The Morning Fix: `Transformers’ transforms Paramount; Networks and studios gear up for Comic-Con; Elisabeth Murdoch and ITV?; Google feels the heat
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After the coffee. Before figuring out how much to spend on Comic-Con.
Transforming Paramount. The huge success of ‘Transformers’ has given Paramount Chairman Brad Grey something to smile about. He tells The Los Angeles Times that ‘one of the mandates when I came to Paramount was to build franchises, and I think this summer we’ve accomplished what we set out to do,’ Meanwhile the successes of the summer -- ‘The Hangover,’ ‘Up’ and ‘Transformers’ -- is bad news for A-list actors, reports LA Times scribe Claudia Eller.
A monopoly? Google? Really? The New York Times delves into Google’s latest efforts to convince Washington and the world that it isn’t too powerful. Leading the fight for the search giant is a former a Justice Dept. lawyer who says, ‘competition is a click away.’
ITV job search. Elisabeth Murdoch is on the wish list of Britain’s ITV to become its new CEO. Murdoch’s BFF Ben Silverman has also been rumored as a candidate for that job although NBC Universal keeps saying Silverman isn’t going anywhere.The Telegraph.
Other than that, things are looking up. More than $2 billion dollars in ad revenue could disappear from the television industry over the next four years as digital video recorders and the growth of online continue to take their toll. The Financial Times. (registration required)
Comic-Con! The networks and studios are coming out in force at Comic-Con, reports Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Warner Bros. alone will be hyping 11 shows at the comic book festival. While all this has made the convention a huge promotional platform, has it also lost some of its geek chic?
Wimbledon online. NBC and ESPN have been streaming Wimbledon live online. PaidContent tells you what they’re doing and how it works.
Less is more. New York Times columnist David Carr weighs in on the expanded Oscars and makes the case that fewer awards overall, not best picture nominees, is what is needed.
In today’s LA Times: Michael Bay’s latest ‘Transformers’ is critics proof. The BET Awards turned into a celebration of Michael Jackson and likely drew its best ratings.
-- Joe Flint
