Showbiz Sandbox 221: Sundance Returns To Its Indie Roots (Again)
January 20, 2014
Celebrities, filmmakers and industry executives are in the midst of their annual pilgrimage to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival. Thanks to digital technology it’s never been easier to make or distribute a low budget film. This has led to a glut of indie productions looking for audiences and no way to know which are worth watching.
This year’s Sundance began the day Oscar nominations were handed out and the festival’s founder was overlooked for his critically praised performance in “All Is Lost”. (Awkward). With nine films competing for Best Picture, and guild awards not being hounded out to consistent winners, it looks as if this will be one of the closest Oscar races in recent memory.
Meanwhile, an appeals court ruling may have finally killed Net Neutrality, much to the joy of Internet service providers everywhere. This means the cost of streaming online music and video may soon rise significantly.
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including a Broadway bound musical adaptation of Disney’s “Frozen”, the declining appeal (and ratings) of “American Idol” and the most popular show on daytime television.
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Paramount Reportedly Stops Delivery of Film Prints
http://celluloidjunkie.com/2014/01/19/paramount-reportedly-stops-delivery-of-film-prints/
PGA Awards: ’12 Years’ and ‘Gravity’ Surge Back to Life After SAG Losses
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/pga-awards-12-years-gravity-67244
SAG Awards: ‘Hustle’ Wins Endorsement of First Guild to Weigh in on Race
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/sag-awards-hustle-wins-endorsement-672272
Oscars: ‘American Hustle,’ ‘Gravity’ Score 10 Nominations Each
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-american-hustle-gravity-score-671461
CBS Renews Entire Daytime Lineup
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-renews-entire-daytime-lineup-671212
Disney CEO Iger: Frozen Has Restored Our Mojo
http://features.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2014/01/13/disney-ceo-iger-frozen-has-restored-our-mojo/
Disney Confirms That Frozen Will Skate Its Way to Broadway
http://www.theatermania.com/new-york-city-theater/news/01-2014/disney-confirms-that-frozen-will-skate-its-way-to-_67151.html
‘The Bachelor’s’ Juan Pablo Galavis Apologizes for Anti-Gay Remarks
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/bachelor-star-juan-pablo-galavis-gays-on-abc-show-would-be-too-hard-1201063569/
Christine McVie Back in Fleetwood Mac
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/christine-mcvie-back-in-fleetwood-mac-20140113
Art Garfunkel Returning to the Stage: ‘The Voice Is Back’
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/art-garfunkel-returning-to-the-stage-the-voice-is-back-20140113
The Weather Channel Is No Longer Available on DirecTV
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/weather-channel-is-no-longer-670684
HBO To End ‘The Newsroom’ With Third Season
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/showbiz/tv/the-newsroom-ending-hbo-ew/
It’s Official: ‘Justified’ to End After Season 6
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/official-justified-end-season-6-670791
Neil Young’s Incredible Carnegie Hall Shows: 10 Must-See Videos
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/neil-youngs-incredible-carnegie-hall-shows-10-must-see-videos-20140113
Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana Back for All Three ‘Avatar’ Sequels
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/sam-worthington-zoe-saldana-back-669894
TV Ratings: ‘American Idol’ 13th Season Premiere Slides
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-tv-ratings-american-idol-premiere-20140115,0,379827.story
Fox’s Kevin Reilly Reveals Plans to ‘Bypass Pilot Season’
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/foxs-kevin-reilly-reveals-plans-670532
‘Peter Pan’ Set as NBC’s Live ‘Sound of Music’ Follow-Up
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/peter-pan-set-as-nbcs-672297
Rebuffing F.C.C. in ‘Net Neutrality’ Case, Court Allows Streaming Deals
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/15/technology/appeals-court-rejects-fcc-rules-on-internet-service-providers.html
Netflix Stock Drops on Fears of Higher Costs After Ruling Strikes Down Net Neutrality
http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/netflix-stock-drops-on-fears-of-higher-costs-after-ruling-strikes-down-net-neutrality-1201058495/
Nothing concerns me more right in entertainment now than the potential death of Net Neutrality. I think it would be disastrous for small businesses, entrepreneurs, the economy, pretty much everyone but ISPs!