daisybean
Rock n' Roll Doggie, FOB
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...0313/en_bpihw/hbo_gets_tough__ices__sopranos_
LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- The legal battle between HBO and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini has extended to the set of the Emmy-winning series.
The cable network has postponed the start of production on the mob drama's fifth season indefinitely, pending the resolution of the breach-of-contract lawsuit filed last week by Gandolfini in Los Angeles Superior Court (HR 3/12). The show had been set to resume production March 24 at New York's Silvercup Studios.
HBO sent out letters on Wednesday to "Sopranos" cast and crew members notifying them that the production start date has been postponed because of the lawsuit and a $100 million countersuit filed by HBO on Tuesday. A skeleton crew of production staffers had already started preproduction work on the show. Those staffers and other crew members who work on a week-to-week basis were told that they would not be needed next week.
An HBO spokeswoman confirmed that the letters regarding the production postponement had been sent but declined to elaborate. Gandolfini's lawyer, Martin Singer, could not be reached for comment late Wednesday. Gandolfini reps declined comment.
The rancor between Gandolfini and HBO erupted late last week after weeks of tense negotiations regarding a salary increase for the Emmy-winning actor for the show's upcoming fifth season. Sources close to the actor said HBO executives called an end to the negotiations last week after making a take-it-or-leave-it offer to Gandolfini, but that scenario was strongly disputed by other sources close to the show.
Gandolfini was reportedly seeking a salary boost to just over $1 million an episode from his current $400,000 per-episode fee. Gandolfini's camp has stressed that the actor is underpaid compared to other TV stars because HBO shows produce 13 episodes per season instead of 22-24 for most broadcast network dramas, nor have the actors shared in the windfall that HBO has reaped from DVD sales of the series.
Gandolfini's lawsuit claims that HBO breached his contract by not giving him sufficient notice in 2001 that the network intended to pick up his option for a fifth season on the show, a claim HBO has denied in its countersuit. On Tuesday, Gandolfini attorney Singer said the actor was waiting for some documents from HBO regarding the timing of the fifth season pickup before deciding whether he would return to work March 24.
But HBO attorney Bert Fields said Tuesday that HBO would require a written assurance from Gandolfini that he recognized the validity of the existing contract before allowing him to return work on the show.
Also on Wednesday, Gandolfini's lawyers filed a challenge against Judge John Segal, who was assigned to the case last week, citing concerns that Segal might be prejudiced against the actor's attorneys. Observers familiar with the legal process in civil suits said that such challenges were common and that the case would likely be reassigned.
This makes me
and 
.... When greed gets in the way of art 
LOS ANGELES (The Hollywood Reporter) --- The legal battle between HBO and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini has extended to the set of the Emmy-winning series.
The cable network has postponed the start of production on the mob drama's fifth season indefinitely, pending the resolution of the breach-of-contract lawsuit filed last week by Gandolfini in Los Angeles Superior Court (HR 3/12). The show had been set to resume production March 24 at New York's Silvercup Studios.
HBO sent out letters on Wednesday to "Sopranos" cast and crew members notifying them that the production start date has been postponed because of the lawsuit and a $100 million countersuit filed by HBO on Tuesday. A skeleton crew of production staffers had already started preproduction work on the show. Those staffers and other crew members who work on a week-to-week basis were told that they would not be needed next week.
An HBO spokeswoman confirmed that the letters regarding the production postponement had been sent but declined to elaborate. Gandolfini's lawyer, Martin Singer, could not be reached for comment late Wednesday. Gandolfini reps declined comment.
The rancor between Gandolfini and HBO erupted late last week after weeks of tense negotiations regarding a salary increase for the Emmy-winning actor for the show's upcoming fifth season. Sources close to the actor said HBO executives called an end to the negotiations last week after making a take-it-or-leave-it offer to Gandolfini, but that scenario was strongly disputed by other sources close to the show.
Gandolfini was reportedly seeking a salary boost to just over $1 million an episode from his current $400,000 per-episode fee. Gandolfini's camp has stressed that the actor is underpaid compared to other TV stars because HBO shows produce 13 episodes per season instead of 22-24 for most broadcast network dramas, nor have the actors shared in the windfall that HBO has reaped from DVD sales of the series.
Gandolfini's lawsuit claims that HBO breached his contract by not giving him sufficient notice in 2001 that the network intended to pick up his option for a fifth season on the show, a claim HBO has denied in its countersuit. On Tuesday, Gandolfini attorney Singer said the actor was waiting for some documents from HBO regarding the timing of the fifth season pickup before deciding whether he would return to work March 24.
But HBO attorney Bert Fields said Tuesday that HBO would require a written assurance from Gandolfini that he recognized the validity of the existing contract before allowing him to return work on the show.
Also on Wednesday, Gandolfini's lawyers filed a challenge against Judge John Segal, who was assigned to the case last week, citing concerns that Segal might be prejudiced against the actor's attorneys. Observers familiar with the legal process in civil suits said that such challenges were common and that the case would likely be reassigned.
This makes me
and .... When greed gets in the way of art 
to me.
hi, strangers.
700+ now 
Paulie 
