Zynga Offered $2.25 Billion Deal to Buy 'Angry Birds' Owner (Report)

NY - Social gaming giant Zynga, which has filed for an IPO, this summer offered to acquire Angry Birds maker Rovio, but a deal never materialized, the NY Times reported. It said the deal would have valued Rovio at roughly $2.25 billion in cash and stock. In July, Zynga also failed to seal another deal to buy mobile game firm PopCap for $950 million in cash. Electronic Arts won the bidding for the firm by offering a higher potential total - $750 million in cash and stock plus the potential of an additional $550 million if certain financial targets are met. But the Times said that PopCap founders also expressed concern that Zynga was rescinding share awards and had a culture of fierce internal competition. With its IPO expected by year's end, the hard-driving Zynga may face a brain drain, the Times suggested, reporting that competitors are preparing to poach disgruntled Zynga staff, with one recruiting firm sending cookie baskets to 150 employees this month. The company, whose Facebook games include Mafia Wars and CityVille, itself has hired talent from Electronic Arts and various other gaming firms. Zynga has long emphasized it is a meritocracy, so the fact that staff works long hours and managers track performance and get rid of weaker performers may not come as a surprise. But the Times said the internal competition and hard-charging approach may make it tougher for Zynga to retain talent. Zynga CEO Mark Pincus last month acknowledged e-mails from frustrated staff complaining about long work hours and stressful deadlines, promising to address concerns, the Times said. At a meeting, Pincus read some of the toughest criticism from a regular employee survey, saying he was aware of the problems and asking for guidance to fix them, it said. Among the complaints was one from a person who said he planned to cash out and leave after the IPO, according to the Times. "Zynga should be an example of entrepreneurship at its best," Roger McNamee, a co-founder of venture capital firm Elevation Partners told the Times. "Instead it's going to be a Harvard Business School case study on founder overreach - this will be a cautionary tale." "I expect a lot of game and tech companies will begin recruiting Zynga's talent after their equity becomes liquid," said Gabrielle Toledano, head of human resources for Electronic Arts. Zynga declined to comment, citing the quiet period before its IPO. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Zynga

Signs of the Apocalypse From the 2011-12 Awards Season

The penultimate film in Summit Entertainment's Twilight franchise nearly matched the box office brawn of New Moon in its opening weekend, but just one week after Breaking Dawn Part 1 was released in theaters reports are surfacing that it has been causing seizures.our editor recommendsBox Office Report: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' and 'Muppets' Rule Thanksgiving'Breaking Dawn' Wedding: Luxury Brand Product Placement Draws Criticism For Mis-Targeting 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn's' Taylor Lautner on His Most Challenging Scene and Jacob's Massive Transformation (Video) 'Breaking Dawn's' Taylor Lautner Draws Affection From Overzealous Male Fan at Film's PremiereBox Office Report: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Scores $9.9 Mil on Monday'Breaking Dawn' Fan Blames Drunk Driving on Boyfriend's Refusal to See Film A California man, Brandon Gephart, was reportedly rushed to the hospital after getting sick while watching Breaking Dawn's birth scene.The screening ended when paramedics arrived to help Gephart. PHOTOS: New Images of 'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn' "He was convulsing, snorting, trying to breathe," Gephart's girlfriend Kelly Bauman told CBS Sacramento. "He scared me big time." Gephart admitted that he has no interest in seeing how the movie ends. A Salt Lake City man also suffered a similar seizure while watching Breaking Dawn, ABC4 reports. PHOTOS: The Evolution of Film Vampires "I didn't really remember what happened after that," he said. "I think I blacked out. According to [my wife] I was shaking and mumbling different noises." His wife explained further: "I was kneeling in front of him and slapping his face." The man's name was not given because he was afraid he would lose his job. Breaking Dawn features Bella's violent pregnancy of her child with her significant other, vampire Edward. PHOTOS: 10 Biggest Book-to-Big Screen Adaptations of the Last 25 Years "Bella turns pale and gaunt and seems in danger of wasting away; it appears the fetus is taking all of the nutrients for itself and leaving nothing for Mom, who can no longer eat normal food," writes THR's chief film critic Todd McCarthy. Medical experts said that the film's birth scene -- which features red, white and black images -- could have triggered episodes of photosensitive epilepsy. "It's like a light going off because it hits your brain all at once," Dr. Michael G. Chez tells CBS Sacramento. "The trouble with theaters is that they're so dark, the light flashing in there is more like a strobe light." This isn't the first instance of a film causing moviegoers to feel uncomfortable. During screenings of Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, which tells the story of climber Aron Ralston whose arm is trapped by a boulder in a Utah canyon, it has caused some moviegoers to vomit and faint, with one taken out of the theater and an ambulance called. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1' Black Carpet Premiere Arrivals Related Topics Twilight

Overheard At The 39th Annual American Music Awards

First Published: November 21, 2011 9:15 AM EST Credit: Getty Premium LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Adam Levine arrives at the 2011 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles on November 20, 2011Overheard at the 39th annual American Music Awards, presented Sunday at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles: Weve never won an American Music Award, and its wonderful to be acknowledged for our music. Its very sharp, though, so well have to be careful around the house. Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine backstage on the pyramid-shaped AMA trophy. We just want to say thank you to the fans. It starts and ends with you and we just love you very, very much. Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum as she accepted the bands prize for favorite country band, duo or group. Just chase your dreams. I never thought this could be possible. Shout out to all the female rappers, past present and future. Nicki Minaj, who beat out Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Jay-Z to win favorite hip-hop album for Pink Friday. Heavy had a huge effect on all of us. He was inspiring and optimistic. He just always told us or gave us great advice. He always wanted us to do good. He was like a father figure for us. Mary J. Blige backstage on Heavy D, who died unexpectedly earlier this month and whom Blige honored on stage with her performance. I just want to thank my family most of all, my beautiful babies, who just inspire me every day to be a better person. Jennifer Lopez accepting the award for favorite Latin music artist. I think the two of us should just get on TV and let our hair fight each other. Pompadour-ed presenter Robin Thicke backstage on fellow fluffy-haired singer, Bruno Mars, who was named favorite male pop/rock artist. This is like one of the craziest things that has ever happened to me. Taylor Swift accepting theaward for artist of the year. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Brett Ratner's Apologies: The Last Stand

By John Mitchell Brett Ratner is currently on some sort of apology tour after using an anti-gay slur during a question-and-answer session while promoting "Tower Heist." His latest atonement, following a formal apology and his resignation as producer of next year's Oscars, is, like Tracy Morgan before him, to team up with GLAAD to "convene public discussions featuring leaders in the entertainment industry about promoting fair and accurate inclusions of LGBT people and stories." "When we sat down with Brett today, he seemed very sincere in his desire to use this experience as a way to begin speaking out against anti-gay language in popular culture, Herndon Graddick, GLAAD's senior director of Programs and Communications, said in a statement. That's all well and good and, of course, it's admirable that he's taking some responsibility for saying something as foolish as "Rehearsal is for f**s." But come on. Why is no one calling this guy out on all the other things he's been saying that he should be apologizing for? Namely the misogynistic and racist remarks he made about Olivia Munn and Lindsay Lohan. Let's start with the grossest of all the frat-guy trash this dude has offered up recently. During a call to Howard Stern's radio show, Ratner went into rather graphic detail about his relationship with a "very young" Lindsay Lohan. He bragged about performing oral sex on Lohan, saying, "I'm probably the best in the world," adding that he knows he's the best "because they cry." He also admitted he had Lohan tested for STDs before the two slept together in 2006 you know, when she was 20 and he was 37. "Before I have sex with a girl, I do do one weird thing, Ratner told Stern. I do take em to the doctor and check em out. Im like a cootie freak. Im a germaphobe. Im a hypochondriac. Before I go all the way, I send the girl to the doctor and check them for everything. My doctor has a test to tell if youre going to catch something in the future even. For the record, Lohan came back clean. Aren't you glad you know that? He went on to recount how Lohan later found him in bed with a Victoria's Secret model and the two got into a fight over him. In a separate but equally tasteful and appropriate conversation on G4's "Attack of the Show," Ratner copped to being the unnamed director mentioned in Olivia Munn's book "Suck It, Wonder Woman: The Misadventures of a Hollywood Geek," admitting that he "banged her a few times" but forgot who she was when she later came in to audition for him. He did, however, deny Munn's account that he masturbated in front of her while eating a shrimp cocktail, but didn't really take on her charge that he was, er, packing a shrimp of his own. While all the sex talk about Munn and Lohan is patently tasteless, it's another quote about Munn that gets under my skin more. "I used to date Olivia Munn when she was Lisa. That was the problem," he told "AOTS" host Kevin Pereira. "She wasn't Asian back then." What? His point, I suppose, is that Munn now supposedly plays up her race like it's some sort of Hollywood wild card. That perhaps it's some sort of joke when she does a report on "The Daily Show" as its "Senior Asian Correspondent" because it wasn't listed as a talent on her resume when he first met "Lisa." That's a pretty crazy thing to toss out there so offhandedly, yes? From the get go, I believed the Academy made the wrong choice in giving Ratner the reins on the biggest night in Hollywood. He's a financially successful director, yes, but he also has a well-deserved reputation for frat boy antics and lowbrow humor, neither of which have any place at the Academy Awards. Say what you will about the Oscars namely that they can be boring but they're anything but lowbrow and given Ratner's recent string of public misfires, particularly the ones he hasn't apologized for, "lowbrow" is just about the only word we can think of to describe the almost-Oscar producer. Tell us what you think in the comments section and on Twitter!

Discovery acquires Betty

LONDON -- Discovery Communications has the first time acquired a U.K. shingle -- factual entertainment specialist Betty. No financial particulars were revealed, nevertheless the deal is thought to own cost the U.S. cable giant around $16 million. Discovery, that's keen to bolster its worldwide production activities, mentioned move would enable Betty to create "an international infrastructure" and increase its acquisition of shows of worldwide appeal. Inside the U.S., the invention-possessed TLC web has commissioned two runs of Betty's "Freaky People." The shingle will establish and convey new ideas and formats for Discovery's portfolio of factual and lifestyle channels, like the female-skewing TLC. Discovery may also get careful analysis get formats from Betty's library. Producer is constantly on the use individually in the London h.q., wonderful staff remaining aboard for your expected future. The U.S. cabler is pretty late to acquiring a U.K. shingle. NBC U bought Circus in August 2008, while a year ago Warners clicked on up "super indie" Shed Media. Betty is handled by founder Liz Warner, mind of production Sophy Master and artistic director Walter Iuzzolino. Its shows include "The Pleasure of teenybopper Sex," "Beauty as well as the Animal," "Food Hospital" and "Country House Save." A year ago Betty had revenue of seven.5 million ($12 million), and pre-tax profit of $1.2 million. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Best Movie Art Ever (This Week): 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Arts & Crafts

With the first week of November here, department stores can't get rid of their Halloween decorations fast enough to replace them with a 24/7 cornucopia of Christmas. This odd little moment of holiday commercialization actually had a profound effect on a young Tim Burton; watching the clash of Halloween and Christmas decorations inspired the director to create the world of 'Nightmare Before Christmas.' Burton's animated fairy-tale has become a modern classic for the holiday season. To understand how big of an impact the movie has had on a generation of viewers, all you need to do is check out the scores of innovative arts and crafts made by fans of the film. You'll find everything from tattoos to shoes, and if you're a Jack Skellington fan -- you'll even find a way to bring the Pumpkin King into your wedding. Best Movie Art Ever (This Week): November 5, 2011 Jack Skellington CosplayJack Skellington TattooHand-painted VansLock, Stock, and Barrel MuralOogie Boogie Bag'NBC' Pilsner GlassesAcryllic Fan ArtOogie Boogie Bobble HeadAcrylic and Colored Pencil Barrel ArtJack and Sally Wedding Cake ToppersSally's SongOogie Boogie FigureFan ArtZero Christmas OrnamentYard DisplayMy Little Sally See All Moviefone Galleries » Want More? Check These Out: Famous Monsters, Alien Supervillains & a Godzilla Make-Out Session Marvel-Disney Mash-ups Our sister site, ComicsAlliance, makes a habit of spotlighting particular artists and/or specific bodies of work, but there's just so much great work to see that they've initiated Best Art Ever (This Week), a weekly depository for just some of the virtually countless pieces of especially compelling artwork that they come across in their travels across the digital media landscape. Some of it's new, some of it's old, some of it's created by working professionals, some of it's created by talented fans, and some of it's endearingly stupid. And all of it's awesome. Check out ComicsAlliance's Best Art Ever (This Week). Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-319696{display:none;}.cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-319696, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-319696{width:475px;height:357px;display:block;}

CTV orders more 'Saving Hope'

Canuck broadcaster CTV purchased 12 one-hour instances of original hospital drama "Saving Hope" as parent Bell Media introduced an professional reshuffle of their production unit on Wednesday. Series is professional created by Thump Corporation. founder Ilana Frank ("Rookie Blue"), Lesley Harrison and veteran TV helmer David Wellington, who's also the series director. Co-produced and compiled by Malcolm MacRury and Morwyn Brebner, "Hope" was inspired with a three-part number of articles, released in 2005, by Globe and Mail scribe Ian Brown, who spent eight days in Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital. "Hope" stars Michael Shanks ("Stargate Atlantis") as Dr. Harris, chief surgeon of the imaginary Toronto hospital, who is based on coma and wanders the wards in spirit form. Erica Durance ("Smallville") stars as his girlfriend and fellow surgeon, and Joel Goran ("The Vampire Journals") may be the hot new surgeon.An airplane pilot was shot this summer time. Not sure yet on when lensing starts. Bell Media is re-aiming its production unit, headed by senior Vice president Corrie Coe, to mirror development and production by genre across all Bell qualities, a change in the funnel-focused model. Trish Williams has become the unit's director of drama (shows airing across CTV, Space, Muchmusic and Bravo) Sarah Fowlie is director of comedy (these along with the Comedy Network) and Susan Makela is director of Canadian programming management. Coe is constantly on the helm Bell's factual and reality series development and production. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

UPDATE: Discovery Tracks For Additional Digital Cash After Netflix Deal Helps It To Top 3Q Earnings Estimations

UPDATE, 2:30 PM: Discovery states that OWN is draining cash — the organization added $12M to the purchase of the partnership throughout 3Q. Still, Boss David Zaslav states he’soptimistic, although “this normally takes a while”: The task is “putting up great content that drives the The famous host oprah brand.” He’s preparing for a number of discussions with satellite and cable operators to attain obligations for that Discovery programming they would like to operate on their TV Everywhere digital services. Presently “no distributor has the authority to take our channels onto TV Everywhere.”Some talks will occur soon despite the fact that Discovery’s carriage deals go to the finish of 2012. “We’re very encouraging” of TV Everywhere, Zaslav states. “We simply need to find value.” One hurdle is to determine digital rankings. “Today it’s measured on computer systems, but this is not on iPads.” Headds that Discovery’s cope with Netflix is “a large internet positive for all of us” because it only requires the U.S., it’s not exclusive, and itinvolves implies that are in least 18 several weeks old. But he states that “nobody knows” whether online viewing cuts into TV rankings. “We couldn’t find any noticeable degradation,” he notes although “there isn’t enough data available.”Discovery shares were up 1.7% in after hrs buying and selling. PREVIOUS, 1:30 PM: Discovery states thatit saw strong growth in the U.S. and overseas. The companyhad internet earnings from ongoing procedures of of $238M, up 45.1% versus this past year’s 3Q, on revenues of $1.1B, up 18.3%. Earnings at 59 cents a share exceeded the 55 cents that experts expected. The organization states that revenues in internet marketing U.S. systems was up 19% to $$695M because of enhanced ad sales and revenues from pay TV marketers. That offset losing $4M because of the offer that in The month of january switched its wholly possessed Discovery Health in to the partnership with The famous host oprah Winfrey, OWN.The funnel were built with a rocky start, but Boss David Zaslav states that “Oprah is beginning to nurture the wedding guests.” Younger crowd states that the organization tips in 3Q from the recent program certification cope with Netflix and soaring rankings for ID: Analysis Discovery. The organization reviews that ad sales remain strong. It needs to finish the entire year with around $4.3B in revenue and $1.1B in net gain for stockholders.

Charter Creates Online Directory For Netflix, Amazon, And Hulu Content

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 1, 2011 — Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) is expanding choice and increasing convenience for its Internet customers by organizing online content from Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu into a single online directory on Charter.net. Leveraging its robust broadband network, Charter is in a unique position to provide additional value through a comprehensive search and discovery experience, including entitled cable content and over the top content, not available from any other multichannel video programming distributor. Charter’s Internet customers already have access to a variety of movies, shows and sports coverage on Charter.net, and the choices will continue to grow at a rapid pace over the course of the next year. Initially available online, the enhanced functionality will be available on tablets and mobile devices next year. Pointers to content offered by Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu will be integrated with links to content already available on Charter.net through a unified search and discovery experience. Customers will have the ability to search the full library of content available from a variety of distributors, and choose the source of the content with just a few quick clicks. “Consumers are watching streaming video from a variety of content providers on multiple devices at an increasing rate,” said Rich DiGeronimo, Charter’s Senior Vice President, Product and Strategy. “Charter is embracing this change in landscape, and making the search and discovery for all types of content easier and more convenient for consumers by integrating content from numerous sources into a single online directory. We’re starting by expanding our online functionality, but this is just the beginning of our aspiration to deliver the best customer experience with all video content on all devices, everywhere our customers go over the most robust network.” Charter is providing access for its customers to search the additional content for free. Customers must have appropriate rights to view the movies and shows by maintaining relationships directly with Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Instant Video in accordance with each services member agreements. Earlier this year, Charter launched online content from a number of popular premium and sports content providers. Integrating content from Netflix, Amazon Instant Video and Hulu is the next step in providing a robust library of content to enjoy online, from anywhere in the country, and over time, on tablets and mobile devices.