Editorial: Summertime and the movies are showin’
There are many welcome signs of summer in Baltimore – steamed crabs, snow cones and the Orioles, to name a few – and one of them has come to be the Little Italy Outdoor Film festival. The 2012 season began July 6 and will continue every Friday through August. In 14 years, attendance has grown […]
Filmmaker aims for Ocean City shoot in September
OCEAN CITY — Filmmaker Michael Tully began envisioning a script in the early 1990s for a movie set during a 1985 family vacation. It centers around a teenage boy obsessed with ping pong and the then-burgeoning hip-hop music genre, based loosely on his experiences and memories from summer vacations in Ocean City. Even then, the […]
The Bengies awarded $838K from Royal Farms in light pollution lawsuit
A Baltimore County jury awarded the owner of Bengies Drive-in Theatre in Middle River $838,000 in damages Friday after finding that a nearby convenience store had polluted the large outdoor screening area off Eastern Boulevard nightly with beams of light. The trial in the civil case opened Monday in Baltimore County Circuit Court before Judge […]
News Corp. says it’s considering split in two
LOS ANGELES — Under pressure to limit contagion from the British phone hacking scandal, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. said Tuesday that it is considering splitting into two publicly traded companies. The move comes as Britain’s communications regulator, Ofcom, enters the final stages of its review of whether satellite TV firm British Sky Broadcasting — of […]
‘Shrek’ studio joins Wal-Mart disc-to-digital plan
LOS ANGELES — DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., the maker of “Shrek,” ”Madagascar” and “Kung Fu Panda,” is teaming up with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to help people convert their old DVDs into an online movie library. Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks’ chief executive, says that the new “Disc to Digital” service will help consumers adapt to technological[...]
YouTube enlists big-name help to redefine channels
CULVER CITY, Calif. — YouTube is enlisting Hollywood’s help to reach a generation of viewers more familiar with smartphones than TV remotes. The online video giant is aiming to create 25 hours of programming per day with the help of some of the top names in traditional TV. The Google-owned site is spreading its wealth […]
Bananas, movie awards and Twitter
A couple interesting uses of Twitter I’ve heard about the last two days: First, we’re on the cusp of movie award season, when distinguished film critics bestow prizes on films 94 percent of the country has not seen. The New York Film Critics Circle announced their awards via its Twitter feed yesterday. The results were […]
Harbor Bank, 3 employees accused of fraud over unpaid $2.5M loan
The Harbor Bank of Maryland and three of its employees have been named in a federal lawsuit on allegations of fraud and negligence over an unpaid $2.5 million loan to make a sports movie starring Martin Lawrence. According to the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, Harbor Bank and three employees lied […]
Netflix loses 800,000 U.S. subscribers in tough 3Q
SAN FRANCISCO — Netflix’s video subscription service lost 800,000 customers in the third quarter —the biggest exodus in its history— even as its earnings rose 65 percent. The losses were larger than management had previously warned. The unwelcome surprise, contained in financial results released Monday, was compounded by a forecast calling for millions of Netflix […]
Administrative law judge rubs elbows with the stars as a movie and TV extra
Lou Hurwitz has been an administrative law judge for more than 21 years. But he’s also been a lab technician. And a police sergeant. And a low-ranking staffer in the U.S. Senate. At least, he was until those scenes got cut. Hurwitz has appeared as a background extra in a handful of programs — including […]
Getaways: Monster-Mania Con 18
Hunt Valley is about to be invaded by monsters. The Monster-Mania convention this year will feature a tribute to the “Friday the 13th” franchise, with a guest list of more than a dozen actors from the film series. Mingle with the actors, watch movies, buy memorabilia and get your ghoulish time on. Tickets are $20 […]
Getaways: Film fest, flowers and free comic books
It’s back again! The Maryland Film Festival is here for our viewing pleasure Thursday through Sunday. Tickets are $10 for most screenings, so get them soon after checking out the great schedule. John Waters will be presenting “Domaine,” while Animal Collective presents “Boxer’s Omen.” So, if nothing else, you’ll see some local celebrities there, and [&hell[...]