Archive for May 16th, 2008

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Mountain Dew makes its return to film production with its new skateboard documentary, “Deathbowl to Downtown,” which follows the rise of street-skating in New York’s shifting urban landscapes from the ’70s to the present. The documentary, which took three years to make, is as much a sports action video as it is a look back at the Big Apple.

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Bit by bit, we get closer to the soon-to-be-sped-through biopic on George W. Bush, W – remember, although it hasn’t been completely cast, and is just one day into production, it will hit theaters this October. We’ve got Josh Brolin as Dubya, Elizabeth Banks as Laura, Rob Corddry as Ari Fleischer, James Cromwell as George Sr., Ellen Burstyn as Barbara, Thandie Newton as Condoleeza, Ioan Gruffudd as Tony Blair, and Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell.

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LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) — “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain,” declares Aaron Eckhart in the forthcoming Warner Bros. summer blockbuster “Batman: The Dark Knight.”

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CANNES “Speed” helmer Jan de Bont is to reprise Kathryn Bigelow’s iconic surfer movie “Point Break.”

Pic is being financed and exec produced by Singapore’s RGM Entertainment and launched into international markets this week by L.A.-based sales company Essential Entertainment. Singapore’s Media Development Authority is also financing. Original scripter W. Peter Iliff has penned the screenplay for the new movie, which takes place in Singapore and Indonesia 20 years after the disappearance of Patrick Swayze character Bodhi.

Story and casting details remain under wraps though RGM said several major stars have been approached.

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nivision tried a new tactic Wednesday in its ongoing quest to persuade advertisers to spend more on Spanish-language TV–a metaphor.

At its upfront event, the network suggested that it’s in the position that both country music and NASCAR were before they took off as cultural touchstones. In that vein, it advanced the argument that advertisers should lead a trend, not lag it.

The metaphor allowed it to put a new spin on its pitch: With the Hispanic population reaching 15% of the U.S. (and growing) and its buying power surging, Spanish-language TV is an essential part of a media plan.

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MILAN — Italian broadcaster Mediaset and French group Quinta will announce the purchase of an affiliate of a U.S. studio during the Cannes Film Festival, according to Italian press reports.The daily Finanza & Mercati said the pair would release details on an acquisition in the TV and film sector on May 21, toward the end of the fest.

An affiliate of Universal Studios may be the target, the report suggests.

The two companies confirmed there would be an announcement on May 21 regarding an international deal, but gave no further details. A spokeswoman for Universal’s Italian division, Simona Pedroli, said she was unable to comment on the claims.

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Daniel Day-Lewis is in talks to star in “Nine,” the musical Rob Marshall is directing for the Weinstein Co.Day-Lewis would play the role of Guido Contini, replacing Javier Bardem, who dropped out of a planned fall start, stating he was exhausted from work and awards season. The role is a famous film director who experiences personal and creative crisis while trying to balance all the women in his life.

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CANNES — The launch of distributor PiX may be a lifeline for some foreign sales agents who have been starved of good news from the Japanese market in recent years. Headed by Mio Sato, former head of Elephant Pictures, the company is a specialty label backed by the heavyweight Avex music, talent management and movies group.

Sato said PiX will acquire four or five arthouse movies per year, predominantly English-language titles with established helmers and strong scripts. One of its first pick-ups — from a Japanese helmer — is Cannes’ Un Certain Regard title “Tokyo Sonata” by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

“We are a director-driven company,” Sato said. “Not because directors are the sales pitch, but because a good director makes the difference. Cast and script quality on their own are not enough.”

Territory, which was once famous for its deep-pocketed buyers, has recently seen steep drops in prices paid by distribs and fewer films picked up. Reasons include the surge of local fare produced by TV companies, the peaking of the DVD market, sky high P&A costs and a concentration by TV buyers on local movies. Japan no longer even provides the runaway art-house hits that once occupied theaters for months and appeared to defy B.O. gravity.

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Bravo, Apple, Showtime, HBO, Absolut and Levi were cited as the gay-friendliest brands, in a study released this week by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo. On the other hand, Wal-Mart, Dunkin Donuts, Cracker Barrel, Exxon Mobil and Samsung received the lowest marks.

The Prime Access/PlanetOut Gay and Lesbian Consumer Study, which claims to be one of the largest studies of gay and lesbian consumer habits and brand perceptions, surveyed 2,259 adults of which 757 identified themselves as homosexuals. It was conducted by Clark, Martire & Bartolomeo, an Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based opinion research firm. More than two-thirds of gay and lesbian consumers said they were more likely to buy from a company they consider gay-friendly and 71% said they favored brands that include gay imagery in their advertising, as Levi Strauss did last year with a TV ad for Levi’s 501 jeans.

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TNT said it will air episodes of a microseries sponsored by Dodge and AT&T during commercial breaks in its prime-time programming this summer.

The microseries, called “Lucky Chance,” was produced by Full Circle Entertainment and Espionage. Comprised of 20 two-minute episodes, the series follows an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent who drives a Dodge Challenger and uses AT&T mobile technology to complete his mission.

The series will launch July 22, with the first six episodes appearing with an episode of “Bones” that will feature no other national advertisements. Episodes 7 through 10 will appear during back-to-back episodes of “Law & Order” on July 23. The final 10 episodes will appear on July 29, through episodes of “Law & Order,” “Bones” and another episode of “Bones” with limited commercial breaks.

Spots urging viewers to tune in to see “Lucky Chance” will promote the involvement of AT&T and Dodge.

The episodes also will appear online after they appear on cable.

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