Helmer tries to give Putin campaign direction

MOSCOW -- Politics and film are never far apart in Russia. And while, unlike the U.S., the country has not yet had a former actor as president, prime minister Vladimir Putin is putting a film director at the center of his third presidential bid.Stanislav Govorukhin, a 75-year-old film veteran, has been named head of Putin's presidential campaign.The Putin loyalist -- whose career highlights include making the 1979 TV detective series "Mesto vstrechi izmenit nelzya" (The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed) starring anti-establishment singer-songwriter-actor Vladimir Vysotsky -- turned to politics after the collapse of the Soviet Union.Although the involvement of an elderly filmmaker in a re-election campaign may appear strange to Western eyes, Govorukhin's credentials in Russia are well established.The self-declared democrat, who flirted with nationalist Communism in the 1990s, lost a son in the first Chechen war, and once opposed Putin, is a member of Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, for Putin's United Russia party.Govorukhin isn't the only director to take to politics. Nikita Mikhalkov, another well-known Russian director (1995's Stalin-era fable "Burnt by the Sun") stumped for Boris Yeltsin in the 1996 presidential race, appearing in a TV commercial as an astronaut for the candidate. He, like Govorukhin, has since shifted to the right-wing nationalists.As a director, Govorukhin had a populist touch with detective or adventure films championing strong male characters who seek to right wrongs while operating outside social norms. His support of Putin seems to be consistent with his earlier artistic inclinations.But there's now a question as to whether he's also consistent with today's Russian zeitgeist. Fifty thousand people in Moscow took to the streets Dec. 10 to demand a re-vote of recent parliamentary elections denounced as rigged by independent observers. More demonstrations occurred Christmas eve, when as many as an estimated 120,000 people braved sub-zero temperatures in Moscow to demand that he step down -- an occurrence that has clearly shaken the Kremlin.Putin -- who plans to run for his third term as president in March -- said Dec. 27 that measures needed to be taken to make that election free, fair and transparent. That is unlikely to satisfy protesters, although their influence is largely confined to Moscow and other large cities.Nevertheless, even a filmmaker as experienced as Govorukhin clearly has his work cut out for him. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Santa helpful to niche pix

Trendy auds ongoing hitting movie theaters in pressure within the lengthy weekend, looking at Christmas opener "Very Noisy and extremely Close" and supporting holdovers "Mess Tailor Soldier Spy" and "The Artist."Warner Bros.' "Very Noisy" obtained a good opening-day per-screen average of $11,753 from six locations. (The studio is calculating the film will collect around $136,000 in 2 days.)"Mess Tailor," from Focus Features, published a powerful four-day per-screenaverage of roughly $22,000, having a weekend take of $1.two million at 55 theaters. Pic's domestic cume arrived at $2.3 million through Monday.Based on Focus, "Mess" is constantly on the play strongly at holdover houses for example L.A.'s Landmark, in which the film lost simply to "The Lady Using the Dragon Tattoo," beating new records "War Equine" and "Very Noisy." FilmDistrict's Julia Roberts directorial debut, "Within the Land of Bloodstream and Honey," did less in four days, calculating $9,276 from three engagements to have an believed weekend total of $27,827.In 72 hours, Chinese Oscar entry "The Flowers of War" published a good debut per-screen average of $13,982 from three playdates, with one each in NY, L.A. and Bay Area. Pic totalled almost $42,000.The Weinstein Co., meanwhile, extended a few days ago its holdover pair, "The Artist" and "My Week with Marilyn," using the latter pic playing at 602 locations, yielding an believed three-day gross just north of $888,000. But "The Artist," which performed at far less engagements (167), really did better, tallying through Monday an believed $1.4 million. "Marilyn" has cumed $7.3 million "The Artist," $2.9 million.David Glasser, chief operating officer at Weinstein, credited that towards the studio's patient rollout technique for "The Artist.""Individuals are still finding the film," Glasser stated. "Now, what we are seeing within the exits is the fact that individuals are being released from it saying, 'That wasn't things i expected.'" Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Christina Ricci Returns to N.Y. Stage in 'Midsummer'

NY (AP) Christina Ricci's stage debut this past year apparently did not scare her off she's returning.Producers stated Tuesday the "Pan Am" star will join two-time Tony Award champion Bebe Neuwirth inside a Classic Stage Company manufacture of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."The off-Broadway show will start performances March 28 and play through May 6. Neuwirth will act as Titania. Ricci will possess the role of Hermia.Ricci made her Broadway debut last season in Jesse Margulies' "Time Stands Still," changing Alicia Silverstone and starring opposite Laura Linney, John d'Arcy James and Eric Bogosian.Ricci burst to the scene in 1990 as Cher's daughter in "Mermaids" and it has built a lengthy listing of film credits, including "The Addams Family," ''The Ice Storm," ''Speed Racer" and "Penelope."Elizabeth Marvel to Rejoin 'Other Desert Cities'NY (AP) Elizabeth Marvel, who had been area of the original off-Broadway cast of "Other Desert Metropolitan areas," will join the show on Broadway.Lincoln subsequently Center Theater stated Tuesday that Marvel will replace Rachel Griffiths in Jon Robin Baitz's experience March 6.Marvel, who produced the role of novelist Brooke Wyeth when "Other Desert Metropolitan areas" first showed off-Broadway this past year, will rejoin fellow original cast people Stockard Channing and Stacy Keach.Griffiths' final performance is going to be March 4.The play is all about a wealthy, dysfunctional family wrestling having a deep secret. It opened up this winter in the Booth Theatre to critical praise.Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. PHOTO CREDIT Jason Merritt/Getty Images NY (AP) Christina Ricci's stage debut this past year apparently did not scare her off she's returning.Producers stated Tuesday the "Pan Am" star will join two-time Tony Award champion Bebe Neuwirth inside a Classic Stage Company manufacture of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."The off-Broadway show will start performances March 28 and play through May 6. Neuwirth will act as Titania. Ricci may have the role of Hermia.Ricci made her Broadway debut last season in Jesse Margulies' "Time Stands Still," changing Alicia Silverstone and starring opposite Laura Linney, John d'Arcy James and Eric Bogosian.Ricci burst to the scene in 1990 as Cher's daughter in "Mermaids" and it has built a lengthy listing of film credits, including "The Addams Family," ''The Ice Storm," ''Speed Racer" and "Penelope."Elizabeth Marvel to Rejoin 'Other Desert Cities'NY (AP) Elizabeth Marvel, who had been area of the original off-Broadway cast of "Other Desert Metropolitan areas," will join the show on Broadway.Lincoln subsequently Center Theater stated Tuesday that Marvel will replace Rachel Griffiths in Jon Robin Baitz's experience March 6.Marvel, who produced the role of novelist Brooke Wyeth when "Other Desert Metropolitan areas" first showed off-Broadway this past year, will rejoin fellow original cast people Stockard Channing and Stacy Keach.Griffiths' final performance is going to be March 4.The play is all about a wealthy, dysfunctional family wrestling having a deep secret. It opened up this winter in the Booth Theatre to critical praise.Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Backstage pics emerge from Paul Thomas Anderson's next

Vintage-style photos from Paul Thomas Anderson's upcoming drama The Master have been released, showing extras killing time backstage in beautifully detailed period garb.While the pictures, snapped by photographer Jack Erling, don't feature any of the film's stars, they suggest the enigmatic director has not lost his commitment to authenticity or his arthouse sensibility.The auteur's first since 2007's searing There Will be Blood, the project initially struggled to find financing but is already one of the most anticipated films of 2012.It will tell the tale of a young drifter (Joaquin Phoenix) in 1950s America, who falls in with 'the Master' - the charismatic leader of a pseudo-religious belief system played by Anderson favourite Philip Seymour Hoffman - and his daughter (Amy Adams).Its premise and inspired cast should alone be enough to tantalise, but the thinly veiled parallel with Scientology - which the Boogie Nights man nevertheless denies - might just irk the considerable ranks of L. Ron Hubbard (the 'L' stands for Lafayette...) disciples in Hollywood and ruffle some faith-based feathers.Let's hope any polemical aspects don't come at the cost of the movie's artistic merit. For the time being, enjoy this monochrome glimpse behind the scenes. The sartorial signs are good.The film is likely to hit cinemas by late 2012.

Keck's Exclusives: Lucy and Desi's Children Celebrate Their Parents' Enduring Musical Legacy

Desi Arnaz Jr.; Lucie Arnaz Closing out the centennial celebration of Lucille Ball's birthday and the 60th Anniversary of I Love Lucy, Lucie and Desi Arnaz Jr. - the only children of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Sr., made one of their rare public appearances together Friday night at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills. The event, Tropicana Nights: A Salute to the Music of I Love Lucy, featured a panel discussion focused primarily on the siblings' father, followed by musical performance with Desi, 58, on bongos and Lucie, 60, singing two numbers her father performed on the 1950's sitcom. Prior to the event, I sat down with the pair to discuss how they both honor and protect their parents' legacy.Desi, we don't see you at many Lucy-related events. Why was this something you wanted to be part of?Desi: Well, I live in Boulder City, Nevada. But this is a big deal. It's the 60th anniversary of the show and it's Mom's 100 birthday if she were still with us. And the music is really why I'm here. Lucie and I have been working on a show that tributes Dad's music. We did it as a benefit and then performed it as a concert show called Babalu. We're moved very deeply by the music, so we enjoy talking to people about that side of I Love Lucy. Dad's contribution and the music.What were the origins of the music of I Love Lucy?Desi: I Love Lucy was actually created out of Dad's orchestral show. Mom and Dad wanted to see if people would accept them live, because CBS wasn't too sure it would work or not. In those days they weren't sure a redhead American should even be married to a Cuban. It was very controversial. But the two of them went out together with dad's band and the people loved it.Lucie: After Dad died I found all these arrangements and tapes. Stuff we had never heard before that inspired me to work more on Latin music.What's the future of your Babalu show?Lucie: He doesn't want to travel, so there is no future.Desi: [Laughs] Maybe we'll do a run in Vegas.Do you have a favorite song from I Love Lucy?Lucie: I do. It's from the Lucy/Desi Comedy Hour when they went to Havana for the flashback showing how Lucy and Ricky met. The song is "That Means I Love You" where he plays the Conga and she plays the table in front of her shaped like a Conga.Desi: That's a good one. I like the one about me being born. "We're Having a Baby; My Baby and Me."I imagine a lot of marketing people would like to turn your parents into Mickey and Minnie Mouse - with every conceivable form of merchandising. How do you protect their legacy?Desi: We have a company called Desilu Too where Lucie and I police any merchandise. We've been doing it since they passed away. We work with a company out of Chicago called Unforgettable Inc. We needed to have help to police and license the merchandise. [Desi Sr. passed away in 1986 at age 69 while Lucy died in 1989 at age 77.]Lucie: Once someone famous dies, someone has to run that estate forever.Any strange marketing pitches you heard that you rejected?Desi: No images of Mom on toilet paper.Lucie: Nobody would ask for that!Desi: Somebody actually did, and we had to say "no!"Lucie: It didn't mean to be our life's work. We've got separate careers and families, but this thing has overtaken us like the giant Godzilla monster. But there are some perks to it to. We decided if we were going to spend X number of hundreds of thousands of dollars every year policing what we weren't allowing, we might as well hire people to do it right and turn it into a real business. Make the real estate value of Lucy and Desi stay as valuable as it was when they left us.Desi: It's about quality, not quantity. If you sell everything out right away then you don't have anything left over. You don't sell the farm; you rent it out.Did you both approve the I Love Lucy: Live on Stage show that's been playing to sold out audiences in Los Angeles?Lucie: The I Love Lucy show itself is owned by CBS. Anything that is based on the scripts is controlled by CBS. What they don't totally own is the image of Lucille Ball as Lucy Ricardo or Desi Aranz as Ricky Ricardo. In certain cases, like in the case of dolls, you have to get permission from CBS and also the estate of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.Desi: That's because dad was future thinking and kept their image and likeness rights. He also put up half money for the pilot, so CBS wheeled and dealed with him in the negotiations in terms of who owned what.What's next for you?Lucie: I put together a hybrid version of the Babalu show with a 12-piece band based on the Latin Roots CD I released. I found a way to do Babalu and as many of Dad's arrangements that a woman can do. It's very fun. And we have a wonderful one-woman show out I directed that we own a piece of called An Evening With Lucille Ball. Suzanne LaRusch is the wonderful impressionist. There is nobody quite like her.Desi: I built the sets and we launched it at my theater. It's Mom in her late 50's, early 60's talking to a bunch of college kids about her life.You've no doubt heard that William Frawley and Vivian Vance are being inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame at a March 1 ceremony in Beverly Hills.Desi: I didn't know that!Lucie: Yes, finally! I recorded a little video for them today where I said, "On behalf of my mother and father and the I Love Lucy show, I want to congratulate Vivian Vance and William Frawley for finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame like everyone else. Friends and neighbors should be together. It's about time."They never had children of their own?Lucie: No, Vivian and Bill never did.Anything else you'd like to tell TV Guide Magazine readers?Desi: It's just fun to be here with Lucie in Los Angeles. I'm feeling very nostalgic about our childhood. I went by mom's old house today and pointed out Lucy's room to my daughter.Lucie: And what's really great is that we're together celebrating this music.Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Seth Rogen on Spirit Award Nom: 'I'm Trespassing in Indie World'

Getty ImagesRicky Martin Ricky Martin could go where Gwyneth Paltrow has gone before. The singer-actor is in talks to guest star on Fox's musical dramedy Glee, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. PHOTOS: 'Glee' Season 3: The Episodics As first reported by TV Line, the former General Hospital star would play a musically inclined Spanish teacher in an episode slated to air in late January. The guest gig would also see Martin headline two big musical numbers. STORY: 'Glee's' Mark Salling Teases Puck-Quinn-Shelby Triangle Martin, who will star as Che in April's Broadway revival of Evita, would join Paltrow (and Idina Menzel) as high-profile guest stars who have played teachers on Glee. Hours after news surfaced that the show had its eye on the singer-actor, Martin tweeted, "I hear McKinley high has an opening for a Spanish teacher... Maybe I'll apply." Paltrow played sub Holly Holliday in three episodes of the series, picking up an Emmy for guest star in a comedy last year. Broadway vet Menzel, meanwhile, is currently reprising her role as substitute math teacher Shelby. Glee airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit RELATED: 'Glee': 5 Things to Know About 'I Kissed a Girl' (Videos) PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'Glee' Season 3: The Episodics PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'Glee' 300th Musical Performance Celebration Glee Ricky Martin TV Casting

Mediaset confirms Endemol bid

ROME -- Italian TV giant Mediaset has confirmed its bid for a majority stake in Endemol in tandem with Italo private equity firm Clessidra."We have made our offer with Clessidra," said Mediaset vice prexy Pier Silvio Berlusconi, who did not specify the amount, but called it "a good offer for the creditors and the future of the company." Pier Silvio Berlusconi added that Mediaset, which already owns a third of Endemol, "will not participate in an auction, if it were to come to that."In 2007 a consortium comprising Mediaset, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Cyrte, the investment company in which Endemol co-founder Jon de Mol is a minority shareholder, paid some $3.5 billion for Telefonica's controlling stake in Endemol in a three-way split.But they largely used leveraged loans that now weigh heavily on the Dutch unscripted TV giant best known for "Big Brother," whose other formats include "Deal or No Deal" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."Endemol recently decided to put Time Warner's $1.4 billion bid for Endemol on hold because its creditors think the content company is worth more money, according to sources.Creditors, which include private equity funds Apollo Management, Centerbridge and Providence Equity Partners, also reportedly extended their capital restructuring deadline to Dec. 13.Endemol is now pushing ahead with talks to secure a debt-for-equity swap that would cut its current $3.7 billion debt to about $670 million.Mediaset and Italian equity fund Clessidra have reportedly offered to inject $268 million in Endemol to raise their current 33% stake to 51%, with lenders owning the remaining minority interests.Mediaset has reportedly warned Endemol that the outcome of the restructure could affect the companies' relationship, telling Endemol that it intended to renegotiated all existing agreements, as well.The larger debt for equity swap now on the table would instead dilute Mediaset's stake to an estimated 10%-12% share. Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com

Cast looking for 'Recruiting Officer'

Published: Thu., November. 24, 2011, 4:00pm PTBy Screen and stage thesp Mackenzie Crook ("Work,Inch "Jerusalem") and Olivier award-champion Nancy Carroll ("Following the Dance" ) lead the Donmar Warehouse cast of "The Prospecting Officer."Producing George Farquhar's 18th-century military and marital comedy, which starts the tenure of incoming a.d. Josie Rourke, also stars Mark Gatiss, Tobias Menzies and Rachael Stirling. Rourke's production runs February. 9-Apr. 14, having a February. 14 press evening.The Donmar also introduced purchasing a 19th-century warehouse near to the theater to become testing, education and work place on the 112-year lease. It will require up residence in 2014. This follows the theater's 2008 acquisition of its Covent Garden home from the current landlord Ambassador Theater Group. Michael Grandage stated Thursday, "In present day marketplace, it is not quite enough to give a theater having a strong status, it must have security too. I'm delighted that whenever nearly ten years in the helm, I leave the Donmar financially confident. From possessing nothing, the Donmar now looks towards the future using its own theater, testing space, education space and work place taking up both of these prime sites in Covent Garden." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Oscar Index: Hurricane Meryl Makes Landfall; Artist, Hugo Surge Toward Top

The bleary-eyed minions at Movieline’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Kudos Forensics have shoved off for the long holiday weekend, leaving it to me to sort out the hectic awards scramble as we head into the third month of this year’s Oscar Index. And by “hectic,” I do mean hectic, with a lead change at the top of two categories, a neck-and-neck tie atop another and plenty of feverish competition foreseen in another. Read on for a closer look. [Click the graphs for full-size images.] The Leading 10: 1. The Artist 2. The Descendants 3. War Horse 4. The Help 5. Midnight in Paris 6. Hugo 7. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 8. Moneyball 9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo 10. The Tree of Life Outsiders: Margin Call; The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn; My Week With Marilyn; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; J. Edgar; Shame What a run for The Artist, which followed last week’s concerted effort to upstage The Descendants with this week’s total eclipse. It was pretty much pure Weinstein mojo: It all started Monday night at the Academy when the mogul roped in Charlie Chaplin’s granddaughters Carmen and Dolores — all the way from Paris — to “host” a screening on the film’s behalf. “The Artist holds a special importance for us because we had the privilege of intimately experiencing the culture of black and white silent films which forever left its mark upon us as artists,” the Chaplins said in a joint statement announcing the screening, which was also attended by director Michel Hazanavicus, co-star Brnice Bejo, Uggie the dog (who, Pete Hammond noted, “was forbidden by the Academy from taking part in the Q&A”) and a significant cross-section of both guild and Academy membership. “The film has a universal dimension crossing boundaries of language, challenging our expectations, and breaking commercial convention by returning to the purest form of film-making.” Damn. The Descendants, meanwhile, fought back a bit with a superb box-office showing in limited release, but that wasn’t enough to repel a developing backlash among critics and awards pundits alike. Even with 91 percent positive reactions on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the intense, concentrated distaste of detractors like J. Hoberman (“[I]t’s being touted by industry savants for a Best Picture Oscar because it’s the sort of movie that, in resolving a tragically irresolvable situation, encourages audiences and studios to feel good about themselves. […] The pathos is as unearned as the protagonist’s privilege”) and our own Stephanie Zacharek (“There’s nothing surprising or affecting about it. Not even Clooney, who works wonders with the occasional piece of dialogue, can save it”) among others hinted at the film’s possible perceptual shortcomings among awards voters (especially writers and directors) persists. Meanwhile, Grantland’s Oscar oracle Mark Harris — himself not a Descendants fan — weighed in with a typically clear-eyed glimpse at the film’s curse of seasonally high expectations: Whatever you think of The Descendants, it probably should not have had to open with the burden of what the NY Times’ David Carr used to call all of us “Oscar ninnies” having spent months announcing that it’s a front-runner, or of reviews that bandy about words like “perfect” and in one case even suggest that “perfect” sells the movie short. Very few films […] can keep from buckling a little under the adjectival decoration that’s lavished on them during awards season. They’re like racehorses weighed down with garlands before they even get out of the starting gate. And it only gets worse. If you think The Descendants has it hard, consider the challenges faced by War Horse and The Iron Lady and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which don’t open for a month and will have to pass through literally dozens of awards announcements before you can actually buy a ticket. Well, yes and no. For a guy whose awards column debuted in mid-September, Harris doth protest a smidge too much. He knows as well as the rest of us the business we are in, and studios know exactly what they’re getting into by planting their prestige crop for a late-fall harvest. It’s never pretty when a freeze hits, but under ideal conditions you’ll be eating all winter. But he also alludes to a crucial point about what we can gain from a — gasp! — year-round awards harvest. It’s no coincidence, for example, that Warner Bros. has exhumed Contagion for a late Oscar bid; the studio’s J. Edgar is toast, they’re hiding Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close for as long as it can (we’ll get to that in a second), and it’s not like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 stands a legitimate chance at nominations outside a few craft categories. Harris himself suggested this tack two months ago, largely because he had the benefit of having, you know, seen the film. That’s why The Artist may be Harvey Weinstein’s boldest stroke of genius ever. By acquiring a Cannes Film Festival darling way back in May, the buzz was already out. No coastal interests would face hurt feelings for being shut out of a first wave of November/December screenings; no life-or-death premieres would ensue at Venice, Toronto or AFI Fest. The worst that could happen would be peaking too early, but even that wasn’t an awards-season dealbreaker. After all, Harvey entitled awards influencers and prognosticators — who loathe, more than anything, acknowledging they could ever have a wrong read on a film — to stand by their sight-unseen darlings J. Edgar, War Horse or Extremely Loud all the way through December. As the darlings fell off, which they always do, those observers could naturally come back and sat they were behind The Artist all along. Which, technically, they were. Everybody wins. The flipside, again, is when the studios get their prestige release dates right. I give Warners a lot of credit for withholding Extremely Loud from the NY Film Critics Circle’s advanced voting deadline — not because I have anything at all against the NYFCC (of whom Stephanie Zacharek is a member), but because the decision — assuming the studio and producer Scott Rudin stick to it — expresses old-fashioned faith in a product to speak directly to its audience, up to and including the Academy. Rudin, Weinstein and Extremely Loud director Stephen Daldry did something similar with The Reader back in 2008, which was rushed into a qualifying run without any interest in the December awards circus. The last word mattered more, and that investment paid off with five nominations and one win. On the other hand, the principals may just be protecting a surefire also-ran — a noble gesture in itself, at least from the perspective that finds The Descendants overexposed and limping into December. Either way, it beats the reverse-psychology strategy of suggesting your movie has “too much anal rape” for the Academy — but only by a little. Of course, all of this overlooks the dizzying ascent of Hugo, which goes head-to-head with The Artist this week in terms of both hype (e.g. two NYC guild screenings last weekend, attended by everyone from Martin Scorsese to Sacha Baron Cohen to Chloe Moretz and more, followed by a Manhattan megapremiere) and hosannas (e.g. a critical reception only slightly off the stunning pace of The Artist’s own). Not to be outdone, DreamWorks and Disney are sneaking preview screenings of War Horse into 10 cities this weekend, with Steven Spielberg attending a Q&A in NY on Sunday night — and that’s not even counting the industry previews unspooling over the next few days. All of this commences what we might as well call War Horse Week, which will culminate in the film’s junket and world premiere on Dec. 4. I’ll let you know how that’s going when we reconvene here next Wednesday, assuming I haven’t narcoleptically tumbled into some desk-borne stupor by then. To be continued… The Leading 5: 1. Alexander Payne, The Descendants 2. Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist 3. Steven Spielberg, War Horse 4. Martin Scorsese, Hugo 5. David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Outsiders: Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Bennett Miller, Moneyball; Tate Taylor, The Help; George Clooney, The Ides of March; Tomas Alfredson, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar Despite the increasingly public face, charm and acclaim Hazanavicius brings to The Artist — to say nothing of the staggering creative accomplishment his film represents — he’s still “Michel Hazanavicius.” That’s totally surmountable in a profile sense (ask Tom Hooper), but there’s something about some of the reported responses to The Descendants’ Academy screening last week — “Clearly, it is the type of film that will probably stick with you and people will think back on,” one viewer mentioned, while another added, “I wouldn’t read it as they think it’s the best of the year; more likely positioning it as one of the top contenders” — that suggests a faction perfectly happy to wait and see how each film fares commercially and against the rest of the remaining 2011 contenders. Thus I’m not ready to downgrade Payne yet, but nothing suggests he’s especially safe up there. In any case, try as he and Hazanavicius and Spielberg and Fincher (especially Fincher) might, there may be no slowing Scorsese down if Hugo takes off with audiences. He’s already got James Cameron in his pocket. Who’s next?

New Underworld Poster Online

Kate Beckinsale has returned having a vengeanceUnderworld: Awakening, the 4th instalment within the goth-rocking Underworld franchise, is going to be here within the year. Following a recent trailer, here is a new poster, which oddly enough sees Kate Beckinsale's selene ditching her usual look towards a twinset and pearls, plus some sturdy orthopaedic footwear. We jest, obviously it is the usual guns and PVC. Ho ho, visitors.Things to say? Slightly videogamey turn to the less than photo-real central Seline, further strengthened through the poster's slight Assassin's Creed vibe. Which fiery rain puts us in your mind from the Max Payne movie.Additionally, there are "Vengeance Returns" because the saying. We do not recall Seline being about vengeance before she was much more about being away from home, wasn't she? But "Getting away Runs Again" does not seem nearly as good, so we are taking "Vengeance Returns" to imply that she's back and this time around she's pissed off. The "Returns" bit is mentioning to Seline's prolonged slumber (see below), and Beckinsale's not getting experienced Rise From The Lycans, that was a prequel with Rhona Mitra.Underworld: Awakening is placed 15 years afterUnderworld: Evolution, and seescatsuited vamp Seline being released ofa coma to locate that they includes a daughter (India Eisley):a vampire/werewolf hybrid, who's the merchandise of this sudden tryst between Beckinsale and Scott Speedman at the back of a van.Michael Ealy, Stephen Rea and Charles Dance will also be on-hands, Guys Marlin and Bjorn Stein (Shelter) are pointing from the script by John Hlavin and J Michael Straczynski, andUnderworld: Awakening 3Dwill be launched on The month of january 20.

2011 Holiday Movie Season: The Greatest ever?

The holidays is really a Hollywood hotspot for large movies. Using the Academy awards right nearby the ones taking extended holidays, the month of December has turned into a breeding ground for galleries searching to focus on their finest films of the season, but this winter is shaping as much as be probably the most crowded seasons in recent memory. In present day NY Occasions, author Michael Cieply compares the approaching slate of projects within the next two several weeks. His conclusion? You will find lots of movies being released! As Cieply highlights, there have been four major studio releases around or on Christmas Day this year, and three last year. This season, six major movies can come out "having a total production and marketing cost approaching $1 billion, from company directors who've 25 past Oscar nominations included in this.Inch This list includes 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo,' 'Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol,' 'The Adventures of Tintin,' 'War Equine,' 'We Purchased a Zoo' and 'Extremely Noisy and extremely Close.' Additionally, Meryl Streep's 'The Iron Lady' is going to be launched on December 30. The finish of the month might find the premiere of much more long awaited movies: 'The Artist,' My Week With Marilyn,' 'The Muppets' and 'Hugo' to title a couple of. Will the crowded slate of movies be an excessive amount of for audiences to deal with? With the amount of films being released, you would need to assume a minimum of a couple of large budget projects will stumble. Either that, or even the holidays will break Hollywood from its two-month lengthy box office malaise. If you are still confused at things to see, our Holiday Movie Preview below may help. Or you might always stay home watching the TNT 24-hour marathon of 'A Christmas Story.' [via NY Occasions] Moviefone 2011 Holiday Movie Preview 'Tower Heist''A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas''J. Edgar''Jack & Jill''Immortals''Happy Ft Two''Breaking Beginning Part 1''The Descendants''Arthur Christmas''Hugo''The Muppets''The Artist''My Week With Marilyn''A Harmful Method''Shame''New Year's Eve''The Sitter''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy''W.E.''Young Adult''We Have to Discuss Kevin''Alvin and also the Chipmunks 3''Sherlock Holmes: A Game Title of Shadows''Carnage''Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol''The Adventures of Tintin''The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo''We Purchased a Zoo''In the Land of Bloodstream and Honey''War Equine''Extremely Noisy and extremely Close''The Iron Lady' See All Moviefone Art galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Broadway's 'Godspell' is Paradise-Sent due to its Cast

NY (AP) One was waiting tables inside a Occasions Square ocean food restaurant. These guys at Disney films and also on tour while using Jonas Brothers and sisters. Another had completed at Carnegie Hall, but wondered when she'd land theater's finest prize.The Three George Salazar, Anna Maria Perez p Tagle and Celisse Henderson are overjoyed being making their Broadway debuts this month in the revival of Stephen Schwartz's "Godspell.""Personally, it's a dream be realized,In . states Perez p Tagle because the others jerk.The trio is an element from the 10-person cast that stars Hunter Parish, whose credits include Showtime's "Weeds" and Broadway's "Spring Awakening," as Jesus but furthermore is loaded with lots of youthful artists making their first foray onto a Broadway stage. The fashionable musical retelling in the New Testament's Gospel of Matthew opens Monday within the Circle inside the Square Theatre.The Tony-nominated score features the tunes "Daily,Inch ''Turn Back, O Guy," ''Prepare Ye the means by whichInch and "Light round the globeInch as well as the story up-to-date with modern jokes, including references to Kanye and Occupy Wall Street hits a contagious, hopeful tone."Godspell," which was an off-Broadway and Broadway smash inside the seventies and was converted to a film in 1973, is really a mainstay of chapel groups, high schools and schools since. Artists for instance Jeremy Irons, Zach Braff, Gilda Radner, Madonna, Full Latifah, Alice Ripley and Jon Hamm were in productions as youthful people.Inside an interview deep underneath the theater, Salazar, Perez p Tagle and Henderson laugh and joke simply because they describe how they each needed different paths to complete up singing and dancing together."Most likely the most amazing causes of in this group is always that everyone involved is actually unbelievable grateful being here, for whatever reason,In . states Salazar, 25.The Three may also be consuming media attention: They've been in "Late Show With David Letterman," taken photos of for Vanity Fair and were transformed into cartoons for just about any recent Broadway-designed episode of "South Park."Salazar, who arises from Kissimmee, Fla., was serving drinks and dinner within the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. in Occasions Square when he got a telephone call this summer season in regards to the "Godspell" auditions. No problem, he thought: He'd experienced the second national tour of "Spring Awakening" combined with in the bank a few go-to tunes.But there's a catch. His manager mentioned producers in the musical were also asking artists to arrange their unique improvised to experience a Bible parable. And Salazar had short amount of time to arrange his audition was the very next day.InchRight here I am with shrimp on trays and drinks throughout my hands, and i'm going, 'When can one do this?AInch he recalls.Three several days and five auditions later plus a nerve-racking one before Schwartz, who also composed the music activity and written the lyrics for "Wicked" Salazar learned he'd showed up employment when his phone rang."I dropped it. I used to be a sweaty, crying mess inside the hallway on the ground. It absolutely was one minute I'll remember,In . according to him. In recognition of the moment, Salazar states he'll be wearing special Nikes on opening evening featuring the total amount "08-26" August. 26 your entire day he was cast.Perez p Tagle, the newborn in the group just 20, was flying into NY for just about any marketing event from her home in La when her manager suggested she go to the "Godspell" audition.She'd begun her career on stage in regional productions of "Cinderella," ''The Wiz" and "The King which iInch and lately had came out round the Disney Channel's series "Hannah Montana," too as with such films as "Fame" and "Camping Rock 2: The Best Jam." A year ago, she along with while using Jonas Brothers and sisters and Demi Lovato.But her heart was on stage, even if she wasn't familiar then with "Godspell.". Multiple callbacks incorporated travel arrangements from La made that dream possible now she's happily gone after NY and started a completely new existence."This complete journey, using these amazing people, is honestly the most effective component that ever happened," she states, her voice cracking with emotion. "I'm different now. Which is all because of them."Henderson's route remains a lengthy and several tortured. She was among three stars inside an earlier output of "Godspell" completed at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse in 2006. It absolutely was to produce the jump to Broadway couple of years later, nevertheless the economic crash made that impossible.A nearby of Concord, Calif., 27-year-old Henderson has gathered varied credits: She was seen off-Broadway in "On The HighwayInch stood a recurring role on "The Electrical Company" reaches a national touring company of "Wicked" and released her debut album "Show and Tell" a year ago. But Broadway was elusive. To date.InchIt is type of can be found in a stylish in time my existence. I've been working in the market since i have have was 17," she states. "Now it's end up being the best factor that's ever happened in my opinion.InchThe 3 stress how fun and close the cast has become, a feeling perfectly in tune getting a musical that's about 10 individuals who're declaring back their pleasure. "It is not like use us. It's playing," states Perez p Tagle. "It is so enjoyable.InchInchYou will discover no egos, you will discover no personality clashes. Everyone works so well together which you will find there's lot fun," adds Salazar. "Hopefully that you've a real extended healthy run because, I'd rather not cease working here."Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

News Corp. Posts Strong Earnings in a Politically Tumultuous Quarter

Strong results at film and television helped propel News Corp. to impressive revenue in itsfiscal first quarter of 2012 despite distractions from scandals that the company has had to deal with.our editor recommendsOccupy Wall Street Protesters to Target News Corp. Shareholder Meeting PHOTOS: 9 Highest Paid Entertainment CEOs News Corp. said Wednesday that revenue rose 7 percent to $7.96 billion while analysts expected the company to post revenue that rose 4 percent to $7.4 billion. Net income of $738 million was down from $775 million a year ago and translated to an adjusted 32 cents per share, which also exceeded what analysts had anticipated.News Corp. shares rose 2 percent on Wednesday and another 2 percent after the closing bell. PHOTOS: News of the World's Top 10 Scandals Some of the company's top executives are scheduled take questions from the press and Wall Street analysts during a conference call Wednesday afternoon. While the analysts will most likely use the opportunity to delve into the numbers, guidance and the economy at large, reporters might focus on the News of the World phone-hacking scandal and other accusations of corruption at Rupert Murdoch's company, topics that dominated an Oct. 21 shareholder meeting at the Fox Studios lot in Los Angeles. Executives also might be asked if they have an interest in buying the Dodgers, a Major League Baseball team they owned a decade ago and is available for purchase again. Related Topics Rupert Murdoch News Corp. News of the World

Indomina will spread more 'Cabin Fever'

The Indomina Group is refreshing the "Cabin Fever" franchise and intends to produce and distribute a minimum of two more movies. Indomina Group Vice Chairman and Boss Jasbinder Singh Mann made the announcement Monday, revealing it's optioned privileges for "Cabin Fever: Patient Zero" and "Cabin Fever: Outbreak." Indomina intends to shoot the flicks to in tobago in early spring. It's signed Mike Wade Wall ("The Hitcher") to create the very first "Patient Zero" script, which focuses on a cruiseship within the Caribbean colliding by having an abandoned research vessel, unleasing a deadly virus. The banner has additionally signed Adam and Deborah Marcus ("Leatherface three dimensional") for "Outbreak," where a physician and the family visit an online Caribbean island to research a small flu outbreak, simply to uncover a vicious flesh eating virus that intends everybody around the island and they've to avoid an international epidemic. The initial "Cabin Fever" was launched in 2003 by Lionsgate, then "Cabin Fever: Springbreak" last year. Orginal "Cabin Fever" producer Hypotenuse Pictures is creating the following two films. Singh Mann is professional creating both films. "We have seen tremendous potential using the 'Cabin Fever' franchise," stated Singh Mann. "We're carrying out to 2 new 'Cabin Fever' films because there's a genuine demand from the devout fanbase - not only 'Cabin Fever' die hards but a sizable and vocal number of horror fans all over the world. Indomina is excited to accept reigns from the franchise and deliver on these next two films." Indomina lately acquired United States distribution privileges the comedy "An Incredible Anxiety about Everything" starring Simon Pegg along with the thriller "Existence Without Principle" from Johnnie To. It's financing "An Incredible Fear" and it is selling foreign privileges in the American Film Market. Additionally, it introduced in This summer a partnership with Samuel L. Jackson to make a new live action "Afro Samurai." Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Ratings: ABC Line-Up Enjoys a Big Night Due to Rainout

The Middle Wednesday was a good night for ABC, as comedies The Middle, Suburgatoryand Happy Endings all hit series highs in total viewers and in the 18-49 demo by which broadcasters measure their success. To boot, freshman series Revenge posted its second-highest numbers with viewers and young adults. Weather postpones Game 6 of the World Series There's an old baseball adage, "Spahn and Sain, and pray for rain ..." Answered prayers or not, ABC particularly benefited from the rainout of World Series Game 6 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers since it was the only network that didn't treat Wednesday night as a 9-0 forfeit. Unlike the other networks, it ran mostly fresh episodes. Fox's rain check to viewers - back-to-back encores of Glee - notched 2.48 million (0.7 demo rating) and 2.3 million (0.7), respectively. Check out the rest of the day's news At 8/7, The Middle grabbed 10.19 million (up from 9.03 million last week) and tied its series high with a 3.1 demo rating, though it still finished second to CBS' Survivor: South Pacific, which pulled in 11.57 million viewers (3,4 demo rating. A repeat of NBC's Up All Night managed 3.81 million (1.1). In the next half-hour, Suburgatory lured 9.83 million (up from 8.79 million a week ago) with a 3.4 rating. A Whitney rerun totaled 4.11 million (1.2). Yet another repeat of The CW's Ringer got 1.29 million. America's Next Top Model, which followed, got 2.23 million (and a 1.0 demo rating that was a season high). Fall Preview: Get scoop on your favorite returning shows Criminal Minds, typically Wednesday night's most-watched show, was a rerun and entertained nearly 11.357 million people in prime time's middle hour - a mere 4,000 behind the Modern Family Halloween episode repeat, which took the demo competition, 4.4 to 2.8. A rerun of NBC's Harry's Law enticed 4.42 million (compared last week's first-run 8.18 million). Happy Endings had 8.34 million people tuning in at 9:30/8:30c - way up from last week's 6.89 million. Its demo rating was 3.5. In the final prime-time hour, ABC's Revenge scored 8.71 million (after two weeks of 7.94 million) and 2.8 demo rating vs. repeats of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (9.01 million/2.0) and NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (3.51 million/0.8).

Matt's Guide to Wednesday TV: Halloween Hilarity and Horror, South Park and More!

James Roday, Dule Hill If you can spot the vampire reference in the line "Let the right ones in, buddy" - from tonight's enjoyably spoofy episode of USA Network's Psych (10/9c) - then you're in for a real treat, as Halloween is played for laughs (more often than not on purpose) on a variety of tonight's shows.The cleverest might be Psych's guest star-studded comic mystery (titled "This Episode Sucks"), in which a body drained of blood leads Shawn and Gus to deduce a vampire is on the loose. Could said fiend be the new mystery lady in Lassiter's life? She's played by original-movie Buffy Kristy Swanson, so anything's possible. Also making cameos: TV-Buffy alum Tom Lenk and eternal where-are-they-now curiosity Corey Feldman. But the real pleasure here is in watching James Roday (who co-wrote and directed the episode) and Dulé Hill work their way through a midnight movie marathon's worth of horror references, none funnier than when Gus is repeatedly mistaken as Count Chocula when it's so obvious (to him and Shawn, anyway) that he's dressed as the "iconic" Blacula. There's a pretty good Carrie joke as well. (Which reminds me: With Saturday Night Live in repeats this weekend, I sense a DVD horror-movie-a-thon in my immediate future.)Want more fall TV news? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!ABC's sitcom lineup also goes wall-to-wall Hallo-wacky, with Modern Family (9/8c) repeating last year's memorable episode in which Claire's haunted-house preparations go terribly awry. The rest of the shows are new. On The Middle (8/7c), Poor Sue Heck endures another costume fiasco and turns to her dad for advice on getting noticed - the right way - by boys, while Frankie is stuck taking Brick and his socially challenged "skills group" trick or treating. ... Jay Mohr guests on Suburgatory (8:30/7:30c) as Dallas' often-absent husband, while Tessa's suburban-chic costume freaks out her new classmates when it reminds them too much of a recently passed neighbor. ... There's a costume party on Happy Endings (9:31/8:31c), and as usual, Max and Penny (the show's funniest characters) kill it, as he plays "wing baby" strapped on to her new-mom ensemble, which makes things awkward when both find new friends to flirt with. As a reminder of all the failed relationship comedies of last season, David Walton of NBC's short-lived Perfect Couples guests as a partygoer who misinterprets an ailing Alex's Marilyn Monroe get-up. As for Jane and Brad, running afoul of trick-or-treaters as they housesit in the suburbs, they could just stay there for as much as they add to this show.Taking the holiday a tad more seriously, although with such a high camp threshold it tends to inspire giggles more than shrieks (especially whenever the rubber-suited ghoul appears), FX's American Horror Story (10/9c) kicks off an above-par two-parter featuring a very lively Zachary Quinto as the bitchier half of the ill-fated gay couple who lived in the "Murder House" just prior to the unhappy Harmons. The show is still an undisciplined hodgepodge that tends to stall whenever it focuses on the mopey core family, but it comes alive in spooky flashbacks - especially those involving the house's first tenants, a drug-addled "doctor to the stars" secret abortionist (Big Love's Matt Ross) and his unhappy wife (Broadway star Lily Rabe). As usual, the highlight is any scene involving Jessica Lange as flamboyant neighbor Constance, who this week channels Carrie's Piper Laurie in her overwrought scenes with her daughter Addie. And there's a nifty cliffhanger to boot. This is never as scary as AMC's The Walking Dead, but it's miles more nutty.Also hoping to evoke goosebumps, BBC America launches the evocative six-part crime thriller Whitechapel (10/9c) as part of its "Dramaville" franchise. The first three episodes form a mini-arc, as an ambitious and well-connected but woefully inexperienced London copper (Rupert Penry-Jones) is given a trial by fire as he's put on the trail of a killer replicating the savage 19th century murders of Jack the Ripper. The mystery is perhaps a too time-honored classic, and there's little subtlety to the shock-cut gruesomeness: "Welcome to hell, gentlemen," the coroner cheerfully announces during a grisly autopsy. But there is potent workplace tension, as the fastidious young boss tries to win over his resentful and unruly seen-it-all colleagues. They're skeptical of the Ripper connection, but the new guy consults an avid Ripper-ologist anyway. When the expert expresses his enthusiasm for "the irresistible siren call of a mystery, the delectable twists of a conundrum ... that delicious eureka moment when the scales fall away and everything is laid bare," we can almost believe Whitechapel is in that grand tradition.On a lighter note, if you're not already Broadway'd out by this week's Dancing With the Stars extravaganza, Comedy Central's South Park, which has been pretty spotty so far this fall, takes on the Great White Way. Tonight's episode (10/9c) is a much-anticipated collaboration/reunion between Park's Trey Parker and Matt Stone and their Book of Mormon co-creator Robert Lopez (Avenue Q), who all made Tony magic together with the mega-hit Mormon musical. The focus is on Randy and Sharon, Stan's parents, who head to Broadway to see all the shows after Randy catches the musical-theatre bug. Could this be the episode that earns South Park a Standing O this season?So what else is on? ... The World Series moves back to St. Louis for Game 6 (Fox, starts at 7:30/ET). If the home team wins, the series goes to a climactic Game 7 on Thursday. If the Texas Rangers win, it's all over until next year. ... While every other show celebrates Halloween, it's the Fourth of July on ABC's Revenge (10/9c), and the Graysons once again are throwing a party that's bound to be disrupted. The culprit this time is a scandalous surveillance video - of Lydia's violent fall from grace, perhaps? - that drives a wedge between the Graysons and their sinister head of security, Frank (Max Martini). ... CBS' Survivor (8/7c) is touting a risky move by one of the tribes' players that "will go down in Survivor history." The episode is titled "Trojan Horse," which could be a clue to what goes down. ... If Maks thought he had it rough in the judging on Dancing With the Stars, wait until the America's Next Top Model All-Stars (The CW, 9/8c) get a load of their guest judge this week: the hilariously outspoken Kathy Griffin. ... How sweet it is: One of the final three chef-testants will be named the winner in the season finale of Bravo's Top Chef: Just Desserts (10/9c).Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Kim Kardashian To Co-Star In Tyler Perrys Next Movie The Marriage Counselor

EXCLUSIVE: Using what comes lower to her most substantial acting role up to now, Kim Kardashian has signed onto costar inside the Counselor, the Lionsgate film Tyler Perry will next direct, based on his stage play. Shooting begins October 26 in Atlanta. The film notifies the story of Judith, an Ivy League-educated relationship expert who makes her living meting out marital advice, but is actually fed up with her own marriage they breaks her professional code and cheats getting an even speaking client only to realize she's developed a huge mistake. Jurnee Smollett plays the marriage counselor and Kardashian may have Ava, a co-worker who gives Judith a sizable city transformation and new confidence as she struggles along with her personal issues. Kardashian formerly carried out roles inside the films Deep inside the Valley and Disaster Movie.

'Anonymous' Scaly To Limited Release finally Minute

'Anonymous' -- the film that posits someone apart from William Shakespeare authored the truly amazing bard's plays -- was set to spread out countrywide on March. 28 on 1000's of screens. Now, The new sony Pictures has made the decision release a the film on only 250 screens. The studio transformed its plans after pre-release surveys established that the drama wasn't monitoring well, based on the L.A. Occasions. The Roland Emmerich-directed film will open wider in November, after -- the studio hopes -- reviews that are positive from audiences and experts. "We like the image and think it is going to get great person to person," stated Rory Bruer, Sony's distribution leader. "We are devoted to growing it until it plays wide." This is actually the first "indie" movie and first period drama from director Roland Emmerich, who's also known for epic-scale disaster movies '2012' and 'The Next Day Of Tomorrow.' 'Anonymous' stars Rhys Ifans because the Earl of Oxford (the alleged real author of Shakespeare's works) and Rafe Spall (boy of 'Harry Potter' actor Timothy Spall) as Shakespeare. Vanessa Redgrave, Joely Richardson and David Thewlis co-star. [via LAT] [Photo: The new sony Pictures] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Why Disney's Muppets Movie Has turned into a Risk for your Studio

This informative article first came out inside the March. 28 problem in the Hollywood Reporter.our editor recommends'Muppets': Full Trailer in the Jason Segel-Could Be Film Surfaces (Video)'The Muppets' at D23: Jason Segel Talks about Their Comedy Influence (Video)'The Muppets' Trailer Showcases Hollywood Cameos (Video)'Green Lantern's' Ryan Reynolds Can get Punked With the Muppets (Video)'Muppets' Movie Soundtrack Features Feist, Flight in the Conchords, Andrew BirdMuppets Creator Jim Henson Honored on 75th BirthdayOK Go Party While using Muppets (Video) Adams, Cooper and Manley joining Muppets movie (exclusive) We're searching to obtain the old gang back together again again!" states a voice that unmistakably would go to Kermit the Frog, inside the many Muppets trailers the Disney marketing machine has lobbed online in recent days. "We haven't transported this out in the very very long time," states another, somewhat anxious voice, identifiable having a as Fozzie Bear's. Plus it's true -- they haven't attempted it in the very very long time. A whole generation might not recognize Fozzie Bear in addition to Kermit inside the fur, a more compact amount the appear from the voices. Which's the job as Disney prepares to create the Muppets into theaters the first time in more than ten years. VIDEO: 'The Muppets' Trailer Showcases Hollywood Cameos The stakes are high, while not because the film's budget, inside the $40 million range, signifies an enormous financial gamble or because the hit-hungry Wealthy Ross regime may use victory. Once The Muppets scores, Disney finally might have determined the best way to relaunch an abandoned franchise that was probably the most storied on television world, fixing a puzzle that has baffled the business since it acquired the legendary figures in 2004. Disney has labored getting a vengeance waiting for the film's November. 23 release to trend within the figures online, including amusing spoofs of those films since the Hangover Part II as well as the Girl While using Dragon Tattoo. A sound lesson sang by stars Jason Segel and may Be opened up on Ryan Seacrest's radio show March. 12. The studio remains buoyed by strong test tests, and based on Internet chatter, anticipation for your film is high. Nevertheless the Muppets haven't experienced theaters since Muppets From Space tanked for that new the new sony in 1999. With different Muppets veteran, toward the conclusion of his existence, Muppets creator Jim Henson was finding it challenging to keep his creatures inside the public eye. He was operating individually inside an era of media concentration, which supports explain his decision to promote to Disney. "It absolutely was difficult before Jim died [in 1990], plus it increased being very, very difficult after Jim died," states this insider ruefully. "We'd the figures still doing things however with no constant, in-your-face exposure that something such as The Simpsons has. ... They lost a period.In . VIDEO: 'The Muppets' at D23: Jason Segel Talks about Their Comedy Influence Causeing this to be the Muppets' large chance. "A component film may be an extremely effective approach to relaunch a brand name,In . states kids TV veteran Toper Taylor, leader of Cookie Jar Entertainment. "Hopefully they'll be capable of bottle lightning once again.Inch Certainly it labored for that new the new sony while using Smurfs. It had been a couple of decades since the blue creatures had their heyday, as well as the studio introduced them roaring back getting an international gross more than $540 million. (Getting a $110 million budget, the wager was far more than Disney's round the Muppets.) In relaunching brands, Taylor states, it's essential to make sure you "don't disenchant their core audience." That's where the path for your Muppets is challenging. The old Muppets guard -- several authors and artists associated with creating the franchise -- is searching toward the neglected troupe to shine again, almost desperate inside their desiring the film to use. But though they haven't seen it, some wonder if film author and star Segel -- an obsessed Muppets fan -- features a true grasp in the figures they aided create. Related Subjects Jason Segel Wealthy Ross The Wally Disney Company The Muppets The Jim Henson Company 1 2 3 4 next last

Lindsay Lohan's Probation Suspended

Lindsay Lohan was removed in handcuffs today following a judge suspended her probation status pending a hearing. She published her $100,000 bail and can go back to court on November 2 to discover if she'll be coming back to jail. Judge Stephanie Saunter stated that Lohan had neglected the 360 hrs of community service in a women's shelter -- in addition to another 120 in the coroner's office -- she was needed to accomplish after being sentenced for any driving under the influence conviction in 2007 and shoplifting conviction earlier this May. Based on the LA Occasions, the actress "rarely made an appearance in a women's shelter" turning up for just 21 from the 360 hrs. The final movie Lohan is at Robert Rodriguez's 2010 film, 'Machete.' [via LA Occasions] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Fox Adapting Zombieland for TV

Jamie Bamber Jamie Bamber has been cast for a multi-episode arc on Body of Proof, TVGuide.com has confirmed. The Battlestar Galactica alum will play Scott Decker, a potential love interest for medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany). TVLine.com first reported the news. Check out the rest of today's news Post-BSG, Bamber made an appearance on Dollhouse and starred in Law & Order: UK. He also landed the lead role in Ron Moore's fantasy drama pilot 17th Precinct, which failed to get a pickup at NBC. Body of Proof airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on ABC.

MPAA to host Reagan centennial event

The MPAA is joining while using Taxation Foundation for just about any day's occasions to mark Reagan's centennial. On November. 14, the org will gather a panel within the MPAA's headquarters "how Leader Reagan's role inside the film industry created his role as leader and affected modern political communication." Furthermore they'll host a reception with Reagan administration alumni and studio CEOs. MPAA chairman Chris Dodd mentioned, "Leader Reagan frequently stated the capabilities he coded in Hollywood just like a negotiator and communicator offered him well when he found Washington. We anticipate exploring people communications gifts throughout our panel also to then celebrate his contributions for the film and tv industry." Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

U.K. will get YouTube rental service

London-- In another sign the digital sphere in Blighty is obtaining the pace, YouTube has released its movie rental service in the united states. A lot more than 1,000 feature photos, including "The Dark Dark night," "Reservoir Dogs" and "Monty Python's This Is of Existence" are actually readily available for Brit customers to rent through the Google-possessed site, adding another prong as to the has become an progressively competitive VoD landscape within the U.K.: Amazon . com-possessed Lovefilm, that has a lot more than 1.six million customers across Europe, is ramping up its streaming efforts and inking lengthy-term exclusive handles U.K. indie distribs while Netflix is anticipated to reach within the territory the coming year. New releases can be found online for 3.49 ($5.43) and older game titles vary from $3.87 to $5.43 to rent. Audiences can view their selected title inside a 30-day period and 48 hrs once they have started viewing it. The organization has inked handles majors including The new sony, Universal and Warner Bros and indie U.K. distribs for example Metrodome, the distrib behind "I'm Love" and Revolver Entertainment, that has launched photos for example "Anuvahood."Blighty marks the very first territory outdoors The United States that YouTube has released its rental service: early this season the organization revealed the service within the U.S. and Canada. YouTube also offers existing contracts with Brit tv stations, including Funnel 4 and Funnel 5, to stream selected content within the U.K."We are pleased to work with partners of dimensions to create more content to YouTube customers," stated Patrick Master, director of content close ties for YouTube Europe, the center East and Africa. "We are pleased to work with partners of dimensions to create more content to YouTube customers." Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com

TCG launches new grant

Theater Communications Group has snagged a hefty $millions of within the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to invest in a grant program that supports legit pros inside the nonprofit sector. Referred to as "Leadership U[niversity]," the program aims to assist early and mid-career theater leaders with gold gold coin and professional development. Most likely the most important slice of change will go to the "One-on-One" initiative for early-career types. TCG will tap six up-and-comers to obtain $75,000 additionally to mentorships at among TCG's member theaters. A $5,000 check will go to the mentor, and there's $14,500 open to assistance with having to pay for student financial financial loans, health care or other expenses. Goal of "One-on-One" would be to make employment in nonprofit theater -- where entry-level jobs are competitive and salaries frequently low -- really a viable alternative for promising candidates. The "Ongoing Erection dysfunction" seg in the grant program will award as much $6,000 each to eight mid-career nonprofit types, to invest in learning options outdoors from the organization which will make them address issues at their property theaters. TCG, the U.S. network of nonprofit theaters, has nearly 700 member orgs. The Mellon Foundation funds numerous legit endeavors, like the Public Theater's Lab program for completely new work. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Exclusive: Criminal Minds Books Charles S. Dutton

Charles Dutton Three-time Emmy champion Charles S. Dutton will guest-star on Criminal Minds later this season, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.Fall Preview: Get scoop inside your favorite returning showsThe actor may have Tony Colt, a Philadelphia boxing trainer who finds out that his favorite pupil, whom he's mentored as being a boy, calculates being the violent serial killer that can bring the BAU for the city. Criminal Minds' A.J. Prepare: It appears sensible for Qq being profilerDutton, 60, won two guest-acting Emmys for his target the Practice with no Trace, together with a pointing Emmy for your Cinemax miniseries The Corner. Lately, he's guest-starred on CSI: NY, Law & Order: La and, possibly most memorably, as Foreman's father on House.Criminal Minds airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on CBS. Dutton's episode, the tenth of the year, isn't scheduled yet.

VIDEO: Andy Rooney Signs Off From 60 Minutes

Tonight 92-year-old Andy Rooney made his 1,097th and final regular appearance on 60 Minutes. I wish I could do this forever, he said in his final essay titled My Lucky Life, in which he thanked his viewers and, in his trademark curmudgeonly style also appealed to them, “If you do see me in a restaurant, please, just let me eat my dinner.” Here is the video:

Watch Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Chess

A temperamental American champ takes on an idealistic Russian opponent in Chess. A Michael Harrison presentation, by arrangement with Chess Prods. and Paul Elliott for Triumph Entertainment, of a musical in two acts with music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, book & lyrics by Tim Rice. Directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood. Musical supervision and orchestration Sarah Travis.Freddie Trumper - James Fox Florence Vassy - Shona White Anatoly Sergievsky - Tam Mutu Svetlana Sergievsky - Rebecca Lock The Arbiter - David Erik Walter De Courcey - James Graeme Alexander Molokov - Steve VarnomSince it was released as a concept album in 1984, "Chess" by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus has been through more reincarnations than Shirley MacLaine. The latest, getting a run in Toronto prior to a stop on the West End, is helmed by Craig Revel Horwood with a lot of panache, a healthy dose of over-the-top theatricality and a steady stream of actor-musicians driving the engine. He succeeds in making the show two things it has never really been before: semi-coherent and consistently entertaining. In all of its versions, a temperamental American chess champ (Trumper) plays against an idealistic Russian (Sergievsky). The cities they play in, who wins and loses and why it all happens has changed in every draft. The current version starts in Merano, Italy, in 1979 and ends in Bangkok a year later. Along the way, there's a convoluted system of political intrigues, some dating as far back as the Hungarian revolution in 1956, and a fair bit of talk about media manipulation. But what has always sold the story and sells it here is the central saga of a married man (Sergievsky) who gives up his family and country for the mistress (Vassy) of his opponent (Trumper). Shona White, who plays the mistress role, has a wonderful ability to fling herself into emotional ballads. When the big numbers like "Heaven Help My Heart," "Anthem," "Pity the Child" and "I Know Him So Well" come, Horwood is clever enough to keep the stage still and let the powerhouse performers nail the tunes. But during the attenuated sequences of recitative and narration he pulls out all the stops, with chess pieces seemingly dressed by Victoria's Secret and choreography that reveals how you can bump and grind while playing a violin. Depending on your frame of mind, you'll call it superbly theatrical or slightly cheesy. It definitely does play to the British "more is more" school of musical staging. (Production has already had a successful tour of the U.K.) There's much to enjoy in Horwood's over-decoration of the show, which takes its baroque concepts right into rococo. The hit tune "One Night in Bangkok" pulls out all the stops -- if you've never seen a pole-dancing, trumpet-playing monk before, you will here. But when all is said and done, it's the emotional solidity of the four leads (White, Tam Mutu, James Fox and Rebecca Lock) that make you feel by the end of the second act that you've had a satisfying evening. Mutu in particular is a real winner, with a clarion call of a voice, the right kind of rumpled good looks and the intensity that could lead revolutions. As for the rest, Horwood's production is a fun place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there.Set and costumes, Christopher woods; lighting, Ben Cracknell; video, Jack James; sound, Richard Brooke.. Opened, reviewed Sept. 29; 2011. Runs through Oct. 30, 2011. Running time: 2 HOURS, 45 MIN.With: Curtis Angus, Susannah Van Den Berg, Gregory Clarke, Jennifer Douglas, Peter Dukes, Rebecca Jenkins, Kate Feldschreiber, Robbie White, Rosie Taylor, Verity Jones, Michelle Long, Tarek Merchant, Cameron Ball, Helen Power, Jennifer Saayeng, Kate Robson-Stuart, Sioned Saunders, Alex Tomkins, Richard Colvin, Matthew James Hinchliffe, Holly Ashton. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Dolphin Tale Advances Moneyball To #1 But New Photos Weak: 50/50 #4, Courageous #5, Dream House #6, What is Your Number? #8

SUNDAY AM, sixth UPDATE: Still on holiday inside a different time zone. That’s why I’m past due on some autopsy reviews I guaranteed and haven’t yet shipped. I’ll release them Sunday. My sincerest apologies. (Regrettably, I'm able to’t get accustomed to a meaning of ‘time off’that still makes metoil almost 24/7.)Nevertheless,the latest amounts have transformed the very best 10 order all over again.(It had been another confused weekend such as the 4g iphone!)This crop of 4 freshmen unsuccessful to makemuch of the impressionwith moviegoers because holdovers still ruled its northern border American box office. But overall the weekend expires +10%from this past year: 1. Dolphin Tale (Alcon, Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,515 Theaters] Friday $3.4M, Saturday $6.5M,Weekend $14.2M (-26%), Believed Cume $37.5M Terrific hold as Alcon uncorks anotherfeel goodfavorite. Dolphin Tale was up 88% from Friday evening because of the saturday matinee bump. Now it’splacing above both films it trailed a week ago.However the cume is stilllagging. And DreamWorks Animation/Vital just pressed in the discharge of Puss ‘N’ Boots to October 28th — that will deny Dolphin Tale of the extra week of time alone with families. 2. Moneyball (The new sony) Week 2 [2,993 Theaters] Friday $3.8M, Saturday $5.5M,Weekend $12.5M (-36%), Believed Cume$38.4M Excellent hold specifically for a couple-quadrant pic. ButMoneyball‘s cume needsmore beer and peanuts to fatten. 3. Lion King three dimensional (Disney) Week 3 [2,340 Theaters] Friday $3.3M, Saturday $4.4M,Weekend$11M, Believed Cume $79.6M Spectacular, still, with this juiced uptoon as all releases passDisney/Pixars Finding Nemo being the fourth greatest-grossing animated film ever worldwide.Snarked an adversary studio professional, “I might have said excitedly about this 2-days-only garbage…” Incidentally, help remind me to inform you aboutthe several weeks of meetingswhich Disney’s Frankeneisnerledover the storyline problems resulting from ‘lion cub incest’ for that sequelwasreleased. Onlyon Dopey Drive… 4. 50/50 (Summit/Mandate) NEW [2,458 Theaters] Friday $2.9M, Saturday $3.6M,Weekend $8.8M The very first thingto ponderabout this male Relation To Endearment is the fact that James McAvoy was designed to take part in the guy with cancer. Rather, Frederick Gordon-Levitt arrived in the last second. Now it’s tough to picture this truthful dramedy starring other people. Levitt is actually becoming probably the most interesting youthful stars around even when he’s not box office — yet.Summit Entertainment and Mandate Pictures gave50/50 a remarkably wide release a few days ago: within the past this pic could have been platformed so audiences could “find” it. But nowadays, using the increasing costs of selling, there’s virtually no time or purpose to doing that any longer. (“It was always imagined like a wide release picture instead of platformbecause of their playability,” an insider informs me.) Issue is, Summit thought the film wouldopen round the low double-numbers. Not a chance, despite an ‘A-’ CinemaScore from audiences. Summit states audience rankings & definite suggests were about 20 points over the norm, among the greatest ever within the studio’s exit polling. More women (54%) came thanmales (46%). When it comes to age demos: 83% were between your audience of 18-49,35% under 25,57% under 30, 43% over 30.Studio sources claim the flicks negative price is only $8 million. The question now's whether strong person to person allows this pic toplay for many days and finish up with an above average cume. As you must understand right now,the film writer Will Reiserbased the storyline simply by himself existence, and filmmaker Jonathan Levinepromoted not just the film and but alsocancer awareness.Pre-release, 50/50 was monitoring well with both male and women with older and more youthful audiences showing interest. Butthe really downer disease just stored audiences away despite partnershipswithnationalsupport groups likeStand As Much As Cancer and Lance Remedy’s Livestrongas well asregional orgs.Marketing-smart, the film in the beginning was situated like a broad Seth Rogen comedy (not a different one!). But thenthe studio ingrained it using the feel ofa niche film. TV buys centered on more youthful movie-goers first after which broadened to older males and women in line with the developed positioning. Summit beganan extensive word-of-mouth screening enter in early August and opened it in the Toronto Film Festival to some standing ovation. Hey, don’t complain about Hollywood’s crappy movies should you won’t support thequality ones. I’m truly disappointed this pic didn’t fare better.It warrants to appear. 5. Courageous (The new sony) NEW [1,161 Theaters] Friday $3.1M, Saturday $3.2M,Weekend $8.8M This movie was Fireproof 2 — only substitute fatherhood trouble for marriage worries, and police force officials for firefighters. Like many of these belief-based films, Sherwood Pictures’ Courageous was front-loaded due to pre-sales and chapel groups bussed totheaters. But The new sony initially expected abetter opening weekend despite the fact that it had been playing in just half as numerous locations because the other major studio releases.Still, it made the very best per-screen average and ranked an uncommon ‘A+’ CinemaScoreacross the board with males and ladies of any age.Opening weekend exits show the crowd was fairly balanced in gender (53%was female) and also the achieve hada slightly older skew (77% were aged 25+).These photos cost next-to-nuthin’ — Courageous made back its$two million production budget in the first day ofrelease. Sherwood Pictures relies in Albany, Georgia, where moviemaking ministry Sherwood Baptist Chapel churns out these inspiring films targeted at Christian believers.The new sony Pictures’s secular TV media was concentrated in shops like Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Hallmark Funnel, TLC, Lifetime, and TV Land too asmore conservative-leaning shops varying from Fox News, CMT to Christian Broadcasting Network and Gospel Music Funnel. The marketing budgetwas “modest and grassroots’.Like Fireproof (2008), Facing The Titans (2006), Flywheel (2003), the co-authors wereStephen Kendrick, who also created,and Alex Kendrick, who also directed. They, along withproducers Michael Catt and Jim McBridetogethermake every movie decision at Sherwood in which the four-guy team also function as pastors from the chapel.Fireproof opened up because the No. 4 film within the nation this same season, eventually grossing $33 million theatrically.It starred former TV teen hearthrob Kirk Cameron, and Courageous was cast with unknowns. 6. Dream House (Morgan Creek/Universal) NEW [2,661 Theaters] Friday $2.9M, Saturday $3.5M, Weekend $8.2M Jim Robinson’s Morgan Creek shows all over again that it may’t make or market a film in order to save its existence. It may’t even handle publicity:MC’s moronsapparently can’t find my current email address because I’ve received nada from their store relating to this opener.On the other hand the pic wasn’t tested ahead of time for experts — always an indication of the stinker. Don’t blame Universal: it had been just disbursing Dream House. Morgan Creek taken care of and did anything else. Badly. Directed by 6-time Oscar nominee Jim Sheridan and starringDaniel Craig, Naomi W, and Rachel Weisz, all of them should have needed the paydaybecause they’reway toomajor to get this done significantly-panned drivel from the script credited to David Loucka. Sheridan resided to be sorry while he and also the producers fought against over final cut.No surprise no major starspublicized the pic.(FYI, Craig and Weisz met on location and then married…) Seriously, this derivative haunted house tale gives new meaning to the phrase derivative. Worst were individuals TV advertisements thatstole moments in the Shining.It’shigh time that thedistrusted and dislikedRobinson switches professions and begins selling used cars rather than used movies. 7.Abduction (Lionsgate) Week 2 [3,118 Theaters] Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.5M,Weekend$5.6M (-48%), Believed Cume $19.1M You’ll be reading through my mea culpa Sunday after i release my longautopsy set of this explosive device. 8. What’s Your Number? (Fox) NEW [3,002 Theaters] Friday $2M, Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $5.6M Anna Faris may be the modern-day Goldie Hawn: it’simpossible to not like her. Unless of course you place her inside a reallylousy R-ranked New Regency fully-funded movie such as this that Fox encircled having a muddled advertising campaign vascillating from a female-empowerment pic along with a run-of-the-mill rom-com. Issue is, daters haven’t spoken regarding their “number” because the mid-eighties when sexually-sent illnesses were frightening the bejesus from singles. Audiences gave What’s Your Number? a ‘B’ CinemaScore. Pic cost only $20M.Your buck to Anna’s career might be more.(I’d want to see Faris for the reason that remake of Hawn’sPrivate Benjamin she was designed to do for brand new Line. It gained Goldie a Best Actress Oscar nom.) Directed byMark Mylod and created by Love Flynn and Tripp Vinson with script credit given toGabrielle Allan & Jennifer Crittenden, in line with the book 20 Occasions A Girl by Karyn Bosnak. 9. Contagion (Warner Bros) Week 4 [2,744 Theaters] Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.3M,Weekend $5M, Believed Cume $64.6M Let’s just say I spent my first day's vacation getting three kinds offlu shots having seen this movie. 10. Killer Elite (Open Road) Week 2 [2,986 Theaters] Friday $1.5M (-57%), Saturday $2.1M, Weekend $4.8M, Believed Cume $17.4M I’m not letting Open Road free about this dead seafood, either. Autopsy reportcoming Sunday, too. FRIDAY 1 PM: They are very early amounts according to matinees. And so the order could change significantly by tonight. My sources state that based on noon earnings, this is just an overview of in which the United States box office is appropriate now: 1. The #1 film at this time around is The new sony’s Courageous that is running 55% in front of where Fireproof was only at that time. (Fireproof continued to gross $6.8m because of its first weekend. Estimations are for Courageous to earn $5M Friday along with a weekend within the mid-teens. Unsurprising it’s trending in-front at this time because belief-based movies engender lots of pre-sales as chapel groups bus towards the theaters. 2. At this time it’s too near to demand second, 3rd, and fourth place as Alcon Entertainment/Warner Bros’ Dolphin Tale, The new sony Pictures’ Moneyball, and Disney’s Lion King 3 are ranking close together. 5. Summit’s 50/50 is believed at $3M for Friday having a weekend of $9M. Observe that this film is R-ranked so matinees are a bad barometer of their strength in the box office. 6. According to noon earnings, Universal’s Dream Home is trending toward a Friday believed gross of $4M having a weekend of $11M when the box office accumulates considerably tonight as predicted. 7. Fox’s What’s Your Number is really a tough refer to this as early. It might visit $3M today and $9M a few days ago.

Fox's 'Terra Nova' OK in bow

Within the second outing, new CBS sitcom "2 Broke Women" enhanced round the timeslot this past year having a large 44% on Monday evening. Fox's pricey, vfx-laden "Terra Nova" opened up to average amounts on Monday evening despite heavy promo as well as the Spielberg pedigree. It had dinosaurs and Steven Spielberg's title attached, but pricey Fox drama "Terra Nova" settled for average amounts within the bow Monday. Star in the evening was CBS' "two and a half Males," which assigned 20 million audiences in Ashton Kutcher's second week and made an appearance to lift the net's entire comedy block.Opposite a sizable "Monday Evening Football" game on ESPN and potent CBS comedy amounts, "Terra Nova" averaged a 3.1 rating/8 participate grownups 18-49 and 9.22 million audiences from 8 to 10 p.m. -- holding steady inside a 3.one out of each half-hour, according to Nielsen. While nothing special, the "Terra Nova" opener was in line with last week's top drama premieres inside the demo (ABC's "Revenge" and "Pan Am" and CBS' "Person of great interestInch). This past year in Week 2, "House" did a 3.8 and rookie dud "Lone Star" handled only one., so Fox's 3.1 average for your evening reps a 24% improvement year-to-year. "House" returns inside a couple of days within the new regular 9 p.m. timeslot.CBS won the evening in demos among the tv producers, with "Generate An Earnings Met Your Mother" (4.5/12, 10.50m) supporting well in the premiere and "2 Broke Women" searching good within the regular 8:30 p.m. debut (4.6/12, 11.75m), up a sizable 44% over last year's "Rules of Engagement" inside the timeslot.Next, "two and a half Males" centered at 9 (7.4/17 in 18-49, 20.53m) -- lower about 30% week to week but nevertheless 54% a lot better than the second week of "Males" last season for CBS (4.8). And following "Mike and Molly" (4.8/11, 13.86m), which returned with series levels, "Hawaii Five-" introduced the drama demo fight at 10 p.m. (3.2/8, 11.26m).ABC's "DwtsInch (3.3/8 in 18-49, 16.23m) dropped about 15% in the below-componen premiere of the other day and was lower a sizable 30% within the same evening this past year, nevertheless it used to be big enough among older audiences to lift the Alphabet to victory for your evening in general audiences. Closing things out, 10 p.m. drama "Castle" (2.8/7, 11.67m) still handled to fit its delivery of this past year, placing second to "Hawaii Five-" in demos while edging the CBS drama in general audiences.NBC's "The Playboy Club" (1.3/3, 3.97m) dropped a few more ticks in the soft bow, as well as the net's "The Sing-Off" also dipped (1.7/4, 4.45m), wonderful three several hours below last year's Week 2 average.CW's new drama "Hart of Dixie" averaged b .8/2 in 18-49 and 1.88 million audiences overall, building on its "Gossip Girl" lead-in (.7/2, 1.37m) in many broad groups -- even though it shipped in grownups 18-34 (.8 versus. single.1 for "Gossip").Making existence a hardship on the television stations was ESPN's "Monday Evening Football," which featured the Dallas Cowboys and for that reason was above average (7.2/17, 17.10m). Contact Ron Kissell at ron.kissell@variety.com

Cougar Town's Serta Byrd Moving to Suburgatory

Mark Moses and Teri Hatcher Some sex moments turn your self on. Others turn your stomach.For your fourth year back to back, we're singling the television hookups the second.Picture Gallery: TV's Unsexiest Sex Moments, Volume IVFrom True Blood's vampy threesome to twincest on Wager on Thrones to Susan's super-creepy shower sex dream on Desperate Regular folks, we're praising all the lowlights. (And sadly, we required to limit the uncomfortable come-ons within the Real Regular folks franchise to two.)So, go here above in the event you dare. (You've been informed!) And when you're brave enough for further, make sure to have a look at our previous lists here, here and here.

Israel taps Oscar hopeful

TEL AVIV -- Israeli helmer Frederick Cedar plank is incorporated in the Oscar race once more. On Thursday evening, Cedar's "Footnote" (Ha'erat shulayim) taken the Ophir Honours, the Israeli Film Academy's annual competition, taking home nine awards including individuals for director, picture and script. The image champion instantly becomes the nation's submission for any foreign film Oscar nomination. In 2007, Eran Kolirin's "This Guitar Rock Band Visit" required home the very best Ophir, but was disqualified being an Oscar bid because this didn't satisfy the AMPAS qualifying criterion of getting a minimum of 50% of their dialogue inside a language apart from British. Cedar's war pic "Beaufort" was posted in the place and continued to earn Israel's first Oscar jerk in 23 years. "Footnote," Cedar's follow-as much as that film, may be the story of deep-sitting family competition inside the scholarly realm of esoteric Hebrew scriptures. It gained the script prize in addition to a U.S. distribution deal from The new sony Pictures only at that year's Cannes Film Festival. "It is a film about the requirement for recognition," Cedar plank told Variety in May. "I believe everybody has that require, as well as in this film the requirement goes so deep it might be a survival story. Existence and dying." Cedar plank stated that, when creating the film, he'd no clue whether it would follow within the actions of "Beaufort." "We have all done 2 yrs of intensive, obsessive, meticulous, endless work and also you never fully realize if anybody is ever going to be thankful. However, you still place in all you have into each and every second and frame and squeak within the film," he stated. Up to now, Israel has brought nine Oscar nods for the best foreign film, but hasn't won. The deadline for those nations to transmit within their distribution is March. 1. The 84th Oscars is going to be held February. 26 in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

ROLL CALL: Alex Rodriguez Talks Split With Cameron Diaz: Well Constantly Be Pals

FIRST Launched: September 22, 2011 2:34 PM EDT By Jesse SperoLOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Your Day-to-day Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans! A-Fly fishing rod Certifies Split With Cameron: NY Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez takes our prime road if the involves his split from ex-girlfriend Cameron Diaz. I have got a lot of passion for Cameron, the baseball star told People. Well constantly be pals. A mag source mentioned, They have considerable respect for each other. Uncover which other Hollywood pairs have referred to as it quits this year, HERE! Biebs & Babies!: Attacking Youthful Boys and Selena Gomez were built with a chuckle now after they gave their fans a possible glimpse for their future! Uncover why the singer joked he and Selena are Brangelina 2., HERE! Alex Strips For His Stripper Movie!: Alex Pettyfer appears being getting very comfortable round the number of Miracle Mike, a guys stripper movie loosely based on Channing Tatums existence. Have a look at Alex revealing their very own miracle forces, HERE! This"Dragon Has Warmth!: The newest trailer within the Girl while using Dragon Tattoo remains released and Access has a review of Difficulties and Rooney Mara to use it! See the trailer for your lengthy looked forward to U.S. remake, HERE! Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved.These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Colors' is Colombia Oscar entry

Colombia's fledgling 2-year-old Academy of Cinematographic Arts & Sciences has selected Carlos Cesar Arbelaez's helming debut, "Los colores p la montana" (The Shades in the Mountain), to represent the country inside the foreign-language film Oscar race. Colors" trounced 13 competitors from more seasoned helmers including Sebastian Cordero's "Rabia" (Rage), Carlos Moreno's "Todos tus muertos" (All Your Dead Ones) and Juan Felipe Orozco's "Saluda al diablo p mi parte" (Greetings for the Demon), starring Edgar Ramirez ("Carlos"). Set in the armed conflict between guerilla mma fighters as well as the military in Colombia, "Colors in the Mountain" tracks a 9-year-old who enlists his close buddies to help him retrieve his football in the minefield. Pic won the completely new Company company directors award in San Sebastian a year ago as well as the script within the 2011 LA Latino Film Festival. It first demonstrated in Colombia the 2009 spring. NY-based Film Movement released "Colors" on DVD inside the U.S. captured. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Cuchera

A One Big Fight Prods. presentation. (International Sales: Ignatius Films, Toronto). Produced by Roderick Cabrido, Ariel Bacol, Ferdinand Lapuz. Executive producer, Joseph Israel Laban. Directed, written by Joseph Israel Laban.With: Maria Isabel Lopez, Simon Ibarra, Sue Prado, Jon Neri, Isadora Villasquez."Cuchera" doesn't quite amount to a bait-and-switch, but what's set up as an expose on drug smuggling to China and the hundreds of Filipinos imprisoned there -- an opening title provides facts and figures -- segues into sex shows, violence and a fetishistic fascination with homosexuality, all of which may meet market expectations in Asia, but will likely keep it there. Amid the amateur acting, out-of-focus shooting and perfunctory exploitation, a streak of desperation runs through the characters, principally Isabel (Maria Isabel Lopez), a former prostitute and drug mule trying to set up her own operation, drafting impoverished teenagers to jam their body cavities with drug-stuffed condoms and take off for China. Debuting helmer Joseph Israel Laban, apparently a former journalist who covered the subject, seems well-versed in the mechanics and processes of indoctrinating and preparing drug couriers -- who knew eating wet okra helped one swallow dozens of drug balloons? There's also an important social agenda at the heart of "Cuchera." But Laban's preoccupations with body cavities and their abuse makes the film itself hard to swallow, and the gratuitous nature of so much that goes on here will drastically limit exposure.Camera (color, DCP), Luis Liwanag; editor, Piah Luna; music, Diwa de Leon; production designer, Nestor Abrogena. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Discovery), Sept. 11, 2011. Running time: 90 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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Gun Van Sant on Restless, Test-Screening Nightmares and Why He Went Out For Breaking Dawn

After bookending the summer with prestigious appearances at festivals in Cannes and Toronto, acclaimed auteur Gus Van Sant brings his latest film, Restless, to theaters this weekend in limited release. The outcome of an unusual creative collaboration including co-producers Ron Howard and his daughter Bryce Dallas Howard, her former NY University colleague and screenwriter Jason Lew, and the visionary for hire Van Sant, Restless stars Mia Wasikowska as a terminally ill teenager who sparks up a star-crossed love affair with a gloomy, funeral-crashing, imaginary friend-confiding orphan (played by Henry Hopper). The two-time Oscar-nominated director sat down with Movieline this week to discuss Restless’s festival reception, the one-size-fits-all perils of test screenings, the 20th anniversary of his classic My Own Private Idaho, and what he was thinking when throwing his name in the hat to direct The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. You were up in Toronto with this, and you met a NY audience the other night. What’s your sense of how viewers are receiving Restless? It seems really positive. I’m pretty happy. Do you actually like this part of the process? The exchange with the audience? No, I don’t. But I know they do, so that’s nice. Do test screenings or what audiences say in general ever influence you? Yeah. I mean, I totally take advice for the audience, but sometimes the test is not just for advice. It might also be for approval. The tests have different ways you can count up the scores. It asks you, “Do you like the lead character? Who’s your favorite character? Would you tell a friend about it? Would you rate it excellent, good, fair, poor?” There’s a way to count those up so you get a score, but it’s a score based on these arbitrary questions; the score is different than the other part of the test, like, “Are there any scenes that were too slow? Are there any scenes that are too fast? How did you like the ending? Did it begin too slow?” Questions about pacing, communication and so forth. Those can be one thing. But there can also be this concern about the overall adding of the score, because then it becomes more like a grade on a paper in high school or college ow wherever. So you want it to be A+. And a 90 is an A-, a 95 is an A, a 99 is an A+. And an 85 is a B, and a 75 is a C. So you want it to be 90. Do you remember the highest grade you ever got? Yeah. I’ve gotten in the 90s like… three times? What’s the lowest you ever got? 33. 33? No, wait. 32. On what? To Die For was 32. You got a 32 on To Die For? And that’s the reason I don’t necessarily look at the score. You can interpret that wrong. The people who are interested in the score, then that’s the score. To them, it’s like high school: “If it’s 32, it’s failing. It’s a failure. That means the movie’s gonna be a failure.” There thinking of it like a grade in college. Their bosses are thinking of it like a grade in college. Their shareholders are thinking of it like a grade in college. And what they do is based on their interpretation of that number. But you can get a score like that if you say, “Here’s a really funny Robin Williams movie. Come to it and laugh!” and then you show them a serious downer Robin Williams movie like One-Hour Photo. They give you a 32 and you say, “What’s wrong?” Like it must be a failure, you know? You didn’t test it right. You can screw the test up. And in the particular case of some tests, it can be that you’re trying to change the profile of the movie. I often make dark comedies. [To Die For] is a dark comedy. The dark comedies tend to be in a non-releasable area. There can be romantic comedies. There can be dramas. But there’s no “dark comedy” inbox for the advertising. So they might test it as a romantic comedy when it’s actually a dark comedy, and as a result you’ll get a low score. You’re saying, “Bring your date! You’re going to get laid on this one!” And then Nicole [Kidman] kills her husband, and the score is D or F because I’m not going to get laid now. And you wonder, “Gee, what went wrong?” And it’s all because you’re trying to make it into something it’s not. Are you ever enlightened at all about your past films by talking about them? Either with fans, or in interviews, or wherever? [Long pause] Yeah, I guess. James Franco is recutting My Own Private Idaho, so I learned something new about that one because I’ve seen the old footage. But I don’t really by talking about them. I like hearing people talk about them; maybe you learn something new about people’s reactions to them. But I don’t necessarily learn about the film. My Own Private Idaho turns 20 this year. What are your reflections two decades later — particularly in light of James Franco’s work revising it? That was the one film — well, in that era, before 2000 — it was the one film that was sort of my own. Some of them, I adapted other people’s books. That was the one I kind of cobbled together with different elements. There was a little bit of Shakespeare in it. It was like this collaged story. So there’s that aspect I like to remember. Do you have a personal relationship with your films over time? Does your impression of them or their memories ever change? No. I mean, they exist as films that other people mention, but there’s no particular relationship.