The film will be screening to the press and industry on September 11 and the first public screening/world premiere will be taking place on September 14.  It is one of the smallest budget films to ever premiere at TIFF.

A full description is available on the TIFF website.

Check out the trailer, posted exclusively on the  Hollywood Reporter “Heat Vision” Blog.

Celluloid Dreams /Celluloid Nightmares and XYZ are selling the film at TIFF.

Neil Marshall Ordering Up Extreme Cuisine

Dave Hill: Highly Explosive

Before he became a star of the Fringe, Dave Hill met with Arianna Reiche in Manhattan’s West Village to discuss his maiden voyage to foreign shores

The Whitest Kids U’ Know are currently in their fourth season on IFC.

F. Gary Gray to direct ‘Dog’

‘Italian’ director picks up thriller script for Gold Circle

F. Gary Gray is attached to direct the mystery thriller “Hair of the Dog” for Gold Circle.

Story centers on a successful executive who becomes the victim of a vicious blackmail scheme that threatens to destroy his family. But he discovers he is just a pawn in the midst of a much darker agenda.

Kirsten Elms penned the screenplay.

Paul Brooks will produce, and his Gold Circle partners Scott Niemeyer and Norm Waitt will exec produce.

Guy Danella and Jeremy Platt are onboard to co-produce.

Gray is coming off of the success of the Gerard Butler-Jamie Foxx starrer “Law Abiding Citizen,” which has earned $120 million worldwide.

Gray-helmed pics, which include “The Italian Job” and “The Negotiator,” are known for attracting top talent.

Brooks exec-produced “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.”

His upcoming Gold Circle slate includes “Life as We Know It” starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, and the docu “In the Land of the Free.”

Gray is repped by UTA and attorney Nina Shaw.

Elms is repped by Gersh and Generate.

Generate produced these videos and created PSAs that aired on MTV Tr3s July 3 – 11, 2010, to promote Latino teens speaking out on pregnancy prevention. They were also featured in the 2010 Teen Choice Awards on FOX, which aired Monday, August 9th, 2010.

Check out the campaign at StayTeen.org.

For Some Brands, the Answer Is an Enthusiastic Yes; for Others, Not So Much

by Andrew Hampp
Published: August 09, 2010

LOS ANGELES (AdAge.com) — In the past three years, it seems “Make me a branded web series” has become the new “Make me a viral video” for marketers, with brands as varied as Ikea, Procter & Gamble, Toyota, Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese and even Poise incontinence pads all trying their hands at branded storytelling online. But as these webisodes clamor to find audiences in increasingly fragmented numbers, a larger metric for success pervades: Did they actually deliver on the hoped-for ROI for the brand?

For marketers, the typical web series consists of a half-dozen five-minute episodes costing an average of $100,000 to $1 million to create — a paltry sum considering a typical 30-second spot can cost more than three times the price the most expensive web show.

Yet the bar has been high ever since “In the Motherhood,” an online sitcom co-created by Mindshare Entertainment on behalf of clients Sprint and Unilever, became a massive hit on MSN, accumulating more than 16 million views by its second season and eventually becoming a sitcom for ABC. But its swift broadcast cancellation forced advertisers and producers alike to re-evaluate the ultimate metric for determining a web series’ long-term success: Instead of being picked up by a TV network, why isn’t re-investment by the brand the new barometer for success?

As the web matures as an original entertainment platform, so do the metrics for success. Ad Age took a look at the vast crop of web series from the past year to spotlight 10 that worked and three that did not.

“Buppies” and “My Black Is Beautiful”

The Premise: Procter & Gamble’s dedicated line of products targeted toward black women got the entertainment approach last fall when the country’s top marketer co-produced two web series with BET. “Buppies,” a scripted drama, featured presenting sponsorship and product integration for Cover Girl’s Queen Collection, while “My Black Is Beautiful” showcased the eponymous line of P&G products in makeover settings.

The Result: “Buppies,” BET’s first original web series, has attracted more than 2 million views online since launch, while “My Black Is Beautiful,” the TV series, drew an average 3.6 million viewers in its second season on BET. The My Black Is Beautiful collection has seen sales grow 20% in the first half of 2010, while dollar-share increases during second-quarter 2010 were seen by participating brands Pantene (up 14%), Cover Girl (4%) and Olay (up 3%).

“Easy to Assemble”

The Premise: Indie actress Illeana Douglas takes a job at an Ikea to escape the confines of Hollywood, only to find that a host of other actors (Justine Bateman, Tim Meadows, Ed Begley Jr., Tom Arnold, Cheri Oteri) are already working there. Ikea came onboard as an integrated sponsor to raise its profile among hip, cash-conscious furniture shoppers.

The Result: Produced for a shoestring mid-six-figure budget that includes a name cast, some location shooting in Burbank and no external media buys, “Easy to Assemble” is the little web series that could. During its second-season run from October 2009 to January 2010, the show accumulated 12 million video views, 5,000 iPhone-app downloads and more than 34,000 mentions on social media. The show returns for a third season this fall.

“In Gayle We Trust”

The Premise: Gayle Evans (“Clueless” star Elisa Donovan) is a small-town insurance agent who tries to be all things to all people in this branded sitcom for American Family Insurance, created for NBC’s Digital Studio. The series is part of a larger branded-entertainment program Mindshare Entertainment helped plan for AFI, including an MSN financial-advice video series and custom content for CBS Radio.

The Result: The first season attracted nearly 3 million views, enough for American Family Insurance to renew it for a just-launched second season (NBC Digital Studio’s first multiseason pickup). In aggregate, American Family Insurance’s branded-entertainment program yielded a 20% lift in quote starts and a 24% increase in purchase intent. Requests for an agent also got a measurable boost from the program’s microsites.

“The Real Women of Philadelphia”

The Premise: Kraft teamed with its Publicis agencies Kraft Content One and Digitas, as well as social-media entertainment company EQAL, for a video contest to promote its Paula Deen-hosted brand relaunch of Philadelphia Cream Cheese last September. Fans were asked to submit videos of consumer-generated recipes using the Philly staple, with a chance to win $25,000 and participate in a cook-off with Ms. Deen in Georgia.

The Result: More than 4,000 recipes were submitted to the contest’s microsite, which has logged more than 600,000 unique visitors since its March launch. Additionally, Paula Deen’s YouTube video for the contest has been viewed more than 10 million times, an indication of the campaign’s broader cultural awareness. As part of a multimillion-dollar relaunch for the brand, the contest has helped Philly Cream Cheese achieve a 6% increase in sales since last September.

“The Temp Life”

The Premise: Staffing and temping agency Spherion wanted to make students, recent grads and entry-level professionals aware of its job-finding services when it signed up to sponsor CJP Digital Media’s “The Temp Life” back in 2006. As the series evolved and the job market worsened, the “Temp Life” took on an almost meta-reality for the agency as its audience adopted the temp lifestyle portrayed by the series’ characters.

The Result: Recently renewed for a fifth season, “The Temp Life” has quietly become the longest-running branded series on the web, with each season adding an average of 85% more viewers, according to web-video measurement firm Tubefilter. Spherion Corp. CEO Roy Krause has publicly declared the series his company’s top marketing priority and a direct contributor to its rise in stock price.

Five more that worked

Why It Worked: Unilever’s reality series starring Marisa Tomei logged more than 40 million views across the web and boosted the Bertolli brand’s volume, unit share and dollar share compared to the 12-week period prior to the show’s launch.

Why It Worked: Another Unilever series, the microsite’s videos were viewed more than 600,000 times and helped the mayonnaise brand outperform the rest of Unilever’s otherwise flat spreads products during the first quarter it aired.

Why It Worked: Sprint’s custom content for the small-business owner was successful and sticky, with more than 7.7 million video views, 84,000 pieces of content shared and 58% of users watching at least one episode all the way through.

Why It Worked: The campaign, which starred Whoopi Goldberg, made light bladder leakage a hot topic (and the subject of an “SNL” skit), and helped the Kimberly-Clark pads achieve the highest share of the incontinence category’s sales in the brand’s history.

Why It Worked: Logging over 4.5 million total site visits, “Fit to Boom” saw 3 million video views at a 50% completion rate and boosted purchase intent among baby boomers by 12%.

Three that didn’t work

Why It Didn’t Work: Candace Bushnell’s first scripted web series attracted well-known actresses (Jennie Garth, Jennifer Esposito) and a smart partner (More magazine) but had poor distribution strategy. Available only on a Maybelline microsite, the series has logged a middling 433,000 views to date.

Why It Didn’t Work: YouTube’s splashy branded-entertainment debut had a familiar host (“Seinfeld” alum Mehlman) interviewing big-name athletes, but viewers didn’t latch on very quickly — the series banked less than 1 million total views. Sponsor Palm Pre didn’t have too good of a year either — sales plunged by 29% in first quarter 2010.

Why It Didn’t Work: Sony’s heavily hyped zombie series starring Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”) started out strong with 1.4 million views in 10 days, but quickly lost viewers with a 56% drop-off in its second week and an average 6.54% decline in the weeks after. Neither sponsor Kodak nor the busy cast has signed up for a second season.

Three to watch

It’s “Step Up” meets “X-Men,” as this new Paramount Digital series takes the medium to gravity-defying heights, courtesy of Puma. The show has routinely topped Hulu’s most-viewed series since its July debut.

Two amateur copy editors for a men’s magazine enlist their Samsung phones to check the most obscure facts about guest stars such as rocker Dave Navarro, supermodel Karolina Kurkova and “Jeopardy” host Alex Trebek.

“Big Brother” and “Amazing Race” alum Jeff Schroeder takes a consumer-generated trek across the globe paying not even as much of a dime for his travels, courtesy of transportation sponsor American Airlines and communications partner AT&T.

The fact that Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, the new agency on “Mad Men,” has landed the Pond’s cold cream account is not the only advertising news to come out of the television series this week. AMC, the cable channel that presents the show about the ad industry — and America — in the 1960s has made a deal with a giant marketer, Unilever, for a season-long sponsorship agreement.

The deal, for undisclosed terms, is centered on six commercials being created in the “Mad Men” vein for six Unilever products. Although brands like BMW, Canada Dry and Clorox have previously tailored commercials for the show, this is believed to be the first deal to involve multiple product lines from the same marketer.

The first Unilever brand in the spotlight is Dove, to be followed by Breyers, Hellmann’s, Klondike, Suave and Vaseline. All six vignette-style commercials are being produced by Mindshare Entertainment, part of the Mindshare media agency that is a division of the GroupM unit of WPP.

In addition to appearing during all 13 episodes of the current season of “Mad Men,” its fourth, the commercials will also be on a YouTube channel and Facebook, as well as on other Web sites.

The commercials are set at an ad agency named Smith Winter Mitchell, which, like Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, is a make-believe firm. The year is 1964, as it is in this season of “Mad Men,” which began on July 25.

•

The fact that all six Unilever brands were around when “Mad Men” takes place is at the heart of the sponsorship, as it has been for other brands that tipped their hats to the past in commercials created especially for the series.

The goal was to “celebrate their heritage,” said Kathy O’Brien, vice president for marketing for Unilever’s personal care products, who is based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., in a way that is “culturally and contextually relevant.”

Each commercial will take place at the imaginary 1964 agency, then be followed by a current spot for the product from its regular agency. Each commercial will feature two characters, a copywriter and an art director, trying to create an ad for each brand 46 years ago.

For instance, in the first commercial, the copywriter, Phil Smith, and the art director, Tad Winter, are stymied as they try to come up with an ad for Dove soap. A secretary comes over to tell them how her skin “feels soft and smooth and clean” after using Dove. Eureka! The creative teammates have their ad.

(The plot echoes a plot line from “Mad Men,” about how a secretary, Peggy Olson, became a copywriter.)

The Dove commercial depicts packages of Dove soap the way they appeared in 1964. That authentic period look will prevail throughout the six commercials, said Rob Master, North American media director for Unilever, who is also based in Englewood Cliffs.

The deal with AMC was part of what Unilever calls its “reverse upfront,” Mr. Master said, a system by which the company works with cable channels and broadcast networks to develop ideas before the start of the annual upfront ad sales market.

“Money follows ideas,” Mr. Master said approvingly.

Charlie Collier, president and general manager at AMC in New York, part of the Cablevision Systems Corporation, described Unilever as “a client of the network for years,” as well as a company that has been “a creative advertiser across multiple networks,” citing deals Unilever has made with other TV channels.

Unilever has also been active as a sponsor online, pairing with Mindshare Entertainment for episodic video series for brands like Bertolli and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.

•

Mr. Collier likened the “custom creative” being run during “Mad Men” by sponsors like Unilever to the special commercials that appear during big television events like the Super Bowl and the Academy Awards.

“It’s nice to see people invest in custom creative at AMC as well,” he added.

Pond’s, the new client of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce is, it turns out, also a product sold by Unilever. So, too, is Popsicle, a package of which was glimpsed fleetingly in another scene in the episode that ran on Sunday.

Mr. Collier and the Unilever executives said the appearances of those Unilever brands during the episode were not part of the sponsorship deal. They “fit his needs for story-telling,” Mr. Collier said, referring to Matthew Weiner, the creator of “Mad Men,” as part of his inclusion of many “an iconic brand that was around in the day” in plot lines of the series.

For example, the Lucky Strike cigarette brand has been a prominent part of the show since the first episode of the first season. And it returned to play a major role in the episode on Sunday. But the maker of Lucky Strike, Reynolds American, has “no involvement, formal or otherwise,” with “Mad Men” or AMC, a spokesman, Richard Smith, wrote in an e-mail.

Such involvement would be barred, he said, under an agreement in 1998 between tobacco companies and state attorneys general that limited cigarette marketing tactics. It is also the policy of Reynolds American to provide no assistance to anyone seeking to include cigarettes or cigarette ads in media like television and movies, Mr. Smith said.

Other real brands that appeared in the episode on Sunday, without the benefit of sponsor support, included Maalox antacid, in its period glass bottle, and Pontiac; print ads for the “wide track” models of the defunct car line could be glimpsed tacked to a bulletin board in Peggy’s office.

By Mark Sweeny
Monday 26 July 2010 11.59 BST
Read the original article at The Guardian.

BBC1’s reinvention of Conan Doyle’s master sleuth pulls in more viewers than Hollywood star’s appearance on Top Gear.

The BBC’s reinvention of Conan Doyle’s master sleuth Sherlock Holmes was watched by more than 7 million viewers last night, according to unofficial overnight audience figures for Sunday 25 July.

The first outing of the new three-part BBC1 series, which has been described as a cross between Withnail and I and The Bourne Ultimatum , attracted an average of 7.05 million viewers.

The drama, penned by Doctor Who writers Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, peaked at 7.4 million viewers and took a 28.5% audience share between 9pm and 10.30pm.

Sherlock, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role and Martin Freeman as Watson, was the top-rating show of the night.

Sherlock beat the star power of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, who appeared on BBC2’s Top Gear while in the UK promoting their new film Knight and Day, which managed an average of 5.8 million viewers and a 22% share in the 8pm slot. The show peaked at 6.6 million viewers.

Top Gear beat ITV1’s 8pm drama Heartbeat, the broadcaster’s biggest rating show of the evening, which drew 4.7 million viewers and a 17.9% share.

Channel 4’s highest-rating show was the first of a four-part series, Amish: World’s Squarest Teenagers, which attracted 2.7 million viewers and an 8.9% share in the 8pm slot.

Wow… How quickly life can change. One minute you’re carefree, going on dates, or spending time with your “special someone” and the next minute you’re…. A PARENT?! Sounds crazy, but it happens a lot more often than you think.

This week, MTV Tr3s is getting serious with “Life As We Know It.” Beginning Saturday (July 3), we’ll be airing a series of Public Service Announcements highlighting teen and unplanned pregnancies, specifically within the Latino community. These PSAs were produced by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, along with 7 young & inspiring Latinos from across the country.

Guys and girls, ages 15 – 17, from Mexican, Puerto Rican, Colombian, Guatemalan, Salvadoran and Ecuadorian backgrounds participated in the project.

Before you start saying, “No way, that will never happen to me”, check out these stats. According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, 52% of Latinas get pregnant at least once before turning 20 (giving them the highest teen birth rate of any US ethnic group).

And if that wasn’t bad enough, 54% of Latina teen mothers never finish high school. Add to that the fact that 8 out of 10 guys don’t marry their kid’s teen moms, and you start seeing how serious this problem can be.

Do yourself a favor and stay educated on the topic of unplanned pregnancies, because “Life As We Know It” can change in an instant.

The new PSAs will air Saturday (July 3) through the following Sunday (July 11).

Preview the video at MTV Tr3s.com.

ABC Family developing ‘Shadows’

About a secret program at Harvard designed to train spies

June 17, 2010, 11:00 PM ET

Read the original article at The Hollywood Reporter.

By TATIANA SIEGEL
Read the original article at Variety.com.

Gold Circle Films is moving forward on a third installment in its “Haunting” franchise. Next stop is Gotham.

Company has hired Sean Hood to write “The Haunting in New York,” which follows on the heels of last year’s “The Haunting in Connecticut” and the soon-to-lense “The Haunting in Georgia.”

Gold Circle is keeping the logline of the latest installment under wraps but said it will be based on a true story like the other two films.

“Haunting in Connecticut” earned $77 million worldwide and spawned “Haunting in Georgia,” which Tom Elkins will begin helming in August. Gold Circle noted that neither “Georgia” nor “New York” are sequels to “Connecticut” and instead are self-contained films with unique characters.

Paul Brooks will produce “New York” and Scott Niemeyer and Norm Waitt will exec produce. Brad Kessell is overseeing development for Gold Circle.

Adam Carolla gives you the skinny on how much junk you can pack in your trunk.

You can submit your own video responses to each Everyman Challenge contest through the Klondike Man Cave Youtube page.

Michael Bay to produce ‘Heatseekers’

Director’s Platinum Dunes handling project for Paramount

See the original article at The Hollywood Reporter.

By Jay A. Fernandez

April 27, 2010, 04:23 PM ET

Michael Bay (Getty)

Paramount has picked up the original action screenplay “Heatseekers” from rookie scribe George Mahaffey. The deal was in the mid-six figures.

Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, which signed a first-look deal with Paramount last October to make lower-budget genre pictures, is handling the project. Dunes execs Andrew Form and Brad Fuller are producing along with Bay, who is not attached to direct.

In the mold of “Fast & Furious” and “Point Break,” “Heatseekers” follows a young ex-military pilot who infiltrates a gang of aerial “pirates” working out of Bangkok and takes part in an elaborate tower heist using powered gliders and parachutes.

Paramount exec Liz Raposo is overseeing for the studio.

Repped by Paradigm and Generate, Mahaffey is an attorney-turned-screenwriter who has sold an original pitch to Thousand Words and worked on an action feature script for producer Arnold Koppelson (“Se7en”).

Platinum Dunes has its “Nightmare on Elm Street” re-boot scratching its way into theaters Friday via Warner Bros. The company most recently produced “Horsemen,” “The Unborn” and a “Friday the 13th” remake.

By NELLIE ANDREEVA Thursday April 15, 2010 @ 3:54pm PDT

EXCLUSIVE: Lost co-executive producer Paul Zbyszewski has inked a two-year overall deal with CBS TV Studios. Under the seven-figure pact, Zbyszewski will work on new drama projects for the studio, which had been interested in developing with him for some time and reached out to him when he became available at the end of Lost. Additionally, if CBS Studios’ pilot for CBS Hawaii Five-0 goes to series, Zbyszewski will be a co-executive producer on it.

Zbyszewski, who created the 2006 ABC series Day Break, has been on Lost for the last two seasons and shared a best series Emmy nomination in 2009 with the rest of  the producing team of the hit ABC drama, now in its final sixth season. He most recently wrote the Sundown and The Package episodes, which aired last month. Zbyszewski, who also co-wrote the 2004 feature After the Sunset, is repped by UTA, Generate [Chris Pollack] and attorney P.J. Shapiro.

Starbucks Rap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qK5GZp4NAk&feature=player_embedded

The Chinese Susan Boyle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3-p_4z6FiM&feature=player_embedded

New Tiger Woods Nike Commercial Parodies

http://www.popeater.com/2010/04/08/tiger-woods-nike-commercial-parodies/?icid=main

Websites:

The Hollywood Temp Diaries

Temps are the lowest life form in Hollywood. They are lower than assistants. Lower than those in the mail room. Lower than everyone. Why? Because they are completely disposable. You don’t like the temp. Get a new one. (Oh and we don’t get health insurance, paid vacation, 401k, etc.) I am one of those barnacles on the hull of the good ship “Hollywood.” These are my stories.

http://www.tempdiaries.com/

Webseries:

Blair Fowler— aka JuicyStar07 on YouTube

If you haven’t heard of Blair Fowler yet, now’s the time. The 17-year-old from Tennessee is fast becoming an Oprah-of-style for adolescent fashionistas, In short, Blair Fowler is YouTube’s fashion and beauty guru for the Forever21 set. Her uploads, focusing on beauty how-tos, fashion insights, “haul” videos (in which the vlogger goes through their shopping bags, detailing their latest finds for their audience), and personal vlogs have garnered over 61 million views. She’s the Queen Bee, and a marketer’s dream come true.

http://www.youtube.com/user/juicystar07

Articles:

Can Anyone Beat this Cable Network?

Secrets Behind USA’s Record Ratings Rally at No. 1

http://www.multichannel.com/article/451076-Can_Anyone_Beat_this_Cable_Network_.php

MGM, Miramax ponder second choices

Extension of interest payment gives MGM some time

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i3ecdc15bacc281d26e2814992283b51d

How to Build a Web Series People Will Keep Watching

Media Reviews for Media People: The Onion’s A.V. Club Undercover

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=143175

Reveille Wakes up to New Web Series, TV Projects

Deal With Toyota, Yahoo Extends Production Company’s Reach Online

http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=143210

Networks looking to reclaim Fridays

Challenge is to keep costs down while still attracting viewers

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i3ecdc15bacc281d25c696145ad442a98

Buh-Bye Bebo — Or Why It’s Impossible To Save A Flailing Social Network

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=125713

(Engage: Teens) The Eyes Have It

YouTube has become a breeding ground for teen stars, but what can marketers learn from these examples?

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=125735

SAG split on AFTRA’s call to merge

Letter draws mixed reactions from guild’s leaders

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i66ddacf93da504a999bf51e646585b56

Events:

Digital LA – Digital Music Panel: Artists Go Social

Monday, April 12 at 7:00pm

Stone Rose at Sofitel – 8555 Beverly Blvd

We like music! Join us for our pre-Coachella panel discussion with digital music industry experts on how artists are using social media and cutting edge tools to distribute and market their songs and brands.

ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space limited. RSVP YES so we can let u know when registration is available
http://digitalla.net/

BritWeek Film & TV Summit

In Association with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles
Maximizing Success in the UK & US

Friday, April 23 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

http://www.britweek.org/2010/LA_film_summit.html?expandable=1

Harvard Sailing Team – Boys Will Be Girls

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gspaoaecNAg&feature=player_embedded

5 Year Old at Fenway Park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkqAErSitJM&feature=player_embedded

Websites:

Unvarnished

Unvarnished is an online resource for building, managing, and researching professional reputation, using community-contributed, professional reviews. Unvarnished reviews help you get the inside scoop on other business professionals, providing candid assessments of coworkers, potential hires, business partners, and more.

Website: http://www.getunvarnished.com/beta

More Info: http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/30/unvarnished-a-clean-well-lighted-place-for-defamation/

Webseries:

Bertolli’s Into the Heart of Italy

After dipping its toes into web content with a web series for a Panasonic microsite, Magical Elves partnered with WPP’s Mindshare Entertainment to produce “Into the Heart of Italy,” a “Top Chef”-meets-”Amazing Race” cooking series. The production shop hopes to create a new template for branded storytelling that goes more in-depth than the average 30-second spot and lives beyond the TV screen.

http://intotheheartofitaly.yahoo.com/

Articles:

How to Rebuild A Cable Network

You’ve just gotten the green light to rebrand your widely distributed cable network. Here’s your step-by-step guide to the perfect makeover

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/450834-How_to_Rebuild_A_Cable_Network.php

Will cable drive conglomerates’ earnings?

Media giants to report first-quarter results in a few weeks

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id278df2dbdc3bfc8aaae73b21aac3359?pn=1

My First 36 Hours With the IPad: a Verdict

http://adage.com/digitalnext/article?article_id=143131

Behold (and Fear!) the Awesome Social-Media Power of Justin Bieber Beliebers!

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=142944

How TV Makers Are Selling the Idea of 3-D at Home

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/media/30adco.html?th&emc=th

The Rising Stars of Gossip Blogs

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/fashion/01gossips.html?th&emc=th

The Real Post-‘Oprah’ Era Opportunity

Stations looking to fill talk legend’s time slots with lower-cost shows

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/450830-The_Real_Post_Oprah_Era_Opportunity.php

Events:

Digital LA – Digital Drinks @ La Vida

Tuesday, April 6 at 7:00pm

La Vida – 1448 N Gower ST, Los Angeles

Join us for our next Digital Drinks at the upscale new La Vida restaurant, as part of Tubefilter’s Web TV Week leading up to the Streamy Awards. Invited: web video producers, directors, actors, production, Streamy nominees, friends, and fans. Check the schedule at http://www.webtvweek.com We’ll be at La Vida restaurant and lounge, which ‘captures the flavor of the Mediterranean in Hollywood.’ Sip our Digital Drink special under the plaster-archways and palm trees in the outdoor courtyard. Swap biz cards with digital professionals in the glowing cool blue aqua bar. Show your moves on the dance floor – or watch from the raised VIP area.

http://digitalla.net/

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences College Television Awards Screening

Sunday, April 11th at 4:30 PM

Goldenson Theatre – North Hollywood, CA

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet the next generation of television professionals and see their winning work in the categories of Animation, Children’s Programs, Comedy, Commercials, Documentary, Drama, Music, Magazine Shows, Narrative Series, and Newscasts from the 31st College Television Awards. You will have a chance to meet the filmmakers and network with your peers.

http://emmysfoundation.org/cta-screening

Digital LA – Digital Music Panel: Artists Go Social

Monday, April 12 at 7:00pm

Stone Rose at Sofitel – 8555 Beverly Blvd

We like music! Join us for our pre-Coachella panel discussion with digital music industry experts on how artists are using social media and cutting edge tools to distribute and market their songs and brands.

ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space limited. RSVP YES so we can let u know when registration is available
http://digitalla.net/

BritWeek Film & TV Summit

In Association with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles
Maximizing Success in the UK & US

Friday, April 23 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

http://www.britweek.org/2010/LA_film_summit.html?expandable=1

2010 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Sat, Apr 24, 2010-Sun, Apr 25, 2010

UCLA – 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095

UCLA hosts the largest festival on the west coast featuring more than 100 author panels (with authors ranging from Ray Bradbury to Mary Higgins Clark to Tori Spelling) and the “Comix Strip” which offers access to comic book, graphic novel and manga exhibitors

http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

(Will) Truth in Advertising-Director’s Pitch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS10EuCdlKo

“NY-Z” – An ABSOLUT Collaboration with Jay-Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6zVR0SgSOM&feature=player_embedded

 I’ll Be Watching You (Miss You Coco)

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f671ea8243/i-ll-be-watching-you-miss-you-coco?rel=player

(One of Many) Lady Gaga Telephone Parody

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvOucvTpKrE&feature=player_embedded

Webseries:

Gamechangers Ep. 1: The Rant Writer

Many of your favorite rants were actual written by rant writer Charlie Hoard; here are his stories.

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/b28da80b63/gamechangers-ep-1-the-rant-writer?rel=player

Articles:

2010 Kids Choice Awards Winners

http://www.nick.com/kids-choice-awards/nominees/ 

Old and New Media Coexisting Nicely, Thank You

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/business/media/19adco.html?ref=television

Mobile Ready for Primetime, But TV Still King

Echoing common refrain, researchers at B&C/Multichannel News event want data to monetize cross-platform content, viewership

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/450685-Mobile_Ready_for_Primetime_But_TV_Still_King.php 

Why Chatroulette may be ‘nexted’ by investors

Viral phenom faces challenges on the road to revenue

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3id51767e5e16b0979ddc10be184863cab

Events:

Digital LA – Digital Drinks @ La Vida

Tuesday, April 6 at 7:00pm

La Vida – 1448 N Gower ST, Los Angeles

Join us for our next Digital Drinks at the upscale new La Vida restaurant, as part of Tubefilter’s Web TV Week leading up to the Streamy Awards. Invited: web video producers, directors, actors, production, Streamy nominees, friends, and fans. Check the schedule at http://www.webtvweek.com We’ll be at La Vida restaurant and lounge, which ‘captures the flavor of the Mediterranean in Hollywood.’ Sip our Digital Drink special under the plaster-archways and palm trees in the outdoor courtyard. Swap biz cards with digital professionals in the glowing cool blue aqua bar. Show your moves on the dance floor – or watch from the raised VIP area.

http://digitalla.net/

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences College Television Awards Screening

Sunday, April 11th at 4:30 PM

Goldenson Theatre – North Hollywood, CA

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet the next generation of television professionals and see their winning work in the categories of Animation, Children’s Programs, Comedy, Commercials, Documentary, Drama, Music, Magazine Shows, Narrative Series, and Newscasts from the 31st College Television Awards. You will have a chance to meet the filmmakers and network with your peers.

http://emmysfoundation.org/cta-screening

Digital LA – Digital Music Panel: Artists Go Social

Monday, April 12 at 7:00pm

Stone Rose at Sofitel – 8555 Beverly Blvd

We like music! Join us for our pre-Coachella panel discussion with digital music industry experts on how artists are using social media and cutting edge tools to distribute and market their songs and brands.

ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space limited. RSVP YES so we can let u know when registration is available
http://digitalla.net/

2010 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Sat, Apr 24, 2010-Sun, Apr 25, 2010

UCLA – 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095

UCLA hosts the largest festival on the west coast featuring more than 100 author panels (with authors ranging from Ray Bradbury to Mary Higgins Clark to Tori Spelling) and the “Comix Strip” which offers access to comic book, graphic novel and manga exhibitors

http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

Videos:

The TV Theme Medley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i7u3fl-hP8&feature=player_embedded

The Future of Publishing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Weq_sHxghcg&feature=player_embedded

A Brief History of Teen Communication

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrOnJVMVFkg&feature=player_embedded

Websites:

Failbooking

Failbooking’s mission is to give people the power to share their fails and infamy and make the world more hilarious and funny. Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with (questionable) friends, upload an unlimited number of (drunken) photos, share (potentially damaging) links and videos, and learn more about the (insane) people they meet (at Frat parties). http://failbooking.com/

Fiverr

The place for people to share things they’re willing to do for $5 http://www.fiverr.com/

Articles:

Google and Partners Seek TV Foothold

A platform called Google TV will bring the Web into the living room through televisions and set-top boxes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/technology/18webtv.html?th&emc=th

Why Hollywood Keeps Making the Same Awful Movies

We’ve found the culprit: the audience

http://funnycrave.com/why-hollywood-keeps-making-the-same-awful-movies/11156/

Online TV-Watching Becomes Interactive Experience

NBC to Unveil Video Viewer Placed Amid Brand-Sponsored Web Content

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=142895

Crackle sees video streams rise

Ad support lags despite growth

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i873a43a2fac704260d080e12db4d78a8

The Game of Death: France’s Shocking TV Experiment

http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1972981,00.html 

Teen Girls: Sisterhood, Not Social Media, Sells

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=124239&nid=112256#

Post-SXSW, a Brief History of ‘Indie’ — and Why Marketers and Media Companies Love It So

In the Era of Evaporating Margins, True Indies Can Offer a Master Class on Survival

http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=142866

The Numbers Behind the World’s Fastest-Growing Web Site: YouTube’s Finances Revealed

Events:

Exploiting Rights Management in a Multiplatform World

Free Live Webcast

Tuesday March 23, 2010 – 2PM EST • 11AM PST

http://www.media.qualitytech.com/client/new_bay/2010_0323/197610/launch.htm

Digital LA – Digital Drinks @ La Vida

Tuesday, April 6 at 7:00pm

La Vida – 1448 N Gower ST, Los Angeles

Join us for our next Digital Drinks at the upscale new La Vida restaurant, as part of Tubefilter’s Web TV Week leading up to the Streamy Awards. Invited: web video producers, directors, actors, production, Streamy nominees, friends, and fans. Check the schedule at http://www.webtvweek.com We’ll be at La Vida restaurant and lounge, which ‘captures the flavor of the Mediterranean in Hollywood.’ Sip our Digital Drink special under the plaster-archways and palm trees in the outdoor courtyard. Swap biz cards with digital professionals in the glowing cool blue aqua bar. Show your moves on the dance floor – or watch from the raised VIP area.

http://digitalla.net/

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences College Television Awards Screening

Sunday, April 11th at 4:30 PM

Goldenson Theatre – North Hollywood, CA

Don’t miss the opportunity to meet the next generation of television professionals and see their winning work in the categories of Animation, Children’s Programs, Comedy, Commercials, Documentary, Drama, Music, Magazine Shows, Narrative Series, and Newscasts from the 31st College Television Awards. You will have a chance to meet the filmmakers and network with your peers.

http://emmysfoundation.org/cta-screening

Digital LA – Digital Music Panel: Artists Go Social

Monday, April 12 at 7:00pm

Stone Rose at Sofitel – 8555 Beverly Blvd

We like music! Join us for our pre-Coachella panel discussion with digital music industry experts on how artists are using social media and cutting edge tools to distribute and market their songs and brands.

ADVANCED REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Space limited. RSVP YES so we can let u know when registration is available
http://digitalla.net/

2010 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Sat, Apr 24, 2010-Sun, Apr 25, 2010

UCLA – 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095

UCLA hosts the largest festival on the west coast featuring more than 100 author panels (with authors ranging from Ray Bradbury to Mary Higgins Clark to Tori Spelling) and the “Comix Strip” which offers access to comic book, graphic novel and manga exhibitors

http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

Posted: Tue., Mar. 16, 2010, 4:41pm PT

Videos:

Jimmy Kimmel Live – Handsome Men’s Club

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyGJXLxtVEo&feature=player_embedded

Gaga In Wonderland

How do you make Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland even weirder, and infinitely more awesome in the process? You add Lady Gaga into the mix, obviously. Check out this awesome “trailer” for Gaga in Wonderland, and prepare to be amazed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW7fKqSet0Y

Websites:

SWRV

SWRV is the first 24/7, non-stop interactive music video network that lets you take control. Each show offers a unique way for you to impact what music videos will play next by voting, rating, or commenting via text message or online at swrv.tv. Upload your personal pics or videos for the chance to appear on screen alongside your favorite artists.

http://www.musicchoice.com/swrv/Vidications.aspx

Cheezburger Network’s Wedinator

Trashing Your Special Day is Our Prime Directive

http://wedinator.com/

Hear My Secrets

Confess and Be Judged

http://hearmysecrets.com/

Articles:

Is Voice-Based Bubbly the New Twitter?

Service Takes Off in India With Zero Marketing; Brazil and Japan Are Next

http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=142752

Television Is Not Free and Does Not Want to Be

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/opinion/09tue4.html?th&emc=th

Summer b.o. to profit from sequels, reboots

‘Sex and the City 2,’ ‘Robin Hood’ will vie for audiences

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i474fda2d02866bfd63b499543ada1116

Growing SXSW hasn’t lost its indie cred

Many filmmakers start journey to sell their pic at Texas fest

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic7094b13c12aa2ac718635b5ba77a5a8

Upfronts 2010: Nickelodeon Looks to The Future With Five Pillar Strategy

Slates six new shows, 16 returning series, move into feature films at 2010 upfront presentation

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/450071-Upfronts_2010_Nickelodeon_Looks_to_The_Future_With_Five_Pillar_Strategy.php

Bravo greenlights four new shows

Cabler adding fifth night of original primetime programming

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i724486204375a1060c656377e900b7b2

Facebook Helps Social Start-Ups Gain Users

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/technology/13social.html?th&emc=th

Events:

MediaClub LA

Thursday, March 18, 2010 – 7:00pm – 10:00pm

W Hollywood – 6250 Hollywood Blvd

Join LA’s Largest Business Networking Organization for Media Professionals and see you at our next event. Come mingle with top industry professionals in Media and Technology. Attendees work at companies such as CAA, Disney, Dreamworks, Fox, ICM, MySpace, NBC, Paramount, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, William Morris, YouTube, etc

http://www.mediaclubla.org/RSVP.html

Exploiting Rights Management in a Multiplatform World

Free Live Webcast

Tuesday March 23, 2010 – 2PM EST • 11AM PST

http://www.media.qualitytech.com/client/new_bay/2010_0323/197610/launch.htm

2010 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

Sat, Apr 24, 2010-Sun, Apr 25, 2010

UCLA – 405 Hilgard Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095

UCLA hosts the largest festival on the west coast featuring more than 100 author panels (with authors ranging from Ray Bradbury to Mary Higgins Clark to Tori Spelling) and the “Comix Strip” which offers access to comic book, graphic novel and manga exhibitors

http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/

SHOWBIZ EXPO

LOS ANGELES – Sat/Sun April 24-25, 2010
10am – 5pm on Both Days
Los Angeles Convention Center – West Hall B

ShowBiz Expo is a FREE five-star event that brings everyone in the Entertainment Industry  together under one roof (film makers, production companies, studios, screenwriters, producers, directors, actors, designers, company/general managers, editors, cinematographers, crew, musicians, etc.). This event is FREE to attend.
ShowBiz Expo is the only event of its kind that simultaneously offers great exhibitors, industry workshops (ranging from producers panels to casting directors to festivals), HeadShot Lane, Movie Reel Showcase, Designers Showcase, Project Boards, Roundtable networking, Focus Groups, Film Festival, actual casting calls (Telsey + Company and Disney Theatrical Group), and networking opportunities in a professional all-entertainment related trade show venue.
While the main Expo is FREE, if you’d like to attend workshops, focus groups and other premium conference options, use discount code INFO25 when you register and get 25% OFF!!

http://www.theshowbizexpo.com/

Check it out on Weekend Update on Hulu here.

An unsinkable Whoopi Goldberg on female incontinence

March 14, 2010

-By Barbara Lippert

Original article available at Ad Week.
Videos available at 1in3likeme.

When Kathryn Bigelow won the Best Director Oscar for The Hurt Locker — her raw, unsentimental film about an American bomb-disposal squad in the Iraqi war — she was the first woman in the 82-year history of the Academy Awards to do so. While that’s a pretty dramatic shattering of a glass ceiling, she stayed away from acknowledging gender issues in her acceptance speech. She also chose not to go the way of her ex, James Cameron, and call herself “queen of the world.” She prefers to see herself as a filmmaker, period.

But any way you look at it, it was an historic occasion for women.

Who knew that in the minutes leading up to the Academy Awards broadcast there would be another breakthrough for females? This one, though, was less a shattering of a glass ceiling than a straining of the pelvic floor. Yup, with one sweeping, cinematic 60-second spot for Kimberly-Clark’s Poise Pads, Whoopi Goldberg successfully invaded the female incontinence space. After such pioneering work, our urinary frontier will never be the same.

First the zingy “four-hour erection” phrase seeped into the American consciousness via E.D. commercials. Now it’s an equally liberating marketing moment, this time for the American female bladder. We also have a spanking new, professional-sounding diagnostic acronym on our hands: L.B.L., or light bladder leakage. Say it loud and proud.

Certainly, Goldberg has no fear: Impersonating eight great women of history through the lens of their urinary mishaps, she made one small step for man, one “shpritz” for womankind.

Goldberg has a storied connection with the Oscars. She has hosted four times and has won a Best Supporting Actress award. And the fast-moving and skillfully edited Poise montage, with its intriguing costumes and gorgeously detailed lighting and sets, fits right in with the unsubtle staginess of the awards ceremony. Playing characters such as Cleopatra, the Statue of Liberty and the Mona Lisa in a variety of bad accents and wigs, and shot by noted photographer Timothy White, Goldberg’s performance could have been an opening clip for the show-until we heard the words.

In the grossness department, the major “eww” had to do with the comedienne’s use of “shpritz” and the variations on that sound. The upshot, she says, is “no one wants to talk about it, but we’re all walking around with wet pants.” (Now that men walk around with no pants in ads, women have to talk about wet ones? Yikes.) But there really is no sanitized way to put it; “dribble,” “piddle,” “trickle” — they’re all pretty unseemly.

For Poise, that’s part of the plan: It wants to destigmatize the subject to start a conversation. The campaign, from Mindshare Entertainment, was intended only for the Internet and print. It has been reported as the work of JWT, but that agency only did some initial concepting of the 1in3likeme Web site.

Goldberg ad-libbed eight Webisodes, each featuring a different character. Mona Lisa is the strongest. The lighting is beautiful and the idea is clever: for centuries, viewers have wondered about the source of her enigmatic smile. “I don’t want to be painted! I want to be dry!” Goldberg says in a bad Italian accent. She also comes up with a killer line at the end: “Excuse me. I have to make another face.”

The montage was made to air on The View as part of a brand integration deal. It proved so popular that the K-C powers decided to enter it into the pre-Oscar show at the last minute.

For TV, especially, getting the tone right must have been tricky, though Goldberg does come off as vulgar. The overarching thing about her is she’s absolutely open and embarrassment-free. She’s a walking, talking no-mortification zone. Her earthy presence no doubt leads women to the Web site, and perhaps even makes them laugh — which will possibly lead to some light leakage, and the need for Poise Pads. There’s a great circle of synergy here, no matter how snarky you want to be about it. Goldberg’s proud to be the face of light bladder leakage. And, I guess, in that way she’s detonated a whole different kind of bomb.