“L.A. film producers face trial in bribery case - Tulsa World” plus 4 more

L.A. film producers face trial in bribery case - Tulsa World
Spielberg's DreamWorks raises $825 mln - English Eastday
Accused Miley Cyrus stalker scheduled in court - Charleston Daily Mail
Halo Movie Is 'On Hold', Microsoft Says - Softpedia
Miley Cyrus stalking suspect to appear in court - Charleston Daily Mail

L.A. film producers face trial in bribery case - Tulsa World

Posted: 17 Aug 2009 04:15 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES — Before film producers Gerald and Patricia Green took over a movie festival in Bangkok, the weeklong event struggled to capture Hollywood's attention.

Over the next four years, the Southern California couple transformed the festival into a rising star on the international circuit for screening new films, attracting the likes of Michael Douglas, Jeremy Irons and director Oliver Stone to Thailand.

The success earned the couple a small fortune and drew scrutiny from federal prosecutors who have charged them with bribing Thai officials to run the festival and land lucrative contracts.

In a novel trial scheduled to start Tuesday in U.S. District Court, prosecutors allege the Greens paid bribes so they would be awarded business contracts that brought the couple $14 million. The trial is the first in which entertainment industry figures are charged under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a federal statute prohibiting corrupt payments to foreign officials for business purposes.

Gerald Green, who produced Stone's "Salvador" and the Christian Bale-led "Rescue Dawn," faces 20 counts. Patricia Green, who produced "Diamonds," a comedy starring Kirk Douglas, Dan Aykroyd and Lauren Bacall, faces 21 counts.

If convicted, they each could receive up to life in prison. They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges and are free on bond.

The outcome of the trial coupled with recent comments by federal officials could have an effect on how Hollywood studios conduct business

in foreign countries.

"I think a message is being sent loud and clear that the government is going after violators no matter what industry they are in," said Franceska Schroeder, an attorney in Washington, D.C., who specializes in trade compliance law.

The number of foreign corrupt practices cases the U.S. government has prosecuted has risen in the past several years. In 2003, there were only three; last year there were 17, according to the Department of Justice. So far, this year there have been nine cases.

Prosecutors contend the Greens paid Juthamas Siriwan, the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, about $1.8 million to help secure the Bangkok International Film Festival and tourism-related deals, beginning in 2002.

The Greens' lawyers said they never paid to get the contracts.

"They got the contracts because they did good work," said Jerome Mooney, Gerald Green's lawyer. "They entered into consulting agreements with those who had connections with powerful people."

Patricia Green, 54, is accused of making false statements on tax returns and conspiring with her husband to cover up the payments by using different business entities, some with phony addresses and telephone numbers. Once Gerald Green, 77, learned about the federal investigation, he altered company documents, prosecutors allege.

Mooney said the couple have lost several development deals in China, Vietnam and Thailand because of the investigation.

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Spielberg's DreamWorks raises $825 mln - English Eastday

Posted: 18 Aug 2009 12:32 AM PDT

DreamWorks Studios, home of top Hollywood director Steven Spielberg, announced Monday it had raised 825 million U.S. dollars in a first phase of funding for a renewed burst of movie-making.

"This will allow us to move ahead quickly into production with our first group of films," said Spielberg and partner Stacey Snider in a joint statement.

The financial package, DreamWorks said, included 325 million dollars in bank funding from JP Morgan and other banks, 325 million dollars from its partner, India's Reliance Big Entertainment, and 175 million dollars as part of a distribution deal with Walt Disney Studios.

As part of the deal, Spielberg and Snider will join the DreamWorks board of directors. The board also includes vice chairman of Reliance Capital Amitabh Jhunjhunwala and Alan J. Levine, JP Morgan's entertainment adviser.

Anil Ambani, chairman of Reliance Big Entertainment's parent, Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (ADA) Group, said the partnership with Snider and Spielberg was "the cornerstone of our Hollywood strategy as we grow our film interests across the globe."

DreamWorks split from Viacom Inc.'s Paramount in September last year with 1.5 billion dollars in funding from Reliance ADA Group.

"Given our faith in the business plan that they presented to us and despite the current economic climate, we were always confident that this day would come," Ambani said. "Now Stacey (Snider) and Steven (Spielberg) can focus on producing more of the great films for which they are renowned."

DreamWorks has a long-term distribution deal with Walt Disney Studios, which will market and distribute about six live-action films a year, except in India, where Reliance Big Entertainment will retain distribution rights. The first release under Disney's Touchstone banner is expected in 2010.

DreamWorks, created in 1994 by Spielberg and entertainment moguls Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen, was sold to Viacom in 2006.

It gained prominence through a series of Oscar-winning movies, such as "American Beauty," "Gladiator" and "A Beautiful Mind."

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Accused Miley Cyrus stalker scheduled in court - Charleston Daily Mail

Posted: 18 Aug 2009 01:36 AM PDT

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - A 53-year-old man charged with attempting to stalk Miley Cyrus is scheduled to head back to court on Tybee Island, where the teen superstar just finished shooting a movie on the Georgia coast.

Mark McLeod is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Tuesday afternoon. He's being held at the Chatham County jail on misdemeanor charges of attempted stalking, disorderly conduct and obstruction of a police officer.

Police say McLeod twice came to Tybee Island looking for 16-year-old Cyrus and tried to breach a security perimeter around the movie set in June. Police say McLeod told an officer he was secretly engaged to marry the "Hannah Montana" star.

Cyrus finished filming the movie "The Last Song" on Tybee Island last week.

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Halo Movie Is 'On Hold', Microsoft Says - Softpedia

Posted: 18 Aug 2009 01:00 AM PDT

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Microsoft is one of the biggest companies involved in gaming at the moment, owning a lot of high grossing franchises with a big number of fans all around the world. The software giant is also quite proud of its Xbox 360 console, which has generated a ...