HOLLYWOOD
Eriq Gardner
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June 11, 2025
Kate Beckinsale’s Boundary-Breaking Lawsuit
The lawsuit over alleged abuse suffered during the production of ‘Canary Black’ was specifically designed to fly under the radar: Beckinsale filed as a “Jane Doe,” and vaguely referred to an on-set injury. But now, her legal team has submitted a more detailed complaint... and it’s quite something.
Matthew Belloni
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June 10, 2025
Sun Valley Mogul Retreat ’25: The Invite List
No Elon or Shari Redstone, but the annual Allen & Co. gathering of tech and media leaders will include Disney C.E.O. candidates, Apple’s Tim Cook, and three separate Murdochs, in addition to a who’s who of Silicon Valley players.
Matthew Belloni
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June 10, 2025
David Zaslav Has Admitted Defeat
By splitting Warner Bros. Discovery in two, its C.E.O., as well as chief architect John Malone, finally acknowledged that the math never worked on their declining TV business, and the thesis of combining prestige (HBO) and populism (Discovery) was doomed from the start.
Matthew Belloni
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June 6, 2025
The Incredible Shrinking Studio System
Disney’s layoffs and the coming consolidation of Hulu, in addition to cuts at WBD and Paramount, all coalesce around a dreary reality: Less content requires fewer people. The studios avoided these cuts for years. Now, they don’t have any other choice.
Julia Alexander
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June 4, 2025
YouTube’s Imminent A.I. Revolution
Media executives should take a lesson from Netflix and YouTube and embrace generative A.I. with real urgency, or they’ll find themselves once again late to the party, watching other companies eat the new revenue streams.
Eriq Gardner
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June 3, 2025
Paramount’s Trump Settlement Calculus
A close look at why the Paramount board has yet to settle Donald Trump’s lawsuit against CBS and ‘60 Minutes’ when their $8 billion merger ostensibly hangs in the balance.
Eriq Gardner
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June 3, 2025
A Real Housewife Smackdown & Baldonigate Consequences
Former ‘Real Housewife’ star Leah McSweeney has amended her lawsuit to accuse Bravo’s Andy Cohen of orchestrating a smear campaign against her—a claim that mirrors the allegations in the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni saga. The same judge is overseeing both cases… and his decision in one could have major repercussions for the other.
Kim Masters
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June 2, 2025
The #MeToo Creeps Creep Back
As it celebrates the beloved music video show 106 & Park at its annual BET Awards, the cable network is also honoring a former host who several women have accused of sexual assault. As the #MeToo backlash gains steam, how many alleged creeps will be allowed to come creeping back?
Matthew Belloni
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May 30, 2025
The Never-Ending Michael Jackson Movie Saga
International distribution is up in the air as ‘Michael’ faces a legal setback, rewrites, and reshoots. But the real problem is that nobody seems to have any idea what the heck the movie is actually going to be, or even if it’s going to be released as a single movie at all.
Julia Alexander
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May 28, 2025
Disney’s ‘Cocomelon’ Gamble
It’s not clear that outbidding Netflix for a schlocky YouTube show will fix Disney’s engagement woes—but maybe that’s not the point.
Eriq Gardner
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May 27, 2025
A ‘Thrones’-A.I. Cliffhanger & ChatGPT’s Big Acquittal
As entertainment and tech continue their high-speed merger, A.I. is no longer just a backend tool—it can be the writer, the performer, the recommender, and the curator. But when the machines start talking back, who’s responsible when something goes wrong?
Scott Mendelson
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May 26, 2025
Memorial Day’s Feel-Good Box Office Story
With two franchise hits in ‘Lilo & Stitch’ and ‘Mission 8,’ an oddball comedy, plus early spring hits still legging it out, this crucial bellwether weekend had enough box office and record-breakers to make everyone rethink the rush to streaming, and to adjust their summer estimates.
Matthew Belloni
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May 23, 2025
Hollywood’s Report Card, According to High School Kids, Pt. 2
A reprisal of my conversation with a group of teen movie watchers about what they like, the stars they watch, and the franchises that move the needle.
Julia Alexander
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May 21, 2025
Can Twitch Become YouTube Before YouTube Becomes Twitch?
Nobody in Hollywood seems to have an answer for YouTube’s dominance in streaming video, but executives definitely don’t know what to make of Amazon’s Twitch, the world’s most popular livestreaming platform. But for all its success, why does it still live in YouTube’s shadow?
Eriq Gardner
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May 20, 2025
Taylor Swift Extortionology & Ticketmaster’s Secret Court
News and notes on the cynical effort to pull Swift into the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni legal vortex, and the pop star’s curious silence. Plus, how the Swift saga connects back to the government’s attempt to break up Live Nation—and whether there will finally be “karma” for Ticketmaster.
Scott Mendelson
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May 19, 2025
On the Edge of Glory: Early-Summer Box Office Report
Even without a record-breaking Memorial Day, the first half of 2025 is likely to land in solid box office territory thanks to Jack Black, ‘Sinners,’ and a bunch of Warner Bros. movies that are somehow hitting all the right notes.
Matthew Belloni
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May 16, 2025
The Unofficial ’25 TV Upfront Awards
Hollywood’s annual advertiser cash grab has evolved from an absurd and expensive platform for the TV networks to spin their programming to an even more absurd and expensive showcase for the streamers. It’s a carnival worthy of its own honors and salutations.
