August
2 Thompson on Hollywood's New Address

If you're looking for new TOH posts, you can find them here.

Technorati Tags: IndieWire, Thompson on Hollywood

Posted: Sun, August 02, 2009, 4:08 PM | Comments ( 12 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
30 Thompson on Hollywood Moves to IndieWIRE

This is my last post at Variety.com. I loved my stint here, but I'm moving on, taking Thompson on Hollywood to its new home.

I'm going independent in more ways than one. Sunday night I'm launching a new Thompson on Hollywood, housed at IndieWIRE, the web-savvy, thriving online indie trade founded by Eugene Hernandez 13 years ago. The site has continued to grow since it was acquired by Ted Leonsis and Rick Allen's innovative documentary site SnagFilms last year.

We will be a good fit. I'm based in L.A, IndieWIRE is in New York. I range over an eclectic mix of reporting and commentary about Hollywood, film fests, business, tech and media. They cover the independents like a blanket. We both believe in writing accurate and fair daily journalism. They're nimble with their news alerts, quick, smart and sharp about the ways of the Internet. I look forward to learning from them as I pursue the indie, improved entrepreneurial Thompson on Hollywood.

I can't wait to exercise my editorial freedom.

And I hope you will follow--whether it's at Thompsononhollywood or the social network of your choice. We're all part of a big global film community that is constantly communicating. I love being part of that stream.

Technorati Tags: IndieWIRE, SnagFilms, Thompson on Hollywood, Variety

Posted: Thu, July 30, 2009, 10:07 PM | Comments ( 31 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
30 Smith Out at Reed Business Information

The economy is a ruthless master. Tad Smith is out at Variety parent Reed Business Information, which was put up for sale and then taken off the market due to the unforgiving economy.

Technorati Tags: Reed Business Information, Tad Smith, Variety

Posted: Thu, July 30, 2009, 10:07 AM | Comments ( 9 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
30 Daily Read: Soderbergh Heads Down Under; A Serious Man Trailer

Soderbergh provides more details about his planned stint directing a play at Cate Blanchett's theatre in Sydney.

And Focus posts a trailer for the Coens' Toronto-bound A Serious Man.

Technorati Tags: A Serious Man, Coens, Steven Soderbergh, trailer

Posted: Thu, July 30, 2009, 12:07 AM | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
29 Comic-Con: Costume Parade Reveals Twilight Backlash

The annual Comic-Con costume parade last weekend revealed a sizable Twilight backlash. Basically, many comics fans are using Twilight as an example of the studio exploitation of The Con for marketing purposes. What really irked people was that many movie fans missed the panels in Hall H Thursday because the Twilight: New Moon fans staked out the line, forcing other less intensely dedicated folks to miss other panels. Twilight also brings in women, not necessarily the dominant demo at Comic-Con, though certainly well-represented there.

Check out full costume photo gallery on the jump. Here's my (noisy) flip-cam survey of the costume paraders:

Find more videos like this on AnneCam

Continue reading " Comic-Con: Costume Parade Reveals Twilight Backlash " »

Technorati Tags: Comic-Con, costume parade photo gallery, Twilight backlash

Posted: Wed, July 29, 2009, 10:07 PM | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
28 Twilight: Eclipse Recasts Victoria

The Twilight franchise has a new Victoria. Summit is announcing that in the third Twilight film, Eclipse, Bryce Dallas Howard (Terminator Salvation) will replace Rachelle Lefevre.

UPDATE: When Lefevre protested that a ten day overlap with another project should have been possible for the production to accommodate, Summit sent out a statement Wednesday describing why that was impossible.

Press release and statement on the jump.

Continue reading " Twilight: Eclipse Recasts Victoria " »

Technorati Tags: Bryce Dallas Howard, Eclipse, Twilight

Posted: Tue, July 28, 2009, 7:07 PM | Comments ( 10 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
28 Recession Red: LACMA Shuts Down Film Program

The cash crunch is hitting the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which has quietly been letting go of many of its curators. It is now canceling its weekend film program, reports the LA Times. Head programmer Ian Birnie will be shifted to part-time consultant status. LACMA said the program lost $1 million over the last ten years and had failed to build an audience. Sorry, I thought the room was usually packed when I attended. I loved the programming, but it was arcane and eclectic, as a museum's should be, not designed to "build an audience."

For four decades, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has fed film aficionados a steady diet of movie masterpieces -- retrospectives that included works from Roman Polanski, Cary Grant, Ernst Lubitsch and, in a current series, James Mason. But after the museum's weekend film program lost $1 million over the last 10 years and failed to build an audience, LACMA said Tuesday that it was pulling the plug on its cinematic centerpiece.

Before there were local film festivals nearly every week, and mass merchants such as Target stocked art-house hits like "A Room With a View" and "Gosford Park" on their DVD shelves, LACMA's film series was one of the few places area movie lovers could find Hollywood classics and foreign-language standouts.

The museum said that it was not abandoning its commitment to films and filmmakers but wanted to rethink its approach to the art form and would look for potential donors to underwrite an unspecified future film program that is curated like any other part of the museum's exhibits.

BTW, the scrappy survivor in the LA exhibition scene is the American Cinematheque, led by executive director Barbara Smith, recent recipient of a French knighthood. She knows how to woo film fans to two very different locations, Hollywood's Egyptian and Santa Monica's Aero. They work hard to market and get the word out to their fanbase. So does UCLA's Film & Television Archive, now relocated at the Billy Wilder Theatre at the Hammer Museum in Westwood.

UPDATE: Statement from LACMA on the jump.

Continue reading " Recession Red: LACMA Shuts Down Film Program " »

Technorati Tags: American Cinematheque, film program, LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum

Posted: Tue, July 28, 2009, 4:07 PM | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
28 Fantastic Fest Screens Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious-basterds-20090220000844483_thumb_ign

The Austin Film Society and Fantastic Fest's August 15 dusk-til-dawn Cinemapocalypse marathon in Austin, Texas will screen Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, which played well during Comic-Con last weekend. The writer-director will introduce the film as well his chosen double feature. Clearly, the Weinsteins are chasing the young male demo. The full release is on the jump.

Continue reading " Fantastic Fest Screens Inglourious Basterds " »

Technorati Tags: Fantastic Fest, Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino

Posted: Tue, July 28, 2009, 11:07 AM | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
28 Sony Pictures Classics Buys Yimou's Blood Simple Remake

Sony Pictures Classics continues its long tradition of releasing the films of Chinese director Zhang Yimou by acquiring his latest film, a remake of the Coen brothers' 1984 comedy thriller Blood Simple, this time set in a Chinese noodle shop. It will be the 11th Yimou film released by SPC. The official release is on the jump.

Continue reading " Sony Pictures Classics Buys Yimou's Blood Simple Remake " »

Technorati Tags: Blood Simple, Sony PIctures Classics, Zhang Yimou

Posted: Tue, July 28, 2009, 11:07 AM | Comments ( 4 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
28 TIFF: Galas and Specials Include Coens, Barrymore, Moore

Toronto International Film Fest announcements are coming fast. Here are the latest galas and special presentations, including Joel and Ethan Coen's A Serious Man, Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, and Drew Barrymore's directing debut, Whip It. Full release on the jump:

Continue reading " TIFF: Galas and Specials Include Coens, Barrymore, Moore " »

Technorati Tags: A Serious Man, Coen brothers, Drew Barrymore, Galas, Toronto International Film Festival, Whip It

Posted: Tue, July 28, 2009, 10:07 AM | Comments ( 15 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
27 Nikki Finke: Moving Target

Everybody's talking about Nikki Finke.

She's a compelling, charismatic, threatening figure. Walter Winchell is a good comparison. (The mighty gossip columnist inspired Burt Lancaster in Sweet Smell of Success.) That's because until now, at least, no one told her what to do. Here's her latest, on not getting the Ben Silverman scoop.

Finke's getting shot at because she has power and because she has done, by herself, what few can do in journalism today: make money. People are taking her seriously because she lured huge traffic to her blog and sold it for unspecified millions. The question remains: will changing her indie maverick status change the factors key to her success? Can you mainstream Deadline Hollywood Daily?

We will soon see how she moves with the changes as she starts her new gig as a cog in Jay Penske's online machine. He was smart to use her as a driving traffic generator for Movieline and Bonnie Fuller's new iteration of Hollywood Life. Finke helped to put Penske's media empire on the map. Now we'll see if she can keep the momentum going on Deadline Hollywood Daily.

Technorati Tags: bloggers, Hollywood Life, Jay Penske, Movieline, Nikki FInke

Posted: Mon, July 27, 2009, 2:07 PM | Comments ( 12 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

July
26 Weekend Read: DGA Names Prexy; Online Content Solution

Taylor Hackford takes the reins at the DGA.

Attributor has a solution to online content stealing.

Technorati Tags: Associated Press, Attributor, DGA, Taylor Hackford

Posted: Sun, July 26, 2009, 10:07 PM | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBack ( 0 )

August
2 Thompson on Hollywood's New Address

July
30 Thompson on Hollywood Moves to IndieWIRE

July
30 Smith Out at Reed Business Information

July
30 Daily Read: Soderbergh Heads Down Under; A Serious Man Trailer

July
29 Comic-Con: Costume Parade Reveals Twilight Backlash

July
28 Twilight: Eclipse Recasts Victoria

July
28 Recession Red: LACMA Shuts Down Film Program

July
28 Fantastic Fest Screens Inglourious Basterds

July
28 Sony Pictures Classics Buys Yimou's Blood Simple Remake

July
28 TIFF: Galas and Specials Include Coens, Barrymore, Moore

July
27 Nikki Finke: Moving Target

July
26 Weekend Read: DGA Names Prexy; Online Content Solution

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August 2 Thompson on Hollywood's New Address

July 30 Thompson on Hollywood Moves to IndieWIRE

July 30 Smith Out at Reed Business Information

July 30 Daily Read: Soderbergh Heads Down Under; A Serious Man Trailer

July 29 Comic-Con: Costume Parade Reveals Twilight Backlash

July 28 Twilight: Eclipse Recasts Victoria

July 28 Recession Red: LACMA Shuts Down Film Program

July 28 Fantastic Fest Screens Inglourious Basterds

July 28 Sony Pictures Classics Buys Yimou's Blood Simple Remake

July 28 TIFF: Galas and Specials Include Coens, Barrymore, Moore

July 27 Nikki Finke: Moving Target

July 26 Weekend Read: DGA Names Prexy; Online Content Solution

About

This Week's Featured Story

Recent Comments

Categories

TIP ANNE THOMPSON

Archives

Anne's Links

Variety's Blogs

August 2009

Media & Publishing:

Manufacturing:

Subscriptions:

Business & Printing:

Gifts & Furnishings:

Hospitality:

Electronics:

Building & Construction:

August
2 Thompson on Hollywood's New Address

July
30 Thompson on Hollywood Moves to IndieWIRE

July
30 Smith Out at Reed Business Information

July
30 Daily Read: Soderbergh Heads Down Under; A Serious Man Trailer

July
29 Comic-Con: Costume Parade Reveals Twilight Backlash

July
28 Twilight: Eclipse Recasts Victoria

July
28 Recession Red: LACMA Shuts Down Film Program

July
28 Fantastic Fest Screens Inglourious Basterds

July
28 Sony Pictures Classics Buys Yimou's Blood Simple Remake

July
28 TIFF: Galas and Specials Include Coens, Barrymore, Moore

July
27 Nikki Finke: Moving Target

July
26 Weekend Read: DGA Names Prexy; Online Content Solution