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Wednesday, October 23, 2013
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Inside the Fox Exec Shake-Up: Jim Gianopulos' Power Play Explained
From left: Tomas Jegeus, Jim Gianopulos and Paul Hanneman
This story first appeared in the Nov. 1 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.
Hollywood obsessed all summer over whether ousted Warner Bros. film chief Jeff Robinov would land at 20th Century Fox. But it turned out people were looking to the wrong man -- or men. On Oct. 16, Fox chief Jim Gianopulos upped longtime international presidents Paul Hanneman, 53, and Tomas Jegeus, 50, to lead worldwide marketing and distribution.
Gianopulos' first major power grab as sole chairman and CEO of Fox -- he shared the top job with Tom Rothman until late 2012 -- also included ousting domestic marketing co-president Oren Aviv, who joined the studio in January 2011. Tony Sella, Aviv's fellow co-president, was given the chance to stay under Jegeus and Hanneman, but he quickly let his new bosses know he was resigning. (Sella skipped a morning meeting called by Gianopulos on Oct. 17 to announce the reorganization. Sella has threatened to quit before, however, and at posting time it remained unclear when or if he actually will leave.)
PHOTOS: Top 10 Dramatic Studio Shake-Ups
Many within Fox long have recognized a problem with its domestic marketing. Part of the reason could be that Sella, considered the creative brain, and Aviv never got along. "It became apparent there was no unity in the department," says one source.
Conversely, Hanneman and Jegeus -- who will continue to report directly to Gianopulos -- have enjoyed stunning success since taking over international marketing and distribution in 2005. Fox's foreign box-office revenue has passed $2 billion for five consecutive years, a record for a Hollywood studio.
Gianopulos, who rose through the studio's international side, says the move recognizes the importance of the global industry. "Someone sneezes in Chicago, and they say 'I bless you' in Brussels," he tells THR, noting that several studios have consolidated marketing operations into a global division, including Paramount and Disney. "Also, we are not a company that embraces silos."
PHOTOS: Hollywood's Season of Firings: 10 Ousted Executives
Adds Hanneman: "The industry has changed. National cultural borders have all but been eradicated by the new digital reality. Combining operations -- both distribution and marketing -- will allow us to get out in front of our campaigns and better manage our process."
Jegeus and Hanneman have two key allies with strong ties to Fox: Former News Corp. president Peter Chernin, whose production company Chernin Entertainment now has a deal with the studio, and DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg, whose films now go out through Fox. "Without question, they built the leading international organization and are aggressive and innovative," says Katzenberg.
The promotion of Hanneman and Jegeus does not preclude a future at Fox for Robinov, whose chief talents are in creative development. However, insiders say Robinov pushed back when informally approached about the possibility of becoming Gianopulos' No. 2 (i.e., a possible vice chairmanship). The No. 2 job could still be open to Robinov, but the ball is in his court.
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Ex-Googler Hugo Barra gushes over Chinese Xiaomi's fanboys
Ex-Googler Hugo Barra has a thing for the fans—but not Google’s.
While the Internet data behemoth may strive to “do no evil,” “we do everything for the ‘Mi fens,’” Barra said Tuesday, speaking of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi’s loyal users. Mi fen is shorthand for “Xiaomi fan,” and also means “rice flower.”
“They come first, they’re our priority,” he said, speaking during the GMIC mobile Internet conference in San Francisco.
At the event, Barra delivered candid remarks in one of his first public appearances since news broke of his departure as Google’s high-ranking vice president of Android. Now he’s vice president for Xiaomi Global, and is responsible for leading the Chinese company’s international expansion efforts.
In Barra’s comments, Google seemed to be a thing of the past, and he spoke like one of the Xiaomi crew. So what’s Xiaomi got that Google doesn’t? A mentality that strongly incorporates user feedback throughout the product development process, he said.
“No one takes user feedback anywhere near as seriously as Xiaomi does,” Barra said. “A significant number of product features come from user suggestions,” he said.
Xiaomi has a different way of marketing its products. Instead of shipping them out on a massive scale like Apple would for the next iPhone or iPad, Xiaomi has a more iterative process, maybe making only 1,000 phones available at a time. The company does this so it can gather precious feedback from users each step of the way, Barra said, and quickly incorporate their reactions into the next build, maybe as soon as a week later.
Xiaomi, and now Barra, like to call the process “design as you build.” It’s a concept that already plays out in software development, but not as much in hardware.
“It’s a beautiful cycle that Silicon Valley has become known for,” Barra said, but what Xiaomi has created is a company doing that for hardware.
Barra said he had been eyeing Xiaomi since its inception three years ago, when asked by AllThingsD’s Kara Swisher about why he left Google, during an on-stage chat at GMIC.
Since his departure questions have swirled over the real reasons why he left, partly because it happened amid reports of a love triangle involving Google co-founder Sergey Brin and a female Google employee.
Zach Miners, IDG News Service , IDG News Service
Zach Miners covers social networking, search and general technology news for IDG News Service
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Taylor Swift: Home Sweet Home
Back home after a long flight from South Africa, Taylor Swift arrived at LAX airport in Los Angeles on Tuesday (October 22).
The "I Knew You Were Trouble" singer looked cute in a short, lacy white dress with black nylons as she carried her guitar on her back through the terminal.
As previously reported by GossipCenter ,the 23-year-old songstress was in Cape Town filming "The Giver" with Katie Holmes and Alexander Skarsgard for her big screen debut.
In the film based off of the classic bestseller, a young boy is chosen to learn about true pain and pleasure of the real world from an elderly man in a community without war, pain, suffering, differences, or choice.
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-home-sweet-home-947665
Tags: philip rivers Olivia Culpo Tomas Hertl ncis princess diana
Taylor Swift: Home Sweet Home
Back home after a long flight from South Africa, Taylor Swift arrived at LAX airport in Los Angeles on Tuesday (October 22).
The "I Knew You Were Trouble" singer looked cute in a short, lacy white dress with black nylons as she carried her guitar on her back through the terminal.
As previously reported by GossipCenter ,the 23-year-old songstress was in Cape Town filming "The Giver" with Katie Holmes and Alexander Skarsgard for her big screen debut.
In the film based off of the classic bestseller, a young boy is chosen to learn about true pain and pleasure of the real world from an elderly man in a community without war, pain, suffering, differences, or choice.
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/taylor-swift/taylor-swift-home-sweet-home-947665
Tags: philip rivers Olivia Culpo Tomas Hertl ncis princess diana
Human Rights Group Investigates Drone Strikes In Pakistan
Amnesty International released a new report on Tuesday on U.S. drone strikes along Pakistan's chaotic border region with Afghanistan.
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DAVID GREENE, HOST:
And I'm David Greene.
President Obama plans to meet tomorrow in Washington with Nawaz Sharif. He's the prime minister of Pakistan, one of the most unstable nations on the planet. One subject likely to be high on the agenda is the controversial issue of U.S. drone strikes along Pakistan's chaotic border with Afghanistan.
INSKEEP: Now, today Amnesty International released a new report on this. The human rights group concludes some American drone strikes may constitute war crimes. And the group is calling on the U.S. government to investigate.
GREENE: We're joined by NPR's Philip Reeves in London, where Amnesty is based. Phil, good morning.
PHILIP REEVES, BYLINE: Good morning.
GREENE: We should say here that U.S. drone policy has been a controversial topic for some time now. But this is Amnesty now saying there might be war crimes involved. That is a significant accusation to make, and tell us how they reached that conclusion.
REEVES: Yeah, Amnesty has reviewed 45 drone strikes that happened in North Wazirastan. That's in the tribal belt that borders Afghanistan. And these happened between January of last year and last month, and they examined nine of these in particular. And its report highlights a couple of incidents. In one, it says that according to witnesses, 18 laborers were killed when a missile crashed into their tent where they had gathered for evening meal. The second missile then struck those who came to help the wounded.
And in the second, it was an attack that killed a 68-year-old grandmother. And Amnesty said this was witnessed by some of her grandchildren, three of whom were injured.
GREENE: So, Amnesty really painting a portrait of the actual victims and making the argument that at least, in terms of their research, these are not people who should be suspected of terrorism. I mean, they're innocent civilians.
REEVES: Yes. And I think by highlighting cases like this they're bringing home their point. They say they're very concerned about these and other strikes, and that they may constitute extrajudicial executions - or war crimes. So Amnesty calls on the U.S. to comply with its obligations under international law by investigating the killings that it's documented, and by providing victims with full reparation.
It says it recognizes that some U.S. drone strikes may not violate international law. But the U.S., it says, has a legal obligation to ensure that independent investigations are conducted into these - into drone strikes - especially where civilians are involved and calls on it to make public information about its drone program.
GREENE: So is Amnesty basically saying, Phil, that the U.S. has not been transparent in terms of the impact of these attacks?
REEVES: Oh, very much so. I mean, the U.S. doesn't give details about drone strikes - or even knowledge responsibility. But officials, American officials have, of coarse, long maintained that they're based on reliable intelligence; that they're accurate; and that the vast majority of the victims are members of armed groups such as al-Qaida and the Taliban.
The president has spoken of a need for there to be near certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured, before a strike can take place. Clearly the U.S. considers the program to be a key weapon against insurgence groups. But, of course, there's a very widespread belief in Pakistan that these strikes kill large numbers of civilians. And critics of the program say that this is why it's counterproductive because it sews resentment against the U.S., and it makes it therefore easier for the militants to operate and expand in numbers.
GREENE: An interesting timing of this report, Phil, with the Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif in Washington meeting with President Obama tomorrow. It certainly adds a backdrop to that meeting.
REEVES: Yes. Mr. Sharif has long been a staunch critic of the drone strikes. So there's speculation, of course, that he would use this occasion to press for an end to them. However, there's a difference between the public and the private positions of senior Pakistani government officials on this issue. Some senior figures in government and in the army are known to have, in the past, privately supported drone strikes. And, indeed, a certain element of the Pakistani public actually feels the same way.
Incidentally, Amnesty expresses concern, too, about Pakistan and what it calls the failure of the Pakistani authorities to protect and enforce the rights of victims of drone strikes. So this is a report that's not only leveled at the United States.
GREENE: NPR's Phil Reeves joining us from London. Phil, thanks a lot.
REEVES: You're welcome.
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Thor takes a hit for womankind
In this film publicity image released by Paramount Pictures, Chris Hemsworth, portraying superhero Thor, and Natalie Portman, portraying jane Foster, are shown in a scene from the film, "Thor." Hitting Chris Hemsworth was “one small slap for womankind” says Natalie Portman. The actress, who reprises her role as Jane Foster in “Thor: The Dark World,” gives the superhero a swipe round the face when she reunites with him for the Marvel sequel. (AP Photo/Paramount Pictures-Marvel Studios, Zade Rosenthal)
LONDON (AP) — Natalie Portman says hitting Chris Hemsworth was "one small slap for womankind."
The actress, who reprises her role as Jane Foster in "Thor: The Dark World," gives the superhero a smack in the Marvel sequel.
"Thor: The Dark World" has its world premiere in London Tuesday and is out in U.S. cinemas Nov. 8.
In an interview on Saturday, Portman said that she channeled all her single girlfriends: "You hear all these stories about guys and it's just good to get a nice on-screen slap like 'you didn't call me back.'"
The intention may have been payback but, according to Hemsworth, the result was less so.
"It just got really funny and ridiculous you know. It's like in high school when you're not meant to laugh," he said.
And fun and laughs is what Portman wants audiences to have. Despite appearing in many more serious and highbrow roles, the Oscar winner will not have the Hollywood blockbuster devalued.
She says "escapism" is the main reason people go to the movies and there is no room for snobbery.
"All independent art films aren't good, all blockbusters aren't good, and all foreign films aren't good. There are a few of each that are really great, whether it is for pure entertainment, for something that is going to change your mind about how you see the world or taking you to a place that you haven't been before."
Talking about the "Thor" franchise, she added: "This kind of movie — this grand spectacle and good old fashioned entertainment where for two hours you are having a great time — is really, really valuable."
Next year Portman will be leaving Hollywood behind, as a home at least, when she relocates to Paris with her husband, French choreographer Benjamin Millepied, and their 2-year-old son, Aleph.
Millepied will take up the role of director of the Paris Opera Ballet and Portman can't wait to explore.
"It is such a fun thing that you can take an hour flight or train or something and end up in a completely different country," she said. "It is exciting."
And with work in mind, Portman admits she would be "thrilled" to work in Europe more and appealed to European directors: "Hire me. I need jobs!"
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