VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
Yul Kwon managed to outwit, outplay and outlast the competition to be named the winner of Survivor: Cook Islands -- and the recipient of a million-dollar check on the CBS finale on Sunday night, December 17. Kwon, a 31-year-old management consultant, beat out second-place finisher Oscar "Ozzy" Lusth, a 25-year-old surfer and waiter in a five-to-four vote. Third place finisher Becky Lee, 28, failed to get a single vote after being unable to start a fire in front of the jury. In addition to the monetary prize, Kwon was recently named to People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive list.
E! Online

After just a few weeks on the air, ABC has pulled the plug on the William Shatner hosted game show Show Me the Money. The network originally said it planned to air the seven remaining episodes that it had already completed, but later decided to shelve them. The cancellation comes just one week after ABC ordered six additional episodes of the show to air in January. ABC has replaced the quiz show with episodes of America's Funniest Home Videos.
E! Online

CONTROVERSY
After making a number of inappropriate homosexual comments on U.K.'s Top Gear, TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been reprimanded by the BBC. Clarkson agreed with an audience member that a car was "a bit gay" and then described it as "very ginger beer," which is rhyming slang for "queer." The BBC said that most viewers are familiar enough with the style and tone of the show not to take offense, but did concede that it should never have aired Clarkson's comments.
MonstersandCritics.com

Editor Judith Regan, who stirred up decade-old passions last month with her plan for a book and TV interview with O.J. Simpson, was fired last week by HarperCollins, the publishing company that oversaw her book business. In late November, Rupert Murdoch, head of News Corp., the media giant that owns HarperCollins, canceled the book and TV appearance, both of which were to give accounts on how the ex-football star might have murdered his ex-wife and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
International Herald Tribune

FILM
After an official grand opening, Stern Film Studio & Media Center has opened its doors to filmmakers, offering "professional expertise to international and Hungarian film productions." The complex includes the two largest soundstages in central Europe, measuring 1,500 square meters and 2,200 square meters, with a height of 12 meters. Located seven kilometers from the Budapest city limits in the town of Pomaz, the studio is a privately owned family business offering soundstages, catering services and construction facilities.
The Budapest Sun

Toronto critics went crazy for Stephen Frears's The Queen and Martin Scorcese's The Departed. Each film received multiple nominations at this year's Toronto Film Critics Association Awards. Both are nominated for best picture, along with Paul Greengrass's United 93. Frears and Scorcese are also up for best director, along with Luc Dardenne for L'enfant. Contenders for best Canadian film are: The Journals of Knud Rasmussen, Six Figures, Monkey Warfare and documentary Manufactured Landscapes.
The Globe & Mail

Will Smith has proven that life, liberty and The Pursuit of Happyness will get you to the top of the box office. His based-on-a-true-story drama about a homeless man trying to raise his son while working as an intern at a brokerage house, took in an estimated $27 million to top the U.S. weekend box office. Fantasy adventure Eragon came in second with $23.5 million and the new Charlotte's Web came in third with $12 million.
E! Online

New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said that cooperation is thriving between New Zealand's film industry and those of other Asian countries, with deals in place with China, South Korea and Singapore. One Korean movie, Christmas Cargo, is expected to use post-production services in New Zealand. She added that The Lord of the Rings movies, which were filmed in New Zealand, highlighted the indigenous film industry's potential.
International Herald Tribune

VIDEOAGE AT NATPE '07 FOR YOU
Our NATPE Issue will feature a front cover story on Argentina's powerhouse Telefé.
This issue focuses on Latin America and will have a section in Spanish.
In addition, it will feature Starz, one of the U.S's major TV brands (it operates 16 channels) and production companies.
At NATPE VideoAge will also have its traditional three dailies:
Monday -- Focus on Latin America
Tuesday -- U.S. Syndication (both Anglo and Spanish)
Wednesday -- Focus on Canada, U.K.
Let us know if we could interest you in an advertising page (or Jr. page).

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