Past Deadline

The Front Page: May 16, 2008

By Randee Dawn

Hot. Heat. Beastly warm. Even the locals are complaining, which should give you a sense of just how toasty California is getting -- and will get over the next few days. But through all the schvitzing going on, there's folks who are still in even hotter water.

Take Anthony Pellicano, who -- as Leslie Simmons reports -- has been convicted of nearly every count of racketeering, fraud and wiretapping thrown at him. "The jury found that Pellicano wiretapped a who's who of Hollywood," Simmons wrote, then landed a quote from former THR editor Anita Busch, who testified and said, ""The full story of Pellicano's reach has yet to be told. To Pellicano and his wealthy clients, 'winning' meant obliterating someone's life and livelihood. They saw the media as just another weapon in their arsenal and used and abused it to go after anyone in their cross hairs." Sentencing is set for September 24.

Elsewhere, Nellie Andreeva puts the upfronts on the hot seat while James Hibberd maps out some of the big fall battlegrounds, including "Survivor" vs. "The Moment of Truth." "It is quite different this year as each of the four networks took a very different strategy," 20th TV's Dana Walden noted, while CBS Par TV's David Stapf, the upfronts this year are not traditionally marking the end of development and production season: "It just doesn't end," he says. "It's a little frustrating, but at the end of the day it's invigorating and fun."

And apparently making the participants schitzoid.

Finally, the real heat in Hollywood is what's happening with faith-based marketing these days, and with "Prince Caspian" about to roar into theaters, everyone's talking about the "Almighty Dollar," which is the subject of today's cover story by Gail Schiller. But director Andrew Adamson actually seems a bit baffled by the media's concentration on the religious iconography in his film: "Religion seems more important here in the U.S. than anywhere," he says. "Everyone is asking me about the religious aspect. When I promoted it in France, everyone was asking why Americans are so obsessed with the religious aspect."

The Front Page: May 15, 2008

By Randee Dawn

Better late than never, eh? Call it jet-lag syndrome: I'd truly expected to hit the ground running with Front Page at the start of the week, but then ... well, L.A. (and a bad seafood salad) hit, meaning there has been a delay in returning you to your regularly scheduled Front Page reportage. I know you've been yearning, so here I am, to end the misery.

And look there's a silver lining to every cloud, as Cannes is pointing out: Steven Zeitchik's article notes that while a cafe au lait may cost the equivalent of $8, a dropping dollar means that a film can go for around $15 American. (OK, I made up the last part.) "Because these U.S. companies generally finance their movies in dollars but sell to companies who make their money in euros, pounds or other strong currencies, the sellers essentially could get a premium on the market value of a film when they close a deal. Far from taking a further chunk out of their bottom lines, these currency disparities could provide a boost to Yank revenue," he writes.

And then there are those who see the cloud inside the silver lining: One seller tells Zeitchik,"Without the dollar weakening, the market would really look like a disaster."

Hurrah?

Hurrah! For those of us who enjoy our cheese well-aged, a small thrill today from Erik Pedersen, who posits, "Quick! How many No. 1 albums does Neil Diamond have?" The answer: as of today, one -- his "Home Before Dark" album hit 146,000 sales this week, topping Madonna, Mariah and Josh Groban, among nine others. Truly, Rick Rubin -- and a stint on "American Idol" can do no wrong. I know my sister in law Kris will be happy.

 

Even when it stumbles on it, TV can't recognize news

By Barry Garron

Both the L.A. Times and the L.A. Daily News reported that the training academy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff is being closed for at least a month while numerous problems in the program are fixed. A state oversight committee found rampant disregard for the rules, including instances of instructors providing test answers to cadets and, in other cases, allowing cadets to retake tests again and again until they finally got a passing grade.

All of this was going on at about the same time producers of the Fox Reality channel show, "The Academy," were showing how difficult and rigorous the training program is at this very academy.

It would be overreaching--but only slightly--to cite this as the perfect example of what's wrong with television today. We have finally and demonstrably reached the point where TV, instead of shining light on important problems, helps to gloss over them.

To be sure, it is not the mission of Fox Reality to do investigative reporting. But it's also not the mission of the show and its producers to be oblivious to malfeasance, to either fail to recognize it or fail to point it out to others--including the Fox News division--who are in a position to bring positive change.

But that only raises another point. Even if the crew of "The Academy" had gotten wind of the problems in the program they filmed day after day, who would they tell?

TV news in general and local news in particular has all but abandoned any pretense of real reporting. Newscasts have become a haven for quick crime and fire stories. Newscasts (the part that isn't sports and weather) are dominated by car chases, carjackings and car crashes. Stories on subjects that truly affect our communities--such as education, budgets, medical care, environment--have been banished from the air. They require research and are, of necessity, complicated. And they don't generate sensational video.

Not only must TV entertainment programs be entertaining but so, too, must TV news. The news budget has money for a helicopter and the latest and greatest special effects for weather but none for an investigative news team that wrestle with thorny issues of genuine importance.

For now, the last and only media watchdogs are newspapers. The irony here is that papers, unlike TV stations, are not specifically licensed to serve the public interest.

No matter. TV (except for PBS and a few rare exceptions) has given up the ghost of real journalism. If it wasn't for entertainment cameras at the Los Angeles Sheriff's Academy, there wouldn't be any cameras at all.

Have upfronts become down and outs?

By Barry Garron

To me, there's always been something magical about this week, upfront week, when the networks officially roll out their fall schedules and begin selling ads for the next TV season.

It's like spring training for baseball fans. Anything is possible. Every rookie is a potential phenom, every veteran is on the cusp of a career season and every team has a shot at the World Series.

Upfront is full of that kind of hope. Every new series is a possible blockbuster hit and every new lead actor is a potential breakout star. Fox may win this season, thanks to "American Idol" and the Super Bowl, but just wait until next year. Right?

Maybe not.

Though I try to deny it, there's an air of defeat hanging over the upfronts this year. TV hasn't had a solid hit for a couple of years. Ratings are down. The writers' strike, for whatever good it accomplished for the writers, injured the industry so seriously that the patient has yet to recover. There are fewer pilots, more reality sludge. The wound may never heal right. And meanwhile negotiations with actors still are unresolved.

In big ways and small, most networks are dialing back their presentations and, it seems to me, their expectations. Why bother with gala affairs to toast with anticipation a new season of "The Biggest Loser" or "The Bachelor"?

NBC let the air out of its upfront balloon early last month with the announcement of a 52-week strategy. At the time, it promised a total of four new fall series: "My Own Worst Enemy," "Kath & Kim," "Knight Rider" and "Crusoe."

Smoothing out the business cycle may be the wave of the future, although year-round TV seasons have been tried before without much success. Still, it left NBC with nothing to announce Monday other than a new post-Olympics series from Ryan Seacrest, "Momma's Boys."

"Momma's Boys," according to the NBC press release "asks possessive mothers to choose the perfect bride-to-be for their sons." You see, the mothers and sons and prospective brides are all put in the same big house and, oh what's the use, just describing the concept is enough to make you ill.

Fox is up soon. It's canceling "Back to You" and renewing "'Til Death." ABC will announce that it is bringing in the producers of "October Road" to run David E. Kelley's "Life on Mars." That's like bringing in the owners of the local Putt Putt to handle the Masters Tournament.

More and more, there is less and less. If you step back and look at the larger TV picture, it's not hopeless. Increasingly, those who pan for programming gold on basic cable a being rewarded with more nuggets.

But for those of us to whom upfront week meant feeling the energy, passion and enthusiasm of the start of a new TV season, things may never be the same.

Hoping Marvel will step up to assist one of its iron giants

The news just keeps getting better and better for "Iron Man," based on the Marvel comics franchise of the same name. The Robert Downey Jr.-starrer this weekend won the box office derby for the second straight time with an estimated $50.5 million take to render the debuting "Speed Racer" a mere afterthought. The "Iron Man" tally to date: a fairly astonishing $177.1 million in a mere 11 days of release. Everyone's jumping on the bandwagon: Marvel is back in business, baby. "Iron Man" has legs of steel! (Redundant, but you get the idea.)

So while all of this capitalistic grandeur is going down, a fellow by the name of Gene Colan is fighting for his life with a failing liver. The reason this ties in to "Iron Man" is that Colan is a true titan of the Marvel universe. Now 81, he's one of the iconic comic artists who did much to put Marvel on the comic map in the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Besides Iron Man, he worked with distinction on titles including Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Captain America, Daredevil and Dr. Strange. He long labored in the artistic trenches to shape the Marvel brand.

But now, at 81, Colan is in declining health. And further exacerbating an already distressing situation, Colan and his wife Adrienne have no pharmaceutical coverage on their health insurance. The ungodly price for the medications needed to diminish the horrendous complications of his condition (including fluid retention and encephalitis, according to Adrienne Colan) is said to be stretching the Colans to the breaking point.

As this is happening at the precise moment that "Iron Man" is racking up Brinks trucks full of cash, the wrenching irony here is fairly self-evident. But the comic world is coming through to lend a helping hand for one of its own. Artists and writers including the legendary Marvel comic scribe Stan Lee and sci-fi/horror author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman have imminent plans to contribute drawings and/or signed books for auction to defray Colan's mounting medical costs, according to journalist/author Clifford Meth. Meth, in fact, has been spearheading the grassroots fundraiser this weekend via his blog Everyone's Wrong and I'm Right.

This is all very heartening and humane, of course. It's what decent humans do when a friend is in trouble. But naturally, without casting stones, one might imagine that Marvel itself should soon have a plan in place to do the right thing -- and do it quickly -- for a man who helped make the riches that have flooded in over the past 11 days possible in the first place.

All you need is 'All You Need is Love'

By Barry Garron

A little more than 30 years ago, Tony Palmer, a documentary maker for the BBC, set out on one of the most ambitious projects you could imagine. He planned to write a book that would tell the entire history of popular music. Just thinking about it boggles the mind.

As he began his work, the book turned into a documentary series. Palmer went around the world conducting interviews and acquiring rare and sometimes previously unknown footage of performances. He tried to leave nothing out, including Jerry Lee Lewis, Edith Piaf, Al Jolson, the Beatles, Dizzy Gillespie, Liberace, Eric Clapton and even Wilson & Keppel (a vaudeville-style dance act from English music hall days).

Palmer wanted to know where popular music came from, who were the most influential performers and how different types of music influenced each other. He narrowed more than 1,000 hours of film into 17 episodes, each like a chapter. The series, "All You Need is Love," was broadcast on TV stations around the world from 1976 to 1980.

And then it just sat there gathering dust. All the fabulous interviews with performers, many of them no longer around. All the performances which, unlike today's documentaries, were shown in full and not just in 15-second clips. Vaudeville. Tin Pan Alley. Protests. Country music. Truly incredible stuff.

Palmer knew the Beatles and  other top artists but he focused on all of popular music, not just rock. In fact, rock and roll doesn't even appear until the 13th episode, after ragtime, jazz, blues, vaudeville, music halls, musicals, swing, rhythm and blues and country music.

You could debate whether any performer or music form got too much or too little attention but you have to come away in awe of what Parker had assembled, all in less than a year.

And now it's back. A five-disc DVD set, digitally remastered, has the entire series, all 14 hours and 45 minutes. "All You Need is Love" will be released Tuesday with a list price of $99.95 but you can get it for less. At amazon.com, for example, it ships for $69.99.

Seeing it now, it is amazing how much of it holds up and speaks to a new generation. In fact, only in the last episode, in which Palmer tries to spotlight the most significant performers at the time this was made, does he strike a few sour notes. The reason is obvious. We all see so much better in hindsight.

The Front Page: May 9, 2008

By Randee Dawn

For those keeping score, today is a two-fer in the THR universe: Not only is there the usual International Weekend Edition, but there's the massive and extensive THR Cannes Edition. Sigh, if only to be heading East to France ... though I am traveling this weekend, and Front Page will be on a L.A. time schedule for the next two weeks starting on May 13, so you don't need to wake up quite so early just to get the scoop.

Cannes aside, there's still plenty in the daily. First off, a sad farewell to Picturehouse and WIP, which are now making their long goodbyes (Picturehouse, for example, will survive to release films like "The Women" but basically shutter in October.) Borys Kit and Gregg Goldstein report on the carnage, noting that WB's Alan Horn insists the company will still keep a hand in niche entertainment: "We will still go to festivals. We are not abandoning that marketplace," and specialty fare "will not be relegated to New Line."

It's cold comfort to those getting laid off or losing their businesses, but anyone who's watched this business long enough knows this kind of thing is inevitable. Something bubbles up from the underground, gets eaten (in a kindly, non masticating way) by the bigger folks, and when times turn tough it's the first thing to get pruned off the tree. How's that for a set of mixed metaphors? I'm interested in the next stage of development, as Internet production houses gain more ground. Will WB be buying MyDamnChannel in 5 years? Stay tuned.

(Completely unrelated: Anyone who hasn't watched MyDamnChannel's Webby-winning "You Suck at Photoshop" series needs to block off time to enjoy all 10 episodes, which cover the gamut from hilarious to poignant to mystical (at least, the last episode). Go now, or at least after you've read today's issue.)
 

The Front Page: May 8, 2008

By Randee Dawn

So, you know, another late night out here in THR's New York outpost: Disney threw its "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" premiere with a suitably lavish party at the New York Public Library, and things got ... well, they got late. No absinthe this time (that wouldn't be very Disney) but let's just say there were ... shh ... arts 'n crafts involved. Also, I learned that unless you nail down the centerpieces people will actually walk out the door with them. Hope those armored prop helmets didn't have to be returned....

But no Narnia yet in the news; it's still all "Iron Man," all the time, and of course, how "Iron Man" affects the rest of the universe. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn't think a $100+ million opening weekend wasn't the biggest deal around, but the truth is, when it comes to video games (and one video game in particular), "Iron Man" is just made of tinfoil.

David Ward explains why today, noting that "Grand Theft Auto IV" earned "a record $500 million in first-week global sales," with over 6 million games sold since the April 29 launch. Of course, a ticket to "Iron Man" costs no more than $12 or $13, while "GTA IV" is a $60 purchase. But once you have 6 million of anyone willing to shell out that money, you've got something very, very big. Elsewhere in the piece, the inevitable comparison: "There is probably some overlap between the 'Iron Man' movie and the 'Grand Theft Auto' game audiences," said IDC video game analyst Billy Pidgeon. "But people are going to go to those blockbuster movies no matter what." Said a Paramount spokesman, "It was silly to think boys wouldn't get off the couch to go see 'Iron Man.' I think this put that thinking to rest for good."

That's one way of spinning it, I s'pose.

The Front Page: May 7, 2008

By Randee Dawn

There's some good news, and then there's some bad news, in James Hibberd's story today. First, the good:

More people are watching TV. One percent more, but hell, it's not a drop. It's an increase.

Now, the bad. "Since April 24, the five major networks are down an average of 21% in the key adult 18-49 demographic compared with last year. Even the season's ratings champ Fox has dropped 11%." So where is everyone? Well, "ad-supported cable during the May sweep is up 14% (in key demos) compared with last year," and "DVR use climbed another percentage point last week to a 24% market penetration."

So, folks remain glued to the tube, just not in a traditional way. Hey, programmers: This might be the time to start really ingesting that particular reality. And maybe put plans to move from your longtime corporate headquarters on hold on the backburner?

At least someone really, really hearts New York: I can't tell you how exciting it is that "Ugly Betty" is relocating its production to the Big Apple, based in large part on the recent increases in tax rebates, according to Nellie Andreeva's article. " This will be "Betty's" second cross-country move. The pilot was filmed in New York, but production was shifted to the West Coast after a Big Apple shoot was deemed too expensive. Because of the relocation, about 150 crew members on "Betty" will lose their jobs, though most are expected to be reassigned to other ABC Studios shows based in Los Angeles. The relocation of the cast is not expected to be a problem as the majority of the actors came from New York."

The Front Page: May 6, 2008

By Randee Dawn

Another heroic day at THR, where the articles just keep on a-coming. Today's edition leads off with a piece by Paul Bond and Borys Kit, which basically tells us what the boxoffice has already stated: That it's pretty marvelous to be Marvel these days. "Marvel shares Monday soared to an all-time high in the wake of 'Iron Man's' $102.1 million opening." Alas, all is not peaches and cream, they continue: "But the studio could find itself renegotiating an enriched deal with Robert Downey Jr. to ensure his participation in the fast-tracked sequel, 'Iron Man 2,' set for release April 30, 2010." Enriched! Vitamins! Because, you know ... iron is ... oh, you already got it. Of course.

All of this thrill over "Iron," however, might be putting the brakes on "Speed Racer," which is set to leave the gate this weekend in -- get this -- 3,600 theaters. (I think even my brother is hosting a screening on his flat-screen TV.) First off, according to Carl DiOrio, the film "seems stuck in the slow lane" and "has been tracking unimpressively in prerelease surveys." Plus, it'll now have to go up against the "Man" for all seasons. Warners' Dan Fellman insists, "It's too early to tell," and naturally, you can't underestimate all of those NASCAR fans with kids, but ... you'll have to wait for next week to hear about where the checkered flag fell on this one.

Howdy Doody meets Pinky Lee in new DVD set

By Barry Garron

To one degree or another, all TV shows on DVD sets are sentimental journeys. As they entertain, they transport us back to another time.

Few go further back than "Hiya, Kids," a four-DVD set due out Tuesday from Shout! Factory (suggested retail price of $34.99). It has 21 episodes from some of the most popular kids shows of the 1950s. Among them: "Kukla, Fran and Ollie," "Howdy Doody," "Annie Oakley," "Flash Gordon," "Ding Dong School," "Winky Dink and You," "Sky King," "The Pinky Lee Show" and "Sheena, Queen of the Jungle."

After watching about a third of the episodes, I concluded there are only two groups of people who should buy this set: students of sociology and pop culture and baby boomers.

These episodes are like a cultural time capsule that, when opened, reveal social concerns and biases in a way no textbook possibly could. Pig-tailed Annie Oakley had a deputy who did most of the heavy lifting and among the puppets on "Pinky Lee" was one in blackface.

At the same time, the shows made literary and cultural references that would puzzle many of today's high school graduates. Miss Frances from "Ding Dong School" read poems by Vachel Lindsay and Robert Louis Stevenson. "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" referred to sculptor Alexander Calder and writer Gertrude Stein.

For baby boomers, the look back at shows that used to be appointment TV may be jarring. Many of these series played at a pace that would be considered deathly dull today. Plots were transparent and dialog was patronizing. Yet, several of these shows, including "The Paul Winchell Show" and "The Pinky Lee Show," had flashes of brilliance nearly as funny today as they were more than a half century ago.

Each of the DVDs plays like a real Saturday morning schedule, with shows for very young kids followed by series for older children. In addition, the set comes with a booklet that has a couple of paragraphs on each of the 21 series.

By and large, the shows reflect the primitive state of TV preservation then in effect. The video can be grainy and the sound quality poor, just as it was when first viewed on Philcos and Admirals everywhere.

The Front Page: Cinco de Mayo, 2008

By Randee Dawn

Ole! And it's a particularly happy celebration, I'm sure, in the Houses of Favreau and Paramount this weekend. Not every film gets to break $100 million in first weekend grosses, and as Carl DiOrio points out, "Iron Man" has gone gold. (The second place follow up were Patrick Dempsey's knees (he wore a kilt at one point, get it?) in "Made of Honor," which brought in a scant $15.5 million domestic. Still, notes DiOrio, "the weekend's $162 million in industrywide domestic grosses underperformed the comparable year-ago session by 15%, according to Nielsen EDI. 'Spider-Man 3' kicked off summer 2007 with a $151.1 million opening."

Oh, and no Mexican hat dance needed for this information: "Iron Man 2" will be released in summer 2010, says Georg Szalai.

(Near) Strike Watch: Leslie Simmons reports that SAG has "scaled back some of its demands" and is now going back to the table "today for what likely will be two days of intense negotiations on the actors' contract." So, not so much celebrating going on there. SAG has apparently less invested now in "its initial proposal to increase DVD/home video residuals," but "both sides remain apart on several issues, including new media." Lawd, don't strand us in the summer with nothing but reruns and things skimmed off the Interwebs. That said, I saw "Dexter" on CBS for the first time last night and rather enjoyed the bloody mess, so there's something good to say.

Meanwhile the networks are hedging their bets in case of a strike, according to James Hibberd's piece: Several shows with low ratings are likely to get renewed, almost certainly because of the threat of another strike. Hibberd goes over many of the shows on the bubble -- from "Shark" ("Industry oddsmakers are pessimistic about a fall return" to "Men in Trees" ("producers of ABC's drama were recently told the show will not return for a third season") and "Women's Murder Club" ("If ABC picks up 'Eli Stone,' a renewal for similarly rated 'Murder Club' becomes less likely") and rates their chances. Sigh: If only this had come along when "Arrested Development" and "Freaks and Geeks" were getting buried. A second chance can literally mean another several years for the right kind of show. Writers, couldn't you have struck a few years ago?

Lifetime should confess for movie that murders truth

By Barry Garron

I'm still waiting for Lifetime to apologize but I won't hold my breath.

Last August, to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, Lifetime ran an original film, "The Murder of Princess Diana." Jennifer Morrison played an intrepid reporter who trails Diana to Paris. The reporter uncovers evidence and secures tips, all to the effect that Diana is to be murdered.

Why would anyone kill Princess Di? In this film, you can take your pick of all the dumb reasons from all the dumb conspiracy theories: The royal family wanted her dead because she was pregnant. The arms industry didn't like her campaign against land mines. She was going to marry a Muslim. You name it.

So, as the film and conspiracy theories go, surveillance tapes were doctored, the driver's blood tests were altered, another car was involved and Diana died in the ambulance even before she could get to the hospital.

Most of these notions had been discredited by previous investigations but, with ratings up for grabs, Lifetime decided not to let the facts interfere with a potentially good story. Even if it meant injecting paranoia and distortion into the death of one of the world's most beloved figures.

At the time, I suppose, die-hard conspiracy buffs could argue that there had never been a definitive inquest into what happened. Last month, though, a British jury ruled that Diana died because her driver was drunk and drove too fast. Period. End of story.

The jury worked for six months and heard more than 250 witnesses, including friends, family, faith healers, bodyguards, police chiefs and butlers. It cost British taxpayers about $20 million. Among the jury's conclusions: Diana was not pregnant and she was not wearing her seat belt.

By now, it has become abundantly clear that Lifetime, which professes to be for and about women, had made and shown a film that does to one of its gender what a vulture does to a carcass. Lifetime had not only misrepresented Diana and those around her but it had perpetuated and magnified lies that will live on despite the findings of the inquest.

At the very least, Lifetime owes viewers an apology for placing its quest for ratings above its obligation to act responsibly.

The Front Page: May 2, 2008

By Randee Dawn

At last night's "This American Life" event at NYU's Skirball Center, an audience member asked host Ira Glass why they didn't do a "celebrity" version of the show sometime. This is a paraphrase, but Glass essentially said: "We don't think celebrities are interesting enough. They don't do interesting things. That Brad Pitt/Jennifer Aniston/Angelina Jolie thing was on the front pages of the magazines for a year and a half. And there's nothing to it!"

He makes a point, and in today's issue -- coincidentally -- Borys Kit and Steven Zeitchik are asking a related question. Namely, do stars matter? "There are not a lot of movie stars right now," says producer Avi Lerner in the story, echoing my mom's considered opinion. "The market has become more selective." A chart in the story notes that in the past 20 years, films have become more franchise-driven rather than star-driven as the industry has grown from $1.8 billion to $4.8 billion in grosses. As they note: "Consider the star vehicle "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which is partly driven by the presence of Harrison Ford. That it continues a story line hatched almost 30 years ago and features a star born twice as far back tells you all you need to know about the modern relevance of star power."

Speaking of star power, no, "Iron Man" has not taken over today's issue, though there's loads of Irons in the fire, as it were. There's the hard-working Zeitchik's piece on how Marvel isn't married to Paramount for all distribution, despite a 2005 deal that Marvel noted "guarantees distribution for 10 films" through Paramount: "For Marvel, the pact is simply a two-picture deal" beginning with "Iron Man" "and Marvel obligated only to distribute its next movie through Paramount." ... A few more pages in features a story by David Ward on the "Simultaneous release of a video game based on the license (for "Iron Man"). And just across on the next page, a piece by Carl DiOrio speculating that "Iron" may do well, but that "Made of Honor" could also succeed thanks to Patrick Dempsey's knee exposure "counterprogramming." As Marvel Studios' David Maisel notes, "We are in the Iron Man business."

And this weekend, so is everybody else.

TV on the Radio: "This American Life" goes live

By Randee Dawn

Talk about your cross platforms. When "This American Life's" Ira Glass takes the stage — yes, the stage — Thursday night at New York’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in lower Manhattan, there will be a convergence of the kind rarely, if ever, seen in the annals of entertainment.

He will be introducing and presiding over the live stage performance of a radio show, partially featuring clips from its Showtime counterpart (“TAL’s” second season debuts on May 4), while the whole thing is simulcast in HD and Surround Sound to movie theaters around the country for paid customers.

“This American Life” has been a Chicago Public Radio-produced program since 1995 (currently reaching approximately 500 stations), and last year it had its debut as a half-hour series on Showtime. Along the way, “TAL” has done a few live touring productions, saving some of the segments performed on stage for later shows. But “This American Life – Live!” clearly breaks new ground.

“Part of it is the simple oddity and pleasure of seeing people who you only know through their voices,” says live show producer Seth Lind, who is the production manager for the radio show, and the radio production manager for the TV show. “There’s an excitement to seeing the structure of it unfold that you’re used to hearing on the radio.”

The approximately 2-hour show is being filmed on five cameras and simulcast to 330 screens around the country. There are approximately 70,000 seats available at $20 (suggested price) a pop per seat, according to Lind. Certain theaters have already sold out in New York City, San Francisco, Chicago and Seattle, though specific data is not available. And it’s not just a single chain monopoly; the program is available on chain screens such as Regal and Clearview, as well as “some mom and pop theaters where we were able to install the satellite equipment,” says Lind.

While it all seems like a novelty, Lind says fans of “TAL” are actually going to enjoy the program in a way no one else ever can. “We shoot the show in HD, and the small screen just doesn’t do the segments justice, honestly,” he says. “We chose a cinematic style for the show, and the look of the TV show is going to get its best justice at this event.”

And as for that $20 ticket? Don’t imagine this is any kind of a moneymaker for “TAL” – the theaters get a cut, and it’s not cheap to put on the one-night-only program.

Laughs Lind, “Yeah, it’s public radio. We’re sticking to our policy of not making much money."

A list of participating theaters for the “This American Life – Live!” event can be found here.

The Front Page: May 1, 2008

By Randee Dawn

Yes, we're running a bit late this morning -- did you get started without us?

Blame the Tribeca Film Festival -- or not, since they helped put on a fantastic brunch for women filmmakers and the attendees and journalists who love them over at the SoHo House this morning, which explains the lateness in getting things moving forward this morning.

But if the women were communing this morning over granola, croissants and some kind of pastry with an oddly glowing center, the men -- well, who says men can't have catfights? As Paul Bond points out today, Sumner Redstone has an earful for Les Moonves, and isn't afraid to speak his mind when it comes to putting extreme fighting on CBS. Bond reports that "Redstone said the deal, struck with Elite Xtreme Combat, probably was a mistake, not because CBS won't turn a profit from it but because it is not 'socially responsible' to air the typically bloody bouts on free, broadcast TV. 'I'm a lover not a fighter,' Redstone said. 'I don't like the sport.' Redstone said he doesn't like to 'intrude' on Moonves and added that, 'Most of the time, he does the right thing.'"

Meeow! Look for Moonves to short-sheet Redstone's bunk this evening and put shaving cream in his slippers.

You know, I've been accused of being asleep at the wheel before, but I really hadn't heard that we're mere votes away from having ourselves a "Copyright Czar," as an article by Brooks Boliek points out today (the "Czar" mention is actually in the headline). Nor did I realize that the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative "would have broad power to direct and implement the federal government's policies to combat IP piracy." Nor did anyone else apparently realize that USIPER is awfully close to "usurper" when you pronounce it, and thereby sounds like a governmental agency out of "Get Smart."

The Front Page: April 30, 2008

By Randee Dawn

"Iron Man": The film that keeps giving. Another thing that had occurred to me at the screening the other night was that by the time we've reached "Iron Man" levels in the superhero genre, we're a long way from the iconic trifecta of Batman/Superman/Spider-Man. And still a good distance from X-Men -- even though "Iron Man" is a good film.

Borys Kit seems to be on the same level: He provides a long list of films coming out this summer that involve superhero characters. Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige insists it's "not a fad," that "it's the new archetype for the summer blockbuster," but as Universal's Donna Langley points out, "Only so many of them are going to overperform, and the others are going to do OK."

I'm not much of a comic book geek, but it does seem that at some point we're going to end up with a feature film about "The Marxman," whose superhero abilities include always remembering to lower the toilet seat when he's done in the can. The thing is, and it takes no great genius to figure this out, most superhero films allow audiences to indulge in classic -- to borrow a word from Feige -- archetypes of gender (while non-superhero films largely have to adhere to the more modern egalitarian notion that sometimes the women can take care of their own problems), among other things. I liked "Iron Man," and cringed when as per usual, The Girl in High Heels has to be saved yet again. It must get so boring to have to write scripts where you can't rehash versions of the Perils of Pauline, I'm sure, but you'd think the creative minds behind the scripts could come up with something more original.

Oh, and they come with easy serialization possibilities and built-in audiences. So you can keep replaying the same story again and again, this time with a little more angst, probably with a little less return, probably with a little more merchandising. Who can lose? Don't get me started.

Hey, something shiny over here as I step off the soapbox: Radiohead has told Mimi Turner that their "In Rainbows" price option download system was a "one-off response to a particular situation." The "honesty box" option for fans to pick their price to download the album -- and some folks paid nothing -- hasn't exactly been labeled a success, but it sure got the band a lot of free publicity. Still, don't expect to see it again. And meanwhile, clips notes that Coldplay's free download offering of "Violet" jammed their Web site on Tuesday. "Last.fm said it had been tracking listens of the track and put the figure at 10,000 in the first five hours of release -- a rate of one play every two seconds," says clips. (The album will get a regular release on May 6.)

The Front Page: April 29, 2008

By Randee Dawn

It did occur to me on the way home from an "Iron Man" screening and party last night (excellent crab cakes, by the way) that if things ever really do get tough, at least I'd have free popcorn and appetizers to carry me through ... and possibly the spare swag bag with cosmetics and a candle. But as Gregg Kilday points out today, Hollywood has, for the most part, soldiered on in good times and bad — though it's never quite that black and white. "In the past four decades, there have been seven recession years in this country, and boxoffice climbed strongly in five of those years," NATO's John Fithian told Kilday, citing the long-held belief that even if you can't afford milk, you gotta get entertained, so movies are considered a cheap option.

But these days, to what? Kilday points out that "Hollywood was not immune to the Depression at all" and a chart indicates that during 1932, studio profits were showing losses of $55.7 million. (These days, that's practically an indie movie budget, but you know what we mean.) "Nobody is predicting that the current economy is about to plunge over a Depression-era cliff," says Kilday. "But last week, market research company NPD Group reported that 37% of Americans expect to spend less on entertainment products and devices in 2008 than they did in 2007.... Let's wait a minute before we strike up the band."

Well, someone's spending, and it looks like A&E is the one who's flush these days, putting another $50 million into their development slate, according to Paul J. Gough's article. "Over the last few years, we have seen all of our development and our investments bring extraordinary results," A&E's Abbe Raven notes. What does this mean? More reality at the former Arts and Entertainment network (which for many years has been more "entertainment" than "arts"). They've announced three unscripted series and one scripted series -- and even the History Channel is not immune, announcing new series, including one produced by Mark Burnett. Does this mean we're going to start stranding famous historical characters on a desert island and vote them off at tribal council?

Under the radar but on the screen: Is the best athlete a jockey?

By Barry Garron

For those who follow horse racing, the name Laffit Pincay Jr. is legend. For the rest of us, it's Laffit who?

Jim Wilson, best known as Kevin Costner's production partner, argues that Laffit, 61, regarded by many as the greatest jockey of all time, should also be regarded as one of the best, if not the best, athlete ever.

He makes the case in a two-hour documentary that will air at 4 p.m. Friday on FSN and also May 17. The film also is available on DVD (pictured here).

For those of us who are largely ignorant of the Sport of Kings, the idea of a rider as athlete, much less one of the greatest athletes ever, seems a stretch. How athletic do you have to be to ride a horse for two and a half minutes?

Very, it turns out. For one thing, jockeys don't sit on horses. They crouch over them, which itself takes a lot of stamina. They get the feel of the horse, learn when and how to urge it on and extend its neck enough to sometimes be the margin of victory. Laffit's physical conditioning was on a par with the most disciplined athletes in any sport.

Panama-born Laffit, who loved baseball and was considered by some too big to ride, surpassed Bill Shoemaker's win total of 8,833 and kept on going. He rode for 39 years, well into his 50s; the average career of a jockey is five years. He retired with 9,530 victories (the record only lasted about a year when it was broken in 2006 by Russell Baze). Still, many claim he was as good a rider on his last day as he was in the middle of a career that saw victories at just about every great racing venue.

Wilson produced, directed and edited "Laffit: All About Winning." He interviewed trainers, celebrity owners (Dick Van Patten, Burt Bacharach) and other jockeys. He delves into Laffit's personal life, including the suicide of his first wife and the time his horse jumped an inside rail and landed on him.

There's footage of many of his races. Lots and lots and lots of footage. For someone who isn't a horse racing enthusiast, probably too much footage. But that's about the only flaw worth mentioning in this otherwise solid tribute to an unassuming and dedicated sportsman and, yes, maybe one of the greatest athletes ever.

No need to apologize, Miley. We understand.

By Barry Garron

It pained me to hear that Miley Cyrus, tween superstar and hero of Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana," had apologized for the photo she posed for in the June issue of Vanity Fair. I wanted to reach out, put my arms around her (in a consoling way, of course) and say, "Miley, it wasn't your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."

The picture (left) was taken by photographer Annie Liebovitz who is famous for her controversial cover shots of a nude John Lennon and Yoko Ono and a very pregnant Demi Moore. This time, Liebovitz snared another celebrity into her wide angle web. Before Miley could even know what was happening, she was showing off her naked back and clutching a blanket in front to preserve a shred of her modesty.

"Unfortunately," said a statement from the Disney Channel, "as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."

Sadly, a few cynics scoffed. Wrote one visitor to the USA Today web site, "It's almost as bad as a multinational corporation manipulating a 15-year-old to sell CD's, movies, concert tickets, toys and merchandise."

But, really, how could young Miley realize she was entrusting her wholesome image to a prurient smut peddler? All she knew was that the magazine was paying her $1 million to look straight ahead and smile. Who could guess that they would want something, well, attention-getting? These days, that's just snapshot money.

And, yes, it is true that Miley's mother and father were both there, plus a few other members of her entourage. Vanity Fair said none of them objected to the shot. This only means that not only did the magazine take advantage of Miley but she might also be a victim of child neglect.

Liebovitz offered this explanation for the perverted pose: "Miley and I looked at fashion photographs together and we discussed the picture in that context before we shot it." Sure, pass the buck. Like there was any chance Miley could resist. As the easy-to-manipulate 15-year-old recalled, "(Liebovitz is) so cute. She gets this puppy-dog look and you're like, 'OK.' "

In the end, though, Miley is the one who suffers. After working so hard to cultivate a puritanical, impossibly wholesome, implausibly religious image -- and overcoming Internet photos to the contrary (right) -- she now has to beg forgiveness from all those people who are offended by the site of a bare back.

"I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen," she said."I apologize to my fans who I care so deeply about."

No, no, Miley. Don't even think such a thing. It's not your fault that society and parents and evil photographers let you down. Let's just pray it never happens again.