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| GM appeals to American patriotism to sell new Silverado Monday, Jul 01, 2013 09:18 PM PDT  By Ben Klayman DETROIT (Reuters) - Chevrolet's marketing campaign for its redesigned Silverado pickup truck is the U.S. automaker's latest attempt to appeal to American patriotism, in a vehicle segment where its offering has been the oldest on the block. General Motors Co's ad campaign, dubbed "Strong," will launch on Thursday in Texas - the largest pickup market in the country - and nationally during Major League Baseball's All-Star game on July 16 and the home run derby the day before. ... Full Story | Top |
| Investigators probe Cirque du Soleil death in Las Vegas Monday, Jul 01, 2013 07:19 PM PDT By Timothy Pratt LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Federal occupational safety officials are investigating the death of a performer during Cirque du Soleil's "KA" show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Cirque officials said on Monday. "KA" performances also were canceled until further notice. No details about the investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were immediately disclosed and agency officials could not immediately be reached for comment. Authorities have not said how Sarah Guyard-Guillot, 31, was killed during a Saturday night performance of "KA. ... Full Story | Top |
| Disney XD star Spencer Boldman cast as lead in adoption drama 'Dakota's Summer' (Exclusive) Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:14 PM PDT By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Spencer Boldman, one of the three young stars of Disney XD's "Lab Rats," will appear as the male lead opposite Hailey Ramm ("Disconnect") in adoption drama, "Dakota Rose." Written and directed by Timothy Armstrong ("Cowgirls n' Angels"), the film follows a 17-year-old trick horseback rider, Dakota Rose (Ramm), who finds out she has been adopted and sets out on a quest to discover who she really is and ultimately comes to realize that her adopted family is the family she was always meant to have. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'American Idol' Winner Ruben Studdard to Compete on 'Biggest Loser' Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:12 PM PDT  By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ruben Studdard won big on the second season of "American Idol." Now he's hoping to lose big on another television venture. Studdard has been tapped to compete on the upcoming 15th season of NBC's weight-loss competition "The Biggest Loser," a network spokeswoman told TheWrap on Monday. The 34-year-old singer, who bears the nickname The Velvet Teddy Bear, has struggled with his weight throughout the years, though in 2006 Studdard dropped almost 100 pounds after seeking help from a weight-management center and becoming a vegetarian. ... Full Story | Top |
| Cher, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Pitbull to perform on 'Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular' Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:10 PM PDT By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - NBC just added Cher, Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Pitbull to its lineup of performers on the "Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular" airing Thursday at 8 p.m. ET with an encore at 10 p.m. They join previously announced performers Mariah Carey ("American Idol") and country singer Tim McGraw. Carey's husband, "America's Got Talent" host Nick Cannon, will host the two-hour special. Cher also recently performed on the season finale of NBC's "The Voice" and appeared on sister cable network Bravo's late night talk show, "Watch What Happens Live. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soledad O'Brien Is Her Own Boss - and That Means No Jodi Arias Stories Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:09 PM PDT  By Sara Morrison LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Soledad O'Brien was announced as Al Jazeera America's special correspondent on Monday, marking the fourth project for her new Starfish Media Group. O'Brien may no longer anchor CNN's "Starting Point," but she's clearly keeping busy. In addition to Al Jazeera, she's working with CNN, HBO, and National Geographic - with several more deals coming in the near future. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'The Bible' TV miniseries will get NBC sequel Monday, Jul 01, 2013 05:03 PM PDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Bible" is getting a sequel. U.S. television network NBC said on Monday that it will produce a follow-up to the History Channel's popular miniseries "The Bible," which topped ratings when it premiered in March. The sequel, which does not have an expected air or production date, has the working title "A.D.: Beyond the Bible," picks up in the time following Jesus Christ's death. It is the first announced project of Comcast Corp-owned NBC's long-from programming initiative. The History Channel's miniseries drew strong ratings for a cable program. It averaged 11. ... Full Story | Top |
| ‘90210's' Manish Dayal to Star Alongside Helen Mirren in DreamWorks' ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey' Monday, Jul 01, 2013 04:51 PM PDT By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Manish Dayal, a star of the CW's "90210" reboot and AMC's "Rubicon," will take the lead role in DreamWorks' "The Hundred-Foot Journey," the studio announced on Monday. Helen Mirren also will star in the film, which had been previously reported but just confirmed by DreamWorks. Dayal will play Hassan Haji, a 22-year-old Indian man who becomes a famous French chef with the help of Madame Mallory (Mirren). Lasse Hallstrom is directing the film, an adaptation of Richard Morais' bestselling book. ... Full Story | Top |
| PBS' Charlie Rose settles with unpaid interns as lawsuits spread Monday, Jul 01, 2013 04:46 PM PDT By Amanda Becker (Reuters) - PBS talk show host Charlie Rose and his production company will pay roughly $110,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by former unpaid interns, under an agreement approved by a New York state judge. The victory, another win on the wages front for interns, comes amid a wave of lawsuits that followed a June 11 ruling by a federal judge in Manhattan that former production interns for the 2010 film "Black Swan" were de facto employees of Fox Searchlight Pictures. In the so-called glamour industries of film, publishing and other media, unpaid internships are standard. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jennifer Lopez unaware of rights issues before Turkmenistan visit -publicist Monday, Jul 01, 2013 04:26 PM PDT  By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Jennifer Lopez would not have performed a private concert in Turkmenistan at the weekend had she known about charges of human rights violations in the Central Asian nation, her publicist said on Monday. Human rights campaigners, who accuse Turkmenistan's government of restricting free speech and jailing political opponents, criticized Lopez for performing at the concert attended by Turkmen President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov on Saturday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Pharrell Williams sues will.i.am over 'i am' Monday, Jul 01, 2013 04:14 PM PDT  By Erin Geiger Smith (Reuters) - Music producer Pharrell Williams filed a lawsuit Monday asking a U.S. court to rule he has not violated any trademark that Black Eyed Peas rapper will.i.am owns for the phrase "I AM." The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court, said that will.i.am, whose real name is William Adams, has repeatedly sent letters to Williams demanding he stop using versions of the phrase "I AM" on a website founded by Williams, iamother.com. The website, according to the lawsuit, focuses on "encouraging individuality through different forms of expression. ... Full Story | Top |
| Johnny Depp puts Tonto at center stage in new 'Lone Ranger' film Monday, Jul 01, 2013 04:05 PM PDT  By Zorianna Kit LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When the western television series "The Lone Ranger" first rode into U.S. homes in the 1949, the masked man was the dashing, charming hero and the Native American Tonto his loyal sidekick. When the movie opens in U.S. theaters on Wednesday, it will be Tonto who takes center stage. Played by Johnny Depp with the same offbeat charm as his Captain Jack Sparrow in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, Tonto is the brains of the operation. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'MasterChef' contestant Krissi Biasiello accused of racist tweets Monday, Jul 01, 2013 03:39 PM PDT By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Does "MasterChef" have its own Paula Deen? The Philadelphia Daily News says it has uncovered racist tweets by current "MasterChef" contestant Krissi Biasiello. The 34-year-old Philadelphia paralegal, who like Deen specializes in delicious but fatty comfort foods, is accused of using the N-word in one tweet and making a racist rape joke in another. Fox declined to comment, and Biasiello did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Daily News said that in one tweet, from May 21, 2012, Biasiello called the NBA "N---ers Bouncing Around. ... Full Story | Top |
| Disney extends CEO Iger's tenure by 15 months to June 2016 Monday, Jul 01, 2013 03:26 PM PDT  By Lisa Richwine and Ronald Grover LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co's board on Monday extended Bob Iger's tenure as its chief executive by 15 months, allowing him to remain both CEO and chairman of the media giant through June 30, 2016. Iger, 62, had planned to step down as CEO on April 1, 2015, and assume the single role as executive chairman through the end of his existing contract on June 30, 2016, the company said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Time Warner said to be near sale of headquarters, move to Hudson Yards Monday, Jul 01, 2013 03:14 PM PDT By Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc is in talks to buy a new world headquarters by the Hudson River in Manhattan and to sell its current space to real estate developer Related Cos for what could be more than $1.3 billion, two sources said on Monday. Time Warner is also speaking to other parties interested in buying its current headquarters if talks with Related fall apart, said one of the people who is familiar with Time Warner's thinking. Related helped build the company's current space near Manhattan's Central Park. ... Full Story | Top |
| Soledad O'Brien joins Al Jazeera America Monday, Jul 01, 2013 02:47 PM PDT  By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien has reached a deal with Al Jazeera America in which she will contribute short segments and her production company, Starfish Media Group, will produce hour-long documentary specials. O'Brien will serve as special correspondent to Al Jazeera America's primetime current affairs magazine program "America Tonight." Until February, she hosted CNN's "Starting Point." The network has since replaced the show with "New Day. ... Full Story | Top |
| Netflix and 20th Century Fox Ink Multi-year 'New Girl' Streaming Deal Monday, Jul 01, 2013 02:44 PM PDT By Tony Maglio LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Netflix entered into an exclusive multi-year streaming deal to bring the Fox sitcom "New Girl" to its U.S. members, the company announced Monday. The first season of the Twentieth Century Fox Television comedy is available on Netflix immediately. Subsequent seasons of the Zooey Deschanel vehicle will be available on Netflix after the broadcast seasons, according to Netflix. "New Girl" was recently renewed for a third season. ... Full Story | Top |
| Mark Burnett's 'The Bible' Sequel gets greenlight - at NBC, not History Monday, Jul 01, 2013 02:43 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - There will be a sequel to Mark Burnett's successful miniseries "The Bible," but it won't be on the History Channel. Instead, it's moving from the minors to the majors: Burnett and NBC are forging a holy alliance to bring the sequel to the peacock. The sequel, which bears the working title "A.D.: Beyond the Bible," follows the enormously popular 10-part miniseries "The Bible," which drew a huge audience to History earlier this year and is a likely Emmy contender. ... Full Story | Top |
| Free of newspapers, 21st Century Fox shines Monday, Jul 01, 2013 02:17 PM PDT  By Jennifer Saba (Reuters) - Wall Street rewarded Rupert Murdoch's move to create a separate entertainment company, giving 21st Century Fox one of the richest valuations in the media sector on its first day of trading. Investors had waited for Murdoch to split News Corp, giving its cable, movie and equity stakes in pay-TV assets their own spotlight away from the publishing division. The move is part of larger trend among media companies that are shedding print properties. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fox Searchlight Acquires 'Belle', Amma Asante's Tale of British Biracial Girl Monday, Jul 01, 2013 01:59 PM PDT By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Fox Searchlight has acquired distribution rights across much of the globe to "Belle," Amma Asante's film about Dido Elizabeth Belle, the biracial daughter of a British admiral and a slave. The film marks Asante's second directorial project, following her award-winning turn behind the camera for "Way of Life." Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars as the titular young woman alongside Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson, Sarah Gadon and Miranda Richardson. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'True Blood's' Anna Paquin on Sookie's Romances: she has 'to Close Some Doors' Monday, Jul 01, 2013 11:56 AM PDT  By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Of the critiques on HBO's "True Blood," there is one that the vampire series seems to be addressing this season. Since Season 1, Sookie (Anna Paquin) has bounced between romances with Bill (Stephen Moyer) and Eric (Alexander Skarsgard). Some have wondered when she would become more active in the decisions she made about those relationships. But, Sookie is asserting herself more this season than she has ever had before. ... Full Story | Top |
| Independent Box Office: Pedro Almodovar's 'I'm So Excited' averages $20,000 in debut Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:56 AM PDT By Todd Cunningham LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Writer-director Pedro Almodovar's "I'm So Excited" was the top-grossing independent movie this weekend, taking in $103,000 from just five screens for Sony Pictures Classics. That's a $20,600 per-screen average - better than any movie in the marketplace - for Almodovar's latest, a comedy that takes place mainly on an airplane. That's good, but not as strong as the opening for his last film, "The Skin I Live In," which averaged $37,187 at five theaters. It went on to take in $3 million in North America, and $30 million worldwide. ... Full Story | Top |
| Brad Pitt's 'World War Z' scores $70 million at booming overseas Box Office Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:55 AM PDT By Todd Cunningham LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Brad Pitt's "World War Z" zombies overran the overseas box office this weekend, taking in more than $70 million. It was a big weekend at the box office abroad. Warner Bros.' "Man of Steel" debuted No. 1 in seven new markets and took in $52 million from 62 markets, and raised its worldwide total to $520 million in the process. Disney's "Monsters University" added $44.2 million from 37 territories. And Universal's "Despicable Me 2" debuted in the top spot in five markets and brought in $41.5 million. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'The Sopranos' full seasons available via HBO On Demand Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:54 AM PDT By Tony Maglio LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - HBO is making all six seasons of the James Gandolfini mob drama "The Sopranos" available for one month each, in consecutive order, through HBO On Demand. Season 1 landed on the platform Monday, and will be available through the end of July, followed by Season 2 in August, and so on. Additionally, the Emmy-nominated and Gandolfini-executive-produced HBO documentary "Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq" will receive an encore play Thursday at 7 p.m. on HBO. Gandolfini died at age 51 last month after cardiac arrest. Full Story | Top |
| Tribune to buy 19 local TV stations for $2.73 billion Monday, Jul 01, 2013 10:30 AM PDT  By Jennifer Saba and Greg Roumeliotis (Reuters) - Tribune Co said on Monday that it would acquire 19 television stations from Local TV Holdings LLC for $2.73 billion in cash, making it the largest TV broadcaster in the United States. The purchase from New York private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners is another step for Tribune, the publisher of the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune, in transforming itself largely to a broadcast company as it seeks to sell off its newspaper division. ... Full Story | Top |
| Italy's RCS not in talks with News Corp: Elkann Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:08 AM PDT  MILAN (Reuters) - Italian publisher RCS Mediagroup's main shareholder John Elkann on Monday dismissed press reports of a link-up between the loss-making group and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp, where he sits on the board. When asked to comment on a possible News Corp investment in the Italian group, Fiat Chairman Elkann said no talks were taking place between the companies. "There are no alliances in the works," he said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Singer Jessica Simpson gives birth to a boy Monday, Jul 01, 2013 06:02 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Singer and fashion designer Jessica Simpson gave birth to her second child, a boy named Ace Knute, at a Los Angeles hospital on Sunday. Simpson, 32, and her fiance, former football player Eric Johnson, also have a daughter, Maxwell Drew, who was born in May 2012. "Ace Knute (pronounced Ka-nute) Johnson has arrived! Mom and baby are doing great," her representative told Us Weekly magazine. "Jessica, Eric and Maxwell are thrilled to welcome the new addition to their family. ... Full Story | Top |
| Benfica pay TV set to broadcast club's league matches Monday, Jul 01, 2013 05:04 AM PDT LISBON (Reuters) - Benfica TV became a pay channel on Monday and will be the sole broadcaster for the club's Portuguese Premier League home matches - a groundbreaking move among Europe's top clubs. On top of a fee paid for a basic cable TV package, fans in Portugal will have to pay some 10 euros ($13) per month to watch the Lisbon club's matches played at the Luz stadium on television. Club President Luis Filipe Vieira hailed the initiative as "historic" and said the deal meant that "Benfica became the first club in the world to fully exploit its TV rights". ... Full Story | Top |
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