Notes From Hollywood

In Oscars, No Country for Hit Films

In Oscars, No Country for Hit Films - New York Times:

Thirty-two million people watched the Oscar broadcast last week, fewer than tuned in for the debut of “American Idol” in January, which means that a network-confected competition starring people named Ramiele Malubay and Robbie Carrico trumped a show with eight decades of history and stars like George Clooney and Cate Blanchett for the ultimate achievement in entertainment.

That’s the Hollywood equivalent of an Ultimate Fighting Championship outdrawing the Super Bowl (just wait, that’s coming, too).

Direct-to-DVD Releases Shed Their Loser Label

LOS ANGELES — If you missed the red-carpet premiere for the latest “American Pie” movie, you are not alone. There wasn’t one. “American Pie Presents: Beta House,” the sixth film in the popular comedy series, was sent straight to DVD.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment

The sixth of the “American Pie” series, “Beta House,” arrived in stores last month. 

But it’s not another failed straight-to-video movie collecting dust in Blockbuster. “Beta House,” which reached stores late last month, was made specifically for a DVD release and is likely to end up more profitable for Universal Studios than some of the company’s theatrical releases. The film, which cost less than $10 million to make, is expected to sell more than a million units — in line with two previous “American Pie” installments that were produced specifically for DVD release, according to Universal. That translates to sales of about $30 million before adding revenue from rentals and the sale of distribution rights to cable networks.

Once a dumping ground for movies considered virtually unwatchable, the direct-to-DVD pipeline is becoming increasingly important to mainstream film franchises.

Read more: Direct-to-DVD Releases Shed Their Loser Label - New York Times

Are There Too Many Film Festivals?

Fill a ballroom with directors of film festivals and you'll hear a representative sampling of their anxieties, from the challenges of finding sponsors and attracting media attention to the cost of importing big-name stars for red carpet appearances.

One anxiety left unvoiced at the fourth annual Intl. Film Festival Summit, however, was that there may simply be too many fests, with an estimated 4,000-7,000 worldwide.

Piers Handling, CEO of the Toronto Film Festival Group, said as video viewing on the Internet explodes, audiences will actually find more value in the real-world opportunities that festivals offer to meet filmmakers and fellow cineastes.

But Handling also spoke in his keynote address of worries that the biggest festivals are "verging on being co-opted by the industry," used as a promotional launch pad for more commercial fare.

Read more: Summit addresses film festival issues - Entertainment News, Film News, Media - Variety

Norwegian broadcaster puts popular show online as no-DRM torrent

Norwegian broadcaster puts popular show online as no-DRM torrent - Boing Boing:

Eirikso sez, "NRK, the Norwegian state broadcaster, just made one of their most popular TV shows available for free through bittorrent. Without any DRM or restrictions. Free for the planet to watch. Because this is a completely legal download people seems to seed it happily. Making the bittorrent technology work exceptionally well, giving the audience very high download speeds. The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation will keep on with experiments like these and try to make more content available through this technology in addition to the more traditional channels of streaming, podcasts and DVD sales."