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Chan Is China's Top Movie Star
4 January 2002
Jackie Chan is the top-earning Chinese actor after being paid a total of $60 million in 2001 for Rush Hour 2 and the unreleased Tuxedo and Highbinders, according to a survey published in the Chinese-language Hong Kong newspaper The Sun. (The newspaper based its result on reports that Chan has joined Hollywood's "$20 million club." However, while he may have commanded that amount for the Rush Hour sequel, it appears doubtful that he received anything close to it for the other two films.) The newspaper said that Jet Li and Andy Lau were the second- and third-highest Chinese earners in the movie business. Chow Yun Fat, who ordinarily figures in the results, did not this year, the newspaper said, because he has not made a film since 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. »
Messier Says He's Chosen His Heir -- But He's Not Naming Him
4 January 2002
Vivendi Universal CEO Jean-Marie Messier has told a French newspaper that he has written down the name of the person he would like to see succeed him and placed the note in a safe. Since Messier is only 45, it is not likely that he will have reason to step down in the near future. However, he told the newspaper Le Figaro,"In the tragic event, at least for me, of my being knocked down by a bus, I would like to leave a recommendation to my board as to who should take up the reins." He did not name him. »
Disney Vs. Disney (Again)
4 January 2002
After seeing their original lawsuit tossed out, Disney shareholders have filed a new one accusing the company's directors of gross negligence in their review of Michael Ovitz's contract when he was named Disney president in 1995. They are seeking to recover the $140 million in severance payments that Ovitz received as part of a "golden parachute" clause in his contract when he was fired 14 months later. The suit observes that the Disney board never asked its compensation consultant, Graef Crystal, to analyze Ovitz's severance package and that it spent less time considering it than it did discussing a $250,000 finders' fee that a board member who helped recruit Ovitz received. »
Movie Reviews: Impostor
4 January 2002
Impostor, the first new movie of the new year, is being dumped on by critics. Based on a short story by the late sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, the movie, according to Gary Dowell in the Dallas Morning News, has the look of a "low-budget, made-for-cable" feature. Most of the critics note that it was originally intended as a 40-minute segment of a two-hour trilogy, then puffed up into a full-length feature. Eleanor Ringel Gillespie in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution observes that while the film "looks musty, dark, and cheap," it does have a few things going for it: "It gives its core audience -- die-hard sci-fi freaks -- a lot to like. There are the usual neato gadgets and a nifty twist that may not surprise everyone but is still satisfying." However, Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune concludes: "Impostor starts as a tribute to Philip K. Dick and winds up selling its soul to Arnold Schwarzenegger." Geoff Pevere's review in the Toronto Star does give the newspaper's headline writer the opportunity to set down a phrase that otherwise would never have appeared in the family newspaper: "Impostor Doesn't Know Dick." »
Movie Reviews: Gosford Park
4 January 2002
After an early release to qualify for Oscars, Gosford Park is rolling out this weekend, accompanied by reviews that will no doubt boost its chances of actually receiving them. Look for many of them to be quoted in newspaper ads: Jami Bernard (New York Daily News): "Totally delightful." Kenneth Turan (Los Angeles Times): "Consistently entertaining." Stephen Holden (New York Times): "A virtuoso ensemble piece." Carrie Rickey (Philadelphia Inquirer): "At its best, it is one of the most dynamic movies from a most dynamic filmmaker." Michael Wilmington (Chicago Tribune): "Gosford Park works like a dream." Roger Ebert (Chicago Sun-Times): "Here [Altman] is, like Prospero, serenely the master of his art." »
U.K. Ratings On Hold
4 January 2002
A revamp of the U.K.'s audience-measurement service has caused a delay in the release of ratings for all television shows that could last as long as a week, Britain's Guardian newspaper reported today (Friday). As a result, the newspaper said, commercial Channel 4 had been unable to learn how many viewers tuned into Shackleton, a film about the 1914 South Pole expedition starring Kenneth Branagh that was the most expensive drama the station has ever commissioned. The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board, which administers the ratings system in Britain, said that it was necessary to complete "relevant diagnostic checks" of the new system, which has added 600 new homes to the 4,800 that have normally been providing data over the past 10 years. »
U.K.'s Fat Club Reality Series Called "Freak Show"
4 January 2002
A new British reality series in which overweight contestants are required to undergo grueling physical exercise under the direction of a U.S. Army drill sergeant has been condemned by obesity experts. According to today's (Friday) London Times, the contestants were repeatedly subjected to abuse by the drill sergeant and subjected to public ridicule. Their progress, which includes physical training, dieting and other therapy, will be monitored over a six-month period. However, the series, titled Fat Club, was described as a "freak show" by psychotherapist Susie Orbach, who has written about eating disorders. "Abusing people with low self-esteem will ultimately continue [their weight-gain] cycle," she said. David Ashton, director of the U.K. Women's Heart Study at Imperial College, London, told the Times that the program "was merely a callous attempt to win ratings and was blatantly irresponsible" and that the exercises could be life-threatening to fat people. »
Van Susteren's Scientology Ties Evoke Fuss
4 January 2002
The Poynter Institute's MediaNews website, edited by Jim Romenesko, has published a link to a 1998 article in the St. Petersburg (FL) Times, noting that Greta Van Susteren, who jumped ship this week from CNN to Fox News Channel, is a member of the controversial Scientology church. (Her Scientology connection had previously been mentioned in a People magazine profile.) The article observed that Van Susteren not only refuses to discuss her affiliation with the church but that her contributions to it appear to be concealed. For example, it said, a contribution of more than $100,000 to a Scientology building project is credited in a brochure to "Greta Conway." Conway is Van Susteren's middle name. »
Time Warner Cable To Push Movies On Demand
4 January 2002
AOL Time Warner intends to boost its cable-TV revenue by spending up to $3 billion on upgrading its equipment so that subscribers will be able to access a wide variety of broadband services, notably movies on demand, Time Warner Cable chief Glenn Britt has told Bloomberg News. Britt acknowledged that the additional services could boost customer bills to an average of $230 per month. The wire service said that the "cornerstone" of Britt's strategy is to be able to offer subscribers the ability to choose from hundreds of movies and to be able to pause, fast forward and rewind them via a settop box. However, analysts noted that Time Warner Cable tested a similar video-on-demand service in Orlando, Florida from 1994 to 1997 and that it received little use, principally because of high costs. Meanwhile, analysts are forecasting that AOL Time Warner will lower its revenue and profit forecasts during a conference call with investors on Monday. »
Jackson: Clark Yes; Grammys No
4 January 2002
Michael Jackson has decided to forgo an appearance on the Grammy Awards and appear instead on next Wednesday's American Music Awards in order to fulfill a promise to the AMA's producer, Dick Clark, the Boston Globe reported today (Friday). In an interview with the Globe, Clark said, "Michael called me and said, 'Yes, I am going to attend to pick up my ["Artist of the Century"] award, and I will not appear on the Grammys. I'm a man of my word.'" Nevertheless, Clark said, he will continue to press his lawsuit against Michael Greene and the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which had said that it would bar Jackson from appearing on the Grammys if he appeared on Clark's telecast. »
NBC's Loss In S.F. Switch Greater Than Expected
4 January 2002
Some 212,000 households in the San Francisco Bay market are unable to receive NBC's new affiliate, KNTV, according to a Roper study commissioned by NBC, the San Francisco Chronicle reported today (Friday). The figure is more than twice the previous estimate and is so substantial that it could impact national ratings, the newspaper observed. Commenting on the survey's results, the Chronicle's TV columnist, John Carman, wrote today, "It's the clearest evidence yet that the affiliation switch from KRON (Channel 4) effectively reduced San Francisco to Siberia status at NBC -- an unintended consequence of the network's marriage to KNTV." (On its website, the Chronicle is conducting an informal poll of its own, showing that 38 percent of respondents are no longer able to receive the station.) The switch occurred on New Year's day, marking an end to NBC's half-century-long relationship with KRON, which had refused to agree to the network's demands for "reverse compensation" -- paying NBC for network programs rather than vice versa. »
Spotting Disney's Woes Is As Easy As ABC
4 January 2002
Michael Eisner has once again identified the lackluster performance of Disney's ABC television network as a principal cause of the company's disappointing results for 2001 and has vowed to take a hand in fixing it. In a statement accompanying the company's annual report, Eisner revealed plans for further cost-cutting, including the shutdown of an additional 50 Disney Stores in addition to the 50 already closed and a reduction in the annual investment in live-action movies. Eisner, who has undergone a heart-bypass operation and adheres to a rigorous low-fat diet, also compared the company's health with his own. The company cutbacks, he remarked, is "kind of like going on the treadmill and eating nonfat food. You never seem to get anywhere, but you stay healthier and more alive." »
Lord Rules Down Under, Too
3 January 2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring has knocked Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone out of the box-office record books in Australia only a month after Harry landed there. In its first week Rings has rung up $8.6 million, well above the $6.3 million that Rings recorded during its opening week. The French film Amelie also set a record -- producing the biggest opening week gross ever for a foreign language film with $406,642. (All figures U.S. dollars.) Meanwhile, Screen Daily, the online version of the British trade publication Screen International, reported Wednesday that Rings is likely to become the fastest grossing film in history with $174 million recorded at the North American box office and $176 million overseas in just two weeks. »
BBC Shelves Reality Series Filmed In India
3 January 2002
The BBC has decided to postpone a 13-week reality series that was to provide an inside look at an Indian commando-training course, regarded as one of the most rigorous in the world. It had been scheduled to start airing on the BBC World channel on Jan. 1, according to today's (Thursday) Times of India, but was pulled at the last moment after officials decided that it would be "inappropriate" given the current tensions between India and Pakistan. »
Afghan Filmmakers Go Back To Work
3 January 2002
Several Afghan filmmakers who remained in their homeland after the Taliban seized power have joined together to produce the first local film there in 10 years, Agence France Presse reported Wednesday. The film, The Speculator, is being directed by Sayed Faruk Haybat, who told the French news agency that while making his last film, a rocket landed on the set and killed eight people. He said production of The Speculator, which will be shown first on Afghan television, began within hours after the Taliban withdrew from Kabul on Nov. 12. »
Two Films Tie For Online Critics' Top Film
3 January 2002
The Online Film Critics Society has selected Mulholland Drive and Memento as the best films of 2001. »
Producer Phillips Dies At 57
3 January 2002
Producer Julia Phillips, who won a best-picture Oscar in 1973 for The Sting -- making her the first female producer to win an Oscar -- died Tuesday of cancer at age 57. »
Morgan Stanley Boosts Pixar
3 January 2002
The continued success of Disney/Pixar's Monster's, Inc. has caused analyst Richard Bilotti of investment bank Morgan Stanley to raise his 2001 and 2002 earnings for Pixar Animation Studios. In a report on Wednesday, Bilotti wrote, "Monsters, Inc. surpassed $225 million in domestic box office; we have increased our global box office forecast on our assumption that the international box office will equal domestic box office." »
Lord Rings In New Year Bigtime
3 January 2002
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring was lord of the box office over the five-day New Year's weekend as it amassed $57 million to bring its two-week gross to $174.1 million. Ocean's Eleven continued to make waves in second place with $26.2 million, to bring its four-week total to $134 million. Paramount/Nickelodeon's Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius also produced strong numbers, taking in $22.3 million for third place. However, audiences continued to decline for Ali, starring Will Smith as the former boxing champ, which landed in fourth place with $20 million, bringing its eight-day total to $40.1 million, a quarter of that on opening day. The total take for the top 12 films was $146.9 million -- up 20 percent over the same weekend a year ago, according to Exhibitor Relations. The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, New Line, $56.9 million, 2 Wks. ($174.1 million); 2. Ocean's Eleven, Warner Bros., $26.1 million, 4 Wks. ($136.9 million); 3. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Paramount, $22.2 million, 2 Wks. ($49.4 million); 4. Ali, Sony, $20 million, 1 Wk. ($40 million); 5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Warner Bros., $16.9 million, 7 Wks. ($291.5 million); 6. Vanilla Sky, Paramount, $16.3 million, 3 Wks. ($71.3 million); 7. Kate & Leopold, Miramax, $14.5 million, 1 Wk. ($22.1 million); 8. A Beautiful Mind, Universal, $12.6 million, 2 Wks. ($18.5 million); 9. Monsters, Inc. Disney, $9.4 million, 9 Wks. ($239.1 million); 10. The Majestic, Warner Bros., $8.7 million, 2 Wks. ($18.9 million). »
Echostar Says It's Not The Only One Wanting To Leave Family
3 January 2002
EchoStar, which was barred by a temporary restraining order on Tuesday from dropping the ABC Family Channel, maintained Wednesday that it isn't alone in wanting to dump the channel. In fact, it said in a statement, nearly half of the channel's cable distributors are also considering dumping it. A spokeswoman for the Walt Disney Co., which owns the channel, insisted on Wednesday that the company is not aware of any cable operator planning to drop ABC Family. »
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