Showbiz may have been left out of the U.S. government's stimulus packages, but the industry is still paying it forward on a number of fronts.
Bank of America's promotion for DreamWorks' "Monsters vs. Aliens" drew criticism from Pali Research's
Richard Greenfield, who wrote that he found it "odd" given that the bank is getting bailout funds.
The bank, which received $45 billion from Uncle Sam, is giving away certificates for customers to upgrade from regular screenings to the pricier 3-D unspoolings for the pic, which opens March 27.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the National Assn. of Commercial Broadcasters has proposed that the Japanese government give digital flat-panel TVs to the country's nearly 2.6 million households who can't already afford them. Cost would be about $1,000 per set.
Aim is to stimulate the Japanese economy while preparing for that country's own switchover to digital broadcasting, which is scheduled for July 2011.
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