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Signs of the Apocalypse Roundup – November 2009 – Week 4

VH1 orders new season of ‘Scream’
Winner will appear in next ‘Saw’ film
VH1 has picked up a second season of Lionsgate reality skein “Scream Queens.” As was the case in season one, winner of the competition will appear in the studio’s next “Saw” film. That horror franchise has been a gold mine for Lionsgate, and the “Scream” skein allows the mini-major to coordinate crossover biz between its film and TV entities. Contestants are put through horror film boot camp, including how to work with creatures and gore. Actress Jamie King will host.

Oprah announces end of syndicated talk show
Oprah Winfrey will end her syndicated daytime talk show in 2011. The top-rated talk show host told her staff Thursday that she will conclude her show on Sept. 9, 2011 — when her current contract expires.

G4 orders police reality series ‘Campus PD’
Each episode follows officers on duty in five U.S. college towns as they deal with the challenges of university mayhem. “It’s no secret that high-energy police shows are very popular among male viewers,” G4 president Neal Tiles said. “With ‘Campus PD,’ we join real police teams and head to college towns, where the students — and their everyday lives — will prove highly relatable to G4’s core young-male audience.”

Gordon Ramsay gives you a shopping list
Fox has set a date for its live cooking show with Gordon Ramsay and has released a shopping list for viewers (below). “Gordon Ramsay: CookAlong Live” will air as a one-hour special on Tuesday, Dec. 15 where the master chef will show viewers how to prepare a three-course meal. Presumably he won’t yell at you.

Aussie tourism board backs show
Seven net’s series takes workers on vacation
The tourism biz in Australia — like the rest of the world — is getting hammered by the recession, so Tourism Australia is thinking inside the box … the TV box. The skein, “No Leave, No Life,” will take Aussies in need of a holiday and — with the boss’ OK — whisk them away for a week of vacation. To add a bit of spice to the skein, well-known comedians will take over the vacant jobs while the employees are gone.

More Horsemen

Business of the Business

Google pacts with Tivo for TV ad data
Internet firm hopes to ramp up its online auction service
In its bid to make TV advertising more accountable — and to sell more of it through its online auction service — Google has teamed up with TiVo, the companies are set to announce Tuesday. TiVo will provide Google TV Ads with second-by-second viewing patterns of time-shifted programs in order to “enhance the measurement and accountability of ad impressions,” they said. Google TV Ads is a 2-year-old initiative from the Internet search giant for auctioning off television ad inventory on a CPM basis, charging advertisers only for the ad impressions viewed.

Download venture gets Freeman’s help
Digiboo will offer kiosk rentals for flash drives
Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment has thrown its financial resources and technical expertise behind Digiboo, a new venture that will allow consumers to rent films by plugging in a small USB 3.0 flash drive into kiosks that will be set up at retail outlets. Run by CEO Richard Cohen, the L.A.-based Digiboo launches a pilot program in January with Oregon-based Movie Gallery that will see 100 digital movie kiosks operate in Hollywood Video and Movie Gallery retail stores.

Oz opposition proposes film change
Ciobo suggests offset claims be made at wrap
The Liberal Party in Oz has used the Screen Producers Assn. of Australia Conference to unveil plans to speed up the way that producers receive the 40% tax rebate on their films. Steven Ciobo, arts spokesman for the opposition party, proposed changes to the Producer Offset program that would allow filmmakers to lodge their claim as soon as a production wraps rather than at the end of the financial year.

Oscilloscope circles DVDs
Distributor creates club for early releases
Indie distrib Oscilloscope Laboratories is introducing the Circle of Trust, a movies-by-mail club that will send subscribers the next 10 Oscilloscope releases on DVD.”About one a month, give or take” will be the laid-back rate of release, according to the company. The service — $150 for a 10-disc subscription — is up and running via the Oscilloscope website.

Producer Offset contributes A$123 mil
Australia’s film subsidy launched in July 2007
Australia’s film subsidy, the Producer Offset, has contributed A$123 million ($112.6 million) to the industry since its launch in July 2007, according to government-backed promo and funding org Screen Australia. Screen Australia CEO Ruth Harley said that 19 features, 46 documentaries and 25 TV projects had received public money. “This injection of funds has assisted the industry to achieve a 1.3% increase in total production activity in 2008/09 against the backdrop of the global financial crisis,” Harley said.

Minutae

Planet of the Odd

Hollywood’s Most Overpaid Stars
Will Ferrell tops the list of actors who cost more than their box office worth.
Besides Will Ferrell and Ewen McGregor, other big names on our list include Eddie Murphy and Tom Cruise. Murphy (who ranks fourth) has commanded one of the highest quotes in Hollywood for his work in family comedies, thanks to the performance of movies like The Nutty Professor, which grossed $274 million at the worldwide box office.

Nicolas Cage reportedly sold comics collection to stop financial bleed
Remember back in 2002 when actor Nicolas Cage auctioned off his comic collection for a cool $1.6 million but never said why? Well, now we may know. Last month the star of Ghost Rider and the upcoming Kick-Ass sued his former business manager for $20 million, blaming him for financial problems that include more than $6 million in tax liens. However, in a countersuit filed last week, Samuel J. Levin claims that by the time the actor hired him in 2001 Cage “had already squandered tens of millions of dollars he had earned as a movie star.”

Man found liable for ‘Happy Gilmore’ golf swing
In the case, the plaintiff sued after the defendant tried to impress his golfing buddies during a bachelor party outing that included beer, tequila, and marijuana. On the 16th hole, under the influence, Travis Hayter whipped out his “Happy Gilmore shot,” which the court defined in 2008 as “running from five to ten feet behind the ball and hitting it on the run.” The ball leapt up and struck the plaintiff in the wrist, then in the chest, causing permanent damage to the radial nerve. The plaintiff no longer was able to return to his former work as a woodsman on account of the incident.

Crazed Twilight fans ’slice open necks’
[Robert] Pattinson recalled one time where a group of girls approached him bleeding from scratches they had just opened up on their necks. “They were like, ‘We did this for you’ … I didn’t know what to say — ‘Thank you, guys?’” Pattinson said he feels vulnerable at big film events such as premieres, where he could be the target of an overly obsessive fan or even a terror attack.

Brad & Angie Send More Than $6.4 Mil to Charities
According to the 2008 tax return for the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, the Hollywood couple sent over $6 million to charities last year. In 2008, the pair parked just over $13 million in their foundation, and gave away half of it. The biggest recipients of their largesse were: Global Health ($2 million), Human Rights Watch ($1 million), Brad’s Make it Right Foundation ($1 million). Some other notable contributions: $500,000 to the Armed Services YMCA of the U.S. Army; $50,000 to the Springfield, Missouri Public Schools (Brad’s hometown); and roughly a million dollars to projects in Cambodia, the country from which they adopted their first child.

Bits and Pieces

The Fine Print

This is by no means meant to be a comprehensive roundup of the entire weeks’ news. All stories are chosen by me for no other reason than that they got my attention and might capture yours. If something you think is more important chime in on the feedback; we’d love to hear comments and have a conversation about it.

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About The Author

Scott From LA

Scott is an art director, writer and comics creator living in Los Angeles. He has been a pop culture maven from a very young age. His very first job was as a manager of a comic book store. He spent several years working in a video store, and yes, we are talking VHS tapes. A student of literature and Writing, he brings his obsessive love of comic book trivia, movie history and science fiction/fantasy writing to bear on the work he does for CoolShite.

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