Tuesday, April 21, 2009

News Round-up: DH Finale, Minga-Na Plays Lesbian, Hulu

MPAA Report: TV, Movie Business Support 2.5 Million American Jobs
The TV and movie business support 2.5 million American jobs, and most of those jobs are actually in small businesses. That is according to the second biennial (every two years) report on economic impact of those businesses from the Motion Picture Association of America and its studio members.

The report suggests that far from being a collection of media monoliths, show business is actually 115,000 businesses, over 80% employing fewer than 10 people. "One-quarter of the businesses are sole proprietorships."

Another character leaving DESPERATE HOUSEWIVS?
According to E!'s Kristin Dos Santos, Dave is going to snap "like you wouldn't believe. There's a chance that another Fairview resident may be leaving Wisteria Lane, but we won't find that out till the finale. What we do know is that Dave (Neal McDonough) is going to do something so devilishly evil, James Denton teased that there's no way he could come back from it saying, 'I'm afraid we're going to lose another great actor because I don't know how we can keep him around. He's too evil. What he does is pretty despicable.'"

Broadcasts flee TV for the Web
Television is still the dominant outlet for video broadcasts, according to recent statistics released by the Council for Research Excellence, a group funded by Nielsen Media Research. But, with the popularity of rebroadcast Web sites such as Hulu.com, some experts say there may be a question of how long traditional television can stay on top.

HOLLYOAKS producer denies cast clearout
HOLLYOAKS producer Lucy Allan has reportedly denied any intention of a mass cast clearout. Last month, it was reported that actors at the Channel 4 soap were fearing for their jobs amid suggestions that ten characters were to be given the push in a spate of axings.

She told the show's official website: "As people know, Chris [Fountain], Jamie [Lomas] and Stuart [Manning] will be leaving the show but there is no cull and there is no desire to make big key changes to the show."

Ming-Na's character on STARGATE UNIVERSE will be a lesbian
the latest Stargate series — STARGATE UNIVERSE, or SGU — will include the franchise's first lesbian cast member: political attaché Camille Wray, played by veteran Chinese-American actress Ming-Na (ex-Lien, ATWT).

Child star of BALIKA VADHU campaigns against child marriage
Young television actor Avika Gaur is trying to motivate school children in Jodhpur to take a pledge against child marriage. Avika plays a child bride herself in the poplar soap opera, BALIKA VADHU.

"I am too young to talk about it, but I know that this is a bad thing. Like it is shown on my show that an eight year old is married. She has to be away from her parents, leave her studies, which are very important. She leaves her friends and was given responsibilities, which she was unable to understand. She just had to sit with her head covered. This is a bad thing," she said.

Lohan to replace Monaco in topless stage show?
Former ANOTHER WORLD actress Lindsay Lohan reportedly flew to Sin City on Saturday to attend the grand opening of sexy striptease production "Peepshow" and meet with its creator, Broadway director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell. The show will feature celebrities in rotating lead roles and Lohan may replace GH's Kelly Monaco when her run ends.

SAG to cut 35 jobs from staff
On the heels of declining dues and investment losses, the Screen Actors Guild plans to cut 35 of its 440 employees. SAG national exec director David White notified staffers about the cuts in a memo sent Monday, two days after the guild's national board approved a $60 million budget for the fiscal year starting May 1.

Hulu Aims for iPhone App
Hulu is developing an application that will bring the site’s video content to Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, BusinessInsider.com reports. While a video service on an iPhone may take up a larger portion of bandwidth, Hulu on the Apple products may help increase sales of the devices and bring more customers to AT&T, the iPhone’s service provider, the site says. However, one hurdle may be that users might not be able to watch content on the subway or an airplane.

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