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[Mohamad]

Jordan's Queen Noor goes Hollywood -- for a cause









Queen Noor AL Hussein of Jordan, widow of late King Hussein, speaks at the Dubai International Film Festival in Dubai in this December 14, 2009 file photo.
Credit: Reuters/HO/DIFF




LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a town known for famous moviemakers, Queen Noor of Jordan is something of an anomaly in Hollywood -- until you consider the movie she has helped make.
Entertainment | Film
Queen Noor, the widow of King Hussein of Jordan, sat down with a small group of reporters at a private luncheon on Friday to discuss the documentary, "Countdown to Zero" about nuclear bomb proliferation, which hits U.S. theaters in July.
As founding leader of Global Zero, a movement aimed at phasing out nuclear weapons around the world, Queen Noor served as a special consultant on the film in her first foray into Hollywood moviemaking.
"For me, this is a whole new world," she said over lunch at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills -- a favorite haunt of Hollywood celebrities.
She was joined by producers Lawrence Bender and Diane Weyermann of Participant Media, who were both part of the team responsible for Oscar-winning global warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth."
"Countdown to Zero" is a 90-minute documentary written and directed by Lucy Walker that explores the history of the atomic bomb and today's threat of nuclear proliferation.
The documentary features interviews with the likes of former UK prime minister Tony Blair, ex-US President Jimmy Carter, one-time USSR General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and the late former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, among many others.
With nine nations possessing nuclear weapons the world is in danger of an explosion, whether through an act of terrorism, a failed diplomatic mission, a technical glitch or human error, and Queen Noor sees the movie as an effective way to get that message across to broader audiences.
"Film is the most powerful tool in the arsenal of so many of us -- not just Global Zero -- but others in the world that are collaborating with us on this issue," she said. "I've given a million speeches but it's the visual images, the storytelling" that can impact mass audiences.
As a consultant on the film, Queen Noor's input was invaluable, said Bender and Weyermann.
When she felt the first version that screened at January's Sundance Film Festival was too "American-centric," she offered suggestions on images and archival footage that might make it more accessible to global audiences.
"Queen Noor's perspective became important in the tweaking of this movie," said Bender. "She brought a global perspective and gave the film a more international feel."
Bender said Queen Noor functioned almost as a type of producer, but the Queen, however, demurred at that thought.
"I look at this from the perspective of trying to promote understanding between the Middle East, the Arab and Muslim worlds and the West over the past 35 years," she said.
Queen Noor explained that preventing and resolving conflicts and promoting peace in the Middle East have long been causes she supports, as well as development that provides hope and opportunity for people.
"That is how we achieve security -- by giving people the freedom to engage in the decision-making that affects our lives," she said. "This issue (of nuclear weapons) is one that affect all of those areas."
"Countdown to Zero" begins its U.S. release on July 23rd in New York City and Was

[Mohamad]

How much does movie marketing matter?

Larry Gerbrandt
Fri Jun 11, 2010 3:17am EDT






Actor Johnny Depp (L) and Director Tim Burton pose at an event to promote the movie ''Alice in Wonderland'' in Tokyo March 22, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon




LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - When a movie hits big, almost no one cares what was spent; when a release fails to make opening-weekend estimates or has a 60 percent drop-off during its second week, everyone begins pointing fingers.
Entertainment | Film
Consider MGM's $30 million to tub-thump "Hot Tub Time Machine," which cost about $35 million to make: First-week gross was $20 million, dropping 60 percent the following week and winding up with $50 million in domestic gross.
Or Disney's $200 million production "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," which has raked in $63 million domestically to date against a prints-and-advertising spend stateside of $75 million.
On the other hand, Disney's "Alice in Wonderland," similar in cost and marketing budget to "Prince," has grossed $334 million domestically and $1 billion worldwide.
In short, there might not be a more daunting challenge than opening a major motion picture: Create an internationally recognized brand name that lasts a lifetime, and do it in a couple of weeks with no second chances to course-correct. It's little wonder that the average P&A (prints and advertising) spend for major releases last year topped $37 million, according to Baseline Intelligence, the highest number since 2003, when the six largest studios spent an estimated average of $39.5 million on P&A in North America.
For the past seven years, domestic P&A has accounted for 34 percent-37 percent of combined production and domestic-releasing costs for movies released by the six big studios. In fact, after taking a big jump in 2003, the combined negative plus domestic P&A has hovered around the $100 million-a-film mark, with last year hitting $102.3 million, up from $87.9 million in 2008, according to Baseline Intelligence.
Looked at another way, for every dollar spent on producing a major film, the studios have been spending 51 cents-58 cents to release and market it in the United States and Canada. Assuming distributors get an average of 55 percent of domestic ticket sales, the average 2009 release had to gross $186 million to recoup production and domestic-releasing costs -- an unrealistic goal for all but a handful of titles -- which is where the international brand-building challenge kicks in.
The connection between production budgets and P&A spend is repeated at the individual studio level. Last year, Paramount had the highest average negative cost ($87.7 million) and highest P&A average ($50 million a release). Universal had the lowest average negative cost ($51.7 million) and lowest P&A ($30.4 million).
The "P" portion of prints and advertising represents less than 10 percent of the overall spend, and with digital distribution becoming more widespread it is heading downward. The actual cost of a print can vary widely depending on the volume of prints ordered, the film-release stock chosen, length of the movie and quality-control considerations. Prices can range from less than $1,000 to more than $3,000, but what the majors pay is based on volume deals cut in aggressive negotiations between high-level studio and lab executives and might include rebates from such film-stock manufacturers as Kodak and Fuji.
Through the years, there have been periodic attempts to control escalating P&A spending, which can soar to the $85 million range on big "tentpole" releases involving 4,000 screens. This includes finger-pointing at ego-driven demands by actors and directors to blanket major-city skylines with giant billboards and lavish creative campaigns.
But Nielsen Ad*Views data suggest that the overwhelming portion of the spend is on television advertising. Last year, Nielsen estimates that of the $26.5 million in media spent on the opening weekend of a 2,000- to 5,000-screen release, 80 percent went to network, cable and spot TV buys.
In contrast to just about every other product release, a movie faces a singular challenge: It must create near-instant national brand-name recognition within a span of a few days to a couple of weeks. The only way to do this, especially with a highly visual product like a film, is with a well-crafted TV spot campaign.
While overall TV viewership is at record levels, it also is increasingly fragmented across dozens of channels. Spending on network TV actually has increased, from 35 percent of opening-weekend budgets in 2006 to 41 percent last year, in addition to an increase from 26 percent to 28 percent in cable-network spend. These increases have come largely at the expense of spot TV, down from 18 percent to 11 percent, and newspapers, down from 12 percent to 9 percent, Nielsen said.
At various points along the way, especially with the ascent of social media, there have been calls to shift a larger portion of media budgets to the Internet, especially given that medium's lower ad rates, massive inventory and ability to target key demographics.
This certainly has happened with limited- and medium-release movies. Those bowing on fewer than 500 screens have seen online-media spend jump from 5 percent in 2006 to 12 percent last year; 500- to 2,000-screen releases allocated 6 percent to the Web last year, double the 3 percent mark in 2006.
Industry peer pressure and second-guessing also play a part in keeping P&A spending trending upward. "When a studio like Disney tries to rein in these costs, they are second-guessed and doubted for trying a new media mix and paradigm," says Jim Lukowitsch, product manager at Baseline Intelligence.
Web-delivered over-the-top (OTT) television might open additional opportunities for movie marketers, but at present the Internet remains a text-driven medium, and usage is so fragmented across tens of thousands of sites that it is difficult to buy in the massive tidal wave needed to create overnight brand awareness -- which is where TV outshines all other media, albeit for a premium price.
Indeed, TV spot rates are likely to rise as the economy improves and midterm elections, which could draw record TV campaign spending, further drive up spot pricing.
The big question facing movie marketers is how to deal with the declining DVD window. Conventional wisdom has been that the massive spend around the opening theatrical window could be justified by the "afterglow" effect lasting into the DVD and even PPV/VOD windows. This was further justified by steady shrinkage of the theatrical-to-DVD window, lessening the need for a second big spend to promote the home video release.
With Google TV entering the OTT fray -- all of which have movie rentals and subscriptions as core offerings -- it would be logical to see a further shift of ad spend to online.
What isn't likely to happen is a change in the need to create that initial brand awareness in the theatrical window. Although a small-budget release might bet on multiple Golden Globe and Oscar nominations to give it a promotional push, that type of strategy is simply too risky for larger-budget movies.
It might be the ultimate example of that old adage, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression." With movies, it is an impression that lasts a lifetime.

[Mohamad]

Donald Fagen hopes to do it again with new album

Mark Egan
NEW YORK
Fri Jun 11, 2010 1:17pm EDT










NEW YORK (Reuters) - Donald Fagen, one-half the hit-writing duo behind rock perfectionists Steely Dan, says he will release his fourth solo record in 2011 with an album largely recorded on computers away from conventional studios.
Entertainment | Music | People
Fagen, who with Walter Becker wrote the seminal 1970s hits "Reeling' in the Years" and "Do It Again" told Reuters he is recording in New York at the home of Steely Dan trumpet player Michael Leonhart, who is co-producing the album.
Fagen, 62, was prolific in the 1970s with Steely Dan, which was named after a *** toy featured in William Burroughs' book "Naked Lunch." But solo, his critically-acclaimed output has been roughly one album per decade -- "The Nightfly" in 1982, "Kamakiriad" in 1993 and "Morph The Cat" in 2006.
"Those albums were a trilogy," Fagen said, noting his first solo record was themed around the 1950s, the second about the current day and his third was futuristic.
"This one does not have a theme but they are good stories -- most of my songs have a plot," he said. "The album, or CD, or whatever they call it these days should be out next year."
Fagen said the as-yet untitled album is being recorded on computer using Pro Tools software. Some overdubs have been done at New York's Stratosphere Sound studio. He said the album will be released by Warner Bros Records as the final obligation under his contract with the recording giant.
Asked why he took so long between solo records, Fagen said he hated the 1980s and then was distracted by Steely Dan reunions. "I didn't feel like doing too much in the 1980s because they were so depressing," he said.
And, he said, he suffered from depression.
"I went to a shrink for a while in those days. I went for seven years during the '80s," he said. "I had various neurotic problems since I was a little kid."
"When you're young you have a youthful energy that allows you to ram your way through bad times...but when I got to my mid-30s I ran out of that energy and had to grow up," he said.
"DUKES OF SEPTEMBER" TOUR
Fagen currently is promoting his upcoming tour with Michael McDonald, formerly of the Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan, and Boz Scaggs known for the hits "Lowdown" and "Lido Shuffle," playing together as "The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue."
"The Dukes," backed by a band and horn section, begin a nationwide tour on August 19 in Danbury, Connecticut and stay on the road through October 2, when they play Las Vegas.
Fagen said the show will be evocative of the tours the threesome did with a large cast of collaborators from 1989 to 1993 called the New York Rock and Soul Review, which released the record "Live at the Beacon" in 1991.
The concerts will feature several hits each from Fagen, McDonald and Scaggs and then focus on the type of classic songs that drew the trio to music in the first place -- hits by the likes of Ray Charles, Chuck Berry and Wilson Pickett.
Tour promoters plan to announce the lineup of venues and dates for the concerts on Monday.
Like Fagen, McDonald is also trying out something new -- releasing some unusual songs he has recorded, one at a time on iTunes along with live videos of the songs on YouTube.
"These songs are so odd for me -- a lot of them are songs I wrote on guitar that I don't think record companies would be interested in," McDonald told Reuters. "My experience is record companies want you to be who they perceive you to be."

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