Tom Rothman

A former English teacher, film producer ("Down by Law") and entertainment lawyer, Tom Rothman continued his climb up the Hollywood ladder with his appointment as president of 20th Century Fox Film Production in September. It was an unorthodox choice for the studio, which has gone through a lackluster stretch. Though the hyperkinetic Rothman flexed his commercial muscles as a production executive at Columbia Pictures, his most recent focus has been specialized fare. "Tom's aesthetic sensibility sets him apart from the gorillas," says Samuel Goldwyn Jr., at whose company Rothman worked as production chief.

After the coffee. Before seeing if I can become an NFL replacement by this Sunday. The Skinny: The bad officiating wasn't the only thing wrong with ESPN's "Monday Night Football" game between the Packers and Seahawks. The game ran for well over three hours. Tuesday's headlines include a profile of producer Randall Emmett, a new co-host at "Today" and a review of CBS' new drama "Vegas. " Daily Dose: From boffo to toldja? My co-worker Ben Fritz reports that Penske Media, owner of Hollywood blog Deadline, is making a serious play for Variety . The price tag for the venerable trade paper is in the neighborhood of $30 million, which is far less than what current owner Reed Elsevier was initially seeking.

Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman Tom Rothman, who has led the News Corp.-owned studio together with partner Jim Gianopulos since 2000, is leaving his post on Jan. 1. The unexpected move ends long and largely successful run atop the studio for Rothman, who first came to Fox in 1994 when he founded the specialty label Fox Searchlight Pictures. He previously worked as president of the independent studio Samuel Goldwyn Pictures. With Rothman's exit, Gianopulos will become the sole chairman of Fox, the studio behind "Avatar," "Ice Age," and "Prometheus.

News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey had nothing but nice things to say about the media giant's movie unit just days after ousting Tom Rothman from his position as co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment. "Our film business has had a fabulous run for years, really been a leader and certainly the team there have been essentially the ones who have driven that," Carey said Thursday at the annual Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference in New York. Carey added that "we feel very proud about what the film management team has done.

Twentieth Century Fox on Tuesday tapped Tom Rothman to succeed Tom Jacobson as president of film production. Jacobson resigned Monday to start an independent production company. Rothman, who joined Fox in July, 1994, to launch the studio's specialized film division, Searchlight Pictures, will assume his new post immediately. Fox is expected to seek a permanent replacement for Rothman at Searchlight.

After months of speculation, 20th Century Fox on Monday named former Samuel Goldwyn Co. production chief Tom Rothman to head a new division that will produce and distribute movies for sophisticated adult audiences. "What you are seeing with this market--the adult, educated, upscale market--is that the ceilings are higher," Rothman said. He added that the film budgets will probably range from $5 million to $15 million, far below the nearly $30 million it usually costs to make a studio film.

Fox division heads Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos will share the chairmanship of Fox Filmed Entertainment, succeeding ousted studio chief Bill Mechanic. Mechanic was fired in late June after ongoing clashes with Rupert Murdoch, head of Fox parent News Corp.

At a time when studios are obsessed with sequels, "reboots" and family-friendly spectacles, 20th Century Fox is releasing precisely the kind of film that has largely fallen out of favor in Hollywood: a dark adult drama. News Corp.'s Fox 2000 division is bucking conventional wisdom with this weekend's debut of "Water for Elephants," a literary adaptation of Sara Gruen's tale of love set in the stark 1930s world of traveling carnies. The studio is betting it can succeed in attracting the millions of (mostly female)

Following the unexpected ouster Friday of Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman Tom Rothman, Hollywood's eyes have turned to a son of Greek immigrants known for his expertise in international distribution, digital devices and filmmaker relationships but not making and marketing movies. Jim Gianopulos, who has been co-chairman alongside Rothman since the two were promoted in 2000, will stay on as the studio's sole chairman. Rothman officially leaves Jan. 1, but lame ducks don't merit much respect in Hollywood.

Following the unexpected news Friday that Tom Rothman was forced out of his post as co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, several directors, producers and agents provided reactions to The Times.  --Bryan Singer, director and producer of the "X-Men" movies for Fox: "I've had the pleasure of knowing Tom for more than a decade.   We grew the X-Men franchise together from the ground up. He is passionate, intense, funny and always a step ahead. I know his next steps will be just as adventurous as his last.

After the coffee. Before celebrating the New Year. The Skinny: It may be a new year for some (including me), but that doesn't mean a holiday for your Morning Fix. Monday's headlines include a look at the weekend box office, the big shake-up at Fox Filmed Entertainment, new judges on "American Idol" and a review of NBC's "Revolution. " Daily Dose: While Fox Filmed Entertainment goes through a big shift with longtime Co-chairman Tom Rothman leaving (see below)

Following the unexpected ouster Friday of Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman Tom Rothman, Hollywood's eyes have turned to a son of Greek immigrants known for his expertise in international distribution, digital devices and filmmaker relationships but not making and marketing movies. Jim Gianopulos, who has been co-chairman alongside Rothman since the two were promoted in 2000, will stay on as the studio's sole chairman. Rothman officially leaves Jan. 1, but lame ducks don't merit much respect in Hollywood.

Following the unexpected news Friday that Tom Rothman was forced out of his post as co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, several directors, producers and agents provided reactions to The Times.  --Bryan Singer, director and producer of the "X-Men" movies for Fox: "I've had the pleasure of knowing Tom for more than a decade.   We grew the X-Men franchise together from the ground up. He is passionate, intense, funny and always a step ahead. I know his next steps will be just as adventurous as his last.

Fox Filmed Entertainment co-chairman Tom Rothman, who has led the News Corp.-owned studio together with partner Jim Gianopulos since 2000, is leaving his post on Jan. 1. The unexpected move ends long and largely successful run atop the studio for Rothman, who first came to Fox in 1994 when he founded the specialty label Fox Searchlight Pictures. He previously worked as president of the independent studio Samuel Goldwyn Pictures. With Rothman's exit, Gianopulos will become the sole chairman of Fox, the studio behind "Avatar," "Ice Age," and "Prometheus.

Tom Rothman learned this week in a meeting with News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey that he was being forced out of his job as co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly. Rothman's contract was set to expire in March 2014.  News Corp. announced Friday that Rothman would be leaving Jan. 1, 2013 and that Jim Gianopulos, his fellow co-chairman for the last 12 years, would take over the helm of the movie studio.

In a Monday news conference, DreamWorks Animation Chief Executive Jeffrey Katzenberg discussed his company's just-completed distribution deal with Twentieth Century Fox, and praised Fox chairmen Jim Gianopulos and Tom Rothman for building a “world-class distribution team” and singled out Fox's strong relationships with large retailers that are critical to selling movie merchandise. “I'm confident that Fox's world-class experience and global resources will allow our films to reach the fullest potential over the next five years,” Katzenberg said.

News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey had nothing but nice things to say about the media giant's movie unit just days after ousting Tom Rothman from his position as co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment. "Our film business has had a fabulous run for years, really been a leader and certainly the team there have been essentially the ones who have driven that," Carey said Thursday at the annual Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference in New York. Carey added that "we feel very proud about what the film management team has done.

Tom Rothman and Jim Gianopulos, who together run Fox Filmed Entertainment, will share the additional title of chief executive as part of a new five-year contract the executives have signed, the studio said Thursday. Rothman and Gianopulos have been co-chairmen of the News Corp.-owned studio since 2000, overseeing four consecutive years of operating profit. Although they suffered such disappointments last year as "Kingdom of Heaven," the studio also released such hits as "Mr. and Mrs.

For most of the year, theater owners are worried about the price of movie tickets, what kind of candy to stock the concession area with and keeping tweens out of R-rated movies. But for four days at Las Vegas' CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, exhibitors get to mingle with Hollywood stars and see previews of the industry's most anticipated films. On a trade show floor at Caesars Palace, they can check out vendors pushing new popcorn toppings, the latest 3-D glasses and new 3-D and sound technology.

Oscar's supporting actor race will be a hairy one this year — and something of a digital proving ground. Andy Serkis, who played Caesar, the hyper-intelligent chimp in this summer's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," is getting an awards push courtesy of 20th Century Fox. Serkis' performance — which tracks Caesar from his childhood raised by a human scientist (James Franco) through his political awakening as an adult chimp in a cruelly run primate sanctuary — was delivered via the same computer-graphics techniques used in "Avatar.