50 Cent Answers Tough Questions Part of TV Critics Event
After the TV industry unveils its new-season schedules and series to advertisers in New York each May, 50 Cent Answers Tough Questions Part of TV Critics Event, it takes the show on the road to a swank Southern California hotel ballroom to coax attention from television-centric news reporters and critics. The annual summer meeting of the Television Critics Association, with series screenings and more than 100 Q&A sessions held over the past two weeks with platoons of stars, producers, and executives, is akin to a crash course in the upcoming small-screen fare.
Here are highlights from the event held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, famous as home to the Golden Globes ceremony but doing less glamorous duty as a makeshift conference room.
Creator/executive producer Courtney A. Kemp left, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson participates in the Starz “Power” panel at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Friday, July 26, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
STARS, UNSCRIPTED
Some actors get by very well on their own wits, even when faced with a roomful of some 200 occasionally grumpy reporters and a barrage of unpredictable questions. Make that actress, in particular.
“As you’re working with the kids, did it inspire you to write any new material?” was a query directed to Tiffany Haddish, host of ABC’s reality show reboot, “Kids Say the Darndest Things.”
“Yes. And take my birth control,” replied Haddish.
Sitcom veteran Patricia Heaton (“The Middle, “Everybody Loves Raymond”) was charmingly self-deprecating about her role as a late-in-life medical intern on CBS’ new “Carol’s Second Act.”
Patricia Heaton, left, and Kyle MacLachlan, cast members in the CBS series “Carol’s Second Act,” share a laugh during the Summer 2019 Television Critics Association Press Tour at the Beverly Hilton, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)
“I kept saying to (the producers), ‘I don’t think people will really believe I’m in my 50s, right? Do I need to do gray in my hair?” They’re like, ‘No. You don’t need to do anything,” said Heaton, after cheerfully pegging her age as 61.
Tracee Ellis Ross, the producer of a “black-ish” prequel about her character, Bow, and her unconventional parents, was asked what elements of ABC’s new “mixed-ish” reflect her own life.
“None,” she replied.
“Not a single thing?” probed the questioner.
“I did not grow up on a commune,” replied Ross. “I have way more siblings than Bow Johnson has. I am not a doctor. My mom is not a lawyer.”
File-This Sept. 8, 2019, file photo shows Afton Williamson attending the PaleyFest Fall TV Previews of “The Rookie” at The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills, Calif. Williamson, star of the ABC crime series “The Rookie,” says she is quitting the show because of sexual harassment and racial discrimination she experienced during the making of the show’s first season. In an Instagram post Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019, Williamson outlined a series of claims against the show. She said she was sexually assaulted by the show’s hair department head, sexually harassed by a recurring guest star and suffered bullying from executive producers. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
At that point, “mixed-ish” cast member Tika Sumpter jumped in to play foil, asking, “Who’s your mom?”
“Mariah Carey,” shot back Ross, daughter of Diana Ross. (Carey, however, does the “mixed-ish” theme song .)
A PRICELESS COMPLIMENT FOR 50 CENT
“There is no end to this,” rapper, actor and “Power” executive producer Curtis “50 Cent,” Jackson said when asked what he wants to accomplish next. That inspired one reporter to label him this generation’s Quincy Jones, the legendary musician, and producer.
Jackson promptly stepped away from his fellow panelists and made a beeline toward the journalist.
“That is a really big compliment. Take a picture of me and her,” a delighted Jackson commanded a photographer. “I’ve heard a lot of things about myself. I’ve never heard ‘the new Quincy Jones.’ That was a good one.”
FILE – In this June 15, 2019, file photo, Tiffany Haddish arrives at the MTV Movie and TV Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. As a comedian, Haddish sometimes says the darndest things. Now, she’s getting kids to do it, too. Haddish is the host and executive producer of ABC’s “Kids Say the Darndest Things,” the latest revival of Art Linkletter’s comical interactions with children. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
Courtney Kemp, “Power” creator and executive producer, couldn’t resist teasing Jackson.
“That’s great. We’ll see how Quincy Jones feels about it,” she said, smiling.
GETTING SERIOUS
Most outlets were willing to put their programming chiefs in front of reporters NBC was an exception and they did their best to stick to touting past successes and next season’s hoped-for hits. But they were pressed on substantive off-screen issues as well, including misconduct claims that loom especially large in the #MeToo era.
Executives’ responses fell within carefully scripted boundaries but proved revealing nonetheless.
Asked about sexual misconduct and racism allegations leveled by “The Rookie” co-star Afton Williams at crew members, ABC Entertainment President Karey Burke said the network was withholding judgment until a third-party investigator, retained by series producer Entertainment One, had completed its work.
Could waiting for the findings allow potential problems on other shows to go unchecked? Burke’s answer was to reiterate that ABC doesn’t produce “The Rookie,” and to highlight a safeguard apparently already in place when the misconduct alleged by Williamson occurred.
“We have an HR partner that is available to every one of our shows, and I would hope that if there were any ongoing situations that someone on that set would feel comfortable going to the HR partner on that show,” she said.
FILE – In this Nov. 1, 2016 file photo, Michael Weatherly attends a special screening of “Doctor Strange” at AMC Empire 25 in New York. CBS is standing behind “Bull” and its star, Weatherly, who is getting leadership training in the wake of a sexual harassment settlement. CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl told a TV critics’ meeting Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019, the drama remains popular. Its star Weatherly is “loved” by viewers even after allegations against him by former “Bull” actress Eliza Dushku, Kahl said. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP, File)
CBS executives were asked about their renewal of “Bull” despite actress Eliza Dusku’s claim that she was openly harassed by star Michael Weatherly on the set and then fired by executive producer Glenn Gordon Caron after complaining. She received a $9.5 million settlement.
Weatherly and Caron are receiving “leadership coaching,” CBS Entertainment President Kelly Kahl replied, without expanding on what that meant. He later cited Weatherly’s continued audience appeal despite the allegations and the show’s success.
“It’s a popular show that we want to keep on our air … and it’s a very good show, as well,” Kahl said.
RATINGS, SO OLD SCHOOL
Broadcasters and cable channels dependent on commercial sales routinely make their audience numbers public. Streaming services don’t operate that way.
Some selectively release viewership tallies, such as Netflix’s impressive (if not independently verified) claim in July that 40 million people watched the season-three opener of “Stranger Things” over four days.
Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke isn’t following suit for her platform’s series, including the Emmy-winning “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” It wouldn’t be germane to the business model, she said, with its focus on the roughly 100 million Amazon Prime “customers” viewers are not part of the company lexicon who get shows along with the joy of free shipping (please note: on eligible items).
“We have a very unique business in the sense that our entire north star is to entertain and delight Prime customers all over the world … We’re not in the volume business. We’re in the curated business,” Salke said.
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Lynn Elber can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/lynnelber .
