April 5, 2013
‘Arrested Development’ premieres May 26 on NetflixNEW YORK (AP) — “Arrested Development” will be reborn on Netflix on May 26.
The subscription service announced the premiere date Thursday, saying that all 15 episodes of the comedy series will be posted at the same time. The Mitchell Hurwitz sitcom starring Jason Bateman was canceled by Fox in 2006 after three seasons.
“Arrested Development” is the most eagerly anticipated original series from Netflix following the political thriller “House of Cards,” which debuted in February.
In a statement, Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos says the return of the cultishly beloved “Arrested Development” ”is sure to make history all over again.”
In response, Hurwitz joked that Sarandos is “going to be immensely disappointed.”
Famed movie critic Roger Ebert dies
By Caryn Rousseau
CHICAGO (AP) — Roger Ebert, the most famous and most popular film reviewer of his time who became the first journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for movie criticism and, on his long-running TV program, wielded the nation’s most influential thumb, died Thursday. He was 70.
Ebert, who had been a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, died early Thursday afternoon at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, his office said. He had announced on his blog Wednesday that he was undergoing radiation treatment after a recurrence of cancer.
He had no grand theories or special agendas, but millions recognized the chatty, heavy-set man with wavy hair and horn-rimmed glasses. Above all, they followed the thumb — pointing up or down. It was the main logo of the televised shows Ebert co-hosted, first with the late Gene Siskel of the rival Chicago Tribune and — after Siskel’s death in 1999 — with his Sun-Times colleague Richard Roeper. Although criticized as gimmicky and simplistic, a “two thumbs up” accolade was sure to find its way into the advertising for the movie in question.
Despite his power with the movie-going public, Ebert wrote in his 2011 autobiography “Life Itself,” that he considered himself “beneath everything else a fan.”
“I have seen untold numbers of movies and forgotten most of them, I hope, but I remember those worth remembering, and they are all on the same shelf in my mind,” Ebert wrote in his 2011 memoir, “Life Itself.”
He was teased for years about his weight, but the jokes stopped abruptly when Ebert lost portions of his jaw and the ability to speak, eat and drink after cancer surgeries in 2006. But he overcame his health problems to resume writing full-time and eventually even returned to television. In addition to his work for the Sun-Times, Ebert became a prolific user of social media, connecting with fans on Facebook and Twitter.
The thumb logo remained the property of Ebert and Siskel’s widow, and in early 2011, Ebert launched his new show, “Ebert Presents At the Movies.” The show had new hosts, but featured Ebert in his own segment, “Roger’s Office.” He used a chin prosthesis and enlisted voice-over guests to read his reviews.
While some called Ebert a brave inspiration, he told The Associated Press in an email in January 2011 that bravery and courage “have little to do with it.”
“You play the cards you’re dealt,” Ebert wrote. “What’s your choice? I have no pain, I enjoy life, and why should I complain?”
Oscar winner, author Ruth Prawer Jhabvala diesBy Sandy Cohen, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oscar-winning screenwriter and award-winning novelist Ruth Prawer Jhabvala has died. She was 85.
Firoza Jhabvala said Wednesday that her mother died in New York after a long illness.
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was a longtime member of Merchant Ivory Productions, writing 22 films over four decades. She won two Academy Awards for her adaptations of the E.M. Forster novels “Howards End” and “A Room With a View.” She was also nominated for adapting 1993’s “The Remains of the Day.” All three films were also best-picture contenders.
“Ruth Prawer Jhabvala has been a beloved member of the Merchant Ivory family since 1960, comprising one-third of our indomitable trifecta that included director James Ivory and the late producer Ismail Merchant,” said the company’s director of development, Neil Jesuele. “The passing of our two-time Academy Award winning screenwriter is a significant loss to the global film community.”
Jhabvala was also recognized for her fiction, receiving Britain’s highest literary honor for her 1975 novel, “Heat and Dust.” Her stories appeared in The New Yorker magazine, the most recent just last month.
Jhabvala is survived by Firoza Jhabvala and two other daughters, her husband Cyrus Jhabvala, and six grandchildren.
Creative Directors Peck, O’Leary join Carmichael Lynch
MINNEAPOLIS–Ryan Peck and Scott O’Leary, formerly of Fallon, have joined Carmichael Lynch in the role of creative directors. The agency’s recent new business wins have prompted a surge of high-profile hires by chief creative officer and managing partner Dave Damman. The pair joins Goodby Silverstein recruit Marty Senn, who arrived in January as executive creative director.
During their 15-year career at Fallon, Peck and O’Leary created breakthrough campaigns for everything from Travelers Insurance to H&R Block. They are the team behind numerous award-winning efforts, including Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils and Effies.
SAG-AFTRA Stops Casting Tapes Auction
LOS ANGELES–SAG-AFTRA considers the right of performers to control the use of their image to be of utmost importance and we vigorously protect those rights. Our collective bargaining agreements include protections for performers against exploitation of audition and interview tapes, which must be erased upon performers’ request. Failure to comply with such a request will result in formal legal action pursuant to the agreements. Unauthorized use of audition and interview footage may also result in claims against producers and casting directors under right of publicity and/or privacy laws.
“Auditions are not public performances, and under SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreements performers are entitled to expect them to remain private. SAG-AFTRA, on behalf of our members, has requested that Julien’s Auctions discontinue the sale of these private tapes, and they have agreed to do so immediately,” said SAG-AFTRA General Counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland.
‘America’s Got Talent’ coming to NYCNEW YORK (AP) — NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” is moving from New Jersey to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement Wednesday.
The eighth season of the popular talent competition will air live from the landmark theater twice a week, starting July 23.
The show is relocating from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.
Cuomo says the move will create more than 500 jobs and generate $100 million each season. New York State recently extended its Film Production Tax Credit to attract television shows to the state.
Supermodel Heidi Klum was recently added to “America’s Got Talent” as a judge.
Angry Birds maker sees profits surgeHELSINKI (AP) — Mobile game developer Rovio Entertainment Ltd. says the popular Angry Birds franchise helped it double revenue in 2012, with net profit surging more than 55 percent to 55.5 million euros ($71.2 million).
The Finnish company says that sales last year were 152.2 million euros, up from 75.6 million euro a year earlier. Net profit in 2011 was 35.4 million euros.
CEO Mikael Hed says Rovio had a “stellar start” this year after four major game launches in 2012 and the recent release of the Angry Birds Toons animated series, with increased revenue expected from paid games, virtual goods and advertising.
Last year, the company grew by some 300 to 518 employees.
Rovio said Wednesday total game downloads have exceeded 1.7 billion since the December 2009 launch of Angry Birds.
‘Transformers 4’ takes shape with help from China
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Michael Bay’s “Transformers” robots are shaping up again with an assist from China.
Paramount Pictures announced a deal Tuesday with China Movie Channel and Jiaflix Enterprises to help on the production of “Transformers 4,” the next installment in the director’s blockbuster franchise.
According to the agreement, China Movie Channel, which is overseen by the Chinese government, will help select filming sites in China, and with theatrical promotion and possibly post-production work there.
It also will work with the filmmakers on casting Chinese actors in the movie, which stars Mark Wahlberg and is due out in June 2014.
Jiaflix, headed by former Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis, brokered the deal. The company exports Chinese films to overseas markets and promotes production and distribution of films in China.
Bay’s 2011 smash “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” took in $1.1 billion worldwide, including $165 million in China.
DeGeneres hooked for ‘Nemo’ sequel ‘Finding Dory’LOS ANGELES (AP) — Ellen DeGeneres is going fishing again with a sequel to the animated blockbuster “Finding Nemo.”
Disney and its Pixar Animation unit announced Tuesday that DeGeneres will reprise her “Nemo” voice role for “Finding Dory.” The sequel is due out Nov. 25, 2015, and will be directed by Andrew Stanton, who also made “Finding Nemo.”
“I have waited for this day for a long, long, long, long, long, long time,” DeGeneres said. “I’m not mad it took this long. I know the people at Pixar were busy creating ‘Toy Story 16.’ But the time they took was worth it. The script is fantastic. And it has everything I loved about the first one: It’s got a lot of heart, it’s really funny, and the best part is — it’s got a lot more Dory.”
The new film picks up about a year after the action of “Finding Nemo,” with DeGeneres’ forgetful fish Dory on her own adventure to reunite with loved ones.
According to Disney, the film will feature new characters along with familiar ones, including Nemo and his dad, Marlin, who was voiced by Albert Brooks. There’s no word yet from Disney on whether Brooks will reprise his voice role.
“Finding Nemo” was released in 2003 and took in $921 million worldwide. The movie was the first Pixar production to win the Academy Award for best animated feature after the category was added in 2001. Pixar films have gone on to dominate, winning the Oscar seven years out of 12.
Codex Appoints Matt Walters as CTO
LONDON–Codex, a London-headquartered company which designs and manufactures high-end digital equipment spanning such areas as digital cinema recording and workflow technology, has hired digital workflow specialist Matt Walters as chief technology officer. Walters will head the new Los Angeles technology development for Codex, focusing on pipeline design and the development of asset management tools for production and postproduction.
Walters previously served as CTO for 5th Kind, a developer of web-based digital asset management applications. He is the first technologist to join Codex’s North American operations. Walters co-founded 5th Kind in 2002 and oversaw the development of systems that have been used to manage digital assets for numerous high profile feature productions, including Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland and Watchmen. Prior to that, we worked as an independent digital operations and management specialist with credits including such films as Speed Racer and Superman Returns. He has degrees in film and physics from the University of North Texas.
Regarding his move to Codex, Walters said he relishes the opportunity to return to a role focused on digital cinema technology. “We will be developing new capabilities for Codex new and current products, including on-line tools, that will result in a seamless pipeline from the camera through post.”
Buscemi to direct Vampire Weekend live stream
By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Buscemi will direct a live stream of a Vampire Weekend concert to debut a new season of “Unstaged.”
The stream will launch the fourth season of “American Express Unstaged,” an online series that pairs notable directors with popular music acts. Vampire Weekend’s concert at the Roseland Ballroom on April 28 will stream live on VEVO and YouTube.
American Express was to officially announce the live stream Tuesday.
Vampire Weekend lead singer Ezra Koenig in a statement called Buscemi “a wonderful actor, a NYC legend and a great director.” Buscemi has directed four feature films, including 1996’s “Trees Lounge,” as well as several “Sopranos” episodes.
Vampire Weekend will release their third album, “Modern Vampires of the City,” on May 14.
Thicke’s video with nude models gets YouTube banNEW YORK (AP) — Robin Thicke’s new music video is too hot for YouTube.
A representative for the R&B crooner said Monday that his unrated video for “Blurred Lines” was banned from the website. The clip features nude models prowling around Thicke and rappers T.I. and Pharrell.
A rep for YouTube didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The video is still playing on the music video website Vevo.
Thicke’s unrated clip was released last week and garnered more than 1 million views in days. It became a water cooler topic on the blogs and entertainment websites. The original video was released a week before and has 1.3 million views.
Thicke said in an interview last week that he had sought the approval of his wife, actress Paula Patton, to shoot with nude models.
‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ manuscript up for auction
By Lynne Tuohy
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Truman Capote’s 1958 typed manuscript of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is rife with the author’s handwritten edits — most notably changing the femme fatale’s name from Connie Gustafson to the now-iconic Holly Golightly.
Its plot — built around a young woman who supports herself through trysts with various wealthy lovers — was controversial. Harper’s Bazaar bought serialization rights for $2,000, then balked at its explicit content and profuse profanity. Esquire magazine purchased it from Harper’s and launched it to its 1961 silver screen adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn.
The manuscript is being offered for sale by a New Hampshire auction house and is expected to net at least $250,000 later this month.
It is the centerpiece of hundreds of Hollywood-themed items offered by RR Auctions in its online auction April 18-25. Other items include memorabilia autographed by James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Judy Garland and Lucille Ball. Also offered is an 8 mm film of Marilyn Monroe visiting Army troops in South Korea in February 1954, shot by a lieutenant with the 24th Infantry Division.
“It’s obviously quite a treasure, quite a find for us,” RR Auctions vice president Bobby Livingston said of the Capote manuscript. He said the source of the manuscript wants to remain anonymous, but linked it to the estate of a “very famous” Madison Avenue autograph collector.
Livingston said Capote made changes throughout the 86-page manuscript, including crossing out every reference to Connie Gustafson and replacing them with Holly Golightly. On the first page of the manuscript he handwrote the title.
“He was about to turn it in (to Random House) and he was inspired to change that name,” Livingston said.
Livingston said the auction was not timed to a new Broadway adaption of “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” now playing at New York City’s Cort Theater, saying that was just “serendipitous.”
Capote — in creating his Holly Golightly character — is said to have found inspiration in his close friendships with designer Gloria Vanderbilt and Oona O’Neill, daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill.
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was not Capote’s debut. He had received critical acclaim for his novel “Other Voices, Other Rooms,” a decade earlier.
But when “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was published, Norman Mailer wrote that he didn’t know Capote well but thought of him as “the most perfect writer of my generation. … I would not have changed two words in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s.'”
Tech firms bumping up perks to recruit, retainBy Martha Mendoza, National Writer
CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple’s ring-shaped, gleaming “Spaceship Headquarters” will include a world class auditorium and an orchard for engineers to wander. Google’s new Bay View campus will feature walkways angled to force accidental encounters. Facebook, while putting final touches on a Disney-inspired campus including a Main Street with a B-B-Q shack, sushi house and bike shop, is already planning an even larger, more exciting new campus.
More than ever before, Silicon Valley firms want their workers at work.
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has gone so far as to ban working from home, and many more offer prodigious incentives for coming in to the office, such as free meals, massages and gyms.
This spring, as the tech industry is soaring out of the Great Recession, plans are in the works for a flurry of massive, perk-laden headquarters.
“We’re seeing the mature technology companies trying to energize their work environments, getting rid of cube farms and investing in facilities to compete for talent,” said Kevin Schaeffer, a principal at architecture and design firm Gensler in San Jose. “That’s caused a huge transition in the way offices are laid out.”
New Silicon Valley headquarters or expansions are under way at most of the area’s major firms, including eBay, Intel, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia and Oracle. Many will be huge: Apple Corp.’s 176-acre campus will be one of the world’s largest workplaces. On the outside, many of the new buildings boast striking architectural designs and will collectively be among the most environmentally friendly in the country. Inside, there are walls you can draw on, ping pong tables, Lego stations, gaming arcades and free haircuts.
Critics say that while some workplace perks and benefits are a good thing, the large, multibillion dollar corporate headquarters are colossal wastes of money that snub the pioneering technology these firms actually create.
“Companies led by older management tend to be very controlling, but when I look at people in the 20s or 30s, they’re totally capable of working on their own and being productive,” said Kevin Wheeler, whose Future of Talent Institute researches and consults on human resources for Silicon Valley businesses. “To have artificial structures that require everybody to be in the office at certain hours of the day is simply asinine.”
Wheeler said he thinks Yahoo called everyone back to work “because they had gotten into a culture of laziness,” and that the firm will likely loosen the restrictions soon.
Yahoo was, in fact, an early model of Silicon Valley’s happy workplace culture, touting their espresso bar and inspirational speakers as a method of inspiring passion and originality. Today yoga, cardio-kickboxing and golf classes at the office, as well as discounts to ski resorts and theme parks, help it receive top ratings as one of America’s happiest workplaces.
Companies say extraordinary campuses are necessary to recruit and retain top talent and to spark innovation and creativity.
And there are business benefits and financial results for companies that keep their workers happy. The publicly traded 100 Best Companies To Work For in America consistently outperform major stock indices and have more qualified job applicants and higher productivity, according to the San Francisco-based Great Place to Work Institute. That may not always be obvious, however.
“People do work really, really hard here,” Facebook spokesman Slater Tow said as an engineer glided past a row of second floor conference rooms on a skateboard. “They have to be passionate about what they do. If they’re not, we would rather someone who is.”
He points out the Jumbotron frame for outdoor movies, the Nacho Royale taqueria, a bank branch with tellers standing by, an artist in residence. Traditional benefits are part of the Silicon Valley packages as well. Facebook offers free train passes, a shuttle to work, a month of paid vacation, full health care and stock options.
Facebook staffers are welcome to stop by and play in Ben Barry’s Analog Research Laboratory, a large, sunlit studio with laser cutters, woodworking tools, a letter press machine and silk screening supplies.
“I believe if people feel they can control their environment, that leads to a greater sense of ownership over the product,” says Barry, who makes posters for the campus walls with mantras like “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” and “Move fast and break things.”
About six miles north at Google’s headquarters, workers on one of more than 1,000 Google-designed bikes rolled from one building to another. Others stepped into electric cars, available for free check outs if someone has an errand. In one office, two young engineers enjoyed a beer and shot pool.
Google doesn’t want its Googlers to have to worry about distractions in their life.
Concerned about the kids? Childcare is on campus. Need to shop and cook? Have the family dine at Google. Dirty laundry piling up? Bring it in to the office. Bring Fido too, so he doesn’t get lonely. There’s a climbing wall, nap pods (lay down in the capsule, set the alarm, zzzzz), a bowling alley, multiple gyms, a variety of healthy cafes, mini kitchens, and classes on anything from American Sign Language to Public Speaking. In a shared, community garden, Googlers plant seeds, knowing that if they get too busy, a landscaper will pull their weeds.
The company has no policy requiring people to be at work. But officials say Googlers want to come in.
“We work hard to create the healthiest, happiest and most productive work environments possible that inspire collaboration and innovation,” said spokeswoman Katelin Todhunter-Gerberg.
Wheeler says the mega-complexes being built today will be hard to staff 10 years from now, and that the next era will see smaller workplaces where employees are responsible for meeting achievements and objectives, and have flexibility about when they come in to their office.
“When you look at how some of these companies operate, they’re in effect, sweat shops. … They want 80, 90, 100 hours of work. In order to even make that tolerable, of course you have to offer haircuts and food and places to sleep or else people would have to go home,” he said.
Y&L adds web developer Jake Hamilton, writer Eric Forseth
INDIANAPOLIS–Jake Hamilton and Eric Forseth are joining Indianapolis-based agency Young & Laramore (Y&L) as web developer and writer, respectively. Hamilton was previously a freelance content developer and interactive designer, and Forseth joins fresh out of Miami Ad School. These are both new positions at the agency, effective immediately.
As web developer, Hamilton will focus on projects for several Y&L clients, namely Brizo Faucets, Scotts LawnService and Ortho. Before joining the agency, Hamilton worked with a number of other respected Midwestern agencies, working on brands such as Qdoba Mexican Grill, Web.com and Whirlpool/ Maytag.
Forseth will kick off his advertising career working on the agency’s Scotts LawnService business, in addition to Ortho and New Balance lacrosse brand, Brine.
Filmmaker who rescued Romanian orphans is killed
ENCINITAS, Calif. (AP) — A documentary filmmaker known for helping rescue children from squalid Romanian orphanages in the early 1990s was fatally shot following an apparent dispute over the trimming of shrubbery outside his Southern California home, officials said Friday.
John Charles Upton Jr., 56, was found dead Thursday on a dirt path in the yard of his Encinitas home. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said detectives arrested Michael Vilkin, 61, on suspicion of murder. He was being held without bail, pending arraignment Tuesday.
Upton, after learning of the plight of Romanian orphans, publicized the brutal conditions and was instrumental in bringing an estimated two dozen orphans to America for medical care and adoption.
Vilkin, in an interview conducted in county jail, told KGTV in San Diego he fired gunshots in self-defense after Upton menaced him with a gun during a dispute over foliage.
Vilkin said he owns vacant property next to Upton’s home, and the two men had a disagreement over trimming shrubs.
“I did not go to him,” Vilkin told the station. “He came to me threatening and pulled a gun (on) me.”
A statement from the department said a dispute between the two men led to the shooting, which was under investigation.
Upton’s brother, Michael Upton, told U-T San Diego that his brother and Vilkin previously argued about trees.
Upton’s work in Romania also gained the attention of influential activists, inspiring billionaire philanthropist Richard Branson and actress Jessica Lange to help rescue youngsters from Romania.
Upton went on to create an online network of films about charitable causes.
