The Wildflower Group expands sales team, creates new division
New York-based licensing and branding agency The Wildflower Group has named Christina Nix Lynch as its executive sales director and Rory Flynn as licensing coordinator.
Nix Lynch and Flynn will work alongside Jeanne Perry who has been upped to EVP of business affairs and Cheryl Chua who has been promoted to VP of creative services.
In her new role, Nix Lynch will head up licensing initiatives including all aspects of sales across multiple product categories and report directly to agency principal, Michael Carlisle.
Nix Lynch previously held a 13-year stint at Peanuts Worldwide (formerly United Media) and was most recently its executive director.
In his new role, Flynn will be responsible for providing sales, operations and product development support while managing daily needs of clients and licensees. Flynn most recently held internships at CBS Sports Network and Wicked Cow Entertainment.
Along with the new promotions and hires, The Wildflower Group has also created a new division, TWG Consulting, which provides licensing solutions for manufacturers and retailers covering services such as brand acquisitions, new business development, contract negotiations, and product approvals.
White House Gets China To Open Market to U.S. Movies
By Sharon Waxman Published in TheWrap.com: February 17, 2012 @ 7:59 pm
China agreed to significantly increase market access for U.S. movies in order to resolve an outstanding trade dispute, The White House announced on Friday.
The concession comes as part of an attempt to resolve outstanding issues related to films after the United States won in a World Trade Organization dispute last year.
"The agreement announced today will allow significantly more job-supporting U.S. film exports to China and provide fairer compensation to U.S. film producers for the movies being shown there," the White House said.
The Motion Picture Association praised the agreement as one that would allow 50% more U.S. films in the Chinese market, and noted the following concessions:
>>China will permit 14 premium format films (IMAX, 3D) to be exempt from the 20 film import quota, which remains in place
>>The box office share US studios earn under the master contract increases to 25% from 13%
Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the MPAA issued a statement Friday night:
"This landmark agreement will return a much better share of the box office revenues to U.S studios, revising a two-decade-old formula that kept those revenues woefully under normal commercial terms, and it will put into place a mechanism that will allow over 50% more U.S. films into the Chinese market."
The good news provides a welcome boost for Dodd, who with the MPAA last month suffered a very public defeat when broad anti-piracy legislation stalled in Congress after a public and social media firestorm.
Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping met with Vice President Joe Biden in Los Angeles on Friday, on the final day of his visit to the United States. Xi is expected to become president of the world's most populous nation next year. He visited a trade conference downtown, and later visited a suburban school in South Gate that specializes in Asian studies (pictured).
Biden announced the deal and said: “This agreement with China will make it easier than ever before for U.S. studios and independent filmmakers to reach the fast-growing Chinese audience, supporting thousands of American jobs in and around the film industry."
China represents the largest untapped international market for American movies, but up to now its market has been tightly controlled by quotas. Still, the three highest-grossing films in China last year came from the the U.S., led by "Transformers 3," which took in $172 million there.
Walt Disney Co. chairman Robert Iger said: "This agreement represents a significant opportunity to provide Chinese audiences increased access to our films."
”For Independents, this agreement is momentous,” said President-CEO Jean Prewitt of the Independent Film and Television Alliance. “Our sector has been unable to benefit fully from the existing revenue-sharing importation quotas and has had limited avenues through which to distribute. For the first time, through this Agreement, there is a promise of creating a commercial foundation that will allow independent producers to participate more fully in the Chinese marketplace.”
With regard to films, a WTO panel found in a report issued in August 2009 that key Chinese film import restrictions were inconsistent with China’s WTO obligations.
The Chinese box office revenue was $2.1 billion last year, according to The White House.
Here is the full White House statement:
United States Achieves Breakthrough on Movies in Dispute with China
Washington, D.C. – Vice President Joe Biden announced today that China has agreed to significantly increase market access for U.S. movies in order to resolve outstanding issues related to films after the United States’ victory in a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute last year.The agreement announced today will allow significantly more job-supporting U.S. film exports to China and provide fairer compensation to U.S. film producers for the movies being shown there.
“This agreement with China will make it easier than ever before for U.S. studios and independent filmmakers to reach the fast-growing Chinese audience, supporting thousands of American jobs in and around the film industry,” said Vice President Biden, who spent the day in the Los Angeles area with Vice President Xi Jinping of China.“At the same time, Chinese audiences will have access to more of the finest films made anywhere in the world.”
“U.S. studios and independent filmmakers cite China as one of their most important world markets, but barriers imposed by China and challenged by the United States in the WTO have artificially reduced the revenue U.S. film producers received from their movies in the Chinese market,”said United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk. “This agreement will help to change that, boosting one of America’s strongest export sectors in one of our largest export markets.”
The Chinese film market is large and growing quickly; last year, Chinese box office revenue was up to $2.1 billion. Much of this revenue came from 3D titles, which are a rapidly growing sector of the film industry.
The agreement allows more American exports to China of 3D, IMAX, and similar enhanced format movies on favorable commercial terms, strengthens the opportunities to distribute films through private enterprises rather than the state film monopoly, and ensures fairer compensation levels for U.S. blockbuster films distributed by Chinese state-owned enterprises. The agreement will be reviewed after 5 years to ensure that it is working as envisioned. If necessary, the United States can return to the WTO to seek relief.
BACKGROUND
The United States initiated the underlying WTO dispute in April 2007. In the dispute, the United States sought to address significant market access concerns relating to China’s treatment of films for theatrical release, as well as other cultural products.
With regard to films, a WTO panel found in a report issued in August 2009 that key Chinese film import restrictions were inconsistent with China’s WTO obligations. In December 2009, after China appealed, the WTO Appellate Body rejected China's claims and upheld the panel's findings. China promised to come into compliance by March 2011, but informed the United States at the deadline that this would not be possible. The two sides have been making efforts to resolve their differences since that time.
On a global basis, films and other audiovisual services are a key export sector in which the United States enjoys a $12 billion trade surplus. U.S. cross-border exports of audiovisual services, including films, have consistently exceeded U.S. cross-border imports over the last decade.
During Sunday night’s 500th episode of “The Simpsons,” the family is booted from the town they put on the sitcom map after Mayor Quimby declares them "Springfield's unending nightmare."
"We're like family to you," Homer protests, before being tarred, feathered and run out of town on a parade float emblazoned, "Simpsons Go to Hell."
Homer and Co. merit a parade, if not the scorn. After more than 22 years and 250 hours of comedy, Springfield without the Simpsons is as about as unimaginable as TV without "The Simpsons."
The episode, which included an epic opening montage of couch gags and a cameo by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, proved vintage “Simpsons” – embracing the show's role as an integral part of the pop culture it feeds off and satirizes.
One of the biggest laughs in Sunday's episode came in the opening, which declared the 500th installment "the most meaningless milestone of all!" Sure, an overreliance on referential (and self-referential) humor and guest stars can be a pitfall – one “The Simpsons” has stumbled into at times like a head-over-heels Homer. Even Sunday night’s plot harkened to “The Simpsons Movie” from 2007. But then again, we’re talking about a program where in-jokes about the show losing its comic mojo are 15 years old.
“The Simpsons” makes us laugh, even when it isn’t at its best. Perhaps more significantly, the show's humor echoes through much of the TV comedy landscape the program helped shape. The first animated sitcom since “The Flintstones” to succeed in prime time made cartoons a cool form for edgy humor, spawning “Beavis and Butt-Head,” “South Park” and “Family Guy.” Cartoon Network’s whole “Adult Swim” line-up likely would have never waded into the entertainment pool if “The Simpsons” hadn’t cannonballed into the deep end first.
The cartoon also has influenced flesh-and-blood sitcoms with its sardonic take on human relations and its fast-paced, pop-culture-driven humor. There’s no “30 Rock” without “The Simpsons.”
“30 Rock,” of course, owes as much to “Saturday Night Live,” the only show comparable to “The Simpsons” in terms of its longevity, comic fodder and impact. At their best, both shows serve as funhouse-mirror reflections of the times. Both thrive on great writing. (They share writers' room links to Conan O’Brien, whose irreverent yet rarely cruel sense of humor embodies a comic sensibility that's proven durable over the last two decades.) Both shows, rife with ups and downs, spur debates over which eras were strongest.
“SNL” benefits from a regular infusion of new cast members. The cast of “The Simpsons” stays the same, but the show flourishes on the change around it. There wasn’t an Internet to speak of and Assange was a mere 14 when Matt Groening's creations debuted 25 years ago as crudely rendered players in interstitial segments on “The Tracey Ullman Show.”
“The Simpsons” series began in 1989, just after “The Cosby Show” ended its amazing four-season run as TV’s top program. The Huxtables were America’s first family of television comedy – until Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie stole the title. The Simpsons’ couch, if it weren’t animated, would belong in the Smithsonian.
In Sunday night's episode, the family is exiled to a "Mad Max"-like, off-the-grid settlement they share with Assange and a variety of outcasts. In the end, the townsfolk of Springfield, whose lifeblood is dysfunction and underachievement, follow the Simpsons to the Outlands.
Homer had it right: The Simpsons are family, and like family, they’re not easily dismissed, even when they grow old and a little tired at times. And like Springfield, we may never be able to shake them.
The show will be around for a minimum of two more seasons and 59 more episodes. While the prospect of a possible 600th episode spectacular prompts ambivalent emotions, it's still anything but a waste of time to watch the show that gleefully celebrates wasting time. So sit on your own couch, crack open a Duff and keep rolling in the D'oh!
"The Artist," "The Descendants" and "Hugo" are among the nine films nominated for Best Picture by the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," "The Help," "Midnight in Paris," "Moneyball," "The Tree of Life" and "War Horse" also made the cut.
"Hugo" received the most nominations, with 11. "The Artist" received 10.
"Moneyball" and "War Horse" received six each, while "The Descendants" and "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" each got five.
Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" only received three nominations, but all were in marquee categories: Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography.
Acting nominees include George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis and Michelle Williams in the lead categories, and Christopher Plummer, Jonah Hill, Max von Sydow, Jessica Chastain, Octavia Spencer and Melissa McCarthy in the supporting categories.
Among the surprises: "Extremely Loud" getting into the Best Picture race ahead of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Ides of March"; Michael Fassbender missing a Best Actor nod in favor of Demian Bichir from "A Better Life"; and critics favorite Albert Brooks being passed over in the Supporting Actor category.
In the animated feature category, Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" was passed over, while two small films, "A Cat in Paris" and "Chico and Rita," were nominated.
And in the Best Original Song race, voters only found two songs worthy of contention: "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" and "Real in Rio" from "Rio."
The nominees:
Best Picture "The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer "The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer "The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers "Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers "Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers "Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers "The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined "War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
Actor in a Leading Role Demián Bichir in "A Better Life" George Clooney in "The Descendants" Jean Dujardin in "The Artist" Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Actor in a Supporting Role Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn" Jonah Hill in "Moneyball" Nick Nolte in "Warrior" Christopher Plummer in "Beginners" Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
Actress in a Leading Role Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs" Viola Davis in "The Help" Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady" Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"
Actress in a Supporting Role Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist" Jessica Chastain in "The Help" Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids" Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs" Octavia Spencer in "The Help"
Animated Feature Film "A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli "Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal "Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson "Puss in Boots" Chris Miller "Rango" Gore Verbinski
Art Direction "The Artist" Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan "Hugo" Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo "Midnight in Paris" Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil "War Horse" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
Cinematography "The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth "Hugo" Robert Richardson "The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki "War Horse" Janusz Kaminski
Costume Design "Anonymous" Lisy Christl "The Artist" Mark Bridges "Hugo" Sandy Powell "Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor "W.E." Arianne Phillips
Directing "The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius "The Descendants" Alexander Payne "Hugo" Martin Scorsese "Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen "The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick
Documentary (Feature) "Hell and Back Again" Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs "Pina" Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel "Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
Documentary (Short Subject) "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin "God Is the Bigger Elvis" Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson "Incident in New Baghdad"James Spione "Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
Film Editing "The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius "The Descendants" Kevin Tent "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall "Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker "Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen
Foreign Language Film "Bullhead" Belgium "Footnote" Israel "In Darkness" Poland "Monsieur Lazhar" Canada "A Separation" Iran
Makeup "Albert Nobbs" Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng "The Iron Lady" Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland
Music (Original Score) "The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams "The Artist" Ludovic Bource "Hugo" Howard Shore "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias "War Horse" John Williams
Music (Original Song) "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie "Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Short Film (Animated) "Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg "La Luna" Enrico Casarosa "A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe "Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
Short Film (Live Action) "Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane "Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren "The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George "Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey "Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø
Sound Editing "Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce "Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl "War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
Sound Mixing "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson "Hugo" Tom Fleischman and John Midgley "Moneyball" Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin "War Horse" Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson
Visual Effects "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson "Hugo" Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning "Real Steel" Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) "The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash "Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan "The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon "Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan
Writing (Original Screenplay) "The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius "Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig "Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor "Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen "A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi
Allen, who forms his estimates after repeatedly searching Google+ for uncommon surnames, said Google+ is up to 62 million registered users as of today.
Why the bump? For one thing, Google has stepped up Google+ promotion, including releasing a holiday ad of the Muppets rocking out in a Google+ Hangout. There’s also one with basketball great Bill Walton.
At the current accelerated rate, Google+ would have 293 million users by the end of 2012, but Allen said he thinks Android activations will drive the growth rate higher. That seems more intuition than science, though.
Allen, who founded Ancestry.com, also noted that Google+ users seem to be more active sharers, on average, than their Facebook peers. He said the average Google+ user uploads five times more photos per day than the average Facebook user.
