Archive for December, 2007

‘CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM’ Larry David’s fake cinéma vérité should have worn thin by now; instead the sixth season of this HBO series was sublime, particularly when Larry’s long-suffering wife, Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), called her husband for a final farewell during a terrifyingly turbulent flight, and Larry put her on hold to speak to the TiVo repairman.

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TOKYO — Shigeo Fukuchi, a senior adviser to Asahi Beer company, has been selected as the next prexy of pubcaster NHK. Fukuchi, 73, will be the first outsider in 20 years to take the post. He succeeds current prexy Genichi Hashimoto, whose three-year term has been marred by scandal, viewer rebellion and a subsequent drop in license fees.

But Fukuchi’s selection was not without its own drama. Two board members, Akiko Sugahara and Yukari Tamotsu, made public a letter to board chairman Shigetaka Komori complaining that he forced Fukuchi on them and suppressed all debate.

But Fukuchi won 10 of the 12 board votes, one more than the nine required for approval of his candidacy. Read the rest of this entry »

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LOS ANGELES - The Hollywood writers strike, the iPhone and the “hyper-tabloidization” of television news are among the American Film Institute’s “Moments of Significance” for 2007.

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STOCKHOLM — Svensk’s “Arn — The Knight Templar” achieved the biggest opening ever for a Swedish pic when it was unwrapped on Christmas Day.In its first two days, pic pulled in 160,310 admissions and a gross of 14,336,235 kroner ($2,240,000) from 207 prints, delivering a $10,821 screen average.

Previous record holder was last year’s comedy “Gota Kanal 2,” which took 141,329 admissions in the first two days, earning a gross of 11,274,436 kroner ($1,761,630).

“Arn — The Knight Templar” is directed by Peter Flinth and stars Joakim Natterqvist as Arn. Cast also includes Sofia Helin, Stellan Skarsgard, Michael Nyqvist, Vincent Perez and Simon Callow.

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NEW YORK It’s nothing new to see agency CEOs coming and going each year. But in 2007, most of the activity came on the media agency side, while nearly all of the top 15 traditional ad networks stuck with their CEOs.

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Nice wheels.

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…So, what about advertising?  How are ads inserted into downloaded media and how can these ads stay fresh?  Meaning, if an ad for a new product is inserted, will it get “stale” when the clip is viewed six months later? These are important issues and as far as I can see, the issue of effective advertising into downloadable media is far from being sorted out.

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THERE ARE BOOKSTORES FILLED WITH advice on how to reinvent your business. Network television is filled each week with feel-good stories of against-all-odds, everyday folk who overcome tremendous obstacles to win. It is a common theme in life to possess the desire to achieve and move yourself — and perhaps the world — a little bit forward. As a child traveling with my family, I vividly remember visits to our country’s great historic landmarks and national parks. These summer trips drove home to me the massive amount of building that has taken place in the United States. From the ultra-wide interstate highway network we traversed, to gargantuan landmarks such as the Hoover Dam and Mount Rushmore, generations of Americans had built and designed some of the most impressive structures in the world. Being 12 or 13 at the time, it was only natural to be visually overwhelmed by the sheer scope of these projects. I knew big things probably cost a lot of money, but little did I know the level of emotional investment and collaboration among disparate teams of individuals that would culminate in the construction of such massive projects — and how they impacted each and every citizen of our country in some form or fashion.

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It’s that time of the year again, to look ahead at what the next year might bring. So here are 10 trends that I think will dominate 2008. Seasons Greetings to all and Happy New Year!

1. Playing Monopoly (With Real Money)
Now that the Federal Trade Commission has approved the Google-DoubleClick deal, it appears that the online ad industry is poised to enter a new phase in which one big company controls the bulk of advertising revenues. But anybody who thinks that this controversy is over is dreaming, as there are still big questions remaining (both about the propriety of the decision, given the FTC chairwoman’s ties with a law firm lobbying on behalf of DoubleClick, and about whether the EU will march in line with the FTC, which seems unlikely). There’s a lot at stake in this merger, and so many players at risk, that I’d expect the controversy over monopoly power in the online ad business to heat up to white-hot levels in the first months of 2008.

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A recent episode of ARD’s long-running hit crime series “Tatort” written and directed by Angelina Maccarone has sparked indignation among members of the Alevi community in Germany for what they say was a demeaning portrayal of their religion.The episode, which aired Dec. 23, depicted murder and incest in an Alevi family in Germany, triggering protests and a criminal complaint against the pubcaster.

The Alevis are a liberal Muslim community. The “Tatort” episode, “Wem ehre gebuehrt” (Those Who Deserve Honor), was especially hurtful, they said, because the religious group had long suffered such allegations from rival Sunni Muslims during the Ottoman era — which contributed to their repression under the Ottoman Empire. The Alevis share common beliefs and customs with Shia Muslims.

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