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Endeavor president Mark Shapiro promises not to ‘over-commercialize’ WWE - May 2023
The president of Endeavor says they will look at ways to increase WWE's sponsorship revenue, but they are not going to "over-commercialize" the product.
Mark Shapiro appeared on the Sports Media Podcast on Wednesday and was asked about WWE sponsorship opportunities that could potentially involve putting brand logos on wrestlers' ring gear.
Shapiro responded:
"Look, you want to be authentic, you want to be seamless, you want to be organic, you want to be true to your audience. So, no, we're not going to put a brand on somebody's robe walking into the ring. Now, by the way, do UFC fighters wear Venom apparel and Project Rock shoes when they come into the octagon? Yes, they do. Could the WWE benefit from an apparel deal as such? A shoe deal as such? Absolutely but we're not going to over-commercialize it, we're not going to saturate it to the point that we cheap it out, we trick it out, and you turn off the fanbase.
You've gotta figure out what's right in the ring, in the octagon. You've gotta figure out what's right with the arena, indoor, outdoor. You've gotta figure out what's right with the fighters and the participants, and you gotta walk before you run."
However, Shapiro emphasized that the transaction has not been completed and they are not currently in a position to make decisions regarding WWE.
Shapiro's comments regarding WWE's sponsorship potential echoes what had prevaiously been expressed by Endeavor CEO, Ari Emanuel. During an appearance on CNBC's Squawk on the Street earlier this month, Emanuel noted that they will let WWE "do what they want to do" while his group works to drive revenue. He says it's the same playbook they used with UFC.
"Right now, we're focused on saving some cost, doing sponsorship, which they didn't have. It's the same formula we used at UFC," Emanuel said.
Shapiro also commented on the success of this strategy during an interview with Sports Business Journal's John Ourand last month.
Shapiro said:
"That's the strategy. That's how it has successfully played out for the UFC over the last six years. Remember when we bought it for $4.1 billion? People thought that price was crazy. Now, it is valued at $12.1 billion. I mean, what a story. We hope to do the same thing with the WWE."
WWE Creates Placeholder Company for Endeavor Acquisition, Nick Khan Issues Letter to WWE Shareholders, More - 12th May 2023
WWE has created a new LLC, titled NEW WHALE INC., as a placeholder company for the Endeavor acquisition. The filing reiterates what was said several weeks back, noting that when the merger is finalized later this year, a new name will be revealed for the new company that Endeavor will run to oversee WWE and UFC. The stock market initials, as announced before, will be TKO, and that could be a hint at the planned company name.
The SEC filings included a letter from WWE CEO Nick Khan to stockholders in regards to the Endeavor acquisition. The letter outlines potential risk factors, transactions/closing, and more. WWE also released a Q&A for stockholders, and both can be seen below.
The letter from Khan reads like this:
To Our Stockholders:
On behalf of the board of directors of World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which we refer to as “WWE,” we are pleased to enclose the information statement/prospectus relating to the proposed transaction between WWE and Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc., which we refer to as “Endeavor,” pursuant to which WWE and Endeavor propose to combine the businesses of WWE and Zuffa Parent, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a subsidiary of Endeavor, which owns and operates the Ultimate Fighting Championship (“UFC”) and which we refer to as “HoldCo,” which combined business will be managed by a newly public listed company that is currently named New Whale Inc., a Delaware corporation and direct, wholly owned subsidiary of WWE, which we refer to as “New PubCo,” which will be implemented through a sequence of transactions (the “Transactions”).
On April 2, 2023, Endeavor, WWE, Endeavor Operating Company, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor, which we refer to as “EDR OpCo,” HoldCo, New PubCo, and Whale Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation and a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of New PubCo, which we refer to as “Merger Sub,” entered into a transaction agreement, which, as the same may be amended from time to time, we refer to as the “transaction agreement.” In connection with the transaction agreement, WWE formed New PubCo and Merger Sub. The Transactions include (i) an internal reorganization of WWE (the “Pre-Closing Reorganization”), (ii) following the Pre-Closing Reorganization, the merger of Merger Sub with and into WWE, with WWE surviving the merger as a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of New PubCo (the “merger”)—as a result of the merger, (x) each outstanding share of WWE’s Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “WWE Class A common stock”) and (y) each outstanding share of WWE’s Class B common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “WWE Class B common stock,” and together with the WWE Class A common stock, the “WWE common stock”) that is outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger (the “effective time”), but excluding any cancelled WWE shares (as defined herein), will, in each case, be converted automatically into the right to receive one share of New PubCo Class A common stock, par value $0.00001 per share (the “New PubCo Class A common stock”), (iii) following the merger, the conversion of the surviving corporation in the merger to a Delaware limited liability company (“WWE LLC”) (the “conversion”), which will be wholly owned by New PubCo immediately prior to the WWE transfer, (iv) following the conversion, (x) the contribution by New PubCo of all of the equity interests in WWE LLC to HoldCo in exchange for 49% of the membership interests in HoldCo on a fully diluted basis after giving effect to any issuance of membership interests in HoldCo in connection with such exchange (such contribution, the “WWE transfer”, and such membership interests, the “WWE Transfer Consideration”) and (y) the issuance to EDR OpCo and certain of its subsidiaries of a number of shares of New PubCo Class B common stock, par value $0.00001 per share (the “New PubCo Class B common stock”), representing, in the aggregate, 51% of the voting power of New PubCo on a fully diluted basis and no economic rights in New PubCo, in exchange for a payment equal to the par value of such New PubCo Class B common stock.
Upon the effective time, each issued and outstanding share of WWE common stock (other than cancelled WWE shares) will be converted automatically into one validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable share of New PubCo Class A common stock, which we refer to as the “transaction consideration,” and all such converted shares will then cease to exist and will no longer be outstanding. WWE Class A common stock currently trades on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “WWE.” On March 31, 2023, the closing price of WWE Class A common stock was $91.26 per share.
Upon completion of the Transactions, including the merger, which we refer to as the “Closing,” subsidiaries of Endeavor are expected to collectively own 51% of the voting power of New PubCo and 51% of the economic interests in HoldCo, with former securityholders of WWE common stock indirectly owning 49% of the economic interests in HoldCo, 49% of the voting power of New PubCo and 100% of the economic ownership of New PubCo, in each case, on a fully diluted basis. Shares of New PubCo Class A common stock are expected to be listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange, which we refer to as the “NYSE,” under the ticker symbol “TKO.”
At a meeting of the board of directors of WWE, which we refer to as the “WWE Board,” the WWE Board unanimously adopted resolutions (i) determining that it was advisable and in the best interests of WWE and the WWE stockholders to enter into the transaction agreement and to consummate the Transactions, (ii) approving the execution, delivery and performance of the transaction agreement and the consummation of the Transactions and (iii) resolving to recommend that WWE stockholders adopt the transaction agreement.
The adoption of the transaction agreement and, therefore, the approval of the Transactions, including the merger, required the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of the voting power of the shares of WWE common stock entitled to vote on such matters. On April 2, 2023, Vincent K. McMahon (“Mr. McMahon”), who, as of the date thereof, was the record holder of 69,157 shares of WWE Class A common stock and 28,682,948 shares of WWE Class B common stock, representing approximately 81.0% of the aggregate voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of WWE common stock on such date, delivered a written consent, which we refer to as the “Written Consent,” adopting and, therefore, approving the transaction agreement and the Transactions, including the merger. Accordingly, the delivery of the Written Consent was sufficient to adopt the transaction agreement and, therefore, approve the Transactions, on behalf of WWE stockholders. WWE has not solicited and is not soliciting your adoption of the transaction agreement or approval of the Transactions, including the merger.
No further action by any Endeavor stockholder or WWE stockholder is required under applicable law, and neither Endeavor nor WWE will solicit the votes of their respective stockholders for the adoption or approval of the transaction agreement or the Transactions, including the merger. Neither Endeavor nor WWE will call a special meeting of their respective stockholders for purposes of voting on adoption or approval of the transaction agreement or the Transactions, including the merger. This information statement/prospectus and notice of action by written consent is being provided to you for informational purposes only and shall be considered the notice required under Section 228(e) of the DGCL. You are not being asked for a proxy, and you are requested not to send a proxy.
Endeavor and WWE are not required to complete the Transactions, including the merger, unless a number of conditions are satisfied or waived, which we refer to as the “closing conditions,” including: (i) the expiration of the waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, (ii) obtaining other applicable regulatory approvals, (iii) the absence of any order or legal requirement that enjoins, restrains or otherwise prevents the consummation of the Transactions, (iv) the effectiveness of New PubCo’s registration statement on Form S-4, of which the accompanying information statement/prospectus forms a part, and the absence of any stop order or other proceeding that suspends or otherwise threatens such effectiveness, (v) the registration, and the authorization of listing on the NYSE, of New PubCo Class A common stock, and (vi) the consummation of the Pre-Closing Reorganization. The closing date of the Transactions will be at least 20 business days after the mailing of the accompanying information statement/prospectus to WWE stockholders, in accordance with Rule 14c-2(b) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
We encourage you to read the entire accompanying information statement/prospectus carefully, in particular the risk factors set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 31 of the accompanying information statement/prospectus.
On behalf of WWE, thank you for your consideration and continued support.
Nick Khan
Chief Executive Officer
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
The Q&A reads like this:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE TRANSACTIONS
The following questions and answers are intended to briefly address some commonly asked questions regarding the transaction agreement and the Transactions, including the merger. You are encouraged to carefully read the remainder of this information statement/prospectus, its annexes and exhibits and the documents that are referred to in this information statement/prospectus and to pay special attention to the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” beginning on pages 31 and 29, respectively, of this information statement/prospectus, because the information contained in this section may not provide all the information that might be important to you with respect to the transaction agreement and the Transactions, including the merger. For further information, please read the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information” beginning on page 288 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: Why am I receiving this information statement/prospectus?
A: On April 2, 2023, Endeavor, EDR OpCo, HoldCo, WWE, New PubCo and Merger Sub entered into the transaction agreement, pursuant to which WWE and Endeavor propose to combine the businesses of WWE and HoldCo, which owns and operates UFC, which combined business will be managed by New PubCo, a new publicly listed company, once the Transactions, including the merger, are implemented.
In connection with the transaction agreement, WWE formed two wholly owned subsidiaries, New PubCo and Merger Sub. Subject to the terms and conditions of the transaction agreement, (i) WWE will undertake the Pre-Closing Reorganization, (ii) following the Pre-Closing Reorganization, Merger Sub will merge with and into WWE, with WWE surviving the merger as a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of New PubCo, (iii) following the merger, the surviving corporation will be converted to WWE LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which will be wholly owned by New PubCo, immediately prior to the WWE transfer and (iv) following the conversion, New PubCo will (a) contribute all of the equity interests in WWE LLC to HoldCo in exchange for 49% of the membership interests in HoldCo on a fully diluted basis after giving effect to any issuance of membership interests in HoldCo in connection with such exchange and (b) issue to EDR OpCo and certain of its subsidiaries a number of shares of New PubCo Class B common stock, par value $0.00001 per share, representing, in the aggregate, 51% of the voting power of New PubCo on a fully diluted basis and no economic rights in New PubCo, in exchange for a payment equal to the par value of such New PubCo Class B common stock. As a result of the Transactions, including the merger, subsidiaries of Endeavor are expected to collectively own 51% of the voting power of New PubCo and 51% of the economic interests in HoldCo, with former securityholders of WWE common stock indirectly owning 49% of the economic interests in HoldCo, 49% of the voting power of New PubCo and 100% of the economic ownership of New PubCo, in each case, on a fully diluted basis. In addition, New PubCo will be renamed “[ ]” immediately following the completion of the Transactions, including the merger.
Upon completion of the Transactions, including the merger, former securityholders of WWE common stock will own shares of New PubCo Class A common stock, which is expected to be listed for trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “TKO.” For further information on the rights of such shares, please read the section entitled “Summary of the Transaction Agreement— Transaction Consideration; Conversion of Shares; Exchange of Certificates” beginning on page 144 of this information statement/prospectus.
We have included in this information statement/prospectus important information about the Transactions, including the merger, and the transaction agreement (a copy of which is attached as Annex A). You should carefully read this information and the documents referred to therein in their entirety.
Please note that the delivery of the Written Consent is sufficient to adopt and approve the transaction agreement and the Transactions (including the merger) on behalf of stockholders of WWE. You are not being asked for a proxy, and you are requested not to send a proxy.
Q: Why is WWE proposing the Transactions?
A: The WWE Board has unanimously approved the transaction agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, and determined that the transaction agreement and the transactions contemplated by the transaction agreement, are in the best interest of WWE and its stockholders. WWE believes that the Transactions, including the merger, will benefit WWE stockholders. For further information, please read the sections entitled “The Transactions—WWE’s Reasons for the Transactions; Recommendation of the WWE Board of Directors” beginning on page 95 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: What will WWE stockholders receive in the Transactions?
A: At the effective time, each issued and outstanding share of WWE Class A common stock and WWE Class B common stock (other than cancelled WWE shares) will be converted automatically into one validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable share of New PubCo Class A common stock, and all such converted shares will then cease to exist and will no longer be outstanding. For further information, please read the section entitled “Summary of the Transaction Agreement— Transaction Consideration; Conversion of Shares; Exchange of Certificates” beginning on page 144 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: What will holders of WWE equity awards receive in the Transactions?
A: At the effective time, each award of WWE RSUs and WWE PSUs, including any dividend equivalent rights granted with respect thereof, that is outstanding immediately prior to the effective time will be converted into an equivalent award of restricted stock units or performance stock units of New PubCo, respectively, on the same terms and conditions as were applicable under the award of WWE RSUs or WWE PSUs immediately prior to the effective time (including any provisions for acceleration); provided, that, any applicable performance-vesting conditions will be equitably adjusted, as necessary, including by the WWE Compensation Committee in good faith, following consultation and reasonable consideration of comments from Endeavor and in a manner consistent with past practice, to take into account the effects, if any, of the Transactions, including the merger.
Prior to the effective time, the WWE Board (or an appropriate committee thereof) will take necessary actions such that any offering period under the WWE ESPP during which the effective time would otherwise have occurred will be deemed to have ended on the fifth business day prior to the closing date and each outstanding purchase right under the WWE ESPP will automatically be exercised on such date.
For further information, please read the section entitled “Summary of the Transaction Agreement— Transaction Consideration; Conversion of Shares; Exchange of Certificates” beginning on page 144 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: Should I send in my share certificates now for exchange?
A: No, you should not send in your WWE share certificates now for exchange. At the effective time, each WWE share certificate will automatically be converted into an equivalent number of shares of New PubCo Class A common stock. Following the effective time, stockholders may request to exchange their WWE stock certificates for New PubCo stock certificates by contacting New PubCo’s transfer agent (as defined below). For further information, please read the section entitled “Summary of the Transaction Agreement— Transaction Consideration; Conversion of Shares; Exchange of Certificates” beginning on page 144 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: Who will serve on New PubCo’s board of directors and as management?
A: The New PubCo Board will consist of 11 members who will be determined at a date prior to the closing of the Transactions, five of whom will be selected by WWE (the “WWE Designees”), of whom (x) two will be members of the WWE management team (one of whom will be Mr. McMahon) and (y) three will be independent, and six of whom will be selected by Endeavor (the “EDR Designees”), of whom (x) three will be members of the Endeavor management team or Endeavor directors (one of whom will be Ariel Emanuel (“Mr. Emanuel”)) and (y) three will be independent. As such, New PubCo will be a controlled company with a majority of New PubCo directors that will be independent.
Following the Closing, New PubCo is expected to be led by Mr. Emanuel as Chief Executive Officer (who is expected to also continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer of Endeavor); Mr. McMahon as Executive Chair of the New PubCo Board; Mark Shapiro (“Mr. Shapiro”) as President and Chief Operating Officer (who is expected to also continue in his role as President and as Chief Operating Officer of Endeavor); Andrew Schleimer (“Mr. Schleimer”) as Chief Financial Officer (who is expected to also continue in his role as Deputy Chief Financial Officer of Endeavor); and Seth Krauss (“Mr. Krauss”) as Chief Legal Officer (who is expected to also continue in his role as Chief Legal Officer of Endeavor). For further information, please read the section entitled “Management and Directors of New PubCo After the Transactions” beginning on page 221 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: What equity stake will WWE stockholders hold in New PubCo and HoldCo?
A: WWE stockholders will receive one share of New PubCo Class A common stock for each share of WWE common stock that they hold. As of the Closing, subsidiaries of Endeavor are expected to collectively own 51% of the voting power of New PubCo and 51% of the economic interests in HoldCo, with former securityholders of WWE common stock indirectly owning 49% of the economic interests in HoldCo, 49% of the voting power of New PubCo and 100% of the economic ownership of New PubCo, in each case, on a fully diluted basis.
For further information, please read the section entitled “The Transactions—Ownership of New PubCo after the Transactions” beginning on page 84 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: How do I calculate the value of the transaction consideration?
A: WWE stockholders will receive one share of New PubCo Class A common stock for each share of WWE common stock that they hold. As of the Closing, subsidiaries of Endeavor are expected to collectively own 51% of the voting power of New PubCo and 51% of the economic interests in HoldCo, with former securityholders of WWE common stock indirectly owning 49% of the economic interests in HoldCo, 49% of the voting power of New PubCo and 100% of the economic ownership of New PubCo, in each case, on a fully diluted basis. The value of the transaction consideration the WWE stockholders will receive in the Transactions, including the merger, will therefore depend on the combined value of HoldCo and WWE at the effective time.
The values of WWE common stock and of HoldCo have fluctuated since the date of the announcement of the transaction agreement and will continue to fluctuate from the date of this information statement/prospectus until the date the Transactions, including the merger, are completed. Because the ownership percentages described above will not be adjusted to reflect any changes in the values of WWE common stock or HoldCo, the value of the transaction consideration may be higher or lower than the value of the WWE common stock on earlier dates. Therefore, until the completion of the Transactions, including the merger, the WWE stockholders will not know or be able to determine the value, on a fully diluted basis, of the New PubCo Class A common stock that they will receive pursuant to the transaction agreement.
On March 31, 2023, which was the last trading day before the public announcement of the Transactions, the closing price on the NYSE was $91.26 per share of WWE Class A common stock. On [ ], 2023, which was the latest practicable date before the printing of this information statement/prospectus, the closing price on the NYSE was $ [ ] per share of WWE Class A common stock.
Changes in the market price of WWE common stock may result from a variety of factors that are beyond the control of WWE, including, but not limited to, changes in their businesses, operations and prospects, regulatory considerations, governmental actions, and legal proceedings and developments. You are encouraged to obtain up-to-date market prices for shares of WWE common stock.
Q: What conditions must be satisfied to complete the Transactions, including the merger?
A: Endeavor and WWE are not required to complete the Transactions, including the merger, unless a number of conditions are satisfied or waived, which we refer to as the “closing conditions.” These closing conditions include, among others:
• the adoption of the transaction agreement by WWE stockholders (which was satisfied by the delivery of the Written Consent);
• the completion of the Pre-Closing Reorganization;
• the absence of certain legal restraints that would prohibit or seek to prohibit the Transactions;
• the receipt of certain regulatory approvals;
• the approval for listing on the NYSE of the shares of New PubCo Class A common stock to be issued to WWE stockholders;
• the ancillary agreements being in full force and effect;
• the absence, since the date of the transaction agreement, of any event, change, occurrence or development that has had a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition or results of operations of WWE or HoldCo;
• delivery by Endeavor to WWE of certain required audited financial statements of HoldCo, and the operating income reflected in such financial statements not being less than a defined threshold (which was satisfied on April 23, 2023 by the delivery of such audited financial statements reflecting such level of operating income for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022); and
• the prior mailing and effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-4, of which this information statement/prospectus forms a part.
In addition, each of Endeavor’s and WWE’s respective obligations to complete the Transactions, including the merger, is subject to, among other conditions, the accuracy of the other party’s representations and warranties described in the transaction agreement (subject in most cases to “materiality” and “material adverse effect” qualifications) and the other party’s compliance with its covenants and agreements in the transaction agreement in all material respects.
For a more complete summary of the closing conditions that must be satisfied or waived prior to the completion of the Transactions, including the merger, please read the section entitled “Summary of the Transaction Agreement—Conditions to the Closing” beginning on page 170 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: When do you expect the Transactions, including the merger, to be completed?
A: Endeavor and WWE are working to complete the Transactions, including the merger, as soon as possible. As described above, certain closing conditions must be satisfied or waived before Endeavor and WWE can complete the Transactions, including the merger. For further information, please read the section entitled “Summary of the Transaction Agreement—Conditions to the Closing” beginning on page 170 of this information statement/prospectus.
Assuming timely satisfaction or waiver of the closing conditions, the Transactions, including the merger, are expected to close in the second half of 2023. The closing date of the Transactions, including the merger, will be at least 20 business days after the mailing of this information statement/prospectus to WWE stockholders, in accordance with Rule 14c-2(b) promulgated under the Exchange Act.
Q: Is New PubCo expected to hold any assets other than the common units?
A: In addition to the common units, New PubCo is expected to hold an amount of cash that will be distributed by WWE LLC to New PubCo in connection with the closing of the Transactions, as further described immediately below.
Q: Does WWE expect to distribute cash to New PubCo?
A: Yes, WWE is permitted to distribute cash to New PubCo prior to the closing of the Transactions. It is expected that an amount of cash, if any, in excess of the WWE Minimum Cash Requirement (as defined in the transaction agreement) will be distributed by WWE LLC to New PubCo. For further information, please read the section entitled “Summary of the Transaction Agreement—Cash Distributions” beginning on page 143 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: What happens if the Transactions, including the merger, are not completed?
A: If the Transactions, including the merger, are not completed for any reason, (1) WWE stockholders will not receive the transaction consideration, (2) WWE will remain an independent public company, (3) WWE Class A common stock will continue to be traded on the NYSE, (4) New PubCo, which is currently a direct, wholly owned subsidiary of WWE, will not become a publicly traded corporation, (5) the WWE RSUs and the WWE PSUs will not be converted into equivalent restricted stock units and performance stock units, respectively, of New PubCo, and (6) to the extent applicable, any then-current offering period under the WWE ESPP will remain outstanding through its original end date and will not be truncated.
As a result of the delivery of the Written Consent, no termination fees are payable in respect of the termination of the transaction agreement. For further information, please read the section entitled “Summary of the Transaction Agreement—Effect of Termination; Termination Fees; Expenses” beginning on page 174 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: What approval by WWE stockholders is required to adopt the transaction agreement and, therefore, approve the Transactions, including the merger?
A: The adoption of the transaction agreement and, therefore, the approval of the Transactions, including the merger, required the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of the shares of WWE common stock entitled to vote on such matters. On April 2, 2023, Mr. McMahon, who, as of the date thereof, was the record holder of 69,157 shares of WWE Class A common stock and 28,682,948 shares of WWE Class B common stock, representing approximately 81.0% of the aggregate voting power of the issued and outstanding shares of WWE common stock on such date, delivered a written consent adopting and, therefore, approving the transaction agreement and the Transactions, including the merger. Accordingly, the delivery of the Written Consent was sufficient to adopt the transaction agreement and, therefore, approve the Transactions, including the merger, on behalf of WWE stockholders. WWE has not solicited and is not soliciting your adoption of the transaction agreement or approval of the Transactions, including the merger. No further action by any other WWE stockholder is required under applicable law, and WWE will not solicit the vote of WWE stockholders for the adoption of the transaction agreement or approval of the Transactions, including the merger and will not call a special meeting of WWE stockholders for purposes of voting on the adoption of the transaction agreement or approval of the Transactions, including the merger. For this reason, the accompanying information statement/prospectus is being provided to you for informational purposes only. You are not being asked for a proxy, and you are requested not to send a proxy.
For further information, please read the section entitled “Further Stockholder Approval Not Required” beginning on page 138 of this information statement/prospectus
Q: What are the expected United States federal income tax consequences of the transactions for holders of WWE Class A common stock?
A: For United States federal income tax purposes, the merger and the conversion are, taken together, intended to qualify as a reorganization under the provisions of Section 368(a) of the Code. Assuming that the merger and the conversion will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code, holders of WWE Class A common stock are not expected to recognize any gain or loss as a result of the merger and conversion.
For a more complete discussion of the United States federal income tax consequences of the Transactions, including the merger, please read the section entitled “Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences” beginning on page 233 of this information statement/prospectus. Tax matters can be complicated, and the tax consequences of the Transactions, including the merger and the conversion, to a particular holder of WWE common stock will depend on such holder’s particular facts and circumstances. All securityholders of WWE should consult with their own tax advisors to determine the specific United States federal, state, or local or foreign income or other tax consequences of the Transactions, including the merger and the conversion, to them.
Q: Are stockholders of WWE entitled to dissenters’ or appraisal rights in connection with the Transactions?
A: No. Under Delaware law, holders of shares of WWE common stock will not have dissenters’ rights or appraisal rights in connection with the Transactions, including the merger. For more information, please read the section entitled “No Dissenters’ or Appraisal Rights” beginning on page 284 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: Are there any important risks about the Transactions, including the merger, or WWE’s business of which I should be aware?
A: Yes, there are risks involved. WWE encourages you to carefully read in its entirety the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 31 of this information statement/prospectus.
Q: Who do I contact if I have further questions about the Transactions, including the merger, or the transaction agreement?
A: WWE stockholders who have questions about the Transactions, including the merger, or the transaction agreement or who desire additional copies of this information statement/prospectus or other additional materials should contact:
Attention: Investor Relations
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc.
1241 East Main Street
Stamford, Connecticut 06902
Telephone: (203) 352-8600
UFC News
UFC Australia
"Chinese middle class is going to change the world"
James Packer says man-made attractions important
Mr Packer owns casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau
Sydney's The Star already attracting high roller VIP's
Non Packer casino and resorts also want in on the action
"Chinese middle class is going to change the world"
James Packer says man-made attractions important
Mr Packer owns casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau
Sydney's The Star already attracting high roller VIP's
Non Packer casino and resorts also want in on the action
Gaming and Tourism Biz Flashback
Australian tourism may be saved by Chinese middle class to large casinos
Gaming Biz Flashback
Gaming Biz Flashback
Sunday night's 60 Minutes report 'Packer's punt' got tongues wagging and telephones running hot across Australia - Melbourne and Perth (both home to existing Packer casinos) and 'Sin City' Sydney (site of the Barangaroo development).
Australia's flagging tourism industry can be saved by attracting the Chinese middle class to large casinos, Crown Limited chairman James Packer told the Nine network.
Mr Packer said recognising the Chinese middle class was as important as recognising the internet.
"It's like saying how big a deal is the internet," Mr Packer told his former business co-hearts Channel Nine.
"The Chinese middle class is going to change the world."
He advised Australia cannot rely on its natural beauty alone, because people are more drawn to man-made attractions.
"A lot of the Chinese tourists like man-made attractions as well as natural attractions," he said.
"We need to have better hotels, better restaurants, better shopping."
Mr Packer gave the United States as an example of how man-made attractions win over natural ones.
"Las Vegas gets 40 million people a year," he said.
"I think maybe the greatest natural attraction is the Grand Canyon. It's a half-hour drive from Las Vegas but gets about three million (visitors) a year."
Mr Packer owns casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau.
He also pointed out that casinos in The Philippines were doing well and contributed greatly to that country, and that he didn't currently have any casino interests there.
He said he was keen to secure a tables-only Sydney casino complex at Barangaroo to bring in more Chinese tourists.
Responsible Gambling Awareness Week started yesterday and the NSW Government is encouraging problem gamblers to seek help.
Casino King James Packer really aiming for Echo Entertainment...
Gaming analysts believe billionaire James Packer would consider offloading some of Queensland's casinos if he is successful in acquiring the Echo Entertainment Group.
Greg Fraser, a senior analyst at Fat Prophets, said that Mr Packer's real goal in his expected takeover tilt for Echo was to snatch the scandal-plagued Star Casino in Sydney and merge it into his Crown group.
Cairns casino targeting Chinese tourists: Packer's Crown not the only option for Chinese punters...
The famous Pullman Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns is not letting gaming tsar James Packer have all the action when it comes to attracting cashed-up Chinese gamblers to his legal gambling dens.
Mr Packer said the struggling tourism industry could be saved by attracting Chinese middle class visitors to large casinos.
As well, he said many Chinese tourists liked man-made activities as well as natural attractions.
But Cairns casino chief exec Alan Tan said his venue established a China strategy some six years ago.
"I think, while the casino is important, we offer more than just that. The Great Barrier Reef is very important, especially when I talk to the Chinese who say they like to see the Reef and in the evening they like to enjoy time in the casino as well," Mr Tan said.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Rob Giason said the casino was part of the overall experience for Chinese holidaymakers.
Cairns Airport chief executive officer Kevin Brown said the casino complemented other activities the Chinese tourists wanted to experience, including dining, shopping and cultural activities.
Casino marketing executive manager Richard Porter said its China strategy included the relocation of Cafe China restaurant to the casino, Chinese language signage and information.
He said casino reps frequented China at least six times a year, worked closely with inbound operators and leading Chinese businessman Harry Sou.
Mr Porter said when China Southern Airlines started flying to Brisbane the casino experienced a "giant leap forward" in Chinese visitors.
So there you go... Packer is far from the only switched on casino and gambling baron. It's going to be mighty interesting to see how Pullman's Alan Tan continues to fair in the Australian "casino wars", as Packer continues on his quest to also takeover Echo Entertainment operations, as well as push forward for his greater "Sin City" Sydney ambitions.
It's said "The house always wins" in casino talk, but can the trio of Crown, Pullman and Echo Entertainment all continue to win big time, or is something going to give (like a merger or acquisition)? Stay tuned as we continue to probe for developments.
Australia's flagging tourism industry can be saved by attracting the Chinese middle class to large casinos, Crown Limited chairman James Packer told the Nine network.
Mr Packer said recognising the Chinese middle class was as important as recognising the internet.
"It's like saying how big a deal is the internet," Mr Packer told his former business co-hearts Channel Nine.
"The Chinese middle class is going to change the world."
He advised Australia cannot rely on its natural beauty alone, because people are more drawn to man-made attractions.
"A lot of the Chinese tourists like man-made attractions as well as natural attractions," he said.
"We need to have better hotels, better restaurants, better shopping."
Mr Packer gave the United States as an example of how man-made attractions win over natural ones.
"Las Vegas gets 40 million people a year," he said.
"I think maybe the greatest natural attraction is the Grand Canyon. It's a half-hour drive from Las Vegas but gets about three million (visitors) a year."
Mr Packer owns casinos in Melbourne, Perth and Macau.
He also pointed out that casinos in The Philippines were doing well and contributed greatly to that country, and that he didn't currently have any casino interests there.
He said he was keen to secure a tables-only Sydney casino complex at Barangaroo to bring in more Chinese tourists.
Responsible Gambling Awareness Week started yesterday and the NSW Government is encouraging problem gamblers to seek help.
Casino King James Packer really aiming for Echo Entertainment...
Gaming analysts believe billionaire James Packer would consider offloading some of Queensland's casinos if he is successful in acquiring the Echo Entertainment Group.
Greg Fraser, a senior analyst at Fat Prophets, said that Mr Packer's real goal in his expected takeover tilt for Echo was to snatch the scandal-plagued Star Casino in Sydney and merge it into his Crown group.
Cairns casino targeting Chinese tourists: Packer's Crown not the only option for Chinese punters...
The famous Pullman Reef Hotel Casino in Cairns is not letting gaming tsar James Packer have all the action when it comes to attracting cashed-up Chinese gamblers to his legal gambling dens.
Mr Packer said the struggling tourism industry could be saved by attracting Chinese middle class visitors to large casinos.
As well, he said many Chinese tourists liked man-made activities as well as natural attractions.
But Cairns casino chief exec Alan Tan said his venue established a China strategy some six years ago.
"I think, while the casino is important, we offer more than just that. The Great Barrier Reef is very important, especially when I talk to the Chinese who say they like to see the Reef and in the evening they like to enjoy time in the casino as well," Mr Tan said.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland chief executive officer Rob Giason said the casino was part of the overall experience for Chinese holidaymakers.
Cairns Airport chief executive officer Kevin Brown said the casino complemented other activities the Chinese tourists wanted to experience, including dining, shopping and cultural activities.
Casino marketing executive manager Richard Porter said its China strategy included the relocation of Cafe China restaurant to the casino, Chinese language signage and information.
He said casino reps frequented China at least six times a year, worked closely with inbound operators and leading Chinese businessman Harry Sou.
Mr Porter said when China Southern Airlines started flying to Brisbane the casino experienced a "giant leap forward" in Chinese visitors.
So there you go... Packer is far from the only switched on casino and gambling baron. It's going to be mighty interesting to see how Pullman's Alan Tan continues to fair in the Australian "casino wars", as Packer continues on his quest to also takeover Echo Entertainment operations, as well as push forward for his greater "Sin City" Sydney ambitions.
It's said "The house always wins" in casino talk, but can the trio of Crown, Pullman and Echo Entertainment all continue to win big time, or is something going to give (like a merger or acquisition)? Stay tuned as we continue to probe for developments.
Wrestling Pop Culture Flashback
Sylvester Stallone Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon
From Bondi Beach, Australia to Japan, Canada, the USA - most of the world knows of Hulk Hogan.
Who can forget the Hulk-A-Mania Australian tour from a few years ago where he feuded with long time rival Ric Flair, and how about the wrestling angle at the then Star City Casino (now The Star), where it appeared at first that Hogan and Flair went at it for real when Flair implied he "had" Hogan's wife "Jennifer", before Hulk did! Now, that would start a fight and boy did the blood flow. The action was so hot that Seven News decided to purchase the video camera footage from the Media Man agency for a considerable sum.
The red did turn to green, as the old wrestling kayfabe saying goes, but not anywhere near as much as the Australian promoter or Hogan would have prefered.
The arena numbers in Australia were on the downside so much that it was largely responsible for TNA Wrestling deciding not to to ahead with an Australian tour.
The only American (or actually global) pro wrestling - sports entertainment company that he since graced Australian shores is the one and only WWE, headed up by promoter genius Vince McMahon. Once in a while Hogan teases a return to the WWE, and the two do have some line of communication. Take note that McMahon has old Hogan rival Flair getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame again (with the other 3 Four Horseman members) the night before WrestleMania, so anything can and does still happen in the WWE. Read up on other recent Media Man WWE news for more on that matter.
This writer would like to see Hogan and Flair both become official WWE spokespersons at some point, but if its to be - they need to make the move soon. Father time is ticking away.
Pro wrestling cousin of sorts, UFC from the MMA world is about to hit Sydney, Australia for a third time, but it ain't wrestling. Note, Brock Lensnar from the UFC and pro wrestling world, has left the UFC recently suffering a loss at the hands of Alistair Overeem at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, USA.
Hardcore pro wrestling fans of the WWF and ECK ilk will likely know this bit of trivia. It was Lesnar that "injured" Hogan's back in 2002 which was the official reason that The Hulk didn't visit down under back then. The back story is that Hogan and McMahon couldn't come to business terms. What's left to say but that's the pro wrestling industry.
Wrestling icon Hulk Hogan was at Speaking Rock Casino and Entertainment Center last week.
Hogan was there for the Micro Championship Wrestling event held at the venue.
Hogan was accompanied by the Nasty Boys, Brian Knobbs and Jerry Sags, as well as Ed Leslie, better known as Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, the former WWF Tag Team Champion (having held the title with wrestling legend Greg "The Hammer" Valentine).
Micro Championship Wrestling has a show promoted by Hogan on TruTV. The show, which screens as midget wrestling which has been up and running since August. Note we called them midgets, not dwarfs, so haters lay off ok. Some of the wrestlers also like to be called "little people". Whatever, they are full of excitement, talent and fun, and don't mind sharing it with the world.
Australia's Foxtel doesn't currently get TruTV, so we can't enjoy Hogan's midget wrestling show on the box at this stage, but we're hopeful time will change that. Foxtel is going to soon get a new Factual channel, so there's hope yet wrestling fans.
Hogan is the most recognizable figure in the history of professional wrestling from his success in the business since the 1980s. Hogan's also had many of movies and a host of other high profile shows and projects. Hogan's star power even ecliped "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Gorgeous George (Wagner) and Bruno Sammartino (for you old school wrestling fans out there).
Hogan enjoyed high level feuds with the likes of Andre the Giant, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Paul "Mr Wonderful" Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "The Magnificent" Don Muraco, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and "Macho Man" Randy Savage.
On the big screen Hogan has starred in "No Holds Barred," "Suburban Commando" and "Mr. Nanny." He has also made appearances in Rocky III and Walker, Texas Ranger. One can argue that current WWE superstars, John Cena, "The Rock" and Steve Austin took off where Hogan finished as far as mixing wrestling and movies. Roddy Piper is widely regarded as the most talented actor that pro wrestling ever produced. From time to time Piper does his famous "Pipers Pit" talk show segment for the WWE as well as helping out a few other smaller wrestling promotions.
Hogan even had his own reality TV show called "Hogan Knows Best.", and it wasn't long before daughter Brooke, did her own "Brooke Knows Best" show.
Hogan became a household name while in Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Federation (WWF), now known as WWE, which enjoyed a live event in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Sunday at the Pan American Centre.
He is currently signed to the Impact Wrestling - Total Nonstop Action wrestling promotion and has a range of business projects on the go including in the TV, gaming, casino and internet b2b sectors.
Recently, Hogan has made headlines on celebrity websites for his divorce, his son Nick's car crash, daughter Brooke's music career and the pending removal of his world famous moustache (to satisfy some Hollywood movie producers).
Other
Ric Flair is almost as famous as long time rival Hulk Hogan, who along with Flair is currently under contract to Impact Wrestling. Most would argue that Flair is one of the greatest pro wrestlers in history, while Hogan has earned more income from wrestling and wrestling related activities than just about anyone else.
* The writer has a b2b agreement with the WWE (WWE Shop)
* Wrestling legend Andre The Giant gets online slot game via Richard Branson's Virgin Casino.
* Hogan recently released his Kinnect-based "Hulk Hogan's Main Event" game which got mixed reviews from the gaming industry. The game promo goes "Get pumped and bring the pain in the first full-body wrestling game on Kinect for Xbox 360! In Hulk Hogan’s Main Event Hulkamaniacs can train with wrestling icon Hulk Hogan himself. As your mentor, Hulk will help you build your own wrestling personality and school you in the art of showmanship to win over the crowd. Entertain roaring fans with brutal stunts, combos, even devastating chair hits, that will knock your opponent to the mat or out of the ring. The crazier and wilder your motions, the more high impact your wrestling performance is in your living room ring!"
* Hulk Hogan is also tipped to be soon getting his own online slot game. His Hulk-A-Mania game is being developed by Endemol Games. Endemol is the company behind the famous Big Brother franchise, so you know they know about marketing and publicity. The Media Man agency is tipped to soon come to business terms with Endemol.
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Find your niche business sector For The Internet Matrix and beyond
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Hollywood and Australian News: The Avengers, Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Games, Spider-Man, WWE, John Cena, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, Paramount Pictures, Celebrity Gaming and casino news, Arcade And Slot games, Hollywood gossip, UFC...
The Avengers enjoys worldwide box office success; Breaking records...
Marvel superhero fans in Australia and around the world. We've got tons of news for you today. There's Avengers news, gaming and slot games, interviews, quotes, numbers, A WWE connection and more...
The Avengers proved that five superheroes are better than one by bursting into Hollywood's record books with a massive $197 million in ticket sales over its opening weekend in US and Canadian theatres, kicking off Hollywood's summer movie season with a bang.
The film now easily holds the record for greatest box office takings on its first weekend of cinema release, speeding past last summer's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2, which opened with $166 million, and Batman franchise film The Dark Knight, according to Box Office Mojo.
In March, The Hunger Games opened with $150 million, the fourth largest opening in box office history.
The Avengers, which reunites Marvel comic heroes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Black Widow, has collected $630 million since it opened in international markets on April 25.
"We keep thinking we have a sense of what this movie can do, or will do, and every time we get a report it does even better," said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice-president of distribution.
"This is very satisfying, to say the least."
Disney's aggressive marketing, which included promotions aimed at women that included sending stars to The View daytime talk show, resulted in women making up 40 per cent of the audience for the action film, according to Disney's survey. Half the audience was also over 25 years of age, the studio said.
Winner of the past two weekends, Sony's romantic comedy Think Like a Man, slipped to second place with $7.8 million at North American theatres, according to Hollywood.com.
Hunger Games, from Lions Gate Entertainment, took the No 3 spot in its seventh week in theatres, with $5.6 million, and has collected $374 million in US and Canadian theatres during its run.
Warner Brothers' The Lucky One landed in fourth place with $5.4 million, and the animated film The Pirates! Band of Misfits from Sony finished in fifth place with $5.3 million.
The undisputed success of Avengers brought Disney the type of redemption that Hollywood loves to put on screen. In March, Disney released the expensive sci-fi adventure film John Carter, one of the biggest flops in box office history. The company said it expects to lose up to $196 million on that film.
Avengers is the first Marvel film released by Disney since the media and theme park giant purchased Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $3.9 billion, a move to expand its appeal to boys with a stable of superheroes.
Disney would not say whether it plans to make a sequel. Sequels to films based on the Thor and Iron Man characters are scheduled for next year and Captain America in 2014.
About 52 per cent of The Avengers ticket sales came from higher-priced 3D tickets, Disney said.
The first weekend in May kicks off Hollywood's summer movie-going season, a four-month period typically filled with big-budget action movies and sequels. Coming movies include Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black 3, and Battleship. (Reuters)
Scarlett Johansson: comic book movie superhero...
Scarlett Johansson first enrolled in the Marvel comic book superhero universe when she was introduced as the mysterious Black Widow opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the 2010 blockbuster Iron Man 2.
The action-filled movie role marked a massive change of direction for the actress, who's known more for low-key performances in films like Sofia Coppola's drama Lost in Translation or Woody Allen's sly comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
But Johansson is in fighting form to reprise her role as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in Marvel Studios' The Avengers. With her bright red hair and sexy latex suit, the Black Widow teams up with Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye and Thor to stop the evil Loki from conquering Earth with his army.
Johansson sat down with media to talk about the film, the fighting style she learned for her role and what it was like to master her character's native Russian language.
Black Widow was introduced in Iron Man 2 but gets far more exposure in The Avengers. How did you expand the character?
At the end of Iron Man 2, we know she's a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we don't know what S.H.I.E.L.D. is. In this film, (director) Joss Whedon and I talked about her past. Who is she? How does she get to be a mercenary? What path do you follow in order to get to that place? We both wanted to see the darker side of her - not just that she's someone who is highly skilled, but why did she have to learn those skills?
You're in top form physically on screen. What new fighting skills did you learn?
We incorporated this Wushu style (of fighting) when the Widow wields a huge alien gun. That was new and really challenging. I had to learn how to spin it and move it. It was hard because I'd hit myself with it all the time. And it's heavy.
You learn (by using) a broom handle so you're like, 'Ah, I got it down, I've mastered it.' Then all of a sudden they're like, 'Here's the prop' and you're like, 'What? This thing is 20 pounds!' I was so terribly battered. I'd wake up every day in agony but it was a continuous thing, so it became normal (laughs).
Black Widow also speaks in her native Russian language, which you seemed to nail. Was it difficult to learn?
I had two days, so I had to learn it phonetically. I knew what I was saying but I had to be able to pronounce it and breathe some life into the lines so that it didn't sound like I was repeating some Berlitz tape.
We hired this great Russian translator, and she worked with the dialogue coach. She was really expressive, which helped, so my mouth found the words in a way that didn't just sound like I was a parrot.
You often play with hair color in your movie roles. Did you enjoy being a redhead for the duration of the shoot?
It's nice because it allows me to go a bit under the radar - people don't expect me to have that color of hair. I'm always happy when I do it because it's the first step of the process of finding the character again.
To me more than anything, the hair color represents a huge piece of work that we dive head first into. And I'm really happy when I can wash it out because then I'm like, 'Yes, It's finished, we actually did it!' Out it goes and you know you've accomplished something.
You're the only female Avenger in the cast. Did your male co-stars treat you any differently because of that?
If anything, the guys weren't as delicate with me as I thought they would be. They like to play hard and always dragged me along for the ride. I'd always come back with battle wounds. But they're a great group of guys. All of us got on so well.
Who did you spend most of your time with on location in New Mexico?
Jeremy (Renner, Hawkeye) because (we share scenes) together a lot. We fight together, so we had to do a lot of our stunt training together. We had the same battle wounds! Tom (Hiddleston, Loki), Jeremy and I spent a lot of time in the stunt gym because we fight so much hand to hand, so we ended up hanging out together. But we all equally had a closeness.
What was the dynamic like with all of you?
We're all fans of each other's work. Some of us have worked together in the past. Chris Evans and I have made three movies together. Sam Jackson and I made three movies together. Mark Ruffalo I've known for quite some time. Every time Robert (Downey Jr.) was on set, it was like, so alive.
We're just lucky that there was no diva on set. It was everybody trying to support one another. It was really nice to have that.
The Avengers is screening now (to packed and very enthusiastic audiences).
Disney's "The Avengers" a winner for Paramount Pictures also: source...
Walt Disney's blockbuster "The Avengers" has five superheroes and record ticket sales. It also has a silent partner in Viacom's Paramount Pictures, which is in line to to get a massive payday even though the studio didn't spend a cent to produce or market the film.
Paramount Pictures already snatched $57.5 million in April, when the film was released internationally. And it stands to collect 8 percent of the millions that the film will earn in theaters, on DVD, and when it is watched on the Internet, according to two people with knowledge of the business deal.
Under a 2005 distribution agreement between Paramount Pictures and Marvel, Paramount receives a distribution fee for the theatrical distribution of "The Avengers" as well as its distribution of its home video, Internet and TV rights. That agreement transferred to Disney, when Disney acquired Marvel for a cool $4 billion in 2009.
Disney and Paramount agreed in 2010 to amend that agreement, giving Disney the rights to distribute Marvel-produced "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3," the second sequel to the 2008 film that Paramount distributes. That agreement stipulated that Disney would pay Paramount a $115 million advance against future fees that Paramount would have earned.
Half of that fee was paid when Disney released "The Avengers" in international markets.
Spokesmen for Disney and Paramount declined to comment on the matter.
Paramount does not have rights to merchandise from the Marvel movies, and Iger told investors after the deal closed that he signed the getting the movie rights allows he to rev up Disney's marketing machine.
"Not only will we distribute it and market it, but we know that Marvel is working really hard with the cooperation of a number of entities at Disney to turn The Avengers into a true franchise," he said on the earnings call.
Studios and theater owners generally split ticket sales 50-50, meaning that Disney has collected $320.9 million based on "The Avengers" $641.8 million in worldwide ticket sales. Paramount's $25.7 million take would be applied against the pre-paid fee from Disney.
The two parties also agreed that "The Avengers" would appear on the Epix online and premium TV service that Paramount owns with Lions Gate Entertainment and the famous MGM studio. That's a big boost for the nearly three-year-old channel. Disney is legally obligated to show most of its movies on the Starz pay channel.
What size Paramount's take will be depends on how big a hit "The Avengers" becomes. The deal gets even sweeter for Paramount Pictures in 2013, when Disney is scheduled to release the third Iron Man. Paramount will get 9 percent of the money that film will generate.
It's going to be tough to match the hulking numbers of 'The Avengers', but the studios and business partners in on the action should be looking at plenty more green stuff generated from the ultra successful and cool Marvel franchise. Movies, games, fashion...what's next? Stay tuned true believers.
The Amazing Spider-Man Games Let's You Play Stan Lee...
True Believers, get ready for spectacular news — Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Spider-Man Merchandising L.P., a subsidiary of Marvel today announced some amazing pre-order exclusives for fans that reserve an early copy of The Amazing Spider-Man™ video game in North America.
Planned to launch June 26th, the game brings Spidey back to the thrill of free-roaming through Manhattan in an original epilogue story to Sony Picture Entertainment's upcoming feature film. The pre-order exclusives for The Amazing Spider-Man video game are available today and include the Rhino Challenge from GameStop and a special mission featuring a fully playable Stan Lee from Amazon.com.
Take control of the massive, genetically engineered villain RHINO and rampage around Manhattan in an exclusive gameplay challenge of pure destruction! As Rhino, players will be able to unleash his formidable powers to destroy anything and everything that gets in his way in a timed event full of speed, combo streaks, and of course, a ton of things to break! Unlockable for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 system ONLY.
All the rumors can officially be put to rest — for the first time ever, fans will be able to play…STAN…LEE as himself in The Amazing Spider-Man. Players will take on the role of Stan "The Man" Lee in his own special mission across Manhattan, borrowing abilities from his old pal Spider-Man as they help Stan collect pages of his latest script in a spectacular race around Manhattan. Stan's mission is punctuated with his witty banter that fans have come to know and love, and a special surprise waits for them at the end of the mission — after all, it is Spider-Man's 50th anniversary this year! Unlockable for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 system ONLY.
Go beyond the feature film and find out what happens next in The Amazing Spider-Man™ video game, which brings Spider-Man's free-roaming, web-slinging action back to New York City. Players take on the role of a young Peter Parker discovering his new Spider-Man powers and added Super Hero responsibilities, using the game's innovative Web Rush mechanic to swing freely around Manhattan, combat a variety of criminal activities and take on classic Marvel Super Villains. Set against an original story crafted by Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey (episodes of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica) that takes place entirely after the events of the upcoming feature film, The Amazing Spider-Man video game delivers a brand-new, immersive and cinematic adventure allowing players to truly harness the power of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
For more information on The Amazing Spider-Man video game, please check out http://www.TheAmazingSpiderManGame.com and
http://www.Facebook.com/TheAmazingSpiderManGame
The Avengers video game in the works...
Now that they've saved the world on film, The Avengers are teaming up for a motion-control video game.
Ubisoft Entertainment have announced a partnership with Marvel Entertainment to create a game based on the popular Marvel superhero posse. The game will be titled Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth and will be released for both the upcoming Wii U console from Nintendo Co. and the camera-based Kinect system for the Xbox 360 from Microsoft.
"The idea that we're making a motion-control version of The Avengers is a unique proposition if you compare that to superhero games of the past," said Tony Key, Ubisoft's vice president of sales and marketing.
"This is the perfect type of game for that because these characters are very action oriented. They're always fighting and throwing things."
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth will focus on such characters as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk fending off an invasion of genetically altered Skrull aliens. The title will feature more than 20 characters from the Marvel universe and would be based on the Secret Invasion comic series, not the recent film.
No release date was announced, but Key said the disc-based title is expected to launch after Nintendo debuts the Wii U later this year. The successor to Nintendo's Wii will feature high-definition graphics, increased online capabilities and a touch-pad controller. He said more details about the game would be unveiled at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo.
The game will be the latest addition to Ubisoft's motion-control arsenal. Previous titles released by the Canadian publisher that rely on gesture-based devices include the artsy shooter Child of Eden, street brawler Fighters Uncaged, superhero dueler PowerUp Heroes, the Your Shape fitness franchise and top-selling Just Dance series.
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth will mark the first time that the Assassin's Creed publisher has developed a game based on a franchise from Marvel, which was purchased in 2009 by The Walt Disney. The developers previously worked with Avatar director James Cameron to craft a third-person 3D action-adventure game set on the planet Pandora.
Sega created each of the games pegged to the films of The Avengers forerunners, including last year's Thor: God of Thunder and Captain America: Super Soldier, but there was no console game released this year alongside director Joss Whedon's blockbuster The Avengers, just the mobile game Marvel's The Avengers and Facebook title "Marvel: Avengers Alliance."
Fans freaked out last year over unofficial footage and concept art posted online of a first-person Avengers game that was reportedly in development by THQ. The footage of Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor battling the infamous Skrull was yanked by Marvel from YouTube. A representative for Marvel declined to be interviewed for this story.
Traditionally, games based on Marvel movies have been released around the same time as their super-powered counterparts to benefit from parallel buzz. The open-world action-adventure title The Amazing Spider-Man from Activision. is set for release June 26, ahead of director Marc Webb's film of the same name on July 3.
The big-screen adaptation of The Avengers starring Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye has smashed box office records, earning $US207.4 million in the US in its opening weekend.
"For us, that obviously raises the brand itself to an even higher level, and that's good for our video game because we have an opportunity to reach a broader audience than just the guys who love comic book characters," said Key, who added that Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth would be family friendly despite the game's focus on fighting.
Marvel's superheroes have been a dominant presence throughout the history of games. They most recently assembled for the Capcom brawler "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3" and the Activision role-playing sequel Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. Gazillion Entertainment is currently developing a free-to-play online game featuring them called Marvel Heroes. Website: www.AvengersBattleForEarth.com
Robert Downey Jr. learns to be a team player...
Billionaire genius Tony Stark had to learn to play well with others in "The Avengers" after he was the main attraction in two "Iron Man" films.
So did Robert Downey Jr., though his path to superhero team player came without the fisticuffs and rivalries that Stark stumbles into with his fellow Avengers, who beat up on one another a bit before they figure out how to work as a group.
Downey has had a long time to get ready for something beyond his close-up in the solo outings as Stark, the Marvel Comics superhero in a metal suit. The idea that Downey would become part of an ensemble of heroes was teased at the end of the first "Iron Man," with "Avengers" producer and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige steering such follow-ups as "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" toward that aim.
"I had five years to prepare myself, because Kevin Feige and the Marvel team had been saying that it was kind of heading toward this," Downey said.
The film debuted this past weekend in the United States with $200.3million at the box office, a record opening that surpasses last year's "Harry Potter" finale. The film casts Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, head of peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D., which rounds up a dream team of good guys (Downey's Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Chris Evans' Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk and Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye) to battle Thor's evil brother (Tom Hiddleston), who plots to subjugate humanity.
While it's an all-star cast, Downey's the mega-star. But unlike the diva moments among Stark and some of the other alpha dogs of the Avengers, there was no big-footing among the performers, according to the actors and director Joss Whedon.
Adjusting to ensemble life simply continued the path on which Stark and his healthy ego have been all along, Downey said.
"Personally, the 'Iron Man' series so far has always been about making space for others and collaborating," Downey said. "It's Tony's quote-unquote story, but it's always about all the folks we get around him who are kind of what make him interesting or give him someone or something to fight."
Stitching together so many characters and storylines could have turned into herding cats, but the communal structure meant no single actor had to carry the action all of the time.
Everyone took turns at center stage, and each got to take welcome breathers during the long shoot, Downey said.
"It was like a complicated pregnancy," Downey said. "What was fun, this bit of WWE superhero tag-team wrestling, is where Hemsworth's all beat up and he's been shooting nights, and my character's got the helmet closed, so I'm not there. Then he's flying home to be with the missus, and I'm coming in to do a bunch of scenes with Ruffalo. I think everybody really bought into the spirit of the thing."
Downey, 47, is preparing to shoot "Iron Man 3" in Wilmington, which is due in theaters in May 2013. The film reunites Downey with his "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" director Shane Black.
He won't disclose details, but Downey said the next installment is a "sort of storytelling that's really in Shane's wheelhouse, which is it doesn't need to be quite as linear, and Tony definitely is brought out of his comfort zone. So there's a lot of travel in this."
A third "Sherlock Holmes" movie also is in the works, with Downey's great detective expected to travel to North America this time.
Amid his two film franchises, Downey's busy with a newborn son with his wife, producer Susan Downey, with whom he has formed a film production company.
It's uncertain whether Downey will be back as Stark after "Iron Man 3," either in another solo film or a second "Avengers" tale. With his fourth Marvel flick getting under way, though, Downey said he feels he has a vested interest in the superhero business.
"It's dumb not to be open to possibilities, you know?" Downey said. "I kind of almost feel like a shareholder in the company, even sometimes more than an actor in the movies."
No small roles for megastar Downey...
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who sat through the credits of The Avengers, or who simply looked at the film’s record-breaking box office sales this past weekend. Still, fans (and investors) will be glad to hear that Disney CEO Bob Iger just announced that the company is developing a sequel. The film’s success “is a great illustration of why we like Marvel so much.” Demand for Avengers merchandise has been strong, he added.
Note Of The Rock Making Comment About John Cena And Divorce...
During the build to the WrestleMania 28 main event, The Rock held a "Rock Concert" on the March 12, 2012 edition of WWE RAW.
Not having learned about the news of John Cena filing to divorce his wife this week, one verse of The Rock's song stands out.
"Rock saw Cena makin' out with Eve, Grabbin' on her thigh, tuggin' on her weave. Cena was havin' the time of his life, I guess he didn't tell her that he's got a wife. Let's rock. Everybody let's rock. Divorce lawyer's right up the block, but we're dancing because Cleveland Rocks."
There have been no reports of Cena being romantically involved with Eve but it was known The Rock and John Cena were legitimately taking personal shots at each other during their promos building to their match.
TMZ.com did report that John Cena was open about his marital problems with his co-workers in the WWE locker room. It seems The Rock's remarks about Cena's wife and a "divorce lawyer right up the block" hit closer to home than we realized at the time.
Celebrity Gambling List...
Nothing is more entertaining than watching gambling celebs in action. Celebrity gamblers consist of the biggest VIPs you would find in Las Vegas. Just being stars they are pampered with the luxurious lifestyle that is offered to them at the numerous Las Vegas casinos and hotels.
Though most celebrities enter games and tournaments for fun, there are some who enter into special tournaments to help raise money for an orphanage and other causes. Some actually played to win money like you and I. Most of these casino gambling celebs play in poker tournaments, like Ben Affleck. Read more below about the top 10 USA Celebrity Gamblers.
Top 10 USA Celebrity Gamblers...
Ben Affleck – star of great Hollywood pictures like Pearl Harbor, Daredevil and Armageddon is one of the most serious gamblers and perhaps the most accomplished poker player. In 2004, the star outsmarted professional poker star Stan Goldstein and 90 other players winning $356,400. He also won a $25,000 seat in the WPT 2005 Championship.
Hugh Hefner – Hefner owns the Playboy Club & Fantasy Tower in Las Vegas. Playboy now operates as a land-based casino and as an online casino in USA. The Fantasy Tower includes casino games such as blackjack, roulette, and playboy themed slot machines. Mr. Hefner plays many casino games, but you can bet he has played strip poker with a couple of his bunnies.
Matt Damon – the star of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Bourne identity, Dogma, and star of one of the best poker movies ever, Rounders, was tutored to play poker by the legend Johnny Chan. The actor is quite passionate about gambling and considers himself as an excellent poker player.
Matthew Perry - "Could this flush be any more royal?" Best known as Chandler Bing from the award winning televisions series ‘Friends’ is yet another good poker player. He regularly plays at tournaments and other charity events including Celebrity Poker Showdown TV show. Matthew is indeed a VIP at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas.
Frank Sinatra – the biggest and best singer ever known in the history of music had performed several shows in Las Vegas. After all the time he spent in Las Vegas, Sinatra started to share his love for gambling. Known to play with his mob friends and other celebs.
The Queen – yes Her Royal Highness herself rarely misses out on gambling lifestyle. The Queen has a passion for making sports bets and loves slots machines.
George Clooney – inspired by his motion picture Oceans 11, 12 and 13, George Clooney has invested $3 billion in a Vegas casino complex along with co-star Brad Pitt.
Macy Gray – very famous singer and songwriter and not forgetting a celeb poker star made her appearance in Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown and completed the contest in third place.
Brad Pitt – and his gambling friend George Clooney have both invested around $3 billion in luxury Vegas casinos like the Vegas Casino Complex.
Teddy Sheringham – Also a poker fan and former soccer player in the UK for Manchester United is the longest serving playboy. He is quite regular on the celeb poker circuit. Retired from football he was recently made the Ambassador for online giants VC poker, where he will provide support for tournament players.
Bill Goldberg Talks WWE, Pro Wrestling And 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Dream Match...
On his and Brock Lesnar's initial departure from WWE: "Obviously it was kind of unfinished business. We both left there under circumstances that weren't the most favorable for anybody, let alone the fans who are the most important at the end of the day."
On Lesnar in general: "Brock, as a young kid, he succeeded in every single thing that he did. To venture out and try to play professional football without having college experience — LaVar will tell you how hard that is. Big pat on the back to him for that. And then going to MMA and succeeding and becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. Whatever Brock wants to do, I'm in his corner. He's a good buddy of mine and we talk frequently. I just hope at the end of the day whatever he chooses his health is in a positive note. We all know he's had some issues over the past number of years."
On having a final match: "It's really tough for a guy like myself. Look at a guy like Animal. Look at Road Warrior. Look at guys who are big power guys. . . the older you get the harder it is to be that guy."
He added his ideal final match would be against Steve Austin: "That'd be a dream come true… that'd be killer. I think at the end of the day they probably don't trust me enough to put me in there with guys, considering I'm 'a dangerous guy to work with' and 'I haphazardly ended Bret Hart's career.' At the end of the day these people have to understand it's a violent deal, number one. Number two, accidents happen. And number three, that's why I work in Japan — they don't cry if you hit them …That's a joke."
CMT, Steve Austin Team for Redneck Island; Former Pro Wrestler Signs Development Deal...
CMT has inked a development deal with actor and former WWE superstar Steve Austin, tapping him as host of a new 10-episode series, Redneck Island.
Produced by 51 Minds Entertainment, Redneck Island takes 12 red, white and blue-collared Americans out of the South, far away from cold beer, and drops them in a tropical paradise where they will compete for $100,000. The series will debut in June, paired with a second season of CMT's hit series, My Big Redneck Vacation.
As part of his development deal, Austin will look to produce additional series for CMT with his production company, Broken Skull Ranch Productions.
"I am thrilled to join the CMT family and for the opportunity to work with them on future projects," Austin said. "I'm also excited to work with the great folks at 51 Minds Entertainment on Redneck Island. If there's one thing I know, it's how to keep a bunch of rednecks in line. And that's the bottom line!"
Redneck Island begins with 12 men and women competing as teams in a fight for $100,000 cash. From a remote location, Austin will guide the contestants through a number of hilarious mental and physical challenges designed to celebrate the group's strengths and limitations. At the end of each episode, teammates will send one competitor packing.
One of the most popular pro wrestling superstars of all time, Austin has been reinventing himself since retiring from the ring in 2003. The WWE Hall of Fame inductee hit the big screen in 2010 in Sylvester Stallone's action thriller, The Expendables, co-starring alongside a who's who in action films. He followed that project with the lead role in Damage, one of Fox Home Video's best-selling releases.
In 2011, he starred in The Stranger and Hunt to Kill, both released by Anchor Bay. Austin also served as host for the USA Network's hit reality series, Tough Enough. Future projects include The Package with Dolph Lungdren and Maximum Conviction with Steven Seagal.
WWE® CFO George Barrios to Participate in the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on May 16th...
STAMFORD, Conn. -- WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that its Chief Financial Officer, George A. Barrios, will participate in the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, on May 16, 2012, in Boston, MA.
Mr. Barrios’ remarks are expected to begin at approximately 4:10 p.m. ET. A live audio webcast will be available online at corporate.wwe.com/investors. Also, a replay of the presentation will begin shortly after the actual presentation time and will be available until August 14, 2012.
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
If you have additional questions, please contact WWE Investor Relations via e-mail at investor.relations@wwecorp.com.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television and pay-per-view programming distribution agreements; the need for continually developing creative and entertaining programming; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent McMahon; the conditions of the markets in which we compete and acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within those markets; our exposure to bad debt risk; uncertainties relating to regulatory and litigation matters; risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of our markets; uncertainties associated with international markets; the importance of protecting our intellectual property and complying with the intellectual property rights of others; risks associated with producing and travelling to and from our large live events, both domestically and internationally; the risk of accidents or injuries during our physically demanding events; risks relating to our film business; risks relating to increasing content production for distribution on various platforms, including the potential creation of a WWE Network; risks relating to our computer systems and online operations; risks relating to the large number of shares of common stock controlled by members of the McMahon family and the possibility of the sale of their stock by the McMahons or the perception of the possibility of such sales; the relatively small public float of our stock; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends, general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant.
Videogame Classic Space Invaders launched as online slot game...
FremantleMedia Enterprises has signed a two-year agreement with Square Enix to develop the arcade videogame classic Space Invaders as an online slot game.
Launched in 1978, the original Space Invaders game ignited an entertainment medium and founded a gaming generation. The new online slot game will target UK and European players and be available to customers via the OpenBet and GTS platforms later in the year.
Simon Murphy, head of gambling EMEA, said: “The deal with Square Enix further demonstrates our goal to become one of the leading developers and distributors of premium branded gaming content.”
FME’s gambling division has previously licensed, developed and distributed branded games for online, mobile and land-based slots across a number of brands including The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, The Price Is Right and Family Fortunes.
Casino King James Packer really aiming for Echo Entertainment...
Gaming analysts believe billionaire James Packer would consider offloading some of Queensland's casinos if he is successful in acquiring the Echo Entertainment Group.
Greg Fraser, a senior analyst at Fat Prophets, said yesterday that Mr Packer's real goal in his expected takeover tilt for Echo was to snare the scandal-plagued Star Casino in Sydney and merge it into his Crown group.
Apology after monks caught gambling, smoking...
The head of South Korea's largest Buddhist order has made a public apology after video footage was released showing monks gambling, drinking and smoking.
The Jogye order represents most of South Korea's 12 million or so Buddhists.
The head of the order called a news conference to make a personal apology for the latest scandal to hit his organisation.
It has been plagued by vicious internal feuds that at one time used to erupt in mass brawls at the main temple.
Footage shown on national television this week showed a group of eight senior monks and abbots engaged in an all-night, high stakes poker game.
Some were drinking and smoking during the session, which was secretly filmed at a resort hotel where monks had gathered for a memorial service.
Members of the Jogye order's head office have offered to resign en masse.
Luke Evans In Talks To Join Vin Disel and Dwayne Johnson In Fast And Furious 6...
The last Fast franchise movie exceeded financial and critical expectations, and Universal is reteaming with director Justin Lin for the next film in the franchise. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson and other cast members are set to reprise their roles, and a new addition has now been revealed.
Luke Evans (Immortals, The Three Musketeers) has now entered into negotiations to join the large ensemble cast. According to Variety.com, "plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say it would involve the crew heading overseas to work on a heist job. Evans would play the leader of another crew trying to pull off the same job." He can next be seen in Peter Jackson's highly anticipated film The Hobbit which hits theaters this December.
The Fast and the Furious franchise follows former police detective Brian Connor and street racer Dominic Toretto as they attempt to evade law enforcement while participating in high stakes races and heists around the country. Dwayne Johnson was the latest addition to the franchise in the role of federal agent Luke Hobbs. Fast and Furious 6 is currently slated for theatrical release on May 24, 2013.
UFC Announces ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs. U.K.’...
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's expansion of its biggest sub-brand will continue.
The promotion on Thursday night announced an international edition of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series for this fall. UFC president Dana White tweeted news of the series, and an official release from the UFC followed.
"The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs. U.K. – The Smashes" will film later this year, likely in late summer for a fall airing. The series will pit fighters from Australia against fighters from the United Kingdom. "The Smashes" in the title, according to the UFC, is "a play on the 130-year-old cricket rivalry" between Australia and the U.K.
The last international edition of TUF was Season 9 of the original U.S.-based series, which featured fighters from the United States against fighters from the United Kingdom. That season was coached by Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, one of the most successful UFC fighters to come out of the TUF program – he won Season 3 of the show. The UFC also currently has "The Ultimate Fighter Brazil," which taped earlier this spring and is airing in that country, as well as on TUF.tv on Sunday nights.
Just like with the U.S. version of the reality show, as well as the one in Brazil, the winner or winners will receive a contract with the UFC. Past winners have included future UFC champions like Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans, as well as title contenders and stars like Bisping, Nate Diaz and Ryan Bader. Other alums of the groundbreaking show, which aired in the U.S. for seven years and 14 seasons on Spike TV, and now airs in a new live format Friday nights on FX, include Stephan Bonnar, Josh Koscheck, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Chris Leben, Joe Lauzon, Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione.
"Australia and the U.K. have a fierce, long-standing rivalry, and where better to settle the score than in the UFC's Octagon?" said Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC's managing director of international development. "The popularity of MMA has exploded in Australia and the U.K., with gyms opening all over the respective countries. There is an athlete in one of those gyms who hasn’t had the chance to show the world what he can do. 'The Ultimate Fighter' is going give to him that opportunity. We’re going to discover the UFC's future stars – you can bet on it."
Coaches for the series have not yet been named, nor has an exact broadcast plan been announced.
Prospective fighters from bantamweight to welterweight – 61-77 kilograms – should visit special sites set up for registration forms, rules and criteria for qualification. Tryouts are planned for June 12 in Sydney, Australia, and June 15 in London. For fighters from Australia, visit au.ufc.com/TUFForm; for fighters in the U.K, visit uk.ufc.com/TUFForm.
The Avengers enjoys worldwide box office success; Breaking records...
Marvel superhero fans in Australia and around the world. We've got tons of news for you today. There's Avengers news, gaming and slot games, interviews, quotes, numbers, A WWE connection and more...
The Avengers proved that five superheroes are better than one by bursting into Hollywood's record books with a massive $197 million in ticket sales over its opening weekend in US and Canadian theatres, kicking off Hollywood's summer movie season with a bang.
The film now easily holds the record for greatest box office takings on its first weekend of cinema release, speeding past last summer's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - Part 2, which opened with $166 million, and Batman franchise film The Dark Knight, according to Box Office Mojo.
In March, The Hunger Games opened with $150 million, the fourth largest opening in box office history.
The Avengers, which reunites Marvel comic heroes Thor, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Black Widow, has collected $630 million since it opened in international markets on April 25.
"We keep thinking we have a sense of what this movie can do, or will do, and every time we get a report it does even better," said Dave Hollis, Disney's executive vice-president of distribution.
"This is very satisfying, to say the least."
Disney's aggressive marketing, which included promotions aimed at women that included sending stars to The View daytime talk show, resulted in women making up 40 per cent of the audience for the action film, according to Disney's survey. Half the audience was also over 25 years of age, the studio said.
Winner of the past two weekends, Sony's romantic comedy Think Like a Man, slipped to second place with $7.8 million at North American theatres, according to Hollywood.com.
Hunger Games, from Lions Gate Entertainment, took the No 3 spot in its seventh week in theatres, with $5.6 million, and has collected $374 million in US and Canadian theatres during its run.
Warner Brothers' The Lucky One landed in fourth place with $5.4 million, and the animated film The Pirates! Band of Misfits from Sony finished in fifth place with $5.3 million.
The undisputed success of Avengers brought Disney the type of redemption that Hollywood loves to put on screen. In March, Disney released the expensive sci-fi adventure film John Carter, one of the biggest flops in box office history. The company said it expects to lose up to $196 million on that film.
Avengers is the first Marvel film released by Disney since the media and theme park giant purchased Marvel Entertainment in 2009 for $3.9 billion, a move to expand its appeal to boys with a stable of superheroes.
Disney would not say whether it plans to make a sequel. Sequels to films based on the Thor and Iron Man characters are scheduled for next year and Captain America in 2014.
About 52 per cent of The Avengers ticket sales came from higher-priced 3D tickets, Disney said.
The first weekend in May kicks off Hollywood's summer movie-going season, a four-month period typically filled with big-budget action movies and sequels. Coming movies include Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black 3, and Battleship. (Reuters)
Scarlett Johansson: comic book movie superhero...
Scarlett Johansson first enrolled in the Marvel comic book superhero universe when she was introduced as the mysterious Black Widow opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the 2010 blockbuster Iron Man 2.
The action-filled movie role marked a massive change of direction for the actress, who's known more for low-key performances in films like Sofia Coppola's drama Lost in Translation or Woody Allen's sly comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona.
But Johansson is in fighting form to reprise her role as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, in Marvel Studios' The Avengers. With her bright red hair and sexy latex suit, the Black Widow teams up with Iron Man, The Hulk, Captain America, Hawkeye and Thor to stop the evil Loki from conquering Earth with his army.
Johansson sat down with media to talk about the film, the fighting style she learned for her role and what it was like to master her character's native Russian language.
Black Widow was introduced in Iron Man 2 but gets far more exposure in The Avengers. How did you expand the character?
At the end of Iron Man 2, we know she's a part of S.H.I.E.L.D., but we don't know what S.H.I.E.L.D. is. In this film, (director) Joss Whedon and I talked about her past. Who is she? How does she get to be a mercenary? What path do you follow in order to get to that place? We both wanted to see the darker side of her - not just that she's someone who is highly skilled, but why did she have to learn those skills?
You're in top form physically on screen. What new fighting skills did you learn?
We incorporated this Wushu style (of fighting) when the Widow wields a huge alien gun. That was new and really challenging. I had to learn how to spin it and move it. It was hard because I'd hit myself with it all the time. And it's heavy.
You learn (by using) a broom handle so you're like, 'Ah, I got it down, I've mastered it.' Then all of a sudden they're like, 'Here's the prop' and you're like, 'What? This thing is 20 pounds!' I was so terribly battered. I'd wake up every day in agony but it was a continuous thing, so it became normal (laughs).
Black Widow also speaks in her native Russian language, which you seemed to nail. Was it difficult to learn?
I had two days, so I had to learn it phonetically. I knew what I was saying but I had to be able to pronounce it and breathe some life into the lines so that it didn't sound like I was repeating some Berlitz tape.
We hired this great Russian translator, and she worked with the dialogue coach. She was really expressive, which helped, so my mouth found the words in a way that didn't just sound like I was a parrot.
You often play with hair color in your movie roles. Did you enjoy being a redhead for the duration of the shoot?
It's nice because it allows me to go a bit under the radar - people don't expect me to have that color of hair. I'm always happy when I do it because it's the first step of the process of finding the character again.
To me more than anything, the hair color represents a huge piece of work that we dive head first into. And I'm really happy when I can wash it out because then I'm like, 'Yes, It's finished, we actually did it!' Out it goes and you know you've accomplished something.
You're the only female Avenger in the cast. Did your male co-stars treat you any differently because of that?
If anything, the guys weren't as delicate with me as I thought they would be. They like to play hard and always dragged me along for the ride. I'd always come back with battle wounds. But they're a great group of guys. All of us got on so well.
Who did you spend most of your time with on location in New Mexico?
Jeremy (Renner, Hawkeye) because (we share scenes) together a lot. We fight together, so we had to do a lot of our stunt training together. We had the same battle wounds! Tom (Hiddleston, Loki), Jeremy and I spent a lot of time in the stunt gym because we fight so much hand to hand, so we ended up hanging out together. But we all equally had a closeness.
What was the dynamic like with all of you?
We're all fans of each other's work. Some of us have worked together in the past. Chris Evans and I have made three movies together. Sam Jackson and I made three movies together. Mark Ruffalo I've known for quite some time. Every time Robert (Downey Jr.) was on set, it was like, so alive.
We're just lucky that there was no diva on set. It was everybody trying to support one another. It was really nice to have that.
The Avengers is screening now (to packed and very enthusiastic audiences).
Disney's "The Avengers" a winner for Paramount Pictures also: source...
Walt Disney's blockbuster "The Avengers" has five superheroes and record ticket sales. It also has a silent partner in Viacom's Paramount Pictures, which is in line to to get a massive payday even though the studio didn't spend a cent to produce or market the film.
Paramount Pictures already snatched $57.5 million in April, when the film was released internationally. And it stands to collect 8 percent of the millions that the film will earn in theaters, on DVD, and when it is watched on the Internet, according to two people with knowledge of the business deal.
Under a 2005 distribution agreement between Paramount Pictures and Marvel, Paramount receives a distribution fee for the theatrical distribution of "The Avengers" as well as its distribution of its home video, Internet and TV rights. That agreement transferred to Disney, when Disney acquired Marvel for a cool $4 billion in 2009.
Disney and Paramount agreed in 2010 to amend that agreement, giving Disney the rights to distribute Marvel-produced "The Avengers" and "Iron Man 3," the second sequel to the 2008 film that Paramount distributes. That agreement stipulated that Disney would pay Paramount a $115 million advance against future fees that Paramount would have earned.
Half of that fee was paid when Disney released "The Avengers" in international markets.
Spokesmen for Disney and Paramount declined to comment on the matter.
Paramount does not have rights to merchandise from the Marvel movies, and Iger told investors after the deal closed that he signed the getting the movie rights allows he to rev up Disney's marketing machine.
"Not only will we distribute it and market it, but we know that Marvel is working really hard with the cooperation of a number of entities at Disney to turn The Avengers into a true franchise," he said on the earnings call.
Studios and theater owners generally split ticket sales 50-50, meaning that Disney has collected $320.9 million based on "The Avengers" $641.8 million in worldwide ticket sales. Paramount's $25.7 million take would be applied against the pre-paid fee from Disney.
The two parties also agreed that "The Avengers" would appear on the Epix online and premium TV service that Paramount owns with Lions Gate Entertainment and the famous MGM studio. That's a big boost for the nearly three-year-old channel. Disney is legally obligated to show most of its movies on the Starz pay channel.
What size Paramount's take will be depends on how big a hit "The Avengers" becomes. The deal gets even sweeter for Paramount Pictures in 2013, when Disney is scheduled to release the third Iron Man. Paramount will get 9 percent of the money that film will generate.
It's going to be tough to match the hulking numbers of 'The Avengers', but the studios and business partners in on the action should be looking at plenty more green stuff generated from the ultra successful and cool Marvel franchise. Movies, games, fashion...what's next? Stay tuned true believers.
The Amazing Spider-Man Games Let's You Play Stan Lee...
True Believers, get ready for spectacular news — Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) and Spider-Man Merchandising L.P., a subsidiary of Marvel today announced some amazing pre-order exclusives for fans that reserve an early copy of The Amazing Spider-Man™ video game in North America.
Planned to launch June 26th, the game brings Spidey back to the thrill of free-roaming through Manhattan in an original epilogue story to Sony Picture Entertainment's upcoming feature film. The pre-order exclusives for The Amazing Spider-Man video game are available today and include the Rhino Challenge from GameStop and a special mission featuring a fully playable Stan Lee from Amazon.com.
Take control of the massive, genetically engineered villain RHINO and rampage around Manhattan in an exclusive gameplay challenge of pure destruction! As Rhino, players will be able to unleash his formidable powers to destroy anything and everything that gets in his way in a timed event full of speed, combo streaks, and of course, a ton of things to break! Unlockable for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 system ONLY.
All the rumors can officially be put to rest — for the first time ever, fans will be able to play…STAN…LEE as himself in The Amazing Spider-Man. Players will take on the role of Stan "The Man" Lee in his own special mission across Manhattan, borrowing abilities from his old pal Spider-Man as they help Stan collect pages of his latest script in a spectacular race around Manhattan. Stan's mission is punctuated with his witty banter that fans have come to know and love, and a special surprise waits for them at the end of the mission — after all, it is Spider-Man's 50th anniversary this year! Unlockable for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 system ONLY.
Go beyond the feature film and find out what happens next in The Amazing Spider-Man™ video game, which brings Spider-Man's free-roaming, web-slinging action back to New York City. Players take on the role of a young Peter Parker discovering his new Spider-Man powers and added Super Hero responsibilities, using the game's innovative Web Rush mechanic to swing freely around Manhattan, combat a variety of criminal activities and take on classic Marvel Super Villains. Set against an original story crafted by Hollywood writer Seamus Kevin Fahey (episodes of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena and the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica) that takes place entirely after the events of the upcoming feature film, The Amazing Spider-Man video game delivers a brand-new, immersive and cinematic adventure allowing players to truly harness the power of your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
For more information on The Amazing Spider-Man video game, please check out http://www.TheAmazingSpiderManGame.com and
http://www.Facebook.com/TheAmazingSpiderManGame
The Avengers video game in the works...
Now that they've saved the world on film, The Avengers are teaming up for a motion-control video game.
Ubisoft Entertainment have announced a partnership with Marvel Entertainment to create a game based on the popular Marvel superhero posse. The game will be titled Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth and will be released for both the upcoming Wii U console from Nintendo Co. and the camera-based Kinect system for the Xbox 360 from Microsoft.
"The idea that we're making a motion-control version of The Avengers is a unique proposition if you compare that to superhero games of the past," said Tony Key, Ubisoft's vice president of sales and marketing.
"This is the perfect type of game for that because these characters are very action oriented. They're always fighting and throwing things."
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth will focus on such characters as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk fending off an invasion of genetically altered Skrull aliens. The title will feature more than 20 characters from the Marvel universe and would be based on the Secret Invasion comic series, not the recent film.
No release date was announced, but Key said the disc-based title is expected to launch after Nintendo debuts the Wii U later this year. The successor to Nintendo's Wii will feature high-definition graphics, increased online capabilities and a touch-pad controller. He said more details about the game would be unveiled at next month's Electronic Entertainment Expo.
The game will be the latest addition to Ubisoft's motion-control arsenal. Previous titles released by the Canadian publisher that rely on gesture-based devices include the artsy shooter Child of Eden, street brawler Fighters Uncaged, superhero dueler PowerUp Heroes, the Your Shape fitness franchise and top-selling Just Dance series.
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth will mark the first time that the Assassin's Creed publisher has developed a game based on a franchise from Marvel, which was purchased in 2009 by The Walt Disney. The developers previously worked with Avatar director James Cameron to craft a third-person 3D action-adventure game set on the planet Pandora.
Sega created each of the games pegged to the films of The Avengers forerunners, including last year's Thor: God of Thunder and Captain America: Super Soldier, but there was no console game released this year alongside director Joss Whedon's blockbuster The Avengers, just the mobile game Marvel's The Avengers and Facebook title "Marvel: Avengers Alliance."
Fans freaked out last year over unofficial footage and concept art posted online of a first-person Avengers game that was reportedly in development by THQ. The footage of Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor battling the infamous Skrull was yanked by Marvel from YouTube. A representative for Marvel declined to be interviewed for this story.
Traditionally, games based on Marvel movies have been released around the same time as their super-powered counterparts to benefit from parallel buzz. The open-world action-adventure title The Amazing Spider-Man from Activision. is set for release June 26, ahead of director Marc Webb's film of the same name on July 3.
The big-screen adaptation of The Avengers starring Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye has smashed box office records, earning $US207.4 million in the US in its opening weekend.
"For us, that obviously raises the brand itself to an even higher level, and that's good for our video game because we have an opportunity to reach a broader audience than just the guys who love comic book characters," said Key, who added that Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth would be family friendly despite the game's focus on fighting.
Marvel's superheroes have been a dominant presence throughout the history of games. They most recently assembled for the Capcom brawler "Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3" and the Activision role-playing sequel Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. Gazillion Entertainment is currently developing a free-to-play online game featuring them called Marvel Heroes. Website: www.AvengersBattleForEarth.com
Robert Downey Jr. learns to be a team player...
Billionaire genius Tony Stark had to learn to play well with others in "The Avengers" after he was the main attraction in two "Iron Man" films.
So did Robert Downey Jr., though his path to superhero team player came without the fisticuffs and rivalries that Stark stumbles into with his fellow Avengers, who beat up on one another a bit before they figure out how to work as a group.
Downey has had a long time to get ready for something beyond his close-up in the solo outings as Stark, the Marvel Comics superhero in a metal suit. The idea that Downey would become part of an ensemble of heroes was teased at the end of the first "Iron Man," with "Avengers" producer and Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige steering such follow-ups as "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" toward that aim.
"I had five years to prepare myself, because Kevin Feige and the Marvel team had been saying that it was kind of heading toward this," Downey said.
The film debuted this past weekend in the United States with $200.3million at the box office, a record opening that surpasses last year's "Harry Potter" finale. The film casts Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, head of peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D., which rounds up a dream team of good guys (Downey's Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth's Thor, Chris Evans' Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Incredible Hulk and Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye) to battle Thor's evil brother (Tom Hiddleston), who plots to subjugate humanity.
While it's an all-star cast, Downey's the mega-star. But unlike the diva moments among Stark and some of the other alpha dogs of the Avengers, there was no big-footing among the performers, according to the actors and director Joss Whedon.
Adjusting to ensemble life simply continued the path on which Stark and his healthy ego have been all along, Downey said.
"Personally, the 'Iron Man' series so far has always been about making space for others and collaborating," Downey said. "It's Tony's quote-unquote story, but it's always about all the folks we get around him who are kind of what make him interesting or give him someone or something to fight."
Stitching together so many characters and storylines could have turned into herding cats, but the communal structure meant no single actor had to carry the action all of the time.
Everyone took turns at center stage, and each got to take welcome breathers during the long shoot, Downey said.
"It was like a complicated pregnancy," Downey said. "What was fun, this bit of WWE superhero tag-team wrestling, is where Hemsworth's all beat up and he's been shooting nights, and my character's got the helmet closed, so I'm not there. Then he's flying home to be with the missus, and I'm coming in to do a bunch of scenes with Ruffalo. I think everybody really bought into the spirit of the thing."
Downey, 47, is preparing to shoot "Iron Man 3" in Wilmington, which is due in theaters in May 2013. The film reunites Downey with his "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" director Shane Black.
He won't disclose details, but Downey said the next installment is a "sort of storytelling that's really in Shane's wheelhouse, which is it doesn't need to be quite as linear, and Tony definitely is brought out of his comfort zone. So there's a lot of travel in this."
A third "Sherlock Holmes" movie also is in the works, with Downey's great detective expected to travel to North America this time.
Amid his two film franchises, Downey's busy with a newborn son with his wife, producer Susan Downey, with whom he has formed a film production company.
It's uncertain whether Downey will be back as Stark after "Iron Man 3," either in another solo film or a second "Avengers" tale. With his fourth Marvel flick getting under way, though, Downey said he feels he has a vested interest in the superhero business.
"It's dumb not to be open to possibilities, you know?" Downey said. "I kind of almost feel like a shareholder in the company, even sometimes more than an actor in the movies."
No small roles for megastar Downey...
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who sat through the credits of The Avengers, or who simply looked at the film’s record-breaking box office sales this past weekend. Still, fans (and investors) will be glad to hear that Disney CEO Bob Iger just announced that the company is developing a sequel. The film’s success “is a great illustration of why we like Marvel so much.” Demand for Avengers merchandise has been strong, he added.
Note Of The Rock Making Comment About John Cena And Divorce...
During the build to the WrestleMania 28 main event, The Rock held a "Rock Concert" on the March 12, 2012 edition of WWE RAW.
Not having learned about the news of John Cena filing to divorce his wife this week, one verse of The Rock's song stands out.
"Rock saw Cena makin' out with Eve, Grabbin' on her thigh, tuggin' on her weave. Cena was havin' the time of his life, I guess he didn't tell her that he's got a wife. Let's rock. Everybody let's rock. Divorce lawyer's right up the block, but we're dancing because Cleveland Rocks."
There have been no reports of Cena being romantically involved with Eve but it was known The Rock and John Cena were legitimately taking personal shots at each other during their promos building to their match.
TMZ.com did report that John Cena was open about his marital problems with his co-workers in the WWE locker room. It seems The Rock's remarks about Cena's wife and a "divorce lawyer right up the block" hit closer to home than we realized at the time.
Celebrity Gambling List...
Nothing is more entertaining than watching gambling celebs in action. Celebrity gamblers consist of the biggest VIPs you would find in Las Vegas. Just being stars they are pampered with the luxurious lifestyle that is offered to them at the numerous Las Vegas casinos and hotels.
Though most celebrities enter games and tournaments for fun, there are some who enter into special tournaments to help raise money for an orphanage and other causes. Some actually played to win money like you and I. Most of these casino gambling celebs play in poker tournaments, like Ben Affleck. Read more below about the top 10 USA Celebrity Gamblers.
Top 10 USA Celebrity Gamblers...
Ben Affleck – star of great Hollywood pictures like Pearl Harbor, Daredevil and Armageddon is one of the most serious gamblers and perhaps the most accomplished poker player. In 2004, the star outsmarted professional poker star Stan Goldstein and 90 other players winning $356,400. He also won a $25,000 seat in the WPT 2005 Championship.
Hugh Hefner – Hefner owns the Playboy Club & Fantasy Tower in Las Vegas. Playboy now operates as a land-based casino and as an online casino in USA. The Fantasy Tower includes casino games such as blackjack, roulette, and playboy themed slot machines. Mr. Hefner plays many casino games, but you can bet he has played strip poker with a couple of his bunnies.
Matt Damon – the star of The Talented Mr. Ripley, Bourne identity, Dogma, and star of one of the best poker movies ever, Rounders, was tutored to play poker by the legend Johnny Chan. The actor is quite passionate about gambling and considers himself as an excellent poker player.
Matthew Perry - "Could this flush be any more royal?" Best known as Chandler Bing from the award winning televisions series ‘Friends’ is yet another good poker player. He regularly plays at tournaments and other charity events including Celebrity Poker Showdown TV show. Matthew is indeed a VIP at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas.
Frank Sinatra – the biggest and best singer ever known in the history of music had performed several shows in Las Vegas. After all the time he spent in Las Vegas, Sinatra started to share his love for gambling. Known to play with his mob friends and other celebs.
The Queen – yes Her Royal Highness herself rarely misses out on gambling lifestyle. The Queen has a passion for making sports bets and loves slots machines.
George Clooney – inspired by his motion picture Oceans 11, 12 and 13, George Clooney has invested $3 billion in a Vegas casino complex along with co-star Brad Pitt.
Macy Gray – very famous singer and songwriter and not forgetting a celeb poker star made her appearance in Bravo’s Celebrity Poker Showdown and completed the contest in third place.
Brad Pitt – and his gambling friend George Clooney have both invested around $3 billion in luxury Vegas casinos like the Vegas Casino Complex.
Teddy Sheringham – Also a poker fan and former soccer player in the UK for Manchester United is the longest serving playboy. He is quite regular on the celeb poker circuit. Retired from football he was recently made the Ambassador for online giants VC poker, where he will provide support for tournament players.
Bill Goldberg Talks WWE, Pro Wrestling And 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Dream Match...
On his and Brock Lesnar's initial departure from WWE: "Obviously it was kind of unfinished business. We both left there under circumstances that weren't the most favorable for anybody, let alone the fans who are the most important at the end of the day."
On Lesnar in general: "Brock, as a young kid, he succeeded in every single thing that he did. To venture out and try to play professional football without having college experience — LaVar will tell you how hard that is. Big pat on the back to him for that. And then going to MMA and succeeding and becoming the World Heavyweight Champion. Whatever Brock wants to do, I'm in his corner. He's a good buddy of mine and we talk frequently. I just hope at the end of the day whatever he chooses his health is in a positive note. We all know he's had some issues over the past number of years."
On having a final match: "It's really tough for a guy like myself. Look at a guy like Animal. Look at Road Warrior. Look at guys who are big power guys. . . the older you get the harder it is to be that guy."
He added his ideal final match would be against Steve Austin: "That'd be a dream come true… that'd be killer. I think at the end of the day they probably don't trust me enough to put me in there with guys, considering I'm 'a dangerous guy to work with' and 'I haphazardly ended Bret Hart's career.' At the end of the day these people have to understand it's a violent deal, number one. Number two, accidents happen. And number three, that's why I work in Japan — they don't cry if you hit them …That's a joke."
CMT, Steve Austin Team for Redneck Island; Former Pro Wrestler Signs Development Deal...
CMT has inked a development deal with actor and former WWE superstar Steve Austin, tapping him as host of a new 10-episode series, Redneck Island.
Produced by 51 Minds Entertainment, Redneck Island takes 12 red, white and blue-collared Americans out of the South, far away from cold beer, and drops them in a tropical paradise where they will compete for $100,000. The series will debut in June, paired with a second season of CMT's hit series, My Big Redneck Vacation.
As part of his development deal, Austin will look to produce additional series for CMT with his production company, Broken Skull Ranch Productions.
"I am thrilled to join the CMT family and for the opportunity to work with them on future projects," Austin said. "I'm also excited to work with the great folks at 51 Minds Entertainment on Redneck Island. If there's one thing I know, it's how to keep a bunch of rednecks in line. And that's the bottom line!"
Redneck Island begins with 12 men and women competing as teams in a fight for $100,000 cash. From a remote location, Austin will guide the contestants through a number of hilarious mental and physical challenges designed to celebrate the group's strengths and limitations. At the end of each episode, teammates will send one competitor packing.
One of the most popular pro wrestling superstars of all time, Austin has been reinventing himself since retiring from the ring in 2003. The WWE Hall of Fame inductee hit the big screen in 2010 in Sylvester Stallone's action thriller, The Expendables, co-starring alongside a who's who in action films. He followed that project with the lead role in Damage, one of Fox Home Video's best-selling releases.
In 2011, he starred in The Stranger and Hunt to Kill, both released by Anchor Bay. Austin also served as host for the USA Network's hit reality series, Tough Enough. Future projects include The Package with Dolph Lungdren and Maximum Conviction with Steven Seagal.
WWE® CFO George Barrios to Participate in the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on May 16th...
STAMFORD, Conn. -- WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that its Chief Financial Officer, George A. Barrios, will participate in the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, on May 16, 2012, in Boston, MA.
Mr. Barrios’ remarks are expected to begin at approximately 4:10 p.m. ET. A live audio webcast will be available online at corporate.wwe.com/investors. Also, a replay of the presentation will begin shortly after the actual presentation time and will be available until August 14, 2012.
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming is broadcast in more than 145 countries and 30 languages and reaches more than 600 million homes worldwide. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Istanbul and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
If you have additional questions, please contact WWE Investor Relations via e-mail at investor.relations@wwecorp.com.
Trademarks: All WWE programming, talent names, images, likenesses, slogans, wrestling moves, trademarks, logos and copyrights are the exclusive property of WWE and its subsidiaries. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to various risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks relating to maintaining and renewing key agreements, including television and pay-per-view programming distribution agreements; the need for continually developing creative and entertaining programming; the continued importance of key performers and the services of Vincent McMahon; the conditions of the markets in which we compete and acceptance of the Company's brands, media and merchandise within those markets; our exposure to bad debt risk; uncertainties relating to regulatory and litigation matters; risks resulting from the highly competitive nature of our markets; uncertainties associated with international markets; the importance of protecting our intellectual property and complying with the intellectual property rights of others; risks associated with producing and travelling to and from our large live events, both domestically and internationally; the risk of accidents or injuries during our physically demanding events; risks relating to our film business; risks relating to increasing content production for distribution on various platforms, including the potential creation of a WWE Network; risks relating to our computer systems and online operations; risks relating to the large number of shares of common stock controlled by members of the McMahon family and the possibility of the sale of their stock by the McMahons or the perception of the possibility of such sales; the relatively small public float of our stock; and other risks and factors set forth from time to time in Company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results could differ materially from those currently expected or anticipated. In addition, our dividend is dependent on a number of factors, including, among other things, our liquidity and historical and projected cash flow, strategic plan (including alternative uses of capital), our financial results and condition, contractual and legal restrictions on the payment of dividends, general economic and competitive conditions and such other factors as our Board of Directors may consider relevant.
Videogame Classic Space Invaders launched as online slot game...
FremantleMedia Enterprises has signed a two-year agreement with Square Enix to develop the arcade videogame classic Space Invaders as an online slot game.
Launched in 1978, the original Space Invaders game ignited an entertainment medium and founded a gaming generation. The new online slot game will target UK and European players and be available to customers via the OpenBet and GTS platforms later in the year.
Simon Murphy, head of gambling EMEA, said: “The deal with Square Enix further demonstrates our goal to become one of the leading developers and distributors of premium branded gaming content.”
FME’s gambling division has previously licensed, developed and distributed branded games for online, mobile and land-based slots across a number of brands including The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, The Price Is Right and Family Fortunes.
Casino King James Packer really aiming for Echo Entertainment...
Gaming analysts believe billionaire James Packer would consider offloading some of Queensland's casinos if he is successful in acquiring the Echo Entertainment Group.
Greg Fraser, a senior analyst at Fat Prophets, said yesterday that Mr Packer's real goal in his expected takeover tilt for Echo was to snare the scandal-plagued Star Casino in Sydney and merge it into his Crown group.
Apology after monks caught gambling, smoking...
The head of South Korea's largest Buddhist order has made a public apology after video footage was released showing monks gambling, drinking and smoking.
The Jogye order represents most of South Korea's 12 million or so Buddhists.
The head of the order called a news conference to make a personal apology for the latest scandal to hit his organisation.
It has been plagued by vicious internal feuds that at one time used to erupt in mass brawls at the main temple.
Footage shown on national television this week showed a group of eight senior monks and abbots engaged in an all-night, high stakes poker game.
Some were drinking and smoking during the session, which was secretly filmed at a resort hotel where monks had gathered for a memorial service.
Members of the Jogye order's head office have offered to resign en masse.
Luke Evans In Talks To Join Vin Disel and Dwayne Johnson In Fast And Furious 6...
The last Fast franchise movie exceeded financial and critical expectations, and Universal is reteaming with director Justin Lin for the next film in the franchise. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson and other cast members are set to reprise their roles, and a new addition has now been revealed.
Luke Evans (Immortals, The Three Musketeers) has now entered into negotiations to join the large ensemble cast. According to Variety.com, "plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources say it would involve the crew heading overseas to work on a heist job. Evans would play the leader of another crew trying to pull off the same job." He can next be seen in Peter Jackson's highly anticipated film The Hobbit which hits theaters this December.
The Fast and the Furious franchise follows former police detective Brian Connor and street racer Dominic Toretto as they attempt to evade law enforcement while participating in high stakes races and heists around the country. Dwayne Johnson was the latest addition to the franchise in the role of federal agent Luke Hobbs. Fast and Furious 6 is currently slated for theatrical release on May 24, 2013.
UFC Announces ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs. U.K.’...
The Ultimate Fighting Championship's expansion of its biggest sub-brand will continue.
The promotion on Thursday night announced an international edition of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series for this fall. UFC president Dana White tweeted news of the series, and an official release from the UFC followed.
"The Ultimate Fighter: Australia vs. U.K. – The Smashes" will film later this year, likely in late summer for a fall airing. The series will pit fighters from Australia against fighters from the United Kingdom. "The Smashes" in the title, according to the UFC, is "a play on the 130-year-old cricket rivalry" between Australia and the U.K.
The last international edition of TUF was Season 9 of the original U.S.-based series, which featured fighters from the United States against fighters from the United Kingdom. That season was coached by Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, one of the most successful UFC fighters to come out of the TUF program – he won Season 3 of the show. The UFC also currently has "The Ultimate Fighter Brazil," which taped earlier this spring and is airing in that country, as well as on TUF.tv on Sunday nights.
Just like with the U.S. version of the reality show, as well as the one in Brazil, the winner or winners will receive a contract with the UFC. Past winners have included future UFC champions like Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans, as well as title contenders and stars like Bisping, Nate Diaz and Ryan Bader. Other alums of the groundbreaking show, which aired in the U.S. for seven years and 14 seasons on Spike TV, and now airs in a new live format Friday nights on FX, include Stephan Bonnar, Josh Koscheck, Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, Chris Leben, Joe Lauzon, Roy Nelson and Matt Mitrione.
"Australia and the U.K. have a fierce, long-standing rivalry, and where better to settle the score than in the UFC's Octagon?" said Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC's managing director of international development. "The popularity of MMA has exploded in Australia and the U.K., with gyms opening all over the respective countries. There is an athlete in one of those gyms who hasn’t had the chance to show the world what he can do. 'The Ultimate Fighter' is going give to him that opportunity. We’re going to discover the UFC's future stars – you can bet on it."
Coaches for the series have not yet been named, nor has an exact broadcast plan been announced.
Prospective fighters from bantamweight to welterweight – 61-77 kilograms – should visit special sites set up for registration forms, rules and criteria for qualification. Tryouts are planned for June 12 in Sydney, Australia, and June 15 in London. For fighters from Australia, visit au.ufc.com/TUFForm; for fighters in the U.K, visit uk.ufc.com/TUFForm.
