One of the hottest new categories for advertisers? Movie theatres before the show. “Advertisers like these spots, and have been buying more of them. Movie ads are one more alternative to television spots, which are losing favor as TiVo and other digital video recorders make it easier for viewers to zap them. Last year, ads in United States movie theaters grew 23 percent to $438 million.”
Tag: 06.27.05
Lord Of The Lawsuits
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is suing the studio that financed the trilogy. “In his lawsuit, Mr. Jackson claimed that New Line committed fraud in its handling of the revenues generated by 2001’s “The Fellowship of the Ring,” and as a result, he was underpaid by millions. The suit does not specify a damage award. But in an interview last week, his lawyers said that, after New Line applied its contract interpretation from “Fellowship” to the other two movies, Mr. Jackson was underpaid by as much as $100 million for the trilogy.”
Hollywood Ponders Its 18th Consecutive Down Week
For the 18th week in a row fewer people went to the movies in America than went during a similar period last year. Is the buzz over the celebrities who star in the movies drowning out the movie hype itself? “Hanging over many of these summer movies has been the public focus on the behavior and personal lives of their leading actors.”
London Auctions Boost Prices Even Higher
The super-heated art market climbed higher at last week’s London sales. “This season’s four consecutive nights of auctions left even the cognoscenti shaking their heads.”
In Defense Of Schools Of Writing
Are writing MFA programs a waste of time, as Elizabeth Clementson recently asserted? Not exactlywrites Steve Almond: “MFA programs are like any other educational opportunity: what you put in is what you get out. The reason they exist is to help young writers develop the humility and gumption necessary to keep writing in a culture that largely ignores literature. They are welfare states for artists, basically.”
Jordan Bans New Saddam Book
The country of Jordan has banned sales of Saddam Hussein’s latest book. “The former Iraqi dictator is behind bars and stripped of power but Jordan was anxious enough to ban his tale yesterday, claiming it could damage regional relations. Some 10,000 copies had been printed for this week’s launch, a literary and political event authorised by Saddam’s daughter, Raghad, who is based in Jordan.”
Poet Laureate: Why No Poetry In UK Secondary Schools?
Britain’s poet laureate Andrew Motion says he’s “bitterly disappointed” that poetry and creative writing are largely missing from English secondary schools curriculum. “He said the government had missed a “magical opportunity” to rescue poetry from oblivion when it rejected recommendations from the former chief inspector of schools.”
Why We’re Not Going To The Movies(?)
“Grosses have been dropping for three years now, and, worse, after you adjust for inflation, it becomes clear that attendance is down even further, anywhere from 8 to 10 percent depending on who’s talking. People are simply not going to the multiplex as often as they used to. The question is not only why but whether the trend is reversible or if it’s part of a much larger cultural shift in the way we entertain ourselves.”