Once Upon a Time in Hollywood… 

The Tax Bill That Could Save Tinseltown 

What's going on: New Yorkers are used to seeing Toronto’s streets play theirs on TV (see: The Bold Type, Suits, and Adults). It’s very likely your favorite show or movie was filmed abroad as a way to reduce costs. That trend has only increased in recent years, which, as The New York Times puts it, has plunged “the industry into a state of despair.” The financial impacts have devastated workers. This week alone, actors Heather Matarazzo (from The Princess Diaries) and Jack Haven (from this summer’s indie hit Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma) both publicly asked for work so they can keep their SAG health insurance. Now, there could be a new episode. On Thursday, lawmakers introduced the Motion Picture, Television and Entertainment Revitalization Act, which would create a 20-30% federal tax incentive for certain film and TV projects made in the US. “We are going to lose the primacy of entertainment production if we don’t do this,” Sean Astin, the president of SAG-AFTRA (and Sam in The Lord of the Rings movies) said. Gandalf would be proud.

Will it pass on its first take?: Congress doesn’t have a great track record on passing, well, anything lately, but the bill has rare bipartisan support. Democrats frame it as a jobs initiative, and Republicans like that it pushes for movies to be made in America. President Donald Trump is advocating for it, too, posting last month, “Let’s get this done!” But of course, it’s not that simple. The NYT notes that it’s unlikely the bill will move forward before the midterms, and if Democrats take control of the House, Trump may have other priorities. There’s also potential disagreement over how it overlaps with existing tax incentives in certain states, and the burden it could add to the federal deficit. Supporters hope to fold it into a year-end spending measure, but even in best-case scenarios, it likely won’t take effect until 2027 or later. For now, movies will keep filming in the Czech Republic while pretending they’re in Colorado, as is the case for the current Resident Evil reboot. Talk about a Hollywood horror movie.

Related: We Can’t Stop Watching the Full Trailer for Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes Doc (The Hollywood Reporter)

Oh, the Bureaucracy

Do the (Education Department) Shuffle

What’s going on: One of President Donald Trump’s campaign promises was to dismantle the Department of Education (DOE). But despite an overhaul, employees tell NPR that what’s actually happening is the agency is coming up with solutions “for a problem they have not identified.” When Education Secretary Linda McMahon took the lead, she said the department would continue to manage one of the country’s biggest pools of federal grants, sending it to schools and states that need it. But now the process for sending and receiving these funds has changed thanks to interagency agreements (IAAs). The money is now filtered through other agencies’ systems, like the Department of Labor, causing delays. Adding to the inefficiencies and extra costs, some DOE staff have been ordered to physically move their offices to other departments as part of the IAAs.

Weren’t they trying to make this better?: The Trump administration’s goal was to break up the federal bureaucracy and return education authority to the states, but changes from the IAAs have overwhelmed departments. IAAs are not uncommon within presidential administrations, but using them like this is “unprecedented,” noted a congressional report. Earlier this month, the head of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) resigned, just months after she took over the post, and one day before her staff moved offices to HHS. Some members of Congress are concerned, too. A bipartisan bill introduced earlier this month would prevent four departments within the agency from merging with IAAs. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), one of the bill’s sponsors, said, “The families I represent should never have to wonder whether a federal reorganization will cost their child a service, a protection, or an opportunity.” 

Related: Education Department Releases Simplified FAFSA Forms Ahead of Schedule (The Hill) 

Playing for Keeps

Game, Set, Stake

What’s going on: An old-school tennis experiment is getting another serve — and Coco Gauff has bought in. The 22-year-old will play for and own part of the Florida Flamingos Racquet Club when World Team Tennis (WTT) returns from a five-year hiatus this December. Billie Jean King helped launch the mixed-gender league in the 1970s, and now new ownership has revived it. This reboot starts small: three teams will play over the course of six days during the regular tennis tour offseason. Matches in Florida, Brooklyn, and Toronto will squeeze four singles sets and a mixed-doubles tiebreaker into roughly 2.5 hours. The field packs plenty of star power, with Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Tommy Paul, Victoria Mboko, and Jessica Pegula among those on the court. 

The bigger play: WTT players can collect appearance fees and prize money and earn equity in the league. Gauff gets an extra piece of the action with an ownership stake in the Flamingos themselves. It’s part of a growing sports model that gives athletes a slice of the businesses they help build — one the Unrivaled league has embraced in women’s basketball, where Gauff is already an investor. WTT also sees an opening in tennis’ quiet December stretch, with a format athletes rarely get on the regular tour. “It’s not often, as a tennis player, that we get to compete as part of a team,” Gauff said. She’ll play Florida’s two home dates not far from where she grew up. Home-court advantage, indeed.

Related: Top-Ranked Tennis Star Jessica Pegula’s Simple Trick for Getting Unstuck (TheSkimm) 

TOGETHER WITH CVS PHOTO

Picture This 

Last-minute shoppers, rejoice. We rounded up our favorite custom photo gifts you can design, order, and pick up within 24 hours. 

Quick Hits

🎙️ Kylie Kelce is shooting her shot with royalty, inviting Kate Middleton onto her Not Gonna Lie podcast to talk field hockey and parenting after Prince William appeared on the Kelce brothers’ New Heights. Your move, Princess.

🐣 For the first time in 34 years, a baby was born on a remote Scottish Island with no hospital or doctors. Talk about a special delivery. 

🍫 Boo. Halloween candy is going to cost you more again this year. Suddenly, one piece per kid feels reasonable.

📺 Netflix is developing a Sesame Street movie and renewed the show through season 62. Forget the popcorn bucket, we're going to need a cookie tin.

📸 Gossip Girl stars Leighton Meester and Kelly Rutherford reunited at Milan Fashion Week. Blair and Lily would never miss a good front row. XOXO. 

✋ Actress Lili Reinhart has some advice for women who’ve second-guessed themselves in a doctor’s office: Your doctor may have the degree, but you still know your own body.