winner: Travis Knight/Masters of the Universe: We all know we can’t quite trust “first reactions” to upcoming films — a method used by studios to pre-empt critics by screening a film to a curated group of fan influencers. But two trusted colleagues also saw Travis Knight Masters of the universeand says the glowing early hype around Amazon MGM’s adaptation of the 1980s animated series is accurate: Masters of the universe It’s silly, fun, and better than the trailers look (and if you’re allergic to Jared Leto, fear not — his Skeletor is adorable, and you can’t tell it’s him).
winner: Carrie Parker/Indy Navarrete / Focus features: “No, no, no, no…Yes! Parker’s first directorial horror film mania It was made for only $750,000. It has already grossed $27 million. The film managed to reach number one at the box office for a few days, making it so may It is the lowest-budget film to do this in decades. The film also received completely equal scores of 95 percent among critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. While star Indi Navarrete is widely praised for her performance and becomes the meme queen as she plays the most loyal friend in the world.
winner: First Jordan: the I love Los Angeles The actor’s first directorial appearance, Kid ClubIt premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to sell for $17 million to A24 after a bidding war with six studios vying for the rights. said the first man diverse He has felt somewhat like a “punching bag” in the industry in recent years, “I’ve been low-key depressed…since 2021. There’s been a ‘everyone hates me’ murmur for a long time.” To be fair, this is how most Hollywood residents feel walking around most of the time. My favorite part of this is that Firstman says HBO president Casey Bloys connected him with a psychic who predicted his film would sell to A24 and be a hit. One wonders if HBO bosses’ infiltration of middlemen has also eliminated executives Western world Without a final season and dropping “HBO” from the carrier’s name for two years.
winner: Eric Kripke: Boys It’s always seemed like a popular hit show that tried, but never succeeded, to break into that vaulted level of prestige television — a show that was too crass, silly, and acerbic to be considered on the same level as projects like the Serious Chef Show Bear The serious doctor offered the house. BoysThe final season has been incredibly prophetic in its satire of the Trump administration, and has had a tough time online — endings are tough, as the director of every drama series over the past two decades can attest. But ratings for the final season set records for the Prime Video series, and the finale itself managed to avoid collapse. The plane landed hard, fast, and bumpy, but stopped landing. The season also prepared things well for next season. High Vought.
winner: ABC/Tim Allen: Supposedly for the first time in ABC’s 82-year history, the network has renewed all of its scripted series for next season — including 10 dramas and three comedies. Yes even Transmission gearsin which Tim Allen – and I write this with sincere admiration – has somehow managed to continue playing the same character across multiple sitcoms for 35 years.
loser: Victims of blue dot fever (Meghan Trainor, Post Malone, Dolly Parton, Zayn, The Pussycat Dolls, Kiefer Sutherland Presumably, Demi Lovato): The alleged epidemic goes viral to infect touring artists as the high prices of Trump’s summer arrive (squeezing consumers when the average concert ticket last year actually cost $132, according to Pollstar). Symptoms of blue dot fever include a visible rash of unsold Ticketmaster seats (they appear as blue dots on seat maps), an artist’s red face from the embarrassment of having to cancel shows, and disappointed fans.
Live Nation CEO Michael Rapinoe has strongly described blue dot fever as a delusional disorder, tweeting: “We have about 15,000 shows on sale; 100 of them will be cancelled. This would be typical.” Live Nation insiders are also said to be blaming scalpers (so why doesn’t Ticketmaster make it more difficult for scalper bots to snatch up the best seats? This Spotify reserved effort could be helpful, or it could just be another early access perk for companies like some of the credit cards they offer). RFK Jr. recommends Sick artists take a full course of ivermectin, do some withdrawals, and possibly lower their prices.
loser: Spencer Pratt (and death support): Pratt has spent the last few months trying to sound nonpartisan — while parroting all the right-wing talking points about Los Angeles — and coming along to heap praise on Donald Trump, including a line the Karen Bass campaign couldn’t have written better: “I hear he’s a big MAGA guy.” Pratt’s other rival for Los Angeles mayor, Nithya Raman, tweeted that line so quickly you’d think she’d been refreshing her feed in anticipation all week. Tough break when less than 15 percent of Los Angeles voters are Republicans, and this press coverage overshadows what is arguably Pratt’s best and most honest ad. (Speaking of which, someone should tell Pratt to stop wearing hats — ditch the Trump-symbolizing political accessories if you really want to not look like Trump.)
If you’re wondering, “What about The Mandalorian and Grogu?” I got into it a few weeks ago.
