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Former MTV Networks Programming Chief Joins Oprah’s OWN As CEO

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday January 29, 2009 @ 10:37am PSTTags: Networks

Christina Norman’s jump to OWN has been rumored ever since the 17-year-veteran of the Viacom network left MTV Networks almost exactly a year ago “to explore something new”. (She’s the one responsible — or, more truthfully, to blame) for all those icky reality shows like The Hills and A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.) She’ll oversee all business and creative for Oprah Winfrey/Discovery Communications’ cable channel from L.A. as CEO. OWN is supposed to launch in 70 million homes later this year or early next year. Its programming will revolve around health issues.

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‘Harry Potter’ Stunt Double Injured In UK

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday January 29, 2009 @ 1:28am PSTTags: Actors

Warner Bros is confirming that a stuntman was seriously injured in an accident and taken to the local UK hospital by ambulance. It took place at Leavesden Studios where the latest Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, the seventh and … Read More »

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Is DVD Dilemma On Hollywood’s Horizon? Technicolor Owner Thomson Needs Cash

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 9:47pm PSTTags: DVDs

UPDATE: My sources were right: media technology group Thomson SA announced in Paris Thursday that it needs a cash infusion to improve its balance sheet and is exploring solutions with creditors and potential equity investors while warning it was ”likely to breach one of its debt covenants”. … Read More »

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Ammer Exits Marvel Studios After 1 Year

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 9:16pm PSTTags: Studios

EXCLUSIVE: Geoff Ammer is leaving Marvel Studios as prez of worldwide marketing and will restart his company formerly known as G2 Consulting. He’s been at Marvel since only February 2008. Sources tell me he had just a 1-year contract which is up. And, let’s face it, Marvel’s next movie isn’t until 2010′s Iron Man 2.

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SAG AND AMPTP TO MEET NEXT WEEK!

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 7:18pm PSTTags: Actors, Guilds, SAG

This joint SAG/AMPTP statement was released just now:

Screen Actors Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to Meet Tuesday

Los Angeles (January 28, 2009) –  Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers will

… Read More »

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Fox Developing Walden Media’s ‘Narnia 3′

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 7:01pm PSTTags: Movies

My insiders say this is definite. Disney may regret dumping Walden Media’s Narnia 3: The Voyage of the Dawn Trader, especially now that Fox is definitely going ahead with the project. Could be embarrassing to Disney if Fox makes money on it.

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Layoffs At MySpace In Comics Division; No Fox Film Or TV Staff Cuts Coming Yet

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 5:44pm PSTTags: Comic Books

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UPDATE: I’ve confirmed that MySpace has just sacked a bunch of staff from many divisions, including its Comics division. It’s supposed to be comforting that all the layoffs at Fox Interactive Media amount to less than 5% of the overall workforce there in MySpace, FoxSports.com, IGN, and PhotoBucket. … Read More »

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UPDATE: Imagi Couldn’t Make Payroll So Halts ‘Astro Boy’ & Lays Off 80 Animators

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 4:45pm PSTTags: Finance, Studios, Toons

WRITETHRU, NEW INFO: What happened is that Imagi Animation Studios lost some investor funding in September, got it back in late fall, expected new money sometime in January or February, and then needed a bridge loan to keep up and … Read More »

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Endeavor Wins Race For French Director

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 4:29pm PSTTags: Directors

I hear that several major agencies were pursuing helmer Pierre Morel, whose film Taken (produced by Luc Besson and starring Liam Neeson for 20th Century Fox) which has alreade well overseas and looks like the No. 1 pic opening in … Read More »

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Layoffs At Major Hollywood PR Firm

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday January 28, 2009 @ 11:36am PSTTags: P.R.

UPDATE: Yes, my info is correct – BWR public relations made 7 staff cuts today. A total of 5 junior and 2 midlevel flacks were laid off in the corporate area. No senior publicists were let go, and no one from the entertainment area. “After years of strong annual growth, we … Read More »

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Ashley Tisdale Leaves Gersh For CAA

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 7:53pm PSTTags: Actors

It’s a real loss for Gersh’s Alex Yarosh since, working in 2nd position to her longtime manager Bill Perlman, he helped make Tisdale into a big moneymaker after three High School Musical installments — two for TV, the third as a … Read More »

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IT’S THE END OF A PR ERA: Old School Publicist Pat Kingsley Exiting PMK/HBH

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 7:02pm PSTTags: P.R.

Funny, Pat was just talking to a friend of mine about how tired of the whole PR scene she was. “She’s worn down. The travelling. The handholding. The awards season. [Tom] Cruise recently called her to apologize for the comment … Read More »

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SAG Prez Rosenberg’s Email To Members: Changes Made Were “Most Undemocratic”

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 5:27pm PSTTags: Actors, Guilds, SAG

My Fellow Screen Actors Guild Members,Yesterday, on January 26th, a slim majority of our National Board voted to fire our National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, Doug Allen. This was not accomplished in a face-to-face Board meeting, where the

… Read More »

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Never A Dull Moment In Trade-Land: Gerry Byrne Gets Bigger Nielsen Gig

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 4:37pm PSTTags: Trades

A MESSAGE FROM GREG FARRARFor the past year, we have made a series of strategic moves to better integrate and align our businesses to serve our customers. This included the creation of an Entertainment Group that combined our leading brands in the film, TV, music, theatre and literary industries

… Read More »

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Already Trouble Inside All-Shook-Up NBC?

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 4:21pm PSTTags: Networks

I’m told about angst between Angela Bromstad, the new president of primetime for NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios, and her boss Ben Silverman. “Angela and Ben are barely talking already. They’re respectful, but barely speaking,” my insider says. I can’t even begin … Read More »

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Chuck Lorre Zaps Ben Silverman At NATPE

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 3:08pm PSTTags: Writers

Not only does Chuck Lorre have a genuinely funny show in The Big Bang Theory. But he’s also got the balls to bash Ben Silverman in public. I, for one, was horrified when I saw that Silverman would be receiving … Read More »

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Academy Makes Exception On Producer Credits For ‘The Reader’: 4, Not 3

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 2:34pm PSTTags: Producers

And no Scott Rudin?

Beverly Hills, CA (January 27, 2009) — Producer credits for Academy Award Best Picture nominee The Reader have been determined by the Producers Branch Executive Committee of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The

… Read More »

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SAG Interim NED White: “We Will Not Be Successful If We Do Not Work Together”

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 12:56pm PSTTags: Actors, Guilds, SAG

A Message from Interim National Executive Director David WhiteDear Screen Actors Guild member,

As I enter my first full day today as your new Interim National Executive Director, I have reflected on a Los Angeles Examiner story from 1937 that

… Read More »

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Principal PR Aligns With Abrams Research To Offer Entertainment & Media Services

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday January 27, 2009 @ 11:03am PSTTags: P.R.

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK, January 27, 2009 — Principal Communications Group (PCG), a strategic corporate communications firm serving the media and entertainment industries, and Abrams Research Group, a new consulting group offering business leaders insights through a worldwide network of freelance media professionals, have formed an alliance combining the benefits

… Read More »

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