for this week's @Variety cover, my journey inside the Diddy trial circus how fans, livestreamers, line-sitters, street preachers, grifters, hecklers, agitators and reporters turned the courthouse into a madhouse wp.me/pc8uak-1lG0Ld

Tucked away in the #Pluribus credits, it reads, “This show was made by humans.” “I hate AI,” creator Vince Gilligan told Variety with a chuckle. “AI is the world’s most expensive and energy-intensive plagiarism machine. I think there’s a very high possibility that this is all a bunch of horseshit. It’s basically a bunch of centibillionaires whose greatest life goal is to become the world’s first trillionaires. I think they’re selling a bag of vapor.” Read the full “Pluribus” story from @ethanshanfeld here: wp.me/pc8uak-1lGwMi

Link 🔗 wp.me/pc8uak-1lGwMi

After you watch PLURIBUS, read my interview with Vince Gilligan and Rhea Seehorn! They talk life after Saul Goodman, why Hollywood "needs more heroes," why AI is a "bag of vapor" and how Silicon Valley has "fucked up the world."

it was an interesting week

Thrilled that @Variety has been nominated for 107 @LAPressClub awards. And a big congratulations to @DPD_ @ChrisWillman and @ethanshanfeld on their nominations for Journalist of the Year. variety.com/2025/biz/news/va…

I'm very honored to be nominated for Online Journalist of the Year by the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. Also happy these stories got recognized:

Downey revealed that he and fellow Saturday Night Live veteran Handey have gone as far as drawing up fake legal documents to support their improvised feud. avclub.com/jim-downey-jack-h…

Love Jim Downey (and Norm) on SNL actors who break. Hard not to think of one late night host in particular.

Jim Downey, utter legend variety.com/2025/tv/news/jim…

"There are certain things you know are going to get a laugh. You don’t need to be proud of it. It’s like this: if you can get a 13-year-old kid to enjoy sea urchin sashimi, that’s a real fucking achievement. Getting him to like banana cream pie is not." wp.me/pc8uak-1lGu2P

I interviewed the legendary Jim Downey about why comedy should be "challenging," improvising that Jeffrey Epstein bit on Conan's podcast, being quoted by the DHS, the "SNL" sketch he still wants to make and why breaking character is "cheap."

this is good

Fan edits rack up hundreds of millions of views on TikTok using pirated clips from movies and TV. Viewing it as free advertising, Hollywood studios have started to hire viral fan editors (teenagers from Brazil, Philippines, etc.) to market their movies. variety.com/2025/film/news/l…

This didn't make the story, but Big Thief says they have a live album "in the works" and have been "recording all the shows for a while now."

"What people want is the very thing they ask you to sacrifice." I interviewed the great and powerful Big Thief — variety.com/2025/music/news/…

My dad just referred to Mandy Patinkin as "Danny Pateko"

"Shark Tank" Season 1: I'm asking for $20K for 30% of my business, Beer for Dogs "Shark Tank" Season 17: For $3.5 billion, you can own 2% of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

"You’re not going to see Norwood suing Disney for pay she’s owed, which I’m sure is part of the appeal." great essay by @jenelleriley

Sarah Sherman Sets Debut Comedy Special at HBO (EXCLUSIVE) variety.com/2025/tv/news/sar…

All three Bruces in the building