logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
32m 22s

Will Smith’s Comeback and the Butts-in-S...

The Ringer
About this episode

Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to discuss Will Smith’s return to box office stardom after the success of ‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ and if this marks the official return for Will Smith as one of Hollywood's most dependable theatrical movie stars. They then discuss which movie stars can reliably open an original movie in theaters, and whether directors are more bankable than actors (03:01). Matt finishes the show with a prediction about the NBA Finals ratings (25:18).


For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ click this link: puck.news/thetown

Email us your thoughts! thetown@spotify.com


Host: Matt Belloni

Guest: Lucas Shaw


Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez

Theme Song: Devon Renaldo

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Aug 22
‘The Traitors’ and How to Craft Hit Reality TV in 2025
Live from the Edinburgh TV Festival in Scotland, Matt is joined by television producer and executive Stephen Lambert to discuss the current state of reality TV, his newest hit, ‘The Traitors,' how to cast reality competition, what streamers are looking for in 2025, how that's cha ... Show More
45m 20s
Aug 20
Why Fox Is Finally Entering the Streaming Wars
Matt is joined by Pete Distad, CEO of Fox's direct-to-consumer streaming platform, to discuss Fox One, the company's first significant foray into streaming, which will offer all of Fox’s news, sports, and entertainment branded content together in one platform. They talk about the ... Show More
32m 27s
Aug 18
The 10 Worst Things to Happen to Hollywood Since 2010
Matt is joined by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw to look back on the past 15 years in Hollywood and determine which moments were the most detrimental to the industry. In descending order, they each rank and explain their top five moments that had the most meaningful and negative effect o ... Show More
38m 7s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2023
Law Roach’s Early Retirement, Ben Affleck’s Appearance on The Hollywood Reporter, and Taylor Swift's Real Estate | Jam Session
Juliet and Amanda are back to discuss some interesting pop culture news, featuring celebrity fashion stylist Law Roach’s early retirement decision following a recent viral video of him and Zendaya at the Louis Vuitton fashion show. The two go in depth on their thoughts about his ... Show More
37m 41s
Nov 2022
Tom Cruise’s Secret Bestie, Will Smith Post–Oscars Slap, and Lindsay Lohan in the Year 2007 | Jam Session
Juliet Litman and Amanda Dobbins are back to discuss this week's celebrity news, featuring Tom Cruise’s secret friendship with Queen Elizabeth II (2:39), Aaron Carter’s passing (17:31), Jennifer Lawrence’s new movie ‘Causeway’ (18:03), Tyler Perry’s response to the antisemitism d ... Show More
44m 51s
Sep 2022
Breaking Down the ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Drama With Matt Belloni | Ringer Dish Bonus
Juliet Litman is joined by Matt Belloni, founder of Puck News and host of The Ringer’s Hollywood happenings podcast ‘The Town,’ to discuss the drama swirling around the press tour of ‘Don’t Worry Darling.’ They get into the conflict between Olivia Wilde and Shia LaBeouf over how ... Show More
39m 53s
Jul 2023
Hollywood Strikes Back
Culture editor Katie Razzall joins Adam to explain why, for the first time since the 1960s, both the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America are on strike. They also speak to the actor Brian Cox.There’s more movie news as ‘Barbenheimer’ fever takes over the red carpet. B ... Show More
33m 59s
Dec 2021
The Leonardo DiCaprio Hall of Fame and ‘Don’t Look Up’ With Adam McKay
Sean and Amanda discuss the new Netflix climate crisis satire ‘Don’t Look Up,’ which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep (1:00). Then, they build a Hall of Fame to Leo, one of the best movie stars ever (20:00). Finally, ‘Don’t Look Up’ writer-director Ada ... Show More
1h 35m
Apr 2023
Gwyneth Paltrow's Well Wishes, Reese Witherspoon’s Divorce, ‘Daisy Jones & the Six’ Finale, and More | Jam Session
The ladies are back and ready to dish out the latest and greatest in celebrity news. They start off with Gwyneth Paltrow’s viral moment during her recent ski crash trial, where she sarcastically wishes the man who was suing her, Terry Sanderson, well. Next, the two discuss Reese ... Show More
39m 45s
Dec 2022
The 'Good Morning America' Cheating Scandal, Rita Wilson Rapping, and Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell's New Christmas Movie | Tea Time
'Good Morning America' anchors Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes have been suspended from their roles on 'GMA3' following reports that they were having an affair (1:00). Rita Wilson was seen rapping on video, and Chet Hanks actually makes a lot of sense now (12:53). This week's Cringe M ... Show More
54m 49s
Jun 2023
Super Soul Special: Michael B. Jordan: Exceeding His Dreams
Original Air Date: February 13th, 2019Award-winning actor and producer Michael B. Jordan discusses his skyrocketing career and why he says his life has already "exceeded his dreams.” Michael’s breakout performance came in 2013’s “Fruitvale Station,” directed by visionary Ryan Coo ... Show More
40m 12s
Jul 2024
J.Lo’s Finances, Celebrity Sightings at Glastonbury, Justin Timberlake, and More | Jam Session
This week on 'Jam Session,' the ladies return with a couple of updates on celebrity news, starting with the continuation of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's split, and news that they are selling their home artwork, and J.Lo being caught flying coach (0:00). Next, many celebrity s ... Show More
35m 34s