UK Courts Crack Down On File Sharing
The UK courts are cracking down on illegal online file sharing and ordering ISPs to give names and addresses of sharers.
The names and addresses of 31 accused people will be given to The British Phonographic Industry (BPI). The BPI will then write to the individuals and offer them a a chance to settle before taking them to court.
According to a CNET article, the ISPs involved in the case now have 14 days to provide the names sought by the BPI. The individuals named will then be invited to settle the charges, probably by paying a fine of around $3,820 (2,000 pounds).
The BPI hopes that the amount of publicity generated by last week's court success will deter Internet users from uploading copyright material to file-swapping networks.
"We're reluctant to say, 'OK, the job's done. Let's spend money on making records,'" the BPI spokesman said. "I suspect that the problem won't go away just because we've launched two rounds of litigation."
'Lost' Team Discusses Upcoming Death and Mysteries
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Saturday (March 12) night's "Lost" lovefest at the William S. Paley Television Festival ended a little after 9 p.m. and no sooner were the closing words out of the moderator's mouth when an audible "Whoosh" could be heard in Director's Guild of America Theatre. Fans, some of whom had arrived at 6:30 in the morning to queue up for the event, surged the stage, lunging by exiting patrons to get close to their favorite cast members and creative talent.
As this pent-up enthusiasm -- to say nothing of boffo ratings, overflowing Internet boards and boundless critical adoration -- suggests, "Lost" has, in short order, become a genuine obsession for those who follow its every unsolved mystery. So serious was the crowd on Saturday that much of the conversation was fueled by issues of life and death, particularly for one "Lost" character. While co-creator J.J. Abrams has made it clear that one member of the show's core ensemble won't make it through May sweeps, getting more information out of him might take the kind of interrogation skills that Naveen Andrews' Sayid picked up in the Republican Guard.
Abrams would only say that the character's death hit him hard.
"I wasn't really surprised that the death of this character was as hard in real life as it was on the show," Abrams said.
Showrunner Carlton Cuse added, "We felt that on a story level, we needed to retain the life-and-death stakes," noting, somewhat humorously, that with a bursting-at-the-seams cast of series regulars, ABC wouldn't have minded some additional casualties during the season.
None of the "Lost" producers would elaborate on which character would die, how they would die or even when the episode would air. The only hint on the latter point was Abrams' admission that he'd seen at least a rough cut of the big episode, suggesting that the episode will come before the yet-to-be-completed two-part finale which will air as a standard episode and then as a 90-minute conclusion. The eight cast members in attendance were able to kid about the upcoming death, with Jorge Garcia acknowledging that his own mother was less interested in Hurley's fate than in one particular fan favorite.
"I said 'I one of us is gonna die this year,' and she said, 'Not Sawyer,'" Garcia said, a joke that earned both laugher and nods of agreement from more than a few of the session's female attendees.
For Abrams, one of the evening's major themes was passing along credit for the show's breakout success. In absentia, former ABC bigwig Lloyd Braun, co-creator Damon Lindelof and frequent director Jack Bender got shout-outs. Abrams also frequently toasted the actors and at various points asked casting director April Webster, composer Michael Giacchino and a motley crew of writers to stand up in the crowd to receive applause.
Abrams also made sure to show love to the "Lost" fans, a choice that he may have made even if some of the more passionate followers didn't seem just a bit rabid.
"The thing about the fans of 'Lost' is that they're so smart and so aware," he said, adding, "We can't believe that people get the connections they get, whether they're there or not."
Although Abrams laughed (appropriately) at a question about when frequent "Alias" plot device Rimbaldi would become a factor on "Lost," he admitted that the show's staff is very conscious of viewer response on sites including "The Fuselage." Thankfully Abrams dismissed the popularly held theory that the castaways are stranded in Purgatory, though he claimed to like the idea.
"I'm so grateful and beholden to the fans and to not listen to them would be moronic," Abrams said, fueling many a webmaster ego.
It was a spirited session, characterized by cast banter and collegial teasing. Toward the end, the performers were asked to give their own suggestions for upcoming plot lines.
"I think Sawyer should throw a party," suggested Josh Holloway. "He's got all these goods."
Making another reference to "Alias," Harold Perrineau suggested, "I hope we find out Michael works for SD-6."
For his part, Dominic Monaghan said that he'd pitched an episode that concluded with burnt-out rocker Charlie sipping tea with the island's previously unseen monster.
"I just feel like Season Six we're gonna flash back to, 'Hey, remember that crash we were all in'" cracked Garcia.
Nobody, though, knows where things will really go. Even Abrams says as much.
"I would be an absolute liar if I said every single thing was planned out from the beginning."
'The Lone Gunmen' Return to Life
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Yes, they're dead -- or at least as dead as anyone in "X-Files" creator Chris Carter's universe -- but the conspiracy-hunting, computer-geek trio known as the Lone Gunmen is back on America's TV screens, for the price of a DVD box set, that is.
On Tuesday, March 29, 2005, a little more than four years after it premiered on FOX, "The Lone Gunmen," the short-lived "X-Files" spin-off, comes out in a three-disc (using double-sided discs) DVD box set from Fox Home Entertainment.
Along with all 13 original episodes -- plus "Jump the Shark," a season-nine "X-Files" episode that concludes the Gunmen's plotline -- the set features commentaries, a "Making Of" documentary and TV spots.
Created by the writing team of Glen Morgan and James Wong for a first-season "X" episode called "E.B.E," the Gunmen are Richard "Ringo" Langly (Dean Haglund), Melvin Frohike (Tom Braidwood) and John Fitzgerald Byers (Bruce Harwood).
According to "X" lore, they were inspired by the sort of technically savvy but socially inept conspiracy theorists that sometimes frequent UFO conventions, and were introduced as the go-to info buddies of FBI Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny).
On March 4, 2001, during season eight of "The X-Files," the three spun off in a seriocomic series of their own, created by "X" producers Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, Vince Gilligan and John Shiban, and co-starring Zuleikha Robinson ("Hidalgo") and Stephen Snedden ("Coyote Ugly").
Despite the concern of some fans, the pilot of "The Lone Gunmen" is indeed part of the boxed set. This would seem like a no-brainer, until you realize that the central conspiracy in the episode involved the high-tech electronic hijacking of a commercial airliner with the intent of crashing it into the World Trade Center.
Although the episode was conceived and shot in 2000, and aired six months before the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, the eerie coincidence sent shock waves through cast and producers.
"I'll never forget that," says Spotnitz, calling in from the set of the pilot for his remake of "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." "That was such a disturbing thing. It was very upsetting. As I say in the DVD featurette, you write something like that, and you assume that if you can think of it, being a Hollywood writer, then somebody in the government has thought about it already.
"Obviously, that wasn't the case. Just the idea that a plane could fly into a building, and the building would be unprotected was just ... anyway, it was upsetting."
Although their scenario involved using sophisticated electronics to remotely control the plane and had nothing to do with suicidal terrorists, Spotnitz had some long moments on the fateful September morning.
"I was directing an episode of 'The X-Files' when that happened," he recalls, "so I woke up a little late because we'd been shooting the night before. It was the first thing I saw on TV, one of the Trade Towers burning. The first thing that went through my head was, 'Oh my God, I hope this doesn't have anything to do with what we did, that it wasn't somehow inspired by anything we did.'
"Nobody knew who had done it or that had happened, but we knew it was an airplane. It became obvious that it didn't have any connection to what we did."
Haglund, a frequent guest at sci-fi conventions, had noted a brisk business in "Gunmen" bootlegs over the years. He attributes some of that to the pilot.
"Once the pilot and the 9/11 thing came together," Haglund says, "all the conspiracy theorists started passing around that pilot at conventions and UFO conventions and started propelling that forward. These guys are all asking questions about, 'How much did we know?', 'Who wrote the script?', that kind of thing.
"Other than small, middling details, what's odd about that 'Gunmen' pilot is the larger details they got right. I assume somebody will look through the rest of the episodes and see what other details may be right. I can assure you, I don't think there is a legion of super-smart military chimps out there."
While it's unlikely "The Lone Gunmen" series will return -- and the characters would have to somehow be resurrected to be in any future "X" movie -- Spotnitz hopes that DVD sales, if brisk, could have a positive impact in the future.
"It could have a very healthy effect on the whole thing," he says, "because network executives might have to think twice before they rush to cancel something. We didn't know until the very end whether or not they were going to cancel the show, because the numbers were actually OK. What they ultimately said is they wanted to try something else and see if they could do better."
Asked what eventually replaced "The Lone Gunmen" on Friday at 9 p.m. ET on FOX, Spotnitz says, "I believe it was 'Pasadena.'"
For the record, FOX axed that show even faster than "The Lone Gunmen."
"It's heartbreaking," Spotnitz says, "when you're the guy that got canceled. They rolled the dice, and sometimes it works, most times it doesn't."
For those who want the straight skinny on the fate of the "Gunmen," Haglund says, "I'm actually drawing a comic book, autobiographical, about why 'The Lone Gunmen' was canceled."
DMB Takes A 'Stand' On New Album
Dave Matthews Band has christened its new album "Stand Up," which will be released May 10 via RCA. First single "American Baby" will premiere at midnight tomorrow (March 15) exclusively via AOL Music's First Listen initiative. "Stand Up" was previewed for a select crowd last night in DMB's Charlottesville, Va., home base.
The album is the follow-up to 2002's "Busted Stuff," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.9 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
DMB has given fans a peak into the sessions via video clips on a dedicated new album Web site. The latest posting shows the band working through an up-tempo new song with an acoustic guitar lead in the vein of the early hit "Satellite."
"This is one of the best experiences ever we've had in the studio," bassist
Stefan Lessard says. "Things happened so organically and I think we've really captured the essence of what makes us gel so well as a band."
Although a track list has not yet been confirmed, among the songs expected to make the final cut are the vocal harmony-laden "Dream Girl," "Stolen Away," "Smooth Ride," "Hello Again," "Joy Ride," "Die Trying" and "Old Dirt Road."
As previously reported, DMB will embark on its annual summer tour beginning June 1 in Maryland Heights, Mo. The first Australian dates of the group's career begin March 21 in Melbourne.
With Oscars over, another race is on
The awards season may have ended for last year's films, but now the Oscar nominees and winners are seeking new accolades: winning sales on DVD.
First to cash in on its Oscar win is best animated picture The Incredibles, out Tuesday. It's an early favorite to be top-selling DVD of the year. "I wouldn't be surprised if we are looking at 18 million to 20 million units" for The Incredibles, says Ralph Tribbey, editor of The DVD Release Report.
That would put The Incredibles in rare company, approaching sales of the two best-selling DVDs of all time: Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo and DreamWorks' Shrek 2, both of which have sold more than 21 million DVDs.
The Incredibles has topped the best-selling-DVD list at online retailer Amazon.com (which allows customers to order DVDs before their release date) since Feb. 28, the day after the Oscars, the company's Jeff Somers says.
DVD sales "are clearly rolling off of a fantastic theatrical run and the Oscars," Somers says.
Though Disney and Pixar are expecting superheroic sales, other studios are waiting to find out whether DVD releases will pique interest in their movies, which found limited success in theaters.
Combined, 2004's best-picture nominees — winner Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, Ray, Sideways and Finding Neverland— have brought in $365 million, $12 million short of the box-office take for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King alone. Return of the King was last year's best-picture winner.
None of those films, nor such movies as Closer, Being Julia, Vera Drake and Hotel Rwanda, which were up for other Oscars, had the epic feel of Return of the King, although The Aviator cut a wide swath. The smaller scope of the films actually might make them a better fit for home video.
That should prove true, Tribbey says, "certainly for (best-foreign-film winner) The Sea Inside, which has taken in less than $1 million in its domestic box-office run. Million Dollar Baby, Sideways and Finding Neverland all have a legitimate shot at scoring bigger DVD numbers than they have in the theatrical venue."
Video rental leader Blockbuster is anticipating enthusiastic interest in Oscar-related releases. "People are looking forward to watching these films in their homes," says Jerianne Thomas, director of brand public relations.
Since the Academy Awards, Amazon.com has been tracking demand for Oscar winners:
• Pre-orders for Finding Neverland, due March 22, helped the DVD jump to the top 10 from No. 83 on the chart.
•Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, already in stores, went from No. 30 to No. 14 after the Oscars.
• Hotel Rwanda, which is due April 12, went from No. 299 into the top 100.
Best-actress nominee Imelda Staunton is happy if the nominations (director, original screenplay) help Vera Drake reach more viewers, whether on DVD or in theaters.
"Our film, and other films like Maria Full of Grace, The Sea Inside and Hotel Rwanda, are not mainstream, but we have been put in the Hollywood arena," she says. The awards attention "does our films a lot of good."
'The Incredibles' unleashes the extras
Being home alone with The Incredibles' baby Jack-Jack was once meant to be in the film, but the scene didn't make the final cut.
Director Brad Bird lets DVD viewers see what babysitter Kari faces when Jack-Jack's superpowers are revealed while the rest of the family is off battling Syndrome.
The 4-minute, 40-second Jack-Jack Attack is just one of the extras on The Incredibles DVD out today ($30, Buena Vista). There's also:
• The Oscar-nominated short Boundin', which played in theaters with the movie.
• An alternate opening with the Parrs, Bob (Mr. Incredible) and Helen (Elastigirl), at a neighborhood barbecue. It's shown in storyboard form with Bird and story supervisor Mark Andrews commenting. During the cookout, Helen takes offense at someone who downplays her homemaker role. Like the film's work-vs.-family themes, this resonated for Bird and his wife, Elizabeth, who worked in the film industry. They decided that she should stay home with their three sons if he could support them. "She started finding that people were treating her differently because she was no longer part of the professional world," Bird says.
• An animated behind-the-scenes documentary.
Craig T. Nelson, who voices Mr. Incredible, says he was told that there wouldn't be a sequel, but Bird is keeping an open mind.
"I have a lot of bits that I would love to see with these characters," says Bird, who is taking a break before his next film. "If I can ... come up with an idea worth exploring and get the original team reassembled, I would like to" do a sequel.
NEW CD RELEASES FOR MARCH 15, 2005
Akron/Family Akron/Family (three CDs; produced by Michael Gira of Swans) (Young God)
Angels of Light Sing Other People (Young God)
Keren Ann Nolita (Metro Blue/Blue Note)
The Avila Brothers (producers for Usher, Toni Braxton and Earth, Wind & Fire) The Mood: Soundsational (Thump)
Baby Bash Super Saucey (Universal Motown)
The Bad Plus Blunt Object: Live in Tokyo (w/covers of Queen's "We Are the Champions" and Blondie's "Heart of Glass") (Columbia)
Ron E. Beck Soul Cry (Thump)
Benevento/Russo Duo Best Reason to Buy the Sun (Ropeadope)
Tab Benoit Fever for the Bayou (guest Cyril Neville) (Telarc)
Biirdie Morning Kills the Dark (Pop Up)
The Blind Boys of Alabama Atom Bomb (Real World)
Blood or Whiskey Cashed Out on Culture (guest Cait O'Riordan of the Pogues) (Punkcore)
Bottom you'rNext (Small Stone)
John Butler Trio Sunrise Over Sea (Atlantic)
Celtic Fiddle Festival Play On (Green Linnet)
Chipz da General Next Up (Renegade)
James Combs Nice Dream If You Can Get It (Disingenious)
Coughs Fright Makes Right (Load)
Daft Punk Human After All (Virgin)
Matt Darey Point Zero (enhanced CD) (Varèse Sarabande)
Dash Rip Rock Re-Cyclone (retrospective) (Alternative Tentacles)
Devin Davis Lonely People of the World, Unite! (Mousse)
Dr. Dog Easy Beat (National Parking)
Wilhelmenia Fernandez Sings George Gershwin (Milan)
Curtis Fuller Keep It Simple (Savant)
Al Green Everything's OK (Blue Note)
Mary Haskell Inspired Standards - Good for the Soul (w/cover of Dolly Parton's "Try") (Insight)
Holy Shroud Ghost Repeaters (Level-Plane)
Hope 7 Hope 7 (Trauma)
Kaiser Chiefs Employment (Universal Motown)
The Konks The Konks (Bomp)
Miranda Lambert Kerosene (Epic)
Nguyen Le Walking on the Tiger's Tail (HighNote)
Charles Lloyd Jumping the Creek (ECM)
Long-View Mercury (Columbia)
Los Lobos Live at the Fillmore (w/limited edition bonus CD) (Hollywood)
Curtis Mayfield Mayfield: Remixed - The Collection (Rhino)
Marian McPartland & Friends 85 Candles: Live in New York (two CDs) (Concord)
Ted Nash La Espada de la Noche (Palmetto)
New Monsoon Live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival (SCI Fidelity)
Jim Payne Energie (Savant)
The Peoples The Peoples (Ninthwave)
Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals singer) Yr Atal Genhedlaeth (limited special edition also available) (Sanctuary)
Sex Museum Directo (Locomotive)
Joanne Shenandoah Skywoman (Silver Wave)
Snoop Dogg Maximum (audio biography) (Chrome Dreams)
The Soundtrack of Our Lives Origins, Vol. 1 (Universal Motown)
Steely Dan Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz (recent appearance on NPR radio show featuring interview and live performance by Becker and Fagen) (Concord)
Paul Taylor Nightlife (Peak/Concord)
Tierra Santa Apocalipsis (Locomotive)
Trivium Ascendancy (Roadrunner)
U2 Collectors Box (three CDs; interviews and audio biographies w/booklet, posters and more) (Chrome Dreams)
Ultralyd Chromosome Gun (Load)
Urban Knights VI (Narada Jazz)
Brooke Valentine Chain Letter (Virgin)
Velvet Revolver Maximum (audio biography) (Chrome Dreams)
Webb Wilder & the Nashvegans About Time (first album in eight years; guest members of Bob Dylan's band and Los Straitjackets) (Landslide)
Patrick Wolf Wind in the Wires (Tomlab)
K. Young Learn How to Love (CD/DVD combo) (Bungalo)
VA DJ Afrowax Presents: eVolution (VI Music)
VA Drum Nation 2 (w/Terry Bozzio, Dennis Chambers, Josh Freese, Clyde Stubblefield and more) (Magna Carta)
VA NOW 18 (Epic)
VA Soldiers of the 213 (enhanced CD) (Thump)
VA Subdivisions (tribute to Rush w/performances by Skid Row's Sebastian Bach, Daniel J., Kip Winger and more) (Magna Carta)
OST Constantine (Keanu Reeves film based on DC Comics character; score by Brian Tyler) (Varèse Sarabande)
OST NASCAR in 3D: The IMAX Experience (w/Sheryl Crow, Collective Soul, P.O.D. and more) (Shout! Factory)
OST Robots (animated film; score by John Powell) (Varèse Sarabande)
OST Stubbs the Zombie (video game soundtrack; exclusive covers of ’50s-era songs by Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, The Walkmen, The Raveonettes, Cake and more) (Aspyr Media)
DVD Asleep at the Wheel Live at Billy Bob's (Image)
DVD Collin Raye Live at Billy Bob's (Image)
DVD Diane Reeves Live in Montreal (Image)
DVD Sex Museum Fly By Night (2003 concert w/covers of Deep Purple, the Who and AC/DC; bonus features include interviews, backstage footage and more) (Locomotive)
DVD VA Magic Moments: The Best of ’50s Pop (PBS special from 2004 featuring Patti Page, the Four Lads, the McGuire Sisters and more) (Shout! Factory)
U2, Pretenders Among Rock Hall Inductees
NEW YORK - When he's not haggling with politicians over Third World debt, U2's Bono can sing a pretty mean rock 'n' roll song. His band, U2, joins the Pretenders, the O'Jays, Percy Sledge and Buddy Guy as inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Monday.
The Irish quartet, which is quickly selling out arenas for a fall concert tour, is one of those rare acts still at the forefront of the music scene at the time of its induction.
Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. won a best rock performance Grammy last month for "Vertigo." U2 has kept creatively restless since forming as Dublin teenagers, starting with rock anthems like "Sunday Bloody Sunday," exploring American roots music, performing introspective ballads like "One" and reaching the top with "Beautiful Day."
Needing at least 25 years as recording artists to be eligible, U2 was voted in to the rock hall in its first year on the ballot.
Known for his free-form induction speeches for others, Bono will have the tables turned on him by Bruce Springsteen, whom he inducted in 1999. That year, Bono recalled how Springsteen never embarrassed himself: "No bad hair period, even in the '80s."
The Pretenders came from the same rock generation as U2. Ohio native Hynde was a tough but tender role model for women, singing "Brass in Pocket," "Precious" and "Back on the Chain Gang."
The band formed after Hynde moved to London to be a part of its fertile music scene. She's soldiered on, with drummer Martin Chambers, after guitarists James Honeyman-Scott and Pete Farndon died as drug casualties.
Also from Ohio, the O'Jays are best know for their work with Philly soul producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. "Back Stabbers" was a big hit in 1972, with "Love Train" and "For the Love of Money" as other well-known songs.
Original members Eddie Levert and Walt Williams are still active, and they'll be inducted with the late William Powell, retiree Bobby Massey and Sammy Strain.
If nothing else, Sledge's voice has been the backdrop to countless romantic encounters. The Southern soul singer is best known for "When a Man Loves a Woman."
Guy dominated the Chicago blues guitar scene, and he'll be ushered into the hall by some pretty decent guitar players themselves — Eric Clapton and B.B. King.
Highlights of the induction ceremony, held at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, will be televised 9 p.m. Saturday on VH1.
Frank Barsalona, credited with creating the first big rock 'n' roll booking agency, and Sire Records founder Seymour Stein, were going into the nonperformer category.
Musicians, industry professionals and journalists vote on the inductees. Hall of fame members are permanently enshrined in Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Matchbox 20's Rob Thomas Readies Solo Tour
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Matchbox 20 lead singer Rob Thomas will promote his upcoming Atlantic solo debut, "...Something To Be," with an 11-date club tour next month.
The trek will begin April 15 in San Francisco and wrap April 30 in Washington, D.C.
"...Something To Be" is due April 19. First single "Lonely No More" is No. 3 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart this week, as well as No. 14 on the Top 40 Mainstream tally and No. 18 on the Adult Contemporary survey.
Thomas has a number of other songwriting collaborations in the can, including the track "Not Enough Love" for Daryl Hall's next solo album.
Of his collaboration with Hall, Thomas told Billboard recently, "He's always had that classic style to him, deep into the Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and the song's got that kind of soul to it that I never would have found if I hadn't written with him."
The artist and OutKast's Big Boi recently completed a song called "My Man," slated for Carlos Santana's new album and performed by Big Boi and Mary J. Blige. "I still have not yet met Big Boi," Thomas said with a laugh. "He sent me a track and I sent it back and I redid some stuff, he redid some stuff, and now it looks like they're going to actually record it. How funny is that?"
Here are Rob Thomas' solo dates:
April 15: San Francisco (Fillmore)
April 16: Ventura, Calif. (Ventura Theatre)
April 19: Los Angeles (Avalon)
April 20: Las Vegas (the Joint)
April 22: St. Louis (Orpheum Theatre)
April 23: Columbus, Ohio (PromoWest Pavilion)
April 24: Chicago (Vic Theatre)
April 26: Philadelphia (Electric Factory)
April 27: New York (Irving Plaza)
April 29: Washington, D.C. (9:30 Club)
Disney, Pixar Talks Seen Likely After Eisner Exit
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pixar Animation Studios Inc. likely will reopen talks on a distribution deal with the Walt Disney Co. now that Disney CEO Michael Eisner is set to depart in September, analysts said on Monday.
Eisner, who will be replaced by Disney President Robert Iger, was seen as the main stumbling block for Disney to renew its lucrative partnership with Pixar because of his turbulent relationship with Pixar Chief Executive Steve Jobs.
Pixar, which produced such blockbuster films as "Toy Story," "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles" in its partnership with Disney, was also seen as holding a better bargaining position with Iger at Disney's helm.
"I just think this puts a lot of pressure on the Walt Disney Company," Fulcrum Global Partners analyst Rich Greenfield said. "Bob Iger, once he takes over, will be faced with this negotiation as one of his first acts as CEO ... Disney needs (Pixar) very badly."
Greenfield said Jobs would likely press his advantage to get better terms than he could have squeezed from Eisner. Pixar films have taken in about $3 billion at the box office worldwide, and Disney has had the bigger share of profit.
"The pressure is on Disney, not Pixar," Greenfield said.
Last month, Jobs told analysts that Pixar "likely ... will not forge a new relationship with Disney beyond our current deal," but did not elaborate about how far talks with Disney had progressed or where else Pixar might look for a partner.
Pixar has pushed back its target date for finding a new distributor a number of times and said that "musical chairs" in Hollywood was part of the reason, giving some hopes that a new Disney deal was possible.
Anthony Sabino, a business and law professor at St. John's University in New York, warned that Pixar would play an important part in helping Iger win the board's confidence.
"One of his top priorities and maybe his top priority has got to be to reach out to Pixar and negotiate with them again," Sabino said.
Lehman Brothers analyst Anthony DiClemente called the development at Disney "not ... a huge surprise to Pixar investors" and in a research note said a deal was "less likely" between the two companies.
Pixar's partnership with Disney expires with the June 9, 2006, release of its seventh film, "Cars," and it must have a new distributor in place before its eighth film is released in summer of 2007.
Pixar spokesman Tom Sarris on Monday said the company had no further comment on the distributor search or about developments at Disney. Sarris would not say whether Jobs and Iger had ever met.
Shares of Pixar closed up $1.98, or 2.2 percent, at $90.96 on Nasdaq.