The newly hired executive director of the newly established Birmingham-Jefferson Film Office spoke Monday night at the Sidewalk Salon. Mark Stricklin was candid about his role, the film community and the future.
At stake are the millions of dollars movie and TV productions can shovel into a city economy. But the competition is fierce, with several hundred city and regional film commissions vying for Hollywood’s attention.
EXCLUSIVE: The Galleria 10, in operation since the mid-’80s in Hoover, will close its doors Sunday.
The movie theater, part of the Regal chain based in Knoxville, has faced competition over the years from the Carmike 10 (now a “bargain” theater) and in the past year, the Rave Motion Pictures Patton Creek 15. Just how long could 35 screens forbidden to show the same movies compete in the same 1-mile radius?
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Birmingham-area libraries have geared up with new tech, making life easier for patrons and staff.
Randall Publishing, a family-owned magazine publisher in Tuscaloosa, became part of the Wachovia empire on Monday.
You may not have heard of Truckers News, Modern Woodworking or Overdrive, but the company employs 400 and has been around for 70 years.
It’s part of a trend of homegrown businesses gobbled up by out-of-state owners.
As long as we’re playing dress-up …
It occurred to me that I haven’t given the lowdown on the Will Ferrell movie. We start with the learning objectives.
Important lessons of Hollywood:
[More exclusive photos from the set after the jump.]
My colleague Elaine fielded some tough questions the other night about Birmingham and the state of journalism. She handled the questions admirably, with thoughtful well-reasoned answers.
But we are not about thoughtful here.
I’ve never been shy about my hometown and my industry, so let us tackle a few of the nagging questions out there.
Who says airlines aren’t sensitive to the plight of millions of victims of natural disasters?
Take JetBlue, for instance, which recently had its own near-fatal disaster. Fortunately, passengers could watch their brush with death and/or the runway live on TV from the comfort of their seats.
Now, Song one-ups its competitors in the daring stunts department.
[Thanks to BJ for the screencap, after the jump.]
PBS does a great job in putting independent documentaries on the air, especially through its series, “P.O.V.” and “Independent Lens.”
So why is Alabama Public Television dropping the ball from time to time?
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As I sit here in my darkened house waiting for the power to come back on, I realize that it ain’t so bad. I haven’t written in a while, and I can put Superphone to the test.
