Showbiz Sandbox 122: The Real Story Behind Steve Jobs And Pixar

October 10, 2011

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Millions mourned the loss of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs this past week when the innovator behind the Macintosh computer,  the iPod and others died at the age of 56. Though the endless eulogies of Jobs always mention Jobs Pixar tenure, they rarely provided any real detail. Truth is Jobs lost money with Pixar for ten years trying to turn the company into a successful computer hardware business. We’ll dive into the story of how Jobs came to own Pixar and how the company stumbled upon success in computer animation.

Of course, there has never been a Pixar film that didn’t make money. However, we often blithely dismiss one movie as being a box office loser and another as a hit even though they might seem similar in budgets and box office. When we consider a film a hit or a flop, we’re making numerous assumptions on various factors. It’s always a judgment call, but to try and explain what sort of judgments we’re making, we’ve decided to look at several different movies and explain why we consider them a hit or miss.

It’s not as hard to tell when a new television series is a flop, especially after the network cancels it. A number of new shows (“Playboy Club”) got axed this past week, while others (“New Girl”) were picked up for an entire season. One series which nearly didn’t make the cut was “The Simpsons”. After its 23rd season the animated show was nearly canceled over a contract dispute with the cast providing voices for its lovable characters.

We also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including yet another change of plans at Netflix, getting cable programming through the X-Box, and why theater owners are upset over Universal Pictures new home video strategy.

Disney Plans To Rerelease More 3D Classics After Lion King Success
http://3dradar.techradar.com/3d-tech/disney-plans-more-3d-classics-after….

Analyst: 3D Re-Releases Could Boost Annual U.S. Box Office by $200 Million-$300 Million
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/analyst-3d-releases-could-boost-244500

Hollywood Profits Demystified
http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_hollywood_economist/2005/08/….

The Pixar Touch by David A. Price
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307278298/

How Pixar Gave Steve Jobs His Mojo Back
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/10/09/how-pixar-gave….

Steve Jobs Bio Tops Amazon Bestseller List
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2011/10/steve-jobs-bio-tops-amazon-bestseller-list.html

Sony Is Said To Buy Film Rights To Jobs Biography
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/08/sony-is-said-to-buy-film-rights-to-jobs-biography/

Will Apple Lose It’s Magic?
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/06/steve-jobs-passing-will-apple-lose-its-magic-with-creative-spark-gone.html

Apple Innovations Include Start of Big-Budget Super Bowl Ads
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/business/media/recalling-apples-influence-and-innovations-advertising.html

Money Dispute May End Simpsons
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/04/the-simpsons-money-dispute-may-shut-down-fox-tv-s-long-running-hit.html

The ‘Simpsons’ Salary Dispute and the Costs Of Success
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/10/simpsons-salary-dispute-analyzed.html

‘Simpsons’ Star Harry Shearer Speaks Out On Salary Dispute
http://www.aoltv.com/2011/10/07/simpsons-harry-shearer-salary-statement/

‘Simpsons’ Cast Blinks In Salary Showdown With Fox (Exclusive)
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/simpsons-cast-fox-pay-cut-245648

Netflix Yanks Plan to Separate DVD-By-Mail From Streaming Service
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-yanks-plan-separate-dvd-246082

Barnes & Noble in Graphic Novel Dispute
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/barnes-noble-in-graphic-novel-dispute/

‘Radically Reshaped’ BBC to Include Fewer Jobs and More Reruns
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/07/world/europe/new-cutbacks-announced-by-bbc.html

Rdio Goes Really, Really Free: Free Music, No Ads
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2011/10/rdio-goes-really-really-free-free-music-no-ads.html

Director Drama Heats Up On Dredd
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/10/director-drama-heats-up-on-dredd.html

Mr. Ed Becomes A Movie
http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/10/oh-wilbur-another-classic-tv-s.php

Spin Magazine Going Bimonthly
http://www.adweek.com/news/press/spin-magazine-going-bimonthly-135459

Lars Von Trier Imposes Voluntary Gag Order on Himself After Police Questioning
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lars-von-trier-police-questioning-244514

FilmDistrict Sued Over ‘Misleading’ ‘Drive’ Trailer
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/drive-filmdistrict-lawsuit-ryan-gosling-245871

Microsoft’s Cable Play: Verizon, Comcast, HBO and More
http://gigaom.com/video/microsoft-xbox-comcast-verizon-hbo/

Don’t Like An Ad On Hulu? Now You Can Choose Another
http://gigaom.com/video/hulu-ad-swap/

Disney, Robert Iger Sign New Deal and Set Succession Plan
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/10/disney-renews-iger-deal-and-sets-succession-plan.html

Brett Ratner Not Involved in $59.99 VOD ‘Tower Heist’ Test
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brett-ratner-tower-heist-244699

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One Response to “Showbiz Sandbox 122: The Real Story Behind Steve Jobs And Pixar”

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    […] Giltz, my co-host over on Showbiz Sandbox, may have put it best when discussing the story on this week’s episode. He sarcastically […]