REPORT: CNN’S ZUCKER RAIDING VARIETY, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

New CNN chief Jeff Zucker is planning to beef up the cable news channel’s coverage of the entertainment business and will raid Variety and The Hollywood Reporter to do so, the New York Post‘s “Page Six” column reported today (Monday), citing an unnamed source. According to the column, Zucker is also looking to bring other […]

TRADE PAPERS REVIEW ZERO DARK THIRTY

Judging from early trade reviews, director Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty is everything that her Hurt Locker was: a harrowing drama that is likely to receive overwhelming praise from critics, earn numerous awards — even, perhaps, a heap of Oscars — but bomb — no pun intended — at the box office. The raid on […]

CUTBACKS HIT VARIETY IN WAKE OF SALE

The new owner of Variety has informed its staff that the trade publication is laying off 20-25 people in several of its business units. The figure represents about 12 percent of Variety‘s reported 165-member staff. Word of the layoffs first appeared in a post on Deadline.com, a corporate sibling of Variety, which conspicuously did not […]

VARIETY HAS A NEW PUBLISHER — A WOMAN

Days after it was announced that Variety had been acquired by Penske Media, the new owner has announced a major personnel change. Brian Gott is out as publisher; Michelle Sobrino-Stearns is in — becoming the first woman to hold the top position at the trade publication in its 107-year history. In a statement, Penske said, […]

VARIETY REPORTS: IT’S UP FOR SALE

Variety scooped its rivals today (Friday) when it became the first to report that it is being sold. The trade paper said on its website that its owner, Reed Business Information, has decided to sell it as part of a divestment of of its U.S. business magazines, which began three years ago with the aim […]

OSCAR-NOMINATED FILMS TO GET A SECOND CHANCE

The major studios are hoping to capitalize on Oscar nominations this weekend by expanding nominated films that have not yet been released on DVD. “The Oscar spotlight could boost several contenders at the box office,” Daily Variety observed, then commented, “It better: The class of 2011 consists of some comparative underachievers.” Only one film in […]

CORRECTION

Well, that didn’t take long! On Tuesday, we ran an item, sourcing Daily Variety, that, if and when SAG and AFTRA are combined into a single union, it will be named SAG-AFTRA United. We also observed that as time passes, the “United” in the name would probably be dropped. Later, a spokesman for SAG informed […]

CBS FILMS: MOONVES ADMITS IT GIVES NETWORK A BLACK EYE

The strategy behind CBS Films had been simplicity itself: make a small number of quality low-budget movies and hope that a few of them would generate excitement — and ticket sales — at the box office. The problem is that after four years, the company has yet to have a hit — and its last […]

APPLE HALTS TV RENTALS ON ITUNES

In a surprise move, Apple has stopped renting TV episodes online from its iTunes Store. Daily Variety, which reported the move, said that the company removed the rental option “quietly.” It quoted an Apple spokesman as saying, “iTunes customers have shown they overwhelmingly prefer buying TV shows.” Only two media companies had agreed to allow […]

HARRY POTTER FINALE PREMIERES IN LONDON

Thousands of Harry Potter fans packed Trafalgar Square in London this evening for the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the final installment of the boy wizard series. The red-carpet to-do was broadcast in the U.K. and on the Internet in 3D via Sky 3D. Early trade reviews have been positive […]

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