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VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW PROGRAMMING
On
the new FX series Dirt, which premiered on Tuesday, January 2, Courteney Cox-Arquette,
in her first post-Friends TV role, plays Lucy Spiller, a ruthless editor of
Drrt, a celebrity gossip magazine. The character is loosely based on Bonnie
Fuller, the relentless editor responsible for the success of Us Weekly and
Star magazine. But will viewers tune in to see their favorite Friend embrace
her mean side?
The New York Times
BUSINESS
Google Inc. will invest in Shenzhen-based Xunlei Network Technology, Ltd.,
a website that helps users download videos from the Internet. Google's investment
in Xunlei may help it tap the growing popularity for online videos in the
world's second-biggest Internet market, with 123 million Internet users.
The Mountain View, CA-based Google paid $1.65 billion in October to buy YouTube.com.
Existing investors in Xunlei include IDG Venture Capital and Morningside
Asia Advisory Ltd.
China Daily
The Arabian Television Network (ATN), a subsidiary of the newly launched Arabian
Broadcasting Network, will partner with MTV Networks International, a unit
of Viacom, to launch MTV Arabiya in 2007. The new channel will be a 24-hour
free-to-air channel catering to an Arabic-speaking youth audience across the
Pan-Arab region. Over half the population of the Middle East is under the age
of 25, and MTV Arabiya plans to take advantage of this.
AME Info
CONTROVERSY
Kevin Sorbo won't be receiving the Herculean payday he'd been expecting anytime
soon. The actor had sued Universal Studios claiming he was entitled to eight
percent of the grosses from the syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary
Journeys , or about $5 million. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge threw
out the case ruling that there were insufficient facts to support Sorbo's
claims that the studio had cooked the books in order to defraud him.
E! Online
A troupe of dancers in skin-colored body suits had Japanese national broadcaster
NHK apologizing to viewers for its New Year's Eve music special. The dancers,
who all appeared to be topless and wore bikini bottoms and feathered headdresses,
covered the stage during a performance by DJ Ozma, prompting 250 viewers to
call in and lodge complaints. Towards the end of the show a presenter announced
that the women were indeed wearing body suits just to make sure it was clear
to all.
Independent Online
GAMING
The year that just passed was all about deciding what piece of video-game hardware
to purchase. But whether gamers opted for Nintendo's new Wii or more old-school
consoles like Xbox or PlayStation, 2007 promises to be all about the games
played on those systems. Experts predict that games will return to the foreground,
and that Microsoft's Vista will either reinvigorate PC gaming or set it back
even farther.
The
Globe & Mail
FILM
Night at the Museum, the Ben Stiller exhibits-run-amok flick, led the box office
yet again, raking in $37.8 million through the long holiday weekend, from
Friday through Sunday. Will Smith's The Pursuit of Happyness remained in
second place, finishing with $19.3 million. Dreamgirls had a dreamy time
in its first full weekend of wide release, taking in $15.5 million. Even
kiddie-themed Charlotte's Web, which had been struggling since its release
three weeks ago, was up 59 percent, taking in $12 million over the long weekend.
E! Online
Nearly six decades after World War II, Jewish filmmaker Dani Levy has made
a taboo-smashing German comedy about Hitler that will premiere this month.
My Fuehrer--The Really Total Truth About Adolph Hitler is the fictional tale
of Adolph Gruenbaum, Hitler's long-time Jewish acting teacher. The film will
open across Germany in January.
European Jewish Express
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).
LINKS NOT TO BE MISSED
VideoAge's Streaming Media
VideoAge's Water Cooler
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