CBC won't renew contracts with Don Murray, Patrick Brown
The CBC says it is not renewing the contracts of reporters Don Murray in London and Patrick Brown in Beijing.
Jeff Keay, spokesman for the public broadcaster, says "economic reasons" were behind the decision, but would not elaborate further.
The veteran newsmen had been working under part-time contracts since 2006.
Keay says their contracts are to expire next month and that the CBC is interested in establishing "an ongoing freelance relationship" with Murray and Brown.
He added that the affected bureaus would otherwise remain fully staffed.
They include reporters Michel Cormier in Beijing, Anthony Germain in Shanghai, and Ann McMillan and Adrienne Arsenault in London.
"The relationship remains to be defined, I think," Keay said Thursday of the CBC's relationship with Murray and Brown.
"We hope to see them on the air in future."
'Battlestar Galactica' Begins Swan Song January 16
Mid-January marks the beginning of the end for " Battlestar Galactica" fans.
The acclaimed Sci Fi Channel show will return with the second half of its fourth and final season on Friday, Jan. 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
So that means just before our new president takes office, "Battlestar" will pick up from June's cliffhanger, during which the Colonial fleet and their Cylon allies finally discover Earth, only to find it a barren nuclear wasteland.
The final 10 episodes of the Peabody-winning show will end with the ultimate finale on March 20.
Those wanting just a bit more "Battlestar" can also look forward to the previously announced "Battlestar Galactica" two-hour special next year starring Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas and Dean Stockwell reprising their roles as Sam T. Anders, Chief Galen Tyrol and Cavil.
"Max Payne" has box-office crown in its sights
ORLANDO (Hollywood Reporter) – The movie theater operators who attended the ShowEast conference here had to rush back to change their marquees Friday as another batch of new titles hit multiplexes.
Among the newcomers is 20th Century Fox's "Max Payne," an adaptation of the action-packed videogame that stars Mark Wahlberg in the titular avenging-cop role and has the young-male demographic in its sights. How high into the teen millions it will open depends on how many young men bring dates to the theater Saturday, with its Friday debut likely to be substantial regardless.
But the movie certainly won't have the market to itself, and the studio even has a second wide-release debutante of its own in Fox Searchlight drama "The Secret Life of Bees."
"Bees" -- which stars Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning in a drama based on the novel of the same name -- couldn't target a more distinct audience from "Payne." It aims to reach older women and, to a lesser extent, younger females. Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Paul Bettany fill out the ensemble cast, but reviews could prove key to "Bees" being anywhere near a breakout hit during the crowded weekend.
Elsewhere among the debutantes, Lionsgate unspools Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic "W." amid decent early response from critics lauding a relatively even-handed treatment of the subject matter by the film's controversial helmer.
A top-three finish seems likely given broad audience anticipation for the release just weeks before the presidential election.
Summit Entertainment's R-rated comedy "Sex Drive" goes after much the same demographic group as does "Payne." Light prerelease interest, according to tracking surveys, indicates that "Sex" will fetch a weekend gross somewhere in the single-digit millions.
Meanwhile, the four wide openers will increase a recent glut of films crowding multiplexes for a piece of the box-office action in a season hardly known for robust grosses. Yet if one or more of the new releases click, that could put another notch in the win column for the industry, much like the year-over-year uptick posted during the previous weekend despite some misfires among the frame's wide releases.
Seasonal grosses are tracking about 8 percent ahead of the same portion of fall 2007. That's mostly thanks to easy comparisons with limp year-ago weekends -- as well as some good box-office bite from Disney's family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua."
"Chihuahua" could approach double-digit millions during its third session to grab one of the frame's top rankings after finishing No. 1 in its first two weekends.
McCain tries to make peace with Letterman
NEW YORK – John McCain told David Letterman that "I screwed up" by canceling a "Late Show" appearance three weeks ago, then faced a sharp round of questioning about Sarah Palin and his campaign tactics.
Not willing to risk the wrath of Letterman again, the Republican presidential candidate rented a helicopter to fly to New York after a weather delay grounded his campaign airplane in Philadelphia. He had canceled a Sept. 24 appearance during the brief suspension of his campaign because of the economic crisis, and Letterman has been hammering him ever since.
The band played the Who's "I Can't Explain" as McCain walked onstage at the Ed Sullivan Theater. After he sat down, Letterman asked, "Can you stay?"
"Depends on how bad it gets," McCain answered.
Letterman had replaced McCain with the GOP hopeful's persistent critic, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, on Sept. 24. Olbermann was waiting in the wings Thursday — and McCain had a pained expression when he noticed that.
Although Letterman said he was "willing to put this behind us," he came after McCain hard with questions. He asked whether Palin was his first choice as vice president.
"Absolutely," McCain answered.
He said he didn't know her well before choosing her, but that he was impressed by her reputation as a reformer.
Letterman repeatedly pressed McCain on her qualifications, asking if he was confident she could lead the country in a time of crisis.
"In all due respect, one of the people I admired most was an obscure governor of a southern state called Arkansas and he turned out to be a fairly successful president," McCain said, complimenting Bill Clinton. "Ronald Reagan was a cowboy, no experience in international affairs. I think she has shown leadership."
As Letterman pressed on, McCain asked, "Have we pretty well exhausted this?"
"No, no," Letterman said. "I'm just getting started."
Letterman questioned him about Palin's claim that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama "palled around with terrorists," and McCain backed her up, saying his opponent need to better explain his relationship with former Weather Underground activist William Ayers.
"Did you not have a relationship with Gordon Liddy?" Letterman asked about Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy.
McCain said he knew him. Then, after a commercial break, McCain said, "I know Gordon Liddy. He paid his debt, he went to prison ... I'm not in any way embarrassed to know Gordon Liddy."
"You understand the same case could be made of your relationship with him as is being made with William Ayers?" Letterman said.
McCain said he has been completely open about his relationship with Liddy.
Letterman appeared to ridicule McCain about the implication that Obama and Ayers had a relationship.
"Are they double-dating, are they going to dinner, what are they doing?" Letterman asked. "Are they driving across country?"
"Maybe going to Denny's," McCain said.
Letterman said that Obama was 8 when Ayers was 29, and McCain appeared exasperated. "There's millions of words said in a campaign. C'mon, Dave," he said.
McCain said he thought Palin would appear on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," where Tina Fey has been doing a dead-on impersonation of her. "Probably get more of an audience than our debate did," he said.
Although Letterman had said he felt like an "ugly date" after McCain's initial cancellation, representatives for the two men never stopped talking about a return date.
While McCain risked a rough appearance — "I haven't had so much fun since my last interrogation," he said — it gave him the chance to show courage in the face of fire. Letterman reaches about 4 million people a night, a number sure to increase with McCain as guest. With clips on the Internet and Friday morning news, countless more people will undoubtedly learn about their encounter.
McCain did offer one campaign promise that he was probably more likely to keep after he left the stage.
"It's not the time to raise anybody's taxes — except yours," he said to Letterman. "I guarantee you if I become president, I'll do it. First executive order."
Eminem Ready for Relapse
Los Angeles (E! Online) – Eminem's done the rehab. Now it's time for the Relapse.
During an interview last night on his Sirius Satellite Radio channel, Shade 45, Eminem announced his forthcoming sixth album would be titled Relapse and include the track "I'm Having a Relapse."
While the rap superstar stopped short of announcing a release date, he has previously indicated it will drop by year's end, likely before pal 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct on Dec. 9.
The Shade 45 interview, hosted by DJ Kayslay and Angela Yee, was part of an on-air party for Eminem's new book, The Way I Am, which goes on sale next Tuesday.
The new album, whose working titles reportedly included King Mathers and Em-Pact, is rumored to include collaborations with 50 Cent, DMX, Obie Trice and Cashis, among others. In a recent interview, current chart-topper T.I. said he also recorded a track with Em that included both artists' alter egos, T.I.'s dark side, T.I.P., and Em's Slim Shady.
Eminem's last studio album, Encore, came out four years ago, followed by the compilation Curtain Call: The Hits in 2005. Curtain Call, originally titled The Funeral, per early rumors, marked the start of Eminem's supposed retirement as a recording artist. But whispers of a comeback began just months later, when Eminem collaborated with Akon on the 2006 Grammy-nominated hit "Smack That."
Said Akon at the time, "Eminem told me he was getting bored with everything, which is why he took a break. But he's back working on an album."
Later that year, Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, appeared on the Shady Records compilation Eminem Presents the Re-Up. Then in September 2007, Eminem told NYC radio station Hot 97 that he was in fact working on new material, though he wasn't sure if he'd release it. During a Shade 45 interview this past September, the 35-year-old Oscar and Grammy winner finally confirmed a new album was in the works.
With album sales declining faster than the Dow Jones, retailers can take heart that the holiday season could see new albums by cohorts Eminem, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre. Earlier this week, Tony Yayo even upped the ante by telling MTV News that he's hoping for some kind of combo tour with G-Unit to follow.