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| US-PEOPLE Summary Friday, Apr 05, 2013 12:01 PM PDT U.S. senators back Tyson pardon bid for boxing champ Johnson (Reuters) - Two senior U.S. senators welcomed a petition launched by former boxer Mike Tyson to have heavyweight champ Jack Johnson posthumously pardoned by President Barack Obama for race crimes a century ago. Democratic leader Harry Reid and Republican John McCain, longtime Johnson supporters, joined fellow boxing champions Lennox Lewis and Laila Ali, the daughter of retired boxing legend Muhammad Ali, in backing Tyson's petition on grassroots campaign website Change.org. Influential U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| U.S. senators back Tyson pardon bid for boxing champ Johnson Friday, Apr 05, 2013 12:00 PM PDT  (Reuters) - Two senior U.S. senators welcomed a petition launched by former boxer Mike Tyson to have heavyweight champ Jack Johnson posthumously pardoned by President Barack Obama for race crimes a century ago. Democratic leader Harry Reid and Republican John McCain, longtime Johnson supporters, joined fellow boxing champions Lennox Lewis and Laila Ali, the daughter of retired boxing legend Muhammad Ali, in backing Tyson's petition on grassroots campaign website Change.org. The petition says Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion of the world "is long overdue a pardon. ... Full Story | Top |
| CA-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Friday, Apr 05, 2013 10:47 AM PDT James Brown getting YouTube channel filled with rare concert footage By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Godfather of Soul" is ready to hit YouTube. "Betrayal" on Broadway: Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz in love triangle NEW YORK (Reuters) - Daniel Craig and his actress wife, Rachel Weisz, are teaming up on stage this year to play a married couple in a Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's play "Betrayal" about adultery. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-MUSIC Summary Friday, Apr 05, 2013 10:47 AM PDT James Brown getting YouTube channel filled with rare concert footage By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Godfather of Soul" is ready to hit YouTube. Beyonce, Jay-Z, Lana Del Rey part of eclectic "Great Gatsby" soundtrack LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The setting is still the Roaring Twenties but the soundtrack for Australian film director Baz Luhrmann's take on classic novel "The Great Gatsby" is firmly 21st-century rap, pop and rock. ... Full Story | Top |
| James Brown getting YouTube channel filled with rare concert footage Friday, Apr 05, 2013 10:47 AM PDT  By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "The Godfather of Soul" is ready to hit YouTube. James Brown, the late, lamented singer and songwriter, is getting his own official YouTube channel and online site, thanks to a collaboration between home entertainment company Shout! Factory and the James Brown Estate. The channel and website debut Friday and will include a treasure trove of rare concert footage, such as Brown's 1968 Boston concert following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-ARTS Summary Friday, Apr 05, 2013 10:39 AM PDT "Betrayal" on Broadway: Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz in love triangle NEW YORK (Reuters) - Daniel Craig and his actress wife, Rachel Weisz, are teaming up on stage this year to play a married couple in a Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's play "Betrayal" about adultery. Craig, who has played British spy 007 in the last three James Bond films including the box office hit "Skyfall," last appeared on Broadway in 2009 alongside Hugh Jackman in "A Steady Rain. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Betrayal" on Broadway: Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz in love triangle Friday, Apr 05, 2013 10:39 AM PDT  NEW YORK (Reuters) - Daniel Craig and his actress wife, Rachel Weisz, are teaming up on stage this year to play a married couple in a Broadway revival of Harold Pinter's play "Betrayal" about adultery. Craig, who has played British spy 007 in the last three James Bond films including the box office hit "Skyfall," last appeared on Broadway in 2009 alongside Hugh Jackman in "A Steady Rain. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-INDUSTRY Summary Friday, Apr 05, 2013 07:55 AM PDT Random House, Penguin merger wins EU antitrust approval BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German media group Bertelsmann and British publisher Pearson secured unconditional EU regulatory clearance on Friday to merge their publishers Random House and Penguin to better compete with rivals Amazon and Apple. The deal, announced in October, will create a publishing giant that will brings under one roof EL James, the author of best-selling "Fifty Shades of Grey", the 2012 literature Nobel prize winner Mo Yan and fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett. ... Full Story | Top |
| Random House, Penguin merger wins EU antitrust approval Friday, Apr 05, 2013 07:55 AM PDT  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - German media group Bertelsmann and British publisher Pearson secured unconditional EU regulatory clearance on Friday to merge their publishers Random House and Penguin to better compete with rivals Amazon and Apple. The deal, announced in October, will create a publishing giant that will brings under one roof EL James, the author of best-selling "Fifty Shades of Grey", the 2012 literature Nobel prize winner Mo Yan and fantasy novelist Terry Pratchett. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ex-Thomson Reuters employee sues over survey distribution Friday, Apr 05, 2013 07:38 AM PDT  By Jonathan Stempel (Reuters) - A former Thomson Reuters Corp employee has filed a lawsuit saying he was fired for telling the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he believed the company violated insider-trading laws in releasing a consumer sentiment survey early to some subscribers. In the lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court, Mark Rosenblum said he was terminated after telling U.S. authorities that the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers was released at different times to different subscribers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fierstein, Lauper forge "kinky" show that's safe for Broadway Friday, Apr 05, 2013 03:33 AM PDT  By Chris Michaud NEW YORK (Reuters) - Take an obscure British film about a failing shoe factory, hand it over to openly gay actor and writer Harvey Fierstein, add music by pop star Cyndi Lauper and what have you got? It is the new Broadway musical "Kinky Boots," which aims to make drag safe and commercially viable for the masses, while offering life lessons on love and self-acceptance along the way. With a mantle full of Tony awards for hit shows such as "La Cage aux Folles," "Torch Song Trilogy" and "Hairspray," Fierstein embraced the opportunity to take the story to the stage. ... Full Story | Top |
| Bollywood launches its first zombie films to win back viewers Friday, Apr 05, 2013 02:29 AM PDT By Shilpa Jamkhandikar MUMBAI (Reuters) - Bollywood is branching out from its traditional song-and-dance dramas and slapstick comedies with its first zombie films which filmmakers hope will entice younger crowds back to Indian films from Hollywood's living dead. Few horror films are made in Bollywood and those that do make it to the big screen tend to focus on ghosts and the after-life, which are common themes in Hindu mythology. But this year, as Indian cinema celebrates 100 years, three zombie films made in Hindi are slated for release, hoping to compete with blockbuster U.S. ... Full Story | Top |
| Exclusive: Disney to begin layoffs in studio, consumer products - sources Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 06:58 PM PDT  By Ronald Grover LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co expects to begin layoffs at its studio and consumer product divisions within the next two weeks, according to two people with knowledge of the matter, in the latest cost-reduction step to emerge from a company-wide review. The studio job cuts will center on the marketing and home video units and include a small number from the animation wing, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans had not been made public. It is unknown how many jobs will be lost at either division. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-TELEVISION Summary Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 05:49 PM PDT New "Arrested Development" season to stream online on May 26 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The anticipated return of cult television series "Arrested Development" will premiere on May 26 with the entire 15-episode new season available to stream online, Netflix said on Thursday, seven years after the show ended on network television. The Emmy-winning series, which was canceled after three seasons by U.S. network Fox in 2006 because of poor ratings, will be streamed online beginning at 12:01 a.m. PST (03.01 EDT), the Internet subscription service said. ... Full Story | Top |
| Discovery Slate Includes Live High-Wire Crossing of Grand Canyon Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 05:49 PM PDT By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Discovery's upcoming shows include a live special in which self-described "King of the High Wire" Nik Wallenda will cross the Grand Canyon without a harness. "Wallenda Live" is one of the highlights (no pun intended) of a slate that also includes the previously announced scripted miniseries "Klondike" and another live special, "Fast N' Live," in which competitors will race to rebuild cars, albeit not while suspended 1,500 feet over the Little Colorado River. Oh well. ... Full Story | Top |
| Investigation discovery launches "Southern Fried Homicide," 14 More New Shows Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 05:48 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Investigation Discovery presented its largest-ever slate of original programming on Thursday, announcing 15 new shows, along with the return of 22 series. Among the new offerings: "Southern Fried Homicide," which promises to deliver "salacious stories from south of the Mason-Dixon Line," where "evil creeps in like vines on a time-worn plantation." "Olympus Has Fallen" actress and Louisiana native Shanna Forrestall will host -- or, rather, as Investigation Discovery puts it "serve as the gatekeeper. ... Full Story | Top |
| Whoops! AMC's "Walking Dead" goofs on NYT ratings ad Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 05:36 PM PDT By Greg Gilman LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - AMC made a full-page "oopsie" in a "Walking Dead" ad printed in the New York Times on Thursday touting the series' ratings success. In the advertisement, AMC bragged about the zombie series' ratings dominance over "Modern Family" and "The Voice," amongst other popular shows this season, in the key 18-49 demographic. Adding a little extra salt into the wounds of broadcast networks ABC and NBC, the ad mistakenly credited Fox for airing the comedy hit "Modern Family," while labeling "The Voice" an ABC show. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-FILM Summary Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 05:35 PM PDT Influential U.S. film critic Roger Ebert dies at 70 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Roger Ebert, who was the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize and became an unlikely TV star while hosting a movie review show with fellow critic Gene Siskel, died in Chicago on Thursday, two days after he disclosed his cancer had returned. "It is with a heavy heart we report that legendary film critic Roger Ebert (@ebertchicago) has passed away," the Chicago Sun-Times, the newspaper where Ebert, 70, worked for decades, said on Twitter. ... Full Story | Top |
| Academy asks members to sound off on Oscars future Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 05:34 PM PDT By Steve Pond LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The agenda for the Academy's first-ever coast-to-coast meeting of all its members just got a little clearer. An invitation was sent to the near-6,000 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday afternoon, detailing more about a May 4 meeting at which the AMPAS membership is invited to sound off on matters of concern to the 86-year-old organization. "We want more member engagement," AMPAS President Hawk Koch told TheWrap on Thursday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Media focused on dissident instead of Beyonce, Cuban official laments Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 05:01 PM PDT  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The media is too fixated on Cuba's best-known dissident, blogger Yoani Sanchez, who is on an 80-day multination tour, and has not focused enough on important news in Cuba like the visit of pop star Beyonce, a Cuban official said on Thursday. Jose Cabanas, the top Cuban diplomat based in the United States, said Sanchez was garnering much more media coverage than necessary after she was granted a passport and set off in February on a journey to more than a dozen countries. "Too much attention has been devoted to this lady, taking a lot of attention from the most important ... Full Story | Top |
| Influential U.S. film critic Roger Ebert dies at 70 Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 04:47 PM PDT  By Jill Serjeant LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Roger Ebert, who was the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize and became an unlikely TV star while hosting a movie review show with fellow critic Gene Siskel, died in Chicago on Thursday, two days after he disclosed his cancer had returned. "It is with a heavy heart we report that legendary film critic Roger Ebert (@ebertchicago) has passed away," the Chicago Sun-Times, the newspaper where Ebert, 70, worked for decades, said on Twitter. "There is a hole that can't be filled. One of the greats has left us," the newspaper added. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jason Clarke, Omar Sy to star in Stephen Gaghan thriller Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 04:29 PM PDT By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Jason Clarke and Omar Sy will star in "Candy Store," an action thriller which "Traffic" scribe Stephen Gaghan co-wrote and will direct, Good Universe and Lionsgate announced on Thursday. Gaghan's tale weaves together several different storylines all set in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Clarke, who just starred in "Zero Dark Thirty," will play a former secret agent who realizes a criminal syndicate he once battled has set up shop in his neighborhood. Clarke's character partners with a local cop to investigate. ... Full Story | Top |
| Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio developing Gorbachev project with HBO films Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 04:28 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Apparently, the Cold War is hot stuff on cable. With FX's new drama "The Americans" - about a pair of Russian spies working undercover in the United States - making a splash, HBO Films is developing its own project revolving around the era, with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio among those helping to usher the film into reality. The project will revolve around former USSR president Mikhail Gorbachev, who helped bring about the end of the Cold War, and will capture the dissolution of the USSR, as seen through Gorbachev's eyes. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-REVIEW Summary Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 03:17 PM PDT New Hillary Clinton memoir likely to fuel 2016 speculation WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hillary Clinton, already the front-runner in the minds of many Democrats for the 2016 U.S. presidential election, is writing a memoir about world affairs and her time as secretary of state that will likely fuel more speculation about her political future. The presidential prospects of Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton, are a subject of feverish speculation in Washington and elsewhere as Democrats look to see over the horizon past President Barack Obama. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Evil Dead" looks bloody good for retro week at box office Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 03:17 PM PDT By Todd Cunningham LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - It's retro week at the box office. "Evil Dead," a remake of Sam Raimi's gleefully gory 1981 horror classic, and Universal's 3D re-release of Stephen Spielberg's 1993 sci-fi smash "Jurassic Park" are the only two movies opening nationwide this weekend. That means the overall box office, which is running about 13 percent behind 2012, won't do much catching up this weekend. Last year at this time, "The Hunger Games" was about to cross $300 million with a $33 million third weekend. ... Full Story | Top |
| TLC orders "Best Funeral Ever" to series, 7 more new unscripted series Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 02:55 PM PDT By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Continuing its track record for programming that highlights American subcultures, TLC will announce eight new unscripted series at its upfront presentation for advertisers on Thursday in New York City. Coming off the success of its top rated (and often-debated) series "Here Comes Honey Boo," "Breaking Amish," "Long Island Medium" and "Sister Wives," its new 2013-14 slate ranges from dating to dancing and death. Most notably, the Discovery Communications-owned cable network has ordered "Best Funeral Ever" to series. ... Full Story | Top |
| Christopher Abbott exiting HBO's "Girls," leaving Marnie single again Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 02:54 PM PDT  By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Sorry, Marnie: Christopher Abbott, the actor who plays your nice boyfriend on "Girls," is leaving. HBO confirmed a New York Post report Thursday that Abbott, who plays Charlie, the boyfriend of Allison Williams' character, Marnie, will not be back for Season 3 of Lena Dunham's acclaimed series. Isn't that just so typical. Marnie dumps Charlie, he gets rich with an app, totally takes her back, they have a big talk about how they want to have kids and grow old together, and then he decides not to come back for Season 3. Such a dude. ... Full Story | Top |
| Jim Carrey was considered for "Jurassic Park" and other fun dino-facts Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 02:36 PM PDT  By Brent Lang LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Jim Carrey was considered for a key role in "Jurassic Park," according to a new oral history of the dinosaur disaster flick on Entertainment Weekly. At the time, the rubber-faced comedian was best known for his work playing outrageous characters like Fire Marshall Bill on Fox's "In Living Color," but was not yet a household name. When the film was casting in 1992, he was two years away from his breakout role in "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Hannibal" review: The lambs have a lot on their minds Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 02:33 PM PDT By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - A lot of thought has gone into NBC's "Hannibal." Maybe too much thought. Hannibal Lecter's world has always teemed with life, death, and the animalistic passions in between: death's head moths, man-eating pigs, and of course, the man-eating doctor himself. "Hannibal" builds out that world with deer that double as accessories to murder, fungi that want desperately to connect, and still more macabre insects. ... Full Story | Top |
| "The Company You Keep" review: fugitives, radicals, secrets...but where's the passion? Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 02:29 PM PDT By Alonso Duralde LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - In adapting Neil Gordon's novel about members of the Weather Underground still on the lam decades later for their violent actions, director Robert Redford and screenwriter Lem Dobbs ("The Limey") could have tackled big ideas about dissent and protest, honed a character study about aging radicals and the young journalist chasing after them, or even dug into Redford's past as the star of "All the President's Men" and "Three Days of the Condor" and crafted a gripping thriller. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Walking Dead" promotes 3 cast members to regulars Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 02:27 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Prepare to see a lot more Tyreese, Sasha and Beth on "The Walking Dead." Chad Coleman, Sonequa Martin-Green and Emily Kinney have been bumped up to series regulars on the upcoming fourth season of "The Walking Dead," an individual with knowledge of the situation told "The Wrap" on Wednesday. In addition, Melissa Ponzio, who appeared in four episodes of the series this year as Karen, will return for Season 4 as a recurring character. "The Walking Dead" wrapped its third season on Sunday, amassing 12.4 million total viewers with its finale. ... Full Story | Top |
| "Upstream Color" review: You'll be shocked, repelled and confused - but never bored Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 02:26 PM PDT By Leah Rozen LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - This is an art-house movie with a capital "A." And you might as well capitalize the "R" and the "T," too, because films don't come artier than this. Not that there's anything wrong with that. "Upstream Color" is the eagerly anticipated second film from Shane Carruth, an engineer turned self-taught filmmaker. His first movie was 2004's "Primer," an intriguing, geeky time-travel thriller made for a reported $7,000 - and which won the Grand Jury Prize for drama at the Sundance Film Festival. ... Full Story | Top |
| Britain's "Bond girl" queen wins honorary film award Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 01:56 PM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - Queen Elizabeth was awarded one of Britain's most prestigious entertainment honors on Thursday for her support for the film and television industry. Actor and director Kenneth Branagh presented the 86-year-old monarch with an honorary BAFTA award - Britain's equivalent of Hollywood's Oscars - for her patronage of many of the country's entertainment organizations since coming to the throne in 1952. ... Full Story | Top |
| Beyonce, Jay-Z, Lana Del Rey part of eclectic "Great Gatsby" soundtrack Thursday, Apr 04, 2013 01:21 PM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The setting is still the Roaring Twenties but the soundtrack for Australian film director Baz Luhrmann's take on classic novel "The Great Gatsby" is firmly 21st-century rap, pop and rock. Universal Music on Thursday released the track list for the upcoming movie featuring Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, and Florence + the Machine, as well as a new song, "100$ Bill," by rapper Jay-Z, who is executive producer of the soundtrack. ... Full Story | Top |
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