SATURDAY AM: Sony Pictures' Hancock received the bounce it needed, up 9% from Thursday, to make $18.8 million on Fourth of July Friday from 3,965 theaters. That gives the Will Smith dramedy $60.1M from its first 3 1/2 days. The studio expects a 3-day weekend in the low $60sM to put Hancock "comfortably over 100" for the 5 days -- somewhere between $102M-$105M. "God bless America and God bless Will Smith," an insider gushed. For a pic that cost $150M, it will more than cover its negative cost in its first 5 days of worldwide release. The studio still feels Hancock's franchise hopes are still alive because "there is a huge disconnect between audiences and critics when you have big numbers added to the world's most bankable movie star." But the buzz on the pic is bad. See my full story and analysis here: Will Smith's 'Hancock' Predicted $100+M High For July 4th Wkd
Other films: #2 Disney/Pixar's Wall-E made $8.8M Friday (-62% from its opening day). It should make $34M for FSS and cume is $128. #3 Universal's Wanted $5.1M (-73% from its opening Friday). $19M FSS, cume $89M. #4 Warner Bros' Get Smart $2.5M Friday, $10M FSS, cume $96.7M. #5 DreamWorks Animation/Paramount's Kung Fu Panda $2M Friday, $8M FSS, cume $193.8M. Picturehouse's Kit Kittredge: An American Girl opened wider and came in #8 on Friday with $825k for what should be a FSS of $3M and cume of $5.6M.
FRIDAY AM: Sony Pictures' Hancock keeps adding to its domestic box office dough. It made $17.1 million from 3,965 theaters for Thursday, down only 2% from its Wednesday opening., bringing its 2 1/2 day total (including Tuesday's evening shows) to $41.3M. The studio still has its sights set on the Will Smith dramedy earning more than $100M but $115M seems out of reach. Although the poorly reviewed film is doing big business overseas, there's some doubt now whether this can still be Sony's next franchise (or Will Smith's ... remember Warner Bros' Wild Wild West?)
HOLLYWOOD – July 3, 2008 – This Independence Day, Strike.TV sets sail with a new online Network that gives total freedom to it's creators. Strike.TV was conceived by the professional communities of Hollywood and birthed during a year of hard times in the film and television industry. Sparked in large part by the recent labor disputes and fueled by the desires of professional story-tellers to do what they do best, Strike.TV is delivering upon promises that they made during the darkest days of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike in December 2007.
Strike.TV challenged their WGA peers to go out and do what they do best and asked them to create original pieces of entertainment for the Internet, and in return promised to do three things:
Strike.TV's first promise was to build and launch a 21st century social network for WGA writers and their creative counterparts around the world. Not just writers, but also directors, actors, and all of the other crafts and crew that create and contribute to a modern production. The first working meeting attracted over 400 pioneers who wanted to create during a time of turmoil. This working meeting was covered by The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and over 70 formal proposals were received. Through its online social network and community Strike.TV guided 40 projects into development with many more coming in following the strike. Strike.TV continues to incubate the creations of this thriving community, while aiding in the development, delivery and eventual distribution of each.
The second promise was to assemble the best partners and technologies into a cutting edge broadband video distribution platform. One that supports HD quality streaming and downloads. One that allows friends and family to share the content through social networks, blogs, iPhones, iPods and other digital devices.
The third promise was to demonstrate that it was possible for Hollywood professionals to coexist and flourish with the studio system that has supported them for so long while bringing their talents to an emerging medium and doing so in a way that helps everyone. Strike.TV chose to be on the forefront as the industry goes through the necessary changes that inevitably arise with any new technology. Every industry and economy is impacted by change. And change is sometimes painful or difficult.Strike.TV was conceived during the Writers Strike, and their most important goal has been to help the very people harmed by that strike – the below the line crew members – by giving the profits made from advertising revenue to a charity that benefits them. This was one of the reasons so many people stepped up and donated their time, energy and talent to Strike.TV.
In the continuing spirit of solidarity, Strike.TV is donating the first three months of advertising revenue from projects to the Entertainment Assistance Program of The Actors Fund, which assists film and television crew members affected by the work stoppage. In a typical year, the Entertainment Assistance Program (EAP) distributes around $200,000. Since the writers strike, and with the tenuous ongoing negotiations between SAG and the AMPTP, this year the EAP has distributed over $1.3 million to below the line industry professionals in need.
Ultimately, the true strength of the Strike.TV Network comes not from any one of these promises, but from the collective power of the artists themselves. Nothing engages an audience like a story told by someone who knows how, and never before have this many professional Hollywood creators come together en masse on the Internet to tell their stories. Stories they can spin the way their imaginations take them, just as they have in books, in theaters, in radio plays, movies, television and now, on the web at http://www.strike.tv
The following is a sample of contributed work that will premiere on Strike.TV...
Global Warming
Writers - Rob Kutner
Director - Mike Shapiro
Producer - Jim Juvonen
Cast - Kristen Wiig, Aasif Mandvi
House Poor
Show creator - Lester Lewis
Unknown Sender
Writer/Director - Steven E. de Souza
Cast - Timothy Dalton, Joanne Whalley
Five Or Die
Writer/Director - Tom Holland
Cast - Kevin Daniels, Brandon Fobbs, James Snyder, Madeline Zima
Life In General
Writer - Karen Harris
Cast - JoBeth Williams, Arianne Zucker, Brinn Thayer, Robert Desidario
The Challenge
Writer - Lloyd Garver
Cast - Bob Newhart
Daryl From OnCar
Writer - Ron Corcillo
Cast - Bob Clendenin
John's Hand
Writer - Catherine Butterfield
Cast - Garrett Dillahunt, Kali Rocha, Marin Hinkle
Confessional
Writer - Ken Lazebnik
Side Effects
Writer/Director - Chuck Rose
Cast - Arye Gross, AmandaTepe
Writer/Director - Jeanne Rosenberg
Smartest Man In The World (game show)
Writer/Star - Rick Rosner
I know from experience how difficult it is to tell the truth about Big Media. But News Corp moguls need to answer for Fox News Channel airing doctored photos of two New York Times television beat staffers to make them look like trolls -- all because the duo dared to report the news. Of course, News Corp squeals like a stuck pig whenever anyone criticizes their people. And Peter Chernin and Rupert Murdoch themselves are thin-skinned. (Again, I know this from experience...) But NYT reporter Jacques Steinberg and TV editor Steve Reddicliffe were just doing their job. And News Corp has plenty of opportunities to take on that reporting in the proper forums. What I don't understand is the corporate culture at News Corp where the response is always to attack, attack, attack its critics in as underhanded a way as possible. (Again, I know this from experience...) It's said that the fish stinks from the head. Murdoch may be unredeemable. But Chernin likes to think of himself as a good guy... Both MediaMatters.com and Editor & Publisher have the details.
UPDATE: I warned you that talent agency tally was going to be a waste of time, and it was. Especially regarding actors, directors, or writers who recently left their talent agencies. Because the old tenpercentery that booked the job, and therefore gets the money, should get the credit. Not the new agency with no financial stake. Duh...
Sony Pictures now has a hefty $24.2 million total domestic gross in 1 1/2 days for its dramedy Hancock starring Will Smith and directed by Peter Berg: $6.8M Tuesday (from two evening shows starting at 7 PM at 3,680 North American theaters) and $17.3M Wednesday (from its full run in 3,965 venues for its official opening). I hear Sony is hoping for rain on July 4th around the country because it's traditionally not a big moviegoing day. Still, Hancock should have no trouble getting to $100M and maybe to $115M for the 5-day holiday.
See my full story and analysis here: Will Smith's 'Hancock' Off To Fast Start: Predicted $115M High For July 4th Wkd
That's a big star-in-the-making for William Morris to lose to Endeavor, especially after Ellen Page's Oscar nomination for Juno, since WMA decided at a retreat a few years ago to focus on building the careers of talent because it was too tough to take stars from other agencies. So here's the backstory I'm hearing: Hollywood is whispering that Kelly Bush, Ellen's publicist turned manager of the last few months, moved her. So now a half-dozen talent agencies around town are whining why they didn't get a meeting. Because there were no meetings. I hear Bush tried hard to keep Page at William Morris, where the publicist also has several clients including Josh Brolin. But this was Ellen's decision. "She just never made a connection even though Morris has represented her since Hard Candy at Sundance." But Ellen felt an instant connection with Endeavor's Patrick Whitesell. "Very much so. It was just organic and not premeditated. She didn't take meetings around town."
2ND UPDATE: SAG met this afternoon with the AMPTP and said it needed more info to analyze and review the Big Media offer. So don't expect any new developments until next Monday. But probably not until July 8th when all sides find out whether the AFTRA/AMPTP was ratified. Then Hollywood travels into uncharted territory. (See my two SAG/AFTRA/AMPTP articles in LA Weekly: here and here.)
Here's SAG's statement tonight:
Los Angeles, July 2, 2008 – The Screen Actors Guild national negotiating committee met with AMPTP negotiators today to present a series of substantive questions on the employers’ proposed package. Guild negotiators and staff will further analyze and review the AMPTP’s responses over the next several days in order to prepare a response to management’s proposal. The Screen Actors Guild national negotiating committee is working hard to achieve a fair deal for actors. The committee is mindful of its obligation to advance actors’ interests and to safeguard the protections our contracts afford them. Guild negotiators are engaged in, and committed to, the negotiating process and are confident that an equal commitment from management will allow the parties to reach a fair agreement that serves the needs of Screen Actors Guild members, their employers and the industry.
UPDATE: The AMPTP issued this statement tonight:
On Monday AMPTP presented SAG with our final offer, containing more than $250 million in additional compensation for SAG members over three years, groundbreaking rights for actors in the new media area, and a basic economic framework that has already been accepted by the DGA, WGA and AFTRA in four separate labor negotiations this year. On Wednesday, we met at SAG's request for 4 hours to answer SAG's questions about our final offer. SAG asked for more time to study our final offer and indicated it will contact the Producers on Monday. We remain hopeful that SAG will advise that it is accepting our final offer. No further meetings are scheduled.
Previous: I hear that today's negotiating session will probably just be a preliminary discussion about the AMPTP's "last best final" offer made Monday to SAG. The actors guild will still have to do a comprehensive analysis and further review.
Do read the furious but also informative comments from Hollywood folks who say that, contrary to 20th Century Fox's claims, the studio's film research library was and is constantly in use by both Fox lot personnel and outsiders. I hear Clint Eastwood is unhappy, too, because research for his Flags Of Our Fathers was done there. Also, the comments have some very interesting background info about the history of studio film research libraries in general. See my, What A Damn Shame. Meanwhile, everyone should know that the Warner Bros Research Library is alive and well and open, and I'm told by co-manager Steven Bingen that the studio's "management here, in all honestly, has always been very supportive of what we do. I wish my friends at Fox could be so lucky."
UPDATE: Fox gave me this statement tonight: "Contrary to implications, we are passionate about film history and about our fox history in particular. That's why we maintain one of the best and most costly photo archive departments in the business and keep comprehensive prop, art and film item archives from our films. It's why we organized the benefit for the motion picture home a couple years ago with Swann curating even our old contracts. That, however, is not what the research library is. Rather, it contains a number of general reference, broad interest books and periodicals, like a public library. That collection will be donated to a proper, curated library at a university or a guild, etc., where the public will have even greater access than they do now. The material will be taken care of in a first-class manner. As to the nostalgia that people feel for the days when studios were in many such non-movie specific businesses, we share it, too, and wish the world were still that way, but it's a muddling of points to lump this change into laments about lost film history, as it's not what it is."
SATURDAY AM: Sony Pictures' Hancock received the bounce it needed, up 9% from Thursday, to make $18.8 million in domestic gross on the Fourth of July holiday Friday from 3,965 North American theaters. That gives the Will Smith dramedy $60.1M from its first 3 1/2 days. The studio expects a 3-day weekend in the low $60sM to put Hancock "comfortably over 100" for the 5 days -- somewhere between $102M-$105M. "God bless America and God bless Will Smith," an insider gushed. For a pic that cost $150M, it will more than cover its negative cost in its first 5 days of worldwide release. The studio still feels Hancock's franchise hopes are still alive because "there is a huge disconnect between audiences and critics when you have big numbers added to the world's most bankable movie star." But the buzz on the pic is bad.
Other films: #2 Disney/Pixar's Wall-E made $8.8M Friday (-62% from its opening day). It should make $34M for FSS and cume is $128. #3 Universal's Wanted $5.1M (-73% from its opening Friday). $19M FSS, cume $89M. #4 Warner Bros' Get Smart $2.5M Friday, $10M FSS, cume $96.7M. #5 DreamWorks Animation/Paramount's Kung Fu Panda $2M Friday, $8M FSS, cume $193.8M. Picturehouse's Kit Kittredge: An American Girl opened wider and came in #8 on Friday with $825k for what should be a FSS of $3M and cume of $5.6M. (This post will be updated all weekend.)
FRIDAY AM: Sony Pictures' Hancock keeps adding to its domestic box office dough but at a slower pace that its fast start. It made $17.1 million from 3,965 theaters for Thursday, down only 2% from its Wednesday opening., bringing its 2 1/2 day total (including Tuesday's evening shows) to $41.3M. The studio still has its sights set on the Will Smith dramedy earning more than $100M -- but $115M seems out of reach. Although the film is doing big business overseas, there's some doubt now whether this can still be Sony's next franchise (or Will Smith's ... remember Warner Bros' Wild Wild West?)
THURSDAY AM: Sony Pictures now has a hefty $24.2 million total domestic gross in 1 1/2 days for its dramedy Hancock starring Will Smith and directed by Peter Berg: $6.8M Tuesday (from two evening shows starting at 7 PM at 3,680 North American theaters) and $17.3M Wednesday (from its full run in 3,965 venues for its official opening). I hear Sony is hoping for rain on July 4th around the country because it's traditionally not a big moviegoing day. Still, Hancock should have no trouble getting over $100M and maybe to $115M for the 5-day holiday.
WEDNESDAY AM: Sources tell me that very early numbers show that Sony Pictures' dramedy Hancock about a troubled superhero made a super-terrific $6.8 million Tuesday night from two evening shows starting at 7 PM at 3,680 North American theaters before its official opening today. (For comparison purposes, Iron Man took in $5 mil from its Thursday night shows before its official Friday May 2nd debut, and Transformers earned $8.8 mil last July 3rd before U.S. Independence Day. And those pics went on to become $300+M in domestic gross blockbusters.).
Today 3,965 theaters will be playing PG-13 Hancock, and I'm told Sony is projecting $100 million to $115 million for the 5 1/2-day July 4th weekend opening which Will Smith has traditionally owned based on the past performance of his movies which opened on that holiday like Independence Day, Men In Black, and Men In Black 2. All went on to earn $442+M in worldwide gross. Because of that impressive track record from the one actor whom Hollywood considers able to reliably open a movie these days, my box office gurus are predicting at least $105M for Hancock's 5 1/2-day weekend (all the way up to $115M) and at least $65+M for the Friday/Saturday/Sunday total because of the 92-minute running time which allows for more shows per day. But the film has received spotty reviews (only 33% positive on Rotten Tomatoes).
In a savvy effort to counter-program, Picturehouse's family fare Kit Kittredge: An American Girl opens wide this weekend in 1,747 theaters after making $450.1K in limited release since June 20th. Not only does this well-reviewed G-rated pic star that kid favorite Abigail Breslin, but also Will Smith's 7-year-old daughter Willow. (Prompting Smith to reveal he told her, "Daddy loves you sweetie, but I gots to stomp you at the box office.") My box office gurus think Kit Kittredge can make $17M to $20M for the 5-day weekend, and $12M to $14M for the 3-day weekend. But Picturehouse thinks the start of the film franchise will make $10M for the extended holiday.
Holdovers Wall-E from Disney/Pixar made $7.7M from a full day and night of screenings on Tuesday, and Universal's Wanted $4.7M. Predictions are for Wall-E to hang onto a strong $55M hold over the holiday, and Wanted maybe $40M.
I've learned that SAG has just hired Sitrick and Company, the big strategic communications firm, to help with media relations for its AMPTP negotiations. Whereas AFTRA has had the small strategic communications firm 42West working for it for months and months. So, depending on your POV, the screen actors guild either saved a bundle of dough or should have spent a bundle of dough much earlier. That said, both PR firms are located in Los Angeles. And, like SAG and AFTRA, they have a history with one other. 42West's Allan Mayer worked for Sitrick and Company for 9 years, five of them as a partner. Sitrick's firm has long specialized in worldwide crisis PR, but Mayer became tired of the oops-we've-got-to-quickly-clean-up-this-mess stuff that sends major moolah Sitrick's way. It was an amicable parting: though Sitrickwasn't thrilled at losing Mayer, the boss did let Allan out of his contract in October 2006. And then Mayer started the LA-based strategic communications outpost of NYC showbiz flackery 42West founded by Leslee Dart. Sitrick then went on a hiring binge, and now a lot of ex-journalists work on his showbiz-related accounts. Though Sitrick and Company has a much bigger strategic communications business, 42West is an entertainment powerhouse. This'll be the Olympics of union PR games!
(See my two SAG/AFTRA/AMPTP articles in LA Weekly: here and here.)
This ridiculous AMPTP ad runs in Wednesday's trades despite the fact that the Screen Actors Guild has stated that it has no strike plans. But the Big Media cartel would rather engage in destructive fear-mongering rather than explain why it offered the WGA at least 10 "last best final' offers during those negotiations:
(See my two SAG/AFTRA/AMPTP articles in LA Weekly: here and here.)
UPDATE: I warned you the article was going to be a waste of time, and it was. Especially regarding actors, directors, or writers who recently left their talent agencies. Because the old tenpercentery that booked the job, and therefore gets the money, should get the credit. Not the new agency which doesn't have a financial stake. Duh...
Hollywood agencies have been wondering why the Los Angeles Times is suddenly surrounding itself in secrecy for a story about their biz. So I'll tell you what's going on. The newspaper's Calendar writer John Horn is all hush-hush because he's surveying the 25 major summer releases and toting up which tenpercenteries represent the most top actors, directors and writers. Exactly what this is supposed to reveal new about the agencies I can't fathom, especially since everyone already knows that CAA has far and away the dominant market share of "A" and "B" list talent, with probably Endeavor and UTA doing well considering their boutique status, and giants William Morris and ICM somewhere lower on the list. But it's also just one season. What a meaningless waste of a tree set to publish Thursday. But why all the secrecy? Because the agencies make reporters' lives miserable whenever we try to do these kinds of metrics. For instance, after the TV upfronts in May, I tried to do a schematic showing which agency had the most pilot pickups. Oh, the tenpercentery shrieking! Worse, no agency could agree on across-the-board figures, either. (But Endeavor was #1.)
2ND UPDATE: Fox gave me this statement Wednesday night: "Contrary to implications, we are passionate about film history and about our fox history in particular. That's why we maintain one of the best and most costly photo archive departments in the business and keep comprehensive prop, art and film item archives from our films. It's why we organized the benefit for the motion picture home a couple years ago with Swann curating even our old contracts. That, however, is not what the research library is. Rather, it contains a number of general reference, broad interest books and periodicals, like a public library. That collection will be donated to a proper, curated library at a university or a guild, etc., where the public will have even greater access than they do now. The material will be taken care of in a first-class manner. As to the nostalgia that people feel for the days when studios were in many such non-movie specific businesses, we share it, too, and wish the world were still that way, but it's a muddling of points to lump this change into laments about lost film history, as it's not what it is."
UPDATE: I'm receiving a lot of emails and comments from Hollywood folks who say that, contrary to 20th Century Fox's claims, the studio's film research library was constantly in use by both Fox personnel and outsiders. I hear Clint Eastwood is unhappy, too, because research for his Flags Of Our Fathers was done there.Also, Warner's research library is said to still be alive and well and open.
EXCLUSIVE: I have confirmed that 20th Century Fox is very quietly shutting its film research library after 85 years in existence, the second-to-last such facility at a Hollywood studio making available books, drawings, photographs, scrapbooks, samples, and other one-of-a-kind materials. (Most of the other studio libraries have been closed or sold off except for the Samuel Goldwyn Research Library, owned and managed by Lillian Michelson, and housed on the DreamWorks Animation lot, and Warner's studio library.) "This is film history used and recycled everyday and also Los Angeles history," an insider tells me. "Once this goes, it's gone." I'm especially surprised by this decision not only because Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman Tom Rothman considers himself something of a film historian, but also because I'm told the cost of keeping the library open is negligible. But what the film community loses is priceless access to archive material by art directors, costume designers and film historians. "I cannot tell you how serious this is to the below-the-line people and creatives around town," another source tells me. "There used to be wonderous film reference libraries at each studio. A designer could walk in, ask about damask curtains and get reams of data. Now there is none. I implore you to take up this matter." Still another insider complains, "I guess Fox has to tighten its belt -- or is it a noose?" However, 20th is claiming that the library is not used enough to justify its cost, and its "contents should be transferred to a more public resource so these materials are available to the entire film community rather than just confined to those on the Fox lot".
First, let me emphasize that this came about by accident the other evening when Harvey Weinstein's office refuse was dumped in a recycling bin in Tribeca. So Village Voice newspaper editor Tony Ortega seized it and then wrote an article about the garbage of a movie mogul. What a totally revolting but also utterly fascinating look at Weinstein, who fortunately had a sense of humor about it even though he wasn't happy about it. But don't worry: Ortega went to Staples and bought Harv a shredder.
See Trash Talking With Harvey Weinstein
Of course, News Corp squeals like a stuck pig whenever anyone criticizes their people. And Peter Chernin and Rupert Murdoch themselves are thin-skinned. (Again, I know this from experience...) But NYT reporter Jacques Steinberg and TV editor Steve Reddicliffe were just doing their 
Sony Pictures now has a hefty $24.2 million total domestic gross in 1 1/2 days for its dramedy Hancock starring Will Smith and directed by Peter Berg: $6.8M Tuesday (from two evening shows starting at 7 PM at 3,680 North American theaters) and $17.3M Wednesday (from its full run in 3,965 venues for its official opening). I hear Sony is hoping for rain on July 4th around the country because it's traditionally not a big moviegoing day. Still, Hancock should have no trouble getting to $100M and maybe to $115M for the 5-day holiday.
That's a big star-in-the-making for William Morris to lose to Endeavor, especially after Ellen Page's Oscar nomination for Juno, since WMA decided at a retreat a few years ago to focus on building the careers of talent because it was too tough to take stars from other agencies. So here's the backstory I'm hearing: Hollywood is whispering that Kelly Bush, Ellen's publicist turned manager of the last few months, moved her. So now a half-dozen talent agencies around town are whining why they didn't get a meeting. Because there were no meetings. I hear Bush tried hard to keep Page at William Morris, where the publicist also has several clients including Josh Brolin. But this was Ellen's decision. "She just never made a connection even though Morris has represented her since Hard Candy at Sundance." But Ellen felt an instant connection with Endeavor's Patrick Whitesell. "Very much so. It was just organic and not premeditated. She didn't take meetings around town." 
Do read the furious but also informative 
That gives the Will Smith dramedy $60.1M from its first 3 1/2 days. The studio expects a 3-day weekend in the low $60sM to put Hancock "comfortably over 100" for the 5 days -- somewhere between $102M-$105M. "God bless America and God bless Will Smith," an insider gushed. For a pic that cost $150M, it will more than cover its negative cost in its first 5 days of worldwide release. The studio still feels Hancock's franchise hopes are still alive because "there is a huge disconnect between audiences and critics when you have big numbers added to the world's most bankable movie star." But the buzz on the pic is bad.
WEDNESDAY AM: Sources tell me that very early numbers show that Sony Pictures' dramedy Hancock about a troubled superhero made a super-terrific $6.8 million Tuesday night from two evening shows starting at 7 PM at 3,680 North American theaters before its official opening today. (For comparison purposes, Iron Man took in $5 mil from its Thursday night shows before its official Friday May 2nd debut, and Transformers earned $8.8 mil last July 3rd before U.S. Independence Day. And those pics went on to become $3
I've learned that SAG has just hired Sitrick and Company, the big strategic communications firm, to help with media relations for its AMPTP negotiations. Whereas AFTRA has had the small strategic communications firm 42West working for it for months and months. So, depending on your POV, the screen actors guild either saved a bundle of dough or should have spent a bundle of dough much earlier. That said, both PR firms are located in Los Angeles. And, like SAG and AFTRA, they have a history with one other. 42West's Allan Mayer worked for Sitrick and Company for 9 years, five of them as a partner. 
Sitrick's firm has long specialized in worldwide crisis PR, but Mayer became tired of the oops-we've-got-to-quickly-clean-up-this-mess stuff that sends major moolah Sitrick's way. It was an amicable parting: though Sitrick wasn't thrilled at losing Mayer, the boss did let Allan out of his contract in October 2006. And then Mayer started the LA-based strategic communications outpost of NYC showbiz flackery 42West founded by Leslee Dart. Sitrick then went on a hiring binge, and now a lot of ex-journalists work on his showbiz-related accounts. Though Sitrick and Company has a much bigger strategic communications business, 42West is an entertainment powerhouse. This'll be the Olympics of union PR games!
So I'll tell you what's going on. The newspaper's Calendar writer John Horn is all hush-hush because he's surveying the 25 major summer releases and toting up which tenpercenteries represent the most top actors, directors and writers. Exactly what this is supposed to reveal new about the agencies I can't fathom, especially since everyone already knows that CAA has far and away the dominant market share of "A" and "B" list talent, with probably Endeavor and UTA doing well considering their boutique status, and giants William Morris and ICM somewhere lower on the list. But it's also just one season. What a meaningless waste of a tree set to publish Thursday. But why all the secrecy? Because the agencies make reporters' lives miserable whenever we try to do these kinds of metrics. For instance, after the TV upfronts in May, I tried to do a schematic showing which agency had the most pilot pickups. Oh, the tenpercentery shrieking! Worse, no agency could agree on across-the-board figures, either. (But Endeavor was #1.)
I'm especially surprised by this decision not only because Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman Tom Rothman considers himself something of a film historian, but also because I'm told the cost of keeping the library open is negligible. But what the film community loses is priceless access to archive material by art directors, costume designers and film historians. "I cannot tell you how serious this is to the below-the-line people and creatives around town," another source tells me. "There used to be wonderous film reference libraries at each studio. A designer could walk in, ask about damask curtains and get reams of data. Now there is none. I implore you to take up this matter." Still another insider complains, "I guess Fox has to tighten its belt -- or is it a noose?" However, 20th is claiming that the library is not used enough to justify its cost, and its "contents should be transferred to a more public resource so these materials are available to the entire film community rather than just confined to those on the Fox lot".
First, let me emphasize that this came about by accident the other evening when Harvey Weinstein's office refuse was dumped in a recycling bin in Tribeca. So Village Voice newspaper editor Tony Ortega seized it and then wrote an 
