Variety

Madonna Loves Fans, Hates Their Questions

Sean Fitz-Gerald — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:13:07 +0000

If you really want to learn how to throw a party and make an entrance, take a page out of Madonna’s book: Invite celebs like Rachel Roy, Martha Stewart, Kelly Osbourne, Salman Rushdie, David Blaine, Questlove and Christian Siriano.

Viacom Pushes MTV, Other Nets Into Twitter Video Feeds

Todd Spangler — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:00:58 +0000

Viacom is the latest media company that wants to mine promotional, video-based tweets from its TV nets into silver nuggets. Media conglom announced a partnership with Twitter to sell advertising for video clips culled from popular shows and tentpole events on Viacom’s networks, which include MTV, VH1, CMT, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, TV Land and Spike.... Read more »

Reality Helmers Hail Hands-Off Approach

AJ Marechal — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:00:36 +0000

At a time in reality TV where producers meddle more and more in the lensing of a program, the directors of competition shows are striving to do the opposite: interfere as little as possible once cameras start rolling, and allow contestants duke it out for top prize. This creates a challenge, however, since unlike scripted... Read more »

Apple TV Adds HBO Go, WatchESPN

Todd Spangler — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:21:38 +0000

Apple has gotten its hands on cable TV networks in a fashion — announcing that HBO Go and WatchESPN are now available directly on Apple TV set-tops — but the services are available only to subscribers of participating pay-TV affiliates. In addition, Apple added three other new content providers to the Apple TV lineup: Sky... Read more »

Review: “Crossing Lines”

Brian Lowry — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:15:15 +0000

Produced in Europe, “Crossing Lines” is a credible and gritty crime procedural that NBC is scheduling as summer filler, featuring a crack team “from all over the Euro Zone” assembled to hunt down the worst of the worst. “We’re like the Justice League,” the lone American, played by William Fichtner, muses near the outset, yielding... Read more »

Pilot Directors Soar But “Regular” Episodes Do Heavy Lifting

David S. Cohen — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:00:31 +0000

A television pilot is like a first date. It’s a sales pitch where a great first impression hopefully sets up weeks — if not years — of loyal companionship. A pilot is shiny, exciting and dressed to the nines. This is why series premieres traditionally dominate the Emmy directors category. Although a series can change... Read more »

‘Catfish’ TV Show: The New Face of MTV (Really)

Brian Lowry — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:00:02 +0000

One byproduct of MTV’s youthful audience profile is the dizzying speed with which the channel chews through its zeitgeist moments. So after being defined for a time by “Jersey Shore” — which has spawned a slew of spinoffs and copycats — the network has seemingly moved on to a new signature franchise, which for better... Read more »

BT Complains About BSkyB Sports Channel Terms

Todd Spangler — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:59:07 +0000

LONDON — U.K. media regulator Ofcom said on Wednesday that it would launch an investigation into satcaster BSkyB over the wholesale supply of its sports channels after a complaint from telecom company BT. BT has complained that BSkyB is abusing its market dominance by making the supply of its sports channels Sky Sports 1 and... Read more »

ITV Takes 65% Stake in ‘Hatfields & McCoys’ Producer

Leo Barraclough — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:04:32 +0000

LONDON — ITV has acquired a controlling stake in U.S. shingle Thinkfactory Media, which produces shows such as Kevin Costner starrer “Hatfields & McCoys.” The acquisition, which sees another significant step in ITV’s strategy for building an international content business, sees ITV pay $30 million for a 65% stake in Thinkfactory Media, with a put... Read more »

Preview Review: ‘The Lego Movie’ Teaser

Peter Debruge — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:38:29 +0000

"Toy Story" meets "The Avengers" in the teaser for "The Lego Movie," a high-concept Warner Bros. idea that, until this very second, most of us didn't have any idea how they would possibly go about bringing to the bigscreen.