Multichannel News is reporting that Time Warner and other cable operators want the FCC to enact retrans reform. This follows all those recent retrans battles which consumers have to keep enduring. But why the cable providers think the FCC will be on their side is a mystery to me. On the other hand, there's no guarantee that the FCC will be on the side of the Big Mdia programmers, either. I've said it before and I'll say it again: only the consumers reliably lose in these battles as their cable bills keep soaring no matter who blinks first.

"Time Warner Cable is expected to file a petition at the FCC atop a coalition of cable operators and others asking the FCC to reform the retransmission consent process. According to sources, the petition is asking for independent arbitration during retrans disputes and interim carriage during that arbitration... The American Cable Association, which represents small and mid-sized operators, confirmed that it had signed on to the petition." Also said to either be considering signing on to the petition or already on it are Dish Network, DirecTV, Verizon, Mediacom, Charter and Public Knowledge.

A Time Warner spokesperson would not discuss the substance of the petition, but did confirm that it is filing the document this week. The suggested remedies in the petition raise some of the ideas the FCC should consider.

BREAKING NEWS! Robert Halderman, the former Emmy-winning producer of CBS's 48 Hours, appeared in a Manhattan Supreme Court and pled guilty just now to blackmailing David Letterman. Halderman spoke to reporters outside the courtroom and apologized to Letterman, the late night ... Read More »

Robert De Niro has signed to play legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi in Lombardi, a feature film for ESPN Films. The National Football League is involved in the project, which has a script last written by Eric Roth.
More details coming...

From Deadline|London editor Tim Adler: Observers I’ve spoken to say that the decision to wind down the London office of 19 Entertainment could be the first sign of owner CKX preparing to sell. Staff at 19’s London office have been put under threat of redundancy. It’s not known yet how many London staff could be laid off. Employment law here in Britain is a protracted legal process that can take months. The company behind American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance employs around 60 people in London. CKX has decided to wind down 19’s London office given that 95% of its profits come from US-based TV production. Sister offices in Los Angeles and New York recently both took on staff. The company employs around 160 people worldwide. CKX currently spends $30 million a year on overhead. One New York analyst told me this cost-cutting could pave the way for 19 Entertainment’s assets to be sold on – either to new buyers or back to founder Simon Fuller.

CKX chairman and CEO Robert Sillerman told me that CKX will be examining every aspect of his business “to see the best way to grow shareholder value”. CKX’s share price is currently $4 compared with $14 in June 2007. Sillerman recently told analysts that he was open to selling American Idol or 19. American Idol is supposed to be worth $25 billion as ... Read More »

From Deadline|London editor Tim Adler: Katie Taylor, a veteran comedy executive, has been picked to run the BBC’s entertainment department. This is the first time a woman has been chosen for one of the most important jobs in British broadcasting. BBC Entertainment handles all of the BBC’s “shiny floor shows” -- those talent competitions which fill TV schedules these days. It used to be drama executives looked down on light entertainment. After all, it was drama that had the deep pockets. Today it’s talent shows that cost up to £1.5 million ($2.3 million) per episode. The budget ceiling for drama over here is around half that.

Taylor, who will take up her role later in the spring, has a long comedy background. She used to work at Channel 4 before she joined the BBC, where she developed a relationship with chat show host Graham Norton. The BBC is now grooming Norton to take over from Jonathan Ross as its top chat show presenter. One TV executive who knows Taylor told me that she’s great with talent and can spot a hit. Oh, and in this age of Perrier-sipping Beeb execs, it’s a relief to know that she likes a drink.

Taylor takes over the job from Jon Beazley, who quit last month. Guy Freeman, former music and events controller at ITV, was also in the running for the job.

Universal City, March 9, 2010 - The global market leader in browser-based Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOG), Bigpoint, (http://www.bigpoint.com/) will be demonstrating the next generation of client-free PC gaming at Game Developers Conference 2010. Leading its product slate for 2010 will be Battlestar Galactica Online, a tactical space combat and adventure MMOG based upon Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica series. The game, inspired by one of the most popular science fiction series in television history, will launch worldwide exclusively this fall on Syfy.com for a 30 day period.

The Unity co-developed MMOG will offer state of the art graphics that can be played directly in an Internet browser. The teaser website for Battlestar Galactica Online is available at http://www.bgo.bigpoint.com and Bigpoint will be discussing this announcement at booth 2038 at Game Developers Conference, March 9th-12th. Battlestar Galactica Online is licensed through Universal Partnerships & Licensing, on behalf of the NBC Universal Television Consumer Products Group.

"Battlestar Galactica is a supremely gameable intellectual property, with compelling character classes, a fantastic array of ships and weaponry, multiple worlds, and a dramatic storyline," said Bill Kispert, VP & GM, Digital Platforms, Universal Partnerships & Licensing. "We are excited to work with Bigpoint - and our partners at Universal Cable Productions and Syfy - to bring an epic, accessible, and ‘always on’ BSG experience to fans of the franchise and online gamers alike."

"Cooperation between Bigpoint and NBC Universal

... Read More »

UPDATES 'Basterd' Christoph Waltz To Play Circus Nazi

From Deadline|London editor Tim Adler: Remember Mike Fleming’s story last month about Christoph Waltz, who won the Best Actor Oscar on Sunday for his portrayal of a Jew-hunting Nazi, being lined up to play another psychopath in Water For Elephants? Well, it turns out that in going for that role, he dropped out of playing one of the most influential Jews in history. Waltz was going to star as Sigmund Freud in David Cronenberg’s The Talking Cure, due to start filming on May 17 for 10 weeks. Based on the play by Christopher Hampton, the pic is about the conflict between Freud and his pupil Jung.

Waltz’s departure left the producers scrabbling for a replacement. There were fears they would have to scrap the German/Canadian co-production completely. “You’d have thought Waltz wouldn’t want to be typecast as a sadist,” one of the filmmakers grumbled to me. Happily, Viggo Mortensen, who worked so memorably with Cronenberg on Eastern Promises, has just replaced Waltz. Mortensen will star as Freud opposite Michael Fassbender as Jung. Keira Knightley will play Sabina, a disturbed young woman brought to see Jung by her father. Jung and Sabina have an affair, and the producers are promising me “lots of spirited sex”. (Viggo had that other spirited sex scene with Maria Bello in Cronenberg's A History Of Violence.)

If the movie’s going to be as ... Read More »

EXCLUSIVE: Ellen Rakieten and her production banner has signed an exclusive overall multiyear deal with Relativity Real for unscripted television. The multiple Emmy award winner is best known for her 2-decade career with the Oprah Winfrey Show. She is currently exec producing NBC's new show, The Marriage Ref.

Sony Corp has officially announced its entry in the 3D television game, launching its first line of Bravia flatscreen TVs for sale in Japan beginning in June. Other announcements will follow as Sony joins electronics giants like Panasonic and Samsung in ... Read More »

Despite lukewarm critical reception (did you read Deadline's own live-snarking?), the ratings for the Academy Awards has ABC crowing. The telecast drew an average audience of 41.3 million viewers, which made the Oscars TV's most watched entertainment broadcast ... Read More »

So what did Chartier do when The Hurt Locker took Best Picture last night? "Nicolas was pretty gobsmacked when the film won," producer Lynette Howell told me. "He stayed in his seat while everyone else erupted, and then he just started ... Read More »

EXCLUSIVE: Nick Nolte -- TV star turned film star turned TV star again? Years ago he burst upon the scene in the miniseries Rich Man, Poor Man. Now I'm hearing that Nolte is about to join the cast of Luck, that ... Read More »

EXCLUSIVE: Two years after baffling audiences with his abrupt cut-to-black ending for HBO's The Sopranos, David Chase is back -- this time, with a feature film. Unfortunately, it's not about the Mafia. But the subject matter could be just as compelling. I’ve learned ... Read More »

EXCLUSIVE: The world’s oldest story is on a collision course with cutting-edge Hollywood technology. I’m told that Paramount Pictures and former Walden Media co-founder Cary Granat producing with Reel Fx are mounting In The Beginning, a 3D telling of the creation ... Read More »

In case you weren't keeping score, indies outpaced majors at last night's Oscars. The Hurt Locker was the 18th indie to win Best Oscar in past 30 years. The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) announced that indies collected 12 Academy Awards (excluding short films), compared to 9 for the major studios. Last night's "Academy Awards, capped by the triumph of The Hurt Locker, celebrate the diversity, quality and creativity of independent films, and are visible evidence that those films matter to our industry and our audiences,” said IFTA President-CEO Jean Prewitt. “We congratulate the artists, risk takers and entrepreneurs of the independent film community and our IFTA members for their extraordinary success this season.” Independent films receiving Oscars and, where applicable, IFTA members involved in production, finance or distribution, were: The Hurt Locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, El Secreto De Sus Ojos, The Cove, and The Young Victoria.

ABC Family has acquired this weekend's huge No. 1 hit film, Walt Disney Pictures' Alice in Wonderland, from Disney-ABC Domestic Television. The in-house deal gives ABC Family the rights to the network television premiere in 2012.

Season 7 champ Brooke Burke (whoever that is) will join Tom Bergeron on this show almost everyone watches except me.

Said Kevin Reilly, the president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting Company, "Fringe tapped into a deep creative mine this year that built momentum throughout the season and helped give us our first real foothold on TV’s most competitive night." Reilly called the rest of this season "mind-blowing" when Fringe resumes with eight new episodes beginning April 1st at 9PM. The drama improved Fox’s performance in the time period by 11% among adults 18-49, and by 33% in total viewers. With its Bones lead-in, Fringe helped boost Fox’s Thursday average rating during the fall among adults 18-49 by 52%. The show was created by JJ Abrams & Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and is exec produced by Abrams with Jeff Pinkner and JH Wyman who are also the showrunners.

The Best Picture win for The Hurt Locker came too late to change its place in Hollywood history as the lowest grossing top prize winner in memory. But the Best Documentary win by The Cove, on the other hand, will help the controversial film get seen in Japan, where director Louie ... Read More »