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Matthew Belloni, Eriq Gardner, Julia Alexander, Kim Masters & Scott Mendelson
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Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
An essential, insider-friendly Hollywood tip sheet from Matthew Belloni, who spent 14 years in the trenches at The Hollywood Reporter and five before that practicing entertainment law. What I’m Hearing also features veteran Hollywood journalist Kim Masters, as well as a special companion email from Eriq Gardner, focused on entertainment law, and weekly box office analysis from Scott Mendelson.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
Matthew Belloni
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October 14, 2022
Chris Albrecht’s Past Is Prologue
A gruesome incident from the executive’s past, largely known to the industry, is now revisited with a fresh perspective in a new HBO book, which has put Albrecht in executive purgatory. Is it fair, or simply the reality of how Hollywood treats the BH Times (Before Harvey)?
Matthew Belloni
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October 10, 2022
The Dark Legacy of Nikki Finke
Finke presented herself as a no-bullshit reporter who kept Hollywood moguls honest, and we all found her copy completely irresistible. But she perverted the profession by blackmailing sources, often targeting the weak, and weaponizing the internet to push her bile—and her own agenda.
Matthew Belloni
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October 7, 2022
How David Nevins Became the Odd Man Out
The erudite Showtime and Paramount+ executive became the victim of declining fiefdoms, Bakish-proximity, Taylor Sheridan’s ascendancy, and grim linear realities for Paramount Global and all of Hollywood.
Matthew Belloni
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October 3, 2022
Trevor Noah’s Moment of Zen
The ‘Daily Show’ star had nearly two years left on his contract, but it wasn’t a secret that Noah struggled to balance a nightly talk show with other ambitions, and MTV’s Chris McCarthy had few options but to let him leave. The franchise will continue, but the economics may never be the same.
Matthew Belloni
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September 30, 2022
Shaken & Stirred: Amazon’s Bond-Sized MGM Challenge
It’s not just the struggle to find a film executive for its newly-purchased $8.5 billion studio and Bond franchise, but also to manage the Broccoli family that maintains full creative control.
Matthew Belloni
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September 26, 2022
The Talent Agency Hunger Games
While CAA’s Bryan Lourd is embracing his role as King of Hollywood after absorbing ICM, and WME is installing new leaders, the pressures of a changing industry have forced the sharks to audition for their own jobs.
Matthew Belloni
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September 25, 2022
Oprah and Apple Are Splitting Up
Four years ago, Oprah signed a gigantic multi-year deal with Apple. That relationship is now changing.
Matthew Belloni
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September 23, 2022
The Golden Globes’ Contract Year
After a scandal, hiatus, and failed attempt to nab Chris Rock, the Globes are back on NBC but as an aging player in a contract year, hoping to avoid a celebrity boycott, put up impressive-enough numbers, test free agency, and ultimately take their talents to, er… CBS or Netflix.
Matthew Belloni
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September 19, 2022
The Oscars May Go Down Fighting
New Academy C.E.O. Bill Kramer and president Janet Yang have an ambitious plan—eventizing the show, amping up the hype machine, going full-blown top-shelf talent and Met Gala—but can they save the Academy from itself?
Matthew Belloni
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September 16, 2022
What the Hell Is Happening with ‘Ted Lasso’?
Apple’s zeitgeist-defining Emmys magnet has been plagued by production delays and the perfectionism of star-auteur Jason Sudeikis. But the biggest obstacle to Season 3 might be the unresolved question of how streaming blockbusters are valued, and who reaps the benefits, in the post-TV era of television.
