Oliver Stone, who has done some very good films ("Platoon," "Born on the Fourth of July," "Wall Street," "World Trade Center") and some bad history ("JFK" and "Nixon"), tells Maxim that his latest film, "W," is being released this month not to influence the election but "because Bush is still around." He also questions his potential influence: "I did three Vietnam movies, and what good did they do? People still lined up in support of the Iraq War. People don't remember. It shows you the futility of what we do."

The other film is largely an attack on Michael Moore, the creator of "Farenheit 9/11" and "Sicko." The new film, "An American Carol," is produced by another well-known filmmaker, David Zucker ("Airplane!" and "The Naked Gun," from back in the day when we thought O.J. Simpson was funny). Zucker, who in 2004 produced anti-John Kerry ads, and who in an interview with the neoconservative Weekly Standard compares Barack Obama to "a really clever virus who adapts"--says he hopes his film will persuade people to vote against Obama.

That seems unlikely. In fact, neither film is doing particularly well, despite the unpopularity of President George W. Bush or the heavy promotion on Fox News for "An American Carol."

Early reviews of "W" from Variety (an "unusual and inescapably interesting" movie that "feels like a rough draft of a film it might behoove him to remake in 10 or 15 years") and Hollywood Reporter ("a bold but imperfect film about an imperfect man") are obviously mixed. And it seems to me late-night TV hosts have skewered the president pretty thoroughly. Besides, watching the real Bush flounder is bad enough--and no longer particularly funny, considering the state of the nation thanks to the Iraq War and the economy.

Of course conservatives quickly and ludicrously complained that liberal bias and "ticket fraud" (?!) were keeping "An American Carol" from doing well, but judging by the preview, I suspect that the primary problem is the combination of unsubtle political commentary combined with even less subtle juvenile slapstick humor. It is notable that the filmmakers refused to release the film for critics, usually a sure sign that the filmmakers know they have a dud on their hands (though in this case they spun it as a defense against liberally biased critics).

It's difficult to imagine whom "An American Carol" is trying to reach. After all, most of the college-age males that the preview seems to want to engage likely will turn to something equally goofy, but which also offers the prospect of nudity.

Young people look for Adam Sandler and David Spade, not Kelsey Grammar and Dennis Hopper, and for Angelina Jolie rather than her father, Jon Voight. And even moviegoers who like Kevin Farley, the film's star, want to laugh with their lovable losers, not at those losers, and they want to see their heroes win in the end. That doesn't happen here. Instead--ironic spoiler alert--the end of the film apparently has the character intending to do a new, more accurate version of "JFK."

Older audiences need a stronger reason to go watch a film than do older audiences, and I can't see Farley being such a reason. The film is broadly obvious--and therefore uninspiring--in its intent, and apparently lazy in execution. And anyone who wants to see Bill O'Reilly acting stupid can do so five nights a week on television; there is little reason to pay 8 or 10 bucks to do so.

This won't be an election turned by film fiction, or even by based-on-a-true-story depictions offered in movies (or in political ads, for that matter). The fact that soon perhaps no one will be able to afford to go the movies, anyway (though escapist entertainment films were popular during Depression), will play a much bigger role in the probably election of Barack Obama. By then you'll probably be able to check out both of these films on video.

Nielsen reported 4 million viewers for the premiere episode of Lucasfilm's new animated series, making it Cartoon Network's highest-rated debut ever. The network claimed the top spot among children's networks during the show's 9 p.m. Friday Eastern time slot. Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter (10/6)

Production for the new season of "Entourage" will begin in 2009 with plans for a summer launch. The series is in its fifth season on HBO. E! Online (10/6) , Variety (10/6)

More people are watching cable business channels to see financial news because of the Wall Street crisis, but advertising is not increasing. Broadcasting & Cable (10/6)

FX has picked up a full second season of 13 episodes of Sons of Anarchy.  So far, this new dramatic series is being touted by the network as the most successful launch among A18-49 since the debut of Rescue Me. (Cynopsis 10/7)

AMC is spotlighting entertainment headlines as the network launches AMC News, a short-form news program covering film premieres, film festivals and industry award events, with host Jacob Soboroff. (Cynopsis 10/7)

Kevin Bacon has a new series for Showtime that sheds light on the man who murdered Abraham Lincoln, reports Variety. The Booths, which does not have a writer yet, will be a period piece focused on the actor-brothers Edwin, Junius Brutus Jr. and John Wilkes Booth and their unstable relationship in the years before Lincoln's assassination. (Cynopsis 10/7)

NBC Universal officials say they consider mandated channel wholesale a la carte, or unbundled, beyond the FCC's purview. "There's no legal or factual basis for government intervention in private carriage negotiations," said NBC Universal in a filing Monday. Multichannel News (10/6)

Shares of Time Warner, News Corp. and other diversified media conglomerates hit fresh lows Monday, as a broad global selloff was touched off by renewed fears over the spread of the credit crisis. Subscription-based media stocks are said to be "trapped in a downward spiral." (Iwantmedia 10/7, http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7bA9819E79-326A-47E7-8D09-4D17E2E4B953%7D 10/6)

Barry Diller broke up IAC/InterActiveCorp six weeks ago because he believed it was too complicated and diverse. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Diller talks about his decision to break up IAC, the financial market and why he never wants to run a major movie studio again. The Wall Street Journal (free content) (10/7)

A federal jury in Virginia has dealt a blow to Verizon Communications, saying Cox Communications did not infringe on six Verizon patents related to Internet telephony. This means Verizon may have difficulty getting royalties from cable providers for Internet-based telephony. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (10/7)

Comcast is contacting its digital subscribers in Baltimore to inform them of the study that will match viewership to demographics to help inform the development of targeted ads. Customers will have the option of not participating in the six-month project, which follows a similar test by Comcast in Alabama in 2006. CED Magazine (10/2008)

The Supreme Court has declined to hear Dish Network's appeal of a patent ruling that awarded TiVo millions of dollars in damages for unauthorized use of its "Time Warp" software. A district court may award additional damages in response to allegations that Dish has violated an injunction against its use of the technology. Reuters (10/6) , Mediaweek (10/6)

The Hollywood Reporter says Netflix is expected to announce Starz Entertainment as a streaming partner today, having already paired with Disney and CBS. Netflix users will be able to select from 1,000 movies over the Web and 1,500 more soon. The Hollywood Reporter (10/1)

Microsoft is trying anything to get you to use Live Search. And now it’s time to add another to its attempts to try to pay you to use its service.  Dubbed SearchPerks, Microsoft’s latest scheme gives users points when they use Live Search, which can be redeemed for prizes. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/01/microsoft-throws-prizes-at-you-for-searching 10/1)

Slide hopes to attract more advertising revenue with the launch of a new service Thursday that allows users of social-networking sites to view clips offered by Time Warner's Warner Bros., CBS and Comcast's E! Entertainment channel. The Wall Street Journal (10/1)

GSN has teamed up with Imagination Entertainment to offer more than 1,000 DVD-based games via GSNshop.com. The site will include titles based on the network's shows such as "Bingo America." TVWeek.com (9/30)

YouTube has launched a new feature as part of its Insight tool for content creators that allows members to visually examine exactly where in their videos their viewers gain and lose interest. The new feature, called Hot Spots, displays the dropoff data in a dynamic graph that can be viewed alongside the original video. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/09/30/youtube-hot-spots-shows-publishers-when-their-viewers-jump-ship 9/30)

Google has just launched a new homepage for its blog search that bears a strong resemblance to Techmeme, Memeorandum and their “memetracker” counterparts. The site displays a listing of the top stories from across a variety of topics including business, politics, technology, and entertainment. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/01/google-launches-its-own-memetracker 10/1)

TBS throws out the first pitch on its MLB baseball playoffs coverage today with a full complement of broadband coverage. The recently re-launched TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com will feature live and on-demand segments (not full games) from multiple on-field camera angles and provide live statistics tracking individual teams and players. The Live Game Streaming application is designed to complement the TBS telecasts, where users submit questions to the booth to be answered on air, participate in polls and interact with other fans in the chat room. (Cynopsis 10/1)

Michael Eisner-backed web studio Vuguru signed a deal with online ad network Adconion to syndicate its latest original series Back on Topps, which debuted yesterday. (Back on Topps is goofy behind-the-scenes look at the Topps trading card company starring Jason and Randy Sklar, which Eisner's Tornante Co. happened to purchase for $385m last year.) The show will be the first to take advantage of Adconion's AMG-TV distribution service designed to increase distribution of video content and improve monetization by introducing partner Omnicon Media Group Digital's (OMG Digital) client brands to media buying opportunities. However the twice-a-week Vuguru series will be featured initially on MSN-powered FoxSports.com, which negotiated for a 12-hour exclusive window. (Cynopsis 10/1)

Programmers are finding that comedy and sports go well together given the demographic crossover (male 18-49). ESPN.com set a launch date of Nov. 11 for Mayne Street, its first original web series from P3 Entertainment hosted by the deadpan Kenny Mayne. Kenny (who creates those ironic Mayne Event segments for Sunday NFL Countdown) will tool around locations in Bristol and New York City interacting with fictional crew members and real life ESPN personalities. Meanwhile GolTV debuts The Art of Football today at 8pm ET, a comic variety show all about the funny side of soccer hosted by Monty Python veteran John Cleese. (Cynopsis 10/1)

Freshly redesigned video sharing site Veoh, also supported with Eisner funds, added a selection of shows from the new digital theWB.com including TV products The O.C. and Smallville as well as web series Sorority Forever and A Boy Wearing Makeup. (Cynopsis 10/1)

Taking advantage of Korea's world-leading 94% broadband penetration rate, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution announced it will release a number of movie titles in the territory through VOD or IPTV services two weeks before they are made available on DVD as a test case. Recent research from the Korean Film Council indicates more than 47% of people in Korea have downloaded movies from the internet at least once. (Cynopsis 10/1)

Jasira tells her story with candor and glimmers of dark, unexpected humor--as when she describes her mother's boyfriend Barry's assistance in her personal grooming: "A week later, Barry broke down and told her the truth. That he had shaved me himself. That he had been shaving me for weeks. That he couldn't seem to stop shaving me." The freshness of her narrative voice sets Towelhead apart from the sentimental or purely harsh treatment of similar subject matter elsewhere, and makes the novel a promising follow-up to Erian�s well-regarded short story collection, The Brutal Language of Love. --Regina Marler

The year is 1991. When Jasira's mother finds out what has been going on between her boyfriend and her thirteen-year-old daughter, she has to make a choice -- and chooses to send Jasira off to Houston Texas, to live with her father. A remote disciplinarian prone to explosive rages, Jasira's father is unable to show his daughter the love she craves -- and far less able to handle her feelings about her changing body.

Bewildered by extremes of parental scrutiny and neglect, Jasira begins to look elsewhere for affection. Saddam Hussein has invaded Kuwait, and high school has become a lonely place for a "towelhead." When her father meets, and forbids her to see, her boyfriend, it becomes lonelier still. But there is always Mr. Vuoso -- a neighboring army reservist whose son Jasira babysits. Mr. Vuoso, as Jasira discovers, has an extensive collection of Playboy magazines. And he doesn't seem to think there's anything wrong with Jasira's body at all.

Painfully funny, tender, and sexually charged, Towelhead is that rare thing: a gloriously readable novel unafraid to take risks. The story of a girl failed by her parents and by a conflicted America, Towelhead is an ultimately redemptive and moving work that none of us can afford to ignore.

Towelhead: A Novel is available at Amazon for $9.60. To Order click here
Amazon Product Pages contain a lot of other details on this product as Customer Reviews, Sales Ranking, Special Offers, Alternate products that customers are going for and much more.Want to read these details? click here

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Other Products of Interest

• The Brutal Language of Love: Stories
• Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, No. 1)
• Bad Behavior
• The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel (Oprah Book Club #62)
• Living Dead in Dallas (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Book 2)

Breve post, pubblicato questa volta un po' in ritardo, con le tre notizie più lette o commentate dal 15 al 22 settembre 2008.

Particolare interesse ha suscitato il Festival della Letteratura Ebraica, che si chiuderà domani. Organizzato alla Casa dell' Architettura di Roma. A proposito della manifestazione il Sindaco Gianni Alemanno ha dichiarato: “Un festival importante perche’ si fa’ portatore dell’insegnamento che da secoli caratterizza la cultura ebraica ovvero l’attenzione all’identita’, alla tradizione ed all’apertura. L’attenzione a preservare la propria identita’ ed al tempo stesso all’apertura verso altre culture e’ pienamente testimoniato dalla letteratura ebraica che, seppur di nazionalita’ diverse, preserva con forza la priopria identita’”.

1 Festival della Letteratura Ebraica dal 20 al 24 settembre

Vita mondana e cinema. La seconda notizia più letta riguarda Robert De Niro e Al Pacino, ospiti del Cinema Warner Moderno per presentare il loro ultimo lavoro.

Per celebrare i nuovi Re di Roma non potevano mancare i soliti noti della Roma by night, come ad esempio Barbara Palombelli e compagno (Francesco Rutelli).

2 Robert De Niro e Al Pacino nuovi Re di Roma

Terza e ultima notizia della settimana, l' intervista a Francesca Via, responsabile della Festa del Cinema di Roma. E' Hollywood Reporter ha dimostrare con preoccupazione che quest' anno la Giunta Alemanno diminuirà il budget per la manifestazione giunta alla sua quarta edizione. Risparmio per i cittadini? No. I fondi mancanti sono quelli solitamente provenienti dagli sponsor. La manifestazione, come visto più volte nel nostro speciale sembra inutilmente policizzata, mettendo a rischio la buona riuscita della stessa.

3 Alemmano difende le tasche… degli sponsor!

3 Rome Film Festival reduces 2008 budget

Alla prossima settimana...

In 2002, when I co-produced the documentary series "Senior Year" with David Zeiger for PBS, I also produced a series at KCET, based on the television show for the web.  At the time, our biggest challenge was how to make the series accessible and easy to view on home computers.  I faced those same problems when I presented my political narrative webseries "Unconventional."  These days we're past access and viewing issues, but I still haven't made a dime from any of my webisodes.

I continue to develop webisodes and related content.  I've come to believe these two things:

1) that there is too much good free entertainment on the internet to expect anyone to pay for your webseries unless you're Joss Whedon.

Sorry, but someone sends me a link, I usually take a few moments to see what they've created, but not if I have to pay on my credit card or Paypal.  I even hesitate if I have to enter my email and become a "member."

2) Unless you don't care about the costs (and this could be because you're putting up the webisodes hoping to eventually sell the series to television, you know as a "showcase" of your incredible talent) you've got to find an advertising sponsor ( see reason #1).

Now, that's not always easy, but take some time to figure out the marketing of your work.  In a recent issue of Hollywood Reporter, IAC/InterActiveCorp CEO Barry Diller talks about the Web as being in just the early stages of its potential as an advertising medium.  He doesn't see banner advertising having any real success and believes Video ads will be targeted and interrupt programming, as well as playing before and after the content.  I'm seeing this happen more and more.  I don't know about you, but as a filmmaker I hate a show being interrupted when I watch it on television and I certainly will hate it on the web, especially if it is my show.  However, if that is what it takes to get the money to produce the programming, then I'll bite my lip and shut up.

So what's a solution.  Well, after producing the live action elements to the upcoming EA video game "Need for Speed:Undercover," I'm convinced that it is a waste of money to make webisodes look and feel like short three-four minutes of regular television.  Instead, it needs to be a whole different form of entertainment, a mixture of interactive gaming, virtual worlds, comedy, music, etc.  The viewer needs to say, "wow, I couldn't have seen that being done any other way."  You've got to want to stay at the web site and explore.  Then the banner ad does work on the site because it is not ignored but becomes part of the experience.  You can even have a commercial, not in the content of the video, but in the interactive content.  This stuff requires a lot of thought and planning, but I'm seeing some great cross-over.  I think it's evident on the Need for Speed and Which Road to Take sites.

We're developing some of these ideas (still very much in development) on the PressPlayMovie site, with ChanneledObsession.com as the marketing portion.  On all these sites, things keep changing so the site becomes more interactive and worth a return visit.  You build on that.  It can't be just a new episode of television, it's got to be a bigger experience.

I'm very interested in any other thoughts on these ideas.

"Hollywood, stir yourself out of the depression. The making of motion pictures is just as important in the conduct of this war as is the production of ammunition, planes, or boats.

Your depression will depress your efforts, and such efforts will give no buildup to the morale of this nation, which is so necessary now. So, jump out of it! Throw that radio out of your office! Get back to work! It is more vital now than ever before. There is a greater burden on your shoulders; a greater demand for your creations.

Our warring nations MUST be entertained, and you MUST furnish that entertainment. And you cannot, and you will not furnish entertainment, if you stay glued to the radio or huddle in corners discussing the progress of the conflict. You have a job to do! Go do it, and do it better than you ever did before.

We heard a priest, speaking from his pulpit here last Sunday, say: "The influence of motion pictures is the greatest of all influences on the public's mind and in the daily conduct of that public's lives." You can be sure of that. Accordingly, your work is all-important now, Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood. Your task is as definite as is the job of the soldier in the field, the sailor in the ocean, or the bombardier in the skies. Your job is to keep the American chin up - to keep our people entertained. And keep them laughing.

Your job is to build up and help maintain a superb morale. All of you have a part. ALL of you have your work set out to do. Do it NOW and do it BETTER than you have ever done before, because it's just as important as any of the other major contributions toward ultimate victory!"

What amazes me is that this article was not written today, but rather 67 years ago on Tuesday, December 9, 1941 - Featured in the Hollywood Reporter 2 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor!

Credit: W.R. Wilkerson, Publisher

It is also understood that Brian Grazer will produce Inside Man 2 via his Imagine Entertainment banner, with Lee and Daniel Rosenberg exec producing."

Hypefilm also understands that Denzel Washington and Clive Owen will be coming back for the second installment.

The CW's two-hour series debut of 90210 reached a high-water mark as the highest rated telecast of a scripted show for the network. Ratings results from Tuesday at 8-10p include a 3.0/9 among A18-34; 4.3/12 with W18-34; 2.6/7 among A18-49 and a 3.6/9 with W18-49. An encore of this premiere episode airs tonight at 8p. (Cynopsis 9/4)

Television audience estimate results from Tuesday, night two of the 2008 Republican National Convention per Nielsen include a combined total viewer number of 21.5 million over six networks offering live coverage from approximately 10-11p: ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, FOX News Channel and MSNBC. The combined total among A18-49 viewers was 7.2 million. Nielsen did not release numbers from night one of the RNC since coverage was truncated due to Hurricane Gustav. (Cynopsis 9/4)

Ted Danson will join the cast of "Bored to Death," a pilot being developed for HBO. In the show, Danson, who was nominated for an Emmy for his work on FX's "Damages," plays a magazine editor who is a mentor of sorts to a writer in Brooklyn who has a drinking problem and a penchant for private detectives. The Hollywood Reporter (9/3)

NBC approved a director-contingent pilot order for Lost in the '80s, a 60m project from Bob Brush (The Wonder Years), per THR. The pilot, produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tantamount, is meant to be similar in tone to The Wonder Years, set 20 years later. (Cynopsis 9/4)

www.fiction-tv.it

www.cartoonmag.org

]]> http://angryweb.wordpress.com/?p=907 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:34:43 +0000 Eugene Wong http://angryweb.pt-br.wordpress.com/2008/08/28/we-need-you-back-mr-nolan/ With the most ludicrous of rumors racing across entertainment news sites across the net, it is surely evident that Batman fans...quite possibly the world is on a hunger strike that has lasted for T minus July 18th days. Perhaps this widespread crisis is due to the fact that little to no news has come about on whether the Zeus of all "directing-dom", King Christopher Nolan has plans to make fanboys flood their pants for a third time by concocting another nirvana of a Batman masterpiece. Well, the news is, Mr. Nolan is currently on well-deserved vacation (if I knew where, I assure you I'd be knocking on his hotel room and persuading him right now) and won't be back for quite some time. However, we have received some ray of light from producer, Charles Roven. Here's what he had to say:

And Warners and Legendary are both interested in doing a third in the series, but all involved say it will be up to Nolan to come to them with a story and a plan.

"There are a lot of us who emotionally would love to do it," Roven says. "But it's really Chris' call. Chris is the kind of filmmaker who just doesn't think about the next movie before he has completely finished the movie he is working on."

For now, Nolan is taking a well-earned vacation.

Says Roven, "When he comes back, we will see how he feels."

So Mr. Nolan, I humbly ask you, please don't pull another "Prestige" on us. I'd really prefer not to be married already, cleaning up mine and my own kid's saliva while staring up at a movie screen in total bliss at "Batman 3" for the fifteenth time. Let's see one more! We will build golden altars across the world and offer animal sacrifices to the temple of Nolanism that will explode onto the world when they see a blinding light that makes the glorious luminescence that was "The Dark Knight" seem like pitch black.

PS To all gullible fans out there, if you want Cher to play Catwoman, Nolan will not hesitate to cast Cher as Catwoman as punishment for your ravenous curiosity and utter lack of patience.  What can I say?  Curiosity will kill the cat.  Mwahahaha!

www.hollywoodreporter.com

www.cartoonmag.org

Of the 83 million U.S. homes with at least one PC, up to 2 million are used to mastermind home theaters. A PC can be configured with a DVD and Blu-ray player, as well as a digital archive for storing movies. PCs also can record television shows, with one hour of HD programming taking up about 6GB, according to this analysis. MSNBC (8/4)

One of HP's home theater PCs, the Pavilion Elite m9300t, starts at $800. Dell and Sony, as well as other manufacturers, also have home theater PCs on the market.

According to a study by IMS Research, the total number of households with access to HD video programming via broadcast, cable, satellite or IPTV will reach 255 million in 2013. The report also predicts $46 billion in revenue from Blu-ray discs in 2013, with the market growing as more PCs add Blu-ray drives. Broadcast Engineering (8/5)

Blockbuster will begin testing 50 DVD rental kiosks to compete with Redbox, which rents DVDs for $1 per night. Blockbuster plans to roll out 10,000 kiosks over the next 18 months. The kiosks are designed for DVD rentals, but could include digital downloads and sales of movies in the future. The Hollywood Reporter (8/5) , Variety (8/4)

Motorola, joining a growing list of companies in offering software-development kits to cable companies and developers, has made its kit to create interactive-TV applications based on CableLabs' tru2way platform commercially available. The company was mum on the price for the DevPlatform, but asserts that it costs less than similar available products. Multichannel News (8/5)

www.ew.com

]]> http://filmphantom.wordpress.com/?p=96 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 18:17:32 +0000 balmagoose http://filmphantom.pt-br.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/can-the-dark-knight-save-imax/ Interesting article today from The Hollywood Reporter (see link below) on the impact The Dark Knight is having/may have on IMAX movie theatres.

The problem that IMAX has had is two-fold. 1) There aren't that many IMAX theatres around the country, and certainly nowhere near the number of normal projection cinemas. Tickets to an IMAX event are more costly as well, but its not a significant difference that would affect it as much as the lack of screens would. As the article states, there are about 160 IMAX screens in North America....but many of those are found in museums, aquariums and similar venues which are deemed unsuitable for a Hollywood release. The Dark Knight saw release on just 94 IMAX screens. While that kind of scarcity can keep screenings full and sold out, it definitely becomes a limiting factor when most people will just opt to go to their local multiplex.

2) Hollywood films are not filmed in IMAX and thus don't take real advantage of the benefits visually or audibly. There hasn't been a live action Hollywood release shot entirely in IMAX and so far only a few films like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Beowulf have made use of the 3D offerings in IMAX with any kind of success, and that has been moderate. So even when a big time film gets released in IMAX there isn't much of a differentiation between it and the one shown down at the local AMC. Until now.

Clocking in at 2.5 hours or so, the Dark Knight has on total about 30 minutes filmed on IMAX cameras a siginficant portion compared to other films. And given its popularity, it is just the type of film needed to get people lining up at the IMAX doors and demanding the type of experience that IMAX offers. This is definitely a step in the right direction. And as the article notes, at an average of 67,000 in sales PER screening the value for IMAX to have sold out shows is there. Those kinds of numbers will show studios that there is untapped profit to be made and in turn allow IMAX to reduce the production costs of using their cameras because of the additional revenue streams. A win win for Hollywood and for IMAX toward create a more engrossing cinematic experience.

Is the Dark Knight the shining savior that IMAX has been hoping for? No... Not every film that debuts with IMAX showings is going to be the kind of boon that The Dark Knight has been and there are still technical difficulties with the size, film time, and sound that comes with using an IMAX camera that need to all be figured out before they become more widely used for anything except for action or "high flying" sequences.

But...the Dark Knight definitely is a step in the right direction. So long as the momentum is continued. If future Hollywood blockbusters that are expected to draw crowds like Harry Potter, Ironman 2 or even the next Superman film embrace filming in IMAX then the medium will continue to grow and the number of screens across the country will grow as well. If not...well then The Dark Knight will exist merely as a blip on the radar...a momentary high point for IMAX who will again find themselves relegated to showing the latest "Under the Sea" documentary at your local aquarium.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i11f792c8aef008a0cc277ca798facbac

AMC's "Mad Men" was awarded the distinction of being the program of the year at the TCA Awards. In the comedy category, NBC's "30 Rock" took home the award for best comedy. The Hollywood Reporter (7/19)

NBC Universal said it would reap record ad revenue from the Beijing Olympic Games while reporting that it has sold 90% of its spots and has set a goal of reaching $1 billion, according to this story. The company plans 3,600 hours of coverage on a number of platforms, including its cable channels. Broadcasting & Cable (7/21)

Showtime, coming off the success of "Dexter" and "Weeds," plans to keep its focus on original programming. "In terms of subject matter and complexity of character development, it has to be really out on the edge," said Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt in an attempt to detail what will make the Showtime programming cut. Forbes (7/20

A U.S. federal appeals court is dismissing a $550,000 indecency fine against CBS for the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show that ended with Janet Jackson's breast-baring "wardrobe malfunction." The Federal Communications Commission "acted arbitrarily and capriciously." (http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080721/cbs_janet_jackson.html 7/21)

Reports that CBS News will replace evening news anchor Katie Couric after the U.S. presidential election or the inauguration are not true, says division chief Sean McManus. "I can say, and I have said, that it's not true." Couric adds: "I can't really control what media writers write." (http://www.forbes.com/business/2008/07/18/tv-couric-cbs-biz-media-cx_lr_0718couric.html 7/18)

Time Warner Cable on Aug. 1 will add horror-centric network FearNet to its video-on-demand offerings. The carriage deal brings FearNet, which is partly owned by Comcast, to 29 million digital-cable homes. Multichannel News (7/21)

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers says it believes a standard is essential to propel the 3-D home-entertainment industry. "If the studios have to make different (types of) discs for these home entertainment systems, it's not going to happen. And consumers, I think, will not want to read the box to see what will work on their sets," said SMPTE Engineering Vice President Wendy Aylsworth. The Hollywood Reporter (7/21)

Despite a troubled economy, consumers spent $10.1 billion on home-video discs during the first half of the year, according to Video Business magazine. Titles such as "I Am Legend," "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "Enchanted" helped the market remain basically flat with year-ago revenue figures. Variety (7/20)

The so-called "terabyte lifestyle" made possible by the movies, TV shows and music available for download now will add fuel to the home-server industry, according to a report from Forrester Research. While only about 400,000 U.S. homes currently have servers for their computer-storage needs, the figure will grow to 4.5 million by 2012, the study predicts. The New York Times/Reuters/Billboard (7/21)

The opening of Apple's first retail store in China drew more than 400 people, including some who camped out overnight to be one of the first inside. Apple products have been available in China for years, either through specialty retailers or smuggling, one expert said, but the Beijing store is Apple's first dedicated retail outlet. An Apple executive said more Chinese stores were to come. Network World/IDG News Service (7/19)

As mentioned in our reporting on the New York Times article, JWT will have a ten-second advertisement inside the new DVD release. Here's an article about that, complete with cool picture, from Brandweek.

Media Bistro has an amusing take on George Lois and the Times Magazine article.

We confess that we watch each episode twice, once with the sound on and then again on mute, so as to better contemplate the stellar sets, vintage props, and bold-hued womenswear...

DVD Reviews abound! Why oh why didn't we get a review copy? Sniff. Why oh why haven't I got my contest prize yet? SNIFF! (I got a note from AMC on June 27 that my contest-prize DVD is in the mail. So yay. But sniff.)

Overwhelmingly positive reviews can be read at:

• TV Squad,
• DVD Talk,
• Red Orbit,
• The Star Tribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul,
• NewsOK.com from The Oklahoman,
• The Cleveland Plain Dealer
• Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio.com)

Hollywood Reporter did a roundtable (on June 3, but I didn't see it until hullaballoo pointed it out) of showrunners on how they dealt with the WGA strike and other things. Matt Weiner is one such showrunner.

Movie Web is thrilled with "10 new photos" of season 2. They all seem to be the ones we had a month ago. But maybe I'm confused, because no matter what I click, I only see 3 photos.

AfterEllen.com has a juicy article on Mad Men's women, including Carol, which mentions both the Times article and the DVD release.

Watching Peggy move from secretary to lead character Don Draper, to a woman with her own secretary at the end of the first series’ 13-episode run, was possibly one of the most satisfying arcs I have ever seen for a female character.

The article's author doesn't realize Joan was being snarky when she said Peggy would have a secretary. Nonetheless, the character arc is pretty damn amazing.

I live in suburban New York, but a Mad Men fan in LA reports seeing a Mad Men billboard. Yippee!

I'm not going to mention the gazillion articles that mention that Mad Men is officially on the Emmy shortlist, because it was enough weeding through them looking for real news. But it's worth noting that the TV Decoder of the New York Times has a column thinking over each show's chances.

A 16-page July Preview section of Entertainment Weekly mentions Mad Men's ratings war with Burn Notice, but doesn't give Mad Men its own page, which confuses me.

No alle notti bianche, no all'estate romana, no al Festival del cinema, così come era stato pensato da Veltroni. Una Festa più italica e meno hollywoodiana. Ma Gianni è pur sembre un uomo di centrodestra e quindi è sempre pronto a smentire ciò che precedentemente aveva urlato ai quattro venti.

E' di ieri, infatti, la notizia che l'Estate romana verrà celebrata:

L’Estate Romana si fa tutta, dall'inizio alla fine. Siamo riusciti a reperire ed elargire per intero i due milioni di euro necessari a sostenere gli eventi in programma (Ha dichiarato il sindaco)

Quindi, non c'era un problema di sperpero del denaro pubblico, come noi avevamo inteso erroneamente, (riferendomi alle dichiarazioni fatte al Messaggero si scopre che il debito non è di 9 miliari di euro, ma di 6,9; ma questa è un'altra storia) tutto il problema era nel reperire ed elargire i fondi, ovvero era una questione squisitamente organizzativa.

Altra dichiarazione roboante fu quella della cancellazione della Notte Bianca.

La Notte Bianca non si farà perchè non ci sono le risorse per farla. E' molto difficile - ha aggiunto Alemanno - a meno che non ci sia un progetto completamente privato. La Festa del Cinema, invece, si farà perchè finanziata in gran parte dagli sponsor (Adnkronos 20 giugno).

Tranne poi far seguire l'immediata e consueta smentita:

La Notte Bianca non è stata aggredita con furore ideologico, ma il modello va rivisto secondo le esigenze della città perchè ci sono altri momenti per vivere gli eventi, al contrario sarebbe bene rianimare altre festività come il Natale e il Capodanno che lo scorso anno sono state molto grigie (Agenzia Asca 27 giugno).

E arriviamo così al Festival internazionale del cinema di Roma. E' quantomeno sconcertante venire a conoscenza in tal modo che il sindaco di Roma non aveva la minima idea di come il Festival viene finanziato. Per troppo tempo gli esponenti di centrodestra hanno accusato Veltroni di sperperare i fondi pubblici in quel suo "vezzo cinematografico". Sarà stato un brutto risveglio, di sicuro, scoprire che i 2/3 dei finanziamenti del Festival provengono dai privati e che c'è un concreto nonché sostanziale ritorno economico per la città. Chissà che non è così anche per la Notte Bianca, ma ciò lo scopriremo, insieme ad Alemanno, a ridosso della manifestazione.

Sul festival va ricordata quella clamorosa gaffe dell'appena eletto sindaco di Roma, Gianni Alemanno:

La mia intenzione non è quella di cancellare le iniziative culturali prese nel recente passato, ma di far mettere i piedi per terra - ha spiegato Alemanno - La Festa del Cinema la faremo su film italiani, sulla produzione italiana più che su star di Hollywood, in maniera tale che si promuova la nostra cinematografia. (29 aprile)

Poi, come sempre, scoppia l'incredulità della stampa estera. Il Times, incredulo, parla delle preferenze nazionalistiche del nuovo sindaco, mentre il Sunday Times, oltre a riportare la notizia fa un approfondimento sulle radici ideologiche dell'ex missino, dei suoi arresti negli anni '80 ed infine ricorda come la sua recente vittoria elettorale fu salutata, in Campidoglio, da cori fascisti e da saluti romani.

Dopo il polverone alzato dalle dichiarazioni un po' affrettate arriva il mea culpa e così prima scrive all'Ambasciatore statunitense in Italia

e poi spiega, in una lettera al direttore del Corriere della sera che:

Il sindaco non può e non deve andare oltre in questo momento: concludendo voglio solo tornare a smentire voci incontrollate e infondate, riaffermare l’amore e l’impegno per questa arte che fa parte integrale del nostro più vitale patrimonio. Intendo inoltre rassicurare i grandi interpreti del cinema americano e internazionale: saranno sempre nostri ospiti graditi e il Comune di Roma offrirà a loro e alle case di produzione, più che una strumentale ed effimera esposizione mediatica, i supporti più adeguati per svolgere e promuovere il loro lavoro. (7 maggio)

Un interessante articolo di una prestigiosa testata cinematografica statunitense, Hollywood Reporter, sbugiarda, impietosamente, le dichiarazioni di Alemanno sui costi del Festival di Roma. L'articolo è del 19 maggio scorso. Ne riporto uno stralcio, così tanto per divertirci.

"Alemanno ha sbandierato alla stampa italiana che lo scorso anno la Festa del Cinema è costata 32 milioni di euro. Siamo in possesso di documenti che dimostrano che il budget della Festa per il 2007 era di 17.6 milioni di euro. Il budget dell’edizione inaugurale invece di 12.6 milioni di euro. E il contributo del comune? Lo scorso anno è stato di 1.5 milioni di euro (escluso il contributo per il servizio di sicurezza e per le navette bus)"

Simon Cowell, mais conhecido como jurado do reality show American Idol, vai produzir filme sobre Paul Potts, que virou ídolo britânico após vencer o Britain's Got Talent, informa o Hollywood Reporter.

O filme, intitulado One Chance, vai mostrar a trajetória do vencedor do programa de TV de 2007, que também tem Simon Cowell como jurado.

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