Leadership Changes @ Warners

Jeff Bewkes, Chairman, CEO, Time Warner Inc., reports 'leadership changes' at Warner Bros. As part of the new plan, Barry Meyer, Chairman, CEO, and Alan Horn, President, COO, will remain in their current roles for the next six months. Beginning April 1, 2011, Meyer will extend his contract and Horn will enter into a consultancy agreement, both through December 2013.

In addition, Bewkes also announced the formation of an Office of the President comprised of Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group; Bruce Rosenblum, President, Warner Bros. Television Group; and Kevin Tsujihara, President, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, beginning April 1, 2011.

In this capacity, each executive will retain his current responsibilities while becoming more engaged in the operations of the overall company, at a time of convergence of content and distribution platforms throughout the entertainment industry.

"After a great deal of thought and many discussions with Barry and Alan, we decided that this phased plan was in the best interest of Warner Bros. and its businesses," said Bewkes.

"Stability and consistency are the hallmarks of Warner Bros." said Meyer. "This plan underscores our commitment to an orderly succession and to promoting from within."

“It’s been a privilege and an honor to work at Warner Bros. and to build its motion pictures operations into a global force," said Horn. "From our beloved 'Harry Potter' to all the wonderful films we have going forward, I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished..."

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Chill With "Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads"

"IRT: Deadliest Roads", is a new reality series premiering October 3, 2010 on HISTORY.

"..'Ice Road Truckers: Deadliest Roads', takes some of the toughest truckers from one of History's most popular programs and challenges them to haul their way through a new kind of hell on earth. 'IRT: Deadliest Roads' will test everything the ice truckers have learned in more than 40 combined years of driving, forcing them to adapt to white-knuckle road and driving conditions unlike anything they have ever faced.

"From the crowded streets of Delhi to treacherously steep, narrow and congested roads blasted into the mountainside, they're about to embark on an exhilarating, exhausting and terrifying adventure. India's Himalayan roadways are among the most historic on the planet. Dating back to 206 B.C., the Himalayas were an integral part of the famous Silk Routes, connecting Central Asia with South Asia, and creating a bridge between culturally and religiously diverse countries such as India, China, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Bhutan. Infrastructure that was once narrow yak trails were turned into roads in the 1800's and today's truckers now follow along these same ancient routes.

"However, beneath this rich culture and tradition exists some of India's most treacherous roadways. One stretch of tight, winding road is the notorious 'Freefall Freeway', which clings to a cliff 700 feet high - a wall of granite on one side, a perilous drop to certain death on the other.

"Elsewhere, drivers must master 'The Cutouts', where only enough rock has been blasted out of the mountains to allow one vehicle at a time to pass. Not only must drivers here cope with a 1,000-foot cliff, but they also must be wary of scraping the top of their vehicles on the rock ceiling. If that weren't enough, 'Breakaway Bend', so named because too much blasting has weakened the mountain from below, leads not only to potholes but also to total roadway failure. Quite literally, the road could give way under their wheels at any moment..."

HISTORY adds a boost of adrenaline to your Sunday nights with its brand new series, "IRT: Deadliest Roads" at 9/8c. Set in the highest and most dangerous mountain ranges in the world, the Himalayas, three seasoned truckers will be forced to drive through the deadliest and most unpredictable routes that the road has to offer. Follow drivers Lisa Kelly, Rick Yemm and Alex Debogorski as they deliver goods to small villages along untouched highways.

Become a fan on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/iceroadtruckers

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"Smallville" Casts Hatcher To Play The Mother Of 'Lois Lane'

According to reports, the CW's Vancouver-lensed "Superman" TV series "Smallville", has cast actress Teri Hatcher ("Desperate Housewives") to play 'Ella' the mother of 'Lois Lane' (Erica Durance), in the final, 10th season of the series, Friday, September 24.

Hatcher previously played the DC Comics character 'Lois Lane', in the 1993-1997 ABC TV series "The New Adventures of Lois and Clark".

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Smallville, Season 10"...

Shebib Going "Down The Road Again"

As first reported December 2008, Union Pictures will start production September 27 on "Down The Road Again", a feature sequel to Toronto director Don Shebib's 1970 Canadian classic "Goin' Down The Road".

The new film, written/directed by Shebib, will see the return of original cast members Doug McGrath, Jayne Eastwood and Cayle Chernin. Also starring are Kathleen Robertson, Anthony Lemke and Tedde Moore. "...Set forty years after the original, 'Down The Road Again' begins as 'Pete McGraw' retires from his days as a Vancouver postal employee. With the news of the demise of his life-long buddy 'Joey', Pete finds himself the custodian of a series of letters, an envelope full of money and a plea from his late pal to head back east with his ashes with details of a special delivery along the way..." "Down The Road Again" is produced by Robin Cass for executive producers Sandra Cunningham and Anna Stratton, with both Telefilm and the OMDC as financing partners. Click the images to enlarge...

AMC Runs With "The Walking Dead"

Sneak Peek the latest key art supporting the October 31, 2010 debut of the new original, AMC horror TV series "The Walking Dead", based on the Image comics series.

The six-episode first season, written, produced and directed by 3-time Academy Award-nominee Frank Darabont ("The Green Mile") is executive produced by Gale Anne Hurd ("The Incredible Hulk") for Valhalla productions.

"...'The Walking Dead' tells the story of life following a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer 'Rick Grimes' (Andrew Lincoln) , traveling in search of a safe and secure home..."
The production company, based in Atlanta, was previously looking for extras to appear as 'walkers' in the series, with background performers required to attend 'Zombie School' to maintain 'authenticity' in shambling and shuffling.
Additional executive producers of "The Walking Dead" are Darabont and David Alpert for Circle of Confusion.
Funding of the production is provided in its entirety through AMC parent Rainbow Media.

Since its debut October 2003, Image Comics has published 69 issues of "TheWalking Dead", with steadily increasing sales on single issues, trade paperbacks and hardcover collections.

Premise of the comic books follow 'Rick Grimes', a small-town cop from 'Cynthiana', Kentucky, his family and a number of hangers-on who band together to survive a land overrun with living-dead zombies.

Darabont promises, that as the "The Walking Dead" TV series progresses, personalities will visibly shift under the stress of the impending 'zombie apocalypse'.

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