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| US-MUSIC Summary Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:47 AM PDT Salzburg Festival lets Pereira go early to La Scala VIENNA (Reuters) - The Salzburg Festival has agreed to let director Alexander Pereira go early after falling out over his new post as manager of Milan opera house La Scala. Pereira, who upset Austria's cultural establishment by taking on the La Scala role before finishing his term at the Salzburg classical music festival, will now leave two years early at the end of September 2014. ... Full Story | Top |
| Queens of the Stone Age reign atop Billboard 200 album chart Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:47 AM PDT By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rockers Queens of the Stone Age scored their first No. 1 album on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, knocking electronic duo Daft Punk off the top spot. "...Like Clockwork," the sixth studio album from the California band, sold more than 90,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. French duo Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories," which held the top spot on the chart for two consecutive weeks since its May 17 release, dropped to No. 2 this week with sales of 62,000 copies. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-INDUSTRY Summary Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:37 AM PDT Greek PM faces coalition revolt over state TV shutdown ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras faced a political revolt on Wednesday from partners in his ruling coalition after the government abruptly switched the state broadcaster off the air in the middle of the night. Screens went black on state broadcaster ERT, cutting newscasters off mid-sentence only hours after the decision was announced, in what the government said was a temporary measure to staunch a waste of taxpayers' money. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greek PM faces coalition revolt over state TV shutdown Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:37 AM PDT  By Lefteris Papadimas and Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras faced a political revolt on Wednesday from partners in his ruling coalition after the government abruptly switched the state broadcaster off the air in the middle of the night. Screens went black on state broadcaster ERT, cutting newscasters off mid-sentence only hours after the decision was announced, in what the government said was a temporary measure to staunch a waste of taxpayers' money. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-REVIEW Summary Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:33 AM PDT Could school gate politics replace mommy porn for women readers? LONDON (Reuters) - A British writer whose debut novel about mothers at the school gate sparked a seven-way bidding war between publishers has attributed the overnight success of her book to striking a chord with women used to negotiating the politics of female groups. The hype around "The Hive" led to Gill Hornby being described as publisher Little Brown's "most important new author of 2013" and NBC Universals' arthouse Focus Features snapped up the film rights even before the book's release on May 23. ... Full Story | Top |
| Could school gate politics replace mommy porn for women readers? Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:33 AM PDT By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - A British writer whose debut novel about mothers at the school gate sparked a seven-way bidding war between publishers has attributed the overnight success of her book to striking a chord with women used to negotiating the politics of female groups. The hype around "The Hive" led to Gill Hornby being described as publisher Little Brown's "most important new author of 2013" and NBC Universals' arthouse Focus Features snapped up the film rights even before the book's release on May 23. ... Full Story | Top |
| CA-ENTERTAINMENT Summary Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:29 AM PDT A Minute With: John Krasinski on life after 'The Office' NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Krasinski is best known for playing the handsome, affable salesman Jim Halpert on the hit TV series "The Office," but that could change as the versatile actor tackles new projects, including writing two new scripts. The Massachusetts native will appear on the big screen in the 3D animated film "Monsters University," which opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, providing the voice for "Frightening" Frank McCay in the prequel to the Pixar and Disney 2001 hit movie "Monsters, Inc. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rare 1938 Superman comic book found in U.S. wall fetches $175,000 Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:27 AM PDT LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A rare 75-year-old comic book featuring the debut of Superman found in a Minnesota home's wall fetched $175,000 at auction, comic book seller Comicconnect.com said on Wednesday. The identity of the buyer in the online auction, which ended Tuesday, was not disclosed. The comic book, Action Comics No. 1 from June 1938, was the first appearance of the all-American superhero by writer Jerry Siegel and illustrator Joe Shuster. It had been estimated to sell for about $100,000, Comicconnect. ... Full Story | Top |
| WPP shareholders acquiesce in Sorrell pay row Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 11:18 AM PDT  LONDON (Reuters) - The majority of investors in the world's biggest advertising agency, WPP, on Wednesday backed a 17.6 million pound ($27.6 million) pay package for Chief Executive Martin Sorrell which had drawn fire from critics of lavish boardroom pay. Some 81 percent of shareholders voted for the 2012 executive pay packages, while 19 percent were against. A figure for abstentions was not immediately available. Sorrell's total remuneration was almost double the 11. ... Full Story | Top |
| Disney's ESPN to close 3D cable TV network this year Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 10:59 AM PDT  By Lisa Richwine and Liana B. Baker (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co's TV sports network, ESPN, said it will shut its 3D cable channel in the United States, ending a three-year experiment after sports fans failed to embrace the technology in their homes. ESPN launched the 3D cable channel in 2010 and will close the channel by the end of the year, said ESPN spokeswoman Katina Arnold. It presented 3D broadcasts of college football games and the Masters golf tournament, among other offerings. ... Full Story | Top |
| British music festivals in tune with older, cashed-up fans Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 10:48 AM PDT By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's summer music festival season kicks off this week with a line-up ranging from the Rolling Stones to Beyonce to exiled Tibetan monks designed to attract the modern festival-goer - a 36-year-old with a well-padded wallet. Music festivals have become an integral part of summer for British music fans with Bon Jovi and Blondie at the Isle of Wight festival this weekend, Slipknot and Iron Maiden at metal-fest Download, and Iggy Pop at Yoko Ono's Meltdown in London. ... Full Story | Top |
| Fox TV network gets 5 to 7 percent ad rate increases: source Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 10:47 AM PDT (Reuters) - The Fox broadcast television network has secured rate increases of 5 to 7 percent from advertisers who bought commercial time for the fall season, a source familiar with the negotiations said on Wednesday. Fox, a unit of News Corp, suffered from a ratings decline in the TV season that ended in May, largely due to a drop in viewership for the "American Idol" singing competition. (Reporting by Lisa Richwine and Liana B. Baker; Editing by Gerald E. McCormick) Full Story | Top |
| Families take sides in wake of Bollywood actress's suicide Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 10:07 AM PDT By Shilpa Jamkhandikar MUMBAI (Reuters) - Two Bollywood families have broken their silences over the suicide of starlet Jiah Khan after police arrested actor Suraj Pancholi in connection with his girlfriend's death last week. Pancholi was arrested on Monday after Khan's mother, the 1980s actress Rabia Khan, made public a six-page letter apparently written by the 25-year-old actress before she hanged herself on June 3. Her last phone call was to Pancholi. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-TELEVISION Summary Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 04:07 AM PDT A Minute With: John Krasinski on life after 'The Office' NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Krasinski is best known for playing the handsome, affable salesman Jim Halpert on the hit TV series "The Office," but that could change as the versatile actor tackles new projects, including writing two new scripts. The Massachusetts native will appear on the big screen in the 3D animated film "Monsters University," which opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, providing the voice for "Frightening" Frank McCay in the prequel to the Pixar and Disney 2001 hit movie "Monsters, Inc. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-PEOPLE Summary Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 04:07 AM PDT A Minute With: John Krasinski on life after 'The Office' NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Krasinski is best known for playing the handsome, affable salesman Jim Halpert on the hit TV series "The Office," but that could change as the versatile actor tackles new projects, including writing two new scripts. The Massachusetts native will appear on the big screen in the 3D animated film "Monsters University," which opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, providing the voice for "Frightening" Frank McCay in the prequel to the Pixar and Disney 2001 hit movie "Monsters, Inc. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-FILM Summary Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 04:07 AM PDT A Minute With: John Krasinski on life after 'The Office' NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Krasinski is best known for playing the handsome, affable salesman Jim Halpert on the hit TV series "The Office," but that could change as the versatile actor tackles new projects, including writing two new scripts. The Massachusetts native will appear on the big screen in the 3D animated film "Monsters University," which opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, providing the voice for "Frightening" Frank McCay in the prequel to the Pixar and Disney 2001 hit movie "Monsters, Inc. ... Full Story | Top |
| A Minute With: John Krasinski on life after 'The Office' Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 04:06 AM PDT  By Patricia Reaney NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Krasinski is best known for playing the handsome, affable salesman Jim Halpert on the hit TV series "The Office," but that could change as the versatile actor tackles new projects, including writing two new scripts. The Massachusetts native will appear on the big screen in the 3D animated film "Monsters University," which opens in U.S. theaters on June 21, providing the voice for "Frightening" Frank McCay in the prequel to the Pixar and Disney 2001 hit movie "Monsters, Inc. ... Full Story | Top |
| Salzburg Festival lets Pereira go early to La Scala Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 04:00 AM PDT  VIENNA (Reuters) - The Salzburg Festival has agreed to let director Alexander Pereira go early after falling out over his new post as manager of Milan opera house La Scala. Pereira, who upset Austria's cultural establishment by taking on the La Scala role before finishing his term at the Salzburg classical music festival, will now leave two years early at the end of September 2014. He is due to start at La Scala in 2015. "When I came to Salzburg, I could not have imagined that I would ever do anything other than Salzburg," Pereira told Austrian ORF radio in an interview aired on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Dispatch audio reveals details of Paris Jackson suicide attempt Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 03:19 AM PDT  LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Paris Jackson, the 15-year-old daughter of late pop star Michael Jackson, swallowed 20 pain pills and cut her arm last week in an apparent suicide attempt, according to emergency dispatch audio released on Tuesday. The audio released by the Los Angeles County Fire Department casts new light on the June 5 incident at the Jackson's family residence in Calabasas, California, which prompted a judge who oversees her guardianship case to order an investigation into her "health, education and welfare. ... Full Story | Top |
| US-ARTS Summary Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 02:33 AM PDT Ringo Starr puts his life on display in Grammy Museum exhibit LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr put snapshots of his musical and creative life on display in a new exhibit, "Ringo: Peace & Love," which opened on Tuesday at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Starr, 72, was on hand at the exhibit, which offers an in-depth look at his career as he rose to fame with The Beatles. ... Full Story | Top |
| Hungary "Meistersinger" triumphs over flooding Danube Wednesday, Jun 12, 2013 02:32 AM PDT By Michael Roddy BUDAPEST (Reuters) - The flood-cresting Danube outside Budapest's Bela Bartok concert hall threatened to drown audience, singers, chorus and orchestra alike, but it couldn't dampen the high spirits inside for a new production of Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg". The crowning glory of conductor Adam Fischer's eighth annual "Wagner Days" festival, in Wagner's 200th birthday year, was described as a "masterwork" by Hungarian critic Miklos Fay in Hungarian daily Nepszabadsag following Saturday's premiere that had the audience cheering every act of the five-hour-long ... Full Story | Top |
| Ringo Starr puts his life on display in Grammy Museum exhibit Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 07:13 PM PDT  By John Russell LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr put snapshots of his musical and creative life on display in a new exhibit, "Ringo: Peace & Love," which opened on Tuesday at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Starr, 72, was on hand at the exhibit, which offers an in-depth look at his career as he rose to fame with The Beatles. Highlights include Starr's Ludwig drum kit, used during The Beatles' appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show," and the outfit he wore during the era of the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album, between 1966 and 1967. ... Full Story | Top |
| Warner Bros. Nabs Sci-Fi Thriller 'Defenders' for Donald De Line to Produce (Exclusive) Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 05:55 PM PDT By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - In a pre-emptive pitch deal, Warner Bros. has acquired sci-fi thriller "Defenders," based on the upcoming novel by Hugo Award-winning author Will McIntosh. Donald De Line ("Pain and Gain") will produce through his De Line Pictures banner, while Will Simmons ("Murder City") will write the script. WB is keeping the logline under wraps. Lightspeed Magazine published "Defenders" as a short story in August 2011. The story serves as the basis of McIntosh's novel, which will be published by Orbit in summer 2014. ... Full Story | Top |
| Rogen, Goldberg kill off celebrity friends in 'This Is the End' Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 04:44 PM PDT  By Piya Sinha-Roy LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor Seth Rogen and writer-producer Evan Goldberg, known for R-rated stoner comedies such as "Superbad" and "Pineapple Express," make their debut as directors this week with "This Is the End." Rogen, 31, and Goldberg, 30, told Reuters that they wanted to push the boundaries of comedy by having actors play themselves dealing with an apocalypse in the film, which will be released in North America on Wednesday. ... Full Story | Top |
| Oprah Winfrey Donates $12 Million to Smithsonian's Black History Museum Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 04:43 PM PDT  By Jethro Nededog LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Oprah Winfrey has donated a small chunk of her estimated $2.8 billion net worth to help build The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. The OWN chairman and CEO has just donated $12 million to the museum's capital fund. Combined with a previous donation of $1 million, Winfrey's $13 million is the museum's largest donation to date. "I am so proud of African American history and its contributions to our nation as a whole," Winfrey said in a statement. ... Full Story | Top |
| Donald Glover, Evan Peters Join Lionsgate's 'Reawakening' (Exclusive) Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 04:33 PM PDT By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - "Community" star Donald Glover and "X-Men: Days of Future Past" actor Evan Peters have joined the cast of Lionsgate's horror thriller "Reawakening," TheWrap has learned. They join Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde in the movie, which Jason Blum is producing through his Blumhouse banner along with Mosaic Media Group. David Gelb ("Jiro Dreams of Sushi") is directing from a script written by Jeremy Slater ("Fantastic Four") and Luke Dawson ("Shutter"), who is executive producing with Matt Kaplan. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Hunger Games,' 'Law & Order' Actors Join History's 'Vikings' Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 04:29 PM PDT  By Jethro Nededog LOS ANFGELES (TheWrap.com) - The History Channel is bulking up its "Vikings" cast with two new castings for Season 2. Alexander Ludwig ("The Hunger Games") will play Bjorn, main character Ragnar Lothbrok's (Travis Fimmel) son. He's described as an "intelligent and bold warrior." Additionally, Linus Roache ("Law & Order") comes on as Ecbert, King of Wessex, who the network describes as "a man full of strength, knowledge and undisguised ambition. ... Full Story | Top |
| 'Someone Knows My Name' Bestseller Being Adapted as Miniseries for BET Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 04:20 PM PDT By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Lawrence Hill's bestseller "Someone Knows My Name" is coming to the small screen, in a big way. Originally published in Canada as "The Book of Negroes," the 2007 novel is being adapted into a miniseries that will air on BET in America and CBC in Canada, under its original title. Shooting begins in South Africa in the fall. Clement Virgo ("The Wire" is writing the project, with Hill co-writing. Virgo is also directing. ... Full Story | Top |
| Stacy Keibler's Lifetime Series 'Supermarket Superstar' to Premiere in July Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 04:19 PM PDT  By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Aspiring food entrepreneurs, mark your calendars: Your favorite new reality series will premiere on July 22. "Supermarket Superstar," hosted by former WWE star Stacy Keibler, will feature contestants pitching their food ideas to food-industry professionals, with the ultimate goal of getting their product onto supermarket shelves. In addition to Keibler, the series will feature a panel of mentors that includes chef Michael Chiarello, Mrs. Fields Bakeries founder Debbi Fields and branding expert Chris Cornyn. ... Full Story | Top |
| Ringo Starr Publishing 'Octopus's Garden' Kids' Book Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 03:57 PM PDT  By Tim Kenneally LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Ringo Starr is developing quite the second career as a literary mogul. First came news that the former Beatle is releasing an interactive book of photos from his days with the iconic group. And now he's planning a children's book based on his Beatles song "Octopus's Garden." Simon & Schuster Children's Books said Tuesday that it will publish a picture book edition of the song from the 1969 Beatles album "Abbey Road." The book will include a CD featuring previously unreleased music from Starr and an audio reading of the story. ... Full Story | Top |
| UCLA, LA Film Festival Partner to Support Socially Aware Filmmaking (Exclusive) Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 03:49 PM PDT By Lucas Shaw NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television has partnered with the Los Angeles Film Festival to support filmmaking on subjects of social importance, they announced on Tuesday. UCLA dean Teri Schwartz will host two panels during the upcoming festival, one on films made by immigrants and one about a broader array of issue-driven films. The first of those panels, set for June 15, is titled "Border Crossing: Migrant Storytellers. ... Full Story | Top |
| Can NBC's 'Million Second Quiz' Bring Viewers Back to Primetime? Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 03:48 PM PDT By Tim Molloy NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - Primetime has a lot of problems: It's losing viewers to DVR viewing, cable and the internet, and the viewers who remain keep fast-forwarding through commercials. So NBC is trying to address all those threats at once. The network's around-the-clock "Million Second Quiz," which just received a September 9 premiere date, gives viewers incentives to watch TV in real time all the time. It even pays them, in a way, to sit through ads. There's no telling if the 24/7 quiz show will succeed. ... Full Story | Top |
| Greeks shocked as broadcaster is shut to save money Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 01:42 PM PDT  By Renee Maltezou and Karolina Tagaris ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece announced the closure of its state broadcaster out of the blue on Tuesday, one of the most drastic measures yet in its struggle to shore up its bankrupt state finances and meet the terms of an international bailout. The decision to take ERT off the air at midnight and pay off some 2,600 staff before relaunching it in a slimmed-down form set off a firestorm of protests from trade unions and even junior partners in the ruling coalition. Some of the channels appeared to shut down even before the deadline. ... Full Story | Top |
| Kevin Hart and Josh Gad to Star in Untitled Screen Gems-Miramax Comedy Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013 01:29 PM PDT  By Jeff Sneider LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Kevin Hart and Josh Gad are set to star in an untitled comedy that Jeremy Garelick will direct for Screen Gems and Miramax. Hart will play Jimmy, who provides best man services for socially-challenged grooms who, for whatever reason, have no close friends willing to stand by them on the day of their wedding. Gad will play Doug, a groom-to-be who fabricates not just his best man, but his nine groomsmen as well. Together they must carry out a charade that is designed to make Doug look his best but threatens to destroy everything if it fails. ... Full Story | Top |
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