AOLR Weekly Wrap-Up #27

I skipped last week’s wrap-up because it was pretty quiet, and so of course this week’s is a lot longer than I had anticipated ;-)!

• With the release of CBS Films’s first feature last week (Extraordinary Measures), a number of articles have cropped up about the network’s film division, including one by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Rob Owen: CBS isn’t just TV, it’s films too. The focus is on how the company keeps the production and marketing costs to a minimum:

Even with Harrison Ford in a lead role, Moonves said “Measures” cost just $32 million.

“The next one with J. Lo cost $34 [million], so we’ve still stayed within our boundaries,” he said. Jennifer Lopez stars with Alex O’Loughlin (“Three Rivers”) in “The Back-Up Plan,” due in theaters April 16. It will be the second of what’s expected to be no more than six CBS Films releases per year. “There’s low risk and big reward. We’re not going to do ‘Transformers’ or ‘Pirates of the Caribbean.’ ”

By making movies, CBS Films also feeds its other businesses. After movies run in theaters, they’ll move to Showtime for their premium cable premiere. Ads for the films can run on CBS-owned TV and radio stations and appear on CBS-owned billboards in major media markets. A behind-the-scenes special about the movie aired Saturday afternoon on KDKA, a CBS-owned and -operated station.

• The LA Times too posted a lengthy piece about CBS Films and how it marketed Extraordinary Measures by utilizing billboards, radio ads and television spots. It should also give you a good indication of what we can expect for The Back-up Plan. I’m looking forward to seeing Alex O’Loughlin on some huge billboards!

There has been widespread skepticism about CBS’ entry into the movie business, especially considering the shaky track record of new film companies in recent years. Industryites have also scoffed at the new film division’s plan to make $30-million to $50-million mid-budget movies at a time when the rest of Hollywood has been racing to get out of the mid-budget arena, pointing to a long list of “tweener” films that have crashed and burned at the box office, even with movie stars in leading roles. (“The Blind Side” was a recent mid-budget film that had enormous success, but most industry insiders view that film as a pleasant surprise, not a trend setter.)

However, Moonves contends that CBS Films has a unique built-in advantage over its rivals, especially when it comes to reining in the skyrocketing marketing costs that have eaten up much of the potential profits from mid-sized films’ grosses. That’s where those billboards and radio stations come in. Though Moonves won’t give an exact figure, he says CBS will spend “significantly less” in marketing dollars to get the same marketing boost as rival studios who routinely spend $30 million to $40 million to open a new release.

• CBS itself too published an article in the February issue of CBS Watch! about CBS Films’ upcoming releases, and that of course includes a paragraph on The Back-up Plan with a nice still of Alex and Jennifer. Many thanks to Alavenia for the scan!
• Also mentioned in the Watch! item is Consent to Kill, which will apparently be CBS Films’ first stab at a feature in the action thriller genre and Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Shooter) has been recruited to direct this adaptation of Vince Flynn’s sixth novel in the “Mitch Rapp” series. It appears that CBS Films have had their eye on counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp for quite a while. Flynn’s biography at Amazon states that “CBS Films optioned the rights for Flynn’s Mitch Rapp character with the intention of creating a character-based, action-thriller movie franchise” shortly after Flynn’s ninth novel in the series made the New York Times bestseller list in October 2007. The author himself sounds quite intriguing. The bio shares that  “Flynn’s novels are taken so seriously one high-ranking CIA official told his people, ‘I want you to read Flynn’s books and start thinking about how we can more effectively wage this war on terror.’” Move over, James Bond!
• And if you still can’t get enough of CBS Films, there’s also The New York Times’ article With New Films, CBS Charts Tough Middle Course!
• Funnyman Robert Klein, who plays Zoe’s gynecologist in The Back-up Plan, recently did a television interview about the movie with Colorado & Company that will certainly put a smile on your face. Thanks to Nadioz for the video!
• While we wait for further news, there is more buzz for Alex in Australia about Hawaii Five-O at  TVAusCast.com and CinemaBlend has this to say about him:

O’Loughlin is a good casting choice as he has the right charisma and charm to pull off the role. Plus, the ladies can swoon over him in a beautiful tropical setting as opposed to a sterile hospital, or brooding in his darkened apartment. Don’t get me wrong, the brooding is well-received as well, but now he could brood over crystal blue waters and palm trees.

• An intriguing tweet from Hawaii actress Tracy Bautista appeared yesterday: Hawaii 5-O shooting pilot in Hawaii this March. The Hawaii Film Office has not published any information (yet) on their website, but their head Donne Dawson did make some interesting comments about the pilot in an October 2009 article by The Honolulu Advertiser.
• And last, but not least, Donate Life Today, the official registry serving the states of Washington and Montana,  is currently campaigning to add 1,000 new Facebook fans by January 27th. You can help them achieve their goal by not only becoming a fan yourself, but also by inviting friends to join. Just go to their Facebook page!

[tags]alex o’loughlin, alex o’lachlan, the back-up plan, cbs films, hawaii five-o, steve mcgarrett[/tags]

Snark by Gothmyst. More fan art in the AOLR Gallery!