The FCC Is Interested in AT&T's Plans to Stream 100 Channels for $35/Month

AT&T says it will offer a new DirecTV Now streaming service with more than 100 TV channels for $35 a month. "AT&T is taking its content partners for a dance on the edge of a cliff," says one analyst. But why is the FCC investigating? Because waived data charges for AT&T Mobility subscribers are part of the deal, and that may violate net neutrality rules. [Deadline]

Poor International Returns May Leave Hollywood Comedies Unmade

Reporting from the American Film Market, The Atlantic says comedies are losing cachet in Hollywood, mainly because even big domestic hits can struggle to make more than a pittance overseas. The opposite is true for big-budget effects movies, which often outperform the U.S. box-office dramatically in international release. [The Atlantic]

Is Peak TV Creating a Financial Bubble?

It's boom times for everyone involved in the production of televised content, from craftspeople to prop houses, as demand for episodic content explodes in the era of over-the-top delivery options, when every cable network wants a prestige series to call its own. The Washington Post wonders if the industry is in for a fall. [The Washington Post]

Anne V. Coates Tells All

The great film editor Anne V. Coates is 90 years old, but she didn't retire until last year, when she cut Fifty Shades of Grey — and who even knows if that's really the last film she has in her? Coates is getting an honorary Oscar this Sunday, and she commemorated the occasion by giving a career-spanning interview to the Los Angeles Times that proves at least one thing: Anne Coates is the best. [Los Angeles Times]

RIP French New Wave Cinematographer Raoul Coutard

Farewell to the legendary French cinematographer Raoul Coutard. His work with directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut, using handheld camera and natural light, helped define the aesthetics of the French New Wave — and, by extension, forever influenced filmmaking styles around the world. He was 92. [The Guardian]