reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Hero Pictures International has acquired exclusive rights to the biography "Private Lives of Albert Einstein," written by well-known science journalists Roger Highfield and Paul Carter. The book probes the elusively human side of Einstein, with the authors bringing to life a much more intimate picture of Einstein, from his struggles early on to his rise to fame, continuing to the end of his life.

Academy Award-winning writer Ron Bass (RAIN MAN), engaged to write the screenplay back in the summer 2007, has enormous enthusiasm for the project. "It's inspiring to be chosen to tell the story of Albert Einstein. This film will bring us closer to his genius, his imagination, his discoveries and to the drama and charm of his human side. I look forward to delivering my script as soon as possible after the WGA strike concludes," commented Bass.

Hero Pictures International was established in January 2006 and has secured development and production financing from a private equity investor group in Spain. Led by president Maria Rodriguez-Rabadan, the Hollywood-based company has five films in development along with the untitled life story of Albert Einstein.

Website: www.heropictures.net

reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Empire Film Group, Inc. has completed principal photography on the action-thriller "BOILERMAKER," starring Jack McGhee ("Crash"), Senta Moses ("Dodgeball") and Arie Vereen ("Sin City") in a stunning turn as the lead antagonist.

The bank-heist thriller was shot in and around Los Angeles by CRC Productions under the direction of Paul T. Murray, along with producer T.J. Castronovo and executive producers Joseph D. Amore, Mike Carazza, and Empire Home Entertainment C.E.O. Eric Parkinson. The film is slated for release to theaters in the U.S. on May 9, 2008 by Empire Film Group.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Today's new, polarized, digital 3-D movies promise to fulfill the original dream of cinema: to bring the otherworldly and uncanny so close audiences feel they have entered the action. And, as seen by the recent successes of Robert Zemeckis's Beowulf and the re-release of Tim Burton's A Nightmare Before Christmas, audiences are responding.

"While the studios are making $100-200 million 3-D blockbusters, 'indie film' methods can be used to create high-quality polarized 3-D features in the $5-$15 million range," says Doug Schwartz, chairman of StereoVision Entertainment Inc., an independent, publicly-traded film production company dedicated solely to making low-cost, high-quality 3-D movies. "Similar to what Roger Corman accomplished at American International Pictures in the 1960s and 70s, such a low-budget 3-D production facility could serve as a fertile testing ground for new talent pushing the boundaries of this exciting new platform."

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson; Harry Sloan, Chairman and CEO, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.; Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs of New Line Cinema have jointly entered into the following series of agreements:

Said Peter Jackson, "I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. 'The Lord of the Rings' is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth. I also want to thank Harry Sloan and our new friends at MGM for helping us find the common ground necessary to continue that journey."

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Hero Pictures International has acquired exclusive rights to the biography "Private Lives of Albert Einstein," written by well-known science journalists Roger Highfield and Paul Carter. The book probes the elusively human side of Einstein, with the authors bringing to life a much more intimate picture of Einstein, from his struggles early on to his rise to fame, continuing to the end of his life.

Academy Award-winning writer Ron Bass (RAIN MAN), engaged to write the screenplay back in the summer 2007, has enormous enthusiasm for the project. "It's inspiring to be chosen to tell the story of Albert Einstein. This film will bring us closer to his genius, his imagination, his discoveries and to the drama and charm of his human side. I look forward to delivering my script as soon as possible after the WGA strike concludes," commented Bass.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Empire Film Group, Inc. has acquired a majority ownership stake in Truman Press, Inc., parent company of film distributor and book publisher Hannover House (www.HannoverHouse.com). The new film and DVD distribution division will be renamed Empire Home Entertainment, a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire Film Group, Inc.

Hannover House is a leading independent film and DVD distributor for the U.S. marketplace and also has a successful history in book publishing. The company was formed in 1993 and has accumulated a library of more than 85 film and video properties and 15 books as well as full motion picture and video production facilities.

Website: www.empirefilmgroup.com

reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

The Emmy Award-winning PBS series "Independent Lens" has launched the second annual Online Shorts Festival, a "film festival at your fingertips." Animation, comedy, drama and documentary provide an eclectic mix of stories and storytelling.

The Online Shorts Festival site features an opportunity for viewers to watch the shorts on small or large players, download films, vote for the Audience Award, read about the films and filmmakers and post their comments in Talkback. The Audience Award winner will be announced February 2008. The 11 Audience Award contenders can be viewed and downloaded at: www.pbs.org/independentlens/onlineshortsfestival/.

reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Sundance Institute announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. This year the Festival Short Film Program comprises 83 short films representing 17 countries from 5,107 submissions, from U.S. and international filmmakers. Submissions grew by more than 15% over last year. The 2008 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17-27 with screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.

"Since the beginning we recognized short films as a viable art form and an exciting way to discover and launch new talent," said John Cooper, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. "We will continue to find innovative ways to extend the success and reach of this amazing work and build a world- wide audience for short-form films."

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

JWT, the largest advertising agency in the U.S., has released a short film directed by and starring Martin Scorsese for the Spanish cava producer Freixenet. "The Key to Reserva," a holiday campaign developed by JWT Spain for the sparkling wine Carta Nevada Reserva, includes commercials, print ads, posters and the Scorsese-directed short.

In the nine-and-half-minute film, Scorsese pays homage to Hitchcock, preserving one of his unfinished movies. While previous Freixenet campaigns have featured movie stars in traditional advertisements, this time the innovative idea, crafted by JWT executive creative director Alex Martínez and his team in Barcelona, focuses on the star behind the camera -- marking a new era in Freixenet's advertising.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

JWT, the largest advertising agency in the U.S., has released a short film directed by and starring Martin Scorsese for the Spanish cava producer Freixenet. "The Key to Reserva," a holiday campaign developed by JWT Spain for the sparkling wine Carta Nevada Reserva, includes commercials, print ads, posters and the Scorsese-directed short.

In the nine-and-half-minute film, Scorsese pays homage to Hitchcock, preserving one of his unfinished movies. While previous Freixenet campaigns have featured movie stars in traditional advertisements, this time the innovative idea, crafted by JWT executive creative director Alex Martínez and his team in Barcelona, focuses on the star behind the camera -- marking a new era in Freixenet's advertising.

The film has Scorsese offering his vision of Carta Nevada Reserva, portraying the cava as a true cultural product.

"Never before has art been so close to and tied in with advertising," says Martínez. "We wanted to produce something that would be pure entertainment, something that was true to our philosophy that it's not enough now to 'buy' audience time -- we need to create advertising that the audience chooses to spend time with."

While previous holiday campaigns were seen primarily in Spain, today viewers anywhere can watch the work by visiting Freixenet's Web site: www.freixenet.es.

reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Loud commentary and cell phone fumbling may be distracting, but new research from the Journal of Consumer Research suggests that the presence of other people may enhance our movie-watching experiences. Over the course of the film, movie-watchers influence one another and gradually synchronize their emotional responses. This mutual mimicry also affects each participant's evaluation of the overall experience – the more in sync we are with the people around us, the more we like the movie.

"When asked how much they had liked the film, participants reported higher ratings the more their assessments lined up with the other person," explain Suresh Ramanathan and Ann L. McGill (both of the University of Chicago). "By mimicking expressions, people catch each other's moods leading to a shared emotional experience. That feels good to people and they attribute that good feeling to the quality of the movie."

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

iHollywood Forum, Inc. today announced the first summit called Hollywood Goes Green (http://hollywoodgoesgreen.com). Hollywood Goes Green takes place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel from 9am-5pm each day with over 40 speakers, and cutting edge exhibitors in the expo hall. The title sponsors are NBC Universal, General Motors, IBM and Subway.

Press and analysts are invited to attend a PRESS CONFERENCE on Dec. 11 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Academy Room, from 9:30-10:30 am. Check in will take place at the registration area in the first floor lobby. This press conference will consist of news announcements by IBM, General Motors, NBC Universal and Subway in connection with Hollywood Goes Green. We will be issuing a press release on Monday containing more details about each announcement. Press are invited to remain the entire day to cover the conference sessions and lunch. Please reply with "pressconfirm" in subject line if you would like to be listed on the press list; and receive the press release for Thursday with more details. To register, send email with "press confirm" to jay@ihollywoodforum.com or call 310-566-7743.

reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

iHollywood Forum, Inc. today announced the first summit called Hollywood Goes Green (http://hollywoodgoesgreen.com). Hollywood Goes Green takes place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel from 9am-5pm each day with over 40 speakers, and cutting edge exhibitors in the expo hall. The title sponsors are NBC Universal, General Motors, IBM and Subway.

Press and analysts are invited to attend a PRESS CONFERENCE on Dec. 11 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Academy Room, from 9:30-10:30 am. Check in will take place at the registration area in the first floor lobby. This press conference will consist of news announcements by IBM, General Motors, NBC Universal and Subway in connection with Hollywood Goes Green. We will be issuing a press release on Monday containing more details about each announcement. Press are invited to remain the entire day to cover the conference sessions and lunch. Please reply with "pressconfirm" in subject line if you would like to be listed on the press list; and receive the press release for Thursday with more details. To register, send email with "press confirm" to jay@ihollywoodforum.com or call 310-566-7743.

reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Empire Film Group, Inc. will launch a new Latin Entertainment Division to develop and produce original entertainment programming for over 600 million Spanish speaking people worldwide.

Industry veteran Herman Valerius will lead the new division as President. Mr. Valerius' entire career has been in the communications and entertainment industries. In 1971 he became International Editor for Gabriela Mistral, the largest Publishing Company in Latin America with publications such as Omni, Parents, Playboy, Readers Digest, Estadio, Bravo and many other internationally known titles. In 1981, Mr. Valerius was appointed International Editor for Playboy under a publishing license agreement with Gabriela Mistral.

reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

They were clapping, cheering and barking as well last night as the winners of the 2007 DogCatemy Awards were announced at the second annual gala, a Red Carpet event attended by pet-lovers and their dogs, hosted by North Shore Animal League America, the world's largest no-kill animal shelter.

Celebrities Rachael Ray, Howard Stern, Beth Ostrosky, Richard Belzer, Josh Flitter, Brandon Hannan, Hallie Kate Eisenberg and several hundred League supporters, many accompanied by their dogs, filled the ballroom of Capitale in New York City. Mistress of Ceremonies was Fox TV's Good Day New York anchor Jodi Applegate, with Fox TV Entertainment Reporter Toni Senecal introducing the videos and celebrity presenters.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Casting has been completed on the much-anticipated sixth installment of the Warner Bros. Pictures Harry Potter film franchise, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince."

David Yates, who directed this year’s summer blockbuster "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," returns to direct "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." David Heyman, the producer of all of the Harry Potter films, is producing the film, together with David Barron. Screenwriter Steve Kloves, who scripted the first four installments of the film franchise, is adapting the screenplay based on the book by J.K. Rowling.

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