| VENUE NEWS 08.11.09 3:41 PM |
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Grauman's Chinese Theater Up for Sale, Mann to Vacate Westwood Venues
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Warner Brothers and Viacom are increasing their efforts to unload some local movie theaters, including Hollywood's storied Grauman's Chinese in Hollywood, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Decision makers at Cinemerica—the joint venture of Warner Brothers and Viacom that operates Mann Theatres—think it's the right time to sell at least one Mann venue, with Grauman's and the Criterion Theatre on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica at the top of the list of possibilities. (The visibility of and traffic around Grauman's—a popular choice for movie premieres—is also increasing after the August 1 opening of Madame Tussauds next door.)
Mann will vacate the Bruin and Village theaters, two Westwood venues often used in conjunction for simultaneous screenings at movie premieres (and often divided into A-list and B-list crowds) in March unless negotiations extend those leases. The fall season will likely bring another challenge to the Westwood theaters: Regal Cinemas expects to open a 14-plex at L.A. Live that will vie for the big premieres. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Regal Cinemas, L.A. Live, Cinemerica, Mann Theatres, Warner Brothers, Viacom |
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| NEWS 06.18.09 11:52 AM |
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Emmys Move Back to September 20 to Avoid Conflict With MTV VMAs
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Just a few weeks after announcing a date change to September 13 to avoid broadcast competition with the NFL, CBS and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences have backed down on their move, opting to go with the original plan of a September 20 ceremony for the 2009 Emmy Awards. The partners cite a conflict with MTV's Video Music Awards as the reason for switching back.
"After we announced plans for September 13, MTV informed us they were locked into the same day for the Video Music Awards, with venue and sponsorship agreements in place," CBS executive vice president of specials, music, and live events Jack Sussman told Variety. "We had the flexibility to move; they didn't. It's best for the industry and the audience that these events not compete against each other."
CBS and MTV are corporate cousins of a sort; although CBS is no longer owned by Viacom, MTV's parent, both are controlled by Sumner Redstone.
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Emmys, CBS, MTV, MTV Networks, MTV Video Music Awards, Viacom, Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, HBO, Comedy Central |
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| EVENT REPORT 06.01.09 7:22 PM |
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MTV Movie Awards Light Up Gibson With Multilevel, Video-Embedded Stage Set
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 | The MTV Movie Awards stage
Photo: Kevin Winter/GettyImages |
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The MTV Movie Awards is not the most high-profile or high-brow award show in town, but—mercifully, for the comfort and attention span of the guests in attendance—it ranks as one of the shortest and least stuffy. Guests streamed into the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal Studios on Sunday evening for the two-hour program, televised live on the East Coast with a three-hour delay locally, for which the dress code was more bought-it-off-the-rack than army-of-stylists. (Kristen Stewart, star of the night's big winner, Twilight, wore sneakers with her dress—but still managed to bobble the award before it clattered to the ground during her acceptance speech.)
The set at the Gibson, which is managed by concert production and marketing giant Live Nation, was a video-rich collection of multitiered elements, including a glowing main stage and an elevated platform with a podium for awards presentations and speeches. Illuminated panels in the shape of celluloid film pieces dominated the design, which was accented with LED tubing in bright colors.
The program had a vaguely '80s and early '90s theme, with host Andy Samberg beginning the program with a cadre of backup dancers reminiscent of the neon-clad Fly Girls troupe from the '90s sketch comedy show In Living Color.
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RELATED TOPICS
MTV, MTV Movie Awards, MTV Networks, Viacom, Andy Samberg, Coca-Cola, Eminem, Twilight |
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| NEWS 11.04.08 5:24 PM |
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Ax Falls on ABC News, Viacom, Marc Jacobs Holiday Fetes, While News Corp. Parties On
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FROM NEW YORK
Dispatches from the great holiday party flush of 2008 continue. After word came last week that ABC News joined media groups like Hearst by dropping its annual bureau parties in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, big celebrations for Marc Jacobs and Viacom officially fell off the schedule over the past 24 hours, while the rumored cancellation of the News Corps. party proved a bit of an overreaction.
In an email from Viacom heads Philippe Dauman and Tom Dooley published by Gawker, the duo took the release of the company’s third quarter results as an opportunity to drop the holiday-party bomb. The cancellation probably won’t upset too many staffers though: In lieu of divisional or corporate celebrations, Viacom staffers—at least those who are still around after this week’s anticipated round of layoffs—get an extra two days of vacation between December 22 and January 1.
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RELATED TOPICS
News Corp., ABC News, Viacom, Hearst Corporation, Corporate Holiday Parties, Marc Jacobs, Rodale |
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| EVENT REPORT 06.24.08 4:28 PM |
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In the Midst of a Heat Wave, BET Takes Awards Suites Poolside
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 | The outdoor setup at BET's suite
Photo: Jonny Nunez/WireImage |
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Today, BET is busily preparing for its award show tonight at the Shrine. But yesterday and Sunday, the vibe was more relaxed for some nominees, presenters, performers, celebrities, and media poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt for the network's "Oasis Spa Lounge" with Akademiks.
The two-day event wrapped last evening just as the extended L.A. heat wave was finally beginning to break after days of 100-degree temps. Poolside was the right place to be in such weather, where lounge furniture sat under cover of white umbrellas and a DJs MOS, Q-Stick, DL, and Kelly G spun dance hits. Inside the ground-floor suites it was even cooler; there, guests scooped up gear from the likes of Akademiks, Rockport, and Cover Girl, and took time out for spa treatments like pedicures and massages.
BET Networks' director of integrated marketing, Derrin Woodhouse, worked with Entertainment Fusion Group on PR on the daytime lounges, which were the official hospitality suites of the awards. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
BET, BET Networks, Viacom, BET Awards, Akademiks, Rockport, Cover Girl |
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| NEWS 06.20.08 4:52 PM |
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MTV Expected to Confirm Video Music Awards' L.A. Move Next Week
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It looks like MTV is indeed taking its Video Music Awards show to Los Angeles, as we previously reported, but not to the venue we originally named.
While our previous report suggested a move to the Shrine might be in the works for this year, we now hear that another venue has been selected. We also hear that the network will make a formal announcement on the decision next week, perhaps as early as Monday.
The move marks the VMAs’ first L.A. stop in a decade (the event took over the Gibson Amphitheatre in 1998). The show took over multiple areas within the Palms in Las Vegas last year. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
MTV, MTV Video Music Awards, Viacom, MTV Networks |
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| NEWS 04.09.08 2:56 PM |
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Mike Myers Gets MTV Movie Awards Hosting Gig
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Mike Myers is set to host the MTV Movie Awards, which will be broadcast live from Universal City on June 1, according to People.com. (And, uncoincidentally, Myers is releasing his latest movie, The Love Guru, later in June.) "Hosting the MTV Movie Awards is like a party, but without having to do beer runs in your mom's mini van," Myers said in a statement. "We do beer runs in Will Smith's four-story motor home." Mark Burnett is the executive producer of the 17th annual presentation, which will take over the Gibson Amphitheatre. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
MTV, MTV Movie Awards, MTV Networks, Viacom, Mike Myers |
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