Daily Variety back issues from June 2008:
Blaze clips Universal backlot: vault, Kong caught in backdraft.
Jun 02, 2008; ... Two popular Universal Studios backlot shooting locations--New York Street and the "Back to the Future" courthouse square--went up in smoke Sunday during a ferocious predawn blaze that also incinerated the King Kong amusement park attraction and countless copies of studio films and TV shows ...
Tuner's gone with the wind.(Theater review)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Tomorrow is not another day for the musical version of "Gone With the Wind," which will close June 14 after a short West End run marked by blistering reviews from London critics. Trevor Nunn's production of the tuner will have played 79 perfs when it shutters. It was adapted by ...
Cher shares Vegas jackpot.
Jun 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Any concerns that Celine Dion couldn't be replaced as a marquee Las Vegas attraction have disappeared. Cher and her Caesars Palace stablemate Bette Midler have instantly joined the list of hottest attractions in Sin City, selling out the ...
Ladies have their way with Indiana Jones.
Jun 02, 2008; ... In an unprecedented takeover of the box office by women, Warner Bros. and New Line's "Sex and the City" grossed an estimated $55.7 million--racking up the best opening ever for an R-rated comedy and beating holdover "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" for the weekend ...
HBO sees skein in new Leight.
Jun 02, 2008; ... "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" exec producer Warren Leight is close to sealing an overall deal with HBO. The pay cabler is seeking to sign Leight to a writing and producing deal with an eye toward his becoming involved in the shrink skein "In Treatment" should it go to a second ...
Bridge connecting thesps.(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ethan Hawke, Sinead Cusack, Richard Easton, Josh Hamilton and Rebecca Hall will join Simon Russell Beale in the acting company for the initial two offerings of the Bridge Project, the series of transatlantic legit co-productions spearheaded by the Brooklyn ...
Guy tries Emmy twist.(Inside Moves)
Jun 02, 2008; ... They're animated series, but they're also half-hour comedies. Shows like "Family Guy" and "The Simpsons" have long been forced to choose a side each Emmy season, leaving no one satisfied. Until now. The folks behind "Family Guy" have figured out a way around their Emmy ...
Will H'w'd give peace a chance?
Jun 02, 2008; ... I DON'T THINK ALAN ROSENBERG set out in life to play the "heavy," but he certainly is sliding into that role. Now that AFTRA has made its deal at the bargaining table, it's up to SAG to decide whether the town will see further combat or discover peace at last. Clearly ...
Mixed-martial arts strikes blow for CBS.
Jun 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mixed-martial arts has helped CBS bring some young viewers to broadcast television on a sleepy Saturday night. The increasingly popular sport made its network debut Saturday night with the first of four planned "Elite XC Saturday Night Fights." ...
Upfront aggression: ABC. Turner amp up first round of deals.
Jun 02, 2008; ... Upfront advertising sales activity began to percolate over the weekend, and the major networks are preparing for the onslaught of dealmaking on advance blurb commitments for the 2008-09 season that will hit in earnest this week. There was talk Friday that ABC was being ...
Banner banks on Niles novel.(Steve Niles' "Wake the Dead")(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Holding Pictures has acquired rights to Steve Niles' graphic novel "Wake the Dead" and set James V. Hart to write the script and Jay Russell to direct. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Niles wrote the graphic novel "30 Days of Night." Holding Pictures principal ...
Shingles spin comic 'Orbit'.("Final Orbit")(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Platinum Studios has teamed with Valhalla Motion Pictures to turn the thriller comicbook "Final Orbit" into a feature film. Russell Gewirtz ("Inside Man") will write the script. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Valhalla chair Gale Anne Hurd and Platinum Studios chairman-CEO ...
Think's bills pile up: promo firm Mammoth sues for fees.
Jun 02, 2008; ... Adding to ThinkFilm's legal woes, Mammoth Advertising, a Brooklyn-based company handling promotion and ads, has filed a lawsuit against the beleaguered distrib and its parent, David Bergstein's Capitol Films, for failing to pay $428,295 in fees. Filed in New York's Supreme ...
Opera warms to 'Truth'.(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Al Gore's book and bigscreen warning on climate change, "An Inconvenient Truth," is being made into an opera. Italo composer Giorgio Battistelli's interpretation will play at Milan's Scala in 2011. Battistelli, a former artistic chief of the Arena in Verona, says his ...
Leelee Sobieski.(Players)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Leelee Sobieski has landed a role in Michael Mann's "Public Enemies," starring Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard. She'll play the last girlfriend of ...
Ben Vereen.(Players)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Ben Vereen has joined the cast of Hallmark feature "An Accidental Friendship," starring Chandra Wilson. His recent credits ...
Jesse Williams.(Players)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Jesse Williams has signed on to Antoine Fuqua's "Brooklyn's Finest," alongside Richard Gere and Don Cheadle. Williams will ...
Marshall hoofing it to CAA.
Jun 02, 2008; ... Rob Marshall has signed with CAA. Marshall, who built his career at ICM, leaves as he is preparing to direct "Nine" for the Weinstein Co. Daniel Day-Lewis will star with Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Marshall Loren, Nicole Kidman and Judi Dench in the musical, inspired by the ...
Lego Indiana Jones.
Jun 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A LucasArts presentation of a game developed by Traveller's Tales for the PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii and Xbox 360. Reviewed on Xbox 360. Rated E 10+. $30-$50 The videogame industry may need a new mantra: Just because a property can ...
Cher.
Jun 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (The Colosseum, Caesars Palace. Las Vegas: 4,296 seats: $250 top) Presented by AEG Live. Opened May 6, 2008; reviewed May 31. As entertainment packages go, Cher has set a new standard for Las Vegas residencies, creating a ...
REM.(Concert review)
Jun 02, 2008; ... (Hollywood Bowl: 17.376 seats: $125 top) Presented by Hewitt/Silva. Band: Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe, Bill Rieflin, Scott McCaughey. Also appearing: the National, Modest Mouse. Reviewed May 29, 2008. Many critics and fans have called REM's new album, ...
The Mole.
Jun 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Series: ABC. Mon. June 2, 10 p.m.) Produced by Stone & Co. Entertainment. Executive producers, Scott A. Stone, Clay Newbill: co-executive producers, Leslie Garvin, Rabih Gholam, Jeff Krask; supervising producers, David Finklestein, Tess ...
The Cure.(Concert review)
Jun 02, 2008; ... (Hollywood Bowl: 17, 376 seats; $135 top) Presented by Hewitt/Silva and KROQ. Band: Robert Smith. Jason Cooper, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson. Also appearing: 65daysofstatic. Reviewed May 31, 2008. Over the Cure's nearly 30-year career, how many times has Robert Smith ...
House, Divided.(Theater review)
Jun 02, 2008; ... (Adrienne Theater: Philadelphia: 106 seats: 527 top) An InterAct Theater Company presentation of a play in two acts by Larry Loebell. Directed by Seth Rozin. Sets, Dirk Durossett; costumes, Susan Smythe; lighting, Peter Whinnery; sound. Shannon Zura: production stage manager, ...
Showbiz stocks: Friday, May 30, 2008.
Jun 02, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Friday, May 30, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg% Chg AccessIT AIXD... 2.15-.09 -51.9 AcmeCm ACME... 1.50+.06 ...
Joseph Pevney.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008 ... Joseph Pevney, who directed some of the best-loved episodes of the original "Star Trek" television series, died May 18 in Palm Desert, Calif. He was 96. Pevney directed 14 episodes of the 1960s series, including "The City on the Edge of Forever," in which Capt. Kirk and Spock ...
Mitch Mullany.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008 ... Comic Mitch Mullany died May 25 in Los Angeles from a diabetes-related stroke. He was 39. Born in Oakland, Calif., Mullany started his standup career in the Bay Area and then appeared on "The Wayans Bros." as White Mike. He starred in his own WB Network show, "Nick Freno: ...
Lawrence Roman.(Obituaries)(Obituary)
Jun 02, 2008 ... Screenwriter-playwright Lawrence Roman, who wrote films including "Under the Yum Yum Tree" and "Final Verdict," died May 18 from a stroke complicated by kidney failure in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 86. Born in Jersey City, N.J., Roman moved to the Los Angeles area in the ...
Sandy Howard.(Obituaries)
Jun 02, 2008 ... Sandy Howard, who produced classic Western "A Man Called Horse" and more than 70 other films, died Friday in Woodland Hills, Calif., of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 81. Born in the Bronx, Howard started in show business as a teenager, working for Lee Solters as ...
John Phillip Law.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008 ... John Phillip Law, the strikingly handsome 1960s movie actor who portrayed an angel in the futuristic "Barbarella" and a lovesick Russian seaman in "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming," died May 13 in Los Angeles. He was 70. With vivid eyes, blond hair and an ...
Fred Haines.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008 ... Director and Oscar-nommed screenwriter Fred Haines died May 4 in Venice, Calif., after a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He was 72. With director Joseph Strick, Haines co-wrote the screenplay for 1967's "Ulysses," based on the novel by James Joyce, for which he was nominated ...
Gordon Crowe.(Obituaries)(Obituary)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008 ... Theatrical producer, agent and impresario Gordon Crowe, whose projects ranged from the original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of "Oh! Calcutta," "Scuba Duba" and "Lovers and Other Strangers," to touring prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn, died May 8 in Sarasota, Fla. He was 88. ...
Brits head for exit: L.A. screenings reflect market shifts.(World News)
Jun 02, 2008; ... After a slimmed-down L.A. Screenings this year, British program buyers are predicting a quiet summer for deahnaking--and a possible shift in buying patterns, which could hit studios in the pockets. Buyers returned to Blighty empty-handed this week, having seen just a handful of ...
Match lights up pic sales.(World News)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Cologne-based the Match Factory saw business bustling at last week's Cannes Film Festival, with major titles such as Un Certain Regard winner "Tulpan" and competition screener "Waltz With Bashir" ratcheting up a slew of sales. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sergei ...
Toei rides big run for 'Aibo'.(World News)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008; ... "Aibo" (Partners), Seiji Izumi's hit cop thriller distributed by Toei, will extend what is becoming a record B.O. run. Based on a high-rated TV Asahi drama series, the pic opened strong on May 1 and topped the box office for the Golden Week holiday period. Toei now ...
ITV Worldwide taps brand chief.(UNITED KINGDOM)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Former Sony, Time Warner and Disney marketing maven Gustavo Antonioni has been appointed global brand director at ITV Worldwide, the U.K. terrestrial giant ITV's distribution division. Also a former licensing chief for Marvel, he will be responsible for driving the international ...
Springer turns on TV.(GERMANY)
Jun 02, 2008; ... German publishing group Axel Springer has joined forces with consumer electronics giant Philips to introduce a global Personal TV system that allows viewers to tailor TV channels to their specific preferences. The technology, set to be unveiled in the second half of 2008, ...
NBC U taps int'l exec.(FRANCE)
Jun 02, 2008; ... NBC Universal has expanded its international channels team by tapping Leonor Grandsire for the newly created role of managing director of NBC Universal Global Networks, France, effective immediately. Grandsire spent more than a decade in senior management at TFI before becoming ...
Karlovy Vary jury set.(World News)(Brief article)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Helmer and film scholar Ivan Passer will preside over the main prize jury at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Passer will be joined by thesp Brenda Blethyn, Israeli helmer Ari Folman, producer Ted Hope, Czech rocker Jan P. Muchow and Dutch thesp ...
Helmer tops Sarajevo.(World News)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan will head the jury at this summer's Sarajevo Film Festival. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ceylan, whose "Three Monkeys" won him best director last week at the Cannes Film Festival, will head a jury that includes former Variety film critic ...
Scott Elrod ("Men in Trees") and Cameron Richardson ("12 Miles of Bad Road") have joined the cast of Leah Sturgis' "Hard Breakers," lensing in Hollywood.(Players)
Jun 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Scott Elrod ("Men in Trees") and Cameron Richardson ("12 Miles of Bad Road") have joined the cast of Leah ...
Brien Perry.(Players)
Jun 02, 2008; ... Brien Perry will star in dark comedy "Possessions," alongside Trent Ford ...
'Indiana' stays big on o'seas map.(WORLD WATCH)
Jun 02, 2008; ... "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" stayed socko at the weekend's international box office with $71.5 million at 8,439 playdates in 60 territories, while "Sex and the City" wowed foreign fans, drawing $39.2 million at 3,537 in 13 markets. "Crystal Skull" held ...
Hot questions: U stews over blaze on lot.(Universal Studios)
Jun 03, 2008; ... As Universal sifts through the ashes, the question now is whether much of the damage from Sunday's big blaze, which has been ruled an accident, could have been prevented. Universal has a great deal of experience dealing with the impact of fire on its backlot. The biggest lot in ...
Clock's ticking on SAG negotiations.(Screen Actors Guild)
Jun 03, 2008; ... Is there a way for SAG to save face? Negotiations between SAG and the majors resume this morning after a three-day recess. The sides return to the bargaining table amid pervasive uncertainty as to whether they can bridge the significant gaps between them and close a deal in the ...
'Sigma' sets scribe pair.(The Sigma Protocol)(Art Marcum and Matt Holloway)(Brief article)
Jun 03, 2008; ... Universal has put the adaptation of Robert Ludlum's "The Sigma Protocol" on the front burner. The studio has hired "Iron Man" scribes Art Marcum and Matt Holloway to pen the screenplay based on the late author's final novel. Universal has also brought in Strike Entertainment ...
Simpsons cast ready to speak up.
Jun 03, 2008; ... "The Simpsons" cast have sealed a four-year deal that hands them more "D'oh" and solidifies the animated hit's landmark 20th season. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Production on the show has been delayed for several months as voice actors and 20th Century Fox TV hammered out ...
Stalled tuner has tough 'Work' ahead.(Kathleen Marshall)(Nice Work if You Can Get It)(Brief article)
Jun 03, 2008; ... Director-choreographer Kathleen Marshall and a team of producers have withdrawn from "Nice Work if You Can Get It" the Broadway-bound Gershwin tuner starring Harry Connick Jr. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Broadway Across America, the road presenter and producer recently ...
Bart blogs.(VARIETY.COM)
Jun 03, 2008 ... Variety editor-in-chief Peter Bart has launched a blog. Check out ...
Lull in B'way season: pre-summer frame slumps.(LEGIT)
Jun 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Broadway took a tumble last week, with total cume falling roughly $3.2 million to around $17.6 million for 34 shows reporting. With estimates for "Young Frankenstein," which fell $165,000 to $797,000, the tally came to $18.4 million. Late May ...
'Xanadu' skates across the Pond.(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
Jun 03, 2008; ... "Xanadu" is gearing up for a London incarnation, aiming to rollerskate onto the West End in spring 2009. David Ian ("Grease") and John Gore (owner of Key Brand Entertainment) will produce the Brit staging, leading a team that also will include the producers of the Rialto ...
Glenn Close, Alec Baldwin and Mary-Louise Parker are among the thesps lined up to present Tony Awards during the 62nd annual kudos ceremony June 15.(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
Jun 03, 2008; ... Liza Minnelli, Daniel Radcliffe, Glenn Close, Alec Baldwin and Mary-Louise Parker are among the thesps lined up to present Tony Awards during the 62nd annual kudos ceremony June 15. Marisa Tomei, Laura Linney, Brooke Shields, Kristin Chenoweth and John Lithgow also are slated to ...
Reasons to Be Pretty.(Theater review)
Jun 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Lucille Lortel Theater; 198 seats; $59 top) An MCC Theater presentation, by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation, of a play in two acts by Neil LaBute. Directed by Terry Kinney. Sets, David Gallo; costumes, Sarah J. Holden; ...
Broadway top 10: May 26-June 2.(LEGIT)
Jun 03, 2008 ... <Pre> Broadway Top 10: May 26-June 2 Week's Show Net Receipts (Theater)(Prod. Category) Potential Prev Week's $Change (Seats) Net Receipts Net Receipts Avg. Tick Wicked ...
Pitt's lap of luxury: thesp teams to design hotel in Dubai.
Jun 03, 2008; ... Brad Pitt has been bitten by the Dubai real estate bug. Thesp is part of a team of consultants designing an 800-room, five-star hotel in the emirate, it was announced Monday by U.A.E.-based property developers Zabeel. L.A.-based architecture firm Graft, which worked ...
'Family' business at ITV.
Jun 03, 2008; ... ITV has given a pilot order to Caryn Mandabach's U.K.-based production shingle for a single-camera comedy, "Adam's Family." Mandabach, former partner in Carsey-Werner-Mandabach Co., has been focused on working the two-way street that exists between the U.K. and U.S. for ...
Nantucket fest adds to lineup.(GOTHAM FILMS CLIPS)
Jun 03, 2008; ... William H. Macy and Paul Rudd have been added to the lineup of the Nantucket Film Festival's 13th annual edition, running June 19-22. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Macy joins Time Magazine critic Richard Corliss for the In Their Shoes event to talk about screenwriting and ...
Diddley a rock pioneer.(Bo Diddley)(Obituary)
Jun 03, 2008; ... Bo Diddley, the rock 'n' roll pioneer whose name is synonymous with a five-note beat and whose style influenced popular music for decades, died Monday of heart failure. He was 79. Diddley, born Otha Elias Bates in McComb, Miss., had a heart attack in August, three months after ...
Lionsgate in transport.(Brief article)
Jun 03, 2008; ... Lionsgate has spirited away domestic and Canadian rights to the third "Transporter" movie starring Jason Statham ("Crank"). Actioner also stars Robert Knepper ("Prison Break") and returning cast member Francois Berleand ("Place Vendome"). Principal photography in France and ...
Len, Asleep in Vinyl.(Theater review)
Jun 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (McGinn/Cazale Theater; 108 seats; $50 top) A Second Stage Uptown presentation of a play in one act by Carly Mensch. Directed by Jackson Gay. Set, Wilson Chin; costumes, Jessica Ford; lighting, Matthew Richards; sound, Mark Huang; production ...
Did the American Songbook Really End in 1965?
Jun 03, 2008; ... (Theresa L. Kaufmann Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y; 917 seats, $60) A 92nd Street Y presentation of Lyrics and Lyricists. Director and host, Andrea Marcovicci. Music director, Shelly Markham. Musicians: Lisa LeMay, Larry Saltzman, Jered Egan, Rex Benincasa. Stage manager, Lori ...
Amadeus.(Theater review)
Jun 03, 2008; ... (F.M. Kirby Shakespeare Theater, Madison, N.J.; 308 seats; $53 top) A Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey presentation of a play in two acts by Peter Shaffer. Directed by Joe Discher. Set, Dick Block; costumes, Maggie Dick; lighting, Matthew Adelson; sound, Richard M. Dionne; ...
Film box office wrap: for the weekend of May 30-June 1.
Jun 03, 2008 ... <Pre> Weekend at the B.O. RENTRAK THEATRICAL $168.3 million May 30-June 1, 2008 vs. last year vs. last year -2% 25% Screen scene The weekend's top 10 engagements: Theater, city (circuit)Gross 1 Sex ...
Host race wide open: broad group of reality emcees finally gets a trophy, but who wins it is anyone's guess.
Jun 03, 2008; ... They're probably TV's most underappreciated performers--but the TV Academy is finally giving reality hosts their due. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nearly a decade after reality TV began its primetime domination, the org voted this year to give the broad, diverse genre's ...
Hubbub over nonfiction faking finally fizzles.(SCRIPTING THE UNSCRIPTED)
Jun 03, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It has been more than two years since the Time magazine expose "How Reality Fakes It" officially entered the term "frankenbiting" into the broader national lexicon. Still, reports of unscripted series allegedly including sequences that unfold ...