Category: media

“The 25 chosen this year bring the registry total to 475. Both recent and early films are eligible for inclusion, and hundreds are nominated by the public each year. The films are chosen because they are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.”

“Now in its seventh week, the Writers Guild of America walkout has forced producers to reconsider how shows are developed, the type of shows produced and how they’re sold to advertisers.”

“As the Hollywood writers strike drags toward 2008, the video game industry is hoping a lack of fresh episodes in prime-time could motivate more people to pick up video game controllers instead of remotes — especially with the millions of Wiis and copies of “Call of Duty 4″ under Christmas trees this holiday season.”

“With Hollywood sweating over piracy and record labels crying over losses, activity on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks has emerged as the most reliable barometer for determining what’s hot and what’s not among the most tech-savvy media consumers.”

“As cable TV has exploded into hundreds of channels with countless programs, networks must grow increasingly sophisticated to stand out amid the competition, develop an identity and maintain their double-digit annual growth. Some, such as Court TV, have relied as much on psychographics as demographics to figure out who their audience is and how to reach potential viewers.”

“The way Hollywood is trying to goose the number of admissions is a costly exercise in Darwinism: It simply keeps releasing more and more films. In 2004, 474 new movies arrived in the multiplex, according to the Motion Picture Assn. of America. By 2006, the volume of new releases had surged almost 30% to 599. If you had to choose among half a dozen movies opening most weekends, 2007 didn’t seem any less crowded.”

“In the early 1990s, Eastern European cities could entice Hollywood producers with a simple combination of Old World charm and significant cost savings. Now they must dangle technology, experience and even tax reductions in order to lure the multimillion dollar productions. In Hungary, the government has approved a huge tax break for movie productions, and the Romanians may follow suit.”

Queen Elizabeth has set up her own channel on the video-sharing website YouTube and will be posting her annual Christmas Day message on the site this year.

“The Writers Guild of America says its members will be allowed to work for the Spirit Awards honoring independent film despite uncertainties surrounding other awards shows because of the Hollywood writers strike.”

“Trying to handicap the Oscars didn’t get any easier Thursday with the release of the 14th annual Screen Actors Guild Award nominations: The top nominee was Into the Wild, which had been shut out in the acting categories of the Golden Globe nominations last week, while two Golden Globe favorites, Atonement and Sweeney Todd, got nothing.”