Kareem: Why the Host of 'Jeopardy!' Matters   

How the 'Black Widow' Battle Could Break the Mold on Dealmaking

►Studios acting like tech companies. When Scarlett Johansson sued Disney over her Black Widow pay, Hollywood's transactional attorneys felt that the dispute highlighted the complexity of compensation in the streaming era, and was also evidence of massive disruption to relationships. 

THR's Eriq Gardner writes that in the past, a little ambiguity in entertainment contracts wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but that Disney's reaction has lawyers less willing to leave things between the lines. The story.

—Still editing. Spike Lee says he still has questions around the nature of the Sept. 11 attacks, which is why he included in his documentary NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½ the voices of several members of the conspiracy group Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth. The director also revealed he had returned to the studio to edit the doc series' final episode. The story. 

—Tudum? Netflix is getting into the fan event space with the launch of a global promo livestream event that will have exclusive first looks and interviews covering more than 70 series, films and specials including upcoming seasons of Stranger Things, Bridgerton and The Witcher. The event is titled “Tudum,” which refers to the ident sound at the start of Netflix programming. The story. 

—Glamor signing. LaKeith Stanfield is the latest A-list actor headed to Apple TV+ with a high-profile series. The Judas and the Black Messiah star will topline an adaptation of Victor LaValle’s The Changeling that has been picked up straight to series at the streamer. The story. 

Ed Asner Looks Back on His Career

►THR Icon. Ed Asner, at 91 still as crotchety and lovable as he was playing Lou Grant, talks to THR's Scott Feinberg about his life and career, shares his take on ex-nephew-in-law Gavin Newsom and what fans most adore about him: "My primary source of mail deals with one-syllable titles: Up and Elf." The interview. 

—One to look forward to. Steven Soderbergh and writer Ed Solomon, who worked together on the HBO Max feature No Sudden Move, have scored a series order from the streamer for Full Circle, a limited series about a kidnapping gone awry. Soderbergh will direct all six episodes and executive produce with Solomon, who’s writing the script. The story.

—The one that got away. Speaking at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke revealed that she lost out to HBO for multi-Emmy nominated drama Mare of Easttown. The story. 

—"My heart can't just take more pain." In a heartbreaking Instagram post, Venezuelan actor Edgar Ramirez revealed the devastating news that he has lost his grandmother, uncle, aunty, agent and other friends and family to COVID-19. The story. 

—Farewell. Directors Guild of America president Thomas Schlamme is stepping down after four years in the role next month. The craft union’s next leader will be chosen at the Biennial Convention on Sept. 18. The story. 

'Only Murders in the Building' to 'The Other Two'

►This Week in TV. THR's Rick Porter runs down the TV premieres, returns and specials over the next seven days. Things to look out for over the coming week include Hulu's big new comedy series Only Murders in the Building starring Martin Short, Steve Martin and Selena Gomez. Second season debuts of HBO Max's The Other Two, Apple's big-budget drama See and Netflix's Sparking Joy starring Marie Kondo. NatGeo’s 9/11: One Day in America commemorates the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks through first-person accounts of survivors and first responders. The full guide.

—Jump to a conclusion. ESPN has taken sportscaster Rachel Nichols off of its coverage of the NBA and canceled The Jump, the daily NBA show she hosted for five years. The move comes weeks after Nichols apologized for complaining about then-ESPN colleague Maria Taylor in a leaked audio file. The story. 

—King of movie marketing. Since Deadpool, Ryan Reynolds has established himself as a savvy movie marketer and for Free Guy he shot about 75 pieces of marketing content, compared with the usual 10 to 15 for a lead actor, in an effort to set a variety of tones that could match the news cycle at that time. The story. 

In other news...  

—Film review: Nia DaCosta's Candyman. 

—TV review: HBO Max's The Other Two season 2.

—Film review: Phil Grabsky and Shoaib Sharifi's documentary My Childhood, My Country. 

—TV ratings: America's Got Talent keeps Tuesday crown.

—Mandy Patinkin confirms the heartbreaking Princess Bride story behind an iconic scene.

—James Corden says Tom Cruise wanted to land his helicopter in London.

—Sharon Stone to get Zurich Festival's Golden Icon Award.

—Wondery, Amazon Music strike licensing deal with Tinkercast.

—Xonia Benguría, Cuban actress that starred in Casta de Roble, dies at 96.

—Michael Nader, All My Children and Dynasty actor, dies at 76.

—Micki Grant, Broadway composer and lyricist, dies at 92.

—Inside Cartier's Clash collection launch with Lily Collins, Dan Levy and a performance by Finneas.

—Tommy Dorfman says she's "genuinely happy" and "never felt better" since her reintroduction as a woman.

—Fox invests in blockchain distribution and monetization platform Eluvio.

—Electronic Artist Deadmau5 develops interactive experience launching on core this fall.

What else we're reading...

—"Joe Rogan, Confined to Spotify, Is Losing Influence" [The Verge]

—"Tolkien and Amazon's Fight for a Franchise" [Substack]

—"Why a Christmas Episode Supercharged the Ted Lasso Debate" [Vulture]

—"A Perfect Disaster: What Went Wrong With Nine Perfect Strangers?" [The Guardian]

—"She Wrote the History of Jeopardy! Then She Changed It." [New York Times]

Today... 

... in 1973, Paramount unveiled baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly at its world premiere in New York. The film went on to nab an Oscar nomination in the supporting actor category for Vincent Gardenia at the 46th Academy Awards ceremony. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Macaulay Culkin (41), Keke Palmer (28), Mike Colter (45), Melissa McCarthy (51), Dylan O'Brien (30), Chris Pine (41), Nazneen Contractor (39), John Mulaney (39), Andy Muschietti (48), Shirley Manson (55), Akiko Wakabayashi (81), Meredith Eaton (47), Brett Cullen (65)