Kelly Jo Brick: Highlights from the Variety Entertainment & Technology Summit

IMG_1532

By Kelly Jo Brick

Developing material through a different lens was a recurring theme during Variety’s Entertainment & Technology Summit. In this day long event, panelists discussed the challenges of staying relevant and reimagining their strategies as the entertainment industry grows and adapts to new technologies.

When looking at the current entertainment atmosphere and the future of the film industry, President of Imagine Entertainment, Erica Huggins, declared, “A good story is a good story.” But stories can now be told in many ways as she added that there is, “A select group of people that will always tune in for something that is great.” read article

Why CBS Will Never Cancel Stephen King’s UNDER THE DOME

Um, 200 international licensing agreements for the series, that’s why. Even if the series, which is produced by Amblin Television (AKA Steven Spielberg) tanks – and we aren’t saying we think it will cuz it is produced by Amblin and Stevie, after all – all that overseas revenue is way too much to throw away.

Here are the specifics, brought to you in that wonderful, old-fashioned Hollywood way: Via a Press release from CBS. Thank you for sending this out and making our writing lives so much easier than usual, doods. We owe ya one. Anyway:

Under-The-Domeby Team TVWriter™ Press Service

CBS Studios International announced today agreements for the broadcast rights of “Under the Dome” with prominent broadcasters from around the world. The U.S. drama, which is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and is based on Stephen King’s bestselling novel of the same name, will be licensed in 200 international markets, with some starting to run the series this summer. read article

What Have We Learned from the 1st Week of the 2012 Season?

Some interesting bits, actually:

After One Week, Which TV Shows Look Good and Which Seem Doomed? – by Josef Adalian read article

Are Private Eyes Back in Style on TV?

Word around town (that’s L.A. to everybody who isn’t “in” that particular town) is that CBS Studios has optioned Michael Koryta’s novel about private investigator Lincoln Perry,A Welcome Grave for a TV series to be produced by the Kennedy/Marshall Company.

We find this report refreshing because, taken on its face, it means that Kennedy/Marshall thinks this should be a series and convinced CBS to put up some money for them to develop it. Because they wouldn’t dream of using their own money…because if it’s at all possible production companies never do. They always pass the hat to a network. read article

munchman: THE BRADY BUNCH is Rebooting.

Further proof that Vince Vaughn is as dumb as he looks (and that CBS development execs are even dumber):

CBS Developing ‘Brady Bunch’ Reboot With Vince Vaughn – by Lesley Goldberg

The network has given a script commitment to a reboot of The Brady Bunch from executive producer Vince Vaughn and CBS Television Studios, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. read article