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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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September 9, 2025
James Wan’s ‘Conjuring’ Future Looks Dead
The producer and his Atomic Monster shingle have been locked in a standoff of sorts with Warner Bros. over his continued involvement in the Conjuring universe, even as Warners’ New Line division plots a potential prequel.
Matthew Belloni
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September 5, 2025
A Big Talent Agency Poach and Trouble for Diversity-Focused Managers
Phil Sun’s exit from M88, and the client exodus including Michael B. Jordan, followed rising pressure from BlackRock and other investors. Plus notes on the falling out between Noah Baumbach and UTA.
Matthew Belloni
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September 5, 2025
Activision Turned Down Spielberg for ‘Call of Duty’ Movie
Plus, notes on David Ellison’s hunger for Warner Bros. and an executive shakeup at Amazon.
Matthew Belloni
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September 5, 2025
Attack of the Rotten Tomatoes
At a time when everyone is suspicious of Hollywood, the industry’s biggest arbiter of quality has become rigged, providing the assessment that Hollywood wants rather than the critical feedback that it needs.
Matthew Belloni
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August 29, 2025
Can Gen Alpha Save the Box Office?
According to a new study from NRG, the under-15 crowd loves movie theaters, which represent an exotic and alluring escape to a generation whose upbringing has taken place entirely in front of screens and devices, and whose socialization metric has never been anything other than digital.
Matthew Belloni
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August 22, 2025
Lorne Michaels Speaks! Colbert, Trump, ‘SNL50’ Secrets, and the New Season
In a rare interview, the 80-year-old SNL creator promises a major shake-up to the cast, reflects on The Late Show’s cancellation (and the impact on Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon at NBC), and weighs the pressures of producing late-night TV in the Trump era.
Matthew Belloni
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August 15, 2025
The Tragedy of ‘KPop Demon Hunters’
Sony Pictures really needed a big box office hit this summer. Instead, the studio sold the sensation of the season to Netflix and will earn only a tiny fraction of what will likely become a billion-dollar franchise for the streamer. How did that happen?
Matthew Belloni
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August 12, 2025
Why Ellison Doubled Down on UFC
David Ellison’s seven year, $7.7 billion deal to secure UFC rights for Paramount+ risks the streamer’s profitability in the pursuit of subscriber growth. But setting aside the debate about overpaying, this might be the statement play New Paramount needs.
Matthew Belloni
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August 8, 2025
David Day One: The Ellison Era at Paramount Begins
Touring CBS News and making nice with ’60 Minutes’, Ellison met a media firing squad and unveiled a plan to leverage the tech prowess of his father’s Oracle and others to compete with Silicon Valley. Sounds great, but how?
Matthew Belloni
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July 25, 2025
David Ellison and the Penis Politics of ‘South Park’
The would-be owner of Paramount scores the F.C.C. greenlight and survives the latest threat to the deal via Trey Parker and Matt Stone, whose outrageous (and nude) parody of Trump comes days after one of the most contentious talent negotiations I’ve covered.
