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Wrangling over compensation for Conan O'Brien's "Tonight Show" staff heats up

2010-01-20T01:20:00.001-08:00

Wrangling over compensation for Conan O'Brien's "Tonight Show" staff heats up

Maybe Conan O'Brien won't be leaving NBC as soon as we thought.

Negotiations over his severance package have become bogged down over O'Brien's demands that NBC also compensate staff members on his show who will soon be out of work. About 190 people work on "The Tonight Show," including about 60 to 70 employees who moved to Los Angeles from New York early last year. NBC paid to relocate about 40 to 50 of those people, with the rest coming to L.A. on their own.

"We are fighting hard to get as much as possible to these people who are going to be out of work," Gavin Polone, O'Brien's manager, said in a e-mail this afternoon.

NBC is sensitive to the fact that its late-night shuffle will put people out of jobs and bristled overÂ suggestions that the network, owned by General Electric Co., was being insensitive to the plight of employees who will join the masses of unemployed workers in the midst of a recession that has hammered the entertainment industry.

"It was Conan's decision to leave NBC that resulted in nearly 200 of his staffers being out of work. We have already agreed to pay millions of dollars to compensate every one of them. This latest posturing is nothing more than a PR ploy," NBC said in a statement.

Not so, said Polone. "It is not a ploy or a strategy. Conan's first priority is and always has been to take care of the employees of the show. He paid them out of his own pocket during the strike when NBC laid them off. I think that shows his commitment better than a missive from an unnamed NBC executive."

NBC is expected to spend more than $40 million in severance packages to the show's workers. O'Brien's share of that amount is about $30 million, according to people close to the negotiations.

-- Meg James

Photo of Gavin Polone (2004) by Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

The 'Lost' lowdown: Part 1 of a long interview with Cuse and Lindelof (no spoilers)

In December, I interviewed "Lost" executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof over lunch on the Disney-ABC lot in Burbank, Calif. In a week or so, I'll be using that interview to write a feature for the print version of the Tribune (I'll post that "Lost" feature here too).

But with the anticipation of the "Lost" Season 6 premiere building -- the start of the final season is only two weeks away on Feb. 2 -- I thought I'd start posting the full transcript of the interview. It's looong. Check back here for additional installments (there should be two more installments over the next week or so).

Yes, what follows is only about a third of the interview. I know! But given that Lindelof and Cuse were kind enough to give me an hour of their time, I'm going to share everything they said with my fellow island fanatics. Casual fans might not want to read the whole thing; if that's the case, there are a few choice excepts here. All my other "Lost" coverage is here.

This interview contains no spoilers for Season 6. I didn't (and still don't) want to know any specifics about the season to come.

I was interested in finding out how Cuse and Lindelof approached Season 6 and how they feel about the fans' expectations for the last season. This section of the transcript also contains the first set of 'Star Warsreferences, and there are several "Battlestar Galactica" and "Sopranos" references too.Also, giraffes.

In the next exciting installment: Time travel!!! Later: Ewoks!!!

Here's Part 1 -- enjoy!

NOTICE (THIS IS THE NOT-FUN PART BUT PLEASE READ THIS): Do not reproduce this entire interview on your Web site. Feel free to excerpt it on your site and link back here (and if you do that, thanks much). But if you reproduce the entire thing, I'll have to send you a DMCA legal notice and that's no fun and it becomes a huge drag for all of us. So just excerpt and link, mmmmkay? Thanks!

Ryan: Even as a hardcore âBattlestar Galacticaâ fan, I was taken aback at how impassioned people were about the last set of episodes of that show. And I was really unprepared for how harsh people could get over the smallest things and what they meant, and over what and wasnât dealt with in those final set of episodes. It was as if everyone had a different checklist in their mind of what had to happen.

In approaching this last season, do you have the sense that it's going to be like that? Or did you just not think about the intensity of the fan reaction?

Lindelof: Iâm sure we both have similar yet vastly verbose responses to that because we talk a lot about it and been talking a lot about the ending of the show for a long time. But I think that there is a disproportionate focus on a finale and there always has been. And this happens on a micro level, where the critically and fan-hated season, Season 3, also happens to have the greatest finale probably of the series. And the taste left in your mouth in the wake of the finale is really all that matters.

If the entire series is going to be judged based on our ability to execute the dive, you canât do your job. Part of it is -- despite what people think or say, so much of it has been talked about and planned for years now that youâre just kind of executing the plan to the best of your ability. You're changing the plan when itâs not working, but otherwise, youâre kind of married to the inevitable -- the stuff that we want to do.

Cuse: We also spent a lot of time talking about how we donât want the last season of the show to be didactic. Itâs very dangerous to basically create a checklist of answers and then start trying to tick them off, because we want to make sure weâre telling engaging stories. For us really, while the mythology is important, for us itâs a story about these characters. And so most of our focus has been on, how are we going to resolve the character stories?

We really feel we are very committed to this notion of not stripping the show of its essential mystery. I mean, mystery exists in life and we kind of always go back to the midi-chlorians example [in the 'Star Wars' prequel films]. Your understanding the Force was not aided by knowing that there were little particles swimming around in the bloodstreams of Jedi.

There are sort of fundamental elements of mystery and magic to the show that are unexplainable, and any attempt to explain them would actually harm the show, and in our opinion, the legacy of the show. So weâre trying to find the right blend of answering questions, but also leaving the things that should be mysterious mysterious.

Ryan: Yeah. I did not need to know more about Boba Fett. He has a jet pack. He a ship named Slave 1. I donât need to know more than that.

Cuse: Yeah, exactly.

Lindelof: And for us, there are questions that weâre clearly presenting. Itâs not like Lucas ever presented in the first three âStar Warsâ films, "What is The Force?"

And therefore, itâs like, when people ask us, "What is the island, what do the numbers mean?" You know, we donât know how to answer the question, "What do the numbers mean?" We can tell you what the practical application of the numbers is in the series, but how do you answer a question like that?

Itâs like, if you could have a sitdown with God and say, "Why is a giraffeâs neck so tall?" You know, because he can eat from large trees. And itâs like, "But you made all these other animals that donât need tall necks to eat, so why?" So you get into a conversation where every answer you give only makes it more frustrating.

Cuse: Or that leads to the question of, did God in fact create that giraffe or not, which is also a very, very tricky question to attempt to answer.

Lindelof: Of course. Look, the franchise of âLostâ -- in addition to the primary franchise, which is the characters and the mysteries of the island that have always been in support of the characters -- there's this idea of, "What did they mean by that?" The zeitgeist of the show has developed around different iterations of that question. What do they mean by that?

Because the show isnât like a traditional cop show where by the end of it somebody basically says, âHereâs who did it, hereâs why they did it, and here is what is going to happen to them.â Or a law show with no ambiguity. Thereâs going to be an element of "What do they mean by that?" long after âLostâ is done and no matter what we did, thereâs nothing we could do to prevent it.

Cuse: And also, we also are aware that answering questions inevitably raises other questions. We call it the Big Bang conundrum.

Lindelof: A.k.a, Kateâs plane.

Cuse: Yeah, if you go back and you say, "OK, Jacob is obviously someone who was of great significance to the mythology of the show, but who was before Jacob? And then but who created that person?" If you go back in the universe you can say, the universe was created in an event called the Big Bang, but then you can inevitably ask the question, "Well, what was before the Big Bang?"

I think the audience has to have a sort of respect for the fact that there is only a circumscribed set of answers that we can ever give. And weâre not sitting here trying to evade our responsibility to provide answers. We are going to answer the questions that, for us, feel like they need to be answered and we feel like we have some cool and satisfying answers for them.

Lindelof: One of which will be, we will answer what caused the Big Bang.

Ryan: It was giraffes.

Cuse: It was giraffes.

You know, ultimately, weâre excited though, because it does feel like we concocted the mythology of the show a long time ago and itâs like having a Christmas present and you kept it on the shelf a long time and people are finally going to get to open it and see it. So weâre finally getting to deploy the ending of the show and that is exciting to us. It is a story and I think as storytellers, thatâs always whatâs delicious -- you set up the audience and then you basically finish the story. Thereâs a payoff and weâre actually going to finally give the audience our payoff.

And we are going to go off the grid after the show is over to avoid the actual issue of having to interpret the ending. Again, weâve always felt that one of the compelling elements of âLostâ is its intentional ambiguity. The fact is, itâs open for interpretation and discussion and we feel like we would be doing a disservice to the fans and the viewers to say, âNo, you must only look at this in one way.â We donât think that is really good for the show or for peopleâs ability to read into the show what they want. I mean, thatâs what I like to do when I read a good book -- basically be able to debate what the real meaning and intention of that story is.

Ryan: So, what youâre saying is, you're going to France?

Cuse: Weâre not saying. Weâre not saying where we are.

Lindelof: Itâs an undisclosed location.

Ryan: Is it Dick Cheneyâs bunker?

Lindelof: Exactly. The one promise that we are making is that what weâre not going to do is leave the show hanging so we can pick up the ball and run with it two years from now in some other television project or movie. I think that we owe ourselves and the story and the audience a sense of finality.

Cuse: The most complete ending that we can give them.

Lindelof: Yeah, you canât break up with somebody and say, "Letâs not go out anymore, but I still want to sleep together, I still want to live in the same house, and we should still go on dates all the time." No. If itâs over, itâs over.

Weâre trying to create a season that really feels like itâs over as opposed to [left open-ended]. People keep saying, "Is there going to be a Sopranos movie?" And I actually feel the question in itself is offensive to anybody who likes the cut-to-black [ending] because it completely neutralizes the deftness. Carlton and I happen to be huge fans of the âSopranos.â But to do a âSopranosâ movie, you could never watch that series finale again with any level of respect [if you know] know that something followed it.

Cuse: The other phenomenon which is interesting is that the immediate interpretation of the ending of âLostâ may not be the same as the ultimate interpretation of the ending of âLost.â

I mean, you as a âBattlestarâ fan probably have experienced the sensation that there was an immediate reaction to how âBattlestarâ ended, and [now] it seems like thereâs a bit of and evolving reaction to how âBattlestarâ ended. And we anticipate that the same thing might happen with âLost.â

Thereâs an instantaneous sense of loss, and using the âSopranos,â again as an example -- a lot of people were sort of outraged because the story ended and it wasnât conclusive, but then with some perspective and a little distance from the show, the metaphor of what Chase was doing there became clearer and that seemed to resonate better over time than in the immediate aftermath.

Lindelof: What was so impactful about that ending is, as a huge âSopranosâ fan myself, I can tell you almost nothing about that episode other than that Anthony Jr. was considering going into the military and then he got into a car accident. But the episode itself is like completely like sand through my fingers. I donât remember anything about it. All I remember is that [last] scene...

Ryan: The only other thing I remember, apart from the final scene, is Meadow trying to park the car.

Lindelof: Right. All I remember is that Journey song. What are people going to take away from the final episode of âLost?â Will it be the final image?

Cuse: Will it be the episode in its totality?

Lindelof: We keep getting asked about the final image and weâre like, "Yeah, sure, we know what it is." But people are acting like the final image of the show is revelatory in some way, as opposed to maybe [what's revelatory] is what happens in the first hour of the finale.

Cuse: But whatâs happened is, I think people have expectations that have grown from other shows, where that last moment is such a sting. Whether itâs all of a sudden you see a snow globe [as in "St. Elsewhere"] or you cut to black or somebody wakes up and itâs all been a dream. Whatever it is, itâs like that final twist negates or completely overshines everything thatâs come before it.

Lindelof: Which is amazing because the fact that people invested six years of their lives and over 120 hours on âLostâ and theyâre going to pay it all off in this 30-second scene. "That is going to change the entire way that I feel about the show."

Cuse: We hope it doesnât.

Lindelof: Weâll be riding either a wave of goodwill into the finale, or bad will, and itâs happened different ways in different seasons for us. Last year, [we had] the overt time travel story mechanism and the rise of characters like Faraday and the risk of putting Sawyer with Juliet. All of those things could have been [big problems] in any other world, and we were just fortuitous enough that it worked. But we really donât have any sense of how this season is going to be received until itâs on the air.

Ryan: James Poniewozik [Time's television critic] has written about this, about how the finale of a sci-fi show can't just be a finale, it has to provide an Answer. It can't just be an ending, it has to solve the problem. And I felt like I definitely saw that split in the "Battlestar" fandom, between the people who wanted or feel they got character payoffs and the people who don't feel various solutions to the plot and the story were arrived at correctly.

Your show, if anything, has more fans and more different camps invested in different people and also in different parts of the mythology.

Cuse: I feel like there will be diverse opinions and again, we understand that the hardcore mythology fans might react differently than the people who are really waiting to find out if Kate ends up with Sawyer or with Jack. And for us, we feel that the story lines that ultimately will be the most satisfying are the character stories. In discussing the various conundrums of mythology answers, we are very well aware that for people who are really focused on the mythology, itâs hard to provide probably completely sufficient answers for those group of people. So there will be thereâll probably be different levels of satisfaction based on what it is that interested you about the show in the first place.

All we can do is trust our guts, which is kind of where weâve been from the beginning. We started the show sitting in my office every morning having breakfast, talking about what we thought was cool. And whatever we both would get excited about would go into the show and thatâs how weâve approached it [all along] and thatâs how we approached it at the end.

So, our barometer can only be: Does this ending feel satisfying to us and to the other writers? And if we can achieve that, we feel like we will have done what we can do and what we should do. Beyond that, I think every show â" certainly a lot of people have rejected âLostâ along the way. We started with a 10.2 rating at the beginning of the second season and a certain group of people said, âYou know what? This is too much to invest; this is too much mythological show to invest in."

People found a way to part with the show for various reasons, or they embraced it all the way down the line. So, weâre not trying to reverse-engineer the process, weâre basically committed to doing the best version that we feel we can do and thatâs all we can do.

Lindelof: Thereâs a certain amount of security in the idea of saying the show was never supposed to work in the first place. In the wake of the pilot, to say, "This show is actually going to be on the air for over 120 episodes," we would have laughed in your face. So the idea that it sustained as long as it has and that some of our best episodes were in our fifth season as opposed to [earlier in the shows run], or that we were able to bounce back from some sub par episodes and sort of regain our momentum. That makes us kind of think -- itâs becoming a lot more about the journey for us than it is about the ending and we hope that thatâs the show's ultimate legacy.

But I think the sci-fi distinction you make is an interesting one because, when you talk about the âSopranosâ ending or the last episode of âSeinfeldâ or âFriends,â thereâs only so many iterations of what can happen. The âSopranos,â the only thing that people were talking about is, "Is Tony going to live, or is somebody going to kill him?"

With âLost,â nobody can even guess what the ending is going to be. If you were to have a contest right now saying, "In one paragraph, summarize what you think the last episode of 'Lost' might be" -- if you say it to 100 people, you will get 100 paragraphs that have nothing to do with each other.

If you say that to somebody about the âSopranos,â 50 people will say, "I think Tonyâs going to get whacked," maybe 10 people will say, "Carmela is going to kill him, but heâs going to get whacked." But no one would have said, "Theyâre going to be eating in a friggin' restaurant -- onion rings." That's what was so brilliant about it -- how do you do the unexpected?

Ryan: You brought up in the first season and how you thought it would never last this long. As you look back, are there things you wish you could have done differently?

Cuse: No, I donât think so. You could ask the same question about your life. I suppose everyone has regrets, but at the same time, you can either focus on your regrets as a path to nowhere. The journey of the show has been the absolutely right journey of the show. We had to take all the steps and the occasional missteps that we took in order to get where we are. So, everything that weâve done has been sort of right in the larger karmic sense.

Itâs interesting that you talk about this. One of the central themes of the show is free will versus predetermination and that same issue was very much in play in how the show was constructed. Yes, the mythological architecture was constructed back in the first season and between the first and second season, but the actual journey of these characters is something that evolves literally, episode by episode. We view the process of making the show as a very organic one. We watch what happens and how characters play off each other, what relationships are working, what arenât working.

So there still is an element of discovery that is a part of getting into the finale. We sort of know what the Incident is, but how thatâs going to play out with the characters is still something that we discover as we write each episode of the show.

We are not only the stewards of this journey, but we also have this wonderful process of discovery ourselves, which is, I think, the essence of the creative process. It's when you get into that transcendence where the show tells you what it wants to be and thatâs something that we didnât even anticipate. So, that to us is whatâs fun.

Ryan: You guys have obviously a unique relationship with the fans. Have you ever changed what you wanted to do, or reconfigured what you thought you were going to do, based on good or bad fan reaction?

Lindelof: There hasnât been an instance in the show where we disagreed with fan reaction, or were incredibly surprised by fan reaction. By the time fans saw Nikki and Paolo deliver their first lines of dialogue, we were already writing [their final episode,] 'Expose.' Had the fans said "We actually love these characters," maybe it would have given us pause, but by then we fundamentally acknowledged we had taken a shot and it didnât work.

We did the Sawyer/Juliet thing last year. We were introducing Juliet into a relationship with Sawyer, [even though] the debate has been about whether Kate going to chose Sawyer or Jack. Now weâre changing it into a quadrangle for the first time, and itâs going to be it is a mature love at that â" we donât even see how [their relationship] really starts. When we introduced the audience to it, [the relationship] is already up and running for three years. That was the bold risk, but when we saw those dailies with Elizabeth [Mitchell as Juliet] and Josh [Holloway as Sawyer], they just sold it and weâre like, "This works."

If the audience doesnât like the relationship, hopefully they wonât fault us for the idea and the good news is, âLaFleurâ is Episode 8 and the season is only 16 episodes long and then Juliet falls into a hole. So, if they hate it, itâs only going to last for eight episodes, but itâs really going to govern every decision that Sawyer makes from here on out.

So, there are moments where we go, "What is the fan reaction going to be to this thing?" But especially since we started premiering in January [the season is mostly written by then]. On February 2 [when the final season premieres], Carlton and I and the writers are going to be writing Episode 15 of Season 6.

Cuse: Yeah, there will be no time for course correction. Last year we committed to this concept of time travel with a certain expectation that some people really might not respond to it. I think the most pleasant surprise was how much people embraced it, because it was difficult and it was much more overtly science fiction, and yet people really seemed to like the season.

But we have the same anxiety about what weâre doing this season. We kind of feel like the fundamental tenet that weâve tried to follow as storytellers is "Be bold." But in being bold sometimes you fall on your face.

So we committed to a narrative approach this season which we feel is bold and itâs different than what weâve done before. And if it works, itâll be exciting, but it might not be everybodyâs cup of tea either.

Next: I give them grief about the time travel in Season 5. I know, I know, some "Lost" fans loved it. Which we discussed.

Another body to collect artistesÂ' money
Questions are being raised on the role the newly formed Performing Rights Society of Kenya (PRSK) will be playing as a watchdog for performing artistes. Currently, the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) has been acting as the sole body spearheading the rights of artists and implementation of the Copy Right Act.
Bay Area benefit concerts to aid Haiti earthquake victims
The local music community is stepping up to help Haiti, the Caribbean country ravaged by a catastrophic 7.0 earthquake earlier this month. Several benefit performances aimed at raising funds for relief efforts are scheduled over the next few weeks in the Bay Area.
Disaster Photography: When Does It Cross The Line?

Is this another form of exploitation of third-world people, particularly people of color?

'Avatar' tops $500 million on domestic chart

2010-01-19T16:20:00.001-08:00

Fractious actors' unions expected to restore joint bargaining with studios

Hollywood's squabbling actors unions appear to be ready to bury the hatchet.

It's been almost two years since the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists broke off its 27-year bargaining partnership with the larger Screen Actors Guild, with which it has clashed over contract goals and jurisdictional turf battles over TV shows, including an ugly tiff over the CBS soap "Bold and Beautiful."

But there has been a significant thaw in the frosty relations between the unions since a moderate coalition of actors consolidated their power on SAG's board and vowing to push toward an eventual merger of the unions. SAG's recently elected president, Ken Howard, made ending the feud a top priority of his successful campaign and has talked with AFTRA's Roberta Reardon about ways of mending relations.

While a merger is not on the immediate horizon, representatives on both sides are paving the way toward restoring the longstanding so-called Phase One joint bargaining agreement, a necessary step before the unions can move toward consolidation, which remains unpopular among a significant group of actors in Hollywood.

To that end, on Sunday a key committee of AFTRA is expected to recommend to its national board that the union resume joint bargaining with SAG for prime-time TV contracts, people familiar with the meeting said.

If the boards of both unions agree to the idea, it would clear the way for joint early negotiations with the studios in October. Although SAG's two-year contract approved last April doesn't expire until June 2011, the sides agreed to begin early talks, by Oct. 1, for the next round of bargaining.

There is a complication: The timing would conflict with another contract -- covering actors who work in daytime television -- that AFTRA must negotiate by Nov. 15. AFTRA is expected to either accelerate those talks or seek an extension so that it can once again partner with SAG for prime-time TV negotiations.

The falling-out between the unions has been disastrous for SAG. It severely weakened its bargaining leverage in the last round of contract negotiations when AFTRA secured a separate deal a year before its sister union did.Â Parting ways also gave AFTRA an opportunity to secure the lion's share of contracts for prime-time TV pilots, an area that SAG had previously dominated.

That trend has continued for the current pilot season. Although it's still early in pilot season, AFTRA has already picked up contracts for 15 pilots for prime-time shows this year and is on track to secure more than then 25 shows it covered last year.

Still, a restoration of "Phase One" is unlikely to end the source of friction between the unions, which still bargain separately in a number of other areas, such as video games and daytime television. Howard has made it clear that the ultimate goal is to have the unions merge so they can present a united front in dealings with the studios.

The idea remains controversial with SAG, however. Opponents defeated previous merger attempts, fearing their union would lose its autonomy and that the unions have little in common. AFTRA's 70,000 members include not only recording artists but disc jokeys and broadcasters. SAG represents 120,000 actors.

-- Richard Verrier

Photos: Top right: Ken Howard. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times. Bottom left: Roberta Reardon. Credit: Dan Johnson / AFTRA.

The 'Lost' lowdown: Part 1 of a long interview with Cuse and Lindelof (no spoilers)

This interview contains no spoilers for Season 6. I didn't (and still don't) want to know any specifics about the season to come.

In the next exciting installment: Time travel!!! Later: Ewoks!!!

Here's Part 1 -- enjoy!

NOTICE (THIS IS THE NOT-FUN PART BUT PLEASE READ THIS): Do not reproduce this entire interview on your Web site. Feel free to excerpt it on your site and link back here (and if you do that, thanks much). But if you reproduce the entire thing, I'll have to send you a DMCA legal notice and then that gets not fun and it's a huge drag for all of us. So just excerpt and link, mmmmkay? Thanks!

Next: I give them grief about the time travel in Season 5. I know, I know, some "Lost" fans loved it. Which we discussed.

'Avatar' tops $500 million on domestic chart
LOS ANGELES — James Cameron's "Avatar" continues to close in on his own box-office champ "Titanic.
Disaster Photography: When Does It Cross The Line?

Is this another form of exploitation of third-world people, particularly people of color?

Celeb Pix: At the Globes after parties -- hugs and mugs

2010-01-18T16:20:00.001-08:00

'Avatar' soon to pass 'Titanic' revenue records, but can it come close in attendance?

If there were any doubts that "Avatar" would post the biggest total box-office numbers of all time, they were erased this weekend.

With a decline of only 15% in the U.S. and Canada over the Martin Luther King Day weekend, a $54.5-million four-day domestic gross and another $129 million overseas, director James Cameron's 3-D blockbuster is now certain to surpass the marks set by his own "Titanic" 11 years ago.

As of today, "Avatar" has grossed $1.12 billion internationally and $505 million domestically. Within the next week, it will surpass the $1.24 billion that "Titanic" collected overseas. Shortly thereafter, it should pass the 1997-98 film's domestic total of $600.8 million.

Eleven years ago, of course, ticket prices were a lot cheaper -- the most recent estimated average ticket price was $7.46, compared with $4.69 in 1998. And most people are seeing "Avatar" in 3-D, where ticket prices are several dollars higher. The result: Far fewer people have seen "Avatar" than "Titanic" so far. "Avatar" has sold fewer than 70 million tickets in the U.S. and Canada; "Titanic" sold more than 125 million.

Overseas, comparisons are even tougher to make due to changing ticket prices and exchange rates in more than 100 countries.

If Cameron's new picture keeps experiencing minuscule 15% to 20% drops each weekend, as executives at distributor 20th Century Fox predict it will, "Avatar" will not only surpass the monetary records of "Titanic" but also gain significant ground in attendance. Just how far it will go is still impossible to say, but with last night's win for best dramatic picture at the Golden Globes, it's likely that even the most tent-pole-averse moviegoers are becoming interested, while fanboys are still going multiple times.

Although the success of "Avatar" is lining the pockets of Fox and co-financiers Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners, it is not sucking the rest of the market dry. "The Book of Eli" and "The Lovely Bones" both had healthy debuts in wide release this weekend, collecting $38 million and $20.5 million, respectively, from Friday through Monday. Though the audience for "Eli" tilted toward young men, it was broader than the audience for "Bones," which was predominantly young and female.Â Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. have reason to be confident that "Eli" will hold up in coming weeks, but Paramount's "Bones" may not generate much interest beyond its core fan base. (For more on the openings of "The Book of Eli" and "The Lovely Bones," along with "The Spy Next Door," see our initial box office post.)

In limited release, the well-reviewed Leo Tolstoy biopic "The Last Station" opened to a solid $98,723 in three theaters from Friday to Monday.

Though there was very little bad news for movie studios this weekend, total grosses were down 13% through Sunday from the same weekend last year, according to Hollywood.com. Big gains at the box office will be difficult in the next several months, as the winter of 2009 was huge.

Here are the top 10 movies at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates and Hollywood.com. Rankings are based on four-day grosses, but percentage declines are on a three-day basis, since last Monday was not a holiday.

1. "Avatar" (Fox/Dune/Ingenious): $54.6 million on its fifth weekend, down just 15% on a three-day basis. $129 million overseas in 112 markets. Domestic total: $505 million. Foreign total: $1.12 billion.

2. "The Book of Eli" (Warner Bros./Alcon): $38-million opening.

3. "The Lovely Bones" (Paramount): $20.5 million in its nationwide debut. Including five previous weeks at three theaters, its domestic total is $21 million.

4. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" (Fox/New Regency): $15 million on its fourth weekend, down 30% on a three-day basis. $14.3 million overseas in 56 markets. Domestic total: $196.1 million. Foreign total: $158.5 million.

5. "The Spy Next Door" (Lionsgate/Relativity): Debuted to $13 million.

6. "Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros./Village Roadshow): $11.7 million on its fourth weekend, down 40% on a three-day basis. $26.3 million overseas in 53 territories. Domestic total: $181.9 million. Foreign total: $168.6 million.

7. "It's Complicated" (Universal/Relativity): $9.6 million on its fourth weekend, down 26% on a three-day basis. $9 million overseas in 24 territories. Domestic total: $90.1 million. Foreign total: $36.4 million.

8. "Leap Year" (Universal/Relativity/Spyglass): $7.1 million on its second weekend, down 35% on a three-day basis. Domestic total: $18.8 million.

9. "Up in the Air" (Paramount/Montecito): $6.7 million on its seventh weekend, down 24% on a three-day basis. Domestic total: $64 million.

10. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros./Alcon): $6.5 million on its ninth weekend, down 26% on a three-day basis. Domestic total: $227.7 million.

-- Ben Fritz

Top photo: Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in "Avatar." Credit: 20th Century Fox

Bottom photo: Christopher Plummer in "The Last Station." Credit: Stephan Rabold / Sony Pictures Classics

Sweet 'Life Unexpected' may fill that 'Gilmore Girls'/'Everwood' gap
A month ago, I lamented the lack of family dramas on TV. I don't yearn for sappy, "everybody hugs at the end" shows, but the kind of smart, allegedly-for-teens programs that parents and their older kids could enjoy together without feeling condescended to.

"Life Unexpected" (8 p.m. Central Monday, the CW; three stars) does recall the good things about shows like "Gilmore Girls" and "Everwood." Yes, "Life" does feature a fair amount of hugging, and its sheer adorableness threatens to overwhelm the proceedings at times. But this is a show with a sweet, earnest, witty heart, and to not give it a chance would be like kicking a puppy. In the face.

I can offer an ironclad guarantee that no other "Life Unexpected" reviews will mention FX's good new comedy "Archer" and Starz's "Spartacus: Blood and Sand," which debuts Jan. 22. But all three shows have one thing in common: Their pilots are not their strongest episodes. That's not surprising; pilots are fussed over by network executives more than new parents fuss over their first baby. And it takes a while for a show's writers and actors to create a world and give nuances to the relationships between the characters.

I can easily see someone watching the first episodes of both "Spartacus" and "Life Unexpected" and then sending me a crabby email about how neither show was that much to write home about. Patience, young Jedi.

I'm in the very lucky position of being able to see, when networks are smart enough to send multiple episodes, how these stories develop, and when it came to both shows, it definitely took some time to get drawn into their very different worlds. (And let me add at this juncture that there are no orgies or gory gladiator battles in "Life Unexpected." In the first three episodes, anyway.)

"Life Unexpected" concerns the life of 15-year old Lux (Britt Robertson), who has spent her life in foster care and must contact her birth parents in order to become fully emancipated from the grindingly indifferent child-care system. Lux is the product of a one-night stand between Nate Bazile (Kristoffer Polaha), a high-school quarterback turned bar owner, and Cate Cassidy (Shiri Appleby), a straight-A student turned radio deejay.

Needless to say, both are shocked to find Lux in their lives again, and though there's still an attraction between Cate and Nate, Cate finds him irresponsible and slackerish and Nate finds her uptight and controlling. The level-headed Lux finds them both rather self-absorbed, and she's not quite ready to rely on anyone yet, which makes the whole "let's try being a family" idea a prickly proposition.

This entire premise has been CW-fied, which means that Lux isn't the deeply damaged person you might expect her to be after being raised by a series of terrible foster families. She's more sassy and spunky than anything, but Robertson gives her enough spine to make Lux interesting.

A bigger problem might be the fact that Lux is so smart and self-possessed that you're not quite sure whether she needs anyone's help, least of all help from Nate and Cate, who have their own maturity issues. Call it the Ryan Atwood problem, which "The O.C." easily overcame thanks to the many things that show had going for it (in its early seasons, anyway).

Still, this cast is so good, especially Polaha and Appleby, that by the third episode it was surprisingly easy to put aside the lingering questions I had and tolerate the fact that at that stage, some of the supporting characters still came close to being caricatures. The third episode, however, is the one that hooked me and made me think that this might be a "Life" worth following.

"Life Unexpected's" promotional team is clearly reveling in the "Gilmore Girls" references that critics are making, and it's not an unfounded comparison. But for me, the high-water mark in the '90s/Aughts family-drama realm will always be "Everwood." It wasn't perfect, but it was occasionally amazing, and that exceptionally well-acted show usually examined family dynamics without relying on melodrama, sap or soapy shenanigans.

"Life Unexpected" may one day rise to "Everwood's" level, or it may just be a pretty good show that fills a gaping need in the TV schedule for a family drama with heart and intelligence (and it's certainly filling a gap at the CW, which hasn't launched an smart show in some time).

There's a lot to like in this sweet, promising drama. Let's hope that the ratings are good so that the CW doesn't begin urging creator Liz Tigelaar to turn Nate, Cate and Lux into a family of vampires.

If you have a Facebook account, you can watch the first 10 minutes of the "Life Unexpected" pilot here. There's one brief clip from the show below.

Celeb Pix: At the Globes after parties -- hugs and mugs
Robert Downey Jr. and wife, Susan, hug. The "Glee" cast poses for the cameras. James Cameron, Sigourney Weaver and Zoe Saldana celebrate "Avatar's" win.
Can Collectors Have Their Art And Lend It, Too?

American museums owe the vast majority of their collections to gifts from private donors — but getting people to part with their treasures is no small feat. Some collectors want to retain ownership over their art even while exhibiting it in major museums.

2010-01-17T16:20:00.001-08:00

Another body to collect artistesÂ' money
Questions are being raised on the role the newly formed Performing Rights Society of Kenya (PRSK) will be playing as a watchdog for performing artistes. Currently, the Music Copyright Society of Kenya (MCSK) has been acting as the sole body spearheading the rights of artists and implementation of the Copy Right Act.
Review: Kronos Quartet and Wu Man bring multi-media happening to Stanford.
'A Chinese Home— is an engaging spectacle about China and change. And the members of envelope-pushing Kronos don't just play this time '” they act.

Yes You Can — See The New Obama Musical

Theatergoers are packing a concert hall in Frankfurt, Germany, for a new musical about Barack Obama, but the show's creator says the production isn't just about the president.

News roundup: Haiti telethon set for Jan. 22, 'Dollhouse' bumped, 3 'Supernatural' clips

2010-01-16T16:20:00.001-08:00

Conan O'Brien, NBC close to divorce settlement; Leno headed back home

After a week of caustic jokes, jawboning and behind-the-scenes negotiations, "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien is splitting from NBC to make room for the return of Jay Leno to late-night TV.

An announcement could come as early as Saturday and will settle, at least in public, the acrimonious maneuvering among the comedians and their respective camps and the network that resulted from NBC Universal's decision to shift Leno from 10 p.m. back to his late-night slot, which O'Brien has occupied for the last seven months.

O'Brien, who was the fifth host of the long-running program, could make his final appearance on "The Tonight Show" on Friday. Leno's 10 p.m. show will end Thursday, Feb. 11, the night before the Olympics begin. Although O'Brien still had 2 1/2 years remaining on his estimated $36-million deal, he soon will be free to go elsewhere.

O'Brien's exit package will be determined in part by how long it takes him to find another job. The range of payout for O'Brien is somewhere between $25 million and $35 million, people close to the network said. The longer O'Brien is off the air, the more money he could get.Â

The settlement comes at the end of a tumultuous week that left the reputations and images of NBC, Leno and O'Brien in tatters -- and a broken legacy forÂ Jeff Zucker, the NBC Universal chief executive who engineered and championed the deal to give Leno his own prime-time show.Â

The sniping took place on the air and in print. Leno joked that NBC stood for "Never Believe your Contract." O'Brien took shots at Leno and NBC. Dick Ebersol, the head of NBC Sports, called O'Brien "chicken-hearted." Talk show hosts on rival networks got into the act as well: ABC's Jimmy Kimmel dressed up as Jay Leno, and evenÂ David Letterman, who famously lost out to Leno in 1993 during the last messy late-night showdown, has had a field day mocking NBC and Zucker.

Last week NBC executives told O'Brien they planned to push his "Tonight Show" back 30 minutes to begin at 12:05 a.m. to make way for Leno's return to his original late-night time period. Leno's 10 p.m. show, which launched in September, had lackluster ratings and hurt the network's affiliates, which need big numbers to lead in to their late local newscasts.

NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin said this week that the situation was increasingly untenable for the network and its affiliates, so NBC had to make a change. The unraveling of the network's late-night lineup comes as its parent company, General Electric Co., is selling majority control of NBC Universal to cable giant Comcast Corp. O'Brien also struggled against CBS's "Late Show with David Letterman."

Gaspin and others at NBC had hoped that O'Brien would accept NBC's compromise and begin his show at 12:05 a.m. But O'Brien, in a public letter, refused. He said the move would seriously damage the "Tonight Show," saying, "for 60 years, the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news."

Since then, O'Brien's camp and NBC executives have been scrutinizing the talk show host's contracts with NBC to come up with leverage and a settlement. There have been debates over whether O'Brien's contract guaranteed that "The Tonight Show" would always run at 11:35 p.m., and over just how long NBC could sideline him to keep him off a competing network.

With O'Brien free of NBC, speculation will turn to where he will go next. Fox, where O'Brien once worked as a writer on "The Simpsons,"Â hasn't been shy about expressing an interest in the comedian and writer.Â There are other ties, too: Kevin Reilly, the president of entertainment for Fox, used to work at NBC. Reilly got pushed out by Zucker and has professed to be a big fan of O'Brien's.

However, wanting O'Brien and getting him are two different things.

The Fox affiliates would need to be persuaded to give up a lucrative 11 p.m.Â time periodÂ to make room for O'Brien. Even inside Fox's parent company, News Corp., there is debate over how profitable it would be to mount a late-night comedy and talk show, especially one that would compete for the same pool of advertisers. More problematic, costly contracts for reruns on Fox's TV stations would need to be settled out, possibly triggering write-offs at a time when their margins are already strained. Then there are the millions Fox would have to spend not only on O'Brien, but also on staff, a studio and marketing.

Walt Disney Co.'s ABC has already said it is not interested in O'Brien. A cable network could step up to the plate for him, but the paycheck would be smaller. However, some of the biggest cable networks, such as USA and Bravo, happen to be owned by NBC Universal, so they can probably be ruled out as future homes for O'Brien. Comedy Central already has Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Pay channel HBO is not interested in getting into the daily talk show game. But there's always Showtime and Starz, the latter of which wants to be a bigger Hollywood player.

Leno, meanwhile, will face the challenge of getting back the viewers in late night that O'Brien lost. Leno had routinely beaten CBS's Letterman in viewers and key demographics. Letterman now beats Conan in viewers and is tied in adults 18-49. O'Brien was being hurt by a poor audience lead-in from NBC's prime time lineup.

And for viewers who missed NBC's former 10 p.m. lineup of dramas, a tonic is on the way.

On Thursday the network announced a new prime-time schedule that will begin in March, after the Winter Olympics. At 10 p.m., episodes of "Law & Order," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "Dateline" and the new programs "Parenthood" and Jerry Seinfeld's "The Marriage Ref" will replace "The Jay Leno Show."

Â -- Meg James and Joe Flint

Conan O'Brien's post-NBC options

Fox throws gasoline on Conan O'Brien fire.

Photo: Conan O'Brien. Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images

News roundup: Haiti telethon set for Jan. 22, 'Dollhouse' bumped, 3 'Supernatural' clips

A few bits of news:

First things first: As you've no doubt heard, there is a telethon for Haiti aid airing on all the broadcast and many cable networks Friday, Jan. 22. For more on the telethon, which is being masterminded by George Clooney, go here. For information about how you can send money (while avoiding charity scams), check out this piece. The Haiti telethon will pre-empt the series finale of "Dollhouse," which will now air Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. ET. I've seen the finale and posted a few tweets about it. It's bittersweet and wonderful, and like all Joss Whedon finales, it made me lament the fact that the show is going away even more. Fran Kranz is phenomenal in the finale. I'll post more about "Epitaph Two: Return" after it airs. In lighter news, "Supernatural" returns Jan. 21 with "Sam, Interrupted." Creator Eric Kripke gave an interview to USA Today about the show and a possible sixth season; that piece is here. A slightly longer version of the clip that accompanied the USA Today article is below. I'll resume my weekly "Supernatural" posts next week. I'm looking forward to that!UPDATE: I've added two more brand-new clip to this post, and also episode descriptions of the next three "Supernatural" episodes, "Sam, Interrupted," "Swap Meat" and "Back to the Future II."

Clip 1:

Clip 2:

Clip 3:

From the CW, a summary of the Jan. 21 episode of "Supernatural," "Sam, Interrupted": "Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) go undercover at a mental institution in response to a distress call from Martin Creaser, a former hunter (guest star Jon Gries) whoâs a patient there. Creaser thinks supernatural forces may be the real reason behind a large number of patient suicides and is afraid for his own life, but the experience proves to be a very dangerous one for the Winchester brothers as well. 'Sam, Interrupted' was written by Andrew Dabb & Dan Loflin and directed by Jim Conway."

From the CW, a summary of the Jan. 28 episode, "Swap Meat": "Gary (guest star Colton James), a teenage nerd, conjures up a body-switching spell and changes bodies with Sam (Jared Padalecki). Thrilled by his new handsome and built body, Gary (now Sam) investigates a case with Dean (Jensen Ackles) and takes advantage of his good looks and age by hitting on women and getting drunk. Meanwhile, Sam is stuck in Garyâs teenage body, dealing with intrusive parents and high school. Bob Singer directed the episode written by Julie Siege with story by Julie Siege, Rebecca Dessertine and Harvey Fedor."

From the CW, a summary of the Feb. 4 episode, "Back to the Future II": "The angels send Anna (guest star Julie McNiven) back in time to killJohn (guest star Matthew Cohen) and Mary (guest star Amy Gumenick)Winchester before they can conceive Sam (Jared Padalecki) knowing thatif Sam was never born then Lucifer won't be able to use him as hisvessel. Castiel (Misha Collins) sends Sam and Dean (Jensen Ackles) backto 1978 so they can stop Anna, and the two brothers are reunited withtheir parents. Mary recognizes Dean as a hunter since he visited her inthe past once before but tries to keep the truth from John. Steve Boyumdirected the episode written by Sera Gamble & Nancy Weiner."

Theater review: Tyler Perry brings Madea back to the live theater and an adoring Oakland crowd
The actor, writer and producer is playing his famed character on stage for the first time in five years.
Source: Deal Near For O'Brien To Leave 'Tonight'

In an agreement close to completion, Tonight host Conan O'Brien would leave NBC and free Jay Leno to reclaim the late-night show he stewarded for 17 years, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

2010-01-15T16:20:00.001-08:00

NBC source: Conan contract doesn't guarantee "The Tonight Show" start time
NBC and Conan OâBrien and his camp have been divided in recent days over a key question:Â Is it âThe Tonight Showâ if the program does not begin at 11:35 p.m., immediately following the late local news?

Friday, an NBC official said that there was no mention of an 11:35 p.m. start time in O'Brien's contract, which guaranteed him the job as host of "The Tonight Show." NBC has proposed pushing O'Brien's show to 12:05 a.m. to make room for Jay Leno's return to late night.

O'Brien "does not have any time-slot protection in his contract," said an NBC executive who asked not to be identified discussing provisions of O'Brien's contract. Representatives for O'Brien were not immediately available to respond.

The issue is important because it could decide whether NBC is in breach of O'Brien's contract -- and whether the legal case could end up before a jury. People close to O'Brien said that O'Brien's earlier agreement with NBC specifically spelled out that "The Tonight Show" begins at 11:35 p.m. -- so they are confident in their position that "The Tonight Show" starts at 11:35 p.m. O'Brien in his public missive earlier in the week said that "For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news."

Said O'Brien: "The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isnât the Tonight Show."

Meanwhile, people from both camps said they were close to a resolution that would end the acrimonious week-long battle that has damaged the reputations of NBC, Leno and OâBrien. The deal would call for OâBrien to leave NBC, clearing the way for Jay Leno to reclaim his longtime seat behind the desk at âThe Tonight Show.â O'Brien was expected to host his show tonight and next week, said people close to the situation.

The exit agreement would end the seven-month tenure of OâBrien, who became the fifth host of âThe Tonight Showâ in June. It would also mark a high-profile misstep of NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker, who devised the plan in 2004 to give OâBrien âThe Tonight Showâ in 2009. Last year, Zucker shuffled the deck again, giving Leno his own prime-time show in an effort to try to keep both comedians in the NBC fold.

-- Meg James
Rating and evaluating '24,' 'Burn Notice,' 'Human Target' and 'Leverage'

The following piece discusses "24," "Burn Notice," "Leverage" and "Human Target." There are no spoilers for upcoming episodes of those shows below. There are quite a few clips from each show in the video player on the right side of this page. I haven't put them within the text because there are a lot of them and doing so could cause this page to load more slowly for some people.

When is predictability a bad thing?

A few new and returning shows ("24," "Burn Notice," "Leverage" and "Human Target") have a few things in common: They stick a bit of humor and a lot of action into their chosen formulas, which they tend to stick to pretty faithfully.

And I'm certainly not here to unthinkingly rip on formulas: Sometimes they can be quite pleasing. A solid formula, executed with smarts and flair and a terrific cast, can be both comforting and intriguing. Take the uptick in quality of the old-school "Law & Order" in the last couple of seasons, which proved that, despite having one of the oldest recipes out there, there's life in the old girl yet.

Then there are formulas that have -- or should have -- built-in expiration dates. Of course, networks don't want to let successful shows expire, they want to milk them forever. Thus we're doomed to see shows that used to seem fresh and appealing start to look ragged, threadbare and in need of a massive jolt of imagination.

"24's" gimmick was so different that the show got several seasons' worth of mileage out of Jack Bauer's perilous adventures; it's kind of amazing to think about how long it took for the endless succession of cliffhangers to get old.

But now the show's central conceit has become an albatross. The fact that the show takes place in 24 hours and allegedly hews to "real time" has given rise to any number of in-show cliches and shortcuts: Jack Bauer never hits monster traffic jams; CTU's whiz-bang technology always works; a character who talks about an event in the near future will always mention that said event is going to occur in "about an hour" (i.e., it will be the source of that week's cliffhanger), and so on.

And that's not even to touch on all the verbal cliches that started to be funny in the middle of the show's run but by now aren't quite as amusing: Jack needs that information from CTU "Now!" Bad guys need to "tell [him] what you know now!" etc. He is running out of time! We get it!

So when is a given formula enjoyable and when does it start to seem too tame and predictable? Each one of us will draw that line in a different place, but one fact is plain: Writers have to get more inventive the longer a show runs, which is hard to do but it's the only way to prevent indifference on the part of the viewer.

I thought I'd take a look at how predictable each of the following shows are and discuss whether that's a problem. Below are capsule reviews of "24," "Human Target," "Burn Notice" and "Leverage."

"24," returns 8 p.m. Central Sunday, Fox: There are really only so many scenarios that Jack Bauer can find himself in, and by now we've seen them all (aside from "Jack Bauer held hostage by violent circus clowns"). "24" got around this problem most adeptly in Season 5 -- the show's high-water mark -- by turning it into a creepily engrossing character drama about a Nixonian president and his cuckoo-bananas wife. In that season, the show took a character actor I'd never heard of, Gregory Itzin, and gave him a lot of great material as the troubled, twitchy President Logan. Given the number of solid recurring players among Logan's aides and the CTU staff, the show had a deep bench of good actors and a number of inter-character relationships to draw on as well.

But these days, when I read who's been cast in an upcoming season of "24," I just sigh. I know these actors won't get much to do, aside from running around with (or trying to avoid) Jack Bauer as he saves the world. Katee Sackhoff is in the "24" cast this season, but as I said to a friend the other day, loving a great show like "Battlestar Galactica" means watching the cast scatter to projects that don't draw on half their skills but pay the bills (there's a rap song in there somewhere). In the early hours of the new season, Sackhoff gets to show almost none of her range, and if the show proceeds with clockwork efficiency, well, so what? "24" just seems wan and tired to me. The show's few interesting actors get little to do and the new characters aren't that compelling. Pass.

How predictable is it? Very predictable.

Is that a problem? By this point in the show's life cycle, yes. Fox should just let this show die while it still has a little dignity left.

Rating: One and a half stars.

"Human Target," premieres 7 p.m. Central Sunday, Fox: Comic book nerds, don't expect this show to have anything to do with the fine graphic novel series of the same name. In this "adaptation" (i.e. complete re-working) of "Human Target," Mark Valley plays an expensive, high-powered bodyguard who can protect anyone from anything with because he â¦ zzzz.

Oh sorry. Where was I? There are a lot of explosions and running around on display here, but there's just not much substance to "Human Target." Little thought has been put into any of these characters, which is a shame, given that the lead cast is composed of Valley, Jackie Earle Haley and Chi McBride. These terrific pros would be good no matter what material you gave them, but "Human Target" doesn't give them much of anything. The show doesn't quite know what to do with their particular skills in the two episodes I've seen.

At times, "Human Target" was a decent, escapist hour of action-adventure (and "Battlestar Galactica" fans should know that Tricia Helfer and the guy who played Doc Cottle guest in the pilot). But there's just something unambitious about the whole enterprise. It felt like a collection of action beats in search of a coherent plot. Shortcuts are taken in the storytelling so that more action sequences can be stuffed into the proceedings, and the "shocking twists" that occur in the second episode -- well, I saw them coming in the first five minutes.

How predictable is it? Pretty predictable

Is that a problem? Yes. Despite a terrific cast, "Human Target" feels like a soulless thing created from bits and pieces from better TV shows and movies.

Rating: Two stars.

"Leverage," returned Jan. 13, airs 9 p.m. Central Wednesdays on TNT: This is the most formulaic show of the lot, but I find myself watching it a few times a year, mainly when "Burn Notice" isn't available. It's genial enough and the cast, which displays a rather odd collection of vibes and energies, has gelled to the point where I can watch it without thinking (too often) that Aldis Hodge is much, much better than most of the actors he's working with. Tim Hutton is good too, and as for the rest -- well, at least Beth Reisgraf has toned down her Parker schtick to an acceptable level.

The main thing I think about now as I watch the show is how ridiculous Christian Kane's hair is. I mean, it's comically lush and can easily overpower a scene when he doesn't put it in a ponytail.

Yes, I'm probably thinking too much about extraneous elements -- and not watching the show all that regularly -- because "Leverage" sticks very closely indeed to its formula. The hacker guy has a scene where he hacks stuff and magically produces whatever information the gang needs; the fighting guy fights bad guys; the break-in woman steals something and whoever is grifting that week has a few scenes in which they run a scam. And that is that. No matter what the con of the week involves, that's what "Leverage" does, week in and week out. If you're in the mood for something along those lines, the show more or less fills the bill. But truth be told, it also looks a little cheap and I tend to think of it as "Burn Notice's" less cool cousin.

How predictable is it? Fairly predictable.

Is that a problem? To a degree. But least once per episode, the show surprises me. So there's that.

Rating: Two and a half stars.

"Burn Notice," returns 9 p.m. Central Jan. 21, USA: "Burn Notice" typically depicts Michael Westen helping some hapless citizen out of a jam, and using a fake persona, some MacGyver-esque technology and sometimes old-fashioned fists of fury to do so. It doesn't really matter that the components of the show don't change all that often; seeing Jeffrey Donovan give Westen grit and watching him assume Westen's cover identities is still quite entertaining. Plus the cast is one of the most enjoyable ensembles in cable. Bruce Campbell usually looks like he's having a good time, which means, as a viewer, I do to.

Of course the best "Burn Notice" stories are tied into some emotional issue that penetrates Westen's tough shell; for that reason, the high-water mark of the show remains the Victor arc from Season 2. "Burn Notice" hasn't quite entered that realm again, though the episode it returns with on Thursday (which has Sharon Gless' "Cagney and Lacey" co-star Tyne Daly as a guest star) is satisfying and enjoyable. Gless in particular gets some fabulous material, which she hits out of the park.

My only quibble at this point is that the "who burned Michael" plot is starting to feel a bit stale. It almost feels like they're running out of ways to play out that string; it's possible that "Burn Notice" just needs to move on to some other kind of ongoing story arc. I'm starting to feel a bit jaded about the "Big Bad" that gets introduced once or twice each season. Every time the show peels a layer off the "Who burned Michael?" onion, another few layers are revealed and the stakes suddenly don't feel so high -- it just feels like we're never going to see a resolution of that issue.

Are we at the point where finding out more about how and why Michael got burned is like finding the mother on "How I Met Your Mother" -- i.e., a card that shouldn't be played that often because it gets less effective over time? We might be.

How predictable is it: Somewhat predictable.

Is that a problem: Not really, unless the "Who burned Michael?" plots start to get too repetitive.

Rating: Three stars.

SFMOMA's 75th-anniversary photography show focuses on California and San Francisco through the decades
This museum was one of this country's first to consider photography an equal to painting and sculpture. 'The View from Here' features 275 pictures from the 16,000-image museum collection, many of them chronicling the evolution of California, which paralleled the development of the photographic medium from a nickelodeon-style entertainment to a full-blown art form.

David Bianculli: The Latest From The Late-Night Wars

Fresh Air's guest host and TV critic recaps the best of last night's salvos from the talk-show wars — which are getting fiercer with every passing hour.

Geroge Clooney, MTV working on Haiti telethon

2010-01-14T16:20:00.001-08:00

Weinstein Co.'s 'Piranha 3-D' isn't going to be biting anyone for a while

In what is becoming a recurring theme for Weinstein Co., the production company said itÂ was delaying yet another movie premiere.

This time it's "Piranha 3-D," which is moving from April 16 to sometime in August at the earliest, the company said today.

Weinstein Co. said itÂ was relocating "Piranha 3-D," one of its more highly anticipated releases, to get out of the way of Lionsgate's movie "Kick-Ass," which also opens that weekend and may appeal to the same young demographics.

David Glaser, a senior Weinstein Co. executive, said there were no financial motivations behind the decision to move "Piranha 3-D."

But that won't stop the endless stream of speculation about the company's future. Besides disappointing recent releases including "Nine," "Youth in Revolt" and "The Road," the company also recently delayed the premiere of "Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil," a sequel to "Hoodwinked," which was a surprise hit for the company several years ago. "Hoodwinked Too!" was scheduled to open this weekend. The company still doesn't have a new release date. Last year it delayed another 3-D movie, "Escape from Planet Earth."

Weinstein Co. also has several finished movies sitting on the shelf waiting for release dates including "Shanghai" with John Cusack, Ryan Gosling's "All Good Things" and "Hurricane Season."

-- Joe Flint

Conan gone from NBC in a week? Plus the network's post-Leno plan

Two reports on Wednesday, from ESPN's Bill Simmons and People, say that Conan O'Brien's tenure at "The Tonight Show" will probably end next week and that his last show will be Jan. 22. It's not clear whether those reports are true or not.

UPDATE: NBC told TV Guide there has been "no movement" on the late night front and that rumors of Jay Leno firming up a deal to host a 1-hour show at 11:35 p.m. ET are false.

NBC has also announced its schedule for after the Olympics, when it will have a Jay Leno-free prime-time lineup once again.

A few notes:

The fourth season of "Friday Night Lights" will arrive earlier than NBC had planned -- it will now premiere on NBC April 30. "Parenthood" will arrive March 2. What is a "comedy panel" series? We'll find out when Jerry Seinfeld's new show, "The Marriage Ref," arrives Feb. 28. NBC warhorse "Law & Order: Original Flavor" moves to 9 p.m. Central Mondays. NBC has resurrected "Trauma" from among the season's presumed casualties. That show will air on Mondays as well, at 8 p.m. Central. "Law and Order: SVU" moves back to the 9 p.m. Central hour, which is a good thing for that show; the time change had hurt its ratings. It'll air at 9 p.m. on Wednesdays. The bottom line here? Dick Wolf is saving NBC's bacon. His shows fill up two of the five hours formerly occupied by Jay Leno's failed prime-time experiment. The roster of what now occupies that hour (at least this spring on NBC): "L&O," "Parenthood," "L&O: SVU," "The Marriage Ref" and "Dateline."The other broadcast networks are going to plotz when they see this. Fox and CBS, sorry, but your schedules are doomed, doomed, I tell you!

The network's schedule, with a night-by night rundown of what's on when, is below.

NBC PRESENTS POST-WINTER OLYMPICS PRIMETIME SCHEDULE BEGINNING MARCH 1

New Premiere Dates Set for âParenthoodâ (March 2) and âThe Marriage Refâ (March 4); New Series Join the Lineup Including âWho Do You Think You Are?â (March 5) and âMinute to Win Itâ (March 14); âFriday Night Lightsâ Returns April 30

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif.January 14, 2010NBC unveiled its new post-Winter Olympics primetime program schedule today. The new drama series âParenthoodâ will premiere on Tuesday, March 2 (10-11 p.m. ET) and the comedy panel series âThe Marriage Refâ from Jerry Seinfeld will premiere Thursday, March 4 (10-11 p.m. ET) after its sneak preview on Sunday, February 28 (10:30-11 p.m. ET) following NBCâs coverage of the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

In addition, the new alternative series âWho Do You Think You Are?â from Lisa Kudrow will premiere Friday, March 5 (8-9 p.m. ET) and the new game show âMinute to Win Itâ joins the lineup on Sunday, March 14 (8-9 p.m. ET). Also, âFriday Night Lightsâ will begin a new broadcast season on NBC on Fridays (8-9 p.m. ET) starting April 30 after âWho Do You Think You Are?â concludes its run.

The long-running series âLaw & Orderâ continues its 20th season debuting on a new night with a two-hour telecast (9-11 p.m. ET) on Monday, March 1 before settling into its regular time period the following week, Monday, March 8 (10-11 p.m. ET). âLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitâ will move to Wednesdays at 10-11 p.m. (ET) beginning March 3. Encore episodes will air at 9-10 p.m. (ET) followed by original episodes (10-11 p.m. ET). âTraumaâ returns to the schedule Monday, March 8 (9-10 p.m. ET).

âParenthoodâ is a one-hour drama inspired by the box-office comedy hit of the same name that debuts Tuesday, March 2 (10-11 p.m. ET). The re-imagined and updated production introduces audiences to the large and colorful yet imperfect Braverman family and features an all-star cast that includes Lauren Graham, Peter Krause, Craig T. Nelson, Erika Christensen, and Bonnie Bedelia among others. Serving as executive producers are Oscar winners Ron Howard and Brian Grazer (âA Beautiful Mind,â âFrost/Nixonâ), Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights")who wrote the pilot episodeand David Nevins (âFriday Night Lights,â âArrested Developmentâ). Emmy Award winner Thomas Schlamme ("The West Wing") is the director and executive producer of the pilot. "Parenthood" is from Imagine Television and Universal Media Studios.

"The Marriage Ref"which has a special sneak preview following the Closing Ceremony of the Winter Olympics on February 28is NBC's new comedy panel series about the unpredictable and hilarious institution commonly known as marriage. It features comedian/actor Tom Papa, who was personally selected by executive producer Jerry Seinfeld to host and serve as the "marriage ref." The show will premiere in its regular slot on Thursdays (10-11 p.m. ET) beginning March 4.

"The Marriage Ref" is produced by Seinfeld's Columbus 81 Productions and Ellen Rakieten Entertainment. Seinfeld, Ellen Rakieten ("The Oprah Winfrey Show"), Shed Media's Nick Emmerson ("Supernanny") and Jennifer O'Connell ("Supernanny"), Al Berman ("The Biggest Loser Live Finale," "The Celebrity Apprentice Live Finale"), Howard West ("Seinfeld") and George Shapiro ("Seinfeld") serve as executive producers. International distribution is by Endemol.

âWho Do You Think You Are?â premieres Friday, March 5 (8-9 p.m. ET) and gives viewers an up-close and personal look inside the family history of some of todayâs most beloved and iconic celebrities. Among the celebrities featured are Matthew Broderick, Lisa Kudrow, Spike Lee, Sarah Jessica Parker, Susan Sarandon, Brooke Shields and Emmitt Smith. Ancestry.com is NBCâs official partner on the series. From executive producer Kudrow (âFriends,â âThe Comebackâ)in conjunction with her production company Is or Isnât Entertainment and the U.K.âs Wall to Wall productionsâWho Do You Think You Are?â is an adaptation of the hit BBC television documentary series created and executive-produced by Alex Graham.

âWho Do You Think You Are?â is produced by Wall to Wall productions (a Shed Media Company) in association with Is or Isnât Entertainment. Alex Graham and Lucy Carter from Wall to Wall and Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky and Don Roos from Is or Isnât Entertainment are the executive producers. Bryn Freedman is the co-executive producer.

All-American chef and television personality Guy Fieri ("Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives") will host NBCâs new game show âMinute to Win Itâ as it debuts on Sunday, March 14 (8-9 p.m. ET). Fieri will serve as master of ceremonies and will lead competitors through a series of simple, yet nerve-wracking games that can reward them a $1 million prize. Over eight one-hour episodes, competitors will face 10 challenges that escalate in level of difficulty using everyday household items. Each game has a 60-second time limit and failure to finish the task on time will eliminate the contestant. At various points throughout the game, the contestant can walk away with the money earned up to that pointbut it'll take nerves of steel to complete all 10 tasks to win $1 million.

âMinute to Win Itâ is produced by Universal Media Studios with Friday Television. Craig Plestis, Tim Puntillo (NBC's âIdentityâ), Mattias Olsson and Jock Millgardh serve as executive producers.

The new post-Olympics program schedule grid follows (all times ET); new series are in upper case.

MONDAYS
8-9 p.m.âChuckâ
9-10 p.m.âTraumaâ (beginning March 8)
10-11 p.m. -âLaw & Orderâ (returns March 1 with two-hour episode, 9-11 p.m. (ET); resumes in regular time slot March 8)

TUESDAYS
8-10 p.m.âThe Biggest Loserâ
10-11 p.m.âPARENTHOODâ (premieres March 2)

WEDNESDAYS
8-9 p.m.âMercyâ
9-10 p.m.âLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitâ (encores beginning March 3)
10-11 p.m.âLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitâ (originals beginning March 3)

THURSDAYS
8-8:30 p.m.âCommunityâ
8:30-9 p.m.âParks and Recreationâ
9-9:30 p.m.âThe Officeâ
9:30-10 p.m.â30 Rockâ
10-11 p.m.âTHE MARRIAGE REFâ (premieres March 4; sneak preview February 28)

FRIDAYS
8-9 p.m.âWHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?â (premieres March 5; âFriday Night Lightsâ returns on April 30)
9-11 p.m.âDateline NBCâ (begins March 5)

SATURDAYS (all beginning March 6)
8-9 p.m.âThe Biggest Loserâ (encore episode)
9-10 p.m.âLaw & Orderâ (encore episode)
10-11 p.m.âLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitâ (encore episode)

SUNDAYS (all beginning March 14)
7-8 p.m.âDateline NBCâ
8-9 p.m.âMINUTE TO WIN ITâ (premieres March 14)
9-11 p.m.âThe Celebrity Apprenticeâ (season premiere March 14)

What NBC has to do once Conan leaves

Conan slams NBC execs on "Tonight Show"

Leopards seeing double?
The 2010 Kenyan Premier League (KPL) kicks off on February 20. The league curtain-raiser will be the Super Cup clash between 2009 KPL champions, Sofapaka, and Football Kenya Limited (FKL) Cup winners, AFC Leopards, on February 6.
Geroge Clooney, MTV working on Haiti telethon
Telethon is in the works.
Paperback Nonfiction Bestsellers For Jan. 14

Chelsea Handler puts your embarrassing memories to shame in Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea, which debuts on the list at No. 12. Also new to the list is Food Matters by New York Times food critic Mark Bittman, at No. 13.

Roger Ailes says he's not going anywhere, and News Corp.'s Chase Carey concurs

2010-01-13T16:20:00.001-08:00

Roger Ailes says he's not going anywhere, and News Corp.'s Chase Carey concurs

Reports of Fox News impresario Roger Ailes' demise, to paraphrase Mark Twain, may be greatly exaggerated.

"News Corp. is 100% behind Roger Ailes," News Corp. President Chase Carey said, adding, "we hope and expect he will continue to lead Fox News well into the future." Ailes' current contract runs until 2013.

Although he oversees one of the most important units of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. and is coming off a year of huge ratings and profits, Internet speculation about Ailes being a short-timer at the company led Carey to get on the phone with us and douse water on the brush fire. Besides Fox News and Fox Business, Ailes also oversees the Fox TV stations and is one of a handful of News Corp. executives who report directly to Rupert Murdoch.

The rumors about Ailes were fueled by a quote from Matthew Freud, the husband of Murdoch's daughter Elisabeth and a PR guru, whose clients include Fox News rival CNN, according to his website. Freud criticized Ailes and Fox News in an otherwise fairly flattering New York Times story about the executive on Sunday.

âI am by no means alone within the family or the company in being ashamed and sickened by Roger Ailesâs horrendous and sustained disregard of the journalistic standards that News Corporation, its founder and every other global media business aspires to,â Freud said.

We were curious about the brouhaha and reached out to Ailes. He said Freud's remarks "didn't make sense to me," and added that stories that "I'm a dead man" are "being manufactured." Ailes said he's sure he has met Freud but, "I couldn't pick him out of a lineup ... most people who have a problem at least walk up to me and talk to me about it." (But Ailes has cameras around his office and a driver, so the casual approach might be difficult.)

Company Town has learned that Ailes has communicated with both Elisabeth Murdoch and James Murdoch -- the latter the only Murdoch sibling currently working at the company --Â since Freud's remarks were published. "There is nothing to the idea that I have any problem with the children. The entire Murdoch family has been nothing but supportive."

Being diligent reporters, we called the family company to see what they would have to say. A News Corp. spokeswoman said in a statement that "Matthew Freud's opinions are his own and in no way reflect the views of Rupert Murdoch, who is proud of Roger Ailes and Fox News."

On occasion, Ailes has bumped up against the Murdoch kin. Several years ago, he clashed with Lachlan Murdoch over the operation of the TV stations. Lachlan Murdoch has since left the company and now runs his own media investment company in Australia.

Although he's received votes of confidence from both Rupert Murdoch and Chase Carey, Ailes knows that, ultimately, "everybody who works here is a hired hand, you go to work, you do your job." Even hands like Ailes, who made more than $20 million last year.Â

As for Freud, Ailes isn't expecting to bump into him anytime soon. "I'm obviously not going to be invited to his house ... with him home anyway." Ailes cracked that the PR man, who is a descendant of Sigmund Freud, "needs to see a psychiatrist."Â Â

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Roger Ailes. Credit: Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times.

Reality check: What NBC needs to do after Conan leaves
It'd be nice to think that the era of magical thinking may be ending at NBC.

Conan O'Brien delivered a much-needed reality check to the network on Tuesday, telling his corporate overlords that he would not host "The Tonight Show" at 12:05 a.m. ET. Moving the show back to that hour (which, as many observers pointed out, would technically make it "The Tomorrow Show") would harm the show irreparably, and O'Brien refused to "participate in its destruction."

Whether or not you like O'Brien's brand of comedy, one thing is clear: He has more respect and affection for NBC's most storied institution than the network's executives do.

This is no surprise to viewers, who've watched the network destroy itself for the last 10 years. NBC hasn't just been a bystander in all this, a victim of the many changes affecting all segments of the television industry. The network has helped bring about its own destruction by putting on dozens of schlocky, half-baked shows over the years.

There have been a few gems amid the muck, but NBC has often managed to screw things up even with the shows that weren't outright flops. The day that O'Brien made his announcement, "Southland" -- a respected show from an "ER" creator -- premiered on TNT, where it fled when NBC trashed its 10 p.m. ET lineup to install Leno at that hour. One of NBC's rare hit shows, "Heroes," has drifted from bad to worse over the last few seasons. That's a show that could have been NBC's "CSI," but its ratings have fallen, it has creatively stagnated and it may not survive to next season.

I could go on, but do I need to? The late-night situation is just one of a long string of NBC disasters. As Conan said on Tuesday, "Welcome to NBC. Where our new slogan is, 'No longer just screwing up prime-time.'"

Under NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker and the succession of flunkies he's put into place to take the fall for him when things go wrong, the network has gone from bad to worse. I'm waiting for Zucker's next genius innovation, which will probably involve 22 straight hours of "The Today Show" every day, with breaks for a couple of game shows and local news.

During Zucker's regime, NBC has had a habit of stretching franchises well beyond their breaking points and announcing grand initiatives that end up going nowhere. NBC was going to reinvent upfronts, the yearly ritual in which networks peddle their wares to advertisers. NBC brought in upstart Ben Silverman to reinvent the network -- and he brought us a new, not-improved "Knight Rider" and left after two years of chaos. NBC was going to reinvent broadcast television by putting Jay Leno in prime-time, etc.

All those initiatives died because they were smoke and mirrors. Yes, the environment for broadcast networks is challenging and only going get more difficult to navigate in coming years. But content is still king. If a restaurant started replacing its ground beef with dog food, would its customers keep coming back? No, they would quite rightly reject the inferior product they were given.

And that may be the lesson of NBC's late-night debacle. Reinventing the broadcast television model is a grand idea and it's not a bad overall goal to have, but CBS, ABC and Fox seem to have done OK despite just tinkering around the margins. They merely put on programs that people want to watch, and attempt to reap the resulting financial rewards in a variety of mediums and venues. That seems to have worked out pretty well for them (and if, as Fox did, they can wring higher carriage rates from cable companies, they may stave off extinction for another decade or two).

So will things change at NBC? I doubt it. Zucker's reign of condescending mediocrity has lasted for a long time, and all the network's current executives come from NBC Universal's dysfunctional culture, where spin, denial and magical thinking are a way of life. (It's hard to believe that Comcast, the network's new owners, will be OK with that approach, but stranger things have happened in corporate America -- after all, Zucker was repeatedly promoted by GE despite the alarming decline of NBC on his watch.)

It took O'Brien's impassioned statement to point out that NBC entertainment president Jeff Gaspin's new plan -- an abridged Leno at 11:35 p.m. ET followed by "The Tonight Show" -- was not just a dumb idea but one that would deeply harm a network institution.

"'The Tonight Show' at 12:05 simply isnât the 'Tonight Show,'" O'Brien wrote.

That seems obvious to everyone but NBC executives, who for years have operated on the assumption that, when it comes to unpleasant truths, they can simply wish them away, ignore them or deflect them with spin. Given their penchant for avoidance tactics, they no doubt have their lawyers working on ways to avoid paying out a substantial settlement to O'Brien, who says he has no "offers" but is reportedly considering a move to Fox.

As I wrote yesterday, NBC has a chance to hang on to one shred of dignity in all this. They could set Conan free with a minimum of fuss. They could arrive a quiet settlement and let him go, the sooner the better.

Then executives could begin working on a much bigger and more important task: Rebuilding the network's credibility in the eyes of the viewing public, not with reinventions and radical innovations, but with well-crafted, entertaining television.

That approach wouldn't end NBC's troubles, but it would be a start. And it would be preferable to everything else the network has tried in the last decade.

Los Angeles prosecutors charge woman in celebrity burglaries
LOS ANGELES — A woman suspected of being the mastermind behind a series of break-ins at the homes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan has been charged with felony burglary and receiving stolen property.
T-Bone Burnett: Zen And The Art Of Music

The singer, songwriter and producer says his approach is simple: "Just listen until it sounds right." Burnett has been getting it right for a long time, and his latest project is the film Crazy Heart, for which he wrote several songs for the main character, a broken-down musician played by Jeff Bridges. Burnett talks to Terry Gross about the film and about his storied career.

Quick Bite: Costa del Sol in San Jose

2010-01-12T16:20:00.001-08:00

O'Brien-Leno mess is fodder for Letterman

NBC may not be smiling, but CBS' David Letterman sure is getting a lot of laughs out of the Jay Leno-Conan O'Brien soap opera. Of course, this is familiar terrain for Letterman, who left NBC after losing the battle for "The Tonight Show" toÂ Leno almostÂ 20 years ago.

On the taping forÂ tonight's show, he quipped that O'Brien issued his statement that he would not move "The Tonight Show" to 12:05 "after he talked to Johnny Carson."Â

Letterman noted that with Leno expected to move back to late night, the network would need some new dramas. Here's his pitch:

Letterman can still poke fun at himself. Despite all the turmoil at his former network, he said, "I got a call just before I came out here from NBC, and they said, âLook, look, we still donât want you back.ââ

-- Joe Flint

Conan says no way to 'Tonight Show' move

Conan O'Brien has finally spoken out -- in a serious way -- about the late-night mess at NBC. (He joked about the chaos on his show, as did other late-night hosts.)

The "Tonight Show" host says very clearly that he does not want to do the show at 12:05 a.m. ET, following a half-hour Jay Leno show, in the statement he just released.

He says he will not go along with moving "The Tonight Show" back half an hour, because to do so would mean participating in "what I honestly believe isits destruction."

Here is his full statement:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, Iâve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, andI want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a secondfeeling sorry for me. For 17 years, Iâve been getting paid to do what Ilove most and, in a world with real problems, Iâve been absurdly lucky.That said, Iâve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and mybosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The TonightShow in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching JohnnyCarson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair hasmeant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity,passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spentliterally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchiselong into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like mypredecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just asimportant, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule.Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months,with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to theirterrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in theirlong-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move theTonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late localnews. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the nextday to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what Iconsider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting.The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isnât the Tonight Show. Also, if Iaccept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which Iinherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out ofits long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that Ilove, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoyhosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it isfor me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievablyhard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of TheTonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe isits destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs andthe Internet a time slot doesnât matter. But with the Tonight Show, Ibelieve nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, toset the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestlyhave no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolvethis quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can beproud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; itâs always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

I can't say I blame Conan. As I said in this post, it's clear that Jay Leno matters more to NBC than Conan does. In my opinion, Conan made the right move by saying no to NBC's plan. I think he should leave the network (and apparently most of the readers of this site agree: In poll on this "What Should Conan Do" post, only a few said the late-night host should stay at the Peacock network).

Looks like it's NBC's move now. What will executives there do now that Conan has said, "Hell no, I won't go to 12:05 a.m. ET?"

They don't have a ton of options. Which is why I think this is probably the beginning of the end of Conan's short tenure at "The Tonight Show."

As I said, NBC executives have made it clear that Jay's more important to them than Conan. They can't very well tell Jay that he can't do an 11:35 p.m. ET show, having just promised him that and having upset the applecart again to shift Jay out of prime time.

I think the only move left is for NBC to let Conan go. There will be bickering and quibbling among the lawyers, no doubt. But NBC has a chance to hang on to one molecule of dignity here. They could let Conan go and settle whatever money and contractual issues that are still outstanding quietly, out of the limelight.

They should just let Conan go, at this point. It'd be the smartest move.

Then again, NBC isn't known for smart moves. Stay tuned.

Quick Bite: Costa del Sol in San Jose
Three lines of Summary Light
Conan O'Brien Rejects NBC's 12:05 Plan: So What Happens Now?

Conan O'Brien has rejected NBC's late-night plans. What happens next? Not exactly clear.

Sony overhauls 'Spider-Man' sequel; Raimi, Maguire out

2010-01-11T16:20:00.001-08:00

Sony overhauls 'Spider-Man' sequel; Raimi, Maguire out

A few days after Sony Pictures said it was postponing production on "Spider-Man 4" because of creative concerns, the studio on Monday said it was sending the entire franchise in for a major overhaul without star Tobey Maguire or director Sam Raimi involved.

Sony said the next Peter Parker film will also be released a year later than originally scheduled, with the fourth installment in its blockbuster franchise (worldwide gross to date: nearly $2.5 billion) now set to premiere in the summer of 2012.

In a back story twist reminiscent of the evolution of "Superman" into "Smallville," the studio said in a statement that the new web-slinger film will focus "on a teenager grappling with both contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises." The movie is being written by James Vanderbilt, whose credits include "Zodiac" and "The Rundown." The new film, which does not yet have an announced star or director, will be produced by "Spider-Man" veterans Laura Ziskin and Avi Arad of Marvel Studios.

"This is a bittersweet moment for us because while it is hard to imagine Spider-Man in anyone else's hands, I know that this was a day that was inevitable,â Matt Tolmach, president of Columbia Pictures, said in a statement.

âWorking on the Spider-Man movies was the experience of a lifetime for me," Raimi said in a statement. "While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job."

Added Amy Pascal, co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment: "Weâre very excited about the creative possibilities that come from returning to Peter's roots."

The last "Spider-Man" movie was released in May 2007. It's not the only setback for the arachnid crime-fighter. A "Spider-Man" Broadway musical (in which Sony is an investor) has been delayed by creative and financial problems, and with a budget in excess of $50 million is the most expensive musical in theater history.

--John Horn

Photo: Melissa Mosely for Columbia Pictures

Simon Cowell to leave 'American Idol,' launch 'X Factor'

Simon Cowell is leaving "American Idol" after the 2010 season of the Fox talent show.

Starting in the fall of 2011, he will appear on a different Fox show, "X Factor," an American version of a hit talent contest he created in the UK.

Cowell worked out the final details of the deal to leave "Idol" and launch "X Factor" today. He signed the contract on stage with Fox executives at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena.

âIâm thrilled that we have put a date on the launch of the U.S. versionof 'The X Factor,' and delighted to be continuing to work with Fox,â Cowell said in a statement released by the network. âWe have a fantastic relationship, a great team and are allvery excited about this.â

This piece by The Daily Beast outlined how Cowell had felt bitter about not having part ownership of "American Idol," which he developed with his former friend Simon Fuller.

"Factor" is Cowell's baby, and it's certainly going to be interesting to see how "Idol" does without him. Not as well -- that would be my guess. Cowell's biting comments are often what keep the show from becoming boring. When both Cowell's criticism and Paula Abdul's wild-card antics are gone? Can we count on Randy Jackson to keep things interesting? Um....

One thing's for sure, new judges Ellen DeGeneres and Kara DioGuardi will have to really step up -- if they're around next season, that is. Even this season, let's hope they keep things interesting (but not blab so much that episodes go over their allotted time, which was one of last season's problems).

Now this is an interesting final tidbit. Asked at TCA if Paula Abdul could be a judge on "X Factor," Cowell answered, "I adore Paula. Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity. Because I miss her."

Fox's statement on "X Factor" is below:

âTHE X FACTORâ TO LAUNCH ON FOX IN 2011

FOX announced today that THE X FACTOR will launch in the U.S. in the fall of 2011. Simon Cowell, who created and launched THE X FACTOR in the U.K. in 2004, will serve as both executive producer and judge on the U.S. version, which will be produced by Syco Television and FremantleMedia North America.

THE X FACTOR is currently shown in 17 countries worldwide with a global audience of more than 500 million, and is the No. 1 TV entertainment format in Europe. Cowell will continue to serve as both executive producer and judge on the U.K. version. THE X FACTOR format is owned by Syco, a global music, television and film production joint venture between Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment.

âIâm thrilled that we have put a date on the launch of the U.S. version of THE X FACTOR, and delighted to be continuing to work with FOX,â said Cowell. âWe have a fantastic relationship, a great team and are all very excited about this.â

Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, said, âWe have had a very successful relationship with Simon Cowell for many years, and weâre absolutely delighted to continue our relationship with him. THE X FACTOR has been a massive success around the world, and we canât wait to bring it to the U.S. in 2011.â

âTHE X FACTOR has enjoyed an unparalleled success in its U.K. home market and globally,â said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of FremantleMedia North America. âWe are truly excited to bring it to the U.S. and look forward to building another entertainment franchise in the marketplace.â

About Syco/Simon Cowell

Syco, with offices in London and Los Angeles, is a global music, television and film production joint venture between Simon Cowell and Sony Music Entertainment.

Syco Television produces the BAFTA Award-winning âThe X Factor,â which has topped the charts in Europe and in the U.K., where Cowell continues to serve as both executive producer and judge. Syco Television is also the owner of the âGot Talentâ television format. Versions of both âThe X Factorâ and âGot Talentâ are co-produced by Syco and shown in more than 40 countries.

âThe X Factorâ 2009 in the U.K. reached audiences of 20 million (60% audience share), and in Denmark, the audience share reached a record high of 80%.

-more-

âTHE X FACTORâ LAUNCH â" Page 2

Cowell also executive produces âAmericaâs Got Talentâ and judges and produces âBritainâs Got Talent,â which in 2009 launched the global singing career of Susan Boyle. Her debut Syco album sold over 8 million units in six weeks, making it the worldâs biggest-selling album of 2009 and the fastest-selling album in history.

Syco is also the record label home for such diverse international recording stars as Leona Lewis, Il Divo and Paul Potts. Cowell has worked with artists selling more than 180 million albums and delivering more than 150 No. 1 records.

In 2009, Cowell was named No. 1 in Hollywood Reporterâs Top 50 Most Powerful in Reality TV and one of Entertainment Weeklyâs Top Entertainers of the Year.

About FremantleMedia North America

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. production division of global media giant FremantleMedia. Based in Burbank, California, FMNA produces entertaining and innovative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms, including the Emmy-nominated musical/reality phenomenon AMERICAN IDOL (FOX), âAmericaâs Got Talentâ (NBC), âCan You Duetâ (CMT), âThe Chilli Projectâ (MTV), âSecret Girlfriendâ (Comedy Central), âLetâs Make A Dealâ (CBS), âFamily Feudâ (syndicated), and the longest-running game show in television history, âThe Price Is Rightâ (CBS). In the U.K., âThe X Factorâ is produced by talkbackThames, a division of FremantleMedia, and Syco Television.

Photos: Simon Cowell through the years

Poll: Will you still watch "American Idol" after Cowell's departure?

Simon Cowell confirms he's leaving 'Idol'
The caustic judge will depart after this season to focus on his new show, 'The X-Factor.'
Filmmaker Eric Rohmer Dies At 89

Filmmaker Eric Rohmer died today in Paris at the age of 89, according to his production company. Though he was often associated with the French New Wave, Rohmer was older than Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. His films seemed to be more influenced by such older French filmmakers as Renoir and Bresson. Yet by focusing each of his "moral tales" (including Claire's Knee, My Night at Maud's and Chloe in the Afternoon) on the interior moral dilemma of his central character, he made his movies more like literature. And that was revolutionary in its own way.

Having 'Big' fun on a hit comedy: A chat with 'Big Bang Theory's' Johnny Galecki

2010-01-10T16:20:00.001-08:00

NBC's Gaspin: 'Back to basics'

NBC was perhaps âa little too earlyâ launching its revolution on the broadcast business model. That was the assessment of Jeff Gaspin, NBC Universalâs recently installed chairman of television entertainment, this morning when he unfurled his âback to basicsâ strategy for healing the wounded peacock network.

For years, his boss, NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker, has stressed that the broadcast business model was fundamentally broken and NBC had the smarts and the tools to fix it. But with NBCâs prime-time schedule in smoldering ruins and the networkâs confirmed retreat of Jay Leno back to his longtime home at 11:35 p.m. -- leaving gaping holes in the prime-time schedule -- it is up to Gaspin to restore some of the glory, and the profits, that were once associated with NBC.

"For us right now, instead of trying to reinvent, going back to basics is probably the smartest play," Gaspin said.

The more modest Gaspin -- in measured tones -- said maybe the business wasnât so broken after all. He made it clear that he was in charge now and that, under his watch, NBC would exhibit a dramatically different temperament and mentality from the tumultuous two years that Ben Silverman was at the network, when NBC burn through hundreds of millions of dollars in failed programming while Silverman developed a reputation for a short attention span and missing meetings. There were also the broad proclamations that NBC was less concerned about ratings than profit margins.

In the waning minutes of the 45-minute news conference at the Television Critics Assn. meeting in Pasadena, Gaspin was asked by a veteran reporter: âWhose fault is it that the network is in such sad shape in prime time? Is it Ben Silverman? Is it Jeff Zucker? Does the network as a company regret the arrogant pose that it has had over the years?â

The low-key Gaspin, perhaps only half-kidding, replied: âThatâs an awesome question.â

The standing-room-only ballroom filled with reporters -- and nearly as many NBC Universal staffers lined up against the walls -- howled with laughter. It seemed the battle-weary NBC executives enjoyed Gaspinâs lighthearted response even more than the reporters from across the country.

Gaspin also exhibited more candor -- and provided more information -- than NBC executives have in the recent past. He explained the chronology of the decision to move Leno out of prime time. The discontent of affiliate TV station owners was building throughout the fall and reached a crescendo in December when smaller stations received their disappointing ratings from the November sweeps, he said.

âThe drumbeat kept getting louder and louder,â said Gaspin, who took over all of NBC programming last summer. âToward the middle of December, they [the affiliate stations] made it very clear that they were going to be more vocal about their displeasure. It was then when I realized that it was just not going to go well if we kept things in place. ... They are our partners. Even though [10 p.m. Leno show] was doing OK for us, I just made the tough call.â

Gaspin was asked whether Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien were now "damaged goods" and, if so, how NBC was going to recover. Said Gaspin: "I think just time is the answer to your question."

-- Meg James

NBC's Gaspin sets Leno's exit from prime and return to late night

Photo: Jeff Gaspin. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Having 'Big' fun on a hit comedy: A chat with 'Big Bang Theory's' Johnny Galecki

The feature below on Johnny Galecki and "The Big Bang Theory" does not contain spoilers for the show, which returns with guest star Danica McKellar ("The Wonder Years") Monday. (Also airing Monday: The 100th episode of "How I Met Your Mother." See the video player at right for a clip from that episode.) By the way, there are summaries for the Jan. 11 and Jan. 18 episodes of "Big Bang" at the end of this post. For my previous stories on the CBS show, look here.

An unusual thing started to happen last season during tapings of "The Big Bang Theory," a winning comedy that has become a breakout hit for CBS (8:30 p.m. Central, WBBM-Ch. 2).

One character would do or say something, and the audience would start laughing -- before the second character had reacted or said a line.

"The challenge was to beat their laugh -- but they're already laughing at how Leonard or Penny or Sheldon is going to react," said Johnny Galecki, the Oak Park native who stars as physicist Leonard Hofstadter in the comedy.

The early laughter is just proof that "Big Bang Theory," which is in its third season, is doing many things very right. At this point, the show's audience knows the characters so well that people can predict how Leonard might respond to the latest rant by the fussy Sheldon (Jim Parsons) or what Penny (Kaley Cuoco) will think of the nerdy characters' various obsessions.

As Galecki said during an interview at his small, tastefully decorated home in the hills of Los Angeles, the shorthand description of "The Big Bang Theory" -- which chronicles the lives of four smart but socially awkward male geeks and their attractive female neighbor -- is not anything that would "blow your hair back."

In fact, he genially reminded me of my very negative initial "Big Bang" review, which took the comedy to task for reflexively laughing at the four nerds, rather than with them.

Galecki, who has known "Big Bang" co-creator Chuck Lorre since both worked on "Roseanne" in the mid-90s, said he initially had some reservations about the CBS show as well.

"I thought it might be a show that made fun of smart people. Now I think it's a show that much more often defends smart people," Galecki said.

No one defends the four nerds more strongly than the show's audience, especially the live audience of 300 people that fills the "Big Bang" soundstage every Tuesday night for tapings of the show.

"We can feel how protective they are of these characters," said Galecki, who recounted an example of how "the room turned" when a guest character acted too maliciously toward the four nerds, who also include Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar).

"If there's an iota [of gratuitous meanness] toward these guys, they want blood," Galecki said.

Perhaps "Big Bang" fans feel so protective of the show because it is, despite being a hit show on a big network, something of a word-of-mouth phenomenon. Galecki recalled being slightly uncomfortable when the show premiered in 2007 and photos of the cast members were plastered on hundreds of bus ads and billboards.

"The numbers have doubled since they took the billboards down," he noted.

The fact that the show's ratings have increased so dramatically without a gigantic advertising campaign from the network is "really exciting for all of us," he said.

"People kind of feel that they found the show themselves, through their friends or whatever," he said.

It's surprising to learn that, before "Big Bang" producers found Jim Parsons and cast him as Sheldon, Lorre talked to Galecki about playing that character. Galecki said he didn't "get" Sheldon, however, until he saw Parsons play the role.

But Galecki added that he's very pleased to be playing Leonard, especially given that his character and Penny begun a romantic relationship, which has played out in a low-key, realistic way this season.

"I rarely get to play those characters and explore relationship things. I usually play the character's best friend or assistant. Or gay assistant," Galecki said.

Though Sheldon has become "Big Bang's" breakout character, thanks to not only the show's solid writing but Parson's detailed, deadpan perfomance, one of the quieter pleasures is Galecki's steady, subtle work as Leonard.

"I don't know if I would characterize Johnny as the 'straight man,' but his character is certainly much more willing than Sheldon to try to conform to social expectations,'" co-creator and executive producer Bill Prady said. "I think the fact that, despite everything, Leonard considers Sheldon his best friend reminds us of Sheldon's essential humanity."

Actually, Galecki was fine with it when I used the words "straight man" in describing his role.

"There's a very specific responsibility in it," he said. "It's like in hockey -- you get a lot of credit for assists.

Galecki said he wanted to be an actor from the age of four, but his parents didn't quite know how to make that happen. They did finally take him to an audition at Oak Park's Village Players Theatre when he was seven.

"They wanted me to watch open auditions, just to see what was involved in that," he recalled. "I hopped right up on the stage and sang something and got a role. From that point on they didn't try to put me in soccer or T-ball or anything."

"We didn't have a TV because we didn't have a whole lot of money," added Galecki, who came back to Chicago in 1998 to do the play "Pot Mom" with his "Roseanne" castmate Laurie Metcalfe. "My parents would have their friends over -- their friends who thought, 'How can you live without a TV?' By the time they left, they understood why, because I had done the second act of 'West Side Story' and the first act of 'Jesus Christ Superstar,' playing all the parts. In many ways, that's what I'm still doing. I'm just getting paid better."

It's to "Big Bang's" credit that it hasn't put Leonard and Penny's romance front-and-center -- it's just one element of a show that has very much become an ensemble comedy with characters who become more nuanced each week. (Read the excellent essay from NPR's Linda Holmes on how giving more complexity to Penny has improved the show.)

"I feel like Season 2 was very much about the Penny character and giving her more dimension and depth as a young woman who, despite her beauty, has her own debilitating insecurities," Galecki said. "But I think this season, the writers are having a whole lot of fun just mixing [all the characters] up. At some point they realized, 'We can divide them up any way we want.'"

All in all, things are going pretty well for Leonard. But why does he put up with Sheldon, whose demanding ways would drive the most patient person to distraction?

"You've met his mother, I think that explains a lot," Galecki said (Christine Baranski has played Leonard's hypersmart, emotionally distant mother in a couple of episodes.). "Despite all his exasperation" with that kind of rigidity, that kind of behavior is "not foreign to him," Galecki noted.

"Leonard to me has always personified that 'Grass is greener somewhere else' thinking that we're all guilty of," he said. "But I think he knows, on some level, that he's really blessed with these friends."

Photos: Galecki and Cuoco; McKellar and Nayyar; Galecki, Cuoco and Parsons; Helberg and Galecki.

Summaries from CBS for the next two "Big Bangs":

Jan. 11: "The Psychic Vortex": While Sheldon and Koothrappali attend a university mixer, Leonard is upset to discover that Penny believes in psychics. Danica McKellar ("The Wonder Years") guest stars as Abby, the object of Raj's attraction.

Jan. 18: "The Bozeman Reaction": When their apartment is robbed, Leonard and Sheldon turn to their friends to create a state-of-the-art security system,

Review: Deliciously anticipated, Gordon Lee's 'Young Impressions' falls flat in first performance by Symphony Silicon Valley.
Saturday's world premiere by the Cupertino composer didn't deliver. Under-rehearsed, it resembled a cake collapsing in the oven '” though one could still imagine the cake rising in future performances.

Brian Williams: Why Jon Stewart Is Good For News

Many journalists have come to think of the comedian (above) as a kind of external standards-and-practices cop — and one whose nightstick leaves painfully embarrassing welts, says NBC anchor Brian Williams. He explains why no journalist wants to show up on The Daily Show unless he's got a book to promote.

Halle Berry and boyfriend bypass airport security line

2010-01-09T16:20:00.001-08:00

Disney executives Jay Rasulo, Tom Staggs assume new posts

Former Chief Financial Officer Tom Staggs and Parks and Resorts Chairman Jay Rasulo completed their executive job swap this week, and each were awarded similar compensation packages.Â

Rasulo received a new, five-year employment contract that reflected his role as CFO. He will receive a guaranteed minimum salary of $1.4 million and is eligible for yearly performance-based bonuses of up to 200% of his yearly wage, according to a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. He also can participate in a long-term incentive award equal to 300% of his annual salary -- but the board of directors' compensation committee can adjust the target value of the award based on Rasulo's performance, the economy or market conditions.

In the event Rasulo is terminated without cause -- or he leaves for "good reason" -- he would receive a lump-sum payment of his base salary for the remainder of his contract, a pro-rated bonus for the year, and his outstanding unvested stock options and stock awards, in accordance with the vesting schedule.Â

Staggs' employment agreement was amended to reflect his new role as head of Disney parks worldwide. His employment agreement calls for a base salary of $1.4 million from April 1 through March 31, 2011, and is also eligible for similar bonuses, long-term incentives and perquisites, according to SEC filings.

--Dawn C. Chmielewski

SingerÂ's woes inspire music
Musical career founded on tears best describes Sarah Wambui MwangiÂ's gospel artistry. Her songs have earned the trademark Â'sob sob lyricsÂ' due to their sorrowful nature.
Halle Berry and boyfriend bypass airport security line
MONTREAL — Canadian police said today that it was wrong for one of their officers to whisk Halle Berry, her model boyfriend and baby through airport security at Montreal's Trudeau airport.
Gumby Animator Dies at 88

Animator Art Clokey, whose bendable creation Gumby became a pop culture phenomenon through decades of toys, revivals and satires, died Friday.

Should you 'Plan' to watch the new 'Battlestar Galactica' movie?

2010-01-08T16:20:00.001-08:00

Marvel owners seek to invalidate Kirby heirs' copyright claims

The battle between Marvel Entertainment and the Jack Kirby estate is bringing out each sideâs inner Hulk.

The comic book publisher and movie producer, which was recently acquired by the Walt Disney Co. in a $4-billion deal,Â has unleashed a lawsuit that seeks to invalidate the copyright termination claims made by the heirs to the iconic artist. It's the latest tactic in the fight over profits from some of the most lucrative superhero characters.

The suit, filed in federal court in Manhattan on Friday, against the Kirby heirs is essentially a preemptive strike to halt the Kirby familyâs bid to reclaim the characters. It follows a series of letters from Kirby estate attorney Marc Toberoff in September in which his clients notified various copyright holders and licensors of their intent to terminate copyright to a slew of properties at various points in the coming decade (when they will, in the heirs' view, become available). Those properties include The Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-Man, Thor, The Avengers and many others from which the movie blockbusters are adapated.

Jack Kirby was a renowned artist instrumental in the creation and shaping of these characters, his family argues, and is thus entitled to profits like any other copyright-holder. Disney has maintained that Kirbyâs work was considered for-hire and that his heirs are thus not owed any further profits.Â

Like other heirs to 20th century comic book artists, Kirbyâs progeny have become more aggressive in seeking to recoup their share of the profits.

The battle could impact Hollywood properties in a number of ways. If the heirs were granted copyright, it could force studios to hand a slice of movie and merchandising profits over to the family (making their tentpole franchises less profitable) or give the heirs a say on how and to whom those properties are licensed; in a worst-case scenario, it could hold up the development process for these films.

Nearly all the properties to which Kirby is seeking to terminate copyright are active Hollywood franchises. Paramount licenses Iron Man, for instance, and will release a new film this spring. Sony is working on a new Spider Man sequel (that may or may not see the light of day in 2011). And Marvel itself is preparing both Thor and Avengers pictures.

Neither Toberoff nor Disney immediately returned calls seeking comment.

--Steven Zeitchik

Photo: The Incredible Hulk; Credit: Universal Pictures

Should you 'Plan' to watch the new 'Battlestar Galactica' movie?
The use of "previouslies" has gotten pretty common in television.

With the rise of serialized shows, even the most hardcore fan of a particular program might forget details that affect ongoing story lines. Hence many dramas begin with a "previously on ['Show X']" segment, which toward the end of a meaty season, can become almost comical in length.

The standalone TV movie "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan," which airs on Syfy Sunday, feels like a two-hour "previously on 'Battlestar Galactica.'"

The best "Battlestar" extras -- the TV movie "Razor" and the "Face of the Enemy" Webisodes -- focused tightly on interesting characters and/or a specific time and place. Watching "The Face of the Enemy," in fact, was almost a claustrophobic experience; most of it took place inside a cramped transport ship, but the tight quarters only added to the tension and sense of foreboding that pervaded that fine Webisode.

"Razor," of course, had the charismatic Michelle Forbes at its core; it was a great idea to revisit the Pegasus and her compelling commander. That TV movie revisited a time and place that we'd already glimpsed in the regular series, but it explored Forbes' character and the choices of other "Battlestar" characters in such depth that the whole enterprise felt worthwhile.

"The Plan," however, flits so quickly from event to event in the "Battlestar" timeline (it mostly fills in gaps in the show's first two seasons) that the film as a whole feels like a relatively superficial exercise.

Dean Stockwell, who plays two versions of Cavil in the "Battlestar" universe, is a fine actor, but Cavil is one of the most chilly members of the Cylon race (I wonder what "The Plan" would have been like had Lucy Lawless been available to take a leading role. Several other "Battlestar" actors are also MIA, except in scenes from previous seasons.) And I was surprised at how much old footage "The Plan" used. The film does seem, at times, like a clip show with a number of extended scenes.

There are some witty lines, a good performance by Stockwell and it's nice, on one level, to revisit the "Battlestar" world that I still miss so much. But "The Plan" is probably something that only hardest of hardcore "Battlestar" fans will want to check out. And they may find, as I did, that it filled in small gaps in the storytelling that may not have needed to be filled in.

Thousands celebrate Elvis' 75th at Graceland
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — About 3,000 fans joined Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie and Elvis Presley's grandkids today at Graceland to celebrate what would have been the King of Rock 'n' Roll's 75th birthday.
Eric Kandel Reminisces About Memory

Neuroscientist and Nobel Prize winner Eric Kandel has been studying the molecular basis of memory for more than 50 years. His life and career are the subject of a new documentary, In Search of Memory. Kandel discusses the state of memory research and shares his own memories.

Cheeky puppet musical 'Avenue Q' opens Jan. 12 in San Jose

2010-01-07T16:20:00.001-08:00

Jay Leno may regain 'Tonight Show' perch

Could Jay Leno get his old job back?

According to sources familiar with the situation, the network is in discussions about putting the comedian back on at his original 11:30 p.m. perch, either as a lead-in to "Tonight Show" host Conan O'Brien or replacing him altogether.

NBC officials declined to comment on that specific scenario, the latest of a flurry of rumors to leak out of the peacock network today.

The television industry website FTVLive kicked off a series of reports today about Lenoâs future in a post that said NBC had decided to cancel the show. Such a move would amount to a major retreat by the network, which has insisted that stripping Lenoâs comedy show across the week has been a success financially, even if the ratings have been lackluster.

Leno's late-night replacement, Conan O'Brien, has not performed well either, and now apparently the network wants to put Leno back at 11:30 and slide O'Brien to midnight, according to people close to the situation. The news that NBC was considering bumping O'Brien out of his time slot was first reported by TMZ.

NBC has felt tremendous pressure from its affiliates over Leno's performance and have been pushing the network to return to scripted programming.Â This season NBC has averaged 5.34 million viewers at 10 p.m., a 29% drop from the same period last season.

-- Joe Flint and Matea Gold

Not That Good or just Not For Me? Thoughts on 'Big Love' and 'Breaking Bad'
When a lot of other critics praise a show I don't much like, I take notice. And I think, is it because the show is Not That Good, or just Not For Me?

This is something I've been thinking a lot about lately, especially as it pertains to "Big Love," which returns Sunday on HBO. But the question applies to other shows that get a lot of critical praise. And be aware that what follows is just some noodling of mine on this topic. It's just a little window into the kinds of things I think about when I'm getting ready to write reviews.

One show that has caused me to struggle with the Not That Good vs. Not For Me dilemma is "Breaking Bad."

Let me explain what I mean by the two terms via a music analogy. I came up as a music writer; I had a music 'zine in Chicago in the '90s and freelanced for many publications, doing interviews and record reviews, etc.

I never reviewed techno because I just didn't get it. It's not that I didn't like the occasional techno song, but most of the music of rave/electronic culture just didn't speak to me. Reggae, indie music, pop, rock, even some hip-hop -- I got it. I could not only assess the music but place it in context. I cared enough to at least try to think deeply about the music genres I listened to most.

I never felt it was fair for me to review techno, because it was just Not For Me. It just didn't connect. Now, maybe that means I thought it was Not That Good. But it's not really fair to assess something you're disinterested in. Nobody wants me reviewing hockey games, for example.

(Sidebar: That's one of my pet peeves when it comes to television coverage -- when someone who writes about or reviews TV makes it clear that it's not really and truly worthy of any kind of in-depth scrutiny. Those kind of TV writers are rare, but far less rare than I'd like.)

So, on to a couple of interesting intersections of Not That Good and Not For Me.

"Breaking Bad" has been praised to the skies by a lot of people I respect. Readers constantly tell me how much they love the show. Still, though I can appreciate the fine performances in the show and though the writers come up with wonderfully dry dialogue at times, I just don't care for the show. As I've written in the past, it doesn't do anything for me and I generally find it slow-moving and pretentious.

But because I was struggling with the Not That Good/Not For Me thing at the time, in the most recent piece I wrote about "Breaking Bad," I don't think I completely hit on what bothers me about it. That came to me later in a conversation with a friend.

Here's the updated Not That Good part of my "Breaking Bad" argument: I feel that I too often know where the show is going -- within scenes, within episodes and within the series as a whole. Week to week, it's going to be another drug deal gone bad. Walt's machinations will end up dragging him a few steps closer to hell. No matter what he tries, things are pretty much heading in that direction.

And being able to predict how things end up -- especially feeling like I'm more or less able to predict Walt's eventual fate (it'll be tragic, right?) -- makes the meth saga a lot less interesting for me.

And as I wrote in June, why should I care about whether Walt becomes the most successful meth dealer in the Southwest? Sure, I've enjoyed other shows where the protagonists do despicable things, but the characters on those shows were more interesting. Again, Bryan Cranston is doing great work, and so is Aaron Paul as the unlucky Jesse, but the rest of the characters are one-dimensional (if not irritating, as is the case with the show's female characters).

These thoughts, however, bleed into the Not For Me part of my "Breaking Bad" argument: The fact is, the show's just too grim for me. I've watched a lot of dark shows over the years. I like the dark and twisty. But "Breaking Bad" is just too damn dark for me. It's about a guy who sells drugs and makes desperate people's lives more miserable. Whatever you think of Walt's morality, Walt's world is just a sad, airless place to be.

"Breaking Bad's" relentless grimness -- well, it's just Not For Me. And though I stand by my Not That Good criticisms, the Not For Me part is the deciding factor when it came to deleting the show's Season Pass from my TiVo.

"Big Love," however, is the most potent combination of Not For Me and Not That Good I've ever come across. I actually feel physically and mentally stressed when I watch this show. And it's been damnably difficult to unravel the knot of Not For Me/Not That Good responses I have to the show -- which I also recognize has the occasional funny, interesting or compelling moment.

Over Christmas, I watched about half of Season 3 of "Big Love," which was all I could handle. It was deja vu all over again -- I'd given up on the polygamy drama halfway through its first two seasons as well. But I'd heard Season 3 had some great moments and the show ended up on a lot of Top 10 lists. So was it just me?

As I watched Season 3, I realized once again that there's one thing about "Big Love" that puts it pretty squarely in the Not For Me category. The show is largely about the stresses of marriage and the grinding pressures of domestic concerns -- times three.

Truth be told, I tend not to be drawn to shows that center on domestic concerns, not because these things don't matter to me, but because they're generally depicted so terribly (please don't start me on how "Desperate Housewives" depicts motherhood. For the opposite end of the spectrum, the Ally Walker-Tim DeKay story line in "Tell Me You Love Me" had to be one of the best portrayals of intimacy I've ever seen -- and seeing marriage shown in that compassionate yet nuanced and realistic light is incredibly rare on TV).

And truth be told, I find it a bit creepy that "Big Love" is centered on three women who are, on some levels, competing to see who can be the best wife to their husband -- a husband who gets the final say and whose rules are not supposed to be questioned. I am completely fine with people making those life choices for themselves. But as a feminist, I sometimes find the characters' worldviews hard to relate to.

So those are all my Not For Me complaints. But there's a big Not That Good component here as well.

The fact is, I've never been particularly drawn to any of the characters; three seasons in, they're all somewhat underdeveloped and could be a lot more nuanced. Take Ana from Season 3. I never felt I knew who she was or what she believed in; to me she was just a plot device meant to cause drama in the Henricksons' world.

But once that plot thread was dropped, everything was more or less back to square one. And that happens a lot on "Big Love," where there are lots of machinations but not much actual forward movement. The plot seems to be reset every few episodes. And there are so many subplots and so many people and so many tangled story lines that character development is often squeezed in in a slapdash, hurried way.

From the first season, I've felt the show was permanently stuck on repeat mode. Will the family's secrets be exposed? What shenanigans are happening at the Juniper Creek compound? Will the Henricksons' be allowed to live the Principle?

I. Don't. Care.

This is the central problem, which might just make the Not For Me/Not That Good distinction irrelevant. (Maybe Not For Me is just another way of saying, "I can't figure out why anyone likes this.")

In any case, there's not one single journey on "Big Love" that I'm invested in. I don't have to necessarily like the characters on a show or think they're good people -- but I have to care about where they're going and want to understand why they make certain choices. I have to be interested.

And for all the reasons I mentioned above, I'm just not interested in the Henricksons or the Principle. (In fact, three seasons in, I'm still not entirely sure why the Principle and its attendant polygamy matter so much to them.)

Other critics have written persuasively about how "Big Love" is all about love or God or faith or marriage. Those are all certainly rich areas for storytelling. But the stories "Big Love" tells about these subjects have never compelled me to come back for more.

And that's really all we can do when it comes to the Not For Me/Not That Good dilemma. If someone tells me they've tried to watch a show I love and they just don't get it -- it just doesn't speak to them -- then that's fair enough. At least they tried. As I have with the shows above.

If nothing else, I've learned over the years to really, really try with a show before I declare it Not For Me. I didn't think Westerns were For Me until I saw the gloriously compelling "Deadwood." A show about a girl who kills vampires -- that's just going to be silly, right? Um. No. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" -- definitely For Me. (But I didn't watch it during its first season because I thought that kind of thing was Not For Me. Oh, I have been quite stupid in this regard at times.)

Anyway, I don't necessarily think this is necessarily my definitive essay on Not For Me vs. Not That Good. I don't know if I'll write about it again -- I'm just saying these thoughts are works in progress. Please share yours if you have thoughts on this topic.

Or maybe the whole post is just Not For You. Which is fine, heh.

Bracket ÂNigerian singers
Corporate. We wear mostly suits and shirts and ties some times.Are you extravagant shoppers like most of other Nigerian artistes?
Cheeky puppet musical 'Avenue Q' opens Jan. 12 in San Jose
The sunny optimism of 'Sesame Street' gets smacked upside the head with 21st-century cynicism in 'Avenue Q.' Make no mistake, this ingeniously naughty puppet show is definitely not family-friendly. Warning: strong language and full frontal puppet nudity!

In Memoriam: 'Ebony' Matriarch Eunice W. Johnson

Johnson, the woman behind the Johnson Publishing Co. and the director of the company's Ebony Fashion Fair, died on Sunday at age 93. Andre Leon Talley remembers Johnson and her impact on the world of fashion, cosmetics and the arts.

'Chuck's' Adam Baldwin on John Casey, a man of few words and many bullets

2010-01-06T16:20:00.001-08:00

Round One for MGM set for Jan. 15

Potential buyers for debt-ridden Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. have a little over a week to "officially" register their interest in acquiring the studioÂ onÂ an imposed deadline of Jan. 15, according to a person close to the process.Â About 12 suitors, including studios and variousÂ financial players have signed nondisclosure agreements enabling them toÂ pore over MGM's confidential financial information before making a bid.

The parties are not required to put actual bids on the table but rather "indications of interest" that show they have the financial wherewithal to move forward with a formal offer.

Among those kicking the tires are Time Warner Inc., parent of Warner Bros., and Lions Gate. News Corp., parent of 20th Century Fox, had also expressed interest but steered clear of signing the NDA.

Several people familiar with the process said it was highly unlikely that MGM would be sold in the next few weeks beforeÂ theÂ company's next interest payments on its $3.7-billion debt loadÂ are due onÂ Jan. 31. In November, MGM's lenders agreed to give the struggling studio a second forbearance after earlier extending a Dec. 15 deadline.

A spokesperson for MGM declined toÂ comment.

-- Claudia Eller

'Chuck's' Adam Baldwin on John Casey, a man of few words and many bullets

Below is an interview with "Chuck" cast member Adam Baldwin, who plays John Casey on the NBC show, which returns Sunday. The piece does not contain spoilers for Season 3. Below the interview there is some specific information about upcoming episodes of the show, including summaries of "Chuck's" first five Season 3 episodes. You'll get a spoiler warning before you get to that. Previous interviews with co-creators Chris Fedak, Josh Schwartz and star Zachary Levi regarding Season 3 of "Chuck" are here, here and here. There are also many "Chuck" clips in the video player on the right side of this page.

Veteran spy John Casey is a man of few words and many grunts.

And thanks to the deft performance of Winnetka native Adam Baldwin, Casey's grunts -- which can signal everything from disgust to annoyance to occasional contentment -- are one of the most entertaining things about the action-comedy "Chuck," which returns with a delightful third season 8 p.m. Central Sunday (the show begins airing in its regular time slot 7 p.m. Central Monday).

Casey and Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) are secret agents who have been given the task of teaching spy skills to retail clerk Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), who became an important intelligence asset when he downloaded a cache of espionage secrets into his brain.

Casey, a laconic Marine and veteran National Security Agency operative, would rather be traveling the world and leading dangerous missions with experienced agents. But he's been going on missions with Sarah and Chuck while both men work cover jobs at a Buy More electronics store.

"He's thrown into this situation reluctantly, because of who Chuck Bartowski is," Baldwin said in an August 2009 interview on the show's Burbank, Calif., set. "But orders are orders."

It's hard to say what Casey likes less, working alongside slackers and lunatics at the Buy More or protecting Chuck, who downloaded a new batch of fighting knowledge and spy skills at the end of Season 2. Casey's constantly frustrated by something, but Baldwin's skills as a straight man have made the character's irritation (which hides some ferociously suppressed affection for Chuck) quite entertaining to watch.

"I've found the biggest challenge in playing Casey is, how do I walk that line between comedy and seriousness?" said Baldwin, 47. "He is the straight man. But what they told me from the get-go is that Casey has to be dangerous, even when he's being handcuffed by a gorgeous Russian model-spy."

In Season 3, Chuck is trying to master that new array of skills, and Casey is still toiling at the Buy More. "Chuck" co-creator and executive producer Chris Fedak said that the dynamic of Casey vs. the Buy More loons was so fun that the writers couldn't resist writing more of those stories.

"John Casey's been out there for 20 years saving America, now he realizes just what he's been saving," Fedak said. "So it's tough for him."

Casey can take a lot of pain -- there's proof of that in the Jan. 11 episode, "Chuck vs. the Angel de la Muerte" -- but the man has limits. Casey wants to save America from bad guys, but not while wearing a green Buy More shirt.

"In John Casey's mind, green is the new pink," Baldwin said with a laugh. But he noted that he loves filming Buy More scenes.

"I'm more of a straight man in my real life too, I guess. I'm not much of a jokester," Baldwin added. "But I love hanging out with those guys, they make me laugh so much. They're always singing or playing games or telling jokes."

Baldwin, who was still attending New Trier High School when he was chosen to star in "My Bodyguard" in 1980 and who has memorably played tough men in everything from "Full Metal Jacket" and "Firefly," said his portrayal of Casey contained a tribute of sorts to his father, a Naval Air Corps veteran who fought in World War 2.

"I'm sure there's a bit of my father in there. He had a dry sense of humor. And he was a bit of a tough guy too," said Baldwin. "I've met many military men and women along the way too and I just try to keep [Casey] as honorable as possible while still remaining within the constraints of the comedy."

Fedak said that viewers will learn "some epic things" about how John Casey became a spy and "who he was before" in "Chuck vs. the Tic Tac," the tenth episode of the NBC show's third season.

"Casey has secrets--some huge, huge secrets," Fedak said. "And Adam is just great in the episode. He's found real depth to a character who isn't terribly comfortable showing emotions or his human side."

Speaking of Casey's human side, I asked what Casey would be like on a date. After laughing for some time, he opined that if the work-obsessed Casey were to date, it would not go well.

"I like idea of rock solid guy being just a pathetic mess in love. You have to have a fatal weakness," he said.

Chuck himself still has some weaknesses -- he finds it hard to control and use all the new skills he's got -- but he shows real bravery and ingenuity as the new season progresses. Even Casey has to recognize that Chuck has come a long way from Season 1, when he often cowered in the car as Sarah and Casey took out bad guys.

"Chuck's definitely earned some respect at this point from Casey," Baldwin said. "The question is, can he maintain it?"

Of course, any respect Casey has for Chuck is grudging. And unspoken. Except, perhaps, for the occasional grunt.

Spoiler alert: information about upcoming episodes below.

The summaries are from NBC's press site.

"Chuck Versus the Pink Slip" and "Chuck Versus the Three Words" both air Sunday, by the way.

"Chuck Versus the Pink Slip": "As the upgraded Intersect, Chuck (Zachary Levi) trains to become a full-fledged spy but hits rock bottom when he flunks out of spy school and loses Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) in the process. Meanwhile, Morgan (Joshua Gomez) comes home from Benihana School to help Chuck get over Sarah."

"Chuck Versus the Three Words": "Chuck (Zachary Levi) gets a new mission when Sarah's (Yvonne Strahovski) best friend Carina comes through town with her fiancÃ© Karl (guest star Vinnie Jones). Things get complicated when Chuck wants to hash out his and Sarah's relationship problems while theyâre on the mission. Meanwhile, Morgan (Joshua Gomez) finds himself in trouble when he lies to Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and Lester (Vik Sahay)."

"Chuck Versus the Angel de la Muerte" (airs Monday): "Chuck (Zachary Levi) must use hisrelationship with Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) to protect a visitingdictator, Premier Goya (guest star Armand Assante), who is the targetof an assassination. While Awesome is excited about the prospect ofbeing a spy, Chuck (Zachary Levi) is more concerned about Awesome andEllie's (Sarah Lancaster) safety."

Chuck Versus Operation Awesome" (airs Jan. 18): "When Awesome (Ryan McPartlin) is mistaken for a super spy by the evil Sydney Price (guest star Angie Harmon), Chuck (Zachary Levi) must become his handler and show him the spy ropes. While on a mission for The Ring, they meet the mysterious Daniel Shaw (guest star Brandon Routh). Meanwhile, Morgan (Joshua Gomez) gets promoted to assistant manager and must deal with Jeff (Scott Krinsky) and Lester's (Vik Sahay) latest hijinks."

"Chuck Versus First Class" (airs Jan. 25): "CIA agent Daniel Shaw (guest star Brandon Routh) assigns Chuck to his first solo mission in Paris, ignoring Sarah and Casey's wishes. During the flight to France, Chuck befriends Hannah (guest star Kristin Kreuk) and flashes on another passenger -- the imposing Hugo Panzer (guest star "Stone Cold" Steve Austin) Meanwhile, Casey helps Morgan battle Jeff and Lester for control of the Buy More.

A few other notes:

I visited the "Chuck" set during the filming of "Chuck Versus the Pink Slip." There's much more on that episode in the set-visit story I wrote in August. Fedak said Episode 9 has a prominent story line for Morgan. He talked about Zachary Levi directing that episode in this December story. Robert Patrick will guest star as Col. Keller, someone from Casey's past, in "Chuck Versus the Tic Tac."In the December interview, Fedak said the first 13 episodes of Season 3 will constitute one block, but that set of episodes will lead into a new set of stories which will take place in the next 6 episodes of the season (NBC has ordered a total of 19 Season 3 episodes). In this July interview, Schwartz said Morgan and Chuck become roommates early in Season 3. He and Fedak also talk about how Chuck's spy skills will work (or not work) in the new season. One final note: I'll probably post a few thoughts about the first three episodes of the season on Tuesday. I'd rather talk about them after everyone else has had a chance to see them.

The Star Report: And the Image Award nominees are...
Wanda Sykes, Tatyana Ali and Taye Diggs up for award. Plus: Michael Cera and Fred Willard at "Youth in Revolt" premiere.
A 'Teardrop Diamond,' But Not Of The Finest Cut

A neglected Tennessee Williams screenplay has finally found a partisan in writer-director Jodie Markell — and a comely star in Bryce Dallas Howard, playing the latest in a long line of flailing Williams women. But if the star is a standout, the script isn't one of the writer's best — and so Markell's film feels both lovingly wrought and laughably outdated.

FILM: Saving Lives Amid the Chaos of War
NEW YORK, Jan 6 (IPS)The documentary "Living in Emergency" is as graphic as it is gripping, following doctors working in humanitarian crises as they face death, disease and despair in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

2010-01-05T16:20:00.001-08:00

Redbox, Netflix growth make up for Blockbuster woes in 2009

The good news: DVD rentals were up last year. The bad news: If you own a store that rents DVDs, you have nothing to celebrate.Â

According to new data from Rentrak Corp., total DVD and high-definition Blu-ray disc rental revenue in 2009 rose 4% to $6.5 billion.

The gains in DVD rentals, unfortunately for Blockbuster and other stores, came primarily from Redbox and Netflix Inc. There was a 94% surge in revenue from $1-per-night DVD kiosks and 25% growth among online subscription services, more than enough to boost the overall DVD rental businessdespite a precipitous drop at physical rental stores.

Rentals of Blu-ray discs online and at stores jumped 48% to $428.6million last year, while standard DVD rentals fell 6% to $5.1 billion.

Kiosk revenue was $904 million, driven primarily by market leader Redbox, which reported 90% growth in revenue during the third quarter of 2009. Competitor NCR Corp., which operates kiosks for Blockbuster Inc., is gaining ground, however. It recently boughtÂ the No. 3 kiosk operator, DVDPlay.

There was more bad news than good for Hollywood, last year. Rentrak said that DVD and Blu-ray sales plunged 13.7%, or about $1.8 billion, to $12.2 billion. That's six times as big as the $300-million increase in DVD rental revenue. Studios generate a much bigger profit from DVD sales than rentals, particularly low margin $1 per night kiosks and online subscription services.

Probably being mindful of its retail partners, Rentrak declined to say how much rental revenue declined at physical rental stores except that it was "double digit." Blockbuster, the nation's largest physical DVD renter, reported a 21% drop in revenue in the third quarter.

Rentrak also wouldn't provide the total value of online DVD rentals, a market dominated by Netflix. It does not compile data for digital distribution of movies, a fast-growing but still small segment of the home entertainment business.

The Digital Entertainment Group, an industry trade group that represents the major studios and others in the DVD business, will release its own year-end sales data, including from digital outlets, on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show.

-- Ben Fritz

Analyze this! Clue-laden poster of 'The Lost Supper'

Hey, this looks familiar!

The new "Lost" Season 6 poster is out, and "The Lost Supper" strongly resembles not only the Da Vinci painting but the "Battlestar Galactica" "Last Supper" image that came out a couple years ago. There was also a "Sopranos" version of "The Last Supper" a few years back (a huge array of other "Last Supper" images from pop culture is on the Stranger's blog; note that one or two are NSFW). Given that "Lost's" producers are big fans of those shows, the homage is clearly intentional and also, I think, pretty well done.

There are two versions of the "Lost" poster, by the way (and you can click on each image below to make it larger). Putting out two versions of the image is no doubt designed to drivefans crazy and/or occupy the time of the show's devoted followers untilit returns Feb. 2. Twenty-seven days, people!

Version 1:

Version 2:

By the way, for individual photos of the Season 6 cast and a few excerpts from my recent interview with "Lost" executive producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, look here. I'll post the full transcript of my Darlton interview in a week or two.

And just for the sake of comparison, here is the "Battlestar" "Last Supper" image. By the way, the picture below started off as an EW photo shoot, and when executive producer Ronald D. Moore was told of the concept for the shoot, he excitedly latched on to the idea and intentionally put various final-season clues in the image (which was later adopted by Syfy for the show's various marketing campaigns):

FCC Chairman Genachowski urges Fox and Time Warner Cable to keep signals on

2009-12-31T16:20:00.001-08:00

FCC Chairman Genachowski urges Fox and Time Warner Cable to keep signals on

After sitting on the sidelines, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said he has "urged Fox and Time Warner Cable to agree to a temporary extension ofcarriage if they do not come to terms on a new carriage agreementtoday." News Corp.'s Fox and Time Warner Cable are in a bitter dispute over how much the cable company should pay Fox to carry its local TV stations. The current deal between the two companies expires at midnight tonight.

The FCC's Genachowski, no doubt, felt the need to issue a statement on the matter after Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), chairman of the influential Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communication, Technology and the Internet, said Wednesday that if Fox pulled its networks from Time Warner Cable, he would "ask the FCC to intervene and mandate continued carriage."

At the same time, in commenting on a similar carriage dispute between Sinclair Broadcast Group and cable company Mediacom in which both sides have agreed to extend their current agreement, Genachowski seemed to indicate that he was not looking to have the regulatory agency make it a practice to get involved in these spats. "Assuming that the parties negotiate in good faith during the extension, therefore, I will not seek a further continuation of carriage absent a new agreement between the parties," he said.

-- Joe Flint

Fox plans ad blitz if signal goes off

John Kerry says he'll push for FCC to get involved in cable fight

News Corp.'s Carey tells Senator John Kerry thanks, but no thanks on arbitration

Chase Carey tells Fox staff signals likely to be pulled from Time Warner Cable

Disney offers support to Fox in battle with Time Warner Cable

Carmen Electra caught up in cable feud

John Kerry weighs in on Fox-Time Warner Cable spat

Photo: FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. Credit: Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images

Five movies to see over New Year's Day holiday
What better way to spend the New Year's holiday than catching up on all that moviewatching. Here are five films we recommend you shouldn't miss.
Bob Mondello: The Year's Top 10 (And Friends)

Hollywood exits 2009 on a high note, with both expensive blue aliens and artful war dramas having left a vivid impression on audiences and critics alike. And the year's $10.5 billion take at the box office is no sneeze-at number, either. Critic Bob Mondello looks back at the year in pictures.

2009-12-30T16:20:00.001-08:00

News Corp.'s Chase Carey tells Sen. John Kerry he's not interested in arbitration with Time Warner Cable

News Corp. chief operating officer Chase Carey is keeping busy today. First he issued a memo to the Fox staff saying he expects the company will tell Time Warner Cable to stop carrying the signals for its local TV stations and several of its cable channels. Now he has written a letter to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass), in response to a letter that Time Warner Cable chief executive Glenn Britt wrote Kerry saying that the cable company would be willing to extend its deal with Fox and enter binding arbitration.

For those just tuning in, News Corp.'s Fox wants Time Warner Cable to pony up about $1 per subscriber, per month for its local TV stations including KTTV Los Angeles and WNYW New York (we mention those two because both are in Time Warner Cable cities). Time Warner Cable has offered about 30 cents per subscriber. Both sides are at a stalemate and the current contract expires at midnight Dec. 31. Other channels involved in the dispute include FX and sports channel Prime Ticket, but the debate here is really over the price for the Fox TV stations.

Sen. Kerry last week wrote both Carey and Britt a letter urging them to make peace so viewers wouldn't be denied a bunch of bowl games on New Years Day and other Fox programming such as "American Idol," which returns in the middle of January.

On Tuesday, Britt wrote Kerry a letter saying he'd be willing to extend the deal and/or enter arbitration. News Corp.'s Carey today wrote the senator and said, "We strongly believe this is an issue that needs to be settled at the bargaining table and that binding arbitration all too often looks to the past, not the future."

Carey went on to write that Fox "needs to level the playing field" with cable networks who are able to command big subscriber fees without getting the ratings Fox gets.

Time Warner Cable's Britt said in his letter to Kerry that Fox is making "unprecedented demands for cash compensation for its broadcast signals."

With the deadline fast approaching, it appears the rhetoric is really starting to skyrocket. Fox is gambling that losing some ad revenue and viewers by having its signal go off of Time Warner Cable is worth it if it can squeeze some money out down the road.

--Â Joe Flint

Chase Carey tells Fox staff signals likely to be pulled from Time Warner Cable

Disney offers support to Fox in battle with Time Warner Cable

Carmen Electra caught up in cable feud

John Kerry weighs in on Fox-Time Warner Cable spat

Broadcasters' tough talk with cable is not without risks

News Corp.'s Chase Carey ready for battle with Time Warner CableÂ

Time Warner Cable takes aim at programmers

The Star Report: Fergie's got a feelin' for Vegas
The Black Eyed Peas perform in Vegas. Plus: Nicole Richie and Mario Lopez, and a Katharine Hepburn postage stamp.
Innocence In Question, Bound Up In 'White Ribbon'

Something is amiss in the German village of Eichwald, and the problem isn't an isolated one: The White Ribbon is a film from Cache director Michael Haneke, so the something that's wrong is, well, everything. (Recommended)

2009-12-29T16:20:00.001-08:00

So far, Charlie Sheen's arrest has had no effect on 'Two and a Half Men' ratings

The ratings for Monday night's rerun of "Two and a Half Men" on CBS appeared to be on par with what repeats of the show have been averaging and did not rise or fall in the aftermath of star Charlie Sheen's Christmas Day arrest on suspicion of second-degree assault of his wife, Brooke Mueller.

"Two and a Half Men" was seen by about 11 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That is off only about 400,000 viewers from what reruns of the show have averaged this season, and that drop can be attributed to fewer households watching television this week. The week between Christmas and New Year's is not usually a big TV-viewing week. Instead, that time is used for fighting with family and going to movies.

Of course, it is way too soon to say whether Sheen's most recent arrest will have any negative effect on the TV show. Sheen, not exactly a poster boy for good behavior, has managed quite a few professional comebacks in his career. Interestingly, his character on "Two and a Half Men" is a that of a hard-drinking womanizer.Â

The real test for the show will be when new episodes return next month. If the story has legs and continues to generate tabloid headlines, it could end up improving ratings, at least initially.

CBS' deal for "Two and Half Men," which is produced by Warner Bros. TV, runs for another two seasons after this one ends. Sheen is one of the highest-paid actors on television with a salary estimated to be north of $800,000 per episode.

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men." Credit: Greg Gayne / Warner Bros.

The Star Report: Jail term looms for Lil Wayne
Plea deal calls for a year behind bars for singer. Meanwhile, Susan Boyle takes on Tokyo, and Jimmy Smits performs on stage.
In A New Biography, Monk Minus The Myth

Robin D.G. Kelley spent 14 years on a new book, which some are calling the definitive work on a jazz legend. In Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original, he portrays the great pianist as a trained musician, a psychiatric case and a father.

What does 2010 hold for media? We take some guesses.

2009-12-28T16:20:00.001-08:00

What does 2010 hold for media? We take some guesses.

Like hangovers and resolutions that will never be kept, predictions are a tradition of the new year.Â

With that in mind, we offer up our own prognostications. Some are obvious (come 2011, Jay Leno won't be on NBC's prime time; MGM will be sold) and some are out there (Disney will make a play for video game publisher Electronic Arts; Washington will throw some tough regulations at the cable industry in an effort to rein in programming costs).

Of course, saying MGM will be sold is a little bit of a "boy who cried wolf" prediction, so we'll go a step further and predict that Time Warner will beat out News Corp. for the foundering studio. News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch has shown a little restraint lately, such as when he pulled out of bidding for the Travel Channel (after raising the price). Also, Murdoch is going to spend much of the next year focusing on his battle with Google and other aggregators.

Meanwhile, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes is sitting on a pile of cash. If Time Warner grabs MGM, Warner Bros. gets total ownership of "The Hobbit," which could succeed Harry Potter as the studio's next big franchise.

On the executive-shuffle front, look for a lot of jockeying to succeed Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer in 2011. Expect TV chief Bruce Rosenblum and Home Entertainment Group president Kevin Tsujihara to duke it out for Meyer's office, but don't be surprised if dark horse Phil Kent, who oversees Turner Broadcasting, emerges as a serious contender.

Assuming the Comcast-NBC deal closes next year (and, heck, even if it doesn't), expect a lot churn in the executive suites. A joke making the rounds in the industry asks whether, among NBC Universal's Jeff Zucker and Jeff Gaspin and Comcast's programming chief Jeff Shell, there aren't too many Jeffs in the kitchen.

For the rest of our guesses, please see our story here. And if we happen to luck out and be right on any of these, we promise not to say "toldja!"

Make some predictions of your own. Leave us a comment and we'll run the best ones. Try to keep it clean!

-- Joe Flint

Photos: Top: News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch. Credit: Amy Sussaman / Getty Images. Bottom: Time Warner's Jeff Bewkes. Credit: Evan Agostini / Associated Press.

'Riverdance' farewell tour coming to San Jose
The average dancer in this show, which runs Tuesday through Sunday at the Center for the Performing Arts, taps out approximately 46,000 beats per show.
Kailash Kher: Melding Music And Spirituality

In a country of more than a billion people, with one of the biggest film industries in the world, Kailash Kher has made a significant mark on India's music world. Kher and his band Kailasa have helped transform the music of a country dominated by the pop music of its film industry. Here, Kailasa stops by NPR's Studio 4A for a performance and conversation with host Michel Martin.

2009-12-27T16:20:00.001-08:00

Christmas gift for Hollywood: Biggest weekend in box office history

The movie industry finished a monster year with the biggest film-going weekend in recent history.

Estimated total theatrical receipts of $278 million from Friday through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada weren't just the largest ever recorded, according to Box Office at Hollywood.com,Â but also the highest number of tickets ever sold in a three-day period, 37.3 million, since precise data started to be collected around 1985.

The next four biggest box-office weekends were all dominated by one picture that grossed well over $100 million -- "The Dark Knight," "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," and two "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels. But the last three days smashed the record despite a No. 1 picture, "Avatar," that sold a comparatively modest $75 million worth of tickets.

This appears to be the first weekend ever, according to several studio executives, that three separate movies each grossed more than $50 million domestically.

All of the stars seemed to align for Hollywood as Christmas Day fell on a Friday, numerous strong movies debuted or had recently opened, and audiences had been flocking to theaters all year despite the recession.

"When you have so many great choices for everybody and it's this timeof year, people just love going to the movies," said Nikki Rocco, president of Universal Picturesdomestic distribution.

Of the five new movies opening or expanding across the country, all but one did well or extremely well. Warner Bros.' new version of "Sherlock Holmes," starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law, opened to aÂ strong $65.4 million and an audience that was evenly split between those over and under 30 and only slightly more male than female. In the 17 foreign markets where it also debuted, "Sherlock" collected an additional $26 million, with Holmes' home country, England, leading the way.

Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" collected $50.2 million over the weekend and $77.1 million since it debuted Wednesday. Its crowds were 70% families and heavily Latino. "The Squeakquel" also grossed $36.5 million from the 42 foreign markets where it launched. That's more than twice as much as the first "Alvin" opened to in the same countries in 2007.

"It's Complicated" started with $22.1 million domestically, a solid debut for a romantic comedy from director Nancy Meyers. Paramount Pictures expanded its critically acclaimed George Clooney drama "Up in the Air" nationwide for the first time to a decent $11.8 million, bringing its gross so far to $24.5 million.

The only flop this weekend was "Nine," the big-screen adaptation of the Broadway musical from the Weinstein Co. and co-financier Relativity Media. The movie debuted around the country to just $5.5 million, bringing its total since last weekend to $5.9 million. The Weinstein Co. head of operations, David Glasser, said the studio will be pulling back the movie, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz and Nicole Kidman, from smaller cities in the Midwest where it performed poorly and focus advertising on big coastal cities. "Nine" will need to perform extremely well in those markets and get more awards recognition to avoid being a dud for the financially troubled Weinstein Co. and Relativity, which together spent about $64 million, after the benefit of tax credits, to make the film.

The boom in moviegoing also benefited several pictures already in the market, most notably "Avatar," which saw ticket sales decline only 3% from its debut to $75 million. With $212.3 million domestically already, the costly James Cameron-directed 3-D epic is on its way to more than $400 million domestically. Overseas, it already has grossed a phenomenal $405 million, including $145 million this weekend in 108 markets.

Ticket sales for long-running hit "The Blind Side" actually rose 17%, while "Invictus" got a boost after two soft weekends with a 4% jump.Â Disney's animated feature "The Princess and the Frog," however, experienced the biggest drop of any movie in the top 10, 29%, a sign that it's not recovering well from a so-so debut.

Still, the coming week should be lucrative even for movies that struggled this weekend. With kids out of school, many people off work and no new films debuting, theaters are expected to be packed through next Sunday.

"Every day this week will be like a Saturday," said Bert Livingston, senior vice president of domestic distribution for Fox.

"It's Complicated" got an average grade of A- from audiences, according to market research firm CinemaScore, while "Alvin" got an A. That means those movies should benefit the most from word-of-mouth in the coming days. "Sherlock" and "Up in the Air" both got Bs, an average grade from typically generous moviegoers. That could be a cause for concern for Paramount, since "Up in the Air" has gotten extremely positive reviews.

At four theaters in Los Angeles and New York, the Terry Gilliam-directed "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," which stars Johnny Depp and the late Heath Ledger, opened to a so-so $130,000.

Here are the top 10 movies at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates and Hollywood.com:

1. "Avatar" (Fox/Dune/Ingenious): $75 million, down just 3% from its opening and $145 million from foreign countries. $212.3 million domestic total. $405 million international total.

2. "Sherlock Holmes" (Warner Bros./Village Roadshow): $65.4 million debut. $26 million internationally.

3. "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" (Fox/New Regency): $50.2 million over the weekend, $77.1 million since Wednesday in the U.S. and Canada. Overseas, it opened to $36.5 million.

4. "It's Complicated" (Universal/Relativity): Opened to $22.1 million and an additional $5.4 million from 11 foreign countries.

5. "Up in the Air" (Paramount/Montecito): $11.8 million on its first weekend nationwide. $24.5 million including its last three weeks in limited release.

6. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros./Alcon): $11.7 million on its sixth weekend, up 17%. $184.4 million total.

7. "The Princess and the Frog" (Disney): $8.7 million, down 29% on its fifth weekend (third weekend in wide release). $63.4 million so far in the U.S. and Canada.

8. "Nine" (Weinstein/Relativity): $5.5 million this weekend, $5.9 million total including its first week in four theaters.

9. "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" (Sony/Relativity): Fell 24% on its second weekend to $5 million, bringing its domestic take so far to $16 million.

10. "Invictus" (Warner Bros./Spyglass): $4.4 million, up 4% on its third weekend. $23.4 million so far domestically.

-- Ben Fritz

Top photo: Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr. in "Sherlock Holmes." Credit: Alex Bailey / Warner Bros.

Second photo: Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin and Lake Bell in "It's Complicated." Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures

Jon Gosselin's New York City apartment trashed over holidays
NEW YORK — Jon Gosselin's lawyer says someone slashed, stole and smashed furniture and other items in the reality star's New York City apartment while he spent Christmas with his children in Pennsylvania.
Movies That Should Die With The Decade

Ever slap down $10 for a ticket for a film so foul you choked on the popcorn? It's time for payback. Film critic Bob Mondello names the worst offenders of the past 10 years.

2009-12-26T16:20:00.001-08:00

Teens pick their tops in movies, TV, Facebook groups for 2009
With all that has gone on in 2009, it's been hard to keep track of what has been going on in teens' lives. In order to refresh your memory, here's a list of the Life in Perspective teen board's Top Fives of 2009.
A 'Top Chef' Cooks Up A Warming Winter Soup

Supermarket produce shelves can be bleak in December, but the humble cauliflower is in season. Top Chef finalist Carla Hall shares her recipe for a cream of cauliflower soup to warm the winter nights.

2009-12-25T16:20:00.001-08:00

Review: Even with a cast of Oscar winners, 'Nine' is nowhere near a 10
The main problem with this screen musical version of Fellini's '81/2' is a boorish male leading character, combined with a repetitive storyline and glitzy production numbers that explode on screen only to jar you out of the mood and moment.
Rosanne Cash Runs Down Her Father's 'List'

When Cash was 18, her father (you know him as Johnny) gave her a list of 100 essential country songs to help the budding singer-songwriter understand the music that came before her. After holding on to it for decades, Rosanne Cash has turned that gift into an album. This interview first aired on Oct. 5, 2009.

The most memorable celebrity quotes

2009-12-24T16:20:00.001-08:00

Movie projector: Christmas weekend could be biggest in box-office history

When "Sherlock Holmes" producer Joel Silver ran into "Avatar" director James Cameron this month in London, where both were promoting their movies, there was an undeniable tinge of rivalry.

"I said to him, 'Please leave some money on the table for us,'" Silver recalled. "He said, 'Oh, people will see them both.'"

With five movies opening or expanding nationwide and "Avatar" still doing gangbusters business, the question for nearly every major studio this weekend is just how much money there is on the table.

The only sure thing at the box office on Christmas weekend: Hollywood is poised to finish a record-breaking year with what will quite possibly be the highest-grossing weekend ever for the industry.

According to people who closely follow surveys and box-office returns, total tickets sales this weekend in the U.S. and Canada could total more than $260.8 million, the record set in July 2008 when "The Dark Knight" opened.

Christmas falling on a Friday is perfect for the industry because that means the following day, always a huge one for movies, falls on a Saturday, which is also traditionally the busiest filmgoing day of the week.

Despite the competition, "Avatar" is almost certain to be No. 1 again. After a solid but not spectacular $77-million debut last weekend impeded by snow on the East Coast, the costly 3-D epic has set records for the highest-grossing Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday outside of the summer and opening days. As of Wednesday, it has grossed a total of $125.9 million domestically.

With such strong momentum going into its second weekend, the $280-million production will certainly gross more than $60 million and could exceed $70 million once again.

Two other new movies are tracking very well and will probably compete closely for the No. 2 ranking. "Sherlock Holmes," which Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Entertainment financed for $90 million, is generating interest among all audience segments based on the brand name, the appeal of star Robert Downey Jr., and a successful marketing campaign. It's expected to generate $45 million to $60 million Friday through Sunday.

If it beats "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" in the weekend box-office rankings, that will be because Fox's sequel already had two days in the market. The second installment of the singing rodents' big-screen adventures opened on Wednesday to a very strong $18.7 million. Though it's primarily a family movie, "Alvin" is generating decent pre-release interest among adults as well. It also looks to be particularly popular with Latino moviegoers.

What movie will be No. 2 at the box office over Christmas weekend?(survey)

While "Alvin," "Sherlock" and "Avatar" clump in the $45-million-plus range, three other new films will be closer together under $20 million. Universal Pictures' new Nancy Meyers-directed comedy, "It's Complicated," is on track to open to $15 million to $20 million. That's similar to previous Meyers comedies "The Holiday" and "Something's Gotta Give," which debuted to $12.8 million and $16 million in December of 2006 and 2003, respectively.

Both of those movies played strongly for several weeks, particular "Something's Gotta Give," which ultimately grossed $125 million. Positive word of mouth and a long box-office life will be key for "It's Complicated," because Universal and its financing partner Relativity Media spent about $85 million to produce the movie, which stars Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin.

After three very strong weeks in limited release and six Golden Globe nominations, Paramount Pictures' George Clooney drama "Up in the Air" expanded nationwide Wednesday. It will probably gross $10 million to $15 million this weekend.

The one potential disappointment is Weinstein Co.'s "Nine," which debuted strongly in limited release last weekend but has gotten mostly negative reviews. The people following pre-release surveys say the Broadway musical adaptation, on which the Weinsteins and Relativity Media spent a reported $64 million, will probably struggle to collect $10 million this weekend.

For every new movie, however, Christmas weekend is just the beginning of what studios hope will be a very strong 10-day period. With children out of school and many people not working, weekdays next week should be particularly crowded at theaters. No new movies are opening on New Year's Day, meaning the pictures debuting this week will dominate the box office once again.

Several movies still in release will probably be a factor over the holiday weekend. Walt Disney Studios is particularly looking for its animated feature "The Princess and the Frog" to play well after an unimpressive first two weeks.

In limited release, Sony Pictures Classics opens Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," which stars Johnny Depp and the late Heath Ledger, at four theaters in Los Angeles and New York City.

-- Ben Fritz

Times staff writer Chris Lee contributed to this report.

Top photo: Jude Law, Robert Downey Jr. and Rachel McAdams in "Sherlock Holmes." Credit: Alex BaileyÂ / Warner Bros.

Bottom photo: Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep in "It's Complicated." Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon / Universal Pictures.

The most memorable celebrity quotes
"I am a man who never regrets when anything happens but learns from it. I have no plans of dating. I donÂ't care what people say about me because I am not going to please them."
Log off
FIRST, LET'S get one thing straight: I have no reason to hate the Yule Log. Unlike other celebrities, he hasn't cheated on his wife. He has never embarrassed himself on an awards show.
Why We Love (Or Love To Hate) Memoirs

From St. Augustine's Confessions, to Frederick Douglass' journey from slave to abolitionist, to Sarah Palin's account of "going rogue," the experiences, triumphs and travails of others have enthralled readers for centuries. Journalist and author Ben Yagoda discusses his new book, Memoir: A History.

2009-12-23T16:20:00.001-08:00

Disney chief Bob Iger's bonus falls from 2008, but overall pay is similar

Walt Disney Co.'s chief executive Bob Iger received a total compensation package worth $29 million in 2009 -- a tad less than the $30.6 million of a year earlier.

In addition to his base salary of $2 million, Iger received stock valued at $6.3 million and options worth another $8.3 million. He collected a $9.3-million bonus -- a 33% drop from a year earlier, reflecting the company's weaker financial performance, according to Disney's proxy statement filed today with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Net income at the Burbank media conglomerate fell 25% in fiscal 2009 from a year earlier, with significant declines at Disney's movie studio and weaker earnings at the company's theme parks because of aggressive discounting.

The value of Iger's pension plan rose by $2.3 million, a shift in the theoretical cost to the company (should Iger retire immediately) caused by a drop in the federal discount rate.

Among the perquisites Iger received was $589,102 to cover the cost of security equipment and services. His personal air travel cost $132,374. Other expenses, including reimbursement for a health club membership or equipment and a car, totaled $14,400.

In 2008, Disney disclosed Iger had received an 11% raise despite a drop in net income for the entertainment giant. The executive's total compensation was announced two weeks before ABC television announced it would eliminate 400 jobs through layoffs and leaving positions unfilled.

--Dawn C. Chmielewski

'The Help' Author Says Criticism Makes Her 'Cringe'

Kathryn Stockett's first novel, The Help, has become a New York Times best-seller — and it has its readers buzzing about its racial themes. She says the book is not autobiographical, even though she was raised in Mississippi with a black maid. But Stockett says criticism over how she characterizes the black maids makes her "cringe."

John Kerry weighs in on News Corp.-Time Warner Cable feud

2009-12-22T16:20:00.001-08:00

John Kerry weighs in on News Corp.-Time Warner Cable feud

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) doesn't want Time Warner Cable and News Corp.'s feud messing up everyone's New Year's Day football plans.

In a letter to News Corp. President Chase Carey and Time Warner Cable Chairman and Chief Executive Glenn Britt, Kerry encouraged them to resolve their spat by New Year's Day so viewership of the big college football games aren't disrupted.

"We do not want consumers waking up on the first day of the new year wanting to watch football and instead finding that they have to take a trip to the electronics store to purchase a digital receiver in the hope that they receive a clear over-the-air signal," he said in his letter. Kerry is chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communication,Technology, and the Internet -- which means his letter will actually beread by the two companies.

At issue are so-called retransmission consent fees that News Corp. wants Time Warner Cable to pay to continue carrying its Fox TV stations. The cost is said to be about $1 per subscriber, per month. Both companies have launched ad campaigns blaming the other for hardball negotiations and trying to gouge consumers.

While he acknowledged that this was a private negotiation, Kerry alsolet the two companies know that anything that would disrupt the NewYear's Day tradition of football watching would probably not sit too well with the country or on Capitol Hill.

He wrote: "If both parties conclude that the best alternative to a negotiatedagreement is to have screens go dark for consumers, then they will haveneglected the core interests of the millions of households thatsubscribe to Time Warner Cable in affected markets. As leaders of majorcompanies that are FCC licensees and are obligated to serve the publicinterest, I hope and expect that you will resolve this matterconsistent with those obligations."

In a statement, Fox said, "For months, Fox has been negotiating in good faith with Time Warner Cable. Our position in these negotiations is entirely reasonable -- we are simply asking for fair compensation for the impressive value our Fox programming offers. We will continue to actively negotiate with Time Warner Cable in hopes of reaching a fair agreement."

Time Warner Cable said, "Fox is in control of whether our customers will be able to continue to view programming after the agreement expires. We hope Fox wonât punish our customers by taking their programming away while we try to reach an agreement."

It's a game of chicken. We'll see who blinks first.

-- Joe Flint

Broadcasters tough talk with cable is not without risks

News Corp.'s Chase Carey ready for battle with Time Warner CableÂ

Time Warner Cable takes aim at programmers

Photo: Sen. John Kerry. Credit: Henning Bagger / EPA

The Star Report: James Cameron Has a New Look and Darth Vader Storms the NYSE
James Cameron might be planning a trip to Mars. Or just attending an "Avatar" premiere in Japan. Plus: Darth Vader, Mary Blige.
Review: Michael Crichton's 'Pirate Latitudes'

Last year, when the best-selling novelist Michael Crichton died, he left behind a completed novel. It's set in the mid-17th century Caribbean. And it's about pirates. Alan Cheuse reviews the Michael Crichton novel Pirate Latitudes.

Slide Show: Best movies of 2009

2009-12-21T16:20:00.001-08:00

Hollywood's push to open up China gets a big boost from WTO

Hollywood has won a big battle in its fight to open up the Chinese market.

The World Trade Organization today threw out China's appeal of its earlier ruling that said Beijing can't force foreign media firms to distribute their content through Chinese-owned entities.

"With todayâs rejection of Chinaâs appeal, the WTO has taken a majorstep forward in leveling the playing field for Americaâs creativeindustries seeking to do business in China," said Motion Picture Assn. of America Chairman and Chief Executive Dan Glickman in a statement.Â

When China appealed the WTO ruling three months ago, it charged that the WTO had "committed errors of law and legal interpretation" in its decision that dismissed China's claims that it needed the restrictions to "protect public morals."

Glickman said, "Gaining access to the Chinese market is of the utmost importance to the working men and women of this country." The WTO decision, he added, also will boost the fight to protect intellectual property. "In spite of all the restrictions we face, there is no shortage of U.S.filmed entertainment in China. Unfortunately, far too much of it ispirated."

Still in place, much to Hollywood's chagrin, is China's quota of only allowing 20 movies per year from around the world inside its borders.

-- Joe Flint
Slide Show: Best movies of 2009
Here are some of the movies we saw in 2009 that stood out. Let us know what your favorites were.
Kids' Favorite Sandra Boynton Makes Music Video

Illustrator, kids' book author and songwriter Sandra Boynton can add filmmaker to her resume. She has turned her song One Shoe Blues into a music video starring B.B. King and an ensemble of colorful sock puppets. Boynton tells NPR she makes no distinction between kids and adults who will enjoy her work.

COLOMBIA: Chicha, Fashionable Survivor
BOGOTÃ, Dec 21 (IPS)Chicha, a traditional homemade brew produced all the way from Mexico to Chile since the days of the Inca, has largely been a rural drink over the centuries. But it is enjoying a new popularity in bars and restaurants in BogotÃ¡ and other Colombian cities, as a hip alternative to mass-produced beer.

2009-12-20T16:20:00.001-08:00

Could 'Avatar' hit $1 billion?

20th Century Fox's $430-million bet on James Cameron is off to a rip-roaring start and set up for a huge holiday haul.

"Avatar" sold a studio-estimated $232.2 million worth of tickets around the world this weekend, the ninth-biggest global debut of all time not accounting for ticket-price inflation. It was the biggest ever for a non-sequel, a sign that Fox's marketing machine succeeded in generating huge interest in a picture whose name alone didn't have much built-in excitement, as evidenced by modestly attended midnight screenings Thursday night.

The film's $73-million domestic gross was, like every movie in the market, significantly affected Saturday by snowstorms that kept East Coast audiences, from Washington, D.C., through New England, off the roads. Grosses were noticeably lower in Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore -- as well as in New Orleans and Dallas due to the Cowboys-Saints match-up Saturday, which had been hotly anticipated.

Nonetheless, it was a solid performance, the second-biggest for December. Perhaps more importantly, those who saw the movie enjoyed it. Every demographic gave "Avatar" an average grade of A, according to market research firm CinemaScore, meaning those who didn't turn out for opening weekend will be getting strong recommendations from those who did. The combination of Christmas falling on a Friday and positive word of mouth has Fox executives buzzing that "Avatar" could gross nearly as much on its second weekend as its first and hit $200 million by the end of the year in the U.S. and Canada.

The big money for "Avatar," however, is coming from the rest of the world. Despite not yet having opened in Japan and China and frigid weather in northern Europe, it collected $159.2 million, the sixth-highest simultaneous foreign launch of all time. When accounting for the absence of those two big Asian markets, it was No. 4, behind only the sixth "Harry Potter" movie, the third "Spider-Man" and the third "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Because of China's annual limit on foreign films, "Avatar" can't open there until Jan. 2. It debuts in Japan on Wednesday. With big grosses expected in those countries, where effects-laden tent-pole movies tend to do very well, and very strong momentum everywhere else, "Avatar" will almost certainly gross more than half a billion dollars internationally. If it performs as well as recent overseas smash hits like "2012" and if the domestic take hits $300 million or more, both of which appear possible at the moment, "Avatar" could become the fifth movie to ever top $1 billion in worldwide box office.

The largest factor in its performance beyond word of mouth is 3-D. One of the reasons for the spectacularly high cost of "Avatar" is the advanced digital 3-D technology developed by Cameron and his team. Domestically, theaters with 3-D screens accounted for 71% of the movie's gross despite representing only 60% of theaters. Overseas, the disparity was far more dramatic, as 25% of screens and 51% of ticket sales were in 3-D.

If the movie's momentum continues, Fox and its financing partners Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners could come close to profitability based on theatrical revenues alone. Studios typically receive half of a movie's domestic and 40% of its international box-office revenue. Future revenue from DVD, television and other markets would then put them well into the black. The three companies spent about $280 million to produce "Avatar" after the benefit of tax credits, and Fox spent an additional $150 million to market and distribute it worldwide.

With "Avatar" dominating the box office and snow hurting the industry Saturday night, there was little other good news. Sony Pictures and Relativity Media's $58-million romantic comedy "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" flopped, debuting to just $7 million. Disney's and Warner Bros.' hopes that their movies "The Princess and the Frog" and "Invictus," both of which had so-so starts last weekend, would decline modestly proved futile. Both dropped by about 50%.

Nonetheless, total industry revenue was up a phenomenal 52% from the same weekend a year earlier, when the No. 1 movie, "Yes Man," grossed just $18.3 million.

Among awards contenders in limited release, Weinstein Co.'s musical adaptation "Nine" had a strong start, but Fox Searchlight's country music drama "Crazy Heart," starring Jeff Bridges, did not. The critically acclaimed George Clooney drama "Up in the Air" continued its impressive run as it expanded to 175 theaters (for more details, see our earlier box-office report).

Here are the top 10 movies at the domestic box office according to studio estimates and Hollywood.com:

1. "Avatar" (Fox/Dune/Ingenious): Opened to $73 million in the U.S. and Canada, $159.2 million in 106 foreign countries.

2. "The Princess and the Frog" (Disney): Off 50% on its second weekend playing nationwide to $12.2 million. Domestic total: $44.8 million.

3. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros./Alcon): $10 million, down just 33% on its fifth weekend. U.S. and Canadian total: $164.7 million.

4. "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" (Sony/Relativity): Debuted to $7 million.

5. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (Summit): Off 45% on its fifth weekend to $4.4 million, bringing its domestic take to $274.6 million.

6. "Invictus" (Warner Bros./Spyglass): Fell 52% on its second weekend to $4.2 million. Domestic total: $15.9 million.

7. "A Christmas Carol" (Disney): $3.4 million, down 50% on its seventh weekend. $130.8 million so far.

8. "Up in the Air" (Paramount/Montecito): $3.1 million as it more than doubled its theater count to 175. U.S and Canadian gross so far: $8.1 million.

9. "Brothers" (Lionsgate): $2.6 million, down 48% on its third weekend. $22.1 million domestic total.

10. "Old Dogs" (Disney): $2.3 million on its fourth weekend, down 48%. Domestic take to date: $43.6 million.

--Ben Fritz

Top photo: Sam Worthington (seated) and James Cameron (standing) on the set of "Avatar." Credit: Mark Fellman / 20th Century Fox.

Bottom photo: Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant in "Did You Hear About the Morgans?" Credit: Barry Wetcher / Sony Pictures.

Actress Brittany Murphy dead at 32
A Los Angeles hospital spokeswoman says actress Brittany Murphy has died. She was 32. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Spokeswoman Sally Stewart says Murphy died at 10:04 a.
The Symbolism Of Disney's Princess Tiana

One of the hottest toys this Christmas season is Disney's newest princess, Tiana. Host Guy Raz visits a Target store in Washington, D.C., to talk to moms about what a difference Disney's first African-American princess makes for their kids.

News Corp. talks to acquire MGM reach impasse

2009-12-19T16:20:00.001-08:00

News Corp. talks to acquire MGM reach impasse

News Corp.'s negotiations to acquire troubled Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. have reached an impasse over the deal's nondisclosure agreement, according to a person close to the negotiations who requested anonymity.

MGM has an unusually restrictive nondisclosure clause that executives at News Corp.'s Fox Studio felt would place the company at risk if they signed it, the person said.

Fox is interested in MGM's valuable 4,000-title film library, which includes the well-known James Bond and "Pink Panther" series. News Corp., or any other buyer, could make new installments of these series. The studio also has an interest in the forthcoming "Hobbit" movies that will be produced by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson.

MGM, once one of the premiere studios in Hollywood, has released only one film this year: a remake of the 1980s dance film "Fame," which was a box office disappointment.

This summer, MGM Chief Executive Harry Sloan was ousted from the debt-ridden independent studio and replaced by Stephen F. Cooper, a restructuring expert who previously led Enron Corp.

In November, the studio reached an agreement with lenders to forgo interest payments on its crushing $3.7-billion debt until Jan. 31. MGM is trying to restructure its debt to avoid bankruptcy.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski, Ben Fritz and Claudia Eller

Slide Show: Celebrity deaths of 2009
Here, through pictures, we remember just some of the lives of entertainers and celebrities who died in 2009.
Terry Gilliam: The 'Imaginarium' That Almost Wasn't

The director of Brazil and 12 Monkeys returns to the big screen this month with a new entry in his legendarily eccentric film catalog: a fantastical Imaginarium that almost didn't get finished.

Broadcasters' tough talk with cable is not without risks

2009-12-18T16:20:00.001-08:00

Broadcasters' tough talk with cable is not without risks

Are broadcasters getting too brash in their push to get cable operators to pay big bucks to carry their television stations?

That's what one industry analyst is wondering. In his Dec. 18 report (registration required) on the heated retransmission consent negotiations between Time Warner Cable and News Corp.'s Fox, Pali Research's Rich Greenfield warns that all the tough talk from broadcasters could draw some government scrutiny.

"We are actually quite surprised at how openly (and aggressively) the senior executives are talking about retrans -- as we would fear that the government would begin to look at them as a cartel," Greenfield wrote. He added that since broadcasters use the public airwaves for their programming (which they get for free) and there is a Democratic majority at the Federal Communications Commission, "a fine line must be walked."

Greenfield cites tough talk from News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey, who said at a recent investors conference that since ESPN gets almost $4 per subscriber per month from distributors, and Fox has the World Series and a Super Bowl every few years, that could "probably justify $5 per subscriber." CBS Chief Executive Leslie Moonves said at the same conference that he is "rooting" for Carey in the spat. Bob Iger, the chief executive of ABC parent Walt Disney Co. and NBC Universal chief Jeff Zucker have also struck similar tones on the subject.

News Corp. and Fox turned up the volume in its clash with Time Warner Cable, taking out advertisements telling consumers the cable company is trying to take away their favorite shows, such as professional football and "American Idol." Time Warner Cable, for its part, already launched a campaign criticizing programmers for raising costs. Although the company did not mention Fox by name, it's pretty clear who the advertisements are aimed at. Fox is looking for $1 per subscriber, per month from Time Warner Cable to carry its local TV stations, including KTTV-TV Los Angeles.

Usually these disputes are resolved before a signal gets pulled. The last major battle that resulted in a channel going dark was in 2000, when Disney pulled ABC's signals off Time Warner Cable during the May sweeps.

However, with Fox asking $1, Pali's Greenfield thinks this time the signal will go off. Fox, he says, has the leverage, but it is not a one-sided battle. AndÂ if both sides refuse to back down, they run the risk of government intervention. Then they both lose.

-- Joe Flint

Photo: Chase Carey; credit: Fred Prouser / Reuters

News Corp.'s Chase Carey ready for battle with Time Warner CableÂ

Time Warner Cable takes aim at programmers

Reality show winner faces hard, cold reality
'Project Runway' not much of a boost for designer Siriano
Proposed Uganda Law: If You See A Homosexual, Call The Police

The Ugandan Parliament is considering a bill that would increase penalties for homosexuality, in some cases making it punishable by death. Host Michel Martin talks to NPR's East Africa Correspondent Gwen Thompkins about reaction to the anti-gay bill, what its passage could mean for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in Uganda and the contested role a group of American Evangelical pastors have played in drumming up support for the bill

Movie projector: 'Avatar' headed for $200 million-plus worldwide opening

2009-12-17T16:20:00.001-08:00

Movie projector: 'Avatar' headed for $200 million-plus worldwide opening

One of the most expensive movies of all time is poised for a huge box office debut this weekend, though nowhere close to the biggest ever.

"Avatar" will likely gross about $80 million from Friday through Sunday in the U.S. and Canada, according to several people who have seen pre-release public surveys. Thanks to largely positive reviews, however, the people said the movie could easily outperform what polling currently indicates and end up even higher.

People close to the studio said executives are concerned about managing expectations for their costly picture going into the weekend. Fox's domestic distribution president Bruce Snyder said he expects the movie to open to $50 million to $60 million.

Overseas, where the James Cameron-directed 3-D spectacle is opening this week in 106 countries, including every major market except Italy, Japan and China, it will likely sell more than $100 million worth of tickets and could easily collect around $150 million.

That will put "Avatar" among the 20 biggest worldwide launches ever, although well behind such hugely successful pictures as "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Spider-Man 3" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End,"Â all of which debuted withÂ more than $300 million.

Twentieth Century Fox and its financing partners Dune Entertainment and Ingenious Film Partners will need "Avatar" to ultimately be one of the most successful movies ever to turn a profit on their massive investment. The three companies spent about $310 million to produce the movie, a total brought down to $280 million after tax credits from New Zealand, where its special effects were done by Peter Jackson's Weta Digital. Additionally, Fox has investedÂ about $150 million to market and distribute the movie worldwide.

The two weekends leading up to Christmas have historically been relatively slow at the box office as people are busy shopping and preparing for holiday travel. The strongest debut at this time of year previously was "I Am Legend," with Will Smith, which opened to $77.2 million domestically in 2007. However, next weekend, which kicks off with Christmas on a Friday, is expected to be particularly strong and possibly set an industry record. If word of mouth is as positive as reviews have been, "Avatar" could defy the typical industry trends and not decline significantly in its second weekend, even though it will be joined in theaters by the highly anticipated new releases "Sherlock Holmes" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel."

Pre-release surveys indicate that overall awareness of "Avatar" this week is massive, a sign that Fox's marketing and publicity campaign has been a success. Amongst those aware of the film, men are overwhelmingly interested in it, particularly those over 30. Women aren't as enthusiastic, however, especially teenage girls. The opening weekend audience will likely be heavily tilted towards males. The big question for Fox is whether women will show up in subsequent weeks.

"Avatar" will benefit from surcharges at theaters with digital 3-D projection. About 60% of its theaters in the U.S. and Canada are showing the movie in 3-D and about 30% internationally. Because Cameron shot "Avatar" using new 3-D technology, which has been a heavy part of the movie's publicity and advertising, the vast majority of its grosses are expected to come from screens that can display it. Imax large-format 3-D screens will likely be particularly lucrative.

Forty-four percent of advance ticket purchases at online ticket seller Fandango are for Imax screens, while 43% are standard size 3-D and just 13% are 2-D. At competitor MovieTickets.com, 55% are Imax 3-D, 31% are regular 3-D, and 14% are 2-D.

The movie is not among the top sellers of all time on Fadango or MovieTickets.com,Â probably because it is not a sequel to a well-known franchise for which there is more pent-up interest. As a result, ticket sales at tonight's midnight shows willÂ probably be big, but not close to the $22.2 million record set by "The Twilight Saga: New Moon."

What will "Avatar" open to domestically?(polling)

The only other movie opening this weekend is the romantic comedy "Did You Hear About the Morgans?," which is aimed at women. However, audience interest seems to be minimal, with the film expected to open to around $10 million. Sony Pictures and Relativity Media funded the movie, which stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant, for $58 million. Sony is hoping the movie will continue to play through the holidays and perform better overseas as most Grant's romantic comedies have historically done.

--Ben Fritz

"Avatar" review

Hoping "Avatar" is the new face of filmmaking

"Avatar" coverage on Hero Complex blog

Photo: Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana in "Avatar." Credit: 20th Century Fox.

Music President speaks out
Singer Igwe Prezda Bandasonn celebrates double joy of releasing an album, Stella Rachel, and dedicating it to his wife Stella Rachael Khaemba after a grand wedding last week, writes Caroline Nyanga.
Review: 'AurÃ©lia's Oratorio' is effervescent fun
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For 'Avatar,' An Unprecedented Marketing Push

The PR campaign for the movie Avatar is unprecedented in its complexity and technology. Jesse Baker reports on how director James Cameron is trying to take a movie based on an original story and build the kind of fan frenzy that comes with a franchise.

BURMA: A Celebration of Life through the Arts under the Junta
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Dec 17 (IPS)The Burmese military spares nothing with its iron grip on power â" not even art.

Jeff Bridges' New 'Dude': A Fallen Country Star

2009-12-16T16:20:00.001-08:00

Roy Disney dies at 79

Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney, has died.

Disney, who had been fighting cancer, died this morning, according to a spokesman for his company Shamrock Holdings.

Although he spent much of his life in the background working for his uncle and his father Roy O. Disney, in his later years he emerged as a major force in keeping the Disney traditions alive. He was instrumental in the hiring of Michael Eisner, who revitalized the company in the 1980s, and in leading a revolt against Eisner earlier this decade that led to his resignation.

For more on the life of Roy E. Disney, please see our coverage here.

Three critics talking TV, Part 1: Let's get 'Lost'

What do the kids really, really want during the holiday season?

To read a transcript of three critics gabbing about television, obviously!

In late October, I was in New York and I had dinner with Time critic James Poniewozik and Newark Star-Ledger critic Alan Sepinwall. I knew we'd end up talking about TV a lot, so I decided to record our conversation and share it with the four people who may wonder what TV critics talk about when they get together. TV, obviously. OK, maybe nobody in the history of the world has ever wondered that.

In any case, I've finally gotten around to editing and post our conversation (I've cleaned up grammar here and there and also slightly condensed a few sections). There are a couple of things you should keep in mind as you read this: The conversation took place Oct. 28, before "Dollhouse's" cancellation became official and before the last two episodes of "Mad Men's" third season aired.

In Part 1 of our chat, we talked mainly about "Lost" (and for some non-spoilery excerpts from a recent interview with the executive producers of that show, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, look here). We talked about "Lost's" long-term influence and what we hope to see in the show's final season, among other things.

In Part 2 and Part 3, which I'll post Thursday and Friday, we talk about various shows, including "Dollhouse," "The Sopranos" and "Mad Men," among other programs.

Ryan: What do you guys think âLost'sâ legacy will be? Is it a one-off or is it going to have some kind of lasting influence? I really go back and forth on that.

Poniewozik: I actually was just thinking about this, because I had not been thinking about âLostâ in the off season, but I started watching the remake of âThe Prisoner,â [which aired Nov. 15-17 on AMC] and you canât watch any iteration of âThe Prisonerâ without thinking about how much âLostâ goes to that.

I donât think âLostâ is a one-off, but I also donât think that weâll see a lot of mini-"Losts" every year after that. I think it [ties into] the theory of the eternal return. There will just be one of them that comes like a comet every 10 years You get your âPrisonerâ and you get your âTwin Peaksâ and you get âLost." There will always be some obsessive who watched âLostâ when he was a kid, or watched the âPrisonerâ when she was a kid or whatever. And so thatâs going to continue to be remade in some way or another.

Sepinwall: But I think the interesting thing that differentiates âLost,â even from âThe Prisoner,â is that âLost,â at least for a while, was insanely popular. It was a cult show with a huge mass audience. And most of that audience has kind of run straight into the time travel and the polar bear cages and all that. But this idea that you can do a show this complicated and this weird and have this much sci-fi content in it and yet get that kind of audience -- I donât know that thatâs ever going to happen again.

Poniewozik: Well, you wonât have that kind of audience again, yeah. [Future shows might not] necessarily need that kind of audience. Yeah, as a mass phenomenon, you may be right.

Sepinwall: And the other thing is â" youâll see lots of shows like this and weâve seen a lot of shows be made like it in the few years that âLostâ has been on, but youâll very rarely see shows this good.

Ryan: Yes.

Sepinwall: "Invasion," "Threshold," âFlash Forwardâ -- itâs like, they are all trying so hard.

Ryan: Right. And I think theyâre getting part of the equation wrong. I had this really illuminating conversation with [former "Lost" writer and current "Fringe" executive producer] Jeff Pinkner about this. Earlier this year, I wrote a story predicated on the whole "serialized versus non-serialized TV" thing -- the broadcast networks certainly seem to be backing away from serialization. Pinkner was sort of saying âLostâ was a stealth show in some ways. It had these genre elements, but it was a character show. The brilliance that allowed âLostâ to get over was that the individual episodes worked as an hour of TV. Early on, it was a procedural of sorts, and the procedure was figuring out, "What happened to that guy? Why is he in a wheelchair?"

So my guess is that maybe the next "Lost" also wonât be in your face about time-travel and so forth. Maybe the next one won't front-load the concept and will sort sneak the weirdness in the back door. I don't know.

Poniewozik: I think thatâs really true. I don't even know that âLostâ was a stealth show in that sense. When it started out, it wasnât the Damon Lindelof show, it was a J.J. Abrams show. J.J. Abrams was generally was concerned first and foremost with the people and the emotions and the stories. And then throw some freaky [stuff] in there and it throws people off balance.

What "FlashForward" doesnât get about âLostâ is that, when âLostâ started out, most of the things that we think of distinctively âLostâ -- mythology, the Dharma Initiative -- none of that was in there. There was a polar bear, there was a mysterious broadcast out of the plane that crashed and there was a monster. âFlashForwardâ -- itâs like they don't understand why âLostâ was good. Itâs good because itâs funny and because the characters surprise you and all the mystery evolved out of it and grew out of the characters.

Ryan: Right. Whereas on "FlashForward," it seems like the characters, such as they are, are there to serve a concept, whereas âLostâ was like, "Hereâs a bunch of characters running around, what the hellâs going on?" And we donât know what the concept is necessarily.

My theory of âLostâ has always been -- part of the reason âLostâ worked is because it was a crazy, out-of-left field idea. And thatâs what I always wish networks would do. "Hey, take a chance." Then CBS did take a chance for, like, three minutes when they did "Viva Laughlin." But they didn't really commit to what that was, which was a shame.

So, Iâm not saying broadcast networks never take chances, but the bottom line was that "Lost" was just a risky idea executed well. Itâs not that we need a weird mythology, we just need a good idea.

Sepinwall: I remember my first reaction to the pilot was, "I donât know that that monster needs to be there." I almost would have liked the pilot better if it was just them on the island and there was some weird stuff going on but you donât know what. And when the monster came in, it was kind of overtly sci-fi and I felt at the time that they didnât need that. In the end, I came around and I love Smokey as much as the next guy.

Ryan: Although I think if weâre talking J.J. Abrams, I loved "Cloverfield" until they revealed the monster, and then the movie became the story of how they escaped the monster. And it's not that the second half was bad, it was just less interesting once we saw the monster.

And that was just something that I wanted to ask you guys. Iâm a die-hard âBattlestar Galacticaâ fan obviously, but I was pretty taken aback at how passionately people reacted, not just to the finale of âBattlestarâ, but to that last set of 10 episodes. People were incredibly invested in what their idea of what the final chapters should be. People were very, very adamant about what the show "had to do" or "was supposed to do" before it ended -- like, they had this mental checklist. And you know, everybody has their little mental checklist for a final season, probably even moreso for "Lost."

So do you think thereâs a way that this can end well for "Lost," in terms of the reaction? I mean, will there be rioting in cyberspace no matter what?

Sepinwall: Yeah, people are going to be pissed off. But you canât satisfy everyone and everyone whoâs has built up in their head their own ideas. I mean, Lindelof has said this, Cuse has said this -- everyone has their idea of what the monster is, what the island is, etc. And either the ending is not going to go along with that and people will be upset, or people are going to be like [mildly disappointed voice], âOh, yeah, thatâs what I thought it was. OK.â

It happened a couple of times in some of the earlier seasons where when they give you an answer and itâs the answer you thought of. Suddenly it feels a little less impressive.

Poniewozik: Unfortunately, thereâs this [problem] thatâs inherent to sci-fi shows that "Battlestar Galactica" ran into.

In a regular, character-based drama, maybe people have high expectations for the finale, maybe they expect that closure from it, or [maybe they expect it to] wrap up in a certain way for the characters. Even when it's a finale that people really donât like -- the âSeinfeldâ finale, the âSopranosâ finale for a lot of people -- I donât know that many people who said, âI hate this 'Seinfeld' finale so much that it ruined the show for me.â

But thereâs a thing about sci-fi that they expect the finale is not just supposed to be a narrative ending. Itâs supposed to be an Answer, which to me is kind of ridiculous. The finale is supposed to say what it all meant, what everything was about. And you know, Iâm not saying that itâs unimportant. I watch these shows for the same reason, but if the show is really good, thatâs secondary.

Ryan: Well, I really felt like there was a left-brain, right-brain split in a way, when it came to the reaction to "Battlestar." I'm obviously being overly reductive, but it seemed like there were two sort of realms of fan responses or reactions. There were the people that wanted the whole mythology to add up correctly and make sense, and there were the people who wanted the character stuff to kind of wrap up. I was mostly in the latter camp. And so for me, I felt like there were a couple of wobbly things in the finale, but I was willing to live with them because the "Battlestar" finale really delivered, for me, on a character level.

Whereas, in the post-finale comments I was seeing, people wanted the math to add up. You know, like, the show is a math equation and the show needed to get the right answer. And in my mind, it was never going to do that -- I necessarily didn't expect that or think it was going to be possible for it all to add up neatly. I felt like, this is a show that has taken many risks. A few of them have not paid off, but Iâd rather watch a show that does something crazy that has an 89 percent chance of working out down the road, story-wise, than a show that plots things out in a way that is purely logical and kind of clinical.

So I just think certain segments of the various âLostâ fandoms are, if anything, more obsessed with various bits of arcane mythology and they will want everything to add up a certain way. I think there's a chance the âLostâ guys are going to have to go to France and hide.

Sepinwall: And the problem is that everyone has their own favorite bit of mythology. Some people are really into the numbers or the four-toed foot or whatever.

Ryan: I didnât realize until I read this interview that Whitney Matheson recently did with Damon â" people are really into this conversation that happened at one point between Kate and Ben on the beach. "What were they talking about?" And Damon's like, "Nothing. It's not a big deal."

It's like the mention of Daniel, the Cylon that didn't work out, in âBattlestar's" final season -- they had no idea that people would seize on that so obsessively. Ron Moore tried 50 different times to say "That does not matter" and people were not hearing it. I definitely thought there was some meaning with the Daniel thing myself.

Poniewozik: Itâs a double-edged sword because the fact that you can get involved with the show on that granular a level, thatâs what makes it sticky and what makes people follow it so closely.

Ryan: What do you guys personally want out of the last season?

Poniewozik: Honestly, I donât know if thereâs anything that I particularly want. I want to be entertained and impressed. And I want to have some sense of why the island is important and why it was necessary that they all be there, if it was necessary that they all be there.

I donât necessarily need all the parts of that to add up. Itâs not like thereâs an outcome that Iâm rooting for. Iâd love to be surprised.

Sepinwall: Thereâs one outcome I am rooting for, and that is Desmond, Penny and baby Charlie have to be OK. If they [expletive] with them, Iâm not going to be happy and thatâs the only area. But beyond thatâ¦

Ryan: Yeah, I think I'm with you there. I think they probably know they cannot break our hearts with that. If they do, they will be dead.

Sepinwall: And I would like to know what Smokey is. Theyâve teased that out so much that if they donât answer that -- that I think would be disappointing.

Poniewozik: Itâs funny that the thing that you guys come to is Desmond and Penny and little Charlie. And not Kate and Jack and Sawyer, for instance. [But] some people have this idea that, for a show like this to be any good, should know exactly what itâs going to do from the beginning. You know -- have a map and follow the map militarily to the end.

And the fact is, itâs like a novel, itâs like writing and developing anything else, it's like making a movie -- if it doesnât happen organically, if it doesn't come out of the characters, who are human beings and will surprise you and take you places that you didnât expect to when it started out, itâs going to be [crap]. And therefore, [the show] has to allow for the possibility that things that the creators thought were going to happen in Season 1 just end up not happening at all. And some character who is down a hole at the beginning of the second season ends up having the relationship that is cared about most at the end.

Ryan: That does makes me a little bit crazy, that comment that people make -- "The were just making it up as they went!" Well, obviously! They're not making a documentary about people on an island with polar bears. And they're also not going to plan every turn of every episode in advance of shooting the show.

Of course I do understand the frustration on one level, in that sometimes storytellers can falter. Iâm not saying, "Gosh, you know what? 'Lost' has been a perfect from the beginning."

Sepinwall: Come on, the polar bear cages were awesome, admit it. Admit it.

Ryan: If youâre asking me, did I like to see Sawyer as Shirtless Cage Guy? Iâm not going to lie to you; I was OK with that. Everyone got so mad about those six episodes and I just didn't get it. I was like,"Wait, Sawyer's in a cage with his shirt off? Why would I have a problem with that?"

No, but I mean, I understand, it's not always perfect. But if they weren't making it up, they wouldnât have baby Charlie and Desmond and Penny. A lot of the stuff that people love the most wouldnât even exist had it not been for "making it up as we go."

Poniewozik: And if you have a plan that you stick with and come hell or high water, thatâs exactly when you get into a situation where the characters [don't seem real].

Ryan: I have to admit, I got a little bit emotional when I was filing out of that last Comic-Con panel for âLost.â Partly because they were playing that version of "Over the Rainbow"/"What a Wonderful World" by that Hawaiian singer, Israel KamakawiwoÊ»ole, which was really amazing. But part of it was -- to have that level of emotional engagement with a show is not the norm, but it is really nice to have. I mean, I get very engaged by âMad Menâ too. But to have the emotional engagement and the sci-fi element at the same time -- to have my heart and my nerd brain activated at the same time -- that's rare.

Tune in for the Next Exciting Installment! We talk "Dollhouse" and "Sopranos" and Sepinwall tries to explain the Armenian Money Train plot from "The Shield."

The Star Report: It's Mother's Day at 'Nine' premiere -- Madonna-Lourdes, Goldie-Kate
Goldie Hawn comes to daughter Kate Hudson's premiere. Madonna, who isn't in "Nine," brings daughter Lourdes to the premiere as well. Plus: Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Fergie and more.
Jeff Bridges' New 'Dude': A Fallen Country Star

In Crazy Heart, Bridges plays a washed-up, alcoholic country singer who has been reduced to playing gigs in bowling alleys and dive bars. Though it's tempting to get drunk to play a drunk, Bridges advises against it: "I've made that mistake in the past," he says.

Q&A : âCartoons Are My Way of Protesting against Burmese Juntaâ
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Dec 15 (IPS)He talks with his hands. They are in constant motion as he expresses a view, makes a joke, mumbles.

2009-12-14T16:20:00.001-08:00

Biden, industry big shots, to discuss piracy fight

Vice President Joe Biden, Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III are among the top government officials meeting with entertainment industry leaders Tuesday afternoon at the White House to discuss how best to fight piracy of intellectual property.

In its release detailing the meeting, the White House said the round-table discussion that Biden will lead is aimed at showcasing the Obama administration's "commitment to enforcing laws against the piracy of intellectual property."

Industry chiefs whoÂ are expected to be participating in the meeting are Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, Warner Bros. Entertainment CEO Barry Meyer, NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker and Sony Pictures CEO Michael Lynton. Directors Guild President Taylor Hackford will also participate. Other government bigwigs scheduled toÂ be at the table include Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan.

No word if Michaele and Tareq Salahi will also be dropping by.

-- Joe Flint

Watch this: The Top TV shows of 2009

The thought of coming up with a year-end Top 10 list gave me headaches for weeks.

I just could not whittle my favorite TV of the year down to 10 shows. I'm relieved, then, that my editors relented and let me expand my list to 15 choices.

Even that list was hard to compile. The past 12 months have offered an enormous array of enjoyable, exhilarating or challenging television, and a quick glance at my runners-up list offers a small indication of how rich the bounty was in 2009.

You'll no doubt disagree with some of my choices -- the point of lists, I often think, is to provoke lively disagreements. But I'm grateful that we have so much to argue about. The networks might be in a more cautious mode -- the evolving financial model of television, last year's strike and the current economic downturn have certainly put the squeeze on the industry in a variety of ways.

But the list below is proof that, whatever disasters have befallen the television industry in the last year or two, from a strike to a recession to Jay Leno, the art form has proved to be amazingly resilient. Lucky us.

Here's my list of the best television programs of 2009, in alphabetical order.

"The Big Bang Theory," CBS: For a while there, the phrase "traditional comedy" was starting to sound like an insult. And over the past decade or so, too many multi-camera comedies have trafficked in predictable writing and lazy characterization. Then along came "Big Bang Theory," which proved that excellent acting and a smart approach can make even the most traditional network comedies deeply satisfying. Consistency can indeed be overrated, but it's hard to come by in the comedy realm, and "The Big Bang Theory" gets major points for managing to induce smiles on a weekly basis. (My previous "Big Bang Theory" stories and reviews are here.)

"Battlestar Galactica," Syfy: How many shows can tell stories with such intensity that you forget to breathe? "Battlestar Galactica" was one of those rare shows that regularly reached that fever pitch, in rock 'em, sock 'em battle sequences and during Season 4's chillingly brutal mutiny. But on its way out, this sensationally acted drama also supplied moments of almost unbearable tenderness and poignance. That battered old ship and the people who fought, suffered, loved and died on it won't be forgotten any time soon. So say we all. (My previous "Battlestar Galactica" stories and reviews are here.)

"Chuck," NBC: "Chuck" is not only a delightful collision of spy-movie conventions and pop-culture-saturated comedy, this scrappy show is also the poster child for the interactive age, in which a show's fans can help determine its fate. Smitten by the show's ridiculously entertaining second season, fans became "Chuck's" most impassioned advocates, and they savvily centered their "save our show" campaign on one of the NBC program's main sponsors. Their many creative gambits worked, which means that come Jan. 10, we'll get to see what retail clerk-turned-spy Chuck Bartowski (the talented Zachary Levi) can -- or can't -- do with his new-found fighting skills. (My previous "Chuck" stories and reviews are here.)

"Dollhouse," Fox: Perhaps it was appropriate for a drama that was all about the construction and deconstruction of identity, but few shows in recent memory had a harder time figuring out what to do with an intriguing premise (network meddling certainly didn't help in that regard). But "Dollhouse's" cleverness, its willing to take risks and its ability to create emotionally moving moments made sticking with the show's many gyrations worth it. Despite the difficulties "Dollhouse" had with its own identity, when this show was firing on all cylinders, its heady exploration of free will, personality memory was thought-provoking and even exhilarating at times. (My previous "Dollhouse" stories and reviews are here.)

"Friday Night Lights," DirecTV and NBC: Few shows are more skilled at using silence. "FNL" recognizes that sometimes words aren't necessary and that life's big truths are often too hard to articulate anyway. One DirecTV episode that aired in November, starring Evanston's Zach Gilford, was an astonishingly moving depiction of the difficulty of expressing, let alone feeling, complicated emotions. During this time of economic uncertainty, innovative financing -- via a partnership between DirectTV and NBC -- means that we'll get a total of 5 seasons of this small-town drama. Thus "Friday Night Lights" is not only a miracle of organic, unforced filmmaking and acting, it's symbol of hope for the future of the TV industry. (My previous "Friday Night Lights" stories and reviews are here.)

"Lost," ABC: Oh "Lost." You do try my patience sometimes. Sure, there are "Lost" fans who love it when the island drama plunges heartily into time-travel and the resulting mind-bending math, but I am not in that camp. Still, I'd follow these characters anywhere, including down the time-travel rabbit hole (and it was pretty groovy when the show took viewers back to the '70s-era Dharma Initiative). During a season that could be a brain-bender, there were many pleasures to savor, including Josh Holloway getting to prove that he's much more than a pretty face attached to an attractive shirtless torso. (My previous "Lost" stories and reviews are here.)

"Mad Men," AMC: "Mad Men" certainly likes to take its time and get all its ducks in row. Despite a slow start, however, the third season of this addictive drama provided plenty of jaw-dropping developments, and every one of them was grounded in the choices and dilemmas of these indelible characters, who continually search for and recoil from real connection. Fans have had no trouble making a connection with "Mad Men"; talking about it online the next day is half the fun with this complicated, alluring drama. (My previous "Mad Men" stories and reviews are here.)

"Modern Family," ABC: Remember all those stories about how comedy was dying on the broadcast networks? Whoops. The media may have spoken a bit too soon. Sure, "Modern Family" took one of the most tired TV genres -- the family sitcom -- and updated it with the hip "mock-umentary" format that shows like "The Office" made popular. But what makes "Modern Family" work is solid execution of the comedy basics. The characters feel real and lived-in, the performances by the top-notch cast are razor-sharp and the stories the show tells are inventive without being overly broad. Most important of all, this show has a heart as big as Fizbo the clown's shoes. This is a modern gem with old-fashioned appeal. (My original "Modern Family" review is here.)

"Nurse Jackie," Showtime: "Sopranos" veteran Edie Falco was reason enough to watch this dark, provocative dramedy, but the show's able supporting cast stood toe-to-toe with Falco, and "Nurse Jackie" also offered an unsentimental yet compassionate depiction of the limits of caregiving. The empathic Falco, whose face said everything the reticent Jackie couldn't, made this deeply flawed nurse one of TV's most compelling new characters. (My previous "Nurse Jackie" stories and reviews are here.)

"Parks and Recreation," NBC: Television's most improved comedy is now the home of some of TV's most lovably weird characters. If nothing else (and "Parks" did a lot of things right in its second season), this show has given us the magic of Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), a man who knows what he likes, and he likes pretty, dark-haired women and breakfast foods.

"Party Down," Starz: This is what cable TV often does (and thank goodness): It takes a premise that feels played out and creates something fresh and entertaining from it. During the last decade or so, there have been dozens of shows set in the entertainment industry, but few have captured the scuffling at its lower reaches with both insider knowledge and bemused insight. "Party Down" was a shaggy, charming ensemble comedy that got better by the week, and its party-of-the-week format offered plenty of opportunities for the show's talented stars and guest actors to shine. (My previous "Party Down" stories and reviews are here.)

"Sons of Anarchy," FX: Even though "Anarchy" is right there in the motorcycle club's name, the characters in this biker drama adhered to a strict, well-defined code, yet still faced excruciating moral dilemmas. The brilliant second season of "Sons" was about a search for honor and the kind of brotherhood that goes beyond blood ties, and it offered virtuoso performances from Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, Charlie Hunnam, Maggie Siff and Ryan Hurst. (My previous "Sons of Anarchy" stories and reviews are here.)

"Supernatural," CW: Shows in their fourth and fifth seasons -- especially genre shows -- usually fold in on themselves, becoming so dense with accumulated layers of mythology that newbies are rebuffed. But "Supernatural" keeps its mythology interesting without letting it become intimidating. And this thoughtfully crafted show got bolder and more creative in 2009, taking risks with its storytelling (How do you unleash Lucifer without veering into camp? "Supernatural" managed it) and coming up with hilarious and innovative episodes. Without a lot of fanfare or pretension, this show is asking interesting questions about the presence (or absence) of God while still supplying meaty genre stories, and "Supernatural's" cast features some of the most solidly talented and underrated actors on TV. (My previous "Supernatural" stories and reviews are here.)

"Torchwood: Children of Earth," BBC America: This five-part miniseries didn't exactly stick the landing; the final installment was a bit of a pell-mell mess. But the first few hours of "Children of Earth" were masterful and transfixing, and managed to create a tremendous level of suspense while asking pointed questions about power, secrets and the sacrifices people are willing to make to enforce the status quo. (My previous "Torchwood" stories and reviews are here.)

"True Blood," HBO: If this show were a fashion ensemble, Tim Gunn would call it a hot mess. Still, despite its flaws and its occasional forays into true ridiculousness, "True Blood" proved impossible to resist. It offered charismatic performances from Michelle Forbes, Nelsan Ellis, Ryan Kwanten, Allan Hyde and Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd, among others, and it took all the old-fashioned pleasures of a melodramatic serial and sexed them up, Bon Temps-style. The result was a hurtling, hyper, sometimes hysterically funny vampire soap opera, one that was, on occasion, more than just a bloody good time. (My previous "True Blood" stories and reviews are here.)

Runners up:

"30 Rock""Better Off Ted" "Curb Your Enthusiasm""Burn Notice""Damages""Drop Dead Diva""Glee""The Good Wife""Flight of the Conchords""Fringe""How I Met Your Mother""In Treatment""It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia""Lie to Me" "Life""Monty Python: Almost the Truth -- The Lawyer's Cut""The Office""Parks and Recreation""V""Virtuality""White Collar"

Review: 'AurÃ©lia's Oratorio' is effervescent fun
'Aurélia's Oratorio,' at the Berkeley Rep, is an offbeat, fun piece of entertainment.
Swimming With Icebergs

NPR's science producer Jason Orfanon sends another dispatch from Antarctica, with a story about his polar plunge!

2009-12-13T16:20:00.001-08:00

Audiences love 'Princess and the Frog,' 'Invictus,' but will they keep going?

Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. have established that moviegoers dig their new movies "The Princess and the Frog" and "Invictus." But as a holiday season crowded with highly anticipated movies approaches, the question is whether they can both keep playing.

Disney's first hand-drawn animated feature in six years garnered an average audience grade of A, according to market research firm CinemaScore, while Warners' apartheid story received an A-. Neither movie had particularly strong ticket sales on their opening weekends, however. The big-budget "Princess" launched to a studio-estimated $25 million from Friday through Sunday. Historical drama "Invictus," which cost $60 million to produce, opened to just $9.1 million.

The last two non-Pixar animated features from Disney, "Bolt," and "Meet the Robinsons," opened to $26 million and $25 million, respectively, and were ultimately considered financial disappointments. "Invictus," meanwhile, started significantly below the $29.5-million wide-release debut of the last movie directed by Clint Eastwood, "Gran Torino," a major hit, and closer to that of his 2007 flop "Changeling," which launched to $9.4 million and ended up with just $35.7 million.

Weekends in the first half of December are traditionally slow, and the two studios were both hoping this weekend would essentially serve as a setup to generate momentum and word-of-mouth going into the holiday season, when many children and adults will be off work and out of school.

The competition for moviegoers will be fierce, however, as Fox's hugely hyped "Avatar," the first movie from "Titanic" director James Cameron in 12 years, debuts Friday, along with the romantic comedy "What About the Morgans?" The next week, on Christmas Day, "Sherlock Holmes," "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" and romantic comedy "It's Complicated" all open with big expectations.

For "The Princess and the Frog" and "Invictus" to succeed, they will have to find audiences amid a very crowded marketplace. "Princess," whose opening-weekend audience was 80% families, will be competing for that same crowd with "Alvin and the Chipmunks." "Invictus," meanwhile, faces a number of new pictures aimed at its mostly adult crowd -- which was 69% over 30 this weekend -- as well as several in limited release that will be expanding further, such as "Up in the Air" and "Precious."

For more on the performance of "Up in the Air," "The Lovely Bones," and "A Serious Man" in limited release, as well as the continued phenomenal run of "The Blind Side," see our initial box-office post.

Here are the top 10 movies at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates and Hollywood.com:

1. "The Princess and the Frog" (Disney): $25 million as it opened in wide release. Total: $27.9 millionÂ including its previous two-week run at two theaters.

2. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros./Alcon): Declined just 23% on its fourth weekend to $15.5 million. Domestic total: $150.2 million.

3. "Invictus" (Warner Bros./Spyglass): $9.1-million debut.

4. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (Summit): Fell 48% on its fourth weekend to $8 million. $267.4 million domestic total. International total: $358.7 million.

5. "A Christmas Carol" (Disney): Off only 12% on its sixth weekend at $6.9 million. Total U.S. and Canadian ticket sales: $124.5 million.

6. "Brothers" (Lionsgate/Relativity): $5 million, down 49% on its second weekend. Total: $17.4 million.

7. "2012" (Sony): Dropped 35% on its fifth weekend to $4.4 million. Domestic total: $155.3 million. International: $556 million.

8. "Old Dogs" (Disney): $4.4 million, off 36% on its third weekend. Domestic total: $40 million so far.

9. "Armored" (Sony): $3.5 million, down 46% on its second weekend. U.S. and Canadian total: $11.7 million.

10. "Ninja Assassin" (Warner Bros./Dark Castle/Legendary): Down 46% on its third weekend to $2.7 million. Domestic total: $34.3 million.

-- Ben Fritz

Top photo: Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in "Invictus." Credit: Keith Bernstein / Warner Bros.
Bottom photo: "The Princess and the Frog." Credit: Walt Disney Studios

At Quince, the dishes — featuring fresh ingredients for each season — are exceptional
My expectations were pretty high when I booked our reservation at Quince just days after it was announced the restaurant had earned a coveted honor: it's first Michelin star. On top of that, the San Francisco food world had been buzzing for months about Quince's move from its Pacific Heights neighborhood to a larger space in the Financial District.

Was Ancient Historian One Of The First Spin Doctors?

Thucydides' account of the war between Athens and Sparta has become an allegory of modern conflicts like the Cold War, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. But a new book about the ancient historian shows he may not quite have been telling the truth.

SOUTH-EAST ASIA: Thai Media Trade Fairness for National Security
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Dec 13 (IPS/TerraViva)When it comes to reporting about their neighbouring countries, journalists in Thailandâs mainstream media display a national security bias, often presenting a distorted view of reality and reflecting some prejudices against them.

Beyonce, Mariah, others deliver new Christmas classics

2009-12-12T16:20:00.001-08:00

Muppet fur flies over Jim Henson script

When the Black List, Hollywood's annual ranking of the top unproduced scripts, was unveiled Friday, it lent the full weight of its authority to Christopher Weekes.

Weekes' screenplay "The Muppet Man," about the life and loves of Jim Henson, had landed the top spot, ahead of a number of up-and-coming writers and even established names like Aaron Sorkin.

That kind of honor comes with a host of benefits, not the least of which is giving a valuable boost to the project (last year's winner, a quirky character piece called "The Beaver," was catapulted toward production by its Black List win, with Mel Gibson now starring, Jodie Foster directing and Summit Entertainment, the studio behind the "Twilight" franchise, distributing the film).

"The Muppet Man," which takes an almost fairy-tale view of the romance between the late Jim Henson and his longtime wife Jane, faces a far tougher climb.

Weekes was discovered by managers Britton Rizzio and Kelly McCormack after they hadÂ seen an indie movie of his at a film festival in 2008. They soon found he had written, entirely on spec, a script about one of the most enigmatic and private of contemporary artists without having ever met or even read much about him (there exists no major published biography about Henson).

Instead, Weeks conjured the story mostly out of his imagination, basing it on a series of photos he'd studied and whatever strands of information he could find on things like Wikipedia. "Even though I was just 10 when he died, Jim Henson had been this Walt Disney-like figure in my life, and I wanted to create a version of him as seen through these kind of rose-colored glasses," Weekes said Friday from Australia.

As whimsical as the script is said to be (it also folded into the narrative invented particulars of the romance between Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, including a depiction of a hungover Kermit heartbroken by Miss Piggy's impending marriage to another beau), it also wanders into a legal and creative thicket. Weekes had written a story about individuals -- Jim and Jane Henson -- to whom he did not hold rights.Â Equally problematic, WeekesÂ had included a number of Muppet characters to which Disney owns the rights.

That kind of thing is, to say the least, usually frowned upon.

"He basically did what all your representatives tell you not to do," Sarah Hammer, who used to represent Weekes as an agent, says with a laugh.

And sure enough, when the project was sold to the Jim Henson Co. shortly afterÂ -- "the only place it could go," says Rizzio -- it was welcomed but quickly found itself mired in creative differences. The production banner, according to people familiar with the meetings, wanted to turn the story into more of a Muppet romp -- even a musical -- andÂ excise the Jim and Jane Henson relationship. And Weekes had written an intimate, if not dark, character study.Â As the novice Weekes found out, it's not easy being green.

Lisa Henson, the daughter of Jim and Jane Henson who helps run the Jim Henson Co., maintains that the problems can be resolved by simplyÂ combining two different visions, though even she acknowledges that the story that came to her was not one that the company liked.

"It was a very gutsy move on [Chris's] part to write this script, and we recognized the enthusiasm," she says. "But it would be irresponsible to make a biopic that would be all made up."

After Henson acquired the script, a number of studio executives read it and began calling Weekes' reps. And stars like Jim Carrey, Leonardo DiCaprio and Hugh Jackman expressed interest in playing the legendary creator of Big Bird and Elmo.

But without the blessing of the Henson Co., it may well be doomed. And that's not even broaching the question of Disney, which, to add more problems to the furry pile, is currently developing its own Muppets movie with Jason Segel. It's hard to imagine new studio chief Rich Ross eager to make a biopic about the founder of a company with which Disney is so closely aligned, not to mention approving a script in which Kermit the Frog smokes and drinks.

Weekes is no longer actively working on his script -- he, in fact, has not written a new draft since the original was sold to the Henson Co. Instead he is working on two new movies, including one for Warner Bros/Legendary Pictures called "Waterproof," to which "Enchanted" director Kevin Lima is loosely attached to direct.

Weekes' own professional arc appears to be headed toward a happy ending. The big-screen story of Jim and Jane Henson -- and Kermit and Piggy -- may not fare as well.

-- Steven Zeitchik

Photo credit: Alan Greth / Associated Press

Beyonce, Mariah, others deliver new Christmas classics
All caroled out? Pop in these updated Christmas classics.
Comedic Alums Star At Second City's 50th

Second City is what amounts to the Oxford and Cambridge of American comedy. The Chicago improv theater began in an old Chinese laundry but now spans several full-time theaters, training centers, and touring ensembles. This weekend, it's having an all-star blowout for its 50th anniversary. Host Scott Simon talks to alum and comedian Jeff Garlin.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Bringing the Rainforest to Copenhagen
COPENHAGEN, Dec 12 (IPS/TerraViva)As delegates deliberate over the extent carbon emissions will be curbed in the closing days of the U.N. summit here, the environmental ramifications of that agreement are likely to be felt in places far removed from the negotiating table, particularly among indigenous people on the front lines of climate change.

Desperate for hits, NBC Universal renews deal with production firm BermanBraun

2009-12-11T16:20:00.001-08:00

Desperate for hits, NBC Universal renews deal with production firm BermanBraun

Hoping to find an elusive hit or two (or three) to revive the beleaguered peacock network, NBC Universal this afternoon saidÂ it has renewed its production deal with the high-powered production firmÂ BermanBraun.

The three-year contract extension means that the company, launched nearly three years ago by former top network executives Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun, will provide its shows to NBC Universal on a first-look basis. The production firm will continue to operate as a separate label within NBC Universal, developing scripted and unscripted projects for all of NBC Universal's TV divisions. NBC pays the firm's overhead, but the companies declined to provide specifics.Â

The move comes as NBC is increasing its emphasis on development to plug holes in its prime-time schedule. The company's contract had been set to expire next summer.

But NBC has been in a programming pickle and didn't want to lose an important supplier.

Earlier this year, NBC executives turned to BermanBraun to produceÂ theÂ nurses drama "Mercy" in time for the fall season. BermanBraun is shooting the NBC drama pilot âRex Is Not Your Lawyer,â starring David Tennant, Jeffrey Tambor and Jane Curtin, which could be ready to air as early as spring. NBC Universal's Syfy cable channel also has greenlighted another of the company's projects, âAlphas,â written by Zak Penn. That pilot will start shooting in January.

Berman previously served as president of Paramount Pictures, developing such movies as "Star Trek," âFailure to Launchâ and âNacho Libre.â Before her stint in the feature-film world, Berman helped build the Fox broadcast network into a programming powerhouse with the launch of such hits as "American Idol," "House," "24" and "The O.C."Â Braun was chairman of ABC Entertainment when the network developed its biggest shows, including "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," Grey's Anatomy" and "Extreme Makeover Home Edition." Braun came up with the initial concept for "Lost" and was instrumental in the creation ofÂ "The Sopranos" when he was president of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment.

"It's been a great partnership with Gail and Lloyd," Angela Bromstad, NBC president of prime-time entertainment, said in a statement. "They are a rare team of true producers and executives who understand what it takes to make great programming."
Â
-- Meg James

The Star Report: Will Smith and family take the stage at Nobel Peace Prize concert
Other celebs at Nobel Peace Prize Concert include: Wyclef Jean, Donna Summer, Toby Keith. "Hangover" DVD release brings out Heather Graham. Plus Emily Blunt and Kate Hudson promote new movies.
Willard Reflects On Second City At 50

The Second City this month celebrates 50 years of making improvisational comedy, and Fred Willard, a Second City alumnus, joins NPR's Michele Norris to talk about the famed comedy club. The key to improv, he says, is to just do it.

CULTURE: Foreign Cash Makes Afghan Films
KABUL, Dec 11 (IPS)After the fall of the Taliban, the most widely recognised and praised Afghan film has been 'Osama'. Directed by Sediq Barmak, the 2003 production is the heartrending story of a young girl who disguises herself as a boy named Osama so that she might survive the Taliban regime. Osama received awards at both Cannes and the Golden Globes.

Theater review: '39 Setps' a hilarious sendup of Alfred Hitchcock films

2009-12-10T16:20:00.001-08:00

Blockbuster partner buys DVDPlay, heading up competition with Redbox

They should just call it Bluebox and really have at it.

NCR Corp., which is expanding aggressively in the DVD rental kiosk business via a partnership with Blockbuster Inc., has acquired competitor DVDPlay in a bid to catch up with market leader Redbox.

NCR, which manufacturers self-service retail devices such as ATM machines and grocery store checkout devices, will put the Blockbuster brand name on its $1-per-night DVD kiosks via a partnership with the struggling home video chain.

The Blockbuster kiosks will be painted blue, in contrast to the red-colored Redbox kiosks.

DVDPlay, currently the No. 3 competitor in the market, has about 1,500 kiosks deployed, including about 1,000 in LosÂ Angeles.Â With the addition of its machines, NCR will have about 3,800 in the market by the end of the year. Redbox, by contrast, will have more than 22,000 around the country.

By next year NCR is aiming to have roughly 10,000 kiosks in stores.

"Without a doubt there's a new kid on the block," said NCR Vice President and General Manager Alex Camara. "We have an ambitious and strong strategy and we're really going after the competition."

Many DVDPlay kiosks are in Safeway grocery stores, giving NCR an immediate presence at one of the West Coast's biggest retailers.

NCR kiosks hold about 900 discs each, compared to 700 in those of Redbox. Camara said that the higher capacity, along with digital signage on the kiosks, give it an advantage. However, the Blockbuster-branded kiosks don't yet offer online reservations, which Redbox does.

Unlike its bigger competitors, NCR is not currently in court with Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros., all of which have refused to sell new release DVDs to kiosk operators unless they agree to more costly deals. Like Redbox, NCR is currently stocking new releases from those studios by purchasing them at retail.

Camara said he is eager to strike a deal to offer new releases from every studio and would be willing to consider charging more than $1 per night in certain cases if necessary to make it happen.

--Ben Fritz

Photo: A Blockbuster-branded DVD kiosk. Credit: NCR Corp.

Redsan: No bricks or laces, just Delilah
Swabir Mohammed aka Redsan is launching his fourth album,Versatility, next weekend. The show will be graced by the sexy Brick & Lace duo. The Unbreakable star speaks to Pulse about his journey to the top and the rumours that he is dating one of the Brick & Lace sisters.
Theater review: '39 Setps' a hilarious sendup of Alfred Hitchcock films
The comedy, at San Francisco's Curran Theatre through Jan. 3, also spoofs other British crime thrillers '” and pretty much all of Scotland.
Classic TV on DVD Makes A Personalized Holiday Gift

For those looking for gifts for the holiday season, TV critic David Bianculli has a few suggestions—recently released DVD sets of old and new TV shows. Match the right shows to the right recipients, he suggests, and the gift becomes hours and hours of passive pleasure.

ASIA: Excitement, Fear Greet Changes in Media Landscape
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Dec 9 (IPS/TerraViva)The changing âfaceâ of the media landscape in the Mekong region is eliciting both excitement and fear from observers and professionals alike.

'Save Bandit!' 'Your mother is an Other?' 'Why the face?' The best TV lines of 2009. Add yours!

2009-12-09T16:20:00.001-08:00

'Paranormal Activity' scares up $34 million overseas in first two weeks

"Paranormal Activity" has racked up solid early ticket sales overseas, as the surprise of the year at the domestic box office has proved a big hit in the United Kingdom, France and Australia, but bombed in Germany. Total international grosses so far are $34 million.

Unlike in the U.S. and Canada, where Paramount Pictures relied on word-of-mouth from early midnight screenings and Internet advertising, foreign distributors relied on more traditional marketing campaigns because many moviegoers had already heard about the movie following spectacular domestic performance earlier this fall.

"[Foreign] distributors had less time to prepare the audience and there was already high levels of awareness, so they pushed it out like a mainstream genre film," said Stuart Ford, chief executive of IM Global, which served as foreign sales agent for picture.

The independently produced horror flick, which was made for just $15,000 and grossed $107.4 million for Paramount domestically, has beenÂ No. 1Â at the U.K. box office for two weekends straight, selling a total of $11.8 million worth of tickets. In France it opened at No. 2 this past weekend, collecting $5.3 million, and in Australia it debuted at No. 1, grossing $2.5 million.

In Germany, however, it has grossed just $2 million over two weeks, a low mark for what is traditionally one of the biggest overseas movie markets. Ford attributed that to the "hit and miss" nature of the supernatural horror genre in the country and an unsuccessful attempt by its German distributor to mimic the American viral campaign.

"Paranormal Activity" has also performed solidly so far in Spain and Brazil. Ford said he is expecting particularly strong results in Latin America, where the movie starts rolling out this Friday with its Mexican bow, and in Japan, where it debuts next year.

Movie producers typically receive about 40% of a movie's international gross. A percentage of foreign theater revenue for "Paranormal" will be kept by IM Global, with the rest going to the movie's producers, including director Oren Peli. Ford noted that his company and the movie's producers -- not exactly a surprise given their lucky stroke -- received extremely high advances for the film after its amazing run in the U.S.

--Ben Fritz

Photo: Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat in "Paranormal Activity." Credit: Paramount Pictures.

'Save Bandit!' 'Your mother is an Other?' 'Why the face?' The best TV lines of 2009. Add yours!

On Twitter this afternoon, I read that ABC has commissioned a show called "Conveyor Belt of Love."

I thought it had to be a joke. It is not. ABC has really ordered a reality show that will have women picking men off a conveyor belt. All I could think was, this sounds like the kind of stunt ex-NBC executive Ben Silverman used to pull. Or it sounds like something on Fox.

To take my mind off the rampant hideousness of that TV show, which will no doubt bring about the End Times, I suggested on Twitter that people start contributing the Best TV Lines of 2009. Well, I'm ecstatic to say that the idea took off like wildfire. Go here to see people contributing on Twitter, and Alan Sepinwall and James Poniewozik are also collecting quotes on their sites.

I had to collect some of my favorites here too. Below is a selection -- a mere selection, mind you -- of my favorite quotes from 2009. I contributed a few, but many were contributed by hundreds of awesome people on Twitter. Share your own favorite 2009 TV quote (serious or funny) below!

"Battlestar Galactica"

(This is my personal favorite line of the year) "I laid out the cabin today. It's going to have an easterly view. You should see the light that we get here. When the sun comes from behind those mountains, it's almost heavenly. It reminds me of you."

"Sit down, Cylon!"

"I'm coming for all of you!"

"I just want to hang on to this feeling for as long as I can."

"You know, I know about farming."

"She will not fail us if we do not fail her."

"Let's go around the horn."

"Parks and Recreation"

Leslie: "Guys love it when you can show them you're better than they are at something they love.

Ron Swanson: "I like pretty dark haired women and breakfast food.â

Andy: "Thank you, everybody, we are Scarecrow Boat -- ah no, screw it! We are Mouse Rat!"

Ron: "It's like doing peyote and sneezing slowly for six hours."

Ron: "Look, Tammy and I don't work. We are oil and water. Or oil and TNT and C4 and a detonator and a butane torch."

"Community"

"I thought you were like Bill Murray in any of his films, but you're more like Michael Douglas in any of his films."

"Lost"

"Your mother is an Other?"

"It's a compass, John." "What does it do?" "It points north."

"Wait a second. We're not going to Guam, are we?"

"Why is there a dead Pakistani on my couch?"

Locke: "Do you mind if I ask you a question?" Ben: "I'm a pisces."

"One of these days, sooner or later, I'm going to find a loophole."

"Flight of the Conchords"

"Howâs the environment doing? Can we clean it up a bit?â Brian the NZ Prime Minister

"I love weaving. I'm weaving at the moment, making a pair of trousers."

"Burn Notice"

Michael Westen: âRevenge is a waste of time." Fiona: âSo is watching TV & eating candy, but you do it because it feels good."

"Sons of Anarchy"

Gemma: "God wants me to be a fierce mother."

Clay: âI donât ever want to see you in this club again without your cut on.â

"30 Rock"

"Wave at a friend....Like a human!"

"A book hasn't caused this much trouble since Where's Waldo went to that barber pole factory."

""Drama is like gay man Gatorade. It replenishes their electrolytes."

"Supernatural"

Ellen: "Dean, kick it in the ass. Don't miss."

"Uriel's the funniest angel in the garrison. Ask anyone."

"He's not on any flatbreads."

"Dean, this is serious. The voice on the phone says I'm almost out of minutes."

"Friday Night Lights"

"Billy, would you pass me that violin, please? You're hoggin' it!"

"Nurse Jackie"

Judith Ivey's character: "I'm dying, & every time I see you, I am reminded what a slow & agonizing process it is."

"True Blood"

"It's like, if a tree falls in the woods, it's still a tree ain't it?"

"Sometimes you need to destroy something to save it. That's in the Bible. Or the Constitution."

"What's she want you for?" "I think to cut out my heart while a bunch of naked people watch."

"A human with me at the end...and human tears? 2,000 years and I can still be surprised. In this I see God."

"Jesus and I agree to see other people, but that don't mean we don't talk from time to time."

"Chuck"

See, guys can hug!" "Only if they don't have their man parts"

Casey: "Bartowski, you're like the poster child for friendly fire"

Ted Roark: "Oh, a little shotgun wedding. Just think, that terrible pun is the last thing you'll hear."

Morgan: "Know that if you hit me, it only teaches me to hit."

Jeff: "Mind if I get right?"

"I need you to be awesome. Can you... be awesome?"

Casey: "Operation Moron is over?"

Jeff: "80 percent of my encounters with women have been without their knowledge."

"Guys, I know kung-fu"

"You can't kill me with that radiator. It is far too confined in this car for you to get the appropriate torque."

Awesome's dad: ""Why are you letting Sam Kinison & an Indian lesbian ruin your wedding?"

"How I Met Your Mother"

"Make Adjustments, Go Get It Energized"

"Attention, Canada. I'm Barney, from America, and I'm here to fix your backward country. Number one, get real money."

"We wait three days to call a woman because that's how long Jesus wants us to wait.... True story."

"Dollhouse"

"The human mind is like Van Halen. If you just pull out one piece and keep replacing it, it just degenerates."

"Imagine John Cassavetes in 'The Fury' as a hot chick." "Which you know I often have!"

"Given that you're a raping scumbag one tick shy of a murderer. I can't recall, do you take sugar?"

"I think her bad guys are badder than my bad guys."

"Mad Men"

"He might lose his foot." "Just when he got it in the door."

"I'm Peggy Olson & I want to smoke some marijuana."

"Churchill rousing or Hitler rousing?"

"You are fired for lack of character!" "Very good, Happy Christmas!"

"No. I will spend the rest of my life trying to hire you."

"Peggy, can you get me some coffee?" "No."

"Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, how may i help you?"

"Big Bang Theory"

"You have a lifetime of bad decisions to make, may I interrupt this one?"

"The hero always peeks."

Wil Wheaton: "Did that guy just say 'Revenge is a dish best served cold' in Klingon?"

"Glee"

Kurt: "My body is like a rum chocolate souffle. If I don't warm it up right, it doesn't rise."

Emma to Kurt: "I'm a girl who knows her solvents, and your breath smells like rubbing alcohol."

Kurt: "He's cheating off a girl who thinks the square root of four is rainbows."

Sue Sylvester: "I've never wanted kids... don't have the time, don't have the uterus."

More Sue: "If I were out to get you, you'd be pickling in a mason jar by now."

Ramps "are what I call lazy-makers."

"The Office"

"Who started the rumor that there is another person inside of me, working me with controls?"

Oscar: "How long do you take to pee?" Kevin: "The peeing is fast, Oscar. It's getting my tie back on."

Jim: "The boat was plan C. The church was plan B. Plan A was marrying her a long, long time ago. Pretty much the day I met her."

"Save Bandit!"

"Barack is President! You are black, Stanley!"

"Boom. Roasted."

"She's a bumpkin. Pass."

"Mose hates to geld the horses by himself."

"Those two treat the whole office as a 1970s key party."

"Fringe"

"Feel his anus! It's soaking wet!"

"Oh! I just pissed myself. Just a squirt."

"Modern Family"

"WTF = why the face?"

"I'm like Costco. I'm big, I'm not fancy, I dare you not to like me."

"I'm the *ss-kicking clown that will twist you like a balloon animal!"

"Party Down"

"I have a prestigious blog, sir!"

The Star Report: Adam Lambert going more Goth; Rihanna goes for a plunging neckline
But first: Mandy Moore hangs in Dubai. Plus: Snoop Dogg, Sean Paul, Kelly Osbourne, Dana Delany, Diane Lane and many more.
Afghanistan Unveiled In Three Eye-Opening Accounts

Afghanistan is not an easy country to fully grasp. Author Nadeem Aslam recommends three books that help make the United States' involvement there — both before and after Sept. 11 — a little easier to understand.

ASIA: âMekong Media Should Ask Tougher Questionsâ â" Editor
CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Dec 9 (IPS/TerraViva)Countries in the Mekong region have indeed opened their borders and former foes become friends, but several of them are still ruled by authoritarian governments that put limits on media and other freedoms.

The importance of the Kingston Trio

2009-12-08T16:20:00.001-08:00

Warner Bros. wants to beef up TMZ

Warner Bros. wants to expand TMZ, the tabloid news website and TV show that has become the bane of every celebrity's life for its scathing -- and usually accurate -- reporting on the rich and the restless.

TMZ, which was the brainchild of lawyer turned muckraker Harvey Levin, has been run as a partnership between Warner Bros.' Telepictures unit and America Online since it launched in December 2005. Now though, as AOL prepares to spin off from Time Warner, TMZ will become 100% owned and operated by Warner Bros. AOL will continue to feature TMZ on its home page to drive traffic to the site for the next year, but Warner Bros. is also going to start establishing relationships with other portals in an effort to broaden its reach.

Often dismissed as a bunch of kids going through celebrity garbage cans, TMZ gained new prominence when it was first to report that pop star Michael Jackson died. It also has been out front on the Tiger Woods scandal. According to regulatory filings, TMZ had revenues in 2008 of $25.4 million. Warner Bros. wants to grow TMZ's news operation, people close to the operation said. At the same time, though, the company does not plan on investing more in TMZ even though it is now losing its partner.

Instead Warner Bros. wants to get more aggressive and effective in selling advertising across the TV show and the site. TMZ, a person a familiar with the company said, attracts more upscale consumers, and Warner Bros. thinks it can boost ad revenues substantially. TMZ also is increasing its presence on mobile phones, which Warner Bros. thinks it can exploit better now that it is the sole owner.Â

One thing that is not planned for now is a TMZ cable channel. We think they're missing an opportunity there. How about combining TMZ with Time Warner's Headline News. A Nancy Grace-Harvey Levin combination would be something to behold. It would also be really scary, but anyway.

-- Joe FlintÂ

Photo: TMZ's Harvey Levin. Credit: TMZ / Warner Bros.

Laugh with 'Better Off Ted's' mad scientists and corporate drones

December may bring lots of holiday parties and far too many opportunities to snack on fattening treats, but if you want fresh episodes of television instead of warmed-over reruns, the pickings this month are usually pretty sparse.

So it's nice to find "Better Off Ted" (8:30 p.m. Central, ABC; three and a half stars) nestled under the tree like a refugee from the Island of Misfit Toys. This brightly colored gem, which acquired a small but devoted following during its low-rated spring and summer runs, does seem like the toy that ABC played with for two minutes and then forgot about.

"Ted," an entertainingly subversive comedy set in the labs and offices of an ominous corporation named Veridian Dynamics, deserves better than that.

Comedy is having a comeback this year, but it's a shame that "Ted" seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle (ABC's odd "Ted" scheduling during 2009 certainly didn't help). But "Ted" can and should take its place among smart new network comedies such as "Modern Family" and oft-praised veterans such as "How I Met Your Mother" and "30 Rock." If you like those shows, "Ted's" fast-paced brand of mildly absurd humor may be right up your alley.

Like a rogue fungus in one of Veridian's labs, "Ted" has grown on me. The show seems to be more thematically and tonally unified than it did early in its first season, when it was a bit too brittle and arch for my tastes. This season, "Ted" seems to have a looser, even goofier vibe, and it plays to its actors' strengths more consistently while also giving plenty of screen time to my favorite characters, insecure research scientists Phil (Jonathan Slavin) and Lem (Malcolm Barrett)

But perhaps "Ted's" wry, endearingly odd humor always going to appeal to a somewhat limited (limi-"Ted"?) audience. In the Dec. 15 episode, harried employee Linda (Andrea Anders) works on a kids' book in her spare time, in the hopes that her new career as an author will allow her to break free from Veridian's corporate death grip.

"I may have a career entertaining children instead of working for a place that uses them to assemble munitions," she says.

As Ted, Jay Harrington is dryly competent, but the character is rather colorless and bland. Perhaps that's to be expected; someone has to be the straight man at the center of Veridian's weird corporate labyrinth. But as Michael Bluth on "Arrested Development," a show that is one of "Ted's" most obvious influences, Jason Bateman got to be funnier, or at least he got to be exasperated in a more amusing way.

But like "Arrested," "Ted" doesn't get overly sentimental with its characters. In one episode, Ted repeatedly grills his daughter for information after she comes home from day care with some juicy office gossip.

Portia De Rossi, who I found off-puttingly expressionless early in "Ted's" run, continues to get many of the best show's lines, and her character, corporate executive Veronica, has been integrated more smoothly into "Ted's" whimsical plots. The socially clueless and relentlessly ambitious Veronica thinks only of acquiring more money and power for Veridian. The health and safety of employees and consumers and the rule of law? Those things are mere hurdles to be overcome in pursuit of ever-bigger corporate profits (in other words, she's Jack Donaghy's dream woman).

Perhaps the most complimentary thing I can say about "Ted" is that I don't want to repeat the show's best lines here. They're often so skillfully woven into the fabric of the episodes that putting them in this review could ruin some pleasing punch lines.

It's probably not worth wondering if "Ted" will get a third season; I suppose we should just enjoy the comedy while we can. In this weird TV year, which gave us unexpected additional seasons of shows that were widely expected to get canceled, we should just be grateful, I guess, for the gifts that we got.

Photos: Jonathan Slavin as Phil, Malcolm Barrett as Lem.

The importance of the Kingston Trio
Why the Kingston Trio deserves to be considered for the title of the most important Bay Area band of all time.
CBS Cancels Daytime Drama 'As The World Turns'

CBS canceled As the World Turns on Tuesday, putting Procter & Gamble — the company that put the "soap" in soap operas — out of the business of making daytime dramas after 76 years. It's the second soap opera CBS has canceled in a year, after Guiding Light.

'Everybody Loves Raymond' star returns with 'Men,' but will everyone love this trio?

2009-12-07T16:20:00.001-08:00

Oprah picks not one, but two new presidents for her Harpo Productions

Tim Bennett, the longtime president of Oprah Winfrey's bustling Chicago-based company, Harpo Productions Inc., said he is retiring at the end of May.Â

How important the low-key Bennett to Winfrey? So important that he's being replaced with not one, but two people. Sheri Salata, who is currentlyÂ executive producer of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and Erik Logan, executive vice president of Harpo Inc., will become presidents of Harpo. Their mission will be to "develop new programming for syndication, prime-time, cable television, radio and the Internet," according to the company.Â

While Winfrey is going to be devoting much of her resources to thelaunch of her cable network OWN, which is a partnership with DiscoveryCommunications, Harpo will continue to sell product to everyone.

"Under Sheri and Erik's leadership I am confident in Harpo's future and know that we will continue to create quality programming with compelling content," Winfrey said. Harpo Productions has one of the best track records in daytime television, producing four of the top shows in syndicationÂ today including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Dr. Phil," "Rachael Ray," and the production company's latest hit, "The Dr. Oz Show."

It will alsoÂ present "Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special" on Dec. 13 on ABC, showcasingÂ Winfrey's relationship with another president from Chicago that she helpedÂ to establish: Barack Obama.

-- Meg James

Photo: New Harpo Inc. presidents Erik Logan and Sheri Salata. Credit: Harpo.
'Everybody Loves Raymond' star returns with 'Men,' but will everyone love this trio?
I don't know how I got the impression that "Men of a Certain Age" (9 p.m. Central Monday, TNT; two stars) was a half-hour show.

It's not. But that's part of the problem with this intermittently interesting and frequently frustrating show.

There's a certain slackness to the story lines on "Men," which concerns the lives of three good friends in their late 40s. If I weren't above such things, I'd pun that the plots spread out like a middle-aged gut.

Even after I read the show's press materials and realized "Men" was an hourlong drama, as I watched each episode, I kept looking over at the clock before the 30-minute mark arrived, waiting for "Men" to wrap it up. I can't say that reaction surprised me, given that "Men's" premise recalls half-hour "Are we really grown-ups now?" comedy-dramas such as "My Boys," "The League" and "Californication."

(Actually, here's the shorthand for "Men": It's "Californication" with less fornication, "The League" with less raunchiness and "My Boys" with only three boys, who meet frequently at a local diner instead of a neighborhood bar.)

My mixed-to-meh reaction pained me a little, given that I'd watch Andre Braugher read the phone book.

Braugher, who plays Owen, a father of three working for his taskmaster father as a car salesman, occasionally gets interesting things to do, but I couldn't escape the feeling that "Men" taps into only about 30 percent of his range. Casting this magnetic, subtle and precise "Homicide" vet in a slight dramedy about men facing their insecurities is like bringing a Howitzer to a water-gun battle. Braugher could supply a lot of firepower -- he effortlessly nails both the comedy and the drama -- but the show doesn't quite know how to use his many gifts.

As does Braugher, Scott Bakula excels at playing the kind of character we've all seen before. Terry is the Peter Pan of the group; he's still pursuing a "cool" career as an actor (but in reality, paying the bills by working as a temp). The adept, versatile Bakula demonstrates a light touch with Terry's rogueishness and pathos. The aging playboy does love wooing the ladies, but he has enough self-awareness to know that his rootless lifestyle is getting more pathetic by the year (and at some point, he'll figure out that the highlights in his hair are not a good idea).

"Men," which was created by "Everybody Loves Raymond's" Ray Romano and Mike Royce, gives Romano the potentially most interesting character to play. Joe is a middle-aged party store owner who's living in a hotel as his marriage disintegrates. In this role, Romano attempts to do more than he ever did on "Raymond," with some success, but I can't escape the feeling that a more skilled actor would have been able to give Joe's self-pity, fear and frustration more nuances.

The best "Men" moments come when the three guys eat breakfast after going on one of their "Let's get in shape" hikes. These diner dialogues play to all three actors' strengths, and there's a certain rueful honesty lurking behind the trio's casual joshing.

For me, however, there isn't a huge reason to tune in to "Men" again, now that I've watched the episodes TNT sent. There are a few confrontations or comedic moments that catch fire, but mostly "Men" just ambles along, sometimes perceptively and sometimes lazily observing the lives of these guys, who have stumbled into middle age and its grinding routines and hard-won but significant satisfactions. These observations don't add up to much and the show's pace frankly becomes tedious at times.

If these appealing actors anchored a better-constructed half-hour show, "Men's" low-key charms would be a lot more effective. But I guess middle age isn't necessarily about getting what you want.

Review: 'A Civil War Christmas' shines, if not brightly, at Theatreworks
Paula Vogel's flawed but enjoyable 'A Civil War Christmas' gets a strong staging at Theatreworks.
Fugard's 'Have You Seen Us?': Looking Within Again

Have You Seen Us? is set in San Diego — a first for playwright Athol Fugard, a South Africa native and one of the English theater's great humane bards. It's having a world premiere production at the Long Wharf Theatre, with Sam Waterston as the embittered, alcoholic academic at the center of the story.

2009-12-06T16:20:00.001-08:00

'Up in the Air' takes off in limited release as box office keeps booming
Strong reviews and an early awards win drove "Up in the Air" to a spectacular takeoff, as the George Clooney drama sold a studio-estimated $1.2 million worth of tickets in just 15 theaters.

That's the third-biggest opening in limited release for any movie this year and by far the most impressive debut of any film this weekend.

Despite soft starts for "Brothers," "Armored," "Everybody's Fine" and "Transylmania," overall ticket sales grew 22.6% from the same weekend a year ago, according to Hollywood.com. The weekend after Thanksgiving is traditionally a very slow one at the box office.

"Up in the Air" collected an average of $79,000 at each of its 15 theaters. That's more than any other movie this year except "The Princess and the Frog" -- which has benefited over the last two weeks from ticket prices as high as $50 for a multi-hour "experience" at two locations in Los Angeles and New York -- and "Precious."Â It's also more than director Jason Reitman's previous two pictures, "Juno" and "Thank You for Smoking," which went on to gross $143.5 million and $24.8 million, respectively.

Paramount, which co-financed "Up in the Air" with Montecito Picture Co. at a cost of $25 million, will expand the movie over the next few weeks until it is playing nationwide by Christmas.

Alcon Entertainment's "The Blind Side" took the top spot at the box office, as it declined a relatively modest 49% after a spectacular Thanksgiving.

"Brothers," financed by Relativity Media for $26 million and distributed by Lionsgate, opened to a soft $9.7 million. Audiences gave it an average grade of B, according to market research firm CinemaScore. Combined with very mixed reviews from critics, it remained to be seen whether the war drama directed by Jim Sheridan will hold on at the box office or fade quickly.

Sony's action thriller "Armored," Miramax's family comedy "Everybody's Fine" and Full Circle's horror comedy "Transylmania" all had weak debuts, launching to $6.6 million, $4 million and $274,000, respectively.

Overseas, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" remains very strong, grossing $40.7 million this weekend, much more than the $15.7 million it collected domestically. Sony's "2012," meanwhile, took in $35 million overseas, bringing its international total to a phenomenal $517.5 million.

Here are the top 10 movies at the domestic box office, according to studio estimates and Hollywood.com:

1. "The Blind Side" (Warner Bros./Alcon): $20.4 million, down 49% on its third weekend. Domestic total: $129.3 million.

2. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" (Summit): $15.7 million on its third weekend, off 63%. Total domestic ticket sales: $255.6 million. International: $314.5 million.

3. "Brothers" (Lionsgate/Relativity): $9.7 million debut.

4. "A Christmas Carol" (Disney): Fell 52% on its fifth weekend to $7.5 million. $115 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales so far.

5. "Old Dogs" (Disney): Dropped 59% on its second weekend to $6.9 million, bringing its total to $33.9 million.

6. "Armored" (Sony): Opened to $6.6 million.

6. "2012" (Sony): $6.6 million on its fourth weekend, a decline of 63%. $148.8 million domestic total. Foreign total: $517.5 million.

8. "Ninja Assassin" (Warner Bros./Dark Castle/Legendary): 62% drop on its second weekend to $5 million, bringing ticket sales thus far to $29.8 million.

9. "Planet 51" (Sony/Ilion): $4.3 million, off 58% on its third weekend. Domestic total: $34 million.

10. "Everybody's Fine" (Miramax/Radar): $4 million debut.

--Ben Fritz

Top photo: Anna Kendrick and George Clooney in "Up in the Air." Credit: Dale Robinette / DreamWorks StudiosÂ Bottom photo: Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal in "Brothers." Credit: Lorey Sebastian / Lionsgate

Homegrown excellence: Two of Symphony Silicon Valley's best players shine as soloists in the orchestra's weekend program
Oboist Pamela Hakl and violinist Christina Mok were the stars. Mok, the orchestra's associate concertmaster, gave an airtight performance of Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons.' Mok's playing sang out.

Series Creator, Star Weigh In On 'Better Off Ted'

The second season of ABC's comedy series Better Off Ted begins Tuesday. The "Ted" in question runs the R&D department of the conglomerate Veridian Dynamics, a clever parody of a General Electric-type company that produces everything from office chairs to "weaponized pumpkins." Series creator Victor Fresco and co-star Portia de Rossi speak to host Guy Raz.

2009-12-05T16:20:00.001-08:00

Jim Harrington: Live 105 builds music marathon around Not So Silent Night
Preconcerts feature Gossip, the Bravery and battle of San Francisco bands.
Years After Death, Obama's Mom Gets Her Wish

A few years before her death, Barack Obama's mother completed her doctoral dissertation. Nearly two decades later, S. Ann Dunham's fieldwork has been published — a fulfillment of her dream, courtesy of her daughter.

MEDIA-ARGENTINA: Fighting Stereotypes of Slums 'From the Inside'
BUENOS AIRES, Dec 5 (IPS)A group of local residents from Villa 1-11-14, a slum on the outskirts of the Argentine capital, put out a magazine aimed at breaking down the stereotypes propagated by the mainstream media, which associate neighbourhoods like theirs only with drugs, crime and marginalisation.

2009-12-04T16:20:00.001-08:00

Comcast and GE have 12 to 18 months to close deal, depending on D.C. headaches

Comcast Corp. and General Electric Co. have a window that runs from 12 to 18 months to close on the cable giant's deal to acquire majority control of GE's NBC Universal, according to Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen.

Cohen, whose title understates the multitude of roles he plays for Comcast (we like to call him the company's consigliere), said that the merger has a 12-month time limit but that each side can extend it by three months without consent from the other side. He and Rick Cotton, NBC Universal's longtime general counsel, are already in Washington making the rounds with Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. Over the next week or two, look for Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts and Chief Operation Officer Steve Burke to also work the D.C. circuit along with GE CEO Jeff Immelt and NBC Universal's Jeff Zucker.Â

The $30-billion proposed marriage of Comcast, the nation's largest cable and broadband provider, and NBC Universal, whose holdings include NBC, Telemundo, USA Network and Universal Studios, is going to face an uphill climb in D.C. On Thursday, several senators and congressmen said hearings needed to be held on the deal. Cohen said the paperwork for the deal should be filed in 30 to 45 days. That should make for some good reading, but definitely stack up on the coffee.

Comcast has agreed to follow government regulations that prohibit it from withholding its cable channels from rival distributors such as satellite broadcaster DirecTV. That said, Comcast will continue to be part of a lawsuit that fellow cable operator Cablevision filed looking to throw out the FCC's so-called program access rules.

There is a "legitimate debate" as to whether the competitive marketplace today "justifies program access rules," Cohen said. Noting that the rules were installed at a time before satellite was established, Cohen said the two companies the rules were put in to help are now two of the country's top distributors and have enough clout on their own without regulatory help. Those rules are supposed to expire in 2012, but don't be surprised if the FCC tries to use this deal to extend them further.Â

Cohen said the loud backlash from public advocacy groups was hardly a surprise. "I think the traditional opponents of all media acquisitions and mergers issued statements we expected them to issue," he said before quipping, "Many did it before we had a deal."

Cohen and Cotton said that although they expect a thorough review, theyalso think it can get done inside a year. They might be optimists. On the plus side, the longer the process, the more work for reporters. Cohen cracked that the NBC deal is part of the "journalism employment act" for the next nine to 12 months. Let's hope so.

-- Joe Flint

Review: 'Ovo' hatches another grand Cirque du Soleil show
The Canadian troupe, in S.F. through Jan. 24, proves it's still the best circus going.
From Dickens Himself, Notes On 'A Christmas Carol'

Charles Dickens performed his famous story in public more than 150 times. Now the handwritten changes he made during those hugely popular readings are on display at the New York Public Library.