Category: media

Universal Music is experimenting with the idea of selling CDs and MP3s that do not contain copy-protection technology that has enraged consumer groups and sparked arguments over fair use. “Retailers including Google, Wal-Mart, and Amazon.com, will participate in the DRM-free trial, Universal said. But participants do not include Apple iTunes online music store, the third largest music retailer in the US.”

“A fire has destroyed part of the Cinecitta film studios in Rome, where many classic Italian films were made. However, it did not damage the historic areas where Ben Hur and classics by Federico Fellini were made… The fire began in a store for film sets, destroying sets used in a television series about ancient Rome, produced by HBO and the BBC.”

Cable networks in the US have been taking full advantage of the summer lull in network programming this year, launching ambitious new hourlong dramas to compete directly with the entertainment giants at CBS, ABC, Fox, and NBC. And the strategy is working, to a remarkable extent, drawing not only viewers, but also writers and actors who might previously have been loathe to do a show on basic cable.

The head of a UK television network says that the industry has a lot of work to do to win back viewers’ trust following a series of high-profile scandals involving doctored footage and faked phone-in contests. ITV chief Michael Grade spoke of an “apparent and casual contempt towards viewers” that needs to be overcome.

Oscar voters will no longer be allowed to receive CD copies of the soundtracks to movies nominated for best score or best original song. “The academy’s board of governors took the action amid increasing concern that the flood of ‘for your consideration’ CDs sent by studios and other distributors make it tempting for its members to evaluate the music on their home stereo systems and car CD players, and not in context with the films.”

The battle between Hollywood writers and producers over digital distribution is showing no signs of abating. “The tenor of the contract negotiations has been relatively civil so far, despite the writers’ discomfort with the producers’ initial residuals rollback proposal three weeks ago. But the rhetoric is heating up.”

“Toronto will continue to try to wrest back its title as media-production centre of Canada today when Mayor David Miller announces details of the next phase in the development of North America’s largest studio and media-facilities cluster outside Los Angeles… The highlight of today’s announcement will be the unveiling of a condo-hotel-office building by maverick British architect Will Alsop, based in part on an ill-fated project known as the Cloud, which he originally designed for Liverpool.”

“Parents hoping to raise baby Einsteins by using infant educational videos are actually creating baby Homer Simpsons, according to a new study released today. For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as ‘Brainy Baby’ or ‘Baby Einstein,’ they knew six to eight fewer words than other children, the study found.”

“Lack of coin has put the future of the Ingmar Bergman archive in jeopardy, just a few days after the multihyphenate’s death. The annual budget for the archive is 2 million kroner ($250,000), provided by the Swedish government. But execs say they need $600,000 more to digitize Bergman’s papers. His early notes are written on paper so thin that it is almost impossible to leaf through them.”

“Once upon a time, we thought that the Internet would usher in a new era of free human expression, interconnectedness and understanding. But increasingly we’re finding that it actually nurtures our baser instincts and enables social behaviors that date back to when we lived in caves. … Who needs a scarlet letter when I can embarrass you digitally on the Internet?”