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The Simpsons - The End?
The future of The Simpsons is reportedly in doubt following
salary disputes between the main voice actors and studio 20th Century Fox
Television.
The future of the long-running animated sitcom is reportedly
in jeopardy because of a dispute of salary negotiations between the six main
voice actors - Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley
Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer - and studio 20th Century Fox
Television, who have told the cast they must take a 45 per cent pay cut.
The cast - who currently earn around $8 million each for 22 weeks work - had
offered to take a 30 per cent cut in exchange for a small percentage of
profits taken from global syndication and show-related merchandise.
A spokesperson for Fox Television admitted the show - which was created by
Matt Groening and James L. Brooks - cannot continue "under its current
financial model" but insisted they have not yet called a halt to
negotiations.
The show first aired in December 1989 and had a spin-off
movie in 2007.
October
04
2011 - waveguide.co.uk
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Premier
League Games Can Be Shown On Foreign Decoders
A Portsmouth pub landlady has won the latest stage of her
fight to show Premier League games using a foreign TV decoder.
Karen Murphy had to pay nearly £8,000 in fines and costs for using a Greek
decoder in her pub to bypass controls over match screening.
But she took her case to the European Court of Justice.
The ECJ said national laws which prohibit the import, sale or use of foreign
decoder cards are contrary to the freedom to provide services.
The decision could trigger a major shake-up for the Premier League and its
current exclusive agreements with Sky Sports and ESPN, and pave the way to
cheaper viewing of foreign broadcasts for fans of top-flight English games.
However, whereas this opens up opportunities for individuals to watch
overseas broadcasts at home, it remains unclear whether in future games can
be shown in pubs using foreign decoders and broadcasts, as the ruling also
threw up a number of copyright issues.
The ECJ said national legislation, which banned the use of overseas
decoders, could not "be justified either in light of the objective of
protecting intellectual property rights or by the objective of encouraging
the public to attend football stadiums".
Karen Murphy used the Greek firm Nova to show Premier League games She said:
"I feel I have taken on the Premier League and Sky."
Mrs Murphy said she no longer had a decoder box in her Red, White and Blue
pub and would wait for the "stamp of approval" from the High Court before
reinstating it.
The ECJ findings will now go to the High Court in London, which had sent the
matter to the ECJ for guidance, for a final ruling.
However, it is unusual for a member state High Court to pass a different
judgement from one provided by the ECJ.
Sports media lawyer Daniel Geey of Field Fisher Waterhouse
solicitors said: "In practical terms, the Premier League will now have to
decide how it wishes to re-tender its rights.
"There can be little doubt it will have contingency plans ready to go and
has various options available.
"Be it a pan-EU tender, selling in only certain EU member states or devising
a plan to start its own channel, they will be deciding how best to maximise
the value of their product to ensure any revenue shortfall is minimised."
The judges said the Premier League could not claim copyright over Premier
League matches as they could not considered to be an author's own
"intellectual creation" and, therefore, to be "works" for the purposes of EU
copyright law.
October
04
2011 - waveguide.co.uk
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Reality Show For TOWIE Girl
Former The Only Way Is Essex girl Amy Childs has landed her
own reality TV show.
The redhead left the show at the end of series two to pursue other
opportunities and recently appeared on the Channel 5's Celebrity Big
Brother.
And Childs is staying with the network to launch her own show.
It's All About Amy will follow the beautician as she prepares to open a new
salon and will also feature her family.
She says: "I am ecstatic to have my own reality show. It will be great
because people will be able to see the real me. I am loving filming it and I
can't wait for everyone to see it."
Channel 5's director of programmes Jeff Ford adds: "We're delighted to be
following Amy as she embarks on the next exciting stage of her life.
"She's one of the most talked-about women in Britain and we're sure our
viewers will take the bubbly bombshell to their hearts."
The eight-episode series will debut in December.
October
04
2011 - waveguide.co.uk
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Simon Cowell Back To Reality
Simon Cowell has acknowledged that he regrets saying ratings
of less than 20 million for the US version of The X Factor would be a
failure.
The show’s September debut earned 12.5 million viewers, which was less than
the premiere of the comedy Modern Family, the leader of the night with 14.5
million viewers.
The X Factor held those numbers for the second edition. In week two, ratings
hovered around 12 million viewers for each episode.
“I’m not going to lie. I wanted 20 million when we launched,” said Cowell,
“but now I’m kind of back in the real world and I’m seeing this grow
naturally. I’m as happy as I’ve ever been.”
The show is Cowell’s baby. Besides being a judge on its panel, he is its
creator and an executive producer.
The X Factor has a great deal of competition not only from other TV shows
but also in persuading viewers to invest in another TV talent competition
similar to Fox’s American Idol and NBC’s The Voice, which averaged 12.6
million viewers an episode in its first season earlier this year.
Cowell says he “got a buzz” when he heard about The Voice.
“We’re not in Russia where you have one show. This is life. If you’re
competitive and it spurs you on, I kind of get excited by it.”
October
04
2011 - waveguide.co.uk
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Ofcom Will Not
Investigate Starkey Complaints
Media regulator Ofcom today said it had decided not to
investigate complaints about David Starkey's controversial comments on
Newsnight regarding the UK riots.
Historian Starkey partly blamed the disorder on "gangster" culture and said
"the whites have become black" on the BBC programme in August.
But Ofcom said Starkey's comments "were moderated by the presenter".
It also said his views were "countered strongly by the views of other
contributors" on the BBC Two programme.
The BBC received nearly 900 complaints from viewers and Ofcom received just
over 100.
The corporation said those who complained felt Starkey's contribution to the
programme had been "inappropriate and racially offensive".
Starkey was speaking during a debate chaired by Newsnight
presenter Emily Maitlis. He appeared alongside Owen Jones, the author of
Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class, and Dreda Say Mitchell, an
author and broadcaster.
Ofcom said: "This was a serious and measured discussion within a programme
with a well-established nature and format and with reputation for dealing
with challenging subjects.
"The effect of [David Starkey's] comments was limited by the presenter's
moderation of the item and his comments were countered by the views of other
contributors."
Dr Starkey defended his views in the Daily Telegraph the week after his
Newsnight appearance and protested that the subject of race had become
"unmentionable".
"The subject has become unmentionable, by whites at any rate," he wrote.
"And any breach has been punished by ostracism and worse.
"As the hysterical reaction to my remarks shows, the witch-finders already
have their sights on me."
October
04
2011 - waveguide.co.uk
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Leonard Nimoy Gives Up Conventions
Leonard Nimoy has attended his final Star Trek convention.
The 80-year-old actor, best-known for playing Spock in the original TV
series and Star Trek: The Next Generation, formed a Vulcan sign and urged
fans in Chicago to "Live long and prosper".
Nimoy said the convention celebrating the 45th anniversary of Star Trek
would be his last.
He spoke for an hour about his life and career, and thanked fans for their
support over the years. Some held signs saying: "We love you Leonard! Live
long & prosper."
October
04
2011 - waveguide.co.uk
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