Thompson on Hollywood

Ex-Disney Studio Chief Rich Ross Joins Elisabeth Murdoch's Shine America

News

Having moved up through the Disney ranks to head of Disney Channels Worldwide and then a short tenure running the Disney Studio, Rich Ross is now taking over chairman Elisabeth Murdoch's TV and production company Shine America as CEO, reports Variety.

By Anne Thompson
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October 30, 2012 1:29 PM
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American Master Geffen Talks PBS Doc and Hollywood Changes at Television Critics Association

Television

The entertainment industry in the future will be vibrant and as important as ever---but dramatically less profitable, David Geffen predicted Sunday in Beverly Hills. The notoriously press shy media mogul made a rare public appearance in connection with an upcoming PBS documentary about his life and career.

By Amy Dawes
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July 23, 2012 11:27 AM
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Mad Men Magazine: Newsweek to Create 1960s Era Issue, Down to the Ads

Television

To mark the long-awaited return of "Mad Men" in March, Newsweek will channel a 60s era layout and design. AdAge reports that in yet another stunt from editor Tina Brown, she will give a retro vibe to everything from the features to the advertisements.

By Maggie Lange
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January 13, 2012 6:23 PM
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Steve Jobs Biography Selling Like Hotcakes, Did Nora Ephron Know Jobs?

Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography is flying off the shelves, both literal and digital, selling 380,000 copies in one week in the U.S. alone. It's the 18th best selling book of 2011, ahead of John Grisham's The Confession. The U.K. also marked strong sales of the book, 37,244 copies.

By Anne Thompson
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November 2, 2011 11:43 AM
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Apple's Tim Cook Unveils iPhone 4S, Fails To Live Up to Steve Jobs

Yesterday at the "Let's Talk iPhone" conference, Apple changed things up. Rather than announcing the iPhone 5, they announced a phone that looks no different than their current model, and only distinguishes the new product with an S added after iPhone 4. However, while the iPhone 4S appears to be no different, its capabilities are innumerable (Apple numbered them at over 200).

By Maggie Lange
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October 5, 2011 4:32 AM
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No Bridesmaids Sequel, Mick Jagger as Big Bad Media Mogul, Free Previews for Footloose

Almost as soon as runaway comedy Bridesmaids hit theaters this spring, there was talk about a sequel. At the time, director Paul Feig told New York Vulture: "When you get a group that's this deep and this good, it's a crime to not use them again." However, an Entertainment Weekly interview with Jon Hamm, who played a sleazy love interest in the comedy, put a halt to sequel rumors: "I don't think Kristen is going to do it," said Hamm. "They need to lock [Wiig] up before me."

By Maggie Lange
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September 28, 2011 6:17 AM
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Media Watch: Dish Network May Launch Blockbuster Streaming Site, Facebook Real-Time News Ticker

On Friday, the Dish Network is expected to announce a Blockbuster-branded streaming service. Their program will be a direct competitor to the recently criticized and faltering Netflix.

By Maggie Lange
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September 21, 2011 7:51 AM
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Honor Roll: Producers Guild Recognizes Steven Spielberg

The Producers Guild of America will honor Steven Spielberg with the 2012 David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Motion Pictures. The guild will bestow the producer, director, writer and Principal Partner of DreamWorks Studios with the award at the 23rd Annual Producers Guild ceremony on January 21st at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

By Anne Thompson and Maggie Lange
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September 21, 2011 5:36 AM
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How Butter Used Bachmann, Highest-Paid Man in Entertainment, How NBC Snagged the Jackie O Tapes

In an effort to promote the political satire Butter, whose reviews in Telluride and Toronto were less than stellar, the film's distributor Harvey Weinstein has raised the movie's political references to Michelle Bachmann in order to make a "blatant effort to make [Butter] into something people will be talking about," he wrote in a statement formally inviting the Republican politician to co-host the premiere of the film in Iowa in a few months. Weinstein asked one of the film's actresses, Olivia Wilde, to read the missive:In 20 years of coming to the Toronto Film Festival, I've never released a statement for a film. But I would like to take this moment to formally invite Republican congresswoman from Minnesota and Republican presidential candidate Michele Bachmann to co-host with me the big premiere of 'Butter' in Iowa in a few months from now.

By Maggie Lange
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September 14, 2011 8:02 AM
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Media Watch: Which Apps Make Bank, HuffPost Relaunches Fashion Site, James Murdoch Rumored to Leave

Huffington Post has relaunched its fashion site, StyleList. The digital glossy will be run by Anya Strzemien, the original Style editor. Stylelist will be run as a separate fashion website, with blogs from fashion hotshots Rachel Roy, Heidi Klum, and Jason Wu.