Gawker
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watchmen
Is Watchmen Review-Proof?
The first batch of Watchmen reviews has arrived, drawing the geeks-vs.-trades divide into crisp, predictable relief. And while the critical haters are a minority, it's their box-office forecasts that could most alarm its producers. More »
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33
By STVComment by Mount_Prion: I can't hear you! I can't hear you! It is going to be awesome. And Alan Moore hates everything but the... 3 Responses | Other threads
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star trek
Virtual USS Enterprise Tour Showcases Paramount's $250 Million Listing
The makers of Star Trek have finally caught up with the real-estate vanguard, offering new, 360-degree virtual tours of their lovely, pricey new interstellar property. More »
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By STVComment by BullLifter: How is this not cross-posted to io9 yet? 1 Responses | Other threads
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oscars
Jon Stewart Misses Viacom Memo To Not Openly Hate On 'Benjamin Button'
Paramount probably could have lived with Jon Stewart's slobbering praise for Slumdog Millionaire last night on The Daily Show. If only it had stopped there. More » -
deals
Lengthy New Deal Requires Referral to Brad Grey as 'Pope Ceo II'
Hooray! Brad Grey will be at Paramount at least as long as his immediate predecessors, with a reported new contract extending his leadership through 2014. More »
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By STVComment by Kitten_Witawip: What makes you think having a contract means he is going to be around for the duration of the term... more » | Other threads
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awards
Paramount Awards Site Hacked Just in Time For Golden Globe Noms
The Curious Case of Benjamin earned five Golden Globe nominations this morning — an achievement celebrated by hackers who promptly wiped the studio's awards site off the Internet.
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By STVComment by WGARefugee: This is their reward for ignoring the genius that is "Filth and Wisdom". more » | Other threads
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Pop Culture Doomsday
It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Hollywood Xmas: The Personnel Purging Begins
As you may have already heard, a staggering 850 people were laid off from Viacom today. Torrents of blood washed down the halls of MTV on both coasts, with added security in wading boots posted on every floor for "observation" (translation: making sure downsized employees don't try to swipe a promotional copy of Trivial Pursuit: TRL Edition on their way out of the building). More »
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By SethComment by Astara: In this time of "reductions" and "layoffs", wouldn't it be a bit more "compassionate" to reduce everyone's salary by 3%,... 1 Responses | Other threads
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the curious case of benjamin button
David Fincher Tries Unique 'Brutality Method' of Oscar Campaigning
The rimjob ecstasy of that first Benjamin Button screening has worn off for director David Fincher, who is said to be tormenting Paramount underlings just in time for the film's Oscar push. Studio staffers were encouraged enough in recent days to even sell the notorious taskmaster out to Page Six, which reports today that Fincher has brought his shouty perfectionist passion to Button's marketing campaign.
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By STVComment by Dave J.: In the early 1990s, wasn't "[latest Paula Abdul video]" the highlight of Fincher's portfolio? 2 Responses | Other threads
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twilight
Will 'Twilight' Make Studio Turnaround Fashionable at Last?
Paramount production president Brad Weston has had a squirmy few days since Patrick Goldstein outed him as the man who put Twilight in turnaround at the studio, deflecting blame where he can while watching the movie blossom into a potential billion-dollar franchise for Summit Entertainment. But listen closely through the heckles and snickers around town, and you'll hear a voice imploring calm, even understanding: Turnaround is a good thing! More »
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By STVComment by bess marvin, girl detective: this is the type of insidery stuff i miss about defamer. keep it coming! also, like all institutions, hollywood rots... 3 Responses | Other threads
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the soloist
Soloist Silenced Even Longer: Paramount announced Tuesday that it's pushing back The Soloist yet again, this time to April 24. The studio surprised even its former DreamWorks partners last month by drop-kicking the Robert Downey Jr./Jamie Foxx drama into 2009, culminating in an unceremonious dump-and-run in March and its withdrawal from the opening-night slot at last month's AFI Fest. The move is yet another slap in the face to the 'Works, whose loss of an '08 Oscar contender is only compounded by The Soloist's new, utterly insurmountable April competition Vanilla Gorilla. Insult, meet injury. [Variety] -
star trek
New 'Star Trek' Trailer Promises Hot Sex, Bad Dialogue
The first real trailer for J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot emerged in theaters last Friday, spilling a dark, sprawling shadow over the Bond film that followed it and confirming our suspicions that about .003% of its rumored $200 million budget went to anything resembling a screenplay. Like we care: Our audience tuned out every platitude and ultimatum that followed the introduction of young troublemaker James Tiberius Kirk, lapsing into an effects coma from which we're only beginning to emerge this morning. Paramount will have an official HD trailer online later today, but in the meantime, bask in the bootlegged bombast available now: Monsters! Sex! Simon Pegg! And a pissed-off Spock who puts those uncanny Katie Holmes comparisons to rest in seconds flat, thank God. [YouTube] -
brad pitt
Paramount Readies its Snipers as 'Button,' 'Revolutionary Road' Reviews Trickle Out
It had to happen: Whispers are speeding out of previews of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Revolutionary Road, leaving Paramount behind a breached embargo wall and knee-deep in mixed buzz for the former and generally glowing praise for the latter. Surely the studio's shrieking winged attack flacks are sniffing the most direct trail to the leakers' (mostly anonymous) domains, so make their sacrifices worth it! Hear the early word after the jump. More »
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By STVComment by academyscreamer: Really? ANOTHER Sam Mendes tragedy...er...comedy...er...tragedy about the banality of suburban American life? You've got us nailed, Sam, we're shallow,... 1 Responses | Other threads
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star trek
OMG! It's A Really Young-Looking Enterprise!
Behold, your first look at J.J. Abrams's vision of the Enterprise for the upcoming Star Trek—both incredibly familiar, and yet...totally familiar. But that's intentional, says he: "If you're going to do the Enterprise, it better look like the Enterprise, because otherwise, what are you doing?" It certainly hews closer to the original than its bridge does, already derailed by purists as far too Apple Store Genius Bar-y to adequately photon torpedo Klingons. (See how down with the mythology we are?) We get more of a Famima! checkout counter vibe from it, however, which is fine with us. Set a course for Char Siew Pork Steamy Buns! Mmmmm... (Click for full-size view.) [EW]
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By SethComment by petronius: The new Enterprise looks fine, but it certainly doesn't look like the "original" model. I am about to go all... 3 Responses | Other threads
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brad pitt
New 'Benjamin Button' Poster Arrives in Backward-English Markets
Despite recent complaints around the Web asking why Paramount hadn't yet issued a one-sheet for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the studio has in fact delivered the poster to theaters. And what an effort it is, with the pores of Brad Pitt's face blown up to nickel-size and every word but the release date printed backwards in tribute to its namesake's reverse chronology. Or maybe the first run was messed up and simply displayed last night at the Bruin just in case a confused security guard didn't recognize the leading man. Or perhaps the whole thing is just deliberate ploy to attract the disaffected, backwards-face-carving youth contingent. Click through for the full-size paparazzi image. [X17 Online] -
trade roundup
ABC Takes Election Night Without Use Of Holographic Equipment
· ABC came in first, NBC second, and CBS a distant third in their election coverage, which amazingly was slightly down from 2004. (Cable network coverage is blamed.) Regardless of where you watched it, however, it all ended the same way: "Barack Obama swept to victory as the nation's first black president Tuesday night in an electoral college landslide that overcame acial barriers as old as America itself." There Variety goes again—always playing the ace card. [Zap2It, Variety] More » -
brad grey
Hedge-Funders Take a Public Bath at Paramount
Today's Hollywood Reporter points out "rare public evidence" of a looming crisis we first told you about seven months ago: Melrose I, hedge-fund financing that helped pay for a raft of underachieving Paramount films dating back to 2004, saw its investment grade plunge six notches recently in an assessment by Moody's Investor Service. It was bad enough at the time for the money men to threaten Brad Grey with court — and even if the lawsuit never came, the day of reckoning did. More »
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By STVComment by DarkKnightShyamalan: Not for nothing, that sounds like a line from The Grinch. "Its investment grade plunged six notches that day." more » | Other threads
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steven spielberg
DreamWorks Remembers David Geffen as Loving, Studio-Shopping Father
A tender postmortem in today's New York Times reminds the world yet again that seriously — like, really, this time — David Geffen is leaving DreamWorks. Having shepherded the monolith through the Hollywood establishment from conception to its first marriage (and divorce) before giving the frazzled bride away a second time in an arranged marriage to its dashing Indian suitor, Geffen's tenure is remembered fondly by his 'Works co-founders Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Not that they'll admit to knowing what they're doing without him. More »
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By STVComment by WGARefugee: So what are they really not saying here? I don't buy Geffen not telling his best friend why he was... 1 Responses | Other threads
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the soloist
Soloist Silenced Yet Again: AFI Fest is scrambling this morning after Paramount yanked The Soloist from the event's opening-night premiere slot — not a totally unforeseen move considering the film's recent bump to 2009, but one the festival and studio had both maintained would not happen so close to AFI's Oct. 23 bow. For now, anyhow, the studio's other awards-season dumpee Defiance is still on the fest slate for closing night. We actually wouldn't be shocked to see that film named the new opener and something like Frost/Nixon or Twilight moved into the closing-night spot, but who knows — festival reps are mum for now, saying only that the new selection will be announced later today. Call your shots. [AFI Fest] -
the soloist
Robert Downey Jr. Saved, Jamie Foxx Doomed in 'Soloist' Oscar Oblivion
The fallout from Paramount's recent release-date shuffle continues today, with agents and saber-rattling DreamWorks brass continuing their protest over The Soloist's move to 2009. While we sustain our first impression that the Jamie Foxx/Robert Downey Jr. tearjerker will in fact be better than the diabetic-coma inducing trailers already in circulation, that's not much comfort to those who fear the bump from November to March will impugn Soloist's profile among critics and audiences alike. But now, as a peace offering to the angry gods at CAA who packaged the film for the 'Works with its clients Downey, Foxx and director Joe Wright, Paramount has forged a silver lining for one-third of that jilted braintrust. More » -
robert downey jr
The Road to Oscar Hell is Paved With Dead Paramount Movies
What a mess: Paramount's reshuffling of 2008 awards bait including Defiance and The Soloist — the latter of which now won't open until next March — has left devastated Oscar watchers (including us) tossing out their carefully wrought Trophynomics™ calculations for the fall movies season. Few are more dismayed than the DreamWorks gang, whose hopes that The Soloist might at least cover the cost of hiring movers were met with the reality check that the 'Mount has more important, Brad Pitt-y things to do before year's end. We think this, along with other traumatic developments elsewhere over the last week, calls for an all-new Oscar scorecard; start over with us after the jump. More » -
iron man
Own 'Iron Man' For the Low, Low Price of $499 (Plus Shipping)
· In what's being labeled as an effort to snag iTunes marketshare, Dell will give PC buyers the option to preload Iron Man on its new computers. Before you laugh: That incursion is being led by a man with whom Apple settled a wrongful-termination lawsuit in 2005. Never underestimate a software-wonk scorned. [THR] More »
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By STVComment by RocketRockit: Leave it to DGG to force me to watch animated FOX television. more » | Other threads
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brad pitt
Old Man Brad Pitt Still Front-Runner as Oscar-Hungry Paramount Pushes 'Button'
Oscar-chasing Scott Rudin and Harvey Weinstein's convalescence from their bruising steel-cage Reader release-date squabble has left a tiny window open today for other awards hopefuls, a selection of which are scrambling through with varying degrees of aggression. But while the upstart Frozen River (a Defamer Attractions "Underdog" alum) is reportedly the first film to send out screeners to Academy voters, and while the controversial German pick for Best Foreign-Language Film, The Baader-Meinhof Complex, found mixed reviews upon its LA bow last Friday, the real witchcraft is wafting from a cauldron deep inside the Paramount lot. There, we're told, Brad Grey's ambition to exorcise DreamWorks and conjure awards-season glory for Brad Pitt yielded both the lovely Benjamin Button trailer after the jump and a closer, carefully vetted look at the 'Mount Spell Book. More » -
trade roundup
All The ऌs Have Been Crossed And The ऱs Dotted
· DreamWorks has finally closed their financing deal with India-based Reliance. Meanwhile, in a surprise maneuver, Paramount waived all of their former executives' commitments to the studio. A sovereign DreamWorks is born. [Variety] More » -
pat obrien
Let this be a lesson to all of you out there who suddenly realize everything you've devoted your professional lives to is worthless and destructive: Keep it to yourself! After Pat O'Brien fired off an e-mail to the ET and Insider staffs insisting their programming is making Middle America barf, he was swiftly beckoned to HQ, whereupon a mutually arrived decision "to part ways" came about, a rep for the show confirms. "We wish Pat much success." What's next for Pat? We hear Soap Network's Girlarrhea : The Search For The Last Pussycat Doll is looking for a host! [NY Daily News]
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By SethComment by WGARefugee: I think Gawker should make him an insulting offer and see if he takes it. He could be the Andy... 1 Responses | Other threads
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brad pitt
Telluride Round-Up: Brad Pitt Qualifies For Oscar in 20 Minutes Flat
And just like that, the Telluride Film Festival is over — the sequestered Colorado tradition known for anointing and/or unveiling awards-season front-runners en route to Toronto and beyond. But with no Juno this year to charm visiting critics and distribution bosses alike, Labor Day came and went instead with rangy early takes on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, David Fincher's long-awaited (and reportedly just long) saga of Brad Pitt aging backwards. While we had pretty much gotten used to the film's stirring Spanish-language trailer, a few closer reads of previews emerging from the Rockies suggest the final result might be a little more complex: Extraordinary digital effects! Romance! And, alas, disappointment: More » -
watchmen
The 'Watchmen' Studio Blood Feud: How Bad Is It?
What looked vaguely at first like a garden-variety Hollywood legal squabble escalated late Monday into the Cuban Missile Crisis of fanboydom: A judge upheld Fox's pending lawsuit claiming that they, not Warner Bros., own the distribution rights to Zack Snyder's forthcoming graphic-novel adaptation Watchmen. The resulting mess is thick, deep and aromatic, with not just two but three studios slogging through a paper trail nearly two decades long. And perhaps the best part: Fox says it doesn't even want to be bought off, instead publicly suggesting they'd rather file an injunction against the breathlessly anticipated film's release next March than not get what it has coming. More » -
tropic thunder
'Retard' Wars Heat Up as 'Tropic Thunder' Boycott Imminent
After two consecutive close calls, The Dark Knight's stunning box-office reign faces More » -
tropic thunder
DreamWorks Goes 'No Retard,' Yanks 'Simple Jack' Site
Well, that was fast: Mere days after first drawing attention on a disability issues blog (and eventually going under magnifying glasses at the NY Times and here at Defamer HQ), DreamWorks's mock Web site for Simple Jack is gone. The site had been part of the studio's complex interweaving of Tropic Thunder tie-ins, with its "Once upon a time... there was a retard" tagline tipping the story of a disabled farmhand whom Ben Stiller's character portrays in pursuit of an Oscar. But activist Patricia Bauer's vigil continued, culminating late Monday with a handy restitution checklist for Stiller, DreamWorks and their distribution partners at Paramount: More »
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By STVComment by EuroDad: all i have to say is... OOOOOOOOOKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA OKLAHOMA!!!! 1 Responses | Other threads
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tropic thunder
'Tropic Thunder' Braces For 'Retard' Backlash
Several months ago, the red-band trailer for Tropic Thunder suggested that not only could Ben Stiller's Hollywood satire be summer's most surefire gutbuster, but also that its trailer-within-a-trailer — featuring Stiller as the developmentally disabled title character of the Oscar-bait drama Simple Jack — portended perhaps the best movie never made. (And look! It even has its own Web site!) But having seen Thunder and thus the degree to which Simple Jack plays a role in the story, we think we got our fill: "You went full retard, man" Robert Downey Jr.'s Method actor (in blackface!) tells Stiller's slumping action hero. "Never go full retard." More »
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By STVComment by Costermonger: I felt Simple Jack's pain, I laughed, I cried when Jack didn't understand that his mother had de-de-died. This is not... more » | Other threads
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trade roundup
Paramount Offers Brett Ratner First-Hack Deal
· With New Line but a shadowy shingle of its former self, Billion Dollar Director Brett Ratner is packing up the Rat Entertainment boxes and moving onto the Paramount lot to marinate in soulmentor Bob Evans's pungent creative vapors. He pledges to no one in particular, "I will not be pitching art films. I want to make mainstream tentpole projects." [Variety] More »
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By SethComment by SteamyMcFirecrotch: Great, now maybe he'll be able to afford that razor he's had his eye on. more » | Other threads
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tropic thunder
Rating Woes, August Blahs Threaten 'Tropic Thunder' Storm at Box Office
While we refuse to believe Nielsen actually spent money to discover that R-ratings hinder comedies more than horror films, the results of its recent survey dovetail interestingly today with a companion piece about Tropic Thunder's potential for August domination. We've seen Tropic and can vouch for it living up to most of its hype, from Tom Cruise's sociopath studio boss to Robert Downey Jr.'s otherworldly, meta-Method blackface turn. But rating and timing are everything, as always, prompting The Hollywood Reporter to foretell a relatively floppy future: More »
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By STVComment by spikespeigel: RDJ is the reason I'm going to see Tropic. Everything else? Not so much. more » | Other threads
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keira knightley
Keira Knightley's Breasts Officially Unmarketable
After an intense period of debate, stroppy siren Keira Knightley has reportedly rejected Paramount Vantage's request to digitally enhance her breasts in publicity photos for its fall drama The Duchess. It's a devastating blow to what remains of the studio's thinning clout, what with pink slips subbing for napkins in the cafeteria, its Oscar legacy threatened by a genre-mediocrity torrent to come, and one of its biggest stars steadfastly refusing to be... well, one of its biggest stars. More » -
paramount
Today in Indie Carnage: Pink Slips Come Out at Paramount Vantage
The saga of Paramount Vantage arrived at its bloody conclusion this morning, when Rob Moore and John Lesher sent a memo announcing the termination of 60 jobs at the specialty label. The paring down follows the earlier absorption of Vantage into the 'Mount mother ship, where Lesher graduated earlier this year, Amy Israel hit the eject button and which will keep a handful of staffers on as part of the catchily titled Paramount Worldwide Acquisitions Group announced a few days ago. More » -
iron man
Hunky Hyphenate Justin Theroux Now Just Showing Off With 'Iron Man 2' Writing Gig
Like most celebrants of cinema's smoldering, dangerous geek-stud archetype, we've been following actor Justin Theroux's career arc for a while — mostly in front of the camera, obviously, where his roles in Mullholland Drive, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Six Feet Under and elsewhere yielded a batch of performances we presumed would catapult him to the A-list sooner or later. But now it's just getting ridiculous, as we're learning that Theroux just nabbed one of the most desirable writing gigs in Hollywood: Iron Man 2. More » -
paramount
Celebrated Paramount Vantage Finally Embraces Cheap Genre Tradition it Was Intended For
If there was any doubt that the Paramount Vantage you know and love or maybe just really like — the art-house darling responsible for An Inconvenient Truth, Babel, Margot at the Wedding, There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men (the latter two co-produced by Miramax) — was done for, please direct your sad eyes toward the front door. There you'll find Amy Israel, handing over her ID badge before fleeing her post as VP of production and acquisitions. More »
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By STVComment by el smrtmnky: @CourageousCoward: newtojezebel got a new name, apparently. more » | Other threads
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defamer
Wall Street Meanies Harsh On Paramount's Summer of Love
For every blockbuster this summer with Paramount's name attached — from Iron Man to Indy 4 to Kung Fu Panda — there's been a looming crisis to greet it at the studio gate. The latest wake-up call comes from Deutsche Bank, from whom we're learning the 'Mount split recently after the the studio balked at the conditions of a $450 million financing deal. This follows word that unhappy Wall Streeters wanted free-spender Brad Grey's head and that DreamWorks' Indian-funded defection was imminent. Mix The Love Guru in just for fun, and it's enough to almost make you forget Paramount is supposedly on a roll. More »
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By STVComment by SteamyMcFirecrotch: @Breadbowl: Weeee waaaant the Florie Dories! Weeeee waaaant the Florie Dories! more » | Other threads
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defamer
School Reunion: We're learning more today about the tearduct-tweaking, franchise-ready School of Rock "reboot" that Mike White teased us with at the LA Film Festival; Variety has word about School of Rock 2: America Rocks, which Scott Rudin will produce and to which Paramount has attached Jack Black and director Richard Linklater. And as opposed to White's cruel stonewalling last month, the plot is apparently now safe for public dissemination: Black returns as teacher Dewey Finn, who leads "a group of summer school students on a cross-country field trip that delves into the history of rock 'n' roll and explores the roots of blues, rap, country and other genres." No word yet as to whether or not Black will exercise his newfound clout to add in an autobiographical narcotics-dabbling interlude, or if he and White will save that for the inevitable School of Rock 3: Rehab High. [Variety] -
viacom
Semi-mummified Viacom overlord Sumner Redstone explains how he managed to work an immortality clause into his 8-trillion-year contract: "I don't want to die. I love what I'm doing. I love Viacom. I love CBS. And so I don't want to die. I have a will to live. The same will to win that I've always had. And, I'm gonna fight death as long as I can. I like it here. I don't want to go anywhere else." And with that, the eternally youthful media titan gave a mischievous wink—causing his lower jaw to shake loose and fall to the ground, evaporating into a small cloud of dust upon impact. [Page Six]
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By SethComment by Good Crazy...: ... he'd want to get a tooth scrub 1st, sorry for double-posting... more » | Other threads
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defamer
It's Always the Kids Who Suffer Most in a Vengeful Studio Divorce
Despite the defiant source who today told the LA Times the DreamWorks/Reliance deal could yet fall apart, we think we'll just go about retrofitting our office anyway in preparation for the worst. Like "custody battle" worst, as Claudia Eller mentions in parsing the 'Works divorce from Viacom/Paramount: Who gets Ben Stiller? Who gets Eddie Murphy? Who gets the retiring David Geffen's parking space and the office's unparalleled catalog of faxable lunch menus? And who gets the movies? More » -
jj abrams
House Of Puzzles Perfect Subject For Paranoiac Cryptologist J.J. Abrams To Spin Into Family Film
In a story from the NY Times that's almost too unbelievable to be true, a married couple of Wall Street investors—quite possibly the coolest eccentric rich parents currently living in America—had their Upper East Side residence custom retrofitted by a brilliant designer to hold more secret compartments, puzzles, games, and hidden treasures than Hogwarts Academy, all to delight their four young children. Beyond that, the apartment "even comes with its own book"— which Everything Is Illuminated author Jonathan Safran Foer was approached to compose (but turned down)—and its own soundtrack. Browsing the slide show tour is as mindblowing as it is mindbending, which, we suppose, makes it somehow fitting that Paramount has purchased the article for J.J. Abrams to adapt into a feature film: More »
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By SethComment by juniperjenny: Reminds me more of "The Seventh Guest", another creepy PC game. I dreamed about this article last night -... more » | Other threads
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paramount
Hollywood Asiamania Continues With 'Night Of 1000 Sheiks' On Paramount Lot
If this year were a Japanese monster movie, Hollywood would be Tokyo, and Asia would be the 30-story-high radioactive reptile devouring everything in its path. With the industry having already been bitten by the theme park monster—with announced plans for Paramount Movie Park Korea and Universal and Marvel attractions in Dubai—came today's news that one of our prettiest daughters, DreamWorks, had been paired off with India-based conglomerate Reliance ADA Group. A Defamer operative now informs us of a gala affair tomorrow night on the Paramount lot. The occasion? Kissing up to 1000 esteemed delegates from the United Arab Emirates: More »
defamer
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