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15th April 2009
Actor to guest on Discovery Channel show.
Will Ferrell is crawling into the extreme trenches with Bear Grylls for an upcoming episode of Discovery Channel's "Man vs. Wild."
Discovery announced Ferrell's guest stint, set to air in June, at its Wednesday upfront presentation in Los Angeles. Also at the presentation -- the last of its upfront showcases around the country -- Discovery execs cheered the strong ratings from Tuesday night's season-five bow of "Deadliest Catch."
The Thom Beers-produced "Catch" easily won the night in cable, averaging 4.2 million viewers -- up 23% from its season-four bow -- and a 2.0 rating/5 share with adults 18-49, its best number in the demo ever. The "Deadliest Catch" lead-out also helped fuel solid numbers for the premiere of "Out of the Wild: The Alaska Experiment."
Also at Discovery's presentation, net execs mostly highlighted a slate already announced earlier this month, which, beyond "Man vs. Wild" and "Deadliest Catch," also includes "Mythbusters," "Storm Chasers" and "American Loggers." Discovery also will bow specials such as "Engineering the Universe," "Mega Beasts" and "Discovery Atlas."
In addition, Discovery is prepping the six-hour special "Out of Egypt," starring renowned Egyptologist Kara Cooney, who shows how the ancient civilization's practices spread throughout the world. Other Discovery specs doubling as backdoor pilots include "Weaponizers" and "Belly of the Beast," hosted by Rossi Morreale.
Ferrell's "Man vs. Wild" seg is tied to the June 5 release of the thesp's Universal release "Land of the Lost."
Ferrell's appearance is part of a larger partnership between Discovery and Universal Pictures. Discovery previously integrated U's "Frost/Nixon" into an episode of "Cash Cab," while the studio's "Fast and Furious" was linked into an episode of Discovery's "Destroyed in Seconds."
In the "Man vs. Wild" episode, Ferrell joins Grylls in the far north of Sweden, where they spend 48 hours performing tasks such as rappelling down hundred-foot frozen waterfalls, tandem-abseiling off a helicopter and staying warm overnight in subzero temperatures.
The two also find food in the forest, improvise snow shoes and drink their own urine.
"Will did an amazing job in subzero, very unforgiving conditions," Grylls said. "He trusted me when it mattered, and we survived. ... He should be very proud of how he performed."
Ferrell called the stint on "Man vs. Wild" "a thrill of a lifetime, even though I did get urine-drunk, which is sad."
Discovery Channel prexy-general manager John Ford noted that the duo not only share a snow shelter but eat reindeer eyeballs together.
"That says it all," Ford said.
Discovery Communications ad sales prexy Joe Abruzzese points to the Ferrell guest spot as an example of working closely with advertisers on content integration, while Universal Pictures media promotions VP Annah Zafrani called it the studio's "most innovative project to date" with Discovery.
"We're able to connect 'Land of the Lost' to Bear's fans -- people who love adventure and mysterious worlds," Zafrani said.
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30th November 2008
Gonzo : The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
click > http://www.diverse.tv/programme/GONZO-The-Life-and-Work-of-Dr-Hunter-S-Thompson-4689.html?filter=type_
http://www.huntersthompsonmovie.com (view trailer)
The ViewLondon Review
 
Worth seeing?
Gonzo is a hugely entertaining documentary that will have you running to the nearest bookshop to pick up Thompson's work. Highly recommended.
Superbly directed, hugely entertaining documentary that's a treat for both newcomers and aficionados of Thompson's work.
What's it all about?
Directed by Alex Gibney, Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson paints a fascinating portrait of one of America's most notorious journalists. The title, Gonzo, refers to the uniquely personal style of journalism that Thompson created, putting himself into the story and writing with a passionately partisan, no-holds-barred style that was both shocking and exhilarating at the same time.
Narrated by Johnny Depp (who played Thompson in Terry Gilliam's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), the film concentrates on Thompson's most productive period, between 1965 and 1975, using a wealth of material that includes audio clips, home movie footage, photos and lengthy passages from his books and articles, as well as interviews with friends, colleagues, people he wrote about (including former President Jimmy Carter) and both his ex-wives. There are also sections on the making of Fear and Loathing, Thompson's fascinating coverage of the 1972 Presidential campaign and even an acknowledgement that Thompson hated Garry Trudeau's caricature of him in his Doonesbury strip.
The Good
Thompson also had a legendary appetite for excess, particularly of the drink, drugs and guns variety and the film doesn't shy away from that side of things, just as Thompson himself embraced his lifestyle in his writing. The film also takes an unusually unsentimental view of his suicide in 2005, since Thompson had always said that he'd do it (his spectacular funeral, in which his ashes are fired from a rocket launcher, is also included and was apparently bankrolled by Depp).
The Great
Gibney keeps a tight grip on the material, spending just the right amount of time on each section before moving on. As such there are some terrific sequences, particularly the scenes involving Thompson's destruction of Edmund Muskie's 1972 campaign by talking about his addiction to a made-up drug called Ibogaine.
Review byMatthew Turner 27/10/2008
****
The New York Times - Movie Review by A. Scott
Directed by Oscar Nominated Alex Gibney, it will air in Britain as a Storyville on the BBC, and was in competition at Sundance.
Few journalists have attained the notoriety of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. His legendary status is due as much to his scintillating writing as his outrageous antics. He became a living legend whose persona often overshadowed his work. However, Thompson's steadfast ability to remain true to his convictions created an entirely new style of journalism, dubbed "gonzo," and has solidified his place in history as one of America's most influential writers and rebels.
Fuelled by a raging libido, Wild Turkey, and superhuman doses of drugs, Thompson was a true iconoclast: goring sacred cows with impunity, hilarity, and a steely-eyed obsession to right wrongs. Focusing on the good doctor's heyday--from 1965 to 1975--the film also includes clips of never-before-seen (and heard) home movies and audiotapes, and passages from unpublished manuscripts.
Director Alex Gibney intelligently interviews a broad spectrum of Thompson's peers and paints a three-dimensional portrait that reveals what a larger-than-life icon he was, a man whose actions both attracted and repelled the people closest to him. What's remarkable is how daring he truly was in taking on the establishment and how absent that voice is today. His passing created a void that may never be filled, but Gibney's terrific film, in doing justice to the writer, the legend, and the man, at least helps preserve his legacy.
Gibney directed the Oscar shortlisted ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM and produced the Diverse coproduced film THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER.
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26th November 2008
London, 26 November - At a briefing today in London, Lorenzo Pellicioli, CEO of De Agostini Group and CEO of Zodiak Entertainment, unveiled details of the brand new company set to rival all existing international content groups. Zodiak Entertainment will spearhead De Agostini's move into the global television content market.
The creation of Zodiak Entertainment follows De Agostini's recent raft of acquisitions to ramp up its media and communications division with some of the major and most experienced players in international television content, including Magnolia Productions, Marathon Group and Zodiak Television Group.
At its launch Zodiak Entertainment already has an enviable number of advantages over its competitors: a strong international footprint with a direct presence in more than twenty territories, a full range of scripted and unscripted programming, a group of award-winning, international creative teams and a highly successful distribution company. In terms of results, at the end of 2008 Zodiak Entertainment has forecast over 400 €MN as revenue and more than 70 €MN in terms of EBITDA.
The new company, headquartered in Paris, is made up of many of the most internationally renowned and respected brands in television and content production in the world today, including 5th Element, Adventure Line Productions, Broadcasters, Bullseye, Diverse Production, Dixi Media, Jarowskij, Kanakna, KM Productions, Lucky Day, Magnolia, Marathon, Mastiff, Mastiff Media, Neo Network, Palm Plus, Quadrio, Red House, Social Club Productions, SOL, TeleAlliance Media Group, Télé Images, Yellow Bird, YS Films.
All of these award-winning and highly successful companies are creators of diverse and popular shows from animation to documentary and drama to video clips. They are also well known for their expertise and experience in producing outstanding ratings winning local versions of third party entertainment formats on behalf of international broadcasters. Zodiak Entertainment will continue to build on these longstanding and beneficial relationships with its broadcast partners.
Zodiak Entertainment programming includes a wide range of productions such as, Adiboo Adventures, Atomic Betty, Agathas's Double Beat the Star, Anna e I 5, Beyond Boundaries, Bloody Mountains, Born Survivor - Bear Grylls, Born To Be Wild, Camera Caffè, Celebrity Survivor, Dolmen, Exit, Famous 5, Fort Boyard, Gormiti, Hombres y Mujeres, Il Protagonista, Isola dei Famosi/Supervivientes, Italia next top model, Koh Lanta, La Ghigliottina, Land Rover G4 Challenge, L' Eredità, Lyrics Board, Ma come ti vesti, Marsupilami, Millennium, Monster Buster Club, Nanny 911, Operatunity, Paris Stories, Peking Express, Saint Tropez, Ricomincio da qui, Ricominciare, Scacco Al Re, Sexarama, Sisterhood, SoS Tata, Stars on Stage, Strictly Come Dancing, Studio 24, Street Football, Summer Crush, Supernanny The Amazing Spies, The Great Savannah Race, The Queen and the Cardinal, The Star Parivaar Awards, Team Galaxy, Totally Spies!, Tribal Wives, Twist & Shout, X Factor and Wallander.
Lorenzo Pellicioli also announced names of the members of the Zodiak Entertainment Strategic Committee who will support him in strategy development and operational management. The highly regarded, dynamic and exceptionally experienced executives who will take the new company forward are Laurent Boissel, Chief Financial Officer; Pascal Breton Senior Vice President, Fiction; Vincent Chalvon-Demersay, Senior Vice President, Animation; Giorgio Gori, Senor Vice President, Light Entertainment and Patrick Svensk, Senior Vice President Mergers and Acquisitions/Business Development.
Paolo Ceretti, General Manager of De Agostini Group, will also join the committee.
Lorenzo Pellicioli commented, "The creation of Zodiak Entertainment today confirms our commitment to create a worldwide leading brand, producing creative entertainment content for television and new media. Consolidating and building on the strong relationships with broadcasters, which we have inherited from these excellent businesses, gives us a huge advantage in a very competitive marketplace. We are also investing in new and exciting talent to create even better, dynamic and popular programming in the areas of both scripted and non-scripted. We also intend to significantly extend our reach in developing programming for new platforms, as well as growing our consumer products, licensing and publishing units into a substantial and lucrative global business utilising the advantages and synergies from collaboration between Zodiak Entertainment and De Agostini's other fields of activity, particularly publishing (De Agostini Publisher) and the gaming sector (Lottomatica / Gtech)."
He added, "Our main focus going forward will be to combine organic growth with further acquisitions and strengthen our position both in the UK and US, as well as in high growth emerging markets. This strategy will support our ambition to become one of the key international players in the TV content market in the next three years by achieving our revenue target of 800-1000 €MN and EBITDA of 130-150 €MN and being ready to list the company on a stock exchange"
For further information contact:
Klara Halkjaer, Zodiak Entertainment Sas
Tel +44 781 804 8802 klara.halkjaer@zodiakinternational.com
Laura Saunders, The Lippin Company Ltd
Tel: +44 203 008 5407 laura@lippingroup.com
De Agostini Group is a financial conglomerate with international interests in publishing, gaming, finance and media and communication. A privately owned company created in 1901 by the De Agostini family, the Group is now operating on a global scale in a wide variety of industrial sectors with a large portfolio of financial investments.
De Agostini Publishing, the sub-holding of the Group's publishing activity, is active across 30 countries with publications available in 13 different languages.
De Agostini Communications specialises in three different Media & Communication sectors: content production, spearheaded by the launch of Zodiak Entertainment which comprises some of the most successful companies in the industry, including Magnolia, Marathon and Zodiak Television; broadcasting via Antena 3 de Televisión (Spain); and distribution by Mikado Film (Italy).
De Agostini also counts Lottomatica / Gtech, one of the leaders in the international market of games and lotteries, and DeA Capital, investors in private equity and alternative asset management, amongst its extended portfolio.
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