Daily Variety back issues from December 2008:
Auds gobble up laffer: holiday frame a B.O. feast.
Dec 01, 2008; ... What economic crisis? The domestic box office flourished over the long Thanksgiving sesh, ending slightly ahead of last year. Better yet, all sorts of films did well--a further indication that going to the movies is becoming more and more appealing as worried consumers cut back ...
'Milk' spills into top 10.
Dec 01, 2008; ... The specialty box office is thankful indeed after a lengthy and troubling downturn. In its debut over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, Gus Van Sant's Sean Penn topliner "Milk" broke into the B.O. top 10. The Focus Features title, which opened Wednesday, posted a ...
Sides escalate war of words.
Dec 01, 2008; ... SAG's strike threat has kicked off a heated holiday-season spin battle between the guild and the majors--with each side blaming the other for being greedy during the nation's financial crisis. Both sides launched major PR offensives over the Thanksgiving weekend in the battle ...
L.A. Grammy Museum set for closeup.
Dec 01, 2008; ... The Grammy Museum in the L.A. Live complex, which opens to the public Saturday, has an important closeup Wednesday: CBS' Grammy Awards nominations concert is timed to give a significant plug to the Recording Academy's newest project in addition to its annual honors. Grammy ...
B'way offering bargains.(Broadway)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Broadway is gearing up for winter months that may turn out to be colder than usual. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Producers are hawking discounted tickets, which in recent years have become de rigueur for perfs during the traditional winter slowdown. Stepped-up efforts are ...
A pair of dreamers in the grand design.
Dec 01, 2008; ... THEY ARE ANOMALIES. Jumbo-sized anomalies. At a moment when belt-tightening is the order of the day, "Australia" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" reflect grandiose creative appetites and lavish visions. And we should be grateful for them. Hollywood may be ...
The Reader.(Movie review)
Dec 01, 2008; ... (U.S.-Germany) A Weinstein Co. (in U.S.) release and presentation of a Mirage Enterprises (U.S.)/ Neunte Babelsberg Film (Germany) production. Produced by Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris. Executive producers, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein. ...
Indian media, gov't clash over terror info.
Dec 01, 2008; ... Indian media was itself a major news item as the Mumbai terror attacks came to a conclusion over the weekend. The country's broadcasters were summoned Friday by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to deal with charges that the live saturation coverage had helped the ...
A buoyant Beyonce: 'I Am' takes top slot on CD sales chart.
Dec 01, 2008; ... Beyonce's two-CD set "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" I Music World/Columbia] sold 482,000 copies in its opening session to greatly outdistance the No. 2 finisher, Nickleback's "Dark Horse," according to Nielsen Soundscan data for the week ended Nov. 23. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...
Obama talks with Brokaw.
Dec 01, 2008; ... NBC News' "Meet the Press" has scored the latest sitdown with President-elect Barack Obama. Interim host Tom Brokaw, former anchor of "NBC Nightly News," will talk to Obama in an exclusive interview to air Sunday, the network said. CBS' "60 Minutes" landed the first ...
Cast game for 'Fame' redo.(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Lakeshore and MGM have tapped Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally and Bebe Neuwirth for the roles of instructors and supervisors in the upcoming "Fame" remake. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Production begins Wednesday, with Kevin Allen Tancharoen ...
Benderspink pulls 'Straw'.
Dec 01, 2008; ... Benderspink has acquired film rights to "The Straw Men," a crime thriller by Brit author Michael Marshall, along with fights to the comic adaptation by Zenescope Comics head Joe Brusha. The book, the first in a trilogy, follows a detective brought out of retirement to solve a ...
WGA, Perry ease their 'Payne' in deal.(movie producer Tyler Perry)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Tyler Perry has come to terms with the Writers Guild of America West on a contract covering scribes on his TBS comedy skeins "House of Payne" and "Meet the Browns." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Deal, announced Wednesday, came after five months of negotiations. The WGA West ...
Not so 'Rosie' holiday: Thanksgiving eve variety spec fizzles.('Rosie Live')(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... NBC's attempt to revive the variety show genre hit a serious snag last week as "Rosie Live" drew a small audience on Thanksgiving eve. Preliminary Nielsen estimates show that the Rosie O'Donnell-hosted spec, featuring celebrity guests, musical acts and comedy skits involving ...
Cinematheque bows kudo.(American Cinematheque )(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... At tonight's American Cinematheque tribute to Samuel L. Jackson, the org will award its inaugural Sydney Pollack Award to Sundance Film Festival director Geoffrey Gilmore. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cinematheque said the award honors "someone who has been of critical ...
Talent goes rep-hopping.(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... A quartet of talent spent the holiday weekend hunting for new representation. Adrien Brody signed with Paradigm right before Thanksgiving. UTA signed writer-director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and scribe Julian Fellowes. Endeavor signed Anthony ...
Katherine Boecher.(Players)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Katherine Boecher has booked a lead role as a Russian ...
Sherri Saum.(Players)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Sherri Saum ("Rescue Me") has signed on as a series regular for HBO's "In Treatment," starring Gabriel ...
Laura Allen.(Players)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Laura Allen has joined the cast of ...
Jason Stuart.(Players)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Jason Stuart has booked a role in Regent's ,'The Pit and the Pendulum," based on the Edgar Allan Poe ...
Salute to 'Slumdog': Boyle's drama tops Brit nods.(World News)(Slumdog Millionaire)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Danny Boyle's Mumbai-set "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Hunger," Steve McQueen's account of a jailed Irish Republican Army member's hunger strike in the 1970s, each won three nods at the British Independent Film Awards, which were handed out over dinner at London's Old Billingsgate Market on ...
Tykwer thriller to usher in Berlinale.(World News)(Tom Tykwer's 'The International')(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... German helmer Tom Tykwer's "The International," starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, will open the 59th Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 5. The world preem of Tykwer's action thriller, tracing the criminal business transactions that finance war and terror, will screen out of ...
Sky Italia's tax bill rises.(World News)
Dec 01, 2008; ... The unpredictable relations between rival media giants Rupert Murdoch and Italo Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi took a dramatic new turn over the weekend, when it emerged that Sky Italia would be hit hard by the removal of a key tax break. Berlusconi's government, which ...
New ogre overhaul: 'Shrek' cancels perf to make changes.(LEGIT BITS)('Shrek the Musical')(Brief article)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Previewing tuner "Shrek the Musical" has canceled its Tuesday perf in order to incorporate changes to the production that creatives would not have had time to accomplish otherwise, according to reps for the show. All other perfs will play as skedded in the run-up to the tuner's ...
Composer-lyricist Adam Gwon has picked up the fourth annual Fred Ebb Award for musical theater songwriting.(LEGIT BITS)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Composer-lyricist Adam Gwon has picked up the fourth annual Fred Ebb Award for musical theater songwriting. Named after the late lyricist Ebb ("Cabaret," "Chicago"), the award comes with a $50,000 cash prize. Gwon's resume includes the musical "Ordinary Days," which ...
Off Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company will bring over the Irish cast of Martin McDonagh's play "The Cripple of Inishmaan" in the Garry Hynes-helmed production that has toured the U.K.(LEGIT BITS)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Off Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company will bring over the Irish cast of Martin McDonagh's play "The Cripple of Inishmaan" in the Garry Hynes-helmed production that has toured the U.K. "Inishmaan" reunites McDonagh, Hynes and the Atlantic after two prior collaborations. In ...
London Cries.(Theater review)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Irondale Center; 92 seats; $40 top) An Irondale Ensemble Project presentation of a musical in two acts by Di Trevis and Frank McGuinness, adapted from "London Labour and the London Poor" by Henry Mayhew; music by Dominic Muldowney. Directed by ...
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An Activision Blizzard presentation of a game developed by Blizzard for the PC. Rated T. $40 plus $15 per month Expansion packs for the massive, and massively popular, "World of Warcraft" are an epic event in the videogame world. "Wrath of the ...
Showbiz stocks: Friday, November 28, 2008.
Dec 01, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Friday, November 28, 2008 YTD NameTkrPE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT CIDM ... .69 .03 -84.6 Avid AVID ...12.52 -.05 -55.8 ...
Actors on actors: in the spirit of the SAG Awards, thesps champion their colleagues' 2008 perfs.(V PLUS: SAG AWARDS PREVIEW)
Dec 01, 2008 ... Dustin Hoffman on MELISSA LEO in 'Frozen River' It's funny. When you're in the business, you can tell something in the first minutes of watching, particularly in terms of the actors. Just at the start of "Frozen River," the first thing I saw I went, "Oh! oh!" I don't even know ...
Search and employ: actor experts meet the challenge of putting together all the performer pieces.(CASTING COUPS: BEFORE THE CAMERAS ROLL)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Find "cute"! Find "dark"! Find "chemistry"! Find "unknown"! And, oh yes, find me a Pygmy! And of course, they gotta be able to carry a film. That's the kind of phone call casting directors live for. For Ronna Kress, working on ...
Play it again and again, Sam: Samuel L. Jackson's talent and overtime work ethic earn him the prize.(AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE)(Interview)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Samuel L. Jackson hardly minds being "the hardest working man in showbiz." Even if he doesn't think it's necessarily true. Making four movies a year, he insists he is only "doing what I like to do. There are just so many opportunities in a ...
Tough enough to demand the movies' exalted top spot: Bogart, Marvin, Jackson: too good to be supporting players forever.(ICONS)
Dec 01, 2008; ... Samuel L. Jackson's movie career began as a throwback to the days of the old studio system when guys who exuded a sense of contained danger, like Humphrey Bogart and Lee Marvin, were initially labeled "supporting actors." Bogart, playing a devious Mexican bandit, got shot by ...
The action's with Jackson: George Lucas, Neil LaBute and Craig Brewer talk about working with a favorite actor.(MOVIE MEN AT WORK: HELMERS & PRODUCERS)
Dec 01, 2008; ... So obvious are Samuel L. Jackson's gifts as an actor, it's almost redundant to praise him. Yet heaping encomium on Jackson is what people do, and none more so than the directors he has worked with. "Sam is incredibly professional," says George Lucas, who has directed Jackson as ...
Transforming tentpoles: studios and producers are quietly kicking the tires on 3-D as they prepare future franchise installments.(3-D ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Within five to seven years, I expect all movies out of Hollywood to be in 3-D," Jeffrey Katzenberg predicted at the recent 3DX conference in Singapore. "In sound, we've gone from vinyl to 8-track to cassette to CD to digital," the DreamWorks ...
Avoiding pitfalls: three ways the industry can head off potential trouble with stereo filmmaking before it strikes.(V PLUS: 3-D ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT)
Dec 01, 2008 ... QUALITY CONTROL: 3-D, unique among movie formats, holds the seeds of its own destruction. Technically poor 3-D, or even 3-D that's too aggressive and separates the right- and left-eye images too widely, can be painful enough to induce a long-term aversion to 3-D. ...
Tech titans give peace a chance: electronics industry aims to avoid stereo homevido format war.(3-D AT HOME)
Dec 01, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3-D homevideo is set to make a splash next year, with manufacturers coming out with rigs that use two competing styles of glasses and even some that don't need glasses at all. Samsung has sold as many as a million "3-D-ready" flat-panel sets ...
More champagne for Bond.(Quantum of Solace)
Dec 01, 2008; ... James Bond stayed strong at the international box office as "Quantum of Solace" racked up its fifth straight weekend victory with $20.1 million at 8,755 playdates in 73 markets. "Solace" managed to win easily even though it took a 50% hit as rivals began going head to head with ...
Game over: Redstone's Midway days done.
Dec 02, 2008; ... After losing an estimated $500 million-plus, Sumner Redstone has finally rid himself of Midway Games. The Viacom and CBS mogul sold his 87% stake in the troubled "Mortal Kombat" publisher over the weekend to private investor Mark Thomas for $100,000, along with the assumption of ...
Sci Fi mines life before 'Battlestar'.
Dec 02, 2008; ... Sci Fi Channel has greenlit "Caprica," the much-anticipated prequel to hit series "Battlestar Galactica." "Caprica" will star Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker, and will be set 50 years prior to "Galactica's" seminal attack on human civilization by ...
Studios ogle future of 3-D.
Dec 02, 2008; ... The 3-D format is a boon to both studios and exhibitors, and it's here to stay--or it will be, as soon as the credit markets thaw. That was the message from Monday's speakers at the 3-D Entertainment Summit in Century City. In a panel discussion on 3-D distribution, ...
Par on Grisham's case.(John Grisham's 'The Associate')(Brief article)
Dec 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Paramount Pictures has set Shia LaBeouf to play the title role in the bigscreen version of John Grisham's upcoming legal thriller "The Associate," to which the studio has just acquired rights. Lorenzo di Bonaventura is producing. LaBeouf will ...
Will Oz auds stick with 'Australia'?
Dec 02, 2008; ... It may be the most expensive and ambitious film ever made Down Under, and it certainly received saturation media coverage, but Baz Luhrmann's "Australia" isn't breaking records in Oz. Then again, how it holds will be the real test. Fox execs are hoping that, as the movie heads ...
Majors say SAG snag due to writers' gripes.(Screen Actors Guild)
Dec 02, 2008; ... Hollywood's labor brawl has turned ugly, with the majors accusing the Writers Guild of America of pushing SAG toward a strike by "blatantly" sabotaging the guild's last round of negotiations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a blast at the Writers Guild as SAG preps its ...
Bountiful Broadway: top 10 shows all top $1M.(LEGIT)
Dec 02, 2008; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Every show in the Broadway top 10 grossed more than $I million last week, a healthy holiday frame dominated by crowdpleasing tuners. Total cume hit $22.3 million (or $22.9 million including estimates for "Young Frankenstein")--far better than ...
Wilson's 'Gone' gets Rialto revival.(LEGIT)(August Wilson's play 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone')(Brief article)
Dec 02, 2008; ... Lincoln Center Theater will produce a Broadway revival of August Wilson's play "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," to be helmed by Bartlett Sher ("South Pacific") in the spring. One of the plays in Wilson's 10title cycle depicting African-American life in the 20th century, "Joe ...
Broadway Top 10: Nov. 24-30.
Dec 02, 2008 ... <Pre> Broadway Top 10: Nov. 24-30 Show (Theater) Week's Net (Prod. Receipts Category) Potential Prev Week's $Change Attendance (Seats) Net Receipts Net ReceiptsAvg. Tick Capacity Wicked $1,800,907 $1,325,394 ...
Dame Edna: Live and Intimate!(Brief article)
Dec 02, 2008; ... (Post Street Theater, San Francisco; 740 seats; $78 top) A Post Street Theater presentation, in association with Wombat, of a show in two acts by Barry Humphries. Additional material, Andrew Ross. Costumes, John Van Gastel, Stephen Adnitt; lighting, Thomas Hague; sound, Elton P ....
Sense of 'Humor' at MTC.(LEGIT BITS)
Dec 02, 2008; ... Manhattan Theater Club will round out its Off Broadway season with "Humor Abuse," a new play created by Lorenzo Pisoni and Erica Schmidt. Solo play features Pisoni ("Equus") recounting his childhood with Pickle Family Circus, the San Francisco Bay-area clown troupe in which ...
Praisery logs London ID.
Dec 02, 2008; ... PR concern ID has hired Rupert Fowler to head a newly established London office, giving the company a European presence to go with its New York and Los Angeles outposts. ID has also hired Natalie Lent to head an Emerging Platforms department, which will utilize blogs, YouTube ...
'Kung' Pow at noms: 'Panda' tops Annie race.
Dec 02, 2008; ... In the battle for Annie Award nominations, DreamWorks Animation's tubby panda fared better than Pixar's plucky robot or Disney's doggy hero. "Kung Fu Panda" led with 17 noms for the ASIFA-Hollywood animation kudos, including best feature, feature directing and feature writing ....
B'buster will take tix Live.
Dec 02, 2008; ... Blockbuster will be the exclusive physical retail ticket outlet for Live Nation Ticketing. The homevideo and game retailer has inked a three-year agreement with concert promoter Live Nation to sell tickets in about 500 outlets. The stores will be in markets that mirror Live ...
Killer's in 'Hollywood'.
Dec 02, 2008; ... GC Corp. has bought rights to Israeli TV series "Danny Hollywood," assigning it to the venture capital fund's production unit, Killer Films. Story follows three time-traveling journalists investigating the mysterious death of a pop star. Killer will reset the skein in 1960s ...
Farrelly floats Boat with comedy shorts.
Dec 02, 2008; ... Overture Films and A Bigger Boat are going short, developing an untitled feature produced by Peter Farrelly and Charles Wessler consisting of two dozen short comedy films in the vein of ,'The Groove Tube" and "Kentucky Fried Movie." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Directors ...
Lips.
Dec 02, 2008; ... A Microsoft presentation of a game developed by iNiS for the Xbox 360. Rated T. $70 (with two microphones). Microsoft's efforts to broaden the Xbox 360's appeal beyond hardcore "Halo" players continues with "Lips," a flashy new karaoke game that's targeted at casual players ....
Xanadu.
Dec 02, 2008; ... (Mandell Weiss Theater, La Jolla, Calif.; 525 seats; $100 top) A La Jolla Playhouse presentation of a musical in one act with music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, book by Douglas Carter Beane, based on the Universal Pictures film screenplay by Richard Danus and Marc ...
'Cadillac' takes blues legends for a ride.
Dec 02, 2008; ... CADILLAC RECORDS," WHICH opens Friday, will be the latest film to explore a blues story, this one about Chess Records, the 20th century's single most important blues record label. It proffers a convincing likeness of Muddy Waters but tweaks the facts in other areas. ...
Showbiz stocks: Monday, December 1, 2008.
Dec 02, 2008 ... <Pre> Showbiz Stocks Monday, December 1, 2008 YTD Name TkrPE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT CIDM ... .66 -.03-85.2 Avid AVID ...11.02-1.50 ...
Beeb cuts post jobs: pubcaster arm hands out pinkslips.(World News)
Dec 02, 2008; ... BBC Resources, the pubcaster's post-production and studio facilities arm, is cutting 210 of its 742 staffers as it addresses the impact of the economic downturn. The outfit operates as a commercial venture, selling its services to the private sector, so is more likely to be hit ...
Telecinco signs up for TBS kidvid block.(World News)
Dec 02, 2008; ... Time Warner's TBS has inked with Telecinco, Spain's top-rated broadcaster, to air a three-hour children's programming block weekend mornings on the flagship free-to-air Telecinco channel. Telecinco will also sked six hours daily of kids fare on its digital terrestrial channel ...
Sony's Wigan will get CineAsia nod.(ASIA)
Dec 02, 2008; ... Longtime Sony Pictures exec Gareth Wigan will receive the CineAsia Visionary Award Dec. 11 at the Wynn Macau in Macau. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From 1997 through last spring, Wigan oversaw Sony's local-language production program, through which ...
Filmex fetes 'Bashir'.(JAPAN)('Waltz With Bashir' in Tokyo Filmex Festival)(Brief article)
Dec 02, 2008; ... Israeli helmer Ari Folman's Cannes competition player "Waltz With Bashir" won the grand prize at the ninth Tokyo Filmex Festival, which closed Sunday. A personal docu made in the form of a toon, the pie was cited for "inventing a new ...
ITV gig for BBC exec.(UNITED KINGDOM)
Dec 02, 2008; ... Terrestrial web ITV has tapped the BBC exec credited with nurturing the original version of global hit "Strictly Come Dancing"--known in the U.S. as "Dancing With the Stars." Elaine Bedell, who will be ITV's director of entertainment and ...
'Tony' dances at Turin.(World News)(Pablo Larrain's 'Tony Manero')
Dec 02, 2008; ... "Tony Manero," Chilean helmer Pablo Larrain's offbeat portrayal of a Santiago low-lifer obsessed with John Travolta's character in "Saturday Night Fever," was the big winner at the 26th Turin Film Festival, which wrapped Saturday amid plaudits for artistic director Nanni Moretti. ...
'Liverpool' flies at Gijon.(World News)(Gijon Festival)(Brief article)
Dec 02, 2008; ... "Liverpool," from Argentina's Lisandro Alonso, took feature kudos at Spain's Gijon Festival, which closed on Saturday with "In Search of a Midnight Kiss" from U.S. helmer Alex Holdridge. A slice-of-lifer, "Liverpool" follows a 50-ish merchant sailor who, after years at sea, ...