Showbiz Sandbox 202: Holy Overreaction, Batman!
August 26, 2013
You would have thought the world was coming to an end last week when Warner Bros. announced the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming blockbuster which will pair the Dark Knight with Superman. Fans of the Caped Crusader weren’t the only ones to weigh in on the casting choice. Just about everyone on earth seemed to have an opinion (most of them negative) on whether Affleck should put on the Batsuit.
No matter who plays Batman, you can be sure the character will resurface in more films. After all, seven of the top ten grossing movies of the summer were sequels or remakes, helping the 2013 domestic box office stay on track with last year.
Much the moviegoers have gotten used to reboots and sequels, television audiences have grown accustom to having their cable providers blackout networks over licensing disputes just as Time Warner Cable is doing presently with CBS and its affiliated networks. Industry critics and politicians have suggested a la carte cable may help stem such actions, though we’ll explain why it may prove to be a horrible idea.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including the launch of iTunes Radio, the return of “Duck Dynasty” and the death of drive in movie theaters.
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MPAA Chief Christopher Dodd Announces End to China Standoff
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mpaa-chief-christopher-dodd-announces-605084
Box Office Pulls Even With 2012; Universal and Warner Bros. Lead
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-pulls-2012-universal-604960
‘Blue Jasmine’ Will Get Widest Release of Woody Allen’s Career
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-blue-jasmine-wide-release-20130821,0,3608591.story
Rio de Janeiro Offers to Fully Fund Woody Allen Project
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rio-de-janeiro-offers-fully-608941
Why Ben Affleck Is Batman
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/why-ben-affleck-said-yes-613658
Ben Affleck As Batman: Hollywood’s Best Reactions
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ben-affleck-as-batman-hollywoods-612922
iTunes Radio to Debut in September With McDonald’s, Nissan, P&G, Pepsi
http://adage.com/article/digital/big-marketers-sign-apple-s-itunes-radio/243734/
Here’s How Beats Music Is Curating Its Subscription Service
http://gigaom.com/2013/08/20/beats-music-curation-internal-details/
Is Google Ready to Buy Its Way Into TV With an NFL Deal?
http://allthingsd.com/20130820/is-google-ready-to-buy-its-way-into-tv-with-an-nfl-deal/
‘Blue Is The Warmest Color’ Earns NC-17 Rating, Will Go Out Uncut
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/ifc-submits-blue-is-the-warmest-color-for-rating-and-earns-nc-17-french-trailer
Elmore Leonard Master Of Crime Fiction Dies At 87
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/21/books/elmore-leonard-master-of-crime-fiction-dies-at-87.html
Elmore Leonard, A Man of Few, Yet Perfect, Words
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/22/books/elmore-leonard-a-man-of-few-yet-perfect-words.html
America’s Last, Remaining Drive-Ins Face a New Threat
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-08-15/americas-last-remaining-drive-ins-face-a-new-threat
Honda’s Project Drive-In
http://projectdrivein.com/
Upstate Drive-in Theater Faces Tough Road In Digital World
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20130817/BUSINESS/308170009/Upstate-drive-theater-faces-tough-road-digital-world
The Book Of Mormon Celebrates 1000 Performances
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/THE-BOOK-OF-MORMON-to-Celebrate-1000th-Performance-on-Broadway-this-Saturday-20130816
Hem’s Dan Messé Commissioned to Adapt Amélie for Broadway
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2013/08/hems-dan-messe-commissioned-to-adapt-amelie-for-br.html
Sony and Viacom Reach Tentative Internet TV Deal
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/business/media/sony-and-viacom-reach-tentative-internet-tv-deal.html
Astoria Bookshop To Open Next Week
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/58706-astoria-bookshop-to-open-next-week.html
NFL Pressures ESPN Into Dropping Out Of PBS Documentary on Concussions
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nfl-pressure-led-espn-drop-613558
Whole Foods Has a Record Store. Oh No?
http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/2013/08/whole_foods_record_store.php
Andy Cohen Boycotting Miss Universe
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/andy-cohen-boycotting-miss-universe-606655
Duck Dynasty Season Opens With Record Ratings
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/16/business/media/duck-dynasty-season-opens-to-record-ratings.html
Spike Lee Reaches Kickstarter Goal
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/spike-lee-set-reach-125-604958
A la Carte Is the Worst Idea Anyone Has Ever Had
http://www.adweek.com/news/television/la-carte-worst-idea-anyone-has-ever-had-151814
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