Daily Variety articles from July 2011

Daily Variety archives from July 2011

Oater space: B.O. rides fresh horses.
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A pair of hybrids ("Cowboys and Aliens," "The Smurfs"), along with Warner Bros.' PG-13 rated romantic comedy "Crazy Stupid Love," go into battle today in one of the summer's few weekends sans sequels or superheroes. ...

A fistful of ambition.(TENTPOLE tracker)
July 29, 2011... Fourteen years after Scott Mitchell Rosenberg first shopped an image of a cowboy looking over his shoulder while galloping away from a chasing spaceship, "Cowboys & Aliens" hits screens today. For Platinum Studios, it's the six-shooter the...

Lido primes world preems.(Venice International Film Festival in Lido in Venice, Italy)
July 29, 2011... New works from Roman Polanski, David Cronenberg, William Friedkin, Todd Solondz, Abel Ferrara, Tomas Alfredson and Steve McQueen will unspool in the Venice Film Festival competition, which also boasts a strong Asian presence and most of the...

HBO manic for Monday.
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With too much original programming and too few timeslots, HBO is ready to give Mondays another try. The pay cabler has long called Sunday its home for originals series, though it did experiment with "Six Feet Under"...

CEO ankles in Current affair.(Mark Rosenthal, Current TV L.L.C.)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... Mark Rosenthal is stepping down as CEO of Current TV, a spokesman for the network confirmed Thursday. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Co-founder Joel Hyatt will step into the role effective immediately. Rosenthal, a former CEO of MTV Networks, was...

Iconoclast continues to ask big questions.(WILSHIRE AND WASHINGTON)(Interview)
July 29, 2011... When the famed prosecutor and author Vincent Bugliosi recently spoke to a Westside salon of creative types and politicos, he posed a question to an unsuspecting man in the crowd. It goes like this: Winston Churchill and a bum each have...

BSkyB board backs Murdoch.
July 29, 2011... The board of British satcaster BSkyB voted unanimously to keep James Murdoch as chairman on Thursday, as new revelations about phone hacking emerged at News Intl., where he is also chairman. Murdoch won the vote despite the ongoing phone...

'Insider' reporter takes outside gig.
July 29, 2011... Kevin Frazier, co-host of entertainment newsmag "The Insider," is taking on a side gig as correspondent for "The Tom Joyner Morning Show," the top-rated syndicated urban radio program. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Frazier will make weekly...

WME.(Tenpercenteries)
July 29, 2011... Jayson Rothwell Q has signed with WME. He most recently rewrote the script for Disney's "The Seven" and also penned the script "The White Devil" for Anonymous Content. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Buchwald/ Fortitude.(Tenpercenteries)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Buchwald/ Fortitude has signed Jennifer Esposito. She currently stars as series regular in the CBS skein "Blue Bloods." She is managed by Washington Square Arts.

Ti West.(Tenpercenteries)
July 29, 2011... Ti West has signed with UTA. West most recently wrote and directed "The InnKeepers." He is currently working on "The Side Effect." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Management 360.(Tenpercenteries)
July 29, 2011... Management 360 has hired Brandon Brito and Meghan Lyvers to head its TV 360 unit. Duo will oversee development and production at TV 360. They most recently developed and produced Richard Price's new show for Tribeca Prods. at CBS, "The 2-2."

RealD stock slides as revs decline.
July 29, 2011... RealD reported declines in both profits and revenues for its first quarter of 2012, sending its stock into an after-hours-trading spiral before a slight recovery Thursday. The top licensor of 3D technology worldwide reported net revenue of...

Workman focus is photog.(Angela Workman, Dorothea Lange)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... Angela Workman is developing a script for an untitled indie about Dorothea Lange, the American photographer whose Depressionera images were said to inspire "The Grapes of Wrath." Leslie Dektor will helm with "Get Low" producer David B....

'Jewel' shines in finale.(Gene Simmons Family Jewels)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... Gene Simmons popped the question, and A&E's "Family Jewels" topped the competition Tuesday with record-setting ratings. A&E, which is having a strong summer with its Wednesday smash "Storage Wars," was the No. 1 cable net in adults...

Sony socked by loss: hackers, other disasters hit conglom.
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The March earthquake and resulting in Japan, and hacker attacks soon thereafter shook Sony's bottom line during the April-June quarter, forcing the company to post a $199 million loss. Company trimmed its net profit...

Subway delivers 2nd helping of 'Tahoe'.
July 29, 2011... Subway is serving up a second installment of a sports special starring "The Office" co-star Brian Baumgartner that NBC will air Aug. 7. "Training for Tahoe: Brian and His Famous Friends" pairs the thesp with a number of athletes, including...

The Smurfs.(Movie review)
July 29, 2011... (Live-Action/Animated) A Sony Pictures Entertainment release of a Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation presentation of a Kerner Entertainment Co. production. Produced by Jordan Kerner. Executive producers, Ezra Swerdlow, Ben Haber,...

U library to play on Amazon vid service.
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Universal Pictures is the latest studio to offer up a library of pics to Amazon's Instant Video service. They include "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Elizabeth," "Gosford Park," "Babe," "Flipper,"...

Few tentpoles sink Imax.(Imax Corp.'s earnings decline)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... Rapid expansion and disappointing box office sent Imax's second-quarter earnings into sharp decline, though the period brought robust theater signings that created a record number of venues in the company's installation backlog. Imax reported...

Friends for Par pix: studio's movies rentable on Facebook.
July 29, 2011... Paramount Pictures is following Warner Bros. in deciding to make its films available to rent on Facebook pages, starting with the "Jackass" franchise. "Jackass the Movie," "Jackass 2," "Jackass 3," as well as digital features "Jackass 2.5"...

Heirs lose suit against Marvel.(Jack Kirby's heirs, Marvel Entertainment)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... A federal judge has handed a key victory to Marvel Entertainment, ruling that the heirs to comic creator Jack Kirby cannot reclaim rights to a platoon of characters, including Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, the Avengers and the Incredible Hulk. ...

Correction.(Correction notice)
July 29, 2011... Insiders say Sony paid YouTube $50,000 for a "Year One"-themed webisode. Musical comic Tim Minchin provided narration for"The Lost Thing." Information was incorrect in the Montreal Just for Laughs feature in Wednesday's editions.

Sony vet to CBS Films.
July 29, 2011... CBS Films has tapped veteran Sony exec Scott Shooman as exec VP of acquisitions. Hire was announced Thursday by CBS Films prexy-CEO Amy Baer. Shooman will be responsible for acquisitions operations and report to chief operating officer...

AMC'S walking net moves past showrunner exit.(American Movie Classics Company L.L.C., Frank Darabont )
July 29, 2011... With network president Charlie Collier out of town, AMC's senior VP of original programming Joel Stillerman was the man on the front lines at the Television Critics Assn. confab Thursday to discuss recent developments on "The Walking Dead" and...

Original Coppe on BBC America beat.(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... BBC America has ordered its first original series, "Copper," co-created by Tom Fontana and Will Rokos. Barry Levinson and Christina Wayne will also exec produce the drama, which has a 10-episode order. Series will follow a young Irish...

Distrib FilmDistrict orders up Lemberger.
July 29, 2011... Veteran exec Beth Lemberger has joined domestic distributor FilmDistrict as senior VP of business and legal affairs. She will report to CEO Peter Schlessel. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Prior to joining FilmDistrict, Lemberger was responsible...

Sony dates Bigelow's pic.
July 29, 2011... Sony Pictures will release the untitled Kathryn Bigelow/Mark Boal project about the hunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden on Oct. 12, 2012. Studio plans to employ a release strategy similar to the one that led "The Social Network" to an...

E! lathers up for 'soaps'.(E! Entertainment Television Inc., Dirty Soaps)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... If it's really true that soap operas are dying, they'll be going out with a little extra exposure. E! has greenlit "Dirty Soaps," a new unscripted series following the lives of soap stars from "General Hospital," "Days of Our Lives" and "One...

The Harvest/ La Cosecha.(Video recording review)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Docu) A Cinema Libre Studio release of a Shine Global presentation in association with Globalvision. Produced by U. Roberto Romano, Rory O'Connor. Executive producers, Alonzo Cantu, Rory O'Connor, Raul Padilla, Eva...

House of Boys.(Video recording review)
July 29, 2011... (Germany-Luxembourg) A Matson Films (in U.S.) release of a Delux production in co-production with Elsani Film. Produced by Bob Bellion, Jimmy de Brabant. Executive producer, Jean-Claude Schlim. Co-producer, Anita Elsani. Directed by...

True Adolescents.
July 29, 2011... A Flatiron Film release of a Group Entertainment. Unison Films presentation in association with Lunacy Unlimited of a Furnace Film production. Produced by Thomas Woodrow. Executive producers, Gill Holland, Emanuel Michael. Co-producers, Stu...

The Silver Tassie.(Theater review)
July 29, 2011... (Gerald W. Lynch Theater; 633 seats: $80 top) A Lincoln Center Festival presentation of a Druid Theater Company production of a play in two acts by Scan O'Casey. Directed by Garry Hynes. Sets and costumes, Francis O'Connor; lighting, Davy...

'Last Rites' for Tribeca.(The Last Rites of Joe May, Tribeca Productions Inc.)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The founders of Steppenwolf Theater are expanding their reach: Tribeca Film has acquired helmer scribe Joe Maggio's "The Last Rites of Joe May," a drama starring Dennis Farina, produced by Stephanie Striegel and Bill...

ID has eye on the 'Dark'.
July 29, 2011... Investigation Discovery's new series "Dark Minds" will employ crime author M. William Phelps and serial killer profiler John Kelly in cracking unsolved homicides. Net revealed details about its previously announced eight-part mini set to...

Foreign flurry for 'Gambit'.(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... Crime Scene Pictures has sold all major foreign territories on "Gambit," a remake of the 1966 Brit comedy that toplined Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. Glen Basner's FilmNation began sales at Berlin in February, selling the Cameron Diaz...

Brit legal landmark: court: ISP must block access to pirate site.(Worls News)
July 29, 2011... Hollywood majors have won a landmark piracy test case against the U.K.'s biggest Internet service provider, BT, forcing the telco giant to block access to the Newzbin2 website, which links to pirated content. On Thursday Blighty's High Court...

'Pan Am' flies to BBC.(Worls News)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LONDON -- The BBC has nabbed U.K. rights to upcoming U.S. drama "Pan Am," the 1960s period saga that returns ands to the days when flying was glamorous for passengers and air crew. Skein follows the lives of a group...

M6 makes a 'Killing'.(Worls News)(The Killing)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... PARIS -- French commercial network M6 has added "The Killing" to its 2012 programming slate. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The AMC crime drama is penned and produced by "Cold Case" scribe Veena Sud. Based on Danish series "Forbrydelsen," "The...

Beeb plays in iPad land.(Worls News)(BBC launches Global iPlayer)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The BBC's Global iPlayer, available on Apple iPads, bowed in 11 European countries on Thursday. For a E6.99 ($10) monthly subscription or $71 a year users can access a range of contemporary and archive shows. Auds...

Teaming for toons.(Worls News)
July 29, 2011... Hollywood cartoon vet Tom Tataranowicz's Gang of 7 Animation has announced a new $100 million toon fund in partnership with a Chinese private equity group with close links to the Beijing government. The as-yet-unnamed equity group "will...

Zodiak signs up laff shop.(Worls News)
July 29, 2011... International TV production and distribution group Zodiak has acquired U.K. comedy shingle Bwark for an undisclosed sum. Zodiak, which bought RDF Media last year, aims to beef up its comedy output in the U.K. and the U.S. Bwark is best...

RTL on spending spree.(Worls News)
July 29, 2011... Hot on the heels of its buyout of Croatian broadcaster RTL Hrvatska this week, RTL Group on Thursday announced two major acquisitions in the Netherlands and Hungary. Europe's biggest broadcasting group is exercising a put option for the full...

Sci-fi yarn as viewed though a Western lens.(V PLUS: BILLION-DOLLAR CINEMATOGRAPHER: MATTHEW LIBATIQUE)(Interview)
July 29, 2011... When cinematographer Matthew Libatique was first pitched the concept for "Cowboys and Aliens" by director Jon Favreau, he admits he "wasn't that excited by it at first glance. We were in the middle of the (digital intermediate) for 'Iron Man 2,'...

Double vision: since their AFI days, Libatique, Aronofsky have been almost inseparable.(V PLUS: BILLION-DOLLAR CINEMATOGRAPHER: MATTHEW LIBATIQUE)(AFI Conservatory, Matthew Libatique, Darren Aronofsky)(Interview)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When their trajectories intersected at the AFI Conservatory in the early '90s, Darren Aronofsky was the youngest directing student, Matthew Libatique the youngest cinematography student. They came from similar...

In his own words: Matthew Libatique recalls the challenges and experiences of working with such filmmakers as Jon Favreau, Spike Lee and Joel Schumacher.(V PLUS: BILLION-DOLLAR CINEMATOGRAPHER: MATTHEW LIBATIQUE)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED "One of my favorite films. (Director) Liev Schreiber is one of the smartest, most thoughtful people I've ever met, with the soul of a true artist. We had big ambitions as this was a very...

Mathew Libatique by the numbers.(V PLUS: BILLION-DOLLAR CINEMATOGRAPHER: MATTHEW LIBATIQUE)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MATTHEW LIBATIQUE BY THE NUMBERS A combination of arthouse, tentpoles and everything in between results in B.O. returns that exceed $2 billion Pic (year) Domestic International Total...

As tiers go buy: four films, four budget levels, and four sets of choices, challenges and opportunities.(BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT:THE TOP 50)
July 29, 2011... Size does matter. The size of the budget, that is. The amount of money filmmakers are able to spend on a production has a huge impact on their options for sets, locations, technology and crew size. Here's an inside look how four different...

The film is greenlit. Now who you gonna call?(V PLUS: BILLION-DOLLAR CINEMATOGRAPHER: MATTHEW LIBATIQUE: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT:THE TOP 50)
July 29, 2011... Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas was atop a snow-covered Fortress Mountain in Alberta, Canada, shooting the final scenes for "Inception" in late November 2009, when he got the call on his cell phone: Steven Spielberg wanted to talk to him as...

Cinematography: the next nine pages features 50 below-the-line players at the top of their game who've been rewarded by box office success, critical acclaim and industry kudos as they push the limits of their art and their craft.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AMIR MOKRI RECENT SCORES: The Iranian-born director has of late dedicated himself almost exclusively to big-bang, CGI-enhanced studio films such as "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," "Fast & Furious" and this...

Costume design.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... MICHAEL WILKINSON RECENT SCORES: Dealing with expectations of obsessive fans on such geek-friendly films as "Watchmen," "Tron: Legacy" and the upcoming "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 1" and "Part 2," was anything but a burden for...

Production design.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... EVE STEWART RECENT SCORES: Stewart was behind the gritty yet grand design in "The King's Speech," for which she earned art direction noms from the Motion Picture Academy, the Art Directors Guild and BAFTA. Stewart's work can also be seen in...

Production.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... NILO OTERO 1st assistant director RECENT SCORES: Otero has served as 1st AD on three Christopher Nolan films -"Dark Knight," "Inception" and the upcoming "The Dark Knight Rises." No small feat, considering Nolan's usual M.O. is to work with a...

Casting.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... LISA BEACH & SARAH KATZMAN RECENT SCORES: When "Horrible Bosses" became a critical and B.O. success, casting directors Beach and Katzman weren't surprised. "Every comedy wants to be the next "Wedding Crashers' or 'Hangover'--to find that...

Music & sound.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... GREG P. RUSSELL re-recording mixer RECENT SCORES: After working for over 16 years at Sony Pictures--where he's mixed such films as the "Transformers" and "Spider-Man" franchises, "The Rock," "Con Air," "Armageddon," "The Mask of Zorro," "The...

Editors.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... DEBRA NEIL-FISHER RECENT SCORES: What has Neil-Fisher learned from the record-breaking "Hangover" series? A lot about the appropriate amount of screen time to give a penis. "A couple of seconds--tops," she says. After editing both "Hangover"...

VFX & creatures.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... DAN GLASS vfx supervisor RECENT SCORES: After several Hollywood vfx blockbusters ("The Matrix" sequels and "Batman Begins," which earned a BAFTA nom), Glass got the chance of a lifetime to work more organically with Terrence Malick on "The...

Colorists: all four colorists on the Impact list this year are affiliated with Efilm, the digital lab owned by Deluxe that provides digital intermediate, scanning, color timing, film recording and other services to film and TV clients.(V PLUS: BELOW-THE-LINE IMPACT REPORT)
July 29, 2011... STEVEN J. SCOTT VP, creative director, supervising digital colorist RECENT SCORES: "Captain America: The First Avenger," "Cowboys & Aliens," "The Help," "Thor" and "The Tree of Life." He's a five-time Hollywood Post Alliance nominee and...

Advancing the craft: here are some members of a new generation of talented artisans rising up the ranks.(UP NEXT)(Interview)(Brief biography)
July 29, 2011... EIGIL BRYLD, cinematographer The Emmy nominee (for Barry Levinson's "You Don't Know Jack") and BAFTA winner ("Wisconsin Death Trip") has built a reputation for nailing stylish, atmospheric visuals, thanks to his work on such projects as "In...

Weekend B.O. preview.(box office)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
July 29, 2011... Weekend B.O. Preview New entries overseas Releases in key territories for the July 27-31 frame: Captain America: The First Avenger>> (Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, U.K.) Cars 2 (France, Germany, Japan) Crazy Stupid Love...

ThunderCats.
July 29, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Series; Cartoon Network, Fri. July 29, 8 p.m.) Produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Executive producer, Sam Register; producers, Ethan Spaulding, Michael Jelenic; line producer, Yoshiyuki Hiruma; director, Scan Song;...

Against the Wall.
July 29, 2011... (Series: Lifetime, Sun. July 31, 10 p.m.) Filmed in Toronto by Universal Cable Prods. Executive producer, Nancy Miller; supervising producer, Parole Brunner; producer, Terry Gould; director, Michael Fresco; writer, Brenner; camera, Sharone...

New blood for AMC's zombies.
July 28, 2011... AMC has acted swiftly in replacing Frank Darabont as showrunner of "The Walking Dead." Exec producer Glen Mazzara is stepping in as the top boss on the cabler's No. 1-rated Show. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mazzara was an obvious choice, as he...

Holding on: Murdoch finds allies.
July 28, 2011... Heading into Thursday's News Corp. board meeting, James Murdoch. deputy chief operating officer of News Corp., has landed some key backing to remain as chairman of U.K, paybox BSkyB. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nicholas Ferguson, the paybox's...

Cinedigm aims to up plex appeal.(Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp.'s chairman-CEO Chris McGurk)
July 28, 2011... Seeking to reshape alternative content in theaters, digital cinema programmer-distributor Cinedigm announced on Wednesday an important deal to help it refocus on its new strategy. Cinedigm aims to become primarily a programming provider, with...

TV history in the making.(History Channel's Nancy Dubuc)
July 28, 2011... History topper Nancy Dubuc isn't sitting idly while the rest of the reality world tries to figure out how to catch up with the cable network's recent success. Net, which averaged more than 1 million viewers in the 25-54 demo in the year's...

Messiah complex.(The Immaculate)(Brief article)
July 28, 2011... Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Charles Segars are ramping up development of action-thriller "The Immaculate," tapping writer-producer Kamran Pasha to rewrite. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The pic tells the story of an agnostic Secret Service...

Spotify attunes U.S. to different model.(MUSIC NOTES)
July 28, 2011... While the waiting is over, the hard work may just be beginning for Spotify in the U.S. The European streaming service, which launched Stateside to great fanfare earlier this month, has long been positioned to be a revelatory new player in the...

Producer worked with Bogdanovich, Brooks.(POLLY PLATT: 1939-2011)
July 28, 2011... Polly Platt, executive producer of films including "Broadcast News," "Say Anything..." and "The War of the Roses," producer of "Bottle Rocket" and an acclaimed production designer Oscar nominated for her work on 1983's "Terms of Endearment,"...

NBCU trio head to Ion.
July 28, 2011... Ion Television has acquired syndicated rights to "Monk," "Psych" and "House" from NBCUniversal Domestic Television Distribution. USA Network's "Monk" and "'Psych" join Ion's primetime schedule next month while Fox series "House" comes on in...

West End audiences up after weak Q1.
July 28, 2011... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A 13% rise in audiences at plays drove overall West End attendance figures up 1% in the second quarter of 2011 vs. the year-earlier period, according to figures release by the Society of London Theaters (SOLT). ...

Judge keeps suit alive: ex-publicist to continue battle with HFPA.
July 28, 2011... A Los Angeles judge refused to throw out key parts of a suit brought against the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and president Philip Berk by its former publicist, Michael Russell. Russell sued the HFPA in January for a variety of claims...

Homevid org DEG adds Anderson.
July 28, 2011... Home entertainment org the Digital Entertainment Group has added Samsung Electronics' Eric Anderson to its board of directors and Sony Music Entertainment's Leslie Cohen as a sixth member of the nonprofit's steering committee. Board will...

Netflix signs int'l eye deals.
July 28, 2011... Netflix is stocking up for its overseas expansion. The streaming service has pacted with CBS Corp. for a cache of TV content intended for Canada, its first international territory, and Latin America, where Netflix expects to launch in as many...

Stocking up on docs: eight pix in SPN court.
July 28, 2011... ESPN will air eight new documentaries on Tuesdays beginning Sept. 27, coming from directors including Alex Gibney and Morgan Spurlock. The cabler will also launch four-part original docu-series "Rise Up," focusing on the effect that rebuilt...

'Goodnight' and good food for Hallmark.(Luke Perry in Goodnight for Justice)(Brief article)
July 28, 2011... Luke Perry is staying at Hallmark Movie Channel. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The former "Beverly Hills. 90210" star will reprise his role as a crusading judge in the Old West for two more "Goodnight for Justice" telepics, The first "Goodnight"...

Sony Classics picks up Kasdan's 'Darling'.
July 28, 2011... Sony Pictures Classics has found a soulmate in "Darling Companion," snagging U.S. rights to the Lawrence Kasdan pic from production company Werc Werk Works. Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Elisabeth Moss, Sam Shepard, Dianne Wiest and Mark Duplass...

Sundance logs distrib deals for festival pix.
July 28, 2011... Sundance Institute on Wednesday announced a distribution partnership with iTunes, Amazon, Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and SundanceNOW, upping the potential online accessibility of pics by Sundance-affiliated filmmakers. Program will be available...

Brit soul sees chart redux.(Adele and Amy Winehouse)(Brief article)
July 28, 2011... The big noise is made on the U.S. album chart this week by two Anglo-soul divas, as Adele's resilient "21" returns to No. 1 and the late Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" reappears at No. 9. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "21" moves up two notches...

Fest's arty horizons: Demme, Franco pix in Venice sidebar.(World News)
July 28, 2011... The Venice Film Festival announced the lineup of its cutting-edge Horizons section on Wednesday, which will feature a rich mix of narrative pics and more experimental works, including world premieres from Jonathan Demme, James Franco, Ross...

San Seb sets competish.(World News)(59th San Sebastian Film Festival)(Brief article)
July 28, 2011... Sarah Polley's "Take This Waltz," Terence Davies' "The Deep Blue Sea" and Julie Delpy's "Skylab" will compete at the 59th San Sebastian Film Festival. First competition lineup under new director Jose Luis Rebordinos boasts some San Sebastian...

Pinewood to fund 'Fear'.(World News)(Pinewood Films' A Fantastic Fear of Everything)(Brief article)
July 28, 2011... Low-budget Simon Pegg starrer "A Fantastic Fear of Everything" is the first pic to receive backing from Pinewood Shepperton Studios' indie finance initiative, Pinewood Films. The psycho-comedy, which began lensing at Shepperton on July 6, is...

ITV in turnaround with profits up 45%.(World News)
July 28, 2011... The fortunes of ITV, the U.K.'s biggest free-to-air commercial web, are continuing to improve--the broadcaster reported a 45% hike in profits to 240 million [pounds sterling] ($393 million) in half-year results on Wednesday. The continuing...

Vidstore puts toe in stream.(BLOCKBUSTER)(Netfilx)
July 28, 2011... As Netflix takes its first major steps into Latin America, Blockbuster Mexico says it is ready for the fight, and eager to get online. Blockbuster Mexico has been a dominant force in the local rental biz for 20 years, running 320 stores...