Daily Variety articles from April 2006

Daily Variety archives from April 2006

Wild and woolly weekend: 'Ice's' $71 mil thaws B.O. chill.('Ice Age: The Meltdown', box office)
April 3, 2006... "Ice Age: The Meltdown" heated up the moribund box office, as Fox's CGI sequel bowed to a boffo $70.5 million. It's the second biggest opening ever for a nonsummer, nonholiday season release, behind only "The Passion of the Christ." Based...

Fox toon stirs global warming.('Ice Age: The Meltdown' Fox Film Corp.)
April 3, 2006... Underlining the worldwide appeal of CG toons, "Ice Age: The Meltdown" torched the competition at the foreign box office with a sizzling $43.4 million weekend launch at 4,553 playdates in 27 markets. Fox's sequel delivered a major boost to...

H'w'd uploads pic future.(hollywood)
April 3, 2006... With DVD growth flatlining, Hollywood is finally making the jump into digital distribution. Paramount, Universal, Sony, MGM, Warner Bros. and Fox this week start selling permanent copies of their movies online day-and-date with homevideo...

Digital discord dings music biz.(Music industry)
April 3, 2006... The retail value of the music industry slipped $7 million last year to $12.27 billion, according to the RIAA, which has brought new math to the record biz. The Recording Industry Assn. of America traditionally tracks shipments of records...

Homer going to bat in '07.(Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. plans for movies released in 2007)(Homer Simpson)
April 3, 2006... Twentieth Century Fox will formally announce today that its long-awaited "The Simpsons" feature will open worldwide in theaters on July 27, 2007. It's an anticlimactic gesture, since the reveal was done over the weekend with mischievousness...

Random on Jack track.(Jack Valenti has sold his memoir to Crown/Harmony Books )
April 3, 2006... Jack Valenti has sold his memoir to Crown/Harmony Books, a New York-based division of Random House, which plans a November release. Valenti said book covers his youth in a poor Houston suburb, a stint as a bomber pilot during WWII, his time...

Moguls pack it in, but baggage lingers.(The Back Lot)(life after Walt Disney for Michael Eisner and Michael Ovitz)
April 3, 2006... NOT THAT LONG AGO both men still occupied the spotlight. Both strutted confidently to centerstage in what came to be known as the Eisner-Ovitz trial, which was more theater than trial. Michael Eisner surely knew his reign as Disney CEO was...

Metro mags perish.(Conde Nast Publications Inc. launchs new magazine called Cargo)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... EVERY NEW MARKETING trend seems to spawn its own lexicon, with the buzzwords acquiring their own self-validation. Take "metrosexual"--a term suggesting a new manifestation of male behavior. According to this revisionist thinking, today's...

Auds favor choice over regs.(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... More Americans believe in alien abductions than in government regulation of television content, according to a survey released by an industry-backed org. Responding to recent indecency penalties issued by the Federal Communications...

Guirgis to 'Flower' via reading at MTC.(Stephen Adly Guirgis, 'The Little Flower of East Orange')(Manhattan Theater Club)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... New plays by Stephen Adly Guirgis and Roberto-Sacasa are among the works in development to be showcased in Manhattan Theater Club's Reading Series, running April 10-May 22 at the company's City Center Stage II venue. Philip Seymour Hoffman...

Couric close to verdict?(Katie Couric contracts with CBS Inc. CBS News for 'Evening News')(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Katie Couric returns to "Today" from vacation this week, spurring rumors she's about to make the decision to jump to CBS' "Evening News." NBC controls the fate of the "Today" host until she can officially commence negotiations with CBS on...

Take the Lead.(Movie review)
April 3, 2006... A New Line Cinema release of a Tiara Blu Films production. Produced by Diane Nabatoff, Michelle Grace, Christopher Godsick. Executive producers, Toby Emmerich, Matt Moore, Mark Kaufman, Ray Liotta, Mathew Hart. Directed by Liz Friedlander....

Mip travels new roads.(MIPCOM)
April 3, 2006... The 43rd annual Mip confab on the French Riviera opens today on a high note. TV program sales are booming around the world, reality formats are subdividing virally and new platforms and gizmos are opening up potentially lucrative avenues for...

MipDoc's up to date.(leading digital screening trade show for Television documentaries)
April 3, 2006... With titles on offer including "Rollergirls" and "Penis Dementia," buyers at MipDoc over the weekend might have thought they were attending the American Film Market. However, those seeking serious-minded programming at the ninth annual TV...

Caffeine buzz for 'Bee' at Starbucks.(Starbucks Corp. get contracts from Lions Gate Films Inc. for marketing its new movie 'Akeelah and the Bee')
April 3, 2006... What do the words pulchritude, argillaceous, brunneous or prestidigitation have to do with a cup of joe and movie marketing? Starbucks officially gets into the film biz on Tuesday, when it unspools its promotional campaign for Lionsgate's...

New Line 'Power' hungry.(New Line Cinema Corp. bought film rights of novel 'Power and Glory' from Howard Chaykin)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... New Line has bought film rights to Howard Chaykin's graphic novel "Power and Glory" and has set up the project with Chris Bender and JC Spink through their Benderspink banner. Chaykin's story centers on a crime fighter who's genetically...

'Hot Rod' revving up: 'SNL' trio set daredevil comedy at Par.(Paramount Pictures Corp. )(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Paramount Pictures' "Hot Rod" is ready to hit the track. Pic has been in development at the studio since 1999, but found renewed life and a tentative July start date thanks to a new package with comedy team Lonely Island: Andy Samberg,...

Giamatti to hone Claus at Warners.(Paul Giamatti, Santa Claus, Warner Bros.)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Paul Giamatti will star alongside Vince Vaughn and play Santa in helmer David Dobkin's untitled holiday romp for Warner Bros. Comedy project, which reunites the "Wedding Crashers" team of Dobkin and Vaughn, was initially called "Fred Claus"...

Burbank base for CW.(The CW Television Network contract with Pinnacle Appraisal Group Inc. for building lease )
April 3, 2006... The CW has found its headquarters, leasing space in Burbank's Pinnacle office building. Decision is a blow to the city of Los Angeles: By next year, just two English-language broadcast networks--Fox and CBS--will remain fully headquartered...

Comedies corral thesps.(Roger Bart, Cloris Leachman and Jennifer Esposito land roles in CBS comedy contender "My Ex-Life.")(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Former "Desperate Housewives" baddie Roger Bart is joining the cast of CBS comedy contender "My Ex-Life." Cloris Leachman and Jennifer Esposito also have landed spots in the pilot parade. Bart, who played now-deceased evil pharmacist...

Tory Kittles.(cast by Revolution Films and Sony Entertainment Corp. for new movie 'Next')(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Tory Kitties ("Get Rich or Die Tryin' ") will star with Nicolas Cage and Julianne Moore in "Next" for Sony and Revolution. He will play a national security agent who, with Moore's character, must foil the plot of a terrorist (Cage) against Los...

Anika Noni Rose.(Hart Bochner ,contract)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Anika Noni Rose has booked a role in "One Part Sugar" alongside Danny DeVito and Heather Graham. Pic begins lensing this month in Death Valley, with Hart Bochner directing and DeVito and Gary Ross producing. Rose next will be seen as...

Spike nails laffer block; cabler expands male-centric lineup.(MTV Networks Inc. Spike TV)
April 3, 2006... Spike TV is firming up its comedy brand. Viacom-owned men's network has slated its first comedy block, greenlighting the six-part docusoap "Raising the Roofs" and acquiring "The Dudesons," a "Jackass"-style stunt show set in the Arctic...

'Wimpy' buffs up.(comedy picture)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Alcon Entertainment is teaming with producer Neal Moritz and his Original Film banner to develop action comedy "Wimpy," penned by Ryan Schifrin. Logline's being kept under wraps. Schifrin, son of composer and six-time Oscar nominee...

LivePlanet tagging up.(LivePlanet Inc. and Amp'd Mobile team up to offer cellular game service "Phone Tag")(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... LivePlanet is teaming up with Amp'd Mobile to make a world-wide game of tag using cell phones. "Phone Tag" will launch in the third quarter on Amp'd, a private-label cell phone service targeting young customers who use mobile devices for...

Pageant adds viewer vote.(Miss America Pageant)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... CMT and the Miss America Organization are taking the pageant up a notch--reality TV style. For the first time in competition history, viewers will help elect the final 15 contestants via the seven-part docudrama "Finding Miss America." ...

Pix pump basic cable.(programs ruling on cable networks)
April 3, 2006... Led by "Forrest Gump," "Rush Hour 2," "Armageddon," "Mr. Deeds" and "Pretty Woman," theatrical movies ruled the roost on ad-supported cable during the first quarter. Theatricals constituted more than half of the 50 highest-rated programs...

'GMA' producer suspended.(Good Morning America)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... ABC News has suspended producer John Green for some ill-considered emails in which he confided that President Bush "makes me sick." Green, executive producer of the weekend editions of "Good Morning America," was suspended for a month for...

NBC quick to restore 'Order'.(National Broadcasting Company Inc. moves "Law & Order" program back to its old timings)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... That didn't last long. After a two-week relocation, NBC has decided to move "Law & Order" back to its longtime 10 p.m. Wednesday timeslot, starting this week. Skein had shifted to 9 p.m. Wednesdays so that NBC could try out new caper drama...

The Wolves in the Walls.(Theater review)
April 3, 2006... (Tramway, Glasgow; 600 seats; 9[pounds sterling] ($16) top) A National Theater of Scotland presentation with Improbable, in association with Tramway, of a musical in one act based on the book by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean. Conceived by...

Pen.(Theater review)
April 3, 2006... (Playwrights Horizons; 128 seats: $45 top) A Playwrights Horizons presentation of a play in two acts by David Marshall Grant. Directed by Will Frears. Sets, Robin Vest; costumes, Jenny Mannis; lighting, Matthew Richards; sound, Obadiah...

The Maids x 2.(Theater review)
April 3, 2006... (Bouwerie Lane Theater; 180 seats; $27 top) An Egopo/Cocteau Repertory Ensemble presentation of a play in two acts by Jean Genet. Directed by Lane Savadove. Sets, Nick Lopez and Savadove; costumes, Mattie Olson; lighting, Lopez; production...

Enrico Rava Quintet.(Concert review)
April 3, 2006... (Birdland; 200 seats: $30) Presented inhouse. Musicians: Enrico Rava, Gianluca Petrella, Andrea Pozza, Rosario Bonaccorso, Roberto Gatto. Enrico Pieranunzi, Marc Johnson, Paul Motian. Opened and reviewed March 30, 2006. Closed March 31....

BAM bags 'dance faves.(Brooklyn Academy of Music)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Fox Searchlight's "Little Miss Sunshine" will kick off the opening night of Sundance Institute at BAM, a new series of film, theater and musical perfs, plus panel discussions, that will run May 11-21 through a partnership between Sundance and...

Focus fleshes out Euro plans with duo.(Focus Features)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Focus Features has hired former Miramax and Fox exec Teresa Moneo as senior VP of European production, based in London. Moneo will report to Alison Thompson, who joined Focus in summer as prexy, international sales and distribution, with a...

Press Guild lauds 'Dylan,' Dickens.(Bob Dylan, Charles Dickens)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Martin Scorsese's two-part TV documentary, "Bob Dylan--No Direction Home," scooped documentary prize at Blighty's Broadcasting Press Guild awards on Thursday. Of the 14 awards doled out, 12 went to the BBC and Channel 4. The event's...

BBC books 'Soldier'.(British Broadcasting Corp. BBCi Films, "Boy Soldier")(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... BBC Films has picked up the film rights to Andy McNab and Robert Rigby's bestselling thriller "Boy Soldier" and its sequel "Payback." "Boy Soldier" tracks a young man's attempts to trace his grandfather, a disgraced former member of...

Coldplay tops sales.(UNITED KINGDOM)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Coldplay was the bestselling band in the world in 2005, moving 8 million copies of its "X&Y" album, EMI's Parlophone said Friday. It topped the list in both CD format and in digital form. Other albums in the top 10, which was compiled...

New pic for Mehta.(Deepa Mehta's latest movie "Exclusion" )(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Indian helmer Deepa Mehta, whose "Water"--about the plight of widows in colonial India--won best film at the Bangkok Film Festival last month, plans to tackle another hard-hitting subject. Pic, provisionally titled "Exclusion," is about...

Piracy effort lauded.(China's efforts to stamp out piracy win plaudits)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... China's efforts to stamp out piracy have won plaudits from the Intl. Federation of the Phonographic Industry. The org, however, urged Chinese authorities to keep shutting factories producing illegally copied CDs and DVDs. China is the...

Gussi bows vid sales op.(MEXICO)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Mexico's biggest independent distrib, Gussi, has launched a video sales operation in the U.S. to market Spanish-language films. Video arm Distrimax put out "Conejo en la luna" in mid-March and will follow in May with "Amar te duele" and...

ITV spikes Dyke bid; offer rejected as Allen support.(World News)(Greg Dyke)(Charles Allen, CEO, ITV PLC)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... The Greg Dyke-led bid for ITV, Blighty's biggest commercial broadcaster, has admitted defeat after a revised offer was rejected by the ITV board. In a statement issued to the City, the consortium involving Apax Partners, Goldman Sachs and...

Entrepreneurs 'Win' slot on Chinese TV.(CCTV Corp.)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... No sign of Donald Trump, but viewers will get Chinese-style capitalism after state broadcaster CCTV announced plans to launch "Win in China," an "Apprentice" clone, although producers insist any similarities are superficial. "'The...

Oscar Isaac.(New Line Cinema Corp., contract)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Oscar Isaac ("Che") has been cast as Joseph opposite Keisha Castle-Hughes, who will portray the Virgin Mary, in New Line's "Nativity." Project, directed by Catherine Hardwicke and produced by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, will begin production...

Hilarie Burton.(Endgame Entertainment, contract)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Hilarie Burton has joined the cast of Endgame Entertainment's "Solstice" for helmer Dan Myrick. Elisabeth Harnois, Shawn Ashmore and Tyler Hoechlin star in the thriller about a group of friends who gather at a lake house for the summer...

Claire Coffee.(Kevin Van Hook, contract)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Claire Coffee has booked a role in the indie feature "Death Row" alongside Jake Busey and Stacey Keach. Pic. helmed by Kevin Van Hook, concerns a documentary crew trapped in a deserted penitentiary. Thesp recently completed a role in Fox...

Braeden Lemasters.(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Braeden Lemasters has landed guest starring roles on NBC's "ER," CBS' "Criminal Minds" and TNT's "The Closer." Thesp's credits include "Six Feet Under." He recently completed his first feature, indie "Beautiful Loser."

CAA pumping Diesel.(Creative Artists Agency, Vin Diesel)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Vin Diesel has moved to Creative Artists Agency. Diesel had been repped by Endeavor and continues to be managed by the Firm. Endeavor steered Diesel to stardom, a rise punctuated by a series of bracing contract talks after "The Fast...

Wired to Win: surviving the Tour de France.(Movie review)
April 3, 2006... (Docu--IMAX) A Partners Healthcare production with support from the National Science Foundation and Ortho-McNeil Neurologics. Produced by JoAnna Baldwin Mallory. Executive producer, Allen Peckham. Directed by Bayley Silleck. Written by...

Focus weds a 'Husband'.(movie planning at Focus Features )(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Puppy love: Hong Kong can't get enough 'Eight'.(Buena Vista International Inc.'s movie Eight Below's market share)
April 4, 2006

A DVD full of new destinations.(Final Destination 3: Thrill Ride)
April 4, 2006

'Ice' B.O. not as mammoth.(Ice Age: The Meltdown, box office performance)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Confab off to quite a crazy start.(television broadcasting industry)
April 4, 2006

Lortel noms stir off B'way.(Lucille Lortel Awards nominations of off Broadway theater)
April 4, 2006

Shingle blooms at Fox.(Blossom Films' film production deal )(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Apple case nears its core.
April 4, 2006

It's 'Confessions' time.(Madonna to perform on her 'Confessions Tour' in Los Angeles)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Inventive or not, Yanks eat up reality format.(Hard Sell)
April 4, 2006

Saturn rings in honorees.(32nd annual Saturn Awards)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Pepper Dennis.(Television)(Television program review)
April 4, 2006

The Cataract.(Theater review)
April 4, 2006

Don Pasquale.(Opera review)
April 4, 2006

'Mouth' gets kiss.("Mouth to Mouth" to be produced)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

TCM to revisit Cavett talker.(Turner Classic Movies Inc.)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Roberts rains cash on B'way: most other shows see downtick.(Julia Roberts' Three Days of Rain)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Topper exits Sanctuary in label's global reorg.(Sanctuary Records Group's Tom Lipsky resigns)(reorganization)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Cabler cooks into the night.(Television Food Network G.P. launches more cooking and food programs)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Eye picks Mitchell as its Sunday man.(CBS Inc. CBS News appoints Russ Mitchell )(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Scribe blessed by org.(playwright Lee Blessing gets an award at Humana Festival of New American Plays)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

"Stuff Happens" will be happening a little longer: The Off Broadway show, a hot ticket at the Public, has been extended by four weeks.(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Wendie Malick (TV's "Just Shoot Me") will join the cast of "Burleigh Grime$," the new play by Roger Kirby.(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Film box office wrap: for the weekend of March 31-April 2.(Statistical table)
April 4, 2006

Exclusives report: for the weekend of March 31-April 2, 2006.(Statistical table)
April 4, 2006

Top 10 films in Manhattan: for the weekend of March 31-April 2, 2006.(Table)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Broadway top 10: March 27-April 2.(Table)
April 4, 2006

The Road Home: Re-Membering America.(Theater review)
April 4, 2006

An ingnious plan: Ball's investment fund to list in London.(Ingenious Media Active Capital)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Another fine mess, Silvio.(Mediaset fined)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

NHK, Tobu team for tallest tower.(Tobu Railway Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Star quality for Aiello.(Star TV Inc. appoints Paul Aiello )(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Hong toons up for net.(Animax Korea appoints Marty Hong )(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Bank bounces Breuer over Kirch talk.(Kirch Media and Leo Kirch sues Deutsche Bank AG's Rolf Breuer)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006

Foxtel adds to Hollywood pic pact.(contract with Paramount Pictures Corp., Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., and Universal Studios Inc.)(Brief article)
April 4, 2006