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'Little Miss Sunshine' writer to pen new 'Star Wars' film

It looks like the next "Star Wars" movie might get completed faster than it took to construct the second Death Star.

Disney and Lucasfilm have chosen Michael Arndt to write the screenplay for "Star Wars: Episode VII," the long-awaited follow-up to the 1983 epic "Return of the Jedi." … Read more

Lucas: Disney might have been Star Wars' only hope

In a video released today, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas explained that he decided to sell his media empire to The Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion because he believed it would "protect" Lucasfilm and its cash cow, the "Star Wars" franchise.

Sitting at a table alongside Lucasfilm co-chairman Kathleen Kennedy -- who will be Lucasfilm's president under Disney -- Lucas explained that in recent months, as he had mulled retirement and what he wanted to do with his life, he realized that the "perfect person to take over the company … Read more

Disney says new 'Star Wars' film on tap

Two surprises for "Star Wars" aficionados today: George Lucas has sold off LucasFilm to the Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion, and a new "Star Wars" movie, Episode VII, is in early development.

Disney CFO Jay Rasulo said during a conference call this afternoon that "Star Wars" episode 7 will "take the place of our tent pole [film] in 2015."… Read more

$200 James Bond tome stirs up memories

Bond fanatics, we've found a book for you: "The James Bond Archives" by Paul Duncan.

Duncan, who previously worked on major compendiums about Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick, spent the last two years researching Bond by combing through more than 1 million images and 100 filing cabinets full of related documentation from EON Productions.

More than 150 cast and crew members from the various films also retold their behind-the-scenes stories to Duncan, stories you can now relive in a book that gives a complete history of her majesty's most ambitious secret agent. … Read more

Summertime...and the living is busy

This is when normal people take vacation, but in the network TV marketing business, summer is our most intense period.

From May 16 when we announce the new fall schedule at our Upfront presentation to September 24, premiere week, we are laser focused on one thing: launching our new shows.

The process starts with watching pilots, meeting with producers and programmers, listening to research findings, and then translating all that into the science and art of entertainment marketing campaigns.

On-air promotional spots, print ads (see my previous blog post) radio spots, billboards, digital campaigns, interactive displays -- you name it, … Read more

The 404 Show Special: Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan

The 404's Jeff Bakalar had a chance to sit down with Jay Chandrasekhar and Kevin Heffernan, two of the members of the comedy group Broken Lizard (Super Troopers, Beerfest). The duo has a new film out called "The Babymakers" in select theaters, iTunes, and on-demand August 3rd.

In addition to a discussion about "The Babymakers," Jay and Kevin talk to Jeff about a sequel to "Super Troopers," getting "Potfest" off the ground, and what else is in store for Broken Lizard.… Read more

Designing 007: A look at Bond's luxurious life

When the world first met James Bond on-screen in the 1962 film "Dr. No," it changed the way many people imagined the life of a secret agent.

Six actors and nearly 25 films after Bond's film debut, the Barbican Centre in London is commemorating the dapper life of James Bond with "Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style." The massive exhibit features 400 effects from the Bond movie franchise, ranging from rarely seen conceptual art and on-set photos to original costumes and props. … Read more

'Game of Thrones' Bush head episode spiked from HBO Go, iTunes

One of the wonderful benefits HBO subscribers get these days is HBO Go, an online -- or mobile -- service that lets them access almost all of the network's archive.

But today, clearly embarrassed by the firestorm caused by an episode of its hit series "Game of Thrones" featuring former President George W. Bush's decapitated head on a spike, HBO has yanked the episode from both HBO Go and iTunes.

The controversy first arose earlier this week when the Web site io9 posted a story about its discovery of the Bush head in episode 10 of … Read more

George Lucas, planning retirement, picks Lucasfilm co-chair

The original release of "Star Wars" was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away (the 1970s), and ever since, George Lucas has been constructing his huge empire at Lucasfilm.

But now, in "an effort to move forward with his retirement plans," Lucas has hand-picked longtime Hollywood producer Kathleen Kennedy to become the co-chair of Lucasfilm, according to a press release today. Lucas will stay on as co-chair and CEO.

"I've spent my life building Lucasfilm and as I shift my focus into other directions I wanted to make sure it was … Read more