YDJ News Share: December 2011

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Academy Considers Moving Oscars From Kodak Theatre (Exclusive)

Academy Considers Moving Oscars From Kodak Theatre

Alex Ben Block
AMPAS has exercised an option to potentially move the Academy Awards to another venue after the 2013 show.

Oscar Voting Confusion: Some Academy Members Befuddled by New Ballots

Scott Feinberg
THR explains why the ballots ask them to nominate only five films for best picture even though there might ultimately be as many as 10 best picture nominees.

11 Tech Pioneers Who Died in 2011

11 Who Died in 2011 (And Were Not Named Steve)

This article is not about Steve Jobs. Here are 11 other technology giants who left us this year, and the amazing legacies they left behind.

Box Office Shocker: Movie Attendance Falls to Lowest Level in 16 Years

Pamela McClintock
Preliminary estimates show that 1.28 billion people went to the movies in North America in 2011, down 4.4 percent from 2010 and the lowest number since 1995; the good news: foreign box office revenues are at an all-time high.

Tintin

When news that Steven Spielberg planned to make a movie of Tintin, the Belgian comic-book hero, first circulated a few years ago, responses among critics ranged from leeriness to undisguised confusion. "I fear this well-financed new imagining of Tintin will smother my own lifelong construct," fretted Charles Trueheart in the Weekly Standard. "Spielberg Takes On Tintin, but Why?" a headline in the New York Observer asked. Tintin—a young, adventure-prone reporter created in the late 1920s by Georges Remi, aka "Hergé"—has sold more than 200 million books in more than 50 languages, yet the character remains, to American eyes, a product on par with the likes of ABBA or the metric system: odd, limited, and, for all its global pop charisma, something of an offbeat interest on our own, warier cultural shores.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Cheetah, Primate Actor from 'Tarzan' Films, Dies

Michael O'Connell

The chimpanzee, who was about 80 at his time of death, appeared in the early 1930s installments of the famous franchise.

Academy Awards 'Celebrate the Movies' With New Oscar Poster

Michael O'Connell
For the 84th annual awards, the one-sheet pairs the Oscar statuette with images of eight winning films from eight decades.

Dick Clark: 'Rockin'-est moments?

In next EW mag, New Year's Eve's main man shares fave memories; see choice clips, add your thoughts

'Bambi,' 'Forrest Gump' Added to National Film Registry

Mike Barnes
"The Lost Weekend," "The Silence of the Lambs," "The War of the Worlds" and "Stand and Deliver" are also among the latest 25 films to be preserved by the Library of Congress.

Academy Mails Oscar Nomination Ballots

Gregg Kilday
The 5,738 voting members of the Academy have until Jan. 13 to decide on nominees for the 84th Academy Awards.

Why Google Just Can't Quit the Muppets

It's no longer news when the company that once famously refused to run commercials does so -- another sign of conventionality in the company that promised not to be conventional -- but it is still rare enough to be worthy of analysis. Behold: The Muppets do a Google+ Hangout.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Marion Segal Freed, Film Editor, Dies at 77

Mike Barnes
Former wife of actor George Segal worked on several of his films, including "Fun With Dick and Jane."

'Fast Five,' 'Hangover II,' 'Thor' Top List of Year's Most Pirated Movies

Kimberly Nordyke
But the average number of BitTorrent downloads for this year's top 10 was significantly lower than last year.

How Smartphones Are Changing Photography: The Numbers Are In

Although global smartphone adoption is still just below 30 percent, smartphone photography is growing in popularity, disrupting traditional camera use. NPD made this trend clear in its Imaging Confluence Study, which found that smartphones accounted for 27 percent of photos shot this year.

How Women Saved the Music Industry in 2011

Shirley Halperin
Rihanna, Adele and Katy Perry are among the female stars who helped dig the business out of a seven-year sales slump.

Ceremony Celebrating 65th Anniversary of 'It's a Wonderful Life' Today in Hollywood

It's almost Christmas, and that means presents, trees, (Chinese food for us Jews), and marathon viewings of "It's a Wonderful Life," the 1946 classic starring James Stewart as as building and loan operator George Bailey. To celebrate the 65th anniversary of this yuletide favorite, City News Service reports that a ceremony will be held on the Walk of Fame at 10:30 a.m. [ more › ]

Yule Log TV

Even if you're not a yule log devotee, at this point you're probably at least familiar with the phenomenon. You know, that crackling log that burns in the fireplace … on your TV. Ever wonder where this quirky idea originated? Watch the video to find out how the yule log came to television and how it's found renewed life online.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

R-Rated Toons; 'Tintin' Should Be Eligible for Ani Oscar

THR's Animation Roundtable: 7 Top Filmmakers Debate R-Rated Toons and If 'Tintin' Should Be Eligible for Ani Oscar

Matthew Belloni , Noela Hueso
The directors of "Winnie the Pooh," "Cars 2," "Puss in Boots," "Kung Fu Panda 2," "Rio," "Rango" and "Tintin's" animation supervisor also discuss their influences and 3D.

2012: The Year Mobile Reading Grows Up

It seems increasingly likely that next year won¿t just bring modest updates to smartphones, tablets and e-readers but genuine, revolutionary transformations.

Herky-Jerky 'Humans': Legacy of Disney's Audio-Animatronics

Jerky 'Humans': Legacy of Disney's Audio-Animatronics

As far back as the late 1940s, long before the "uncanny valley," Uncle Walt was working on willies-inducing automated puppets.

10 best videogames of 2011

''Dead Space 2,'' ''FIFA 12,'' ''Batman: Arkham City'' all made our list -- see how we ranked year's best

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

I Used to Be a TV Producer, Until Apple Canceled My Show

Apple Canceled My Show

The combination of MobileMe's galleries and Apple's diminutive set-top box let anyone with a Mac publish videos and photos to anyone with an AppleTV. But now that iCloud has done away with the galleries feature, it's going to take the launch of an App Store for AppleTV to bring back the missing functionality.

Brad Bird Talks Ghost Protocol and Making Great Movies

Songwriter's Estate Wants Control Over 'Santa Claus is Comin' To Town'

Eriq Gardner
A songwriter behind a holiday classic is trying to rip it from EMI's grip. The music publisher has received a termination notice, will it pout or cry?

Making Flat, Mid-Century Comic Book Characters Look 3-D for Tintin

The visual effects supervisor for Spielberg's new The Adventures of Tintin shows how the story went from page to screen.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

'The Help' Named Best Film of 2011 by Black Film Critics Circle

Gregg Kilday
Group gives acting awards to Viola Davis, Olivier Litondo, Octavia Spencer and Albert Brooks.

Vince Pace Reveals How Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo' Is Changing the Future of 3D Filmmaking

John Gaudiosi
The co-chairman of the Cameron | Pace Group says the world's first "CPG Certified" 3D movie has already captured Hollywood studios' attention, surpassing even the work CPG did for James Cameron's "Avatar."

'Kojak' Actor Dan Frazer Dies

Associated Press
An AMPAS member, Frazer's credits included "Deconstructing Harry," "Gideon's Trumpet" and "Barney Miller."

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’

They expected a TV comedy with a laugh track, and got instead a wry, melancholy commentary on the holiday season. (The network also objected to real children voicing all of the characters.) The brass was particularly wary of the religious overtones that Sparky insisted the special carry on the air. According to Mendelson, the executives agreed to air it “once and that will be all.”

New Dark Knight Rises Trailer: Sexy Catwoman, Menacing Bane

New <em>Dark Knight Rises</em> Trailer: Sexy Catwoman, Menacing Bane

TV: Newswire: A nerdy nation wonders what Kim Jong Il's death means for 30 Rock

TV: Newswire: A nerdy nation wonders what Kim Jong Il's death means for 30 Rock

As soon as it was revealed that North Korea’s dear leader Kim Jong Il had at last evolved beyond the human realm and assumed glorious reign over Heaven, where he’s already beaten everyone at golf, the nation immediately began asking itself about the ramifications his promotion held for us—namely, what’s going to happen on 30 Rock now? After all, the last we saw of Elizabeth Banks’ Avery Jessup, she had been kidnapped while on assignment and married off to son and successor Kim Jong Un, sentenced to a life of sunflower picking and eating enough food ...

The Best Viral Videos of 2011

Kittehs, Chatbots, Kim Jong-Il: The Best Viral Videos of 2011

These are the videos that kept millions of us mesmerized (and caused some of us to spit milk out our noses) this year. Watch at your own risk.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Former Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel Dies at 75

Stuart Kemp
Former dissident playwright and recently debuted filmmaker dies after prolonged ill health.

How rappers like Jay-Z have risen from do-rags to riches

Cash Flow

Rap music is the defining American art form of our time. In its showmanship, its exuberance, its hunger for innovation, its love of technology and its ruthless competitive discipline, it represents mass culture in the US like no other medium.

Friday, December 16, 2011

Why 'Midnight in Paris' Is a Contender Despite Woody Allen's Aversion to Oscar

Stephen Galloway
The director has attended the Academy Awards ceremony only once during his lengthy career.

Internet Braces For Stream-Only Netflix

Internet Braces For Stream-Only Netflix

The U.S. Postal Service is cutting back on one-day delivery and the decision has many wondering if the days of shipping and receiving those red Netflix envelopes are nearly over. CEO Reed Hastings recently described the DVD business as being in "a slow decline over the next, well, many years." The question is how this slow wind-down will affect the Internet.

The .XXX Domain Arrives, to a World That Has Moved On

The .XXX Domain Arrives, to a World That Has Moved On

After eleven years of controversy, the .XXX domain name went on general sale last week. Its fate could determine the further expansion of new top-level domains.

How Oscar's Wide-Open Best Picture Race Is Shaping Up

Scott Feinberg
THR's Scott Feinberg names the frontrunners for the Academy Awards' top honor as well as a few wild cards.

10 Ways B-Movie Master Roger Corman Changed Filmmaking

10 Ways B-Movie Master Roger Corman Changed Filmmaking

The grindhouse auteur's mad mix of imagination and innovation changed movie-making forever. New documentary Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel explores his colorful contributions to cinema.

Vanity Fair's Christopher Hitchens Dies at 62

Kimberly Nordyke
UPDATED: The controversial writer and TV pundit took aim at such targets as Mel Gibson, Michael Moore, Bob Hope, Bill Clinton, Mother Teresa and organized religion.

Captain America Creator Joe Simon Dies at 98

Andy Lewis
The legendary team of Simon and Jack Kirby introduced the character in 1941, months before Pearl Harbor.

Barbara Walters Names Steve Jobs Most Fascinating Person of the Year (Video)

Rebecca Ford
The Kardashians, Katy Perry, Herman Cain and Donald Trump were also featured on her annual top 10 list.

Golden Globe Awards Nominations: Key Stats, Inclusions and Snubs (Analysis)

Scott Feinberg

Among others, Brendan Gleeson, Jodie Foster, and Kate Winslet are nominees, but Gary Oldman, Elizabeth Olsen and Melissa McCarthy are not.

No RIP for VIPs: Dead Stars Rise to Make Sales Pitches

No RIP for VIPs: Dead Stars Rise to Make Sales Pitches

From Fred Astaire to Lady Di, it seems no dead celebrity is safe from being resurrected to move merchandise.