Netflix has been on a bit of roller coaster ride as a company, as most people who subscribe to the service or love movies and follows such things already know. The story is not unlike a bad M. Night Shyamalan movie; it’s got twists, turns, and is often based on such lame and asinine premises that one just has to laugh at the crazy plot points. Continue reading
Apple Doesn’t Give TV Rentals a Fair Shake
Apple recently stopped offering $0.99 TV rentals, saying that their customers prefer to buy TV shows instead of rent them (the price to purchase is $2.99 for HD content, and $1.99 for standard definition). Continue reading
Lessons for Conan on TBS’s Lopez Cancellation
When Conan O’Brien moved to TBS after his Tonight Show gig was cancelled, he also pushed back George Lopez’s late night show an hour. According to news reports at the time, this was done with the full blessing and possibly even the invitation of Lopez.
The obvious reasoning behind the move is that Conan would bring in a huge influx of new viewers to the network, and while Lopez would be on later, the carryover from the Conan boost would more than make up for it.
Unfortunately, that bet didn’t pay out. This week TBS announced they’ve canceled Lopez’s show, due to low ratings. And a recent article in Variety posed the question: Did Conan Undercut Lopez? It’s an interesting analysis of the ratings and speculation as to the reasoning behind the move, and anyone interested in the matter should read it. Continue reading
‘Atlas’ Shrugs Because of Bad Reviews?
Atlas Shrugged movie producer John Aglialoro said recently, according to an article in the LA Times, that it’s now unlikely he’ll make parts 2 and 3 of Ayn Rand’s epic novel. And, even though Aglialoro expects the picture to make a profit, the main reason he cites for abandoning the project is because of poor reviews.
The LA Times pieces reads like his motivations for making the picture were mainly to get good reviews by the press. But why should that matter? Sure, the picture isn’t great, but given its low budget and rushed production schedule, I highly doubt a cinematic masterpiece was thought possible. Continue reading