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VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW PROGRAMMING
On
last week's sixth season premiere of American Idol, Randy Jackson still said "dawg," Paula
Abdul still tried to be nice, and Simon Cowell was as mean as ever. It seemed
like all was the way it should be on the set of the popular format. But viewers,
media critics and outspoken The View co-host Rosie O'Donnell have all reported
that the judges have upped the nastiness factor, making unnecessarily cruel
remarks to would-be idols who come before them. The judges have denied the
allegation, saying that anyone who appears before them should be prepared for
humiliation.
E! Online
BUSINESS
Although Parliament has yet to negotiate a law that will bring a speedy launch
to digital broadcasting, Czech commercial station Prima TV seems to be trying
to get ahead in the race to take advantage of the new medium. The station,
which is the second-highest-rated in the region, will likely become the exclusive
Czech broadcaster of the Euro 2008 soccer championship, which will take place
in Austria and Switzerland in summer 2008. Prima offered more than $4.7 million
more than Czech Television for the rights to the sporting event. If it succeeds,
Prima will become the first commercial station to broadcast a major sporting
event in the Czech Republic.
The Prague Post
Al Majd Satellite TV, a family-friendly Arabic entertainment and news channel,
has surpassed the 200,000 subscriber mark, with households primarily in Saudi
Arabia, but also in other Gulf States. The three-year-old Dubai Media City-based
channel provides a wide range of programming, including sitcoms, quiz shows,
talk shows, news and documentaries, all in a family-friendly environment that
excludes the use of music or women in programs or advertising. Religious shows
make up a quarter of the station's programming.
AME Info
Cinemax India Ltd. is planning to set up a six-screen multiplex at Vandalur,
south of Chennai, at a cost of Rs 15 crore. The multiplex, which would have
a seating capacity of 1,500, would be built in 2009 inside the Gold Souk mall.
In addition, Cinemax plans to build three multiplexes in Hyderabad at a cost
of Rs 7 crore, and one in Bangalore at a cost of Rs 12 crore.
The Hindu
Taj TV has extended its transmission and facilities business with Middle Eastern
shopping network Citruss TV by agreeing to a new deal in which Citruss will
transmit their channel out of the Taj Dubai facility, as well as provide studio
facilities for the Arabic-language channel. Citruss also uses Taj for scheduling
support.
AME Info
CONTROVERSY
Amid accusations of racial bullying on Britain's Celebrity Big Brother, Channel
4, which airs the show, was forced to hold an emergency meeting to determine
whether or not to scrap the series. The board decided to keep the show on
air -- no doubt because ratings doubled to 8.8 million people after the controversy
began. Channel 4 execs stated that the incident, in which one contestant
made racist comments to Indian actress Shilpa Shetty, has begun a much-needed
debate about British attitudes on race and class.
CBS News
AWARDS SHOWS
Nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday, and
though Dreamgirls walked away with the most nominations of any film -- eight
-- it isn't even in contention for the top prize. Movies nominated for Best
Picture are: Babel, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine
and The Queen.
E! Online
FILM
It's cold and it's snowy out in Park City, Utah, but the stars are coming out
for the Sundance Film Festival. While many Hollywood players are there to
promote films, some are just in it for the swag. Dustin "Screech" Diamond
told reporters that since Gary Coleman came out with a film crew to try and
get gifts, Diamond came out with his own crew to try and out-gift the former
child star.
E! Online
VIDEOAGE AT MIP-TV
'07 FOR YOU 2007 will bring VideoAge's 26th MIP-TV monthly
and 22nd annual Daily at MIP-TV.
VideoAge's MIP-TV editorial vehicles are:
Monthly Issue: Joy & Pain of New TV Season
Saturday-Sunday Daily: Focus on Milia/ Mip-Doc
Monday Daily: Focus on New Shows at MIP
Tuesday Daily: Focus on Canada, Germany, U.K., Italy
Wednesday Daily: Focus on Latin America
Thursday Daily: Road to the L.A. Screenings
At MIP-TV 2007, leverage VideoAge's editorial and distribution strengths to
get your message across to your buyers.
LINKS NOT TO BE MISSED
VideoAge's Streaming Media
VideoAge's Water Cooler
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