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Hollywood has reportedly received a whopping $25 billion in state tax incentives to date — a win for studios like Disney and Netflix but a big “L” for ordinary taxpayers, who are footing the bill for the giveaways. Frequently championed by Democrats, state tax credits for movie and TV productions are intended to juice local economies by creating jobs and boosting revenue for small businesses that provide services like catering and transportation. That, in turn, is supposed to generate more tax dollars. But despite the $25 billion spent so far, states are seeing paltry returns on their investment — sometimes...

Hollywood has reportedly received a whopping $25 billion in state tax incentives to date — a win for studios like Disney and Netflix but a big “L” for ordinary taxpayers, who are footing the bill for the giveaways. Frequently championed by Democrats, state tax credits for movie and TV productions are intended to juice local economies by creating jobs and boosting revenue for small businesses that provide services like catering and transportation. That, in turn, is supposed to generate more tax dollars.

Sheriff's investigators at the scene of the Oakland fire on Saturday. At least nine people are confirmed dead and several dozen are missing after a fire ripped through the the "Ghost Ship" warehouse in Oakland... As many as 100 people were crowded inside the warehouse for a party when the blaze erupted. They struggled to escape the flames and smoke. Officials fear dozens could have been killed. City records show that there were habitability complaints made against the property's owner as recently as November 14 regarding an "illegal interior building structure." City inspectors appear to have visited the building on...

WWE attempts to obtain an interview from Glenn Beck.

ORLANDO, Florida -- Universal Studios Florida plans to close one of its oldest and most popular attractions next month to make way for a new attraction. The theme park announced on Facebook on Friday that on Jan. 2 it will permanently shut down its "Jaws" ride, which is based on the blockbuster 1975 Steven Spielberg movie. It was one of the original features at the park when it opened in 1990. The surrounding "Amity" area inspired by the island where the movie was set will also close down to make room for a new attraction. The park isn't releasing any...

Police and emergency vehicles arrived to CBS Television City in Hollywood moments ago ... after someone reported that white powder spilled out of a letter in the CBS mailroom. Law enforcement sources confirm ... cops are investigating the scene. Sources on the lot tell TMZ ... the letter was NOT addressed to anyone on "Dancing with the Stars" ... but so far, it's unclear who the intended recipient was. It's not the first time CBS has had an anthrax scare -- just last year, the studio went on lockdown when production staff found white powder in a letter addressed to...

Major Hollywood studios threatened by Teamsters pay disputeThe union, which provides drivers who haul equipment to film sets, is expected to provide a strike authorization vote from members. By Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times July 24, 2010 Hollywood's drivers and the major studios continued last-ditch contract talks late Friday in an effort to avoid a head-on collision. The local Teamsters branch, which represents drivers who haul equipment to film sets, has been negotiating for a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which bargains on behalf of the major studios. But a major stumbling block has...

State Attorney General Bill Lockyer has subpoenaed Hollywood's major film studios to find out whether granting exclusive booking rights to specific chains has hindered smaller theater operators. Lockyer's investigation began in June 2004 after complaints by an independent theater in San Jose about Century Theatres and its "clearance" rights for many major studio releases. That particular dispute has since been resolved voluntarily without legal action, but other lawsuits are pending and Lockyer's investigation has been broadened to look at the whole industry. "The theaters that have complained to our office are independents," Lockyer spokesman Tom Dresslar said. "In a lot...

THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS in life that disappoint, and people who don’t live up to their billing. But not Michael Ovitz, in what is sarcastically being billed as “The Trial of the Century.” For days now, internal memos and expert testimony inside Delaware Chancery Court had described the guy we love to hate as a “psychopath” and “congenital liar” (not to mention recounting behavior that merited other terms of endearment like “spendthrift,” “incompetent” and “fraud”). Before the trial, sources close to Ovitz told L.A. Weekly that the Creative Artists Agency co-founder was relishing the opportunity to go to court....

Studios at Odds Over 'Rings' Prequel By The Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) - Peter Jackson won't be returning to the Shire any time soon. The Oscar-winning director is planning to film "The Hobbit," the prequel to "The Lord of the Rings," trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien, but two studios must first fight over legal rights to the film. Jackson said New Line Cinema has the rights to make the movie, but MGM has the rights to distribute it. "I guess MGM's lawyers and New Line's lawyers are going to have a huge amount of fun over the next few years...

The reputation of comic book super heroes is more important to the Hollywood elite than the reputation of the real-life heroes in the US military. This sorry state of affairs is exemplified by Avi Arad, the very rich owner of Marvel Studios which makes movies based on popular Marvel comic-book characters like the Hulk. Arad told a USA Today reporter that he ordered an early version of the script for last year's very successful Spiderman movie changed because Spiderman slit someone's throat. ("Marvel's Chief: a force outside, 'a kid inside'" by Scott Bowles, USA Today, Life Section, June 5, 2003)...

Friday in a California courtroom, a small St. Louis software company begins a fight for its life against a phalanx of powerful Hollywood movie studios. The outcome could impact our collective digital future. On one side is 321 Studios (321studios.com), maker of computer programs that allow home users to copy DVD movies they own. On the other is the Motion Picture Association of America, which charges that 321's software circumvents copy protection schemes in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The court proceeding represents a head-on collision between the DMCA and fair use rights of consumers. Since the DMCA's...