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Studio Briefing:
From The Wire:
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Most Read
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FIRST MOVIE REVIEWS: THE DARK KNIGHT, DARK KNIGHT TO BRIGHTEN BOX OFFICE, MOVIE REVIEWS: THE DARK KNIGHT, CAN SPEED RACER GET UP TO SPEED ON DVD?, JOURNEY DOES WELL IN 3-D THEATERS, NOT SO WELL IN OTHERS, SCRUBS CREATOR SAYS NBC GAVE HIM NO RESPECT, SUPERHEROES SHOW BOX OFFICE STRENGTH, MORE IDOL SPECULATION, JUDGE IN BETAMAX CASE DIES, CUBAN SAYS THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS ONLINE HDTV, REPORT: DISNEY TO ANNOUNCE SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND AFTER OLYMPICS, NETFLIX MOVIES TO DEBUT ON XBOX, HELLBOY II WINNER OF SUPERHERO WEEKEND, DVD TARGETS TV TORTURE PLOTS, HOLLYWOOD RESCUING NEW ORLEANS, 2008: AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN FOR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY, WHAT ELSE DID JACKSON SAY?, ONE-TIME ENEMY COUNTRY HOSTS MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT, ABC CHIEF CONSIDERING SIGNING LENO -- BUT WHAT ABOUT KIMMEL?, VIDEO SPENDING DEFIES OVERALL ECONOMIC PLUNGE, |
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Top Stories
Friday, Jul 18, 2008
MOVIE REVIEWS: MAMMA MIA!
Friday, July 18 2008
|
For
moviegoers
who
might
not
regard
dark
as
a
favorite
shade,
this
weekend
offers
an
abundance
of
light
at
theaters,
too.
Writing
in
the
Wall
Street
Journal,
Joe
Morgenstern
compares
his
reaction
to
Mamma
Mia!
with
his
reaction
to
The
Dark
Knight.
"During
the
early
stretches
of
The
Dark
Knight,"
he
writes,
"eager
anticipation
gave
way
to
resistance.
During
the
first
few
minutes
of
Mamma
Mia!
I
resisted
the
bombardment
of
good
cheer,
then
(more)
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LABOR STRIFE: THE INTERMISSION
Friday, July 18 2008
|
The
Screen
Actors
Guild
on
Thursday
said
that
it
had
rejected
the
final
offer
of
the
Alliance
of
Motion
Picture
and
Television
Producers
primarily
because
it
failed
to
provide
adequate
benefits
for
new
media
productions.
The
latest
offer,
it
said,
would
allow
producers
to
use
nonunion
actors
in
productions
developed
for
the
Internet
"for
the
foreseeable
future"
and
failed
to
provide
residual
fees
for
such
productions.
The
AMPTP
responded
that
its
offer
would
provide
(more)
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More Headlines
|
FROG BITES DISNEY
18-Jul-08
|
|
Far
from
receiving
congratulations
from
the
African-American
community
for
finally
producing
an
animated
feature
with
a
black
princess,
Disney
is
finding
itself
embroiled
in
a
new
controversy
every
bit
as
bitter
as
the
one
that
followed
the
release
of
its
1947
film
Song
of
the
South.
According
to
published
reports,
(more)
|
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GOTHAM'S A WONDERFUL TOWN -- FOR CHICAGO
18-Jul-08
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The
governor
of
Illinois
would
like
it
to
be
known
that
Gotham
is
not
another
name
for
New
York
--
it's
another
name
for
Chicago.
In
a
press
release,
Gov.
Rod
Blagojevich
said
that
the
latest
Batman
movie,
The
Dark
Night,
brought
$40
million
into
the
state
and
created
about
(more)
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AMAZON VIDEO ON DEMAND IS LAUNCHED
18-Jul-08
|
|
Amazon
on
Thursday
launched
a
beta
version
of
its
new
Amazon
Video
on
Demand
service,
which
allows
users
to
watch
any
of
40,000
movies
and
TV
shows
on
their
PCs
or
Macs.
(It
requires
no
special
software.)
The
videos
are
available
for
"rent"
only,
i.e.
via
streaming
video
and
therefore
(more)
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RATHER TO DEPOSE TOP CBS EXECS
18-Jul-08
|
|
The
judge
in
Dan
Rather's
lawsuit
against
CBS
has
ordered
CBS
News
President
Andrew
Heyward
and
CBS
CEO
Les
Moonves
to
appear
at
depositions
to
be
taken
by
lawyers
for
the
former
CBS
anchor.
The
TVNewser
website
quotes
Rather's
lawyer
as
saying
that
he
may
depose
Viacom
Chairman
Sumner
Redstone,
(more)
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DVR'S QUICKLY MOVING INTO HOMES
18-Jul-08
|
|
According
to
Nielsen
Media
Research,
25
percent
of
households
in
the
U.S.
are
now
equipped
with
digital
video
recorders
--
a
huge
rise
from
5
percent
just
nine
months
ago.
Moreover,
of
the
28
million
homes
with
DVRs,
30
percent
have
more
than
one.
The
Nielsen
data
also
indicate
that
(more)
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FOX NOW RIDES HIGH ON THURSDAY
18-Jul-08
|
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Thursday
night,
once
dominated
by
NBC,
then
taken
over
by
CBS,
which
was
then
challenged
by
ABC,
has
fallen
into
the
clutches
of
Fox
and
its
So
You
Think
You
Can
Dance
performers.
The
network
averaged
7.78
million
viewers
Thursday,
edging
out
CBS
with
7.14
million.
Each
network
wound
up
(more)
|
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WHITHER JAY?
18-Jul-08
|
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A
remark
by
Jay
Leno
that
he
will
be
"definitely
done
with
NBC"
when
he
steps
down
as
host
of
the
Tonight
show
next
year
has
started
tongues
wagging
among
TV
critics
and
network
front-office
staff.
When
asked
by
USA
Today
whether
he
would
be
moving
to
another
network,
Leno
(more)
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2008: AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN FOR ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
17-Jul-08
|
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The
entertainment
industry
--
the
third
largest
employer
in
Los
Angeles
County
--
will
see
its
growth
lag
significantly
behind
other
industries
this
year,
according
to
a
study
by
the
Los
Angeles
Economic
Development
Corporation.
The
LAEDC
blamed
labor
unrest.
The
writers'
strike,
it
said,
drained
$2.5
billion
from
the
(more)
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LIONSGATE IN DEAL WITH YOUTUBE
17-Jul-08
|
|
In
a
landscape-changing
decision,
Lionsgate
said
Wednesday
that
it
would
allow
YouTube
users
to
watch
scenes
from
its
movies,
even
reedit
and
repost
them,
in
return
for
a
share
of
revenue
from
advertising
accompanying
the
clips.
Curt
Marvis,
Lionsgate's
president
of
digital
media,
suggested
in
an
interview
with
today's
(Thursday)
(more)
|
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AMPTP MEETS WITH SAG; WHAT NEXT?
17-Jul-08
|
|
A
terse
statement
released
by
the
Alliance
of
Motion
Picture
and
Television
Producers
following
a
two-hour
meeting
with
the
Screen
Actors
Guild
on
Wednesday
raised
new
questions
about
what
the
two
sides
in
Hollywood's
bitter
labor
dispute
will
do
next.
"Both
parties
agreed
that
the
contents
of
the
meeting
should
(more)
|
|
MOVIE REVIEWS: THE DARK KNIGHT
17-Jul-08
|
|
Tuesday,
The
London
Daily
Mirror
claimed
the
first
major
newspaper
review
of
the
upcoming
Batman
movie,
The
Dark
Night.
It's
a
rave.
Every
critic
marvels
at
the
performance
of
the
late
Heath
Ledger
in
the
role
of
The
Joker.
David
Edwards
remarks
that
Ledger
"is
the
brilliant
heart
of
a
(more)
|
|
DARK KNIGHT TO BRIGHTEN BOX OFFICE
17-Jul-08
|
|
Box
office
analysts
are
forecasting
record
ticket
sales
this
weekend
when
the
latest
Batman
movie,
The
Dark
Knight,
opens
in
4,366
theaters
--
the
largest
number
of
theaters
ever
to
show
any
film.
The
record
number
of
theaters
is
expected
to
offset
the
limited
number
of
screenings
imposed
by
the
(more)
|
|
ABC CHIEF CONSIDERING SIGNING LENO -- BUT WHAT ABOUT KIMMEL?
17-Jul-08
|
|
ABC's
late-night
comedian
Jimmy
Kimmel
pretended
to
be
a
journalist
as
he
"interviewed"
ABC
Entertainment
President
Steve
McPherson
Wednesday
at
the
TV
Critics
Association's
meeting
with
network
brass.
As
reported
by
the
Associated
Press,
the
topic
was
the
possibility
of
Jay
Leno
moving
to
ABC
when
Conan
O'Brien
takes
over
(more)
|
|
SCRUBS CREATOR SAYS NBC GAVE HIM NO RESPECT
17-Jul-08
|
|
The
creator/executive
producer
of
Scrubs
is
clearly
miffed
at
NBC
for
the
way
the
network
decided
to
cancel
the
series.
Speaking
at
the
Television
Critics
Association's
press
tour
in
Beverly
Hills
Wednesday,
Bill
Lawrence
said,
"If
you
are
[doing]
a
show
on
a
network
for
six
or
seven
years,
and
(more)
|
|
BASEBALL DRAWS A CROWD
17-Jul-08
|
|
Fox
said
Wednesday
that
its
Tuesday-night
coverage
of
Major
League
Baseball's
All-Star
Game
posted
a
9.3
rating
and
a
16
share
in
primetime,representing
14.5
million
viewers.
The
"fast
national"
figures
were
virtually
identical
with
those
for
2006
and
were
up
16
percent
from
last
year's
8.4/16.
(The
highest
rating
ever
(more)
|
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In Other News
|
WHAT ELSE DID JACKSON SAY?
17-Jul-08
|
|
After
an
unconfirmed
report
spread
over
the
blogosphere
that,
in
his
notorious
off-the-air
remarks
about
Barack
Obama,
Jesse
Jackson
had
called
the
presidential
candidate
a
"f*****g
half-breed
n****r,"
the
website
TVNewser
reported
that
Jackson
did
not
use
such
words
but
did
use
the
"n"
word
while
discussing
Obama's
position.
What
(more)
|
|
BASIC CABLE SHOWS EARN EMMY NODS
17-Jul-08
|
|
It
was
evident
that
cable
television
had
finally
come
into
its
own
as
two
basic
cable
shows,
AMC's
Mad
Men,
and
FX's
Damages,
received
Emmy
nominations
today
(Thursday)
for
best
series
--
the
first
basic-cable
shows
to
make
the
lists.
Pay
TV
cable
also
made
quite
a
showing,
with
HBO's
(more)
|
|
HOLLYWOOD RESCUING NEW ORLEANS
16-Jul-08
|
|
New
Orleans
may
still
remain
a
long
way
from
recovering
from
the
destruction
of
Hurricane
Katrina,
but
a
record
number
of
movies
and
television
pilots
are
being
shot
there
this
year
--
55
so
far,
according
to
the
Louisiana
film
and
television
development
office
and
reported
in
today's
(Wednesday)
USA
(more)
|
|
CANNES WINNER TO OPEN NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL
16-Jul-08
|
|
Entre
les
Murs
(The
Class),
the
surprise
winner
of
the
Palme
d'Or
at
his
year's
Cannes
Film
Festival,
has
been
selected
to
open
the
46th
New
York
Film
Festival
on
Sept.
26,
the
Film
Society
of
Lincoln
Center,
which
organizes
the
festival,
announced
Tuesday.
Since
Alice
Tully
Hall,
the
regular
(more)
|
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REPORT: DISNEY TO ANNOUNCE SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND AFTER OLYMPICS
16-Jul-08
|
|
Despite
repeated
denials
from
both
sides
of
the
negotiations,
Disney
and
the
Chinese
government
are
expected
to
announce
following
the
summer
Olympics
that
Disney
will
build
the
world's
largest
theme
park
near
Shanghai,
which
could
open
as
early
as
2012,
Disney
watcher
Jim
Hill
said
on
his
website
Tuesday.
According
(more)
|
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CAN SPEED RACER GET UP TO SPEED ON DVD?
16-Jul-08
|
|
Warner
Bros.'
Speed
Racer
may
have
achieved
distinction
as
the
most
spectacular
flop
of
the
summer
in
its
theatrical
release,
but
the
studio's
marketing
department
nevertheless
intends
to
give
the
DVD
and
Blu-ray
release
of
the
movie
a
big
push.
The
studio
said
on
Tuesday
that
it
plans
to
issue
(more)
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AMPTP AND SAG TO MEET -- BUT WHY?
16-Jul-08
|
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Members
of
the
Alliance
of
Motion
Picture
and
Television
Producers
said
Tuesday
that
they
have
agreed
to
meet
informally
with
members
of
the
Screen
Actors
Guild
today
(Wednesday)
"out
of
respect
for
the
SAG
membership,"
but
they
continued
to
insist
that
they
are
done
negotiating.
It
was
not
clear
what
(more)
|
|
PBS LEADS NOMINATIONS FOR NEWS EMMYS
16-Jul-08
|
|
PBS
led
all
other
broadcast,
cable
and
broadband
competitors
with
38
nominations
for
the
29th
annual
News
and
Documentary
Emmy
Awards
announced
Tuesday
by
the
New
York-based
National
Academy
of
Television
Arts
&
Sciences.
Among
the
commercial
broadcast
networks,
ABC
and
CBS
tied
with
17
each.
NBC
received
14.
Among
(more)
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CUBAN SAYS THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS ONLINE HDTV
16-Jul-08
|
|
Dallas
Mavericks
owner
Mark
Cuban,
who
made
a
fortune
during
the
"Internet
bubble"
when
he
sold
his
broadcast.com,
which
provided
online
multimedia
and
streaming
video,
to
Yahoo!,
says
that
much
of
the
current
talk
about
providing
high-definition
television
on
the
Internet
is
misleading.
"What
is
shocking
about
the
entire
attempt
(more)
|
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NBC PLANNING MOVE TO NEW WORLD TRADE CENTER BUILDING
16-Jul-08
|
|
NBC
has
its
eyes
on
new
business
headquarters
at
7
World
Trade
Center,
the
first
building
to
rise
from
the
devastation
of
the
Sept.
11,
2001
attack.
The
New
York
Observer
reported
today
(Wednesday).
According
to
the
newspaper,
the
company
is
considering
leasing
the
top
10
floors
of
the
52-story
(more)
|
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FORMER L.A. D.A. SAYS NETWORKS HAVE IMPOSED A BLACKOUT ON HIM
16-Jul-08
|
|
Former
Los
Angeles
District
Attorney
Vincent
Bugliosi,
who
successfully
prosecuted
Charles
Manson
and
his
"family"
for
the
Tate-LaBianca
murders
in
1969
and
whose
book
about
the
case,
Helter
Skelter,
sold
more
than
seven
million
copies,
has
accused
the
news
media
of
subjecting
his
current
book
to
a
virtual
blackout.
The
(more)
|
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RATINGS ARE ALL ABOUT TALENT
16-Jul-08
|
|
NBC's
America's
Got
Talent
remained
the
top
show
of
the
summer
season
last
week,
drawing
12.7
million
viewers,
the
most
to
tune
in
to
any
network
program
since
the
season
began
in
late
May,
according
to
Nielsen
Media
Research.
ABC's
new
Wipeout
finished
in
second
place
with
10.6
million.
(more)
|
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