It’s been way too long since the Hollywood community has taken the opportunity to congratulate itself, don’t you think? Many of you have probably spent the past few weeks since the last major televised award show (for the record, that would be the Grammys, held way back on January 31) suffering withdrawals, craving those oh so meaningful thank you speeches. Now, I know we have just witnessed 2 plus weeks of sports competitions of the highest caliber held in some far away exotic place (kind of), but please, let’s be real, the most important race for gold is the race for that golden statuette named Oscar held in the most glamorous place possible – the Kodak Theater on Hollywood Boulevard (okay, I’ll admit to a bit of sarcasm there). Sarcasm aside, who can dispute that the Canadians’ efforts to own the Olympic podium pale in comparison to Harvey Weinstein’s efforts to bring home Oscar gold? Well, James Cameron or Kathryn Bigelow may have something to say about that last one. (more...)

webcast It's time for a new episode of Mediaite Office Hours, from Livestream.com's studio at 3pmET. Joining us today will be Slate's Mickey Kaus, Jonathan Fuhrman,

The Saints have finally come marching home and football season is now over after a great Super Bowl last Sunday. (Although, please don’t get me started on that halftime show by The Who. The better question that came to my mind is Why? or How?, but I guess some lyrics such as “I hope I die before I get old” are truly meant to live on merely as unfulfilled prophecies). As a great portion of the population now enters a deep period of post-football season mourning, there is a dawning realization that Sundays are now wide open again. Time to get out of the house and do something. And don’t tell me you will be home watching the Winter Olympics, because I don’t believe you. It’s OK though, Hollywood has grand plans for you, as the Valentine’s Day/President’s Day weekend mash up has become a favorite weekend for Hollywood to debut shiny new products. By far the shiniest film to debut over this upcoming four day holiday weekend is Valentine’s Day. I wish I could say that among all of its shiny-ness there was something new about this film, but not so much. (more...)

A glance at my watch indicated it was just before 1am on the first Saturday night/early Sunday morn of the Sundance Film Festival. The setting was downstairs at Ciseros restaurant on Main St in Park City, which had been rechristened for the week as the Island/Def Jam House of Hype aka The Film Lounge, one of the hottest party spots/ gifting lounges during the festival. (more...)

As the masses from Hollywood and around the world descend on an idyllic little ski village in Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival, one man’s many hours of work behind the scenes will again come to the forefront of the minds of every festivalgoer. I know what you are thinking, not another story about Robert Redford and all of the great work he has done in putting together the most important independent film showcase in the world. That’s ok, this isn’t that story. This is a story about another visionary who for the most part remains behind the scenes, simply as a name at the top of a list. Not just any list, mind you, but the ‘holy grail’ of lists at the Sundance Film Festival, the Party List also known as the Party Grid, also known as any festivalgoer’s essential point of access to the glamorous dinners, cocktail parties, and free shwag that have become a huge part of the Sundance Film Festival experience. (Yes, there are movies at Sundance too). Meet the Party King of Sundance, the keeper of the list, Christopher Ryan. (more...)

There has been much written about and discussed since the Big Late Night TV Shakeup of 2010 has commenced. No doubt we will all remember where we were on the day we heard the news that Jay was bumping Conan from the 11:35 pm time slot. As a fully-fledged member of Team Conan, let’s just say I’m very disappointed in NBC’s current plans. However, apparently I have nothing on Hitler, as his response to the late night mess in the above video sums it up better than I ever could. And let me state for the record that never in my lifetime or a thousand lifetimes from now did I imagine I would ever type the preceding sentence. (more...)

To those of you spending this holiday vacation week lounging on a beach somewhere, without a care in the world, you may have missed the news that this past weekend was a record-breaking one at movie theaters across the US. Although its apparent from this weekend's box office results that most of you were not at the beach or not even at the mall returning unwanted Christmas presents, you and everyone you know went to the movies this weekend. At least it sure seems like that. The weekend box office numbers were off the charts. The three-day US total was $278 million, shattering the previous record of $260.8 million from the three day weekend when The Dark Knight opened in July 2008. How did this happen, why did this happen? Well, it would be easy to answer these questions in one magical word composed of three consonants and the letter "A", i.e. "AVATAR". But that would not do justice to the other films that performed like kings of the box office world over the weekend. (more...)

This holiday weekend, after over-indulging in much food and beverage and spending perhaps just a little more time with your family and friends than you can handle, many of you will partake in that most American of traditions: escaping to the multiplex.  Sitting in a darkened movie theater and worshipping the big screen is a religion that unites us all.  But what movie should you go see?  Do not fear, because every year at this time Hollywood puts more cinematic gifts under your Christmas tree (or Hannukah Bush) than at any other time of year (outside of the big summer movie season, of course, but these are Oscar bait).  Kids are out of school, offices are closed and the movie theaters are packed. So at a time when there are 10-plus new films opening in wide release in movie theaters over a 2 week span, how does a movie-goer determine what is the must-see film to put at the top of his or her list? It’s all about the buzz. (more...)

Today is a hotly anticipated day inside Hollywood - the release of the annual Black List. You may be asking yourself the following questions: 1) What is the Black List, 2) Why should I care? and 3) Isn’t McCarthyism dead? Well to start backwards, the answer to #3 is I sure hope so, though I have my fears. But let’s get to the answers to #1 and #2. Rest assured that, as opposed to being on McCarthy’s Black List, to be on the 2009 Black List is a very good thing, and potentially a very lucrative honor. Since 2004, Universal Studios film executive Franklin Leonard has been compiling a list of the top 100 unproduced screenplays of the year. He named this list the “Black List”. The list is compiled the good old fashioned way in Hollywood - by lots of insiders (executives, financiers, agents, assistants, you name it). Leonard first solicits these exclusive insiders for their top screenplay choices and then compiles the results in one hotly anticipated list. In most cases, if a screenplay cracks the top 10, all the big players in town have already fought over the rights to it and a film based thereon is usually in active development (for example, see this year’s #2 Black List choice “The Social Network” written by Aaron Sorkin - yes, he of “The West Wing” and “A Few Good Men” fame - this is the famous “how Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook” movie, and the film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake will be a high-profile release by Sony Pictures in 2010). But the number of screenplays on the list that are already greenlit pictures in production is very low. The true value of the list is that it shines a light on a lot of great not-yet-produced work out there, and if a screenplay does appear on this list, there is a very good shot it will actually get made. (more...)

the aughts I have a fun little project for you. Why don’t you try condensing 10 years of movies you love into 1 column? Go on, I dare you. In the meantime, here’s my list for you to dwell on and inspire you. Now to be clear, this is not my list of what I think are the 10 best movies of the decade. You can look to Roger Ebert and his brethren of critics to inundate you with such lists between now and the end of the year. Instead, this is a list of the movies that I know I will still be watching and re-watching 10 and 20 years from now whenever they show up on cable. Oh wait, apparently cable TV won’t exist anymore in 10 years, so let’s just say these are the 10 movies that I will beam directly into my brain when I want some 00’s nostalgia and just want to be entertained and captivated by a movie. So here we go. >>>FIRST UP: "Superbad"

This week in Hollywood, it’s difficult — nay, impossible — to ignore the impact of the teenage girl demographic. Yes, I am talking about that little Twilight movie. And by "little movie," of course I mean that ridiculously huge, impossible to ignore, will-make-over-$100-million-in-its-first-weekend-at-the-US-box-office movie that opens in theaters today. The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens in theaters almost exactly one year from the date when the first little Twilight movie entered our lives. You know, the one based on a ‘children’s book’ by Stephenie Meyer (in fact it was named one of Publishers Weekly’s best children’s books of 2005), about a teenage girl who moves to a new town and just happens to fall in love with a vampire (happens all the time), the one that single-handedly turned a tiny indie studio, Summit Entertainment Group — previously best known for partnering with Disney/Touchstone on the "Step Up" franchise — into a force to be reckoned with, and pretty much the envy of all of Hollywood. Aside from the once-a-decade type of phenomenon that is the recently released Paranormal Activity ($15K budget; $100 million-plus box office), has there been a more profitable, franchise-creating film in recent years than that first little Twilight movie? I think upon a glance at the box office returns it's safe to say the answer is no. Let's consider the numbers. (more...)

Welcome to my brand spanking new column. You may be asking yourself, who is Jonathan Fuhrman, why does he have a new column, and why should I care. It's okay, I ask myself versions of that first and last question all the time (and I still don’t have a good answer). In any event, here I am, with the goal of sharing my take on the business that is show, and basically anything pop-culture related. What makes me qualified to write such a column? How's this: I am an entertainment attorney by profession and have been practicing since 2000, and I spent the past 3 years as a VP of Business & Legal Affairs at a movie studio. It is my hope that this column will stand out from the countless others on these Interwebs because I have actually spent the last decade working in this business and have seen Hollywood’s wheelings and dealings THISCLOSEUP. And I lived to tell the tale. But more than that, I think the qualification that matters most is my passion for the entertainment industry and all of the wonderful, not quite so wonderful and downright tacky ideas, fads, and mass-media influenced beliefs that make up that which we call ‘popular culture’. (more...)