Showbiz Sandbox 538: An Oscars Ceremony With An Asterisk
April 27, 2021
Delayed by two months due to the COVID pandemic and with almost no blockbuster studio films to nominate, it’s a small miracle this year’s Oscars ceremony took place at all. This year the Academy honored the most diverse slate of nominees in its 93 year history. Anne Thompson, Indiewire’s editor-at-large, joins us to discuss the night’s winners, the awkward telecast and the unusual awards season we just lived through.
Meanwhile, thing’s keep getting worse for producer Scott Rudin. Not only has he stepped back from all film and television work, but he also left the Broadway League which may have a serious impact on his ability to stage a comeback down the road.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why YouTube and Roku can’t get along, why Apple is headed to court over ownership of the music they sell on iTunes and Netflix continues to spend record amounts on new content.
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Showbiz Sandbox 537: The Positive Wave of Asian Media Comes To Comic Books
April 21, 2021
With a string of hit, award winning movies like “Parasite” and global pop-phenoms like BTS, Asian culture is having a moment in the spotlight. Thus it may be an opportune time for the publication of “The Good Asian,” a new comic book series about a detective in San Francisco’s Chinatown in 1936. We talk to Pornsak Pichetshote, its creator, who is a big player in comics, having edited top titles for DC’s Vertigo and helping launch its new TV division.
Meanwhile, as Broadway tries to reopen after the pandemic, powerhouse producer Scott Rudin is facing some fallout after a media profile about his past abusive, bullying behavior. Rudin says he will now step away from day-to-day oversight of his ongoing and future productions to prevent talent from backing out.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including London’s West End prepares to reopen, Univision and Televisa announce a merger and the 46th annual IRA Awards.
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Showbiz Sandbox 536: Blockbuster Box Office Begins Pandemic Recovery
April 14, 2021
After remaining dormant for most of the past year “Godzilla vs. Kong” revived the box office with the best opening weekend since the COVID-19 pandemic bega. The monster movie has taken in over $350 million globally despite being available on HBO Max. in $38 million despite being available on HBO Max. Does this mean big blockbuster movies can open day-and-date and score big even if they’re available online via a streamer? Uh, no.
Meanwhile, politics is stressing out Hollywood. Whether it’s human rights issues in China or voting rights issues in Georgia, Hollywood is not happy about being forced to take sides.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including producer Scott Rudin being exposed as a bully after decades of bad behavior, “Game of Thrones” may be headed to Broadway and singer Lil Nas X stirs up some controversy with his latest chart topper.
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