Daily Variety articles from March 2006

Daily Variety archives from March 2006

Charities sked fete-ful week.
March 1, 2006... In olden days--say, 10 years ago--the Academy Awards were a one-night event. Now Oscar is the occasion for a week of festivities, and while limo companies and florists reap the benefits, the biggest beneficiaries are charities. In the late...

Fox seeing green in new windows.(Peter Chernin talks on The News Corporation Ltd.'s services and revenues)
March 1, 2006... More than a million folks forked out $25,000 each last year to equip their homes with the latest high-end, high-def entertainment systems and Peter Chernin says he's ready to ply these "desperate consumers" with product. The News Corp....

Miramax has 'Jane' reins.(Miramax Film Corp. picked movie rights 'Becoming Jane')(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Miramax Films has picked up North American rights to "Becoming Jane," in which Anne Hathaway stars as Brit novelist Jane Austen. Helmer is Julian Jarrold, who directed Miramax's U.K. import "Kinky Boots." James McAvoy, Maggie Smith and...

CBS suit tries to burn stern: b'caster sues over subs push.(CBS Inc. CBS Radio case againast Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.)
March 1, 2006... Saying he's sick of being "bullied and threatened" by CBS, Howard Stern dared Leslie Moonves to file a threatened suit or shut up about it. On Tuesday, Moonves obliged. CBS Radio, in a lawsuit filed Tuesday, is seeking to recover...

'Funlady' gets a buzz on.(Touchstone Pictures, Beacon Pictures and Walt Disney Studios teamup for new movie production )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Disney's Touchstone Pictures and Beacon Pictures will team for "Funlady," a fact-based comedy that has Tea Leoni attached to star. David Duchovny acquired the life rights of Linda Brewer, an Arkansas woman who raised her daughters by...

Mouse deal for Menken.(Alan Menken, Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures, contract)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... One of Disney's top tunesmiths is expanding his kingdom. Composer Alan Menken has inked a multipic deal with Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures that will cover his work for films and other arenas, including stage and theme park attractions....

FX dishing tabloid 'Dirt".(FX Networks L.L.C, Touchstone Television and Coquette plans for new television serial 'Dirt')(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Courteney Cox will topline the FX drama pilot "Dirt," a project she is exec producing with husband David Arquette and scribe Matthew Carnahan ("Fastlane'). Signing marks Cox's first major TV role since "Friends" went off the air. FX,...

For Fox, My Network es su network.(new television station)
March 1, 2006... NEWS CORP. FIGHTS BACK With New Network," blared the Los Angeles Times headline following Fox's announced plans to introduce something called My Network TV on its soon-to-be-UPN-less stations. Fox is certainly no stranger to fighting back,...

New toppers take axe to Pax.(Paxson Communications Corp. changes its name as Ion Media Networks)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The new management of Paxson Communications is looking to excise the last vestige of founder Lowell "Bud" Paxson by changing the name of the company to Ion Media Networks. Company also unveiled a corporate logo reflecting its change from a...

NYU film fest fetes femmes.(New York University's Fusion Film Festival )(Discussion)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... NYU's third annual Fusion Film Festival will take place Thursday-Saturday. Fest, which celebrates femme filmmakers, includes a showcase of NYU student pics and screenplays in competition, a retrospective of the works of Czech director Vera...

ABC News is phoning it in.(ABC News Inc. signed Distribution agreement with SmartVideo Technologies Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... ABC News has inked a deal with SmartVideo Technologies, a distributor of video to cell phones that also distributes "Naked News." Alphabet digital network ABC News Now will be available via SmartVideo, including clips from "Good Morning...

Gov't piracy op pays off with four guilty pleas.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... A Justice Dept. antipiracy operation has netted its first four guilty pleas from online music thieves, the agency announced Tuesday. Each defendant faces up to five years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for May...

Hot hand with 'Deal': but NBC slips on 'Apprentice'.('Deal or No Deal')
March 1, 2006... Looking to ride whatever momentum it got from the Olympics, NBC dealt a winning hand with the first hour of its revamped Monday sked but was trumped by the competish in its second. On a night that saw ABC's "The Bachelor: Paris" finish its...

'Idol' wins gold over Games.('American Idol' wins the ratings battles with the Olympic Games )
March 1, 2006... Fox's "American Idol" easily won its head-to-head ratings battles with the Olympic Games last week and helped carry the net to a victory for the frame in key demos. Although the final week of the 2006 Winter Olympics lifted NBC to its...

iTunes zips up Oscar shorts.(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Film fans can buy and download this year's five Oscar-nominated live-action shorts from itunes. The shorts appeared on the platform Tuesday via a deal between distrib Magnolia Pictures and U.K. based Shorts Intl. All 10 live-action and...

Warner thrills to pitch.(Warner Bros. alliance with Mosaic Media for new movie production)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Warner Bros. Pictures has bought a pitch for an untitled supernatural thriller from writing duo Richard Potter--a former Dimension exec--and Matthew Stravitz for Mosaic Media to produce. WB and Mosaic are keeping the logline under tight...

NBC's Vaughan adds to duties.(National Broadcasting Company Inc., Doug Vaughan)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... NBC News prexy Steve Capus brought former "Today" producer Doug Vaughan back to the news division as VP in a bid to boost high-profile bookings and longform programming. "Doug was a critical part of 'Today's' success in the years he was at...

Soccer tale nets pic with Tollin/Robbins.(Tollin/Robbins Productions and Animus Films will make movie about soccer star George Weah)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Tollin/Robbins Prods. and Animus Films will make a film about the political awakening of world-famous Liberian-born soccer star George Weah. Sid Quashie will write the script. Animus principal Jim Young will finance development. Weah...

Slicker stickers spin discs.
March 1, 2006... Nothing speaks more keenly to Sony's dashed dreams for "Oliver Twist" than the simple red sticker resting atop its box art: "Ali New Movie," it helpfully ad vises, lest browsers confuse Roman Polanski's adaptation with earlier retellings in...

Radar goes first on 'Last'.(Radar Pictures Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Radar Pictures has preemptively bought and will produce the comedy spec "Lucky's Last Stand" by the writing team of Adam Larson Broder, Tony R. Abrams and Andrew Rose. Story concerns a one-legged homeless man who finds a special, cleated,...

Defiance.(Theater review)
March 1, 2006... Defiance (NY City Center Stage 1; 299 seats; $65 top) A Manhattan Theater Club, New York City Center Stage I presentation of a play in one act by John Patrick Shanley. Directed by Doug Hughes. Sets, John Lee Beatty; costumes, Catherine...

Free Ride.(Movie review)
March 1, 2006... Free Ride (Series: Fox, Wed. March 1, 9:30p.m.) Filmed in Los Angeles by Fox 21. Executive producer, Rob Roy Thomas; co-executive producers, Michael Binkow, Joe Revello; supervising producers, Chris Cox, Matt Sloan; producer, Allison...

Nielsen ratings report.(television programs)(Image)
March 1, 2006... Nielsen Ratings Report Total Viewers Feb. 20-26, 2006 abc Monday 8.94 8:00 Wife Swap 8.09 8:30 (9.09) ...

EchoStar plays tennis.(EchoStar Communications Corp. contracts with Tennis Channel )(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The Tennis Channel has landed its first satellite TV deal, signing with EchoStar to appear on its Top 180 tier after a five-week free preview to all of the company's 12 million subscribers. The preview begins immediately with coverage of...

Berkshire plants 'pilgrim'.(World News)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... The team behind "Souvenir"--scribe Stephen Temperley and helmer Vivian Matalon--will reunite for the world preem of comedy "The Pilgrim Papers" at Massachusetts' Berkshire Theater Festival. Second-stage production runs July 28-Aug. 26. ...

ESPN blighty bound: mouse to launch net, pix on BskyB.(ESPN Classic to be launched in the United Kingdom)
March 1, 2006... ESPN is finally coming to the U.K. On Monday Disney announced that the net will launch ESPN Classic as part of a previously announced carriage deal that brings premium movie service Cinemagic to Rupert Murdoch-backed satcaster BSkyB (Daily...

Revs down at cabler NTL but subscriber count up.(NTL inc. merging with TeleWest Communications PLC and plans to bid for Virgin Mobile Telecoms Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... U.K. cabler NTL, which is merging with rival Telewest and bidding for Virgin Mobile, on Tuesday reported fourth-quarter revenues down 5.4% to 484.6 million [pounds sterling] ($823.8 million) compared to a year earlier. Net losses at the...

Hit knits bid for rights house Chorion.(HIT Entertainment PLC)(Chorion (London, England))(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Hit Entertainment, the U.K. firm behind preschooler skeins "Barney" and "Bob the Builder," is joining the bidding battle for rights house Chorion, whose properties include "Noddy," Agatha Christie's crime novels and Raymond Chandler's...

Stars make 'Mary' for ABC Family pic.(movie Mary Christmas planned for ABC Family Worldwide Inc.)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Jenny McCarthy and Ivan Sergei will topline "Mary Christmas," an original movie for ABC Family. Cabler has greenlit the two-hour made-for, which will premiere as part of the channel's monthlong Yuletide franchise "25 Days of Christmas."...

Black Gold.(Movie review)
March 1, 2006... (Docu--U.K.) A Speak-it production in association with Fulcrum Prods. (International sales: The Film Sales Co., New York.) Produced by Marc Francis, Nick Francis. Executive producer, Christopher Hird. Directed by Marc Francis, Nick...

Showbiz stocks: Tuesday, February 28, 2006.(Image)
March 1, 2006... Showbiz Stocks Tuesday, February 28, 2006 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg ACcessIT AIX -11.39 -.23 +9.7...

High-def, broadband in the works at BSkyB.(British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... In a rapid-fire presentation to investors Tuesday, BSkyB chief exec James Murdoch spelled out three initiatives for 2006 at the British-based satcaster. He told the Bear Stearns media conference that the company is "growing very, very...

Debmar wild over clearances.(Debmar-Mercury clears blocking of television programs)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Debmar-Mercury has cleared a two-hour block of educational and informative programming to air on stations covering 70% of U.S. TV households. Wildlife skeins "Animal Atlas" and "Safari Tracks" have been cleared to air on all Fox...

CMT parks 'Truck' for second season.(Country Music Television Inc. renews television series contract)(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... CMT has greenlit a second season of auto-makeover show "Trick My Truck"--the net's answer to MTV's "Pimp My Ride"--ordering up 12 new episodes. Renewal comes after just five airings and builds on the initial eight-episode pickup. ...

Kaos firms up Travel plans.(The Travel Channel L.L.C. picked TV series rights from Kaos Entertainment for 'Fred Willard's American Festivals')(Brief article)
March 1, 2006... Travel Channel has picked up the four-part series "Fred Willard's American Festivals" from reality producer Kaos Entertainment. L.A.-based shingle has also landed series commitments from WE: Women's Entertainment, National Geographic...

Anschutz's Regal step.(Philip Anschutz of Regal Entertainment)
March 2, 2006... After more than five years building Regal Entertainment into the country's largest exhib chain, Philip Anschutz is leaving his seat at the table. Billionaire is stepping down from the company's board to concentrate on private holdings,...

Youth movement: Tyke fare driving disc sales.
March 2, 2006... The music industry is being saved by little kids this week. The top three albums are a soundtrack to a Disney Channel telepic, the latest in the popular "Kidz Bop" series and the soundtrack to children's film "Curious George." Such a...

Weinsteins feeling a scribe vibe.(pacts with Tom Lassally to make biopic of J.T.Leroy)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... The Weinstein Co. is teaming with "Stay" producer Tom Lassally to bring a biopic of fictitious author J.T. Leroy to the bigscreen based on a trio of articles by New York Times scribe Warren St. John. Jesse Peretz, who helmed TWC's upcoming...

Par, Braff in remake mode.(Zach Braff to remake 'Open Hearts' for Paramount Pictures)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... After making a big splash on the indie scene with his 2004 directorial debut "Garden State." Zach Braff has set up his next helming gig, a remake of Danish pic "Open Hearts" for Paramount Pictures. Braff will direct and produce and is...

Cusack says 'Grace'.(John Cusack to star in 'Grace Is Gone')(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... John Cusack has signed on to star in the Plum Pictures indie drama "Grace Is Gone." Pic, which Cusack is also producing through his New Crime Prods. shingle with Grace Loh, will mark the directorial debut of James C. Strouse. Penned by...

'Crash' suit bashes Yari.(Bob Yari sued by Cathy Schulman and Tom Nunan)
March 2, 2006... The other shoe dropped Monday night when producers Cathy Schulman and Tom Nunan filed a multimillion-dollar suit against moneyman-producer Bob Yari. Suit claims Yari has refused to pay for their work on "Crash" as well as other projects...

HBO books standup guy.(Dane Cook)
March 2, 2006... Dane Cook is going from standup to standout as HBO branches into nontraditional platforms. The cabler sees big breakout potential in the comedian and has pacted with him to develop a scripted series, headline a feature-length standup...

Net gain for the CW: fledgling web adds stations in affil deals.(The CW Television Network)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... The CW has added stations in Cleveland; Orlando, Fla.; Charlotte, N.C.; Louisville, Ky.; and South Bend, Ind., boosting the new network's coverage to 52% of the country. Deals signed with four current WB stations and one UPN station...

Pair shine at ShoWest.(Brandon Routh and Keke Palmer)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Brandon Routh and Keke Palmer will receive the ShoWest stars of tomorrow awards. Routh will make his feature debut as the star of Warner Bros.' summer tentpole "Superman Returns." Palmer, a 12-year-old thesp, will star in Lionsgate's...

Steve Coogan, Jim Broadbent and Timothy Dalton have joined the cast of Working Title's "Hot Fuzz," the latest comedy from the team that made "Shaun of the Dead.".(Players)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... > Steve Coogan, Jim Broadbent and Timothy Dalton have joined the cast of Working Title's "Hot Fuzz," the latest comedy from the team that made "Shaun of the Dead." Pic, directed by Edgar Wright from a screenplay by Wright and Simon Pegg, stars...

Anthony Mackie.(Players)(to star in 'We Are Marshall')(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... > Anthony Mackie ("Freedomland") has booked a role in Warner Bros.' "We Are Marshall" with David Strathairn and Matthew McConaughey. McG will helm the pic, based on the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that killed members of the Marshall U....

Tom Sizemore.(Players)(to star in 'Head-hunter')(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... > Tom Sizemore is set to star in indie "Head-hunter" alongside Billy Baldwin. Pic, starring and to be directed by David Stanley, centers on Elvis' younger stepbrother, who joins the King's entourage and witnesses his tragic decline. ...

Lincoln logs 'Druid' bow.(LEGIT BITS)('DruidSynge' on Lincoln Center Festival)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... "DruidSynge," the complete works of J.M. Synge ("The Playboy of the Western World") staged by Garry Hynes ("The Beauty Queen of Leenane"), kicks off the Lincoln Center Festival on July 10. The Druid Theater's daylong marathon, with an...

Kennedy Center will give 'Carnival!' a ride.(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... A new production of the 1961 circus musical "Carnival!" will be staged next year as part of the Kennedy Center season, which also will include tour stops of Broadway hits "Twelve Angry Men," "The Light in the Piazza" and "The Phantom of the...

Infinity pedaling 'Bike'.(Infinity Media plans 'Mike the Bike')(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Infinity Media ("Capote") has climbed aboard "Mike the Bike," launching development of a feature based on the life of British motorcycle champ Mike Hailwood. Hailwood won the nine motorcycle world championships in the 1960s, then turned to...

Sharing the wealth: Viv U's 55% profit hike to pay dividend.(Vivendi Universal)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Wednesday was payday for aggrieved Vivendi Universal shareholders. Company posted a 55% hike in adjusted net profits to $2.5 billion, above its own forecast of "more than $2.2 billion," and promised to share more than half of the...

Moyle off to 'Weirdsville'.(Allan Moyle for Darius Films)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Allan Moyle will return to his Canuck roots to direct indie pic "Weirdsville" for Toronto-based production company Darius Films. Plc stars Scott Speedman, Wes Bentley and Taryn Manning. Moyle, who lives in Los Angeles, begins shooting next...

SBS dials up TV station.
March 2, 2006... Miami-based radio company Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) launched its first TV station Wednesday with a programming lineup that includes a show built around radio hit "El Vacilon." Mega TV Channel 22 (WSBSTV), acquired by SBS last year,...

Original revs 'Rods' yakker.(Chuck Zito's Rods, Beds and Bikes)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Cable TV's newest latenight talkshow host has some interesting credentials. He's the former head of the New York Hell's Angels chapter; a Golden Gloves boxer; a "Howard Stern Show" regular; a stuntman and bit player in mostly low-budget movies;...

Wolfe pins down U.S. rights to 'Needles'.(Wolfe Releasing to distribute '3 Needles')(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Wolfe Releasing has picked up all U.S. distrib rights to Canadian writer-director Them Fitzgerald's AIDS drama "3 Needles," starring Lucy Liu, Chloe Sevigny, Stockard Channing and Sandra Oh. Wolfe acquired the director's cut of the pic,...

Showbiz stocks: Wednesday, March 1, 2006.(Table)
March 2, 2006... Showbiz Stocks Wednesday, March 1, 2006 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIX ... 10.58 -.81 +1.9 AcmeCm ...

Conviction.(Television program review)
March 2, 2006... (Series: NBC, Fri. March 3, 10 p.m.) Filmed in New York by Wolf Films in association with NBC Universal Television Studio. Executive producers, Dick Wolf, Walon Green, Rick Eid, Peter Jankowski, Nena Rodrigue; co-executive producers,...

Transatlantic Liaison.(Theater review)
March 2, 2006... (Clurman Theater; 99 seats; $45 top) A Treetop Prods. presentation of a play in one act by Fabrice Rozie. Directed by John McLean. Sets and lighting, David Lovett; costumes, Joanna Zischang; sound, Jeff Benish; production stage manager,...

The Cut.(Theater review)
March 2, 2006... (Donmar Warehouse, London; 250 seats; 29[pounds sterling] ($51) top) A Donmar Warehouse presentation of a play in one act by Mark Ravenhill. Directed by Michael Grandage. Sets and costumes, Paul Wills; lighting, Panic Constable; original...

TV & cable production chart.
March 2, 2006... PRODUCTION CHART KEY Abbreviations: SUPR EXP-Supervising executive producer(s); EXP-Executive producer(s); CO-EXP-Co-executive producer(s); SUPR PROD-Supervising producer(s); PROD-Producer(s); CO-PROD-Co-producer(s); DIR-Director(s);...

Mouse puts out more perks for H.K. park.(World News)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... After five months of bad publicity, Disney is aggressively wooing the public to Hong Kong Disneyland. On Wednesday the park's new exec VP-managing director Bill Ernest delivered on his vow, made to Hong Kong's Legislative Council two days...

Despite Giga stake sale, NBC U's still a player.(World News)(NBC Universal)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... NBC Universal has sold a 3 million[euro] ($3.57 million) stake in TV and Internet gaming channel Giga to European equity firm Wellington Partners. NBC U remains a minority owner in the digital web, which showcases online gaming and...

C4 'Game' for drama: pubcaster sets 'Road,' 'Lost' for spring.(World News)(Channel Four Television Company Ltd.)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Channel 4, the U.K.'s commercially funded pubcaster, has unveiled a spring schedule that builds on its reputation for high-end drama. One tentpole show is Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross' "The Road to Guantanamo," which won the Silver...

CBS 'Pope' pic pops up on bigscreen in Poland.("Pope John Paul II")(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... CBS telepic "Pope John Paul II" is getting the pontifical treatment in Karol Wojtyla's native Poland, where a custom-made theatrical version preems today with star Jon Voight, helmer John Kent Harrison and Poland's President Leah Kaczynski in...

Stones rolling to Shanghai.(World News)(Rolling Stones)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... The Rolling Stones will finally play their first gig in China, three years after the SARS epidemic stopped them in their tracks. The Stones will play just one show in Shanghai on April 8, at the Shanghai Grand Theater, according to...

Chimp pic is 'King' of China B.O.(World News)(King Kong at top of box office)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Peter Jackson's "King Kong" has really struck a chord with Chinese auds, becoming the latest foreign movie to breach China's 100 million yuan ($12.4 million) B.O. barrier. Last weekend its total mainland take reached $12.5 million. Pic's...

Zinda.(Movie review)
March 2, 2006... (India) A Sanjay Dutt/Nitin Manmohan presentation of a White Feather Films production. Produced by Sanjay Gupta. Executive producer, Gary Van Shipley. Directed by Sanjay Gupta. Screenplay, Suresh Nair, Gupta, Kamlesh Pandey. Camera...

Mad Cowgirl.(Movie review)
March 2, 2006... An Epoch Entertainment production. Produced by Edwin A. Santos. Executive producers, Eunseon Ha, Taka Arai. Co-producer, Elana Krausz. Directed by Gregory Hatanaka. Screenplay, Hatanaka, with Norith Soth. Camera (color, DV), Spike Hasegawa;...

Kristen Kerr.(Players)(to star in 'Table for Three' and 'Plane Dead')(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... > Kristen Kerr ("Old School") will star in My Network TV'S "Table for Three." Show is being produced by Stu Segal for Twentieth TV. Thesp also will co-star in indie thriller "Plane Dead," written and directed by Scott Thomas. Pic concerns...

Aimee Teegarden.(Players)(to star in 'Friday Night Lights')(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... > Aimee Teegarden has booked a role in NBC pilot "Friday Night Lights," playing 16-year-old Julie Long. Thesp also models in the national print campaign for Hollister and has appeared in Tommy Hilfiger and Nike campaigns.

NATPE reups czar Feldman.(Rick Feldman of National Association of Television Program Executives)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Rick Feldman has inked a multiyear agreement to continue as president and CEO of the National Assn. of Television Program Executives. Feldman has served as head of the org since April 2003 and is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day...

Toon net goes live.('Re-Animated' under production)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Cartoon Network has begun production on two-hour feature "Re-Animated," which the net said combines live action with animation. Pic tells the story of a boy who requires an emergency brain transplant after an accident at an amusement park....

Helmer 'Blocks' fur.(V)(Richard Donner of '16 Blocks')(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... "I don't stand up for a lot of things, but this has become so personal for me. It just tears your heart out," said "16 Blocks" helmer Richard Donner at the actioner's Gotham preem Monday. Only he wasn't talking about a risky casting choice...

Aussies glow in Brooklyn.(V)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... Theatergoers got some stage time of their own Tuesday at the gala benefit honoring the Sydney Theater Company's "Hedda Gabler," featuring Cate Blanchett in her U.S. stage debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Event began with dinner on...

Disney dreams up monument.(V)(Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... HOLLYWOOD -- Disney took the lead in sponsoring Tuesday's Dream Dinner at the BevWilshire, benefiting construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial on the Mall in Washington. Mouse House topper Bob Iger said his interest in...

GM shifts for fashion.(V)(General Motors Corp.)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... HOLLYWOOD -- General Motors rolled out the hard and soft goods Tuesday night at its now-annual Oscar week GM 10 car/fashion show in a tent near Hollywood's Sunset and Vine. In one of the most blatant but all-in-good-fun product-placement...

'Anatomy' of a fest launch.(V)(Grey's Anatomy)(Brief article)
March 2, 2006... WHAT: Tuesday's tribute to "Grey's Anatomy," launching the Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Festival at the Directors Guild Theater. WHO: Cast and crew of the ABC hit, including creator Shonda Rhimes; thesps Patrick Dempsey,...

Can content ring in revs?(Cell Broadcast Service ,American Broadcasting Company)
March 3, 2006... Networks are scrambling to sign deals for mobile phone content, but will there be anything worth watching and will consumers be able to find it if there is? In the last few days, CBS and ABC unveiled plans for news segments on mobile...

Night Before ups its score.(Night Before party )
March 3, 2006... The annual Night Before party, held on Oscar eve at the Beverly Hills Hotel, continues its ascent as the hottest pre-Academy Awards ticket. This year's event has raised more than $6 million, up from $4 million last year. Proceeds from the...

Getting a hold on 'Hairspray': New Line firms up cast, dates.
March 3, 2006... "Hairspray" is starting to gel. New Line Cinema has made pay-or-play deals with John Travolta and Queen Latifah to star in the Adam Shankman-directed musical, which will begin production in Baltimore and Toronto in September. Craig Zadan and...

'Sparrow' in Warners nest.
March 3, 2006... Warner Bros. Pictures has acquired the rights to sci-fi book "The Sparrow" for Brad Pitt's Plan B and Industry Entertainment to produce. Pitt has a longtime interest in the project, a potential starring vehicle for him. Scribe Michael...

Spotnitz reups shop of horrors.
March 3, 2006... Frank Spotnitz, the horrormeister behind "The X-Files" and "Night Stalker," has scared up a new seven-figure overall deal at Touchstone Television. Pact kicks in this summer and runs through 2008. It continues a relationship that began in...

My network signs Sinclair.(The CW Television Network)
March 3, 2006... My Network TV, the Fox-led alternative to the WB-UPN replacement the CW, has quickly racked up affiliate agreements with major station group owner Sinclair. Net plans to launch Sept. 5 with a two-hour block of original primetime fare. ...

N.Y. tuner fest sets panel.(The New York Musical Theater Festival)(Brief article)
March 3, 2006... The New York Musical Theater Festival has selected a panel of seven legit luminaries to judge submissions for this year's fest. Jury for the three-week showcase of new tuners will consist of thesps Anthony Rapp and Phylicia Rashad; writers...