☀️Kim K Sets DISNEYFOX Home, NBA RSN Exodus Continues
AMAZON + Tim Miller / Wahlberg producing Blackberry doc / LGF extends CEO
Mornin! This is Sean McNulty (connect with me on LinkedIn here if ya like), and here’s the Hollywood + Media news to know on THURSDAY, August 15, 2024.
Where let’s send our thoughts to the folks of Phoenix, AZ today . . . as I’m afraid, yes, the AC in its baseball stadium is on the fritz. 😱
No, no, it’s not the “playing a summer sport in a city with 80+ straight days of temperatures over 100 degrees” thing where the logic goes awry (btw, that 80 days is a new record, and it’s only August 15).
It’s more that the DIAMONDBACKS’ indoor stadium facilities are more than 25 years old and not delivering as much cool air as they once did. Ironically not helping matters — the team got good! Thus, more people are attending games . . . and more people = more heat.
So #PlayBall! as best you can ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS — you can just hear the tiny violins from the players of yore in Field of Dreams, can’t you? Try playing in wool uniforms in the heat and humidity of 1940 Brooklyn in July, fellas.
BTW: Have fun with that whole “New MLB team in Las Vegas” thing baseball fans. Their potential plan? Put cooling devices in the seats. I’m sure the players on the field will appreciate that approach.
BUT: At least it’s not like #BigTech is building extremely water-intensive businesses like AI data centers and chip manufacturers right in the middle of that very same desert area of the U.S. or something. 😳
FINALLY: Climate change is now making the temperature in delivery trucks so hot that mail-order medicines are melting and evaporating.
THEN: The Walz-Vance VP debate will be on Tue. October 1, run by CBS.
AND: Just an observation here, but look at the September lineup on FX! Who said basic cable has nothing on it . . . 🤐 (granted yes, they’re not exclusive to cable by any means as all will be on HULU as well).
Sept 2: The English Teacher new series
Sept 12: The Old Man returning series
Sept 17: American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez limited series
Sept 25: Grotesquerie new series
Sept. 27: Social Studies docuseries
OR: Roughly the amount of new series volume that APPLE TV+ releases every month.
ALSO: Remember when DRAFTKINGS announced it was going to start taxing winnings in states that have high gambling tax rates? Yesterday, FANDUEL said yeah . . . we’re not gonna do that, and lo and behold — DRAFTKINGS changed course and will no longer charge the tax, saying it was “listening to our competitors customers.”
OH: In case you’re wondering why your STARBUCKS bill may not go down with the arrival of the new CEO to save the company, he’s getting a $113M comp package, including:
$10M signing bonus (Richard told me his handshake was worth $10M when I moved over here — no idea how I fell for that).
$73M in stock grants over time
Not exactly a Zaz-like $190M-ish grant, then again — who knows what the price is where those WBD shares are no longer underwater.
Doesn’t have to move to headquarters in Seattle, and can use the STARBUCKS jet to commute from . . . Newport Beach.
Eh, I’m sure there are a few other folks making the same commute to amortize those, uh, 3-hour (ish) flight costs. Ironically, I hear they serve DUNKIN on the flight. Yeah weird, right? I think Affleck used to own the plane.
NOTE: Other white-collar STARBUCKS employees were required to return to the office at least 3 days a week last year.
BTW: This new STARBUCKS CEO is coming over from CHIPOTLE, a company he joined in 2018 — when he literally moved their headquarters from Denver, CO to . . . Newport Beach. Way to stand your ground STARBUCKS.
HUH: You may recall me including some excellent NYT pieces earlier this year about how GM was tracking your driving habits essentially without you realizing it . . . and then selling that data to insurance companies. Well, now Texas is suing GM for doing that. 👏 #GoJournalism!!
REST IN PEACE: Goes out to legendary actress Gena Rowlands, who died at the age of 94 yesterday.
WAKEUP BOX OFFICE POLL
Okay, let’s keep the good times going with DISNEYFOX’s Alien: Romulus, which has a pretty wide berth . . . tracking anywhere from $28M on the very low side, to $40M-ish, and some folks are betting higher than that.
Alien: Covenant with Fassbender opened to $36M in 2017.
Bears, you still out there?
The Ankler ON THE TOWN
Who needs to go to The Olympics when Paris comes to L.A.? 🤷♂️ Elaine Low and Matthew Frank hit the town last night for the NETFLIX premiere of the new season — I look forward to getting all of the scoop on the podcast recording later today (I’m gonna assume Emily is still in Paris).
📽 THE SILVER TV 📺
