U2 Is Providing the Soundtrack to ESPN’s Soccer
NEW YORK (AP) — ESPN is using U2’s music as a soundtrack to its World Cup coverage.
The band struck a deal with the network for its music to be featured in promotions of World Cup coverage, and spots have been running since April. ESPN uses footage from the band’s 2009 concert at the Rose Bowl.
South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir also recorded versions of some U2 songs for use in the ads.
One ad uses U2’s song “Passion” in talking about the World Cup, and notes there was a baby boom in Germany nine months after the country hosted the 2006 World Cup.
Taiwan pulls movies from Shanghai festival
MIN LEE,AP Entertainment Writer
HONG KONG (AP) — Taiwan has pulled eight movies from China’s leading international film festival, an official said Friday, citing concerns that festival organizers could use the occasion to assert Beijing’s sovereignty over the self-ruled island.
The Taipei Film Commission withdrew the works from the Shanghai International Film Festival after noticing that organizers of a recent TV festival in the same Chinese city identified TV series from Taiwan as originating in “Taiwan, China,” said Anne Lu, a publicist for the commission. The commission also canceled a planned news conference and party featuring Taiwanese filmmakers.
“We are worried that a similar situation to the TV series will recur,” Lu told The Associated Press in a phone interview.
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949, but Beijing still claims the democratic island as its territory. Ties have warmed under current Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, who takes a more conciliatory approach toward China.
A publicist at the Shanghai International Film Festival asked a reporter to send questions by e-mail, but didn’t immediately respond.
The eight films are “Monga,” ”Au Revoir Taipei,” ”Hear Me,” ”More Than Close,” ”Orz Boys,” ”Yang Yang,” ”Three Times” and “Tonight Nobody Goes Home.”
Carl Icahn Steps Up fight with Lions GateNEW YORK (AP) – Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is stepping up his effort to take control of the boutique movie studio Lions Gate. Icahn says he will put up his own slate of candidates to replace the company’s board.
Icahn, who has a roughly 19 percent stake in Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., has been tussling with management since last year.
In an open letter to the company’s board Friday, Icahn jabbed at Lions Gate’s directors for allowing its stock price to sink over the past five years. He said he hopes a new board will move quickly to replace management.
Cruise to bring ‘Tropic’ character back to screenLOS ANGELES (AP) – Tom Cruise is bringing his foul-mouthed, hairy-handed Hollywood producer character Les Grossman back to the big screen.
Paramount Pictures and MTV Films say they’re developing a film around the fictional character that Cruise brought to life in 2008’s “Tropic Thunder.”
The 47-year-old actor reprised the role at Sunday’s MTV Movie Awards.
Cruise and Ben Stiller are among the producers of the film. Paramount said Wednesday that Cruise is in talks to play Grossman.
‘Back to Future,’ ‘Jurassic Park’ to Become GamesDerrik J. Lang, Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Telltale Games is going back in time for a new series of video games.
The developer is creating episodic titles based on the “Back to the Future” and “Jurassic Park” franchises. The popular Universal Studios film trilogies spawned several games in their heyday in the ’80s and ’90s but have been absent from the interactive realm. The as-yet-untitled Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC and Mac games are set to be released this winter.
“I think it’s a prime time to reintroduce these properties in the digital world,” said Dan Connors, CEO at Telltale Games. “Telltale Games has always set out to be a great storytelling company. We’ve been honing our chops over the past six years, and we’re ready to take on these two iconic properties and continue to advance storytelling in games.”
Telltale Games previously created episodic games based on Aardman Animations’ Oscar-winning animated film series “Wallace and Gromit,” Steve Purcell’s c omic series “Sam and Max” and Matt Chapman’s online cartoon “Homestar Runner.” The San Rafael, Calif.-based developer approached Universal Studios when looking for inspiration for their next game series.
“‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘Back to the Future’ are two of our broadest and most beloved properties,” said Bill Kispert, interactive vice president at Universal Studios. “We were very interested in bringing them into the interactive space, but they’re not exactly the kind of properties that lend themselves to the stereotypical shoot-’em-up style of gameplay.”
Connors said the games, which are in the early stages of development, would tell new stories extending the “Back to the Future” and “Jurassic Park” lore. He teased that the “Back to the Future” games may include a DeLorean ride back to the 1970s while the “Jurassic Park” games would be intense and add new backstories to the series’ man-versus-dinosaur mythology.
“The games are going to exist within these worlds,” said Connors. “I wouldn’t call these games sequels per se but a new interpretation of their worlds for a new medium. For one generation, it’s an introduction to these series. For another generation, it’s a thing they can look back on and something they can share warmly with their family and friends.”
Online: http://www.telltalegames.com
CBS Positive Upfront Sales
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Shares of CBS Corp. rose 6 percent on Wednesday after the broadcaster said rates improved at its “upfront” advertising sales session for the 2010-2011 television season.
THE SPARK: The New York-based company said Tuesday that it saw “rate increases and total volume commensurate with our number one standing in the marketplace.”
Advertising Age magazine has said CBS recorded price increases for television ads that were up 9 percent to 10 percent per thousand viewers, and had secured commitments for $2.4 billion to $2.6 billion in spending, up from $2.13 billion to $2.25 billion last year. It cited an unnamed source and media buyers.
It also estimated CBS sold 75 percent to 80 percent of its inventory, up from 65 percent last year.
THE BIG PICTURE: An improving advertising market benefits CBS more than other media companies as it has a market-leading position as a broadcaster. More than 60 percent of its revenue comes f rom advertising.
THE ANALYSIS: By selling much of its inventory, CBS is in an even better position to raise prices for last-minute ad buys during the election season this fall, according to Jefferies & Co. analyst Brian Shipman.
Newt Gingrich Promotes Film on Pope John Paul II
WARSAW, Poland (AP) – The prominent U.S. Republican Newt Gingrich – a recent convert to Catholicism – is in Poland promoting a documentary he co-produced on Pope John Paul II’s role in defeating communism.
In Poland, Gingrich, a former speaker of the house, is preaching to the converted: the Polish-born pope is revered, and Poles credit him with inspiring the struggle that eventually helped defeat Soviet-backed communist in eastern Europe.
Gingrich said Wednesday that his film, “Nine Days that Changed the World,” is needed to remind young Poles, secular historians and people worldwide of John Paul’s anti-totalitarian convictions.
The film tracks a visit John Paul made to Poland in 1979 and the electrifying effect it had on Poland’s anti-communist opposition.
Hollywood Publicist Stephen Rivers Dies at 55LOS ANGELES (AP) – Hollywood publicist and political activist Stephen M. Rivers, who worked with Jane Fonda, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver, Oliver Stone and Kevin Costner, has died in Los Angeles. He was 55.
Rivers died Tuesday after a lengthy bout with prostate cancer, it was reported Wednesday.
He started working for the United Farm Workers union organizing grape boycotts and became assistant to the late UFW president Cesar Chavez. He later worked for the powerhouse Creative Artists Agency before launching his own public relations firm in 1994.
Besides his stable of Hollywood celebrities, including Michael Moore and Richard Dreyfuss, Rivers helped organize events for Seeds for Peace, the Magic Johnson Foundation and the Rock the Vote initiative.
“Stephen was a great human being – one of the best,” Schwarzenegger and Shriver said.
‘Pretty Woman’ Producer Reuther Dies at 58
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Producer Steve Reuther, whose credits include “Pretty Woman,” ”Dirty Dancing” and last year’s hit romance “The Ugly Truth,” has died. He was 58.
Reuther’s family said he died of cancer Saturday at his home in Santa Monica, Calif.
After starting in the mailroom at the William Morris talent agency in the late 1970s, Reuther worked his way into film development. He was an executive producer on 1987’s “Dirty Dancing,” and along with Julia Roberts’ 1990 smash “Pretty Woman,” Reuther produced such films as “The Client,” ”Face/Off,” ”The Rainmaker” and “Pay It Forward.”
Reuther is survived by a daughter, his mother, two brothers and a sister.
Li Hopes Autism Film Alternative to BlockbustersMin Lee, Entertainment Writer
HONG KONG (AP) – Jet Li says he hopes that his new movie about autism offers a refreshing alternative to the historical and kung fu epics that dominate the Chinese industry.
The veteran action star plays an aquarium worker who cares for his autistic son in the low-budget “Ocean Heaven” – his first Chinese-language production since the 2007 release of “The Warlords.”
“Nowadays everyone is making blockbusters. Making a 7 million Chinese yuan ($1 million) movie requires a lot of sincerity,” Li told reporters in Hong Kong. “This movie is about sincerity. It shows that in this day and age that filmmakers are willing to do something for society.”
The actor promoted the movie by visiting the dolphins at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park with a small group of mentally handicapped and autistic adults.
“I hope everyone can examine what is the most important relationship in life – the relationship between parent and child,” he said.
A noticeably thinner Li said he lost 18 pounds (8 kilograms) from a thyroid condition.
Like Jackie Chan, a fellow kung fu star who crossed over to Hollywood from the Hong Kong movie industry, Li also now juggles careers in Chinese and American films.
His recent Hollywood releases include “The Forbidden Kingdom,” which costarred Chan, “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” and “The Expendables.”
Cuban Says He’d Back Weinstein Deal for Miramax
Ryan Nakashima, Business Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Billionaire investor Mark Cuban said Saturday he “loved” the idea of the Weinstein brothers participating in a bid for Miramax, adding that he didn’t help block their bid to take back the label from The Walt Disney Co.
On the sidelines of the Produced By Conference, Cuban told The Associated Press he wouldn’t be worried about the Weinsteins splitting their time between two movie studios.
Harvey and Bob Weinstein founded Miramax, naming it after their parents, Miriam and Max, in 1979. They sold it to Disney for $80 million in 1993.
Their next startup, The Weinstein Co., was founded with $1 billion in capital but hasn’t been able to produce consistent hits. Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is a Weinstein Co. investor.
Cracks in their relationship appeared in April, when Cuban told Bloomberg News that he had an issue with The Weinstein Co. amid widely reported talks of the Weinsteins’ involvement in a Miramax d eal.
Talks by the Weinsteins to take back control of Miramax were called off late last month amid concern at The Weinstein Co. about how it would benefit from the arrangement and how the brothers would spend their time managing two studios.
Cuban said Saturday that the ultimately failed $625 million offer was too high. But he said the possible tie-up with the Weinstein Co. amounted to a no-risk chance at turning around his investment with the filmmaking brothers.
“If something really, really works, that acts as a catalyst for everything, and I come out ahead,” Cuban said. “Maybe they were looking to pay too much, but it’s not my money. It can only help me.”
Supermarket magnate Ron Burkle and the Weinstein brothers were potential partners in the bid.
Disney has been looking to sell Miramax because it no longer resonated with its other family centric studio units such as Pixar and Marvel amid a studio overhaul.
Cuban said he was not consulted on the offer for the studio, but he added that Harvey and Bob Weinstein were “better than anybody else” at understanding and selling Miramax’s 600-plus film library.
The label’s Oscar-laden film library is full of prestigious films such as “My Left Foot” (1989), “Pulp Fiction” (1994) and “Good Will Hunting” (1997), and still makes money on home video and pay TV.
Robert Radnitz, Family Producer, Dies at 85
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Robert B. Radnitz, an English teacher who went on to produce family movies including “Sounder” and “Island of the Blue Dolphins,” has died at his Malibu home. He was 85.
His wife, Pearl, says Radnitz died Sunday from complications of a stroke he suffered 14 years ago.
Radnitz became known for developing family movies starting in 1959 with “A Dog of Flanders.” Many were based on children’s literature including “Misty” in 1961. He went on to produce nearly a dozen such films, some in partnership with toy maker Mattel.
In 1973, the Los Angeles Times called Radnitz “the only successful American maker of children’s films outside the gates of Walt Disney films.”
Radnitz’s is survived by his wife of 23 years.
