The Hollywood Reporters Parent Company Continues To Cost Cut: Prometheus Pulled Plug On Hollywood Creative Directory; Adweek Also In Trouble And In Turmoil

Deadline recently wrote that The Hollywood Reporter was laying off and/or firing staff because of financial problems.Internal sources at embattled parent company Prometheus Global Media revealed toDeadline this week that the Hollywood CreativeDirectory employees, comprised of its publishing director of 17 years ValenciaMcKinley and her staff of three, were laid offand informed that theoutlet had been sold.There’s no question that Prometheus is looking to cut costs especially with The Hollywood Reporter hemorrhaging red ink because of soaring overhead. Two execs from the previous and new administrations say the Hollywood Creative Directory has its own P&Ltherefore it’s a separate entity inside Prometheus — even though the HCD website reads “The Hollywood Creative Directory is part of the information services unit of The Hollywood Reporter.” That’s apparently only for co-branding purposes. Interestingly, one insiderdoesn’t even think theHCDwas sold. Another believes that was just a cover story so Prometheus’ money problems wouldn’t be made public.There’s alsonews that another Prometheus publication,Adweek, is suffering declining ad revenue under its redesign with editor Michael Wolff hired last October. But now the high-profile Wolff is considered a goner.So that’s another Prometheus publication in trouble. Once upon a time, HCD was a vital phone book for those hunting down film/TV/music industry producers, directors, talent reps, and executives who find and lose jobs or dealsso frequently. HCD had a virtual monopoly on its biz and its staff worked incredibly hard, providingso much work with so little resources. But now so much of the HCDdata can be accessedin many places and more cheaply.The $79.95 seasonal printvolume of the Hollywood Creative Directory and the annual subscription for the printed directory ran as high as $179.95. Both were rendered more or less obsoletein the Internet age.Evenan annual online subscriptionto IMDB.pro costs $124.95 (or $15.95/month) vs. the Hollywood CreativeDirectory’s yearly online access fee of $199.95 (or $19.95/month). while Excelmailing lists topped out at $399.95. Former Hollywood Reporter and Billboardowner VNU Business Media initially acquired the Hollywood Creative Directory aspart of its purchase of IFilm Corp. in September 2004. Deadline had theHCD news on Tuesday but was saving it for Nikki Finke’s upcomingexpanded behind-the-scenes biz report about Prometheus and The Hollywood Reporter. [FULL DISCLOSURE: Deadline Hollywood's parent company PMC is suing The Hollywood Reporter's parent company Prometheus for copyright infringement.]

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Metcalf revisit West Finish in 'Night'

MetcalfLONDON -- U.S. thesp Laurie Metcalf ("Roseanne") will return to free air travel Finish in the year to see Mary Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's "Extended Day's Journey into Evening."Metcalf, who came out at London's National Theater in 2001 in Arthur Miller's "My Sons," will star opposite David Suchet ("Poirot), who a year ago won the London's Critics' Circle award for his perf in "My Sons," and rising talent Kyle Soller, presently turning up in Alexi Kaye Campbell's "The Idea Machine" within the Royal Court.Helmed by London-based Anthony Page, whose Gotham credits are the Kathleen Turner/Bill Irwin revival of "Who's Frightened of Virginia Woolf?," the expansion previews within the Apollo theater from April 2, before an April 10 opening. Skedded until August. 18, the drama is produced by Nica Burns, Elliot Martin, Kim Poster for Stanhope Productions and Max Weitzenhoffer. Contact David Benedict at benedictdavid@mac.com

Breakfast at Tiffany's at 50: We Need to Talk About Mr. Yunioshi

As delightful as it is to watch Audrey Hepburn flitting about NY in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, gazing adoringly at jewels and pretty things and falling in love as party girl Holly Golightly — the original Carrie Bradshaw — a shadow has loomed over that film for decades: Namely, Mickey Rooney’s cartoonish turn as Mr. Yunioshi, the buck-toothed, bespectacled and slightly pervy Japanese man who lives upstairs. The good news, circa 2011, is that after years of not knowing exactly how to address that ugly, embarrassing moment in classic Hollywood cinema — hindsight and all that — Paramount Pictures, releasing the 50th Anniversary Blu-ray this week, offers a concerted effort to make amends. It may seem like a small part of the slick and comprehensive new Blu-ray release of Blake Edwards’ 1961 classic, which comes packed with loads of commemorative special features celebrating Hepburn and the beloved film, but the 17-minute documentaryMr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective, released previously on the film’s 2009 DVD re-issue, is the single most important. Honestly, you can forget the daydream loveliness of “Moon River” and the escapist fabulousness of Holly Golightly’s very existence. No part of the film speaks louder about American life at the time (and what fantasies real Americans received at the movies) than Mr. Yunioshi. As played by Rooney, Mr. Yunioshi is shocking to behold. To say the character and performance don’t hold up today is an understatement; at the time the caricature may have been accepted and written off as merely colorful comedic slapstick, but many decades of social progression later, it’s clearly downright racist. “Miss Go-right-ry!” Rooney calls to Hepburn, affecting an outlandishly extreme “Asian” accent. With his gnarly prosthetic teeth, slicked back hair, Coke-bottle glasses and squinty eyes, he’s an uncanny personification of WWII-era anti-Japanese propaganda cartoons. He’s skeevy to boot; the film mines laughs out of his features, accent and behavior, not to mention Holly’s efforts to shrug off Yunioshi’s efforts to get her upstairs into his apartment for a private photography session. It may have been just another blip in a long history of movies featuring insulting ethnic stereotypes, but in the middle of an otherwise lovely film it became one of the more cutting examples of institutionalized racism in Hollywood. “It just made me cringe,” says actress Marilyn Tokuda, one of a handful of film and media pros interviewed in the documentary. You don’t have to be Asian or Asian-American to feel that cringe when watching Rooney in the film, or to notice the striking lack of Asians in mainstream media, let alone movies. But it’s not solely a matter of being woefully mis- or under-represented. Phil Lee and Guy Aoki of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, who also appear in the feature, patiently and painstakingly explain what “yellowface” is for those who don’t know, detailing how characters like Mr. Yunioshi (or Ming the Merciless, Mr. Moto, Lon Chaney in Shadows, or even Nancy Kwan in The World of Suzie Wong) reflect and perpetuate negative stereotypes that can seep off-screen into the public consciousness. When American audiences of the 1930s, 1940s and beyond are only exposed to evil Asian villains who are untrustworthy, for example, can you draw a correlation to the U.S. government then justifying the internment of Japanese-Americans on the basis that they can’t be trusted? That’s not to say that racism in movies causes racist behavior. The former perpetuates the latter, and for better and for worse Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a product of its time. Did filmmakers back then intend to offend? Probably not. Is their ignorance excusable nonetheless? I’d say no. We’ve made strides as a people, an industry and an audience to avoid lapses in judgment this damning, and we’ve seen the likes of Justin Lin, Jon M. Chu and Maggie Q proliferate in front of and behind the camera in recent years, helping to reverse the historic trend by normalizing the Asian-American presence in Hollywood with mainstream successes. Still, minority voices are in relatively short supply. So it’s worth remembering, as we soak in the blithe cheeriness of Holly Golightly and celebrate the 50th anniversary of her romantic escapades, exactly why her Japanese neighbor upstairs is so worthy of (not so) polite disdain.

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EMMYS: Still more New Presenters Named

(September 13, 2011) Primetime Emmy Award nominee Jon Cryer together with Scott Caan, Bryan Cranston, Claire Danes, Jason OMara and Kerry Washington are introduced to supplement presenters for that 63rd Primetime Emmy Honours. The telecast will air live in the NOKIA Theatre L.A. Reside in La on Sunday, September 18th, (8:00 PM EDT live / 5:00 PM PDT live) on FOX.

Free Agents Signs Rachael Harris

Rachael Harris Rachael Harris will guest-star inside the new NBC comedy Free Agents, Entertainment Weekly reviews. Fall TV: Have the lowdown relating to this season's must-see new shows The consummate comedian - whose credits are the Hangover, Pals, Notes within the Underbelly and, much more - will join the show for just about any two-episode arc since the sister of PR lady Helen (Kathryn Hahn)'s former fiancé. Helen finds chemistry getting a co-worker, carried out by Hank Azaria (who also came out on Pals!). Free Agents premieres Wednesday at 10:30/9:30c before moving to its regular time period inside a couple of days at 8:30/7:30c.

Christina Hendricks Would Like To Play Question Lady

FIRST Released: September 13, 2011 5:05 PM EDT NEW You are able to, N.Y. -- Christina Hendricks may be the full of office politics on Mad Males, but could she play an Amazonian princess? The buxom beauty told Access Hollywood Lives Billy Rose bush and Package Hoover that shed enjoy playing Question Lady about the giant screen if her Drive director, Nicolas Winding Refn, will get an opportunity to bring the legendary super hero towards the giant screen. I believe [Nicolas] thinks I'd be great for the reason that role, Christina Hendricks, who's also starring in I Have No Idea How She Will It, stated on Tuesday. I loved dealing with Nicolas a lot, hes this kind of incredibly gifted director, the 36-year-old Emmy nominee ongoing. If he reaches direct Question Lady, i quickly would like to get it done with him. In May, NBC handed down David E. Kelleys Question Lady pilot with Adrianne Palicki within the title role. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved.These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.