‘KPop’ Duo Tease Sequel; Peacock Wish List; ‘South Park’ v. Cowards
Plus: CAA’s AI bet; and how to make big bucks... teaching?!
Katey Rich likens her new Prestige Junkie After Party to your dishiest private group text chains — unfiltered, uncensored and filled with your smartest friends. Her brand-new platform, with co-pilot Christopher Rosen (The Ankler’s deputy editor), launched Friday and takes you deeper inside her own conversations about Hollywood’s TV shows, movies and festivals, and all the awards hoopla and whispers that surround them.
While you’ll still get fantastic insights from the Prestige Junkie pod and Katey’s newsletters here at The Ankler, you don’t want to miss the fun insider conversations she and Chris share every week at After Party (and for $5 a month, you really shouldn’t, especially since the subscription comes with event perks and more). Their Friday chat was fire, filled with hilarity and insights about how Oscar’s best actor race is shaping up, who’s circling the Social Network sequel and much more.
Preview it here 👇🏼
And speaking of Oscars, Netflix has planted its stake in the animated feature race with the streamer’s most successful feature ever, the global phenom that is KPop Demon Hunters. Lesley Goldberg spoke to co-directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans about “how it’s done, done, done”: the wildly original pitch that swayed Netflix execs (after Sony first passed on the project), the film’s subversive take on the superhero genre, what’s in the cards for a sequel and spin-offs, and how to stick with a seven-year project.
Lastly! I want to point out that one of our missions at Ankler Media is to help keep every single one of you working, thriving and making money. Therefore I can’t recommend enough our sister sub, Like & Subscribe from Natalie Jarvey. Natalie’s column this week is filled with valuable insights about a new, fast-growing way to make money: professional online teaching. Very likely, you are an expert in something, and people are making real money — millions, in within months — sharing their career expertise (hey, Gen X, we’re talking to you!) on a host of new revenue-generating platforms. Check it out!
Now, without further ado, ICYMI, the rest of our best of the week:
Series Business: Peacock’s Show Wish List
After revealing what Apple TV+, Amazon and HBO & HBO Max are looking to buy, Elaine Low surveys reps about what Peacock wants in drama and comedy — plus, who’s making the calls at the streamer and NBC, and the rising bench of next-gen talent you need to know:
Richard Rushfield: They Killed Kenny Trump!
As our industry leaders cower and acquiesce, South Park’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone are playing the exact role entertainment should be playing in the Trump era, writes Richard:
Reel AI: CAA Places Its Bets
With AI’s impact across Hollywood growing daily, CAA is investing in Moonvalley, a startup building visual intelligence models for filmmakers. Erik Barmack goes inside the partnership — and how it’s built to protect talent — with CAA’s head of strategic business development and Moonvalley’s CEO:
Prestige Junkie: Fall Preview; The Pitt Standout
Katey Rich and Christopher Rosen kick off their five-part fall film awards preview, in which the duo takes a close look at the lineups for every studio that has won Oscar’s best picture in the past 10 years — starting with reigning champion, Neon. Plus, Katey chats with The Pitt’s Shawn Hatosy about his Emmy-nominated turn as Dr. Jack Abbot:
The Wakeup
Comcast and Paramount dropped their Q2 deluges of financial data, and Sean McNulty analyzes what you need to know: Peacock’s stalled sub growth, Paramount’s rough ad quarter — and how Disney’s Hulu purchase saved Comcast’s profit total:
Weekly Shows
Monday Morning QBs: This week, on our live show with Richard & Sean about what just happened at the box office, the duo assesses The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ strong opening, the rebirth of the superhero genre — and how its momentum is being put on a yearlong hold:
The Rushfield Lunch: Social Studies director Lauren Greenfield joins Richard this week for a chat about her Emmy-nominated FX docuseries, which gives an eye-opening account of today’s high schoolers and their relationship with social media:
🎧 PODCASTS
THE ANKLER
WBD Divorce, Netflix K-Pop Frenzy: Film’s Split Screen Summer Hollywood’s breaking up and blowing up:
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
👓 THE OPTIONIST BY ANDY LEWIS
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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