iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 03/10/2026

Ellison must take Harry Warner’s lead. Harry, who founded Warner Bros. along with his brothers Sam, Albert, and Jack, showcased a dedication to education by way of entertainment. Harry was the moral leader of the family, company, and industry. chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/a-warner-b...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 02/10/2026

Looks like the Heritage Foundation is about to get absolutely torched by the luminary historian @historianheather.bsky.social 🔥🔥🔥🔥

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 29/09/2026

Late night musical. Prep for a podcast that will be recorded this week with @brandondavis87.bsky.social This was one of Jack Warner's last productions, which was after he was finally out of Warner Bros. for good. He had long been drawn to musicals, dating back to the Busby Berkeley days on the lot

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 27/09/2026

A couple years back, I was at an antique store and found an old book titled McCarthy by Roy Cohn…the nameplate in the book belonged to a Milwaukee lawyer by the name of Urban Krier, who worked with McCarthy. Inside the book sat a letter from McCarthy’s wife, Jean, to Krier

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 26/09/2026

I highly recommend the new biography of Roy Cohn. So much of the present is connected to his past. I’ve long felt that more people need to understand this guy to truly understand people like Donald Trump. I’m happy the book became a quick bestseller. chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/roy-cohn-l...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 25/09/2026

Finally got a print copy of my LA Times op-ed from last week. Always fun to be *in print* amidst our digital nightmare.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 25/09/2026

So, Paramount+ will take control of HBO Max. What does that mean, exactly? Nobody really knows. But David Ellison has listed a number of priorities for Paramount streaming... movieweb.com/paramount-ch...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 22/09/2026

Been rocking out to New Found Glory following the passing of their guitarist Chad Gilbert. I made it to their Kill it Live album and just before playing "Hit or Miss," Chad said he wanted to be 80 and still playing that song. I can assure him when I'm 80 I'll still be listening to it...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 19/09/2026

Some may recall the legacy of investor Kirk Kerkorian who purchased MGM in 1969 and and opened the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The studio was stripped for parts. James Aubrey was hired as President of MGM and tasked with dismantling the iconic Culver City lot. chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/david-elli...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 19/09/2026

Revisiting this 90s gem. I remember renting it on VHS when it first landed on home video. Probably haven't seen it since then. Fairly simple film with great set pieces.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 17/09/2026

Back in the Los Angeles Times to weigh the terrible optics of the Warner-Paramount merger. What a mess as he doubles down on pulling the companies out of Los Angeles. He's looking to be the next Kirk Kerkorian...(I should have made that reference in the column)

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 14/09/2026

Wow. Religion, man. Anyone else watch this yet?

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 10/09/2026

I should add that my book on this investigation, Hollywood Hates Hitler, was cited in @maddow.bsky.social's excellent book Prequel.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 08/09/2026

Fucking legends, Matt and Trey.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 03/09/2026

Way late to the party on this one, but a really solid show! Anyone else watch it?

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 26/08/2026

From last year: my list of books that can ground us in this increasingly messy disinformation age. Curious as to what books @jennpozner.bsky.social would add here! chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/books-to-h...

Chris Yogerst's Substack on essential books during the disinformation age

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 26/08/2026

Who is ready for The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth? I know I am! movieweb.com/brad-pitt-cl...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 26/08/2026

After all, Peter Hoffman may be many things to many people, but he helped bring gems like Terminator 2 into the world...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 26/08/2026

If you’ve read the legends about Carolco and its culture of excess, further assumptions about the players are not unwarranted. In Karmik Winds, you’ll quickly realize that Hoffman does not come off as some kind of Hollywood version of Jordan Belfort looking to scam everyone from the word go.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 24/08/2026

Arguably the most legendary independent studio in Hollywood history, Carolco, was run by Peter Hoffman. He's fresh out of jail (another story!) and has a memoir that's absolutely worth reading. chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/hollywood-...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 20/08/2026

This is such a strange lawsuit... The legal filing asks for a judge to stop Netflix from using the KPop Demon Hunters name and "directing the U.S. Marshal to seize and impound" all merchandise and advertisements because “KPOP DEMON HUNTERS subsumes the entire DEMON HUNTER mark."

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 18/08/2026

Anyone else watching The Shards? Thoughts?

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 17/08/2026

Incredibly difficult news to swallow. Such a tragic story, but here's hoping it will spark even stronger discussions about how Hollywood treats its rising stars. More at MovieWeb movieweb.com/hayden-panet...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 17/08/2026

In case you missed it, I wrote about @roopikarisam.bsky.social's incredible new book on the history of data and its power. Essential reading for understanding not only our current moment and how we got here. substack.com/home/post/p-...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 14/08/2026

Wrote a bit about @roopikarisam.bsky.social's fantastic book on the history of data and how it's, more often than we may want to think, weaponized against people. chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/data-has-b...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 12/08/2026

Eager to read this new biography of Hannah Arendt

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 11/08/2026

Who has seen The Last House? The reviews are terrible, but the film remains irresistible. Why? I try to answer this conundrum for MovieWeb today: movieweb.com/the-last-hou...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 10/08/2026

MovieWeb did an exclusive interview with David Wain and it looks like there's a possibility of a Wet Hot American Summer reunion. Ted Sarandos even nudged the director to get something moving... Read more: movieweb.com/wet-hot-amer...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 06/08/2026

If you are of a certain age, you knew exactly where you were when you saw The Blair Witch Project for the first time in 1999. This VHS special edition is super fun. I still have the original VHS complete with a second cassette that has the mokumnetary on it. www.cbr.com/the-blair-wi...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 04/08/2026

Is anyone watching The Idaho Murders on Netflix? It’s so unsettling. I saw the news as it broke, like we all did, but listening to these stories are absolutely horrifying. In an era where true crime hinges on exploitation, I feel this was done very well.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 30/07/2026

Had a blast writing about my favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone. There are a few that remain so socially and politically relevant six decades later. Serling was not just a great writer but a modern philosopher. @sepinwall.bsky.social @drsepinwall.bsky.social @anneserling.bsky.social

Chris Yogerst's essay at MovieWeb about his favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 29/07/2026

Congratulations to @roopikarisam.bsky.social for landing on President Obama’s summer reading list!!!! I’ve been blown away by Data Empire and will be writing about it soon!

President Obama’s 2026 summer reading list

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 28/07/2026

As someone who has taught university courses for 15 years, I'm surprised at how off-putting Emily Wilson's take is. The best way to get students (readers, audiences) interested in the past is by drawing parallels and connections to the present. Answering the question, why does this matter now?

Matt Damon in 'The Odyssey' as a cover image for a MovieWeb news story

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 27/07/2026

Post a perfect album from the 90s that isn’t nirvana, soundgarden, pearl jam or alice in chains. (though I love all of those bands, this album was a life-changer for me) #BullsOnParade

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 26/07/2026

Andres Veiel is highlighting a lesson for us today by drudging up this story deep into the twenty-first century. We have seen a rise of dangerous extremisim in the US and abroad. When people in power are called out, their responses echo those from Riefenstahl. open.substack.com/pub/chrisyog...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 26/07/2026

Thoroughy enjoyed going through the @criterion.bsky.social edition of HUD. What a powerful film. What was most surprising with this reweatch was how much HUD has influenced Taylor Sheridan. More at @movieweb.bsky.social movieweb.com/hud-paul-new...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 25/07/2026

Lots of post about Emmett Till's birthday today. The same year Till was murdered, 1955, Rod Serling penned a TV movie based on the Till murder called "Noon on Doomsday." However, Network TV wasn't ready for such hard-hitting stories.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 25/07/2026

Some thoughts after watching the incredible Reifenstahl documentary. The way she spent her life denying and deflecting sure has echoes for today. Here's the column in my newsletter: chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/riefenstah...

Cover of the documentary 'Reifenstahl' as part of my column on the film

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 19/07/2026

Watching this Roy Cohn doc in anticipation of Kai Bird’s new bio. Pleasantly surprised to see my pal Tom Doherty featured at length for the Army-Mccarthy section.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 17/07/2026

Cheers to the weekend. It’s crazy out there, don’t forget to relax. You deserve it.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 17/07/2026

Been a wild evening so why not end with a crazy film?

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 16/07/2026

A few thoughts on the current antitrust battle and some primary sources to review. The antitrust acts of 1890 and 1914 give us a clear sense of what's legal and what isn't. From there, it's all how lawyers twist the law to benefit the highest bidder. chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/paramounts...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 16/07/2026

"The Hawk shows that Will Ferrell can still pull off the outrageously goofy character as he ages. We can see Lonnie Hawkins was once very much like Frank the Tank. There's something wonderful about Ferrell not giving up that quality." My review of The Hawk at MovieWeb movieweb.com/the-hawk-rev...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 16/07/2026

With #booksky trending, I'd like to recommend my definitive history of the Warner brothers. The Warner family has commended the research and the book is regularly referenced by tour guides on the lot. You'll learn how the brothers battled censors, the Nazis, US government, rival studios, etc.

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 15/07/2026

Number 50 rising in history on Substack! If you like history, movies, and politics in various forms you’ll like it. Give my page a look if you haven’t: open.substack.com/pub/chrisyog...

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 15/07/2026

'Lucky' is a solid thriller that takes us beyond the usual caper-gone-wrong tropes. Check out my review over at MovieWeb. movieweb.com/lucky-review/

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Chris Yogerst @chrisyogerst.com · 14/07/2026

New books! Read more in my newsletter: chrisyogerst.substack.com/p/hollywood-...

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