Let's talk about the business side of show business.
Plus - we're also going talk about Disney Love Triangles
Hi All,
Today marks my half birthday 🎂 and I’ll use that as an excuse to bake something later!
As a gift to myself - I bought GMAT prep books because I’m very seriously considering doing an MBA and need a good score to get into a good school. The GMAT scores last five years, so if I study now and take the test while I have lots of free time - I can apply to schools whenever I want in the next five years. So to get me pumped about studying I’ve been rewatching the Legally Blonde scene where Elle applies to Harvard. It’s inspiring.
I bring this up because this week I’ve been really thinking about the business side of show business. I’m thinking about an MBA because I understand the ‘show’ part, I now want to better understand the ‘business’.
Let’s get to it because I talk about the business side a lot in this newsletter…
This week on the blog:
I’ve got two posts for you and they could not be more different:
First - On Wednesday, I went to an info session for a talent accelerator that the BBC is running and I ended up in tears. I’m so frustrated with the Canadian industry right now and I feel like the UK has it a bit more figured out. I’m deeply jealous so I wrote a bit of a rant. Read it here.
Second - At the tail end of last week, I wrote a little post about all the Disney Drama. To catch you up - we’ve got a new Disney Love Triangle (DLT) and it’s messy. This post will catch you up on all the drama of the past DLTs and update you on the juicy new DLT. Read it here.
Things to watch this week:
This week is jammed packed with really good things to watch and this will continue over the next few weeks - it feels like February, in general, will be a good TV watching month.
We’ve got a few things streaming today on Netflix:
Up first - I’m really excited to watch The Dig. It’s a historical movie set on the brink of WWII about an archaeologic dig on a private estate. It stars Ralph Fiennes and girl of the month - Carey Mulligan. After Promising Young Woman, this is her 2nd movie to come out in the last two weeks. So expect to see a lot of her in the press over the next little while promoting these films and campaigning for the Oscar. Check out the trailer here.
Also starting to stream today is Finding ‘Ohana. It looks really fun - it’s a family movie about teenage siblings on a treasure hunt who will (obviously) find more than treasure. If you are looking for something light and easy (and that you can watch with kids)- this might be for you. Check out the trailer here.
Lastly, If you are looking for another sports doc - We Are: The Brooklyn Saints - a docu-series about a youth football program in Brooklyn starts streaming today. The trailer is really inspiring.
Beyond Netflix, AppleTV is looking really good right now.
I don’t have AppleTV but I’m starting to think I need to get it. Between Ted Lasso, Dickinson, The Morning Show, and all the Oprah stuff - it might be worth it. Plus I want to watch Palmer - the new Justin Timberlake show that starts streaming today about a guy and a kid who form a unique relationship. Watch the trailer. It looks really good.
On Crave today the first two episodes of a new mini-series called The Sister start streaming. It’s about a sister who gets murdered. It looks really intense - think murder-thriller-coverups-horror etc. This isn’t really my thing but if any of those words appeal to you, the trailer will give you a better idea of what we’re working with.
Also on Crave, you’ve got a new docu-series airing called The Lady and the Dale about a 1970s auto scam and follows entrepreneur Elizabeth Carmichael. The first episode airs on Sunday night at 9pm. Check out the trailer here.
On Monday both Crave and CBC Gem are launching Black History Month Collections. Both have good stuff, but I’m more interested in the stuff on Gem. I’m really looking forward to music docu-series Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America and How It Feels to Be Free, and the basketball documentary Giants of Africa.
Also on Monday (February 1st), Crave is releasing a new HBO mini series called The Investigation. This is a true story based on the 2017 murder of Kim Wall, young Swedish journalist. You might have heard of it as the ‘submarine case’. It’s a Danish show so get ready to read some subtitles - but I’m excited about this show because it stars a lot of my favourite actors from Borgen. I will 100% be watching this. Check out the trailer here.
On Tuesday, Crave is airing the documentary Fake Famous. I talked about this doc in my blog post from last week, but I am particularly interested in this because it goes deep into the world of influencers. Trailer here.
If you were a fan of Rookie Blue or Baroness Von Sketch - you have to watch Pretty Hard Cases. Starting Meredith MacNeill & Adrienne C. Moore and created by Tassie Cameron, this show is the new big deal comedy for CBC. It airs on Wednesday at 9pm on CBC and streams on CBC Gem. Watch the trailer here.
Also on Wednesday, Firefly Lane starts streaming on Netflix. It stars Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke as two lifelong best friends. It feels very ‘Hallmark’ if you know what I mean - but I might curl up with this if I have a rainy afternoon this week. Check out the trailer here.
Also worth noting - if you are a Bring it On fan, you need to watch those movies ASAP because they leave Netflix next week.
Other things to check out:
Variety has always been well known for it’s Actors on Actors series where they pair two prominent actors to have a conversation about their craft. I watch these on occasion, but this week they were on fire. Pete Davidson and Glenn Close - a pairing we never knew we need and yet they are an IDEAL duo; Jamie Dornan and Eddie Redmayne’s chat was filled with stories from when they were roommates trying to make it in the early years. Then they had Steven Yeun & Riz Ahmed, Carey Mulligan & Zendaya, and Andra Day & Leslie Odom Jr. … just all of these videos are well worth your time.
In TV industry news, the CBC did a piece about how ‘busy’ the TV industry is here. Buzzfeed also wrote a piece about how Hollywood actually has no idea what they are doing with covid protocols. I have strong opinions about both these pieces but this has been my personal vibe for a while: things are buzzing if you feel comfortable on set… but I do not feel comfy on film sets right now.
We’re leaving Olivia Wilde alone by writing articles about leaving her alone in Vogue... I’m confused but whatever. It’s a good read.
The Kardashians will be ending Keeping Up with The Kardashians after 14 years. They released the trailer for the final season which is dramatic… but they used Sign of the Times by Harry Styles (aka Kendal’s ex) which is fascinating to me. Would he have to sign off on this? If yes… I have questions.
We also have a trailer for the new Mighty Ducks series - The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers at Disney+. It looks fun.
Miley Cyrus did a Tiny Desk Concert: At Home and I really liked it. It’s weird, but she’s weird. Check it out here.
In a weird cross over, fans of Love, Simon and edgy crime/drug movies will both like the new movie Silk Road. Starring Alexandra Shipp and Nick Robinson, this movie about the online drug trade looks intense. I’m curious. Trailer here. I’m putting out there now… I feel like someone will make a Silk Road style movie about the GameStop stuff soon.
Finally, for Disney fans and anyone who needs something fun in your life - you all need this oral history of The Emperor’s New Groove. It is excellent.
Have a great weekend,
-Paula
p.s. YES - I saw the news about The Bachelorette filming in Canada, and YES - I have started a Twitter/TikTok campaign to get Chris Harrison to tell their PM to hire me 🌹