Category: News (Page 161 of 401)

“Texts From Last Night” would be the first show of its kind

September 10, 2009 /

Texts

Texts From Last Night is a website where users submit raunchy, embarrassing, and funny text messages they either sent or received the previous night. Unfortunately, it’s a sign of our times that drunken behavior can be profitable. And TFLN is doing quite well for themselves, as ads from Apple and American Apparel must bring in some strong revenue. The site is a huge hit with America’s twentysomethings and is now reaching into different mediums.

After strong interest from several networks, Fox landed a multicamera coming-of-age project based on the popular Web site.

Called “a living document of twentysomething life in 2009,” it has become a Web success story since launching in February, averaging 4 million hits a day.

The show will be written by Steve Holland and produced by Sony TV and Happy Madison, Adam Sandler’s production company.

“The show is about twentysomethings in that post-college, pre-the-rest-of-their-lives limbo trying to figure out what to do, and texting is a large part of that,” Holland said.

A couple shows come to mind that are based around funny videos on the Internet. That is one respect in which content on the Internet has crossed over into television. However, “Texts From Last Night” would be the first scripted show spawned from an Internet site. I’ve never heard of that happening before, though it was inevitable. The site is good for a laugh, but because of the low-brow material involved, I’m already annoyed by the show. Doesn’t a better show exist in the lives people create for themselves on Myspace and Facebook? Maybe that was pitched ages ago and nobody wanted to take the chance. Even so, Texts From Last Night averages four million hits a day! That’s astounding, and certainly proves there’s a market for this kind of concept.

News, TV

DC’s turn

September 9, 2009 /

DC-Heroes----Neal-Adams-dc-comics-251225_1024_768

Nikki Finke, who scooped everyone by a little bit on this major development, denies there’s a direct connection. It’s still impossible to not think the Marvel/Disney bombshell of less than a fortnight ago isn’t related to this slightly less incendiary news: Time Warner is restructuring venerable DC Comics as DC Entertainment, placing it under the direct control of Warner Brothers and its head, Jeffrey Robinov.

Actually running DC will be Diane Nelson, whom Finke describes as a “brilliant marketer” and credits with the successful marketing of the Harry Potter movie franchise. (She’s also been involved with the direct-to-video DC animated titles that have been coming out recently.) No longer running DC comics will be Paul Levitz, a very well regarded writer and editor whose been associated with the company since his teens and whose been the company’s president since 2002. Levitz will remain as a writer, editor, and consultant — who I hope they actually listen to.

The general verdict on this seems to be that DC is playing catch-up with Marvel’s broader use of its character roster. Though I don’t follow the comic book world the way I used to, my default mode on this was to be slightly dismayed to see a creative like Levitz replaced by a marketer in the top spot, however “brilliant.” In her initial post on the topic ace comics blogger Heidi MacDonald had this to say:

The moves are mostly aimed at shoring up Warner’s movie slate….Where will comics fit? Probably (our own guess) as a smaller and smaller part of the empire.

She also ventures a thought on the long-in-development “Wonder Woman” movie.

Some of you will recall that Robinov is notorious for his “no movies with female leads” edict, which led to the Kate Beckinsale led WHITEOUT being kept on ice for two years.

I don’t read her as regularly as I’d like because I don’t follow comics regularly, but Ms. MacDonald is one of the best there is at this media blogging game. Seems like a fair assessment and a warning worth listening to on both counts. Certainly Robinov’s sub-moronic move in 2007 could give people pause, though it might be less an example of blatant sexism than the kind of bizarre thinking that often runs Hollywood: If I have a hit with a panda one year because I made a great movie starring a panda, then suddenly pandas are the path to success. If, the next year, I make a sucky movie about a koala and it fails because the movie was dull, then koalas are now and forever box office poison. The fact that one was a good movie and the other stank is something studio execs like to ignore because it’s such a sticky and confusing matter. Better to issue pointless edicts about the species, gender, hair color, formats (3-D animation “in!”; 2-D animation “out!”), etc.

Let’s hope that Ms. Nelson insulates DC from that sort of thing, or it’s bad news both for movies and comic books. Something like this probably had to happen, but I certainly hope this doesn’t bland things out in our already too bland media landscape. I also hope that the more diverse DC line, which spans a lot more genres than Marvel, is allowed to stay that way and not turned into a Marvel-like superheroes-only outfit out of some misguided idea of branding. Comics are, if nothing else, a strong idea factory for movie properties and there’s no reason at all to limit the kinds of ideas.

Heidi MacDonald has statements from Paul Levitz and praise for the long-time DC standby, who edited his first comic book at age 20, from others, including herself.

Action Movies, External Entertainment, External Movies, Movies, News

RIP Army Archerd

September 9, 2009 /

Army ArcherdHe might have seemed as much of a permanent Hollywood fixture as the Chinese Theater or Musso & Frank, but columnist Army Archerd, for decades the writer of the “Just for Variety” column, past away yesterday from cancer at the age of 87. Growing up in Los Angeles with a permanent eye fixed on the movies, I was nevertheless rarely a regular Variety reader except when I was lucky enough to be working someplace with a subscription, but Archerd’s importance was obvious.

He was a fairly far cry from the muckraking and abrasive Nikki Finke and a much further cry from the punishing, often vindictive, gossip/entertainment columnists of the past like the mean-spirited but powerful Walter Winchell and Hedda Hopper. Indeed, I had kind of forgotten that the younger Archerd had fought the Hollywood blacklist. Winchell and Hopper had done very much the opposite.

When Archerd broke a personal story about a celebrity it wasn’t to try and “destroy” them and, in the most famous instance, it was a social good — though not everyone thought so at the time. For those who can’t remember the news that aging onetime superstar Rock Hudson had AIDS, it’s hard to explain the importance of the event. It was the first time many had even heard of the disease, which was already devastating the lives of untold numbers of people. Even in L.A., where Hudson’s sexual preference was an open secret even outside the show business world, the news raised the awareness of the quickly spreading disease far beyond the confines of the gay community, where it was already a devastating fact of life. Outside of Hollywood, it was also maybe the moment where “middle America” became aware that some of their favorite performers were not heterosexual.

For me, however, however, Archerd was always the pleasant, calm guy I grew up watching at the Oscars or at the Hollywood Christmas Parade. I was never a regular reader of his column, but he was just always there. I don’t know what to say except that I half expect those cement footprints in front of the theater Sid Grauman built might go away, too. Nikki Finke and, of course, Variety have excellent obituaries up.

Also, see Finke’s comments. Starting off with one by actor/activist Mike Farrell (“MASH”), it’s a pretty moving tribute.

Actors, External Entertainment, External Movies, Movies, News, TV

Tolkien/Harper Collins v. New Line/Warners suit settled

September 8, 2009 /

There is joy in Middle Earth as the suit over the accounting of the immense take of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film cycle has been settled. (Nikki Finke says it was nearly $6 billion.) The terms are being kept secret, but this is a separate matter from the already settled action between New Line and Peter Jackson, which ended his relationship with former New Line Prez Bob Shaye under some extremely acrimonious conditions. This means there’s nothing likely to stand in the way of Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming films of Tolkien’s The Hobbit.

It’s also worth recalling that this isn’t the first time the Tolkiens — who were partners in the suit with the Rupert Murdoch’s Harper Collins publishing megalith — have been allegedly deprived of what’s rightfully theirs and been involved in successful legal action. The question is, what’s more corrupting — the power of cash or you-know-what?

Action Movies, External Movies, Movies, News

Despite struggles, Versus moves ahead with original programming

September 8, 2009 /

Versus

Versus is a Comcast-owned sports channel that sprouted from the Outdoor Life Network in 2006. In recent months, the network has been in a contract dispute with DirecTV, one of the country’s primary cable providers. While DirecTV will likely completely rid themselves of Versus, that isn’t stopping the network from unveiling some original programming

Cabler has greenlit “Sports Jobs with Junior Seau,” with the NFL all-pro linebacker taking on less glamorous tasks in the sports world.

Series, similar to Discovery’s “Dirty Jobs” with host Mike Rowe but not as grimy, will have Seau act as a cornerman in a UFC fight, be a batboy at a Dodgers game and serve as a member of a pit crew in an Indy Car race, among other activities.

Versus, which hasn’t made a decision on whether to renew “Fanarchy” after the show finished its first season last week, will begin broadcasting the NHL on Oct. 1. Net was pulled off DirecTV on Sept. 1 and the two have been in a contentious disagreement over rights fees and whether the satcaster can put Versus on a pay-only digital tier.

Really, Versus? This is the best you can do? There is no doubt Junior Seau has some star power, but it’s primarily focused in San Diego, where he spent 12 years of his football career. Also, let’s not forget that Versus doesn’t broadcast any pro or college football games. They have a contract with the NHL and have a strong selection of regular season and postseason coverage. This is where the network shines. Yet, most football fans (i.e. those interested in Junior Seau) have never heard of the Versus network. And why should they?

While it’s not a bad idea for Versus to reach into the reality spectrum, they need to choose their programming wisely. They’re already on thin ice as it is — pun intended.

News, Reality TV, TV, TV Reality

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