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| News Corp to buy Cleveland Indians sports channel: sources Monday, Dec 03, 2012 06:42 PM PST  (Reuters) - News Corp is expected to announce as early as this week that it will buy SportsTime Ohio, a TV channel owned by the Cleveland Indians baseball team, for around $230 million, sources told Reuters, marking its second acquisition of a regional sports channel since late last month. The deal would give News Corp's Fox Sports unit the rights to broadcast the Major League Baseball team's games, according to two sources with knowledge of the negotiations. ... Full Story | Top |
| For rock legends Fleetwood Mac, it's 'til death do us part Monday, Dec 03, 2012 06:26 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Do not call it a comeback and don't even think of it as a farewell tour. After more than four decades making music and a 2010 tour, Fleetwood Mac will hit the road again next year. But it won't be its last tour, singer Stevie Nicks vowed, dismissing any notion that the band could be packing away their instruments in the near future. "It's never going to be a final tour until we drop dead," Nicks told Reuters. "There's no reason for this to end as long as everyone is in good shape and takes care of themselves. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cicely Tyson returning to Broadway after 30 years in "The Trip to Bountiful" Monday, Dec 03, 2012 05:55 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Cicely Tyson will return to Broadway for the first time in 30 years, in a revival of Horton Foote's "The Trip to Bountiful," the producers announced Monday. The play, scheduled for a 14-week limited run beginning March 31, 2013, at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, will be directed by Michael Wilson, who also directed Foote's "Dividing the Estate" at Lincoln Center, as well as several other Foote plays Off-Broadway. Opening night is set for April 23. Tyson will play Carrie Watts, an elderly woman who dreams of returning to her hometown Bountiful, Tex. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Boardwalk Empire" creator on legalizing drugs and making Nucky likeable again Monday, Dec 03, 2012 05:54 PM PST  NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - The prohibition drama "Boardwalk Empire" wrapped its spectacular third season Sunday night just weeks after the states of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize marijuana. To "Boardwalk" creator Terence Winter, who has immersed himself in the history of prohibition to research his gangster epic, the votes feel like a move in the right direction. "It's great. I think they should legalize drugs in general," Winter told TheWrap. "The war on drugs is clearly not working, and I think they should take the profit motive out of being a drug dealer. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Bully,' 'How to Survive a Plague,' 'Sugarman' Make Oscars Documentary Short List Monday, Dec 03, 2012 05:49 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The headline-grabbing "Bully," the AIDS-activism documentary "How to Survive a Plague" and "Searching for Sugarman," about a folk singer rediscovering his fans are among the films chosen for the short list of possible nominees in the Documentary Feature category at the 85th Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Monday. "Searching for Sugar Man" has already picked up a win at the International Documentary Festival and nominations from the Producers Guild documentary awards and the Cinema Eye Honors. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York Film and TV Tax Credits Support 28,900 Jobs: Study Monday, Dec 03, 2012 05:48 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - New York's film and television production tax credits supported 28,900 jobs in the state and generated $6.9 billion in economic activity last year, according to a new study commissioned by Hollywood's main lobbying group. Overall, the state's film and television production industry grew by 25 percent between 2008 to 2011 despite the fact that the country was mired in recession, the study's authors write. During that period, economic activity across the state declined by 1.6 percent. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Les Miserables" Leads the Way with 10 Nominations for Satellite Awards Monday, Dec 03, 2012 05:47 PM PST NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Les Miserables" secured 10 nominations for the International Press Academy's Satellite Awards, leading all possible entrants for the 17th annual event. This year's awards will take place December16 at Los Angeles' Intercontinental Hotel. Last year, "The Descendants" came out on top at the Satellites, though "The Artist" later triumphed at the Academy Awards. For this year's nominees, Tom Hooper's adaptation of the book turned iconic musical led all films with four acting nominations and a sweep of the costume, art and sound categories. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Walking Dead' Preview: Four Men and a Baby Monday, Dec 03, 2012 05:46 PM PST NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - (Spoiler alert: Don't read this if you don't want a general idea of what's coming up on "The Walking Dead" or want to know what has happened in the comics that inspired it.) For all we've seen on "The Walking Dead" this season - a pregnant woman's death, an eye gouged with glass, reunited brothers facing almost certain doom - showrunner Glen Mazzara reminds us that there's one thing we haven't seen. ... Full Story | Top |
| Megan Ellison, Brother David Team on Next 'Terminator' Film, Close Rights Deal Monday, Dec 03, 2012 05:46 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Megan Ellison and her brother David Ellison will partner on producing future installments of "The Terminator" franchise, having jointly acquired the rights to the iconic brand first brought to the screen in 1984. The Ellisons, children of billionaire Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, acquired the rights from Pacificor and will co-produce future films. No price was stated, though a spokeswoman for Megan Ellison said it was south of $20 million. The assets include rights to films, television projects, home entertainment and merchandise. ... Full Story | Top |
| Disney Loses Appeal in $319 million "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" Case Monday, Dec 03, 2012 05:45 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Walt Disney Company has lost its bid for a new trial in its legal saga with the creators of the game show "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?" who won a $319 million award against the company in 2010. In a ruling filed on Monday, a trio of U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals judges shot down ABC, Buena Vista Television and Valleycrest Productions, after those companies (referred to as "the Disney affiliates" in the ruling) sought to appeal an earlier order denying their motion for judgment as a matter of law, and for a new trial in the matter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kutcher's Steve Jobs, Gordon-Levitt among Sundance premieres Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:51 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ashton Kutcher's turn as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt's directorial debut about a modern day Don Juan are leading a slew of star-studded premieres unveiled Monday for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Kutcher stars in "Jobs," a biographical look at the career rise of Jobs from wayward hippie to charismatic inventor and entrepreneur, which Sundance said Monday will officially close the indie film festival backed by Robert Redford that runs January 17 to January 27. ... Full Story | Top |
| J.K. Rowling adult novel to be adapted for BBC One Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:50 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - British author J.K. Rowling's first adult novel "The Casual Vacancy" will be adapted for the small screen, the BBC announced on Monday, unlike her Harry Potter adventures which went on to become one of the biggest film franchises of all time. Public broadcaster BBC One and BBC Drama have commissioned the exclusive adaptation from The Blair Partnership literary agency which represents the author. The series is expected to air in 2014. Rowling will collaborate "closely" on the project, with the number and length of episodes to be decided once the adaptation has formally begun. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hollywood Loves the 'R,' but the Big Money's Rated PG-13 Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:49 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Hollywood studios have released 33 percent more R-rated films in 2012 than last year, but the wealth of adult offerings hasn't translated into a box office boom. Instead, audiences have flocked to PG-13 fare. This year, 168 films have carried the "restricted" rating, which requires youths under 17 to be accompanied by an adult, and they have taken in $2.3 billion at the box office. That compares to 113 PG-13 films, with a $4.7 billion take, and 52 PG movies with a combined gross of $1.8 billion. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Ink Master,' Tattoo Nightmares' Renewed by Spike TV Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:47 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Spike TV has inked new seasons of "Tattoo Nightmares" and "Ink Master," the network said Monday. "Ink Master," which is hosted up by tatted-up Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro and pits budding tattoo artists against each other as they vie for skin-art glory, has been given a 13-episode order for a third season. The new season will premiere in summer 2013. "Tattoo Nightmares," meanwhile, has been granted a 26-episode second season. The series, which premiered in October, features a crew of tattoo artists who attempt to cover up people's ill-considered tattoos. ... Full Story | Top |
| Alec Baldwin Gets Overall Deal With Universal TV Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:47 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Alec Baldwin's "30 Rock" stint might be coming to an end, but his relationship with NBC will continue. Baldwin, who plays ruthless executive Jack Donaghy on "30 Rock," has entered an overall deal with Universal Television, the studio arm of NBC Universal that produces the series. Under the two-year agreement, Baldwin will develop and produce series ideas for Universal TV - including projects that he will potentially star in. The actor also serves as a producer on "30 Rock," which will end its seven-season run on January 31. Full Story | Top |
| Katt Williams Arrested After Alleged Bar Rampage Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:46 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Katt Williams didn't have much to laugh about this weekend after the comedian was arrested in Seattle, following an incident at a bar during which Williams allegedly attacked a woman with a cigarette, according to the Seattle Police Department. According to police Williams - born Micah Williams - "exchanged words" with other customers at the World Sports Grille in the city's South Lake Union area Sunday afternoon and "brandished a pool cue" at the bar's manager. ... Full Story | Top |
| How Hollywood Won Its Box-Office Bet on Leftovers Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:45 PM PST LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The Hollywood studios let it ride at the box office this past weekend, betting on the films already in the market rather than rolling out new ones. They won. The post-Thanksgiving weekend, traditionally a bone yard at the box office, was up 45 percent over last year. That's despite the fact there were only two wide-releases - Brad Pitt's "Killing Them Softy" and horror film "The Collection." And both tanked. The top three films - "Twilight: Breaking Dawn - Part 2," "Skyfall" and "Lincoln" - held those spots for the third straight week. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dane DeHaan Tapped for Next "Amazing Spider-Man" Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:44 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Dane DeHaan has joined the cast of the next installment of "The Amazing Spider-Man," Columbia Pictures announced Monday. The "Chronicle" star will act alongside Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx and Shailene Woodley as production begins on the franchise's next chapter. Penned by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Jeff Pinkner, the screenplay was based on a previous draft by James Vanderbilt. The film will be directed by Marc Webb and produced by Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach. ... Full Story | Top |
| Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Don Cheadle Sign on for James Cameron's Climate-Change Doc Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:42 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - James Cameron's climate-change documentary "Years of Living Dangerously" has lined up some high-level talent to get its message across. Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin and Don Cheadle have signed on to narrate the documentary, Showtime - which will air the project over multiple episodes next year - said Monday. Actor Edward Norton is also expected to come aboard, Showtime said, with additional talent to be announced. ... Full Story | Top |
| Howard Stern signs on for more "America's Got Talent" Monday, Dec 03, 2012 02:11 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Shock jock Howard Stern will return as a judge for his second season on NBC's summer talent show "America's Got Talent," the broadcaster said on Monday, although the high-priced radio host appears to have done little to improve the show's ratings. NBC hoped Stern, 58, known for this sexually explicit radio interviews, would attract bigger audiences, but the finale in September was watched by a record low of under 11 million viewers, according to ratings data. ... Full Story | Top |
| Co-author of "Three Cups of Tea" commits suicide in Oregon Monday, Dec 03, 2012 01:56 PM PST  PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - Journalist David Oliver Relin, co-author of the controversial best-selling book "Three Cups of Tea," took his own life last month in the Columbia River town of Corbett, Oregon, east of Portland, authorities disclosed on Monday. The cause of Relin's death on November 15 was listed as suicide by blunt force head injury, said Tom Chappelle, Multnomah County deputy medical examiner, but he declined to give further details. Relin, who lived in Portland, was 49. ... Full Story | Top |
| Critics' darling Price scoops UK's Turner art prize Monday, Dec 03, 2012 01:56 PM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - British video artist Elizabeth Price won the coveted Turner Prize for contemporary art on Monday, delighting critics who had championed her film about a fatal fire in Manchester in 1979, describing it variously as "terrifying" and "exhilarating". The 46-year-old was the least familiar of four artists shortlisted for the annual prize, and she beat out the bookmakers' favorite Paul Noble to win a cheque for 25,000 pounds ($40,000) and earn instant recognition and acclaim. ... Full Story | Top |
| New York critics pick "Zero Dark Thirty" as best film Monday, Dec 03, 2012 01:19 PM PST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Film Critics Circle on Monday picked action thriller "Zero Dark Thirty" as best film and gave its top acting honors to Daniel Day-Lewis and Rachel Weisz in the first major movie awards of the season leading up to Hollywood's Oscars. U.S. filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow won best director for "Zero Dark Thirty," based on the decade-long U.S. operation to kill Osama bin Laden and billed as a cinematic look at "the greatest manhunt in history. ... Full Story | Top |
| Louvre satellite seeks to revive bleak French region Monday, Dec 03, 2012 12:49 PM PST  LENS, France (Reuters) - The Paris Louvre opens a regional offshoot this week in a former mining town in northern France, hoping to revitalize a region better known for football fans and takeaway chip stands than the noble pursuit of art. The 150 million euro ($195 million) art centre in Lens, to be inaugurated by President Francois Hollande on Tuesday, will house a rotating collection of 205 works from the Louvre museum in Paris, along with temporary exhibitions. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain tells press to change ways to avoid new laws Monday, Dec 03, 2012 12:02 PM PST LONDON (Reuters) - The British government on Monday threatened the press with new laws to curb its behavior if it failed to get its own house in order following a damning inquiry into reporting practices. Lawmakers are divided on the issue of statutory regulation which has put Prime Minister David Cameron at odds with his coalition partner. Last week, the judge who oversaw a year-long inquiry after a phone-hacking scandal at Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper business called for a new press watchdog to police the sometimes "outrageous" behavior of the press. ... Full Story | Top |
| Prince William, wife Kate expecting a baby Monday, Dec 03, 2012 11:26 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine are expecting a baby, destined to be the country's future monarch, although the mother-to-be is in hospital with a type of very acute morning sickness that sometimes indicates twins. "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby," the prince's office said in a statement on Monday, adding that the Elizabeth and the royal family were delighted. ... Full Story | Top |
| Murdoch keeps News Corp name, Thomson becomes publishing CEO Monday, Dec 03, 2012 11:25 AM PST  (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch tapped Wall Street Journal managing editor Robert Thomson, a close confidant with little experience on the business side of publishing, as Chief Executive of his new publishing company, which will retain the News Corp name. Thomson's appointment coincided with several other announcements related to the impending publishing company spin-off, including the closing of The Daily, the heavily-hyped digital newspaper for Apple Inc's iPad, and the naming of other key executives. ... Full Story | Top |
| UK's Prince William and wife Kate expecting a baby Monday, Dec 03, 2012 11:23 AM PST LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine are expecting a baby, destined to be the country's future monarch, although the mother-to-be is in hospital with a type of very acute morning sickness that sometimes indicates twins. "Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby," the prince's office said in a statement on Monday, adding that Queen Elizabeth and the royal family were delighted. ... Full Story | Top |
| Murdoch opts for TV exec Darcey to run British newspapers Monday, Dec 03, 2012 10:14 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Rupert Murdoch turned from one straight-talking New Zealander to another on Monday, appointing pay-TV executive Mike Darcey to run his troubled British newspaper arm through what is likely to be another tumultuous period for the Sun and Times titles. Darcey will become chief executive of News International at the start of the year, before a series of high profile criminal trials stemming from a phone hacking scandal and a group restructuring that could expose the papers to a harsh economic climate. ... Full Story | Top |
| LeBron James wins Sports Illustrated annual award Monday, Dec 03, 2012 09:04 AM PST  (Reuters) - LeBron James of the Miami Heat was named as Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year for 2012, the U.S. magazine announced on Monday. In an outstanding year, the 27-year-old James won his first NBA championship, his third league Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, was named MVP of the NBA finals and a won gold medal with the United States at the London Olympics. He became just the sixth basketballer to win the award, which began in 1954. The most recent was his team-mate Dwyane Wade in 2006. ... Full Story | Top |
| Paul McCartney gets wish, is in last Dandy comic Monday, Dec 03, 2012 07:29 AM PST  LONDON (Reuters) - Paul McCartney will fulfill a lifelong wish on Tuesday when he appears in the final print edition of Britain's longest-running children's comic The Dandy, a favorite of the ex-Beatle when he was growing up in Liverpool. The comic that brought beloved characters including pie-eating cowboy Desperate Dan and Korky the Cat to millions of homes is going digital-only from Tuesday, 75 years after it was first published. ... Full Story | Top |
| Obama salutes entertainers at Kennedy Center Honors Monday, Dec 03, 2012 07:26 AM PST  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Music legend Led Zeppelin was recognized on Sunday alongside entertainers from stage and screen for their contributions to the arts and American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors, lifetime achievement awards for performing artists. The eclectic tribute in Washington, alternated between solemn veneration and lighthearted roasting of honorees Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, wisecracking late-night talk show host David Letterman, blues guitar icon Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova and Led Zeppelin. ... Full Story | Top |
| Turkey fines TV channel for "The Simpsons" blasphemy Monday, Dec 03, 2012 06:24 AM PST  ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's broadcasting regulator is fining a television channel for insulting religious values after it aired an episode of "The Simpsons" which shows God taking orders from the devil. Radio and television watchdog RTUK said it was fining private broadcaster CNBC-e 52,951 lira ($30,000) over the episode of the hit U.S. animated TV series, whose scenes include the devil asking God to make him a coffee. ... Full Story | Top |
| China's Wanda in talks with "well-known" hotels for U.S. buys Sunday, Dec 02, 2012 11:31 PM PST BEIJING (Reuters) - China's privately-owned Dalian Wanda Group, the world's largest movie theater owner, is in talks with "well-known" hotel chains for acquisition opportunities in the United States, its chairman said on Monday. Wanda, which also has interests in real estate, tourism and department stores, bought U.S.-based movie theater chain AMC Entertainment for $2.6 billion in September in one of China's biggest overseas entertainment investments, and an example of how Beijing is expanding its 'soft power' abroad. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. election, iPhone 5, Kardashian top Yahoo! 2012 searches Sunday, Dec 02, 2012 09:03 PM PST  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The U.S. presidential election became the most-searched item and Kim Kardashian was the most-searched person on Yahoo! in a year when online searches were dominated by big news stories and pop culture obsessions, the search engine company said on Monday. The search term "election" topped the list of searches, led not only by extensive media coverage but also widening conversation on online social media platforms. The term "political polls" was No. 8 of the top 10 Yahoo! searches of the year. ... Full Story | Top |
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