ITV

Category: International

  • Two film scribes killed in Manila

    MUMBAI: Two film journos were killed in their house on the outskirts of Manila on Tuesday night.

    Filipino-Canadian critic Alexis Tioseco and his partner Nika Bohinc, a Slovenian freelance writer were shot dead by one of three gunmen who burst into their home in Quezon City, Manila,


    Tioseco who was founder of Criticine.com, a website on Southeast Asian cinema was a regular contributor to publications including the Philippine Star, Screen International, Senses of Cinema and Osian‘s Cinema.


    Bohinc, who lived between Slovenia and Manila, was editor in chief of Ekran film magazine.


    “Philippine cinema has lost its most passionate champion, and I have lost two friends. Words cannot express the anger I feel at the injustice of it all,” said Raymond Phathanavirangoon, a programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival.


    Phathanavirangoon also said that the Toronto screenings of Filipino director Raya Martin‘s Independencia would be dedicated to the memory of the journalists.

  • Apple’s history now a documentary

    MUMBAI: Welcome to Macintosh, a documentary highlighting Apple‘s history and fan following is now available as a download on the iTunes movie store as well as on DVD.

    Welcome to Macintosh is a feature-length documentary that explores the many ways Apple Inc. has changed the world. Notable Apple personalities appearing in the film include Andy Hertzfeld, co-creator of the original Macintosh, Guy Kawasaki, long time Mac evangelist and Leander Kahney, author of the book
    ‘Cult of Mac‘.


    “The goal was to make a film that you can show to anyone, even someone that has never used a computer, and have them understand why so many people love Macintosh,” says Rob Baca, one of the film‘s co-directors.


    It is learnt that thousands of DVDs have been sold and more are on order. That, along with thousands of views via the Netflix Instant Queue in the first week of release.

  • Mehcad Brooks in ABC’s The Deep End

    MUMBAI: “True Blood” co-star Mehcad Brooks who featured in True Blood has been included in the cast of ABC‘s legal drama The Deep End.

    The show that is set in a Los.Angeles law firm has Brooks playing Malcolm Bennet.


    Incidentally, Benedict Talley was introduced in the same role in the first-season finale.


    Brooks, also co-starred in ABC‘s Desperate Housewives.

  • Academy changes rule for Best Picture category

    MUMBAI: The management of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has changed the voting rules for the Best Picture Academy Award category in order to make the polling more accurate. The members of the Academy will now be asked to rate the ten nominees in order of preference rather than pick one outright winner, it is reported.

    The news comes after Academy executives extended the final shortlist from five to ten movies, starting with the 2010 ceremony. As a result, a film could be the first choice of majority of voters, but find itself pushed out of the top prize by another movie that got more votes even though it is a second or third preference.


    The new preferential voting system has been brought in place to help the organisation to recognise “the picture that has the most support from the entire membership.”

  • Martin Scorsese to direct pilot of Broadwalk Empire

    MUMBAI: Martin Scorsese is going to direct the pilot of HBO‘s series Boardwalk Empire. The cable network is to make eleven episodes of the period drama including the pilot.

    Written by Terence Winter, Empire is set in 1920 and chronicles the life and times of Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City, who was part politician and part gangster.Scorsese is expected to remain creatively involved in the show and might direct another episode, subject to his availability.

    The shooting of the series is due to begin this fall and will have a 2010 premiere.

    In addition to Buscemi, the cast of the pilot includes Michael Pitt, Kelly MacDonald, Michael Shannon, Stephen Graham, Vincent Piazza, Aleksa Palladino, Paul Sparks, Shea Whigham, Anthony Laciura and Michael Kenneth.

  • Leah Remini, Martin Henderson sign new contracts

    MUMBAI: ABC has inked different pacts with Martin Henderson and Leah Remini. Under his six-figure deal, Henderson is expected to herald an hour-long project for the network.

    Henderson has appeared in two ABC pilots: one in 2007 for Mr. and Mrs. Smith and one last season for Inside the Box.


    Laeh Remini also starred in an ABC pilot for the comedy show Married Not Dead. He is eyeing another potential comedy turn at the network.


    Recently Remini starred in the successful Web series In the Motherhood.

  • Filmko Holdings to make a 3D period film

    MUMBAI: Hongkong-based Filmko Holdings is on course to producing a 3D period drama adapted from a Spanish classic ‘Don Quixote‘ to be directed by Chinese filmmaker Agan. China‘s first 3D film was the musical China Idol Boys directed by Hong Kong‘s Lam Wah-chuen.
    The shooting of the film that is expected to start in mid-September is the story with a Chinese setting in which Don Quixote will be a Chinese martial arts fighter with an idealistic take on justice and chivalry.

    The production team is currently shooting a three-minute trailer of the period drama with 3D cameras and technical support from US and German 3D professionals.

    Though the cast of the film is yet to be announced, it is learnt that three comedians Guo Tao, Huang Bo and Liu Hua will play the lead actors.

    Filmko is also producing a Taiwanese romantic comedy Kingfisher directed by Kuang Sheng that stars Bianca Bai, Enson Chang and Annie Liu among others.


  • Hollywood on a roar this summer

    MUMBAI: Hollywood is having a fine summer, evident from the box-office revenues totaling $4.17 billion as against $4.16 billion a year ago.

    According to a report in Variety, Paramount‘s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($399.4 million), Warner Bros.‘ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($294.3 million) and Disney/Pixar‘s Up ($289.6 million) have turned out to be the top three performers at the box-office.

    Warners‘ The Hangover, with a total box-office receipt of $270.2 million in domestic ticket sales, ranks No. 4 on the top 10 summer chart.

    Other films that did well were Paramount‘s Star Trek ($256.7 million) to take the fifth place while Twentieth Century Fox‘s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, after grossing $179 million, settled for the No. 7 spot.

    Fox also took spots No. 6 and No. 8 with Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs ($193.3 million) and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian ($176.5 million).

    Disney‘s Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds romantic comedy The Proposal, which earned $160.2 million, took the No. 9 spot.

    Sony‘s Angels and Demons settled for the No.10 spot, pocketing $133.4 million.

  • CBS acquires comedy script of Gail Berner’s ‘Books’

    MUMBAI: CBS has acquired a comedy script by Gail Lerner. The project, which will be produced by Warner Bros. TV, has received a pilot commitment. Tentatively titled Open Books, it revolves around book editor June and her circle of friends.

    Books was based on an idea Lerner had been developing for years. Her script has been inspired by the time she spent in the publishing world at the beginning of her career and by the experiences of her sister Betsy who worked as a book editor for 15 years.


    Open Books refers to the name of the publishing house at the center of the show. “It also applies to all of the characters, but especially June, somebody who leads with her heart and can‘t help but get over-involved in the lives of her friends, her mother and her clients.



  • Alfred Haber closes several deals for Jackson special


    MUMBAI: Alfred Haber, a TV distributor, has closed several international deals for the ‘2001 CBS special‘ Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration produced by David Gest.


    Some of the deals have been inked with Channel 5 in the U.K., NHK in Japan, Televisa in Mexico, A&E Mundo in Latin America, NRK in Norway, e.tv in South Africa


    , ABS-CBN in the Philippines and RCTI in Indonesia.

    The two-hour special is one of the highest-rated musical specials in TV history.


    At the time when it was broadcast in 2001, the show was taken as MJ‘s first live U.S. performance in 11 years. According to Nielsen Media Research, approximately 45 million people watched the special.


    Forty-year-old Haber Distribution has been known in licensing variety and award shows like the Grammys and musical specials.