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Hollywood’s 10 Biggest Social Media Success Stories of 2009

Kofi Outlaw — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 04:00:00 +0000

The following post was contributed by guest writer by Jeffrey Appelbaum. Jeff is a managing director at Buzzpoint, a social media firm in Los Angeles that specializes in creative online strategies for entertainment and technology companies.

2009 was a record year for Hollywood at the box office. According to the Nielson Co., total box-office receipts from the U.S. and Canada tallied more than $10.6 billion, which is approximately an 8 percent increase over 2008’s record of $9.791 billion. Not too shabby for a down economy.

The year’s slate included not only the usual surplus of sequels and adaptations (Transformers, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, etc.), but some Cinderella stories that defied all financial expectations (The Hangover, Paranormal Activity). However, while 2009 will certainly be remembered as lucrative year at the box office, it’s also ...

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Weekend Movie News Wrap Up: August 2, 2009

Niall Browne — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:19:44 +0000

In the Universal Pictures-centric Wrap Up this week:

There are some Funny People at the top of the box office; Ron Howard puts together the pieces of Robert Ludlum’s Parsifal Mosaic; Judd Apatow’s films are now Universal; Charlize Theron is Florence of Arabia; Jesus Christ Superstar has been 2000 years in the making and there’ll be some action on The Lords Day (not a religious film!).
Box Office
It looks like the Judd Apatow brand may be losing some power. The Adam Sandler-headlined dramedy, Funny People, grossed just over $22 million this weekend.

With a reported $70 million budget, the film will need strong legs and good international sales to see any sort of profitability. The films serious subject matter (cancer) and long running time (2 ½ hours) are some of the main reasons cited for the lack-lustre opening.

Showing that no concept is ...

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Springsteen Rocks The Movies

Niall Browne — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:47:00 +0000

Bruce Springsteen is an American legend. He’s sort of like the musical equivalent of John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, a strong presence who delivers a quintessential view of the United States.

Now the rock icon is attached to two very different films, offering his services as not only a singer/songwriter but possibly also as an actor. “The Boss” has written and recorded a song for Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler while Judd Apatow has offered him a role in his forthcoming film Funny People.

So where did this cinematic love of Springsteen come from?

Simple answer – it has always been there.

Springsteen has always been a huge cinephile, and many of his songs and albums have been inspired by movies. His 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad was inspired not only by ...

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