Sky Deutschland, D.Telekom in talks over TV-sources - Tv Series

FRANKFURT Nov 19 (Reuters) - Loss-making pay TV broadcaster
Sky Deutschland (SKYDn.DE) and Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) are
in talks to renew their TV cooperation, two people close to the
negotiations said on Friday.
Deutsche Telekom is considering adding some of Sky
Deutschland's channels to its TV platform Entertain, one of the
people told Reuters.
The German incumbent was especially interested in Sky
Deutschland's movie channels in HD quality of which Sky has
four, the person said, but added Deutsche Telekom was in no
hurry and was in talks with other providers as well.
Sky Deutschland would be interested in an even closer tie-up
with Deutsche Telekom so its complete pay-TV programme including
premier league soccer broadcasts would be available on the
Entertain platform, a person familiar with Sky Deutschland's
thinking said.
In an ideal world the two would agree on a marketing
partnership as well, that person said.
Deutsche Telekom and Sky Deutschland have cooperated in the
past but the partnership was terminated when the telecom group
launched its own Bundesliga soccer broadcasts in mid-2009.
Sky Deutschland, which is 49.9 percent owned by News Corp
(NWSA.O), is keen to increase customer figures by entering
alliances with cable companies and others who offer TV packages.
It recently announced an alliance with German cable company
Kabel Baden Wuerttemberg.
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TV networks seek to stop FilmOn - Tv Series

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four top television networks have asked a federal court to stop the Internet video service FilmOn.com from offering TV channels over the web and on Apple Inc's iPad for free.
FilmOn.com Plc, which claims to be the first high definition Internet television network, launched in September 2010 and was founded by British billionaire entrepreneur Alki David, who recently offered to pay $1 million for someone to strip naked in front of U.S. President Barack Obama.
"I'm not a thief," David said in a phone interview on Tuesday. "We're a bona fide business. We're not pirates."
The network's suit comes as start-ups have sought to bypass traditional media companies by offering programing to Internet users without paying fees to free-to-air channels.
The networks, eager to control the way their programs are distributed, in September sued ivi Inc, a service that offers TV channels over the Web. Some TV networks have also blocked videos on their websites from Google Inc's Google TV.
FilmOn, a Berlin-listed company, initially charged users $9.95 per month, to access "over 30 premium free-to-air television channels." But it began offering the service for free after the networks sued FilmOn days after its September 27 launch, according to a copy of the restraining order seen by Reuters.
"It's against the law to steal a broadcast signal and stream it to wireless devices and over the Internet, without the copyright owner's permission," the networks said in a joint statement. "FilmOn.com is the latest in a short line of companies that has robbed our broadcast signals and distributed them illegally for their own commercial gain."
David, whose biography on the website said he "stars in major Hollywood films and mini series as well as writing, directing and starring in his own independent movies" and who is "experienced in commerce and banking", said FilmOn was well within its rights to rebroadcast networks offered for free over the air.
"The (US copyright) rules does not require the consent of the broadcast owner," David said, according to his reading of U.S. copyright law.
David added he was in negotiations with two of the four plaintiffs in the lawsuit, but declined to name the companies.
"We'll see if we can avoid lawyers getting paid more money," David said. But, "I'm not shy of a fight ... If we're making money, we're prepared to pay. If we're not making money , we're not prepared to pay."
The plaintiffs in the case are CBS Corp, Walt Disney Co's ABC, General Electric Co-controlled NBC and News Corp's Fox, and CBS Corp.
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Rangers down Yanks to reach first World Series - Tv Series

ARLINGTON, Texas (Reuters) - The Texas Rangers reached the World Series for the first time in their 50 years as a franchise by beating the New York Yankees 6-1 on Friday to win the American League Championship Series.
The win gave them a 4-2 triumph in the best-of-seven series and put them into the Fall Classic against the winner of the National League Championship Series between the Philadelphia Phillies and San Francisco Giants, who lead it 3-2.
Rookie closer Neftali Feliz struck out former Ranger Alex Rodriguez for the final out, igniting wild celebrations on the diamond and among the crowd of more than 51,000 at Rangers Ballpark.
Starting pitcher Colby Lewis won his second game of the series by throwing eight sterling innings and giving up three hits, and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero drove in the first three runs to lead the Rangers to victory.
The Rangers rejoiced in the middle of the diamond after winning the American League pennant for a first time and eliminating last year's World Series winners, hugging each other and falling into a massive pileup near the mound.
After more hugs, they sprayed ginger ale in glee and poured the soda over each other's heads in deference to slugger Josh Hamilton, who has overcome drug and alcohol abuse.
Hamilton, who batted .350 with four home runs and seven runs batted in, was named Most Valuable Player of the series.
"This group is here because they don't know how to fail," said Hamilton, choked with emotion. "The chemistry of this team is like something I've never known anywhere."
ICE COLD
Guerrero, who had been ice cold at the bat without a single RBI, made up for lost time on Friday as the Yankees walked Hamilton intentionally three times to take their chances with the designated hitter.
His groundball out in the first brought home the first run, but it was his ringing two-out, two-run double to dead center that really set the Rangers on their way.
The blast off Yankees starter Phil Hughes snapped a 1-1 tie and was followed by a two-run homer by Nelson Cruz off reliever David Robertson that gave Texas a four-run lead and broke the game open.
Lewis, meanwhile, mowed down the vaunted New York attack, which had led the league in runs scored. The right-hander did not give up his first hit until a fifth-inning double by Rodriguez, who scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1.
The Texas pitcher kept the pressure on even after getting some breathing room thanks to the Rangers rally, striking out the side in the eighth inning before giving way to Feliz.
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Fishing, kayaking Sarah Palin debuts TV show trailer - Tv Series

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hiking in the Alaskan snow, bear-watching, fishing, kayaking and family -- that apparently is what Sarah Palin loves best, according to a trailer for her new TV reality show released on Friday.
Better known for rallying conservatives and Tea Party followers at political meetings, the former U.S. vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor is the subject of an eight-part TV series making its debut on November 14.
"I'd rather be doing this than in some stuffy, old political office. I'd rather be out here being free," Palin says in the trailer for "Sarah Palin's Alaska."
The brief clip shows Palin having fun in Alaska countryside with her husband Todd and five children, kayaking down rivers, watching wild bears playing, and trekking across snow-filled hills.
The TV show on channel TLC is the latest media venture for Palin, the polarizing Republican who is widely thought to be weighing a run for U.S. president in 2012. Her second book "America by Heart" is expected to be published in late November after her 2009 best-seller "Going Rogue".
Palin's eldest daughter Bristol, 19, a single mother and a paid speaker on the topic of abstinence before marriage, is currently a contestant on popular TV show "Dancing with the Stars."
Bristol Palin's former boyfriend Levi Johnston is also working on his own upcoming TV show which chronicles his bid to be elected mayor of Wasilla, Alaska -- a post once held by Sarah Palin.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant, editing by Christine Kearney)
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Reality series Wipeout getting winter run - Tv Series

LOS Angeles (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC is moving its summer reality staple "Wipeout" to the big leagues, giving the obstacle-course competition series its first run during the regular TV season.
Beginning in January, "Wipeout" will return with a "winter wonderland"-themed course, complete with slippery ice and such new stunts as the Spanker Sleds, the Wipeout Ski Lift and the Polar Bear Run.
The network has ordered eight episodes, which will be considered part of the show's recent fourth season.
"Wipeout," produced by Endemol USA, averaged 9.2 million viewers and a 3.2 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic during its Tuesday run in the summer.
The move gives ABC additional hole-plugging ammo during midseason.
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My Generation creator gives TV survival tips - Tv Series

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - ABC's upcoming documentary-style drama "My Generation" will face heavy competition when it premieres next Thursday at 8 p.m., going head-to-head with CBS' "The Big Bang Theory," NBC's "Community," the CW's "The Vampire Diaries" and Fox's "Bones."
Creator Noah Hawley shared with The Hollywood Reporter five survival tips for a fierce fall TV season ahead of the series premiere.
1. ADDING A MYSTERY ELEMENT
"My Generation" centers on a group of high school classmates who were the subjects of a documentary in 2000. When the filmmaker returns in 2010, their lives aren't exactly what they had envisioned.
"Inherent in this 10-year gap is a mystery," Hawley said, noting that there has been a "sea change" of events in that time frame. "The overachiever in high school who 10 years later is a surf bum. What happened?"
That also means turning the cameras on the filmmaker. "Who is this person and why did she follow these people? Why has she come back 10 years later?," Hawley said. "You have to humanize that person -- especially the more dramatic these people's lives become. You don't want to feel like this person is invading their privacy, like it's the paparazzi or something."
2. TAKING THE TIME FOR CHARACTER EXPLORATION
"Because we have this filmmaker who can go out and solve these mysteries, we can avoid character exposition where you have these scenes where people have to tell you what happened to them," Hawley said. "I can show you. I never have to tell you."
It's a device mockumentaries like "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" have successfully employed, allowing the audience to get invested without being force-fed plot points.
"There's something really satisfying as a writer (when) you can avoid what network TV does: the information dump," Hawley explained. "A character who says, 'I'm not going to talk about my dad.' He doesn't have to."
3. FEATURING POPULAR BANDS AND GUEST STARS AS APPROPRIATE
Some TV shows rack up a long list of guest stars, but there won't be any stunt casting here. Instead, the right people will be spotlighted in the appropriate capacity.
"Because of the documentary format, I shy away from actors who are too recognizable. I will say that we do have Jaime King, who plays a girl who went to Hollywood to try to be an actor and was there for five years," Hawley said. "Who knows who she dated or what project she was in that we'll play around with."
He did tease that King's character, who appeared on Season 2 of "The Bachelor," "maybe had a famous boyfriend" and that real bands will appear on the show.
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Sky Deutschland shares up after cap hike details - Tv Series

FRANKFURT, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Shares in German pay-TV
channel Sky Deutschland (SKYDn.DE) rose up to 3.5 percent on
Monday, a day after the group set the subscription price of its
rights issue at 1.05 euros ($1.34) per share.
News Corp (NWSA.O), which holds a 45.42 percent stake in the
group, will partially backstop the capital increase so that its
shareholding does not exceed a level of 49.9 percent.
The subscription period starts on Tuesday and is due to run
until Sept. 27.
Sky Deutschland, formerly known as "Premiere", said it will
issue close to 270 million shares. At the given price, this
would equate to total additional capital of around 283 million
euros.
Shares in the group, currently valued around 1.0 euros
apiece, were outperforming the 0.4 percent stronger German
mid-cap index .MDAXI, trading 3.2 percent higher at 0843 GMT.

"Shares were already hit hard after the first announcement
of the upcoming capital increase. Additional impact should thus
be limited," traders from the Alpha brokerage wrote, adding that
shares may move closer to the subscription price.
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Fist returns in fun kung fu movie - Tv Series

VENICE (Hollywood Reporter) - Although one expects more from producer Gordon Chan and the director Andrew Lau of the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy -- which Martin Scorsese remade into "The Departed" -- "Legend of the Fist" still is good fun, a popcorn movie of epic proportions for kung fu fans.
The film feels tailored to Western palates -- sure there's violence, but it's toned down by Hong Kong standards, and even the fighting is cut back. Chinese and Hong Kong audiences might be critical of this take on an iconic cultural hero, but star Donnie Yen is a household name in Asia. With an all-star cast and the director's following, the film is practically a guaranteed megahit at the local box office.
"Fist" is all about Yen, who has the requisite acting and kung fu chops to play a suave, sensitive and serious badass. The martial-arts superstar slips back into the legendary role of Chen Zhen, who has had countless incarnations, the most memorable by Bruce Lee in "Fist of Fury." Yen actually played Zhen in a popular 1995 TV series, and the years have left him no worse for wear.
The film opens in 1917 France, where Third World recruits -- including countless Chinese -- were brought to Europe by the French and British to help with the war effort. Most of them died on the front, a fate the noble Zhen promises to spare his friends. Just when you think you've seen every battle scene imaginable, Yen, who also served as action master on "Fist," delivers the film's best and most breathtaking fight sequence. Bayonets and bullets are nothing against Zhen's superhuman skills.
Eight years later, Zhen resurfaces, disguised (in, ahem, only a tiny mustache) as a piano player working in Casablanca, Shanghai's hottest nightclub. He befriends the owner (Anthony Wong, always a joy to watch) and falls for hostess-siren-singer Kiki (the impossibly beautiful Shu Qi) as he secretly leads the Resistance against the Japanese occupation of China, led in Shanghai by a ruthless Japanese general (Kohata Ryuichi).
Zhen also dons a black suit and mask and starts fighting the Japanese single-handedly as the Masked Avenger. He hovers over the city like Batman, which adds to the film's comic-strip feel, along with the stylized sets placed in a CGI Shanghai.Lau is a rare breed of director: He has leased almost all of his own films, and his trademark visual pizzazz is there, if not the gritty intensity of his other work.
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Prime-time TV show hits Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood - Tv Series

* Brotherhood members portrayed as aggressive, cunning
* Analysts play down impact on Brotherhood's popularity

By Yasmine Saleh
CAIRO, Aug 22 (Reuters) - A prime-time TV show charting the
rise of Egypt's main opposition movement the Muslim Brotherhood
is gripping audiences and angering leaders of the group, who see
an attempt to tarnish its name before elections this year.
The sweeping historical drama shows how the Brotherhood's
call for a return to Islam's roots took hold in colonial 1920s
Egypt and gained traction after independence as its criticism of
Western influence on Muslim society resonated among the poor.
The 35 million Egyptian pound ($6.15 million) series is
being aired every night on Egypt's main state-owned channel
during the holy month of Ramadan, when TV ratings soar as
families and friends gather in the evening.
"The government would never allow a series on the
Brotherhood to be shown on its TV channels unless it is happy
with it... The government is very cautious towards anything that
involves the group," said film critic Tarek el-Shenawy.

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Friday night TV aims to shake off lame duck status - Tv Series

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Friday night television -- long regarded as a lame duck slot for dying shows -- is making a comeback this fall, with U.S. networks investing in new scripted dramas with big stars, and advertisers looking for stay-at-home audiences.
Be it the poor economy, the rebound in the ad spending, or the quest for even small audiences in a fragmented TV market, three of the five leading networks are launching new primetime series in September on Friday nights.
ABC has medical/crime drama "Body of Proof", Tom Selleck stars in the CBS police family drama "Blue Bloods", while NBC is putting on its new Jimmy Smits lawyer show "Outlaw".
Youth-oriented channel the CW has also moved returning popular shows "Smallville" and "Supernatural" to Fridays.
"Putting a show on Fridays had become the equivalent of opening a movie the week after Christmas. It was seen as the dumping ground," said Craig Tomashoff, executive editor of TV Guide Magazine.
"There are few bigger TV stars than Tom Selleck, so to put him on Friday nights -- and equally Jimmy Smits -- is an encouraging sign that networks for the first time in years are trying to get viewers back on Friday," he added.
Networks have traditionally put some of their best programs on Thursday nights, when advertisers seize the chance to catch the coveted 18-49 year-old audience before it embarks on weekends out at movie theaters, restaurants and shopping malls, said Brad Adgate, senior researcher at Horizon Media.
But with little competition from cable channels and Americans cutting back on spending in the economic downturn, the networks feel there is a Friday night TV audience to be had -- at least outside younger viewers.
JIMMY SMITS AND THE 30-SOMETHING WOMAN
"There are many millions of viewers available on Friday," said NBC scheduling chief Mitch Metcalf. "It is also an important night for advertisers. It is the last chance to reach consumers before big weekend decisions -- like visiting car showrooms or retail stores."
Encouraged by rising Friday audiences over the spring and summer for its topical news show "Dateline" and genealogy series "Who Do You Think You Are", NBC is launching "Outlaw" in the Friday 10 pm slot on September 24.
"We feel that 'Outlaw' has the strength of a great TV star in Jimmy Smits. He is highly appealing, particularly to 35-plus women, which fits with the profile of the available audience on the night," said Metcalf.
"Outlaw" -- about a maverick playboy who walks away from a Supreme Court job to return to private practice -- will have stories that are wrapped-up each week.
"I think it would be a mistake to put a very serialized show on Friday nights...It would be hard to expect people to watch every single week," Metcalf said.
Adgate said parents with young families and older viewers are the target Friday audience, and networks will be watching DVR data to see if people are recording the Friday night shows and watching them on other evenings.
"If a Friday show becomes very heavily time-shifted, the networks are going to notice that and either keep the show there -- or move it to another night.
"I do think there are opportunities. You may not make the most money, but you could get a hit very easily," Adgate said.
Fridays weren't always so dull. CBS launched its "CSI" crime show on Friday night 10 years ago and it went on to become one of the most-watched series on U.S. television and around the world.
When asked about his new "Blue Bloods" CBS show at July's Television Critics Association meetings, Selleck replied, "If it's good, they'll probably watch."
Executive producer Robin Green quickly chimed-in, "That's right. But there is part of me that wants to conquer Friday night, and say 'See!'".
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Fuel TV - Tv Series

If you're into skateboarding, surfing, snowboarding, BMX, motocross, and/or wakeboarding, you probably already know what Fuel TV is, and you are probably psyched to see a Fuel TV app coming to Android. For those who don't know, Fuel TV is a cable and satellite TV specialty channel based in the U.S. that covers extreme sports such as those mentioned above. Programming features original series, exclusive events, licensed films, music, and more.
The Fuel TV app for Android promises nine video channels, live event streaming, news, TV show info, PhotoBlog, ringtones/wallpapers, and more, which would be great--but it just doesn't deliver.
As a surf fan, I know that Fuel broadcasts many live surf contests, and I was excited by the promise of being able to watch them on my phone while I'm out and about. No such luck. The live events on offer are so few and far between it's comical. The News section is also fairly lousy, with a small choice of stories, and those that make it are added a lot later than they should be.
One of the things I was most excited about (apart from live events) was the videos section. This, again, was a major letdown. You get a handful of videos of the sport of your choice, and when you click one, you'll be greeted with grainy, low-resolution video that doesn't even utilize the whole screen (on a Motorola Droid, running Android 2.1). That's just silly. If you're only going to offer a few videos, why not make them look gorgeous? There is no "high quality" mode as in the YouTube app, and as a result, YouTube's video quality annihilates that of the Fuel TV app.
Though I was very excited about this app, it's a nonstarter. While it is only version 1.0.0 now, when you're Fuel TV, people are going to expect much, much better. Hopefully Fuel will make some serious improvements.
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UPDATE 1-Lions Gate posts 1st quarter loss - Tv Series

* Q1 share loss 54 cents vs year-ago profit of 31 cents
* Q1 revenue $326.6 million vs $379.2 million
SAN FRANCISCO Aug 9 (Reuters) - Independent movie studio
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp (LGF.N), the maker of the "Saw"
films and "Mad Men" TV series, swung on Monday to a quarterly
loss, reflecting the underperformance of its summer movie
"Killers."
The entertainment company, which has been embroiled in a
takeover battle with billionaire financier Carl Icahn, said its
TV business remained strong, but the company recorded losses in
the quarter due to the dud comedy film starring Ashton Kutcher
and Katherine Heigl.
Lions Gate reported a net loss of $64.1 million, or 54
cents per share, for its fiscal first quarter, compared with a
a net profit of $36.3 million, or 31 cents per share, a year
earlier. Revenue for the quarter was $326.6 million compared
with $379.2 million last year.
Earlier this month, the board of Lions Gate unanimously
rejected the latest hostile takeover bid by Icahn, valued at
$6.50 per share.
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Sons of Anarchy star bashes Emmys - Tv Series

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - FX's "Sons of Anarchy" star Charlie Hunnam unloaded on the TV Academy for this year's Emmys snub.
"I think it's all a crock of s---," the English actor said at Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday.
"It's corrupting ... we weren't on the receiving end of a force that can change what we're doing ... all of that crap is secondary and completely unimportant but does have the potential to ruin a good thing. So f--- em."
Though he's previously bashed the Academy's choices online, series creator Kurt Sutter was more subdued.
"Half the stories are about the nominations and the other half are about the absurdity of the nominations and the snubs," he said. "The system is somewhat flawed."
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Nickelodeon to celebrate Dora's 10th year - Tv Series

NEW YORK (The Hollywood Reporter) - U.S. cable television network Nickelodeon will celebrate Dora The Explorer's 10th anniversary next month with an hour-long prime-time TV movie and a Dora documentary.
The TV movie, "Dora's Big Birthday Adventure," will air on August 15 featuring guest stars Rosie Perez, John Leguizamo and Hector Elizondo.
Following the film, the network will premiere a specially commissioned anniversary documentary, described as a 12-minute tribute to the preschool icon.
The animated series airs in over 100 countries and has been translated in to 30 languages. It follows the educational and interactive adventures of a 7-year-old Latina girl named Dora.
The documentary will feature Anderson Cooper, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Rosie Perez, Salma Hayek Pinault, Shakira, Soledad O'Brien, Sherri Shepherd, the series creators, media experts and real-life children.
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Factbox: Lohan latest in string of stars to serve time - Tv Series

(Reuters) - Actress Lindsay Lohan was released from jail early on Monday after serving 13 days of a 90-day sentence and taken straight into a rehabilitation program, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Here are details of some other celebrities who have served time behind bars in recent years:
* Martha Stewart -- U.S. business mogul and lifestyle guru spent five months in prison in 2004 for lying about stocks.
* Lil' Kim -- U.S. rapper served 10 months in prison in 2005 for lying about her friends' involvement in a shooting.
* Paris Hilton -- U.S. hotel heiress, served just over 22 days in detention in June 2007, for violating probation in a drunken-driving case.
* Michael Vick -- U.S. football player pleaded guilty in August 2007 to charges relating to a dogfighting ring and went to prison for 21 months.
* Nicole Richie -- U.S. star of the reality television show "The Simple Life" served 82 minutes of a four-day sentence for driving under the influence in August 2007.
* Kiefer Sutherland -- Star of the TV series "24" spent 48 days in jail after a September 2007 DUI arrest.
* Michelle Rodriguez -- Former star of the TV series "Lost" served 17 days of a six-month sentence in January 2008 for probation violation on previous DUI and hit-and-run offenses.
* O.J. Simpson -- Former athlete, acquitted of the 1994 murder of his ex-wife and her friend, currently serving 33 years in prison for bungled attempt to recover his own sports memorabilia.
* Phil Spector -- Eccentric record producer sentenced to 19 years to life in May 2009 for murdering an actress in 2003.
* T.I. -- U.S. rapper began serving a one-year prison sentence in May 2009 for possessing firearms before being moved to a halfway house six months later.
* Lil Wayne -- U.S. rapper began an eight-month prison sentence in March 2010 stemming from 2007 weapons charges.
* Lindsay Lohan -- Lohan, whose promising career has floundered during two years of strenuous partying, is freed on Monday after serving 13 days of a 90-day sentence.
-- She had been sentenced last month after violating her probation on a 2007 drunken-driving charge by missing a string of alcohol education classes. She was booked into the Lynwood Correctional Facility, an all-female jail in south Los Angeles on July 20.