Showbiz Sandbox 397: Thompson On The 2018 Oscar Nominations and Sundance Film Festival

Some of the biggest annual headline generators in the entertainment industry all happened to occur during the same week this year; the Grammy Awards were handed out, the Oscar Nominations were announced and the Sundance Film Festival came to a close. Anne Thompson, Indiewire’s editor at large, helps us break down the Oscar nominations while also telling us about the titles from Sundance that we can look forward to seeing in the year ahead.

As for the Grammy Awards, though hip-hop albums by Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z were heavily favored to win top prizes, it was Bruno Mars who took home the nights biggest honors, including Album of the Year. And though the telecast of the ceremony was filled with performances by the biggest names in music, viewership plummeted to an all-time low.

Meanwhile, the movie ticket subscription service MoviePass caused a stir in Hollywood last week, though not necessarily in a good way. The company removed ten high-profile AMC theaters from its service claiming they were tired of being ignored by the cinema chain. But could the real reason be that MoviePass was simply losing too much money at those locations?

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including why Neil Diamond and Elton John will stop touring, celebrities get caught out paying for social media followers and the story behind an open source, anonymous list of salaries for television writers and producers.

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Sundance 2018 Oscar Wrap: The Market Is Split Between Young and Old
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/01/sundance-oscar-contenders-box-office-1201922242/

Meet Netflix’s Indie Content Team, at Sundance and Beyond
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/01/netflix-indie-content-production-sundance-2018-private-life-1201921906/

Oscar Nominations 2018 Snubs and Surprises: ‘Phantom Thread’ Rises, James Franco Falls, and More
http://www.indiewire.com/2018/01/oscar-nominations-2018-snubs-and-surprises-dunkirk-get-out-the-shape-of-water-1201920746/

Oscar Nominations 2018: The Complete List
http://variety.com/2018/film/news/list-2018-oscar-nominations-1202668757/

Song Publisher Agrees “We Shall Overcome” Is in Public Domain in Legal Settlement
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/song-publisher-agrees-we-overcome-public-domain-legal-settlement-1078906

comScore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of January 28, 2018
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-january-28-2018-300589279.html

India Braces for Opening of Film That Has Hindu Extremists Enraged
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/24/world/asia/india-hindu-muslim-padmavati-movie.html

Paddington 2 Breaks Records to Become Rotten Tomatoes’ Best-Reviewed Movie Ever
http://ew.com/movies/2018/01/19/paddington-2-breaks-records-to-become-rotten-tomatoes-best-reviewed-movie-ever/

Sundance: MoviePass, The Orchard Buy ‘American Animals’
http://variety.com/2018/film/markets-festivals/sundance-moviepass-the-orchard-buy-american-animals-1202675489/

MoviePass Escalates AMC War as CEO Answers Critics
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/moviepass-escalates-amc-war-as-ceo-answers-critics-1078050

‘Murphy Brown’ Returning to CBS With 13 Episodes
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/murphy-brown-returning-cbs-13-episodes-1078071

‘Mighty Ducks’ TV Series in the Works
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/mighty-ducks-tv-series-works-1077067

Ryan Reynolds Signs First-Look Deal With Fox, ‘Clue’ Movie in Development
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ryan-reynolds-signs-first-look-fox-clue-movie-development-1077148

New ‘Cat in the Hat’ Movie in the Works From Warner Bros.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/new-cat-hat-movie-works-warner-bros-1077973

‘What We Do in The Shadows’ Series Lands at FX With Pilot Production Commitment
http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/what-we-do-in-the-shadows-series-fx-pilot-1202672581/

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon Announces Relaunch of XFL
http://variety.com/2018/tv/news/xfl-return-vince-mcmahon-wwe-1202676873/

‘Charmed’ Reboot Lands CW Pilot Order
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/charmed-reboot-lands-cw-pilot-order-1078578

‘Cagney and Lacey,’ ‘Magnum P.I.’ Reboots Among 6 CBS Pilot Orders
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cagney-lacey-magnum-pi-reboots-6-cbs-pilot-orders-1079031

Pazz & Jop: It’s Kendrick’s and Cardi’s World. We’re All Just Living in It.
https://www.villagevoice.com/2018/01/22/pazz-jop-the-top-albums-and-singles-of-2017/

Grammys 2018 Winners: The Complete List
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/8096569/grammys-2018-winners-list

Grammy Awards Facing $6-8 Million Shortfall for First New York Show in 15 Years
http://variety.com/2018/music/news/grammy-awards-shortfall-new-york-1202671657/

Jefferson’s Daughters by Catherine Kerrison – BookFilter
http://bookfilter.com/2017/04/19/jeffersons-daughters/

‘Charles in Charge’ Star Nicole Eggert Claims Scott Baio Molested Her as a Minor
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/actress-nicole-eggert-claims-scott-baio-molested-her-as-a-minor-1079116

U.K. Regulator Says Fox-Sky Deal “Not in Public Interest”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/uk-regulator-says-fox-sky-deal-not-public-interest-citing-murdoch-family-trust-influence-1076879

The Smiths’ Mike Joyce Drops Out of Controversial ‘Classically Smiths’ Shows
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-smiths-mike-joyce-drops-out-of-classically-smiths-shows-w515766

Elton John Announces Retirement From Touring After Almost 50 Years
http://variety.com/2018/music/news/elton-john-retire-1202675208/

Neil Diamond Announces Retirement From Touring After Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis
http://variety.com/2018/music/news/neil-diamond-announces-retirement-from-touring-after-parkinsons-disease-diagnosis-1202673321/

‘Stranger Things,’ ‘The Crown’ Propel Netflix Membership Gains
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/netflix-memberships-climb-fourth-quarter-1077107

The Follower Factory
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/01/27/technology/social-media-bots.html

TV Writers Launch Anonymous Pay Survey Amid Push for Salary Parity
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-writers-launch-anonymous-pay-survey-push-salary-parity-1077661

BBC, Criticized Over Pay Gap, Cuts Salaries of Some Male Journalists
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/business/media/bbc-pay-gap.html

‘Shape of Water,’ ‘Blade Runner,’ ‘Black Mirror’ Win Art Directors Guild Awards
http://variety.com/2018/film/awards/shape-of-water-blade-runner-black-mirror-win-art-directors-guild-awards-1202679297/

Critics’ Picks: The 20 Best Films From Sundance 2018
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-sundance-films-2018-critics-festival-picks-1078028/item/wont-you-be-my-neighbor-best-sundance-films-2018-1078027

The 10 Best Films From Sundance
http://variety.com/gallery/sundance-2018-best-films-critics/#!10/minding-the-gap-still-1

Sundance Winners: ‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post,’ ‘Kailash’ Take Top Honors
Sundance Winners: ‘The Miseducation of Cameron Post,’ ‘Kailash’ Take Top Honors

Hugh Masekela, Trumpeter and Anti-Apartheid Activist, Dies at 78
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/obituaries/hugh-masekela-dies.html

Ursula K. Le Guin, Acclaimed for Her Fantasy Fiction, Is Dead at 88
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/23/obituaries/ursula-k-le-guin-acclaimed-for-her-fantasy-fiction-is-dead-at-88.html