Stage for French Madonna show collapses; 1 dead

DEG's latest report on DVD sales, rentals holds back on key stats

Apparently some key information about the DVD business is now highly classified.

The Digital Entertainment Group, an organization that counts all of the major studios and DVD player manufacturers as members, has issued its latest sales report, but what's noteworthy is what's not included in the release.

Though DVD sales were down and rentals were up in the first half of 2009, DEG won't say what that means in real numbers making the percent changes kind of useless.

According to DEG, sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs plunged 13.5% in the first six months of 2009 compared with a year ago. That more than offset a 8.3% gain in rental revenue driven by budget consciousness during the recession, as well as double digital gains for the still small digital distribution and Blu-ray markets.

However, DEG refused to disclose the current size of the sell-through market or the decline of standard definition DVDs, which still make up the vast majority of home entertainment revenue.

That is a curious shift, because DEG traditionally has disclosed that information and even did so for the first quarter of this year.

Instead, the group only released more favorable information. The 8.3% jump in rental revenue, for instance, signals that consumers are more eager to rent movies for a few bucks than buy them for $15 or $20 during the current economic downturn.

Sales of high-definition Blu-ray DVDs surged 91% in the first half, but their total revenue is still $407 million, a relatively minor figure amount of money in Hollywood. Warner Bros., for instance, spent about that much to produce and market just one movie, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

Digital distribution is also still growing, although not by as much as Blu-ray. Sales and rentals through outlets such as iTunes, Amazon and Xbox Live grew 21% in the first half to $968 million.

The overall size of the home entertainment market including sales and rentals for DVDs, Blu-ray and digital distribution, the DEG said, was $9.73 billion in the first half of the year, off 3.9% from a year ago.

There were some encouraging signs in the second quarter, however. Overall purchases and rentals of DVDs and Blu-ray discs were down 5.6% in the second quarter. DEG said that was an improvement over the first quarter, although, once again, it declined to say by how much.

-- Ben Fritz

Photo: A consumer checks out DVDs at a Blockbuster store in Wilsonville, Ore. Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer / Getty Images

The full scoop on this summer's sensation, 'Torchwood: Children of Earth'

What follows is a review/feature of "Torchwood: Children of Earth." A transcript of my interview with creator Russell T Davies is at the end of the post. For an interview with star John Barrowman, who plays "Torchwood's" Captain Jack Harkness, look here. By the way, the first clip below shows the first seven minutes of "Children of Earth." The second clip on this post is also from early in the five-hour miniseries.

The last time you tuned in to BBC America may have been in 2003, when the cable network aired the original British version of “The Office.”

Since then, the network has perked along nicely, offering an array of edgy imports such as “Footballers Wives,” and the original “Life on Mars” and “Skins,” which have attracted niche audiences.

That may change during the next  few days. BBC America is poised to break out with the miniseries “Torchwood: Children of Earth” (8 p.m. Central Monday, BBC America; three and a half stars), starring former Joliet resident John Barrowman. The thriller runs for five consecutive nights and TV Guide is just one publication that has called it “the TV event of the summer.”

No argument here. In a summer light on great TV finds, “Children of Earth” arrives as a bracing jolt of electricity. If you watch the first hour and don’t find yourself hooked, check your wristâ€"you may not have a pulse.

In the opening minutes of the miniseries, every child in the world stands still in unison. They aren't harmed, in fact, they don't even remember what happened. But it happens again. Needless to say, panic ensues.

Creator Russell T Davies was in a restaurant with the show’s executive producer, Julie Gardner, when he threw out that idea.

“I just said, ‘Every single child in the world stops,’” Davies said in a recent interview. “It makes you sit up, doesn’t it? It’s our children, it touches a nerve in everyone. It has more impact than any other threat.”

Davies, who reinvigorated the BBC’s venerable “Doctor Who” franchise four years ago and spun off “Torchwood” soon after that, said that one of his goals for “Children of Earth” was to attract new viewers to the show. Barrowman stars as the dashing and resourceful Captain Jack Harkness, who leads a crack team that battles alien threats.

As Davies explained, the miniseries format is perfect for introducing new viewers to “Torchwood.” The show’s first two seasons aired on smaller BBC channels, but “Children of Earth,” which constitutes the show’s third season, aired on the main channel, BBC One, July 6-10.

“It’s the big channel, it’s the big time,” Davies said. “And it’ll go out to Canada, Australia, it’ll be on BBC America. So we’re opening our arms and saying, ‘New people, be welcome, pull up a chair, listen to the story.’”

“Torchwood’s” brand of irreverent sci-fi has already attracted a devoted cult audience, but Davies, who created the original British version of “Queer as Folk,” didn’t want to “preach to the converted.”

"I can't believe there are people in the world who don't watch this show!" Davies said. "I'm trying to reach out to absolutely everyone."

Barrowman’s family, which is based in Milwaukee, has been staying with him in the UK this summer, and when he screened the first few episodes of “Children of Earth” for his sister and parents, they were transfixed.

“Normally, my mom and dad would get up and get a drink, go to the bathroom, whatever. For the first two episodes, they sat and didn’t say a word. And if they thought it was [expletive], they would tell me,” Barrowman said in a recent interview. “That’s what I hope the reaction is for the audience watching [on TV]. You see one and you want more. You cannot wait for the next episode.”

“Children of Earth” got strong ratings in the UK, and its darker themes and charged political allegories also provoked a fair amount of controversy. The Guardian compared this exciting yet thought-provoking miniseries to “Battlestar Galactica,” and once you see the dilemmas faced by the characters, it’s easy to see why.

The parts that ignited Internet firestorms in England come toward the end of “Children of Earth,” and though those final episodes contain some bold choices, the latter part of the miniseries doesn’t quite hold up when compared with the first three episodes, which are nearly flawless.

Amid the emotional crescendoes of the final hour (which the cast pulls off beautifully), in the pell-mell race to the finish line, there is some rushed storytelling and there are more than a few gaps in logic. But aside from those issues (which I’ll discuss in more detail in an online review after the miniseries airs), “Children of Earth” is, as the Brits would say, bloody brilliant.

What’s especially impressive is the way that the threat that hangs over the people of Earth is kept in the shadows for much of the miniseries.Davies understands that what you can't see clearly is often far more ominous than what you can see.

“You’ve seen a million aliens on TV and they can do wonders with [computer-made special effects] and they can do wonders with prosthetics,” Davies said. “But working on a science-fiction drama, at its purest, [it’s about] the unknown. So I wanted to keep it that way.”

Davies also kept the characters’ emotions front and center. We learn more about the secretive Harkness and his conflicted past, and we see much more of the personal lives of Torchwood team members Ianto Jones (Gareth David-Lloyd) and Gwen Cooper (Eve Myles)."Children of Earth" director Euros Lyn does an excellent job of balancing the epic, adventurous elements with smaller personal moments: One of my favorite scenes in the miniseries is when Gwen's husband, Rhys (Kai Owen), reminds her that they haven't had a proper meal for hours.

When asked about the balance between the thriller elements and the characters’ emotional arcs, Davies chuckled (but his infectious Welsh laugh could not have been kinder).

“It’s funny, I always find this a curious conversation,” Davies said. “The ‘Doctor Who’ empire is the only science fiction I’ve done, [otherwise] I’ve done dramas like ‘Queer as Folk.’ Sometimes I find it comically strange to talk about how much emotion there is in a script. I can’t imagine a script being any other way. That’s what they’re about.”

That assertion is borne out by the story line involving John Frobisher, the kind of entrenched bureaucrat who wields power in the background no matter what government is in power. Frobisher is played by the great Scottish actor Peter Capaldi, who infuses the ambiguous role with canny intelligence and a sense of tragic foreboding.

As for Harkness, Davies said he had no problem revealing the character’s darker side.

“I think [the audience] doesn’t like it when you treat the characters too safely and handle them with kid gloves and never push them very far,” Davies said. “Any good drama, not just science fiction, exposes people’s faults, and that’s what we empathize with.”

The man who plays Harkness certainly has no reservations about sticking with the show, which has made Barrowman a household name in Britain.

“I say this with my hand on my heart: If I were only asked to be Captain Jack for the next 10 years, I would do it,” Barrowman said. “The best, the most amazing thing is when you’re walking down the street and a young boy or girl comes up to you and says, ‘I love you, Captain Jack.’ It’s the best feeling in the world, and I will challenge anyone who plays a character on television to say that they hate that.”

I spoke to Davies the week before "Children of Earth" aired in the U.K., and at that point I had seen the first three episodes. However what's below does not contain spoilers, in my opinion. Below is an edited and slightly condensed transcript of our conversation. 

Obviously there a lot of action and suspense in the miniseries, but you've really mixed in the emotions, the human side of the characters. Was that a really big concern from the first -- striking that balance? Was that difficult at all?

To be honest, I don't find that difficult, because I find that the only way of writing.  I think sometimes science fiction can be a little bit cold and a little bit hard. In America, you've got writers who've shown us the way with this stuff -- Joss Whedon, J.J. Abrams, Ron Moore. I've hardly invented this style of writing. It's the only way to write well these days.  -- to give people character and emotion.

It's funny, I always find this a curious conversation. The "Doctor Who" empire is the only science fiction I've done, [otherwise] I've done dramas like "Queer as Folk."  Sometimes I find it comically strange to talk about how much emotion there is in a script [he lets out a kindly chuckle]. I can't imagine a script being any other way. That's what they're about.

Quite apart from it making sense, it fundamentally makes it accessible to new viewers. I'm always keen on that. There's a danger in a third [season] of something. You've got an audience, especially a cult audience, they're devoted, they're happy, or maybe they're enraged and discussing stuff online, but that's brilliant because it means they're engaged in the program.

You can settle for that, and start preaching to the converted. And I can't believe there are people in the world who don't watch this show! [laughs] I'm trying to reach out to absolutely everyone. Hopefully every time a new season starts out, [it attracts] new viewers all over again.

I do love some really dense shows with tons of baggage that they cart around with them, you know, shows like "Lost," where you have to have a lot of previous knowledge. But then again it can be really refreshing to come across a program like "Children of Earth," where you don't need that depth of knowledge to get drawn into the story.

Well, it's different horses for different courses, isn't it? I don't watch "Lost," I never watched it on first transmission and now I feel I can never catch up. But I know there are people who get a genuine thrill out of the complexity, the numbers and the time-swapping. I just think there's room for both in the marketplace, really.

With "Torchwood," it's important to point out what was happening in the UK with it. It's moving off [smaller BBC channels] and going to BBC1, which is literally the biggest channel in Britain, by a long chalk. It's the big channel, it's the big time. And it'll go out to Canada, Australia, BBC America. So we're opening our arms and saying, "New people, be welcome, pull up a chair, listen to the story."

The idea that all the kids in the world just stop for a moment, in unison, was that the kernel of the project? It's not even that the kids are harmed, but it's such an unsettling image.

You're right, that was the kernel, that was the very first thing. We went to our very first discussion of "Torchwood: Children of Earth," it was the executive producer and the script editor, and we went to a pizza restaurant. And I just said, "Every single child in the world stops." I pitched them the story starting with that line. And it makes you sit up, doesn't it? It's our children, it touches a nerve in everyone. It has more impact than any other threat.

When we first saw Captain Jack swagger into the "Doctor Who" universe, well, compared to where he now, it's pretty different. He's heading in a darker direction. Obviously we know he's not only good and he's not without sins, but how far can you take that character?

I think with a good character and a good actor, you can take a character as far as you want. I think the audience is very intelligent and very respectful. I think doesn't like it when you treat the characters too safely and handle them with kid gloves and never push them very far. Any good drama, not just science fiction, exposes people's faults, and that's what we empathize with. We're not all nice all the time. We all have our terrible, dark moments. There are things we remember at 5 in the morning and lie in bed and wince and wish we'd never done.

I think you can do that with any character. Actually, I think it's the writer's job to do that, instead of just making them generically nice. We've got such a history with Jack. This might be more for the keen viewer who has watched it since the start, but he's a man who has lived through history many times. And when he lived through the 20th Century, he was a much a darker, bitter man, waiting for the Doctor to return in "Doctor Who."

The present-day Jack has met the Doctor again and has come to terms with himself and he's a lot happier, but he's still dealing with the consequences of the stuff that he did when he was a darker, more tormented soul. A lot of what happens [toward the end of "Children of Earth" delves into incidents that occurred in Jack's past].

There's nothing worse than a character who is static, you have to get three dimensions into them and you have to constantly turn them and see them from new angles.

Do you feel like this miniseries/"event" format is your preferred format now?

Yeah, I absolutely love it. I've been writing for 20 years and it's very rare to be given a new format. To be given five hours in a row, from a Monday to a Friday -- it's a new form of storytelling and it's a challenge and I'm very pleased with the end result. I'm excited to see how it works, on BBC America and here. No regrets at all.

And it's kind of cool to be done in a week.

Right, we know people will be getting it a lot of different ways, online -- legally! [laughs] -- downloads, DVDS [which comes out July 28 in America]. For a lot of people there will be a 5-hour movie waiting for them at the end of the week. I'm going through the first season of "True Blood" right now and I'm loving it. But if it were five hours long I'd be finished by now. [Five hours] is a nice shape. It's one long afternoon.

Do you have any ideas for a Season 4, if the BBC orders one, which I expect they will? Would you be writing it?

I've got vague ideas. I know where to start. I know where the lead characters are. I have to wait, it transmits in Britain July 6-10. We'll have to see how the ratings do, see where the money is, because everyone's having a recession, even the BBC. But then, when the call comes, I shall be there, Maureen. When "Torchwood" calls, you jump. Whether it is this format, whether they want a new format, whether they want the old format [I don't know]. I'll take on anything and make it work.

And you would be writing it again?

I hope so. If all the dates fit and everything. Even if I'm not writing it -- after I wrote the pilot episode [of "Torchwood"] I didn't write [episodes of Seasons] 1 or 2 but I was there every day, looking at everything they shot, the scripts, every edit. So I was always on top of it. But I love writing it. That's the plan.

Would you add to the cast for a fourth season? Or is it too soon to talk about that kind of thing?

It's just too soon, because you have to see it. Terrible things are yet to happen and brilliant things are yet to happen. Many surprises on the way. But I love our core cast, those three characters, so there's no need to deviate at the moment. Though we lost [two characters in a previous season] and there are new allies of Torchwood, we're not in a rush to fill those posts. It's entirely my decision, and partly, it's almost like jumping in someone's grave to just replace someone. But also, I think the more you focus the series, the better it gets. I've enjoyed the smaller focus, to be honest.

One thing that I think worked out really well is that, for a long time, we don't see the adversary that everyone is up against. Was that a decision borne out of budget concerns, though? Having said that, it's a great way to ratchet up the tension.

It was how I wanted it. You can see, from [one of the key "Children of Earth" sets] that it was always a very heavy budget. It was difficult to do [that set] and do it on budget.

I mean, you've seen a million aliens on TV and they can do wonders with CGI and they can do wonders with prosthetics. But working on a science-fiction drama, at its purest, [it's about] the unknown. So I wanted to keep it that way. [Summarizing this next part, he says the idea is that the "Children of Earth" characters have difficulty not only knowing what the aliens are but also knowing what they want]. It stays quite unknown throughout the whole thing. You do see a bit more in Episode 4. I just think [not really seeing what they're up against for a long time is] a thousand times more interesting than an obvious monster.

It seems like this is something that comes up in both "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood" -- sometimes it's corporations, but in this case, it's the government. It's the idea that the government is doing things that people don't really know about. It's as if the show is asking -- what they are doing, why they are doing it, are they doing terrible things, are they the right people to make these decisions? But then again, you've got Torchwood also going around doing whatever they want with no oversight.

Absolutely. It's a constant question. They're questions that, politically, we're all engaged in all our lives. What is our government? Who is in charge? Who should be in charge? Throughout "Torchwood," and I think "Doctor Who" as well, there's a constant mistrust of that government, especially in the world we find ourselves in now, where the economy is collapsing and we find ourselves in wars that we didn't even want. It's never a simple issue. You cannot [wave a flag saying] "Stop this" or "Stop that" -- it's not that easy.

There's a constant mistrust and a constant questioning involved. In Episode 1, you have [ a character remarking] that elected officials come and go, but with the civil service, you have the true government, which is running no matter who's in power, that we know nothing of. There are policies we'll never hear of and we'll never shape, and I find that fascinating. Election's only one half of government and the running of the country exists on another level altogether.

It'd be very, sort of, schoolboy to say, "That's all bad!" They'll be making decisions that I don't want to make, that I don't want the responsibility for, but which nevertheless have to be made.

And Mr. Frobisher, who is so brilliantly played by Peter Capaldi, isn't simply a villain. And he isn't simply a good guy either. He's a really complex, fascinating man, who does good things and who does bad things. Again, it's that question of turning characters [to reveal different facets], that's what keeps them interesting.

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