Posted on 10/05/2009 1:12:43 PM PDT by abb
The chairman of Universal Pictures Marc Shmuger and David Linde, have been ousted from the studio, in the latest sign that parent General Electric Co. has tired of disappointing results at much of its NBC Universal entertainment arm.
After three and a half years, Shmuger and Linde have been replaced by Adam Fogelson, who had been Universal's head of marketing, according to Universal.
Production president Donna Langley will serve as co-chairwoman, reporting to Fogelson.
The move comes at a time when GE is in talks with Comcast Corp. about selling a 51% stake in NBC Universal to the cable operator.
Universal Pictures ranks sixth among the major Hollywood studios in 2009, with a total gross of $673.4 million, according to data from Box Office Mojo. Leader Warner Brothers , by contrast, has racked up $1.61 billion in box-office receipts so far this year.
The year has been marked by a number of duds for Universal, including "Land of the Lost" starring Will Ferrell, a remake of the 1970s television show for youngsters, and "Funny People" starring Adam Sandler. "Land Of the Lost" took in just $49.2 million domestically, while "Funny People" scraped up $51.9 million.
A weak theatrical slate usually means lackluster home-video sales in the coming months. This is a period in which DVD sales are sliding in general, so a lack of good buzz going into the video cycle is a particularly bad sign
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
ping
Good. I don’t watch much but “classic” movies these days, because Hollywood is putting out only a) remakes, and b) JUNK!
http://www.deadline.com/hollywood/adam-fogelson-named-new-chairman-of-universal-pictures/
STUDIO SHAKEUP! Adam Fogelson Named New Chairman Of Universal Pictures; Donna Langley Named Co-Chairman; Shmuger And Linde Unceremoniously Out
http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/10/formal_charges.html
Internal charges are filed against Globe union head
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20091005/FREE/910059994
Condé Nast closes four titles
This on the heels of the Comcast bid. Adios GE!
They make garbage....
You can watch movies on Netflix, Fancast,Youtube etc and find quality movies of Old and Value...
Umm, not quite. It was a re-MOCK. Like most of the re-doings of 70's and 80's era shows lately, the writers are just pointing and laughing at the "stupid old show".
For some reason, many viewers don't want to pay to see that.
http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=139462
Conde Nast’s Townsend on Why Gourmet Was Shut Down
Break up GE.
Go back to your core GE...make those curly light bulbs and insure your demise.
How much health insurance woult that have bought?
What about $200 a month cellphone plans? $60 a month cable bills, $30 a month internet...
This is not a poor nation. People have misplaced priorities.
After working on Public Enemies I can see the waste of money and the movie wasnt even that good.
very good news
If Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell are two of their stars, no wonder their pics flop.
It was nowhere near as good as Dillinger from the 70s.
Is that the version with Warren Oates?
Thank You. I am sick of both of them. They tried to pair up the Apatow crew with him and it did not work...you could tell from the previews it wasn’t going to work.
You could subscribe to Gourmet for a year for $10....they were trying to boost circulation..I’ve read it for years..beautiful magazine.....
Don’t much care about GE, but will that affect my Detroit Edison stock is a different matter.....:O(
Yes. John Milius directed.
That was an entertaining movie. The theme song made the radio playlist for a few weeks.
THIS will help your friends at Universal, Conde, and NBC get over their agony of defeat.
Sweet! Conde Nast had four magazines go, as the British say, “tits up!”
Mr. Townsend: Well let's hope. I have no more vision than anybody I've read.
That's what stockholders want to hear!!
I have always gotten it for free. I’ve gotten a lot of freebie links for 1-2 years at a time.
I read an article by a reporter who has covered "media moguls" for 15 years. He said he was reading the list of movies a studio was releasing for that year, and he told the "mogul" which ones would succeed, and which would flop. The overpaid media "mogul" sighed and said he was 100% correct. When the reporter asked why, the guy said that some movies had to be made to keep the "talent" happy.
Yup, neither one of them were particularly good on SNL and have proven to be even worse in the movies."Opera Man-Sandler" & "Cheerleader-Ferrell" most likely reached the zenith of their careers on SNL.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.