“When Univision began broadcasting a show three years ago about the misadventures of 11-year-old identical twin girls who swapped identities after discovering they had been separated at birth, it characterized the episodes as educational programming for children. That decision is expected to cost Univision, the nation’s largest Hispanic network, $24 million” in FCC fines.
Author: sbergman
A Longfellow Renaissance
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow would have turned 200 this year, and celebrations are planned across the U.S., especially in Longfellow’s hometown of Portland, Maine. “With the rise of modernism toward the middle of the 20th century, Longfellow lost much of his luster… But there have been signs of a reversal over the past decade or two amid renewed respect for his poetry and a focus on other aspects of his life.”
Met To Continue Innovating In ’07-’08
“The Metropolitan Opera will present seven new productions next season, the most since it moved into Lincoln Center in 1966, and intensify its campaign to make opera hot — or at least mildly picante in a media-saturated world… The Met [will also] expand its increasingly popular live broadcasts in movie theaters, which started this season, to at least eight from six, and beam them into a handful of New York schools.”
Did The Departed Really Deserve All That?
It was a big Oscar night for Martin Scorsese, who finally won best director, and his latest film, The Departed, which took home the best picture trophy. But there’s been much talk within the business that Scorsese’s win amounts to a lifetime achievement award, rather than a real reflection of The Departed‘s quality as a stand-alone film. But as a genre film, Departed is likely to stand the test of time.
Heinz Berggruen, 93
“Heinz Berggruen, a German-born Jewish art collector who in the mid-1990’s made a powerful gesture of reconciliation by moving his modern art collection to Berlin, died outside Paris on Friday. He was 93.”
The Coming Internet Video Gridlock
The rise of online video, while it has opened many virtual doors, is also creating a bandwidth logjam that threatens to slow the internet to a crawl if it continues unchecked. Peer-to-peer file-trading sites, which are used by a small percentage of the online population but account for more than half of all internet traffic, are largely to blame.
Oscars Take On An International Flavor
“If anyone needed definitive proof that Hollywood has gone international, the Academy Awards provided it. Never in the ceremony’s 79 years have so many artists from other lands been among the nominees… While directing, best picture and most acting awards went to Americans, international artists had a strong presence in many categories. [Helen] Mirren led the way with her win for best actress.”
Sunshine Bright At Spirit Awards
“The misfit family of ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ cruised to easy victory yesterday afternoon at the Spirit Awards, where the road-trip comedy won prizes for best feature, directors, supporting actor Alan Arkin and first screenplay.” Ali Selim’s ‘Sweet Land,’ which has yet to find a distributor despite critical praise on the festival circuit, took the prize for best first feature.
Did ACTRA Strike Cripple Canadian Film Biz?
“A bitter six-week labour dispute between Canadian actors and producers was nearly the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for the country’s already battered film and television industry, which experts say now faces a long, hard, uphill climb along the road to recovery.”
Elo On The Upswing
Boston Ballet’s resident choreographer, Jorma Elo, is notorious for not getting his dances done on time, but his stark, high-energy style has reenergized an often-troubled company. “In recent years, as Elo’s schedule has filled up with prestigious commissions, he’s become known for a particular contemporary spin on ballet… He won’t say what his pieces are meant to convey, or how his own calm demeanor offstage relates to the often frantic energy onstage.”