LOS ANGELES — Promising closed-door talks aimed at settling Hollywood’s three-month-old strike by movie and television writers have been jolted in the last few days by the actions of some prominent guild leaders. Phil Alden Robinson, best known as the writer and director of “Field of Dreams” and a member of the governing board of the Writers Guild of America West, has publicly called for a toughened bargaining position. He expressed wariness over modeling any prospective deal on a new contract recently reached between production companies and the Directors Guild of America.
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Amid the pervasive uncertainty created by the WGA strike, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences is forging ahead with plans for the Feb. 24 Oscar ceremony. But the Academy is also planning two different shows — the usual kudocast and an alternative event if the scribes are still out.

Oscarcast producer Gil Cates supplied few details as to what form the alternative show would take, simply saying at a meeting at Acad headquarters that they’d have to “play it by ear,” according to one attendee.
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The year 2007 saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows shatter publishing records. It was also a year in which a number of books that sold modestly in hardcover became blockbusters in trade paperback. That trend is expected to continue in 2008.

“I don’t know if it’s because people were nervous about the economy or because these were just fabulous stories to read, but trade paperbacks were huge, and I expect it to stay that way,” says Cathy Langer of the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver.
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Has Nick Denton gone too far? The new-media minimogul is notorious for poking New York media types in the eye (including Condé Nast Portfolio, Portfolio.com, and this writer).

But now he is accused of ambushing a publisher’s daughter by using her Facebook entry in an unflattering and unwarranted item on his media-industry blogsite, Gawker.
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As a way to create a more engaging, interactive and creative way for consumers to experience brands, stores and events, expect to see more “blog bars” (computer terminals which give the public the ability to post in real time and on location) to pop up in such settings. Consumers will have the opportunity to post fresh thoughts and reactions, pose questions, and receive immediate response. Art Basel recently featured a blog bar, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently hosting a blog bar, with eight computer terminals, at their current blog.mode: addressing fashion exhibition.
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The coming year is looking particularly strong for the media economy, with the presidential elections and the Summer Olympics, which is no surprise.

What may be a surprise for many is that 2007 was actually a pretty good year, even though most forecasters see it ending flat compared to 2006 in terms of ad spending.
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