Showbiz Sandbox 289: In Hollywood Fame and Fortune Is Often Relative
August 10, 2015
There is no dispute that in the entertainment business, just like in any other industry, money is the fuel that keeps the engine running. Yet raising it, accounting for it, paying it back and doling out profits is becoming more complex for media companies. Indeed, making a fortune in show business is anything but easy or straight forward.
Take Relativity Media for example. The upstart movie studio and its brash CEO Ryan Kavanaugh were going to change the way Hollywood operated and movies were made. However now they’ve filed for bankruptcy. We’ll provide some background and explain the details of what could wind up being the largest studio bankruptcy ever.
Movie moguls aren’t the only one’s struggling to mind their dollars and cents. Legendary musician David Byrne wants record labels to be more transparent about where all the money is going in the music business. Meanwhile the Authors Guild has a few thoughts of its own when it comes to copyright and revenue from book sales.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including Jon Stewart’s last “Daily Show”, staff turmoil at Rolling Stone magazine and changes afoot in film distribution strategies.
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GOP Debate Soars, Brings Fox News a Record 24M Viewers
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tv-ratings-gop-debate-soars-813856
TV Ratings: Jon Stewart Signs Off With 3.5M Viewers
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-jon-stewart-signs-813855
‘Fantastic Four’ Gets Worst CinemaScore Ever for Studio Superhero Movie
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fantastic-four-gets-worst-cinemascore-814137
‘Fantastic Four’ Director Josh Trank Blames Studio for Poor Reviews
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/fantastic-four-director-josh-trank-813786
Universal Sets Global Box Office Record Thanks to ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Furious 7’
https://variety.com/2015/film/news/universal-box-office-jurassic-world-record-1201557246/
Dr. Dre to Release New Album as ‘Straight Outta Compton’ Soundtrack
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/dr-dre-to-release-new-album-as-straight-outta-compton-soundtrack-20150729
DreamWorks Animation Reports Quarterly Revenue Growth, Wide Losses
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-second-quarter-revenue-813132
More Theaters Sign Up for Paramount’s Daring VOD Plan
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/more-theaters-sign-up-paramounts-812118
Netflix’s ‘Beasts of No Nation’ Hints at Hazy Hybrid Future
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-netflix-beasts-of-no-nation-cary-fukunaga-release-20150730-story.html
The Weinstein Co., Amazon Strike Deal for Michael Fassbender Starrer ‘Macbeth’
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-fassbender-starrer-macbeth-weinstein-812551
Open the Music Industry’s Black Box
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/02/opinion/sunday/open-the-music-industrys-black-box.html
Music Artists Take On the Business, Calling for Change
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/01/business/media/music-artists-take-on-the-business-calling-for-change.html
Authors Guild Urges More Book Contract Changes
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/67626-authors-guild-urges-more-book-contract-changes.html
CBS Will Live-Stream Super Bowl Ads in Big Move for Media Industry
https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/super-bowl-ads-live-stream-cbs-tv-commercials-1201549892/
Longtime ‘Rolling Stone’ Film Critic Peter Travers Fighting for His Job
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/longtime-rolling-stone-film-critic-812125
Taylor Swift Superfan Ryan Adams Is Recording a 1989 Cover Album
http://www.vulture.com/2015/08/ryan-adams-taylor-swift-1989-cover-album.html
1,000 People Covered Foo Fighters’ ‘Learn to Fly,’ and It’s Pretty Cool
http://www.vulture.com/2015/07/watch-1000-people-cover-foo-fighters.html
The Foo Fighters Answer a YouTube Plea: The Band Will Play in Cesena, Italy
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/04/the-foo-fighters-answer-a-youtube-plea-the-band-will-play-in-cesena-italy/?_r=0
Time Warner Earnings Beat Projections on Videogame Releases, TV Deals
https://variety.com/2015/biz/news/time-warner-earnings-beat-projections-on-videogame-releases-tv-deals-1201556910/
With Halo 5: Guardians, Microsoft Seeks to Lure E-Sports Players Back
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/technology/with-halo-5-microsoft-seeks-to-lure-e-sports-players-back.html?_r=0
Tradition Broken: Two London Critics Review Benedict Cumberbatch Hamlet on First Preview
http://playbill.com/news/article/tradition-broken-two-london-critics-review-benedict-cumberbatch-hamlet-on-first-preview-356303
Miguel Credited Billy Corgan on ‘1979’-Sounding New Song So He Wouldn’t Get Marvin Gaye’d
http://www.vulture.com/2015/07/miguel-credits-billy-corgan-on-a-new-song.html
Cosmopolitan Magazine Covers to Be Shielded by 2 Retailers
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/01/business/media/cosmopolitan-magazine-covers-to-be-shielded-by-2-retailers.html?_r=0
The Justin Timberlake Guide to Zayn Malik’s Post-One Direction Solo Career
http://time.com/3979252/zayn-malik-justin-timberlake/
‘Top Gear’ Team to Produce Auto Show for Amazon
https://variety.com/2015/digital/global/amazon-signs-former-top-gear-team-1201553148/
Miss Piggy and Kermit Have Also Called It Quits; the Summer of Breakups Extends to Animals
http://www.vulture.com/2015/08/miss-piggy-and-kermit-have-also-called-it-quits.html
The Mini-mogul Behind Relativity Media Said He’d Change Hollywood, Now Studio Files Bankruptcy
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-relativity-media-bankrtupcy-20150730-story.html#page=1
Relativity Media Sale Could Attract Rival Hollywood Moguls and Far-flung Billionaires
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-relativity-bidders-20150807-story.html#page=1
Relativity’s Ryan Kavanaugh Breaks Silence, Points Fingers in Emotional Post-Bankruptcy Interview
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/relativitys-ryan-kavanaugh-breaks-silence-813257
WWE Legend ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper Dies at 61
https://variety.com/2015/biz/obituaries-people-news/roddy-piper-dies-dead-wwe-wrestler-1201554513/
Lynn Anderson, Singer of Rose Garden, Dies Aged 67
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jul/31/lynn-anderson-singer-rose-garden-dies-aged-67
Frank Gifford, Gridiron Star Turned ‘Monday Night Football’ Sportscaster, Dies at 84
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/frank-gifford-dead-monday-night-723255
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