BBC to offer new Aussie soap opera in 2008
LONDON, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The BBC will air a new Australian soap opera after losing distribution rights for the long-running program "Neighbors" to the independent channel Five.
"Out of the Blue" begins filming early in 2008. The BBC commissioned 130 episodes of the show, which features a group a 30-somethings in the Sydney resort of Manly.
Hugh Mars, head of the production company Southern Star Group that distributes the soap, told the BBC Saturday the show will be "full of life, contemporary and very broad in its appeal".
"Neighbors" moves to Five in 2008 following a bidding war with the BBC.
'The Golden Compass' debate goes on
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Catholic advocacy groups warn of the "deceitful stealth campaign" of atheism in the film "The Golden Compass," as Britons welcome the debate.
William Donohue with the U.S.-based Catholic League distributed an e-mail warning of the "agenda" of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, which "The Golden Compass" is based, "to bash Christianity and promote atheism," the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Philip Pullman, author of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, makes no secret his secular views, penning essays rejecting organized religion and stating it is "perfectly possible" to explain the universe in secular terms.
The Colorado based Focus on the Family said Pullman's work was "blasphemous and heretical" and the Catholic League called for boycotts of the film and Pullman's literary works.
Across the pond, however, church leaders embrace Pullman's skepticism as necessary for the evolution of Christian thought.
Many British Christians see Pullman's contribution as healthy, noting the difference between retail theology and debates over morality and humanity's world purpose, the Times said.
Liberal American Catholics share this view. Donna Freitas, a religion professor at St. Michael's College in Vermont, hailed Pullman's trilogy as a "religious classic" bringing Christian theology closer to a divinity "fit for our age."
Hollywood writers strike goes on
NEW YORK, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Striking television and movie writers in the United States rejected the latest proposal by media executives without discussion, keeping many shows darkened.
Negotiators for the Writers Guild of America rejected what entertainment conglomerates called a New Economic Partnership, saying the package ignored the guilds' principle demands, The New York Times reported Saturday.
The media companies, represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, offered a package that included compensation for new-media distribution, including DVD sales and Web casts.
The writers guilds' said the offered proposal was a public relations maneuver, signaling the negotiations center more on control over the apparent digital future of the entertainment industry rather than merely pay rates, the Times said.
Talks resume Tuesday with a new offer in the workings with the aim of ending the nearly month-old strike that darkened many prime time television staples.
Leno refuses to pay non-striking staffers
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- NBC laid off the Los Angeles staffers on "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" when its host refused to pay them, citing solidarity with the ongoing writers' strike.
NBC laid off nearly 100 non-striking staffers on the "Tonight Show" following failed negotiations between media conglomerates and the writers guilds Friday.
Other late-night hosts, such as NBC's Conan O'Brien and CBS' David Letterman, agreed to continue paying staff members at least through the end of the year, the New York Daily News said Saturday.
Leno's spokesman said that while he would continue to honor the strike, he had offered bonuses to staffers this week totaling about $500,000.
The Writers Guild of America went on strike Nov. 5 protesting revenue generated from new media, closing down production on many prime-time series.
