Friday, November 6, 2009

News Round-up: Bell, Rinna, MVSA, DirecTV, New Media

Industry slowly embracing new media
Hollywood seems stuck in first gear when it comes to the race to embrace the Digital Revolution. After more than a decade of dithering over how to release film and TV content over the Internet and other new-media platforms -- and how aggressively to do so -- the industry remains tentative in its approach to digital distribution.

"Studios are feeling their way through," says Rick Bolton, CEO of digital downloads company Film Fresh. "On the one hand, they have the cautionary tale of the music industry before them, and on the other, they have the relatively positive example of the TV side's relationship with iTunes. But the consumer is going to decide where this all is going, not the corporate side."

With that in mind, the brave few continue to pop up with bright ideas they hope will capture public fancy and studio support.

Lauralee Bell closes On Sunset store
On Nov. 2, Lauralee Bell (ex-Christine, THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS) announced she would shutter her high-fashion boutique, On Sunset, after Dec. 1. On Sunset had sold fashion labels such as Blumarine and Jean-Paul Gaultier in Los Angeles’ high-profile Sunset Plaza retail district since 2004. Bell said the demands of running a boutique took too much out of her already bruising schedule, where she juggled her family life and a full-time show-business career. The rough economy of the past year also took its toll on the store, according to its office manager, Nadine Zanotti. “Business is just not happening,” she said.

Later this month, On Sunset will hold a going-out-of-business sale, where its Blumarine gowns as well as its fixtures and mannequins will be put on sale.

Lisa Rinna closes Belle Gray boutique, lawsuit pending
Lisa Rinna (ex-Billie, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) closed the Calabasas, Calif., location of her Belle Gray boutique chain on Oct. 1. On Oct. 22, her former landlords, The Commons at Calabasas LLC, filed a lawsuit against her in Los Angeles County Superior Court for breach of contract. The Commons at Calabasas retail center is owned by Rick Caruso, who developed the popular The Grove retail center in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit contends that Rinna stopped paying rent on the 1,430-square-foot boutique on March 1. The minimum monthly rent was $7,946. The Commons lawyers asked for damages in the amount of $635,083 from the owner of the contemporary fashion store.

The GOSSIP GIRL threesome goes on for two episodes
Turns out the GOSSIP GIRL threesome is even racier than first reported, because it goes on for not one but two episodes. The dirty deed goes down on this Monday's episode, but will be recounted with flashbacks the following week, Nov. 16, where we will learn--and see--even more about it.

DirecTV announces Q32009 Earnings
Larry Hunter: "A couple of weeks ago we exclusively launched the fourth season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, but perhaps more exciting are some of the new services we’ll be launching over the coming months.

"In a few months, we’ll start shipping the receivers that will provide customers with Whole-Home functionality including multi-room viewing, broadband connectivity for services such as VOD and TV Apps as well as access to connected PCs to view pictures, music and other media."

EASTENDERS wins three MVSA prizes
BBC soap EASTENDERS has scored a hat-trick of prizes at the Birmingham Black International Film Festival's Music, Video and Screen Awards (MVSAs). The Walford serial was named 'Best UK Drama' with a black or ethnic cast at the ceremony, which is the festival's flagship event each year. Meanwhile, Tiana Benjamin won the 'Best UK Actress' award for her role as Chelsea Fox and Rudolph Walker (Patrick Trueman) picked up the 'Lifetime Achievement' award.

Sex, then amnesia...and it's no soap opera
For decades, doctors described cases of a rare neurological condition that usually occurred in patients over age 50. Neurologists noted that patients knew their identities, but couldn't retain recent memory, where they were and how they got there. They showed no other symptoms. Sex is one of the major triggers for the baffling medical condition called transient global amnesia in which patients lose their ability to retain immediate memory.

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