Welcome back to ON THE LOT.
In today’s edition: warm-ups for the Academy Awards with Conan O’Brienhe rebel wilson case with a animated blake and Justin Baldoni Connection, a new Netflix docuseries from Liz Garbus That will make you happy that you are not a Murdoch, and this week’s recommendations from industry experts.
I have advice (about where David Zaslav Will you celebrate after the Oscars or how to stay cool on an 80-degree red carpet? You can contact me at rebecca.keegan@nbcuni.com or on Signal at thatrebecca.82.
Here we are now, have fun
It’s our Super Bowl. Our Olympic Games. Our World Cup. For the type of people who have strong opinions about leonardo di caprio and Michael B. Jordanor “Sentimental Value” versus “The Secret Agent,” our day has finally come. Yes, the Oscars are this Sunday and I’ll be there at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, covering my 15th show, miraculously carrying the same bag from my first (thank you, Michael Kors).
We’ve gotten a few hints of what to expect from those working behind the scenes to bring the show to life. President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Lynette Howell Taylor and executive director Bill Kramer He told me in a recent interview that one of his biggest challenges has been crafting the much-discussed and debated In Memoriam segment, which inevitably sparks protests when someone is left out. This year, Oscar producers have to accommodate a number of industry biggies, including Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Catherine O’Hara and Rob Reiner, among many others.
At a press conference on Wednesday, host Conan O’Brien He also touched on how he plans to tackle the delicate task of entertaining people amid the tense ongoing events in the Middle East.
“My job is to always try to strike this very, very fine line, I think, between entertaining people and also acknowledging some of the realities,” the comedian said. “So it’s a dance. It’s a dance that goes on until the show starts.”
Two Warner Bros. films – “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” – have dominated awards season so far, and they’re likely to do so again on Sunday night. But many categories, including best actor, still appear open.
We all tune in for our own reasons. senior reporter Daniel Arkin said he is keeping an eye on the best international feature film category, where a victory for the Iranian director Jafar Panahi (“It was just an accident”) could set the stage for one of the hottest acceptance speeches of the night. Mike Caliaeditor-in-chief of NBC News’ Business and Economics Unit, will look at how well horror movies are doing after a watershed year for the genre, between the vampire movie “Sinners,” the witchy “Weapons” and “Frankenstein” in all its gothic splendor. entertainment correspondent Chloe Melas supports “Hamnet” for best movie because he loves to cry. Producer Laura Wilson expects Timothée Chalamet to win best actor so he can get closer to winning his personal fantasy movie league.
As for me, I’ll be hanging around the Dolby Theater keeping my eyes peeled to report what you can’t see on TV. But I will be sure to be in my seat for the performance of the “Sinners” original song, “I Lied To You,” which will feature Miles Cato and composer/producer Rafael Saadiqalongside the blues legend boy friendballet dancer Misty Coplandcountry/hip-hop artist Shaboozey and more.
AND If you want to dig deeper into our Oscars coverage before the show, tune in to a special episode of NBC News’ “Here’s the Scoop” podcast on Saturday. Host Yasmin Vossoughian, Chloe Melas and I talk about this year’s favorites, the future of the show (which will move to YouTube in 2029), and the possibility that there will one day be an awards campaign for the AI ”actress.” Tilly Norwood.
Rebel Rebel
A key element in the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni The case moving toward a trial on May 18 is Lively’s accusation that Baldoni’s public relations team waged an online campaign to smear her reputation. Baldoni’s team, including the publicist. Melissa Nathan of TAG PR, has denied those accusations.
But discovery filed in court this week in another Hollywood case appears to shed more light on the practice of this alleged tactic, including how it may have worked at TAG PR.
In 2024, Amanda Phantom, Gregory Cameron and Vince Holdenthree British producers of the independent film “The Deb” sued its director, the Australian actress and comedian rebel wilsonfor defamation. Producers alleged that the “Pitch Perfect” star, angered by the fact that he did not get a writing credit on the film, falsely accused them of embezzlement and sexual harassment in a video on social media.
Case documents filed March 9 in Los Angeles Superior Court include a Word document that producers allege Wilson wrote as a template for a website he wanted TAG PR to create to defame Ghost.
“This website is dedicated to telling the world the truth about Amanda Ghost, who has maliciously attempted to destroy the lives of countless artists,” the Word document reads. “She cannot hide like a cockroach from the light this website will provide… her behavior has escalated into unwanted sexual advances towards young women. She is the Indian Ghislaine Maxwell…”
According to the three producers, Wilson gave the Word document to his publicist: Nathan, the same publicist who worked for Baldoni. The producers also claim that another TAG public relations executive edited Wilson’s Word document, a version of which later appeared on the websites “amandghost.com” and “amandghostsucks.com.”
Wilson is also represented by the same attorney as Baldoni, Bryan Freeman. Freedman, Nathan and a representative for Wilson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Wilson has not yet filed a response to the complaint. The case does not yet have a trial date.
Dynasty
If you miss HBO’s “Succession” or just want to spend time with a family that will make yours seem more functional, documentary Liz Garbus has something great for you.
“Dynasty: The Murdochs,” a four-part documentary series that arrived on Netflix today, delves into the Murdoch family empire, from its global expansion under the patriarch. Rupert Murdoch to the bitter legal fight that saw Rupert and his eldest son, Lachlanconfronted by Lachlan’s brothers Prudence, elisabeth and Jaime.
“It’s a family that seems to have it all,” Garbus told me. “And then when you dig, you think, ‘Oh, they’re just like me. They fight with their brothers.’ But as you dig further, you think, ‘No, they’re really nothing like me.’ The dysfunction runs deep. And the stakes in these disputes are unlike anything the rest of us are familiar with.”
No one from the Murdoch family was involved in the series, but Garbus, who previously directed Netflix’s “Harry & Meghan,” has plenty of material. It was based on text messages, emails and reports of intimate family conversations that emerged in the legal battle unfolding while filming the series. The family feud ended in September 2025 with a deal that gave Lachlan control of the trust that owns Fox Corp and News Corp., and Prudence, Elisabeth and James about $1 billion each to retire.
The revelations in the legal case, Garbus said, gave him “a firsthand view of the struggles that were going on there and how hard they were on people, how deeply disturbing they were. It’s a business, but at the end of the day, it’s about love and family.”
The dialogue
“I’ve actually gotten a few scripts, nothing that feels right to me yet, but I 100 percent want to do more. I really like comedy. I think I’m good at it.” – Reality star and businesswoman Kylie Jenner in her cover interview with Vanity Fair.
“I can’t stand that they gave it a pass. It’s not art, it’s just racist and creepy.” — Actress Rosanna Arquette speaks out about director Quentin Tarantino’s use of racial slurs in films. (He later criticized her for criticizing his film.)
“I was told I wasn’t enough of one thing for ‘West Side Story’ and too much for ‘Snow White’… but I think you can argue that, at least to the public, when you are two things, you are simultaneously nothing. But I refuse to take it in for the comfort of others.” —Actress Rachel Zegler in an interview with Harper Bazaar.
The hype
Why get recommendations from an algorithm when you could get them from an “SNL” alum, a SXSW filmmaker, and an actress in a post-apocalyptic political thriller?
Bowen Yang“SNL” alum and co-host of the “Las Culturistas” podcast told my colleague Tony Lee at the 2026 Unforgettable Awards on Saturday that he has been playing Pokémon Pokopia. on his Nintendo Switch 2 because he “really gets nostalgic.”
Director Rachel Masonwhose new film, “My Brother’s Keeper,” premieres today at SXSW, has been watching “Severance,” simply for sheer “visual inspiration: the cinematography, the production design, the direction. That show is a true work of art.”
Actress Enuka Okumaof “Paradise” on Hulu, has been listening to the audiobook of Lisa Joyais “Then She Was Gone,” because it loves to start “with a good domestic noir story in my headphones.”
That’s it – see you on Monday with a special post-Oscars edition of On the Lot!
