Three new films in top ten, Where the Wild Things Are leads with $11M Friday box office
By Robin Rowe

Where the Wild Things Are leads box office

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 10/17/2009 – Films opening in theaters this weekend, from October 16th, 2009, include Where the Wild Things Are, Citizen and Stepfather.

Where the Wild Things Are was positioned as the big opener this week and is leading the box office. The family adventure stars Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker and James Gandolfini.

“In a way, it’s an action movie starring a nine-year-old,” says director Spike Jonze. “There’s a lot of physical mayhem like dirt clod fights and rampaging in the forest. The island offers up every youngster’s fantasy: the freedom to run and jump and howl, to build and destroy and wrestle and throw things as far as he can. Most of all, to (more…)

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If one were to believe all the news reports, it would appear that the entire motion picture industry has just fallen into the Pacific and sunk slowly beneath the waves
by Dennis Toth, R&R Consulting

Film slowdown. Paramount lot staying busy shooting five new TV series. NCIS Los Angeles starring Chris O'Donnell (above), Big Time Rush, Community, Men of a Certain Age, and Three Rivers.

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 10/17/2009 – Gee gosh golly, what’s wrong with everybody? Last I heard, Variety and the MPAA were telling everybody that everything was okey dokey.

OK, as some of us already knew, they were simply bluffing. Yes, it really isn’t okey dokey. In fact, it is getting kind of poopy out there. Just look at all of the senior executives currently cleaning out their desks. The first round (and I do mean it’s only the beginning) has already hit hard, and the headlines are taking on all of the subtlety of a news report on a mob massacre.

In an article slyly titled “Bloodbath in Hollywood,” the British newspaper The Independent details the major firings and layoffs at Universal Pictures, Disney, Paramount and MGM. Along with the shake-ups at the majors, there are (more…)

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Southern California’s top venture capital conference brings together start-up companies with angel investors, venture capitalists and private equity firms
By Robin Rowe

Bessemer Venture Partners VP James Cham, finding opportunities in a down economy

COSTA MESA, CA (Gosh!TV) 10/8/2009 – In a live event similar in concept to the ABC TV reality series Shark Tank, VentureNet invites Southern California’s most promising companies and entrepreneurs to meet with investors, strategic partners and business leaders from around the country. VentureNet’s been doing it annually for ten years. The one-day conference, held on October 7th, offered a peek into the future of Southern California technology companies.

“Everyone feels the effect of the economy,” says Bessemer Venture Partners VP James Cham. “Nobody likes to see so much wealth destruction. On the other hand, the companies we’re looking at see change in the economy and find opportunity. I’m impressed with how clever people have been to find ways to work in this new environment.” Cham is one of eight venture capitalists taking pitches from southern California companies at VentureNet.

Bessemer Venture Partners is a 100-year-old venture capital firm that invests broadly in technology companies, putting in $100,000 to $25 million. At the smaller end of the scale of VentureNet investors are angel investment groups such as Tech Coast Angels. TCA deals are (more…)

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A TV network in last place looks to Jay Leno and slashes costs with wolves at the door
By Robin Rowe

NBC feels the Jay Leno Effect

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 10/2/2009 – Why is GE ready to talk to Comcast now about selling 51% of NBC Universal? Could it have anything to do with Jay Leno? Will Leno save NBC?

At the Beverly Hills Hotel, during a TV Caucus industry breakfast on September 22nd, 2009, executives discussed the fall season and Leno in particular. “The Leno effect is about cutting costs and delivering for a third or 25% of the cost,” said Lionsgate TV Programming and Production President Kevin Beggs. “If it does a 1.5 they’ll make $300M over a year,” said WME Entertainment Worldwide Head of Non-Scripted TV John Ferriter. “It’s not the best decision for delivering the highest quality content; it helps cable,” said HBO Programming Group President Michael Lombardo. “It’s a smart tactical move,” said USA Network Original Programming President Jeff Wachtel. “It saves money, and perhaps more importantly, it keeps Leno.”

The disarray at NBC scripted television became obvious on August 5th, 2009, when an otherwise mild-mannered Hollywood press corps became irate and hostile as NBC executives laid out plans to turn around NBC’s lackluster third-place network performance. Ben “Ben-B-C” Silverman had recently been fired for NBC’s failures, yet NBC executive Angela Bromstad, in charge of scripted programming, told the press not to expect much change.

When asked about Silverman’s exit, Bromstad drew unintended laughter from the press when she said (more…)

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On Sunday, Sept. 27th, 2009, the Beverly Hills lululemon athletica store hosts an evening of yogic breathing and chanting in support of Yoga Gives Back
By Robin Rowe

Lululemon’s Carrie Janell yogic breathing

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 9/24/2009 – “Beyond Asana is a night of healing through breath, music, and meditation where you can learn forms of yoga beyond the physical,” says Dancing Shiva yoga instructor Carrie Janell. “Breath work is the foundation of all healing through yoga. For six thousand years India has been giving yoga to the world “Our whole team at the north Beverly lululemon store wants to give something back to India.”

Janell says that Dancing Shiva yogi Mas Vidal will lead the event’s exercise in yogic breathing. The Breath of Life Tribe will play Kirtan rock as everyone chants and learns breathing techniques. “We’ll set the intention of evening and have eating and hanging out from 6:45 to 8pm,” says Janell. Tasty vegan pizza treats are being provided by sponsor Deano’s Pizza.

“At 8pm, sing your heart out to Kirtan rock by Mas Vidal of Dancing Shiva and Breath of Life Tribe,” says Janell. “We’ll go beyond rasas, cultivating peace and healing for yourself that you can give to others. The evening is for healing energy and seva, the service side of yoga. We were inspired by International Yoga Month and Global Mala [Peace through Yoga].” The lululemon event organizers are Carrie Janell and Denise Woods.

All proceeds go to Yoga Gives Back, a non-profit association of yoga instructors helping with micro-loans to India. “What’s special about this charity is it’s (more…)

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