Category: media

“In a hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee on the proposed $30-billion marriage between cable giant Comcast and NBC Universal, [Rep. Maxine] Waters used her time to question [NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff] Zucker about why the network has not done better in creating shows that would appeal to the black community.”

“The big surprise last week during the Berlin Film Festival was a disastrous premiere for a long-awaited feature film, Jud Süß – Rise and Fall … Another film that takes even more outrageous liberties with Nazi history, moreover – Inglourious Basterds, by Quentin Tarantino – has been praised far and wide by German critics. The main difference appears to be that one film has an American director, while the other is German.”

“The agreement was announced just hours before Tim Burton’s 3D movie was due to have its world premiere at Odeon’s Leicester Square flagship, in the presence of Prince Charles.” Odeon had been the sole holdout in a boycott of the film over “Disney’s plan to shorten the theatrical run by bringing forward the DVD release date.”

The conviction of three Google executives in an Italian court “could have sweeping implications worldwide for Internet freedom: It suggests that Google is not simply a tool for its users, as it contends, but is effectively no different from any other media company, like newspapers or television, that provides content and could be regulated.”

“The closely-watched case, which involved major studios such as Warner Bros, Disney, Paramount, Columbia and Twentieth Century Fox, was seen as an ambitious attempt to force ISPs to act against piracy.”

“If the Olympics are a celebration of athletic excellence, of the human spirit triumphing over the limitations of the human body, why do we insist, like a bunch of preschoolers, on talking all the way through them?”

Imploring “a federal judge yesterday to slash the jury award or order a new trial … Harvard law professor Charles Nesson said the 1999 federal law applied by the jury to calculate damages caused by his client, Joel Tenenbaum, had ‘produced absurd results’ and a grossly excessive award that violated Tenenbaum’s constitutional rights.”

Los Angeles “has been low key — some would say complacent — when it comes to singing the praises of filming close to home,” but an upcoming campaign will herald the economic benefits to the city. In addition to billboards and PSAs, “[e]xpect to see production trucks plastered with banners trumpeting how many jobs were created on a given show.”

“On the one hand, a twist ending can turn a movie into a conversation piece since it is, quite literally, the last thing we see before we leave the theater. … But there’s undoubtedly a risk for a movie that relies on a surprise ending should that ending become known. And, increasingly, that’s a danger.”

“If ‘Our Little Genius’ had aired it’s a pretty safe bet that — if the allegations about the show are true — the show might have found itself in violation of government regulations. But the idea that it may look to penalize Fox for a show it decided was not worthy of broadcast has caught many Washington insiders by surprise.”