Daily Variety articles from September 2008

Daily Variety archives from September 2008

Summer cum laude: B.O. on par with hot '07.
September 2, 2008... The Labor Day box office may have been sluggish--with none of the new releases doing big business--but the summer ended on a high note in all but matching last year's record-setting B.O. haul. Through the Monday holiday, summer box office...

'Mamma's' second wind.(Mamma Mia!)(Table)
September 2, 2008... Mamma Mia!-- here you go again. Special Labor Day sing-alongs for Universal s bigscreen, musical adaptation "Mamma Mia!" scored bigtime with the film actually enjoying a 2% bump in ticket sales over the holiday weekend. That's impressive,...

O'seas flies with Batpic.
September 2, 2008... As the sun sets on the summer B.O. sesh, "The Dark Knight" and "Mamma Mia!" have stayed bright overseas and kept overall international B.O. healthy. With those two pies enjoying exceptional holdover biz, the final foreign summer box...

Think chief on Senator ticket.
September 2, 2008... Mark Urman is ankling troubled indie ThinkFilm to join Marco Weber's Senator Entertainment U.S. as president of Senator's newly formed distribution company. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Urman will begin work in the new post on Oct. 1. ...

Fest pops a 'Button'.
September 2, 2008... The Telluride Film Festival has always celebrated cinema's past as much as its present, and the old mostly looked better than the new at the mountain fest's 35th edition. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In terms of new titles and industry...

Che makes hay along the Lido.(Venice International Film Festival)
September 2, 2008... Play it again, Che. While Steven Soderbergh's two-part epic "Che" was regarded by many in Cannes as overlong and unwieldy, hurting its prospects for a North American distribution deal, a leaner version of the pic could close a deal before...

Mercenaries 2.(VARIETY.COM)
September 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] EA's vidgame finds a nice balance between gameplay and cinematic visuals.

P.I., legal eagle found guilty.
September 2, 2008... A federal jury convicted former Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano and entertainment attorney Terry Christensen on Friday on conspiracy and wiretapping charges in connection with their illegal wiretapping of Lisa Bonder, the exwife of...

Obama's Nielsen field day: 38.4 million.
September 2, 2008... Yes, he can, apparently: Barack Obama's acceptance speech, delivered before a crowd of nearly 80,000 at Denver's Invesco Field on Thursday, delivered a blockbuster 38.4 million total viewers in the showcase 10 p.m. hour, according to Nielsen...

SAG goes to the polls.(Screen Actors Guild)
September 2, 2008... With the stalemate between SAG and the congloms entering its third month, the Screen Actors Guild is pleading with its 120,000 members to back its strategy of holding out for a better deal. SAG crafted a 14-page newsletter that began...

Power players brace for autumn angst.
September 2, 2008... THERE'S ALWAYS A BUZZ around every company on the first Tuesday after Labor Day. The delicious torpor of August is over. It's time to get back into angst mode, and this September, with the economy tanking and an election looming, angst is in...

Tribune stations give CW the cold shoulder.(Inside Moves)(Tribune Broadcasting)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... As the CW preps for what could be its make-or-break season, Tribune Broadcasting has thrown a wrench into the net's branding efforts. Over the past few weeks, Tribune's station group has scrubbed the network's name off most of its 13 CW...

Wet blanket for GOP: Gustav diverts confab's sked.
September 2, 2008... In the hasty, hurricane-driven makeover of their convention plans, the Republicans bent over backward on Monday to send a clear and nonpartisan message to the country: We care. With the nightmare of Katrina still on the minds of party...

TWC promotes its biz boss.
September 2, 2008... Andrew Kramer has been upped to president of business and legal affairs for the Weinstein Co., after having fulfilled that role at subsid Dimension Films. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] He will negotiate the development, acquisition,...

SPC 'Embraces' Almodovar.
September 2, 2008... Pedro Almodovar has wooed Sony Pictures Classics to "Broken Embraces," the helmer's latest collaboration with "Volver" thesp Penelope Cruz. Ahnodovar scripted. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SPC has taken North American rights. Pic, which...

Morgan Creek banks CFO.
September 2, 2008... Veteran finance exec Gary Stutman has been elevated to chief financial officer at Morgan Creek Prods. Stutman has served as veep of finance for Morgan Creek for the past 2 1/2 years and was previously employed at the company in the late...

Hyde Park plans int'l expansion.
September 2, 2008... Ashok Amritraj has put Hyde Park Entertainment Group on a global expansion kick. He's made a trio of executive appointments to spearhead the growth and will hire an L.A.-based business affairs staff as well as creative execs for HPE's new...

Rookies still off the radar.(fall television)
September 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the networks kick their fall TV marketing efforts into high gear post-Labor Day, they've got their work cut out for them. Just two new series--the dusted-off franchises "Knight Rider" and "90210"--are...

Slumdog Millionaire.(Movie review)
September 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (US.-UK.) A Fox Searchlight (in U.S.) release of a Fox Searchlight, Warner Bros. (U.S.)/Celador Films, Film 4 (U.K.) presentation. (International sales: Pathe Intl., London.) Produced by Christian Colson....

The Duchess.(Movie review)
September 2, 2008... (U.S.-U.K.) A Paramount Vantage (in U.S.)/Pathe Distribution (in U.K.) release of a Paramount Vanrage (U.S.)/Pathe, BBC Films (U.K.) presentation, in association with Pathe Renn Production and BIM Distribuzione, of a Qwerty Films...

Cate Corrals H'w'd: Soderbergh set to helm Sydney legiter.(LEGIT)
September 2, 2008... Cate Blanchett's debut season as co-artistic director of the Sydney Theater Company will feature productions helmed by directors Steven Soderbergh and Liv Ullmann, and see a repurposing of the resident Actors Company. At a launch event...

Morgan cuts Fringe.(LEGIT)(Edinburgh Festival Fringe's Jon Morgan)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Edinburgh Fringe director Jon Morgan tendered a surprise resignation on Thursday, just 15 months after stepping in to the position. Announcement came in the wake of a rough year for the 61-yearold lest, which ran Aug. 3-25. Ticket sales...

'Fault Lines' to shake up Naked Angels.(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... A David Schwimmer-helmed production of a new Stephen Belber play, "Fault Lines" will kick off Naked Angels' Off Broadway season, taking the place of the recently scuttled staging of Frank Pugliese's "The Talk." Josh Lucas, Noah Emmerich,...

The Menier Chocolate Factory's London production of "La Cage aux Folles" will have a West End run in the winter, beginning perfs at the Playhouse Theater in October.(LEGIT BITS)(Theater review)
September 2, 2008... The Menier Chocolate Factory's London production of "La Cage aux Folles" will have a West End run in the winter, beginning perfs at the Playhouse Theater in October. Douglas Hodge, who played drag performer Albin in the production's run at...

Vanities, A New Musical.(Theater review)
September 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Pasadena Playhouse; 650 seats; $76 top) A Pasadena Playhouse presentation by special arrangement with Junkyard Dog Prods. and Bartner/Jenkins Entertainment of a musical in one act with book by Jack Heifner,...

Precinct sets cable precedent: success of cop drama allowed FX to ramp up original programming.(V PLUS: 'THE SHIELD' FAREWELL)
September 2, 2008... Ryan Murphy should take a moment to thank "The Shield." As should the Kessler brothers and Denis Leary. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Their respective skeins--"Nip/Tuck," "Damages" and "Rescue Me"--might've ended up homeless if Shawn Ryan's...

Mackey matters: Chiklis' career-defining role a long way from 'Daddio'.(V PLUS: 'THE SHIELD' FAREWELL)
September 2, 2008... If you'd never seen Michael Chiklis other than in his Emmy--winning role as ferocious, corrupt cop Vic Mackey on FX's "The Shield," or as the lovable Thing in the Fantastic Four films, you might never recognize him in his previous, portlier...

Grit grabs aud attention: rape, murders all part of rising realism levels.(FIGHT OR FLIGHT: VIOLENCE IN SHOW'S DNA)
September 2, 2008... For Shawn Ryan, the time was right. "NYPD Blue," arguably the best copshow on air, had lost some of its edge; over on HBO, "The Sopranos" had transformed TV drama; and the real-life Louima and Rampart scandals had badly shaken the public's...

The top five: TV critic Alan Sepinwall chooses his favorite episodes.(V PLUS: 'THE SHIELD' FAREWELL)
September 2, 2008... "PILOT" (season 1, episode 1) From the first scene (a politically correct press conference is intercut with Vic Mackey and his all-white team beating up a black drug dealer) to the last (Mackey puts a bullet in the brain of the undercover...

Beginning to end: Johnson's jaunt: director handled pilot, finale and set a tone for how series was shot.(FULL CIRCLE: ANATOMY OF A HELMER)(Clark Johnson)(Interview)
September 2, 2008... From his days patrolling the streets of Baltimore as Det. Meldrick Lewis on "Homicide: Life on the Street" to a recent turn in the final season of "The Wire," Clark Johnson has carved out an enviable career on both sides of the camera. ...

Cast reflections: a look back from the actors who helped create 'The Shield' legacy.
September 2, 2008... WALTON GOGGINS What legacy does "The Shield" leave? "I think it will mean something different to every person who watches it, but it's a morality tale for me. You reap what you've sown, and you don't get a free pass in life. Immoral...

Mideast movie mart: Dubai digital bazaar to help regional pics.(Dubai Film Festival )(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... The fifth Dubai Film Festival will launch the Arab world's first movie market in December. The Dubai Film Market will focus on Arab, Asian and African films and give buyers from across the world the opportunity to acquire content through...

Senator posts half-year loss.(World News)(Financial report)
September 2, 2008... Germany's Senator Entertainment has slashed its full-year revenue forecast by half after posting a 10.1 million [euro] ($14.8 million) net loss in the first six months of the year and is changing course in the restructure of its sagging...

Disney park bows a toon showcase.(World News)
September 2, 2008... HONG KONG -- Hong Kong Disneyland has unveiled Art of Animation, which aims to educate parkgoers about the toon process. The attraction consists of a lifesize Zoetrope, a mechanism that creates an illusion of motion from the rapid movement...

New joint fund for Italo filming.(ITALY)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Los Angeles-based Endgame Entertainment and Italy's Piedmont Film Commission are going forward with their long-gestating film fund that will be available to U.S. studios making movies in Italy. Some $20 million of the $32 million fund is...

Mipcom keynotes set.(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Internet pioneer, presenter and comedian Ze Frank and Gary Carter, prexy of Creative Networks and chief operating officer of Fremantle-Media's FMZ, will deliver a joint keynote speech on creativity at TV mart Mipcom in Cannes on Oct. 14. ...

Fipresci fetes 'Blood'.(International Federation of Film Critics, There Will Be Blood)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" has won the Fipresci (Intl. Federation of Film Critics) Grand Prix for film of the year. Anderson will pick up the prize at the opening ceremony of Spain's San Sebastian Festival on Sept. 18....

Aardman rejigs sales.(Aardman Animations)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Animation studio Aardman, famous for"Wallace and Gromit" claymation pies, has restructured its TV distribution arm, merging its marketing, licensing and distribution departments to form Aardman Rights. It also aims to represent third-party...

Taewon shutters prod'n house.(Taewon Entertainment)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Influential South Korean producer Chung Taewon is set to quit his production powerhouse, Taewon Entertainment. Chung, who held 17% of the company, and other major shareholders FireWorks Intl. (35%) and Cannizaro Asia Master Fund (17%) have...

Music, TV boost Viv but earnings sag.(World News)
September 2, 2008... French entertainment and telco giant Vivendi announced rising first-half revenues Monday, up 10.2% on last year to 11.27 billion [pounds sterling] ($16.43 billion). Earnings nevertheless fell 15.8% vs. the same period in 2007 to $2.65...

Puck is turning out to be an unlucky part at Hartford Stage.(A Midsummer Night's Dream's accident)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Puck is turning out to be an unlucky part at Hartford Stage. Francis Jue, who was playing the forest fairy in the Hartford Stage production of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," sustained a back injury during a rappelling...

A 1930s play and a new musical comprise the 2008-09 season for Off Broadway's Transport Group.(LEGIT BITS)
September 2, 2008... A 1930s play and a new musical comprise the 2008-09 season for Off Broadway's Transport Group. Slate kicks off with "Bury the Dead," Irwin Shaw's 1936 play about dead soldiers who rise and ask not to be buried. Joe Calarco ("Shakespeare's...

Politically minded circus troupe Circus Amok will present its latest topical offering, "Sub-Prime Sublime," in Gotham parks in September.(LEGIT BITS)
September 2, 2008... Politically minded circus troupe Circus Amok will present its latest topical offering, "Sub-Prime Sublime," in Gotham parks in September. Production, centering on a woman named Dorothy and her run-ins with subprime lending and the Large...

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.(Movie review)
September 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (GAKE NO UE NO PONYO) (Animated-Japan) A Toho Co. release of a Studio Ghibli, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DYMP, Walt Disney Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi, Toho presentation of a Studio Ghibli...

The Burning Plain.(Movie review)
September 2, 2008... A 2929 Prods. presentation, in association with Costa Fills, of a Parkes/MacDonald production. (International sales: 2929 Intl., Los Angeles.) Produced by Walter Parkes, Laurie MacDonald. Executive producers, Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Marc...

College.(Movie review)
September 2, 2008... An MGM release of an Element Films presentation, in association with Lift Prods. Produced by Adam Rosenfelt, Marc Schaberg. Executive producer, Sam Nazarian. Coproducer, John J. Anderson. Associate producers, Julie Dangel, Malcolm Petal. ...

Disaster Movie.(Movie review)
September 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Lionsgate release, presented with Grosvenor Park, of a 3 in the Box production. Produced by Peter Safran, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer. Executive producer, Hal Olofsson. Co-producer, Jerry E Jacobs. Directed,...

Lincoln Center unspools Oshima retro.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)(Nagisa Oshima )(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Lincoln Center's 26-film retrospective "In the Realm of Oshima," which the org is calling a "sidebar" to the New York Film Festival, will follow the movies of Japanese helmer and activist Nagisa Oshima over his five-decade career. Half of...

The Brooklyn Academy of Music will screen a Barbet Schroeder retrospective starting with "Paris vu Par," a series of vignettes produced by Schroeder and directed by French filmmakers such as Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and Eric Rohmer.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)
September 2, 2008... The Brooklyn Academy of Music will screen a Barbet Schroeder retrospective starting with "Paris vu Par," a series of vignettes produced by Schroeder and directed by French filmmakers such as Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and Eric Rohmer. ...

Also at BAM, an Asia Argento retrospective begins in November and will include the U.S. premiere of Bertrand Bonello's "On War," starring Argento.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)(Brief article)
September 2, 2008... Also at BAM, an Asia Argento retrospective begins in November and will include the U.S. premiere of Bertrand Bonello's "On War," starring Argento. The thesp and sometime helmer's film "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things" and her father...

Beantown fest needs a boost.
September 2, 2008... A scaled-back version of the Boston Film Festival will take place outside Boston at Landmark Theaters' Kendall Square venue in Cambridge, just across the river near MIT. Kendall was used as a satellite site for the fest several years ago...

Abu Dhabi derby: $1 bil fund is emirate's latest biz foray.
September 3, 2008... Abu Dhabi has set its sights on joining the big leagues of pic production. The Abu Dhabi Media Co., which oversees the emirate's film, TV and radio outlets, is launching a production shingle with $1 billion to spend on developing,...

Mouse House marshals WWII novel.
September 3, 2008... Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer have acquired screen rights to "Killing Rommel" a novel by Steven Pressfield about a British battalion's attempt to thwart German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel's desert campaign. Book was published in spring by...

B'way in the 'Spirit' again.
September 3, 2008... The 1941 Noel Coward comedy "Blithe Spirit" is poised to haunt Broadway next spring in a revival shepherded by the producing team also on the Rialto with "August: Osage County" and the upcoming "Speed-the-Plow." Michael Blakemore ("Noises...

CW auds hot for 'Gossip'.
September 3, 2008... After stumbling in the dark all summer, CW turned the lights on Monday with promising preems for returning dramas "Gossip Girl" and "One Tree Hill." The drama duo, paired on the night for the first time late last season after the net's...

Happy hour for TNT 'Bar'.
September 3, 2008... TNT raised the bar Monday for original basic cable series. "Raising the Bar" the Turner cabler's legal ensembler from Steven Bochco, bowed to more than 7.7 million viewers, besting the mark of 7.4 million set in 2004 by USA's premiere of...

Helmer ape for Tarzan.
September 3, 2008... Stephen Sommers is in talks to direct a bigscreen version of "Tarzan" for Warner Bros. and producer Jerry Weintraub. Smart Beattie is set to pen the script with Sommers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sommers and Beattie worked together on the...

Variety.com.
September 3, 2008... TOTAL SUMMER BOX OFFICE: $4.131 bil Check out the Box Office Boffo blog for the final facts and figures on the '08 summer B.O. Source: Rentrak; for the period of May 2-Sept. 1

Paley bows 'Frost/Nixon'.(Paley Center for Media)(Brief article)
September 3, 2008... The presidential election will receive plenty of attention this fall at the Paley Center for Media, which will also take the opportunity to look at past chief executives. Delving into the film world, both the Beverly Hills and New York...

Reelz unspools weekly movie in fall lineup.
September 3, 2008... ReelzChannel is adding a weekly movie to its fall lineup, scheduled to launch Sept. 7. Under the moniker "Our Favorite Movies," cabler is set to unspool "Smoke," starring Harvey Keitel, to be followed by pies such as "Prizzi's Honor" and...

Thesp was a trailer titan.
September 3, 2008... Don LaFontaine, the man who popularized the now-loved catch-phrase "In a world where..." and lent his voice to thousands of movie previews, died Monday of a collapsed lung in Los Angeles. He was 68. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LaFontaine...

Everything old is new again this fall.
September 3, 2008... BRACING FOR the late-arriving fall TV crush inspired me to go back to the end of the fin-syn era and re-examine the 1993-94 TV season--which, a mere 15 years later, feels like a lifetime ago. In hindsight, it's hard to believe the business...

Woodstock sets opening trio.(Woodstock Film Festival )(Brief article)
September 3, 2008... The Woodstock Film Festival has tapped Greg Kinnear drama "Flash of Genius" Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky" and the domestic preem of Edward Norton-Colin Farrell starrer "Pride and Glory" to open the fest. Event will close with Kevin Smith's new...

Blogs flog newsies: sites probe Palin as TV tries to catch up.
September 3, 2008... The major networks owned the drama of Hurricane Gustav storming into Louisiana, but it was the blogosphere that drove the coverage of another province the nets like to think they rule: the big political story of the day. On day two of the...

Shingle to debut with 'Society'.
September 3, 2008... An unlikely pair has nabbed the film rights to "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society" one of the most talked-about books of the summer. "Nim's Island" producer Paula Mazur and independent bookseller Mitchell Kaplan are teaming to...

Showeast fetes Cinemark exec.
September 3, 2008... Cinemark exec Ken Higgins will receive the international achievement award in exhibition at next month's ShowEast convention in Orlando, Fla. Higgins has been VP and head of film for Cinemark Intl. for a dozen years. He became involved in...

NATO pacts for upgrades.(National Association of Theater Owners)(Brief article)
September 3, 2008... In a move that underlines exhibitors' urgent embrace of 3-D, National Assn. of Theater Owners' Cinema Buying Group has pacted with Real D to install 3-D capability on the group's digital projectors--before it has even sealed its deal for those...

Political confabs embrace H'w'd pics.
September 3, 2008... Hollywood is tapping into a new marketing pit stop: political conventions. Denver saw no less than a mini-film festival last week at the Democratic National Convention, with an ongoing series of screenings of politically tinged does and...

Venice digs 3-D cinema.
September 3, 2008... The 65th Venice Film Festival looked to the future Tuesday with a high-caliber confab on 3-D cinema. Fest topper Marco Mueller has made clear he is eager to launch pies in the format from the Lido. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Venice...

B'way labor gains: holiday boosts shows across board.(LEGIT)
September 3, 2008... Most Broadway shows saw modest increases at the box office last week, getting a Labor Day weekend boost before the upcoming back-to-school downturn. Heading into its final frame on the boards, "Rent" ($796,662) was up a hefty $160,000 as...

'To Be' waits a beat for cast shuffle.(LEGIT BITS)(To Be or Not to Be)(Brief article)
September 3, 2008... Manhattan Theater Club production "To Be or Not to Be" has pushed back its preview date by a couple of days in the wake of a couple of casting changes. Brian Murray and Craig Bierko, two of the better-known thesps in the show's originally...

Maria/Stuart.(Theater review)
September 3, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Woolly Mammoth Theater, Washington, D.C.; 265 seats; $60 top) A Woolly Mammoth Theater Company presentation of a play in two acts by Jason Grote. Directed by Pam MacKinnon. Set, James Kronzer; costumes, Debra...

Broadway top 10: Aug 25-31.
September 3, 2008... Broadway Top 10: Aug 25-31 Week's Net Show Receipts (Theater)(Prod. Potential Prev Week's $ Change Category)(Seats) Net Receipts Net Receipts Avg. Tick Wicked ...

Flash of Genius.(Movie review)
September 3, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Universal release of a Universal Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment presentation of a Barber/Birnbaum/Strike production. Produced by Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Michael Lieber. Executive producers, Jon Glickman,...

Sons of Anarchy.(Television program review)
September 3, 2008... (Series; FX,, Wed. Sept. 3, 10 p.m.) Filmed in Los Angeles by Linson Entertainment, Sutter Ink and Fox 21. Executive producers, Kurt Sutter, John Linson, Art Linson, James D. Parriott; producer, Kevin Corcoran; directors, Allen Coulter,...

35 Shots of Rum.(Movie review)
September 3, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (35 RHUMS) (France-Germany) A Soudaine Compagnie (France)/Pandora Film (Germany)/ARTE France Cinema (France) production, in association with WDR/ARTE, Sofica Cofinova 4, Soficinema4, with the participation of...

Jerry Reed.(Obituaries)
September 3, 2008... Jerry Reed, a singer who became a good o1' boy actor in car chase movies like "Smokey and the Bandit," died Monday in Nashville of complications from emphysema. He was 71. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Reed's catalog of country chart hits...

Sheldon Keller.(Obituaries)
September 3, 2008... Comedy writer Sheldon Keller, who collaborated with Nell Simon, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner on the 1950s sketch comedy show "Caesar's Hour" and wrote variety shows for Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren and other stars, died from...

Ike Pappas.(Obituaries)
September 3, 2008... Ike Pappas, a longtime CBS newsman who was a few feet from presidential assassin Lee Harvey Oswald when he was fatally shot and reported the chaotic scene live on the air, died Sunday in Arlington, Va., of complications from heart disease. He...

Showbiz stocks: Tuesday, September 2, 2008.
September 3, 2008... Showbiz Stocks Tuesday, September 2, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg % Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 1.68...

Iran pulls credential of Al-Arabiya journo.(World News)
September 3, 2008... Iran has revoked the media accreditation of pan-Arab newscaster Al-Arabiya's Tehran bureau chief and declared him a "persona non grata." Hassan Fahs was told of the decision Tuesday by the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Guidance. It is...

Sony homevid exiting Korea.(World News)
September 3, 2008... Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is shuttering its Korean office at the end of this month due to the country's sluggish DVD market. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Korea has tried to develop the market since its first DVD release, "Fly...

'Australia' caps Stockholm fest.(SCANDINAVIA)
September 3, 2008... Baz Luhrmann's epic "Australia," starting Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, will close Sweden's Stockholm Film Festival, running Nov. 20-30. Pic joins 170 features from 40 countries. Among films that have been announced are "The Argentine,"...

Royalty goes 'Wild'.(SCANDINAVIA)(Queen Margrethe II of Denmark scripts The Wild Swans)(Brief article)
September 3, 2008... Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is starting a new career--as a scribe. She will write the script for a short based on Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Wild Swans." Short will be helmed by Jesper W. Nielsen for producer Jacob...