Morning Brew Daily – March 16, 2026

‘One Battle After Another’ Dominates Oscars & David Protein Lies About Calories?

Hosts: Neal Freyman & Toby Howell
Episode Theme:
The hosts break down the major moments of the 2026 Oscars—with industry trends, memorable wins, and entertainment industry anxieties—before turning to a viral lawsuit against David Protein bars, and a feel-good AI-meets-canine-medical-success story. Plus: sports retail, AI medicine debates, big economic updates, and March Madness.

Episode Overview

This episode begins with Oscars coverage and the state of Hollywood, segues into controversy surrounding David Protein bars’ reported calorie mislabeling, and highlights a remarkable AI-driven attempt to cure a dog’s cancer. The hosts finish with business and economic headlines, retail trends, and upcoming cultural events.

1. U.S. Extreme Weather Update

Timestamps: 00:50 – 02:11

• The U.S. faces a "triple threat March megastorm," affecting 200M people with severe snow, wind, and tornado risks, while the West braces for an unprecedented heatwave.
  • Colin McCarthy: “Palm Springs is forecasted to hit 111 degrees this Friday—7 degrees warmer than any March in their records.” (00:50)
• New York’s wild “many seasons” are discussed with comedic timing.

2. 2026 Oscars: Highlights, Trends, and Tension in Hollywood

Timestamps: 02:57 – 09:23

Major Wins & Notable Moments

• Best Picture: One Battle after Another (Paul Thomas Anderson’s ex-revolutionary saga)
• Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle...)—his first ever Oscar win
• Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan (Sinners, besting Timothée Chalamet and “Marty Supreme”)
• Best Actress: Jessie Buckley (Hamnet)
• Best Supporting: Sean Penn (One Battle), Amy Madigan (Weapons)
• Netflix took home its most Oscars ever (7), mainly for Frankenstein.
• “K-Pop Demon Hunters” became first non-Disney/Pixar animated film to win two Oscars.

Industry Context & Existential Concerns

• Consolidation: Paramount + Warner Bros. mega-merger—potential for fewer studios
• Production Shift: No Best Picture nominees primarily shot on Hollywood lots (“production is fleeing to lower-tax and lower-cost areas, not just Atlanta but even internationally, like Ireland.” --Neal, 07:02)
• Box Office Slump: U.S. moviegoing has halved versus a decade ago.

Memorable Quotes & Banter

• Conan O’Brien’s monologue, joking about being the “last human host” and “next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux,” as well as, “Why isn’t the website I ordered toilet paper from winning more Oscars?” (03:14)
• On Netflix: “That’s the most in its history, thanks to a haul from Frankenstein.” (Toby, 04:19)
• Indie snubs: Marty Supreme and Begonia went 0-for despite nominations.
• On One Battle after Another: “A rare best Picture winner that had a budget of over $100 million. You got to pay up.” (Toby, 06:18)
• Leonardo DiCaprio as “the kingmaker for these directors”—he’s starred in the first Best Director wins for Cameron, Scorsese, PTA. (05:12)

Green Shoots & Youth Interest in Film

• Iron Lung by YouTuber Mark Fishback grossed $51M on $3M budget—crowd-powered hit.
• 59% of kids born 2013+ prefer the big screen.
• “Movies are not dying. The youth are going to save them.” –Toby (09:23)

3. David Protein Bars Lawsuit: Science, Skepticism, and Marketing Hype

Timestamps: 09:23 – 13:14

Lawsuit & Claims

• Allegation: Bars contain up to 83% more calories and 400% more fat than advertised.
• Bars marketed as ultra-high protein (28g), very low calorie (150), and low fat.
• Founder Peter Rahal ("Rx Bar" creator) refutes the lawsuit—claims testing used by plaintiffs is misleading; true count reflects only digestible calories.

Key Discussion Points

• “No one is getting Regina George’d.” (Rahal, social media, referencing Mean Girls) (10:07)
• Bomb calorimeter vs. digestibility: lawsuit based on total burnable energy, but body can’t always extract all of it, especially due to “novel” ingredients.

EPG: The Ingredient Behind the Controversy

• EPG (Esterified Propoxylated Glycerol): synthetic, plant-based fat substitute designed to pass through the body undigested; can cause digestive issues if consumed in excess.
• “That is why you’re seeing a difference between, you know, what the bomb calorimeter showed and what actually David claims.” –Toby (11:53)
• “Any time you’re on the forefront of innovation, there’s confusion. We stand by our product fully.” – Peter Rahal (paraphrased by Neal, 12:42)

Pop Culture Parallels

• Neal sees a “Seinfeld nonfat yogurt” parallel: “They’re touting all these nonfat yogurts and in fact, they had a lot of fat and it made everyone gain some weight.” (11:01)

Business Impact

• David bars now a $725M business after only 1.5 years—already larger than RX Bar.

4. Winners of the Weekend: Youth Sports Retail and DIY AI Medicine

Timestamps: 15:00 – 24:17

4.1. Dick’s Sporting Goods: Riding the Youth Sports Boom

• Dick’s app (a viral hit) rewards fitness logs with store credit; reflects massive digital/retail synergy.

• “American families spend $40 billion every year on their kids’ athletic journeys, and much of that spending takes place inside the iconic sports retailer.” (Neal, 15:34)

• MLB rule change (2019) led to explosion in baseball cleat SKUs—drove further demand.

• Revenue nearly doubled in 10 years, $14.1B sales in 2025.

• Business challenge: The $2.5B Foot Locker acquisition isn’t yet profitable; risk for Dick’s.

• The “House of Sport Megastore” model: transforming stores into “hang out” destinations with batting cages, climbing wall, etc.

  • “They talk a lot about Dwell time—how much you spend wandering around the aisles of Dick’s.” –Toby (18:54)

4.2. AI-Designed Dog Cancer Vaccine: A ‘Citizen Science’ Miracle?

• Australian tech entrepreneur, Paul Cunningham, designed a custom mRNA cancer vaccine for his rescue dog Rosie after a 2024 diagnosis.
• Used ChatGPT, AlphaFold, and Grok to analyze tumor DNA and design the shot—aided by an RNA institute.
• Results: Tumor shrank by half, dog alive and well as of March 2026.

Debate: Tech Libertarian Triumph or Oversold?

• Story went viral, highlighting public fascination.
• Skeptics (like Hank Green) warn against extrapolating: “One treatment for one dog isn’t world-changing. It’d take controlled trials across multiple cases.”
• Chemist Ash Joe Gallicar: “The real novelty is not the biology, but a non-specialist orchestrating a complex pipeline, AI as the navigational layer, and decentralizing capabilities.”
• Universal concern: “Too much red tape” and regulation hampered the process; even the entrepreneur said “the red tape was harder than creating the vaccine.” (paraphrased, 23:52)
• Toby: “The fact that he had no biology background whatsoever is what makes this such a buzzy story... He went from zero to literally saving his dog’s life.” (23:59)

5. Week Ahead: Fed, Oil, Iran, March Madness, Blockbusters & Spring

Timestamps: 24:17 – 27:54

Economic Outlook & Geopolitics

• Federal Reserve meets with economic headwinds: oil at $106/barrel (+43% monthly), U.S. gas at $3.70/gal (+30%).
• Global worries as war in Iran causes surging energy prices, shipping disruption in Hormuz.

Sports & Culture Calendar

• March Madness: Men’s No. 1s—Duke, Arizona, Michigan, Florida; Women’s—UConn, UCLA, Texas, South Carolina.
• World Baseball Classic final: U.S. vs. Venezuela or Italy.
• Baseball’s cultural moment: Toby feels “ready to push MLB into the number two spot” in American sports, over basketball.

Entertainment

• Project Hail Mary with Ryan Gosling opens Friday; adapted from The Martian’s author, Andy Weir.
  • “Fantastic audiobook, by the way. The guy who narrates it does not look like Ryan Gosling.” –Toby (27:11)

Spring Arrives (Allegedly)

• Spring Equinox on Friday, St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow; winter weather persists in much of U.S.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I'm honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards. Next year it's going to be a Waymo in a tux.” –Conan O’Brien’s monologue (03:14)
• “Movies are not dying. The youth are going to save them.” –Toby (09:23)
• “No one is getting Regina George’d.” –Peter Rahal on protein bar criticisms (10:07)
• “Any time you’re on the forefront of innovation, there’s confusion.” – Peter Rahal (12:42)
• “The real novelty here is not the biology but the combination…AI acting as a navigational layer…decentralization of capabilities.” –Ash Joe Gallicar (22:42)
• “He went from zero to literally saving his dog’s life.” –Toby (23:59)

Key Takeaways

• Hollywood faces existential threats—but enormous hits, some new categories, and youth moviegoing offer hope.
• David Protein bars embody both: cutting-edge food science & marketing, as well as consumer skepticism and legal scrutiny.
• AI democratizes even complex biomedicine, but sparks debate over true disruption vs. hype—especially with inspiring individual stories.
• Retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods thrive by embracing data and adapting spaces to evolving consumer culture.
• Macroeconomic, geopolitical, and cultural shifts promise a consequential week ahead.

End of Summary – Listen to the episode for full banter, hot takes, and in-depth discussion!