Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to the best new reporting at Puck. First up today, Matt Belloni reveals the baffling production oversight that derailed the long-awaited Michael Jackson biopic. With an unusable, already-shot third act, can the film’s lead producer, Graham King, salvage a movie that has already been delayed from April until at least October? Plus, below the fold: John Ourand investigates the NFL’s head-scratching playoff ratings decline. Tara Palmeri considers the Fetterman model for addressing the Democrats’ existential nightmare. And for Inner Circle members, Rachel Strugatz examines the state of the Kardashian-Jenner beauty portfolio. Meanwhile, on the pods: Matt appraises the 2025 Oscar nominations on The Town. On Fashion People, Lauren and London-based designer Bella Freud discuss the art of staging a runway show. On The Grill Room, the Times’s Ben Mullin joins Dylan Byers to dissect Mark Thompson’s digital-first transformation of CNN. And on The Powers That Be, Peter Hamby connects with Matt to chew over Netflix’s true value for Wall Street.

HOLLYWOOD

Lionsgate, which is distributing the Michael Jackson biopic Michael in the U.S., announced in November that the film was being delayed from April until at least October. What the studio didn’t explain was why. As Matt reveals, years before signing off on the Michael movie, Jackson’s team agreed that any film made about the late pop star would never include a representation of Jordan Chandler—the 13-year-old boy whose molestation claim led to worldwide headlines and an eventual $20 million settlement—or his family. That deal, which was overlooked by the estate during the vetting of the script, has now rendered the planned storyline and several already-shot scenes in the third act unusable. Can lead producer Graham King resolve the issues in time to hit that October release date? Read Now

SPORTS

Close to 90 percent of the most-watched shows on broadcast television every year are NFL games. But for some reason, ratings for the NFL playoffs this year are down almost double digits, and two weeks ago, the six wild card weekend playoff games were down more than 9 percent across Amazon, CBS, ESPN, Fox, and NBC. This decline also follows a regular season that was down 2 percent in viewership. John offers fresh reporting on the most viable explanations: the postseason influx of small-market teams, the league’s excessive regular season scheduling, and the expanded playoffs. Meanwhile, the league, which loves to tout its boffo linear ratings, is increasingly tantalized by opportunities to partner with cash-flush streamers instead. Read Now

A MESSAGE FROM META

Open source AI is available to all, not just the few. In this job market, how are you standing out in a sea of resumes? The solution: "With Llama, Meta’s free open source AI model, we built an AI tool that helps candidates write resumes and more—like a personal career coach," says CEO Mitchell. Learn more about how others are building with open source AI.

WASHINGTON

Still reeling from Trump’s win in November, Democrats seemed entirely flat-footed during the first 72 hours of his presidency while a barrage of executive orders vaporized the ancien régime in Washington. And though Democratic leaders have largely decided to keep their powder dry until public sentiment inevitably turns, it’s been impossible to ignore the glaring absence of any sort of Democratic standard-bearer, or even a would-be standard-bearer, to bring the fight to Trump and the Republican Congress. As Democrats seek answers in the political wilderness, some are nodding toward… John Fetterman—the hulking, shorts-wearing, sometimes inscrutably anti-party politician—as a model for the sort of unexpected Democratic leader who might emerge as an antidote to Trump. Is Fetterman’s “center-left” messaging the answer? That’s how one former D.N.C. operative sees it: “It’s what appeals to most of the country, who don’t actually give a shit about politics, right?” Read Now

FASHION

While Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner have been entrenched in the beauty industry for nearly a decade, only recently have Kourtney and Khloé realized just how lucrative the industry can be. As the millionth season of The Kardashians prepares to debut, Rachel offered a comprehensive overview of the family’s beauty portfolio. In short, for the most part, the Kardashian-Jenner beauty machine is blossoming. Kylie Cosmetics is in the midst of a comeback and had a strong 2024; Lemme, Kourtney’s new-ish supplement brand, is generating a solid eight figures in annual revenue; and Khloé just debuted a fragrance with Luxe Brands. As entrepreneurs, the first family of Calabasas makes a lot of beauty bets, and now, enough of them are starting to pay off. Are the Kardashian-Jenners finally reaching their business potential? Read Now

HOLLYWOOD

Matt is joined by Steven Zeitchik, senior editor at The Hollywood Reporter, to break down some industry angles from the 2025 Oscar nominations, including Netflix’s 13 nominations for Emilia Pérez, and the movie’s chances of winning best picture in this year’s wide-open race; the constituencies among the voters; the growing globalization of the Academy; studio politics; and who they think will win best picture. Listen Now

A MESSAGE FROM META

Open source AI is available to all, not just the few. Studies show it takes hundreds of days to match patients with a clinical trial. The solution: "We used Meta's free open source AI model, Llama, to build an AI tool that helps match patients to clinical trials in a day," says Dr. Salloum. Learn more about how others are building with open source AI.

FASHION

Lauren is joined by fashion designer Bella Freud, host of the fabulous podcast Fashion Neurosis. They discuss working at Vivienne Westwood’s shop Seditionaries, why she doesn’t stage runway shows, John Malkovich, being human, and a lot more. Lauren also weighs in on Simone Bellotti’s expected exit from Bally, the Kardashian beauty complex, and a little bit of Vuori by popular demand. Listen Now

MEDIA

The New York Times’s Ben Mullin joins Dylan for a deep dive into Mark Thompson’s attempt to transform CNN from a cable television network into a digital and streaming juggernaut. Amid a round of mass layoffs, the duo contemplate whether CNN as a digital-first enterprise can maintain the network’s influence in a post-linear landscape, and whether Thompson actually has a plan to get there. Listen Now

HOLLYWOOD

Matt Belloni joins Peter to break down this year’s Oscar nominations, from the snubs to the surprises—and the picks guaranteed to plug right into the culture wars. Then they dive into Netflix’s latest earnings call, in which the streaming behemoth announced a record-breaking 19 million new subscribers in the last quarter, bringing their total to over 300 million. Matt explains the tactics they can employ to keep justifying their massive Wall Street value. Listen Now

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