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Box Office Sinks in Hong Kong
3 January 2003
While the box-office was setting new records in many overseas markets, it was retreating in Hong Kong, one of the world's biggest producers of home-grown product. According to Thursday's online edition of Screen International, the Hong Kong box office dropped 17 percent in 2002 while the number of Hong Kong-produced films plunged from 133 in 2001 to 92 in 2002. The top film of the year, Infernal Affairs, starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung Ciu-Wai, was the top box-officer grosser in 2002, taking in $5.6 million. It topped the No. 2 film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which took in $3.7 million and was virtually tied with Spider-Man, which wound up with $3.67 million. »
Disney Shares Turn Upward
3 January 2003
Shares in the Walt Disney Company rose almost 6 percent Thursday after Sanford Bernstein analyst Tom Wolzien boosted his credit rating on the company. Wolzien observed that the company had been helped by ratings gains at Disney's ABC television network, particularly with the new sitcoms Life With Bonnie and Eight Simple Rules. »
Disney Sues Blockbuster
3 January 2003
Disney is hauling Blockbuster into court, claiming that the video rental company cooked its books, and, in the process, failed to pay it $120 million from rental income. The lawsuit is likely to result in close scrutiny of revenue-sharing arrangements between the Hollywood studios and the video rental chain. »
McDonald's Opening Virtual DVD Rental Shops
3 January 2003
In a test, McDonald's has installed DVD-rental machines in the parking lots 14 of its stores in the Washington D.C. area, the Washington Post reported today (Friday). The machines, versions of which are familiar in many European markets, allow customers with credit cards to rent DVDs for between 99 cents and $1.50 and to keep them for as long as two weeks. The test comes following the purchase of Automated Distribution Technologies of Exton, PA by McDonald's. The company produces the TikTok DVD Shops, which McDonald's is using in the D.C.-area test. »
More People Renting Movies Online
3 January 2003
The number of people renting movies on DVD through the online subscription-only service Netflix nearly doubled in 2002, rising to 857,000 in the fourth quarter, up from 456,000 during the same period a year ago. The company also reported that its average monthly "churn" -- the percentage of people dropping out of the service -- dropped to 6.6 percent from 7 percent last year. »
Movie Reviews: 'Nicholas Nickleby'
3 January 2003
Director Douglas McGrath's version of Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby is receiving a wider release this weekend -- and capturing nearly as many ecstatic reviews as it did last week when it was released for Oscar consideration. Most of the reviews give particular attention to McGrath's effort to compress the bulky, 700-page novel into a two-hour movie. Most think that he has succeeded magnificently. Ty Burr writes in the Boston Globe: "How ... McGrath boiled the [Dickens book] into a supple film experience is a miracle that passeth immediate understanding. But he has, and the movie's a rambunctious joy." A. O. Scott in the New York Times says that McGrath "has succeeded in shoehorning Nicholas Nickleby ... into two hours of swift, engaging entertainment." Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times mentions that he has a copy of the 1980 stage version that lasted nine hours "which I really mean to get to one of these days." As for the new version, Ebert says, it's "jolly and exciting and brimming with life, and wonderfully well-acted." But across town, Robert K. Elder of the Chicago Tribune notes that McGrath's editing is too noticeable. "Story arcs get tidied up a little too quickly, jumping from one act to the next, giving us not quite enough time to settle into Nicholas as a protagonist," Elder comments. And Mary F. Pols writes in the Contra Costa Times: "This isn't just the CliffsNotes version of Nicholas Nickleby. It's the CliffsNotes with pages missing." »
Fans Create New 'Star Trek' Episode
3 January 2003
Saying that it "will surely be regarded as one of the best science-fiction 'fan film' projects of all time," the St. Paul, MN Pioneer Press has reported on the production of a 1960's Star Trek-like episode, "Starship Exeter: The Savage Empire," that has been posted on the Internet . Reporting on the production by Jimm Johnson of Austin, TX and brother Joshua of Lester Prairie, MN, the Pioneer Press commented: "The fresh episode is a digital product of a personal-computing revolution that has allowed amateur moviemakers to duplicate once-pricey television- and movie-production techniques on shoestring budgets." The project has received high praise from staunch Trekkies. "The story is inventive and the acting surprisingly good," one wrote. "The damn thing ... is actually watchable." But another chided the brothers for not obtaining copyright permission from Paramount. "It does look like they did a nice job (which is exactly what possibly gets them in trouble)," he wrote. »
Student Arrested For Allegedly Stealing DirecTV Secrets
3 January 2003
University of Chicago sophomore Igor Serebrynany of Los Angeles was arrested Thursday and charged under the 1996 Economic Espionage Act with stealing documents that could help hackers override the smart cards used in DirecTV receivers. Federal prosecutors claimed that Serebrynany stole the documents while working for a document preparation company that had been hired by a law firm representing DirecTV and that he then sent the information to three websites operated by "pirates." »
Disney Breaks Up Its Animation Division
3 January 2003
The team of animators that produces material for Disney's TV cartoon shows is being splintered off from Disney's animation department and will be merged with the Disney Channel group, the Wall Street Journal reported today (Friday), citing people familiar with the matter. At the same time, the feature animation until will be combined with the Disney live-action unit. David Stainton was appointed head of the feature-animation team, who former animation chief Thomas Schumacher will devote his full attention to Disney's stage productions. »
Borger Quits as Co-Anchor of 'Face the Nation'
3 January 2003
Gloria Borger is stepping down as co-anchor of CBS's Face the Nation to co-anchor CNBC's Capital Report and contribute to some NBC news programs,the Washington Post reported today (Friday). Asked why she would give up a network outlet for a cable one with only 6 percent of her previous audience, Borger replied, "I'm not about eyeballs. ... This is about a new professional challenge for me." »
Is CNN Cutting Back Veteran Anchors?
3 January 2003
CNN has dropped its weekend business show Pinnacle and has eliminated the jobs of at least three correspondents, including Mark Potter in Miami, Brooks Jackson in Washington, and Allan Dodds Frank in New York, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported today (Friday). A CNN spokesman denied that it was instituting a round of job cuts, but Frank, winner of the prestigious Gerald Loeb business journalism award last year, told the AJC: "The company can put any spin on it they want to attempt. But if you stay tuned you will see veteran faces disappearing." Separately, the New York Daily News reported today that veteran CNN correspondent Garrick Utley had also parted ways with the cable news outfit because "what I was doing was being used less." The Daily News said that CNN had also fired San Francisco-based anchor James Hattori and CNNfn anchor Bruce Francis. »
Reregulation or Deregulation?
3 January 2003
A group calling itself the Coalition for Program Diversity and composed of representatives of the Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, the Directors Guild of America, Sony Pictures Television, independent producer Carsey-Werner-Mandabach and other industry powerhouses, has called on the FCC to impose regulations that would require the television networks to set aside at least a quarter of primetime for programs from outside producers. "Diversity of sources -- not the economic efficiencies that the networks currently fixate on -- must be the commission's primary goal as it analyzes the current primetime television programming marketplace," the coalition said in its FCC filing. Separately, the Writers Guild of America asked the commission to institute regulations that would require the networks to devote half their primetime programming to outside producers. Meanwhile the parent companies of the CBS, NBC and Fox networks, in a separate filing, asked the commission to scrap all remaining rules on media ownership, saying that "there is no longer any public-interest need served" by them and that they "frequently undermine rather than advance the commission's policy goals." »
CBS Crushes NBC's Must-See Lineup
3 January 2003
NBC's Must-See TV schedule for Thursday night dropped to third place Thursday night, crushed by an ever-expanding audience for CBS's offerings and by ABC's telecast of the Orange Bowl (USC vs. Iowa). CBS averaged a potent 12.5 rating and an 18 share for the night versus NBC's 8.7/13. ABC's Orange Bowl telecast was sandwiched between the two with a 10.3/15. »
Documentary Producer Sues Studios
2 January 2003
The producer of a documentary that argues that virtually all of the 25 most popular movies ever made concern death and dying has filed suit in federal court in San Francisco, claiming that the major film studios have refused to grant him permission to use clips from those films in the documentary. According to a report in the Toronto Globe and Mail, Peter Livingston, a former studio production manager, claimed in his suit that Fox, Sony/Columbia, and Universal threatened to sue him if he showed the film, Over Nine Billion Dead Served. Although legal experts argue that such clips may be employed in documentaries under the "fair use" provisions of copyright law if they are intended primarily for criticism or education, Livingston said that he was compelled to seek permission from the studios because of film-festival rules requiring him to guarantee that his material was not liable in any lawsuit. »
Fly Frodo To Middle Earth
2 January 2003
The CEO of Tourism New Zealand has indicated that he had to engage in delicate negotiations with New Line Cinema in order to use the Lord of the Rings films to promote New Zealand tourism. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald in Los Angeles, where an Air New Zealand airliner was christened Frodo (the "airline to Middle Earth"), George Hickton remarked: "Understandably, the cinema company [New Line] thoughts were: would it detract from the film? How would it help in terms of the promotion, because it's supposed to be a mystical place? They had to understand us first -- that we weren't going to damage the property, that we valued it as much as they did." Travelers aboard the airline are being shown a 13-minute video highlighting New Zealand locations that are seen in the Rings movies. New Line also agreed to open its Hobbiton set to the general public. »
Crowe May Reprise Role As Gladiator
2 January 2003
Death (along with taxes) may be a certainty in the real world, but not necessarily in Hollywood, where producer Walter Parkes says he is planning a sequel to the movie Gladiator, in which the lead character, Maximus, played by Russell Crowe, died. In an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times, Parkes said, "Maximus did die in the first Gladiator, but the Romans had a great belief in the afterlife. Russell is exploring some ideas on how to come back. We can go backwards in time and forwards." »
The Next Dumbledore?
2 January 2003
Michael Gambon, best known in Britain for his Shakespearian roles on stage and for his starring role in the acclaimed 1986 TV miniseries The Singing Detective, has been selected to replace the late Richard Harris in the Harry Potter movies as Dumbledore, according to E! Online , which cited no sources. The website, which is affiliated with the E! Entertainment Channel but maintains a separate editorial staff, noted Wednesday that it was unable to confirm the casting with Warner Bros. because of the New Year's holiday. Gambon's name has been prominently mentioned in the widespread speculation about who would replace Harris in the role. »
A Record Year, But...
2 January 2003
Final figures indicate that a record $9.3 billion in movie tickets were sold in 2002, up 11 percent from 2001, while actual admissions were up 8 percent, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Reporting on the results, today's (Thursday) Wall Street Journal commented. "The higher ticket sales and attendance figures were due to the proliferation of expensively promoted 'franchise' movies and sequels, masking what otherwise would have been a bleak year for most studios." Sony Pictures was the clear winner with 38.5 percent of market share. Disney was second with 12.7 percent. »
Same-Sex Kiss in British TV Commercial
2 January 2003
A commercial for the popular British sandwich spread Marmite will reportedly feature the first ever same-sex kiss shown in a TV ad, Britain's Ananova website reported today (Thursday), as it featured a still photo of the kiss. According to the website, a lifeguard eating a Marmite sandwich, spots a drowning man at the beach, drags him to shore and administers mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The man revives, grabs the lifeguard's head, and kisses him back. A spokeswoman for Marmite told Ananova: "When people look at the advert [commercial], they will realize there is nothing which could cause offense." »
NBC News Extends Lead Over ABC News
2 January 2003
NBC Nightly News , which once ran a neck-and-neck race with ABC's World News Tonight, charged ahead of its rival in the fourth quarter as it averaged 10.56 million viewers vs. 10.13 million for ABC. The CBS Evening News remained well behind with 8.53 million. All three nightly newscasts showed major audience drop-offs from the same quarter in 2001, when viewers were still caught up in the aftermath of 9/11, including the war in Afghanistan and the anthrax attacks at home. CBS's audience fell a whopping 19 percent, ABC recorded a 15-percent drop, while NBC lost the fewest number of viewers -- 8 percent. »
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