How Matt Belloni’s Puck Column Became a Hollywood Must-Read

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( the industry [‘Is He Going to Ruin My Day?’]( How Matthew Belloni became the must-read columnist for Hollywood’s executive class. Photo: Maggie Shannon The Hollywood journalist Matthew Belloni was seated in a crowded theater at the Toronto International Film Festival when someone called him with a tip. “Make it quick, I’m at a screening,” he said into the phone. Belloni was at A24’s premiere for the rerelease of Stop Making Sense, and he had muscled his way into the good seats, one row in front of David Byrne. (“We’re not supposed to be in these,” he whispered to me. “This is one of those situations where you just have to act like you know what you’re doing.”) On the call, he learned that Endeavor, one of the largest entertainment groups in the country, would spin off the UFC and merge it with the WWE, another American megabrand, to create a new public company. The deal is significant, later reported to be worth $21 billion. Thousands of jobs are baked into the transaction; a few rich executives stand to get even richer. The lights dimmed as he put away his phone. “WWE is going public tomorrow,” he told me. “What am I going to do with that? We won’t publish another newsletter until Thursday.” [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( to save over 40% on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: [Everyone Fumbles]( • The Real Housewives of Miami: [Cancer Season]( • Abbott Elementary: [Pick Your Poison]( • Feud: Capote vs. the Swans: [Jimmy and Truman]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [How Feud’s Capote, His Swans, and His Demons Compare to Real Life The anthology series returns with a vengeance and a fluid relationship with the historical record.]( By Sarene Leeds [The Playwright on HIV-Med Strike Three months ago, Victor I. Cazares decided to stop taking their pills — until the New York Theatre Workshop calls for a cease-fire in Gaza.]( By E. Alex Jung [Wendy Williams Has Dementia and Aphasia A press release said Williams “is still able to do many things for herself.”]( By Justin Curto [What’s the Deal With Shane Gillis Hosting SNL? The comedian was fired from the cast in 2019. Now he’s returning to host. Why?]( By Hershal Pandya and Jesse David Fox [Jack McCoy’s 13 Best Episodes of Law & Order Tonight we say farewell to Sam Waterston’s fiery district attorney.]( By Evelyn Frick [The Zone of Interest’s Final Moments Are a Nazi Workaholic’s Nightmare What if Rudolf Höss isn’t vomiting out of remorse? What if it’s his own irrelevance dawning on him instead?]( By A.A. Dowd [Radu Jude Is Seeking Justice for Production Assistants Everywhere Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World follows an underpaid and overworked driver in Romania.]( By Zoe Guy [Going Through It in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth The open world of Cloud Strife & Co. is weirdly relatable.]( By Lewis Gordon [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Today’s Crossword]( 14-Across, Four Letters: Fee for the troll, in “The Nightman Cometh” Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved