Digital Media FX News Archives

Sunday - April 22, 2001
- One Week Until Writers "Strike"
- Shrek Soundtrack Details
- Weekend Box Office Estimates
- News Link of the Day - Rugrats Roller Coaster Opens

One Week Until Writers "Strike"
(by digitalmediafx.com) As the summer nears, so does the realistic possibility that Hollywood will be brought to its knees by a writers and actors strike. Los Angeles is warning of the dire economic effects that a strike will bring to the region. A study released last week stated that a writers and actors strike would cost the region up to $6.9 billion and nearly 82,000 jobs. In addition, the U.K. says that a Hollywood strike would have a drastic effect upon their special effects industry which regularly contributes to blockbuster films.

"Make no mistake about it: a prolonged strike could plunge our city and our county into recession," said Mayor Richard Riordan at a news conference.

In just over a week, on May 1, 2001, the contract between Hollywood studios and the Writers Guild of America will expire. Without a new agreement, writers are set to strike. The biggest sticky point in negotiations has been over what writers receive for TV, DVD, and Internet residuals.

Several weeks after the writers contract expires, the Screen Actors Guild contract will expire and could result in an actors strike if a new contract isn't agreed upon.

Any strike will result in dozens of Hollywood productions being postponed or cancelled. One of the biggest that could be hit is Matrix 2 & 3.

Click here to read an earlier dFX story on this subject.

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Shrek Soundtrack Details
(by digitalmediafx.com) The following is an unedited press release put out by DreamWorks Records about the upcoming Shrek soundtrack:

The Baha Men let the dogs out last year; now the pop phenoms unleash the first radio track from "Shrek - Music From The Original Motion Picture" (released May 15, 2001, on DreamWorks Records). The cheery "Best Years Of Our Lives" goes to Top 40 radio April 24, but it's already sounding familiar to those who've seen the trailer for "Shrek," which features the song in a climactic celebration scene.

Fourteen-year-old Leslie Carter's "Like Wow!," meanwhile, will hit radio May 1 as the second cut off "Shrek" (it is currently enjoying frequent rotation at children's formats). In anticipation of the release of Carter's debut album, also titled "Like Wow!" (DreamWorks Records), the commercial single has already reached #15 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales chart. Carter (sister of Backstreet Boy Nick Carter and solo artist Aaron Carter) and the multiplatinum-selling, chart-topping, Grammy-winning Baha Men will be presenters at Nickelodeon's "Kids' Choice Awards," which airs Saturday, April 21.

"Best Years Of Our Lives" was recorded especially for DreamWorks Pictures' animated comedy adventure "Shrek" -- the greatest fairy tale never told -- as were eight other performances heard on the soundtrack album from:

-- Rough-and-tumble rock outfit Smash Mouth (with a cover of The Monkees
smash "I'm A Believer")
-- Pop experimentalists Self (the original "Stay Home")
-- Lifehouse frontman Jason Wade (the classic standard "You Belong To Me")
-- Acclaimed singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright (Leonard Cohen's
"Hallelujah")
-- Debuting singer-songwriter Dana Glover ("It Is You I Have Loved All
Along")
-- Up-and-coming hard rockers Halfcocked (Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation")
-- Actor-comedian Eddie Murphy (a reprise of "I'm A Believer" delivered by
the "Shrek" character Donkey, whose voice is Murphy's)
-- Composers Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell ("True Love's First
Kiss," a medley of score excerpts from the team who earlier scored
DreamWorks' animated "Chicken Run" and "Antz").

In addition to "Like Wow!," "Shrek - Music From The Original Motion Picture" is highlighted by three other previously released selections: "I'm On My Way," from U.K. popsters The Proclaimers; the wholly appropriate "My Beloved Monster," from modern rockers eels; and the major league hit "All Star," also from Smash Mouth.

"Shrek - Music From The Original Motion Picture" was overseen by DreamWorks Records executives Michael Ostin, Robbie Robertson and Lenny Waronker and DreamWorks Pictures music supervisor Marylata E. Jacob, all of whom served as executive album producers.

Opening nationwide on May 18, "Shrek" stars the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow. DreamWorks Pictures presents a PDI/DreamWorks Production, "Shrek," directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson and produced by Aron Warner, John H. Williams and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Based on the book by William Steig, "Shrek" was co-executive produced by David Lipman, with Penney Finkelman Cox
and Sandra Rabins serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman. The original score was composed by Harry Gregson-Williams and John Powell. DreamWorks Records is a division of DreamWorks SKG, which was formed in October 1994 by its three principal partners -- Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen -- to produce live-action motion pictures; animated feature films; network, syndicated and cable television programming; home video entertainment; records; books; toys; and consumer products.

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Weekend Box Office Estimates
(by digitalmediafx.com) Weekend Box Office estimates are in and it looks like Bridget Jones Diary has toppled Spy Kids for the #1 spot. It is estimated that Bridget Jones Diary brought in $10.5 million for the weekend, followed closely by Spy Kids with $10.2 million. The two are so close that final numbers could end up putting Spy Kids back in first. Along Came a Spider was third with $9.1 million, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles fourth with $8 million, and Freddie Got Fingered fifth with $7.3 million.

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News Link of the Day - Rugrats Roller Coaster Opens

According to The Detroit News:

"Paramount's Kings Island near Cincinnati claims bragging rights as the "Kids' Coaster Capital of the World" with the addition this season of a Rugrats-themed thrill ride.

The Rugrats Runaway Reptar, the world's first inverted junior coaster and the park's fourth kiddie coaster, takes children on a fast, high-flying ride in ski-lift style seats that are suspended below the coaster track..."

Click here for the full story.

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