Sleepless in Hollywood: Tales From the New Abnormal in the Movie Business (37 page)

All of these industry leaders took significant time out of their absurdly busy schedules to talk to me for this book. They didn’t do it for me (except maybe Rick) but for the love of what they do—this crazy, difficult, constantly changing business. They want the world to understand how the whole puzzle actually works, and how hard they try to make good movies and TV shows.

© AMY AND STUART

Lynda Obst,
author of the bestseller
Hello, He Lied,
was an editor for
The New York Times Magazine
before entering the film industry. She has produced more than sixteen feature films, including
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, Contact, The Fisher King, Adventures in Babysitting, Hope Floats
and two films with Nora Ephron,
Sleepless in Seattle
and
This Is My Life.
She is now producing television as well.

FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Lynda-Obst

MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT

SimonandSchuster.com

ALSO BY LYNDA OBST

Hello, He Lied

SCENE ONE: THE NEW ABNORMAL

Aljean Harmetz, quoting Laura Ziskin in the
Hollywood Reporter.
“Laura Ziskin, Producer of ‘Spider-Man’ and ‘Pretty Woman’ Dies at 61,”
New York Times,
June 13, 2011.

Oly Obst, comments in discussion with author, 2011.

Kevin Goetz, comments in discussion with author, 2011.

SCENE TWO: THE GREAT CONTRACTION

Peter Chernin, interview with author, November 2011.

Cassian Elwes, comments in discussion with author, July 2011.

SCENE THREE: HAVE YOUR POPCORN WITH SOME CHOPSTICKS

Jim Gianopulos, interview with author, September 12, 2012.

Richard Verrier, Ben Fritz, and Sergei Loiko, “Coming Soon to a Theater Near Yuri,”
Los Angeles Times,
June 25, 2011.

Sanford Panitch, interview with author, September 15, 2011.

Michael Cieply, “In China Movie Pact, More 3D, Less Reality,”
New York Times,
February 19, 2012.

Rachel Abrams, “China’s Film Quota Cracked,”
Variety,
February 20, 2012.

Clifford Coonan, quoting Zhang Hongsen, vice head of SARFT’s Film Bureau, “China Clears ‘Dark Knight,’ Spidey Showdown,”
Variety,
July 19, 2012.

Nikki Finke, “Thomas Tull Forms Legendary East Ltd: Marks Formal Entry into Chinese Film Market,” Deadline Hollywood, June 8, 2011.

Steven Zeitchik and Jonathan Landreth, “Hollywood Gripped by Pressure System from China,”
Los Angeles Times,
June 12, 2012.

SCENE FOUR: CREATING PREAWARENESS

Vincent Bruzzese, comments in discussion with author, 2011.

Sue Kroll, comments in discussion with author, August 19, 2009.

SCENE FIVE: FROM PARAMOUNT TO PARANOIA

John Goldwyn, interview with author, March 27, 2009.

Sherry Lansing, interview with author, October 11, 2011.

Donald De Line, comments in discussion with author, August 12, 2012.

SCENE SIX: THE CATASTROPHE

Rick Rosen, comments in discussion with author, 2011.

Marc Norman, interview with author, August 18, 2011.

Patric Verrone, comments in discussion with author, October 24, 2012.

Robert Evans,
The Kid Stays in the Picture
(Beverly Hills, CA: New Millennium Press, 2002).

Nikki Finke, quoting an insider, “Exclusive: Talks Day #3 ‘Stalemated,’ ”

Deadline Hollywood, November 29, 2007.

Chris Keyser, interview with author, December 7, 2011.

SCENE SEVEN: THE DIASPORA

Rick Rosen, comments in discussion with author, 2011.

James Wolcott, “Prime Time’s Graduation,”
Vanity Fair,
May 2012.

Gail Berman, interview with author, September 15, 2011.

Todd Milliner, interview with author, October 3, 2011.

Jonathan Nolan, interview with author, January 4, 2012.

Patrick Moran, interview with author, June 24, 2011.

SCENE EIGHT: DOES THE FUTURE HAVE A FUTURE?

Jonathan Nolan, interview with author, January 4, 2012.

Michael Lynton, interview with author, December 16, 2011.

1.
 Licensed By: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2.
 Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

3.
 Courtesy of Sue Kroll

4.
 Courtesy of Kevin Goetz

5.
 Courtesy of Jim Gianopulos

6.
 Photo by Eric Charbonneau / BEImages

7.
 Courtesy of John Goldwyn

8.
 Photo by Eric Charbonneau / BEImages

9.
 Courtesy of Gail Berman

10.
 Photo by Leroy Hamilton

11.
 Photo by Michael Jones

12.
 Courtesy of Rick Rosen and Howard Gordon

13.
 Courtesy of WME

14.
 Photo by Mike Yarish—© 2012 Viacom International Inc. Courtesy of TV Land

15.
 Photo: John P. Filo/CBS © 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

16.
 Photo by Jamie Rector /
www.jamierector.com

17.
 Photo by Susan Baker

Abandon,
119
–24

Abarbanell, Rachel,
206
,
230
,
253

ABC Studios,
223
,
228

Abduction,
26

About Schmidt,
92

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,
61
,
247

Abrams, J. J.,
156
–57,
200

Accused, The,
110

Adorno, Theodor,
105
,
258

Adult Swim,
234

Affleck, Ben,
6
,
7
,
15
,
82
,
254

Aftershock,
71

aggregation,
262

Alias,
156

Alice in Wonderland,
5
,
67

Al Jolson Sings,
246

All in the Family,
221

Almost Famous,
125

alternate venues,
233
–34

Amazing Spider-Man, The,
5
,
9
,
70
,
72
,
241
,
258

Amazon,
39
,
209
,
233
,
234
,
261

AMC Entertainment,
69
,
236
–37

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee,
114
–16

American Horror Story,
199

American Idol,
150
,
199
,
209
,
222
,
235

AMPTP (Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) [aka Moguls],
163
,
233

see also
writers’ strike

Anastasia,
230

Anderson, Paul Thomas,
92
,
159

Anderson, Wes,
258

“Angry Birds,”
5

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging,
157
,
159

animation,
3
,
129

Annaud, Jean-Jacques,
75

AOL,
262

Apatow, Judd,
8

Apple,
233

Apple Pie quadrant,
87
–88,
90
,
99

Apted, Michael,
185

Arbitrage,
45

Argo,
6
,
16
,
82
,
254

Aronofsky, Darren,
92
,
250

Arrested Development,
204

Assassin’s Creed,
5

Association of Talent Agents (ATA),
186
–87

Attanasio, Paul,
201

Aurora, Colorado, shooting,
242

Avary, Roger,
250

Avatar,
48
,
51
,
63
,
67
,
71
,
75
–76,
89
,
244

Avengers, The,
5
,
110
,
242
,
244

Aviv, Oren,
104

Awards Season,
29
–30

Bachelorette,
45

Bad Teacher,
21

Bardem, Javier,
62

Basic Instinct,
250

Bateman, Jason,
34

Batman
franchise,
5
,
6
,
47
,
204

Battleship,
5
,
244

Battlestar Galactica,
231

Bay, Michael,
249

Beasts of the Southern Wild,
45

Beatty, Warren,
133
n

Bend It Like Beckham,
157

Bening, Annette,
114
,
115

Berman, Gail,
146
–48,
150
–52,
156
–58,
199
–202,
224
–26,
230

Berry Pie quadrant,
87
,
90
,
99

Bertinelli, Valerie,
214

Besson, Luc,
26

Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The,
152
,
249
,
259
,
260

Beverly Hills Cop,
109

Bible,
250

Bicks, Jenny,
210

bidding wars,
23

Biden, Joe,
67

Bieber, Justin,
45

Big Bang,
238

Big C, The,
203
,
222

Big Chill, The,
10

Bigelow, Kathryn,
7
,
47
,
254

Big Love,
236

Black Swan,
16
,
123
,
198
,
250

Blair Witch Project, The,
99

Blake, Jeff,
86
,
103

Blocker (production exec),
131
–32,
139
,
141
,
144
,
145
–46,
148

Body of Lies,
149

Bonaventura, Lorenzo di,
138

Bond, James,
19
,
254

Borgias, The,
199

Bourne Ultimatum, The,
146

Bowen, Marty,
229

box office, stability of,
242
–43

BoxOfficeMojo.com
,
246

Boyle, Danny,
66

Branagh, Kenneth,
8

Bratt, Benjamin,
124

Braun, Lloyd,
199
,
201

Brave,
262

Braveheart,
3

Brazil,
9

Breaking Bad,
205
,
220
,
221
,
223
,
236

Brewer, Craig,
145

Bridesmaids,
13
–18,
33
,
204
,
249

and buzz,
15

and chick flicks,
8
,
9
,
16
,
17
–18

opening,
15
,
18
,
100

and Oscar nominations,
199

overperformance of,
18
,
58
,
98
–99

and quadrants,
88
,
98
–99

and risk-taking,
11

tracking numbers,
8
–9,
13
–14,
18

Brillstein-Grey Entertainment,
143

broadcast television, FCC rules for,
222

Brothers and Sisters,
229

Bruckheimer, Jerry,
109

Bruzzese, Vinny,
83
,
98
,
99
,
102
,
104
–5

BSkyB,
52
n

Buchwald, Art,
184