Carl Icahn Now Wants ALL Of Lionsgate 
Action Comedy TV: Showrunner Matt Nix 
SAG National Board Approves Joint Bargaining … Will his absence until the end of June because of his health issues affect Disney's and Apple's close relationship not to mention the future of iTunes? Hollywood is pondering that right now. I have to say yes. He is the embodiment of creativity when it comes to delivery so the content companies have to be weighing their options anew. Just look at the dismal state of Sony when a once out-of-the-box thinking corporation stops setting the standard and falls behind its competitors.
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Zucker Cries Uncle! Zucker Claims Victory! No Matter NBC Shows Are Back On iTunes
It takes a short guy to admit a big mistake. Or a big ego to declare a small victory. But the fact is that Jeff Zucker went off on Steve Jobs and severed NBC Universal's relationship with iTunes a year ago. NBC Universal had been iTunes's No. 1 seller even if Zucker boasted back then that NBC wasn't getting all that much dough from the deal. But Zucker's backing out of renewing its contract with Apple over disputes on pricing, bundling content together, and more restrictive DRM was still a pinhead move. Not only did NBC execs admit that The Office got a big awareness boost when because of iTunes, but they missed not having iTunes as another marketing platform to promote the 2007-2008 fall season which ended up dying. And then Zucker added insult to injury by claiming Apple and iTunes had "destroyed the music business" in terms of pricing and that video was next unless "we take control". Back in January, there were hints of a rapprochement after Universal inked a movie rental deal with iTunes and Zucker did a 180. "We've said all along that we admire Apple, that we want to be in business with Apple," Zucker told the press. "We're great fans of Steve Jobs." Jobs praised NBC Uni, too. 
Now all is forgiven and NBC is back on iTunes with its lineup of TV shows. Jobs announced today that The Office, Heroes, Monk, Battlestar Galactica, 30 Rock, etc. will all be sold. HD versions will run $2.99 while SD versions ... Read More »
Will MTV Boss Go To Work For Oprah TV?
I'm told that Oprah is talking to MTV Networks chairman/CEO Judy McGrath about running Winfrey's new cable network for "empowerment programming" -- the latest pop culture-speak for self-help guidance. Called OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network), it launches in 2010. Judy has been at MTV 27 years. Maybe it is time for a change. Then again, no one moves from aop a $7 billion-a-year media powerhouse to an entertainment start-up without a big equity position.
Who's Gonna Be The Boss Of 'Gossip Girl'?
I'm told that tonight MTV's Tony DiSanto is still very busy denying to Hollywood that he is replacing Dawn Ostroff as head of The CW. I first heard from sources three weeks ago that Dawn was out, and Tony was in, following rounds of not-so-secret meetings with possible candidates 
for the network run jointly by Warner Bros and CBS. Then silence. The "explanation" making the rounds was that DiSanto, who's been a very big deal at MTV for more than a decade, was still negotiating his CW deal. Well, DiSanto this week had a puff piece written about him where he said he isn't leaving MTV. But today, this CW rumor went from a whisper to the talk of the town. So why? "Someone is really pushing this story hard," says a CBS insider. "But I believe the person who told me it's not happening." And the bigtime TV power-players also think it's smoke, not fire. Perhaps it's karma that DiSanto (EVP of series, development and animation for MTV and 
head of programming for MTV2), has to work overtime to dispel the chatter. After all, this is the guy responsible for some of the most-talked-about swill on MTV, like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, Run's House, The Hills, 8th and Ocean, The Andy Milonakis Show, and TRL with Carson Daly (thus foisting that no-talent on all of us...). Whereas Ostroff got her job by the skin of her teeth after ... Read More »
WGA Scolds Carson Daly For Returning 'To Support Staff' And Seeking Scab Jokes
I should start this post by noting that everyone I know, young and old, doesn't get lunkhead NBC's Last Call host Carson Daly's appeal. Indeed, I've seen chimps with better TV charisma and good looks and interviewing skills. And yet NBC at the time was so delighted about hiring him just because he dated starlets and pop stars and smarmed MTV. So the network is more enthusiastic than ever now that Daly today announced that he is the first of the late night hosts returning to the air despite the ongoing writers walkout. He plans to resume taping Wednesday for new episodes that will begin airing next week. "He wanted to go back to support his staffers," the network spokeswoman said. NBC has informed the non-writing staff of Daly's show, as well as Jay Leno's and Conan O'Brien's, that they face layoffs at the end of this week unless the shows return to the airwaves. (Meanwhile, NBC is so desperate to get Leno back behind The Tonight Show desk that it's humiliating him with "vintage" episodes which should be destroyed, not aired.)
Tonight, the striking Writers Guild of America issued this statement of criticism: “We’re disappointed at Carson Daly’s decision to return to work. Mr. Daly is not a writer and not a member of the WGA, unlike other late-night hosts Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Craig Ferguson, and Jimmy Kimmel, who have all resisted network pressure and honored our writers’ picket lines. We hope he’ll change his mind and follow the lead of the other late-night hosts.”
The late ... Read More »
Another Reason Bob Shaye Should Retire
Bob Shaye was kicked in the nuts this week by Sam Raimi who said he'll only direct The Hobbit if Peter Jackson produces. "If [Jackson] didn't want to direct it, and he was producing it," Raimi told MTV Tuesday about his two conditions, "then I would love to be considered for the project." That certainly gives Jackson's side an even better bargaining position with New Line as settlement talks continue. Meanwhile, Peter Jackson's lawsuit against the studio drags on.
... Read More »
David Lynch: World 'Moved On' From Film
Idiosyncratic David Lynch doesn't give many interviews, so it's worth looking at MTV's little one on the occasion of the newly released DVD of his digital pic, Inland Empire, featuring more than an hour of additional scenes (more of his actors in rabbit costumes), an extended interview with Lynch, and even a cooking segment. For MTV, Lynch touches on topics like why he won't go back to film, what he liked about The Bourne Ultimatum ('There's nothing wrong with a great Hollywood blockbuster') and how much George Lucas offered him to direct Return Of The Jedi:
MTV: Traditionally there aren't a ton of extras on DVDs of your films. Why load this one up and pull the curtain a bit on your process?
David Lynch: Pulling the curtain on some things isn't good. I always want to protect the film and experience for people. But this time there were a lot of scenes ... that formed a kind of thing that I call "other things that happened." It's like, you meet the family in the film — except for the sister who lives in Ohio. And now with this it fills that out. And then — I don't cook, but I had this recipe for quinoa. And cooking shows are very popular. So I thought I'd do a cooking thing.
MTV... Read More »
Bye-Bye Laguna Beach... MTV Will Sucker-Punch Newport Harbor Starting Aug. 15
Now that MTV has ruined Laguna Beach, it's moving up the coast to Newport Harbor for its 4th season of the rich teen reality show called, appropriately, Newport Harbor: The Real Orange County. "New cast, new beach, new drama," is the execrable title of the series deputing August 15th at 10:30 p.m. Makes sense since not only was Season 3 of LB the most boring yet but there have been lots of news reports about how the town and people really hated MTV and the show filming in their midst. So Tony DiSanto, EVP of series development and programming for MTV, had to find new suckers to roll. This time, the kids are in their last year of high school. "On the road to their first kiss, the newest couple at school contends with a protective father and a girl that’s used to getting everything she wants. Meanwhile, former best friends compete for the affection of a younger beauty." Starting today, newportharbor.mtv.com goes live for all the 411. Kill me now, OK?
'Knocked Up' Weekend Projection $25+M; Universal Thanks Judd Apatow A Million
Usually it's a fancy fruit basket. Or a shiny new car. But I'm told that Universal has gifted producer/writer/director Judd Apatow a check for an extra $1 million for making the filthy funny movie everyone wants to see this summer, and for bringing it in under budget so the studio can make a profit and break its year-long string of box office bombs. Yeah, but I wanna know how the GE beancounters are gonna bookkeep this. Meanwhile, the tracking for Apatow's R-rated adult sex comedy Knocked Up which opens today keeps building and building. Now my box office gurus have raised their beginning-of-the-week predictions: they've gone from projecting it to finish in 3rd place with gross receipts of $20+ million, to 2nd place and $25+ million. People close to the film are wishing for more. "First, we hoped for $20M, then $25M and if we can make $30M we'll be ecstatic," one insider told me. That's equal to the cost of the movie, and roughly equivalent to the catering budget of this summer's mega-blockbusters. Read More »
2007 MTV Movie Awards Nominees
BEST MOVIE
- 300 (Warner Bros. Pictures)
- Blades of Glory (Paramount Pictures)
- Borat (20th Century Fox)
- Little Miss Sunshine (Fox Searchlight)
- Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (Disney)
BEST PERFORMANCE
- Gerard Butler 300
- Johnny Depp Pirates 2
- Jennifer Hudson Dreamgirls
- Keira Knightley Pirates 2
- Beyoncé Knowles Dreamgirls
- Will Smith The Pursuit of Happyness
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
- Emily Blunt The Devil Wears Prada
- Abigail Breslin Little Miss Sunshine
- Lena Headey 300
- Columbus Short Stomp the Yard
- Jaden Smith The Pursuit of Happyness
- Justin Timberlake Alpha Dog
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
- Emily Blunt The Devil Wears Prada
- Sacha Baron Cohen Borat
- Will Ferrell Blades of Glory
- Adam Sandler Click
- Ben Stiller Night at the
... Read More »
Now Paramount/DreamWorks Deal Looks Better With Benefit Of 20/20 Hindsight
To date, much of the reporting (including mine) about the Paramount/DreamWorks deal that wasn't pro forma has focused on the messy integration and hurt feelings. But what about the product? Granted it's still early in 2007, but I had to go back all the way to 2001 to find the last time Paramount was sitting in 3rd place in terms of studio market share. And the reason, simply put, is the acquisition of DreamWorks. No doubt about it: DW's movies are performing. Dreamgirls (which made most of its moolah in 2007), Norbit (showing there's nothing too stupid for Americans to watch). 
Blades of Glory (which everyone finds a laugh-riot), now Disturbia (No. 1 last weekend and could be No. 1 again this time out), and the upcoming blockbusters Shrek The Third (May) and Transformers (July). All were in the works before the P/DW deal. By contrast, look at Paramount's product during that same time period: Zodiac (a leftover from the Sherry Lansing era that tanked), Shooter (shot itself in the foot), Next (April 27th)... And then nothing until August. Even if I factor in other Paramount brands, the cupboard is still bare. (Charlotte's Web from Nickelodeon squeezed out some box office, but MTV's Freedom Writers was DOA as well as Vantage's Black Snake Moan and Year Of The Dog. And no way counter-programming like Vantage's A Mighty Heart or Son Of Rambow can get traction this summer.) "What would they have done for product if they hadn't bought Dreamworks?" an insider asks. Read More »
Why Frank Darabont Told George Lucas 'You're Insane' Over 'Indiana Jones 4'
The director of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile just wrapped an exhausting shoot in Louisiana on another Stephen King adaptation, his new film The Mist which comes out in November. But filmmaker Frank Darabont spoke to MTV News about more controversial matters, like Indiana Jones 4, Fahrenheit 451, and why he hates Hostel and Saw:
MTV: Are you focused entirely on directing now, rather than writing for other filmmakers?
Darabont: Absolutely. I spent 20 years of my career primarily being a writer for hire. I had a few bad experiences to reinforce the decision that had been forming to get the hell out. 
I can't be chained to my computer anymore, not for the paycheck.
MTV: Would you say one of those bad experiences is the time you spent writing the aborted Indiana Jones 4 script?
Darabont: Indy is definitely in that category, topping the list. It showed me how badly things can go. I spent a year of very determined effort on something I was very excited about, working very closely with Steven Spielberg and coming up with a result that I and he felt was terrific. He wanted to direct it as his next movie, and then suddenly the whole thing goes down in flames because George Lucas doesn't like the script.
MTV: Did you ever speak to George Lucas directly?
Darabont: Yes! I told him he was crazy. I said, "You have a fantastic script. I think you're insane, George." You can say things like that to George, and he doesn't even blink. He's one of the most stubborn men I know.
MTV: Do you know if any remnant of that story lives in the one they're about to start filming?
Darabont: I have no idea if there's a shred of it left. It was a tremendous disappointment and a waste of a year.
MTV: I would think part of you still wants to share that script with the world.
Darabont: I would love it, but it's not my material to disseminate. At this point, I don't give much of a damn what George thinks, but I wouldn't want to harm my friendship with Steven. Read More »
'Hot Fuzz' UK Filmmakers Mug Action Pics
So Rogue Pictures' Hot Fuzz rolls out April 20th in the U.S. after this British buddy cop pic has done well overseas. Brits are often way funnier than Americans. Anyway, here's an interview with the Hot Fuzz filmmakers who also made 2004's Shaun of the Dead, the first zombie-centric romantic comedyL Simon Pegg (writes and stars), Edgar Wright (writes and directs) and Nick Frost (soulful sidekick and sometime writer). Hot Fuzz is the opposite of an urban comedy: it is set in a tiny English town and cast with Jim Broadbent, Bill Nigby and Timothy Dalton along with uncredited cameos by Cate Blanchett and director Peter Jackson. Here's the MTV interview:
Kurt Loder: What was the inspiration for Hot Fuzz?
Edgar Wright: Well, there are very few British cop movies. British cops aren't really perceived as being cool — they don't have guns and they wear sweaters and some of their hats look stupid. This has meant that the British bobby has never had a chance to be badass. So to counteract the huge wave of British gangster films, we wanted to make a British cop film.
Simon Pegg: We also want to make Hollywood movies, but not have to leave home. We can just make them in our backyard.
Loder: Nick, is it true there was a love interest in the movie originally, but she was dropped and you got her dialogue?
Nick Frost: Yeah, I did.
Pegg: We realized where the romance truly was.
Frost: Well, you know, the criticism often leveled at me is that I'm very effete, so maybe that helped.
Pegg: With these buddy-cop movies, the central relationship is always between the two guys, and it's often very romantic. Watch Lethal Weapon again. It is such a sweet romance between Danny Glover and Mel Gibson. I mean, at the end, Mel's stripped to the waist, being cradled by Danny, who's saying, "I've got you." And the rain dripping off Mel's rippling torso... Read More »
Final Season For Ashton's 'Punk'd' Pranks
This time, it's no practical joke. Ashton Kutcher finally appears finished fooling famous people. Of course, MTV said Punk'd would end three years ago, but now it's looking like this 8th season beginning April 10th will be the last. Among the targets this time out are Hilary Swank, Magic Johnson, Lost star Evangeline Lilly and Hayden Panettiere of Heroes. Gee, is it the brightest idea for Kutcher to quit all his day jobs? After all, he's not much of a movie star anymore after walking away from That '70s Show. His try at becoming an action hero in The Guardian opposite Kevin Costner kinda flopped. But Kutcher still has Beauty and the Geek to fall back on. He'll host a "Punk'd Awards" tribute to the best in celebrity meltdowns in June.
Yes, It's True: Wolf Out At MTV Networks
MTV Networks President & COO Michael Wolf is out as of February after only 15 months in the job. Nicole Browning, president of affiliate sales and marketing who'd been with the company for two decades, is also exiting. My god, Viacom must have a volume deal with Bekins moving company. Tom Freston, Michael Dolan, Gail Berman, Alli Shearmur, now Wolf. (Gawker had the rumor first, then Wall Street Journal got confirmation from Wolf directly.) The ex-consultant who led the media practices at both McKinsey & Co. and Booz Allen Hamilton before joining Viacom in 2005, Wolf told the Journal he "decided to leave because he had accomplished everything he set out to do at the cable network operator. 'I never viewed this as a long-term thing,' he said." 
Yeah, as if everyone who joins these media companies intends to do the Mike Ovitz-trademarked gone before he got there gig. Wolf insisted to the newspaper that, despite the rumors circulating for months he'd be axed, he wasn't forced to resign and that his relationship with MTV Networks boss Judy McGrath remained friendly. (What, she stopped banging his head against the wall?) "Michael completed a strong and actionable long-range plan, and brought some of our best and brightest minds in to the company," McGrath said in a statement. "We know he has a lot to offer the media industry as ... Read More »
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