THIS WEEK’S BANTER

A new ad featuring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson is asking Texas legislators to create incentives for productions to shoot in their home state. The video, which pulls no punches against Hollywood, dropped as thousands have rallied behind Stay in LA. The latter campaign seeks to uncap tax incentives for productions in Hollywood following the devastating fires. Plus, what’s going on with the shakeup at CNN? Kim Masters and Matt Belloni dive in. 

Hurray for Hollywood? In an attempt to keep film and television production in Los Angeles following the recent wildfires, a movement called Stay in LA is seeking help from the California state legislature to temporarily lift tax incentive caps. “People would like to shoot here, but it is prohibitively expensive. And the program in the state is capped, so those credits fill up extremely fast,” Belloni explains. “They have to do a lottery for the films that do it. It gives an advantage to the bigger studios that have people whose jobs are to take advantage of those tax credits. If you took the cap off, you would allow more productions to take advantage of the credit. And this seems pretty reasonable because there's a limit on it. It's a three-year limit.”

Not “alright, alright, alright?” An inflammatory ad featuring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson is asking Texas legislators to create incentives for productions to shoot in their home state… but the timing couldn’t be any less sensitive to those affected by fires in Los Angeles. “This is ‘stealing away an industry from the boogeyman in California, that we want to show Texas is better than California.’” says Belloni. “Maybe not the right time to be doing that in such a pointed way, especially with these stars that have made their careers off of Hollywood productions.”

An offer you can refuse? In an attempt to make CNN more accessible to conservative viewers, CEO Mark Thompson has made Jim Acosta’s decision to leave the network an easy one by offering the 10 AM anchor a late-night slot. “This has nothing to do with ratings, but what it does have to do with is this initiative which CNN is clearly pursuing to make itself more MAGA friendly,” Masters notes. “Scott Jennings, who people on the left absolutely hate, has been getting more air time, it seems. And meanwhile, Jim Acosta, on his way out, said: ‘It's never a good time to bow down to a tyrant. I have always believed it's the job of the press to hold power to account.’”

Wait, there’s more! Get the full scoop on this week’s audio edition of The Banter.

Views from Planet City imagine climate-friendly megapolis

Using film, models, music, and costumes, artist and futurist Liam Young envisions a world where everyone on Earth lives together in a single city in the year 2050.

Marc Platt on the staying power of Wicked

Wildly prolific producer Marc Platt has been involved with Wicked for more than twenty years, all throughout its many lives on stage and finally on screen. He says the musical carries an enduring message; compassion and understanding can triumph over bigotry and tyranny.

Platt walks Kim Masters through a long career in show business that has earned him multiple Tonys and Academy Award nominations. Plus, he explains how he’s decided which films to produce, the ones that made the cut include La La Land, Bridge of Spies, and (of course) the Oscar-nominated adaptation of his Broadway hit, Wicked. 

Cristin Milioti on why Gotham feels more real than other superhero worlds

Actress Cristin Milioti moves between genres with the greatest of ease. Early acclaim came as she originated the role of “Girl” in the 2012 Broadway adaptation of the movie musical Once. And she leveled up in 2013 when she appeared (finally) as the titular Mother towards the end of the long-running CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Plus, her 2011 guest spot as “sexy baby” Abbie Flynn on 30 Rock had a considerable cultural ripple effect. She’s also tackled small-screen dramas including the limited series Fargo, Black Mirror, and Made for Love. She proved her film bonafides opposite Andy Samberg in 2020’s hit genre-melding rom-dramedy Palm Springs. 

Most recently, she’s leaned into her darker side as Sofia Falcone in the Max series The Penguin. Milioti is up for a SAG Award later this month for her work in the series. She tells The Treatment about playing a character in the Batman world, why Gotham somehow feels more real to her than other superhero worlds, and why watching Palm Springs with an audience for the first time at Sundance in 2020 was thrilling.

Weekend Film Reviews: Dog Man, Companion, Love Me, Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story

Start feeling that Valentine’s Day spirit, as this weekend’s releases include a couple of twisty (or twisted) love stories. Weighing in the full slate of films dropping on the last day of January are Katie Walsh, film reviewer for the Tribune News Service and the Los Angeles Times, and William Bibbiani film critic for The Wrap and co-host of the Critically Acclaimed Network.

First, we’re digging into Peter Hastings’ Dog Man. Based on Dav Pilkey’s kids’ book series of the same name, Dog Man follows a half-dog, half-man cop battling a villainous cat. Pilkey, known for his silly and over-the-top humor, also created the popular Captain Underpants series. Drew Hancock’s Companion, meanwhile, tells the story of three seemingly ordinary couples on a weekend getaway… What could possibly go wrong? Then, in Sam & Andy Zuchero’s Love Me, Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun star as a buoy and a satellite that unexpectedly fall in love. The two play live-action and CGI versions of themselves in parallel universes. Finally, Bruce David Klein’s Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story is a documentary celebrating Liza Minnelli, the legendary pop culture icon who’s one of 27 people who’s earned an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards).