Viacom's Nickelodeon announced today it has acquired the global intellectual property rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from The Mirage Group and 4Kids Entertainment. The purchase price was about $60 million. Nickelodeon also announced plans to develop a new CG-animated television series based on the popular superhero franchise for 2012. Also, in partnership with Viacom's Paramount Pictures, a new release of a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles feature film is also planned for 2012. Nickelodeon has also acquired all merchandising rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and will continue to work with its original and long-standing toy partner, Playmates Toys, which has been the creative force behind the TMNT master toy program over the last two decades. The deal was done by Cyma Zarghami, the president of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, and Adam Goodman, the president of Paramount Pictures.

UPDATES John Ferriter & WME Feuding; "This Is Going To Get Ugly"
UPDATES John Ferriter "Hates" Coming Into WME 

EXCLUSIVE: It's rare for an agent to battle so publicly with his Hollywood tenpercentery. Then again, John Ferriter was a longtime William Morris agent, and he's now working for what is essentially Endeavor after its takeover of Morris. So he's hired a Hollyood litigator and a publicist. And Ferriter, a Reality TV major player and his official team (as opposed to his “camp” of pals since this is the first comment from his side) want to set the record straight with me and ensure Deadline Hollywood's information is totally accurate. The team tells me that John Ferriter did not and has no plans to resign. That he is continuing to "take care of his clients and manage his business with the same professionalism, excellence and enthusiasm he has always displayed". That John’s "greatest desire" is to resolve this situation quickly and amicably. That Ferriter is not engaging other offers at this time and doesn’t intend to until this is resolved. That Ferriter John is "prepared to do what it takes to protect himself and his clients and ensure that all his rights are respected".

I've learned that this afternoon Ferriter and his lawyer, and WME's Mark Itkin and Rick Rosen and the agency's lawyer, sat down together for an arbitration. This follows Ferriter's very public trashing of WME to his friends and colleagues over the past few weeks. The agent keeps comparing this to what he went through when he was recently hospitalized for an infection and then moved into intensive care (where he claims to have flatlined at least twice): "I fought death, and I won. Ari Emanuel is not scarier than death. I'll fight him, and I'll win," Ferriter has told his pals. His team is also claiming he'll "tell all" about where WME's bodies are buried -- especially Mark Itkin's, Rick Rosen's, and Ari's. "I'm going to go all out and go to war," Ferriter is telling colleagues. As for WME, the agency doesn't seem concerned at all.

It is true that the agency is holding him to his contract which still has at least 18 months to go. Ferriter wants to exit with his comissions and clients intact but claims WME offered to ... Read More »

EXCLUSIVE: David Carr steps down and Melena Ryzik steps in as the new lead writer starting December 1st of The New York Times' "Carpetbagger" awards season blog covering the Oscar, Golden Globes, Sundance Film Festival, and other movie campaigns. She is a general assignment culture reporter who chronicles NYC life for The New York Times' "UrbanEye", which is a video series and daily email events guide. Ryzik will also continue the Carpetbagger video series, which Carr launched on NYTimes.com. (Remember this one? NYT's David Carr May Have Lost His Mind) Additional reporting for the blog will come from several other NYT journalists, including LA-based Michael Cieply and Brooks Barnes. The UrbanEye video series will go on hiatus during Carpetbagger season; the UrbanEye e-mails will continue. So, after four seasons on the Red Carpet, David Carr who originated the blog now retires his tuxedo. These days, the media columnist and general assignment reporter primarily blogs for the NYT's "Media Decoder".

So now the question is whether the "Carpetbagger" blog can be franchised. Its name was not only a play on Carr's but also captured the notion of a NYC elitist coming to Los Angeles to poke fun at the film folks. His first year, Carr had a naive take on all thing Hollywood. But by the last year, he was as jaded as the rest of us. What never changed was Carr's obvious delight in being treated like a celebrity by the movie PR machine, including at The New York Times which benefited advertising-wise from Oscar buzz. Carr was great for the blog, and the blog was great for Carr. Can Ryzik duplicate his success?

2ND UPDATE: It's now official! See AMPAS news release below. 

EXCLUSIVE: This is an unexpected combination, one that surely will have Hollywood scratching its collective head. But I consider it a good choice that bodes well for AMPAS new president Tom Sherak. Both Adam Shankman and Bill Mechanic are experienced movie people, and Shankman has the added benefit of current TV experience. They were chosen by the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences board of directors after the institution first asked last year's Oscar producers, Larry Mark and Bill Condon, to repeat after a dramatic ratings rise for the often maligned ABC telecast. But both men were busy with new projects. (Prior to 2009, its viewership had been sinking.) The newly named producing duo will have final say over the Oscar host. As I've previously reported, AMPAS would like Hugh Jackman to repeat, but the actor's reps aren't feeling it. There's also a push for board of governors' member Tom Hanks to step up and step out onto the Kodak Theatre for the most important night in Hollywood March 7th. 

Adam Shankman is the multitalented film director, producer, dancer, actor and choreographer. He has been a judge on the Fox TV program So You Think You Can Dance since Season 3. He began his professional career in musical theatre, and was a dancer in music videos for Paula Abdul and Janet Jackson. Shankman also choreographed one of the Spice Girls' tours. He has directed several feature-length films, including A Walk to Remember, Bringing Down The House, and Hairspray.

Bill Mechanic was chairman and chief executive officer of Twentieth Century Fox Filmed Entertainment from 1994 to 2000. He oversaw all operations of the studio including worldwide feature film production, marketing and distribution activities; as well as all worldwide operations for Fox Video, Fox Interactive, Licensing and Merchandising, and Fox Music. Under Mr. Mechanic’s tenure, Twentieth Century Fox was the number one studio in worldwide box-office gross in 1998. That same year, Fox Music produced five of the top ten best-selling soundtracks. Also during his tenure, Fox produced the No. 1 grossing movie worldwide for three consecutive years; Die Hard with a Vengeance, Independence Day, and Titanic; shared the Best Picture Academy Award twice, for Braveheart and Titanic; won the Best Actress ... Read More »

I'm receiving word that Tina Daunt who wrote the "Cause Celebre" column about Hollywood politics is included in a new wave of layoffs by the Los Angeles Times, which has already bought out or fired so many people that it's a wonder the paper comes out every morning. But, so far, almost all of the LAT's entertainment and media coverage has stayed intact. Meanwhile, The New York Times announced yesterday it plans to eliminate 100 newsroom jobs — about 8% of the total — by year’s end, offering buyouts to union and non-union employees, and resorting to layoffs if it cannot get enough people to leave voluntarily. This follows a previous buyout/layoff there in the spring of 2008. In that round, about 15 to 20 journalists were cut.

(Culver City, October 20, 2009) -- Academy Award®-winning producer Graham King (The Departed) has signed a three-year, multi-film output agreement with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, it was announced today by Peter Schlessel, President of Worldwide Affairs for the studio. Under the deal, King’s GK Films will independently develop, finance and produce a minimum of two films a year that will be marketed and distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures.

King, who is concluding a first-look deal with Warner Bros, will continue to develop previously agreed upon films with the Burbank-based studio. He will transition to the new agreement with Sony and begin to identify new projects to be developed and financed in-house by GK Films. Such projects will be handled worldwide by Sony Pictures under the provisions of their new arrangement.

“Working with Warners has been, and continues to be, a wonderful experience and I cherish the support and collaboration of the whole team,” said King. “But the deal with Sony Pictures gives us guaranteed distribution for our films and the opportunity to work with a successful and respected studio that handles every type of motion picture equally well.  It is a perfect transition for us and I look forward to working closely with the entire Sony team over the next several years on our new slate of films.”

“We have long admired Graham’s consistent taste in commercial and critically acclaimed material,” said Schlessel. “As a producer, he attracts high-profile talent to top-quality and audience-pleasing projects and we couldn’t be more excited to enter into this relationship.”

Added Jeff Blake, Chairman of Worldwide Distribution and Marketing, “Graham delivers the kinds of films that excite audiences throughout the world and his projects will be a fantastic addition to our slate across all of our distribution platforms.”

King launched his independent production company GK Films in May 2007 with business partner Tim Headington. The deal was negotiated for GK Films by COO, Bahman Naraghi with Peter Schlessel.  GK Films' Julie Roach and Sony Pictures' David Steinberg were instrumental in closing the transaction.

The Hollywood Disabilities Forum

For Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, Casting Directors, and Industry
Professionals to Explore Opportunities and Challenges of People with Disabilities in Entertainment

Event: Saturday, Oct. 24 – UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

What: An executive industry forum examining the accuracy of film and TV portrayals, as well as inclusion and opportunities for access of people with disabilities in the entertainment industry. The forum will focus on best practices of industry pioneers who incorporate stories featuring characters with disabilities and who hire performers with disabilities for TV, film, radio and stage productions.

A collaborative effort between entertainment guilds, educational organizations, and advocacy groups, this inaugural joint forum is presented by the I AM PWD (Inclusion in the Arts and Media for People with Disabilities) campaign of Actors’ Equity Association, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild; the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and its Writers with Disabilities Committee; and the Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts.

Who: Peter Farrelly, producer-director-writer (There’s Something About Mary) — Keynote Speaker
Vince Gilligan, writer-producer (Breaking Bad)
RJ Mitte, actor (Breaking Bad)
Daryl “Chill Mitchell, actor (Brothers)
Janis Hirsch, writer-producer (Brothers, Will & Grace)
David Milch, writer-producer (Deadwood)
Geri Jewell, actor (Deadwood)
Robert David Hall, actor (CSI)
Danny Woodburn, actor (Seinfeld)
Linda Bove, actor (Sesame Street, Deaf West)
Bill Duke, actor-director (Karen Sisco, Predator)
Paul Kampf, actor-director-writer (Brothers Three: An American Gothic)
Special Video Appearance by Ricky Gervais (The Office)

When: Saturday, Oct. 24, 9-5 p.m.

Where: UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television -- 102 East Melnitz Hall; Parking in Structure 3.

Details: Fifty-six million Americans — 20% of the U.S. population — have a disability. Despite being the largest minority group in the country, people with disabilities are virtually invisible in entertainment media.

The 13th Annual Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) announced its winners at the Paramount Theatre on the Paramount Lot in Hollywood. Festival co-founders Edward James Olmos and Marlene Dermer led the award ceremony presentation. Winners were announced in the categories of best feature film, best director, best screenplay, best opera prima, best short, best documentary, and audience awards in the feature and documentary categories. Special mentions from the jury were also announced.

FEATURES CATEGORY:
Best Film (RITA AWARD)
Winner: “Anita”
Director: Marcos Carnevale
Screenwriter: Marcos Carnevale, Lily Ann Martin, Marcela Guerty
Country: Argentina

Best Screenplay: Features Category
Winner: “Morenita”
Director: Alan Jonsson Gavica
Screenwriter: Alan Jonsson Gavica, Annabel Oakes
Country: Mexico

Best Director: Features Category
Winner: “Cinco Días sin Nora”
Director: Mariana Chenillo
Screenwriter: Mariana Chenillo
Country: Mexico

OPERA PRIMA CATEGORY: Best Opera Prima
Winner: “Cinco Días sin Nora”
Director: Mariana Chenillo
Screenwriter: Mariana Chenillo
Country: Mexico

DOCUMENTARY CATEGORY:
Best Documentary
Winner: “Sons of Cuba”
Director: Andrew Lang
Country: Cuba

Honorable Mention: Documentary Category
“Titón, de la Habana a Guantanamera”
Director: Mirtha Ibarra
Country: Spain

Honorable Mention: Documentary Category
“La Vida Loca” (The Crazy Life)
Director: Christian Poveda
Country: Mexico/France/Spain

SHORTS CATEGORY: Best Short
Winner: “Red Mesa”
Director: Ilana Lapid
Screenwriter: Ilana Lapid
Country: USA

Special Mention: Shorts Category
“El Tux”
Director: Paco Farias
Screenwriter: Paco Farias
Country: USA

Special Mention: Shorts Category
“Niña Quebrada”
Director: Jen Kleiner
Screenwriter: Diana Romero, Danny Klein, Jen Kleiner
Country: USA

AUDIENCE AWARD CATEGORY:
CineLatino Audience Award: Features
Winner: “Anita”
Director: Marcos Carnevale
Screenwriters: Marcos Carnevale, Lily Ann Martin, Marcela Guerty
Country: Argentina

CineLatino Audience Award: Documentary
Winner: “Titón, de la Habana a Guantanamera”
Director: Mirtha Ibarra
Country: Spain

The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) was founded in 1997 by producer, director, actor and activist Edward James Olmos; independent producer Marlene Dermer, and independent film and music producer George Hernández†. LALIFF is a non-profit 501c (3) organization with the mission to support the development and exhibition of diverse visions by Latino filmmakers and to promote awareness of the richness and diversity of Latin cultures, artistry and countries through film, the most powerful medium in the world. A competitive festival with prizes, LALIFF serves as a venue where Latino filmmakers come together with industry buyers and distributors. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science recognizes LALIFF as a qualifying festival, making the winner of its Short Film Category eligible for Oscar® consideration.

NEW YORK (October 19, 2009) —The Weinstein Company, a leader in the independent film and entertainment industry and parent company to Weinstein Books, and the Perseus Books Group, the leading independent publishing company, have entered into a joint venture to publish books.

“The Weinsteins have incredible consumer instincts and unparalleled access to talent that the public wants to read or read about,” says David Steinberger, CEO of the Perseus Books Group. “In joining forces with The Weinstein Company, we get to do what we do best – editing, marketing, digital and physical distribution – while benefiting from the Weinsteins’ creative prowess.”

Harvey Weinstein said, “Perseus is an entrepreneurial publisher that is the ideal partner for our publishing program moving forward. Our core film business presents us with many opportunities to generate ideas that translate into best selling books in both physical and digital formats. I look forward to a very lucrative partnership for the future.”

Under the partnership, the two companies will jointly develop new book ideas and Perseus will be responsible for all JV staff and for executing all core-publishing activities. The first books to be published under the partnership will include All Things at Once by Mika Brzezinski, the long-awaited memoir and beauty guide by Raquel Welch, and The Overnight Socialite by Bridie Clark. Perseus beginning December 1, 2009 will represent all books previously published by Weinstein Books in the market. These include The New York Times bestsellers My Remarkable Journey by Larry King, Quantum Wellness by Kathy Freston, and The Mad Ones by Tom Folsom, among many other highly acclaimed titles.

All Weinstein Books staff including Weinstein Books Publisher Judy Hottensen remain in place and will participate in the development of the longer-term plan for the JV.

Atlantic Magazine has published its first annual "Brave Thinkers" issue naming 27 "most provocative thinkers" who "had the courage to step outside the consoling persuading flow of tradition and ask fundamental questions about why things are the way they are, and how they might be instead". There's Steve Jobs and John Lasseter, Co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Pixar Animation Studios, as well as Trey Parker and Matt Stone, creators of South Park. But also Jeff Zucker. That's right -- Jeff Zucker. As the magazine says, "Some of them may prove to be wrong, and others wrong-headed. But all of them embody the kind of courage that stirs the spirit and inspires us to think for ourselves." Here's why the magazine says the NBC Universal topper was chosen:

UPDATES Elle's Women In Hollywood Power List

"Dear Nikki Finke,
Just a little thank-you for the recognition of the Sex And The City work and the unexpected honor of being made an honorary woman on your Power Women in Hollywood List. The only downside — my salary was just cut in half.
All my best, Michael Patrick King."