Showbiz Sandbox 620: This Year’s Tony Awards Were Unscripted, Yet Predictable
June 14, 2023
This 76th annual Tony Awards ceremony was held last weekend honoring the best and brightest Broadway productions from the past year. Although there was no script for host Ariana DeBose to work due to the writer’s strike. But while the telecast may have been refreshingly unscripted, the winners were fairly predictable with “Kimberly Akimbo” winning Best Musical, Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” taking home Best Play and “Parade” picking up the Best Musical Revival trophies. The only question now is which shows will turn their Tony wins into box office gold.
Speaking of labor relations in Hollywood, the DGA released some more info on its proposed deal with producers and the reviews are decidedly mixed, especially for helmers who also write. Meanwhile SAG-AFTRA members made it loud and clear that they are ready to strike as well.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the PGA’s controversial move to merge with a competitive golf league, CNN axes its CEO and network shows continue to sink in TV ratings.
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Showbiz Sandbox 619: Directors Strike Deal for New Contract With Producers
June 6, 2023
The Directors Guild of America reached a deal with studios, networks and streamers on a new three-year contract avoiding what some believed would be the first true strike in its 87 year history. Entertainment and technology attorney Jonathan Handel joins us to explain the proposed agreement the directors negotiated with producers. He wrote the book on labor in Hollywood, quite literally, as the author of “Hollywood On Strike.”
Meanwhile, Tom Cruise is facing another impossible mission. First he saved Hollywood with Top Gun: Maverick. Now he wants to save his new “Mission: Impossible” movie from being exiled from IMAX screens less than two weeks after it opens in July. We’ll explain what’s going on in the battle over premium screens.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how the French Open is protecting tennis players from toxic social media, why David Byrne’s upcoming Broadway show has no musicians and which summer blockbusters are sinking at the worldwide box office.
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