U.K. SPY THRILLER HAILED AT VENICE FILM FEST

Critics have poured gushing praise on the movie version of John Le Carré’s spy novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which was presented in competition Monday at the Venice Film Festival. “The film is a triumph,” wrote David Gritten in the London Telegraph. “It’s the film to beat at this year’s festival,” said Xan Brooks of […]

VIVENDI SELLS ITS LAST STAKE IN UNIVERSAL

French conglomerate Vivendi is now out of the Hollywood studio business. In 2004, it sold 80 percent of Universal Studios and its cable networks, including USA and what is now SyFy, to NBC for $14 billion. On Wednesday it completed its sale of the remaining 20 percent of the company for $5.8 billion, allowing NBC […]