Samuel L. Jackson has checked into 1408, Dimension Films' adaptation of the Stephen King short story. John Cusack stars as a debunker of paranormal occurrences who encounters real terror when he checks into the notorious Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel. Matt Greenberg wrote the original script, while Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski did the rewrite. Lorenzo Di Bonaventura is producing. Mikael Hafstrom is directing. Shooting begins this summer.

Source: Variety

The CW is showing some edge, greenlighting production on a half-hour comedy pilot about a Muslim foreign exchange student who moves in with a Wisconsin family. In the quiet hamlet of Altoona, WI, Justin Hobgood is an awkward, lanky 16-year-old having trouble fitting in at school. His mom hears about the school's foreign exchange program and signs up her family, figuring the new arrival will give her son a much needed boost of hipness. Things don't go as planned, however, when the exchange student turns out to be a Pakistani Muslim who wears a kufi on his head and a shalwar kameez over his body. Aliens in America -- the brainchild of Just Shoot Me writers Moses Port and David Guarascio -- will begin production in June and is in contention for a midseason spot. The project was originally set up at NBC, but the network passed. CW execs see the show as a potential companion to Everybody Hates Chris.

Source: Variety

The Hollywood Hills continue to echo with sounds of the Pellicano investigation. Director John McTiernan became the highest-profile Hollywood player to be caught in the undertow. The federal charge against McTiernan states he lied to the FBI that he had no knowledge of private eye Anthony Pellicano's illegal wiretapping. The FBI claims McTiernan in fact hired and paid Pellicano to conduct an illegal wiretap of producer Charles Roven. The document does not explain why he would want to wiretap Roven, but the two worked together on the 2002 movie Rollerball. McTiernan could have been charged with additional crimes such as conspiracy, but was only charged with making a false statement -- the maximum penalty for which is a five-year sentence. The single charge could mean he's worked out a plea bargain with prosecutors and is cooperating with federal authorities. Pellicano was indicted in February for illegally wiretapping and gathering information in connection with lawsuits where he was hired by prominent entertainment lawyers.

Source: Variety

Movielink, the leading broadband video-on-demand (VOD) service, announced today a major expansion of its service, enabling consumers to buy movie downloads online in addition to renting them for 24 hours. Signifying a major step forward in the evolution of broadband VOD, Movielink signed deals with major Hollywood studios to deliver movies from MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal and Warner Bros. Beginning today, consumers can now create their own permanent digital library of films, which can be viewed on up to three PCs, transferred to a DVD (in Windows Media format) for backup, and streamed around the home via home networking.
 
Universal Studios' Academy Award-winning Brokeback Mountain is the first major title to be released on Movielink day-and-date with its April 4 DVD launch. Sony Pictures' Fun with Dick and Jane follows a week later as the next day-and-date release.  Movielink also makes available to own other major 2006 DVD releases, including King Kong, Good Night, and Good Luck, Pride & Prejudice, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Get Rich or Die Tryin', and Walk the Line.  Classic titles are also available to buy, including East of Eden, The Sting, To Kill a Mockingbird, Die Another Day, Office Space, and Breakfast at Tiffany's.
 
Movielink has divided its Web site into two stores, with one common home page. The two storefronts function just as the Movielink original Rental Store operated, but the license to view a movie obtained from the Purchase Store allows for unlimited viewing. Jim Ramo, Movielink CEO, said, "We're committed to developing the Movielink service so our customers get the highest viewing value, more technological options, greater convenience, deeper selection of content, and availability of titles in earlier windows. Providing this service will also help convert Internet pirates into legitimate customers."

Studio home entertainment heads expressed their support and excitement for the new service...

"The priority at Warner Bros. is the consumer, and our focus is on ensuring that our product is available on as many platforms with as much flexibility, functionality and portability as the consumer desires." -- Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group
 
"This new and exciting way of delivering our film and television product to our customers furthers Universal's goal of providing consumers with our content whenever, however and wherever they want it." -- Rick Finkelstein, President and COO, Universal Pictures
 
"Consumers are quickly embracing digital downloads as an effective method of purchasing content online, and we want to be able to meet that need in the marketplace." -- Tom Lesinski, President, Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment Group

"Technology is opening new doors of distribution for media companies, and we are excited to be part of introducing this concept to the industry with Movielink." -- Ben Feingold, President, Sony Digital Distribution and Acquisitions
 
"As the broadband footprint continues to expand, it is vital that our industry embrace new modes of distribution." -- Peter Levinsohn, President, Fox Digital Media & Pay Television

The moment you've all been waiting for... well, not really... but THE SIMPSONS MOVIE is coming to theatres, July 27, 2007.

View the teaser trailer

Source: Movie-List

Ice Age: The Meltdown heated up the box office with a mammoth $70.5 million weekend, while audiences gave the cold shoulder to Sharon Stone, whose Basic Instinct 2 debuted with a paltry $3.2 million. The animated sequel took over the top box office spot from Universal's Inside Man, which slipped to No. 2 in its second weekend with $15.7 million. Premiering in third place was the Warner Bros. ATL, which took in $12.5 million. Universal's Slither, a horror comedy about killer slugs from outer space, flopped in at No. 8 with $3.7 million. Further down the road, Sony's Basic Instinct 2, the belated sequel to the 1992 sex thriller, tied for the No. 10 spot with Lionsgate's Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector, which took in $3.2 million.

The overall box office surged, with the top 12 movies grossing $136.5 million, up 40 percent from the same weekend last year. "No one had any idea would do this kind of business," said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian. "The notion that people don't want to go to the movies is dispelled by something like this," he said. "It proves people will line up for the right movie if given the motivation."

Source: Associated Press

Warner Bros. has partnered with Dutch company Free Record Shop becoming the second studio to sign a deal selling permanent downloads of its films. Starting April 4, films will be available online in the Netherlands and Dutch-speaking parts of Belgium for e9.99-e14.99 ($12-$18), day-and-date with their DVD release. The service opens with 100 films to choose from, including Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Additional new and catalog releases will be added to the service going forward. WB previously announced a deal to sell movies online in Germany via a P2P service run by Arvato. That service launches in late April.

Last week, Universal signed a deal with UK based Lovefilm to sell permanent digital downloads along with DVDs for one price. Permanent video downloads are rapidly gaining momentum and expected to launch in the US soon.

Source: Variety

CBS and DIC Entertainment unveiled their first slate as programming partners for the upcoming 2006-07 season, with an emphasis on original, health-conscious shows. Under the banner of CBS' Saturday Morning Secret Slumber Party, new series iinclude Horseland, a CGI/traditional animation mix set in a stable; Kooky Kitchen, in which a chef takes kids on a journey through his magic recipe book; and Littlest Pet Shop, about a young girl with a group of tiny pets as friends. Three series from DIC's library will also be added to the mix: Sabrina: The Animated Series, Trollz, and Emmy winner Madeline. The programming block will be rounded out by two live-action reality series: CAKE, in which a 13-year-old Martha Stewart-in-waiting instructs viewers about how to transform everyday items into more interesting objects, and Dance, Dance, Dance!, a show designed to teach kids their first steps. The new season kicks off September 16.

Source: Variety

Paramount has acquired rights to H.I.V.E. a young-adult novel by Mark Walden. The title is an acronym for the Higher Institute of Villainous Education, a school where kids with off-the-charts criminal acumen are taught to be super-villains.

Source: Variety

Robin Williams and Mandy Moore have signed on for License to Wed. The romantic comedy revolves around a young couple whose wedding plans are interrupted when a pushy minister (Williams) orders the pair to complete a two-week prenup course, which the groom subsequently fails. John Krasinski is in talks to play Moore's love interest. The script was penned by Kim Barker and rewritten by Dan Fogelman and Roger Kumble. Ken Kwapis is directing. The film begins shooting in L.A. and Mexico in May.

Source: Variety