Daily Variety back issues from March 2008:
An Oscar bounce renews 'Old Men'.
Mar 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Television viewers may have snubbed the Oscarcast in record numbers this year, but a best picture win still seems to mean something at the box office. Just how much remains a question. The Coen brothers' "No Country for Old Men" enjoyed a 67% ...
Dribbles & drabs: Ferrell fans fickle for New Line swan song.
Mar 03, 2008; ... New Line's R-rated basketball spoof "Semi-Pro" didn't get off to a fast break at the weekend box office, grossing an estimated $15.3 million from 3,121 theaters in the lowest opening for a Will Ferrell comedy in almost a decade. Laffer won the weekend by default as the other new ...
P.I. trial digs into old dirt.
Mar 03, 2008; ... Once billed as the case that would bring down Hollywood kings and kingmakers including Brad Grey, Michael Ovitz and Bert Fields, the trial of private investigator Anthony Pellicano is scheduled to begin this week, albeit in a much diminished form. The trial on federal ...
AFTRA gives SAG a push.(American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)(Screen Actors Guild)
Mar 03, 2008; ... AFTRA is telling the Screen Actors Guild to stop dragging its feet--and warning that it's willing to start negotiations as early as this month without SAG. The move by the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists is the latest indication of the town's increasing ...
ABC in 'HSM' chorus.
Mar 03, 2008; ... ABC is finally getting a piece of Disney's "High School Musical" franchise. Net is developing a multi-episode reality competish themed to the "High School Musical" concept, with a nationwide talent hunt followed by a group of contestants studying at a music conservatory to hone ...
Parlez-vous 'fracas'?(ONLY AT VARIETY.com)
Mar 03, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Oscar winner Marion Cotillard runs into ...
Actors debate their right to vote.
Mar 03, 2008; ... FILLING OUT MY WRITERS GUILD strike ballot the other day, I had a disturbing realization: I'm officially entitled to vote for both a writers strike and an actors strike even though I'm neither a writer nor an actor. Why do skuzzy outsiders like me have so much clout? The answer, ...
TV Production slow to rebound.
Mar 03, 2008; ... Post-strike TV production in Hollywood has been getting back on its feet but remains well behind the levels of a year ago, according to permitting agency Film L.A. Features, on the other hand, saw little impact from the strike and a 25% increase once the work stoppage ended, ...
Games click at Vivendi.
Mar 03, 2008; ... Vivendi is rocking, but not to the sound of music division Universal Music. Earnings at the French conglom are being driven by vidgame arm Vivendi Games, paybox Canal Plus and telco unit SFR. Confirming its status as one of Europe's healthiest media giants, Vivendi saw 2007 net ...
B'way's 'Boeing' lands duo.(Theater review)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Gina Gershon and Mary McCormack are coming in for a landing on Broadway this spring, playing flight attendants in the upcoming revival of Marc Camoletti's 1960s farce "Boeing-Boeing." Both Gershon and McCormack appeared on the Rialto as Sally Bowles during the six-year run of ...
Tribeca Film Institute folds in arts org.
Mar 03, 2008; ... The Tribeca Film Institute, the nonprofit arm of the Tribeca Film Festival, will merge with Renew Media, a fellow nonprofit for the arts. New entity will retain the Tribeca Film Institute name. "It's harder and harder to make movies; this is a welcoming home for filmmakers and ...
Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On.(Concert review)
Mar 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas; 4,296 seats; $250 top) Presented by AEG Live. Musical director, Bette Sussman. Opened Feb. 20, 2008; reviewed Feb. 29. Band: Sussman, Tony Barney, Sonny Emory, Taku Hirano, Wayne Johnson, ...
Lost: Via Domus.
Mar 03, 2008; ... An Ubisoft presentation of a game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and licensed by ABC for the PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Reviewed on Xbox 360. Rated 32 $30-$60 Watching the tense faces of actors carefully carrying dynamite made for several minutes of very exciting television ...
Supremes mull Clinton doc.(Hillary Clinton)
Mar 03, 2008; ... The Supreme Court has asked for new briefs in a case involving broadcast promos for a documentary attacking Hillary Clinton. At issue is whether the court has jurisdiction to take the case, which is based on a challenge to certain campaign finance regulations. On ...
Cabler loves 'Chris': Nick at Nite picks up repeats of CW sitcom.
Mar 03, 2008; ... Nick at Nite has bought cable TV rights to reruns of "Everybody Hates Chris" for a license fee of between $250,000 and $300,000 an episode. The show's distributor, CBS TV Distribution, will also chalk up two minutes within each half-hour run of the series on Nick at Nite ...
Puppy love for thesp.(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Eric Dane will be moonlighting from "Grey's Anatomy" to take a co-starring role alongside Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston and Alan Arkin in "Marley & Me," Fox 2000's adaptation of John Grogan's bestselling memoir. David Franklin is directing. Wilson plays the ambitious reporter ...
Strike fears force exit of 'Hell's' belle.(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Ellen Page has dropped out of Sam Raimi's supernatural thriller "Drag Me to Hell" due to scheduling conflicts. The Ghost House Pictures and Mandate Pictures project was slated to start lensing March 17 in Los Angeles but has been postponed indefinitely due to a possible SAG ...
New Line's new look will be a lot leaner.
Mar 03, 2008; ... It's looking like the end of the line for most of New Line's 600 employees and uncertainty for New Line's slate. Parent Time Warner hasn't disclosed details of job cuts since last Thursday's announcement that New Line would be folded into Warner Bros. and that co-toppers Bob ...
Neve Campbell.(Players)
Mar 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Neve Campbell has been added to biopic "Vivaldi," starring Joseph Fiennes. She'll play a Venetian courtesan with ...
Tom Sizemore.(Players)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Tom Sizemore has been cast in Matt Schulze's upcoming web/TV action ...
Master P.(Players)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Master P is set to star in "Soccer Mom," directed by Gregory McClatchy. He'll play the parent of a young soccer ...
Jill Marie Jones and comedian Earthquake have joined the cast of Fred Durst's "Comeback," starring Ice Cube.(Players)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Jill Marie Jones and comedian Earthquake have joined the cast of Fred Durst's "Comeback," starring Ice Cube. Jones' recent credits include ...
Material digs into 'Treasure'.
Mar 03, 2008; ... London-based producer Material Entertainment has acquired screen fights to rookie adventure writer John Drake's "Flint & Silver," a prequel to Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island." Book, which is set to be published by HarperCollins later this year, paints in the details ...
Alphabet deal for comedian.
Mar 03, 2008; ... Fresh off of his Comedy Central spesh, thesp-comedian Nick Thune has sold a pilot script to ABC and ABC Studios for a half-hour he will co-write with feature scribe Bob Fisher ("Wedding Crashers") and helmer Ruben Fleischer. He's also signed a holding deal with ABC Studios. ...
Thesp going 'Crazy': Allen sets helming bow on indie laffer.
Mar 03, 2008; ... Tim Allen will make his feature directing debut on "Crazy on the Outside," an independently financed comedy. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Allen will star, along with Ray Liotta, Carrie-Anne Moss, Julie Bowen and Kelsey Grammer, who are all in talks. The pic's set to start ...
Brit vidgamer Sci cuts staff in reorg.
Mar 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] British vidgame publisher Sci, parent company of Eidos Interactive, is laying off 25% of its staff amid a major restructuring after negotiations to be acquired fell through. News came as Sci reported dismal financial results for the last six ...
Gaul grabs Czech kudo.(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... In an upset, French actress and Oscar winner Marion Cotillard won the Czech Lion best-actress award, an honor normally reserved for local stars. "La Vie en rose" was lensed partly in Prague, with the city standing in for war-time Paris, and pic's co-production status qualified ...
Fugees' Pras lands 'Oz'.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Hip-hop artist Pras Michel of the Fugees has optioned film and TV rights to comic series "Dark Oz" originally published by Caliber Comics. Storyline follows an older Dorothy Gale in a "gothic and more macabre" setting as she journeys through Oz with the characters of Frank L. Baum's ...
"Running the Sahara," a docu about three ultra-runners' quest to cross the desert, will be released in summer by NEHST Studios.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)
Mar 03, 2008; ... "Running the Sahara," a docu about three ultra-runners' quest to cross the desert, will be released in summer by NEHST Studios. Doc was directed by James Moll ("The Last Days") and narrated by Matt Damon. The runners are tracked from a Senegal to Egypt as they run through ...
'Tila' shingle taps Tappon.(495 Prods appoints Drew Tappon )(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... Growing reality shingle 495 Prods. ("A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila") has tapped former MTV exec Drew Tappon to serve as its head of development. It will be an easy segue for Tappon, who has already been working closely with 495 prexy Sally Ann Salsano and the Tila Tequila ...
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day.(Movie review)
Mar 03, 2008; ... (UK.-US.) A Focus Features release (in U.S.) of a Kudos Pictures (U.K.)/Keylight Entertainment (U.S.) production. Produced by Nellie Bellflower, Stephen Garrett. Executive producer, Paul Webster. Co-producer, Jane Frazer. Directed by Bharat Nalluri. Screenplay, David ...
Paradise Park.(Theater review)
Mar 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Peter Norton Space; 160 seats; $20 top) A Signature Theater presentation of a play in one act by Charles Mee. Directed by Daniel Fish. Sets, David Zinn; costumes, Kaye Voyce; lighting, Mark Barton; original music, Bill Schimmel; sound, ...
Peter Grimes.(Opera review)
Mar 03, 2008; ... (Metropolitan Opera; 3,800 seats; $320 top) A Metropolitan Opera presentation of an opera in three acts with music by Benjamin Britten, libretto by Montagu Slater. Directed by John Doyle. Conductor, Donald Runnicles. Sets, Scott Pask; costumes, Ann Hould-Ward; lighting, Peter ...
Christine Ebersole and Billy Stritch.
Mar 03, 2008; ... (Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall; 1,231 capacity; $75) A Lincoln Center presentation of American Songbook. Musicians: Tom Hubbard, David B. Meade. Reviewed Feb. 29, 2008. The 10th anniversary of the American Songbook series at Lincoln Center could have no better ...
NBC U digital chief returns to roots.(Company overview)
Mar 04, 2008; ... After 27 months as NBC Universal's top exec overseeing digital media and ad sales, Beth Comstock is ankling to return to her previous post as chief marketing officer for NBC U parent General Electric. Salil Mehta, NBC U's newly appointed prexy of business operations, strategy ...
Phoning it in.(ONLY AT Variety.com)
Mar 04, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Simon Cowell and Relevant Ent. will produce for Par a bio ...
Pair packs up Maverick TV.
Mar 04, 2008; ... Maverick TV--the shingle behind FX's "The Riches"--has shut its doors. Decision to close up shop was made jointly by Maverick TV partners Guy Oseary and Michael Rosenberg, who are separating amicably. Oseary has allowed Rosenberg to take all of Maverick TV's ongoing development ...
TNT turns it up: Turner battles broadcast with originals.
Mar 04, 2008; ... TNT is aiming for the primetime big leagues: Cabler has unveiled an ambitious series development initiative with the goal of assembling an all-original Monday-Wednesday primetime lineup by 2010. "Cable has taken the measure of broadcast TV in sports, news and theatrical movies, ...
Marley biopic in rhythm.
Mar 04, 2008; ... The Weinstein Co. has I optioned rights to "No Woman No Cry: My Life With Bob Marley," by the reggae star's widow Rita Marley, with plans to develop and produce a biopic about the legendary Jamaican singer. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The project is in early development, ...
Duo adopt 'Children'.(Book review)(Brief review)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Warner Independent Pictures has optioned Charles Bock's debut novel "Beautiful Children" for Bona Fide Pictures partners Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa. The studio is in talks with Eric Roth to adapt. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The "Hamlet 2" exec producers add the feature ...
Oprah gives big to ABC.
Mar 04, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Oprah Winfrey's magic touch has extended to a primetime series for the first time, as Sunday's debut of "Oprah's Big Give" was a ratings winner for ABC. The Alphabet also achieved a quieter success following "Big Give" with another nonscripted ...
The Real Housewives of New York.(Television)
Mar 04, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Series; Bravo, Tues. March 4, 11 p.m.) Produced by Ricochet Television. Executive producers, Nick Emmerson, Jennifer O'Connell; co-executive producers, Lenid Rolov, Kirsty Robson; supervising producer, Barrie Bernstein; producer, Keira Brings; ...
Kd lang.
Mar 04, 2008; ... (Allen Room; 550 seats; $100 top) Presented inhouse. Band: kd lang, Grecco Buratto, Joshua Grange, Daniel Clarke, Ian Walker, Danny Frankel. Opened, reviewed Feb. 27, 2008, closed Feb. 28. If there were still room on primetime television schedules for a good, ...
New Amsterdam.(Television program review)
Mar 04, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Series, Fox, Tues. March 4, 9 p.m.) Filmed in New York by Sarabande Prods., Scarlet Fire Entertainment and Hallstrom Holleran Prods. in association with Regency Television. Executive producers, Lasse Hallstrom, Leslie Holleran, Allan Loeb, ...
B'way chill settles in: tuners still waiting for biz's spring thaw.
Mar 04, 2008; ... It's not springtime on Broadway just yet, with B.O. for most shows continuing to slide from the Presidents' Day weekend spike. Total sales were down more than $3 million to $14.8 million for 32 shows reporting. Estimated grosses for "Young Frankenstein," which slipped to ...
Coens on front burner.(Movie review)
Mar 04, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Focus Features and Working Title have decided to go wide when opening the Coen brothers' next film, "Burn After Reading," on Sept. 12 because of the film's comedic appeal and cast. Dark spy-comedy stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John ...
'Idol' sets charity lineup.
Mar 04, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Bono, Fergie, ex-"American Idol" contestant Chris Daughtry and Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood will perform as part of "Idol Gives Back," the program's second annual charity event set to air April 9 on Fox. Last year's fired-raiser earned $76 ...
ShoWest nod for Redford.(Brief article)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Robert Redford will be honored with a special Visionary Award at next week's ShoWest exhib confab in Las Vegas for his pioneering work in bringing independent film to the bigscreen. Redford founded the Sundance Institute in 1981 to nurture emerging filmmakers. The institute has ...
Peacock scares up 'Fear' creatives.
Mar 04, 2008; ... NBC has put together its creative lineups for "Fear Itself" the 13-episode horror anthology, series set to debut this summer. Skein, produced by Lionsgate and Industry Entertainment, is a reincarnated version of the Showtime series "Masters of Horror" and was announced in September by ...
MPAA still dogging pirates.
Mar 04, 2008; ... The MPAA has allocated two bootleg-sniffing retrievers to a school education campaign and donated another two canines to Malaysian authorities to help pick up the scent of counterfeiters. As part of the Weekly Reader series for children, images of veteran MPAA investigators ...
EMI plans for global matrix.
Mar 04, 2008; ... EMI has created divisions to deal with its catalogs and the licensing of master recordings for other media. The moves are the first two within lip new topper Guy Hands' plan to alter EMI from a locally centralized model to what he calls "a global functional matrix model." EMI ...
Weekend at the B.O.(Statistical table)
Mar 04, 2008 ... <Pre> Weekend at the B.O. $97.4 million Feb. 29-March 2, 2008 vs. last weekendvs. last year -12% -21% Screen scene The weekend's top 10 engagements: 3-dayTheater, city (circuit) ...
Film box office wrap: for the weekend of Feb. 29-March 2.
Mar 04, 2008 ... <Pre> Film Box Office Wrap FOR THE WEEKEND OF FEB. 29-MARCH 2 Ranking Reported This Last Title (Distributor/Weekend Pct. Week Week Financier) Box Office Change 1 -- ...
Burnett taps chief: exec to head Asia division.(World News)(Marketing Bureau Voor Programma Aanbieders)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Man Shu Sum has been tapped as head of Mark Burnett Prods. Asia and will quit as director of strategic relations at Singapore's Media Development Authority in May. MBPA was launched in October as a $20 million joint venture between Mark Burnett Prods. and casino and leisure ...
Canal Plus revs up subs.(World News)(Brief article)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Mirroring bullish figures at Vivendi and parent Canal Plus Groupe, French paybox Canal Plus is on a roll expanding its subscriber count, and healthily in the black, driving up 2007 net profits by 12% to 47 million [pounds sterling] ($71.3 million) off revenues of $2.6 billion, up 8% on ...
French pubcaster swings upward.(World News)
Mar 04, 2008; ... France 2, the recently underperforming flagship channel of French pubcaster France Televisions, is bouncing back. An eclectic mix of Six Nations Rugby, "Without a Trace," films, telepics and docs offset a soft fall. France 2 aud share for January and February was ...
Medvedev vows freedom of press.(RUSSIA)(Dmitry Medvedev )(Brief article)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Sunday's landslide victory for Russian President-elect Dmitry Medvedev signals a possible sea change in television broadcast freedom. "We must protect the real independence of the media, which provides the channels for feedback between society ...
Singapore TV group MediaCorp is planning to invest in a Vietnamese channel startup and is launching an Indian channel in its home market.(SINGAPORE)(MediaCorp)(Brief article)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Singapore TV group MediaCorp is planning to invest in a Vietnamese channel startup and is launching an Indian channel in its home market. Both moves by the state-backed broadcast conglom are intended to give ...
Curzon Cinemas.(UNITED KINGDOM)(appointment of Richard Napper )(Brief article)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Richard Napper has been appointed managing director of indie cinema circuit Curzon Cinemas, part of distrib-exhib outfit Curzon Artificial Eye. Napper, formerly managing ...
Global box office takings for UTV's "Jodhaa Akbar" have passed the symbolic 1 billion rupees ($25 million) mark, proving that controversy sells tickets.(INDIA)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Global box office takings for UTV's "Jodhaa Akbar" have passed the symbolic 1 billion rupees ($25 million) mark, proving that controversy sells tickets. The period romancer has clocked $18.3 million in India after 17 days. Despite some states banning it over historical ...
Virgin's changing its channel plans.(World News)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Blighty cabler Virgin Media is reviewing its portfolio in a move that could lead to the country's largest auction of channels since the emergence of multichannel television. Goldman Sachs is conducting the review, according to reports. If Virgin, which last week ...
Italy celebrates Magnani.(World News)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Italy is celebrating the centennial of Anna Magnani's birth with a host of initiatives, including a new docu and bio, plus a Rome confab dedicated to the star of "Rome, Open City" who went on to become Italy's first Oscar winner. Magnani commemorations, under the heading "Ciao, ...
Albuquerque's biz quest.(Location News)
Mar 04, 2008; ... Albuquerque Studios isn't leaving its expansion plans on the drawing board. The studio, owned by Pacifica Ventures, broke ground last year with phase one of its $74 million, 28-acre studio complex consisting of eight soundstages and support offices (Daily Variety, Sept. 17, 2006). ...
Showbiz stocks: Monday, March 3, 2008.
Mar 04, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz stocks YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg% Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 2.31 -.05 -48.3 AcmeCm ALME 2 2.99 +.01+9.5 Actvsn ...
U.S. Drag.(Theater review)
Mar 04, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Beckett Theater; 99 seats; $37.50 top) A StageFarm presentation of a play in one act by Gina Gionfriddo. Directed by Trip Cullman. Sets, Sandra Goldmark; costumes, Emily Rebholz; lighting, Nicole Pearce; sound, Bart Fasbender; choreography, ...