MSNBC’s Program Lineup Needs a Liberal Makeover
MEMO TO PHIL GRIFFIN: For several years now your liberal bastion, MSNBC, has been assuring us that it's resolutely "leaning forward," but slogans can be dangerous — especially for a news operation…
Opinion
Studios Need to Alter Their Mind-Set to Keep Productions in California
On a trip to Vancouver a few years ago, one TV producer surveyed the myriad projects being shot there and labeled the town Hollywood Sleep-Away Camp. Those visitors were drawn less by British…
Hollywood Knew Private Photo Leaks Long Before the 2000’s
The posting of pilfered intimate celebrity photos last week was a reminder of the anomaly of stardom: A star's entire life is directed to attracting attention to himself or herself — until that…
‘Meet the Press’ Transition is Only the Latest Gaffe for Comcast’s NBC News Division
As Comcast awaited approval to acquire NBCUniversal, producer Peter Chernin interviewed CEO Brian Roberts at the 2010 Cable Show. Chernin wondered whether Roberts was truly ready for the headaches…
Fate is Often the One to Blame for a Film’s Success or Failure
As the box office numbers roll in this summer, the media is asking the usual rude questions: Who is really responsible for the hits and misses? How big will be the profits and losses? These are valid…
Movie Stars Have Become an Endangered Species
Summer blockbusters make studios happy, but they make stars nervous. That's because a lizard is the real star of "Godzilla," not an actor. And in franchises like "Captain America," "Spider-Man" or…
TV Viewers Left Clueless by Media Megadeals That Will Affect Consumers for Years
The media produce content that is widely consumed, as well as alternately loved and loathed. Yet as a business, its inner workings are poorly understood by the public, which spends so much free time…
Can ‘Creativity’ and ‘Corporate’ Somehow Work Hand-in-Hand?
I've been doing some binge reading lately — books about creativity and business success — but have come away feeling somewhat skeptical about their messages. Ed Catmull's new book, titled…
Apple Pays for Lack of Vision With Beats Acquisition (Analysis)
Money isn't everything. But Apple's $3 billion acquisition of Beats Electronics, made official on Wednesday, proved that everybody thinks it is. The over-analysis of the reasoning behind Apple's…
Film Biz Can Learn a Few Things From the Music Industry When It Comes to Piracy
Thank God we're in the music business. We've already been through the transition; we've already been pushed back to zero. We're in an era of rebirth so strong that if you think the music business is…
