Showbiz Sandbox

Are musicians ripping each other off more than ever? Accusations of plagiarism have been around a long time, but they exploded after musician Robin Thicke was successfully sued over lifting his song “Blurred Lines” from Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up.” Just ask Katy Perry who recently lost a similar lawsuit over her hit single “Dark Horse.” Before that case, most legal experts said you needed specific lyrics or main melodies to constitute stealing. Now the courts have decided that beats and even the vague “feel” or “vibe” of a song can be copyrightable. Meanwhile, Netflix lost subscribers for the first time since 2011 and you’d think the sky was falling. What with new competition from Disney, Warner Bros. and Apple about to launch, there are plenty of doomsayers prognosticating the demise of the streaming giant. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including “Doctor Who” heads to HBO Max, why Chinese studios are boycotting Asia’s most important movie awards show and two of Hollywood’s biggest public relations firm announced a merger. Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ Leads Billboard Hot 100 for 19th Week https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/chart-beat/8527171/lil-nas-x-old-town-road-number-one-hot-100-19-weeks Laemmle Theaters Up For Sale https://deadline.com/2019/08/laemmle-theaters-up-for-sale-los-angeles-movie-chain-1202660336/ Luxury Cinema Chain iPic Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Eyes Sale https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/luxury-cinema-chain-ipic-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy-eyes-sale-1229148 Taiwan Golden Horse Awards In Turmoil http://chinafilminsider.com/headlines-from-china-hong-kong-film-studios-cancels-participation-in-golden-horse-awards/ WGA Election: Shawn Ryan Questions Phyllis Nagy & Her Slate’s Goals & Strategies; Nagy & Craig Mazin Respond https://deadline.com/2019/07/wga-election-shawn-ryan-questions-phyllis-nagy-her-slates-goals-strategies-craig-mazin-responds-1202656298/ Endeavor Delays IPO https://variety.com/2019/film/news/endeavor-ipo-september-later-1203290163/ Netflix Reports First Drop in U.S. Users in Nearly a Decade https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflixs-new-subscriptions-fall-short-in-latest-quarter-11563395753 How Bad Will It Get for Netflix? https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-bad-will-it-get-for-netflix-11565385271 ‘Game of Thrones’ Creators Close $200M Netflix Overall Deal https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-creators-close-200m-netflix-deal-1230119 BAFTA Adds Casting Category

Take a quick look at the top earning worldwide concert tours and you might be surprised to discover that half of the top ten acts are over 50-years-old. Heck, the number one tour of the year thus far is Elton John and he’s over 70. In fact, thanks to acts like Fleetwood Mac and Bob Seger, the average age of the top ten global touring acts has surpassed 50 for the first time anyone can remember. Inversely, the age of the top ten recording artists of the year is getting younger, dropping below 30-years-old. This is due in large part to artists such as Ariana Grande, Post Malone, Travis Scott and Khalid who are all under 30 and in the case of Billie Eilish, under 20. We try to understand the age disparity between today’s biggest recording artists and those making their money on the road. Meanwhile, in China, the burgeoning movie business has fallen on hard times. This is especially true in the cinema industry, where theater owners are contending with a drop in audiences flocking to the glut of new multiplexes that have opened in recent years. At the same time rents for theater locations have skyrocketed and the government imposed quota of foreign releases means many exhibitors are running out of content to show. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the latest on the dispute between the Writers Guild and talent agencies, the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals announce their lineups and how Metallica got caught scalping their own concert tickets. Box Office: ‘Lion King’ Reigns Overseas With $142 Million, Nears $1 Billion Globally https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/the-lion-king-international-box-office-nears-billion-dollars-globally-1203282437/ ‘Lion King’ Repeats at #1 While Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time…’ Rings Up $40M Debut https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4532&p=.htm Disney Is Breaking Records With the Best Box Office Year in History https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/29/20734621/disney-record-breaking-2019-box-office-avengers-endgame-lion-king-aladdin-avatar Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood’ is Sony’s Big Summer Gamble. Will It Pay Off? https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2019-07-23/quentin-tarantinos-once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-is-sonys-big-summer-gamble-will-it-pay-off In Depth: China’s Cinema Business Faces a Bad Scene http://chinafilminsider.com/in-depth-chinas-cinema-business-faces-a-bad-scene/ Kaplan Stahler Breaks Ranks To Become First Mid-Sized ATA Member Agency To Sign WGA’s Modified Code Of Conduct https://deadline.com/2019/07/kaplan-stahler-breaks-ranks-signs-wga-code-of-conduct-first-mid-sized-agency-to-sign-1202650703/ Buchwald Becomes Second ATA Literary Agency to Sign Writers Guild Agreement https://www.hollywoodreporter.

Television audiences have become so fragmented these days that almost every show can benefit from Emmy Awards attention. Sure, you think everyone knows about shows like “Stranger Things” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” We ask which series might get a needed ratings boost from being in this year’s Emmys race. HBO took home the most Emmy nominations helped by “Game of Thrones” which set a record earning 32 nods, the most ever for a single show. However, with “GoT” and “Veep” in their final seasons is HBO’s award enjoying a swan song over its Emmy dominance? Meanwhile, Disney’s latest live-action adaptation opened internationally to $531 million on its way to what is likely another billion dollar gross for the studio. In fact, Disney may have five billion dollar movies this year alone. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the headlines from Comic-Con, Netflix subscribership drops and why you may not be able to find that hot new album at your local record store. Review: Hugh Jackman sings, dances and charms, delivering a grand time at the Hollywood Bowl https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2019-07-21/review-hugh-jackman-man-music-show-hollywood-bowl ‘The Lion King’ Debuts with Record $185M & ‘Endgame’ Becomes Global #1 https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4530&p=.htm Comscore Worldwide Box Office https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings#tab_worldwide_box_office Two More Films Yanked By Chinese censors https://variety.com/2019/film/news/huayi-the-eight-hundred-the-last-wish-canceled-losses-1203268612/ Peggy Siegal and Jeffrey Epstein: A Hollywood Event Planner’s Symbiotic Relationship With a Sex Offender https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/peggy-siegal-jeffrey-epstein-a-hollywood-event-planners-symbiotic-relationship-a-sex-offender-1225732 Studios Cutting Ties With Peggy Siegal https://variety.com/2019/film/news/hollywood-studios-networks-cut-ties-peggy-siegal-over-jeffrey-epstein-scandal-1203275040/ Sara Bareilles’ Broadway Hit ‘Waitress’ to End Four-Year Run (Exclusive) https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sara-bareilles-broadway-hit-waitress-end-four-year-run-1224383 ‘An Endless Fiasco’: Indie Retailers Describe Worsening Breakdown in Getting CDs, Vinyl Delivered to Record Stores https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8520211/indie-retailers-breakdown-cds-vinyl-fulfillment-record-stores Seth MacFarlane’s ‘The Orville’ Moving to Hulu for Season 3 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/seth-macfarlanes-orville-moving-hulu-season-3-1225865

It turns out members of the Writers Guild aren’t the only ones who want to overhaul the way television gets produced and paid for. Discovery Networks wishes to change how reality shows are funded in the United States, asking producers to foot the bill, rather than fund episodes up front. This is the same model employed in the European Union, however on that continent the producers maintain ownership of the content. In another seismic shift, Disney TV Studios and Warner Bros. are letting the industry know that they want to change the way everyone working a television show gets compensated. Rather than the standard back-end profit participation model, the studios would pay one larger lump sum at the time of production for any of their broadcast, cable or streaming series. Meanwhile, we’re learning that the reason censorship has grown tighter in China is thanks to the establishment of the new Central Propaganda Department. Perhaps those now in charge of monitoring the content of movies being distributed in the Middle Kingdom are still learning how spot objectionable content at the script stage. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including a slump in the live music business, Nicki Minaj pulls out of a concert in Saudi Arabia and Netflix preps its most expensive movie to-date. ‘Spider-Man: Far from Home’ Repeats at #1, Nearing $850 Million Worldwide https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4528&p=.htm In China, Censors Are Hollywood’s Best Friends https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-07-11/china-film-censors-are-driving-viewers-to-hollywood-blockbusters Nicki Minaj Pulls Out of Saudi Arabia Concert https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nicki-minaj-cancels-saudi-arabia-concert-1223155 ‘Friends’ to Leave Netflix for WarnerMedia’s HBO Max Streaming Service in 2020 https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/warnermedia-hbo-max-friends-exclusive-streaming-1203262335/ Netflix Picks up “Red Notice” https://variety.com/2019/film/news/red-notice-dwayne-johnson-gal-gadot-ryan-reynolds-netflix-1203262879/ ‘Revenge of the Dreamers III’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8519786/revenge-of-the-dreamers-iii-no-1-billboard-200 Rolling Stone Album Chart Week Of July 5 Through July 11 https://www.rollingstone.com/charts/albums/2019-07-11/ Bond’s Number is Up: Black Female Actor ‘Is The New 007’ https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/jul/15/lashana-lynch-new-007-james-bond-daniel-craig Live Music Business Slumps In First Half of 2019 https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.

It was the Fourth of July in the United States which is often a slow news time for the entertainment industry. Except for when it comes to the box office which looks to finally be picking up slightly thanks to sequels such as “Toy Story 4” and “Spider-Man: Far from Home.” Though the box office continues to trail behind last year’s record-breaking tally there are still plenty of big releases to come. That includes at least one more live-action remake of a classic Disney film; “The Lion King.” That will be the third such Disney release this year. Is the company saturating the market with live-action remakes of its own classic films? Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Lionsgate is slowing down its theme park plans, Mad Magazine will stop being published and Rolling Stone launches its own music charts. ‘Spider-Man: Far from Home’ Delivers Record $185 Million Opening https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4526&p=.htm China To Open Up Cinema Sector To Foreign Entities https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/china-cinema-foreign-investment-1203257940/ Welcome to the Rolling Stone Charts https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/welcome-to-rolling-stone-charts-853157/ Apple Music Now Has Over 60M Subscribers Worldwide https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/apple-music-now-has-60m-paying-subscribers-worldwide/ West End’s Queen’s Theatre to be renamed after Stephen Sondheim https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2019/west-ends-queens-theatre-to-be-renamed-after-stephen-sondheim Into Their 60s and ‘Into the Woods’ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/05/theater/into-the-woods-senior.html TV Ratings: U.S. Women’s World Cup Final Triumph Soars https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/womens-world-cup-final-outdraws-2018-mens-final-us-ratings-1222814 Mad Magazine to Effectively Shutter After 67 Years https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mad-magazine-effectively-close-67-years-122263 MoviePass Goes Dark To Update App https://news.avclub.com/moviepass-sent-to-nice-farm-upstate-with-app-updates-l-1836154038 Lionsgate cancels plans for big John Wick/Mad Men/Hunger Games attraction in Times Square https://variety.com/2019/film/news/lionsgate-entertainment-city-scrapped-hunger-games-mad-men-john-wick-divergent-1203259018/ Martin Charnin, Tony-Winning Creator of ‘Annie,’ Dies at 84 https://www.

When a fire ripped through Universal Studios in Los Angeles back in 2008 it was initially feared that all of the historic films and music locked away in the vaults that burned were lost forever. At the time Universal reported that, quite miraculously, very little damage had occurred and that few, if any, of the master recordings in the vaults were damaged. However, in an in-depth investigative piece The New York Times reports that the fire actually wiped out hundreds of thousands of invaluable masters of legendary recording artists such as Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Elton John, Nirvana and possibly hundreds of others. Universal Music Group continues to insist the loss is overstated, but artists are clamoring for more information and the first class action lawsuit has already been filed. Meanwhile talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Association of Talent Agents over packaging fees and affiliate productions have stalled and now lawsuits have started to fly. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including which Broadway shows got a post-Tony Awards bump in grosses, J.J. Abrams lands at WarnerMedia and Celine Dion is leaving Las Vegas. China Box Office Drops in First Half Despite 14.5 Percent Jump in Hollywood Revenue https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-drops-first-hollywood-jump-1221663 Box Office Blues: 2019 Revenue Down Nearly 10 Percent Midyear https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-blues-2019-revenue-down-10-percent-midyear-1221934 Regal To Launch Unlimited Movie Subscription https://deadline.com/2019/07/regal-cinemas-unlimited-movie-ticket-subscription-program-cineworld-1202640441/ WGA Talks Move To One on One https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/writers-guild-agents-talks-end-packaging-1203248689/ WME Alleges Writers Guild Leading an Illegal Boycott in Antitrust Lawsuit https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/wme-alleges-writers-guild-leading-an-illegal-boycott-antitrust-lawsuit-1220562 Scribes Petition WGA On Strategy, Conflicts, Endgame https://deadline.com/2019/06/wga-ata-20-writers-send-petition-leadership-endgame-ata-1202635478/ Abrams Artists Agency Agrees To Broad Terms of WGA https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/abrams-artists-agency-breaks-ranks-offers-drop-packaging-fees-1222186 Woody Allen’s Next Film Confirmed For July Shoot In Spain With Christoph Waltz, Louis Garrel & Elena Anaya https://deadline.com/2019/06/woody-allen-cast-next-film-spain-christoph-waltz-louis-garrel-gina-gershon-1202626540/ Max Landis Dropped by Management in Wake of Sexual Misconduct Allegations

The 2018-19 Broadway season was a banner year as the Great White Way broke box office and attendance records, earning $1.89 billion from an attendance of 14.8 million patrons. The Tony Awards were handed out to the season’s best productions and performances as “Hadestown,” a musical about Hell, took home eight prizes including Best Musical and “The Ferryman” won four trophies including Best Play. During this episode we take a different approach to reporting box office; rather than report which movie topped the worldwide charts, we look which title earned the most money over the past week. Why only count Friday through Sunday, when there are four may days to every week in which people are seeing movies. We are also joined by Patrick von Sychowski, the editor of Celluloid Junkie, who tells us how he put together an exclusive story of how Chinese authorities spent three years tracking and shutting down one of the largest movie piracy rings of all time. After uncovering piracy being done on an industrial scale, the question remains, could it happen again. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Netflix was told to stop poaching employees from its competitors, YouTube starts pulling hateful content off its platform and Entertainment Weekly magazine goes monthly. Comscore Worldwide Box Office Gross https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings#tab_worldwide_box_office China’s Top Brass Says Stricter Film, TV Censorship ‘Will Be the Norm’ https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/china-censorship-film-tv-new-norm-1203234643/ Agencies Counter With Bigger Cut of Packaging Fees for Low and Mid Tier Writers https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/agencies-up-packaging-fee-revenue-share-talks-writers-1216658 Tony Awards Hit All Time Low TV Ratings https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tony-awards-hit-all-time-lows-tv-ratings-sunday-june-9-2019-1217066 Playbill’s Complete Coverage of the 2019 Tony Awards http://www.playbill.com/article/playbills-complete-coverage-of-the-2019-tony-awards Equity Firm Agrees to Buy B&N https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/80383-equity-firm-agrees-to-buy-b-n.html States Race to Poach Georgia Film and TV Projects Amid Hollywood Boycott Calls https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/states-race-poach-georgia-film-tv-projects-boycott-calls-1215532 Entertainment Weekly Going Monthly https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/entertainment-weekly-going-monthly-names-new-editor-1216303 Netflix Takes Near TKO In Exec Poaching Suit With Fox & Disney; Could Signal Beginning Of The End Of Legal War

Before the iPod, when Napster was turning casual music fans into criminals, Apple saved the music industry by launching iTunes. What the music industry feared would enable people to organize the music they’d already stolen, actually allowed people to start buying digital music legally. Within a few years Apple became one of the largest music retailers in the world. Now that the software seems to have outlived its purpose Apple will launch new apps to handle music, video, books and podcasts and the once iconic all-purpose library known as iTunes will disappear. It turns out this may also be a way to force consumers into signing up for Apple Music, the company’s music streaming service. Meanwhile, the state of film and television production has been turned upside down in Georgia thanks to the passage of a new law restricting abortion. Studios, networks, producers, directors and actors must decide whether to continue shooting in Georgia and accept its tax subsidies, or boycott the state entirely. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including a record setting season on Broadway, the “Game of Thrones” creators dump their manager and the Oscars announced this year’s Governors Awards. Producer Jamal Jones Launches Terrestrial Radio Station in Nashville https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/country/8514073/producer-polow-da-don-launch-young-country-radio-station ComScore’s Worldwide Box Office https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings#tab_worldwide_box_office ‘Summer of Changsha’ (‘Liu Yu Tian’): Film Review | Cannes 2019 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/summer-changsha-1213936 Tony Robbins Sexual Harassment Fallout https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/janebradley/tony-robbins-self-help-secrets WarnerMedia: If Abortion Law Holds We Will Reconsider Georgia https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/warnermedia-abortion-law-georgia-1203229138/ AMC and Sony Join Lineup of Hollywood Studios Ready To Abandon Georgia https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/warnermedia-says-it-will-reconsider-production-georgia-abortion-law-holds-1214386 After Hollywood Speaks Up on Abortion Ban, Georgia Weighs Potential Production Boycott https://variety.com/2019/film/news/hollywood-georgia-abortion-production-boycott-1203230291/ Broadway 2018-19 Season Breaks Box Office Record With Historic $1.829B https://deadline.com/2019/05/broadway-breaks-season-record-historical-1-8-billion-box-office-1202623049/ Broadway’s Box Office Keeps Booming. Now Attendance is Surging, Too. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/29/theater/broadway-box-office.html Despite Uptick, Female Film Critics Remain Outnumbered By Men

This year’s Cannes Film Festival will be remembered for presenting a selection of titles from around the world that were, for the most part, really good movies. The premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film, “Once Upon A Time… in Hollywood,” was one of the highlights, but it was “Parasite” from Korean director Bong Joon-ho that stole the show, as well as the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or. We take you to the Croisette in the French Riviera to cover the entire festival and all the films to look out for over the coming months. Harvey Weinstein used to be one of the movie moguls that showed up in Cannes each May, but these days he’s busy negotiating a reported $44 million settlement with those accusing him of sexual harassment and assault. Meanwhile, when some of those films from Cannes make it to cinemas, audiences will likely check Rotten Tomatoes to see what critics and moviegoers have to say about them. We give a 95% Fresh Rating to how Rotten Tomatoes plans on protecting their website from being manipulated in the future. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including a new name for Warner Bros. Records, why film and television productions are boycotting the state of Georgia and Lil Nas X cuts a deal for a new pair of Wranglers. Worldwide Box Office (Estimates) Weekend Ending May 26 https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings#tab_worldwide_box_office Stan Lee’s Former Business Manager Arrested on Elder Abuse Charges https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/stan-lee-former-business-manager-arrested-elder-abuse-1203226049/ Chinese Film “Summer of Changsha” Pulls Out of Cannes Festival Citing “Technical Reasons” https://radiichina.com/chinese-film-summer-of-changsha-cannes-2019/ Screen Daily Cannes 2019 Critics Chart https://www.screendaily.com/news/bong-joon-hos-parasite-finishes-top-of-screens-cannes-2019-jury-grid/5139913.article IndieWire Cannes Critics Roundup https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/cannes-2019-best-film-critics-survey-parasite-1202145206/ Kristen Wiig’s New Lionsgate Comedy Pulls Out of Georgia Following Anti-Abortion Bill Signing https://variety.com/2019/film/news/kristen-wiig-new-movie-pulls-out-of-georgia-1203222635/ Reed Morano, Amazon’s ‘The Power’ Drop Georgia Over Abortion Bill https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/reed-morano-amazon-power-georgia-abortion-bill-1203222627/ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Why We Must Boycott States With New Abortion Bans https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kareem-abdul-jabbar-boycotting-states-passing-abortion-bans-1212455 Scott Pelley Claims He Lost ‘CBS Evening News’ Anchor Job Over “Hostile Work Environment” Complaints

Stories about women empowerment and a growing discontent among the middle or working class have taken center stage at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. A spotlight has also been given to diversity with the 2019 program filled with titles by filmmakers from all over the world, as well as a number of women, including the first female African director. Some selections from legendary filmmakers such as Pedro Almodovar and Terrence Malick are being hailed as masterpieces, despite any dissenting minority. Keep in mind we are only half-way through the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, which is always a marathon, more than a sprint. Attendees watch hundreds of movies across more than four different categories and, as of this year, the press no longer gets to see the films ahead of their premiere. We discuss what that means for the filmmakers and why journalists may be losing sleep over the new protocol. Meanwhile, it seems that some talent agencies have begun to sign the Writers Guild of America’s new code of conduct contract, albeit none of them are firms that package television shows or are even in the Association of Talent Agents. Are the agencies going to crack or are writers beginning to realize that maybe agents aren’t as important as they once were. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including Disney takes full control of Hulu, the entertainment industry continues to work out how or whether to shoot their productions in Georgia and ITV cancels the Jeremy Kyle Show after one of its guests commits suicide. Comscore Box Office Rankings https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings Fox Searchlight Nabs Terrence Malick’s ‘A Hidden Life’ https://variety.com/2019/film/global/terrence-malick-fox-searchlight-a-hidden-life-cannes-1203220828/ Cannes Rings Changes at Press Screenings https://www.screendaily.com/news/cannes-rings-changes-at-press-screenings/5139268.article Why Are Hollywood’s Biggest Studios and Stars Silent on Georgia’s New Abortion Law? https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-are-hollywoods-biggest-studios-stars-silent-georgias-new-abortion-law-1211109 Disney to Assume Full Operational Control of Hulu https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-assume-full-operational-control-hulu-1210446 ITV Axes Jeremy Kyle Show After Death of Participant https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/may/15/itv-axes-jeremy-kyle-show-after-death-of-participant Gavin Polone: This Is the Beginning of the End of TV Agents https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/gavin-polone-is-beginning-end-tv-agents-1209517 Verve May Break Agency Ranks and Sign Writers Guild “Code of Conduct https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/verve-may-break-agency-ranks-sign-writers-guild-code-conduct-1210625 Verve Signed WGA Code Of Conduct Verve Signs WGA’s Code Of Conduct,

After the governor of Georgia signed a controversial and restrictive anti-abortion bill, many Hollywood productions are grappling over whether to boycott filming in the state. Heavyweights such as J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele whose HBO drama series begins production in Georgia next week say they are donating their proceeds to organizations fighting the new law. It has gotten to a point where actress Alyssa Milano is calling for women to hold a “sex strike.” Meanwhile, for three weeks now “Avengers: Endgame” has dominated the worldwide box office in every country around the world. Well, every country except Japan where a new ‘Detective Conan’ movie has beat it out. It’s also the time of year when television networks reveal which series are being canceled, renewed or picked up for next season. In an unusual move, NBC announced it would renew the hit show “This Is Us” for three more seasons, before the series comes to an end. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including Rolling Stone magazine launches its own music charts to take on Billboard, Steve Harvey’s loses his talk show and even though it may not be up for Best Play at the Tony Awards, “To Kill A Mockingbird” has become the highest grossing American play in history. Comscore – Worldwide Box Office https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings?country=US While ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Dominates Globally, Japan Is All About A New ‘Detective Conan’ Movie https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2019/05/12/while-avengers-endgame-dominates-globally-japan-is-all-about-a-new-detective-conan-movie/ BAFTA TV Award Winners Revealed https://deadline.com/2019/05/bafta-tv-awards-winners-2019-killing-eve-patrick-melrose-1202612940/ NBC Renews ‘This is Us’ For Three More Seasons https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/12/entertainment/this-is-us-renewal/index.html CBS Ramps Up Human Resources Operation With HR Rep On Every CBS TV Studios Show & Third-Party Reporting System https://deadline.com/2019/05/cbs-ramps-up-human-resources-operation-hr-rep-on-every-cbs-tv-studios-show-third-party-reporting-system-1202608164/ Billy Bush Anchors Extra In Fall https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/billy-bush-anchor-new-version-extra-fall-1208811 Cannes Stands By Honor For Alain Delon https://variety.com/2019/film/news/cannes-film-festival-criticized-honoring-alain-delon-1203197576/ CBS Censors Short Film on Streaming Series “The Good Fight:” https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/cbs-censors-the-good-fight-for-a-musical-short-about-china UMG Fights Musicians Who Wish to Terminate Copyright Grants

While the exorbitant salaries of the entertainment industry’s top executives are not a new phenomenon, the subject cropped up again recently after a relative of Walt Disney objected to the $65 million paycheck Disney CEO Robert Iger earned last year. That amounts to 1,424 times more than the average salary of a Disney employee. We debate whether Hollywood moguls should be earning hundreds of times more than their employees and why their compensation is so high in the first place. On Broadway, Tony nominations were announced last week and they pack more drama and excitement than the creatively weak season that just ended. We’ll take a look and predict which shows will benefit the most from awards and the chance to perform live on TV. Meanwhile, “Avengers: Endgame” continues to dominate the worldwide box office, earning $2 billion in just 11 days, faster than any film in history. That said, we wonder why Hollywood studios neglect to mention that their tentpole movies often begin showing on Thursdays. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including big changes at CBS News, YouTube scores some Major League Baseball games and why the London production of “Les Miserables” is getting a makeover Comscore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of May 6, 2018 https://ir.comscore.com/news-releases/news-release-details/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-113 Kevin Hart Plans ‘Extreme Job’ Comedy Remake at Universal https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kevin-hart-cj-entertainment-universal-team-crime-comedy-extreme-job-1205733 Tony Awards nominations 2019 https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-tony-nominations-winners-2019-20190430-story.html Les Miserables’ backstage staff facing redundancy threat as 50% of current musicians are axed https://www.thestage.co.uk/news/2019/les-miserables-backstage-staff-facing-redundancy-threat-50-musicians-axed/ John Napier Interview https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/interviews/2019/designer-john-napier-interview-les-mis-gone-backwards-become-formulaic-not-radical/ Sinclair to Buy Fox Regional Sports Networks From Disney for $10.6 Billion https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sinclair-buy-fox-regional-sports-networks-disney-106-billion-1193249 YouTube Scores MLB 13-Game Package With Exclusive Rights in U.S., Canada https://variety.com/2019/digital/news/youtube-mlb-live-game-package-exclusive-rights-1203201115/ Spotify Now Has 100M Paying Subcribers, Up 32% Year-On-Year https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/spotify-now-has-100m-paying-subscribers-up-32-year-on-year/

When Kevin Feige, the President of Marvel Studios, set out to launch a movie franchise based on the company’s comic books he hired an erratic actor with a history of drug addiction to play a superhero hardly anybody knew and a director whose last film bombed. At the time, Geoff Boucher, now the genre editor of Deadline, wrote an article headlined “Here Comes The B-Team”. Well, 12 years and over 22 films later the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become a $20 billion franchise whose latest entrant, “Avengers: Endgame,” made $1.2 billion in its open week. Boucher joins us to discuss how Feige managed to oversee one of the most profitable movie properties of all time. Meanwhile, the Writers Guild is nowhere near reaching an accord with the Association of Talent Agents over packaging fees. Even some of the smaller agencies, who don’t package television series and don’t have affiliated production companies, are unwilling to sign the proposed code of conduct. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the moviegoing subscription service Sinemia shuts down, the Chinese government grows a little wary of the TV smash hit “The Story Of Yanxi Palace” and Steven Spielberg doesn’t actually hate Netflix. Geoff Boucher’s Hero Nation https://deadline.com/v/hero-nation/ Avengers: Endgame’ to Finish Weekend With $329 Million China Haul https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/avengers-endgame-weekend-haul-in-china-1203199721/ ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Rips Up All The Records: $109M Saturday; Awesome $350M+ Opening; Overall Weekend Biz Near $400M+ – Sunday Update https://deadline.com/2019/04/avengers-endgame-opening-weekend-box-office-record-1202602445/ Box Office: ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Opens to Record-Smashing $350M in U.S., $1.2B Globally https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/avengers-endgame-box-office-rockets-record-156m-friday-1205348 Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” Delivers The Biggest 3D Opening Of All-Time With Approximately 45% Of The Estimated $1.2 Billion Worldwide Opening Generated From 3D Ticket Sales https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/marvel-studios-avengers-endgame-delivers-the-biggest-3d-opening-of-all-time-with-approximately-45-of-the-estimated-1-2-billion-worldwide-opening-generated-from-3d-ticket-sales/ Why Are Comics Shops Closing as Superheroes Make a Mint? https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/apr/26/why-are-comics-shops-closing-superheroes-avengers-endgame Average Movie Ticket Price Falls Slightly as Box Office Lags in 2019 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/average-movie-ticket-price-falls-slightly-as-box-office-lags-2019-1205084 China Govt Not Happy W The Story Of Yanxi Palace Success

There is no arguing that Netflix is doing quite well these days. Even the announcement of heavyweight competition from the likes of Disney and Apple hasn’t affected its stock price nor, more importantly, hampered its subscriber growth. The company added 10 million new subscribers in the first quarter of 2019 alone. Even so, Netflix may want to rethink their approach to how they monetize their television shows. While their big hits such as “House of Cards” may not be appropriate or too exclusive to syndicate on traditional linear networks, others such as “One Day At A Time” may be a missed opportunity for the streamer to do what it’s never done before: seek more outside revenue. Meanwhile, this year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup features longtime favorites like Ken Loach and Pedro Almodovar, new favorites like Xavier Dolan and more female filmmakers than in the past. Just don’t look for any movies from Netflix. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the continuing dispute between the WGA and talent agents, MoviePass loses 90% of its 3 million subscribers and director Roman Polanski wants back into the Academy. ‘Curse of La Llorona’ Lifted to #1 Over Easter Weekend https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4505&p=.htm ‘La Llorona’ Conjures $30M Overseas Bow; ‘Shazam!’ & ‘Dumbo’ cross $300M WW – International Box Office https://deadline.com/2019/04/curse-of-la-llorona-shazam-dumbo-captain-marvel-china-global-international-box-office-1202599323/ WGA To Membership: Lawyer Up! David Goodman Explains Why Attorneys & Managers Can Fill The Gap https://deadline.com/2019/04/wga-to-membership-lawyer-up-david-goodman-explains-why-attorneys-managers-can-fill-the-gap-1202597247/ WGA Sues Talent Agencies in Battle Against Packaging Fees https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/wga-sues-talent-agencies-1203191199/ WGA: 92 Percent of Writers Who Signed Statement of Support Have Fired Agents https://variety.com/2019/film/news/wga-92-percent-writers-have-fired-agents-mass-delivery-termination-letters-monday-1203193060 Signs of Solidarity and Strain Emerge as Week 2 of WGA-Talent Agency Standoff Begins https://variety.com/2019/biz/news/wga-talent-agents-contract-battle-writers-1203194018/ Academy Responds to Roman Polanski: ‘Procedures Were Fair and Reasonable’ https://variety.com/2019/film/news/roman-polanski-sues-film-academy-1203193579/ Amazon Launching Free Revival to Spotify’s Ad-supported Tier via Echo https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/amazons-free-spotify-rival-is-imminent-licensed-by-major-labels/ Amazon Music and YouTube Music Available On Smart Speakers

From the moment the Walt Disney Company announced they would eventually launch their own video streaming service everyone wanted more detailed information. When would the service launch? How much would it cost? What content would be offered? Last week Disney answered all of those questions during an investor media event. Disney+, as the service has been named, will launch this November in and will offer hundreds of hours of television and movies, both old and new, for the attractive price of $6.99 per month or $70 per year. Unlike Apple, who announced their own streaming service just a few weeks ago, Disney proved they know how to launch an attractive content platform. Not surprising since they have content from their animation, Marvel and Lucasfilm labels to offer up. Meanwhile, the Writers Guild of America and the talent agents which represent their membership, are still arguing over the adoption of a new code of conduct which would prevent agencies from collecting packaging fees on new television series. Late last week the WGA asked its members to fire their agents, which many did rather publicly via social media. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how Apple Music has topped Spotify (in the United States), the Emmys revise how certain TV shows are classified and Netflix buys a movie theater. ‘Shazam!’ #1 for Second Weekend as ‘Little’ Tops ‘Hellboy’ to Lead Newcomers https://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=4503&p=.htm ‘Shazam!’ Rules International Box Office Again With $35 Million https://variety.com/2019/film/box-office/shazam-box-office-international-bohemian-rhapsody-1203189231/ Talent Agencies Offer to Share Packaging Fees with Writers in Significant Move Towards Deal https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/talent-agencies-offer-share-packaging-fees-wga-significant-move-deal-1201553 What to Know About the Fight Between Hollywood’s Writers and Agents https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/14/business/media/wga-writers-agents-hollywood.html WGA-ATA Impasse Throws Up Questions For UK Writers & Agencies https://deadline.com/2019/04/wga-ata-impasse-throws-up-questions-for-uk-writers-agencies-1202595694/ Geoffrey Rush Wins Defamation Case Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations https://variety.com/2019/film/news/geoffrey-rush-wins-defamation-case-sexual-allegations-1203186608/ Deborah Dugan Selected to Succeed Neil Portnow as Recording Academy President/CEO: Sources https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/8506967/deborah-dugan-succeed-neil-portnow-recording-academy-president-ceo Tanya Simon Named Executive Editor of ’60 Minutes’ Tanya Simon Named Executive Editor of ’60 Minutes’ Apple Music Has More Paid U.S. Subscriptions Than Spotify https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.