• "Ocean's Eleven" hits $39 mil jackpot
• Sony Engaged To 'Indiscretion'
• Sony shoots for "AstroBoy"
• The Parker Grey Show, A Low-Seven-Figure Deal
• Brett Ratner Zero to Sixty for NL
• For Revolution Studios Life as We Know It
• Tom Hanks, D'Works reconnect for 'Terminal' trip
• Dot.bomb
• "Lord Of The Rings" Cast Unanimous In Their Praise
• Terminator Will Be Back, But At A Cost
• Agents Vs. Actors May Change Hollywood
• CNN cuts staff; TNT unit halved
• Miramax: From the outset, they seemed like odd marriage partners.
• Ralph Kamp embarks on sales Odyssey
• German Private Investment ACE Fund To Launch With 18-Picture Slate
• Previous
  • Friday Dec 07

"Ocean's Eleven" hits $39 mil jackpot

Warner Bros.' casino-heist laffer "Ocean's Eleven" hit the box office jackpot this weekend and hauled off an estimated $39.3 million, the biggest three-day December bow ever.

The studio also took second place with some $14.8 million over the fourth weekend of release for family-fantasy blockbuster "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." The dynamic duo accounted for 61% of all domestic box office sales this weekend.

Warner is No. 1 in annual domestic market share so far and a good bet to lift that crown for the year. The studio passed $1 billion in 2001 grosses this week and has a shot at breaking an all-time record of $1.26 billion set by Sony in 1997.

"Ocean's," a Steven Soderbergh ("Traffic") update of the 1960 Rat Pack original, has won positive reviews for a glossy, hip feel and fun antics of topliners George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. The stars have been tireless on the promo circuit, even premiering the picture for American troops at a military base in Turkey.

"Ocean's Eleven" played best with young femmes but skewed slightly older overall, Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman said. "Steven Soderbergh created a fun atmosphere on the set, and you can see up on the screen."

The director and stars, other than Clooney, all marked career-best bows. Clooney had bigger openings with 1997's "Batman & Robin" ($42.9 million) and last year's "The Perfect Storm" ($41.3 million).

"Ocean's' " performance bested the $33.6 million opening by Mel Gibson romancer "What Women Want" over last year's Dec. 15 frame. It is exceeded in the month's annals only by the $39.8 million bow of Tom Hanks starrer "Cast Away" over last year's four-day Christmas frame.

Warner Bros. has debuted eight pictures at No. 1 this year, the most of any distributor, and has held the top spot in weekend box office for 11 frames. "We're on a roll," Fellman said.

The studio still has another notable wide release yet to bow, with Jim Carrey starrer "The Majestic" set to unspool Dec. 21. But more immediately, "Ocean's" could see some choppy box office waters next weekend, when Paramount launches the Tom Cruise/Penelope Cruz starrer "Vanilla Sky."

This weekend's industrywide box office was roughly flat with the year-ago session at $88 million, according to data from tracker ACNielsen EDI. In a year-to-date comparison, 2001 is 9% ahead of last year at $7.41 billion in total receipts.

Meanwhile, 20th Century Fox's "Behind Enemy Lines" was battled-scarred by a hefty 54% drop in its sophomore session at an estimated $8.1 million in third place this weekend. Rick Meyerson, the studio's executive VP of distribution, said adults seemed preoccupied by the "Ocean's" opening. "It'll settle down next weekend," Meyerson said.

Disney/Pixar's family tooner "Monsters, Inc." absorbed a modest 27% fall in finishing No. 4 over its sixth weekend with $6.7 million. But another military actioner -- Universal's "Spy Game" -- was wounded by a harsh 58% drop in its third frame and finished fifth with $4.6 million.

At the bottom of the table, it appears Paramount's "Domestic Disturbance" may be played out after grossing less than $1 million in 10th place. The John Travolta starrer has grossed only $43.8 million through six frames.

Among limited releases, MGM/UA's "No Man's Land" grossed an estimated $23,000 from a pair of Gotham engagements. The Bosnian War drama widens to L.A Friday and eight markets Dec. 21.

Miramax's "Baran" grossed an estimated $19,999 in bowing at single theaters in Gotham and L.A. as part of a one-week Academy-consideration run for the Iranian drama.

IFC's "The Business of Strangers," also positioning itself for kudos considerations, rang up $67,348 from eight opening engagements, or a friendly $8,418 per playdate. The Julia Stiles/Stockard Channing battle of wits expands into top-10 markets on Friday.

1. (*) Ocean's Eleven $ 39.3 million
2. (1) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone $ 14.8 million
3. (2) Behind Enemy Lines $ 8.1 million
4. (4) Monsters, Inc. $ 6.7 million
5. (3) Spy Game $ 4.6 million
6. (5) Black Knight $ 3.3 million
7. (6) Shallow Hal $ 2.6 million
8. (7) Out Cold $ 1.4 million
9. (9) Amelie $ 1.1 million
10. (8) Domestic Disturbance $ 950,000

Sony Engaged To 'Indiscretion'

Sony has plunked down $425,000 against $800,000 for the spec "Indiscretion" from writing team Robert Pucci and Alanna Hamill Newton for studio-based producer Cathy Konrad to produce through her Konrad Pictures.

The Walt Disney Co. and Artisan Entertainment also placed offers on the project, with Sony ponying up enough money to close the deal late Thursday night.

Described as a cross between "Fatal Attraction" and "Sleeping With the Enemy," "Indiscretion" centers on a woman who suddenly realizes that her husband isn't who she thought he was.

Konrad Pictures vp development Jeanne Allgood brought the script to Konrad's attention. Columbia Pictures executive vp production Amy Baer will oversee its development for the studio.

Pucci and Hammil Newton are both repped by WMA and Field Entertainment's Jeff Field. Together, they wrote "Avon Ladies of the Amazon," in development at United Artists. Pucci also scripted "The Corruptor," directed by James Foley and released by New Line in 1999.

Konrad's most recent producing efforts are the upcoming films "Kate & Leopold" for Miramax and "The Sweetest Thing" for Columbia.

Sony shoots for "AstroBoy"

Hoping to enjoy the same box office -- and merchandising -- riches yielded this year by hit cartoons "Monsters, Inc." and "Shrek," Sony Pictures is developing its first all computer-animated movie.

"AstroBoy," based on a Japanese comic book, is scheduled for sometime in 2004. The studio's Imageworks f/x facility has already begun tackling test footage, and a greenlight is thought to be imminent.

The story follows a permanently youthful robot boy modeled after the deceased son of a research scientist. Originally intended to be kept a secret, the Pinocchio like character becomes a renowned superhero -- complete with devices like laser-firing fingers, uncanny hearing and jet-powered boots -- all eventually used to repulse an alien invasion of Earth.

Eric Leighton, who co-directed Disney's "Dinosaur," has signed a seven-figure deal to shoot from a script by Todd Alcott ("Antz") and Ken Kaufman ("Space Cowboys").

While the "Dinosaur" budget was $150 million-$200 million, easily qualifying the film as the most expensive of all time on a cost-per-minute basis, the "AstroBoy" budget is as yet unset, say insiders. Leighton directed that film with Ralph Zondag.

The "AstroBoy" project marks a policy shift for Sony. In recent months, the studio had considered selling Imageworks, but found no takers. Facing a dearth of suitors and having seen the impressive sequences created for the "Stuart Little" sequel, Sony brass is now eyeing Imageworks as a possible Pixar, the Disney-linked powerhouse behind the "Toy Story" films and "Monsters, Inc."

The Parker Grey Show, A Low-Seven-Figure Deal

New Line has bought screen rights to Kirsten Buckley's unpublished novel "The Parker Grey Show" in a low-seven-figure deal that calls for Buckley and her screenwriting partner Brian Regan to adapt the book into a comic vehicle. Good Machine will produce.

Buckley and Regan's credits include "102 Dalmatians" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," the Paramount-based comedy that's headed for production with Kate Hudson starring for director Donald Petrie. The duo also recently scored a spec sale for "Happily Ever After" from Intermedia.

"Parker Grey" is described as a Gotham-set romantic fable about a talented young woman limited by living in her fantasies to avoid facing herself. She is roused from this state when her roommate is kidnapped, whereupon she is forced to become a heroine.

Brett Ratner Zero to Sixty for NL

New Line Cinema has picked up the comedy pitch "Zero to Sixty" from actor-writer-director Chazz Palminteri and writer Tony Spiridakis for studio-based Rat Entertainment to produce with an eye for company topper Brett Ratner to direct.

The project reunites Palminteri and Spiridakis with New Line, which at one time was developing the writing duo's romantic comedy "Dante and the Debutante." "Dante" is set up at Alcon Entertainment, with Palminteri slated to direct.

"Zero," which Palminteri and Spiridakis will write, is a buddy comedy about two guys -- one an egotistical actor, the other a down-on-his luck writer -- forced to live with a white-collar criminal named Zero to Sixty to write his life story in an attempt to set the record straight before the man goes to prison. The criminal happens to be extremely hot-tempered, which makes him go from zero to 60, hence the nickname.

"There was a guy I knew when I was a kid back in the hood they called 'Zero to Sixty' because of his temper," Palminteri told. "He was such an interesting character that I always wanted to do a fictional scenario around him. I thought the best way to do it was to force two guys to live with him, so we came up with this story."

Ratner and Rat Entertainment president Jay Stern will produce the project, with New Line executive vp production Lynn Harris overseeing.

"Chazz and Tony wrote a great script (with 'Dante'), and we're excited to be back in business with them," Harris said. "This is the perfect kind of New Line/Rat Entertainment movie."

Added Stern: "These are real distinctive characters that are plunged into truly outrageous situations that become more bizarre and dangerous but really could happen in real life. Tony and Chazz are genuinely talented writers who can pull a character comedy like this off." Spiridakis is repped by the Gersh Agency.

Palminteri is repped by WMA. He next directs the Showtime feature "Women vs. Men" (aka "Oooph!") and stars in the indie features "Pool Hall Junkies" and "One Eyed King."

For Revolution Studios Life as We Know It

Besting several other suitors, Revolution Studios has snatched up spec script "Life as We Know It" by scribes Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson for a mid-six-figure advance.

The romantic dramedy concerns two unattached adults whose worlds are suddenly turned upside down when their mutual best friends die in a tragic accident and name the two single people as the caregivers for their orphaned daughter.

The scribes previously penned "Wildest Dreams," a "Ghost"-like love story about a woman who gets through the death of her husband with the help of supernatural elements.

"Dreams" sold to MGM for $1 million, and Sandra Bullock has expressed interest in starring as well as producing through her shingle Fortis Films.

Tom Hanks, D'Works reconnect for 'Terminal' trip

Tom Hanks, who next stars in DreamWorks Pictures' "The Road to Perdition" for director Sam Mendes, will reteam with the studio yet again on the dramatic feature "Terminal."

The Oscar-winning actor will star in the project as well as have a hand in developing the script, originally penned by Sacha Gervasi ("The Big Tease"). Filmmaker Andrew Niccol ("The Truman Show") was set to helm "Terminal" but has turned away from the project in favor of "A River Road," which he also wrote.

Hanks will play a Balkan immigrant in the United States who is forced to make an airport international transit lounge his permanent home after he learns that the borders of his war-torn country have been blurred, voiding his passport and leaving him without a country. Making friends among the airport employees, he meets and falls in love with a Latin flight attendant, which prompts his bold escape a year later.

Niccol will take an executive producer credit on "Terminal" along with former DreamWorks production executive Jason Hoffs. Adam Goodman is the DreamWorks executive overseeing the project.

For DreamWorks, Hanks has starred in "Saving Private Ryan," "Cast Away," which 20th Century Fox distributed Stateside, and "Band of Brothers," which HBO distributed for DreamWorks television. Hanks also directed an episode of "Brothers" and served as an executive producer.

Hanks is set to start lensing a lead role early next year opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in DreamWorks' "Catch Me if You Can" for director Steven Spielberg. Hanks is repped by CAA.

Dot.bomb

Production/management firm Anonymous Content has optioned the film rights to J. David Kuo's comedic memoir "Dot.bomb: My Days and Nights at an Internet Goliath," published in October by Little, Brown.

Book Description: (Buy This Book) J. David Kuo had a ringside seat at one of the biggest busts of the Internet age. Value America (NASDAQ:VUSA) was supposed to revolutionize retailing by using the Internet-no more retailers or distributors needed. Fred Smith, legendary founder of Federal Express, called it the best business model he'd ever seen and invested millions of dollars. In a few short years, the company raised and spent hundreds of millions of dollars before a spectacular crash.

As Senior Vice President of Communications, Kuo saw the stupefying insanity of it all: the machinations, delusions, good efforts, and wild miscalculations that led to the company's demise. Writing with a liveliness and flair seldom seen in business narratives, Kuo brings us tales of wretched excess, inspired salesmanship, online dreams, and unmitigated moneygrabbing. This is an unforgettable story of Internet mania that everyone who ever invested in a tech stock will be dying to read.

About the Author: J. David Kuo was senior vice president of communications at ValueAmerica.com. He has worked for the CIA and a US Senator and as a journalist and speechwriter. He lives in Virginia with his wife, Kim.

"Lord Of The Rings" Cast Unanimous In Their Praise

When the first film in the much hyped Lord of the Rings trilogy has its world premiere in London Monday, it will be the culmination of one of the most ambitious film projects ever undertaken.

Director Peter Jackson and his 2,400 strong cast and crew spent almost two years in New Zealand adapting J.R.R Tolkien's epic books into three films, all shot at once and out of sequence -- an unprecedented process which the actors say made it impossible to have any idea of the final vision.

"When I finally saw the film, I was floored because it was more than I even expected it would be, and I already had very high expectations," American actress Liv Tyler, who plays the elf princess Arwen, told journalists during a promotional tour in London Sunday.

On the eve of the premiere of the first film "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," the film's stars were unanimous in their praise of Jackson, saying only his vision and drive kept them going through a punishing filming schedule.

Orlando Bloom, who plays woodland elf Legolas, said the project was a labor of love for everyone involved but there were times when the cast struggled to stay motivated.

At these times, Jackson would cobble together a few scenes and screen it to the cast and crew so everyone could see what he was trying to achieve.

"Through seeing these moments, it refocused you and everyone would attack it with a new vigor and a new energy because you could see what he was trying to do," Bloom said.

Published in the 1950s, The Lord of the Rings is an epic struggle between good and evil played out by a cast of hobbits, elves, wizards, dwarfs, humans and orcs.

FILMMAKERS WARY OF TACKLING TOLKIEN

Until now, filmmakers have shied away from tackling Tolkien's tales -- apart from an animated version in 1978.

Everyone involved in the $270 million project was aware that it was being heavily scrutinized, not only by the film industry waiting to see whether they could pull off such an ambitious undertaking, but by Tolkien's legions of fans.

The actors said that although the books were always on set, and constantly referred to, it was impossible to be completely faithful to the text and still translate the magic and mystery of the story onto the screen.

"Jackson made it clear from the beginning that he was just making a version, his version of the book," said British actor Sean Bean, who plays the human Boromir.

"He made it a very calm, very family-oriented environment so we didn't get that feeling of being under pressure to make a big film."

Viggo Mortensen, who plays Prince Aragorn, said patience was the main requirement for the cast and crew.

"There were a lot of hard times, people were ill or injured, but the fact that people really cared about (the project) made it bearable," Mortensen said.

Bloom agreed, saying all the actors felt they were involved in something special.

"Everyone gave Peter time and respect and had belief in him. If you weren't prepared to buy into his vision, then you wouldn't have been able to get through the process."

"Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" will open in cinemas around the world on December 19. Two further installments, "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" will follow at the end of 2002 and 2003.

Terminator Will Be Back, But At A Cost

Arnold Schwarzenegger will be back -- again -- for a third installment of one of Hollywood's most potent franchises, but even middle-aged Terminators don't come cheap.

The 54-year-old Austrian-born action star has clinched a record $30 million salary to return as a lead-slinging, leather-clad cyborg from the future in Terminator 3 said a source close to the production, and several major studios were locked in a high-stakes bidding war for domestic rights to the film.

A spokeswoman for Schwarzenegger said the star does not comment publicly on his deals, but when asked about the $30 million figure, she said, "We're not going to deny it."

"This is one of the most powerful franchises in movie history, so the budget and salaries are commensurate with the kind of franchise we're dealing with," said publicist Jill Eisenstadt.

While $20 million has long been considered the benchmark for big-league star salaries, their pay often is hard to pinpoint because it increasingly involves "back-end" deals that give them a share of a film's box office gross.

But one source close to the production said the $30 million figure was "pretty right on. ... That's what he's going to get up front, and he could potentially make a lot more."

One industry observer who asked not to be identified suggested that Schwarzenegger was in a unique position to command such a salary as an action star who is widely seen as nearing the end of his ability to convincingly play his trademark roles.

"It's a role that can't be played by anybody else, and there isn't any other role that he can play," the source said. "This is more important for Arnold than it is for any of the buyers."

SCHWARZENEGGER VS. TERMINATRIX

While plot details of T3, subtitled Rise of the Machines, have remained a closely guarded secret, the story is reportedly set ten years after T2 with a twenty-something John Conner and his T-800 cyborg pal, Schwarzenegger, doing battle with a female Terminatrix whose powers and morphing abilities exceed that of their previous nemesis.

The overall cost of bringing T3 to the screen has reportedly been placed at $165 million to $180 million, which would easily eclipse the record $135 million believed spent to make Pearl Harbor.

According to entertainment trade paper Daily Variety, the producers behind the project have set their asking price at $50 million, plus half of the gross receipts generated from the film.

Sources said Friday that talks could wrap by early this week. Assuming a deal goes through, production would begin in April with Jonathan Mostow, who directed the submarine war flick U-571, succeeding James Cameron at the helm of the latest Terminator. Variety has put Mostow's fee at more than $5 million.

The film is seen as a potential "tentpole" picture for the summer of 2003, and studio interest is keen given that Terminator 2: Judgment Day grossed more than $500 million worldwide after its 1991 release. Experts say a franchise with such proven box-office clout normally has a studio home by the time it gets to its third outing.

"Almost every studio in town ... is looking to handle domestic rights to this picture," one person with knowledge of the talks said. "Over the last few days, this has been the hottest property in Hollywood."

Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, DreamWorks SKG and a combination of the Walt Disney Co. and Dimension films were initially the most serious contenders for the film, sources said, though Variety has reported that Universal bowed out of negotiations last week.

Rights to the film are held by producing partners Andy Vajna and Mario Kassar of C-2 Pictures with the backing of production company and film financier Intermedia Films, a unit of German-based International Media which also financed The Wedding Planner, K-PAX, and the upcoming dramas K-19 starring Harrison Ford and Basic with Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta.

Agents Vs. Actors May Change Hollywood

Hollywood's actors and the talent agents who get them work are squabbling over the way they conduct business, and the feud could create a seismic shift in the entertainment industry's power structure.

Simply put, the agents want to cast off 30-year-old regulations that are firmly policed by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Deregulation would allow agents to diversify, but actors worry that agents will end up as producers whose first priority will no longer be their acting clients.

On Jan. 20, the union's agreement with the Assn. of Talent Agents (ATA) expires. The two sides, who make their living as skilled communicators, have not negotiated since November of last year. If no accord is reached, all the national rules governing actors and agents will be thrown out the window.

At stake: Film and TV production could be hobbled as everyone grapples with a new way of doing business. In the long run, this could change the entire future of the talent representation business.

SAG's master franchise rules, which have been in place for 30 years, prohibit agencies from taking a substantial stake in outside companies, or vice versa. Today's agents, many of whom hold MBAs, feel these laws are inhibiting their entrepreneurial futures.

The agents want to diversify by buying other companies or selling big pieces of their agencies to such entities, which likely would be unrelated to showbiz.

Actors, of course, fear that, despite what their agents say, agencies will go into partnership with showbiz companies and that thesps will end up working for their agents, not vice versa. If no agreement is reached, any one or more of the following could occur:

·         Talent agencies could buy, or be bought by, another type of company.

·         The Screen Actors Guild could demand that actors leave agencies that have outside business ties. If angry thesps refuse, SAG could lose many of its 98,000 members.

·         Since SAG is headquartered in California, the State Labor Commissioner and state legislature have jurisdiction over this matter; those organizations could intervene in order to regulate agents more closely.

And, for added entertainment value, most of these situations would lead to bitter and protracted lawsuits by both actors and agents.

Many in showbiz -- preoccupied with post-Sept. 11 traumas, the economy and the holidays -- have not given much thought to the deadline. Those involved hope there will be a settlement before then. But it's hard to be optimistic, since neither side is talking and December is likely to be a washout.

When asked about what will happen on Jan. 21, ATA executive director Karen Stuart replies simply, "Our mission will remain the same: to represent our clients."

The entire battle is a story of failure. The bigtime agents came up with their deregulation plan in 1999, but failed to explain their stance adequately to actors; they then underestimated the actors' resistance to the plan. SAG, which is in the midst of its own internal squabbles, failed to negotiate quickly and then took an uncompromising stance.

To hear both sides talk, this is an extremely complicated matter, with endless ramifications, nuances and side issues. But, in fact, this is an emotional matter that comes down to one central conflict: Whether actors still will be in business with their agents.

Actors see the agents' mixed role as a potential conflict of interest. Agents say that, without an update to the regulations, they're headed out to pasture, overtaken by unregulated management firms.

Financing on projects for TV and especially film often is cobbled together from numerous sources -- and an entire project can be jettisoned if just one partner backs out. The agents believe their plan would give them more access to capital, leading to more jobs and stability at a time when the town could desperately use more of both.

Agents are quick to stress that they in no way want to be producers and they emphasize that they will give up the commission (usually 10 percent) when an actor is hired by a producer or company in which the agency has a financial interest.

In recent months, several changes in SAG administration have given rise to hopes for a deal. The union named a former studio executive, Bob Pisano, as CEO to fill a slot that had been vacant for nearly a year. Melissa Gilbert was last month elected SAG president, succeeding William Daniels. She has advocated a far more moderate approach to agents than did Daniels.

But skepticism prevails among many the agents. Citing the numerous SAG battles in play and the internal dissent, one agent says, "I don't think God could run that union. Gilbert's going to have a tough time. We're really the least of her worries."

It's impossible to predict how all this will play out, partly due to the basic conflict between the two camps: Actors see themselves as artistic, creative types; agents see themselves as businessmen. Agents don't want to work in the business as it currently exists, and actors are afraid they'll lose the little control they already have.

CNN cuts staff; TNT unit halved

There has been more downsizing in the AOL Time Warner universe as CNN and Turner Network Television made more staff cuts as part of organizational and program restructuring.

In a move signaling that Turner is looking to rely less on original series, TNT is downsizing its Original Programming Group, converting it from a stand-alone division to a department supervised by TNT general manager Steve Koonin. The group's 46-person staff will be cut by half, and as a result of the structural change, TNT president of original programming Bob DeBitetto and executive vp original programming Julie Weitz have resigned.

At CNN, three news correspondents -- Joie Chen, Roger Cossack and Bill Tush, the channel's longtime showbiz reporter -- are exiting, along with 30 other network staffers because of an overhaul of CNN's daytime and weekend schedule. Besides Chen, Tush and Cossack, CNN laid off 10 on-air personnel and 20 production staff.

In addition to personnel cuts, CNN is axing the daytime shows "Burden of Proof" and "NewsSite" and the weekend shows "Travel Now" and "Showbiz This Week," all of which have been off the air since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

According to an internal memo from CNN News general manager Sid Bedingfield, CNN's show cancellations are needed to make room for new programming to be announced in the next two weeks. The network plans to hire a handful of news anchors around the same time.

"We have decided to revamp our afternoon programming and focus our resources elsewhere," Bedingfield said in the memo.

CNN's daytime moves come as it faces stiffer competition from Fox News Channel, which has made viewership inroads in primetime and total day in the past year. CNN averaged 784,000 homes in total day for last month, down 10% from November 2000.

At TNT, the downscaling of the original programming unit comes three years after it was created with much fanfare as the in-house engine for developing original series. To date, TNT has developed one original series that has caught on with viewers, "Witchblade." TNT will be looking to hire a new senior vp programming, who will report to Koonin.

Sources said Turner officials decided that TNT's free-standing program production group became redundant, with sister companies Warner Bros. and the newly created Burbank-based Turner Studios arm -- to be headed by former WB Network president Susanne Daniels -- providing the same function. "The need for a separate TNT originals group just became unnecessary," the source said.

Miramax: From the outset, they seemed like odd marriage partners.

Miramax was brash, Disney was corporate; the Weinstein brothers wanted to challenge the system, Disney was the system. Thus when Disney paid $60 million (later escalating to $70 million) to acquire the feisty indie, it was akin to the patrician relative helping out his poor cousins.

In retrospect, the Disney-Miramax union, now entering its 10th year, seems like one of those rare deals that benefits everyone. With Miramax profits totaling $180 million this year, compared with $147 million in 2000 and $71 million five years ago, Michael Eisner cites the Weinsteins as his bulwark of profitability. And despite spirited skirmishes with the Mouse House over films like "Dogma" and "O," the brothers continue to operate their robust company with a jaunty autonomy.

The irony, of course, is that the two Disney execs who originally championed the acquisition, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Frank Wells, are long gone from the Mouse House.

As for Miramax, it's no longer challenging the establishment -- it is the establishment. The company's releases consistently adorn the "top 10" lists, and Miramax is usually in the bidding for the hottest new projects -- even the auction for "Terminator III."

During Oscar season, of course, Harvey Weinstein is a ubiquitous presence at industry functions, stumping in support of his contenders. This year's slate includes "The Shipping News," "Amelie," "In the Bedroom" and "The Others," with "Kate & Leopold," a comedy romance, slipped into the spot once occupied by "Gangs of New York." Surely no one is more adept at working every promotional angle of the Oscar wars.

If Harvey has taken some heat lately for focusing on studio-style projects, he now promises that Miramax will step up its acquisitions of foreign-language films in a conscious effort to "return to our roots."

His passions still rise at the mention of some relatively obscure foreign film. "I wish I could take 'Behind the Sun' to the Middle East and screen it for Israelis and Palestinians alike," he asserts, referring to Walter Salles' allegory about a blood feud between warring families -- a film high on the list of Harvey favorites.

By contrast, Harvey next week starts production on "Chicago," starring Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Directed by Rob Marshall, the flashy musical will be shooting in Toronto.

Mindful of the dearth of production in New York City, Harvey says he's determined to channel more projects to New York; perhaps the shoot of "Duplex," starring Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller, could move to Gotham, he said.

When the Disney deal was made a decade ago, Harvey was a dominant presence at Miramax, but his younger brother, Bob, who runs the Dimension wing, now fills an equal role. Dimension this year scored with "The Others" and "Spy Kids," though Harvey's wing also racked up successes with "Bridget Jones's Diary" (which will do some $300 million worldwide) and "Serendipity."

With the passing years, Harvey's style also has become more tempered. He exhibits a mastery of self-deprecating humor and readily acknowledges strategic mistakes. "I frankly didn't think anyone could ever make a movie based on 'The Human Stain' by Philip Roth," he says, "but I was wrong." The film is now shooting with Nicole Kidman and Anthony Hopkins.

Similarly, Harvey was the first to lock into "The Lord of the Rings," spending $10 million to develop what he saw as a potential three-hour film, not the three-picture exercise ultimately fostered by New Line. Harvey nonetheless helped position Peter Jackson to steer the project, ending up as executive producer and with a substantial rooting interest.

Today's Miramax consists of a lot more than movies. There is Talk magazine, the wobbly co-venture with the Hearst Corp., which now needs a new partner. (Harvey insists Miramax will hang in there.) His book publishing venture is flourishing. He is batting six-for-six as an investor in theater with hit shows in New York ("The Producers") and London ("The Royal Family"). In television, Miramax is making waves with the new HBO series "Project Greenlight," in which Harvey himself is a vivid, off-camera, character.

Is Harvey having fun? Yes -- ferociously so. "Despite the tragedies that have overtaken New York this fall, I have willed myself to stay on track," he says. "My brother and I are hardcore New Yorkers, but we believe that our most important responsibility is to keep things rolling. We're not going to let these people slow us down."  Indeed, the word "slow" has never been part of Harvey's lexicon, nor that of Miramax.

Ralph Kamp embarks on sales Odyssey

Ralph Kamp, the former chief executive of Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey’s London-based sales operation Icon Entertainment International, is understood to be setting up a new independent sales operation under the banner Odyssey. (note: this Name is been used by several other sales outfits in the past and most recent still operating as Odyssey Pictures (see OTC BB:OPIXE) none where ever leading to an success)

Amongst the first titles Kamp is expected to represent is the tentatively titled Great War project, starring Billy Elliot lead Jamie Bell. The supernatural action film set in the trenches of WW1 is being produced through F&ME, the UK-based international production and acquisitions wing of Germany's FAME, which holds worldwide rights.

Kamp is expected to unveil Odyssey at the American Film Market in February. The sales veteran has been under agreement with Icon not to enter the independent sales sector for a year after agreeing to leave the company some 12 months ago.

As well as representing studio-level fare such as Robert Redford’s The Legend Of Bagger Vance, Kamp handled local titles at Icon including An Ideal Husband and When The Sky Falls. F&ME's Mike Downey and Sam Taylor were not available for comment.

German Private Investment ACE Fund To Launch With 18-Picture Slate

New films by John Woo, Nick Hurran, John Milius and Jeremy Leven are among an 18-picture slate being lined up to receive backing from a new $250m German private investment fund which is to be launched in January 2002 and IF the fund will able to raise the funding . (The reality for German investment funds it becomes more difficult to raise the private funding).

The production fund ACE – Alliance Cinema Entertainment has been established by Los Angeles-based producers Jeanette Buerling and Alexandra Hoesdorff-Rosen with headquarters in Munich and production offices in Los Angeles and Luxembourg to produce films with A-list talent attached and major studio distribution in the budget range of $9m-$70m.

"The pictures will be financed partly by private investors and by the studios" Quoted by Buerling. "The advantage we offer the investors is that all the revenues made by the picture actually go 100% straight back to the investors without the deduction of any kind of fees or deferments until the investor has recouped a minimum of 120% of his investment. Other private equity funds cannot and will not do that. Our contracts with the studios, distribution companies, co-producers, actors and directors do allow for that unique but effective strategy. We therefore have got a lot of positive response from German and also American investors, with whom we are finalizing investment deals right now".

ACE will put up a minimum of 50% - and in some cases up to 100% - of the films’ production costs (which amount to a total of $450m for all 18) and will benefit, for some projects, from a five-year production, development and financing deal with veteran Hollywood producer Ray Stark’s Rastar Productions giving it access to Stark’s current output deal with Sony/Columbia Pictures. (Note: Stark co-founded the Seven Arts Production Company, specializing in made-for-TV-movies, with film executive Eliot Hyman in 1957. He produced his first independent feature in 1960 and, with the formation of Rastar Productions in 1966, embarked on a highly successful career as an independent producer beginning with "Funny Girl" (1968), the first of his many popular Barbra Streisand vehicles. His Last produced movie was Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986)) In addition, ACE will also make use of a distribution agreement with Rastar’s international sales arm Rexmedia.

Among the projects on ACE’s production slate are:

• The Deep Freeze Girls, a $9m teen comedy, starring Thora Birch and Natasha Lyonne, directed by Zoe Clark Williams, to be distributed domestically by Sony/Columbia;
• Valentine, Paul Lynch’s $7m romantic comedy with Peter O’Toole, Maximilian Schell and Amelia Warner, to be distributed domestically by Sony/Columbia;
• The Man Who Stole Mona Lisa, David S. Ward’s $22m action adventure period drama, with Johnny Depp and Valeria Galino;
• Out On My Feet, Barry Primus’ $9m boxing action drama with Robert DeNiro and Stephen Dorff, to be distributed domestically by MGM;
• Ocean Warrior, Paul Street’s $48m film of the life of Greenpeace founder Paul Watson, starring Ewan McGregor, for Paramount;
• Lovers Liars And Thieves, Jeremy Leven’s $48m romantic comedy, slated to feature Robin Williams, Antonio Banderas, and Renee Zellweger, with Miramax in place for US release;
• Doomsday Kiss, Stuart Baird’s $45m action adventure - the first in a franchise based on the bestseller novel character of Dr. Alex Seacort, set to star Benicio Del Toro and Gary Oldman;
• The Trouble With Jerry, Woody Allen protege Marshall Brickmann’s $23m comedy, starring Charlize Theron and Woody Allen;
• Stardust, Nick Hurran’s $12m comedy with Laura Linney and Sean Penn, to be distributed domestically by Sony/Columbia;
• A Shine Of Rainbows, Vic Sarin’s $3.5m drama, with Gabriel Byrne;
• Soul Calibur, Sammo Hung’s $45m screen adaptation of the NAMCO video game, with Jackie Chan in the lead
• Blue Thunder. John Milius’s $70m remake of the actioner, set to star Matt Damon, Burt Reynolds and Ben Affleck, currently in development with Rastar Productions and Sony/Columbia.

ACE’s development slate includes a $70m remake by John Woo of the action film The Professionals with Burt Reynolds, in collaboration with Rastar and Sony/Columbia; the $11m action thriller Tequila Breakdown, starring Gary Oldman and Tim Roth; and the $20m thriller Victory Road, with Sally Field and Cuba Gooding Jr.

The production fund will be managed by Buerling and Munich-based producer Michael Waldleitner, who scored an outstanding success at the German box office this year with his handling of the local hit Der Schuh Des Manitu, and will draw on the know-how of an advisory committee of internationally respected industry figures such as former American Film Market executive Bill Shields, and LA casting agent Mike Hirshenson of The Casting Company.

Apart from Rastar and Rexmedia, ACE’s production partners on this ambitious slate include such producer teams Marc Victor and Michael Grais (Poltergeist), Alex Rose and Nabila Khashoggi (Nothing In Common) , Pieter Kroonenberg, Gary Howsam and Thomas Hedman (Ignition), and Lynn Hendee and Robert Chartoff (Raging Bull), as well as writer Steven de Souza (Tomb Raider), director-producer Norman Lear (Fried Green Tomatoes) and the director-producer team of Barry Primus and Michael Cerenzie (Deuces Wild).

In addition, ACE has a contractual agreement with LA-based The Casting Company for the casting of its projects and has concluded a completion bond deal with World Wide Film Completion for all 18 projects in its slate.