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A-lister antics and Schedule A shenanigans

On The Vergecast: TV is on the decline, so celebrities are riding the subway and going to chicken shops. Plus, how Chicago became the epicenter of ‘Schedule A’ lawsuits against online storefronts.

Mia Sato
is features writer with five years of experience covering the companies that shape technology and the people who use their tools.

Summer blockbusters like the new Superman and Jurassic World movies may be doing great at the box office, but promoting them is more complicated than ever. The old celebrity playbook of magazine profiles, TV chat shows, and press junkets isn’t enough in an era of audience fragmentation. Publicists now have to strategize which podcasts to make time for, and whether their clients will eat chicken on YouTube with Amelia Dimoldenberg or Sean Evans.

This week on The Vergecast, guest host Mia Sato talks to Vulture’s Fran Hoepfner to break down the ever-changing media circuit, whether you’re a beloved A-lister, a formerly beloved A-lister, or an aspiring A-lister.

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Then, we take a deep dive with Sarah Fackrell into a controversial legal tactic that brands are using to go after online sellers hawking everything from Grumpy Cat T-shirts to closet hooks.

Finally, Victoria Song joins Mia to answer a Vergecast hotline from a listener wondering whether an AI translator will be able to keep up with his partner’s Colombian mother. If you have a question for us, call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com.

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