Bonjour, Hollywood! If you’re in Cannes, I hope you’ve had a chance to attend The Ankler’s terrific Croisette Conversations, presented with Brand Innovators, at our studio in Armani Caffè. Catch them also on The Ankler YouTube and in our Cannes Daily newsletters.
Our studio, helmed by Ankler executive producer Jennifer Laski, so far has welcomed Club Kid star Diego Calva, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and president Lynette Howell Taylor, OpenAI’s Critterz directors, David Oyelowo, dealmaker Josh Braun, and so many more, all in conversation with our own Katey Rich and Ashley Cullins. Look for another Cannes Daily in your inbox later today and one more tomorrow.
Meanwhile, back here in L.A., there’s a Palais-worthy cinematic political drama brewing ahead of our June 2 mayoral primary. Reality TV star Spencer Pratt is, against all odds, surging. Matthew Frank broke down the latest list of donors to Pratt’s campaign, and it was full of surprises — from Haim and Cheryl Saban to Lucian Grainge and many longtime Dem stalwarts.
Richard Rushfield also had a sharp take on Pratt’s insurgent run and what it bodes for showbiz’s own hapless leaders:
And finally, before she jetted off to Cannes, Katey touched down in L.A. for a Prestige Junkie Live screening with Prime Video’s The Girlfriend, featuring star, director and EP Robin Wright and star Laurie Davidson. Hats off to the hardest-working awards editor in the business.
Now, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Series Business
↑ Upfronts Winners & Losers: Scripted TV Gets Sacked After a week in NYC, Elaine Low assesses the presentations, the posturing — and the David Ellison elephant looming over it all.
TV Shocker: Broadcast is Growing Again — and the Numbers Prove It As broadcast shows renewed vitality, Lesley Goldberg maps out what the Big 4 are offering up now.
TV in 3: Friedlander’s Amazon Goals Revealed; TV Studio Scorecard Lesley’s take on the Prime Video exec’s first twirl for Madison Ave., plus Vin Diesel’s Fast & Furious overshare.
Richard Rushfield
↑ Katzenberg’s Last Currency On the outs in Hollywood circles and among Dems, Jeffrey Katzenberg held a Santa Barbara confab featuring none other than Palantir’s Alex Karp, a major player behind Trump’s would-be security state.
L.A. Ratatouille
↑ L.A.’s Rat Attack: Panic Hits Hollywood’s Hot Tables From San Vicente Bungalows to Peninsula Beverly Hills to Dan Tana, industry-favored eateries are seeing a troubling rise in vermin. Degen Pener investigates why.
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.
Prestige Junkie
↑ Euphoria to Hacks: Wait, That’s the Same Actress? Busy character actor Alanna Ubach tells Katey why she takes pride in being “the potatoes, butter and broccoli on the side.”
Plus, Christopher Rosen chats with Wonder Man star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II about his superhero turn:
Indie TV Takes Center Stage at SeriesFest — Serial Killers and All Katey shares her experience in Denver for the 12th annual TV confab, where she talked to The Testaments’ Amy Seimetz and Devil in Disguise’s John Wayne Gacy, Michael Chernus.
The Wakeup
Sean McNulty got into the nitty-gritty of each Upfronts presentation, from NBC’s scripted TV revival to Disney’s star power and Netflix’s new ad tech:
Friday → ☀️ NETFLIX Builds AI Animation Biz; VERSANT Q1 Library Bump
Thursday → ☀️ Woof: NETFLIX vs. WBD in Upfronts Day 3
Wednesday → ☀️ DIS Upfront: 2027 Sports & Spectacle Onslaught
Tuesday → ☀️ NBC v. Amazon Ad Battle: Upfronts Day 1
Sunday → ☀️ Prada Strong, Kombat Soft, Sheep Baa!
Podcasts
Ankler Agenda
Live from New York! Elaine, Sean and Natalie broke down the Upfronts’ major themes from Disney, Netflix, WBD & YouTube:
Shows
Rushfield Lunch
Richard sat down with Stick creator Jason Keller for a wide-ranging conversation about Owen Wilson’s “writer’s brain” and the long road Keller took to Hollywood:
Like & Subscribe
New from Natalie Jarvey’s creator economy newsletter:
The Optionist
Andy Lewis’ latest IP picks:
↑ Michael Clayton Meets Indiana Jones & Ocean’s 8 for Student Loan Debt
