Chris Albrecht – former head of HBO – is assuming the CEO role at Starz as reported by Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood here and paidContent.org here.  According to Liberty Media, parent of Starz Entertainment, Starz is moving into original content development to augment their hit-movie model, following HBO and Showtime’s mixed content models.  Mega-award-winning quality is the cornerstone of HBO’s original programming model and is HBO’s singular differentiator by leaps & bounds and millions of subscribers from Showtime and Starz (the other two premium network owners*).  And with Chris Albrecht, Starz has taken the golden goose.

What will this mean for the 3 networks?  I believe this will change the balance of power from HBO to Starz; it’s that significant.  The reason is is that since Chris Albrecht was released from HBO, HBO’s original content has been off the mark.  Chris has the relationships in Hollywood and the best-of-the-best want to work with him.  Chris has the wherewithal to develop and percolate great shows and knows that it can take time for great shows to gain a following.  Sex and the City took 3 seasons before ratings soared.  Same for the Sopranos. 

But today, HBO’s storylines wander and shows are cut after two seasons.  Unlike former finance-guy-turned-CEO Jeff Bewkes (who’s now running Time Warner), HBO’s current finance-guy-turned-CEO Bill Nelson just doesn’t have that high-caliber, Hollywood-producers inner voice.  Unfortunately for Bill, lightening hasn’t struck that chair twice.

Moreover, Chris has a lot riding on this and a lot to prove after being ousted from HBO following a domestic dispute which happen to take place in front of Las Vegas Police Officers.  His last venture fund fizzled and with renewed confidence and fire-in-his-belly instilled by Liberty Media, Chris will soar. 

The only caveat I’d put on this bet is that Liberty Media is owned by John Malone, probably the smartest dealmaker around and king of the convoluted deals (e.g. IAC and Barry Diller) but whose reputation for cheapness abounds.  For Starz to surpass HBO, John has to trust Chris’ inner voice, something that I doubt he’s ever done before.  It takes time to develop shows so look for new CA influenced shows late next year.  Buy stock now.

*Starz Entertainment owns Starz and Encore; HBO owns HBO and Cinemax; and Showtime owns Showtime and The Movie Channel.

Source: Chris Albrecht, NewTeeVee

Looks like the sleeping online video giant that is Facebook may finally have awoken. According to Nielsen’s latest VideoCensus numbers, Facebook jumped to No. 3 behind established video powerhouses YouTube and Hulu in terms of total streams. That’s up from No. 10 just last month. Facebook generated more than 217 million streams in October to more than 31.5 million unique viewers, up from 110 million streams to 23 million viewers in September.

Guess what. Its raining. In Georgia. Odd isn’t it. I know. Haven’t seen it in a while. As I sit huddled under a hemlock trying to minimize the amount of rain I take on I figured now was as good a time as any to finally catch up on my blog posting. Where to begin.

After all the excitement Carrie and I enjoyed over two weeks in Africa and then the one week I enjoyed on my annual pilgrimage to Wyoming its been pretty slow here in Georgia. But not for a lack of trying.

First weekend back that Carrie and I could get out we ventured up to Ellijay to hunt with “Chief” on his farm. This beautiful place backs up to Cohutta National Forest and is loaded with deer, bear, hogs, and turkeys. The plan was to hike to the top of the ridge as that’s where all the acorns are and really the only bear sign at the moment. We made it about halfway up and the mountain had schooled carrie. I got up the next morning and due to an extended recovery period needed for her I hunted one of my favorite nearby public archery only spots. Nothing.

Our next outing took us to the Big Buck Contest opening weekend in Alma. I was bound and determined that I was gonna kill the big buck and win the truck. Unfortunately someone decided they’d enjoy a few laughs at the expense of this ol stick slinger. I got up Saturday ready to go. Carrie’s girlfriends dad whose gorgeous farm we were hunting had the perfect spot for me. I got in the stand well before dark. I was all settled and all of a sudden I heard what sounded like someone in a climber stand going up a tree right next to me. I saw no light and things settled down so I forgot about it. That is until the reenactment of the battle of the bulge. When the shooting started it didn’t quit. If it did it wasn’t for very long. Then out of nowhere. Boom. Someone shot right next to me. As I cowered in the stand ducking for cover assuming an initial assault I said I’m finding out what in the heck that was. I walked to the edge of the field looked at the box stand and sure enough. There is Carries girlfriends husband and son sitting with two big grins. Supposedly Scott said there was a deer in the field and his son Caleb kept telling him “shoot daddy”. Later I figure out that doe was every bit of 250 yards away. Oh well. A short while later about 20 or 30 hen turkeys stroll through. Other than that. Nothing.

So we wrapped up the morning hunt. All of us empty handed. But we went back to the house and what we were about to get was a belly full of an opening day smorgasbord. The food started at one end of the counter and wrapped through the kitchen. And that was the main course. The desserts covered the island. I ate. And I ate. And we all almost ended up in a food coma. now we wanted to go back out in the woods. to sleep. Ha. I mean hunt. Well Scott and I first had to bring the chairs to the tobacco warehouse where that nights events would transpire. When we got in at lunchtime the chairs were in rows almost all the way to the back. I dreweled at all the prizes being given away. Besides the pick up they had almost 40 deer stands. Ladders tripods towers you name it. Then they had trail cameras feeders climber stands. I said this was hitting the hunter lottery jackpot.

So we headed back to the farm for the evening hunt. I daringly decided to give my hot spot a second shot. I got in the stand early that afternoon. Fighting off the blueberry tart nap jerk I was enjoying the afternoon. The weather was perfect. Not too warm. Nice and cool. Wind picked up a bit but I said all the better to blow my scent out. Then I heard a truck door slam. I said to myself you’ve got to be kidding me. The sound subsided and I ignored it. That is until later that afternoon and I start hearing a deer blowing. From the wind direction I knew with certainty it wasn’t me. It all got quiet again. Then boom to the front of me. I again sunk in my seat preparing for the invasion. Boom behind me. I sit in shell shock gathering the fleeting peace and calm I’d enjoyed earlier. As I glance to my left I see two idiots walking through the woods. My woods. No orange. Guns on their shoulders. I assumed they shot the deer and were trailing it up though I remember seeing or hearing no death march nearby earlier. Well these two proceed to walk a perimeter around me. Just great. Two boneheads have just left their scent all over my hunting area. They walked right by me and had no idea I was even there. Wish I had some doe pee to throw on them. They finally left empty handed. The area settled back down as the sun was setting. I assumed the day was a bust till I heard the crunching of leaves. Darkness was setting in quick. I blew my grunt call. It was coming right in almost as if on a string. Then it stopped walking. I was ready for the shot. I couldn’t see it. It got dark and I was getting ready to get down. I turned on my headlamp and looked in that direction. Eyeballs. Looking right up at me. Good heavens.

So we headed to the Big Buck gala. Numbers are being called. Prizes are being claimed. There’s enough chili and sausage dogs to feed an infantry. Then I hear a name that was all too familiar. Higginson. Flashback to my fraternity days in Macon, Ga. It was one of my fraternity brothers brothers. He ended up with a nice stand. As the evening was winding down they called Calebs name. This little rascal had won a nice tripod stand last year. Guess what. Make it two. He was all grins next to his new toy. Well we didn’t get a buck. Biggest deer was a 129 inch 9 point. We didn’t win the truck either. But we sure had a good time. And we’d be back in the woods in the am. Life is good.
So Scott shows up the next morning to take me to a new spot. We ease down the fire break to a ladder stand at a major crossing area. I got this I think to myself. Weather is cool. Light breeze. A short while later I see movement. Twenty yards in front to my left. The young doe feeds in front of me. She’s fixed on looking back over her shoulder in the pines. She hangs out for about thirty or forty minutes. Nothing ever did show up but I enjoyed watching her anyway.

The next weekend we’d get out we planned to head back up to North, Ga. I think Carrie was determined this time to make it up the mountain. And we did. Wind was a bit much. It was cold. And she’d been sick for most of the week. I’d built a brush blind at the top of the ridge where you could tell some bears had been feeding heavily on acorns. A short while after wed set up I could tell she wasn’t comfortable. She fought off the cold as long as she could and I knew wed need to move. Chief hadn’t seen anything so he was walking down through the creek bottom. Wed stay on top of the ridge. The wind was blowing heavy enough we could walk slowly and keep our sound covered. We eased along finding trees the bears had clawed up. Lots of acorns on top. Just no critters. As we head down the mountain to the truck we get to the food plot. Through the break in the christmas trees all I see are heads and tails. We were busted.

Next afternoon Carrie opted to stay home while I hit my archery spot again. I eased along the edge of a food plot along the river. I get all the way to the end and climb a tree. There are lots of tracks coming from some heavily used trails into the field. Late in the afternoon I see a visitor. This guy skirts the edge of the field my way. I’m thinking to myself surely not. Yep. He walked all the way to me. Waves. And walks in the woods right behind me. Great. A while later I hear a plane flying in low. The pilot banks it hard and then straight up. As the plane stalls he starts a series of loops as its falling down. He pulls it out and begins a fifteen minute aerobatic show over my head. I’m thinking this is a cheap show but not what I’m here for. Looks like this hunt too is a bust.

So here I am. Sitting in the rain. Laughing at the comedy of errors thus far this year. And who says hunting is easy. Come join me. I promise it’ll be an adventure you won’t forget in the morning.

The Flies and Fletching gang in Alma

Caleb with his second stand in two years.

Benji Wilson – The Telegraph

’True Blood’ is sexy, violent and aimed squarely at adults. The creator Alan Ball talks about American TV’s latest vampire romance.

The idea for True Blood, a new US television series about vampires commingling with ordinary small-town folk in the Deep South, came to creator Alan Ball at the dentist. It would be nice to think it might have been when he was having his canines polished, or drooling blood after a botched extraction, but in fact he was in the waiting room.

“I saw a book. The tag-line was ‘Maybe having a vampire for a boyfriend wasn’t such a good idea’. And I thought it was really funny. I bought the book and I couldn’t put it down. About midway through the second book in the series, I thought this might make a good television show. You just want more of this world and these characters,” he says.

The books were Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries and True Blood is the resulting adaptation. Across 12 parts, with a second series to follow, it tells the story of Sookie, a barmaid in the fictional Louisiana backwater of Bon Temps, who can hear people’s thoughts. She falls for Bill, the apocryphal man-who-walks-in-to-a-bar, except that he’s not a man, he’s a vampire. Times have changed for vampires. The Japanese have manufactured synthetic blood, meaning toothy immortals have been able to come out of the coffin and live without killing. Bill is Bon Temps’ first vampiric visitor, and he becomes Sookie’s first truelove.

Series one of True Blood began last year on the premium cable channel HBO to a mixed reception – the combination of heightened Southern Gothic, vampires, a mind-reading waitress and synthetic blood left some a little goggle-eyed. But as the series went on it grew in popularity with both critics and viewers alike, to the point where it is now HBO’s biggest hit since the much-missed Sopranos.

Given that vampires come with layers of mythology accreted over centuries via Bram Stoker, Anne Rice and, most recently, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, it might seem odd that Ball, a storyteller who documented the shackles of suburban ennui with such intricacy in American Beauty and then Six Feet Under, would choose to give his next project fangs.

But he sees True Blood as a story about characters first, and bloodsuckers thereafter.

“I have never seen Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel and I’ve never read the Anne Rice books. This was my first foray into the world of vampires,” he says.

Rather than have to explain to HBO why he now wanted to do a series that sounded like a comic-book clunker, he simply took Harris’s books to Chris Albrecht, then head of HBO. Albrecht agreed the books were fun, but wanted to know what Ball’s series would be about.

“I thought, ‘OK, he wants one of those one-sentence sum-it-all-up things and I don’t really have one.’ So I said, ‘Well, you know Chris, it’s about the terrors of intimacy.’ And he went, ‘OK, we’ll do it.’”

Ball laughs, but he also stands by his description: “In a way vampires are a metaphor for the terrors of intimacy – for opening yourself up to another creature and allowing them to have that kind of power over you. That is basically what we all go through when we form romantic relationships with anybody.”

There are vampires in Bon Temps who do play to type – outlaws who can and do kill. And then there is Bill, played by the English actor Stephen Moyer. “He’s this tortured, tragic man who’s lost everything that ever meant anything to him,” Moyer says. “He’s 173 years old, he fought in the Civil War, had children, was married… now, all of a sudden, he’s given a new chance to have a meaningful life, all through the healing power of the love of a good woman.”

If that sounds like a consoling myth from Victorian romance, don’t look to True Blood for swooning or billets-doux. Sex, often violent and explicit, is front and centre, which is exactly where Alan Ball wanted it.

“I think as a culture we’re still very puritanical about sex, but vampires? I mean vampires are sex. I don’t really understand why one would do a vampire thing and not have it be sexual. I know that Twilight was a huge hit for 14-year-old girls who were a little terrified of the actuality of sex, but with True Blood it’s like, ‘OK, you know the fantasy of being taken by the vampire? We’re going to show it to you.’”

Anna Paquin, who, aged 11, won the 1994 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Jane Campion’s The Piano, plays Sookie, the girl taken by the vampire. It’s a wicked piece of casting and its significance is lost on neither Ball nor Paquin, now 26.

“Anna and I would joke about how, over the course of season one, Sookie goes from innocent virgin to murdering whore,” Ball says.

“There was something kind of liberating,” Paquin adds, “about the fact there was this ‘innocent’ virgin at the centre of the story and she is only able to achieve a sexual awakening experience… with a dead guy. There’s something wrong about it but there’s something also very, very right – you’re rooting for her.”

Paquin died her hair blonde, worked on her tan and taught herself a full Southern drawl for the role. “There is a kind of music to the Southern dialect that is very much, from my outsider’s perspective [she is Canadian-born], a product of the overwhelming heat and the laid back attitude that brings. Things move at a different pace there: that was a huge part of becoming the character.”

Sookie, says Paquin, is a complex mixture of naïvety and intelligence, resourceful and open-minded where most of Bon Temps is distrustful and brusque. “She’s tough and she’s courageous, and she’s smart, but she’s sweet and she’s innocent, and she’s quite sheltered. I feel like that’s real, to be all of those things rolled into one. You can be sweet and treat people the way you want to be treated, even if that’s not the way you’ve been treated. She’s not a victim, though, and I love that about her – mostly she just kicks ass.”

I really feel for Chris Albrecht over on NewTeeVee as he tried to understand what the hell makes something like “Fred” happen:

“Sometimes I just feel so…out of touch. Who is “Fred” and why is he so freaking huge on YouTube? Seriously. He has four of the site’s top 20 videos this month, attracting a total of more than 12.7 million plays. Of the 16 videos he’s posted, only three have not cracked the one million-play mark (and one of those three was just added today).”

In fact, this sort of phenomenom drives everybody in the business of trying to be successful with web video content.  Why does some seemingly random kid come out of nowhere and command 7-figure viewcounts while thousands of “professionally” created videos languish in obscurity?

If you’re hoping for an answer from me, sorry.  I truly believe that “viral” video is truly that – viral.  You can’t make it happen.  Why is this kid the flavor of the moment?  Who the hell knows.  It doesn’t really matter.  It’s cool and hard to predict, like hurricanes or tornadoes.  We know they’re going to happen.  We just have know idea where or when.

Oh, here’s Fred:

Chris Albrecht, the one-time head of HBO who was fired after being arrested for hitting his girlfriend, has done something which I can only describe as a sort of corporate midlife crisis.

According to WSJ:

“Now, Mr. Albrecht is trying for a comeback. And he’s staking much of it on a bizarre, futuristic sport called SlamBall, which failed to break out in an earlier debut. With the feel of a live-action videogame, SlamBall is essentially basketball combined with rugby and trampoline gymnastics, and if Mr. Albrecht is right, it will become a phenomenon as successful and profitable as the latest sports craze, ultimate fighting.”

I actually remember watching (or trying to watch) SlamBall during its brief and poorly-viewed run on Spike TV – it reminded me of the kind of sports that are created for futuristic sci-fi movies set after some kind of apocalypse.

Now, aside from all the obvious reasons why one might not want to try to launch an entirely new sport on the world, one has to wonder why a guy with Albrecht’s experience in the business would invest in such a patently absurd and juvenile sport like SlamBall?

I can only imagine he thinks it makes him look hip or cool.  See, he’s with it!  He loves SlamBall!

Oh, dear lord, it’s actually sadder than wearing a toupee…

BROADCAST/CABLE

Former HBO chief Chris Albrecht, in his current role as head of global media at IMG, is working around the clock to develop and market a new sport called SlamBall, a high-flying mix of basketball, rugby and trampolines. In 2002 and 2003, the sport made a brief appearance on Spike TV, but Albrecht thinks it could have potential: “This [is] not just a sport that would be fun to watch, but it’s a business that we can build.” (The Wall Street Journal 4/18)

It’s like basketball on gymnastics crack.  I agree with Albrecht on this one.  I found the video pretty damn exciting to watch and as a female with a general aversion to sports of all kinds (except soccer), that’s saying something.

SlamBall

Oxygen’s Tuesday night debut of Deion & Pilar: Prime Time Love (1030p) scored the highest viewing audience ever for an Oxygen series premiere. The opening episode drew in viewers numbers such as 438,000 among A18-49; 334,000 with W18-49; and 579,000 total viewers. (Cynopsis 4/18)

Wednesday night’s Democratic presidential debate on ABC (8-10p) between Senators Clinton and Obama was the most-watched verbal contest of this current political season. The debate which was presented by ABC News, the National Constitution Center and WPVI/Philadelphia and moderated by Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos, averaged 10.7 million total viewers and a 3.5/9 with A25-54 and a 2.7/7 among A18-49. (Cynopsis 4/18)

China wants CNN to make a “sincere” apology for remarks made by commentator Jack Cafferty, who called the nation’s leaders “goons and thugs.” China’s Foreign Ministry says: “This despicable scheme will not dupe the Chinese people.” A Web site has been set up called anti-cnn.com. (Iwantmedia 4/18,  http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aVIfJJeTKWMc 4/17)

Now this is interesting.  The site wasn’t created to bash CNN but to speak to the “propaganda” distributed by the western media.  Particular consideration is given to the topic of freeing Tibet.  Check out the video from the French senator and his views on theocracy in Tibet; a perspective which I haven’t heard before at least.

News Corp. shares have been Wall Street favorites in recent years, but in recent days a couple of analysts have cut their rating and/or price target on the media conglomerate’s stock, citing growth concerns, particularly at its online assets, led by MySpace. (Iwantmedia 4/18,  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3iaeef0c1a4b682082b7f73c92222e32d5 4/18)

“Code Monkeys,” an animated comedy about video game developers on Comcast-owned G4, will officially kick off its second season June 1. The series will present a sneak-peak episode, “Code Monkeys: The Story of 4/20,” this Sunday at 5 p.m. (Multichannel News 4/17)

Viacom’s Logo will present a live concert by the band Scissor Sisters on Thursday. The event is notable, channel executives say, because it will be the first time a gay-themed TV network has televised in high definition. (Multichannel News 4/17)

Comcast customers in New Jersey can now order a movie through video-on-demand, watch the first half on one TV and finish on another TV in the house. The AnyRoom On Demand service currently is available only to those with Motorola digital set-top boxes, but Comcast said it would roll out the free offering to New Jersey residents with Scientific Atlanta boxes — as well as other markets — later this year. (CED Magazine 4/17)

The so-called “addressable advertising” test that Comcast will conduct in Baltimore later this year will involve about 80,000 subscribers, far larger than a recently concluded trial in Huntsville, Ala. “It will be a much bigger trial, much more massive in terms of the total number of households and set-top boxes that will be involved,” said Paul Woidke, senior vice president of technology at Comcast Spotlight. “We can expect to have greater learning with broader demographic groups than we had before.” (Light Reading 4/17)

Executives of the NFL Network say they will file a formal complaint with the FCC against Comcast’s decision to place the cable channel on a sports tier and not on basic cable. Comcast, however, maintains it has the right to put the channel on a sports tier so that customers can opt out if they want. (Broadcasting & Cable 4/17, TVWeek.com 4/17)

Cable companies should not be burdened with excessive and costly regulation as they expand their roles as broadband providers, FCC Commissioners Deborah Tate and Robert McDowell said during Thursday’s meeting on net-neutrality issues in California. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, usually a vocal critic of the cable industry, said ISPs should be allowed to manage the traffic on their networks, as long as the process is made transparent to users. (The Washington Post/paidContent.org 4/18, Reuters 4/18)

PROJECTS ANNOUNCED

• Breaking Ball Films’ Scott Abramovitch and Lonny Dubrofsky have acquired feature rights to William F. Diehl’s pre-WWII spy novel “27,” with Abramovitch adapting. Story, originally called “The Hunt,” centers on a wealthy American ex-bootlegger who attempts to thwart a Nazi agent who plans to kidnap a group of VIPs and hold them hostage in exchange for President Roosevelt’s promise that the U.S. will stay out of the war. Diehl, who died in 2006, was best known for thrillers “Sharky’s Machine” and “Primal Fear,” both made into features.

• Some of college basketball’s brightest stars, including Kansas State’s Michael Beasley and UCLA’s Kevin Love, are featured in Beastie Boy Adam Yauch’s new documentary, “Gunnin’ for That No. 1 Spot.” And while it’s less than two years since he followed the then-high school players for a week, he still can’t get over how much they’ve changed. “They already look different, and I think it will be really interesting to look at this doc five or 10 years from now and see these guys when they were high school students. There’s a good chance that several of them may be superstars in the NBA,” Yauch told The Associated Press in an interview this week. “They were like babies in this picture.” Yauch took his camera to Harlem’s famed Rucker Park, made famous by streetballers, in September 2006 to document some of the nation’s top high school talent, who were playing in an event there. Yauch said he was struck by how the players – who also included Jerryd Bayless of Arizona, Donte Green of Syracuse and Kyle Singler of Duke – could act like kids one minute, yet live in such an adult world.

PROJECT UPDATES

• DreamWorks has acquired rights to the Japanese manga “Ghost in the Shell” with plans to adapt the futuristic police thriller as a 3-D live-action feature. Story follows the exploits of a member of a covert ops unit of the Japanese National Public Safety Commission that specializes in fighting technology-related crime. Created by Masamune Shirow, “Ghost in the Shell” was first published in 1989. It went on to generate two additional manga editions, three anime film adaptations, an anime TV series and three videogames. The second anime film, “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence,” was released in the U.S. by DreamWorks in 2004.

• Lars von Trier will shoot “Antichrist” in Germany this summer after securing Teutonic coin, makring the first time the Danish director will have worked in the country. “Antichrist” follows a couple who retreat to a cabin in the woods to recover from the death of their child. Script is by von Trier and Anders Thomas Jensen. Von Trier’s Zentropa Entertainments and Bettina Brokemper of Zentropa Intl. in Cologne are producing, along with France’s Liberator2/Slot Machine and Italy’s Lucky Red

ACQUISITIONS/ FESTIVAL NEWS

• Shochiku is distribbing Kabuki performance pics for foreign theatrical and in-flight release. The first two of three export-ready films made under the Cinema Kabuki label opened in Singapore on April 12. Shochiku expects the pics to draw 2,000 theatergoers in their nine-day run. In addition to their Singapore bow, the pics will be screened on Japan Airlines international flights starting in June. Shochiku plans to release three pics a year internationally. Shochiku starting releasing Kabuki performance pics, shot using top-of-the-line HD cameras, in Japan in 2003. The first, “Nezumi Kozo — The Noda Version,” a play based on Japan’s legendary thief Nezumi Kozo, was directed by Hideki Noda, screened nationwide to nearly 30,000 fans and was invited to the 2005 New York Film Festival. Shochiku has since released a total of four Kabuki pics domestically, and a fifth is set to bow in Shochiku’s Togeki Theater in Tokyo on May 31.

• Paris-based sales agent and production house Roissy Films has sold the last major territory on “Caramel,” closing all rights with Cetera Intl. for Japan, one of the toughest artfilm markets in the world. Deal was inked Monday by Yohann Comte, Roissy head of international sales, new feature films, and Cetera CEO Yoko Yamanaka. Film will go out theatrically in Japan late 2008 or early 2009. The first film from Nadine Labaki, who also co-stars, “Caramel” will be released in Taiwan by Joint Ent. in May and receives a theatrical opening this June in South Korea from With Cinema.

BUSINESS NEWS

• It’s the end of the line for most of New Line, with Time Warner cutting 450 jobs as part of its earlier decision to fold the studio into Warner Bros. The pinkslips, announced Monday afternoon, leave New Line with 40-50 employees. A Time Warner spokesman said about 40 New Line employees are being offered jobs within Warner Bros. Notifications of the dismissals began Monday and will continue Tuesday. New Line is expected to remain in its West Hollywood headquarters on Robertson Boulevard rather than move to the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. The WB unit also will continue to operate a New York office, but it’s unclear where that will be located. New Line will maintain its own development, creative and production teams as well as its own marketing, publicity and business affairs staff. Warners is taking over distribution of completed New Line pics. Time Warner topper Jeff Bewkes announced Feb. 28 the conglom was folding New Line into Warner Bros. as part of a move designed to save $50 million annually, with New Line to make six to eight pics per year. Prexy-chief operating officer Toby Emmerich has indicated New Line will focus on creating niche films in the vein of “Wedding Crashers” and “Freddy vs. Jason” along with occasional tentpoles such as “The Hobbit.” That decision ended New Line’s 40 years as an independent studio, with toppers Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne ankling. In mid-March, longtime production chief Emmerich was appointed to his new post at the scaled-down shingle. Two weeks ago, senior exec VP-chief operating officer Richard Brener agreed to stay on as Emmerich’s right-hand man, with a promotion to prexy of production. Other New Line production execs expected to stay include Sam Brown, Michael Disco and Michele Weiss.

• Arnon Milchan has closed his $324 million purchase of James Packer’s 25.4% stake in the parent of New Regency Prods., asserting the deal underlines his “bullish” outlook for feature and TV production. The deal to buy back the 25.4% interest in Monarchy Enterprises Holdings from the Aussie media magnate had been first disclosed five months ago (Daily Variety, Nov. 16). Milchan already owned a 55% share in the company, which has spawned “L.A. Confidential,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks” and “Jumper.” Twentieth Century Fox owns the remaining 20%, which it bought a decade ago for $200 million. Regency’s upcoming slate includes “What Happens in Vegas,” “Marley and Me,” “Mirrors,” “Meet Dave,” “They Came From Upstairs” and “Bride Wars.” Milchan said in a statement the deal will enable him to focus on movies and TV with the interests of only Regency and Fox, which relies on its on-the-lot partner for a steady stream of product.

• Sony Pictures Entertainment Networks Asia today launches AXN spinoff AXN Beyond on Hong Kong’s Now TV platform. New net is branded for out-of-the-ordinary entertainment including sci-fi, suspense, horror, mystery/fantasy, the paranormal and the supernatural. “Lost” and “Supernatural” will migrate from AXN to AXN Beyond. Net will also program “Pushing Daisies” and older skeins “The X-Files” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” AXN Beyond bowed in the Philippines in January. Asian territories including Singapore and Malaysia are being lined up for local feeds in the coming months.

• Media placement specialist Clearvision Intl. is expanding efforts to become a one-stop production resource for indie filmmakers via a new entertainment division. “Theatrical distribution has been a perpetual stumbling block for independent filmmakers,” said Joe Davis of Clearvision. “For the first time ever, we can offer a clear-cut way to make distribution possible for domestic, foreign and media buys that will extend the filmmaker’s media budget and allow them to be more effective.” The new division’s aimed at assisting indie filmmakers with production and marketing efforts, along with domestic distribution and foreign homevideo and TV sales. The company will provide P&A money to independent filmmakers as well as an overall turnkey operation for production and distribution, said Daniel Fantz, exec producer for Clearvision.

• Canuck broadcaster Astral Media reported net earnings up 18% to C$29 million ($28.5 million) and revenue up 38% to $203 million for the second quarter, compared with the same time last year, driven by boffo pay TV results For the first six months of the tax year, Montreal-based Astral reported profit of $65 million, up 16% on the first six months of last year. Revenue for the six-month period was $398 million, up 29%. Advertising revenue from Astral’s pay TV channels was up 12% in the quarter and radio revenue was also up big-time, thanks to the addition of the Standard Radio stations, which Astral acquired last year. Revenue from the TV division was up 5% for the six-month period. Astral Media is one of Canada’s leading pay TV station owners and its holdings include The Movie Network, The Family Channel and Canal Vie.

• Struggling vidtailer Blockbuster revealed a surprise proposal to acquire electronics chain Circuit City, only to see its stock drop 10% Monday as Wall Streeters tried to make sense of it. The cash offer of between $6 and $8 a share, made Feb. 17, is only now becoming public, according to Blockbuster, because the company wants Circuit City shareholders to have an adequate chance to weigh in. While it is typical for the stock of an acquiring company to suffer a penalty on takeover news, Blockbuster shares were hit hard, finishing at $2.81 after establishing a new 52-week intraday low. Circuit City’s similarly battered shares ended the high-volume day up 27% to $4.97. Blockbuster chief exec Jim Keyes, who’s been getting high marks in the vid biz for his turnaround efforts at the chain, described the opportunity as “simply too attractive to ignore.” In a conference call Monday, he stressed the window was closing on the chance to do a deal, noting the sector’s shift toward digital distribution.

STRIKE NEWS/ LABOR ISSUES

• With Hollywood thoroughly unnerved by the prospect of a summer strike, the Screen Actors Guild and the majors begin negotiations today on the feature-primetime contract — but without AFTRA after a last-ditch peacemaking effort by SAG fell flat. The talks were set to launch at 10 a.m. PT at the Encino headquarters of the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers. And they won’t include the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists even though SAG asked its sister union late Sunday to rejoin it at the bargaining table, two weeks after AFTRA angrily split off from SAG. SAG told AFTRA it would have until Wednesday to respond, but AFTRA didn’t need nearly that long. AFTRA national exec director Kim Roberts Hedgpeth fired off a frosty letter to SAG counterpart Doug Allen that dismissed the idea out of hand, asserting it was impossible to gather negotiating committee members on short notice and stressing that the problems that caused the divorce hadn’t been resolved.

INDUSTRY MOVES

• NBC Entertainment exec Terence Carter — who helped oversee development of the net’s “Knight Rider” revival — has been upped to VP of drama programming at the Peacock. Carter will report to NBC senior VP of drama Katie O’Connell, who cited his “extensive background and great instincts” in announcing the promotion. Upon joining NBC in 2005, Carter went to work for the net’s comedy development team. During his two years in comedy, he developed projects such as “20 Good Years” and “The IT Crowd.”

• In one of his first big deals since joining IMG, Chris Albrecht has engineered a partnership with reality producer Andrew Glassman (“Average Joe”) to produce and distribute unscripted projects. Along with an injection of cash, the partnership gives Glassman access to IMG’s roster of sports, fashion and entertainment talent, as well as its international network of production partners and distributors. With the added resources, Glassman’s shingle — Glassman Media — will develop and create projects for TV, online and mobile platforms. Multi-year deal gives IMG exclusive access to Glassman Media’s development, with the two companies sharing ownership of any resulting projects.

• Janet Pierson has been named producer of Austin’s South by Southwest Film Festival and Conference. Former fest head Matt Dentler is ankling the post to run the marketing and program operations of Cinetic Digital Rights Management, an offshoot of John Sloss’ Cinetic Media. As a producers’ rep with her husband, John, Janet Pierson was instrumental in launching such films as “Roger and Me,” “Clerks” and “Slacker.” She joined the board of the Austin Film Society in 2004 and served on the screening committee of SXSW.

• Ed Clarke has joined U.K. shingle Kudos Pictures as head of development. He was previously head of development and acquisitions at Capitol Films, where he worked on projects including “Edge of Love,” “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” “Shrooms” and “Under the Mountain.” Before that he worked as course producer and tutor for the development training organization Arista.

TECHNOLOGY

• The Motion Picture Assn. is working on a plan to prevent piracy taking off in the South Seas. The MPA is keen to establish a New Zealand movie download website, allowing locals to download movies legally and so cut Internet piracy. MPA representative Tony Eaton, of the New Zealand Federation Against Copyright Theft, made the suggestion in a report to MPA bosses for the Asia-Pacific region. He said in Australia — 1,200 miles to the west — there are five websites to legally download movies.

• Data management company Sohonet has launched a consulting arm, Sohonet Solutions, to guide productions as the industry moves away from film to digital files. With more productions relying on digital cameras, it’s become a challenge to move the huge resulting digital files through the production and post-production pipeline. Sohonet is one of the only companies to specialize in helping TV and film productions manage and store that data. Sohonet Solutions, the new consulting arm, will provide problem-solving services. It has already worked with upcoming pics “Speed Racer” and “Quantum of Solace,” the next James Bond film.

WEBSITES TO WATCH

http://www.5alarmmusicsearch.com/login

Independent music library 5 Alarm Music has partnered with Soundminer to create an easily navigable online search engine to find, download, manage and store music for production applications.

http://thecircuit.mojohd.com/

Mojo HD debuted the pilot of a web-exclusive technology series called The Circuit about the latest and greatest tech gadgets. Tech web shows are not new (other notables include TwitTV and GigaOM Show,) but this one is worth mentioning for a couple of reasons. Producers Creative Bubble went out and recruited writers who understand the snappy, pithy medium who had worked for outlets such as The Onion and Gizmodo. (Host Deepak Ananthapadmanabha – no, that’s not a joke – reads the news with an interesting detachment, like he’s spent just a little too much time geeking out.) The weekly show also showcases the new Adobe Flash 9 video player delivered by Akamai in the crisp H.264 (mpeg-4) format.

SOURCES:

www.variety.com
www.cynopsis.com

Comcast denies developing cameras in cable boxes

Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet
March 25, 2008

Comcast has denied that it is developing camera devices built in to cable boxes that monitor consumers as they enter the room, despite the fact that Vice-President Gerard Kunkel admitted to a journalist that such a move would represent a “holy grail,” and rival companies like TiVo and Microsoft have already filed patents for similar technology.

A firestorm of controversy erupted last week after industry website newteevee.com carried an article by Chris Albrecht which revealed that Comcast was, “experimenting with different camera technologies built into devices so it can know who’s in your living room”.

How did Albrecht know? Because Comcast’s senior VP of user experience Gerard Kunkel told him during the Digital Living Room conference held in San Francisco.

“Perhaps I’ve seen Enemy of the State too many times, or perhaps I’m just naive about the depths to which Comcast currently tracks my every move,” wrote Albrecht.

“The idea being that if you turn on your cable box, it recognizes you and pulls up shows already in your profile or makes recommendations. If parents are watching TV with their children, for example, parental controls could appear to block certain content from appearing on the screen. Kunkel also said this type of monitoring is the “holy grail” because it could help serve up specifically tailored ads. Yikes.”

Readers responded to the article in droves and most were shocked by the proposals.

“Orwell thought that cameras in the living room would imposed on us by a fascist government. Fascism these days is dominated by corporate power guised under a mantle of legitimacy. These systems of control have been primarily put in place by willful consumption of consumer goods,” wrote one.

“This is not cool, this is not fun, this is not exciting. This is invasive. They’ve been talking about this technology since the inception of cable modems, and there’s a certain amount of tracking in place already. Cameras? Too much,” stated another.

Comcast responded to the article by claiming the device was, “in no way designed to – or capable of – monitoring your living room. These technologies are designed to allow simple navigation on a television set just as the Wii remote uses a camera to manage its much heralded gesture-based interactivity.”

However, Albrecht shot back by pointing out that Kunkel told him the device was explicitly being designed so as to monitor who was entering the living room.

“After you granted me our initial video interview, you brought up the topic of Comcast knowing who was in the living room in a conversation between you, myself and another conference attendee,” writes Albrecht.

“I actually left and came back to follow up on this point while you were talking with that same attendee. At this point, you were aware that I was a reporter and I took handwritten notes in front of you as we talked to make sure I had an accurate accounting of what you were saying,” he added.

Wow, NewTeeVee’s Chris Albrecht is on a tear. First, he has this rather tongue-in-cheek guide for those looking to make their own funny web videos:

“1. Use Webcams
Your show is online, and so is your character, thanks to your webcam! So meta. Sure, this method of storytelling has lost all its novelty, but what better way to dispense with showing us any action than by having the main character describe the action in their vlog?

Steal from: lonelygirl15, Dorm Life, quarterlife“

He’s got five more gems in the post.

Then Chris is on BeetTV with some more thoughts on this developing genre and let’s just say he’s not all that impressed.  His main feeling is that there is certainly a glut right now of comedy-centric sites and that this leads to a lot of scattershot content.

Check out the whole interview here.

The Village People didn’t have this in mind. Thank you Waikato Times via Stuff.co.nz

Vince Carter says he must dominate Pavlovic.. Sends T-Mac get well text. Thank you The News Herald

IGF-1, the new HGH. Thank you Blog Critics

Jaws understands McNabb’s predicament. Thank you Philadelpia Daily News

Just what mom needs: a football book for women. Thank you PR Web

Group wants to keep the “ping” in high school baseball. Thank you ESPN.com

HBO Chairman Chris Albrecht charged with domestic assault and battery. Thank you The New York Times

30% of MLB and 50% of the Yankees are foreign born. Thank you Seattle Post Intelligencer

Shaun Alexander doesn’t care to know if his foot is broken. Thank you Philadelphia Inquirer via the AP

Texas basketball fans are 66.6% bummed. Thank you The New York Sun

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