Kimmel's the clear winner of the past week, but here's how all the players in the blast radius fared .... puck.news/the-jimmy-ki...

New pod: Hollywood is a sales business, so which platforms are buying and WHAT they are buying has always been the top priority. Until....now? Parsing a new report on the $210B in annual content spend ..... With KPMG US author Scott Purdy. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/5hnT...

Here’s the blueprint for how David Ellison plans to get the swift acquisition of TWO Hollywood studios past government regulators. It started yesterday with the hiring of Trump’s former antitrust enforcer. ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/david-elliso...

Final NRG tracking for ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER has it at a $19M domestic opening. Other services put it higher, mid-$20Ms. Neither is good for a $130M+ Leo DiCaprio dramedy, but reviews are strong. No PTA movie has grossed more than $77M worldwide.

New pod: Who’s got the leverage in the next battles between Trump, the TV stations and Disney, and why Blue state attorneys general could play a surprising role. With @eriqgardner.bsky.social. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/2dIV...

Bigger on TV than I predicted….though about a third of the YouTube views so far….and counting (though a “view” is only 30 seconds on YT)….

New: Bob Broder has died. He was one of the most influential TV agents of all time, repping Chuck Lorre, Jim Burrows, dozens of others, and his boutique agency was the fuel that led to the growth of ICM, now part of CAA. RIP.

Jimmy Kimmel’s guests for the big return tonight are Glen Powell and Sarah MacLachlan. Both are promoting new projects on Disney-owned Hulu.

Of all the backlash that Disney CEO Bob Iger endured this week, one critic may have stung the most, per @kimmasters.bsky.social. ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/iger-eisner-...

New pod: Why Disney finally stood up to Trump, and why the next few days and months are crucial for Jimmy Kimmel, the company, and its top executives. With @lucasshaw.bsky.social. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/04Z4...

KIMMEL IS BACK

A statement….with no threat to Disney or call to action of any kind….very Hollywood…. www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/j...

New: Sarah MacLachlan, Jewel, and more musicians scheduled to perform at tonight's premiere for Hulu's ABC News doc LILITH FAIR have all pulled out after Disney scrapped the red carpet. First notable talent consequence of the Jimmy Kimmel situation.

Worth your time on the Kimmel saga: @mattbelloni.bsky.social & @dkthomp.bsky.social with a ton of great media industry context. podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/p...

Jimmy Kimmel & team met with Disney’s top TV execs yesterday but failed to reach a deal to bring him back to ABC. Details on what he WANTS to say on-air and the far-reaching implications of the Trump-fueled standoff, with @kimmasters.bsky.social ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/why-disney-s...

LOST writer-producer Damon Lindelof says he won’t work with Disney unless Kimmel js reinstated. I’m hearing other talent weighing similar pledges.

Writers Guild protest is starting now at the Disney gate in Burbank….

New pod: Disney leadership is facing a MASSIVE test in the Jimmy Kimmel fiasco, with major ramifications for everyone in television and media. With late night TV expert Bill Carter @wjcarter.bsky.social. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/2vEB...

ABC source says "no plans" to pull Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. At least not until Brendan Carr sees this tweet and asks that it be pulled.

New pod: Why do so many people in Hollywood hate @RottenTomatoes? After I wrote a column on this topic, one of its editors agreed to debate me. With Jacqueline Coley @thatjacqueline.bsky.social Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/27Qu...

It’s The Town night at Dodger Stadium, tickets AGAIN courtesy of @lucasshaw.bsky.social and his very costly decision to pick Joker 2 in the ‘24 Box Office Draft. @craighorlbeck.bsky.social

Netflix won the post-Emmys viewership race in the U.S. with Adolescence getting a +416% bump yesterday from the previous Monday, per Luminate….

A big hire at New Paramount, pros and cons of a merged HBO Max/Par+ (hypothetically!!), new PR mouthboxes at FX and Par, and who’s responsible for Nate Bargatze flopping at the Emmys: Last night’s PACKED What I’m Hearing private email can be yours here ⬇️ puck.news/newsletter_c...

New pod: What’s it gonna cost Ellison to get Warner Discovery? And is there a damn thing Zaslav can do about it?? Plus: The important Emmy party food rankings. With @lucasshaw.bsky.social AND @richlightshed.bsky.social. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/2BDN...

Funny idea, but this Emmys speech-shortening bit is a bust. Getting played off has been replaced by….getting shamed off?? Speeches deliver fun moments on these awards shows. Now everyone is just rushing through the same names.

Nice standing O for @StephenAtHome to start the #Emmys

Remember all that goodwill David Ellison had around Hollywood for “saving” Paramount? Gone if he goes after Warner Bros…. puck.news/ellisons-war...

Warner Bros really needs Leo DiCaprio to sell One Battle After Another to the masses. But how are his polling numbers these days? Some revealing new data ⬇️⬇️ on the staying power of maybe the most successful film actor of the modern age. puck.news/can-leonardo...

On the last episode of The Town, @mattbelloni.bsky.social predicted that the reason they went with Paramount: A Skydance Company was because they'd eventually acquire/ rebrand WB as Warner Brothers: A Skydance Company. And then if Oracle gets its hands on TikTok, it's TikTok: A Skydance Company...

New pod: Rupert wins again, but why did his kids give up the fight? And what’s Lachlan’s new game plan? With Murdoch-ologist @jimrutenberg.bsky.social of NYT. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/04GD...

The head of Sony’s movie studio just turned 70, a key lieutenant left for Paramount, and the remaining No. 2 is not being considered for the top job (and not only because he gave a producing deal to an LA nightclub promoter). New from @kimmasters.bsky.social ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/who-will-suc...

James Wan, the creative architect of the CONJURING franchise, is threatening to quit unless Warner Bros. gives his company a big raise. Details ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/james-wans-c...

New pod: It’s a Lightning Round episode. New clues about a probable Warner Bros sale, are the NFL YouTube ratings good or whatever, and are the Wizard of Oz numbers at Sphere sustainable?? With @lucasshaw.bsky.social. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/6dB6...

New pod: Diving deeper into what kids want out of movie theaters: unique experiences, participatory engagement, and a break from devices. With NRG’s Fergus Navaratnum-Blair. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/7JyD...

Macro, the production/finance/management company focused on underrepresented voices, has raised about $250M from backers. Now star client Michael B. Jordan just bailed with his manager and at least one investor is antsy. puck.news/a-big-talent...

The most influential tastemaker in movies has become a total fraud, and it's Hollywood's own fault. ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/is-rotten-to...

Steven Spielberg really wanted to direct the CALL OF DUTY movie. Why it isn’t happening ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/activision-t...

Some brutal agency poaching news: CAA just stole Noah Baumbach from UTA after Baumbach's agent stood next to his client LAST WEEKEND at Venice debuting JAY KELLY. It's not show friends.....

New pod: It finally happened, the former Villain of the Year turned frienemy of The Town, ambassador to Nicole Kidman AND Taylor Swift, King of the Apes, buyer of more corn than anyone, CEO of AMC Theatres, my good friend Adam Aron. Live! Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/4DHW...

CALL OF DUTY has been a notoriously difficult video game to adapt for a movie. Paramount’s new owner is gonna try anyway. Details ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/newsletter_c...

A new study reveals surprising preferences among kids raised on social media and Netflix: They LOVE going to movie theaters. Details ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/can-gen-alph...

New pod: In May, we ranked every big summer movie on the Confidence Scale. So….how’d we do?? With @scottmendelson.bsky.social. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/7AxX...

Thanks to everyone at The Town live show last night! We sold out the El Rey theater, and was great meeting listeners. Big thanks to special guest Adam Aron, @lucasshaw.bsky.social @craighorlbeck.bsky.social, producer Jessie, sponsor FX, and the @theringer.com.web.brid.gy events team. More soon!

New pod: Fall festivals are here! The updated awards season playbook, how to get indie movies made (and distributed), and is the market really as tough as advertised? Plus: airport lounge wine reviews. With indie producer legend Christine Vachon. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/5feV...

New pod: Why, exactly, did Netflix put KPop Demon Hunters in theaters? Should AMC have played it? And does this $20M stunt change anything in the Netflix vs theaters war? With @lucasshaw.bsky.social. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/4bJn...

KPOP DEMON HUNTERS producer Sony Pictures will make zero dollars on this weekend’s blockbuster theatrical release. The whole backstory of how Netflix takes nearly the entire value of a global smash ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/why-did-kpop...

New pod: The evil genius of The Traitors, and why all the good reality shows originate in 2 small countries. Live from the Edinburgh TV Festival with producer Stephen Lambert. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/5sIF...

Netflix offered the Stranger Things creators more money than Paramount, but the Duffers went to Paramount anyway. Details on the dollars ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/newsletter_c...

I talked to Lorne Michaels. He “teared up a couple times” during the SNL50 show, was “stunned” by Colbert’s cancellation, and says he’s been assured by Comcast that Fallon and Meyers are “safe.” Also a big shakeup is coming to SNL. LOTS more ⬇️⬇️ puck.news/lorne-michae...

New pod: A big welcome to Fox One, the streaming service the Murdochs want to be big but not THAT big. Why? With its top exec Pete Distad. Listen! open.spotify.com/episode/4b0g...