‘Pee-wee As Himself’ director Matt Wolf on really getting to know Paul Reubens; The Media’s appeasement to the President abounds
CBS News president Wendy McMahon has stepped down from her post as tensions escalate over ongoing Paramount Global-Trump settlement talks. With the deal already under scrutiny from senators, what’s in store for Shari Redstone's Skydance merger? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dive into this and more major media shake-up stories.
Plus, Masters talks to director Matt Wolf about Pee-wee as Himself, which looks beyond the iconic character to the complicated man who created him. The two-part series draws from more than 40 hours of Wolf’s interviews with Paul Reubens, who spent much of his life guarding his privacy. The filmmaker also explains how those conversations revealed Reubens’ inner conflicts and why HBO pushed for more when it came to telling the late actor’s story.
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Ramy Youssef on why ‘#1 Happy Family USA’ had to be animated; WBD puts the ‘HBO’ back in ‘HBO Max’
Warner Bros. Discovery has renamed its streaming service once again. Beginning in the summer of 2025, “Max” will be “HBO Max” again. The company dropped “HBO” from its name in 2023, a move which was widely recognized as the company’s attempt to become more competitive with a company like Netflix in its programming variety. The name change signals a renewed focus on the associations between HBO and a certain caliber of TV. What’s next for WBD and the streaming landscape writ large? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni are on deck to talk it through.
Plus, NPR TV critic Eric Deggans talks with comedian and actor Ramy Youssef on creating #1 Happy Family USA. The new series marks Youssef’s first foray into animation. His latest comedy shares a lot of DNA with the award-winning series Ramy — drawing even more inspiration from childhood memories of growing up in a Muslim family in New Jersey post-9/11.
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Donald Trump threatens Hollywood tariffs; ENCORE: Director Edward Berger talks ‘Conclave’
President Trump stunned Hollywood over the weekend with his announcement of a 100% tariff on films produced outside the U.S., framing it as a move to revive domestic production and counter foreign incentives. The industry responded with confusion and concern, warning that such tariffs could sharply raise production costs, reduce the number of films made, and hit moviegoers with higher ticket prices. Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dig into the details.
Plus, the papal conclave recently concluded to reveal the next pope — 69-year-old Chicago-native Pope Leo XIV. Masters revisits her interview with Edward Berger about his latest film, Conclave. The German director tells us how studying filmmaking at NYU in the 90s led him to an internship at the indie production company Good Machine. He also sings the praises of Netflix, which he reveals was the only financier daring enough to pay for his grim German-language war film All Quiet on the Western Front. The film went on to receive four Academy Awards, including Best International Feature Film.
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Titus Welliver talks ‘Bosch: Legacy’; The Trump administration amplifies aggression towards public media
The Trump administration’s scorched-earth media strategy has claimed new casualties at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, including Sony Film Chief Tom Rothman. Meanwhile, the president’s $20 billion lawsuit against Paramount Global continues to force Shari Redstone into what could be a legacy-defining moment. But how will the CBS News staff react to a settlement with Trump? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni investigate.
Plus, NPR TV Critic Eric Deggans chats with Bosch star Titus Welliver about his journey from supporting roles on police procedurals, to portraying detective Harry Bosch for a decade. He talks about his reaction when the spinoff series, Bosch: Legacy was abruptly cancelled after three seasons, and explains how he puts his executive producer credit to good use.
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Filmmaker Jared Hess on leaning into his oddball humor for ‘A Minecraft Movie’; An alarming personnel shake up at ‘60 Minutes’
60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens has resigned amid mounting pressure on Paramount Global to settle a $20 billion lawsuit from Donald Trump. What could a deal with the president mean for Shari Redstone’s legacy? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dive in.
Plus, Masters speaks to Jared Hess about his pop-culture-shifting filmography which includes cult classics Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre. He’s currently enjoying the wild success of A Minecraft Movie, as that 2025 video game adaptation careens towards a billion dollar box office haul. Hess reflects on the unpredictable nature of success in filmmaking, and says he’s especially grateful to producer Mary Parent for understanding his oddball comedic sensibilities and inviting him into the world of Minecraft.
Lively banter about entertainment industry news and in-depth interviews with directors, producers, writers and actors, hosted by award-winning journalist Kim Masters of The Hollywood Reporter.
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