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Deals, Deals & More Sundance Deals…

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday January 22, 2007 @ 5:45pm PSTTags: Actors, Agents, Directors, Documentaries, Movies, Studios, Sundance, Writers
  • Waitress sold to Peter Rice’s Fox Searchlight. Studio puts price at $4 million worldwide (but I heard $5 mil). Starring Keri Russell, written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelley. Searchlight outbid Miramax, Focus among other distribs for this sweet pic.
  • Fox Searchlight also shelled out $4 mil for worldwide rights to Manhattan-set modern horror story about a well-to-do family from George Ratliff, Joshua.
  • Clubland, called a dramedy, sold to Warner Independent Pictures president for $4 mil for U.S., Canadian, UK and German rights. Stars Brenda Blethyn, directed by Cherie Nowlan and written by Keith Thompson.
  • In the Shadow of the Moon documentary by David Sington sold to ThinkFilm which edged out WIP and others with bid for $2 mil. That includes all North American rights except TV. Doc uses rarely seen NASA footage from Apollo mission and is said to have James Cameron-like cool special effects.
  • Magnolia Pictures coughed up mid-six figures for documentary Crazy Love from PR bigwig Dan Klores (photo, right) for all rights excluding TV. Pic is about a famous acid-throwing incident involving a woman and a spurned lover who then married when he was released from prison. The couple even made a Sundance appearance.
  • There was a rumor that the very violent Weapons from Adam Bhala Lough about a gun-toting youth culture and its brutal senseless killings sold to Sony. But maybe not.
  • Teen horror Teeth, marking Mitchell Lichtenstein’s coming-of-age feature debut about a virgin with labial incisors, sold to Lionsgate and The Weinstein Co. on Sunday for $1 mil.
  • My Kid Could Paint That, a child prodigy documentary, sold to Sony Classics cusack.jpgfor $2 mil. TV rights already snapped up by Discovery and A&E before sale.
  • Grace Is Gone sold to The Weinstein Company for $4 million worldwide after hard-fought seven hours of bidding that didn’t end until 5 a.m. Starring John Cusack (photo, left, who sat through most of the negotiating), written and directed by first-timer James Strouse about a father whose wife is killed in Iraq.
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    Want Superbowl XLI Tickets? Ask CAA*

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday January 21, 2007 @ 8:07pm PSTTags: Agents, Marketing, Sports

    *Since CAA’s IMG-acquired sports agents Tom Condon and Ken Kremer rep Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts quarterback who’s headed to Miami to play the Chicago Bears. caalogo-thumb.jpgIt was the largest comeback in AFC and NFC championship game history. In terms of … Read More »

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    Sundance Suckering Still The Story

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday January 21, 2007 @ 5:11pm PSTTags: Film Festivals, Finance, Indie, LA Weekly, Movies, Sundance

    sundancefilmfestival.JPGMy old lalogo.gif column, The Sundance Suckers, is as true today as when I wrote it back in 2003. I don’t get all … Read More »

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    H’wood Will Never Forget Art Buchwald

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday January 21, 2007 @ 4:47pm PSTTags: Books, Law, Movies, R.I.P., Trades, Writers

    Art Buchwald, who passed away Wednesday, will always be remembered in Hollywood because the  columnist / writer helped establish the parameters of what “net” means in the movie business. “Hey, buddy, have you found any more money in Paramount’s books?” the comedian inquired with his trademark impish grin when his celebrated Los Angeles trial … Read More »

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    Link to LA Weekly’s Daily Sundance Blog

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday January 20, 2007 @ 12:25pm PSTTags: Internet, LA Weekly, Movies, Sundance

    I highly recommend the Sundance blog being kept by my LA Weekly colleague, film critic Scott Foundas. Check out his opener stories, and stay tuned for his daily insights. As for me being there, sorry, but I don’t do cold. Unless I’m paid to.

    … Read More »

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    Biz Fallout From Roy E. Disney’s Divorce?

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday January 20, 2007 @ 12:05pm PSTTags: Courts, Hollywood, Law, Moguls, Studios

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    Huge surprise (even to his publicist) about Roy E. Disney, who looks so eeerily like his late uncle Walt, divorcing his wife of 51 years, Patricia. And so sad, like Mickey and Minnie splitting up. All I can say is … Read More »

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    Post Golden Globes: #1 ‘Stomp’-ing B.O.; ‘Queen’, ‘Babel’, ‘Dreamgirls’ All Helped

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday January 20, 2007 @ 10:12am PSTTags: Box Office, Directors, Movies, Studios

    goldenglobesbrad.jpgSUNDAY AM ANALYSIS: The Golden Globes broadcast last Monday did exactly what it’s supposed to: help the winning films. While the Hollywood Foreign Press Association behind the show is meaningless, the awards are a … Read More »

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    Ross Johnson Exits Freelance For Flackery

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday January 19, 2007 @ 8:18pm PSTTags: Blogs, Journalism, Media, P.R.

    I’m busy on a project, but I thought I’d pass along this in the meantime: Los Angeles freelance journalist Ross Johnson who now and then covered the Hollywood beat has gone to work for Sitrick & Co. A while ago, he used to work for the Los Angeles Daily Journal legal newspaper, and … Read More »

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    Burkle/Broad: Details of ‘Da Boys’ Bid: They Now Want TV Group + Newspapers; Their Meetings With Both Baquet & Hiller

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday January 18, 2007 @ 1:07am PSTTags: Big Media, Finance, LA Times, Media, Moguls, Regulation, Studios

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    Wow, was the Tribune Co. punked, or what? That was some lousy auction since none of the bidders offered to pay a premium to swallow the company whole. Broad/Burkle have put in a bid, and so have the Chandler family, who … Read More »

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    Finke/LA Weekly: Brad’s Boorish Globes

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 17, 2007 @ 5:18pm PSTTags: Awards, Hollywood, LA Weekly, Moguls, Movies, Studios

    My latest lalogo.gif column, Brad Grey’s Performance Less Than Golden, examines what people were saying about the Paramount honcho’s behavior at the Globes, and in recent weeks during this awards season, involving Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, table-hopping, the press room, … Read More »

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    The Horror, The Horror, Of CAA’s 424

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 17, 2007 @ 10:16am PSTTags: Agents, Hollywood, Moguls, Ovitz

    caalogo-thumb.jpgNow that CAA has finally made the move to its new office digs at 2000 Avenue Of the Stars — known as the “hole” building — in Century City (sorry, but I don’t think I can be funnier … Read More »

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    Who Is America’s Favorite Movie Star?

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 16, 2007 @ 2:20pm PSTTags: Actors, Agents, Celebrity, Hollywood, Internet, MTV

    denzeltom.jpgWho woulda thought? Denzel Washington was the No. 1 movie star for 2006, (after dropping off the Top 10 list in 2005), according to the annual Harris Poll which I’ve managed to put my hands on today. … Read More »

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    Pellicano To Re-Marry Kat & Re-Hire Attys

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 16, 2007 @ 12:39pm PSTTags: Courts, Law, Media, Pellicano, Scandal

    Make up your mind, Anthony. First, he and Kat Pellicano divorced in 2002 after an 18-year marriage. Now I’m told they’re going to re-marry. When I phoned Kat today, she declined at this time to confirm or deny my report of her pending … Read More »

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    CAA Vultures Circling Basketball Stars

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 16, 2007 @ 9:57am PSTTags: Agents, Sports

    caalogo-thumb.jpgBack in April, I wrote extensively about the vultures at CAA circling the sports management business by hiring some top sports agents repping football and baseball stars. And I also reported how this was CAA prez … Read More »

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    Golden Globes: My Running Awards Blog

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday January 15, 2007 @ 6:10pm PSTTags: Actors, Awards, Blogs, Celebrity, Movies, Networks, Studios, TV

    At the 64th annual Golden Globes. First came the surprise arrival of Jack Nicholson, who’d been ill. Then the awards show began and, right now….

    sacha.jpgmurphyglobe.jpg

    …there’s the start of a … Read More »

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    Jack Nicholson Shows For Golden Globes

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday January 15, 2007 @ 5:51pm PSTTags: Actors, Awards, Movies

    jack.jpgJack Nicholson showed up at the Golden Globes (he’s a 7-time Globe winner, and was nominated again tonight but did not win) despite reports that he’s been sick for months. But his pals “hope … Read More »

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    Will Broad/Burkle Bid For Tribune Co? Well, Mogul Frank Biondi Is Advising

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday January 15, 2007 @ 5:18pm PSTTags: Big Media, Finance, LA Times, Media, Moguls, NY Times, TV

    No one still knows anything about the future of the Los Angeles Times. But Hollywood will remember Frank Biondi, the ex-Viacom and Universal mogul who it turns out is helping advise the Broad / Burkle duo. (Biondi’s Big Media bonafides also aided Carl … Read More »

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    Yes, Network Chiefs Have Favorite Pilots

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday January 15, 2007 @ 4:47pm PSTTags: Networks, Studios, TV, TV Pilots

    tellem1.jpgNetwork suits may say they love all their shows, but they really do have favorites. I’m told that CBS Paramount Network TV Entertainment Group prez Nancy Tellem’s pet pilot is the one about 1970s suburban … Read More »

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    ABC Ent Prez McPherson ‘Lost’ His Lunch

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday January 15, 2007 @ 4:11pm PSTTags: Networks, Producers, TV, TV Scheduling, TV Shows, Writers

    lost.jpgI love that ABC Entertainment prez Steve McPherson suffered major heartburn when the Lost executive producers announced an end game to the TV Critics Association (TCA). Saying that X Files is their “cautionary tale” … Read More »

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