Downgrade sinks Netflix stock

Netflix stock happened Tuesday following a downgrade by S&P, as the company's chief financial officer David Wells defended its strategy on all fronts -- foreign expansion, a number of nonexclusive content deals and last week's proceed to raise $400 million inside a stock and debt purchase to cushion its balance sheet. Wells told traders in the Credit Suisse Technology Conference that Netflix is trying to "bring the company back brick by brick" after several flubs this season triggered a customer revolt. "I believe this can be a lengthy-term factor that we must accept. It will require some time for this to return," he stated. The once high-flying shares closed lower 3.4%, or $2.38, at $67.57 after Standard & Poor's late Monday cut its rating around the company's debt to BB- from BB, stating investing on content and worldwide expansion which will still erode profits. Netflix has stated it needs red-colored ink in 2012 on new worldwide services within the U.K. and Ireland. The company also thinks it might take more than anticipated for domestic customer growth to resume. Netflix's meteoric growth condemned to some halt last quarter. It ended September with 23.79 million U.S. subs, lower from 24.59 million the prior quarter. The organization effectively elevated the cost of their original DVD service and attempted, then canceled plans, to rebrand it. Wells reiterated the business's conjecture that internet customer additions will turn positive for that month of December. Experts estimate Netflix will expend about $1 billion on content deals because of its streaming service this year and find out that rising to $1.9 billion the coming year. Netflix does not disclose individuals amounts but has stated it needs investing to almost double. Wells clarified the "nearly" means the organization is searching in an increase around 78%. He stated there's money put aside for renewal and "chance buys." No more than 15% from the finances are reserved for exclusive or original programming -- a conscious decision by company executives. "Exclusivity matters if you need to be classified and for the time being there's nobody within our direct space, so you need to convey more...much less exclusivity and much more content," Wells stated. For worldwide, Wells acknowledged the U.K. marketplace is highly competitive, a downside, but stated that's offset because it's softer sailing because of the greater amount of device transmission. "We do not have to perform the marketing and high lifting of showing to individualsInch how streaming works, he stated. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Report: Lindsay Lohan Ahead Of Schedule On Morgue Duty Obligation

First Published: November 26, 2011 5:30 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Lindsay Lohan arrives for her probation violation hearing at the Airport Courthouse in Los Angeles on November 2, 2011 Has the tide turned for Lindsay Lohan? The actress, who was recently admonished in court for her failure to complete judge-mandated community service, is actually ahead of schedule for her most recent assignment, according to a new report. With three weeks to spare until her December 14 deadline, Lindsay has reportedly completed 10 of her 12 court-ordered morgue duty shifts, according to TMZ. Not only is she on track schedule-wise, law enforcement sources reportedly told the website that Lindsay has a good reputation around the morgue, and shes polite, hard-working and never complains about the work. AH Nation Poll: Will Lindsay stay on track? Click HERE to vote! As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Lindsay spent less than five hours in the Century Regional Detention facility in Lynwood, Calif., earlier this month, after being ordered to serve a 30-day jail sentence for violating probation after the actress was booted from a community service assignment at the Downtown Womens Center in Los Angeles. In addition to the jail sentence, Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner ordered Lindsay to undergo psychotherapy sessions and serve 423 hours at the county morgue by March 29, 2012. The judge also said Lindsay can no longer leave the country and must obtain the permission of her new probation officer to travel outside California. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Is This a Review of 'Breaking Dawn' or 'The Descendants' (and 24 Other Urgent Questions)

In theaters now is a movie that fans have long awaited. Lines have already formed around the block to watch the latest escapades of Edward and Bella George Clooney. 'Breaking Dawn' 'The Descendants' is a story of marriage and betrayal, culminating with a baby being eaten out of the womb a terrible boating accident. There will obviously be no Oscar nominations for this movie, but how will the average audience react down at your local cinepex? As a service, we answer 25 question about 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1' 'The Descendants.' Q: How many times do we see Taylor Lautner shirtless in 'Breaking Dawn'? A: Actually ... there's been a last second change of plans. We are instead discussing the new George Clooney movie, 'The Descendants.' Q: Wait, why aren't you answering questions about 'Breaking Dawn'? A: After watching all four Twilight movies in one day and writing four separate liveblogs of each, for the life of me, I just can't discuss those movies anymore. Q: Your intro paragraph is very confusing. A: I had already written the intro for 'Breaking Dawn' and was too lazy to change it. Q: But all of my questions are questions about 'Breaking Dawn.' You can't just change this all at the last second. A: Look, just ask the questions that you have and tweak them for 'The Descendants.' Trust me, it will be fine. Q: Um, OK ... So, how many times do we see George Clooney shirtless in 'The Descendants'? A: Zero. Q: Is there an annoying voice over by Kristen Stewart George Clooney that starts 'Breaking Dawn' 'The Descendants,' but quickly disappears. A: Yes. Q: How beautiful is George Clooney's wedding in 'The Descendants'? A: George Clooney plays Matt King, a man who has been married quite some time, so we don't see his wedding on screen. Q: Is 'The Descendants' still set in the depressing town of Forks, Washington? A: 'The Descendants' takes place in Hawaii. And, strangely enough, Hawaii comes off as very depressing. Q: Because of all of the vampires? A: No, it's just that I've never seen a movie in which Hawaii looks so depressing and run down. Q: Does George Clooney transform his wife into a vampire, as was the plan in the previous 'Descendants' movie. A: There is no previous 'Descendants' movie. Also, it's unknown if George Clooney has the power to transform someone into a vampire. Regardless, it's probably too late because his wife is in a coma. Q: Do George Clooney and his wife have a beautiful honeymoon together? A: Even before his wife suffered an injury in a terrible boating accident, causing her coma, the honeymoon was definitely over. As it turns out, Matt King's wife has been cheating on him. Q: With Jacob? A: No, the other man's name is Brian Speer, played by Matthew Lillard. Q: And Brian Speer is a werewolf? A: No, Brian Speer is a real estate agent. Q: Is there a dramatic showdown between the two? A: Yes. Q: During the showdown, does Brian Speer change into his alternative form of a ... real estate agent? A: I won't spoil the moment, but Brian Speers must use many guises to conceal what he did from his wife (Judy Greer). Q: Are you on Team Matt King or Team Brian Speer? A: What kind of a question is that? Seriously, are you an adult? Q: Did George Clooney struggle over the fact that he secretly murdered serial killers in the 1920s for their blood? A: If he is, it's not shown on screen. Though, he does struggle over the selling of a large piece of Hawaiian land -- land that has been in his family for generations -- to a corporate developer. Q: Is 'The Descendants' a dark movie? A: Considering the subject matter, it's actually a lot lighter than what was initially expected. Q: How is Anna Kendrick in 'The Descendants?' A: You're thinking of when Kendrick starred with George Clooney in 'Up in the Air.' Q: Was it difficult to watch the gory scene in which Edward George Clooney chews out his infant daughter? A: "Gory" is a strong word. And Matt King's youngest daughter, Scottie, isn't a baby anymore -- but she sure acts like it at times. After cruelly teasing another girl at school, Scottie does get a good chewing out by her father. Q: Did the ending of 'The Descendants' leave you anticipating the next movie? A: From my understanding, there are no plans for a sequel to 'The Descendants.' Q: At any point did you consider killing yourself during 'The Descendants'? A: Not at all. The movie is quite good, actually. Q: How many questions were you into this piece before you realized that you should have just went ahead and written about 'Breaking Dawn?' A: Seven. Q: Does Matt King's father-in-law still look like Jimmy Fallon with a mustache? A: George Clooney's father-in-law looks a lot like Robert Forester. Q: Will Taylor Lautner George Clooney be nominated for a Razzie Oscar? A: Yes. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Inside the 'Immortals' Premiere: Director Tarsem Laments '300' Critiques

Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesTarsem Singh It absolutely was too chilly for togas, but Relativity put a Greek-designed party for your premiere of the epic fantasy Immortals.our editor recommendsHenry Cavill Can get Angry In the New 'Immortals Clip (Video)Relativity to promote Its Approaching Movies Like 'Immortals' on Spotify'Immortals' Director Tarsem Singh to obtain Perfume Film Prize'Immortals' Trailer: Henry Cavill Rallies Humans in Combat Greek Gods (Video) See Henry Cavill inside the 'Immortals' Teaser TrailerRelativity to cope with U.S. Distribution, Marketing for 'Immortals' Locked in the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Accept a celebration on top of the nearby parking structure, the celebs showed up in this area:Holly Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans and Isabel Lucas were among people who held court not definately not hearty Greek food together with a photograph station whose high-finish props vied with Cavill for your evening's most broadly used attraction. PHOTOS: 'Immortals' Premiere Red-colored-colored Carpet Arrivals Watching everything unfold was Ryan Kavanaugh, whose Relativity bankrolled the lavish telling of Theseus' battles getting a vicious king. Relativity recently switched in the studio co-financier to producer and distributor. Immortals marks a completely new high for that organization because of the scope and budget. "It's a large tentpole movie, but you have to show we could open a tentpole movie," Kavanaugh mentioned inside the party. The movie's money is apparently inside the $90 million range, and also the organization, due to foreign pre-sales, isn't round the hook for the entire project. "Because of the means by which our structure is defined, we do not have to hit a home-work on every movie making it, and we'll 't be ready where one movie might take us lower," mentioned Kavanaugh. The film remains in contrast inside the geek community to 300, Zack Snyder's Foreign exchange-heavy 2006 hit adaptation in the Frank Burns graphic novel, as well as the marketing material has stressed exactly the same producers are behind both. VIDEO: 'Immortals': Stephen Dorff States He's the Han Solo in the Greek God Tale Nevertheless the movie's director, Tarsem Singh, isn't happy the 2 are increasingly being stacked facing each other, nor was he happy 300 was on stated round the one-sheets. "I'd a sizable fight in the beginning, which i desired to disregard it. Very couple of people can look in the event you say 'From the director in the Fall,'" he mentioned, mentioning to his last film, released in 2006 and which made only $3.6 000 0000 worldwide. Singh states art galleries are generating comic strip films (he doesn't contact them comic films) and mentioned he wanted to produce a painting strip film. "It is not consistent with the Greek occasions however thought it may be interesting in how one out of the Renaissance would fresh fresh paint the Greeks," he mentioned. "And so the composition is extremely old-fashioned nevertheless the action is extremely contemporary." He appreciated his pitch including what "Caravaggio meets the school of Fight Club." Clearly, one reason lots of are speaking in regards to the movie is Cavill, the British actor who plays Theseus and who's presently shooting the completely new Superman movie, Guy of Steel. VIDEO: 'Immortals' Producer: Tarsem Singh Must realize 'Collaborating' Singh mentioned he cast Cavill before there's a script (in those days, the level of smoothness of Theseus was imagined because the boy from the king rather than the boy from the peasant lady) battling pressure to cast a known star. "Once we started shooting, people started saying all this A Star Arrives garbage" Singh mentioned. Cavill, for his part, deflected fans' Superman questions but told THR that particular reason he loved the film was its theme of having a legacy. "This can be a regular message inside a ancient historic tale," he mentioned. "Existence am short and many types of you possessed to create [yourself] truly immortal was your progeny. Which is one thing that has been a effective theme personally anyway because I'm in the number of six males." Email: Borys.Package@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Package Relativity Media Ryan Kavanaugh Henry Cavill Tarsem Singh Immortals

New funds prop up P&A

The independent sector is at long last finding help to pay for the marketing expenses of theatrical releases. On Friday, Endgame Entertainment unveiled a prints and advertising fund worth $400 million-$500 million for the release of films such as helmer Rian Johnson's "Looper." Meanwhile, Patrician Asset Management just secured its first investment from a non-U.S. institutional investor for its diversified film financing fund. Endgame Releasing, which is the new P&A fund, contributes a foundation of equity augmented by a revolving senior debt facility from Comerica and Union Bank -- two mainstays of lending to the independent sector -- and also mezzanine debt from London-based Octopus Investments. "There is flexibility built into this structure," said Endgame Entertainment president Douglas Hansen. Endgame Releasing will focus on theatrical releases reaching at least 1,800 domestic screens by paying their $20 million-plus theatrical marketing campaigns. The wide-release is also pursued by established P&A financiers Clarius Capital and Qualia Capital. "It's safer for us to spend $30 million than $20 million," said William Sadleir of Clarius. "That may seem counterintuitive. So many producers say, 'How cheaply can I get this film out there?' but then the film fails." Amir Malin, managing partner at diversified media financier Qualia Capital, which provided P&A for Sony Pictures' "Planet 51," said, "The volume of submissions is up but the commercial viability is down. Most of the submissions we are seeing don't merit a viable commercial release." At Patrician Asset Management, Hollywood marketing executive and senior portfolio manager David Forbes said that P&A works best when there's a slate of films, so risk isn't concentrated in one or just a few movies. P&A, though needed, is generally hard to find because it is structured as the last money put in and first money paid from theatrical rentals, video and perhaps other ancillary revenue from the same film. The erosion of video revenue upended P&A recoupment calculations. "To borrow money today, you have to have a very strong foreign sales component and ancillaries in place (video and TV deals) to show the revenue coming back, even if the film gets only limited exposure in the U.S.," said Mark Borde, who is co-president of Freestyle Releasing, which provides theatrical distribution for films that supply marketing costs. While the theatrical pipeline is less clogged with fewer releases, effectively marketing smaller titles remains an expensive challenge. "There's certainly a need for P&A funding," said Clark Hallren, managing partner at Clear Scope Partners, a Rizvi Traverse media financer assembling a P&A fund. Small independents looking for one-picture P&A deals are often left to solicit wealthy individuals. "There's not a lot of P&A money out there for indie films," said John Flock, CEO of W2 Media. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Ardor in the courtroom: Behind the curtain using the Good Wife's Hot Couple

In ways an appreciation affair that kicks into high gear having a steamy embrace within an elevator is predestined to possess its share of good and the bad. And affirmed, as exterior demands begin to near the coast around the Good Wife's Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) and can Gardner (Josh Charles), their clandestine courtship is within for any very bumpy ride. After two seasons of anticipation, Willicia supporters - instead of individuals who continue rooting for any reunion of Alicia and her estranged philandering politician husband Peter Florrick (Chris Noth) - are finally being compensated for his or her persistence having a passionate payback every week. The once dutiful spouse at the middle of the drama continues to be changed right into a lady who giggles(!) and states yes to lunch lust together with her fellow lawyer - there is however still plenty working from the fledgling couple. "What we should like so greatly about Will and Alicia is the fact that you will find a lot of causes of the pair of them to not be together, yet psychologically, it feels so right," states executive producer Michelle King, who together with husband Robert accounts for the sophisticated CBS drama that gained nine Emmy nominations this season - together with a best-actress win for Margulies. Among individuals reasons? First of all, Will is Alicia's boss at Lockhart & Gardner - and so far as the general public knows, she's living underneath the same roof because the effective, recently reelected Prepare County State's Attorney. "You want to explore the implications of sleeping with someone you train with - particularly if that individual is the supervisor," states Robert King. "About this show, that impacts the equilibrium of everyone around them. It does not simply have a personal component additionally, it includes a political one." Quite simply: Signal the covert research, machinations, manipulations and fights that are presently The Great Wife's key points. "Will and Alicia's relationship works - when they are in their own individual little bubble," states Margulies having a laugh. That bubble is showing signs and symptoms of bursting - thanks in no small part towards the recent discovery of the romance by no-nonsense firm partner Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski). "Diane is in a condition of extreme uneasiness about what's going on,Inch states Baranski. "She'll need to act decisively, which will have a huge effect on personal associations." From Diane's perspective, Alicia has become a liability - and frankly, she's got a place. As a result of Alicia kicking Peter towards the curb, Lockhart & Gardner - presently under analysis through the now-squeaky-clean S.A.'s office - is much more vulnerable than ever before. Peter has lengthy harbored accusations about Alicia's feelings on her former flame, and also the ongoing RICO (racketeering) situation including Will's gambling past gives him plenty to sink his teeth into. As the would-be future governor can chalk in the campaign towards the quest for justice, "Peter continues to be human, and there is a small sense he's adjusting things to really make it tougher for Lockhart & Gardner," states Robert King. "Those who are attempting to be ethical sometimes get what they need done anyway." Will made his accusations about Peter's possible ulterior motives obvious within the November 6 episode, throughout a loaded confrontation that suggested in the clash that might be in the future. "It had been an excellent mano a mano scene," states Charles. "That which was so interesting is the fact that Will assumed that Peter is aware of the affair, but he really does not." Make that yet: With Peter's meddling mother, Jackie (Mary Janet Peil), spying around Alicia's apartment, that may rapidly change. Because the task of keeping their status around the DL gets to be more difficult through the moment - and also the effects keep mounting up - within the November 13 episode, Will and Alicia will have to broach the large question: Could it be all worthwhile? And, possibly more essential, if the reply is yes, will they have what must be done to really make it? "Once the relationship wasn't possible, it had been super easy to allow them to think, 'Alicia's the main one,A or 'Will may be the one,'" states Michelle King. "Now, they are confronted with a minute of truth: 'We could theoretically get this to our future.'" For established qualified bachelor Will, going the length would require conquering some serious Peter Pan habits. "Will is trying to puzzle out whether he is able to make room for commitment in the existence," describes Robert King. Alicia is within no hurry to experience house again either, he states: "She is incorporated in the adolescence of the new relationship." Plus there is the problem of her teenage children, Zach (Graham Phillips) and Sophistication (Makenzie Vega), who up to this time happen to be stored at nighttime regarding their mother's extracurricular activities. "The 2nd Will will get in to the kids' world, this relationship becomes harmful to her," states Margulies. (They were given a little taste of this already, whenever a nervous Will went into Zach in the office.) "Whenever we open that door, all hell will break loose." For additional around the Good Wife, get this week's problem of TV Guide Magazine, on newsstands Thursday, November 3! Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!