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Studio Briefing:
From The Wire:
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Most Read
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FAMILY GUY NOT TOO IFFY FOR WARNER BROS., THIS IS IT! BIGGER THAN ESTIMATED, BUILD A BALLPARK AND THEY WILL COME, SCANDAL FAILS TO HURT LETTERMAN, CBS'S RATINGS JUMP ON DVR RESULTS, JACKSON: IF ONLY HE HAD BEEN ALIVE TO SEE IT, WEINSTEINS MAY BUY BACK MIRAMAX NAME, NO MARVEL HERE: NO MOVIES, NO MONEY, V DEBUTS WITH BEST NUMBERS FOR ANY NEW SHOW THIS YEAR, WOMAN CHANNELS JACKSON ON L.A. NEWS PROGRAM, LENO: HE'S HEARD THE NAYSAYERS BEFORE, FRIDAY-NIGHT LIGHTS-OUT FOR NUMB3RS?, SEX TAPE ABORTS MISS CALIFORNIA'S LAWSUIT, ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS UNSEATS TRANSFORMERS 2, "TV EVERYWHERE" IS NOWHERE TO SOME VIEWERS, TV SERIES MAY BECOME "SEQUEL" TO 2012, CHURCH GROUPS WANT DAVID CURBED, WILL APPLE COMPETE WITH CABLE-TV?, REPORTS: COMCAST, G.E. DEAL CLOSE AT HAND, BEST BUY WILL CONNECT MOST ELECTRONIC ITEMS TO MOVIE SITES, |
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Top Stories
Friday, Nov 6, 2009
MATLIN DEMANDS CLOSED CAPTIONING FOR "TV EVERYWHERE"
Friday, November 6 2009
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Oscar-winning
actress
Marlee
Matlin
has
accused
broadcasters,
online
DVD
renters,
and
other
video-content
providers
of
dragging
their
feet
in
developing
technology
that
would
enable
programs
broadcast
online
to
be
closed
captioned.
Matlin,
who
has
been
deaf
since
childhood
and
said
she
was
devastated
when
she
discovered
that
Netflix's
free
presentation
of
the
newly
restored
Wizard
of
Oz
lacked
closed
captioning
when
it
was
streamed
on
the
Internet
last
October
3,
told
an
FCC
hearing
(more)
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WILL OPRAH WINFREY MOVE HER SHOW TO CABLE?
Friday, November 6 2009
|
CBS
TV
Distribution
says
that
it
has
not
been
apprised
by
anyone
within
Oprah
Winfrey's
Harpo
organization
that
she
plans
to
pull
up
stakes
in
Chicago
and
move
her
syndicated
talk
show
to
her
Los
Angeles-based
cable
network
OWN
in
2011.
Winfrey's
purported
move
was
first
disclosed
by
entertainment
industry
blogger
Nikki
Finke
on
her
Dateline
Hollywood
website
on
Thursday.
Winfrey's
contract
with
CBS
TV
Distribution
--
although
CBS
acquired
King
World,
the
company
(more)
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More Headlines
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FORGET M*A*S*H*: SUICIDE IS PAINFUL -- ESPECIALLY TO THE OFFICE
06-Nov-09
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Mental-health
groups,
including
the
American
Foundation
for
Suicide
Prevention
and
Suicide
Awareness
Voices
of
education,
have
condemned
a
Halloween
episode
of
The
Office
in
which
the
character
played
by
Steve
Carell
slips
his
neck
into
a
noose
during
a
haunted
house
visit
and
tells
a
group
of
children,
"Kids,
just
(more)
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A BAD WEEK FOR "CHRISTIAN VALUES"
06-Nov-09
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"Christian
values"
suffered
a
setback
on
two
fronts
Thursday
as
Oprah
Winfrey
removed
gospel
singer
BeBe
Winans
from
her
show
and
it
was
disclosed
that
sex
tape
featuring
former
Miss
California
USA
winner
Carrie
Prejean
was
so
salacious
that
even
a
porn
website
turned
down
an
offer
to
buy
it.
(more)
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LEVI JOHNSTON VS WILLIAM SHATNER
06-Nov-09
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Levi
Johnston,
the
father
of
Sarah
Palin's
grandson,
is
finding
himself
being
mocked
about
as
mercilessly
as
the
woman
who
nearly
became
his
mother-in-law
--
and
he's
fighting
back.
His
lawyer,
Rex
Butler,
has
told
the
tabloid
website
TMZ
that
Johnston
is
taking
on
both
the
social-networking
website
Twitter
and
(more)
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MOVIE REVIEWS: DISNEY'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL
06-Nov-09
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There's
little
harmony
among
critics
assessing
the
latest
cinematic
version
of
Dickens'
A
Christmas
Carol.
(Actually,
this
one
is
called
Disney's
A
Christmas
Carol.)
Roger
Ebert
in
the
Chicago
Sun-Times,
somewhat
surprisingly,
calls
it
"an
exhilarating
visual
experience."
Ebert,
who
has
repeatedly
denounced
3D
technology
in
previous
reviews
(viewing
a
(more)
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MOVIE REVIEWS: THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
06-Nov-09
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We
get
more
paranormal
activity
this
week
in
The
Men
Who
Stare
at
Goats,
starring
George
Clooney,
Jeff
Bridges
and
Stephen
Lang
about
a
reporter's
efforts
to
reveal
the
story
of
an
Army
unit
(supposedly
real)
seeking
to
harness
the
parapsychology
for
the
benefit
of
the
U.S.
The
movie,
writes
(more)
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MOVIE REVIEWS: PRECIOUS
06-Nov-09
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Precious
is
opening
in
fewer
than
100
theaters
this
weekend,
but
most
critics
agree
that
it's
the
film
to
see.
The
movie's
marketers
are
almost
certain
to
plaster
the
Chicago
Sun-Times's
Roger
Ebert's
description
of
it
as
"a
great
American
film"
on
their
ads.
But
there
are
also
similar
hyperboles
(more)
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MOVIE REVIEWS: THE FOURTH KIND
06-Nov-09
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The
film
not
to
have
a
close
encounter
with
this
weekend,
most
critics
warn,
is
The
Fourth
Kind,
which
is
set
in
Nome,
Alaska
but
which
was
actually
shot
in
Bulgaria
--
documentary
style,
like
The
Blair
Witch
Project
and
Paranormal
Activity
--
about
a
supposed
invasion
of
aliens
who
(more)
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21.15 MILLION WATCH FINAL SERIES GAME
05-Nov-09
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The
New
York
Yankees'
27th
World
Series
victory
was
watched
by
an
average
of
21.15
million
viewers
on
Fox
Wednesday
night
--
nearly
as
many
as
tuned
in
to
the
other
three
networks
combined.
During
the
8:30
p.m.
half
hour,
23.63
million
were
watching,
according
to
Nielsen
Research.
Despite
the
(more)
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FRIDAY-NIGHT LIGHTS-OUT FOR NUMB3RS?
05-Nov-09
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In
a
sign
that
the
onetime
hit
series
Numb3rs
may
soon
be
86'ed,
CBS
on
Thursday
cut
back
the
number
of
episodes
ordered
for
the
current
season
to
16
from
the
previously
announced
22.
While
the
series
has
generally
performed
better
than
its
rivals
in
Friday-night
competition,
all
shows
aired
(more)
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TV SERIES MAY BECOME "SEQUEL" TO 2012
05-Nov-09
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While
it
may
not
be
unusual
for
producers
to
be
discussing
a
sequel
to
a
blockbuster
movie
even
before
the
original
is
released,
it
is
unusual
for
them
to
suggest
that
the
sequel
ought
to
be
produced
for
television.
But
that
is
the
case
with
the
disaster
movie
2012,
which
(more)
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SEX TAPE ABORTS MISS CALIFORNIA'S LAWSUIT
05-Nov-09
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Former
Miss
California
USA
Carrie
Prejean
has
suddenly
dropped
her
$1-million
lawsuit
against
the
Miss
California
USA
Pageant
organization
after
a
pageant
lawyer
came
up
with
a
solo
hardcore
sex
tape,
which
has
never
been
released
publicly,
the
website
TMZ
reported
Wednesday.
Prejean
had
claimed
she
was
ousted
for
voicing
(more)
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FOUNDER OF COMIC CON DEAD AT 76
05-Nov-09
|
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Shel
Dorf,
founder
of
San
Diego's
annual
Comic-Con
gathering,
died
Tuesday
of
complications
from
diabetes,
a
spokesman
said
Wednesday.
He
was
76.
Dorf's
first
convention
in
1970
attracted
about
300
comic-book
fans.
This
year,
it
drew
125,000
and
became
the
launch
pad
for
an
assortment
of
sci-fi
and
fantasy
films
(more)
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MORE GOOD NEWS FROM THE "CONGLOMS"
05-Nov-09
|
|
Media
conglomerates
News
Corp
and
Time
Warner
each
reported
higher-than-expected
quarterly
results
Wednesday,
with
their
movie
and
cable
businesses
offsetting
declines
at
their
other
--
mostly
print
--
businesses.
Time
Warner's
Time
Inc.
unit,
which
publishes
such
magazines
as
Time,
People,
and
Entertainment
Weekly,
took
a
particularly
hard
hit
as
(more)
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ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS UNSEATS TRANSFORMERS 2
05-Nov-09
|
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Paramount/DreamWorks'
Transformers:
Revenge
of
the
Fallen
fell
off
its
top
perch
on
the
DVD
sales
and
rental
charts
after
only
one
week
last
week,
unseated
by
20th
Century
Fox's
Ice
Age:
Dawn
of
the
Dinosaurs.
The
blow-'em-up
movie
fell
to
second
place
on
both
the
Nielsen
VideoScan
sales
chart
and
(more)
|
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OSCARS CO-PRODUCER DEFENDS DECISION TO BRING IN TWO HOSTS
05-Nov-09
|
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Adam
Shankman
maintains
that
he
was
not
brought
in
to
co-produce
next
year's
Academy
Award
show
because
of
any
desire
by
the
motion
picture
academy
to
expand
or
enhance
the
production
numbers.
In
an
interview
with
Entertainment
Weekly,
Shankman
acknowledged,
"There
had
been
a
lot
of
speculation
surrounding
the
hiring
(more)
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In Other News
|
MPAA ASKS FCC FOR PERMISSION TO LAUNCH NEW TECHNOLOGY
05-Nov-09
|
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The
MPAA
on
Wednesday
once
again
called
upon
the
FCC
to
allow
it
to
employ
a
technology
--
called
selectable
output
control
(SOC)
--
that
can
deliver
movies
to
the
homes
of
consumers
while
preventing
piracy.
In
a
statement,
MPAA
chief
Dan
Glickman
said
that
the
movie
producers'
object
was
(more)
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COMCAST SEES 22% RISE IN PROFITS
04-Nov-09
|
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Comcast,
which
is
reportedly
in
negotiations
to
take
over
control
of
NBC
Universal,
posted
a
22-percent
increase
in
third-quarter
profits
--
but
made
no
mention
of
the
negotiations
in
its
quarterly
report.
The
company
said
earnings
reached
nearly
$1
billion
in
the
quarter
--
$944
million
to
be
precise,
versus
(more)
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WILL APPLE COMPETE WITH CABLE-TV?
04-Nov-09
|
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Rumors
spread
rapidly
over
the
Internet
on
Tuesday
that
Apple
is
about
to
offer
a
$30-a-month
service
via
its
iTunes
store
that
would
effectively
replace
cable
services.
The
rumor
was
apparently
first
reported
on
the
Gizmodo
website,
which
indicated
that
the
service
could
be
announced
at
about
the
same
time
(more)
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BASEBALL DOMINATES RATINGS
04-Nov-09
|
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The
national
pastime
dominated
the
national
primetime
last
week
as
Fox's
coverage
of
the
World
Series
between
the
New
York
Yankees
and
the
Philadelphia
Phillies
scored
strongly
with
viewers.
In
USA
Today,
writer
Michael
Hiestand,
sounding
as
if
he
was
an
escapee
from
Variety,
observed
that
"this
year's
boffo
TV
(more)
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V DEBUTS WITH BEST NUMBERS FOR ANY NEW SHOW THIS YEAR
04-Nov-09
|
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Aliens
reinvaded
America's
living
rooms
again
Tuesday
night
--
en
masse.
According
to
overnight
Nielsen
ratings,
ABC's
V
attracted
13.9
million
viewers,
providing
some
unexpected
competition
for
the
usual
winner
of
the
8:00
p.m.
time
period,
CBS's
NCIS.
It
was
the
best
premiere
for
a
new
scripted
series
this
year,
(more)
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MARTIN AND BALDWIN TO HOST OSCARS
04-Nov-09
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The
Academy
of
Motion
Picture
Arts
and
Sciences,
which
is
doubling
the
number
of
films
nominated
for
its
Best
Picture
Oscar,
has
also
doubled
the
number
of
hosts
of
the
awards
show.
It
announced
Tuesday
that
Steve
Martin
and
Alec
Baldwin
will
co-host
the
82nd
awards
presentation.
(The
two
are
(more)
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NO MARVEL HERE: NO MOVIES, NO MONEY
04-Nov-09
|
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Marvel
shareholders
were
no
doubt
bracing
for
lousy
news
Tuesday
when
the
superhero
comics
company
issued
its
third-quarter
results.
After
all,they
realized
that
the
company
had
not
released
a
movie
during
the
entire
year.
As
it
turned
out,
the
company
did
indeed
report
a
profits
plunge
of
60
percent
on
(more)
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SCORSESE TOUTS WONDERS OF BLU-RAY
04-Nov-09
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Director
Martin
Scorsese
attempted
to
perk
up
public
enthusiasm
for
the
Blu-ray
high-definition
home
theater
system
Monday
by
declaring
that
"it
creates
a
completely
different
experience"
from
conventional
DVDs.
Viewing
restored
versions
of
older
movies,
he
told
a
Blu-ray
convention
in
Washington
D.C.
was
"like
experiencing
the
film
for
the
(more)
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INITIAL PLANS APPROVED FOR SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND
04-Nov-09
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After
nearly
a
decade
of
on-again,
off-again
negotiations,
the
Walt
Disney
Co.
and
the
municipal
government
of
Shanghai
have
settled
on
a
plan
to
create
a
$3.59-billion
Disneyland-type
theme
park
in
the
model
city,
the
Chinese
government
confirmed
early
today
(Wednesday).
"China
is
one
of
the
most
dynamic,
exciting
and
(more)
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COMCAST MAY PROVIDE MOVIES ON DEMAND ON DAY OF DVD RELEASE
04-Nov-09
|
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The
movie
industry,
already
warring
with
the
likes
of
Netflix
and
Redbox
over
renting
movies
at
kiosks
and
online
as
soon
as
they
are
released
on
DVD,
may
have
a
new
foe
to
fight.
Comcast
said
on
Tuesday
that
during
the
next
year
it
expects
to
release
about
100
movies
(more)
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SCANDAL FAILS TO HURT LETTERMAN
03-Nov-09
|
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The
scandal
that
followed
allegations
that
David
Letterman
was
being
blackmailed
by
a
CBS
News
producer
who
claimed
to
have
evidence
that
he
had
been
having
sexual
relations
with
female
staffers
has
not
hurt
the
Late
Show's
ratings,
according
to
the
Hollywood
Reporter.
The
trade
publication
quoted
Bill
Carroll,
head
(more)
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CBS'S RATINGS JUMP ON DVR RESULTS
03-Nov-09
|
|
CBS
suddenly
found
itself
richer
by
an
overall
average
of
1.12
million
viewers
and
a
half
a
ratings
point
following
tabulation
of
7-day
DVR
viewing
for
the
week.
The
network's
top-rated
drama
The
Mentalist
turned
out
to
be
its
top
playback
performer
as
well,
as
DVR
figures
showed
that
it
(more)
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