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As the Mideast continues to roil, tensions are spilling into Hollywood with turmoil this week focused around one particular lightning rod incident (with, no doubt, more to follow). When high-flying CAA superagent Maha Dakhil posted her thoughts on Instagram just over a week ago, affirming another post that used the word “genocide” to refer to Israel’s retaliatory strikes in Gaza, she set off an industry firestorm — the likes of which the buttoned-up agency behemoth rarely experiences. The post was taken down in an hour, an apology posted… but the furor blazed on.
The Ankler was at the forefront of the conversation — and the week’s other news — in case you missed it:
Claire Atkinson broke news of Dakhil stepping back from CAA’s internal board and leadership in the motion picture group, while also documenting the highly-charged internal drama that led to the changes. Claire details Dakhil’s attempts to repair damage, including the sending of a meeting invitation to her Jewish colleagues that was declined by many; those who did show excoriated her. And that’s just part of the story:
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Peter Kiefer broke news of the extraordinary financial transaction that took place between Paramount and Apple in order to make Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, including a massive recoupment to Paramount on development costs. In other words, that $200 million budget was just the beginning. “Apparently, the guys at Apple are still smarting over it,” a source with knowledge of the deal told The Ankler:
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It’s not every day that Ralph Nader calls The Ankler, but the legendary consumer advocate did just that this week, frustrated over his attempts to reach Fran Drescher (you see, he too is a SAG-AFTRA member). In his conversation with Elaine Low, he warned how AI will spell doom for the entertainment industry if SAG-AFTRA doesn’t make the right deal:
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Sean McNulty was in rare earnings call form this week, dissecting Comcast and Disney-nemesis Charter (with more to come next week), while also finding time to join CBS News to talk SAG-AFTRA negotiations and revenue sharing:
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THE ANKLER
 | Israel, Gaza and the Maha Brouhaha TheAnkler.com Episode |
Listen here: Apple | Spotify
MARTINI SHOT
 | Optimism and Gratitude TheAnkler.com Episode |
Transcript here
Listen here: Apple | Spotify
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Elaine Low joined KCRW’s Press Play with Madeleine Brand to discuss the latest on the SAG-AFTRA strike. Please subscribe to our FREE strike newsletter, Strikegeist, for the latest in Hollywood labor.
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The Optionist, our curated newsletter about available intellectual property, had a good week, with several projects first featured by Andy Lewis, announced as deals. Stay on top of your next project, and join the Emmy and Oscar-nominated writers, producers, and development executives around town who already subscribe, and sign up here:
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