Showbiz Sandbox 419: Best Popular Film Oscars Category Proves To Be Rather Unpopular

It may come as a surprise after the #MeToo movement but it isn’t often Hollywood unites to agree on an issue. Last week when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed they would be adding a Best Popular film category to the Oscars the response was universal and swift; everyone hates the idea. In a train wreck of an announcement about proposed changes to the awards show, the Academy appeared to cede control to the network broadcasting the ceremony.

Speaking of changes, the moviegoing subscription service MoviePass doesn’t let a week go by without instituting a new set of rules for its customers. First they were going to raise prices and limit attendance to new releases. Before they could roll those changes out, MoviePass altered its policy once again, keeping the price at $10 per month, but limiting the number of movies that can be seen to just three.

Meanwhile, music fans appear to be spending more money on music than ever before. At least according to a new report from Citigroup which says the industry is now pulling in a combined $43 billion in the United States, of which $5 billion goes to artists. Naturally, arguments over the accuracy and validity of the report are sure to follow.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including more on Jeffrey Katzenberg’s New TV venture, the dispute over star salaries on the latest “Star Trek” and Lady Gaga heads to Las Vegas.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

comScore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of August 12, 2018
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-august-12-2018-300695802.html

‘The Meg’ Opens in Third Place in China Amid Controversy
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/he-meg-opens-third-china-amid-controversy-1202901733/

DOJ Will Review 70-Year-Old Consent Decrees That Regulate How Studios, Exhibitors Do Business
https://variety.com/2018/politics/news/consent-decrees-department-of-justice-1202893374/

Fan Bingbing Banned from Travelling Abroad Amid Tax Evasion Investigation
http://chinafilminsider.com/headlines-from-china-fan-bingbing-banned-from-travelling-abroad-amid-tax-evasion-investigation/

MoviePass Raises Subscription Price, Limits First-Run Films
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/moviepass-hikes-price-monthly-subscription-limits-first-run-movies-1130948

AMC Subscription Moviegoing Service Attracts 175,000 Subscribers in First Five Weeks
https://variety.com/2018/film/news/amc-moviepass-3-1202890900/
MoviePass Abandons Price Hike, But Will Limit Films to Three a Month
MoviePass Abandons Price Hike, But Will Limit Films to Three a Month

‘ALF’ TV Reboot in the Works at Warner Bros.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/alf-tv-reboot-works-at-warner-bros-1131450

‘Facts of Life’ Reboot in the Works at Sony
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/facts-life-reboot-works-at-sony-1132123

FX Boss John Landgraf Talks ‘Narrative Exhaustion’ in TV’s ‘Gilded Age’
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/fx-boss-john-landgraf-tca-netflix-1202894641/

Plain White T’s Song “Hey There Delilah” Is Being Turned Into a TV Series (Exclusive)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/plain-white-ts-song-hey-delilah-being-adapted-tv-1132668

Jeffrey Katzenberg’s $1 Billion Bet on Shortform Video Comes Into Focus
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jeffrey-katzenbergs-newtv-raises-1-billion-hollywood-studios-alibaba-1132662

Musicians Only Get 12 Percent of the Money the Music Industry Makes
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/music-artists-make-12-percent-from-music-sales-706746/

The Sea Queen by Linnea Hartsuyker – BookFilter
http://bookfilter.com/2017/12/04/the-sea-queen-2/

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Paid $1 Million for McDonald’s Monopoly Scam Story
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ben-affleck-matt-damon-paid-1-million-mcdonalds-monopoly-scam-story-1132107

Crime Author Sentenced for Murders That Inspired His Novels
https://nypost.com/2018/07/31/crime-author-sentenced-for-murders-that-inspired-his-novels/

CBS Hires Two Law Firms to Investigate Leslie Moonves Allegations
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/cbs-leslie-moonves-law-firms-allegations-1202893125/

Shari Redstone’s Company Accuses CBS Executives of Destroying Evidence
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/shari-redstones-nai-accuses-cbs-executives-destroying-evidence-1131011

USC School of Cinematic Arts Suspends Leslie Moonves From Board
https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/usc-school-of-cinematic-arts-suspends-leslie-moonves-from-board-1202892517/

CBS Bringing ‘Love Island’ to U.S. With Series Order
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/love-island-is-coming-cbs-american-adaptation-1133157

’60 Minutes’ Chief Fager Will Extend Vacation Amid Probe
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/60-minutes-chief-fager-will-extend-vacation-amid-probe-1202895567

HBO Hits Important Milestone in Push for Behind the Scenes Inclusion
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hbo-hits-important-milestone-push-behind-scenes-inclusion-1133786

Amazon Unscripted Head Heather Schuster Out Amid Investigation
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/amazon-unscripted-head-heather-schuster-out-amid-investigation-1202897405/

Tribune Media Terminates $3.9B Sinclair Deal, Files Lawsuit
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tribune-media-terminates-39b-sinclair-deal-files-lawsuit-breach-contract-1133441

How Hubris Cost Sinclair its Acquisition of Tribune
https://variety.com/2018/politics/news/sinclair-tribune-lawsuit-deal-scrapped-1202901461/

10 Most-Produced High School Plays and Musicals of 2017–2018
http://www.playbill.com/article/10-most-produced-high-school-plays-and-musicals-of-20172018

Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth ‘Star Trek 4’ Future In Doubt as Talks Fall Through (Exclusive)
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-trek-4-chris-pine-chris-hemsworth-talks-fall-1133802

Andy Serkis to direct an Animal Farm movie for Netflix
https://news.avclub.com/andy-serkis-to-direct-an-animal-farm-movie-for-netflix-1828042903

‘Now That’s What I Call Music 100’ Delivers Banner Week in U.K.
https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/tv-film/8467536/now-thats-what-i-call-music-100-delivers-banner-week-in-uk

Travis Scott’s ‘Astroworld’ Bows at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With Second-Largest Debut of 2018
https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8469748/travis-scott-astroworld-no-1-billboard-200-album-chart

Television Academy Sets Eight-Year Emmy Awards Rights Deal with Big Four Networks
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/television-academy-emmy-awards-rights-deal-eight-years-1202896501/

Lady Gaga Announces Las Vegas Residency
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lady-gaga-announces-las-vegas-residency-707448/

Facing Losses, Condé Nast Plans to Put 3 Magazines Up for Sale
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/business/media/conde-nast-vogue-magazines.html

Warner Music Group Sells Its Entire Stake in Spotify
https://variety.com/2018/biz/news/warner-music-group-sells-entire-stake-in-spotify-1202897605/

The Oscars Made Some Dumb Decisions Today
http://www.vulture.com/2018/08/the-oscars-made-some-dumb-decisions-today.html

Academy Plans Three-Hour Oscars Telecast, Adds Popular Film Category
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/academy-plans-three-hour-oscars-telecast-adds-popular-film-category-1133138

The Motion Picture Academy Has Become Desperate
https://variety.com/2018/film/awards/oscars-popular-film-category-what-it-means-1202899599/

Popular Film Category Violates Everything the Oscars Are Supposed to Be About
https://variety.com/2018/film/columns/oscars-best-popular-film-category-commentary-1202899728/

The ‘Best Popular Movie’ Oscar: WTF Is the Academy Thinking?
https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/most-popular-movie-oscar-wtf-708005

How ABC Pushed Film Academy to Overhaul Oscars
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/abc-oscar-changes-ratings-popular-film-1202899515

“We Are Definitely Upset”: Oscars Shake-Up Sparks Fear and Outrage Among Crafts Members
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/behind-screen/oscars-ceremony-changes-spark-fear-outrage-crafts-members-1133357

Rowland Perkins, Creative Artists Agency Co-Founder, Dies at 84
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/rowland-perkins-dead-creative-artists-agency-founder-was-84-1133753

V.S. Naipaul, Who Explored Colonialism Through Unsparing Books, Dies at 85
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/11/obituaries/vs-naipaul-dead-author-nobel-prize.html