(MENAFN- Arab Times) How do you joke about the Sony hacking story After all it was an attempt at comedy that launched this whole sobering mess. If you're Chris Rock you joke about it cleverly but carefully. Promoting his new movie 'Top Five' this week he noted an added bonus: 'My movie's very Korean-friendly. There are no jokes about North Korea in 'Top Five.' If you're Korean go out and see 'Top Five.' You will enjoy it.'
Given that the fallout over an unabashedly silly movie 'The Interview' which Sony shelved last week after a stunning cyberattack by hackers the US has linked to North Korea has escalated into a serious global situation one would think comedy writers might be a wee bit skittish just now. But they ARE in the business of satire and this is one of the biggest entertainment stories in years. And so NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' didn't wait long to bring up the scandal in fact it didn't wait one second. The show opened with Mike Myers returning as Dr. Evil from the 'Austin Powers' movies taking jabs at Sony North Korea AND Hollywood. Oh and Republicans and 'The Interview' actor James Franco's Oscar-hosting skills. 'There's already a GOP' Myers said referring to the hackers who call themselves Guardians of Peace 'and they're already an evil organization.' Referring to hackers' threats of terrorism over the movie he said that wasn't necessary: 'It's easy to kill a movie. Just move it to January.' As for Franco whose character in the film is tasked with assassinating North Korean leader Kim Jong Un he noted: 'The man singlehandedly almost killed the Oscars!' Target Later though the show played with the idea that maybe it's all a little soon. Comic Bobby Moynihan appeared as Kim Jong Un on 'Weekend Update' declaring he wasn't afraid. But then red target marks appeared on his torso and he reversed course: 'I'm Seth Rogen everybody!' he said trying to quickly mimic Rogen a star and director of the film before skedaddling off the set. All in jest but there probably IS a sense of 'Is it too soon' out there says Janice Min a veteran entertainment industry observer who oversees The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. 'I would say we're in an unprecedented era of fear right now' she says referring to the chilling cyberattack that saw thousands of Sony emails some deeply embarrassing and other materials posted online. Things escalated dramatically when hackers then threatened violence against moviegoers leading theater chains to pull out and Sony to cancel the Christmas opening. 'There's often a sense of schadenfreude in Hollywood if something happens to a movie or an executive' Min says. 'But in this case the fear is so palpable people are thinking what if this were me' Even in campaigns for the upcoming awards season in Hollywood Min notes 'every publicist in town will be coaching their stars on what to say and what not to say or what to post on Twitter everything will be very measured.' And so naturally she adds there may be a chilling effect on comedy one that might affect the sharpness of the jokes for example at the Golden Globes or the Oscars. 'I'm going to venture that at least until the issues are resolved everyone's too scared and you don't want to be the one making that North Korea joke because you don't want to be a target yourself' Min says. Given the magnitude of the events of course it's hard to imagine they won't be referenced at the awards shows especially the early ones. 'It's the elephant in the room' says Tim Gray awards editor for Variety. 'You can't pretend it didn't happen.' Also: LOS ANGELES: Theater owners are incensed that Sony Pictures Entertainment has insisted in public statements that they are the major reason the studio canceled the release of 'The Interview.' Exhibitors believe that they are being made the scapegoat for the cancellation when many of them only wanted the film's premiere to be delayed or modified three theater industry executives tell Variety. After hackers threatened theaters that screened 'The Interview' and moviegoers who bought tickets to the film while evoking the memory of 9/11 Sony said in a statement last week that the majority of exhibitors cancelled their bookings. That characterization has been disputed in exhibition circles. The exhibition executives said that several chains asked only to delay playing the movie until the authorities could discover who was behind the message or had apprehended the criminals who hacked the studio. (Agencies) Authorities have since said that North Korea is behind the hackings as punishment for Sony backing 'The Interview' which centers on a plot to kill the country's leader Kim Jong-un. In an interview with CNN on Friday Sony Entertainment CEO Michael Lynton said 'The only decision that we have made with respect to release of the film was not to release it on Christmas Day in theaters after the theater owners declined to show it...Without theaters we could not release it in the theaters on Christmas Day. We had no choice.' His remarks came after President Barack Obama said Sony had made a 'mistake' in pulling the film because it emboldened the North Korean hackers who have tormented the studio for weeks. Lynton said Sony still hopes to release the film. Following his interview on CNN Lynton reached out the heads of major theater chains such as Carmike Regal and AMC by phone to say that he had not meant to imply they were wholly responsible for the film being pulled and that he understood their safety concerns. Those conversations were civil on both sides according to individuals with knowledge. His words may not have done enough to assuage feelings across the exhibition industry. Among the repercussions being weighed are that some exhibitors will refuse to pay Sony the film terms they once did or will decline to guarantee the same screen counts for its lower profile films. They may also be more lax when it comes to promoting Sony films on their websites or in their theaters with posters and other materials. These potential measures have yet to be communicated to Sony. Sony Pictures still hopes to release 'The Interview' by the end of 2014 but the comedy will likely forgo a theatrical release according to a source close to studio. Instead the film will be made available through a patchwork of electronic sell through video on demand and other home entertainment platforms the source said. There may be some road blocks. No major distributor has signed on yet and some have expressed concerns that they will be targeted by the hackers who have terrorized Sony for weeks if they carry the picture. Even if the film secures enough distribution platforms it may have difficulty recouping the roughly $75 million the studio spent to make and market the picture. There will also be ruffled feathers to smooth over with theater owners particularly those that dispute Sony's claims that their refusal to show the picture led the studio to pull the film. Some theater chains including Canadian chain Cineplex suggested opening the film in limited release in a few key markets over the holidays in order to gauge if threats were real. Others such as Carmike were careful to say in public statements that they were delaying the release. Instead of postponing the release or doing a limited rollout Sony said Wednesday that it had no further release plans for the film a position it has since modified. A spokesman for Sony declined to comment. (Agencies) By Jocelyn Noveck
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