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| Former editor of Hong Kong newspaper stabbed amid media tensions Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 11:37 PM PST By James Pomfret and Alice Woodhouse HONG KONG (Reuters) - A former chief editor of a major Hong Kong newspaper known for its critical reporting was stabbed and seriously wounded on Wednesday in an attack likely to fuel concern among journalists about what many see as an erosion of media freedoms. A man in a helmet attacked Kevin Lau Chun-to, former chief editor of the Ming Pao daily, slashing him in the back several times. The attack took place days after 6,000 journalists marched to Hong Kong's government headquarters to demand the city's leaders uphold press freedom against what they see as intrusions from mainland China. The attackers must be brought to justice as quickly as possible to allay public fears." Hong Kong is a freewheeling capitalist hub which enjoys a high degree of autonomy and freedom, but Beijing's Communist Party leaders have resisted public pressure for full democracy. Full Story | Top |
| FCC looks to ban joint TV ad-sales deals in same local market: WSJ Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 10:40 PM PST (Reuters) - The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission plans a proposal on media-ownership rules that would make it harder for broadcast companies to control two TV stations in the same local market by using the same advertising sales staff, the Wall Street Journal reported citing people familiar with the matter. U.S. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is likely to make the long-awaited order public in the coming weeks and a five-member commission is expected to vote on it next month, WSJ said. Under current rules, broadcasters typically are banned from owning two full-power TV stations in the same local market. Full Story | Top |
| U.S. PBS correspondent Miles O'Brien loses forearm after mishap Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 09:05 PM PST Public television science correspondent Miles O'Brien had his left forearm amputated during emergency surgery earlier this month after suffering what he thought was a minor blow to his limb while packing up some equipment, he said on Tuesday. O'Brien, 54, chronicled the progression of his medical horror story, which unfolded at the end of a lengthy reporting trip to Japan and the Philippines, in an account posted on his personal blog site. The initial injury, caused by a storage case falling onto his arm, left the limb sore and swollen, but O'Brien said he thought it would heal on its own without medical attention. Full Story | Top |
| Racial barriers still hold back Hollywood's black talent Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:14 PM PST  By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When Halle Berry and Denzel Washington won the best-acting Oscar categories and Sidney Poitier was honored with a lifetime achievement award in 2002, the night was a watershed for black actors in Hollywood. Since then the debate about Hollywood diversity among the African American community has continued to ebb and flow, but one fact remains constant: nearly all black actors are still only being recognized by the Academy Awards for playing specifically black characters in film. Four movies from 2013 have served to animate that conversation during Hollywood's awards season: "12 Years A Slave," "Lee Daniels' The Butler," "Fruitvale Station" and "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom." Only the first, Steve McQueen's historical drama, made it to the Oscars. Full Story | Top |
| Seth Meyers' 'Late Night' debut draws biggest audience since 2005 Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 04:03 PM PST  Comedian Seth Meyers' debut as the host of NBC's "Late Night" talk show on Monday pulled in about 3.4 million viewers, the show's highest numbers overall as well as in the 18-49 age group coveted by advertisers since 2005, the television network said on Tuesday. With a mixture of banter and jokes and guests comedian Amy Poehler and U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Meyers managed to top the premiere audience numbers of his predecessor Jimmy Fallon, who left the show to replace Jay Leno as host of NBC's flagship late-night program "The Tonight Show" a week ago. Full Story | Top |
| DreamWorks revenue slumps, takes charge as 'Turbo's' poor run persists Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:40 PM PST  DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc's fourth-quarter revenue fell a steeper-than-expected 23 percent due to the continued poor performance of "Turbo" and the lack of a major movie released in the United States in the period. Shares of the Hollywood studio fell 7.5 percent to $32.55 in extended trading after the company also said it took a charge related to the poor performance of "Turbo." "Turbo faced one of the most competitive feature film environments we have seen," Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg said on a conference call with analysts. DreamWorks said on Tuesday that it expects its full-year 2014 results to be helped by the release of "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" in March in the United States and "How to Train Your Dragon 2" in June. DreamWorks avoided that, but on Tuesday said the movie's poor performance during the last two months of the fourth quarter ended December 31 forced it to take an impairment charge of $13.5 million, or 12 cents per share. Full Story | Top |
| Online music going for a song, says U.S. bill seeking more cash for composers Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:23 PM PST  Songwriters need to make more money when their music is played on online services like Pandora and elsewhere, according to a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday by a Republican congressman. The measure, introduced by Representative Doug Collins of Georgia, would give songwriters more leeway in arguing for higher royalties before a special court that mediates disputes over payments. The proposal is supported by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Incorporated (BMI), which license about 90 percent of music heard online on services, in restaurants and on television. "There are a lot of powerful interests that use music but don't like the idea of paying songwriters a fair market value," said David Israelite, president of the National Music Publishers' Association, which also backs the bill. Full Story | Top |
| Christian metal singer pleads guilty in California murder plot Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:18 PM PST  By Marty Graham SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The lead singer for the heavy metal Christian rock band As I Lay Dying pleaded guilty in California on Tuesday to a charge of soliciting an undercover detective posing as a hit man to kill his estranged wife. Tim Lambesis, 33, entered the plea in a San Diego court as part of a deal that will net him a 9-year prison sentence, said his attorney, Thomas Warwick. The trainer contacted the San Diego Sheriff's Department, which sent an undercover detective to meet with Lambesis. Meggan Lambesis filed for divorce in September 2012. Full Story | Top |
| Demand Media dogged by Google changes, warns of revenue declines Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 03:10 PM PST Demand Media Inc warned on Tuesday that revenue for this year will continue to decline because of troubles at its flagship advice website eHow. Demand Media has been hurt by changes that Google Inc made to its search algorithm in order for people to receive higher quality search results. Demand makes money from content from its clutch of websites including LiveStrong, Cracked and eHow that show up high in search results. "We need to fix eHow," said Mel Tang, Demand Media CFO, suggesting an overhaul to turn the site into a destination rather than one that people stumble upon after conducting a search query. Full Story | Top |
| Mads Mikkelsen lends steely star power to Denmark's hunt for Oscar Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 01:57 PM PST  By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Danish drama "The Hunt" has at least one advantage over its rivals in its bid to win the best foreign-language picture Oscar: the familiar face of Mads Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen, the 48-year-old star of NBC television thriller "Hannibal," is no unknown to Oscar voters. Mikkelsen's work in Hollywood and his association with the upper echelon of the Danish film industry underscore his ability to maintain a high profile in both the United States and his home country. "Denmark is a small country and if I can make two films a year (here), people start getting sick and tired of you," Mikkelsen said wryly. Full Story | Top |
| George W. Bush's brushwork to take spotlight at April exhibit Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 07:42 AM PST  George W. Bush, U.S. president turned painter, will have his artwork featured in an exhibit for the first time in April. More than two dozen portraits painted by the 43rd U.S. president will be part of exhibit called "The Art of Leadership: A President's Personal Diplomacy," the George W. Bush Presidential Center said on Monday. Artifacts, photographs and personal reflections will also be part of the exhibit, which the center said will "provide an insider's view into President Bush's unique relationships with other world leaders." His works will be displayed at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas in early April. In 2013, a hacker obtained Bush family emails that included a painting of the former president in the shower, looking at himself in a shaving mirror, and another of a pair of legs extended in a bathtub. Full Story | Top |
| Disney launches cloud movie service for mobile, online viewing Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 05:07 AM PST  Walt Disney Co has launched Disney Movies Anywhere, a service for consumers to buy and watch Disney, Pixar and Marvel films online and store them in the cloud, in the latest bid by a Hollywood studio to encourage digital movie purchases. Disney, like other Hollywood studios, is trying to boost digital sales after consumers moved away in recent years from buying DVDs, cutting a lucrative source of revenue. The media company said in a statement it launched the new service on Tuesday, coinciding with the digital release of Disney's blockbuster animated movie "Frozen." The service allows consumers to buy digital movies from a library of more than 400 titles through Apple Inc's iTunes store and the Disney Movies Anywhere website and app. The purchased movies can be watched on a laptop or desktop computer, or on Apple's iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, Disney said. Full Story | Top |
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