Broadcast regulator tunes out private TV networks appeal
OTTAWA - The federal broadcast regulator is hanging tough against an aggressive public relations campaign mounted by CTV, saying Canada's networks will have to prove their commitment to local TV in exchange for financial relief.
CTV launched a "save local TV" campaign this month, complete with open houses at their stations, a petition and a rally on Parliament Hill.
Other networks are also lobbying the government behind the scenes at the highest levels.
The networks are urging the Conservative government to allow them to charge cable and satellite companies for their signals - called fee for carriage - or else see more local stations disappear. The cable industry says that will result in higher monthly bills for customers.
Konrad Von Finckenstein, chairman of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), rejected the networks arguments Monday during an appearance before the Commons Heritage committee.
"Conventional broadcasters need to refocus on the core elements of their service - local news, local programming and programs of national interest," Von Finckenstein said.
"Rather than perceiving it as a cost of doing business, they need to see it as the central element of their survival and expend meaningful resources and energy on it."
Von Finckenstein did not dismiss the idea of fee for carriage, but rather the term, saying the industry should analyze instead the "value of a signal" depending on a variety of market factors.
He kicked the ball back into the broadcasters' court, pointing out they already manage to agree on the value of specialty channels.
"You are the players in the market. You negotiate. If you can't negotiate I'll arbitrate it for you if I have to," Von Finckenstein said in his characteristically blunt style.
An internal memo circulated by the Prime Minister's Office on Friday reminded Tory MPs that fee for carriage would wind up costing consumers, and that it was up to the CRTC to decide on the issue.
Von Finckenstein outlined two other possible revenue streams for broadcasters, including a local programming fund from which all networks could draw.
The second would be mechanisms for protecting Canadian broadcasters from unfair competition from American signals that carry the same programs. There would also be a mechanism for charging cable and satellite companies for transmitting a network's local TV signal into another Canadian market - called timeshifting.
But any of this help would be contingent on a "meaningful commitment" to local news, local programming and programs of national interest.
"That means we're going to hold your feet to the fire. You're not going get that stream of income unless you deliver."
Conservative, Liberal and NDP MPs on the committee all suggested the CRTC might need more teeth to force broadcasters to live up to their obligations.
"What were the consequences that we would look toward if you were to use your teeth to make sure you keep these people in lines?" asked Conservative MP Shelly Glover.
Von Finckenstein said the regulator's tools are "all or nothing," with revocation of a license after a court proceeding being the main hammer. He would also like the ability to fine violators.
The commission would also like broadcasters to submit group applications for TV licenses, which include their pay, speciality and conventional operations. This way, the regulator would get to see the whole picture of their viewership, their Canadian content and their financial situation.
Critics of the private networks say they're being disingenuous when they threaten to close local stations while at the same time reaping profits from other channels.
NDP MP Charlie Angus said the committee's main objective was to protect local TV, while making sure any new division of the revenue pie "doesn't end up with the broadcasters continuing to run their local stations into the ground and taking the money and spending it elsewhere..."
The battle between the cable companies and the broadcasters over the fee-for-carriage issue has heated up since the global financial crisis hit TV advertising hard.
Cable and satellite companies lodged a complaint with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council on Friday, saying CTV News' coverage of their corporation's "Save Local TV" campaign has been biased.
Von Finckenstein called the larger dispute "background noise."
"In the end, they need each other."
Former Wilco guitarist dies in his sleep
URBANA, Ill.–Jay Bennett, a former member of the band Wilco, has died at age 45, according to his record label.
"We are profoundly saddened to report that our friend died in his sleep ... Jay was a beautiful human being who will be missed,'' read the posting Sunday on Undertow Music Collective's website.
Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy said in a statement Monday he was "deeply saddened" by Bennett's death.
Tweedy said Bennett made significant contributions to Wilco's songs and the band's evolution. He said Bennett would be remembered ``as a truly unique and gifted human being.''
Bennett died at his Urbana home early Sunday and an autopsy was being performed, friend and fellow musician Edward Burch told the Chicago Sun-Times in a story posted online late Sunday.
A cause of death was not immediately available. The Champaign County Coroner's office did not return messages.
Bennett worked as a sound engineer and played instruments for Wilco from 1994 to 2001.
Earlier this month, Bennett sued Tweedy, claiming he was owed royalties for songs during his seven years and five albums with the group.
In the breach-of-contract lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, Bennett also claimed that he deserved money from the band's 2002 documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" The film documents the making of Wilco's album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" returning to big screen
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – A new incarnation of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" could be coming to the big screen, courtesy of the director of the original movie.
"Buffy" creator Joss Whedon isn't involved and it's not set up at a studio, but director Fran Rubel Kuzui is working on a relaunch with Vertigo Entertainment, which specializes in English-language remakes of Asian films, such as "The Grudge" and "The Departed."
While Whedon is the person most associated with the "Buffy" franchise, Kuzui and her Kuzui Enterprises have held onto the rights since the beginning, when she discovered the "Buffy" script from then-unknown Whedon. She developed the script while her husband Kaz put together the financing to make the 1992 movie, which was released by Fox.
Kuzui later helped bring back Whedon to make the TV series, which began its successful run on the WB in 1997. She received executive producer credits on "Buffy" and its spinoff, "Angel."
The new "Buffy" film, however, would have no connection to the TV series, nor would it use popular supporting characters like Angel, Willow, Xander or Spike.
Kuzui and Vertigo are looking to restart the story line without trampling on the beloved existing universe created by Whedon.
One of the underlying ideas of "Buffy" allows the filmmakers to do just that: that each generation has its own vampire slayer to protect it. The goal would be to make a darker, event-sized movie that would, of course, have franchise potential.
The parties are meeting with writers and hearing takes, and later will look for a home for the project. The producers do not rule out Whedon's involvement but have not yet reached out to him. Speaking from Tokyo, Fran Kuzui said she is constantly approached not only about sequels but theater, video games and foreign remakes for "Buffy." When Vertigo's Roy Lee contacted them, they were intrigued.
"It was Roy's interest in taking Buffy into a new place that grabbed us," she said. "It was based on our respect for what he does, and his particular sensitivity to Asian filmmakers, that we wanted to work with him."
Kuzui, who is preparing to direct a movie in Japan in the fall, added: "Everything has its moment. Every movie takes on a life at some point, and this seems like the moment to do this."
A Whole Lot of Trek
With the latest Star Trek film still doing very well in theatres, a new bit of information is coming on Star Trek's past. Rod Roddenberry - son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry has secured over 500 hours of behind the scenes materials from various Star Trek incarnations. Yes, 500 hours.
The materials range from interviews and behind the scenes documentaries down to quick bumpers and tidbits recorded for various promotional purposes. All the footage comes from the 1980's through the present so it contains materials from Star Trek: The Next Generation through Enterprise.
Roddenberry is planning on organizing the massive collection of footage into a useable form to be released on DVD and possibly Blu-ray in the near future through Roddenberry Productions. I'm sure Star Trek fans will want to know more when details emerge.
Johansson to release duets album
Hollywood star Scarlet Johansson is continuing her foray into the music world by releasing a second album - which was recorded two years before her 2008 musical debut.
Last year the Lost in Translation actress released an album of Tom Waits covers, Anywhere I Lay My Head.
Her latest offering - a collection of duets with singer/songwriter Pete Yorn entitled Break Up - was actually recorded in 2006, but has taken three years to be released.
USA Today reports that the album was inspired by Serge Gainsbourg's 1960s recordings with Brigitte Bardot and will hit shops this September.
Memorial Day box office sluggish as 'Museum' opens strong but 'Terminator' struggles
The healthy box office seemed to lose its mojo over Memorial Day.
Overall ticket sales for the weekend rose only 2% from last year, according to Hollywood.com, a big downward shift in a year where the total is up more than 14%.
"Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian" grossed a healthy $70 million over the four days, while "Terminator Salvation" came in at a relatively weak $53.8 million. However, combined, they barely matched the opening of "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" last year, leading to virtually flat total sales for the industry.
The opening of Fox's family sequel was right in line with estimates based on pre-release tracking and a solid figure given its $125-million production budget, after Canadian tax rebates. However, its $50.1-million gross in 93 foreign markets was less impressive compared with other movies that have opened simultaneously worldwide this year. That's an early indication it may not mirror the performance of the original, which made more money overseas than in the U.S. and Canada.
Family films tend to hold on very well at the box office, but "Smithsonian" will face significant competition Friday from Disney and Pixar's "Up," which is pursuing the same audience.
"Terminator" paled next to other big summer action movies like "Wolverine" and "Star Trek" and didn't even match the opening weekend of "Terminator 3" six years ago. The $200-million movie started relatively well Thursday but quickly lost momentum. That's a sign of weak word of mouth and should leave Warner Bros. and The Halycon Co., which financed the film, concerned that it will decline rapidly in the coming weeks.
"Salvation's" hopes now rest largely on international markets, where Sony Pictures will launch the film next week.
"Dance Flick" did decent business for a low-budget spoof comedy, grossing $13.1 million through Monday on its opening weekend.
Here's the domestic box-office top 10 chart for the weekend based on studio estimates and data from Hollywood.com. While all grosses are over four days, percentage drops are based on the Friday-Sunday receipts so that the comparison with last weekend is fair.
1. "Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian" (Fox): Opened to a healthy $70 million for the four-day weekend. Overseas its performance was less impressive, as it debuted to $50.1 million in 93 countries.
2. "Terminator Salvation" (Warner Bros.): Its four-day gross of $53.8 million was a soft launch for a $200-million summer event film. The total gross since Thursday is $67.2 million. Sony opens the film internationally in two weeks.
3. "Star Trek" (Paramount): Continuing to post relatively modest declines, it fell 47% and grossed $29.4 million through Monday. Domestic total (19 days): $191 million. International total: $87.5 million.
4. "Angels and Demons" (Sony): Grossed $27.7 million on its second weekend, down 53%. Foreign grosses continue to be big, though the figures for U.S. and Canada are not. Domestic total (11 days): $87.8 million. International total: $198.3 million.
5. "Dance Flick" (Paramount): Opened to $13.1 million, about what was expected.
6. "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" (Fox): Grossed $10.1 million, down 46%. Domestic total (25 days): $163.4 million. International total: $156.7 million.
7. "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past" (Warner Bros. / New Line): $4.8 million, down 43%. Domestic total (25 days): $47 million.
8. "Obsesssed" (Sony / Screen Gems): $2.5 million, down 57%. Domestic total (32 days): $66.4 million.
9. "Monsters vs. Aliens" (Paramount / DreamWorks Animation): $1.9 million, down 55%. Domestic total (60 days): $193.5 million.
10. "17 Again" (Warner Bros. / New Line): $1.3 million, down 70%. Domestic total (39 days): $60.6 million.
Beastie Boys Complete 'Hot Sauce Committee' Album
The Beastie Boys revealed the title of their forthcoming album in an email message delivered to fans today (May 25).
"Our new record that is coming out that we finished the other day is called HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE," the group's note reads. The band will appear on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" tonight, and promise "to offer insights into how it was crafted" during an interview on the show.
The Beastie Boys have a busy summer ahead, with headlining slots scheduled at many of the large festivals in the U.S., including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, All Points West, Outside Lands, and Austin City Limits. As previously reported, rapper Santigold has recorded a guest spot for "Hot Sauce Committee."
Last October, Beastie Boys member Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz told Billboard that the group was "in the middle" of recording the then-untitled record, the group's first since 2007's instrumental album "The Mix-Up."
"It's a lot of vocals, a lot of words -- very wordy," he said. "And it's political, depending on what you call political. You know, if toilet talk and fart jokes are political, which they can be, in that sense yeah, very."
The group was very active during the 2008 presidential election, organizing and headlining the 7-city "Get Out and Vote" tour with other activist musicians like Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Jack Johnson and Ben Harper. The Beastie Boys also played the "Hey, America Feels Kinda Cool Again" event on Jan. 19 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. during the inauguration celebrations.
Billy Joel drummer files NY lawsuit over royalties
NEW YORK – A former drummer for Billy Joel claims the Grammy Award-winning singer of hits including "Uptown Girl" and "Movin' Out" has stiffed him out of royalties for years.
Liberty DeVitto has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan's state Supreme Court demanding Joel pay him overdue royalties. The 58-year-old says he was Joel's drummer from 1975 to 2005 and helped the piano man craft some of his biggest albums.
DeVitto's lawyer says he doesn't know how much his client is owed. He says Joel's sales are subject to an audit.
DeVitto says he's working as a studio musician and teaching to support his family, including three children.
Joel has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. His spokeswoman hasn't returned a telephone message seeking comment.