Asian stock markets soar amid US rescue talks

Asian stock markets soared today as a news of a US government plan to rescue banks from risky mortgage debt brought hope of a let-up in the world’s worst financial crisis in decades.

EA set for Asian online push

Business News: Gaming giant expands reach -- Games giant Electronic Arts aims to have 12 games online by the end of the year and also intends to expand soccer game "FIFA 2" to five new foreign territories.

Hollywood Interactive finds funding

Business News: Rivers duo to cover Emmy red carpet online -- Hollywood Interactive Group has announced the acquisition of $5 million in venture capital funding, while also securing Joan and Melissa Rivers for red-carpet Emmy coverage on its MyHollywood.com website.

Hader, Faris spice up 'Meatballs'

Film News: Caan, Mr. T round out 3-D project -- Bill Hader and Anna Faris have signed on to voice the lead characters of Sony Pictures Animation's "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs."

Eric Roth rides to New Regency

Film News: Exec tapped as exec VP of business affairs -- New Regency has tapped former Weinstein Co. exec Eric Roth as executive VP of business affairs.

Tokyo Film Festival unveils lineup

Film News: Four films to world premiere in competition -- The 21st Tokyo Film Festival unveiled its lineup Thursday, including four world preems in the competition section: Ivy Ho's helming debut "Claustrophobia, " Feng Xiaoning's disaster pic "Super Typhoon, " thesp Atsuro Watabe's helming debut "Echo of Silence" and Tetsu Maeda's school drama "School Days With a Pig."

Jaime Rosales tackles weighty issues

Film News: Goya winner and rising star upsets status quo -- If a cinema star's been born this year in Spain, it's director Jaime Rosales.

Groups sue Trade Representative

Business News: 'Property enforcement treaty' being questioned -- A pair of public interest groups have filed suit against the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to force disclosure of details about a "secret intellectual property enforcement treaty" that the Bush administration is currently negotiating with numerous countries.

SAG power shifts

Business News: Unite for Strength gains control of union board -- Dissidents have won control of SAG's national board in a surprise result that heightens the chances of an end to the guild's contract stalemate with the majors.

NATAS circles grow

Film News: Donahue, Bergen, Williams honored -- The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Pacific Southwest chapter, has inducted six new members into its prestigious gold and silver circles.

San Sebastian fest boosts niche biz

Film News: Event serves up specialty film players, initiatives -- When the charmingly humble Mahmoud al Massad presented a rough cut of "Recycle" at San Sebastian's Cinema in Motion last year, he was an almost totally unknown director.

Stars, bizzers head to San Sebastian

Film News: Celebs to see and industry events to attend -- Normally low on glamour, San Sebastian has turned up its own star quotient a few watts. "Tropic Thunder" will be tubthumped by Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr., while Meryl Streep and homeboy Antonio Banderas are being honored with Donostia Awards.

Galicians on parade at San Sebastian

Film News: Region will have strong presence at film fest -- Producers and companies from the region of Galicia will be out in force at the 56th San Sebastian Festival, a crossroads between Spain and Latin America. For the first time, the Galician Audiovisual Consortium will run a stand at San Sebastian's Sales Office film market.

Modest players pack multiplexes

Film News: Full frame vie for weekend box office -- After last weekend’s box office boom -- led by the Coen brothers’ "Burn After Reading" -- this weekend could prove a lull as several new modest players make their play before action-thriller "Eagle Eye" debuts a week from now. (Kate Hudson, right, stars in "My Best Friend's Girl")

Televisa, Univision trial postponed

Business News: Royalty case delayed for scheduling reasons -- The court faceoff between Mexican media conglom Televisa and U.S. Hispanic giant Univision Communications has been moved yet again -- this time to Dec. 2.

Galicia's film biz goes global

Film News: Spanish org extends co-production reach -- Some 2.7 million people live in Galicia; an estimated 10 million Galician emigres are spread worldwide and continue to maintain strong homeland links. Up to 1 million Gallegos dwell in Buenos Aires alone, endowing Galician cultural heritage with a fascinating mix of tango and bagpipes.

IFP grants, awards go to filmmakers

Film News: Org delivers indie awards on Sept. 18 -- The IFP gave out $130, 000 in grants and in-kind awards were handed out Sept. 18 at the annual Independent Filmmaker Awards ceremony.

'Fiction' heads into eighth season

Film News: Slate packed with Toronto documentaries -- IFC’s “Stranger Than Fiction” documentary series is heads into its eighth season with a slate packed with docus from Toronto.

IFC enters six in Fantastic Fest

Film News: Trio will be released simultaneously on VOD -- IFC has six films at the Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, including two North American preems and three pics that will be released simultaneously on video-on-demand and at the cinema through IFC’s In Theaters program.

Foreign Oscar submissions pile up

Film News: Oct. 1 deadline has countries unloading pics -- With the Oct. 1 deadline for foreign-language Oscar submissions looming, a slew of countries unveiled their choices this week.

Report: A-Rod, Wife Reach Divorce Settlement

Yankees star Alex Rodriguez and wife Cynthia have settled their multimillion-dollar divorce case, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

Briefs: Steelers' Farrior fined $7.5K for obscene gesture

Thursday's NFL news briefs: Steelers linebacker James Farrior was fined $7, 500 by the league for making an obscene gesture toward Browns fans Sunday night.

Grateful Dead to play for Obama

Music News: Band set to perform at candidate's fundraiser -- The Democratic presidential candidate's campaign has confirmed a long-rumored fundraising concert that will include four remaining members of the Grateful Dead at Penn State University's Bryce Jordan Center.

Bierman boosted at Warner Premiere

Film News: Exec promoted to senior VP of production -- Matt Bierman has been elevated to senior VP of production for Warner Premiere, studio's direct-to-disc arm.

Bierman boosted at Warner Premiere

Business News: Exec promoted to senior VP of production -- Matt Bierman has been elevated to senior VP of production for Warner Premiere, studio's direct-to-disc arm.

David Stone rocks Buena Vista

Film News: Exec named VP of development -- Disney's Buena Vista Prods. has named David Stone VP of development, focusing on nonscripted programming.

David Stone rocks Buena Vista

Business News: Exec named VP of development -- Disney's Buena Vista Prods. has named David Stone VP of development, focusing on nonscripted programming.

Abu Dhabi unveils lineup

Film News: Emphasis on socially conscious filmmaking -- Abu Dhabi's second Middle East Film Festival will open Oct. 10 with Rian Johnson's "The Brothers Bloom, " starring Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody and close Oct. 19 with Ridley Scott's "Body of Lies, " starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe.

Google CEO won't delay Yahoo deal

Business News: Duo wants to go forward with ad partnership -- Google Inc.'s chief executive said Wednesday the Internet search leader won't delay its proposed advertising partnership with rival Yahoo Inc. even if government regulators need more time to assess whether the alliance will diminish competition.

Luc Besson launches Blue

Film News: Company to produce 'advertainment' -- Helmer-producer Luc Besson is teaming up with advertising exec Christophe Lambert to launch Blue, Gaul’s first shingle devoted to “advertainment” — a blend of entertainment and advertising.

ER tussles with U. S. distributor

Business News: U.K. company claims unpaid fees -- Struggling U.K. tyke specialist Entertainment Rights, whose properties include “Postman Pat” and “The Lone Ranger, ” is taking legal action against its primary U.S. DVD distributor, Genius Products, over alleged unpaid fees.

Berlusconi immunity threatened

Business News: Opposition wants to strip away protection -- Silvio Berlusconi’s year has had a somewhat inauspicious start. Momentum is gathering behind an opposition move to lift the immunity from prosecution that shields the Italo media mogul and premier from his legal woes.

Banijay returns El Terrat to sender

Business News: Buenafuente buys back company -- In a surprise about-face, Gaul's Banijay Entertainment has sold Spanish production company El Terrat back to its original owner, prexy Andreu Buenafuente, just three months after announcing its purchase.

Obama urges for digital switch delay

Business News: Officials concerned that people are unprepared -- Don't flip the switch just yet -- that's what the incoming Obama administration urged Congress on Thursday regarding the long-planned Feb. 17 transition to all-digital broadcasting.

Blu-Ray warms tech expo

Business News: Sony pushes online products in Vegas -- Blu-ray sales could triple or even quintuple in 2009.

Jermaine Dupri out at Island Records

Business News: Rapper-producer-mogul exits music unit -- Jermaine Dupri is out as president of Island Records Urban Music division, a unit he ran for almost two years.

First Look ups Marie O'Reilly-Thein

Business News: Exec will manage retail and rental accounts -- First Look Studios has upped Marie O'Reilly-Thein to senior veep of sales for home entertainment.

Sides more vocal in SAG strike talks

Business News: Meeting next week to decide referendum's fate -- The sides in SAG's strike authorization vote battle are becoming more vocal in advance of the guild's emergency national board meeting next week to determine the fate of the proposed referendum.

Blu-Ray warms tech expo

Film News: Sony pushes online products in Vegas -- Blu-ray sales could triple or even quintuple in 2009.

Fashion kicks off with Golden Globes

Film News: For TV divas, the red carpet is their big moment -- It's fashion kickoff time. First up: the Golden Globes, next the Academy Awards. While the Oscars is as intense as the Super Bowl, the more relaxed Globes pits the smallscreen against the bigscreen: On one team we have the TV clotheshorses; on the other, their big sisters, the movie stars.