A Look Ahead
VIVENDI: The first day of stock-market trading for the newly created Vivendi Universal also marked the initial executive departure from the newly created multinational, as exec VP-chief financial officer Brian Mulligan ankled for unspecified other opportunities. Mulligan was considered a close confidant of Edgar Bronfman Jr., who's now relegated to a No. 2 role at the conglom after his Seagram -- Universal's former parent company -- was taken over by French-based Vivendi.
TECH: Carlton Communications is selling Technicolor to French consumer electronics group Thomson Multimedia in a deal worth £1.43 billion ($2.1 billion), above expectations.
SAG: Thomas Short, president of the IATSE, has urged SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers to start negotiations "well in advance" of the June 30 contract expiration to avoid the risk of putting thousands out of work.
CUCKOO: "Copenhagen" is closing on Broadway with a production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" taking its place. Gary Sinise will topline.
ABC: ABC swaps time periods for "Once and Again" and "Gideon's Crossing." As expected, "NYPD Blue" returns on Tuesdays at 10.
DIPLOMATIC: Michael Davies, the exec producer behind "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," sets up his long-expected production company at ABC. Diplomatic, as the company will be known, will specialize in reality TV but also dabble in scripted programming.
EMUSIC: EMusic signs licensing pact with Natl. Music Publishers Assn. for the online music company's all-you-can-eat streaming service, called EMusic Unlimited.
GROSSES: Broadway grosses.
PLAYERS
BUSINESS
RANDOM: Random House becomes first Western publisher to establish major presence in Asian market, appointing Youngsuk Chi to new position of prexy, Random House Asia.
HELLMUTH: Steve Hellmuth will rejoin the NBA in the newly created position of senior VP, operations and technology, NBA Entertainment.
WORLD NEWS
FRENCH RULES: The French government has refused to bow to pressure from European countries, and has successfully defended the film industry's get-out clause from international trade rules.
BBC: Pubcaster BBC is in talks to launch a digital pay TV sports channel next year, in an attempt to revitalize its ailing sports coverage with new revenue.
BELGIAN KINEPOLIS: Belgium cinema group Kinepolis is poised to sell its 25% stake in German cinema chain CinemaxX, making it the latest of a long line of foreign exhibs to exit the German market.
ITALO DINO: The unrestricted Italian release of Disney's animated blockbuster "Dinosaur" has kick-started a ruckus over violent content in children's films, with Parliament calling for the introduction of a parental guidance classification similar to the one used in the U.S.
AFRICA STANDARDS: South Africa's Broadcasting Complaints Commission has rapped commercial television broadcaster e.tv for harming public morals by screening the rape scenes in 1970s sex pic "Emmanuelle."
REVIEWS
FILM: Traffic
LEGIT: Forbidden Broadway 2001; Fermat's Last Tango; Bitter Tears; Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding
