Lynn Elber

Megyn Kelly: Trump Tried to Influence Coverage

Megyn Kelly says Donald Trump tried unsuccessfully to give her gifts, including a free stay at one of his hotels, as part of what she called his pattern of trying to influence news coverage of his presidential campaign.

In her memoir "Settle for More," Kelly says Trump may have gotten a pre-debate tip about her first question, in which she confronted him with his critical comments about women. Her book also details the insults and threats she received after Trump's tirades objecting to her reporting.

Women, Minority TV Director Hiring Lags

The expanding world of TV series is creating more opportunities for female and minority directors, but they remain a fraction of those hired, a Hollywood guild report said. Women directed 17 percent and minorities 19 percent of the more than 4,000 episodes produced last season for broadcast, cable and high-budget streaming series, the Directors Guild of America said in its annual survey.

For both groups, that represents a 1 percent increase over the year before. "These numbers shine a light on the lack of real progress by employers in this industry, plain and simple. Of particular concern is the precedent being set by the fastest-growing category, streaming video," said Paris Barclay, the guild's president. The number of episodes from streaming services including Netflix, Amazon and Hulu increased by 120 percent last year, but just 8 percent of episodes were directed by minorities, the study found. Women directed 17 percent.

ABC's Diversity Is 'Authenticity,' Lee Says

ABC, the home of white-oriented comedies "Modern Family" and "The Middle," will introduce ethnic families in the sitcoms "black-ish," "Cristela" and "Fresh Off the Boat."

All of them have minority creators or producers or both behind the camera, which Paul Lee, ABC Entertainment Group president, said drives the shows' authenticity. "It is a mission statement to reflect America," said Lee,. "That's not so much diversity as authenticity when you reflect America."