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Matthew Belloni, Kim Masters & Eriq Gardner
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Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday
An essential, insider-friendly Hollywood tip sheet from Matthew Belloni, who spent 14 years in the trenches at The Hollywood Reporter and five before that practicing entertainment law. What I’m Hearing also features veteran Hollywood journalist Kim Masters, as well as a special companion email from Eriq Gardner, focused on entertainment law, and weekly box office analysis from Scott Mendelson.
THE LATEST ARTICLES
Eriq Gardner
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August 21, 2024
CAA Hits the Mattresses Against Its Defectors
Bryan Lourd’s CAA is lobbing serious allegations at its former employees, accusing them of contract breaches, loyalty breaches, and tortious interference by coaxing clients and at-will employees to jump ship.
Eriq Gardner
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August 14, 2024
Zaslav’s Sports Streamer Is on Trial for Its Life
After days of withering scrutiny in court, a judge is seriously considering an injunction against Venu, the joint venture from WBD, Fox, and Disney, over alleged antitrust violations.
Eriq Gardner
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August 7, 2024
The Record Industry’s Full-Blown A.I. War
A pair of well-capitalized A.I. music startups have found themselves in the middle of a gnarly lawsuit against the industry’s biggest labels in a case that may set precedents across numerous creative industries. These suits will either be remembered as a power play, or a devastating blow to their own assets and their relevance to artists.
Eriq Gardner
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August 2, 2024
Goodell’s $5 Billion Triumph & Michael Rubin Blowback
A secret arbitration has ordered the NFL union to pay $7.8 million to Fanatics’ rival for breach of contract. Meanwhile, the league has prevailed in a major counteroffensive in the Sunday Ticket case.
Eriq Gardner
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July 23, 2024
White Party Down
For years, Fanatics C.E.O. Michael Rubin has created a nouveau riche fantasy life, best encapsulated by his Hamptons summer “all-white” party, based on his sports merchandising juggernaut. Now, a series of legal headaches threaten Fanatics’ I.P.O., and the industry, itself.
Eriq Gardner
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July 16, 2024
Skydances With Wolves
David Ellison’s $8 billion takeover of Paramount is already facing legal challenges, including a new suit from Mario Gabelli, the long-suffering Paramount shareholder who is now questioning whether Shari’s sweetheart deal was just a little too rich. Here, Gabelli explains his beef. Plus: there’s another unexpected wrinkle in the deal.
Eriq Gardner
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July 9, 2024
Alec Baldwin’s Code Red
At the dawn of the ‘Rust’ trial, the star actor is fighting a prosecutor’s gambit to connect a frenzied set with the shocking fatality. And yet, while Baldwin’s trial may be an engrossing televised event, it’s likely a cautionary tale rather than a catalyst for change in Hollywood.
Eriq Gardner
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July 3, 2024
Why Won’t Hollywood Speak Up for TikTok?
Despite its free speech history, Hollywood isn’t joining the First Amendment challenges to the U.S. government’s TikTok ban. A deep dive into why studio heads, producers, and writers might be making the wrong call.
Eriq Gardner
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June 25, 2024
The Big Problems Behind the ‘Bikeriders’ Backer
Regency needs hits to elevate its narrative after a bungled succession and a series of flops. A new lawsuit suggests the indie production company may be facing real financial challenges, too.
Eriq Gardner
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June 19, 2024
Will Biden Block the Sony-Alamo Deal?
Inspecting the antitrust tea leaves surrounding the recently consummated Sony-Alamo Drafthouse deal. Are studio-owned theaters the future of the theatrical business, or is this arrangement merely a blip on the radar as we wade into an era of major regulatory shake-ups in Hollywood?
