UPDATES THE END OF 'OPRAH' AS WE KNOW HER

My news this morning that the daytime diva has decided to give up her syndicated talk show and move it to her namesake cable network OWN in 2011, amid Discovery Communications' demands that she "move it or lose it", caught CBS by surprise. The Eye was counting on a 1- or 2-year renewal if The Oprah Winfrey Show which its CBS Television Distribution syndicates. "In all honesty, we have not heard she's made a decision yet whether to continue," an insider tells me. "We think we're still in the talking stages. To our minds, it's a non-decision." 

CBS had scheduled a face-to-face meeting a month ago with Oprah and her personal and professional posse at her Santa Barbara compound to discuss her plans. But one of the people in the close group of people around her passed away. So it was canceled, I've learned. 

CBS is quick to point out that, a few years back, Winfrey re-negotiated her distribution deal with CBS TV Distribution so it "gets a lesser fee now". The result is that, when Oprah stops her syndicated talk show and moves it to OWN (her Oprah Winfrey Network that will replace the Discovery Health Channel), "It will be a hit for us, but not until 2012. And by then the economy should have recovered. And with the lower syndication fee, it's not as big a hit as it would have been,"a CBS insider tells me.

Besides, CBS has seen Oprah claim time and time again over the years that she's "retiring" from the syndicated show. But to take Oprah to a nosebleed cable channel even if reaches into 70 million homes? "She has always respected the fact that the pulpit she has now gives her such a huge amount of influence." And CBS also plans to remind her that, thanks to the syndicated show, "she by far makes more money on TV than anybody else." Now let's see how persuasive Les Moonves and his people can be.

UPDATE: Here's What CBS Is Saying About Oprah

EXCLUSIVE: One of the biggest questions in the TV biz has been when, and even if, Oprah Winfrey would give up her daytime syndicated talk show to focus on OWN, her long delayed Oprah Winfrey Network in 70 million homes that was supposed to launch in place of the Discovery Health Channel as a joint venture between Winfrey and Discovery Communications. The industry has been betting that the daytime diva would extend The Oprah Winfrey Show for at least another year or two because of the huge cash license fees which stations have long paid her. But people around Oprah are telling me that won't happen. They say that Discovery Communications chief David Zaslav has demanded that Oprah "move it or lose it" -- move her talk show to OWN, or risk losing the Oprah Winfrey Network altogether. I've learned that in coming days Winfrey and Discovery will issue a press release announcing OWN's on-air launch for the start of 2011. And, in several weeks, Oprah will tell the public that she's ending her syndicated Chicago-based daytime talk show when her current deal runs out and moving it to OWN headquarters in Los Angeles probably as soon as mid-2011.

Hardest hit by the news will be CBS Television Distribution which syndicates the show, Also hit will be ABC's owned-and-operated stations which make up Oprah's core station group, and also Sony TV execs who'd been hoping Oprah would deliver any extension of her daytime talker into their hands based on the success they've had this season syndicating Dr Oz, Harpo's latest daytime talk show star). "Les Moonves, Bob Iger, and Sony will flip out," one of my insiders says about Oprah's news. "The only winner is David Zaslav."

*UPDATE: My news this morning caught CBS by surprise. The Eye was counting on a 1- or 2-year renewal of The Oprah Winfrey Show. "In all honesty, we have not heard she's made a decision yet whether to continue," an insider tells me. "We think we're still in the talking stages. To our minds, it's a non-decision." CBS had scheduled a face-to-face meeting a month ago with Oprah and her personal and professional posse at her Santa Barbara compound to discuss her plans. But one of the people in the close group of people around her passed away. So ... Read More »

...with a Google Doodle. The beloved plasticine duo appeared as an illustration on the Google UK homepage this week to mark the 20 years since Nick Park's duo appeared in public back in 1989 at an animation festival in the 22-minute romp A Grand Day Out, later broadcast by the BBC. As The Guardian reported, "so a UK institution was born". But they're pretty darn popular worldwide, too.

The project The Tourist, which the trades recently announced with such fanfare because it stars Angelina Jolie and now Johnny Depp, is already switching directors. The articles fingered Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck as director but he was not locked in and did not yet have a deal. Others say he's off the pic because the producers found him "difficult and demanding". To which Florian's UTA defenders say: "Of course he's demanding. He's an auteur." Now another UTA client, Alfonso Cuaron, is in talks to direct. Meanwhile, Depp is still another UTA client.

Once again, Big Media shows that it doesn't want to share its profits with anyone else. Today's action by the MPAA representing the major movie studios undercuts the entire process of theatrical release. It would put the struggling theater chains virtually out of business.

Washington, D.C. – In a filing today with the Federal Communications Commission, the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) reinforced the benefits of allowing studios the option of sending movies fresh from the box office to tens of millions of American households.
 
“Many of us love movies, but we just can’t make it to the theater as often as we’d like.  That is especially true for parents of young children, rural Americans who live far from the multiplex and people with disabilities that keep them close to home,”  MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman said.  “Having the added option to enjoy movies in a more timely fashion at home would be a liberating new choice.”
 
In its filing, which was in response to letters of opposition filed by the group Public Knowledge, the MPAA said: “grant of the waiver would for the first time allow millions of consumers to view high-value, high-definition theatrical films during an early release window that is not available today.  MPAA has explained that release of this high-value content as part of an earlier window, especially with respect to movies released for home viewing close to or even during their initial theatrical run, necessarily requires the highest level of protection possible through use of SOC.”
 
SOC, or selectable output control technology, would allow televisions with digitally secure interfaces to receive first-run, high-definition content from a cable or satellite provider.  Using SOC protects content because it essentially disables non-secure, analog outputs to avoid illegal circumvention and distribution of copyrighted material.  These outputs would be disabled ONLY with respect to the proposed new content, and this technology would NOT have any impact whatsoever on the ability of existing devices to receive all of the content that they get today.  Consumers will continue to have access to everything they have today, including DVDs, Netflix, etc.        
 
The MPAA filing noted: “By Public Knowledge’s odd reckoning, however, no consumer-oriented technological breakthrough ever could be introduced to American homes unless and until every single American home had access to the same opportunity at the same moment in time.  That is a recipe for holding every innovation hostage until the last

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The premiere of the Warner Bros show V on ABC has brought back some memories for WME agent Adam Isaacs. As he told me years ago, "I auditioned to be a guest lizard named Howie -- a sort of Jewish guest lizard -- on the original V. And it was during my third callback that I decided 'I don't think I can do this,' and I didn't want to be an actor anymore. And that sent me from LA back to NY and into the William Morris training program. Robert Englund [aka Freddy Krueger] got the part, and when I saw his performance, I thought, 'I so could have done that better.'"

FROM THE INDEPENDENT FILM & TELEVISION ALLIANCE
(IFTA relies on the definition that an independent film is financed in majority from sources other than the six U.S. major studios. So films on this list distributed by a major studio were independently produced and acquired.)

TOP 20 INDEPENDENTLY FINANCED FILMS
Weekend of October 30–November 1, 2009
Exclusive To Deadline Hollywood

TITLE, DISTRIB, COMPANY, WKD BOX OFFICE, SCREENS/AVERAGE, CUME

1. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (Par/IM Global) $16.3M [2,404/$6,817] $84.6
2. LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (Overture) $7.4M [2,764/$2,679] $51.4M
3. ASTRO BOY (Summit/Imagi) $3.4M [3,020/$1,146] $11.3M
4. A SERIOUS MAN (Focus) $1.0M [238/$4,355] $4.5M
5. BOONDOCKS ST II (Apparition) $546K [68/8,040] $546K
6. AN EDUCATION (SPE/BBC/Odyssey) $467K [48/9,737] $1.5M
7. GOOD HAIR (Roadside Attractions) $422K [418/$1,011] $3.4M
8. CAPITALISM (Overture) $373K [492/$760] $13.6M
9. COCO AVANT CHANEL (SPC/Canal+) $250K [77/$3,352] $2.1M
10. LONDON DREAMS (Studio 18) $207K [82/$2,536] $207K
11. WHIP IT (Fox Search/Mandate) $196K [260/$754] $12.6M
12. NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU (Vivendi) $177K [86/$2,062] $1M
13. BRIGHT STAR (Apparition/TVA) $132K [142/$934] $4.1M
14. DISTRICT 9 (Sony/QED) $82K [176/$468] $115.6M
15. 5150, RUE DES ORMES (Alliance Films) $62K [47/$1,331] $905K
16. FAME (MGM/Lakeshore) $56K [172/$327] $22.3M
17. THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE (Roadside) $56K [46/$1,222] $3.5M
18. MORE THAN A GAME (Lionsgate) $55K [111/$502] $829K 
19. THE BOYS ARE BACK (Miramax) $55K [86/$643] $783K
20. LA NANA (Mitropoulos Film) $54K [13/$4,175] $139K

Sony Pictures announced today it's acquired the motion picture rights to the board game of world conquest, "Risk", from Hasbro. Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures, say the film will be produced and developed by Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Bennett Schneir and Overbrook Entertainment's James Lassiter. Belgrad pointed to the success of movies from toys Transformers and G.I. Joe (but not to the dismal movie from the board game Clue) to claim audiences have "shown a great desire for films that bring to life everything that has made these franchise properties stand the test of time. The strategic thinking and the tactical gambles that players must take in the game are what make RISK a classic, thoroughly engaging game. Those elements translated into an action-packed, thrilling story are what will make this a uniquely exciting movie.” (Uh, I think that pic was called War Games.) "Risk" invented in 1957 by French filmmaker Albert Lamorisse as La Conquête du Monde (The Conquest of the World). Two years later, Parker Brothers published the game in the U.S. as "Risk" as the first board game to offer nonlinear movement.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Well, I beat the Academy to their own announcement, but only by a coupla minutes. (So I've changed "wants" to "picks" in the headline!) The two are starring with Meryl Streep in the upcoming holiday movie from Nancy Meyer, It's Complicated, from Universal. And they're friends, something Steve Martin kidded about in the AMPAS press release. (“I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” said Martin.) I think it's a natural and even perfect pairing (short of adding a woman or minority), and, for once, I'm actually looking forward to the Oscars, especially under Bill Mechanic's and Adam Shankman's stewardship. This will be Baldwin's first, and Martin's 3rd time hosting the Academy Awards. As I've been reporting, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences hoped first to reteam host Hugh Jackman with producers Larry Mark and Bill Condon, but all were busy with other projects. Then AMPAS picked  Mechanic and Shankman to produce the Oscar-cast, and they went to Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr and asked them to host as a duo. It would have been a killer combo, too. But the answer was no. So now here's the AMPAS press release:

Beverly Hills, CA—Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards®, Oscar telecast producers Bill Mechanic and Adam Shankman announced today.

We think the team of Steve and Alec are the perfect pair of hosts for the Oscars,” said Shankman and Mechanic.  “Steve will bring the experience of having hosted the show in the past and Alec will be a completely fresh personality for this event.”

“I am happy to co-host the Oscars with my enemy Alec Baldwin,” said Martin.

“I don’t play the banjo but I’m thrilled to be hosting the Oscars – it’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” said Baldwin.

Martin hosted the 73rd and 75th Academy Awards shows, earning an Emmy nomination for the first stint.  He has also served as a presenter on the show several times, most recently at the ceremony in February when he appeared with Tina Fey. He is currently touring with the bluegrass band Steep Canyon Rangers in support of his latest album “The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo.” In 1977 and 1978 Martin won Grammys for Best Comedy Recording. He earned a third Grammy in 2001 in the Best Country Instrumental Performance category.

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I've got some more detail on Comcast-GE-NBC. The 290-page "Project Crimson", which has been the deal's code name from the beginning, was delivered to legal departments yesterday. All sides agreed Friday to the transaction's financials after the rough framework was okayed a month ago. Barring some last-minute holdup from Vivendi regarding the sale of its 20% NBCU stake, "It's a done deal", an insider tells me. "Nothing has been signed yet. But it's quite close. There's still lots of really complicated structural issues -- tax and indemnity shit. But not fundamental deal issues." Another step forward is that Comcast just got GE to agree there wouldn't be any conversations with anybody else about NBCU for a week beginning yesterday. Obviously, Comcast took seriously those reports that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp was circling more closely and might be a bidder. "That's an indication the deal is getting done," an insider confided to me. Expectations are that the regulatory okay will take 14 months to obtain, and the handoff should take place at the beginning of 2011.

Comcast remains cagey about what it plans for Jeff Zucker and Ron Meyer, and the rest of the NBCU bigwigs. I've reported that Comcast No. 2 Steve Burke who'll be overseeing NBCU was saying he'd move out Zucker a few months. Other media outlets have been reporting that Zucker will be retained. Today, I heard from an insider regarding Zucker's fate that "the last thing Comcast wants to do is indicate anything one way or another. There's still 14 months to go. Comcast will do what's smart and be supportive of Jeff over that time and get to know him and then make a decision." Same goes for Ron Meyer. "I don't think they have opinions about anybody right now." (Actually, I think the truth is more like Comcast doesn't want anybody to express opinions about the NBCU folks right now and poison what is going to be a long pre-takeover process.)

But here's another interesting detail: I understand that Comcast is less likely to jettison Universal Studios than NBC's troubled broadcast network. "The studio is of more interest to them than the network is," an insider explains to me. "Everyone would get rid of the network because, basically, this is a deal to buy a bunch of cable channels. The problem is that nobody thinks the network is saleable. It loses a huge amount of money right now."

Meanwhile, GE's Jeffrey Immelt and Comcast's Brian Roberts will be speaking back to back at the 2-day NYC financial conference held by private equity firm Quadrangle on ... Read More »

James Murdoch, Howard Stringer, Les Moonves, David Zaslav, and, interestingly, Comcast's Brian Roberts and GE's Jeff Immelt back to back, will be speaking at the annual hush-hush Quadrangle confab being held Wednesday and Thursday in NYC. No media are allowed unless they're moderating panels, and then they're prevented from reporting what's said inside: SPEAKERS -- EMILIO AZCÁRRAGA, Grupo Televisa; DENNIS CROWLEY, Foursquare; BARRY DILLER, IAC; BRIAN DUNN, Best Buy; CHARLES FORMAN & DAN PORTER, OMGPOP; REED HASTINGS, Netflix; REID HOFFMAN, LinkedIn;
CHAD HURLEY, YouTube; JEFF IMMELT, GE; PAUL JACOBS, Qualcomm; OLLI-PEKKA KALLASVUO, Nokia; JASON KILAR, Hulu; LES MOONVES, CBS; ANNE MULCAHY, Xerox; JAMES MURDOCH, News Corp; BRIAN PHILLIPS, Thread; BRIAN ROBERTS, Comcast; PAUL SAGAN, Akamai; ERIC SCHMIDT, Google; IVAN SEIDENBERG, Verizon; BIZ STONE, Twitter; HOWARD STRINGER, Sony; BEN VERWAAYEN, Alcatel-Lucent; DAVID ZASLAV, Discovery Communications. [Full Disclosure: Quadrangle is an investor in Deadline Hollywood's parent company MMC.]