by Lynda Obst
Private Practice, 183
Proposal, The, 88
quadrant-think, 86–89, 90, 98–99
Quaid, Dennis, 43
Quiz Show, 201
Rabbit-Proof Fence, 205
Raff, Gideon, 196
Rahman, Sheik, 115
recession, 38, 189, 192, 240
Redford, Robert, 203n
Redstone, Sumner M., 111, 127–28, 141, 154–56
Relativity Media, 69
Remington Steele, 204
Resnick, Adam, 132
Revenge, 205, 227–28, 230, 231
Rhimes, Shonda, 183
Rich, Blair, 80
Ripa, Kelly, 133n
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, 33, 34, 35
risk aversion, 2–4, 11, 40
Roberts, Emma, 157
Roberts, Julia, 9, 62, 86, 126
Robinov, Jeff, 80, 81
Robinson, Matthew, 46
Romeo and Juliet, 48–49
Rosen, Rick, 147, 150, 207–8
and Homeland, 196–97
on profitability, 237–39
on TV-movie blending, 202–4, 205
and writers’ strike, 166, 186
Rothman, Tom, 52
Rudin, Scott, 137, 203
Russia:
film market in, 65, 67
Titanic shown in, 54–56
Transformers shown in, 57
Ryan, Meg, 198
Ryan, Shawn, 186
Saldana, Zoe, 43
Salt, 205
Sandler, Adam, 103
Saturday Night Live (SNL), 15, 214
Schwartz, Josh, 204
Schwarzenegger, Arnold, 173
Scorsese, Martin, 47, 67
Scott, Ridley, 149
Scott, Seann William, 141
Screen Actors Guild (SAG), 167–68
Screen Engine, 90
seasons, 224–26
Seinfeld, 209, 221
Sella, Tony, 104
Selznick, David O., 5, 92–94, 97
Sense and Sensibility, 102
sequel fatigue, 105–6
sequels, 5, 11–12, 18, 33, 76–78, 106, 130, 245–46
Serendipity, 171
Seven Years in Tibet, 75
Sex and the City, 210
Shakespeare in Love, 168
Shalhoub, Tony, 116
Shanghai Knights, 101
Shankman, Adam, 141
Sheridan, Jim, 145
Sherry Lansing Foundation, 136, 142
Showgirls, 250
Showtime, 196–97, 199, 215n, 222
Shrek, 3, 129
Siege, The, 23, 24, 113, 114, 119
Silver Linings Playbook, The, 16
Simanton, Keith, 246
Simon, David, 204
Simon, Ellen, 125
Simpson, Don, 109
Sixties, The, 207
Skyfall, 254
Sky TV, 117
Sleepless in Seattle, 88, 99, 198
Slumdog Millionaire, 66, 104, 259
Smash, 222
Smith, Kiwi, 15, 171
Smith, Maggie, 259
Smith, Pinkett, 202
Smith, Will, 202
Snider, Stacey, 47, 143
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, 74
Snow White and the Huntsman, 5
Social Network, The, 86, 103–4, 203, 204, 254
Soho House, 29
Someone Like You, 211
Something Borrowed, 8
Something’s Gotta Give, 88
Sony Pictures:
author’s deal with, 221–23, 230–31, 235
and China, 70–71, 72, 73
international television, 235
and marketing, 86
and Moneyball, 47
and Oscar season, 254
Sopranos, 204
Sorkin, Aaron, 104, 204
special effects, 3, 75, 129–31
Spider-Man, 5, 9, 70, 72, 241, 258
Spielberg, Steven, 6, 21, 84, 130, 143, 160, 222, 250, 254
Stanley, Alessandra, 227
Star Trek, 5, 100, 110, 151, 200
Star TV, 4, 52
Star Wars, 11
Steel, Dawn, 23, 65, 112
Steers, Burr, 125
Step-Dude, 140
Stewart, Jon, 186
Stewart, Kristen, 245
Stone, Emma, 5, 21
Stone, Oliver, 133n
Stowe, Madeleine, 229
Streep, Meryl, 61–62
Sucker Punch, 82
Summit Entertainment, 69
Sundance, 45, 145, 252
Superbad, 21
Sutton, Willie, 205, 235
Swingtown, 229
SyFy, 231, 235
tadpoles, 9–10, 41–46, 258–59, 260–61
Taken, 26–27
Tarantino, Quentin, 61
Tartikoff, Brandon, 200
Tassler, Nina, 209
TBS (Turner Broadcasting System), 234
Teamsters Union, 174, 180
technology, 11
digital shooting, 43–45, 232, 261
emails, 31–32
“film program” manipulating pixels, 44
and Great Contraction, 37–38, 41, 43
High Definition (HD), 43–44
IMAX, 57, 67–68, 71, 74, 76
online streaming, 163, 232, 233
special effects, 3, 75, 129–31
3D, 57, 66–68, 76, 106
and writers’ strike, 38–39
Ted, 198, 242, 249–50
television:
advertising, 228, 237, 239
author’s move to, 194–95
and the “Brightly Burning Show,” 231–33
broadcast, 208, 222
cable, 215, 219, 236–37, 239
digital outlets, 232–34
FCC rules, 222
golden age of, 220
international, 235
network, 216–20, 228, 237, 239
online streaming, 232–33
ownership of, 236–39
packaging fees, 237
pitch season, 32, 226–27
profitability of, 205–6, 235–39
rating points, 237
reality programming, 165
seasons, 224–26
series, 206, 253
showrunners, 180, 183, 191
studios, 236–37
syndication rights, 228, 235, 237, 238
as writer’s medium, 191, 195, 219
Television People:
blending with Movie People, 200–206
vs. Movie People, 198–200
Tellem, Nancy, 234
tentpole movies, 5–7, 12, 18, 23, 35, 41, 46, 130, 192, 204, 244, 246
That ’70s Show, 198
There’s Something About Mary, 21
There Will Be Blood, 159
Theron, Charlize, 138
Thing, The, 5
Third Rock from the Sun, 209
This Is My Life, 252
This Is Your Life, 251
Thor, 5, 8, 15, 18, 88
3D, 57, 66–68, 76, 106
Time Warner, 235
Titanic, 3, 48–50, 51, 54–56, 89, 244
Tomb Raider, 61
Top Gun, 109
Toronto Film Festival, 79–80
Tourist, The, 59–60
Town, The, 16
Toy Story, 89, 262
Traffic, 119
Traister, Rebecca, 15
Transformers, 5, 11, 12, 57, 63, 110, 160, 249
Travolta, John, 132
TriStar, 73
Tull, Thomas, 69, 74
TV Land, 213–14
12 Monkeys, 9
21 and Over, 70
Twentieth-Century Fox Film, 36 24, 150, 199, 205, 231–32
Twilight franchise, 5, 11, 28, 69, 89, 100–101, 130, 229, 244
Twitter, 261
Two and a Half Men, 209, 212, 238
United 93, 146
Universal Studios, 242, 254
UPN (United Paramount Network), 232
Utley, Nancy, 104
VanCamp, Emily, 229
Vane, Dick, 121–22
Vanity Fair, 199
Vantage, 159–60
Variety, 28, 49, 169
Verhoeven, Paul, 250
Verrone, Patric, 167, 171, 187–89
Viacom, 5, 127–29, 130, 142, 154–56
video games, 60–61
video on demand (VOD), 39, 45
Voice, The, 222
Wahlberg, Mark, 138, 159
WALL-E, 262
Wanda group, 69, 71
Warner Bros.:
and China, 70–71, 72
and Christopher Nolan, 47, 79
and DC catalog, 247
decision-making in, 81–82
and franchises, 12, 192
and Harry Potter, 12, 80
and HBO, 4
and Inception, 84
and Matrix, 138
and Oscar season, 254
Worldwide Marketing, 79–81
War of the Worlds, 143, 145
Washington, Denzel, 24, 114, 116
Wasserman, Lew, 174, 176
Watchmen, 146, 148
Wedding Crashers, The, 58–59
Weeds, 222
Weiner, Matt, 205
Weiner, Tim, 24
Weitz, Richard, 213
Welcome to the Sticks, 59
Weston, Brad, 152–53, 159–60
West Wing, 204
Whitaker, Forest, 42
White, Betty, 214
Wiatt, Jim, 137
Wiig, Kristen, 15–16, 17
Wilde, Olivia, 43
Wilkinson, Tom, 259
Will & Grace, 209, 213
Williams, Michelle, 198
Willis, Bruce, 114
Wilson, Luke, 125
Wilson, Owen, 101, 141
Winchell, Walter, 169
Winfrey, Oprah, 42
Winnie (financier), 2
Winslet, Kate, 199
Wire, The, 204, 220
Witherspoon, Reese, 133n
WME, 166, 197, 207, 210, 231, 237
Wolcott, James, 199, 215
Wolitzer, Meg, 251
Words, The, 43
World of Warcraft, 5, 61
World Trade Center, 1993 bombing, 24, 115
World War Z, 111
Wright, Lawrence, 115
Writers Guild of America (WGA), 162–95
Writers Guild strike (1959–60), 166, 174
Writers Guild strike (1988), 38, 162, 163, 166, 167, 174, 185
writers’ strike (2008), 23, 109, 162–95
aftermath of, 190–95, 200–201
Ardent Fall, 171–76
and author’s contract not renewed, 193–95
and Christmas, 179–80
and DGA, 164, 167–68, 180, 183, 185–88
Fading February, 180–90
force majuere, 178–79, 193
and Internet market, 38, 163–64, 165, 166, 185
and Moguls (AMPTP), 163–68, 172, 176–79, 183–87, 190–92, 233
narrator, 169–70
and the next one, 189–90, 233
October 2007 strike deadline, 164–69
and Oscar deadline, 186, 190
and recession, 38
and technology, 38–39
Wu, Bruno, 69
Xbox, 234
X-Files, The, 205
Xi Jinping, 67, 72, 73–74
X-Men: First Class, 5, 8
Young, David, 171, 187
Young, Jim, 43
YouTube, 27, 45, 100, 209, 233, 239, 261
Zelman, Daniel, 205
Zemeckis, Robert, 3, 251, 254
Zero Dark Thirty, 7, 47, 254
Ziskin, Laura, 9, 42, 123, 202
Zwick, Ed, 24, 69, 113, 114–15, 119
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Copyright © 2013 by Lynda Obst
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First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition June 2013
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Obst, Lynda.
Sleepless in Hollywood : tales from the new abnormal in the movie business /
Lynda Obst. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Motion picture industry—United States. I. Title.
PN1993.5.U6O29 2013
384’.8‘0973—dc23
201251638
ISBN 978-1-4767-2774-5
ISBN 978-1-4767-2776-9 (ebook)