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Jan30
"Juno" Soundtrack Moves to No. 1 on Billboard 200

A 13 percent increase in sales by the soundtrack from Oscar-nominated "Juno," brought its sales to 65,000 in the U.S., enough to land it in the No. spot on the Billboard 200. The last time a nominee for the Academy Awards reached this spot was in January 1998, when "Titanic" landed there.

Knocked out of the top spot was Alicia Keys and "As I Am," which still performed strong, but the 1 percent drop was enough to put her in the No. 2 spot, selling 60,000 units.

Reaching her highest chart and sales level ever, Natasha Bedingfield came in at No. 3 for the week, based on the sales of 50,000 discs of her second album, "Pocketful of Sunshine." Her single "Love Like This," which is now in the top 20 of the Hot 100, helped move the album.

For the week, CD sales reached 7.8 million units, an increase of 4.7 percent over last week. With sales for the weak coming in at 30.6 million discs, it's a decline of 10.3 percent from last year at the same time.

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Jan30
New TV Series Based on Terry Goodkind's "The Sword of Truth" Launching in Fall 2008
While fans of the series, Sci Fi and Fantasy will be ecstatic to hear this, even better, Sam Raimi will be the Executive Producer of the series, which should add a lot of flair to the production.Disney-ABC Domestic Television and... Continue Reading
"Montel" Saying Goodbye after 17 Years
For 17 years, “The Montel Williams Show” has been a part of the fabric of American television, focusing mostly on social responsibility issues. That will be ending soon, as the final show will air at the end of this season."We've... Continue Reading
How Many Viewers Will Network TV Lose before Strike is Over?
The last time there was a writers' strike, 20 years ago, somewhere around 10 percent of those watching network TV never returned. That of course causes us to ask the question on what the impact will be this time. But... Continue Reading
BSkyB to Lose Money for First Time in Six Years over ITV Divestment
After John Hutton, Business and Enterprise Secretary in Britain decided he'd follow the recommendations of the Competition Commission to force BSkyB to lower its stake in ITV to below 7.5 percent, it was projected by Morgan Stanley it would result... Continue Reading
Jan29
Disney Partnering with Wal-Mart in Hannah Montana Deal
Disney (NYSE:DIS) and Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) will announce a partnership Wednesday, in a deal that will include over 140 products culled from the Disney Channel's powerhouse teen show Hannah Montana.Wal-Mart will position itself as the "Hannah Montana Headquarters," and the products... Continue Reading
Poor Barbara Walters Can't Handle "Mean" Kathy Griffin
The producer of "The View," Bill Geddie, called Kathy Griffin to tell her she wouldn't be allowed to appear on the talk show Tuesday, which had been scheduled in conjunction with her final show in New York, which had sold out.She wasn't... Continue Reading
NHL All-Star Game Increases Overall Viewership by 18 Percent Over Last Year
The All-Star game for the National Hockey League on Versus increased its household rating by 14 percent over the game last year, as it received a household rating of 0.8. The game also drew an overall audience of 796,717, which was... Continue Reading
Gwyneth Paltrow Latest Actress to Prefer Marriage and Children to Stardom
Gwyneth Paltrow announced recently that she no longer has the type of professional ambition she used to have before her marriage and children came along. She said there are no plans at this time to return to her former intense... Continue Reading
Margaret Truman, Daughter of Late President Truman, Dies at 83
The daughter of Harry S. Truman, Margaret Truman, died Tuesday from a brief illnes, according to her son Clifton T. Daniel. Margaret Truman was a concert singer in her own right, as well as a radio and television host, and... Continue Reading
ABC Rejects Pediatrician Criticism, Will Air Controversial "Eli Stone" Episode
The emotion-filled issue related to the use of thimerosal, a preservative which was formerly used in vaccines and had a mercury base in it, is the subject of the new legal drama "Eli Stone," which has drawn the ire of... Continue Reading
Jan28
Disney Scores Another Original Movie Hit with "Minutemen"
The Disney Channel has learned how to tune into their demographic's interests, as eleven out of the last twelve original movies they made have drawn over five million viewers in its premiere airing.The latest was Friday's "Minutemen," a time-travel tale... Continue Reading
Would Guillermo del Toro Create a Dark Hobbit?
The buzz across the web today has been that Guillermo del Toro may be close to being chosen to helm the upcoming two Hobbit films.Peter Jackson and New Line ended their feud recently, and Jackson signed on to produce the... Continue Reading
John Malone and Liberty Media Trying to get Diller off of Board
The gloves are coming off in the battle over the future of IAC/InterActiveCorp (Nasdaq:IACI), as the latest move by John Malone and Liberty Media Corp. (Nasdaq:LCAPA) is to try to get Barry Diller kicked off the board.Each side has a lawsuit... Continue Reading
Directors Guild of America Board Recommends Ratification of Agreement with Studios
In a unanimous vote, the board of directors of the Directors Guild of America voted on Sunday to recommend the collective bargaining agreement hammered out on January 17, be ratified by the Guild's members.DGA president Michael Apted said after the... Continue Reading
Cate Blanchett Receives "Modern Master Award" at Santa Barbara Film Festival
Cate Blanchett was honored with yet another award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival saturday night, as she received the Modern Master Award from the director of "I'm Not There," Todd Haynes. She is beautifully pregnant with her third child,... Continue Reading
Jan27
"No Country" Leads the SAG Awards - "Sopranos" in TV Drama Sweep
Winning the prized best performance by a cast in a motion picture, Joel and Ethan Coen's “No Country for Old Men,” walked away with the SAG award Sunday night.Also winning in connection with the film was Javier Bardem whoe won... Continue Reading
BSkyB Awaits British Government Response to Stake in ITV
The battle that has been brewing for months over the move of BSkyB in buying a 17.9 percent stake in ITV, which effectively kept Virgin Media from taking over the company, will go to the next stage, as this week... Continue Reading
"Meet The Spartans" Spoof Leads Box Office Weekend for Fox
The "spoof" genre seems to have gathered a core audience, as just about every time one has been released over the last couple years, they seem to perform far better than expected.It's no different this time around, as the latest... Continue Reading
Jan26
The Deal that Brought Paige Davis Back to "Trading Spaces"
One thing happened when the powers that be decided they wanted to take "Trading Spaces" another direction, and fired host Paige Davis ... and that was to plunge in the ratings.When TLC received new managment last year, they decided of... Continue Reading
UB40 Singer Ali Campbell: "Not Quitting Band for Solo Career"
Reports about UB40 singer Ali Campbell that he is quitting the group to go out on his own, continue to circulate, and Campbell wants to put to rest that idea once and for all. He continues to assert it's the... Continue Reading
Oprah Winfrey Fighting Barbara Walters for Madeleine McCann Story
Two of the top talk show queen bees - Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters - are fighting for the right to an interview with the parents of missing Madeleine McCann, Gerry and Kate McCann.The McCann’s spokesman, Clarence Mitchell, confirmed the reports... Continue Reading
Marlon Brando's Son "Christian Brando" Dies at 49
Christian Brando, who had struggled through enormous personal, familial and legal troubles throughout his life, died Saturday of pneumonia at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles. Brando was 49.The most notorious incident in Christian Brando's life came when... Continue Reading
Cost of Bare Behind on TV? $1.4 Million for Disney's ABC
The baring of a female characters' behind in a NYPD Blue episode in 2003, could end up costing Disney's (NYSE:DIS) ABC $1.4 million. The fine would be levied against 52 ABC Television Network stations for airing the program.According to the... Continue Reading
Robert Redford Announces Next Two Film Projects
Talking from the Sundance Film Festival, Robert Redford revealed what his next two projects would be. His first one will be "A Walk in the Woods," based on a book by Bill Bryson talking of his adventure hiking the Appalachian... Continue Reading
Jan25
Move Over Radiohead, Here Come the "Charlatans"
The Charlatans are taking up where Radiohead left off, by offering their latest album "You Cross My Path" for free online. Radiohead successfully offered their album as a free download and it generated more than 122,000 in physical albums afterward.It... Continue Reading
Reality Shows Scoring Big During Strike - How Will it Change Writer's Futures?
With another reality show scoring big during the writer's strike, it may show the future of television and growing impotency of the writers in that regard.The newest reality hit is "The Moment of Truth" from Fox (NYSE:NWS-A), which enjoyed a... Continue Reading
Helen Mirren Furious Over Being Snubbed for American "Prime Suspect"
Helen Mirren has powerfully played the role of DCI Jane Tennison on the ITV network series "Prime Suspect" for 15 years (aired for that long), was angered over not being considered for the part in the American version.Mirren said, "There... Continue Reading
Las Vegas Burning - Monte Carlo on Fire!
The Monte Carlo hotel-casino caught fire and guests fled the blaze, with some in tears, as hotel employees worked to get them to safety.At about 11 a.m. Vegas time, the smoke on the roof of the Monte Carlo was spotted and... Continue Reading
Jan24
Steve Bochco New Series "Raising the Bar" Approved by TNT
Steven Bochco, who among credits too numerous to mention, executive produced Hill Street Blues, LA Law and NYPD Blue, has had his latest project given the go ahead by TNT: "Raising the Bar.The show is lawyer-based series dealing with attorneys who went... Continue Reading
Disney Releases more in "Disney Dream Portrait Series"
If you don't know what the "Disney Dream Portrait Series" is, it's the placement of celebrities into fairy tale scenes from Classic films from the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS).You can see a couple suites of photos from Annie Leibovitz along... Continue Reading
Disney Channel's Scott Garner Named Senior Vice President, Planning, Scheduling and Acquisitions of Lifetime Networks
Scott Garner, who is one of the big reasons behind the success of the Disney Channel, has been picked as the new Senior Vice President, Planning, Scheduling and Acquisitions for Lifetime Networks. Some of the major hits he's helped engineer are... Continue Reading
Gemstar-TV Guide Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit against Virgin Media
Although Gemstar-TV Guide is in the process of being sold by News Corp. (NYSE:NWS-A) to Macrovision, it is the second company under its corporate umbrella to file a lawsuit against Virgin Media. The two companies don't have a lot of... Continue Reading
New Iron Man Photo Released by Marvel
Marvel released (NYSE:MVL) a new picture of Iron Man from the upcoming movie of the same name, which stars Robert Downey Jr. in the lead role as Tony Stark, the man behind the mask.For those who don't no anything about... Continue Reading
"Life After People" Breaks History Channel Record
History Channel's Monday night special called "Life After People" broke the all time record for viewership for the the channel in its history."Life After People," which garnered a total of 5.4 million viewers, along with a 3.9 household rating, dealt... Continue Reading
Jericho can be Seen on Sci Fi Channel Starting February 11
The Sci Fi Channel has worked out a deal with CBS Television Distribution for the rights to air "Jericho" over a period of three years.They will have the rights to the first two seasons as part of the agreement.Launching on... Continue Reading
Jan23
Upcoming Star Trek Trailer and Responses
A lot of people probably have seen the teaser trailer for the upcoming Star Trek movie by J.J. Abrams, but below is a good one.The movie, which is slated for a Christmas day release in 2008, stars Chris Pine, Zachary... Continue Reading
Will Cate Blanchett become First in History to Win "Lead" and "Supporting" Oscar in Same Year?
For the 11th time in history, an actor or actress has been nominated for an Academy Award in a leading and supporting role in the same year, and Cate Blanchett is that 11th person.She has been nominated for the Best... Continue Reading
Fox Scores Best Week in Network's History
Led by the return of its powerhouse "American Idol," along with the high viewership of the National Football league playoff game, Fox (NYSE:NWS-A) landed the highest weekly viewership in its history; both for the key 18-49 demo, as well as... Continue Reading
Netflix Earnings Increase 6% For Quarter
For the quarter ending December 31, Netflix (Nasdaq:NFLX) earnings grew 6 percent, reaching $15.8 million, or 24 cents a share. That's an increase over the same quarter last year, which yielded $14.9 million, or 21 cents a share.Overall revenue for... Continue Reading
Jan22
The Future of Summer Glau Looks Bright
... and not because her character on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, comes from it!I really like how Summer Glau is building her career. Rather than doing the "star" thing, she's been quietly going about learning her craft and getting... Continue Reading
British Oddsmaker Ladbrokes Already Has Oscar Favorites Picked
Not long after the announcement of the nominations for the Academy Awards, British betting website Ladbrokes offered its odds on some of the favorite categories. You can see the full list of nominees on my recent post.The favorite to win... Continue Reading
Oscar Nominations: Everything's Up for Grabs this Year
This years' pick of Oscar nominations has left it wide open as to who will walk away with the hardware, as no clear favorites have emerged, and the usual surprises coming forth.  Some things that didn't surprise were the leaders... Continue Reading
Heath Ledger, Latest Young Actor to Die, Found Dead in Manhattan Apartment
In what can only be called stunning, Heath Ledger was found dead today in a Manhatten apartment building, assumed to be his home. He was 28.He starred in "The Patriot," "A Knights Tale," "Brokeback Mountain" and "Monster's Ball."The last role... Continue Reading
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Trailer and Photos from Film
Anticipation for second in the the wildly successful Chronicles of Narnia series, which started with "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe," is starting to already generate early buzz, as the trailer and some early photos are out.Another relative unknown... Continue Reading
Jan21
Murdoch Gets Ben Silverman's Reveille
Well...not that Murdoch, but she's related. Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of News Corp. (NYSE:NWS-A) head Rupert Murdoch, has made a deal with NBC Entertainment co-Chairman Ben Silverman to acquire his production company Reveille, for a reported $125 million plus, said the... Continue Reading
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles - Episode Three Highlights
Caution: SpoilersTerminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles just finished, and it was by far the slowest of the first three shows. It mostly has set up the storyline for what's ahead.Sarah continues to hunt down where the new Skynet creators are, and... Continue Reading
Sony Pictures Television Retains Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! Executive Producer Harry Friedman
The president of Sony Pictures Television, Steve Mosko, announced today they signed a multi-year deal with executive producer Harry Friedman, to keep him with the company."Harry Friedman is an enthusiastic innovator, a wonderful collaborator and an extremely talented producer," said... Continue Reading
Kiefer Sutherland Serves His Time, Released from Jail Today
With the Sargeant from the Glendale Police Department saying Kiefer Sutherland was a "model prisoner," Sutherland left jail early this morning after serving his 48-day sentence for drunken driving. He was released sometime around 1 p.m. on Monday. "As I understand... Continue Reading
Jan20
Firing of L.A. Times editor James O'Shea Shows Many Still Don't Get it
The leaders of the Los Angeles Times need to do a better job of ferreting out those that don't understand, or refuse to understand, the existing business climate they're operating under. For the third time in a row, a standing... Continue Reading
"Mr. Big" Chris Noth and Tara Wilson have Baby Boy!
Christ Noth, famous for his role in "Sex in the City" as Mr. Big, has had a baby boy with girlfriend Tara Wilson. A spokesman for the couple said, “I am happy to confirm that Chris Noth and Tara Wilson... Continue Reading
Suzanne Pleshette of "The Bob Newhart Show," Died Saturday at 70
After a long bout with lung cancer, actress Suzanne Pleshette died Saturday in Los Angeles at the age of 70. She was best known for playing the role of Emily Hartley on "The Bob Newhart Show."According to Pleshette's attorney Robert... Continue Reading
DreamWorks Animation SKG Latest to Announce "Theme Park" in Dubailand
DreamWorks Animation SKG announced it will be partnering with Dubai-owned Tatweer, a real estate company, to build a theme park in the emirate of Dubai.Tatweer is a subsidiary of Dubai Holding, a large conglomerate, and owns and heads the development... Continue Reading
"Cloverfield" Leads Strong Box Office Weekend
The marketing campaign for JJ Abrams' new horror film "Cloverfield" paid off strongly for them, as it vaulted to the No. 1 spot in the weekend box office, taking in a solid $41 million for its opener.With those numbers, its... Continue Reading
Jan19
Actor Allan Melvin Dies at 84
The prolific character actor Allan Melvin died today at the age of 84.Allan Melvin is one of those actors that almost everybody has seen, but nobody knows his name. His first break came when he signed on to "The Phil... Continue Reading
Glenn Close Says Public Turning Against Writers Guild of America Strike
According to Glen Close, the strike by the Writers Guild of America is starting to turn the public against them.Talking to the New York Post, Close said, "I'll never cross a picket line, but this writers' strike may now be... Continue Reading
Italy's Mediaset SpA Wins Exclusive Broadcasting Rights from Time Warner
Mediaset SpA from Italy gave Rupert Murdoch's Sky Italia a black eye, as they won the rights to Time Warner (TWX) and Universal (UVV) television and movie content in Italy, according Pier Silvio Berlusconi, son of the former prime minister... Continue Reading
Michael Copps Misguided in Concerns over Privatization of Media Companies
For some reason Democrat Michael Copps, who serves on the Federal Communicatons Commission (FCC), says he continues to have concerns over what private-equity companies might do with their recently purchased media companies.His overall concern is whether the private-equity companies break... Continue Reading
Jan18
Jeff Zucker and NBC Looking to Cancel Upfront Hoopla
Jeff Zucker said he's getting close to deciding on whether NBC Universal (GE) will continue its upfront show this year, put together to dazzle their advertising partners and affliates.Talking to Reuters, Zucker said, "When people say the upfront, there are... Continue Reading
The Flawed Results of the "Interpret" Survey Concerning Writers Strike
If you were to believe the report by Worldscreen, citing an "Interpret" survey on the response of Americans to the strike by the Writers Guild of America, you'd be made to think the industry was about to collapse.The major problem... Continue Reading
What is Your Response to Cloverfield?
The hype, marketing and anticipation is over. Now that a lot of people went to see the cloverfield movie, sound off on what you thought about it.In my look at forums and comments, I've found a mixed bag of comments... Continue Reading
Former Celebrity Chess Champ Bobby Fischer Dies at 64
Who would have thought that someone could take the game of chess and bring it to the world stage, and yet that's what former world chess champion Bobby Fischer did. Today the former chess champ died at the age of... Continue Reading
Hollywood Content Will Drive Entertainment Convergence
A couple things have held back the merging of the Internet and Television, and when they're taken care of, things will begin to move quickly. One key element is the way to move forward is with retailers like Target (TGT)... Continue Reading
Jan17
Weta Digital Nominated for Three Awards for "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep"
Weta Digital for their work on "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep," has been nominated for three awards for their usual quality craftsmanship.First, the Visual Effects Society has nominated them for two awards for their work on "Waterhorse." VES... Continue Reading
Directors Guild of America Reaches Three-year deal with AMPTP
 Pressure's on Writers Guild to deal!After only five days of formal talks, the Directors Guild of America reached a three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Details of the agreement have yet to be unveiled.In a... Continue Reading
Have Media Stocks Hit the Bottom Yet?
The stocks of the mainstream media companies were hammered across the board this year, as the majority of them dropped in value.For the year, CBS (CBS-A) has plunged by 14 percent; Viacom (VIA-B) by 9 percent; Disney (DIS) by about... Continue Reading
Jan16
Writers Guild of America Starting to Act Like Thugs ...
... and are trying to play god!The Writers Guild of America is starting to lose all integrity, as they are haphazardly deciding who gets their almighty blessing and who doesn't. Take the hypocrisy of the last day. WGA West President... Continue Reading
Sci Fi Channel Promotes Dave Howe to President
Dave Howe has been named to replace Bonnie Hammer as the president of the Sci Fi Channel. Hammer will remain president of the USA Network.There probably isn't anybody better than Howe to take on the new role, as he's been... Continue Reading
Advertising Going to Handheld Devices? Not for NBC Universal
With a lot of attention on the possibilities for advertising on handheld devices, the big media companies have been focusing on advertising "out-of-home," and with the mobility of people in mind, but not in connection with cell phones.Rather, many companies... Continue Reading
"American Idol" Outperforms All Major Channels Combined
While some are trying to make it look like "American Idol" is in trouble because they dropped in viewership from the 2007 season opener of, it's really just something to get people to read their columns.For one thing, American Idol... Continue Reading
Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves Expecting Baby
Matthew McConaughey announced that he and girlfriend Camila Alves are expecting a baby. She is three months along in the pregnancy and doing well, he added.On his web site, cited by Mercury News, he announced: "Got some blessed news... a... Continue Reading
Jan15
Viggo Mortensen Joined by Charlize Theron in Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"