Showbiz Sandbox

Showbiz Sandbox


Showbiz Sandbox 538: An Oscars Ceremony With An Asterisk

April 27, 2021

Delayed by two months due to the COVID pandemic and with almost no blockbuster studio films to nominate, it’s a small miracle this year’s Oscars ceremony took place at all. This year the Academy honored the most diverse slate of nominees in its 93 year history. Anne Thompson, Indiewire’s editor-at-large, joins us to discuss the night’s winners, the awkward telecast and the unusual awards season we just lived through.
Meanwhile, thing’s keep getting worse for producer Scott Rudin. Not only has he stepped back from all film and television work, but he also left the Broadway League which may have a serious impact on his ability to stage a comeback down the road.
Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including why YouTube and Roku can’t get along, why Apple is headed to court over ownership of the music they sell on iTunes and Netflix continues to spend record amounts on new content.

How the History-Making 2021 Oscars Went Down, from Chloé Zhao to Anthony Hopkins’ No-Zoom Anticlimax
https://www.indiewire.com/2021/04/oscars-2021-oscar-wins-hollywood-1234632017/
Oscars 2021: 5 Final Takeaways from an Unpredictable Night
https://www.indiewire.com/video/oscars-2021-recap-screen-talk-331-1234633516/
‘Mortal Kombat’ & ‘Demon Slayer’ Overperform On Sunday After Intense Box Office Brawl; Anime Pic Busts Past $21M
https://deadline.com/2021/04/mortal-kombat-demon-slayer-weekend-box-office-battle-1234742886/
‘Godzilla Vs Kong’ Thrashes Past $400M Global; ‘Demon Slayer’ Reaches New WW Milestone
https://deadline.com/2021/04/godzilla-vs-kong-demon-slayer-milestones-mortal-kombat-global-international-box-office-1234743062/
Oscar Ratings Plunge Nearly 60 Percent
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/04/26/oscar-viewership-nielsen-numbers/
Falcon & Winter Soldier’s First Two Episodes Top Nielsen Streaming Chart
https://screenrant.com/falcon-winter-soldier-show-nielsen-streaming-chart-ranking/
The Short, Unhappy Life of Europe’s Super League

Apple Lawsuit Over ‘Buy’ and ‘Rent’ Labels for Digital Content Can Continue, Rules Federal Judge
https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/23/22399008/apple-lawsuit-over-buy-and-rent-labels-for-digital-content-can-continue-rules-federal-judge
Winners and Losers of Roku Going to War With YouTube TV
https://www.fool.com/investing/2021/04/27/winners-and-losers-of-roku-going-to-war-with-youtu/
Why Don’t Some TV Shows Sound the Way They Used To?