The Skinny: No snarky small talk this morning. Just painful memories of a beautiful blue sky filled with smoke. Wednesday's headlines include a profile of Jeff Shell, the new head of NBCUniversal's movie unit. Also,
Daily Dose:
Better call Shell. In tapping Jeff Shell to run its movie unit, NBCUniversal is going with a proven dealmaker who also seems to be genuinely liked by all who come across him. Shell, a Los Angeles native, grew up on the Westside, the son of a cardiologist and a therapist. An athlete who used to spend hours in the backyard perfecting his jump shot, Shell is expected to bring that same intensity to his movie gig. A look at Shell from the Los Angeles Times.
Is there a movie in this? The surprise shakeup at Universal this week, with Ron Meyer taking a broader corporate role and Adam Fogelson being shown the door, still has Hollywood tongues wagging.
Woof! Arsenio Hall returned to late-night television Monday, and at least for day one, there was a lot of interest from viewers. Ratings from the nation's biggest cities for the adult 18-49 demographic were bigger than those for Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel and
Attention Target shoppers. Retail chain Target is the latest to get into the streaming game. Target is launching Target Ticket, with movies and TV shows from all the usual suspects. Although it is a crowded environment with Best Buy and Walmart having already planted flags, Variety quotes a Target executive noting there is a " significant portion of our guests who haven't adopted digital entertainment yet." Good to know that I'm no different than the typical Target shopper.
Killed again.
Inside the Los Angeles Times: Robert Lloyd on Arsenio Hall's return.
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