Nice Wheels
There has been, I'm told (and this is no big deal), an effort by Universal to lure Judd Apatow and the gang away from Sony. So in order to seduce everyone into feeling warm, happy and soothed about their relationship with Sony (as well as extend thanks for Pineapple's $40.4 million earnings since Wednesday), Sony chairman Amy Pascal has, I'm told, gifted Apatow and nine others with brand-new, straight-out-of-the-showroom Lexus hybrids.
I'm not 100% sure about any of this or, if it's true, if ten Lexus hybrids were in fact purchased. (A reliable well-placed source called and told me so, is all.) But I'm told that on top of Apatow the new-car owners are Pineapple costars Seth Rogen and James Franco and -- here's a mild eyebrow-raiser -- Columbia co-presidents Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, who were given their power-sharing posts about ten or eleven weeks ago.
Lexus hybrids (the precise name is Lexus LS 600h L) were going for $104,000 a pop last year at this time, so the cost of ten would obviously be roughly $1,040,000, not including tax and license fees. This is good. Spending is always good. Spread it around. Uncork the champagne.
We all remember Steven Spielberg gifting Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter and John Goodman with brand-new Mazda Miatas when they all finished shooting the execrable Always. (Nineteen years ago...wow.) I haven't heard about any other car-gifting sprees by studios, but it probably happens from time to time.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on August 10, 2008 at 4:21 PM
comment #1
Suibne says ...
[Deleted because the poster is an hysterical and illogical fool.]
Posted by Suibne at August 10, 2008 5:11 PM
comment #2
Gnome de Guerre says ...
Never understood the car-gifting thing (yeah, I'd heard of it in several cases). You're giving something that's like pocket change to someone who's already making millions. It's not like the car's even hard to get. That's like someone giving me an iphone on top of my salary and bonus. Ok, nice to have, nice gesture, but it's not going to win my loyalty in case someone else comes a' wooin. Plus, if I'd wanted an iphone (or lexus in this case) I'd have already bought one.
Posted by Gnome de Guerre at August 10, 2008 5:49 PM
comment #3
scooterzz says ...
one of my all-time favorite hollywood sightings was, many years ago, seeing john goodman stuffed into his convertable miata driving through laurel canyon...
it looked like he'd escaped from autopia or a bumper car ride......
Posted by scooterzz at August 10, 2008 5:57 PM
comment #4
dangovich says ...
I'd pay money to see John Goodman driving a Miata.
Posted by dangovich at August 10, 2008 5:57 PM
comment #5
dangovich says ...
Wow, no sooner do I submit my post than news comes in of a Goodman/Miata sighting. Thanks scooterzz, I don't suppose you have a picture?
Posted by dangovich at August 10, 2008 5:59 PM
comment #6
scooterzz says ...
afraid it was the prehistoric days before camera-phones......
Posted by scooterzz at August 10, 2008 6:04 PM
comment #7
Studly Semite says ...
When the Firm opened #1 in 1993, Tom Cruise, Sydney Pollack, etc. all got BMWs
Posted by Studly Semite at August 10, 2008 6:10 PM
comment #8
pbjmahwah says ...
Didn't NBC used to do that often with its sitcom stars: Friends, Mad About You, Will & Grace. . . ? I think they always did that the first year or so to keep them around. Then the stars would all fleece NBC for a million each per episode for a last season whose ratings were in the dumper. And, while not a car, I remember one of the studios that made Titanic (Paramount, maybe?) made a big announcement -- "hey, aren't we swell or what?" -- they had given Leo & Kate a bonus of a million dollars when the movie hit 400 million or something like that.
Posted by pbjmahwah at August 10, 2008 6:34 PM
comment #9
mutinyco says ...
When I was a badass 17-year-old making VHS shorts films, my parents bought me a used Mitsubishi Galant...
Posted by mutinyco at August 10, 2008 7:08 PM
comment #10
cjKennedy says ...
"it looked like he'd escaped from autopia..." ahahhaha that was good.
Posted by cjKennedy at August 10, 2008 7:14 PM
comment #11
MilkMan says ...
Like I should say anything. I let my dad buy new tires for my car. Now when he calls and says he wants to see my son, I'm going to have to say yes.
James Frames looks like he would drive a Maserati.
What a bunch of cheapskates. Judd & Friends make movies that end up grossing hundreds of millions of dollars and they can't spring for some Rolls-Royces? You want to fuck the best whores in town you have to spend a little.
Posted by MilkMan at August 10, 2008 8:00 PM
comment #12
berg says ...
one of the studios that made Titanic (Paramount, maybe?)
...
20th Century Fox made Titanic, and when the film went over budget Paramount bought out the domestic distribution rights for a paltry sum
Posted by berg at August 10, 2008 8:08 PM
comment #13
D.Z. says ...
Speaking of Titanic, there's no way that TDK can beat it, unless you can convince the rest of the world to skip that Mummy threequel.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117990340.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
Though I'd really be impressed if this Batman at least beat the adjusted world-wide gross of the Burton movie.
Posted by D.Z. at August 10, 2008 9:54 PM
comment #14
deadre says ...
These kind of gifts reflect such a cheesy mentality on the part of the studios, don't they!
Posted by deadre at August 10, 2008 10:38 PM
comment #15
scooterzz says ...
actually, these kinds of gifts just reflect, well...these kinds of gifts.....it's a write-off and a story......
not too original, always good for ink....
where's the harm......
Posted by scooterzz at August 10, 2008 10:57 PM
comment #16
insidah says ...
Sony without Will Smith, Adam Sandler and The Jewfrow Apatow gang is like a chicken with its head cut off...it would be sort of fun to watch all these people jump ship and pascal squirm and take a fucking chance on something other than a sofia coppola costume drama.
Posted by insidah at August 10, 2008 11:30 PM
comment #17
Cadavra says ...
"When the Firm opened #1 in 1993, Tom Cruise, Sydney Pollack, etc. all got BMWs."
And producer John Davis, God bless him, promptly sold his and gave the money to charity.
A more thoughtful person would've given cash to all of the film's crew members and below-the-line actors, who undoubtedly need it far more than already-wealthy people need another car.
Posted by Cadavra at August 11, 2008 12:04 AM
comment #18
Rothchild says ...
John Davis wipes his ass with BMWs. He probably didn't even know what to do with it. Do you realize how much money he's worth? He comes from fairy tale level wealth.
God bless him?
Posted by Rothchild at August 11, 2008 3:40 AM
comment #19
DavidF says ...
They do the same thing at athletic events - give the World Series MVP an Escalade or whatever.
It's riddiculous on multiple articles and, frankly, like the Oscar gift bags is the worst of America: Multi-millionaires getting 5-figure freebies because:
a) Even rich people want and/or need more shit
b) If George Clooney wears the watch you gave him for free, maybe someone else will want one (even if they don't need it) and either buy one on their own or (if unable to afford it) steal one.
There are still, no doubt, thousands of people who think Oprah Winfrey giving away cars was some kind of altruistic act is it made a dent in her pocketbook; as it wasn't actually a promo event for Pontiac. The naievete is stunning.
The triumph of the free market. Yay!
At least the cars Apatow et al got were hybrids....
Posted by DavidF at August 11, 2008 7:17 AM
comment #20
hcat says ...
Paramount was in the deal before Titanic went over budget, they had their contribution capped at 64 million (half of the original budget) knowing that Cameron had a weak history of staying on budget and that the last movie to spend that many days at sea was Waterworld (which you may recall also went a wee overbudget).
In fact when Paramount kept compaining about Cameron not being able to make the July 4th release date or knowing when he would have it finished, Fox offered to buy back the domestic rights, but Paramount wisely refused and quieted down.
Posted by hcat at August 11, 2008 8:15 AM
comment #21
ZayTonday says ...
Yeah, Sony only snatched up Apatow after Universal gave him his break. Sony never has the vision to sign anything up that doesn't have some type of established market value. Everything they do is safe, often to a fault. Sometimes they get lucky with stuff like the new Bond movies and other times they'll have something great that they'll throw under the bus. Crappiest major studio out there other than Fox IMO.
Posted by ZayTonday at August 11, 2008 10:35 AM
comment #22
rr3333 says ...
Wonder what it costs to insure that thing?
Thats why I would kindly decline one of these pups.
BTW: There was a Steven Segal sighting. He was driving a Yugo.
Posted by rr3333 at August 11, 2008 11:01 AM
comment #23
D.Z. says ...
hcat: Their refusal was just dumb luck, if their output up until Aeon Flux is any indication.
Zay: Well, I wouldn't say everything, if their willingness to hire Raimi and Lee is any indication.
Posted by D.Z. at August 11, 2008 11:18 AM
comment #24
Cadavra says ...
"John Davis wipes his ass with BMWs. He probably didn't even know what to do with it. Do you realize how much money he's worth? He comes from fairy tale level wealth.
God bless him?"
Exactly my point. He didn't need another car, so he sold it and gave the money to people in need. If that isn't a noble gesture, I don't know what is.
Posted by Cadavra at August 11, 2008 1:24 PM
comment #25
Herry2008 says ...
I'd like to share it with the hotties who also like sports I met at ***R I C H L O V I N G.C O M***,where the hot affluent singles and sexy girls and models to
hook up for Hot Love, Flirt and Sexy Dating!
Posted by Herry2008 at August 12, 2008 2:24 AM
comment #26
Terry McCarty says ...
ZayTonday wrote:
Crappiest major studio out there other than Fox IMO.
Even studio cheerleader Patrick Goldstein finally came around to questioing the Fox crank-em-out ethos, which has resulted in this summer's underwhelming slate of films: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2008/08/foxs-cruel-summ.html
Posted by Terry McCarty at August 12, 2008 1:09 PM