Quick Takes: Image Awards nominations showered on Tyler Perry
The NAACP Image Awards’ love for writer-director-producer-star Tyler Perry continues to flourish. Perry, his movies and TV series garnered 19 nominations Wednesday morning for the 42nd annual awards.
Two of his features — “For Colored Girls” and “Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?” — were nominated for best film of 2010.
Janet Jackson was nominated for actress and Jill Scott for supporting actress for “Why Did I Get Married Too?,” and Michael Ealy for supporting actor and Anika Noni Rose, Kimberly Elise, Phylicia Rashad and Whoopi Goldberg for supporting actress in “For Colored Girls.”
Perry, who won the NAACP Chairman’s Award last year, was also nominated for his screenplay for “Why Did I Get Married Too?” and for director for “For Colored Girls.”
On the TV front, “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” was nominated for comedy series, with David Mann being nominated for actor in a comedy series for “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns” and LaVan Davis nominated in the same category for “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.”
—Susan King
Shepard Fairey, AP will settle
Artist Shepard Fairey and the Associated Press confirmed Wednesday that they are settling out of court their legal case that involves Fairey’s “Hope” poster depicting then-Sen. Barack Obama. But a lawyer for the AP added that the news organization is still pursuing its case against Obey Clothing, in which Fairey is a partner and that has reproduced the image on various items of clothing.
Fairey’s poster of Obama was inspired by a photograph taken by an AP freelancer in 2006. The AP subsequently accused the Los Angeles artist of copyright infringement, with Fairey maintaining that it falls under fair-use laws.
A settlement means that the March trial between Fairey and the AP in New York will not take place. As part of their settlement, Fairey has agreed he will not use another AP photo in his work without obtaining a license from the news organization. The two sides also have agreed to share the rights to make the posters and merchandise bearing the “Hope” image. In addition, Fairey and the AP have agreed to additional financial terms that are confidential.
—David Ng
DGA names docu nominees
The nominees for the Directors Guild of America Award for directorial achievement in a documentary were announced Wednesday. The nominees are Lixin Fan for “Last Train Home,” Charles Ferguson for “Inside Job,” Alex Gibney for “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer,” Davis Guggenheim for “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” and Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger for “Restrepo.”
The winner will be announced at the DGA Awards ceremony Jan. 29.
—Susan King
DVRs give Conan a boost
Has the DVR made Conan king?
You may recall that Jay Leno took back his old “Tonight Show” perch on NBC from Conan O’Brien last year. O’Brien started a rival show on TBS. Since then, Leno has settled into a big lead over O’Brien in total viewers as well as a very narrow lead among adults ages 18 to 49, the demographic most advertisers care about.
But that’s only counting people who watch the programs live. And it just so happens that O’Brien’s fans are big-time DVR users.
Once playback is factored in, O’Brien takes the No. 1 late-night spot in 18-49. During November and December, O’Brien averaged 1.4 million viewers ages 18 to 49, compared with 1.3 million for Leno, 1.1 million for CBS’ “Late Show With David Letterman” and 1 million for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.”
O’Brien has an even bigger lead among adults 18 to 34, with an average of 930,000 viewers. Runner-up Jon Stewart had only 574,000.
—Scott Collins
ESPN extends Vitale’s contract
Are you serious! Call the chief ‘cause he’s on fire, baby!
ESPN has extended the contract of catchphrase-loving basketball analyst Dick Vitale through 2015. Vitale, a former coach, is one of the longest-serving sports announcers around. He called ESPN’s first major basketball game in 1979 and has done the honors at more than 1,000 games since.
“There is nothing greater than walking into an arena and feeling the excitement and energy of a big-time college basketball game,” Vitale said in a statement.
—Scott Collins
Royal Warhols up for sale
A London art gallery says it is putting on sale two portraits by artist Andy Warhol, created to celebrate the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
The Opera Gallery in London says it acquired the original artworks from a private collection and will be selling them as a diptych for 2 million pounds ($3.15 million).
The central London
gallery said Wednesday that the portraits — in silkscreen ink on canvas — were completed in 1982, shortly after the royal wedding. They were initially sold to a
private collector, and have not been up for sale again since.
—Associated Press