This week’s Nose has been traveling 22 years to get here, and now it’s here, and it’s either heads or tails, and you have to say.

Hollywood continues its seeming slow-speed suicide. It’s hard to imagine it even really capitalizing on the huge and ongoing Barbenheimer phenomenon. The Nose continues to be concerned.

But. The Meg 2 is finally here! Actually, that exclamation point notwithstanding, The Nose doesn’t really care about The Meg 2. But it does care about — and have various beefs with — this Meg 2-pegged ranking of movie monsters.

And finally: Hijack is a seven-part, real-time thriller limited series starring Idris Elba. The seventh part, the finale, hit Apple TV+ this week.

Some other stuff that happened this week, give or take:

• Paul Reubens, Pee-wee Herman Actor, Dies at 70 After Private Bout of Cancer
• Final Stephen Sondheim Musical ‘Here We Are’ Sets Cast; Joe Mantello-Directed Show Bows Off Broadway In September
• Lin-Manuel Miranda to Adapt ‘The Warriors’ as Stage Musical
• Meeting friends online is normal. Here’s how to do it. Move over, online dating. Online friend-making is having its day.
• Streaming has surpassed cable as America’s most-watched viewing platform Amid the first combined work stoppage involving writers and actors represented by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, some streaming platforms still scored some wins.
• ‘Suits’ Sets Record for Library Shows on Streaming Charts ‘The Bear’ has another strong week, becoming the second Hulu show to top a billion minutes of viewing.
• Shake it off: Taylor Swift concert triggers actual seismic activity
• X’s Subscription Service, Formerly Twitter Blue, Now Lets You Hide Your Blue Check Mark
• So Many Women Have Dumped Their Boyfriends After “Barbie”, But This Woman’s Story HAS To Be The Wildest One Yet I am so much more horrified than you can imagine!
• Max Is Bleeding Subscribers Following Its Boneheaded Rebrand The service lost 1.8 million subscribers as Warner Bros. Discovery announced a $10.3 million loss in total revenue for its second quarter.
• Apple TV+ Is on a Scripted-Series Hot Streak. Are People Paying Attention? Apple TV+ has amassed a rich library of original content in less than four years—with the awards season nominations to prove it. Can its dedication to curation help it overtake the top streamers, or will Apple lose its appetite for spending on prestige?

GUESTS:

• Irene Papoulis: Teaches writing at Trinity College
• Bill Yousman: Professor of media studies at Sacred Heart University

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