newsmakers

newsmakers

Lohan at Sundance to announce new film

PARK CITY, Utah

Lindsay Lohan is attending her first Sundance Film Festival.

The 27-year-old came to the independent cinema showcase Monday to announce that she will produce and star in a film called “Inconceivable,” set to start shooting in March.

She was joined by producer and financier Randall Emmett, who called Lohan “one of the greatest young actresses of her generation.”

Lohan said she is grateful to be at Sundance and back in the movie business.

“I’ve never had the honor of coming here before ... to bring something to the table, which is starting fresh for me,” said Lohan, smiling broadly. “And I’m filming my Oprah docu-series right now, so I get to show that to the people who have been watching that as well.

“It’s a nice change to be back among people that are in the industry that I’ve been in since I was a kid.”

A crew from the OWN series filmed Lohan’s announcement at Monday’s news conference, where reporters were told that if they asked personal questions, they would be escorted out.

PBS won’t move ‘Downton’ closer to British run

PASADENA, Calif.

Despite some fans eager to see it earlier, “Downton Abbey” will continue to begin its new seasons on PBS in January, the system’s chief executive said Monday.

The return of “Downton Abbey,” which began its fourth season Jan. 5, is becoming a post-holiday tradition for the show’s fans, said Paula Kerger, PBS president. The British series began presenting new episodes in late September back home, but PBS holds it back. The drama had more than 10 million viewers for its fourth-season debut, and the episode was streamed online 1 million times during the following week, she said.

Debuting PBS’ most buzz-worthy show at the same time it starts in Britain will put it in direct competition with the new season offerings from the broadcast networks, Kerger said. It also is easier to get cast members to the U.S. to promote the new season if they don’t have to worry about those duties in Britain at the same time.

“It would be very hard for me to imagine putting it anywhere else than where it has seemed to have found a very strong audience,” she said.

Public broadcasters are open to experimenting with different ways of distribution, however. Some PBS stations have tried showing programs online before they appear on television, she said.

Associated Press