HBO

HBOlab Taps Web Video Stars for Webisode Series "Hooking Up"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 8, 2008 - 10:21am.
Los Angeles - Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) digital production studio HBOlab is set to launch a new online series next month, "Hooking Up," which will feature a number of Internet celebrities, including "Lonelygirl15" Jessica Rose and video bloggers sxePhil and KevJumba, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

HBO Adds First Four Seasons of "Entourage" to iTunes Store

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 13, 2008 - 11:36am.

New York - Time Warner's HBO has announced plans to put its entire "Entourage" series up for sale at Apple's iTunes Store, the Associated Press reports. The first two seasons of the series were made available today, while the third and fourth seasons will be added in consecutive weeks before the broadcast premiere of the fifth season on Sept. 7.

FunnyOrDie Sister Site BlueCollarOrDie Shuttered

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 22, 2008 - 9:14am.

Los Angeles - BlueCollarOrDie, a spin-off comedy site of Will Ferrell-backed FunnyOrDie, has been shut down due to lack of Web traffic, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

HBO, Cinemax Docs Coming to Amazon DVD-on-Demand Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 16, 2008 - 12:26pm.

Seattle - Amazon.com's (NASD: AMZN) CreateSpace on-demand DVD distribution service said on Monday that it has partnered with Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO Video to offer a selection of HBO and Cinemax documentaries on the service. Films included in the offering, to include "When I Knew" and "Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card," will also be the first created through an on-demand service to be encrypted by the industry's Content Scramble System (CSS) copy protection technology.

HBO Backs FunnyorDie.com; Will Migrate Web Ideas to TV

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 11, 2008 - 7:45am.

Los Angeles - FunnyorDie.com, the comedy site backed by Will Ferrell that offers original video programming, has received an investment from Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO in exchange for a "small equity stake," Variety reports. The deal will also see FunnyorDie create 10 half-hours of programming for HBO, and the two partnering on live comedy tours and possibly FunnyorDie-branded programming on HBO channels.

Report: HBO Shows Coming to iTunes with Flexible Pricing

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 12, 2008 - 8:52am.

New York - Apple (NASD: AAPL) will soon announce a new deal with Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO that will bring TV episodes to its iTunes Store under a new, separate pricing structure from other partners, Portfolio.com reported, citing HBO employees involved in executing the agreement.

HBO Offers First 15 Episodes of "In Treatment" for Free Online

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 6, 2008 - 9:44am.

Los Angeles - Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO is offering free streams of the first fifteen episodes of its new series "In Treatment" on its website, in an attempt to help generate a following for the show -- the first HBO series that airs five nights a week, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

HBO to Offer Programs for Free Online to Subscribers

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 22, 2008 - 12:16pm.

New York - Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) HBO cable TV network plans to offer its subscribers free access to some of its movies and original programming online, beginning with a pilot set to launch this week in Wisconsin, The New York Times reported. The offering will require users to first download an application for viewing the content, which will expire in four weeks and will not be transferable to portable devices, at least initially.

HBO Takes on The Barry Bonds Story

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 29, 2007 - 7:43am.

Barry Bonds, the San Francisco Giants slugger and current Major League Baseball homerun king, was recently indicted on federal charges for perjury, obstruction of justice, and lying under oath, capping a story that dates back to his single-season homerun record obliteration.  One of the most controversial figures in the history of American sports will now take center stage in an HBO film, Variety reports.

tags: Sports | Movies | Film | HBO |

Sopranos Creator Discusses Finale in New Book

Authored by Scott Goldberg on October 25, 2007 - 7:34am.
David Chase, Creator of The SopranosDavid Chase, creator of HBO’s The Sopranos, was unreachable following the series’ final episode last spring, and for good reason: No matter your opinion of the ending, good or bad, you had strong words.  Some felt duped by the blackout ending, as if their cable had frozen or failed; others were betrayed that eight years of development could result in such an inconclusive conclusion; and others analyzed the artistic merits from head to toe, seeing it as the perfect finish to the perfect show.
tags: Video | TV | Movies | YouTube | Film | Television | HBO |

Final scene of The Sopranos

Authored by dmw on October 25, 2007 - 7:32am.
tags: Video | TV | Movies | YouTube | Film | Television | HBO |

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie Team on HBO Project

Authored by Scott Goldberg on October 22, 2007 - 10:22am.
Pitt & Jolie pair for an HBO Series ProjectThe duo will produce a series with HBO, untitled for now, and it will be written by The Bourne Ultimatum co-writer Scott Burns.  The subject matter hits close to the couples’ own experiences, as it will cover the internal politics of an international aid organization, the lives of humanitarian workers in danger zones, and the people they assist.
tags: TV | Movies | Film | Television | HBO |

HBO to Tackle the Duke Rape Case

Authored by Scott Goldberg on October 3, 2007 - 6:05am.
Mike Nifong, former Durham, NC District AttorneyHBO has acquired the rights to the book "Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case," written by Stuart Taylor Jr. and K.C. Johnson.  The book, about the prosecution of three Duke University lacrosse players for the gang rape of a stripper at a team party, was published by Thomas Dunne Books.
tags: Law | Movies | Publishing | Books | Films | HBO | Politics |

Jennifer Hudson signs on for Film Version of Sex & the City

Authored by Scott Goldberg on September 11, 2007 - 5:13am.
 The MovieThe Oscar-winning actress of Dreamgirls and American Idol fame has joined the cast of Sex & the City: The Movie.  The 25-year-old Hudson will reportedly play the assistant of Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) in the New Line film.  Though final negotiations about her role are still taking place, the film is scheduled to begin shooting on September 19th New York.

HBO Acquires Documentary Created Within "Second Life"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 5, 2007 - 1:43pm.

Los Angeles - HBO has acquired a documentary film created entirely within the "Second Life" 3D virtual world, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The 35-minute film "Molotov's Dispatches in Search of the Creator: A Second Life Odyssey" was directed by Douglas Gayeton, who also co-wrote and co-directed an interactive CD-ROM version of the film "Johnny Mnemonic," and was a member of Propaganda Films. HBO intends to air the film sometime next year, as well as submit it for Oscar consideration in the animated short subject category.

James Gandolfini to play Sonny Vaccaro in New HBO Film

Authored by Scott Goldberg on August 14, 2007 - 3:58am.
James GandolfiniCan we picture James Gandolfini as anyone other than Tony Soprano?  We’ll get the opportunity sooner than expected.  Gandolfini will play Sonny Vaccaro, a legend in the basketball world and former marketing executive in a new HBO film called ABCD Camp, the name of Vaccaro’s famed summer basketball camp.  Vaccaro recently decided to retire from the camp to pursue a speaking career advocating the rights of student athletes.

Review: HBO’s Flight of the Conchords

Authored by Scott Goldberg on August 10, 2007 - 1:15pm.
Flight of the ConchordsWhen The Sopranos wrapped this spring and HBO entered its summer schedule, some assumed the network’s best days were behind it.  And while the only quality drama they may be serving at the moment is Johnny Drama on Entourage, HBO has firmly entrenched itself as a comedy leader, thanks in large part to Flight of the Conchords, the story of New Zealand’s “fourth most popular folk-parody duo” as they attempt to make it in the US.

HBO, AOL to Shutter Online Comedy Joint Venture "This Just In"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 27, 2007 - 12:41pm.

New York - Time Warner's HBO and AOL will shutter their online comedy joint venture, "This Just In," in August, just six months after its launch, Variety reported.

tags: Video | TV | Comedy | AOL | HBO | This Just In |

Career Moves: June 19, 2007

Authored by dmw on June 19, 2007 - 2:53pm.
Career Moves is made possible by @HIRE.

Digital initiatives prexy Jim Moloshok, business development VP John Penney, and EVP new media programming Carmi Zlotnik are all leaving HBO in an exodus of its execs who were leading the pay cabler's online media efforts.  It's believed that HBO will continue exploring digital distribution possibilities out of its New York office, though the departure of several senior execs is a sign those efforts may slow.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967209.html

tags: Career | Moves | HBO | IBS |

Analysis: Home Entertainment Studio Heads Predict Flat Sales Growth for 2007

Authored by Jay Baage on June 18, 2007 - 8:22pm.
Home Entertainmet Presidents Panel
The presidents of the six major movie studios' home entertainment divisions participated in a panel discussion at the DVD&Beyond Conference in Los Angeles on Monday. The topic was the state of the industry and their respective visions for the future. What struck me is that there was very little discussion of new growth opportunities, even though most of the studio executives on the panel recognized that their divisions were looking at flat or negative growth for 2007.