Daily Variety articles from August 2008

Daily Variety archives from August 2008

Where's the beef? Studios not buying into strike threat.
August 1, 2008... After taking much of the summer off in the hopes of avoiding any more labor strife, the film biz is planning to get back to work after Labor Day. As the Screen Actors Guild's contract stalemate with the Alliance of Motion Picture and...

'Mummy' seeks to rein in Batman.(Movie review)
August 1, 2008... Universal film franchise "The Mummy" comes back to life in theaters this weekend after a seven-year slumber, with U looking to seize the No. 1 spot from Warner Bros.' Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight." "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon...

Changes at top of IATSE.(International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and Moving Picture Machine Operators of the United States and Canada president Matthew D. Loeb)
August 1, 2008... Thomas C. Short, president of the Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees since 1994, has retired and been replaced by IATSE exec Matthew D. Loeb. IATSE announced the moves--which have been rumored recently in Hollywood labor...

Helmer takes the stage.
August 1, 2008... Brit film director Ken Russell will make his Gotham stage debut at the helm of the upcoming Off Broadway offering "Mindgame," toplined by Keith Carradine. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Russell ("Women in Love," "Tommy," "Altered States")...

Princess Bride.(VARIETY.COM)
August 1, 2008... The "Princess Bride videogame" is a lighthearted and well-executed romp through the movie's fantasy world.

Games tame Internet.(Olympics)
August 1, 2008... Millions of viewers have had an online sneak preview of the Beijing Olympics' Opening Ceremony thanks to South Korea's Seoul Broadcasting System TV station--much to the irritation of the Chinese authorities. The slip is likely to make the...

Project's all Greek to Col.
August 1, 2008... Columbia Pictures will turn the story of an ancient Greek military expedition into an epic action film. The studio has acquired a pitch for an adaptation of "Anabasis," a memoir written around 400 B.C. by Xenophon, a Greek soldier who was...

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.(Movie review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Universal release, presented in association with Relativity Media, of a Sommers Co./Alphaville production. Produced by Sean Daniel, James Jacks, Stephen Sommers, Bob Ducsay. Executive producer, Chris Brigham....

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2.(Movie review)
August 1, 2008... A Warner Bros. release of an Alcon Entertainment presentation, in association with Alloy Entertainment, of a Di Novi Pictures/Debra Martin Chase production. Produced by Chase, Denise Di Novi, Broderick Johnson, Kira Davis. Executive producers,...

America the Beautiful.(Movie review)
August 1, 2008... (Docu) A First Independent Pictures release of a Sensory Overload production. Produced by Darryl Roberts, Kurt Engfehr, Stela Georgieva, Michele G. Blumenthal. Executive producers, Henry N. L. Anderson, Michael Beach, Dennis Damore,...

Flamingo Court.(Theater review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (New World Stages; 350 seats; $72 top) A Theater 21 and Carolyn Rossi Copeland presentation of three plays in two acts by Luigi Creature. Directed by Steven Yuhasz. Sets, James Youmans; costumes, Carol Sherry;...

The Understudy.(Theater review)
August 1, 2008... (Nikos Theater, Williamstown, Mass.; 172 seats; $37 top) A Williamstown Theater Festival presentation of a play in one act by Theresa Rebeck. Directed by Scott Ellis. Sets, Alexander Dodge; costumes, Tom Broecker; lighting, Kenneth Posner;...

Gallipoli.(Theater review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Sydney Theater, Sydney, Australia; 805 seats; A$77 ($75) top) A Sydney Theater Company presentation of a play with music in two acts by Nigel Jamieson in association with the cast. Directed by Jamieson. Set,...

'Leaves' collects 3 thesps.(LEGIT BITS)('The House of Blue Leaves' cast Jane Kaczmarek, Kate Burton and John Pankow )
August 1, 2008... Jane Kaczmarek, Kate Burton and John Pankow will top the cast of "The House of Blue Leaves," the first show to play in L.A.'s newly renovated Mark Taper Forum. Pankow ("Mad About You") plays zookeeper and frustrated songwriter Artie in...

Ripa's shingle beefs up staff.
August 1, 2008... Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos have added creative mojo to Milojo, the New York production company they recently founded, with the hiring of three execs. Former "Live With Regis & Kelly" producer Albert Bianchini has been tapped VP of...

Tribeca fest sets dates.(2009 Tribeca Film Festival)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... The Tribeca Film Festival has announced dates for the 2009 edition, to be held April 22-May 3. Submissions for the eighth annual fest open Sent. 15. The early deadline is Nov. 14, with the official deadline on Dec. 15. Late entries still...

Lionsgate believes in 'God'.(Lions Gate Films to produce 'God and California')(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Before selling the book, author and cartoonist Chris Millis has sold screenplay rights to his novel "God and California" to Lionsgate. Millis will adapt the story of an Iraq war vet and a disgraced Catholic priest who travel from Gotham to...

Lion taps prod'n veepee.(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.'s Luke Ryan)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... MGM has hired Luke Ryan as VP of theatrical production. He will oversee the production and development of MGM's bigscreen projects. Ryan will also jump into a number of priority projects for the studio that include "Cabin in the Woods,"...

CBS dials radio sale: 50 stations in mid-sized markets for sale.
August 1, 2008... CBS Corp. chief exec Leslie Moonves said Thursday that the company is putting 50 radio stations in 12 markets on the block in an apparent move to combat a sour economy, which is squeezing local advertising. The stations, which generate 15%...

Vivendi picks up Zucker pic.
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vivendi Entertainment has picked up North American rights to David Zucker's new comedy "An American Carol" and will release it in the fall. Pic tracks a cynical, anti-American filmmaker who sets out on a crusade...

Sergei Bodrov.(Tenpercenteries)
August 1, 2008... WMA has signed Russian helmer Sergei Bodrov. Bodrov's "Mongol" is currently onscreen, and his previous credits include "Prisoner of the Mountains" and "Nomad." He's managed by the Arlook Group. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Del Shores.(Tenpercenteries)
August 1, 2008... Multihyphenate Del Shores has inked with CAA. Shores' "Sordid Lives: The Series," based on the play he wrote, recently preemed on MTV's Logo network. Writing and producing credits include "Queer as Folk" and "Dharma & Greg." Shores continues...

Otto Bathurst.(Tenpercenteries)
August 1, 2008... Director Otto Bathurst has signed with Endeavor. Bathurst most recently directed the first three episodes of the BBC miniseries "Criminal Justice." He has also directed "Five Days" for the BBC and episodes of "NY-LON" and "Hustle." Bathurst is...

James Lafferty.(Tenpercenteries)
August 1, 2008... Thesp James Lafferty CA Season on the Brink") has signed with Paradigm: Lafferty stars on CW's "One Tree Hill" and he just wrapped on "S. Dark." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

"Stuttering" John Melendez.(Tenpercenteries)
August 1, 2008... Comedian "Stuttering" John Melendez has signed with Innovative Artists for representation. Melendez is best known from his 15 years on radio's "The Howard Stern Show." His feature credits include "Dude, Where's My Car?" and "Private Parts."...

Swiss manga mania: Locarno fest adds pair of Japanese pix.(World News)
August 1, 2008... The Locarno Film Festival has added two live-action manga features, including the international bow of "Kitaro and the Millennium Curse," plus vintage Japanese toons from the Shochiku stable, to its special events lineup. This latest title...

Canucks slam Yank TV fare.(World News)
August 1, 2008... ACTRA, Canada's main actors union, is unhappy that broadcasters are spending less on homegrown programming and more on U.S. fare. A study from broadcast regulator the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission reported...

BSkyB records growth in subs.(World News)
August 1, 2008... LONDON -- News Corp.'s BSkyB, Europe's biggest paybox, has recorded its highest level of new subscriber growth in five years despite fears of a U.K. recession. The satcaster said 92,000 new customers came aboard in the fiscal fourth...

Lower taxes boost Mediaset bottom line.(World News)
August 1, 2008... Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Mediaset broadcast group posted better than expected first-half net profits Thursday, largely due to lower tax rates in Italy and Spain, where it controls Telecinco. The 2.7% rise to 350 million...

TF1 profits dive in 1st half.(World News)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... PARIS -- TF1, France's leading private broadcaster, saw profits slump 32.7% to 125 million [euro] ($195 million) in the first half of 2008 as a poor economic climate and programming costs from the European Cup soccer tournament took a toll on...

Gucci Lido noms set.(World News)(Gucci Group Award)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] British visual artist-turned-helmer Steve McQueen, whose debut. "Hunger." about the death of Irish Republican Army leader Bobby Sands. scooped this year's Cannes Camera d'Or. is among nominees for the Gucci Group...

Spain nets' earnings sink.(World News)(Telecinco and Anteua 3)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... LISBON -- Spain's leading private webs, Telecinco and Anteua 3, posted 6% and 31% falls in net profits for the first half of this year. Their reduced earnings, caused by a stalling Spanish economy and market fragmentation, follow record...

H.K.'s Mei Ah in the red.(World News)(Mei Ah Entertainment in Hong Kong)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... HONG KONG -- Hong Kong film and TV conglom Mei Ah Entertainment swung to losses of HK$83.5 million ($10.7 million) in the year to March from a profit of $2.8 million a year earlier. Much of the damage was done by a revaluation of...

Filming in the future.(Film Production Chart)
August 1, 2008... PRODUCTION CHART KEY Abbreviations: EXP, Executive producer; PROD-Producer; COP-Co-producer; DIR-Director; AD-First assistant director; 2DIR-Second-unit director; SCR-Screenwriter; DP-Cinematographer; ED-Editor; PD-Production designer;...

Filming in Gotham.(Film Production Chart)(New York)(Directory)
August 1, 2008... BIG PUN: THE LEGACY Rosie Perez, Snoop Dogg, DMX, Xzihit, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Sticky Fingaz, Fredro Start, Redman, Chuck D, Prodigy, B Real, Jim Jones, Swizz Beatz, Bone Thugs n Harmony, Styles P., Big Tigger, Sheek Louch, Liza Rios,...

From the Army Archerd archive.(Column)
August 1, 2008... June 10, 1968 GOOD MORNING: Robert Vaughn, emotionally wrung out after standing vigil Friday with Ted Kennedy at the casket of his friend Robert EK., departed N.Y. yesterday for Prague, to start "Bridge at Remagen." On the longhorn from...

Filming in the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
August 1, 2008... A FONDER HEART Burt Reynolds, Anne Archer, Shelley Long, Charles Durning, Kevin Pollak, Morgan Fairchild, Brenda Strong, CathyLee Crosby, Corbin Timbrook, Gray Graham, Jodi Knotts, Matt Geiger, Lucy Webb, Lucius Buston, Chris Kelly EXP, Jim...

Filming outside the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
August 1, 2008... AMELIA Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Christopher Eccleston, Joe Anderson, Aaron Abrams, Mia Wasikowska, Ewan McGregor, Virginia Madsen, Cherry Jones EXP, Don Carmody, Runald Bass, Hilary Swank; PROD, Ted Waitt, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Kevin Hyman;...

Stealing America: Vote by Vote.(Movie review)
August 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Docu) A Direct Cinema Limited release, in association with Abramorama & Mitropoulos Films, of a Concentric Media production. Produced by Dorothy Fadiman. Executive producers, Mitchell Block, James Fadiman....

Showbiz stocks: Thursday, July 31, 2008.
August 1, 2008... Showbiz Stocks Thursday, July 31, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 2.30 +.08 -48.5 AcmeCm ACME...

'Guitar,' 'Panda' pump Activision.
August 1, 2008... Revenue surged 34% and profits more than doubled in Activision's last quarter as a stand-alone company thanks to a boffo bow for the "Kung Fu Panda" game and two new "Guitar Hero" titles. Activision, which recently merged with Vivendi...

Trib shuffles hit stations.(Tribune Broadcasting)(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Tribune Broadcasting has shuffled the management of its East Coast and Chicago stations. Betty Ellen Berlamino, longtime veep-general manager of WPIX-TV New York, has been upped to prexy of the station. In Chi, Marty Wilke has been named...

"Broadway on Broadway," the annual outdoor event previewing the 2008-09 Rialto season, has been skedded for Sept. 14.(LEGIT BITS)
August 1, 2008... "Broadway on Broadway," the annual outdoor event previewing the 2008-09 Rialto season, has been skedded for Sept. 14. The free concert, which features cast members of legit productions performing segs from current and upcoming shows, shuts...

Lisa Poelle is the new topper of Camp Broadway, the educational org that runs legit programs for kids.(LEGIT BITS)
August 1, 2008... Lisa Poelle is the new topper of Camp Broadway, the educational org that runs legit programs for kids. Poelle joins Camp Broadway after a stint as director of work/life effectiveness at Time Warner. She also has worked for Children's...

L.A.'s Taper begins its second act.(Mark Taper forum in Los Angeles, California)
August 1, 2008... After a year of renovation, Center Theater Group unveiled the refurbished Mark Taper Forum with an emphasis on increased comfort for patrons and improved working conditions for casts and crews. The $30 million makeover included the lowering...

Weekend B.O. preview.(Brief article)
August 1, 2008... Weekend B.O. Preview Variety.com/weekendopeners YEAR TO DATE (in billions of $) 2007 2008 Jan. 5-Aug.1 5.81 Jan. 4-July 30 5.80 Note: Table made from bar graph. Pic (distrib) ...

Tightly wound: bat barely slays 'Dragon'.
August 4, 2008... Universal's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" fell just short of stealing the box office crown from juggernaut "The Dark Knight," which dropped only 42% in its third weekend to come within shouting distance of the $400 million mark in...

'Mummy' dearest o'seas.(The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, overseas)
August 4, 2008... "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" came alive with a vengeance overseas, opening with a stellar $59.5 million at 3,559 playdates in 28 markets. Universal's third "Mummy" movie showed plenty of offshore traction, with a sparkling...

'Lost Souls' finds a mate.
August 4, 2008... Nikolaj Arcel has signed on to direct Universal Pictures' action adventure "Island of Lost Souls" a remake of the 2007 Danish film "De fortabte sjaeles o," co-written and directed by Areel. Jennifer O'Kieffe has been tapped to pen the...

Jitters in Beijing.
August 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Excitement is building in Beijing over an Olympic celebration that Chinese authorities keenly intend to mark the country's emergence on the world stage. With the Opening Ceremony set to take place Friday, the...

'Price' is right for fresh exec.
August 4, 2008... Furthering its efforts to attract a younger audience, "The Price Is Right" has signed Mike Richards as co-exec producer. The move comes about a month after Roger Dobkowitz left his duties as producer of the venerable gameshow, produced by...

De Niro close to 'Edge'.(Robert De Niro in Edge of Darkness)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Robert De Niro is near a deal to join Mel Gibson in "Edge of Darkness," the Martin Campbell-directed feature for Graham King's GK Films. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shooting begins this month in Massachusetts. Gibson stars as Thomas...

Will Obama campaign be star-crossed?(Barack Obama)
August 4, 2008... GEORGE CLOONEY THINKS it's risky. Sean Combs (P. Diddy) thinks it's urgently important. Every celebrity feels differently on the question of political advocacy--whether a star should campaign for a candidate and whether that effort helps...

FCC hones ISP policing rules.
August 4, 2008... Internet service providers cannot block or slow online traffic without a good reason, but they are free--even encouraged--to police their pipes for illegal content. That was the main showbiz implication of Friday's widely expected FCC...

WGA edits credits steps.(Writers Guild of America )
August 4, 2008... The WGA's rewritten rules are great news for rewrite scribes. Members of the Writers Guild of America have strongly endorsed a trio of proposals in a referendum aimed at simplifying procedures for determining feature screenwriting credits....

Her Naked Skin.(Theater review)
August 4, 2008... (National Theater, Olivier, London; 1,127seats; 30 [pounds sterling] ($60) top) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A National Theater presentation of a play in two acts by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Directed by Howard Davies. Sets and costumes, Rob...

The Midnight Meat Train.
August 4, 2008... A Lionsgate release, presented with Lakeshore Entertainment, of a Lakeshore Entertainment/Lionsgate production, in association with Midnight Picture Show and GreeneStreet Films. Produced by Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Clive Barker, Jorge...

Manager stakes vision of 'Beauty'.(Oren Segal to produce Just Like Beauty)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Oren Segal has optioned Lisa Lerner's debut novel "Just Like Beauty." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nick Pustay has been tapped to adapt. The dark comedy--set in a dystopic future replete with a gang of blowtorchers, mutant grasshoppers...

Rome gaga for Gothamite.(Al Pacino )(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Al Pacino will get a lifetime achievement nod at the Rome Film Festival as part of the fest's tribute to New York's Actors Studio. South Bronx-born Pacino is a board member of the Studio, which was formative in his career. "Thank you...

Steady rise for mobile revs.(mobile data revenue )(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... With more consumers turning to their cell phones and similar devices to be entertained, mobile data revenue will grow by a compound annual average of 16% over the next decade, according to a report from research firm SNL Kagan. The firm...

Par slipped a 'Miki': Manga series heads to bigscreen via Plan B.(Miki Falls acquired by Paramount Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Paramount Pictures and Brad Pitt's Plan B have acquired "Miki Falls," a four-volume manga series created by Mark Crilley. TV scribe Sera Gamble has been tapped to adapt. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Story chronicles the final year of...

TWC's 'Shanghai' shuffle.
August 4, 2008... The Weinstein Co. said Saturday that its decision to shift production of "Shanghai" to Thailand after failing to receive permission to lense in China was based on the need to ground the production in Asia. "It was the wrong timing when we...

Fox trots 'Dance' Pickup.(So You Think You Can Dance)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Fox has given an early fifth-season pickup to summer sensation "So You Think You Can Dance." "Dance" regularly wins its two weekly time periods among adults 18-49, 18-34, teens and total viewers. The powerful one-two punch of the show's...

Treciokas flies solo with P.R.(Ina Yreciokas )(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Publicist Ina Yreciokas is exiting Kelly Bush's I/D PR after a 13-year stint to start her own agency. Treciokas, whose client list includes Sarah Jessica Parker, Mike Myers, Katie Holmes and Owen Wilson, will take those four clients with...

E! Is for estrogen: net nabs trio of femme pix.
August 4, 2008... E! Entertainment TV has ponied up about $7 million for some runs of the theatrical version of"Sex and the City" in the network window following the movie's basic-cable premiere on the USA Network. As part of the deal, E! has bought a...

Monsters get the call for Mouse.
August 4, 2008... The Mouse is planning to battle the beasties. Disney has picked up the film fights to graphic novel "Monster Attack Network" from publisher AIT and Planet Lar for Jason Netter ("Wanted") to produce. Book, penned by Marc Bernardin and...

It's Showtime for comic.(Russell Peters )(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Comedian Russell Peters will fly his colors on Showtime next month with his own standup special and a nine-episode series showcasing comics from around the world. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Peters' latest special, "Red, White and Brown"...

DVD, cable will .do for third 'Scooby'.
August 4, 2008... A third live-action "Scooby-Doo" movie is going straight to DVD and the Cartoon Network in fall 2009. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Direct-to-platform production arm Warner Premiere will begin principal photography on Monday in Vancouver on...

Buzz boosts Cablevision.
August 4, 2008... Cablevision stock was on the upswing Friday, a day after it reported strong second-quarter earnings and speculation increased that the controlling Dolan clan was prepping another bid to take the company private. Chatter about a possible...

Neoclassics flies 'Balloon'.( The Black Balloon acquired by NeoClassics Films )(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... NeoClassics Films has acquired North American rights to Australian coming-of-age comedy "The Black Balloon" from Icon Entertainment Intl. for mid-six figures. Pic's directed by first-time heller Elissa Down and stars Rhys Wakefield, Luke...

Margaret Cho and Jack Hurst have been cast in "Drop Dead Diva," a Sony Pictures Television project from Josh Berman.(Player)
August 4, 2008... Margaret Cho and Jack Hurst have been cast in "Drop Dead Diva," a Sony Pictures Television project from Josh Berman. Drama with comedic overtones revolves around a vapid model who dies and finds her soul entering the body of a brilliant,...

Method Man.(Player)
August 4, 2008... Method Man ("How High") will guest star on USA's "Burn Notice" as a record industry exec who suspects an employee is stealing from him. His recent credits include "The Wackness" and "The Wire." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Morgan Lily.(Player)
August 4, 2008... Morgan Lily will play the daughter of Amanda Peet and John Cusack in Roland Emmerich's "2012." Lily's credits include "Henry Poole Is Here" and the upcoming "He's Just Not That Into You." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Turn to page 22

B&D break the brotherly mold.(TWO-TIMING)(Brooks & Dunn)
August 4, 2008... After 23 No. 1 records, album sales in the octuple and more Country Music Assn. and Academy of Country Music awards than any other act, Brooks & Dunn can stake a convincing claim as country music's premier duo, past or present. In the course of...

Brand new media men: venerable country duo rolls with industry changes.(DIGITAL NASHVILLE)
August 4, 2008... Seventeen years ago, when Brooks & Dunn exploded on the country scene with their "Brand New Man" album, cassettes represented 5%, maybe more, of their business, says Ronnie Dunn. Ten platinum albums later, B&D is the most honored duo in the...

Slim and Howdy go from booklet to book.(PUBLISHING)
August 4, 2008... Don Cook, who produced many of Brooks & Dunn's biggest hits, notes the two are more writing collaborators than singing collaborators. Appropriately then, the two have expanded into literature, producing a novel last spring with the help of...

Duo rock the barn and board for charity causes.(PHILANTROPHY)
August 4, 2008... Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have each received considerable acclaim for their charitable activities, both collectively and individually. Brooks is on the board of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, while Dunn has for years...

... Some trace of her.(Theater review)
August 4, 2008... (Cottesloe Theater, London; 310 seats; 29 [pounds sterling] ($58) top) A Royal National Theater presentation of a play in one act inspired by "The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, adapted by Katie Mitchell and the company from the translation...

St. Ann's unveils world preems.(LEGIT BITS)(St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Two world preems, a U.S. debut and a pair of returning popular shows make up the 2008-09 sked at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. Repeat engagements are played by National Theater of Scotland's "Black Watch" (Oct. 9-Nov. 30), the critically...

New plays by Craig Wright, Stephen Belber and Sheila Callaghan are on tap at Off Broadway's Rattlestick Theater this season.(LEGITS BITS)
August 4, 2008... New plays by Craig Wright, Stephen Belber and Sheila Callaghan are on tap at Off Broadway's Rattlestick Theater this season. The 2008-09 sked kicks off with "Lady" (Aug. 28-Sept. 28) by Wright ("Six Feet Under," "Dirty Sexy Money"), about...

Author exposed Gulags.
August 4, 2008... MOSCOW -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize-winning author whose books chronicled the horrors of the Soviet gulag system, has died of heart failure. He was 89. Stepan Solzhenitsyn told the Associated Press that his father died late...

Vod bows on Veranda.
August 4, 2008... Latino Spanish-language content provider Veranda Entertainment has just launched its broadband video-on-demand online site butaca.tv, a destination portal dedicated to Latino cinema. Company has tapped Peter Marai as its acquisitions head in...

Thesp rejoins 'Joan'.(John Goodman, David Wenham and Johanna Wokalek in Pope Joan)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... John Goodman has returned to star in Soenke Wortmann's medieval drama "Pope Joan" after settling a legal dispute with Constantin Film. Australian thesp David Wenham ("300") has also signed on to the pic, which recounts the 9th century...

'Yamato' to fly again.(Space Battleship Yamato)(Brief article)
August 4, 2008... Iconic sci-fi toon series "Space Battleship Yamato" is about to relaunch 25 years after the Last installment was seen, according to producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki, who made the original "Yamato" TV show and four feature toons. Abroad, the series...