Daily Variety back issues from October 2006:
Weinsteins book tome, pic plans.(Hachette Book Group)
Oct 02, 2006; ... The Weinstein Co. has found a home for its book imprint and inked a spate of film deals to solidify its slate for next year. TWC is signing a deal to bring its book imprint to Hachette Book Group's Little, Brown and Warner Books labels. Deal will see the Weinsteins ...
Fox boosts Atomic mass.(Fox Atomic)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Newly launched Fox Atomic is sending two more films before cameras, rounding out the label's forthcoming slate. Launched late last year, Fox Atomic is targeting genre pics that skew young and can be produced on modest budgets. Its slate so far includes the horror sequels "28 ...
'Season' in the sun: Sony toon's $23 mil clips 'Guardian'.
Oct 02, 2006; ... Sony Pictures Animation's debut pic, "Open Season," shot to No. 1 over the weekend, bringing in family auds to the tune of $23 million. "Open" had been projected to be in a tighter battle for first place with Disney's "'The Guardian," which came in well behind at $17.7 million ....
O'seas on 'World' whirl.(foreign box office)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" showed significant traction in Europe, winning the weekend at the foreign box office with a solid $12.3 million at 2,690 playdates in 20 markets. "WTC," which topped Adam Sandler's "Click" by $1.5 million, has totaled $22 million overseas for ...
Royal rivals duke it out in art arena.(Movie earnings)
Oct 02, 2006; ... The specialty film sector saw an infusion of new product over the latest frame as Miramax's "The Queen" and Fox Searchlight's "The Last King of Scotland" vied to rule the arthouse scene. Fox subsid released "The Last King of Scotland" on four screens, for a per-playdate average ...
HBO's 'Suburban' assault.(Feelgood Fiction)
Oct 02, 2006; ... HBO is developing a U.S. take on "Suburban Shootout," the Blighty cult comedy hit from Feelgood Fiction that's been described as a cross between "Desperate Housewives" and "Kill Bill." American scribe Michelle Ashford ("Boomtown") has come aboard to adapt, write and exec ...
H'wood's lofty losers pay a heavy price.(The Back Lot)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Cinephiles increasingly look back on the '70s as a golden era of filmmaking, but here's one reason why the studios looked good then: If a movie turned out badly, its distributor simply didn't release it. The turkey would be allowed a quiet demise. Today's costs are ...
Pix on half-shell in San Sebastian.
Oct 02, 2006; ... SAN SEBASTIAN Bahman Ghobadi's "Half Moon" and Martial Fougeron's "Mons fils a mot" shared the top Golden Shell at the 54th San Sebastian Intl. Film Festival, which closed Saturday. Jury prexy Jeanne Moreau's announcement of "Half Moon's" plaudit drew a dribble of applause at ...
Wright: piracy costs go beyond H'wood.(Bob Wright)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Declaring that most corporate and public officials don't yet fully appreciate the threat of piracy and counterfeiting, NBC Universal topper Bob Wright issued a call to arms to a range of business and industry leaders at a high-profile intellectual property summit on Friday. ...
Burrell in 'Drunk' tank.(Ty Burrell to act in Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... American thesp Ty Burrell ("Fur") will join Stephen Dillane in "Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?," the latest from Caryl Churchill ("Cloud Nine," "Top Girls") at London's Royal Court Theater. Two-hander, about a dysfunctional relationship between two men, preems at the Court in ...
Eileen Atkins and Imelda Staunton will star in "Them Came a Gypsy Riding," the new play by Frank McGuinness ("Someone Who'll Watch Over Me") bowing at London's Almeida in January.(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Eileen Atkins and Imelda Staunton will star in "Them Came a Gypsy Riding," the new play by Frank McGuinness ("Someone Who'll Watch Over Me") bowing at London's Almeida in January. Play follows the revelation of a family secret at the birthday party held for a dead ...
Dylan Baker, Brian d'Arcy James and Joanna Gleason are among the cast of "The Cartells," a live-action spoof of Aaron Spelling-style soap operas by Douglas Carter Beane ("The Little Dog Laughed").(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Dylan Baker, Brian d'Arcy James and Joanna Gleason are among the cast of "The Cartells," a live-action spoof of Aaron Spelling-style soap operas by Douglas Carter Beane ("The Little Dog Laughed"). Presented by the ...
Time Warner exec VP Olaf Olafsson is the new chairman of the board at Off Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company.(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Time Warner exec VP Olaf Olafsson is the new chairman of the board at Off Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company. TW bigwig, also a novelist, has been a member of Atlantic's board for the ...
The Departed.(Movie review)
Oct 02, 2006; ... A Warner Bros. release of a Plan B/Initial Entertainment Group Vertigo Entertainment production in association with Media Asia Films. Produced by Brad Pitt, Brad Grey, Graham King. Executive producers, Roy Lee, Doug Davison G. Mac Brown, Kristin Hahn, Gianni Nunnari. Co-producers, Joseph ...
'Betty' turns heads: laffer lures auds to ABC.(Ugly Betty)
Oct 02, 2006; ... One week after "Grey's Anatomy" shook things up on Thursday, the net's one-hour comedy "Ugly Betty" opened to quite attractive numbers, keeping the Alphabet narrowly on top for the night among young adults. While ABC edged out CBS in adults 18-49, the Eye moved to the top in ...
NBC cops crime drama.(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... NBC is developing a pilot from scribe Rand Ravich about a cop who uses a Zen-like approach to capture criminals. "Life," from NBC Universal TV Studio, follows the story of a cop who's wrongly imprisoned. He's eventually released and rejoins the force as a changed man. ...
'Watching' woos Web surfers.(Nobody's Watching)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence is taking to the Internet again in his efforts to get his 2005 comedy "Nobody's Watching" greenlit to series. Lawrence and fellow exec producers Neff Goldman and Garrett Donovan are officially launching Web site NobodysWatching.tv today to serve as ...
Loewy lands consultancy deal at MPD.(Victor Loewy, Motion Picture Distribution)
Oct 02, 2006; ... One of the nastiest scraps to hit the Canadian film scene in recent years received a storybook ending as outspoken distribution impresario Victor Loewy and Motion Picture Distribution reached a settlement. Deal makes Loewy, the former MPD chairman who quit in July, an ...
Web pix in murky waters on standards.(news ANALYSIS)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Indie director Greg Joyce wanted to dip a toe into Internet distribution earlier this year. So he uploaded to Google Video "Working Stiff," his feature-length comedy about the adult film industry, planning to charge a few dollars per download--and got rejected almost as quickly as the ...
Eric Dane.(Players)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Eric Dane ("X-Men: The Last Stand") will join the cast of "Grey's Anatomy." Thesp first appeared on the skein last year as ...
Kelly Preston ("Broken Bridges") and Stuart Lafferty ("One Tree Hill") have been cast in 20th Century Fox's "Death Sentence.".(Players)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Kelly Preston ("Broken Bridges") and Stuart Lafferty ("One Tree Hill") have been cast in 20th Century Fox's "Death Sentence." Pic stars Kevin Bacon as a father out for ...
Keir O'Donnell.(Players)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Keir O'Donnell ("Wedding Crashers") will star in indie "Havoc," a thriller by writer-producer-director Robert Lynn that will be filmed in one continuous, unbroken shot. ...
Al Faris.(Players)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Al Faris ("Sleeper Cell") has booked a recurring role on "24." Thesp next will be seen in indie "American East" ...
Paul Schulze.(Players)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Paul Schulze ("24") will recur as an assistant district attorney on Fox's "Justice." Thesp also will ...
Marcus Giamatti.(Players)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Marcus Giamatti ("Judging Amy") has booked a recurring arc on HBO's new series ...
China seeds 'Flower': Norway, Iran plant their Oscar entries, too.(The Curse of the Golden Flower)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Zhang Yimou martial arts epic "The Curse of the Golden Flower" is China's candidate for the foreign-language Oscar nomination, while helmer Joachim Trier; "Reprise" is Norway's hopeful. "Flower" was long the favorite to win the support of Chian's Film Bureau, with Feng ...
Spike gets amped up.
Oct 02, 2006; ... Lee Tergesen and Tony Curran will star in the Spike TV series pilot "A.M.P.E.D." from exec producers Frank Spotnitz and Vince Gilligan. Fox 21 and Brightlight Pictures are producing the drama about a group of Minneapolis police officials : working to stop an epidemic from ...
'Blade' doesn't cut it.(television programs)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Spike TV has driven a stake into "Blade." Viacom cabler will not renew the vampire actioner for a second season, ending its first attempt at a one-hour drama. Despite a promising start, "Blade" failed to hold an audience over its 12-episode run. Series bowed June 28 ...
Oxygen populates 'Campus'.(Campus Ladies)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Megan Mullally, Scan Hayes, Jason Alexander, Penny Marshall, Beverly D'Angelo, Mo'Nique, Rob Corddry, Jeff Garlin and Rob Riggle will guest star in the upcoming second season of Oxygen's original comedy "Campus Ladies." Alexander and "Campus Ladies" exec producer Cheryl Hines ...
Friday Night Lights.(Television program review)
Oct 02, 2006; ... (Series; NBC, Tues. Oct. 3, 8 p.m.) Filmed in Austin, Texas, by Imagine Television and Film 44 in association with NBC Universal Television Studio. Executive producers, Peter Berg, Jason Katims, Brian Grazer, David Nevins, Sarah Aubrey; co-executive producer, John Cameron, ...
From Florida to Frankfurt: Spinoff's not only an Eye opener but a global phenomenon.(V PLUS: 'CSI: MIAMI': 100th EPISODE)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Creator Anthony Zuiker was meeting" with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and CBS topper Les Moonves, all glowing over the success of "CSI," but, also, pondering how to expand the franchise beyond its original premise. Las Vegas had been the perfect setting for the original, but ...
Older and wiser, post-'NYPD' Caruso matures.(David Caruso)
Oct 02, 2006; ... His flaming red hair exploded off of every newspaper and magazine cover in 1993. when David Caruso was the breakout star of the new TV season in the ABC cop drama "NYPD Blue." Even before it aired a single episode. Steven Bocheo's "Blue" was a raging controversy. Coarse language ...
Khandi Alexander.(Quotebook)(Interview)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... What's your favorite thing to do in Miami? "Walking along the beach. I like the fact that it feels so multicultural. With all these different cultures, it reminds me of New York by the watch." What doesn't the public know about David Caruso? "He is so funny, and I really mean ...
Miami nice: bold locations, rich production values seduce auds.(V PLUS: 'CSI: MIAMI': 100th EPISODE)
Oct 02, 2006; ... When it comes to romance, "CSI: Miami's" Horatio Caine (David Caruso) may be one of the unluckiest men on television. His first flame, Det. Megan Donner, left the force unexpectedly and in last season's finale, his new wife was murdered only days after their wedding. Yet while ...
Donahue schooled by TV's elite class.(Ann Donahue)(Interview)
Oct 02, 2006; ... To get the TV production low-down from higher-ups like Steven Bochco, Jerry Bruckheimer, Stephen J. Cannell, David E. Kelley, David Milch, Steven Spielberg, Darren Star and John Wells would cost a hefty tuition in any school of cinema or TV. Or, you could just have a chat with ...
Working-class neighborhood: f/x team is housed next to writers, ensuring efficient turnarounds.(V PLUS: 'CSI: MIAMI': 100th EPISODE)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Bringing in feature-film-quality visual effects on a television production timetable and budget is never easy, but "CSI: Miami" has found a fresh way to make it happen. "What makes us unique is that our visual effects department has gone in-house," says "CSI: Miami" visual effects ...
Rex Linn.(Quotebook)(Interview)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... What's your favorite thing to do in Miami? "I don't know if it's my favorite, but dining out is in the top two. Miami has one of the best restaurant scenes on the planet. They have a complete variety, and there's such a mixed culture in Miami that you can just about pick whatever food from ...
Emily Procter.(Quotebook)(Interview)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... What's your favorite thing to do in Miami? "It's all things beach-related, and I love to swim with dolphins in their natural habitat. It was something just so wonderful to be under the water and have that kind of company." What doesn't the public know about David Caruso? "He has ...
Jonathan Togo.(Quotebook)(Interview)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... What's your favorite thing to do in Mianfi? "Go to the pool. There's so much toplessness that goes on at the pool, it's insane. Miami is sort of a place that doesn't have a lot of rules." What doesn't: the public know about David Caruso? "He's relentless in doing the best work ...
John Ferguson.(Theater review)
Oct 02, 2006; ... (Mint Theater: 96 seats, $45 top) A Mint Theater Company presentation of a play in two acts by St. John Ervine. Directed by Martin Platt. Set, Bill Clarke: costumes, Mattie Ullrich; lighting, Jeff Nellis; sound, Lindsay Jones; production stage manager, Heather Prince. Opened ...
Employee of the Month.(Movie review)
Oct 02, 2006; ... A Lionsgate release of a Lionsgate and Tapestry Films production. Produced by Andrew Panay, Peter Abrams, Robert L. Levy, Joe Simpson, Barry Katz, Brian Volk-Weiss. Executive producers, Michael Paseornek, John Sacchi, Michael Burns. Directed by Greg Coolidge. Screenplay, Don ...
Wynton and Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives.(Concert review)
Oct 02, 2006; ... (Frederick P. Rose Hall, Rose Theatre, Lincoln Center; 1,231 capacity; $120. top) A presentation of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Musicians:Wynton Marsalis, artistic director/trumpet; Wycliff Gordon, tuba / trombone; Vincent Gardner, trombone; Victor Goines, clarinet; Walter ...
Eurydice.(Theater review)
Oct 02, 2006; ... (Yale Repertory Y/water, 480 seats. 555 top) A Yale Repertory Theater presentation of a play in one act by Sarah Ruhl. Directed by Les Waters. Sets, Scott Bradley; costumes, Meg Neville; lighting. Russell H. Champa; sound, Bray Poor; choreography, John Carrafa; production stage ...
Eric Clapton.(Concert review)
Oct 02, 2006; ... (Madison Square Garden; 17.400 seats; $154.50 top) Presented by Live Nation. Band: Eric Clapton, Derek Trucks, Doyle Bramhall II, Willie Weeks, Steve Jordan, Chris Stainton, Tim Carmon, Michelle John, Sharon White. Opened and reviewed Sept. 28, 2006. Closed Sept. 30. ...
Scissor Sisters.(Concert review)
Oct 02, 2006; ... (Shrine Expo Hall, Los Angeles; 4,000 capacity; $35) Presented by Live Nation/KCRW-FM. Band; Jake Shears, Ana Matronic, Babydaddy, Del Marquis, Paddy Boom. Also appearing: Small Sins. Reviewed Sept. 28. 2006. For a band that tries so hard to be eclectic, New York's ...
Moguls game tracks B.O.(Fantasy Moguls, online game, box office)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Looking to ride the success of fantasy sports sites, a pair of execs are launching a Hollywood version dubbed the Fantasy Moguls game this week. Matthew Berry and Brenda Spoonemore said the site will combine the booming popularity of sports fantasy leagues with predicting movie ...
Atheism in doc's sights.(Godless in America, documentary)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... British documentary helmer Leslie Woodhead is making a film examining what it is like to be an atheist in contemporary America. "Godless in America," produced by U.K. indie October Films for the BBC and the Sundance Channel in the U.S., follows the struggle of American atheists ...
Pilots, hires boost Lion TV.(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2006; ... Lion TV, the U.S. arm of the British nonfiction TV producer, has ramped up its series production to 108 hours this year--a 50% jump from 2005--highlighted by pilot commitments from the Discovery Channel and WGBH Boston. Lion also has hired two fulltime exec producers, Allison ...
20th wins scrimmage for football tome.(Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.)(Michael Lewis' The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game)
Oct 03, 2006; ... Twentieth Century Fox has won movie rights to Michael Lewis' latest book, "The Blind Side: Evolution of the Game," a look at the race for ever-bigger players in professional football, in a heated bidding war that pushed the price past seven figures. Book follows Lewis' ...
Thesps pack for 'Tourist'.(Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams to star in The Tourist)(Brief article)
Oct 03, 2006; ... Hugh Jackman, Ewan McGregor and Michelle Williams are getting in bed for "The Tourist," a psychological thriller set in clandestine Gotham sex clubs. Production begins in New York on Oct. 13, with Marcel Langenegger making his feature directing debut. Scripted by ...
Par's bank shot: studio gets $300 mil in prod'n coin.(Paramount Pictures Corp.)
Oct 03, 2006; ... Paramount has closed a $300 million film financing deal with international investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort for production coin that will fund 30 films for the studio. Deal, dubbed Melrose 2, includes projects from Par's film divisions Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, MTV Films ...
Fox needs coasts most.(Fox Broadcasting Co.)
Oct 03, 2006; ... As baseball's postseason kicks off today, and fans start debates about dream matchups, Fox has a firm idea who it hopes is standing when the American League faces the National League: the Yankees and the Dodgers. To maximize the World Series' Nielsen potential, Fox needs East ...
Clock ticking for 'Deadline'.(Brief article)
Oct 03, 2006; ... Feature scribes Larry Malkin and Chad Thumann are teaming with helmer Peter Berg for the reverse-time thriller "Deadline." NBC is developing the one-hour project, with NBC U Television Studio and Berg's Film 44 onboard to produce. Skein is designed to be a "24"-like conspiracy ...
Duo feels country Pride.(Terrence Howard and Craig Brewer to do a movie on Charley Pride)(Brief article)
Oct 03, 2006; ... "Hustle & Flow" duo Terrence Howard and director Craig Brewer will move from rap to country, teaming at Paramount Pictures on a biopic of singer Charley Pride. Paramount closed a deal for life fights of Pride and wife Rozene. and rights to use his songs. Stephanie Allain and Tom ...
The Tiger's Tail.(Movie review)
Oct 03, 2006; ... (Ireland-U.K.) A Buena Vista release (in U.K. and Ireland) of a Merlin Films/U.K. Film Council/Irish Film Board production. (International sales: Moviehouse Entertainment, London.) Produced by John Boorman, Kieran Corrigan. U.K. producer, John Buchanan. Co-produced by John ...
Brand Upon the Brain!(Movie review)
Oct 03, 2006; ... (Canada-U.S.) A Film Co. presentation. (International sales: Celluloid Dreams, Paris.) Produced by Amy E. Jacobson, Gregg Lachow. Executive producers, Jody Shapiro, Philip Wohlstetter, AJ Epstein. Directed by Guy Maddin. Screenplay, Maddin, George Toles. Camera ...
The Nine.(Television program review)
Oct 03, 2006; ... (Series; ABC, Wed. Oct. 4, 10 p.m.) Filmed in Los Angeles by Sunset Road Prods. in association with Warner Bros. Television. Executive producers, Hank Steinberg, Alex Graves; co-executive producer, K.J. Steinberg; producer, Perry Husman; director, Graves; writers, Hank ...
Copying Beethoven.(Movie review)
Oct 03, 2006; ... (U.K.-Hungary) A Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (U.K.), Film & Entertainment VIP Medienfonds 2 production. (International sales: Myriad Pictures, Santa Monica.) Produced by Kimmel, Michael Taylor, Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson. Executive producers, Ernst Goldschmidt, ...
A Man's Fear of God.(Movie review)
Oct 03, 2006; ... (TAKVA) (Turkey-Germany) A Yeni Sinemacilar (Turkey)/Corazon Intl. (Germany) production. (International sales: The Match Factory, Cologne/Munich.) Produced by Sevil Demirci, Onder Cakar, Fatih Akin, Andreas Thiel, Klaus Maeck. Executive producers, Falk H. Nagel, ...
Showbiz stocks: Monday, October 2, 2006.(Statistical table)
Oct 03, 2006 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Monday, October 2, 2006 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg % Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 9.40-.07-9.4 AcmeCm ACME ... 5.54+.29 +56.1 Actvsn ...
Par pacts with TWC for U.K. pic rights.(Paramount Pictures Corp. and The Weinstein Co. sign deal)(Brief article)
Oct 03, 2006; ... Paramount has picked up all U.K. rights to eight movies from the Weinstein Co. Par has already released the first two pics under the deal--"Pulse" and "Clerks II"--via the U.K. arm of United Intl. Pictures, its theatrical joint venture with Universal. A third pic, "School for ...
Variety promotes 3 exex.(Rose Einstein, Brian Gott and Jennifer Glen )(Brief article)
Oct 03, 2006 ... Variety has boosted the responsibilities of three execs. Rose Einstein has been promoted to senior VP and publishing director of the Variety Group. In her expanded role, Einstein will continue to oversee sales and marketing for Variety as well as the publishing operations of ...
BBC dazzled by 'Goldplated'.(BBC Worldwide Americas Inc.)(Brief article)
Oct 03, 2006; ... BBC America, the U.S. cable channel operated by BBC Worldwide, is to co-produce three dramas. They are "Goldplated," an eight-part black comedy made with World Prods.; "After Thomas," a single film based on the true story of a family coping with an autistic child, co-produced ...
'Boys' buoys B'way: B.O. looks good for fall.(The History Boys)(Brief article)
Oct 03, 2006; ... Broadway seems to have shaken off its back-to-school doldrums a little early this year, with total grosses rising by more than $1.1 million to $15,076,630. Helping buoy this year's fall figures, of course, is a top ticket price of $110 for many big tuners (which didn't become ...
Big 'Brothers' for ABC.(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.'s Brothers and Sisters)
Oct 03, 2006; ... ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" held up well in its second outing on Sunday, helping the net keep pace with NBC's football for the night's demo lead. Family drama, which experienced some turbulence over the summer amid cast and exec producer changes, retained more than 60% of its ...