Daily Variety back issues from October 2005:
Governator snaps back at paparazzi.(Arnold Schwarzenegger signed antipaparazzi law )
Oct 03, 2005; ... Guy. Arnold Schwarzenegger is putting paparazzi in their place. Handing his Hollywood friends--and himself--a major victory in the perennial war with the celebrity press, Schwarzenegger has signed a bill into law further cracking down on photographers who assault celebrities in ...
Par lights on Blu-ray.(Paramount Home Entertainment endorsing Sony Corp. Blu-ray disc format )
Oct 03, 2005; ... In a stunning announcement, Paramount Home Entertainment has decided to support Sony's Blu-ray disc format for the next generation of high-definition DVDs. Although Paramount will continue to support Sony's rival HD DVD platform from Toshiba as well, the studio is the first to ...
Magic mojo for thesp duo.(Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros. plans 'The Prestige' movies)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are in negotiations to star in helmet Christopher Nolan's thriller "The Prestige" for Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros. "Batman Begins" helmet Nolan has committed to make the long-gestating pic as his next film (Daily Variety, April 17, 2003). ...
A plane weekend: 'Flightplan' leads weak sesh; 'Capote' hot.
Oct 03, 2005; ... Fall's fast start slowed this weekend, as the frame's new pics failed to fuel much aud enthusiasm. Walt Disney's holdover "Flightplan" led the pack for a second week, scoring $15 million in its sophomore session and dipped a modest 39% from last week's opening. This is the time ...
Turner signals Wright turn.(Michael Wright)(Turner Network Television)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Turner is handing over the programming reins for TBS to Michael Wright, the TNT exec behind this year's most-watched original series on basic cable, "The Closer." Wright is soon expected to be named head of original programming for both TNT and TBS. Promotion aligns the ...
'Fences' builder dies: August Wilson: 1945-2005.(Obituary)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Pulitzer- and Tony-winning playwright August Wilson, whose epic 10-play cycle chronicled the black experience in 20th-century America, died Sunday of liver cancer at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. He was 60. The playwright disclosed in late August that his illness was inoperable ...
Aloni shift stirs roster.(Dan Aloni)(Magnos Holdings )
Oct 03, 2005; ... CAA hired UTA agent and partner Dan Aloni Thursday, a move that triggered a frantic Friday as both agencies tried to secure his clients. As the dust settled, CAA claimed it had signed "Wedding Crashers" helmer David Dobkin, Tom Shadyac, Christopher Nolan, Dean Parisot, David ...
The deal that wasn't real.(Universal Studios Inc)(DreamWorks L.L.C)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... NOW THAT THE DISTRACTING Universal-DreamWorks talks have broken off, Bob Wright, Ron Meyer, David Geffen and the other principals can get back to running their businesses. To be sure, a few minor issues have been left on the table. DreamWorks inevitably will start shopping ...
Clooney's cool.(The Back Lot)(George Clooney)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Movie stars are bigger than life. It's in their DNA. George Clooney, by contrast, seems a study in understatement, sometimes to a fault. He's easygoing and self-deprecating. He seems almost apologetic about his stardom. He doesn't even invite you into his Scientology tent. The ...
Nudge grudge.(The Back Lot)(Geraldo Rivera )(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Surely, Geraldo Rivera never expected his non-nudge to get this much attention. Always an aggressive guy, Geraldo has received almost daily attention from The New York Times about his actions in covering rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina. The Times' TV Watch column on ...
TiVo execs ankle key units.(executives)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Two top TiVo execs who headed up divisions that new CEO Tom Rogers had identified as key to the company's growth ankled Friday. David H. Courtney, chief financial officer and exec VP in charge of interactive advertising and relationships with cable operators and satcasters, and ...
Theater League's Bernstein will step down.(League of American Theaters and Producers, Jed Bernstein)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Jed Bernstein, prexy of the League of American Theaters and Producers, will ankle at the end of the 2005-06 theater season. Bernstein, who has served as head of the Broadway producers and presenters union since 1995, has no concrete plans, but aims to pursue producing and ...
Miramax legal eagle flies to KMR law firm.(Alan Friedman joined Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Alan Friedman, who most recently served as general counsel-exec veep at Miramax, has joined firm Katten Muchin Rosenman as a partner in its entertainment and media litigation practice. He will be based in N.Y. "I was in private practice for 20 years before joining Miramax, and ...
Close to Home.(Television Program Review)
Oct 03, 2005; ... (Series; CBS, Tues. Oct. 4, 10p.m.) Filmed in Los Angeles by Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television. Executive producers, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Jim Leonard; producer, Jill Danton; director, Simon West; writer, Leonard: camera, ...
Ruddy ready to fight again.(Ruddy and Morgan Organization is producing a movie based on Pound for Pound book)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- "Million Dollar Baby" production shingle Ruddy Morgan is stepping into the ring one last time with the late EX. Toole, author of the book on which the Oscar-winning pic was based. Company has optioned scribe's last book, "Pound for Pound," which will be released ...
Neil Diamond.(Concert Review)
Oct 03, 2005; ... (Staples Center, L.A.; 15,000 seats; $95 top) Presented by Nederlander Concerts. Band: Diamond, Al Lindgren, Tom Hensley, Doug Rhone, Hadley Hockensmith, King Errisson, Ron Tutt, Julia Waters, Linda Press, Maxine Waters, Don Markese, Art Velasco, Dan Fornero, Larry Klimas ....
L.A. Times joins Weinstein welcome.(Los Angeles Times Syndicate)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... The Weinstein Co. launched a lavish print campaign announcing itself last week, buying double-spread ads heralding the new company in Daily Variety and the New York Times. The Los Angeles Times didn't get the ad, but it ran one of its own for the duo's new venture. Studio execs ...
20th has a 'Bones' jones.(Barry Josephson signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox Television)
Oct 03, 2005; ... With his new drama "Bones" off to a meaty start, producer Barry Josephson has sealed an overall deal at 20th Century Fox TV. Under terms of the hefty two-year pact, Josephson will continue to be involved with "Bones" while creating new drama and comedy projects at the studio. ...
New Line will groom 'Heir'.(New Line Cinema Corp. purchased script "Heirhead Apparent")(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... New Line has bought spec script "Heirhead Apparent" from tyro scribe David Clawson. Script is a "Legally Blonde"-like story about the spoiled daughter of a department store tycoon who campaigns to save the store after spending time with workers on the sales ...
Scrambling skeins: UPN stifles 'Sex'; NBC revamps Wed. sked.(United Paramount Network, 'Sex, Love and Secrets')
Oct 03, 2005; ... Production on UPN's "Sex, Love and Secrets" has been halted. Meanwhile, across town Fox has ordered four more scripts of rookie sudser "Reunion." And after two weeks of terrible numbers, NBC has decided on a last-ditch sked switch to save its rocky Wednesday lineup. ...
HBO commits to divorce.(Home Box Office Inc. planning for a show in which Bob Saget will be cast)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... HBO and Bob Saget are delving into the mind of the divorced dad. Paybox has made a script commitment to an untitled half-hour project from Saget described as an R-rated take on "The Courtship of Eddie's Father." Saget will star, co-write and exec produce via his Two ...
Strinqer bullish on Sony's renaissance.
Oct 03, 2005; ... Sony Corp. chairman Howard Stringer warned against collapsing video windows and extolled Bluray, as he promised investors and the press Friday that the beleaguered Japanese giant will rise again. Gotham meet reprised a confab in Tokyo a week earlier where the new chief executive ...
Its work at an end, DCI closes shop.(Digital Cinema Initiatives)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... After 3 1/2 years, $8.4 million and the creation of a technical spec the six big studios hope will drive future growth of the film biz, Digital Cinema Initiatives is now little more than a name. Joint venture founded by the six majors and MGM shut its doors Friday, two months ...
Fridays take a dramatic turn: CBS scores with frosh series.
Oct 03, 2005; ... The number of people watching broadcast television on Friday night continues to dwindle, but CBS is getting the most of those who are showing up this fall. As week two of the 2005-06 season neared its conclusion, the Eye was the standout net on Friday, winning by 20% or more in ...
Sci Fi sees 'Saw,' 7 other Lions Gate pix.(Sci-Fi Channel Inc. got movie rights from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... The Sci Fi Channel has bought exclusive cable-TV rights to eight movies from Lions Gate Entertainment for a total license fee of about $12 million. About half of the money will go to one title, the surprise 2004 hit "Saw," a horror thriller with Cary Elwes and Danny Glover, ...
ProSieben's boards balk at bid price.(ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG shares)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... The executive and supervisory boards of Haim Saban's ProSiebenSat. 1 have given an official but ostensibly harmless thumbs down to publishing giant Axel Springer's offer for the company's outstanding shares in its takeover bid for the TV group. Move is not expected to affect the ...
Nick Stahl.(cast for in 'Camille' for )(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Nick Stahl is in negotiations to star in "Camille" for Golconda Films. Sienna Miller and Harvey Keitel co-star in the adventure comedy, about a petty thief (Stahl) who marries his ...
Elisabeth Harnois.(cast for lead role in Todd Kessler's Keith )(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Elisabeth Harnois ("Pretty Persuasion") has landed a lead role in "Keith," slated to begin production later this month. She plays a high schooler whose perfectly ordered life is disrupted by another ...
Columbus Short.(cast for 'Stepping Up: Save the Last Dance 2' by MTV Films and Paramount)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Columbus Short ("War of the Worlds") will play the male lead in "Stepping Up: Save the Last Dance 2" for MTV Films and Paramount. He joins ...
Paula Garces.(cast for 'The Shield' by Fx network)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Paula Garces ("Man of the House") will appear in at least four episodes of FX's "The Shield." She'll play ...
Japan rolls 'Bones' for Oscar contention.(Blood and Bones)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... With today the cutoff date for submissions, helmer Yoichi Sai's "Blood and Bones" has been selected by the Japan Motion Picture Assn. as its foreign-language Oscar nominee while Argentina's pick is Fabian Bielinsky's "El aura" (The Dawn). Based on a popular Korean novel adapted ...
Spark lights a capital fuse.(Spark Capital)
Oct 03, 2005; ... A team of longtime showbiz industryites, including former Lions Gate, Sony and Turner exec Dennis Miller, has launched a venture capital firm called Spark Capital. Firm said it will direct its $260 million under management to early-stage investments in "the conflux of media, ...
Lillywhite lands diskery deal.(Steve Lillywhite )(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Record producer Steve Lillywhite has joined Sony BMG's Columbia Records as senior vice president of A&R. Lillywhite, who earned kudos for his work with Peter Gabriel and U2, will sign artists to the label and work with Columbia's roster. He will provide a range of inhouse ...
China boots pirate: American DVD counterfeiter deported to L.A.(World News)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... China has deported an American sentenced to 30 months in a Shanghai jail for selling hundreds of thousands of pirated DVDs on the internet. Randolph Hobson Guthrie, 38, was flown Friday to L.A., where he was arrested by Customs officials. Guthrie's conviction was not ...
WBITD ups Garcia to exec post.(Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, John Garcia )(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... HOLLYWOOD -- Warner Bros. Intl. Television Distribution has promoted John Garcia to VP-general manager, Latin America, division prexy Jeffrey Schlesinger announced Friday. Garcia will have overall responsibility for sales, marketing and distribution of WBITD product to ...
Holroyd dissolves agency, joins one.(apoointments)(Casarotto Ramsay)(Rachel Holroyd)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Casarotto Ramsay, one of the U.K.'s leading film talent agencies, has hired Rachel Holroyd. Holroyd is dissolving her startup literary agency, Essential Element Management. Her ELM partner, Amanda Davies, is joining Michael Foster and Sue Latimer's Artists Rights Group. ...
IdtV pacts in China.(contract with China Sports Film & Television Co. and Beijing Organizing Committee to produce sports documentaries)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Dutch production company IdtV has struck a deal with the China Sports Film & Television Co. and the Beijing (Olympic) Organizing Committee to produce 12 sports documentaries for the Chinese TV market. Each doc will profile an athlete as he or she prepares for the 2008 Beijing ...
MTG takes GES stake.(Modern Times Group, GES Media Holding)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... International broadcasting giant Modern Times Group has inked a $112 million pact to take a 50% stake in GES Media Holding, which owns TV Prima, the Czech Republic's second-largest TV channel. Launched in 1993 as the country's first commercial TV channel, TV Prima has a ...
Star! rises in Iceland.(contracts with Iceland Telecom)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Sweden's NonStop Television's niche channel Star! bowed Saturday in Iceland via a pact with broadcaster Iceland ...
Chan in funding fracas.(China Conservational Power Holdings' Abba Chan arrested)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Abba Chan, the film producer also known as the father of Canto-pop music concerts, was arrested Thursday on charges of misappropriating HK$100 million ($12.8 million) from two listed companies. Chan, who is the chairman of China ...
Coin infusion for pix.(Ruili Holdings changes its name to See Corp.)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... The local biz is getting a HK$10 million ($1.3 million) boost. Ruili Holdings, which is changing its name to See Corp., will invest that money in 30 ...
Star shines on antv.(acquisitions)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... News Corp.'s Star has taken a 20% stake in Indonesian broadcaster antv. Star will lend its ...
Lucky Luke gallops to bigscreen in Gaul.(Xilam)(Brief Article)
Oct 03, 2005; ... Gallic animation studio Xilam is bringing comicbook hero Lucky Luke to the bigscreen in "Tous a l'ouest," slated to bow in fall 2007. Pic, co-produced by Dargaud-Marina and Lucky Comics with a budget of 12 million [euro] ($14.4 million), will be helmed by Olivier Jean-Marie ...
Showbiz stocks: Friday, September 30, 2005.(Illustration)
Oct 03, 2005 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Friday, September 30, 2005 NameTkr PELast Chg YTD% Chg AccessITAIX... 10.03 +.35+157.8 AcmeCm ACME ...
Slut.(Theater Review)
Oct 03, 2005; ... (American Theater of Actors: 140 seats; $55 top) A Dena Hammerstein and Pam Pariseau presentation for James Hammerstein Prods. of a musical in two acts with music and additional lyrics by Stephen Sislen, book and lyrics by Ben H. Winters. Directed by Gordon Greenberg. Musical ...
Styx.(Concert Review)
Oct 03, 2005; ... (Wiltern Theater, Los Angeles; 2,000 seats: $50 top) Presented by Avalon. Band: Tommy Shaw, James "JY" Young, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman, Ricky Phillips, Chuck Panozzo. Reviewed Sept. 29, 2005. Tommy Shaw, who brought a hard-rock quality to Styx in 1976, left in ...
Ric Ocasek.(Concert Review)
Oct 03, 2005; ... (CBGB: 285 capacity: $15) Presented inhouse. Band: Ric Ocasek, Catherine Culpepper, Harold Griffin, Ted Casterline, Aaron Carroll, Shawn King. Reviewed Sept. 29, 2005. Former Cars frontman Ric Ocasek recently ended an eight-year hiatus from recording with ...
Nine Inch Nails; Queens of the Stone Age.(Concert Review)
Oct 03, 2005; ... (Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles; 17,391 seats, $95 top) Presented by Hewitt/Silva, MySpace and KROQ. Bands: (NIN) Trent Reznor, Aaron North, Jeordie White, Alessandro Cortini, Jerome Dillon; (QOTSA) Joshua Homme, Alain Johannes, Troy Van Leeuwen, Natasha Shneider, Joey Castillo ....
O'Seas can't get enough 'Chocolate'.("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory")
Oct 03, 2005; ... "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," solidifying its status as a success in every major market, won the foreign box office crown for the fourth straight weekend with $10.2 million at 3,200 playdates in 52 countries. The family fave dominated an otherwise moderate offshore frame ...
Nets on deck with playoffs.
Oct 04, 2005; ... The Fox Network and ESPN are not popping any champagne corks yet, but the baseball post-season, which begins tonight on Fox, appears set to hit a home run. Teams from four of the top six cities in the U.S. are represented, and the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, the ...
Mexico's futbol fans embrace NFL.(National Football League)(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Two of the worst teams in the National Football League drew the biggest regular-season crowd in the league's 86-year history--in Mexico City--on Sunday night, the NFL's first regular season game abroad. A crowd of 103,000 saw the Arizona Cardinals trounce the San Francisco ...
Fox News firms up Ailes' army.(Fox News Network's Roger Ailes appoints Sharri Berg)(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Fox News chief Roger Ailes drew the Fox local stations further under his wing Monday by naming a close deputy to a newly created position that will oversee news at the Fox Television Stations Group. Longtime Fox News Channel executive Sharri Berg will assume control of news ...
'Heist' pilot a steal for NBC: Net resurrects Liman skein.(Doug Liman )(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Doug Liman is masterminding a primetime "Heist" for NBC. Peacock has greenlit production on a pilot for an hourlong comedic drama to be directed by Liman ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith") and written by Robb and Mark Cullen ("Lucky"). Project is a co-production between NBC Universal ...
Music fans burn CD biz.
Oct 04, 2005; ... Consumers burning their own CDs are hurting the retail-music business, the RIAA contends, even as the sale of digital downloads continues to explode. Meanwhile, the shipment of compact discs from record companies to various distribution channels declined 6.5% in the first half ...
La Salle scrubs in at CBS.(Eriq La Salle signed a deal with CBS Inc. and Paramount Network Television)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Eriq La Salle is plotting a primetime return with the man who put him there in the firstplace: Leslie Moonves. Former "ER" star has inked a one-year talent and production deal with Moonves-run CBS and Paramount Network Television. Pact reunites him with many of the former Warner ...
Russian troupe lets the cat out of the bag.(City Lights)(Circus Review)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Marusa is the Renee Fleming of Russian cats. Like the opera star performing in the title role of Massenet's "Manon" at the Met, this feline has her clique as well: mostly kids, but also the kid inside just about everyone who's lined up so far to take in the Moscow Cat Theater. ...
Par, CW soak up 'Wet' pitch.(Carsey-Werner Films, Paramount, "Get 'Em Wet")(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Paramount has decided to "Get 'Em Wet," buying a comedy pitch by Will Arnett and Dax Shepard about hot tub salesmen in Japan and setting it up with Carsey-Werner Films. The fish-out-of-water project--being developed as a starring vehicle for Arnett and Shepard--will be produced ...
'Cavite' nabs Woodstock prize.(Woodstock Film Festival )(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Helmer Ian Gamazon's "Cavite" took pic kudos at the 2005 Woodstock Film Festival when the annual event wrapped Sunday in Woodstock, N.Y. Pic follows an American in the Philippines who learns his mother and sister have been kidnapped for ransom. The docu prize went to ...
Scribe tribe sets date for doc screenplay kudo.
Oct 04, 2005; ... The Writers Guild of America has set Feb. 1 at the Hollywood Roosevelt for the reception for its documentary screenplay award. The guild created the separate kudo last year with the twin goals of building community among nonfiction writers and bringing more documentaries under ...
New Dimension for Biber: PR senior VP.(Weinstein Co. appoints Liz Biber )(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Former Columbia Pictures exec Liz Biber has been tapped as senior veep of publicity for Dimension Films, the genre unit of Bob and Harvey Weinstein's new venture, the Weinstein Co. Exec will be based in Los Angeles and charged with supervising West Coast PR efforts for Weinstein ...
WB, Imax meet on 'Feet'.(Warner Bros. and Imax join forces to release "Happy Feet")(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Warner Bros. Pictures and large format exhib Imax are teaming up again, this time to the tune of singing Emperor penguins. Studio will release the animated "Happy Feet" in Imax 3-D domestically on the same date--Nov. 17, 2006--the musical comedy bows on conventional screens. ...
Skein gets day in Court.(Courtroom Television Network Inc.)(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Court TV has put an afternoon talkshow on its docket. "Cutler & Hayes," featuring Bruce Cutler, Ed Hayes and TV journalist Jane Velez, will focus on a discussion of the legal controversies of the week. Cutler has made his name by defending high-profile clients such ...
Exec hikes up Spike: programming chief takes over biz operations.(MTV Networks Inc's Spike TV appoints Nickelodeon Networks' Kevin Kay )
Oct 04, 2005; ... Nickelodeon Networks vet Kevin Kay has been named exec VP-general manager for Spike TV. Kay, previously head of programming and production, will shift his focus to managing the day-to-day and business operations of Spike's East Coast offices. Acquisitions, marketing, ...
Steady as she goes for Broadway.(box office report, and ticket sales analysis)(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... Broadway biz held steady for the week ending Oct. 2, with many shows' grosses rising or falling by unremarkable five-figure margins. For the 23 shows on the boards, total receipts were down $605,789 to $12,352,137. That's on the healthy side of average for the normally ...
WE hoping for a royal flush.(WE: Women's Entertainment L.L.C. teams up with Granada International to produce a movie)(Brief Article)
Oct 04, 2005; ... The British royal soap story continues on WE: Women's Entertainment. The network has teamed with Blighty-based production company Granada Intl. to produce a pic profiling the early romance of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. "Charles and Camilla: Whatever ...