George Lucas and Steven Spielberg
Hollywood's richest men have Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull to thank.
George Lucas, who earned $170 million in 2008, and his Indy co-producer Steven Spielberg ($150 million), top Forbes' first list of the 15 highest-earning men in entertainment. Their Crystal Skull star Harrison Ford, who reportedly negotiated for a healthy chunk of the film's back-end profits, earned $65 million, which was enough to land him at No. 11 on the list.
TV and movie producers occupied many prominent spots on the list, including Jerry Bruckheimer (No. 3, $100 million), Tyler Perry (No. 6, $75 million), Dick Wolf (No. 7, $75 million) and Simon Cowell (No. 8, $75 million). Musicians Bruce Springsteen (No. 9, $70 million) and Kenny Chesney (No. 12, $65 million), buoyed by tour revenues, made the cut. Seinfeld co-creators Jerry Seinfeld (No. 4, $85 million) and Larry David (No. 15, $55 million) prove that syndication is forever, and that they are still the masters of their financial domain.
Rounding out the list are Oprah protégée Dr. Phil McGraw (No. 5, $80 million), radio shock jock Howard Stern (No. 10, $70 million), mystery writer James Patterson (No. 13, $60 million), and actor-producer Adam Sandler (No. 14, $55 million).
In a shocking twist of events, I did not make the list.
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South Park
Matt Stone and Trey Parker still know how to get people talking.
Wednesday night's South Park outing pushed the envelope and then did all kinds of god-awful things to it, with a recurring riff in which uberproducers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg repeatedly ...
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Shia LaBeouf in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull courtesy Paramount Pictures
George Lucas out promoting his new Star Wars The Clone Wars movieTV series detailed in the new TV Guide dismisses speculation that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull effectively set up Shia LaBeoufs Mutt Williams to inherit the franchise[Harrison Ford] is Indiana Jones Lucas tells the AP If Indiana Jones wasnt in it youd have to call it Mutt Williams and the Search for Elvis Yeah its Mutt Williams and the Search for ElvisThough Crystal Skull the series fourth installment and one that was many years in the making suffered considerable whip-lash from critics Lucas wont rule out another sequel [It] really depends on me coming up with a good idea he says So were doing research now to see if we cant come up with another object for [Indiana Jones] to chase Perhaps a late Medicare payment Matt Mitovich
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I saw this trailer a few days ago and actually got goose bumps but the quality wasnt great so I waited to put it up online If only George Lucas could write and direct live action movies that look as dramatic and awesome as this animated film This piece of the Star Wars epic fills in the events that take place between Episodes II and III in the live-action narrative Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker are now Jedi and Anakin has taken on a Padawan apprentice a young girl named Ahsoka a teenage female Togruta which is a race of red-skinned horned aliens Needless to say Im sure shes a handful Karma is a b-tch aint it AnakinTake a look at the extended exciting new Star Wars The Clone Wars trailerRelated149 Clones Trailer Debuts on Five Networks149 Use Our Online Video Guide to Watch More Star Wars
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Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by David James/TM and (c)Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved./Paramount Pictures
I wonder if TVGuidecom would want to send someone me to cover this awesome event Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival which runs from May 14-25 Thierry Fremaux the festivals head said the presence of Steven Spielberg and the stars of the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones film franchise which will premiere outside the main competition would ensure a magnificent red carpet reported Reuters Mega-stars Harrison Ford Cate Blanchett and director-producers Spielberg and George Lucas are expected to attendThe red carpet will also sizzle with the likes of Scarlett Johanson Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem who will be promoting their Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona Other highly anticipated premieres include Clint Eastwoods The Changeling with Angelina Jolie and Steven Soderberghs four-hour epic Che based on the life of the revolutionary Ernesto Che Guevara Gee seems as though TVGuideco
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When Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull debuts worldwide May 22 the cast and producers wont just be taking risks in search of treasure theyll be risking their real-life earnings from the films profit Eschewing the usual upfront fees that talent typically get before a film even opens the new Indy film is set for an adventure in deal-making in which no one gets a cut of the profit unless the movie brings home the bucks at the box office With film production and marketing costs leaping through the roof says the LA Times Paramount Pictures set up a different kind of arrangement for the Crystal Skull which cost 400 million to make and market Executive producer George Lucas director Steven Spielberg stars Harrison Ford and Shia LaBeouf and other potential earners from the movie wont see much of a payday until that amount is recouped and exceeded Skulls talent though probably dont have much to worry about The first three of the Indiana Jones flicks earned 12 bil
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Batman: The Brave and the Bold courtesy Cartoon Network
With a quartet of Clone Troopers as his escort, George Lucas made a grandiose entrance to the Cartoon Network upfront Thursday morning in Manhattan. Lucas was on hand to plug Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a feature film/animated series combo coming later this year. (As previously announced, the movie premieres August 15, followed by the series on Cartoon, then TNT, in the fall. No date for the TV premiere was made.) It was the key announcement for the network, which is also premiering the Ben 10 relaunch Alien Force, and finally confirmed the rumored series Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which teams the Caped Crusader with a variety of DC Comics superheroes.Calling Star Wars "the greatest brand in entertainment history," Turner Animation COO Stuart Snyder said he personally courted Lucasfilm when he heard about the project (which went into production before a network had signed on), and "after watching five minutes they had me." For his part, Lucas calls the project "Star Wars starrin...
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Anakin Skywalker, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The news that George Lucas has decided to go back to the Star Wars well not once but two more times — in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated film (in theaters Aug. 15), and in a new animated series of the same name debuting this fall on the Cartoon Network — sent the Force-a-verse into a tailspin. We had some burning questions about these new Clone Wars-set stories, and we knew you would, too. So we went straight to the powers-that-be for some answers. (Don't worry, so far it appears to be a Jar Jar-free zone.)
What exactly are the Clone Wars?First alluded to in 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope, the Clone Wars are a conflict between the Galactic Republic — led by the Jedi Knights and their clone army — and Count Dooku’s Confederacy of Independent Sy
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Star Wars: The Clone Wars courtesy Cartoon Network/(c) & TM 2008 Lucasfilm Ltd.
By the moons of Tatooine! I'm a card-carrying member of the Boba Fett Fan Club, but does anyone else wish that George Lucas would make a movie set in a galaxy far, far away from Star Wars? Not Lucas himself, apparently. Remember that animated Star Wars series about the Clone Wars? Well, it seems that Uncle George liked the results so much that he's ordered up a full-on theatrical release for a new Clone Wars animated film that will kick off a new series. "I felt there were a lot more Star Wars stories left to tell," says Lucas, executive producer of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which will premiere on the Cartoon Network in the fall. "I was eager to start telling some of them through animation and, at the same time, push the art of animation." (Start telling?) The new film, which takes place between the events of Episodes II and III (before Anakin becomes Darth), will hit theaters on Aug. 15. And I'll probably be there on opening night. Sigh. — Mickey O'ConnorRelated:• George...
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Still feeling grateful folks. I can’t help it, it’s this month. Ya got Thanksgiving coming up, the weather’s finally changing (although this Philly humidity is total bullshizz) and the DVD coffers are filled to the rim with causes for celebration these days.And with this TV writers’ strike shaping up to suck long and big, having a few great DVDs to keep your flat-screen toasty is never a bad thing. Especially if the DVDs themselves are bad-ass weirdness like this week’s basket of goodies.First up, and huge props to the geniuses (geniui?) at Paramount Home Video, is Twin Peaks: The Definitive Gold Box Edition. Oh, holy Log Lady, is this set stellar! Not only package-wise, but also in what's going on inside the sleek box. 10 discs, including the pilot that was woefully absent from the original first-season set, and oodles of extras on the making of the show that confused so many of us between 1990 and ’91. Trust me, as soon as you see poor plastic-wrapped...
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