Are you ready for Fourth of July weekend? Whether you’re skipping town or heading straight for the lounge chair in your backyard, the three-day break is a great time to read.
If you haven’t already checked out our summer reading list from 100 notables across Hollywood, media, politics and more, you should. Power players, creators and culturati — from Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Wes Moore; Kathy Kennedy and Sherry Lansing; Mike De Luca, Dan Lin and Jason Blum; Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Maureen Dowd; Greg Berlanti, Molly Shannon and Jay Ellis; Tina Brown to Peter Kujawski to Neal Mohan and more — contributed personal recommendations of new fiction, inspiring memoirs and indelible classics.
And for a quicker hit of quality storytelling, we’ve got a few of our own riveting Ankler reads to recommend, too. From the return of Hollywood’s cigarette habit to Hollywood’s entanglement with Jeffrey Epstein, our top features this year have delivered insider dish (what FX’s Love Story meant to JFK Jr.’s George magazine staff), industry analysis (state AGs vs. Paramount-WBD), a little horror (L.A.’s rat-infested hot tables) and plenty of perspective, empathy and hope as rough times in Hollywood take their toll.
Check out our curated list of the year’s best so far:
After Hollywood: Life in a New Career Lane
Jobs are shedding across entertainment, and for many, that’s meant abandoning the industry altogether. Three showbiz veterans who’ve remade their résumés in new fields tell David Eckstein about the messy, humbling, sometimes liberating work of starting all over again:
Sports, En Español
↑ The World Cup Is Exposing Sports Media’s Big Blind Spot As Telemundo smashes records with its Spanish-language coverage, Erik Barmack asks a pivotal question: What if the distinction between Spanish- and English-language media is disappearing?
Para Bros. Risk Points
↑ What State AGs Could Dig Up on Paramount-WB Sean McNulty takes a division-by-division look at where a lawsuit could find consumer harm — that the DOJ didn’t — from HBO to movie screens to (bad) news.
Boomers Defeat the World
From F1 to Hacks, baby boomers are eclipsing younger generations at every turn on screen. Christopher Rosen assesses the cultural and economic forces behind the trend — and why whenever Hollywood plays it safe, the material ages up:
Nepotism? In Hollywood?!
↑ Nepo Babies Are Taking Hollywood’s Last Entry-Level Jobs It’s not just who you know, it’s whose DNA you share. As the pie shrinks, famous last names are taking an even bigger slice. Matthew Frank hears from insiders on the dynamics at play — and the true cost to the industry.
Runaway Production’s True Cost — and Who Pays
Writers and crews are spending longer, lonelier months away from home as Hollywood production shifts anywhere but Los Angeles. Nicole LaPorte reports on how the toll lands hardest, again and again, on women:
James Murdoch’s Status Play
Speaking with media veterans, Vox insiders and people close to the Murdochs, Claire Atkinson dives into James Murdoch’s acquisition of New York magazine. Is it the start of a real empire — or a very expensive reputation cleanse?
Fire Fest: Wasserman & LA28
↑ How Casey Wasserman’s Olympic Agenda Warped L.A.’s Fire Recovery The Optionist’s Andy Lewis excerpts Jonathan Vigliotti’s Torched, revealing how Gavin Newsom, Karen Bass and the industry scion prioritized LA28’s Olympics over future safety as wildfires ravaged the city.
L.A. Ratatouille
From San Vicente Bungalows to Peninsula Beverly Hills to Dan Tana, industry-favored eateries saw a troubling rise in vermin this spring. Degen Pener investigates:
Heated Love Story
For fans (and skeptics) of FX’s Love Story, the Ryan Murphy-produced chronicle of JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette, Claire speaks to those who worked at Kennedy’s George magazine about their sharp opinions on the show. Ann Coulter, former Hachette Filipacchi CEO Jack Kliger and more reveal how the series matches up to their memories of the scion and NYC’s 1990s publishing scene:
Young Hollywood: Help!
↑ 50 Young Hollywood Workers Tell All: ‘My Bank Account is So Sad’ The job struggle is real for everyone in showbiz, but for those at the lowest rungs of the ladder, doors seem to be closing at every turn. Leila Jordan surveys dozens of early-career workers and job seekers to understand Young Hollywood’s plight.
Hollywood Lights Up
↑ Cigarettes Get a Sequel: Hollywood’s ‘Cool’ Bad Habit Is Back As Gen Z “hipsters” hit the town and puff away on L.A. sidewalks, Degen hit the clubs to find out why smoking seems to be back in style both onscreen and behind the scenes.
The Street vs. Ellison
Analysts take a harsh view of the Paramount-WBD deal, with insiders warning Claire that $79 billion in debt and shaky financing, including Mideast money, could derail history’s largest test of legacy media:
Industry Dem Donors Dis Katzenberg
After 2024’s bitter losses drove a retreat, Hollywood’s top political donors came back — Matthew reports on the candidate stars they’re backing, who’s giving what and names in play to take Jeffrey Katzenberg’s tarnished mantle: “They just hope they never hear from [him] again”:
Bari Weiss’ CBS Reign
Claire reveals paychecks of top talent including Tony Dokoupil and Gayle King under CBS News chief Bari Weiss and analyzes the harsh news-biz economics plaguing CNN to MS Now (and how an RFK Jr. decision about pharma ads will make it worse):
Hollywood & Epstein
Who here found themselves on the most shameful list of the year? Allen Salkin dove into the Epstein files, revealing the industry’s most compromised players, including well-known PR pros who worked to help the predator launder his reputation:
Coppola & Lucas Early Days, Godfather Rift
In an excerpt from The Last Kings of Hollywood, writer Paul Fischer chronicles how two promising film school grads fought, fell into debt and had nowhere to go — until a certain project came calling:
Cinema’s Fading Palaces
↑ The Lost Movie Palaces of L.A. Hollywood once built cathedrals to film. Now those havens are largely empty or repurposed for events and retail. Matthew chronicles the history and hope as the likes of Kristen Stewart — who bought the Highland Theatre this year — move to revive local cinema glory.
Real Estate Reckoning
Houses “sit for months” on the open market while luxury pads have to slash prices. Nicole talks to residents and brokers about the grim new normal of L.A. real estate:
