Showbiz Sandbox 109: Making Grammar Fun (And F*cking Funny)
June 27, 2011
When Chris Baker isn’t working on Madison Avenue for a big advertising firm, he is creating some of the world’s most exclusive websites… literarily. TheWorldsMostExclusiveWebsite.com only lets verified celebrities and big wigs past the home page. His website M. Night School is crowd-sourcing enough funds to send director M. Night Shyamalan back to film school. Baker joins us to discuss his latest effort, “The Elements of F*cking Style
After this past weekend, Baker may want to send Pixar back to film school. “Cars 2”, the company’s highly anticipated sequel to their blockbuster “Cars”, was given a drubbing by critics. However, critical acclaim may not matter for a film that earns $2 billion a year in merchandising.
At least nobody’s forcing you to see “Cars 2”. That might not be an option in China where the government is “suggesting” that everyone see “Beginning of the Great Revival,” a propaganda film disguised as a historical epic detailing the founding of China’s Communist Party.
We review all the week’s top entertainment news, including the potential sale of video streaming site Hulu.com, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter project and why your Internet service provider may kick you offline for downloading pirated music or movies.
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Michael Bay Wants You to See Transformers In The Most Expensive Way Possible
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/06/michael_bay_wants_you_to….
Disney’s ‘Cars 2’ A Hit Already – In Stores
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527023044533045763907206377….
’13 Women’: Zhang Yimou’s Chinese & English Film Starring Christian Bale Wraps
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/23/13-women-zhang-yimous-christian….
Political Maneuvers Drive ‘Beginning Of The Great Revival’s’ Success
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-communist-movie-20110624….
Website Hulu Considers Sale
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303936704576400133483416612.html
Hulu’s Owners Weigh Cons Of A Possible Sale Of The Site
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304447804576409641800748236.html
Casting Announced For “Relatively Speaking” Comedies By Woody Allen, Elaine May and Ethan Coen
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/casting-announced-for-relatively….
Angela Bassett Will Star Opposite Samuel L. Jackson In “The Mountaintop”
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/angela-bassett-will-star-opposite….
How the Numbers Add Up (Way Up) For ‘Spider-Man’
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/theater/spider-man-by-the-numbers….
J.K. Rowling Reveals Pottermore, Says It Is A Unique Online Experience
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/06/rowling-reveals-pottermore….
Supreme Court Strikes Down California Law Banning Violent Video Games To Minors
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/supreme-court-strikes-down….
Viacom Files Suit Against Cablevision Over iPad Application
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/06/viacom-files….
Best Buy Expands Cloud Based Online Music Platform To U.S.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-06-17/best-buy-expands-cloud-based….
Atop TV Sets, A Power Drain That Runs Nonstop
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/26/us/26cable.html
Lawsuite Targets Celebrity Poker Game
http://www.npr.org/2011/06/26/137429824/lawsuit-targets-celebrity-poker-game
Will Smith Wants Emma Thompson To Adapt Annie For His Daughter
http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/06/emma_thompson_annie.html
HBO Teams With John Krasinski & Aaron Sorkin For Chateau Marmont Miniseries
http://www.deadline.com/2011/06/hbo-teams-with-john-krasinski-aaron….
A Novel About Bullying From 50 Cent
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/a-novel-about-bullying-from-50-cent/
Jon Hamm Reaches “Mad Men” Deal With Lions Gate
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/jon-hamm-reaches-mad….
Glenn Campbell Has Alzheimer’s, Plans For Final Album And Farewell Tour
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/06/glen-campbell-alzheimers….
Olberman Gives In To Fan Criticisms
http://www.adweek.com/news/television/olbermann-gives-fan-criticisms-132857
PayPal Shuts Down Accounts Of Online Retailers Selling Pirated DVDs
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/06/paypal-shuts….
Top ISPs Poised To Adopt Graduated Response To Piracy
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20073522-261/exclusive-top-isps-poised-to….
I haven’t seen this clever a combination of wordplay and cursing since George Carlin died. Check out our podcast to learn more about the book The Elements Of F***ing Style and all the entertainment news of the week from an insider’s perspective.