‘Fashion Police’ Writers Chant On Picket Lines: … 
Universal Makes Seven-Figure Deal For ‘The School For … 
Steven Soderbergh Will Interrupt Retirement To Direct And … 
Cannes: EOne Announces Itself As Player In U.S. … 
Will LIN TV Stations Go Dark On Time Warner Cable? 
Very Crowded Memorial Weekend Kick-Off: ‘Hangover … 
Shareholders Quiz Time Warner Chief On Political Ties And … 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Modern Family’, ‘Law … 
Hammond On Cannes: Paramount’s ‘Nebraska’ … 
Cannes: J.C. Chandor Sets Next Project ‘A Most … 
Hannibal Classics Sets Cast For Nic Cage Pic … 
Hammond On Cannes: Robert Redford’s Brave New Role … 
Hot Trailer: Jennifer Aniston And Jason Sudeikis’ … 
Warner Bros Tells Space Story, From The Bra Designers Who … 
Brad Pitt’s Plan B Banner Promotes Jeremy Kleiner To … 
Hot Trailer: ‘Don Jon’ 
Billy Crystal-Starring Comedy From Matt Nix & Larry … 
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Dancing With The Stars’ … 
Hammond On Cannes: A New Day Comes To The Fest As HBO and … 
Cannes: Fleming Reflects And Finds Talented Trio A Breath … 
Hot Trailer: ‘Man Of Steel’ 
THURSDAY AM: The Hollywood studios now think every weekend should start on Wednesday just to wring every last dollar from moviegoers (and ensure I’m even more sleep deprived than usual). The result is that these 4 1/2-day holidays render comps and records meaningless even within a franchise. Warner Bros claims The Hangover Part III co-financed with Legendary Pictures is off “to a great start” with $3.1M from Wednesday late shows and Thursday midnights before opening wide today in 3,555 locations. But that’s still a lot less than the last one. 
The real question is how much this Memorial Weekend box office can expand over last year’s to accommodate three new movies tracking very well (Universal’s actioner Fast & Furious 6 opening Friday in North America as does Twentieth Century Fox/Blue Sky Studios’ toon Epic: both with 70+% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes) plus three still thriving pics already in the marketplace (Iron Man 3, The Great Gatsby, Star Trek In Darkness). What I don’t comprehend is why the weekend of May 31st stayed open for so long until at the last minute Sony Pictures moved Will Smith’s After Earth there. Hollywood expected either Warner Bros (who was Johnny-come-lately to Memorial Weekend and then moved from a Friday to Thursday wide release) or Universal (who tagged Memorial Weekend from the beginning) to blink. “But they just stared each other down as they both were driving off a cliff,” one rival studio exec marvels. Meanwhile, one Hollywood marketer is bound for hell after using the words ‘epic’ and ‘Hangover Part III‘ in the same sentence: It’s the “epic conclusion to the trilogy of mayhem and bad decisions,” is how the studio positioned the pic which returns to its Las Vegas roots. “Fans have to see how the most popular comedy franchise of all time ends. This time there’s no wedding, no bachelor party – just one simple road trip. What could possibly go wrong?” Not much considering the brief running time of only 1 hour and 40 minutes for the Todd Phillips-directed repeat antics of Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms and nemesis Ken Jeong. This threequel scored even worse reviews (only 26% positive on Rotten Tomatoes) than the sequel (34%) which was considered embarrassingly awful. But it may make no difference: a lot of moviegoers really like this mindless crap especially during the summer months. More later.
Very Crowded Memorial Weekend Kick-Off: ‘Hangover III’ Opens For $3.1M Late Shows
Adele Lim Signs Overall Deal With CBS TV Studios, Joins ‘Star-Crossed’ As Co-Showrunner
Adele Lim (Private Practice, One Tree Hill) has signed an overall deal with CBS TV Studios. Under the pact, she will serve as executive producer/co-showrunner on the studio’s new CW drama series Star-Crossed (previously Oxygen) alongside the project’s writer-executive producer Meredith Averill. Star-Crossed chronicles the epic romance between a human girl and an alien boy when he and eight others of his kind are integrated into a suburban high school. Also executive producing the series are Josh Appelbaum, Andre Nemec, Scott Rosenberg, Richard Shepard and Bryan Furst. Star-Crossed reunites Lim with Applebaum, Nemec and Rosenberg. She started out as Applebaum and Nemec’s assistant and worked as a writer for them and Rosenberg on ABC’s Life On Mars and Happy Town. She spent the last three seasons on CBS/CBS TV Studios’ The Good Wife and previously worked with the studio and the CW on Life Unexpected.
Matt Rogers Set As Host Of USA Competition Series ‘Summer Camp’
Matt Rogers will be the host of USA Network‘s new competition reality series Summer Camp, which will pit 16 die-hard campers in over-the-top competitions inspired by classic camp games. The final competitors eventually face off in an Olympic-style finale to determine the winner. The eight-episode one-hour series will premiere July 11. Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan are producing the Sony Pictures TV series via their Fly on the Wall Entertainment. Rogers was the former host of GSN’s Beat The Chefs, Discovery Channel’s Really Big Things, CBS’ There Goes the Neighborhood and Lifetime’s Coming Home. He is repped by APA and Untitled Entertainment.
Shareholders Quiz Time Warner Chief On Political Ties And Gun Coverage
CEO Jeff Bewkes must be glad that he only has to meet with ordinary shareholders once a year. Two dominated the Q&A session at today’s gathering with questions based on a view that Time Warner is engaged in campaigns to promote President Obama’s political fortunes, and gun control legislation. One found it suspicious that Michelle Obama awarded the Oscar for Best Picture, won by Warner Bros’ Argo. He noted that actor George Clooney — one of the film’s producers — had hosted fundraisers for the Obama campaign, and that the President and First Lady attended TNT’s annual Christmas In Washington special to raise money for the Children’s National Medical Center. “What a way to say ‘thank you’,” the shareholder said. Bewkes explained that the TNT show invites “sitting office holders that we have elected, whether wisely or not. They are not candidates.” As for the Oscar, “that’s done by the members of the Academy….That’s a whole forest if you wander into that.” Read More »
RATINGS RAT RACE: ‘Modern Family’, ‘Law & Order: SVU’ & ‘Criminal Minds’ Hit Finale Lows, ‘Masterchef’ Down In Season Debut
The final night of the 2012-2013 TV season saw six finales and one season debut. On ABC, Wednesday marked the Season 4 finale of Modern Family (3.6/11) at 9 PM. In a season that saw the comedy post its first adults 18-49 win over American Idol, last night’s episode dipped 3% from its May 14 show. While the highest-rated show of the night by far, Family also fell 12% from its Season 3 end on May 23, 2012 to hit an all-time season-finale low. That result could change a bit in the final numbers as the extra minute of Family is factored in. Last week, the show went up from its 3.5 in fast affiliate rating to a 3.6 later in the day. The Season 4 finale of The Middle (2.0/7) started ABC’s primetime last night, with the sitcom was up a slight 5% from last week and even with last year’s May 23, 2012 finale. A Modern Family (1.6/5) encore followed at 8:30 PM. How To Live With You Parents (For The Rest Of Your Life) (2.2/6) was the only non-finale original on ABC last night. The newbie comedy was up 10% from its May 14 show. Nashville (1.9/5) wrapped its freshman cycle with cliffhangers-galore show that saw a 12% rise from last week.
Related: CBS Wins Season; ABC Tops Adults 18-49 In Final Week
A two-hour Criminal Minds (2.7/8) finale was the only original on CBS last night. Literally ending with a bang, the Season 8 ender of the recently renewed procedural series was up 4% from its May 14 episode but down a hard 25% from last season’s two-hour finale on May 16, 2012. Though the most watched show of the night with 10.80 million viewers, that’s a finale low for the series. With 8.982 million watching, CBS won the night in total viewers and tied with ABC (2.2) in adults 18-49. Read More »
CANNES TOLDJA! Weinstein Co Officially Acquires ‘Philomena’, Eyes Fall Release
This turned out to be the first big bidding battle of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which is now winding down. The Weinstein Company won out after sparking to the seven-minute teaser reel shown to buyers during the fest, outbidding others including Focus Features. Now it will join the distributor’s already bursting awards-season slate that includes Sundance winner Fruitvale Station, August: Osage County with Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, Long Walk To Freedom with Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela, the Lee Daniels-directed The Butler, Grace Of Monaco with Nicole Kidman, and the Shane Salerno-directed documentary Salinger. Here’s the official release:
CANNES (May 23, 2013) – The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today from the 2013 Cannes Film Festival that they are acquiring distribution rights in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Spain to director Stephen Frears’ (HIGH FIDELITY, THE QUEEN) dramedy PHILOMENA. Seven minutes of the film were shown to buyers in Cannes on May 16th, with TWC outbidding a number of other studios vying for rights. Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope penned the screenplay, which is based on the 2009 novel The Lost Child of Philomena Lee by BBC correspondent Martin Sixsmith. The project stars Judi Dench (NOTES ON A SCANDAL, THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL) and Coogan (THE TRIP, WHAT MAISIE KNEW) and was produced by Coogan, Tracey Seaward and Gabrielle Tana. Baby Cow’s Henry Normal, BBC Films’ Christine Langan, Pathé’s Francois Ivernel and Cameron McCracken and Magnolia Mae Films’ Carolyn Marks Blackwood executive produced.
Hammond On Cannes: Paramount’s ‘Nebraska’ Hits Town As Only Major Studio Movie In Competition
Alexander Payne says he only finished postproduction last Friday on his Cannes competition entry
Nebraska, which had its press screening this morning and will premiere tonight. Reviews coming in so far are largely mixed to very good. Even though Paramount won’t release it until November 22, Payne likes to take awhile in post to get everything right. There was initial concern about even making the Cannes date, so that is why until just a week before this year’s official lineup was announced did Paramount and Payne even decide to take a shot. He brought the film to Paris, showed it to Thierry Fremaux with only two days to spare, and landed tonight’s slot. Payne is becoming somewhat of a Cannes regular — although other than 2002′s About Schmidt, this is only his second film in competition. He has served on the juries of both Un Certain Regard and, last year, the main selection.
Nebraska, which will be one of Paramount’s Oscar hopes this year, played well to nice but brief applause from the press at the screening and at the press conference that followed (especially when stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte were introduced). It’s pure Payne in its humanist, gently funny style and captures that Middle America folksy style in beautiful black and white, but it is definitely what I would call a small film that will need tender loving care from the studio (the only major studio film in competition). Read More »
Starz Sets Premiere Date For ‘White Queen’
Starz/BBC series The White Queen will debut on Starz on Saturday, August 10, following the Friday season finale of Magic City. The 10-episode drama, based on the bestselling historical novels by Philippa Gregory, is set against the backdrop of England’s Wars of the Roses and stars Max Irons, Amanda Hale, James Frain, newcomers Rebecca Ferguson and Faye Marsay and Oscar nominee Janet McTeer. Colin Callender is executive producer for the series, produced by the UK’s Company Pictures.
Hot TV Trailer: ‘The White Queen’
CMT Buys Off-Net Rights To ‘Hell’s Kitchen’
LOS ANGELES – May 23, 2013 – CMT has reached a multi-year licensing deal with distributor Debmar-Mercury to become the exclusive cable partner for off-network episodes of HELL”S KITCHEN, produced by ITV Studios America, it was announced today by Katie Buchanan, senior vice president of programming strategy, CMT. The series will debut weekdays beginning this Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, at 12 p.m. ET/PT on CMT and will also be available on CMT VOD.
“The high energy and drama Gordon Ramsay brings to this series is a perfect companion to the CMT brand and complements our action-packed summer lineup nicely,” said Buchanan.
Cannes: J.C. Chandor Sets Next Project ‘A Most Violent Year’
EXCLUSIVE: All Is Lost and Margin Call director J.C. Chandor has set his next project. He will write and direct A Most Violent Year which will shoot this fall in New York City. The logline is being kept under wraps, 
but I’m told a group of A-listers are being approached and that there will be several in the movie. It will be a bigger-scale film than the previous two, which were made for $3.4M and $9M, respectively. Neal Dodson via Before the Door Pictures and Anna Gerb, who both produced All Is Lost, are producers. Glen Basner is exec producing via FilmNation and has global sales. Chandor is here in town for his Robert Redford-starrer All Is Lost which received a glowing reception last night at its official screening.
Cannes: Caution In The Market
With the market officially wrapped, the deal pace has slowed to a crawl and the focus turns back to the movies. That’s after a week of international sales on some key titles and a few high-profile domestic deals in an environment that nevertheless was marked by caution. Oftentimes as Cannes is about to start, there are splashy announcements of domestic pick-ups on fest-related movies and that helps set the pace. In 2011, The Weinstein Co. acquired The Artist before the curtain lifted. Last year, it grabbed The Sapphires and Sony Pictures Classics bought Susanne Bier’s Love Is All You Need on Day One. This year, there were no eve-of-the-fest acquisitions on titles that are in official selection (although Warner Bros. moved in on Ryan Gosling’s How To Catch A Monster which is currently shooting and Lionsgate arrived in town having taken the upcoming The Quiet Ones). Ultimately, U.S. buyers that I spoke with ahead of the fest said they would be opportunistic, but cautious. “Everyone goes in very carefully,” Sony Classics’ Tom Bernard told me. “There’s a lot of pushback in the ancillary areas so when you’re spending money, you have to spend it wisely.”
Foreign sellers say there’s a shift in the balance of key territories. China, Russia, Brazil, the Middle East and even India – which has such a massive local box office – are becoming “significant pieces of the puzzle.” Spain and Italy remain the places that make sellers misty given the economic crises there. Rai, however, did pick up The Gunman starring Sean Penn in what was a notable buy for the company. That movie virtually sold out for Studiocanal. Read More »
Kevin Brockman Takes Charge Of GLSEN Board
The Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network has named Disney/ABC Television Group’s EVP Global Communications as chairman of its board. GLSEN is a leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe schools for all students. “The work GLSEN is doing to ensure that schools across our nation are safe for all children is nothing short of inspiring,” Kevin Brockman said. “I’ve had the great pleasure to hear directly from many of the incredible students that they’ve helped over the years, and when you are faced with that kind of courage and that kind of compassion, it’s easy to agree to become a bigger part of the process.”
Discovery’s Revision3 Launches Science-Themed Web Channel: TestTube
San Francisco, Calif. – Discovery Communications and Revision3 announced today the launch of TestTube, a digital video network designed to ignite online audiences who are incurably curious about the world around them. TestTube debuts with a robust slate of 15 short-form series and many more in development, and hosted by some of the Internet’s top personalities. TestTube is available at TestTube.com, and through Revision3’s mobile site and apps, YouTube, Xbox and additional distribution partners.
Kudos In First-Look Pact With Chris Chibnall’s Imaginary Friends
Shine-owned production company Kudos has partnered with Imaginary Friends Productions for an exclusive two-year, first-look deal. Imaginary Friends is run by Broadchurch writer and exec producer Chris Chibnall. He’s coming off the first season of the hit ITV show which had all of Britain engrossed. Kudos will have first crack at co-developing 
and co-producing Chibnall’s new scripted projects. As with Broadchurch, he would exec produce alongside Kudos CEO Jane Featherstone. Shine International will rep sales. Broadchurch was renewed for a second season and will air in the U.S later this year on BBC America. Chibnall previously worked with Kudos as a writer on Life On Mars and a showrunner on Law & Order: UK.
Hannibal Classics Sets Cast For Nic Cage Pic ‘Tokarev;’ Image Buys North America
Hannibal Classics has set Danny Glover, Peter Stomare, Aubrey Peebles, Patrice Cols and Max Fowler to join Nicolas Cage in the action thriller Tokarev. The film, which starts June 8 in Alabama, marks the American debut of Spanish helmer Paco Cabezas. Cage plays a reformed criminal whose daughter is kidnapped by the Russian mob. To find her, he must leave his respectable life behind, round up his old crew and seek his own brand of justice. Funding comes from Union Patriot Capital Management LLC. Image Entertainment has acquired North American rights and the Hannibal Classics sales division is selling it around the world.
“We couldn’t be happier with our cast, a combination of audience favorites and fresh young talent, said Riionda Del Castro. Danny and Peter are recognized and loved all over the world. And in Max Fowler, Aubrey Peeples and Patrice Cols we feel we have found the stars of tomorrow.” Rionda Del Castro and Michael Mendelsohn are producing the feature film that was written by Jim Agnew & Sean Keller. Executive Producers are Patricia Eberle, Mike Nilon, Hayley Magouirk, Jim Agnew, Sean Keller, Cam Cannon, Frederico Lapenda and Martin J. Barab, David Milner is associate producing and the Cinematographer is Andrzej Sekula.
UPDATE: Editors Guild Reaches Deal With CW’s ‘The Hunt’
UPDATE, 9:34 PM: The Motion Pictures Editors Guild said tonight that it has reached an agreement with the producers of The Hunt. “The crew will report to work as scheduled tomorrow, and they’ll be working under a union contract,” the guild said on its Facebook page. “Many thanks to all those sisters and brothers who volunteered to walk the picket line. Thankfully, this time it won’t be necessary.” Sources say that things got pretty heated before a deal was reached between the union and the show’s producers. Company execs were loudly promising that Renegade 83 could go bust if The Hunt crew unionized. They backed down from that claim when it looked like their show would be shut down by picketing tentatively scheduled for Wednesday.
PREVIOUSLY: The upcoming CW series The Hunt doesn’t premiere until July 31st, 
but its producers are already in trouble with the Hollywood unions. The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700, sent an email to its members and sister IATSE locals today calling for a Thursday picket against Renegade 83 Productions’ Sherman Oaks offices doing post-production. The union claims that production subsidiary Triple Ridge Entertainment “has improperly interfered with its employees’ free exercise of their right to organize”. MPEG took to its Facebook page to put out a call for picketers. The Hunt is a wilderness competition in which 12 teams compete in a physical game for a $25,000 prize. It is executive produced by David Garfinkle, Jay Renfroe and Greg Goldman.
Related: … Read More »
Global Showbiz Briefs: Universal Channel Coming To Germany; French, English Renew Film Partnership
Universal Channel Launches September 5 In Germany
Universal Networks International today unveiled Universal Channel Germany, its first launch of a flagship channel in the country. Fresh from a rebranding that includes a new look, logo and tagline — “100% Character” — the channel goes live September 5 on Sky Deutschland and Deutsche Telecom. A core channel brand for NBCUniversal International Television channels unit, Universal Channel is seen in 103 countries and delivered in 16 languages around the world.
French And English Film Chiefs Renew Partnership
Olivier-René Veillon, Executive Director of the Ile de France Film Commission, and Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London, renewed the partnership agreement between the two capital cities at the Cannes Film Festival. The partnership will bring together production and post production talents from London and Ile de France to attend two major film industry events either side of the Channel, laying the foundation for collaboration to develop their common goal of promoting their respective regions to national and international productions.
R.I.P. Leonard Kalcheim
Veteran business affairs attorney Leonard Kalcheim died today at his home in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 74. Kalcheim started as an attorney at ABC before moving to Paramount Pictures, where he worked for more than 20 years, rising to SVP Business & Legal Affairs. After leaving Paramount in 1986, Kalcheim oversaw business and legal affairs for several independent entertainment companies including Guthy-Renker, Nash Entertainment and Atlas Media. He was a captain in the Army from 1965-67 after graduating from Columbia Law School.
-
Marketplace
News/Opinion Poll
Loading ...Box Office Poll
Loading ...