Show Business - FishbowlLA

How Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars Came to ABC TV

Mona Zhang — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:16:00 +0000

Before Pretty Little Liars was an award-winning hit on ABC with its own spin-off, it was the brainchild of YA writer Sara Shepard. The prolific scribe managed to publish over 20 books in eight years and get two of her series optioned as TV shows. In the latest installment of Mediabistro’s So What Do You Do?, Shepard tells how her series ended up on the screen and what she thinks of the TV incarnations of Pretty Little Liars and Lying Game.

“Pretty Little Liars I’m really satisfied with. Pretty Little Liars more sticks to what the books are,” she said. “[The TV writers] take their own liberties, and sometimes their ideas are just great. Sometimes I’m like, “Oh, why didn’t I think of that?” So that’s always really fun. But, I mean, it’s just pretty amazing to see it on TV at all. Even if it wouldn’t have lasted a season, it still would have been this pretty incredible thing.”

For more, read So What Do You Do, Sara Shepard, Author of Pretty Little Liars?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Angelina Jolie Reveals Double Mastectomy in New York Times Op-Ed

Pandora Young — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:00:13 +0000

Earlier this year, actress Angelina Jolie underwent a preventative double mastectomy after genetic testing revealed she had a high probability of developing breast cancer.

The actress candidly discussed the elective procedure in a column for today’s New York Times titled “My Medical Choice.” Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of breast cancer in 2007 at the age of 56 after battling the disease for nearly a decade. The loss of her mother strongly influenced her decision to have the procedure.

Husband Brad Pitt was there “for every minute of the surgeries,” Jolie notes, and said the experience has brought the couple closer together.

Jolie’s role as a sex symbol lends the narrative a special resonance, given how devastating the procedure can be for women’s self-image. “I do not feel any less of a woman,” she writes. “I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”

Jolie opted for reconstructive surgeries and implants following the mastectomies. “There have been many advances in this procedure in the last few years, and the results can be beautiful.”

Jolie says she was able to carry on with her work during the three months of medical procedures. She’ll next be appearing on the big screen as the title character in Disney’s Maleficent. The film is set for a summer release in 2014.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Shonda Rhimes is Disney’s No. 1 Drama Money Maker

Richard Horgan — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:10:50 +0000

Solid profile of Shonda Rhimes by Meghan Casserly in the May 27 issue of Forbes. The 43-year-old single mother of two is Walt Disney Co.’s top network drama earner, per these rather staggering numbers:

Together, Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy pull in more than $13 million in advertising for ABC each week – just shy of $300 million a season, or about 5% of the network’s total revenue. That’s not counting tens of millions more for Grey’s syndication or licensing in other countries, which Disney shares with Rhimes’ production company, ShondaLand (Forbes estimates she earned $12 million this year).

But those numbers vastly understate her importance…

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Tracey Edmonds on Breaking Into Hollywood’s Boys Club

Guest — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:35:25 +0000

After moving to LA at the age of 23 with hopes of becoming a music producer, Tracey Edmonds went on to produce hit films like Soul Food and several reality shows on BET and TV One. Through it all, she told Mediabistro, it was her race more than her gender that complicated her pursuit of producing.

“I think the biggest problem is still the issue of color. There are still only a few slots on the entire release schedule for African-Americans,” she said. “Tyler Perry has maybe three films in that block, and that leaves the rest of us to kind of vie for those other spots.”

That’s not to say that women have it easy in Hollywood. Edmonds, who recently founded the online venture Alright TV, suggested that aspiring female producers develop a stiff upper lip. “I encourage young women to be empowered and independent and not rely on other people to fulfill their dreams.”

– Nicholas Braun

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Casting Directors See the Light, Cancel Planned Auction of Hollywood Audition Tapes

Richard Horgan — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:25:54 +0000

Today’s Kathy Lee Gifford blunder isn’t the only Today Show gaffe in the news. It’s quite possible that if executives from Julien’s Auctions in Beverly HIlls had not chatted last Friday with Matt Lauer about their company’s planned sale of 54 Hollywood audition tapes this coming weekend, none of the the following would have happened.

The duo’s March 29 appearance sparked some angry tweets by casting directors and a solid bit of reporting yesterday from Backstage executive editor Daniel Holloway. The article exposed the identity of the sellers and also included a scathing condemnation of the auction by Casting Society of America president Richard Hicks.

Today, per a statement from SAG-AFTRA and a second item by Holloway, Janet Hirshenson and Jane Jenkins have wisely redirected these artifacts to the Academy. From today’s Backstage item:

“I got an email this morning from Janet and Jane saying that there’s a big hoopla over this and that they’re going to give it to the Academy,” said Darryl Marshak of Marshak/Zachary management company. “The Academy now is the keeper of the tapes, and anyone in there can go in and look at them. They’re for the whole world to see once they’re at the Academy library.”

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Jeff Berg’s New Talent Agency Scores Double Media Booking

Richard Horgan — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:20:10 +0000

The rapid return of one-time ICM chief Jeff Berg to the Hollywood talent agency business underpins this week’s oddest LA media coincidence.

On the front page of today’s LA Times Calendar section, there is an article about Berg’s new agency Resolution by Daniel Miller. And inside this week’s Hollywood Reporter print magazine, Miller’s former THR colleague Stephen Galloway shares a longer, deeper feature about the very same topic. Galloway got to speak with the 65-year-old Berg at the latter’s new 23rd-story Century City offices; Miller’s request for an interview was declined.

Whether Berg’s Resolution will be good for the Hollywood community as a whole has yet to be determined. But per Galloway’s piece, it’s already been very good for talent agents:

Rivals criticize Berg for overpaying, noting most [Resolution agents] are getting well above the $200,000 to $300,000 they might expect elsewhere and some as much as seven figures. “He is making deals just because they are possible to make,” one rival grouses.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Oscar Night Social Media: George Takei Wins Tweet O’ the Evening

Matthew Fleischer — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:51:04 +0000

Oh my! George Takei clearly wins Twitter for the night. There will no doubt be 8,000 “Draft George Takei” Facebook pages by this time tomorrow.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Will Ferrell Crashes Lakers Game As An Usher Named ‘Ted Vagina’

Matthew Fleischer — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:25:17 +0000

When it comes to public hijinks, Will Ferrell is second to none… Well, second to Bill Murray actually. Still, pretty damn funny.

Ferrell was at last night’s Lakers game against the Suns dressed as an usher named Ted Vagina. Lest you think Ferrell was just having fun, he was apparently there to promote his new movie. Shaq will apparently be featured in this film, because Ferrell angrily escorted him out of his courtside seats at one point during the game. If Shaq is going to show up at a Lakers game of his own volition, no way it’s going to be against a team as terrible as the Suns.

H/T Deadspin

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Weighs in on Girls

Matthew Fleischer — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:14:24 +0000

Laker great and sometimes columnist Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hadn’t written a piece for Huffington Post in over three years. After blogging fairly regularly during the 2008 election, Kareem sat 2012 out. Today, however, he broke out of his slumber to randomly weigh in on the racial politics of HBO’s Girls–now well into its second season.

Last season the show was criticized for being too white. Watching a full season could leave a viewer snow blind. This season that white ghetto was breached by a black character who is introduced as some jungle fever lover, with just enough screen time to have sex and mutter a couple of lines about wanting more of a relationship. A black dildo would have sufficed and cost less.

Ha! Glad you woke up Kareem.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Porn Legend Ron Jeremy is in Critical Condition at Cedars-Sinai

Matthew Fleischer — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 13:43:11 +0000

TMZ reports that porn legend Ron Jeremy drove himself to the hospital yesterday after suffering severe chest pains, whereupon doctors discovered an aneurysm near his heart. The pop culture icon is in critical condition at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Jeremy’s manager Mike Esterman says his client’s condition is worsening. Surgery appears ~~eminent~~ imminent.

Here’s hoping the subject of the 2001 documentary Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy pulls through.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Fizziology Stirs Hollywood A-Lister Drink with Expansive Social Media App

Richard Horgan — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 09:45:28 +0000

This is fascinating stuff. Variety film editor Josh Dickey got a first-hand look at a social media intelligence tool of a kind that we will be hearing a lot more about in the coming months and years.

CastTyper comes from the good folks at Fizziology, a leading entertainment market research firm. It goes a little deeper by categorizing info shared about actors on social media into the groupings of “physical appearance, emotional resonance, intellectual prowess and power of personality.” Of the four examples Dickey was shown, he says the one that resonated most involved Brad Pitt‘s Moneyball co-star:

Fizziology found that as audiences focused on Jonah Hill‘s weight loss and dramatic acting chops, they lost sight of his lovable personality… Some fans even openly complained about Hill’s weight loss, saying it would make him less funny and lovable; others felt offput by watching a skinny Hill promote Moneyball, in which he was still seen as overweight.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Arnold Schwartzenegger Stops By Reddit–Says Twins 2 Will Happen

Matthew Fleischer — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:21:31 +0000

America’s favorite philandering Austrian Governator swung by Reddit today to do an “Ask Me Anything” session. As of the writing of this post he was still going. So go ask him something if you’re so inclined.

Thus far, not a whole lot to life lessons have been imparted to the girly men boys of Reddit. We did, however, learn that Arnold knows to write in cursive–even if he isn’t particularly good at it. We also learned that Twins 2 is apparently a go, with Danny Devito and Eddie Murphy.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

South Park Creators to Launch ‘Important Studios’

Matthew Fleischer — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:46:51 +0000

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are apparently sick of Hollywood studio oversight–as they ready the inevitable film version of their Broadway hit Book of Mormon. The pair have been saving their syndication money, and let the New York Times know over the weekend that they plan on launching their own $300 million production studio: called “Important Studios.”

“Having worked with several different studios over the years, we came to realize that our favorite people in the world are ourselves,” the pair said in a statement.

Parker and Stone also courted $60 million in backing from Raine Group head Joseph Ravitch.

“Ten years ago, you needed that studio machinery to start cranking its marketing muscle,” Stone told the Times. “Now we could market a movie-size project. We bring a lot of heft.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

New York Times Magazine Gets Old-School Access to The Canyons

Matthew Fleischer — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 15:27:45 +0000

It’s the kind of piece that just doesn’t happen anymore in this era of hyper-PR. Stephan Rodrick‘s behind-the-scenes piece in the New York Times Magazine on the making of Paul Schrader‘s film The Canyons is definitely the read of the day. It may just be the most Hollywood thing we have ever read: porn stars, desperation, and plenty of Lindsay Lohan. And dream access.

A (slightly out of context) taste about filming a four-way sex scene with LiLo and three porn stars:

Schrader worried that the early-morning sunlight would begin streaming through the house. He thought of sending everyone home. But then he realized that there was one thing he hadn’t yet tried. He stripped off all of his clothes. Naked, he walked toward Lohan.

“Lins, I want you to be comfortable. C’mon, let’s do this.”

Lohan shrieked.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Joan Rivers Recalls Her Johnny Carson Heartbreak

Richard Horgan — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 13:30:44 +0000

Under the THR article headline “Joan Rivers: Why Johnny Carson ‘Never Ever Spoke to Me Again’,” the comedienne thinks that her gender had a lot to with the ill will that erupted from Carson’s end when she decided to see if the late night grass was greener at FOX.

But she also, more pointedly than we can remember, accuses her one-time mentor of being a liar. Rivers writes that the first person she called after being offered a FOX late night show was Carson:

He hung up on me – and never, ever spoke to me again. And then denied that I called him. I couldn’t figure it out…

In the press, he said, “She didn’t call me, and she was so terrible.” When you’ve told the truth and you read a lie, there’s nothing you can do about it. To this day, I’m very angry about that. Don’t f—in’ lie.

continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.