Anchor Bay Entertainment

Hollywood's commitment to independently financed movies has declined as much as the stock market. Now, a distributor wants to take advantage of the retrenchment -- the fatalities include Warner Independent Pictures, Yari Film Group, Picturehouse, Paramount Vantage, New Line Cinema and ThinkFilm -- by launching a specialty film label.

Weinstein Co. is getting into the home entertainment business ? again. Bob and Harvey Weinstein's New York-based independent film studio has agreed to acquire 25% of Starz Media, the home entertainment division of mogul John Malone's Liberty Media Corp., for an undisclosed sum. The arrangement includes a five-year distribution deal under which Starz's Anchor Bay Entertainment will release new Weinstein Co. films on DVD and Starz Digital Media will handle online downloads and streaming.

Business is "dead" at Anchor Bay Entertainment. The independent Troy, Mich.-based video company has scared up sales by cornering the horror market with such franchises as "Night of the Living Dead" and the "Evil Dead" films. But Anchor Bay, which is owned by the Handleman Co., has in recent years recast itself in the industry as a distributor of definitive video and DVD editions of pop culture favorites and cult classics.

Overture Films, the 3-year-old independent movie studio owned by John Malone's Liberty Media, is shutting down after it failed to fetch an adequate price from interested buyers. The company will no longer produce movies, and its marketing and distribution operations are being taken over by Relativity Media, putting Ryan Kavanaugh's production company in a segment of the business dominated by Hollywood's major studios. Relativity is hiring 43 Overture employees, including marketing chief Peter Adee and distribution executive Kyle Davies.

Artist selected: Artist Bruce Nauman, whose work includes photography, sculpture and neon, has been selected by the U.S. State Department to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale exhibition next year. -- Slamdance: The first film picked up at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah this year is "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer," a horror-comedy by writer-director Jon Knautz, acquired by Anchor Bay Entertainment for what was said to be a "mid-six-figure deal."

* Mandalay Resort Group, owner of the Luxor and Mandalay Bay casinos, said its fiscal third-quarter earnings increased to $40.6 million, or 63 cents a share, from $33.2 million, or 47 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 5% to $625.6 million. * Petco Animal Supplies Inc. said the Federal Trade Commission had asked for information about the company's Web site and its policies for protecting customers' personal information. * IDT Entertainment of Newark, N.J.

The gorgeously restored and remastered 60th-anniversary edition of "The Wizard of Oz" was released this week (Warner Home Video, $25). But it's not the only vintage title hitting the stores. For TV buffs, MPI is offering two new episodes of "The Liberace Show" ($20 each). Each tape provides 75 minutes of highlights from the series, which began in 1954 as a summer replacement for Dinah Shore. It continued through 1955, airing on 217 American stations and in 20 foreign countries.

Overture Films, the 3-year-old independent movie studio owned by John Malone's Liberty Media, is shutting down after it failed to fetch an adequate price from interested buyers. The company will no longer produce movies, and its marketing and distribution operations are being taken over by Relativity Media, putting Ryan Kavanaugh's production company in a segment of the business dominated by Hollywood's major studios. Relativity is hiring 43 Overture employees, including marketing chief Peter Adee and distribution executive Kyle Davies.

Friday Alice Neel A documentary about one of the great portrait painters of the 20th century, exploring the struggles she faced as a female artist, a single mother and a painter who defied convention. Directed by Andrew Neel, the painter's grandson. Laemmle Theatres and Arthouse Films Burn After Reading Two gym employees stumble upon the memoir of an ousted CIA official and attempt to exploit their find. With George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton.

Weinstein Co. is getting into the home entertainment business ? again. Bob and Harvey Weinstein's New York-based independent film studio has agreed to acquire 25% of Starz Media, the home entertainment division of mogul John Malone's Liberty Media Corp., for an undisclosed sum. The arrangement includes a five-year distribution deal under which Starz's Anchor Bay Entertainment will release new Weinstein Co. films on DVD and Starz Digital Media will handle online downloads and streaming.

Hollywood's commitment to independently financed movies has declined as much as the stock market. Now, a distributor wants to take advantage of the retrenchment -- the fatalities include Warner Independent Pictures, Yari Film Group, Picturehouse, Paramount Vantage, New Line Cinema and ThinkFilm -- by launching a specialty film label.

Friday Alice Neel A documentary about one of the great portrait painters of the 20th century, exploring the struggles she faced as a female artist, a single mother and a painter who defied convention. Directed by Andrew Neel, the painter's grandson. Laemmle Theatres and Arthouse Films Burn After Reading Two gym employees stumble upon the memoir of an ousted CIA official and attempt to exploit their find. With George Clooney, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton.

Artist selected: Artist Bruce Nauman, whose work includes photography, sculpture and neon, has been selected by the U.S. State Department to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale exhibition next year. -- Slamdance: The first film picked up at the Slamdance Film Festival in Utah this year is "Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer," a horror-comedy by writer-director Jon Knautz, acquired by Anchor Bay Entertainment for what was said to be a "mid-six-figure deal."

* Mandalay Resort Group, owner of the Luxor and Mandalay Bay casinos, said its fiscal third-quarter earnings increased to $40.6 million, or 63 cents a share, from $33.2 million, or 47 cents, a year earlier. Revenue rose 5% to $625.6 million. * Petco Animal Supplies Inc. said the Federal Trade Commission had asked for information about the company's Web site and its policies for protecting customers' personal information. * IDT Entertainment of Newark, N.J.

The gorgeously restored and remastered 60th-anniversary edition of "The Wizard of Oz" was released this week (Warner Home Video, $25). But it's not the only vintage title hitting the stores. For TV buffs, MPI is offering two new episodes of "The Liberace Show" ($20 each). Each tape provides 75 minutes of highlights from the series, which began in 1954 as a summer replacement for Dinah Shore. It continued through 1955, airing on 217 American stations and in 20 foreign countries.

Business is "dead" at Anchor Bay Entertainment. The independent Troy, Mich.-based video company has scared up sales by cornering the horror market with such franchises as "Night of the Living Dead" and the "Evil Dead" films. But Anchor Bay, which is owned by the Handleman Co., has in recent years recast itself in the industry as a distributor of definitive video and DVD editions of pop culture favorites and cult classics.

In a bid to build a fully integrated studio, IDT Entertainment has tapped veteran Hollywood executive Chris McGurk to help develop a live-action theatrical arm. IDT, owner of "The Simpsons" producer Film Roman Inc., said it hired McGurk to advise the company on producing and distributing a slate of low-budget genre movies. McGurk, most recently vice chairman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and a veteran Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Co.

Video Anchor Bay Entertainment's new "Family Movies Collection" puts the spotlight on family films of the past, including some true classics. Ring of Bright Water. 106 minutes. $9.99. Starring Bill Travers, this tale about a man and an otter is well-acted, genuinely heartwarming and romantic besides. Based on Gavin Maxwell's book, the lovely, non-sappy British film traces the life changes that happen to a man when, on a whim, he buys an otter for a pet in a London shop.