Saving Private Ryan appears in high definition
Paramount Home Entertainment and Dreamworks Home Entertainment this morning also officially announced the Blu-Ray release of Saving Private Ryan, scheduling the title for May.
Steven Spielberg directed this powerful, realistic re-creation of WWII's D-day invasion and the immediate aftermath. The story opens with a prologue in which a veteran brings his family to the American cemetery at Normandy, and a flashback then joins Capt. John Miller (Tom Hanks) and GIs in a landing craft making the June 6, 1944, approach to Omaha Beach to face devastating German artillery fire. This mass slaughter of American soldiers is depicted in a compelling, unforgettable 24-minute sequence. Miller's men slowly move forward to finally take a concrete pillbox. On the beach littered with bodies is one with the name "Ryan" stenciled on his backpack. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall (Harve Presnell), learning that three Ryan brothers from the same family have all been killed in a single week, requests that the surviving brother, Pvt. James Ryan (Matt Damon), be located and brought back to the United States. Capt. Miller gets the assignment, and he chooses a translator, Cpl. Upham (Jeremy Davis), skilled in language but not in combat, to join his squad of right-hand man Sgt. Horvath (Tom Sizemore), plus privates Mellish (Adam Goldberg), Medic Wade (Giovanni Ribisi), cynical Reiben (Edward Burns) from Brooklyn, Italian-American Caparzo (Vin Diesel), and religious Southerner Jackson (Barry Pepper), an ace sharpshooter who calls on the Lord while taking aim. Having previously experienced action in Italy and North Africa, the close-knit squad sets out through areas still thick with Nazis. After they lose one man in a skirmish at a bombed village, some in the group begin to question the logic of losing more lives to save a single soldier. The film's historical consultant is Stephen E. Ambrose, and the incident is based on a true occurance in Ambrose's 1994 bestseller D-Day: June 6, 1944.
“Saving Private Ryan” will boast a 1080p high definition transfer with lossless high definition audio. As extras you will find the Featurettes ”Shooting War” and the making-of ”Saving Private Ryan” on the release. Additional bonus materials may yet be announced.
The Blu-Ray version will be in stores on May 4 for $39.99.
Super Bowl is most watched TV show ever
NEW YORK – The New Orleans Saints' victory over Indianapolis in the Super Bowl was watched by more than 106 million people, surpassing the 1983 finale of "M-A-S-H" to become the most-watched program in U.S. television history, the Nielsen Co. said Monday.
Compelling story lines involving the city of New Orleans and its ongoing recovery from Hurricane Katrina and the attempt at a second Super Bowl ring for Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning propelled the viewership. Football ratings have been strong all season.
"It was one of those magical moments that you don't often see in sports," said Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports.
Nielsen estimated Monday that 106.5 million people watched Sunday's Super Bowl. The "M-A-S-H" record was 105.97 million.
The viewership estimate obliterated the previous record viewership for a Super Bowl — last year's game between Arizona and Pittsburgh. That game was seen by 98.7 million people, Nielsen said.
The "M-A-S-H" record has proven as durable and meaningful in television as Babe Ruth's record of 714 home runs was in baseball until topped by Hank Aaron. Ultimately, it may be hard to tell which program was really watched by more people. There's a margin for error in such numbers, and Nielsen's Monday estimate was preliminary, and could change with a more thorough look at data due Tuesday.
"It's significant for all of the members of the broadcasting community," said Leslie Moonves, CBS Corp. CEO. "For anyone who wants to write that broadcasting is dead, 106 million people watched this program. You can't find that anywhere else."
Moonves predicted CBS will earn more in advertising revenue than in any other Super Bowl. The good ratings for the game and football in general also set CBS and other football broadcasters up well when selling advertising for next season, he said.
The Nielsen estimate also drew some congratulations from Alan Alda, the star of "M-A-S-H," and the slugger whose record was beaten.
"If the `M-A-S-H' audience was eclipsed, it was probably due in large part to the fact that the whole country is rooting for New Orleans to triumph in every way possible," Alda said. "I am, too, and I couldn't be happier for them. I love that city."
There are more American homes with television sets now (114.9 million) than there were in 1983 (83.3 million). An estimated 77 percent of homes with TVs on were watching "M-A-S-H" in 1983, compared with the audience share of 68 for the Super Bowl.
Nielsen also measures only the United States, and it's possible some World Cup soccer games were seen more worldwide. Accurate measurement of television audiences outside the United States is spotty at best.
Alda also wondered whether the numbers were too close to declare a new champion. He thinks Nielsen didn't take into account large numbers of people watching "M-A-S-H" communally, which is often the case for football games, too.
"Not to say I'm competitive, but in part we are talking about sports," he said. "And I actually AM competitive."
McManus didn't want to jinx it, but the abnormally strong viewership for football this year left him hoping for a record. The NFC and AFC championship games both had their biggest audiences since the 1980s. The growth of high-definition television and its appeal to sports fans has also helped.
A competitive game until the final minutes sealed it. McManus acknowledged some nervousness when Indianapolis jumped out to a 10-0 lead — a Super Bowl rout often makes people turn away from the game — but New Orleans roared back.
The Mid-Atlantic blizzard also helped CBS. After New Orleans, the highest-rated market was snowbound Washington, Nielsen said. More people watched the game from their homes in that area instead of going to parties or bars, and Nielsen does a much better job counting viewers in homes than outside of them.
"Bad weather in the Northeast and good weather in Florida was a good combination for us," McManus said.
The Super Bowl also proved a strong launching pad for the new CBS series "Undercover Boss" that premiered after the game. An estimated 38.6 million people watched the first edition of a series about corporate honchos working secretly as low-level employees in their own companies, Nielsen said. That's third only to a 1996 "Friends" and 2001 "Survivor" as the most-watched program after the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile, Dorito's was a big winner in a measurement of interest in the commercials played during the Super Bowl. TiVo Inc. said the snack company's ad featuring a boy telling a man to keep his hands off his chips and his mom was stopped and played back in 15 percent of homes with the digital video recorder.
The secretly filmed CBS promo with David Letterman, Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey came in second, followed by the Snicker's ad with Betty White and Abe Vigoda flattened in a football game.
In general, however, TiVo found less interest in the commercials than it has in previous years, judged by how many people paused live action to see them, said Todd Juenger, general manager of TiVo's research department.
CBC's Galloway to replace Barrie on Metro Morning
A familiar voice will greet listeners of CBC Radio One's Metro Morning in Toronto starting in March, when afternoon show host Matt Galloway takes over the mic of his long-standing a.m. colleague, Andy Barrie.
Galloway will step into the role permanently beginning March 1, the CBC announced Monday morning.
Since 2004, the 39-year-old Galloway has hosted Here and Now, CBC Radio One's Toronto afternoon drive show. More recently, he added a regular stint as the main back-up host of the top-rated Metro Morning.
"Matt is, in many ways, already a member of the Metro Morning team," Susan Marjetti, managing director of CBC Toronto, said in a statement.
"He's been filling in for the past year when Andy is away and has helped the show maintain its number 1 standing in the community. We're delighted he's decided to make the leap to morning radio full-time."
Prolific CBC credits
A familiar voice on CBC Radio for the past 10 years, Galloway has worked on a range of programs, including The Current, Sounds Like Canada, Global Village and Q.
The passionate soccer fan also had an early CBC gig as a roving reporter for Metro Morning during the 1998 World Cup, anchored the public broadcaster's coverage of the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup of Soccer and was a part of the team reporting live from the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Previously, Galloway was a music writer for the Toronto alternative weekly NOW and hosted radio shows, including for the campus station of York University, his alma mater. After having grown up listening to CBC shows like Brave New Waves, his first connection with the CBC was as an occasional freelance producer for the acclaimed, now-defunct alternative and indie music and culture show.
Raised in Kimberley, about 27 kilometres from the resort community of Collingwood, Ont., Galloway lives in Toronto's west end with his partner and two daughters.
Barrie, who revealed he had Parkinson's disease in 2007, informed listeners of his impending retirement on Feb. 1, near the end of that day's show.
"All I know was [my] body was getting a very loud wake-up call of its own, and the call said: 'Fifteen years is more than anybody's held this job. A guy's got just so much stamina. You have been there and done that, and it's time to do something new,'" he said.
The CBC said Barrie would continue to be involved with the public broadcaster in a different capacity, but wasn't releasing details yet.
Neil Gaiman 'has written Doctor Who episode'
Fantasy writer Neil Gaiman has said he is to write a forthcoming episode of Doctor Who.
Gaiman, the author of Stardust and Coraline which were both adapted for the big screen, revealed the news at a sci-fi convention in Sussex.
The episode, with the working title of The House of Nothing, will air in 2011, the writer said.
Gaiman previously wrote the fantasy TV series Neverwhere which aired on BBC Two in 1996.
During his acceptance speech for best comic at the SFX Awards, Gaiman said: "As anyone who's read my blog knows, I'm a big fan of a certain long-running British TV series. One that I started watching - from behind the sofa - when I was three.
"And while I know it's cruel to make you wait for things, in about 14 months from now - which is to say, not in the upcoming season but early in the one after that - it's quite possible that I might have written an episode.
"And if I had, it would originally have been called 'The House of Nothing'. But it definitely isn't called that any more."
A spokesman for Doctor Who would not confirm Gaiman's announcement.
The next series of the show, starring Matt Smith as the 11th Time Lord, is due to air in the spring.
Pete Townshend: Nice to be part of spectacle
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Pete Townshend is used to playing in front of stadiums filled with rabid fans who know every note of The Who's songs. He didn't get that at the band's Super Bowl halftime performance, but he's OK with that too.
Townshend and bandmate Roger Daltrey performed a medley of some of their most famous songs on entertainment's biggest stage Sunday, including "Won't Get Fooled Again" during a 12-minute set that included a laser-lit stage and plenty of fireworks.
While the crowd was involved, and some held up their cell phones to illuminate the night as instructed by the stadium announcers, they were somewhat subdued, and was clear it was not a Who event.
Backstage after their show, Townshend laughed and said: "You know, you could kind of tell from the stage the crowd is really here for the game."
"It was nice for that reason. It was nice to feel a part of something and not having it all to be about us," he added. When it was mentioned that most rock stars want everything to revolve around them, he joked and said: "We're too far gone to care I think."
It was the first football game Townshend and Daltrey, both Brits, ever saw (Daltrey went after his performance to watch the game, which the New Orleans Saints won over the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17). Townshend said he was awed by the spectacle, and the sheer work of putting together the event.
"It's extraordinary," said Townshend. "You forget how big sport is and how every week it happens ... I'm not trying to be humble but we felt like a very small piece of a huge team."
The Super Bowl also saw the debut of a new remix of "My Generation" by will.i.am and Slash. It is available for sale on Amazon.com, will.i.am's dipdive.com and the Who's Web site, and proceeds will go to aid Haiti after the earthquake there.
Townshend said he was impressed with the remix: "It's actually very elegant, it's not gangsta," he said of will.i.am's rap on the song.
Townshend called his entire Super Bowl experience a success, despite protests by some children's rights advocates about his presence in the Super Bowl.
Townshend was arrested in 2003 in Britain as part of a child pornography sting but later cleared. He accessed a Web site containing child pornography but said it was for research for his own campaign against child porn. He was required to register as a sex offender, despite being cleared. Townshend said he has been a children's advocate for years and was abused himself as a child.
He had to address the controversy at the Who's Super Bowl news conference, and though he feels like the protests were "a bit of a cheap shot," he said it was "dealt with fairly elegantly in the press conference."
"I think if people don't believe, they fall on that side of the line, there's little I can do, but most people have been very kind, very understanding, and I know I did nothing wrong," he said.
How David Letterman, Jay Leno and Oprah Winfrey pulled off their secret Super Bowl promo for CBS' 'Late Show'
To pull off the surprise Super Bowl spot he did with rival David Letterman, Jay Leno flew secretly to New York on the NBC jet last Tuesday and managed to sneak into the Ed Sullivan Theater undetected wearing a hoodie, sunglasses and a fake mustache.
Rob Burnett, executive producer of the “Late Show,” said keeping Leno’s participation under wraps was the key to preserving the effect of the 15-second promo, which featured the two late-night comedians uncomfortably watching the Super Bowl together, with Oprah Winfrey trying to keep the peace.
“We wanted desperately to keep this a secret,” said Burnett, who said the only CBS official who knew of the plan was Chief Executive Leslie Moonves. “Most of the staff didn’t know. We just knew we had to keep the circle extraordinarily tight.”
At NBC, Leno’s executive producer, Debbie Vickers, NBC Universal Television Entertainment Chairman Jeff Gaspin and NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker were in the loop, but few others had a clue that Letterman and his longtime rival had joined forces for what was easily the most unexpected Super Bowl ad of the night.
In the spot, Letterman is seen on a couch, glumly munching potato chips. “This is the worst Super Bowl party ever,” he says.
“Now, Dave, be nice,” responds Winfrey, seated beside him. The camera then pulls back to reveal Leno squeezed on the couch on the other side of her, with his own bowl of potato chips. “Oh, he’s just saying that ‘cause I’m here,” the NBC host says. Letterman then mimics Leno in a high-pitched voice, prompting Winfrey to roll her eyes, sigh and throw up her hands in frustration.
Letterman came up with the idea and wrote the script himself after CBS told him they were giving his show a brief promo during the Super Bowl, Burnett said. Letterman pitched the idea to Winfrey, who had appeared in a similar spot with him in 2007. She quickly agreed to it, and then Burnett ran it by Vickers. She thought it was funny, and within minutes, Leno was on the phone, agreeing to do it.
“I think for Jay, he thought of it less as a promo and more of a funny piece to be doing on the Super Bowl,” Burnett said. While the “Late Show” staff speculated internally about what the ad would do for Leno’s image, Burnett said Letterman was focused on another aspect.
“Dave is ruled by one law: Is it funny?” he said. “That’s all he really cared about. And the sense I got in the room was that all three sides thought it was really funny.”
Though Letterman and Leno have both flung pointed insults at each other on the air in recent weeks during NBC’s messy late-night imbroglio, Burnett said the two men got along well during the 20-minute shoot.
“Dave and Jay were very professional and cordial and friendly with each other,” he said. “And Oprah, in addition to her many talents, is a wonderful comedienne.”
NBC officials had no comment on Leno's participation in the ad. The taping kept Leno from doing his show Tuesday, so the network extended Tuesday’s edition of “The Biggest Loser” to fill his time slot.
Sandra Bullock: 'I'm So Not Winning an Oscar!'
Sandra Bullock has news for anyone waiting to see her give an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards – don't hold your breath!
"I'm so not winning an Oscar," Bullock, who received her first-ever nomination, as best actress for The Blind Side, told reporters at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Friday, where she received the American Riviera Award for her influence on film.
Bullock considers herself an expert oddsmaker for the annual awards show, so she has strong feelings about her own chance for victory. "Nine times out of ten I always pick who's going to win," the actress, 45, said. "And I already know who's going to win. I'm not going to say, but nine times out of ten, I'm right."
Bullock isn't practicing false humility. After all, she’s already won a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild Award this year. She’s just not overanxious to snag the trophy. "I have to say, all the ladies in our category, we don't care who wins," she said. "Someone's going to win and the rest of us will be really happy for whoever won. We're just happy to be here. And we like the company we're in."
Bullock admitted she has to push herself into enjoying the build-up to the Academy Awards. "It's amazing how you are asked to hit the ground running the minute you hear the news," she said. "It's not like you can sit back and have bonbons and champagne."
"I thought that's what it was about," she said. "I had it already. I said, 'OK, where are the bonbons and champagne?' No one brought me any. They just told me I had to work. So I'm like, 'OK.' "
Everyday Tasks
"I'm so bad at taking in compliments or flattery," she said. "I'm better taking in the bad than I am the good. So I'm trying very hard just to be present and enjoy the moments."
She's also embracing the everyday tasks at home which keep her grounded. "You go home and you have to pick up dog poop – and we have a two-legged dog," she says. "To me, that's not mundane, though. Life is tricky enough that I actually love and embrace the normal day-to-day rituals. You get up, you make your coffee, read your paper, you do the school run, you go do your things. I'm just lucky that I get to do them."
Up Flies Off with Top Honors at Annie Awards
Oscars, schmoscars. This weekend was all about the best and brightest in Hollywood animation.
At Saturday's 37th Annual Annie Awards, Pixar's Up, the little gem that's also in the running for top honors at this year's Academy Awards, was named Best Animated Film and Best Directing in a Feature. The Oscar contender stole the prize from hits such as Coraline, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Secret of Kells.
Elsewhere in the animated realm, Walt Disney Studios knocked out a majority of its competition, taking home a total of six Annies, including three for the hand-drawn critical favorite, The Princess and the Frog, while Dreamworks Studios garnered five Annies for their numerous made for TV productions.
The remaining 2010 Annie Awards winners include:
Animated Feature: Up
Home Entertainment Production: Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder
Animated Short: Robot Chicken: Star Wars 2.5
Animated TV Commercial: Spanish Lottery "Deportees"
Animated TV Production: Prep and Landing
Animated TV Production for Children: The Penguins of Madagascar
Animated Effects: James Mansfield, The Princess and the Frog
Character Animation in TV Production: Phillip To, Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space
Character Animation in Feature: Eric Goldberg, The Princess and the Frog
Character Design in TV Production: Bill Schwab, Prep and Landing
Character Design in Feature: Shane Prigmore, Coraline
Directing in TV Production: Bret Haaland, The Penguins of Madagascar "Launchtime"
Directing in Feature: Pete Docter, Up
Music in TV Production: Guy Moon, The Fairly OddParents: "Wishology-The Big Beginning"
Music in Feature: Bruno Coulais, Coraline
Production Design in TV Production: Andy Harkness, Prep and Landing
Production Design in Feature: Tadahiro Uesugi, Coraline
Storyboarding in TV: Robert Koo, Merry Madagascar
Storyboarding in Feature: Tom Owens, Monsters vs. Aliens
Voiceacting in TV: Tom Kenny as SpongeBob, SpongeBob SquarePants
Voiceacting in Feature: Jen Cody as Charlotte, The Princess and the Frog
Writing in TV Production: Daniel Chun, The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XX
Writing in Feature: Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Winsor McCay Award: Tim Burton, Bruce Timm, Jeffrey Katzenberg
June Foray Award: Tom Sito
Ub Iwerks Award: William T. Reeves
Special Achievement: Martin Meunier and Brian McLean
Certificate of Merit: Myles Mikulic, Danny Young and Michael Woodside
'Dear John' bumps 'Avatar' with $32.4M debut
LOS ANGELES – A sci-fi love story has given way to an earthbound romance at the box office, livening up typically slow times at theaters over Super Bowl weekend.
Released by Sony's Screen Gems banner, "Dear John" debuted as the No. 1 movie with $32.4 million, knocking off "Avatar" after seven weekends in first place, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"It is very cool to know that it was our movie that audiences just totally embraced and made No. 1 for the weekend," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution at Sony. As for runaway blockbuster "Avatar," he quipped, "I think they're going to be fine in the long run."
"Avatar" slipped to No. 2 with $23.6 million, raising its domestic total to $630.1 million. Directed by James Cameron, 20th Century Fox's "Avatar" surpassed his own "Titanic," which had held the domestic revenue record at $600.8 million.
With a record $2.2 billion worldwide, "Avatar" also has soared past the $1.8 billion "Titanic" took in globally.
Factoring in today's higher admission prices, however, "Avatar" has sold fewer tickets than "Titanic."
"Avatar" had been No. 1 domestically longer than any movie since 1997's "Titanic," which held on at first place for 15 weekends. The studio was unconcerned that "Avatar" finally fell out of the top spot.
"It had to happen sometime," said 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "There's nothing that could disappoint me with this movie."
By the eighth weekend, most Hollywood movies have long since dropped out of the top 10 rankings.
"Avatar" still is going strong after eight weeks, with the added luster of a monthlong buildup to the Academy Awards on March 7. Following the example of Oscar champ "Titanic," "Avatar" tied for the lead at the Academy Awards with nine nominations and is a front-runner to win best picture.
Fox executives would not speculate what number "Avatar" eventually might hit at the box office.
"Who knows what that is? It just keeps on going," Livingston said.
The weekend's other new wide release, Lionsgate's spy story "From Paris With Love," opened at No. 3 with $8.1 million. The movie stars John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as CIA men trying to crack a terrorist plot.
Fox Searchlight's acclaimed country-music tale "Crazy Heart" expanded from narrow release and broke into the top 10, coming in at No. 8 with $3.7 million. Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal have acting Oscar nominations for the film, which follows a boozy country star trying to turn his life around.
While "Avatar" features a human-alien romance light-years away, "Dear John" centers on a long-distance love story between a soldier (Channing Tatum) and his sweetheart (Amanda Seyfried) back home.
"Dear John" had a record opening for Super Bowl weekend, topping the $31.1 million debut for "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert" in 2008.
The movie was based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks, whose Hollywood adaptations such as "The Notebook" and "A Walk to Remember" have been steady draws for women. Female crowds made up 84 percent of the audience for "Dear John," according to Sony.
Sparks "creates these stories that really pull at your heartstrings, and certainly that may be first and foremost for women rather than men, though I think a few of us have hearts, too," Bruer said. "But his stories really resonate and are very compelling for women."
That bodes well for the movie over Valentine's Day weekend, said Geoffrey Ammer, head of marketing for Relativity Media, which produced "Dear John." Valentine's weekend draws big date crowds, with women often picking which film to see.
Business on Sunday was predictably slow as football fans watched the Super Bowl instead of going to the movies. But "Dear John" already exceeded industry expectations with $26.2 million on Friday and Saturday.
"Super Bowl weekend isn't about men. It's about women," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "This counter-programming strategy just absolutely works, the female audience propelling a movie to unprecedented heights."
Hollywood could use more fresh hits like "Dear John" if it hopes to match 2009's record box office pace. The first couple of weeks this year, "Avatar" had revenue and attendance running well ahead of last year.
But revenues have now declined for four straight weekends. So far in 2010, domestic revenues are at $1.2 billion, 1.5 percent ahead of last year's, according to Hollywood.com.
Factoring in higher ticket prices this year, though, movie attendance is down 0.5 percent.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "Dear John," $32.4 million.
2. "Avatar," $23.6 million.
3. "From Paris With Love," $8.1 million.
4. "Edge of Darkness," $7 million.
5. "The Tooth Fairy," $6.5 million.
6. "When in Rome," $5.5 million.
7. "The Book of Eli," $4.8 million.
8. "Crazy Heart," $3.7 million.
9. "Legion," $3.4 million.
10. "Sherlock Holmes," $2.6 million.