A trade name , trading name , or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name . Registering the fictitious name with a relevant government body is often required.
101-518: Orion Releasing, LLC ( doing business as Orion ) is an American film production and distribution company owned by the Amazon MGM Studios subsidiary of Amazon . It founded in 1978 as Orion Pictures Corporation , a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former senior executives at United Artists . The company produced and released films from 1978 through 1999 and was also involved in television production and syndication in
202-406: A Best Picture Oscar), Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters , and the sports film Hoosiers . Orion's 1986 offerings drew 18 Academy Award nominations, more than any other studio. In 1987, Orion achieved further success with RoboCop and No Way Out . By this time, Orion's television division had expanded into the lucrative syndicated game show market under the name Century Towers Productions,
303-420: A DBA must be registered with a local or state government, or both, depending on the jurisdiction. For example, California, Texas and Virginia require a DBA to be registered with each county (or independent city in the case of Virginia) where the owner does business. Maryland and Colorado have DBAs registered with a state agency. Virginia also requires corporations and LLCs to file a copy of their registration with
404-467: A DBA statement, though names including the first and last name of the owner may be accepted. This also reduces the possibility of two local businesses operating under the same name, although some jurisdictions do not provide exclusivity for a name, or may allow more than one party to register the same name. Note, though, that this is not a substitute for filing a trademark application. A DBA filing carries no legal weight in establishing trademark rights. In
505-470: A battle with Redstone over control of the company. Kluge won on May 20, 1988, when Metromedia took over about 67% of Orion. One analyst told The Wall Street Journal : "This amount is probably so small to Kluge it doesn't matter. He probably burns that up in a weekend." In 1989, Orion suffered from a disastrous slate of films, placing dead last among larger Hollywood studios by box office revenue. Among its biggest flops that year were Great Balls of Fire! ,
606-441: A biography of Jerry Lee Lewis starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder ; She-Devil , a dark comedy starring Meryl Streep and Roseanne Barr ; Speed Zone , an action-comedy vehicle for SCTV alumni John Candy , Joe Flaherty , and Eugene Levy ; and Miloš Forman 's adaptation of Les Liaisons dangereuses , Valmont , which competed with Dangerous Liaisons , also based on the same source material. Test screenings of
707-491: A co-production with Spelling Television , for CBS ; talent deals Orion Television had at the time (with Thomas Carter , Robert Townsend , Paul Stajonovich, Clifton Campbell and Deborah Joy Levine ) were also taken by Nardino to Lorimar. On November 25, 1991, Orion sold its Hollywood Squares format rights to King World Productions after Orion closed down its television division. On December 11, 1991, Orion filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. That same month, Orion
808-772: A corporation, mostly to avoid its home video distribution agreement with Warner Home Video and began distributing Orion Pictures films under the Orion Home Video label. MGM acquired the two thirds of the pre-1996 PolyGram Filmed Entertainment library (which included the Epic film library ) from Seagram in 1999 for $ 250 million, increasing their library holdings to 4,000. The PolyGram libraries were purchased by its Orion Pictures subsidiary so as to avoid its 1990 home video distribution agreement with Warner Home Video. In March 1999, MGM bought out its distribution contract with Warner Home Video for $ 225 million, effectively ending
909-460: A dozen more actors, directors and producers lining up to sign with them. In October 1979, Benjamin died. Orion's first film, A Little Romance , was released in April that year. Later that year, Orion released Blake Edwards ' 10 which became a commercial success, the first for Edwards in over a decade (aside from installments of The Pink Panther franchise). Other films released by Orion over
1010-479: A fatal mistake in letting the five men leave. The 'fatal mistake' came true following the box-office disaster of Heaven's Gate in 1980 which led to Transamerica selling UA to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . In February 1978, the five men forged a deal with Warner Bros. The executives formed Orion Pictures Company, named after the constellation which they claimed had five main stars (it actually has seven or eight). The new company intended only to finance projects, giving
1111-535: A film adaptation. The film received almost universally negative reviews and did very poorly at the box office. Travolta's performance in Battlefield Earth also earned him two Razzie Awards . Throughout the 2000s, Travolta remained busy as an actor, starring in Swordfish (2001); Domestic Disturbance (2001); Ladder 49 (2004); Be Cool (2005); Lonely Hearts (2006); Wild Hogs (2007);
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#17327795015651212-567: A friend of Krim's) John Kluge . Metromedia had just divested its television station group to Rupert Murdoch 's News Corporation (which would form what is now the Fox network ). Kluge's investment in Orion came at the right time; Back to School was a success that earned $ 90 million at the box office. By March 1987, the studio's fortunes had increased dramatically with a succession of critical and commercial hits, including Platoon (which ultimately won
1313-597: A hit single titled " Let Her In ", peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July 1976. In the next few years, he starred in the television movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and two of his most noted screen roles: Tony Manero in the dance drama Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Danny Zuko in the musical Grease (1978). The films were among the most commercially successful pictures of
1414-550: A hit. Another factor was that Orion was about to venture into the video business and stopped selling home-use rights to its films. Furthermore, the production of the Rodney Dangerfield comedy Back to School was put on hold when a co-producer died, taking the film off of its Christmas 1985 release slate. In January 1986, Mario Kassar and Andrew Vajna , producers of the Rambo films (the first film, First Blood ,
1515-856: A junior at age 17 in 1971. After dropping out of school, Travolta moved across the Hudson River to New York City and landed a role in the touring company of the musical Grease as Doody and on Broadway in Over Here! , singing the Sherman Brothers ' song " Dream Drummin' ". He then moved to Los Angeles for professional reasons. Travolta's first screen role in California was as a fall victim in Emergency! (Season 2, Episode 2) in September 1972, but his first significant movie role
1616-598: A letter, written by Singer in response to allegations in a book by Randolph, was protected by free speech. Travolta was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performances in Saturday Night Fever and Pulp Fiction . He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his performance in Get Shorty and has received a total of six nominations,
1717-523: A military investigator in The General's Daughter (1999). In 2000, Travolta starred in and co-produced the science fiction film Battlefield Earth , based on the novel of the same name by L. Ron Hubbard , in which he played the villainous leading role as a leader of a group of aliens that enslaves humanity on a bleak future Earth. The film was a dream project for Travolta since the book's release in 1982, when Hubbard wrote to him to try to help make
1818-843: A movie-buff loan shark in Get Shorty (1995), a factory worker in White Man's Burden (1995), a corrupt U.S. Air Force pilot in Broken Arrow (1996), an everyman with extraordinary powers in Phenomenon (1996), an archangel in Michael (1996), an FBI agent and terrorist in Face/Off (1997), a desperate attorney in A Civil Action (1998), a Bill Clinton –esque presidential candidate in Primary Colors (1998), and
1919-751: A professional dancer and lost 20 pounds (9.1 kg); the film was a financial success, grossing over $ 65 million, though it, too, was scorned by critics. During that time, Travolta was offered, but declined, lead roles in what would become box-office hits, including American Gigolo and An Officer and a Gentleman , both of which went to Richard Gere , as well as Splash , which went to Tom Hanks . In 1989, Travolta starred with Kirstie Alley in Look Who's Talking , which grossed $ 297 million, making it his most successful film since Grease . Travolta subsequently starred in Look Who's Talking Too (1990) and Look Who's Talking Now (1993), but it
2020-473: A reference to Orion's street address. It produced revivals of format inherited from Heatter-Quigley Productions , owned since the late 1960s by Filmways; this included The New Hollywood Squares , which ran from 1986 to 1989, and a revival of High Rollers that aired in the 1987–88 season. 1987 also saw the arrival of former CBS/Fox Video executive Len White, who became president and CEO of Orion Home Video, with plans to release its first home video titles in
2121-469: A separate company which was rejected by Beckett. The last straw came for Pleskow when he refused to collect and deliver the medical records of UA department heads to Transamerica's offices in San Francisco for the sake of confidentiality. The tensions only worsened when Fortune magazine reported an article on the clash between UA and TA in which Beckett had stated that, if the executives disliked
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#17327795015652222-499: A two-picture deal with John Travolta 's production company. Contracts with actress and director Barbra Streisand ; actors James Caan , Jane Fonda , Peter Sellers , Jon Voight , and Burt Reynolds ; directors Francis Ford Coppola and Blake Edwards ; writer/director John Milius ; singer Peter Frampton ; and producer Ray Stark soon materialized. Orion also developed a co-financing and distribution deal with EMI Films . In its first year, Orion had fifteen films in production and had
2323-604: A two-thousand film library, ten completed movies and five direct-to-video features for future release and the Krevoy and Stabler movie put picture distribution deal. Krevoy and Stabler retained the right to the Motion Picture Corporation of America name and their three top movies. Metromedia retained Goldwyn Entertainment's Landmark Theatre Group. One Man's Hero (1999) was the last film released by Orion Pictures for 15 years. MGM kept Orion Pictures intact as
2424-403: A while". Travolta is a pilot and rated to fly Boeing 707 , 737 , and 747 planes. He owns four aircraft. Travolta owned an ex-Qantas Boeing 707-138B (Ex-VH-EBM) which bears an old livery of Qantas , and Travolta acted as an official goodwill ambassador for the airline wherever he flew. Travolta named his 707 "Jett Clipper Ella", in honor of his children. The "Clipper" in the name refers to
2525-474: Is called a razón social . John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor, singer, and producer. He began acting in television before transitioning into a leading man in films. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award , in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards , a British Academy Film Award , and three Screen Actors Guild Awards . Travolta came to prominence starring in
2626-424: Is too similar to a name that is already registered. Using one or more fictitious business names does not create additional separate legal entities. The distinction between a registered legal name and a fictitious business name, or trade name, is important because fictitious business names do not always identify the entity that is legally responsible . Legal agreements (such as contracts ) are normally made using
2727-481: Is used, among others, such as assumed business name or fictitious business name . In Canada , " operating as " (abbreviated to o/a ) and " trading as " are used, although " doing business as " is also sometimes used. A company typically uses a trade name to conduct business using a simpler name rather than using their formal and often lengthier name. Trade names are also used when a preferred name cannot be registered, often because it may already be registered or
2828-571: The Bill & Ted films, and Best Picture Academy Award winners Amadeus , Platoon , Dances with Wolves , and The Silence of the Lambs . Following is a list of the major Academy Awards (Picture, Director, two Screenplay and four Acting awards) for which Orion films were nominated. Worldwide Gross Almost all of Orion's post-1982 releases, as well as most of the AIP and Filmways backlogs and all of
2929-688: The Billboard Hot 100 's Top 40 . His albums have typically accompanied films he has starred in, such as Grease: The Original Soundtrack from the Motion Picture (1978), which topped the Billboard 200 . Travolta is also a private pilot . The youngest of six children, Travolta was born and raised in Englewood, New Jersey , an inner-ring suburb of New York City in Bergen County, New Jersey . His father, Salvatore "Sam" Travolta,
3030-886: The "Weird Al" Yankovic comedy UHF were so strong that Orion had high expectations for it, but it flopped at the box office (though it later developed a cult following on video). Also that year, it signed a deal with Nelson Entertainment to distribute titles on videocassette and theatrically. In February 1990, Orion signed a deal with Columbia Pictures Entertainment in which the much larger studio would pay Orion $ 175 million to distribute Orion's movies and television programs overseas. Orion had previously licensed its films to individual distributors territory by territory. That same month, Mike Medavoy left Orion and became head of Tri-Star Pictures . The box-office returns for Orion's 1990 releases were just as dismal, with failures in The Hot Spot and State of Grace . The only bright spot
3131-520: The Grease soundtrack album. After the failure of the romance Moment by Moment (1978), in which he starred with Lily Tomlin , Travolta rebounded in 1980, riding a nationwide country music craze that followed on the heels of his hit film Urban Cowboy , in which he starred with Debra Winger . Travolta followed up Urban Cowboy with a starring role in Brian de Palma 's 1981 film Blow Out , which
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3232-466: The United Kingdom , there is no filing requirement for a "business name", defined as "any name under which someone carries on business" that, for a company or limited liability partnership, "is not its registered name", but there are requirements for disclosure of the owner's true name and some restrictions on the use of certain names. A minority of U.S. states, including Washington , still use
3333-819: The sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979), followed by leading roles in Carrie (1976), Grease (1978), Urban Cowboy (1980), and Blow Out (1981). He earned nominations for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his roles in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Pulp Fiction (1994). His other notable films include Get Shorty (1995), Broken Arrow (1996), Michael (1996), Face/Off (1997), A Civil Action (1998), Primary Colors (1998), The General's Daughter (1999), The Punisher (2004), Wild Hogs (2007), Hairspray (2007), Bolt (2008), and Savages (2012). Travolta returned to television portraying lawyer Robert Shapiro in
3434-671: The "new" Orion will produce, market and distribute four to six modestly budgeted films a year across genres and platforms, and both wide and limited releases for targeted audiences. Its first release, the young adult romance drama Every Day , was released on February 23, 2018. In May 2018, it was announced that Orion Classics would be revived as a multiplatform distribution label, with 8 to 10 films being released per year. On February 5, 2019, MGM and Annapurna Pictures expanded their US joint distribution venture Mirror, rebranding it as United Artists Releasing . Beginning in April 2019, Orion Pictures' upcoming titles would be distributed through
3535-440: The 1980s and early 1990s. It was one of the largest mini-major studios during its early years, when it worked with prominent directors such as Woody Allen , James Cameron , Jonathan Demme , and Oliver Stone . Four films distributed by Orion won Academy Awards for Best Picture : Amadeus (1984), Platoon (1986), Dances with Wolves (1990), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Four other Orion films were nominated for
3636-489: The Disney animated film Bolt (2008), in which Travolta voiced the title character ; The Taking of Pelham 123 ; and Old Dogs (both 2009). In 2007, Travolta played Edna Turnblad in the remake of Hairspray , his first musical since Grease . Since 2010, Travolta has starred mostly in action films and thrillers , such as From Paris with Love (2010) and Savages (2012). In 2016, he returned to television in
3737-777: The Jett Travolta Foundation, a nonprofit organization to help children with special needs. It has contributed to organizations such as the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy , Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential , and Simon Wiesenthal Center . On July 12, 2020, Travolta's wife, Kelly Preston, died at the age of 57, at their home in Clearwater, Florida , two years after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Preston had undergone treatment at different hospitals, and at
3838-558: The Lambs is nominated for Best Picture. And they can't afford to have another hit! But there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Orion was just purchased, and the bad news is it was bought by the House of Representatives. The Silence of the Lambs swept all five major Academy Awards; however, a majority of key executives, as well as the talent they had deals with, had left the studio. Hollywood observers had doubts that Orion would be resurrected to its former glory. In May 1992, it
3939-524: The Orion Pictures brand as a standalone, US theatrical marketing and distribution arm with the hiring of John Hegeman, who joined from Blumhouse Tilt (distributor of Orion's The Town That Dreaded Sundown and The Belko Experiment ) and incidentally got his start at the original Orion in the 1980s. Hegeman would serve as president of the expanded label and report to Jonathan Glickman , president of MGM's motion picture group. Under his leadership,
4040-418: The U.S., trademark rights are acquired by use in commerce, but there can be substantial benefits to filing a trademark application. Sole proprietors are the most common users of DBAs. Sole proprietors are individual business owners who run their businesses themselves. Since most people in these circumstances use a business name other than their own name, it is often necessary for them to get DBAs. Generally,
4141-519: The UAR banner and Orion's theatrical distribution staff will move to UAR. The first Orion film to do so was the remake of Child's Play , which was released on June 21, 2019. On August 20, 2020, it was announced that Orion would be relaunched again, with its focus shifting to films made by underrepresented filmmakers (including people of color, women, the LGBT community and people with disabilities) as part of
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4242-674: The US distribution rights to On the Count of Three two weeks after it premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival . On May 17, 2021, online shopping company Amazon entered negotiations to acquire MGM and even made a bid for about $ 9 billion, with the intention to own the studio's library, including Orion's films, to grow the Amazon Prime Video catalog. The negotiations were made with Anchorage Capital Kevin Ulrich. On May 26, 2021, it
4343-557: The United States. Out of the 23 films Orion released between April 1979 and December 1981, only a third of them made a profit. Orion executives were conflicted over financing big-budgeted films and passed on Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) for that reason. By early 1982, Orion had severed its distribution ties with Warner Bros. As part of the deal, the rights to Orion's films made up to that point were sold to Warner Bros. Orion
4444-423: The aircraft was to be flown to Illawarra Regional Airport , where HARS is based, however was not allowed to fly it, because it was to be registered as an Australian aircraft. On November 24, 1992, Travolta was piloting his Gulfstream N728T at night above a solid undercast when he experienced a total electrical system failure while flying under instrument flight rules into Washington National Airport . During
4545-428: The award show's official ambassador. On September 13, 2010, during the first episode of the final season of her talk show , Oprah Winfrey announced that she would be taking her entire studio audience on an eight-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Australia, with Travolta serving as pilot for the trip. He had helped Winfrey plan the trip for more than a year. He is the author of the book Propeller One-Way Night Coach ,
4646-560: The award: Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Mississippi Burning (1988), Women Talking (2022) and American Fiction (2023). In 1997, Orion was acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which revived the Orion name for television in 2013 and relaunched Orion Pictures a year later. In 2022, Amazon acquired Orion when it acquired MGM. In January 1978, three executives of Transamerica (TA)-owned studio United Artists (UA)— Arthur B. Krim (chairman), Eric Pleskow (president and chief executive officer), and Robert Benjamin (chairman of
4747-407: The business. Numbered companies will very often operate as something other than their legal name, which is unrecognizable to the public. In Chile , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Ireland , businesses are legally required to register business names where these differ from
4848-534: The county or city to be registered with the State Corporation Commission. DBA statements are often used in conjunction with a franchise . The franchisee will have a legal name under which it may sue and be sued, but will conduct business under the franchiser's brand name (which the public would recognize). A typical real-world example can be found in a well-known pricing mistake case, Donovan v. RRL Corp. , 26 Cal. 4th 261 (2001), where
4949-510: The day in question and asserted that Travolta would "sue the attorney and Plaintiff for malicious prosecution" after getting the case thrown out. A second masseur later joined the lawsuit, making similar claims. Both lawsuits were subsequently dropped by the complainants and dismissed without prejudice . On September 27, 2012, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Malcolm Mackey dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Travolta and his attorney Marty Singer by writer Robert Randolph because he found that
5050-553: The deal were The Wannabe , Fort Tilden and Balls Out . Other films released by Orion Pictures and Momentum Pictures include Pocket Listing and Diablo . Starting in September 2016 with Burn Country , Orion Pictures and Samuel Goldwyn Films paired in acquiring several films. Orion Television launched a second court show in the fall of 2017, Couples Court With The Cutlers , which features married couple Keith and Dana Cutler presiding over romantic and domestic disputes. On September 6, 2017, MGM officially revitalized
5151-466: The decade and catapulted Travolta to international stardom. Saturday Night Fever earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor , making him, at age 24, one of the youngest performers ever nominated for the Best Actor Oscar . His mother and his sister Ann appeared very briefly in Saturday Night Fever and his sister Ellen played a waitress in Grease . Travolta performed on
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#17327795015655252-656: The departure of Arthur Krim. Orion's financial problems were so severe, that at the 63rd Annual Academy Awards in March 1991, host Billy Crystal made reference to the studio's debt in his opening monologue, joking that " Reversal of Fortune [is] about a woman in a coma, Awakenings [is] about a man in a coma; and Dances with Wolves [was] released by Orion, a studio in a coma." It was during this time that ABC stepped in to co-finance and assume production over many of Orion TV's shows it had in production, such as American Detective and Equal Justice . After Orion had to shut
5353-753: The disaster area. Travolta was in a relationship with actress Diana Hyland , whom he met while filming The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976). They remained together until Hyland's death from breast cancer on March 27, 1977. In 1980, Travolta dated French actress Catherine Deneuve . Travolta also had an on-again/off-again relationship with actress Marilu Henner , which ended permanently in 1985. In 1988 while filming The Experts , Travolta met actress Kelly Preston , whom he married in Paris in 1991. They had three children: Jett (1992–2009), Ella Bleu (born 2000), and Benjamin (born 2010). They regularly attended marriage counseling and Travolta has stated that therapy helped
5454-438: The distribution problem. In 2013, Orion returned to television production (after its original TV unit was shut down during its bankruptcy period) with a new syndicated court show , Paternity Court . The Orion Pictures name, also as Orion Releasing, was extended in fourth quarter 2014 for smaller multi-platform video on demand and limited theatrical distribution. Its name was first seen again on September 10, 2014, in front of
5555-428: The efforts to increase inclusivity in the film industry, both in front of and behind the camera, with the hiring of Alana Mayo as the president, replacing Hegeman by October. The first film released with this new focus was Anything's Possible (previously titled What If? ), a coming-of-age drama directed by Billy Porter in his directorial debut . This effort continued in 2021 when they, along with Annapurna, acquired
5656-610: The emergency landing, he almost had a mid-air collision with a USAir Boeing 727 , an event attributed to a risky decision by an air traffic controller. In 1984, Travolta was inducted into the American Academy of Achievement and presented with the Golden Plate Award by Awards Council member General Chuck Yeager , USAF. Travolta was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2007 and acts as
5757-485: The filmmakers complete creative autonomy; this ideal had been successfully implemented at United Artists. Orion held a $ 100 million line of credit and its films would be distributed by the Warner Bros. studio. Orion, however, was contractually given free rein over distribution and advertising as well as the number and type of films the executives chose to invest in. In late March 1978, Orion signed its first contract,
5858-750: The films released during the four years after bankruptcy protection were successful either critically or commercially. In 1996, Metromedia acquired production company Motion Picture Corporation of America , and installed its heads, Brad Krevoy and Steve Stabler, as co-presidents of Orion. Both received a six picture put picture distribution deal as a part of their contracts. In the years ahead, Orion produced very few films, and primarily released films from other producers, including LIVE Entertainment . Orion Classics , minus its founders (who had moved to Sony Pictures Entertainment and founded Sony Pictures Classics ), continued to acquire popular art-house films, such as Boxing Helena (1993), before Metromedia merged
5959-423: The finance committee)—quit their jobs. Krim and Benjamin had headed UA since 1951 and subsequently turned around the then-flailing studio with a number of critical and commercial successes. Change had begun once Transamerica purchased UA in 1967 and, within a decade, a rift formed between Krim and Transamerica chairman John R. Beckett concerning the studio's operations. Krim suggested spinning off United Artists into
6060-673: The first season of the anthology series American Crime Story , titled The People v. O. J. Simpson , in which he played lawyer Robert Shapiro . For his performance he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie . Following the death of his wife Kelly Preston in July 2020, Travolta hinted on his Instagram account that he would be putting his career on hold, stating "I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don't hear from us for
6161-404: The follow-ups. For Orion, 1985 was a dismal year. All but two films, Desperately Seeking Susan and Code of Silence , made less than $ 10 million at the United States box office, including an unsuccessful attempt at a James Bond -type franchise, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins . Orion's haphazard distribution channels and unsuccessful advertising campaigns made it impossible to achieve
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#17327795015656262-532: The formation of Orion Home Entertainment Corporation in 1985, which began distributing videos under the Orion Home Video label in 1987 (before OHV's formation, HBO Video and their predecessors, as well as Vestron Video and Embassy Home Entertainment , had been responsible for home media releases of Orion product). On May 22, 1986, a 6.5% stake in Orion was purchased by Metromedia , a television and communications company controlled by billionaire (and
6363-550: The latter's licensed anime video titles to general retailers, which animation historian Fred Patten considered a major development in anime's growing popularity in American pop culture . In November 1995, Orion, two other companies controlled by Kluge, and film and TV house MCEG Sterling (producer of the Look Who's Talking series) were merged to form the Metromedia International Group. Few of
6464-402: The law is to protect the public from fraud, by compelling the business owner to first file or register his fictitious business name with the county clerk, and then making a further public record of it by publishing it in a newspaper. Several other states, such as Illinois , require print notices as well. In Uruguay , a trade name is known as a nombre fantasía , and the legal name of business
6565-399: The legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Brazil , a trade name is known as a nome fantasia ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called razão social (social name). In some Canadian jurisdictions , such as Ontario , when a businessperson writes a trade name on a contract, invoice, or cheque, they must also add the legal name of
6666-531: The marriage. They lived near Ocala, Florida . On January 2, 2009, Jett died at age sixteen while on a Christmas vacation in The Bahamas . A Bahamian death certificate was issued, attributing the cause of death to a seizure . Jett, who had a history of seizures, reportedly had had Kawasaki disease since the age of two. Travolta confirmed that Jett was autistic and had regular seizures, and immediately made his public statements while giving testimony at
6767-541: The merger was that Orion entered television production. Orion's biggest TV hit was Cagney & Lacey , which lasted seven seasons on CBS . In 1983, Orion Pictures introduced art-house division Orion Classics with executives who had previously run United Artists Classics . Out of the initial 18 films released by the firm under the name of Orion Pictures Corporation, ten made profits, five just managed to cover their costs, and three suffered losses under $ 2 million. One such film, Francis Ford Coppola 's The Cotton Club ,
6868-461: The named defendant, RRL Corporation, was a Lexus car dealership doing business as " Lexus of Westminster ", but remaining a separate legal entity from Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. . In California , filing a DBA statement also requires that a notice of the fictitious name be published in local newspapers for some set period of time to inform the public of the owner's intent to operate under an assumed name . The intention of
6969-467: The new organization would produce and distribute product for television, home video, pay and syndicated markets, with Jamie Kellner serving as president. On October 26, 1984, the company released the James Cameron -directed science fiction film The Terminator which was well received by critics and audience and led to a franchise involving five further films. However, Orion distributed none of
7070-546: The next two years included a few successes such as Caddyshack (1980) and Arthur (1981); critically praised but underperforming films such as The Great Santini (1979), an adaptation of a Pat Conroy novel, and Sidney Lumet 's Prince of the City (1981); and pictures by young writer-directors such as Philip Kaufman 's The Wanderers (1979) and Nicholas Meyer 's debut Time After Time (1979); plus Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) which Orion only distributed in
7171-430: The parent company's treatment of them, they should resign. Krim, Benjamin and Pleskow quit United Artists on January 13, 1978, followed by the exits of senior vice presidents William Bernstein and Mike Medavoy three days later. The week following the resignations, according to the website Reference for Business , 63 important Hollywood figures took out an advertisement in a trade paper warning Transamerica that it had made
7272-403: The registered legal name of the business. If a corporation fails to consistently adhere to such important legal formalities like using its registered legal name in contracts, it may be subject to piercing of the corporate veil . In English , trade names are generally treated as proper nouns . In Argentina , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and
7373-510: The release of many films the studio had produced or acquired, among them: Love Field (1992), RoboCop 3 (1993), The Dark Half (1993), Blue Sky (1994), Car 54, Where Are You? (1994), Clifford (1994), The Favor (1994), and There Goes My Baby (1994). Orion started releasing these films after their reorganization. Blue Sky won star Jessica Lange an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1995. In August 1994, Orion Home Video partnered with Streamline Pictures in distributing
7474-434: The series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story . He received a Primetime Emmy Award as a producer as well as nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie . He was also Emmy-nominated for his role in the action-comedy series Die Hart (2021). Outside of acting, Travolta has released nine albums, including four singles that have charted on
7575-480: The story of a young boy's first flight. His estate in Ocala, Florida , is situated at Jumbolair Airport with its own runway and taxiway right to his house, with two outbuildings for covered access to planes. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake , joining other celebrities in helping with the relief efforts, Travolta reportedly flew his Boeing 707 full of supplies, doctors, and Scientologist Volunteer Ministers into
7676-560: The studio's first film to win the People's Choice Award at that year's Toronto International Film Festival . During the 1980s and early 1990s, Orion's output included Woody Allen films, Hollywood blockbusters such as the first Terminator and the RoboCop films, comedies such as Throw Momma from the Train , Dirty Rotten Scoundrels , Caddyshack , Something Wild , UHF , and
7777-502: The studio, Bernstein would go on to become executive vice president at Paramount Pictures. At the Academy Awards ceremony, broadcast on March 30, 1992, Crystal made another reference to Orion, this time about its demise: Take a great studio like Orion: a few years ago Orion released Platoon , it wins Best Picture. Amadeus , Best Picture. Last year, they released Dances with Wolves wins Best Picture. This year The Silence of
7878-464: The subsidiary with Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment in 1996. In July 1997, Metromedia shareholders approved the sale of Orion Pictures (as well as Samuel Goldwyn Entertainment and Motion Picture Corporation of America ) to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). This led to the withdrawal of 85 employees, including Krevoy and Stabler, while 111 other employees were to be laid off within nine months, leaving 25 of them to work at MGM. Orion Pictures also brought with it
7979-459: The surname(s) of the sole trader or partners, or the legal name of a company. The Companies Registration Office publishes a searchable register of such business names. In Japan , the word yagō ( 屋号 ) is used. In Colonial Nigeria , certain tribes had members that used a variety of trading names to conduct business with the Europeans. Two examples were King Perekule VII of Bonny , who
8080-477: The television division down, this resulted in projects like The Chuck Woolery Show , which was planned to be produced by Orion, instead having to find new production companies (such as Group W Productions in the case of Woolery). Gary Nardino, former employee of Orion Television Entertainment, moved on to producing for Lorimar Television , taking some of Orion's projects with him, including Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures on Fox , and Hearts are Wild ,
8181-630: The television output originally produced and distributed by Orion Television, now bear the MGM name. However, in most cases, the 1980s Orion logo has been retained or added, in the case of the Filmways and AIP libraries. Trade name In a number of countries, the phrase " trading as " (abbreviated to t/a ) is used to designate a trade name. In the United States , the phrase " doing business as " (abbreviated to DBA , dba , d.b.a. , or d/b/a )
8282-469: The term trade name to refer to "doing business as" (DBA) names. In most U.S. states now, however, DBAs are officially referred to using other terms. Almost half of the states, including New York and Oregon , use the terms assumed business name or assumed name ; nearly as many, including Pennsylvania , use the term fictitious name . For consumer protection purposes, many U.S. jurisdictions require businesses operating with fictitious names to file
8383-439: The third or fourth quarter of that year; he reported to Larry Hilford, who joined the home video division two years earlier. In January 1987, Kluge faced competition with the arrival of Sumner Redstone , whose theater chain, National Amusements , purchased 6.42 percent of Orion's stock. National Amusements later acquired Viacom, increasing their Orion stake to 21%, then 26%. Soon Kluge started buying more Orion stock, touching off
8484-545: The time of her death, was receiving treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. In May 2012, an anonymous male masseur filed a lawsuit against Travolta, citing claims of sexual assault and battery. A lawyer for Travolta said that the allegations were "complete fiction and fabrication". Travolta's counsel also stated that his client would be able to prove that he was not in California on
8585-646: The trailer for The Town That Dreaded Sundown that was released in October. The label's first release was the Brazilian film Vestido pra Casar . In September 2015, Entertainment One Films relaunched the Momentum Pictures banner with an announced deal with Orion Pictures to co-acquire and co-distribute films in the United States and Canada, and selected foreign markets, such as the United Kingdom (Momentum's country of origin). The initial films under
8686-450: The trial of two defendants (a paramedic and a former Bahamas senator) who Travolta alleged tried to blackmail him with a multimillion-dollar extortion plot involving private information in connection with the death of his son Jett. After a mistrial, Travolta dropped the charges and has credited his immediate family and Scientology with helping him to cope with Jett's death and move forward with his career. In memory of Jett, Travolta created
8787-614: The use of that word by Pan Am as the company's call sign as well as in the names of their aircraft. In 2017, Travolta donated the Boeing 707 to the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) near Wollongong , Australia. This was expected to be flown to Australia in November 2019, but was later delayed to sometime in 2020 due to condition of the aircraft. Travolta planned to be on board when
8888-671: Was Kevin Costner 's western epic Dances with Wolves , which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and grossed $ 400 million worldwide. A few months later, Orion garnered another winner with The Silence of the Lambs , but these two films could not make up for years of losses. Only Kluge's continued infusions of cash were enough to keep the company afloat, but soon he had enough. Kluge first attempted to sell Orion to businessman (and former 20th Century Fox owner) Marvin Davis . Sony , which had recently purchased Columbia Pictures ,
8989-524: Was a second-generation Italian American with roots in Godrano , Sicily , and his mother was Irish American . He grew up in an Irish-American neighborhood and said that his household was predominantly Irish in culture. He was raised Catholic , but later converted to Scientology in 1975 at age 21. He converted after being given the book Dianetics from former actress Joan Prather . Travolta attended Dwight Morrow High School , but dropped out as
9090-567: Was a semiprofessional American football player turned tire salesman and partner in a tire company, Travolta Tire Exchange. His mother, Helen Cecilia ( née Burke), was an actress and singer who had appeared in The Sunshine Sisters, a radio vocal group, and acted and directed before becoming a high school drama and English teacher. His siblings Joey , Ellen , Ann, Margaret , and Sam Travolta were all inspired by their mother's love of theater and drama and became actors. His father
9191-413: Was also interested. When those talks fell through, Kluge took drastic steps. First, Orion shut down production. Second, Kluge ordered the sale of several projects, such as The Addams Family (which went to Paramount , though the international rights to the film were retained by Orion), in order to accumulate much-needed cash. Finally, in the spring of 1991, Kluge's people took over the company, leading to
9292-453: Was as Billy Nolan , a bully who was goaded into playing a prank on Sissy Spacek 's character in the horror film Carrie (1976) directed by Brian de Palma . Around that time, he landed his star-making role as Vinnie Barbarino in the ABC TV sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter (1975–1979), in which his sister, Ellen , also occasionally appeared (as Arnold Horshack 's mother). Travolta had
9393-537: Was critically lauded but a box office disappointment, likely due to its bleak ending. After Blow Out came a series of commercial and critical failures which sidelined Travolta's acting career. These included Two of a Kind (1983), a romantic comedy reuniting him with Olivia Newton-John , and Perfect (1985), co-starring Jamie Lee Curtis . He also starred in Staying Alive , the 1983 sequel to Saturday Night Fever , for which he trained rigorously to portray
9494-480: Was distributed by Orion) attempted to buy $ 55 million worth of the studio's stock through the duo's company, Anabasis . Had they succeeded, Kassar and Vajna would have controlled the board and laid off every executive save for Krim. Warburg Pincus subsequently limited its 20% stake in Orion to 5%; the remaining stock was acquired by Viacom International . Viacom hoped to use Orion's product for its pay-TV channel Showtime . Orion expanded into home video distribution with
9595-418: Was in talks with New Line Cinema , a successful independent film company, to acquire the bankrupt studio. By the following April, Orion and New Line Cinema cancelled their plans on the issue of price. Republic Pictures and the then-new Savoy Pictures also attempted to buy Orion, but no deal materialized. In February 1992, Bernstein, who was president and chief executive of Orion at that point, resigned from
9696-553: Was known as Captain Pepple in trade matters, and King Jubo Jubogha of Opobo , who bore the pseudonym Captain Jaja . Both Pepple and Jaja would bequeath their trade names to their royal descendants as official surnames upon their deaths. In Singapore , there is no filing requirement for a "trading as" name, but there are requirements for disclosure of the underlying business or company's registered name and unique entity number. In
9797-506: Was mired in legal troubles and Orion lost $ 3 million of its investment. "We've had some singles and doubles [but haven't] had any home runs," lamented Krim. In September 1984, Orion distributed Amadeus , which garnered many accolades, winning eight Academy Awards , including Best Picture . That year, on April 3, 1984, Orion Pictures launched Orion Entertainment Group, that would consist of four groups, Orion Television, Orion Home Video, Orion Pay Television and Orion Television Syndication, and
9898-533: Was not until he played against type as Vincent Vega in Quentin Tarantino 's hit Pulp Fiction (1994), with Samuel L. Jackson , for which he received an Academy Award nomination, that his career was revived. It was Travolta's third film alongside Bruce Willis . The movie shifted him back onto the A-list and he was inundated with many diverse offers. Notable roles following Pulp Fiction include
9999-441: Was now looking to have its own distribution network by acquiring another company with such capabilities. The four partners looked into Allied Artists and Embassy Pictures before settling on Filmways . Orion subsequently purchased Filmways and reorganized the flailing company. New employees were hired and all of Filmways' non-entertainment assets ( Grosset & Dunlap and Broadcast Electronics ) were sold off. Another result of
10100-605: Was officially announced that MGM would be acquired by Amazon for $ 8.45 billion. The merger was finalized on March 17, 2022. On March 4, 2023, Amazon shut down UAR's operations and folded them into MGM, resulting in MGM becoming Orion's new domestic distributor, with Warner Bros. Pictures becoming the studio's new international distributor. In May 2023, Amazon Studios created Amazon MGM Studios Distribution , an international film and television distribution unit for both MGM and Amazon projects, which will include new projects from Orion. On September 17, 2023, American Fiction became
10201-546: Was reported that Pleskow was resigning from Orion on July 1 of that year. stating in the New York Times: "There is little for me to do at this point". On November 5, 1992, Orion reemerged from bankruptcy. Its reorganization plan would allow for Orion to continue producing and releasing films, but financing for the features would be provided by outside sources, with the studio purchasing the distribution rights to them after their completion. Orion's bankruptcy also delayed
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