The Ankler. | Richard Rushfield | Substack

Sean Baker & Co. on Getting a Sex Worker's Hair Tinsel Just Right

The 'Anora' team reveal painstaking details behind the production. Plus: Is the next 'To Leslie' here? And this week's awards chatter from L.A.

6 hrs ago •

American Viewer: Hit TV and How to Make It

'Popular' shows and films are not what you think

8 hrs ago •

Entertainment Strategy Guy

Buy, Sell or Die: European TV M&A Outlook — and Americans' Role in it

As dealmaking heats up on both sides of the Atlantic, who's scaling up, who's getting out and how U.S. studios, producers and PE firms are sizing up the…

9 hrs ago •

Manori Ravindran

🎧 MSNBC's $125 Million 'Ratings Viagra'

Inside the net's chaotic survival plan in a Trumpian world cut out from NBC. Plus: Our exclusive on the Golden Globes, Todd Boehly and the attorney…

10 hrs ago

☀️DISH, DIRECTV Deal Dunzo — Great, So Now What?

JJ recruits Samuel L. for next pic / LGF buys again! / Spec market revival continues

13 hrs ago •

Newsletters

Prestige Junkie

Katey Rich's look at film and TV awards news, the Emmys race and the Academy Awards

Get the key Hollywood + Media Biz news to know by 9 a.m ET each morning.

Richard Rushfield

The Ankler's flagship column

Entertainment Strategy Guy

The Ankler's secret numbers guru slices up the winners and the losers

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A clear-eyed look at AI in Hollywood from a producer exploring its practical applications, good and bad.

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Our roving photog hits Hollywood's best events

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Recent posts

SCOOP: Attorney General Reassessing Golden Globes Deal

I obtained HFPA members' full allegations of 'fraudulent behavior' as Todd Boehly moved to purchase the awards franchise

Nov 21 •

Richard Rushfield

MSNBC Mayhem: Rachel Maddow Pay Cut, Brutal Lineup Shakeup Coming

SCOOP: TV's 'safe space for liberals' is about to reshuffle its stars as the network re-ups its marquee name under a tough new spinoff-ready reality

Nov 21 •

Lachlan Cartwright

American Viewer: Everything You Think About Politics, Religion & Money is Wrong

Topics deeply misunderstood by many helped Trump win. My data can help Hollywood programming align with where the audience actually is

Nov 21 •

Entertainment Strategy Guy

The American Viewer: Truths About Race, Age & Gender

I'm pretty sure Hollywood has no idea what people actually want to watch. Here's my data

Nov 20 •

Entertainment Strategy Guy

I Found Another Golden Globes Fest in a Middle East Locale No One Knows About

Last month it was Turkey. Now Egypt. Jay Penske takes his show to yet another authoritarian country with cash. Plus: Thank god for 'Wicked' and…

Nov 19 •

Richard Rushfield

The Robots Coming for Hollywood Labor

With android arms and humanoids able to complete precise tasks, physical production could be replaced long before writers and directors

Nov 19 •

🎧 Jesse Eisenberg's Fortysomething Creative Renaissance

The writer-director-star of 'A Real Pain' on writing against type, directing awkward scenes and his next project

Nov 19 •

Ankler Features

MSNBC Mayhem: Rachel Maddow Pay Cut, Brutal Lineup Shakeup Coming

SCOOP: TV's 'safe space for liberals' is about to reshuffle its stars as the network re-ups its marquee name under a tough new spinoff-ready reality

Nov 21 •

Lachlan Cartwright

MSNBC Mayhem: Rachel Maddow Pay Cut, Brutal Lineup Shakeup Coming

SCOOP: TV's 'safe space for liberals' is about to reshuffle its stars as the network re-ups its marquee name under a tough new spinoff-ready reality

Nov 21 •

Lachlan Cartwright

How Cybertruck Became a Hollywood Reject

Execs, agents, managers and showrunners flex their wheels, but Elon Musk has them in a bind. Says one owner: 'I'm stuck'

Nov 14 •

How Cybertruck Became a Hollywood Reject

Execs, agents, managers and showrunners flex their wheels, but Elon Musk has them in a bind. Says one owner: 'I'm stuck'

Nov 13 •

Oliver Stone's Political Films Were Massive Hits. Why Did They Vanish?

His brand of incendiary onscreen stories are now radioactive — relegated to history — as fear grips the market: 'Let’s hope that the safe movies don’t…

Nov 5 •

Dealmakers

A Wannabe 'Pixar of AI' is Signing Up Stars

Asteria Film wants to bring budgets down and backend to animation. Natasha Lyonne and Will McCormack are onboard. Still, reps have questions

Nov 12 •

Jason Blum on Deals, Sequels & AI: 'TV and Movies are Better if Artists Have Equity'

The Blumhouse CEO’s brutally honest convo about the state of the industry

Oct 29 •

The Saudi Spigot Tightens in Hollywood

Investment now comes with commitment to the Kingdom's rules as its $925B Public Investment Fund refuses to be treated like dark money — or the next…

Oct 15 •

The Saudi Money You Secretly Want? It Now Comes at a Steep Price

The Kingdom's $925B Public Investment Fund is refusing to be treated like dark money — or the next China — as it tightens the Holllywood spigot

Oct 15 •

AI Shocktember: Agents, Lawyers Reveal New Fight as Ground Suddenly Shifts

Rapid changes rock talent lawyers, agents and execs as big money pours in, Newsom legislates Hollywood's future, and studios get 'exactly what they…

Oct 1 •

Reel AI

The Robots Coming for Hollywood Labor

With android arms and humanoids able to complete precise tasks, physical production could be replaced long before writers and directors

Nov 19 •

The Robots Coming for Hollywood Labor

With android arms and humanoids able to complete precise tasks, physical production could be replaced long before writers and directors

Nov 19 •

'Show' Biz: AI Storyboarding Changes How We'll Pitch Scripts

New tools visualize the words on the page, enabling buyers to see what a writer or producer imagines. The screenplay format may never be the same again

Nov 5 •

'Show' Biz: AI Storyboarding Changes How We'll Pitch Scripts

New tools visualize the words on the page, enabling buyers to see what a writer or producer imagines. The screenplay format may never be the same again

Nov 5 •

When AI Comes Calling With Cash: Should You Take It?

I try to answer the devilish question of whether Hollywood should agree to license their content to train models as checks get bigger

Oct 22 •

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