Showbiz Sandbox
270 episodes - English - Latest episode: 27 days ago - ★★★★★ - 59 ratingsIndustry pros J. Sperling Reich and Michael Giltz provide insightful analysis, humorous viewpoints and insider opinions on the latest entertainment news headlines. The weekly podcast features panel discussions with renowned industry guests, as well as phone calls and emails from listeners who voice their own opinions on the child’s play of the entertainment business.
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Episodes
Showbiz Sandbox 411: Everybody Has An Excuse For Lackluster “Solo”
May 29, 2018 05:20On paper Han Solo seemed like the most obvious character for which to pursue a standalone Star Wars spinoff, however the resulting movie, “Solo,” opened to less than stellar numbers. What’s worse, the movie didn’t fly internationally either. Whether it was the film’s highly publicized production troubles or a case of franchise fatigue, everyone involved […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 411: Everybody Has An Excuse For Lackluster “Solo” appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 410: In a Global Landscape the Cannes Film Festival Remains as Relevant as Ever
May 22, 2018 05:43Despite all the griping over the lack of glitz and glamour, or at the very least big movie stars, at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the event lived up to its reputation for programming some of the most artistic movies currently being made around the world. When the Palm d’Or was handed out over the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 410: In a Global Landscape the Cannes Film Festival Remains as Relevant as Ever appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 409: The Cannes Film Festival Has Its #MeToo Moment
May 15, 2018 00:02Only three films by female directors are competing for the top prize at the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival, but that hasn’t stopped women from raising their voices. In fact, a red carpet protest was held by 82 female filmmakers and actresses, representing the number of films made by women that have appeared […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 409: The Cannes Film Festival Has Its #MeToo Moment appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 408: CinemaCon Shrugs Off Unwanted Disruptions
May 01, 2018 01:16Movie theater owners from around the world descended upon Las Vegas for CinemaCon last week. Studios wooed exhibitors with clips from upcoming film releases while industry manufacturers lured attendees with the latest technology, including high-resolution LED screens as a method of showing movies to the masses. Much like the subscription service MoviePass, the screens left […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 408: CinemaCon Shrugs Off Unwanted Disruptions appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 407: Beyoncé Delivers A Higher Education To Coachella
April 18, 2018 05:13Though Beyoncé was unable to headline Coachella last year due to being pregnant with twins, she more than made up for it this year with a performance that music critics are rightly hailing as the best live music event in decades. In a two hour set that included more than 100 performers from dancers to […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 407: Beyoncé Delivers A Higher Education To Coachella appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 406: Is Live Nation Bullying the Music Industry?
April 10, 2018 05:12The merger of concert promoter Live Nation and ticketing giant Ticketmaster was supposed to increase competition, stabilize the price of live events and lower the cost of ticketing fees. Nine years later the deal has achieved none of those results. In fact, there are now reports that the Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 406: Is Live Nation Bullying the Music Industry? appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 405: Hollywood Adopts A Queer Gaze as LGBTQ Films Go Mainstream
March 27, 2018 03:01Hollywood studios are no strangers to coming-of-age romantic comedies (see any John Hughes film), but never before has a mainstream film centered around a gay teenager. Even so, Twentieth Century Fox didn’t cover up the subject matter of “Love, Simon” and instead used it in their marketing campaign. What’s more, such films are now being […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 405: Hollywood Adopts A Queer Gaze as LGBTQ Films Go Mainstream appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 404: Faith-Based Films Are Competing For the Choir’s Attention
March 20, 2018 04:56It used to be that to promote a faith-based film release, especially one geared toward Christian audiences, all a distributor had to do was screen the film for church groups or pastors, and maybe create some study material. But once studios saw there was money in faith-based movies, they began making more of them. As […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 404: Faith-Based Films Are Competing For the Choir’s Attention appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 403: Justice Department Makes Its Case Against AT&T-Time Warner Merger
March 13, 2018 05:22As the Department of Justice prepares for its antitrust trial to prevent the merger of AT&T and Time Warner, they are submitted a brief to the court claiming the outcome of the case shape how video-content is delivered in the United States for years to come. They believe the merger will stifle competition, prevent competitors […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 403: Justice Department Makes Its Case Against AT&T-Time Warner Merger appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 402: How the 90th Annual Oscars Took Shape
March 06, 2018 06:56The 90th Academy Awards went down pretty much as everyone expected it would. After a lengthy awards season there were few surprises over who would go home with Oscars. There were no upsets (or mistakes) when it came time to announce Best Picture, as Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” won the honor. During […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 402: How the 90th Annual Oscars Took Shape appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 401: Redbox Beats Disney At Their Own Copyright Game
February 27, 2018 01:35In the first round of a copyright infringement lawsuit, Disney failed to win an injunction preventing the DVD rental company Redbox from selling digital copies of its films. Instead, a judge ruled that since Redbox is forced to buy retail copies of Disney films, they have the right to sell the digital copy that accompanies […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 401: Redbox Beats Disney At Their Own Copyright Game appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 400: The Long, Slow Death of Barnes & Noble
February 20, 2018 02:16As Barnes & Noble loses an ever increasing number of customers to Amazon, the largest bookstore chain in the United States continues struggles to remain a viable business, if not relevant. Now comes word the retailer has cut 1,800 workers representing all of its full-time in-store staff. Should this last ditch effort to stay in […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 400: The Long, Slow Death of Barnes & Noble appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 399: Why Can’t Hulu and Spotify Turn A Profit?
February 12, 2018 22:05As consumers abandon physical media like compact discs and DVDs they are signing up for streaming services like Hulu and Spotify by the tens of millions. Even so, profitability has proven elusive for such companies. We’ll try and understand why, despite all their earnings and tons of headlines, such services continue to be in the […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 399: Why Can’t Hulu and Spotify Turn A Profit? appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 398: Streaming Services Crowd The Field During Super Bowl
February 06, 2018 05:23The ratings for this year’s Super Bowl may have declined 7% and we might know why. After all, there were ads for Hulu, Netflix movies like “The Cloverfield Paradox,” Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan series and even a few movies that might appear in theatres later this year. Oh, there was also a pretty good football […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 398: Streaming Services Crowd The Field During Super Bowl appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 397: Thompson On The 2018 Oscar Nominations and Sundance Film Festival
January 30, 2018 00:49Some 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 […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 397: Thompson On The 2018 Oscar Nominations and Sundance Film Festival appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 396: Has the #MeToo Movement Pushed Actress Salaries Higher?
January 22, 2018 18:49As Hollywood continues to grapple with how to handle decades of sexual misconduct one immediate benefit for women throughout the industry may come in the form of higher paychecks. Take actress Ellen Pompeo, for instance. The star of “Grey’s Anatomy” for the past 13 years dished the dirt on her contract with ABC and after […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 396: Has the #MeToo Movement Pushed Actress Salaries Higher? appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 395: The Future of Television Is Now and It’s Online
January 16, 2018 05:54Though the number of pay-TV subscribers grew by 1.2% last year, in mature media markets consumers continue to cut the cord, migrating to over the top (OTT) services provided by an increasing list of streaming services. In fact, Hulu just announced they now have 17 million subscribers for their on-demand and live-TV services. The promise […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 395: The Future of Television Is Now and It’s Online appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 394: A Golden Globes Ceremony With Perfect Timing
January 09, 2018 04:38Amid a sea of black dresses and black tie Hollywood held its first big annual event of the #metoo age as the Golden Globes became a platform for the industry to speak out on gender inequality. The highlight of the evening came when Oprah Winfrey delivered a rousing acceptance speech for an honorary award that […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 394: A Golden Globes Ceremony With Perfect Timing appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 393: Disney Acquisition of Fox Underscores Hollywood’s Digital Transition
December 19, 2017 05:55In one of the largest deals Hollywood has ever seen, the Walt Disney Company announced it had agreed to buy most of 21st Century Fox in a transaction valued at $66.1 billion. Disney will scoop up Fox assets that include 20th Century Fox film and TV studios, 300 cable channels, 22 regional sports networks, control […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 393: Disney Acquisition of Fox Underscores Hollywood’s Digital Transition appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.
Showbiz Sandbox 392: Awards Season Begins To Take Shape
December 12, 2017 06:43You know you’re in the thick of the awards season when you have to complain about who was snubbed and overlooked when the Golden Globe nominations were announced. “The Shape of Water” and “Big Little Lies” led this year’s nominees, as women filmmakers were shut out. Then there is the nomination for “Get Out,” a […] The post Showbiz Sandbox 392: Awards Season Begins To Take Shape appeared first on Showbiz Sandbox.