The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Ben Fritz notes Steelers investor THOMAS TULL's Legendary Pictures has "co-financed a string of hits with Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros.," making Legendary "something of a specialist in films that connect with young male moviegoers." But sources said that Legendary's partnership with Warner Bros. "expires at the end of 2013 and is unlikely to be renewed." Legendary previously produced the JACKIE ROBINSON biopic "42," but it was an "inexpensive film driven less by Legendary's business strategy than the passion" of Tull. The 43-year-old Tull said that he now desires a partner that "not only tolerates but advocates the Legendary brand." Sources said that disputes over "public recognition for its role in hit movies were a key reason why relations between Legendary and Warner Bros. frayed" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/2).
BOOK WORM: In Sacramento, Dale Kasler wrote NBA Kings Managing Partner VIVEK RANADIVE "isn't shy about sharing his views on organizational behavior, information technology, motivating employees and other topics." He has "written three books on business and management, all devoted to the same basic theme: Executives must develop the skills to make snap decisions, even when they have limited information." His writings also "drop a few hints about how Ranadive will run the Kings" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 7/1).
PICTURE PERFECT: Chicago-based photographer DON LEVEY, who took the photos of the "Super Bowl Shuffle," and whose Leveyfilm Inc. owns the image on the album cover of the famous '85 Bears video, is "suing Chicago Tribune Co. LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Meida LLC for copyright infringement." Levey alleges that each party "used the image in online articles without his studio's permission or without properly crediting the photo" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 7/1).
MOVIE MANIA: UFC fighter ANDERSON SILVA will "play his most significant American movie role in what is expected to be" a $2M independent film "about a single father who fights in an MMA match." It will be called "MONDAY NIGHTS AT SEVEN," and be produced by EDWARD JAMES OLMOS (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/2)....Showtime has slated Aug. 23 to premiere "VENUS AND SERENA," even after the USTA "filed a suit to block the film." Making the "showdown between the USTA and the filmmakers more dramatic is that the cable premiere will now take place just three days" before the U.S. Open begins (N.Y. POST, 7/2).
NAMES: Orlando Magazine ranked Magic CEO ALEX MARTINS No. 9 on its "50 Most Powerful People in Orlando" list (BAYNEWS9.com, 7/1)....Gold Medal-winning U.S. gymnast GABBY DOUGLAS on Sunday at the BET Awards won the Young Stars award and Sportswoman of the Year. Heat F LEBRON JAMES was named Sportsman of the Year and Heat G DWYANE WADE was "given a humanitarian award for his Wade's World Foundation" (NBCSPORTS.com, 7/1)....The 23rd annual Taste of the NFL Party during the Super Bowl will "take place at Pier 12 in the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal" and will be hosted by Food Network's TED ALLEN (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 7/1)....Syracuse BOT Chair DICK THOMPSON and his wife, JEAN, yesterday announced that they would donate $1M “to celebrate the university’s move to the ACC and to help the school’s athletic programs make the transition to the conference” (SYRACUSE.com, 7/1)….Sabres G RYAN MILLER has “sold his Elmwood Village townhouse for $640,000.” The home, which was “custom-designed for Miller” in ’07, had been “listed at the end of April for $659,900” (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/2).
IN MEMORY: New Orleans-based WLAE-TV sports reporter and host KENNY WILKERSON died on Saturday “after a months-long battle with cancer.” Wilkerson “worked at WWL radio for 17 years” as Saints beat reporter, and partnered with BUDDY DILIBERTO “in the station’s afternoon sports-talk time slot” (NOLA.com, 7/1)….Former Middle Tennessee AD & baseball coach JOHN STANFORD died yesterday. Stanford served as AD until ’94 (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 7/2).
