Morning Fix: Amazon takes on Warner Bros. Paula Deen is coming back.
After the coffee. Before covering Capitol Hill in my bathrobe.
The Skinny: Do you think in five years Broadway will forget the movie “Jersey Boys†was based on a musical and remake it for the stage? That’s my early morning attempt at humor. How’d I do? Today’s roundup includes a look at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Also, Paula Deen is attempting a comeback and Amazon is in a fight with Warner Bros.
Daily Dose: Media ownership rules will be the focus of a Communications and Technology subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill. Expect lots of talk about consolidation among TV station owners and whether the Federal Communication Commission’s regulations need to be updated to better reflect the current media landscape.
But it’s so far to travel. Movie executives will go anywhere to watch films, schmooze talent and chug down booze. France? No problem? Utah in January? We’re there. But drive from the Westside to downtown? Puhleeze! This week, the Los Angeles Film Festival gets going and while it is growing in popularity, establishing itself with the big industry players has proved a challenge. Now that may finally be starting to change, says the Los Angeles Times.
Throwing its weight around. Book publisher Hachette isn’t the only company feeling the wrath of Amazon. Now the electronic retailer has stopped accepting orders for Warner Bros. movies, including “The Lego Movie,†“Transcendence†and “300: Rise of an Empire.†The New York Times on the standoff.
Yeah, but it was a really good 50 seconds. Bill Murray is hoping his brief (less than 60 seconds) appearance on the Amazon political comedy “Alpha House†will get some love from Emmy voters when nominations are announced next month. Vulture went through the list of everyone who put themselves up for an Emmy and found some amusing items. Enjoy.
Something new cooking. Former Food Network star Paula Deen, who lost her show after racially insensitive comments she’s made in the past came to light, will launch her own online subscription network with backing from a private equity fund. Deen told the Wall Street Journal that “the fans are going to see things they have never seen before. They are going to see all of me.†Uh, isn’t that kind of what got her booted from Food Network in the first place?
Do you feel like singing, punk? Clint Eastwood tries his hand at directing a musical with “Jersey Boys.†While the idea of Dirty Harry directing a movie based on a hit Broadway musical may seem odd, Eastwood has always been a music buff and we’re not just talking “Paint Your Wagon.†He also played a country singer in the under appreciated “Honkeytonk Man.†Eastwood talks with Variety about making “Jersey Boys.â€
Inside the Los Angeles Times: “The Fault in Our Stars†is further proof that everyone loves a good tear-jerker.
Follow me on Twitter. It may be the one nice thing that you experience today. @JBFlint.
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