Showbiz Sandbox 511: The Emmys and TIFF Pull Off the Virtual

September 22, 2020

When COVID-19 shut down the worldwide entertainment industry many wondered how it would affect annual events such as awards shows as well as film and music festivals. While the pandemic led to the cancelation of the Cannes Film Festival, the Emmy Awards honoring excellence in television and the Toronto International Film Festival both managed to hold virtual events that were received quite positively.

Anne Thompson, Indiewire’s Editor at Large, has been attending and covering TIFF for decades, though this year she didn’t have to leave her home to do so. She fills us in on what it was like to attend TIFF virtually, what the standout films were, how they will likely get released in theaters and which ones will be up for (a virtual) Oscars next year.

Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including complete coverage of the Emmy Awards, a new music video for a beloved Louis Armstrong song and Madonna will direct her own biopic.

Read more

Showbiz Sandbox 255: Better Pixels Not More Pixels – Why You’ll Never Care About 4K or 8K TV

October 27, 2014

Technology is quickly emerging that delivers enhanced theatrical and home viewing experiences the likes of which audiences have never seen. What remains unknown is whether consumers even notice incremental upgrades such as Ultra HD or care enough to pay extra for them. TV manufacturers sure hope so.

However, at the SMPTE 2014 Technical Conference held last week in Los Angeles, some of the industries smartest engineers agreed that images with a wider contrast and color range (HDR) are preferable to those packing more pixels into every frame (4K). They also questioned if we were technically capable of getting all this enhanced content onto screens both big and small.

China, on the other hand, will take any content they can get their hands. After Hollywood spent years trying to break into the Chinese market, China is now come knocking down Hollywood’s door in search of movies and television programs to show via streaming and subscription services.

Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including how Ken Burns scored big ratings for PBS with his latest documentary, why sock puppets are all the rage on Broadway and TLC shows Honey Boo-Boo the door.

Read more