February 8, 2013
Music teachers now eligible for new Grammy honor
By Sandy Cohen, Entertainment Writer
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Music teachers are now eligible for a Grammy honor of their own.
Recording Academy president Neil Portnow says the group has established a music educator award that will be presented for the first time next year.
Portnow announced the new award Thursday at the Grammy Foundation’s 15th annual Music Preservation Project event at the Saban Theatre.
“We’re dedicated to preserving the great music of the past, present and future,” he said. “Music education is perhaps the most vital part of the Grammy Foundation’s mission.”
Kindergarten through college teachers are eligible for the new annual award, which will be presented at a special ceremony the day before the Grammy Awards. Students and colleagues can nominate candidates online.
Thursday’s event, dubbed “Play it Forward,” featured performances by Dionne Warwick, LeAnn Rimes, Emmylou Harris, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Yolanda Adams and Lupe Fiasco, who is up for best rap album at this year’s Grammys.
Adams, who performed two rousing songs backed by a gospel choir, thanked the Grammy Foundation “for preserving the authenticity of all music.”
She cited Warwick and Aretha Franklin among her music heroes.
Other artists shared their musical inspirations in video clips that punctuated the program. Ike Turner cited Pine Top Perkins, Quincy Jones named Billy Carter and Isaac Hayes recalled Minnie Pearl. Buddy Holly inspired Waylon Jennings and Bootsy Collins was moved by the guitar work of Lonnie Mack.
The 55th annual Grammy Awards will be presented Sunday at Staples Center and broadcast live on CBS.
Yahoo taps into Google’s ad network, expertise
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Yahoo is counting on rival Google to help accelerate its revenue growth.
As part of an arrangement announced Wednesday, Yahoo’s website will begin drawing upon Google’s massive online advertising network to show marketing messages related to the content that’s being perused.
Google Inc. already distributes similar ads to thousands of websites, a service that has helped establish it as the Internet’s most prosperous company.
Yahoo Inc. has been struggling to attract more advertisers in recent years, even though more marketing budgets have been shifting to the Internet.
Google retains part of the revenue generated from the ads shown on its partners’ sites. The revenue split with Yahoo wasn’t disclosed.
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer worked as one of Google’s top executive before being lured away nearly seven months ago.
VFX/Post house DIVE does “Do No Harm”PHILADELPHIA–The visual effects and postproduction team at DIVE — a division of ShootersINC, which specializes in visual effects and picture finishing for feature films, television shows and commercials — was contracted to do all VFX supervision, VFX, ADR and postproduction services for NBC’s one-hour drama, “Do No Harm.” The new series, which has been shot entirely on-location in Philadelphia, premiered on the network Thursday, January 31st at 10 p,m.
Selecting a Philadelphia-based visual effects and postproduction team was ideal for the show’s producers in order to keep the production “local,” said producer Nan Bernstein. “I always think that is important to keep as much business as possible within the local community. Why not choose a team where you are shooting if the quality is there? With DIVE, their artists have created a seamless world for our show with visual effects enhancements that look completely integrated as if they were part of the production and what we shot on-set.”
Under the creative guidance of DIVE VFX supervisor Ed Mendez and supported by VFX producer Andy Williams and executive producer Bob Lowery, the DIVE VFX team has been selected as the only visual effects company on “Do No Harm.” Lowery collaborated with Bernstein eight years ago for two seasons on the CBS/Paramount series “Hack” which was also shot in Philadelphia. DIVE is completing on-set VFX supervision and all of the visual effects for the initial order of 13 episodes. Mendez and Williams attend production meetings where they make recommendations on what can be accomplished using visual effects to help support the director’s vision. Mendez also advises during production as the on-set VFX supervisor for the show. Once editorial locks the cut, DIVE produces the visual effects shots, anywhere from 15-60 shots per episode.
“Because ‘Do No Harm’ is a medical drama with the main character a neurosurgeon, a great deal of the visual effects are surgical animations for the OR or an MRI bay,” explained Williams. “Depending upon the complexity of the visual effects shots needed, we advise on the best way to accomplish the shots, based on the narrative.”
The DIVE team relies on software and technology including Nuke, Maya, Mocha, Inferno, FinalCut Pro, Avid Media Composer, Resolve, and Adobe After Effects. DIVE also partnered with Sixteen19 to create the hundreds of hours of Alexa digital dailies for editorial and NBC executives based on the West Coast, including multiple deliveries and file formats.
Freeborn, makeup artist behind Yoda, dies at 98By Jill Lawless
LONDON (AP) — Stuart Freeborn, a pioneering movie makeup artist behind creatures such as Yoda and Chewbacca in the “Star Wars” films, has died. He was 98.
LucasFilm confirmed Wednesday that Freeborn had passed away, “leaving a legacy of unforgettable contributions.”
“Star Wars” director George Lucas said in a statement that Freeborn was “already a makeup legend” when he started working on “Star Wars.”
“He brought with him not only decades of experience, but boundless creative energy,” Lucas said. “His artistry and craftsmanship will live on forever in the characters he created. His “Star Wars” creatures may be reinterpreted in new forms by new generations, but at their heart, they continue to be what Stuart created for the original films.”
Freeborn’s granddaughter, Michelle Freeborn, said he died Tuesday in London from a combination of ailments due to his age. Michelle Freeborn, who lives in Wellington, New Zealand, said her grandfather was “like a hero” to her and inspired her and her late father to get into the movie business, too.
“He was a really fun and imaginative individual.” she said. “He gave you the feeling that if you wanted to achieve something, you should just get on and do it, and don’t ever use excuses. He enjoyed life and the amazing world we live in.”
Freeborn’s six-decade career led him to work on many classics, including Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
Born in London in 1914, Freeborn was the son of a Lloyds of London insurance broker. He told a BBC documentary last year that he resisted pressure to follow in his father’s footsteps, because “I felt I was different.”
He began his film career in the 1930s, working for Hungarian-born director Alexander Korda, and honing his makeup skills on stars including Marlene Dietrich and Vivien Leigh.
After air force service during World War II, he worked on British cinema classics including “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp” and David Lean’s 1948 version of “Oliver Twist.” His transformation of Alec Guinness into Fagin —complete with a large hooked nose — was criticized by some as anti-Semitic, a matter of regret for Freeborn, who said he was partly Jewish.
Freeborn later worked with Kubrick, transforming Peter Sellers into multiple characters for “Doctor Strangelove” before designing the apes for “2001”’s “Dawn of Man” sequence, in which primates react to a mysterious monolith.
But he will likely be best remembered for his work on “Star Wars” — creating characters such as the 7-foot-tall wookie Chewbacca and the slug-like Jabba the Hutt.
LucasFilm said that Irvin Kershner, who directed “The Empire Strikes Back,” would “note that Freeborn quite literally put himself into Yoda, as the Jedi master’s inquisitive and mischievous elfin features had more than a passing resemblance to Freeborn himself.” (Yoda’s looks were also said to be partly inspired by Albert Einstein.)
Freeborn recalled being approached by “this young fellow” named George Lucas, who told him, “I’ve written a script for a film called ‘Star Wars.'”
“He was so genuine about it, I thought, well, young as he is, I believe in him. He’s got something. I’ll do what I can for him,” Freeborn told the BBC.
Nick Maley, a makeup artist who worked with Freeborn in the 1970s, called him a mentor who “ran his department like a headmaster.”
“It was my years working with him that helped me learn how to think, how to solve problems, how to not take the most obvious path,” Maley said. “Everybody will remember him for ‘Star Wars,’ but he did so much more than that. No one should overlook the groundbreaking work he did on ‘2001: A Space Odyssey.’ That was really the forerunner of ‘Star Wars’ and used a lot of the same technology.”
Freeborn’s wife, Kay, died in 2012. Freeborn’s three sons — Roger, Ray and Graham — also died before him.
In Vegas, Abrams gives few hints about ‘”Star Wars”By Hannah Dreier
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A newly announced “Star Wars” sequel was on everyone’s mind when J.J. Abrams took the stage Wednesday at a Las Vegas video game conference, but he made only a sideways mention of the film he has been hired to direct.
The reference was a throw-away joke from his last franchise reboot.
Talking about the importance of embroidering films with subtle detail, the science fiction director played a scene from his 2009 “Star Trek” film and freeze-framed to reveal a familiar “Star Wars” robot peeking out from amid the space junk.
“So they’re looking at all the debris that’s out there, and curiously, it’s R2D2,” he said, drawing a roar of laughter.
Gabe Newell, president of video game developer Valve, shared a stage with Abrams at the Design, Innovate, Communicate, Entertain Summit at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
“So now I have to go back through your movies looking at all the debris to figure out what movie you’re going to direct next?” Newell asked.
Abrams has given die-hard fans few clues about his vision for the seventh live-action “Star Wars” film since he was announced as its director in January.
He has become a trusted steward of beloved fantasy universes after directing well-received additions to the “Star Trek” and “Mission: Impossible” franchises.
“Star Wars” creator George Lucas opened the door to the latest round of spin-offs when he sold his Lucasfilm empire to The Walt Disney Co. for $4.05 billion last fall. The company is planning three sequels and two peripheral movies focusing on characters.
“Episode VII” is tentatively scheduled for release in the summer of 2015.
Last month, Abrams told a group of reporters that he wanted to make sure the sequel was “something that touches people.”
On Wednesday, he did give his audience of nerds and gamers one revelation when he announced his intention to collaborate on movies and videos with Newell— the man behind the gaming hits “Portal,” “Half-Life” and “Counter-Strike.”
“There’s an idea that we had for a game that we’d like to develop,” he said.
Abrams’ development company Bad Robot Interactive has released several apps related to his movies.
Newell said his company would like to work with Abrams on a movie adaptation of “Portal” or “Half-Life.”
Mimi Gramatky elected president of Art Directors Guild
LOS ANGELES–Production designer Mimi Gramatky has been elected president of the 2,000-member Art Directors Guild (ADG/IATSE, Local 800), for a three-year term, succeeding Thomas A. Walsh, it was announced today. Also elected for three-year terms are art director Jim Wallis as VP; production designer Cate Bangs as treasurer; and art director Judy Cosgrove as secretary. Scott Roth continues as ADG’s executive director.
Gramatky’s skills reach beyond production design into interior and landscape architecture, theatre design, visual FX and animation, documentary filmmaking, and teaching. She has been a member of the ADG board of directors and a past member of its Council. Gramatky is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco State University. She has been married for 27 years to composer/arranger/orchestrator Geoff Stradling.
Disney working on stand-alone “Star Wars” films
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Disney is mining The Force for even more new films.
Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger said Tuesday that screenwriters Larry Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are working on stand-alone “Star Wars” movies that aren’t part of the new trilogy that’s in the works.
“There has been speculation about some standalone films that have been in development, and I can confirm to you today that in fact we are working on a few stand-alone films,” Iger told CNBC.
Iger said the movies would be based on “great ‘Star Wars’ characters that are not part of the overall saga.” The films would be released during the six-year period of the new trilogy, which starts in 2015 with “Star Wars: Episode VII.”
Disney confirmed last month that “Star Trek” director J.J. Abrams will direct the seventh installment of the “Star Wars” saga.
Disney bought “Star Wars” maker Lucasfilm last year for more than $4 billion.
The last “Star Wars” trilogy, a prequel to the original films, was released from 1999 to 2005.
Conn. congressman sees factual flaw in ‘Lincoln’HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – As Rep. Joe Courtney watched the Oscar-nominated “Lincoln” over the weekend, something didn’t seem right to him.
He said Tuesday he was shocked that the Oscar-nominated film, about President Abraham Lincoln’s political struggle to abolish slavery, includes a scene in which two Connecticut congressmen vote against the 13th amendment to the Constitution, outlawing slavery.
“‘Wow. Connecticut voted against abolishing slavery?'” Courtney recalled hearing audience members ask. “I obviously had the same reaction. It was really bugging me.”
He said a cursory Internet search confirmed his suspicions that the movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, was historically inaccurate. He asked the Congressional Research Service to investigate, and it reported that all four Connecticut congressmen backed the amendment in a January 1865 vote.
A spokesman for Dreamworks Pictures, which produced “Lincoln,” did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Tuesday.
Courtney praised the film’s acting and cinematography but said artistic license does not permit it to inaccurately put Connecticut on the wrong side of history, particularly on an issue as powerful as slavery. In a letter to Spielberg, the four-term Democratic congressman includes a tally of the 1865 vote by the state’s congressional delegation and a passionate defense of the state’s role in emancipating millions of blacks.
“How could congressmen from Connecticut – a state that supported President Lincoln and lost thousands of her sons fighting against slavery on the Union side of the Civil War – have been on the wrong side of history?” he said in his letter.
Courtney, who majored in history at Tufts University, asked that the movie, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln, be corrected before its release on DVD.
“Lincoln,” which leads the Oscars with 12 nominations, also stars Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln and Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens. It has earned more than $170 million at the box office.
Aussie court clears Google in deceptive ad caseBy Kristen Gelineau
SYDNEY (AP) — Australia’s highest court on Wednesday threw out a ruling against Google Inc. that had found the Internet giant guilty of breaching trade law by hosting deceptive advertisements.
The High Court’s decision overturned a federal court ruling from April that Google had engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct with four ads that appeared on its Google Australia website. The advertisers used the names of competitors as keywords to trigger their own ads appearing.
The federal court ruled this was likely to mislead people searching for information about those competitors, and therefore violated Australia’s Trade Practices Act, which bars corporations from engaging in deceptive conduct. Google argued that it was not responsible for the content of the ads, and therefore couldn’t be found to have violated the act.
The High Court sided with Google, stating in its ruling that the search engine is not unlike newspapers or broadcasters that publish the ads of others.
“Google did not author the sponsored links; it merely published or displayed, without adoption or endorsement, misleading representations made by advertisers,” the court wrote in its judgment. It said that ordinary Internet users would have understood that the links were made by advertisers and that Google hadn’t endorsed them.
Google said in a statement that it welcomed the decision. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which led the case against Google, said advertisers should still ensure they don’t mislead consumers.
“The ACCC took these proceedings to clarify the law relating to advertising practices in the internet age,” ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said in a statement. “Specifically, we considered that providers of online content should be accountable for misleading or deceptive conduct when they have significant control over what is delivered.”
Queen Latifah production co. strikes Netflix deal
NEW YORK (AP) — Queen Latifah’s production company, Flavor Unit Entertainment, has signed a deal with Netflix.
The entertainer announced Tuesday that the multiyear deal gives the streaming service first look at titles from her production company. It starts this spring.
Latifah launched Flavor Unit in New Jersey with Shakim Compere. It’s now based in Miami. The company has produced films such as “Bringing Down the House” and “Just Wright,” both starring Latifah. It also produced the HBO film “Life Support,” which earned a Golden Globe Award for Latifah.
Latifah said in a statement that Netflix is a “strong brand and the perfect place to showcase our projects.”
Flavor Unit is also producing the upcoming Terrence Howard thriller “House of Bodies” and “Percentage,” starring Ving Rhames and Macy Gray.
NBCUniversal gathers cable channels under one execNEW YORK (AP) — NBCUniversal has united its cable channels under the command of long-time executive Bonnie Hammer, leaving Lauren Zalaznick, who previously controlled Bravo, Oxygen, Style and Sprout, to focus on innovation and emerging technology initiatives.
NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke announced the shakeup and the creation of the Cable Entertainment Group in an internal memo Monday. Hammer already controlled USA Network, Syfy, E!, G4 and other channels.
Zalaznick will oversee digital assets such as the Fandango movie-ticket site and women’s news site DailyCandy, and cross-company collaboration efforts.
Burke also said that Joe Uva, the former CEO of Univision, is joining NBCUniversal to become chairman of its Spanish-language assets, which include the Telemundo and mun2 networks.
NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast Corp. and has theme parks and a movie business besides the television channels.
Super Bowl falls short of ratings record
By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — With a partial power outage, an overly excited quarterback and a game that suddenly turned from snoozer to sizzler, CBS had its hands full at the Super Bowl. The game fell short of setting a viewership record, but it stands as the third most-watched program in U.S. television history.
The Nielsen Co. said an estimated 108.4 million people watched the Baltimore Ravens’ 34-31 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The most-watched events in U.S. TV history were last year’s game, seen by 111.3 million, and the 2010 game, with 111 million viewers.
CBS had hoped to make it the fourth year in a row that football’s ultimate game broke the record for most-watched event in American television history. But pro football ratings in general have been down slightly this year.
When the Ravens’ Jacoby Jones returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown and gave his team a 28-6 lead, CBS’ dream of a ratings record surely became even more distant. And then half the lights went out. CBS’ ratings immediately dipped by two full ratings points in the overnight measurement of big cities.
When the lights returned, so did the 49ers. They quickly jumped back in the game and CBS’ audience, no doubt fueled by social media chatter, came back, too. CBS was blessed with the dream of every network that telecasts the Super Bowl: a game that isn’t decided until the final play.
CBS had a moment of dead air when the field darkened, since power was lost in the control booth where Jim Nantz and Phil Simms worked. After a commercial break, sideline anchor Steve Tasker appeared to say there had been a power outage. CBS then filled time with its football pregame team, showing highlights and speculating on how the delay would affect the teams.
At the precise moment the lights went out, CBS’ Armen Keteyian was in the NFL’s control booth, conducting an interview with Frank Supovitz, senior vice president of the NFL in charge of events.
“In the NFL control room, there was no panic, but there was an undeniable amount of uncertainty about the cause,” Keteyian said Monday on “CBS This Morning.” Keteyian was filming for a “60 Minutes Sports” report scheduled to be aired Wednesday on Showtime. CBS News did not participate in live coverage of the power outage.
The power outage was an immediate hot topic for quips and questions online. There were an estimated 47.7 million social media posts during the game, according to the company Trendrr TV, which tracks activity on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. That compares with 17 million during last year’s game and 3 million in 2010, Trendrr said.
Baltimore had the highest rating of any individual city, Nielsen said. San Francisco was not among the top 10 cities in ratings.
CBS showcased its freshman drama, “Elementary,” to an estimated audience of 20.8 million people after the game. That was markedly down from the 37.6 million who watched “The Voice” on NBC after the 2011 game or the 26.8 million who saw “Glee” on Fox in 2010. CBS noted that the drama did not begin until 11:11 p.m. on the East Coast because of the Superdome power outage.
CBS drew criticism from the Parents Television Council for not editing out a profanity said by Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco shortly after the game. Flacco was caught by microphones describing his team’s victory as “f—— awesome.”
“No one should be surprised that a jubilant quarterback might use profane language while celebrating a career-defining win, but that is precisely the reason why CBS should have taken some precautions,” said Tim Winter, president of the lobbying group, asking for the Federal Communications Commission to rebuke CBS.
The network had no immediate comment Monday on the complaint.
CBS has said it was airing the pregame, postgame and halftime portions of the show on tape delay to guard against the use of bad language or wardrobe malfunctions. The postgame delay does not begin until the first block of commercials after the game, which hadn’t happened before Flacco’s expletive.
CBS’ Craig Ferguson was quick to poke fun at the power outage on his comedy show, which aired after “Elementary.” He was shown plugging actress Lucy Liu’s cellphone charger into a power outlet at the Superdome, despite instructions not to use it.
“It’s one outlet,” Ferguson said. “What could possibly go wrong?”
The picture switched to the lights going out in half the dome.
Apted, Schlamme to Co-Chair DGA Negotiations Committee
LOS ANGELES–Directors Guild of America President Taylor Hackford announced today that Secretary-Treasurer Michael Apted and Fifth Vice President Thomas Schlamme have been appointed co-chairs of the next DGA Feature Film and Television Negotiations Committee. The DGA National Board approved the appointments at its board meeting on Sunday.
“As we look ahead to the next round of negotiations, we are carefully examining the creative and economic issues faced by our members working in film and television,” said Hackford. “As part of that process, we have asked Michael Apted and Thomas Schlamme, two of our most prominent and experienced feature and television leaders and working members, to serve as the co-chairs and lead our negotiations and they have graciously agreed. We are extremely fortunate to have the benefit of their wisdom, negotiating prowess and many years of professional and Guild experience to spearhead our negotiations.”
“While we don’t know yet when negotiations will begin, we are preparing well in advance, as we always do, with extensive up-to-the-minute research and a robust and thorough staff and member process to determine our key priorities, so that we will be ready when the time is right,” said Apted.
“The Guild’s core mission is to protect and extend the creative and economic rights of our members – directors and members of the directorial teams – no matter what challenges we face,” said Schlamme. “Michael and I will work closely with the Negotiations Committee members and the Guild’s professional staff to ensure the best and strongest possible outcome for our members. We will be working closely with Creative Rights Committee Co-Chairs Steven Soderbergh and Jonathan Mostow, who have already begun work with their committees.”
The DGA’s current three-year contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) expires on June 30, 2014.
Michael Apted, who served as Guild President for three terms from 2003-2009 and in that position oversaw the Guild’s negotiations in 2004 and 2008, currently serves as DGA Secretary-Treasurer. He was first elected to the DGA National Board in 2001 and to the Western Directors Council in 1997. A veteran feature and documentary film director, Apted joined the DGA in 1978 and became active in Guild service as one of the founding members of the DGA’s Independent Directors Committee. In addition to his feature and documentary work, Apted has directed extensively in television.
Thomas Schlamme has served as Guild Fifth Vice President since 2009. A DGA member since 1978, Schlamme was first elected to the National Board in 2005 and to the Western Directors Council in 2003. Best known for directing and executive producing some of the most renowned television series in modern television history, he has been one of the key members of the Guild’s Television Creative Rights Committee and served on the Negotiations Committee in 2008 and again in 2011, when he led the television subcommittee. In addition to his television work, Schlamme has also directed several feature films.
The Guild expects to appoint the full Negotiations Committees, made up of directors, assistant directors, unit production managers, associate directors and stage managers working in all genres, later this year. National Executive Director Jay D. Roth will continue to serve as the Guild’s chief professional negotiator.
