Conan O'Brien onstage during the 97th Annual Oscars. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, those already harboring a case of nerves about this Sunday’s Academy Awards were presented more disconcerting if vague news: An FBI warning that Iran was contemplating drone attacks on West Coast targets, prompting even higher levels of security at the already tightly orchestrated event.
That ABC News report turned out to be unverified, but by then it had brought another unsettling undercurrent to this year’s Oscars, where no additional anxiety is needed. Indeed, in what marks the first of three lame-duck telecasts on ABC—with the host network for the last 50 years losing those rights to YouTube in 2029—Sunday’s ceremony will again face the political tensions of war as a backdrop, along with several industry-centric elephants in the room.
Indeed, security and the war join a laundry list of crises and question marks, among them ownership of Warner Bros., the studio behind this year’s likely Best Picture winner; and whether…
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The latest episode of Power Lines just dropped.
In this week’s episode: The Trump administration is waging war on two fronts—in Iran and against the press, lashing out at journalists and restricting Pentagon photographer access over "unflattering" images. But MAGA's own biggest stars are turning on Trump, with Joe Rogan, Megyn Kelly, and Tucker Carlson openly denouncing the conflict.
Plus, at CBS News, investigative reporter Scott MacFarlane is the latest major talent to walk out the door, disillusioned with Bari Weiss' influence—and Status has learned he's far from alone as staffers worry the network is increasingly mirroring The Free Press.
Plus, David Ellison pledges to protect CNN's independence ahead of the Warner Bros. Discovery takeover, but Democratic senators are raising new alarm over Paramount's Chinese and Saudi funding.
You can watch on YouTube—or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the program, subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Rupert Murdoch with children Elisabeth, Prudence, Lachlan, and James, and former wife Anna Murdoch-Mann. (Photo via Alamy / Netflix).
An Heir-Raising Docuseries: If you enjoy media news, miss HBO’s “Succession” but aren’t the type to read 10,000-word pieces in The New York Times magazine or The Atlantic, “Dynasty: The Murdochs” was made just for you. Serving as a kind of full-employment act for media reporters commenting on the Murdochs’ lives, the four-part docuseries chronicles both the rise of Rupert Murdoch’s empire and the jockeying among his children for dad’s love and the keys to the kingdom, but not in that in order.
Director Liz Garbus nicely fleshes out the narrative (and kudos to Netflix for having the gumption to commission it) with interviews the Murdochs sat for in the past, although…
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