DreamWorks Animation Stretches Chief Marketing Officer Anne Globe's Contract

NY - DreamWorks Animation mentioned it's extended the utilization contract of chief marketing officer Anne Globe. She'll keep getting responsibility for individuals global marketing activity, including corporate brand building, additionally to theatrical, television and ancillary marketing efforts its DreamWorks Animation's characteristics. The business revealed in the controlling filing that her new contract runs through Jan. 1, 2014, while using studio obtaining a option to increase it having a year. Mentioned Boss Jeffrey Katzenberg: "Her creativity, dedication and amazingly effort throughout the final 15 years are actually vital to making DreamWorks Animation just like a premiere family entertainment company." Globe mentioned: "Since the DreamWorks Animation brand evolves within the U.S. and worldwide, I anticipate coping with my team inside the mission for global marketing efforts that highlight the astounding creative work produced by our artists each day.In . Globe is presently dedicated to now's launch of Puss In Boots. She grew to become an associate of DWA in 1996. She formerly offered as v . p . of promotions at MCA/Universal. Globe began her marketing career within the Wally Disney Art galleries. The controlling filing mention an annual salary of $862,000 incorporated in Globe's compensation package. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects Jeffrey Katzenberg DreamWorks Animation

Ask Matt: Walking Dead, Homeland, Terra Nova, Dexter and More!

Walking Dead Send questions to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com and follow me on Twitter!Question: I'm new to The Walking Dead this season, but I did catch up on all of Season 1 with the marathon presentation before the Season 2 premiere. I mostly like it and I know we're supposed to suspend disbelief, especially when watching a show about zombies. However, I do think they try to make it seem "real" plot-wise, and I especially like the explanation provided during the Season 1 finale where only the brain stem comes back to life which would account for the mobility and other "mindless" behavior. However, it also occurs to me that these are supposed to be smart people caught up in this fantastic scenario from hell. So why don't they just make it to a marina and procure a nice big boat and hang out on a lake somewhere? The way these zombies move, it's clear they can't swim or otherwise follow, and they could just cruise around and make the occasional raid to get gas and hunt, not to mention just fish for sustenance. I know that wouldn't make for great drama, but one thing I always like about Breaking Bad for instance is that the characters behave intelligently and the plots are very realistic, even if you don't always see it right away. -SamuelMatt Roush: As much as I love Breaking Bad, I'm not sure realism is its strong suit, though in the moment, the tension certainly always feels real. Same goes for the incredibly intense Walking Dead, which I see as a search for community as much as a quest for survival, so isolating this group in a boat wouldn't really float. The idea of these characters heading out to sea might work for an episode, but as we saw in this week's cliffhanger, a raid for supplies can be as treacherous as any other activity in this apocalyptic world. The premise of the show, at least at this point, is that there really is no safe harbor, and if there was, it probably wouldn't stay that way for long. Because as you noted, what fun would that be?Question: I'm loving Homeland, and I wonder if part of the success is because many of us associate Damian Lewis with his role on Band of Brothers. When we see him, we subliminally see Dick Winters, who we already accept as a hero and can't imagine becoming a traitor. It's like a WWII movie where John Wayne is captured by the Germans and becomes a sleeper agent - you just can't accept that the Duke could betray his country. -CharliyMatt Roush: An interesting point, although I'd hate to think an actor as gifted as Damian Lewis is being typecast. Still, any successful actor brings the baggage of their most successful roles, and Band of Brothers is iconic. So if it adds to the tension that we don't want to believe Lewis-as-Brody could be a sleeper terrorist in hero's clothing, so much the better. He's so wonderfully inscrutable and unpredictable in this role, I'm loving the not knowing for now.Question: Terra Nova has all this great medical, weapons and transportation technology from 2149, and the producers have been very careful and thorough in creating the mythology and the science of the settlement. So why is there no air transportation? -ChristinaMatt Roush: Here's an answer courtesy of executive producer Rene Echevarria: "Most of the technology in Terra Nova is sent back through the portal in pieces from 2149 and reassembled on our end. What to send back is a matter of priorities since the portal can only be kept open for a short time. Priority is given to mission-critical supplies such as medicines, weapons for self-defense and, of course, the pilgrims themselves. As for air power, every now and then you'll hear references to "RBs," short for research balloons. These are tethered to the ground at fixed locations outside the compound perimeter, and can provide live security/surveillance footage as well as atmospheric/scientific data."And now, as sometimes happens, two contrasting views on a popular long-running show:Question: I've been a big Dexter fan, but find myself not enjoying this season. Maybe it's because the time between last season ending and this season beginning was so long - I'm just not back into the groove. I am definitely not enjoying this "spiritual" journey Dex is taking, which is for Harrison for sure, but also for himself. Somehow the "code" has been superseded by a higher-power influence, and it's shifting the show's direction. I'm also finding it implausible that Dex locked in on the old guy without much information, and abandoned home and work in pursuit of payback. I don't know... the character seems to have shifted and the show is lacking something for me. I am, on the other hand, enjoying Deb's dilemma and the mess she finds herself in. More Deb would be a good thing; less murderous Dex also desired. Odd. Are you enjoying this season? -EllenQuestion: I think so far this year you have been off-base about Dexter. While religion is part of this season's theme, it is by no means being shoved down our throats (if you want that, watch Touched By An Angel reruns). I actually find the back and forth between the flawed but sincere believer (Brother Sam), religious extremists (Travis & Gellar), and atheist (Dexter) an interesting scenario. I find they are handling this very well and it's not insulting to the viewer's intelligence. And last week gave us a great surprise with a terrific turn by Ronny Cox as a killer Dexter used to idolize (somebody give Ronny a "Cheer!"). What I still have issue with is the subplots of almost everyone else. Dexter has never really been that good at handling its supporting players or giving them much good to do. I'm starting to wish [BOOK SPOILER ALERT] that LaGuerta would meet the fate she did in the first book. What is your opinion of the issues with the supporting players? And while I don't think you are ready to give up on Dexter just yet, do you think it would be wise to start thinking up some kind of end game for the series? Dexter can't get away with it forever, can he? -BrandonMatt Roush: I have no real trouble with the season's Big Theme of faith, and have especially enjoyed the rapport of Dexter and Brother Sam (Mos), the ex-con preacher who's acting as Dexter's spiritual sounding board. But I do think the way it's being handled is awfully heavy-handed, not so much an insult to the intelligence as it is unnecessarily obvious, with Dexter's voice-overs underscoring and belaboring what is already so clear. It sometimes takes a while for a season of Dexter to get into full gear - having Gellar and Travis finally get on the cops' and Dexter's radar this week is, let's hope, a turning point - but while this is far from my favorite season, I've enjoyed some moments along the way. I can handle the improbabilities of Dexter's various missions; Ronny Cox was so outrageous as the grumpy old "Tooth Fairy" killer, I enjoyed that subplot a great deal. It's the stuff happening in the police station that tends to bore me to distraction, because the supporting cast is so erratic. That said, I enjoyed the moment when Debra's nervous profanity on live TV didn't result in a dressing-down, but an "attagirl." Hoping the season picks up steam, not that I'm in any danger of breaking up with Dexter yet. As for an endgame: It could be a financial as much as creative decision that determines how long Dexter keeps going - I'm still enjoying the book series, for what it's worth, but a TV show is by necessity a different animal, and this one peaked in the John Lithgow season, so I'd like to see it try to go out with a little juice left in the tank. But as long as Dexter remains this popular, it's hard to imagine Showtime not doing what it can to keep it on the air for the foreseeable future.Question: I've always enjoyed the NCIS episodes that feature Special Agent Abigail Borin, the redheaded, CGIS Gibbs counterpart played by Diane Neal. Do you think that they'd ever create a Coast Guard-based TV show with her as the lead? -JamesMatt Roush: Do I think they would? Maybe. CBS has already cloned NCIS once successfully (not to mention CSI and, with less positive results, Criminal Minds). Do I think they should? Not really. I'd rather see characters like Agent Borin stay within the NCIS universe to add some variety and spice to the show. While a Coast Guard spin-off might perform well for CBS, this kind of recycling isn't the best thing for network TV, which could use a few more fresh ideas.Question: I know that all of this season on How I Met Your Mother is leading up to Barney's wedding, but I was wondering if it is all a big fake-out. We keep hearing about a wedding, but have we heard anything about an actual marriage? If next season involves a married Barney and Lily and Marshall's baby, the show takes on a whole new dynamic. If we assume that Barney might marry Robin, that leaves only Ted single on the show. So my question is, in all of the interviews with the producers, have they ever mentioned Barney actually being married on the show? I wonder if it all plays out that Barney chickens out because he is marrying Nora but loves Robin.On an additional note, I love that Sue Heck finally stood up for herself on The Middle, great episode! Plus as a parent who had a son who took the PSAT's last Wednesday, I could relate to that storyline as well. I figured out what I like about The Middle and why it works. So many shows play the parents as clueless or foolish and the kids are smart alecks who are always playing them. The parents love the kids, but the kids are portrayed as smarter than them (i.e. every Disney Channel show). But on The Middle, the parents are just real people, overwhelmed at times, but never portrayed as dumb. They want the best for their kids but don't always know the best way to achieve that. Just like most of us parents. -CarolMatt Roush: Regarding Mother: Nothing would surprise me on this show when it comes to an endless tease, and the expectation that having information withheld from us somehow constitutes entertainment. At the moment, we're to believe that Barney is heading toward the altar, but to whom and for how long are plot points that don't seem to have been specifically addressed or spoiled. (And if they had been, I wouldn't spoil them here.) To be honest, I've grown weary of the producers' "all in good time" approach to hyping their show, so if they've projected about Barney's future as an actual husband, I've missed it.On to The Middle, a comedy I'm really enjoying and recommending as often as possible: I agree that one of its greatest strengths is how relatable it is to so many people, especially parents (but really, to anyone who's part of a family). The Hecks are strapped in every way possible: for money, for time, for the patience and energy to deal with their exasperating kids, who are each distinctively funny but not so precocious they get the last word. Because unlike on most sitcoms, no one really gets the last word here (not even Frankie the narrator), because they often realize the only way to keep going is to just give up and move on. Their lives are such a mess, it's usually not the sort of thing that can be fixed in a half-hour episode.Question: My family and I would love to watch Grimm, but NBC put it on opposite Supernatural and Fringe, so our DVR is already taken. Given that those shows cater to the demographic they would like to reach, doesn't it make sense to put it on at a different time? -WilliamMatt Roush: The scheduling really is puzzling, and feels like further cannibalization of an already smallish pool of genre enthusiasts on what has become TV's cult night. I'm trying to keep an open mind until I see more episodes beyond the pilot, but Grimm seems the least interesting and promising of the three, so that helps take care of the problem at least from my perspective. But I'm expecting NBC will make the show readily available on other platforms (nbc.com, On Demand, etc.) so others in your boat have a chance to at least sample it. But programming it against such similar competition doesn't seem like much of a vote of confidence.Question: I've been watching A Gifted Man. I like the premise of the story, but the casting is awful. I get that Patrick Wilson's character, Dr. Michael Holt, is a driven doc with little bedside manner. That understood, does he always have to be so wooden? I mean, there is seemingly no personality underneath the intelligence. Then again, I get that it's a typical doc, but it's not very entertaining. Just sayin'. I also don't think Jennifer Ehle, the dead ex-wife, brings any sort of chemistry to the show. She is a fine actress, but there is no way in real life those two would have ever been together. However, my biggest issue with this show is the sorely underused talent of Margo Martindale. She is a firecracker of an actress and to see her relegated to this non-essential character with no meaningful dialogue is just a waste. I want to see her in a vehicle that will showcase her acting chops. Those who don't know her as Mags Bennett have no idea what Martindale can do. She deserves better! Thanks for letting me vent. -StaceyMatt Roush: Couldn't agree more about Margo Martindale, and I hope the show figures out a way to capitalize on her newfound Emmy-winning star status. I'm somewhat encouraged by the news that they've cast Tom Wopat to play her husband, which indicates they're planning to expand her role. But in general, I think it's the show that's letting down these terrific actors, not vice versa. They're playing what they've given, and when I checked back in last week (for the Eriq La Salle episode), I was discouraged to see Ehle's character still being such a cloying, coy nag. I'm seeing more charisma from Wilson than you do, but the role is so earnestly conceived at this point there's not much he can do with it.Question: Why does the CW snub Supernatural? Despite seven years on the air, the network barely advertises Supernatural even after the way Supernatural has been received by fans. Over half a million voted for Supernatural's TV Guide Magazine cover and yet CW ignores the show. They depend on word of mouth by fans to get viewers for the show. Maybe they should pay the fans for doing their advertising for them? -PhoenixMatt Roush: Snub? For a show to last seven seasons on any network should be a cause for fans to rejoice, not to complain. But the big-picture, common-sense answer to this gripe is that especially in the fall, any network's priority is to promote the new series in hopes of creating new hits, with far less attention given to the long-running shows with a loyal fan base that (much like its time-slot competition Fringe) isn't likely to grow substantially in its latter seasons. Supernatural does tend to have to sell itself these days, enhanced by appearances at fan-oriented events like Comic-Con. When I tune into the CW (usually later in the week), I see a fair amount of on-air promotion for the Friday series Nikita and Supernatural. I'm not sure what fans expect, but I am sure it would never be enough.Question: I'm having a hard time caring about Project Runway any more. After the move to Lifetime and a different production company, I feel the show has shifted the focus to more drama and less design. Granted, drama has been there from the beginning (Hi, Wendy Pepper!), but there seemed to be an emphasis on designing clothes and a thoughtful critique of them. Now, we get a pretty poor pool of designers producing less than spectacular garments, bizarro challenges and all-over-the-place judging. It's so obvious the producers wanted to keep Anya (and Josh all season, for that matter), despite her presenting the worst designs last week. Yet they allowed her to show at Fashion Week anyway! Do you think Project Runway can return to its former glory, or has it settled into its current rut? Are we in for another Gretchen-sized upset? -AaronMatt Roush: There was a lot of chaff this season, it's true. And it did seem preordained almost from the start that the stunning Anya and the annoying Josh (who has often made this season more of a chore to sit through than usual) were going to make it to the end, even when they choked - Anya at the 11th hour - so what a relief for Viktor to quietly upstage the rest of the cast with actual talent and (usually) taste. If there's more drama than design these days, it may have something to do with the bloated 90-minute episodes, but heightened conflict has always been a big part of these shows, giving us "characters" to root for and against, so I'm not sure much has really changed in that aspect. Runway's reputation may not yet have recovered from the controversial Gretchen win, and cop-out episodes like last week's, when all four finalists were let through to Fashion Week despite some major faux pas, aren't likely to help. Maybe the All-Stars version (pushed back until 2012) will put some oomph back in the franchise. I know I'd be more eager to see that than Project Accessory, the desperate-sounding spin-off that premieres after this Thursday's finale - which we can only hope won't be as big a let-down as the Gretchen-beats-Mondo fiasco.That's all for now. Keep sending your comments and questions to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com, and in the meantime, follow me on Twitter!Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Herzog holds court at DGA

HerzogWerner Herzog likes dwelling in La nevertheless the German director won't be a U.S. citizen -- unless of course obviously the nation removes the dying penalty. "I'm a guest within your country and not someone to show you what's right and wrong," mentioned Herzog throughout Saturday morning's keynote address within the seventh annual Film Independent Forum in the organization company directors Guild of America headquarters. "I'm not able to become a citizen of the nation which has capital punishment." Asked for whether he'd change that belief were his wife being wiped out, Herzog responded, "For no reason when the condition keep up with the positioning to kill anybody." The dying penalty will be a frequent subject throughout Herzog's hour-extended appearance, which incorporated clips from his documentary "Into the Abyss," devoted to two males on dying row for just about any triple homicide in Texas. IFC releases "Abyss," which opened up within the Toronto Intl. Film Festival, on November. 11. Herzog, who's directed over 60 films, mentioned that because of time restrictions round the interviews with inmates, he must be particularly straightforward inside the interviews. "On Dying Row, they could place a phony miles away," he added. Herzog come up with only 10 total several hours of footage when he started editing, a process that was so demanding he needed up smoking and limited themselves to five several hours every day at work. He told everyone else it's important to edit quickly to have the ability to have a obvious mind, watching he completed the editing on "Unhealthy Lieutentant: The avenue for call, New Orleans" within 2 days after finishing shooting. Herzog advised everyone else to think about the same approach in filmmaking, watching that by monitoring daily earnings on "Bad Lieutenant," he found that costume costs were far too high due to purchases of duplicate clothes for players with basically a few lines. That film, he noted, showed up $2.6 000 0000 under budget and a pair of days early. "If you undertake that, you'll probably get serious attention,Inch Herzog added. Responding with a question about whether he'd do just about anything in different ways, Herzog was emphatic inside the negative, responding, "I accept my errors and many types of my films are full of errors." He then noted he throws away all the out-takes, adding that as it is pricey to help keep footage and counter-productive to get this done, adding, "A contractor does not sit back on his contaminants." Herzog's concentrating on a four-part "Dying Row" documentary for TV into December and may then portray a villain opposite Tom Cruise in "One Shot." "I'm always advantageous just like a debased villain on the watch's screen,In . he added, evoking laughter within the audience of 200. The director also declined that he's reckless, despite his status, by stating that no actor's are you currently hurt inside a of his films. Which he advised everyone else to take advantage from the lower costs of filmmaking. "For my first eight films, We used a camera I'd stolen," Herzog recognized. "You've utilization of high quality cameras and you'll edit around the laptop. You'll be able to execute a film for $10,000." For financing, he suggested working outdoors from the office and getting a powerful enviroment, quipping, "Be described as a bouncer in the sex club." Asked for about his worst job, Herzog responded by recounting becoming an 18-year-old car park attendant through the Oktoberfest in Munich. "Dealing with 3,000 very drunk people throughout the evening is not fun," he noted. Herzog found the final outcome by adoring La, watching that he'd chosen to exist in La after concluding that San Francisco Bay Area was "too chic." "I desired to keep the city with cultural substance," he asserted. "In 15 years, everybody will probably be proclaiming that about La.Inch Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

'Paranormal Activity' conjuring big B.O.

'Paranormal Activity 3'With $8 million in midnight grosses and a strong Friday performance, box office observers expect "Paranormal Activity 3" to earn a total of $22 million by Friday night and $44 million to $46 million for the weekend.Based on early Friday numbers, B.O. watchers also estimate that "Real Steel" will drop 30% from last weekend, coming in at $11 million-$11.5 million for its third frame. "The Three Musketeers" will most likely land somewhere in the $11 million range."Ides of March" may drop 35%, but observers note that the pic could show a bounce Saturday, ultimately earning in the $4.5 million to $5 million range over the frame."Dolphin Tale" is holding over well, with estimates pegging the pic at $4.7 million to $4.8 million."Martha Marcy May Marlene" had grossed about $35,000 as of Friday afternoon, with estimates putting the pic's weekend total at $100,000-$120,000 for its limited release."Johnny English Reborn" looked to gross around $1 million today, with total estimates for the pic around $3 million to $3.5 million over the frame. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

'Margin Call' Clip: Demi Moore and Kevin Spacey Meet the Financial Crisis (Moviefone Exclusive)

.post-content img {display:none;} Out in limited release and video on-demand next week, 'Margin Call' focuses on a group of employees at an investment bank over the course of 24 hours at the beginning of the 2008 financial crisis. A murderer's row of talent -- Kevin Spacey, Demi Moore, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Stanley Tucci and Simon Baker -- star in J.C. Chandor's timely film, and in this exclusive new clip, Spacey, Moore and Baker are faced with some fairly bad news. Hold tight to your 401Ks and watch above. 'Margin Call' hits theaters and video on-demand services on Oct. 21. Watch the trailer by clicking here. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

ESPN.com Launches Web Video Series 'Kenny Maynes Wider Arena of Sports'

NY - Wally Disney Co.'s ESPN.com mentioned Wednesday it's launched new movie series Kenny Mayne's Wider Arena of Sports, an homage to ABC's classic Wide Arena of Sports. Inside the Web series, Mayne travels the planet to check out off-beat sporting occasions. Covering six nations on five continents, the show will feature one country every week over the following six days with four to five segments each studying the unique sports of indigenous people. Segments include Mayne involved in the King's Cup elephant polo tournament in Thailand, playing extreme golf round the world's longest componen 3 around the mountain in Nigeria, playing soccer with Brazilian star Ronaldinho and learning footvolley round the beach in Rio. Mayne can be a former SportsCenter anchor and star of ESPN.com's Mayne Street video series. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects ESPN

Harto, Garcia sell 'Meadows'

Joshua Harto and Liz Garcia, the couple and artistic team behind TNT's "Memphis Beat," have offered an hourlong drama script to NBC.Occur 1960's Las vegas, "The Meadows" can also be produced by Scott Stuber and Quan Phung beneath the Stuber Pictures banner. Universal Television is creating.Harto and Garcia are repped by CAA and Madhouse Entertainment. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

HRTS: Broadcast Network Chiefs Reflect On Crazy Pitch Season

We are at the tail end of a TV selling season that saw more bidding wars and production and put pilot commitments than I can remember, and that isn’t lost on the broadcast entertainment presidents. Survivor‘s Jeff Probst opened the discussion at the annual HRTS network chiefs luncheon today by sharing that during his lunch with the executives before they took the stage, everyone was complaining about how crazy and out of whack this pitch season has been. Fox’s Kevin Reilly, who spoke his mind more than anyone else on the panel, quickly jumped in. “(NBC) got cash, (ABC) got competitive against that cash, and we took the bait,” is how Reilly summed up this year’s marketplace. “We all think we were payed a little bit. Agents are doing very well this year as a result.” Reilly’s counterparts mostly agreed though their responses were more measured. “It’s been very, very frantic this year,” CBS’ Nina Tassler said. She blamed media coverage for the increased intensity of the pitch season. “Every single thing that happens is now being reported, from a pitch to speculation on the terms of a deal, and that does absolutely impacts the business.” Added NBC’s Jennifer Salke, “I get the email about a media inquiry while the producer is still in the parking lot. That adds to the frenzy.” But it wasn’t all bad, this buying season, ABC’s Paul Lee said. “There was also a rush of new energy, with a lot of new people and new ideas; there was lot of ambition in the projects coming in.” Reilly kept things entertaining during the largely predictable-bordering-on-boring discussion that addressed standard topics like the impact of digital distribution and DVR viewing and the importance of network branding. He often interjected into the conversation with off-the-cuffs remarks like: “Can somebody kill NCIS?” and (to Salke while she was talking about trying to land a project in a competitive situation): “Send them flowers … Or better yet, mow their lawn.” Reilly also did not mince words when asked about the prospects of shows that are driven by a sponsor.”It’s impossible to reverse engineer a hit,” he said. “Weve programed those things and theyre usually hideous.” He also took on the antiquated data-gathering methods still employed by Nielsen. “I’m not going to fight the windmill of Nielsen, but we do need to keep them honest,” he said. “The fact that we still have people filling out diaries in their living rooms is insane.” Additionally, Reilly shared his disdain for the traditional development cycle, which involves the broadcast networks picking up, casting and filming 80 pilots within one 3-month window. “The fact that we are in lockstep and choreographed from the same dance backing up from the upfront is stupid, highly inefficient, wasteful and not good for anyone in this room,” he said. “Penalties become irrelevant and things can’t be done well if there’s bottleneck. When you watch the vast pile of product at the end of the season, a big majority of it is embarrassing. Creative is difficult but there are also a lot inefficiencies we can get rid of.” As for the future of TV viewing, it will eventually migrate online with full commercial load, according to CW’s Mark Pedowitz.

Occupy Wall Street: The Movie Connection

If you've watched the footage or seen photos of the Occupy Wall Street protest -- or the related protests around the country -- you've seen activists wearing the Guy Fawkes mask familiar from the film 'V for Vendetta.' The mask, a hallmark of protests organized by the Web collective Anonymous, lends the proceedings a certain cinematic quality. This is magnified by the fact that the protests are becoming a movie of their own, '99 Percent,' whose creation and funding are as crowdsourced as the protests themselves. Moviefone looked into the Occupy-ers' fondness for the masks and how they add to the theatricality of the event, even as they (unwittingly, perhaps) help fund one of the very corporate behemoths that the protestors have been railing against. [View the story "Occupy Wall Street: The Movie Connection" on Storify] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

10 pix vie for Hollywood fest public honours

The Hollywood Film Festival and Yahoo! Movies have introduced 10 nominees for his or her public honours competition.The nominees are ''Captain America: The Very First Avenger,'' ''Cowboys and Aliens,'' ''Harry Potter and also the Deathly Hallows - Part 2,'' ''The Help,'' ''Pirates from the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,'' ''Rango,'' ''Rise from the Planet from the Apes,'' ''Super 8,'' ''Transformers: Dark from the Moon,'' ''X-Males: Top Class.''The voting happens in the Yahoo! Movies site. The champion will get the award in the Hollywood Film Honours Gala Ceremony on March. 24 in the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Black Eyed Peas Pull Out of Michael Jackson Tribute Concert

The Black Eyed Peas are pulling out of this week's planned Michael Jackson tribute concert in Wales, citing "unavoidable circumstances."our editor recommendsBlack Eyed Peas Raise $4 Million in NYC Fundraising Concert The group was set to join a lineup that includes Christina Aguilera, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Leona Lewis and Cee Lo Green at Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Event organizer Global Live Events head Chris Hunt told the Associated Press the Michael Forever concert would be a "fantastic evening" despite the absence of the Black Eyed Peas. VIDEO: Michael Jackson's 5 Most Genius TV Moments Previously, the event organizers, who aren't affiliated with the Jackson estate, had rescinded an offer to the band Kiss to perform over frontman Gene Simmons' criticism of Jackson in the past. Peas member will.i.am had been working with Jackson on an album of dance music before the singer's death in 2009. Related Topics

Watch The Hangover 2 Megavideo

How 'Girls Gone Wild' Founder Exposed Direct Response Scandal

The nights are long on cable, and not nearly enough hours can be filled with ads for expensive cars, perfume and summer blockbusters. So networks find themselves relying on direct-response advertising - from shortform spots to longform paid programming - that exhorts viewers to act fast and buy, buy, buy. Networks don't necessarily want their brands associated with the pushers of the male virility products, exercise equipment and get-rich-quick schemes that are such a key part of their bottom lines; selling ads for these sorts of products isn't exactly something to brag about to Wall Street. Now, the fact that a fast-rising star executive in direct-response marketing - Brian Fays, a 40-year-old former senior vp at MTV Networks - has exited Viacom following an investigation into allegations he was involved in a scheme that diverted millions of dollars over a period of years threatens to shine a light on the largely unregulated direct-response advertising business. Colleagues in the direct-response industry worry that any scandal could increase mistrust among consumers, even as it has been working for years to shake off the dubious reputation born of scam products. The Federal Trade Commission and Food and Drug Administration have taken actions against dozens of products, including SNORenz, Copa Hair System and Thermoslim. Fays, who attended Fordham University and until recently sat on the board of the Santa Ana, Calif.-based direct-response trade publication Response Magazine, joined MTV in January 2005 after stints at Lifetime Networks and USA Networks. He rose to a top ad-sales job at the network group. "A real hustler," says a former Viacom ad executive who worked with Fays. Another former Viacom exec says Fays was a master salesman who dramatically improved the company's direct-response business. "I remember people saying, 'He can turn shit into Shinola,' " says this person. At MTV, Fays oversaw direct-response advertising and paid programming for most of Viacom's 17 ad-supported cable networks, including MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central. But his business practices came under scrutiny when Joe Francis, creator of the Girls Gone Wild empire - a direct-response mainstay - went to Viacom to report an alleged scheme between one of his employees and Fays to defraud him of money. Francis says he became aware of the scheme during an internal audit at his company and that he dismissed the employee and complained to Viacom in late 2008, which led to an investigation. THR contacted the individual named by Francis, but the person did not return multiple phone calls. Viacom declined comment, as did Fays. It is unclear whether Viacom specifically found evidence of the allegations made by Francis, but a source with knowledge of the situation says the company obtained "credible information" regarding alleged misconduct by Fays and dismissed him (as THR first reported). Infomercials flooded the airwaves after a 1984 decision by the Federal Communications Commission to do away with regulations that allowed for a maximum of 16 minutes of commercials per hour. Suddenly, media companies had a new revenue stream. "It was money they didn't expect," says journalist Remy Stern, author of But Wait ... There's More! a 2009 book about the industry. Some of the products and services hawked on infomercials during the intervening years, such as the Thighmaster, Showtime Rotisserie and Ginsu knives, have become icons - mostly for the catchphrase-laden ads that promoted them. These spots are much less expensive than standard television advertising, both to produce and buy. On the shortform side, a 60-second spot can be made for as little as $5,000, according to pricing data from InfoWorx Direct Llc., a direct-response marketing production company. That company's top-of-the-line package for a longform, 30-minute infomercial costs $125,000. (By contrast, a standard 30-second TV spot can be made for about $300,000.) When it comes to the cost of airtime, direct-response advertising is a bargain. In recent years, prime infomercial slots - typically weekend mornings - have ranged from $20,000 to $50,000 for 30 minutes. In less-desirable time slots and on obscure affiliates, the half-hour cost can fall below $1,000. Direct-response marketers typically are not interested in the metrics blue-chip advertisers worry about, such as brand awareness and positive association. Reams of data help direct-response marketers determine exactly how many leads or sales an ad generates, though those rates of return are closely held. Viacom does not break out revenue from direct response; a company source says it accounts for less than 10 percent of advertising revenue. But a former insider at MTV Networks estimates that direct response produces much more revenue - about $800 million a year. According to research firm SNL Kagan, Viacom pulled in $4.09 billion in net advertising revenue from its cable networks in fiscal 2010. "The piece of the pie that direct response takes up, especially in the cable world, has been growing and growing for years," says Thomas Haire, editor in chief of Response. He estimates that direct-response advertising has brought in $5 billion to $6.5 billion for the cable industry during each of the past four years. Fays rode that wave. A flattering 2007 profile of him in Response noted that after the executive joined MTV Networks, it experienced "an unprecedented surge" in direct-response revenue. The magazine reported that Fays, who reported to Jeff Lucas, head of ad sales at MTV Networks, oversaw a large team: 30 people, including 12 account execs. Colleagues have expressed surprise over the allegations that surround Fays, though they say he seemed at home in the hard-driving world of direct response. "The business is packed with entrepreneurial guys who started from the premise that you could invent a product, put it on TV and walk away with millions," says a direct-response executive who runs his own firm. "There's a kind of high-roller attitude." It's an industry that emphasizes expense-account entertainment, including lavish dinners in the name of networking. Industry colleagues say Fays, who in December 2008 purchased a condo for $3.38 million in a new luxury building with river views in Tribeca, hosted or attended extravagant evenings at high-end restaurants like Il Mulino in Greenwich Village and, according to one source, at strip clubs. That high-rolling atmosphere is one direct-response veterans admit draws mistrust. Author Stern says cable networks recognize that in some cases, "the people who are buying airtime are not reputable people selling reputable products." While network standards-and-practices departments review the moral, ethical and legal implications of advertisements and add disclaimers, that hasn't prevented the airing of direct-response ads for products such as weight-loss and energy potions that have proved to be shams. "You have networks working with guys who have been scamming people for 20 years, some of whom have long criminal records. But their push has always been, 'We don't know what you are selling,' " says Stern. Related Topics Viacom MTV Networks Joe Francis 1 2 next last

Watch Online X-Men: First Class