Yahoo Seeks Youth Demograpic In $1.1 Billion Deal For TumblrBy Michael Liedtke, Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) , May 20, 2013 -- Yahoo is buying online blogging forum Tumblr for $1.1 billion as CEO Marissa Mayer tries to rejuvenate an Internet icon that had fallen behind the times. The deal announced Monday represents Mayer's boldest move yet since she left Google 10 months ago to lead Yahoo's latest comeback attempt.

SHOOT News Briefs for the Week of May 20, 2013Breaking Tidbits from the World of Filmmaking, Commercialmaking, Television and Entertainment Production Updated Throughout the Week
May 20, 2013 -- Deborah Turness named president of NBC's news division; Seth McFarlane not returning as 2014 Oscar host; Martin Scorsese to present Mel Brooks with AFI Lifetime Achievement Award; Director Takashi Miike unveils "Shield of Straw" at Cannes Festival; Expectations high for next Xbox; CP+B hires Andy Grant as associate creative director; Native American tale with international pedigree emerges at Cannes.

Director Kathi Prosser Joins Moxie PicturesNEW YORK, May 20, 2013 -- Moxie Pictures has signed director Kathi Prosser for U.S. representation.  She comes over from The Sweet Shop, where she has collaborated regularly with numerous top agencies including BBDO, JWT, Arnold, Saatchi & Saatchi and Y&R. Her body of work ranges from opulent fashion campaigns to provocative PSAs.

Method Studios Adds Trio of Animation ArtistsErik-Jan de Boer, James Jacobs, Keith Roberts join VFX house
LOS ANGELES, May 20, 2013 -- Method Studios, a Deluxe Entertainment Services Group company, has added three animation artists to its creative team--Erik-Jan de Boer and James Jacobs who join Method's Vancouver office as animation supervisor and creature supervisor, respectively; and animation supervisor Keith Roberts who will work out of the Los Angeles studio.

Steven Soderbergh Discusses Decision To Step Away From FilmmakingHis "Behind the Candelabra" debuts at Cannes
By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP), May 20, 2013 -- Steven Soderbergh has said that "Behind the Candelabra"--— a $23 million HBO movie starring Michael Douglas as the flamboyant pianist and Matt Damon as his lover, Scott Thorson, airing Sunday in the U.S. — will be his last film, at least for now. The 50 year-old's career in film — 26 protean features including "Out of Sight," ''Traffic" and the "Ocean's" franchise — will effectively conclude in Cannes, the same place it was internationally launched.

Reset Signs Director Joseph Kosinski For Spots, Branded ContentSANTA MONICA, CALIF., May 20, 2013 -- Joseph Kosinski, director of commercials, films and TV, has joined Reset for worldwide representation in advertising. He thus reunites with long-time colleagues, executive producer/managing director Dave Morrison and filmmaker David Fincher--the three were previously together at Anonymous Content.

The Coen Brothers Return To CannesFolk revival "Inside Llewyn Davis" serenades Festival
By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
CANNES, FRANCE (AP), May 19, 2013 -- The Coen brothers' resurrection of the pre-Dylan folk scene in Greenwich Village serenaded Cannes with its period music and melancholy tale of a self-destructive, feline-toting musician. "Inside Llewyn Davis" was met rapturously at the Cannes Film Festival, where it premiered Sunday night.

Upfronts More Of a Sketchy Proposition; Calendar, Plans ChangeOld rules don't mean much to broadcasters
By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP), May 19, 2013 -- The most striking thing about the broadcast TV networks announcing their new fall schedules this past week was how little that actually meant. Television schedules seem more like sketches these days. Even the networks admit their prime-time plans for September will be different by January, even more so a few months later.

Darren Aronofsky, Ted Robbins, Sandy Haddad Launch Spot Production House CHROMISTALOS ANGELES, May 19, 2013 -- Academy Award-nominated director Darren Aronofsky has partnered with a pair of spot industry veterans, executive producers Ted Robbins and Sandy Haddad, to open commercial production house CHROMISTA. The company has already embarked on projects with Ogilvy and DDB.

The Best Work You May Never See: Aardman Faces Extinction For DurrellMay 17, 2013 -- While the dodo bird is extinct, one was brought to life through animation to raise awareness about the worldwide plight of endangered species for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, which was founded in 1959 by author and naturalist Gerald Durrell.

Top Spot of the Week: Kai Hasson Introduces A Talking Yoga Mat For Kimpton HotelsBy Christine Champagne
May 17, 2013 -- A yoga mat is the star of a viral video created and produced by Portal A for Kimpton Hotels. Meet Mat (A Yoga Love Story) opens on a woman, Sheri, sitting on a bed in a hotel room surrounded by piles of work. She is at a Kimpton Hotel on business, and it looks like she isn't going to see the light of day.

Producer Perspective: Beau Willimon Breaks New Ground With House of CardsShowrunner/EP/writer-creator shares backstory on Netflix's hit show as season two looms
By Robert Goldrich
May 17, 2013 -- The opportunity was too great to pass up as presented by filmmaker David Fincher to producer/writer Beau Willimon some three-and-a-half years ago--the chance to adapt the BBC miniseries House of Cards into a show for American audiences. What resulted is a breakthrough show which has garnered critical acclaim, put Netflix on the original program development map, and given viewers the power to watch the series on their own terms.

A Series Of Firsts In Store For The 2013 AICP Show, Next AwardsDirectors Lecture Series set to return after hiatus
By A SHOOT Staff Report
NEW YORK, May 17, 2013 -- New varied wrinkles abound for this year's AICP Show and Next Awards. For one, they are part of an overall more encompassing first-time event dubbed AICP Week, June 4-6, in New York. The three anchor attractions for AICP Week will be the AICP Show, the Next Awards, and the AICP Directors Lecture Series--the latter will make its return after a lengthy hiatus.

AICE Awards: Ashwell, Murphy Top FieldBy A SHOOT Staff Report
CHICAGO, May 17, 2013 -- Two editors--Eve Ashwell of Cut+Run, London, and Chris Murphy of Relish, London--each scored a pair of AICE Awards, leading the pack at the gala ceremony held last night (5/16) at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. Additionally, Jack Tohtz--a founding father of the venerable Szabo Tohtz and a pioneering force in the AICE--was inducted into the AICE Hall of Fame.

Chat Room: Director Allen CoulterReflections on House of Cards, Fincher, spots
By Robert Goldrich
May 17, 2013 -- Perhaps most telling about Allen Coulter's directorial range are his five DGA Award nominations--three for dramatic series (twice for The Sopranos and most recently in 2011 for Boardwalk Empire) and two for his sitcom fare (both for Sex and the City). Also figuring to be among the DGA contenders this coming awards season is Netflix's House of Cards for which Coulter directed a pair of episodes, including the year one finale. 
      SHOOT recently caught up with Coulter who reflected on House of Cards, what drew him to the series and the challenges it posed to him as a director.

New Trailer: Bethesda Softworks' "Wolfenstein: The New Order"May 17, 2013 -- Psyop and AKQA teamed on this ominous announcement trailer for the game "Wolfenstein: The New Order" (from MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks). While the game isn't slated for release until this fall, this teaser trailer is designed to whet appetites by depicting an alternate 1960s' "Wolfenstein" reality universe where a Nazi war machine has taken over the world.

Weinstein Company Showcases Grace Kelly, Nelson Mandela, J.D. Salinger FilmsHarvey Weinstein previews releases primed for award contender status
By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
CANNES, FRANCE (AP), May 17, 2013 -- The Weinstein Company's fall slate of awards contenders will feature a glamorous Grace Kelly, a brawny Nelson Mandela and a mysterious J.D. Salinger. Harvey Weinstein previewed some of his company's most anticipated upcoming releases at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday. He's made a habit of such previews, doing the same in 2012 for the Oscar-winning films "Django Unchained" and "Silver Linings Playbook."

Facebook Looks To Become An Ad ColossusAssessments from Coke, P&G, American Apparel
By Barbara Ortutay, Technology Writer
NEW YORK (AP), May 17, 2013 -- Facebook is looking to convince big brand-name consumer companies that ads on a social network are as important — and as effective — as television spots. The company has rolled out tools to help advertisers target their messages more precisely than they can in print or on TV. Companies can single out 18- to 24-year-old male Facebook users who are likely to buy a car in the next six months. They can target 30-year-old women who are researching Caribbean getaways.

Cinematographers & Cameras: Fiction Feature; Festival FindsLensing Disconnect, Connecting With Sundance; Profiles of Ken Seng, Bradford Young and Marc Silver
By Robert Goldrich
May 17, 2013 -- In this latest installment of SHOOT's Cinematographers & Cameras Series, DPs make their mark on a couple of fronts. First, a cinematographer spanning multiple disciplines reflects on lensing the fiction feature film debut of a director known for his commercialmaking and documentary acumen; and then on the film festival circuit, we focus on a pair of DPs who gained high-profile recognition by winning Cinematography Awards at Sundance 2013.

Oscar & Emmy-Winning Directors, Next Generation of Filmmakers Front and Center at Upcoming SHOOT Directors/Producers Forum, New Directors ShowcaseForum features directors Joe Berlinger, Henry-Alex Rubin, Bryan Buckley, Cynthia Wade; Showcase roster consists of 35 up-and-coming directors
NEW YORK, May 17, 2013 -- SHOOT's New Directors Showcase celebrates its 11th year on the evening of Thursday, May 23, at the DGA Theatre in New York City, highlighted by the introduction of a 2013 roster consisting of 35 up-and-coming directors--27 individual helmers and four duos.
     Several accomplished, lauded directors will be front and center at SHOOT's daytime Directors/Producers Forum, including: Joe Berlinger, a Best Feature Documentary Oscar nominee (Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory) and two-time Emmy winner (with a total of seven career Emmy nominations); Henry-Alex Rubin, also Academy Award-nominated for a feature documentary (Murderball); Cynthia Wade, a Short Subject Documentary Oscar winner (for Freeheld) and again nominated in that same category this year (for Mondays at Racine); Matthew O'Neill, who teamed with Jon Alpert to direct Redemption, nominated for a 2013 Short Subject documentary Academy Award; and Bryan Buckley whose Asad was also a Best Live-Action Short Oscar nominee in 2013.

A "Mooneyball"--Make that "Moneyball"--Business Model For ProductionBy Robert Goldrich
NEW YORK, May 16, 2013 -- To put it in baseball vernacular, industry vet Tom Mooney described his shop, The Outhouse, as being "Moneyball" for production. Moneyball--the book and the movie--chronicles Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's philosophy for building a ballclub which, despite a challenged budget, manages to compete with the mega-payroll, major market teams like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and L.A. Dodgers.

Jay Zasa Returns To R/GA In New RoleNEW YORK, May 16, 2013 -- Jay Zasa has returned to R/GA, this time in a new role as sr. VP, executive creative director, campaigns. He will serve as a "connector," coordinating across the disciplines that concept, create, and deliver campaigns and working in conjunction with department heads, R/GA group leads, and ECDs.

Amat Escalante's Drug War Drama Rattles CannesBy Jill Lawless
CANNES, FRANCE (AP), May 16, 2013 -- The Cannes Film Festival has had its first shock to the system, in the shape of Mexican director Amat Escalante's unsparingly violent drug war drama "Heli." The story of the devastation wreaked by narco-violence on an ordinary Mexican family, the movie paints such a bleak picture that one journalist told its director Thursday that she had cancelled a planned trip to the country after seeing it.

Sofia Coppola Debuts "Bling Ring" At CannesBy Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
CANNES, FRANCE (AP), May 16, 2013 -- Sofia Coppola was just 8 years old when she first came to the Cannes Film Festival. Her father, Francis Ford Coppola, was there to premiere a work-in-progress cut of a film he had spent years wrestling with: "Apocalypse Now." Sofia Coppola has since had films she's directed debut at Cannes. She now returns with her latest which reflects a star-crazed culture that's far different from the movie world she grew up in.

Google Looks To Rival Facebook With New OfferingsBy Michael Liedtke, Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP), May 15, 2013 -- Google is digging deeper into its technology toolkit to turn its social networking service into a more formidable threat to Facebook, sprucing up its photo features at a time when sharing snapshots online and on mobile gadgets is growing more popular.

Upfront Report: CBS Adds Robin Williams Comedy--"The Crazy Ones"By David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP), May 15, 2013 -- CBS on Wednesday revealed a few nips and tucks it is planning next season for what is already network television's most successful schedule, including adding a comedy with Robin Williams playing an unorthodox advertising executive with Sarah Michelle Gellar as his daughter.

Baz Luhrmann Completes Circle of Cinema Life At Cannes FestivalBy Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
CANNES, FRANCE (AP), May 14, 2013 -- Baz Luhrmann might never have gone on to direct "The Great Gatsby" — or anything else, for that matter — if not for the Cannes Film Festival. When Luhrmann opens the 66th Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday with the international premiere of "The Great Gatsby," it will be an emotional return for the Australian director. In many ways, the festival is the site of his birth as an international filmmaker.

Cannes Fest's Fremaux Wonders What Will Catch the Eye of Jury Head SpielbergBy Jill Lawless
CANNES, FRANCE (AP), May 14, 2013 -- It's the big Cannes question — what will catch director Steven Spielberg's eye? The king of Hollywood heads the jury that will decide who wins the Palme d'Or and other prizes at the French Riviera film fest, and artistic director Thierry Fremaux can't wait to find out what captures his fancy.

Upfront Report: 14 New Shows On Tap for ABCBy Lynn Elber, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) , May 14, 2013 -- ABC is cutting its aging "Dancing With the Stars" back to two hours and one night next season, creating a slot for a new drama series based on the Marvel Comics world that's aimed at expanding the network's audience, its programming chief said Tuesday. "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." comes from hit-maker JOss Whedon of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "The Avengers" films.

SHOOT News Briefs for the Week of May 13, 2013Breaking Tidbits from the World of Filmmaking, Commercialmaking, Television and Entertainment Production Updated Throughout the Week
May 13, 2013 -- Weinstein showcases Grace Kelly, Mandela flicks; ShootersINC unveils directorial roster; International Space Station crew can see new "Star Trek" film; 16 Student Academy Award winners named; Univision, Robert Rodriguez team on El Rey TV network; Aereo hits Atlanta next month; Big four cellphone carriers unite on anti-texting ads; Judge approves class-action settlement over Skechers; John Minty named COO of DDB California; New "Star Wars" movie to be shot in UK; NBC promotes fall season with Twitter contest; "Django Unchained" back in Chinese movie theaters after being pulled a month ago.

Luhrmann, Payne, Refn, Chandor Among Directors Debuting Films At CannesFrom "Gatsby" to Gosling, a preview of the Festival
By Jake Coyle, Entertainment Writer
May 13, 2013 -- For even those most accustomed to the frenzy of celebrity, the Cannes Film Festival can be a disorienting experience. For 12 days every year, the French Rivera resort town turns into one giant seaside swirl of glamour, high art and backroom deal-making. Like some sun-drenched phantasm, all of cinema comes alive in Cannes: its serious ambitions, bottom-line commerce and crass spectacle.

Director J.J. Abrams Goes From One High-Profile Universe To The NextA bold journey from "Trek" to "Star Wars"
By Jill Lawless
LONDON (AP), May 13, 2013 -- J.J. Abrams is master of one universe — and he's about to try conquering another. The director who rebooted "Star Trek" for a new generation, sending the USS Enterprise out again to explore strange new worlds, has also been put at the "Star Wars" helm. Soon he'll direct a new film, the seventh, in the epic sci-fi franchise.

Stoopid Buddy Stoodios Comes Aboard @radical.media RosterLOS ANGELES, May 13, 2013 -- @radical.media has expanded its roster of comedic creative talent, signing the collective Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, a leader in stop-motion animation. Stoopid Buddy Stoodios is comprised of four partners, Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, John Harvatine IV, and Eric Towner. The team has created and directed viral hits such as Adult Swim's top-rated, Emmy and Annie Award-winning series Robot Chicken.

Upfront Report: Fox Schedule Includes Its First Miniseries with Limited-Edition "24"11 new series slated for 2013-'14 season
By Lynn Elber, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP), May 13, 2013 -- Fox, facing the ebbing ratings power of "American Idol," is betting big on its first miniseries showcase starting with a limited-edition "24," and shows from heavyweight producers Seth MacFarlane and J.J. Abrams to invigorate its schedule. The network is making its largest original-programming investment yet with a crop of 11 new series along with a miniseries from filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan for the 2013-14 season, Kevin Reilly, Fox Entertainment chairman, said Monday.

Upfront Report: NBC Orders 17 New SeriesBy David Bauder, Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP), May 12, 2013 -- NBC on Sunday became the first of the major broadcasters to announce its plans for next season, and its executives said they had ordered a staggering 17 new series. Only six of them are on fall's schedule, however, with another six to join in midseason when NBC hopes to get a burst of attention from its telecast of the Winter Olympics.

AICP Show, AICP Next Awards Shortlists Released; Honorees To Be Announced During AICP WeekNEW YORK, April 26, 2013 -- Matt Miller, president and CEO of the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP), has announced the 2013 AICP Show & AICP Next Awards Shortlists. The winners of the AICP Show and AICP Next Awards will be revealed during AICP Week, a celebration of advertising in the motion image.

SXSW Preview: Directorial DebutsKevin and Michael Goetz, Fede Alvarez, Tim Wheeler to premiere their films at festival
By Robert Goldrich
AUSTIN, TEX., February 22, 2013 -- "We started out making a very small movie which we wound up shooting in 14 days," related Kevin Goetz. That "small movie," Scenic Route, marks the feature directorial debut of the Goetz brothers--Kevin and Michael--who are best known for their commercialmaking exploits over the past dozen years.