September 16
Polanski to pick up award at Zurich Film Festival
GENEVA (AP) – Organizers say director Roman Polanski will attend this month’s Zurich Film Festival to accept the lifetime achievement award intended for him two years ago.
Festival spokesperson Claudia Wintsch confirmed Thursday he will be present at the Sept. 27 tribute ceremony but would provide no more details.
The Oscar-winning director was freed in July 2010 from house arrest when Switzerland’s government refused to extradite him to the United States where he faces charges of having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
Polanski also served two months in prison as the Swiss government pondered his extradition.
Polanski’s movements are restricted by an Interpol warrant in effect in 188 countries, but he moves freely between Switzerland and France.
Finding love and anarchy at Helsinki film festival
HELSINKI, Finland (AP) – The range of homegrown features at this year’s Helsinki International Film Festival is a testament to Finland’s hardy film industry which seems to survive despite the challenges of language, funding and small audience size.
One director subverts Finland’s relationship with the great outdoors. Another unleashes a foul-mouthed teen on unsuspecting audiences. A third tackles the complexities of family jealousy.
The Helsinki International Film Festival – Love and Anarchy – started Thursday and runs through Sept. 25, at locations across the city. Now in its 24th year, it was originally conceived as a way to bring Asian film to a Finnish audience starved of foreign features.
Netflix lowers subscriber forecast
NEW YORK (AP) – Netflix Inc. lowered its expectations for U.S. subscribers for the third quarter by 4 percent on Thursday, just weeks after separating its DVD and streaming services, which increased the price for customers who want both.
The news sent the online movie rental company’s shares down more than 14 percent in midday trading.
The company, which split its streaming and DVD-by-mail services two months ago, now expects a total of 24 million subscribers in the third quarter, down from the 25 million it forecast in July.
It expects 21.8 million people to subscribe to its streaming service, either with or without also getting DVDs in the mail. That’s down from an expected 22 million it forecast earlier. And Netflix expects 14.2 million people to subscribe to mail-order DVD rental service, with or without streaming. That’s down from its July forecast of 15 million.
Netflix kept its forecast for international subscribers, which makes up a small fraction of its total customers, and overall third-quarter earnings, intact.
The plan split, which went into effect Sept. 1 for existing subscribers, means people who want both mailed DVDs and streamed Internet videos are paying more than they have. For example, a bundled plan that had cost $10 per month now costs $16 per month for existing customers. The prices of other popular bundled plans rose by 20 percent to 33 percent.
The Los Gatos, Calif., company said that despite the lowered subscriber guidance, it thinks the split was the right move.
Jefferies & Co. analyst Youssef H. Squali said while “Netflix’s leadership in online streaming should remain uncontested for a long time,” he thinks that “a combination of the recent price hike, a less favorable competitive environment, and aggressive international expansion raises the risk profile of the stock.”
E+M Advertising Merges with Piazza Advertising
New York — E+M Advertising said that they are merging with Piazza Advertising, a full service advertising agency with capabilities in social commerce, mobile commerce, merchandising advergaming, QR codes and augmented reality. This merger strengthens and broadens E+M’s existing services within the digital marketplace, augmenting the company’s core capabilities with a wide array of agency services such as branding, product launches, and promotions.
Under the terms of the merger, Hope Fulgham will be assuming the role of Chief Marketing Officer for E+M Advertising.
Court orders tossing of lawsuit over ‘Bruno’ scene
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A California appeals court says a lawsuit filed by a woman claiming Sacha Baron Cohen caused her to suffer serious injuries should be dismissed.
The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles ruled Monday that Baron Cohen’s actions while filming a scene for the film “Bruno” were protected by free speech doctrines.
Richelle Olson sued Baron Cohen in June 2009, claiming she suffered severe injuries after struggling with the comedian and his crew as she ordered him to leave a charity bingo game.
Olson had permitted filming at the game but ordered Cohen to leave after he started equating the numbers with his character’s homosexual relationships. The film is about a gay Austrian fashionista.
Olson’s attorney Marjorie Marenus did not immediately return a phone message seeking comment.
Doc Feature Film Entries Due September 15 For 2011 Oscars
Beverly Hills, CA — Thursday, September 15, 5 p.m. is the deadline for filmmakers to submit documentary features to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for consideration for the 84th Academy Awards®.
To be eligible, the documentaries must complete seven-day commercial runs in both Los Angeles County and the Borough of Manhattan in New York between September 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011. (The September 1 to December 31 period is one-time only; in future years, eligibility will follow only the calendar year.)
Additional information about the documentary awards categories may be obtained here.
Calle 13 gets record 10 Latin Grammy nominations
Nekesa Mumbi Moody, Music Writer
Puerto Rican urban music duo Calle 13 got a record 10 Latin Grammy nominations Wednesday, including record and album of the year.
The group was also nominated for best urban music album and song of the year for their hit “LatinoAmerica.”
Other multiple nominees included Shakira, who received three nominations, including best album. Other nominees for best album included Enrique Iglesias, Franco De Vita, and Alex, Jorge and Lena. Ricky Martin, Pitbull, Ruben Blades and Los Tigres Del Notre also received nominations. The top nominee outside of Calle 13 was producer Rafa Arcaute with six; De Vita had five, and Marco Antonio Solis had four.
The Latin Grammys will be held Nov. 10 in Las Vegas and will air live on Univision.
Warner Bros. reorganizes its live theater unit
NEW YORK (AP) – Warner Bros. is reorganizing the top of its live theater division.
Mark Kaufman and Raymond Wu were named as co-executive vice presidents Tuesday by Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer.
Kaufman and Wu will both report to Alan Horn, who is now overseeing the theatrical division. Gregg Maday, who had been executive vice president of the unit, is out.
Wu has been with Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures since 2005, and he was a lead producer of the Broadway musical “Elf.” Kaufman joins Warner Bros. from Unique Features. At New Line Cinema, he supervised the Broadway productions of “Hairspray” and “The Wedding Singer.”
While Warner Bros. had a hit with “Elf,” it struggled with “Baby, It’s You!” and “Lestat.” Next up is a Sam Mendes-directed adaptation of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
Nielsen: Real primetime for TV viewers is 9:15
NEW YORK (AP) – The real prime time for people with televisions is at 9:15 p.m.
The Nielsen Company said Tuesday that nearly 42 percent of American adults who have televisions are watching them between 9:15 and 9:30 at night, the highest percentage of the evening and almost certainly all day.
For younger adults, those aged 49 and younger, that prime time is at 9:45 p.m.
The information might not mean much to many TV viewers, but for advertisers and networks that set prices for commercial time, it’s a valuable detail.
Longtime film studio chief John Calley dies at 81
LOS ANGELES (AP) – John Calley, who ran three Hollywood studios and enjoyed a career that spanned more than 50 years, has died. He was 81.
Sony Pictures Entertainment says Calley died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles after a lengthy illness.
Among the varied and influential films produced under his tenure as a studio head were “All the President’s Men,” “The Exorcist,” “Dirty Harry,” “A Clockwork Orange,” ”Spider-Man” and “The Da Vinci Code.”
Calley most recently served as Sony’s chairman and chief executive officer. Before that he was the studio chief at Warner Bros. in the 1970s and MGM/United Artists in the 1990s.
At the Academy Awards in 2009, Calley received the honorary Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award.
Memorial arrangements are being planned and will take place at Sony Pictures Studios.
JLo and her Cabrio: Lopez pitches Fiat in new ads
DETROIT (AP) – Jennifer Lopez is promoting Fiat cars in a new commercial and music video.
The 30-second commercial, aired during Monday Night Football, features Lopez driving a Fiat 500 Cabrio convertible. At the end, two muscular men pull her out through the open top and she dances in the street.
The Cabrio also appears in the video for Lopez’s new single, “Papi.”
Olivier Francois, marketing chief for Fiat and Chrysler, says Lopez is passionate and determined to stand out. He didn’t say how much Fiat is paying her. It’s a second high-profile ad for the Fiat-Chrysler alliance, which featured rapper Eminem in an acclaimed Super Bowl ad.
Avid Announces New Ongoing Crossgrade Offer for Final Cut Pro UsersAMSTERDAM (IBC)–Due to the tremendous response from the professional editing community for its current Final Cut Pro Crossgrade promotion, Avid today said that beginning October 1, 2011, it will offer a Final Cut Pro crossgrade price for qualified customers on an ongoing basis.
Media Composer software is designed and built for Mac OS and Windows operating systems. The new Avid Crossgrade offer for Final Cut Pro will be available October 1, 2011. Final Cut Pro (excluding Final Cut Pro X) users will be able to purchase Media Composer with the Production suite and free online training to help them move from Final Cut Pro to Media Composer, for $1499 USD. Avid is currently offering a limited-time Final Cut Pro Crossgrade offer, which will expire September 30, 2011. For eligibility requirements and more information, please visit http://www.avid.com/US/specialoffers/fcp-mc-promotion.
EU extends protection for singers and musiciansBRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) – The European Union on Monday agreed to extend royalty protection for music performers and producers from 50 years to 70 years.
The EU said it wants to make sure artists are covered throughout their lifetimes, and do not have to face a decline in income later in their later years.
The IFPI international group representing the recording industry welcomed the measure. Opera singer Placido Domingo welcomed it as “great news for performing artists.”
“Established artists can benefit from their work throughout their lifetimes,” he said.
Thousands of European performers who recorded in the 1960s were on the point of losing airplay royalties, and suffering a subsequent loss of income.
The move will also allow artists, who often record music in their late teens or twenties, to prevent objectionable use of their performances later on.
Monday’s decision by EU ministers means that the 27 member states will have to pass the measure through their national legislation within two years.
IFPI said that the decision will also bring the EU legislation closer in line with the international standard.
