Welcome back to What I’m Hearing, and farewell to Strike Summer ’23 from Los Angeles, where more A-level celebrities showed up for Lionel Messi last night than for the Oscars.

Programming note: I’m back on CNBC’s Squawk Box at 6:50 a.m. Eastern tomorrow. This week on The Town: Lucas Shaw and I debated my new guess for when the strike ends, IMAX C.E.O. Rich Gelfond predicted the company will be acquired at some point, and Jeff Bock and I gave out summer box office awards. Subscribe here and here.

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Discussed in this issue: Bob Iger, Taylor Swift, Chris Keyser, John Malone, Mike Simpson, Bill Damaschke, Ari Emanuel, Jeff Bezos, Bradley Cooper, Jimmy Pitaro, Carol Lombardini, Kelly Bush Novak, Fran Drescher… and a rare 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.

But first…

Jonathan Handel: I can’t say I’m surprised, either—but I am disappointed that the C.E.O.s didn’t get involved until more than 100 days had elapsed. That’s key, because lead AMPTP negotiator...