L.A. Real Estate Freeze; The Anthropic Assault; Ankler’s Power Hire
Plus: NBC ratings: NBA ’25 vs. scripted ’24; Richard’s How-To H’wood guides
A BIG WIN for Ankler Media as we welcome our new powerhouse publisher, entertainment industry legend Lynne Segall, who’s teed up to drive even more explosive growth for our journalism, events, podcasts and video in 2026. I was part of the team at The Hollywood Reporter when Lynne and Janice Min, our Ankler Media CEO, boldly reinvented that institution — transforming the entire entertainment media landscape in the process — and I can’t wait to see what Lynne’s passion and leadership will unlock for us and for you as we continue to serve up the most insightful, innovative and honest coverage of Hollywood anywhere.
Case in point: It was fashionable on Friday to tally Kathleen Kennedy’s supposed misfires as the leader of Lucasfilm. But as the longtime steward of the Star Wars franchise made her graceful exit after nearly 14 years, Richard Rushfield offered a necessary corrective — reminding readers of an indelible career that spans everything from Back to the Future and Jurassic Park to a run at Lucasfilm that produced massive films and TV while Kennedy also personally grappled head-on with some of the industry’s thorniest challenges. All, as Richard notes, “while committing the unpardonable sin of being a woman.”
Richard will mark another industry turning point this week at Sundance, as the festival bows its final edition in Park City. He and I will both be on the mountain: Thursday morning at The Impact Lounge’s Pull Focus event, discussing storytelling’s power to drive social change; and Friday afternoon at UTA House, where I’ll lead a conversation on how Hollywood portrays health and disease. Find us there — and look out for Richard’s newsletter and video dispatches from the festival’s opening weekend.
Now, ICYMI, here’s our best of the week:
Rushfield: How-To H’Wood; Globes Humiliation
In his latest How-To Hollywood guides, Richard walks through managing life on location, nailing that pitch and the No. 1 secret to success in showbiz — taking the credit (and never the blame):
And yuck. Richard reams the UFC, Polymarket and Penske-tainted Golden Globes: a perfect Trump-era embarrassment:
Reel AI: The Anthropic Assault
Erik Barmack warns that Claude, Anthropic’s large language model, will soon be as standard in industry offices as Slack and Excel — with dire consequences for every rung of the industry:
Series Business: Versant’s Big Swings; Pilots 2.0
After spinning off from NBCU, Versant CEO Mark Lazarus and entertainment president Val Boreland reveal to Lesley Goldberg the big swings in store:
Lesley reveals what’s brewing at the Big Three networks as pilot season, a casualty of the Streaming Wars and Covid, makes a comeback:
Elaine Low gives the play-by-play from the inaugural Ankler Invitational, last weekend’s fierce, fun tennis tournament with Dan Lin, Joel McHale, Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade and more joining to hit the courts:
Hollywood’s Real Estate Reckoning
Luxury pads slash prices, and houses “sit for months”: Nicole LaPorte talks to residents and brokers about L.A. real estate’s grim new normal:
Notable: Sara Bareilles’ Emotional Return
With Rob LeDonne, singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles reflects on the loss and healing behind her Oscar-shortlisted song for Come See Me in the Good Light:
Prestige Junkie: Oscar Noms Ahead!
With days to go before Oscar noms are revealed, Katey Rich makes the case for the 14 strongest best picture contenders:
The Wakeup
In November 2024, NBC’s Tuesday nights featured St. Denis Medical, Night Court and The Voice. This past November, the NBA took over. Sean McNulty crunches the data to see how scripted fared versus sports:
📹 Ankler Shows
Monday Morning QBs: Could Zootopia 2 really surpass Avatar: Fire and Ash? Richard and Sean break down why, despite still grossing well over $1 billion, the James Cameron sci-fi saga has finally come down to Earth:
Rushfield Lunch: Ponies co-creator Susanna Fogel chats with Richard about the Cold War roots of her Peacock spy thriller — and the creative trade-offs required to keep making ambitious work today:
🎧 PODCASTS
ANKLER AGENDA
After Polymarket’s tacky Globes takeover, Elaine, Sean and Natalie trace the history of entertainment gamification and the money now pouring in:
Rob Long knows that making a hit is hard. Showing more skin isn’t:
📱 LIKE & SUBSCRIBE BY NATALIE JARVEY
👓 THE OPTIONIST BY ANDY LEWIS
FINAL HOUSEKEEPING!
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