News

By Robert W. Welkos Hollywood’s pivot to Asia is hardly new but it seems nowadays that rarely a week goes by without some big multimillion-dollar deal being announced by U.S.-based entertainment companies with businesses based in the Far East. Universal Studios has announced plans to build a $3.3 billion theme park in Beijing with Hollywood director Steven Spielberg helping in the design efforts and the park, with Harry Potter and other attractions, opening possibly in 2019. Disney is already building a $4.4 billion theme park in China and DreamWorks has a $3.1 billion entertainment complex set to open in 2016 n Shanghai. At the same time, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Brett Ratner’s RatPac Entertainment and global advertising agency Wpp are joining up with Shanghai Media Group and Cmc Capital Partners in a deal that Variety reports involves “films and television properties as well as live stage and theatrical events, including musicals, that...

Warner Bros. has partnered with Shanghai Media Group, Cmc Capital Partners, Wpp and Brett Ratner‘s RatPac Entertainment to create an investment platform for investing in Chinese and international entertainment content opportunities. The platform, called the Cmc Creative Fund, will focus on individual projects in three key areas: film, television and live events.

Warner Bros., RatPac and Wpp — the world's largest communications services group – will also work with their partners at Shanghai and Cmc to share their production and distribution expertise with up-and-coming...

Adding their picks to the awards season deluge, the 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards unveiled the official list of nominees.

Not surprisingly, “The Butler” will compete in categories including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor & Actress and Writing.

Meanwhile, Kerry Washington’s “Scandal” is up for Outstanding Drama Series, and Ms. Washington herself received a nod for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock gushed, “This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change.”

The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards will go live on Friday, February 21st.

And the nominees are:

Television

Outstanding Comedy Series

"House of Lies" (Showtime)

"Modern Family" (ABC)

"Real Husbands of Hollywood" (Bet)

"The Game" (Bet)

"The Soul Man" (TV Land)

Outstanding Actor in...

As Deadline reported in the summer, Warner Bros Pictures has found its replacement to fill the void left when Thomas Tull moved Legendary Pictures down the road to Universal. RatPac-Dune Entertainment has made a multi-year agreement to co-finance as many as 75 upcoming titles at up to $450 million. The announcement was made today by Warner Bros CEO Kevin Tsujihara and by Steven Mnuchin, Brett Ratner and James Packer of RatPac-Dune Entertainment, the film finance vehicle formed by Mnuchin and RatPac Entertainment to co-finance the Warner Bros Pictures slate.

Oz Billionaire James Packer Partners With Brett Ratner On RatPac The co-fi deal starts with the October 4 release Gravity, and the December 25 release Grudge Match. The studio laid off risk in the past with Village Roadshow Pictures and Legendary. “We are very pleased to be entering into this relationship with RatPac-Dune Entertainment,...

Jake Gyllenhaal presents Meryl Streep with a Golden Bear statuette in Berlin.

Happy Birthday to Janice Dickinson, who turns 57, Jane Child is 45, Alex Borstein is 42, Renee O'Connor is 41, Matt Groening is 58, and the Faboo Melissa Manchester is 61. Time to name your top five Melissa songs! Here are mine: 5. "Mathematics," 4. "No One Can Love You Like Me," 3. "Through The Eyes Of Love," 2. "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" 1."Thief Of Hearts." Rick Santorum keeps racking up the important endorsements. How long before Mustaine releases a statement that he's changed his mind and "really didn't understand" what Santorum's views were? In ratings news, everything stunk last night. Cougar Town's return was its lowest rated episode, Glee was down 15%, and Ringer was down 40%!Following his Oscar debacle, Brett Ratner has been working with GLAAD, and will produce and direct "an upcoming video series that will feature Hollywood celebrities, athletes, musicians...

Brand new distributor Gigapix has picked up Darren Lynn Bousman's horror film Mother's Day!

From the Press Release:

Gigapix Studios, Inc. announced today that they have started a U.S. theatrical distribution company, Gigapix Releasing, which has acquired the rights to several films for theatrical release. Gigapix Releasing has access to a print and advertising fund through New Legacy Media. New Legacy Media is a conglomerate that has provided prints and advertising investments to over one hundred films via investments in Star Partners, The New Millennium Fund and P & A Partners I, II and III.

In forming Gigapix Releasing, Gigapix Studios, Inc. has teamed up with outside partners and investors (i.e., Geno Taylor, formerly CEO of Polychrome Pictures, and David Williams, head of New Legacy as the print and advertising provider). In addition to the New Legacy print and advertising fund, Gigapix Releasing and New Legacy are working...

There's a new horror distributor getting ready to sharpen its fangs and take a bite out of the industry, and we'd like to take a moment to introduce you to the company handling Darren Bousman's Mother's Day and more!

From the Press Release

Gigapix Studios, Inc. announced today that they have started a U.S. theatrical distribution company, Gigapix Releasing, which has acquired the rights to several films for theatrical release. Gigapix Releasing has access to a print and advertising fund through New Legacy Media. New Legacy Media is a conglomerate that has provided prints and advertising investments to over one hundred films via investments in Star Partners, The New Millennium Fund and P & A Partners I, II and III.

In forming Gigapix Releasing, Gigapix Studios, Inc. has teamed up with outside partners and investors (i.e., Geno Taylor, formerly CEO of Polychrome Pictures, and David Williams, head of...

So in last Sunday’s much-discussed episode of Brothers & Sisters, Kevin and Scotty considered having a threeway with Kevin’s oh-so-forward ex, Chad.

I didn’t mind that Kevin and Scotty ultimately decided not to go through with it – that seems to fit their characters, after all.

But I was shocked that the writers managed to do a whole storyline about a gay couple considering whether or not to have a threeway … without ever saying a single interesting thing about a gay couple considering whether or not to have a threeway!

No matter. It’s still enough of an excuse to declare this the “Threeway Edition” of B.G.W.E!

Incest, “Fun Buddies,” And Teabagging, Oh My!

Along with Brothers & Sisters’ potential threeway, the big news last week was when easily-manipulated Fox viewers decided to protest the fact that President Obama has already cut taxes for most taxpayers (while...