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Better Call Paul
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Hosted by former Marvel entertainment lawyer Paul Sarker and entertainment enthusiast Mesh Lakhani, Better Call Paul will delve into the business and legal issues at play behind the glitz and glam. This show takes you beyond the catchy headlines to find out what’s really at play behind the scenes and gives you an introduction to the business side of show business.
179 Episodes
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This week Paul and Mesh quickly recap the Emmys and reflect on the biggest TV shows of the last year. Next, they discuss Diddy's arrest and the federal indictment regarding decades of criminal activity and ponder Sean Combs' future. Finally, they breakdown five new laws enacted in California regarding the use of AI in political content and sexual deep fakes.
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This week, Paul and Mesh focus on the music industry with a discussion of two lawsuits: Bosko Kante’s suit against Dua Lipa and Warner Music Group for unauthorized use of his performance on Levitating remixes and Lizzo’s former back up dancers who are going after Lizzo for harassment. Finally, on a positive note, they discuss Taylor Swift’s phenomenal Eras tour which has been selling out stadiums and may have even played a role in avoiding a U.S. recession.
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This week, Paul and Mesh start with a recap of the highest grossing Memorial Day Weekend for the U.S. movie business as Lilo and Stitch outperformed and MI:8 held its own. Next, they discuss the latest billion-dollar beauty sale as e.l.f has agreed to buy Hailey Beiber’s Rhode skin care and cosmetics brand for up to one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000). Finally, Paul and Mesh provide their take on Reed Hastings, the legendary founder and former CEO of Netflix, joining the board of leading AI company, Anthropic, the maker of Claude, an LLM that has the potential to re-shape our economy.
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Paul and Mesh begin with WBD’s announced rebrand of Max back to HBO Max and a few Cannes film festival highlights. Next, they recap 5 primetime shows that NBC recently cancelled, in part to make room for its new NBA telecasts which will air on Tuesdays and Sundays (in addition to Peacock). Finally, they break down a recently announced 34.5B merger between Charter and Cox which, once completed, will create the largest cable/broadband provider in the U.S.
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This week, Paul and Mesh begin with musical festival season as Coachella concludes and Fyre Festival 2 hits the brakes. Next, they discuss Drake’s amended defamation complaint against his own label, Universal Music Group, resulting from his rap beef with Kendrick Lamar. Finally, Paul breaks down college football QB, Nico Iamaleava, leaving the University of Tennessee for UCLA and how it illustrates the often hidden world of NIL deals.
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This week, Paul and Mesh ponder Valentine’s day ideas and reflect upon the amazing Superbowl advertising and streaming numbers. Next, they discuss the first MCU release of 2025, Captain America: Brave New World and whether it lives up to the lofty expectations of Captain America: Winter Solider. Finally, Paul breaks down Diddy’s $100M defamation case against NBC/Peacock for their behind the scenes documentary regarding the allegations surrounding Sean Combs.
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This week, Paul celebrates his beloved Philadelphia Eagles who dominated on their path to becoming Super Bowl champions. Next, Paul and Mesh discuss earnings announcements from some of the biggest tech and media companies. Finally, Paul updates us on some dissension within the college athlete ranks as the House v. NCAA settlement approaches its April 7, 2025 approval deadline.
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This week, Paul and Mesh recap some of the winners of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and ponder whether it can remain in Park City, UT. Next, they break down the ranking of the various SVOD and FAST platforms based on Nielsen viewership data. Finally, they discuss the efforts of Skydance and Paramount to clear regulatory hurdles around the long-awaited purchase.
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Paul and Mesh start with a quick review of the 2025 Oscar nominations and celebrate Netflix's 16 selections. Next, they provide an update on the Baldoni v. Lively lawsuit as Justin Baldoni's complaint has been released. Finally, they update another major lawsuit as WBD's case against Paramount for breach of an exclusive South Park license survived Paramount's summary judgment motion.
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This week, Paul interviews television and sports executive, Goldwyn Harper, a West Point graduate and life-long sports fan who is currently a distribution executive at a Regional Sports Network and was previously at both DISH and the NFL prior to a short stint at the Orange Bowl. He shares his deep knowledge of both television and sports to analyze how the shifts in expanded basic distribution deals have had seismic impacts across conferences, rivalries, NIL, and (potentially) non-revenue-generating sports.
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This week, Paul and Mesh discuss the fires that have devastated parts of Los Angeles, including neighborhoods which were home to many stars in the entertainment industry. Next, they discuss the abrupt end of Venu sports, the JV among Disney, WBD and Fox which was shuttered before it ever launched. Finally, they discuss incoming FCC chairman Brendan Carr's support of local broadcast stations in their negotiations with network groups.
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This week, Paul and Mesh share their New Year's resolutions before digging into two very high-profile and drama-filled disputes among Hollywood A-listers. First, they recap the 8-year divorce battle between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt which was finally resolved in the last days of 2024. Next, they recap the It Ends with Us scandal involving actor/director Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, following Blake Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni and Baldoni's $250M libel claim against The New York Times.
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This episode, Paul and Mesh look back on 2024 with the third annual Paulies. Paul and Mesh will award: Best Picture, Best Box Office Performance, Best TV Show, Best Streamer, Most Interesting Lawsuit/Legal Case, and Best BCP Topic of 2024. Tune to reflect on an amazing year in the world of technology, media, sports and entertainment. Happy new year all!
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This week, Paul and Mesh start off by discussing Andrew Ferguson, the next FTC chair, and how his approach may differ from Lena Kahn’s anti-competitive, pro-consumer approach. Next, they recap the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award nominations. Finally, they discuss Jay-Z being implicated in a civil lawsuit which now accuses both Diddy and Jay-Z of raping a 13-year old at a 2000 VMA’s after party – and Jay-Z’s vehement response.
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This week, Paul and Mesh are back at it after a week off for Thanksgiving. They first recap the best Thanksgiving weekend in history for movie theaters (hint Moana 2 shattered records and expectations). Next, they discuss the increased demand for realty TV co-productions. Finally, they look forward to a creator-AI equilibrium where artists can get paid to train algorithms and what challenges might need to be addressed for it to thrive.
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This week, Paul and Mesh begin with an update on Jussie Smollett, whose 2021 conviction was overturned as a violation of due process. Next, they discuss the leadership changes at the top of the FCC which will go into effect in January of 2025. Finally, the discuss an NIL update as the Governor of Ohio pushes to accelerate the process of students getting NIL money from their respective universities and colleges.
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This week, we recap Netflix's Jake Paul v Mike Tyson live event and discuss the Nielsen streaming TV and film ratings for October. Next, Paul and Mesh break down Disney's recent earnings call and its search for Bob Iger's successor. Finally, they discuss Alex Jones' recent bankruptcy auction in which Onion seemingly submitted the winning bid for the Infowars assets, prior to the bankruptcy judge ordering a deeper dive.
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This week, Paul and Mesh highlight a few entertainment headlines prior to focusing on Trump's election win. In particular, they discuss how the result was a surprise to many mainstream media outlets and how Trump's strategy of appearing on popular long-form podcasts resonated with a new generation of voters. Finally, they ponder whether Republican policies may cause an increase in M&A activity in the media sector.
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This week, Paul and Mesh look forward to four tentpole releases this November: Wicked, Gladiator 2, Moana 2, and Red One. Next, Paul discusses the United Way Hurricane Benefit Concert in support of the communities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Finally, they discuss calls from politicians and other industry leaders for a Federal film tax credit.
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This week Paul and Mesh look forward to Halloween and Diwali and reflect on Liam Neeson's action roles amid his tentative retirement plans before discussing Eva Longoria's last minute financing of John Wick which made the billion-dollar franchise possible. Next, they delve back into women's basketball and rumors that Caitlin Clark is being heavily recruited to join a 3-3 winter women's league, Unrivaled. Finally, they ponder the pros and cons of AI on-air talent as Off Radio Krakow in Poland made the controversial decision to lay off its human journalists and replace them with AI avatars.
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