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May31
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Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA-B) dropped to its lowest stock price in 52 weeks, as CEO Philippe Dauman announced this week that advertising growth in the second quarter will be down more than expected. On the domestic side, Dauman said ad sales will grow in the 3 to 4 percent range, similar to last year's performance in the same quarter. The company took a hit on its stock because the original assessment was growth in the 7 percent area, much like they enjoyed in the first quarter. This of course isn't unexpected, as the major advertising categories like automotive and banking have cut down on their spending as the economy continues to be sluggish.
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May30
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Reports are conflicting on whether the announcement by "Entertainment Tonight" that Angelina Jolie gave birth to her and Brad Pitt's twins. Competitor "People" said their sources say it hasn't happened yet. It's funny watching these gossip rags talk about this....
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May29
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One of the funniest comics in showbiz, Harvey Korman, died Thursday at the age of 81. He died of of complications connected to an abdominal aortic aneurysm he suffered several months ago. If you ever have seen the Carol Burnett...
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The wife of actor Bill Murray looks like she isn't going to play nice, as she has filed for divorce after the couple has been separated for about a year, alleging abuse by Murray.Jennifer Murray said in her divorce papers...
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May28
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For the second time in less than a year, country music singer Chris Cagle was arrested for assault, this time in a drunken fight with his girlfriend Jennifer Tant. The two were arrested and held for a mandatory 12-hours in...
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May27
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In an effort to combat cancer, CBS (NYSE:CBS-A), ABC (NYSE:DIS) and NBC (NYSE:GE) will combine forces on September 5 to battle the disease. What the three networks will do is donate an hour each in primetime to raise money for...
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May25
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Harrison Ford is back on the map, as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull led the three-day weekend box office, finishing with an estimated $101 million take. Including its launch on Thursday, the four-day total came to...
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May24
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A number of members of the Communist Party in Russia are asking its citizens to boycott the new Indiana Jones movie, as they say it's a historical distortion, and puts communist ideology in a bad light. Ease up guys, it's...
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May23
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Fox (NYSE:NWS-A) has won the ratings war for viewers in the key 18-49 demo, but this year they added the title of drawing the most overall viewers as well, winning in that category for the first time ever. The 18-49...
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May22
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The 5-year-old daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman was killed on Wednesday, when her brother, who is a teenager, backed up a SUV over her while playing in the driveway. Maria Sue Chapman was killed while the family was celebrating the...
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May21
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While Jim Cramer recently said that he hated media stocks, he's thinking more in terms of the overall sector. In reality he does like a couple of them pretty well, specifically Disney (NYSE:DIS) and Discovery (Nasdaq:DISCA). Others he somewhat likes...
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May20
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The move by Netflix (Nasdaq:NFLX) to offer a set-top box for the TV so users can now stream films directly to their television sets, is something they had to do, but probably will have only minimal impact on growing the...
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May19
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At Time Warner's (NYSE:TWX) annual shareholder meeting in Atlanta, Chairman Richard Parsons hinted he'll probably be stepping down from his position by the end of 2008. That would make the decision of current CEO Jeffrey Bewkes much easier in whether...
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May18
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While the vast majority of studios would have been thrilled to have a film open at $56.6 million, the expectations, along with tracking, for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian were so high that only the word disappointment could be...
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May17
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A good article in TheStreet by Simon Constable talks about how Rupert Murdoch is good for the newspaper business, as he offers up "vigorous competition," which should make the industry even better. Constable goes on to say it's really what...
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May16
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Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) is coming under increasing fire for offering x-rated movies as part of their entertainment menu. This is significant because Marriott positions themselves as a business that serves families. Does Marriott actually think that families get together to...
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May15
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The unlikely run of Syesha Mercado came to an end last night on American Idol, as fans voted for David Cook and David Archuleta to face off in the Idol finale this year. Several times during the reality show competition...
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May14
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The sequel in the popular Chronicles of Narnia Series, Prince Caspian, is tracking strong as its opening approaches on Friday, as numbers show it's favorable to Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix right before it opened.One statistic Caspian...
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Kelsey Grammer announced Tuesday that Fox (NYSE:NWS-A) had decided to drop his sitcom "Back to You," saying that it came as a surprise to him, as "We were told all this time we were in good shape and we were...
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May13
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Rapper Remy Ma will get eight years in prison for shooting an acquaintance in the stomach. Makeda Barnes Joseph was shot while the two fought over $3,000 in July, 2007, outside a NYC nightclub. Ma could have been incarcerated for...
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Last night during the TV show Medium, local WNBC 4 TV newscaster Sue Simmons was doing a story promo for the 11 p.m. news, when she suddenly screeched out, "What the F**k are you doing," when she thought they were...
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May12
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Who are the winners and losers of the bidding to acquire Newsday? The losers aren't Mort Zuckerman or Rupert Murdoch, and neither is the winner Cablevision (nyse:CVC), which paid about $70 million more than its competitors for the newspaper property.One...
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May11
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Dottie Rambo, one of the more prolific songwriters of her generation, died in the early hours of Sunday morning as her tour bus hit an embankment after running off the highway. She was on her way to a Mother's Day...
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The two new releases this weekend didn't make a dent in the new Iron Man franchise, as combined they weren't able to knock last weeks box office champ off the pedestal.Iron Man took the No. 1 spot again this weekend,...
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May10
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Michael Conner Humphreys was the actor who played the role of young Forrest Gump in the movie, and now that his enlistment in the army is ending on June 4, Hollywood has already beckoned him back to the industry, as...
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May 9
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The "Duggars," who are featured on the Discovery Health, are now expecting their 18th child, as Michelle Duggar announced she's 6 weeks along with their latest addition.According to the Duggars, Michelle Duggar, 41, is due to deliver the baby on...
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Brea Grant will play the part of "Speedster" on Heroes during the next season, as the series just got started back into production last week. Grant played the role of a love interest of Landry in Friday Night Lights named...
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May 8
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In a plea bargain, former San Francisco radio talk show host Bernie Ward has offered a guilty plea to a single count of using the Internet to send child pornography. Even so, the defense lawyer for Ward, Doron weinberg, asked...
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Three officials who claim to be close to the situation, say Harvey Weinstein threatened to cut off campaign donations to Democrats (in a conversation with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi), if she didn't consider a revote in the Democratic presidential primaries...
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Eddy Arnold, who by virtue of the number of charting singles was the most popular country music performer in the 20th century, died early today at the age of 89.While many people label Eddy Arnold as a country music performer,...
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May 7
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News Corp. (NYSE:NWS-A) continued the big media success of the last quarter, as the company reported quarterly profits that were three times what they were in their third fiscal quarter ending in December 2007. All the major media companies exceeded...
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An arbitrator in the sexual-harassment claim made by former Weather Channel anchorwoman Hillary Andrews against colleague Bob Stokes, found that Stokes had subjected Andrews to "severe and pervasive" sexual harrassment. The reason an abitrator was used is the terms of...
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May 6
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The major media companies continue to surprise in their earnings, as the latest to exceed expectations is the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE:DIS), which enjoyed an increase in net income for the 2nd quarter of 22 percent. Much of that increase...
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While quarterly reports have been a great surprise for the media and entertainment industry, the news that the talks between the Hollywood studios and the Screen Actors Guild have broken off isn't.About an hour and a half after a deadline...
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Saying she's sick of the "sex, drugs and sleaze on screen," Christina Ricci said she wants to dedicate her career to making films for the family.It's odd to hear Ricci say this, as her roles have been anything but wholesome...
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May 5
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While some have been tying in the performance of "Iron Man" over the weekend as one of the reasons Marvel Entertainment Inc. (NYSE:MVL) increased its profit guidance for 2008, the company asserted it had nothing to do with it at all,...
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May 4
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There was no doubt that Iron Man was going to perform well on its opening weekend, as it marketing was done very well, and buzz reached the right level at the right time. But I didn't think we were going...
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May 3
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For those who get caught up into the excitement of the Kentucky Derby, this is a reminder that the post time for the race is 6:04 pm EST. This year the race can be seen on NBC (NYSE:GE), with coverage...
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May 2
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After extraordinary pressure earlier in the presidential campaigns of Democrats by far left Web sites like DailyKos, Huffington Post and MoveOn to not appear on the Fox News Network, the candidates have completely thrown that pressure to the wind now,...
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An unnamed source close to the situation disclosed to Anthony Gargano of Philadelphia's WIP Radio that Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison is the subject of an investigation for a shooting which took place earlier in the week in Philadelphia.Harrison...
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Viacom (NYSE:VIA-B) reported their quarterly results Friday, and it was good news, as both revenue and profits exceeded Wall Street expectations. Revenue in the first quarter grew by 15 percent to come in at $3.1 billion, while analysts looked for...
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Over the first four months this year, job cuts in America have increased by 9 percent over the same period last year, reaching 290.671. As far as percentages go, the media industry is over 6 times as bad, ending the...
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May 1
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Deborah Jeane Palfrey, who was convicted recently of running a high-end prostitution ring, committed suicide in Florida. Her body was discovered in a shed close to the home of her mother's house.The story of Palfrey running the prostitution ring made...
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