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Variety
Senior film and media reporter at Variety
PROFILE
Brent Lang
Guest
FROM Brent Lang
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Saudi Arabia aims to invest billions in the movie industry Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is in the U.S. to meet with President Trump, congressional leaders, and representatives from Apple, Google and Uber. He’s also making an entrance in Hollywood. Prince Salman wants to invest billions in the entertainment industry. Saudi Arabia recently lifted a 35-year ban on movie theaters.
To the Point
Sony Pictures and Cyber Warfare The Los Angeles Times is reporting that two former employees filed a class action suit today against Sony Pictures over the massive computer breach that exposed details about upcoming movies, business deals, juicy Hollywood gossip—and the personal information of thousands of current and former workers. Sony is in major damage control three weeks after what FBI agents call a cyber attack of unprecedented sophistication. Executives are apologizing, but the flow of inside information continues as self-proclaimed hackers Guardians of Peace promise there’s more to come. Nobody knows if it’s really about The Interview, a Seth Rogen comedy about assassinating the leader of North Korea. The big questions are who did it and who might be next. Is every corporate communication system vulnerable to total exposure?
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Previewing James Comey's blockbuster testimony Former FBI director James Comey testifies Thursday in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, but his opening statement has been released. In it, he says he felt pressured by Donald Trump to declare loyalty to him and publicly clear him of any wrongdoing in the Russia investigation.
The Treatment
Hua Hsu: A Floating Chinaman Author Hua Hsu stops by to discuss his book A Floating Chinaman, recounting the life of 1930's actor/writer H.T. Tsiang and his struggles entering the American literary world.
Bookworm
George Saunders: Lincoln in the Bardo (Part I) Lincoln in the Bardo dramatizes a grieving President Lincoln as he visits the grave of his beloved son Willie, who died at age eleven. In the novel, the buried dead believe they're not dead -- "they're sick and refer to their coffins as "sick boxes."
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Why did Jared Kushner want a back channel with Russians? News broke Friday that President Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, Jared Kushner, tried setting up a back channel between the Trump transition team and the Russian government. What are the consequences for Kushner, President Trump, and the investigation into Russian meddling?