Daily Variety articles from March 2012, page 6

Daily Variety archives from March 2012

Maximizing micro: TWC, Focus are among distribs now turning to early VOD to mine the value of smaller pics.
March 16, 2012... When Fox Searchlight acquired "The Do-Deca-Pentathlon" earlier this month, it had no intention of releasing the Duplass brothers' film in theaters. It's leaving that to new indie distrib Red Flag. With that tack, Searchlight reflects the...

'Alice' fits B'way vet to a tea.(Rob Ashford joins 'Alice in Wonderland')(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... Rob Ashford has been tapped by Disney Theatrical Prods. to direct and choreograph the stage musical version of Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] He joins a group of pic alumni already attached to the project,...

Exhibs await 3D evolution.
March 16, 2012... Tensions between the studios and theater owners have eased up, NATO chief John Fithian said Thursday, but exhibs and distribs still face a number of contentious issues in their relationship, including the narrowing of release windows, who pays...

'Jump' start: Sony laffer poised to unseat 'Lorax'.
March 16, 2012... Though "21 Jump Street" is this weekend's only wide release, the 2012 domestic box office will likely keep its perfect streak of weekend-over-weekend victories rolling at 11, thanks to the film's mid-to-high $20 million tracking and holdovers...

Showbiz jobs' desperate state on view.(WILSHIRE AND WASHINGTON)
March 16, 2012... As the jury started deliberating in Nicollette Sheridan's wrongful termination trial, her attorney Mark Baute did what he has done on at the end of most days during the trial: He stood before a thicket of cameras and microphones, answering any...

Berry dives in 'Hive'.(Halle Berry to star in the movie entitled 'The Hive')(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... "X-Men" star Halle Berry is set to topline Troika Pictures' thriller "The Hive," which Brad Anderson will direct this summer. Set against the backdrop of a 911 call center, fast-paced suspense pic will find Berry playing an emergency operator...

Alcon nabs Jackman for 'Prisoners'.
March 16, 2012... Hugh Jackman will topline Alcon Entertainment's thriller "Prisoners" with Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies") directing. Project, which has been in development at Alcon since 2009, is scheduled to begin shooting early next year once Jackman...

Leads set for indie drag racing biopic.
March 16, 2012... "Grey's Anatomy" actor Jesse Williams and Richard Blake are set to topline "Snake and Mongoose," the indie biopic based on the true story of drag racing legends Don "the Snake" Prudhomme and Tom "Mongoose" McEwen. Wayne Holloway will direct...

'Matilda' sets pace for Olivier noms.(LEGIT)
March 16, 2012... Two London not-for-profits, the National Theater and the Royal Shakespeare Company, dominated the nominations for the 2012 Olivier Awards. RSC tuner "Matilda--The Musical," a critical and audience smash, leads the field with 10 noms--one in...

Thesp's ready for 'Heiress'.(LEGIT)
March 16, 2012... David Strathairn will join Jessica Chastain in the cast of the upcoming Broadway revival of "The Heiress," with the actor signing on to play the father of Chastain's title character. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Based on Henry James' 1880 novel...

Death of a Salesman.(Theater review)
March 16, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Death of a Salesman (Barrymore Theater: 1,036 seats; $141.50 top) A Scott Rudin, Stuart Thompson, Jon B. Platt, Columbia Pictures, Jean Doumanian, Merritt Forrest Baer, Roger Berlind, Scott M. Delman, Sonia...

Peacock primes bows: net has 'Hope' for June slot.(planned premiere of National Broadcasting Company Inc.'s 'Saving Hope')(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... NBC will premiere new drama series "Saving Hope" on Thursday, June 7, following the second-season premiere of "Love in the Wild." "America Ninja Warrior," which airs original episodes on both NBC and sister network G4, will have its season...

ABC Family, Fox go 'Home'.
March 16, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ABC Family and Fox TV Studios are reviving the "Home Alone" franchise with "Home Alone 5: Alone in the Dark," starring Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar and Ed Asner. Set to air as part of ABC Family's annual "25 Days of...

Lionsgate in ring with WWE.(Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. partners with WWE Studios)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... Lionsgate is pacting with WWE Studios on a two-pic deal including a reboot of"Leprechaun." The 1993 horror pic was one of the first starring roles for Jennifer Aniston and an indie hit. Pic was produced by Trimark. which was absorbed by...

MTV platform to cut through artist clutter.(MUSIC BITS)
March 16, 2012... SXSW entered into the full fore of its music festival on Thursday, with a keynote speech from Bruce Springsteen and the announcement of a new MTV artist platform. But the confab had already seen a flurry of digital music announcements, as tech...

Billboard.(A flood streaming news)
March 16, 2012... Elsewhere, streaming services repped some of the the biggest stories out of SXSW's technology summit, fortuitously timed to Billboard's announcement that it would begin incorporating data from subscription music services into its Hot 100 singles...

Spotify.(A flood streaming news)
March 16, 2012... Spotify continued to expand its reach to a key 13th territory, launching Tuesday in Germany. As the world's third-largest music market, Germany was among the last major holdouts for the service in Western Europe, with Spain, the U.K., the...

Rdio.(A flood streaming news)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... However, Spotify will have to contend with its Stateside competitor Rdio, which beat it to Germany by several months. On Tuesday, the streaming service unveiled a redesign of its site, with an artwork-oriented display (adaptable to smaller...

Internet radio service Slacker announced a partnership with site Rockcityclub.com.(A flood streaming news)
March 16, 2012... Internet radio service Slacker announced a partnership with site Rockcityclub.com, bowing what it calls the first dedicated radio station for undiscovered artists.

New Shine polish.
March 16, 2012... News Corp.'s Shine Group is rolling its U.S. divisions into a single entity to be known as Shine America. The Reveille name will be retired as part of the rebranding effort, along with the Shine Americas and Shine USA monikers. The...

Exex shift at Blighty exhibitor.(World News)(Blighty's Curzon Artificial Eye management changes)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... Blighty's Curzon Artificial Eye has announced a raft of management changes, which include promoting Debbie Rowland from group marketing director to director of sales, marketing and distribution. Several other execs have been promoted at the...

BBC downloads plan: auds can buy digital copy of programs.(World News)(British Broadcasting Corp.)
March 16, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The BBC is set to compete head on with the likes of iTunes by introducing a download-to-own service in the U.K. The move involves auds buying BBC shows immediately following their first broadcast window. Outgoing...

L'Atelier sets 15 projects.(World News)
March 16, 2012... "Blessed Benefit," "To Kill a Man" and "3000 Nights" feature among 15 projects chosen for Cinefondation L'Atelier, the Cannes Film Festival's forum for projects seeking completion finance. "Blessed Benefit," from Jordanian Mahmoud Al Massad,...

eOne content to Wild Side: France.(Entertainment One and Wild Bunch's distribution deal)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... Entertainment One and European mini-major Wild Bunch have inked a multiyear distribution pact for France. Wild Bunch subsid Wild Side will handle homevideo and digital distribution for films and TV series starting June 1. It will also handle...

Quota on pics? Russia.(Stanislav Voskresensky on local movie screen time)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... Stanislav Voskresensky, Russian deputy minister for economic development, wants 24% of screen time at movie theaters to be reserved for local movies. His plans, outlined in a letter to the Culture Ministry, reflect fears that Russian films...

Toronto looks to Mumbai.(World News)(Toronto International Film Festival to showcase filmmakers from Mumbai, India)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... Mumbai, India, is the thriving metropolis in the spotlight for the Toronto festival's City to City program, artistic director Cameron Bailey announced Thursday night. "Past editions of City to City explored how filmmakers represented their...

Eden.(Video recording review)
March 16, 2012... Eden A Centripetal Films production. Produced by Colin Harper Plank, Jacob Mosler. Coproducer, Trent Broin. Directed by Megan Griffiths. Screenplay, Richard B. Phillips, Griffiths, from a story by Griffiths, Chong Kim. Camera (color), Sean...

The Understudy.(Video recording review)
March 16, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Understudy An Indican Pictures release of a Mansion Pictures presentation in association with Safehouse Pictures and Untold Pictures. Produced by David Conolly, Hannah Davis. Executive producers, Cerise Hallam...

Fiona Apple.
March 16, 2012... Fiona Apple (Stubb 's BBQ, Austin, Texas; 2,200 capacity; free) Presented by NPR. Reviewed March 14, 2012. One of the most highly anticipated events of the first full day of Austin's SXSW Music Festival was Fiona Apple's return to the...

Cleanskin.
March 16, 2012... Cleanskin (U. K.) A Warner Bros. release of a Warner Bros., U.K. Film Studio presentation in association with the Salt Co. (International sales: the Salt Co., London.) Produced by Hadi Hajaig. Co-producers, Harry F. Rushton, David Sumnall....

Stormland.(Video recording review)
March 16, 2012... Stormland (Rokland) (Iceland) A Pegasus Pictures production in association with Icelandic Film Center, Nordic Film & TV Fund, and Ministry of Industry. Produced by Snorri Thorsson. Co-producer, Einar Sveinn Thordarson. Directed by...

Frozen Planet.
March 16, 2012... Frozen Planet (Docu series; Discovery Channel, Sun. March 18, 8 p.m.) A BBC/Discovery Channel/Antena 3 Television S.A./ZDF/Skai/Open University co-production. Executive producer, Alastair Fothergill; series producer, Vanessa Berlowitz;...

CBS Films on 'Gambit' for January.
March 16, 2012... CBS Films has dated crime comedy "Gambit," starring Cameron Diaz and Colin Firth, for Jan. 13. Alan Rickman, Tom Courtenay, Stanley Yucci and Cloris Leachman also star. Michael Hoffman directed from a screenplay by Joel and Ethan Coen....

'Katie' sets preem date.(premiere)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... "Katie," the new syndicated talkshow starring Katie Couric, has been given a Sept. 10 premiere date. Distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic TV, "Katie" has been cleared in 94% of the country. Exec producer and showrunner Jeff Zucker, the...

AMC profits rise but disappoint Street.(American Movie Classics Company L.L.C.)(Wall Street)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AMC Networks profit jumped to nearly $30 million last quarter from $19 million the year before as revenue rose 15% to $399 million. But the earnings figure, which included an $18 million programming charge, missed...

Moon on a Rainbow Shawl.(Theater review)
March 16, 2012... Moon on a Rainbow Shawl (Cottesloe, National Theater, London/ 332 seats'; 32 [pounds sterling]($50) top) A National Theater presentation of a play in two acts by Errol John. Directed by Michael Buffong. Sets and costumes, Soutra Gilmour;...

The Black Keys.
March 16, 2012... The Black Keys (Madison Square Garden; 15,132 capacity; $65 top) Reviewed March 12, 2012. Band: Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney, Gus Seyffert, John Wood. Also appearing: the Arctic Monkeys If there was any lingering doubt that the Black...

Pierre Schoendoerffer.(Obituaries)(Obituary)
March 16, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pierre Schoendoerffer, an Oscar-winning French filmmaker who was held prisoner in Indochina and chronicled the pain of war onscreen and on the page, died Wednesday after an operation at a hospital outside Paris. He was...

Charles N. Melniker.(Obituaries)
March 16, 2012... Charles N. Melniker, business affairs exec at Creative Artists Agency, died at home in New York City on Tuesday following a battle with lung cancer. He was 60. Melniker started his legal career at United Artists as associate counsel, then...

Donald F. Smith.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 16, 2012... Donald F. Smith, founder of the Mabel Mercer Foundation and the New York Cabaret Convention and a longtime champion of cabaret, died of congestive heart failure on Tuesday in Manhattan. He was 79. Smith launched the foundation, a nonprofit...

Alain Derobe.(Obituaries)
March 16, 2012... French stereography supervisor and director of photography Alain Derobe died Sunday. He was 76. A 3D expert, Derobe had just finished supervising the live 3D shooting of feature film "Asterix and Obelix: On Her Majesty's Secret Service,"...

Michael Hossack.(Obituaries)
March 16, 2012... Longtime Doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hossack died of cancer on Monday in his home in Dubois, Wyo. He was 65. Hossack played with the group from 1971-73 and rejoined in 1987. His drumming can be heard on early hits, including "Listen to...

David Anthony Pizzuto.(Obituaries)
March 16, 2012... Actor, singer, musician and songwriter David Anthony Pizzuto, best known for his voiceover work, particularly on videogames, died Feb. 10 in Burbank, Calif., following a brief illness. He was 60. Pizzuto played cops in a number of features...

Barbara Hudson.(Obituaries)
March 16, 2012... Dancer and musician Barbara Hudson-Katicich, an assistant to magician Harry Blackstone Sr., died Jan. 30 of natural causes. She was 84. Hudson performed with Blackstone, the most popular magician in the U.S. after Houdini's death, beginning...

Red Holloway.(Obituaries)
March 16, 2012... James "Red" Holloway, a noted saxophonist who played with the greats from the big band era through bebop, blues, R&B and modern jazz, died from kidney failure and complications of a stroke in Morro Bay, Calif., on Feb. 25. He was 84. ...

A new day for knights at Warners.
March 15, 2012... Warner Bros.' "Arthur and Lancelot," which first began taking shape last summer before running into budget hurdles and the studio's need to lock in a star, looks to be getting a breath of new life. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The studio is in...

Forking it over: are networks and studios cannibalizing their future as they race to do online content deals with the likes of Amazon and Netflix?
March 15, 2012... The Amazon-Discovery pact announced Wednesday may have drawn yawns given the increasing volume of digital deals being done, but there's a growing debate over whether these pacts end up cannibalizing the TV audiences of the shows involved. The...

Nick pours it on with fresh fare.
March 15, 2012... Nickelodeon prexy Cyma Zarghami said Wednesday the net "has no intention of letting the recent ratings slip slow down our creative momentum" as it unveiled more than 650 hours worth of programming of new and returning series for the upcoming...

Acad keeps Oscar date.(the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Academy Awards' 2013 schedule)
March 15, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An earlier Oscar ceremony may happen someday, but it won't be 2013: The Academy is sticking with its late February slot for the 85th annual kudofest, though a much earlier nominations announcement may change...

CBS banks on bench depth.
March 15, 2012... It's a testament to the strength of CBS that renewals were made for a whopping 18 series Wednesday, even as the franchise that powered its sked for years may finally start giving way. Though half of the pickups CBS made for the 2012-13 season...

YouTube poised to upend film models.(TECH BYTES)
March 15, 2012... Since watching YouTube's Entertainment Matters keynote at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, I've spent more and more time pondering YouTube. And YouTube has been giving me more and more to ponder, as the site is moving away from Nora the...

Jurors hear closing arguments.(Desperate Housewives' Nicollette Sheridan's case against Marc Cherry and Touchstone Television Inc.)
March 15, 2012... In final closing arguments before jurors on Wednesday, attorneys presented two conflicting accounts of when "Desperate Housewives" creator Marc Cherry made the decision to kill off Nicollette Sheridan's character of Edie Britt. Sheridan,...

BSkyB chief apologizes.
March 15, 2012... James Murdoch has written to the committee of British pols that could decide his future as chairman of U.K. paybox BSkyB, expressing deep regret for the phone-hacking scandal that has roiled News Corp.'s U.K. newspaper biz. In the letter...

Boss bumps-Adele from No. 1 slot.(Bruce Springsteen's 'Wrecking Ball' and Adele's '21')
March 15, 2012... In a slim yet significant victory, Bruce Springsteen's "'Wrecking Ball" shoved Adele's "21" out of the No. 1 slot on the U.S. album chart last week. The New Jersey rocker's highly politicized new Columbia set tracked 196.000 copies out of the...

'Murder' clued in at Hartford.(Hartford Stage Company to host the musical entitled 'A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder')(Brief article)
March 15, 2012... The musical "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" will premiere this fall at Hartford Stage, starring Tony winner Jefferson Mays and helmed by Darko Tresnjak, the theater's new artistic director. With the Connecticut theater lining up its...

Stage hits head West.(Theater review)
March 15, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Royal Court, the subsidized theater that is London's foremost producer of new plays, is joining with commercial org Ambassador Theater Group (ATG) to move two of its biggest hits to the West End for six months at...

La Jolla to host 'bots.('Yosbimi Battles the Pink Robots' at the La Jolla Playhouse)(Brief article)
March 15, 2012... Helmer Des McAnuff is getting his long-gestating stage version of "Yosbimi Battles the Pink Robots" off the ground with a world preem at the La Jolla Playhouse later this year. McAnuff ("Jersey Boys"), whose revival of "Jesus Christ...

Hallmark eyes new series.
March 15, 2012... Hallmark Channel is developing its first two original series via backdoor pilots, execs announced at parent Crown Media's upfront gathering Wednesday in New York. Movie pilots "Cedar Cove" and "When Calls the Heart" will be produced this year...

Busy summer for TNT: reality show, three dramas join sked.
March 15, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TNT has set its summer lineup, asked packed with more original programming than at any other time in the cabler's history. In addition to returning series "Rizzoli & Isles," "Franklin & Bash," "Falling Skies"...

Kaplan ramps up digital unit.(Kaplan Stahler Agency)(Brief article)
March 15, 2012... The Kaplan Stahler Agency is betting big on growth in alternative programming and digital media. The tenpercentery has expanded that department with the appointment of Alec Shankman, who will serve as co-head of alternative/digital media...

'Community' goes off-net.
March 15, 2012... Comedy Central has acquired off-net rights to NBC's "Community" and will begin airing episodes from its first three seasons in fall 2013. The deal with Sony Pictures TV comes just as the laffer returns from a hiatus with new episodes...

Exec segues to Def Jam.
March 15, 2012... Urban music vet Joie Manda has been appointed president of Universal Music Group's Def Jam Recordings. Based in New York, Manda will report to Universal Republic and Island Def Jam Music Group chairman-CEO Barry Weiss. [ILLUSTRATION...

'Mountain' climbing.(Castings)
March 15, 2012... "X-Men: First Class" and "Prometheus" star Michael Fassbender may be staying in business with 20th Century Fox, as he's in early talks to topline Gerardo Naranjo's romantic drama "The Mountain Between Us." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] J. Mills...

Pair listen to beat of 'Drummer'.(Castings)
March 15, 2012... Chloe Grace Moretz and Rupert Grint are joining Randall Miller's "The Drummer," an indie music biopic about Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson. Moretz is in final talks to play Wilson's daughter Jennifer, who is co-producing the film along with...

Actor trio schedules some 'Me' time.
March 15, 2012... Vivica A. Fox, Joelle Carter and Ross McCall will topline indie relationship comedy "It's Not You, It's Me," set to be shot in Los Angeles in the coming weeks. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

SXSW's Sonic truth: new models help music pix find way.
March 15, 2012... At SXSW, music pics now come with serious added value for auds, filmmakers and, yes, buyers. Music films have traditionally had limited theatrical potential. But over the past few years, evolving market synergy between the growing array of...

AFI sets first endowed fellowship.(American Film Institute's Mosie Hackett Endowed Fellowship)(Brief article)
March 15, 2012... American Film Institute is launching its first-ever endowed fellowship thanks to a $1 million gift from the parents of a recent AFI graduate. It's unveiling the Mosie Hackett Endowed Fellowship tonight at the Conservatory Thesis Showcase. The...

Imax feeds 'Games' hunger.(additional showings for the opening of the movie entitled 'The Hunger Games')(Brief article)
March 15, 2012... Citing strong demand, Imax is adding 3 a.m. showings on March 23 for the opening of "The Hunger Games" at 270 Imax theaters domestically and 19 Imax locations in the U.K. and France. "The countdown has begun, and 'The Hunger Games' fans have...

Oscilloscope labs nabs 'Samsara'.(Film Pickup)
March 15, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired U.S. rights to the docu "Samsara," the third feature from filmmakers Mark Magidson and Ron Fricke. Distrib said "Samsara," which had its world premiere at the Toronto Film...

Euro cap on breaks: limits would prevent pix turf war.(World News)
March 15, 2012... The European Commission has proposed caps on how much public subsidy money can be used to tempt foreign film production to the region. The aim is to prevent European countries from using subsidies to compete among themselves for prestigious...

Gaul's Cine-Sud raises Lat-Am 'Dust'.(World News)(Cine-Sud Promotion's Latin American production of 'Dust on the Tongue')
March 15, 2012... Thierry Lenouvel's Paris-based Cine-Sud Promotion is driving ever more deeply into Latin American production as it boards Colombian helmer Ruben Mendoza's "Dust on the Tongue" as co-producer. The helmer's third feature, which turns on the...

Pay TV watchdog broadens scope to VOD.(World News)
March 15, 2012... Blighty's Competition Commission, which is investigating the U.K. pay TV market, is widening its scope to include the impact of VOD providers such as Netflix and Lovefilm. The industry watchdog provisionally ruled in August that Hollywood...

Biz optimistic about India.(World News)
March 15, 2012... U.S. TV and film execs threw in their rupees' worth on the opening day of India's entertainment biz confab Ficci-Frames. MPAA chairman and CEO Chris Dodd, who delivered the three-day event's keynote address on Wednesday, was bullish about the...

Toronto fest shuffles exex.(World News)
March 15, 2012... The Toronto Film Festival announced Wednesday that Piers Handling's co-director Cameron Bailey has been named artistic director. Handling remains as director and CEO. Bailey became co-director three years ago, replacing Noah Cowan, who had...

Gimme the Loot.(Movie review)
March 15, 2012... Gimme the Loot A Seven for Ten production in association with Flagstone Features, DOT Pictures, Badminton Stamps Films. (International sales: Submarine, New York.) Produced by Natalie Difford, Dominic Buchanan, Jamund Washington. Co-producer,...

Starlet.
March 15, 2012... Starlet A Maybach Curmingham presentation of a Freestyle Picture Co. and Cre Film production in association with Mangusta Prods. (International sales: Submarine, New York.) Produced by Blake Ashman-Kipervaser, Kevin Chinoy, Francesca...

The Players/Les Infideles.(Movie review)
March 15, 2012... The Players (Les Infideles) (france) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Mars Distribution release ofa JD Prod., Black Dynamite Films production. (International sales: Wild Bunch, Paris.) Produced by Jean Dujardin, Guillaume Lacroix, Eric Hannezo....

Kahaani.(Movie review)
March 15, 2012... Kahaani (India) An Eros Intl. (in Australia) release of a Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Jayantilal Gada, Pen India presentation of a Boundscript Motion Pictures production. (International sales: Viacom 18 Motion Pictures, Mumbai.) Produced by...

Room With a View.(Theater review)
March 15, 2012... Room With a View (Old Globe, San Diego, Calif.: 604 seats.; $93 top) An Old Globe presentation of a musical in two acts with book by Marc Acito, based on the novel by E.M. Forster. Music and lyrics by Jeffrey Stock. Additional lyrics,...

Farewell to the Theatre.(Theater review)
March 15, 2012... Farewell to the Theatre (Hampstead Theater, London; 288 seats: 29 [pounds sterling] ($46) top) A Hampstead Theater presentation of a play in one act by Richard Nelson. Directed by Roger Michelh Sets and costumes, Hildegard Bechtler;...

Inferno lights up 'Hold'.(Inferno Entertainment)
March 15, 2012... Inferno Entertainment has optioned Harlan Coben's novel "Hold Tight" and tapped scribe Scott F. Butler to adapt the standalone thriller. "Hold Tight," which debuted atop the New York Times' bestseller list in April 2008, concerns a father who...

Racing takes U.S. auds for a spin.(From the pages of Weekly VARIETY)
March 15, 2012... Will U.S. moviegoers want to see a championship duel between a posh Brit and an icy Austrian that took place four decades ago in a sport they don't care about? Brian Oliver is betting they will. The producer and financier who took ballet...

Rosy forecast for TV's selling season.
March 14, 2012... With the U.S. economy finally showing signs of shaking off its recession woes, the ad biz is poised to enjoy a growth spurt over the next three years. ZenithOptimedia sees overall U.S. ad spending growing 3.6% this year to $368 billion and...

Extremely cloud: studios look to get consumers incredibly close to Walmart's new disc-to-digital service to boost Ultraviolet and movie ownership.
March 14, 2012... The majors have enlisted Walmart in their effort to promote the benefits of owning movies rather than renting. Walmart on Tuesday unveiled an in-store service Tuesday that will allow consumers to create digital versions of DVDs they own...