The Houston Rockets have reached a multiyear deal with free agent Trevor Ariza, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Thursday night.
The person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because NBA rules prohibit announcing free-agent deals until next week, said the Rockets offered Ariza the full mid-level exception for the first year, about $5.6 million.
Ariza is coming to Houston just as Ron Artest decided to leave and play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Ariza is likely to take Artest's spot in the Rockets' starting lineup.
The 6-foot-8 Ariza averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the Lakers last season, which ended with the NBA championship.
The 24-year-old Ariza earned $3.1 million last season and he boosted his value during the playoffs, when he averaged 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists.
Ariza was acquired by the Lakers in a trade from Orlando in November 2007. He just completed his fifth NBA season after being drafted by the New York Knicks with the 43rd overall pick in 2004.
Ariza said after the Lakers' championship run that he was hoping to stay there. But his agent, David Lee, told KRIV-TV in Houston that Ariza got the impression that the Lakers didn't want him anymore.
"It was never about the money," Lee said. "It was about being at a place where he felt wanted and appreciated."
Rockets general manager Daryl Morey did not immediately return a phone message on Thursday night.
He flew to Las Vegas on Thursday to meet with Ariza, a sign that he was already expecting Artest to leave.
The Rockets will need Ariza's versatility and perimeter shooting early next season, because they know they'll be missing Tracy McGrady for the bulk of next season. The seven-time All-Star is recovering from microfracture surgery on his left knee and could be out until February.
The Rockets are also awaiting a definitive prognosis on Yao, who sustained a hairline fracture in his left foot in the playoffs. Morey made an aggressive pitch to free agent center Marcin Gortat shortly after the free agency period began on Wednesday.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Lakers reach agreement to add Ron Artest to squad
The Los Angeles Lakers are not content to stand pat in defense of their latest championship.
They reached an agreement Thursday with Houston Rockets free agent forward Ron Artest on a five-year deal using the team's mid-level exception that would pay Artest a little more $32 million based on last season's mid-level amount of $5.585 million. Artest will have an out in the contract after the fourth season, according to a source, and will be allowed to make the contract into a three-year deal if he changes his mind between now and next Wednesday, the first official day that players can sign contracts for the 2009-10 season.
The 29-year-old Artest might be inclined to go for a shorter deal to give him the chance at another contract after this one expires. By signing for three years, Artest would regain his "Larry Bird" rights, which allow a team to go over the salary cap in order to re-sign its own players and pay those players an additional year's salary. That would also apply if Artest wanted to leave the Lakers after three years; he'd get an additional year if the Lakers agreed to a sign-and-trade deal for him.
If he took fewer years, Artest would also be gambling that the economy will improve by the time his Lakers contract expires, allowing him to make up some of the money he'd be sacrificing at the front end of the deal.
But the big news is that Artest is bringing his unique skill sets--and his unique, quirky, occasionally dangerous life--to a Lakers team that was mostly free of drama this past season en route to the franchise's 15th NBA championship.
"Ron's really excited," said his agent, David Bauman, "really jazzed. He's looking forward to playing with a winner."
Assuming Phil Jackson comes back for the final year of his contract, dealing with Artest will be a challenge for Jackson much like Dennis Rodman, who joined the Bulls for the second half of that team's six titles in eight seasons in the 1990s.
Other contending teams like the Cavaliers tried hard to woo Artest, but the opportunity to play in Los Angeles, with its potential ancillary opportunities for income, was a large factor in his decision to go with the Lakers.
On the court, the Lakers are adding one of the league's top on-ball defenders to their team, teaming Artest and Kobe Bryant, who've had their own individual battles over the years. The two have the potential to be a top perimeter defensive duo, much as Artest and Houston's Shane Battier had great success in tandem this past season.
Artest was actually close to reaching an agreement on a contract extension last week with the Rockets, but those plans were thrown into uncertainty when Houston learned that center Yao Ming's injured foot wasn't healing at all, and might keep him out for part or all of next season. Not knowing Yao's short-term or long-term future with the Rockets made them less enticing to Artest, even though Houston could, and did, offer him more money to stay.
Agreeing to terms with Artest effectively ends the Lakers' pursuit of their own free agent small forward, Trevor Ariza, who was not interested in re-signing for the mid-level amount. Ironically, Ariza was meeting with the Rockets in Las Vegas on Thursday while Artest was agreeing to take his old job with Los Angeles.
The Lakers bombarded Artest with all manner of communication.
Bryant, who'd gotten into numerous trash-talking on-court spats with Artest over the last couple of seasons, sent Artest numerous texts since the start of the negotiating period Wednesday morning. Hall of Fame great Magic Johnson called Artest on Wednesday as well. And Artest had lunch this afternoon with Lakers majority owner Jerry Buss.
He was already inclined toward Los Angeles. He'd expressed great interest in going to the Lakers near the end of his stay with the Kings, and was courtside during last year's Finals between Los Angeles and Boston.
The Lakers are the latest among the NBA's elite class to make a major talent acquisition since the end of The Finals. The Cavaliers, who lost in the Eastern Conference finals to Orlando, formally introduced center Shaquille O'Neal, picked up from Phoenix a week ago, to their fans in Cleveland yesterday. The Magic, which lost to the Lakers in the Finals, traded for eight-time All-Star guard Vince Carter on draft night. The Spurs picked up forward Richard Jefferson from the Bucks; the Celtics, Spurs and Magic all are in hot pursuit of Pistons free agent big man Rasheed Wallace.
Boston lead owner Wyc Grousbeck, general manager Danny Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers, Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce all went to Detroit on Thursday to formally present Wallace with an offer for the full mid-level exception. But they left town without Wallace agreeing to a deal. Wallace will visit San Antonio and Orlando next week, according to a source, before making up his mind. Wallace is not likely to visit Cleveland.
They reached an agreement Thursday with Houston Rockets free agent forward Ron Artest on a five-year deal using the team's mid-level exception that would pay Artest a little more $32 million based on last season's mid-level amount of $5.585 million. Artest will have an out in the contract after the fourth season, according to a source, and will be allowed to make the contract into a three-year deal if he changes his mind between now and next Wednesday, the first official day that players can sign contracts for the 2009-10 season.
The 29-year-old Artest might be inclined to go for a shorter deal to give him the chance at another contract after this one expires. By signing for three years, Artest would regain his "Larry Bird" rights, which allow a team to go over the salary cap in order to re-sign its own players and pay those players an additional year's salary. That would also apply if Artest wanted to leave the Lakers after three years; he'd get an additional year if the Lakers agreed to a sign-and-trade deal for him.
If he took fewer years, Artest would also be gambling that the economy will improve by the time his Lakers contract expires, allowing him to make up some of the money he'd be sacrificing at the front end of the deal.
But the big news is that Artest is bringing his unique skill sets--and his unique, quirky, occasionally dangerous life--to a Lakers team that was mostly free of drama this past season en route to the franchise's 15th NBA championship.
"Ron's really excited," said his agent, David Bauman, "really jazzed. He's looking forward to playing with a winner."
Assuming Phil Jackson comes back for the final year of his contract, dealing with Artest will be a challenge for Jackson much like Dennis Rodman, who joined the Bulls for the second half of that team's six titles in eight seasons in the 1990s.
Other contending teams like the Cavaliers tried hard to woo Artest, but the opportunity to play in Los Angeles, with its potential ancillary opportunities for income, was a large factor in his decision to go with the Lakers.
On the court, the Lakers are adding one of the league's top on-ball defenders to their team, teaming Artest and Kobe Bryant, who've had their own individual battles over the years. The two have the potential to be a top perimeter defensive duo, much as Artest and Houston's Shane Battier had great success in tandem this past season.
Artest was actually close to reaching an agreement on a contract extension last week with the Rockets, but those plans were thrown into uncertainty when Houston learned that center Yao Ming's injured foot wasn't healing at all, and might keep him out for part or all of next season. Not knowing Yao's short-term or long-term future with the Rockets made them less enticing to Artest, even though Houston could, and did, offer him more money to stay.
Agreeing to terms with Artest effectively ends the Lakers' pursuit of their own free agent small forward, Trevor Ariza, who was not interested in re-signing for the mid-level amount. Ironically, Ariza was meeting with the Rockets in Las Vegas on Thursday while Artest was agreeing to take his old job with Los Angeles.
The Lakers bombarded Artest with all manner of communication.
Bryant, who'd gotten into numerous trash-talking on-court spats with Artest over the last couple of seasons, sent Artest numerous texts since the start of the negotiating period Wednesday morning. Hall of Fame great Magic Johnson called Artest on Wednesday as well. And Artest had lunch this afternoon with Lakers majority owner Jerry Buss.
He was already inclined toward Los Angeles. He'd expressed great interest in going to the Lakers near the end of his stay with the Kings, and was courtside during last year's Finals between Los Angeles and Boston.
The Lakers are the latest among the NBA's elite class to make a major talent acquisition since the end of The Finals. The Cavaliers, who lost in the Eastern Conference finals to Orlando, formally introduced center Shaquille O'Neal, picked up from Phoenix a week ago, to their fans in Cleveland yesterday. The Magic, which lost to the Lakers in the Finals, traded for eight-time All-Star guard Vince Carter on draft night. The Spurs picked up forward Richard Jefferson from the Bucks; the Celtics, Spurs and Magic all are in hot pursuit of Pistons free agent big man Rasheed Wallace.
Boston lead owner Wyc Grousbeck, general manager Danny Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers, Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce all went to Detroit on Thursday to formally present Wallace with an offer for the full mid-level exception. But they left town without Wallace agreeing to a deal. Wallace will visit San Antonio and Orlando next week, according to a source, before making up his mind. Wallace is not likely to visit Cleveland.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Freezes Transformers
The "dawn" of the extended holiday weekend box office commenced with Twentieth Century Fox's animated feature Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs freezing out the mega-grossing sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, grossing an estimated $13.8 million on Wednesday, in 3993 theaters.
Fox domestic distribution president, Bruce Snyder said: "What a great start for the holiday. 'Ice Age' continues to be a comedy for all audiences."
"Revenge of the Fallen" added $10.9 million for a domestic total of $240.9 million. It was followed on Wednesday by newcomer Public Enemies, which earned $8.2 million in 3,391 theaters.
The Transformers sequel could still beat "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" over the weekend.
Fox domestic distribution president, Bruce Snyder said: "What a great start for the holiday. 'Ice Age' continues to be a comedy for all audiences."
"Revenge of the Fallen" added $10.9 million for a domestic total of $240.9 million. It was followed on Wednesday by newcomer Public Enemies, which earned $8.2 million in 3,391 theaters.
The Transformers sequel could still beat "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" over the weekend.
Michael Jackson Left 'Endless' Supply Of Unreleased Music
Michael Jackson had a mountain of unreleased recordings in the vault when he died — music that is almost certain to be packaged and repackaged for his fans in the years to come.
The material includes unused tracks from studio sessions of some of Jackson's best albums, as well as more recently recorded songs made with Senegalese R&B singer and producer Akon and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.
"There are dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums," said Tommy Mottola, who from 1998 to 2003 was chairman and CEO of Sony Music, which owns the distribution rights to Jackson's music. "People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There's just some genius and brilliance in there."
The releases, Mottola said, "could go on for years and years — even more than Elvis."
Since Jackson's death Thursday, there has been an enormous, almost unprecedented demand for the King of Pop's music. Nielsen SoundScan said Wednesday that three of his records — "Number Ones," "Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller — were the best-selling albums of the week, and 2.3 million tracks of his have been downloaded in the U.S. alone.
When a music star of Jackson's stature dies, labels typically comb through their archives to pull out anything they can release. New compilations of recordings by performers such as Elvis, Tupac and Jeff Buckley are still released nearly every year.
Mottola, who has described himself as the "shepherd and gatekeeper" of Jackson's catalog and is familiar with it better than anyone, said that for every album Jackson made — including classics like 1979's "Off the Wall" and 1982's "Thriller" — he recorded several tracks that didn't make it onto the records.
(Mottola had only laudatory things to say about Jackson, who criticized Mottola in 2002 as a racist. Among those who defended Mottola at the time was the Rev. Al Sharpton.)
The details of who owns Jackson's unreleased music and concert footage are not entirely clear. Sony Music declined to comment. A person involved with the label who requested anonymity said no new projects or compilations are being planned yet.
The Jackson family has not publicly discussed plans for Jackson's catalog. In a 2002 will filed in court Wednesday, the pop star left his entire estate to a family trust, with his mother and his children named as beneficiaries.
Steve Gordon, an entertainment lawyer and author of "The Future of the Music Business," worked at Sony Music during the 1990s. He said he was at Sony when Jackson's last contract was negotiated, though he acknowledged it could have recently been updated.
Gordon said Jackson owns some of his master recordings, while others are owned in partnership with Sony. Regardless, he said, Sony retains exclusive distribution rights for anything Jackson produced during the term of their contract.
Gordon said he expects Sony's Legacy Recordings division to do something similar to what it did with Elvis and create a division purely for Jackson's catalog.
"They've done every kind of configuration to try to squeeze more money out of the catalog with Elvis and they'll do it with Michael Jackson — be sure of it," Gordon said. "I imagine that there's a ... load of concert recordings that may or may not have been released."
Jackson's last original album was 2001's "Invincible." His 2005 child molestation trial and other controversies distracted him from recording, but he was active in recent years.
He died just weeks before he was to perform 50 concerts at London's O2 arena in what was supposed to be his comeback. He had also begun working on new material.
Two weeks before he died, he wrapped up work on an elaborate production dubbed the "Dome Project," which could be the final finished video piece overseen by Jackson. Two people with knowledge of the project confirmed its existence Monday to The Associated Press on condition they not be identified because they signed confidentiality agreements.
Four sets were constructed for Jackson's production, including a cemetery recalling his famous "Thriller" video. Shooting for the project lasted from June 1 to June 9. Now in post-production, the project is expected to be completed next month.
Last year, Jackson released "Thriller 25," an album marking the 25th anniversary of the album. It included the new song "For All Time," as well as five remixes that involved will.i.am, Kanye West, Akon and Fergie.
The Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am has said he and Jackson recorded several songs together. He told the BBC on Monday that Jackson had possession of their demos, and that the songs "demanded all the people to the dance floor."
Akon had hoped to complete an album with Jackson once he finished his London concerts. The singer said they used to meet in Las Vegas whenever they had the time, and would talk on the phone constantly about ideas for the album.
Akon said they never actually completed a song except for "Hold My Hand," which leaked last year. "All the other songs were just ideas," Akon said.
He said he will keep the song fragments — a chorus here, a verse there — "locked up in the vault" until the Jackson family decides how to proceed. He said it could be worked into a tribute album.
"It was all positive records — songs to uplift people, songs to make people think about the problems in life," Akon said. "It was all about bringing people together."
The material includes unused tracks from studio sessions of some of Jackson's best albums, as well as more recently recorded songs made with Senegalese R&B singer and producer Akon and Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am.
"There are dozens and dozens of songs that did not end up on his albums," said Tommy Mottola, who from 1998 to 2003 was chairman and CEO of Sony Music, which owns the distribution rights to Jackson's music. "People will be hearing a lot of that unreleased material for the first time ever. There's just some genius and brilliance in there."
The releases, Mottola said, "could go on for years and years — even more than Elvis."
Since Jackson's death Thursday, there has been an enormous, almost unprecedented demand for the King of Pop's music. Nielsen SoundScan said Wednesday that three of his records — "Number Ones," "Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller — were the best-selling albums of the week, and 2.3 million tracks of his have been downloaded in the U.S. alone.
When a music star of Jackson's stature dies, labels typically comb through their archives to pull out anything they can release. New compilations of recordings by performers such as Elvis, Tupac and Jeff Buckley are still released nearly every year.
Mottola, who has described himself as the "shepherd and gatekeeper" of Jackson's catalog and is familiar with it better than anyone, said that for every album Jackson made — including classics like 1979's "Off the Wall" and 1982's "Thriller" — he recorded several tracks that didn't make it onto the records.
(Mottola had only laudatory things to say about Jackson, who criticized Mottola in 2002 as a racist. Among those who defended Mottola at the time was the Rev. Al Sharpton.)
The details of who owns Jackson's unreleased music and concert footage are not entirely clear. Sony Music declined to comment. A person involved with the label who requested anonymity said no new projects or compilations are being planned yet.
The Jackson family has not publicly discussed plans for Jackson's catalog. In a 2002 will filed in court Wednesday, the pop star left his entire estate to a family trust, with his mother and his children named as beneficiaries.
Steve Gordon, an entertainment lawyer and author of "The Future of the Music Business," worked at Sony Music during the 1990s. He said he was at Sony when Jackson's last contract was negotiated, though he acknowledged it could have recently been updated.
Gordon said Jackson owns some of his master recordings, while others are owned in partnership with Sony. Regardless, he said, Sony retains exclusive distribution rights for anything Jackson produced during the term of their contract.
Gordon said he expects Sony's Legacy Recordings division to do something similar to what it did with Elvis and create a division purely for Jackson's catalog.
"They've done every kind of configuration to try to squeeze more money out of the catalog with Elvis and they'll do it with Michael Jackson — be sure of it," Gordon said. "I imagine that there's a ... load of concert recordings that may or may not have been released."
Jackson's last original album was 2001's "Invincible." His 2005 child molestation trial and other controversies distracted him from recording, but he was active in recent years.
He died just weeks before he was to perform 50 concerts at London's O2 arena in what was supposed to be his comeback. He had also begun working on new material.
Two weeks before he died, he wrapped up work on an elaborate production dubbed the "Dome Project," which could be the final finished video piece overseen by Jackson. Two people with knowledge of the project confirmed its existence Monday to The Associated Press on condition they not be identified because they signed confidentiality agreements.
Four sets were constructed for Jackson's production, including a cemetery recalling his famous "Thriller" video. Shooting for the project lasted from June 1 to June 9. Now in post-production, the project is expected to be completed next month.
Last year, Jackson released "Thriller 25," an album marking the 25th anniversary of the album. It included the new song "For All Time," as well as five remixes that involved will.i.am, Kanye West, Akon and Fergie.
The Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am has said he and Jackson recorded several songs together. He told the BBC on Monday that Jackson had possession of their demos, and that the songs "demanded all the people to the dance floor."
Akon had hoped to complete an album with Jackson once he finished his London concerts. The singer said they used to meet in Las Vegas whenever they had the time, and would talk on the phone constantly about ideas for the album.
Akon said they never actually completed a song except for "Hold My Hand," which leaked last year. "All the other songs were just ideas," Akon said.
He said he will keep the song fragments — a chorus here, a verse there — "locked up in the vault" until the Jackson family decides how to proceed. He said it could be worked into a tribute album.
"It was all positive records — songs to uplift people, songs to make people think about the problems in life," Akon said. "It was all about bringing people together."
Universal Pictures to Fight Asteroids
Universal has won a four-studio bidding war to pick up the film rights to the classic Atari video game "Asteroids," says The Hollywood Reporter. Matthew Lopez will write the script for the feature adaptation, which will be produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
In "Asteroids," initially released as an arcade game in 1979, a player controlled a triangular space ship in an asteroid field. You can play an unofficial version of the game below!
Universal is also developing movies based on Hasbro board game properties such as "Battleship," "Candyland," "Ouija," "Monopoly" and "Clue."
In "Asteroids," initially released as an arcade game in 1979, a player controlled a triangular space ship in an asteroid field. You can play an unofficial version of the game below!
Universal is also developing movies based on Hasbro board game properties such as "Battleship," "Candyland," "Ouija," "Monopoly" and "Clue."
Ratings: Talent Is Tops, But Philanthropist May Need Help
Wednesday's ratings recap:
8 pm/ET
ABC's Wipeout topped the hour with 7.8 million total viewers, up 100K week-to-week. So You Think You Can Dance's Top 14 performance show, however, led the demos, and averaged 7.65 mil over its two-hour run.
9 pm
America's Got Talent was the night's most-watched program, delivering 11.3 million viewers (up 9 percent week-to-week). Me, I'd prefer to see the Hoff drink, like, six fewer Red Bulls before each show. ABC's I Survived a Japanese Game Show (3.83 mil) dropped 350K.
10 pm
Despite having an even stronger lead-in this week, NBC's The Philanthropist (5.7 mil) plunged 23 percent from its premiere, placing a distant second behind a CSI: NY repeat (8.1 mil).
8 pm/ET
ABC's Wipeout topped the hour with 7.8 million total viewers, up 100K week-to-week. So You Think You Can Dance's Top 14 performance show, however, led the demos, and averaged 7.65 mil over its two-hour run.
9 pm
America's Got Talent was the night's most-watched program, delivering 11.3 million viewers (up 9 percent week-to-week). Me, I'd prefer to see the Hoff drink, like, six fewer Red Bulls before each show. ABC's I Survived a Japanese Game Show (3.83 mil) dropped 350K.
10 pm
Despite having an even stronger lead-in this week, NBC's The Philanthropist (5.7 mil) plunged 23 percent from its premiere, placing a distant second behind a CSI: NY repeat (8.1 mil).
Aldridge: Pistons agree to terms with Gordon, Villanueva
The Detroit Pistons agreed to terms with two of the NBA's top free agents on the first day of free agency Wednesday, getting commitments from Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon and Milwaukee Bucks forward Charlie Villanueva on multi-year deals. Gordon agreed to terms on a five-year deal worth $58 million, according to sources, and Villanueva agreed a five-year deal worth $40 million. The deals used up all of the $19 million the Pistons had under next year's likely salary cap, but makes Detroit a deep, versatile team after the Pistons were spanked in the first round of the playoffs.
Gordon had been on the Pistons' radar for some time, and had been linked to them soon after Chicago's first-round playoff loss to Boston, and Villanueva became free after Milwaukee declined to make him a qualifying offer on Monday, which would have made Villanueva a restricted free agent, allowing the Bucks to match any offer he received. Failing to make the offer made Villanueva an unrestricted free agent, allowing him to sign with any team.
Several contending teams, including Cleveland and San Antonio, had hoped to sign the 24-year-old Villanueva, who had career highs in points (16.2) and rebounds (6.7) for Milwaukee last season.
The Pistons brought in Gordon, 26, and Villanueva together, figuring the two former University of Connecticut teammates -- they won the national championship together in 2004 -- would feel more comfortable seeing one another. It worked.
Last season, the Pistons fell apart internally, with players openly sniping against former coach Michael Curry, who was fired Tuesday. At issue was Curry's decision to bench veteran guard Rip Hamilton in favor of newcomer Allen Iverson, who'd been acquired from Denver for guard Chauncey Billups. Iverson quickly wore out his welcome in Detroit, missing the final few weeks of the season with a back injury, and the Pistons had no interest in re-signing him.
Gordon's arrival is different, a team source said.
"Ben agreed to come here knowing he would come off the bench," the source said. "That makes it completely different than Iverson coming here ... Gordon is choosing to come here and play the super sub role."
Gordon and Villanueva's arrivals continue the makeover of the team that reached six straight Eastern Conference finals between 2002 and 2008. President of basketball operations Joe Dumars had said after the 2008 conference finals loss to Boston that he thought his team had grown stale and needed to be broken up. He's been as good as his word, with Billups already gone and free agents Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess less likely to return.
Now, Detroit sports a three-guard rotation of Rodney Stuckey, Hamilton and Gordon, with Tayshaun Prince and first-round pick Austin Daye at small forward, with Villanueva starting at power forward. If Wallace and McDyess both leave, Detroit would have a hole to fill at center, with veteran Kwame Brown the most likely candidate at the moment.
Gordon's deal ended two offseasons of sometimes contentious negotiations with his former team over a contract. He started his career in Chicago as a sixth man, but soon became a starter, and led the team in scoring this season, including a 24.3 point average in the Boston series. But the Bulls claimed he turned down several offers for a new contract in each of the last two summers. Gordon's camp denied that he had gotten significant offers from Chicago. At any rate, he signed a one-year deal worth $6.4 million last year.
Gordon's agent, Ray Brothers, said that 17 teams contacted him Wednesday about Gordon, but most were looking to sign Gordon to the mid-level exception or looking to do a sign-and-trade with Chicago. And after the last two summers of trying to negotiate deals with Chicago, Gordon was leery of yet more delay in trying to work something out down the road when Detroit came through so quickly with a tangible offer.
Gordon had been on the Pistons' radar for some time, and had been linked to them soon after Chicago's first-round playoff loss to Boston, and Villanueva became free after Milwaukee declined to make him a qualifying offer on Monday, which would have made Villanueva a restricted free agent, allowing the Bucks to match any offer he received. Failing to make the offer made Villanueva an unrestricted free agent, allowing him to sign with any team.
Several contending teams, including Cleveland and San Antonio, had hoped to sign the 24-year-old Villanueva, who had career highs in points (16.2) and rebounds (6.7) for Milwaukee last season.
The Pistons brought in Gordon, 26, and Villanueva together, figuring the two former University of Connecticut teammates -- they won the national championship together in 2004 -- would feel more comfortable seeing one another. It worked.
Last season, the Pistons fell apart internally, with players openly sniping against former coach Michael Curry, who was fired Tuesday. At issue was Curry's decision to bench veteran guard Rip Hamilton in favor of newcomer Allen Iverson, who'd been acquired from Denver for guard Chauncey Billups. Iverson quickly wore out his welcome in Detroit, missing the final few weeks of the season with a back injury, and the Pistons had no interest in re-signing him.
Gordon's arrival is different, a team source said.
"Ben agreed to come here knowing he would come off the bench," the source said. "That makes it completely different than Iverson coming here ... Gordon is choosing to come here and play the super sub role."
Gordon and Villanueva's arrivals continue the makeover of the team that reached six straight Eastern Conference finals between 2002 and 2008. President of basketball operations Joe Dumars had said after the 2008 conference finals loss to Boston that he thought his team had grown stale and needed to be broken up. He's been as good as his word, with Billups already gone and free agents Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess less likely to return.
Now, Detroit sports a three-guard rotation of Rodney Stuckey, Hamilton and Gordon, with Tayshaun Prince and first-round pick Austin Daye at small forward, with Villanueva starting at power forward. If Wallace and McDyess both leave, Detroit would have a hole to fill at center, with veteran Kwame Brown the most likely candidate at the moment.
Gordon's deal ended two offseasons of sometimes contentious negotiations with his former team over a contract. He started his career in Chicago as a sixth man, but soon became a starter, and led the team in scoring this season, including a 24.3 point average in the Boston series. But the Bulls claimed he turned down several offers for a new contract in each of the last two summers. Gordon's camp denied that he had gotten significant offers from Chicago. At any rate, he signed a one-year deal worth $6.4 million last year.
Gordon's agent, Ray Brothers, said that 17 teams contacted him Wednesday about Gordon, but most were looking to sign Gordon to the mid-level exception or looking to do a sign-and-trade with Chicago. And after the last two summers of trying to negotiate deals with Chicago, Gordon was leery of yet more delay in trying to work something out down the road when Detroit came through so quickly with a tangible offer.
Clippers agree to deal Randolph to Grizzlies for Richardson
A week after the Los Angeles Clippers backed out of a proposed trade that would have sent forward Zach Randolph to the Memphis Grizzlies, the Clippers have changed their minds and will now agree to the deal, with newly acquired Memphis swingman Quentin Richardson going to the Clippers, TNT's David Aldridge reports. The deal can't officially be announced until next week.
The deal would clear a logjam for the Clippers' frontcourt. The team was determined to make room for its first-round pick, overall number one selection Blake Griffin, but playing time was split up between Randolph, center Chris Kaman and forward/center Marcus Camby. It was believed that Randolph, with his low-post skills, was the safest of the three, because halfcourt basketball is the preference of Coach Mike Dunleavy. But Kaman's contract, with an expensive trade kicker, may have made him more difficult to deal.
The trade probably wouldn't have been made if the Clippers hadn't won the Lottery, but they did, and Griffin's presence signals a likely change to a more up-tempo attack in Los Angeles next season.
The 27-year-old Randolph averaged 20.8 points and 10.8 rebounds last season, playing the first 11 games in New York and 39 in Los Angeles after being dealt by the Knicks in a package for Cuttino Mobley and forward Tim Thomas. It was the second straight season Randolph averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds.
It's a low-risk deal for Memphis, which hasn't had a legitimate low-post option since dealing Pau Gasol to the Lakers in that often-vilified deal in early 2008. But that deal brought forward Marc Gasol, Pau's brother and the team's starting center last season, and the other pieces in the deal ultimately led to the Grizzlies getting a draft pick in last week's draft that turned into Pittsburgh forward Sam Young. Young was one of three solid picks in last week's draft, along with center Hasheem Thabeet and forward DeMarre Carroll.
The deal also makes the Clippers yet another team that could be a player in the summer of 2010. With the final two years and $33.3 million of Randolph's deal off their books (Richardson has one year at $8.7 million left on his contract), Los Angeles will only have a little more than $36 million committed in team salaries, including Griffin's second-year salary of $4.4 million, for 2010.
The Grizzlies changed potential players in the deal to make it work. Last week, they had offered forward Marco Jaric for Randolph, but with two years and $14.7 million left on his deal, he wouldn't have given the Clippers with the potential to get involved in 2010 that Richardson's contract provides, and owner Donald Sterling nixed the deal.
Richardson, 29, has seen his production fall off in recent seasons. He averaged just 10.2 points in 72 games for New York last season. The Grizzlies traded center Darko Milicic to the Knicks last week for Richardson, but there was no place for him in Memphis with O.J. Mayo well set at the shooting guard spot and Rudy Gay the incumbent at small forward. So in essence, the Grizzlies were able to turn Milicic into Randolph.
Richardson spent his first four seasons with the Clippers after being drafted by them in 2000.
Hoopsworld and the Los Angeles Times first reported the potential trade.
The deal would clear a logjam for the Clippers' frontcourt. The team was determined to make room for its first-round pick, overall number one selection Blake Griffin, but playing time was split up between Randolph, center Chris Kaman and forward/center Marcus Camby. It was believed that Randolph, with his low-post skills, was the safest of the three, because halfcourt basketball is the preference of Coach Mike Dunleavy. But Kaman's contract, with an expensive trade kicker, may have made him more difficult to deal.
The trade probably wouldn't have been made if the Clippers hadn't won the Lottery, but they did, and Griffin's presence signals a likely change to a more up-tempo attack in Los Angeles next season.
The 27-year-old Randolph averaged 20.8 points and 10.8 rebounds last season, playing the first 11 games in New York and 39 in Los Angeles after being dealt by the Knicks in a package for Cuttino Mobley and forward Tim Thomas. It was the second straight season Randolph averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds.
It's a low-risk deal for Memphis, which hasn't had a legitimate low-post option since dealing Pau Gasol to the Lakers in that often-vilified deal in early 2008. But that deal brought forward Marc Gasol, Pau's brother and the team's starting center last season, and the other pieces in the deal ultimately led to the Grizzlies getting a draft pick in last week's draft that turned into Pittsburgh forward Sam Young. Young was one of three solid picks in last week's draft, along with center Hasheem Thabeet and forward DeMarre Carroll.
The deal also makes the Clippers yet another team that could be a player in the summer of 2010. With the final two years and $33.3 million of Randolph's deal off their books (Richardson has one year at $8.7 million left on his contract), Los Angeles will only have a little more than $36 million committed in team salaries, including Griffin's second-year salary of $4.4 million, for 2010.
The Grizzlies changed potential players in the deal to make it work. Last week, they had offered forward Marco Jaric for Randolph, but with two years and $14.7 million left on his deal, he wouldn't have given the Clippers with the potential to get involved in 2010 that Richardson's contract provides, and owner Donald Sterling nixed the deal.
Richardson, 29, has seen his production fall off in recent seasons. He averaged just 10.2 points in 72 games for New York last season. The Grizzlies traded center Darko Milicic to the Knicks last week for Richardson, but there was no place for him in Memphis with O.J. Mayo well set at the shooting guard spot and Rudy Gay the incumbent at small forward. So in essence, the Grizzlies were able to turn Milicic into Randolph.
Richardson spent his first four seasons with the Clippers after being drafted by them in 2000.
Hoopsworld and the Los Angeles Times first reported the potential trade.
Ratings: True Blood Stakes New High, Hung Bows Big, More
Some recent ratings highlights:
• HBO's True Blood on Sunday hit a new all-time high, drawing 3.7 million total viewers. Lead-out Hung, in turn, enjoyed a premiere audience of 2.8 mil, making it the pay channel's most-watched series debut in two years (since John from Cincinnati).
• America's Got Talent was Tuesday's most-watched program with 12.9 million viewers, a 14 percent increase from its season opener.
• ABC's The Superstars scored 4 mil in its second week, dipping 340K. Lead-out Better Off Ted slipped to 1.78 mil.
• During Tuesday's 10 o'clock hour, CBS' 48 Hours Mystery special about the death of Michael Jackson was No. 1 with 8.15 mil.
• HBO's True Blood on Sunday hit a new all-time high, drawing 3.7 million total viewers. Lead-out Hung, in turn, enjoyed a premiere audience of 2.8 mil, making it the pay channel's most-watched series debut in two years (since John from Cincinnati).
• America's Got Talent was Tuesday's most-watched program with 12.9 million viewers, a 14 percent increase from its season opener.
• ABC's The Superstars scored 4 mil in its second week, dipping 340K. Lead-out Better Off Ted slipped to 1.78 mil.
• During Tuesday's 10 o'clock hour, CBS' 48 Hours Mystery special about the death of Michael Jackson was No. 1 with 8.15 mil.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Boys Like Girls Is 'Love Drunk' On Sophomore Album
Boys Like Girls mined a universe of nearly 80s songs for its sophomore album, "Love Drunk," which drops Sept. 8 with the first single -- the title track -- already out on MySpace Music and headed to Top 40 radio outlets on July 7.
"I had three records written and I wrote a whole new one and wasn't satisfied yet," Martin Johnson, the Boston pop quartet's prolific frontman, tells Billboard.com. "I wanted to really step up the bar and keep our current fans but at the same time expand it so that we're happy and we could maybe get some other age ranges happy, too."
Johnson said "Love Drunk" -- the follow-up to BLG's gold-certified self-titled 2007 debut -- is "still definitely BLG. It doesn't stray off the path too much, but, it doesn't sound as youthy, angsty, whiny. It's more grown-up lyrically and musically and taking influences from all across the board, from every type of music and putting it into one and having a lot of fun. I think a lot more people will be able to relate to it."
BLG worked on the album with producers Brian Howes (Puddle of Mudd, Hinder, Chris Cornell) in Vancouver and S*A*M & Sluggo (Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Metro Station) in New York. The group has been playing some of its new songs during its current tour of clubs and Six Flags amusement parks and getting a "really good reaction," according to Johnson. "We toured for pretty much three straight years on ('Boys Like Girls'), so it's been really amazing to whip out some new tracks and see the crowd's response," he says.
BLG is booked through Aug. 7, including a slot on the mtvU Sunblock Music Festival, some opening dates for "The Academy Is..." and a pair of Summer Sonic shows in Japan. The group plans to shoot a video for "Love Drunk" and plans to tour well into 2010 to support the album.
"I had three records written and I wrote a whole new one and wasn't satisfied yet," Martin Johnson, the Boston pop quartet's prolific frontman, tells Billboard.com. "I wanted to really step up the bar and keep our current fans but at the same time expand it so that we're happy and we could maybe get some other age ranges happy, too."
Johnson said "Love Drunk" -- the follow-up to BLG's gold-certified self-titled 2007 debut -- is "still definitely BLG. It doesn't stray off the path too much, but, it doesn't sound as youthy, angsty, whiny. It's more grown-up lyrically and musically and taking influences from all across the board, from every type of music and putting it into one and having a lot of fun. I think a lot more people will be able to relate to it."
BLG worked on the album with producers Brian Howes (Puddle of Mudd, Hinder, Chris Cornell) in Vancouver and S*A*M & Sluggo (Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, Metro Station) in New York. The group has been playing some of its new songs during its current tour of clubs and Six Flags amusement parks and getting a "really good reaction," according to Johnson. "We toured for pretty much three straight years on ('Boys Like Girls'), so it's been really amazing to whip out some new tracks and see the crowd's response," he says.
BLG is booked through Aug. 7, including a slot on the mtvU Sunblock Music Festival, some opening dates for "The Academy Is..." and a pair of Summer Sonic shows in Japan. The group plans to shoot a video for "Love Drunk" and plans to tour well into 2010 to support the album.
Michael Jackson Breaks Billboard Charts Records
As predicted, Michael Jackson is once again the King of the Pop charts.
Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the entire top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles when the tally is released in the early morning on Wednesday (July 1). Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week ended at the close of business on Sunday (June 28) night.
Jackson himself has a record eight out of the top 10, while a Jackson 5 compilation also finds its way into the upper tier.
The King of Pop's "Number Ones" will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with 108,000 (an increase of 2,340%) while "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week "Number Ones" was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both "Essential" and "Thriller" re-enter the tally this week.
Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set "Off the Wall" re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album "Bad" returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5's "The Ultimate Collection" debuts with 18,000. Jackson's fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991's "Dangerous," re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000 while his 2001 compilation "Greatest Hits: HIStory -- Volume 1" also comes back to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson's 2004 box set "The Ultimate Collection" charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000.
The lone non-Jackson-related set in the top 10 is a reissue of the "Woodstock" movie soundtrack, which bows at No. 10 with 8,000.
Collectively, Jackson's solo albums sold 415,000 this past week. That's extraordinary, since his titles sold a combined 10,000 in the week that ended June 21. Of the 415,000 total, 58% were digital downloads.
Additionally, the 415,000 albums sold just last week is nearly 40% more than what Jackson's catalog had sold the the entire year up through June 21 (297,000).
Speaking of digital albums, on the Top Digital Albums chart, Jackson has a record six out of the top 10 slots, including the entire top four. "The Essential Michael Jackson" leads the Top Digital Albums list with 80,000 downloads sold, while "Thriller" is No. 2 with 57,000.
With the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." moving back to the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 chart with 88,000, this week marks the first time that a catalog album has sold more than the No. 1 current set on the Billboard 200 albums chart. (All three of Jackson's top sellers on the Pop Catalog chart outsell "The E.N.D.")
Ironically, the feat almost occurred when Jackson re-issued "Thriller" in February 2008. The set relaunched with 166,000, re-entering at No. 1 on the Top Pop Catalog chart. That week, Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" led the Billboard 200 chart with 180,000 while Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" was at No. 2 with 115,000.
Catalog albums are ineligible to appear on the Billboard 200 albums chart, though they can chart on the all-encompassing Top Comprehensive Albums list. On the latter chart, Jackson's "Number Ones," "Essential" and "Thriller" are at Nos. 1-3, followed by the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." at No. 4.
Jackson places a record 25 songs on the 75-position Hot Digital Songs chart (21 solo hits and four with his siblings), smashing the mark of 14 charting titles established by David Cook in the June 7, 2008 issue. Jackson's Halloween radio staple, "Thriller," moves 167,000, which is good for second place on the chart behind the 203,000 shifted by the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling."
"Thriller" was also Jackson's best seller in the week before his death with 5,000 downloads, which translates to a 3,551% jump. Jackson's total volume of downloads this week -- including his tracks with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons -- account for 2.6 million downloads, a remarkable number considering last week's cumulative sum was 48,000. Moreover, Jackson becomes the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week.
Besides "Thriller," Jackson places five other songs in the top 10 including "Man In The Mirror" (No. 3, 165,000), "Billie Jean" (No. 4, 158,000), "The Way You Make Me Feel" (No. 6, 136,000), "Beat It" (No. 7, 134,000) and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (No. 8, 125,000).
Not surprisingly, each of the tracks in the top 10 of Hot Digital Songs were among the top 10 most-played Jackson selections at radio following his passing. According to research provided by Nielsen BDS of monitored airplay from over 1,600 terrestrial and satellite radio stations and cable music channels, "Billie Jean" was the Jackson track with the most spins for the week ending June 28 with 4,540 -- 97% of which occurred after news of his death became public. The track posted only 318 plays in the prior week.
Based on preliminary sales numbers from Nielsen SoundScan, the entire top nine positions on Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart will house Jackson-related titles when the tally is released in the early morning on Wednesday (July 1). Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week ended at the close of business on Sunday (June 28) night.
Jackson himself has a record eight out of the top 10, while a Jackson 5 compilation also finds its way into the upper tier.
The King of Pop's "Number Ones" will fittingly lead the pack at No. 1 with 108,000 (an increase of 2,340%) while "The Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" are in the Nos. 2 and 3 slots with 102,000 and 101,000, respectively. Last week "Number Ones" was the only Jackson title on the chart, at No. 20 with 4,000 copies; both "Essential" and "Thriller" re-enter the tally this week.
Additionally, his classic 1979 studio set "Off the Wall" re-enters at No. 4 with 33,000 while his 1987 album "Bad" returns at No. 6 with 17,000. At No. 5, the Jackson 5's "The Ultimate Collection" debuts with 18,000. Jackson's fourth studio album for Epic Records, 1991's "Dangerous," re-enters at No. 7 with 14,000 while his 2001 compilation "Greatest Hits: HIStory -- Volume 1" also comes back to the list at No. 8 with 12,000. Finally, Jackson's 2004 box set "The Ultimate Collection" charts its first week on the Pop Catalog chart, arriving at No. 9 with 11,000.
The lone non-Jackson-related set in the top 10 is a reissue of the "Woodstock" movie soundtrack, which bows at No. 10 with 8,000.
Collectively, Jackson's solo albums sold 415,000 this past week. That's extraordinary, since his titles sold a combined 10,000 in the week that ended June 21. Of the 415,000 total, 58% were digital downloads.
Additionally, the 415,000 albums sold just last week is nearly 40% more than what Jackson's catalog had sold the the entire year up through June 21 (297,000).
Speaking of digital albums, on the Top Digital Albums chart, Jackson has a record six out of the top 10 slots, including the entire top four. "The Essential Michael Jackson" leads the Top Digital Albums list with 80,000 downloads sold, while "Thriller" is No. 2 with 57,000.
With the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." moving back to the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 chart with 88,000, this week marks the first time that a catalog album has sold more than the No. 1 current set on the Billboard 200 albums chart. (All three of Jackson's top sellers on the Pop Catalog chart outsell "The E.N.D.")
Ironically, the feat almost occurred when Jackson re-issued "Thriller" in February 2008. The set relaunched with 166,000, re-entering at No. 1 on the Top Pop Catalog chart. That week, Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" led the Billboard 200 chart with 180,000 while Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" was at No. 2 with 115,000.
Catalog albums are ineligible to appear on the Billboard 200 albums chart, though they can chart on the all-encompassing Top Comprehensive Albums list. On the latter chart, Jackson's "Number Ones," "Essential" and "Thriller" are at Nos. 1-3, followed by the Black Eyed Peas' "The E.N.D." at No. 4.
Jackson places a record 25 songs on the 75-position Hot Digital Songs chart (21 solo hits and four with his siblings), smashing the mark of 14 charting titles established by David Cook in the June 7, 2008 issue. Jackson's Halloween radio staple, "Thriller," moves 167,000, which is good for second place on the chart behind the 203,000 shifted by the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling."
"Thriller" was also Jackson's best seller in the week before his death with 5,000 downloads, which translates to a 3,551% jump. Jackson's total volume of downloads this week -- including his tracks with the Jackson 5 and the Jacksons -- account for 2.6 million downloads, a remarkable number considering last week's cumulative sum was 48,000. Moreover, Jackson becomes the first act to sell more than 1 million song downloads in a week.
Besides "Thriller," Jackson places five other songs in the top 10 including "Man In The Mirror" (No. 3, 165,000), "Billie Jean" (No. 4, 158,000), "The Way You Make Me Feel" (No. 6, 136,000), "Beat It" (No. 7, 134,000) and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (No. 8, 125,000).
Not surprisingly, each of the tracks in the top 10 of Hot Digital Songs were among the top 10 most-played Jackson selections at radio following his passing. According to research provided by Nielsen BDS of monitored airplay from over 1,600 terrestrial and satellite radio stations and cable music channels, "Billie Jean" was the Jackson track with the most spins for the week ending June 28 with 4,540 -- 97% of which occurred after news of his death became public. The track posted only 318 plays in the prior week.
Pistons fire Curry after one season on job
All or nothing seems to be the formula for coaching the Detroit Pistons. Bring home an NBA championship or hit the road.
First-year coach Michael Curry became the latest Pistons coach to get the ax as president for basketball operations Joe Dumars fired him Tuesday after watching his team stumble to a sub-.500 record and an embarrassing first-round exit from the playoffs.
But winning playoff games hasn't been enough to keep Pistons management happy. Just ask Flip Saunders.
Dumars fired Saunders last season after he led the team to the Eastern Conference finals in each of his three seasons. Curry was an assistant under Saunders for one season.
In 2005, the Pistons parted ways with Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown after he helped them win a title and almost repeat during his two years with the team. And Rick Carlisle was fired after two years with the Pistons following a conference finals appearance in 2003 in his second season and NBA Coach of the Year honors in his first.
Curry and Dumars shared playing days together with Detroit. That may have helped Curry land the coaching job last year, but it wasn't enough to keep him it.
The Pistons went 39-43 in 2008-09 and were swept in the postseason in four lopsided losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers after six straight conference finals appearances. Dumars said after that series that Curry would return, but changed his mind by Tuesday.
"This was a difficult decision to make," Dumars said in a statement. "I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."
Pistons spokesman Kevin Grigg said the timetable for naming a new coach was up in the air.
"Obviously with the free agency period starting tomorrow (Wednesday), we don't know quite the speed of it," Grigg said.
Another ex-Pistons player and former Dumars teammate, Bill Laimbeer, stepped down in June as coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock, saying he wanted a shot at coaching in the NBA. An e-mail message was left for Laimbeer seeking comment Tuesday.
The Pistons began the season with big hopes but couldn't recover from the loss of All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups in a November trade to Denver for Allen Iverson -- a move intended to feature Iverson's creativity and create time for emerging guard Rodney Stuckey.
Instead, the Pistons fell apart. They won just three games in February and three in April, plummeting to the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff seeding and a no-win matchup with LeBron James and the Cavs.
The playoff series loss ended a dominant run: The Pistons and the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers are the only franchises to play in six straight conference finals since 1970-71, when teams had to win two series to advance that far.
Immediately after the season, Dumars defended Curry.
"It was an up-and-down season for him," Dumars said then. "And, an up-and down-season for us. ... The fact that we made so many changes for a first-year coach, I had to step back and be a little more patient than I have been. ... I tried to put myself in his shoes."
A telephone message seeking comment was left for Curry on Tuesday. In January, he said he expected to be held responsible for the team's fortunes.
"It's part of the job," he said. "When you lose, it's the coach's fault. When you win, the players get the praise."
Dumars last week started rebuilding the roster. The Pistons may very well part with unrestricted free agents Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, and they picked up forwards Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko in last week's draft.
Curry, who played for the Pistons in 1995-1997 and 1999-2003, started his playing career as an undrafted free agent during the 1993-94 season in Philadelphia and ended during the 2004-05 season with the Indiana Pacers.
Near the end of his playing career, Curry headed the NBA players' association, leading it from 2001-2003. He later served as the NBA Development League's vice president for player development and the NBA's vice president for basketball operations.
Curry averaged 4 1/2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 20 minutes a game over his career, which also included stints in Milwaukee, Toronto and Washington. His defense and leadership kept him in the league despite averaging less than seven points a season.
First-year coach Michael Curry became the latest Pistons coach to get the ax as president for basketball operations Joe Dumars fired him Tuesday after watching his team stumble to a sub-.500 record and an embarrassing first-round exit from the playoffs.
But winning playoff games hasn't been enough to keep Pistons management happy. Just ask Flip Saunders.
Dumars fired Saunders last season after he led the team to the Eastern Conference finals in each of his three seasons. Curry was an assistant under Saunders for one season.
In 2005, the Pistons parted ways with Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown after he helped them win a title and almost repeat during his two years with the team. And Rick Carlisle was fired after two years with the Pistons following a conference finals appearance in 2003 in his second season and NBA Coach of the Year honors in his first.
Curry and Dumars shared playing days together with Detroit. That may have helped Curry land the coaching job last year, but it wasn't enough to keep him it.
The Pistons went 39-43 in 2008-09 and were swept in the postseason in four lopsided losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers after six straight conference finals appearances. Dumars said after that series that Curry would return, but changed his mind by Tuesday.
"This was a difficult decision to make," Dumars said in a statement. "I want to thank Michael for his hard work and dedication to the organization. However, at this time, I have decided to make a change."
Pistons spokesman Kevin Grigg said the timetable for naming a new coach was up in the air.
"Obviously with the free agency period starting tomorrow (Wednesday), we don't know quite the speed of it," Grigg said.
Another ex-Pistons player and former Dumars teammate, Bill Laimbeer, stepped down in June as coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock, saying he wanted a shot at coaching in the NBA. An e-mail message was left for Laimbeer seeking comment Tuesday.
The Pistons began the season with big hopes but couldn't recover from the loss of All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups in a November trade to Denver for Allen Iverson -- a move intended to feature Iverson's creativity and create time for emerging guard Rodney Stuckey.
Instead, the Pistons fell apart. They won just three games in February and three in April, plummeting to the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoff seeding and a no-win matchup with LeBron James and the Cavs.
The playoff series loss ended a dominant run: The Pistons and the Magic Johnson-led Los Angeles Lakers are the only franchises to play in six straight conference finals since 1970-71, when teams had to win two series to advance that far.
Immediately after the season, Dumars defended Curry.
"It was an up-and-down season for him," Dumars said then. "And, an up-and down-season for us. ... The fact that we made so many changes for a first-year coach, I had to step back and be a little more patient than I have been. ... I tried to put myself in his shoes."
A telephone message seeking comment was left for Curry on Tuesday. In January, he said he expected to be held responsible for the team's fortunes.
"It's part of the job," he said. "When you lose, it's the coach's fault. When you win, the players get the praise."
Dumars last week started rebuilding the roster. The Pistons may very well part with unrestricted free agents Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess, and they picked up forwards Austin Daye, DaJuan Summers and Jonas Jerebko in last week's draft.
Curry, who played for the Pistons in 1995-1997 and 1999-2003, started his playing career as an undrafted free agent during the 1993-94 season in Philadelphia and ended during the 2004-05 season with the Indiana Pacers.
Near the end of his playing career, Curry headed the NBA players' association, leading it from 2001-2003. He later served as the NBA Development League's vice president for player development and the NBA's vice president for basketball operations.
Curry averaged 4 1/2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 20 minutes a game over his career, which also included stints in Milwaukee, Toronto and Washington. His defense and leadership kept him in the league despite averaging less than seven points a season.
Ratings: Jackson Tribute Leads BET Awards to All-Time High, Disney Queens Rule, and More
Some recent ratings highlights:
• The Friday premiere of the Disney Channel's Princess Protection Program movie, starring Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, delivered 8.5 million total viewers, becoming cable's top-rated scripted program of the year-to-date. In its time slot, it bested all comers and nearly doubled runner-up NBC's audience (4.6 mil). Princess is Disney's No. 3 original movie of all time, trailing only High School Musical 2 and Camp Rock.
• On Saturday, Kings (1.54 mil, -400K) and Harper's Island (3.54 mil, -240K) both dipped, while Eli Stone (2.7 mil) gained 200 thou.
• On Sunday, the BET Awards — reformatted to serve as an all-star tribute to the late Michael Jackson — saw a 61 percent increase over its 2008 telecast, delivering a 5.8 rating (versus the program's previous all-time high of 3.7 mil).
• Also on Sunday, Week 2 of NBC's Merlin conjured up 4.27 mil, dropping 20 percent from its premiere.
• On Monday, The Bachelorette (7.96 mil) was up 17 percent week-to-week, NBC repeats fared markedly better than I'm a Celebrity had been doing, and Fox's rebroadcast of the Michael Jackson-themed American Idol performance show drew 4.22 mil.
• The Friday premiere of the Disney Channel's Princess Protection Program movie, starring Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, delivered 8.5 million total viewers, becoming cable's top-rated scripted program of the year-to-date. In its time slot, it bested all comers and nearly doubled runner-up NBC's audience (4.6 mil). Princess is Disney's No. 3 original movie of all time, trailing only High School Musical 2 and Camp Rock.
• On Saturday, Kings (1.54 mil, -400K) and Harper's Island (3.54 mil, -240K) both dipped, while Eli Stone (2.7 mil) gained 200 thou.
• On Sunday, the BET Awards — reformatted to serve as an all-star tribute to the late Michael Jackson — saw a 61 percent increase over its 2008 telecast, delivering a 5.8 rating (versus the program's previous all-time high of 3.7 mil).
• Also on Sunday, Week 2 of NBC's Merlin conjured up 4.27 mil, dropping 20 percent from its premiere.
• On Monday, The Bachelorette (7.96 mil) was up 17 percent week-to-week, NBC repeats fared markedly better than I'm a Celebrity had been doing, and Fox's rebroadcast of the Michael Jackson-themed American Idol performance show drew 4.22 mil.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Michael Jackson Shot 3D Video Project Before Death
Two weeks before he died, Michael Jackson wrapped up work on an elaborate production dubbed the "Dome Project" that could be the final finished video piece overseen by the King of Pop, The Associated Press has learned.
Jackson was apparently preparing to dazzle concert audiences in London with a high-tech show in which 3D images — some inspired by his "Thriller" era — would flash behind him as he performed on stage.
"It was a groundbreaking effort," said Vince Pace, whose company provided cameras for the shoot, a 3D system he created with filmmaker James Cameron.
"To think that Michael's gone now, that's probably the last documented footage of him to be shot in that manner," Pace said.
Two people with knowledge of the secretive project confirmed its existence Monday to the AP on condition they not be identified because they signed confidentiality agreements.
They said it was a five-week project filmed at Culver Studios, which 70 years ago was the set for the classic film "Gone With the Wind." Four sets were constructed for Jackson's production, including a cemetery recalling his 1983 "Thriller" video.
With 3D technology "the audience would have felt like they were visiting the 'Thriller' experience, like they were there," Pace said.
Shooting for the project lasted from June 1-9, with Jackson on the set most days. The project was in post-production, at the time of Jackson's death, and had been expected to be completed next month. It was not immediately clear what would be made of the video footage now.
Producer Robb Wagner, founder of music-video company Stimulated Inc., did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the project.
Michael Roth, a spokesman for Jackson's Los Angeles-based promoter AEG Live, said he hadn't heard about the production but did not rule that it could be part of the company's contract with the entertainer.
According to one of the people with knowledge of the project, a willow-thin, pallid Jackson left a memorable impression on the crew, arriving in a caravan of SUVs with hulking security guards in tow. The person said Jackson introduced himself to workers on the set and walked with a spring in his step but at one point needed assistance as he descended steps off a stage.
Besides the cemetery, one set was draped in black with an oversized portrait of Jackson in his "Thriller" werewolf costume. Another set was designed to simulate a lush jungle, and a fourth was built to replicate a construction site, with a screen in the back to allow projection of different backgrounds.
Taping took place in marathon sessions ending early in the morning. One scene filmed on the construction site set included scantily clad male dancers wearing carpenter's belts.
According to Stimulated's Web site, the company was hired to produce screen content for Jackson's planned comeback concerts in London. Stimulated has worked with Def Leppard and the Pussycat Dolls, and produced content for the Academy Awards and the Emmys.
Last year, U2 released the concert film "U2 3D," a film of the band's 2005-06 Vertigo tour, shot at several shows in South America with 3-D technology.
At the time, guitarist The Edge told The Associated Press the 3-D technology allowed "the songs to shine through."
Jackson was apparently preparing to dazzle concert audiences in London with a high-tech show in which 3D images — some inspired by his "Thriller" era — would flash behind him as he performed on stage.
"It was a groundbreaking effort," said Vince Pace, whose company provided cameras for the shoot, a 3D system he created with filmmaker James Cameron.
"To think that Michael's gone now, that's probably the last documented footage of him to be shot in that manner," Pace said.
Two people with knowledge of the secretive project confirmed its existence Monday to the AP on condition they not be identified because they signed confidentiality agreements.
They said it was a five-week project filmed at Culver Studios, which 70 years ago was the set for the classic film "Gone With the Wind." Four sets were constructed for Jackson's production, including a cemetery recalling his 1983 "Thriller" video.
With 3D technology "the audience would have felt like they were visiting the 'Thriller' experience, like they were there," Pace said.
Shooting for the project lasted from June 1-9, with Jackson on the set most days. The project was in post-production, at the time of Jackson's death, and had been expected to be completed next month. It was not immediately clear what would be made of the video footage now.
Producer Robb Wagner, founder of music-video company Stimulated Inc., did not immediately return a message seeking comment on the project.
Michael Roth, a spokesman for Jackson's Los Angeles-based promoter AEG Live, said he hadn't heard about the production but did not rule that it could be part of the company's contract with the entertainer.
According to one of the people with knowledge of the project, a willow-thin, pallid Jackson left a memorable impression on the crew, arriving in a caravan of SUVs with hulking security guards in tow. The person said Jackson introduced himself to workers on the set and walked with a spring in his step but at one point needed assistance as he descended steps off a stage.
Besides the cemetery, one set was draped in black with an oversized portrait of Jackson in his "Thriller" werewolf costume. Another set was designed to simulate a lush jungle, and a fourth was built to replicate a construction site, with a screen in the back to allow projection of different backgrounds.
Taping took place in marathon sessions ending early in the morning. One scene filmed on the construction site set included scantily clad male dancers wearing carpenter's belts.
According to Stimulated's Web site, the company was hired to produce screen content for Jackson's planned comeback concerts in London. Stimulated has worked with Def Leppard and the Pussycat Dolls, and produced content for the Academy Awards and the Emmys.
Last year, U2 released the concert film "U2 3D," a film of the band's 2005-06 Vertigo tour, shot at several shows in South America with 3-D technology.
At the time, guitarist The Edge told The Associated Press the 3-D technology allowed "the songs to shine through."
Report: Yao may miss year with 'career-threatening' injury
Rockets center Yao Ming's broken left foot could be a "career-threatening" injury.
Dr. Tom Clanton, the Houston Rockets' team physician, told the Houston Chronicle on Monday that Yao's injury "has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening."
Yahoo! Sports first reported the Rockets and Yao's representatives were concerned the 7-foot-6 All-Star would never play again. Yahoo! Sports quoted "multiple league executives, officials close to Yao and two doctors with knowledge of the diagnoses."
Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone late in a May 8 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The team said last week the injury hasn't healed and he was out indefinitely.
Yao played in 77 regular-season games in 2008-09, his most injury-free year since 2004-05, when he played in 80. Before last season, Yao missed chunks of previous three seasons with leg and foot injuries.
He missed 21 games in 2005-06 after surgery to heal an infection to his left big toe, then broke a bone in his left foot with four games left in the regular season.
In 2006-07, Yao missed 32 games after breaking his right leg and he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in 2007-08, underwent surgery and sat out 26 games.
Yao hurried back from that foot injury to represent China in the Beijing Games. He made it through the Rockets' season and the first round of the playoffs before breaking his left foot late in the Rockets' 108-94 loss to the Lakers in Game 3 of the second round at the Toyota Center.
Two days later, Yao said he didn't believe the injury was as serious as any of his previous ones. The Rockets said he would miss only 8-12 weeks.
But last week, the team said Yao would undergo additional tests and consult with other doctors to map out a new course of treatment.
Yao is due to make over $16 million next season with a player option for 2010-11 that would pay him over $17 million. He was the top overall pick by the Rockets in the 2002 draft.
The Rockets already expect Tracy McGrady to miss at least the first half of next season after microfracture surgery on his left knee.
Houston acquired McGrady in a trade with Orlando in June 2004, hoping the All-Star duo would carry Houston back to the NBA's top tier. But one or the other has been injured for almost their entire time as teammates. The Rockets are 146-74 in the 220 games McGrady and Yao have played together, a low total across five seasons.
General manager Daryl Morey said last week Yao's uncertain status wouldn't affect any of his offseason plans for trades or free-agent signings. He has said the Rockets are interested in re-signing free agent Ron Artest.
Morey said after last week's draft he would not comment on Yao's health beyond the statement released by the team that was out indefinitely.
Dr. Tom Clanton, the Houston Rockets' team physician, told the Houston Chronicle on Monday that Yao's injury "has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening."
Yahoo! Sports first reported the Rockets and Yao's representatives were concerned the 7-foot-6 All-Star would never play again. Yahoo! Sports quoted "multiple league executives, officials close to Yao and two doctors with knowledge of the diagnoses."
Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone late in a May 8 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The team said last week the injury hasn't healed and he was out indefinitely.
Yao played in 77 regular-season games in 2008-09, his most injury-free year since 2004-05, when he played in 80. Before last season, Yao missed chunks of previous three seasons with leg and foot injuries.
He missed 21 games in 2005-06 after surgery to heal an infection to his left big toe, then broke a bone in his left foot with four games left in the regular season.
In 2006-07, Yao missed 32 games after breaking his right leg and he suffered a stress fracture in his left foot in 2007-08, underwent surgery and sat out 26 games.
Yao hurried back from that foot injury to represent China in the Beijing Games. He made it through the Rockets' season and the first round of the playoffs before breaking his left foot late in the Rockets' 108-94 loss to the Lakers in Game 3 of the second round at the Toyota Center.
Two days later, Yao said he didn't believe the injury was as serious as any of his previous ones. The Rockets said he would miss only 8-12 weeks.
But last week, the team said Yao would undergo additional tests and consult with other doctors to map out a new course of treatment.
Yao is due to make over $16 million next season with a player option for 2010-11 that would pay him over $17 million. He was the top overall pick by the Rockets in the 2002 draft.
The Rockets already expect Tracy McGrady to miss at least the first half of next season after microfracture surgery on his left knee.
Houston acquired McGrady in a trade with Orlando in June 2004, hoping the All-Star duo would carry Houston back to the NBA's top tier. But one or the other has been injured for almost their entire time as teammates. The Rockets are 146-74 in the 220 games McGrady and Yao have played together, a low total across five seasons.
General manager Daryl Morey said last week Yao's uncertain status wouldn't affect any of his offseason plans for trades or free-agent signings. He has said the Rockets are interested in re-signing free agent Ron Artest.
Morey said after last week's draft he would not comment on Yao's health beyond the statement released by the team that was out indefinitely.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Dimension Films To Remake An American Werewolf In London?
According to Bloody Disgusting, the Weinstein Brothers have purchased the rights to remake An American Werewolf in London from original writer/director John Landis. Dimension Films already has a Hellraiser remake in the works (which can’t seem to keep a director on board) and has the second new Halloween film hitting theatres soon. The news that a cash-strapped Landis has sold rights to the Weinsteins (who have been reported to be equally cash-strapped, ironically) will probably cue the question that has cropped up a lot lately: is nothing sacred? The perpetual answer is: not in Hollywood, no. And that’s OK, because we’ll always have the original.
There’s little argument against An American Werewolf in London being one of the best werewolf films ever made; I don’t think I could argue that there is a better werewolf picture. The film stars David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as American backpackers who are attacked by a creature on the Yorkshire Moors. Dunne is killed, but his ghost appears to tell a recovering Laughton that they were savaged by a werewolf, and that Laughton will become a wolf at the next full moon. Laughton moves into his nurse’s London apartment, and the werewolf curse reveals itself, leading to a string of dead Londoners. Landis keeps the film moving with humor and energy, and the real star of the piece is Rick Baker, whose incredible effects transformed Laughton into a wolf in a way that has yet to be surpassed. The film instigated the creation of the Makeup category at the Oscars.
Despite creating a string of great movies in the early ’80s (The Kentucky Fried Movie, Animal House, The Blues Brothers, American Werewolf and Trading Places) Landis struggled to maintain a viable directing career through the late ’90s, and his last features as a director hit in 1998: Susan’s Plan and Blues Brothers 2000. His recent work has been on television, including a couple episodes of the ambitiously titled Masters of Horror series on Showtime that aired in ‘05 and ‘06. Ironically, Landis has been in the news for other reasons over the last few days: he directed Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Black or White video clips.
Landis did not write or direct the lame, better forgotten sequel An American Werewolf in Paris, but that film goes to show that the original is bulletproof. If the Weinsteins do manage to mount a remake, we can hope that it attracts talent to make it good enough to take seriously. If not, it will be just as quickly and easily forgotten as the sequel, and we can happily continue to pretend that the Landis original is the only one.
There’s little argument against An American Werewolf in London being one of the best werewolf films ever made; I don’t think I could argue that there is a better werewolf picture. The film stars David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as American backpackers who are attacked by a creature on the Yorkshire Moors. Dunne is killed, but his ghost appears to tell a recovering Laughton that they were savaged by a werewolf, and that Laughton will become a wolf at the next full moon. Laughton moves into his nurse’s London apartment, and the werewolf curse reveals itself, leading to a string of dead Londoners. Landis keeps the film moving with humor and energy, and the real star of the piece is Rick Baker, whose incredible effects transformed Laughton into a wolf in a way that has yet to be surpassed. The film instigated the creation of the Makeup category at the Oscars.
Despite creating a string of great movies in the early ’80s (The Kentucky Fried Movie, Animal House, The Blues Brothers, American Werewolf and Trading Places) Landis struggled to maintain a viable directing career through the late ’90s, and his last features as a director hit in 1998: Susan’s Plan and Blues Brothers 2000. His recent work has been on television, including a couple episodes of the ambitiously titled Masters of Horror series on Showtime that aired in ‘05 and ‘06. Ironically, Landis has been in the news for other reasons over the last few days: he directed Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Black or White video clips.
Landis did not write or direct the lame, better forgotten sequel An American Werewolf in Paris, but that film goes to show that the original is bulletproof. If the Weinsteins do manage to mount a remake, we can hope that it attracts talent to make it good enough to take seriously. If not, it will be just as quickly and easily forgotten as the sequel, and we can happily continue to pretend that the Landis original is the only one.
Michael Jackson Poised To Make Billboard Chart History, Again
Next week, Michael Jackson will once again make music history as many of his albums are poised to shake up the Billboard charts with incredible sales increases.
The impact of Jackson's passing was felt immediately in the marketplace. Industry sources report that the demand for Jackson's albums were so high, many brick and mortar retailers simply ran out of whatever Jackson stock they had on hand on Thursday (25) night.
The albums with the greatest sales increases -- at least on the physical side of things -- look to be his greatest hits packages "Number Ones" and "The Essential Michael Jackson" along with the expanded reissue of "Thriller." The sets, released between 2003 and 2008, were the three Jackson albums that perhaps had the most stock available in stores.
In the digital realm, where the supply problem doesn't exist, Jackson's songs and albums swarmed the top of the constantly-updating best sellers lists in both the iTunes' and Amazon's online music stores. At one point on Friday in the iTunes Store, nine out of the top 10-selling albums and 40 of the top 100-selling songs were by Jackson.
The three aforementioned albums, along with Jackson's classic studio sets "Off the Wall," "Bad" and "Dangerous" all will likely zoom into the upper region of Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart next week. Initial reports of Jackson's album sales from Thursday alone indicate that one of his albums -- possibly "Number Ones" -- will easily fly to No. 1 on the chart next week. Last week, the set -- which also was his top-selling album of the week -- was at No. 20 on the Catalog chart with 4,000 sold.
To compare, last week's No. 1 on the Catalog chart was TobyMac's "Portable Sounds" with 9,000 copies sold. Sources say that at least one of Jackson's albums sold more than double that amount just on Thursday.
Nielsen SoundScan's tracking week ends at the close of business on Sunday (28). Billboard and SoundScan's new weekly charts will be released on Wednesday, July 1.
The impact of Jackson's passing was felt immediately in the marketplace. Industry sources report that the demand for Jackson's albums were so high, many brick and mortar retailers simply ran out of whatever Jackson stock they had on hand on Thursday (25) night.
The albums with the greatest sales increases -- at least on the physical side of things -- look to be his greatest hits packages "Number Ones" and "The Essential Michael Jackson" along with the expanded reissue of "Thriller." The sets, released between 2003 and 2008, were the three Jackson albums that perhaps had the most stock available in stores.
In the digital realm, where the supply problem doesn't exist, Jackson's songs and albums swarmed the top of the constantly-updating best sellers lists in both the iTunes' and Amazon's online music stores. At one point on Friday in the iTunes Store, nine out of the top 10-selling albums and 40 of the top 100-selling songs were by Jackson.
The three aforementioned albums, along with Jackson's classic studio sets "Off the Wall," "Bad" and "Dangerous" all will likely zoom into the upper region of Billboard's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart next week. Initial reports of Jackson's album sales from Thursday alone indicate that one of his albums -- possibly "Number Ones" -- will easily fly to No. 1 on the chart next week. Last week, the set -- which also was his top-selling album of the week -- was at No. 20 on the Catalog chart with 4,000 sold.
To compare, last week's No. 1 on the Catalog chart was TobyMac's "Portable Sounds" with 9,000 copies sold. Sources say that at least one of Jackson's albums sold more than double that amount just on Thursday.
Nielsen SoundScan's tracking week ends at the close of business on Sunday (28). Billboard and SoundScan's new weekly charts will be released on Wednesday, July 1.
Mourning returns to Heat as president of player development
Alonzo Mourning is returning to the Miami Heat -- as an executive.
Mourning announced Friday that he will soon begin a new job as Miami's vice president of player development, with a wide range of responsibilities, many of them off the court and in community relations areas.
He'll also spend some time mentoring young players, a role he took on in the latter portions of his playing career.
"My on-court contributions are retiring, but I still feel like I can contribute to the game," Mourning said. "I'm very knowledgeable, a student of the game, and I think my experiences can help the team and the players."
After retiring earlier this year, it was clear that the Heat would find a place within the organization for Mourning. He was the franchise cornerstone and an all-time favorite of both Miami president Pat Riley -- his former coach -- and Heat owner Micky Arison.
While the exact terms of the deal are not complete, they apparently decided that a player development spot fit best.
"It's a no-brainer," Mourning said. "Obviously, I feel like my relationship with Pat and Micky has developed over the years and has enabled us to do some special things for the organization."
Mourning was the second overall pick in the 1992 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He also played for New Jersey but spent the majority of his career with the Heat, brought there by Riley in the mid-1990s and helping them win the NBA title in 2006.
He left the game twice because of kidney disease that necessitated a transplant, but says he feels healthy as ever. After announcing that he was done for good, Miami made Mourning's No. 33 the first jersey to be retired in franchise history.
"The best is yet to come," Mourning said.
Mourning is expected to start the job sometime this summer.
"We are in discussions with Alonzo and in stages of finalizing a long-term relationship," Riley said.
In 15 seasons, Mourning averaged 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. His total of 2,356 blocks ranks 10th in league history, and he retired as the Heat career leader in points, rebounds and games -- Dwyane Wade passed him for the scoring lead this past season.
"We were hoping and waiting for this day," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's going to ease into his role. Right now, it's going to be with player development and we welcome that. He is such a positive influence whenever he's around, especially for our young guys, but even for the veteran players. ... He'll show our young players what it means to be professional and to be a Miami Heat player."
The 39-year-old Mourning has already gotten started in his new job, at least in one respect.
He's developed a strong friendship with Wade over the years, especially lately. They've joined forces on some charitable events, including Mourning's popular Zo's Summer Groove weekend series.
Now, many of their talks revolve around Mourning trying to ensure Wade signs a long-term deal with Miami and doesn't leave after this coming season.
"Having D-Wade on the team is going to make my job a whole lot easier," Mourning said. "Make everybody's job a whole lot easier, to tell you the truth."
Mourning announced Friday that he will soon begin a new job as Miami's vice president of player development, with a wide range of responsibilities, many of them off the court and in community relations areas.
He'll also spend some time mentoring young players, a role he took on in the latter portions of his playing career.
"My on-court contributions are retiring, but I still feel like I can contribute to the game," Mourning said. "I'm very knowledgeable, a student of the game, and I think my experiences can help the team and the players."
After retiring earlier this year, it was clear that the Heat would find a place within the organization for Mourning. He was the franchise cornerstone and an all-time favorite of both Miami president Pat Riley -- his former coach -- and Heat owner Micky Arison.
While the exact terms of the deal are not complete, they apparently decided that a player development spot fit best.
"It's a no-brainer," Mourning said. "Obviously, I feel like my relationship with Pat and Micky has developed over the years and has enabled us to do some special things for the organization."
Mourning was the second overall pick in the 1992 draft by the Charlotte Hornets. He also played for New Jersey but spent the majority of his career with the Heat, brought there by Riley in the mid-1990s and helping them win the NBA title in 2006.
He left the game twice because of kidney disease that necessitated a transplant, but says he feels healthy as ever. After announcing that he was done for good, Miami made Mourning's No. 33 the first jersey to be retired in franchise history.
"The best is yet to come," Mourning said.
Mourning is expected to start the job sometime this summer.
"We are in discussions with Alonzo and in stages of finalizing a long-term relationship," Riley said.
In 15 seasons, Mourning averaged 17.1 points and 8.5 rebounds. His total of 2,356 blocks ranks 10th in league history, and he retired as the Heat career leader in points, rebounds and games -- Dwyane Wade passed him for the scoring lead this past season.
"We were hoping and waiting for this day," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's going to ease into his role. Right now, it's going to be with player development and we welcome that. He is such a positive influence whenever he's around, especially for our young guys, but even for the veteran players. ... He'll show our young players what it means to be professional and to be a Miami Heat player."
The 39-year-old Mourning has already gotten started in his new job, at least in one respect.
He's developed a strong friendship with Wade over the years, especially lately. They've joined forces on some charitable events, including Mourning's popular Zo's Summer Groove weekend series.
Now, many of their talks revolve around Mourning trying to ensure Wade signs a long-term deal with Miami and doesn't leave after this coming season.
"Having D-Wade on the team is going to make my job a whole lot easier," Mourning said. "Make everybody's job a whole lot easier, to tell you the truth."
Bay's Giant Robot Sequel Blows Up the Box Office!
The ComingSoon.net Box Office Report has been updated with studio estimates for the weekend.
Going into the weekend, there was no doubt Michael Bay's anticipated sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, would be huge, though few thought it could open as big as last summer's biggest blockbuster, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, at least not based on the awful reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. After grossing just over $60 million on Wednesday (a record for the weekday opening) and another $29 million on Thursday, the sequel brought in an estimated $112 million over the weekend for a total of $201.2 million in its first five days. Besides setting a record for a June opening, surpassing 2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bay's latest grossed the second-largest amount over a five-day period after The Dark Knight's $203.8 million. The IMAX Corporation reports that the movie had the best five-day gross, grossing $14.4 million in its first five days on 169 IMAX screens, nearly double what the 5th "Harry Potter" movie did two years ago. "Revenge of the Fallen" became the third-largest worldwide opening weekend grosser, earning $274 million and beating out last summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film has become Paramount's biggest international opener of all time, again besting "Indy 4" for the top honor, and ranking as the industry's fourth-biggest opening of all time abroad. The sequel has taken in $387 million worldwide to date.
The Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds rom-com The Proposal (Disney/Touchstone) dropped to second place, off 45% from its opening weekend with $18.5 million and a ten-day total of $69 million. Todd Phillips' hit comedy The Hangover (Warner Bros.) dropped to third place with $17.2 million and a total gross of $183 million, making it the third-highest grossing R-rated comedy. It has the breakout R-rated comedy Wedding Crashers in its sights and will pass it sometime in the next few weeks.
With roughly $13 million grossed over the weekend, Disney•Pixar's animated-adventure Up became the top grossing movie of 2009, surpassing J.J. Abrams' Star Trek with a total gross of $250 million after five weeks. It's currently the fourth-highest grossing movie for Pixar Animation, although it should move into second place behind Finding Nemo sometime next month.
Offered as counter-programming to Bay's latest explosion-filled epic was Nick (The Notebook) Cassavetes' adaptation of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper (New Line/WB) starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin, which opened with an estimated $12 million in 2,606 theaters, averaging $4,616 per location.
The Sony comedy Year One, starring Jack Black and Michael Cera, tanked in its second weekend, dropping 70% to sixth place with $5.8 million and a ten-day total of $32.2 million. Sony's other summer offering, Tony Scott's The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, took seventh place with $5.4 million and a total of $53.4 million, compared to its reported production budget of $100 million.
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (Paramount) took eighth place with $3.6 million, bringing its total to $246 million, while Ben Stiller's comedy sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (20th Century Fox) dropped to ninth place with $3.5 million and a total gross of $163 million.
Sam Mendes' road comedy Away We Go, starring Jon Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, expanded into 495 theaters, allowing it to break into the Top 10 with $1.7 million and a four-week total of $4 million.
The Top 10 grossed almost $193 million, making it the top grossing three-day weekend for 2009, up 9% from this weekend last year when Pixar's WALL•E and Timur Bekmambetov's Wanted dominated with $113 million between them.
Opening in limited release was Stephen Frears' period comedy Chéri, reteaming him with Michelle Pfeiffer for the first time since Dangerous Liaisons, and it grossed $408 thousand in 76 theaters, averaging roughly $5 thousand per venue. Kathryn Bigelow's bomb-squad thriller The Hurt Locker (Summit) opened in four theaters in New York and L.A. where it grossed $144 thousand, or $36k per site.
Going into the weekend, there was no doubt Michael Bay's anticipated sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, starring Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, would be huge, though few thought it could open as big as last summer's biggest blockbuster, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, at least not based on the awful reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. After grossing just over $60 million on Wednesday (a record for the weekday opening) and another $29 million on Thursday, the sequel brought in an estimated $112 million over the weekend for a total of $201.2 million in its first five days. Besides setting a record for a June opening, surpassing 2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bay's latest grossed the second-largest amount over a five-day period after The Dark Knight's $203.8 million. The IMAX Corporation reports that the movie had the best five-day gross, grossing $14.4 million in its first five days on 169 IMAX screens, nearly double what the 5th "Harry Potter" movie did two years ago. "Revenge of the Fallen" became the third-largest worldwide opening weekend grosser, earning $274 million and beating out last summer's Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film has become Paramount's biggest international opener of all time, again besting "Indy 4" for the top honor, and ranking as the industry's fourth-biggest opening of all time abroad. The sequel has taken in $387 million worldwide to date.
The Sandra Bullock-Ryan Reynolds rom-com The Proposal (Disney/Touchstone) dropped to second place, off 45% from its opening weekend with $18.5 million and a ten-day total of $69 million. Todd Phillips' hit comedy The Hangover (Warner Bros.) dropped to third place with $17.2 million and a total gross of $183 million, making it the third-highest grossing R-rated comedy. It has the breakout R-rated comedy Wedding Crashers in its sights and will pass it sometime in the next few weeks.
With roughly $13 million grossed over the weekend, Disney•Pixar's animated-adventure Up became the top grossing movie of 2009, surpassing J.J. Abrams' Star Trek with a total gross of $250 million after five weeks. It's currently the fourth-highest grossing movie for Pixar Animation, although it should move into second place behind Finding Nemo sometime next month.
Offered as counter-programming to Bay's latest explosion-filled epic was Nick (The Notebook) Cassavetes' adaptation of Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper (New Line/WB) starring Cameron Diaz and Abigail Breslin, which opened with an estimated $12 million in 2,606 theaters, averaging $4,616 per location.
The Sony comedy Year One, starring Jack Black and Michael Cera, tanked in its second weekend, dropping 70% to sixth place with $5.8 million and a ten-day total of $32.2 million. Sony's other summer offering, Tony Scott's The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, took seventh place with $5.4 million and a total of $53.4 million, compared to its reported production budget of $100 million.
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (Paramount) took eighth place with $3.6 million, bringing its total to $246 million, while Ben Stiller's comedy sequel Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (20th Century Fox) dropped to ninth place with $3.5 million and a total gross of $163 million.
Sam Mendes' road comedy Away We Go, starring Jon Krasinski and Maya Rudolph, expanded into 495 theaters, allowing it to break into the Top 10 with $1.7 million and a four-week total of $4 million.
The Top 10 grossed almost $193 million, making it the top grossing three-day weekend for 2009, up 9% from this weekend last year when Pixar's WALL•E and Timur Bekmambetov's Wanted dominated with $113 million between them.
Opening in limited release was Stephen Frears' period comedy Chéri, reteaming him with Michelle Pfeiffer for the first time since Dangerous Liaisons, and it grossed $408 thousand in 76 theaters, averaging roughly $5 thousand per venue. Kathryn Bigelow's bomb-squad thriller The Hurt Locker (Summit) opened in four theaters in New York and L.A. where it grossed $144 thousand, or $36k per site.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Weekly Ratings: 6/21 – 6/27
Ratings: Jon & Kate's Split Is a Record-Breaking Hit, and More
Some recent ratings highlights:
• Jon & Kate plus their big announcement on Monday drew a whopping audience of 10.6 million total viewers — setting a new all-time high for not only the hiatus-bound series but for TLC as a whole. Week-to-week, the series enjoyed a 365 percent gain.
• I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! delivered its smallest Monday audience to date, just 4.3 mil. It all ends Wednesday!
• The Season 2 launch of The Secret Life of the American Teenager spoke to 4.7 million viewers, making it the ABC Family series' most-watched episode to date. Make It or Break It held onto 2.5 mil of that audience. Next time, use more chalk powder?
• On Sunday, HBO's True Blood bit into 3.4 million viewers, a drop of just 300K from the season premiere.
• On Saturday, NBC's Kings courted 1.94 mil (up 22 percent), CBS' Harper's Island gained 600K to hit 3.78 mil, and ABC's Eli Stone returned to an audience of 2.5 mil.
Ratings: America's Got Great Numbers, Dave Tops Conan
Some recent ratings highlights:
• America's Got Talent on Tuesday tallied an audience of 11.3 million total viewers — a drop of 12 percent from its previous premiere, but still the night's most watched program. Its second outing dipped 8 percent, to 10.39 mil.
• ABC's The Superstars opened to a not-entirely-super 4.34 mil on Tuesday. In turn, the (thankfully) already-renewed Better Off Ted only managed 1.87 mil.
• On Wednesday, ABC's Wipeout scored 7.7 mil, topping So You Think You Can Dance in the 8 o'clock hour. All told, Fox's Dance averaged 7.5 mil over its two-hour run, down 880K week-to-week.
• I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! at long last signed off, before a crowd of 4.4 mil. That's a 31 percent plunge from its season premiere.
• NBC's The Philanthropist premiered to 7.4 mil, besting both a CSI: NY repeat and ABC's special on President Obama's health care plan (4.7 mil).
• Late Show with David Letterman last week topped The Tonight Show in viewers (averaging 3.46 mil vs. 3.32 mil). That's the first time that has happened for a full week of original broadcasts since December 2005.
Ratings: America Remembers Farrah and Michael
Viewers were drawn to their televisions on Thursday night as multiple networks fast-tracked special programming paying tribute to Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, both of whom passed away earlier in the day.
ABC's special 20/20 broadcast dedicated to Fawcett — and featuring an exclusive sit-down with the love of the actress' life, Ryan O'Neal — drew 8.23 million total viewers at 10 pm, making it the evening's second-most watched program (edged out only by a CSI repeat).
Also at 10, Dateline NBC's own remembrance of Fawcett drew 5.8 mil.
Of the Jackson tributes, CBS' 10 pm special delivered 7.6 mil, while ABC's and NBC's 9 o'clock profiles did 5.7 mil and 5.2 mil, respectively.
Elsewhere on Thursday, So You Think You Can Dance — which made note of all three tragic losses this week, Ed McMahon's included, and showed a "Thriller" clip - drew 6.9 mil.
Some recent ratings highlights:
• Jon & Kate plus their big announcement on Monday drew a whopping audience of 10.6 million total viewers — setting a new all-time high for not only the hiatus-bound series but for TLC as a whole. Week-to-week, the series enjoyed a 365 percent gain.
• I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! delivered its smallest Monday audience to date, just 4.3 mil. It all ends Wednesday!
• The Season 2 launch of The Secret Life of the American Teenager spoke to 4.7 million viewers, making it the ABC Family series' most-watched episode to date. Make It or Break It held onto 2.5 mil of that audience. Next time, use more chalk powder?
• On Sunday, HBO's True Blood bit into 3.4 million viewers, a drop of just 300K from the season premiere.
• On Saturday, NBC's Kings courted 1.94 mil (up 22 percent), CBS' Harper's Island gained 600K to hit 3.78 mil, and ABC's Eli Stone returned to an audience of 2.5 mil.
Ratings: America's Got Great Numbers, Dave Tops Conan
Some recent ratings highlights:
• America's Got Talent on Tuesday tallied an audience of 11.3 million total viewers — a drop of 12 percent from its previous premiere, but still the night's most watched program. Its second outing dipped 8 percent, to 10.39 mil.
• ABC's The Superstars opened to a not-entirely-super 4.34 mil on Tuesday. In turn, the (thankfully) already-renewed Better Off Ted only managed 1.87 mil.
• On Wednesday, ABC's Wipeout scored 7.7 mil, topping So You Think You Can Dance in the 8 o'clock hour. All told, Fox's Dance averaged 7.5 mil over its two-hour run, down 880K week-to-week.
• I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! at long last signed off, before a crowd of 4.4 mil. That's a 31 percent plunge from its season premiere.
• NBC's The Philanthropist premiered to 7.4 mil, besting both a CSI: NY repeat and ABC's special on President Obama's health care plan (4.7 mil).
• Late Show with David Letterman last week topped The Tonight Show in viewers (averaging 3.46 mil vs. 3.32 mil). That's the first time that has happened for a full week of original broadcasts since December 2005.
Ratings: America Remembers Farrah and Michael
Viewers were drawn to their televisions on Thursday night as multiple networks fast-tracked special programming paying tribute to Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, both of whom passed away earlier in the day.
ABC's special 20/20 broadcast dedicated to Fawcett — and featuring an exclusive sit-down with the love of the actress' life, Ryan O'Neal — drew 8.23 million total viewers at 10 pm, making it the evening's second-most watched program (edged out only by a CSI repeat).
Also at 10, Dateline NBC's own remembrance of Fawcett drew 5.8 mil.
Of the Jackson tributes, CBS' 10 pm special delivered 7.6 mil, while ABC's and NBC's 9 o'clock profiles did 5.7 mil and 5.2 mil, respectively.
Elsewhere on Thursday, So You Think You Can Dance — which made note of all three tragic losses this week, Ed McMahon's included, and showed a "Thriller" clip - drew 6.9 mil.
NBC Announces Fall Series Premiere Dates
NBC has announced its fall series premiere dates:
NBC kicks off the Fall 2009 season on Monday, September 14 with the highly anticipated primetime debut of "The Jay Leno Show" (10-11 p.m. ET/9-10 p.m. CT), followed by the premiere of the network's marquee night of comedy on Thursday, September 17, as "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" and new series "Community" join "Parks and Recreation" and Emmy winner "The Office."
NBC's dramas will premiere with a two-hour "Heroes" on Monday, September 21 (8-10 p.m. ET), the compelling family drama "Parenthood" premieres on Wednesday, September 23 (8-9 p.m. ET) leading into "Law & Order: SVU" (9-10 p.m. ET). The new high-octane "Trauma" will premiere the following Monday, September 28 (9-10 p.m. ET).
Emmy winner "30 Rock" returns to the Thursday comedy line-up on October 15 (9:30-10 p.m. ET).
In addition, "Saturday Night Live" returns for its 35th season on September 26 (11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m.).
The announcement was made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.
"NBC is proud to present more hours of comedy programming this fall than any other network with the 'The Jay Leno Show' each night at 10 p.m. and 'Community' joining the award-winning Thursday line-up," said Silverman. "We're also excited about adding two new dramas to our strong slate of quality returning shows."
"The Jay Leno Show," the first-ever entertainment program to be stripped across primetime on broadcast network television, launches on Monday, September 14 (10-11 p.m. ET) and will showcase many of the features that have made Leno America's late-night leader for more than a dozen years.
On Tuesday, September 15 (8-10 p.m.), "The Biggest Loser" returns with all new two-hour episodes, featuring more inspiration and real-life drama as this season's contestants challenge themselves to reach their weight-loss goals.
Thursday is comedy night on NBC with the only live comedy show between 8-10 p.m. on any network, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday," kicking off the night (8-8:30 p.m. ET) beginning September 17, followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET), "The Office" (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and new comedy "Community" (9:30-10 p.m. ET) from Emmy winners Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development"). "Community" focuses on a band of community college misfits, led by a fast-talking lawyer (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), who form a study group and end up learning more about themselves than their coursework.
On October 8, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" will exit the 8 p.m. slot and "Community" will shift to the earlier time period, followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET). A one-hour episode of "The Office" will air from 9-10 p.m. ET.
On October 15, Emmy winner "30 Rock" will launch its fourth season in the show's regular slot on Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET.
NBC's dramas return with a two-hour episode of viewer favorite "Heroes" (8-10 p.m. ET) on Monday, September 21. The following Monday, September 28, "Heroes" will continue in its 8 p.m. time period followed by "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET), the new adrenalin-rush action drama from executive producer Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights") that tracks a team of first-responder paramedics from San Francisco General as they face extreme conditions to save the lives of strangers and give meaning to their own in the process.
"Parenthood," from Imagine Entertainment's Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and writer/executive producer Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights"), premieres on Wednesday, September 23 (8-9 p.m. ET). The series, which features an all-star cast including Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Dax Shepard, Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter and Erika Christensen, tells the story of four grown siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and unexpected joys of being a parent. Following "Parenthood" on Wednesdays is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (9-10 p.m. ET), beginning its eleventh season on September 23.
Fridays, beginning September 25, the venerable "Law & Order" (8-9 p.m. ET) returns for a record 20th season, followed by the acclaimed drama "Southland" (9-10 p.m. ET).
Beginning September 26, Saturdays in primetime will be a showcase for "Dateline NBC" (8-9 p.m. ET) and encore presentations of "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10-11 p.m. ET).
"Football Night in America" (7-8:15 p.m. ET) and "NBC Sunday Night Football" (8:15-11 p.m.) - the number one show of the fall - will return on Sundays, beginning September 13 with a classic match-up: the Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers.
Following is NBC's Fall 2009-10 premiere schedule (all times ET):
*New programs in UPPER CASE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
7-8:15 p.m. - "Football Night in America"
8:15-11 p.m. - "NBC Sunday Night Football"
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW" (Series Premiere)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
8-10 p.m. - "The Biggest Loser"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
8-8:30 p.m. - "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday"
8:30-9 p.m. - "Parks and Recreation"
9-9:30 p.m. - "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. - "COMMUNITY" (series premiere - moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. on October 8; "30 Rock" returns October 15, 9:30-10 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
8-10 p.m. - "Heroes" (two hour premiere, then TRAUMA premieres 9-10 p.m. Monday, September 28)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
8-9 p.m. - "PARENTHOOD" (Series Premiere)
9-10 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
8-9 p.m. - "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. - "Southland"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
8-9 p.m. - "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. - "TRAUMA" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
11:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. - "Saturday Night Live"
NBC kicks off the Fall 2009 season on Monday, September 14 with the highly anticipated primetime debut of "The Jay Leno Show" (10-11 p.m. ET/9-10 p.m. CT), followed by the premiere of the network's marquee night of comedy on Thursday, September 17, as "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" and new series "Community" join "Parks and Recreation" and Emmy winner "The Office."
NBC's dramas will premiere with a two-hour "Heroes" on Monday, September 21 (8-10 p.m. ET), the compelling family drama "Parenthood" premieres on Wednesday, September 23 (8-9 p.m. ET) leading into "Law & Order: SVU" (9-10 p.m. ET). The new high-octane "Trauma" will premiere the following Monday, September 28 (9-10 p.m. ET).
Emmy winner "30 Rock" returns to the Thursday comedy line-up on October 15 (9:30-10 p.m. ET).
In addition, "Saturday Night Live" returns for its 35th season on September 26 (11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m.).
The announcement was made by Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.
"NBC is proud to present more hours of comedy programming this fall than any other network with the 'The Jay Leno Show' each night at 10 p.m. and 'Community' joining the award-winning Thursday line-up," said Silverman. "We're also excited about adding two new dramas to our strong slate of quality returning shows."
"The Jay Leno Show," the first-ever entertainment program to be stripped across primetime on broadcast network television, launches on Monday, September 14 (10-11 p.m. ET) and will showcase many of the features that have made Leno America's late-night leader for more than a dozen years.
On Tuesday, September 15 (8-10 p.m.), "The Biggest Loser" returns with all new two-hour episodes, featuring more inspiration and real-life drama as this season's contestants challenge themselves to reach their weight-loss goals.
Thursday is comedy night on NBC with the only live comedy show between 8-10 p.m. on any network, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday," kicking off the night (8-8:30 p.m. ET) beginning September 17, followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET), "The Office" (9-9:30 p.m. ET) and new comedy "Community" (9:30-10 p.m. ET) from Emmy winners Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development"). "Community" focuses on a band of community college misfits, led by a fast-talking lawyer (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), who form a study group and end up learning more about themselves than their coursework.
On October 8, "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday" will exit the 8 p.m. slot and "Community" will shift to the earlier time period, followed by "Parks and Recreation" (8:30-9 p.m. ET). A one-hour episode of "The Office" will air from 9-10 p.m. ET.
On October 15, Emmy winner "30 Rock" will launch its fourth season in the show's regular slot on Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET.
NBC's dramas return with a two-hour episode of viewer favorite "Heroes" (8-10 p.m. ET) on Monday, September 21. The following Monday, September 28, "Heroes" will continue in its 8 p.m. time period followed by "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET), the new adrenalin-rush action drama from executive producer Peter Berg ("Friday Night Lights") that tracks a team of first-responder paramedics from San Francisco General as they face extreme conditions to save the lives of strangers and give meaning to their own in the process.
"Parenthood," from Imagine Entertainment's Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and writer/executive producer Jason Katims ("Friday Night Lights"), premieres on Wednesday, September 23 (8-9 p.m. ET). The series, which features an all-star cast including Peter Krause, Maura Tierney, Dax Shepard, Craig T. Nelson, Bonnie Bedelia, Monica Potter and Erika Christensen, tells the story of four grown siblings sharing the headaches, heartaches and unexpected joys of being a parent. Following "Parenthood" on Wednesdays is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (9-10 p.m. ET), beginning its eleventh season on September 23.
Fridays, beginning September 25, the venerable "Law & Order" (8-9 p.m. ET) returns for a record 20th season, followed by the acclaimed drama "Southland" (9-10 p.m. ET).
Beginning September 26, Saturdays in primetime will be a showcase for "Dateline NBC" (8-9 p.m. ET) and encore presentations of "Trauma" (9-10 p.m. ET) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (10-11 p.m. ET).
"Football Night in America" (7-8:15 p.m. ET) and "NBC Sunday Night Football" (8:15-11 p.m.) - the number one show of the fall - will return on Sundays, beginning September 13 with a classic match-up: the Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers.
Following is NBC's Fall 2009-10 premiere schedule (all times ET):
*New programs in UPPER CASE
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
7-8:15 p.m. - "Football Night in America"
8:15-11 p.m. - "NBC Sunday Night Football"
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW" (Series Premiere)
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
8-10 p.m. - "The Biggest Loser"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
8-8:30 p.m. - "Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday"
8:30-9 p.m. - "Parks and Recreation"
9-9:30 p.m. - "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. - "COMMUNITY" (series premiere - moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. on October 8; "30 Rock" returns October 15, 9:30-10 p.m.)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21
8-10 p.m. - "Heroes" (two hour premiere, then TRAUMA premieres 9-10 p.m. Monday, September 28)
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
8-9 p.m. - "PARENTHOOD" (Series Premiere)
9-10 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
8-9 p.m. - "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. - "Southland"
10-11 p.m. - "THE JAY LENO SHOW"
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
8-9 p.m. - "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. - "TRAUMA" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
11:30 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. - "Saturday Night Live"
Transformers Earns $36.7 Million on Friday
Michael Bay's Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned yet another $36.7 million on Friday to bring its three-day domestic total to $125.9 million.
While "Revenge of the Fallen" is heading for a five-day worldwide box office record, it is estimated that its domestic haul over the same frame could be more than $190 million.
The Dark Knight holds the five-day opening domestic record with $203.8 million. "Revenge of the Fallen" could earn $115 million this weekend for a five-day total of $205 million.
The DreamWorks/Paramount release is currently playing at 4,234 theaters, 169 of which are IMAX.
While "Revenge of the Fallen" is heading for a five-day worldwide box office record, it is estimated that its domestic haul over the same frame could be more than $190 million.
The Dark Knight holds the five-day opening domestic record with $203.8 million. "Revenge of the Fallen" could earn $115 million this weekend for a five-day total of $205 million.
The DreamWorks/Paramount release is currently playing at 4,234 theaters, 169 of which are IMAX.
Lost's Final Season Grows
ABC grants a little extra time to wrap up the mysteries.
If you love Lost and are lamenting the series coming to an end next year, then I've got good news for you – we're going to get one extra hour for Season 6.
Previously, ABC and Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse had said Season 6 would be comprised of 17 hours total, but now EW's Michael Ausiello reports, via Twitter, "ABC confirms that Lost's sixth and final season will total 18 hours, including two-hour premiere and two-hour finale." Season 6 was actually going to originally be made up of 16 hours, until the writers' strike shortened Season 4, so this is the second time another hour of the show has been added to the final year.
No exact date has been announced for Lost to return, but presumably it will be in January once again.
If you love Lost and are lamenting the series coming to an end next year, then I've got good news for you – we're going to get one extra hour for Season 6.
Previously, ABC and Lost showrunners Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse had said Season 6 would be comprised of 17 hours total, but now EW's Michael Ausiello reports, via Twitter, "ABC confirms that Lost's sixth and final season will total 18 hours, including two-hour premiere and two-hour finale." Season 6 was actually going to originally be made up of 16 hours, until the writers' strike shortened Season 4, so this is the second time another hour of the show has been added to the final year.
No exact date has been announced for Lost to return, but presumably it will be in January once again.
Kyle Ward To Write Sony’s Uncharted Game Adaptation and Hitman 2
For quite some time, Sony has quietly been working to develop a film based on the PlayStation 3 game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Now with the game’s sequel getting great press in the wake of E3 (and thanks in part to a fun multiplayer beta) Sony has dropped word that the movie is actually happening. Kyle Ward has been hired to pen the script, which makes his second video game-related announcement in two days (He’s also scripting Hitman 2).
Development of Uncharted isn’t a surprise, as it was explicitly designed in the first place to have the quality of a summer adventure film. The story features Nate Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake. Nate is being shadowed by journalist Elena Fisher as he searches for the coffin of his forefather. When found, the object contains a diary that seems to point to El Dorado, and Nate and Elena are soon involved in a run and gun tale featuring pirates, lost gold and mutant humans. THR’s coverage suggests the film will simply be called Drake’s Fortune.
Ward is also on board Fox’s Hitman 2, about which there is less detail available. Variety says that the film begins at the nadir of Agent 47’s career, after which “he must build himself back up psychologically and physically to reclaim his mantle as the world’s most feared assassin.” Eidos has a new Hitman game scheduled for next year, the fifth numbered title in the series, and this script will be based in part on elements of that game.
Right now, it’s easy to peg Ward as the new game-to-script guy in town. He already had Kane and Lynch set up at Lionsgate, with Bruce Willis still attached to star, and now these two new projects put him squarely in the video game corner. And while Hitman 2 likely won’t be much bigger than the first film, expect Drake’s Fortune to be heavily promoted as a tentpole, assuming things work out well.
Development of Uncharted isn’t a surprise, as it was explicitly designed in the first place to have the quality of a summer adventure film. The story features Nate Drake, a descendant of Sir Francis Drake. Nate is being shadowed by journalist Elena Fisher as he searches for the coffin of his forefather. When found, the object contains a diary that seems to point to El Dorado, and Nate and Elena are soon involved in a run and gun tale featuring pirates, lost gold and mutant humans. THR’s coverage suggests the film will simply be called Drake’s Fortune.
Ward is also on board Fox’s Hitman 2, about which there is less detail available. Variety says that the film begins at the nadir of Agent 47’s career, after which “he must build himself back up psychologically and physically to reclaim his mantle as the world’s most feared assassin.” Eidos has a new Hitman game scheduled for next year, the fifth numbered title in the series, and this script will be based in part on elements of that game.
Right now, it’s easy to peg Ward as the new game-to-script guy in town. He already had Kane and Lynch set up at Lionsgate, with Bruce Willis still attached to star, and now these two new projects put him squarely in the video game corner. And while Hitman 2 likely won’t be much bigger than the first film, expect Drake’s Fortune to be heavily promoted as a tentpole, assuming things work out well.
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