The all-new Hollywood Reporter offers unprecedented access to the people, studios, networks and agencies that create the magic in Hollywood. Published weekly, the oversized format includes exceptional photography and rich features.
AMONG THE BATTLES THAT CARL ICAHN likes to relive is his 2006 attempted takeover of Time Warner. I was covering Icahn at the time for Vanity Fair and CNBC and hence became the recipient of many garrulous and ebullient latenight calls from the second-richest man in New York (after Michael Bloomberg). It would be hard to imagine anybody having a better time on the job than Icahn seemed to be having then. The Time Warner proxy fight had all the things Icahn likes most: media attention (Me: “Who runs your PR?” Icahn: “Whaddaya mean? I run it!”); spiritless management (Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons was winding down his tenure); and a simple solution (break it up). What’s more, it had the perfect outcome: quick and profitable. While Icahn folded his…
TIM STORY The Ride Along 2 director scores a huge $41.6 million opening for Universal, leading a strong MLK holiday weekend. ROBERT IGER The Disney CEO throws his weight behind an NFL stadium proposal in Carson, Calif., only to be rebuffed by league owners, who pick Inglewood as the site for the Rams. STEVE GOLIN The Anonymous Content chief has become an awards magnet, producing two best pic Oscar contenders (Spotlight, The Revenant) and Globes’ and Critics’ Choice best drama series Mr. Robot. PHILIPPE DAUMAN The Viacom CEO is under fire after an activist fund manager calls for his ouster for being “asleep at the switch” as he and CBS leaders are named in a shareholder lawsuit questioning the board’s independence. SHOWBIZ STOCKS $66.06 (+4.6%) ELECTRONIC ARTS (EA) Star Wars:…
THREE WEEKS INTO 2016, WALL STREET IS CALLING IT THE worst start to a year ever, with the S&P 500 down 8 percent and $1.5 trillion in wealth wiped out as of Jan. 15. But media and entertainment companies, crushed in 2015 because of cordcutting concerns, at least have held their own. Among the industry’s seven major conglomerates, $30.52 billion in wealth has been destroyed this year, though only Disney and Sony have underperformed against the broader markets. The year’s only gainer is Time Warner, courtesy of rumors the company is a takeover target. Taking a wider view, the S&P 500 topped out May 21 and the index is down 12 percent since, exceeding the 10 percent threshold for a market correction. Unfortunately for media investors, $109.2 billion in wealth…
VETERANS OF RECENT TV press tours know to expect an industry kerfuffle or two for restless journalists to report and then forget about weeks later. But the most recent TCA fistfight — NBC research guru Alan Wurtzel’s surprise reveal Jan. 13 of what he touted as viewership data for some Netflix shows — isn’t going away. The data, compiled by Palo Alto, Calif.-based tech startup Symphony Advanced Media, reported that Netflix “hits” like Master of None and Jessica Jones were on par with programs perceived as less-than-hits on NBC. It was an attempt to get under the skin of Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos, who for years has kept viewership numbers private. But it also illustrated in stark terms the key tension in the television business in 2016: How should…
Among the biggest questions at the TCA winter press tour: Will Netflix commission another season of the true-crime sensation Making a Murderer? As directors Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi fended off mounting questions about the Steven Avery case and evidence left in and out of the 10-part docuseries, Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos talked to THR about the future of the first TV smash of 2016. This series was a 10-year process. Can the filmmakers do more? We don’t know yet. Honestly, this has been a whirlwind since the show went live in a way that the filmmakers didn’t anticipate and in a way that we didn’t anticipate. Given the firestorm, do you want more? For sure. It’s a really compelling story. People are recognizing that it’s not about whether he’s…
I WASN’T LONG OUT OF DRAMA school when I met him. I was quite unsure of myself. Our age difference isn’t that vast, but I always saw him as someone who took me under his wing. He had a lot of political engagements. I ran into him when we went to see Nelson Mandela speak in Trafalgar Square. He had actually been one of the people who held vigils outside the South African Embassy. More than that, we would run into each other at friends’ houses. I actually found myself calling him for advice. I played Valmont in Milos Forman’s adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses. I called Alan to talk to him about his experience in the role. He offered personal wisdom, not actor-y advice. He wasn’t a person I…
