Get 1 free article

Matthew Belloni

The former editor of The Hollywood Reporter and an entertainment lawyer, Matthew is the author of Puck’s flagship What I’m Hearing, and the host of The Town, covering the real inside conversation about money and power in Hollywood.

THE LATEST ARTICLES
NEWSLETTERS
The studios made it clear that if there wasn’t a deal this weekend—and preferably before the Yom Kippur sundown—they were planning to move on to SAG-AFTRA.
HOLLYWOOD • September 25, 2023
Hollywood’s Post-Writers Strike Reality
Both sides claim victory as the 146-day impasse ends, the actors wait in the wings, and the next weeks and months come into focus. A sigh of relief in Hollywood, yet there are reasons to believe this aftermath will look very different.
Lachlan, James, Anna and Rupert Murdoch in New York City, 1987.
HOLLYWOOD • September 22, 2023
Murdoch’s Audience of Two
Was Rupert’s ‘retirement’ notice intended to signify his ride off into the sunset or denote his full-blown support of Lachlan—or, more likely, was it meant for an audience of his daughters, Liz and Prue, whose votes may control the family trust?
Drew Barrymore
HOLLYWOOD • September 17, 2023
Social Media Has Already Won the Strike
The Drew Barrymore saga perfectly encapsulates an underappreciated aspect of this labor impasse. Online discourse hasn’t necessarily dictated what the studios will agree to, but it’s unquestionably offered the WGA leadership more leverage.
From the beginning, Costner has seen Yellowstone as The Kevin Costner Show, even as its headstrong co-creator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan has maintained ultimate control and the backing of Paramount.
HOLLYWOOD • September 14, 2023
Kevin Costner Spent His Strike Summer Fighting Over ‘Yellowstone’
Costner’s threat to sue over his likely exit from TV’s top show comes after months of back-and-forth with Paramount, a rep’s hasty trip to New York, and a call with Taylor Sheridan that did not go well.
Ken Griffin is locked in a nasty behind-the-scenes legal fight with Sony Pictures over his depiction in ‘Dumb Money.’
HOLLYWOOD • September 11, 2023
Ken Griffin’s Secret War on ‘Dumb Money’
The hedge fund billionaire is locked in a nasty behind-the-scenes legal fight over his depiction in the new GameStop movie and has hired at least two separate law firms to send Sony Pictures threatening letters—one of which I obtained.
In finding a synergistic private buyer in François-Henri Pinaul, whose $40 billion in assets include Kering and Christie’s, TPG managed to thread the needle.
HOLLYWOOD • September 8, 2023
Parlez-Vous CAA?
A French fashion player announces himself in Hollywood as the talent agency’s private equity backers prove that, even if the sky appears to be falling, you can still make a lot of money in this town.
Fran Drescher has ceded some of the spotlight to chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, who comes across as firm and determined but not ferocious.
HOLLYWOOD • September 4, 2023
The Official End-of-Summer Strike Report
A candid conversation on The Eight’s strategy, Fran Drescher’s whereabouts, why Bradley Cooper isn’t in Venice, the interim agreements and more as Hollywood’s summer of unrest turns into an autumn free-for-all.
According to sources close to the deal, the priority was to “event-ize” the experience, to replicate a Swift concert environment.
HOLLYWOOD • September 1, 2023
How the Swiftie Cinematic Universe Came to Theaters
Taylor Swift’s innovative deal with AMC might open the gates for a new genre of D.T.C. theatrical concert films, even if it angers the rest of Hollywood.
Among subscribers, the perceived “quality” for Max is at 55 percent, the same as in January—even as all the other streamers dropped.
HOLLYWOOD • August 28, 2023
Max Lost the HBO Name But Kept the Brand Halo
A look at how David Zaslav’s rebranded streamer is doing with consumers in the latest iteration of Puck’s Official Streaming Service Hierarchy.
A death threat has been sent to a prominent Hollywood union amid the ongoing labor strikes, according to police.
HOLLYWOOD • August 25, 2023
Police Investigating Death Threat Amid Hollywood Strikes
“Burbank P.D. is aware and detectives are investigating the credibility and validity of the threat” sent to a prominent union that may also have targeted the broader entertainment community.
1 2 3 … 28