Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales From the New Abnormal in the Movie Business
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and Chernin, 34–36, 52, 106–7, 117, 200
international presence of, 4, 65–66, 74
and market share, 209
and Oscar season, 254
Searchlight, 92, 104
yearly schedule of, 223
Fox 2000 (Little Fox), 47
Fox Broadcasting Company, 36
Fox Filmed Entertainment, 51–53
Fox International Productions (FIP), 63, 64, 71
franchises, 5, 8, 12, 18–19, 46, 192, 220, 245, 250
Frasier, 209, 211, 214
Freston, Tom, 141–44, 145, 148, 150, 154–56, 159
Friedkin, Billy, 142
Friedman, Rob, 138, 142, 143, 145
Friends, 209, 212, 223, 238
Friends for Life, 251
Friends with Benefits, 198
Fringe, 156
Funny or Die, 233–34, 262
Gabler, Elizabeth, 47
Gaghan, Steve, 119–20, 121–22
Game of Thrones, 214
Gansa, Alex, 196–97
Garfield, Andrew, 5
Garner, Jennifer, 46, 80
Gelfond, Richard, 71
Germany, film market in, 62, 65
Gervais, Ricky, 46, 80, 190
Get Rich or Die Tryin’, 145
Gianopulos, Jim, 51–53, 54–56, 58, 59, 62, 63, 64, 74, 77–78, 106
Gibson, Mel, 3
Gideon’s Crossing, 201
Gigli, 15
G.I. Joe, 5, 111
Gilliam, Terry, 9, 257
Gilligan, Vince, 205, 220
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The, 203
Gladwell, Malcolm, 190
Glee, 228
Glory, 24
Godfather, The, 126–27, 246
Godfrey, Wyck, 229
Goetz, Kevin, 14, 18–19, 90
Golden Girls, The, 211
Golden Globes, 186, 198–99
Goldwyn, John:
on craftsmanship, 130–31
as head of production, 134–35
leaving Paramount, 137, 139
and Paramount, 109, 110, 113–17, 120, 124–26, 129, 130–31, 133–37
Goldwyn, Samuel, 113
Gone with the Wind, 92–94
Goodman, Adam, 160
Google, 233
Gordon, Howard, 196–97, 205
Gordon, Larry, 146, 148
Gossip Girl, 204, 235
Graduate, The, 10
Grant, Hugh, 140
Great Contraction, 37–38, 41, 43, 46–47, 106, 189
Greenblatt, Robert, 222
Greengrass, Paul, 146
Green Lantern, 5, 82, 149, 244, 249
Green Zone, 146
Grey, Brad:
and author’s contract, 193
and Berman, 148, 150, 158
and Brillstein-Grey, 143
and De Line, 138, 147–48
and Freston, 143, 145, 156
and Lesher, 159–60
as Paramount chairman, 57, 108–9, 110, 143, 144, 145
and Redstone, 111, 154
in Russia, 57
and Spielberg, 160
Grey’s Anatomy, 183
Hangover, The, 11, 16–17, 58, 69, 82, 85, 100, 249
Hanks, Tom, 3, 88, 153, 198
Harry Potter, 3, 5, 12, 80, 129, 130
Harry Potter sequels, 11, 33, 245
Harwood, Sir Ronald, 153
Hasbro, 5, 12, 60, 244
Hawthorne, 202
Hayes, Sean, 213–14
HBO, 4, 236, 239
Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 248, 251, 262
Hello, He Lied (Obst), 15, 240
Help, The, 16, 21, 47, 254, 259
Hemsworth, Chris, 18
High Definition (HD), 43–44
Hill, Debra, 60
Hill Street Blues, 220
Hipster (production exec), 120, 131, 133
history, dialectic-driven, 248
Hoffa, Jimmy, 174
Hoffman, Michael, 124
Hollywood Reporter, 9, 146–47
Holmes, Katie, 124
Homeland, 196–97, 203, 205, 215n, 235, 236
Hong Kong, financial market in, 70
Hope Floats, 47, 53, 88
Hopper, Hedda, 169
hot-burning series, 233
Hot in Cleveland, 211–12, 213–14
House, 150, 199, 201
House of Cards, 203
Howard, Terrence, 145
How I Met Your Mother, 209
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, 2–3, 4, 88, 99, 101, 124–27, 210
Hudson, Kate, 2–3, 8, 125–27, 131–32, 140–41, 153
Huffington Post, 28
Hulk, The, 102, 103, 138
Hulu, 209, 233, 262
Hunger Games, 5, 28, 62, 89, 130, 242, 244–45
Hunnam, Charlie, 124
Hurt Locker, The, 7, 47
Hurwitz, Mitch, 204
Hustle & Flow, 145
Huvane, Kevin, 152
IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees), 180–83
Ice Age, 76–77
Ice Storm, The, 102
ICM, 126
Identity Thief, 34
Igby Goes Down, 125
I Love Lucy, 238
I Love You, Man, 149
IMAX, 57, 67–68, 71, 74, 76
Inception, 47, 63, 69, 79, 82, 83–85, 99
Indecent Proposal, 109, 110
India:
Bollywood, 64, 66
film market in, 56, 59
Informant, The, 80, 81
intellectual property, marketability of, 130
international market, 4–5, 12, 23, 74
comedy not viable in, 58–59
coproduction deals, 69–74
distribution offices, 63–66, 69
emergence of, 51–56
and IMAX, 67–68, 71, 74, 76
in New Abnormal, 7, 32, 39, 50, 51–54
and Old Abnormal, 150–51
and P&Ls, 40
and sequels, 76–78
and 3D, 66–68, 106
what doesn’t travel, 58–61
women, 61–63
Internet, 258, 259, 262–63
alternative venues, 45, 233–34, 239
profit model, 233
and word of mouth, 99
and writers’ strike, 38, 163–64, 165, 166, 185
Invention of Lying, The, 46, 80, 81, 190, 206
iPad publishing, 234
iPhone apps, 5
IPs, 246–48
Ipsos (OTX), 83
Iron Man, 5, 70, 88, 110
Irons, Jeremy, 43, 199
Italian Job, The, 138
It’s a Wonderful Life, 246
“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” 145
iTunes, 39
Jack and Jill, 103
Jackman, Hugh, 211
Jacobson, Nina, 245
Jaffe, Stanley, 109, 112, 116, 130
Jane Eyre, 230
Japan, film market in, 56, 59, 62
Jesus of Nazareth, 250
Johansson, Scarlett, 133n
John Carter, 14, 244
Johnson, Dwayne “The Rock,” 8
Jolie, Angelina, 59–60, 62, 151, 203, 245n
Jovovich, Milla, 62
Judd, Ashley, 211
Jules and Jim, 105, 249
Julie & Julia, 88
Jumanji, 5
Just Shoot Me!, 214
Kaliningrad, Titanic shown in, 54–56
Kalogridis, Laeta, 187
Karmazin, Mel, 127–28
Katzenberg, Jeffrey, 174
Kavanaugh, Ryan, 69
Kavner, Julie, 252
Kelley, Mike, 229
Kelly, Tatiana, 43, 252
Kessler, Glenn, 205
Kessler, Todd, 205
Keyser, Chris, 188–89
Kid Stays in the Picture, The, 126, 174
Kierkegaard, Søren, 250
Kilday, Gregg, 146–47
King’s Speech, The, 254
, 259, 261
Kinsella, Sophie, 131, 152
Kirkpatrick, Nancy, 100–101, 147
Kiss the Girls, 110
Klein, Marc, 171
Korshak, Sidney, 174
Kroll, Sue, 79–81, 83, 84–85
K Street, 202
Kudrow, Lisa, 132
Kunis, Mila, 198
Kutcher, Ashton, 198n, 212
Lange, Jessica, 199
Lansing, Sherry:
and De Line, 138–39, 142, 143, 149–50
foundation of, 136, 142
and Goldwyn, 136, 137
last days at Paramount, 142–44
at Paramount, 2–3, 4, 108–13, 117, 120–21, 124–28, 130, 133–34, 145, 150
and previews, 96
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, 151
Last of the Mohicans, 229
Lautner, Taylor, 26
Law & Order, 18, 220
LA Weekly, 209
Lawrence, Jennifer, 61, 245, 250
Lee, Ang, 6, 47, 102, 138, 254
Lee, Paul, 228
Leeves, Jane, 214
Legally Blonde, 15, 88
Legendary Pictures, 69
Leno, Jay, 186
Lesher, John, 159–60
Les Misérables, 254
Letterman, David, 186
Lewis, Damian, 196
Lewis and Clark, 202
Libatique, Matthew, 123
Life of Pi, 6, 47, 254
Lifetime TV, 87, 239
“lightning in a bottle,” 17
Limato, Ed, 126
Lincoln, 6, 254
Linney, Laura, 203
Lion King, The, 89, 262
Lionsgate Studios, 69, 100–101, 242, 245
Looper, 73, 74, 75
Lopez, George, 203
Lopez, Jennifer, 15
Lost, 156
Lost in Thailand, 73
Louis C.K., 46
Lourd, Bryan, 133, 137–38, 175–76, 186, 193
Love Story, 126
Lucas, George, 11, 44, 108
Lucky Numbers, 132
Lynton, Michael, 255–58
MacFarlane, Seth, 242, 249
Machinima, 262
Mad About You, 209
Madagascar, 89, 262
Mad Men, 196, 205, 232, 236
Magic: The Gathering, 60
Malcolm in the Middle, 150, 238
Malik, Wendie, 214
“Man” movies, 8, 29
Marion, Frances, 174, 190
marketing:
advertising and publicity, 81, 98
and audience power, 103–5
and commodity fetishism, 105
costs of, 44, 243
creating buzz, 14–15, 84, 101–2
Definite Interest Intensity (DII), 99–100, 101, 102
and the “everything” number, 95–97
in-house, 82–83
and playability, 103
and preawareness, 79–81, 106
quadrant-think, 86–89, 90, 99
selling Inception, 83–85
test previews, 89–94
Married … with Children, 221, 235
Martin, Suzanne, 211, 213
Marvel comics, 247
Master, The, 92
Matrix, The, 138
MCA, 174
McAvoy, James, 5
McCarthy, Melissa, 17, 34, 199, 249
McConaughey, Matthew, 2, 125–27
Memento, 216, 218
Mendes, Sam, 254
Men in Trees, 210
Mentalist, The, 209
Meredith (girlfriend), 30–31
Meyer, Stephenie, 100
MGM, 254
Microsoft, 233, 234
Mike and Molly, 17, 199, 209
Mildred Pierce, 199
Miller, George, 251
Milliner, Todd, 213–14
Mirror Mirror, 5, 171
Miss America, 223
Mission: Impossible, 5, 75, 110, 151, 154, 200
Mitchell, Joni, 36
Modern Family, 212
Moguls (AMPTP), see writers’ strike
Moneyball, 47, 60, 254, 257
Monroe, Marilyn, 62
Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 9
Moonrise Kingdom, 258–59
Moonstruck, 10
Moonves, Les, 128, 142, 208–10, 215, 234
Moore, Rob, 145, 150, 156, 160
Moore, Ron, 231
Moran, Patrick, 228–30, 231–32, 233
Morgan, Kathy, 58, 59
Mortal Kombat, 61
Movie People:
blending with TV People, 200–206
and the future, 255–58
vs. Television People, 198–200
vs. TV profitability, 235–36
movies:
based on video games, 60–61
box office stability, 242–43
marketing, see marketing
microbudgets, 43, 45
multiple investors in, 42
original, 106
parallel worlds in, 48–49
pitching ideas for, 12–13, 16, 22–27
playability of, 103
Prints and Ads costs, 43–44
profit margin in, 37, 39, 46, 243
standardization of, 105
test previews, 89–94
tight schedules of, 44
tracking reports of, 13–14, 28
movie studio heads, 48
as Moguls, see writers’ strike
movie studios, 11–12
artists under contract to, 47–48
and blockbusters, 192
indies, 13, 44, 46
and marketing, see marketing
minimajors (without lots), 69
P&Ls in, 39–40
and transition, 241
MRC, 46
MTV, 141–42, 145, 156
Mud Pie quadrant, 88, 90, 99
Mummy, The, 118
Murdoch, Rupert, 36, 52–53, 68
Murphy, Eddie, 109
My Name is Khan, 64
MySpace, 154
Mystic Pizza, 126
My Week with Marilyn, 198–99
narrowcasting, 260–61
National Lampoon’s Animal House, 118
National Treasure, 104
NBC, 209, 221, 223
NBC/Universal, 222
NCIS, 209
Neeson, Liam, 26
Netflix, 11, 39, 203, 209, 232, 233, 239, 262
Nevins, David, 196
New Abnormal:
birth of, 1
casting in, 20–21, 22
culture changes of, 19–22, 27
day in the life: online, 27–29
formula for, 11–12
“friending” in, 30–32
and Great Contraction, 41, 46
international market in, 7, 32, 39, 50, 51–54
IP frenzy of, 246–48
“lightning in a bottle,” 17
movie and TV people blending, 200–206
movies that wouldn’t get made in, 9–10
and Old Abnormal merge, 29–30
Old Abnormal vs., 7, 240–42
at Paramount, 4–5, 110
pitching in, 25–27
properties chosen in, 4–5
sequels in, 5, 11–12, 18, 76–78, 106, 130, 245–46
tentpoles in, 6
transitions to, 4, 27, 130–31, 260–63
New Regency Enterprises, 65
News Corp., 34
Nichols, Mike, 133n
Nickelodeon, 157
Nielsen rating system, 237n
Noah, 92, 250
No Country for Old Men, 159
Nolan, Christopher, 7, 130, 219
and Batman, 6, 47
and Dark Knight, 84, 217, 254
and Inception, 47, 79
and Memento, 216, 218
Nolan, Jonathan (Jonah), 204, 215–20, 221
Norman, Marc, 168, 172, 183, 184–85, 186
Norton, Ed, 138, 202
Notorious, 230
No Way Out, 9
Noyce, Phillip, 205
Number, The, 94, 95–97
Nyswaner, Ron, 153
Observe and Report, 149
Obst, Oly, 46, 80, 140, 153, 190
Occasional, The, 234
O.C., The, 204
Old Abnormal:
casting in, 19–20, 21
“chops” in, 21–22
craftsmanship in, 130
death of, 1
and Hello, He Lied, 240
high-concept model, 16–17, 109–10
and international, 150–51
Movie People vs. Television People in, 198–200
and New Abnormal merge, 29–30
New Abnormal vs., 7, 240–42
at Paramount, 2–4, 109, 117
pitching ideas in, 12–13, 16, 22–27
transitions from, 4, 27, 130–31, 260–63
One Day at a Time, 214
One Fine Day, 23, 124
online distribution, 261
online streaming, 163, 232, 233
Oscars:
dominated by independents, 13
and writers’ strike, 186, 190
Oscar Season, 29–30, 45
(2012), 45, 254–55
(2013), 6
OTX (Ipsos), 83, 90, 99
Ouija, 60
Pain & Gain, 249
Paltrow, Gwyneth, 124–25
Pan Am, 223
Panitch, Sanford, 63, 64–65, 66, 73
Paramount Pictures:
author’s contract not renewed by, 193–95
author’s move to, 108–14, 118
conservatism of, 2–4, 110, 121, 127–31, 150
flops, 127, 133–35
international franchises, 5, 150–51, 157
and market share, 110–11, 129
networks of, 208
and New Abnormal, 4–5, 110
and Old Abnormal, 2–4, 109, 117
and Oscar season, 254
reducing the budget, 118, 127–28
and Scorsese, 47
Paramount TV:
author’s move to, 206–8
and Central Division, 209–12
schedule of, 215
Paramount Vantage, 159–60
Paranormal Activity, 60, 160
Parker, Ol, 152
Parker Bros., 60
Parks and Recreation, 249
Pascal, Amy, 47, 149, 255, 257
Patel, Dev, 259
Patmore-Gibbs, Suzanne, 228, 229
Patriot Games, 205
Patterson, James, 110
Payne, Alexander, 92
Pecan Pie quadrant, 88, 90
Penn, Sean, 133n
Perry, Katy, 210
Person of Interest, 204, 216
Peters, Christine, 125
Petrie, Donald, 126
Pfeiffer, Michelle, 23, 124
Philadelphia, 153
Pianist, The, 153
piracy, 11, 39, 43, 68, 165, 233
Pirates of the Caribbean, 8, 11, 12, 104
Pitt, Brad, 47, 60, 111, 143, 202, 257
Pixar, 262
Plageman, Greg, 216
Planet of the Apes, 5, 33, 34, 35
Playboy, 223
Ponte, Gideon, 123
Pontius Pilate, 250
Porsandeh, Cameron, 231
Portman, Natalie, 198
preawareness, 12, 35, 78, 79–81, 106, 192, 244, 248, 250
Precious, 42
Pretty Woman, 9