The Meyers Paradox, ’24 Campaign Mysteries, TikTok’s Oscars Bet

Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon dispatch featuring the latest reporting from Puck.

Today, we kick things off with Matt Belloni’s dissection of the self-made economic conundrum that led Netflix to pass on bankable filmmaker Nancy Meyers’s $150 million ScarJo rom-com.

Plus, below the fold: Tara Palmeri investigates a political mystery: Why would Mike Pence run for president? Then, on The Powers That Be, Matt links up with Peter Hamby to break down the Oscars aftermath, including the TikTok deal, Tom Cruise’s snub, why young A-listers hate the red carpet, and more. And on The Town, Matt celebrates the pod’s one-year anniversary with Producer Craig.

MATTHEW BELLONI

Backend “buyouts” allow streamers to compete with studios for top projects and A-level stars. But that system has ballooned up-front fees to the point where Netflix said no to a bankable filmmaker and her $150 million Scarlett Johansson movie.

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TARA PALMERI

Absent a coalition or a lane or movement, Mike Pence’s putative presidential campaign seems unclear. Is he just running to reclaim his dignity?

PETER HAMBY & MATTHEW BELLONI

Matt Belloni joins Peter to discuss all the issues stemming from the Oscars: the Tom Cruise snubs, the post-Will Smith ruckus, the big TikTok deal, and why young A-listers hate the red carpet.

MATTHEW BELLONI

Matt and Craig celebrate The Town’s one-year anniversary by looking back at Matt’s predictions and highlighting his best and worst takes after a wild year in Hollywood. They break down his strongest box-office hits and largest misses, as well as his takes from 2022 that aged the best and worst, and more.