CBC files 72-hour lockout notice
CBC management has filed a 72-hour lockout notice, meaning job action could take place Monday morning if an agreement is not reached with the union representing 5,500 workers.
"CBC doesn't want a work stoppage and we are extremely disappointed to have to take this action," the corporation said in a communiqué Thursday night. "However, after almost 15 months of negotiations, our key issues remain unresolved."
The notice does not automatically mean that a work stoppage will occur Monday. The corporation acknowledged that both sides are still at the bargaining table.
Earlier, the corporation presented the union with a revised offer. But the Canadian Media Guild, representing the CBC, said the proposal does not resolve the critical issues, namely the CBC's insistence on a new contract that will allow it to hire most new employees on a casual basis.
The corporation says it needs greater flexibility when it comes to hiring.
CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald said management filed the lockout notice to impress upon the Guild that the "deadline is real."
"They came back to the table with nothing in hand and a 'we'll get back to you.' The deadline is coming fast. At this point, that's not good enough. We have to be negotiating," MacDonald said.
But Arnold Amber, the president of the CBC branch of the CMG, said the union needed time to analyze the corporation's latest offer. He also said that in the middle of negotiations, the corporation sent out a communiqué to the employees detailing the latest offer, forcing the union to take time out to respond to their members with their own communiqué.
As for the lockout notice, Amber said the corporation has been building up to a lockout for weeks.
" We were not surprised by this," Amber said.
"I don't know why they followed this strategy and tactic."
Labour action could have a significant impact on program schedules, particularly its radio and online coverage. CFL football and NHL hockey would remain on the broadcast schedule, along with acquired programming and movies.
Last month, the union voted 87.3 per cent endorsing the union, including calling a strike if necessary, if its negotiators couldn't get a deal with the corporation. The earliest date for a strike or a lockout would be Aug. 15.
Negotiations for a new contract began in May 2004.
MacDonald said that while negotiations are ongoing, "we have a steep to hill to climb."
Beloved Kermit the Frog Approaching 50
LOS ANGELES - Kermit the Frog, that Muppet of all Muppets, has got to have other Hollywood stars green with envy.
He's turning 50 years old next month but doesn't look a day over... well, he looks pretty much the same as in the mid-'50s, when he made some of his earliest appearances with puppeteer pal Jim Henson on the local Washington, D.C. TV show, "Sam and Friends."
And Kermit doesn't seem to have aged a day since getting his star-making breaks in the late 1960s, in the telefilm "Hey Cinderella" and on the children's TV series "Sesame Street."
"Well, you know, it's interesting being 50," Kermit said in a recent interview with AP Television News. "You start to reflect on your life. And you look back over the years at everything you've ever done. And, with age, middle age, comes wisdom. But I have to say that I'm not sure that 50 for me is the same as 50 in people years."
In honor of Kermit's birthday, Buena Vista Home Entertainment has just released "The Muppet Show: Season One," a four-DVD box set that delivers all 24 episodes of the first season of the variety series, which originally aired from 1976-81.
"(It) has never been released in its entirety before; this is the first time," Kermit noted. "And, on there, not only do we have all those amazing guest stars like Sandy Duncan and Candice Bergen and Ruth Buzzi, Florence Henderson — all those original folks who worked with us back in the '70s. But we also have the original tape that we did to try to sell 'The Muppet Show,' as an extra, which I don't think the public has seen before."
Other DVD bonuses include the original "Muppet Show" pilot, in which Kermit barely appeared, as well as a first-season gag reel.
Besides the Muppets themselves, "The Muppet Show: Season One's" star attractions are, indeed, the star attractions, including such legends as Lena Horne, Vincent Price and Ethel Merman.
"I'd have to say one of the memorable ones was probably the first guest we had, which was Juliet Prowse: a beautiful lady and talented performer," Kermit said. "She probably took a big chance coming on with a lot of farm animals."
The frog also appears in another new DVD release, the telefilm "The Muppets Wizard of Oz," which originally aired in May.
"It stars Queen Latifah, David Alan Grier, and Jeffrey Tambor, along with Ashanti as Dorothy," said Kermit. "And Gonzo plays The Tin Thing, because he's not really a man. Fozzie is The Cowardly Lion. I am The Scarecrow. So, it's sort of a Muppet adaptation."
The DVD delivers an extended cut of the film, running 20 minutes longer than the broadcast version. And if that wasn't enough, we're likely to see a lot more of the green guy over the next year.
"I will be celebrating my 50th year in show business starting this September, and that's going to be like a yearlong celebration," he said. "And it'll be a whole year filled with things having to do with being green and frogs and all that sort of stuff."
As for Kermit's own private birthday bash? He's unsure what to expect, but he's prepared for anything from that wacky Muppet menagerie — even exotic dancers.
"Listen, you can send a stripper to my party if you like," he said. "It won't affect me because, as you can see, I am appearing naked, which I always try to do because I'm kind of a natural guy."
Lucille Ball Tops List of Dead Celebs
NEW YORK - Lucille Ball is America's most beloved dead star. The company that developed the "Q score" that broadcasters and advertisers quietly consult to measure a personality's popularity has done a survey that tests the reputation of performers who have gone on to that big soundstage in the sky.
The redheaded sitcom star of the 1950s and '60s, who died in 1989, has topped past "Dead Q" lists as her comedies seemingly live forever on television, said Steve Levitt, president of Marketing Evaluations, Inc., which conducts the tests.
"What is there not to like about Lucy?" he said.
Bob Hope, John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart and Red Skelton follow her on the popularity list.
For 41 years, Levitt's company has given consumers a list of names and asked if they know the people and to rate how much they like them. From their responses they calculate the Q score, a measure of both familiarity and likability.
Advertising executives use the information to make sponsorship decisions, while broadcasters check Q scores to see how well their news and entertainment stars are connecting.
Tom Hanks has been the most popular live star in the last few surveys.
Dead stars still do business, though. Coors used film clips of Wayne in a popular commercial, while Fred Astaire has danced to hawk a vacuum cleaner.
"Some of these deceased personalities have Q scores equal to or greater than some of the live personalities we measure," Levitt said.
Two performers are relatively new to the list: Johnny Carson and John Ritter were both ranked among the 10 most popular dead stars.
Others offer a reminder of television's power to keep people figuratively alive; "The Honeymooners" star Jackie Gleason, who died in 1987, is still remembered and beloved.
"Peanuts" creator Charles Schulz and Michael Landon fill out the top 10.
Out of 169 personalities tested, diet doctor Robert Atkins had the lowest score. Tupac Shakur and Johnnie Cochran also have high negative ratings, Levitt said.
The national survey was conducted by mail questionnaire.
'Survivor: Guatemala' cast announced
Former NFL quarterback Gary Hogeboom is looking to score a touchdown on 'Survivor: Guatemala - The Maya Empire'. The former Dallas Cowboy, Indianapolis Colt and Phoenix Cardinal was one of 16 new castaways announced by CBS on Thursday.
CBS also revealed that the players will start their adventure with an 11 mile hike through the jungle and will face two surprises right off the bat which will change the game in a major way. Rumour has it that Stephenie Lagrossa and Bobby Jon Drinkard from 'Survivor Palau' will be returning to captain the two rival tribes.
'Survivor: Guatemala' will take place amid the ancient Mayan ruins and ceremonial sites located in the northern area of Guatemala. The series just wrapped up filming. 'Guatemala', the eleventh installment, will premiere Thursday, Sept. 15th.
The Castaways who will be competing on the series are:
BRANDON BELLINGER
22
Manhattan, Kan.
Farmer/Rancher
DANNI BOATWRIGHT
30
Tonganoxie, Kan.
Sports Radio Talk Show Host
MARGARET BOBONICH
43
Chardon, Ohio
Family Nurse Practitioner
BRIAN CORRIDAN
22
New York City (originally from New Milford, Conn.)
Ivy League Student
CINDY HALL
31
Naples, Fla.
Zoo Keeper
GARY HOGEBOOM
46 (turns 47 on August 21)
Grand Haven, Mich.
Ex-NFL Quarterback/Real Estate Developer
RAFE JUDKINS
22
Providence, R.I. (originally from Pittsburgh)
Ivy League Student
JIM LYNCH
63
Northglenn, Colo.
Retired Fire Captain
MORGAN McDEVITT
21
Decatur, Ill.
Magician's Assistant/Waitress
LYDIA MORALES
42
Lakewood, Wash. (originally from Okinawa)
Fishmonger
JAMIE NEWTON
24
N. Hollywood, Calif. (originally from Douglas, Ga.)
Water Ski Instructor
AMY O'HARA
39
Revere, Mass.
Police Sergeant
JUDD SERGEANT
34 (turns 35 on September 13)
Ridgefield, N.J.
Hotel Doorman
BROOKE STRUCK
26
Santa Monica, Calif. (originally from Hood River, Ore.)
Law Student
BLAKE TOWSLEY
24
Dallas, Texas
Commercial Real Estate Broker/Model
BRIANNA VARELA
21 (turns 22 on Oct. 29)
Edmonds, Wash.
Retail Sales/Make-Up Artist
DVD titans set for November clash By Thomas K. Arnold
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The landscape of the fourth-quarter DVD-selling season is rapidly taking shape as summer starts to wind down and studios race each other to snag prime release dates.
November will see a clash of the DVD titans, with four $100 million-plus theatricals already slotted and a fifth deemed likely.
DreamWorks is set to announce Thursday a Nov. 15 release date for "Madagascar," the animated feature that grossed $189 million theatrically. That gives it a one-week jump on another animated feature geared toward the same family demographic, Warner's November 2004 release "The Polar Express."
20th Century Fox reserved Nov. 29 for "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," which grossed $178.5 million in theaters and is one of the summer's top-grossing live-action theatricals.
Fox also is releasing the year's No. 1 movie, "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" ($377 million domestic gross), Nov. 1.
That leaves only Nov. 8 untapped, though industry sources peg that as a likely date for Warner's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which has grossed nearly $150 million since its July 15 opening.
October also is almost fully loaded, but with more moderate box office performers. Universal's "The Interpreter" ($72.4 million) and MGM's "Amityville Horror" ($64.3 million) will be out Oct. 4, and Universal's "Kicking & Screaming" ($52.6 million) and Fox's "Kingdom of Heaven" ($47.3 million) share Oct. 11.
Oct. 25 will find Disney releasing "Herbie: Fully Loaded" ($62.7 million) and Warner issuing "House of Wax" ($32 million). Industry sources expect Warner to drop "Batman Begins" ($195.9 million) on Oct. 18, the month's only open date, noting that the studio already has slotted for that date a series of two-disc special editions of the four original "Batman" movies from the 1980s and '90s.
The only true wild card in the fourth quarter is December, with no confirmed releases.
'Sopranos' may extend final run By Cynthia Littleton
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The upcoming season of "The Sopranos" might well be a whopper, at least in terms of the number of episodes.
Sources said series creator/executive producer David Chase is close to finalizing a pact with HBO to produce as many as 10 additional episodes for the upcoming sixth season, set to bow in March. Sources said the tentative game plan is for HBO to stretch out the mob drama's swan-song season over many months, much as it did with the final batch of "Sex and the City" episodes by running a batch of 12 from June-September 2003 and the final eight in January-February 2004.
It's understood that the "Sopranos" cast and crew went into the sixth season, which recently began production on the East Coast, expecting to film at least 10 but no more than 13 episodes for Season 6. Details were sketchy late Tuesday, but sources said that Chase was close to signing on to produce at least seven more installments of the Emmy-winning series.
Of course, when it comes to long-term planning for "Sopranos," the other X factor is the wishes of star James Gandolfini. It was unclear whether the extended-season plan would trigger new contract negotiations for Gandolfini, who was embroiled in litigation with HBO in early 2003 when he sought to renegotiate his pact before starting work on the fifth season.
Reps for HBO and Chase declined comment on the matter Wednesday.