Daily Variety back issues from October 2008:
Lion's share: market woes pinch MGM.(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008; ... The Lion is on the hunt for fresh coin--but the hunt just got a lot harder. With the world's credit markets seizing up, MGM is in a tough position as it tries to manage a $3.7 billion loan that comes due in 2012 and enhance its long-term capital structure. ...
Street on a seesaw.
Oct 01, 2008; ... Although the bipolar stock market climbed nearly 500 points Tuesday, the shockwaves from the financial crisis continue to resonate throughout the media and entertainment biz. Some of Tuesday's biggest gainers included Viacom, up 5% to $24.86; Regal Entertainment, also up 5% to ...
Box office braces for fall bottleneck.
Oct 01, 2008; ... A whopping seven wide releases--plus the semi-wide release of Bill Maher's doc "Religulous"--debut this weekend at the domestic box office, making for the most crowded frame that anyone can remember. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Battling for October B.O. amid the many ...
Swank dives into 'Waters'.(Hilary Swank in 'Betty Anne Waters')(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Hilary Swank is set to star in "Betty Anne Waters," a drama to be helmed by Tony Goldwyn. Story revolves around a single mother who worked her way through law school to free her brother, who was wrongly convicted of murder. Omega Entertainment is financing and will ...
Batman sidekick gets top billing on CW.
Oct 01, 2008; ... Holy prequel, Boy Wonder! The CW is prepping a series based on Batman sidekick Robin's pre-Caped Crusader days. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Smallville" exec producers Kell Souders and Brian Peterson, as well as "Supernatural" exec producer McG. are behind "The Graysons." ...
Blog blow.(VARIETY.COM)
Oct 01, 2008 ... Variety.com's new blog HAL gathers the best in entertainment ...
Fault Lines.(Theater review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... (Cherry Lane Theater; 179 seats; $60 top) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Naked Angels presentation of a play in one act by Stephen Belber. Directed by David Schwimmer. Set, Cameron Anderson; costumes, Mattie Ulrich; lighting, Jason Lyons; sound, Bart Fasbender; production ...
Wig Out!(Theater review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Wig Out! (Vineyard Theater; 129 seats; $55 top) A Vineyard Theater presentation of a play in two acts by Tarell Alvin McCraney. Directed by Tina Landau. Sets, James Schuette; costumes, Toni-Leslie James; lighting, Peter Kaczorowski; sound, Robert Kaplowitz; hair, wigs and ...
Las Vegas gambles on 'Lion King' run.(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008; ... "The Lion King" will pounce on Vegas in the spring, with the legit tuner opening a sit-down production at the Mandalay Bay in May. Unlike many Broadway musicals that play Sin City, "King" will be seen in its full-length, original version rather than a 90-minute cut. Show is set ...
Thesps trek from 'Shrek'.(Chester Gregory and Kecia Lewis-Evans)(Shrek the Musical)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Thesps Chester Gregory and Kecia Lewis-Evans have departed "Shrek the Musical," with Daniel Breaker ("Passing Strange") stepping in for Gregory. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cast changes, including the addition of two ensemble players, come between the Rialto-bound ...
Vets prop up nets: ABC, Eye rely on old faves.(CBS Broadcasting Inc.)
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Reliable hits like "Dancing With the Stars" "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives" helped ABC to once again kick off the season as the top-rated primetime network, but CBS also could cheer, as some of its pets returned especially strong and it ...
'Killer' pact in place.(Relativity Media's acquisition of 'Hunter-Killer')(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Relativity Media has acquired "Hunter-Killer," a spec script that was written by producer Arne Schmidt, who submitted it under a pseudonym. Pierre Morel ("District B13") is negotiating to direct. Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh will produce with Original Films' Neal ...
Ullmann takes Wildbrain gig.
Oct 01, 2008; ... Wildbrain, the company behind hipster kiddie show "Yo Gabba Gabba," has tapped Lisa Ullmann VP of development, a newly created position. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] She has been charged with expanding Wildbrain's TV, feature film and new-media slate. Ullmann ...
Debmar taps exec veepee.
Oct 01, 2008; ... Lonnie Burstein has been promoted to exec VP of programming and production at Debmar-Mercury. Burstein, who had been senior VP of research and new programming, was point person on the distrib's "Wendy Williams Show" talker, which had a test run on Fox-owned stations in the ...
Netflix awash in stream of Starz pics.
Oct 01, 2008; ... Netflix has engineered a deal with Liberty Media's Starz for the rights to stream about 1,000 movies a year on its website, including such contempo hits as "Spider-Man 3," "Ratatouille," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" and "Superbad." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...
Hemingway flies to 'Tails'.(Anthony Hemingway and the movie 'Red Tails')(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Lucasfilm has tapped Anthony Hemingway to direct "Red Tails" a WWII action adventure about the Tuskegee Airmen based on a story by George Lucas. Lucas will exec produce and finance the pic through his Lucasfilm production company. Lucas tapped scribe John Ridley to pen the ...
FSN deals for poker.
Oct 01, 2008; ... Fox Sports Net and the World Poker Tour will team up to launch a viral-based poker and blackjack series. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "ClubWPT.com" will feature six amateur players from the U.S. and Canada who have won a spot on the show through designated "TVtournaments" ...
Flip Side.(Theater review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... (Connelly Theater; 99 seats; $20 top) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Talking Band presentation of a play in one act by Ellen Maddow. Directed by Paul Zimet. Sets and video, Anna Kiraly; costumes, Kiki Smith; lighting, Nan Zhang; original music, "Blue" Gene Tyranny; sound, ...
Aliens With Extraordinary Skills.(Theater review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... (Julia Miles Theater; 199 seats; $42 top) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Women's Project presentation of a play in one act by Saviana Stanescu. Directed by Tea Alagic. Set, Kris Stone; costumes, Jennifer Moeller; lighting, Gina Scherr; original music and sound, Sarah ...
Showbiz stocks: Tuesday, September 30, 2008.
Oct 01, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Tuesday, September 30, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessITAIXD ... 1.43 +.27-68.0 AcmeCm ACME ... .95 ...
The Ex List.(Movie review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... (Series; CBS, Fri. Oct. 3, 9 p.m.) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Filmed in San Diego by 20th Century Fox. Executive producers, Segahl Avin, Avi Nir, Mosh Danon, Jonathan Levin, Diane Ruggiero; producer, Jimmy Simons; associate producer, Hynndie Wali; director, Timothy ...
Pair cast as winners.
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Casting Society of America will fete producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron with career achievement honors at the 24th annual Artios Awards in November. Neil Patrick Harris will host the kudos dinner Nov. 10 at the Century Plaza Hotel in ...
Latenight free-for-all gets political.
Oct 01, 2008; ... HAVING MET David Letterman and Jay Leno only briefly, I'd normally hesitate to put them on the couch. But hey, watch someone on TV long enough and you feel like you know them. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In his heart of hearts, Letterman has never been able to fathom or ...
Hard times for ITV: 1,000 to lose jobs in web's cost cuts.(World News)
Oct 01, 2008; ... ITV, Blighty's biggest commercial terrestrial web, is axing around 1,000 jobs, almost 20% of its workforce, as it battles to implement its turnaround plan and save up to 40 million [pounds sterling] ($72 million) a year. Some 430 of the posts will be in news as the web ...
Watchdog warns BSkyB on pay TV fare.(World News)
Oct 01, 2008; ... It hasn't been a good week for Rupert Murdoch's satcaster BSkyB. A day after learning that British regulators are forcing it to sell down its stake in beleaguered commercial broadcaster ITV at a 650 million [pounds sterling] ($1.7 billion) loss because of anti-competition ...
Mueller talks up at confab.(ITALY)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Venice Film Festival artistic director Marco Mueller will be the keynote speaker at the Intl. Film Festival Summit Europe to be held April 7-8 in Paris. Mueller, who also headed Rotterdam and Locarno, will share his ...
'Journey' B.O. boffo.(SCANDINAVIA)(Journey to Saturn)(box office)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008; ... Danish toon "Journey to Saturn" is setting local records. It took in $1.2 million last weekend, the best opening ever for a Danish animation feature and the fourth best opening for a Danish film ...
IFC holding 'Heart'.(SCANDINAVIA)(Independent Film Channel and 'Heaven's Heart')(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008; ... IFC has bought U.S. rights to Danish helmer Simon Staho's drama "Heaven's Heart," shot in Sweden. Pic, which was produced by Jonas Frederiksen for Trollhattan Film/XX Film, was sold by ...
Distribs buy 'Gretel'.(SOUTH KOREA)(Hansel and Gretel)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008; ... On the eve of the Pusan Film Festival and market, Korean sales agency Fine Cut has licensed helmer Yim Pil-sung's "Hansel and Gretel" to Terracotta Media for the U.K. and MFA Plus Distribution for Germany and Austria. The dark fantasy unspooled at ...
Foreign pics hit Oscar's deadline.(World News)
Oct 01, 2008 ... The deadline for submissions in Oscar's foreign-language film category falls today and Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Russia and Slovenia have unveiled their runners. "The Blind Sunflowers," helmed by Jose Luis Cuerda, will represent Spain. Set just after the end of the Spanish Civil ...
Nielsen primetime ratings report.(television audience ratings)(Statistical data)
Oct 01, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] <Pre> TOP SHOWS IN 18-49 1. Grey's Anatomy (ABC) 7.4/18 2. Desperate Housewives (ABC) 7.1/16 3. NFL Sunday Night Football (NBC)6.9/17 4. Dancing With the Stars (ABC) ...
International weekend box office.
Oct 01, 2008; ... <Pre> International Weekend Box Office Reported Box Office Percent Number ofWeekendChangeTheaters ending inThis ...
Fay memorial.(Memorial)(Sylvia Fay )(In memoriam)(Brief article)
Oct 01, 2008 ... A memorial service for casting agent Sylvia Fay will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Riverside Memorial Chapel, 180 W. 76th St., New York. Fay died Aug. 22 in New York. She was 91. Fay was casting director of films including Brian De Palma's "Phantom ...
Forever Strong.(Movie review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Crane Movie Co. release of a Picture Rock Entertainment presentation of a Go Films production in association with BNR Films. Produced by Adam Abel, Ryan Little. Executive producers, Brad Pelo, David Pliler. Directed by Ryan Little ....
Kafka on the Shore.(Theater review)
Oct 01, 2008; ... (Steppenwolf Downstairs Theater, Chicago; 510 seats; $70 top) A Steppenwolf Theater Company presentation of a play in two acts adapted and directed by Frank Galati, based on the novel by Haruki Murakami. Set, James Schuette; costumes, Mara Blumenfeld; lighting, James F. Ingalls; ...
Holiday wishes: more than ever, tune biz needs big Q4.
Oct 02, 2008; ... The music business needs a hit collection. The industry closed out its third quarter at 297.9 million albums sold, down 12% from last year, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That means it will have to log 200 million sales before Jan. 4 to break even with 2007's total of 500.5 ...
A Bollywood breather.
Oct 02, 2008; ... Production in Bollywood ground to a halt Wednesday as below-the-line workers went on strike. About 147,000 workers belonging to a federation of 22 unions--representing workers ranging from extras and dancing girls to lighting technicians and camera operators--didn't show up for ...
Screen Gems bolsters slate.(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2008; ... Screen Gems has made a three-picture deal with Hayden Christensen. The deal adds two more pictures to the thesp's Screen Gems slate, following "Bone Deep," the John Luessenhop-directed crime drama that began filming in September. Pact calls for Christensen to bring ...
Par eyes mob job.(Paramount Pictures)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Paramount Pictures is plotting a return to organized crime for Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Studio has set Steve Zaillian to adapt "I Heard You Paint Houses" the book about the mob assassin who many believe was involved in the death of Teamster ...
Buffett hot on GE stock.
Oct 02, 2008; ... Calling the current environment an "economic Pearl Harbor," uber-investor Warren Buffett has pledged to buy $3 billion in preferred GE stock. The diversified conglom, parent company of NBC Universal, has been hit hard all year, but especially over the past couple of weeks. GE ...
Rosie's cozy with NBC.
Oct 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The table's set for Rosie O'Donnell's holiday-season stab at reviving the variety genre. NBC will air "Rosie's Variety Show" live from New York on the night before Thanksgiving--Nov. 26--at 8 p.m. Special, which has been in the works for ...
Silent Hill: homecoming.(VARIETY.COM)
Oct 02, 2008 ... Konami's latest edition of the horror vidgame franchise is well crafted ...
Tuesday's triumphs: rookies gaining traction for Fox, CBS.
Oct 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Tuesday looks to be where the hot new dramas are this fall: Fox's "Fringe," CBS' "The Mentalist" and CW's "90210" all were up week to week and look to be the real deal after multiple airings. Both "Fringe" and "Mentalist" are meshing nicely ...
Pols clear up Net static.(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2008; ... Internet radio operators expressed cautious optimism regarding congressional approval of a deal designed to help them survive a recent steep hike in royalty rates. "This legislation is not the final answer, but it is an essential step toward a lasting and much-needed solution," ...
'Heaven' in fest's sights.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)
Oct 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Heaven on Earth" will receive top billing at Gotham's Indian Film Festival. Deepa Mehta's immigration drama will open the fest, which runs from Nov. 5-9 at Tribeca Cinemas; Rose Hall and the Allen Room; and the new Museum of Arts and Design. ...
Showtime sets 'Tara' bow.
Oct 02, 2008; ... Showtime has set a premiere date of Jan. 18 for its Toni Collette starrer "The United States of Tara." The half-hour from DreamWorks TV will bow at 10 p.m., following the sixth-season preem of "The L Word" at 9 p.m. The sophomore season opener of saucy Brit import "Secret Diary ...
Thesp joins 'Rileys' family.(Melissa Leo in 'Welcome to the Rileys')(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2008; ... Melissa Leo has signed on to star alongside James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart in the indic drama "Welcome to the Rileys," to be directed by Jake Scott. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Story revolves around a couple (Gandolfini, Leo) driven apart by the death of their ...
Rory Cochrane.(Players)
Oct 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rory Cochrane ("CSI: Miami") will appear on the upcoming season of "24" as the senior aide ...
Izabella Miko.(Players)
Oct 02, 2008; ... Izabella Miko ("Deadwood") will star opposite Val Kilmer in suspense drama "Fake Identity" set to begin lensing in ...
Maeve Quinlan.(Players)
Oct 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Maeve Quinlan ("South of Nowhere") has boarded CW's "90210." ...
Sean Maher.(Players)
Oct 02, 2008; ... Sean Maher has been cast in upcoming Lifetime series "Drop Dead Diva" produced by Craig Zadan, Neil ...
Metallica fans stuck on 'Magnetic'.
Oct 02, 2008; ... Metallica's "Death Magnetic" remained affixed to the No. 1 spot on the nation's album sales chart for the third week in a row, making it only the second album this year to stay on top that long. Album sold 132,000 copies Stateside in the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen ...
Fifty Words.(Theater review)
Oct 02, 2008; ... (Lucille Lortel Theater; 198 seats; $59 top) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An MCC Theater presentation by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theater Foundation of a play in one act by Michael Weller. Directed by Austin Pendleton. Set, Neil Patel; costumes, Mimi ...
Creditors.(Theater review)
Oct 02, 2008; ... (Donmar Warehouse, London; 250 seats; 29 [pounds sterling] ($52) top) A Donmar Warehouse presentation of a play in one act by August Strindberg in a new version by David Greig. Directed by Alan Rickman. Sets, Ben Stones; costumes, Fontini Dimou; lighting, Howard Harrison; ...
Delirium.(Theater review)
Oct 02, 2008; ... (Peacock Theater: Dublin: 157 seats; 15 [euro] ($22) top) A Theater O presentation of an Abbey Theater, Dublin, Barbican, London, production of a play in two acts by Enda Walsh, based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "The Brothers Karamazov." Directed by Joseph Alford. Set and ...
Equity firms exec post.(LEGIT BITS)
Oct 02, 2008; ... Mary Lou Westerfield is the new Western regional director of legit thesp union Actors' Equity. Westerfield has filled the post in an interim capacity for the last six months, prior to which she was Equity's national director of policy. As the Hollywood-based director ...
TV production chart.
Oct 02, 2008 ... PRODUCTION CHART KEY Abbreviations: SUPR EXP-Supervising executive producer(s); EXP-Executive producer(s); CO-EXP-Co-executive producer(s); SUPR PROD-Supervising producer(s); PROD-Producer(s); CO-PROD-Co-producer(s); DIR-Director(s); CASTING-Casting director. Affiliated ...
Showbiz stocks: Wednesday, October 1, 2008.
Oct 02, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Wednesday, October 1, 2008 YTD NameTkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessITAIXD ... 1.43 -68.0 AcmeCm ACME ... .90 ...
How to Lose Friends & Alienate People.(Movie review)
Oct 02, 2008; ... (U.K.) An MGM (in U.S.), Paramount and Channel Four Films (U.K.) release of an Intandem Films, Film4 and the U.K. Film Council presentation in association with Aramid Entertainment of a Stephen Woolley, Elizabeth Karlsen and Number 9 Films production in association with Audley ...
Fay memorial.(Memorial)
Oct 02, 2008 ... A memorial service for casting agent Sylvia Fay will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at ...
David Modigliani's docu "Crawford" will debut Oct. 7 on Hulu.com, the NBC Universal and News Corp.-owned Internet vid site.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)
Oct 02, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] David Modigliani's docu "Crawford" will debut Oct. 7 on Hulu.com, the NBC Universal and News Corp.-owned Internet vid site. Docu, which tracks the Bush administration's impact on the president's frequent ...
Cinevolve has acquired worldwide rights to Venezuelan pic "The Color of Fame," the country's official entry in the Oscars' foreign-language film race.(GOTHAM FILM CLIPS)
Oct 02, 2008 ... Cinevolve has acquired worldwide rights to Venezuelan pic "The Color of Fame," the country's official entry in the Oscars' foreign-language film race. Totem Films pic, directed by Alejandro Bellame Palacios, follows a woman who ...
'Wrestler' grips fest.
Oct 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Mickey Rourke comeback campaign alighted on the New York Film Festival with "The Wrestler" on Wednesday. The thesp choked up at one point during a post-screening news conference as he was asked about the similarities between the down-and-out grappler ...
Food for thought.(V)(Brief article)
Oct 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] I'm not sure why I'm here or why you're here "Religulous" helmer Larry Charles told a roomful of guests lunching at Rockefeller Plaza's Brasserie Ruhlmann on Monday. Charles may have been contemplating the meaning of life or just wondering ...
"Rachel Getting Married".(V)
Oct 02, 2008 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Rachel Getting Married" helmer Jonathan Demme ...