Showbiz Sandbox 423: After New Allegations Time Was Up For Les Moonves at CBS
September 10, 2018
When CBS head Les Moonves was accused of sexual misconduct this past summer his firing seemed inevitable. Instead he over the weekend after six additional women came forward with allegations dating back decades. Now the question is not how much severance Moonves will get but how much money can CBS pay him to go away and avoid a drawn-out lawsuit without angering activists .
Ultimately Moonves may have lost the battle but won the war. His stepping aside allowed for the settlement of an ownership lawsuit which prevents National Amusements, the network’s parent company, from trying to merge CBS and Viacom for at least two years.
Meanwhile Netflix scored big at the Venice Film Festival when their movie “Roma” picked up the Golden Lion, the festival’s top prize. Director Alfonso Cuarón’s film seems like just the type the Academy might fall for come Oscar time, but first it has to find a movie theater willing to show it.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including why there won’t be a Best Popular Film category at next year’s Oscars, a new “Law & Order” series and all the history made at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
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Showbiz Sandbox 416: Superheroes Have Never Been More Popular, Just Not In Comic Books
July 16, 2018
Meanwhile the Emmy nominations were announced last week and despite expanding their Best Drama and Best Comedy categories to eight nominees, there were still complaints about shows being left off the list. Welcome to Peak TV! With 400 shows to choose from, there’s no way to please everyone.
Subscription movie ticket service MoviePass has instituted its peak pricing policy which seems to apply to the first weekend of any movie, no matter how popular. And we’ll give you a first hand account of what happens when the company thinks you’re breaking their terms of service.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including how Drake has claimed seven of the top 10 singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, why Scarlett Johansson won’t be playing a transgender person in a new movie and plans for “Downtown Abbey” movie have officially been announced.
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Showbiz Sandbox 394: A Golden Globes Ceremony With Perfect Timing
January 8, 2018
Amid a sea of black dresses and black tie Hollywood held its first big annual event of the #metoo age as the Golden Globes became a platform for the industry to speak out on gender inequality. The highlight of the evening came when Oprah Winfrey delivered a rousing acceptance speech for an honorary award that had everyone wondering whether she plans on running for president in 2020.
Meanwhile, estimated financials for 2017 are being tallied and it looks as if the global box office set new highs, thanks in part to the Chinese market which is still rising sharply. In North America however, attendance reached a low that hasn’t been seen in decades generating receipts that declined only slightly.
And just as a new wave of lawsuits threaten to swamp Spotify, the music streaming service looks to cash in with one of the largest direct public offerings ever. Apple music is still trying to catch up to Spotify’s 70 million paying subscribers as Jimmy Iovine, one of their key executives, is reportedly stepping down this summer.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including Broadway’s record breaking year, Lady Gaga heads to Las Vegas and John Legend becomes a savior.
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Showbiz Sandbox 144: Measuring Media Proves Difficult In The Digital Age
April 9, 2012
Whether trying to figure out how many users the streaming music actually has or why audiences have abandoned television shows in the ten o’clock hour, it turns out keeping track of media metrics often requires fuzzy logic.
In one instance the ratings for CNBC in the 18 to 49-year-old demographic plummeted when three people included in Nielsen’s measurement sampling turned 50. Meanwhile, Billboard’s new formula for ranking singles caused Justin Bieber to narrowly miss hitting the number one spot.
There have been no problems counting money at movie theater and Broadway box offices. “Hunger Games” has helped movie grosses continue their record setting pace for the year and over on the Great White Way, three musicals pulled in over $2 million during Easter break.
Of course, we also cover the top entertainment headlines from the past week, including Ryan Seacrest’s Olympic efforts, Vince Vaughn’s bad timing and YouTube’s confusing relationship with Viacom.
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