Daily Variety articles from January 2009

Daily Variety archives from January 2009

Holding strong: big B.O. for year-end pix.
January 2, 2009... The holiday box office has turned into a cash cow for a diverse litter of titles, guaranteeing that ticket sales for 2008 will match or exceed last year's record-breaking haul of $9.62 billion. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Twentieth Century...

Downloads, concerts hit high note.
January 2, 2009... A depressed holiday season pushed the recorded music industry deeper into its continued slump as sales of albums--CDs and downloads combined--hit only 428.4 million, a 14% drop from 2007. It's even more staggering when compared with 2005...

SAG's feeling internal heat.(Screen Actors Guild)
January 2, 2009... The Screen Actors Guild is starting 2009 with a civil war raging over a possible strike. SAG's moderate wing plans to replace the guild's negotiating committee--and possibly fire national exec director Doug Allen--in hopes of breaking the...

Cable war ends.
January 2, 2009... After escalating quickly into a public war of words, the contract battle between Time Warner Cable and Viacom ended quietly in the wee hours of New Year's Day with a deal that averted the threatened blackout of MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central...

Pics for posterity: 25 titles entering National Film Registry.
January 2, 2009... "The Asphalt Jungle," "Sergeant York," "In Cold Blood," "The Pawn broker," "Deliverance" and "The Terminator" are among the 25 films selected in 2008 by the Library of Congress for inclusion in its National Film Registry. [ILLUSTRATION...

A 'Fearless' finale to '08.(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... Taylor Swift's "Fearless" held on to the No. 1 slot for a fourth nonconsecutive week, selling 262,000 copies in the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Albums by Bey once and Britney Spears...

Myriad eyes fright 'Night'.(The Night Projectionist)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Myriad Pictures is reteaming with comicbook publisher Studio 407 to bring the horror series "The Night Projectionist" to the bigscreen. "Projectionist" marks the second title produced under Studio 407's...

'Phantom' sequel chatter heats up.(The Phantom of the Opera)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Andrew Lloyd Webber is talking up his long-gestating sequel to "The Phantom of the Opera," telling the London press he's hoping for a late-2009 preem for three productions bowing simultaneously on Broadway, on the...

'Basterds' set for summer.
January 2, 2009... The Weinstein Co. and Universal Pictures have set a date for Quentin Tarantino's World War II epic "Inglourious Basterds." The Brad Pitt starrer will open domestically on Aug. 21, with TWC handling distribution Stateside. Universal,...

Hugh bids 'Cleo' adieu.(Hugh Jackman )(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... Hugh Jackman has removed himself from discussions to star with Catherine Zeta-Jones in "Cleo," a 3-D live action musical which Steven Soderbergh will direct as his next project. No deal had been signed as the ambitious $30 million project...

Jay Karnes.(Tenpercenteries)
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thesp Jay Karnes ("The Shield") has signed with Innovative. Karnes recently appeared in a recurring role on FX's "Sons of Anarchy," and his credits include "Chasing 3000" and "Broken Angel."

Jon Collin Barclay.(Tenpercenteries)
January 2, 2009... Actor Jon Collin Barclay has signed with National Lampoon Talent Group. He's onscreen in "Valkyrie" and his credits include "The Bourne Supremacy."

Damian Kindler.(Tenpercenteries)
January 2, 2009... H2F Entertainment has inked Damian Kindler. Kindler created and exec produces Sci Fi Channel series "Sanctuary," which was recently picked up for a second season.

Tess of the D'Urbervilles.(Television program review)
January 2, 2009... (Two-part movie; PBS, Sun. Jan. 4, 11, 9 p.m.) Filmed in the U.K. by BBC/WGBH Boston. Executive producers, Kate Harwood, Rebecca Eaton; producer, David Snodin; director, David Blair; writer, David Nieholls, based on the novel by Thomas...

Game Show in My Head.(Television program review)
January 2, 2009... (Series; CBS, Sat. Jan. 3, 8 p.m.) Produced by Hat Trick Prods. and Katalyst Films in association with fox21. Executive producers, Jimmy Mulville, Leon Wilde, Ashton Kutcher, Jason Goldberg, Karey Burke, Michael Binkow; supervising...

IFC hosting 'Che'.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)(Independent Film Channel)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... A little under a month after unspooling the uncut "Che," distrib IFC will bring the trimmed-down, two-part version of Stephen Soderbergh's epic biopic to its Gotham theater on Jan. 9. The first half, "Che: The Argentine," will open wide the...

Film Society of Lincoln Center.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)
January 2, 2009... Film Society of Lincoln Center will mark the 20th anniversary of the death of New York Film Festival co-founder Richard Roud with a double bill of his favorite pies. Jean-Marie Straub and Daniele Huillet's "The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach"...

The Screening Room.
January 2, 2009... The Screening Room The Screening Room runs Tuesdays and Fridays. Send schedules to jeffrey.sneider@variety.com. Screenings are open to Academy and guild members. For a complete list of screenings in all cities, visit...

The Clone Returns Home.
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (KURON WA KOKYO WO MEZASU) (Japan) An Agung, Kassai, Homare, Sakura foods, Tocyu-kikaku, Bangup, Furie production. (International sales: Agung, Tokyo.) Produced by Kiyoshi Inoue, Rie Yamamoto. Executive...

Burma VJ.
January 2, 2009... (Docu--Denmark) A Magic Hour Films production, in association with WG Film, Mediamente, Kamoli Films, with participation of SVT, DR TV, Channel 4, NRK, Danish Film Institute, Danida. (International sales: First Hand Films, Zurich.)...

New producers primp 'Hair' revival.(Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... Jeffrey Richards and Jerry Frankel have teamed with the Public Theater to act as co-lead producers of the upcoming Broadway revival of "Hair"--replacing Elizabeth I. McCann as the lead commercial producer on the project. McCann, who worked...

Archival legit goes online.(American Theater Wing and Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... The American Theater Wing has partnered with the legit helmers' union, the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, to make archival audio and video material available online for streaming and download. Conversations between...

S.F. theater needs major magic streak.
January 2, 2009... San Francisco's Magic Theater has joined the list of regional theaters hit by economic woes, with the org declaring it must raise $350,000 by Jan. 9 to stay open. The 42-year-old institution, already engaged in a staff shutdown, carries an...

Filming in the future.(Film Production Chart)
January 2, 2009... PRODUCTION CHART KEY Abbreviations: EXP, Executive producer; PROD-Producer; COP-Co-producer; DIR-Director; AD-First assistant director; 2DIR-Second-unit director; SCR-Screenwriter; OP-Cinematographer; ED-Editor; PD-Production designer;...

Filming in the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
January 2, 2009... THE BLACK ROCK EXP, Kevin Epps; PROD-DIR, Epps; P, Sparkie Brown. Mastamind Prods. (323-666-5458) 7/6, San Francisco, CA. THE CARD Will Edwards, Henry Clarke, Numa Brelet, Barbara Stewart, Robert Watts, Kerry Ann Loomis EXP,...

Filming in Gotham.(Film Production Chart)
January 2, 2009... ANYTHING Sarah Brossa, Peter Brossa PROD, Tressa Sanders; DIR-CAST, Sanders. Still Guerrilla Films/High Contrast Media (813-413-5392) 12/6, New York. FIVE GOOD YEARS Kris Black, Shoshanna Stern PROD, Kris Black, Hutson...

Room for next boom: those raging bulls and easy riders make way for another generation.(V PLUS: EYE ON THE OSCARS: DIRECTORS ROUNDUP)
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sharp divides are never as easy to pinpoint in Hollywood, although Peter Biskind made a pretty good case in his book "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls." Now that clique of 1970s helmers no longer dominates the kudos...

Diane Paulus on Darren Aronofsky's 'The Wrestler'.(DIRECTORS ON DIRECTORS: Broadway's best tip their hats to 2008's most notable filmmakers)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... I have been fascinated by the world of professional wrestling for years. I believe that when theater in the 20th century is studied from the vantage point of 500 years from now, professional wrestling--and in particular, the heyday of 1980s...

Daniel Sullivan on John Patrick Shanley's 'Doubt'.(DIRECTORS ON DIRECTORS: Broadway's best tip their hats to 2008's most notable filmmakers)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... My wife and I had a dinner party recently and one of the subjects that came up was "Doubt," the movie. I was fascinated that the same questions these people had after the play opened were still in the air after seeing the film: Is the priest...

Thomas Kail on Danny Boyle's 'Slumdog Millionaire'.(DIRECTORS ON DIRECTORS: Broadway's best tip their hats to 2008's most notable filmmakers)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In his latest film, "Slumdog Millionaire," Danny Boyle breathes life into the fiercely irrepressible hero Jamal and the kaleidoscopic beauty of Mumbai with a pulsing vitality. He creates a dazzling tapestry through...

Phyllida Lloyd on Alexander Sokurov's 'Alexandra'.(DIRECTORS ON DIRECTORS: Broadway's best tip their hats to 2008's most notable filmmakers)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... A Russian woman visits her soldier grandson in war-ravaged Chechnya. She shuffles about the camp with a kind of perplexed authority, meeting soldiers, chatting to her grandson and tottering off for some shopping in the nearby Chechen market....

Terry Kinney on Mike Leigh's 'Happy-Go-Lucky'.(DIRECTORS ON DIRECTORS: Broadway's best tip their hats to 2008's most notable filmmakers)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... Mike Leigh's films speak to theater lovers. He rehearses the actors for a long time, and he works with an ensemble of actors, which is something I care about. But my favorite thing about Leigh is that he makes movies that play more like life...

Ian Rickson on James Marsh's 'Man on Wire'.(DIRECTORS ON DIRECTORS: Broadway's best tip their hats to 2008's most notable filmmakers)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I loved "Man on Wire." It transfixed me. I watched it with Kristin Scott Thomas at the Sunshine Cinema while we were previewing "The Seagull" on Broadway, and it was an ideal cultural escape. The director, James...

Bartlett Sher on Gus Van Sant's 'Milk'.(DIRECTORS ON DIRECTORS: Broadway's best tip their hats to 2008's most notable filmmakers)(Brief article)
January 2, 2009... I must admit in advance that I am quite biased on the subject of "Milk," having grown up in San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s. We were all huge supporters of Harvey (my parents voted for him) and we knew the Moscone family. So by the time I...

Judging plays on the silver screen: no special treatment for stage-to-film work.(ADAPTED)
January 2, 2009... Hollywood has a long tradition of adapting plays and musicals for the screen. Critics whose job it is to assess such films say they give efforts like "Frost/Nixon," "Doubt" and "Mamma Mia!" no special consideration just because they originated...

A chance for lighter far: separation can help musicals and comedies.(LAUGHING MATTERS: FUNNY ACTORS GET RESPECT)
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Of all the Golden Globes categories, best motion picture--musical or comedy may be the hardest to get a bead on. For starters, it yokes together two distinct categories while segregating them from drama. Yet the...

Crix comment: a sampling of lively opinions on some of this year's key Golden Globes noms.(V PLUS: GLOBES CRIX' PICKS)
January 2, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BEST MOTION PICTURE DRAMA 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' "Lyrical, original, misshapen and deeply felt, this is one flawed beauty of a movie." --David Ansen, Newsweek 'Frost/Nixon' ...

U.K. honors showbiz folk.
January 2, 2009... Rock singer Robert Plant, jazz musician Courtney Pine, film producer Jeremy Thomas and actor Michael Sheen have been honored by the U.K. government. Plant, the former frontman of Led Zeppelin, saxophonist Pine and Thomas, whose credits...

FCC commish Tate ankles org post.
January 2, 2009... FCC commissioner Deborah Taylor Tare is exiting the regulatory org after three years, but outgoing FCC chairman Kevin Martin is keeping mum on his plans after president-elect Barack Obama takes office next month. Martin's term as a...

Hits and myths of acting honors: many iconic thesps never earned an Academy Award.(V PLUS: AWARDS SEASON FOCUS: THE ACTOR AND THE ACTRESS )
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] No one ever promised that the Academy would be just, let alone fair. This year, Frank Langella (who will be 71 by Oscar night) is said by some to have a better chance with "Frost/Nixon" just because last year's...

Streep sets new mark: acknowledged for 'Doubt' and 'Mamma Mia!,' the actress passes Lemmon as most nominated thesp in Globes history.(Golden Globes)(Meryl Streep and Jack Lemmon)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Golden Globes have often been touted as a precursor to Oscar, and that's true--but only to a point. It's only because the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. nominates 15 actors and 15 actresses (five each for lead...

Out on their own: all 10 nominated thesps in top actor/actress categories are vying for their first SAG Award as a lead performer.(SAG Awards)( Screen Actors Guild )
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Yanks and virgins dominate the Screen Actors Guild nominations in the two lead actor categories. Let's begin, however, with the more intriguing topic of all those first-timers. Despite such high-voltage...

Costly pix, strong mix: Spirit noms continue recent trend of giving due to films that normally would be too pricey to be called independent.(Indie Spirit Awards)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ever since 1996, when "Jerry Maguire" stood alone as the single studio film up for best picture, the Academy has had no shame celebrating its independents. Naturally, the shift that began that year has resulted in a...

Crix assess wide pix mix: 'Happy' Hawkins finds herself the adoration of scribes while many choose Cruz as Woody's 'Barcelona' belle.(Critics' Awards)(Sally Hawkins of Happy-Go-Lucky, Penelope Cruz and Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As Hollywood inches through yet another Oscar season, various critics groups across the nation have begun the annual tradition of handing out their year-end superlatives in terms of top acting perfs. Reviewers in...

Rookies register with awards voters: while the 'Slumdog' folks and other new faces are enjoying their sudden attention, the real prize is the fame that will bring future roles.(STAR SIGHTINGS: LOVING THE LIMELIGHT)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dev Patel, the young actor who plays the lead in "Slumdog Millionaire," recalls a recent ride on the London Underground the day after he won most-promising newcomer at the BAFTA Awards. "I was just sitting there,...

Holiday pack stays strong.(box office sales)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Twentieth Century Fox's Owen Wilson-Jennifer Aniston starrer "Marley and Me" remained best in show at the weekend box office, fetching a winning gross of $24 million from 3,505 runs for a cume of $106.5 million in...

B.O. on power trip: studios show off in boffo year.
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The record-breaking 2008 domestic box office proves Hollywood isn't as dependent on by-the-book franchises as everyone feared. The '08 B.O. will also be remembered for prospering even as the economy collapsed....

Biz finds o'seas ease.
January 5, 2009... Despite a global economy in freefall, Hollywood majors still saw 2008 foreign grosses rise 4% and set a new record of $9.9 billion. Amid a worldwide recession, the gain underlines the durability of the international biz. The six Hollywood...

Eye shines brightly in downer 2008.
January 5, 2009... When it comes to momentum heading into the new year, the Eye has it--and it's pretty much alone. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One year after the writers strike disrupted development and production cycles, the broadcast networks don't seem to...

Damages.
January 5, 2009... The second season of FX's drama is missing some of the good vs. evil component that propelled the first. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Variety.com

Fall leaders.
January 5, 2009... Fall leaders How the networks fared in reaching the 18-49 demo in primetime during the fourth quarter: Top broadcasters % change Rating/share vs. 2007 [CBS] 3.2/9 -3 [abc] ...

Why movies don't fit into Rupe's rap.
January 5, 2009... WHEN THE CONGLOMS FIRST SEIZED CONTROL OF the major movie studios some years ago, the financial gurus told us how beneficial this would be. The new "parents" would exercise discipline over their unruly children, while also bringing infusions of...

'Bashir' charms crix: Nat'l Society also fetes 'Happy-Go-Lucky'.
January 5, 2009... "Waltz With Bashir" edged "Happy-Go-Lucky" and "Wall-E" to win the 43rd annual best picture prize from the National Society of Film Critics. "Happy-Go-Lucky" was the other big winner, prevailing in four categories. The group's 49...

Helmer sets Fitzgerald adaptation.
January 5, 2009... John Curran is set to direct "The Beautiful and the Damned," a Film Department period drama that will star Keira Knightley. Pic begins production in March. Hanna Weg script concerns the turbulent marriage of alcoholic writer F. Scott...

Relativity goes Rogue.
January 5, 2009... After more than two months of negotiations, Relativity Media has closed a deal to buy Rogue Pictures from Universal Pictures for roughly $150 million. Move bolsters Relativity's library, adding some 30 titles, including Rogue's debut pic...

Cannes cues Huppert.
January 5, 2009... French actress Isabelle Huppert will serve as jury president for the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I am very glad and very proud," Huppert said. "I've had a long relationship with Cannes, and this next meeting...

Beijing's Broadway: theater plex seeks tuners.(World News)
January 5, 2009... Move over Broadway--China is looking to become the global destination of choice for musicals. Theatergoers in the Chinese capital are hoping a giant entertainment project that will contain 32 theaters when construction is complete will...

Media conglom XFM to unload billboard biz.(World News)
January 5, 2009... Chinese media conglom Xinhua Finance Media will increase its focus on entertainment and sports, having agreed to the sale of its outdoor advertising biz. XFM, which is based in Beijing and has a share listing on the Nasdaq, said it is...

New 'Doctor' in the house at BBC.(World News)(Doctor Who's Matt Smith)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... A rising British thesp is the surprise choice to be the 11th and youngest ever Doctor Who. Matt Smith, 26, will succeed David Tennant as the TV Time Lord when the next full series of the skein bows on U.K. screens in 2010. The casting...

China busts piracy ring.(World News)
January 5, 2009... Chinese police say they have busted the world's largest software counterfeiting gang, and courts in the southern boomtown of Shenzhen have sentenced the criminals to jail terms of between one and 6 1/2 years. The 11 pirates were selling...

Yonkers Joe.(Movie review)
January 5, 2009... A Magnolia Pictures release of a Go Prods./Trent Othick production. Produced by Trent Othick. Executive producers, John Gaughan, Matt Othick, Phil Ivey, Chazz Palminteri. Co-producers, Fred David, Robert H. Moretti, Illya Trincher. Co-executive...

Largo Winch.(Movie review)
January 5, 2009... (France) A Pan-Europeenne, Wild Bunch Distribution release of a Pan-Europeenne, Wild Bunch, TF1 Films Prod., Casa Prods. production, in association with Araneo Belgium, Sofica Valor 7, SGAM AI Cinema 1, with participation of Canal Plus,...

'Estate' finds new home in Hartford.(Dividing the Estate)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... There's still life in the Lincoln Center Theater presentation of Horton Foote's play "Dividing the Estate." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The production, which closed its limited Broadway run Sunday at the Booth Theater, will be revived at...

Room for differing views: 'Button' lenser acts naturally despite heavy reliance on f/x.(V PLUS: EYE ON THE OSCARS: THE CINEMATOGRAPHER)
January 5, 2009... Although "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" represents Claudio Miranda's first gig as d.p. on a David Fincher-directed feature, Miranda had a great deal of experience inside Fincher's digital filmmaking pipeline when he took on the project....

Epic 'Australia' tips hat to spectacles in grand tradition of 'Giant' and 'GWTW.(V PLUS: EYE ON THE OSCARS: THE CINEMATOGRAPHER)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In "Australia," director Baz Luhrmann pays homage to his homeland in a sweeping period saga that's also a throwback to the spectacles Hollywood used to make but rarely does anymore. "We referenced back to movies like...

Eastwood's collaborator achieves radically different looks with same philosophy.(V PLUS: EYE OF THE OSCARS: THE CINEMATOGRAPHER)(Clint Eastwood and Tom Stern )
January 5, 2009... Like "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima" two years back, Tom Stern shot two Oscar-contending features for Clint Eastwood a few months apart using the same basic production methodology honed by Eastwood's team over the years to...

'Knight' filmmakers avoid CGI whenever possible with the aim of keeping it real'.(V PLUS: EYE OF THE OSCARS: THE CINEMATOGRAPHER)
January 5, 2009... It's no coincidenee that as the story of "The Dark Knight" unfolds, the imagery gets darker, right alongside the plot. Christopher Nolan and d.p. Wally Pfister planned it that way. "Our general philosophy is that the cinematography has to...

Oft-nominated d.p. takes his lighting cues from the actors.(V PLUS: EYE OF THE OSCARS: THE CINEMATOGRAPHER)
January 5, 2009... Arcane statistics are generally the purview of baseball fans, but Roger Deakins is fast becoming the Oscar-watcher's equivalent of Hack Wilson (190 RBIs, Chicago Cubs, 1930). With seven Oscar nominations and no wins, Deakins is also poised to...

Harris Savides: 'Milk'.(Snapshots: Indie sensibilities get a workout on locations ranging from San Francisco to Mumbai)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When it came time to shoot "Milk," helmer Gus Van Sant wanted d.p. Harris Savides to get the naturalistic style he had in mind by borrowing from another genre's techniques. "He wanted to shoot it like we were a...

Anthony Dod Mantle: 'Slumdog Millionaire'.(Snapshots: Indie sensibilities get a workout on locations ranging from San Francisco to Mumbai)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Anthony Dod Mantle, the d.p. on "Slumdog Millionaire, did his own extensive prep prior to shooting the at times magical-realistic film, directed by Danny Boyle, about a child who grows up in the teeming slums of Mumbai and winds up winning a...

Maryse Alberti: 'The Wrestler'.(Snapshots: Indie sensibilities get a workout on locations ranging from San Francisco to Mumbai)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Maryse Alberti has spent her days as a d.p. traveling back and forth between documentaries like "Taxi to the Dark Side" and narrative films like "Happiness" and, now, "The Wrestler." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Declan Quinn: 'Rachel Getting Married'.(Snapshots: Indie sensibilities get a workout on locations ranging from San Francisco to Mumbai)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... For "Rachel Getting Married," director Jonathan Demme wanted a look that was part home movie and part documentary to reflect the spontaneous and frequently chaotic nature of the film's story and characters. Toward that end, d.p. Declan Quinn...

Frederick Elmes: 'Synecdoche, New York'.(Snapshots: Indie sensibilities get a workout on locations ranging from San Francisco to Mumbai)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Frederick Elmes has collaborated with such iconoclastic directors as David Lynch and Jim Jarmusch, but Charlie Kaufman and "Synecdoche, New York" presented particular challenges. "You try to realize what the...

Homeland Security USA.
January 5, 2009... (Series; ABC, Tue. Jan. 6, 8 p.m.) Produced by A Son of Nate & Lil Prods. in association with Seven Network Australia. Executive producer, Arnold Shapiro; supervising producer, Paul Coyne; line producer, Ed Lavelle; editors, Coyne, Shirin...

Fest plays with trailer.(trailer for the 2009 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... The Tribeca Film Institute will hold a competition in which entrants will reshoot scenes from Disney's "Cool Runnings" and "Remember the Titans." The best 30-second rift on one of the three pre-selected scenes will become the trailer for...

Pat Hingle.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Pat Hingle, a veteran actor whose career spanned stage, film and TV, including a recurring role as Commissioner Gordon in several Batman movies in the 1990s, died Saturday of cancer. He was 84. Born Martin Patterson Hingle in 1924, he went...

Jett Travolta.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... John Travolta's teenage son, Jett, died Friday after apparently having a seizure and hitting his head at his family's vacation home, authorities said. Jett, 16, will be buried in Florida following his death at the actor's home in the...

Kathy Wetherell.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Veteran reality show producer Kathy Wetherell, 48, was killed in an automobile accident Dec. 20 in Arizona. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. today at the Hall of Liberty, Forest Lawn, in Hollywood. Wetherell was driving on...

Irving Cheskin.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
January 5, 2009... Irving Cheskin, executive director of the Broadway League from 1961-82, died Dec. 19. He was 94. For nearly 50 years, Cheskin worked on behalf of the Broadway industry's retirement and health benefits funds. During his tenure, the...

Page Cavanaugh.(Obituaries)
January 5, 2009... Jazz pianist, composer, arranger and conductor Page Cavanaugh, whose trio played in films and on Frank Sinatra's radio show, died Dec. 19 of kidney failure in Granada Hills, Calif. He was 86. In the late '40s and early '50s, the Page...

Jack Quigley.(Obituaries)
January 5, 2009... Composer, conductor and pianist Jack Quigley died Dec. 14 in Burbank, Calif., after a heart attack. He as 79. Born in Taunton, Mass., he attended the Boston U. School of Music. During that time, his composition for string quartet was...

Sam Bottoms.(Obituaries)
January 5, 2009... Sam Bottoms, who started his acting career as a teenager in "The Last Picture Show" and played surfer Lance Johnson in "Apocalypse Now" died Dec. 16 in Los Angeles of brain cancer. He was 53. He was the brother of actors Timothy, Joseph...

Favorites add to tally: PGA follows familiar kudos pattern with pic noms.
January 6, 2009... The Producers Guild of America has tapped "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk" and "Slumdog Millionaire" as nominees for its top feature award. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The winner, determined...

Blu-ray not yet homevid's savior.
January 6, 2009... Homevid execs don't have quite as much to cheer about at CES this year. The biz, which had hoped for a turnaround by the end of 2008, is instead headed to the tech confab on a down note. Final year-end results won't start to trickle in...