Bonhams will be holding their “Entertainment Memorabilia” sale event in Knightsbridge on December 12th. This sale includes a mix of film/television as well as music related memorabilia. [Read more…]
Lucasfilm vs Ainsworth Legal Battle Aftermath & Update: Andrew Ainsworth Owes Lawyers £3.5 Million
Following the UK Supreme Court ruling well over a year ago, legal website The Lawyer today reports that Andrew Ainsworth owes the legal firm that represented him in his dispute with Lucasfilm about £3.5 million. Per the report, “[t]he case was brought on a conditional fee arrangement (CFA), and usually the court will order the losing side to cover the other’s costs”. Since one issue was decided in favor of Ainsworth, and the other in favor of Lucasfilm, Ainsworth was never awarded a costs order, thus sticking him with a legal bill well into millions of dollars. Ainsworth is quoted in the article noting that his legal team “gained a lot of kudos” for their apparently free (at this point) legal defense, though it will be interesting to continue to follow to see if his lawyers believe that they received £3.5 million pounds worth of kudos. [Read more…]
Christie’s “Pop Culture: Entertainment Memorabilia” Live Auction November 29th, eCatalogue and PDF Catalog Online
The annual Winter auction in the UK by Christies for their Popular Culture department is scheduled for November 29th in South Kensington. The “Pop Culture: Entertainment Memorabilia” catalog is now available online in a downloadable PDF format as well as an online eCatalogue at Christies.com. [Read more…]
The Rebellion Surrenders to the Galactic Empire for $4.05 Billion Dollars (i.e. Disney Buys Lucasfilm and All Rights To Star Wars)
Yesterday’s announcement that George Lucas struck a deal to sell Lucasfilm Ltd (and related companies and properties, like ILM and Skywalker Sound, and the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises) came as a surprise to many. Along with the announcement were details about a third Star Wars trilogy with Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy as Executive Producer – Episodes 7 (already scheduled for a 2015 release), 8, and 9… in the event the news in general didn’t warrant enough of a reaction on its own. For me, the most surprising aspect of the deal is that circa the 70s, George Lucas was known as being quite anti-establishment… a rebel and innovator, working outside of the system, and, well, Disney (which owns ABC, ESPN, Pixar, Touchstone, Marvel Entertainment, theme parks, resorts, cruise lines, television stations, etc.) is about as establishment and corporate-oriented as they come. Disney bought Marvel in 2009 (for $0.05 billion less), and hasn’t ruined it or anything, but Marvel is not Star Wars, and what little I’ve already seen worries me. 24 hours into this new Disney/Star Wars era, and a video is already released with Stormtroopers wearing Mickey Mouse ears riding a merry-go-round with Darth Vader. Really? [Read more…]
EMP Museum Photo Journal Part 1 of 2: Movies (Sci-Fi + Horror Pop Culture Memorabilia Exhibits) – see also Rock Subculture Journal
This is Part 1 of a two-part series chronicling my visit to the EMP Museum in Seattle. This Part 1 feature will focus on the current Movie-related exhibits at the museum, while Part 2 has been published on sister site, Rock Subculture Journal, and that photo journal will cover the Music-related exhibits. The current movie and television related exhibits include “Icons of Science Fiction” and “Can’t Look Away: The Lure of the Horror Film”.
Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia Auction to be Held in Los Angeles on November 18, Catalog Available Online
Bonhams will be holding their “Entertainment Memorabilia including Animation Art” sale event in Los Angeles on November 18th. This sale includes a mix of film/television as well as music related memorabilia, as well as some animation items. [Read more…]
James Comisar’s “Museum of Television”: The Three Year, $35 Million, 50,000 sq ft Project Finds A Home In Phoenix, AZ
The Phoenix Business Journal published a front page story this week announcing a project under development by pop culture pioneering archivist James Comisar to create a public “Museum of Television” to feature material from The Comisar Collection. The article talks about a 50,000 square foot museum being developed in downtown Phoenix in about three years, with a projected cost of approximately $35 million dollars. [Read more…]
Hollywood Reporter Update with News on AMPAS Hollywood History Museum
The Hollywood Reporter today published a news story with updates on the Hollywood History Museum under development by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, reporting that they have reached their initial $100 million dollar fundraising goal and that it is scheduled to open in 2016 at the May Company building at Wilshire Blvd. and Fairfax Ave. [Read more…]