Sony Pictures is leaving South Korea because of sluggish sales and rampant piracy, The Korea Times is reporting this week. Sony isn’t the first studio to abandon the Korean market; according to the Times, Paramount, Universal, Buena Vista and 20th Century Fox have all ceased operations there, meaning there is no longer a major Hollywood studio operating in South Korea.

Korean DVD sales have been in a free fall in recent years. The newspaper quotes estimates for 2008 of some $285 million vs. $673 million in 2002. At the same time, blazing fast broadband is ubiquitous. The country’s average broadband penetration rate by household hit 90.1 percent last year; in Seoul, the rate was 107.8 percent. Korea’s broadband revolution is often touted as a sign of things to come for the rest of the world, but is the same true for the death of its DVD market?

There’s no question that film-swapping broadband users are behind at least some of the industry’s woes in Korea. In a recent survey, almost 50 percent of Korea’s Internet users have admitted to downloading movies from the Internet, and the typical user is downloading about a movie a week. Copyright isn’t even an issue with the folks that haven’t been getting their Hollywood blockbusters online. Instead, they simply deemed downloading as too complicated.

The slump of DVD sales numbers has also taken its toll on DVD rental stores. The Korea Times is reporting that there were 10,000 of these Blockbuster-type stores back in 2001, but the number was down to 3,500 at the end of last year. Finally, box office sales have been slightly down in 2007 as well, but some attribute this to the changing box office landscape rather than to piracy.

http://newteevee.com/

Behind the scenes of Nas “Sly Fox” video. Love this, Nas please show the world how toxic “Fox News” is.

A Danville woman faces arson charges after she allegedly set fires at two gas stations and a coffee house, saying she was protesting high gas prices.

The woman, 64, remained Thursday in a Contra Costa jail on $810,000 bail on suspicion of premeditated arson and burglary.

Police say the woman used a fireplace log and a lighter to set fires in the restrooms of an Arco station, a Chevron station and a Starbucks on Wednesday. No structural damage was reported at the locations.

Police later found the woman at a nearby fast food restaurant with eight fireplace logs with her. She told officers that she was behind the fires and said she woke up that morning wanting to do something about high gas prices.

Police say they don’t know why she targeted the Starbucks.

Charges have not yet been filed, and it’s not clear if the woman has a lawyer in the case.

ap

Executive Editor

As a successful producer, marketer and collaborator, Paul Stewart, CEO of Next Thing, has demonstrated a keen eye for both talent and opportunity in the entertainment industry. Def Jam founder and apparel icon Russell Simmons, musician and actor Ice Cube, Academy Award nominee John Singleton, Barbershop director George Tillman, and other industry leaders have come to rely on Stewart’s knowledge and expertise to enhance their projects. On his own, Stewart has discovered and developed creative talent both behind the mic and behind the camera.

Most recently, Stewart’s finely tuned ear for music and story was integral in the creation of the 2005 Sundance Audience Award-winning film Hustle & Flow. Producer John Singleton relied on Stewart to craft a collection of original music by up-and-coming and established hip-hop artists. Singleton leaned on Stewart for the critically-lauded Motown-driven sound of the box-office champ Four Brothers. Their collaboration extends back to the music direction for the Tupac Shakur and Janet Jackson vehicle Poetic Justice and the hit 2 Fast 2 Furious.Stewart has also partnered extensively with director/producer George Tillman, supervising the music for the Babershop franchise as well as the period piece Men of Honor.

Stewart’s penchant for matching the right song with the right moment is indicative of his ability to pair promising creative talent with the right projects. Prior to the formation of Next Thing, Stewart founded and ran PMP, a promotions company and record label associated with Island/Def Jam and, later, Loud Records. Stewart also ran the marketing and promotion divisions of Ice Cube’s record label Street Knowledge, distributed then by Time/Warner. Stewart’s tenure with Ice Cube coincided with the development of the smash hit “Friday.”

Through PMP, Stewart discovered and developed numerous multi-platinum musical artists as diverse as Coolio, The Pharcyde, Montell Jordan and House of Pain. Stewart also gave future feature-film directors Dave Meyers, F. Gary Gray, Paul Hunter and Christopher Erskin their first shots behind the camera as music video directors.

Paul Stewart has proved that he is an indispensable ambassador for hip-hop and urban culture and continues pushing boundaries in the medium. Stewart is currently expanding Next Thing’s business several ventures including film production and web development.

Email Paul

Contributing Editor

Che, aka Che Skizza, Skizza, or The Skeez is an artist, writer, producer, marinade master, Spades champion, dominologist, and activist from Altadena, Ca. As a teen in the late 80’s, he developed a love for hip-hop, recording his first song in 1988 in his cousins (a keyboard player for Jody Watley) house in Carson, Ca.

After being in numerous groups, Che hooked up with High School friend and former Madkap (Loud records) member Damon “Coke” Daniels to form the Colored Section, who’s membership at one time included Xzibit and DJ Homicide (from the multi-platinum group Sugar ray).

Through this collaboration, Che met Paul Stewart who was looking to sign the group to his imprint PMP. Eventually signing with PMP A&R Gary Meals indie label 12inch RPM, The Colored Section released their self-titled debut album in 1998. The album was an underground success with the first single earning a spot in Sway (of MTV news) and Tech’s The Wake Up Show’s top 30 Hip Hop songs of all time. In addition, the record charted on HITS, IMPACT, and others, topping such artists as Wyclef Jean, The Wu-Tang Clan, and Scarface. The group opened for the likes of Big Pun and The Goodie Mob, as well as recorded with Eminem and Jayo Felony among others.

Now a solo artist, Skizza’s written and recorded songs for various films, been featured on numerous mixtapes, opened for Eve and Redman, and recorded with Lil Half Dead, Above The Law, and George Clinton. In addition to recording his own music, writing and producing for others, Che is expanding into other mediums, working on scripts for film and television.

His most recent project is a reunion of sorts, collaborating with Paul Stewart and Damon “Coke” Daniels on their film Gangsta Rap - The Glockumentary. Combining two of his greatest passions, humor and Hip-Hop, Che penned the entire album which is featured in the film and soundtrack, and along with Paul & Coke, Executive Produced the soundtrack due to be released on Delicious Vinyl.
Che-Skizza

Contributor

CHEO HODARI COKER is a music journalist, author, and screenwriter. As a freelance journalist, Coker has written cover stories, major features, and reviews for the Los Angeles Times, VIBE, Premiere, Essence, The Face, Details, Spin, Rolling Stone, The Source, XXL, Rap Pages, and the Village Voice. He has frequently been featured as a commentator on VH-1’s popular series “Behind The Music, has beena consultant for the critically lauded HBO series “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry since its inception. Cheo’s screenplays include “Notorious” about the life and times of the Notorious BIG for Fox Searchlight, Living For The City: The Marion Barry Story” for HBO, “When I Get Free: The Life and Times of Tupac Amaru Shakur” for MTV and “Legend” for Warner Bros, and a forthcoming adaptation of Claude Brown’s seminal best-selling coming of age classic “Manchild In The Promised Land”. Coker is the author of “Unbelievable: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G.”(VIBE Books/Crown) and with Oscar winning director Bill Condon and Martin Godfried, is the coauthor of “Dreamgirls: The Movie Musical” (Newmarket Pictoral Moviebooks).

MUSIC EDITOR

D.J. SMILES DAVIS was born in the Midwest Grand Rapids Michigan to be exact. Music was an important component of her early family life. After relocating to Phoenix AZ as a child dance and theatre soon became her main obsession. After getting accepted to the super prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Academy she packed up and went to the big Apple. After finishing at Alvin Ailey she decided to move out to Los Angeles and got bitten by the music bug. She started DJing and writing reviews for Aeomba records. Check her @ smilesdavis

CONTRIBUTOR

For More thn two decades, Eddie Donaldson has erased the lines between street artist influencers and corporations. prior to his current role as co-founder of The marketing Division, Donaldson established the GuerillaOne agency, a company that continues to provide marketing, event coordination, promotion, street tactics, tastemaker influence and much more for corporations seeking to tap into the excitement, influence and creativity of the street

COMEDY SPOTLIGHT

Howie Bell is a funny Mofo! You can see him on Diddy’s the Bad Boys Of Comedy as well as Jamie Foxx’s Laffapalooza series. When he’s not ripping stages doing stand up he’s busy covering up and coming fellow comics for Next Thing.w

ARTS & ENT. EDITOR

for 5 Seasons, a regular on Jamie Foxx’s LAFFAPALOOZA! comedy festival

Lady Dy is originally from the yay area. She is a dancer, actress, writer, producer, etc and now she’s down with Next Thing dropping in her 2 cents.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Sandy Dee hails from Southern California and is our resident stylist. She is a multi talented artist with photography, graphic design and sketching among her many talents. Sandy has worked in many different creative mediums and we are very excited to have her contributing to Next Thing. sandeenext@gmail.com

CONTRIBUTOR

Expect to see various fly shit from Don “Sneakerman Dan” Daniel Harlem born DC bred. “I don’t like much. Flyest motherfucker on the east coast.” his own blog http://realmangojuice.com/

CONTRIBUTOR

Mike D’Orazio is a writer. He loves to write and has been doing so for several years. Mike has a high interest in everything that is pop culture. He currently resides in his hometown on the east side of Detroit, Michigan. E-mail him at dorazio.mike@gmail.com http://mikedorazio.wordpress.com