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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bill who wrote (730490)	3/9/2006 5:33:51 PM
From: paret	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

World box office dipped 7.9 pct to 23 billion dollars last year : study AFP---Mar 09 2006 Hollywood movie ticket sales around the world dropped by 7.9 percent last year to 23 billion dollars, with the US box office accounting for nearly 40 percent of the haul, a study showed. Movie ticket receipts in North America dipped by six percent in 2005 to nine billion dollars, according to a study by the ratings statistics firm Nielsen Entertainment/NRG that comes as movie-goers increasingly stay out of cinemas. The study, released by the powerful lobby group of the major Hollywood studios, the Motion Picture Association of America, however gave the industry some reason for hope amid sliding ticket receipts, the MPAA maintained. Most movie-goers were satisfied with their recent experiences at the movies and felt the movies were a "good investment of their time and money," the Nielsen study reported. "Despite increasing competition for consumers' time and entertainment dollars, theater-going remains a satisfying constant in people's lives," said MPAA chief executive Dan Glickman. "That said, we can't bury our heads in the sand. We have to do more to attract customers and keep regulars coming back. It is no secret that our industry faces new challenges but with every challenge, there is an exciting opportunity," Glickman added. The MPAA noted that eight movies had raked in more than 200 million dollars at the box office last year, compared with just five in 2004. The total number of films released in the United States increased by 5.6 percent from 2004, while new releases by the major motion picture studios grossed an average of 37 million dollars in 2005, an increase of seven percent over the past five years," the industry group said. Most movie-goers in 2005 went out to catch family films, with movies rated PG-13, meaning that children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult, accounting for 85 percent of the most watched films in 2005. The MPAA also reported that the average production cost of a movie in 2005 remained below 100 million dollars and dipped slightly to 96.2 million dollars. Marketing costs however rose by 5.2 percent, while production costs went down four percent from 2004. The big studios that make up the MPAA spent more on network television and Internet advertising and less on newspapers and local television, the group said. "Technology has not only changed the way people are able to view movies, it has changed the way our industry produces and advertises movies," said Glickman. "We are exploring new ways to reach more people using innovative methods of communication and distribution. This data reflects those changes and also demonstrates the strength of the movie industry." MPAA members include the top Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Universal Studios Inc, Walt Disney Co. and 20th Century Fox.

To: Bill who wrote (730490)	3/9/2006 5:44:28 PM
From: paret	Respond to of 769670

Ted Kennedy's Tips for Better Driving?

To: Bill who wrote (730490)	3/9/2006 7:28:39 PM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

Wrong. Exit polls were accurate in 2000 and 2004, as they always are. The exit pollsters scratched their heads when the final tally came out different, but they shouldn't have blamed themselves (if they indeed did), and neither should any American. The fault lies with those Rovian tricksters who rigged the elections, with or without Diebold but probably with, as well as the professional liars and corporate slush funders who planned and paid for the smearvets campaign, while pretending they had nothing to do with it. Not a single one of them were veterans either, only veterans of other dirty tricks campaigns. This country has been hijacked by criminals, my friend. They are not on your side. They don't care about you. They are not conservatives. And they think they are above the law. Time to move in and take them out. That goes for all honest Americans including Republicans. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Remember? DOn't be fooled again.