Peter Bart: Hollywood Hopes A New Round Of “Fixes” Can Cure Its Malaise Rather Than Prolong The Pain
The consensus is clear: Hollywood feels it must pursue what Bob Iger tactfully (or ominously) calls “some fixes.”
The “fixes” post-strike hopefully will move beyond cutbacks and delays — we’ve already been absorbing their impact. Disney alone has cut 8,000 jobs and $7.5 billion in costs. High-profile movies ranging from Disney’s Snow White to Paramount’s Mission: Impossible 8 to Sony’s Spider-Verse have again been shoved back a year.
More complex “fixes” already are hinted at: Netflix pledges a new approach on content – a “half as many but twice as good” mandate. Its viewers worldwide will be fascinated to see how that plays out.
Other major brands, too, are under scrutiny: The opening numbers for The Marvels dented that legacy. The HBO label once dominated the “for your consideration” ads, but this year’s ads will carry a pleading subtext: If you can’t “consider” it, at least find it.
For industry veterans,...
The “fixes” post-strike hopefully will move beyond cutbacks and delays — we’ve already been absorbing their impact. Disney alone has cut 8,000 jobs and $7.5 billion in costs. High-profile movies ranging from Disney’s Snow White to Paramount’s Mission: Impossible 8 to Sony’s Spider-Verse have again been shoved back a year.
More complex “fixes” already are hinted at: Netflix pledges a new approach on content – a “half as many but twice as good” mandate. Its viewers worldwide will be fascinated to see how that plays out.
Other major brands, too, are under scrutiny: The opening numbers for The Marvels dented that legacy. The HBO label once dominated the “for your consideration” ads, but this year’s ads will carry a pleading subtext: If you can’t “consider” it, at least find it.
For industry veterans,...
- 11/16/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Shep Gordon, the longtime manager of Alice Cooper, also known affectionately as “Supermensch” (the title of a 2013 documentary about him), appeared at the Pollstar Live! conference in Los Angeles Tuesday and shared a revealing story about his former client Raquel Welch. The actress, who died last week at the age of 82, was actually quite prudish, Gordon explained, but “her appeal was sex.” The two worked together for five years straddling the end of the 1970s and beginning of the ’80s, a time when Welch’s career had reached a crossroads.
The solution seemed to be a Las Vegas show, which Ann-Margret had executed successfully, drawing an audience of wives with husbands in tow. Similarly, what man wouldn’t want to see a scantily clad Welch in the flesh? The formula worked, but after a three-year residency at Caesars Palace, Welch’s contract was close to expiring and Gordon had to step in.
The solution seemed to be a Las Vegas show, which Ann-Margret had executed successfully, drawing an audience of wives with husbands in tow. Similarly, what man wouldn’t want to see a scantily clad Welch in the flesh? The formula worked, but after a three-year residency at Caesars Palace, Welch’s contract was close to expiring and Gordon had to step in.
- 2/22/2023
- by Shirley Halperin
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Chris Albrecht, the former chairman of HBO and current president of Legendary Television, has been placed on administrative leave, according to the company.
The suspension comes as a forthcoming book, It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO by Felix Gillette and John Koblin, reveals new details about how Albrecht allegedly disparaged a staffer who exited HBO following a settlement that was brokered by HBO. (Albrecht’s rep denies the allegations.)
A Legendary spokesperson said Monday that Albrecht has been placed on a leave of absence, and declined to comment further.
According to an early draft of the book reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, the authors detail a previously reported allegation that Albrecht choked Sasha Emerson, a former exec vp and rising star at HBO in late 1980s and early 1990s (Albrecht’s rep denies the allegation). The incident,...
Chris Albrecht, the former chairman of HBO and current president of Legendary Television, has been placed on administrative leave, according to the company.
The suspension comes as a forthcoming book, It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO by Felix Gillette and John Koblin, reveals new details about how Albrecht allegedly disparaged a staffer who exited HBO following a settlement that was brokered by HBO. (Albrecht’s rep denies the allegations.)
A Legendary spokesperson said Monday that Albrecht has been placed on a leave of absence, and declined to comment further.
According to an early draft of the book reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, the authors detail a previously reported allegation that Albrecht choked Sasha Emerson, a former exec vp and rising star at HBO in late 1980s and early 1990s (Albrecht’s rep denies the allegation). The incident,...
- 10/11/2022
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoiler Alert: This post contain details about James Andrew Miller’s book Tinderbox, an oral history of HBO, which was published today.
On the eve of yet another corporate reframing, HBO has received its own Magna Carta with the publication of James Andrew Miller’s Tinderbox today.
Coming from the keyboard that literally wrote the book on ESPN, Saturday Night Live and 2016’s Powerhouse: The Untold Story of CAA, the 975-page Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers peels off the corporate and creative layers in the legendary rise of the premium cabler from less than humble beginnings with Charles Dolan and code-name The Green Channel in 1972 to the Thrilla In Manila and all the way up to scripted glory with The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Veep, Watchmen, Lovecraft County and Succession to name a few.
Put another way, if this isn’t the comprehensive story, so far,...
On the eve of yet another corporate reframing, HBO has received its own Magna Carta with the publication of James Andrew Miller’s Tinderbox today.
Coming from the keyboard that literally wrote the book on ESPN, Saturday Night Live and 2016’s Powerhouse: The Untold Story of CAA, the 975-page Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers peels off the corporate and creative layers in the legendary rise of the premium cabler from less than humble beginnings with Charles Dolan and code-name The Green Channel in 1972 to the Thrilla In Manila and all the way up to scripted glory with The Sopranos, The Wire, Game of Thrones, Veep, Watchmen, Lovecraft County and Succession to name a few.
Put another way, if this isn’t the comprehensive story, so far,...
- 11/24/2021
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Frank Biondi Jr., the seasoned entertainment business executive who served tenures as the CEO of HBO, Viacom and Universal Studios, died Monday of cancer at his home in Los Angeles. He was 74.
Biondi was the consummate example of the kind of polished, Ivy League-trained business executives who rose through the ranks in the entertainment industry in the 1980s and ‘90s. He was a respected leader known as a whiz with financial data and high-level dealmaking, but he left the creative side of network and studio operations to others.
Biondi was remembered by friends and colleagues as a key player in shaping the contemporary media and entertainment industries. Robert Simonds, chairman-ceo of Stx Entertainment who is married to Biondi’s daughter Anne, considered him a mentor.
“Anne and I are devastated to lose Frank so young,” Simonds said. “He was not only an icon and mentor to me, as he...
Biondi was the consummate example of the kind of polished, Ivy League-trained business executives who rose through the ranks in the entertainment industry in the 1980s and ‘90s. He was a respected leader known as a whiz with financial data and high-level dealmaking, but he left the creative side of network and studio operations to others.
Biondi was remembered by friends and colleagues as a key player in shaping the contemporary media and entertainment industries. Robert Simonds, chairman-ceo of Stx Entertainment who is married to Biondi’s daughter Anne, considered him a mentor.
“Anne and I are devastated to lose Frank so young,” Simonds said. “He was not only an icon and mentor to me, as he...
- 11/25/2019
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Michael Fuchs, who was HBO’s CEO in the early 1980s, was both innovative and famously argumentative with producers or with the press. I never got past the five minute mark in my conversations with Fuchs without a dispute flaring – I even kept a chart on the timing of our clashes. Fuchs didn’t trust reporters who wrote about HBO and didn’t much want his shows written about anyway.
Given this background, Richard Plepler’s climb to the top of the HBO pyramid struck many as the ultimate irony.
Some reporters, as well as producers, were downright skeptical: How could this eager young man with a background in publicity gain clout among the town’s creatives? His garrulous style seemed wrong for a CEO; so did his permanent suntan.
The skepticism was misplaced. Plepler’s creative and promotional zeal energized HBO over the years and boosted recognition not only...
Given this background, Richard Plepler’s climb to the top of the HBO pyramid struck many as the ultimate irony.
Some reporters, as well as producers, were downright skeptical: How could this eager young man with a background in publicity gain clout among the town’s creatives? His garrulous style seemed wrong for a CEO; so did his permanent suntan.
The skepticism was misplaced. Plepler’s creative and promotional zeal energized HBO over the years and boosted recognition not only...
- 3/4/2019
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.