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There's Something About Matt
31 December 1998
Matt Dillon played against type as a smarmy conman who loses the girl, played by Cameron Diaz, in this year's hit comedy There's Something About Mary (1998). In real life, the same thing happened to the off-screen couple, who broke up shortly after the movie was completed. Now, according to Britain's TV Times magazine, Dillon has agreed to appear in a sequel to the movie, but Diaz is balking, unhappy, it seems, about the prospect of working with her ex-boyfriend again. NOTE: Because of the New Year holiday, Studio Briefing will not be published on Friday. »
Will Knighthood Pay Off For Sir Nigel?
31 December 1998
Nigel Hawthorne, who received an Oscar nomination in 1995 for his title role in Madness of King George, The (1994), has been selected for knighthood. He is due to star next year in the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of King Lear on the London stage. In an interview with today's (Thursday) London Daily Mirror, Hawthorne remarked that his stage earnings "aren't great, so hopefully the knighthood will bring in film work to keep the bank balance going." »
Well, If Fargo Could Do It...
31 December 1998
Minnesota governor-elect Jesse Ventura has pledged to use his influence to attract more Hollywood filmmakers to his state. The former wrestler, who is a close friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger and has appeared in such films as Predator (1987), Running Man, The (1987) and Repossessed (1990), told today's (Thursday) Los Angeles Times, "We've had a history of being a great artistic community up here." However, he said, he himself has no plans to appear in any more films while he is governor. "My job is too encompassing here, " he said. »
Tonight May Be Big Night For The Movies
31 December 1998
The New Year's weekend is likely to become one of the most lucrative weekends ever for the film industry, Daily Variety box-office analyst Andrew Hindes predicted today (Thursday), noting that theaters are likely to be especially crowded tonight. Hindes indicated that last weekend's winners are likely to repeat over the New Year holiday, with Patch Adams (1998) leading the field, followed by Stepmom (1998), You've Got Mail (1998) and Prince of Egypt, The (1998) (although POE surged ahead of Mail on Tuesday). Hindes said that the DreamWorks animated feature is finally beginning to attract younger viewers. He quoted DreamWorks distribution chief Jim Tharp as saying, "The jury's still out, but it seems like we're getting more families. ... We have to be pleased right now." »
1998: Titanic's Year
31 December 1998
Twentieth Century Fox led the worldwide box office in 1998, amassing $2.69 billion in ticket sales -- $1.96 billion overseas and more than $727 million in North America. Three films were primarily responsible for those results: Titanic (1997), There's Something About Mary (1998) and Full Monty, The (1997). Bill Mechanic, chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment told Bloomberg News Wednesday that Fox's strong showing could be attributed to the studio's strategy of producing films that transcended cultural boundaries. "The growth in the film business is overseas, not domestically, " he said. "We don't make movies that don't travel." In fact, Fox wound up in third place domestically, behind Disney and Paramount. Although the seven "majors" together posted a record $6.5 billion to $6.8 billion at the box office during the past year -- 9 percent more than in 1997 -- only 20th Century Fox and Paramount were profitable, today's (Thursday) Wall Street Journal observed. Significantly, the two studios were partnered in Titanic. On the other hand, the WSJ observed, Warner's and Universal experienced one of their most disappointing years ever. Additionally, the newspaper reported, citing figures from Nielsen's EDI, total wide releases dropped to 139 during the year from 151 a year ago, the first such downturn in five years. Commented EDI president Tom Borys: "The studios have reined themselves in." »
Playboy Channel Wins Free Speech Ruling
31 December 1998
A federal court in Delaware Wednesday restored Playboy Channel's right to present programs 24 hours a day, not just late at night. Playboy had contended that the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which restricted adult channels to the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., violated its First Amendment rights -- and the court agreed. »
Tv Guide Chief Steward Quits
31 December 1998
TV Guide president and CEO David Steward resigned Wednesday, indicating that he was unhappy about his prospective role in the company when its acquisition by United Video Satellite Group is completed. TCI-controlled UVSG bought TV Guide from News Corp last June. In an interview with today's (Thursday) Wall Street Journal, Steward said, "What I really came here to do was to build this into a multimedia business and increase the awareness of the brand and deepen and broaden it, " Mr. Steward said. "But Rupert Murdoch of News Corp. and John Malone of TCI beat me to it. Clearly it's going to be a great company to run, but they weren't serving me up to run the company." »
Dissension Reported In Nabet Over ABC Feud
31 December 1998
Major rifts have developed within the membership of NABET, the union currently involved in a labor dispute with ABC -- which has locked out its members for the past nine weeks -- the Los Angeles Times reported today (Thursday). The newspaper said that some members have begun petitioning for a membership vote on the company's latest contract proposal while others have started a drive to decertify NABET and affiliate with IATSE instead. There is reportedly also major disagreement between the technical workers represented by the union and the news writers and producers which it also represents. The Times said that union leadership appears undisturbed by the dissension. In the words of Gena Stinnett, president of the L.A. local, "Not one of our members has come up to us and said of the company's offer, 'This is a great package.'" »
Cable Sucks More Viewers From Broadcast Nets
31 December 1998
Advertiser-supported cable networks attracted 14 percent more viewers in 1998 than they did in 1997, according to analysis of Nielsen Media Research data by the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau. The study indirectly helped answer the question, where have all the broadcast network viewers gone during primetime? (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox have all seen a substantial audience decline in recent years.) "1998 was a banner year for basic cable, " CAB president Joe Ostrow said in a statement. The survey did not include pay-TV channels, such as Showtime and HBO. »
AT&T-Tci Merger Gets Green Light
31 December 1998
Justice Department antitrust regulators Wednesday approved AT&T's $54 billion acquisition of Tele-Communications Inc. after the companies agreed to divest TCI's stake in Sprint PCS. TCI's 23-percent share of the wireless phone system is estimated to be worth about $2.2 billion. The settlement also appears to pave the way for speedy review of the merger by the FCC. Moreover, as today's (Thursday) New York Times observed in its lead paragraph about the government's green light, it marks "a big step toward redefining the Internet" -- since it could lead to computer owners gaining high-speed access to information and entertainment via combined cable/phone systems. However, it was clear that the merger would continue to face opposition. Mark Roellig, a spokesman for U.S. West, told Bloomberg News: "At a time when competition is flourishing everywhere, the DOJ has effectively taken a giant step backward in approving the combination of these two behemoths. ... What we are witnessing is the re-monopolization of AT&T." »
With Movie Tickets Selling For $15, Japanese Stay Home
30 December 1998
Bucking an international trend, attendance at movie theaters in Japan continued to decline in 1998, with 60 percent of the population never visiting a movie theater at all during the year, 22 percent, once or twice, and 13 percent once or twice every six months, according to a survey conducted by Yomiuri Shimbun. The newspaper said that the number of Japanese moviegoers has fallen to less than half of what it was in the 1960s. Many respondents cited the high cost of admission, which now averages $15 per ticket, as a factor in their decision to stay away. Others said that they preferred to see movies on video or by subscribing to satellite movie channels. Nineteen percent said that they had rented one or two movies on video during the past month and 12 percent said 3 to 5. »
Four Years Later, Only One Lawsuit Remains
30 December 1998
In an action that cleared away one of only two remaining legal roadblocks erected by environmentalists attempting to halt the development of the site where DreamWorks hopes to construct a studio, a federal judge Tuesday dismissed a suit alleging that the Playa Vista development violates the Endangered Species Act. »
Kids Take Greater Control Of Box Office
30 December 1998
Younger moviegoers are increasingly dominating the box office and had a major effect on the profitability of numerous films in 1998, the Los Angeles Times reported today (Wednesday). The newspaper, without naming sources, said that although the male, 17-24 year old segment of the audience remained the driving force at the box office this past year, a younger, 10-16 year-old demo made its presence felt strongly for the first time. In particular the female segment of that young audience became a major factor, contributing strongly to the success of such films as Titanic, Scream 2 (1997), Good Will Hunting (1997) and The Man in the Iron Mask the Times said. The clout of such youngsters was acknowledged by Disney studio Chairman Joe Roth, who told the newspaper, "The demographic bubble of teens and preteens will, over the next five to ten years, become an increasingly significant audience." »
The Doctor Is In -- For Now
30 December 1998
Effective marketing and a winning TV ad and movie trailer were being credited Tuesday for the record-breaking success of the Robin Williams starrer, Patch Adams (1998), at the box office last weekend. The film earned more than any previous film released on a Christmas weekend, $25.3 million. But it was uncertain whether Adams, in coming weeks, would continue to pack 'em in and allow Universal to put some black ink on its ledgers. Robert Bucksbaum, president of Reel Source, the exhibitor tracking service, has told the New York Post that he believes the film could take in as much as $160 million domestically and an equal amount overseas. The film, he observed, attracts all ages, strikes the right chord for the holidays, and is "one of the films you can take your kids to." »
Seinfeld In Oz
30 December 1998
Jerry Seinfeld says that after his TV show ended, he felt as if he had crashed in Oz, "and so now I'm just on the yellow brick road." In an interview with CNN Wednesday, Seinfeld said he is still unsure about where he might be headed. "I'm still like on cloud nine about the show and how great it all was, and I just like thinking back on it and watching the reruns, and no, I'm not worried about the next thing. ... I can't imagine that I was as lucky as I was, and only an idiot would think that they could be that lucky again." »
Better For Them -- But Better For Viewers?
30 December 1998
Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer have told the Jan. 2 issue of TV Guide that the decision to merge PrimeTime Live and 20/20 represented, in Walters' words, "a personal relief for us." They insisted that since they began working together on 20/20, they are now able to talk to one another about the stories they are working on and no longer have to compete for the same interview. Says Walters: "The fact that we can talk about this and say, 'Well, you have the lead; I'll back off. Do you know them? If I do you back off, ' is wonderful." »
Tv And The Web To Present Fiesta Bowl
30 December 1998
In what amounts to the first integration of a television program and the Internet, ABC and sibling ESPN.com are planning to co-present the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl next Monday night in what they are calling "Enhanced TV PrimeTime Football." TV viewers who have their PCs at hand will be able to access statistical information about players and teams, get explanations of penalties and comments from coaches, and play a sports-bar-type game in which they can guess (bet on?) such things as who's going to carry the ball on the next play. Disney exec Kevin Mayer told today's (Wednesday) Wall Street Journal that he expects as many as 100, 000 households to tune in to the game via their TVs and PCs simultaneously. »
Cable Latecomer CBS Leaves Early
30 December 1998
CBS, which needed to be dragged into the domain of cable, has beat a hasty retreat, selling off its Eye on People channel to Discovery Communications, which last July had already agreed to take a 50-percent stake in it. The sale follows the network's decision last month to unload 70 percent of its Spanish-language news network, CBS TeleNoticias, to Mexico's Grupo Medcom SA. Today's (Wednesday) Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed analysts, reported that CBS has lost more than $40 million since the Eye on People channel was launched in March of last year. (CBS also bought the country stations TNN and CMT last year.) Terms of the deal with Discovery were not disclosed. The channel will drop the CBS logo and be renamed Discovery People on Jan. 11. »
The Top Ten -- Maybe
30 December 1998
Newspapers that tallied up the Nielsen figures for the week came up with this top-ten list (Nielsen is expected to release official rankings on Thursday): NFL Monday Night Football: Denver at Miami, ABC, 16.3/27; 60 Minutes, CBS, 14.4/25; Touched By an Angel, CBS, 11.4/19; NFL Monday Showcase, ABC, 11.1/19; Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of '98, ABC, 10.1/17; Dateline NBC (Monday), NBC, 9.8/16; Home Improvement, ABC, 9.7/17; NFL Monday Blast, ABC, 9.7/17; CBS Sunday Movie: Final Descent (1997) (TV), CBS, 9.5/17; Walker, Texas Ranger CBS, 9.3/18. »
Tv Football Deals Realize Their Goal
30 December 1998
As it usually does at this time of year, football proved to be the big draw in the nation's TV homes last week, with three NFL-related broadcasts placing in the Nielsen top ten, including ABC's Monday-night game, which topped the list. Nielsen released only incomplete results Tuesday, saying that it had yet to process some of the numbers for Sunday, when the CBS telecast of the Denver-Miami game spilled into primetime. Nevertheless, it appeared that CBS would finish the week on top again, followed by ABC, with NBC trailing -- distantly at that. NBC was hard hit by the fact that Christmas Eve came on a Thursday night, normally the night that the network scores its biggest numbers. As a result, the network placed only one show in the top ten, a Monday edition of its magazine show, Dateline. »
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