Showbiz Sandbox 100: In Showbiz, As In Life, Size Matters
April 25, 2011
It’s hard to believe we’ve recorded 100 episodes of Showbiz Sandbox. It’s also hard to believe that a 3D porno (okay, an erotic comedy) could ever smash a box office record set by “Avatar”. But that’s exactly what happened in Hong Kong, where “Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy” opened to USD $2.19 million. The producers wanted to screen the film in Imax, but were refused, disappointing Karen Woodward, our guest and former co-host, who says that despite all the rumors, size does matter.
If bigger really is better, then Netflix has nothing to worry about. They are set to become the largest subscription entertainment business in the United States with over 23 million customers, beating out satellite radio and cable television. The same can’t be said about any of the music streaming services that Apple, Google and others are working on. Apparently, negotiating a licensing deal with record labels can be quite difficult. Go figure!
The Coachella Music Festival also took the size issue to heart, adding more space for attendees to enjoy the more than 100 bands which performed this year. J. Sperling Reich was there and tells us which artists are worth checking out (Lauryn Hill), and which shouldn’t quit their day jobs (Odd Future).
ABC, on the other hand, is downsizing by cutting two long running soap operas: “All My Children” and “One Life To Live”. This means actress Susan Lucci is headed for unemployment, but at least she’s not headed to jail like some celebrities (yes, we’re talking about Lindsey Lohan). We cover all the top entertainment news from the past two weeks including the ongoing fight over premium VOD, Weird Al Yankovic’s fight with Lady Gaga and Jeremy Renner’s new role in the “Bourne” franchise.
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3-D Erotic Comedy Shakes Up Hong Kong Box Office
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/04/20/arts/AP-AS-Film-Hong-Kong-3-D….
China Bans Time Travel Movies
http://www.chinahush.com/2011/04/03/no-more-time-travel-drama….
‘Pirates of the Caribbean 4’ Gets Day-And-Date China Release
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/stranger-tides-gets-day-date-179973
Top Directors Lead Opposition To Premium Video-On-Demand Plan
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/top-directors-lead….
Grooveshark Insists It’s Legal Under DMCA
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110419/11434013962/grooveshark-insists-its….
Google Talks To Spotify To Power Music Service
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20056446-261.html
Apple’s iTunes Posts A Record $1.4 Billion Quarter
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20110420/the-most-successful-store-no-one….
Spotify Sets New Limits On Free Music
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20053672-261.html
HP Is Getting Into The Cloud Music Business
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2011/04/hp-is-getting-into-the-cloud-music….
ABC Cancels “All My Children” and “One Life To Live”
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/14/abc-cancels-all-my-children….
NBC Cancels ‘Paul Reiser’ After Two Episodes
http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/nbc-cancels-paul-reiser-after-2-episodes/
Chuck Fans Turn To Twitter To Save The Show
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/twitter-chuck-fifth-season-renewal/
Unpaid HuffPo Bloggers Sue to Get Their Cut
http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/news/media/e3i533183fc72960….
Lindsey Lohan Sentenced To 120 Days In Jail For Violating Probation
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/lohan-sentenced-to-120-days….
Nicolas Cage Out On $11,000 Bail After New Orleans Arrest
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/04/nicolas-cage-arrested-alice….
Mel Gibson Finally Talks
http://www.deadline.com/2011/04/exclusive-mel-gibson-finally-talks/
Warner Bros. Lawyers Tell Charlie Sheen He’s Not Rejoining ‘Two and a Half Men’
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/warner-bros-lawyers-tell….
‘Oprah Winfrey Show’ Finale Fetching $1 Million Per 30-Second Spot
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oprah-winfrey-show-finale….
Kindle Teams With OverDrive To Lend Library Books
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/….
‘American Idol’ Still Tops Ratings
http://www.adweek.com/news/television/programming-insider-42011….
Simon Cowell Bows Out As Weekly ‘X-Factor’ Judge In U.K.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13112734
U2 Sets Record For Highest Grossing Tour
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/04/nothing-but-dollar-signs-on….
Lady Gaga Says No Way To Weird Al Yankovic Parody
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/lady-gaga-says-no-way-to….
‘Happy Days’ Cast Suing CBS & Paramount Over Missing Royalties
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110419/16003313967/happy-days-cast….
Jeremy Renner Firming Up Lead Role In “The Bourne Legacy”
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/jeremy-renner-firming-up….
Netflix To Become Largest Subscription Entertainment Business In U.S.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-become-largest-subscription….
Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings Compensation Doubled To $5.5 Million
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/04/netflix-chief….
Dish Network To Keep About 600 Blockbuster Stores Open
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/04/dish-network….
Dish Network’s Blockbuster Buy Is Mostly About Digital
http://gigaom.com/video/dish-network-blockbuster-store-closings/
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