Ligths! Camera! Action!....and Music!

recently read this article on Variety about how musicians and composers are undervalued and underappreciated in the movie industry. According to the article, scores make up about 1% of the film budget. Not only that, but some studios are even beginning to "package deal" the music composers - requiring that the composer fund the hired musicians, studio time, sound engineers etc. out of their own pocket.

Having made some amateur films of my own, I understand how big an effect the music of a movie can make or break film. I think sometimes when we watch a film, we forget how much of the momentum of the whole movie can come from the music. Think about Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and all the Pixar films; without those pieces of music playing in the background, the film would not be the same.

I am no film connoisseur, but it surprises me how little the musicians are paid. Through my time here in college trying to pursue a career in the film and television industry, I always regret not completing my piano lessons as a kid. I thought that understanding music and all its intricacies would be an essential skill to have in the movie business, but I guess by the size of the composer's pay checks, that doesn't seem the case.

You may be able to take away the composers money movie studios, but you can't take away the utmost respect I have for them and their god given talent. You'll never take away that joy I get when listening to their work on the silver screen....well, actually you can....well you actually are.

Guess its a good time to have throwbacks. Silent films anyone?

Internet Theater = No Chance

A company based in the U.K., called Digital Theater, plans to place high-profile theater productions on the internet as available downloads. Downloads will be priced at about $14.50 per show.

I can see how this looks good on paper, by imitating what the film and television industry is doing nowadays with Hulu and Netflix, but can this really work with theater? When was the last time you shelled out 15 bucks to watch Spring Awakening or Avenue Q at home? I think it's a safe bet that that answer is close to none.

Come to think about it now, I can say that I've never seen any commercial or advertisement for any DVD of a play or musical. Sure, I've seen some when browsing around the DVD section of a Best Buy or Target, but that's about it.

There is a reason that DVD's are a big part of the movie industry and not so much with performing arts. Transferability. The difference of how much you lose when transferring a movie from the big screen and compacting to a DVD to watch at your house is minuscule compared to that of a play. The whole reason I go to a play/musical is because of the experience at the theater. You need that live element in order to get that full experience of the play. With movies, you already take it for granted that it isn't live, so when you watch it at home the most you lose is the experience with watching it on a huge screen with a roomful of people. Compare that with the performing arts, the whole experience of a play/musical is that element of being there and seeing that live "in-the-moment" actor to crowd interaction.

Now to be fair, what is the plus-side of Digital Theater is that it could bring in a new audience to theater and increase exposure with the significantly lower price-tag of $14.50 compared to ticket prices up in the $40-$50 range. Even with this price difference, I still think it's a waste of money. It's like saying well instead of paying $50 to eat filet mignon at a the La Grenouille, I'll pay $14.50 to eat some steak from Albertson's grilled on my George Foreman grill. It is a totally different experience! Yes, you can sort of expose yourself through this cheaper alternative, but is it really worth it? Wouldn't you rather just save up your money to get the full experience if you were really interested?

Check out the article here for more information: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010382.html?categoryid=1009&cs=1

What's up with "Cougar Town"? -- It's sociology time.

Picture courtesy: Cougar Town

Written By Ming Gu
Courtesy of NYTimes online



Recently, there has been a explosion of romances between older women and younger men on

silver screen (one of the most obvious being 'Cougar Town'). And Newsweek even declared 2009 being "the year of the cougar". So what's up with this new media trend?

(Well, even in the last few years, the marriage of Demi Moore to Ashton Kutcher, liasions of celebrities like Madonna, Katie Couric have already caught some attention.)

According to sociologist, this is not just some pop-culture flash that come and go, though the percentage is still small in the real world (5.4% for women whose spouses are 5 years younger, and 1.3% for women whose spouses are 10 years younger), this demographic shift is definitely real.

"Cougars" are at least 35 years old, and are seeking men who are at least 5 years junior. They are usually financially independent, highly educated and not necessarily seeking out marriage or even co-habitation. And people who are in such relationships are more open to the idea that women being the higher earner -- which does not mean that women are willing to take in slackers under their wings.

According to Christie Nightingale, founder of Premier match (10,000 members in its database), "If a woman is truly stunning, a really pretty woman who has a good attitude, who is hip and youthful, I can call some of these men onthe fence and maybe get them to go with someone older. There are younger men who are sick and tired of women their age - they want a woman who is more grounded and more mature. Age is just a number."

Maybe a few years from now on, we'd see more romances between younger men and older women, and it's not just for comedy effect.


To Read More, Click <Here>

Nintendo Thieves

Nintendo is demanding an estimated $4.4 million dollars from four illegal importers from Japan that make "majicon" chips allowing people to illegally play pirated software on the DS. "Through the spread of majicon and other illegal devices, our company and software makers have suffered grievous harm," Nintendo said in a statement.

I love playing video games. I really do. The interactivity. The sense of adventure. The out of body experience as you kill hordes of zombies. The satisfaction of saving the damsel in distress.

I love video games, yet can't say I really sympathize with Nintendo here. Sure I can understand that Nintendo is probably losing a lot of dough when they invest millions of dollars and manpower to create classic games and software, but at the end of the day, if I see a buddy of mine playing the new Super Mario Bros. Multiplayer game well before the launch date, I get a sense of excitement and awe than I do anger. However, when I see some politician baggin on Grand Theft Auto for its "violence and its detrimental effect to today's youth" I get a bit upset.

I'm sure a lot of us can attest to this type of feeling we get when we hear similar stories about pirated movies/music. Why is it ok that people know they are contributing to the damage of theses industries they love?

Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D

WRITTEN BY GRACE KAO
Courtesy of http://pixarplanet.com/blog/

Picture courtesy of cinemamovienews.blogspot.com

Amazingly enough, Pixar's double-feature of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D did... really well at the box office! Opening weekend, it raked in $12,500,000, enough to place it 3rd at the box office. This is pretty big, for movies that have already seen theatrical releases (and not that long ago too) to do so well in the box office. It pulled in after Zombieland (#1) and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (#2).

To read more, click on.

NBC U to Change Hands Again?

Image Courtesy of Variety

Seems like the Peacock is headed for yet another change after GE bought Universal from French telecommunications conglomerate, Vivendi, back in 2004 (wow, that was kind of a mouthful).

Rumors are swirling around the industry regarding NBC U's future, and a likely scenario that is floating around is that Comcast is ready to pony up "$5 billion-$6 billion in cash plus its cable channels, which include E! Entertainment Television, Style, G4 and a handful of regional sports cablers." Comcast would own 51% of NBC U's shares while GE holds on to the remaining 49%.

All of this is assuming that Vivendi, which still owns 20% of NBC U, is ready to sell, a decision that will be made by November as their annual option is due. The French company, however, remains mum on the situation and claims that no word regarding their decision will be made until November. How cryptic. Even if they decide to say goodbye to NBC U, they can either sell it to Comcast or put it up for an IPO to the public.

Mergers and Acquisitions in the biz are obvously nothing new, but media M&A's seem to be all the rage lately (*coughDISNEY&MARVELcough*). Variety says that "NBC U's attractiveness to Comcast is obvious thanks to its strong portfolio of cable channels including USA Network, Syfy, Bravo, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC and the Weather Channel."

What does this mean for us? There are concerns that Comcast's preference and bias towards television will shortchange theatrical production by tightening its control over which movies are greenlit.

Before we get our panties all tied up in a bunch, there's one hurdle that Comcast will have to jump through: anti-trust laws. There may be concerns about the nation's largest cable operator controlling too many media assets in large markets.

It's clear that NBC U's future is still uncertain and is ultimately dependent on Vivendi's decision. November 15 will spell out the fates of all companies involved.

Should it happen, I personally can't wait to see how Tina Fey & Co. will write the change into 30 Rock!

Click here for more detailed information!

Things that Will Either Be Amazing or Amazingly Terrible

The title of this blog post is self-explanatory. Here is a list of future projects, events, collaborations, etc. that could either be amazing... or amazingly terrible.

1. Matt LeBlanc to star in 'Episodes' via Variety

"'Friends' alum Matt LeBlanc has signed on to play himself in the sitcom parody 'Episodes,' a co-production of Showtime and the BBC that will air simultaneously on both nets.

Single-camera laffer centers on a British couple whose U.K. laffer is turned into a dumbed-down American sitcom starring LeBlanc (playing a version of himself). Six episodes will be produced."

While I am excited for a collaboration between BBC and Showtime and the premise of the show sounds awesome, if Matt LeBlanc and David Crane attempt to make this show an homage to Friends and try to recapture some of that magic...well we all saw how well that worked with "Joey."

2. Mel Gibson Shows us his Beaver via The Movie BlogAmerica/Montreal

"Mel Gibson plays crazy really well both on and off screen, and after what seemed like the end of his acting career, Gibson went into directing and producing films. Now this isn’t the film I wanted to see him make, but it is shaping up to be every bit of what we expect from Gibson.

The Beaver will be a drama comedy about a man whose insecurities force him to express himself through a beaver puppet."

I really don't think I need to explain why this is included in this list. But can we please just look at how amazing this picture is. Based on this picture alone, I am already leaning towards "amazing."

3. Blankenbuehler, Whitty, Miranda, Kitt, Green & Lacamoire Assemble For 'BRING IT ON' Musical Project via Broadway World

"An all-star, Tony Award winning creative team has been assembled to create Bring It On: The Musical, an original musical set in the world of competitive cheerleading.

The award-winning creative team for Bring It On: The Musical includes an array of talented and innovative individuals drawn from the top ranks of the Broadway Theatre World. Andy Blankenbuehler (Tony Award-winning choreographer for In The Heights) will direct and choreograph. Jeff Whitty (Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Avenue Q) will write the book. Bring It On: The Musical will feature music by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Tony Award winner for In the Heights) andTom Kitt (Tony Award winner for Next to Normal), and lyrics by Amanda Green (High Fidelity). Tony Award winner Alex Lacamoire (In The Heights, Wicked) will serve as orchestrator, arranger and music supervisor."

The fact that it is a musical based on Bring It On should already raise flags. But that being said, Legally Blonde is one of my favorite musicals. In addition, in my opinion Andy Blankenbuehler, Jeff Whitty, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tom Kitt, Amanda Green, and Alex Lacamoire could do no wrong. Andy Blankenbuehler's dancing scene transitions alone would make me want to see this. Add Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeff Whitty and I'm sold. The rest are just bonus. Okay. This can only be amazing.