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Monday, September 25, 2023

Hello from Hollywood, where the sun is starting to shine on the frozen entertainment industry. Newsrooms are (again) confronted with an age-old Donald Trump conundrum, Michael Wolff outs Tucker Carlson as his source, The New York Times mysteriously publishes an unbylined story about Joe Biden's poll numbers, OpenAI gives ChatGPT eyes and ears, Martin Scorsese implores filmmakers to "fight back" against comic book blockbusters, and more. But first, the A1.

THE A1

Healing in Hollywood

CNN Photo Illustration/Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images

A frozen Hollywood is starting to thaw.

After several days of marathon negotiating sessions, on day 146 of the strike, the major studios and the writers finally reached a tentative agreement to put the historic work stoppage to an end. The deal, which the Writers Guild of America will now need to sell to its members, paves a road toward getting the Hollywood engine roaring once again.

The Sunday night treaty came at the eleventh hour, leaving the studios with just enough time to salvage the winter half of the television season. While the WGA's 11,000-strong membership base will still need to vote to ratify the agreement, it's expected that the union's board will move to allow the writers to return to work before that process officially concludes. That decision could allow the scribes to get the ink flowing in their pens in just days, allowing jokes to be once again written for late-night and scripts to be penned for film and television.

But the pact with the writers does not solve the mammoth problems that loom over Hollywood. Scripts are no good if there are no actors to bring them to life on the screen. The Hollywood machine requires multiple gears turning in harmony — and the writers represent only one mechanism of a complex operation. As long as the standoff between SAG-AFTRA and the studios endures, Hollywood will remain largely frozen.

That means that the studio chiefs — most notably Disney's Bob Iger, Warner Bros. Discovery's David Zaslav, Netflix's Ted Sarandos, and NBCU's Donna Langley, all of whom directly negotiated with the writers in the final days, efforts seen as critical in achieving a deal — need to quickly find an avenue to resolve some of the thorny issues that led to the actors walking off the stage in mid-July. The studios believe that the resolution of the WGA strike certainly gives them significant momentum, people familiar with their thinking tell me.

It's no question that the writers getting back to work will add new pressure to reignite talks with their on-screen allies. After all, until now, many of the striking actors would have been without work, regardless of whether they were on the picket line. That is because without the writers producing fresh content, there were simply no projects for the actors to work on.

But while the last 24 hours have certainly bestowed some favorable winds upon the studios, sailing to a deal with the actors will not occur effortlessly. The actors harbor deep concerns on a number of hefty issues. Some of them overlap with those of the writers, such as the use of artificial intelligence, which I'm told was one of the final sticking points the studios had to untangle with the writers. So in that regard, it's possible some of the framework laid down in the WGA deal could prove useful in the SAG-AFTRA negotiations.

That's not to say that the studios have a complete blueprint for how to resolve the second strike. The actors have their own unique concerns that the studio bosses will need to grapple with. And they'll need to do so quickly to get television production back up and running. At the moment, however, relations between the studios and actors remain frozen in place.

HOLLYWOOD HELL

"Hollywood's actors are back in the spotlight," John Koblin, Nicole Sperling, and Brooks Barnes write. (NYT)
"It's fitting that these Writers Guild negotiations stretched nearly into Yom Kippur, because both sides had a lot to atone for," Matthew Belloni and Jonathan Handel write as they explain what a post-deal Hollywood might look like. (Puck)
"It may be weeks or even months before production activity returns to anywhere close to the levels that existed before the work stoppage began on May 2," Wendy Lee reports. (LAT)
Late night is certain to come back alive first. Michael Schneider reports that "some late night producers are already emailing staff members about coming back to work ASAP." (Variety)
And unscripted shows like "The Drew Barrymore Show" and "Dancing With the Stars" will soon grace television screens. (Vulture)
President Joe Biden weighed in, praising the deal as a "testament to the power of collective bargaining." (The Wrap)
The Street also weighed in, in its own style: "Media and entertainment companies got a small boost from the news," Andrew Dalton notes. "Shares in Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, Disney, and Netflix all rose about 2% or less on Monday." (AP)
Dan Gallagher explains why the deal is a "mixed blessing" for studios: "The strikes have been a clear negative for the studios, crippling the fall TV season and delaying the release of major theatrical movies. But the production stoppages have been a clear positive for their cash-flow statements, at a time when all but Netflix are burning cash on their streaming operations." (WSJ)
The big picture from Brian Lowry: Solving the strikes "won't resolve the underlying challenges facing the entertainment industry that prompted the guilds to take this action, including wrenching change brought about by streaming." (CNN)

——— BELOW THE FOLD ———

CNN Photo Illustration/Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

Covering Trump's Threats: Newsrooms are being confronted with an age-old dilemma: how to properly cover Donald Trump's belligerent spray of threats. On Friday, the disgraced former president suggested that Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley should be given the death sentence — yes, you read that correctly — for supposed treason. And on Sunday, Trump went on an unhinged rant accusing Comcast of treason and saying the company should be "investigated" because of supposed "one-side and vicious coverage by NBC NEWS, and in particular MSNBC."

But as The Atlantic's Brian Klaas noted in a smart piece, Trump's remark about Milley "barely made the news." And the threats against Comcast were also not treated to serious coverage by the press, which has in recent years brushed off a lot of Trump's outrageous statements. But is that the best approach, especially given that Trump is again running for president? It's a conundrum media outlets must give some thought. On one hand, newsrooms don't want to give Trump's ridiculous threats attention. But on the other, ignoring the stream of threats flowing from him allows the rhetoric to fester in right-wing circles and leaves the public shrouded in darkness about how deranged Trump really is.

► Klaas' view: "Bombarded by a constant stream of deranged authoritarian extremism from a man who might soon return to the presidency, we've lost all sense of scale and perspective. But neither the American press nor the public can afford to be lulled. The man who, as president, incited a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol in order to overturn an election is again openly fomenting political violence while explicitly endorsing authoritarian strategies should he return to power. That is the story of the 2024 election. Everything else is just window dressing."

► Nick Catoggio, aka AllahPundit's take: "Trump's getting worse. Not enough people care."

THE INFO WARS

CNN Photo Illustration/Lynne Sladky/AP

Wolff Bites the Hand That Feeds: These two really do deserve each other! Michael Wolff revealed to Mediaite's Diana Falzone and Aidan McLaughlin that Tucker Carlson was the source behind his reporting that Ron DeSantis shoved (and maybe kicked) his dog. This is, of course, notable as Carlson publicly denied that the incident took place last week when nuggets from Wolff's forthcoming book, "The Fall," were published. "The source on this is Tucker himself," Wolff told Falzone and McLaughlin. Asked why Carlson denied the alleged incident ever took place, Wolff replied that he was unsure, but said it was straight "from the horse's mouth." Yikes! I reached out to Carlson, but he — predictably — didn't reply to a request for comment. But the Drudge Report, which Carlson has warred with in recent years, headlined the story: "CARLSON INFORMANT TO LIBS?" More here from Mediaite.

The Who York Times?: Why is this story from The New York Times, focused on the outlier The Washington Post/ABC News poll showing Joe Biden trailing Donald Trump by double digits, published on the Gray Lady's website without a byline? It's a question The NYT did not answer on Monday when I reached out. It's exceptionally rare for a major outlet to publish a reported article without a byline. Typically, newsrooms reserve taking such action only when a reporter could face serious repercussions for being associated with the story (for example, if a journalist is sending dispatches from an undemocratic country imperiling the press). But those conditions are not at play here. Which begs the question: Why is the byline missing? And why won't The NYT, which pushes for transparency from others, give an explanation?

► Mediaite's Isaac Schorr writes, "Stop giving bad, misleading polls attention."

IN THE BATTLEFIELD

First in Reliable | "Newsmax boss Chris Ruddy is scheduled to be deposed on Nov. 16 in Smartmatic's mega defamation lawsuit against the right-wing network," Marshall Cohen reports, citing a court filing. "The deposition will give Smartmatic's lawyers an opportunity to question Ruddy under oath about his decision to put known election liars on-air."
"Smartmatic, the voting technology company suing Fox News and former President Donald Trump's top allies over their false claims that its machines rigged the 2020 election, was implicated in an alleged bribery scheme involving the former top election official in the Philippines," Cohen also reports. (CNN)
MSNBC's Alicia Menendez was off this weekend at a previously scheduled wedding, I'm told, following prosecutors unveiling charges against her father, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez. She is slated to be back on air this upcoming weekend, I'm told, raising questions about if — and how — she might address the scandal.
It's official! Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom will participate in a debate moderated by Sean Hannity. The face-off will air November 30 on Hannity's Fox News program. (The Hill)
Michael Levenson writes about how the Las Vegas Review-Journal has come under assault in recent days over a weeks-old story. (NYT)
Jeremy Peters wrote about Dana Perino ahead of the second GOP presidential primary debate, which she will co-moderate. (NYT)
Perino says she didn't implore Trump to attend the second GOP melee: "Personally, no. I did not," she told Alex Thompson. "I think that he had already made it clear ... he wasn't going, and so I didn't reach out." (Axios)
After some MAGA backlash following her interview with Matt Gaetz, Maria Bartiromo said she is rethinking her position on the Congressional circus involving Gaetz and Kevin McCarthy. "[Gaetz] made a very good argument," Bartiromo said Monday. "And my thinking is evolving." (X)
Steve Bannon also rushed to Bartiromo's defense: "She's actually true MAGA; there's been no better supporter of President Trump or the MAGA movement." (MMFA)
Awkward! Fox News cut away from a Trump speech after the disgraced former president ripped the right-wing network and started praising Tucker Carlson. (Mediaite)

BRAND BOXED IN

London's Metropolitan Police announced Monday they are probing "a number" of "non-recent" allegations of sexual offenses by Russell Brand. Brand has denied the other allegations against him. (CNN)
The U.K. government is being accused of trying to "curb investigative journalism" after warning outlets to be cautious covering the Brand allegations, Philippe Naughton reports. (Daily Beast)

THE VALLEY

CNN Photo Illustration/Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Getty Images

A.I.'s Eyes and Ears: It's one small step for ChatGPT, but a big step for A.I. OpenAI announced Monday that its rapidly advancing chatbot is getting a voice, allowing users to actually chat with it. Additionally, the bot will be able to analyze images. "ChatGPT can now see, hear, and speak," OpenAI declared. The company said the newly infused tech into ChatGPT means people can "speak with it on the go, request a bedtime story, or settle a dinner table debate." And with the ability to analyze images, users can upload a photo and then "troubleshoot why your grill won't start, explore the contents of your fridge to plan a meal, or analyze a complex graph for work-related data." The Verge's David Pierce has the details.

TOO MANY TABS

Elizabeth Weil profiled OpenAI's Sam Altman, proclaiming him to be "the Oppenheimer of our age." (Intelligencer)
Amazon will invest $3.2 billion in Anthropic, an A.I, start-up and OpenAI rival, as the company continues to play catchup. (Guardian)
Spotify is trialing an A.I. tool that translates podcasts into different languages. (Reuters)
Getty Images released its new generative A.I. tool. (Axios)
Quite the headline here from Joseph Cox: "The end of privacy is a Taylor Swift fan TikTok account armed with facial recognition tech." (404)
Elon Musk's X will make calls a premium-tier feature. (TechCrunch)
British regulators said Microsoft's updated bid to acquire Activision Blizzard mostly resolves the qualms it voiced earlier this year. (Axios)

THE INDUSTRY

THE MARKET

Rick Porter looks at "what Amazon's pivot to Prime Video ads will look like." (THR)
IMAX defended its proposed $124-million bid to acquire a 28.5% stake in IMAX China. (THR)
Dish is slated to raise prices for its satellite TV by $5 a month. (TheWrap)

THE FOURTH ESTATE

CNN's said that "Who's Talking to Chris Wallace" will return for a fourth season — this time as a CNN Max exclusive. (THR)

MEDIA MOVES

First in Reliable | The Guardian appointed Matt Mittenthal as head of communications for its U.S. arm.
Snap promoted Patrick Harris to president of the Americas. (Axios)
The WSJ has hired Molly Ball as senior politics correspondent. (X)

CURTAIN CALL

CNN Photo Illustration/Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP

Scorsese Says: Martin Scorsese is calling on filmmakers to "fight back stronger" against Marvel-like comic book blockbusters defining the movie theater experience. "It's gotta come from the filmmakers themeless," Scorsese told GQ's Zach Baron in a candid interview. The film legend explained, "And you'll have, you know, the Safdie brothers, and you'll have Chris Nolan, you know what I mean? And hit 'em from all sides. Hit 'em from all sides, and don't give up. Let's see what you got. Go out there and do it. Go reinvent. Don't complain about it. But it's true, because we've got to save cinema." Read the full piece here.

OFF STAGE

Taylor Swift "upstaged" the NFL on Sunday, Jason Gay writes: "It was only a matter of time before our nation's two most powerful entertainment forces collided, and the double-unicorn magic happened Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City." (WSJ)
Stallone stalls: "Expend4bles" bombed at the box office, earning an anemic and franchise low $8.3 million. "The Nun II," in its third weekend, topped the action flick with $8.4 million. (Variety)
Usher is promising "a night of celebration" when he performs at the Super Bowl, saying he is "humbled by the opportunity." (CNN)
Eriq Gardner looks into the Ava DuVernay-Netflix lawsuit, writing its a big legal showdown that "no one talks about." (Puck)
You've read about this here before, but it's finally happening: Netflix is preparing on Friday to end its DVD subscription tier. (NYT)
"The Office" is, for some reason, getting a reboot. (GQ)
Italian actress Sophia Loren underwent emergency surgery after she fell in the bathroom. (BBC)
The trailer for "Rick and Morty" season seven — revealing a new voice actor following Justin Roiland's exit — has dropped. (YouTube)

Thank you for reading! This newsletter was edited by Jon Passantino and produced with the assistance of Liam Reilly. Have feedback? Send us an email here. You can follow us on Instagram and Threads. We will see you back in your inbox tomorrow.