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Entertainment Industry to Fight Content Theft

The entertainment community is joining together to form a new coalition to fight content theft. Creative America is a grassroots initiative that has the backing of major unions, guilds, studios and networks. According to Deadline, their goal is to teach members about the impact of stealing content on entertainment jobs and the future of the industry as a whole.  They also plan to push for passage of anti-piracy legislation.

Arts Funding Being Cut Worldwide

With several American theaters struggling financially, it does not come as much of a shock that other countries are dealing with similar situations. For the past two weeks, Rome’s Teatro Valle has been occupied by theater workers protesting the privatization of the venue. Founded in 1727, the Valle has been affiliated with a state organization that promotes Italian theater, but budget cuts caused the organization to be shut down last year. According to The New York Times, Italian artists are concerned that selling the theater would risk losing its identity as a platform for theatrical experimentation.

California Film Tax Credits Pump Billions into Economy

A new study by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. has found that California’s film tax credits have pumped $3.8 billion into the economy and created over 20,000 jobs in the past two years. According to The Los Angeles Times, the government received over a dollar for every dollar spent, causing the state’s gross domestic product to increase.  The study was based off of nine projects that were advocated over $40 million in tax credits.

With one of the nation’s weaker incentive programs, California only allocates $100 million annually, but a bill recently passed by the state Senate would expand and extend the allocations. Back Stage reported earlier this summer that the bill’s only enemy was Gov. Jerry Brown, and he has yet to sign it. 

Supreme Court Decisions Weigh in on Content

On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a 2005 California law that prevented the sale of violent video games to children. The 7-to-2 ruling found the law unconstitutional on the grounds that it violated free speech protections. According to The New York Times, Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for justices in the majority in the video games decision, said, "Like the protected books, plays and movies that preceded them, video games communicate ideas — and even social messages — through many familiar literary devices (such as characters, dialogue, plot and music) and through features distinctive to the medium (such as the player’s interaction with the virtual world). That suffices to confer First Amendment protection."

Hollywood Goes Political With New Projects in the Works

Superheroes, mobsters, and villains are only a few of the words that come to mind when it comes to films that are deemed ‘exciting.’ However, the word ‘politician’ may have to be added to that list.

At least three upcoming films such as “Knife Fight,” which is currently in production, and “The Ides of March,” set to be released on Oct. 7, delve into the dark and dramatic inner-workings of the political lifestyle.

Patrick and the Pirates: The Fate of the Protect IP Act

Poor Patrick Leahy. All the Democratic senator from Vermont (and star of “The Dark Knight”) wants is to pass a far-reaching anti-piracy bill that critics say would trample civil liberties and potentially threaten the entire Internet’s fundamental security structure. But nobody will let him. By “nobody,” we mean Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who last month placed a procedural hold on Leahy’s Protect IP Act the same day that the Senate Judiciary Committee, which Leahy chairs, gave it unanimous approval. Wyden—who is from the Pacific Northwest and thus presumably spends all his free time farming organic root vegetables and distributing socialist leaflets—did the same thing last year when Leahy introduced the similar Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act. But Wyden felt no better about the new bill than he did about its predecessor. As the old saying goes, you can put lipstick on the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act, but it’s still the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act.

'Super 8' Does Great; Laura Ziskin Passed Away

•After J.J. Abrams’ controversial decision to keep most of his new movie “Super 8” a secret seems to have paid off for Paramount. After audience-interest estimates came up poor prior to the release, the studio used Twitter to drum up interest by offering a limited number of sneak previews. The plan was a success, with the film making $37 million at the box office opening weekend, Deadline reported.

•Leading Hollywood producer and studio executive Laura Ziskin passed away following a long battle with breast cancer. She was 61. Best known for producing the “Spider-Man” trilogy, in 2002 Ziskin became the first women to ever produce the Academy Awards alone. Deadline has her obituary.

•“American Idol” creator Simon Fuller has joined forced with Island Records founder Chris Blackwell to launch Blackwell Fuller, Inc. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the venture is aimed at helping artists and content owners in the entertainment industry increase their audience through new media platforms.

•Rupert Murdoch spoke to Chinese government officials at the Shanghai International Film Festival, calling the country to allow more foreign films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Murdoch, CEO of News Corp, and Jim Gianopulos, Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO, commended the industry for its growth while criticizing the country for restraining market access and foreign investment.

•Oh, yeah, the Tony Awards were presented last night. BackStage.com has the details.

•Roy Skelton passed away last Wednesday. Known for a voice actor on "Doctor Who," Skelton was 79. Read his obit at The Telegraph.

•Acclaimed acting teacher Paul Massie passed away last Wednesday at the age of 79. Read his obituary at The St. Petersburg Times.

Pictured: "Super 8" actress Elle Fanning (Photo: Getty Images) 

Casting Companies Forced to Cut Fees for Extras

Background actors are no longer blending in, especially those associated with Burbank’s Central Casting- the largest company for extras. A labor law declaring the company’s upfront fees illegal has shocked both employees and performers alike, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Last month, the California state labor commissioner and the Los Angeles city attorney deemed the required fees actors pay they when register for employment opportunities as a violation. Central Casting could have been subjected to the 2009 Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act, which put the company at risk for prosecution. A cease-and-desist letter was sent to Burbank on May 18, and the company officially announced its decision to eliminate the $25 processing charge the very next day, reported Backstage.

MPAA Takes Piracy to Court; 3-D Films Flop

• Yesterday Deadline reported that the MPAA is taking their opposition to piracy and illegal streaming to the next level. The group’s chief lobbyist Michael O’Leary testified in front of the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, Competition and the Internet, saying he wants intellectual property laws to give equal punishments for both illegal downloading and illegal streaming.

•The phrase “more is less” might hold true for the movie industry these days, at least when it comes to 3D cinema. Given that “Pirates of the Caribbean: Stranger Tides” earned only 46 percent of its $90.2 million debut from 3D screenings, Entertainment Weekly takes a look at the prospects of future 3D flicks.

•“Jersey Boys” are back- but this time they’re taking over Philadelphia. The Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award- winning musical will begin a second national tour later this year. See the story at Playbill for dates and details.

•The star-studded cast of the New York Philharmonic’s production of “Company” will reunite to perform at the Tony Awards on June 12. Performers include Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Christina Hendricks, and more. The New York Times has the story.

•Edward C. Yim, director of artistic planning for the New York City Opera, has left to work for the New York Philharmonic, according to The New York Times. Though said to be unrelated, this resignation comes a week after Backstage reported that the AGMA filed unfair labor charges against them just a week ago.

California Approves Bill to Expand Tax Credits

Runaway filmmakers might be flocking home soon, now that California’s state Assembly has approved a bill to expand their film and television tax credit program. The bill would increase funding by $500 million and extend the program for another five years. The state Senate is set to vote on the measures later this summer; however, according to Los Angeles Times, Gov. Jerry Brown may be their only threat. With his proposed vast budget cuts, it is possible that the entertainment industry will be thrown under the bus along with the teachers' salaries and veterans' benefits that have been nonexistent for years.