Showbiz Sandbox

Showbiz Sandbox 195: Hollywood Exploits 9/11 Imagery For Its Implosive Blockbusters

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:45:53 +0000

As “Man of Steel” sets the worldwide box office aflame, the latest Superman reboot also serves as yet another example of a Hollywood blockbuster exploiting the imagery of 9/11 for apocalyptic purposes. Kyle Buchanan, the Movies Editor at New York Magazine, would like to see filmmakers stop relying on meaningless urban destruction. He joins us to [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 194: Tony Awards Prove Broadway Knows How To Put On A Show

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:49:14 +0000

Once again actor Neil Patrick Harris proved he knows how to host an awards show with a dazzling turn as master of ceremonies at this year’s Tony Awards last Sunday. The ceremony provided its share of surprises and dramatic speeches from the likes of Cicely Tyson and pop-star Cyndi Lauper as “Kinky Boots” walked off [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 193: Getting The Scoop On Great Live Music

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:09:19 +0000

If you ever wonder whether you should really go see a new hype band perform live or want to warn friends not to bother with a legendary act’s latest reunion tour, then then you’ll be happy to learn about ShowScoop. The new social media website and mobile app bills itself as a “Yelp for concerts”. [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 192: Cannes Serves Up A True Blue Masterpiece

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 29 May 2013 05:38:38 +0000

It’s safe to say the 2013 edition of the Cannes Film Festival did not disappoint. The jury, headed by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, awarded “Blue Is The Warmest Colour” with the Palm d’Or, the festival’s top prize. It seems fitting that a film featuring a lesbian love affair (not to mention graphic sexual scenes) should win [...]

Showbiz Sandbox Special Episode: To Each Their Own Cannes Experience

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 22 May 2013 22:19:06 +0000

With selections from world renown filmmakers like the Coen Brothers, Asghar Farhadi, Jim Jarmusch, Baz Luhrmann, Alexander Payne, Roman Polanski, Steven Soderbergh and Jia Zhangke, this year’s Cannes Film Festival is one of the most anticipated in recent memory. Stephen Garrett is in Cannes this year as both a journalist covering for media outlets such [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 191: The Misunderstood Math Behind Movie Ticket Prices

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:30:53 +0000

The average cost of a movie ticket dropped to $7.94 in North America during the first quarter of 2013. That’s according to the National Association of Theatre Owners, the trade group that keeps track of such figures. Patrick Corcoran, the vice president and chief communication officer of NATO, explains how the average ticket price is [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 190: How The Academy’s New Voting Rules Will Affect The Oscars?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 07 May 2013 03:01:53 +0000

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it will now be allowing members to vote in all 24 Oscar categories, including Documentary Short Subject and Foreign Language Film. Anne Thompson, Indiewire’s editor-at-large and host of the Oscar Talk podcast, believes the change is long overdue. She explains what the old voting rules were [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 189: Contentious CinemaCon; Corporate Coachella

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:46:38 +0000

At this year’s CinemaCon movie studios showed up in full force to pitch the world’s largest gathering of cinema operators on a bounty of upcoming blockbusters. Behind the scenes however, some of the larger theater chains were haggling with studios over how to divide ticket sales for tentpole releases such as “Iron Man 3”. Meanwhile, [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 188: Remembering Roger – Personal Recollections of the World’s Most Famous Film Critic

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 05:06:40 +0000

The death of film critic Roger Ebert last week after a lengthy and public battle with cancer was followed by an endless stream of heartfelt appreciations. Arguably one of the most recognized and influential movie critics in the world, few were aware of Ebert’s generosity, especially when it came to fellow critics and journalists. David [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 187: Does The Justice System Finally Understand Copyright?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 05:26:30 +0000

Last week the Supreme Court of the United States dealt another blow to copyright owners in a landmark ruling that confirmed what most consumer advocates had been saying for years; the first sale doctrine does not have geographic boundaries. The court smacked down publisher J. Wiley & Sons’ copyright infringement lawsuit against Supap Kirtsaeng for [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 186: Bill Carter of the NY Times on Cable Ratings, Jay Leno and the Shifting Television Landscape

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 06:21:17 +0000

Bill Carter of the New York Times has been reporting on the television industry for over 30 years. Who better to ask about why nothing seems to make any sense about this year’s television season? For example, cable shows have been pulling in more viewers than any of the networks. Broadcast networks that were topping [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 185: HitBliss Bets You’ll Watch Ads To Get Free Movies

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 04:10:28 +0000

HitBliss is a new streaming video service that enables users to earn credit toward popular movies and television shows simply by watching advertising. The catch is all the targeted ads are shown up-front, and viewers must be paying attention or they won’t get the credits needed to purchase or rent videos. Sharon Peyer is the [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 184: How Authors Rig The Bestseller Lists

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 03:07:59 +0000

When Soren Kaplan’s “Leapfrogging” was published last summer it immediately appeared on the Wall Street Journal’s list of best-selling business books, a position that would be maintained for only a week. That was more than enough time for Kaplan to cement his status as a best-selling author which, in-turn, helps him land lucrative speaking and [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 183: Going Inside This Year’s Oscars With Anne Thompson

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 02:52:57 +0000

As one of the hosts of the Oscar Talk podcast and the editor of Indiewire’s Thompson on Hollywood blog, it’s no wonder Anne Thompson beat out most other award season experts by correctly predicting 19 out of 24 winners at this year’s Academy Awards. Thompson attended the Oscar ceremony in-person and confirms that Seth MacFarlane [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 182: Last Year’s Movies Provide A Wealth of Riches

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:57:37 +0000

For the past four years blogger Aaron Rich has been reviewing the movies he sees on his blog All The Movies I Watch, with a strong emphasis on independent and international titles. Last year he saw more than 500 films and says it was a good year for movies, as long as you ignored what [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 181: Why The Grammys Telecast Matters More Than Ever

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 05:33:58 +0000

While winning a Grammy Award can boost a musician’s record sales temporarily, a knockout performance during the widely viewed ceremony can launch a career. Simply ask Mumford & Sons who stole the show during the 2011 telecast and on Sunday took home the 2013 Grammy for Album of the Year. Will the Lumineers, who performed [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 180: Binge-Viewing Is Transforming The Way We Watch Television

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 03:17:53 +0000

With new streaming media services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime popping up all the time, we now have the ability to watch entire seasons of episodic television series all at once. Now Netflix is taking binge-viewing one step further by releasing all 13-episodes of their original drama series “House of Cards” at once. [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 179: How To Gamble And Win On Broadway

J. Sperling Reich — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:34:49 +0000

This year alone there are at least 15 new shows being mounted on Broadway including adaptations of movies such as “Diner” and “Big Fish”. At one point or another all were in search of financial backing, however well known productions with big name stars often don’t pay dividends. We review which upcoming stagings smart, experienced [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 178: Sex Sells At Sundance

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:39:55 +0000

The Sundance Film Festival has a reputation of programming edgy, independent films that often reflect the spirit and sentiment of the country. The festival must think the nation is in a lascivious mood since many of the films at this year’s event are rather racy. In fact, at least three films at this year’s festival [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 177: The Bloomin’ Onion Effect: Why Audiences Are Happy Movies Have Gotten Longer

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 05:20:35 +0000

In an age where audiences have grown used to the brevity of YouTube clips and 140 character updates, Hollywood is instead serving up super sized movies. Six of the top ten movies from 2012 were over two hours, including comic book movies like “The Avengers”. Even comedies such as “This Is 40” crossed the 120 [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 176: Hollywood Unchained – 2012 Sets Another Box Office Record

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 05:26:09 +0000

Once again Hollywood raked in record earnings at the North American box office in 2012, though this time it wasn’t because of increased ticket prices. In fact, both revenue and attendance were up nearly 6% during the year as 1.36 billion tickets were sold to set a new annual box office record of $10.8 billion. [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 175: Fixing Electronic Oscar Voting In One Easy Step

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 03:47:43 +0000

When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced it would allow electronic voting for this year’s Oscar nominations many industry insiders felt it was long overdue. However with a median age of 62, the Academy’s membership may not be ready to cast ballots online. Heck, some members don’t even have computers. Now reports [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 174: Is “The Hobbit” A Death Knell for 3D Movies?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 06:53:30 +0000

All of the talk surrounding the release of “The Hobbit” was over high frame rate and whether audiences would reject a crisper image. It may have been more appropriate to discuss whether audiences have already shunned 3D. Only 49% of audiences chose to see the film in 3D over opening weekend. If moviegoers aren’t willing [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 173: Spoiler Alert! Your Movie Has A Kicker

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 02:41:24 +0000

Frustrated at not knowing if the movie he was watching would have any special scenes during or after the credits Chris Ramey did something about it. Ramey is the founder of What’s After The Credits? a website that details kickers, as they are often called, to popular movies, television shows and video games. He tells [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 172: The TV Industry Has Its Head Up Its Ass

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 01:04:30 +0000

Kevin Reilly, chairman of entertainment at Fox Broadcasting, realizes the ways people watch TV have radically and irrevocably changed. He believes the industry has not even remotely caught up to that fact yet. Or, as he puts it, “We have our head up our ass.” We’ll discuss the checklist Reilly provided at recent industry event [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 171: Cost Of Sports Could Be Cable’s Unbundling

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:14:12 +0000

The rights to broadcast Major League Baseball games through 2021 were recently scooped up by ESPN for a cool $5.6 billion. That’s nothing compared to the $15.2 billion the network will be paying the NFL for “Monday Night Football” over the next eight years. Now News Corp. has coughed up billions for a stake in [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 170: Why Star Wars Is Better Off Without George Lucas

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 05:26:09 +0000

Two weeks ago Disney surprised everyone by purchasing Lucasfilm for a pricetag of $4 billion. Like the studio’s acquisition of Marvel in 2009, the move makes perfect sense since Disney can exploit the Star Wars franchise in films, television and theme parks. Given the quality of the prequels, it’s not hard to see why fans were [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 169: How TV Networks Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The DVR

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 03:08:11 +0000

Major networks used to bemoan the use of DVRs out of fear that audiences would use them to skip over commercials. However, with DVRs in almost half of all US homes, they have begun touting the big audience increases some of their shows get after factoring in time shifted viewing. Scott Collins, a television reporter [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 168: Why TV Audiences Abandoned Broadcast Networks

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 03:27:08 +0000

The start of the new television season has been a huge disappointment for broadcast networks with ratings down as much as 28% on Fox. Only NBC has seen an increase in viewership in key demos and after years of coming in fourth among networks, now finds itself bouncing back. Why have audiences abandoned broadcast television? [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 167: The Digital Age Crushes Variety

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 03:04:20 +0000

Last week the venerable trade paper Variety, which has been covering the entertainment industry for more than 100 years, was sold to Penske Media Corporation for $25 million. Dana Harris, the editor-in-chief of Indiewire, spent 11 years at Variety and she joins us to discuss the past, present and future of a news outlet that [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 166: How MoviePass Unlimited Moviegoing Service Really Works

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 03:22:17 +0000

When MoviePass announced an unlimited moviegoing subscription service last year it faced stiff resistance from cinema owners and film studios. Now, MoviePass has relaunched with a revamped offering that doesn’t need approval from either group. Stacy Spikes, the CEO of MoviePass, joins us to explain why this time the company will succeed. Over in the [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 165: Neil Young Sings The Praises Of His New Digital Music Format

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:03:27 +0000

Singer-songwriter Neil Young has never been a fan of digital music. The rock legend despises the inferior audio quality of MP3s and CDs so much that he released an anthology of his of his music on Blu-Ray; the only medium that could hold digital files large enough to offer the quality Young demanded. Taking his [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 164: Geoff Boucher Knows More About Nothing Than Anyone

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 20:55:23 +0000

Geoff Boucher shocked the entertainment and media industries when he announced his resignation from the Los Angeles Times in mid-September. After all, Boucher has been credited with pioneering a new model for entertainment writers by melding print publications with both an online brand and live events; a format he’s dubbed “tradigital”. Why wouldn’t the Times [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 163: Plenty To Feel Good About at Telluride and Toronto

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 04:29:43 +0000

Anne Thompson has just returned from two whirlwind weeks at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. The editor of Indiewire’s Thompson On Hollywood blog is happy to report that, despite all the doomsayers, there is still reason to believe there are plenty of good studio and independent movies awaiting release this year. Thompson joins us [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 162: Did The Justice Department Destroy The Literary Ecosystem With E-Book Settlement?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 03:25:15 +0000

Despite strong opposition from authors, publishers, retailers and the public, the U.S. Department of Justice settled their anti-trust case with three major publishers over e-book price fixing. Even an explanatory comic strip from a well regarded copyright attorney couldn’t prevent a ruling that some industry analysts say will enable Amazon to dominate the market. However, [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 161: Patrick Goldstein On Departing The L.A. Times And Seeing The Big Picture

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 03:46:11 +0000

Entertainment reporter Patrick Goldstein surprised everyone two weeks ago in announcing he was leaving the Los Angeles Times after 12 years. His column, The Big Picture, was a must read for anyone in or just following the industry. Goldstein joins us to discuss his departure from the Times, the state of the movie business and [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 160: Shedding Some Light On High Frame Rate Cinema

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 06:40:55 +0000

In case you haven’t heard, Peter Jackson is shooting his upcoming adaptation of “The Hobbit” at 48 frames per second (fps). That’s twice the standard 24 fps most films are filmed and shown in. Digital cinema expert C.J. Flynn explains why filmmakers such as James Cameron are urging the industry to adopt high frame rates [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 159: Raiders of the Lost Email

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 06:39:27 +0000

We are incredibly proud of our audience here at Showbiz Sandbox and believe our dedicated listeners are the most important members of our team. Imagine how upset we were upon discovering some listener email hadn’t been making it to our inbox for the past few months. We rectify that situation on this episode, revisiting a [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 158: A Rundown of The Year’s Top-Earning Authors

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 03:11:50 +0000

James Patterson tops the list of this year’s highest-paid authors according to Forbes. Working with a team of writers Patterson published an astounding 14 best-selling novels in 2011 to earn an estimated $94 million. Joining Patterson were regulars such as Stephen King and John Grisham among others, as well as newcomer George R.R. Martin whose [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 157: Which Summer Blockbusters Will Spawn Sequels

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 06:17:19 +0000

Though the summer movie season isn’t quite over, its never too early to start debating which of this year’s crop of releases will have studio heads clamoring for a sequel. It’s safe to say neither “John Carter” or “Battleship” will get the sequel treatment. But what about hits such as “Men In Black”, “Ice Age”, [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 156: Olympic Telecasts Turn Everyone Into A Sports Expert

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 08:07:41 +0000

The 2012 Summer Olympics got off to an auspicious start last week with coverage of the opening ceremonies earning record ratings. With broadcasters presenting events live on multiple channels, as well as streaming online, it’s never been easier to keep up with the games. We review how broadcasters are covering the Summer Olympics, not to [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 155: How Hollywood Handles A Real-Life Tragedy

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 05:24:30 +0000

The ripple effect caused by a deranged gunman last week at a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” spread far beyond the scene of the crime in Aurora, Colorado. Warner Bros. had to instantly pivot from celebrating the studios biggest opening of the year to managing a horrific nightmare which left 12 people dead [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 154: Understanding Comic-Con’s Tribe Mentality

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:15:53 +0000

Last weekend self-professed geeks made their annual pilgrimage to San Diego for Comic-Con. There’s no better person to speak with about the world’s largest pop-culture convention than Los Angeles Times writer Geoff Boucher. His Hero Complex blog has become a must-read for those attending “the Con” and he fills us in on all the big [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 153: Hollywood Loses Another Battle In The Copyright War

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:43:12 +0000

Fearing that it would restrict freedom of speech, basic civil rights and an open Internet, the European Parliament voted down the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) last week. The move effectively kills the international anti-piracy legislation that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have lobbied so hard [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 152: Rupert Murdoch Shows Off His Split Personality

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 04:19:46 +0000

Last week, in-between sending Twitter posts about the break-up of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, News Crop. chairman Rupert Murdoch announced he would be splitting one of the world’s biggest media conglomerates into two different companies; one for the publishing entities, the other for the much more profitable film and television operations. Could the tycoon [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 151: Is It Time To Move Your Music To The Cloud?

J. Sperling Reich — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:49:07 +0000

If anyone is going to struggle with managing their digital music collection it’s Bob Boilen, the creator and host of NPR’s All Songs Considered, and a talented musician in his own right. Boilen created quite a stir a few weeks back when he announced he had just deleted all his music. Rather than keep tens-of-thousands [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 150: Is George Lucas A Schmuck?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 05:51:41 +0000

Last week legendary filmmaker George Lucas announced he would be stepping down as the head of Lucasfilm and hired veteran producer Kathleen Kennedy to head up the company that bears his name. With Lucas retiring what will happen to his blockbuster franchises such as “Indian Jones”? Will we finally get a restored version of the [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 149: Cannes Falls For “Amour”

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 30 May 2012 05:11:20 +0000

This year’s Cannes Film Festival concluded with “Amour”, a film by Austrian director Michael Haneke, winning the Palme d’Or. The movie about an elderly couple in Paris features two renown French actors and was a hit with festival audiences. Anne Thompson from Indiewire’s Thompson on Hollywood blog says the jury rewarded many of the noteworthy [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 148: Soaking Up This Year’s Cannes Film Festival

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:00:01 +0000

Uncharacteristic inclement weather drenched the first half of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, though the rain could not dampen the spirits of attendees or distributors looking to acquire hot titles. Are the selections at this year’s festival going to be future award contenders as they were last year with “The Artist” and “Tree of Life”? [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 147: TV Networks Are Upfront About Their New Schedules

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 15 May 2012 04:06:39 +0000

It’s the time of year when North American television networks put on big presentations to introduce their fall lineups to major advertisers; a process referred to in the industry as “the upfronts”. It’s also the time when TV audiences find out which of their favorite shows are sticking around for another season and which have [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 146: High Frame Rate Hijinks On “The Hobbit”

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:56:37 +0000

Movie theater owners were abuzz after seeing the first extended footage of “The Hobbit” a few weeks ago at CinemaCon. Most however didn’t have anything positive to say about Peter Jackson’s highly anticipated prequel to his “Lord of the Rings” franchise. The filmmaker decided to shoot the film at 48 frames per second, twice the [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 145: Rise of Playlisters Marks The Death of Music Blogs

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:15:14 +0000

Last week Doug Freeman, a music critic for the Austin Chronicle, wrote an opinion piece in response to a Hypebot interview in which Sean Adams, the founder of Drowned In Sound, suggested music blogs are no longer influential. Freeman joins us to explain that if blogs were simply gateways to new music discovery, then the [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 144: Measuring Media Proves Difficult In The Digital Age

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 04:50:44 +0000

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 [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 143: “Mommy Porn” Is Hollywood’s Hot New Trend

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 05:24:09 +0000

Hollywood studios spent this past week waging a bidding war for a book derived from fan fiction stories on “Twilight” websites. Universal Pictures wound up paying an estimated $5 million for E.L. James’ “Fifty Shades of Grey”, an erotic novel that has become a best selling phenomenon despite only being published as an e-book. Producers [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 142: Is The MPAA Rating System Broken?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:07:31 +0000

Though the MPAA often rates more than 700 films per year, the number of rating disputes rarely reaches the double digits. This year however eight films have already appealed their ratings and it’s not even April. Has the MPAA lost touch with modern culture or are filmmakers beginning to push the boundaries with edgier content? [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 141: Mike Daisey Learns The Difference Between Journalism and Art

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 05:51:34 +0000

Monologist Mike Daisey began performing his one-man show, “The Agony and Ecstacy of Steve Jobs”, hoping to highlight the poor working conditions suffered by workers who make Apple products in Chinese factories. When it was learned that Daisey made-up most of his accounts of meetings with factory employees, it stirred up a debate over the [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 140: Nollywood Love – Inside The Booming Nigerian Film Industry

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 03:45:39 +0000

Oil rich Nigeria may be best known for political upheavals and brutal civil wars, though over the past twenty years the country has given birth to a thriving film industry. New York Times Magazine contributing writer Andrew Rice explains that what started out as a surplus of blank VHS tapes has grown into what is [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 139: Why The Music Industry Is More Brutal Than Ever

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 06:05:20 +0000

With nine different streaming services there are more ways than ever to listen to music these days. With the likes of Spotify, Rhapsody, Rdio, Mog and Pandora all competing for our attention and media dollars, some have argued that there is too much competition in the market and is primed for a major consolidation. Which [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 138: Lessons Learned At This Year’s Oscars

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:59:26 +0000

Predicting who will win Academy Awards each year isn’t as easy as it looks. Just ask IndieWire’s Anne Thompson. She managed to pick 19 out of 24 winner’s at this past weekend’s Oscar ceremony, but there were a few categories which had everyone guessing. Thompson takes us backstage on Oscar night and explains how easy [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 137: A Revealing Look At Who Votes For The Oscars

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 04:02:39 +0000

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has never published a complete list of the 5,765 members who cast ballots for their annual Oscars. Despite the secrecy surrounding the Academy’s membership, Nicole Sperling worked for months with her colleagues at the Los Angeles Times to confirm 5,100 members. Sperling explains the method behind the Times’ [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 136: Crafting A Story For The Grammys Through Triumph and Tragedy

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 04:17:46 +0000

Los Angeles Times entertainment reporter Geoff Boucher was on assignment at the Grammy Awards when he heard about the the sudden death of pop star Whitney Houston over the weekend. While still covering music’s biggest night, Boucher was given two hours to write Houston’s obituary for the Sunday paper. At the same time, David Wild [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 135: Is The SAG-AFTRA Merger Good For Hollywood?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:43:49 +0000

After years of humoring the idea it looks as if two of Hollywood’s largest labor unions may actually merge. Detailing the history of SAG and AFTRA, Jonathan Handel, a contributing editor at The Hollywood Reporter and an entertainment attorney, explains the reasons behind why the unions might want to merge and what it all means [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 134: Video-On-Demand Rides To The Rescue At Sundance

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:25:55 +0000

This year’s Sundance Film Festival came to a close last weekend awarding top prizes to a wide range of movies. Independent film industry veteran Michael Tuckman sizes up this year’s festival and highlights some of its most noteworthy movies. Tuckman explains how video-on-demand has become a big part of the distribution strategy for such films, [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 133: Oscars Celebrate The Past; Sundance Discovers The Future

J. Sperling Reich — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:57:30 +0000

This year’s Oscar nominations have finally been announced and they are full of surprises. Actors and actresses which seemed like shoe-ins for a nomination were completely overlooked. Films that nobody thought would be considered for Best Picture wound up in the list of nine nominated titles. Meanwhile up in Park City, Utah this year’s Sundance [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 132: Moviegoing Is Alive And Well In The Modern Age

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 06:28:33 +0000

According to mainstream media, nobody goes to the movies anymore. However news about the death of movie theaters has been greatly exaggerated according to John Fithian, President of the National Association of Theater Owners. In fact, statistical trends for the last three decades show that movie attendance is actually on the rise. In a discussion [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 131: Broadway Flops Find New Life On The Road

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:13:14 +0000

Even the worst Broadway flops can wind up turning a profit once they begin touring in cities throughout the world. Patrick Healy, the theater news and features reporter for the New York Times, explains how sometimes it doesn’t matter if you make it big on the Great White Way, provided you’re a hit in Buffalo. [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 130: It’s The Data, Stupid (or Why Live Nation Bought BigChampagne)

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:39:27 +0000

As 2011 comes to an end mainstream media companies continue to struggle with how to distribute their content through the Internet. That was never more apparent than this week as concert promoter Live Nation acquired BigChampagne, a media tracking and technology company. Joe Fleischer, Big Champgne’s chief marketing officer, explains why a live-event company is [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 129: Ticket Masters – The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 03:10:09 +0000

Anyone who has ever tried to get good tickets to see their favorite band in concert knows how frustrating it can be. Josh Baron and Dean Budnick, two editors of Relix magazine, spent three years speaking to hundreds of industry veterans to research the history of modern ticketing. Their book, “Ticket Masters: The Rise of [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 128: Have Yourself A Movie Little Christmas

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:23:45 +0000

Tis the season for holiday movies and there is no shortage of Yuletide titles to choose from. Thankfully film critic-at-large Alonso Duralde comes to the rescue by sifting through decades of Christmas movies in his book “Have Yourself A Movie Little Christmas“. He highlights some of the classic, and not-so-classic, films worth watching during the [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 127: Has NBC Lost Touch With Its Community?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:45:43 +0000

When NBC removed the quirky sitcom “Community” from their mid-season schedule the show’s cult following went berserk. Fans launched petitions via Twitter and Facebook and in an ironic twist, got the show selected as TV Guide Magazine’s second annual Fan Favorites winner. In a desperate effort to find success with their primetime programming, NBC has [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 126: Foot In Mouth Disease Sweeps Through Hollywood

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 06:20:08 +0000

Getting publicity in Hollywood can be a very difficult task. If you are an A-list director like Brett Ratner or a hot actor like Ashton Kutcher however, all you need to do is make a bigoted statement or fire off an ignorant Twitter post and you’ll get more ink than you ever wanted. Ratner’s homophobic [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 125: Are Radio D.J.’s A Thing Of The Past?

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:43:17 +0000

Radio listenership has eroded over the past several years as consumers have adopted streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora. To stay competitive and survive, Clear Channel, the nation’s largest radio station operator, shocked the industry this past week by firing dozens of local D.J.’s and replacing them with a national programming team. Indie-label [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 124: UltraViolet Is A Solution In Search Of A Problem

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:14:45 +0000

More than 75 companies have teamed up to form UltraViolet, a new service that promises to give consumers the freedom to watch movies and television shows wherever and whenever they want. However, early adopters have discovered that untethering content from physical media such as DVDs can be a tedious and confusing process. As the entertainment [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 123: DVR Data Can Save TV Shows From Cancellation

J. Sperling Reich — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 22:50:20 +0000

It turns out your DVR can be helpful beyond just recording your favorite television shows. Examining which commercials you skip past might be able to help predict box office flops and monitoring which shows you watch can save a borderline series from being canceled. We’ll debate whether television networks and movie studios can benefit from [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 122: The Real Story Behind Steve Jobs And Pixar

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 06:20:24 +0000

Millions mourned the loss of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs this past week when the innovator behind the Macintosh computer, the iPod and others died at the age of 56. Though the endless eulogies of Jobs always mention Jobs Pixar tenure, they rarely provided any real detail. Truth is Jobs lost money with Pixar for ten [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 121: Why 3D Movie Tickets Are About To Get More Expensive

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 05:16:48 +0000

As moviegoers grow more skeptical over paying premiums to see 3D movies you would think now would be a bad time to raise ticket prices yet again. However, if Sony Pictures has their way that’s just what may happen. Last week the studio told exhibitors they would no longer pay for 3D glasses after May [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 120: Netflix Must Adapt To A Hollywood It Helped Create

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 06:45:52 +0000

Ryan Lawler has spent the last two years writing about online video and digital media trends for GigaOm, a beat he’s covered for a number of publications. Who better to help us sort out what’s been going on with Netflix over the past two weeks? Despite a plunging stock price, slower subscriber growth and increased [...]

Showbiz Sandbox 119: Thompson On Toronto and Telluride

J. Sperling Reich — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:27:55 +0000

The Toronto International Film Festival has become a mandatory stop for studios opening awards contenders in the fall. The last four best picture winners at the Academy Awards, including The King’s Speech, all played in Toronto. Along with the smaller, cozier Telluride Film Festival, Toronto is where some films first start picking up awards buzz. [...]