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Review

Signs of the Apocalypse Roundup – December 2009 – Week 3

MTV’s Tony DiSanto defends ‘Jersey Shore’
Everybody is welcome to their own POV. It bums me out that some people are offended. The intention behind the show was to present an exciting group of big characters who were an interesting dynamic, having the summer of their lives, having very specific sort of rituals and vernacular. I thought it would play like a fun show with heart that also makes you laugh. I look at my job as having to deliver shows that hit at least one or two of the following categories — entertain, engage and enlighten. And this nails the entertainment category.

ABC rolling out ‘Conveyor Belt of Love’ (video)
ABC has ordered a new reality show from Endemol that serves up dates on a conveyor belt. In “Conveyor Belt of Love,” 30 men are rolled out before a panel of five women and given one minute to make a positive impression.

History greenlights ‘Top Shot’
Reality competition in search of sharpshooters
History has fired a greenlight at “Top Shot,” its first reality competition series, for a 10-episode launch in 2010. Program will stage a sharpshooting challenge using modern-day weapons as well as historical ones such as the crossbow that the legendary William Tell used to hit the apple on his son’s head.

Rat meal earns court date
U.K. reality contestant to face cruelty charges
Rat risotto is a dish too far for most of us, but two contestants in the U.K. version of reality skein “I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!” found out the hard way that the meal was strictly off the menu for law enforcers. Chef Gino D’Acampo and actor Stuart Manning have been summoned to appear in court on Feb. 3 in Australia, where the show is filmed, on animal cruelty charges after D’Acampo killed and ate a rat during an episode.

NBC promises ‘heaviest cast ever’ for ‘Loser’
NBC just announced the “heaviest-cast ever” for the next cycle of “The Biggest Loser.” The new season will have the show’s fattest contestant yet at 526 pounds. The show will also feature identical twin brothers (and “nature vs. nurture” debate bet settlers) together weighing in at close to 1,000 pounds.

More Horsemen

Business of the Business

Toon boom goes global
Animation a sensation at ‘09 box office
When it comes to the box office, animated films couldn’t be a bigger draw. This year alone, toon fans helped five pics earn more than $100 million in the U.S., with Disney’s “Up” floating close to the $300 million mark and DreamWorks Animation’s “Monsters vs. Aliens” and Fox’s “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” scaring up nearly $200 million each.

Irish Film Board budget cut by 5%
Gov’t reject plan to kill film body, tax incentive
The Irish government has slashed the budget of the Irish Film Board by 5%, but rejected a proposal to abolish the board and the local tax incentive. The cut, which takes the IFB’s budget down to Euros 19.3 million ($28.5 million), came as part of the government’s 2010 budget, in which spending on arts, culture and film was reduced by 6% to $245 million.

Paramount to produce more micro-budget films
Studio will spend $1 million annually to develop 10 to 20 films
Seeking to replicate the stunning success of “Paranormal Activity,” Paramount’s launching an initiative that will spend $1 million annually to develop and produce microbudget films. The move, unveiled Thursday, is designed to place between 10 and 20 projects in development by the end of next year, with no individual budget topping $100,000.

Disney chief upbeat on future
Bob Iger makes remarks at UBS media conference
ABC’s scatter sales are up about 25% from upfront pricing booked this past summer, Iger said, noting “encouraging signs” in the advertising market. Iger said theme parks and resorts, another big chunk of Disney’s business, are also holding up, but he admitted that’s largely due to steep discounting not likely to end anytime soon. On the film side, Iger noted the company is looking forward to revving up the Marvel brand after striking a deal in late summer to acquire the company for $4 billion. He said other studios that have worked on Marvel films haven’t emphasized the brand. Sony has the “Spider-Man” franchise, and Paramount has “Iron Man.”

MGM bows first U.K. web
MGM HD is a joint venture with satcaster BSkyB
MGM’s first branded channel bowed in the U.K. on Monday on News Corp. paybox BSkyB. MGM HD, a 50/50 joint venture with BSkyB, showcases pics from MGM’s library, all broadcast in high definition. To view MGM HD, Sky customers must subscribe to Dual Movies and the HD pack. Alternatively, the channel is available a la carte for £5 ($8) per month.

Minutae

Planet of the Odd

Larry Flynt prevails in effort to block relatives from using family name
A four-man, four-woman panel sided today with Hustler publisher Larry Flynt on trademark infringement and false endorsement claims he filed against his nephews, who attempted to launch their own line of adult films under their family name. Larry Flynt had contended in the trial that his nephews were unfairly trying to take advantage of his fame and muddying the quality he built up over the years in the business. The nephews took the position that they had a right to do business under their own name.

James Cameron helped free Guillermo del Toro’s kidnapped dad
“One of the people I interviewed about the book was Guillermo del Toro, who told me about when he first moved to the United States, he was broke. This was the early ’90s. T2 had just come out. Cameron met him at a Fourth of July party. And Guillermo del Toro ended up living in Cameron’s guest house for long stretches of time. When Guillermo del Toro’s father was kidnapped in Mexico, Cameron helped him find the right hostage negotiators. He helped put up the money for it.”

LAPD arrests Disney grandson for alleged illegal gun possession
Patrick Disney Miller, grandson of the late Walt Disney, was arrested early today on suspicion of illegal gun possession, police said. Miller, 42, was taken into custody about 5:30 a.m. at his home in Woodland Hills, said Officer Karen Rayner of the Los Angeles Police Department. Miller was booked for investigation of possession of a firearm by a felon and selling ammunition or reloaded ammunition for a handgun. Miller is being held in lieu of $70,000 bail, Rayner said.

Pair accused of trying to extort John Stamos
Two people in Michigan have been charged with threatening to sell photos of John Stamos unless he paid them $680,000. Allison Coss and Scott Sippola were arrested last week on an extortion charge at an airport near Marquette, in the Upper Peninsula. An undercover FBI agent had arranged to meet them there. Stamos spokesman Matt Polk said Tuesday the photos simply are pictures of the actor posing with fans. He says the photos eventually will be released.

Quentin Tarantino lists his top films of 2009
The Hollywood Reporter spoke with Quentin Tarantino last week and he gave us his top eight films of ‘09. He admits to not having seen “Avatar” and two others, but he’s left himself some wiggle room.

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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