Month: June 2008

The Associated Press reports that by early 2010 Comcast plans to offer most of it’s consumers 100mbps internet service. Thats fast enough to be able to download a high-definition movie in minutes.

 Comcast senior vice president of investor relations Marlene Dooner said at the Merrill Lynch U.S. Media Conference in London that the company will be deploying a technology capable of delivering up to 100 megabits of data or more per second in 20 percent of its markets by the end of 2008. Dooner said the speed was “very competitive” with Verizon’s fiber-optic Internet service which currently offers 30mbps uploads and downloads and which has about 1.8 million subscribers.

Comcast, nation’s second-largest Internet service provider and biggest cable TV operator, has been one of the most aggressive providers in deploying a wideband technology called Docsis 3.0. As competition has increased, the company’s “triple-play” package of video, Internet and phone service is no longer exclusive because phone and satellite TV companies are now offering similar packages and services. Comcast responded by offer more cost-conscious consumers economy plans and packages that bundle two services instead of three.

Comcast expects to move the majority of its analog television channels to digital in most markets by early 2010. The company had set a goal of reclaiming analog bandwidth in 20 percent of its markets this year.

Comcast’s ad revenue in 2007 topped $1.5 billion and shares of Comcast rose 9 cents to close at $22.72 Thursday.

Sources:
Verizon.com
Comcast.com
The Associated Press

 

FirstShowing.net reports that Tim Burton will be working with producer Johnny Depp and script writer John August on a remake of the 60’s daytime supernatural soap opera Dark Shadows. The project will be an update of the cult classic that starred Jonathan Frid as a vampire named Barnabas Collins. Johnny Depp has also been rumored to be be playing the part of Barnabas.

THR.com reports that Mel Brooks confirmed last week that he’s not closing down his production company Brooksfilms, that he founded in 1978 and that he is in fact developing a horror film called Pizzaman. Brooks said that Pizzaman would be a “serious horror film.” Rudy De Luca (Silent Movie, High Anxiety, Million Dollar Mystery, Dracula: Dead and Loving It) and Steve Haberman (Life Stinks, Dracula: Dead and Loving It) are penning the script. Brooks won’t be directing, but will be producing.

Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton have been cast as the two leads in the upcoming Prince of Persia. Alfred Molina and Ben Kingsley have also been confirmed. Prince of Persia is a Jerry Bruckheimer production and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’s Mike Newell is directing.

Bloody Disgusting reports that Spike Jonze’s adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are is being entirely reshot. Warner Brothers will start reshooting on June 5th and will work all the way through June 30th. Correction: According to FirstShowing.net Where the Wild Things Are will reshoot from June 5th through June 30th but it may not be a complete reshoot. Quoted from Bloody Disgusting “it is unclear how much is being reshot, but there are new casting calls out for various stand-in roles.”

Bryce Dallas Howard will replace Charlotte Gainsbourgh as Kate Connor wife of John Connor, played by Christian Bale in the upcoming Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.

Guy Ritchie is re-writing and directing Warner Bros Sherlock Holmes. Warner has been tight lipped about the plot but did say that they would be aiming to reinvent Holmes and Watson with Holmes being a more physical and adventuresome character.

Bloody Disgusting says that CineTel has gotten the remake rights to the 70’s shocker I Spit On Your Grave.

Sources:
THR
Bloody Disgusting
FirstShowing.net
Movie Web

The 17th Annual MTV Movie awards aired Sunday in spite of the earlier threat from the nearby Universal fire. Here are some of the highlights:

Best Female Performance, went to Ellen Page of Juno.

Best Fight went to Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet for their exchange in the ultimate fighter flick, Never Back Down. Sean Faris thanked his gym.

Best Summer Movie So Far went to Iron Man.

Best Male Performance went to Will Smith for I Am Legend.

Jonny Depp won Best Comedic Performance for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Best Villain for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The 2008 MTV Generation Award went to Adam Sandler.

Breakthrough Performance award went to Zac Efron for Hairspray.

Best Kiss Award went to Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman for Step Up 2: The Streets.

The Best Movie award, went to Transformers.

And the most nominated of them all, Superbad, won 0 of its 5 nominated categories.

Sources:
MTV News
CFTK TV

The Guardian reports that a massive fire broke out at Universal Studios Hollywood Sunday morning at around 5 a.m. destroying Universal’s Back To The Future set as well as a video vault, portions of the King Kong attraction at Universal’s theme park and the old Court House Square set, a standard in movies and TV since the mid ’50s and currently in use by CBS’s Ghost Whisperer.

The L.A. Times reports that the blaze, with flames topping 90 feet and being fed by propane gas from ruptured canisters, burned until 10 a.m. and took more than 400 firefighters several hours to put out. Poor water pressure was a major issue for the firefighters as they battled the blaze with some firefighters saying they could only get ten feet of spay from the on-sight hydrants. At one point firefighters had to resort to pumping water from two man-made ponds, one of which was home to Universal’s animatronic Jaws attraction. The cause of the poor water pressure is under investigation.

Unnamed sources have said that the fire was likely started by studio workers who were using welding equipment to repair a New York street scape, which was also destroyed by the fire. The workers were using the tools at around 3 a.m. Sunday, roughly 90 minutes later the fire was detected. The workers were said to be veteran Universal employees, and appeared to have followed all fire prevention protocols.

L.A. County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said that investigators were still examining the cause and would not provide further details. “The investigation has ruled out any deliberate actions on the part of anyone,” said Freeman. When asked about a potential cause for the fire Cindy Gardner, a Universal spokeswoman, declined to comment saying only, “Anything now is speculative. We don’t have anything to disclose at this point.”

Nine firefighters and a sheriff’s deputy were reported injured during the fire.

None of the parks 30 sound-stages were damaged by the fire and 10 scheduled productions resumed filming today uninterrupted.

Sources:
The Guardian
L.A. Times
AFP.com

 

Tuesday, June 3

Big Rig: Unrated. Life as seen from the long haul truckers perspective. From Ocule Films.

Wednesday, June 4

Dreams With Sharp Teeth: Unrated. Biopic on venerated science fiction writer Harlan Ellison. From Film Forum

The Wedding Director: Unrated. While worrying about his own daughters marriage to a catholic extremist, filmmaker Franco Elica finds himself falling for the daughter of a client who’s wedding he is filming. New Yorker Films

Operation Filmmaker: Unrated. An Iraqi film student is followed as he works on several big budget Hollywood films and on sets throughout the world. From First Run/ Icarus Films

Friday, June 6

Kung Fu Panda: PG. A clumsy panda is unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy and fight beside his martial arts idols. From DreamWorks Animation

Mongol: R. The early life of former slave turned world conqueror Genghis Khan. From Picturehouse

Don’t Mess With Zohan: PG-13. A former Mossad agent fakes his own death and becomes a hair stylist. His old life however soon catches up to him. From Columbia Pictures

Mother Of Tears: Unrated. An ancient urn is unearthed in Rome. Inside are artifacts that belonged to the only survivor of the Three Mothers, powerful witches who for aeons spread death and destruction throughout the city. From Medusa Film

When Did You Last See Your Father?: PG-13. A raw look at how a man comes to terms with his father’s terminal illness and the rocky and conflicted relationship between the two. From Sony Pictures Classics

Mister Foe: Unrated. The story of a teenager who lives in the rooftops of Edinburgh with his step-mother who has seduced him and, he believes, may have murdered his mother. From Magnolia Pictures

The Time Traveler’s Wife: Unrated. From the novel by Audrey Niffenegger, a man and his wife try to come to terms with his uncontrollable and unpredictable jumps in time. From New Line Cinema.

Miss Conception: R. A young London professional with only one month left to concieve a child seeks the perfect father for her child. From Blue Angels Films.

The Promotion: R. Grocery managers fight for a promotion. From Dimension Films.

On The Rumba River: Unrated. The story of Congolese Rumba superstar Wendo and his struggle against the church and colonial authorities. From First Run Features.

The Go-Getter: Unrated. After the death of his mother, a teen steals a car and goes on a road trip to find his brother. From Peace Arch Entertainment.