THE LATEST ARTICLES
HOLLYWOOD
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May 26, 2023
Hollywood’s Writers-Strike Force Majeure Fantasy
The longer the work stoppage goes on, the more fears spread about studios cutting unproductive writer-producer deals, wiping the fiscal slate clean, and ushering in a new era of austerity. But how much of that will actually happen?
HOLLYWOOD
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May 21, 2023
Disney and the Great Streaming Purge
What’s going on at Disney is kind of nuts. If you told me that each of the Seven Dwarfs holding up the executive building in Burbank were being auctioned off to increase free cash flow, I’d probably believe it. Nearly every division has been asked to spend less, some way less. And titles are disappearing from Disney+ and Hulu as an entire industry retrenches.
HOLLYWOOD
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May 19, 2023
The TV Upfronts B.S. Barometer
An honest assessment of the P.R. spin, wishful thinking and outright obfuscation in a slimmed-down, mostly star-free ad pitch week.
HOLLYWOOD
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May 11, 2023
Can the Striking Writers Avoid Class Warfare?
The class divide between the haves and have-nots of Hollywood writers has not yet been an issue in this labor stand-off. But, if history—and past comments by Todd Phillips and Aaron Sorkin—is a guide, it likely will soon enough.
HOLLYWOOD
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May 8, 2023
Kevin Costner Won’t Give ‘Yellowstone’ an Answer
The franchise’s biggest, most difficult star is using his remaining leverage to shape how his character is put out to pasture.
HOLLYWOOD
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May 7, 2023
Writers Strike Questions: The Netflix Precedent & the ‘Munich’ Strategy
Can showrunners be forced to work? What side are the trades really on? Will the DGA save the day? And other pressing concerns from the front lines of the writers’ strike.
HOLLYWOOD
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May 4, 2023
Harsh Realities of the Writers Strike
The WGA is winning on social media, but the streamers have the upper hand, the studios are leaning on the Directors Guild, and it’s still too early for a Lourd or an Iger to intervene—meaning this situation will need to get a lot worse before it gets better.
HOLLYWOOD
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April 28, 2023
A ‘Severance’ Salvage Job and Hollywood’s Executive Amnesia
Ben Stiller brings in a trusted hand to fix problems on his Apple TV+ Emmy winner, Sony’s Tom Rothman forgets in a speech to movie theater owners that he abandoned their business during the pandemic, and much more.
HOLLYWOOD
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April 24, 2023
Shrapnel from the Jeff Shell Bombshell
Inside the investigation, fallout, and succession drama at NBCU after yet another executive ouster.
HOLLYWOOD
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April 24, 2023
Only Old Movie Stars Matter to Moviegoers
A list of the Top 100 actors making the rounds among industry executives highlights a troubling reality for Hollywood: the supply of new movie stars is declining alongside the box office.