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Vince Vaughn: He's Worth Every Dollar
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
Given what his movies cost to make, what he's paid to appear in them, and what they bring in at the box office, Vince Vaughn ranks No. 1 on Forbes magazine's Ultimate Star Payback List. The comedian's films earned $14.73 for every dollar he was paid, the magazine said. Because they took sizable pay cuts to appear together in Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen, Matt Damon, George Clooney,Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts also ranked high on the list. However, Will Ferrell, Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman landed at the bottom for receiving huge salaries for films that flopped. But the magazine also noted that some films would never be produced without a top movie star being brought on board with the promise of a huge payday. "When Cameron Diaz attaches herself to a script," the magazine noted "suddenly the producers can hire the hottest director and supporting actors and secure a good date for the film's release. Without a star, the same script can sit in limbo for years."
Jobs Claims His Health Is Good
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
Steve Jobs has been telling close associates in recent days that rampant rumors about his health have been greatly exaggerated, Bloomberg News reported Wednesday. The rumors have reportedly been responsible for a downturn in Apple's stock. Thus far, they do not appear to have affected shares of the Walt Disney Co. where Jobs is the largest stockholder and arguably the most influential board member. Bloomberg reported that Jobs told one industry executive recently that he had run a high fever for a week prior to his presentation at an Apple conference last month, where he unveiled the latest version of the company's iPhone. The illness had been primarily responsible for his noticeable weight loss that had spurred the rumors, he indicated. But in an article appearing on the Forbes magazine website today, an Apple employee blamed Jobs's "extreme" vegetarian diet for his health issues.
Lucas To Turn Star Wars Films Into 3-D Features
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
Jeffrey Katzenberg, who is a major advocate of theatrical 3-D films, has disclosed that George Lucas is investing in a technology that could turn all of his Star Wars movies into 3-D features that could be given new releases. Katzenberg told the website ComingSoon.net that he now has the technical resources to begin the conversion process. Previous attempts to turn 2-D movies into 3-D have produced mixed results and reactions -- mostly negative -- but Katzenberg remarked in the interview that Lucas "isn't going to put a product out, I think, that isn't anything other than first rate."
Good Knight! Another Record Falls
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight dealt another Kerplow! to a box-office record Tuesday when it crossed the $200-million mark in ticket sales in five days -- the fastest any film has ever reached that milestone. Three films had previously tied for the record, but it had taken each of them eight days to get there. (They were: Spider-Man 2; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest; and Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith.) The film has been posting remarkable weekday grosses -- $24.5 million on Monday and $20.9 million on Tuesday. As of Tuesday, its total gross stood at $203.77 million. Meanwhile, Dark Knight producer Charles Roven has told USA Today that he's "scratching my head" over the results. "I've been doing this for a while," he told the newspaper. "I made my first film in 1983. I've had what I thought was a lot of success but never anything like this."
Dissident Slate To Oppose SAG Leaders
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
Accusing the current leadership of the Screen Actors Guild of fumbling negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a coalition of actors has been formed to offer a slate of candidates to challenge the leaders in elections set for September 18. The group, which calls itself Unite for Strength, is seeking to fill 11 seats on the national board of SAG and 22 alternate seats (those who sit in for board members when they are working). Among the candidates are Adam Arkin, Kate Walsh, Amy Brenneman, Marcia Wallace, Ned Vaughn and Doug Savant. Speaking for the challengers, Vaughn, a veteran character actor, said in a statement, "We think the current leadership has put SAG on a dangerous path. ... We can no longer afford leaders who sow division." Arkin added, "I'm concerned for future negotiations if we don't change the leadership that has brought us to this point." Nevertheless, the group has thus far not attracted the support of a single major star. As one person commented on Nikki Finke's Dateline Hollywood Daily blog, "When the actors who appear on the covers of national magazines speak up, then I think SAG members will listen."
New Technology Will Eliminate Cords From TV Sets
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
Big-screen monitors can now be mounted on the walls of homes, along with surround-sound speakers, but the result is often an unsightly jumble of wires leading to satellite receivers, amplifiers, DVD players and the like. On Wednesday, Sony and Samsung announced that they plan to address the issue by adopting as an industry standard a technology called Wireless Home Digital Interface (WHDI), developed by Amimon Ltd. of Israel. The technology had already received a boost from Motorola, Sharp and Hitachi. High-definition television sets using the Whdi technology are likely to become available in 2009, costing about $100 more than comparable sets now on sale, although the price is expected to drop as the technology matures. However, unless they can be brought into the fold, Matsushita (Panasonic), LG, Toshiba, and NEC are planning to produce their own sets using a similar wireless system called SiBeam.
Fox's O'Reilly Says NBC Offered Him "A Ton Of Money"
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
NBC offered Bill O'Reilly "a ton of money" to bolt Fox News and join NBC News, O'Reilly said on his syndicated radio show Wednesday. According to a transcript of his remarks posted on the Johnny Dollar website, O'Reilly told his audience, "I wouldn't work for NBC News. ... They offered me a ton of money to go over there and I said no. They offered me more than I am making now at Fox, Ok. And the reason I am saying this is because now NBC News attacks me everyday. And um, I said ... 'I think that I am better suited to Fox, more traditional and you dance with the one who brung you.' Not to say that I wouldn't go someplace else. That's possible, but it would have to be a Godfather offer."
Obama Campaign To Spend $5 Million On Olympics
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
Among the races to be highlighted during NBC's Olympics coverage next month will be the U.S. presidential one. The Barack Obama campaign confirmed Wednesday that it had purchased a $5-million package of spots that will run on both the broadcast network and on its sibling cable channels. Advertising Age reported on its website today (Thursday) that it was not clear how many spots would run on NBC and how many would run on cable. Ordinarily presidential candidates purchase spots on local television stations, not on national TV.
Hip-hop Star Nas Leads Fox Protest
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
A protest by about 50 persons including hip-hop star Nas brought the news media out in force outside the New York headquarters of News Corp Wednesday. Two groups, ColorofChange.org and MoveOn.org, brought hand-printed signs demanding that News Corp's Fox News network "stop its racist smears against the Obamas and other Black Americans." The groups carried boxes containing what they said were 620,000 signed petitions protesting against what they claimed was the channel's biased news coverage and remarks by its commentators. But News Corp employees refused to allow them to deliver the boxes. A Fox News spokesman later told the TVNewser website "Fox News believes in all protesters exercising their right to free speech, including Nas, who has an album to promote."
Viewers Sign Fox's Dance Card
24 July 2008 10:36 AM, PDT
Fox's two-hour So You Think You Can Dance stomped all over its mostly rerun competition Wednesday night, averaging a 5.2 rating and a 9 share (8.38 million viewers), giving the network a win for the night. CBS, thanks to a solid 5.1/9 for its 10:00 p.m. CSI: NY, (Fox does not air programming past 10:00 p.m.) placed second with a 5.0/9 (7.44 million viewers). But the two other major networks finished out of the money. ABC drew a 3.4/6 (4.69 million viewers), while NBC placed fourth with a dismal 2.8/5 (4.15 million viewers).
Horror-Movie Directors To Make Short Films For Xbox
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
Darren Lynn Bousman, who directed three of the Saw movies, Zack Snyder, who directed the most recent iteration of Dawn of the Dead, and Andrew Douglas, who directed the latest Amityville Horror are among the directors who have signed deals with Microsoft to make a series of short films for Xbox Live. The movies are being produced by Safran Digital Group and are due to be shown in the 26 countries that support the Xbox Live service. The announcement comes just days after Microsoft said that it had struck a deal with Netflix to make thousands of films available for streaming online via the Xbox Live platform. In an interview with the London Financial Times, CEO Peter Safran said that the directors had been given complete creative control. "This is an opportunity that filmmakers don't usually get," he said.
Netflix To Shutter Indie Investment Unit
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
Netflix is shutting down its Red Envelope Entertainment unit -- a two-year-old operation that invested in more than 100 independent films. The company said it was doing so because it competed against the studios that it relies on for its main movie-rental business. Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey said that the unit had been "very successful." Among the films that bear the Netflix logo are the recently released documentary Trumbo, the anti-war documentary No End in Sight, and the romantic comedy Two Days in Paris.
Cuban Forecasts Live 3-D Telecasts To Theaters
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
Mark Cuban, the co-owner of the Landmark Theatres chain, testified before an FCC panel on Tuesday that he foresees the day when live sports events will be presented in movie theaters in digital 3-D. Appearing at a hearing on "Broadband and the Digital Future" at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Cuban said that he presented a live 3-D broadcast of a Dallas Mavericks basketball game at a local Landmark theater in Dallas this past season. "It was a huge success. Fans loved it, 3-D glasses and all, and have asked for more," he told the panel. (Cuban is the owner of the Mavericks.) He remarked that what is holding back similar live telecasts is the virtual nonexistence of any production trucks dedicated to 3-D live programming. "So we are looking at building one," he said. He suggested that the technology could also be used for concerts and theatrical works.
The Dark Knight Sets Another Record
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
Chalk up another box-office record for The Dark Knight: the biggest gross for a film on a non-holiday Monday. Following a three-day weekend in which it raked in a record $158.4 million, the Warner Bros. movie added another $24.6 million on Monday to bring its total to $182.9 million after just four days. Many analysts were betting that it would easily cross the $200-million mark by the end of Tuesday, thereby setting yet another box-office record. (Results for Tuesday are expected to be announced later today.) The film's strong showing pushed the overall Monday box-office gross to $37.7 million, yet another record. Two films, Knight, and the musical Mamma Mia!, which earned $4 million, accounted for 76 percent of the total.
Australia's ABC Making Shows Available On Demand
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said today (Wednesday) that it had reached a turning point in the digital age with the launch of an online streaming platform that will enable viewers to watch a variety of its programs on demand. The iView platform offers channels for children's shows, documentaries, shopping, news, arts and "Catch-up" (where viewers can see ABC programs they may have missed in recent weeks). Kim Dalton, director of television for ABC, said in a statement that the iView platform is "about reaching our audience with unique quality content, where they want it, when they want it, and how they want it."
Golden Girl Getty Dead At 84
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
Estelle Getty, best known for her role as Bea Arthur's mother Sophia on The Golden Girls, died Tuesday in Hollywood at age 84. She was only 60 when she auditioned for the role, and an Associated Press obituary noted that she had originally been turned down by the producers because she didn't look old enough to play a woman in her 80s. She returned for another audition, telling a makeup artist, "To you this is just a job. To me it's my entire career down the toilet unless you make me look 80." Real life was not as kind to Getty in her 80s as it was to her character. Her son, Carl Gettleman, told the AP that she had been suffering from advanced dementia.
Disney Swiftly Replaces Ebert And Roeper
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
The Walt Disney Co. has wasted no time in finding replacements for Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper as hosts of the syndicated Ebert & Roeper and the Movies. Two days after Roeper quit the show and one day after Ebert did -- he has actually not appeared on it since a 2006 operation left him unable to speak -- Disney said that they will be succeeded by Ben Lyons, currently a film critic for E! Entertainment channel and Ben Mankiewicz, who hosts a movie discussion show on the cable network TCM (Turner Classic Movies). Disney also said that the show will be revamped, with a new set, graphics and theme and that a new segment will be added in which the two hosts will discuss new movies by satellite with other film critics. A spokeswoman for Disney-ABC Domestic Television, which syndicates the show, denied earlier reports that Ebert & Roeper and the Movies will be converted into an entertainment magazine show along the lines of Entertainment Tonight.
Advertisers Paying For Few YouTube Videos
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
Raising new questions about the viability of online video as a revenue source, the sales manager of Google's YouTube has told the ClickZ conference on online video in New York that his sales team has been able to sell ads against less than 3 percent of the videos posted on the site. Brian Cusack also disclosed that the biggest advertisers are television networks, who presumably are buying spots to hype their television shows, and movie studios. Cusack also said that the YouTube sales staff has also begun "making progress" with other advertisers, including home improvement retailers, who buy ads against "how to" videos. The Silicon Valley Insider observed today that many of the biggest viral hits on the site, like last week's "Homemade Porn" video, run without advertising.
Williams, Gibson, Run Neck-and-Neck
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
ABC and NBC wound up in a virtual tie for first place among the three nightly newscasts. Nielsen gave them an identical 5 rating and 11 share and noted that NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams averaged 7.23 million viewers, while ABC's World News With Charles Gibson drew 7.22 million. The difference was statistically insignificant. CBS Evening News with Katie Couric remained substantially behind with 5.5 million viewers.
All-Star Game Scores For Fox
23 July 2008 10:27 AM, PDT
Some 14.5 million people were singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" last week, making Fox's coverage of Major League Baseball's All-Star Game the most-watched telecast of the week. (The figure represented only the primetime segment of the telecast, which stretched past 1:00 a.m. as the game went into extra innings. From 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., it averaged 11 million viewers, more than the number that watched any other show in primetime during the week.) The game also helped Fox win the week, making it a rare win for the network during the summer months. Its Wednesday edition of So You Think You Can Dance also made it into Nielsen's top ten. Fox averaged a 4.5 rating and an 8 share for the week. CBS placed second with a 4.3/8. NBC took third place with a 3.6/7, while ABC trailed with a 2.9/5.
The top ten shows of the week according to Nielsen Research:1. Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Fox, 9.3/16; 2. America's Got Talent, NBC, 7.9/13; 3. MLB All-Star Game Pregame Show, Fox, 6.8/13; 4. Criminal Minds, CBS, 6.2/11; 5. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 6/10; 6. CSI: NY, CBS, 5.7/10; 7. 60 Minutes, CBS, 5.6/11; 7. So You Think You Can Dance (Wednesday), Fox, 5.6/10; 9. Two and a Half Men, CBS, 5.5/9; 10. Dateline (Sunday), NBC, 5.3/9; 10. (tie) NCIS, CBS, 5.3/10.
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