What Matters in Hollywood Today

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If you haven't heard, CNN held a town hall last night...

What happened: A lot. Students and parents of victims from Stoneman Douglas took Marco Rubio, NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch and Donald Trump (not in attendance) to task on live TV during a Jake Tapper-moderated town hall. It got intense, with the crowd quick to boo forcefully at answers it didn't like.

Rubio gets hammered: "Your comments, and those of our president's, have been pathetically weak," Fred Guttenberg, whose child died in the shooting, told the senator. "Look at me and tell me you will do something about guns." Watch. Rubio also got grilled by a 17-year-old student about accepting NRA donations. Watch that, too.

Critic's notebook: "A profoundly moving and powerful televised event," writes Frank Scheck. Read more.

Meanwhile at YouTube...

Conspiracy video: YouTube came under fire for promoting a false conspiracy video at the top of its Trending tab that suggested one of the survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting is an actor. The video, titled "David Hogg the Actor," became the No. 1 trending video on the site, racking up a reported 200,000 views.

The quick fix: YouTube removed the video from the site and said the system misclassified it because the video featured footage from an "authoritative news source."

The bigger problem: The site came under similar scrutiny last October after the Las Vegas shooting, when several conspiracy theory videos and fake news clips started showing up at the top of search results. At the time, YouTube said it was making changes to its algorithm that would give search result priority to videos from mainstream news outlets and other verified sources.

The backstory: "I just noticed it started to take off," the person who uploaded the video tells the New York Times. It's a strange read.

CBS's new initiative...

Eye Speak: That's the name of CBS Corp.'s new female-empowerment program, designed to forge a path of growth and opportunity for women at CBS and the industry at large. It all kicks off March 14 with an L.A. event featuring Maria Bello, Gina Rodriguez, Sonequa Martin-Green and more. 

Wendy Williams health news...

Hiatus: The talk-show host announced that she's taking a breaking from The Wendy Williams Show because of her diagnosis with Graves’ disease. "My doctor has prescribed — are you ready? — as of today, three weeks of vacation," Williams said on her show. "What? Who are you? I was pissed. I’ll be back in two. I’m not an heiress. Who is going to pay my bills? Are you serious? I’m just saying, I come from working class."

David Cross stands by Jeffrey Tambor...

And he says the ArrestedDevelopment cast does, too: “I can’t speak for everybody, but I know there are a number of us who stand behind him — from the limited amount we know, we stand behind Jeffrey — and I am one of them,” Cross says. The Netflix show is set to return for a fifth season with its original cast, including Tambor (unless Netflix changes its mind).

E!'s new red carpet...

Frances Berwick tells all: The E! and Bravo chief talks to Marisa Guthrie about the future of the Kardashian franchise, the Catt Sadler salary controversy and why Bravo said no to a Queer Eye reboot: "With the original version, we felt we had captured lightning in a bottle with the cast and at that moment in time. We didn't feel that could be re-created."

As for E's red-carpet coverage: "E! moved quickly to understand where the general movement was going. But it's a balance. Is there a place for fashion on the red carpet? Absolutely. Should the conversation be about the creative endeavor of why these people are at this awards show? Yes. But the audience still wants to hear something about the fashion or at least to be able to see the fashion." Full Q&A.

Elsewhere in TV...

► Former MSNBC anchor Dylan Ratigan is running for Congress: He announced yesterday that he's running in New York's 21st district as a Democrat, hoping to unseat the incumbent Republican (if Ratigan makes it past the primary, that is). 

► Roku growth: In its quarterly earnings report yesterday, the company announced that its number of active accounts grew 44 percent to 19.3 million, while streaming hours went up 55 percent to 4.3 billion.

► HBO is opening a Westworld replica in Austin, Texas, during SXSW: Although, really, Austin during SXSW could easily be confused for a Westworld replica even without HBO's publicity stunt. 

► Ray Liotta is heading to Springfield: The Goodfellas (or, if you prefer, Shades of Blue) icon will voice Morty Szyslak, the father of Moe the bartender on an April episode of The Simpsons. EW has the first look at him.

► Alex Trebek, debate moderator? Indeed: The longtime Jeopardy! host will moderate a Pennsylvania gubernatorial debate this fall.

Development news...

Phoebe Waller-Bridge's next project: The Fleabag star, along with her producing partner Vicky Jones, is developing a new series, Run, with Entertainment One. Waller-Bridge will have a recurring role on the series, which is described as part romantic comedy, part thriller that centers on ex-lovers who made a pact to disappear together.

Stephanie Allain's BlackFortunes: The Dear White People producer plans to develop Black Fortunes, a book about former slaves who became the country's first black millionaires, into a limited series.

Renewals and pickups...

NBC renews Superstore: The America Ferrera-starring comedy is getting a full 22-episode fourth season. It was an easy decision: In its third season, Superstore has grown 6 percent (1.7) year-over-year in the 18-49 demo and 3 percent (5.2 million) among total viewers.

And America's Got Talent: The show will return to NBC for a 13th season this summer with its host and roster of judges all on board.

CBS lands Damon Wayans Jr.: One of pilot season's most sought after actors will topline an untitled CBS comedy pilot that centers on a 30-something couple who, bored with their mundane life, rediscover their youth when an emerging pop star moves in with them. Wayans will play half the couple; his wife and the pop star have yet to be cast.

HBO renews Crashing, High Maintenance: Both comedies have been picked up for a third season.

The CW nabs a BuzzFeed star: Comedian Quinta Brunson, one of BuzzFeed's most prominent talents, will co-star in the CW dramedy pilot The End of the World as We Know It, which "explores what happens when a prison spaceship carrying the universe's most deadly aliens crashes in Southern California."

The M*A*S*H finale turns 35...

Oral history: Thirty-five years after the CBS military comedy ended its 11-season run, the cast and creators look back on one of the most beloved shows in TV history. "We wanted to reflect the lives of those people who lived through an experience that would rattle anybody," says Alan Alda. "There never was a situation like that on television before." Full story.

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