China's film quota cracked

Dodd China's agreement to loosen its restrictions on foreign films will give Hollywood what it's wanted for years -- a bigger piece of China's exploding media marketplace. The decision to allow the importation of 14 more 3D or large-format films per year and a profit-sharing increase from 13% to 25% for foreign film companies is a major victory for U.S. negotiators, who revved up their efforts to seal the agreement in the days leading up to last week's visit of Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping. While the world has spent years trying to loosen China's borders to Hollywood, Friday's decision ultimately relied on 11th-hour dealmaking. "It kind of came down to the last few weeks," Antony Blinken, national security adviser for Vice President Joe Biden, told Variety. Blinken has spent the last week accompanying Biden on his trip to Los Angeles, where the VP played an instrumental role in getting leader-in-waiting Xi to help reach an agreement. Chinese box office surpassed $2.1 billion in 2011 and could grow to $5 billion by 2015. Analysts have said that even allowing 10 more films could mean half a billion dollars per year for major studios, so 14 premium-priced titles could return even more revenue than that to Hollywood. The film business will likely seek to open Chinese borders even further. "I think, overall, people feel like it's important to get movement here and then go back to the drawing boards and push for more openers," MPAA chairman Chris Dodd told Variety. Tentpoles such as "Avatar" and "Inception" will continue to be favored, but the agreement will also boost 3D conversions of 2D titles like "The Lion King" and "Titanic." "Given the fact that we're now going to have a new ceiling here, I think it incentivizes the industry to look at that format both in terms of new production and transformed product," Dodd said. The proposed increase in the profit-sharing percentage for foreign film companies was debated all day Friday. Blinken noted that in the morning, the number hovered just north of 20%. But the White House had wanted 27%, and Biden consulted with toppers including Bob Iger and Jeffrey Katzenberg to see what number could really work for the industry. "The only way we could move forward was if he could convince (Xi) to move to 25%," he said. Xi and Biden sat next to each other at a lunch on Friday, hours before the announcement, where both leaders took part in some last-minute dealmaking. "Biden leaned over to Xi and said, 'Look, we're very close to this film deal. It's a good deal for one of our most important industries and, I think, a good deal for China. If we could get to 25% we'll have a deal, and if you could do it while you're in Los Angeles, that would also be very symbolic.'" By the afternoon, officials from each administration began receiving word that preliminary commitments were to be signed, with the agreement officially set for inking the following week. With the potential for hundreds of millions more in annual box office revenue from China, execs expressed satisfaction with the accord. Walt Disney Co. CEO Iger said the agreement "represents a significant opportunity to provide Chinese audiences increased access to our films." "We applaud this breakthrough agreement and thank Presidents Obama, Hu, Vice Presidents Biden and Xi, the MPAA and Ron Kirk and his team at USTR for their tireless efforts to promote market access in the filmed entertainment industry," said Warner Bros. chairman Barry Meyer. Jeff Small, president and COO of DreamWorks Studios, said, "Chinese consumers are showing a high demand for quality American product, and this decision will allow them to see our films in their theaters with greater ease. We're looking forward to much more business in this fast-growing market." Independently produced films could also benefit from loosened quotas. "For the first time, through this agreement, there is a promise of creating a commercial foundation that will allow independent producers to participate more fully in the Chinese marketplace," said Jean Prewitt, CEO of the Independent Film & Television Alliance. On Friday, the White House said that the agreement "will allow significantly more job-supporting U.S. film exports to China and provide fairer compensation to U.S. film producers for the movies being shown there." Agreement will be reviewed after five years, and the U.S. can return to the WTO to seek relief. In 2009, the WTO ruled against Chinese restrictions on importing and distributing films, DVDs, music, books and journals, but in practice, the quota of 20 foreign films per year remained in place in China. Chinese leaders were concerned that opening up barriers would cause a flood of foreign films to wipe out the local movie industry. But some observers say that limiting the new increase to 3D and Imax movies addresses those concerns. "Most of the Chinese moviemakers, they are not making Imax, they are not making 3D movies anyway," Qiang Bai, CEO of 3D China Ltd., told Variety. Dan Mintz, CEO of L.A.- and Beijing-based DMG, cautioned that the new agreement looks great on paper, but it does not mean the market will become a free-for-all. "At the end of the day, every movie trying to get in will still have to go through censorship. If the government doesn't want your movie in, it won't. And just because a movie is in, it doesn't mean that it will be shown in all of the screens in China," said Mintz, who is overseeing DMG's $300 million fund to bring co-production tentpoles to China. He noted that China Film Group owns 50% of screens in China, and it is also promoting domestic films. "So, at the end of the day, anyone trying to enter Hollywood still has to have relevance as well as strong access in the market," Mintz said. (Clifford Coonan in Beijing contributed to this report.) Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

ESPN Takes Action Against Pair For Comments About Knicks Star Jeremy Lin

The sports network today said it has fired one employee and suspended another for 30 days following separate inappropriate race-sensitivecomments about NY Knicks guard Jeremy Lin. A third incident involving comments about Lin — who is Chinese-American, born of Taiwanese parents and was raised in Palo Alto, Calif. — occurred Friday on ESPN Radio NY but no action was taken because the commentator is not an employee. After the Knicks lost to New Orleans on Friday — the team’s first defeat with Lin, a Harvard graduate and free-agent point guard, in the starting lineup — ESPN Mobile ran a story under the headline “Chink in the armor”. The headline was only up for a half hour or so, but the editor responsible for it was fired. On Wednesday, ESPNNews achor Max Bretos made the same comment during an interview.Bretos has been suspended for 30 days, according to a statement released today on the ESPN website. “We again apologize, especially to Mr. Lin,” it reads in part. “His accomplishments are a source of great pride to the Asian-American community, including the Asian-American employees at ESPN. Through self-examination, improved editorial practices and controls, and response to constructive criticism, we will be better in the future.” Lin has been the talk of NY since his emergence, and even spurred Time Warner Cable and Knicks network MSG to resolve a 48-day carriage dispute that had kept the team — and Lin — off the airwaves in about 2.5 million homes in NY.

Cinemark names Tim Warner CEO

Warner Cinemark, the nation's third-largest theater chain, has tapped Tim Warner to succeed Alan Stock as CEO of the company.News came Wednesday from Cinemark chairman Lee Roy Mitchell.Stock, who has served as CEO of Cinemark since December 2006, plans to retire. He'll serve in a transitional role through May 1 before taking on an advisory role as a consultant for the company for two years."I am proud to have contributed to the company's growth during my 26-year tenure," Stock said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Tim and the management team to ensure that we effect a seamless transition and continued success for the company."Warner has been with Cinemark for 16 years, serving most recently as prexy and chief operating officer since 2006."Throughout our careers at Cinemark, Alan and I have worked closely to enhance the theatergoing experience while driving domestic and international growth," Warner said. "We thank Alan for his outstanding contributions to the company and for his initiatives to promote high standards across the industry and strong relations among its various constituents."Cinemark operates 448 theaters with 5,096 screens in the U.S. and Latin America. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Fox moves more MLB games to primetime

Trying to establish a bigger baseball beachhead on Saturday nights, Fox said it would broadcast MLB games in primetime for eight consecutive weeks, the network's most ever. The games will be regionalized, beginning May 19 with five possibilities including Boston against Philadelphia and Chicago's White Sox vs. its Cubs. Every team in the U.S. will appear at least twice during the run. "We're pleased that we were able work with our partners at Major League Baseball to develop our most extensive primetime schedule yet," said Fox Sports co-prexy and COO Eric Shanks. "Our hope is to increase viewership and by featuring so many teams, create additional exposure for the game's many stars so they become more familiar to a broader fan base." Fox began experimenting with regular-season Saturday night broadcasts in 2010, most notably in a game between the NY Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers that June. A year ago, three baseball Saturday nights in May averaged approximately 4.2 million total viewers. While ESPN has long offered weekly primetime games -- "Sunday Night Baseball," for example, has been in place for more than two decades -- this will be the biggest primetime effort by a broadcast network for MLB regular-season games in one season since the shortlived "Baseball Network" that ABC and NBC combined to attempt in 1994-95, an effort that was short-circuited in part by the 1994 players' strike. Before that, you'd have to go back to the 1980s -- prior to ESPN's first major deal with MLB in 1989 -- to find regular primetime MLB game coverage on a broadcast network. Fox's new schedule could impact local cablers and broadcasters, who aren't allowed to broadcast MLB games during Fox's Saturday window. Traditionally, teams have moved non-Fox games away from the afternoon window into the night, but presumably would have to reverse course during this eight-week stretch. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

The West Wing's Allison Janney to Guest-Star on The Big C

Allison Janney The West Wing's Allison Janney is set to guest-star on the upcoming season of The Big C, Showtime announced Tuesday. The Emmy-winning actress will play an ultra-successful Hollywood producer who wants to purchase Cathy (Laura Linney) and Paul's life rights in order to tell their story on the big screen. Other notable guest-stars coming this season include Susan Sarandon and Victor Garber. Pilot Season: Tony Shalhoub, Allison Janney going to NBC's Friday Night Dinner Janney, whose credits also include ABC's short-lived Mr. Sunshine, recently landed the lead in The Office boss Greg Daniels' adaptation of British comedy Friday Night Dinner. The Big C will return for its third season on Sunday, April 8 at 9:30/8:30c on Showtime.

VIDEO: Ellen Sends British Web Stars Sophia Grace and Rosie to the Grammys

Rosie and Sophia Grace, Ellen DeGeneres Meet the next stars of Hollywood. Ellen DeGeneres enlisted British web sensations Sophia Grace and Rosie, who have previously performed on her show, to work the Grammys red carpet. The young ladies, who became popular after a video of them singing Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" went viral, had a bubble party with Lady Antebellum and even sang "Moves Like Jagger" to Adam Levine. Check out the uber cuteness below:

Runaway cow heads to bigscreen

The story of a runaway cow that smashed through an electric fence and escaped to freedom in the Bavarian hills last year is making it to the bigscreen.Animation producer Max Howard, Munich's Papa Loewe Filmproduktion, Torsten Poeck of Munich financing outfit Clou Partners and U.K.-based writer-producer Kirsty Peart have joined up to produce the animated bovine adventure, "Cow on the Run," slated for a 2014 release.Raised on an Austrian farm before she was torn away from her calves and sold for slaughter, Yvonne the irate cow managed to flee and elude her captors for three months, outwitting expert trackers equipped with a helicopter and heat-seeking equipment.The producers are collaborating with the Gut Aiderbichl animal sanctuary in Bavaria, where Yvonne now lives in peace and far away from the slaughterhouse. Contact Ed Meza at ed.meza@mannaa.de

A Gifted Guy Boss: We're Very Hopeful About Coming back

Patrick Wilson and Margo Martindale Not able to CBS' A Gifted Guy can invariably be up in mid-air, but executive producer Neal Baer hopes the show has packed its remaining episodes with plenty of punch to earn another season.Convey more scoop inside your favorite shows inside our Winter TV previewFor starters, Friday's episode (8/7c, CBS) finds Dr. Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) in the middle of a hostage situation after he testifies the youthful guy charged with wrongful dying and arson only committed the crimes as they was battling having a brain tumor. In their grief, the troubled mother (Robin Weigert) who lost a youthful child inside the fire breaks into Clinica Sanando after several hours and holds Michael, Kate (Rachelle Lefevre), Zeke (Rhys Coiro) and Anton (Pablo Schreiber) at gunpoint.Despite (or even because of) the drama, more recent and much more effective feelings will begin to emerge between Michael and Kate following a two shared a substantial hug in the last episode."That hug has some resonance for Michael," Baer states. "So certainly we have the element of that love triangular [between Michael] and Kate's husband carried out. It will get warmer."That triangular could grow a great deal larger round the Feb. 24 episode when Sons of Anarchy's Maggie Siff guest-stars as Michel's secondary school sweetheart, who's battling having a apparently irreversible condition. "It puts him to the toughest medical position of his existence," Baer states.Diane Neal to lawyer on the Gifted ManBecause Siff's character can be a pianist, the episode also reaches highlight Wilson's musical capabilities. (The Tony-nominated actor has completed in a number of Broadway shows, like the Full Monty and Oklahoma!). "We finally see Patrick since the talent he's,Inch Baer states. "He really sings and plays drums. He's capable of show his great musical chops."However, the season's penultimate episode may supply the series' finest moment yet. Eriq La Salle returns as Dr. E "E-Mo" Morris, and he'll be the first ones to really witness Michael's ongoing mention of the his dead ex-wife Anna (Jennifer Ehle)."No an individual's really seen Michael fighting or talking with Anna," Baer teases. "Possibly a few words occasionally, but let us say Michael were in the full-blown, outright argument with Anna and somebody walked in on that? How do you understand why? E-Mo walks in to a major blowout between Michael and Anna, and Michael has many attempting to show do. "10 bubble shows: Which will survive?Baer states the questions elevated with this experience will definitely be addressed with the season's finish. Plus, he teases that, inside the season finale, Tammy Blanchard (SVU, The Truly Amazing Wife) will portray a girl in need of funds a heart transplant who plays "an important role that literally breaks everyone's heart."However, Baer expects to depart some story lines dangling wishing returning next season. "There's plenty that you should for and question about, absolutely," Baer states. "You'll find certainly queries about what is going to occur in associations afterwards.InchAnd the way vibrant does the long run appear for your show? Baer is extremely carefully positive. "[CBS] really loves the show, which we've not spoken in regards to the future whatsoever except trying to merely do great episodes," according to him. "They're very encouraging in the show which i understand they like it, therefore we are extremely hopeful about coming back inside the fall."A Gifted Guy airs Friday at 8/7c. The best three episodes will air at 9/8c beginning Feb. 17.

Happy Birthday John Williams: 'Star Wars' Composer Turns 80 Years Old!

John Williams, the greatest film composer ever (and arguably the greatest living American composer, period) turns 80 years old today. Theres too much to say about Williams for this limited space, but here are a few stats... » Composed music for more than 100 films » Earned 47 Oscar nominations (including two this year for War Horse and Tintin) and five wins » Continuing collaboration with Steven Spielberg has lasted nearly 40 years » Claimed three spots on AFIs list of the 25 Greatest Film Scores of All Time, including the #1 spot for Star Wars Episode IV Along with his accomplishments in film, Williams served as music director for the Boston Pops Orchestra for 14 seasons and composed themes for four Olympic Games. In 2009 he received the National Medal of Arts, which is the highest award given to artists by the U.S. government. Williams name has become so synonymous with film music that its impossible to imagine a popular culture without him. Heres to many more years of memorable movie music to come! My top ten favorite John Williams scores: 1. Star Wars Episode IV and Episode V (tie) 3. Raiders of the Lost Ark 4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone 5. Home Alone 6. Schindlers List 7. 1941 8. Superman 9. Hook 10. Empire of the Sun Got a favorite John Williams film score? Let us know in the comments below, or give us a shout on Twitter!