The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| 104-year-old HK media mogul Run Run Shaw to retire Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:57 AM PST  Hong Kong media mogul Run Run Shaw attends the presentation ceremony of the Shaw Prize 2006, an international award for scientists in three areas of research, in Hong Kong in this file photo of September 12, 2006 file photo. Shaw will retire as chairman of TVB at the end of 2011. – Reuters pic Shaw, who created a media empire in Asia spanning from movies to TV, will be appointed chairman emeritus of TVB after he relinquishes his post as chairman, a post he has held for 30 years, TVB said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange. Shaw, who set up Hong Kong's biggest free-to-air television operator TVB in 1967, will be replaced by deputy chairman Norman Leung, who will assume chairmanship on Jan. 1, 2012, the company said. "Sir Run Run Shaw has confirmed that he has no disagreement with the board, and that he is not aware of any matter relating to his retirement that needs to be brought to the attention of the shareholders of the company," TVB said. Shaw was born in 1907 in Ningbo, in the Chinese province of Zhejiang. The statement came after Hong Kong markets closed. Today, TVB's shares ended 1.3 per cent lower, lagging the main Hang Seng Index's 1.6 per cent rise. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Hollywood conjures up Harry Potter theme park Posted: 07 Dec 2011 03:05 AM PST  Smoke filters through Hogwarts Castle during the grand opening celebration for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at the Universal Studio Resort in Orlando, Florida in this file photo of June 16, 2010. Another Hogwarts Castle is coming up in Hollywood with the creation of a Harry Potter theme park to be built at the Universal Studios Hollywood site. – Reuters pic NBCUniversal and film studio Warner Bros yesterday unveiled "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," which will be built at the Universal Studios Hollywood site with attractions that are similar to the money-spinning Potter theme park opened in June 2010 at Universal's resort in Orlando, Florida. The new theme park could take 3-4 years to construct and is likely to cost several hundred million dollars but will create more than 1,000 jobs and is expected to boost tourism to the Los Angeles area, officials said. The two companies – Universal runs the theme parks and Warner Bros. owns the rights to the "Harry Potter" movies – also said the "Wizarding World" in Florida would be expanded. Toasting yesterday's announcement with mugs of "Butterbeer", officials said the Hollywood park will be centred around a huge Hogwarts castle and feature rides and other attractions based on the adventures of the popular British boy wizard and his friends who use sorcery to battle evil. Author J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" book series have sold some 450 million copies worldwide and the eight movies from the Warner Bros. studios have taken more than US$7.7 billion (RM24.07 billion) at global box-offices, making the films the largest-grossing franchise in history. With its "Dragon's Challenge" rollercoaster and life-size model of the Hogwarts Express train, the 20-acre "Wizarding World" park in Orlando has proved a huge success with fans. It drew more than 7 million visitors in its first year and boosted NBC Universal's theme park revenue by 33 per cent to US$1.5 billion for the first nine months of 2011, according to company results. Officials did not say how many of the Florida rides would make their way to the Hollywood park, nor did they say if any new rides were envisaged. But they did say the new attraction would be created with the same commitment to authenticity with the books and movies as the one in Florida. Warner Bros. chairman Barry Meyer called yesterday's announcement "probably the best holiday gift we could give to the legions of Harry Potter fans worldwide." "Everyone involved with these projects is committed to continuing the enchantment of J.K. Rowling's masterful books as they were brought to life on screen in our eight films and dedicated to extending the magic of the experience for generations of fans to come," Meyer said. The expansion of the Potter franchise follows Walt Disney's Co's announcement in September of a theme park based on the 2009 film "Avatar" – the highest-grossing single movie in history. Work on the "Avatar" park is due to begin in 2013 in a section of Disney World in Orlando, with plans for other locations in the future. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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