Showbiz Sandbox 314: As Expected, The Oscars Shine A Spotlight On Diversity
February 29, 2016
In a year when the Academy Awards were faulted for a lack of diversity among its nominees, ceremony host Chris Rock addressed the #OscarsSoWhite controversy head on in his opening monologue by mixing pointed criticism with biting humor. Anne Thompson, Indiewire’s editor at large, brings us along as she attends the 88th annual Oscars and explains just how difficult it was to predict this year’s winners.
Mind you, award season never really ends. France handed out their own awards for last year’s top movies and we’ll tell you who won all the big prizes at the Cesars. We even look at the nominations for the Olivier Awards, the London theater equivalent to the Tonys. Literally hours after winning his first Oscar, Mark Rylance was nominated again, this time for his performance in “Farinelli and the King”.
Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble is planning to imitate its online rival Amazon by, oddly enough, opening new brick and mortar stores. And a reissue of the Alex Haley bestseller Roots brings up everything from copyright to the question of when a book goes out of print to ebook pricing.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including how Netflix and other streaming services have decimated video sales, PBS will launch its own cable network and Adele tops the Brit Awards.
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Oscar Winners 2016: How ‘Spotlight,’ ‘The Revenant,’ and ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ Dominated the Academy Awards
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/oscar-winners-2016-how-spotlight-the-revenant-and-mad-max-fury-road-dominated-the-academy-awards-20160229
‘Deadpool’ Success Leads to Big Paydays for Ryan Reynolds and Team
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/deadpool-success-leads-big-paydays-868636
‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Becomes China’s Biggest Animated Film Ever
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kung-fu-panda-3-becomes-871149
DreamWorks Animation Blasts Past Expectations; Stock Rise
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/dreamworks-animation-blasts-past-expectations-868808
DreamWorks Animation Shares Spike on Stronger Than Expected 2015 Earnings
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/dreamworks-animation-shares-2015-earnings-1201713122/
Imax Earnings, Revenue Skyrocket Thanks to ‘Star Wars’
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/imax-earnings-q4-star-wars-the-force-awakens-1201713996/
Philippe Dauman: Viacom Looks to Sell Stake in Paramount to ‘Strategic Minority Investor’
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/paramount-viacom-stake-minority-investor-1201712909/
Cesar Awards: The Complete Winners List
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/2016-cesar-awards-full-winners-867094
Nominations Announced for 2016 Olivier Awards
http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/nominations-announced-for-2016-olivier-awards_39848.html
PBS to Launch Digital Kids-TV Outlet
https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/pbs-kids-digital-daniel-tiger-nature-cat-1201712670/
Netflix Killing Physical Video
http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2016022541883/netflix-killing-physical-video.html
Disney Introduces Demand-Based Pricing at Theme Parks
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/business/disney-introduces-surge-pricing-at-theme-parks.html
After Tense Weeks, Melissa Harris-Perry’s MSNBC Show Is Canceled
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/29/business/media/melissa-harris-perry-is-out-at-msnbc-cable-network-confirms.html
New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art Settles $25 Admissions Fee Lawsuit
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/27/metropolitan-museum-art-settles-lawsuit-new-york
‘Hamilton’s’ Lin-Manuel Miranda in Talks for ‘Mary Poppins’ Sequel
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/hamilton-lin-manuel-miranda-mary-poppins-sequel-1201713853/
‘The View’ Renewed for Season 20
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/view-renewed-season-20-868712
Brit Awards 2016: See the Full Winners List
http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6889360/brit-awards-2016-winners-list
B&N Confirms New Prototype Store Will Open This Year
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/69486-b-n-planning-an-amazon-style-store.html
French Publishers Call for Changes to Angouleme
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2016/02/comics-a-m-french-publishers-call-for-changes-to-angouleme/
Perseus Publishing New ‘Roots’ Tie-in
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/69498-perseus-publishing-new-roots-tie-in.html
I had a great Oscars! I got 18 of 24 picks right (about par for the course for me) and I was wrong about Mark Rylance winning. Since he’s literally my favorite actor on the planet, I was delighted (sorry, Sly). And I loved that the reissue of Alex Haley’s novel “Roots” gave me another chance to rage against the dumb high prices of paperbacks for works that came out literally decades ago. Give a listen!