Watchmen Trial Update January 11, 2009 4:59 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Watchmen.add a comment
The chances are looking up that Watchmen will make its March 6th release. The two studios at the center of the conflict, Fox and Warner Bros, have asked federal judge Gary A. Feess to delay the upcoming hearing because “settlement talks have been productive”. That’s great news considering the sides had been assumed to be very much apart on settling. The request surprised Feess, who noted that earlier in the week Warner Bros. asked to move the trial to before January 20th because they wanted a quicker decision on whether or not they could release the film on 6th of March.
Lou Karasik, who is representing Fox, told the judge that the delay would be “very, very helpful” to settlement discussions he calls “productive.”
In other news related to this lawsuit, producer Larry Gordon has joined Lloyd Levin in talking about the legal issue. The producer sent a lengthy letter to judge Feess. Read about it at THR.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Friday, January 9, 2009 January 10, 2009 6:15 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
On the strength of the return of original programming and the second season premiere of Flashpoint, CBS easily won the night. Ghost Whisperer was the night’s most-watched program, but Flashpoint is really the highlight. It improved upon last July’s season premiere by an impressive 24% among viewers (+1.93M) and 16% among adults 18-49.
ABC followed in second place with better than average showings from Wife Swap and Supernanny, which returned with new episodes, and 20/20, which capped off the night as the network’s most-watched program.
NBC even got in on some of the good ratings, with the premiere of Howie Do It posting a respectable near 8-million viewers and improving upon last week’s time-slot occupant Deal or No Deal by 50% in the key A18-49 demo.
The CW failed to break 1.5 million viewers for either of its returning comedies Everybody Hates Chris or The Game, each of which was off by double-digits from their last new episodes.
Fox placed fourth place with a repeat of the movie Bruce Almighty.
Rose Bowl Up 10%, FOX BCS Games Up 13% (12% Overall) January 9, 2009 5:16 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in BCS National Championship Game, Broadcast TV Ratings, College Football, Nielsen TV Ratings, Sports, Television.add a comment
With the College Football season, and therefore Bowl season, over, it’s time to take a quick look at how the ratings turned out for this year’s set of major games: Rose Bowl; Orange Bowl; Sugar Bowl; Fiesta Bowl and the National Championship.
Here’s how the respective telecast’s this year stack up to last season (numbers in parenthesis for the 2009 numbers indicate the change from the year prior–red represents a decrease, green represents an increase):
Rose Bowl (ABC)
- 2009: Penn State vs. USC – 1/1/2009
- Households – 11.7/21 (+6%)
- Viewers – 20.60M (+10%/+1.85M)
- Adults 18-49 – 6.5/20 (+3%)
- 2008: Illinois vs. USC – 1/1/2008
- Households – 11.0/19
- Viewers – 18.75M
- Adults 18-49 – 6.3/18
Orange Bowl (FOX)
- 2009: Cincinnatti vs. Virginia Tech – 1/1/2009
- Households – 5.4/9 (-27%)
- Viewers – 9.32M (-22%/-2.64M)
- Adults 18-49 – 3.0/8 (-30%)
- 2008: Kansas vs. Virginia Tech – 1/3/2008
- Households – 7.4/12
- Viewers – 11.96M
- Adults 18-49 – 4.3/12
Sugar Bowl (FOX)
- 2009: Alabama vs. Utah – 1/2/2009
- Households – 7.8/13 (+11%)
- Viewers – 13.37M (+14%/+1.67M)
- Adults 18-49 – 4.3/12 (-9%)
- 2008: Hawaii vs. Georgia – 1/1/2008
- Households – 7.0/12
- Viewers – 11.70M
- Adults 18-49 – 4.7/12
Fiesta Bowl (FOX)
- 2009: Texas vs. Ohio State – 1/5/2009
- Households – 10.4/17 (+35%)
- Viewers – 17.06M (+40%/+4.90M)
- Adults 18-49 – 6.0/16 (+36%)
- 2008: West Virginia vs. Oklahoma – 1/2/2008
- Households – 7.7/13
- Viewers – 12.16M
- Adults 18-49 – 4.4/12
BCS National Championship (FOX)
- 2009: Florida vs. Oklahoma – 1/8/2009
- Households – 15.8/25 (+10%)
- Viewers – 26.77M (+16%/+3.70M)
- Adults 18-49 – 9.5/25 (+16%)
- 2008: LSU vs. Ohio State – 1/7/2008
- Households – 14.4/22
- Viewers – 23.07M
- Adults 18-49 – 8.2/21
Overall, the four BCS games on Fox and the Rose Bowl on ABC averaged the following numbers this year: 10.2/17 HH rating/share, 17.42M viewers, 5.9/16 A18-49 rating/share. In 2008, the same five games averaged the following numbers: 9.5/16 HH rating/share, 15.53M viewers, 5.6/15 A18-49 rating/share. That represents a change of 8% among households, 12%/1.90M among viewers and 5% among adults 18-49.
If you’re interested in separating out the Rose Bowl from the four BCS bowls, here’s the average, and comparison, of the four FOX BCS games:
- Households – 9.1/15 to 9.9/15 (+9%)
- Viewers – 14.72M to 16.60M (+13%/+1.88M)
- Adults 18-49 – 5.4/14 to 5.7/15 (+6%)
As you can see, despite the weak performance of this year’s Orange Bowl and the slight decrease among adults 18-49 for the Sugar Bowl, FOX still saw a solid increase in viewership over the year prior.
While I wish we could get a playoff system in college football, the sport remains very strong, as is evidenced by the ratings above. Then again, it’s hard to imagine interest wouldn’t grow even more if there was a playoff system. Is there really anyone out there that wouldn’t want to see a matchup between the Gators and Trojans (or even Utah, who afterall did go undefeated)?
Mad Men Season 3 and The Prisoner Premiere This Summer January 9, 2009 4:10 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in AMC, Mad Men, News, Television, The Prisoner.add a comment
At AMC’s Television Association panel on Thursday, president Charlie Collier announced that the period series Mad Men will return for its third season this summer. That despite continued contract negotiations between producer Lionsgate TV and creator/executive producer Matthew Weiner:
“As long as we get the writers’ room up and running over the next few months, we’re fine (for a summer launch),” Collier told reporters after the sesh, adding that he’s optimistic that an agreement with Weiner will be reached soon.
AMC also announced that Mad Men will lead into the launch of The Prisoner, the network’s six-part series remake of the classic 1960s British drama of the same name.
Source: Variety
Broadcast TV Ratings for Thursday, January 8, 2009 January 9, 2009 4:00 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.1 comment so far
FOX’s presentation of the FedEx BCS National Championship Game between the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners propelled the network to an easy win, besting last year’s presentation by 16% among viewers and adults 18-49.
Elsewhere on the evening, ABC returned dramas Ugly Betty, Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice (which debuted in its new timeslot). The network finished in second place, but it was really at the expense of its programming. Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy fell by double digits among households and viewers. The only bright spot was Private Practice which made a mostly successful jump to a new night, with growth of 37% among viewers and 43% among adults 18-49. Retention levels weren’t great–66% among viewers and 65% among adults 18-49–but it’s a good start.
NBC meanwhile suffered most from the decision to air new programming against the BCS Championship. All of the network’s shows fell by double digits (20%+ in most cases) and 30 Rock, which aired out of a repeat of The Office fell the most. The show was off a depressing 29% among viewers and 39% among adults 18-49.
CBS’s lineup of repeats were good enough to keep the network in third place. The CW was fifth among the five major networks with repeats of Smallville and Supernatural.
My full analysis follows after the jump. (more…)
Film Trailers to Feature Heavily at Super Bowl January 9, 2009 3:21 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movie Trailers, Movies, News, Television.1 comment so far
Variety is reporting that movie studios will be premiering several trailers during NBC’s Super Bowl telecast on February 1st. A 30-second spot has been set at $3 million (up 11% from last year’s going rate of $2.7 million), but studios are are waiting so they can pay less for last minute spots. Here are some excerpts from Variety:
Confirmed for this year’s roster are high-profile titles like Paramount’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” “Star Trek” and “G.I. Joe”; Sony’s “Angels and Demons”; DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens”; and Universal’s “Land of the Lost” and its fourth installment in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. Disney is also planning to use the game to raise the profile for Pixar’s next toon, “Up,” while a “Wolverine” spot is likely from Fox.
As of Thursday, Fox had yet to buy any time during the game. Should it do so at the last minute, “Wolverine,” “Night at the Museum 2” and “Ice Age” are the pics it’s most likely to promote.
Disney is remaining tight-lipped about its Super Bowl strategy, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it buys time for Dwayne Johnson starrer “Race to Witch Mountain” and Jerry Bruckheimer’s “G-Force.” The Mouse House typically airs two spots — one devoted to a toon and one to a live-action release.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen One-Sheet January 8, 2009 10:16 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movie Posters, Movies, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.1 comment so far
Paramount has released the official one-sheet teaser movie poster for Tranformers: Revenge of the Fallen on Yahoo! Movies.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits theaters on June 26, 2009.
Broadcast TV Ratings for Wednesday, January 7, 2009 January 8, 2009 7:27 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Broadcast TV Ratings, News, Nielsen TV Ratings, Television.add a comment
Open Letter from Watchmen Producer January 8, 2009 4:37 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Watchmen.1 comment so far
Lloyd Levin, one of the producers of this year’s upcoming film Watchmen got in touch with HitFix about the legal battle that’s currently raging between Warner Bros. and Fox. Lloyd has offered an open letter regarding the Watchmensuit and the 20-year struggle to get the project on screen. It’s a very interesting read, so check it out below (and continue through the jump to read the entire letter).
“Watchmen. A producer’s perspective.
An open letter.
Who is right? In the Watchmen dispute between Warner Brothers and Fox that question is being discussed, analyzed, argued, tried and ruled on in a court of law. That’s one way to answer the question – It is a fallback position in our society for parties in conflict to resolve disputes. And there are teams of lawyers and a highly regarded Federal Judge trying to do just that, which obviates any contribution I could make towards answering the “who is right” question within a legal context. But after 15 plus years of involvement in the project, and a decade more than that working in the movie business, I have another perspective, a personal perspective that I believe important to have on the public record.
More after the jump.
First Look at Star Trek Movie Props January 8, 2009 4:22 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, Photos, Star Trek.add a comment
Lenovo, a promotional partner for Paramount’s Star Trek, is displaying three props from the new film at CES in Las Vegas. TrekMovie has the first look at Kirk’s communicator, Dr. McCoy’s medical tricorder and Uhura’s communications unit:
Click here to read more about the props and to get a closer a look.
Barack Obama Featured in Upcoming Issue of The Amazing Spider-Man January 8, 2009 4:01 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Comics, News, Photos.1 comment so far
Marvel Comics has announced that issue No. 583 of The Amazing Spider-Man will hit stands on January 14th with two different covers, one of which will be a special Inauguration Day edition that features President-elect Barack Obama alongside Spider-Man.
Marvel says that the President-elect was a natural fit to be featured in the comic, given his history with the medium:
“When we heard that President-Elect Obama is a collector of Spider-Man comics, we knew that these two historic figures had to meet in our comics’ Marvel Universe,” says Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada. “Historic moments such as this one can be reflected in our comics because the Marvel Universe is set in the real world. A Spider-Man fan moving into the Oval Office is an event that must be commemorated in the pages of ‘Amazing Spider-Man.’”
Click to enlarge.
Source: LA Times Hero Complex Blog
The Dark Knight Gets PGA, WGA and DGA Nominations January 8, 2009 3:47 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, The Dark Knight.1 comment so far
The prospects of The Dark Knight receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, a feat many suspected a comic-book movie would never achieve, have increased greatly over the past few days. That’s because the film has received several key nominations by: the Producer’s Guild of America, the Writer’s Guild of America and today, the Director’s Guild of America.
Here are the other nominees for those respective groups:
Producer’s Guild of America (Best Picture)
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- The Dark Knight
- Frost/Nixon
- Slumdog Millioinaire
Writer’s Guild of America (Adapted Screenplay)
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Doubt
- Frost/Nixon
- Slumdog Millionaire
Director’s Guild of America (Best Director)
- David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
- Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon)
- Gus Van Sant (Milk)
- Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)
New Wonder Woman Images + Q&A With Virginia Madsen January 8, 2009 12:00 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Blu-ray, DVD, Images, Movies, News, Wonder Woman.1 comment so far
Another week, another set of new images from Wonder Woman, Warner Bros’ upcoming DC Universe straight-to-video film. This week also sees a brand new interview with Academy Award-nominee Virginia Madsen, who voices Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. Click to enlarge the images, and be sure to head over the jump to read the new Q&A and to see two more images.
Official Plot Synopsis:
Produced by the multiple Emmy® Award winning animation legend Bruce Timm, Wonder Woman is an origin– story and features a stellar celebrity voice cast including Keri Russell (Waitress, Felicity), Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Virginia Madsen (Sideways), Rosario Dawson (Sin City), Oliver Platt (The West Wing) and David McCallum (NCIS). Wonder Woman begins on the mystical island of Themyscira, where a proud and fierce warrior race of Amazons resides. They have raised Princess Diana, a daughter of stunning beauty, extraordinary strength and incredible fighting prowess. Diana possesses a host of super human powers granted to her by the gods and goddesses of Olympus and her strength and stamina are unparalleled. When Air Force fighter pilot Steve Trevor crash lands on the island, the rebellious and headstrong Diana defies Amazonian law by accompanying Trevor back to civilization. Meanwhile, Ares (the God of War) has escaped his imprisonment at the hands of the Amazons and has decided to exact his revenge by starting a world war that will destroy them all. It is up to Princess Diana to save her people and the world by using her gifts to become the ultimate Wonder Woman.
http://www.wonderwomanmovie.com
Wonder Woman hits DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def on March 3, 2009.
HBO To Air Obama Opening Inaugural Ceremonies January 8, 2009 11:35 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in HBO, News, Television.add a comment
HBO will be broadcasting President-elect Barack Obama’s opening inaugural ceremonies at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18th. The events leading up to the Inauguration on January 20th is being billed as a star-studded event with top performers from the music and entertainment fields. According to Obama’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, the ceremony will be free and open to the public, but HBO will get the exclusive rights to show it. HBO will make the 9o-minute event available for free to all consumers, regardless if they have a subscription to the premium network.
For those without cable or satellite subscriptions, Brent Colburn, a spokesman for Obama’s inaugural committee, said they “are working on details on how we can amplify the event beyond HBO.”
Entertainment for the event has yet to be announced, but sources have indicated that Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce and Stevie Wonder have been approached about performing some time during the four days of events planned for Obama’s inaugural.
It’s still unclear if the event will be carried live, or via tape delay.
Source: Variety
Watch The Prisoner (the Original Series) Online for Free January 8, 2009 11:25 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in AMC, News, Television, The Prisoner.add a comment
In anticipation of its upcoming broadcast of the remake of The Prisoner that will star Jim Caviezel and Sir Ian McKellan, AMC is making available the entire original series on its website for free. Watch the series at this link. The Prisoner mini-series will premiere later this year.
Watchmen Updates: New Viral Site, Spin-Off Given R-Rating + New Photos January 8, 2009 11:15 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Photos, Watchmen.add a comment
Just a couple additional updates to report this morning on Warner Bros’ Watchmen on top of the trial news reported earlier this morning. First up, Warner Bros. has launched a new viral site: TheNewFrontiersman.net. The website is in reference to the far right-wing magazine featured in the Watchmen comic that Rorschach gets much of his conspiracy theory-obsessed news from. Photos, video and more is expected in the coming weeks.
Also, RopesofSilicon that the Watchmen comic-within-a-comic Tales of the Black Freighter, which will be released on DVD, has been given an R-Rating by the MPAA for “Violent and Grisly Images.”
And finally, TotalFilm Magazine has some brand new photos from the film. I’ve included two on this article, click to enlarge, check out the rest right here.
Watchmen, if all goes well with the trial, will hit theaters on March 6, 2009.
First Look at Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge January 8, 2009 11:00 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in A Christmas Carol, Movies, News.add a comment
Filmz.ru has posted a high-res photo of Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge for Robert Zemeckis’ A Christmas Carol. Click to enlarge. MarketSaw also has a promotional poster for the film that utilizes the same image, but is not as high-res. Check that out here.
A Christmas Carol, which like Zemeckis’ prior films, was shot using performance capture and will be shown in conventional and 3D theaters on November 6, 2009. The film also stars Colin Firth as Fred and Gary Oldman as Bob Cratchit, Marley and Tiny Tim. Carrey will also portray Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.
Warner Bros. Wants Watchmen Decision To Come Sooner Than the 20th January 8, 2009 10:45 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Watchmen.1 comment so far
Warner Bros. has asked Judge Gary A. Feess to decide whether to issue an injunction against the fim’s release sooner than January 20th. The studio wants the hearing moved up to as early as Monday because “time is critical.” The issue at hand is Warner Bros. must soon commit to tens of millions of dollars in marketing costs for a film that it is unsure it can release. For more details on this issue, including background of Fox’s case and what may lie ahead in terms of litigation, check out this piece at The Hollywood Reporter.
Taylor Lautner Reprising His Role in Twilight Sequel, New Moon January 8, 2009 10:15 am
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, New Moon, News, Twilight.add a comment
The rumors that Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black) would be replaced for New Moon, the sequel to Summit Entertainment’s Twilight, have turned out to be false. The studio and new director Chris Weitz announced today that Lautner would be reprising his role as the character:
Weitz noted there has been speculation about whether Lautner could portray the character who goes through many changes physically, including growing taller and bulkier and aging 10 years. The 16-year-old Lautner has been spending time in the gym, trying to add 19 pounds of muscle. Weitz added that Lautner is “emotionally right” for the part.
New Moon hits theaters on November 20, 2009.
Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell In Discussions to Star in Iron Man 2 January 7, 2009 8:19 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Iron Man 2, Movies, News.add a comment
Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell are both in talks to star as villains in the Jon Favreau-directed sequel, Iron Man 2. Rourke’s character would be a Russian named Ivan who has deadly, technologically enhanced coils according to THR.
Rockwell is in talks to play Justin Hammer, a multibillionaire businessman and rival of Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man.
Iron Man 2 is scheduled to hit theaters on May 7, 2010.
Judge Will Issue Watchmen Release Decision on January 20th January 7, 2009 8:08 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Watchmen.add a comment
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that lawyers for 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros. have both agreed to forgo a trial and let a federal judge decide on whether or not Warner Bros. will be allowed to release Watchmen on March 6th, as scheduled. A preliminary ruling on December 24th by Judge Gary A. Feess ruled that Fox owned a copyright interest in releasing the film.
Ghostbusters Hitting Blu-ray in June January 7, 2009 4:50 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Blu-ray, Ghostbusters, Movies.add a comment
Sony has confirmed that the 25th Anniversary Edition DVD of Ghostbusters that will be released on June 16, 2009 will be accompanied by a Blu-ray release of the film as well. Here are the Blu-ray exclusive features:
- Slimer Mode: Picture-in-Picture graphical viewing experience with an examination of the spook-hunters’ firehouse headquarters, an in-depth exploration of the creatures in the Ghostbusters mythology, behind-the-scenes discussions of making the movie, new cast, crew and special effects artists interviews and much more!
- Featurette: Ecto-1: Resurrecting the Classic Car
- Ghostbusters Garage: Ecto-1 Gallery
via MovieWeb
Garrett Hedlund Cast as Lead in Tron 2.0 January 7, 2009 4:41 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Movies, News, Tron, Tron 2.0.3 comments
Garrett Hedlund has been cast by Disney to star in Tron 2.0 (official title still forthcoming). Hedlund will play the lead, a man who finds himself pulled into the world of a computer and retracing the steps of a character from the original movie named Kevin Flynn, reports THR.
Mickey Rourke Added to Cast of Stallone’s ‘Expendables’ January 7, 2009 4:37 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Casting, Movies, News, The Expendables.1 comment so far
Mickey Rourke has joined the cast of Sylvester Stallone’s action-adventure film The Expendables. Rourke joins an already extensive cast list of Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, Forest Whitaker and Ben Kingsley.
According to Variety, Rourke will play “an unscrupulous arms dealer who becomes the go-to guy for a group of mercenaries planning to topple a South American dictator.”
The Stallone directed/scripted film begins shooting in March in Brazil.
McG to Direct 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea January 7, 2009 4:29 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in 20, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Movies, News.add a comment
Disney has tapped Terminator Salvation director McG to helm 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Captain Nemo, a family film that is being fast tracked by the studio, according to Variety. Sources said he will be paid $8 million against 7% of gross.
The project is scripted by Bill Marsilli and is an origin story of Nemo as he creates his warship, the Nautilus. Disney hopes to make the film this year.
The 1954 original 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was the first live-action film made by Walt Disney.
Your Entertainment Now 