Clooney’s Big Broadway Bet, and How to Make Real Money in Theater
Matt is joined by nine-time Tony Award–winning producer John Johnson to talk about his latest hit, ‘Good Night and Good Luck,’ and the decision to stream the play live on CNN for the first time in Broadway history. They also take a broader look at the Broadway business, discussing how much money a play or musical costs to produce, what kind of ticket sales constitutes a hit, which individuals get paid the most, why A-list stars are flocking to the stage, and more (02:23). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the final season of ‘Stranger Things’ (27:26). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: John Johnson Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
4 Juni 33min
The Real Winners of the Taylor Swift Masters Mega-Deal
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Taylor Swift’s purchase of the rights to the master recordings of her first six albums, which were originally sold to Scooter Braun in 2019 and later acquired by Shamrock Capital. They discuss the details of the deal, the winners and losers, and how Swift has changed the music industry by paving the way for artists to own their work (02:45). Matt closes the show with a prediction about the 2025 NBA Finals ratings (23:44). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt BelloniGuest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie LopezTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
2 Juni 30min
John Mulaney on SNL50 Hijinks and Getting Away With His Late-Night Netflix Show
Live from Hollywood, Matt is joined by comedian John Mulaney to talk about his experience writing for the 'SNL' 50th anniversary special and what he thinks will happen to the show moving forward. He also discusses how he managed to get away with his unique late-night show on Netflix, how he deals with executive notes, learning from his sitcom, and whether he’d ever return to scripted comedy (01:39). Matt finishes the show with an opening-weekend box office prediction for ‘Karate Kid: Legends’ (28:19). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt BelloniGuest: John Mulaney Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie LopezTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
29 Maj 34min
The New Path to Stand-Up Fame and Fortune With Mike Birbiglia
Matt is joined by comedian Mike Birbiglia to talk about how the goal of the modern stand-up comedian has changed over the past decade. They discuss whether stand-up alone is no longer enough and how necessary shoulder programming like podcasting and social media is for building a following. They also talk about Netflix's influence on stand-up and whether comedians want to make movies and TV anymore (02:30). Matt finishes the show with a prediction on which movies from the Cannes Film Festival will generate Oscar buzz (30:22). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Mike Birbiglia Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
27 Maj 36min
Part 2: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg on Rejecting Tim Cook, Pitching Ice Cube, and Plans for More ‘The Studio’
Matt is joined by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg to discuss what they learned from industry executives before writing the show, choosing Netflix’s Ted Sarandos over Apple CEO Tim Cook for a cameo, desperately pitching Ice Cube, how they shot in a real Las Vegas casino, and which scenes were cut before they weigh in on the state of theatrical comedy in Hollywood (01:22). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guests: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
23 Maj 35min
Part 1: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and Wild Stories From the Set of ‘The Studio’
Matt is joined by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the writer-director duo behind ‘The Studio,’ to discuss how the show came together, what the show gets right and wrong about Hollywood, which characters are based on real people, and why the show presented a different challenge than anything they had ever worked on before (02:44). Matt finishes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Lilo & Stitch’ (26:20). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guests: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
23 Maj 32min
The New Late Night with ‘Hot Ones’ Host Sean Evans
Matt is joined by Sean Evans, host of ‘Hot Ones,’ to discuss how he turned a niche internet interview show into one of the most popular celebrity talk shows in media. Sean discusses the business behind the show, how long it took to start making money, the art of interviewing celebrities, whether he views ‘Hot Ones’ as a competitor to late night, and what the future holds for both him and the show (02:22). Matt closes the show with an opening weekend box office prediction for ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’ (27:05). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here. Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Sean Evans Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
21 Maj 34min
Is Streaming Killing Music—or Saving It? With a Top Spotify Exec
Matt is joined by Spotify’s global head of music vertical, Charlie Hellman, to talk about the current state of the music industry, how the music streaming era has impacted artists, how artists actually get paid by Spotify, competing with YouTube, the surge in AI-generated music, and artists’ biggest frustrations with Spotify (02:27). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about President Donald Trump’s $20 billion lawsuit against CBS (26:07). Disclaimer: This podcast is produced by The Ringer, which is owned by Spotify. For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click here.Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com Host: Matt Belloni Guest: Lucas Shaw Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie LopezTheme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
19 Maj 32min
