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Tag: Hollywood

  • ABC to rake in the moolah during Oscar telecast

    MUMBAI: On Hollywood‘s biggest night, the Oscar Awards ABC will rake it big. The broadcaster says that it has sold out spots. J C Penney, Coca-Cola, American Express, Grey Poupon, Neutrogena and Coldwell Banker Real Estate are among the advertisers.

    The average cost this year is said to be around $1.7 million per 30-second spot. Media reports indicate that the spots were sold before Christmas.

    Hyundai takes center stage on ABC for the fifth consecutive year as the exclusive automotive sponsor of the Oscars. It will air the most amount of spots. Nine ads will air: seven 30-second spots during the ceremony and two 30-second ads during pre-show coverage. The commercials highlight seven different Hyundai models and focus on Hyundai‘s growing premium line up. Three new spots, “Equus the Trailer”, “Paparazzi” and “Elevator Pitch”, feature Equus, Genesis and Elantra, respectively, and speak to passionate Hollywood fans with a soundtrack voiced by Oscar-winning Jeff Bridges that gives a nod to the film industry and film culture.

    ‘Equus the Trailer‘ highlights Equus‘ premium luxury features and outstanding performance and refinement. The spot mimics an action movie trailer, featuring Equus as the main character and the film‘s hero. The familiar deep baritone of the voice-over actor takes the audience through the 30-second trailer, citing “critics” calling the Equus “Colossal,” “Epic” and “Astoundingly Powerful.”

    ‘Paparazzi‘ plays on another movie-star theme as paparazzi cameras frantically try to capture one of Hyundai‘s big stars, the Genesis, as it races down the road.

    ‘Elevator Pitch‘ meanwhile uses the concept of pitching a big idea to a movie producer — with the big idea being the award-winning Elantra. The spot highlights Elantra‘s heated front and rear seats, Bluetooth enabled features and exceptional horsepower numbers.

    Hyundai Motor America VP marketing Steve Shannon said, “The Oscars are about style and sophistication — a true premium experience. The event provides the perfect platform to showcase our growing premium lineup. From insider lingo to the glamour of the film industry, you‘ll see that our ads pay respect to Hollywood‘s biggest night. We started on this creative strategy and approach with our Azera commercials in last year‘s Oscars. We are building on that concept and are now excited to carry it across other vehicle lines.”

    The remaining 30-second spots highlight four other high-demand Hyundai models: Sonata Hybrid, Sonata Turbo, Santa Fe and Azera. In-show spots include “Epic Playdate” featuring Santa Fe; “Stuck” featuring Sonata Turbo; “One Less Battery” featuring Sonata Hybrid and its lifetime hybrid battery warranty; and “Thanks” featuring Azera. The two Oscar Red Carpet Live ads include “Showroom” featuring all three flavors of the Elantra, sedan, GT and coupe, and the highly acclaimed Super Bowl spot “Team” featuring Hyundai‘s all-new Santa Fe.

    Hyundai is taking the big awards night experience beyond the television screen by offering viewers real-time interactions through engaging mobile content, award winning soundtracks and connected television. In addition, the Oscars sponsorship is elevated through extensions across cable networks such as AMC, FX and Sundance Channel as well as sponsorship of ABC‘s Oscars website.

    Hyundai‘s automotive sponsorship of the Oscars extends its ‘Big Voices in Big Places‘ philosophy which positions the Hyundai brand in the highest-profile advertising venues, including sporting events and entertainment awards shows. INNOCEAN USA, Hyundai‘s agency of record, is responsible for all creative.

    As far as other advertisers are concerned, a Neutrogena spot will be the first time that the company is showcasing its broad product portfolio in one commercial. Samsung is integrating its Galaxy-branded mobile products throughout the ceremony. It has a push across social-media channels, which will offer content from the red carpet and backstage.

  • Regal Entertainment to acquire Hollywood Theaters for $191 million

    Regal Entertainment to acquire Hollywood Theaters for $191 million

    MUMBAI: Regal Entertainment Group, a leading motion picture exhibitor owning and operating the largest theatre circuit in the United States, has entered into an agreement to acquire Hollywood Theaters.
     
    The purchase price will consist of $191 million in cash, approximately $47 million of assumed lease obligations, comprised of capital leases and financing obligations, and certain working capital. The cash portion of the purchase price includes repayment of approximately $157 million of the sellers‘ debt and is subject to customary post-closing adjustments.
     
    The proposed acquisition would add a total of 43 theatres with 513 screens to Regal‘s portfolio at a pre-synergy multiple of approximately 5.9 times cash flow and includes theatres in 16 states and three US territories. The consummation of the acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions.
     
    "We expect the acquisition of Hollywood Theaters to be accretive to cash flows and earnings and are pleased to announce an agreement to purchase these high quality assets," stated Regal Entertainment Group CEO Amy Miles.
     
    "Accretive acquisitions are a key component of our overall business strategy and we look forward to a successful closing and integration of the Hollywood Theater assets during the second quarter," Miles continued.

  • Lionsgate consolidates media biz with Mindshare

    MUMBAI: Hollywood studio Lionsgate which acquired Summit Entertainment last year, has consolidated the media business for the combined entity with WPP’s Mindshare. The move has been made to generate significant cost savings.

    The spends by the combined entity are in the range of $275 to 300 million.

    The announcement came after Lionsgate held a multi-agency review for its media buy and planning business. Horizon, Mindshare and Initiative were the participating agencies.

    Initiative was the media agency on record for Lionsgate while Mindshare handled the media duties for Summit before it was taken over.

    Mindshare’s office in Santa Monica, California will handle media planning and buying activities for theatrical features as well as all home entertainment releases by Lionsgate, Summit, Roadside Attractions and Pantelion Films.

    Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-chairmen Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger said, “By combining our media related services in one company, Lionsgate will immediately see significant savings which will impact the studio’s bottom line, achieve economies of scale that can be leveraged across our feature film entities and allow us additional resources to market and distribute our films in North America. In addition to significant cost savings, this move reflects a fresh strategic approach to media buying for our feature film and home entertainment slates. Mindshare has a great track record in its field and we look forward to ramping up our efforts with them in support of our 2013 slate and beyond. It was a tough decision as all of the candidates in the mix presented great opportunity for us, but in the end Mindshare met the needs of the studio in a manner that we believe will best serve our interests.”

    Mindshare North America CEO Anthony Young said, “We’re delighted to partner with Lionsgate and Summit on one of the most commercially exciting feature film slates in the world. Lionsgate has established a worldwide reputation as an innovator in the kinds of films it releases and the strategies it uses to market and distribute them, and we look forward to developing visionary and cost-effective media planning and buying strategies that reflect the Company’s entrepreneurial and game-changing spirit.”

  • Times Internet develops mobile apps for Gaana.com

    Times Internet develops mobile apps for Gaana.com

    MUMBAI: Time Internet (TIL) has developed mobile applications for its flagship online music portal, Gaana.com.

    Simultaneously, Gaana.com is now available as an app for Android, iOS, Blackberry and J2ME devices, giving consumers access to millions of songs on their mobile phone.

    TIL CEO Satyan Gajwani said “We are so proud of the Gaana experience on mobile. Indian consumers love their music, and we‘ve built a product that matches their expectations for excellence across every screen that matters to them. Gaana on mobile is feature-rich and intuitive to use, and we intend to use this as a base to build even more functionality and offerings for our users, across all platforms.”

    According to the company, Gaana‘s mobile apps have been built to provide a full-service music experience, creating more depth than any offering available today. Some of its features include: access to over 1 million songs, including Bollywood, Hollywood, Tamil, Telegu, and regional music, Social listening: see what one‘s friends are listening to and My zone: an ability to see history, favorite songs, playlists, albums and artists across computer or mobile phone.

  • Bradd Pitt to paly Pontius Pilate, the one who killed Christ

    Bradd Pitt to paly Pontius Pilate, the one who killed Christ

    MUMBAI: Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt is all set to play Pontius Pilate, the man who killed Jesus Christ, in a film.

    The actor is said to be in talks to take on the lead role in a period drama titled Pontius Pilate that tells the biblical tale of the man who sentenced Christ to be killed by crucifixion.

    Pitt is expected to sign up soon according to deadline.com.

  • ‘Lincoln’, ‘Life Of Pi’ top Oscar nominations

    ‘Lincoln’, ‘Life Of Pi’ top Oscar nominations

    MUMBAI: ‘Lincoln‘ continued to gain strong momentum in the Hollywood awards season. The Steven Spielberg biopic got 12 nominations. Just behind is Ang Lee‘s ‘Life of Pi‘ with 11 nominations.

     

    Both are among the nine pictures nominated for best film. The others are ‘Argo‘, ‘Silver Linings Playbook‘, ‘Amour‘, ‘Zero Dark Thirty‘, ‘Beasts Of The Southern Wild‘, ‘Django Unchained‘ and ‘Les Miserables‘. Missing from the list are ‘Skyfall‘, ‘The Master‘ and ‘Moonrise Kingdom‘.

     

    But the big surprise is in best director. Apart from Lee and Spielberg none of the other three directors who were nominated for the DGA have gotten in. This includes Kathryn Bigelow who helmed critics favourite ‘Zero Dark Thirty‘ and Ben Affleck for ‘Argo‘. That seriously hurts both these films‘ chances of winning the best picture Oscar. The last time a film won best picture without its director being nominated was ‘Driving Miss Daisy‘ way back in 1989.

     

    Apart from Lee and Spielberg, the directors competing for an Oscar are Michael Hanecke for ‘, Benh Zeitlin for ‘Beasts Of The southern Wild‘ and David O Russell for ‘Silver Linings Playbook‘.Amour

     

    Another big surprise is in foreign language film. The nominees do not include ‘The Intouchables‘. ‘Amour‘ is the favourite to win here. The other nominees are ‘Kon-Tiki‘, ‘No‘, ‘A Royal Affair‘ and ‘War Witch.

     

    The best actress category has the oldest ever nominee Emannuelle Riva for ‘Amour‘ and the youngest ever in Quvenzhané Wallis in “Beasts of the Southern Wild”. But the race is probably a shootout between Jessica Chastain for ‘Zero Dark Thirty‘ and Jennifer Lawrence for ‘Silver Linings Playbook‘. Naomi Watts in ‘The Impossible‘ has also made the cut.

     

    Lawrence has a bit of an edge in that ‘Silver Linings Playbook‘ did better than expected. It got eight nominations including one in supporting actress for Jackie Weaver. It is the only movie to have been nominated in all the acting categories. ‘Les Miserables‘ also got eight nominations, though more were expected. Its helmer Tom Hooper has been left out.

  • 2013 would be a year of sequels in Hollywood

    2013 would be a year of sequels in Hollywood

    MUMBAI: Hollywood is preparing to dish out sequels of Iron Man, Die Hard, The Hunger Games, Thor and The Fast and the Furious in 2013.

    Robert Downey Jr starrer Iron Man has already released two sequels while Bruce the Willis starrer Die Hard has four. The new film titled A Good Day to Die Hard will see Willis reprise his famous cop role of John McClane.

    The Hunger Games, based on American writer Suzanne Collins trilogy novel was widely appreciated by the audience after its release this year. Next movie is novel‘s second part The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

    The Fast and the Furious, an action film which has six films in its franchise will release its seventh part with Vin Diesel.

    American superhero film Thor starring Chris Hemsworth is returning to the screens again with Thor: The Dark World.

    Other the follow-up movies like Despicable Me, Monsters Inc and The Smurfs are also lined up for release this year.

  • Odisha born producer to make Hollywood debut

    Odisha born producer to make Hollywood debut

    MUMBAI: Odisha born US based producer – writer Solila Parida is making Hollywood debut with film ‘Desires of the Heart‘ which deals with reincarnation and love between two people living world apart.
    The film is set against a historical backdrop of the custom of ‘Sati‘ and the movie showcases love between two Indians. It is a blend of romance and mystery informed Parida. Desires of Heart is directed by James Kicklighter (Followed, The Car Wash, Final Acts).
    Hollywood actors Val Lauren and Alicia Minshew along with the veteran Bollywood actor Gulshan Grover and National Award winning actor Harsh Mayar feature in lead roles, another Odishan filmmaker Jitendra Mishra, the associate/executive producer of the critically acclaimed film ‘I am Kalam‘ is the associate producer of ‘Desires of the Heart‘.
    The whole shooting schedule spanning over five weeks, production of the movie is completed recently. The first part of the movie is shot in Savannah, Georgia (USA) while the second part is shot in Bikaner, Rajasthan (India). The producer‘s plan is to send the film to the Berlin film festival (EFM) in February and going for a worldwide release in April 2013.

  • Emraan Hashmi decides to do a recce for his upcoming Hollywood project

    Emraan Hashmi decides to do a recce for his upcoming Hollywood project

    MUMBAI: So excited is Emraan Hashmi after bagging the pivotal role in Danis Tanovic‘s upcoming film that he has decided to help the director by doing a recce for the film.

    Emraan wants to be part of the project from the start to finish, and feels that being in close contact with the director will enhance their rapport and make them more comfortable with each other, before the shooting commences.

    It is reported that Emraan will be accompanying Tanovic when he goes scouting for locations. In fact, the actor will travel with Tanovic to check out locations in Los Angeles and London as well as tier-two cities and small towns of India. In India, they will consider several options for the perfect location.

    The team will fly to these locations in a few weeks as Emraan is busy shooting for Ungli at the moment.

    It is also said that Emraan is also scheduled to do an acting workshop with Tanovic in January.

  • Spielberg scotches off making another action film

    Spielberg scotches off making another action film

    MUMBAI: Steven Spielberg has ruled out directing another high-octane blockbuster.
    The director said he was drawn to his latest film Lincoln as it was a pared-down biopic without big action sequences or special effects. “I knew I could do the action in my sleep at this point in my career. In my life, the action doesn‘t hold any… it doesn‘t attract me anymore,” he has been quoted to have said.
    The director also said that he never expected his acclaimed 1993 drama Schindler‘s List to resonate with audiences. That is why he said that he shot the film in black and white.
    The 65-year old Spielberg made a name for himself in Hollywood with big-budget sci-fi and adventure movies including Jaws, Jurassic Park and the Indiana Jones franchise.