Showbiz Sandbox 520: Writing Hollywood’s Obituary… Again
December 8, 2020
The film industry is facing an existential crisis due to the COVID pandemic; film productions are struggling to continue, cinema chains have become burdened with debt and studios are sending their blockbuster releases directly to streaming services. In fact, last week Warner Bros. announced that its entire 2021 slate of movies would be released both in theatres and on their streaming service HBO Max, at least in the United States.
Brooks Barnes, a reporter for the New York Times, recently wrote a feature story detailing the death of Hollywood…again. Literally the headline used the word obituary. Barnes joins us to discuss the unprecedented challenges and disruption the industry is facing and helps us understand their overall ramifications.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Disney is putting the Fox film library back in its vault, Bob Dylan sells the publishing rights to all of his songs and an all-Spanish album tops the Billboard charts for the first time in its 64 year history.
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Hollywood’s Obituary, the Sequel. Now Streaming.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/28/business/media/hollywood-coronavirus-streaming.html
Michael’s Holiday Music Playlists, Favorite Christmas Albums and More
https://popsurfing.blogspot.com/2020/11/christmas-music-mindspace-discussion.html
Geoff Boucher’s Mindspace Podcast
https://www.heavymetal.com/mindspace/
Jefferson May’s “A Christmas Carol”
https://www.achristmascarollive.com
China Box Office: ‘Monster Hunter’ Opens Fifth Despite Being Pulled From Theaters
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/monster-hunter-china-box-office-1234848295/
Universal Continues To Dominate Paltry Pandemic Post-Thanksgiving B.O.
https://deadline.com/2020/12/universal-continues-to-dominate-paltry-pandemic-post-thanksgiving-b-o-as-town-reels-from-warner-hbo-max-windows-bombshell-1234651156/
The “Queen’s Gambit” Stays Atop Nielsen Streaming Chart
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/the-queens-gambit-stays-atop-nielsen-streaming-chart
South Korean Government Eases Rule On Mandatory Military Service
https://deadline.com/2020/12/bts-lives-as-south-korean-government-eases-rule-for-mandatory-military-service-1234636950/
Disney Is Quietly Placing Classic Fox Movies Into Its Vault, and That’s Worrying
https://www.vulture.com/2019/10/disney-is-quietly-placing-classic-fox-movies-into-its-vault.html
Publishers Would Back a Reinvented BookExpo
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/85037-publishers-would-back-a-reinvented-bookexpo.html
Oscar-Nominated ‘Umbrella Academy’ Star Elliot Page Announces He Is Transgender
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/elliot-page-transgender-ellen-page-juno-umbrella-academy-1234843023/
‘Vikings’ Final Episodes to Air First on Amazon
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/vikings-final-episodes-to-air-first-on-amazon
Bob Dylan Sells Song Catalog To Universal Music Publishing
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bob-dylan-sells-entire-song-catalog-to-universal-music-publishing
Bad Bunny’s ‘El Ultimo Tour del Mundo’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart, Is First All-Spanish No. 1 Album
https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/9495004/bad-bunny-el-ultimo-tour-del-mundo-billboard-200-number-one/
Warner Bros. Says All 2021 Films Will Be Streamed Right Away
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/03/business/media/warner-brothers-movies-hbo-max.html
Warner Bros Sets Entire 2021 Movie Slate To Debut On HBO Max Along With Cinemas In Seismic Windows Model Shakeup
https://deadline.com/2020/12/warner-bros-2021-movie-slate-hbo-max-matrix-4-dune-in-the-heights-1234649760/
Warner Bros. Smashes Box Office Windows, Will Send Entire 2021 Slate to HBO Max and Theaters
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warner-bros-smashes-box-office-windows-will-send-2021-slate-to-hbo-max-and-theaters
Cinemark Responds To Earth-Shattering Warner Bros-HBO Max 2021 Theatrical Slate Decision
https://deadline.com/2020/12/hbo-max-warner-bros-theatrical-slate-cinemark-response-1234649848/
Theater Stocks Plunge After Warner Bros. Will Release All 2021 Films on HBO Max, Cinemas Simultaneously
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/theater-stocks-warner-bros-hbo-max-matrix-4-dune-1234845702/
Legendary Science Fiction Author Ben Bova Has Passed at the Age of 88
https://www.tor.com/2020/11/30/legendary-science-fiction-author-ben-bova-has-passed-at-the-age-of-88/
Hugh Keays-Byrne, Dastardly Villains in ‘Mad Max’ Films, Dies at 73
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hugh-keays-byrne-dastardly-villains-in-mad-max-films-dies-at-73
Warren Berlinger, Actor in ‘Blue Denim,’ ‘Come Blow Your Horn’ and ‘Cannonball Run,’ Dies at 83
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warren-berlinger-actor-in-blue-denim-come-blow-your-horn-and-cannonball-run-dies-at-83
Alison Lurie, Pulitzer-Winning Novelist Dies at 94
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/alison-lurie-dead/2020/12/03/6a3446c8-3fc7-11ea-b90d-5652806c3b3a_story.html
David L. Lander, Squiggy on ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ Dies at 73
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/david-lander-dead-squiggy-laverne-shirley-was-73-1294535
Peter Alliss, “Voice of Golf” on British TV, Dies at 89
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/peter-alliss-voice-of-golf-on-british-tv-dies-at-89
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