Blogs and Ends: Hollywood is Burning

FIRST

There were emergency meetings all over Hollywood this weekend and there is no doubt as to why.  Warner Media’s decision to put their entire slate of films for 2020 and 2021 on HBOmax.  While HBOmax has, to put it mildly, underperformed compared to Disney+, Their parent company AT&T can change that instantly. Just by rolling HBONOW into HBOmax and then giving three months free for anyone on one of Ma Bell’s platforms.  The numbers will match Disney’s overnight.  

So why haven’t’ they?

Two reasons.  First, HBOmax still isn’t on ROKU yet.  And second, there isn’t any reason for people to stay once the free trial is up.  Sure they’ve got a better library than Disney but they don’t have a halo property like The Mandalorian. Dumping the summer tentpoles on HBOmax takes care of those problems.  Look for a relaunch in the spring.

Although, as of today Warner Media is facing a legal challenge from Legendary Films on the grounds that they never agreed to this pay cut.  They want Dune and Kong exclusively in the theaters for the standard three-month period.  None of the high-profile talent connected with these projects is all that happy either because their bonus money comes off the backend of the box office and it’s a pretty good bet that Warner Media is not going to compensate them.

NEXT

Disney+ and Hulu to merge. 

Or at least that is what Collider claims (no link for them).  Apparently, that is the rumor flying around Disney after a bunch of Hulu executives were sent to the wall.  

Collider being as smart as Collider didn’t mention in their article that Hulu is a US exclusive.  While Disney+ is international, you can’t get Hulu outside the United States.   It should also be remembered that Hulu has live TV streaming and cloud DVR service which would create legal stumbling blocks overseas. 

I suppose it’s possible that Disney might do that in the US anyway, but I’m not sure what they are hoping to get out of that other than brand dilution.  Hulu subscribers are already being hit with price hikes; a lot of the borderline subscribers will pull the plug if they are required to buy Disney+ on top of it.  Disney+ subs have had the option of getting Hulu for a while. If they haven’t done it by now, then they don’t want it.

NEXT

Jodie Whittaker is being pressured to leave Doctor Who.  Or at least that’s the rumor. 

It’s not the Doctor Who audience that is pressuring her either, well they would if they thought anyone at the BBC was listening to them.  But mostly the Whovians have wandered off and are hoping it will be put out of its misery. 

Nor is it the producers because there is no way in hell they can admit to that big of a mistake.

It’s her agent.  Doctor Who has taken what was a promising career and hung a yoke of failure around her neck. Not too long ago Doctor Who would give an up and comer some pretty decent and widespread exposure.   David Tennent did okay after he left the Police Box and Karen Gillan has had major roles in two pretty big franchises.  Matt Smith hasn’t done so well but bottom-line Doctor Who has a better record for career advancement than Star Wars… Until now anyway.  

But if Jodie Whittaker quits now, it’s going to be very hard to justify hiring another Doctor.  When she leaves it’s probably over.

LAST

From America’s Paper of Record

HOLLYWOOD, CA—At a lavish press conference today, actor Elliot Page received 17 Oscar awards for his previous work portraying women in a variety of films, even though Page himself is a man, which is something we definitely believe, as you can tell by our use of words like “his” and “himself.”

 “We are proud to recognize Elliot’s amazing work in portraying women so very realistically — most people didn’t even know he was a man,” said Brett Long, Director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Subcommittee on Preemptive Apologies and Narrative Alignment.

Okay, I’m done here.