A Separate Pace
Pace Gallery opened three major May exhibitions in its Chelsea flagship: a solo show by emerging painter Kngwarray, a Julian Schnabel retrospective, and a David Hockney survey. The shows blend fresh talent with established masters, appealing to both younger collectors and blue‑chip buyers. By launching in early May, the gallery ensures the exhibitions run through the summer, extending visitor access beyond the typical short‑run model. This schedule offers collectors more time to evaluate high‑value works and keeps foot traffic steady in Chelsea’s art district.
The Hollywood A.I. Appeasement Vibe Shift
Hollywood’s long‑standing resistance to artificial‑intelligence tools is giving way to a pragmatic appeasement strategy. After years of union strikes and public backlash, studios and talent groups are negotiating limited AI usage agreements, highlighted by SAG‑AFTRA’s surprise détente with the digital...
Sankey Is From Mars, Petitti Is From Venus
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti have entered a public dispute over the future size of the College Football Playoff. Sankey rejected a proposal to expand the field to 24 teams and defended a modest increase,...
Jerry Lorenzo’s Fear of God Complex
Jerry Lorenzo, founder of luxury‑basic label Fear of God, eliminated the chief executive officer role in April 2026, removing Bastien Daguzan and assuming full strategic and operational control. The restructuring coincided with a rise in profitability, despite the brand’s core...
Hollywood’s Saudi Tax Rebate Problem
Saudi Arabia announced a new film‑and‑TV incentive that can return up to 60% of production costs, eclipsing the 25‑40% rates common in Europe and even Qatar's recent 50% offer. The boost aims to position the kingdom as a global filming...
The Ellison Trust-Busting Is Getting Political
Paramount Skydance’s $110 billion bid to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery has ignited a high‑stakes antitrust showdown. The company has hired top litigators, including Winston & Strawn’s Jeffrey Kessler, with Latham, Cravath and other elite firms expected to join. A coalition of state attorneys general is challenging the...
The Optimist’s Case for the UFC and F1 Megadeals
Paramount secured UFC broadcasting rights in a $7.7 billion deal announced by David Ellison after his acquisition of the studio. A few months later Apple struck a massive agreement for global Formula 1 streaming, prompting skepticism about the $4.5 trillion tech giant’s sports‑rights...
Has Google Already Won the A.I. Race?
Google has begun a full‑scale rollout of its AI‑assisted Search feature, dubbed AI Mode, after unveiling it at last year’s I/O conference. Sundar Pichai described the upgrade as a "total reimagining" that brings generative AI to more users than any...
Warby Parker’s $150 Million Google Goggles
Warby Parker announced a partnership with Google, securing a $75 million investment to develop AI‑powered smartglasses. The company unveiled a prototype featuring a lightweight nylon frame that can schedule appointments and stream Spotify. The product is slated for a broader eyewear...
What I’ve Heard: Five Years of Hollywood Disruption
The five‑year anniversary of the "What I’m Hearing" newsletter highlights a Hollywood in turmoil, marked by a surge in mergers and acquisitions, the fallout from Peak TV’s oversaturation, and industry‑wide strikes. Over 100 insiders were surveyed, revealing that legacy studios...
Netflix’s 17 Seconds in Heaven
Netflix’s first major MMA event—a Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano bout—ended after just 17 seconds when Carano tapped out. The rapid finish sparked criticism and jokes across sports media, but the streamer views it as a learning moment rather than...
The Wolf of Broad Street
James Murdoch announced a $300 million-plus acquisition of New York, the Vox Media Podcast Network, and Vox.com, creating a new Vox Media subsidiary under his Lupa Systems vehicle. The deal keeps current CEO Jim Bankoff at the helm to guide the integration. This...
How Much Is Too Much for a Super Bowl Commercial?
Adam Schwartz, senior executive at Horizon Media, reflects on the soaring price of Super Bowl commercials, which have risen from $3.5 million in 2006 to an expected $10 million for next year’s ESPN broadcast. Despite the jump, Schwartz argues the 30‑second slot...
Christie’s Manic Monday
Christie's Monday auction generated $1.12 billion in sales, the second‑largest single‑evening total ever recorded, trailing only the $1.5 billion Paul Allen sale of 2022. The headline piece was Jackson Pollock’s Number 7A, which fetched $181 million from the Si Newhouse collection. Strong bidding extended...
The Trump-Xi A.I. Rain Dance
President Trump’s two‑day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping centered on artificial intelligence, signaling the technology’s rise as the premier national‑security issue between the United States and China. The meeting, the first Trump‑China summit since 2017, raised questions about whether the...