Category: media

Disney opens its Millennial Village at Epcot in a blaze of color.  Tampabay.com

– have sprouted in the rain forests of Seattle, leading to a boom in philanthropic giving.  AP (Yahoo Daily News)

The Happy Kingdom backs down on portrayal of Jerusalem and averts Arab boycott.  Washington Post

Shrinking profits and rising costs are making movie studios cautious about their new projects.  Variety

Bill Gates enters interactive TV big-time with some major alliances. Web TV goal: make interactivity a must-have for producers and programmers.  Variety

The Big Four TV networks still lost some viewers for “premiere week” compared to last year – but the strategy of more dramas/fewer comedies seems sound.  Los Angeles Times
     AND: Hispanic-led boycott to blame for ratings drop?  Houston Chronicle 9/29/99
     ALSO: Dallas Morning News says if you factor in UPN network, premiere week audience actually went up a bit.  Dallas Morning News 9/29/99

This morning TV critics everywhere are bashing Ally McBeal Lite – the half-hour version of “Ally” that bows tonight. It’s a cynical rip-off calculated to grab more money, they say. Plus, they’re just getting sick of her. The Globe and Mail puts it succinctly.  The Globe and Mail

The industry is thriving at home – but how to win bigger audiences – and just what makes a Canadian film anyway?  NPR [Real Audio clip]

– but American TV shows are raking in billions selling their wares overseas. This year’s international sitcom bazaar convenes in Cannes.  Variety

Staffers at the real White House comment on how the new series “West Wing” portrays their world. “Everything was more exciting than it is in real life,” says one former White House aide. Los Angeles Times