Monday 8 February 2010

Hollywood Babble On & On #451: Some Drippings From My Brain Pan

Welcome to the show folks...

FIRST, A LITTLE BUSINESS CHATTER

Corporate raider and shareholder activist Carl Icahn is apparently still buying up stock in mini-major studio Lionsgate. This is happening at the same time that he's buying up the debt of sinking former major MGM.

Now you're probably wondering why.

This is what you call strategic positioning.

You see I suspect that Mr. Icahn & Co. want to get into that crazy business we call show, partially for its potential for profit, but also to make a point about how studios are run, which is poorly. I suspect that he's planning to reform the company he gets his hands on according to his philosophy of responsibility to the people who actually own the company. MGM, Lionsgate, both, it doesn't really matter, he's put himself into a position to act on the best target at the best time.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT

Director Terence Malick has begun casting on his next film project, and this time he's taken his turtle's pace into account in his decision making. He's cast actress Dakota Fanning as Grandma Moses, and figures she'll be the right age by the time the cameras start rolling.

Actor Charlie Sheen's car was found at the bottom of a cliff. Apparently it saw an episode of
Two & A Half Men, realized that's how it was paid for, and took its own life in shame.

Director Kevin Smith is holding an online fund-raising drive to raise money to make his next film. He's calling the people giving the money "donors" instead of "investors" or the more accurate term "suckers." He's also still calling the film, which portrays politically conservative and Christian Americans as psycho-killers,
Red State, instead of the more accurate title of Red Ink.

2 comments:

  1. Dirty Dingus questions:

    Hold on a second.. a director wants to make a movie about all the things feared and hated from the hollyweird spawnings and he can't find a major backer?!!

    Did they all enter a Mirror, Mirror episode of star trek there and found it not art noir to piss on the flyover country now?

    It's not possible for that because I know they're getting crafty with their anti-war shit with that up in coming "action" flick starring matt~ damooon~~~ so it just doesn't click to why this dude can't collect the cash...

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  2. Blast Hardcheese9/2/10 1:08 pm

    I think the reason Kevin Smith had to resort to an online funding appeal has less to do with the subject matter, and more to do with the 'bankability' of the filmmaker himself.

    I will be charitable, and simply say that Smith's last movie...didn't do so well. And that was a raunchy comedy, not a horror film.

    Now, when Scorcese has to resort to online appeal to finance a 'bash those horrible peons in flyover country' movie, that's when you'll know that change has truly come to Tinseltown.

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