Free online content elbows out movies, TV as consumers trim expenses
Los Angeles Times Oct 29, 08 9:38 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
The rise of free online content threatens to tarnish Hollywood's long-held belief that it is recession-proof, the Los Angeles Times reports. Tinseltown thrived in previous downturns, but with escapism now just a click of the mouse away, thrifty consumers are cutting cable subscriptions and movie tickets from their budgets.
More »
Michael Douglas
may be back as
Gordon Gekko
Variety Oct 14, 08 10:48 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Had enough of real-life Wall Street? Well, 20th Century fox has a sequel to the 1987 movie in the works, Variety reports. Michael Douglas hasn't officially signed on, but the story centers on his character, Gordon Gekko, as he gets out of prison. Charlie Sheen's Bud Fox won't make an appearance. Allan Loeb, a licensed stockbroker who wrote 21 , is writing the screenplay.
More »
Officials not so keen about deals like $27M bill for Brad Pitt movie
New York Times Oct 12, 08 9:43 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Talk about bad timing. State governments are having second thoughts about incredibly costly tax-incentive programs that have encouraged Hollywood filmmakers to shoot locally, the New York Times reports. While backers of the programs say they create jobs, other analysts argue that the system, which offers tax credits to producers, is too expensive, especially at a time when taxpayers are reckoning with a financial crisis. Louisiana, for one, is eating a $27 million tab for a Brad Pitt film.
More »
At 76, Tarzan co-star keeping busy with painting, TV
Entertainment Weekly Oct 11, 08 12:47 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Cheeta the chimp is enjoying a fairly humdrum retirement after his glittering showbiz career, Entertainment Weekly reports. Cheeta, at 76 the world's oldest domesticated simian, was plucked from the jungles of Africa as a baby and starred in the '30s Tarzan movies. An "autobiography"—more of a Hollywood spoof, called Me Cheeta —tells the tale of the former star, who now spends his days pottering around his Florida home painting and watching TV.
More »
Hollywood takes a cynical approach to bankers
USA Today Sep 29, 08 4:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Wall Street executives have it tough these days, but Hollywood has rarely gone easy on guys in suits. USA Today lists 10 definitive films about them: Stagecoach (1939): Like all John Ford movies, this one makes a banker look bad. Splendor in the Grass (1961): A 1930s investor doesn't just get depressed—he takes it out the window. American Madness (1932): A bank man takes a rare turn as the nice guy, battling his board over loan policies.
More »
Salon Sep 25, 08 8:50 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Spike Lee hopes to set the record straight about the African American presence in WWII—but he also hopes to tell a good story. His new film, Miracle at St. Anna, tells the fictional tale of Buffalo Soldiers trapped in a Tuscan town, in his own inimitable style. "I made the decision that everyone speak their native language," he says of the dialogue. "This film is about barriers, language, culture, all that stuff. "
More »
Big tobacco paid a fortune for promotion in Hollywood's golden age
BBC Sep 25, 08 8:47 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Almost all of Hollywood's big names from the '30s, '40s, and '50s were on the payroll of tobacco companies, the BBC reports. Documents released as part of anti-smoking lawsuits reveal that stars like Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, and Joan Crawford got up to $10,000 each from Lucky Strike in 1937—equivalent to $150,000 per head in today's money.
More »
Los Angeles Times Sep 21, 08 6:30 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Should AMC's Mad Men snag tonight's Best Drama Emmy, it'll be the first basic cable show to walk away with the honor, reports Susan King in the LA Times —but the set-in-the-'60s show isn't a shoe-in, even with its 16 noms. "Emmy votors are notorious for shying away from period-based series," writes King, and it's up against faves like Lost and House. Keep your eye on that race, along with these:
More »
ANALYSIS
Studios scale back films, lose capital
Time Sep 18, 08 1:40 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
When Steven Spielberg is feeling a budget pinch, you know the financial crisis is bad. His hunt for financing on a new studio deal gets tougher with each day of bad news from Wall Street, Time reports. With credit as tough to come by in Hollywood as everywhere else, many studios are “making a conscious decision to slow it down,” one exec says.
More »
Dem rakes in $11M as McCain scoffs
Los Angeles Times Sep 17, 08 8:29 AM CDT
(Newser)
-
Barack Obama pulled down $11 million between two star-studded Hollywood fundraisers last night, in the biggest single-night take of his campaign, reports the Los Angeles Times. The candidate mixed it up with the likes of Steven Spielberg, Chris Rock, and Barbra Streisand —who capped off the night with a performance —as John McCain took the opportunity to mock the celebrity shindig before a working-class Ohio crowd.
More »
GLOSSIES
Galella's iconic photos of 'Jackie O' helped define celebrity
New York Sep 15, 08 4:04 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Long before we got up close and personal—maybe too personal—with the likes of Britney, Paris, and Lindsay, Ron Galella was on celebrity's front lines. In a New York profile of the original American paparazzo, Emily Nussbaum meets the man who was sued by Jackie Onassis and beaten up by Marlon Brando. "They pretend they don’t want it, but they really like it," an unapologetic Galella says of his prey.
More »
Mr. Sulu becomes Hollywood's first high-profile gay man to tie the knot
E! Online Sep 15, 08 2:37 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
George Takei beamed with pride after tying the knot with his partner of 21 years in front of fellow Star Trek stars and close friends last night, reports E! Online. Mr. Sulu, who took on the enterprise soon after California legalized gay marriage, wore a white tux that matched husband Brad Altman's and marched in the Buddhist ceremony accompanied by bagpipes.
More »
Tinseltown's conservatives throwing weight, money behind VP candidate
Reuters Sep 12, 08 2:10 PM CDT
(Newser)
-
Much of Hollywood may lean leftward, but Sarah Palin has the conservatives in town dreaming of capitalizing on the Alaska governor’s overnight popularity, Reuters reports. Palin’s “the kind of candidate that is made for Hollywood,” says MGM chief Harry Sloan, a vocal Republican. “She’s certainly got star appeal.” Sloan added that he might hold a fundraiser for the vice-presidential candidate.
More »