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Jul 24, 2023

Hellooooo friendZ! Weekend’s over, work’s arrived, and we’re all here so let’s get it going. I can’t even handle it, but the era of Twitter is over. ‘Barbenheimer’ has the world abuzz with juxtaposition. And the SAG-AFTRA strike lags on, causing content shake-ups and a potent quotable from Bethenny Frankel. Solid round-up of newZ and showZ, and the best jokes from the free world.

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OK OK let us do the damn thing!

AZA

It’s been a hot minute. The pun is intended because it’s hot outside. I’d love to host another Ask Zlata Anything but first wanted to get a better sense of who is around/interested.

ShowZ

Season 2 of The White Lotus cost nearly $40 million to make. Approximately $35.8 million were for local goods and services, and the other $8.9 million was for wages for the 1,500 full and part-time jobs. I’m no math whiz but it sounds like the local goods got a better deal than the workers.
Lester Holt heads to Alaska. Holt will anchor a live broadcast of NBC Nightly News from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage tonight.
More switcheroos over at CBS amid the strike, as the network tries to fill out its programming with unscripted and acquired shows, like sure-to-be-riveting Loteria Loca, based on a Latin game of chance and super creatively named gameshows like Buddy Games and The Challenge USA.
ABC has made moves, too. The Bachelorette shifts from 9p Mondays to 8p, starting tonight, while Claim to Fame moves to 10p Mondays. The Prank Panel is now on Thursdays at 9p, and on Sundays, Celebrity Family Fued now airs at 8p and 100,000 Pyramid moves to 9p. Do they still print TV guides? Imagine the nightmare of editing that thing.
Premiering Saturday, August 12 at 9p on A&E, Anthony Anderson and Cedric The Entertainer are going on a cross-country tour to learn about BBQ cooking techniques ahead of launching their own brand, AC Barbecue. Where they abbreviate their names but not ‘barbecue.’
Peacock is spreading its wings and charging you more for the show. Peacock Premium jumps from $4.99 to $5.99, while Premium Plus increases from $9.99 to $11.99. The price change goes into effect August 17 for existing subscribers and immediately for new ones.
Shark Week kicked off this week. I was going to make a joke but I just learned the annual event is reportedly the longest-running cable television programming event in history and has been since 2010 and it’s so impressive I have nothing else to say.
HBO documentary After the Bite airs this Wednesday, July 26 at 10p, featuring the Cape Cod community and exploring life there in the wake of a 2018 fatal shark attack. “Why are you so obsessed with me?” -Sharks.

NewZ

Bye Bye, Birdie. X gon give it ya. Twitter is now officially branded to X. I’m still just here for the very excellent jokes, and I need it to be known it’s going to be a rough time for me if they ever go away.
The legendary Tony Bennett passed away last week at the age of 96.
Barbie opened with $155 million in ticket sales this past weekend, while many of the same moviegoers also went to Oppenheimer, which pulled $80 million in its debut.
Real Housewives of the Picket Line. As the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes continue to rock Hollywood, reality TV star Bethenny Frankel has an opinion (SURPRISE!) and is calling for a Reality Stars Union. Not for her, of course. But for the “doe-eyed talent" desperate for the platform TV gives them…They don’t know what they don’t know. I was playing chess, but how do I help the people who may not know the game?” So noble.
The Country Icon Award will go to Toby Keith at the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards airing Thursday, September 28 on NBC and Peacock. With unforgettable lyrics like “We’ll stick a boot in your ass, it’s the American way,” this all checks out.
NewsNation is producing a special town hall edition of Cuomo anchored by Chris Cuomo next Monday, July 31 at 8p, titled Crime in America, a live audience program not about his own family, as you might guess since that’s the first search result when you Google “Cuomo Crime in America,” but rather a chance to question mayors, law enforcement officials, and business owners who “fight the problem of crime.”