30 YEARS OF AMERICAN BANDSTAND KEPT UNDER WRAPS

Ever wonder why some of the thousands of musical performances from Dick Clark’s American Bandstand that are easily accessed on YouTube are not available on TV? The reason was suggested in a Los Angeles Times article over the weekend that noted the legal complexity of gaining the musical rights to the performances on the show, […]

U.K. FIRM PLANS TO RAISE CELEBRITIES FROM THE DEAD

A British firm that received a bit of international notoriety when it projected a hologram of Tupac Shakur on stage at the Coachella Music Festival in April says that it intends to resurrect other dead performers similarly, including Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Marilyn Monroe — and take them on tour. John Rock, […]

ABC FAMILY GOBBLES UP THE HUNGER GAMES

One day after debuting in theaters with a stunning gross of $155 million domestically, Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games and its upcoming sequel Catching Fire were picked up by the ABC Family Channel for what is likely a record price by a basic cable outlet. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, typically first-time rights […]

BBC AXES ROOM AT THE TOP FOLLOWING RIGHTS DISPUTE

The BBC has been forced to cancel a scheduled two-part broadcast of John Braine’s Room at the Top because of a dispute over the TV rights. A statement issued by the public broadcaster on Monday said that it is assessing “a potential contractual issue which emerged just a few days before the program was due […]

TIME WARNER CABLE AND VIACOM TO DUKE IT OUT IN COURT

Although Time Warner Cable has removed several cable networks from its recently introduced iPad app at their request, it is not about to abandon the app, and it is now asking the courts to decide whether it has the right to send its signal to iPads in the homes of its subscribers. On Thursday, it […]