Daily Variety articles from November 2008

Daily Variety archives from November 2008

O'Seas stirred: 007 breaks Blighty B.O. record.
November 3, 2008... James Bond returned with a record-setting blast at the international box office as Sony/MGM's "Quantum of Solace" gunned down a socko $38.6 million at 2,123 playdates in the U.K., France and Sweden, two weeks ahead of the domestic launch. ...

'MNF' hikes ESPN ratings.
November 3, 2008... Americans will turn their attention to Washington Tuesday, but on election eve, more than 10 million also will be transfixed by what's transpiring in the nation's capital... on ESPN. Tonight's Pittsburgh Steelers-Washington Redskins...

Hyde Park digs Abu Dhabi pics.
November 3, 2008... Abu Dhabi production banner Imagenation has inked a $250 million deal with Ashok Amritraj's Hyde Park Entertainment to develop, produce and distribute up to 20 feature films over seven years. The joint venture will fund English-language...

U hot for 'Inferno'.
November 3, 2008... Universal Pictures won a bidding battle for an unreleased Electronic Arts videogame that sources said will be called "Dante's Inferno" by the time it hits the marketplace next year. Agreement is the second the studio has made in recent...

'Tintin' now a team effort.
November 3, 2008... Sony Pictures Entertainment and Paramount Pictures are in talks to co-finance "Tintin," Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson's digital 3-D pic based on the Belgian "Tintin" comics. After resolving the Paramount-DreamWorks divorce, putting...

'School' rules second frame.(High School Musical 3: Senior Year)
November 3, 2008... Disney's "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" enjoyed a massive rebound from Halloween to place No. 1 at the North American box office for the second weekend in a row and push its worldwide total to an estimated $146.8 million after 10 days in...

SAG to meet mediator again.(Screen Actors Guild and Juan Carlos Gonzalez)
November 3, 2008... SAG's taken another small step toward possible resumption of its long-stalled negotiations, agreeing to meet for a second session with a federal mediator on Wednesday. No date's been set for restarting talks between the Screen Actors Guild...

Ruling on expletives could set new standard.
November 3, 2008... The Supreme Court is about to hear arguments on a case that could have the most profound effect on federal regulation of broadcasting in 30 years. A decision in the so-called fleeting expletives case of Fox v. FCC, skedded for oral...

Laff net provides N.Y. a showcase stage.(Comedy Central )(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Comedy Central has established a New York showcase for funny talent, similar to its Comedy Central Stage in Los Angeles. Comedy Central at Crash Mansion--located at the BLVD/Crash Mansion nightclub and event space at 199 Bowery--will...

The battle hum of the republic.
November 3, 2008... THANK GOD IT'S OVER. The presidential election initially seemed like great political theater, but it turned out to be interminable--repetitive and nasty. The ultimate irony: We don't really know our candidates any better now than we did...

Dreyfuss reports to Old Vic.(Richard Dreyfuss at London's Old Vic Theater )(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Richard Dreyfuss will topline the Kevin Spacey-helmed production of "Complicit" at London's Old Vic Theater this winter. Dreyfuss plays a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist brought before the Supreme Court, where he is torn between...

Milk.(Movie review)
November 3, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Focus Features release, presented in association with Axon Films, of a Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Co. production. Produced by Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen. Executive producers, Michael London, Dustin Lance Black, Bruna...

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa.(Movie review)
November 3, 2008... (Animated) A Paramount release of a DreamWorks presentation of a PDI/DreamWorks Animation production. Produced by Mirelle Sofia, Mark Swift. Directed by Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath. Screenplay, Etan Cohen, Darnell, McGrath. (color);...

Rousselet revs up feature banner.(Philippe Rousselet )
November 3, 2008... Producer Philippe Rousselet ("Lord of War") has launched Vendome Pictures as a development, production and financing banner with plans to produce at least a dozen features in the next five years. Vendome's aiming at internationally driven...

NBC crazy for 'Kath & Kim'.
November 3, 2008... NBC's "Kath & Kim" has become the latest frosh skein to score a full-season pickup. The Peacock announced the back nine order Friday afternoon. Reveille and Universal Media Studios are behind the skein, which stars Molly Shannon and Selma...

Terkel was people's voice.(Studs Terkel )(Obituary)
November 3, 2008... Pulitzer Prize-winning author and activist Studs Terkel died Friday in Chicago. He was 96. He had been suffering since a fall earlier in October and had undergone open-heart surgery in 2005. Terkel is best known for his streetwise...

Daly produced Oscar winners.(John Daly)(Obituary)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... John Daly, the British-born producer of 13 Oscar-winning movies including "Platoon" and "The Last Emperor" who helped launch the careers of many top directors and actors, has died. He was 71. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Daly, who was...

'Rock' solid opening: NBC laffer sees best numbers.
November 3, 2008... The buzz surrounding Tina Fey paid off for NBC on Thursday as "30 Rock" opened to series-best ratings behind hot laffer "The Office." And two nights later, her appearance as Gov. Sarah Palin alongside Sen. John McCain on the Peacock's...

Eye invites Fleiss to the neighborhood.(CBS and Mike Fleiss)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... CBS has given a seven-episode commitment to a new reality gamer from "The Bachelor's" Mike Fleiss. Untitled project reps the first major series order by new Eye reality chief Jennifer Bresnan, who replaced Ghen Maynard in the summer. Skein...

ABC cues more 'Who'.
November 3, 2008... ABC has given a full-season order to sophomore comedy "Samantha Who?" That would normally mean a "back nine" order--but ABC has shortened the pickup to seven segs. In shortening the full-season order, the net cited its deep midseason...

'Godot' bows in Blighty.(LEGIT)(Waiting for Godot)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... The West End is getting a "Godot" next season to match the one on Broadway. Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart will topline a Brit production of "Waiting for Godot" that will launch a U.K. tour in March before an April bow at the Theater...

Theaters elect perks for audiences.(LEGIT)
November 3, 2008... The theater community doesn't always relish sharing the spotlight, but it has made an exception for Tuesday. Various legiters are gearing up to mark the presidential election, including Tony Kushner, the Upright Citizens Brigade and the Chicago...

B'way waits for FCC vote.(LEGIT)
November 3, 2008... The FCC will vote Tuesday on the use of "spectrum-sensing devices"--and the potential outcome has the Broadway League worried. The League, the trade association of legit producers and presenters, has stepped up a public campaign to sway...

Two reading for 'Eve'.(LEGIT)(Zoe Caldwell and Joel Grey in All About Eve)(Brief article)
November 3, 2008... Zoe Caldwell and Joel Grey have signed on for the Actors Fund one-night reading of "All About Eve" joining a starry cast that already includes Annette Bening, Angela Lansbury, Cynthia Nixon, Peter Gallagher and John Slattery. [ILLUSTRATION...

Happy Now?(Theater review)
November 3, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Yale Repertory Theater, New Haven, Conn.; 480 seats; $65 top) A Yale Repertory Theater presentation of a play in two acts by Lucinda Coxon. Directed by Liz Diamond. Sets, Sarah Pearline; costumes, Heidi Hanson;...

Angry Black White Boy.(Theater review)
November 3, 2008... (Intersection, San Francisco; 65 seats: $25 top) An Intersection for the Arts, Hybrid Project, Campo Santo presentation of a play by Dan Wolf, adapted from the novel by Adam Mansbach. Directed by Sean San Jose. Set, Joshua McDermott;...

Soul Men.(Movie review)
November 3, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An MGM release of a Dimension Films presentation of a Friendly Films production. Produced by David T. Friendly, Charles Castaldi, Steve Greener. Executive producers, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Mark McNair. ...

Criss Angel Believe.(Theater review)
November 3, 2008... (Luxor Theater, Las Vegas; 1,200 seats; $150 top) Cirque du Soleil presents a magic-themed show in one act written by Criss Angel and Serge Denoncourt. Director, Denoncourt. Director of creation, Pierre Phaneuf; director of illusions, John...

Man with the Midas touch: Barry's five Oscars reflect his elegant simplicity.(GOOD AS GOLD)
November 3, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] John Barry turns 75 today. The composer of "Out of Africa," "Dances With Wolves," "Born Free," "Midnight Cowboy" and "The Lion in Winter"--as well as such iconic James Bond themes as "Goldfinger," "You Only Live...

Bond scores establish superspy template.(SHAKEN AND STIRRING)(James Bond score)
November 3, 2008... Very few composers can be said to have created a new style of film music," says David Arnold. "John Barry single-handedly created the spy genre." Arnold, who recently completed scoring "Quantum of Solace" (his fifth James Bond score), has...

Words from the wise.(V PLUS: BILLION-DOLLAR COMPOSER: JOHN BARRY)
November 3, 2008... Variety chose 10 of Barry's best-known scores and asked the composer to reflect on them. "GOLDFINGER" (1964) "By the time I did 'Goldfinger,' the Bond series was in full stride. Everything came together--the song, the score, the...

Fanfare for the uncommon man: Barry's collaborators reflect on a harmonic convergence.(V PLUS: BILLION-DOLLAR COMPOSER: JOHN BARRY)
November 3, 2008... When Sydney Pollack started editing "Out of Africa," he assembled a temporary score that consisted entirely of excerpts from earlier scores by John Barry: "Somewhere in Time," "Robin and Marian," even "Mary, Queen of Scots." "Barry's...

Stage and TV work exercise other muscles: tuner versions of 'Billy Liar,' 'Lolita' are relatively obscure but no less ambitious than Barry's pic commissions.(HORS D'OEUVRE)
November 3, 2008... With five Oscars on his mantelpiece, it's easy to forget that John Barry has enjoyed success in other musical realms, notably the London stage and in both American and British television. In fact, a revival of Barry's 1974 musical "Billy"...

The Haunting of Molly Hartley.(Movie review)
November 3, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Freestyle Releasing release of a Liddell Entertainment production. Produced by Jennifer Hilton, Mickey Liddell. Executive producer, Stephen Kay. Co-producer, Jerry P. Jacobs. Directed by Mickey Liddell....

The Other End of the Line.(Movie review)
November 3, 2008... An MGM release, presented with Hyde Park Entertainment, in association with Adlabs Films, of an Ashok Amritraj production. Produced by Amritraj. Executive producers, Nick Hamson, Lars Sylvest. Directed by James Dodson. Screenplay, Tracey...

First Class All the Way.(Television program review)
November 3, 2008... (Series; Bravo, Mon. Nov. 3, 9 p.m.) Produced by Stone & Co. Entertainment and Valentine TV. Executive producers, Scott A. Stone, Lori Kaye, David Osper;, co-executive producer, Omid Kahangi; producers, Amy Elkins, Jennifer Herschko, Cam...

Fuse rocks Hall of Fame.
November 3, 2008... Music net Fuse has inked a three-year deal to be the exclusive broadcast and online partner of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Centerpiece of the pact is Fuse's airing of the Hall of Fame's annual induction ceremony, which next takes place...

Showbiz Stocks: Friday, October 31, 2008.
November 3, 2008... Showbiz Stocks Friday, October 31, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 1.19 -.02 -73.4 AcmeCm ...

Closing the deal: frenzied campaigns seek strong finish.
November 4, 2008... With just hours left in the presidential race, Barack Obama and John McCain put out their final appeals to voters as their industry supporters nervously worked phones, canvassed precincts or stumped to get out votes. Both candidates made...

B'way lures Fonda back.(Jane Fonda )(Brief article)
November 4, 2008... Jane Fonda will topline an upcoming Broadway production of "33 Variations" the latest play written and directed by Moises Kaufman. Planned for early 2009, show will mark Fonda's first Rialto appearance since "Strange Interlude" in 1963. ...

NBC asks Kring to renew Heroes' focus.(Inside Moves)
November 4, 2008... Two years ago, the out-of-the-box success of "Heroes" and the online fandemonium that it engendered made series creator and exec producer Tim Kring one of the most sought-after speakers at industry events and confabs. Kring has since...

MGM sucks up to the Stooges.
November 4, 2008... MGM has revived the long-gestating Peter and Bobby Farrelly Three Stooges project. The siblings will renew their quest to channel the comic mayhem of the Three Stooges into a contemporary comedy for the studio. Project marks an MGM...

Ad ills hit Viacom!
November 4, 2008... Viacom blamed the lack of a "Transformers"-sized hit at Paramount Pictures and a declining ad market for a 37% drop in third-quarter profits. Earnings announced Monday for the quarter ended Sept. 30 shrunk to $401 million from $641 million...

Disney fairies: Pixie Hollow.(VARIETY.COM)
November 4, 2008... Disney Fairies: Pixie Hollow outshines most other virtual worlds based on kids' entertainment properties. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

No treats for B'way: auds distracted by Halloween, marathon.(LEGIT)
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Broadway sales took a tumble last week, with Halloween on Friday, the Gotham marathon on Sunday and the imminent presidential election all conspiring to distract potential ands from the box office. Legiters had...

Rialto revives 'Brighton,' 'Broadway'.(LEGIT)
November 4, 2008... Preparations are under way for Rialto revivals of Ned Simon semi--autobtographical comedies "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "Broadway Bound," to play in rep at the same theater next season. According to producer Emanuel Azenberg, auditions...

Broadway top 10: Oct. 27 - Nov. 2.(LEGIT)
November 4, 2008... Broadway Top 10: Oct. 27 - Nov. 2 Week's Net Receipts Show Potential Net Prev Week's (Theater)(Prod. Category)(Seats) Receipts Net Receipts ...

Things to Ruin: the songs of Joe Iconis.(Theater review)
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (The Zipper Factory Theater; 225 seats; $20 top) A Sara Katz presentation of a cabaret show in one act by Joe Iconis. Directed by John Simpkins. Set, Michael Schweikardt; costumes, Michelle Eden Humphrey;...

Starz license spree: cabler nabs pics from seven distribs.
November 4, 2008... Starz Entertainment has inked a flurry of licensing deals, locking up first-run and library pics from Summit, Lionsgate, Hallmark, IFC, Samuel Goldwyn Co., First Look and Fremantle. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] First-run pics include Samuel...

Arthouse plants 'Herb'.(Arthouse Films nabbed rights to Herb and Dorothy)(Brief article)
November 4, 2008... Gotham-based Arthouse Films has nabbed worldwide rights to Megumi Sasaki's docu "Herb and Dorothy" for an early 2009 theatrical release. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pic concerns a postal clerk and a librarian who slowly amassed a large...

Liberty lightens debt.
November 4, 2008... John Malone's Liberty Media is drawing on its large cash reserves to lighten its debt load through a complicated series of related moves. The media conglom is spending $197.3 million to exit a credit swap deal that threatened to trigger...

Biz Emmys wink at Eye.
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CBS News led the field of nominees for the sixth annual Emmy awards for business and financial reporting with 12 nods. CBS' tally included multiple nominations for "The CBS Evening News With Katie Couric," "CBS...

Miami Film Fest taps Finzi.
November 4, 2008... The Miami Film Festival has hired Tiziana Finzi as director in a move to expand its international profile. Festival vet replaces Paris-born marketing exec Patrick de Bokay, whose contract was not renewed earlier this year. For nine years...

Spooky 'Simpsons' has auds up a tree.(The Simpsons)
November 4, 2008... The annual "Treehouse of Horror" episode of Fox's "The Simpsons" generated the show's best demo score in nearly five years on Sunday, a night that also saw good numbers for ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and NBC's "Sunday Night Football." ...

Douglas gets PGA plaudit.(Producers Guild of America to honor Michael Douglas )(Brief article)
November 4, 2008... Michael Douglas will receive the 2009 David O. Selznick Achievement award from the Producers Guild of America on Jan. 24 at the Hollywood Palladium. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Douglas has produced more than 20 films in the past 35 years,...

Weekend at the B.O.(box office)
November 4, 2008... Weekend at the B.O. October 31-November 2, 2008 $88.1 million vs. last year -35% vs. last weekend -35% Screen scene Theweekend's top 10 engagements: Theater, city (circuit) ...

Film box office wrap: for the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 2.
November 4, 2008... Film Box Office Wrap FOR THE WEEKEND OF OCT. 31-NOV. 2 Ranking Reported This Last Weekend Week Week ...

Rock icons bridge generation gap.
November 4, 2008... THE BEATLES, Zeppelin, Hendrix--rock n' roll's three icons with three strongly safeguarded legacies--returned to the news pages last month with different projects but a common theme. Years of maintaining a distance from the contemporary...

Eden Lake.
November 4, 2008... (U.K.) A Weinstein Co. (in U.S.) release of a Pathe Intl. and Rollercoaster Films presentation, in association with Aramid Entertainment, of a Rollercoaster Films production. Produced by Christian Colson, Richard Holmes. Executive...

Showbiz stocks: Monday, November 3, 2008.
November 4, 2008... Showbiz Stocks Monday, November 3, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 1.02 -.17 -77.2 Avid ...

New York's top pics.
November 4, 2008... New York's top pics (based on location average for the weekend of Oct. 31-Nov. 2, 2008) Nat'l # N.Y. # N.Y. Title (dist) Week of locs of locs avg/loc 1....

New York Cabaret Convention.(Theater review)
November 4, 2008... (Rose Theater, Frederick P. Rose Hall. Lincoln Center; 1,231 seats; $100 top) A presentation of the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Produced and hosted by Donald Smith. Reviewed Oct. 29, 2008. With: Karen Akers, Adam Alexander, Anna Bergman,...

Basner bows sales shingle.
November 4, 2008... Former Weinstein Co. sales chief Glen Basner resurfaces this week in Santa Monica with FilmNation, a new foreign sales outfit that boasts deals with Media Rights Capital, financier and producer Endgame Entertainment and Samuels Media. ...

The screening room.
November 4, 2008... The Screening Room The Screening Room runs Tuesdays and Fridays. Send schedules at least five days prior to the screening date to jeffrey.sneider@variety.com. Screenings are open to Academy and guild members. New York Adam...

Teen dream for 'Spring'.(V)
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HOLLYWOOD--A "rock show with a great story" about 19th-century German teens is drawing a new young demographic of "harmonically charged" auds to see "Spring Awakening," said cast member Kyle Riabko. ...

AFI touts 'Doubt'.(V)(American Film Institute)(Brief article)
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] While the AFI Fest's scheduled opener had been "The Soloist," "Doubt" filled in at the festival's Thursday night ArcLight launch with star Meryl Streep in attendance. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "If this is the...

Cuba Gooding Jr., honoree Paula Wagner and Sherry Lansing at the Big Brothers Big Sisters' Rising Stars gala.(V)
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Cuba Gooding Jr., honoree Paula Wagner and Sherry Lansing at the Big Brothers Big Sisters' Rising Stars gala Thursday in Beverly Hills

Bill Maher and Ryan Seacrest attend Thursday's Los Angeles Confidential Magazine bash.(V)
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Bill Maher and Ryan Seacrest attend Thursday's Los Angeles Confidential Magazine bash at Century City's Craft restaurant.

Honoree Rena Ronson and Dawn Hudson at Saturday's WIF Entertainment Business Leadership Awards.(V)
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Honoree Rena Ronson and Dawn Hudson at Saturday's WIF Entertainment Business Leadership Awards luncheon in L.A.

Placido Domingo chats with Hayden Panettiere.(V)
November 4, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: Placido Domingo chats with Hayden Panettiere at Sunday's Alfred Mann Foundation gala.

TV wins popular vote: tube relishes the big finish.
November 5, 2008... The culmination of the two-year battle to succeed George W. Bush in the White House amounted to a marathon workday not just for Barack Obama and John McCain but for newsies of all stripes. The biggest challenge for the all-news cablers,...

Confab tackles indie agita.
November 5, 2008... Going in to the American Film Market, which starts today, the mood of most folk is somewhere between somber and grim. But some leading execs appear to believe that troubles in the independent sector and the global financial crisis are...

Thesps count to '13'.
November 5, 2008... Mickey Rourke, Ray Winstone, Jason Statham, Sam Riley, 50 Cent and Ray Liotta will star in "13," an English-language remake of the 2005 French pic "13 Tzameti." That psychological thriller won the grand jury prize for world cinema at the...

Awards season: there will be blood.
November 5, 2008... THIS IS AN HISTORIC MOMENT, reminding everyone about the power, the importance--and the anxiety--of voting. After all the pros and cons have been weighed, it all comes down to that ballot. And the rest of the world watches a new chapter in...

Lovelace a Rock Opera.(Theater review)
November 5, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Hayworth Theater, Hollywood: 99 seats; $30 top) A Hayworth Theater presentation, in association with Roz Bernstein Prods., of a musical in one act with book, music, lyrics and musical direction by Anna Waronker...

Shubert has 'Spirit': revival books B'way venue, adds thesp.
November 5, 2008... The upcoming Broadway revival of "Blithe Spirit" has booked the Shubert Theater, with Simon Jones joining a cast that already includes Angela Lansbury, Rupert Everett and Christine Ebersole. The Shubert, which has hosted only musicals since...

Legit casts 'First Vote'.
November 5, 2008... Bill Irwin, Mandy Patinkin, Kathleen Chalfant and Jeremy Shamos were among legiters onstage Monday at John Jay College's Gerald W. Lynch Theater for an election-eve benefit for Epic Theater Ensemble. The evening, dubbed "First Vote"...

Evening Standard heralds kudo noms.(London's Evening Standard Theater Awards)(Brief article)
November 5, 2008... Kenneth Branagh, Alan Rickman, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Kevin Spacey are among the nominees for London's Evening Standard Theater Awards. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Branagh ("Ivanov"), Ejiofor ("Othello") and Spacey ("Speed-the-Plow") are...

Fox slides into first: 'Simpsons' also fuels second weekly win.
November 5, 2008... Fox made it two straight weeks atop the primetime demo leader-board, riding the conclusion of the World Series and the best numbers for "The Simpsons" in nearly five years to a victory in 18-49. The net also benefited from the end of a...

Par getting graphic with 'Boy'.(Paramount Pictures acquires Battling Boy)(Brief article)
November 5, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Paramount Pictures has acquired Paul Pope's upcoming graphic novel "Battling Boy," with Brad Pitt's Plan B shingle to produce the adaptation. Gritty tale centers on the son of a god or superhero who comes down...

Sony's got 'Soul Power'.
November 5, 2008... Sony Pictures Classics has nabbed North American and Latin American rights to Jeffrey Levy-Hinte's "Soul Power." Docu profiles a 1974 concert of R&B headliners who converged in southern Africa during the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman fight known...

Reed names its next CEO.(Reed Elsevier)
November 5, 2008... Ian Smith has been appointed CEO-designate of Reed Elsevier, succeeding Crispin Davis, who will retire in March after nine years as CEO. Smith will join Reed on Jan. 1. "Ian is a seasoned global business leader with significant...

Yorns lure exec from Firm.
November 5, 2008... Rick and Julie Yorn have firmed up their new management venture with another key member of the Firm. Company has hired Constance Schwartz, the manager of Snoop Dogg and an architect of numerous merchandising deals for Firm-repped talent....

High court hears net's fleeting case.
November 5, 2008... The Supreme Court spent an hour on Tuesday morning considering the question of what makes a bad word cross the line to indecency when it's uttered on broadcast TV. The high court spent the first part of Election Day heating oral arguments...