Trade Round-Up: "Wedding Crashers" Makes Teens Think Getting Drunk Is An Awesome Way To Get Laid
· Like a chivalrous man asking his beloved's father for permission to marry his daughter, General Electric gives NBC Universal approval to try to buy DreamWorks. Actually, this is a pretty shitty analogy because GE doesn't own DreamWorks, but we were momentarily swept up in the crazy romance of corporate acquistions. [Variety]
· An alcohol watchdog group alleges that Budweiser's paid product placement in Wedding Crashers encourages underage drinking. A "porking lonely bridesmaids" watchdog group has yet to publicly comment on the film, but we expect an announcement shortly. [THR]
· Dogs are the new poker: John "Animal House" Landis catches canine fever and will direct Show Dogs for New Line. [Variety]
· Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Films prepares to pull another author out of obscurity by adapting Toni Morrison's Promised into a TV miniseries. Oh, wait. We've actually heard of Toni Morrison (damn you, college!), and she's rich and famous already. Nevermind. [THR]
· Charlie wins at the overseas box office, while The Island was "somewhat less disappointing offshore than domestically." It would kind of have to be less disappointing, wouldn't it? [Variety]