Movie Gallery last week released preliminary 3rd and 4th quarter same-store sales estimates weaker than analysts had expected. The company, which recently acquired Hollywood Entertainment, said it expects Q3 comparable store sales to decline 8-10% from a year ago as “the current slump” in theatrical box office revenue continues to affect “the entire home video industry.” Movie Gallery said it “continues to expect that the 4th quarter of 2005 will improve on a sequential basis, as some of the year’s biggest titles and likely best sellers are due for video release.” Upcoming major home video releases include Star Wars: Episode 3 -- Revenge of the Sith. But Movie Gallery said “the cumulative weakness of releases in the 2nd and 3rd quarters is expected to impact the 4th quarter results.” As a result, it expects to report comparable store revenue flat to down 6% from a year ago. The company might also see a slowdown in its videogame sales after closing 50 Game Crazy locations in June. The company, however, didn’t change its earnings estimate for the year. Movie Gallery also said it was “realizing synergies” from the Hollywood Entertainment acquisition that “exceeded [its] expectations.” The company said it expects to save about $20 million this year and up to about $50 million before 2008 from the purchase, “largely from the optimization of its new sellthrough inventory and the consolidation of its real estate and construction, distribution and executive management functions as well as other G&A [general & administrative] expense reduction opportunities.”

The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has posted to its Web site the following five monthly reports containing official July 2005 trade data from the Department of Census for imports and exports of textiles and apparel:

A measure targeting “home pornographers” whose work often gets Internet distribution was adopted last week by the House as part of a bill fine-tuning U.S. sex offender registration rules. The adult entertainment industry called the amendment a blatant attempt to “exert control over the sexual practices of American citizens under the guise of protecting children.” Civil rights groups said the move ignores the First Amendment.

The U.S. Appeals Court, Atlanta, Thurs. backed BellSouth, saying the firm didn’t have to accept orders for UNE-P during a change-of-law negotiation process. The case dates to Feb. 2005, when the FCC in its Triennial Review Remand Order (TRRO) relieved ILECs, effective March 11, of the obligation to provide CLECs with unbundled access to mass market local switching and provided more limited relief from unbundling for loops and transport. Later that month, BellSouth told CLECs that, as of the March 11 TRRO effective date, it wouldn’t accept new orders for UNE-P, loops and transport. MCImetro Access Transmission Services, and later other CLECs, filed an emergency motion with the Ga. PSC, claiming BellSouth was required to continue serving the embedded base and accept new UNE-P orders as long as the change-of-law negotiating process was ongoing. The PSC granted the motions, but BellSouth sued the CLECs and the PSC in federal court, seeking a preliminary injunction. The district court granted the injunction, saying “BellSouth had established a substantial likelihood of success on the merits.” According to the 11th Circuit, “the district court concluded that, because the TRRO was immediately effective, there was nothing to negotiate regarding the determination of the FCC that unbundling was no longer permitted for local switching and, in limited circumstances, for loops and transport facilities. The district court reasoned that to allow CLECs to add new UNE-P customers would be inconsistent with the plain language of the TRRO.” The 11th Circuit agreed.

SAN JOSE -- MCI sees the future in wireless VoIP while hoping and believing its expensive circuit switches will retain value for some time, said MCI Strategy & Business Development Senior Vp Jack Dziak. Sounding a lot less like a Bellhead than a techie with a legacy network, he told the wVoIP conference here Wed. the company’s preliminary calculations show a customer’s 2-year total cost including hardware for wireless IP voice and data services at home, at the office and around town runs barely 1/5 the cost using “best-of-breed” wired and cellular technologies such as DSL and 3G -- $1,650 to $7,570. And the advantage should only rise as “the costs continue to decline” on the Wi-Fi and WiMAX side, Dziak said.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its final results of the antidumping (AD) duty administrative review of stainless steel bar from India for the period of February 1, 2003 through January 31, 2004.

Charter said holders of 81% of bonds it is offering to exchange tendered them. Some $6.83 billion in principal amount of notes due in 2009-2012 will be exchanged for bonds due in 2014 and 2015, as of Fri. Bondholders have until Sept. 26 to tender their notes, although they're no longer eligible to receive an “early participation payment,” Charter said. “We're pleased with the results of the exchange to date,” said a spokesman, who declined further comment. The preliminary results were positive, said UBS cable analyst Aryeh Bourkoff, who recommends buying Charter bonds. He said he expects “discussions with the bank borrowing group, potential further debt-for-debt exchanges, asset sales or a possible equity infusion.”

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated an antidumping (AD) duty changed circumstances review of the AD duty order on certain cased pencils from China at the request of M.A. Notch Corporation (Notch), which is requesting that a large novelty pencil be excluded from the AD duty order.

The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has posted to its web site updated preliminary textile and apparel import data for 2005, which now covers the 2005 period from approximately mid-May 2005 through August 2005.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated new shipper reviews for the antidumping (AD) duty order on wooden bedroom furniture from China with respect to the following companies, each of which is both the exporter and producer, and review period: