Sharon Waxman, is the founder, CEO and Editor in Chief of TheWrap. She is an award-winning journalist and best-selling author, and was a Hollywood correspondent for The New York Times. Twitter: @sharonwaxman
Experience:
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We Asked for Input; You Gave It. Preview to The Wrap News
What do our readers want? Independence. Context. Analysis. Investigation. Fact-based reporting. A forward-looking narrative. A global perspective. Those were the comments from those who took our survey last week about the landscape of entertainment news, sent to nearly 1,000 Hollywood insiders. From the shortest response to the longest commentary, the thought-leaders who took our survey …
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Prosecution to Rest in Anand Jon; Defense this Week
The prosecution nears the end of its run in the trial of Anand Jon. In more than two weeks of testimony, all nine women plaintiffs have taken the stand to accuse him of rape, and several more have testified as to his poor character, giving their versions of assault. There have been emotional moments, and…
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Box Office to the Dogs, Again
UPDATED: From Media By Numbers. Here’s the box office numbers, quick and dirty: "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is top dog, again, taking in $17.5 million, according to studio estimates. "Quarantine," the pulpy horror film from Sony’s Screen Gems, took in $14 million. "Body of Lies" is a head-scratcher. Here’s an A-list director, Ridley Scott, with a…
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Sources: DreamWorks To Close Deal with Universal
UPDATE TO READERS: A warm welcome to readers coming from The Daily Beast, our new editorial partner. Read the same post there. DreamWorks has all-but-officially closed a distribution deal with Universal, with an announcement expected in the next few days, my sources tell me. Three major studios were vying for the guaranteed cash that comes…
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Nick Denton: Live by the Snark, Die by the Snark
"The golden age of the blog is over." So writes Nick Denton, the chief honcho at Gawker Media, explaining in an internal memo his reason for firing 19 people last week. This, even as he reports that his advertising is up 30 percent over last year. He’s cutting people and incentive bonuses, he says, because…
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Sarah Palin Visits SoCal
Sarah Palin at a rally in Carson today. Photo by Jonathan Alcorn. More at his blog.
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“Chihuahua” Bites Man: Bev Hills Dog tops at Box Office; Greg Kinnear Film a Flop
Give the people what they want. What do they want? Singing Chihuahua movies. Two early estimates from the weekend box office: Disney’s "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" movie will rake in $28.5 million, a serious box office sweep. Let’s just get the concept behind this movie straight: a dog, best known from a taco commercial, visits Beverly…
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Is Tyler Perry a Cheapskate? His Writers, Fired, to Picket
Four fired writers from Tyler Perry’s production company, House of Payne, are planning to picket the opening of the niche superstar’s new studio in Atlanta on Saturday. They had been demanding the right to unionize, and were fired instead on Tuesday. "Disrespected, betrayed, saddened," is how one of those writers, Lamont Ferrell described himself, on…
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Is SAG strike imminent? A Call for a Vote
Yesterday, the Screen Actors Guild negotiating committee passed an advisory motion recommending that the board whip up a resolution to vote on an authorization to strike. This sounds like madness, and maybe it is, but my read is that the guild is looking to put pressure on the studios to return to the negotiating table.…
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“Religulous”: Bill Maher Spreads Interfaith Harmony (Not Really)
What better way to greet the Jewish New Year than with a packed sneak preview screening of Bill Maher’s new religion-skewering documentary, "Religulous"? For years now we have been listening to Maher diminish and mock religion in general, religious people in particular and especially Catholicism, with a very special glee. Now he sets out across…
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Celebs Amuse Each Other at Private Political Fundraiser: Steve Martin, Larry David, Ben Affleck
Did you know Diane Keaton could sing? She doesn’t, in public. But this is the kind of thing celebrities do when no one is looking: they amuse themselves. At a no-media-allowed fundraiser for six Democratic Senate candidates at the home of CAA partner David ‘Doc’ O’Connor on Saturday night, a crowd of 400 glittering celebrities…
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Sacha Rules the Catwalk: Bruno!
Sacha Baron-Cohen has been arrested twice now in Milan for crashing his way down the catwalk as he shoots his new cinema verite film as the fashionista character, "Bruno." Here he is in a velcro suit at the Agata Luiz della Prada show. As he was arrested, he covered his head with a green piece…
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Box Office: “EagleEye” No. 1, “Fireproof” finds the Faith-Based Cash
A strong opening for the DreamWorks-Paramount thriller, "EagleEye," at $29.2 million, says Media By Numbers. The film starring Shia LaBeouf was in 3,500 theaters, and averaged $89,319 per theater. "Nights in Rodanthe," from Warner Bros, took in $13.5 million "Lakeview Terrace" dropped 53%, and took in $7 million The most interesting development at the box…
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Anand Jon Trial: Holly Gavel In the CrossHairs
Trial Update: Two alleged victims of the former designer have testified this month. The first Heather, had a blonde bob and a sweet smile. She testified that when she was just 14 in 2003, Jon tongue-kissed her at a fashion event. She trembled and teared up on the stand. Jon “terrified” her, she said. Under…
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Overheard at Starbucks on Montana
Bobby Shriver, brother of Maria, son of Eunice Kennedy and Sargent, wearing a large "Bobby Shriver, City Council" pin. The local Santa Monica election looms. Shriver, an incumbent on the council, is certain to keep his seat. Bobby: "Are you going to vote for me?" Me: "Of course I’m going to vote for you, Bobby."…