Today’s lunchtime news chum brings together a collection of stories all about the entertainment industry:
- A Period Problem. A recent LA Times article explored a growing problem in period movies: Period actors who don’t look period. The problem is that audiences these days expect their movies to correctly reflect the period, even in high definition. Everything must be exact. Now combine this with actors who actually have good diets, visit the dentist, have tattoos and piercings, and you have a problem. Somethings you can cover with makeup. Others you can. The article gives the example of Daniel Day Lewis’s pierced ear, and Brad Pitt’s pecs, but I’m sure there are others.
- A Smashing Problem. Tonight, Smash returns to the schedule. Many people thought the first season turned into a train wreck. I actually enjoyed the first season, but do agree that some of the subplots were simply silly and some of the musical numbers made absolutely no sense (such as the Bollywood number, which I enjoyed anyway). BuzzFeed has a very nice article exploring the first season of Smash, and presenting their opinion as to why the first season became a train wreck. From everything I’ve read, the new showrunner is doing a good job bringing the show back to where it should be.
- A Ticketmaster Problem. When I went to purchase tickets for Elton John, Caesars was using a ticketing service I had never heard of: AXS. They still added outrageous service charges, so I put them in the same book with Ticketmaster (I use them only when I must). The LA Times had an interesting article on who is behind AXS: Evidently, AXS is AEG’s competitor to Ticketmaster. AEG is moving to use AXS at all of its Los Angeles venues — including the Staples Center (and for all Staples sports tenants). The transition from Ticketmaster will slowly be moved out. Only two venues I frequent use Ticketmaster (Pantages and Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza). I avoid fees at the first by going to the box office in person; I avoid fees at the second by being a season subscriber.
