Monday, August 17, 2009

Spotify, Disney, Microsoft join U.K. confab...Creativity and Business Int'l Network runs Oct. 26-28






















Spotify, Disney, Microsoft join U.K. confab


Creativity and Business Int'l Network runs Oct. 26-28


By Mimi Turner


Aug 14, 2009, 07:12 AM ET


LONDON -- Music-download service Spotify, Disney and Microsoft will join dozens of international creative businesses to debate how to foster success and secure creative rights at the first government-backed Creativity and Business International Network held in London from Oct. 26-28, culture secretary Ben Bradshaw said Friday.


Dubbed "C&binet," the conference is the government's attempt to boost growth for the creative industries and devise conditions to nurture the next generation of creative entrepreneurs.


It will reflect the international nature of the entertainment and creative industries and involve representatives from overseas governments and regulators in a bid to establish international dialogue and cross-border consensus on such issues as copyright production, intellectual property and boosting the creative economy.


"Britain is known across the world for the strength of its creative industries and the wealth of talent we possess.


We want to make sure this success continues but to ensure sustained growth we need international cooperation," Bradshaw said.


We also need to make sure the next generation of talent has access to the finance, support and new business models they need.


Keynote speakers will include U.K. business secretary Peter Mandelson, alongside Vivendi chairman and CEO Jean-Bernard Levy and Elio Leoni-Sceti, CEO of EMI Music.


The opening address will be made by Ingenious Media CEO Patrick McKenna, with a panel event including Lorna Tilbian, executive director, Numis Corporation and Julie Meyer, CEO, Ariadne Capital and founder of First Tuesday.


Other speakers will include Paul Brown, U.K. managing director of Spotify, and Stephen Moore, executive vp at Disney.


The three-day event will focus on the areas of raising finance, online business models, creating opportunities and building infrastructure.



Les Paul, who pioneered the solid-body electric guitar later wielded by a legion of rock 'n' roll greats, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.







Mariah Carey—despite idiotic postings elsewhere—is gearing up for her big new CD release.


Mariah feels so strongly about “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” that she’s even re-hired the PR powerhouse that made her second-stage career such a success.


She’s back with Cindi Berger of PMK HBH.


It was Berger who made her “Emancipation of Mimi” the biggest hit of Mariah’s career.


Smart move.

Of course, that means both Mariah and Whitney Houston are now being repped by the same PR company.

PMK’s Kristen Foster is handling Whitney with my old pal, Jill Fritzo.


“Memoirs” was scheduled for an August 25th release, then moved to September 15th.


Now it’s set for September 29th.


If the regular Grammy deadline had been in place—September 30th—Mariah would have made it.


But the unfortunate early deadline of August 31st cut her off.


So she has some slack time to get “Memoirs” just right.


The first single from Mariah’s CD will not be “Obsessed”—that was just a summer trifle, and it was a lot of fun.


The real first official single is said to be a powerhouse ballad along the lines of “Vision of Love.”
Q&A: George Hamilton


The actor has found his place in the Hollywood jungle


By Fabio Periera

Walk of Fame CeremonyWhen: Aug. 12, 11:30 a.m.


Where: 7021 Hollywood Blvd.


Expected to attend: James Caan


On his 70th birthday, George Hamilton -- whose credits range from 1979's "Love at First Bite" to Season 2 of "Dancing With the Stars" --
receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and discusses how he used to pick scripts during his time at MGM with The Hollywood Reporter's Fabio Periera.


The Hollywood Reporter: How do you feel about getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?


George Hamilton: It's a freak coincidence. My father was the orchestra leader at the Roosevelt Hotel in the 1930s, and that's where the star is for me, across the street.


THR: What made you want to be an actor?


Hamilton: I'm not in this business because I want to be an actor.
I really was in it as an extension of my family -- they wanted to be in it.
I would've probably ended up a doctor somewhere in a small town.
What came out of it all was, to succeed in their eyes, I actually became that.
So it really means a lot to me for them, not for much for myself.


THR: So if acting wasn't what drove you, how did you choose your roles?


Hamilton: By the weight of the script: If I felt the script was too heavy, I didn't want it -- because then I had to learn too many lines.
When I was on contract with Metro (Goldwyn-Mayer), I used to go downstairs to the printer and we'd peek at (the scripts) to see what roles were coming up.
If they were really heavy, I'd give them to George Peppard and say, "You go for that one."


THR: Which ones did you go for?


Hamilton: The ones that were really light, just a few pages.
Western was always a delight.
You knew that you (would) have a nice breakfast in the morning around six o'clock, watch the sun come up and you'd spend the day on a horse and have hardly any dialogue.
"Yup. No. Yup."
The worst were the legal ones, the movies where you had to learn copious amounts of dialogue.
I just hated learning dialogue, hated it.
I would have done much better in silent films.


THR: So no chance you're going to tackle Shakespeare?


Hamilton: No. I find Shakespeare fabulous to listen to and I love it, but I just hate learning dialogue.
I've hated it my whole life.
And yet I remember a lot of things; I remember Shakespeare that I've read.
But having to learn it for the stage I think would be rather difficult for me.


THR: You're known for your social life as well as your stardom -- and you were in the press for hanging out with Imelda Marcos.
Tell us about her.


Hamilton: Well, it's a strange thing that Imelda Marcos has survived her most severe critic, (former Philippines President Corazon) Aquino, who just passed away.


The woman has spent every day of her life trying to clear her name, up until now when she's in her 80s.


It would have been interesting if they had put that to some positive use, rather than just fighting their way out of a hole, but they've yet to ever convict her of anything.


And she's now survived her strongest enemies, both legal and countries.


I admire people who rise above things.


I always think that life is what you make it, really, and if you see it as a disaster it will be.


If you think of it as an opportunity to rise above things, it's amazing what you'll get out of life.

No comments: