," but as I stated in my predictions, both "Black Panther" and "Roma" faced enormous hurdles – the first that there's still a sense that superhero movies are big and dumb, and the second because of Netflix's high-handed approach to the movie business, no matter how much money it throws at the process. We'll never know, but if Netflix had treated "Roma" like a more conventional nominee — starting with providing box-office data — it might have been a different outcome...
>> Arguably the night's biggest winner: Participant Media, which was behind both "Green Book" and "Roma." Congrats to Jeff Skoll and company! Brooks Barnes has a backgrounder here...
No host, no problem
Frank Pallotta emails: There was a lot of talk about the controversial choice to have a host-less Academy Awards this year, but the show went off mostly without a hitch without an MC. It kept moving along and kept the focus on the films, where it should always be...
>> Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler offered a "terrific mini monologue," Bill Carter tweeted. "Beyond the unrelenting commitment to pace, this Oscarcast is working well because presenters are genuinely prepared" and well chosen...
"Shallow" goes deep | | This was the moment of the night: "Not only did Lady Gaga win an Oscar on Sunday night, but her performance with Bradley Cooper hit viewers right in the feels," Lisa Respers France and Sandra Gonzalez wrote here. "Shot entirely from upstage, with the audience acting as a backdrop, the duo's rendition of 'Shallow' from their film 'A Star Is Born' was as intimate as it was seeped in chemistry..."
Some of the takeaways
-- Rami Malek won best actor for "Bohemian Rhapsody..."
-- Olivia Colman won best actress for "The Favourite..." And shouted out Glenn Close, who just set a record "for the actress for the most nominations without a win," Chloe Melas noted...
-- It was a night "marked by greater inclusiveness," Brian Lowry wrote...
-- Netflix's "Period. End of Sentence." won the prize for best documentary short...
-- Chloe has the full winners list here...
"Oscars Rebukes Donald Trump Without Saying His Name"
That's the headline on this Lisa de Moraes post for Deadline. "Donald Trump was the name that would not be spoken at the 2019 Oscars," she wrote. "But, with much recognition given to immigrants, and shout-outs to Mexico throughout the night, and all the cautionary warnings about the rise of white supremacy and antisemitism, a strongly implied rebuke of the President of the United States hung heavy in the broadcast..."
Quotable moments
-- Maya Rudolph: "There is no host tonight, there won't be a popular movie category and Mexico is NOT paying for the wall."
-- Spike Lee: "The 2020 presidential election is around the corner. Let's all mobilize. Let's all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let's do the right thing!"
-- Javier Bardem speaking in Spanish: "There are no borders or walls that can restrain ingenuity and talent."
Top tweets
-- Mitra Kalita: "Anyone who says this has been a bad year for film is not living my life and feeds which are already celebrating this glorious night of inclusion and so much shattering of records and ceilings..."
-- Joe Adalian: "I believe as far as ABC and Nielsen are concerned, this year's Oscars will run for roughly 3 hour, 10 minutes (everything after the last commercial break isn't counted). Pretty close to goal of 3 hours..."
-- Ben Jacobs: "Really nervous what the President is going to tweet about the Fox and Friends segment on the Oscars tomorrow morning..."
Netflix and Disney battle during the ad breaks
Frank Pallotta emails: There was news away from the actual ceremony, with Disney and Netflix showing off teasers for two of the most anticipated films of the year: "The Irishman" on Netflix and Disney's "The Lion King." Here's "The Irishman" teaser via EW...
--> More: Variety's Brian Steinberg recapped the night's expensive ads here...
The more things change...
Brian Lowry emails: Variety's Tim Gray reupped a 2011 piece about chaos and tumult surrounding the Oscars that year -- including, adding another parallel, a homophobic slur by producer Brett Ratner, who subsequently bowed out of that role. It's a good reminder that when it comes to the Academy, even in what's felt like an inordinately chaotic year, the more things change, the more they tend to stay the same...
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- "A KPIX 5 news crew covering the Oakland Teachers Strike was robbed of a camera and tripod by an armed suspect, who then shot their security guard before fleeing on Sunday evening..." (KPIX)
Media week ahead calendar
-- Monday: Mobile World Congress continues through Thursday in Barcelona...
-- Monday night: Wolf Blitzer moderates a CNN town hall with Bernie Sanders...
-- Wednesday: CPAC begins...
-- Friday: March arrives!
-- Saturday: Read Across America Day...
US v. AT&T Standing by for a ruling on the DOJ's appeal
Hadas Gold emails: The decision on whether the Justice Department will be successful in its attempt to overturn the merger between AT&T and Time Warner (now called WarnerMedia, CNN's parent) could come any day now.
Last June, Judge Richard Leon rejected the DOJ's first attempt to stop AT&T from buying Time Warner, which included HBO, Warner Bros. and Turner (where CNN lives). The DOJ appealed the decision, and we are expecting the ruling on the appeal sometime in the next few days – because the DOJ agreed to keep Turner as a separate business unit with a firewall until February 28. That's coming up on Thursday. Whatever happens, either side could try to take the case to the Supreme Court...
"The Trump Dynasty" on A&E
Brian Lowry emails: On Monday A&E premieres "The Trump Dynasty," a three-part documentary devoted to the president's life, which will air over consecutive nights under the "Biography" banner. Among the more than 60 friends, critics and biographers interviewed: Roger Stone...
Politics week ahead calendar
Tuesday: The first of five hearings relating to climate change on Capitol Hill this week...
Tuesday: Michael Cohen testifies behind closed doors to Senate Intel...
Tuesday: POTUS arrives in Vietnam...
Wednesday morning: Cohen testifies publicly to House Oversight. Live everywhere...
Wednesday evening/early Thursday morning US time: Trump meets with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi. Also live everywhere...
Thursday: Cohen testifies behind closed doors to House Intel...
Trump presser on Thursday?
He held a lengthy press conference at the Capella Hotel in Singapore after the first summit with Kim. And held an unforgettable presser after his Helsinki meeting with Vladimir Putin. So journalists who are credentialed for the trip are anticipating another presser, this time in Hanoi on Thursday...
CPAC kicks off in DC this week
Oliver Darcy emails: The annual Conservative Action Political Conference kicks off on Wednesday just outside DC. As usual, some of the biggest names in right-wing media will be speaking, including Laura Ingraham, Sebastian Gorka, "Diamond & Silk," Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck, Candace Owens, Buck Sexton, Katie Pavlich, Pete Hegseth, James O'Keefe, and others. I'll be there as well, along with Tom Kludt. Say hi if you spot us strolling through the halls...
| | Read the Mueller report that's 'right in plain view'
The AP's Chad Day and Eric Tucker laid it all out in a cohesive narrative here. Exec editor Sally Buzbee praises it as "one of the clearest explanations I have ever read -- just fabulously done."
>> Twitter thread: Garrett Graff says "we should not allow Trump allies to minimize, downplay, or distract from what Mueller has ALREADY found—corruption and criminality at the heart of American politics." Read...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- "58 former senior national security officials, both Democrat and Republican, will issue a statement Monday saying 'there is no factual basis' to President Trump's declaration of a national emergency on the US southern border..." (CNN)
-- One of WaPo's most-read stories on Sunday: "White House to set up panel to counter climate change consensus, officials say" (WaPo)
-- Don't miss Kevin Roose's column about breaking his iPhone addiction... There are lessons in here for all of us... (NYT)
R. Kelly still in jail
CNN's Sara Sidner and Dakin Andone report: R. Kelly was still in jail Sunday evening "after he failed to immediately produce the $100,000 in cash required to make bail. A judge in Chicago set Kelly's total bond at $1 million on Saturday, a day after he was indicted on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse against four victims, three of whom would have been underage at the time of the alleged crimes, according to prosecutors." More...
Don't miss this "60 Minutes" segment
| | | Bill Whitaker on CBS Sunday night: "We have reported on the causes and effects of the opioid epidemic for several years — interviewing government whistleblowers, doctors, and Americans who've grown dependent on the powerful pain pills. We have not had a high-ranking executive from the pharmaceutical industry sit before our cameras, until now. Tonight, Ed Thompson, a drug manufacturer who spent decades managing and producing opioids for Big Pharma, breaks ranks to denounce his industry and its federal regulator, the FDA, which he says opened the floodgates on the crisis with a few little changes to a label."
The FDA started "the fire," Thompson told Whitaker... Here's the full segment...
African-American woman now running the paper where editor urged KKK to 'ride again'
CNN's Doug Criss and Tina Burnside report: Elecia R. Dexter, an African-American woman, "is now the publisher and editor of the Alabama newspaper that recently urged the Ku Klux Klan to 'night ride again,' the paper said." She now runs the Democrat-Reporter of Linden, but "Sutton still owns the newspaper..."
>> Per the WaPo, Dexter was previously a front office clerk at the paper... She "said she has worked at the paper for only six weeks and was disappointed when she saw the editorial..." And she intends to take the paper in a "new direction..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- Birchbox, BarkBox... Verizon? The mobile carrier is currently testing "Tech Pack," a subscription box of three gadgets to try monthly... (Mashable)
-- Jamie Colby is out at Fox Biz... (TKNN)
-- Jason Parham argues that "'Desus & Mero' is the future of late-night TV..." (WIRED)
Chris Hayes interviews Stacey Abrams in his first live-podcast event
Oliver Darcy emails: MSNBC host Chris Hayes interviewed Stacey Abrams at the Gramercy Theater Sunday evening for his "Why is This Happening?" podcast. (Expect the show to be posted online Tuesday morning.) The theater, which I was told has about a 450-seat capacity, was packed to the brim. An MSNBC spokesperson told me the event sold out within minutes of the tickets going online. I also spotted both Andy Lack and Phil Griffin in the audience.
After the show, I caught up with Hayes. He said Sunday's event was the first of several he plans on holding across the country. Hayes said new shows should be announced within the next few weeks, and that some of the people he hopes to secure as guests will "surprise" some people. Hayes also acknowledged they'll probably need bigger venues moving forward. Stay tuned...
| | IAC's Barry Diller on the "revolution" in Hollywood
Katie Pellico writes: On Sunday's "Reliable Sources," substitute host John Avlon spoke with media mogul Barry Diller about several subjects, including Netflix's success, which he said is evidence that Hollywood is in the middle of a "revolution." Re: "Roma," he says, "When the number one touted movie wasn't really a movie, meaning it didn't play in multiple theaters... It makes [the Academy Awards] less relevant."
More from the interview:
-- Diller said he is "committed" to Michael Bloomberg for a 2020 run, and advised the widening Democratic field: "This is an election about morality and decency, and I'm afraid the Democrats are going to go and start arguing economic issues when that's not the agenda..."
-- Diller compared the National Enquirer's "sleazy tactics" to Gawker. He said Gawker's "tactics got them caught into absolutely annihilation, which is, I think, a good thing..."
"Reliable" addresses controversy over CNN hire | | S.E. Cupp and David Folkenflik joined Avlon to talk about CNN's much-scrutinized hiring of Sarah Isgur Flores.
-- Avlon: "She will play a coordinating role across digital and TV, so the right hand knows what the left is doing..."
-- Folkenflik: "CNN hasn't expressly said why they made this hire in a way that's clear to the public..."
-- Cupp: "CNN's interest in having a diversity of views and also backgrounds is a really good thing…"
Watch the full discussion here...
Notes and quotes from Sunday's show
-- "In an era of insanity, is anything shocking before?" Hear from Jacob Weisberg, S. Mitra Kalita, and Charles Blow...
-- Blow, LZ Granderson, and John McWhorter analyzed the media's role in the Smollett case....
-- Jennifer Egan spoke with Avlon about the "increase in persecution of journalists" around the world...
-- Listen to the full show via Apple Podcasts or your favorite app...
FOR THE RECORD, PART FOUR
By Katie Pellico:
-- NBC's Heather McGhee welled up on Sunday's "Meet the Press" describing the generational "difference in urgency" with regard to climate change. She explained on Twitter, "It's never happened to me before, but there's no precedent for the threat we are facing..." (Twitter)
-- Astead Wesley said the "MTP" segment showed "the gulf between the progressive base driving the Democratic party and Washington political class they're seeking to disrupt, media included... Just as the Dem establishment is being challenged, so is a media class that has long reflected DC conventional wisdom as political gospel..." (Twitter)
-- Bill McKibben on "The Hard Lessons of Dianne Feinstein's Encounter with the Young Green New Deal Activists..." (New Yorker)
NYT editorial board endorses Green New Deal, while WaPo's offers "a better one"
Katie Pellico writes: Within hours of one another on Sunday, the NYT and WaPo editorial boards published pieces that established their stances on the Green New Deal. While the NYT extended an endorsement, both its board and WaPo's had strong suggestions in the way of climate change solutions.
The NYT column lauded Ed Markey and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the GND, but made clear its passing would require that "the stars are aligned." A carbon-neutral energy system is "going to be hard enough," let alone the high hopes of "transforming the economy itself." Read the full piece here...
In lieu of an endorsement of the GND, WaPo offered "a better one" in a "series of editorials" focusing primarily on carbon pricing solutions. WaPo asserted that lawmakers "should not muddle this aspiration with other social policy." Read the series here...
| | A jolt of energy for the box office
Brian Lowry emails: The box-office Chicken Littles might want to give it a rest, with "Captain Marvel" registering powerful pre-sales in advance of its March 8 debut and now "How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World" opening to a franchise-best weekend for the third movie in the DreamWorks animated trilogy.
>> Box Office Mojo on the "Dragon" debut: "The 2019 box office has finally received a jolt of energy..."
>> Lowry adds: Speaking of box office, almost-Oscar-host Kevin Hart's latest, "The Upside," should hit $100 million early this week -- not bad for a long-on-the-shelf project that originated with the Weinstein Co. before STX secured the rights to release it...
| | | That's a wrap! Thanks for reading. Email me with feedback, story ideas, etc... See you tomorrow... | | | |
