Tag: 04.29.05

Did Hollywood Steal The Crusades?

Author James Reston is considering legal action against director Ridley Scott and movie studio 20th Century Fox after concluding that Scott’s latest epic, Kingdom of Heaven, is based directly on Reston’s 2001 book, Warriors of God: Richard the Lionheart and Saladin in the Third Crusade. The book was pitched to Scott as a film idea in late 2001, but Scott turned it down, and claims never to have read the book.

CBC To Invest In Programming

The CBC says it will invest $33 million to add 100 more hours of Canadian drama and entertainment programming. “Everything from high-impact drama — the miniseries we do now — traditional series, comedies, soap operas, movies of the week, the lot. We would like CBC Television to be overwhelmingly the place that you go for Canadian entertainment programming.”

Clear Channel – Maybe Mega-Big Is Too Big?

Clear Channel – the radio and entertainment giant, is spinning off its concert business. “Clear Channel said the IPO of the outdoor advertising unit and spinoff of the entertainment unit will result in greater financial muscle for future acquisitions, because the separately listed stocks will provide clear valuations of the two businesses. The company also said that the spinoff of the entertainment unit will allow it to operate as a largely unregulated public company, as opposed to the company’s heavily regulated radio business.”

NBC Gives In, Will Start Rating Its Shows

NBC, which has refused to rate its programs for content, says it will now do so. “The ratings system was developed in 1997 in response to the V-chip section of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, but NBC refused to run the descriptors — V for violence, S for sexual content, L for vulgar language, D for suggestive dialogue and FV for fantasy violence — because of First Amendment concerns and the fear that the onscreen clutter would confuse viewers.”

Theatre’s Great. But The Theatre Experience Sucks

Going out to the theatre is a pain in the neck. Not the plays, mind you. But the experience. “The most recent Global Home Entertainment Survey finds that increasing numbers of people are turning their backs on going out for entertainment. Depending on the country, anything from 68% to 90% of respondents prefer to watch a DVD at home. The main reasons cited in favour of living room entertainment are eminently reasonable. It’s more comfortable, less expensive, you can fast-forward and wind back. And if there is an idiot sitting next to you it’s likely you’ll know them well enough to be able to tell them to shut up.”

Maazel Takes On 1984

Composer/conductor Loren Maazel’s first opera is about to debut. It’s an adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984. “Whether 1984 works or not depends, however, on Maazel’s music. Few of his works have been performed in the UK, and as a composer he remains an unknown quantity.” The score is described as “a mixture of atonal and lyrical, with dramatic crises.”