VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
The longest running TV cartoon in history has just gotten a bit longer. Fox has ordered up two more seasons of The Simpsons, guaranteeing that Homer and the gang will carry on for at least 19 seasons. The series is inching closer to tying CBS Western series Gunsmoke's record 20-year run.
E! Online

Postman Pat's sidekick is getting a high-tech makeover. Pat's black-and-white cat Jess will get his own spin-off series for the BBC, but rather than using the original show's stop-motion animation, Guess with Jess will be made using high-tech computer-generated animation.
BBC News

BUSINESS
Following a harrowing couple of years, the BBC has been thrown a crucial lifeline by the British government. The government ruled that the Beeb can continue to be financed by the license fee -- an annual charge levied on all British television owners -- at least through the next decade. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell stressed ingraining entertainment in all of the BBC services.
The New York Times

Just shortly after acquiring DreamWorks studio, Viacom has announced that it will sell the studio's film library of 59 action movies to an investment group led by the billionaire financier George Soros: Soros Strategic Partners and Dune Entertainment II. According to the deal, Viacom will retain ownership of music publishing and certain other rights related to the library. Soros and Dune are expected to license the film library's content on DVDs, cable and worldwide television broadcasts.
The New York Times

Seems like the Telcos have scored another point in the ongoing battle with cable operators. CBS Corp. has agreed to distribute content from its CBS owned-and-operated TV stations on Verizon Wireless' new fiber optic TV service, FiOS. The service will allow Verizon to transmit programming through a TV service. CBS will be paid for each subscriber, unlike the customary practice between broadcast nets and cable operators whereas cable operators provide nets with compensation.
Advertising Age

ADVERTISING
In a blow to U.K.-based ad-buying agency incumbent, Carat, and after months-long review, CBS has selected Initiative Media to handle its estimated $130 million account. Initiative will handle national advertising planning and buying duties for TV, print, cable, radio, newspaper magazines and interactive.
Advertising Age

CONTROVERSY
It's not like it needed any more publicity, but upcoming film The Da Vinci Code (based on the international bestseller) has gotten even more attention . . . from a real-life high-profile case. Two historians claim that Brown plagiarized parts of the book from their previously published work. The case, which is taking place in London, is now closed, with the judge set to rule next month (just one month before the movie's scheduled debut).
E! Online

Chinese TV talent shows are not too popular with national regulators at the moment. Idol knockoff The Mongolian Cow Sour Yogurt Supergirl Contest, and the slew of copycats it's caused on Chinese television are being criticized for their slightly rebellious nature. Supergirl showed participants in baggy jeans singing with unusual emotion, crying on stage and punching their fists in the air -- a significant shift away from China's usual television fare, which often revolves around soap operas and women in traditional Chinese dresses, singing and dancing.
The New York Times

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seems to have spent all day Tuesday handing out fines. The FCC cited nine programs, for fines totaling about $4 million, on agency accusations of violating decency standards between February 2002 and March 2005. A record $3.6 million fine was leveled against 111 television stations that broadcast an episode of Without a Trace in December 2004 that suggested its teenage characters were participating in a sexual orgy.
The New York Times

TECHNOLOGY
In the Japanese business world it pays to be a lone wolf. When Sharp faced collapse eight years ago, the electronics company chose to jettison unprofitable products and bet its future on a single, then-unproven new product: flat-panel televisions with a technology called liquid-crystal display (LCD). The gamble paid off; the company now achieves record profits as a leader in the booming global market for LCD televisions. And other Japanese electronics companies are beginning to follow in Sharp's footsteps.
The New York Times

FILM
Oscar darling and critically acclaimed film Brokeback Mountain will ride into viewers' homes, before its rides out of theaters. In an unusual move, the film's April 4th DVD debut will overlap with its theatrical run. Oscar hype surrounding the film has led to an extended stay in theaters, and the DVD release has been rushed to capitalize on award season buzz as well.
E! Online

***Because VideoAge will be covering the Rai Screenings in Taormina next week, and MIP-TV in Cannes the following week, Paper Clips will be on hiatus for the next two weeks. It will return to your inboxes on Wednesday, April 12.

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