Peter Schoenfeld tells Vivendi: start to splash the cash March 24, 2015 Peter Schoenfeld touched down in Paris yesterday as he sought to pile further pressure on Vivendi in his bid to force them to spin off Universal Music Group, headed by Lucian Grange. Known on Wall Street as the “quiet professor of merger arbitrage”, Schoenfeld has recently found his voice in his ongoing battle to secure [...]
James Corden: US reviewers praise Late, Late Show debut but tell Brit comedian to stop laughing at his own jokes March 24, 2015 British entertainer James Corden made his debut as host of CBS' The Late, Late Show last night, earning cautiously warm reviews from US TV critics. The former Gavin and Stacey star, a familiar face to British viewers, took over in the role vacated by American comedian Craig Ferguson, and welcomed Hollywood actors Mila Kunis and [...]
Jeremy Clarkson is an accident waiting to happen says former BBC director general Greg Dyke March 23, 2015 While tanks and protesters form ranks around Jeremy Clarkson, the detractors are growing in force too. Greg Dyke, a former director general of the BBC, has branded besieged Top Gear presenter Clarkson an accident waiting to happen. The BBC, said Dyke, is in a tough spot and cannot really win either way when its official [...]
Pharrell Williams: Blurred Lines copyright verdict handicaps creators March 19, 2015 Pharrell Williams has spoken out about his court defeat last week, warning that the entertainment industry would grind to a halt if the example of the jury who ruled his smash hit "Blurred Lines" had infringed the copyright of Marvin Gaye's 1977 sing "Got to Give It Up". Last week Williams and singer Robin Thicke [...]
Jeremy Clarkson calls in lawyers over BBC chief’s Jimmy Savile comparison March 18, 2015 Jeremy Clarkson has called in lawyers after a senior BBC employee compared him to Jimmy Savile. The saga surrounding the controversial Top Gear presenter, currently on suspension for his involvement in a "fracas" with producer Oisin Tymon, looks set to rumble on as Clarkson responds to comments originally published in the Mail on Sunday. [...]
Ofcom review of UK digital communications market will look to maintain competition March 12, 2015 Media regulator Ofcom will review the UK’s digital communications market for the first time in a decade in order to ensure competition remains in a sector increasingly dominated by telecom giants. Ofcom said its review will look to identify if there is scope for deregulation in “some areas” of the market and find [...]
ITV buys The Voice production company Talpa Media with John de Mol on board March 12, 2015 ITV has turned its chair for the production company behind BBC talent show The Voice, buying up Talpa Media. The broadcaster has acquired the Dutch production company founded by Big Brother creator John de Mol, in a deal worth up to £781m. The deal includes keeping on de Mol and Talpa’s management team who will [...]
Jeremy Clarkson fracas: One chart showing the decline of Top Gear’s UK television audience in the last five years March 11, 2015 To his fans, he's a hero; to his detractors, he's everything wrong with television today. But fracas or no fracas, suspending Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson can't have been an easy choice for the BBC. He does, after all, preside over the world's most-watched factual TV programme, according to the Guinness Book of Records. More than [...]
This is why losing Jeremy Clarkson would cost the BBC dearly March 10, 2015 Top Gear has proved to be one of the BBC's most popular TV shows ever, bringing in millions of viewers and huge profits in recent years. Presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been key to its success, but a “fracas” with a producer at the organisation has put his position on the line. The BBC announced this [...]
Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson suspended by the BBC after “fracas” March 10, 2015 Controversial Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been suspended from the BBC after a "fracas" with a producer. In a statement today, the BBC said Clarkson had been suspended "pending investigation", and that "no one else has been suspended". It added that Top Gear would not be broadcast this Sunday. Top Gear is one of the BBC's most [...]