Horror Director Ryuhei Kitamura Inks With Miramax

Miramax Films has signed Japanese horror director Ryuhei Kitamura to a first-look deal. Kitamura fright pictures like "Versus" and "Heat After Dark" have drawn keen interest on the festival circuit. Under the deal, Kitamura will receive and consider projects from both Miramax and its genre label, Dimension; he also has the option to bring in original material or remake concepts.

His debut feature, "Versus," is a high-spirited splatter picture, replete with zombies and traditional Japanese storytelling elements like martial arts, samurai and shamans.

"I have always wanted to fill the screen with my own samurai spirits and contribute to the immortality of film," said Kitamura.

The 33 year-old director has been named best young director at the Japan Independent Film Festival and took the director nod at Rome's Fanta festival. He received the Sonny Chiba Prize and Fantaland prize at the Yubari Intl. Film Festival for his work on "Versus."

"Dreadnought"

"Dreadnought" was considered dead in the water last fall, a casualty of Sept. 11, but Columbia Pictures is now throwing a life preserver to the naval action thriller.

The studio is in negotiations with reps for Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele ("Ali" and "Nixon") to rewrite the pic, which has Will Smith circling to star.

First penned by Blake Masters in 1997, and later rewritten by Dan Gilroy, "Dreadnought" is the story of the accidental drowning of a civilian jetliner in the Atlantic by the Navy's most sophisticated ship.

Original helmer Joseph "McG" McGinty left the project to instead take on the sequel to Columbia's "Charlie's Angel's" after the terrorist attack in New York. Conventional wisdom in the aftermath of the tragedies was that no one would be able to make the picture. But Sony, like other studios, is hoping that time heals all wounds.

"We were drawn to it precisely because it's unlike anything we've done before," said Rivele. "I think it can be a good old-fashioned summer popcorn movie. And we love working with Will (Smith), who is one of our favorite guys in the world to work with."

DreamWorks has optioned Mickey Birnbaum's Used Guys

DreamWorks has optioned Mickey Birnbaum's futuristic comedy spec script, "Used Guys," for Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films. Stiller is flirting with a starring role in the picture.

A buddy sci-fi comedy set in a near-future L.A. in which women buy and trade men like used cars, the picture was originally written in 1998 and recently put into turnaround at Columbia.

DreamWorks has paid $2 million for the property plus costs run up against it at Columbia. Birnbaum stands to earn north of $2 million if the picture is produced and performs well, and Columbia retains the right to co-produce.

Columbia optioned "Used Guys" for Betty Thomas' studio-based shingle Tall Trees. When the option lapsed, Red Hour producers Stiller and Stuart Cornfeld came onboard, raising pic's profile considerably.

Birnbaum's lucrative writer's fee also points to an uptick in the spec market as the town rebounds from its post-strike deadline torpor.

Birnbaum, a playwright and screenwriter, boasts such screen credits as the 1995 Wesley Strick feature "The Tie That Binds," penned under the name Michael Auerbach (Birnbaum changed his name after finding his birth father).

Mike Myers Sets Cap For 'Cat' Role In Seuss Classic

Mike Myers has signed to star as the cat in "Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat," with production designer Bo Welch making his feature directorial debut for Brian Grazer's Imagine Entertainment, Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures. Principal photography is scheduled to begin in the fall at Universal Studios.

The live-action project reteams Myers and Welch with Imagine and Universal after an attempt to work together on "Dieter" was shelved in 2000. "Cat" marks the second Dr. Seuss property for Imagine and Universal, following the blockbuster success of "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas," directed by Ron Howard, with Jim Carrey in the title role." Rick Baker, who won an Oscar for best makeup for his work on "Grinch," is expected to reprise his role on "Cat."

"As a Seuss movie, this project will have all the benefits of a known franchise property, but it will still be its own singular, original movie," Grazer said. "Bo's gigantic strength is that he can create amazing visual and sonic worlds, which is central in making a 'Seuss' film."

Grazer went on to say that conflicts over 'Dieter' are long behind the group. These included a lawsuit involving Universal, Imagine and Myers and a mediation attempt by DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg that resulted in an out-of-court settlement.

"Cat," however, is not part of the settlement agreement, according to insiders, but rather a situation in which Myers was simply the best person to star in the film after comedian Tim Allen, who was attached to play the title character, was no longer on board.

"I was looking for the best actor to play the role, and Mike is the best actor," Grazer said. "We found ourselves talking about this movie and fell in love with doing it together."

"The Cat in the Hat," written by Dr. Seuss, was first published in 1957 and remains one of the top 10 best-selling hardcover children's books of all time. It follows the adventures of a mischievous feline in a striped stove-pipe hat. Alec Berg, David Mandel and Jeff Schaffer wrote the script for the feature film version.

Said Myers in a statement: "It's great fun to be in a children's movie, and it's an honor to be asked to be part of the world of Dr. Seuss."

Added Universal Pictures chairman Stacey Snider: "We are absolutely thrilled to be bringing another treasured Seuss story to the screen with the comic genius of Mike Myers. He will make a brilliant Cat."

Universal will be distributing the film domestically, with DreamWorks taking on international territories.

Imagine, Universal and DreamWorks are enjoying a successful collaboration on "A Beautiful Mind," which has won numerous awards and is nominated for eight Oscars, including best picture and best director for Howard.

Myers, the voice of Shrek in DreamWorks' Oscar-nominated feature "Shrek," next stars in New Line's third installment of the "Austin Powers" franchise.

Mike Mitchell To Direct Dis Cops & Robbers

Stan Zimmerman and Jim Berg have sold their youth action-comedy pitch "Cops & Robbers" to Walt Disney Pictures, with Mike Mitchell ("Deuce Bigalow") attached to direct and Immortal Entertainment to produce.

Zimmerman and Berg will pen the script, a spoof of action buddy pics like "48 HRS." and "Lethal Weapon" with kids playing adults in all the roles.

Berg and Zimmerman acknowledge a creative debt to Alan Parker's 1976 "Bugsy Malone," in which Jodie Foster played a pint-size gun moll to the 14-year-old Scott Baio's Bugsy. But they emphasized that "Cops & Robbers" was not a remake or sequel.

"We loved 'Bugsy Malone,' but that was a very insular world," said Berg. "This will take place in a huge, modern city populated by 7-to-14-year-olds."

Zimmerman added, "We won't use guns or serious violence, but we still want to have exciting action sequences."

Laura Bickford To Produce Mata Hari

Universal Pictures-based producer Laura Bickford has acquired Tatiana Blackington's "Mata Hari," an original script on the life of the notorious spy and courtesan. The studio paid a low-six-figure advance.

The scribe has also written an as-yet-unproduced French Revolution drama, "The Winter Dance," for Jean-Jacques Beineix as well as an HBO feature based on Einstein's love letters to Soviet spy Margarita Konenkova.

A protean figure in turn-of-the-century Europe, Mata Hari passed herself off as an exotic dancer, circulating among royalty before joining the German secret service in WWI. She was ultimately convicted by the French and executed by firing squad in 1917. The picture will focus on her life story and the man who stalked and eventually caught her, as well as on lingering questions as to whether she was a double agent.

Hollywood has rarely grappled with the Mata Hari story. Greta Garbo played her in an eponymous 1931 MGM biopic, but since then, she's seldom appeared onscreen -- notwithstanding the 1967 James Bond spoof "Casino Royale," in which 007's illegitimate daughter is Mata Hari's daughter, Mata Bond.

New Line Catches The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

New Line Cinema is shelling out $5 million-$7 million for North American and Italian rights to a toned-down, modern refiguring of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." New Line co-CEO Bob Shaye said the picture would be "an original, fresh and thrilling post-modern" take on the 1974 cult classic. In the new picture, he noted, blood-letting will be kept to a minimum, particularly since producer Michael Bay is active on a director committee against violence.

Studio production president Toby Emmerich added: "My sense from Bay is that he will not so much look at the previous 'Chainsaw' movies as look back to the original, real stories that informed it."

Writer/director Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" helped spawn an entire genre of B slasher pics. When a dozen graves are violated in a rural Texas cemetery, five twentysomethings investigate. En route they discover a family of grave robbers, led by a vicious, saw-wielding butcher.

Shooting is expected to begin this summer with a budget between $13 million and $19 million.

Sony's Screen Gems, Paramount Pictures and Dimension Films also pursued "Massacre," but not as aggressively as New Line. Bay clinched the New Line deal after screening a one-minute promo for the picture. The picture has already lined up distribution deals in such countries as Spain, Britain, Germany and Japan.

Showtime Acquires Sundance Festival Hit 'Lift'

Showtime Networks has acquired the dramatic film LIFT, directed by DeMane Davis and Khari Streeter (the forces behind "Black & White & Red All Over"). LIFT will premiere on SHOWTIME on June 26, 2002 as a lead in to the third season premiere of the hit SHOWTIME series SOUL FOOD.

In an unprecedented transaction, LIFT will have its basic cable premiere on BET subsequent to its run on SHOWTIME and BET will share the presentation credit on the film. This marks the first time that SHOWTIME and BET have cooperated on an acquisition since Viacom first purchased the BET parent company last year.

LIFT, which was accepted into the writers and directors lab at the prestigious Sundance Institute, was written by Davis based on a story by Davis and Streeter. It then became a hit at the Sundance Film Festival. Starring Kerry Washington ("Save The Last Dance"), Lonette McKee ("Jungle Fever," "As The World Turns," "For Love Of Olivia") and Eugene Byrd ("Once and Again" and SHOWTIME's "Anne Rice's Feast Of All Saints"), the film has already been hailed by the "New York Times" as, "A tense exciting melodrama ... a glimpse of a world rarely seen in movies."

In addition to premiering in dramatic competition at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, LIFT won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2001 Urbanworld Festival, is nominated for two 2002 Independent Spirit Awards and screened at New Directors/New Films.

In a breakout performance, Kerry Washington stars as Niecy, a young attractive African-American woman who works in a ritzy Boston department store. Always impeccably dressed in the trendiest brands and styles, Niecy's fashion fixation is financed by her shoplifting habit and not her employee discount. What she doesn't keep for herself, Niecy sells. Her boyfriend Angelo (Eugene Byrd), a wannabe rap producer who also smokes and sells pot, disapproves of Niecy's side "business" and urges her to stop -- to no avail.

Niecy, who is always seeking the approval of her materialistic yet emotionally unavailable mother Elaine (Lonette McKee), decides to lift a beautiful necklace that her mother has admired. But this job is too big for her to handle by herself so she enlists the help of a "professional" to carry out the robbery. It is here that her life begins to crumble around her. To make matters worse, Niecy has discovered that she is pregnant.

LIFT is a Hart Sharp Entertainment ("Boys Don't Cry," "You Can Count On Me") presentation. John N. Hart, Jeffrey Sharp, Mark Hankey and Robert Kessel serve as producers with Cathy Konrad and James Mangold serving as executive producers. Jonathan Starch is co-producer.

Black Entertainment Television (BET), a subsidiary of Viacom, is the nation's leading 24-hour television network providing quality entertainment, news and public affairs programming for the African-American audience. The BET Network reaches more than 71.4 million households according to Nielsen media research. BET is a dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse group of branded businesses: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for African Americans; BET Digital Networks -- BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip-Hop, a new alternative for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; and BET Books, the nation's leading publisher of African American-themed romance novels under the Arabesque Books label.

Showtime has established itself as a home for top quality artists and as a refuge for filmmakers with non-traditional material. One of the network's missions is to provide access to important work that might otherwise not be seen. Examples of "No Limits" projects that have been acquired and exhibited as SHOWTIME Original Pictures, to complement the network's theatrical offerings, include Adrian Lyne's controversial LOLITA, the star driven THINGS YOU CAN TELL JUST BY LOOKING AT HER, Allison Ander's THINGS BEHIND THE SUN and Henry Bean's Grand Jury Prize Winning film at Sundance THE BELIEVER (which is slated to air on SHOWTIME in March 2002).

Walt Disney Internet Group Developing Wireless Content for QUALCOMM's BREW Platform

Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) announced today that it is developing ESPN-branded sports applications for QUALCOMM's Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless(TM) (BREW(TM)) platform. The wireless applications being developed include ESPN's 2-Minute Drill(TM), based on the popular, sports-trivia TV quiz show of the same name, as well as ESPN X Games Skateboarding and ESPN X Games Snowboarding.

WDIG will tap the creative resources of its sister business unit Disney Interactive, a leading worldwide creator and publisher of interactive entertainment, in development of this content.

"We are proud to bring ESPN interactive game content to consumers who are embracing the wireless space," said Larry Shapiro, executive vice president, business development and operations, WDIG. "QUALCOMM's BREW platform is a powerful tool that enables us to deliver our wide array of content to wireless devices around the world."

"Having the support of such world renowned names like Disney and ESPN is not only a win for QUALCOMM and the BREW platform, but for wireless enthusiasts worldwide," said Gina Lombardi, senior vice president of marketing and product management for QUALCOMM Internet Services. "With BREW-enabled products and services consumers will be able to enjoy the thrill of ESPN and sports in the palm of their hand, anytime, anywhere."

QUALCOMM's BREW platform is a thin, standardized execution environment that resides in handsets. Native BREW applications are written in C/C++. While BREW supports programming in other languages, such as Java(TM) and XML, C/C++ is used as the primary language by significantly more developers worldwide than any other language, according to International Data Corp. QUALCOMM's BREW initiative is the only approach that offers developers, OEMs and carriers a complete, end-to-end solution for wireless applications development, device configuration, application distribution, and billing and payment. The complete BREW solution includes the BREW Software Development Kit(TM) (SDK) for developers, the BREW applications platform and porting tools for device manufacturers, and the BREW Distribution System (BDS) that enables developers and their carrier customers to get applications to market and coordinates the billing and payment processes for them. Carriers' BREW-based services will enable consumers to customize their cell phones by downloading applications over the air from a carrier's application download server.

Arabel Records International is a new up and comer in global music industry!

Arabel Records International, is a new up and comer in the $40 billion global music industry. The biggest phenomenon in the music industry in the last 10 years has been the explosive "Boy Band" craze, fuelled by the over 350 million school aged girls worldwide, with an estimated $140 billion in purchasing power. Bands such as NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, and O Town have lit up the charts and generated hundreds of millions of dollars for their respective labels through record, ticket and merchandise sales. Even a band, in this genre, garnering moderate success can generate tens of millions of dollars. This is the target market that Arabel-ARBL, is focused on!

Millions of viewers in North America watched as Lou Pearlman took 5 young men from a pool of thousands and turned them into "POP" superstars on the network show "Making the Band." The group O Town has since generated into the tens of millions of dollars! If this success story were a public company you would have seen a stock return that would be the star of your portfolio.

Arabel is presently negotiating with high profile industry professionals, with anticipation of signing them to the Arabel team. We believe that these corporate developments will begin to attract a significant amount of attention and investment in this little gem.

With a talented management team, a premium song catalog, and a booming industry we would suggest that you take a closer look at the potential of this company, Arabel Records International-ARBL.

Funding

They have received a funding commitment from a Private Equity Funding source. The funding agreement provides for a minimum of $500,000.00 up to a maximum of $1,000,000.00 of new financing. The initial closing is set for March 15, 2002.

Arabel's Business-Manager, Jeff Carter, stated "this financing will allow Arabel to move forward on our stated business objectives, and add significant value for our share holders." Additionally Mr. Carter stated, "I'm very pleased with the progress of our projects thus far and am very confident that Arabel Records will develop uniquely exceptional pop products for the ever hungry North American youth. The company hopes to eventually grab a small 1% of a multi billion dollar market."

Furthermore, Arabel anticipates:

• Completing their North American talent search, shifting the multi-cultural act development into high gear
  
• Securing key alliances with marketing agencies and award winning music professionals (producers, writers, choreographers, coaches etc.)
  
• Intensifying corporate sponsorship discussions both at home and over seas

About Arabel Records

Arabel Records specializes in the development, production and promotion of radio friendly youth oriented pop/dance/R&B/hip hop music on an international scale. Act development (comparable to chart topping artists) is at the heart of the Arabel business model. With a team of established pop music development professionals (producers, writers, musicians and coaches), Arabel Records currently has a select number of market driven pop projects under development and is also in discussions with established independent acts. Based on continuous trend analysis, the Arabel development team is positioned to not only take advantage of new trends, but also to define them, with future acts. Arabel will provide exceptional product into a well established multi billion dollar market hungry for exciting new pop releases.

Terry Curtin Joins Revolution Studios

Marketing maven Terry Curtin leaves her current position as executive vice president, publicity, for Universal Pictures and will begin her new post as head of marketing at Revolution Studios on April 8th.

Curtin's new responsibilities will include coordination and the overseeing of all aspects of marketing for Revolution Studios' motion picture releases and corporate marketing for Revolution Studios as well as overseeing domestic distribution. Curtin replaces Geoff Ammer, who left Revolution Studios in August of 2001 to join Sony Pictures Entertainment as president Columbia/TriStar Marketing Group.

The appointment reunites Curtin with long time associate Tom Sherak, for whom she worked for nine years at Twentieth Century Fox, and also with former Fox and Disney boss Joe Roth. Curtin also worked closely with Revolution Studios partners Rob Moore and Todd Garner during her years at Disney.

Curtin joins Revolution Studios from Universal, where she served since March 1999 as executive vice president, publicity, Universal Pictures. During her tenure there she was responsible for the publicity campaigns on such films as A Beautiful Mind, Erin Brockovich, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, The Grinch, American Pie, American Pie 2, The Fast and the Furious, Notting Hill and Bring It On.

Prior to joining Universal, Curtin spent three years at Disney as senior vice president, publicity, for Buena Vista Pictures Marketing. From 1994-96, Curtin served as senior vice president, worldwide publicity and field promotions, for MGM/UA Distribution Co. Prior to that, from 1992-94, she was vice president of worldwide publicity and promotion at Morgan Creek Productions.

Curtin began her entertainment career at Twentieth Century Fox where she enjoyed a nine-year association with the publicity and promotion department last serving as vice president, national publicity. During her tenure there, she also held the position of vice president, field operations/promotions.

Marketers Stress Over Film Openings

On the heels of new data showing a surge in movie marketing costs, a panel of studio marketing chiefs convened at the ShoWest confab on Wednesday to assess the effectiveness of all that spending.

Participating in the wide-ranging "State of Movie Marketing" event were Peter Adee of Universal, Geoff Ammer of Sony, Bob Levin at MGM and Russell Schwartz of New Line.

A day earlier, Motion Picture Assn. of America president Jack Valenti said production costs on major studio pictures dropped 13% to an average $47.7 million in 2001. But marketing expenses rose 13% to an average $31 million, figures that shed light on why many event movies in 2001 had such weak legs.

"It's clear from Jack Valenti's comments that the stakes have never been higher and the marketing of movies is a dynamic business," said moderator Charlie Koones, Variety's publisher and group VP.

The panelists decried the emphasis on opening weekends, raised questions about the value of the Internet and urged more cooperation with movie theater owners.

New Line's Schwartz said last summer's crop of quick-dropping pictures revealed several disconcerting trends.

"It's not about the movies being bad -- though they were," he said. "It's that more screens are being taken and more people are seeing the movie earlier. Consequently, you have a big drop-off the second weekend. This is something we have perpetuated. The question is, how do we cope with the costs?"

In that pressurized environment, ratings from the Motion Picture Assn. of America become more critical, Universal's Adee noted. "PG-13 is where you want to be. You don't want to end up making an R-rated movie for an audience that can't see it."

Sony's Ammer added, "That probably hurt 'Ali' because it was R rated and Will Smith has a young following." Director Michael Mann, Ammer said, exerted creative control to retain five scenes with profane dialogue and thereby earn an R.

MGM's Levin offered a few moments of levity. When Koones asked about MGM's postponement of the release of "Rollerball," which misfired in February, Levin deadpanned, "Well, that was a successful decision."

He also jousted good-naturedly with Schwartz over MGM's upcoming James Bond picture and New Line's next "Austin Powers" installment, referring to the companies' legal feud about New Line's thwarted plan to call its third film "Austin Powers in Goldmember."

Levin grew testy, however, when Koones began a question about the effects of Sept. 11 by saying that a series of war pics have come out of late. MGM's "Hart's War" and the upcoming "Windtalkers" are part of that group.

"Why does everybody lump together movies with different casts, different stories and different takes on the material?" he wondered. "We don't say all comedies are the same, that all dramas are the same. We're putting it in the public's mind that these are fungible goods."

As to Sept. 11, the panel agreed that little has changed in terms of film development, production or marketing in the wake of the attacks. Seeking to leverage the country's swell of patriotism is treacherous, they added.

Adee and Ammer in particular expressed skepticism about the return on Internet investment, except in isolated cases.

"It's extremely additive, but it's not the central part of any campaign," Adee said. "Our media staff wants more of a commitment, but I'm fighting it. I need some more proof that it works."

Ammer said the financial imperatives can get overlooked when personalities are involved.

"The hardest part is that every filmmaker wants a million-dollar site but not every movie warrants it," he said. "At some point you have to make the call that the money is better spent elsewhere."

Alanis Morissette album debuts at No. 1

Alanis Morissette has swept away the competition, debuting at the top spot with Under Rug Swept.

Morissette's third studio album sold more than 215,000 copies for the week ending Sunday, according to SoundScan figures released Wednesday.

Grammy winners also got a bump in sales after last week's awards. The O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, which won five awards including album of the year, jumped from No. 15 last week to No. 2, selling more than 200,000. The bluegrass and folk compilation has gone quadruple platinum.

Alicia Keys, who won five Grammys including song of the year for Fallin', moved from the 20th spot to No. 4. Her debut album, Songs in A Minor, which won the R&B album Grammy, sold nearly 103,000 this week. It is also gone quadruple platinum, selling 4.7 million copies.

Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue debuted at No. 3 with her latest release, Fever, selling nearly 115,000 copies.

Jennifer Lopez' J To Tha L-O! album of remixes fell from the top spot last week to No. 7, with just over 88,000 copies sold.