Canadian actors to protest U.S. TV purchases

TORONTO -- Canwest Global Communications Corp. is to draw top Canadian TV stars to its fall 2010 schedule rollout on Tuesday, not to praise the domestic broadcaster, but to protest its recent Los Angeles Screenings purchases.
ACTRA Toronto, the local branch of Canada's actors union, on Monday issued a call to its members to rally outside the Hazelton Hotel in Yorkville as top Canwest Global execs unveil their latest American TV buys to the national media.

Leading Canadian actors Eric Peterson, Gordon Pinsent, Leah Pinsent and Colin Mochrie will be in attendance to urge Canwest Global and other Canadian broadcasters to buy Canadian shows as they pitch domestic advertisers on their recent American buys this week in Toronto.
Canwest Global came away from the L.A. Screenings with a slate of CBS Studios product, including the remake of "Hawaii Five-O" for Mondays at 10 p.m., and another package from 20th Century Fox led by the buzz-worthy "Ride-Along."

ACTRA national president Ferne Downey last week criticized domestic broadcasters for stuffing their upcoming fall schedules with rookie U.S. shows as they push local Canadian shows to the fringes of their primetime schedules.
"They've been packing their schedules tight with U.S. programming and ready-to-go promotion packages while enjoying the benefit of protection from foreign competition. Let's hope they surprise us with lots of Canadian programs at their upfronts," Downey said.

Canwest Global and rival Rogers Media will make their glitzy pitches to domestic advertisers Wednesday, followed by market-topper CTV holding its upfront presentation Thursday. Source

'Law and Order' may not be dead

Disorder in the court: "Law and Order" hasn't been handed the death penalty just yet.

NBC and the Dick Wolf camp continue their renewal dance for a record 21st season, even though the music abruptly stopped on Thursday morning.

According to insiders, Wolf has not been officially told yet by NBC that "Law and Order" is dead. And that may be because the Peacock is having second thoughts about unceremoniously axing the show.

Neither side was talking late Thursday, but it appears that NBC and Wolf had agreed in principle to an abbreviated 21st season of "Law and Order" back in March. That also means that the Peacock may be required to pay a penalty to Wolf if the show doesn't return.

As part of that arrangement, it was understood that TNT would be asked to take part in the deal, perhaps financing as many as half of the new episodes -- in exchange for firstrun rights.

But ultimately, things unraveled when NBC asked Wolf to accept a reduced license fee and kick in some production costs -- and the exec producer balked. The Peacock, in turn, was miffed that Wolf would back down from an order or help defray costs; both sides note that the other has made hundreds of millions of dollars on the franchise over the years.

Things got intense enough that folks inside the Wolf camp began assuming that the show wasn't coming back to NBC -- and made calls to cast and crew, relaying that news. Exec producer Fred Berner even told the New York Times that the show was dead.

It appeared that "Law and Order" would suffer a sudden and unremarkable demise.

The relationship between NBC Universal and Wolf has always been a bit tense, but both sides have indeed thrived from the partnership.

And that may be why calmer heads appeared to be prevailing by late Thursday.

"We hope and expect to be in business with Dick Wolf for years to come," NBC U TV Entertainment chairman Jeff Gaspin said earlier this week. "We're still working on some details."

Gaspin also didn't dismiss out of hand the idea of sharing the firstrun segs with a cable net.

"We're trying to work out some possibilities with the Wolf camp," he said.

NBC would probably want to milk the marketing opportunity of airing a final season of "Law and Order" and perhaps use the increased attention to help launch "Law and Order: Los Angeles" (which is still in script phase but expected to be ordered, likely for midseason).

Securing a 21st season of "Law and Order" (and beating "Gunsmoke's" record) has been an important goal for Wolf, and he's not likely to let that dream die so easily.

For its part, TNT took the unusual step of sending out a press release, distancing itself from the negotiations.

TNT made a big play for "Law and Order" in 2007. That year, the Peacock instead decided to renew the mothership at the 11th hour and instead shipped "Law and Order: Criminal Intent" to USA.

"'Law and Order' has been a valuable programming asset for TNT," the Turner cabler said. "Currently, we have multiple seasons under license, up to and including season 20. With this series, TNT is the buyer and NBC is the seller. TNT is not in ongoing discussions about picking up the series for firstrun episodes."

If NBC renews "Law and Order," it's more as a favor to Wolf than for the ratings; the onetime powerhouse hasn't made much ratings noise in recent seasons.

Source

NYC to charge $300 for film permits

For the first time ever, television and film productions that come from all over the world to shoot in the city will have to pay for the City Hall permits that have always been free, a major change in policy that Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration blames on budget woes. Senior Bloomberg administration officials were to tell representatives from Hollywood studios, advertising and labor unions on Tuesday about the proposed $300 fee for films, commercials, music videos and television series. To be sure, $300 is a barely noticeable budget line in most multimillion-dollar television and screen projects, and most major cities — including Los Angeles, New York's major film competitor — already charge permit fees. But the change is an about-face in policy for a city that has long prided itself on uniquely providing free permits and other perks to lure projects to shoot in the iconic Big Apple. Permits have been free since the city established a film office in 1966. "At this stage with these unprecedented budget cuts, we have no other choice," said Katherine Oliver, commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre and Broadcasting. "We think this is the best way to go in this environment to address the cuts we are facing." The charge would be required once for every movie, commercial or music video shoot, no matter how many days the production was working in the city, and once a season for television projects. The city said it would waive the initial fee if a low-budget production could demonstrate "unreasonable hardship."

New York requires a permit for any shoot that uses vehicles or equipment other than hand-held devices and cameras on tripods — items such as props, sets, lights, dolly tracks, screens and microphone devices. In some situations, a permit also is needed if a production wants exclusive use of city property. About 3,050 filming applications that would be subject to the fee were submitted to the city last year. Additional permits the city grants to productions — for special locations, for example — would remain free. The city still plans to keep providing production freebies such as parking, street closures and police officers on set for no charge. Los Angeles, where a film permit costs $625 for two weeks of shooting, charges fees for those services as well. New York also provides millions of dollars in free advertising to promote projects shot here.

Source

(This is a movie to be made)Voters rather pick dead man for mayor over the incumbent...they did

Voters in Tracy City, Tenn., have overwhelmingly elected a dead man as mayor, ousting the incumbent, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.

Too funny we thought. Democracy working a little too well. As we speak we suspect a script is being penned for this hilarious event in Tennessee where a trace of innocence still lingers. (JaggaJagga)

Carl Robin Geary Sr. died of a heart attack March 10, but still beat incumbent Barbara Brock 268 to 85 on Tuesday, the newspaper reports.

"I knew he was deceased. I know that sounds stupid, but we wanted someone other than her," Chris Rogers, owner of Lunch Box restaurant, tells the paper. "If he were to run again next week I'd vote for him again."

The seat will now be declared vacant and four aldermen will select a new mayor.

Geary clearly had the momentum all along: someone propped up one of his campaign signs among the floral arrangements at his funeral, the paper says.

The defeated incumbent, who was appointed in 2008 when the previous mayor had died, blamed "good old boys" who didn't like change she had brought.

"Tell me something -- why would people vote for a dead man?" Brock tells the Free Press. "That was the only way they could get my job."

As for her own future: "I'll live -- I'm a survivor."

(Posted by Doug Stanglin)

Madness: Tickets get costlier as movie chains seek to cash in on consumers' willingness to pay more for 3-D

Major U.S. movie-theater chains, seeking to accelerate the surge in revenues fueled by such 3-D hits as "Avatar" and "Alice in Wonderland," are imposing some of the steepest increases in ticket prices in at least a decade.

The new prices take effect Friday in many markets across the country in theaters owned by such major exhibitors as Regal Entertainment Group, Cinemark Holdings Inc. and AMC Entertainment Inc.

The increases, in one case as much as 26%, vary from theater to theater, but many cinemas are raising prices most—or even solely—for 3-D showings, which accounted for the vast majority of last year's 10% jump in domestic box-office sales. 3-D movies generated 11% of domestic ticket sales in 2009, up from just 2% in 2008.

At an AMC theater in Danvers, Mass., a Boston suburb, 3-D ticket prices are jumping more than 20% to $17.50 from $14.50, while the adult admission price for a conventional film will remain at $10.50. At one Seattle multiplex, adult admission is rising to $11 from $10 for a conventional film, to $15 from $13.50 for a regular 3-D showing and to $17 from $15 for Imax 3-D.

A 3-D Imax movie at New York City's AMC Loews Kips Bay will cost $19.50, up from $16.50.

The increases weren't announced by the theater operators, but were reflected in prices posted Wednesday on movie-ticketing Web sites, such as Fandango.com.

AMC and Cinemark declined to comment. Comment from Regal wasn't immediately available.

The industry's move comes on the heels of a record-setting year at the domestic box office, with revenue surpassing $10 billion for the first time. Movie attendance in the U.S. and Canada grew 5.5% in 2009, with 1.42 billion tickets sold, the most since 2004. Ticket sales so far this year are running 10% higher.

Movie theaters typically charged $2 to $3 extra for 3-D movies. But the brisk demand for the premium-priced tickets led many exhibitors to conclude they were still underpriced. About 83% of the record $2.6 billion in ticket sales for "Avatar" came from 3-D and Imax screens. And Walt Disney Co.'s "Alice in Wonderland" also set records when it hit 3-D screens earlier this month.

While the new prices could boost theater owners' already buoyant revenues, some industry watchers think they could also spark a consumer backlash. Studios, theater operators, and trade groups have long touted films as a bargain, compared with other forms of entertainment. A decade ago, the average ticket at a multiplex was $5.39, but prices have edged up between 2.7% and 6.1% a year since then, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

"The U.S. economy isn't in the greatest shape, and there is definitely risk here in pushing price too far in a weak economy," said Richard Greenfield, a media analyst at BTIG LLC, who issued a research report Wednesday on the price hikes.

Mr. Greenfield said the next month will serve as a test of the strategy. "We'll have a sense if there is any pushback" from moviegoers, he said.

Some movie-studio executives expressed concern that the price increases might be too much too soon. "The risk we run is that we will no longer be the value proposition that we as an industry have prided ourselves on," said a distribution executive at one major studio.

Other studio executives agreed that the move was risky, but some, like Dan Fellman, president of domestic distribution for Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros., expressed support. "The exhibitors are trying to push the needle on ticket prices and see where it ends up," Mr. Fellman said. "So far charging a $3 or $4 premium has had no effect on consumers whatsoever, so I'm in favor of this experiment to raise prices even more. There may be additional revenue to earn here."

Studios are also in a bind. While many are wary of appearing to gouge consumers, they are also facing higher costs as they produce more movies in the technology-heavy 3-D format. Though ticket prices are set by theater operators, the proceeds are split roughly 50-50 with movie studios.

Five major 3-D films are opening in theaters over the next three months, starting this weekend with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.'s "How to Train Your Dragon." That rich selection is one reason theater owners chose to raise 3-D ticket prices now. It may also help set consumers' expectations for future 3- films.

Imax 3-D tickets to "Dragon" are expected to cost an average $1, or 7%, more than Imax tickets to Disney's "A Christmas Carol," the last children's film to open in the format, just a few months ago.

In his report, Mr. Greenfield said one of the biggest price increases was at an AMC theater in Boston, where a child's 3-D Imax ticket will cost $14.50, up from $11.50. In the 10 markets he surveyed, adult tickets to conventional 2-D films were set to rise by an average of 4%, beginning this weekend.

Price increases on 3-D movies are at least twice as steep, he said, with average adult admission prices rising 8% for 3-D movies and nearly 10% for movies on Imax screens. Source

The Good, the Bad, the Weird

Finally a film we are excited about this year!

See the Oscar Nominees Before They Were Famous or Even Taken Mildly Serious