Archive for February 11th, 2008

What would we do without Variety? The trade confirms tonight what all the movie sites have known for awhile: The first Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer will debut in front of The Spiderwick Chronicles on February 14, and debut on the web shortly thereafter. I’m sure the trailer will hit online prior to its official release, and if it somehow makes it all the way to February 14, many You Tubers will record the thing on their camera phone and it will be up online in no time. And then Paramount will force all of us to post the crappy version (because, c’mon, it’s the first Indy trailer; it could come silent, fuzzy and in lime green — everyone would still post it).

Full Story

Dolby announced today (Monday) that it has developed a new sound-processing system for mobile phones that it said will bring “rich, vibrant surround sound to music, movies, and television programs.” The system was unveiled at the 2008 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. In a statement, François Modarresse, Vice President of Marketing, Dolby Laboratories, said, “We developed Dolby Mobile to help create products that stir the senses and excite people’s imaginations so the industry can deliver on the promise of mobile entertainment.”

Full Story

Despite prime-time ratings shortfalls leading to a sizeable number of makegoods, advertisers are largely foregoing demanding cash back from the broadcast networks, choosing instead to run their commercials in what little first-run programming is available. And demand keeps pushing the price for ad time higher.

“Our clients want their GRPs [gross rating points], not cash back,” said one media buyer who did not want to speak for attribution. “These clients have marketing-campaign needs, so we are working with the networks to get them the best alternative schedules we can.”

Full Story

The tentative agreement between the writers and producers reached over the weekend appears to have rescued the February 24 80th Annual Academy Awards telecast. At a news conference on Sunday, WGA chief negotiator David Young suggested that keeping the Oscars hostage, in effect, helped the union leverage a settlement. “It was going to be a huge thing for the industry to lose the Oscars,” he said. Nevertheless, with less time to prepare, Academy Awards producers are likely to simplify production numbers and entirely eliminate customarily elaborate filmed pieces. And as the principal entertainer of the night, Jon Stewart is expected to face even greater pressure than usual to keep things light and lively.

Martin Scorsese, Steve Bing’s Shangri-La Entertainment and international sales agent Fortissimo Films will reteam for the helmer’s next musically themed effort — a yet-to-be-titled documentary about legendary reggae star Bob Marley.Trio were behind the helmer’s Rolling Stones docu “Shine a Light,” which opened the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday. Tuff Gong Pictures and Shangri-La are producing the pic, which has been authorized by Marley’s family. Docu is set for release on Feb. 6, 2010, on what would have been Marley’s 65th birthday.

Full Story

Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia is getting deeper into the advertising business with the launch of the Nokia Media Network, which claims to bundle mobile ad inventory from over 70 publishers.

To assemble its new network, Nokia has lined up partnerships with Discovery, Reuters, Hearst, Sprint and others in an effort to offer advertisers access to premium inventory across numerous mobile sites, said officials. “The biggest brands in the world trust us with their mobile advertising because they know the Nokia Media Network enables them to reach the largest, highest quality audience on mobile and provides the best ROI,” said Mike Baker, head of Nokia Interactive.
Full Story

Viewers can expect to see ABC bring back new episodes of its highest-rated, veteran scripted shows this spring, but not its three, already renewed freshman Wednesday night shows that won’t be back until the fall, or its average-rated series for which a decision has yet been made for next season.

While the network had no official comment on its programming plans, sources at the network said once the writers get back to work, they will be called on to pen new scripts for Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Ugly Betty, and freshman comedy Samantha Who.

Full Story

With the industry now having picked a winner in the face-off between the two competing high- definition DVD formats, Netflix, Inc. NFLX, the world’s largest online movie rental service, today said that it will move toward stocking high-def DVDs exclusively in the Blu-ray format. Citing the decision by four of the six major movie studios to publish high-def DVD titles only in the Sony-developed Blu-ray format, Netflix said that as of now it will purchase only Blu-ray discs and will phase out by roughly year’s end the alternative high-def format, HD DVD, developed by Toshiba.

Full Story

Preferring the screams of excited tweens to those heard in the horror film The Eye, American audiences filled theaters showing Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour. Actress Cyrus brings to life teenage pop star Hannah Montana, a character carefully nurtured by Disney since her television debut almost two years ago. While the Hannah Montana brand with its line of singing dolls, CDs and DVDs receives the most camera time, Converse sneaks in a cameo on the feet of a few back-up dancers and Jonas Brothers band members. Overall the few brandcameos were woven seamlessly into the film—Alesis synthesizer, Baldwin piano, Sabian cymbal—all branded instruments which you would expect to find in a concert film. The relative brand-light film, of course, gave Disney’s carefully crafted brand the room to shine.

Featured Brands: adidas, Aéropostale, Alesis, Apple, Baldwin, BMW, Coca-Cola, Converse, Nike, Range Rover, Sabian, Yamaha

Full Story

Variety reports that CBS is “moving its Survivor brand into the world of health and fitness” by producing Survivor Supercharged Sunflower Seeds (in stores this March, with 100 percent of the daily recommended dose of vitamins B and C) and the Survivor Fitness Program, which launches this spring in Chicago and apparently incorporates show-like physical challenges. Huh? As EW’s Kristen Baldwin asks, “How is Survivor related to fitness? Those people starve and come out emaciated!” (I’m sure CBS prefers to think of that as pushing oneself to one’s limit.)

Full Story