ABC goes old-media to promote "Castle"

(SEASON, CASTLE, AUTHOR, MYSTERY, NOVEL, HYPERION)

By James Hibberd
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As television networks brainstorm dizzying high-tech ways to promote shows online and via social networks, ABC is adopting a decidedly retro medium to excite viewers for the upcoming second season of "Castle": a book.
Because the show`s protagonist, Richard Castle, is a best-selling author of mysteries, what more appropriate tie-in than to publish a mystery novel credited to the character?
The first chapter of Castle`s novel "Heat Wave" will debut August 10 on ABC.com.
The network will post the first half of the book, a chapter a week, for 10 weeks. The full novel will be published September 29 by Disney sister company Hyperion. The story apparently is a stand-alone mystery with elements that relate to the on-screen story.
The show`s second season premieres in late September.
The network teamed with Hyperion for 2006`s "Lost" tie-in "Bad Twin" and "The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer," which tied in to the ABC miniseries "Rose Red." The real author of "Heat Wave" is not being unveiled.
(Editing by Sheri Linden at Reuters)
Original article

Hip-hop stars looking for love on VH1 shows

(SERIES, DENTON, CHILLI, LIVING, SEASON, PROJECT)

By James Hibberd
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - VH1 is giving two female hip-hop artists their own reality series -- Sandra "Pepa" Denton of Salt-N-Pepa and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas from TLC.
The as-yet-untitled series are scheduled to premiere in 2010. Eight half-hour episodes have been ordered for each.
The "Pepa" series follows Denton as she begins her to search for love after living a celibate life for years.
"Chilli" from R&B group TLC is also searching for romance and has enlisted the help of Brooklyn relationships expert Tionna Smalls.
The network has also renewed "Celebrity Fit Club" for a seventh season and "Sober House with Dr. Drew" for a second season.
Recently VH1 also announced new primetime series including Jessica Simpson`s "The Price Of Beauty;" a series about the family and career of "American Idol" winner Fantasia Barrino; "The OCD Project," about obsessive-compulsive patients living together; and "The Aspen Project," a docusoap set in one of the wealthiest communities in the world.
(Editing by Dean Goodman at Reuters)
Original article

`King of pop` Michael Jackson dies at 50

(JACKSON, MICHAEL, 50, US, THEIR, BROTHER, ALBUM)

Pop icon Michael Jackson dies at 50
Michael Jackson sets London concerts
Talk Of TheTown: Jackson on top
Michael Jackson turns 50
MOSCOW, June 26 (RIA Novosti) - Michael Jackson, the U.S. pop star whose career spanned five decades, has died of a heart attack in Los Angeles. He was 50.
Emergency services were called to his Beverly Hills home at 12.21 p.m. on Thursday (19.21 GMT), the TMZ.com website said. He was pronounced dead some three hours later at the UCLA medical centre.
His death came shortly before he was about to take part in series of comeback concerts in London.
His brother, Jermaine, told journalists that doctors had attempted to revive the singer for more than an hour.
"The family request that the media please respect our privacy during this tough time," he added.
Jackson, born in Gary, Indiana, near Chicago spent almost his entire life in the public eye, shooting to stardom in the 1970s with the Jackson 5, a pre-teen Michael and brothers stunning the U.S. with their vocals and synchronized dance routines. The group, who recorded for Motown, was the first to see their four debut singles reach the top of the U.S. charts.
As an adult, his Thriller album sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, making it the best selling album of all time.
His later career was hit by allegations of child abuse and financial difficulties.
"Today, the world has lost one of the most influential and iconic figures in the music industry. From his performances with the Jackson 5, to the premiere of the `moonwalk` and `Thriller,` Michael was a pop phenomenon who never stopped pushing the envelope of creativity," California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
 
Original article

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A tale of two L.A. festivals

(FESTIVAL, FILMS, LAFF, AFI, YELDHAM, SCREENINGS, WHICH)

By Kirk Honeycutt
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Hollywood might be the heart of English-language moviemaking, but when it comes to film festivals, the city lacks a major-league franchise.
Not that Los Angeles has no film festivals. One of its two big ones, the Los Angeles Film Festival, successfully wrapped its 2009 edition Sunday. But the casual movie fan couldn`t be blamed for puzzling over the identities of the two festivals, LAFF and AFI Fest. However, recent leadership changes at both fests and economic realities of the recession might more forcefully define those identities.
LAFF, which has settled into the cozy confines of Westwood Village and nearby venues for several editions, is produced by parent organization Film Independent (FIND). Rebecca Yeldham, producer of such films as "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "The Kite Runner," came on board as festival director only three months before the current edition began, following the resignation of Rich Raddon.
Although she did inherit a significant support network in FIND exec director Dawn Hudson and LAFF director of programing Rachel Rosen, the wrapped fest was a learning experience for her. Where things go from here is, as she put it, "to be determined."
At the moment, the festival is a bit of this and a bit of that. But like AFI Fest, you won`t find many acquisition execs at its screenings. Neither festival tends to premiere must-see indie films. In its recent edition, LAFF showed several Sundance hits, and even in its narrative competition -- a place where one would expect new films -- "Turistas" played at Venice last year. The fest also included splashy premieres of such studio films as "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "Public Enemies" to bring crowds to Westwood.
Yeldham did open the festival for the first time with a world premiere of a film without a distributor. "Paper Man" did the trick: It attracted an audience filled with film scouts, studio execs and heads of independent companies.
Yeldham pronounced herself pleased with the results -- "It was a magical night for the audience and the filmmakers," she said -- but reviews of the film were tepid, and few of the execs at opening night were seen during the remainder of the festival.
Because major premieres of new works are unlikely only a few weeks after Cannes has wrapped, LAFF seeks to create "events." These range from a screening of a restored print of the 1971 cult film "Billy Jack" to "Poolside Chats" at the W Hotel and "Festival Conversations" at various venues where festivalgoers interact with filmmakers, writers and others.
Yeldham promises to increase such events. The way of the future, she said, can be seen in the new Artist in Residence component, where "The Kite Runner" novelist Khaled Hosseini and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne curated favorite films and participated in discussions related to those selections.
Yeldham insisted that despite being a production of FIND, "we want the Los Angeles Film Festival to be a celebration of cinema from wherever the films may come, not just American independent filmmaking."
Across town, AFI Fest plays the role of the city`s long-established festival. For more than 23 years, the festival has been presented by the American Film Institute. Its declared ambition has been to survey cinema from around the globe. Coming near year`s end, AFI Fest tends to be a roundup of the most significant films of the year. But, again, few new films.
Rose Kuo came aboard as artistic director last year following the departure of Christian Gaines. AFI Fest, which runs October 30-November 7, will undergo significant changes, some, Kuo said, dictated by "new economic realities."
The festival is moving its main venue from the ArcLight Cinemas to Grauman`s Chinese. The festival will shrink from 11 days to nine and offer free tickets to all screenings.
"We are asking the public who can be part of our philanthropy to be a patron and contribute to the festival," Kuo said. "Those who can will get a pass, which gives priority entry at the door. All individual tickets to general screenings will be complimentary for all screenings, including a limited number of individual gala tickets."
If all major L.A.-based film curators -- which would include LAFF, AFI and the city`s two cinematheques, the American Cinematheque and UCLA Film & Television Archive -- came together with studio support to create a single festival, it might rival such attention-grabbers as Austin`s South by Southwest or even Sundance. But organizational egos and branding needs always have prevented the formation a superfestival in L.A.  Continued...
Original article

"Reaper" actress corners "Copper"

(PEREGRYM, WHICH, ABC, COPPER, REAPER, DRAMA)

By Nellie Andreeva
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Reaper" co-star Missy Peregrym landed the lead role on the Canadian cop drama "Copper," which will air on ABC.
Billed as "Grey`s Anatomy" set in the world of rookie cops, "Copper" centers on Andy McNally (Peregrym), a newly minted cop fresh from the academy and the daughter of a homicide detective. She is anxious about her first day on the job, which doesn`t go as well as she had wished.
Montreal-born Peregrym most recently played the female lead Andi on the CW`s supernatural dramedy "Reaper." She also co-starred on the ABC drama "Life as We Know It" and had recurring roles on "Heroes" and "Smallville."
(Editing by Dean Goodman at Reuters)
Original article