Friday, September 02, 2005
Sept. 02 Misc.
- Incredible story from Variety (reg req'd) that got picked up by the AP about a royalty settlement between über-producer Saul Zaentz (he of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus, and The English Patient fame) and New Line Cinema over the Lord of the Rings films. Most fascinating: because Zaentz bought the film rights to the books in the 1970 and sold those rights to New Line Cinema, he pocketed a cool-even-by-Hollywood-standards 168 million dollars (excluding the 20 more he got in this latest royalty flap). Helps that those pretty awful films brought the geeks out in full force.
- Also from Variety: American Cinematheque Programming Director Dennis Bartok is leaving after 13 years to produce "Trapped Ashes," a horror-supernatural anthology he wrote. A fixture at a lot of the screenings at the Egyptian, he will be missed, especially for his staggering amount of very cool 1970’s ¾ length leather jackets and his very slow walk up to the mic and back during the film intros.
- L.A. Times (via LA Observed) reports that the LAUSD is holding an auction of furniture and fixtures from the Ambassador at the Hotel’s Wilshire Boulevard parking lot Saturday morning, September 10. Items offered so far can be seen here.
posted by P, 9/02/2005 10:31:00 AM