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Trio Accused Of Best Picture Oscar Piracy

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday February 21, 2009 @ 11:42am PSTTags: Oscars, Piracy

News reports say three Southern California men were charged with illegally posting on the Internet pirated copies of Hollywood movies, including Oscar nominees Fox Searchlight’s Slumdog Millionaire and Paramount’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The trio were charged in separate cases and face a maximum 3 years in prison if convicted, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. They are accused of posting the films at Web sites like thepiratebay.org, the world’s largest file-sharing site using BitTorrent software which allows users to download and share files in 34 languages for free. The site’s founders face charges in Sweden for contributing to copyright infringement.

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VIDEO: 2009 Best Picture Oscar Profanity

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday February 21, 2009 @ 11:25am PSTTags: Oscars, Video

Because there’s not enough coarseness in the world already, right?

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‘The Dark Knight’ Hits $1 Billion Milestone

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday February 21, 2009 @ 3:27am PSTTags: Movies, Tracking

Well, I’d take $1 billion over a Best Picture Oscar any day. Warner Bros made the announcement late Friday. Helped by its relaunch on January 23rd, the Batman sequel is only the 4th Hollywood movie to do this (not adjusted for inflation or higher ticket prices), behind … Read More »

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Tyler Perry’s Gun-Totin’ Granny #1: ‘Madea’ On Track For His Biggest Yet; Oscar Favorite ‘Slumdog’ Nears $100M

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday February 21, 2009 @ 12:24am PSTTags: Tracking

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SATURDAY AM: Cross-dressing Tyler Perry’s alter ego grandma may be reviled by movie critics and those who think Madea represents the worst in racial stereotyping. (“A life sentence…” and “Throw away the key…” were just some of the insulting headlines about the … Read More »

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‘TWILIGHT’ FANS REJOICE! Summit Announces Movie Threequel ‘Eclipse’

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday February 20, 2009 @ 4:28pm PSTTags: Movies, Studios

EXCLUSIVE: I’ve confirmed there’s no director hired yet. And the two productions won’t be back-to-back. But that hasn’t stopped Summit Entertainment from newly scheduling its Twilight threequel for release on June 30, 2010, not long after its Twilight sequel New … Read More »

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DHD Reminder #2: Live-Snarking Time

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday February 20, 2009 @ 4:27pm PSTTags: Awards, Blogs, DH update

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Once again, I will be live-blogging (more like live-snarking) the Spirit Awards on Saturday and the Academy Awards on Sunday. Come for the cynicism. Stay for the subversion. Add your comment. Warning: Not for the easily offended or shocked.

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Mags Get Burned While Graydon Fiddles

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday February 20, 2009 @ 4:14pm PSTTags: Magazines, Oscars

Here are reasons to bypass Graydon Carter’s dumbass Oscar party in West Hollywood on Sunday: sources are telling cityfile.com that Vanity Fair reserved an entire spa during Oscar week just so that advertisers could have access to free treatments. Snarks the blog: “Does it make sense for Si Newhouse to be paying for … Read More »

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VIDEO: Hugh Jackman’s Oscars Rehearsal

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday February 20, 2009 @ 1:50pm PSTTags: Oscars

First time I’ve started a YouTube viral tease. But I just confirmed this is genuine behind-the-scenes footage of host Hugh Jackman rehearsing for the Oscars. It was taken in New York and on a temporary stage in Hollywood by an assistant working on a short for Hugh’s production partner John Palermo. The Academy … Read More »

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DHD Update: Thank You, Financial Times

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday February 20, 2009 @ 1:22pm PSTTags: DH update, Finance

L.A.-based reporter Matthew Garrahan for the internationally respected Financial Times claims today that I am ”the reigning queen of Hollywood news”. (Aw, I’m just stupid enough to work 24/7.) He goes on: “Ms Finke is the scourge of Hollywood publicists with an unrivalled network of high-level industry contacts. Since launching her … Read More »

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SHIP OF FOOLS: MPAA Uses Oscars To Boast About Runaway Production

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday February 20, 2009 @ 12:09pm PSTTags: Buzz, Oscars

The sad truth is that the new tax breaks agreed to by the California Legislature this week will just be used by the Hollywood studios to play one state off another since now lawmakers in 40 states have enacted some kind of filming incentives. This is driven home by today’s incredibly … Read More »

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‘Madea’ Grabs 38% of Online Ticket Sales

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday February 20, 2009 @ 12:02pm PSTTags: Box Office

Fandango Five – Ticket Sales (as of 10:00 AM PT)

Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail (38%)
Jonas Brothers 3-D Concert Movie (16%) Opens February 26th
Watchmen (7%) Opens March 6
Coraline 3-D (7%)
He’s Just Not That Into You (4%)

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AMPTP Gives SAG “Last Best Final” Offer And Blows Off New Negotiators: Deja Vu

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 8:56pm PSTTags: Actors, Guilds, SAG

3RD UPDATE (keep refreshing… new info below): For months and months, SAG’s previous leadership told members that the AMPTP had not yet offered the actors guild a ”Last Best And Final” offer on the TV/Theatrical Contract — even though opponents of that leadership kept erroneously claiming Big Media had. … Read More »

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DHD Reminder: It’s Live-Snarking Time

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 8:54pm PSTTags: DH update, Oscars

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Once again, I will be live-blogging (more like live-snarking) the Spirit Awards on Saturday and the Academy Awards on Sunday. Come for the cynicism. Stay for the subversion. Add your comment. Warning: Not for the easily offended or shocked.

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FremantleMedia To Control Beers’ Original

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 7:16pm PSTTags: Media

The big get bigger. Reality programming giant FremantleMedia has just clinched a deal to acquire a controlling interest in Original Productions, the U.S. production company formed and led by Thom Beers. Original is known for developing male-oriented television, with shows like Ice Road Truckers, Deadliest Catch, and America’s Toughest Jobs. Both … Read More »

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PHOTOS: WGA Protests ‘American Idol’

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 6:58pm PSTTags: Guilds, Writers

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(Photos by Mark Schwartz)

  • WGA To Protest ‘American Idol’ Treatment

    • … Read More »

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    IATSE Contract Protest Hopes For TV Coverage At Indie Film Spirit Awards

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 6:14pm PSTTags: Awards, Indie

    The “SAY NO TO 400 HOURS!” ad hoc group of members protesting the proposed IATSE-AMPTP contract is planning a rally this Saturday in Santa Monica starting at 10 AM timed to the live television and other media coverage of Film Independent’s Spirit Awards. “We will unite and we will fight! … Read More »

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    Variety Rearranges Deck Chairs On Titanic

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 5:11pm PSTTags: Magazines

    Variety has a new publisher, Brian Gott, tapped by Variety Group president Neil Stiles who relinquishes the publisher title to “focus more of my attention on longer-term planning”. The announcement says Gott in his new role will handle day-to-day management of such areas as licensing, strategic partnerships, brand extension, and … Read More »

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    What You Earnin’ In Retirement, Chernin?

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 4:07pm PSTTags: Big Media, Finance, Moguls

    Ron Grover at BusinessWeek does a swell job today looking at News Corp No. 2 Peter Chernin’s pretty sweet retirement deal waiting for him if he chooses to leave when his 5-year contract expires June 30th. (Based on … Read More »

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    Sony’s Lynton Wants To Pay You Less…

    By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday February 19, 2009 @ 3:42pm PSTTags: Big Media

    Maybe, just maybe, if you all behave, the Big Media corporate cartel will give you paychecks. Granted, those checks will be small and you’ll have to start working two jobs while the Hollywood moguls collect tens of millions each just … Read More »

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