Spulu’s Cold Shower, Mar-a-Lago Soul Searching, ‘Michael’ Biopic Murmurs

Happy Friday and welcome back to The Daily Courant, your afternoon guide to Puck’s best new reporting.

First up today, Lauren Sherman digs into the lucrative business of dressing marquee celebrities for the red carpet: the seven-figure handshake deals, the luxury houses pining for social media exposure, which stars secured long-term contracts, and more.

Plus, below the fold: Tara Palmeri penetrates Mar-a-Lago for an inside-the-room readout on Trump’s evolving V.P. strategy. Matt Belloni gets his hands on the script for Michael, the first Jackson estate-approved biopic to address the late star’s controversies. John Ourand ponders the newest aggrieved party to protest the Spulu streaming bundle. On Somebody’s Gotta Win, Tara and Senate candidate Hill Harper gab about Michigan’s pivotal role in the upcoming election. And on The Powers That Be, Matt joins Peter Hamby for a special pre-Oscars episode, in which they handicap the frontrunners, mull the voter influence campaigns, and reveal the weekend’s most coveted party invites.

LAUREN SHERMAN

The movie business may be in decline, but the celebrity dressing business is only getting bigger, more professionalized, and more complex. And the brands have never been thirstier for influence or market share.

TARA PALMERI

While many think Trump will select his vice president based on their appeal to voters, the emerging consensus among campaign insiders is that his choice will come down to who can perform best with wealthy donors—his greatest vulnerability.

MATTHEW BELLONI

An exclusive look at the script for ‘Michael,’ currently in production, reveals the first Jackson estate-approved piece of entertainment that directly addresses the child molestation allegations against him—and seeks to cleanse the entertainer’s image 15 years after his death.

JOHN OURAND

Yes, everyone already hates Spulu—the streaming consortium between Disney, WBD, and Fox that we still know basically nothing about and promises to make a genuine problem worse. Now, the bundle has a new nemesis grousing around, and ready for a fight.