Chris Dodd

Hollywood loves comeback stories. Will SOPA/PIPA be one of them? The anti-piracy bills that were working their way through Congress with Hollywood's blessing got tanked by a massive online campaign - petitions, website blackouts, even T-shirts. From 1981 until 2010, Christopher J. Dodd was a Democratic senator from Connecticut. A year later, as head of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, he was dealing with SOPA/PIPA fallout. Showing up at the Oscars - which he will do - is just the tip of the MPAA job. Dodd has arranged matinees for veterans at MPAA's theater in D.C., worked on film trade matters, and postelection, he'll try out an anti-piracy law sequel.

Rampant piracy, government censorship and foreign quotas can make China a highly unpredictable and frustrating market for Hollywood. But one of China's top entertainment executives has some homespun advice: Make friends and be patient. "To succeed in China, it's like the old the Chinese saying: Before business, make friends," said Jerry Ye, chief executive of Wanda Cinemas, at an international panel on the opening day of Cinemacon, the annual convention for the theater industry held in Las Vegas.

Hollywood's seemingly endless search for an industry lobbyist appears to be zeroing in on former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Dodd, a former U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful who recently retired from the Senate, has long been a candidate to head the Motion Picture Assn. of America, replacing former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who resigned as chief executive a year ago. But a person close to the MPAA, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said that over the weekend Dodd had emerged as the top contender and was now the only candidate in negotiations for the job, which pays $1.2 million a year.

Chris Dodd, chairman and chief executive of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, announced a new "Check the Box" movie ratings awareness campaign Tuesday morning at CinemaCon, the National Assn. of Theater Owners' annual convention in Las Vegas. The campaign encourages parents to use the rating descriptors that are featured for every film rated PG or higher to make decisions about what films are family friendly and appropriate for their children. PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times "Throughout its existence, the goal of the rating system has never changed: to inform parents and allow them to make their own decisions, considering the children's sensibilities and unique sensitivities," said Dodd.

Hollywood's seemingly endless quest for an industry lobbyist appears to be zeroing in on former Sen. Christopher J. Dodd from Connecticut. Dodd, a former U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful who recently retired from the Senate, has long been a candidate to head the Motion Picture Assn. of America, replacing former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who resigned as chief executive a year ago. A person close to the MPAA, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said that over the weekend Dodd had emerged as the top contender and was now the only candidate in negotiations for the job, which pays $1.2 million a year.

Motion Picture Assn. of America Chief Executive Chris Dodd is calling on Silicon Valley and Hollywood to jointly fight the entertainment industry's biggest enemy: piracy. The former U.S. senator from Connecticut said it was time for California's two signature industries to stop sparring over the issue of rampant online piracy. "We have so much in common," Dodd told a gathering of scientists and engineers who work for the entertainment industry. "There is so much we can accomplish together — for our customers and for the millions of Americans we employ.

The industry's chief lobbying group wants to do a better job of telling Hollywood's story. The Motion Picture Assn. of America is launching a new website today called The Credits that provides feature stories, graphics and facts and figures intended to offer more insight into the people and businesses that make the film and television industry run. "I don't think the industry has done a very good job of telling its story," said Chris Dodd, chairman...

Chris Dodd, chairman and chief executive of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, announced a new "Check the Box" movie ratings awareness campaign Tuesday morning at CinemaCon, the National Assn. of Theater Owners' annual convention in Las Vegas. The campaign encourages parents to use the rating descriptors that are featured for every film rated PG or higher to make decisions about what films are family friendly and appropriate for their children. PHOTOS: Celebrities by The Times "Throughout its existence, the goal of the rating system has never changed: to inform parents and allow them to make their own decisions, considering the children's sensibilities and unique sensitivities," said Dodd.

Rampant piracy, government censorship and foreign quotas can make China a highly unpredictable and frustrating market for Hollywood. But one of China's top entertainment executives has some homespun advice: Make friends and be patient. "To succeed in China, it's like the old the Chinese saying: Before business, make friends," said Jerry Ye, chief executive of Wanda Cinemas, at an international panel on the opening day of Cinemacon, the annual convention for the theater industry held in Las Vegas.

President Reagan's chief spokesman today accused a Democratic critic of Administration Central America policy of advocating a surrender by the Contra rebels resisting the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. Spokesman Marlin Fitzwater, bristling under questioning by reporters about statements Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) made about the Administration's new push for additional aid for the Contras, said the senator "was all over television . . .

On the eve of the release of Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell touted the bipartisan benefits of Virginia's budding film industry. "The increase in jobs and revenue from Virginia's film industry is encouraging and demonstrates the effectiveness of our state's incentive programs for film production," McDonnell said in a news conference at the historic Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Va., prior to a special screening of "Lincoln" hosted by the Virginia Film Office and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

Chris Dodd, Hollywood's chief lobbyist, extended an olive branch to Silicon Valley. Eager to put to rest a bruising battle with Google and other tech companies over ill-fated anti-piracy bills this year, Dodd stressed common ground between California's two signature  industries in a speech Tuesday at the Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco. "What I don't want to do is relive the SOPA debate -- and I hope you don't either," Dodd said, alluding to the Stop Online Piracy Act that sparked an unprecedented online protest led by Google, Wikipedia and other tech giants.

The industry's chief lobbying group wants to do a better job of telling Hollywood's story. The Motion Picture Assn. of America is launching a new website today called The Credits that provides feature stories, graphics and facts and figures intended to offer more insight into the people and businesses that make the film and television industry run. "I don't think the industry has done a very good job of telling its story," said Chris Dodd, chairman...

Hollywood loves comeback stories. Will SOPA/PIPA be one of them? The anti-piracy bills that were working their way through Congress with Hollywood's blessing got tanked by a massive online campaign - petitions, website blackouts, even T-shirts. From 1981 until 2010, Christopher J. Dodd was a Democratic senator from Connecticut. A year later, as head of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, he was dealing with SOPA/PIPA fallout. Showing up at the Oscars - which he will do - is just the tip of the MPAA job. Dodd has arranged matinees for veterans at MPAA's theater in D.C., worked on film trade matters, and postelection, he'll try out an anti-piracy law sequel.

Motion Picture Assn. of America Chief Executive Chris Dodd is calling on Silicon Valley and Hollywood to jointly fight the entertainment industry's biggest enemy: piracy. The former U.S. senator from Connecticut said it was time for California's two signature industries to stop sparring over the issue of rampant online piracy. "We have so much in common," Dodd told a gathering of scientists and engineers who work for the entertainment industry. "There is so much we can accomplish together — for our customers and for the millions of Americans we employ.

Hollywood's seemingly endless quest for an industry lobbyist appears to be zeroing in on former Sen. Christopher J. Dodd from Connecticut. Dodd, a former U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful who recently retired from the Senate, has long been a candidate to head the Motion Picture Assn. of America, replacing former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who resigned as chief executive a year ago. A person close to the MPAA, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said that over the weekend Dodd had emerged as the top contender and was now the only candidate in negotiations for the job, which pays $1.2 million a year.

On the eve of the release of Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln," Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell touted the bipartisan benefits of Virginia's budding film industry. "The increase in jobs and revenue from Virginia's film industry is encouraging and demonstrates the effectiveness of our state's incentive programs for film production," McDonnell said in a news conference at the historic Byrd Theatre in Richmond, Va., prior to a special screening of "Lincoln" hosted by the Virginia Film Office and the Virginia Tourism Corporation.

-- -- -- Statewide -- -- DEMOCRATIC Hillary Clinton 2,128,763 52 Barack Obama 1,731,893 42 John Edwards 169,602 4 Dennis Kucinich 20,134 1 Bill Richardson 16,941 1 Joe Biden 15,436 0 Chris Dodd 6,723 0 Mike Gravel 6,661 0 REPUBLICAN John McCain 985,284 42 Mitt Romney 801,317 34 Mike Huckabee 272,591 12 Rudy Giuliani 115,651 5 Ron Paul 99,470 4 Fred Thompson 45,775 2 Duncan Hunter 12,208 1 Alan Keyes 9,538 0 Tom Tancredo 3,299 0...

Hollywood's seemingly endless search for an industry lobbyist appears to be zeroing in on former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.). Dodd, a former U.S. Democratic presidential hopeful who recently retired from the Senate, has long been a candidate to head the Motion Picture Assn. of America, replacing former Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who resigned as chief executive a year ago. But a person close to the MPAA, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak on the matter, said that over the weekend Dodd had emerged as the top contender and was now the only candidate in negotiations for the job, which pays $1.2 million a year.

On the state of the state Re "Gov. unveils ambitious wish list," Jan. 7 Well, it looks like the big guy, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is finally doing something positive -- using his celebrity status to bring attention to the fact that our state's budget priorities are completely out of whack. Bright and talented California high school graduates from middle-class, working-class and poor households should not have to face 20% to 35% tuition increases in the UC and Cal State systems.