VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
After weeks of scheming, backstabbing and well, sitting around the house a lot, Mike "Boogie" Malin managed to claw his way to victory, making him the winner of CBS's Big Brother: All-Stars. After a 6-1 vote, Malin, a restaurateur, walked away with a $500,000 prize. Runner-up Erika Landin took home $50,000. Malin said he plans to invest in some new restaurant locations with his winnings.
E! Online

Although the show's been a movie smash and a Broadway hit, Andrew Lloyd Webber is enjoying some free publicity for his West End revival of The Sound of Music with BBC reality show How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? The series, which aims to find the next Julie Andrews from a group of hopefuls, winds down this weekend and will award a six-month contract to one of the five lucky finalists.
The New York Times

What should be a time of celebration for reality TV star Anna Nicole Smith has turned into a time of mourning for the former Playboy playmate. Smith's 20-year-old son Daniel Smith died in a Nassau, Bahamas hospital on Sunday, just three days after his mother gave birth to a baby girl. The cause of death is still unknown, but Bahamian authorities said it could not be attributed to natural causes.
E! Online

With the impending launch of the new series Ugly Betty, the ABC network is attempting to tap into the telenovela phenomenon and also rewrite the standards for what's considered TV-ready attraction. Based on blockbuster novela Betty La Fea, the series tells the tale of an ugly duckling among swans at a fashion magazine.
The New York Times

ADVERTISING
Despite repeated warnings from the national broadcasting authority, a third of Chinese television stations that were caught airing illegal advertisements have continued doing so. The State Administration of Radio, Film & Television (SARFT) caught 224 channels operated by provincial and city stations defying the ban (which went into effect on August 1) on commercials for weight loss, breast enlargement and other health and beauty treatment products. If any of the channels receives three notices within 60 days, it will be forbidden from airing any ads at all.
People's Daily

BUSINESS
Warsaw-based independent film producer MTL Maxfilm is planning an IPO and may soon merge with ATM Group. Each company controls roughly a third of the Polish market, and could conceivably create a virtual monopoly in the region. Executives at both firms have confirmed that plans are in the works.
Warsaw Business Journal

TECHNOLOGY
Apple Computer launched its long-awaited online movie service this week, and showed off a device that would make it simpler for consumers to view the films on television. The service will initially carry movies only from the studios owned by the Walt Disney Co., since Apple CEO Steve Jobs sits on the Mouse House's board. New releases will be priced at $12.99 when pre-ordered during the first week of sale, or $14.99 thereafter.
AM New York

FILM
In an effort to boost China's rural movie industry, the country will soon begin screening digital movies in those areas. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) will deliver 1,200 digital movie system (DMS) machines to 16 cities in eight provinces in October.
Xinhua

After sparking an uproar at the Toronto International Film Festival for its fake portrayal of the assassination of President George W. Bush, British film Death of a President may finally make its way to U.S. shores. Newmarket Films, the distribution company that brought us Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, has reportedly paid $1 million to secure U.S. distribution rights to the flick.
E! Online

Oscar-nominated City of God director Fernando Meirelles has been tapped to direct a film based on Nobel Prize-winner Jose Saramago's novel Blindness. The Brazilian/Canadian co-production will have a budget of roughly $25 million and will begin filming this summer.
The Globe & Mail

For the Asia TV Forum, VideoAge is preparing an essential editorial vehicle for all companies participating in this important market in Singapore.
Some of VideoAge's focuses will be:

· The challenges in Asia for Latin companies
· Company profile of the Singapore-based 6-6-8

In addition, the issue will:
-Preview the upcoming NATPE trade show and
-Explore the opportunities that Digital Multimedia Broadcasting will be offering to broadcasters the world over.

Deadline for advertising is November 10, 2006
Notice: Only six ad pages remain and the book will not be increased in size, since heavy issues discourage program buyers to carry them

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