Daily Variety articles from January 2006

Daily Variety archives from January 2006

Peacock preening with iTunes presence.(news ANALYSIS)(National Broadcasting Company Inc.)
January 3, 2006... Happy days are here again for problem-plagued NBC--at least in the world of digital downloads. While the Peacock's still pretty much plucked in primetime, net is having a far easier go on Apple's iTunes musicstore. Just a month after...

Kung fu laffer kicks in.(Doug Liman and Dave Caplan to make a kung fu comedy for National Broadcasting Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" helmer Doug Liman is teaming with scribe Dave Caplan for a kung fu comedy set up at NBC. Untitled half-hour revolves around a pair of brothers who find themselves taking care of their mom and her restaurant. In order to...

Fur flies at B.O: 'Narnia' nips Kong in topsy-turvy frame.('The Chronicles of Narnia' does better business than 'King Kong')
January 3, 2006... Narnia proved a slightly more popular destination than Skull Island with the family trade over the four-day holiday weekend. Disney and Walden's "The Chronicles of Narnia" took first place for the first time since its debut three weeks ago,...

Still no brakes for 'Brokeback'.('Brokeback Mountain')
January 3, 2006... "Brokeback Mountain" continues to buck trends, showing even more heat in its fourth limited frame, while "Munich" posted a second solid week on several hundred plays and "Match Point" aced its debut on a handful of courts. "Brokeback"...

Spain woos Woody.(Woody Allen signs deal with Mediapro to shoot movie in Spain)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... Enjoying success with his U.K.-shot pic "Match Point," Woody Allen is now setting his sights on Spain. Allen has inked a deal to shoot an English-language pie in Spain for production house Mediapro, using international and Spanish actors,...

Sony game for quizzer maven.(Sony Pictures Television signs deal with Michael Davies )
January 3, 2006... "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" exec producer Michael Davies has set up shop at Sony Pictures TV, where he'll develop a wide range of nonscripted skeins for broadcast, cable and syndication. Three-year pact reps a new phase for Davies, who...

Changing of the guard: new toppers and tactics.(The Back Lot)
January 3, 2006... Imagine a conference room filled with the following cast of characters: On one side of the table sit the fire-eating moguls of old Hollywood: Louis B. Mayer, Harry Cohn, Jack Warner and Sam Goldwyn. Positioned across from them are...

'Lion' King o'seas: auds ring in new year in 'Narnia'.(WORLD WATCH)('The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe')
January 3, 2006... The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" easily out-roared "King Kong" at the international box office with $41.5 million at 6,584 playdates in 31 markets during the Friday-Sunday New Year's weekend. With "Narnia"...

Starz stirs online pic play.
January 3, 2006... Bill Gates and John Malone are steamed that people aren't watching enough movies on their computers or on portable media players, so they're doing something about it. Malone's Starz has revamped its online subscription-movie service,...

ASC lauds Wiseman.(American Society of Cinematographers to honor Frederick Wiseman )(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... The American Society of Cinematographers has tapped documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman to receive its award of distinction. Kudos will be presented at the 20th annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards Feb. 26 at the Century Plaza. ...

Loews CEO lands pioneer nod.(chief executive officer of Loews Cineplex Entertainment to be honored by the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... Travis Reid, prexy-CEO of Loews Cineplex Entertainment, has been tapped pioneer of the year by the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation. Reid started his exhib career at age 20 working in a California drive-in. He'll helm the...

Altman resurrects 'Blues' in Blighty.(Robert Altman to direct 'Resurrection Blues' )
January 3, 2006... Robert Altman will direct Arthur Miller's satirical black comedy "Resurrection Blues" at London's Old Vie Theater. Scott Griffin is producing. Helmer has set Jane Adams, Neve Campbell, Peter McDonald, Matthew Modine, Maximilian Schell and...

Aurum angst for Alliance.(Motion Picture Distribution acquires Aurum Producionnes)
January 3, 2006... Motion Picture Distribution, an income trust controlled by Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis, has initiated arbitration proceedings to try to resolve financial issues related to the 2004 acquisition of Spanish distrib Aurum Producionnes. ...

SAG slates kudos producers.(Screen Actors Guild )(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... The producing team for last year's SAG Awards is returning for this year's ceremonies. Jeff Margolis, exec producer since 1999, will remain in that role, while Kathy Connell will produce, as she has for the past 11 years. SAG Awards...

'Manchild' matures: showtime adaptation adds creative duo.(Darren Star and Michael Traeger appointed by Showtime Entertainment Inc. to adapt 'Manchild')(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... Showtime's take on BBC hit "Manchild" is picking up steam, with Darren Star coming aboard as exec producer and feature scribe Michael Traeger set to write the pilot. Feevee cabler quietly picked up rights to the Blighty import early last...

Fox Reality betting big on 'Nothing'.('Double or Nothing')(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... Fox Reality is going "Double or Nothing" with LMNO Prods. Cabler has greenlit production on a two-part special from LMNO in which one player sells everything he owns in order to risk his net worth on one spin of a Las Vegas roulette wheel....

Par enrolls laff scribes.(Paramount Pictures signs Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to to write comedy script)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... Paramount Pictures has tapped Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky to pen a college comedy under its deal with Web site CollegeHumor.com and Par-based Alphaville. Scribes, who write for "The Office" are WGA-nommed for their work on the NBC...

Two Chans and a 'Baby'.(Jackie Chan starts shooting movie with helmer Benny Chan)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... Jackie Chan has started shooting his latest kung-fu comedy, tentatively titled "BB" or "Baby," in Hong Kong with local helmer Benny Chan. Production kicked off before the recent announcement of the "Rush Hour 3" project. Hot mainland...

Televisa toons up 'Chavo'.(cable network plans 'El Chavo del ocho')
January 3, 2006... Mexico's media titan Televisa is launching its first toon in 2006 and aiming to revamp its programming with possible U.S. and Spanish co-productions. Later this month, at the National Assn. of Television Program Executives meeting in Las...

Showbiz stocks: Friday, December 30, 2005.(Illustration)
January 3, 2006... Showbiz Stocks Friday, December 30, 2005 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIX ... 10.38 -.52 +166.8 AcmeCm ACME ...

Four Kings.(Television Program Review)
January 3, 2006... Four Kings (Series; NBC, Thu. Jan. 5, 8:30p.m.) Filmed in Los Angeles by KoMut Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. Executive producers, David Kohan, Max Mutchnick; producer, Tim Kaiser; director, James Burrows; writers, Kohan,...

Candida.(Theater Review)
January 3, 2006... Candida (Bouwerie Lane: 140 seats; $50 top) A Jean Cocteau Repertory presentation of a play in three acts by George Bernard Shaw. Directed by Michael Halberstam. Sets, Brian Sidney Bembridge; costumes, Scan Sullivan; lighting, Joel...

'Munich' in the mail: screeners being sent to BAFTA voters late.(World News)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... DVD screeners of Steven Spielberg's "Munich" will be sent to BAFTA voters after all--but they won't arrive in time for the first round of voting. DreamWorks did not originally plan to mail out screeners of "Munich," but changed its mind...

Satcaster sale slowed.(World News)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... The approval process for Axel Springer's takeover of Haim Saban's ProSiebenSat 1 broadcasting group is threatening to slow down, as the tone between local media organizations becomes rougher. Germany's Commission on Concentration in the...

Ratings through roof for Rossiya's 'Master'.(World News)(Russian pubcaster earns good ratings due to good show of 'Master and Margarita')(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... Russian pubcaster Rossiya is scoring an end-of-year triumph with its adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's novel "Master and Margarita" from helmer Vladimir Bortko. Ratings for opening double episode of the 10-parter, which aired Dec. 19, were...

Britain's big on broadband.(UNITED KINGDOM)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... The U.K. has overtaken France to become Europe's biggest broadband nation. According to research from Internet consultancy PointTopic, the U.K. now has 9.8 million broadband homes, with 9.7 million in France and 9.1 million in Germany. ...

Cabler names CFO.(HONG KONG)(William Kwan appointed as chief financial officer)(I-Cable Communications)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... I-Cable Communications appointed William Kwan as chief financial officer. Kwan will replace Sam Wong, who ankled Friday. I-Cable Communications is Hong Kong's No. 1 pay TV operator. It also has a film venture called Sundream Motion...

Rowe starts 'Today'.(AUSTRALIA)(Jessica Rowe)(Brief Article)
January 3, 2006... Network Ten has failed in its legal bid to delay its former newsreader Jessica Rowe from starting work at rival Nine Network in January. Ten took the newsreader to court after she quit the network to take up a position on Nine's ailing...

Modern times: for composers, technology giveth and technology taketh away.
January 3, 2006... Not so long ago, film composers worked in the time-honored fashion of putting little dots on score paper with a pencil--and if they were pressed for time, they would write fewer notes and leave the more detailed work to their orchestrators, who...

For movie musicians, home is where the art is.(EYE ON THE OSCARS: SONG & SCORE)
January 3, 2006... Gone are the days when Cecil B. DeMille, filming his remake of "The Ten Commandments," listened as composer Elmer Bernstein plunked out Egyptian and Hebraic themes on a piano. Nowadays, directors expect to hear something approximating a...

Last of the red-hot anthems: the 'Big Movie Song' seems to have been replaced by more subtle statements.
January 3, 2006... When Celine Dion sang "My Heart Will Go On" on the 70th annual Academy Awards telecast, the "Titanic" theme was on its way to becoming the all-time bestselling single from a film. On the flip side, many insiders believe the hit tearjerker might...

Once on This Island.(Theater Review)
January 3, 2006... (Center Stage, Baltimore; 541 seats; $65 top) A Center Stage production of a musical in two acts, with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty, based on the novel "My Love, My Love" by Rosa Guy. Directed and choreographed...

The screening room.(movies)(Illustration)
January 3, 2006... The Screening Room The Screening Room runs Tuesdays and Fridays. Screenings are open to Academy and guild members. For a complete list, visit Variety.com/screenings. NEW YORK Breakfast on Pluto (Sony Pictures Classics) ...

Vincent Schiavelli.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 3, 2006... Vincent Schiavelli, the droopy-eyed character actor who appeared in scores of movies, including "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Ghost" died Dec. 26 of lung cancer at his home in Sicily. He was 57. Schiavelli, whose gloomy look made...

Michael Vale.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 3, 2006... Michael Vale, the actor best known for his portrayal of a sleepy-eyed Dunkin' Donuts baker who said "Time to make the doughnuts," died Dec. 24 in New York of complications from diabetes. He was 83. Vale's long-running character, "Fred the...

Roy Stuart.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 3, 2006... Actor and comedian Roy Stuart died of cancer Dec. 25 in Woodland Hills. Calif. He was 78. Born in the Bronx, Stuart started his career an nightclubs and theater. He went on to play Cpl. Boyle in "Gomer Pyle" opposite Jim Nabors. He also...

Ed Hansen.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
January 3, 2006... Writer, director and editor Ed Hansen died Dec. 16 of bladder cancer in Antioch, Calif. He was 68. Born in Minnesota, Ed started his entertainment career in advertising, winning several international awards. He went on to direct...

Christmas in Miami.(Movie Review)
January 3, 2006... Christmas in Miami (NATALE A MIAMI) (Italy) A Filmauro production and release. Produced by Aurelio De Laurentiis. Executive producer, Maurizio Amati. Line producer, Luigi De Laurentiis. Directed by Neri Parenti. Screenplay by...

WB, Fox share year's bounty.(Warner Bros., Fox Searchlight )
January 4, 2006... It was a good year to be Warner Bros. and Fox and a grim one for Sony and DreamWorks. And among the specialty arms, Focus has reason to celebrate, while Fox Searchlight is hoping for a brighter new year. At the end of 2005, Warner...

O'seas wickets will after hot '04.(overseas box office)
January 4, 2006... After a hearty 2004, international box office was hard-pressed to match the feat in 2005, tallying $12 billion in grosses to mark a 4% dip. Contributing to that decline, just four blockbusters topped the $300 million line abroad in 2005,...

Next 'Ocean's' makes waves.(Jerry Weintraub contracts with Rob Guralnick for movie ' Ocean's Thirteen')
January 4, 2006... Jerry Weintraub has brought former Warner Bros. exec Rob Guralnick back to the lot as his producing partner and president of WB-based Jerry Weintraub Prods. Move comes as Weintraub gets a script by Brian Koppelman and David Levien for...

Mild wins for Viacom twins: street greets stox warmly.
January 4, 2006... Sumner Redstone, Leslie Moonves and Tom Freston rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday, and the NYSE returned the favor by ringing up shares of CBS and Viacom on their first day as separately traded companies. With...

ESPN to test 'Fire' power.(Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... ESPN has for the first time landed a theatrical release for one of its properties, full-length sports documentary "Through the Fire," in advance of its TV premiere on the network. Arthouse distributor Cinema Libre has signed to platform the...

'Wicked' ways bolster B'way.(Broadway theater)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... New Year's week broke more records on Broadway than you could shake a noisemaker at, with "Wicked" tallying the highest weekly gross ever. The 28 shows on the boards in the frame ended Sunday raked in the highest weekly gross in Rialto...

GE grappling with its H'wood adventure.(General Electric Co.)
January 4, 2006... INDUSTRIAL TITAN THAT IT IS, General Electric has always seemed uncomfortable with the vagaries of the entertainment industry. Oh, sure, owning NBC was OK, so long as the network minted money the way its parent churns out hardware. But...

Caucus nod to ABC exec: noms in four categories revealed for Jan. 15 kudos.(Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... ABC Entertainment prexy Stephen McPherson will receive the Executive of the Year award from the Caucus of Television Producers, Writers & Directors. Caucus also revealed noms for producer, writer, director and the newly added actor...

Corrections.(Correction Notice)
January 4, 2006... Peter Brown will head koews Cineplex-AMC once the merger is completed. Travis Reid will assist in the transition and then leave the company. Information was incorrect in Tuesday's paper. The photo in Tuesday's Back Lot column was of Jack...

Globes enlist quintet to present.(Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Jamie Foxx, Natalie Portman and Emma Thompson contract by National Broadcasting Company Inc. as presenters)(63rd annual Golden Globe Awards)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... HOLLYWOOD -- Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Jamie Foxx, Natalie Portman and Emma Thompson have been tapped presenters for the 63rd annual Golden Globe Awards. Show airs Jan. 16 on NBC from the Beverly Hilton.

Touchstone TV makes Misher wish come true.(Touchstone Television Inc., Kevin Misher)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Feature producer Kevin Misher ("The Interpreter") is setting his sights on the TV world, sealing a deal with Touchstone TV. Misher is in the midst of a one-year, first-look deal with the Disney-owned studio, where he'd serve as a nonwriting...

WGA spreads the wealth with doc noms.(Writers Guild of America, documentary writers)
January 4, 2006... In its noms for feature documentary writing, the Writers Guild of America has tapped pics in an eclectic mix of genres, opting for nature, romance, corporate scandal and a pair of political investigations. The nominations, announced...

Actors' Equity in 'Rat Pack' spat.(Actors' Equity Association filed case against Supper Club, 'The Rat Pack Is Back!')(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... The fur is flying over the Rat Pack. Actors' Equity has filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against the Supper Club, the midtown venue that briefly hosted an aborted production of "The Rat Pack Is...

Disney powers iPods: mouse uploads sports, news to iTunes.(Walt Disney Co.)
January 4, 2006... The Walt Disney Co. has turned a digital spigot into a fire hose, broadening its offerings on Apple's iTunes to include sports, news and animated shorts from the Walt Disney library. Expanded offering comes as NBC Universal trumped ABC's...

ABC football bowls over competish.(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... ABC Sports has set the table for tonight's much-anticipated college football championship main course with good Nielsens for Monday's appetizer matchups. In metered-market household overnights, Monday's Fiesta Bowl between Ohio State and...

IFC in 'Holding' pattern.(IFC Films gets Distribution rights for movie 'Twelve and Holding')(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... IFC Films has picked up U.S. distrib rights to helmer Michael Cuesta's second feature, "Twelve and Holding," and is eyeing a summer release. Pic, penned by television scribe Anthony Cipriano, returns Cuesta ("L.I.E.") to the theme of...

Dow up on Zannino: WSJ publisher puts stock in nonjourno.(Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones and Company Inc., Richard Zannino)
January 4, 2006... Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal, has named Richard Zannino as CEO. He becomes the first nonjournalist to lead the company in a half century. Zannino, 47, replaces the embattled Peter Kann, who will remain chairman of the...

D-cinema era at Century.(Technicolor Digital Cinema L.L.C. taps Century Theaters )
January 4, 2006... Continuing the heated battle for digital-cinema deployment Technicolor has signed Century Theaters as the first exhib in its corner. Midsized chain will initially get digital systems as part of Technicolor's beta test this spring. If the...

News shifts Web reins.(The News Corporation Ltd. promoted Jeremy Philips )(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... When it comes to the Internet. News Corp. is picking tip right where it left off. The company has promoted Jeremy Philips to executive VP in a move that gives the 33-year-old official oversight of all potential Internet deals and could...

"The Constant Gardener" and "Good Night, and Good Luck" will be released on DVD Jan. 17 and March 14.(Disc Drive)
January 4, 2006... "The Constant Gardener" and "Good Night, and Good Luck" will be released on DVD Jan. 17 and March 14 by Universal and Warner Bros., respectively.

Adding to the line of best-of DVDs in the "Saturday Night Live" series distributed by Lionsgate, Universal Studios Home Entertainment.(Lions Gate Home Entertainment, )(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Adding to the line of best-of DVDs in the "Saturday Night Live" series distributed by Lionsgate, Universal Studios Home Entertainment will release "The Best of David Spade" and "The Best of Alec Baldwin" on Jan. 24. The studio will also...

"Doom".(Universal Studios Inc. released the disc drive for movie 'Doom')(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Universal's Feb. 7 release of "Doom" will be offered in an unrated extended edition for DVD and PSP that runs 12 minutes longer than the R-rated theatrical release. Both versions feature a dec on the "Doom" franchise, a demo of "Doom 3"...

"Buster Keaton Anniversary Collection.(Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. releasing video discs )(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Sony will release a collection of 10 Buster Keaton shorts March 7. Two-disc "Buster Keaton Anniversary Collection" will feature a selection of his shorts from 1939-41, including "Mooching Through Georgia' and "General Nuisance," as well as...

Icelandic producer locks Scanbox stake.(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Los Angeles-based Icelandic film producer Sigurjon "Joni" Sighvatsson has arranged to buy 75% of Nordic distrib Scanbox Entertainment Group. Deal gives Sighvatsson ("Wild at Heart," "Arlington Road") the chance to do more business in his...

Showbiz stocks: Tuesday, January 3, 2006.(Illustration)
January 4, 2006... Showbiz Stocks Tuesday, January 3, 2006 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIX 10.57 +.19 +1.8 AcmeCm...

Film box office wrap: for the weekend of Dec. 30-Jan. 2.(Illustration)
January 4, 2006... Film Sox Office Wrap FOR THE WEEKEND OF DEC. 30-JAN. 2 Ranking Reported This Last Weekend Week Week Title (Distributor) ...

Reel hit for Virgin: Japan nails conglom for tax on exhib sale.(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Japanese authorities have ordered Virgin Entertainment Japan to pay [yen] 4.3 billion ($36.7 million) in taxes due on the 2003 sale of its local theater chain to Toho Co. The Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau also has slapped Virgin with a...

Jeunet lands Gallic honor.(Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Legion d'Honneur)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Gallic helmer Jean-Pierre Jeunet has been made a member of the Legion d'Honneur, along with several other media figures named Sunday in France's New Year's presidential honors list. Jeunet, whose "Amelie" became one of French cinema's most...

Cabler NTL mulls boosting mobile bid.(NTL Group Ltd., Virgin Mobile Telecoms Ltd.)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Analysts were waiting Tuesday to see if NTL would increase its bid for Virgin Mobile, as predicted in a weekend newspaper report. London's Sunday Times said NTL, Britain's largest cable operator, would boost its $1.4 billion offer for...

Anaya is Bard girl.(Elena Anaya in 'Miguel and William')(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Spanish thesp Elena Anaya ("Van Helsing") will play the love interest in "Miguel and William," Ines Paris' fictional account of a friendship between William Shakespeare and "Don Quixote" author Miguel de Cervantes. The latest in a line of...

Springer bounces terms.(Axel Springer Verlag AG on acquiring ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG)
January 4, 2006... Axel Springer chief executive Matthias Doepfner has rejected the conditions imposed by media watchdogs on its planned 2.5 billion [euro] ($3 billion) takeover of Haim Saban's ProSiebenSat. 1 TV group as unacceptable, absurd and in violation of...

'Heart' beats at Rotterdam.(Nagasaki Shunichi's 'Heart, Beating in the Dark')(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... ROTTERDAM -- Japanese lenser Nagasaki Shunichi's 2005 pic "Heart, Beating in the Dark" will have its European preem Jan. 25 as the opener of the Rotterdam Film Festival. Helmer also is being honored with a retrospective at the event's 35th...

BBC tunes India radio.(BBC Worldwide Ltd. joins with Mid Day Multimedia )(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... BBC Worldwide, the pubcaster's commercial arm, is investing $6.8 million in a joint venture to bid for Indian FM radio licenses. It is the first time that Worldwide has tried a radio station, although it's involved in several joint venture...

SXSW puts 'Home' on the range.(Southwest Film Conference and Festival to feature Garrison Keillor's 'A Prairie Home Companion')(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Garrison Keillor's bigscreen adaptation of "A Prairie Home Companion," directed by Robert Altman, will make its North American preem at the South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival in Austin, Texas. where it will be the opening-night film....

Sony Pictures Entertainment.(Exec Shuffle)
January 4, 2006... Sony Pictures Entertainment has upped Frances Seghers to exec VP and head of worldwide government relations. She was senior VP, European community affairs.

Radio City Entertainment.(Exec Shuffle)
January 4, 2006... Melissa Ormond has been named exec VP of bookings, Radio City Entertainment. She was with House of Blues Entertainment.

Sirius Satellite Radio.(Exec Shuffle)
January 4, 2006... Stan Kozlowski has joined Sirius Satellite Radio as senior VP of strategic sales development. He was North American sales manager for Delphi Corp.

DisneyToon Studios.(Exec Shuffle)
January 4, 2006... Amir Nasrabadi has been appointed VP of finance at DisneyToon Studios. He joined Walt Disney Feature Animation in 2002 as a production analyst.

Smashing Ideas.(Exec Shuffle)
January 4, 2006... Sandy Climan, Entertainment Media Ventures' prexy, and journalist Merrill Brown have been appointed to Smashing Ideas' board of directors.

BMI.(Exec Shuffle)
January 4, 2006... Lynn Oliver has been hired as associate director, writer/publisher relations, for BMI. She was director of A&R for Virgin Records.

Disney ABC Kids Networks.(Kara Rousseau appointed)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Kara Rousseau has been named VP, ad sales marketing, of Disney ABC Kids Networks. She was VP of marketing, for the Time Warner Global Marketing Group.

New England Sports Network.(Joel Feld appointed)(Brief Article)
January 4, 2006... Joel Feld has joined New England Sports Network as VP of programming/production and executive producer. He was exec VP and executive producer at College Sports Television.

Scripps Networks.(Exec Shuffle)
January 4, 2006... The Scripps Networks has hired Robin Garfield as VP, sales research and strategy. She was VP of strategic operations and research for MSNBC.

Our Daily Bread.(Movie Review)
January 4, 2006... Our Daily Bread (UNSER TAEGLICH BROT) (Docu--Austria) A Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion production, made with the support of Film Fonds Wien, ORF, the Austrian Film Institute, 3SAT, ZDF. (International sales: Autlook, Vienna.) Produced...

Barrio Cuba.(Movie Review)
January 4, 2006... Barrio Cuba (Spain--Cuba) An ICAIC (Cuba)/Fine Prods. (Spain) production. (International sales: Fine Prods., Madrid). Produced by Camilo Vives, Jorge Gomez, Santi Camunas. Executive producers, Isabel Prendes, Leonardo Gomez Blanco, Lucia...

Every Other Week.(Movie Review)
January 4, 2006... Every Other Week (VARANNAN VECKA) (Sweden) A Buena Vista Intl. (Sweden) release (in Sweden) of an S/S Fladen Film production in association with Buena Vista Intl. (Sweden), SvT, Stockholm Post Production, Riviera, FLX Comedy, Go Go...