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2010年12月27日星期一

ABC Admits to Voting Issues on 'Dancing With the Stars'

The network says the problems "affected each finalist equally."

ABC admits it faced voting issues this week on Dancing With the Stars.

Producers said Tuesday the contestants received a "record amount of activity," which overloaded its online and phone voting system after Monday's final competition show. The network has been denying voting issues all season in light of Bristol Palin's longevity on the show. PHOTOS: What critics said about Bristol this year.

"Some viewers reported experiencing difficulties registering their votes for the Dancing With the Stars finale, which affected each finalist equally," show producers said in a statement, as obtained by the Huffington Post. "The issue was promptly addressed [and voting times were not extended]."

Jennifer Grey, best known for her Dirty Dancing role, was crowned the winner Tuesday night. Palin came in third.

The controversy surrounding Palin spiked ratings this season, and delivered a solid lead-in for Skating With the Stars' premiere Monday.

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2010年12月25日星期六

CBC Sitcom Plays Foreign Terror Threats For Laughs

Public broadcast to air homegrown spy-fi comedy that spoofs TV's secret agent genre.

TORONTO -- Most Canadians know their little-known spy agency is a joke, so the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) isn’t letting that go to waste.

The public broadcaster is set to debut in early JanuaryInSecurity, a spy-fi sitcom about bungling Canadian secret agents trying to liquidate terrorists from Ottawa as part the fictional National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).

“It’s a bit of a comic book world we’re trying to create,” InSecurity showrunner Kevin White said of Canada’s version of Fox’s 24, only with laughs.

“Canada can save the world, with permission to screw up on our own. No parents are watching,” he added.

The homegrown comedy is loosely based on the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Canada’s spycatchers, and is largely taxpayer financed, with coin coming from the CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, public subsidies and provincial tax credits.

That’s like the U.S. government paying to produce and air an action comedy that mocks Homeland Security, the CIA or other agencies fending off security threats.

The way White tells it, Canada is not the United States or Britain, and Canadians, living on the margin of world affairs, need a laugh or two as the war on terror plods on.

“Terrorism and threats on our security and safety can be tiring and scary, and we wanted to look at the lighter side,” he explained.

White does more than number spies among his friends. His mother was a long-time spy with the Canadian Security Establishment, Canada’s intelligence gathering agency, at the height of the Cold War.

That said, he insists InSecurity is an equal-opportunity spoofer, and CIA agents come in for some ribbing in one episode.

“They’re (CIA) are suspicious of the Canadians. They’re not sure that the Canadians can get the job done, which doesn’t seem appropriate to me,” White insisted.

That should have the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa cueing the TIVO after recent Wikileaks U.S. cable revelations pointed to American diplomats complaining about unkindly depictions of U.S. border agents in CBC primetime series like The Border, an action drama about an elite Toronto immigration and customs tactical team butting heads with U.S. Homeland Security agents.

“I always thought The Border should be a comedy, so that’s what we’re trying to do here,” White said.

While InSecurity does play the spy game for laughs, White admits the homegrown sitcom also satirizes Canada’s long-standing inferiority complex when it comes to its standing in the world.

“This show works from a position that we (Canada) may be number two or three or eight, but we mean well and at the end of the day this group (NISA) has everyone’s back,” he explained.

InSecurity, created and executive produced by Kevin White, Virginia Thompson and Robert de Lint, is to bow on the CBC from Jan. 4.

2010年12月19日星期日

'Bullets' Guns Down Chinese Box Office

The film stars Chow Yun-fat and Ge You in an Eastern Western.

HONG KONG – Actor-director Jiang Wen’s Let the Bullets Fly topped the Chinese box office with a bombastic opening to become the first certified 2010 Christmas hit in China.

The period dramedy, starring Jiang, Chow Yun-fat, Ge You (If You Are the One), and Carina Lau (Detective Dee), opened with 13,000 screenings on Thursday, 5000 more than all the other films combined at the same time in China.

The exhibitors’ vote of confidence anticipated audiences’ enthusiasm, and helped the film ruled the box office with a $4.2 million first day take. The film’s studio, Emperor Motion Pictures, expects the hit to cross the 100 million yuan ($15 million) threshold at the box office before the weekend is over.

Its opening midnight shows reportedly recorded 765,000 admissions, overtaking the record Avatar made with 763,600 earlier this year. The film rides the continuing expansion of China’s exhibition market, culminating with the 600 million yuan-grossing Aftershock last summer. Bullets will face competition from Aftershock director Feng Xiaogang’s upcoming sequel to his 2008 hit, If You Are the One 2, opening on December 22.

Let the Bullets Fly is scheduled for release in Hong Kong in January.

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2010年12月16日星期四

3D TV Channel Announces Six New Series

Joint venture of Sony, Discovery and Imax expects to have an estimated 200 hours of 3D programming by the end of 2011.

For emerging 3D channels -- including the 24/7 entry slated to launch in early 2011 as a joint venture of Sony, Discovery Communications and Imax -- one of the key challenges is to make available a steady stream of content.

The joint venture on Monday announced six new titles to its planned network programming slate, and it expects to have an estimated 200 hours of 3D programming by the end of 2011.

The result could be among the world's largest libraries of 3D content, and the majority of it would be original productions commissioned by the channel, according to Tom Cosgrove, president and CEO of the venture.

As the channel is for the U.S. market, this library may also become available to 3D ventures launching in other countries.

"We are certainly considering it," Cosgrove told The Hollywood Reporter. "We are in initial conversations with folks about doing that. ... The big complaint that most people have about 3D is that there is just not enough to watch, so part of the mission of the channel is to fill that gap."

At this stage, the venture is focused on creating native 3D content rather than converting 2D material to 3D.

"We are still evaluating (conversion) technology," Cosgrove said. "For us, the sweet spot of an affordable price to do this as close to flawless as possible hasn't quite come together. ... At this point, our emphasis has been on native 3D productions or acquiring content that was shot in native 3D.

Production for the venture is testing a Sony prototype camcorder that was previewed this year. It also is putting through the paces another prototype of a 3D camera that was built by Sony and co-developed with Discovery, also unveiled this year.

However, Cosgrove said that his venture is "fairly agnostic in terms of the brands of cameras that we use. There's lots of different rigs out there and single-body cameras."

Cosgrove also noted that Imax is working on proprietary conversion technology to prepare its large-format films for the small screen.

"What is meant to be seen on a 70-foot screen requires some changes to the convergence," he said. "They have been able to bring it into that television format."

To speed production, the venture has encouraged training at Sony's 3D Technology Center on the Culver City lot. "We have sent through hundreds of people already for those classes," Cosgrove said, adding that the organization has paired new 3D filmmakers with experienced ones for field training.

Content announced Monday included three original series -- with the working titles Bullproof, High Octane and Making the Brand -- and three acquisitions: Discovery's Ghost Lab, Sony Pictures' Open Season and Imax's Space Station.

This programming will be added to a lineup of previously announced content including African Wild (working title), China Revealed (working title), Jewels of the World (working title), Attack of the Giant Jellyfish, The Haunted, Into the Deep 3D, Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Monster House.

2010年12月14日星期二

Ryan Gosling: Indie Films Don't Pretend to Know Everything

"Things like a Golden Globe help raise awareness for the film that is immeasurable," the "Blue Valentine" star tells THR.

Ryan Gosling, reeling from a long day of promotion for Blue Valentine, was a little knackered but still thrilled at the movie’s twin nominations, one for him, the other for Michelle Williams, since it would shine a spotlight on the little movie that could.

It’s great for the film,” he said. “When you make a small move like this, things like a Golden Globe help raise awareness for the film that is immeasurable. You can go out and promote the film all you want, but it can’t give the film as much of a voice as something like this.”

Gosling said he loves to work in the indie sphere since their smaller budgets equate, to him, creative freedom.

“Not to discriminate against budgets, I feel that independent films tend to ask more questions and don’t pretend to know as much as the bigger films, which tend to think they know everything.”

Gosling planned on resting up for a Blue Valentine reception being thrown by Ben Kingsley. “I’ve never met him so I’m excited.”

2010年12月12日星期日

'Social Network' Tops Boston Critics Awards

David Fincher's Facebook movie starring Jesse Eisenberg wins five prizes, including best picture, director and actor.

With film critics groups around the country beginning to anoint their favorite films of the year, the Boston Society of Film Critics, which voted Sunday, friended The Social Network in a big way.

Sony Pictures' drama about the founding of Facebook took home five prizes, including best picture, best actor for Jesse Eisenberg, best director for David Fincher, best screenplay for Aaron Sorkin and best use of music in a film for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. [Related: Social Network named best picture by the L.A. Film Critics Assn. and the N.Y. Films Critics Online.]

Natalie Portman was named best actress for her neurotic ballet dancer in Black Swan. That film's Andrew Weisblum also took the award for film editing.

The Fighter claimed two distinctions: Christian Bale earned best supporting actor honors, and the pic also took the prize for best ensemble cast.

Juliette Lewis, who plays a woman who recants her testimony in Conviction, was singled out as best supporting actress.

Toy Story 3 was crowned best animated film, while Bong Joon-ho's Mother and Jeff Malmberg's Marwencol were named best foreign film and best documentary, respectively. Malmberg was also hailed as best new filmmaker.

Best cinematography laurels went to Roger Deakins for True Grit.

2010年12月8日星期三

Twilight: Eclipse Sells 3 Million on DVD, Blu-ray in First Two Days

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" and "Knight and Day" round out the top three on the sales chart.

Eclipse, the third film in the Twilight vampire saga, topped the national home video sales charts the week ending Dec. 5 even though it arrived in stores at midnight Friday instead of the customary Tuesday. Summit Home Entertainment says consumers bought 3 million DVDs and Blu-ray Discs of the film its first two days in stores.

Two other new releases, Walt Disney Studios’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and 20th Century Fox’s Knight and Day, captured the No. 2 and No. 3 spots on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart, each selling about 30% as many units as Eclipse.

The previous week’s top seller, Disney’s Toy Story 3, slipped to No. 4, just ahead of yet another Disney new release, an anthology of the original 1940 Fantasia and its belated sequel, Fantasia 2000.

On Nielsen VideoScan’s dedicated Blu-ray Disc chart, Sorcerer’s Apprentice also debuted at No. 2, followed at No. 3 by Fantasia and No. 4 by Knight and Day.

On Home Media Magazine’s video rental chart for the week, Eclipse debuted at No. 3, right behind the Lionsgate actioner The Expendables, which repeated at No. 1, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, which finished the week at No. 2.

Neither of those three titles has a rental window — unlike Knight and Day, which for 28 days is only available at Blockbuster and other brick-and-mortar stores. Despite debuting at No. 1 on both the Blockbuster and IDEA rental charts, Knight and Day could only muster a weak No. 9 on Home Media Magazine’s overall rental chart because it cannot yet be rented at Netflix or Redbox.

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