Box Office Weekly #056 (MP3 - 15.0 MB - 22 min)
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In todays show: Movie fans watch the Academy Awards, avoid going to movies… iTunes proves it will distribute almost anything… and in my commentary; I pick apart the Oscars AND the Razzies. All this and Prince looks over his heavily padded shoulders at the [...]

Couple of items catching my eye today on BBC.
1. DEEP PURPLE URGES FANS TO NOT BUY DEEP PURPLE RECORD
This is your classic man bites dog story, only the dog rocks dude. The album NEC 1993, was recorded when there was great internal tension between singer Ian Gillian and guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. That’s right, a man [...]

Thank God THAT’S over.
So Scorcese finally got his Oscar for Taxi Driver. Which is nice, though the movie they cited was actually a remake of a Hong Kong action movie crossed with a remake of MEAN STREETS. Still, about ***king time. I hope the little guy isn’t so nervous from now on. Can you imagine [...]

Well, it was a big night for Sharon Stone. Her movie BASIC INSTINCT 2, the long-feared sequel to BASIC INSTINCT, took home four awards. Among them were Worst Screenplay, Worst Sequel, Worst Picture and a Worst Actress Razzie for Miss Stone herself.
The Golden Rasberry Awards are the hilariously mean-spirited brainchild of John Wilson. First conceived [...]

BRITNEY SPEARS SHAVES HEAD, CHECKS INTO REHAB, CHECKS OUT, CHECKS BACK IN
You had me at “shaves”… then lost me for good after that.
DREAMGIRLS PRODUCERS APOLOGIZE TO MOTOWN, SAY THERE IS NO CONNECTION 
This probably means the musical based on CITIZEN KANE is off.
ELLEN DEGENERES TO HOST OSCARS
I got nothing snarky here… it’s a great idea.
HEATHER MILLS [...]

The Justice Department says, “Prior to its dismantling, DrinkOrDie was estimated to have caused the illegal reproduction and distribution of more than $50 million worth of pirated software, movies, games and music.” DrinkOrDie was an international web piracy group, that is to say, a file sharing site where you downloaded your complete Madonna album collection [...]

Box Office Weekly #055 (MP3 - 15.5 MB - 23 min)
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In todays show: Lord Love a Duck, Ben Affleck not so much… The best Academy Awards article ever, if you are a fatalist… and in my commentary; I follow my own advice and watch as much television as I can stand. All this and [...]

`Late Late Show’ Doesn’t Mock Spears
The story goes on to detail host Craig Ferguson’s belief that Britney Spears is vulnerable right now and he would feel wrong making fun. Ferguson, by the way, mentioned on REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER last Friday that he is currently up for citizenship, which means that he could be muting [...]

The New York Post is reporting today that a merger is imminent between XM and Sirius, the two big Satellite radio providers. Okay, the only satellite radio providers. Now instead of competing with each other, they can concentrate on losing the fight against real radio and iPods.
Combining Sirius and XM would result in a single [...]

I recall the story of Brandon Tartikoff, estimable president of NBC programming during the late seventies and early eighties. Soon after he had stepped down from his post, he found himself hospitalized as the result of a skiing accident. the place was remote and without cable, and for the first time in his life he [...]