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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 4, 2022
How to Get Fired for ‘Cultural Insensitivity’ By Netflix
A white showrunner working with Ava Duvernay hired a diverse writers room for a Matilda animated series. Then the staff turned on her, becoming the latest flashpoint in Hollywood’s culture war.
Matthew Belloni
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April 4, 2022
Notes on a Scandal: The Worst Week for Hollywood
What I’m hearing about the post-slap resignation, the Will Packer fallout, what happens to Smith’s projects, the race issue, and the Scientology question.
Matthew Belloni
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April 1, 2022
Will Smith Forgot to Thank His Many Enablers
Did Oscars execs really ask Smith to leave? Inside the wild, emergency board of governors meeting in the aftermath of the slap fiasco—and who’s ultimately to blame.
Matthew Belloni
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March 29, 2022
Will Smith’s Slap Heard Round the Academy
Inside the Dolby Theater, there was no doubt the attack was real. Now come the recriminations: What, if anything, could the Oscars have done differently? And will there be punishment for one of Hollywood’s biggest stars?
Matthew Belloni
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March 25, 2022
Tim Cook’s Oscar Moment Didn’t Come Cheap
If Apple wins the top prize Sunday for CODA, it will have achieved in two years what Amazon and Netflix couldn’t accomplish in a decade. How? The road to the Oscars wasn’t easy—and reveals a lot about the harsh realities of Hollywood.
Matthew Belloni
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March 21, 2022
Behold the 2022 Awards Season Awards!
Puck’s first annual, totally subjective and partially grievance-based salute to the oddities and embarrassments of Hollywood’s interminable Oscar season.
Matthew Belloni
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March 18, 2022
Why Hollywood Is Souring (Some) on Streaming
Media companies were betting on the ability to invest big, grow fast, and join Netflix in the redefined TV hierarchy. Now, increasingly, they seem to be asking: What if everything Netflix thought it knew turns out to be a lie?
Matthew Belloni
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March 14, 2022
The Truth Behind Bob Chapek’s Florida Flip-Flop
Disney’s new C.E.O. badly miscalculated in his attempt to pivot the company from left to center, compounding one of Disney’s worst internal crises in years. Will the public relations train wreck derail Chapek, too?
Matthew Belloni
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March 11, 2022
The Cool Kids of NY Film Are Now Worth $2.5B
Inside Hollywood, A24 has always punched above its weight for an indie studio. Now the arty New York media brand is trading on its hipster ethos for $225 million in private equity cash—and, in this overheated market, why not?
Matthew Belloni
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March 7, 2022
Netflix Execs Knew Putin’s Pals Were a Problem
Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos’ deal with a Russian media partner with ties to Vladimir Putin was already deeply controversial inside Netflix, even before Putin invaded Ukraine.