Daily Variety back issues from July 2008:
Share the wealth: tentpoles not summer's only winners.
Jul 01, 2008; ... Mid-range films are helping to fuel a surge at the 2008 domestic box office that virtually no one expected. To date, this summer's revenues are running ahead of summer 2007--the best on record--by 4%. This past weekend was up a hearty 20% over the same frame last year, thanks to ...
The majors make their 'final' offer.(on Screen Actors Guilds negotiation with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers)
Jul 01, 2008; ... With SAG's feature-primetime contract expiring, the majors have turned up the pressure by making the guild a final offer. The "final offer" move--a tactic never used during the WGA strike--came Monday afternoon in the 42nd day of negotiations following five weeks of highly ...
Fox TV dons 'Juan' pairing.
Jul 01, 2008; ... Fox Television Studios is adjusting its focus, launching several international productions that will simultaneously be developed in the U.S. Under Fox TV Studios topper Emiliano Calemzuk, the company has partnered with Argentine shingle Rosstoc to produce 13 one-hour episodes ...
UA to bust a 'Move'.
Jul 01, 2008; ... United Artists has found a dance partner in Matthew Diamond, tapping the director of Disney Channel's recent ratings grabber "Camp Rock" to helm "Move." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Studio is keeping quiet on the plot of the pic, but it's looking to fast-track the ...
Duo locking up 'Prisoner'.
Jul 01, 2008; ... AMC and ITV will remake Patrick McGoohan's cult TV show "The Prisoner" as a six-part mini with Ian McKellen as Number Two and Jim Caviezel as Number Six. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The show, skedded to air in 2009, originally was announced by distrib Granada as a ...
Col 'Salt' shaker.
Jul 01, 2008; ... Phillip Noyce is negotiating to direct "Edwin A. Salt" the Kurt Wimmer-scripted drama that Columbia Pictures has been developing as a star vehicle for Tom Cruise. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Sunil Perkash are producing. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Australian ...
Cast flies to 'Seagull': thesp joins Scott Thomas.(LEGIT)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Peter Sarsgaard will join Kristin Scott Thomas in the Broadway transfer of Christopher Hampton's new adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "The Seagull," which begins previews Sept. 16 at the Walter Kerr Theater for an Oct. 1 opening. The production, ...
Summer warming up B'way B.O.(LEGIT)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Broadway continued the upward trend launched by the Tonys the prior frame, with most productions logging gains at the box office last week. Total cume, however, was down, thanks to the spate of closings that often comes after the annual awards hangover dissipates. "In ...
Superior Donuts.(Theater review)
Jul 01, 2008; ... (Steppenwolf Downstairs Theater, 510 seats; $68 top) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Steppenwolf Theater Company presentation of a play in two acts by Tracy Letts. Directed by Tina Landau. Set, Loy Arcenas; costumes, Ana Kuzmanic; lighting, Christopher Akerlind; original ...
Two tapped for 'To Be'.(LEGIT BITS)(Craig Bierko, Jan Maxwell, 'To Be or Not to Be')(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Craig Bierko ("The Music Man") and Jan Maxwell ("Chitty Chitty Bang Bang") will topline the upcoming Broadway adaptation of 1942 film "To Be or Not to Be." Duo will star as the leaders of a Polish legit troupe that gets caught up in espionage during World War II. ...
Broadway top 10: June 23-29.
Jul 01, 2008 ... <Pre> Broadway Top 10: June 23-29 Week's Show Net Receipts (Theater)(Prod. Potential Prev Week's$Change Category) (Seats) Net Receipts Net Receipts Avg. Tick Wicked...
MTV's 'Band' stand: fall release pits game against 'Guitar Hero'.
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Round two of the battle of the videogame bands is gearing up for fall as MTV disclosed plans Monday to release "Rock Band 2" in September. It will go up against Activision's "Guitar Hero: On Tour," which is set for release in October and will, ...
Bon Jovi game for show.
Jul 01, 2008; ... Bon Jovi will deliver a free concert in New York on July 12, three days before baseball's All-Star Game is played at Yankee Stadium. Ticket distribution will begin Wednesday at baseball parks and events throughout New York City. Tickets also will be available in Manhattan at DHL ...
The Secret Life of the American Teenager.(Television program review)
Jul 01, 2008; ... (Series; ABC Family, Tues. July 1, 8p.m.) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Filmed in Los Angeles by Brendavision and Prodco. Executive producer, Brenda Hampton; producers, Daniel Cahn, Lindsley Parsons III; director, Ron Underwood; writer, Hampton; camera, Ronald E. High; ...
NBR slates student aid.
Jul 01, 2008; ... The National Board of Review will award $75,000 in student grants among 10 schools in the New York tri-state area this year. Program was initiated in 2000, and this year's grants mark an uptick of $25,000. Students submit short films in competish for awards ranging ...
IFC raises Schwartz.
Jul 01, 2008; ... IFC Entertainment has upped Lisa Schwartz to exec veep of distribution, operations and business development. Schwartz's new duties include supervising operations of IFC's multi-platform film initiatives: IFC in Theaters, Festival Direct and day-and-date VOD. She still reports to ...
Soccer tourney scores record TV ratings.(World News)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fernando Torres wasn't the only one who scored in Sunday's Euro 2008 Spain-Germany soccer final. In Spain, broadcaster Cuatro kicked in a couple of TV records and, in Germany, pubcaster ARD hammered home stratospheric ratings. The ...
Lee set to teach at Karlovy Vary.(RUSSIA)(Christopher Lee)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... British horrormeister Christopher Lee will pass on some tips of his ghoulish trade at the Karlovy Vary film festival next week. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lee, 86, who found fame playing Count Dracula in numerous British horror ...
Indie film nods set.(UNITED KINGDOM)
Jul 01, 2008; ... The British Independent Film Awards bash will be Nov. 30 at London's Old Billingsgate Market. Last year, BIFA, which toasts the best in British and international ...
'Chaser' cleans up.(SOUTH KOREA)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Cannes Un Certain Regard entry "The Chaser" swept South Korea's 45th Grand Bell Film Awards. Pic won six ...
Cut the competition: BSkyB wants a Beeb ban on U.S. fare.(World News)
Jul 01, 2008; ... The BBC should be banned from buying U.S. fare, including movies, and Channel 4 should cuts its spending on acquired material or stop buying imports altogether, Rupert Murdoch-backed paybox BSkyB has told U.K. regulator Ofcom. The views were made public as part of the ...
Endemol to open office in Turkey.(World News)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Following last year's successful bow of its Dubai-based Middle East operations, TV format giant Endemol is launching a dedicated company in Turkey. Endemol Turkey will be based in Istanbul and be headed up by managing director Ansi Elagoz from today. The start-up has ...
New tune for Saregama.(World News)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Saregama, one of India's leading music and video distributors, will spend 1.5 billion rupees ($35 million) over the next year to expand movie production, according to vice chairman Sanjiv Goenka. Some $23 million will go to movie production, with the balance spent on ...
Berlinale fund picks five pix.(World News)
Jul 01, 2008; ... The Berlinale's World Cinema Fund has selected five film projects, including three from Latin America, for production coin in its latest selection round. Projects include "Every Day Is a Holiday," from Lebanese director Dima El-Horr, Baabda-based Orjouane Prod. and Berlin's ...
Weekend at the B.O.(Box Office)(Table)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008 ... <Pre> Weekend at the B.O. $186.2 million June 27-29, 2008 vs. last year +19% vs. last weekend +30% Screen scene The weekend's top 10 engagements: Theater, city (circuit)Gross 1 Wall-E...
Film box office wrap: for the weekend of June 27-29.
Jul 01, 2008 ... <Pre> Film Box Office Wrap FOR THE WEEKEND OF JUNE 27-29RankingReported This Last Weekend Pct. Week Week Title (Distributor)Boxoffice Change 1 --Wall-E (Disney) ...
Hellboy: The Science of Evil.
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Konami presentation of a game developed by Krome Studios and licensed by Revolution Studios for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Reviewed on Xbox 360. Rated M. $60 In Konami's "Hellboy: The Science of Evil," the science involves pounding ...
NBC U names digital prexy.
Jul 01, 2008; ... NBC Universal has elevated Vivi Zigler to prexy of NBC Universal Digital Entertainment. Zigler will lend her expertise to all NBC U entertainment websites while continuing to oversee NBC U Digital Studio and NBC Digital Entertainment. She has served as exec VP of NBC ...
New York's top pics.
Jul 01, 2008 ... <Pre> New York's Top Pics (based on location average for the weekend of June 27-29, 2008) Nat'l # N.Y. # Rank Title (dist) Week of locs of locs 1.Kit Kittredge ... (Picturehouse) 2 5 ...
Par names brand man.
Jul 01, 2008; ... Paramount Home Entertainment has tapped Russell Kelban senior VP of brand marketing. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kelban, who most recently served as VP of digital marketing for Universal Studios Home Entertainment, will oversee DVD and Blu-ray marketing for theatrical ...
'Look' books second season on TV Land.
Jul 01, 2008; ... TV Land is quickly establishing the look of an original series network after greenlighting a second season of reality skein "She's Got the Look." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Announcement follows the network's decision in April to go forward with a second campaign for ...
Showbiz stocks: Monday, June 30, 2008.
Jul 01, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Monday, June 30, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PELast Chg % Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 2.11+.10 -52.8 AcmeCm ACME ... 1.38+.07 -49.5 Actvsn...
'Recoil' locked.(film adaptation of novel 'Recoil')(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... Producer Charlie Loventhal and Leverage have partnered on a feature film adaptation of Jim Thompson's 1953 novel "Recoil." Ralph Pezzullo has been set to write the script. Loventhal will finance through a development fund he controls. Story follows a young inmate who's sprung ...
James Barbour will reprise his role in the Broadway incarnation of tuner "A Tale of Two Cities," with thesps Aaron Lazar ("Les Miserables") and Gregg Edelman ("Wonderful Town") joining the show in Gotham.(LEGIT BITS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... James Barbour will reprise his role in the Broadway incarnation of tuner "A Tale of Two Cities," with thesps Aaron Lazar ("Les Miserables") and Gregg Edelman ("Wonderful Town") joining the show in Gotham. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The musical, based on the 1859 Charles ...
The house may be little, but the ticket demand is big: the new tuner version of "Little House on the Prairie," which preems this summer at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, broke box office records there when tickets went on sale Friday.(LEGIT BITS)
Jul 01, 2008; ... The house may be little, but the ticket demand is big: The new tuner version of "Little House on the Prairie," which preems this summer at Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater, broke box office records there when tickets went on sale Friday. Theater reported nearly 5,500 tickets were ...
The stage version of "Dirty Dancing" has found the lead cast for the upcoming Chicago production, picking among alums from prior incarnations of the legit hit in London and Toronto.(LEGIT BITS)(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... The stage version of "Dirty Dancing" has found the lead cast for the upcoming Chicago production, picking among alums from prior incarnations of the legit hit in London and Toronto. Josef Brown, who played dance instructor Johnny Castle in the West End incarnation of "Dirty ...
Journey' to L.A. Film Fest.(V)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] HOLLYWOOD -- The Los Angeles Film Festival seemed to live up to its slogan "something for everyone" as a smorgasbord of events took place over the weekend. On Saturday, helmer Guillermo dei Torn and the cast of "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" ...
Tokyo's on 'Speed'.(V)('Speed Racer')(Brief article)
Jul 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] TOKYO--"Speed Racer" made a big splash Sunday at the Tokyo Dome for its Japan premiere where it was shown on what was touted as the world's biggest screen: a 57-foot-high, 120-foot-wide temporary display made in the U.K., shipped from Canada and lifted ...
Peter Bogdanovich and Seymour Cassel.(V)
Jul 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Peter Bogdanovich and Seymour Cassel at the ...
Crunch time: little work, but no panic as biz waits.
Jul 02, 2008; ... Where's the panic? One day after the expiration of the Screen Actors Guild's film and primetime TV contract, the biz is not gripped by the same level of angst experienced at the comparable moment during the Writers Guild of America's negotiations with the majors, just prior to ...
Smith will set off fireworks.
Jul 02, 2008; ... If there's a Fourth of July box office superhero, it's Will Smith. Smith has starred in three of the 10 top-grossing films released over the holiday--"Independence Day" and both "Men in Black" films. Sony will look to continue that streak when opening "Hancock" today in 3,965 ...
Col high on Holmes duo.
Jul 02, 2008; ... Columbia has set an untitled comedy that will star Sacha Baron Cohen as master detective Sherlock Holmes and Will Ferrell as Watson, his crime-solving partner. Etan Cohen ("Tropic Thunder") is writing the script, and Judd Apatow and Miller will produce. [ILLUSTRATION ...
Guild spat splits stars.(Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists)
Jul 02, 2008; ... The SAG-AFTRA brawl has split the ranks of Hollywood stars, with neither side able to claim a clear advantage. Each has a superstar: Tom Hanks is siding with the pro-AFRTRA ratification campaign, while SAG's effort against the deal attracted Jack Nicholson. Though ...
Felker was mag mogul: Clay Felker: 1925-2008.
Jul 02, 2008 ... Clay Felker, the mogul who revolutionized the city magazine genre as founding editor of New York, died Tuesday in New York after a battle with throat cancer. He was 82. New York magazine, filled with gossip on the city's social scene, inside knowledge of its business and politics and ...
NBC taps marketing maven.
Jul 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The NBC Agency has named former Sci Fi Channel marketing exec Adam Stotsky as president of NBC entertainment marketing. Stotsky will oversee marketing covering all dayparts, reporting to John Miller, chief marketing officer for NBC Universal ...
'Street shuffles exec suite.
Jul 02, 2008; ... Gotham-based producer-financier GreeneStreet Films has restructured, bidding farewell to co-founder Fisher Stevens, tapping longtime production head Tim Williams to be co-president, and Michael Hogan as chief operating officer. Stevens--who is separately producing with Dan ...
Youth without youthful pretensions.
Jul 02, 2008; ... BECAUSE TEENAGERS WIELD such disproportionate power over entertainment, it's resentfully easy to see them as the enemy--maniacal despots with crappy taste and a cell-phone fetish. So for anyone looking to restore their faith in youth (and perhaps do penance for other showbiz sins), try ...
Hughie/Krapp's Last Tape.(Theater review)
Jul 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hughie/ Krapp's Last Tape (Studio Theater, Stratford, Ontario; 260 seats," C$85 ($83) top) A Stratford Shakespeare Festival presentation of two one-act plays, "Hughie" by Eugene O'Neill and "Krapp's Last Tape" by Samuel Beckett ....
Funk It Up About Nothin'.(Theater review)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Funk It Up About Nothin' (Chicago Shakespeare Theater," 170 seats; $30 top) A Chicago Shakespeare Theater presentation of a musical play in one act, created and directed by GQ and JQ, based on "Much Ado About Nothing" by William Shakespeare. Set, Brian Sidney ...
'Imagine' Dreams U.K. bow.(LEGIT BITS)('Imagine This')(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2008; ... New tuner "Imagine This," about a group of actors in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942, will preem in London this fall. An earlier version of the musical was originally set to bow in Chicago in 2004 under the title "Masada," but that run was scrapped. Composer Shuki Levy, ...
Legit consultant Deborah L. Clapp is the new interim exec director of the League of Chicago Theaters.(LEGIT BITS)
Jul 02, 2008 ... Legit consultant Deborah L. Clapp is the new interim exec director of the League of Chicago Theaters. League is an alliance of 200 theater orgs performing at around 115 area venues. It's hoped that Clapp's interim status will become permanent once she begins working full-time ...
Hartnett going out in West End's 'Rain'.(LEGIT)(Josh Hartnett, 'Rain Man')(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Josh Hartnett will make his West End debut toplining a new stage adaptation of "Rain Man" that begins perfs in London later this summer. Hartnett will play the Tom Cruise character in the legit version of 1988 pic "Rain Man," with Brit thesp ...
Newsies on the rise.
Jul 02, 2008; ... Second quarter Nielsen numbers contain bragging rights for all the news networks--except CBS. As overall leaders, NBC and Fox have reason to crow the loudest, but ABC, CNN and MSNBC all spun some glory as well, with the last two nets having strong second quarter finishes due ...
WB 'Hiding' with Lin: imagine comicbook travels to bigscreen.
Jul 02, 2008; ... Warner Bros. has picked up the Image Shadowline comicbook series "Hiding in Time" for Dan Lin to produce. Beau Thorne, who penned Fox's adaptation of the vidgame "Max Payne," will tackle the Christopher Long-created property, in which the Witness Protection Program uses time ...
Complaints to FCC drop.
Jul 02, 2008; ... It may not be all quiet on the broadcast indecency front, but there isn't much noise, either. Viewer complaints about naughty programming dropped massively in the third quarter of 2007, according to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission. While ...
Warner rings up tune accord with Nokia.
Jul 02, 2008; ... Warner Music Group has become the third major to join Nokia's proposed "all you can eat" model, making its catalog available to Nokia Music Stores and its Comes With Music service. Comes With Music is expected to launch in the second half of this year on several Nokia devices in ...
Lionsgate opens homevid pact with Comcast.(Comcast Entertainment Group)(Brief article)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Lionsgate has inked a first-look deal with Comcast Entertainment Group for home entertainment rights to skeins on E!, the Style Network and G4. The deal starts with the Aug. 5 homevid bow of "Sunset Tan," followed by E!'s "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" and "Snoop Dogg's ...
Reality boosts webs.(Television program review)
Jul 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fox remains the net to beat this summer among young adults, but ABC and NBC are starting to make some noise with new reality shows. After the first month of the summer season failed to produce any promising unscripted newbies, ABC hit one out of ...
USA on top of cable world.
Jul 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vince McMahon's wrestlers, the first Indiana Jones movie and rookie hit series "In Plain Sight" have helped drive the USA Network to a comfortable No. 1 among ad supported cable networks for the second quarter. That top ranking covers both primetime cable ...
The Kreutzer Sonata.(Movie review)
Jul 02, 2008; ... An Animadala, Giant Door production, in association with Independent Film Co. (International sales: Independent, London.) Produced by Naomi Despres, Lisa Enos. Executive producer, Lisa Henson. Co-producer, Angela Robinson. Directed, edited by Bernard Rose. Screenplay, Lisa Enos, ...
The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not for Sale.(Movie review)
Jul 02, 2008; ... The Art of Failure: Chuck Connelly Not for Sale (Docu) An HBO Documentary Films presentation, in association with BBC Storyville, ZDF/Arte and Films Transit Intl. Produced by Jeff Stimmel. Executive producers, Sheila Nevins, Diana Holtzberg. Supervising producer, ...
Showbiz stocks: Tuesday, July 1, 2008.
Jul 02, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Tuesday, July 1, 2008 YTD NameTkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT AIXD ... 2.07 -.04-53.7 AcmeCm ACME ... 1.40 +.02...
Nielsen primetime ratings report.(Table)
Jul 02, 2008 ... <Pre> Nielsen Primetime Ratings Report TOP SHOWS IN 18-49 1. Wipeout (ABC) 3.7/12 2. Hell's Kitchen (Fox)3.6/10 3. So You Think ... Dance-Wed. (Fox) 3.1/10 3. America's Got Talent (NBC) ...
Primetime scorecard.(Table)
Jul 02, 2008 ... <Pre> PRIMETIME SCORECARD SUMMER WEEK 5 Viewers A18-49 abc 5.08 (+13%)1.7/5 (+13%) CBS 6.59 (-4%) 1.5/5 (-6%) NBC 6.30 (+11%)1.9/6 (Even) FOX 5.66 (+2%) 2.0/7 (-9%) cw 1.67 (-6%)0.6/2 ...
'Welcome' to Italy: Gallic pic spawns 2nd remake.(World News)
Jul 02, 2008; ... Gallic megahit "Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis" (Welcome to the Sticks) is set for an Italian-language remake, the second redo for the hicks-in-the-sticks laffer following the one being shepherded Stateside by Will Smith for Warner Bros. Italian producer-distributor Medusa is ...