‘Night to Remember’ director Roy Ward-Baker Dies
LONDON (AP) – Roy Ward-Baker, the British director best known for “A Night to Remember,” the 1958 movie about the Titanic disaster, has died. He was 93.
His son Nicholas Baker says the director died peacefully in his sleep at a London hospital on Tuesday.
Roy Ward-Baker started out as an assistant director on Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Lady Vanishes” in London in 1938. After serving in the army during World War II, he went to Hollywood where he directed Marilyn Monroe in the 1952 movie “Don’t Bother to Knock.”
He later returned to England where he directed many television dramas, including adventure series “The Avengers.”
He remains best known for “A Night to Remember,” which recounted the final night aboard the Titanic.
Justin Timberlake prefers vinyl to MP3sBERLIN (AP) – Justin Timberlake says he thinks vinyl records sound better than digitalized tunes.
The 29-year-old pop musician and actor told German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau on Thursday that he loves putting on records featuring oldies from the Beach Boys and early Beatles, claiming they “sound warmer” and “more vintage” than digital versions.
Still, the singer acknowledges that MP3 files are handy for selling his own songs online.
Timberlake currently stars as Napster founder Sean Parker in “The Social Network,” a biopic about Facebook creator Mark Zuckerburg. Napster clashed with the music industry over illegal sharing of music files. But Timberlake expressed sympathy for his character, saying he believes Parker really didn’t harm the record labels.
Rome Film Fest to Honor Julianne MooreROME (AP) – Julianne Moore will receive an acting award at the Rome Film Festival opening this month, while Keira Knightley, Eva Mendes and Aaron Eckhart will walk the red carpet to present their new movies.
Also attending the Oct. 28-Nov.5 festival are John Landis, legendary director of “The Blues Brothers,” with his new film “Burke and Hare”; Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan; and French diva Fanny Ardant with a short film on the Roma community – a hot topic in her home country, which has been expelling Gypsies.
Organizers said Thursday that Knightley and Mendes will present “Last Night,” a marital drama also starring “Avatar” leading man Sam Worthington, not expected in Rome. Eckhart will promote “Rabbit Hole” about a couple grieving over the death of their son.
In PSA, Tim Gunn Says He Tried Suicide As Teen
NEW YORK (AP) – In an empathetic public service announcement video directed at depressed young people, Tim Gunn says he tried to kill himself when he was 17.
The “Project Runway” host and fashion guru made the video for the Trevor Project, an organization dedicated to youth suicide prevention. In it, Gunn addresses “gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered and questioning youth” and says that when he was a teen, he was “in quite a bit of despair” and took more than 100 pills.
Speaking directly to the camera, the 57-year-old Gunn says he is “very happy today that attempt was unsuccessful.” He promised to those experiencing similar hardship: “It gets better. It really does.”
The video had some 70,000 views as of Wednesday evening.
Emma Stone Joins Cast of New ‘Spider-Man’ film
NEW YORK (AP) – Emma Stone will play Gwen Stacy in the next “Spider-Man” movie.
Stone will star opposite Andrew Garfield, who plays Spidey and alter-ego Peter Parker. The announcement was made Tuesday by Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and Columbia Pictures.
Director Marc Webb says the chemistry between Stone and Garfield was “stunning,” which made the 21-year-old actress the “clear choice” to play Gwen.
Stone’s screen credits include “Easy A” and “Superbad.”
The new movie will focus on a younger version of the superhero. It will be filmed in 3-D, and is scheduled for release July 3, 2012.
Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi, who made three blockbuster “Spider-Man” movies together, departed amid story and scheduling issues over the fourth movie.
Yahoo spruces up its online ads with Dapper deal
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Yahoo is trying to spruce up its online advertising service by buying a startup called Dapper.
Dapper, started four years ago, offers tools that help advertisers create Internet campaigns that connect with the people most likely to be interested in their products or services.
Like many other Internet companies, Yahoo Inc. has been trying to target Internet ads by keeping tabs on what types of material individuals tend to click on.
Yahoo needs every competitive edge it can get these days. The company’s financial performance has disappointed investors for years. The challenges are mounting as advertisers shift more of their budgets into Google and more fashionable online hangouts such as Facebook.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed Tuesday. The Dapper acquisition is expected to close before the year ends.
Grupo Televisa to invest $1.2B in Univision
By BARBARA ORTUTAY
NEW YORK (AP) – Mexico’s Grupo Televisa SAB said Tuesday it will invest $1.2 billion in New York-based Univision Communications in exchange for a minority stake, expanding cooperation between the Spanish-language media heavyweights.
The deal brings an end to long-standing legal disputes between the companies, recently over privately held Univision’s rights to distribute Televisa’s programs online and to phones. It also helps Televisa, known for popular soap operas, strengthen its foothold in the U.S., an important market as the company works to widen its reach beyond Mexico.
Televisa will contribute its 50 percent stake in its TuTV joint venture with New York-based Univision. In exchange, it will get a 5 percent stake in Univision, as well as debentures convertible into another 30 percent stake in the future. It will also have the option to buy another 5 percent stake in Univision, bringing the total to a possible 40 percent stake. That would, how ever, require a change in U.S. law to allow a foreign company to own more than 25 percent of a U.S. broadcaster.
As part of the deal, Univision will now have exclusive U.S. rights to distribute Televisa’s programs online, for cell phones and for video-on-demand services.
The companies signed a 25-year contract in 1992 that gave Univision the exclusive U.S. broadcast rights to shows made by Grupo Televisa. The latest agreement extends that license deal to 2020 from 2017, and “at least” 2025 if certain conditions are met, the companies said. In exchange, Televisa will receive higher royalty payments from Univision.
The companies said three Televisa representatives will join Univision’s board, which will increase to 20 members.
The deal “fully aligns the interests of Univision and Televisa for the long-term,” said Haim Saban, chairman of Univision, in a statement.
Grupo Televisa tried to buy a stake in Univision in 2007, but lost out to investor gr oup Broadcasting Media Partners Inc., which includes Saban, the billionaire entertainment mogul.
In an interview, Saban called the Spanish-speaking market in the U.S. a “demographic tsunami.” According to census figures, there were 48.4 million people of Hispanic origin living in the U.S. as of July 2009, making up 16 percent of the country’s total population. They were also the nation’s largest and fastest-growing minority group.
“We have a tremendous amount of growth ahead of us,” said Joe Uva, CEO of Univision. “Advertisers need to be where babies are being born, where families are expanding.”
Last month, Univision hit a ratings milestone when it became the most popular network among U.S. viewers aged 18 to 49 in the first week of September, according to Nielsen. It was the first time a Spanish-language TV station beat out English-language ones in this important demographic.
FCC Seeks More Info from Comcast, NBC Universal
By JOELLE TESSLER, Technology Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Communications Commission is requesting additional information from Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal as it reviews the cable operator’s plan to acquire a controlling stake in the media company.
The FCC on Monday sent letters to Comcast and NBC Universal asking questions about both companies’ businesses. Among other things, regulators are seeking details about Comcast’s distribution agreements for several popular cable channels that it already owns, including regional sports networks, E! Entertainment, Versus and the Golf Channel.
The FCC also wants details about Comcast’s current channel lineups and about the thinking behind Comcast’s decisions on which programming to carry.
From NBC Universal, the FCC is asking for details about existing agreements with a number of cable, satellite and phone companies to carry popular NBC Universal channels, including Oxygen and local NBC and Telemundo stations.
Comcast, t he nation’s largest cable operator, is seeking FCC and Justice Department approval to acquire a 51 percent interest in NBC Universal from General Electric Co. The deal would give it control of the NBC and Spanish-language Telemundo broadcast networks; cable channels such as CNBC, Bravo and Oxygen; the Universal Pictures movie studio and theme parks; and a stake in the online video site Hulu.
The combination has raised worries among satellite companies, rival cable operators and other subscription video providers that Comcast would use its control of NBC Universal to push up prices for must-have programming or even withhold it altogether.
The deal has also sparked fears among small, independent programmers that Comcast could drop competing channels from its cable lineup or relegate them to premium tiers with fewer subscribers.
In addition, regulators are studying the likely impact of the deal on the nascent market for online video, which has the potential to threaten Comcast’s core cable business. Public interest groups are worried that Comcast could try to stifle the market’s growth by withholding programming from the Internet or forcing consumers to subscribe to cable to get access to content online.
Britain garners 9 International Emmy nominationsBy CHARLES J. GANS
NEW YORK (AP) – British TV productions have garnered nine International Emmy nominations, including acting nods for Bob Hoskins and Helena Bonham Carter.
The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences on Monday announced 39 nominees in 10 categories for the Emmys honoring excellence in TV production outside the U.S.
Hoskins is up for best actor for his role in “The Street” as a reformed alcoholic who runs a pub. “The Street” is also nominated for best drama.
Bonham Carter is among the best-actress nominees for her portrayal of popular British children’s author Enid Blyton in the biopic “Enid.”
Toshiba unveils glasses-free 3-D TV
TOKYO (AP) – Toshiba Corp. believes it has a solution for television viewers who like 3-D but hate the glasses.
The Tokyo-based company on Monday unveiled the world’s first high definition liquid crystal display 3-D television that does not require special glasses – one of the biggest consumer complaints about the technology.
Toshiba describes the TVs as being for “personal use.” Whether consumers embrace the new TVs remains to be seen. Many might be put off by the fact they’ll have to be very close to the screen for the 3-D effect to really work not to mention the steep price tag.
Electronics and entertainment companies around the world are banking on 3-D to fuel a new boom in TV, movies and games. Most 3-D TVs on the market today rely on glasses to rapidly deliver separate images to each eye, which creates a sense of three-dimensional depth.
In its new TVs, Toshiba uses a “perpendicular lenticular sheet,” which consists of an array o f small lenses that directs light from the display to nine points in front of the TV. If a viewer is sitting within the optimal viewing zone, the brain integrates these points into a single 3-D image.
“The result is precise rendering of high quality 3-D images whatever the viewing angle within the viewing zone,” Toshiba said in its release.
The system is similar to what’s used in Nintendo’s 3DS, the company’s highly anticipated handheld device that features glasses-free 3-D gaming.
Toshiba will offer two sizes – 12 inches and 20 inches – designed for personal use. The technology isn’t advanced enough yet to integrate into larger screens. Suggested viewing distance for the 20-inch model is 90 centimeters (35.4 inches) and 65 centimeters (25.6 inches) for the 12-inch size.
The TVs will go on sale in Japan in late December, Toshiba said. They smaller version will cost about 120,000 yen ($1,400), and the larger one will be double the price.
The comp any did not release details on overseas availability.
Flotilla Ship is Setting for Anti-Israel MovieBy SUZAN FRASER
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – A Turkish protest ship that was the scene of bloodshed during Israel’s raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla is now the setting of an anti-Israeli film.
Part of a movie is being filmed on board the Mavi Marmara, where Israeli troops clashed in May with pro-Palestinian activists trying to breach the blockade in Gaza, said Salih Bilici, a spokesman for the Turkish Islamic charity that sponsored the flotilla, told The Associated Press on Sunday.
The movie “Valley of the Wolves – Palestine” is a spinoff from the controversial but highly popular TV drama series “Valley of the Wolves,” which tells the story of a nationalist undercover agent assigned to kill state enemies. The series sparked a diplomatic row between Turkey and Israel this year after one episode showed Israeli security forces kidnapping children and shooting old men.
This time, the hero Polat Alemdar and his team are given the task of hunting down the raid’s milita ry commander and planner, a fictional character called Mose Ben Eliezer, according to the film’s website.
“Mose destroys villages, kills children and throws everyone who helps Polat into prison,” it says.
In Israel, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor declined comment because they had not seen the film. “Israel hasn’t seen the show and will not comment on something we have no direct knowledge of,” Palmor said.
No one was available at the Pana production company Sunday.
In January, Ayalon summoned the Turkish ambassador to complain about “Valley of the Wolves,” forcing the envoy to sit on a low sofa. Turkey was outraged and demanded an apology.
Bilici said the crew was currently filming an enactment of the raid aboard the Mavi Marmara. It shows activists performing early morning prayers when an Israeli helicopter approaches and soldiers rappel on board and shoot at them, Bilici said.
The movie’s release is scheduled for January 28.
The Mavi Marmara and two other Turkish ships were part of a flotilla sailing toward Gaza to protest Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. Israel insisted its troops acted in self-defense after being attacked by activists on board.
Last week, a report by three U.N.-appointed human rights experts found that Israeli forces violated international law when they raided the flotilla. Israel responded saying the Human Rights Council, which commissioned the report, had a “biased, politicized and extremist approach.”
The “Valley of the Wolves” films and TV series are highly popular in Turkey but are also severely criticized for stoking nationalism and glorifying violence.
In the early years of the TV series, upset fans held a minute of silence in the memory of one of the heroes who was killed off. They had obituaries printed in a newspaper expressing their grief, while a gang of angry youths beat up the actor who p layed his killer.
