Monsters University, Frozen Top Annie Noms

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1 Daily Page 1 of 7 Inside: new bourne pic due august 2015 PAge 2 history, berry set to team on hannibal mini PAge 3 mann wins first round in royalty suit PAge 5 judge dismisses ghostman suit PAge 5 movie review: mandela PAge 6 Monsters University, Frozen Top Annie Noms By Carolyn Giardina Frozen, Monsters University, The Croods and Despicable Me 2 lead the field of nominees for this year s Annie Awards, held annually by the International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood. In a crowded year for animated films, Disney s Frozen and Pixar Animation Studios Monsters University earned 10 nominations each, followed by DreamWorks Animation s Croods and Illumination Entertainment and Universal s Despicable Me 2, which were close behind with nine nominations each. The slate of nominees for best animated feature included those four films as well as A Letter to Momo (GKIDS), Ernest & Celestine (GKIDS) and The Wind Rises (Studio Ghibli and The Walt In a crowded year for animated pics, Pixar Animation Studios Monsters University, left, and Disney s Frozen earned 10 Annie nominations each. Disney Studios). The noms in the category for directing in an animated feature production didn t completely match the best animated feature category. The films with nominated directors are Croods, Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco; Frozen, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (who also was nominated for writing); Ernest & Celestine, Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar and Stephane Aubier; DWA s Turbo, David Soren; and Blue Sky Studios Epic, Chris Wedge. Despicable Me 2 had a particularly strong showing in the voice acting category, with nominations for Steve Carell as the voice of Gru, Kristen Wiig as the voice of see page 2

2 Page 2 of 7 movie news FROM page 1 Lucy and the movie s cohelmer Pierre Coffin as the voice of the lovable Minions. The Annie Awards recognize animation in areas including features, television, commercials and shorts. Winners will be announced Feb. 1 during a ceremony at UCLA s Royce Hall. Steven Spielberg, Phil Tippett and Katsuhiro Otomo have been selected to receive Winsor McCay Awards for career contributions to animation. Also during this year s ceremony, the June Foray Award will be presented to Alice Davis for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation, and a certificate of merit will be awarded for the documentary I Know That Voice. Click here for a complete list of nominees. 12 Years a Slave Leads Satellite film Nominees By Gregg Kilday 12 Years a Slave led the list of film nominations for the 18th annual Satellite Awards, announced Monday by the International Press Academy, an association of entertainment journalists. Slave scored 10 noms, followed by American Hustle and Gravity, both with eight, Rush with seven, and Inside Llewyn Davis and Saving Mr. Click here to see the winners of the 23rd annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. Banks, both with six. The group s nominations cover 38 categories, including 19 for film, 13 for television, two for Blu-ray/DVD and four for video games. Breaking Bad, House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black topped the list of TV nominees with four each. The Satellite Awards ceremony is set to be held March 9 in Los Angeles. The nominees for best film consist of Slave, All Is Lost, Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, Gravity, Davis, Philomena, Banks and The Wolf of Wall Street. In the top acting categories, best actress nominations were bestowed upon Amy Adams (Hustle), Cate Blanchett (Jasmine), Sandra Bullock (Gravity), Judi Dench (Philomena), Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Color), Julia Louis- Dreyfus (Enough Said), Meryl Streep (August: Osage County) and Emma Thompson (Mr. Banks), while best actor noms went to Christian Bale (Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Leonardo DiCaprio (Wolf), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Slave), Tom Hanks (Phillips), Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club), Robert Redford (Lost) and Forest Whitaker (Lee Daniels The Butler). Director nominations went to Jasmine s Woody Allen, Davis Ethan and Joel Coen, Gravity s Alfonso Cuaron, Phillips Paul Greengrass, Slave s Steve McQueen, Hustle s David O. Russell and Wolf s Martin Scorsese. A complete list of nominations can be found at PressAcademy.com. New Bourne Pic to Hit Theaters in summer 2015 By Pamela McClintock Justin Lin s untitled Bourne film is set to open in theaters Aug. 14, The next chapter in the action-spy franchise returns Jeremy Renner in the role of Aaron Cross following the boxoffice success of 2012 s The Bourne Legacy. It s the first Lin time Lin has helmed a Bourne pic for Universal. He s most famous for directing the Fast & Furious movies, but isn t at the helm of Fast & Furious 7, which has become shrouded in tragedy following the death of actor Paul Walker in a car crash. Longtime Bourne producer Frank Marshall is returning for the next installment, and will produce alongside Jeffrey Weiner and Ben Smith for Captivate. Lin also will produce for his Perfect Storm Entertainment. Inspired by Robert Ludlum s book series, the Bourne film franchise underwent a major transformation with the departure of star Matt Damon and arrival of Renner. Universal also announced a Aug. 8, 2014 release date for Luc Besson s Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman. The actionthriller, produced by Virginie Besson-Silla and Besson s EuropaCorp, follows a woman who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior. Tribeca Film Nabs Rights to Palo Alto By Tatiana Siegel Tribeca Film has acquired North American rights to Emma Roberts-James Franco starrer Palo Alto. Written and directed by Gia Coppola and based on Franco s short story collection of the same name, the film also stars Jack Kilmer, Nat Wolff, Zoe Levin and Val Kilmer. Palo Alto, which screened at this year s Venice, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, is being readied for a spring theatrical release. The pic weaves together three stories of teenage lust, boredom and self-destruction, including one centered on shy, sensitive April (Roberts), torn between an illicit flirtation with her soccer coach (Franco) and an unrequited crush on sweet stoner Teddy (Kilmer). The second story centers on Emily (Levin), who offers sexual favors to any boy who crosses her path. The third revolves around the dangerous exploits of Teddy and his friend, Fred (Wolff), whose behavior may or may not be sociopathic. Palo Alto, Coppola s directorial bow, is a James Franco and Rabbit Bandini Productions presentation, produced by Sebastian Pardo, Adriana Rotaru, Miles Levy and Vince Jolivette. The deal was negotiated for Tribeca Film by Nick Savva. Attorneys Barry Hirsch and George Hayum repped the filmmakers. thr

3 Page 3 of 7 tv news History, Berry to Team on Hannibal Miniseries By Philiana Ng History Channel is developing a Hannibal miniseries with Halle Berry. The series, a co-production by A+E Studios and Red Arrow Entertainment, will tell the story of the greatest generals in antiquity Hannibal Barca and his archrival Scipio Berry Africanus who went head-to-head in the Second Punic War. Oscarnominated scribe Jeffrey Caine (The Constant Gardener, GoldenEye) will write the script, with Berry serving as executive producer. Hannibal was not only the greatest African general to ever live, he may have been the greatest general, period, said Berry in a statement. His story is an intricate and captivating ride, and I m thrilled to get this project off the ground with our partners at History. Hannibal kicks off in Carthage, in 264 B.C., at the beginning of his life in North Africa and goes through the second Punic War between Carthage and Rome. Hannibal and Scipio take a sacred vow to destroy the other and the nation he serves. However, despite their fiercely opposed allegiances, the two are brought together and grow to respect each other as brothers. For Berry s part, the pact with History marks the Oscar winner s latest trek into television. It was announced earlier this year that Berry will star in CBS 13-episode summer series Extant from executive producer Steven Spielberg, and she inked a two-year first-look deal with CBS Television Studios. Berry starred in HBO s Introducing Dorothy Dandridge, for which she earned an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a SAG Award, and she also snagged Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role in Oprah Winfrey s Their Eyes Were Watching God. In addition to Berry, executive producers on the Hannibal project are Steven Jensen, Vincent Cirrincione and Caine. Simon Maxwell will executive produce for Red Arrow, while History and H2 s executive vp and GM Dirk Hoogstra, Elaine Frontain Bryant and Julian P. Hobbs will be executives in charge of production for History. Should History move forward with Hannibal (not to be confused with NBC s Hannibal, which is based on the character Hannibal Lecter from the Thomas Harris novels), it would mark the cable network s latest foray into scripted TV, where it has successfully launched the Emmy-winning Hatfields & McCoys miniseries, Vikings and The Bible. History also is developing a Roots remake and has four-hour miniseries Houdini on tap, as well as Bonnie & Clyde set to air Sunday and Monday on multiple networks. midseason finale of DEAD draws 12.1 mil viewers By Michael O Connell TV s biggest hit closed out the first half of its fourth season on Sunday night, and while The Walking Dead s ratings were predictably massive, the show set no new record. The AMC drama pulled 12.1 million viewers in its premiere telecast. That s down from the 16.1 million premiere but an improvement from last December s comparable episode (10.5 million). In the targeted adults 18-49, Dead scored a massive 7.7 million viewers. (That translates to a 6.2 rating in the demo, easily making it the biggest non-football effort over the last week.) The first eight episodes of Dead s current season have been significantly stronger than previous outings, averaging 13.0 million viewers and 8.4 million adults in the 9 p.m. time slot. In total viewers, that marks a 29 percent improvement from the beginning of season three in It easily stands as the highest-rated series in cable and is currently the top show across all of television in adults There was one record set on Saturday, however. Companion series Talking Dead brought in a series-high 6 million viewers, 3.8 million of them adults Dead returns Feb. 9. The Walking Dead ratings timeline (*record at the time): Season 4 premiere, Oct. 13, 2013: 16.1 million total viewers*, 10.4 million adults 18-49, 8.8 million Season 3 finale, March 31, 2013: 12.4 million total viewers*, 8.1 million 18-49*, 7 million 25-54* Season 3 midseason premiere, Feb. 10, 2013: 12.3 million total viewers*, 6.8 million 18-49, 6.7 million 25-54* Season 3 midseason finale, Dec. 2, 2012: 10.5 million total viewers, 6.9 million 18-49, 6 million Season 3 premiere, Oct. 14, 2012: 10.9 million total viewers, 7.3 million 18-49, 6.1 million 25-54* Season 2 finale, March 18, 2012: 9 million total viewers, 6 million 18-49, 5.3 million 25-54* Season 2 midseason premiere, Feb. 12, 2012: 8.1 million total, 5.4 million 18-49*, 4.4 million 25-54* Season 2 premiere, Oct. 16, 2011: 7.3 million total, 4.8 million 18-49*, 4.2 million 25-54* Season 2 midseason finale, Nov. 27, 2011: 6.6 million total, 4.5 million 18-49, 3.9 million Season 1 finale, Dec : 6 million total, 4 million 18-49, 3.5 million Season 1 premiere, Oct. 31, 2010: 5.4 million total viewers, 2.7 million thr

4 Page 4 of 7 tv news Champion Exits ABC News for Weather Channel By Marisa Guthrie NEW YORK Sam Champion, who has been a part of the reinvention of Good Morning America, is exiting ABC News for The Weather Channel. Champion s exit marks the first change to the GMA team since the show overtook NBC s Champion once-dominant Today last year. Ginger Zee, who has been a frequent fillin in for Champion on GMA, will replace him. Champion had been in contract negotiations with ABC News executives for some time. His GMA colleagues Josh Elliott and Lara Spencer also are negotiating new deals. Meanwhile, Robin Roberts, who returned to GMA full-time in September, has completed a new deal to remain at ABC News, sources told The Hollywood Reporter. Champion leaves ABC News, where he has worked for 25 years, for a robust new role at The Weather Channel, a division of the NBC- Universal News Group. He ll anchor a new flagship morning program, set to launch early next year. And he ll assume managing editor responsibilities at the channel, which has increasingly sought to become a destination during times other than weather disasters. Champion will relocate from New York to Atlanta for the gig. In an to employees announcing the move, ABC News president Ben Sherwood noted Champion s 25 years at the news division and added that he is leaving to become the on-air face of the network, which Champion himself characterized as a once in a lifetime opportunity. Over the years at GMA, Sam has broadcast more than 1,800 weather forecasts, wrote Sherwood. He has traveled to almost every major weather event in the U.S. As many of you know, Sam s Go bag is always ready, and his stellar reporting during Superstorm Sandy contributed to ABC s Peabody Award for coverage of that historic storm. Added Weather Channel president David Clark: Sam is already one of the top names in morning television, as well as one of the country s most respected and trusted weather reporters. He will add a great deal to our network and be a great addition to our already proven and stellar team of talented weather professionals. With his commitment to understanding, predicting and explaining the power of weather in our lives, Sam perfectly embodies The Weather Channel s brand philosophy, It s Amazing Out There. Girls Producer signs HBO Deal By Lesley Goldberg HBO is locking up Murray Miller. The Girls co-executive producer has inked a twoyear overall deal with the premium cable network. Under the pact, the American Dad and King of the Hill alum will be promoted to executive producer on the Lena Dunham series. Additionally, Miller will team with Enlightened s Mike White to develop comedy project Mr. Romance set up at the cabler. Based on Joshuah Bearman s 2010 McSweeney s article The Only Muscle I Can t Control: In Search of the Next Romance Novel Cover Man, the nonfiction story recounts the 14th annual Mr. Romance Cover Model Competition and the quest to find the next Fabio. Miller will co-write the comedy script alongside Casper Christensen (who wrote and starred in Danish pic Klown). White and David Bernad will executive produce via their Rip Cord Productions banner. Bearman will also serve as an executive producer on the project. Miller is repped by UTA and attorneys Don Walerstein and Matt Walerstein; White and Bernad are with UTA and Sloane Offer; Berman is with UTA, Circle of Confusion and attorney Linda Lichter; and Christensen is with CAA and Douglas Entertainment. thr

5 Page 5 of 7 Legal news Mann Wins First Round in Digital Music Lawsuit By Eriq Gardner NEW YORK In July, Aimee Mann brought a noteworthy lawsuit over the possible existence of a massive amount of unlicensed music being streamed online. In the cross-hairs of her multimillion-dollar legal claims was a company called MediaNet, originally backed by EMI, AOL, BMG and RealNetworks before being taken over by a private equity firm. MediaNet is essentially a white label that has served up more than 22 million songs to more than 40 music services, including Yahoo Music, Playlist.com, ebay and various online radio services. Mann sued the company for allegedly infringing 120 of her songs, saying that a license agreement signed in 2003 expired three years later. There was also hint that she wasn t alone. Her lawyer told The Hollywood Reporter at the time that the lawsuit served as a call to other artists to follow the lead set by Radiohead and Pink Floyd to put an end to the unlicensed, uncompensated use of their music by online services. In reaction to the lawsuit, MediaNet maintained it had a valid license. On Friday, however, a California federal judge punched a big hole in this defense. MediaNet s argument to support a valid license was premised upon a provision Mike Coppola/Getty Images Singer-songwriter Aimee Mann has sued a company responsible for providing millions of songs to big online streaming services. of its agreement with Mann purportedly granting it an ongoing statutory license even after the agreement s termination. The company maintained that the provision of the contract allowed it to exploit Section 115 of the Copyright Act without having to serve notice. But Mann s attorneys responded by saying the provision applied to works first made available during the license term, and U.S. District Judge George King accepted the plaintiff s argument. This is a reasonable interpretation of the license agreement, and MediaNet has failed to argue otherwise, wrote King. Accordingly, Mann has adequately alleged that MediaNet does not have a Section 115 compulsory license to use her pre- December 5, 2003 and post- December 4, 2006 songs. Mann s three-year license also had a provision for automatic two-year extensions. The songwriter said her reps had sent a termination notice, and while MediaNet doubted the validity of her termination, Mann s lawyers also argued that the autorenewal provision was unenforceable under a bit of New York law that frowned upon such a thing without proper notice. The judge shrugged off MediaNet s contentions that the law couldn t apply to an intellectual property license and was intended to be a consumer protection statute, saying the services rendered by MediaNet in connection with Mann s property place it squarely within the scope of the New York law. MediaNet fared no better in escaping a charge of secondary infringement for allegedly causing others to infringe her works. King wrote, Because MediaNet s service functions (and Media- Net profits) by distributing music to its business partners and end users, Mann has done enough to set forth plausible claims for secondary infringement. Only MediaNet s motion to dismiss a rescission claim is granted. The judge has given 21 days for Mann to amend the lawsuit, expressing doubt as to whether Mann would be entitled to rescission of her contract if monetary damages could suffice. But the judge suggested a breach of contract claim might adequately be pled as an alternative. Warners wins Ghostman suit By Eriq Gardner NEW YORK A judge in Massachusetts has dismissed a lawsuit brought against Warner Bros. after the studio acquired rights to Ghostman, a planned film adaptation of Roger Hobbs novel about a fixer who helps bank robbers disappear after botched heists. Michael Kenney alleged he had developed a comic book, screenplay and film also titled Ghostman and that Warner Bros. had copied elements of his works. In a ruling on Friday, U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns noted that the plaintiff didn t have any direct knowledge of copying by Warners, so Kenney had to show that the studio enjoyed access to his work and a substantial degree of similarity. Both necessities have proven fatal to Kenney s lawsuit. The judge said that Kenney s registration of a screenplay with the Writer s Guild, publication of the screenplay through media interviews and a lack of materials offered on his website were insufficient to show that the studio had a reasonable opportunity of access. Allegations of similar themes and Ghostman lead characters and titles also weren t enough to support Kenney s claims of having his work stolen. thr

6 Page 6 of 7 movie review Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom By David Rooney It takes a commanding actor to fill the shoes of the man most instrumental in ending institutionalized oppression in South Africa, and the charismatic Idris Elba proves equal to the task in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Directed by Justin Chadwick with perhaps an inhibiting sense of cultural responsibility but also with the emotional sweep that such a momentous life story demands, this is sumptuously produced epic bio-drama stamped from the classic mold. The success of The Help and Lee Daniels The Butler showed that audiences will turn out for pics about race. The challenge facing The Weinstein Co. with this film will be to test whether that holds for a history lesson set on the other side of the world. Like the aforementioned hits, Mandela is straightforward storytelling of a type that s somewhat out of fashion, but ultimately no less stirring for it. The opening is uneven, reaching bluntly for instant inspirational notes and then larding the early scenes with a busy selection of music choices in an effortful bid to escape the constraints of the didactic biopic. But the twoand-a-half-hour pic finds its voice and improves steadily, anchored by the conviction of the lead performance and terrific support from Naomie Harris as Winnie Mandela. Idris Elba and Naomie Harris are bound together in a struggle for racial equality in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Adapted by William Nicholson from Nelson Mandela s autobiography, which supplies the subtitle, the movie unfolds in exhaustive detail, providing context if not a great deal of complexity. It traces Nelson s Xhosa roots in the rural hills; his politicization as a young lawyer; his rise to prominence in the initially nonviolent African National Congress; his increasing militancy in the face of shocking acts of brutality against black South Africans; and his arrest and conviction with a handful of close ANC colleagues on charges of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government. The personal focus behind this trajectory is on Nelson s sustaining love for his wife, played with grace and powerful anger by Harris. Winnie steps into his life soon after the exit of his first wife (Terry Pheto), driven away by his womanizing. Undeterred by his track record, she informs him that she s not like his other girls, and we believe her. Beneath the sweetness of this poised young beauty there s an unyielding sense of purpose. This keeps her staunchly behind her husband s radical activism even at great personal cost, but also hints at the ideological divide to come during the long years of his incarceration. The controversial aspects of Winnie Mandela s life are not glossed over, and Harris gives convincing evidence of her irreversible hardening as she continues to endorse violence long after her more moderate husband has publicly condemned its use in the struggle. The film gains in momentum as it marches through Nelson s 27 years in prison toward his eventual release, going on to lead the negotiations that brought down the curtain on apartheid. The inhumanity of that white supremacist regime still has a gut-wrenching impact, making it now seem inconceivable that it remained in place until The continuing echoes of that recent history help muffle the drama s lack of formal invention. While Elba s gifts have been tapped in his television work on The Wire and Luther, few if any films have showcased the British actor s range quite so expansively as Mandela. From an early scene with him in training as an amateur boxer he shows a rangy physicality, an absolute ease in his body that enhances his magnetism. That dynamic presence feeds the warmth as well as the authority and dignity of the man. He s also uncannily like the real Mandela in his voice and accent work. As Nelson s face grows heavier and his hair turns gray during his years of confinement, he becomes more introspective, acquiring a stillness that contrasts to the man in his youth. But the insightful mind shows no loss of agility, as demonstrated in his shrewd dealings with the government committee assigned to broker his release. Elba conveys the changes and the consistencies of a half-century with subtle economy. While secondary characters are given limited scope compared to the two leads, the cast is solid down the line, with some lovely moments from Lindiwe Matshikiza as Nelson s teenage daughter. From the period production and costume design to the stately visuals and panoramic shots of magnificent landscapes, this is a classy production that will inspire many audiences with its deeply respectful portrait of one of the global political stage s indisputably great leaders. Opened: Nov. 29 (Weinstein). Production: Videovision Entertainment. Cast: Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Tony Kgoroge, Riaad Moosa, Jamie Bartlett, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Terry Pheto, Deon Lotz. Director: Justin Chadwick. Rated PG-13, 146 minutes. thr

7 Page 7 of 7 This week Last week The top 40 Movie Distributor Weekend gross Box office chart Percent change # of theaters Per-theater average Days in release Cumulative gross 1 1 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Lionsgate $74,179, ,163 $17, $296,295,657 2 New Frozen Disney 67,391,326 3,742 18, ,933, Thor: The Dark World Disney 11,085, ,286 3, ,705, The Best Man Holiday Universal 8,172, ,717 4, ,088,475 5 New Homefront Open Road 6,915,241 2,572 2, ,740, Delivery Man Disney 6,835, ,036 2, ,356, The Book Thief Fox 4,864, ,234 3, ,864, Philomena Weinstein 3,676, , ,637,419 9 New Black Nativity Searchlight 3,669,530 1,516 2, ,779, Last Vegas CBS 2,692, ,854 1, ,598, Gravity Warner Bros. 2,556, ,016 2, ,699, Dallas Buyers Club Focus 2,517, , ,215, Years a Slave Searchlight 2,305, ,165 1, ,155, Free Birds Relativity 1,835, , ,266, Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa Paramount 1,766, ,503 1, ,779, Ender's Game Lionsgate 1,214, , ,381, Captain Phillips Sony 1,148, , ,723, New Oldboy FilmDistrict 885, , ,282, Nebraska Paramount 730, , ,479, The Christmas Candle Echolight 387, , ,613, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 Sony 386, ,033, About Time Universal 374, , ,663, Despicable Me 2 Universal 340, , ,932, All Is Lost Roadside 191, , ,271, Ram Leela Eros 170, ,633, The Great Beauty Janus 133, , , Enough Said Searchlight 121, , ,194, Blue Is the Warmest Color IFC 114, , ,650, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Fox 106, ,239, We're the Millers Warner Bros. 97, ,368, Prisoners Warner Bros. 92, ,962, Insidious: Chapter 2 FilmDistrict 89, ,458, New Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom Weinstein 84, , , Planes Disney 83, ,211, Kill Your Darlings Sony Classics 68, , Instructions Not Included Lionsgate 65, ,407, The Family Relativity 54, ,809, Gori Tere Pyaar Mein Reliance 48, , Escape Plan Lionsgate 47, ,555, Lee Daniels' The Butler Weinstein 42, ,641,177 Total: $207,542,238