Vince McMahon’s Return and the WWE’s Most Intriguing Suitors
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Vince McMahon’s unceremonious return to the WWE, his plan to help facilitate a sale before agreeing to a new TV rights deal, and the front-runners most likely to make a bid to acquire the live wrestling juggernaut. Email us your thoughts at thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
9 Jan 202332min
The New Black List and the Original Screenwriting Recession
Matt is joined by Franklin Leonard, a film executive and the founder of the Black List, a yearly publication featuring Hollywood's most popular unproduced screenplays, to discuss the market for original screenwriting, the value a good script still holds in Hollywood, why comedies have disappeared, how the Black List helps anoint the next generation of writers, the potential writers strike this spring, and how AI could affect the careers of screenwriters. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Franklin Leonard Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
5 Jan 202332min
Why Audiences Have Given Up on Awards Movies
Awards season is in full swing, and besides 'Avatar,' the critically acclaimed movies are more or less tanking. Today Matt is joined by Kevin Goetz—founder and CEO of Screen Engine/ASI, a leader in content research in the entertainment industry—to discuss the holiday box office slump, the disappearance of the adult drama target audience, and what the data says about the ongoing moviegoing crisis. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Kevin Goetz Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
3 Jan 202328min
The Townies Part 2: Hollywood’s Best and Worst of 2022
It’s Part 2 of podcasting’s most exclusive event of the year, the first-annual Townie Awards. In Part 2, Matt and Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw give out the Mea Culpa Award, the Suck Haters I Was Right Award, the Most Annoying Media Narrative Award, the Best and Worst Actor Career Move Awards, and the Winner of the Year. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
28 Des 202235min
The Townies: Hollywood’s Best and Worst of 2022
It’s podcasting’s most exclusive event of the year, the first annual Townie Awards. This is a show made up of awards created by us, based on our own interpretations of the weirdest year in Hollywood. In Part 1, Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to give out the Most Baffling Success Award, the Publicist Fail of the Year Award, the Jeff “Albanian Army” Bewkes Award for Quote I’ll Probably Regret, and much more. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
27 Des 202234min
Why YouTube Landed NFL ‘Sunday Ticket’
This week YouTube closed on a multi-billion dollar deal to take over NFL ‘Sunday Ticket,’ marking the next major sign of sports television's inevitable transition to streaming. Matt is joined by Ben Mullin from 'The New York Times' to discuss why YouTube made this deal, why Apple failed, and what this means for the future of streaming sports. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Ben Mullin Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
23 Des 202232min
2022 Debacles Part 2: The 2023 Hot Seat and Hollywood’s Biggest Loser
In Part 2 of our biggest debacles of the year conversation, Matt welcomes back Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to nominate the executive on the hot seat in 2023 and make the case for the biggest debacle of the year. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
20 Des 202230min
2022 Debacles Part 1: Movie Bombs, Executive Misfires, and Secret Disasters
This entire year was arguably a debacle for most in Hollywood, the content bubble has seemingly burst, the streaming model may be broken, and companies are frantically trying to create a business model that works for everyone. To discuss those who have struggled most in 2022, Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw for Part 1 of a two-part conversation covering the biggest debacles in Hollywood, including the movie bomb of the year, the most maligned executive decisions, and the most underdiscussed disasters. Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producer: Craig Horlbeck Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
19 Des 202230min
