Friday, April 4, 2008

Hyperion publisher goes to HarperCollins


By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer


NEW YORK - In an ever-uncertain market for publishers, HarperCollins is looking to resolve two of the industry's major concerns: High author advances and the high rate of returned books.

The longtime and energetic founder-president of Hyperion, Robert S. Miller, has left to join HarperCollins, where he will head a new imprint specializing in short, "popular-priced" books, nonreturnable shipments to stores and lowered money to authors up front in exchange for increased profit sharing.

"Our goal will be to effectively publish books that might not otherwise emerge in an increasingly 'big book' environment, an environment in which established authors are under enormous pressure to top their previous successes, while new authors are finding it harder and harder to be published at all," Miller said in a statement issued Thursday by HarperCollins, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and already the distributor of Hyperion.

Hyperion, owned by the Walt Disney Company, announced Thursday that, effective immediately, Miller would be replaced by Ellen Archer, currently Hyperion's senior vice president and publisher.

"Bob and I worked beautifully together," Archer told The Associated Press, "and we had practically a decade (nine years) of this wonderful working relationship. I think it's an exciting time in publishing and I believe that he and I, because we're very similar, see a world of great opportunity."

"I'm very, very happy that Ellen is taking over," Miller told the AP, adding that even he is surprised to be switching jobs. "She is already so immersed in the company and has so many ideas of her own."

During Miller's 17 years at Hyperion, he published a wide range of best sellers, from Mitch Albom's "For One More Day" to David Halberstam's "The Coldest Winter." A passionate advocate for both Hyperion and the industry overall, he currently chairs the trade publishers executive committee of the Association of American Publishers.

"Bob is an idea-a-minute man," Jane Friedman, president and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide, told the AP. Miller and Friedman are old friends and both say that the idea for Miller's move came after the two met for a drink, on Feb. 29, and discussed — as publishers often do — what's wrong with the business.

"I was talking about all these ideas and how it would be great to try and do some things differently and she said, `Why don't we?'" Miller recalls. "She wasn't just going to sit around and talk."

Miller's imprint, currently unnamed, will release about 25 books a year "in multiple physical and digital formats ... with the aim to combine the best practices of trade publishing while taking full advantage of the internet for sales, marketing and distribution," according to HarperCollins.

Miller, who will begin at HarperCollins on April 14, says the books will be short, citing such compact Hyperion releases as Steve Martin's "Shopgirl," and that they will cost around $20. He hopes to attract both new authors and established authors looking to write something less commercial.

At least two planned features break from traditional practices, aggravated the increasing reliance on blockbuster hits for profits: The imprint will pay lower advances, or none at all, but divide profits equally (instead of 15 percent of the retail price or lower for the author); releases will be sent to stores on a nonreturnable basis.

"I;m going to talk to booksellers and try to find a way to break out of this bind booksellers and publishers are in, with this incredibly high return rate (around 40 percent)," Miller says, who acknowledged that he had not figured out he would convince booksellers to shift the risk of unsold books from the publishers to themselves.

"We'll let you know when we know. The point is to announce it and talk to people. It's an experiment."

Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild, which represents more than 8,000 published authors, said "the devil was in the details" about Miller's proposed changes. He wonders how HarperCollins will calculate costs in deciding how much profit there it to share. And he worries that nonreturnable books will make stores less likely to take a chance on new or obscure writers.

"It puts greater pressure on the stores simply to look at the sales record," he says.

Oren Teicher, chief operating officer of the American Booksellers Association, which represents the country's independent stores, said owners would likely want bigger discounts in exchange for books not being returned. But Teicher said he would be willing to hear any ideas that might spare "the colossal waste of books being shipped back and forth."

At Hyperion, Archer says she is also looking to make major changes, including a digital deal that would be a "a paradigm shift for how a book is published."


"It's definitely going to be a very interesting experiment," she said, declining to give details. "Anyone who isn't thinking like this, trying to change the way we published, is going to be out of business."

    This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

    Lil Jon gets into winemaking


    By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer


    LOS ANGELES (AP) — It turns out Lil Jon drinks more than crunk juice — the larger-than-life producer and rapper has started his own wine label, offering selections including chardonnay and merlot.

    "It kind of came out of nowhere," Lil Jon told The Associated Press of his new venture, Little Jonathan Winery. "We were just going to do some private label stuff (for parties) and we did it, and people was like, `Hey, it's pretty nice.'"

    Lil Jon acknowledges that he's no wine connoisseur. "I'm not no `drink wine every day' kind of dude," he said in a telephone interview. "I'm not like an expert, so don't ask me no questions ... I just like the taste."

    And he knows what he likes, including white wines and dessert wines (winemaker Alison Crowe is responsible for the label, made in California).

    Little Jonathan Winery is not Lil Jon's first venture into the drink market: He launched Crunk!!! Energy Drink a few years back: The concoction took its name from the rap style he made famous. But he is treating his venture into winemaking with a more serious approach, which is why he decided against using his stage name for the label.

    "My full name is Jonathan," the Atlanta-based artist said. "The wine is more nature: I wanted to not just have a direct connection, but make it just a little bit more upscale than regular 'Lil Jon.' ... This is not no ghetto Boone's Farm; this is some real wine."

    Lil Jon has more time on his hands these days for winemaking and other ventures: While he continues to produce hits, he hasn't released an album since 2004's best-selling "Crunk Juice" with the Eastside Boyz. It may be a little while longer before fans hear new music, since his label, TVT Records, recently went bankrupt.

    Lil Jon said he has an album ready to go — he's just waiting for the TVT situation to resolve itself.

    "I want to get it out asap, but TVT has to figure out their business, and that's about all I can say," he said with a laugh.

      This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

      News Corp Internet division to reorganize


      By Kenneth Li


      NEW YORK (Reuters) -
      News Corp's Fox Interactive Media
      Internet division could fall short of its fiscal 2008 revenue
      target of $1 billion, as it reorganizes its divisions to better
      exploit the online advertising market.

      The News Corp division that oversees the world's largest
      social network MySpace said in a statement it plans to
      officially launch its long-awaited online advertising network.

      The FIM Audience Network will consolidate its newly
      developed advertising technologies such as its
      "hyper-targeting" tools that tailors advertisements to Web
      surfer's interest.

      "I am confident that we are moving in the right direction
      to secure our long-term success, and I am certain that we have
      the right leadership team in place to take us there," FIM Chief
      Peter Levinsohn said in a memo to employees obtained by
      Reuters.

      Regarding its revenue targets, Fox Interactive Media said
      in a statement, "We expect to be close to our target."

      The memo partially confirms a report on technology blog
      TechCrunch, which reported late on Thursday that the division
      would miss its annual revenue target of about $1 billion and
      likely come in at around $900 million.

      Fox Interactive Media said Adam Bain, executive vice
      president of production and technology at FIM, will be named
      president of FIM Audience Network.

      The restructuring will also see the departure of Chief
      Revenue Officer Michael Barrett, a former Time Warner Inc
      executive, the company said.

      The ability to efficiently sell advertising on social
      networks was questioned after Google Inc, a close partner of
      MySpace, expressed early doubts about its ability to "monetize"
      social network advertising in a conference call following the
      release of its first quarter financial report.

      But MySpace's new hyper-targeting technologies is designed
      to address those short-comings of the relatively new market.

      The timing of the rollout of the new technology could be
      partially to blame for the potential shortfall, one company
      source said.

      Levinsohn also told employees that the unit's sales
      department would also be decentralized to improve
      accountability.

      "By integrating the sales teams in this way, each operating
      unit will be empowered to assume responsibility for its
      revenue, growth and profitability," Levinsohn told employees in
      the memo.

      (Editing by Anshuman Daga)

        This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

        Qualcomm aims to expand TV service


        By ELLIOT SPAGAT, AP Business Writer


        SAN DIEGO (AP) — Qualcomm Inc. said Thursday that it will use the radio spectrum it won in a recent government auction to double the capacity of its mobile television service on swaths of both coasts.

        The wireless chipmaker paid $554.6 million for the old UHF channel 56 in the Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco regions.

        Qualcomm said the spectrum will give its MediaFLO USA service the ability to double offerings from Orange County, Calif., to Northern California on the West coast and from New Hampshire to Maryland on the East coast. MediaFLO will now have 12 megahertz of bandwidth in those areas, compared with 6 megahertz in the rest of the country.

        The 6-megahertz network was designed to deliver up to 20 live streaming video channels, as well as audio channels and short video clips.

        "It just allows us to substantially broaden and deepen the content," said Dean Brenner, Qualcomm's vice president of government affairs.

        Satellite broadcaster Dish Network Corp. won the remaining channel 56 licenses in the country in a surprise, $712 million bid.

        The auction winners were announced last month but they were barred from talking about their plans until Thursday, which was the deadline for down payments. A Dish Network spokeswoman did not immediately respond to phone messages Thursday night.

        Qualcomm, based in San Diego, is best known as the world's largest maker of chips that power cell phones and for licensing its patented technology to other companies. More recently, it dived into mobile television, a business it says it may eventually spin off.

        Verizon Wireless began offering Qualcomm's MediaFLO service last year and has reached 58 markets. AT&T Inc. plans to begin offering MediaFLO in May. The service features programming from CBS, NBC, FOX, ESPN, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.

        The federal government is auctioning chunks of airwaves as it prepares to end analog broadcasts by Feb. 17, 2009. It is making all UHF broadcast spectrum above channel 52 available for new wireless services.

        Qualcomm said it will use spectrum on UHF channels 53 and 58 to test new technologies. It paid $3.5 million for those licenses in Imperial County, Calif., Yuba City, Calif., and Hunterdon County, N.J., where Qualcomm has offices.

          This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

          Former Vanity Fair editor to launch Web site


          By Paul Bond


          LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
          Move over, Matt Drudge.
          A fresh site for aggregating links to the hottest news stories
          is coming courtesy of Barry Diller and Tina Brown.

          Diller' and his IAC/InterActiveCorp. business will bankroll
          the effort, which doesn't have a name or a launch date. The
          site will be run by Brown, the so-called "Queen of Buzz" famous
          for having once been the editor of Vanity Fair and the New
          Yorker
          .

          Brown also authored "The Diana Chronicles," her tell-all
          book about Princess Diana, and is writing "The Clinton
          Chronicles" for release in 2010.

          Diller, IAC and Brown aren't discussing details of their
          venture, though published reports have former Wall Street
          Journal
          deputy managing editor Edward Felsenthal as the site's
          planned editor.

          Diller recently won his legal battle with Liberty Media
          chairman John Malone for control over IAC, and insiders said
          the victory was instrumental in moving the Brown project
          forward.

          The new site might be nonpartisan and feature links to
          worthwhile news stories from many sources, as opposed to
          relying on its own content.

          Although several published reports are comparing the
          concept of the Diller-Brown site to the Huffington Post, the
          Drudge Report is a closer analogy because the big draw to the
          former is its original blog content while Drudge relies mainly
          on links to outside news sources.

          The Huffington Post, run by Brown's friend Arianna
          Huffington
          , by some accounts, is worth $200 million, many times
          more than the published speculation of the worth of the Drudge
          Report. That figure, though, is surely an exaggeration, as the
          Drudge Report, run on a shoestring budget, is no doubt
          profitable while the Huffington Post is a money loser.

          According to Nielsen//NetRatings, the Drudge Report had 3.5
          million unique visitors in February who each spent an average
          of one hour on the site, while the Huffington Post had 3.8
          million visitors who each spent eight minutes on the site.

          Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

            This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

            Couch potatoes still glued to TV during strike


            By James Hibberd


            LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
            During the recent
            Hollywood writers strike, TV fans barely left the couch.

            According to a new study, strike-era viewers managed to
            increase the amount of time they spent watching DVDs, playing
            video games and surfing the Internet while watching as much
            television programming as before.

            The findings are from a just-released Nielsen research
            study assessing the impact of the 100-day strike, which was
            settled almost two months ago.

            The report concluded that the industrywide work stoppage
            lowered the average primetime total viewer ratings on the four
            major broadcast networks by 6.1 percent from the beginning of
            the walkoff in November to its conclusion in mid-February.
            (Data combine both live viewings as well as in the following
            seven days on digital recorders)

            Yet when Nielsen examined the number of households using
            television (including watching daytime, video-on-demand, cable
            and other sources), the numbers showed a 0.5 percent increase
            during the strike.

            So viewers might have watched fewer primetime hits, but
            they didn't use their television any less.

            During the strike period, viewers also found time to watch
            even more DVDs (+17.4 percent), play more video games (+37.5
            percent) and spend more time online than last year.

            Although broadcast viewers did flee to cable, their impact
            was relatively modest. Ad-supported basic cable viewing
            increased 1.4 percent during the strike.

            Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

              This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

              Seinfeld unhurt after Hamptons car wreck


              EAST HAMPTON, N.Y. - Jerry Seinfeld was in a harrowing rollover wreck but was unhurt after the brakes on one of his vintage cars failed.

              Seinfeld was driving alone when the brakes on his 1967 Fiat BTM stopped working Saturday evening, East Hampton Town Police Chief Todd Sarris told the New York Post. Seinfeld tried the emergency brake, to no avail, and then swerved to keep the car from careening into an intersection, Sarris said.

              The two-door sedan flipped over and came to a stop just yards from the highway, Sarris said, adding that the comic's maneuver "probably avoided a very serious accident."

              The wreck was attributed to mechanical failure, and no summonses were issued, Sarris said. Seinfeld, 53, did not require medical attention and returned to his East Hampton home.

              "He was a little shocked when he walked in and it started to dawn on him what happened," said his wife, Jessica.

              The comedian took the crash in stride.

              "Because I know there are kids out there, I want to make sure they all know that driving without braking is not something I recommend, unless you have professional clown training or a comedy background, as I do," Seinfeld said. "It is not something I plan to make a habit of."

              The sitcom star, who co-wrote, co-produced and starred in last year's animated "Bee Movie," is an auto aficionado. He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in November that his favorite car in his collection is a 1955 Porsche Spyder.

              (This version CORRECTS careering to careening)

                This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                'American Idol' cuts another contestant


                By ERIN CARLSON, Associated Press Writer


                LOS ANGELES - Say goodbye, Malubay. Ramiele Malubay — the diminutive singer with the big voice — was booted from "American Idol" as the show trimmed the competition to eight hopefuls.

                Malubay, 20, of Miramar, Fla., crooned Dolly Parton's "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" on Tuesday night's show. Paula Abdul enjoyed the performance. Randy Jackson thought it was OK. But Simon Cowell — not so much.

                "Overall I thought it was forgettable, and I think it was very reminiscent of something you would see and hear on a cruise ship," the acerbic judge told Malubay.

                Brooke White and Kristy Lee Cook were the other lowest vote-getters.

                Fan favorite David Cook was back for the results show after having heart palpitations and high blood pressure near the end of Tuesday's sing-off.

                The 25-year-old Missouri native — who was subsequently treated at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center — told host Ryan Seacrest that the "whole thing kind of got blown out of proportion. ... I have high blood pressure, and it spiked."

                Wednesday's show also featured performances by celebrity mentor Parton and The Clark Brothers.

                ___

                On the Net:

                http://www.americanidol/

                  This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                  Clinton has fun on 'The Tonight Show'


                  By BETH FOUHY, Associated Press Writer


                  BURBANK, Calif. - Hillary Rodham Clinton made fun of herself Thursday, telling "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno she almost didn't make it to his studio.

                  "It is so great to be here, I was so worried I wasn't going to make it. I was pinned down by sniper fire," Clinton said after joining him onstage, referring to her claims — since disputed — that she dodged sniper bullets while arriving in Bosnia as first lady. Clinton later said she had "misspoke."

                  As she entered, Leno's band played the "Rocky" theme, jumping off her statement this week that she is the underdog in the Democratic nominating contest against Barack Obama, just like the fictitious boxer was against his opponent in the Oscar-winning movie.

                  "This has been such a mismatch of words and action," Clinton continued. "Obviously I've been so privileged to represent our country in more than 80 other countries, lots of war zones. I wrote about it in my book and obviously had a lapse. But here I am, safe and sound."

                  Leno asked how much sleep Clinton was getting. "Answering the phone at 3:00, that's gotta be tough," he joked, referring to her campaign commercials that ask which candidate would be the best prepared as president for middle-of-the-night emergencies.

                  "It happens every single night. Someone calls up and they have something to say. You've got to stop calling me," Clinton told Leno.

                  Clinton said she was proud of her daughter, Chelsea, 28, who has been campaigning for her. But she said her "stomach is in knots" most days thinking about what she might encounter each day. Chelsea Clinton has fielded some tough questions in recent appearances, particularly about her father's relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Her response has been that it's none of the questioner's business.

                  Asked about her daughter telling a voter that her mother might make a better president than her father, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton grinned and said: "She is such a smart young woman."

                  Leno also asked about moments during the campaign in which the former president has blown up at reporters and others.

                  "When you're supporting someone you love, you really do take it very much to heart," she said. "I said 'OK, honey, that's all right, we don't have to go get excited about it.' He's doing a great job for me but he does get a little carried away sometimes."

                    This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                    Breakdance pioneer dies in NYC


                    By ULA ILNYTZKY, Associated Press Writer


                    NEW YORK - Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost, a hip-hop pioneer whose acrobatic performance with the legendary Rock Steady Crew in the 1983 movie "Flashdance" helped set off a worldwide breakdancing craze, has died. He was 44.

                    Frost died Thursday at Mount Sinai Medical Center after a long illness, said Jorge "Fabel" Pabon, a senior vice president of the crew where Frost and other so-called b-boys (for beat or break boys) made their name performing complicated and daring dance routines.

                    "He was one of most charismatic b-boys that ever lived," said Benson Lee, director of the new documentary film "Planet B-Boy."

                    Breakdancing emerged from the Bronx and Harlem in the early 1970s, part of the hip-hop culture that also included graffiti, MCing or rapping, and disc jockeys scratching and mixing vinyl records on turntables.

                    During extended pauses, or breaks, in the music, b-boys would mimic James Brown's showmanship and footwork and Bruce Lee's martial arts, adding their own signature moves.

                    Frost was known for his energetic style, intricate choreography and fearless moves including back flips and head spins. One was even dubbed the "Suicide."

                    Frost got his start in 1978 with the Bronx-based Rock City Crew. In 1981, he became part of the Rock Steady Crew, joining such acclaimed breakdancers as Ken Swift and Lil Crazy Legs.

                    Frost toured the world with the Rock Steady Crew and other hip-hop artists, including Fab 5 Freddy, Futura 2000 and Kool Lady Blue.

                    Frost's appearance with Rock Steady Crew in "Flashdance" spread the breakdance phenomenon globally, said Joseph Schloss, a visiting scholar in the music department at New York University. "He was one of the first B-boys that most people ever saw," Schloss said.

                    Graffiti artist and close friend Zulu King Slone, who knew Frost for 15 years, said he was "like a walking hip-hop culture encyclopedia."

                    As a member of the Rock Steady Crew, Frost also appeared in several movies on hip-hop culture, including "Wild Style," "Beat Street" and "Style Wars." He also appeared on the cover of the Village Voice in 1981.

                    Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

                    ___

                    Associated Press writer Tania Fuentez contributed to this report.

                    ___

                    On the Net:

                    http://www.rocksteadycrew

                      This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                      Show goes on for Cuba's Buena Vista band


                      HAVANA (Reuters) -
                      Its oldest stars died after a late burst
                      of international fame, but the show goes on for Cuba's
                      trademark Buena Vista Social Club band as it taps new blood to
                      keep touring.

                      The 13-piece band travels to Britain next week to perform
                      32 concerts from London to Liverpool and Edinburgh.

                      Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez will be playing the bass again and
                      Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal will be on trumpet. The survivors of
                      the original 1997 Grammy-winning recording that gave the band
                      its name and fame are now in their mid-70s.

                      The young addition to the group is lead singer Idania
                      Valdes, 26, who started as a chorus girl with Buena Vista six
                      years ago and played keyboard for an off-shoot band of the late
                      Ibrahim Ferrer.

                      Barbarito Torres, 52, who plays the laud, an instrument
                      like a lute, and timbal percussionist Amadito Valdes, 62, the
                      "golden sticks" of Buena Vista, are still regular performers
                      who will join the tour.

                      "The most famous names in the Buena Vista project have died
                      but the band has become a trademark of Cuban music," said
                      Valdes, creator of a unique style of playing the timbales, a
                      Cuban instrument made famous by Puerto Rican Tito Puentes.

                      Since the 2003 death of Buena Vista's elder-statesman
                      singer Compay Segundo at the age of 95, another three of its
                      original line-up have passed away: pianist Ruben Gonzalez,
                      singer Ibrahim Ferrer and vocalist and composer Pio Leyva.

                      Other members have gone their own way, such as guitarist
                      Eliades Ochoa, who tours Europe every year with his own band,
                      and Buena Vista diva and ballad singer Omara Portuondo, who
                      last played with the original band members in Mexico in 2006.

                      Portuondo will sing at Kenwood House on London's Hampstead
                      Heath in July with her own band.

                      Many of the musicians were brought out of retirement during
                      a legendary recording session in March 1997 produced in Havana
                      by U.S. guitarist Ry Cooder, though the idea was the brainchild
                      of world music label owner Nick Gold of Britain.

                      The mambo, cha cha cha and bolero music they played struck
                      a chord of nostalgia for the golden age of Cuban music mirrored
                      in the crumbling old buildings and vintage American cars still
                      plying the streets of Havana.

                      The Buena Vista recording sold one million copies within a
                      year and reached new audiences through the documentary by
                      German film-maker Wim Wenders two years later. To date seven
                      million copies have been sold, making it the biggest selling
                      world music disc ever.

                      Cuban music had been cut off by the Cold War from its
                      natural market in the United States and the Grammy-winning
                      Buena Vista recaptured Americas audiences and won new listeners
                      as far away as Iceland and New Zealand, Valdes said.

                      "It broke all records for the sale of Cuban music and
                      became a trademark of Cuba," said Valdes, tapping on his
                      timbales, two small drums on a stand with a cowbell.

                      Buena Vista's Cuban founder, Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, the
                      man who gathered together the original musicians, continues to
                      promote faces through his own band Afro-Cuban All Stars.

                      (Editing by Anthony Boadle and Vicki Allen)

                        This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                        Rolling Stones, YouTube team up for music channel


                        LONDON (Reuters) -
                        The Rolling Stones and the YouTube video
                        Web
                        site have teamed up to launch a new entertainment channel.

                        According to a statement from the band and record label
                        Universal, fans can upload questions to the Stones about "Shine
                        a Light," a new documentary about the veteran rockers directed
                        by Martin Scorsese, as well as "any other burning questions."

                        "By visiting www.youtube/livinglegends, viewers will be
                        able to upload footage of themselves asking their questions to
                        Mick Jagger and/or Keith Richards," the statement said.

                        "The best questions will be personally answered, with the
                        subsequent footage of the Rolling Stones available to watch
                        exclusively on this new YouTube channel in a few weeks' time."

                        YouTube is featuring a short video clip of Jagger and
                        Richards to promote the channel on the main page of its site in
                        the United States and across much of Europe and Asia.

                        YouTube is launching a music channel called YouTube Living
                        Legends which invites top pop acts from around the world to
                        communicate with fans via the popular site.

                        The announcement on Friday comes shortly after MySpace, the
                        world's biggest social networking site, said it had created an
                        online music venture with three major record companies in a
                        challenge to Apple Inc's iTunes Music Store.

                        (Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

                          This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                          "24" actress joins "Julia" cast


                          LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
                          "24" star Mary Lynn
                          Rajskub
                          has joined Amy Adams and Meryl Streep in "Julie and
                          Julia," a movie inspired by late cooking icon Julia Child.

                          The Columbia Pictures film tells the true story of Julie
                          Powell (Adams), who spent a year cooking all 524 recipes in
                          Child's classic cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French
                          Cuisine," and blogging about her experiences.

                          Rajskub plays Powell's best friend, Helen. The film also
                          covers Child's life in France in the 1940s and 1950s, based on
                          her biography. Streep plays Child, and her "The Devil Wears
                          Prada" co-star Stanley Tucci plays her husband, Paul.

                          Nora Ephron is currently shooting the film in New York.

                          Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

                            This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                            Clooney Punts WGA Membership


                            Josh Grossberg


                            Los Angeles (E! Online) -
                            George Clooney has quit the writers' union varsity team.

                            The Oscar winner, who wrote, directed, produced and stars in the 1920s-set football comedy Leatherheads, in theaters today, has had a falling out with the Writers Guild of America after not receiving credit for penning the film's screenplay.

                            Per Variety, the WGA ruled in a 2-to-1 arbitration vote that the 46-year-old Clooney was not entitled to have his name listed onscreen alongside cowriters Duncan Brantley and Rick Reilly, despite his estimate that he rewrote a large chunk of their original screenplay.

                            As a result, the A-lister quietly decided last fall to change his status to "financial core." Fi-core members, as they're called, are covered by the basic union contract as stipulated by the WGA's constitution, but pay lower dues and have drastically reduced union privileges than regular members.

                            Once a member chooses to go fi-core, the decision is permanent and that person loses voting rights and cannot run for office or attend union meetings. In essence, they stop participating in WGA activities.

                            Why would Clooney take such drastic action?

                            He told the trade that he felt he had been wronged by an organization he's supported through thick and thin, most recently during the contentious strike.

                            "When your own union doesn't back what you've done, the only honorable thing to do is not participate," he said, adding that in no way did he try to cut out Brantley and Reilly from receiving credit.

                            Instead, Clooney believed he deserved to be recognized for his script work. He said he would have dropped out of the WGA completely after the arbitration ruling, but for the fact he would have had a tougher time writing screenplays for future projects, since the major Hollywood studios are bound to honor their contract with the union.

                            According to Clooney's longtime producing partner, Grant Heslov, who runs their Smokehouse production company, Leatherheads had been collecting dust for the past 17 years before Clooney decided he wanted a "lighter" project after Good Night, and Good Luck.

                            So the Michael Clayton star went to work rewriting almost every scene to make the film a throwback screwball comedy—at which point he received the go-ahead from Universal to make the movie.

                            "George liked Leatherheads, but said it never felt quite right," Heslov told Variety. "He took it to Italy with him, and I remember when he called to say he thought he'd solved it. One thing that you clearly see, if you read the original, the subsequent drafts and then his draft, is that he wrote the majority of the film."

                            However, when a director applies for writing credit on a project, under WGA rules, the dispute automatically goes to an arbitration panel.

                            Heslov said he and Clooney were "shocked" and felt that the WGA fumbled the ball on this one.

                            "We both thought Duncan and Rick would get first position credit, which they deserved. But this wasn't right," he said.

                            Clooney said he refrained from appealing because he didn't want to appear to be feuding with the guild during the run-up to the strike.

                            Heslov pointed out that going fi-core was Clooney's "form of protest," which he wanted to keep from being made public.

                            "We're both big union guys," said the producer. "Between us, we belong to 12 unions. I think they made the wrong decision, and he was within his rights to respond by going financial core."


                            A rep for the WGA declined to comment on the matter.

                              This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                              Rhames joins Willis on sci-fi thriller


                              LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
                              Ving Rhames will reunite
                              with fellow "Pulp Fiction" veteran Bruce Willis in the sci-fi
                              thriller "The Surrogates," which starts shooting later this
                              month.

                              The Disney film, based on a graphic novel, is set in a
                              world where humans live risk-free lives through robot
                              surrogates that are eternally young, perfect-looking versions
                              of themselves.

                              Rhames plays a charismatic cult figure who disdains the use
                              of surrogates and tries to lead an uprising against the "new
                              world order." Willis plays a cop who, through his surrogate,
                              investigates the murders of others' surrogates.

                              Also joining the project are Australian actress Radha
                              Mitchell
                              ("Silent Hill") as Willis' professional partner, and
                              British thespian Rosamund Pike ("Fracture") as his wife.
                              Jonathan Mostow is directing.

                              Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

                                This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                Farrow going to Darfur for China protest


                                SAN FRANCISCO - As the world turns its attention to Beijing and the Summer Olympic Games, Mia Farrow will be broadcasting from a Sudanese refugee camp to highlight China's involvement in the region.

                                Farrow will spend the first week of the Beijing Olympics in August showing the poor living conditions of ethnic African refugees displaced by conflict with the Sudanese Arab-dominated government, the group Dream for Darfur announced Thursday.

                                The group criticizes China's role as Sudan's main trading partner, buying oil from Sudan and selling the country many of the weapons used to wage war on the agrarian tribal people of Darfur, said executive director Jill Savitt.

                                Farrow's broadcasts will be available over the Internet.

                                Representatives for the 63-year-old actress said Farrow couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

                                Dream for Darfur, along with partners Save Darfur Coalition and the San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition, also wants world leaders to boycott the opening ceremonies unless the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur, a peacekeeping mission, is fully deployed in the region.

                                "We're calling on world leaders to not sit by as Beijing celebrates itself," Savitt said.

                                ___

                                On the Net:

                                Dream for Darfur:

                                http://www.dreamfordarfur.org/

                                San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition:

                                http://www.darfursf.org/

                                Save Darfur:

                                http://www.savedarfur.org

                                This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                Breakdance pioneer dies in NYC


                                By ULA ILNYTZKY, Associated Press Writer


                                NEW YORK - Wayne "Frosty Freeze" Frost, a hip-hop pioneer whose acrobatic performance with the legendary Rock Steady Crew in the 1983 movie "Flashdance" helped set off a worldwide breakdancing craze, has died. He was 44.

                                Frost died Thursday at Mount Sinai Medical Center after a long illness, said Jorge "Fabel" Pabon, a senior vice president of the crew where Frost and other so-called b-boys (for beat or break boys) made their name performing complicated and daring dance routines.

                                "He was one of most charismatic b-boys that ever lived," said Benson Lee, director of the new documentary film "Planet B-Boy."

                                Breakdancing emerged from the Bronx and Harlem in the early 1970s, part of the hip-hop culture that also included graffiti, MCing or rapping, and disc jockeys scratching and mixing vinyl records on turntables.

                                During extended pauses, or breaks, in the music, b-boys would mimic James Brown's showmanship and footwork and Bruce Lee's martial arts, adding their own signature moves.

                                Frost was known for his energetic style, intricate choreography and fearless moves including back flips and head spins. One was even dubbed the "Suicide."

                                Frost got his start in 1978 with the Bronx-based Rock City Crew. In 1981, he became part of the Rock Steady Crew, joining such acclaimed breakdancers as Ken Swift and Lil Crazy Legs.

                                Frost toured the world with the Rock Steady Crew and other hip-hop artists, including Fab 5 Freddy, Futura 2000 and Kool Lady Blue.

                                Frost's appearance with Rock Steady Crew in "Flashdance" spread the breakdance phenomenon globally, said Joseph Schloss, a visiting scholar in the music department at New York University. "He was one of the first B-boys that most people ever saw," Schloss said.

                                Graffiti artist and close friend Zulu King Slone, who knew Frost for 15 years, said he was "like a walking hip-hop culture encyclopedia."

                                As a member of the Rock Steady Crew, Frost also appeared in several movies on hip-hop culture, including "Wild Style," "Beat Street" and "Style Wars." He also appeared on the cover of the Village Voice in 1981.

                                Funeral arrangements were incomplete.

                                ___

                                Associated Press writer Tania Fuentez contributed to this report.

                                ___

                                On the Net:

                                http://www.rocksteadycrew

                                  This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                  Milli Vanilli act saves 'Aida'


                                  PITTSBURGH - Desperate artistic times called for desperate artistic measures. So when the tenor got sick, the conductor stepped in to save the performance of "Aida."

                                  Pittsburgh Opera musical director Antony Walker sang into a microphone from the pit while still conducting the orchestra as ailing tenor Vladimir Kusmenko lip-synched on stage during Tuesday night's final act.

                                  "It was an amazing experience," Walker said. "I could feel the orchestra and the audience were with me. And I hope I never have to do that again."

                                  Walker, a trained vocalist, often sings during rehearsals.

                                  "I have sung every note of 'Aida.' I do that with every opera I prepare," Walker said. "I find you can empathize with the singers better."

                                  Kusmenko told Artistic Director Christopher Hahn that he was ill the afternoon before the performance so Hahn arranged for a substitute tenor, Eduardo Villa of New York's Metropolitan Opera, to replace him as Radames in the Verdi opera.

                                  Villa was scheduled to arrive halfway through the performance, because Kusmenko's doctor felt he could begin the performance. But when Villa's flight was delayed, Walker was pressed into double duty.

                                    This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                    Star wins 'Whiter Shade of Pale' appeal


                                    By D'ARCY DORAN, Associated Press Writer


                                    LONDON - The lead singer of the British band Procol Harum won an appeals court judgment Friday awarding him the full royalties to the iconic hit, "A Whiter Shade of Pale."

                                    Britain's Court of Appeal ruling for rock star Gary Brooker overturned a lower court decision granting the group's former organist 40 percent of the millions of dollars in royalties from the song.

                                    The appeals court agreed Matthew Fisher, who played the haunting organ theme, was entitled to co-authorship but said he will receive no money from past or future royalties.

                                    "For nearly three years this claim has been a great strain upon myself and my family. I believe the original trial was unfair and the results wrong," Brooker said. "I would hope that now, we can all get on with our lives."

                                    Lord Justice John Mummery said Fisher was "guilty of excessive and inexcusable delay in asserting his claim."

                                    Fisher, who quit the band in 1969 and is now a computer programmer in London, filed his claim to joint ownership nearly 40 years after the song was recorded and became one of the anthems of the 1967 "Summer of Love." The record has sold 10 million copies, and Rolling Stone magazine has ranked the song 57th on a list of the 500 greatest of all time.

                                    Brooker argued that it was his idea to use the theme based on Bach's "Air on the G String" that Fisher played on the track, and that he was unable to make his case properly because Fisher did not tell him he was pursuing his legal claim.

                                    Brooker, who still tours with the band, said he and lyricist Keith Reid wrote the song before Fisher joined the band in March 1967.

                                    The two had called Fisher's earlier court victory a dangerous precedent, saying it meant any musician who had played on any recording in the past four decades could claim joint authorship.

                                    The judge rejected Fisher's claim for an estimated $2 million in back royalties.

                                    Mummery said the issue of who will pay legal costs will be decided later, as well as whether Fisher can appeal the decision to the House of Lords, Britain's highest court.

                                    In December, a judge awarded the classically trained Fisher a 40 percent share in the copyright of the song, saying his organ solo was "a distinctive and significant contribution to the overall composition."

                                    "A Whiter Shade of Pale," famous for its cryptic lyrics — "We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels 'cross the floor" — topped the British charts for five weeks in 1967 and was a top five hit in the U.S.

                                      This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                      Naomi Campbell released on bail


                                      LONDON - Naomi Campbell was released on bail Friday after a spat with a police officer at Heathrow Airport's troubled new Terminal 5, where one of her bags was lost.

                                      Campbell, 37, left the airport police station just after midnight. London's Metropolitan Police said she was released pending further inquiries and told to report to a police station in late May.

                                      The London-born supermodel was arrested late Thursday on suspicion of assaulting an officer after police were called to a disturbance at the airport. Since Terminal 5 opened last week, more than 28,000 bags have been separated from their owners.

                                      Witnesses said Campbell was aboard a British Airways plane due to depart for Los Angeles when she became involved in a dispute because one of her bags had been lost. During the dispute, Campbell allegedly spit on the officer.

                                      Campbell's spokeswoman, Annabel Fox, said Campbell was traveling to the U.S. to attend a memorial service and had boarded the plane when she was told one of her two checked bags was missing.

                                      British Airways "decided to resolve this by insisting she leave the flight and then called the police to forcibly eject her," Fox said.

                                      Campbell has a history of assaulting assistants and employees.

                                      In 2000, she pleaded guilty in Toronto to an assault charge for beating an assistant while making a film in 1998. Under an agreement with prosecutors, Campbell expressed remorse and was released without punishment or a criminal record.

                                      In January 2007, Campbell pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for throwing her cell phone at her maid in a dispute over a missing pair of jeans. She was ordered to do community service and attend a two-day anger-management program.

                                        This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                        Rapper Remy Ma plans NYC jail nuptials


                                        NEW YORK - Rapper Remy Ma isn't letting jail derail her wedding plans. The Grammy-nominated artist aims to marry her fiance, fellow rapper Papoose, at the city's Rikers Island jail while she awaits her sentencing for shooting a friend she suspected of stealing $3,000, lawyer Ivan Fisher said.

                                        "They're much in love," Fisher said. "They're very committed to each other, and they had intended to marry one way or another."

                                        Remy Ma, whose real name is Remy Smith, was convicted last month of assault, weapon possession and attempted coercion in the July 2007 shooting after a party at a Manhattan nightclub.

                                        The 26-year-old performer is being held without bail until her sentencing, set for April 23. She faces the possibility of up to 25 years in prison.

                                        About 200 weddings are performed each year at Rikers Island, which offers chaplains and chapels, said city Department of Correction spokesman Stephen Morello. Only two guests will be permitted, and the couple won't be allowed to wear rings with protruding gems.

                                        Remy Ma was nominated for a Grammy as part of the Terror Squad for the 2004 hit "Lean Back." She also has recorded with rap stars Busta Rhymes and Eminem.

                                        Papoose's "Born To Win" was featured on the top-selling football video game "Madden NFL 06," and the music magazine Rolling Stone named him one of its "10 Artists to Watch" in 2006.

                                        The Brooklyn rapper, whose real name is Shamele Mackie, also attracted attention with a track called "50 Shots," in which he vented his anger about a fatal 2006 New York City police shooting of an unarmed man who was hours away from getting married.

                                          This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                          Monday, March 31, 2008

                                          "21" wins jackpot at North American box office


                                          By Dean Goodman


                                          LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -
                                          The new gambling drama "21" played
                                          a winning hand at the weekend box office in North America,
                                          earning an estimated $23.7 million in its first round,
                                          distributor Columbia Pictures said on Sunday.

                                          The fact-based saga revolves around a team of college
                                          whizzes who conspire to count cards at blackjack tables in Las
                                          Vegas. The cast includes Kevin Spacey, a professor who coaches
                                          the students, and Laurence Fishburne, who plays a casino thug.
                                          The movie was directed by Australian filmmaker Robert Luketic
                                          ("Legally Blonde").

                                          Columbia Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp, said the opening
                                          for the $35 million film exceeded expectations, and it played
                                          strongly to old, young, male and female moviegoers.

                                          After two weekends at No. 1, the animated smash "Dr. Seuss'
                                          Horton Hears A Who
                                          !" slipped to No. 2 with $17.4 million. The
                                          20th Century Fox comedy, featuring the voices of Jim Carrey and
                                          Steve Carell, became the first release of 2008 to hit the
                                          century mark, with sales of $117.3 million to date. Fox is a
                                          unit of News Corp.

                                          New at No. 3 was the spoof "Superhero Movie," with a
                                          disappointing $9.5 million. Industry observers had expected an
                                          opening in the low- to mid-teen millions. Two months ago, the
                                          similarly themed "Meet the Spartans" opened to $18.5 million.
                                          "Superhero Movie" was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
                                          Inc
                                          ., and produced by Weinstein Co's Dimension Films banner.
                                          Both are privately held. MGM declined comment.

                                          'STOP-LOSS' MISFIRES

                                          Prolific filmmaker Tyler Perry's latest comedy "Meet the
                                          Browns" tumbled two places to No. 4 with $7.8 million, 61
                                          percent lower than its opening weekend haul. Its total stands
                                          at $32.8 million. The film was released by Lionsgate, a unit of
                                          Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

                                          The Owen Wilson comedy "Drillbit Taylor" fell one place to
                                          No. 5 with $5.3 million, also in its second weekend. Its drop
                                          was 49 percent, and its total rose to $20.6 million. The film
                                          was released by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc.

                                          Paramount also released the Iraq war-themed drama
                                          "Stop-Loss," which opened at No. 8 with just $4.5 million.
                                          War-related films, such as "In the Valley of Elah" and
                                          "Rendition" have bombed at the box office, and expectations
                                          were low for "Stop-Loss," which stars Ryan Phillippe as a
                                          soldier who faces a second tour of duty. It was made by
                                          Kimberly Peirce, who directed Hilary Swank's Oscar-winning
                                          performance in the 1999 film "Boys Don't Cry."

                                          The British comedy "Run, Fat Boy, Run," the feature
                                          directing debut of former "Friends" star David Schwimmer,
                                          opened at No. 13 with $2.4 million. The film topped the U.K.
                                          box office in September, and was initially scheduled to open in
                                          North America the following month. It was released by
                                          Picturehouse, a unit of Time Warner Inc.

                                          Overall sales fell for a second consecutive weekend and the
                                          first quarter finished on a flat note. Ticket sales for the
                                          quarter stood at $2.1 billion, up 0.64 percent from the
                                          year-ago period, according to Media By Numbers, which collects
                                          box office data. Attendance was down 2.6 percent. A year ago,
                                          sales were up 5.7 percent from the first quarter of 2006 and
                                          attendance was up 3.9 percent.

                                          Media By Numbers president Paul Dergarabedian said the box
                                          office faced a tough comparison with last year. By the end of
                                          the first quarter last year, three films had made over $100
                                          million: "Ghost Rider," "Wild Hogs" and "300."

                                          He predicted business would remain tough for the next few
                                          weeks. The lucrative summer period begins May 2 with the Marvel
                                          comic book adaptation "Iron Man," but no one expects the Robert
                                          Downey Jr
                                          . movie to come close to the record-breaking $151
                                          million opening for "Spider-Man 3" in 2007.

                                            This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                            Hollywood unions rift derails unified labor talks


                                            SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -
                                            A unified front by Hollywood's
                                            two actors' unions engaged in labor talks with movie studios
                                            has dissolved in acrimony, leaving them to negotiate separate
                                            deals before a strike deadline.

                                            The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or
                                            AFTRA, told the Screen Actors Guild, or SAG, late on Saturday
                                            that it was terminating a joint negotiation agreement, accusing
                                            the more-powerful SAG of trying to undermine it.

                                            "AFTRA believes it must devote its full energies to working
                                            on behalf of performers, and not wasting its time assessing
                                            whether our partner is being honest with us," AFTRA President
                                            Roberta Reardon said in a statement.

                                            Reardon said AFTRA aimed to negotiate a contract as soon as
                                            possible for its 70,000 members, who include actors, singers,
                                            dancers, announcers and other broadcast performers.

                                            The 120,000-strong SAG called AFTRA's move "calculated" and
                                            "cynical" and said it did not serve members' interests.

                                            The current film and TV contract expires on June 30, which
                                            is being treated as the de facto strike deadline. An actors'
                                            strike would deal a major blow to Hollywood, where nerves are
                                            still raw from the 14-week writers' strike that ended February
                                            12.

                                            The unions share many of the same demands as writers, who
                                            sought more money for work distributed over the Internet, but
                                            the actors also face unique issues such as forced commercial
                                            endorsements through product placement in TV shows and movies.

                                            The studios are represented by the Alliance of Motion
                                            Picture and Television Pictures, which said it was "pleased" to
                                            hear AFTRA was ready to begin talks immediately.

                                            (Reporting by Scott Hillis)

                                              This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                              Live Nation inks 12-year pact with U2


                                              By Yinka Adegoke
                                              2 hours, 53 minutes ago


                                              NEW YORK (Reuters) -
                                              Live Nation Inc said on Monday it had
                                              signed a 12-year global contract to handle the merchandising,
                                              digital and branding rights of Irish band U2, along with its
                                              touring.

                                              The deal with U2, one of the world's biggest rock bands,
                                              comes just five months after Live Nation announced a
                                              comprehensive partnership with pop star Madonna, which included
                                              her coveted recording rights.

                                              But Live Nation said U2 will continue the band's long-term
                                              recording and publishing relationship with Universal Music
                                              Group
                                              , a unit of French media giant Vivendi.

                                              "It's not a do or die situation that we have to be involved
                                              in the recordings," said Live Nation Chairman Michael Cohl in
                                              an interview with Reuters. "We'd prefer to, but it's not always
                                              available."

                                              The company would not reveal financial terms of the U2
                                              deal.

                                              The deal with Madonna, which included the recording rights,
                                              was estimated to be worth $120 million over 10 years including
                                              a three-album commitment after the artist submits her last
                                              album to her current music company, Warner Music Group.

                                              Live Nation has been expanding its business model to
                                              develop more far-reaching and deeper relationships with artists
                                              beyond just handling their touring.

                                              Its partnership with U2 will now include merchandise and
                                              licensing rights, sponsorship and strategic alliances, digital
                                              rights, fan club/Web sites and other marketing and creative
                                              services.

                                              Cohl said the new model will help boost the overall
                                              company's profit margins. Analysts have said that touring and
                                              ticketing have traditionally been a low-margin business.

                                              Several of the company's executives had managed U2's tours
                                              for more than 20 years.

                                              DIVERSIFICATION

                                              Live Nation's attempts to diversify its business and win
                                              artists from music labels, come as the major labels are also
                                              trying to reinvent their business and win control of touring,
                                              digital and merchandise rights of their artists.

                                              The music companies are keen to replace lost revenues
                                              caused by falling recorded music sales. Fans are buying fewer
                                              CDs and are not purchasing enough digital music to make up for
                                              the shortfall.

                                              The major labels have started signing some artists to
                                              so-called 360-degree deals which, as well as recording,
                                              includes publishing, touring, digital and other rights.

                                              Cohl said his company will focus on signing other major
                                              artists rather than developing new acts such as a traditional
                                              music label or publishing house.

                                              "Our intention is to work with artists who are already
                                              making it or on their way to making it," he said.

                                              Live Nation said its new strategy will also include its Web
                                              site LiveNation, which Cohl said was aiming to become the
                                              biggest music portal on the Web through a mixture of ticketing,
                                              merchandise sales as well as fan clubs and other features.

                                              (Additional reporting by Justin Grant; editing by
                                              Jacqueline Wong and Sue Thomas)

                                                This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                                Actors unions butt heads over negotiations


                                                By Leslie Simmons
                                                2 hours, 6 minutes ago


                                                LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
                                                The bad blood between
                                                Hollywood's two major actors' unions reached Hatfield and McCoy
                                                levels during the weekend just as they prepare to negotiate new
                                                labor contracts for their members.

                                                Saturday's stunning decision by the American Federation of
                                                Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to negotiate its own deal
                                                with the studios rather than in partnership with the bigger and
                                                more-confrontational Screen Actors Guild (SAG) raises the
                                                question of which union will sit down first for formal talks.

                                                The unions' TV-theatrical contract, which they have jointly
                                                negotiated for 27 years, expires on June 30. The studios,
                                                slowly recovering from the 100-day writers' strike, are fearful
                                                of another walkout and are delaying work on projects that could
                                                be interrupted in the summer.

                                                The union that does not negotiate a new contract first with
                                                the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (AMPTP)
                                                could find itself facing a bigger battle, depending on whether
                                                its proposals are greatly different than what was agreed upon
                                                by the other union.

                                                AFTRA, whose contract covers 44,000 members of both unions,
                                                has been pushing for early talks all along, so it would come as
                                                no surprise if it were first to the table.

                                                Both unions said Sunday that they would be getting in touch
                                                with the AMPTP within the next few days.

                                                "Informal discussions are happening and we expect to set a
                                                timeline soon," AFTRA president Roberta Reardon said.

                                                SAG executive director and chief negotiator Doug Allen said
                                                the union plans to call the AMPTP Monday.

                                                "We've discussed it informally with them," Allen said.
                                                "This is what we were waiting for to get started on bargaining:
                                                To get this process finished and for the input of the members
                                                who were all participating."

                                                The AMPTP issued a statement Saturday saying it was pleased
                                                that AFTRA is ready to start formal talks and is determined to
                                                "work hard and bargain reasonably" to avoid another harmful
                                                strike in the industry. The statement made no mention of SAG.
                                                (Hollywood writers walked out for 100 days last year.)

                                                Both unions, however, probably will wait until after the
                                                April 7 start of talks between AMPTP and the Intl. Assn. of
                                                Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), which represents
                                                blue-collar studio workers.

                                                AFTRA's eleventh-hour decision to suspend its joint
                                                bargaining agreement with SAG, known as Phase One, came as both
                                                actors unions were set to vote on a proposal package their
                                                members had been working on since February. Terms of the
                                                package have not been disclosed.

                                                Just last Tuesday and Wednesday, members of both unions'
                                                "wages and working conditions" committees met to put finishing
                                                touches on the package. Word out of those meetings was that
                                                both worked amicably side by side.

                                                But even that characterization had Allen and Reardon
                                                disagreeing. SAG's Allen described the meetings as "energetic"
                                                and "exciting." AFTRA's Reardon said there had been "tensions"
                                                and "disagreements."

                                                The straw that broke the camel's back Saturday, Reardon
                                                said, was the anticipated decision by the cast of the daytime
                                                soap opera
                                                "The Bold and the Beautiful" to circulate a petition
                                                seeking to annul AFTRA's representation of the show's actors.

                                                Several weeks ago, members of the cast approached SAG about
                                                issues they had regarding AFTRA's representation.

                                                "They're fed up that AFTRA has not taken care of their
                                                needs and concerns and that AFTRA has not assisted them in
                                                getting money owed to them," said SAG national board member
                                                Anne-Marie Johnson, also an AFTRA member. "They're fed up with
                                                their health and retirement package, and they know SAG will
                                                assist if they could."

                                                Johnson said the actors were told to bring it up with AFTRA
                                                because SAG taking jurisdiction over the "Bold" actors would be
                                                considered "raiding."


                                                Allen said the guild assured AFTRA it would not assist the
                                                soap opera's cast in their efforts to organize with SAG.


                                                "The timing of this was transparently obvious," Allen said.
                                                "It was incredibly cynical and calculated. It was a flimsy
                                                excuse. SAG was never intent on raiding or representing the
                                                soap opera."


                                                But Reardon said for AFTRA it was clear SAG planned a raid.
                                                She cautioned that the decision to stop jointly bargaining was
                                                not just because of "Bold."


                                                "We had learned about 'The Bold and the Beautiful'
                                                situation but found out quite later in the game that the
                                                situation was much more dire than we first knew," Reardon
                                                explained.


                                                Over the last year, there have been "growing attacks from
                                                the guild" that pushed AFTRA to its boiling point, including
                                                "letters in the screen actors magazine, petitions, elected
                                                leaders of SAG on the sets of our cable shows."


                                                "It's been a very planned campaign to discredit AFTRA and
                                                the decertification petition is the outcome of that," she said.
                                                "You cannot engage in bargaining with employers when you're
                                                sitting at a table with a partner you don't trust. We would
                                                spend more time negotiating with each other than the industry."


                                                Despite the contentious history, Allen denied Reardon's
                                                allegations of a SAG campaign against AFTRA and said it tried
                                                to work with its sister union.


                                                "How is it better for the acting members of the unions to
                                                negotiate separately?" Allen asked. "How is the leverage of the
                                                average working actor increased by negotiating separately as
                                                opposed to together?"


                                                But not every SAG member believes the union's leadership
                                                was that blindsided by AFTRA's decision or will mourn the loss
                                                of the union as a bargaining partner.


                                                "It was only recently that the Hollywood leadership of SAG
                                                was actively working to end our relationship with AFTRA over
                                                the strenuous objections of those of us who knew what the
                                                outcome would be for both unions," said Sam Freed a New York
                                                member who is SAG's second national vp. "Now, after a year of
                                                provocation that has gotten them what they always wanted, they
                                                are placing the blame on everyone but themselves for the
                                                outcome. The current Hollywood leadership of SAG has today
                                                failed all actors."


                                                Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

                                                  This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                                  Kids Choose Miley, Johnny, Jessica


                                                  Gina Serpe


                                                  Los Angeles (E! Online) -
                                                  You don't have to be a kid to win big at the Kids' Choice Awards, but it certainly seems to help.

                                                  Just ask Miley Cyrus, who enjoyed the best of both worlds—singing and acting—at Nickelodeon's 21st annual slimefest Saturday night, taking home awards for both Favorite TV Actress and Favorite Female Singer at the kid-powered show.

                                                  The omnipresent Hannah Montana star, who also performed her new single "G.N.O. (Girl's Night Out)" during the ceremony, was the only individual double winner of the night.

                                                  The night's only other multiple honoree was Nickelodeon's homegrown talent Drake & Josh, which not only took home the coveted orange blimp for Favorite TV Show but earned series star Drake Bell the Favorite TV Actor award, as well.

                                                  Jack Black returned as host, opening the night with one of his trademark musical parody numbers—this time around, a rousing rendition of "I Was Made for Sliming You," an ode to the wonders of the show's signature green goo—before welcoming the tween masses to "the slimiest, starriest, choiciest awards show ever!"

                                                  The first prize of the night went to Jessica Alba, who was crowned Favorite Movie Actress at the completely fan-determined awards show. As Black was keen to boast, more than 88 million votes were cast prior to the ceremony.

                                                  "I love Nickelodeon!" the mom-to-be said. "I wore green today in honor of the slime. I love making movies for you all."

                                                  But for all the awards doled out over the course of the show—perpetual favorite Johnny Depp took home the nod for Favorite Movie Actor, though parents can rest assured it was for swashbuckling turn in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End rather than the blood-soaked Sweeney Todd, while Alvin and the Chipmunks was honored as Favorite Movie—slime was definitely the name of the game.

                                                  In keeping with the green theme, Heidi Klum gamely made an appearance at the show, coming onstage to pop slime-filled balloons with help from a giant bum-spanning pad covered in spikes. Usher and Akon got in on the messy action later in the show, blasting a sumo wrestler with an industrial strength slime hose and making their way through a slime-filled obstacle course, respectively.

                                                  The slimey set pièce de résistance, however, came courtesy of host Black and Orlando Bloom, whose climactic and lengthy joint sliming was one for the show's history books.

                                                  "It's the whole reason I became an actor," Bloom said upon his being raised into a slime-filled tank. "To take part in the biggest celebrity sliming in Kids' Choice history."

                                                  In a change of pace, the awards show also managed to make history for another, completely slime-unrelated reason: The distribution of the first ever Wannabe Award.

                                                  Cameron Diaz was the honored recipient, so chosen for being the celebrity kids most "want to be." Ashton Kutcher was on hand to present the award.

                                                  "This is the biggest honor of my life!" she said. "Kids are the future...and I'm honored to inspire you to change this world...Go out and make this a better world!"

                                                  Here's the complete list of winners for the Kids' Choice Awards:

                                                  MOVIES

                                                    • Favorite Movie Actor:  Johnny Depp
                                                    • Favorite Movie Actress:  Jessica Alba
                                                    • Favorite Movie:  Alvin and the Chipmunks
                                                    • Favorite Animated Movie:  Ratatouille
                                                    • Favorite Voice in an Animated Movie:  Eddie Murphy, Shrek the Third

                                                  TV


                                                    • Favorite Reality Show:  American Idol
                                                    • Favorite TV Show:  Drake & Josh
                                                    • Favorite Animated Show:  Avatar: The Latest Airbender
                                                    • Favorite TV Actor:  Drake Bell, Drake & Josh
                                                    • Favorite TV Actress:  Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana


                                                  MUSIC


                                                    • Favorite Female Singer:  Miley Cyrus
                                                    • Favorite Male Singer:  Chris Brown
                                                    • Favorite Music Group:  Jonas Brothers
                                                    • Favorite Song:  Avril Lavigne, "Girlfriend"


                                                  SPORTS


                                                    • Favorite Male Athlete:  Tony Hawk
                                                    • Favorite Female Athlete:  Danica Patrick


                                                  OTHER


                                                    • Wannabe Award:  Cameron Diaz
                                                    • Favorite Book:  Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
                                                    • Favorite Videogame: Madden NFL '08


                                                   

                                                    This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                                    Ian McShane fit for "Kings" as NBC hones fall slate


                                                    By James Hibberd

                                                    Ian McShane is returning to television
                                                    as star of NBC's drama pilot "Kings."

                                                    Sources said NBC is planning to announce series pickups for
                                                    "Kings," a remake of "Knight Rider," the Christian Slater drama
                                                    "My Worst Enemy," and "The Philanthropist" during its "upfront"
                                                    presentation to advertisers on Wednesday.

                                                    In line with programming chief Ben Silverman's affinity for
                                                    commercial, easily promotable franchises, three of the shows
                                                    are based on popular concepts. "Rider," which started as a
                                                    highly-rated two-hour movie/backdoor pilot in February, is a
                                                    spinoff from the 1980s series. "Enemy" is a take on "Jekyll &
                                                    Hyde" with Slater starring as a suburban dad who learns that
                                                    his alter ego is a spy.

                                                    And "Kings" is loosely based on the story of King David.
                                                    Australian actor Christopher Egan stars as a pure-hearted young
                                                    warrior who joins the court of the charismatic and
                                                    authoritative King Silas (McShane).

                                                    Meanwhile, "Philanthropist" had been an early favorite of
                                                    Silverman and his team, even though the project has failed to
                                                    cast the lead yet. It revolves around a rebel billionaire who
                                                    helps those in need.

                                                    Sources say a renewal of "Lipstick Jungle" looks unlikely
                                                    and that the network is still mulling the future of the
                                                    Patricia Arquette drama "Medium," which is in its fourth
                                                    season.

                                                    Year-round programming and development will be a central
                                                    theme at NBC's Wednesday presentation, and the unveiled 2008-09
                                                    schedule is expected to reflect that. Details about the lineup,
                                                    which will be presented in a news conference format, are being
                                                    kept under wraps.

                                                    Sources indicate "Chuck" is favored to return to its Monday
                                                    8 p.m. slot, followed by "Heroes" and "My Worst Enemy."
                                                    Tuesdays will probably have a two-hour "Biggest Loser,"
                                                    followed by "Law & Order: SVU." Wednesday is a wild card night,
                                                    with a new drama likely to debut at 9 p.m. Thursdays will
                                                    probably remain unchanged, with the two-hour comedy block
                                                    followed by a renewed "ER." "Kath & Kim," which received a
                                                    six-episode order in February, is a contender for the slot that
                                                    will be vacated by departing Thursday comedy "Scrubs." Fridays
                                                    are in flux, while Sundays will be dominated by the NFL.

                                                    Mindful of rushing "Bionic Woman" to air last year with
                                                    uneven results, sources says the network was recently toying
                                                    with the idea of taking its time with "Rider" and launching it
                                                    in midseason, possibly in the coveted post-Super Bowl slot.

                                                    NBC also has been approaching advertisers about doing more
                                                    "green weeks," with a modest version potentially planned for
                                                    later this month to coincide with Earth Day and a more
                                                    expansive version tentatively scheduled for November.

                                                    NBC launched a heavily marketed week of green-themed
                                                    programming and marketing last November under the moniker
                                                    "Green Is Universal," but the event was largely overshadowed by
                                                    the beginning of the writers strike.

                                                    NBC is eschewing the usual May upfront extravaganza as a
                                                    cost-cutting measure and to get the jump on rivals. NBC also
                                                    will have three days of one-on-one meetings with advertisers,
                                                    then a larger "spotlight" event May 12 in Manhattan.

                                                    Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

                                                      This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                                      CBS sees Aussie actor Simon Baker as "Mentalist"


                                                      LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
                                                      Australian actor Simon
                                                      Baker, the former star of the CBS drama "The Guardian," has
                                                      reunited with the network for a drama pilot called "The
                                                      Mentalist."

                                                      Baker will play the lead role, a psychic who uses his
                                                      skills of observation to solve crimes as an independent
                                                      detective working with the police.

                                                      In addition to "The Guardian," which ran from 2001 to 2004,
                                                      Baker also starred in CBS' Ray Liotta drama "Smith," which was
                                                      cancelled after three episodes in 2006. His feature credits
                                                      include "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Land of the Dead."

                                                      Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

                                                        This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                                        A soft launch for Brown at CNN


                                                        By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer


                                                        NEW YORK - There are entrances, and there are ENTRANCES.

                                                        Campbell Brown has made a lower-caps bow at CNN, anchoring the week-night series "Election Center" for the past few weeks.

                                                        When she left NBC last summer, where she was host of "Weekend Today" and Brian Williams' primary sub on "Nightly News," Brown said she was taking time offscreen to have a baby and develop a format for the new 8 p.m. show she would anchor on CNN.

                                                        The first mission was accomplished (Eli, born Dec. 18), but events conspired to change the second. CNN cooked up "Election Center" in January to capitalize on the intense political interest and serve as a spaceholder for Brown. Instead, when she was ready to come back, Brown simply moved into the anchor chair at the all-politics program.

                                                        It's the ultimate soft launch, and saved Brown from hours of mind-numbing meetings.

                                                        "The things that go into putting a new show together — the staff, the graphics, whatever else — that's not my focus," she told The Associated Press. "That's not the sort of stuff that interested me anyway. What interested me was the story, and this landed in our laps. I couldn't have been happier."

                                                        The timing also gives Brown the chance to show her talents at a high-water mark for a network where interest ebbs and flows depending on the news.

                                                        CNN beat industry leader Fox News Channel among the advertiser-friendly age demographic of 25-to-54 in February for the first time in six years (Fox still led among all viewers), according to Nielsen Media Research.

                                                        Riding the wave of coverage for primary nights and debates, CNN has averaged 1.35 million viewers this year through March 21 in the 8 p.m. time slot. Last year's figure was 579,000. CNN's average this year still dwarfs cable news king Bill O'Reilly (2.67 million), but the two networks are within 80,000 of each other in the youthful demographic.

                                                        CNN bet on the idea that viewers are losing interest in partisan shoutfests, said Jon Klein, CNN U.S. president. With many Fox viewers leaning right and MSNBC increasingly appealing to the left, CNN wants to play to the center.

                                                        While usually a wise strategy in politics, that's against the grain on television and radio, where audiences gravitate toward strong opinions.

                                                        "There's an enormous opportunity in appealing to the vast majority of viewers who want reliable information, want to be exposed to different points of view, and then make up their own minds," Klein countered. "They don't want to be preached to, they don't want to be ranted at. They just want the facts presented to them, and that plays to the strength of CNN."

                                                        Brown said she won't shy away from opinionated analysis on her show but won't be offering it herself. That's counterprogramming in itself, since she's competing against two men (O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann) who are reliably sure of their own opinions.

                                                        The 39-year-old Brown was well-regarded at NBC, but was passed over as Katie Couric's replacement on "Today" for Meredith Vieira. She enjoyed her job, but was locked into a schedule working every weekend and most holidays.

                                                        "She's a political reporter, and that's one thing there's precious little of in prime-time television," Klein said. "There's a lot of talk, but there are very few people who have the insight that she does, and the experience."

                                                        Brown figured there were only so many "organize your closet" segments she could do on "Weekend Today" and remain interested.

                                                        "The most fun I ever had was on the campaign trail and covering the White House," said Brown, who followed President Bush's 2000 campaign and began at the White House after he was elected. "I knew that in my bones and I know that's who I am and I needed to find a way to express that more than I was able to express that at NBC."

                                                        She also had some concerns about that network's commitment to news coverage compared to CNN, noting a number of producers had left "Today" and hadn't been replaced.


                                                        Indeed, the number of producers — who do much of the off-air reporting and organizing of television news programs — declined by a startling 24 percent at ABC, CBS and NBC within the past year, according to a report released two weeks ago by the Project for Excellence in Journalism.


                                                        One problem doing a show called "Election Center" is you're vulnerable to lull periods, like during last week when Barack Obama went on vacation and a story about Hillary Clinton's misstatement about being exposed to sniper fire dominated the news.


                                                        By mid-November, "Election Center" becomes obsolete; Brown isn't going to avoid forever those meetings about what her show will look like. But that's two conventions and a general election campaign away.


                                                        A political junkie, she often wondered in the past if she was doing stories that people beyond her circle of friends cared about.


                                                        Not this year.


                                                        The response Brown sees in her e-mails confirms what networks and politicians have seen repeatedly over the past few months: people care, and they're really watching.


                                                        "They know what a superdelegate is, in a way you couldn't say about 2004, you couldn't say about 2000," she said. "I don't know what's behind it, but I love it. I'm going to ride this horse as long as I can. I think all of us will."


                                                        ___


                                                        On the Net:

                                                        http://www.cnn/


                                                        ___


                                                        David Bauder can be reached at dbauder"at"ap.org

                                                          This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog

                                                          Nickelodeon high on school musical TV movie


                                                          By Borys Kit and Kimberly Nordyke
                                                          2 hours, 56 minutes ago


                                                          LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) -
                                                          Watch out Disney!
                                                          Nickelodeon is sharpening its notes to create its own high
                                                          school musical.

                                                          The Viacom-owned kids network will next month start
                                                          shooting the TV movie "Spectacular!" a music-themed comedy set
                                                          in high school.

                                                          Although "Spectacular!" is designed as a one-off, Nick is
                                                          holding options on the stars for potential sequels. No airdate
                                                          has been set, though the movie is intended to join the ranks of
                                                          other original live-action programming on Nick, including the
                                                          hit series "Zoey 101" and "iCarly."

                                                          "Spectacular!" which has been kept below the radar, centers
                                                          on a preppy high school student (Australian Tammin Sursok) who
                                                          is part of the school's Spectacular! choir. The group is in sad
                                                          shape, with its most talented members either having graduated
                                                          or been stolen away by a rival squad. The teen sees salvation
                                                          in a cocky rocker (Canadian Nolan Funk), who reluctantly joins
                                                          "Spectacular!" to win a money prize that would finance his rock
                                                          'n' roll dreams
                                                          . But the rocker doesn't factor in falling for
                                                          the preppy girl.

                                                          Robert Iscove ("She's All That") is directing the film,
                                                          which will shoot in Vancouver.

                                                          Nick stresses that "Spectacular!" is not a classic musical.
                                                          The songs in the movie will be performance-based rather than
                                                          featuring characters suddenly breaking out into song like in
                                                          Disney's "High School Musical."

                                                          Disney unearthed a gold mine with "Musical," which became a
                                                          surprise hit upon its debut in January 2006. The sequel, which
                                                          aired in August, broke records for cable viewership, and the
                                                          soundtrack was the second-best-selling album of 2007.

                                                          Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

                                                            This content was originally posted on http://entertainews.blogspot.com/ © 2008 If you are not reading this text from the above site, you are reading a splog