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Doc News Shorts: November 17, 2009

By IDA Editorial Staff


MTV wants its Michael Jackson's This Is It documentary. And it got it. MTV has acquired the rights to air the film in 2011, a deal that includes all of the domestic channels under MTV Networks, including VH1, VH1 Classic and Palladia. The arrangement also extends to Viacom's BET Networks, according to a press release issued by MTV.(via the LAT)

This summer, HBO Archives retrieved over 13,000 videotapes of never-before-cataloged footage highlighting all facets of the world of Entertainment dating from the early 1980’s to the late 1990’s. This newly available material now joins HBO Archives vast Entertainment News Library, covering the 1970’s to the present, all of which are offered for clip licensing. Learn more at http://www.hboarchives.com/entertainment

Current TV, the cable channel founded by former Vice President Al Gore, has begun overhauling its programming model, with the elimination of 80 full-time staff positions. Originally positioned as a showcase for short-form, user-generated content, Current is shifting toward a more traditional content strategy, with plans to run 30- and 60-minute programs, many of which will be acquisitions. Could this lead to more opportunities for freelance doc makers? (via Mediaweek)

I'm With Cancer scribe Will Reiser is in talks to write Young@Heart, Working Title's narrative remake of Fox Searchlight's singing-senior documentary. Working Title acquired remake rights to Heart in 2007. Stephen Walker's original doc Heart tells the story of a group of seniors who, under the tutelage of a younger choir director, sing versions of songs from artists such as The Clash, Coldplay and James Brown.