DreamWorks Film Gets 3D Super Bowl PromoLOS ANGELES (AP) , January 05, 2009 -- Talk about a monster of a promotion. Some 150 million 3D glasses will be given away for Super Bowl viewers to watch a three-minute 3D sneak preview of the big-screen animated feature "Monsters vs. Aliens." While 3D telecasts are nothing new, this marks the first time one has been done for such a large audience. DreamWorks Animation chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg called the stunt "perhaps the biggest media-advertising event in history." He wouldn't give a hard figure on the cost, but said it "involves tens of millions of dollars."

Boom In Music Video Games Helps Original ArtistsBy Ryan Nakashima, Business Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP), December 20, 2008 -- "This song is dedicated to Debbie Harry," flinty-eyed Lisa Hsuan purrs into a microphone on the red-lit stage of Hyperion Tavern. It's a cozy dive where patrons drink Coke and beer from bottles and a fading chandelier dangles overhead. They're playing the video game "Rock Band 2," which along with "Guitar Hero" is rocking bars and living rooms across the country. Many songs' sales have more than doubled after release in one of the games, and well-known bands have started lining up to provide new music direct to the game makers. Now record labels — noticing what they are missing, and struggling as compact disc sales tumble — are looking for a bigger piece of the action.

'Dark Knight' Vies For Producers Guild Best PicLOS ANGELES (AP), January 05, 2009 -- The Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight," slighted in earlier Hollywood honors, was among best-picture nominees Monday for the Producers Guild of America Awards. Other best-picture nominees were Brad Pitt's romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Ron Howard's Richard Nixon saga "Frost/Nixon," Sean Penn's Harvey Milk film biography "Milk" and Danny Boyle's rags-to-riches tale "Slumdog Millionaire."

Heineken 'Experience' Reopens In Amsterdam Television Advertisements of Years Past Part of 'Experience'
By Toby Sterling
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS (AP), December 29, 2008 -- The sweet smell of barley mash fills the brewing hall. Water and foam spritz down on visitors' heads as they watch a film about fermentation, as seen from the perspective of beer. Next up: the tasting. No wonder they call this the "Heineken Experience." A room is lit with green lights and outfitted with futuristic reclining chairs where visitors can relax and view the Heineken television advertisements of years past.  

Hollywood's Happy, Even Without A Record Year By David Germain, Movie Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP), December 29, 2008 -- Hollywood loves breaking box-office records, yet studio executives aren't griping that their 2008 lineup will fall a bit shy of the all-time high set a year earlier. With the overall economy in the pits, movie moguls are just glad to have weathered the year with faithful audiences that continued to crowd into theaters. "Last year was the record of all time. The economy's tough. Things are bad out there, and I think if we can have another record-breaking year or close to it, I figure we'll all be happy," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the year's biggest hit with "The Dark Knight" ($531 million).