BizofShowBiz: August 2007 Archives

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Aug30	Troubled Economy Good News for CNBC Gary Bourgeault August 30, 2007 Know More: Business The target demographic of CNBC (GE) has found the up and down movement of the stock market and the credit crisis a reason to check in with the channel, as numbers show the 25-54 year old audience has increased to the highest August viewership in five years. It's a 50 percent increase over last years' August numbers. Concerning the coverage of the volatile economy, senior vice president Jonathan Wald said: “This is a really big story. This is when we should shine.” Nielsen Media Research said the network averaged 87,000 viewers during its business day running from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the 25 to 54 demo. Two shows especially shined for CNBC as Erin Burnett's "Street Signs," had its best August numbers in the 2 p.m. time slot in nine years, and Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" received its best August numbers in its history. Continue Reading Posted at 6:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug30	Keira Knightley: "Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have no Class" Gary Bourgeault August 30, 2007 Keira Knightley is the latest starlet to bash the young women stars trying to gain attention through their stupid actions.Knightley joins Sarah Jessica Parker who said a few months ago concerning the same group of young women: "People are getting... Continue Reading Posted at 2:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug29	New Online Magazine Launches Targeting Women in Media Biz Gary Bourgeault August 29, 2007 Judith James, head of the Women in Film/GM Alliance, has been named as editor-in-chief of the new online magazine called Traction, created to help women in the media business.James executive produced the Quiz Show, and produced Mr. Holland's Opus (one... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How the Media Killed a Real American Hero - Richard Jewell Dead at 44 Gary Bourgeault August 29, 2007 A real, legitimate American hero, Richard Jewell, who was credited will saving dozens of lives at the 1996 Olympic bombing, died at 44.The bums at the Atlanta Journal-Consitution, in an unattributed report at the time, said Jewell was the "focus"... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dancing with the Stars Celeb List Revealed for Coming Season Gary Bourgeault August 29, 2007 ABC (DIS) has released the list of celebrities for the upcoming "Dancing with the Stars" new season. The show returns on September 24.The show will pair each new celebrity with a professional dancer to see if any of them have... Continue Reading Posted at 2:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug28	How will Media Stocks Fare during the Credit Crunch? Gary Bourgeault August 28, 2007 The media stocks could be in for a rough ride ahead depending on the depth and length of the credit crunch. What would probably cause the major problems would be the existing debt and cost of future debt the companies... Continue Reading Posted at 9:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gary Sinise, Operation Iraqi Children, Making Great Contributions to Iraq Gary Bourgeault August 28, 2007 Actor Gary Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) launched Operation Iraqi Children in March of 2004.The need for the service was discovered when "during and after Operation Iraqi Freedom, American soldiers passing through Iraqi villages were horrified... Continue Reading Posted at 5:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug27	Tom Welling Negotiating to play Superman in Justice League of America Film Gary Bourgeault August 27, 2007 The Justice League of America is a group of superheroes featuring Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman, among others. With the seemingly endless taste for big screen superhero films by the public, this group of heroes will also be brought to... Continue Reading Posted at 6:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Owen Wilson Hospitalized, Tabloids claim was Attempted Suicide! Gary Bourgeault August 27, 2007 Owen Wilson was hospitalized in what is being called "serious condition." According to the National Enquirer, sources claim it was an attempted suicide.Wilson was allegedly found by family members who then called 911 from his house at about noon on... Continue Reading Posted at 12:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug26	Son of Hulk Hogan Injured in Car Crash Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 Hulk Hogan's 17-year-old son Nick was seriously injured in a car crash that destroyed his Toyota Supra. Both Hogan and a passenger had to be cut from the wreckage by firefighers.Hogan, who was driving the vehicle, wasn't hurt as badly... Continue Reading Posted at 11:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Most Television Will Soon be Watched Via the Internet Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 Vint Cerf, who has become known as the "godfather of the net" said at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, while talking to television executives, that TV as we now know it will soon come to an end.Cerf is one... Continue Reading Posted at 11:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Many Old Rock Performers not doing it for many Concert-Goers Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 It had to be a bit of a shock for some of the old rock performers when they discovered their royalties were drying up from the plunge in sales of their music. Along with most people in the industry, they... Continue Reading Posted at 10:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"American Idol" Runner-Up Blake Lewis Signs Record Deal Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 The runner-up for the 6th season of American Idol, Blake Lewis, has signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/ARISTA Records. His first album is scheduled for release late 2007.Lewis is currently on tour with the "American Idol Live" concerts. Somehow... Continue Reading Posted at 9:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Harvey Weinstein Says He'd Hire Lindsay Lohan Anytime Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 Harvey Weinstein is evidently trying to give Lindsay Lohan a plug as he commented that he'd hire her at any time not matter what her personal and legal problems were.Lohan is taking another spin around the rehab block as she... Continue Reading Posted at 9:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Summer Box Office Over - New Movies Don't Break Top Three Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 When three new openers aren't able to break into the top three movies for the weekend, you know the summer box office is about over. That and Bourne Ultimatum moving from third to second in its fourth weekend confirms the... Continue Reading Posted at 3:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug25	Britain's Channel 4 Drops Popular "Celebrity Big Brother" Gary Bourgeault August 25, 2007 In what I consider a bad move, Britain's Channel 4 has caved in to pressure from opponents of the popular reality show "Celebrity Big Brother." They dropped the show because of accusations they were "dumbing down" its content. That's a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Samuel L. Jackson Pushing George Lucas for Indiana Jones Role Gary Bourgeault August 25, 2007 Who says money's everything for actors? Samuel L. Jackson in a somewhat humerous show of competitiveness, is pushing to get some type of cameo role in the newest installment of Indiana Jones, so he makes sure Harrison Ford doesn't pass... Continue Reading Posted at 4:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	U.S. TV Households will Reach 112.8 Million by 2008 Gary Bourgeault August 25, 2007 Nielsen's national universe estimates show that TV households in the U.S. grew by 1.3 percent over last year, to reach 112.8 million by January 1, 2008. Persons aged 2 or over grew by 1 percent is now stands at 286.3... Continue Reading Posted at 3:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug24	Disney Sued, Alleging Hannah Montana is Ripoff of Buddy Sheffield's Idea Gary Bourgeault August 24, 2007 Buddy Sheffield, who wrote the Roundhouse comedy series for Nickelodeon, sued Walt Disney Co. (DIS), saying they took the show from a pitch he made in 2001 to the company, called Rock and Roland, the story of a boy that... Continue Reading Posted at 10:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Latest Christian Celebrity Fallout: Paula, Randy White Divorcing Gary Bourgeault August 24, 2007 In what is a strange coincidence, a day after Juanita Bynum was allegedly beaten by her husband, another woman connected to T.D. Jakes, Paula White, stood with her husband Randy White on the stage of Without Walls International Church, saying... Continue Reading Posted at 4:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Juanita Bynum's Husband Thomas Weeks III Released on Bail Gary Bourgeault August 24, 2007 Thomas Weeks III, husband of Juanita Bynum, turned himself into authorities and spent six hours inside the Fulton County Jail before coming out after being released at 1:40 p.m. He made a signal of holding a finger to his lips... Continue Reading Posted at 3:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug23	Juanita Bynum Decides to file charges against husband Thomas Weeks III Gary Bourgeault August 23, 2007 Juanita Bynum, allegedy beaten by her estranged husband Thomas W. Weeks III, has decided to file charges against her husband. It's all based on an incident where the two got into a physical fight after trying to reconcile at the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sitcoms not what they used to be Gary Bourgeault August 23, 2007 The drop in viewership of sitcoms has compelled the networks to offer less and less of them over the last five years. Since "Everybody Loves Raymond" in 2005, no sitcom has landed in the top 10.This year there will be... Continue Reading Posted at 5:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug22	Cate Blanchett Playing Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There" Gary Bourgeault August 22, 2007 Cate Blanchett is joining five other actors taking on the role of Bob Dylan in a movie looking at various stages of his life. While it's the only biographical project Dylan has ever approved of, I wonder what he thinks... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"High School Musical" Stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens Reject $1 Million to Play in Film Version Gary Bourgeault August 22, 2007 According to an article in the New York Post, "High School Musical" stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have rejected an offer by Walt Disney Co. (DIS) to reprise their roles in a big screen movie. The two have reportedly... Continue Reading Posted at 6:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Led by "High School Musical 2," Disney Lands 3 of Billboard 200 Top 10 Music Sales Gary Bourgeault August 22, 2007 It comes as no surprise that the Disney hit "High School Musical 2" extended its popularity to the music realm as well, selling 615,000 copies of its album in the first week of sales, making it the second-best start for... Continue Reading Posted at 4:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New Summer Box Office Record Set by Hollywood Studios Gary Bourgeault August 22, 2007 With a stronger second half performance in the summer months by films than was expected, researcher Media By Numbers LLC projects the Hollywood studios will break the U.S. record for sales this year, reaching the $4.15 billion mark, said a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug21	"24" Takes Risk with Janeane Garofalo Gary Bourgeault August 21, 2007 With an audience that definitely leans right, "24" has taken a chance by enlisting Janeane Garofalo as part of the cast. Garofalo is slated to play a government agent investigating the next crisis Jack Bauer has to deal with.In most... Continue Reading Posted at 10:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Simon Cowell Scripting Movie Based on "American Idol" Gary Bourgeault August 21, 2007 Simon Cowell is extending his "American Idol" franchise as he writes the script for an upcoming movie called "Starstruck."Cowell compares the realism to the "Rocky" movies which starred Sylvester Stallone.One change Cowell won't be making is how he will get... Continue Reading Posted at 7:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"Lifetime Television" Lands Marketing Heavyweights Bob Bibb and Lewis Goldstein Gary Bourgeault August 21, 2007 The hiring of Bob Bibb and Lewis Goldstein by Lifetime Television has Lifetime Networks President/CEO Andrea Wong ecstatic. The two have a ton of success at working together in previous arrangements. They are hired as co-chief marketing officers, and will... Continue Reading Posted at 7:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Joey Fatone N'Sync with Lisa Rinna for Red-Carpet Gig Gary Bourgeault August 21, 2007 The newest addition to TV Guide's red-carpet coverage will be former N' Sync member Joey Fatone. He'll join Lisa Rinna as co-host of the coverage.TV Guide Network President Ryan O'Hara said: "Joey is a top-notch professional with a natural likeability... Continue Reading Posted at 4:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug20	Donald Trump Trying to Score Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton for Celebrity Apprentice Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 If Donald Trump can pull it off, he'll take care of the declining rating problems for "The Apprentice" this year. I'm referring to the news the real estate mogul is trying to land the trio of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan... Continue Reading Posted at 8:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Kristen Bell to appear on NBC's 'Heroes' Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 Kristen Bell, who used to solve crimes as teenage dectective Veronica Mars for three seasons, will now be a part of the "Heroes" season, starting this fall. She'll be featured in a block of the shows, not part of the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Lachlan Murdoch Building His Own International Media Company? Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 It looks like Lachlan Murdoch, once considered the heir apparent of Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. (NWS-A) is positioning himself to make some moves of his own, as last month the non-compete clause with News Corp. ended.Lachlan has been making... Continue Reading Posted at 6:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Judge Denies Duane "DOG" Chapman Bond being Lifted Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 The reward for taking Max Factor heir Andrew Luster off the streets for raping several women is for a federal judge to keep his $300,000 bond in place. Luster received a 124-year prison term for his crimes.A Mexican court recently... Continue Reading Posted at 4:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Extras Injured in Filming of Valkyrie with Tom Cruise Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 The controversial film project "Valkyrie" starring Tom Cruise didn't get the type of attention it wanted as 11 extras were injured in an accident as they fell off a truck during weekend film shooting."No one suffered anything more serious than... Continue Reading Posted at 3:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jason Biggs Latest Addition to "Bachelor No. 2" Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 Jason Biggs has joined the cast of "Bachelor No. 2," a romantic comedy that includes Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Lizzy Caplan and Alec Baldwin. The story is about men who are dumped by their girlfriends hiring a master seductor who... Continue Reading Posted at 1:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug19	"Superbad" is Supergood for the weekend: Opens No. 1 Gary Bourgeault August 19, 2007 Judd Apatow's production "Superbad" led the weekend box office as the drew a fairly strong $31.2 million for its opener. In the 2,949 venues it showed it, it averaged $10.583. This is Apatow Productions' second big comedy hit the summer,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug18	Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy Gets Role in Upcoming Batman Movie Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont has a role in the newest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight."Leahy says the scene he will be in was filmed this summer, and wouldn't say anything about his role other than he is called the... Continue Reading Posted at 9:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	J.K. Rowling Writing Again: New Crime Novel Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 Reports from a British newspaper said "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling is haunting the cafes of Scotland again working on a new detective novel.The legend and lore of Rowling is she did here writing in Scottish cafes so she could... Continue Reading Posted at 8:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Related, Vornado buying Virgin Megastores North America Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 Richard Branson and his Virgin Entertainment Group has sold the last of the North American Virgin Megastores music stores to real estate development firm "Related Companies" and "Vornado Realty Trust." There were 11 remaining U.S. stores involved in the deal.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"High School Musical 2" Breaks Basic Cable Audience Record Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 The Disney Channel broke cable viewing records with its smash hit "High School Musical 2," which drew an average audience of 17.2 million, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research ratings.The record broken was for the largest basic cable audience in... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Garth Brooks Announces New Single to be Released August 27 Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 At a press conference at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Nashville Saturday (Aug. 18), Garth Brooks announced he will offer a new single to country radio on August 27. This is part of the marketing push for his upcoming release... Continue Reading Posted at 3:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug17	Weinsteins Pick Nicole Kidman, Ralph Fiennes to star in "Reader" Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 Ralph Fiennes and Nicole Kidman have been picked by the Weinstein Co. to star in the "Reader," a love story based in Germany at the time of World War II. The film will be based on the bestselling novel by... Continue Reading Posted at 11:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bollywood Actress Shilpa Shetty Sues "False Agent" Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 Shilpa Shetty became known from the controversial appearance she had on the reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother. At the time her representative was Jasveer "Jazz" Barton. Evidently the professional relationship has been over since then.Shetty, who is a Bollywood... Continue Reading Posted at 8:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Simon Cowell says Three more Seasons of American Idol will be enough for Him Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 While the American Idol juggernaut has shown little signs of slowing down, Simon Cowell says he can't see himself going past a season 10 with the show. Cowell also works on The X Factor in the U.K., a similar show... Continue Reading Posted at 8:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Steven Seagal says FBI Accusations Ruined Career - Wants Public Apology Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 According to Steven Seagal, false allegations by FBI agents ruined his movie career, said Reuters, citing the Los Angeles Times."False FBI accusations fueled thousands of articles saying that I terrorize journalists and associate with the Mafia," Seagal told the newspaper.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jamie Foxx Tapped to Play Homeless Musician Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 At the age of 20, Nathaniel Anthony Ayers suffered a mental breakdown and was diagnosed as schizophrenic. For 35 years he lived on the streets of Cleveland and Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, Times writer Steve Lopez found him playing... Continue Reading Posted at 3:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug16	Sabra Johnson wins "So You Think You Can Dance" Competition Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 It came down to the final two of Danny Tidwell and Sabra Johnson, and Johnson got her hand raised as this years' winner of the "So You Think You Can Dance" competition.Along with her big win, Sabra will also enjoy... Continue Reading Posted at 11:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Providing Celebrity Gossip Information Could become a Crime in California Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 In a bill going through the California Legislature, it would become a crime for people employed in law enforcement or the court system to make money releasing "confidential information gathered in criminal investigations or unauthorized photographs of people in custody,"... Continue Reading Posted at 7:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tom Cruise, United Artists Raise $500 million Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 It looks like companies are striving to get financing in place before the credit markets dry up on them. The latest to do it is Tom Cruise and film company United Artists, which he runs. Through Merrill Lynch they raised... Continue Reading Posted at 6:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Writers for "24" Struggling to Produce Scripts - Get Production Delay Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 The last couple of months haven't been the best for "24" as writers have asked for a delay in production while they try to work out a bunch of plot issues for the upcoming season. This is the second time... Continue Reading Posted at 2:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Kathie Lee Gifford Returning for Regis' Live 20th Anniversary Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 With the milestone 20th anniversary of the Live with Regis show, Kathie Lee Gifford will make an appearance on the show to celebrate the occurance.The show now called Live with Regis and Kelly, will have a two-week celebration starting on... Continue Reading Posted at 12:05 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug15	Disney Channel Wins Prime Time Basic Cable Fifth Consecutive Week Gary Bourgeault August 15, 2007 For the fifth week in a row, the Disney Channel (DIS) won the basic cable ratings war with an average of 3.06 million viewers.Disney continued its usual strong showing in the youth demo, as it averaged 1.29 million viewers in... Continue Reading Posted at 5:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Disney CEO says News Release from University of Washington Should be Retracted Gary Bourgeault August 15, 2007 Walt Disney (DIS) CEO Robert Iger wrote a letter to University of Washington President Mark Emmert about a news release under the title "Baby DVDs, videos may hinder, not help, infants' language development," demanding the University retract its statements. "For... Continue Reading Posted at 3:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug14	Fox Wins 27th Straight Victory in Key Demo Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 The win by Fox (NWS-A) in the key 18-49 demo, marks the 27th straight victory for the network, the longest winning streak in 11 years by any network, according to data gathered by Nielsen Media Research.Leading the way for Fox... Continue Reading Posted at 9:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Miss America Gets 3-Year Deal with TLC Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 Miss America has made a deal with TLC to air the pageant over the next three years. The competition hasn't had a home since it was dropped by ABC (DIS) two years ago.Part of the deal will include a reality... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gwen Stefani Loves Looking at those "Little Knick-Knacks" Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 Gwen Stefani says she in love with the TV show Antiques Roadshow, and even goes to the Internet to make sure she never misses out on any of the shows.She says she would love to appear on the show in... Continue Reading Posted at 7:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	James Gandolfini Playing Corporate Sports Scout Sonny Vaccaro in HBO Film Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 In his second project after leaving HBO as mobster Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini will play the role of Sonny Vaccaro in a made-for-TV HBO film.Vaccaro is a real-life personality who was a corporate sports scout who signed Michael Jordan to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jimmy Stewart Honored with Stamp from U.S. Post Office Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 Jimmy Stewart, who acted in over 80 movies, will be honored with a stamp by the U.S. Postal Service at ceremonies at the Jimmy Stewart Museum at his Indiana hometown, and also in HOllywood.The stamp itself will feature a portrait... Continue Reading Posted at 2:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug13	Spike TV's New "Murder" Lets Amateurs Solve Real Crimes Gary Bourgeault August 13, 2007 The new reality show launched by SpikeTV called "Murder," gives a true and gruesome look at real crimes that have been committed, and amateur sleuths going through the recreated crime scenes to attempt to solve them."Texas's most decorated homicide detective... Continue Reading Posted at 9:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Versus Carving out "Passionate Competition" Sports TV Niche Gary Bourgeault August 13, 2007 The former Outdoor Life Network upstart "Versus," has been quietly building it brand based upon sports that draw smaller, but passionate viewers.Just about a year ago the network rebranded its name as Versus, from the Outdoor Life name, and has... Continue Reading Posted at 5:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug12	Catherine Zeta-Jones: "Acting is a Hobby" Gary Bourgeault August 12, 2007 Knowing that the age of 40 is anathema to a lot of Hollywood studios and projects in reference to actresses, Catherine Zeta-Jones said it wouldn't be that hard to cope with not working in Hollywood if roles offered her began... Continue Reading Posted at 9:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Will Cable Focus on Summer TV Hurt Broadcast Networks? Gary Bourgeault August 12, 2007 Cable television offered up almost 30 new scripted series this summer, prompting the question if it'll dig into the audience and profits of the broadcast networks.For the summers I would say yes, for the long-term I would answer no.The reason... Continue Reading Posted at 6:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"Rush Hour 3" Sprints to Number One for Weekend Box Office Gary Bourgeault August 12, 2007 While "Rush Hour 3" wasn't able to attain the success of "Rush Hour 2," it was still good enough to take the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office as it took in $50.2 million on its opening weekend.... Continue Reading Posted at 3:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Talk Show Host, Producer Merv Griffin Dies at 82 Gary Bourgeault August 12, 2007 Merv Griffin, who went from a big band-era singer, to actor, to talk show host to producer of games shows, died Sunday at 82 of prostate cancer.Griffin started his career singing on radio in San Francisco and went from there... Continue Reading Posted at 2:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug11	Garth Brooks to Announce Details of Newest Release Gary Bourgeault August 11, 2007 Garth Brooks has scheduled an event in Nashville on August 17-18, inviting radio programmers from around the country to attend. On August 18, he has also scheduled a press conference to talk about the details of his newest release.One thing... Continue Reading Posted at 10:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hayden Panettiere Wishes She had Real Power to be Invisible Gary Bourgeault August 11, 2007 Feeling drained from the endless number of paparazzi and press following her around, Hayden Panettiere says she wishes she had the real power of invisibility to get away from them.Panettiere, who plays Claire Bennet on the popular NBC "Heroes" show,... Continue Reading Posted at 9:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Salma Hayek to Star in Disney Romantic Comedy Gary Bourgeault August 11, 2007 Walt Disney Pictures (DIS) picked up a romantic comedy script from John Strauss and Ed Decter, which they've landed Salma Hayek to star in. Hayek, who is a partner in Ventanarosa, a company made to promote Latin actors and themes,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fire Destroys Portion of Famed Cinecitta Film Studios in Italy Gary Bourgeault August 11, 2007 A fire has destroyed the set of the HBO series "Rome" at the well-known Cinecitta film studios. Reportedly no one was injured in the blaze.The fire burned a large swath of the set, as it engulfed 32,000 square feet before... Continue Reading Posted at 3:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug10	Ellen Pompeo Bashes Media Obsession with Hollywood Socialites Gary Bourgeault August 10, 2007 In an interview in the upcoming issue of Los Angeles Confidential, Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo blasted media coverage of Hollywood socialites “who are rich and famous for nothing.”Pompeo said in the Confidential: “We’re so focused on the wrong things.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Matthew Vaughn Picked by Marvel Studios to Direct "Thor" Gary Bourgeault August 10, 2007 Another in the long list of Marvel Comic creations is about to be entered into the big screen superhero genre, as "Thor" is set to be developed starting sometime this winter.Picked to helm the project by Marvel Studios is Matthew... Continue Reading Posted at 6:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Merv Griffin in Critical Condition as He Battles Cancer Gary Bourgeault August 10, 2007 Merv Griffin has been battling prostrate cancer since he was diagnosed with it in 1996. Word is he has taken a turn for the worst as he's very ill according to KNBC news, citing Entertainment Tonight. His representatives won't give... Continue Reading Posted at 4:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Chris Noth Returning as Mr. Big to Film Version "Sex and the City" Gary Bourgeault August 10, 2007 According to director Michael Patrick King, Chris Noth will be returning as Mr. Big to be with his love interest Carrie Bradshaw on the upcoming big screen version of "Sex and the City." Noth played the role of Mr. Big... Continue Reading Posted at 2:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 9	Jackie Chan Banned in China - What? Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 It looks like Jackie Chan won't be performing before the home crowd, as China has banned the newest installment of the action comedy series Rush Hour 3. While Xiao Ping, China Film Group's import and export department, said "We think... Continue Reading Posted at 10:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DirecTV Reports Net Loss on Increased Expenses Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 DirecTV Group Inc. (DTV) reported a net income loss for the quarter, as costs soared in connection to premium services.Net income for the Satellite TV provider was $448 million, or 37 cents a share, down from the $459 million, or... Continue Reading Posted at 10:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tom Hanks Sues Company behind "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have joined screenwriter Nia Vardalos and producer Gary Goetzman in a lawsuit against Gold Circle Films, the company behind the surprise hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." The lawsuit was officially brought by... Continue Reading Posted at 8:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana Showing Up for Fall Tour Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 When Miley Cyrus launches her Best of Both Worlds tour in the fall, she'll continue the role she plays in the popular Hannah Montana TV series on the Disney Channel by singing as herself, and then also singing as Hannah Montana.The... Continue Reading Posted at 5:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Matt Damon Advertising Jason Bourne on Side of Home Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 The marketing campaign for "The Bourne Ultimatum" has gone beyond the usual to the unusual, as Universal Studios put up a huge billboard advertising the movie on the side of Manhattan building Matt Damon and his family lives in.In a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 8	News Corp. Reports Strong Quarter - Revenue Grows to $7.37 Billion Gary Bourgeault August 8, 2007 Rupert Murdoch reported higher profits for News Corp. (NWS-A) for the fiscal fourth quarter, based mostly on increased revenue from its cable networks.For the fiscal quarter ending on June 30, net income increased to $890 million, or 28 cents a... Continue Reading Posted at 8:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Amy Winehouse with "Severe Exhaustion" Advised to take Complete Rest Gary Bourgeault August 8, 2007 After a short admission to University College London hospital on Wednesday morning, Amy Whinehouse was diagnosed with "severe exhaustion" and has been advised by doctors to take a complete rest. "Amy was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and has... Continue Reading Posted at 5:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CBS Morning Show Parade Gets Rained On Gary Bourgeault August 8, 2007 The song "Early Morning Rain" would have been appropriate for CBS' (CBS-A) "The Early Show" on Wednesday, as a storm caused the news room to abandon ship and go to another studio about 40 minutes before the show was to... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 7	Elisha Cuthbert, Tim Allen Sign on for "The Six Wives of Henry Lefay" Gary Bourgeault August 7, 2007 Elisha Cuthbert has signed on, along with Tim Allen, to star in the indie film "The Six Wives of Henry Lefay." Directing the film will be Howard Gould, who scripted "Shrek the Third." Writing for this project was also done... Continue Reading Posted at 9:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tom Glavine's 300th Victory Brings Big Numbers for ESPN Gary Bourgeault August 7, 2007 The coverage by ESPN (DIS) of the game that eventually became New York Met's pitcher Tom Glavine's 300th win, drew some of the best numbers for the network in years.The 3.0 rating and 3.6 million viewers were the largest numbers... Continue Reading Posted at 6:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	O.J. Simpson Must Pay Goldmans Proceeds From Gaming Deal Gary Bourgeault August 7, 2007 It didn't take long for the relatives of murder victim Ron Goldman to act against O.J. Simpson in his latest attempt to make money using his image and name.Simpson had been acquitted of murder charges in the sensationalized case, but... Continue Reading Posted at 4:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 6	Weinstein Co. Growing its Asia Footprint - Starts $285 Million Asian Film Fund Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 Looking to gain a stronger footprint in Asia, the Weinstein Co. announced it has launched a $285 million fund to finance a total of 31 titles; 21 for cinema and 10 for direct-to-video release. Participants in financing the fund are... Continue Reading Posted at 10:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DVD Sales and Rentals Down Almost 5% in First Half Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 In bad news for movie studios, spending on home entertainment sales and rentals dropped in the first half of 2007 by 4.8 percent, to end at $10 billion for the first half of the year. Rentals for videos themselves decreased... Continue Reading Posted at 6:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Liberty Global Deciding Whether to Enter Battle to Acquire Virgin Media Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 In a tough market for acquisitions, Liberty Global (LBTYA) is getting together this week to decide if it will join the battle for Virgin Media.The group has held premliminary talks with Virgin, but have taken a cautious approach to whether... Continue Reading Posted at 5:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Billboard Adapting to the New Digital World Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 Billboard is changing its Hot 100 chart hits metric to include music from online portals Yahoo! and AOL. It will measure both video and audio streams."Record companies absolutely know we are in a new era," says Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director... Continue Reading Posted at 3:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	David Duchovny and Edgy "Californication" Premiering August 13 on Showtime Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 The comedy-drama "Californication" starring David Duchovny will premiere on Showtim on August 13. The series is set in Los Angeles and is rated MA for language and nudity.The story is centered around Duchovny's character Hank Moody who is going through... Continue Reading Posted at 2:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 5	CBS Trying to Find Anything to Justify Katie Couric's Performance Gary Bourgeault August 5, 2007 For whatever reason, Katie Couric keeps on coming up in the media news. The latest attempt to justify her performance is that the average age of people viewing her newscast has dropped by one year since she started. Big deal.The... Continue Reading Posted at 11:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sarah Michelle Gellar: "Childhood Stardom Helped Rather than Hurt Me" Gary Bourgeault August 5, 2007 Contrary to childhood stars like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, Sarah Michelle Gellar says her years as a child actor hasn't hurt her at all.Gellar was actually discovered at only four-years-old, and a couple of years later would act in... Continue Reading Posted at 10:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	News Corp. About to Begin Asymmetrical Assault on Media Competitors Gary Bourgeault August 5, 2007 Across the board, media companies are gearing up for the assault by News Corp. (NWS-A) toward the rest of the media industry. It's not only in America where concerns are rising, but in various places across the world.The response by competitors like... Continue Reading Posted at 5:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bourne is Ultimate at the Weekend Box Office Gary Bourgeault August 5, 2007 The Bourne franchise just seems to keep on gathering more interest from movie fans as it has increased its opening weekend take for each movie. The Bourne Ultimatum took first for the weekend easily, bringing in a strong $70.2 million.... Continue Reading Posted at 2:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 4	Fox Wins in Primetime Again - Takes Thursday Night Gary Bourgeault August 4, 2007 Fox (NWS-A) was led by its popular reality show "So You Think You Can Dance" to another primetime win on Thursday TV. "Dance" led the way in both major categories, winning the key 18-49 demo along with the overall viewership... Continue Reading Posted at 9:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dateline's Michelle Madigan Busted as DefCon Conference Mole Gary Bourgeault August 4, 2007 Dateline NBC (GE) sent producer Michelle Madigan to the DefCon hacker's conference undercover, in an attempt to film hackers admitting to commtting crimes. Others said it was to out undercover federal agents attenting the conference, who regularly attend to find... Continue Reading Posted at 5:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jessica Collins Newest Addition to "Heroes" Gary Bourgeault August 4, 2007 One of NBC's (GE) only series they can count on, Heroes, has added another character to its cast, as they've enlisted Jessica Collins to play a recurring role on the popular series.Her new character will be a mysterious woman named... Continue Reading Posted at 3:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 3	Jennifer Aniston Starring with Steve Zahn in "Management" Gary Bourgeault August 3, 2007 Jennifer Aniston has been picked to star alongside Steve Zahn in "Management," a romantic comedy.Aniston will play a traveling saleswoman who peddles a bunch of cheap art pieces. She meets a hotel manager played by Zahn who she has a... Continue Reading Posted at 10:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ving Rhames' Dogs Maul Caretaker to Death Gary Bourgeault August 3, 2007 Ving Rhames could be in a lot of trouble, as his dogs mauled and killed his caretaker on Friday. Even though Rhames was out of the country shooting a film, under California law a person is liable for their dogs... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	World Wrestling Entertainment Net Earnings Plunge 52 Percent Gary Bourgeault August 3, 2007 Several things contributed to the huge decline in profits for the World Wrestling Entertainment Co. (WWE) for the quarter; the major one causing the most concern from a business standpoint is the company's inability to produce a film that makes... Continue Reading Posted at 5:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are People Getting Celebrity Scandal Fatigue? Gary Bourgeault August 3, 2007 A study by the Pew Research Center for People & the Press found that 87 percent of those responding believed celebrity scandals get far too much coverage by the media. Of the other respondents, 8 percent said their is a... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 2	Mexico No Longer Nipping at "Dog" Chapman's Heels Gary Bourgeault August 2, 2007 After a scare for Duane "Dog" Chapman, and a three-year battle with Mexican authorities, he is no longer wanted by the police in the country. A Mexican judge cancelled the order against him that he illegally detained a rapist in... Continue Reading Posted at 11:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ellen Still "Barkin" up Ron Perelman's Money Tree Gary Bourgeault August 2, 2007 Saying that her ex-husband, billionaire Ron Perelman didn't pay the agreed upon payments concerning a company Ellen Barkin, Perelman and Barkin's brother George Barkin started in 2005, Barkin is suing her ex-husband for another $3 million.The company called Applehead Pictures... Continue Reading Posted at 11:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Viacom Increases Revenue but Drops in Profits Gary Bourgeault August 2, 2007 Viacom (VIA-B) was able to grow its revenue by 13 percent in the second quarter to come in at $3.19 billion, but its earnings declined finishing at $434 million. Last years' earnings were $437.3 million for the same quarter.Earnings a... Continue Reading Posted at 6:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	YES Network being Shopped Around - Yankees Next? Gary Bourgeault August 2, 2007 The crown jewel of George Steinbrenner's business, Yes Network, the cable network of the New York Yankees, is reportedly being shopped around to potential buyers. The price being thrown around for the company is $3 billion to $3.5 billion. The... Continue Reading Posted at 4:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 1	Reese Witherspoon Avon's First "Global Ambassador" Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 Reese Witherspoon is partnering with Avon (AVP) to become the company's first "Global Ambassador," according to a Reuter's report.The actress, who won an Oscar for playing June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line," will be a spokeswoman for the company... Continue Reading Posted at 11:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CBS' Quarterly Earnings Plunge Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 Earnings for CBS Corp (CBS-A) plunged by 48 percent from the same period last year. Reasons cited were the help of a one-off tax event and the sale of Paramount Parks. Net earnings for the quarter were only $404 million... Continue Reading Posted at 10:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Time Warner Beats Earnings Expectations Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 Time Warner (TWX) came in above analysts expectations as generated just below $11 billion in revenue for the quarter, with profits of $1.07 billion and 28 cents a share. That's in contrast to last years' $1.01 billion and 24 cents... Continue Reading Posted at 9:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Disney Outperforms, has a Great Quarter Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 While some analysts and commentators had been skeptical on whether Disney (DIS) and other media companies would perform well for the quarter, Disney proved to be strong as it outperformed analyst expectations by quite a lot.Disney topped the projected 55... Continue Reading Posted at 4:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Latest Tween Movie "Bratz" Opening Friday Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 With young girls across the world loving the more urban-focused dolls "Bratz," Hollywood has taken noticed and will release the first movie based upon the franchise on Friday. The movie is centered on four of the dolls - Cloe, Jade,... Continue Reading Posted at 3:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

« July 2007 | Main | September 2007 »

Aug30	Troubled Economy Good News for CNBC Gary Bourgeault August 30, 2007 Know More: Business The target demographic of CNBC (GE) has found the up and down movement of the stock market and the credit crisis a reason to check in with the channel, as numbers show the 25-54 year old audience has increased to the highest August viewership in five years. It's a 50 percent increase over last years' August numbers. Concerning the coverage of the volatile economy, senior vice president Jonathan Wald said: “This is a really big story. This is when we should shine.” Nielsen Media Research said the network averaged 87,000 viewers during its business day running from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the 25 to 54 demo. Two shows especially shined for CNBC as Erin Burnett's "Street Signs," had its best August numbers in the 2 p.m. time slot in nine years, and Jim Cramer's "Mad Money" received its best August numbers in its history. Continue Reading Posted at 6:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug30	Keira Knightley: "Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan have no Class" Gary Bourgeault August 30, 2007 Keira Knightley is the latest starlet to bash the young women stars trying to gain attention through their stupid actions.Knightley joins Sarah Jessica Parker who said a few months ago concerning the same group of young women: "People are getting... Continue Reading Posted at 2:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug29	New Online Magazine Launches Targeting Women in Media Biz Gary Bourgeault August 29, 2007 Judith James, head of the Women in Film/GM Alliance, has been named as editor-in-chief of the new online magazine called Traction, created to help women in the media business.James executive produced the Quiz Show, and produced Mr. Holland's Opus (one... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	How the Media Killed a Real American Hero - Richard Jewell Dead at 44 Gary Bourgeault August 29, 2007 A real, legitimate American hero, Richard Jewell, who was credited will saving dozens of lives at the 1996 Olympic bombing, died at 44.The bums at the Atlanta Journal-Consitution, in an unattributed report at the time, said Jewell was the "focus"... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dancing with the Stars Celeb List Revealed for Coming Season Gary Bourgeault August 29, 2007 ABC (DIS) has released the list of celebrities for the upcoming "Dancing with the Stars" new season. The show returns on September 24.The show will pair each new celebrity with a professional dancer to see if any of them have... Continue Reading Posted at 2:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug28	How will Media Stocks Fare during the Credit Crunch? Gary Bourgeault August 28, 2007 The media stocks could be in for a rough ride ahead depending on the depth and length of the credit crunch. What would probably cause the major problems would be the existing debt and cost of future debt the companies... Continue Reading Posted at 9:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gary Sinise, Operation Iraqi Children, Making Great Contributions to Iraq Gary Bourgeault August 28, 2007 Actor Gary Sinise and author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend) launched Operation Iraqi Children in March of 2004.The need for the service was discovered when "during and after Operation Iraqi Freedom, American soldiers passing through Iraqi villages were horrified... Continue Reading Posted at 5:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug27	Tom Welling Negotiating to play Superman in Justice League of America Film Gary Bourgeault August 27, 2007 The Justice League of America is a group of superheroes featuring Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman, among others. With the seemingly endless taste for big screen superhero films by the public, this group of heroes will also be brought to... Continue Reading Posted at 6:04 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Owen Wilson Hospitalized, Tabloids claim was Attempted Suicide! Gary Bourgeault August 27, 2007 Owen Wilson was hospitalized in what is being called "serious condition." According to the National Enquirer, sources claim it was an attempted suicide.Wilson was allegedly found by family members who then called 911 from his house at about noon on... Continue Reading Posted at 12:27 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug26	Son of Hulk Hogan Injured in Car Crash Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 Hulk Hogan's 17-year-old son Nick was seriously injured in a car crash that destroyed his Toyota Supra. Both Hogan and a passenger had to be cut from the wreckage by firefighers.Hogan, who was driving the vehicle, wasn't hurt as badly... Continue Reading Posted at 11:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Most Television Will Soon be Watched Via the Internet Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 Vint Cerf, who has become known as the "godfather of the net" said at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, while talking to television executives, that TV as we now know it will soon come to an end.Cerf is one... Continue Reading Posted at 11:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Many Old Rock Performers not doing it for many Concert-Goers Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 It had to be a bit of a shock for some of the old rock performers when they discovered their royalties were drying up from the plunge in sales of their music. Along with most people in the industry, they... Continue Reading Posted at 10:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"American Idol" Runner-Up Blake Lewis Signs Record Deal Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 The runner-up for the 6th season of American Idol, Blake Lewis, has signed a record deal with 19 Recordings/ARISTA Records. His first album is scheduled for release late 2007.Lewis is currently on tour with the "American Idol Live" concerts. Somehow... Continue Reading Posted at 9:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Harvey Weinstein Says He'd Hire Lindsay Lohan Anytime Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 Harvey Weinstein is evidently trying to give Lindsay Lohan a plug as he commented that he'd hire her at any time not matter what her personal and legal problems were.Lohan is taking another spin around the rehab block as she... Continue Reading Posted at 9:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Summer Box Office Over - New Movies Don't Break Top Three Gary Bourgeault August 26, 2007 When three new openers aren't able to break into the top three movies for the weekend, you know the summer box office is about over. That and Bourne Ultimatum moving from third to second in its fourth weekend confirms the... Continue Reading Posted at 3:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug25	Britain's Channel 4 Drops Popular "Celebrity Big Brother" Gary Bourgeault August 25, 2007 In what I consider a bad move, Britain's Channel 4 has caved in to pressure from opponents of the popular reality show "Celebrity Big Brother." They dropped the show because of accusations they were "dumbing down" its content. That's a... Continue Reading Posted at 9:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Samuel L. Jackson Pushing George Lucas for Indiana Jones Role Gary Bourgeault August 25, 2007 Who says money's everything for actors? Samuel L. Jackson in a somewhat humerous show of competitiveness, is pushing to get some type of cameo role in the newest installment of Indiana Jones, so he makes sure Harrison Ford doesn't pass... Continue Reading Posted at 4:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	U.S. TV Households will Reach 112.8 Million by 2008 Gary Bourgeault August 25, 2007 Nielsen's national universe estimates show that TV households in the U.S. grew by 1.3 percent over last year, to reach 112.8 million by January 1, 2008. Persons aged 2 or over grew by 1 percent is now stands at 286.3... Continue Reading Posted at 3:58 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug24	Disney Sued, Alleging Hannah Montana is Ripoff of Buddy Sheffield's Idea Gary Bourgeault August 24, 2007 Buddy Sheffield, who wrote the Roundhouse comedy series for Nickelodeon, sued Walt Disney Co. (DIS), saying they took the show from a pitch he made in 2001 to the company, called Rock and Roland, the story of a boy that... Continue Reading Posted at 10:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Latest Christian Celebrity Fallout: Paula, Randy White Divorcing Gary Bourgeault August 24, 2007 In what is a strange coincidence, a day after Juanita Bynum was allegedly beaten by her husband, another woman connected to T.D. Jakes, Paula White, stood with her husband Randy White on the stage of Without Walls International Church, saying... Continue Reading Posted at 4:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Juanita Bynum's Husband Thomas Weeks III Released on Bail Gary Bourgeault August 24, 2007 Thomas Weeks III, husband of Juanita Bynum, turned himself into authorities and spent six hours inside the Fulton County Jail before coming out after being released at 1:40 p.m. He made a signal of holding a finger to his lips... Continue Reading Posted at 3:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug23	Juanita Bynum Decides to file charges against husband Thomas Weeks III Gary Bourgeault August 23, 2007 Juanita Bynum, allegedy beaten by her estranged husband Thomas W. Weeks III, has decided to file charges against her husband. It's all based on an incident where the two got into a physical fight after trying to reconcile at the... Continue Reading Posted at 5:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sitcoms not what they used to be Gary Bourgeault August 23, 2007 The drop in viewership of sitcoms has compelled the networks to offer less and less of them over the last five years. Since "Everybody Loves Raymond" in 2005, no sitcom has landed in the top 10.This year there will be... Continue Reading Posted at 5:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug22	Cate Blanchett Playing Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There" Gary Bourgeault August 22, 2007 Cate Blanchett is joining five other actors taking on the role of Bob Dylan in a movie looking at various stages of his life. While it's the only biographical project Dylan has ever approved of, I wonder what he thinks... Continue Reading Posted at 7:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"High School Musical" Stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens Reject $1 Million to Play in Film Version Gary Bourgeault August 22, 2007 According to an article in the New York Post, "High School Musical" stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have rejected an offer by Walt Disney Co. (DIS) to reprise their roles in a big screen movie. The two have reportedly... Continue Reading Posted at 6:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Led by "High School Musical 2," Disney Lands 3 of Billboard 200 Top 10 Music Sales Gary Bourgeault August 22, 2007 It comes as no surprise that the Disney hit "High School Musical 2" extended its popularity to the music realm as well, selling 615,000 copies of its album in the first week of sales, making it the second-best start for... Continue Reading Posted at 4:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	New Summer Box Office Record Set by Hollywood Studios Gary Bourgeault August 22, 2007 With a stronger second half performance in the summer months by films than was expected, researcher Media By Numbers LLC projects the Hollywood studios will break the U.S. record for sales this year, reaching the $4.15 billion mark, said a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug21	"24" Takes Risk with Janeane Garofalo Gary Bourgeault August 21, 2007 With an audience that definitely leans right, "24" has taken a chance by enlisting Janeane Garofalo as part of the cast. Garofalo is slated to play a government agent investigating the next crisis Jack Bauer has to deal with.In most... Continue Reading Posted at 10:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Simon Cowell Scripting Movie Based on "American Idol" Gary Bourgeault August 21, 2007 Simon Cowell is extending his "American Idol" franchise as he writes the script for an upcoming movie called "Starstruck."Cowell compares the realism to the "Rocky" movies which starred Sylvester Stallone.One change Cowell won't be making is how he will get... Continue Reading Posted at 7:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"Lifetime Television" Lands Marketing Heavyweights Bob Bibb and Lewis Goldstein Gary Bourgeault August 21, 2007 The hiring of Bob Bibb and Lewis Goldstein by Lifetime Television has Lifetime Networks President/CEO Andrea Wong ecstatic. The two have a ton of success at working together in previous arrangements. They are hired as co-chief marketing officers, and will... Continue Reading Posted at 7:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Joey Fatone N'Sync with Lisa Rinna for Red-Carpet Gig Gary Bourgeault August 21, 2007 The newest addition to TV Guide's red-carpet coverage will be former N' Sync member Joey Fatone. He'll join Lisa Rinna as co-host of the coverage.TV Guide Network President Ryan O'Hara said: "Joey is a top-notch professional with a natural likeability... Continue Reading Posted at 4:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug20	Donald Trump Trying to Score Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton for Celebrity Apprentice Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 If Donald Trump can pull it off, he'll take care of the declining rating problems for "The Apprentice" this year. I'm referring to the news the real estate mogul is trying to land the trio of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan... Continue Reading Posted at 8:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Kristen Bell to appear on NBC's 'Heroes' Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 Kristen Bell, who used to solve crimes as teenage dectective Veronica Mars for three seasons, will now be a part of the "Heroes" season, starting this fall. She'll be featured in a block of the shows, not part of the... Continue Reading Posted at 8:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Lachlan Murdoch Building His Own International Media Company? Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 It looks like Lachlan Murdoch, once considered the heir apparent of Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. (NWS-A) is positioning himself to make some moves of his own, as last month the non-compete clause with News Corp. ended.Lachlan has been making... Continue Reading Posted at 6:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Judge Denies Duane "DOG" Chapman Bond being Lifted Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 The reward for taking Max Factor heir Andrew Luster off the streets for raping several women is for a federal judge to keep his $300,000 bond in place. Luster received a 124-year prison term for his crimes.A Mexican court recently... Continue Reading Posted at 4:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Extras Injured in Filming of Valkyrie with Tom Cruise Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 The controversial film project "Valkyrie" starring Tom Cruise didn't get the type of attention it wanted as 11 extras were injured in an accident as they fell off a truck during weekend film shooting."No one suffered anything more serious than... Continue Reading Posted at 3:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jason Biggs Latest Addition to "Bachelor No. 2" Gary Bourgeault August 20, 2007 Jason Biggs has joined the cast of "Bachelor No. 2," a romantic comedy that includes Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Lizzy Caplan and Alec Baldwin. The story is about men who are dumped by their girlfriends hiring a master seductor who... Continue Reading Posted at 1:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug19	"Superbad" is Supergood for the weekend: Opens No. 1 Gary Bourgeault August 19, 2007 Judd Apatow's production "Superbad" led the weekend box office as the drew a fairly strong $31.2 million for its opener. In the 2,949 venues it showed it, it averaged $10.583. This is Apatow Productions' second big comedy hit the summer,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug18	Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy Gets Role in Upcoming Batman Movie Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont has a role in the newest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight."Leahy says the scene he will be in was filmed this summer, and wouldn't say anything about his role other than he is called the... Continue Reading Posted at 9:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	J.K. Rowling Writing Again: New Crime Novel Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 Reports from a British newspaper said "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling is haunting the cafes of Scotland again working on a new detective novel.The legend and lore of Rowling is she did here writing in Scottish cafes so she could... Continue Reading Posted at 8:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Related, Vornado buying Virgin Megastores North America Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 Richard Branson and his Virgin Entertainment Group has sold the last of the North American Virgin Megastores music stores to real estate development firm "Related Companies" and "Vornado Realty Trust." There were 11 remaining U.S. stores involved in the deal.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:44 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"High School Musical 2" Breaks Basic Cable Audience Record Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 The Disney Channel broke cable viewing records with its smash hit "High School Musical 2," which drew an average audience of 17.2 million, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research ratings.The record broken was for the largest basic cable audience in... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Garth Brooks Announces New Single to be Released August 27 Gary Bourgeault August 18, 2007 At a press conference at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Nashville Saturday (Aug. 18), Garth Brooks announced he will offer a new single to country radio on August 27. This is part of the marketing push for his upcoming release... Continue Reading Posted at 3:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug17	Weinsteins Pick Nicole Kidman, Ralph Fiennes to star in "Reader" Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 Ralph Fiennes and Nicole Kidman have been picked by the Weinstein Co. to star in the "Reader," a love story based in Germany at the time of World War II. The film will be based on the bestselling novel by... Continue Reading Posted at 11:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bollywood Actress Shilpa Shetty Sues "False Agent" Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 Shilpa Shetty became known from the controversial appearance she had on the reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother. At the time her representative was Jasveer "Jazz" Barton. Evidently the professional relationship has been over since then.Shetty, who is a Bollywood... Continue Reading Posted at 8:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Simon Cowell says Three more Seasons of American Idol will be enough for Him Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 While the American Idol juggernaut has shown little signs of slowing down, Simon Cowell says he can't see himself going past a season 10 with the show. Cowell also works on The X Factor in the U.K., a similar show... Continue Reading Posted at 8:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Steven Seagal says FBI Accusations Ruined Career - Wants Public Apology Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 According to Steven Seagal, false allegations by FBI agents ruined his movie career, said Reuters, citing the Los Angeles Times."False FBI accusations fueled thousands of articles saying that I terrorize journalists and associate with the Mafia," Seagal told the newspaper.... Continue Reading Posted at 7:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jamie Foxx Tapped to Play Homeless Musician Gary Bourgeault August 17, 2007 At the age of 20, Nathaniel Anthony Ayers suffered a mental breakdown and was diagnosed as schizophrenic. For 35 years he lived on the streets of Cleveland and Los Angeles. In Los Angeles, Times writer Steve Lopez found him playing... Continue Reading Posted at 3:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug16	Sabra Johnson wins "So You Think You Can Dance" Competition Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 It came down to the final two of Danny Tidwell and Sabra Johnson, and Johnson got her hand raised as this years' winner of the "So You Think You Can Dance" competition.Along with her big win, Sabra will also enjoy... Continue Reading Posted at 11:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Providing Celebrity Gossip Information Could become a Crime in California Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 In a bill going through the California Legislature, it would become a crime for people employed in law enforcement or the court system to make money releasing "confidential information gathered in criminal investigations or unauthorized photographs of people in custody,"... Continue Reading Posted at 7:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tom Cruise, United Artists Raise $500 million Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 It looks like companies are striving to get financing in place before the credit markets dry up on them. The latest to do it is Tom Cruise and film company United Artists, which he runs. Through Merrill Lynch they raised... Continue Reading Posted at 6:57 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Writers for "24" Struggling to Produce Scripts - Get Production Delay Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 The last couple of months haven't been the best for "24" as writers have asked for a delay in production while they try to work out a bunch of plot issues for the upcoming season. This is the second time... Continue Reading Posted at 2:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Kathie Lee Gifford Returning for Regis' Live 20th Anniversary Gary Bourgeault August 16, 2007 With the milestone 20th anniversary of the Live with Regis show, Kathie Lee Gifford will make an appearance on the show to celebrate the occurance.The show now called Live with Regis and Kelly, will have a two-week celebration starting on... Continue Reading Posted at 12:05 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug15	Disney Channel Wins Prime Time Basic Cable Fifth Consecutive Week Gary Bourgeault August 15, 2007 For the fifth week in a row, the Disney Channel (DIS) won the basic cable ratings war with an average of 3.06 million viewers.Disney continued its usual strong showing in the youth demo, as it averaged 1.29 million viewers in... Continue Reading Posted at 5:19 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Disney CEO says News Release from University of Washington Should be Retracted Gary Bourgeault August 15, 2007 Walt Disney (DIS) CEO Robert Iger wrote a letter to University of Washington President Mark Emmert about a news release under the title "Baby DVDs, videos may hinder, not help, infants' language development," demanding the University retract its statements. "For... Continue Reading Posted at 3:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug14	Fox Wins 27th Straight Victory in Key Demo Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 The win by Fox (NWS-A) in the key 18-49 demo, marks the 27th straight victory for the network, the longest winning streak in 11 years by any network, according to data gathered by Nielsen Media Research.Leading the way for Fox... Continue Reading Posted at 9:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Miss America Gets 3-Year Deal with TLC Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 Miss America has made a deal with TLC to air the pageant over the next three years. The competition hasn't had a home since it was dropped by ABC (DIS) two years ago.Part of the deal will include a reality... Continue Reading Posted at 7:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gwen Stefani Loves Looking at those "Little Knick-Knacks" Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 Gwen Stefani says she in love with the TV show Antiques Roadshow, and even goes to the Internet to make sure she never misses out on any of the shows.She says she would love to appear on the show in... Continue Reading Posted at 7:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	James Gandolfini Playing Corporate Sports Scout Sonny Vaccaro in HBO Film Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 In his second project after leaving HBO as mobster Tony Soprano, James Gandolfini will play the role of Sonny Vaccaro in a made-for-TV HBO film.Vaccaro is a real-life personality who was a corporate sports scout who signed Michael Jordan to... Continue Reading Posted at 7:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jimmy Stewart Honored with Stamp from U.S. Post Office Gary Bourgeault August 14, 2007 Jimmy Stewart, who acted in over 80 movies, will be honored with a stamp by the U.S. Postal Service at ceremonies at the Jimmy Stewart Museum at his Indiana hometown, and also in HOllywood.The stamp itself will feature a portrait... Continue Reading Posted at 2:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug13	Spike TV's New "Murder" Lets Amateurs Solve Real Crimes Gary Bourgeault August 13, 2007 The new reality show launched by SpikeTV called "Murder," gives a true and gruesome look at real crimes that have been committed, and amateur sleuths going through the recreated crime scenes to attempt to solve them."Texas's most decorated homicide detective... Continue Reading Posted at 9:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Versus Carving out "Passionate Competition" Sports TV Niche Gary Bourgeault August 13, 2007 The former Outdoor Life Network upstart "Versus," has been quietly building it brand based upon sports that draw smaller, but passionate viewers.Just about a year ago the network rebranded its name as Versus, from the Outdoor Life name, and has... Continue Reading Posted at 5:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug12	Catherine Zeta-Jones: "Acting is a Hobby" Gary Bourgeault August 12, 2007 Knowing that the age of 40 is anathema to a lot of Hollywood studios and projects in reference to actresses, Catherine Zeta-Jones said it wouldn't be that hard to cope with not working in Hollywood if roles offered her began... Continue Reading Posted at 9:30 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Will Cable Focus on Summer TV Hurt Broadcast Networks? Gary Bourgeault August 12, 2007 Cable television offered up almost 30 new scripted series this summer, prompting the question if it'll dig into the audience and profits of the broadcast networks.For the summers I would say yes, for the long-term I would answer no.The reason... Continue Reading Posted at 6:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	"Rush Hour 3" Sprints to Number One for Weekend Box Office Gary Bourgeault August 12, 2007 While "Rush Hour 3" wasn't able to attain the success of "Rush Hour 2," it was still good enough to take the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office as it took in $50.2 million on its opening weekend.... Continue Reading Posted at 3:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Talk Show Host, Producer Merv Griffin Dies at 82 Gary Bourgeault August 12, 2007 Merv Griffin, who went from a big band-era singer, to actor, to talk show host to producer of games shows, died Sunday at 82 of prostate cancer.Griffin started his career singing on radio in San Francisco and went from there... Continue Reading Posted at 2:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug11	Garth Brooks to Announce Details of Newest Release Gary Bourgeault August 11, 2007 Garth Brooks has scheduled an event in Nashville on August 17-18, inviting radio programmers from around the country to attend. On August 18, he has also scheduled a press conference to talk about the details of his newest release.One thing... Continue Reading Posted at 10:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Hayden Panettiere Wishes She had Real Power to be Invisible Gary Bourgeault August 11, 2007 Feeling drained from the endless number of paparazzi and press following her around, Hayden Panettiere says she wishes she had the real power of invisibility to get away from them.Panettiere, who plays Claire Bennet on the popular NBC "Heroes" show,... Continue Reading Posted at 9:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Salma Hayek to Star in Disney Romantic Comedy Gary Bourgeault August 11, 2007 Walt Disney Pictures (DIS) picked up a romantic comedy script from John Strauss and Ed Decter, which they've landed Salma Hayek to star in. Hayek, who is a partner in Ventanarosa, a company made to promote Latin actors and themes,... Continue Reading Posted at 7:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Fire Destroys Portion of Famed Cinecitta Film Studios in Italy Gary Bourgeault August 11, 2007 A fire has destroyed the set of the HBO series "Rome" at the well-known Cinecitta film studios. Reportedly no one was injured in the blaze.The fire burned a large swath of the set, as it engulfed 32,000 square feet before... Continue Reading Posted at 3:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug10	Ellen Pompeo Bashes Media Obsession with Hollywood Socialites Gary Bourgeault August 10, 2007 In an interview in the upcoming issue of Los Angeles Confidential, Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo blasted media coverage of Hollywood socialites “who are rich and famous for nothing.”Pompeo said in the Confidential: “We’re so focused on the wrong things.... Continue Reading Posted at 11:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Matthew Vaughn Picked by Marvel Studios to Direct "Thor" Gary Bourgeault August 10, 2007 Another in the long list of Marvel Comic creations is about to be entered into the big screen superhero genre, as "Thor" is set to be developed starting sometime this winter.Picked to helm the project by Marvel Studios is Matthew... Continue Reading Posted at 6:55 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Merv Griffin in Critical Condition as He Battles Cancer Gary Bourgeault August 10, 2007 Merv Griffin has been battling prostrate cancer since he was diagnosed with it in 1996. Word is he has taken a turn for the worst as he's very ill according to KNBC news, citing Entertainment Tonight. His representatives won't give... Continue Reading Posted at 4:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Chris Noth Returning as Mr. Big to Film Version "Sex and the City" Gary Bourgeault August 10, 2007 According to director Michael Patrick King, Chris Noth will be returning as Mr. Big to be with his love interest Carrie Bradshaw on the upcoming big screen version of "Sex and the City." Noth played the role of Mr. Big... Continue Reading Posted at 2:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 9	Jackie Chan Banned in China - What? Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 It looks like Jackie Chan won't be performing before the home crowd, as China has banned the newest installment of the action comedy series Rush Hour 3. While Xiao Ping, China Film Group's import and export department, said "We think... Continue Reading Posted at 10:50 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DirecTV Reports Net Loss on Increased Expenses Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 DirecTV Group Inc. (DTV) reported a net income loss for the quarter, as costs soared in connection to premium services.Net income for the Satellite TV provider was $448 million, or 37 cents a share, down from the $459 million, or... Continue Reading Posted at 10:13 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tom Hanks Sues Company behind "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson have joined screenwriter Nia Vardalos and producer Gary Goetzman in a lawsuit against Gold Circle Films, the company behind the surprise hit "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." The lawsuit was officially brought by... Continue Reading Posted at 8:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Miley Cyrus and Hannah Montana Showing Up for Fall Tour Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 When Miley Cyrus launches her Best of Both Worlds tour in the fall, she'll continue the role she plays in the popular Hannah Montana TV series on the Disney Channel by singing as herself, and then also singing as Hannah Montana.The... Continue Reading Posted at 5:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Matt Damon Advertising Jason Bourne on Side of Home Gary Bourgeault August 9, 2007 The marketing campaign for "The Bourne Ultimatum" has gone beyond the usual to the unusual, as Universal Studios put up a huge billboard advertising the movie on the side of Manhattan building Matt Damon and his family lives in.In a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 8	News Corp. Reports Strong Quarter - Revenue Grows to $7.37 Billion Gary Bourgeault August 8, 2007 Rupert Murdoch reported higher profits for News Corp. (NWS-A) for the fiscal fourth quarter, based mostly on increased revenue from its cable networks.For the fiscal quarter ending on June 30, net income increased to $890 million, or 28 cents a... Continue Reading Posted at 8:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Amy Winehouse with "Severe Exhaustion" Advised to take Complete Rest Gary Bourgeault August 8, 2007 After a short admission to University College London hospital on Wednesday morning, Amy Whinehouse was diagnosed with "severe exhaustion" and has been advised by doctors to take a complete rest. "Amy was discharged from the hospital this afternoon and has... Continue Reading Posted at 5:52 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CBS Morning Show Parade Gets Rained On Gary Bourgeault August 8, 2007 The song "Early Morning Rain" would have been appropriate for CBS' (CBS-A) "The Early Show" on Wednesday, as a storm caused the news room to abandon ship and go to another studio about 40 minutes before the show was to... Continue Reading Posted at 3:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 7	Elisha Cuthbert, Tim Allen Sign on for "The Six Wives of Henry Lefay" Gary Bourgeault August 7, 2007 Elisha Cuthbert has signed on, along with Tim Allen, to star in the indie film "The Six Wives of Henry Lefay." Directing the film will be Howard Gould, who scripted "Shrek the Third." Writing for this project was also done... Continue Reading Posted at 9:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Tom Glavine's 300th Victory Brings Big Numbers for ESPN Gary Bourgeault August 7, 2007 The coverage by ESPN (DIS) of the game that eventually became New York Met's pitcher Tom Glavine's 300th win, drew some of the best numbers for the network in years.The 3.0 rating and 3.6 million viewers were the largest numbers... Continue Reading Posted at 6:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	O.J. Simpson Must Pay Goldmans Proceeds From Gaming Deal Gary Bourgeault August 7, 2007 It didn't take long for the relatives of murder victim Ron Goldman to act against O.J. Simpson in his latest attempt to make money using his image and name.Simpson had been acquitted of murder charges in the sensationalized case, but... Continue Reading Posted at 4:18 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 6	Weinstein Co. Growing its Asia Footprint - Starts $285 Million Asian Film Fund Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 Looking to gain a stronger footprint in Asia, the Weinstein Co. announced it has launched a $285 million fund to finance a total of 31 titles; 21 for cinema and 10 for direct-to-video release. Participants in financing the fund are... Continue Reading Posted at 10:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DVD Sales and Rentals Down Almost 5% in First Half Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 In bad news for movie studios, spending on home entertainment sales and rentals dropped in the first half of 2007 by 4.8 percent, to end at $10 billion for the first half of the year. Rentals for videos themselves decreased... Continue Reading Posted at 6:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Liberty Global Deciding Whether to Enter Battle to Acquire Virgin Media Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 In a tough market for acquisitions, Liberty Global (LBTYA) is getting together this week to decide if it will join the battle for Virgin Media.The group has held premliminary talks with Virgin, but have taken a cautious approach to whether... Continue Reading Posted at 5:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Billboard Adapting to the New Digital World Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 Billboard is changing its Hot 100 chart hits metric to include music from online portals Yahoo! and AOL. It will measure both video and audio streams."Record companies absolutely know we are in a new era," says Geoff Mayfield, Billboard's director... Continue Reading Posted at 3:53 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	David Duchovny and Edgy "Californication" Premiering August 13 on Showtime Gary Bourgeault August 6, 2007 The comedy-drama "Californication" starring David Duchovny will premiere on Showtim on August 13. The series is set in Los Angeles and is rated MA for language and nudity.The story is centered around Duchovny's character Hank Moody who is going through... Continue Reading Posted at 2:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 5	CBS Trying to Find Anything to Justify Katie Couric's Performance Gary Bourgeault August 5, 2007 For whatever reason, Katie Couric keeps on coming up in the media news. The latest attempt to justify her performance is that the average age of people viewing her newscast has dropped by one year since she started. Big deal.The... Continue Reading Posted at 11:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sarah Michelle Gellar: "Childhood Stardom Helped Rather than Hurt Me" Gary Bourgeault August 5, 2007 Contrary to childhood stars like Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears, Sarah Michelle Gellar says her years as a child actor hasn't hurt her at all.Gellar was actually discovered at only four-years-old, and a couple of years later would act in... Continue Reading Posted at 10:40 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	News Corp. About to Begin Asymmetrical Assault on Media Competitors Gary Bourgeault August 5, 2007 Across the board, media companies are gearing up for the assault by News Corp. (NWS-A) toward the rest of the media industry. It's not only in America where concerns are rising, but in various places across the world.The response by competitors like... Continue Reading Posted at 5:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Bourne is Ultimate at the Weekend Box Office Gary Bourgeault August 5, 2007 The Bourne franchise just seems to keep on gathering more interest from movie fans as it has increased its opening weekend take for each movie. The Bourne Ultimatum took first for the weekend easily, bringing in a strong $70.2 million.... Continue Reading Posted at 2:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 4	Fox Wins in Primetime Again - Takes Thursday Night Gary Bourgeault August 4, 2007 Fox (NWS-A) was led by its popular reality show "So You Think You Can Dance" to another primetime win on Thursday TV. "Dance" led the way in both major categories, winning the key 18-49 demo along with the overall viewership... Continue Reading Posted at 9:05 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Dateline's Michelle Madigan Busted as DefCon Conference Mole Gary Bourgeault August 4, 2007 Dateline NBC (GE) sent producer Michelle Madigan to the DefCon hacker's conference undercover, in an attempt to film hackers admitting to commtting crimes. Others said it was to out undercover federal agents attenting the conference, who regularly attend to find... Continue Reading Posted at 5:00 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Jessica Collins Newest Addition to "Heroes" Gary Bourgeault August 4, 2007 One of NBC's (GE) only series they can count on, Heroes, has added another character to its cast, as they've enlisted Jessica Collins to play a recurring role on the popular series.Her new character will be a mysterious woman named... Continue Reading Posted at 3:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 3	Jennifer Aniston Starring with Steve Zahn in "Management" Gary Bourgeault August 3, 2007 Jennifer Aniston has been picked to star alongside Steve Zahn in "Management," a romantic comedy.Aniston will play a traveling saleswoman who peddles a bunch of cheap art pieces. She meets a hotel manager played by Zahn who she has a... Continue Reading Posted at 10:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ving Rhames' Dogs Maul Caretaker to Death Gary Bourgeault August 3, 2007 Ving Rhames could be in a lot of trouble, as his dogs mauled and killed his caretaker on Friday. Even though Rhames was out of the country shooting a film, under California law a person is liable for their dogs... Continue Reading Posted at 9:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	World Wrestling Entertainment Net Earnings Plunge 52 Percent Gary Bourgeault August 3, 2007 Several things contributed to the huge decline in profits for the World Wrestling Entertainment Co. (WWE) for the quarter; the major one causing the most concern from a business standpoint is the company's inability to produce a film that makes... Continue Reading Posted at 5:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are People Getting Celebrity Scandal Fatigue? Gary Bourgeault August 3, 2007 A study by the Pew Research Center for People & the Press found that 87 percent of those responding believed celebrity scandals get far too much coverage by the media. Of the other respondents, 8 percent said their is a... Continue Reading Posted at 4:06 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 2	Mexico No Longer Nipping at "Dog" Chapman's Heels Gary Bourgeault August 2, 2007 After a scare for Duane "Dog" Chapman, and a three-year battle with Mexican authorities, he is no longer wanted by the police in the country. A Mexican judge cancelled the order against him that he illegally detained a rapist in... Continue Reading Posted at 11:46 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ellen Still "Barkin" up Ron Perelman's Money Tree Gary Bourgeault August 2, 2007 Saying that her ex-husband, billionaire Ron Perelman didn't pay the agreed upon payments concerning a company Ellen Barkin, Perelman and Barkin's brother George Barkin started in 2005, Barkin is suing her ex-husband for another $3 million.The company called Applehead Pictures... Continue Reading Posted at 11:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Viacom Increases Revenue but Drops in Profits Gary Bourgeault August 2, 2007 Viacom (VIA-B) was able to grow its revenue by 13 percent in the second quarter to come in at $3.19 billion, but its earnings declined finishing at $434 million. Last years' earnings were $437.3 million for the same quarter.Earnings a... Continue Reading Posted at 6:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	YES Network being Shopped Around - Yankees Next? Gary Bourgeault August 2, 2007 The crown jewel of George Steinbrenner's business, Yes Network, the cable network of the New York Yankees, is reportedly being shopped around to potential buyers. The price being thrown around for the company is $3 billion to $3.5 billion. The... Continue Reading Posted at 4:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Aug 1	Reese Witherspoon Avon's First "Global Ambassador" Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 Reese Witherspoon is partnering with Avon (AVP) to become the company's first "Global Ambassador," according to a Reuter's report.The actress, who won an Oscar for playing June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line," will be a spokeswoman for the company... Continue Reading Posted at 11:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CBS' Quarterly Earnings Plunge Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 Earnings for CBS Corp (CBS-A) plunged by 48 percent from the same period last year. Reasons cited were the help of a one-off tax event and the sale of Paramount Parks. Net earnings for the quarter were only $404 million... Continue Reading Posted at 10:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Time Warner Beats Earnings Expectations Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 Time Warner (TWX) came in above analysts expectations as generated just below $11 billion in revenue for the quarter, with profits of $1.07 billion and 28 cents a share. That's in contrast to last years' $1.01 billion and 24 cents... Continue Reading Posted at 9:35 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Disney Outperforms, has a Great Quarter Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 While some analysts and commentators had been skeptical on whether Disney (DIS) and other media companies would perform well for the quarter, Disney proved to be strong as it outperformed analyst expectations by quite a lot.Disney topped the projected 55... Continue Reading Posted at 4:59 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Latest Tween Movie "Bratz" Opening Friday Gary Bourgeault August 1, 2007 With young girls across the world loving the more urban-focused dolls "Bratz," Hollywood has taken noticed and will release the first movie based upon the franchise on Friday. The movie is centered on four of the dolls - Cloe, Jade,... Continue Reading Posted at 3:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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