News Briefs

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Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019

Streaming price wars heat up: Verizon to offer free Disney+ for 1 year

In this April 3, 2019, file photo characters from Disney and Fox movies are displayed behind Cathleen Taff, president of distribution, franchise management, business and audience insight for Walt Disney Studios during the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures presentation at CinemaCon 2019, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Verizon is offering new and current customers a free year of Disney+ as the battle for streaming customers heats up. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) --

Verizon is offering new and current customers a free year of Disney+ as the battle for streaming customers heats up.

The offer extends to certain new and existing unlimited 4G and 5G customers as well as the vast majority of new home-internet customers.

The promotion beginning Nov. 12 will provide access to Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic and other content. Disney+ plans to release more than 25 original series and 10 original films and documentaries in its first year, including a remake of "Lady and the Tramp. "

Shares in Netflix, which has dominated the streaming entertainment world for years, slumped almost 3%.

Netflix is trying to hold onto its vast customer base as cheaper alternatives from the likes of Apple, Disney and others go live next month.

Netflix has long had a similar deal with T-Mobile. Comcast says its upcoming Peacock service will be free for cable customers. And AT&T, which More

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019

Springsteen surprises moviegoers at film preview screenings

In this Nov. 5, 2018 file photo, Bruce Springsteen performs at the 12th annual Stand Up For Heroes benefit concert at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. Springsteen surprised moviegoers by introducing his new concert film in his New Jersey hometown. The Asbury Park Press reports Springsteen introduced two showings of "Western Stars" at the AMC Loews Freehold Metroplex Cinema in Freehold on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. (Photo by Brad Barket/Invision/AP, File)

FREEHOLD, NJ (AP) --

Bruce Springsteen surprised moviegoers by introducing his new concert film in his New Jersey hometown.

The Asbury Park Press reports Springsteen introduced two showings of "Western Stars" at the AMC Loews Freehold Metroplex Cinema in Freehold on Saturday.

Springsteen is a native of Freehold borough.

Springsteen told audiences that since his band knew it wasn't going to tour, he had to try to figure out a way to bring the music to his audience.

"Western Stars" is a concert film shot in a barn in front of a small audience at Springsteen's property in Colts Neck.

The music album "Western Stars" was released in June.

A second preview screening is scheduled for Wednesday. The film hits theaters on Friday.

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019

Execs from Alamo Drafthouse, Disney, NEON, Picturestart join speakers lineup at American Film Market

Tim League, founder of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

LOS ANGELES --

The American Film Market (AFM®) announced more confirmed speakers for this year’s Conferences and programming which runs alongside the AFM’s marketplace and industry screenings. Over six days, more than 150 thought leaders, decision-makers and experts will discuss topics and issues most relevant to global filmmakers across three dedicated stages. This year’s market takes place November 6-13 in Santa Monica and marks its 40th edition.

The AFM Conferences will kick off on Friday, November 8, on the AFM main stage at the Fairmont Hotel. Highlights include:

The opening Conference will feature Breaking the Mold: The Innovators bringing together Erik Feig, CEO, Picturestart, Tim League, founder, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and Aron Levitz, head of Wattpad Studios, and Tom Quinn, founder & CEO, NEON.

As part of its new Television Conference, network executives including Disney’s VP of Original Programming, Lauren Kisilevsky, the History More

Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019

"Abominable" to skip Malaysia theaters over disputed sea map

In this Sept. 7, 2019, file photo, the character Everest from the film "Abominable" appears on the red carpet on day three of the Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. The animated movie "Abominable" will skip Malaysian theaters after producers decided against cutting out a scene showing a map supporting Chinese claims to the disputed South China Sea. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) --

The animated movie "Abominable" will skip Malaysian theaters after producers decided against cutting out a scene showing a map supporting Chinese claims to the disputed South China Sea.

Vietnam already pulled the U.S.-Chinese production from theaters over a fleeting image of the so-called nine-dash line, a vague and broken outline depicting much of the resource-rich sea as Chinese territory. China's claims to the sea overlap with claims by Vietnam, Malaysia and other Asian governments.

Malaysian film distributor United International Pictures said in a brief statement Monday that "Universal has decided not to make the censor cut required by the Malaysian censor board and as such will not be able to release the film in Malaysia," where it was due in theaters on Nov. 7. It declined to give further details.

Universal is the parent company of DreamWorks Animation, which co-produced the movie with China-based Pearl Studio. "Abominable," More

Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019

New Facebook oversight board results to be public, exec says

Director of governance and strategic initiatives Andy Pergam talks during a University of Utah speech Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, in Salt Lake City. Pergam, a Facebook executive says a new quasi-independent oversight board will soon be weighing decisions on some of the most difficult questions on what material belongs on the platform in a "very public way." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

By Lindsay Whitehurst

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) --

A new quasi-independent oversight board will soon make decisions on some of the most difficult questions on what material belongs on Facebook's platform in a "very public way," an executive for the social-media company said Friday.

The board will consider a small number of cases where all appeals of Facebook decisions have been exhausted, the company's director of governance and strategic initiatives, Andy Pergam, said in speech at the University of Utah.

The board's decisions and the company's responses will be public, he said.

Its rulings will be binding in individual cases, but broader policy findings will be advisory.

"They'll do all this in a very public way. This is the mechanism by which the board will have lasting policy influence over a company like Facebook," he said.

Board members who are experts in a range of disciplines from around the world will be named December and begin hearing cases in early 2020. More

Friday, Oct. 18, 2019

Netflix releases Panama Papers movie despite lawsuit

This image released by Netflix shows Meryl Streep, left, and Jeffrey Wright in a scene from “The Laundromat,” in theaters on Sept. 27. (Claudette Barius/Netflix via AP)

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) --

Netflix has released a movie based on the so-called Panama Papers despite an attempt by two lawyers to stop the streaming premiere.

"The Laundromat," starring Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas and Meryl Streep, debuted Friday on Netflix after a limited release in theaters.

Two Panamanian lawyers, Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca, sued Netflix in federal court in Connecticut this week, saying the movie defamed them and could prejudice criminal cases against them. Netflix asked a judge to dismiss the suit but did not address the allegations.

The Panama Papers were more than 11 million documents leaked from the two lawyers' firm that shed light on how the rich hide their money.

A judge ruled there was no valid reason to file the case in Connecticut and ordered it transferred to the Los Angeles-area federal court district.

Friday, Oct. 18, 2019

"The Casagrandes" extols Mexican American life via animation

This image released by Nickelodeon shows a scene from the animated series “The Casagrandes,” featuring a multigenerational Mexican American family. In this series, Ronnie Anne, her older brother and single mother, leave the suburbs to move in with their large family in the fictional Great Lake City. The apartment is located above The Casagrandes bodega, owned by grandpa, and next to an elevated subway track. (Nickelodeon via AP)

By Russell Contreras

ALBUQUERQUE, NM (AP) --

Nickelodeon's "The Casagrandes" premiered this week and became one of the first cartoons in U.S. history to feature a multigenerational Mexican American family.

The long awaited spin-off from the network's popular animation series, "The Loud House," comes as more networks take chances on Latino-themed shows.

The series centers around an 11-year-old Mexican American, skateboarding girl trying to survive in the fictional town of Great Lake City. Her apartment is above The Casagrandes bodega, owned by grandpa and in front of a subway track.

Unlike some previous cartoons with Latinos, "The Casagrandes" seeks to tackle family-oriented themes like love, friendship, and jealousy.

Supervising director Miguel Puga says creators wanted to show how normal and relatable Latino families are.

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019

Ken Burns is behind new grant for film on Flannery O'Connor

This July 29, 2019 file photo shows Ken Burns, director of the PBS documentary series "Country Music," speaking in a panel discussion during the 2019 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) --

Ken Burns is inaugurating an annual prize for makers of historical films with a $200,000 grant to the people behind an upcoming movie about the late Georgia writer Flannery O'Connor.

The movie "Flannery" shows the influence behind the novelist and short story writer's work, as she lived in a rural Southern town and struggled with lupus. The author of "A Good Man is Hard to Find" died in 1964 at age 39.

Burns, the noted documentarian, said he knows from experience the expense involved in getting projects like these done.

The film by Elizabeth Coffman and Mark Bosco "made me go out and buy her books," he said.

Burns' nonprofit Better Angels Society is collaborating with philanthropists Jeannie and Jonathan Lavine and the Library of Congress in funding the award. Judges sifted through some 80 entrants, he said.

"We were stunned not only by the volume of submissions but by the quality of them," he said.

A $50,000 More

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019

"Spirited Away," other Studio Ghibli films head to HBO Max

In this Feb. 12, 2015 file photo, co-founder of Japan's prestigious Studio Ghibli, Isao Takahata, stands in front of his office at Studio Ghibli in suburban Tokyo after an interview about his animated film "The Tale of The Princess Kaguya." (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

LOS ANGELES --

The vast catalog of storied Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli is heading to the new HBO Max streaming service.

Films such as "Princess Mononoke," ''My Neighbor Totoro" and Oscar-winner "Spirited Away" will be among the titles available to stream when HBO Max launches in spring 2020.

The deal — the first time the studio's library will be available on a streaming platform — was announced Thursday for unspecified terms.

Studio Ghibli has a passionate fan base of its richly animated epic films from directors like Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata.

HBO Max is owned by WarnerMedia, which is assembling streaming content from its networks that include TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network and Warner Bros. studio.

"Spirited Away," about an abandoned village that's a getaway for spirits and demons, won the best animated Oscar in 2002.

Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019

CBS signs Stephen Colbert to 3-year extension

This March 16, 2019 file photo shows Stephen Colbert at the 36th Annual PaleyFest "An Evening with Stephen Colbert" event in Los Angeles. CBS announced Thursday that Colbert has signed a new contract that will keep him as the "Late Show" host through at least August 2023. His current pact was set to expire next August. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) --

Stephen Colbert will be sticking around for four more years.

CBS announced Thursday that Colbert has signed a new contract that will keep him as the "Late Show" host through at least August 2023. His current pact was set to expire next August.

Terms were not disclosed. But it's a safe bet Colbert is in line for a healthy raise. He took over for David Letterman in 2015 and currently reigns as the most popular host on late-night television. The "Late Show" averages nearly 4 million viewers each night, with a widening lead over the second-place "Tonight" show with Jimmy Fallon.

Colbert quips that he's been asked to stay "and I have every intention of honoring their subpoena."