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Aug30
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ESPN has reached a deal with their partner of 25 years - the Big East Conference - to carry both their basketball and football games.
A minimum of 75 basketball games will be shown under the agreement. ESPN will continue to show one Big East game on its "Big Monday" lineup. The entire conference tournament will continue on its ESPN and ESPN2 channels.
Beginning next year, the deal will continue on through 2013; similar to past deals. The agreement not only includes the ESPN TV channels, but is extended to its broadband, video on demand (VOD) and mobile outlets.
The football schedule that will be covered includes a minimum of 19 games, which will be include showing them on Thursday and Friday nights, along with some Sunday offerings.
Big East Conference Commissioner Michael Tranghese said, "I am so very gratified and pleased to know that we will continue our life-long association with ESPN - our television partner since our inception, in so many ways, the two of us have grown up together in the marketplace and mutually benefited from the association on numerous fronts."
"As a mainstay on ESPN for nearly three decades, the Big East has delivered many memorable moments," said George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports. "We are thrilled to expand that long-standing relationship through this unprecedented collaborative effort, which will supply conference action to fans however they experience sports."
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Aug30
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A small cable channel named Ovation, The Arts Network, has been acquired by a consortium of private investors including the Weinstein Co. This is the first effort the production company has made toward entry into cable. Ovation is a 10-year-old...
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With their self-titled album, Danity Kane, debuted in first place on The Billboard 200, according to the site. Nielsen SoundScan reported that they sold 234,000 units in the U.S. alone. This makes the seventh No. 1 album that Bad Boy...
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Kagan's latest edition of its Broadband Cable Financial Datebook offers great optimism for the future of the cable industry. The newest report shows that investors are extremely happy with Internet Protocol voice services and how that should have a positive...
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Aug29
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A nine-year legal battle over EchoStar's practice of selling programming to subscribers living in different cities may be coming to an end. Echostar announced that it had reached a $100-million settlement with the affiliates of ABC, NBC and CBS (CBS)....
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The strategy of the CEO of Liberty Media Corp. Gregory Maffei to change the company from a holder of assets, to an operator of companies, has come to fruition with its new entertainment unit. Liberty's old business model was one...
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SpiralFrog and Universal Music, the largest music firm in the world, have inked a deal that will empower users to download music for free. As their part in the deal, Universal Music has made its entire catalog available to the...
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Aug28
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Disney (DIS) is planning to create a half-hour TV show that will basically be a try at branding its mobile service. The purpose of the show will be to help parents to understand about the number of features that will...
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The New York Times Company (NYT) announced today that it has acquired Baseline StudioSystems, an online database and research service for information on the film and television industries, from Hollywood Media Corp. (HOLL) for $35.0 million in cash. Mitchell Rubenstein,...
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With all the talk about the recent discontinuation of the deal between Tom Cruise and Paramount, it didn't take Tom and production partner Paula Wagner long to secure a new agreement. The group includes Daniel M. Snyder, the Washington Redskins...
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Here are another six reasons why Paramount ended the partnership they had with Tom Cruise: 1. Success of movies isn't based upon big stars This is one of the least acknowledged or understood statistical realities in Hollywood. Go to...
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With the breaking off of their relationship with Tom Cruise, Paramount, and Hollywood as a whole have confirmed what many of us that follow the business have known for a while: It will never be business as usual with Hollywood...
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Aug27
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While Nielsen Media Research recently revealed that the population of the U.S. Tv household would only grow by a little over 1 percent for the coming season, they did say that in the Hispanic and Asia households there will be...
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This years Emmys were a showcase for the popular action show "24," as it took in three Emmys for the night, which included best actor for Kiefer Sutherland and best drama series for the show. Sutherland said when receiving the...
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For almost two weeks Fox News journalists Steve Centanni, 60, of Washington, D.C., and cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand were held captive by militants. They were freed on Sunday to the delight and relief of their families and...
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With a number of companies, including CBS (CBS), ABC (DIS) and Fox (NWS), announcing that they will be streaming some of their prime-time shows online in the fall, there have been some lessons learned in experiements that may give a...
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The new football film Invincible, starring Mark Wahlberg, handily beat all its competition as it sold over twice as many tickets as its nearest competitor. It took in an estimated $17 million to take first place for the weekend. It...
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Aug26
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For a short time, Amanda Congdon, former Rocketboom host, was a hot commodity. She evidently decided to go her own way thinking that she was the reason for the success of the online show. Now there was an announcement that...
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Aug25
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The classical music siblings The 5 Browns have now stayed No. 1 on the Billboard's Traditional Classical chart for 20 straight weeks with their newest album No Boundaries. Not only are they number one, but they have outsold the No. 2 album...
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Since the tragedy of Katrina, The Jazz Foundation of America has helped to save some 1,100 displaced musicians across almost twenty states. They have helped them to find homes, jobs and with instruments to keep their music alive, according to a...
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With the upcoming official launch of CW, the new network created from UPN and WB, is coming on Sept. 20. They are pulling no stops in getting the CW name out there. They already have been branding themselves with the...
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Aug24
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As if entertainment companies didn't have enough problems, in a recent report by research firm eMarketer, Internet Protocol TV is getting ready to take off. In the short-term outlook, there won't be too much to be concerned with as there...
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In an effort to promote its upcoming post nuclear holocaust drama, "Jericho," CBS has hired crop artist, Stan Herd, to carve out the scene of a boy looking at a nuclear mushroom cloud in a cornfield in Lawrence, Kansas, which is the...
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With Yahoo (YHOO) no longer attracting the former TV watchers that used to regularly use their site, they have now created a new site that targets those interested in the fall prime-time coming shows. They will offer indepth coverage of...
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AOL, a Time Warner Inc. (TWX) company, announced that it has made a deal with four key Hollywood studios to offer video on demand on its new video service. The four studios involved are Twentieth Century Fox, Sony Pictures Home...
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Aug23
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We've been talking about the coming plunge by media and entertainment companies into the emerging internet media arena. The latest company to enter into the mix is Sony Pictures Entertainment which bought Grouper, an internet user-generated video site, for $65...
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With the breaking off of their professional relationship, there are a lot of underlying issues that aren't being talked about. Why did this really happen? The reason given by Paramount about Cruise's behavior is pretty lame, considering some of the...
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Aug22
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In an effort to find its marketing niche, YouTube is experiementing with what they describing as branded channels to create platforms for promoting of people or products. In some cases they're both the same. The first branded channel? Paris Hilton!...
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Understanding the importance of the international market, Will Smith and his business partner James Lassiter have taken their company Overbrook Entertainment, and struck a deal UTV, a business run by Ronnie Screwvala. The deal involves making two movies for the...
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Aug21
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Some of the most well-known names in Hollywood will be getting together with the largest screenwriters event in the world, when Screenwriting Expo 5 gets going on Thursday, October 19 - Sunday, October 22 at its new home at the...
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Fox has initiated a new network concept called Fox on Demand, which turns their local Fox stations into distributors of online primetime content. They are the first major network to do this. Their current model, is going to work through...
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Aug20
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America's No. 1 independent music and entertainment retailer MTS Incorporated and its subsidiaries (Tower Records), announced its objective to sell the Company through a process (Section 363) under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, according to their press release. Tower...
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With all the hype about Snakes on a Plane, there was nobody that knew how it was going to perform on opening weekend. They were only able to take in $13,850,000 for the weekend. Some have put them at number...
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Aug19
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A recent survey by BIGresearch, confirmed what we've been talking about for a while on bizofshowbiz, that people who multitask, do it across new and old media platforms. Some of the statistics they gathered say that around 70 percent of...
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Carl Icahn, believing that the value of Time Warner (TWX) is underestimated by a significant amount, is now trying to get a larger stake in the company through creating a new fund for that sole purpose. He sent a letter...
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Media buyers like what they see on Fox as they prepare to defend their last two season wins. Many like it even more as the last couple of years Fox hasn't offered especially strong fall lineups, but this year have...
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Aug18
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Evidently the IRS (U.S. Tax Service) has nothing better to do and have launched a new campaign to make sure the celebrities that receive gift bags at award ceremonies know that they are taxable, according to celebrity cafe quoting the...
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With the continuing merger between Hollywood, the Internet and marketing, there's a growing blur between advertising and entertainment. As a matter of fact, consumers are beginning to demand it. Interruption marketing is fast becoming unacceptable to consumers of media. As...
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Aug17
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Dolan Family Holdings LLC dropped out of the running for licenses being offered in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut region for advanced wireless airwaves. The overall bidding has now reached $11 billion total. It has been estimated that...
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In a continuing strategy to expand its properties on the Internet, The Walt Disney Co. (DIS) is now offering Radio Disney through Apple iTunes. It can be found in the Top 40/Pop section. Jill Casagrande, senior vp and general manager of...
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In my years as a financial advisor, I saw people time and time again hear about the stock that was going to make them a fortune. Listening to the hype and talking themselves into believing that they were going to...
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CBS is seemingly attempting to make some online moves in response to the continuing migration of people to the Internet. In addition to their recent announcement that they will offer primetime shows online 24 hours after they are broadcast, they...
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Aug16
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William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, both 75, will be on hand in Las Vegas this weekend for a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the start of the series. They will sign autographs for their legion of fans. The crowd...
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With the launch of their as-supported broadband channel in May, CBS has decided to add episodes of their hit shows to the mix. The web site called Innertube, also features some original offerings created specifically for the online network, along...
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Aug15
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YouTube Inc. announced that it is talking with multiple record labels to be able to enter deals to offer their music videos online, according to a report by Reuters. The goal they say is to go beyond a home video...
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Reading this article on the fact that the Internet is creating new celebrities off and on, it made me think of one of the other comments that was made about that. The article states that "Most of them are hoping...
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Aug14
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Harris Interactive conducted a study recently that reveals that a large number of people over 18 would prefer to play casual games online that watch TV. CNET commenting on the study said that "Some 31 percent of adults 18 and...
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In a move that probably isn't be too surprising, Fox Entertainment Group announced that it is planning to offer movies and TV shows on Internet sites owned by the company, which will include MySpace.com. CNET reports that "digital versions of...
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JumpTv, (JTV.TO)the world's largest provider of ethnic television via subscription over the Internet, reported strong growth for the quarter ending June 30, 2006. They have over 200 channels from over 65 countries, while providing subscribers an array of news, sports...
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Aug13
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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, the stock car racing spoof, raced to first place at the weekend box office, taking in an estimated $23 million for the three days. Talladega is expected to pass the $100 million mark...
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Aug12
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Understanding the tremendous risk involved with investing money in Hollywood film, here are some of the tactics used when investing. Some of the hedge funds will invest in one studio and underwrite the films they will be producing for that...
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When talking about investing in Hollywood films, one of the interesting things about this article is that it doesn't talk about return on investment or making money, but rather the glamour of being connected to something attached to Hollywood. The...
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Even after all of the news concerning the upheavel and uncertainty of Hollywood, ignorant money managers are continuing to waste their money on Hollywood films. Hedge funds are pouring hundreds of millions into films. For example, a bunch of hedge...
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Aug11
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Mike Douglas, host of the talk show bearing his name from 1963-1982, died on the day of his birthday at the age of 81. Genevieve, Douglas' wife, make the announcement to the Associated Press that he had died. She is...
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The message that is being underscored throughout the media industry is that they can no longer be considered "growth" companies. They are beginning to act like a typical "mature" industry through using their extra capital to buy back stocks or...
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NBC, with the promotion of "Earl," through using the MySpace online social networking site, has become another in a growing line of TV shows using this strategy. They have chosen to use MySpace by empowering visitors to load personal photos...
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In a move to enlarge its digital media business, Zenith Media has purchased Moxie Interactive. The acquisition gets them up to par with its other property: Publicis network Starcom MediaVest Group. Moxie itself, a company based in Atlanta, has a...
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Aug10
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Andrew Baron, senior partner of Rocketboom, the popular video blog, revealed that former face of Rocketboom, Amanda Congdon, has stopped talking to him and is communicating through her lawyers now. Congdon says she owns 49% of the company, according to...
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News Corp. (NWS) reported its quarterly net profits have risen by 19 percent. The main reasons being advertising revenue from the Fox News Channel, "Ice Age: The Meltdown" ticket sales and radio stations they sold, according to Reuters. News Corp.'s...
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William Shatner has announced that he is going to hold an on-line contest to search for the most compelling sci-fi person in the U.S. A press release said that "To enter, contestants just have to create a short video clip...
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With a strategy of getting rid of its assets not related to its core business, Disney (DIS) is reportedly selling its 50% stake in 'US Weekly.' The deal itself isn't bad as Disney bought in at $40 million in February...
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With its only deal with a TV broadcaster, Yahoo! (YHOO) is sending two chief executives to Australia to make sure things get done right. Markus Barnikel, chief of global sales and Bruno Fiorentini, the head of South American operations, will...
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Viacom (VIA) beat its second-quarter expectations with the strength of its cable TV and movie division and a tax gain to go along with it, the AP reported. Overall revenues grew by almost 25 percent to $2.85 billion from $2.3...
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Aug 9
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Disney CEO, Robert Iger has said concerning the Internet strategy of the company that it will probably not enter into “broad, sweeping partnerships” with internet portals such as Google (GOOG) or Yahoo (YHOO) as it builds its internet business, says...
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Everywhere you look and read there are stories of media companies trying to cuddle up with the digital world. While this is an important issue that they must face, how they go about tackling the challenge is as important as...
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Aug 8
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Fox Filmed Entertainment (the parent of Twentieth Century Fox) and Walden Media announced a joint venture for the purpose of producing family films for all ages. Walden Media, among whose successes includes The Chronicles of Narnia, will include all its...
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With the growing online ad business exploding, MTV Networks has agreed to a deal with Google (GOOG), the online search giant, to offer ad-supported TV clips to bloggers and website publishers, reported USA Today. Revenue will be shared between Google,...
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The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Screen Actors Guild have reached a tentative agreement with national advertisers to continue their contract that regulates $2 billion of advertising concerning where actors appear through 2008. If it is...
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Aug 7
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In spite of all the hype about what a great year Hollywood is having, the realities have already set in that they won't be able to produce films financially the way they have been in the recent past. One of...
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Comedian Rodney Dangerfield died in Los Angeles at the age of 82. One of the funniest comics of his time, he was famous for his one-liner: "I don't get no respect!" Jewish Theatre reported: "Among the keys to his comedy...
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Aug 6
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A manipulated photo from Reuters was reported on by Charles Johnson, one of those that helped to bring down Dan Rather by exposing the fake CBS memos. He said: "This Reuters photograph shows blatant evidence of manipulation. Notice the repeating...
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"Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" roared into first place in the box office race for the weekend, finishing with an estimated $47 million. "Barnyard: The Original Party Animals" came in second place with $16 million, while "Pirates of...
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Aug 5
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CBS Corp. (CBS-A) reported this week that its second-quarter TV ad revenues fell, while its radio advertising also did poorly. Ad Age reported: "TV revenue fell by 1% to $2.3 billion compared with the year-previous quarter. The company's TV segment includes...
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Aug 4
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With the "American Idol" crown and a hit single "Do I Make You Proud," Hicks has now signed a deal to write his memoirs. The New York Post, cited by people.aol.com, reported that Random House's Crown imprint paid Hicks approximately...
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With their recent two-month broadband experiment over, Disney-ABC (DIS) announced that their offerings resulted in 16 million video streams and 5.7 million episode requests, according to a report by Ad Age. Disney-ABC added that the campaign will be started again in...
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In what at first appears to be a dramatic move, Foster's beer has shifted all of its TV advertising to the Web. It will begin the campaign on video site Heavy.com, which caters to mostly young-adult men, according to a...
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Jackie Chan flew into Manila to launch his new business Jackie’s Java Company Ltd., which will sell high-quality coffee from all over the world. Marianne Go writing for The Philippine Star said: "Along with his American partner Thomas Kazas and Philippine...
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Aug 3
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Dreamworks Animation (DWA) CFO, Kristina Leslie, reported in a conference call (transcript at Seeking Alpha), that the results for the second quarter were better than expected. Most of the success, according to Leslie, was from the "Madagascar home video and...
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Michael Moore; his agent, Ari Emanuel; director Terry George; Jeff Daniels; and Malcolm McDowell, got together in a panel discussion for a week on what is wrong in the movie industry. Terry George said, "I believe that selling movies is...
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Aug 2
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Realizing where their real competition has been coming from, CNN is now enlisting citizen journalists to have a greater involvement in gathering news for them. With people uploading pictures and videos of events to the Internet before "official" reporters even...
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Google, Inc., (GOOG) announced that it has entered into an agreement with XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) and its over 7 million listeners, to offer commercial advertising on its non-music channels. Knowing that in spite of their recent and continuing success,...
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Aug 1
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The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that ABC television, owned by the Walt Disney Co. (DIS), has dropped a Gibson miniseries project based upon the Holocaust. Evidently the official story from ABC was that the project had been going on...
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Blue Shield of California has been picked by the Motion Picture Industry Health Plan to provide coverage of its over 95,000 participants. Don't think of the big stars when considering this as they won't be covered. Janet Widmann, Blue Shield's vice...
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