MIKE ON RADIO: Interviewing Keegan-Michael Key on KCRW's The Business

I guest host this Monday's edition of The Business (Kim Masters is on vacation) and I had a really fun conversation with Key and Peele star Keegan-Michael Key.

It's a bittersweet time to be a Key & Peele fan. Now in its fifth season, Peabody-winning Comedy Central sketch show scored eight Emmy nominations this year, including a best supporting actor nod for our guest Keegan-Michael Key. Then, at the height of their popularity, Key and his comedy partner, Jordan Peele, announced that this current season of Key & Peele would be the last.

Key tells us that he and Peele opted to go "the British route," bowing out after just a few seasons, similar to many British shows or mini-series. Both Peele and Key have other projects they're pursuing, and Key says he feared that if they kept going on the show, they were in danger of repeating themselves. He doesn't rule out the idea of coming back to Comedy Central in the form of some kind of reunion special though.

There wasn't enough room on The Business for all of our chat; the full version will appear on a future edition of our The Spin Off podcast. But listen here to this week's episode!



Also recently on KCRW, Joe Adalian and I discussed the smash box office hit "Straight Outta Compton" and Universal's excellent 2015 on Hollywood Breakdown. Listen below:



And on last Monday's Press Play, Steve Chiotakis and I discussed:

Unless you’ve been living in a garbage can, you probably heard about Big Bird’s big move to pay TV. That’s right, Sesame Street is joining the network of Cersei Lannister, Tony Soprano and "Nucky" Thompson. TV’s a strange place anyway -- on and off-the-small-screen -- and we talk about a possible Fresh Prince reboot and insane plot twists on the underground hit Mr. Robot.

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MIKE ON RADIO: KCRW's Hollywood Breakdown, Live from the TV Guide Magazine Yacht

On today's edition of KCRW's Hollywood Breakdown, I talk with Kim Masters live from the TV Guide Magazine yacht all about San Diego Comic-Con 2015:

It's that time of year again. Comic book fans from around the world, many of them in costumes, descend on San Diego to meet their heroes of the industry and learn about upcoming movies and TV shows. Michael Schneider checks in from San Diego to tell us what's popular this year.

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MIKE ON KCRW: Murdoch Drama, Game of Thrones Drama and Netflix Drama

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- In a much-admired smooth plan of succession, Rupert Murdoch will pass control of his media empire on to his two sons.
- Netflix is paying $30 million for the new Brad Pitt movie War Machine. While the streaming outlet has invested in original movies before, this move represents their largest payment and serious move towards making prestigious, potentially award-worthy films.
- Disney is out about $140 million after director Brad Bird had a rare flop with Tomorrowland. It's a loss Disney can certainly afford, but some movie-lovers are worried this misstep will move them away from "original" movies and make them depend even more on reliable franchises.

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On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about the Rupert Murdoch succession plan at 21st Century Fox:

The Murdochs are showing the world how to set up a succession plan. In what seems like a seamless transition, Rupert Murdoch has said he will hand the reins of 21st Century Fox to his son James. Both James and Murdoch's other son Lachlan have long worked in their father's businesses. And while James Murdoch's career may have been marred at one point by the phone hacking scandal in Britain, he's now become a seasoned and respected media executive. In other news with the reorganization, Chase Carey will step down from his role as CEO at Fox and work as an adviser to the company.

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On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Slate's June Thomas and I discussed:

For those of you still smarting from the Game of Thrones finale last night, perhaps the new season of Orange Is the New Black will work as a salve? We talk about how HBO’s historical fiction/fantasy series ended its latest round of episodes, and more in our weekly television segment.

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MIKE ON KCRW: Mayweather/Pacquiao, DC Entertainment Woes, Age of Ultron and More

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- Disney and Marvel score another huge hit, and possibly even break box office records with The Avengers: Age of Ultron.

- Warner Bros and DC Comics, on the other hand, are struggling to find the kind of leadership that will help them be masters of their universe.

- Hulu announces several big deals at the Newfronts, most notably that they've nabbed the exclusive streaming rights to Seinfeld. 

- NBC is borrowing a page from the Netflix playbook and will make all 13 episodes of their new show Aquarius available at once at the end of May.

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On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about "The Avengers: Age of Ultron's" big weekend, and how DC is struggling to get its film act together:

There are estimates that The Avengers: Age of Ultron will rake in as much as $230 million at the box office this weekend, which would break the $207 million opening weekend record that was set by none other than the previous Avengers movie in 2012. This is a continuation of Marvel's domination at the box office, which is more good news for Disney, still on a high following the release of the new Star Wars trailer. In the world of DC Comics, Warner Bros is hoping to replicate the same kind of success, but finding it difficult, except in the world of television, where The Flash and Arrow continue to do well in the ratings. The real test will be how audiences respond to Batman v Superman, which opens next year.

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On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Indiewire's Liz Shannon Miller and I discussed:

As you may have heard, there was a boxing match over the weekend. Floyd Mayweather defeated Manny Pacquiao in the so-called Fight of the Century, and more people tuned in than expected. HBO and Showtime had exclusive rights to the match. The cable channels charged customers $100 to watch it. But many viewers pirated the fight, which is bad news for TV rights holders and pay-per-view broadcasts. We discuss this and more in our weekly television roundup.

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MIKE ON KCRW: Talking UTA/CAA, Trevor Noah, Mad Men and More

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- News that South African comedian Trevor Noah would be the new host of The Daily Show following Jon Stewart's departure was at first greeted with enthusiasm and excitement. Then, just as quickly, the backlash came. Should some racist, sexist and unfunny tweets from years ago keep Noah from taking over as host? For now, Comedy Central is standing by their man.


- A group of agents from CAA suddenly defect and move to UTA, taking some big name comedy clients like Chris Pratt and Will Ferrell with them. These types of moves are rare in the industry and will likely be the start of a protracted legal battle.


- More details emerge in the partnership between the Huayi brothers and STX studios. Their focus is going to me on making mid-range budget movies, an area that's been overshadowed as studios focus more on super-hero blockbusters.

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On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about UTA's raid of CAA:

The Hollywood talent agency known as the "Death Star" suffered an unwelcome surprise this week when a handful of CAA's most powerful agents jumped ship and landed at rival agency UTA. Ten agents have left, and there may be more to come. Included in the move are agents Jason Heyman and Martin Lesak, who ran CAA's comedy division, and take with them clients like Will Ferrell, Chris Pratt, Melissa McCarthy and Ed Helms. Insiders speculate that the move came down to money and agents hoping they could get more of it, along with additional opportunities at UTA. Major agent moves like this are rare within the industry and could be the onset of a protracted legal battle. 

Listen below:




On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Indiewire's Liz Shannon Miller and I discussed:

Mad Men isn’t the only show grabbing viewers' attention. AMC’s Better Call Saul, a spin-off of Breaking Bad, is wrapping up its first season tonight. Also, a lesser-known show called Outlander, which is based on a series of novels set in 18th century Scotland, begins a new season on Starz. We discuss those and the much talked about revival of Twin Peaks, which may now be heading to the valley of the damned.

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MIKE ON KCRW: Diversity, "Downton Abbey," James Corden, Trevor Noah

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- It's TV pilot season, and a piece in Deadline about diversity in casting and whether or not its gone "too far" has caused quite a reaction within the industry.

- James Corden charms audiences and secures strong ratings as the new host of The Late Late Show on CBS.

- The sun will set on the game-changing historical soap-opera Downton Abbey after six seasons on PBS, but there could still be a Downton movie some time after the TV show wraps.

Listen by clicking below:





On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about the end of "Downton Abbey" and the rise of James Corden:

The drama that changed the game for PBS, historical soap opera Downton Abbey, will end the series after an upcoming sixth and final season, but the impact of the show will be felt long after the Crawley family says goodbye. With its shorter contracts for actors and limited seasons, Downton Abbey changed the way television is produced, and opened the door for more international productions to find a place on American TV screens. And as Downton sees its final days, another Brit, James Corden is just getting acquainted with Americans as the new host of The Late Late Show on CBS. His debut week has seen strong ratings and brings a more British style of talk show to US shores. The show also introduces the musical and comedic stylings of Reggie Watts to a more mainstream audience.

Listen below:





On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Grantland's Andy Greenwald and I discussed:

Comedy Central announced that South African comic Trevor Noah will replace Jon Stewart as host of the Daily Show when Stewart steps down later this year. Also, a controversial article wonders: Do actors of color have it too easy in Hollywood?

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MIKE ON KCRW: "Blurred Lines" and Brian Williams

On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Matt Belloni and I talked all about the Tom Rothman era at Sony:

The trial over the song "Blurred Lines" is moving towards closing arguments. The issue at hand is whether the biggest hit song of 2013, created by Robin Thicke, Pharell Williams and T.I., is a copyright infringement on the Marvin Gaye song "Got to Give It Up." One thing the trial has revealed is just how much of a financial success "Blurred Lines" was. The song made more than $16 million in profits, which was given to the song's creators and record companies. The overhead costs of creating the song were said to be $6.9 million. Gaye's family is also after money made from performing "Blurred Lines" on tour. The family's lawyer says the alleged total damages add up to about $40 million.

Listen below:





On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Buzzfeed's Kate Aurthur and I discussed the New York mag story about Brian Williams' fall from grace, and more:

New details came out today in New York Magazine about how the Brian Williams situation exploded at NBC. According to the magazine, when Williams’ stories about being shot down in Iraq were proven to be fabricated, they also exposed a news operation that was already in crisis mode. Plus, our critics’ first impressions of new network shows American Crime and CSI: Cyber in our weekly TV roundup.

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MIKE ON KCRW: Sony Exec Shuffle, Late Night Changes, "Last Man On Earth," More

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- At Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal's out, Tom Rothman's in. That makes Wall Street analysts happy, but filmmakers? Not so much.
- Adam Goodman is officially out as the president of Paramount Film Group.
- The bad news at DreamWorks Animation only gets worse. The company took a major write-down on its most recent film.

PLUS, this episode features an excerpt from our episode of THE SPIN-OFF featuring our interview with former NBC late night executive Rick Ludwin. Listen by clicking below:





On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about the Tom Rothman era at Sony:

Amy Pascal was known for being one of the most talent-friendly studio heads in the industry because she was willing to spend so much money on projects she wanted. In terms of spending, Pascal replacement and new Sony Pictures chair Tom Rothman has the opposite reputation. His fondness for tight budgets has some in the industry worried that his management style will interfere with filmmakers and their work. Previously an executive at Fox for many years, Rothman joined Sony in 2013 to head the TriStar division. In the coming months, we'll see if Rothman's new role means a shift in the overall trajectory of the studio.

Listen below:





On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, Grantland's Andy Greenwald and I discussed the Oscars and more:

There’s all kinds of new TV to pick apart today in our weekly television roundup. The release of House of Cards season three meant a nation full of shut-ins over the weekend. Does it live up to the hype? There’s also a new Fox comedy that envisions a world with one man left on Earth. Plus, Tina Fey makes a small screen comeback, this time behind the camera. We size it all up with our regular television analysts.

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MIKE ON KCRW: 50 Shades of Grey, SNL40, Brian Williams and More

On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- Jon Stewart announced his departure from The Daily Show, and he’s leaving Comedy Central with some very big shoes to fill.
- NBC has suspended Brian Williams for six months. A return after that kind of break doesn’t look promising.
- Sony’s Spider-Man will be swinging over to the Marvel universe in a new partnership that’s pushing back the release dates of other superhero movies. Former Sony chairwoman Amy Pascal will be a producer on the new Spider-Man project.
- Fifty Shades of Grey will have a huge opening over Valentine’s Day Weekend. The stars of the film are signed on for two more movies, but it’s unlikely that director Sam Taylor-Johnson will stick around after fighting with author EL James, who was given an unprecedented level of control on set.

Listen by clicking below:


Or here:





On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about the "Fifty Shades of Grey" phenomenon:

Fifty Shades of Grey has already broken records, and it hasn't even opened yet. The film based on EL James' book of the same title has sold the most advance tickets ever for a Valentine's Day Weekend release. James' story originally started as Twilight fan fiction, and after her books became international bestsellers, studios went into an all-out bidding war for the film rights. Universal walked away from that war the winner, and they've given James unprecedented control for an author on a movie set. James and director Sam Taylor-Johnson had frequent clashes creating the film, stemming from James getting the final say on everything from wardrobe to dialogue to the final word of the film's last scene. While stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan have signed on to be in all three Fifty Shades movies, it doesn't look like Taylor-Johnson will be back for the next one.

Listen below:





On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, NPR's Eric Deggans and I discussed the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary special and more:

"Saturday Night Live" celebrated 40 years on the air over the weekend with an elaborate and lengthy special. Wayne and Garth were just two of the characters brought back for the reunion, which featured cast members from every generation of the show. In true SNL fashion, the broadcast was hit-and-miss. We talk about the highlights and the lowlights in our weekly television news roundup.

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MIKE ON KCRW: Amy Pascal, Brian Williams, Grammys and More

Another busy week at KCRW. On this Monday's edition of The Business, Kim Masters and I bantered about several topics including:

- Amy Pascal steps down from her role at Sony.

- Disney has a new heir apparent.

- Brian Williams is in trouble over a "misremembered" experience aboard a helicopter in Iraq.

Listen by clicking below:



Or here:





On last Thursday's Hollywood Breakdown, Kim Masters and I talked all about Amy Pascal's exit from Sony:

Even though Amy Pascal's tenure as top dog at Sony is coming to an end, she'll still be at the studio, working in a new production venture that will include movies like the new all-female Ghostbusters. Pascal has been known as one of the most talent-friendly studio heads, an attribute that sometimes got her in trouble for being overindulgent in her spending. She was also known for her willingness to take on edgy movies like Zero Dark Thirty, but may have gone too far with The Interview. The Seth Rogen comedy about the assassination of Kim Jong-un is the film that led to the devastating hack attack on the studio last November. The question now is who will take Pascal's place. No one has been named yet, but candidates include former studio heads Jeff Robinov and Tom Rothman.

Listen below:





On Monday's Press Play with Madeleine Brand, NPR's Linda Holmes and I discussed the Grammys and more:

Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” won record and song of the year at last night’s Grammy Awards. The song’s title might also have been a meta-statement from the Grammys to viewers, who for the most part seemed unimpressed with last night’s ceremony. Ratings were down compared to last year, and the Twittersphere responded with a big, collective yawn. We talk about why the ceremony was so underwhelming, along with other small screen news, in our weekly TV roundup.

Listen below: