1. DISNEY-FOX MERGER LOOMS OVER CINEMACON: Studios, movie theater owners, stars, and more have flocked to Las Vegas for CinemaCon, the annual film industry trade show, which kicked off at Caesar's Palace on Monday. While blockbuster successes will highlight this year's show, Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox is already affecting the event. Associated Press: "On a practical level, it means there won’t be a separate presentation from Fox, which always staged an elaborate production, usually involving its former distribution chief in some kind of costume. 'We will absolutely miss the Fox presence, but we also need to support and embrace Disney for what they bring to our industry and what they’re going to look to do to further bolster the distribution line of great product,' said Mitch Neuhauser, the managing director of CinemaCon. 'It’s going to be a very bittersweet convention. But we will change with the times and move forward in a productive way.' In other words, the show must go on. Disney, which has been the market-leader for three years running, along with three of the other major studios, Universal, Warner Bros., and Paramount (Sony is sitting this year out), will come armed with splashy new footage, trailers, and some of their biggest stars to hype their slates for the summer movie season and beyond to an audience of theater owners, from the biggest chains to the smallest mom and pop shops." https://bit.ly/2JZsFpn
2. MULTIPLE PEOPLE INJURED IN STAMPEDE AT NIPSEY HUSSLE VIGIL: More than a dozen people were injured in a stampede at a Monday vigil for Nipsey Hussle, the rapper who was shot and killed in Los Angeles on Sunday. The peaceful vigil, held in front of the Marathon Clothing in South Los Angeles, turned into chaos at night. CBS Los Angeles: "As many as 15 people sustained non-life threatening injuries, LAFD said. Some witness told KCAL9’s Rachel Kim that a fight between two groups broke out. It is unclear if the fight caused the stampede. Police said no gunshot victims had been located, despite earlier reports of a shooting. ... Sky9 was over the scene as fans brought candles, flowers, posters, and items of clothing to pay their respects to the 33-year-old rapper before the panic erupted. Officers attempted to clear the area surrounding the memorial immediately following the disturbance, but several people became rowdy, throwing candles and other items at police, according to KCAL9’s Stu Mundel." https://cbsloc.al/2Uc2259
3. KANYE WEST WILL BRING HIS SUNDAY SERVICE TO COACHELLA: Kanye West, who was originally supposed to headline Coachella and dropped out, is now performing at the festival anyway. The rapper is bringing his Sunday Service, a gospel-inspired set, to the event on Easter Sunday. Rolling Stone: "'We were out in Palm Springs and they took us to a little campground, because we were thinking about a little performance in Palm Springs, just a little one. Then they had a mountain, he had a mountain waiting for us,' West told his Sunday Service observers. 'He had a date waiting for us. Only one date that mountain would be available to us: Easter Sunday at Coachella.' ... West’s presence at Coachella is a surprise considering that rapper reportedly dropped out of headlining the festival at the last minute due to the fest’s refusal to build him a custom-made dome on site; organizers instead pivoted and added Ariana Grande as headliner." https://bit.ly/2WERW9F
