Google Inc. is working on a major overhaul of YouTube as it tries to position itself for the rise of televisions that let people watch online video in their living rooms, according to people familiar with the matter. Get the full story »
Filed under: Movies
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Dish Network wins Blockbuster auction for $320M
Dish Network Corp. won Blockbuster Inc. in a bankruptcy auction for about $320 million, a move that could see the second-largest U.S. satellite TV provider tapping the movie rental chain’s online content to strengthen its offerings. Get the full story »
Amazon to offer cloud storage for music, videos
Amazon.com Inc. is planning to start a service that would let people store music and video online and access it from various digital devices, people familiar with the matter said. The company could announce the effort as early as Tuesday, the people said. Get the full story »
New Superman movie to film in Chicago
From Crain’s Chicago Business | Warner Bros.’ next Superman movie, “Superman: Man of Steel” will be filmed in Chicago starting this summer, Crain’s Chicago Business reported. Filming is expected to take two to three months. Get the full story>>
March 25 at 2:58 p.m.
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Filed under: Entertainment, Litigation, Media, Movies, TV, Updated Beatty wins suit against Tribune over Dick Tracy
From Bloomberg News | Actor Warren Beatty has won a suit against Tribune Co. over television and movie rights to Dick Tracy.
Groupon to start offering movie tickets
A promotional still for "The Lincoln Lawyer," starring Matthew McConaughey, right. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
Groupon launched a two-day national deal Wednesday offering discounted tickets for the upcoming movie “The Lincoln Lawyer,” partnering with Lionsgate in what the studio said was a first for the feature film industry.
“The Lincoln Lawyer,” starring Matthew McConaughey in the lead role, opens nationwide on Friday. Groupon is selling $6 tickets to the film. Subscribers who purchase the deal will get a special code to redeem their tickets on Fandango at any time during the movie’s theatrical run.
Lionsgate said it is the first Hollywood studio to promote a major feature film through Groupon. Movie tickets have been featured on daily deal sites in the past; earlier this month, Groupon rival LivingSocial offered a national deal where consumers could purchase two tickets on Fandango for $9. Get the full story »
Judge clears way for Blockbuster sale
A judge Thursday cleared the way for movie-rental company Blockbuster Inc. to sell itself to a group of hedge funds, after lawyers spent all day in courthouse hallways brokering a deal with movie studios that had objected to the sale terms. The ruling gives the movie studios a better deal and staves off immediate liquidation of Blockbuster’s assets. Get the full story »
March 7 at 6:21 a.m.
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Filed under: Bankruptcy, Litigation, Media, Movies, Newspapers, TV Tribune bankruptcy nears finish line
After 27 months of legal wrangling, Tribune Co. and its creditors are finally headed into what could be the deciding chapter of the company’s tangled bankruptcy saga.
The case will enter what bankruptcy law practitioners call confirmation hearings Monday, and for the next two weeks U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey in Delaware will hear evidence from an army of lawyers arguing for and against two competing visions of how to restructure the Chicago-based media conglomerate.
3 theater chains fined over child labor violations
Three movie theater companies will pay more than $275,000 in civil fines after being accused of violating federal labor laws by allowing dozens of teenagers in nine states, including Illinois, to perform dangerous jobs and work hours longer than allowed by law, the Department of Labor said Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour division said about 160 minors at 27 theaters operated by Milwaukee-based Marcus Theatres Corp.; Regal Cinemas Inc. of Knoxville, Tenn.; and Wehrenberg Inc. of St. Louis violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. Get the full story »
Newcomer paces Ebert’s movie review show
Tower Ticker | The big surprise in the first edition of “Ebert Presents at the Movies” is that it’s Ignatiy Vishnevetsky who shines brightest.
Yeah. That guy. The one with the name stands to make a name for himself, assuming his cohorts up their game enough to make this public broadcasting bid to bring intelligence to TV talk of current and classic films a success.
Tune in at 8:30 tonight on WTTW-Ch. 11. You’ll see. The first impression is that Vishnevetsky, the largely unknown 24-year-old that Roger Ebert plucked from the Lake Street screening room, comes across far more naturally than any of the others Ebert has recruited to bring new life to the concept that he and the late Gene Siskel introduced in 1975.
Christy Lemire, the Associated Press film critic who shares the balcony set at WTTW with Vishnevetsky, may not be reading from a script all the time, but that’s how it seems when she should sound like she’s simply having a discussion.
Push for 3-D continues despite making some sick
From Hollywood studios to Japanese TV makers, powerful business interests are betting 3-D will be the future of entertainment, despite a major drawback: It makes millions of people uncomfortable or sick.
Optometrists say as many as one in four viewers have problems watching 3-D movies and TV, either because 3-D causes tiresome eyestrain or because the viewer has problems perceiving depth in real life. In the worst cases, 3-D makes people queasy, leaves them dizzy or gives them headaches. Get the full story »
Amazon buys Lovefilm, Britain’s Netflix
U.S. online retailer Amazon.com is to buy the 58 percent of British DVD and games rental firm Lovefilm it does not already own for an undisclosed price, it said on Thursday.
Lovefilm, whose Europe-focused business has a similar model to U.S. video rental firm Netflix Inc., has built a movie rental-by-mail business and has also started streaming digital movies. Get the full story »
Clerkdogs to start live-chat movie reviews
As Netflix and other video services offer thousands of movies streamed over the Internet, all those choices are creating a dilemma: what to watch next.
A 2-year-old movie recommendation Web site called Clerkdogs is addressing the problem by offering online chats with former video store clerks, film critics and other movie buffs. Get the full story »
Blockbuster hits creditors up for another $250M
Blockbuster Inc. is asking creditors to put up more money to help it exit bankruptcy protection, prompting a debate among bondholders about whether to invest further in the struggling video chain or put it up for sale, people familiar with the matter said.
When Blockbuster filed for Chapter 11 protection in September, the company had agreed to turn ownership over to its creditors. But after poor holiday sales and new estimates for a costlier turnaround, the company is asking bondholders for an additional $200 million to $250 million to be used after the chain exits court protection. Get the full story »
Comcast rolls out video app for iPad, eyes live TV
Comcast Corp. plans to soon roll out a feature allowing its customers to watch real-time television shows, whether a crime drama or newscast, on tablet computers such as Apple Inc.’s iPad. Get the full story »
