Casting and News: Show Business Weekly

Internet killed the TV star? Not yet

Web-based shows like “Quarterlife” fail to threaten networks’ industry dominance

After years of empty predictions regarding the Internet’s star-making potential, the medium may finally be fulfilling its promise as a launching pad for actors. That is, if we’re to believe the hype surrounding “Quarterlife,” the online drama about angsty twentysomethings created by veteran TV producers Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. The show, which is dispersed in eight-minute episodes, has already garnered 2 million views since it debuted on MySpace.com on Nov. 11. “Quarterlife’s” early buzz has been so strong, in fact, that NBC has decided to air the program’s first season in early 2008, after its Internet run has concluded.

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All this would be great news if it weren’t for one minor glitch: “Quarterlife” is not a particularly great show. Considering that the slacker genre is well-treaded territory in episodic television, the show has an admittedly uphill climb. But while “Quarterlife” may be novel in its chosen mode of distribution, it’s hardly novel in its content. The show is more an unintentional parody of its predecessors, in particular the Gen-X drama “My So-Called Life,” which was also created by Zwick and Herskovitz. “Quarterlife’s” lead character Dylan, played by Bitsie Tulloch, makes video blogs in her bedroom and utters phrases like, “It’s my curse that I can see what other people are thinking,” but she seems a little too old to be doing either.

This is not to say that “Quarterlife” is without its saving graces. With its slick production and capable cast, the show has clearly improved upon the genre of Web-based, youth-aimed series that took shape last year with micro-budgeted sitcoms like “Floaters” and “The Burg.” Still, “Quarterlife” feels more like a reject from the upfronts than a groundbreaking hit. Will it survive the jump to television next year? That all depends on how many of us keep watching longer than eight minutes. -Christopher Zara

Congress Takes a Stab at Pirates

Lawmakers propose federal department to curb copyright theft

In attempt to stem the rising tide of intellectual property piracy, a bipartisan bill has been introduced in the House Judiciary Committee.

The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007 is aimed at bolstering intellectual property protection and extending the government’s reach in the fight against piracy, which accounts for $200 - 250 billion a year in lost sales in the U.S. alone.

“This legislation is an important and necessary step in the fight to maintain our competitive edge in a global marketplace,” according to House Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers Jr., D-Mich. “By providing additional resources for enforcement of intellectual property, we ensure that innovation and creativity will continue to prosper in our society.”

The bill proposes to establish the Office of the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative to enhance nationwide and international coordination of intellectual property enforcement efforts. It will also provide for the appointment of intellectual property officers to work with foreign countries in their efforts to combat counterfeiting and piracy, as well as authorize the creation of a permanent Intellectual Property Division to improve law enforcement coordination. -Tom Fay

Should the legislation pass, the entertainment industry would breathe a collective sigh of relief. MPAA chairman Dan Glickman estimates that movie piracy, bootlegging and other forms of film theft cost the industry $18 billion a year both domestically and abroad.

“From counterfeit medicine and fake automobile parts to pirated movies and knockoff handbags, the ill effects of intellectual property theft are felt across many sectors of the U.S. economy,” said Glickman. “I am pleased to see a concerted effort by Congress to address this growing problem.” -Tom Fay

Back from the Dead: A new company has been formed to re-launch the defunct film magazine, The Independent Film & Video Monthly, which ceased publication last year after its parent company, the Association of Independent Video & Filmmakers, closed its doors. The company, Independent Media Publications, has recently applied for tax-exempt status as a nonprofit organization and plans to oversee The Independent’s print publication, archives and online resources. The Independent, which was published from 1978 through July 2006, covers all aspects of the indie film industry, including distribution, financing, marketing, screenwriting and technical issues. For more info, visit www.aivf.org.

Pencils Stay Down: Striking screenwriters won’t be dropping their picket signs anytime soon. Contract negotiations between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers broke down Friday after nearly a week of intense bargaining. Producers blamed the WGA for its refusal to budge on certain demands, including a call for jurisdiction over reality TV and animation writing. In a statement, AMPTA officials said the guild’s strategy “seems designed to delay or derail talks rather than facilitate an end to the strike.” This is the second time talks between the two groups have broken down since the strike began on Nov. 5

INSIDE INK
By John Rowell

IT’S BETTER TO GIVE THAN...

’Tis the season for gift giving, of course, and if you’re shopping for something a little different for a show business-inclined buddy or two, here are a couple of smart and sharp ideas that have just crossed my desk. The first is pop culture writer/historian Tom Lisanti’s latest tome, another fabulous entry in his on-going exploration of the kitschy side of American cinema. This one is entitled Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood, just published from McFarland, and there’s no false advertising here. In Glamour Girls, Mr. Lisanti, whose previous books have examined — in fabulously scrupulous and dishy detail — such topics as Hollywood’s surf and beach movies, B-movie starlets of ‘60s cinema, and actresses from espionage films and TV shows of the ‘60s and ‘70s, here takes on those statuesque, sometimes vacant-eyed and breathy-voiced sirens who decorated both big time and B-grade movies of the swinging era. These are ladies whose mannequin-perfect looks and va-va-va-voom deliveries landed them major roles opposite big stars like Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine and Peter Sellers, to name but a few, but who have now mostly faded into obscurity. Did I say obscurity? No, not while Tom Lisanti keeps turning out his delicious, gossip-filled, truly informative and endlessly entertaining books. Visit www.mcfarlandpub.com... And speaking of endlessly entertaining: the divine Andrea Marcovicci, whose new CD, Andrea Marcovicci Sings Rodgers and Hart, is one of her best recordings to date. One of the reigning, enduring stars of cabaret, Ms. Marcovicci was simply made to sing the impish, droll, witty and heartbreaking songs of one of Tin Pan Alley’s greatest songwriting teams, and in the new recording, just out on CD from Andreasong, she does exactly that. Not to be missed. For more info, visit www.marcovicci.com.

I LOST MY HEART... IN TIMBUKTU?

A teacher specializing in Shakespeare’s sonnets finds herself in love with a female student in Petronia Paley’s On the Way to Timbuktu, a new drama that receives its world premiere courtesy of Ensemble Studio Theatre in a production directed by Tavin Wilks. The multi-tasking Ms. Paley also stars as the professor, whose past and present collide as she confronts the poetry and politics of her heart. Performances have just begun at EST, and continue through Dec. 21. www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org.

HIGHS AND MARLOWE’S

And speaking of Shakespeare: Christopher Marlowe! Everybody knows that the two playwrights were occasional friends and frequent bitter rivals, and of course, Shakespearean plays see the light of day (by way of a dark theater) far more often than do Marlowe’s, so it’s nice to see a company tackling the work of that other, lesser-known Elizabethan scribe. And that’s what Red Bull Theater is doing when it stages Marlowe’s Edward the Second, a still timely examination of the struggle for personal human rights amidst a powerful public need for political expediency. Directed by Red Bull Artistic Director Jesse Berger, the production will feature an adaptation by Garland Wright, with Marc Vietor starring in the title role. Opening night is set for December 15 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater on West 42nd Street, and performances continue through January 13.

Marlowe’s Law: Red Bull Theater takes on a lesser-known Elizabethan scribe with a new production of Edward the Second.

TEN YEARS AND COUNTING

One of my favorite yearly Off-Broadway events is Cherry Lane Theatre’s wonderful Mentor Project, an acclaimed playwright development series in which a new and upcoming playwright is paired with an established veteran writer in a mentor/apprentice relationship that results in, first, a staged reading, then a fully staged showcase production. And this year, the Mentor Project celebrates its 10th anniversary with their just-announced roster of lucky young talent whose work has been chosen for this year’s series. They are: Samuel Brett Williams, whose play The Woodpecker explores issues of race, faith and freedom, mentored by Charles Fuller; Greg Keller, author of The Young Left, about the adult lives of two men who have been friends since childhood, mentored by Gretchen Cryer; and Deirdre O’Connor, whose Jailbait takes a look at the dangers of teenagers trying to be adults in a sexually suspect world, mentored by Michael Weller. Congratulations to all these promising young playwrights! For more info on the Mentor Project, visit www.cherrylanetheatre.org.

AROUND TOWN

59E59 Theaters bring back the award-winning vaudeville troupe Parallel Exit when they present the world premiere of Mark Lonergan’s Cut to the Chase, in which a troupe of madcap performers attempt to put on the biggest “wee” show in town. Performances have just begun, and continue through Dec. 30. www.59E59.org... Fun for the whole family, whatever your family may be, can be had at A Kid’s Life, Cynthia Riddle and Peter Hunziker’s heart-warming musical about a five-year-old boy and his golden retriever and best friend, Starsky. Directed by Keith Markinson, A Kid’s Life opens Dec. 16 at the York Theatre.

SHORT CUTS
By Sarah Ricard

MYSTERIES ABOUND AT SLAMDANCE

The Slamdance Film Festival last week announced its big ol’ lineup for January. This year, Slamdance, which runs concurrently with Sundance in Park City, UT, features a number of long-form narrative films, docs and shorts with very little star power (compare this to Sundance, which is teeming with celebrity faces). In fact, the biggest name I saw on the lineup was Randy Quaid who stars in opening night’s comedic drama, “Real Time,” by Randall Cole, and let’s face it, folks — Quaid pretty much peaked when he played Ishmael in the Farrelly brothers’ “Kingpin.” One Slamdance pick that has piqued my interest is Steve Clark’s “Frost” (chosen for Slam’s features lineup), mainly because I have been able to find zero info about it. I think Clark might need some marketing lessons — even the Web site for the film is pretty much blank. Still, in an age when the biggest “independent” film fests tout the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Justin Timberlake, it’s nice to see that there’s still quite a lot that remains to be seen in Park City. For a laugh, visit www.frostthemovie.com.

Who Are You Again? Slamdance stays true to its indie roots by avoiding stars bigger than Randy Quaid.

FREE SPEECH STRIKES AGAIN

In other festival news, the Ann Arbor Film Festival scored a major win for free speech and artists’ rights by successfully challenging unconstitutional funding restrictions with a federal lawsuit. The Academy Award-qualifying AAFF, which is one of the oldest film fests in the world, sought to remove a ban of funding art that contains “depictions of flag desecration” and "displays of sex acts,” labeling movies with sex scenes as “pornographic.” As a result of the lawsuit, new funding guidelines have emerged in the fest’s home state. The guidelines state that “Artistic excellence and artistic merit are the criteria by which applications will be judged, taking into consideration general standards of decency and respect for the diverse beliefs and values of the people of this state.” Fortunately, the art “stuff” comes first; the decency shit is just a “general” standard.

Fear and Loathing in Michigan : The Ann Arbor Film Fest struck a blow for artists’ rights by doing away with a ban on films depicting “controversial” subject matter.

DOCKS REVIVAL AT MOMA

Thursday, December 13, at 6:30 p.m., MoMA will screen a print of Josef von Sternberg’s 1928 silent classic, “The Docks of New York.” Jules Furthman’s screenplay, based on the story “The Dock Wallpaper” by John Monk Saunders, portrays a burly, fun-loving steamship stoker who rescues a prostitute from suicide, only to then have a change of heart, abandoning her and tossing some change on the nightstand (love ‘em and leave ‘em, I say). “The Docks of New York” was one of the first films in the history of Furthman and Von Sternberg’s collaboration, and fans will recognize the common recurring trope of the bad girl with a heart of gold. Ben Model will play the organ to accompany the film, and similarly, “The Dicks of New York” will also play next Thursday — at Ray’s XXX Palace on 8th. www.moma.org