Showbiz Sandbox

Though Beyoncé led the 2023 Grammy Award nominations with nine nods, in the end she did not win the top prize for Album of the Year for “Renaissance.” Much to the dismay of some, that honor went to Harry Styles for “Harry’s House,” though Beyoncé did break the record for the most Grammy wins ever. We have a run down of all the winners and big surprises at this year’s Grammys. We’re also joined by Sal Nunziato, whose blog Burning Wood has become a must-read for music aficionados. He and Michael Giltz discuss their favorite albums from the past year, and for once they are in agreement on most of them. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why a Bruce Springsteen fanzine ins calling it quotes after 43 years, Spotify continues to struggle with profitability and how “80 For Brady” tries to woo older moviegoers back to theaters. ‘Avatar 2’ Sails Past ‘Titanic’ Overseas, Now No. 3 On All-Time Offshore Chart; ‘Pathaan’ Nears $100M WW, Sets More Records https://deadline.com/2023/02/avatar-the-way-of-water-passes-titanic-overseas-pathaan-records-100-million-worldwide-shah-rukh-khan-knock-at-the-cabin-puss-in-boots-uk-china-global-international-box-office-1235249833/ Box Office: ‘Knock at the Cabin’ Topples ‘Avatar 2’ With $14.2M, M. Night Shyamalan’s Lowest Opening https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/knock-at-the-cabin-box-office-avatar-way-water-1235317718/ ‘80 For Brady’ Changes Box Office Playbook, Lowers Movie Ticket Prices https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/80-for-brady-tickets-sell-lower-prices-1235316300/ Jafar Panahi Goes On Hunger Strike To Protest Continued Detention In Iran’s Notorious Evin Prison https://deadline.com/2023/02/jafar-panahi-hunger-strike-protest-detention-evin-prison-1235247174/ Best and Worst Moments From the 2023 Grammys https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/06/arts/music/grammys-best-worst.html Hip-hop and Beyoncé Almost Saved the Show Until Grammys Botched the Ending https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2023-02-05/grammys-2023-review-beyonce-loses-aoty Roku and Tubi to Launch Warner Bros. Discovery Free, Ad-Supported Channels ​​https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/roku-tubi-warner-bros-discovery-free-fast-channels-westworld-1235507747/ Spotify Shares Pop 12% on Strong User Growth https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/31/spotify-spot-earnings-q4-2022.html Burnwood Tonite Blog http://burnwoodtonite.blogspot.com/ One Man’s Excellent Year In Music, Is Another Man’s Disappointment

This year’s Sundance Film Festival came to a close over the weekend marking the first time the event has been held in-person since 2020 due to the pandemic. This year’s Sundance was considered light on acquisitions, raising the perennial debate over the viability of the festival’s official selection whether it be theatrically or on streaming. Will anyone ever see the films that won awards at Sundance, and if so where? Speaking of awards, there were very few surprises in this year’s Oscar nominations. The diverse mix of nominees and titles vying for Hollywood’s top honor includes both commercial hits and small movies few have seen. This is certainly a year where the film that wins Best Picture may come down to the Academy’s preferential balloting system. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including a changing of the guard at Netflix, a price hike for Amazon Music and Justin Bieber sells the publishing rights to his music. ‘Avatar 2’ Tops $2.1B WW; ‘Pathaan’ Breaks Records For Bollywood; Chinese New Year Success Makes Hope Spring https://deadline.com/2023/01/avatar-the-way-of-water-pathaan-shah-rukh-khan-deepika-padukone-bollywood-china-global-international-box-office-1235243672/ ‘Avatar 2’ Flies Past ‘Star Wars: Force Awakens‘ at Global Box Office, ’To Leslie’ Disappears https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avatar-way-of-water-box-office-infinity-pool-1235312179/ China Box Office Hits $1 Billion Over Lunar New Year, as Zhang Yimou’s ‘Full River Red’ Earns $465 Million in Eight Days https://variety.com/2023/film/news/china-box-office-lunar-new-year-zhang-yimou-1235506122/ T.J. Holmes And Amy Robach To Exit ‘GMA3,’ Leave ABC News https://deadline.com/2023/01/t-j-holmes-and-amy-robach-gma3-1235242473/ Adult Swim Cuts Ties With Justin Roiland Following Domestic Abuse Charges https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/adult-swim-ends-relationship-justin-roiland-domestic-abuse-charges-1235308995/ Will This Year’s Sundance Films Ever Play in Movie Theaters? https://celluloidjunkie.com/newsletter/will-this-years-sundance-films-ever-play-in-movie-theatres/ Razzie Awards Organizers Apologize and Remove 12-Year-Old Ryan Kiera Armstrong From Nominee Ballot After Backlash https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/razzie-awards-remove-yan-kiera-armstrong-nominee-ballot-backlash-1235309549/ Oscars 2023 Nominee List https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/24/movies/2023-oscar-nominees-list.html Wizards of the Coast Announces ‘Transparent’ Feedback Process on D&D’s New Game License

As we get deeper into this year’s awards season we’re finally hearing from groups whose opinions mean something. For instance, the guilds for directors, producers and cinematographers have all nominated their top picks from last year’s movies. In other instances however, awards are handed out in so many different categories, it seems like every film released gets a gold star. Meanwhile, as the Grammy Awards are nearly upon us, we are learning that last year’s top five songs are generating less interest than the top five songs from 2021. In fact, the ten biggest songs of each year are drawing fewer and fewer listeners year-after-year, becoming a smaller piece of the streaming pie. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Amazon is parting ways with ​​Jeremy Clarkson, how Cathleen Hoover dominated the 2022 best seller lists and a first look at last year’s global box office tally. Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Tops $1.9B Global; Will Pass ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Today To Become No. 6 Movie Ever Worldwide https://deadline.com/2023/01/avatar-the-way-of-water-spider-man-no-way-home-puss-in-boots-m3gan-china-global-international-box-office-1235222402/ Box Office: ‘Avatar 2’ and ‘M3GAN’ Rule Again as Tom Hanks Drama ‘A Man Called Otto’ Beats Expectations https://variety.com/2023/film/news/critics-choice-awards-2023-winners-list-1235488828/ James Cameron Says ‘Avatar 2’ Is Profitable and He’ll Make the Sequels https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/james-cameron-avatar-2-profitable-sequels-1235292374/ Netflix to Stream SAG Awards Beginning in 2024 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/netflix-sag-awards-2024-1235294893/ Critics‘ Choice Awards 2023 Full Winners List https://variety.com/2023/film/news/critics-choice-awards-2023-winners-list-1235488828/ Producers Guild Awards Nominate Several Blockbusters and Omit Films by Women https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/12/movies/producers-guild-awards.html 2023 DGA Nominations Include ‘Top Gun,’ ‘TÁR,’ but Women Directors Shut Out of Top 5 https://www.indiewire.com/2023/01/2023-dga-awards-directors-guild-film-nominations-revealed-1234798698/ American Society of Cinematographers Awards: Mandy Walker, Roger Deakins Among the Noms https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/american-society-of-cinematographers-2023-awards-nominations-1235293301/ Golden Globes Bounce Back as Hollywood Stars Give Embattled Awards a ‘Second Chance’

With 2022 now officially over, Nielsen announced the 100 highest rated primetime broadcasts of the year and sports programming dominated the list. Football was a big winner taking the top nine spots. The Oscars telecast was the only non-sports broadcast in the top 31 programs. “60 Minutes,” “NCIS,” “NCIS Hawaii,” “FBI” and other similar fare fill out the list, though sports account for 66 of the 100 slots. Maybe that’s why YouTube has struck a seven-year, $2 billion per year deal with the NFL for the Sunday Ticket Package. That’s significantly more than what DirecTV was paying for the same deal, and they were losing a fortune offering the package each year. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including another guilty verdict for Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby is planning a stand-up comedy tour and “Avatar: The Way of Water” surpasses $1 billion at the global box office. ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Tops $810M Overseas On Way To $1.3B+ Global Through Sunday https://deadline.com/2022/12/avatar-the-way-of-water-box-office-1-billlion-1235207219/ Box Office: ‘Avatar 2’ Rocks New Years With $86.3M, No Redemption for ‘Babylon’ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avatar-way-of-water-box-office-new-years-1235289535/ Indonesian Films Race Past Pre-Pandemic Admissions Record; ‘KKN Di Desa Penari’, ‘Satan’s Slaves 2’, Disney Movies Top 2022 Box Office; Theatrical Market Set For Growth https://deadline.com/2022/12/indonesian-films-record-box-office-kkn-di-desa-penari-satans-slaves-2-disney-1235204953/ Los Angeles Jury Finds Harvey Weinstein Guilty of Rape in Mixed Verdict https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/19/us/harvey-weinstein-trial-verdict.html ‘Criminal Minds’ Producers Reach $3-million Settlement In Sexual Harassment Case https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-12-19/criminal-minds-producers-reach-3-million-settlement-in-sexual-harassment-case F1 Drivers Banned From Making ‘Political Statements’ Without Permission https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/dec/20/f1-drivers-banned-from-making-political-statements-without-permission Sherlock Holmes Enters The Public Domain — Here Are The Other Works Free To Use In 2023 https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/01/01/sherlock-holmes-enters-the-public-domain—here-are-the-other-works-free-to-use-in-2023/ YouTube Paying Roughly $2 Billion a Year for NFL Sunday Ticket https://www.wsj.com/articles/youtube-cements-its-tv-shift-with-nfl-sunday-ticket-deal-11671711836

Filmmaker James Cameron delivered his long-awaited sequel to “Avatar,” the highest grossing movie of all-time and it delivered the blue Christmas movie theaters were hoping for. “Avatar: The Way of Water” is getting mostly glowing reviews for its visuals, less so for its story, and opened to huge admissions figures around the world. Whether it will surpass the success of the original film is questionable, but it should reign over the box office through the end of January. Meanwhile, it turns out Warner Bros. Discovery wasn’t done making post-merger cuts. The media conglomerate increased the write-down of its existing content, pulling shows off of HBO Max and upending the DC Universe in the process. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the latest entrants to the National Film Registry, an update on Bad Bunny’s Ticketmaster fiasco and an early prediction for the 2023 global box office total. ‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’ Global Opening Rises To $441.6M https://deadline.com/2022/12/avatar-the-way-of-water-opening-china-global-international-box-office-1235198763/ Box Office: ‘Avatar 2’ Opens to $134M, Behind Expectations But Still Sizable https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avatar-the-way-of-water-opens-box-office-1235284282/ ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ Projected to Reach $350 Million Throughout Chinese Run https://variety.com/2022/global/box-office/avatar-the-way-of-water-china-box-office-estimates-1235463160/ Russian Cinemas Set to Screen Pirated Copies of “Avatar: The Way of Water” https://celluloidjunkie.com/2022/12/13/russian-cinemas-set-to-screen-pirated-copies-of-avatar-the-way-of-water/ AMC Theatres Announces a Co-branded Credit Card https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/amc-theatres-announces-a-co-branded-credit-card/ 25 Eclectic Films Chosen for National Film Registry https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/25-eclectic-films-chosen-for-national-film-registry/ ‘Fortnite’ Maker Epic Games Agrees to Pay $520 Million to Settle FTC Charges of Kids Privacy Violations, Deceptive Practices https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/epic-games-ftc-settlement-fortnite-kids-privacy-deceptive-practices-1235465164/ Warner Bros. Discovery Says Content Write-Offs Could Be Up to $3.5 Billion, $1 Billion Over Previous Estimate https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/warner-bros-discovery-content-writeoffs-3-5-billion-1235461566/ Henry Cavill To Star In & EP ‘Warhammer 40,000’ Film & TV Franchise As Amazon Studios Acquires Rights To Games Workshop Brand

The second Red Sea International Film Festival just came to a close in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a country which didn’t even have movie theaters until four years ago. In fact, several Saudi films premiered at the event which put an emerging Middle East film industry on full display. Meanwhile there is no debating that we are in the throes of the awards season. The National Board of Review, the Los Angeles Film Critics and the Golden Globes are handing out kudos even though none of them really matter when it comes to the Oscars. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why highbrow films are losing audiences, the Sight & Sound poll of best movies of all time is published and Ticketmaster messes up in Mexico. 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf https://parade.com/books/best-books-of-all-time Niantic Cinema Closes Permanently https://www.theday.com/movies/20221205/niantic-cinema-closes-permanently/ ‘Wakanda Forever’ Leaps To $768M Global, ’Puss In Boots: The Last Wish’ Laps Up $9M From Early Offshore Play https://deadline.com/2022/12/black-panther-wakanda-forever-puss-in-boots-the-last-wish-global-international-box-office-1235195914 ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Stays Atop Box Office for Fifth Weekend as Overall Ticket Sales Crater https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/black-panther-box-office-record-fifth-weekend-1235456963/ Dwayne Johnson DC Pic ‘Black Adam’ To Profit: Here’s How https://deadline.com/2022/12/dwayne-johnson-black-adam-box-office-profit-1235191135/ The Red Sea International Film Festival Announces the Winners for the Yusr Awards 2022 https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/the-red-sea-international-film-festival-announces-the-winners-for-the-yusr-awards-2022/ Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival Heads Talk Starry Second Edition, Human Rights Concerns & Future Growth https://deadline.com/2022/11/saudi-arabia-red-sea-film-second-edition-1235184652/ 2022 National Board of Review Winners: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Takes Top Honor https://www.indiewire.com/2022/12/2022-national-board-of-review-winners-top-gun-maverick-1234789853/ ‘TÁR,’ ‘Everything Everywhere,’ and ‘EO’ Dominate 2022 LA Film Critics Awards (Complete Winners List) https://www.indiewire.com/2022/12/la-film-critics-2022-awards-winners-list-1234790114/ Here’s the Full List of 2023 Golden Globe Nominees

We were just as surprised as everyone else to hear that The Walt Disney Company was firing their CEO Bob Chapek and replacing him with their longtime former head, Bob Iger. Iger is returning to a markedly different media company than the one he left less than a year ago and his second stint as CEO will be measured by how he sets up Disney to survive into the future. Finding the right successor will be one of his top priorities. Meanwhile, we try to unravel how Ticketmaster fumbled the sale of tickets to Taylor Swift’s upcoming concert tour. The company is claiming verified fans were unable to get tickets due to unprecedented demand and automated ticket-buying bots. The incident caused such a stir it even attracted the attention of politicians eager to hold hearings about it. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why a big book publishing merger is called off, Amazon gets serious about film distribution and Agatha Christie’s “Mousetrap” heads to Broadway. ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Leaps To $676M WW; ‘Strange World’ Inanimate https://deadline.com/2022/11/black-panther-wakanda-forever-strange-world-matilda-global-international-box-office-1235182165/ Thanksgiving Box Office: ‘Black Panther 2’ Feasts on $64M as ‘Strange World’ Flops With $18.6M https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/black-panther-wakanda-forever-box-office-strange-world-1235270031/ ‘Glass Onion’ Box Office: How the ‘Knives Out’ Sequel Left Tens of Millions on the Table https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/glass-onion-knives-out-box-office-mystery-1235270204/ China Box Office Tumbles to $8.6 Million Weekend as COVID Infections Rise https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/china-box-office-tumbles-covid-infections-rise-1235442932/ Kris Wu Sentenced to 13-Year Jail Term by China Court for Rape and Group Sex https://variety.com/2022/music/news/kris-wu-jail-term-china-court-1235441809/ Oh Yeong-su, ‘Squid Game’ Star and Golden Globe Winner, Indicted for Sexual Misconduct https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/squid-game-oh-yeong-su-sexual-misconduct-1235441880/ Amazon Plans to Invest $1 Billion a Year in Movies for Theaters https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-11-23/amazon-plans-to-invest-1-billion-in-movies-for-theaters Agatha Christie’s ’The Mousetrap’ Will Make Long-In-Coming Broadway Debut In 2023 https://deadline.com/2022/11/agatha-christie-the-mousetrap-broadway-2023-1235181720/ Deal to Merge Two Publishing Giants Is on the Verge of Collapse

The nominees for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards were announced this week and as expected Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Adele and Harry Styles will all be competing for top awards. Yet some of the year’s biggest albums weren’t even eligible to be nominated because they were released after September. This is a continuous problem for the Grammys, since their deadline is always before the busy holiday season when many artists release albums. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why how Netflix is eyeing live sporting events, workers are headed for a strike at publisher Harper Collins and the “Black Panther” sequel opens to big box office.   ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Roars To $330M Global Start; Edges Original Pic’s Overseas Bow With $150M https://deadline.com/2022/11/black-panther-wakanda-forever-opening-global-international-box-office-1235167682/ ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ Rules With $330 Million Global Launch, $180 Million Domestic Debut https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/box-office-black-panther-wakanda-forever-marvel-steven-spielberg-fabelmans-1235431385/ 2023 Grammy Nominations https://www.grammy.com/news/2023-grammy-nominations-complete-winners-nominees-list Netflix Looking To Get In The Live Sports Game; Streamer Quietly Bidding On Leagues, Rights https://deadline.com/2022/11/netflix-sports-plans-rights-bidding-1235166831/ HarperCollins Workers Strike for Better Pay and Benefits https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/10/books/harpercollins-strike.html Keith Levene, Public Image Ltd.’s Pioneering Guitarist and Clash Co-Founder, Dies at 65 https://variety.com/2022/music/news/keith-levene-dead-public-image-clash-1235431164/ Gallagher, Watermelon-Smashing Comedian, Is Dead at 76 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/11/arts/television/gallagher-dead.html Gal Costa, Influential Brazilian Singer, Dies Aged 77 https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/nov/09/gal-costa-brazilian-singer-dies-at-77 Kevin Conroy, Iconic Batman Voice Actor, Dies at 66 https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/kevin-conroy-dead-batman-voice-actor-cancer-1235430429/ Jeff Cook, Alabama Co-Founder and Guitarist, Dead at 73 https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/jeff-cook-alabama-co-founder-and-guitarist-dead-at-73/ar-AA13Tir4 Budd Friedman Dies: The Improv Comedy Club Founder Was 90

It’s no secret that streaming services have been affecting every part of the entertainment business in one way or another, from movies and television to music sales and book publishing. After the latest round of earnings announcements from major media conglomerates a few realities become clear; producing original content for direct-to-consumer streaming offerings is costing a fortune and any significant subscriber growth is going to come from overseas territories. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s latest album, “Midnights” might be topping the sales and Billboard charts, however it won’t be eligible for a Grammy in 2023 because it was released after September 30th of this year. The same goes for Bruce Springsteen, Charlie Puth, Gorillaz, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1975, Carly Rae Jepsen, Arctic Monkeys and Smashing Pumpkins. On the other hand, Silk Sonic have decided not to have their debut album compete for an Album of the Year Grammy. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why K-Pop phenoms BTS are headed to the army, how the performing rights organization BMI is becoming a for-profit entity and embattled actor Kevin Spacey is found not liable in a sex abuse lawsuit. ‘Black Adam’ Rocks Past $300M WW https://deadline.com/2022/11/black-adam-300-million-dwayne-johnson-global-international-box-office-1235165013/ ‘Black Adam’ Tops Another Slow Weekend With $18.5M Before ‘Black Panther 2’ Arrives https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/black-adam-box-office-tops-another-slow-weekend-1235256273/ The Academy Has Found Its Next Oscar Host. And No, It’s Not Chris Rock https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2022-11-07/2023-oscars-95th-academy-awards-host-jimmy-kimmel Judge Blocks a Merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/31/books/penguin-random-house-simon-schuster.html Warner Bros. Discovery Layoffs: Streaming Marketing Latest Division To Be Hit Warner Bros. Discovery Layoffs: Streaming Marketing Latest Division To Be Hit Taylor Swift‘s ‘Midnights’ Is First Album in Five Years to Move a Million Units in a Week… and She Did It in Three Days https://variety.com/2022/music/news/taylor-swift-million-units-midnights-album-equivalent-first-five-years-1235413173/ Les Moonves and Paramount to Pay $9.75M to CBS Shareholders in Deal With N.Y. Attorney General Over Sexual Misconduct Claims https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/paramount-les-moonves-deal-ny-attorney-general-1235253890/ Alex Jones Ordered To Pay Nearly $1 Billion In Damages To Sandy Hook Families https://deadline.

Audiobooks have slowly gained enough market share in the publishing industry that the medium now rivals print and ebooks in terms of sales and consumption. How audiobooks are changing the way we read is a question Karl Berglund of Uppsala University in Sweden set out to answer through a study analyzing a large amount of quantitative data from Swedish readers for his upcoming book “Reading Audio Readers: Book Consumption in the Streaming Age.” Berglund joins us to discuss his findings and what they could mean for the publishing industry. Netflix has certainly changed viewing habits with all of its original programming streaming directly into homes. However, after striking a new deal with some of the world’s largest movie theater chains, the company will distribute the sequel to “Knives Out” for a single week in over 600 cinemas a full month before releasing the title on its own platform. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how titles from four different streaming platforms all hit more than a billion minutes of viewing in the same week, what productions to see in London’s West End and Pink Floyd’s back catalog is up for sale. Cineworld In A Time of Bankruptcy https://celluloidjunkie.com/2022/10/05/cineworld-in-a-time-of-bankruptcy-part-1/ ‘Smile’ Widens With Huge Overseas Increase As It Nears $100M Global https://deadline.com/2022/10/smile-increase-overseasas-nears-100-million-global-box-office-1235139496/ ‘Smile’ Beats ‘Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile’ as David O. Russell’s ‘Amsterdam’ Flops https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/box-office-amsterdam-flops-smile-beats-lyle-lyle-crocodile-1235397224/ Halyna Hutchins’ Family Settles Wrongful Death Suit Over ‘Rust’ Shooting https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/halyna-hutchins-family-settles-wrongful-death-suit-over-rust-shooting-1235233791/ French Indie Cinema Sector Calls For Revolution As Arthouse Box Office Slump Deepens https://deadline.com/2022/10/french-indie-cinema-sector-alarm-future-arthouse-box-office-crisis-1235136689/ Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most Out of Your London Theater Vacation https://broadwaydirect.com/tips-and-tricks-for-getting-the-most-out-of-your-london-theater-vacation/ CGV Launches Combined Cinema + Streaming Subscription Scheme ​​https://celluloidjunkie.com/2022/10/05/cj-launches-combined-cinema-streaming-subscription-scheme/ NATO President & CEO John Fithian to Retire May 1, 2023 https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/nato-president-ceo-john-fithian-to-retire-may-1-2023/ Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” to Release a...

It’s hard to believe that the compact disc format was first launched forty years ago this week. Billboard has a great oral history about the launch of the CD format and how it initially faced stiff resistance from record labels before kicking off a boom in music sales that lasted until digital MP3s took over 20 years later. We discuss our own Meanwhile, the Washington Post has a very lengthy, multi-media feature about the search for the best sound in music, and whether that means lossless audio digital files, a newly remastered album on 180-gram vinyl or maybe, or just maybe, an old LP you find for $10 in a record store. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how Netflix plans to license comedy specials rather than own them outright, Trevor Noah steps down as host of “The Daily Show” and why September was the worst month at the domestic box office in 26 years. ‘Smile’ Giddy With $37M Global Bow, China Has $60M Local ‘Home Coming’, https://deadline.com/2022/10/smile-ponniyin-ticket-to-paradise-home-coming-avatar-dont-worry-darling-china-global-international-box-office-1235133051/ ‘Smile’ Slays Box Office With $22 Million Opening but ‘Bros’ Gets Slayed With $4.8 Million https://deadline.com/2022/10/smile-ponniyin-ticket-to-paradise-home-coming-avatar-dont-worry-darling-china-global-international-box-office-1235133051/ Regal Owner Cineworld: Admissions to Remain Below Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2023 and 2024 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/cineworld-admissions-pandemic-earnings-debt-1235223985/ Cinema Operators Experience A Disconnect Between Profits and Market Valuation https://celluloidjunkie.com/newsletter/cinema-operators-experience-a-disconnect-between-profits-and-market-valuation/ Neil Gaiman’s ‘The Sandman: Act III’ Audio Series Surprise-Released on Audible https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/sandman-act-iii-audible-series-neil-gaiman-1235384029/ YouTube Shorts Could Steal TikTok’s Thunder With a Better Deal for Creators https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/17/youtube-shorts-could-steal-tiktoks-thunder-with-a-better-deal-for-creators/ Netflix Reduces Payments for Comedy Specials in Some New Deals https://www.wsj.com/articles/netflix-reduces-payments-for-comedy-specials-in-some-new-deals-11663891960 Trevor Noah to Exit ‘Daily Show’ After Seven Years https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/trevor-noah-leaving-daily-show-1235388893/ Lionsgate to Focus on Spinoff of Studio Business, Rebrands Starz Outside of U.S.

With mid-year music revenue figures finally tallied it appears the growth of streaming music has begun to slow as vinyl sales has increase. Also on the rise are reports of payola as indie music artists can’t seem to get played on the radio without paying promoters for the privilege of being put in rotation. These promoters are using a loophole in the law which prevents record labels from paying radio stations in exchange for airplay. Another loophole allows radio stations in the United States to avoid paying musical performers and creators when their song is actually played. The American Music Fairness Act looks to change that which will have a big impact on terrestrial radio. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how James Earl Jones will continue to provide the voice of Darth Vader thanks to artificial intelligence, Spotify gets into Audiobooks and Rihanna heads to the Super Bowl for the halftime show. ‘Avatar’ Rerelease King Of The World With $31M Global Bow, ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Wrings $30M WW Start, ‘Ticket To Paradise’ Flying Offshore https://deadline.com/2022/09/avatar-rerelease-dont-worry-darling-ticket-to-paradise-global-international-box-office-1235126790/ Box Office: Olivia Wilde’s ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Opens to Solid $19.2M Domestically https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/dont-worry-darling-box-office-previews-1235226066/ Harry Styles’ ‘As It Was’ Tops Hot 100 for 15th Week – Longest Reign Ever for a British Act https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/harry-styles-as-it-was-tops-hot-100-15th-week-longest-british-reign-1235144665/ China Box Office Slows to Crawl Speed Ahead of National Day Holiday https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/china-box-office-crawl-speed-1235383462/ Sony Classics Chiefs On The Key To Longevity & The Power Of Theatrical: “Movie Stars Are Made On The Screen, Not The Stream” https://deadline.com/2022/09/sony-pictures-classics-power-theatrical-movie-stars-made-screen-not-stream-1235126420/ Google Wants to Take On Dolby with New Open Media Formats https://www.protocol.com/entertainment/google-dolby-atmos-vision-project-caviar Amazon Scores Big With First ‘Thursday Night Football’ Game https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/nfl-amazon-debut-tv-ratings-1235224042/ International Icon Rihanna Takes Center Stage for Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show https://www.nfl.com/news/international-icon-rihanna-takes-center-stage-for-apple-music-super-bowl-halftim Hobbits and the Hard Right: How Fantasy Inspires Italy’s Potential New Leader

The annual film festivals in Venice, Telluride and Toronto overlap not only in their timing but often in their official selections and this year was no exception. As usual, titles that begin their festival tour as anticipated awards season contenders sometimes wind up as afterthoughts while unexpected discoveries gain wide recognition. The movie that took home the top prize in Toronto comes from a distinguished filmmaker who might be headed for a close encounter with an Oscar come Academy Awards time. Speaking of filmmakers, and despite widespread reports to the contrary, Woody Allen says he’s not retiring after his next film, which is being shot in Paris entirely in French. He just said he was thinking of not making movies since most of them go straight to streaming services these days, which for a filmmaker, is kind of like… you know, retiring. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences plans to get its act together, big changes at CNN and The Phantom of the Opera winds up its historic Broadway run. ‘Ticket To Paradise’ Leads Offshore Chart On Quiet Weekend https://deadline.com/2022/09/ticket-to-paradise-brahmastra-top-gun-maverick-global-international-box-office-1235121627/ ‘The Woman King’ Leads Box Office With $19 Million Debut https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/the-woman-king-leads-box-office-viola-davis-1235375956/ Expect an Encore for $3 Movie Ticket Day https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/3-dollar-movie-tickets-box-office-encore-1235221818/ Warner Bros. Discovery Has Bigger Problems Than Its DC Search https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/warner-bros-discovery-has-bigger-problems-than-its-dc-search-1235221804/ Toronto International Film Festival Announces 2022 Award Winners https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/toronto-international-film-festival-announces-2022-award-winners/ IndieWire’s 2022 Film Festival Acquisitions Guide: All This Season’s Buys https://www.indiewire.com/2022/09/2022-film-festival-acquisition-movies-fall-1234754538/ TIFF: Focus Features Nabs Worldwide Rights to Alexander Payne’s ‘The Holdovers’ for $30 Million https://variety.com/2022/film/festivals/tiff-focus-features-alexander-payne-the-holdovers-1235369498/ Will the Spiraling Publicity Harm ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ at the Box Office? https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/16/movies/olivia-wilde-dont-worry-darling.html ‘Gran Turismo’: Orlando Bloom Joins David Harbour in Sony’s Racing Movie https://www.hollywoodreporter.

The 74th Annual Prime Time Emmy Awards were held this week and they managed to honor most of the winners from last year’s ceremony. The same shows, and at times the same actors, continue to top most of the big categories. This begs the perennial question, what is the actual purpose of the Emmy Awards? Meanwhile, the world’s second largest movie theater chain officially filed for bankruptcy. We discuss what this will mean not only for Cineworld, but also whether the move will affect the industry-at-large. Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how “CoComelon” is creating video games for toddlers, the Sundance Film Festival names a new head director and a Bollywood movie tops the worldwide box office. ‘Brahmastra’ Fires Up $26.5M WW Bow, ‘Minions: Rise Of Gru’ Passes $900M, ‘Top Gun’ Tops $1.45B https://deadline.com/2022/09/brahmastra-minion-rise-of-gru-top-gun-maverick-jurassic-world-dominion-spider-man-no-way-home-global-international-box-office-1235114924/ Box Office Doldrums Continue as ‘Barbarian’ Debuts With $10 Million https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/box-office-barbarian-1235367673/ Cineworld Commences Chapter 11 Cases https://celluloidjunkie.com/wire/cineworld-commences-chapter-11-cases-with-approximately-1-94-billion-in-debtor-in-possession-financing-commitments-to-facilitate-a-significant-de-leveraging-transaction-and-position-company-for-long/ Arab States Demand That Netflix Drop ‘Offensive Content’ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/07/world/middleeast/egypt-arab-gulf-states-netflix.html Emmys 2022 Winners: See the Full List Here https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/09/emmys-2022-winners-list The Emmys Featured Forward-Looking Winners but a Retro Production https://variety.com/2022/tv/reviews/2022-emmys-review-boring-show-1235370460/ ‘CoComelon’ Video Game Is a First for Fast-Growing Moonbug https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/08/business/cococomelon-video-game-is-a-first-for-fast-growing-moonbug.html MUBI Founder on Evolving Into a Studio, Building Global Cinemas and Outbidding Competitors https://variety.com/2022/film/global/mubi-strategy-efe-cakarel-toronto-decision-to-leave-1235369417/ Hugh Jackman-led ‘Music Man’ Sets Final Performance Date https://broadwaynews.com/2022/09/13/hugh-jackman-led-music-man-sets-final-performance-date-on-broadway/

At a time when streaming services are hoarding content in an attempt to attract subscribers and capture market share, Warner Bros. Discovery has taken the opposite approach with HBO Max; they are removing shows from their platform. Now comes reports that pulling shows from its library can save the company around $100 million annually. We explain where those savings might come from. Certainly HBO Max won’t be dropping “House of Dragons,” one of three big fantasy shows to premiere over the last month. Is that too many shows with dragons and elves for audiences to watch at one time, or has each found significant viewership? Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including the new agreement between streamers and music publishers, who killed the queen of crime novelists and the absurdity of nonstop reports about standing ovations at film festivals. Overall Slow Frame Gets Holdover Boost From UK’s National Cinema Day Discount https://deadline.com/2022/09/bullet-train-top-gun-maverick-minions-rise-of-gru-jurassic-world-dominion-uk-national-cinema-day-global-international-box-office-1235107779/ Bleak Box Office Battle: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Beats ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ in Labor Day Weekend Wasteland https://variety.com/2022/film/box-office/box-office-spider-man-rerelease-top-gun-maverick-battle-1235359820/ Lea Michele Is Well Aware That the Pressure Is On https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/01/theater/lea-michele-funny-girl-broadway.html ‘House Of The Dragon’ Co-Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik Steps Down Ahead Of Season 2 https://deadline.com/2022/08/house-of-the-dragon-showrunner-miguel-sapochnik-steps-down-season-2-1235104770/ Music Publishers, Streaming Services Avoid Another Battle Royale by Setting Royalty Rates for Next Four Years https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/music-publishers-streaming-services-royalty-rates-spotify-1235356212/ Music Publishers and Streaming Services Announce New Royalty Rate for Songwriters https://www.billboard.com/pro/music-publishers-streaming-new-songwriter-royalty-rate/ Who Is the Real “Queen of Crime”? https://lithub.com/who-is-the-real-queen-of-crime-agatha-christies-estate-sends-a-stern-letter-to-val-mcdermid/ Venice: Broadcasters Protest “Unprecedented” Restrictions on Red Carpet, Press Conference Coverage https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/broadcasters-protest-venice-red-carpet-press-conference-restrictions-1235211670/ Why Some of Your Favorite Shows Have Disappeared From HBO Max