That Was The Week That Was

We started this column off about a half-dozen different times, pursuing various storylines. But none of them really felt like they deserved all of the attention that we were trying to force upon them.

Obviously, we could pontificate at length about NBCU’s Anzio Williams saying “the quiet part way out loud” about Comcast donating to the controversial White House ballroom before a gathering at the IRE conference in Maryland. Whether his comments will rise to a Scott Pelley-level event remains to be seen. Still, many eyes are waiting to see if Mr. Williams’ use of the “my comments were taken out of context” defense will be enough to save his job as EVP of “Talent, Strategic Initiatives and Team Impact” for the NBC Owned Stations.

But aside from the news in the news business, we thought we’d share some content we consumed over the past week that you might enjoy to fill some time during what we hope will be a great summer weekend ahead. (As always, we’ve included helpful links to our selected offerings where possible.)

First on our list would be the documentary titled “Lorne” that is now available to stream on YouTube or via your Peacock subscription. (Should we still say “stream” versus just saying “watch”? Seems like a dated reference somehow.) “Lorne” would be Mr. Lorne Michaels to those of us who have only watched the television show he has helmed over the past 51 seasons. The documentary seeks to bring to the big screen a profile of the enigmatic Michaels. (“Lorne” was a feature film release before landing on Peacock.) The film builds on the terrific biography by Susan Morrison, published last year. If you haven’t read it, it is out in paperback and a great read.

The film version of “Lorne” is a great watch, even if you may not be a huge fan of “Saturday Night Live.” But for anyone who has ever produced anything on television, regardless of what level, the look inside the process that brings a live 90-minute network show together in just one week is definitely must-see TV.

While you’re on Peacock, you might also take in some episodes of “30 Rock,” one of the funniest shows ever, especially knowing from the “Lorne” documentary that Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin had the roots of the latter’s character “Jack Donaghy” based in the real-life Michaels.

But if you might favor something that you could just listen to while perhaps lounging in the sun near a body of water, then allow us to recommend the Tuesday, 6/16 edition of the Pivot podcast from Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. We’re unabashed fans of both hosts across their separate mini media empires. Still, the combination of the two just talking about everything from the UFC spectacle on the White House lawn to why Fox buying Roku makes a ton of sense.

While you’re at it, you might as well listen to today’s episode as well. Kara and Scott usually nail an alpha podcast twice each week. They are in “heavy rotation,” as we used to say in our days of playing hit records on the radio (that being waaaaaay back in the day.)

If you are tired of reading all the sudden items appearing about why the Nexstar-TEGNA merger, currently in legal purgatory, must be allowed to be fully implemented, lest local journalism as we know it will come to an end, then let us recommend a couple of other things you might want to read.

On our bookshelf at the moment is the very interesting and best-selling title, “How to Rule the World” from Stanford University student Theo Baker. The book is a revelation into the world within that storied academic institution and how it produces the “dweebocracy that sets the agenda for the planet” according to the New York Times Book Review. To us it was just a fascinating read that we’d recommend to everyone.

If you need a shorter item to peruse poolside, we’d point you to this article in The Hollywood Reporter titled “What Hollywood Can Teach Harvard.” It’s a fascinating look at a class in storytelling as a political tool, held at another storied academic institution. The list of guest speakers is a who’s who of famous creators from Hollywood and their key lessons are summarized by Marc Adelman who held the class at Harvard’s “Institute of Politics.” Even if you have zero interest, you’ll take something away from reading this. Trust us.

While you are on THR’s site, you might also want to read up on Hollywood’s hottest topic this morning, just why did Netflix cancel its series The Boroughs, before the show’s premiere week was even over. You could also watch the series, knowing that there will be only the one season to enjoy. (A fate reaching far too many shows in the uber-competitive business of streaming TV.)

Hopefully we’ve given you some decent suggestions on how to spend some time before getting back to the grind next week.

We’ll be back to it then as well, and look forward to seeing you back here.

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