Sony Rejects Entertainment Spin-Off in Letter to Third Point's Daniel Loeb

Sony Rejects Entertainment Spin-Off in Letter to Third Point's Daniel Loeb

After a unanimous vote, the company's board of directors says it will keep its entertainment division, which is "critical to its corporate strategy." Sony's board of directors voted unanimously to reject the notion that it should spin off its entertainment business, and it sent a letter Monday explaining its position to Third Point, the investment vehicle of Daniel Loeb. OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS Daniel Loeb Vs. Sony: 5 Things to Expect Next What Tom Rothman's TriStar Move Means for Sony Pictures (Analysis) Sony Swings to Profit, But 'After Earth' Drags Down Film Unit The letter sets out several reasons to keep Sony intact rather than split it up, as Loeb has been loudly advocating. Sony's control over the entertainment business drives internal collaboration, the board says, with content increasingly valuable as it is consumed more and more on the kinds of digital gadgets Sony makes. RELATED: 5 Things to Watch in as Daniel Loeb Takes On Sony Sony also argues that it has the necessary capital resources to fund its business plan and that if it should need more it can do so without selling off assets. Read the entire letter below: Dear Mr. Loeb: Thank you for your letters. We welcome the opportunity to exchange views with our shareholders, and we appreciate that you have shared your perspectives. We agree with the statement in your May 14, 2013 letter that Sony has “one of the most prestigious entertainment businesses in the world.” Your investment in Sony has increased the market’s focus on our entertainment businesses, which we welcome. Since your first letter on May 14, 2013, the Board of Directors and management team, with the assistance of external financial and legal advisors, have thoroughly considered the merits of your proposal for a rights or public offering of 15-20 percent of our entertainment businesses. Our external financial advisors have met with you and heard your views in more detail. While we share with you the objectives of increasing profitability and driving shareholder value, after careful review, the Sony Board of Directors has unanimously concluded that continuing to own 100% of our entertainment business is the best path forward and is integral to Sony’s strategy. We do, however, expect to increase disclosure regarding Sony’s entertainment businesses. We agree this can help market participants analyze their performance and monitor their success. I have been a part of the Sony family for nearly 30 years, the last year being my first as CEO. I have witnessed Sony’s long history of innovation and our passion to create groundbreaking products, content and services that inspire and excite our customers all over the world. During my tenure as CEO, we have made many changes, and we are encouraged by our progress and the opportunities ahead as we continue to execute on our One Sony strategy. Our strategy includes a commitment to: • Further strengthen profitability in the entertainment businesses. Sony Pictures and Sony Music are critical elements of our strategy and fundamental drivers of Sony’s growth for the future. We expect that our strategy will result in strong growth and increasing profitability through investing in high-growth, high-margin businesses, particularly in television production and international networks. In the Pictures business, we are aggressively investing in our global television production business, with 32 new and returning TV series on air in the US this year, including 15 new series in 2013-2014, the most ever for Sony. We continue to invest in our attractive, high-growth worldwide networks business. Indeed, we have grown revenue in our worldwide networks business from approximately $600 million in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008 to $1.5 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. We are also building upon our diversified film slate strategy, and expect to continue to explore the use of slate financing when it is advantageous to us. We are very focused on increasing margins at Pictures, including through the growth initiatives described above, and by reducing costs. While we believe our theatrical marketing costs have been and continue to be in line with our competitors, and that our margins are generally comparable to some other major studios, we recognize that our margins should be higher. In the year since I became CEO, we have driven growth and profitability in our entertainment businesses, and during that time we have taken additional steps to tighten controls and reduce costs. For example, in the past year we have undertaken a rigorous cost savings initiative, including structural changes, that we expect to generate significant annual savings at Pictures over the next few years. We have also instituted an even more exacting “green light” process for film production, focusing more intensively on overall slate profitability as well as per film returns-on-investment. Our Music business continues to be profitable with margins we believe are generally in line with peers. We are nurturing and developing new talent, exploiting our vast catalog and copyrights, and exploring other growth opportunities, including leveraging our vast music content for use with increasingly popular digital music service platforms. We continue to seek cost reductions and pursue operating efficiencies. Finally, our executive compensation arrangements at Pictures and Music are tied to the performance of their business. We believe this aligns incentives for the executive management teams at Pictures and Music, specifically by linking compensation to financial performance. Pictures and Music are critical to Sony’s corporate strategy and will be essential drivers of our future growth. Many of your observations regarding our entertainment businesses, and in particular Pictures, are not consistent with the businesses I know. I am personally involved in the oversight of these businesses and firmly committed to assuring their growth, to improving their profitability, and to aggressively leveraging their collaboration with our electronics and service businesses. • Revitalize our electronics business. While the industry environment for our electronics business remains challenging, we have made significant progress over the past year, and we are confident that we are on the right path. We have accelerated structural reforms through our global business operations, as well as portfolio realignment, including divestiture from non-strategic businesses, and allocating capital to areas of focus. We have also released powerful new products that appeal to consumers globally. As you mentioned in your recent investor letter, our Xperia series smartphones have been very well received in Japan and Europe, and this momentum is expanding internationally, while our Cyber-shot RX1 won the prestigious Camera Grand Prix 2013 as the best new camera in Japan. We are also encouraged by the positive feedback from the announcement of the PlayStation 4, which is highly integrated with our leading networks and mobile businesses. The transformation of our television business has been progressing as planned. We are investing in Mobile, Imaging and Game, and these business units are inextricably linked to our One Sony strategy. • Continue financial services’ steady contribution. We expect the financial services business to continue to deliver highly dependable financial products and services, and maintain its high customer satisfaction ratings. Through these efforts, the business is expected to achieve stable and growing profitability and reinforce the power of the Sony brand. • Achieve our growth and profitability goals. We believe that a continued focus on steady execution will allow us to achieve the financial targets we set at the beginning of fiscal year 2012. Specifically, for fiscal year 2014 (ending March 31, 2015), we are targeting consolidated sales and operating revenue of ¥8.5 trillion, an operating margin of more than 5% and a return on equity of 10%. For the electronics business, for fiscal year 2014 we continue to target sales and operating revenue of ¥6.0 trillion and an operating margin of 5%. The Board and management team strongly believe that continuing to own 100% of our entertainment business is fundamental to Sony’s success and that neither a subscription rights offering nor a public offering is consistent with our strategy for many reasons. These include: • Demand for content is increasing its value in a dynamic industry environment, and we believe our entertainment businesses will increasingly benefit from these trends. We are in an extraordinary industry environment, where we believe the emergence of new distribution platforms, the proliferation of powerful mobile devices, and near-ubiquitous broadband access will continue to spur increasing demand for premium content at unprecedented levels. We believe Sony is well-positioned to drive value from our global content assets in this exciting environment and, thus, we believe our shareholders will benefit from owning all, rather than a part, of these valuable assets. • Full control of our entertainment businesses drives internal collaboration, facilitates synergies, and allows us to be more nimble. Content, technology, and consumer and professional products are rapidly converging, not diverging, and we therefore expect the interplay between our entertainment and electronics businesses only to increase in size and form over the coming years and to help drive the growth of Sony’s electronics business. We observe this trend in many of our businesses, and especially in our Mobile business, where a rapidly changing landscape demands flexibility, timely decision-making and speedy execution. We also see this in the increasingly strong linkage between Sony Pictures and our Professional Solutions Group within our electronics business, in particular in focus areas such as 4K television, professional equipment, and digital production systems. These are only examples. We believe the many opportunities for collaboration in this regard are only increasing, and a rights or public offering would put obstacles in our strategic path, creating the need for otherwise unnecessary and burdensome arm’s length intercompany relationships and for consideration of minority shareholder rights, thereby limiting our control and strategic flexibility. • There are alternative sources of capital available, should Sony require it. We believe Sony has adequate capital resources to fund our business plans. Our entertainment businesses have used their cash flow to fund and invest in their businesses, and their cash flow has not been utilized to fund other businesses. Should management determine that Sony requires additional capital, there are more efficient sources available to raise the approximately $2 billion of capital you have suggested raising through a rights or public offering. Should we require capital, or in the event of unanticipated events, our priority would be to raise it without selling a portion of an asset fundamental to our growth strategy, and without unnecessarily burdening Sony’s ability to execute our business strategy for both entertainment and electronics. • We can achieve increased disclosure regarding Sony’s entertainment businesses without a rights or public offering. We agree with you, other shareholders and a number of analysts that there may be advantages to providing more disclosure about our entertainment businesses, but we believe a rights or public offering is not required to provide such disclosure. We believe that providing additional disclosures will help investors better analyze the performance of these businesses. Starting in the second fiscal quarter of this year, we expect to include quarterly revenue figures for certain categories within the Pictures and Music segments, as well as certain other metrics. We also expect to include, on a quarterly basis, necessary information to enable investors to calculate adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for each segment, including Pictures and Music. Finally, we plan to host regular meetings with our entertainment management team to assist investors and other market participants to improve their understanding and knowledge of our entertainment businesses. Sony’s Board and management team fully understand that the industries in which Sony operates are challenging, fast moving and competitive, and as a result we are very focused on avoiding obstacles that may hamper alignment among our businesses. We believe Sony is already changing for the better, and we are encouraged by the opportunities that lie ahead as we aggressively pursue our One Sony strategy. We remain committed to pursuing sustained growth in profitability and shareholder value, so that we can meet and exceed the expectations of all of our stakeholders. We thank you for your commitment to Sony and will continue to give full consideration to any constructive feedback from our valued shareholders. We look forward to maintaining a productive relationship with you and welcome an ongoing dialogue.



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Find out why Bollywood these heroes should pair up for a buddy film

Find out why Bollywood these heroes should pair up for a buddy film

What’s better than one actor? Two actors. Buddy films are a big hit in Hollywood now. Sholay is the ultimate buddy film. B-Town has always done two-hero films. Remember Sanjay Dutt and Govinda in Haseena Maan Jayegi? Aamir Khan and Salman Khan in Andaz Apna Apna, Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan in Kal Ho Na Ho? Such films haven’t happened for some time now. We enjoyed Dostana (Abhishek Bachchan-John Abraham) and Desi Boyz (Akshay Kumar-John Abraham) but there is room for a lot more ‘bromance’ on screen. After Hrs has put together a list in the hope that filmmakers will rope some of these jodis. Read on... What is a buddy film? A buddy film is a genre in which two people of the same sex (historically men) are paired. The two often contrast in personality, which creates a different dynamic onscreen than a pairing of two people of the opposite sex. The contrast is sometimes accentuated by an ethnic difference between the two. The buddy film is commonplace in American as well as Indian cinema; and it works with different pairings and different themes. The Los Angeles Times in 2001 called the genre ‘a necessary escapist fantasy’, writing, “It’s one of the few arenas where men can openly express their feelings for each other, even though men on screen today seem less comfortable with each other than ever before.” In buddy films, the two men are markedly different, and their relationship with each other is challenged by events in the film. The two are often different enough that one is aggravated by the other. The interaction between two men also differs from the interaction between a man and a woman, which shapes a film’s dynamics. Shahid Kapoor & Shah Rukh Khan Why: They have hosted many award functions together and they complement each other perfectly. While Shah Rukh has cutting wit, Shahid has those twinkling eyes and easy charm. They even have dimples and floppy hair... Hell, they can play brothers! What kind of film: One directed by Farah Khan... mad, irreverent and fully commercial! Akshay Kumar & Varun Dhawan Why: Both the actors have a naughty, flirty streak and can play the lover boys with an aplomb. Plus Akshay’s sporty action is something that Varun can be pushed to try and match up to. What kind of film: A Desi Boyz reloaded for sure! Directed by Rohit Dhawan who made the original. Abhishek Bachchan & Ranveer Singh Why: Abhishek’s subtle and wry sense of humour can provide the perfect foil to Ranveer’s hyper histrionics very much like Jai-Veeru of Sholay! What kind of flick: Something on the lines of You, Me and Dupree with Ranveer as Randolph Dupree (Owen Wilson) and AB as Carl (Matt Dillon) would fit their temperaments! Rohan Sippy, are you listening? Ranbir Kapoor & Anil Kapoor Why: The ‘Jhakaas’ Kapoor in an over-the-top form and a subdued Ranbir Kapoor are just a pair waiting to be cast together. They could even work as father-son if Anil agrees. What kind of flick: We see them together in a Men In Black kind of a film with Anurag Basu in the director’s seat with Anil as Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) and Ranbir as Agent J (Will Smith). Vidyut Jamwal & Ajay Devgn Why: The two share a kind of intensity that is best suited for an action flick. What kind of flick: A high-octane cop drama like Trading Places directed by Sanjay Gupta Arjun Kapoor & Salman Khan Why: Arjun is Salman’s protege and they would make an unexpected pair on screen. We see Kapoor playing the role of clueless Romeo being coached by the big brother Khan, who is a ladies man. A complete ladies charmer with a shy guy could make for an interesting ‘partner’ship! Salman’s naughty sense of humour and Arjun’s straight-faced lost boy charm can be each other’s perfect foil. What kind of flick: We see this one being directed by Rohit Shetty. He is the only one who can capture this equation successfully on screen. Siddharth Malhotra & Hrithik Roshan Why: Besides matching muscles, the two all-rounders fit the family guy image pretty well too. What kind of flick: A Karan Johar kind of a family film with doses of everything thrown in, in generous measures really. Abhay Deol & Sunny Deol Why: Simply because despite being cousins, the two belong to absolutely two different kinds of cinemas and even acting. A combination of the two would be interesting to watch out for. What kind of flick: A film like 48 Hours (1982), the Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte starrer, helmed by Milan Luthria. Remember his Kachche Dhaage with Ajay Devgn and Saif Ali Khan? Aamir Khan & Imran Khan Why: The maamu-bhanja jodi will score high on curiosity meter. While Aamir fits into any part with ease, Imran would be best-suited for an urbane setting. Plus it would be nice to see their easy real equation translate on screen. What kind of flick: Raju Hirani would be too predictable. We want to see Rajkumar Santoshi direct this duo in a film. John Abraham & Emraan Hashmi Why: John can handle the action part of the film, while Emraan can be the lover boy. The two are as different from each other as chalk and cheese, so their interaction is bound to be interesting on screen. What kind of flick: A Rush Hour kind of a film directed by Mohit Suri.




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Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay, Pawan Kalyan to lock horns at southern box office on August 9

Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay, Pawan Kalyan to lock horns at southern box office on August 9

hah Rukh-starrer Chennai Express, which has a heavy southern flavour, Vijay's Tamil political drama Thalaivaa and Pawan Kalyan's Telugu family drama Attarintiki Daaredhi are releasing on the same day. Come August 9 and three superstars — Shah Rukh Khan, Vijay and Pawan Kalyan — from the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu film worlds — are set to battle it out at the southern box office. The outcome is likely to be phenomenal, say industry experts. Shah Rukh-starrer Chennai Express, which has a heavy southern flavour, Vijay's Tamil political drama Thalaivaa and Pawan Kalyan's Telugu family drama Attarintiki Daaredhi are releasing on the same day. "This is probably the first time in Indian cinema that films of superstars from different languages are going to vie for the top spot at the box office. It's tough to predict the winner because expectations are riding high on all the three films," trade analyst Trinath, said. The tough competition will especially be tough in the overseas market, he said. "Chennai Express will have a wide overseas release. I was told it's being released in countries like Morocco, Israel and even Germany, while Thalaivaa and Attarintiki Daaredhi will predominantly target countries such as the US, Britain and Australia," he added. But, the first week of August will also see the release of Hollywood biggies such as Disney's Planes, Neill Blompamp's Elysium and Thor Freudenthal's Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. "It's going to be neck-to-neck competition for these films. Chennai Express has already got maximum number of screens in most countries. Pawan Kalyan has great market in the US and his films usually have good openings here," an international distributor of Indian films, said. Pawan Kalyan's Gabbar Singh, Telugu remake of Dabangg, raked in over $1 million in the US upon release in its first week. Trinath believes it's the box office opening that will make the difference for the three big-ticket films. "We don't know yet the number of theatres Chennai Express is being released, while Thalaivaa and Attarintiki Daaredhi are expected to release in over 1,000 screens worldwide individually. All the three actors are known for having blockbuster openings and therefore, that will be the deciding factor," he said. Vijay's last release Thuppakki minted Rs 65.32 crores worldwide in its first week run at the box-office. The film, which was reportedly made on a budget of Rs. 70 crore, went on to collect over Rs100 crore in two weeks. Pawan Kalyan's Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu raked in Rs52 crore worldwide in the first week, Shah Rukh's Jab Tak Hain Jaan collected a whopping Rs120 crore in the first six days upon its release in 2012. Meanwhile, multiplexes in Chennai have opened bulk bookings for Thalaivaa and Chennai Express as well.




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Bollywood's Priyanka Chopra targets stereotypes in Hollywood

Bollywood's Priyanka Chopra targets stereotypes in Hollywood

OS ANGELES: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has a higher mission than just making it in Hollywood: she wants to break down stereotypes of Indians in Tinseltown's eyes and maybe make things easier for her compatriots who live in the United States. Here's her first lesson: "We don't travel on elephants, there aren't any snake charmers on the side of the road, everybody doesn't talk like Apu from 'The Simpsons,'" the actress says, with a bit of a laugh. Chopra, 31, is one of the biggest stars to emerge in Indian film in recent years, alongside Bollywood heavyweights Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan, with big budget franchises such as "Krrish" and "Don." She has also won plaudits for taking on unconventional roles, most recently playing an autistic woman in 2012's "Barfi!" But in her latest role as an eye-catching animated racing airplane in Disney's global adventure "Planes," Chopra said she is hoping to cross the boundaries of Bollywood to Hollywood. "This is a very global movie. You have characters from all across the world, and I think for kids, it's great to understand that there's so many different kinds of culture and people out there," the actress told Reuters on Thursday. Chopra first rose to fame in 2000, winning the Miss World beauty pageant and transitioning into Bollywood film. But the journey has not come easily for the actress, who said she had to learn the ropes of acting. "I was 17 years old, I didn't know anything. I just went with my gut and I wanted to take a chance," she said, adding "I've made so many mistakes along the way." Chopra is currently in production on a biopic about Indian Olympic boxing champion Mary Kom, and learning to box herself, Chopra said the role was "the most difficult film I've ever done." "Mary is a national icon. She's a five-time world champion, a mother of three kids, an Olympic medalist and she has an incredible story," the actress said. "The challenge was that I have to learn a completely new sport and play a living, breathing person," she added. Chopra, who was born and raised in India and also spent a few years living in the United States in her teens, has conquered the ranks of Bollywood, but cracking into Hollywood has presented its own challenges. "There is a very big stereotype with Indian actors, and you get only Indian parts. There is a stereotype that there's a certain accent and there's a certain vibe and how is that cool. I felt a lot of that and I really want to be able to change that, for people to be proud of their roots," the actress said. POP ALBUM, TOP PRODUCER Chopra's step into Hollywood coincides with her foray into pop music, releasing her first single, "Exotic", featuring rapper Pitbull from her upcoming yet-to-be-titled album. The album is being overseen by renowned pop music producer RedOne, who has worked with Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez, and is expected in early 2014. It will feature more collaborations with other artists, although Chopra said it was too early to reveal any names. "My album is like me - eclectic in my taste." said Chopra. "I like a little bit of everything, so my album has ballad, mid tempos, pop, a little rap, EDM...a little bit of everything." With her music and film career expanding outside of Bollywood, Chopra said she was now in a position to change common misconceptions that people may have about India. "It was really hard for me when I went to school in America, and I don't want that to happen to any more kids or people who come from my part of the world. So if I can do something to change that perception, I'd be happy," she said.




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NEWS/ Megan Fox Pregnant: Actress Expecting Baby No. 2 With Brian Austin Green

NEWS/ Megan Fox Pregnant: Actress Expecting Baby No. 2 With Brian Austin Green

Parenthood is going to be twice as nice for Megan Fox and hubby Brian Austin Green. Ten months after welcoming son Noah, the Transformers actress, 27, is pregnant with the couple's second child, the New York Post reports. Fox's rep, Leslie Sloane Zelnick, confirmed the happy news to the paper. "I can confirm Megan is expecting her second child with her husband Brian," Zelnick said. "They are both very happy." PHOTO: Check out Megan Fox's pregnancy style The couple tied the knot in 2010, and on Sept. 27, 2012, they welcomed son Noah. The 40-year-old Green also has an 11-year-old son, Kassius, from a previous relationship. Fox is currently shooting the splashy reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the actress reportedly kept mum about the exciting news so the production could remain focused on the shoot. PHOTOS: See more celeb baby bumps Splash News In a stealth move, the couple managed to keep the birth of their first child top secret for a full three weeks before E! News exclusively revealed that they had become first-time parents. Fox later spilled the beans on Facebook. "We have been very lucky to have had a peaceful few weeks at home," she wrote. "I gave birth to our son Noah Shannon Green on September 27th. He is healthy, happy, and perfect." WATCH: Megan Fox reveals how Reese Witherspoon helped her keep baby Noah's birth a secret Interestingly, the couple said that one particular celeb was instrumental in helping them keep Noah's birth a secret: Reese Witherspoon. The Walk the Line actress gave birth to her son, Tennessee Toth, on the same day that Noah was born, conveniently diverting attention away from the newest addition to Fox and Green's family. "[Reese] went into labor the day before I did, and all of the paparazzi followed her to Santa Monica," Fox said during an appearance on Ellen DeGeneres' show last December. "So when I went into labor, I went to Cedars [medical center] and nobody cared or knew or was there, and so I got in and out. I left the next day and nobody knew and it was a big secret for three weeks." Sneaky! WATCH; Megan Fox opens up about painful childbirth Fox has been open about the transformative power of motherhood. When E! News caught up with the actress in December while she was promoting the appropriately titled Friends With Kids, she gushed about just how much motherhood has changed her. The actress opens up on how being a new mom has changed her sense of humor. Plus, get the deets on her quick and painful labor! "I'm so much softer than I used to be, and I feel everything so much deeper than I used to," she said. When I watch the news, everyone is somebody's child or someone's mother. So, I'm constantly worrying now about everything." She also hinted that she and her hubby were looking to expand their family: When asked whether they would eventually want a second child, she smiled and simply nodded. Congrats to the elated couple!




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Viacom Quarterly Earnings Rise as U.S. Ad Growth Accelerates

Viacom Quarterly Earnings Rise as U.S. Ad Growth Accelerates

Entertainment conglomerate Viacom on Friday reported improved financials for its fiscal third quarter as its U.S. TV advertising revenue growth accelerated. OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS Viacom Demands New Judge in YouTube Copyright Fight What Amazon's Viacom Coup Means for Netflix The company, led by CEO Philippe Dauman, reported adjusted earnings from continuing operations of $635 million, compared with $512 million in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 14 percent to $3.69 billion from $3.24 billion in the year-ago period, exceeding Wall Street expectations. PHOTOS: Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2013 Analysts had on average forecast earnings of $636 million on revenue of $3.58 billion. Viacom also announced Friday that its board has approved an expansion of its stock repurchase program to $20 billion from $10 billion. Media mogul and chairman Sumner Redstone controls Viacom and CBS Corp. PHOTOS: MTV Video Music Awards 2013: The Nominees Media networks unit revenue rose 13 percent, while film revenue jumped 15 percent, helped by such releases as World War Z, Star Trek Into Darkness and Pain and Gain. However, worldwide home entertainment revenue declined 10 percent, with the company citing lower carryover revenue. Operating profit rose 24 percent in the media networks unit, but declined 63 percent in the film division as the company cited higher operating expenses. Media networks revenue rose thanks to increases in affiliate fees and advertising revenue. Affiliate revenue rose 26 percent worldwide and 28 percent in the U.S. due to the benefit of digital distribution arrangements and rate increases. Excluding the impact of digital distribution arrangements, which are affected by the timing of available content, the domestic affiliate revenue growth rate was in the high single digit percentage range. U.S. advertising revenue rose 6 percent, up from 2 percent in the previous quarter "due in part to increased ratings." Worldwide advertising revenue rose 5 percent. "Viacom's strong results in the quarter once again demonstrated the value of our world-leading brands, global reach and devoted audiences," said Redstone. "With an improving economy, Viacom is poised for continued success." Said Dauman: "Viacom's aggressive investment in content, outstanding operational execution and fiscal discipline helped deliver a strong quarter with double-digit revenue and profit growth. Domestic advertising revenue gains continued to accelerate at our media networks as new, original programming drives improving ratings momentum." Added the CEO: "In a crowded summer season, Paramount's tentpoles – Star Trek Into Darkness and World War Z – achieved critical and box office success, and the studio has a promising slate remaining through calendar 2013 and beyond."




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What Tom Rothman's TriStar Move Means for Sony Pictures (Analysis)

What Tom Rothman's TriStar Move Means for Sony Pictures (Analysis)

The surprise announcement that former Fox film studio co-chairman Tom Rothman will preside over a revitalized TriStar production company at Sony Pictures has some industry insiders wondering whether the hire is the forerunner of more change at the company. OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS Tom Rothman Launching TriStar Productions at Sony Activist Investor Dan Loeb Makes Appearance on Sony Earnings Call Tom Rothman Packs Up His Fox Office, Moves Out As hedge-fund billionaire and Sony investor Daniel Loeb continues to agitate about the studio's spending — he recently complained, with colorful exaggeration, that with After Earth and White House Down, Sony had released "2013's versions of Waterworld and Ishtar back to back" — the news of Rothman's new deal set off furious speculation. What is clear to industry veterans is that Rothman is a seasoned executive with a well-established reputation for fiscal discipline that should please Loeb, even if many filmmakers and agents chafed while he was at the Fox studio. His deal at Sony calls for him to make up to four movies a year. STORY: Activist Investor Dan Loeb Makes Appearance on Sony Earnings Call Inevitably, some are beginning to speculate whether Rothman could play a larger role at Sony Pictures. Others believe that longtime Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal (who, along with Michael Lynton, CEO of Sony Entertainment announced the hire) simply wanted to work with Rothman. "Amy is very, very close to Tom," says a top executive at a production company with no ties to Sony. "He consulted with her after he left Fox to try to get a handle on overhead and operations. I think she wanted him there. Not to say that if there were changes, he wouldn't be considered, but I don't think this is anyone telling Amy to bring him in or that he would go behind her back. This is just unfortunate timing because of Daniel Loeb." After a period when Sony was seeking to trim costs, some industry observers note that it seems counter-intuitive that the studio would ramp up production at TriStar, which in recent years has been largely a distribution banner rather than a production entity. "It's an odd time to start a new label," says a top executive at a rival studio. THR reported last fall that Sony was under financial constraints for months to come and had been forced to redo deals with its major producers. At that time, agency sources also confirmed that the studio was seeking partners for some projects or abandoning others. Sony had to share George Clooney's upcoming World War II film Monuments Men with Fox and it watched longtime Sony favorite Adam Sandler make a deal for his next films at Warner Bros. and Paramount. PHOTOS: Leslie Moonves, David Zaslav, Robert Iger: 10 Highly Paid Entertainment CEOs Pascal has a reputation for embracing filmmakers and making quality movies of the type that many major studios are now reluctant to back (recent examples include The Social Network, Moneyball and this fall's Captain Phillips). But Sony also has long been known for spending more lavishly than other studios, a notion that Loeb has turned into a rallying cry for stockholders. The activist investor on Monday called Sony's development pipeline “bleak, despite overspending on numerous projects” and said that Sony CEO Kaz Hirai was giving Pascal and Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton "free passes." Rothman presents a striking contrast. In an interview with THR, he declines to detail exactly what kind of movies he will make, but he suggests they won't be big-budget event films, a number of which have disappointed over the past few months. "In terms of our strategy, I believe there is a lot to learn from this summer," Rothman says. "Throughout my career, I have always tended to zig when other people zagged and that's what I'm going to try to do here." Rothman, who is a joint venture partner with Sony in the relaunched Tristar, also will be empowered to develop television shows via Sony Pictures TV. One prominent producer notes that "Tom was not a popular guy at Fox or a popular guy in the town, but he ran the company well." Another believes that Rothman is "obviously a possible replacement" for Pascal in the future. "That doesn't mean it's the first thing on the agenda but it certainly is a possibility and he'll be locked up just in case." But in the interview with THR, Rothman says his production entity is intended to "be complementary, not competitive, with the existing Sony labels. They do a fantastic job." Pamela McClintock contributed to this report.




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In Theaters This Weekend: Reviews of '2 Guns,' 'The Smurfs 2' and More

In Theaters This Weekend: Reviews of '2 Guns,' 'The Smurfs 2' and More

Box Office Report: Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington's '2 Guns' Aiming for First-Place Finish '2 Guns' Premiere: Mark Wahlberg, Writer, Director on Making Deals and Action Movies 'Smurfs 2': Westwood Premiere Had L.A. Feeling (Happily) Blue Sunset, Stars Light Up The Hollywood Reporter's Hamptons Screening for 'The Spectacular Now' 'The Canyons' Reviews: the Good, the Bad and the Lohan 'Europa Report' Trailer: Astronauts Investigate Aliens on Jupiter's Moon (Video) In Baltasar Kormakur's action comedy, Washington plays a DEA agent and Wahlberg as an undercover Naval Intelligence officer. Both are tasked to investigate each other, only to find out they've been set up by the mob. Meanwhile, another animation flick to hit the theaters is Smurfs 2 where the smurfs team up with humans to once again stop Gargamel (Hank Azaria) from planning world domination. Also starring in the kid-friendly film is Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Brendan Geelson along with voice-overs by Christina Ricci, Katy Perry and Johnathan Winters. PHOTOS: Hollywood in the Hamptons: Celebs Gather for THR's 'Spectacular Now' Screening Read what The Hollywood Reporter's film critics have to say about all the films opening this weekend and find out how they are expected to perform at the box office. 2 Guns Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg are well matched in Baltasar Kormakur's "anti-buddy" film. Read John DeFore's review here. The Smurfs 2 Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria, Jayma Mays and Katy Perry return for a fairly rote sequel. Read Justin Lowe's review here. The Spectacular Now Miles Teller stars in James Ponsoldt's coming-of-age drama about the perils of adolescence and alcoholism. Read Todd McCarthy's review here. The Canyons Paul Schrader's pseudo-arty film, starring Lindsay Lohan and James Deen, features duplicitous doings of characters altogether interchangeable in their tediousness. Read Todd McCarthy's review here. Europa Report Found-footage technique is applied to the sci-fi genre in this story of a mission to Jupiter that goes terribly awry. Read Stephen Farber's review here. Cockneys vs Zombies Zombies meet East End semi-toughs in a genre mishmash from director Matthias Hoene. Read John DeFore's review here. STORY: '2 Guns' Premiere: Mark Wahlberg, Writer, Director on Making Deals and Action Movies The Artist and the Model (El Artista y la modelo) Jean Rochefort and Aida Folch co-star in Fernando Trueba's Spanish drama set in occupied France during World War II. Read Neil Young's review here. The Gardener The Baha'i faith is explored by Iranian father-son filmmakers Mohsen and Maysam Makhmalbaf. Read Deborah Young's review here. The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear Tinatin Gurchiani highlights the rural-dwelling citizens of Georgia, a nation recently independent from the Soviet Union, in her new documentary. Read Duane Byrge's review here. When Comedy Went to School Robert Klein hosts an amateurishly produced history of the Borscht Belt's rise and fall. Read John DeFore's review here. STORY: 'Smurfs 2': Westwood Premiere Had L.A. Feeling (Happily) Blue Drift Sam Worthington dons a wetsuit for this surf drama set in his home state of Western Australia in the 1970s. Read Megan Lehmann's review here. Our Children Family tragedy intermingles with gender politics in a strong showing from Belgian auteur Joachim Lafosse. Read Jordan Mintzer's review here. Rising From Ashes T.C. Johnstone's uplifting documentary chronicles the creation of Rwanda's first Olympic cycling team. Read Frank Scheck's review here. Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers Havana Marking's documentary recounts the nefarious exploits of the world's most successful jewel thieves. Read Frank Scheck's review here.




news sours  www.hollywoodreporter.com

Showtime at TCA: David Nevins' Job Is Not Killing Him (Analysis)

Showtime at TCA: David Nevins' Job Is Not Killing Him (Analysis)

You don't need to thoroughly understand the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to take some guesses at the kinds of people who run cable channels or broadcast networks. But it's kind of a fascinating game nonetheless, particularly if you see the same people in the same structured psychological study -- the Television Critics Press tour, for example -- over a long period of time. OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS 'Big Brother': Les Moonves Calls Racist Remarks 'Absolutely Appalling' CBS' Leslie Moonves: We Are Not the 'Bastard Step-Child' of the Industry Showtime's David Nevins on Risk, Anti-Heroes and Netflix's 'Interesting' Strategy Showtime Topper on 'Dexter' Spinoff: 'Draw Your Own Conclusions' Showtime Boss to Protesting 'Borgias' Fans: Try Kickstarter You will notice some trends. Early jubilance, for example. ("I'm going to take this moribund Content Provider and really do some exciting new things with it!") Measured optimism is also popular. ("We're not going to rebuild in a day, but we can start the process of change.") When these executives get on the Sisyphean treadmill and come up short more often than not, you often see a defensive retreat. ("Nobody said this was going to be easy and to not consider year-to-year flatness as a kind of victory is being naive about the business, I think.") And at some point, you get to witness defeat. It doesn't look pretty. Through day seven of the Television Critics Association press tour, we've seen a lot of different looks. Or, rather, the looks are there to be studied if you really care about such things, which I do. Even though seven days may seem short to you, three of those days were from the jam-packed cable portion and, besides, the TCA is kind of a dog-years type of operation. PHOTOS: Summer TV Preview: 51 New and Returning Series But I'm as fascinated at what I've seen recently as I am excited to see and evaluate those who have yet to come before us. Most remarkable was seeing CBS' Les Moonves get back in the game -- a game he not only loves, but one where he helped write the rules -- when he filled in for CBS entertainment president Nina Tassler, who lost a dear friend prior to the network's arrival and couldn't be here. For Moonves, the give-and-take from the stage was something he sort of perfected in the not-too-distant past. And you could tell from the critics who covered him back then (myself included) what fun it was to witness the original No Muffler Executive. He came out on fire -- informative, funny, honest and even blunt. This early question says it all: “Beverly Hills Cop seemed like a sure thing. What could possibly have gone so wrong with that pilot that you didn’t want to move forward?" Moonves: "We do a lot of pilots, and the best get on the air. And we felt we had better choices than that pilot." Or how about this beauty: "Les, question about Cote de Pablo. Just curious what happened there, why you weren’t able to hang onto her. And are you concerned about losing the leading lady on your No. 1 show?" Moonves: "I really want to clarify. We offered Cote de Pablo a lot of money. And then we offered her even more money (laughter) because we really didn’t want to lose her. We love her. We think she was she was terrific. And we, obviously, were in discussions. And the rest of the cast and the producers were aware what’s going on. And ultimately she decided she didn’t want to do the show. It was purely her decision. We’re, obviously, getting a lot of emails. There’s a lot of Twitter buzz about her, and rightly so. She’s a wonderful lady. Look, NCIS, the highest-rated show on television last year -- we don’t like losing anybody. But we did everything humanly possible. We feel like we exhausted every opportunity, and she just decided she didn’t want to do the show." There's a word for that: textbook. Of course, Moonves is way above the entertainment president label he held years ago, and CBS is crushing everything in its path, so it's not like he's losing much sleep. Bob Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, was a little more beaten down by the end of his executive session, but he's been shouldering the burden of rebuilding NBC, which is a little like rebuilding Versailles with a skimpy budget, impossible city codes and poorly trained craftsman. That session veered from positive to dubious to defensive to funny, pleading, dismissive and ended, with a laugh, when Greenblatt half-exasperatedly said, "I don't know what I'm saying anymore." Nevins? The guy's pulse seemed to be flowing like a quiet river, and I don't remember anyone seeming so calmly focused at one of these things in a while (FX's Zen-master John Landgraf excepted). And this after a group of angry fans trying to save the now-canceled Borgias buzzed the outdoor Showtime lunch presentation begging the channel to do right by its viewers. PHOTOS: The Faces of Pilot Season 2013 Rattled? Nope. It was the second question of the session, and Nevins said that creator Neil Jordan had come up with a two-hour wrap concept, but it didn't work out. "We looked hard at doing a two-hour finale. And the economics of it just didn’t make sense, so we didn’t move forward. And I think it came to a good stopping place at the end of Season 3. I know we all got buzzed at lunch by the airplane. I feel bad at the money that’s being spent. As I was pulling in today, there was one protester out there. And I opened my window and asked him what he thought of the finale. And he said, 'I haven’t seen it.' Apparently he was a paid protester." Nevins took the same "what are you going to do?" approach to critics who thought Homeland slipped last year. He understands this is all part of the business. You make a show that some people love but, after three seasons, maybe that's all you can do with it. If critics have qualms about your glossy key series, that's their right. He's not going to freak out and never speak to you. He listens. He doesn't have to agree. But he likes talking about Showtime, about the creative and business aspects of the industry, and he knows how to do it with intelligence and appreciation. That last part is key. It's a great job, this gig of his. Showtime just hit 23 million subscribers, up from 18 when he started. Homeland is established, new series Ray Donovan had the highest-rated premiere in the channel's history (6 million) and was an easy renewal for a second season. Longtime hit Dexter is going out strong, and the channel is currently creating buzz for its newest series, Masters of Sex (which was on Tuesday's panel), and building the buzz for Penny Dreadful, a "psychological horror series" from John Logan and Sam Mendes. The channel also signed Philip Seymour Hoffman to star in the comedy series Trending Down, which was a real coup. Beyond that, Dominic West and Ruth Wilson have signed on for the new drama series The Affair. The Ridley Scott-directed pilot, The Vatican, starring Kyle Chandler is also almost finished. Nevins reiterated at his TCA executive session that his "goal was to create a more varied and diverse schedule with no fallow periods, to find programming that was expansive that would allow our network to break through to a wider audience." He's done just that and barely seems to have broken a sweat, much less had a fever dream of desperation as so many programmers do. Doing battle with HBO, Netflix, Starz, Hulu and countless ad-supported cable channels churning out great scripted series would normally be the kind of thing that calls for the periodic Xanax tablet. But this is an interesting batch of modern programmers in that tangle of competition, and they all seem to have one common trait: They love what they do. Not because each might be doing well at any given moment. But because they like this period we're all living in, this Renaissance Age of fabulous dramas, and more precisely they like making them and having a hand in the creation and guidance of them. Will any of them get beaten down over time? Sure. It happens with alarming predictability. But a guy like Nevins doesn't seem to be guessing at a lot of the things that have made Showtime successful. It looks like he knows what he's doing. And it looks like he's having a good time doing it. We'll see how Fox's Kevin Reilly, FX's Landgraf, ABC's Paul Lee and PBS' Paula Kerger appear when they arrive on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday, respectively.




news sours  www.hollywoodreporter.com

'The Fosters' to air TV's first gay wedding since DOMA

'The Fosters' to air TV's first gay wedding since DOMA

On the historic day this summer that Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo were married in Los Angeles and Kristin Perry and Sandy Stier exchanged vows in San Francisco, a similar wedding took place in the backyard of a house in Long Beach, Calif. The third nuptials belonged to fictional characters Stef Foster and Lena Adams of “The Fosters”—TV’s first gay characters to say “I do” since the Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. The ABC Family drama’s creators, Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige, credit “universal synergy” with the impeccable timing of the filming of the garden ceremony on June 28, the same day two of the couples challenging Prop 8 in California (which bans gay marriage) became legally wed. The wedding is part of the show’s first season finale, which airs on Aug. 5. “I will never forget that day when Peter and I were sitting behind the monitors in our directors’ chairs, just looking at the wedding on screen and looking at each other realizing what happened here on this day,” Bredeweg said. “There were tears, there were hands being held. It was just quite a celebration of the show, of what was happening historically for gay and lesbian couples. It was beautiful.” Stef and Lena's is certainly not the first same-sex marriage on television. Although NBC's "Friends" received a lot of kudos for its lesbian wedding in 1996, two other sitcoms had already broken that ground. The first show to feature a gay wedding was Fox's "Roc" which showed a ceremony between two men; "Roseanne" followed suit in 1995. Video: ABC Family's 'The Fosters' is making history with the first gay marriage since the Supreme Court struck down DOMA. In anticipation of the Supreme Court ruling in June, the script for "The Fosters" finale called for a wedding — no matter what the higher court decided, said Paige, who is best known for his role on Showtime's “Queer as Folk," which also featured two gay weddings. But it was “an incredible moment,” Paige said, to shoot Stef’s (Teri Polo) and Lena’s (Sherri Saum) wedding within the context of real marriages taking place in the state for the first time in five years. “From our earliest conversations, we were going to have a wedding,” Paige said. “We thought if Prop 8 goes the way of the Fosters, it would be fantastic to be the first legal wedding in California on television after the decision. If it doesn't go our way, then it’s an opportunity to make a statement that no matter what anybody says we won’t be bowed.” But that’s not the only statement “The Fosters” is making. The family drama also stands out in the TV landscape as the first show to depict foster care from the point of view of the parents, the children already living in the house and the new ones joining the family. Stef and Lena are raising Stef’s biological son from a previous marriage, two Latino children they fostered and later adopted; and two new siblings they have taken into their home. With other shows, like "Modern Family" and "The New Normal," paving the way in terms of portraying gay parenting, Bredeweg and Paige decided their non-traditional family would be headed by a lesbian couple instead of two gay men. They chose to set it in the world of foster care after Paige participated in federally funded study about LGBT youth in foster care. “It’s sort of amazing to me that it hasn’t been done,” Paige said, who sits on the board of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. “Being a kid is so difficult but being a kid who is completely unmoored, I don’t know how you survive. Certainly, it’s been done before as far as having foster kids as characters, but it’s always backstory. I don’t think we’ve ever truly explored in the moment what it’s like to be a foster child. Usually, the foster kid in Hollywood is the bad seed. We’ve just been so moved and impassioned by what we’ve heard from these foster kids, that it has to be told.” Executive producer Joanna Johnson, a white lesbian mother with a Latino wife and two adopted biracial children, runs the show and mines her life for story ideas. It seems to be working. With 2.5 million total viewers, “The Fosters” is summer’s top cable series among 12-to-34-year-olds. (The network's core demographic is 14-34). It’s also shaping up as the network’s fourth highest-rated series of all time. The show will return in January with new episodes, ABC Family announced on Tuesday. “When we go online and we read the tweets and we listen to the way kids are responding to the show and their parents are responding to the show, they’ve just embraced the family more than we ever expected,” Bredeweg said. “Yes, we have two women standing at the front of our household, but we’re dealing with the exact same issues like any other family in America or most of the world. People are accessing our family just as their family. For us, it’s such a joy to see that happening.” That sense of satisfaction will increase exponentially when the wedding episode airs, said the show’s creators who are both gay. “When I was 15, the age of what probably makes up the bulk of our viewing audience, I didn’t believe there was any possibility — it didn’t even enter my frame of reference — that one day I would be able to get married,” Paige said. “For me, it was a profound healing moment.” Bredeweg got married in Los Angeles before Prop 8 passed five years ago. “I had a backyard wedding much like Lena and Stef amongst friends and family, and it was one of the most important days so far in my life,” he said. “To sit there with Peter next to me and watch this happen and to know we can all do this again, it was such a real thing. It was hard to wrap our head around at first. But then it just became a celebration because, to me, it was a day that we never thought would come so quickly and now that it’s here, it was overwhelming.”



news sours www.nbcnews.com

With a Following Abroad, Woody Allen Banks His Laughs in Euros

With a Following Abroad, Woody Allen Banks His Laughs in Euros

Woody Allen had one of his best openings ever last weekend when Blue Jasmine made $612,064 in six locations—a staggering take of $102,011 per theater. Given strong reviews and a likely Oscar campaign for lead actress Cate Blanchett, the film is likely to do strong business in the coming weeks. It’s also virtually guaranteed to make its money back, since Allen’s films generally cost $15 million to $25 million. That indie budget range has become rare in recent years, but Allen has somehow continued to work within it, and with amazing consistency, making roughly a movie a year for the past four decades. Just days before Blue Jasmine’s big opening, Spike Lee—another stalwart and respected indie filmmaker—announced he was turning to Kickstarter to help finance his next film, saying the studios’ obsession with “Tent Pole Enterprise[s]” had made it difficult for directors like him to continue working independently on their own smaller films. This sentiment is also shared by Steven Soderbergh, who in April gave an infamous State of the Cinema speech bemoaning the way Hollywood does business: “You’ve got fewer studio movies now taking up a bigger piece of the pie, and you’ve got twice as many independent films scrambling for a smaller piece of the pie,” he observed. (Putting his money where his mouth is, Soderbergh publicly pledged $10,000 to Lee’s Kickstarter last week.) So how is it that Allen can still do it? Recently, Letty Aronson, the director’s sister and producer, explained to Fast Company that the financing for Allen’s films has increasingly come from overseas investors. It’s no secret that the larger film industry has become more reliant on international financing and audiences in recent years: Outspoken producer Lynda Obst points to foreign moviegoers as one reason for the lowest-common-denominatorization of Hollywood product. “Broad comedies play because falling on a banana peel is funny in every culture,” Obst told the Huffington Post last month. “But … so-called ‘writing’—wit and nuance—doesn’t travel.” And yet, Allen continues to churn out witty and nuanced films with a sizable international audience. In 2010, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger made only $3 million in the U.S., but $31 million abroad. 2007’s Cassandra’s Dream, a complete dud with a U.S. take that didn’t even break a million, made more than $21 million abroad. And those are just the flops. When a Woody Allen movie succeeds at home, it’s even bigger overseas: 2011’s Midnight in Paris made $56.8 million in the U.S. and $94 million internationally. 2008’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona made $23 million domestically, $73 million abroad. Allen has accomplished this over the years by building himself into a recognizable brand overseas, especially in Spain, France, and Italy, which have been among his biggest markets. In a fascinating scholarly article about the way these films are marketed in France, author Frédérique Brisset points out that Allen’s name is given a lot more prominence there than it is at home. In France, “Allen’s work has almost become,” Brisset observes, “a genre by itself.” That’s one reason why the director has been filming more and more away from his native New York—not just because it’s cheaper to shoot abroad, but also because that’s where his audience is. Admittedly, Allen, with his 45-year back catalog and iconic presence, is a unique case. However, his success suggests—contrary to popular belief—that there’s hope for America’s independent filmmakers on the foreign stage. As Allen himself told Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper last year, “I have to assume there are many millions of people in the world who are educated and literate and want sophisticated entertainment that does not cater to the lowest common denominator and is not all about car crashes and bathroom jokes.”




news sours  www.businessweek.com

Hollywood, Shootings, and ‘2 Guns’: When Is Stylized Violence Obscene?

Hollywood, Shootings, and ‘2 Guns’: When Is Stylized Violence Obscene?

The protesters were chanting “Trayvon Martin! Trayvon Martin!” on their march to Times Square as they chanced to pass beneath a jumbo video screen showing Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg brandishing handguns. 2 Guns Universal The clip was from the movie 2 Guns, and at this instant on this Saturday after George Zimmerman’s acquittal this trailer seemed to me to be more obscene than any fuck film shown on West 42nd Street during the bad old days. Few of those marching appeared to notice it, much less take any offense. Their minds were focused on the 17-year-old who had been shot to death by a man with a handgun while out buying candy and a soda. “Don’t shoot me, don’t hurt me! Just Skittles and iced tea!” they chanted. At the march’s end, many began the journey home by going down into the subway, where there was a still image of Washington and Wahlberg with guns. Next to this poster for 2 Guns was one for another movie, R.I.P.D., also put out by Universal Pictures, also showing two men with guns. The muzzles of the R.I.P.D. weapons glowed. Nearby stood yet another two men with guns, a real-life pair of police officers, looking watchful but profoundly bored, service weapons holstered. Zimmerman was repeatedly called a wannabe cop during the trial, but he did not likely fantasize directing traffic in the rain and cleaning puke out of the back of a radio car after transporting a drunk. Or, like these two actual cops, sweating under a bulletproof vest while keeping a lookout for fare beaters in a subway station. He more likely yearned to be a hero like the men in the movie posters. At the '2 Guns' premiere in New York City, the cast spoke about the movie's influence on gun culture in America. The good news for those who think such movies at once glorify and trivialize gun violence is that R.I.P.D. bombed. The bad news is that 2 Guns may be a hit and thereby perpetuate the genre. 2 Guns seemed to be well received by almost everybody save me when it was screened last week at a theater on the same stretch of the “Deuce” where the Trayvon Martin demonstrators had matched, just across from the where the jumbo video screen showed the trailer. Nobody else appeared to be offended by the title in a time of the Aurora movie-house massacre and the slaughter of the school kids in Sandy Hook and the killing of Trayvon. The actors were good. The dialogue was snappy. But I couldn’t help but think that the bravado and banter that make the two heroes so appealing are exactly the stuff that makes a guy like George Zimmerman want to be like them and hold one of those guns in his hot, living hand. Wahlberg‘s character is right out of a lost soul’s fantasy when he winks at a diner waitress and then later winks at a bad guy after besting him with some fancy shooting. “I did wink at him because he’s my bitch now,” he says afterward. The bravado and banter that make the two heroes so appealing are exactly the stuff that makes a guy like George Zimmerman want to be like them. And there are not just 2 Guns. There are many guns along with much shooting. The relationship between the Washington character and the Wahlberg character is cemented during the big gun battle at the end, when they kill every bad guy in sight. “You good?” Denzel asks after the carnage. “Never better,” Wahlberg says. They are now family. “All right, brother,” Denzel says. The screening audience applauded. Washington then notes that his new brother shot and wounded him earlier in the film. The next line is a line for our times. “I shot you before I knew how you were,” Wahlberg says. Washington evens it up by shooting Wahlberg in the leg, then throws an arm around him as they set off together. 2 Guns concludes with a final, resonating gunshot that probably bothered nobody but me. *** Nearly a half century and more than 250,000 gun killings ago, my father rode in a car with Robert F. Kennedy past the marquee of a movie theater that was showing Bonnie and Clyde, which had been nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture of 1968. Another passenger remarked that it was supposed to be terrific. “I hear it’s the most immoral movie ever made,” Kennedy said in the quiet voice of somebody who had too much personal experience with gun violence. That year’s Academy Awards ceremony was supposed to be held on April 8, but it was postponed for two days due to the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Bonnie and Clyde lost out to In the Heat of the Night, which was about race and justice in the South. Two months later, on June 6, Kennedy himself was shot to death, with a revolver that had originally been bought by a senior citizen for self-protection after the 1965 Watts Riots, even though he was nowhere near the trouble. This 1 gun was subsequently stolen and ended up in the hand of an assassin who was tackled immediately after firing the fatal shot. One observer noted that he fought to hold onto the gun despite great efforts to pry it from his fingers, as if it were his entire identity. The movie that Kennedy had heard described as the most immoral ever made became known as one of the best ever made. Bonnie and Clyde was among the first 100 films preserved by the newly established National Film Registry in 1988. The movie’s many defenders insist that it simply reflects a violent culture, and there is little denying that in a country of 350 million guns, more than two guns for every two people. But the violence in Bonnie and Clyde is idealized, even stylized at the end. It is a glamorizing mirror whose reflection subverts any reflection upon the insanity of a society of guns. Not that the producers of Bonnie and Clyde or, for that matter, 2 Guns had any priority other than to sell tickets. And the paying public seems to like simulated gunplay now as much as it did back in 1968. One thing that has changed is that box-office totals somehow became newsworthy, reported by news outlets as if determined the worth of a movie. Nobody reported Bonnie and Clyde’s first-weekend ticket sales as a matter of great public interest. You can bet they will with 2 Guns. And it will probably do pretty well. But I have to wonder how it would do in that movie theater in Aurora where a dozen people were shot to death. Or before the parents of the 20 school kids who were shot to death in Sandy Hook. After that schoolhouse massacre, which also claimed the lives of six adults, President Obama finally found his voice regarding gun control. He asked Vice President Joe Biden to help formulate ways to curb gun violence. On a day that began with a contentious sit-down with the NRA, Biden had a meeting with representatives of the film, TV, and cable industry that was much more pleasant, likely in part because he is old friends with the president of the Motion Picture Association of America, former senator Chris Dodd. Other participants included a lobbyist for Comcast, parent of Universal. Much of the talk was about ways to keep kids from seeing what is described as "entertainment meant for adults," not to be confused with adult entertainment. “The entertainment community appreciates being included in the dialogue around the administration’s efforts to confront the complex challenge of gun violence in America,” read a collective statement by the various representatives. “This industry has a longstanding commitment to provide parents the tools necessary to make the right viewing decisions for their families. We welcome the opportunity to share that history and look forward to doing our part to seek meaningful solutions.” The entertainment community now brings us 2 Guns, with an R rating that only bars unaccompanied kids under 17, if it’s enforced at all. Nobody can righty say that 2 Guns is a bad movie by the criteria that hold Bonnie and Clyde to be a good or even great one. But I have a pretty good idea what Bobby Kennedy would think of it, most particularly of the title and of the jocularity about shooting people and of that final, reverberating gunshot. To my ears, all the really good, crowd-pleasing movie-making preceding that gunshot did not make it sound any less like the one that signaled the end of Trayvon Martin’s life. And when I passed the refreshment stand on the way out of the theater, I could not help but think of Skittles. Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for updates all day long. Michael Daly is a special correspondent with Newsweek and The Daily Beast. He was previously a columnist with the New York Daily News and a staff writer with New York magazine. He was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2002 and has received numerous awards. He is the author of Under Ground and The Book of Mychal. His third book, Topsy, will be released this summer.



news sours  www.thedailybeast.com

'Most embarrassing Fox News interview ever' sends Reza Aslan's biography of Jesus to number 1 in the Amazon book charts

'Most embarrassing Fox News interview ever' sends Reza Aslan's biography of Jesus to number 1 in the Amazon book charts

Not Found The requested URL /embed/AQhMllQ-ODw was not found on this server. Apache/2.2.3 (Red Hat) Server at www.youtube.com Port 80 A car crash television interview during which a Fox News host asked the author of a new biography about Jesus, why he, as a Muslim, feels able to write about the Christian Messiah, has had an unexpectedly positive outcome - with sales of the author's book increasing by 35 per cent in just two days. The excruciating 10-minute interview, during which broadcaster Lauren Green was left with egg on her face after she tried to pin down respected scholar Reza Aslan, who just happens to be Muslim, on why he felt capable of writing a book about the life of Jesus, went viral at the weekend after it was posted on Buzzfeed. Ms Green asks: “You’re a Muslim, so why did you write a book about the founder of Christianity?” To which a visibly surprised Mr Aslan responds: “I am a scholar of religions with four degrees, including one in the New Testament, and fluency in biblical Greek, who has been studying the origins of Christianity for two decades, who also just happens to be a Muslim.” "It's not that I'm just some Muslim writing about Jesus," he continued. "I am an expert with a PhD in the history of religions." But all publicity is good publicity, as they say, and this embarrassing episode for Fox News has had an extremely positive outcome for Mr Aslan whose controversial biography of Jesus, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, has now reached number 1 in the Amazon books charts. Publishers Random House had to rush to meet a surge in demand for the book, ordering an additional 50,000 copies to be printed on Monday, bringing the total copies in print to 150,000. The biography, published on 16 July, had already been selling well prior to Mr Aslan’s appearance on Fox News, having reached number 8 in the Amazon book charts on Friday, but Mr Aslan is “thrilled” at the increased exposure on the back of the viral interview. “I’ll be perfectly honest — I’m thrilled at the response that people have had to the interview,” Mr Aslan told the New York Times. “You can’t buy this kind of publicity.” The Fox News interview has been watched nearly 4.5 million times on Buzzfeed, which posted the video under the title "Is this the most embarrassing interview Fox News has ever done?", and Mr Aslan has gained an additional 5,000 Twitter followers since it went out. The book is to be published in the UK by The Westbourne Press with the ebook available from today and the hardback in bookstores from 15 August.




news sours  www.independent.co.uk

Hollywood’s in need of a superhero - to recover its money from China

Hollywood’s in need of a superhero - to recover its money from China

China is likely to become the world’s biggest film market within the next five years, making it a potential source of vast profits for Hollywood studios – but only if the Chinese decide to pay them. And, according to reports this week in the US trade papers Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, China stopped paying Hollywood for its movies months ago. Remarkably, it seems that the studios have continued to send their big releases to Chinese cinemas, despite not having received a penny of their box-office takings since the end of last year. In several cases, the withheld payments are thought to total tens of millions of dollars, and all because of a dispute over a new tax. Last year, the US Vice-President Joe Biden and China’s then Vice-President Xi Jinping, who has since become the country’s President, negotiated a landmark World Trade Organisation deal, relaxing strict restrictions on foreign film releases in China. Under the agreement, Beijing agreed to allow more overseas movies to be screened in Chinese cinemas than in previous years, and raised to 25 per cent the share of box-office takings to be returned to US studios. Towards the end of 2012, however, the state-run China Film Group told studios that it intended to levy a 2 per cent value-added tax on each film release. Studios are refusing to pay the VAT, claiming it breaches the WTO deal. The ongoing dispute means Western studios have seen none of their agreed 25 per cent of Chinese box-office earnings for some of this year’s biggest releases. Warner Brothers is probably owed more than $31m (£20m) for blockbusters including Man Of Steel and The Hobbit, while Sony has supposedly seen nothing for its James Bond movie Skyfall. Disney could be more than $30m out of pocket for Iron Man 3 alone, which made more than $121m in China, and 20th Century Fox has said it is still waiting for an estimated $23m return on its Chinese success with Life Of Pi. Historically, dealing with China has been difficult for Hollywood film-makers, who must contend with the whims of Chinese censors. Many films have been banned with little or no explanation, others have been withdrawn from screens at a moment’s notice. Yet Chinese audiences are fast becoming so crucial that US studios are more anxious than ever to please them, and the censors who control what they see. Several Hollywood blockbusters, including Iron Man 3, specifically altered their content to make them more attractive to the Chinese market. Chris Dodd, a former US Senator who now chairs the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), is working to resolve the dispute, which has reportedly reached the US Trade Representative. A source at the USTR told Variety that the agency was working with the MPAA and “counterparts within the Chinese government to resolve the issue”.




news sours  www.independent.co.uk

Careful, It Jiggles!

Careful, It Jiggles!

Let's pretend it's summer and it is really hot and you tend to wear those little sleeveless cotton stretch-tops or even a dress with spaghetti straps the way you always did, all your life. Without a bra! Because you are of the sixties generation. Except you are 50 plus now, in terrific shape -- for your age, as impolite people like to add -- and can't see no harm. And then a girlfriend, a really good one, otherwise she wouldn't dare, says to you "Your upper arms jiggle!" Which is just another way of saying, "If I were you, I'd stop wearing sleeveless tops and not show the world my naked arms -- at your age! And while you're at it, wear a bra!" That kind of hurts -- but it's worth investigating this summery topic that invites all kinds of fashion-trouble. Trim, athletic upper arms are a dream that doesn't come true for many (including myself -- but excluding Madonna), certainly not when you are over 50, when untamable flesh appears in all kinds of places you didn't even know you had. In younger years it's luscious, firm and silky from head to toe, the breasts sit proud and high -- but then, all of a sudden it seems, the flesh is jiggly and moves about like Jell-O pudding. Especially the flabby upper arms that are so un-Michelle-Obama-like that it's tragic. But it is the truth -- and it seems sometimes unfair -- women have more loose flesh on their body than men. Which is really nice as long as it wraps itself in perfect proportion around a trim body. (And I don't mean like Lady Gaga's real beefsteak-dress of last year!) Nora Ephron, the late, very funny American writer and author of the bestseller "I feel bad about my Neck" knew a thing or two about the older body that seems to betray you whenever you look away. She sometimes felt as bad about other body parts because everything goes south when you hit 50. She opted not only for turtleneck sweaters but also long sleeves. It is also safe to say that she was never spotted bra-less at her fabulous New York lunches. In my informal fashion-quiz which I do often for fun with girlfriends, I ran by them the question, "How long can you go sleeveless and bra-less in public?" At the very most until your late 50s was the answer. Because no matter how fit you are, there are not only jiggling parts on your upper arms but strange and scary wobbly hills and fatty deposits right under your arm that don't need to be exposed freely to strangers anywhere. And certainly not without a bra. We all know the older lady-hippies, don't we? They are still around, and either beloved or ridiculed by onlookers. Once adorable super skinny flower children and budding feminists who banned not only the bomb, but bras as well, they still have flowing grey hair, comfy shapeless dresses over natural bosoms, Birkenstocks and recycled shopping bags. I love hippies, I was one myself, and the idea of liberation on all fronts is always appealing. But while your mind and animals should run wild and free, bosoms of a certain age should not. Who decides what is beautiful and fits the bill of propriety? Naturally, it is very important that only you yourself decide what is permissible at what age -- it is an individual question of comfort and aesthetics. Of course, you should have a relaxed and loving relationship with your body and allow it some freedom, no need to wrap it in "Spanx" like a wounded knee. But there's nothing wrong with being a little critical and in control when it comes to exposure. I found that a good way to test one's tolerance is to recall what is a real turn-off when looking at other people's bodies in public. Sadly, too many older women have an uninhibited streak when it comes to nakedness. As for me: I don't like to stare at aging armpits -- it's creepy. Sorry. Therefore I wear sleeveless stuff without the bra only at home or with close friends. But fashionable life goes on in the outside world. So, here's the plan for a cool and pretty summer without exposing flabby flesh. First, get hold of a comfortable bra and consider these tips. 1. If you must wear a sleeveless dress -- and it better be gorgeous -- wrap a beautiful, feather light silk scarf or stole around the shoulders. 2. Layers are life-savers! Wear a slightly transparent long-sleeved stretchy shirt under the dress. Alternative: a flimsy long-sleeved chiffon blouse. 3. Get a short little silk or cotton cardigan (waist length), that you also can just hang casually over your shoulders if it gets too warm.




news sours  www.huffingtonpost.com

Mission: Possible! Charlize Theron throws her star power behind HIV and AIDS awareness in home country South Africa

Mission: Possible! Charlize Theron throws her star power behind HIV and AIDS awareness in home country South Africa 

Charlize Theron is a woman on a mission. The South African-born beauty has once again put her star power to good use by pledging to help with the fight against HIV and AIDS in her home country. Meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria on Monday in her capacity as an ambassador for the United Nations program on AIDS, the actress says she believes the potential to usher in an AIDS-free generation is a real possibility under Zuma's leadership. Scroll down for video Woman on a mission: Charlize Theron joined South African President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria on Monday to talk about efforts to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in her home country Woman on a mission: Charlize Theron joined South African President Jacob Zuma in Pretoria on Monday to talk about efforts to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in her home country Zuma, who has been President of the 25th largest country in the world since 2009 and, prior to that was the nation's Deputy President from 1999-2005, sang the praises of the actress's efforts in raising awareness. 'Today has been a very special day with this good citizen of ours joining us,' SouthAfrica.info reports him as saying. 'We believe the education of young people goes a long way to prevent any escalation of the disease. That's what Charlize has been doing. We believe the successes we make in South Africa will have a big impact on the continent.' The pair were also joined by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi and UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé at the Unions Building in Pretoria to discuss how to better combat the pandemic. Star power: The United Nations Messenger Of Peace, who turns 38 on August 7, looked chic and businesslike in a black and white patterned top and black pants Star power: The United Nations Messenger Of Peace, who turns 38 on August 7, looked chic and businesslike in a black and white patterned top and black pants Tweeting her excitement prior to heading home on July 26, the star, who goes under the Twitter handle of @CharlizeAfrica, shared, 'Excited 4 the opportunity 2 speak w/President Zuma about helping youth in my home country stay HIV free.' She then followed it up on Monday with, 'We have to stop the stigma around #HIV. #SouthAfrica #UNAIDS #reachout #CTAOP.' Speaking to gathered press from her homeland, the mother-of-one said, 'It's always very special to return home and, when I'm able to, lend my support.' Charlize Theron meets South African president to talk HIV and... 'We can never stop talking about this disease': The star drilled home the importance of being open and honest about the pandemic that is sweeping the nation in a bid to remove the stigma associated with the disease 'We can never stop talking about this disease': The star drilled home the importance of being open and honest about the pandemic that is sweeping the nation in a bid to remove the stigma associated with the disease However, she added that while progress is being made, there is still a way to go. 'We have come so far in this country with our HIV programme... but we still have challenges,' she admitted. 'We can never stop talking about this disease.' According to UNAIDS, last year alone, more than eight million HIV tests were administered in the continent, while the number of infections has decreased by 12 per cent over the last two years. Taking care of business: The star was joined in her talks by (from left) UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, President Jacob Zuma and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi Taking care of business: The star was joined in her talks by (from left) President Jacob Zuma, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi Her crowning glory: The single mom-of-one has also revealed that she wielded the clippers when she shaved her head for a role last June, admitting she simply 'buzzed it with a razor' Her crowning glory: The single mom-of-one has also revealed that she wielded the clippers when she shaved her head for a role last June, admitting she simply 'buzzed it with a razor' The Snow White And The Huntsman star was made a Messenger Of Peace by the United Nations in 2008, with the goal of promoting efforts to end violence against women. Meanwhile, the stunning blonde recently revealed she was the one wielding the clippers when she shaved her head for her role in postapocalyptic film Mad Max: Fury Road in June last year. The movie, which is currently in post-production, stars Tom Hardy in the title role, previously made famous by Mel Gibson, who starred in three Mad Max movies between 1979 and 1985. No rest for the wicked: The blonde beauty was spotted on the set of a photo shoot in LA on July 24, before jetting off to South Africa No rest for the wicked: The blonde beauty was spotted on the set of a photo shoot in LA on July 24, before jetting off to South Africa The star plays Imperator Furiosa in the flick, but unlike Anne Hathaway, whose male hair stylist famously donned a dress to shave her head in last year's Les Misérables, Charlize 'buzzed it with a razor' herself. Talking to InStyle about her beauty regimen, the 5ft 10in beauty admitted she had no qualms when it came to taking the plunge and hasn't looked back since. 'The more I talked to my director, George Miller, about my character, the more I realised there was no way around it. He didn’t want to be the bad guy and just ask me to do it, so I finally called him and was like, “I need to shave my head, right?”' Ethereal: Charlize changed into a see-through flowy baby pink dress for the shoot, with her black underwear clearly visible beneath the sheer fabric Ethereal: Charlize changed into a see-through flowy baby pink dress for the shoot, with her black underwear clearly visible beneath the sheer fabric As a then-new mom to adopted son Jackson, the star, who turns 38 on August 7, insists the low-maintenance 'do suits her lifestyle. 'I had just finished two press tours and my hair was destroyed from heat damage, so I was glad to get rid of it. I was also a new mom and just loved the idea of not having to style my hair every morning. 'The timing was perfect.'



news sours  www.dailymail.co.uk

Not a mum tum in sight! Peaches Geldof cuts a sleek figure in form-fitting cigarette pants and chic striped top at BMW i3 launch

Not a mum tum in sight! Peaches Geldof cuts a sleek figure in form-fitting cigarette pants and chic striped

She has her hands full raising two children under the age of 15 months. But Peaches Geldof proved she has well and truly snapped back into shape after welcoming second son Phaedra into the world just a matter of months ago as she worked the red carpet at the launch of the new BMW i3 on Monday night. Cutting a sleek figure as she posed at the star-studded bash at London's Old Billingsgate Market, the 24-year-old socialite showed off her super-slim post-pregnancy figure in a pair of form-fitting black cigarette pants. Super-slim: Peaches Geldof proved she has well and truly snapped back into shape after welcoming second son Phaedra into the world just a matter of months ago as she worked the red carpet at the launch of the new BMW i3 on Monday night Super-slim: Peaches Geldof proved she has well and truly snapped back into shape after welcoming second son Phaedra into the world just a matter of months ago as she worked the red carpet at the launch of the new BMW i3 on Monday night The mother-of-two teamed her chic trousers with a stylish monochrome striped top, while adding an edgy dimension to her party ensemble with a black leather jacket. More... Sienna Miller looks fabulous in floral sundress as she launches the new BMW i3 in London No Uncle James tonight? Donna Air flies solo without Mr Middleton at global launch of BMW i3 The ultimate electric driving machine: Leaked pictures reveal the look of BMW's futuristic car that takes three hours to charge and reaches 93mph Looking slimmer than ever as she rocked the red carpet, Peaches completed her look with a pair of towering platform heels, a black chain-detail shoulder bag and a slick of pillar-box red lipstick to complement her flawless porcelain skin. The star - who raises sons Astala, 15 months, and Phaedra, three months, with rocker husband Thomas Cohen - was in good company at the BMW bash, with TV presenter Laura Whitmore, models Poppy Delevingne and Amber Le Bon and Made In Chelsea's Ashley Green also in attendance. Yummy mummy: Cutting a sleek figure as she posed at the star-studded bash, the 24-year-old socialite showed off her super-slim post-pregnancy figure in a pair of form-fitting black cigarette pants Yummy mummy: Cutting a sleek figure as she posed at the star-studded bash, the 24-year-old socialite showed off her super-slim post-pregnancy figure in a pair of form-fitting black cigarette pants Working it: The mother-of-two teamed her chic trousers with a stylish monochrome striped top, while adding an edgy dimension to her party ensemble with a black leather jacket Working it: The mother-of-two teamed her chic trousers with a stylish monochrome striped top, while adding an edgy dimension to her party ensemble with a black leather jacket Working it: The mother-of-two teamed her chic trousers with a stylish monochrome striped top, while adding an edgy dimension to her party ensemble with a black leather jacket Model Donna Air enjoyed a night out at the party, but arrived solo without her boyfriend James Middleton, who may be spending time in Berkshire with new nephew Prince George and sister Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Giving the party an A-list seal of approval, Sienna Miller and James Franco officially unveiled the new vehicle to the crowd. Sienna - dressed in a pretty floral sundress by Dolce and Gabbana - said: 'Being a new mother I feel it's very important to make green choices and create a better world for the future. It's the perfect city car. Ooh double doors!' Flawless: Peaches completed her look with a slick of pillar-box red lipstick to complement her perfect porcelain skin Flawless: Peaches completed her look with a slick of pillar-box red lipstick to complement her perfect porcelain skin James agreed: 'Going green is now cool. I'm really excited about this, it's about time we started taking care of the environment. It's fantastic. I feel like it's the future. 'I'm happy to be involved with something that's green. That's cool. I like the orange one and I think it will cope with the Hollywood Hills just fine.' Guests were treated to a DJ set from model Le Bon, while enjoying Moët & Chandon champagne at the star-studded party. The BMWi3 launch marked 'a new era for electric mobility' as the world’s first premium car with an all-electric drive system that opens up an 'all-new experience of emission-free mobility'. A-list attendees: Sienna Miller and James Franco launched the new BMW i3 at London's Old Billingsgate Market on Monday night A-list attendees: Sienna Miller and James Franco launched the new BMW i3 at London's Old Billingsgate Market on Monday night A-list attendees: Sienna Miller and James Franco launched the new BMW i3 at London's Old Billingsgate Market on Monday night Flying solo: Model Donna Air enjoyed a night out at the party, but arrived solo without her boyfriend James Middleton, who may be spending time in Berkshire with new nephew Prince George and sister Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge Flying solo: Model Donna Air enjoyed a night out at the party, but arrived solo without her boyfriend James Middleton, who may be spending time in Berkshire with new nephew Prince George and sister Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge




news sours  www.dailymail.co.uk