| | | | | | Too many highs, lows and whoas in this compressed Hollywood news cycle as a shadow press war emerges between Netflix and Paramount camps. So, in a nod to James Cameron, we'll be your humble newsletter farmer here to make sense of it all for this Weekender edition. — Erik Hayden
Ticker: Reed Duchscher lands $70M; Jay Sures backs Bari Weiss; Warren Buffett bets on old media; Tom Quinn levels up.
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Van Der Beek's Estate Hollywood has rallied behind the late Dawson’s Creek star, raising $2.6 million for his widow and six children. The internet has been less generous, with scores of posters wondering why such a famous actor would need a fundraiser in the first place. But James Van Der Beek, for all his widespread name recognition, was not a super-high-net-worth celebrity — or at least he didn't spend super conspicuously. Benjamin Svetkey's report.
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Today Tragedy Two sources inside NBC News tell THR they still expect Savannah Guthrie to return to the show when ready, and are planning accordingly as the kidnapping crisis involving mother Nancy Guthrie stretches on. Staff and executives are cognizant of the fact that it would be difficult for anyone to return to such a post, which regularly includes lighthearted fare like cooking segments, after going through such a harrowing ordeal — regardless of how it concludes. They do not expect Guthrie back anytime in the near future. Tony Maglio's report.
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Who Killed TV? "The past couple of years have increasingly felt like I’m writing a slow-moving, multi-part obituary for television as most of us knew it. The television that involves real sets being built, fully staffed writers rooms, series regulars, dozens of recurring and guest roles, attention spent on production value handled by below-the-line pros and an audience of millions of viewers who regularly tune in on a weekly basis." Rick Porter's column.
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Nine Lives of Jason Jason Bateman was nearly driven out of the industry. Then he reinvented himself, from teen idol to leading man to podcast mogul. Now the star of HBO’s upcoming DTF St. Louis opens up about his family, his $100 million SmartLess deal, his viral encounter with Charli XCX and how he staged one of the greatest comebacks in modern Hollywood. Lacey Rose's cover story. |
Epstein's Hollywood Sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s social graph mostly centers on international politics and finance, with a particular interest in science. But like many ultra-rich power brokers, he hobnobbed with Hollywood, too. His contacts ranged from A-list talent to moguls to some of the industry’s top fixers. Some of these figures were close to him. Others were casual acquaintances. Gary Baum's report.
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Writers' Revolt As “Scabby the Rat” rears on hind legs in front of the union’s headquarters, the arguably disastrous optics of the Writers Guild West’s schism threaten to impede major contract talks with the studios. The timing is terrible for the union. What happened? Katie Kilkenny's report.
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Ellison's Gambit Tucked into the middle of Paramount CEO David Ellison’s lengthy plea in December to Warners shareholders to tender their shares was a quiet disclosure that it had already filed for regulatory approval of the deal. It was an unusual move. With no agreement in place, the company had started a process that likely costs millions of dollars and hundreds of man hours. That gambit paid off on Feb. 20 when Paramount, whose strategy is led by ex-top DoJ official Makan Delrahim, claimed it had cleared regulatory review. Winston Cho explains.
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Quoted "I am but a humble movie farmer." — James Cameron, in a letter to Rep. Mike Lee opposing Netflix's buy of Warner Bros., arguing it will be "disastrous for the theatrical motion picture business." "James chose to be part of the Paramount disinformation campaign." — Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, in retort to the Avatar director. "Now that we are here, we can’t lose any more time." — L.A. councilmember Adrin Nazarian during a meeting to improve filming conditions in the city. "She is an amazing strategist with unparalleled relationships." — Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer, on the departure of 23-year veteran Sandra Stern, who helped guide shows like Mad Men, Nurse Jackie and Weeds. "Air Patriotic, Pro-America Programming in Support of America’s 250th Birthday." — An FCC missive from chair Brendan Carr, who's already tussling with broadcasters over new equal time rules. "Seedance’s copyright infringement is a feature, not a bug." — the Motion Picture Association's cease-and-desist letter to TikTok owner Bytedance over its new AI video generation product. |
Wass On the Block After revealing that he’s selling off his namesake company, Casey Wasserman is shifting quickly to engage suitors, enlisting investment bank Moelis & Co. to advise. The firm is very familiar to him, as it advised Brillstein in its major sale to Wasserman three years ago. And its leader, Ken Moelis, sits on the mogul’s LA28 Olympics Committee board. Alex Weprin's story. |
Money Trail Amid a feud between Stephen Colbert, the FCC and CBS over a killed Rep. James Talarico segment that aired only on YouTube to avoid running afoul of FCC equal time rules for candidates, the network itself is quietly emerging as a winner in the U.S. Senate race. It has captured hundreds of thousands of dollars in February alone from Democratic hopefuls Talarico and Jasmine Crockett, a review of its files by THR shows. Alex Weprin's report. |
Secret Agent Man Overnight sensations usually gain followers. Gabriel Basso deleted all of his. "You get hit with these algorithmic waves," says the 31-year-old star of The Night Agent. "But I never felt like [social media] added anything to my life. I felt like it either stressed me out or I felt like I wasn't doing something I should be doing." Seija Rankin's profile. |
In Memoriam Robert Duvall, 1931-2026 "He had a gift few performers have ever showcased to such an extent: a range that not only spread horizontally, shifting through characters across the board, but vertically, allowing him to be a big, bellowing, destructive man in one movie, and then a small, discreet, vulnerable one in the next." Jordan Mintzer's column. |
Around Town Steph Curry promoted Sony Pictures Animation's GOAT at the Santa Monica Pier. Spike Lee, Sacha Baron Cohen and Chris Rock attended Kenny "The Jet" Smith's annual FlyHouse event in Beverly Hills. Cedric the Entertainer, Jenifer Lewis and Kenya Barris joined Audible in West Hollywood to launch comedy Big Age. Austin Butler joined Baz Luhrmann at the L.A. premiere of his new movie EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert. Kurt Russell, Anna Sawai, Mari Yamamoto and Wyatt Russell premiered the second season of Apple TV's Monarch: Legacy of Monsters in Hollywood. Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Karl Urban brought Prime Video's The Bluff to the TCL Chinese Theatre. All 56 photos from this week's premieres and parties. |
The Bottom Line Snapshots from THR's team of critics:
Tutu, Sam Pollard’s film about anti-apartheid activist Desmond Tutu, is "an invaluable cinematic portrait." John Patton Ford's Glen Powell black comedy How to Make a Killing is "not dark or funny enough." Gavin Polone's directorial debut Psycho Killer is an "inane slasher pic." Lesley Manville and Ciarán Hinds marital crisis drama Midwinter Break is "excessively quiet." Sophie Turner and Kit Harington reunite in "tedious" horror pic The Dreadful that's "almost redeemed by a bonkers Marcia Gay Harden." Isabelle Huppert feature The Blood Countess is a "juicy slice of vampire camp that looks ravishing but wears thin." Fernando Eimbcke’s fifth feature, Moscas (Flies) is a "simple, sweet, emotionally resonant B&W charmer." |
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