http://www.showbizsandbox.com Showbiz Sandbox is a podcast featuring industry professionals J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward and Michael Giltz’s humorous viewpoints, insightful analysis and insider opinions on the latest entertainment news headlines. The weekly podcast features renowned industry guests, as well as phone calls and emails from listeners who voice their own opinions on the child’s play of the entertainment business. Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:48:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 Showbiz Sandbox is a podcast featuring industry professionals J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward and Michael Giltz’s humorous viewpoints, insightful analysis and insider opinions on the latest entertainment news headlines. The weekly podcast features renowned industry guests, as well as phone calls and emails from listeners who voice their own opinions on the child’s play of the entertainment business. J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz no J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz sperling@showbizsandbox.com sperling@showbizsandbox.com (J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz) 2009 The podcast that brings you all the dirt on the news making headlines around the entertainment world. Entertainment, Movies, Film, Television, TV, Music, Theater, Broadway http://www.showbizsandbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/showbiz-sandbox-podcast-artwork-with-photos.png http://www.showbizsandbox.com http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2010/04/12/showbiz-sandbox-49-hollywood-experiences-premature-sequalization/ http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2010/04/12/showbiz-sandbox-49-hollywood-experiences-premature-sequalization/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:31:52 +0000 J. Sperling Reich http://www.showbizsandbox.com/?p=771 http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2010/04/12/showbiz-sandbox-49-hollywood-experiences-premature-sequalization/feed/ 0 "Clash of the Titans","Date Night","Desperate Housewives","Mission Impossible IV","The Tonight Show",Bob Dylan,Brad Bird,Conan O'Brien,Erykah Badu,Harrison Ford,Jenny McCarthy,Jim Carrey Have you ever wondered why movie studios love to make sequels of hit films? Well, these studios don't even wait for a film to be released before announcing its sequel. Steve Zeitchik of the Los Angeles Times fills us in on the sequel culture that has ... Have you ever wondered why movie studios love to make sequels of hit films? Well, these studios don't even wait for a film to be released before announcing its sequel. Steve Zeitchik (http://twitter.com/zeitchikLAT) of the Los Angeles Times (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2009/12/steven-zeitchik.html) fills us in on the sequel culture that has taken over Hollywood. Meanwhile, the king and queen of television, Steve Carell and Tina Fey, nudged "Clash of the Titans" out of first place at the box office with their new release "Date Night". While Fey may be making a move to the silver screen, the big news of the week was happening in television - cable television no less. Oprah Winfrey announced five new shows that will air on her cable network starting next January, a lineup that left some industry-watchers befuddled. Another TV personality following Oprah onto a cable network is Conan O'Brien. He surprised just about everyone by announcing he would be starting his own late night talk show this fall on TBS. While analyzing the week's top entertainment news stories including how celebrities are using Twitter these days. We finish off with a little Inside Baseball in which we try and understand why anyone would want to buy Miramax or MGM.  Premature Sequalization: Sequel Culture Runs Amok http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/04/tron-legacy-sequel.... (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/04/tron-legacy-sequel-sherlock-holmes.html) Conan O'Brien Will Do A Late Night Show On TBS http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/conan-obrien-will.... (http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/conan-obrien-will-do-a-late-night-show-on-tbs/?hp) Winfrey Network Details Programming Plans http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017455.html?categoryid=.... (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118017455.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&ref=bd_tv) NBC Attempts To Edit Around Slash's Team Coco Pin http://tv.gawker.com/5511584/nbc-attempts-to-edit-around-slashs-team-coco-pin (http://tv.gawker.com/5511584/nbc-attempts-to-edit-around-slashs-team-coco-pin) Tiger Woods' Nike Commercial Just Doesn't Do It http://www.suntimes.com/sports/2148012,tiger-woods-nike-commercial-08.article (http://www.suntimes.com/sports/2148012,tiger-woods-nike-commercial-08.article) Usher Overtakes Justin Bieber In Top Spot On Billboard's Charts http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2010-4-7-usher-overtakes-justin-bieber.... (http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2010-4-7-usher-overtakes-justin-bieber-at-no-1-on-the-billboard-200) Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy Break Up Via Twitter http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2010/04/jim-carrey-jenny-mccarthy.... (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2010/04/jim-carrey-jenny-mccarthy-split-via-twitter.html) Harrison Ford Joins 'Cowboys and Aliens', Tweets Favreau http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/04/07/harrison_ford.... (http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/04/07/harrison_ford_joins_cowboys_aliens_tweets_favreau/) Producers Guild of America Agrees on New Credit: Transmedia Producer http://www.deadline.com/2010/04/producers-guild-of-america-vote-on-creation.... (http://www.deadline.com/2010/04/producers-guild-of-america-vote-on-creation-of-new-credit-transmedia-producer/) Nicolette Sheridan Sues 'Housewives' Producer http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/arts/television/07arts-NICOLLETTESH_BRF.html (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/arts/television/07arts-NICOLLETTESH_BRF.html) Erykah Badu Charged With Disorderly Conduct For Music Video http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/04/02/erykah-badu-charged-police/ (http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/04/02/erykah-badu-charged-police/) Nic Cage's House Too Weird To Sell http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/04/08/cages_house.... (http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/04/08/cages_house_too_weird_to_sell) Brad Bird In Final Negotiations To Direct 'MI:4 http://www.firstshowing. J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz no 51:01 http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2010/03/08/showbiz-sandbox-44-and-the-six-oscars-go-to-hurt-locker/ http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2010/03/08/showbiz-sandbox-44-and-the-six-oscars-go-to-hurt-locker/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:14:21 +0000 J. Sperling Reich http://www.showbizsandbox.com/?p=715 http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2010/03/08/showbiz-sandbox-44-and-the-six-oscars-go-to-hurt-locker/feed/ 0 "Alice In Wonderland","Avatar","Precious","The Colbert Report","The Daily Show","The Hurt Locker",Academy Awards,Cablevision,Christolph Waltz,Conan O'Brien,Disney,Hulu The ballots have been counted, the envelopes have been opened and the nominees have undoubtedly returned their ball gowns and tuxes. Finally, after all the news coverage and public speculation about who would this year's Oscars, The ballots have been counted, the envelopes have been opened and the nominees have undoubtedly returned their ball gowns and tuxes. Finally, after all the news coverage and public speculation about who would this year's Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put us out of our misery on Sunday during their annual awards ceremony. The proceedings lasted more than three hours as usual and provided very few surprises. Katheryn Bigelow made history by being the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar for "The Hurt Locker", which won six awards in total including Best Screenplay and Best Picture. Jim Cameron's "Avatar" won three technical awards for art direction, cinematography and visual effects. One of the night's biggest surprises was when Geoffrey Fletcher walked off with the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for "Precious", upsetting Jason Reitman's "Up In The Air". As we predicted on last week's episode, Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for "Crazy Heart", Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for "The Blind Side", Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress for "Precious" and Christolph Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for "Inglorious Basterds". Damien Bona, co-author of the book Inside Oscar (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345400534?ie=UTF8&tag=showbsandb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0345400534)(http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=showbsandb-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0345400534), stops by to help us analyze this year's Oscar results. Believe it or not, there were a few other entertainment news stories this week besides the Oscars. In fact, the Oscars weren't even the only awards show. The Spirit Awards were handed out the day before the Academy Awards and "Precious" walked of with. . . well, just about every top prize. At movie theatres, Tim Burton's 3D adaptation of "Alice In Wonderland" opened to over $210 million worldwide, setting records for a March debut. Over in the world of television, Conan O'Brien may no longer have a talk show, but he does have a Twitter account. Maybe he can use it to promote his upcoming live stage tour. Viacom has pulled "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" off of Hulu (for now). Is the move just a negotiating tactic for Viacom to get an ownership stake in Hulu? Meanwhile Disney was getting into scuffles of its own. It pulled the entire ABC network off of Cablevision over a retransmission fee dispute with the cable operator. If you don't know what retransmission is all about, make sure to listen to this week's Inside Baseball segment to get caught up on a topic you are sure to hear more about in the months ahead. 'The Hurt Locker' Wins Big At Oscars http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/movies/awardsseason/08oscars.html (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/movies/awardsseason/08oscars.html) "Precious" Tops Spirit Awards http://www.indiewire.com/article/list_of_spirit_award_winners_in_progress/pem (http://www.indiewire.com/article/list_of_spirit_award_winners_in_progress/pem) Indie Spirits: "Precious" Sweeps, Izzard and LA Live Fizzle http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/03/06/indie_spirits.... (http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2010/03/06/indie_spirits_precious_sweeps_izzard_and_la_live_fizzle/pem) Conan O'Brien Live Tour Confirmed http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/2010/03/05/conan-obrien-live-tour-confirmed/ (http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/2010/03/05/conan-obrien-live-tour-confirmed/) Conan Twitter Tracker: How Conan Met Sarah http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/03/conan-twitter-tracker.... (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2010/03/conan-twitter-tracker-how-conan-met-sarah.html) Joaquin Phoenix says he's ready to act; just looking for good script http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/2010/03/06/joaquin-phoenix-says-hell-come.... (http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/2010/03/06/joaquin-phoenix-says-hell-come-back-to-movies/) Viacom Pulls Daily Show/Colbert Report from Hulu J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz no 1:04:25 http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/10/19/showbiz-sandbox-episode-25-mr-television-grades-freshman-tv-shows-and-leno-flunks/ http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/10/19/showbiz-sandbox-episode-25-mr-television-grades-freshman-tv-shows-and-leno-flunks/#comments Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:44:10 +0000 J. Sperling Reich http://www.showbizsandbox.com/?p=442 http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/10/19/showbiz-sandbox-episode-25-mr-television-grades-freshman-tv-shows-and-leno-flunks/feed/ 0 "Paranormal Activity","Where The Wild Things Are",Bob Iger,Dan Glickman,DVR,Jay Leno,Marc Berman,MediaWeek,MPAA,Nicolas Cage,The Programming Insider,Twitter Mr. Television himself is our guest this week, which means we talk a lot about TV. Marc Berman is the senior television editor at MediaWeek and creator/editor of The Programming Insider, a daily online bible focused on all things television that reache... Mr. Television himself is our guest this week, which means we talk a lot about TV. Marc Berman (http://marcberman.tv) is the senior television editor at MediaWeek (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/index.jsp) and creator/editor of The Programming Insider (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/community/programming-insider/newsletters/index.jsp), a daily online bible focused on all things television that reaches more than 50,000 readers per day. He even has a daily companion podcast to catch you up on all the latest television news. But first, “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Paranormal Activity” win box office kudos this week, earning the number 1 and number 3 spots, respectively (sandwiching “Law Abiding Citizen,” at number two, as if anyone cares). Motion Picture Association of America chief Dan Glickman will step down as Hollywood's top lobbyist next year. He claims that at the ripe old age of 65, it’s time for him to “move on back into the world of either academia, public service, or non profits….This is a very difficult job. From the outside world, this job has the perception of being very glamorous. People think Angelina Jolie goes home with me every night. It hasn't happened yet." Poor Dan. Maybe we know someone who knows someone who can work the Angelina thing out for him before he steps down next September.  Meanwhile, things are looking better for the home video business. The Digital Entertainment Group reported that rental revenue rose 9.9% in the third quarter. Digital distribution, which includes online downloads and streaming as well as cable video-on-demand, rose 18%, down slightly from 21% in the first six months. Things are not looking good however for Hollywood and social media. It seems that studios and networks are finally learning about this thing called the social networking. Apparently it’s this mass distribution tool that everyone uses to talk about movies and celebrities. And guess what? Word of mouth – like whether a movie is great or totally stinks – travels fast via Twitter and Facebook. But it’s not just the regular folk who are on Twitter. So are celebrities, and they’re getting themselves into trouble either arguing amongst themselves or revealing plot points from their TV series. Studios like Disney and Dreamworks are hoping to rein them in by adding specific "no-tweeting" clauses in their contracts. Marc Berman helps us review all the freshman television series that premiered this fall, giving grades to each of them based on their ratings and veiwership. Marc believes Jay Leno has killed NBC and fills us in on the importance of including DVR viewings in ratings. And someone might want to get Marc a barf bucket before we ask him about Jon and Kate Gosselin… Lastly, after our quick visit with Big Deal/Big Whoop news stories, we cover some Inside Baseball. This week, we mock. . . we mean discuss, Disney CEO Bob Iger who gave a keynote address at a business and entertainment conference sponsored by the USC Gould School of Law and the Beverly Hills Bar Association. Is a studio chief a creative leader or a brand manager? You decide. MPAA's Glickman To Exit Amid Grumbling He Never Did Fill Valenti's Shoes http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-glickman20-2009oct20,0,1921253.story (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-glickman20-2009oct20,0,1921253.story) http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0910/mpaa_chairman_to_step_down.html (http://www.politico.com/click/stories/0910/mpaa_chairman_to_step_down.html) Accelerating Rentals Prop Up Shrinking Home Entertainment Biz In Third Quarter http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/10/accelerating-rentals-prop-up-shrinking-home-entertainment-biz.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2009/10/accelerating-rentals-prop-up-shrinking-home-entertainment-biz.html) Movie Studios Open Their Ears to Online Buzz http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE59D5TK20091014? J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz no http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/09/07/showbiz-sandbox-19-the-beatles-get-mono-and-stereo/ http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/09/07/showbiz-sandbox-19-the-beatles-get-mono-and-stereo/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:09:08 +0000 J. Sperling Reich http://www.showbizsandbox.com/?p=377 http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/09/07/showbiz-sandbox-19-the-beatles-get-mono-and-stereo/feed/ 0 All Songs Considered,Ben Stiller,Bob Boilen,Bud Schulberg,Jerry Stahl,New Line Cinema,Nick Cassavetes,PopSurfing,Sal Nunziato,Telluride Film Festival,The Beatles,Twitter The focus is on music this week, with guests Bob Bolien of NPR’s All Songs blog and Sal Nunziato, former independent record store owner, and now freelance writer and blogger. Bob and Sal talk about the new Beatles box sets, how they find new music, The focus is on music this week, with guests Bob Bolien (http://www.bobboilen.info) of NPR’s All Songs (http://www.npr.org/allsongs) blog and Sal Nunziato (http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/), former independent record store owner, and now freelance writer and blogger. Bob and Sal talk about the new Beatles box sets, how they find new music, and how the music industry is changing. . . or not changing enough. Boilen can also be found on twitter at twitter.com/allsongs (http://www.twitter.com/allsongs). You can find Nunziato's writing on the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sal-nunziato) on a regular basis. In movie news, the Telluride Film Festival is under way. This festival is the charming little sister to the major film festivals and is where such films as “Slumdog Millionaire,” "Brokeback Mountain," and "Capote," first launched their extended Academy Award campaigns. Back in California, writer/director Nick Cassavetes is suing New Line Cinema (the studio that produced “The Notebook,” which Cassavetes helmed) claiming that the studio owes him money for writing a draft of a script that he was attached to direct. New Line had no comment… and that’s all we know, because trade paper Variety didn’t report anything other than a few basic facts. The Los Angeles Times' Patrick Goldstein wants to know what happened to in-depth reporting? Television viewers were heard loud and clear this week, and they said to keep new media off their television screens. Fox decided to overlay moderated Twitter posts on top of re-runs of “Glee” and “Fringe.” It what was probably pitched as “Pop Up Video for the Internet Generation!” The result was far from forward-thinking cool; the massive overlay ended up just annoying viewers. Whoops! Lastly, when we talked about Bud Schulberg on Episode 15 (http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/08/10/showbiz-sandbox-15-ferris-bueller-is-a-jerk/), we wondered what ever happened to Ben Stiller’s movie version of the writer's “What Makes Sammy Run?” Clearly we aren’t the only ones wondering since Stiller and screenwriter Jerry Stahl decided to do a mock-interview explaining the ups-and-downs of the on-again-off-again project. One last thing: Congratulations to our own Michael Giltz (http://www.michaelgiltz.com/) with the debut of his PopSurfing (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=330449659) podcast. Check out his interview with Matthew Sweet (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?i=59646778&id=330449659). Sal Nunziato's New York Times Op-Ed Piece http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/opinion/05sachsnunziato.html?_r=1 (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/05/opinion/05sachsnunziato.html?_r=1) Sal Nunziato's Newsweek Feature Story http://www.newsweek.com/id/143754 (http://www.newsweek.com/id/143754) Telluride Film Festival Reveals Slate of Oscar Hopefuls http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-11-awards-campaign-2009/posts/telluride-film-festival-reveals-its-slate-full-of-oscar-hopefuls (http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/2008-12-11-awards-campaign-2009/posts/telluride-film-festival-reveals-its-slate-full-of-oscar-hopefuls) Paranormal Activity Spooks Telluride http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/09/paranormal-activity-spooks-telluride.html. (http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/09/paranormal-activity-spooks-telluride.html.) Nick Cassavetes Sues New Line: What's The Real BackStory http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/09/nick-cassavetes-sues-new-line-whats-the-real-back-story.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/09/nick-cassavetes-sues-new-line-whats-the-real-back-story.html) Fox's Twitter TV Experiment Tweets Its Way To Epic Failure http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/foxs-twitter-tv-overlays-tweet-their-way-epic-failure (http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/foxs-twitter-tv-overlays-tweet-their-way-epic-failure) 'American Idol' Guest Judges So Far J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz no http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/08/24/showbiz-sandbox-17-twitter-makes-movie-critics-important-again/ http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/08/24/showbiz-sandbox-17-twitter-makes-movie-critics-important-again/#comments Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:36:52 +0000 J. Sperling Reich http://www.showbizsandbox.com/?p=329 http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/08/24/showbiz-sandbox-17-twitter-makes-movie-critics-important-again/feed/ 0 "Avatar","Dancing With The Stars","Dirty Dancing","Inglorious Basterds","Shutter Island","Yellow Submarine",Anne Thompson,IndieWire,Paramount Pictures,Radiohead,Redbox,Thom Yorke Anne Thompson of “Thompson On Hollywood” joins us again this week, with big news of her own: Her blog is now a part of the indieWire network, where she will shine the Hollywood light on outlet which has traditionally covered the indie scene. Anne Thompson of “Thompson On Hollywood” joins us again this week, with big news of her own: Her blog is now a part of the indieWire network, where she will shine the Hollywood light on outlet which has traditionally covered the indie scene. Thompson can now be read at http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood (http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood), and you can always follow her on twitter at twitter.com/akstanwyck (http://www.twitter.com/akstanwyck). Speaking of Twitter, is the social media platform responsible for the successful opening weekend of “Inglorious Basterds”? “Bruno” and “GI Joe” plummeted at the box office within their opening weekends, and box office watchers posit that social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have a lot to do with it. Bad news travels fast. Obviously so does good news – and the best news is that studios may have to start making – gasp – watchable movies! Friday, August 21st was Avatar Day, when fans could hustle over to their nearest IMAX theatre to watch 16 minutes of 3D footage from James Cameron’s “Avatar.” The web site on which people could reserve tickets crashed on the first day because demand was so high, but apparently many theaters were near empty. Could that have anything to do with the trailer being available online beforehand? Entertainment journalist Michael Giltz (http://www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz) saw both versions of the trailer and didn't think either were engaging. Paramount is pushing “Shutter Island,” the Leonardo DiCaprio movie directed by Martin Scorsese, to February. This may be a sign that the film isn’t Oscar worthy, or perhaps it’s not meant to be Oscar worthy. It's certainly ture that Paramount doesn’t have the budget to both market the movie's release and promote an Oscar campaign. Paramount seems to be doing a lot of dumping these days following the shuttering of Paramount Vantage. Of course when one of those movies is “The Goods” starring Jeremy Piven, it probably deserves to be dumped. Studios are clearly looking at the bottom line these days, as the recent hulabalu over Redbox demonstrates. TimeWarner chairman Jeff Bewkes compared Redbox to second-run movie theatres. According to Patrick Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times, by trying to keep their product away from Redbox for as long as possible, the studios are doing what all businesses do when threatened by dramatic change -- they're trying to hang on to their business model for as long as possible. Meanwhile, the Redbox antitrust suit against Universal was upheld… This is starting to sound like a movie that should star George Clooney. And we start our remake watch in this episode! Disney is in negotiations with Bob Zemeckis to direct a remake of the Beatles’ animated movie “Yellow Submarine,” Lionsgate is putting Baby back in the corner again (“Dirty Dancing”), and Bryan Singer is developing an “Excalibur” remake. Meanwhile in television is giving us plenty of reality shows, such as “Dancing with Stars,” which announced the line up for its ninth season, a list that included disgraced Congressman Tom Delay. In music news, Radiohead’s Thom York dissed the album format but that doesn’t mean free business models don't work…just ask, well, Radiohead and Thom York. Turns out they leaked their latest song on bittorrent. Someone who still believes in records is Willie Nelson, who is now following Giltz on Twitter. Giltz (http://www.michaelgiltz.com) thinks Nelson's new record "American Classic" is one of his best. And our Inside Baseball news this week focuses on the Hollywood Health Report. When this many deck chairs are about to be rearranged, folks in Hollywood start speculating which studios are on the rise and which might be in trouble. Anne Thompson helps us sort it all out. Twittering May Have Impact At The Box Office http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/19/AR2009081904279.html?hpid=artsliving (http://www.washingtonpost. J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz no http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/05/25/showbiz-sandbox-5-a-travesty-of-american-idol-justice/ http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/05/25/showbiz-sandbox-5-a-travesty-of-american-idol-justice/#comments Tue, 26 May 2009 03:57:25 +0000 J. Sperling Reich http://www.showbizsandbox.com/?p=85 http://www.showbizsandbox.com/2009/05/25/showbiz-sandbox-5-a-travesty-of-american-idol-justice/feed/ 0 "Bones","Chuck","Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian","Terminator: Salvation",ABC,Adam Lambert,Cannes Film Festival,CBS,Fox,Jimmy Kimmel,Jon Peters,Kris Allen The week leading up to Memorial Day was chock full of juicy entertainment news. - The Cannes Film Festival wrapped up in France awarding Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke it's top prize, the Palme d'Or. Karen Woodward and J. (http://www.showbizsandbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/kris-allen-and-adam-lambert.jpg) The week leading up to Memorial Day was chock full of juicy entertainment news. The Cannes Film Festival wrapped up in France awarding Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke it's top prize, the Palme d'Or. Karen Woodward and J. Sperling Reich recap all the festival winners. In North America the Ben Stiller starrer "Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" opened with $70 million against "Terminator: Salvation". McG's attempt to reboot the "Terminator" franchise came in second at the box office with $53.8 million. "Star Trek" continued to rake in the dough with an additional $29.4 million and a cumulative $191 million in North America. Television ratings were also bolstered by the star studded finale of the Fox network's musical reality show "American Idol". Kris Allen beat out Adam Lambert during a telecast that an estimated 28.84 million Americans tuned into. That ties the record for least-watched finale in recent "American Idol" memory, though nmore than 100 million votes were cast, a new record for the show. While Karen believes the results were a travesty of justice, Lambert may not be walking away empty handed after all; Billboard reports the rock group Queen may be interested in the young singer to front the band. Musical pop star Pink wasn't happy with "American Idol" either, though more because she says they butchered one of her songs. Social networking sensation Twitter is working on a reality television series. The web hasn't been as rewarding to "Britain's Got Talent" whose viral video of Susan Boyle has generated more than 70 million views on YouTube, though the New York Times reports that producers can't quite seem to capitalize on the surprise success. "Gossip Girl" star Chace Crawford takes the place of Zac Effron in the remake of "Footloose". Effron is mentioned in an fascinating Entertainment Weekly story about what happens to Disney's teen sensations once they are all grown up and move out of the mouse house. In New York this past week the major television networks held their "upfronts" with potential advertisers. Fox renewed "Bones" and "Dollhouse", NBC renews "Chuck" after an online protest, CBS steals "Medium" away from NBC and Jimmy Kimmel bashes his own network during a presentation to advertisers. Blogger Nikki Finke has all the details. Former Hollywood mogul Jon Peters has to scrap the idea of writing a tell all book once the proposal he sold to HarperCollins leaks. With tons of kiss-and-tell stories about former girlfriends including Barbara Striesand, Pamela Anderson and Catherine Zeta Jones, the once venerable producer sold his book "Studio Head" for $700,000 upfront. However, threatened by lawsuits from some of those mentioned in the book's outline, Peters took it off the market. Journalist Roger Friedman is back on the market. Friedman most recently made headlines after he was fired by Fox News for downloading and writing about the pirated version of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine", released by sister company Twentieth Century Fox. The columnist was picked up by The Hollywood Reporter where his blog Showbiz411 will now be published. Finally, the William Morris Agency laid off 100 agents and employees this week in preparation for the merger with Endeavor. In addition, uber-agent and WMA head Jim Wiatt is rumored to be on his way out. Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" Triumphs In Cannes http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/cannes-2009-day-twelve-ha_b_207204.html (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/cannes-2009-day-twelve-ha_b_207204.html) http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0525-cannes-winnersmay25,0,3607116.story (http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0525-cannes-winnersmay25,0,3607116.story) http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/movies/25cannes.html?hp (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/25/movies/25cannes.html?hp) J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward & Michael Giltz no