From KCRW, I'm Kim Masters, and this is the business.

Director Alan Hughes had a rocky history with Tupac Shakur, so when he was offered the chance to make a documentary series about the much-mythologized rapper, he hesitated.

I always thought it would be a great idea. I just didn't know if I was ready for it.

It took a few days to think about it, and I go, you know what? No better way for me to understand the misunderstandings that even the

public has with this guy. He's one of the most misunderstood figures of the 20th century.

Alan Hughes talks to NPR TV critic and my friend, Eric Deggans, about being assaulted by Shakur,

just weeks before his 1993 debut feature, Menace to Society,

premiered at Cannes. He also explains why including the story of Tupac's mother was integral to the

docu-series. But first two buddies banter while I'm away, stick around. It's the business from

KCRW.

I'm joined by my partner in banter, Matt Bellany. Hello, Matt. Hi there. So, let's talk about Paramount for a minute. Paramount announced some earnings that were disappointing to Wall Street,

and their stock got pummeled. They are in a tough spot right now. I mean,

the people I'm talking to at the highest levels of Hollywood, feel like they're in a sort of a trap,

that they are too small and they're not going to be able to get big enough, and that having a hit

like Yellowstone, which airs on the Paramount Network, but then goes to Peacock, not Paramount

Plus, just that one hit as big as it is does not turn into a strategy for them. They just

shuttered MTV News. They're looking to cut costs, but they were clobbered in the comeback. I don't

know. It seems like maybe they can do this on their own for a few years. But, you know, Sherry Redstone, people have said, has been looking to shop the company,

but she wants to maintain control.

And it's hard at this point to think who would buy it, even if she didn't completely have control.

Yeah.

I mean, the stock dropped 30% in a day after these earnings.

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