Showbiz Sandbox 55: I Want My Google TV
May 25, 2010
It’s official. Google is getting into the television business with help from Sony and Logitech. Will making television searchable cause viewership to rise? On the other hand, movies have apparently found a way to shrink their audience – raise movie ticket prices. While “Shrek Forever After” may have topped the North American box office, it’s $71 million debut was seen as a bit of a disappointment. Industry pundits are pointing to the rising cost of 3D movie tickets as part of the cause.
And if you think movie tickets are getting too expensive just wait until cable companies start offering “home theater on demand”. Movie studios are being pitched by cable operators on distributing their movies via video-on-demand just 30 days after they are released in theaters. However, the $20 to $30 price tag may turn potential customers away.
We wrap up our coverage of the Cannes Film Festival, where an obscure “auteur” film from Thailand took the top prize. Michael Giltz and J. Sperling Reich tell us about all the films they liked (and hated) at this year’s festival.
The series finale of “Lost” aired over the weekend, though it received mixed reviews and mediocre ratings. Read more
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Showbiz Sandbox 54: Le Petit Cannes – Downsizing The Festival
May 17, 2010
Two of our co-hosts, Michael Giltz and J. Sperling Reich, are still at the Cannes Film Festival. Along with David Bourgeois, who is covering Cannes for Movieline, they discuss all the films they’ve seen, which ones they’ve liked, which ones are duds and the trends emerging at this year’s festival. So far it seems Mike Leigh’s film “Another Year” is the movie everyone has liked, while Woody Allen’s latest proved disappointing.
Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” opened the festival, though it didn’t open theatrically as well as everyone had expected. In it’s debut week it couldn’t top “Iron Man 2” at the box office.
The past week also saw some big television news. Networks have begun holding their “upfronts” to announce fall schedules. As usual a number of new shows will be hitting the airwaves and few didn’t make the cut, including “Law & Order” which NBC canceled after 20 years. Read more
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Showbiz Sandbox 53: I’m Sleeping With Richard Dreyfuss
May 11, 2010
The Cannes Film Festival kicks off in France this week and our very own Michael Giltz and J. Sperling Reich are on the Croisette to cover all the news. When they’re not sharing a bed they’ll be seeing all the big movies and speaking with all the filmmakers.
Back in North America “Iron Man 2” opened to huge numbers, earning $128 million over the weekend, giving it the fifth biggest opening of all time. Meanwhile, the Washington Post is struggling with it’s own numbers. The media company has decided to put Newsweek magazine up for sale as its profit has declined 30%. On the other hand, their online property Slate.com has seen ad revenue increase 30%.
Another group looking to make money online are music publishers. They’re going after websites that publish music lyrics without permission. Even though song lyrics are copyrighted, how much money could there possibly be in such sites?
On television, 88-year-old actress Betty White continued her improbable comeback by scoring huge ratings when she hosted last week’s “Saturday Night Live”. Another actress making a comeback is Lindsay Lohan who was just cast in a porn film. . . sort of. She’ll be playing Linda Lovelace in a biopic about the porn star.
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Showbiz Sandbox 5: A Travesty Of American Idol Justice
May 25, 2009
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.
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Showbiz Sandbox 4: Yes We Cannes!
May 18, 2009
Entertainment journalist Michael Giltz joins the conversation to discuss everything from the Cannes Film Festival to who might win American Idol (he’s voting for Kris Allen).
Many members of the press, as well as festival-goers, took a pass on Cannes this year, but we recap some of the films that have screened thus far. Mariah Carey showed up in Cannes with a body double to confuse the paparazzi. Carey and Lenny Kravitz personally tell us about their festival film “Precious”. Meanwhile Lars Von Trier shocks the festival with his misogynistic “Antichrist”. The good news is Roger Ebert is back in Cannes.
“Angels & Demons” makes $48 million domestically and $104 million internationally in it’s first weekend. MGM is fighting for it’s life, but the remake of “Fame” may just save it. This week in New York the television networks hold their upfront and we take a quick look at what is rumored to be on the fall TV schedule. ABC has already announced they have picked up another season of “Scrubs” though Zach Braff will only show up for six episodes. Fox has said yes to another season of “Bones”. It also looks like the “Gossip Girl” spinoff may be picked up. The New York Times throws a few punches at NBC programming head Ben Silverman and but in the end it may not matter since the website Hulu is making most networks question their business model.
Speaking of Hulu, they’re going to start showing Bollywood films. Elizabeth Edwards writes a tell all book about her breast cancer and her husband Senator John Edwards’ romantic affair. Farah Fawcett discusses her own bout with cancer s well as fighting the tabloids in a stark interview which appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Finally, Jerry Lewis is planning a comeback. . . at 83-years old!
Trade Journos No Shows At Cannes
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rex-weiner/trade-journos-no-shows-at_b_201908.html
MGM Fights To Survive
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/can-mgm-survive-studio-desperate-to-restructure-debt-hires-financial-adviser-to-help/
A Lot At Stake At TV Upfronts
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003685.html?categoryid=14&cs=1
ABC Renews Scrubs
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i505437152ed71367b14b89a4b157dea2
Bones Renewed For Fall
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118003809.html?categoryid=14&ref=ra&cs=1
Is the Gossip Girl spin off back on?
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/05/gossip_girl_spinoff_will_run_f.html?f=most-commented-24h-10
NBC Hired A Hitmaker. It’s Still Waiting
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/business/media/17silver.html?_r=1&hpw
Hulu’s Tug of War With TV
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-hulu11-2009may11,0,5771665.story
Bollywood Goes Hulu
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/05/bollywood-goes-hulu.html
Elizabeth Edwards: John “Made One Mistake”
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/30681150/
Farah Fawcett: “Under A Microscope” And Holding Onto Hope
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-fawcett-interview11-2009may11,0,5790379.story
Jerry Lewis To Announce Comeback
http://www.showbiz411.com/?p=278
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Showbiz Sandbox 1: The Replicability Podcast
April 27, 2009
Talks to merge the William Morris and Endeavor talent agencies continue, while the Screen Actors Guild and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers may have finally reached an agreement on a new contract. Critically acclaimed movies tank at the box office. Fox closes Atomic, reshuffles release dates and hires Angelina Jolie for a biopic. David Slade is selected for the third “Twilight” film.
MPAA visits Washington D.C., script doctors are kept busy writing for Tom Cruise. Cannes unveils it’s festival lineup and Francis Ford Coppola is not in it (though he is down the street at the Fortnight). Jay Leno visits the hospital and Rod Blagojevich visits Hollywood (but not Costa Rica like he wanted).
A classic Pedro Almodovar film gets remade for the small screen, PBS goes online with its content and Oprah learns Twitter etiquette.
WMA Finds Devil In The Details
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002694.html?categoryid=29&cs=1
SAG National Board of Directors Approves Tentative Television and Motion Picture Contacts
http://www.sag.org/press-releases/april-19-2009/sag-national-board-of-directors-approves-tentative-television-and-motio
Flush times for theatrical movies? Don’t tell A.O. Scott
http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/04/good-movies-struggle-at-box-office.html
Down Economy = Dumbed Down Movies/TV? Stop the Inanity!
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20269754,00.html
Fox Folding Atomic Label
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002584.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/exclusive-fox-atomic-shutting-down/
Fox Shuffles Film Schedule
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002645.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
Angelina Jolie Teams With Fox 2000
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002704.html?categoryid=1238&cs=1
Slade Slated For Third Twilight
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002751
MPAA Reaches Out To Lawmakers
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002688.html?categoryid=18&cs=1
Script Doctor’s In For Tom Cruise
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002702.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1
Digital Governator Set For Termininator
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002743.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
Robert Rodriguez Wields “Machete”
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002792.html?categoryid=1237&cs=1
Cannes Unveils Lineup
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=story&id=1061&articleid=VR1118002762&cs=1
Coppola’s Thinking Outside The Cannes
http://www.riskybusinessblog.com/2009/04/by-steven-zeitchik-we-remember-interviewing-francis-ford-coppola-last-year-upon-the-release-of-his-slightly-lugubrious-you.html
Coppola’s “Tetro” To Open Fortnight
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=festivals&jump=story&id=1061&articleid=VR1118002806&cs=1
Leno Misses First Tonight Show in 17 Years
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE53N0BE20090424
Blagojevich Says Still Wants Piece Of Reality Show
http://weblogs.redeyechicago.com/showpatrol/2009/04/blago-to-be-part-of-im-a-celebrity-.html
Pedro Almodovar On “Verge” Of TV Series
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i360cdd62fc9ca5a8db5e24f4b2b51779?imw=Y
ABC Announces Several Renewals
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i202b681b4f137513e078e67f0d29aa46
Watch PBS Online? You Can If You Visit Its New Video Portal
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-fi-ct-pbs22-2009apr22,0,56403.story
Oprah Gets Pwned By Shaq On Twitter
http://news.cnet.com/oprah-gets-pwned-by-shaq-on-twitter/?part=rss
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