Daily Variety articles from July 2004

Daily Variety archives from July 2004

Spidey 2 casting a wide web.
July 1, 2004... Distrib execs throughout the industry spent Wednesday ogling the box office returns of Sony's "Spider-Man 2" pouring in from the 4,152 theaters playing the film. Sony kept a lid on any official results, waiting to issue a number this...

E! Ticket for net vet: Harbert poised to lead cabler after Herman's ouster.
July 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Veteran network warrior Ted Harbert is switching gears to take on the cable universe. The former NBC Studios/ABC Entertainment topper is in line to take over the No. 1 spot at E! Networks following the recent resignation of...

Music sales sing in first half.
July 1, 2004... At the half-way mark of the year, the beleaguered music industry has something to sing about: Sales are up 19.8 million units--about 7%--from last year's midway point and digital downloads are on track to break 100 million songs sold this year....

'Blandings' out of the basement.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Revolution Studios is near a deal with RKO Pictures to acquire remake rights to "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House." The film will be scripted by Hank Nelken and fast-tracked as a directing vehicle for "Daddy Day Care" helmer Steve Carr....

Ants marching at Par.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Paramount Pictures has set Jonathan Hensleigh to write and direct a remake of "The Naked Jungle," a 1954 pic that starred Charlton Heston as a South American plantation owner who battles a colony of oversized marching ants. Par-based...

Stern flies high amid Clear skies.
July 1, 2004... In a move sure to peeve the Washington indecency patrol, Howard Stern announced Wednesday that parent producer Infinity Broadcasting is putting him back on the air in five of the six markets where he got the boot by radio giant Clear Channel....

Just for Variety.
July 1, 2004... GOOD MORNING: When the Demo convention blasts off in Boston July 26-29, Robert Altman and his "Tanner on Tanner" troupe will be there. He and scripter Garry Trudeau will be lensing an impressive list of the top politicos as part of three new...

Boobgate bill for Viacom: FCC takes aim at Eye O&Os with $550,000 penalty.
July 1, 2004... WASHINGTON -- Undeterred by Howard Stern's public bashing Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission is putting finishing touches on a ruling that will likely fine 20 owned-and-operated CBS stations for airing Janet Jackson's Super Bowl...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2004... King World Intl. owns the foreign rights to the U.S. version of the series "'For Better or for Worse" as well as the format rights. Information was incorrect in Tuesday's paper.

Equity, producers stage fresh talks on Tuesday.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... There's nothing like a long holiday weekend to help set priorities. Actors' Equity will resume contract negotiations Tuesday with the League of American Theaters and Producers. The two orgs ceased talks Sunday, the date the old contract...

'Riddick' chronicles a win with gamers.(Inside Moves)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Get ready for a sequel to "The Chronicles of Riddick"--several, in fact--but don't look for them on the bigscreen. They're earmarked for the Xbox vidgame platform, where "Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay" is flouting conventional...

Three playing 'House' as ABC drama tweaks cast.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Three new actors have joined the "Desperate Housewives" cul-de-sac, including Brenda Strong ("Party of Five"), who's taking over the role originally filled by Sheryl Lee. Also added to the ABC drama's cast are Steven Culp...

Perez gets 'Reckless' On b'way.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Rosie Perez joins Mary-Louise Parker and Debra Monk in the upcoming Broadway revival of Craig Lucas' "Reckless." Perez plays the paraplegic Pooty, who is thought to be mule until events prove otherwise. Parker essayed the role in the 1995...

Duo's 'True' calling: Witherspoon, Ruffalo drawn to D'Works ghost tale.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo are in talks to topline "If Only It Were True" at DreamWorks. Mark Waters is directing. Story concerns a man who fails in love with the spirit of a woman whose apartment he comes to inhabit....

Gallic court sorts out who told 'Lies'.
July 1, 2004... PARIS -- A French appeals court has found James Cameron and Gallic helmer Claude Zidi guilty of plagiarism after a drawn-out legal battle over authorship of the 1994 hit "True Lies." Cameron, however, won't have to fork over a cent in...

Brian Cox ("Troy"), Matthew Goode ("Chasing Liberty") and James Nesbitt, who will star opposite Diego Luna and Stellan Skarsgard in the soccer pic "Goal".(Players)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Brian Cox ("Troy"), Matthew Goode ("Chasing Liberty") and James Nesbitt, who will star opposite Diego Luna and Stellan Skarsgard in the soccer pic "Goal," have joined the cast of Woody Allen's untitled British comedy. Pic is set to begin...

Peter Strauss.(Players)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Legit and TV actor Peter Strauss is on his way to the White House for the Revolution actioner "XXX: State of the Union." Strauss will play the President of the United States in the second "XXX" installment, which Lee Tamahori will helm. ...

Jsu Garcia.(Players)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Jsu Garcia ("Crossing Jordan," "Along Came Polly") has landed a role in "The Lost City." Garcia will be under the direction of another Garcia: Andy Garcia, who penned the script, will helm and star. Bill Murray, Dustin Hoffman, Benjamin...

Miramax taps homevid veep.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Miramax Home Entertainment has appointed Randy Wells VP of home entertainment, overseeing day-to-day marketing of DVD and video titles for both Miramax and Dimension. Coming after persistent rumors began circulating last week of imminent...

Comcast pep rally: cabler touts services as competition grows.(Business)
July 1, 2004... PHILADELPHIA -- Acknowledging the twin threat of satellite and telco to its core businesses, giant caner Comcast insisted Wednesday that it will deliver better video, high-speed Internet and phone service than rivals. With cable stocks in...

Toronto plans $131 mil mega-studio.(Business)
July 1, 2004... TORONTO -- Build it and filmmakers will come. That's the strategy of the city of Toronto and Toronto Film Studios, which unveiled plans Wednesday for a new C$175 million ($131 million) mega-studio with 1.25 million square feet of...

Constellation offers $1 for Satmex.(Business)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... MEXICO CITY -- Financially troubled Satelites Mexicanos (Satmex), the nation's only communications satellite operator, has received a truly lowball buyout offer from upstart Mexican firm Constellation: $1. Bid is based on the assumption of...

H'wood orgs seek action vs. subsidies.(Business)
July 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- The Film & Television Action Committee, a group of below-the-line Hollywood workers, and the Intl. Cinematographers Guild have asked the Dept. of Commerce to take action against foreign governments' filmmaking subsidies. Orgs...

Showbiz stocks: Wednesday, June 30, 2004.(Business)(Illustration)
July 1, 2004... SHOWBIZ STOCKS Wednesday, June 30, 2004 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AMC AEN ... 15.37 -.53 +1.1 AcmeCm ...

The Blood on the Tracks Project.
July 1, 2004... The Blood on the Tracks Project (Merkin Hall; 507 seats; $45) Presented by Kaufman Center. Performers; Toshi Reason, Citizen Cope, Ollabelle, Jeffrey Gaines, Mary Lee Cortes, Joan Osborne, Marc Anthony Thompson, Vernon Reid, Brandon...

Revolution of Pigs (Sigader Revolutsioon).(Movie Review)
July 1, 2004... Revolution of Pigs (SIGADER REVOLUTSIOON) (Estonia-Finland) A OU Sigade Revolutsioon, Crea Video Finland production, in association with Estonian Film Foundation, Eesti Kulturalkapital, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, Sandre...

TV and cable production chart.
July 1, 2004... ABC TELEVISION NETWORK (310) 557-7777 ALL MY CHILDREN (ABC) EXP, Julie Hanan Carruthers others; PROD, Ginger Smith, Karen Johnson, Nadine Aronson, Enza Dolce; DIR, Conal O'Brien, Angela Tessinari, Casey Childs; CASTING, Judy Blye...

Births.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Sacha and Elon Gold, a girl, Audrey Emma Gold, May 31, New York City. Mother's non-pro; father's a comedian and an actor. Paternal grandfather, Sid Gold, is a talent manager in New York City. Kimberly and Sirhondes Williams, a boy,...

Joel Moore.(Players)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Joel Moore ("Dodgeball: A True Underdog, Story") has signed on to co-star in "Art School Confidential," directed by Terry Zwigoff for United Artists. He joins a cast that includes John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, James Broadbent, Anjelica...

Paul Michael Glaser (original "Starsky and Hutch"), Colin Ferguson (NBC's "Coupling") and Claudette Mink ("John Doe," "Kingdom Hospital") have inked to star in USA's true crime telepic "Ladies Night".(Players)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Paul Michael Glaser (original "Starsky and Hutch"), Colin Ferguson (NBC's "Coupling") and Claudette Mink ("John Doe," "Kingdom Hospital") have inked to star in USA's true crime telepic "Ladies Night" from exec producer Stan Brooks. ...

Spidey spins globe: rollout starts in Oz with $1.1 mil 1st-day B.O.(movies)
July 1, 2004... "Spider-Man 2" kicked off its offshore adventure in Australia in the first wave of a three-pronged international rollout, spinning a socko A$1.6 million ($1.12 million) on 409 screens to become the industry's biggest non-holiday Wednesday. ...

'Dwarf' finds its star.(Peter Dinklage)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Peter Dinklage will star in "The Dwarf," an indie adaptation of the 1944 novel by Swedish Nobel Prize winner Par Lagerkvist. Plot, set at a prince's court during the Italian Renaissance, concerns Piccolino, a dwarf consumed by anger and...

Bash fit for a 'King'.(movie celebrations)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Disney created Camelot in New York Monday night for the "King Arthur" world preem and after-basil under the lofty vaulted ceilings of St. John the Divine, the world's largest Gothic Revival cathedral. The appropriately medieval setting...

'Entourage' enters the scene.(television program)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Mark Wahlberg arrived with his own entourage--his cast--to Monday's bow of his HBO skein about precisely those phenoms. "Entourage" resonated for Vinnie Jones, who said he takes his mates "everywhere with me," but Maroon 5's...

D'Works delivers newsworthy satire.(Dreamworks SKG)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- "DodgeBall met Anchorman" Monday when DreamWorks launched its absurdist satire at the Chinese Theater. Helmer Adam McKay said he was "stunned" to learn a similar comedy would play parallel to his. "DodgeBall" stars Ben...

'Sunset' rises in Gotham.(movies )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The New York premiere of "Before Sunset"--Warner Independent Pictures' first release--was appropriately low-key and indie-like. There was no official red carpet or glam post-screening party; just a tiny cocktail party before the movie unspooled...

BET crowd rocks on.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Usher moved the crowd as he danced to his own song at Jermaine Dupri's after-party for the BET awards Tuesday night at Concorde. Janet Jackson mingled with Terry Ellis while Dupri chatted with Mekhi Phifer, Nick Cannon and Da'Brat....

Valenti passes the torch: studios hand MPAA gig to Clinton ally.(Jack Valenti names Dan Glickman as his successor)(Motion Picture Association of America)
July 2, 2004... Hollywood's iconic emissary Jack Valenti is finally riding off into the sunset. His replacement will be a mild-mannered congressman from Kansas. After nearly four decades as prexy and CEO of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, Valenti...

Casting against type.(Motion Picture Association of America)
July 2, 2004... WASHINGTON -- At first glance, Dan Glickman may not look the part to succeed Jack Valenti as Hollywood's leading man in Washington. He's certainly not straight out of Central Casting. The balding, slightly pudgy former congressman from...

Lion shares leap on TW buyout talk.(Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc)
July 2, 2004... MGM stock roared to life Thursday after another raft of press speculation put Time Warner back in the lead to snare the Lion with a cash and share-based bid for the company that could top Sony's more complex, private-equity backed effort. ...

Spidey wows auds on Wednesday.(box office)
July 2, 2004... Sony's "Spider-Man 2" bit off a huge chunk of box office in its opening day, setting records by racking up $40.5 million Wednesday from 4,152 theaters. Webslinger's total beats the original "Spider-Man's" $39.4 million opening Friday and bests...

Gray Lady raids again.(New York Times Co.)(Michael Cieply)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- The New York Times has struck again. Michael Cieply is leaving his post as a writer and editor of the Los Angeles Times business section to become the Gray Lady's movie editor, marking the fourth L.A. Times cultural news staffer to...

Niche pics feel a pinch.(movies)
July 2, 2004... Surveying the sudden crowd of limited releases over the July 4th frame, Warner Independent Pictures distrib head Steven Friedlander said, "To quote Yogi Berra, nobody goes to that restaurant anymore because it's too crowded." Looking to...

The Playboy of the Western World.(Theater Review)
July 2, 2004... (Town Hall Theater: 393 seats: 22 [pounds sterling] ($26.50) top) A National Theater of Ireland presentation of the play in two acts by John Millington Synge. Directed by Ben Barnes. Sets, Guido Tondino; costumes, Monica Frawley; lights,...

Auntie Mame.(Theater Review)
July 2, 2004... (Ogunquit Playhouse, Ogunquit, Maine; 688 seats; $45 top) An Ogunquit Playhouse presentation, in association with the Bay Street Theater, of a play in two acts by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, based on a novel by Patrick Dennis....

America's Heart and Soul.(Movie Review)
July 2, 2004... (Docu) A Buena Vista release of a Walt Disney Pictures presentation of a Blacklight Films production. Produced by Louis Schwartzberg. Executive producer, Jake Eberts. Directed by Louis Schwartzberg. Camera (color), Schwartzberg;...

Hip-hop diva drawn to B'way tuner.(Mary J. Blige)
July 2, 2004... First the Tonys; now "Brooklyn"? Legit observers thought hip-hop diva Mary J. Blige was performing on foreign territory when she took to the stage of Radio City Music Hall to sing "What I Did for Love" from "A Chorus Line" at June 6's Tony...

Sounds of silence: nets air Saddam footage censored by U.S.
July 2, 2004... The U.S. news networks agreed to let the American military censor out certain images of Saddam Hussein's court hearing Thursday in Baghdad, one in a bizarre series of events surrounding coverage of the session. American and Iraqi officials...

'McEnroe' a new racket for news cabler CNBC.(Consumer News and Business Channel Partnership)
July 2, 2004... John McEnroe's "Letterman"-like show on CNBC bows next week, part of the campaign to take the dollar sign out of the financial cable news net's evening lineup and replace it with more entertaining fare. The campaign has yet to produce a...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
July 2, 2004... Santa Monica-based Sovereign Artists released the current album by Heart. Information was incorrect in Thursday's paper.

Julie Delpy.(Tenpercenteries)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... "Before Sunset" star and co-writer Julie Delpy has signed for management with Rigberg Rugolo Entertainment. She continues to be repped by Innovative Artists. Later this year, Delpy will be seen in the Hallmark telepic version of...

Erik Van Looy.(Tenpercenteries)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Endeavor has signed Belgian writer-director Erik Van Looy. Looy's latest film "De Zaak Alzheimer" (The Alzheimer Case), which be co-wrote and directed, won top screenplay, director, picture and actor honors at this year's Joseph Plateau...

Rivalry draws Gothamites to baseball.
July 2, 2004... The YES Network knew that lots of people were going to watch Wednesday's game between the New York Yankees and their American League rivals the Boston Red Sox. But when Nielsen finally tabulated the numbers, YES emerged with a...

WB, Liman cop to action pitch.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Warner Bros has made a pre-emptive high-six-figure pitch deal for an untitled action drama to be scripted by Sheldon Turner as a directing vehicle for Doug Liman. Idea is to make a '70s-style action film revolving around members of the...

Preferred triumph: Viv U must pay stock tax for Diller's IAC.(Business)
July 2, 2004... Barry Diller's InterActiveCorp has scored a legal victory over nemesis Vivendi Universal in a $620 million-plus tax dispute between the two. In a tortuous legal and financial saga that dales back to the 2001 agreement by which Diller sold...

C4 breaks the mold with marketer CEO.(Business)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... LONDON -- Channel 4, Blighty's edgy commercial web, has broken with tradition and appointed a marketing maven as its CEO instead of an exec from a creative background. New topper is Andy Duncan, director of marketing, communications and...

CanWest tubthumps Kiwi IPO.(Business)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... AUCKLAND -- CanWest Global Communications, Canada's largest media firm, expects to raise $NZ102 million to $NZ136 million ($65 million to $87 million) through an initial public offering for 30% of its Kiwi media investments--two TV networks and...

Viacom bids $40 mil in Sportsline buyout.(Business)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Viacom has offered approximately $40 million for the remaining 62% it doesn't own of Sportsline.com, operator of the CBS Sportsline Web site. Offer is $1.50 per share in cash; deal would give conglom complete control of the...

Netflix sees subs surge in 2nd qtr.(Business)(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... Online DVD rental shop Netflix reported subscribers in the second quarter were up some 82% from the same period last year, for a total of 2.09 million as of the end of June. Tally was at the high end of the company's forecast and reflects...

Showbiz stocks: Thursday, July 1, 2004.(Business)(Illustration)
July 2, 2004... SHOWBIZ STOCKS Thursday, July 1, 2004 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AMC AEN ... 14.18 -.57 -2.7 AcmeCm ACME ... ...

Films in the future.(Film Production Chart)
July 2, 2004... AEON FLUX Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand EXP, Van Toffler; PROD, Gale Anne Hurd, David Gale, Greg Goodman; DIR, Karyn Kusama; SCR, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi; DP, Stuart Dryburgh; PD, Andrew McAlpine; COS, Beatrix Pasztor; DISTRIB,...

Filming in Gotham.(Film Production Chart)
July 2, 2004... THE INTERPRETER Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Jesper Christensen, Maz Jobrani, Tsai Chin EXP, Sydney Pollack, Anthony Minghella, G. Mac Brown; PROD, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Kevin Misher; DIR, Pollack; AD, David...

Filming in the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
July 2, 2004... ** THE ALIBI Steve Coogan, Rebecca Romijn, Selma Blair, John Leguizamo, Sam Elliot, Jamie King, James Marsden, James Brolin PROD, Patrick Wachsberger, Erik Feig, Jim Stern; COP, David Garrett, Bob Hayward; DIR, Kurt Mattila, Matt...

Filming outside the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
July 2, 2004... ASK THE DUST Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek, Justin Kirk, Donald Sutherland, Eileen Atkins, Val Kilmer, Idina Menzel PROD, Paula Wagner, Tom Cruise, Jonas McCord; DIR-SCR, Robert Towne; DP, Caleb Deschanel; PD, Dennis Gassner; COS, Albert...

Datebook.(movies )(Calendar)
July 2, 2004... JULY 2 "Dog Day Afternoon": Brooklyn Academy of Music continues its "Four With Pacino" series with Sidney Lumet's 1975 film about a Brooklyn bank hold-up. BAM Rose Cinemas. 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Series runs through Monday. Call (718)...

Jumpin' Jack flashes to FX competish show.(Brief Article)
July 2, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Jack Black and FX are teaming up on a comedic reality competition that pits aspiring TV producers against each other as the multihyphenate critiques their efforts before a crowd. Cabler has ordered a pilot presentation of the...

Looking back at Jack.(Motion Picture Association of America )(Calendar)
July 2, 2004... JUNE 1966 Resigns White House post as Lyndon B. Johnson's special assistant to become the third topper in the MPAA's history. NOVEMBER 1968 Modern ratings system is born with four grades for film content: G, M (mature audiences),...

Weekend box office preview.(Illustration)
July 2, 2004... Variety.com/weekendopeners RELEASE DATES AND CHANGES As of July 1 Pic New date Old date MGM Fascination Sept. 17 Yes Men ...

Docbuster still sizzling.
July 6, 2004... In its first week of expansion, "Fahrenheit 9/11" continued its unprecedented run at the box office, grossing an estimated $21 million over the four-day weekend. With a healthy $12,174 average per booking, pic far outpaced Disney's...

Denzel makes 'Sammy' run.(Sammy Davis Jr.)(Denzel Washington)
July 6, 2004... Denzel Washington will helm the life story of entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment have optioned screen rights to Wil Haygood's book "In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr." Pic will be...

Blissed out in Spidey land: Sony sequel puts $180 mil spin on B.O. record book.(Spider-Man 2)
July 6, 2004... Spidey lived up to his hype, but so did the more rotund high-flyer, Michael Moore. Making more money in six days than any film in history, Sony's "Spider-Man 2" sold $180 million worth of tickets since Wednesday. Leading strong box...

Producer gets prolific.(Gabriel Grunfeld)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Producer Gabriel Grunfeld, who most recently produced "The Stepford Wives" with Scott Rudin, Donald De Line and the late Edgar J. Scherick, is developing a number of other remakes. He's packaging a contemporary redo of the...

Stone alone at TV shingle.
July 6, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- It's splitsville for Stone Stanley Entertainment. Reality warhorses Scott Stone and David Stanley are amicably dissolving their 14-year partnership in the wake of Stanley's decision to ankle the company. Shingle behind the...

Brando: the myth outshone the man: his talent was undeniable, but so was penchant for self-destruction.(The Back Lot)
July 6, 2004... MARLON BRANDO'S DEATH Thursday stirred contrasting reactions within the entertainment community. In describing his talent, people quickly exhausted the supply of superlatives. He was, very simply, the best. In describing his character,...

On the forefront of his craft: Marlon Brando: 1924-2004.
July 6, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Hollywood is prone to exaggeration and hype, but in tributes to Marlon Brando over the weekend, colleagues, fans and obit writers unanimously tagged him as the best American actor of the 20th century. Still, the trials of his...

Karlovy Vary film fest Czechs in with emotion.
July 6, 2004... KARLOVY VARY, Czech Republic -- The Karlovy Vary Film Fest kicked off Friday, with its emotionally charged opening weekend fueled by appearances that inspired moments of pride, cheers--even philosophical reflection. The last was (perhaps...

King Arthur.(Movie Review)
July 6, 2004... A Buena Vista release of a Touchstone Pictures/Jerry Bruckheimer Films presentation. Produced by Bruckheimer. Executive producers, Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, Ned Dowd. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Screenplay, David Franzoni. Camera...

HBO skeins nab nymphs.(Sex and the City)(Six Feet Under)
July 6, 2004... MONTE CARLO -- HBO's "Sex and the City" and "Six Feet Under" walked away with Golden Nymphs for outstanding producer of the year in the categories of comedy and drama, respectively, at a gala awards ceremony closing the 44th Monte Carlo TV...

ABC batting 'Practice' out of new skein's name.(Inside Moves)(American Broadcasting Companies Inc)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... Looks like it really is case closed for "The Practice" after all. Legal skein ended its run in May, but at the time, ABC had said the show would live on--sort of--via a new legal drama from David E. Kelley dubbed "The Practice: Fleet Street."...

Duo ride 'Lucky' break.(Mark Cullen)(Robb Cullen)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Writer-producers Robb and Mark Cullen ("Lucky") have sealed a script deal with NBC Universal TV Studios to create new projects. Under the deal, valued in the mid-six figures, the Cullens will create a potential series for the...

'Schmo' a go with new slot.(The Joe Schmo Show)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Fans of Spike TV'S "The Joe Schmo Show" can get their fix a day ahead of schedule. After two weeks of dismal ratings for the sophomore season of the network's reality parody--the NBA Finals crushed the premiere--execs convened...

Duo in deep with Par: first-look deal for 'honeymooners' team.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Deep River Prods., the autonomous 4-year-old shingle operated by veteran producer David Friendly and financier Marc Turtletaub, is headed for Paramount. Deep River is expected to operate under a first-look deal at Par, where...

Film Council hopes there's coin in Till.(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... LONDON -- Stewart Till, chairman and chief exec of United Intl. Pictures, has been named chairman of the U.K. Film Council. Till, who has been org's deputy chairman since the Film Council was launched in 2000, will replace Alan Parker, who...

ABC promotes Gentilli to VP of biz affairs.(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)(Veronica Gentilli)(Brief Article)
July 6, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- ABC has upped Veronica Gentilli to VP of business affairs at Touchstone TV. Exec will handle above-the-line talent deals for pilots, series and longform projects at the studio. She reports to Touchstone exec VP Howard Davine,...