April 26, 2013
“Senna” director to make Amy Winehouse documentary
LONDON (AP) — The director of award-winning film “Senna” is making a documentary about the late soul singer Amy Winehouse.
Focus Features International says the movie will feature unseen archive footage to tell the story of the art and life of the musician, who died at age 27 in London in 2011 from accidental alcohol poisoning.
The Winehouse family said in a statement Thursday that it had been approached with many documentary proposals, but “Senna” director Asif Kapadia and producer James Gay-Rees presented a vision that would “look at Amy’s story sensitively, honestly and without sensationalizing her.”
“Senna,” the acclaimed 2010 film, focused on the life of Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna. The champion racer was killed in an accident in 1994.
Thai censors overturn ban on film about border rowBANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s film censors have overturned a ban on a documentary about the country’s long-running border conflict with Cambodia after initially saying the content was a threat to national security.
“Boundary” tells the story of the Thai-Cambodia border dispute through accounts of a former Thai soldier, as well as villagers from the two countries.
The Ministry of Culture’s film screening office said Tuesday that the film would be banned because its content was a threat to national security and international relations.
Filmmaker Nontawat Numbenchapol said the ministry’s film and video board informed him Thursday that the sub-committee that had imposed the ban did not have the authority to do so.
The controversy comes as the border dispute case is being heard by the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands.
Facebook: Audit finds privacy practices sufficientBy Barbara Ortutay, Technology writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook says that an independent audit found its privacy practices sufficient during a six-month assessment period that followed a settlement with federal regulators.
Facebook Inc. said it submitted the findings to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday evening. The audit was a required part of the social networking company’s settlement with the FTC last summer. The settlement resolved charges that Facebook exposed details about its users’ lives without getting the required legal consent.
Facebook provided a copy of its letter to the FTC, along with a redacted copy of the auditor’s letter, to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The redacted portion contains trade secret information and does not alter the auditor’s findings, the company said. The audit, which found that Facebook’s privacy program met or exceeded requirements under the FTC’s order, covered written policies as well as samples of its data.
“We’re encouraged by this confirmation that the controls set out in our privacy program are working as intended,” said Erin Egan, Facebook’s chief privacy officer for policy,” in an emailed statement. “This assessment has also helped us identify areas to work on as Facebook continues to evolve as a company, and improve upon the privacy protections we already have in place. We will keep working to meet the changing and evolving needs of our users and to put user privacy and security at the center of everything we do.”
Facebook did not disclose the full, 79-page report or specific details on shortcomings in its privacy practices that were revealed by the audit. Spokeswoman Jodi Seth said Facebook declined to disclose such details “based on contractual obligations and the possibility of security and competitive vulnerabilities.”
The company has asked the FTC to keep the redacted information private, saying it would put it and its auditor at a competitive disadvantage and because it could reveal possible limitations of its privacy program.
The name of the accounting firm is also redacted but that information will be released when the FTC responds to the audit.
A representative for the FTC did not immediately return a message for comment on Thursday morning.
Facebook has made several high-profile mistakes over user privacy, especially in its early years. Much of the FTC’s complaint against the company centered on a series of changes that Facebook made to its privacy controls in late 2009. The revisions automatically shared information and pictures about Facebook users, even if they previously programmed their privacy settings to shield that content. Among other things, people’s profile pictures, lists of online friends and political views were suddenly available for the world to see, the FTC alleged.
The complaint also charged that Facebook shared users’ personal information with third-party advertisers from September 2008 through May 2010 despite several public assurances from company officials that it wasn’t passing the data along for marketing purposes. Facebook said this only happened in limited instances.
Facebook did not admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but it agreed to submit to audits of its privacy practices for 20 years. This was the first of those audits. Google Inc. earlier agreed to a similar settlement, but was fined $22.5 million last August to resolve allegations that it did not comply with it.
‘Mad Men’ creator Weiner answers season 6 criticsBy Lauri Neff
NEW YORK (AP) — “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner has a message for critics of season six of the AMC hit: “Fans don’t run the show.”
After waiting nearly a year for this month’s premiere some viewers have expressed disappointment with the new season. Speaking ahead of a “Mad Men” panel event at the Paley Media Center in Manhattan Tuesday night, Weiner likened fan reaction to the show to the arcade game Whac-A-Mole.
“There’s not enough agency advertising. There’s too much advertising,” Weiner said of previous fan gripes. “There’s not enough Betty. There’s too much Betty. Who is Megan? Why isn’t there more Megan?”
Weiner noted people are still watching and advised fans to “sit back and enjoy where we’re going.” He said he opened the season in 1968 because he believes it was one of the worst years in U.S. history, and while he remained tight-lipped about where the journey is headed he did promise it “might be a little salacious, but that’s what the show is.”
Viewers did learn that ad man Don Draper (Jon Hamm) remains tormented and brooding and is now cheating on his new wife Megan (Jessica Pare). Weiner says he believes his lead character remains redeemable despite his flaws.
“We’ll have to see what the world hands him and if he’s able to confront a problem that’s following him around that might actually be him,” he said.
Nicole Kidman and Ang Lee join starry Cannes juryPARIS (AP) — The Cannes Film Festival says Oscar winners Nicole Kidman, Christopher Waltz and Ang Lee will join this year’s competition jury.
Steven Spielberg will lead 2013’s jury that will also include Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, who won the festival’s prize for best screenplay in 2012 for “Beyond The Hills,” French actor Daniel Auteuil, Indian actress Vidya Balan, Scottish director Lynne Ramsay and Japanese director Naomi Kawase, according to a statement published Wednesday.
They’ll decide which of the 19 films in competition will win the coveted Palme d’Or award on May 26, the French Riviera festival’s top accolade.
Donald Trump’s anti-wind farm ad bannedLONDON (AP) — Britain’s Advertising Standards Agency has ruled that Donald Trump’s anti-wind farm advert should be withdrawn in its current form.
The independent advertising regulator said Wednesday that the ad from Trump International Gold Club Scotland is misleading and cannot be substantiated.
The ad warns that wind farms would hurt Scottish tourism and mar Scotland’s beauty. It features a photograph of a wind farm development overlooking a crowded highway in California.
Trump has been fighting the wind energy project, which he believes may mar the view from his luxury golf resort in Scotland.
The standards agency said the Trump resort had been told not to make claims that could not be proven and not to use “misleading imagery.”
Beijing festival honors ‘Back to 1942’ as top film
BEIJING (AP) — The Beijing International Film Festival has honored “Back to 1942” with its top prize.
The film set during a 1942 famine in China’s Hunan province stars Adrien Brody, Tim Robbins and Chen Daoming.
Yan Bingyan was named best actress for “Feng Shui,” and Terence Stamp was named best actor for “Song for Marion.”
The festival’s closing night Tuesday had a somber note with remembrances given for victims of the Sichuan earthquake. Stars wore dark dresses and suits as they walked a carpet that was changed from red to dark blue as a sign of respect.
Hong Kong actress Christy Chung said she was glad to be attending the event. But she felt “sorry for the Ya’an earthquake victims at the same time. I think we need to show our respect.”
Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, Nicholas Tse, Keanu Reeves and John Woo were among the attendees.
NBCUniversal expansion to start with Harry PotterUNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) — NBCUniversal plans to begin construction this summer on a $1.6 billion, 25-year expansion of its Los Angeles-area theme park, offices and production facilities.
The company owned by Comcast Corp. announced Tuesday that it would start building The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at its Universal Studios Hollywood theme park, along with upgraded TV production studios and office space on the studio lot.
The project would eventually include a hotel and retail outlets, adding nearly 2 million square feet to the studio complex. The plan initially called for nearly 3,000 residences, but that was dropped last year after objections from local residents and politicians.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors tentatively approved the plan Tuesday, unanimously directing its lawyers to prepare documents for final approval.
TV-over-Internet service Aereo expands to Boston
By Anick Jesdanun, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Aereo, the television-over-the-Internet service that is threatening the broadcast and cable TV industries, is expanding to Boston on May 15.
With prices starting at $8 a month, Aereo will offer 28 Boston-area broadcast channels, plus the cable channel Bloomberg TV. Service will be available in Boston and surrounding areas in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.
The Barry Diller-backed company announced in January that it plans to expand beyond New York to 22 additional U.S. markets. Boston represents the first metropolitan area outside New York. Others expected in the coming months include Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington.
Aereo converts television signals into computer data and sends them over the Internet to subscribers’ computers and mobile devices. Subscribers can watch channels live or record them with an Internet-based digital video recorder. They can pause and rewind live television, just like a DVR.
Aereo sells its service as a low-cost alternative to cable or satellite TV, and it plans to target those who have dropped pay-TV service or never had one. Aereo offers far fewer channels than most pay-TV packages, but it could appeal to viewers who already turn to Hulu, Netflix and other online sources for TV shows and movies.
Broadcasters see Aereo as a threat to their revenue, even though stations already make signals available for free. Broadcasters are increasingly supplementing advertising revenue with fees they get from cable and satellite TV companies for redistributing their stations to subscribers. If customers drop their pay-TV service and use Aereo instead, broadcasters would lose some of that revenue.
So far, federal courts have ruled against broadcasters’ claims that Aereo’s service constitutes copyright infringement. Aereo claims what it is doing is legal because it has thousands of tiny antennas at its data centers and assigns individual subscribers their own antenna. According to Aereo, that makes it akin to customers picking up free broadcast signals with a regular antenna at home. Broadcasters argue that the use of individual antennas is a mere technicality meant to circumvent copyright law.
Although the latest ruling, from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, will likely be appealed, broadcasting companies have already threatened to take their stations off the air. The Fox and Univision television networks are among those that say they might end their free broadcasts and become a subscription-only channel like CNN, Nickelodeon and Discovery.
In a Twitter post Tuesday responding to the Boston expansion, CBS Corp. spokesman Dana McClintock vowed, “And we will be there to sue them.” In an email, McClintock said the specifics of such a lawsuit were still to be determined.
If such a lawsuit is filed, Aereo could seek to have the cases consolidated in New York, where the company has had favorable rulings. But if broadcasters succeed in keeping the cases separate, they would have a better chance of winning in Boston because Massachusetts is part of a different appellate region and would not be bound by the 2nd Circuit’s past rulings. The U.S. Supreme Court — or Congress — would be left to settle any conflicting rulings.
Aereo’s Boston expansion will initially be available only to those who had pre-registered for the service. The New York-based company said others would be able to join after May 30.
Subscribers must live in one of 16 counties: Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, or Worcester in Massachusetts; Belknap, Cheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham or Strafford counties in New Hampshire; or Windham County in Vermont.
Turpin named group creative director, retail, at Innocean USA
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.–Miles Turpin has joined Innocean USA as VP, retail group creative director. In this new role, he will be in charge of mapping out and directing the creative execution for Hyundai’s regional efforts and Dealer Advertising Association. He will report directly to Greg Braun, Innocean USA’s executive creative director
Turpin has more than 25 years of ad experience specializing in automotive. His portfolio includes work with stellar automotive brands such as Lexus, Toyota and Land Rover. During his tenure on the Lexus team at Team One, Turpin was instrumental in winning the Lexus Dealer Association and was a key component of the Lexus launch team, which yielded “The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection” campaign. His work for the Lexus Dealer Association led to three JD Power Dealer Satisfaction Award wins.
Most recently Turpin was the sr. creative director overseeing the Toyota Dealers of Northern California account at Hoffman/Lewis-San Francisco, managing broadcast, social media, sports sponsorships, co-branding and digital. Turpin was also at Saatchi-LA where he was a group creative director on Toyota for nine years, managing the Cars group, including the flagship Camry, as well as Young & Rubicam where he was the sr. VP/creative director overseeing Land Rover Dealer and Brand creative.
High court rejects tobacco marketing appealWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected a First Amendment challenge by tobacco companies to a 2009 law that restricts how they can market their products.
The justices on Monday left in place a ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati that upheld the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act that, for the first time, gave the federal government authority to regulate tobacco. The challenged rules include a ban on tobacco companies sponsoring athletic, social and cultural events or offering free samples or branded merchandise.
The industry said the law impermissibly limited its “truthful, non-misleading” marketing of its products to adult consumers.
The Obama administration urged the court to turn away the appeal and said the lower court ruling was correct.
The Via Agency staffs upPORTLAND, Maine–The VIA Agency has made a string of new creative, production and strategy hires. A recent win of client Republic Wireless, as well as ongoing project duties for Shutterfly and 1800 Tequila directly led to VIA’s employment growth this year. The agency has added 11 new employees since the beginning of 2013.
A few of the additions to The VIA Agency include:
* Associate creative director David Grindon, who comes to VIA from The Martin Agency as an art director, where his past client work included Discover Card, 1-800 CONTACTS, GEICO, and Walmart.
* Copywriter Dan Jordan, whose most recent experience includes stints as a copywriter at EnergyBBDO in Chicago and at David&Goliath in Los Angeles. His past clients include Wrigley, Kia Motors, Dunkin’ Donuts, Carl’s Jr. and Liberty Mutual.
* Associate producer Barry Wolford who hails from production at DIRECTV Creative Services in Los Angeles. He is also the writer, producer and director of “The Hook” – a web series that focuses on fishing and campfire cooking.
* And client strategist Whitman Bowers, who previously served as account lead for Dick’s Sporting Goods at Anomaly. Prior to Anomaly, Bowers also oversaw the launch of Bud Light Platinum.
Comedy Central to launch Twitter comedy festival
NEW YORK (AP) — Putting a new test to the adage that brevity is the soul of wit, Comedy Central is partnering with Twitter for a comedy festival played out in 140 characters and 6-second videos.
The Viacom Inc.-owned network said Sunday that the festival with the hashtag “ComedyFest” will debut April 29. Over five days, comedians will tweet jokes and post videos with the recently launched video app Vine, which limits footage to 6 seconds.
The launch of the festival, which Comedy Central is expected to officially announce Monday, was first reported by The New York Times.
Kicking off the social media festival will be an event Monday at the Paley Center in Los Angeles featuring Rob Reiner, Judd Apatow and Mel Brooks. So far, Brooks is a Twitter holdout.
Jonathon Ker to lead LIA juryLOS ANGELES–Jonathon Ker, partner/executive producer of paydirt, Santa Monica, will lead the London International Awards (LIA) 2013 TV/Cinema/Online Film-Production|Post-Production Jury.
Known for discovering and building the careers of new talent, Ker co-founded paydirt with director Iain Mackenzie and fellow producer Jeremy Barrett. Prior to paydirt, Ker established tight in 2004, and concurrently introduced and ran Outsider and the Viral Factory in the States.
Before this, he oversaw Palomar Pictures, which he helped found, and Limelight USA. His successful run also included his serving as head of broadcast at London advertising agency BBH.
