Exec summary: Monday is here! Let's make it a great week. Scroll down for Golden Globes winners and losers, plus a CES preview and much more...
BREAKING "Z" becomes CBS News president
Susan Zirinsky, a 46-year veteran of CBS News and the top producer of the "48 Hours" newsmagazine, is about to become the first woman to run the network's news division.
On Sunday night, interim CBS CEO Joe Ianniello announced that CBS News president David Rhodes is stepping down in March. Zirinsky will succeed him. Rhodes will stay on as an adviser. Ianniello said Rhodes -- whose contract was set to expire in February -- "has decided the time is right to move on to new opportunities."
He thanked Rhodes and described Zirinsky as a "widely respected and trusted colleague." Indeed, Zirinsky, known as "Z" within the news division, is an incredibly popular figure. She worked her way up at CBS and covered everything from Watergate to the Tiananmen Square uprising to royal weddings.
"You may think of her as Holly Hunter from 'Broadcast News,' but she is so much more," Ianniello wrote, in a nod to the fact that Zirinsky inspired the "Broadcast News" character. She was also a consultant on the film...
More turnover at CBS
CBS has been upended by sexual misconduct scandals. Rhodes managed the fallout when Charlie Rose was accused of harassment by numerous women in November 2017. "CBS This Morning" took a ratings hit after Rose was fired. But that's not all: Rhodes reported to Les Moonves, who was pushed out in September 2018 after allegations against him piled up. In short order Rhodes fired "60 Minutes" executive producer Jeff Fager for sending a menacing text message to a CBS reporter. Through it all, CBS was commended for covering its internal troubles... And a lot of that is thanks to Rhodes...
Rhodes' memo
He wrote to staffers Sunday night: "The new year is a time for renewal, for new goals. The world we cover is changing, how we cover it is changing — and it's the right time for me to make a change too."
>> On his eight years at CBS News: "We've proven our Real News commitment throughout. Our global news report is strong. And so are our people. I couldn't be prouder of our work together during these extraordinary times..."
Behind the scenes
CBS was planning to announce this change on Monday... But I caught wind of it from sources and was preparing to report it on Sunday night.. And that apparently prompted a change of plans.
The LAT's Steve Battaglio had already interviewed Zirinsky for an embargoed story. So he hit publish at 10 p.m. ET Sunday, and his story noted that Zirinsky will also have the title of senior executive producer -- "signaling that she will have a strong hand in guiding the division's content."
"Being a producer is my oxygen and the core of who I am," she said. "I've got to manage money and contracts, but management people will be there for me. My whole approach is as a producer and that's what will differentiate us."
Reactions
-- Norah O'Donnell tweeted: "Thrilled that Susan Zirinsky will be the new President of CBS News, becoming the first woman in history to lead our news division."
-- Bill Carter: "Zirinsky is a force of nature -- and journalism. CBS News is at a crossroads --as is the network. She's the leader they need."
On Zirinsky's plate...
-- Will Bill Owens officially become the E.P. of "60 Minutes?" Zirinsky was rumored to be the other candidate for the job...
-- Who will be the new E.P. of "CBS This Morning?" Ryan Kadro's last day was last Friday...
-- Are any talent changes in the offing? Does Zirinsky have confidence in the "CBS Evening News" as-is?
| | 2019 GOLDEN GLOBES "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the champion
Brian Lowry emails: It's genuinely shocking that "Bohemian Rhapsody" won the Globe for best motion picture drama and Glenn Close won the best actress award for "The Wife." The idea of the Globes as an Oscar bellwether has been shaky the last few years, but those choices certainly thwarted a lot of prognosticators... Read Lowry's full morning-after column here...
What about "A Star Is Born?"
Chloe Melas emails: BIG upset to have "A Star Is Born" lose out in all major categories with the exception of Best Original Song... So much for the predictions that Bradley Cooper's film would sweep!
Five wins for Netflix
Brian Lowry emails: Netflix had a big night — based strictly on all the reaction shots of Ted Sarandos, its chief content officer — with Alfonso Cuaron's twin victories for "Roma" (director and foreign-language film), a pair of honors for "The Kominsky Method," and a prize for "The Bodyguard."
The "Roma" wins represented Netflix's first time winning Globes for a feature film...
Quote of the day
Alfonso Cuarón accepting the film award for "Roma:"
"Cinema at its best tears down walls and builds bridges to another culture. As we cross these bridges, these experiences and these new shapes and these new faces, we begin to realize that while they may be strange, they are not unfamiliar. We begin to understand exactly how much we have in common."
Lots of winners...
"The awards Sunday were spread far and wide, with few movies or series winning more than once," CNN's Brandon Griggs wrote. In the TV categories, for instance, "The Americans" won best TV drama, beating out "Homecoming" and "Killing Eve," but "The Americans" star Matthew Rhys "lost the award for best actor in a TV series to Richard Madden," who won for "Bodyguard."
>> "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story" won two awards: Best TV movie or limited series, and Darren Criss for best actor...
>> Patricia Arquette won a best actress Globe for "Escape at Dannemora..." Here's why she was bleeped during her acceptance speech...
Lorre's speech
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More from Lowry: Chuck Lorre, producer of "The Kominsky Method," has scaled every professional mountain imaginable and made a fortune thanks to mass-appeal hits like "The Big Bang Theory" and "Two and a Half Men." But the irascible writer-producer seemed swept away by emotion and almost literally speechless by Sunday's awards recognition, which has proved elusive throughout his career.
Nor should it be lost that the milestone came at a streaming service, a relatively recent medium for Lorre, who has spent the majority of his career in network sitcoms...
Three wins for "Green Book"
Lowry adds: "Green Book" has faced a fair amount of controversy during its award campaign run, yet which walked away with a trio of awards on Sunday, including movie comedy/musical, screenplay and co-star Mahershala Ali...
FOR THE RECORD, PART ONE
-- Remember last year? There was no Oprah Winfrey moment at the Globes this year...
-- But Jeff Bridges was this year's Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree, and he told the audience "we are alive, we can make a difference. We can turn this ship in the way we wanna go, man. Towards love, creating a healthy planet for all of us..." (CNN)
-- And on a much lighter note... Here are some of the best red carpet photos from the night... (CNN)
-- "Meet the Fiji Water Girl, an anonymous, ever-present force on the award show red carpet..." (NYMag)
Time's Up, times two
Chloe Melas emails: Regina King gave a passionate speech about Time's Up and equal representation for women across all industries when she took the stage to accept her first-ever Globe -- she won for her role in "If Beale Street Could Talk." Here's what she said...
"Witness this moment of change"
Co-host Sandra Oh during the show open: "I said yes to the fear of being on this stage tonight because — because I wanted to be here to look out into this audience and witness this moment of change. And I'm not fooling myself. I'm not fooling myself. Next year could be different. It probably will be. But right now, this moment is real. Trust me, it is real. Because I see you. And I see you. All of these faces of change. And now so will everyone else."
What'd you think of the monologue? | | Lots of twitterers trashed the opening monologue by Oh and Andy Samberg, but I didn't think it was that bad! Neither did Jamie. Some other highlights:
-- Samberg: "Some of you may be wondering why the two of us are hosting together." Oh: "And the reason is, we're the only two people left in Hollywood who haven't gotten in trouble for saying something offensive."
-- A fast-talking Samberg going from "Black Panther" to a riff about the Black Panther Party: "They were all framed and murdered for wanting justice and equality and the world is and always has been a nightmare it just seems worse now because of our phones, what else happened this year?"
The co-host wins!
What a moment for Oh... winning a Globe for "Killing Eve" while co-hosting the show... Here's how Sarah Barnett, president of entertainment networks for AMC Networks, reacted: "We're are bursting with excitement to see Sandra Oh receive this incredible recognition... 'Killing Eve has captivated both fans and critics, and Sandra has shown once again that she is one of the most accomplished actors of her generation, someone audiences will wholeheartedly follow wherever she goes." The show is back on BBC America in April...
FOR THE RECORD, PART TWO
-- James Poniewozik's recap: "The 2019 Golden Globes didn't want any trouble..." (NYT)
-- Rise and shine! I'll be recapping the award results with Nischelle Turner in the 6 a.m. hour of CNN's "New Day..."
-- Looking forward: Oscar nominations are on January 22...
What a difference a few years makes...
WaPo's Cecilia Kang tweeted: Netflix's Ted Sarandos and Amazon's Jeff Bezos are "now award shows regulars. Can hardly remember entertainment without streaming giants..."
Spotted in the ballroom...
Brian Roberts and Bob Iger catching up after the battle for Fox and Sky...
Dana Bash was there too!
CNN chief political correspondent Dana Bash was in the ballroom, a guest of her dear friend Marc Adelman... I asked her what it's like... She wrote: "If Congress and the White House could sit still in a room as long as these celebrities, the government would be open." She said it's an incredible scene: "The proximity of everyone in the room so close to each other is what makes it magical."
Two $1 million donations
The Globes' hosts at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association have been cutting big checks to journalism groups... Last year CPJ and ICIF were the recipients... This year, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and Inside Climate News were each awarded $1 million... ICN said the $$ will support its reporting projects, expand its national network, and provide scholarships for students. Details here...
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- A tip from social activist and writer Shaun King "led police to a suspect in the killing of Jazmine Barnes..." (CNN)
-- Read Conor Friedersdorf on how Tucker Carlson "insults his viewers..." (The Atlantic)
-- Per a new survey by the Authors Guild, "the median pay for full-time writers was $20,300 in 2017." Recent declines in earnings are "because of Amazon's lion's share of the self-publishing, e-book and resale market..." (NYT)
E-A-G-L-E-S!
The Philly Inquirer's online headline after the Eagles defeated the Bears 16-15: "Nick Foles does it again: Birds advance in playoffs thanks to game-winning drive, missed field goal..."
NFL ratings are still on a roll
"Late Saturday game Wild Card viewership: 2019: Dallas vs. Seattle: 30.064 million viewers across Fox platforms," Richard Deitsch tweeted, contrasting it to last year, when the same game (Atlanta vs. L.A. Rams) averaged 22.815 million viewers across NBC platforms...
| | The AOC fixation
Opposite the Eagles-Bears game, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was on "60 Minutes" with Anderson Cooper. As I mentioned a couple days ago, this was a much-sought-after booking.
Cooper brought up critics who say her "math is fuzzy," and she responded, "If people really want to blow up one figure here or one word there, I would argue they are missing the forest for the trees. I think there's a lot of people more concerned about being precisely, factually, and semantically correct than about being morally right." But she acknowledged that being factually correct is very important...
>> LAT's Jackie Calmes tweeted: "I've covered tax legislation off and on since the late '80s. NEVER, ever has a freshman member of Congress gotten so much attention for their idea. This fixation with @AOC is something..."
Media week ahead calendar
Monday: Pre-CES announcements out the wazoo... Here is Heather Kelly and Samuel Burke's preview story for CNN.com...
Tuesday: The CES show floor officially opens in Las Vegas... I'll be there, let me know if you will be too!
Wednesday: The CES events continue...
Thursday: Did I mention it's CES week? 😉
Bolton rolling back Trump's decision on Syria?
Trump announced last month that US troops would pull out of Syria within 30 days. But apparently not anymore? Here's the NYT's top headline on Sunday night: "Bolton Puts Conditions on Syria Withdrawal, Suggesting a Delay of Months or Years."
>> Max Boot speaking with Ana Cabrera Sunday evening: "It's not clear who is speaking for the US government. Is it President Trump or NSA John Bolton?… This is really problematic because we don't know what the policy of the US government is..."
Border wall funding fight is also a fight about basic facts
If you missed Sunday's early edition of the newsletter, you missed this lead story about the "wall" and the truth... Here it is...
MONDAY'S QUESTION: Can Trump and the Dems agree on the basic facts underlying this battle? Signs point to no...
Catch up on Sunday's "Reliable Sources"
Listen to the podcast via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, or your favorite app... Watch the video clips on CNN.com... Or watch the whole thing via CNNgo or VOD...
Some of the highlights
-- David Frum made the case that the press should be even tougher on Trump: "Relative to the truth, the prestige press in this country has a pro-Trump bias. Relative to the truth, Trump gets easier coverage than he deserves..."
-- With regards to coverage of the Dems and 2020, Symone Sanders talked about a disconnect between pundits and the public. "It's really important that folks go on the ground, and that we're talking to real people..."
-- Dan Pfeiffer said "Trump drives clicks" for media outlets so Democrats will have to rely on "alternatives," from podcasts like his own ("Pod Save America") to Instagram live chats...
-- Karen Finney (in her first appearance as a CNNer!) emphasized the importance of language. "We can't be afraid to call out things that are racist or sexist..."
-- In William Arkin's first TV interview since leaving NBC, he told me "we need to have Trump-free days..."
FOR THE RECORD, PART THREE
-- "Hollywood's Obsession With Cartels:" Héctor Tobar says "it would be nice to see Latinos living regular lives — not stereotype-fueled fantasies — onscreen..." (NYT)
| | Reassessing "Mrs. Maisel"
Brian Lowry emails: "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" has already garnered a slew of accolades, but not all critics are on board. Add to detractors like the New Yorker's Nussbaum (who dubbed it "grating") and those who think the show's simply overrated (like yours truly) a deep dive into the program's mid-20th-century Jewish stereotypes by Paul Brownfield, published in the LA Times under "Shtick, stereotypes, and self-parody: How "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' gets Jewish culture wrong..."
"Aquaman" nearing $1 billion
"Aquaman" was No. 1 for the third weekend... The film "is now assured of crossing $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales," THR's Pamela McClintock wrote Sunday...
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That's a wrap on this LATE NIGHT edition. Send me your feedback via email anytime... | | | |
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