In Denial About The Coming Labor Apocalypse, Hollywood Keeps Announcing New Projects Like Nothing's Wrong
· In a badly timed announcement of blockbuster-derived profits, Viacom crows about the "phenomenal success" of "new global brand Transformers" that helped lift their net income by 80 percent, forgetting to transfer the revenues to a balance-sheet loss column and publicly lament that "there's no money to be made in this dying business of ours." [Variety]
· Knowing that TV is, like film, a financial dead end (see bullet point above), Oprah is launching her own channel on the YouTubes. If that venture proves as successful as the media mogul hopes, the purchase of the entire internet could quickly follow. [THR]
· Even studios and production companies are getting on the reteaming craze that's currently sweeping Hollywood! Frequent moviemaking partners Universal and Imagine Entertainment climb back into bed yet again to produce The Knife, based on a soon-to-be-published GQ article about how a Crip informant helped the FBI crack some cases. Brian Grazer to superproduce, hang out with gang members. [Variety]
· Warner Bros. is so pleased with Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin's work on Fred Claus that they've signed him to a three-year deal, during which he will produce and helm a variety of projects that may or may not involve Vince Vaughn. [THR]
· TV viewers help to kick off November sweeps by taking a last fling with the scripted programming that may soon disappear from the schedule. [Variety]