"Club Penton" - Ask questions to Hollywood insider "Penton-Man"

[wallendo]

Originally Posted by Alan Gordon

Weren't they bought out by Thomson?

...

Actually, RCA was bought out by GE in the mid to late 80's. GE later got out of the consumer electronics business and sold the "GE" and "RCA" brand names to Thomson.

It is unfortunate, that the US electronics industry has shrunk so dramatically. But it is way off base to blame this on "corporations". Government policies in the US have played a significant role in decline of many industries. Populist anti-business policies as well as very high corporate taxes have played a very large role. Why, for instance, can the Japanese make quality monitors cheaper than we can? Many of these products are made primarily by machines, not manual labor. Why is it cheaper to operate a robot in Japan than the US? Why can American raw products be shipped across the Pacific Ocean and turned into steel in Japan and then shipped back at a lower cost than it can be manufactured in the US? Japan is not a third world country.

[Jeff Kleist]

It is unfortunate, that the US electronics industry has shrunk so dramatically. But it is way off base to blame this on "corporations". Government policies in the US have played a significant role in decline of many industries. Populist anti-business policies as well as very high corporate taxes have played a very large role.

We have one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the civilized world. Believe you me, there would have been no financial crisis if that was the situation that our tax laws were anti-business, because no one would have been able to set up the conditions that made it happen. In fact many corporations actually pay NO Federal income tax

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=5561455

Here's a piece from the Wall Street Journal that compares our tax rates with other countries specifically addressing this issue:

http://www.smartmoney.com/investing/...leading-22463/


Virtually all those Japanese products you mention are actually made in China and have been for years. If you walk into a Japanese store, full of Japanese made sets, you will find the prices much higher than the US partially due to tariffs. Only the really high end gear is actually made in Japan these days, and even that is being sent to China.

Poor wages, no regulation, no environmental protection etc as said above go a long way to making sure something's cheaper.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

We have one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the civilized world. Believe you me, there would have been no financial crisis if that was the situation that our tax laws were anti-business, because no one would have been able to set up the conditions that made it happen. In fact many corporations actually pay NO Federal income tax

I don't know, Jeff. I think it was largely caused by the fed by creating artificially/manipulating low interest rates, cheap money, and forcing Fannie and Freddie to loan money out to people who should have never been approved for the amount of money of they received. This entire environment they created was just ripe for the crooks to come out of the woodwork and the sub prime problem to really blossom. Of course, I'm simplifying this, but I think in essence this is what happened.

[Jeff Kleist]

I don't know, Jeff. I think it was largely caused by the fed by creating artificially/manipulating low interest rates, cheap money, and forcing Fannie and Freddie to loan money out to people who should have never been approved for the amount of money of they received. This entire environment they created was just ripe for the crooks to come out of the woodwork and the sub prime problem to really blossom. Of course, I'm simplifying this, but I think in essence this is what happened.

Yes, corporate/banking lobbyists pushed through those low rates. The Fed is a private company remember, that has historically been quite successful in being lobbied by business interests. Plus the banks were actively predatory lending to people who can't afford it using these new rules

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/us/07baltimore.html

[Objectivity]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

We have one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the civilized world. Believe you me, there would have been no financial crisis if that was the situation that our tax laws were anti-business, because no one would have been able to set up the conditions that made it happen. In fact many corporations actually pay NO Federal income tax

It's amazing how the same facts can be spun so many different ways. For example, when you say we have one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the civilized world, I would say the United States has one of the highest combined corporate tax rates, second only to Japan.

I point you in the direction of this Bloomberg commentary.

Microsoft has already said if proposed changes are put in place it will move thousands of jobs overseas to remain competitive in the global market. Do you think all those newly unemployed people will hurt or help the economy?

[Bobby Henderson]

I haven't seen The International yet, but may rent a copy of it this weekend. I forgot about certain parts of it being shot in 65mm.

My mistake about the Thompson-Phillips thing regarding RCA. Still, the fact remains that in only a handful of years a large American-based television manufacturing industry all but disappeared. In recent years virtually all of our textile industry was shipped off to places like China.

Agreed regarding the state of corporations and their tax burden. Many multinationals have none. It's the small business owner and working stiff who make up the real tax base for the federal and state governments.

Nevertheless, big companies mainly those whose stock is publicly traded are under relentless pressure to find ways to expand profit margins from one quarter to the next. It's not good enough for a company merely to be profitable.

Regarding the housing industry bust, yeah investment banking corporations, Sallie Mae/Freddie Mac and other big institutions played a big part in what amounted to a mezzo-scale pyramid scheme.

However, I think a great deal of the blame in the housing bust must ultimately rest at the "grass roots level." Sure some home buyers got shafted with "liar loans," but I contend most knew the risks they were taking in either buying a house they couldn't afford or playing the pyramid scheme game of buying that unaffordable house and counting on being able to flip it to yet another buyer for a big profit that way they could actually afford to buy another big house. What kind of moron would actually sign up for an interest only loan if he didn't have the clear goal of flipping the house to someone else? Let's also consider the thousands of real estate brokers in many US housing markets who were making money hand over fist on home sales. A 4% commission on a $250,000 home is nice fat chunk of money. Expand that to dozens of home sales per year. Cha-ching! The banks weren't doing bad either with all the fees they were getting either.

It gets me a bit angry when news people and economists try to say they didn't see the housing bust coming. Baloney. The truth is all the players involved didn't want to stop pigging out at the trough until they ate a hole right through the bottom of it. And we get all this crap only a few years after the scandals with Enron, Tyco, MCI/Worldcom, etc. Lesson clearly not learned. More like lesson ignored.

Originally Posted by Objectivity

Microsoft has already said if proposed changes are put in place it will move thousands of jobs overseas to remain competitive in the global market. Do you think all those newly unemployed people will hurt or help the economy?

I think the phrase "remain competitive in the global market" is pretty funny. The whole thing is really about stock prices. Honestly, if new laws are passed to make it harder for multinational corporations to hide their profits overseas the main thing that will happen is the prices of certain stocks may take a hit.

[Jeff Kleist]

Kevin Hassett is a lobbyist, paid to push corporate financial viewpoints

Kevin Allen Hassett is an American economist. He is best known for his work in macroeconomics and tax policy and for coauthoring Dow 36,000, published in 1999. Hassett is currently a senior fellow and director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. He was John McCain's chief economic adviser in the 2000 presidential primaries and an economic adviser to the campaigns of George W. Bush in the 2004 presidential election and McCain in the presidential election of 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Hassett

His opinion on the subject is about as valid as Rob Enderle's on Blu-ray.

A good rule of thumb: Anyone working at an "institute" (that is not MIT or some other long respected educational affair) is inherently untrustworthy, because that's simply code for a lobbying thinktank.

If you read up on the AEI, you can see even by just looking at their fellows that they may have picked a side and aren't arguing from objectivity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America...rise_Institute

In any case, if you want to debate this I'm happy to do so through PMs, I think we're getting way off the topic at this point

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Yes, corporate/banking lobbyists pushed through those low rates. The Fed is a private company remember, that has historically been quite successful in being lobbied by business interests. Plus the banks were actively predatory lending to people who can't afford it using these new rules

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/us/07baltimore.html

Yes, but government regulation via the Community Reinvestment Act help create this environment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Reinvestment_Act

I agree, we're all getting WAY off topic now.

[DenonCI]

Originally Posted by Penton-Man

lol ^
Lousy script my arse........at least they're writing and producing rather than "banging forehead against monitor".

The first two acts were intriguing, but the ending was a little weak. That being said, the transfer is phenomenal, especially the shots of Italy leading up to the conclusion.

[Vincent Pereira]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

Pretty sure you need a direct line to the Floyd to make that happen They control their own material ...

I'm pretty sure Roger Waters has sole (or at least majority) control over all things regarding THE WALL projects.

Speaking of which, where's the Broadway version that was announced as being in development what, 5 years ago?

Vincent

[Vincent Pereira]

Originally Posted by Josh

Are you suggesting that the all powerful Penton can't divert the Waters - so to speak - to make such a miracle happen? Have faith!

Praise be to Penton!

I hear Penton's the true reason they even reunited for Live-8 back in 2005. I hear he was THIS CLOSE to getting Syd Barrett to appear with them, too!

Vincent

[Vincent Pereira]

...

[cembros]

Originally Posted by wallendo

Actually, RCA was bought out by GE in the mid to late 80's. GE later got out of the consumer electronics business and sold the "GE" and "RCA" brand names to Thomson.

It is unfortunate, that the US electronics industry has shrunk so dramatically. But it is way off base to blame this on "corporations". Government policies in the US have played a significant role in decline of many industries. Populist anti-business policies as well as very high corporate taxes have played a very large role. Why, for instance, can the Japanese make quality monitors cheaper than we can? Many of these products are made primarily by machines, not manual labor. Why is it cheaper to operate a robot in Japan than the US? Why can American raw products be shipped across the Pacific Ocean and turned into steel in Japan and then shipped back at a lower cost than it can be manufactured in the US? Japan is not a third world country.

amen, preach on borther

[cembros]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

We have one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the civilized world.

this absoutly incorrect, the u.s corprate tax rates are just about the highest in the world. Many european countries invite industry to their countries with their low corprate tax rates, sweden is refered to in one of the articles you posted as doing just that. This is quite the anomoly considering their socialist politics.

[Constitution 101]

Originally Posted by wallendo

Actually, RCA was bought out by GE in the mid to late 80's. GE later got out of the consumer electronics business and sold the "GE" and "RCA" brand names to Thomson.

It is unfortunate, that the US electronics industry has shrunk so dramatically. But it is way off base to blame this on "corporations". Government policies in the US have played a significant role in decline of many industries. Populist anti-business policies as well as very high corporate taxes have played a very large role. Why, for instance, can the Japanese make quality monitors cheaper than we can? Many of these products are made primarily by machines, not manual labor. Why is it cheaper to operate a robot in Japan than the US? Why can American raw products be shipped across the Pacific Ocean and turned into steel in Japan and then shipped back at a lower cost than it can be manufactured in the US? Japan is not a third world country.

Truer words have never been spoken in this thread...

[Jeff Kleist]

How many times have you been told your opinion isn't valid just because you do what you do? "You're not trustworthy, you're with The Digital Bits and they're Blu-Ray apologists/hacks/etc."?

I am not, nor have I ever been paid by any studio, hardware manufacturer or any other entity in the home theater spehere to espouse anyone's viewpoint in cash, options, merchandise or any other form of compensation whatsoever, and I would swear to that in court as well as take a lie detector test on that, nor does anyone else at the bits.

Period

A lobbying firm is by its very nature an organization who is paid to "communicate a viewpoint". Whether or not they agree with that opinion is irrelevant.

Nowhere on the piece does it state his past history or affiliations. There is no link to a biography or any other way that a casual reader can establish motivations. These are trademark techniques of a lobbyist shill like this individual and Rob Enderle, among thousands of others to hide where the message is really coming from. I think we all saw the effect that a charismatic pundit like Amir can have on people, along with a support staff to push an agenda. These are not new techniques, not by a longshot, simply applied to a new medium.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Oliver K

I am aware of these movies but I am waiting for a new production. I very much appreciate the efforts by Ron Fricke with Samsara, but what I would also like to see is one of the big studios doing a production where the majority of the movie is shot in 65mm.

But this is not to take away from The International - I am happy that 65mm was used at all in that production. Still I would like to know how much more it would have cost to shoot The International entirely in 65mm.

All on 65mm!

Dude, somebody has got to foot the bill!
People were so cost conscious for The International that the 35mm stuff was shot on 35mm 3 perf (same as the TV series Lost is) to save on stock and processing costs.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by mikey p

Looking forward to watching both, maybe this weekend. Neat stuff

Regarding Gran Torino-

Clint loves his inky blacks and for those guys out there with Kuros, you should really enjoy viewing this motion picture as with your displays you get better blacks (albeit at a trade-off) than the cinematic black from the twin-barreled Christie 2K projectors at your local Multiplex.

Additionally, for those in the household that turn off the flick once the credits roll at the end.
Don’t.
As the song at the end of the motion picture is pure bliss.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Maxpower1987

Ahhhhh. Political discussion!

Enough.

Truly, as I had to delete a post, nothing personal to anyone.
I would much rather hear comments about “twinkle toes” (of Man. U.) out on the town last night with Paris Hilton.

[Penton-Man]

Quick note to Kris Deering, as I've got to run.

the 70mm stuff was scanned at 4k with an Arri.
the 35mm stuff was scanned at 2k " " "