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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 contributions from veteran Hollywood journalist Kim Masters, media analyst Julia Alexander, entertainment law expert Eriq Gardner, and special box office dispatches from Scott Mendelson.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
Matthew Belloni
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April 24, 2025
Ranking the Movie Stars Who Actually Matter
National Research Group’s latest study on the actors who put butts into theater seats reveals a number of unsurprising truths: ’90s stars still reign, women are underrepresented (except Zendaya and Margot), and a dozen or so younger stars are building real staying power.
Matthew Belloni
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April 22, 2025
Writers Guild vs. Writers
Julie Bush may have never meant to cross the guild, but her aggressive excommunication and public shaming for a strike violation suggests Hollywood’s most militant union is already gearing up for another contentious studio showdown.
Matthew Belloni
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April 11, 2025
The Trump Tariff Pain Index & CAA’s “Offensive” Buyback
News and notes on the entertainment companies most likely to feel the impact of Trump’s tariffs, CAA’s groan-inducing buyback offer for employee equity holders, the many open questions ahead of SNL’s U.K. premiere, and much more.
Matthew Belloni
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April 8, 2025
The Sarandos-Disney Fantasy
After a quarter-century at Netflix, Ted Sarandos is a perfect leader for The Walt Disney Co. as its succession derby drags on. There are serious challenges, yes, but also 100 years of I.P. and brand loyalty to build upon. Plus, it’s no secret that he wanted to become sole C.E.O. when Reed Hastings left.
Matthew Belloni
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April 4, 2025
The Unofficial, Highly Subjective CinemaCon Movie Awards
In honor of the fake honors handed out by theater owners at the annual convention in Las Vegas, a handful of, uh, special honors based on four grueling days of movie studio presentations, parties, and buzz inside Caesars Palace.
Matthew Belloni
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April 4, 2025
A Declaration of Movie Window War
At CinemaCon, the fight for the 45-day theatrical window was all anyone could talk about. So I assembled a team of industry players to survey the battlefield and attempt to find a solution.
Matthew Belloni
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March 28, 2025
Jen Salke Lived and Let Die at Amazon
The Amazon MGM Studios chief, one of the great survivors of the streaming era, was already on borrowed time after a series of big-budget flops and the James Bond debacle sealed her fate. Now, with a new org chart, the heat’s on Prime Video’s Mike Hopkins, who no longer has Salke as a shield.
Matthew Belloni
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March 25, 2025
Ari Finally Set Patrick Free
The most interesting element of Endeavor’s finally consummated go-private is the departure of both Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell from the day-to-day of the talent agency wars. Now Patrick is setting up his own shingle in pro football, among other things, and poaching from his former shop.
Matthew Belloni
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March 21, 2025
Amazon Picks Its Bond Producers
While their deals are still being negotiated, Amazon execs have selected veteran producers David Heyman and Amy Pascal to shepherd the next iteration of James Bond.
Matthew Belloni
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March 21, 2025
What Does Apple Really Want From Hollywood?
As the $3 trillion company’s stock drops and its leadership scrutinizes the money-losing Apple TV+ service, some around town are asking whether the streaming ambitions become expendable if the share price or overall financials grow more challenged.