Showbiz Sandbox 409: The Cannes Film Festival Has Its #MeToo Moment
May 14, 2018
Only three films by female directors are competing for the top prize at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival, but that hasn’t stopped women from raising their voices. In fact, a red carpet protest was held by 82 female filmmakers and actresses, representing the number of films made by women that have appeared in the festival over its seven decade span. That said, the nine-member Cannes jury this year has five women on it and is headed up by actress Cate Blanchett.
As always, we’re in Cannes for the festival and will fill you in on all the noteworthy films and events. Though media reports may be saying the event has lost its luster, and indeed it has been very low-key this year, one should never underestimate Cannes for being able to find the next great auteur.
Meanwhile in China, western theme parks are flourishing while the 2,700 homegrown parks are collapsing, almost literally. Will the future of theme parks in the Middle Kingdom predict how Hollywood movies will ultimately fare?
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including why the Nobel Prize in Literature will not be handed out this year, questions over the legitimacy of a Chinese box office hit and why Spotify is distancing itself from R. Kelly.
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Showbiz Sandbox 323: Trends From the 2016 TV Upfronts
May 30, 2016
Each May all the U.S. television networks invite major advertisers and the media to New York so they can pitch all of the new and returning shows on their fall schedules. Known as the upfronts, a good chunk of the prime time advertising inventory is sold during these meetings as promotional buzz about each series commences in earnest. We’ll take a closer look at some of the big trends coming out of this year’s upfronts.
Meanwhile, a much beloved series might be starting a trend of its own by increasing viewership in its 12th season. Usually long-running shows lose audience in their latter years, however “Grey’s Anatomy” is the perfect example of how new technology can boost viewership.
Viacom and CBS are likely to have kept a close eye on the recently completed upfronts, given their dominance in television. CBS was originally a Viacom property, but was spun-off more than a decade ago. Now, amidst leadership turmoil at Viacom, there is speculation the two companies may merge, once more becoming a single entity.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including why U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is criticizing Disney, Spotify’s big success in helping subscribers find new music and why the next James Bond film is in search of a director.
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