The Business

As CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss prepares to unveil a new era of 60 Minutes, questions are mounting over what America’s most-watched news program will look like under her leadership. Following the exits and firings of several correspondents and senior producers since Weiss arrived at the network, newly installed executive producer Nick Bilton faces the challenge of reshaping the show without alienating its loyal audience. Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw examine what the next chapter could look like for the CBS News institution.

Plus, we revisit a conversation between Kim Masters and Lance Oppenheim, director of the HBO docu-series Ren Faire. He talks about honing his intimate, uniquely collaborative style of filmmaking, and his interest in subjects who become “entombed” by their own fantasies. The filmmaker also shares how he cold emailed his way into director Darren Aronofsky’s inner circle.

This week, Kim Masters talks to Lilly Wachowski about making Bound, the directorial debut she co-directed with sister Lana. Wachowski recalls the wild experience of working with legendary producer Dino De Laurentiis, and how she and Lana went from living paycheck to paycheck as carpenters to having producer Joel Silver beg them to sell him The Matrix.



Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni dig into a newly unveiled bill that would create a federal production tax incentive, and what it could mean for the industry if passed. The banter partners also turn to some good news at the box office, where summer grosses topped pre-COVID levels by nine percent.

This week, Kim sits down with filmmaker Eric Goode to talk about his HBO documentary series, Monsters of God. Goode discusses how he pivoted from a successful career in New York’s hospitality world to making documentaries about the extinction crisis, exotic reptile smuggling, and eventually, a little project called Tiger King. He also talks about self-financing his animal-conservation projects rather than waiting around for a studio, and he has a few things to say about Netflix.

Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni break down another busy week in the Warnermount saga, beginning with the company decrying a critical social media post from actor Mark Ruffalo as antisemitic. They also discuss California Attorney General Rob Bonta canceling a tentative settlement discussion with the studio after news of the meeting leaked.

Eric Deggans speaks with Desi Lydic, a longtime correspondent on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. She talks about how a pandemic-era segment satirizing Fox News evolved into her Emmy-nominated digital series Desi Lydic Foxplains. Lydic also shares how The Daily Show’s post-Trevor Noah rotation of hosts has opened the door for more voices, and jokes about how her conservative parents once envisioned her as either a Fox News journalist or a Hallmark movie star.

Plus, Cinema United, the largest movie theater trade organization, has changed course after opposing the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. The group is now calling for California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Paramount CEO David Ellison to reach a settlement, stating, “Global exhibition believes in a bold future for this industry, but reaching our full potential requires working together.” Matt Belloni and Lucas Shaw dive into the latest developments in the ongoing Warnermount saga.

Kim Masters talks to Hannah Einbinder, who is up for another supporting actress Emmy for Hacks. But her role in the new film Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma takes her far from the lavish Las Vegas home of Deborah Vance, to a weird and gory place. Einbinder tells Masters about coming-of-age as the child of two show business professionals, making the segue from stand-up comedy into acting, and her belief that fame obligates her to speak up on behalf of the oppressed.

Plus, Masters and Matt Belloni discuss Paramount hinting they will move out of California if their proposed merger with Warner Brothers is delayed beyond October. Paramount is playing hardball with the state Attorneys General, whom they will square off against in court in March 2027 if no settlement is reached.