Showbiz Sandbox 268: Going Backstage At The Grammys With David Wild
February 8, 2015
The Grammy Awards were held last weekend to honor the year’s best music. David Wild, one of the producers and writers of the Grammys telecast (not to mention a contributing editor at Rolling Stone), takes us behind the scenes at the ceremony. He explains what it’s like to get Madonna, Miley Cyrus and Nikki Minaj on the same page and the difficulty of describing Sia’s unique stage performance to Stevie Wonder.
Meanwhile, a couple of big media conglomerates announced significant management changes over the past week; Amy Pascal will be stepping down as head of Sony Pictures due in no small part to the recent cyber attack against the company and Tom Staggs is anointed as the most likely candidate to take over for Disney CEO, Bob Iger when the latter steps down in 2018.
Speaking of big name execs, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler finally submitted his proposal for net neutrality, which would regulate ISPs to enforce open internet protections.
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including why actor Michael Gambon is retiring from the stage, the uproar over news anchor Brian Williams and how Kodak is keeping film stock alive.
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David Wild’s Huffington Post Stories
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wild/
Seth Rogen, Zac Efron Reteam for ‘Neighbors 2’ at Universal
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/seth-rogen-zac-efron-reteam-770801
Quentin Tarantino Personally Approving Buyers of ‘Hateful Eight’
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/berlin-quentin-tarantino-personally-approving-771749
‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Lubricant Claimed Ineffective In Class-Action Lawsuit
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/fifty-shades-grey-lubricant-claimed-770959
DGA Awards: ‘Birdman’s’ Alejandro Inarritu Takes Top Film Honors
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dga-awards-birdmans-alejandro-inarritu-771113
BAFTA Awards: ‘Boyhood’ Wins Best Film, ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ Gets Five Honors
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bafta-film-awards-winners-announced-771169
Amy Pascal Lands in Sony’s Outbox
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/business/amy-pascal-leaving-as-sony-studio-chief.html
Amy Pascal to Step Down From Top Sony Post
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/amy-pascal-step-down-top-755789
The Sony Hack Wasn’t the Only Thing That Hurt Amy Pascal
http://www.vulture.com/2015/02/sony-hack-wasnt-the-only-thing-to-hurt-pascal.html
Disney Promotes Tom Staggs to No. 2 Post, Positioning Him as Iger’s Successor
http://variety.com/2015/biz/news/disney-promotes-tom-staggs-to-no-2-post-positioning-him-as-igers-successor-1201423601/
Voices Fresh and Familiar at the Grammy Awards
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/09/arts/music/grammy-winners-2015-beck-sam-smith-pharrell-and-beyonce-thrive.html
Grammy Preview: The Actual Best Albums of 2014
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/grammy-preview-the-actual_b_6633702.html
‘Fresh Off the Boat’ Starts Strong, ‘Empire’ Still Growing
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-fresh-boat-starts-770490
AMC’s ‘Better Call Saul’ Premiere Breaks Cable Record; ‘Walking Dead’ Returns With 15.6 Million Viewers
http://variety.com/2015/tv/ratings/amcs-walking-dead-returns-with-15-6-million-viewers-saul-premiere-solid-behind-it-1201428816/
Kodak Finalizes Deal With Studios To Save Film
http://celluloidjunkie.com/2015/02/04/kodak-finalizes-deal-studios-save-film/
The Great Gambon Retires From The Stage
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/Magazine/article1512845.ece
Brian Williams Apologizes For Saying He Was Shot Down Over Iraq
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/business/media/brian-williamsapologizes-for-saying-he-was-shot-down-over-iraq.html
NBC News Investigating Brian Williams’ False Iraq Story
http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/nbc-news-is-investigating-brian-williams-false-iraq-story-1201426510/
Harper Lee to Publish First Novel in More than 50 Years
https://edit.hollywoodreporter.com/news/harper-lee-publish-first-novel-769740
In Statement, Harper Lee Backs New Novel
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/books/harper-lee-says-shes-excited-for-new-novel.html
Rosie O’Donnell Exiting ‘The View’
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/rosie-odonnell-exiting-view-771007
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler: This Is How We Will Ensure Net Neutrality
http://www.wired.com/2015/02/fcc-chairman-wheeler-net-neutrality/
Stop Saying That The FCC Is ‘Treating Internet As A Utility’ — It’s Not
https://www.techdirt.com/blog/netneutrality/articles/20150205/05435629916/stop-saying-that-fcc-is-treating-internet-as-utility-its-not.shtml
‘Rebel Without a Cause’ Screenwriter Stewart Stern Dies at 92
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rebel-a-cause-screenwriter-stewart-770928
David Wild’s anecdote about Stevie Wonder and Sia is one of my favorites of the year so far. And I STILL think I should get a writing credit on “Neighbors 2!” Everyone who listens to the show knows I nailed that idea ages ago 🙂 Beck may be one of the lowest selling winners of Album Of The Year in Grammy history. But you know what, with albums selling so much less across the board, it’s nice the Grammys didn’t feel obligated to reward its biggest seller (Beyonce) as they have so often in the past.
Luke Weil is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Andina Acquisition Partners…
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