LOS ANGELES, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Coca-Cola Co held what it called a “productive conversation” with an Arab-American group that labeled the firm’s Super Bowl ad racist, but will not change the commercial featuring an Arab walking through a desert with a camel.

“We did express regret that the ad had been misunderstood,” Coca-Cola spokeswoman Lauren Thompson said in an email. “We are very concerned by these allegations and in no way is our ad meant to be derogatory to any group.”

LOS ANGELES, Jan 30 (Reuters) – Arab-American groups have sharply criticized a Coca-Cola Super Bowl ad depicting an Arab walking through the desert with a camel, and one group said it would ask the beverage giant to change it before CBS airs the game on Sunday before an expected audience of more than 100 million U.S. viewers.

“Why is it that Arabs are always shown as either oil-rich sheiks, terrorists, or belly dancers?” said Warren David, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, or ADC.

LOS ANGELES, Jan 26 (Reuters) – Iran hostage drama “Argo”
continued its trophy-winning streak on Saturday, taking the top
prize at the Producers Guild Awards in the latest boost to its
chances at the Oscars.

Guild picks regularly go on to win at the film industry’s
most prestigious event – for the last five years, the producers’
choice of best-produced film has taken the best picture Oscar.

LOS ANGELES, Jan 25 (Reuters) – Splashy Super Bowl ads for
national advertisers like Coca-Cola Co and Budweiser
always seem to set records, but sales of lucrative local
commercials on stations owned by broadcaster CBS Corp
will also hit an all-time high this year.

“It’s huge compared with what CBS did three years ago,” said
Peter Dunn, president of CBS Television Stations. “Money is
still coming in, so it’s still not finished. We do think it’s a
record for total revenue.”

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans this summer to recommend ways that the alcoholic beverage industry can better protect underage viewers from seeing its advertisements online.

Distillers, brewers and wineries pour millions of dollars into brand promotion on Twitter, Facebook and other social media, and industry critics contend they are not doing enough to prevent young consumers from receiving these messages.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) plans this summer to recommend ways that the alcoholic beverage industry can better protect underage viewers from seeing its advertisements online.

Distillers, brewers and wineries pour millions of dollars into brand promotion on Twitter, Facebook and other social media, and industry critics contend they are not doing enough to prevent young consumers from receiving these messages.

LOS ANGELES, Jan 16 (Reuters) – Four Hollywood studios were
named on Wednesday in lawsuits brought by two directors and a
representative for late actor Charles Bronson claiming what
could be up to hundreds of millions of dollars in back royalties
on films distributed to the home video market.

News Corp’s 20th Century Fox, Viacom Inc’s
Paramount Pictures, Comcast Corp’s Universal Pictures
and Sony Pictures were sued in Los Angeles Superior
Court.

Los Angeles (Reuters) – News Corp’s 20th Century Fox led the Oscars race among Hollywood studios by scoring 31 nominations, including best picture nods for both “Lincoln” and “Life of Pi,” setting the stage for the box office bounces that selected films often get.

The coveted nominations for the 85th annual Academy Awards, to be held on February 24, will trigger new and frenzied marketing efforts for the highlighted films, as studios jostle to take advantage of the buzz before Hollywood’s biggest night.

Los Angeles, Jan 10 (Reuters) – News Corp’s 20th
Century Fox received 31 Oscar nods on Thursday, taking the lead
among studios in nominations for the 85th annual Academy Awards
next month, and positioning it for the box office bounce that
films’ selections often bring.

The nominations will trigger new and frenzied marketing
efforts for the highlighted films, as studios jostle to take
advantage of the buzz before Hollywood’s biggest night, on Feb.
24.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel said on Wednesday it will buy Current TV, the low-rated cable channel founded by Al Gore and Joel Hyatt in 2005, in a move that will boost its U.S. footprint.

Terms were undisclosed, but analysts estimated the deal could be worth as much as $500 million.