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Studio Briefing:
From The Wire:
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Most Read
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THE SHOWDOWN: WALL-E VS. BATMAN, AMPAS REJECTS DARK KNIGHT SCORE, PUSHING DAISIES MAY LIVE UP TO ITS NAME, MOVIE REVIEWS: QUANTUM OF SOLACE, LATEST TEEN HEARTTHROB HAS LOVE SCENE WITH MALE ACTOR, ABOUT THAT ENDING FOR AUSTRALIA, IT WASN'T A 'HOLOGRAM,' AFTER ALL, SAYS EXPERT, BIG WEEKEND FOR ‘GETS’, MOVIE DOWNLOADS: ANOTHER WII-LIKE DEVICE NEEDED?, QUANTUM OF SOLACE HITS PIRATE NETS, CHINESE OUTRAGED AT GONG LI'S DECISION TO RENOUNCE CITIZENSHIP, PEACOCK PLUCKED, SUPPLIERS FEEL BRUNT OF CIRCUIT CITY'S COLLAPSE, INVESTING IN BOND, THE MOUTH OF THE SOUTH RAGES AGAIN, INDIE FILMMAKERS HIT HARD BY ECONOMIC CRISIS, MOVIE REVIEWS: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, VIEWERS QUITTING BROADCAST NETS, HEADING FOR CABLE, NBC NEWS ANNOUNCER DEAD AT 87, PIRACY WATCHDOG SEEKS GREATER CONTROL, |
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Top Stories
Monday, Nov 17, 2008
QUANTUM LEAPS OVER RIVALS
Monday, November 17 2008
|
Rival
studios
steered
clear
of
James
Bond
over
the
weekend,
allowing
Quantum
of
Solace
to
cash
in
on
the
wide
open
field.
The
movie
took
in
an
estimated
$70.4
million
in
ticket
sales,
well
above
experts'
estimates
of
around
$50-60
million.
And
although
it
drew
reviews
that
were
less
enthusiastic
than
those
for
its
predecessor,
Casino
Royale,
it
earned
nearly
$30
million
more
than
the
opening
for
that
film.
In
fact,
it
was
the
(more)
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OBAMA DRAWS HUGE RATINGS
Monday, November 17 2008
|
President-elect
Barack
Obama
indicated
Sunday
that
he
may
revive
the
concept
of
the
Fireside
Chat
introduced
by
Franklin
Roosevelt
in
March
1933
when
he
spoke
to
the
nation
about
the
bank
crisis.
("Some
of
our
bankers
had
shown
themselves
either
incompetent
or
dishonest.
...
They
had
used
the
money
entrusted
to
them
in
speculations
and
unwise
loans,"
Roosevelt
said.)
Appearing
on
CBS's
60
Minutes,
Obama
was
asked
by
correspondent
Steve
Kroft,
"Are
you
going
(more)
|
More Headlines
|
MOVIE VIDEOGAME COMPANY COLLAPSES
17-Nov-08
|
|
Brash,
a
Hollywood-based
videogame
company
that
specialized
in
making
games
based
on
movies,
TV
shows,
and
even
the
Six
Flags
amusement-park
rides,
closed
down
Friday,
after
a
year
and
a
half
of
poor
sales,
according
to
reports
appearing
in
Daily
Variety
and
the
Los
Angeles
Times.
The
company,
which
launched
(more)
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FANS CAMP OUT TO SEE PATTINSON
17-Nov-08
|
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Dozens
of
mostly
female
fans
of
actor
Robert
Pattinson
began
camping
out
Sunday
on
the
sidewalk
at
Mann's
Village
theater
in
Westwood,
hoping
to
get
a
glimpse
of
the
young
British
star
of
the
vampire
movie
Twilight
when
it
premieres
at
the
theater
tonight
(Monday).
Canada's
National
Post
reported
today
(more)
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NETFLIX: GOODBYE HD DVD!
17-Nov-08
|
|
Netflix
is
about
ready
to
close
the
coffin
on
HD
DVD.
The
online
movie
rental
company
said
on
Friday
that
it
will
cease
providing
movies
in
the
now
defunct
format
effective
December
15.
Netflix
reminded
subscribers
that
it
had
advised
them
last
February
that
it
would
phase
out
HD
DVD
(more)
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QUANTUM RULES OVERSEAS, TOO
17-Nov-08
|
|
Quantum
of
Solace
remained
the
top
film
overseas
for
the
third
week
in
a
row
after
it
expanded
into
a
total
of
67
markets
and
brought
in
$56.1
million.
The
overseas
total
for
the
movie
now
stands
at
$251.6
million
with
several
major
markets,
including
Australia,
Japan
and
Spain,
(more)
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NCIS CONTINUES TO PULL BIG RATINGS
17-Nov-08
|
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For
the
second
week
in
a
row,
a
repeat
of
CBS's
NCIS
has
drawn
more
viewers
than
any
other
offering
on
Friday
night.
The
result
--
the
two
episodes
averaged
11
million
viewers
each
--
is
particularly
extraordinary
given
the
fact
that
it
had
replaced
The
Ex
List,
which
was
(more)
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WGA MEMBERS ARRESTED FOR PICKETING AT HOLLYWOOD MALL
17-Nov-08
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The
Writers
Guild
of
America
may
sue
a
Hollywood
shopping
mall
where
several
of
its
members
were
arrested
last
week
on
trespassing
charges
after
reportedly
being
told
by
mall
security
guards
that
they
could
not
hand
out
leaflets
on
the
property,
the
site
of
auditions
for
Fox's
American
Idol.
The
(more)
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DID CBS CHOOSE BIASED PANEL TO PROBE RATHER?
17-Nov-08
|
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Although
CBS
had
described
the
panel
that
investigated
Dan
Rather's
60
Minutes
II
report
about
President
Bush's
National
Guard
service
as
"independent,"
documents
produced
in
Rather's
lawsuit
against
the
network
appear
to
support
Rather's
assertion
that
the
choice
of
the
panelists
was
intended
to
allay
Republican
criticism,
the
New
York
(more)
|
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PIRACY WATCHDOG SEEKS GREATER CONTROL
14-Nov-08
|
|
A
British-based
anti-piracy
group
is
seeking
tougher
copyright
legislation
that
would
require
Internet
service
providers
to
turn
over
the
names
of
suspected
pirates
to
movie
studios
without
requiring
a
court
order.
In
a
statement,
John
Lovelock,
head
of
the
semi-official
Federation
Against
Software
Theft
(FAST),
appeared
to
acknowledge
that
his
(more)
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AMPAS REJECTS DARK KNIGHT SCORE
14-Nov-08
|
|
In
times
past,
a
composer
may
have
received
credit
for
creating
the
musical
soundtrack
for
a
movie
even
when
he
contributed
little
more
than
the
theme.
However,
an
uproar
has
now
followed
the
decision
of
the
Academy
of
Motion
Picture
Arts
and
Science's
decision
to
disqualify
the
score
of
The
(more)
|
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MOVIE DOWNLOADS: ANOTHER WII-LIKE DEVICE NEEDED?
14-Nov-08
|
|
Netflix
chief
Reed
Hastings
is
urging
fellow
content
distributors
to
adopt
a
form
of
the
Internet
browser
to
simplify
the
process
of
selecting
and
downloading
movies
directly
to
TV
sets.
He
also
proposes
that
they
substitute
the
typical
remote
with
an
electronic
"pointer"
that
would
function
like
the
PC
mouse.
(more)
|
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THE SHOWDOWN: WALL-E VS. BATMAN
14-Nov-08
|
|
While
many
industry
observers
are
predicting
that
the
planned
December
9
release
of
The
Dark
Knight
on
DVD
will
become
the
year's
biggest
video
hit,
a
few
others
suggest
that
next
Tuesday's
release
of
Disney/Pixar's
WALL-E
should
not
be
overlooked.
They
point
out
that
animated
features
have
a
long
history
(more)
|
|
PUSHING DAISIES MAY LIVE UP TO ITS NAME
14-Nov-08
|
|
ABC's
Pushing
Daisies,
which
got
off
to
a
solid
start
last
season,
has
apparently
wilted
and
died
in
its
second
season,
TVWeek
indicated
Thursday.
Citing
industry
sources
familiar
with
the
situation,
the
trade
publication
reported
on
its
website
that
ABC
has
decided
not
to
produce
any
more
episodes
of
the
(more)
|
|
LOCAL STATIONS TO POOL NEWS RESOURCES
14-Nov-08
|
|
An
NBC-owned
and
a
Fox-owned
television
station
in
Philadelphia
plan
to
pool
coverage
of
certain
scheduled
events
in
the
city
and
make
the
footage
available
to
other
news
outlets
there
as
well,
including
newspapers
and
radio
stations,
NBC
and
Fox
officials
said
Thursday.
NBC's
WCAU-TV
and
Fox's
WTXF-TV
plan
to
(more)
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|
VIEWERS QUITTING BROADCAST NETS, HEADING FOR CABLE
14-Nov-08
|
|
A
comparison
of
Nielsen
ratings
figures
for
broadcast
and
cable
networks
suggests
that
broadcast's
loss
is
cable's
gain.
As
several
recent
industry
reports
have
indicated,
primetime
ratings
among
the
major
networks
are
down
by
double-digit
percentages
this
season.
However,
the
website
TVbytheNumbers.com
points
out
that
cable
networks
have
been
showing
(more)
|
|
BIG WEEKEND FOR ‘GETS’
14-Nov-08
|
|
Although
only
three
primetime
news
magazines
are
airing
these
days
--
60
Minutes
and
48
Hours
Mystery
on
CBS
and
20/20
on
ABC
--
two
of
them
are
almost
certain
to
dominate
the
ratings
this
week
with
big
"gets."
It
was
announced
Thursday
that
60
Minutes
had
landed
the
first
(more)
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In Other News
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REPORT: CHERNIN MAY STEP DOWN
14-Nov-08
|
|
Peter
Chernin,
who,
as
president
and
COO
of
News
Corp,
is
regarded
as
one
of
the
most
powerful
media
executives
in
the
U.S.,
is
considering
stepping
down
and
possibly
launching
a
new
media
company
on
his
own,
the
Los
Angeles
Times
reported
today
(Friday),
citing
unnamed
News
Corp
executives.
The
(more)
|
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SWINTON TO HEAD BERLIN FESTIVAL JURY
13-Nov-08
|
|
Tilda
Swinton
has
been
selected
to
head
the
jury
at
next
year's
Berlin
Film
Festival
--
the
Berlinale.
The
British
actress
won
this
year's
best
supporting
actress
Oscar
for
Michael
Clayton
and
costarred
in
the
Coen
brothers'
Burn
After
Reading.
(more)
|
|
TWILIGHT THE SOUNDTRACK ALREADY NO. 1
13-Nov-08
|
|
In
yet
another
indication
that
the
November
21
release
of
the
Robert
Pattinson
starrer
Twilight
may
turn
out
to
be
a
phenomenal
blockbuster
Billboard
magazine
reported
Wednesday
that
the
soundtrack
of
the
movie
debuted
at
No.
1
on
its
pop
chart
after
selling
165,000
copies
the
previous
week.
The
music
(more)
|
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LATEST TEEN HEARTTHROB HAS LOVE SCENE WITH MALE ACTOR
13-Nov-08
|
|
Suggesting
that
portraying
a
homosexual
may
no
longer
carry
the
public
relations
burden
that
it
once
did,
E!
Online
disclosed
Wednesday
that
the
latest
teen
heartthrob,
Robert
Pattinson,
will
be
seen
in
a
love
scene
with
his
male
co-star,
Javier
Beltran
in
the
forthcoming
film
Little
Ashes,
in
which
Pattinson
(more)
|
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MOVIE REVIEWS: QUANTUM OF SOLACE
13-Nov-08
|
|
Since
Quantum
of
Solace
opens
after
midnight
in
many
cities,
many
major
reviews
of
it
are
appearing
today
(Thursday),
and
they
are
decidedly
mixed.
Most
of
the
criticism
has
to
do
with
the
refashioning
of
Bond
to
appeal
to
the
tastes
of
current
moviegoers.
In
his
review
of
the
film
(more)
|
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INVESTING IN BOND
13-Nov-08
|
|
Given
the
fact
that
it
has
already
earned
$160
million
since
its
overseas
debut
two
weeks
ago,
box-office
watchers
are
predicting
that
the
latest
James
Bond
movie,
Quantum
of
Solace,
could
become
the
biggest
worldwide
hit
of
the
year,
exceeding
the
take
for
the
current
champ,
The
Dark
Knight,
which
(more)
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NBC NEWS ANNOUNCER DEAD AT 87
13-Nov-08
|
|
Howard
Reig,
the
announcer
on
NBC
Nightly
News
throughout
most
of
its
existence,
("From
NBC
News
world
headquarters
in
New
York,
this
is
NBC
Nightly
News
with
Brian
Williams")
died
Wednesday
in
Venice,
FL,
where
he
had
retired
in
2005.
He
was
87.
In
a
message
to
staff,
Nightly
News
(more)
|
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JOURNALIST GROUPS SEEKING MORE GOVERNMENT OPENNESS
13-Nov-08
|
|
The
nation's
leading
professional
news
organizations,
including
the
Radio
Television
News
Directors
Association
(RTNDA),
the
American
Society
of
Newspaper
Editors,
the
Associated
Press,
the
National
Association
of
Broadcasters
and
others,
have
sent
a
letter
to
President-elect
Obama
asking
that
he
work
to
ensure
open
access
to
all
material
related
to
(more)
|
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THE MOUTH OF THE SOUTH RAGES AGAIN
13-Nov-08
|
|
Ted
Turner,
the
man
once
referred
to
as
The
Mouth
of
the
South,
was
in
old-fashioned
form
as
he
was
interviewed
by
Time
magazine
on
the
occasion
of
the
publication
of
his
autobiography.
Turner,
who
earned
billions
when
he
sold
his
cable
broadcasting
company
to
Time
Warner
--
and
in
(more)
|
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AFTER REPORTING ON CUTBACKS, CNBC IS HIT BY THEM
13-Nov-08
|
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Despite
the
fact
that
it
has
drawn
the
biggest
audiences
in
its
history
during
the
current
financial
crisis,
CNBC's
budget
is
being
cut
by
as
much
as
10
percent
by
its
owner,
General
Electric,
the
New
York
Observer
reported
Wednesday.
The
newspaper
noted
that
the
cable
network
had
escaped
the
(more)
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PEACOCK PLUCKED
13-Nov-08
|
|
NBC's
peacock
shed
another
couple
of
feathers
Wednesday
as
My
Own
Worst
Enemy
and
Lipstick
Jungle
were
removed
from
the
network's
schedule
because
of
poor
ratings.
Other
shows
that
were
introduced
this
season
by
the
network's
entertainment
co-chairman,
Ben
Silverman,
including
Knight
Rider
and
Kath
and
Kim,
have
also
failed
(more)
|
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QUANTUM OF SOLACE HITS PIRATE NETS
12-Nov-08
|
|
Despite
MGM's
employing
an
array
of
methods
to
prevent
the
new
James
Bond
movie,
Quantum
of
Solace,
from
being
loaded
onto
peer-to-peer
websites,
it
has
already
become
available
there,
days
before
its
U.S.
theatrical
opening,
according
to
the
website
TorrentFreak.
The
website
said
that
notwithstanding
such
security
efforts
as
bag
(more)
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