To Our Readers
Thanks for taking part in our recent survey. It's clear you have a lot to say about what we're doing, and that you have a great desire for changes in our coverage. Because you demanded it, you will see an increase in our coverage of box office and financing news, festivals, European and Asian film, web news and digital services in 2012. Additionally, there is an increased demand for monthly features, like our "Filmmakers to Watch" series, as well as "Writers" and "Producers" to watch. As such, and because of our need to expand and cover our resulting expenses, we've decided that come January we will move to a $4.99/month subscription price. Also, during the course of the year we will begin rolling out the additional monthly features for only $1.99 per month. Thanks again for your loyal readership and we look forward to beginning a new and improved FNB in 2012!
Box Office
Weekend Estimate
December 10-12, 2011 (*millions)
FILM GROSS/CUMULATIVE TOTAL
1 New Year’s Eve (2011) $13.7M/$13.7M
2 The Sitter (2011) $10M/$10M
3 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011) $7.9M/$259M
4 The Muppets (2011) $7.1M/$65.8M
5 Arthur Christmas (2011) $6.6M/$33.5M
6 Hugo (2011) $6.12M/$33.5M
7 The Descendants (2011) $4.38M/$23.6M
8 Happy Feet Two (2011) $3.75M/$56.9M
9 Jack and Jill (2011) $3.2M/$68.6M
10 Immortals (2011) $2.44M/$79.8M
Projects Announced
Yes, Virginia, There Will Be A Next “Friday” Ice Cube’s production company has just confirmed that another “Friday” is in the works — possibly with the entire cast of the original film. “Absolutely, yes the studio is in the process of getting the entire original cast to do another ‘Friday,’” a rep for Ice Cube’s company, Cube Vision Productions, confirmed. The first “Friday,” which came out in 1995, followed two friends in Compton trying to settle a debt with the neighborhood drug dealer. The film starred Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long, Tiny Lister, John Witherspoon, Anna Maria Horsford and Regina King. http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/12/09/friday-4-ice-cube-chris-tucker/ Lifetime Keeps The Remake Train Rolling With A Visit To The “Blue Lagoon” Lifetime is bringing a modernized version of the 1980 classic, “Blue Lagoon,” back to life. The somewhat incestual story centered on two young children, a boy and a girl, marooned on a tropical island where they grow up together, fall in love and discover their sexuality together. In the original film, the two children, Richard and Emmeline, were cousins. This isn’t the first remake in the works for the cable network. Lifetime is also planning a remake of the 1989 classic “Steel Magnolias,” with an all-black cast. http://www.aoltv.com/2011/12/09/blue-lagoon-remake-lifetime/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 With New Gig, Helmer Sticking With What He Knows Larry Guterman, who might be best known for directing the 2001 kid-friendly comedy “Cats and Dogs,” has come aboard to helm the live-action family comedy “Dog’s Best Friend” for Gold Circle Films. Based on a spec by Ben August brought in by exec Brad Kessell, the project is described as a “dogmance” involving a “free-spirited” dog and his commitment-phobic master, who together break up a dognapping ring. The project has been described as “I Love You Man” but with one side being a dog. Newbie scribe August wrote the spec while living in Vietnam teaching English. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cats-dogs-director-best-friend-272040 Project Updates Ken Russell May Have Died, But His “Alice” Remake Lives On A remake of the 1970’s cult classic Bill Osco’s “Alice in Wonderland” — being penned by Osco and writer/director Ken Russell, who died recently — will go ahead as a posthumous tribute to the late British film maker. Russell, who died Nov. 28, was in the process of making final revisions to the script for the film. An adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale, Russell was to direct in 2012. The original picture, released in 1976 and made on a budget of $500,000, went on to gross over $100 million at the box office at a time when the price of an adult ticket was only two dollars. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/alice-in-wonderland-remake-ken-russell-271896 No Patty Jenkins? No Problem For “Thor 2″ Marvel Studios is wasting no time in getting “Thor 2″ back on track after shocking Hollywood by parting ways with director Patty Jenkins last week. The company is looking at two director prospects: Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan, while also planning to hire a new writer. Don Payne had written a draft and Sheldon Turner was among those being discussed to work on the script, but the new shortlist of possible writers consists of John Collee, Robert Rodat and Roger Avary. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/thor-2-alan-taylor-daniel-minahan-272033 Hoopster Getting His Producer On With Indie Thriller The NBA lockout may be over but veteran point guard Baron Davis is still active outside of basketball. Davis will executive produce the indie thriller “Life Tracker” through his production shingle Verso Entertainment. Film tells the story of a man investigating a company that claims to be able to predict a person’s future by examining their DNA. Written and directed by first timer Joe McClean, the project has a colorful backstory. McClean was initially hired to write a screenplay called “Viral,” but when that project failed to get off the ground he optioned his own script and turned it into “Tracker.” http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nba-baron-davis-life-tracker-indie-thriller-272057 Fox Searchlight’s Trash Is IM Global’s Gold IM Global has picked up “Kidnap,” a thriller script by Knate Gwaltney, with William Brent Bell attached to direct. The story tells of a woman whose son is kidnapped at a local mall and who races to find his abductors. Matt Peterman is producing the thriller alongside Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Automatik. The project was previously set up at Fox Searchlight. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/kidnap-william-brent-bell-devil-inside-272213 Acquisitions/Film Festivals
If You’d Like To Feel “Putin’s Kiss,” You’ll Be Able To In 2012 Kino Lorber has acquired all North American rights to documentary “Putin’s Kiss.” Film will be released theatrically after its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. It will be broadcast in late 2012 on ITVS. Directed by Lise Birk Pedersen, flick centers on middle-class, 19-year-old Russian girl Masha, who is a member of Nashi, a political youth organization connected with the Kremlin. The ambitious Marsha ascends to the top of Nashi, becoming the protege of the Minister of Youth and is given an apartment while attending school at the Moscow State University. However, she begins to question her involvement with Nashi when she discovers that a radical group within the Nashi may be responsible for the attacks against critics of Putin. She meets journalist Oleg Khasin, becoming fast friends despite their opposing views. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/putins-kiss-kino-lorber-271959 Business/Legal News
You Oughta Know That Alanis Morissette Is Acting Again Alanis Morissette is staying “Up All Night.” She’ll play a former member of Ava’s (Maya Rudolph) music group, Sound LLC. Talk show host Ava’s musical past was previously touched upon when Lonely Island’s Jorma Taccone guest starred as her ex-boyfriend. Her episode is set to air in early 2012. http://www.aoltv.com/2011/12/09/alanis-morissette-up-all-night/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 And, It Appears That’ll Be All For “Against The Wall” Lifetime has decided not to order a second season of “Against the Wall.” Cast member Brandon Quinn tweeted the news late Friday evening. Starring Rachael Carpani as a Chicago cop who joins the internal affairs division, the procedural debuted in July to underwhelming numbers, drawing 1.8 million total viewers to its premiere episode following “Drop Dead Diva.” The decision comes at a time when Lifetime is investing in remakes with core audiences like “Steel Magnolias” and “The Blue Lagoon,” [see above] with high-profile names attached. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/lifetime-cancels-against-the-wall-272052 Kids’ TV Creators Sign Prettay, Prettay, Prettay Good Deal With Indian Conglomerate Kids TV veteran Andy Heyward and his wife Amy, formerly a top marketing executive with McDonalds and the Los Angeles Times, announced a joint venture with Indian mega-conglomerate Tata late Thursday to create, develop and distribute original entertainment for children, including animation, video games and consumer products. Heyward began looking for new challenges after he sold his interest in kid’s animation powerhouse DIC Entertainment in 2008 (for a reported $90 million). They began to produce web series first including the “Secret Millionaire’s Club,” with Warren Buffet voicing himself, to teach children about finance; “Martha & Friends,” with a 10-year-old Martha Stewart showing kids how to create crafts and events; and “Gisele & the Green Team,” with supermodel Gisele Bundchen sharing lessons about the environment. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/andy-heyward-project-indian-tata-272049 Industry Moves
The Executive Exodus Continues Over At Relativity In the latest example of executive turnover at Ryan Kavanaugh’s Relativity Media, Brian Edwards has resigned as the company’s chief operating officer. Edwards stepped down after just five months in that post in early October, a spokesman for Relativity confirmed. Joe Matukewicz, its senior vice president of acquistions, left to join Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquistions earlier this month. Other execs who have left Relativity this year include Bill Sutman, its chief financial officer; Peter Adee, president of marketing and distribution;and Michael Joe, who had been serving as president. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brian-edwards-relativity-media-271897 Labor Issues
Labor Peace Continues, As AFTRA Signs On With Tube Bosses AFTRA and the television networks reached agreement on a new three-year contract today, with the new pact featuring now-standard 2% annual wage increases and a 1% increase in employer contributions to health and retirement. Notably, the union achieved the H&R increase without employers taking a bite out of the annual wage increase. Usually, a tradeoff between the two is required, which could have reduced one or more of the annual increases to a politically unpalatable 1-1/2% level. Health and retirement issues were toughest part of the talks. An AFTRA statement confirmed the issues’ importance, calling the 1% increase the union’s “primary objective” in the bargaining. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/aftra-networks-reach-new-deal-272058 FNB Editorial
It’s The Most … Won-Der-Ful Time … Of The Year … We were recently involved in one of our many conversations about film, cinema and the theater-going experience when the topic of all-time favorite movies came up. A good friend of ours said that “It’s A Wonderful Life” is, in fact, his very favorite movie (ours, for the record, is “Manhattan”), and he really can’t watch it often enough. And, since it’s that time of year, neither can we. It made us think about the season, and the movies that come out about now, and how not nearly enough of them measure up.
We really do enjoy this time of year, so please click on the link and read about how we equate the season with movies.
http://filmnewsbriefs.com/2011/12/fnb-editorial-its-the-most-won-der-ful-time-of-the-year/ Website to Watch
https://twitter.com/#%21/RealTimeWWII
This one is for all of us history buffs (and lovers of neat things in general): Alwyn Collinson, a graduate student from Oxford University, has undertaken the massive and impressive goal of "live-tweeting" World War II as if it was happening right now. Far from being a vanity project, Collinson uses multiple media forms to develop a very immersive take on the war. "I'm using eyewitness accounts, photographs and videos to give the feel that these tweets are coming straight from 1939," Collinson told the BBC. The entire project, which began on August 31, 2011, reflecting what tweets could have been on August 31, 1939, will take 6 years to finish. The account has accumulated over 100,000 followers since its inception. Additional Source:
www.cynopsis.com | 
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