April 2009 - Posts

CBS dances alone...for now by Company Town

Will CBS jump on the Hulu bandwagon? Such a move would seem to make sense. Hulu already has ABC, NBC and Fox on its service, not to mention tons of library product. It doesn't make any money, but then again...

Ace Ventura, beavers and other exotic creatures by The Hollywood Reporter: Risky Biz Blog

By Steven Zeitchik We've been following movement on "The Beaver" with more than a little interest: Kyle Killen's buzz script, after all, topped the Black List and has been pretty much lauded as some of the best (yet-to-be-produced) writing...
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Hasbro to invest $300 million in Discovery Kids Network by Company Town

Toy maker Hasbro Inc. is getting into the cable TV business, shelling out $300 million to take a 50% stake in Discovery Communications' Discovery Kids Network. Discovery Kids, which is in about 60 million homes, has been a distant runner-up...

Disney joins Hulu by Company Town

The Walt Disney Co. has agreed to join News Corp., NBC Universal and Providence Equity as a joint venture partner of online video site Hulu. Disney will offer full-length episodes of its most popular prime-time shows from its ABC network,...
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Bruce Willis is living hard by The Hollywood Reporter: Risky Biz Blog

By Steven Zeitchik and Borys Kit Action stars may lose their currency as they move into their 50s. But Bruce Willis keeps on raking in the offers. The star, who turned 54 last month, has been in discussions to shoot... Read More...
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Chernin still mum on future, says 'nothing' to Viacom speculation by Company Town

Peter Chernin is still keeping his cards close to his vest about his post-News Corp. plans, but dismissed speculation that he was headed to or being wooed by Viacom. "Nothing, no conversations," he said when asked about rumors that he...

For Wolverine inspiration, Hugh Jackman looked to...Mel Gibson? by The Hollywood Reporter: Risky Biz Blog

By Borys Kit Straight from the mouth of Hugh Jackman comes this unlikely nugget about the actor's upcoming role as Wolverine: he took cues from the original Mad Max. Jackman told a packed crowd at Grauman's Chinese Theatre ahead of... Read More...
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Sumner Redstone vows immortality, hones Borscht Belt act by Company Town

With earnings coming out tomorrow, which means he can't talk business, and CNN's Larry King as his interviewer, Viacom and CBS Chairman Sumner Redstone was able to dodge a grilling during his interview session at the Milken Institute Global Conference...

Nielsen on Twitter: It's so five seconds ago by Company Town

Is Twitter over? (16 characters). Probably not. Yet some new research from Nielsen isn't encouraging for the red-hot social networking site's future in which users post 140-character updates on ... well, anything. The buzz is short-lived, Nielsen...
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Time Warner first-quarter results show steep declines, growth in subscriber fees by Company Town

Don't look for relief on that cable bill anytime soon. Subscription fees for cable networks are going to be the key (maybe the only) revenue driver for the big media conglomerates in the coming years as evidenced by Time Warner's...

Just what did happen to Gordon Gekko? by The Hollywood Reporter: Risky Biz Blog

By Steven Zeitchik Like a teenage boy caught stealing a look inside his neighbor's window, we're stuck on the fence. About a lot of things, come to think of it, but at the moment it's about the revival of Wall... Read More...
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Supreme Court swears in favor of FCC vs. Fox by Company Town

Unlike "American Idol," there's no judge's save rule this season at the Supreme Court, which found against Fox and in favor of the Federal Communications Commission's decision to fine the network for airing expletives by Nicole Richie...
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Hulu continues to boogie by Company Town

Hulu, the online video site owned by NBC Universal and News Corp., continues its hot streak, attracting a record 41.6 million unique viewers in March. That was good enough to make it the fourth-most popular video site behind Google's YouTube,...

William Morris legend Sam Haskell on WMA-Endeavor merger by Company Town

In his heyday as head of worldwide television at the William Morris Agency, Sam Haskell had a powerhouse client roster including George Clooney and Whoopi Goldberg. But Haskell hardly fits the agent stereotype perfected by Jeremy Piven's Ari Gold...

William Morris & Endeavor: Like Newton's Law in action by The Hollywood Reporter: Risky Biz Blog

By Steven Zeitchik We don't usually use this space to cover some of Hollywood's more insidery news, but the merger of William Morris and Endeavor -- officially announced , if not formally consummated, on Monday -- will have broad implications...
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