Production

Endemol, the Netherlands-based television production giant behind CBS' “Big Brother” and NBC's “Fear Factor,” has acquired a majority stake in the Israeli production company Kuperman. Co-owner Elad Kuperman has been named CEO of the new venture. “We couldn't ask for a stronger partner than Endemol,” said Kuperman in a release this morning. “Joining forces will provide us with the expertise, global network and resources to create and exploit world class content whilst also allowing us access to one of the industry's largest and most valuable portfolios of entertainment IP. Our plan is to pursue significant expansion together.” PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments Former Kuperman majority stakeholder Ynon Kreiz, meanwhile, who sold his 50% stake in the company to Endemol, will exit Endemol Israel as part of the deal.

Barbie is vacating her pink Malibu mansion and hunting for international digs. Thomas the Tank Engine is being revamped as an even livelier locomotive. Max Steel, the new kid on the block, is marketed as a "modern day tech superhero. " The toy brands, all properties of Mattel Inc., represent an evolution at the El Segundo company. At age 68, the company is incorporating more digital elements into its toys, embracing more Hollywood partnerships, pushing into foreign markets - whatever it takes to keep its status as the world's largest toy maker.

Why do some things catch on? How does a steak sandwich from a Philadelphia restaurant, for example, become so famous that it gets a slot on the David Letterman show? Why did Rebecca Black's whiny pop song "Friday" become a viral hit on YouTube? Why have there been more than 300 million views of a video series about a blender? And why do so many other videos, marketing campaigns and products - with perhaps more money, more creatives and even more clever ideas behind them - fail to get noticed?

Robert Greenberg got tired of hearing from senior engineers that it wasn't possible to build his product idea: a bionic eye that gives sight to the blind. "A lot of the folks straight out of school didn't know any better, so I hired them instead," quipped Greenberg, chief executive of Second Sight Medical Products Inc., a Sylmar biotech company. "They didn't know how hard it was going to be, that it was impossible. And so they tried. " Greenberg can laugh now that he once thought developing the device would take a year and $1 million.

Herbalife Ltd., battling a billionaire investor's bet that its stock will tank, is expected to reassure shareholders at the company's annual meeting Thursday that the Los Angeles nutritional products maker is a strong, healthy, legitimate operation. The meeting at the Beverly Hilton comes amid lingering questions about Herbalife's future. For several months, two activist investors have put the company's core operation at issue. Bill Ackman has bet $1 billion that the company is a pyramid scheme that will fail, and Carl Icahn bought 15% of Herbalife's stock, wagering that its business is legally sound and will withstand Ackman's attack.

After a bumpy 17-year process that once proposed developing thousands of homes on its famous Hollywood back lot, NBCUniversal won unanimous approval Tuesday from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for a plan that lets it expand its Universal Studios theme park. The $1.6-billion project will include nearly 2 million square feet in office and production space, a bike path along the adjacent Los Angeles River that would eventually allow cyclists to pedal to Studio City, and a Harry Potter-themed attraction.

There have been a number of stage plays devoted to the lives of visual artists -- Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso and Mark Rothko have all received the grand theatrical treatment. But Chinese artist Ai Weiwei is unlike the others in that he is a bonafide online phenomenon in addition to being a creative force. Howard Brenton's #aiww: The Arrest of Ai Weiwei" -- the hashtag refers to the artist's prolific Twitter habit -- opened last week in London at the Hampstead Theatre. The English-language play is based on the book by journalist Barnaby Martin and features British actor Benedict Wong as the artist.  The plot focuses on Ai's 81 days in secret detention in 2011, and the relationship that formed between the artist and his guards.

Most people have probably encountered Avery Dennison Corp. products without even knowing it. The Pasadena company makes self-adhesive labels used on a wide variety of consumer goods: beer and wine bottles, shampoo and personal care items, pharmaceuticals and food. It also makes labels and tags attached to clothing. You know those annoying plastic fasteners that connect price tags to shirts, dresses and other clothing? Yep, they make those too. "We're everywhere you look, and you don't think about us a whole lot," said Dean A. Scarborough, the company's chief executive.

A slew of Gatsby-related garb and gear is roaring into stores and onto websites. Besides the Brooks Bros. collection (see accompanying story), here are just a few other stylish options for the Daisy crazy - or anyone else feeling gung-ho for the new film: DRINKS Moët & Chandon is one of the movie's official partners, delving into its archives to ensure that all the bubbly being poured on the silver screen was from bottles bearing historically accurate...

As life is halted for Boston-area residents in light of the manhunt for Dzhokar Tsarnaev, production on a much-anticipated film has been temporarily suspended too. David O. Russell's newly titled "American Hustle" was scheduled to shoot Friday in Boston. But reps for studio Sony and Russell said that the film's shoot was canceled Friday, as the production abided Gov. Deval Patrick's order that everyone stay inside as police continued the search for a suspected Boston Marathon bomber.