Glass Lewis urges Lions Gate holders reject Icahn nominees - Entertainment News

LOS ANGELES Dec 9 (Reuters) - Influential proxy advisory
firm Glass Lewis recommended that Lions Gate Entertainment Corp
(LGF.N) shareholders reject all of Carl Icahn's board nominees,
said a source familiar with the matter.
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Actor Johannes Heesters quits smoking - at age 106 - Entertainment News

BERLIN (Reuters) - Actor and singer Johannes Heesters has given up smoking for love -- at age 106.
"I did it for love, for my wonderful wife," Heesters, who is better known as "Jopie" in Germany where he has spent most of his 90-year career, told the German entertainment magazine Bunte. "She should have me as long as possible."
Dutch-born Heesters, who will turn 107 on Sunday, has been married to German actress Simone Rethel, 61, since 1992. Heesters said he quit smoking three weeks ago.
Heesters, who in 2008 apologized for his cooperation with the Nazi regime, is known for his roles in the film "Die Fledermaus" (1946) and the German film "The Moon Is Blue" (1953).
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MySpace launching new version of website - Entertainment News

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - MySpace launched a new version of its website centered around music and entertainment, as the social networking company attempts to regain its former appeal in a market it helped create.
MySpace Chief Executive Mike Jones said that News Corp-owned MySpace is no longer seeking to compete head-on with social networking company Facebook, and is recasting itself as a complimentary service that he hopes the 35-year-old-and-under crowd will flock to stay abreast of the hottest music and videos.
With traffic to MySpace declining and the company rocked by succession of management changes and layoffs during the past two years, the re-launch of the website represents a critical step in efforts to rejuvenate an asset once considered central to News Corp's online business.
"Most investors have written off MySpace now," said Richard Greenfield, an analyst at BTIG said on Tuesday. Whether MySpace can rebuild its buzz in the highly competitive and fast-changing Web market is an open question, he said.
News Corp bought MySpace in 2005 for $580 million, at a time when the social networking service was at the height of its popularity.
But MySpace, which says it has between 125 million and 130 million active monthly users, has been eclipsed by Facebook, which has more than 500 million users. News Corp does not disclose financial information about MySpace.
There have been media reports that News Corp is interested in selling MySpace, though executives at News Corp have repeatedly maintained that that is not the case.
MySpace's new incarnation leans heavily on the company's strong heritage in music -- the company already has partnerships with the four major record labels -- and seeks to supplement it with content about movies, television and video games. Visitors to the site can subscribe to news feeds about favorite bands and actors, as well as follow other MySpace users that the service recommends as authorities about particular types of music or other topics.

� Continued...
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TV networks want fair payment from cable, Web TV - Entertainment News

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The entertainment chiefs of five major U.S. television networks said on Tuesday they need to be fairly compensated if their shows are retransmitted on cable or Google Inc's Web TV, calling it a key industry issue.
"Everyone of these businesses is building these services out on our product," Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly said about devices like Google TV at an industry panel discussion in Los Angeles.
Last week, Fox network parent News Corp blocked Fox shows for Cablevision Systems Corp subscribers in a dispute over fees paid to it for the right to retransmit free-to-air broadcast signals of its network shows. It was the latest in a series of stand-offs between pay-TV operators and U.S. networks.
Reilly called the issue of retransmission fees "probably among the most important" facing network TV, saying it was crucial "to get fairly compensated for the programs we make."
CBS Entertainment chief Nina Tassler agreed. "We invest a tremendous amount of time and money in making great shows and we should be justly compensated," she said.
Walt Disney Co's ABC, General Electric Co unit NBC Universal and CBS Corp's last week blocked the Web-based versions of some of their shows from Google's new TV service.
Tassler, whose network has some of the most popular U.S. shows including the "CSI" franchise and comedy "Two and a Half Men," said TV networks were the creative minds behind hit programing.
"There is great value to it and we have to protect that. It is important to provide (content), but we just have to be compensated," she said.
ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee called retransmission fees, the advent of Web TV, and the growth of online streaming "a critical moment in broadcasting."
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Homer Simpson is Catholic, Vatican paper declares - Entertainment News

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Simpsons" just got a blessing from the Vatican.
The official Vatican newspaper has declared that beer-swilling, doughnut-loving Homer Simpson and son Bart are Catholics -- and what's more, it says that parents should not be afraid to let their children watch "the adventures of the little guys in yellow."
"Few people know it, and he does everything to hide it. But it's true: Homer J. Simpson is Catholic", the Osservatore Romano newspaper said in an article on Sunday headlined "Homer and Bart are Catholics."
The newspaper cited a study by a Jesuit priest of a 2005 episode of the show called "The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star". That study concludes that "The Simpsons" is "among the few TV programs for kids in which Christian faith, religion and questions about God are recurrent themes."
The Simpsons pray before meals, and "in its own way, believes in the beyond," the newspaper quoted the Jesuit study as saying.
It's the second time the animated U.S. TV series, which is broadcast in 90 countries, has been praised by the Vatican.
But executive producer Al Jean told Entertainment Weekly on Monday he was in "shock and awe" at the latest assertion, adding that the Simpsons attend the "Presbylutheran" First Church of Springfield.
"We've pretty clearly shown that Homer is not Catholic," Jean said. "I really don't think he could go without eating meat on Fridays -- for even an hour."
In December 2009, the Osservatore Romano described the show as "tender and irreverent, scandalous and ironic, boisterous and profound, philosophical and sometimes even theological, nutty synthesis of pop culture and of the lukewarm and nihilistic American middle class."
"The Simpsons", which introduced the catch-phrase "D'oh", is the longest-running prime-time TV series in the United States and is now in its 22nd season.
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UBS starts U.S. entertainment sector with neutral bias - Entertainment News

* Sees cable network assets as organic growth opportunity
* Starts Time Warner, Discovery Comm, Viacom with "buy"
* Starts Scripps Networks, Walt Disney with "neutral"
Sept 21 (Reuters) - UBS began coverage of the U.S.
entertainment sector with a neutral bias and said it considers
cable network assets as one of the few organic growth
opportunities in media.
The brokerage started coverage of Time Warner Inc (TWX.N),
Discovery Communications Inc (DISCA.O) and Viacom Inc (VIAb.N)
with "buy" ratings.
"Investment in programming has been a driver of growth in
audience share over the past few years, with cable ad growth
significantly outperforming the TV networks," analyst John
Janedis said in a note to clients.
The analyst, who started Scripps Networks Interactive Inc
(SNI.N) and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) with "neutral" ratings,
said technology is making the film business model more
challenging.
"Properly responding to these changes will be a key factor
in maintaining the health of the business model," Janedis
said.
Last week, Credit Suisse said streaming video offerings
from Netflix (NFLX.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Google TV will
catch on with consumers eager to cut the cable cord and
downgraded the U.S. entertainment sector to "underweight."
(Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in Bangalore; Editing by Anne
Pallivathuckal)
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UBS starts U.S. entertainment sector with neutral bias - Entertainment News

* Sees cable network assets as organic growth opportunity
* Starts Time Warner, Discovery Comm, Viacom with "buy"
* Starts Scripps Networks, Walt Disney with "neutral"
Sept 21 (Reuters) - UBS began coverage of the U.S.
entertainment sector with a neutral bias and said it considers
cable network assets as one of the few organic growth
opportunities in media.
The brokerage started coverage of Time Warner Inc (TWX.N),
Discovery Communications Inc (DISCA.O) and Viacom Inc (VIAb.N)
with "buy" ratings.
"Investment in programming has been a driver of growth in
audience share over the past few years, with cable ad growth
significantly outperforming the TV networks," analyst John
Janedis said in a note to clients.
The analyst, who started Scripps Networks Interactive Inc
(SNI.N) and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) with "neutral" ratings,
said technology is making the film business model more
challenging.
"Properly responding to these changes will be a key factor
in maintaining the health of the business model," Janedis
said.
Last week, Credit Suisse said streaming video offerings
from Netflix (NFLX.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Google TV will
catch on with consumers eager to cut the cable cord and
downgraded the U.S. entertainment sector to "underweight."
(Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in Bangalore; Editing by Anne
Pallivathuckal)
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It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a hockey superhero! - Entertainment News

DETROIT (Reuters) - Pow! Wap! Goal!
The National Hockey League is teaming up with Stan Lee, the co-creator of Spider-Man, Iron Man, X-Men and other iconic comic book heroes, to create a new series of superheroes representing each of the 30 league cities and incorporating hockey elements as a way to market the sport.
Under the deal, the NHL and SLG Entertainment, led by Lee's Pow! Entertainment, will form Guardian Media Entertainment LLC (GME) to create 30 "Guardian" superheroes. Starting in January, the new heroes will be used on the Internet, mobile phones, novels and comic books, gaming, in arenas, broadcast, merchandise, and promotional and sponsorship materials.
Financial terms were not disclosed, but the characters will be co-owned by the NHL and SLG Entertainment.
"It really is important for us primarily for the cultivation of the next generation of fans," Brian Jennings, NHL executive vice president for marketing, said in a telephone interview. "You want to be relevant as a brand and GME is part of our overall marketing mix."
Each "Guardian" has been derived from its corresponding hockey team, complete with special powers representative of each team and city, but the heroes are not set in the world of hockey, Jennings said. They will be introduced during the 2011 NHL All-Star Game on January 30 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
No word on whether NHL superstars Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals or Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins are being fitted for black spandex, but the idea will be billed at the New York Comic Con on Friday as Lee's new superhero franchise.
"I've always believed that every great plan starts with a great story," Lee said. "In the creation of GME and its unique and unprecedented relationship with the NHL, I truly believe we have the perfect combination."

� Continued...
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U.S. court keeps spying claims against Mattel alive - Entertainment News

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Mattel Inc will answer accusations it spied on rival toymakers by infiltrating their private showrooms around the globe, after a U.S. court denied its motion to dismiss claims filed by rival MGA.
In an escalation of a long-running battle over MGA's popular "Bratz" dolls, MGA Entertainment Inc accused Mattel of gaining entry to toy fairs with false credentials to steal trade secrets. It says Mattel then concealed evidence about these activities, according to court filings.
MGA has accused Mattel employees of gaining access to private showrooms of toy makers -- including Hasbro Inc, Lego and Sony Corp -- armed with fake business cards and spy cameras, to steal price lists and other sensitive information.
It made the accusations in August, four weeks after the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco said a lower court judge had wrongly granted Mattel ownership of the $1 billion franchise of multi-ethnic, fashionable Bratz dolls.
Mattel sought to have MGA's most recent trade secret allegations dismissed. But U.S. District Judge David Carter, based in Southern California, ruled the allegations can survive because Mattel has also accused MGA of destroying evidence.
The two sets of allegations "share a logical relationship," Carter ruled.
However, he denied MGA's attempt to recover damages resulting from court injunctions that had once been imposed on MGA, only to be overturned.
MGA Chief Executive Isaac Larian called Mattel's conduct "shameful" on Wednesday. Representatives for Mattel were not immediately available for comment.
Trial is currently scheduled for Jan. 11, though further pretrial motions will be decided before then.
The case in U.S. District Court, Central District of California is Bryant v. Mattel Inc, 04-9049.
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UBS starts U.S. entertainment sector with neutral bias - Entertainment News

* Sees cable network assets as organic growth opportunity
* Starts Time Warner, Discovery Comm, Viacom with "buy"
* Starts Scripps Networks, Walt Disney with "neutral"
Sept 21 (Reuters) - UBS began coverage of the U.S.
entertainment sector with a neutral bias and said it considers
cable network assets as one of the few organic growth
opportunities in media.
The brokerage started coverage of Time Warner Inc (TWX.N),
Discovery Communications Inc (DISCA.O) and Viacom Inc (VIAb.N)
with "buy" ratings.
"Investment in programming has been a driver of growth in
audience share over the past few years, with cable ad growth
significantly outperforming the TV networks," analyst John
Janedis said in a note to clients.
The analyst, who started Scripps Networks Interactive Inc
(SNI.N) and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) with "neutral" ratings,
said technology is making the film business model more
challenging.
"Properly responding to these changes will be a key factor
in maintaining the health of the business model," Janedis
said.
Last week, Credit Suisse said streaming video offerings
from Netflix (NFLX.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Google TV will
catch on with consumers eager to cut the cable cord and
downgraded the U.S. entertainment sector to "underweight."
(Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in Bangalore; Editing by Anne
Pallivathuckal)
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UBS starts U.S. entertainment sector with neutral bias - Entertainment News

* Sees cable network assets as organic growth opportunity
* Starts Time Warner, Discovery Comm, Viacom with "buy"
* Starts Scripps Networks, Walt Disney with "neutral"
Sept 21 (Reuters) - UBS began coverage of the U.S.
entertainment sector with a neutral bias and said it considers
cable network assets as one of the few organic growth
opportunities in media.
The brokerage started coverage of Time Warner Inc (TWX.N),
Discovery Communications Inc (DISCA.O) and Viacom Inc (VIAb.N)
with "buy" ratings.
"Investment in programming has been a driver of growth in
audience share over the past few years, with cable ad growth
significantly outperforming the TV networks," analyst John
Janedis said in a note to clients.
The analyst, who started Scripps Networks Interactive Inc
(SNI.N) and Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) with "neutral" ratings,
said technology is making the film business model more
challenging.
"Properly responding to these changes will be a key factor
in maintaining the health of the business model," Janedis
said.
Last week, Credit Suisse said streaming video offerings
from Netflix (NFLX.O), Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Google TV will
catch on with consumers eager to cut the cable cord and
downgraded the U.S. entertainment sector to "underweight."
(Reporting by Saqib Iqbal Ahmed in Bangalore; Editing by Anne
Pallivathuckal)
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Montague, Ryan Launch Shop - Entertainment News

Former JWT North America leaders Rosemarie Ryan and Ty Montague have finally unveiled their new agency, which, by design, will collaborate with other shops to develop new brands, businesses and brand messaging.
 
The venture, called Co:, opens with four partners: Montague, who's in charge of content; Ryan, heading up brand strategy; Neil Parker, leading business strategy; and Richard Schatzberger, head of technology experience.
 
In a statement announcing the launch, the new agency identified some 42 creative shops, studios, consultancies and media entities that it plans to engage on behalf of clients. These include Big Spaceship, Campfire, Collins, Cunning, Horizon Media, Naked Communications, Medialink, Creative Feed and Cool Hunting.
 
"We call it a brand innovation studio because we are taking our structural cues from the evolving entertainment industry -- an industry built around a talent model that is much more fluid [and where] the right talent is brought together at the right moment to get the right outcome," said Ryan, in a statement.
 
Montague added, "Today and in the future, success for clients is driven by two things: superior talent and the ability to effectively collaborate."
 
At WPP Group's JWT, Ryan was North American president and Montague was N.A. co-president and chief creative officer. They left the agency earlier this year, eager to strike out on their own after years of working within a major holding company.
 
Co:'s other partners have both client-side and agency experience. Parker has worked as a management consultant and within IBM's corporate strategy group; most recently he was global head of strategy at Omnicom Group's Wolff Olins, a brand consultancy. Schatzberger comes from Bartle Bogle Hegarty, where he was director of creative technology; earlier in his career, he worked in interaction design and product innovation at Motorola.
 
The new shop plans to add a fifth partner, with the title of chief commercial officer, to manage a co-ventures practice.
 
Ryan and Montague planned to open their agency with at least two clients. But the new shop's launch statement and Web site do not name any accounts.
 
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Netflix makes available free iPhone, iPod app - Entertainment News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Web video subscription service Netflix Inc launched on Thursday a free iPhone and iPod application that allows subscribers to watch TV shows and movies on Apple Inc's handheld devices.
Netflix said the app is available on iTunes for subscribers to plans starting at $8.99.
Earlier this month, Netflix struck a $1 billion deal with pay TV channel Epix to become the exclusive web-only distributor of films from Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Lions Gate Entertainment.
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Facebook Places: The Cat-and-Mouse Game Continues - Entertainment News

Every time Facebook introduces a new feature it initiates a game of cat-and-mouse with its users when privacy holes are opened up and the user is left to close them. It comes as no surprise, then, that Facebook's new location-sharing feature, Places, continues this cycle of potential data leaks.
Places is far better in terms of protecting user privacy than previous new feature roll outs such as the Instant Personalization service launched in April. Nevertheless, Places can still reveal important data about you if you don't take the time to adjust your privacy settings.
Configuration Dilemma
Instead of explicitly opting you in by default for Places, Facebook leaves most of your Places privacy settings unconfigured and you have to manually set them up. Choices include settings that let you share your check-ins with all Facebook users or just your Facebook friends. One setting allows your Facebook friends to initiate a check-in for you (for a primer on what it means to "check-in" see PC World's Geolocation 101).
The most crucial setting is the one that allows friends to check-in for you. If you leave this setting unconfigured you end up in a kind of privacy limbo, as TechCrunch describes it, where you have not opted in to Places but you're not opted out either.
Let's say a friend initiates a check-in for you at a bar called Louie's. You will then get a notification telling you your friend checked you in at Louie's. Since you are in privacy limbo, you will be given two choices: always allow others to do check-ins for you or ask you about this setting later. If you choose to be asked again, or if you do nothing at all, your presence at Louie's won't be registered in Facebook as a place you visited. However, your presence will be broadcast to others via a status update in real time. Since a friend could tag you in a regular status update and reveal your location that way--the thinking goes--why not allow the same functionality in Places?
The other problem is with third-party applications.   Even if you lock down your location-sharing data so that only your friends can see it, your data could still be sent to a third-party application. Let's say your friend Linda uses Facebook to connect to Pandora. Once Linda authorizes Pandora, that application can access Linda's Facebook data and any of the publicly available data from people on Linda's friends list. If you're on Linda's friends list that means all kinds of data about you can be shared with Pandora if you haven't configured your privacy settings.
If you don't want third parties accessing your data, you need to find and adjust another setting. Step-by-step instructions are in the previous post entitled Facebook Places: How To Adjust Your Privacy Settings. The information about how third-party applications can access your data via your friends is under the sub-heading "Not Finished Yet."
Why, Facebook? Why?
So why does Facebook do this? Based on the company literature I've read, Facebook believes the more open your data is, the better your experience on Facebook will be. Your data is also enticing for third-party applications that connect with Facebook. True, Facebook's policies are supposed to prevent third-party apps from using your data for anything other than enhancing your Facebook experience. But who can guarantee that a rogue business isn't building a profile on you based on the data they collect from Facebook?
It's also much easier for Facebook to automatically turn on a new feature, thereby forcing it on users, than to try and convince you to activate the new feature yourself.   And without new features that enhance your user experience, you might become bored with the service and look elsewhere for your online entertainment.
So the neverending cat-and-mouse game continues, with Facebook activating new features to entice you to use Facebook more often than you already do. Users who care about privacy scramble to turn off the new features as soon as they appear.
Connect with Ian on Twitter (@ianpaul).
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Spyglass nears deal to run film studio MGM-WSJ - Entertainment News

* Spyglass chiefs Barber, Birnbaum to run MGM-WSJ
* MGM to seek prepackaged bankruptcy in mid-September-WSJ
NEW YORK Aug 10 (Reuters) - Spyglass Entertainment is
nearing an agreement to run Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc once the
film studio restructures $4 billion of debt this summer through
the bankruptcy process, the Wall Street Journal said on
Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
An agreement could come as soon as this week, valuing MGM
at about $1.9 billion, the newspaper said, citing the sources.
The sources also said MGM hopes to file a prepackaged
bankruptcy in mid-September when its latest debt waiver
expires, according to the Journal.
MGM creditors have spent the better part of a week with
Spyglass co-heads Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum negotiating
the makeup of a board, and have worked out financial details,
the newspaper said.
Barber and Birnbaum would run MGM as co-chief executives,
and Spyglass would receive a 4 percent stake in a reorganized
MGM, the newspaper said.
Creditors would forgive all MGM debt in return for the bulk
of the restructured studio's equity, the newspaper said, citing
the sources. MGM hopes to limit its Chapter 11 reorganization
process to about two months, the newspaper said.
MGM creditors have left open the possibility of pairing
with other studio rivals, including Lions Gate Entertainment
Corp (LGF.N) and Summit Entertainment, which have made recent
overtures, the newspaper said, citing the sources.
The creditors would have to relinquish one-fourth to
one-half of the new studio's equity in transactions with Lions
Gate or Summit, the newspaper said.
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Director Cameron dives beneath Lake Baikal - Entertainment News

MOSCOW (Reuters) - "Titanic" director James Cameron spent his birthday underwater.
Cameron, who turned 56 on Monday, dove beneath the surface of the world's deepest lake in a submersible he used to film the wreck of the Titanic, the Foundation for the Preservation of Lake Baikal said.
Cameron boarded the Mir-1 submersible and spent a few hours in Lake Baikal's waters, the Russian-based group said.
The Mir-1, less than 8 meters (26 feet) long, is one of two submersibles Cameron used to film the Titanic in preparation for the 1997 blockbuster. Russia used the vessel in 2007 to plant a Russian flag on the sea floor near the North Pole.
On Monday, it was piloted by Anatoly Sagalevich, the director of the technical council of the preservation foundation, who invited Cameron on his first visit to Lake Baikal and gave him a hardy "hydronaut's" watch.
The sickle-shaped lake in Siberia, some 5,000 km (3,000 miles) east of Moscow, is the world's oldest and deepest lake, according to UNESCO, which lists it as a World Heritage Site. It holds one-fifth of the world's unfrozen fresh water.
Ecologists say the 25 million-year-old lake -- which reaches a depth of 1,637 meters (5,370 feet) -- harbors 1,500 plant and animal species, including a unique freshwater seal.
The two Mir craft have been used to explore the lake since 2008.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who last winter signed a controversial order allowing a paper mill environmentalists say pollutes the lake to reopen, dove to the bottom of Baikal in 2008 and declared the lake clean.
Cameron, an avid deep-sea diver, has said his initial motive in proposing to make Titanic was the hope of filming the famous wreck on the floor of the North Atlantic.
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