PROGRAMMING
The war of the words seems to have ceased . . . or at least halted. Fox
News's conservative talk show host Bill O'Reilly has agreed to appear on "Tsunami
Aid: A Concert of Hope" telethon, set to air Saturday on NBC and its cable
networks. O'Reilly had criticized telethon planner George Clooney and claimed that
the money raised as a result of the last nationally televised telethon, held
post-9/11, failed to reach its intended recipients. [E! Online]
E! Online

Just five days into her reality TV experience, Australian feminist author
Germaine Greer has officially quit Britain's "Celebrity Big Brother" household.
The author admitted that she hates reality TV and should never have agreed to
do it in the first place. [The Australian]
The Australian

Sunday was a very good day for Fox. Action-packed drama "24" returned Sunday
with two episodes that averaged 14.8 million viewers, up about 30 percent over
last season's levels. [E! Online]
E! Online

Two of Britain's most succesful big screen stars are jumping into the small
screen. Kate Winslet and Jude Law will play versions of themselves on new Ricky
Gervais sitcom, "Extras," which is set in the world of bit-part movie
players. [Google News]
Google News

BUSINESS
Rupert Murdoch's empire seems to know no boundaries. The mogul will buy out
all shareholders of his Fox properties for about $7 billion in a deal that will
solidify his control over some of the U.S.'s most valuable media assets, like
the Fox broadcast network and the DirecTV satellite service. The deal will
help simplify the complex structure of the News Corporation, which includes
newspapers, television, film and satellite assets around the world. [The New York
Times]
The New York Times

ADVERTISING
Last year's Super Bowl was not unlike an episode of "Desperate Housewives":
jam-packed with lots of drama. Between the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction"
and the controversial ads, the FCC had a lot to talk about. This year,
advertisers are paying record prices to appear during the game and are anxious to
avoid a repeat of the obstreperous complaints generated by last year's spots.
[The New York Times]
The New York Times

CONTROVERSY
Poor British Columbia, it seems to be losing all of its friends to its more
popular Canadian neighbor: Ontario. On Tuesday, producer Larry Sugar said he's
prepared to pull five television series totalling more than $100 million in
production —including a new project co-produced by Quentin Tarantino — out of
B.C. to take advantage of better labor tax credits. [The Vancouver Sun]
The Vancouver Sun

Rural New Jersey parents think Paris Hilton is so NOT hot right now. Parents
at a school in Buena Vista Township led a protest to nix plans to film an
episode of the third season of "The Simple Life" there. The parents thought that
the show's star was a bit to saucy for south Jersey. [E! Online]
E! Online

They don't call it the "Eye" of the storm for nothing. The ax was swing
yesterday at CBS, as the net dismissed four of its executives over a lackadasically
researched report on President Bush's Vietnam-era National Guard service.
[The New York Times]
The New York Times

TECHNOLOGY
TU Media, an affiliate of SK Telecom, the leading provider of mobile
telephone services in South Korea, began video and audio broadcasts for cellphones
with satellite digital multimedia broadcasting, or DMB. TU Media currently offers
three video channels — news, drama and music, all drawn from existing cable
television channels. The full service will eventually offer 12 video channels —
including South Korea's four major TV networks. [International Herald Tribune]
International Herald Tribune

FILM
India's Bollywood industry is mourning the loss of one of its most beloved
"bad guys." Amrish Puri, the actor best known to Western audiences as Indiana
Jones's nemesis in Temple of Doom, who appeared in more than 200 films and was
one of the best loved baddies in Hindi cinema, died in a Mumbai hospital after
a long illness. He was 72. [The Guardian]
The Guardian Unlimited

AWARDS SHOWS
Jamie Foxx is receiving a plethora of pats-on-back from colleagues. The actor
has received four Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, including a Best
Actor and Ensemble acting nomination for his performance in "Ray," Best
Supporting Actor nom for his work in Collateral and Best Actor in a TV Movie or
Miniseries for FX's "Redemption." [E! Online]
E! Online

And the awards go to. . . . The 10th annual Critics' Choice Awards, held
Monday night in Los Angeles, celebrated "Sideways" as Best Picture, Hillary Swank
as Best Actress for her work in "Million Dollar Baby," Jamie Foxx as Best
Actor for "Ray," and Martin Scorsese, hailed as Best Director for "The Aviator."
[E! Online]
E! Online

PRESS RELEASE CLIPS
Akimbo systems has announced that it will offer a selection of National
Geographic library titles on its Internet-to-TV VOD service.
Akimbo

Atlas Media has signed a deal with London-based ID Distribution for worldwide
television rights, excluding North America, for reality series "Young, Sexy
and . . . ."
Atlas Media

Cambium Catalyst International (CCI) Entertainment's "Harry and His Bucket
Full of Dinosaurs" series has received flagship placement on Cartoon Network's
new preschool block in the U.S. and will launch in August 2005. Canada's
Teletoon, Disney U.K., Discovery Kids Latin America, and Germany's Super RTL have
also signed on to begin airing the series next year.
CCI

France's Canal + Group and NBC Universal have entered into multi-year
agreements for pay-TV and pay-per-view rights to Universal's upcoming feature film
slate.
Canal +

Celador International is currently seeking licensing and promotional partners
for its BBC2-commissioned TV property, "No Waste Like Home." In other Celador
news, the company has announced the appointment of Cathy Laughton as head of
kids programming.
Celador

Canada's CHUM Limited managed to raise more than $3.2 million over the course
of its one-day national media blitz, CHUM Disaster Relief Day. The effort
took place across 32 radio and 33 television stations.
CHUM Limited

As part of an effort to expand its educational properties and product
catalog, Cookie Jar Group's educational products business, Carson-Dellosa Publishing
Company, acquired specialty publisher Rainbow Bridge Publishing.
Cookie Jar

June 23, the first day of this year's DISCOP market, will feature LICENSING
EAST 05, a one-day program dedicated to merchandising and licensing.
DISCOP

Following a reorganization of the board and executive responsibilities,
Endemol has announced the immediate departure of Hubert Deitmers, who will be
relinquishing both his board and executive roles. Peter Bazalgette will become
chief creative officer and Tom Barnicoat will become chief operating officer of
Endemol.
Endemol

New Line Cinema has announced two key hires in its licensing and
merchandising division: Ed Bolkus as vice president, product development and
merchandising; and Lourdes Arocho as director, international licensing and merchandising.
New Line Cinema

The FRAPA Format Awards and Formats Forum Conference, usually held at the
Monte Carlo Television Festival, will be held this year at the Rose D'Or
Festival, May 3-8 in Switzerland.
Rose D'or

Warner Bros. Consumer Products has named Funrise Toy Corp. the global master
toy license for the upcoming theatrical release, "Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory."
Warner Bros.

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