Daily Variety back issues from January 2005:
Par goes for Grey matter; Viacom taps H'wood manager to turn around studio's fortunes.(Paramount Pictures)(Brad Grey)(Hollywood)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Brad Grey will become Sherry Lansing's successor at Paramount Pictures--a signal that corporate parent Viacom intends to follow through on its promise to reinvigorate the studio. Move, which will probably become official in the next few days, underlines the desire ...
'Meet' greets new year atop B.O.(Box Office)(movies)
Jan 03, 2005; ... "Meet the Fockers" continued to dominate the holiday marketplace in its second week, setting records for the biggest New Year's Eve and New Year's Day grosses. Over the weekend, Universal's sequel brought in $42.8 million, down just 7% from its huge opening weekend. Cume is a ...
A surprise power play.(The Back Lot)(appointment)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Consider the anomalies of Viacom's decision to hire Brad Grey. No studio in memory has ever brought in a head of production so lacking in formal filmmaking credentials or corporate experience. No power player has ever given up as much autonomy and wealth ...
'Idol' hands tweaking mix.(American Idol)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- "American Idol" will undergo the biggest changes in the show's history when it returns for its fourth season this month. Producers of the Fox reality smash are guiding the shifts, which will be most evident to viewers--and the network competish--come late February ....
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.(musical theater)(Theater Review)
Jan 03, 2005; ... (Kennedy Center Opera House, Washington. D.C.; 2,679 seats: $93 top) A Kennedy Center presentation of a Jeffrey Finn Prods. production of a musical revue in two acts by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Directed by Tom Kosis. Sets, James Noone; costumes, House of Valentino: lighting, Brian ...
Correction.(Correction Notice)
Jan 03, 2005 ... Phil Oldham does not own the program library of Burt Wolf; he ...
Committed.(television series)(Television Program Review)
Jan 03, 2005; ... (Series; NBC, Tues. Jan. 4, 9:30 p.m.) Filmed in L.A. by Blackie and Blondie Prods. in association with NBC Universal Television Studio. Executive producers, Eileen Heisler, DeAnn Heline; co-executive producer, Rob Bragin; producers, Werner Walian, Bill Daly, Katy Ballard; ...
A surfeit of screeners.(The Back Lot)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Now that Oscar season has reached its zenith, Academy members are baffled by the following problem: What do you do with those screeners you no longer want? If you simply stash them in the trash, a gardener or garbage man may decide to appropriate them, or even sell them. Since ...
Quebec in tax credit war.(Finance Minister Yves Seguin)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... MONTREAL -- The Quebec provincial government is increasing tax credits for foreign film producers to counter a similar tax-credit increase recently unveiled by the neighboring province of Ontario. On Thursday, Quebec Finance Minister Yves Seguin announced that the province will ...
Goldeneye fest debuts Bond-style.(Goldeneye Film Festival)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Palm Pictures topper Chris Blackwell's inaugural Goldeneye Film Festival wrapped Dec. 13, marking the close to the experimental event hatched by the Island Records thunder, at which most films screen via DVD in attendees' rooms. Jamaica fest kicked off Dec. 8 at the former ...
Barker is 'Right' for 34th year.(Bob Barker)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Bob Barker will come on down for a 34th season as host of CBS gameshow "The Price Is Right." Despite speculation that Barker, who turned 81 in December, would retire, he reupped to remain the program's only daytime host since its inception. With "Price" ...
XM sat radio gets its debt under control.(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- XM Satellite Radio will start off the new year with an improved balance sheet after it retired nearly $100 million in debt with new equity. Satcaster on Thursday issued more than 2.7 million shares in exchange for $98.1 million in senior secured notes due in 2009. ...
The screening room.(movies)(Illustration)
Jan 03, 2005 ... <Pre> THE SCREENING ROOM The Screening Room runs Mondays and Thursdays. Screenings are open to Academy and guild members. For a complete list, visit Variety.com/screenings. NEW YORK Alexander (Warner Bros.) RSVP: (212) 636-5044 Today 8:30 p.m. ...
Desert fest honors Payne.(Alexander Payne)(Palm Springs Film Festival)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Alexander Payne has been selected director of the year by the Palm Springs Film Festival. The "Sideways" helmer will be honored at the fest's awards gala Saturday at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Payne joins the fest's previously announced honorees including ...
Fox, Carsey-Werner eye ''70s' flashback.(Inside Moves)(Carsey-Werner Company L.L.C.)(That '70s Show)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... That '70s Show" may be back next season after all. Execs at Fox and Carsey-Werner are doing the hustle in a bid to bring the show back for at least one more round of episodes, industry insiders said late last week. Most of the cast has agreed to come back for an eighth season, ...
Bandleader Shaw dies.(american musician Artie Shaw)(Obituary)
Jan 03, 2005 ... HOLLYWOOD -- Oscar-nominated clarinetist and bandleader Artie Shaw, whose recording of "Begin the Beguine" epitomized the Big Band era, died Thursday at his home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. He was 94. Shaw had long had diabetes and likely died of complications of the disease, said ...
Stadium staredown: Dolan, mayor square off over Olympic venue.(Mayor Michael Bloomberg and James Dolan of Cablevision Systems Corp.)
Jan 03, 2005; ... The new year will ring in renewed hostilities in what has become Gotham's most public feud: that between Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Cablevision chief executive James Dolan. The two are locked in an epic battle over the proposed $1.4 billion West Side Stadium, the cornerstone of ...
Military net girding for cable battle.(new Military History Channel)
Jan 03, 2005; ... The Military History Channel is planning to blast its way into cable TV homes. No cable operators or satellite distributors have signed up yet, but the net isn't worried because its parents are the popular A&E and History Channel. Dan Davids, president of the History ...
Woody pic goes west.(Santa Barbara Film Festival)(Woody Allen)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Woody Allen's new film "Melinda and Melinda" will kick off this year's Santa Barbara Film Festival. The love story, alternately portrayed as comedy and tragedy, stars Radha Mitchell, Will Ferrell, Jonny Lee Miller, Amanda Peet and Chloe Sevigny. The 20th annual festival will ...
NBC praiser extends reins.(promotion)(National Broadcasting Company Entertainment)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Rebecca Marks has been upped to exec VP of the NBC U TV Group's West Coast publicity division. New post gives Marks oversight for PR at NBC Entertainment, NBC U Television Studio and the company's cable and syndication divisions. She continues to report directly to ...
Medium.(television series)(Television Program Review)
Jan 03, 2005; ... (Series; NBC, Mon. Jan. 3, 10 p.m.) Filmed in L.A. by Picturemaker Prods. in association with Grammnet Prods. and Paramount Network TV. Executive producers, Glenn Gordon Carom Kelsey Grammer, Ronald L. Schwary, Steve Stark, Rene Echevarria; co-executive producer, Michael Angeli; ...
Spain panel to fight rampant piracy.(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... MADRID -- Spain's ruling socialist party is launching a five-point Integrated Government Plan aimed at attacking rampant piracy. Speaking to film and music execs Wednesday, culture minister Carmen Calvo announced Spain will create an antipiracy commission, staffed by politicians ...
Showbiz stocks: Friday, December 31, 2004.(Illustration)
Jan 03, 2005 ... <Pre> SHOWBIZ STOCKS Friday, December 31, 2004 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AcmeCmACME ... 7.01 +.21-20.2 ActvsnATVI 2420.18 +.13+66.2 AllAtlAACB ...
Films in the future.(Film Production Chart)
Jan 03, 2005 ... PRODUCTION CHART KEY Abbreviations: EXP, Executive producer; PROD--Producer; COP--Co-producer; DIR--Director; AD--First assistant director; 2DIR--Second-unit director; SCR--Screenwriter; DP--Cinematographer; ED--Editor; PD--Production designer; ART--Art director; SET--Set ...
Filming in the U.S.(Film Production Chart)
Jan 03, 2005 ... PRODUCTION CHART KEY Abbreviations: EXP, Executive producer; PROD--Producer; COP--Co-producer; DIR--Director; AD--First assistant director; 2DIR--Second-unit director; SCR--Screenwriter; DP--Cinematographer; ED--Editor; PD--Production designer; ART--Art director; SET--Set ...
Filming in Gotham.(Film Production Chart)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005 ... Abbreviations: EXP, Executive producer; PROD--Producer; COP--Co-producer; DIR--Director; AD--First assistant director; 2DIR--Second-unit director; SCR--Screenwriter; DP--Cinematographer; ED--Editor; PD--Production designer; ART--Art director; SET--Set decorator; COS--Costume designer; ...
Datebook.(movie screening and concert)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
Jan 03, 2005 ... JAN. 5 Jean-Pierre Jeunet The helmer of "Amelie" and "City of Lost Children" will talk with the Museum of the Moving Image's David Schwartz following a screening of his most recent film, "A Very Long Engagement." 35th Avenue at 36th Street. 7 p.m. Call (718) ...
Vox's cold shower: web stops airing sex show in favor of docs.(Wa(h)re Liebe television show of VOX Film und Fernseh GmbH und Company KG)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... COLOGNE -- Germany's Vox, a web of RTL Group, has kicked out its sex information programming in favor of enhanced international docu coverage from BBC. On Thursday, Vox for the last time aired "Wa(h)re Liebe," which had been running for more than 500 weekly shows. It created a ...
New strategy for Wolzien.(Tom Wolzien joins Sanford C. Bernstein and Company L.L.C.)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Longtime Wall Street showbiz analyst Tom Wolzien will ankle the daily research grind this month to launch a media and communications strategy unit at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., his firm of nearly 14 years. Wolzien is well known on Wall Street and in media circles for his ...
Argentinean TV host flips to Canal 9.(Marcelo Tinelli)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... BUENOS AIRES -- Marcelo Tinelli, Argentina's most influential TV host-impresario, has switched to third-ranked Canal 9 after 15 years with leader Tetefe, a move touted as sparking stiffer competition for ad coin, content and viewers in broadcast television. Tinelli's production ...
Bavaria org funds Schlondorff pic.(Volker Schlondorff recieved funds for Who Is Anna Walentynowcz)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... COLOGNE "Who Is Anna Walentynowcz," from "The Tin Drum" helmer Volker Schlondorff, is among 28 projects allocated coin by Bavaria's film funding body FFF Bayern. Total outlay comes to $6.3 million. Schlondorff received $330,000 for "Anna," the biography of an illiterate woman ...
Sony Wiser about digital.(Sony Corp)(Phil Wiser )(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Sony Corp. of America has upped Phil Wiser to chief technology officer and put him atop two new divisions charged with coordinating company's strategy in digital media, where it has so far been a surprising also-ran. Wiser was formerly CTO of Sony Music, where he ...
Spidey takes on Frodo in DVD kudos.(fifth annual DVD Exclusive Awards)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- It's Mary Poppins against Scarlett O'Hara, Clint Eastwood. Steve McQueen and Luke Skywalker, and it's Jack Black against Spidey. Frodo, Neo and the Friedmans in this year's battle for top honors at the fifth annual DVD Exclusive Awards on Feb 8. Meanwhile, after ...
Lightning hits digital.(Lightning Media's partnership with Teresis Media Management)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Post-production house Lightning Media has launched an exclusive partnership with Teresis Media Management to offer a digital workflow system that promises to cut post-production costs for unscripted TV shows by 30%-50%. The Teresis Media Station turns dailies into ...
The Year of the Yao.(Movie Review)
Jan 03, 2005; ... (Docu) A Fine Line Features release of an Endgame Entertainment/NBA Entertainment production. Produced by James D. Stern, Adam Del Deo. Executive producers, Adam Silver, Gregg Winik, Bill Sanders. Co-producers, Christopher Chen, Paul Hirschheimer. Co-executive producer, ...
New year, new job hunt.(Working the Town)(executive search firms)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Now that the holidays are over, those inclined to consider a job change or to secure a job if they are out of work are ready to spring into action. Headhunters can be helpful in this effort. The trick is: How to get their attention? A Christmas-day front-page story on executive ...
SAG's recurring headache.(The Back Lot)(Screen Actors Guild)(Brief Article)(Column)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Hardly anyone is paying attention, but there's still a chance that the noisy, neurotic Screen Actors Guild could shut down the industry. As negotiations meander along, the following question is being asked by some of the grown-ups: When will professional actors take SAG back from the ...
Bye bye 2004.(Pix Mix)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005 ... Brad Pitt waves to the crowd at Cannes in May, where he joined his "Troy" castmates for the fest bow of Wolfgang Petersen's pic. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ron Howard and Brian Grazer saluted the original wild and crazy guy at the American Cinematheque's Nov. 12 fete for ...
L.A. screening for Scandi pix.(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Oscar hopefuls from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden will he screened during the sixth Scandinavian Film Festival L.A., running Jan. 14-16. The Nordic festival will open with Norwegian Erik Poppe's film "Hawaii, Oslo," the helmer's second feature film. ...
No pic party o'seas for New Year's.(World Watch)
Jan 03, 2005; ... However folks overseas celebrated the start of the new year, going to the cinema didn't figure high up on their menu of choices over the weekend. Notable exception was Australia, where the Dec. 26-Jan. I frame rated as the industry's 11th biggest week ever, driven by newbies ...
Specialty films ring in New Year's with bang.
Jan 03, 2005; ... With boffo results spread throughout the marketplace, specialty films, which have had a tough time finding traction outside big cities like L.A. and Gotham, saw refreshingly strong results over the New Year's weekend. Leading the pack of new limited entrants into the market (all ...
Wives in the balance: contending perfs sharpen edges of standard roles.(Eye on the Oscars: the actress)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Oscar voters may reside in the blue states, but there's still a "Father Knows Best" mentality when it comes to "wifely" roles. This year, though, performances by Laura Linney, Imelda Staunton, Laura Dern, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Kim Basinger and Tea Leoni are getting attention ...
Annette Bening: 'Being Julia'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Private and unassuming in her personal life, Annette Bening relished the idea of going diva in "Being Julia." "The part was so rich--a feast of words and character and ideas," says Bening, who already this awards season has been named best actress by the National Board of Review ...
Julie Delpy: 'Before Sunset'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Among the many reasons Julie Delpy agreed to do a sequel to 1995's "Before Sunrise"--the chance to reteam with Richard Linklater and co-star Ethan Hawke, to reprise a role nine years later and find out what happened to Celine and Jesse after their one-night stand in Vienna--the prospect of ...
Laura Dern: 'We Don't Live Here Anymore'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... After more than 25 years of trying, Hollywood finally made Laura Dern blush. Having cast away her inhibitions in David Lynch's "Blue Velvet" and "Wild at Heart" and Alexander Payne's "Citizen Ruth," Dern reached the height of unease this year in, of all things, an intimate ...
Catalina Sandino Moreno: 'Maria Full of Grace'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Catalina Sandino Moreno is spoiled. Her first film, Joshua Marstons Maria Full of Grace," proved such an intense, fulfilling experience that it'll be hard to duplicate. Indeed, it may have ruined everything else for the young thesp. "I'm very passionate about the ...
Emmy Rossum: 'The Phantom of the Opera'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Emmy Rossum, the object of desire in "The Phantom of the Opera," is generating ample buzz for her performance as Christine Daae and already has a citation for female breakthrough performance from the National Board of Review to show for it. "That took me so much by surprise," ...
Imelda Staunton: 'Vera Drake'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... For approximately half of period drama "Vera Drake," shuddering despair overwhelms the title character played by Imelda Staunton, carrying her away from former happiness like an undertow. It is such an unremitting sadness that one might fear for the well being of the actress ...
Hilary Swank: 'Million Dollar Baby'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Hilary Swank, who won an Oscar at age 25 for her performance in 1999's "Boys Don't Cry," knows a thing or two about great expectations. The award immediately placed her in rarified company, and under the microscope. "People talk about pressure and expectation," says Swank. ...
Audrey Tautou: 'A Very Long Engagement'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Audrey Tautou received worldwide acclaim for her performance in "Amelie." But working with the same director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, on "A Very Long Engagement" didn't necessarily mean the World War I romantic drama would promise a smoother ride. "It's not easier for me to find the ...
Kate Winslet: 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Although only 29, Kate Winslet is no stranger to awards season hoopla with three Oscar noms already to her credit. This year she continued to draw critical attention for a pair of disparate performances: candy-tressed, wild child Clementine Kruczynski of meta-love story "Eternal ...
Ziyi Zhang: 'House of Flying Daggers'.(Lead Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Much is made of Ziyi Zhang's beauty. Profiles on her often invoke incandescent screen sirens of Hollywood yore. In one typically effusive review of "The House of Flying Daggers," the New York Times' A.O. Scott wrote, "Occasionally, Ms. Zhang bares one of her lovely shoulders. If she showed ...
Dark horse candidates.(Lead Actress Contenders)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Kim Basinger What: "The Door in the Floor" Why: Basinger and Jeff Bridges deal with their personal anguish in ways that make this downer pic worth watching. Bryce Dallas Howard What: "The Village" Why: The pic disappeared quickly ...
Cate Blanchett: 'The Aviator'.(Supporting Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Cate Blanchett was on the Santa Fe set of "The Missing," playing an American frontier woman--one of many non-native accents for the Australian thesp--when she got the call from Martin Scorsese about the role of Katharine Hepburn in Howard Hughes biopic "The Aviator." Scorsese ...
Regina King: 'Ray'.(Supporting Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Ray" allowed Regina King to tackle one of the most complex and compelling roles of her young career--Ray Charles' mistress and backup singer Margie Hendrix. It also afforded her the opportunity to cross off three items from her professional wish list: collaborating with director ...
Laura Linney: 'Kinsey'.(Supporting Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Laura Linney got downright bawdy in 2004. In "Kinsey," she and onscreen husband Liam Neeson do nothing but engage in explicit sex talk for nearly two hours. In "P.S.," Linney plays a Gotham college admission's officer who teaches Topher Grace that the essay portion of ...
Virginia Madsen: 'Sideways'.(Supporting Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Virginia Madsen isn't shy about expressing her eagerness for entering the Oscar race. "I've been waiting for this for a long time," she says. "I suppose you can never know success until you get there but I think I wear it well." The wait for Madsen dates all the way ...
Sophie Okonedo: 'Hotel Rwanda'.(Supporting Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Sophie Okonedo is still trying to figure out how she made the leap from a hooker in "Dirty Pretty Things" to the wife of a real-life hero in "Hotel Rwanda." "I'm not quite sure how (director) Terry George thought that part made me right for this one," says the 36-year-old ...
Natalie Portman: 'Closer'.(Supporting Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... With her provocative turn as wounded waif Alice in "Closer" and an unexpectedly oddball rendering of an animal-loving epileptic in "Garden State," Natalie Portman had crix in a tizzy about her "coming of age" this year. "It's always gratifying to see that people are responding, ...
Lola Duenas, Mabel Rivera and Belen Rueda: 'The Sea Inside'.(Supporting Actress Contenders)(Movie Review)
Jan 03, 2005; ... In Alejandro Amenabar's "The Sea Inside" quadriplegic Spanish poet Ramon Sampedro, played by Javier Bardem, is gently teased by his sister-in-law Manuela about the "harem" he keeps. Indeed, for the poet who fought nearly 30 years for the right to die, his life would not have ...
Meryl Streep: 'The Manchurian Candidate'.(Supporting Actress Contenders)
Jan 03, 2005; ... In the pantheon of great psycho performances, at least two come to mind that no self-respecting thesp, under any circumstances, should attempt to duplicate. In 1998, Vince Vaughn tried to out-Norman Anthony Perkins in Gus Van Sant's "Psycho" remake and was roundly panned for his ...
Dark horse candidates.(Supporting Actress Contenders)(Brief Article)
Jan 03, 2005; ... Kate Beckinsale What: "The Aviator" Why: Ava Gardner was one of the most beautiful actresses in movie history and Beckinsale's portrayal honored the legacy with flair. Kate Bosworth What: "Beyond the Sea" Why: As Sandra Dee, Bosworth ...
Shrek and Sony highlight '04 B.O.(box office)
Jan 04, 2005; ... It came down to the wire, but annual box office for 2004 managed to edge out 2003 with $9.214 billion through Sunday, according to the final tally released Monday by Nielsen EDI, vs. 2003's $9.166 billion. Victory margin was just $48 million, or a slim 0.5%. But the win was ...
Shifting Sands: D'Works prexy steps in as Geffen ups role.(David Geffen, Rick Sands )
Jan 04, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- DreamWorks is kicking off 2005 with some substantial shifts at the studio. Former Miramax chief operating officer Rick Sands has assumed his duties as president and chief operating officer of DreamWorks, the studio confirmed Monday. Daily Variety first reported ...
A wave of compassion.
Jan 04, 2005; ... Tsunami relief was top on the mind of showbiz Monday as Rupert Murdoch dispatched a letter to all News Corp. staffers saying his company would give $1 million in aid and match any employee's donation, while NBC Universal announced it will carry a Jan. 15 primetime telethon special on all ...