ITV

Category: Movies

  • Hollywood theaters asks to deposit rent payments with court

    MUMBAI: Saying it is concerned about the financial stability of its landlord, College Station LLC, Hollywood Theaters has asked College Station to deposit disputed rent payments with the Federal Court handling a lawsuit between the two businesses.

    Hollywood sued College Station in May, claiming it is owed $878,471 in reimbursements related to the downtown theater‘s construction and is being overcharged for monthly rent.


    Less than a month later, College Station filed a counterclaim alleging Hollywood failed to abide the terms of its lease, which include providing College Station with quarterly and annual earnings reports that could cause its rent to be higher.


    In a Wednesday filing, Hollywood asked to be allowed to deposit about $4,250 of the disputed rent payment with the court until the matter is resolved, due to Hollywood‘s “concerns over the financial health of Defendant College Station.”


    The purpose of the move “is to safeguard the disputed funds, not to avoid any obligations it may have under the lease,” the filing says.


    College Station attorney Frank Evans was out of his office Friday and the company‘s owner, developer Scott Tillman, did not return a call for comment.


    Other than the movie theater, Tillman has yet to acquire any tenants for the College Station project, which includes about 35,000 square feet of retail space beneath the College Station car park.


    Tillman paid the city $1.25 million for the property, but took out a $3 million city loan



    to build the shell of the adjacent movie theater.



    In lieu of property taxes, he is required to make annual payments to the city to help reimburse the cost of the $10.9 million parking garage.

  • Sandra Bullock rules box-office after 10 years

    MUMBAI: Sandra Bullock achieved her first No. 1 movie in 10 years at the weekend box office as moviegoers across the United States and Canada said yes to The Proposal, which also marked her biggest opening.

    The Walt Disney romantic comedy sold an estimated $34.1 million worth of tickets during the three-day period beginning June 19, the company said.

  • Mike Pavone is WWE Studios executive VP

    MUMBAI: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has named Mike Pavone as executive VP for WWE Studios.

    Pavone will lead WWE Studios’ theatrical releases, direct-to-DVD movies and series along with reality programming. He will report directly to WWE chairman Vince McMahon.



    Pavone brings with him more than 18 years of experience in the film and television industry having worked as a writer, producer, director and actor. His projects include titles such as: Prison Break (Fox), High Incident with Steven Spielberg (ABC), Jack and Jill (WB) and Against The Grain (NBC).


    Since 2008, Pavone has been a strategic consultant to WWE’s creative writing department, collaborating on the company’s television programmes, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.


    McMahon says, “Mike brings a great combination of both filmed entertainment and television experience to his new role. We are confident that he can expand the breadth and depth of opportunities for WWE Studios“.

  • High Point Media to handle PNC titles in foreign markets

    MUMBAI: Pritish Nandy Communications‘ (PNC) has joined hands with London-based distributor and sales agency High Point Media Group wherein the latter will handle the company‘s titles in markets outside India.

    The first film to be included under this deal is Saeed Akhtar Mirza‘s Ek Tho Chance (Last Chance Mumbai).


    Set in Mumbai, the film follows the mixed fortunes of varying characters who populate the city.

  • Inox’s maiden production to release on 10 July

    MUMBAI: Inox Motion Pictures is set to release its first production venture Morning Walk on 10 July. The budget of the film is pegged at approximately Rs 75 million.

    “We are planning to release the film across 200 screens,” says Inox head-marketing Harsh Vardhan Gangurde.


    Directed by Arup Dutta, Morning Walk casts Anupam Kher and Sharmila Tagore in pivotal roles. The other actors include Rajit Kapoor, Divya Dutta, Shayan Munshi and Nargis.


    Child actor Avika Gor (of Balika Vadhu fame) also makes her on screen debut with this film.


    The music of the film has been composed by Jeet Gannguli. Ustad Rashid Khan, Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal are the playback singers.


    Says Inox Motion Pictures Alok Tandon, “Morning Walk marks our foray into production and we have ensured that the film appeals to family audiences. Inox Motion Pictures was started with the endeavour to make films that offer quality entertainment to all.”

  • Bob Cook resigns from Twentieth TV; to float own company

    MUMBAI: Twentieth Television president and COO Bob Cook has put in his papers to float his own company – MBN Inc.
    Cook‘s new company will develop digital platforms for Twentieth‘s syndicated programmes and also for other production companies.

    Cook plans to remain at Twentieth for a few more months before making his exit.


    Speculations are on that Greg Meidel, who runs MyNetwork TV for News Corp, will take up Cook‘s post.


    Meidel joined MyNetwork TV a few years ago as the nascent network looked to expand its original programming. But the division has now switched gears and is essentially a programming service airing off-net fare and WWE wrestling.

  • Sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan passes away

    MUMBAI: Sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan died in San Francisco on Friday following a prolonged kidney ailment.

    He was 88 and is survived by his wife Mary, 11 children and an extraordinary musical legacy that includes the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California.


    The Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ambika Soni has expressed grief over the demise of the maestro. In her condolence message the minister noted that Ustad Ali Akbar Khan was one of the most accomplished of Indian musicians in the Classical tradition. “In the death of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, the world of music has lost a legendary figure and the void left by his death can never be filled,” she added.


    Born on 14 April, 1922 in East Bengal (Bangladesh) Khan learnt how to play various instruments before he dipped into the sound of music. His father, Baba Allauddin Khan, was one of the great names of Hindustani music.
    In his early twenties, he made his first recording in Lucknow for HMV. He then became the court musician for the Maharaja of Jodhpur where he worked for seven years.


    In 1955, on the request of violin master Yehudi Menuhin, Ali Akbar Khan first visited the US and performed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
    Responding to a wave of interest in the West, he began teaching and living in the US and, in 1967, founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in California, where he had been teaching since, along with tabla stalwart Ustad Zakir Hussain. Khansahib also opened a branch of his college in Basel, Switzerland, run by his disciple Ken Zuckerman, where he taught when on his world tours.


    The late American violinist Yehudi Menuhin, who became one of his earliest champions in the West had said that he considered Khan “an absolute genius, the greatest musician in the world.”


    In 1991, Mr. Khan received a MacArthur Fellowship, widely known as the “genius” grant. He later received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

  • Sony shareholders approve new management

    MUMBAI: Sony shareholders approved a new management setup at the Japanese electronics and entertainment company yesterday that will center power around Chief Executive Howard Stringer and a team of younger executives.


    They approved 15 directors, including Welsh-born American Stringer, the first foreigner to head Sony, who is taking on an additional title of president as well as serving as chairman and chief executive.


    Ryoji Chubachi, who has resigned as president, will remain a director. He will become vice chairman overseeing product quality and environment policies and take a more supportive role.


    Another part of Sony‘s new management reshuffle, which has gained public attention recently, is the appointment of Masao Morita, the son of Sony co-founder Akio Morita, as the head of the company‘s music and movies operations in Japan.


    Sony has been no exception among Japan‘s export-reliant manufacturers in racking up huge losses for the fiscal year that ended in March — its first annual net loss in 14 years and its first ever caused by red ink in its core electronics business.


    Sony Corp. is expecting an even bigger loss for the fiscal year through March 2010, as it gets hammered by sliding global demand, a strong yen and declining gadget prices.


    At an annual shareholders meeting in Tokyo, attended by more than 8,300 investors, Stringer sought to allay investor fears about the future of the company that makes the Walkman music player and PlayStation 3 game machines.


    “Adam has proven himself to be a terrific executive with a track record of having shepherded some incredibly successful films,” Grey said. “We have worked closely with Adam over the last few years and look forward to expanding his duties.”


    As the new president of the Paramount Film Group, Goodman will report to Grey, while Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore will continue to oversee Goodman on business affairs matters.


    Goodman becomes the third executive to oversee all of Paramount‘s film production since Grey was installed as Paramount chairman in January, 2005.

  • Levi Johnston hunts for Hollywood fame

     MUMBAI: Levi Johnston, an aspiring actor and model, is getting closer to a clinching a deal that will help him support the baby son he fathered with his former girlfriend, Bristol Palin.”There‘s offers on the table for a little bit of everything – sitcom appearances, a reality show, some modeling,” Jones said. “We haven‘t signed anything, but there‘s offers.” Jones declined to give specific details.Johnston‘s interest in a show business represents one of the few viable careers open to him, Jones adds. A high-school dropout passionate about hunting and hockey, Johnston, 19, “is going to go and take the test and finish school and enroll in some college courses,” his manager says. “[But] it‘s not like he can go and get a normal job now. Because of all the publicity. The whole interviewing thing, and red carpet and paparazzi – he still hasn‘t gotten comfortable with it, but what else does he have? Can he go work at McDonald‘s? … He wants to take care of his son financially.”

  • $147m movie studio planned for S. Weymouth

    MUMBAI: A California production company has launched plans to build a $147 million motion picture studio on 30 acres at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

    Executives with International Studio Group said they intend to begin construction next spring on a 600,000-square-foot complex that will accommodate the production of movies, television shows, video games, and other programmes.
    The studio will be part of South Field, a proposed mini-city on the shuttered air base that would include more than 2,800 housing units, a golf course, stores, and offices.


    “We‘re thrilled to be able to make South Field Studios-Boston a reality,” said Allan Kassirer, a principal with International Studio. “Through aggressive tax incentives for film production, Massachusetts has certainly positioned itself to become a leader in film and television production.”
    Massachusetts offers a 25 percent tax credit on any spending by production companies, and ISG hopes those incentives will attract tenants to its studios.


    Previously, ISG pushed for a bill that would have provided additional tax credits for the construction of movie studios. That legislation was blocked in the state Senate.
    Nonetheless, ISG executives said they intend to break ground in November and will proceed with full-scale construction next spring. A spokesman said ISG‘s financial partner in the deal is LNR Property Corp., the master developer of the 1,000-plus-acre South Field project.