Better Call Paul

Paul is in Phoenix for Super Bowl week! Paul and Mesh anticipate Gladiator 2’s release date and celebrate Ridley Scott’s career. They then vet the ten new projects that James Gunn and Peter Safran announced for Chapter 1 of their united DC Universe. Finally, they ponder how Hollywood will adapt as the bots and algorithms like ChatGPT and its peers are trained to create content – and what legal issues the rise of AI might trigger in the world of content. 

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Mesh and Paul discuss Oscar nominations, Who they are rooting for, and who they wish was nominated.

Scooter Braun, the brains behind the success of Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and others, has taken over as the CEO of Hybe America. Paul and Mesh explain why this could potentially increase the company's value, previously known for the success of K Pop groups like BTS. 

They then dive into the current trend of selling song catalogs, including Justin Bieber’s $200M sale. Paul discusses the intricacies of how song catalogs work and why they’re so valuable. 

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Paul and Mesh celebrate Reed Hastings’ legacy at Netflix and ponder the implications and causes of his decision to transition out of the Co-CEO role. They then evaluate the recent broadcast and streaming agreement between LIV golf and the CW Network and discuss whether it was a win for both sides. Finally, Paul analyzes a recent FTC proposal that would essentially render non-compete clauses unenforceable, whether these clauses serve a valid purpose, and how Hollywood and other media companies might respond to this development. 

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Paul and Mesh celebrate MLK weekend and the return of in-person entertainment events from CES and the Golden Globes to the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. Finally, Paul breaks down California’s proposed expansion of its film and television tax credit program and why these various production incentives are so critical to the industry. 

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Paul and Mesh begin with Broadway’s strong end to 2022 and Jeremy’s Renner’s tragic snow plow accident. They then discuss a potential tug of war between streaming giants over Netflix’s Gen Z hit, Wednesday and assess the state of play after a rough 2022 for media stocks. Finally, Paul discusses NFL’s new streaming deal with YouTube TV and its continuation of NFL’s massive growth in revenue, but they wonder, is player safety an existential threat to the NFL as we know it? 

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Paul and Mesh start off by celebrating the epic World Cup final, Avatar 2’s opening weekend, and the drama at DC studios as James Gunn tries to start his tenure with a clean slate. Next, Paul and Mesh discuss the criminal trial against Tory Lanez for allegedly shooting Megan The Stallion and its very confusing and juicy testimony. Finally, Paul breaks down California’s newest privacy law, the Age-Appropriate Design Code Act and the legal challenge brought against it by Big Tech.

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We begin with a quick update on recent entertainment cases: Michael Avenatti's sentencing and Amber Heard's appeal of Johnny Depp's successful defamation verdict. Then, Paul and Mesh discuss Brittney Griner's release after being detained in Russia for nearly 300 days. Finally, we celebrate James Cameron, a titan of film-making who never seems to disappoint, but Mesh wonders, can Avatar 2 live up to its predecessor?

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Instagram: @bettercallpaulthepodcast

Twitter: @meshlakhani

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Paul and Mesh recap the unfortunate swathe of layoffs impacting the media industry. They then dive into Balenciaga’s recent PR nightmare which caused even Kim Kardashian to re-evaluate her relationship with the brand and Paul assesses the legal options Balenciaga may have against its production company (if any). Finally, Paul and Mesh discuss the most recent Ticketmaster controversy involving the Swifties and whether an upcoming congressional antitrust investigation into Ticketmaster may benefit consumers. 

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Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! To start, Paul and Mesh discuss the recent lawsuit against Drake and 21 Savage by Vogue. They then dive into the performance of She Said- based on the sexual allegations of Harvey Weinstein and current box office trends. Finally, the show ends with a deep dive on Disney, the return of Bob Iger, and what it means for the future of the company. 

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Instagram: @bettercallpaulthepodcast

Twitter: @meshlakhani

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We're taking a break this week for Thanksgiving but we'll be back next week. Have a great Thanksgiving!

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