HOLLYWOOD
Matthew Belloni
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October 17, 2022
Mark Shapiro on Endeavor’s Ultimate Fight
The president of the multi-tentacled entertainment giant discusses the future of live sports, talent representation, all those acquisitions, the streaming economy, UFC, CAA, the company’s post-I.P.O. dip, Ari’s vision, and much more.
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)?
Julia Alexander
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October 11, 2022
Peacock Curiosity, Paramount’s Future & The Great Streaming Rebundling
The inside conversation surrounding the biggest unanswered questions in the industry: can NBCUniversal’s streamer make it, what happens to Paramount, the future of Disney+, and much, much more.
Eriq Gardner
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October 10, 2022
The Secret Bill Murray Settlement Revealed
Getting to the bottom of the behavior that turned Aziz Ansari’s ‘Being Mortal’ into a case study of Hollywood legal mores in the #MeToo era.
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.
Julia Alexander
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October 4, 2022
Ryan Murphy Streamonomics & Rings vs. Thrones, Part II
A midseason assessment of streaming’s favorite competition. Plus, an analysis of Murphy’s belated Netflix triumph and what it means for the future of the overall deal in the O.T.T. age.
Eriq Gardner
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October 3, 2022
Google’s Big SCOTUS Season
The O.G. tech giant is facing dire legal challenges from nearly every direction, over promoting terrorism, stealing rap lyrics, and more. The consequences could ricochet through Silicon Valley and Hollywood, from TikTok and Yelp to YouTube and Netflix.
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.
Jonathan Handel
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October 2, 2022
Are Hollywood’s Virtual Auditions Illegal?
The post-Covid move toward “self tape” auditions has spawned a veritable arms race among actors to create featurette-style videos, and an entire pay-to-play cottage industry to produce them. Hollywood’s biggest union wants to dial it back.
Dylan Byers
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September 30, 2022
A Tree Falls in Late Night
Trevor Noah, not even 40, is the latest star to pull the plug on his own late night show—once again proving that the linear big bang has landed after 11:30, and may soon upend Colbert, Fallon, and Kimmel, too.
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.
Julia Alexander
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September 27, 2022
Hollywood’s Feel-Good Horror Story
In a time of great anxiety in Hollywood, scary movies are the rare stress-reliever to those in the theatrical business and the direct-to-consumer market, the latest data reveals.
Eriq Gardner
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September 26, 2022
Inside Amber Heard’s Next Legal Nightmare
While she appeals the $10 million she has been ordered to pay Johnny Depp, Heard faces yet another courtroom drama over who’s on the hook for her astronomical legal bills. At the center of the $15 million dispute is a secret power struggle among some of the country’s most elite lawyers over who actually represented her, anyway.
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.
