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What I'm Hearing...
Matthew Belloni
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Sunday and Thursday
An insider-friendly tip sheet from Matthew Belloni, who spent 14 years in the trenches at The Hollywood Reporter and five before that as an entertainment lawyer. Subscribers also receive What I’m Hearing+, Julia Alexander’s companion email focused on the streaming industry and the players who run it all.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
HOLLYWOOD
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December 8, 2022
The Obamas’ Hollywood Education
Netflix has quietly done what Spotify wouldn’t: re-up Barack and Michelle’s Higher Ground production company after a rocky experiment in entertainment. The question now is whether the Obamas can justify that hefty investment, or whether Hollywood is merely a pricy post-presidential hobby.
HOLLYWOOD
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December 4, 2022
Netflix Doesn’t Want the Sequel to One of Its Most Important Movies
Icarus was a landmark, award-winning, zeitgeist-shifting film for Netflix. But even the genre obsessive Ted Sarandos has evolved his thinking as the financial picture has darkened.
HOLLYWOOD
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December 1, 2022
‘Outright Betrayal’ Over a Music Industry Windfall
The story of how dozens of top touring acts allegedly pocketed $70 million in Covid grants, and the Hollywood legal war that erupted in the process.
HOLLYWOOD
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November 27, 2022
‘No Great Options’: The Iger Succession Tarot Card
I talked, texted, and emailed with about 20 keen Disney observers this week about the succession issue, and here is the early rundown and buzz, based on my own research and conversations with those in and around Disney. All caveats apply.
HOLLYWOOD
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November 25, 2022
Barbarians at the Disney Gates
How will returning C.E.O. Bob Iger defang Dan Loeb, and possibly even Nelson Peltz, the activist behind the coups at GE and DuPont? Plus, Wall Street’s Zazlovian doubts. Here’s the inside conversation on a big week in big media.
HOLLYWOOD
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November 21, 2022
The Logic Behind a Horror Movie Megamerger
With the pending acquisition of James Wan’s Atomic Monster, Jason Blum’s hit-factory production company will become a behemoth that could be worth billions—if he makes smart moves.
HOLLYWOOD
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November 21, 2022
The Iger Shocker
Notes, intrigues, and analysis from across Hollywood on Iger’s un-retirement, Chapek’s defenestration, and the future of Disney after the corporate shakeup of the decade.
HOLLYWOOD
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November 20, 2022
How the AMAs Shut Down Chris Brown
The controversial singer was set to perform a Michael Jackson tribute until I alerted ABC and the Disney-owned network began considering the optics of a convicted domestic abuser feting an alleged child molester. A behind the scenes scramble ensued.
HOLLYWOOD
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November 17, 2022
Disney’s Bob vs. Bob Blame Game
The Chapek vs. Iger narrative was mostly just gossip, a product of one of the most celebrated media C.E.O.s of all time being replaced by a decidedly less dynamic manager. Their differences are much more relevant now that the company’s financial situation has become more perilous.
HOLLYWOOD
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November 14, 2022
Harry Potter and the Desperate Movie Studio
David Zaslav may want more Potter hits, but he has more than a few obstacles—franchise challenges, sequel blues, a complicated and semi-cancelled talent—in front of him. And Zaz needs Rowling more than she needs him.