Simon Cowell Getting $42 Million for your X Factor together with other Endeavors

Simon Cowell It calculates the $5 million recording contract that Melanie Amaro received can be a relative pittance in contrast for the $42 million Simon Cowell will get for your X Factor together with other companies. The Protector london, stating corporate papers filed the other day, reviews that Cowell, the show's creator and alpha judge, made that amount in the deal with The brand new the new sony that setup a partnership for his entertainment companies, such as the Fox network amateur-singing competition. See the best and worst of 2011 Due to its fifty percent participate the completely new Syco Entertainment, The brand new the new sony anted up some $49 million and surrended its possession stakes by 50 percent of Mr. Cowell's other entertainment characteristics. Cowell received $42 million of the money by handing inside the shares of one other company under his control. Winter Preview: Add approaching shows for the Watchlist The initial season in the X Factor culminated the other day while using 19-year-old Amaro becoming the champion. Some 12.45 million audiences seen the finale, well shy in the 20 million that Cowell and Fox professionals -- who referred to as show "the finest show on television, the finest show in the world ..." - predicted with great bravado last summer season. The amounts were barely half of yankee Idol's. Nicole Scherzinger: The X Factor "needed a good deal from me" The show already is slated to come back for Season 2 despite falling missing high ratings goals, it did a lot better than other prime-time programs. However, many changes may be coming. There's speculation that judge Nicole Scherzinger won't return, and host Steve Manley may be going the obvious method of John Dunkelman.

Give consideration to Taylor Swift's New Song Within The Hunger Games Soundtrack!

Taylor Quick Taylor Quick gave her fans (and Katniss die-hards everywhere) an early on Christmas gift late Thursday when she tweeted the web link to her new song for your Hunger Games soundtrack. "Something I've been VERY searching toward for just about any Super very long time will most likely be happening Soon,Inch she tweeted shortly before hooking up for the track on iTunes. "Safe & Appear" can be a collaboration involving the country-pop singer and alt-folk duo The Civil Wars. VIDEO: Watch the initial full-length trailer for your Hunger Games By Friday evening, "Safe & Appear" had already hit No. 1 round the iTunes sales charts. Give consideration towards the song here: The Hunger Games hits theaters on March 23, 2012. What can you consider "Safe & Appear?"

Kosslick to continue at Berlinale

BERLIN -- Dieter Kosslick is set to continue as director of the Berlin Film Festival when his current contract expires in 2013. Germany's Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media has asked Kosslick, who took the reins at the fest in 2001, to stay on for an additional three years, although a new contract has yet to be signed. Kosslick has had a major impact on the Berlinale, putting a much greater focus on German cinema than his predecessor, Moritz de Hadeln, and also launching such initiatives as the educational Talent Campus and the World Cinema Fund, which supports filmmaking in less developed regions of the world. Yet he has also disappointed a fare share of film critics with lineups that have failed to match the level of glamour and adulation of other festivals, such as Cannes and Venice, despite helping to launch such films as Asghar Farhadi's Iranian hit "A Separation," Bela Tarr's "The Turin House" and Wim Wenders' "Pina," all of which are in the running for foreign Oscar nominations. As for this year's Berlinale, the fest's German sidebar will be celebrating men. Nearly all of the films so far selected for the Perspektive Deutsches Kino section revolve around males: from bromances to romances to guys who don't like talking about themselves and women who wonder what makes a man a man. The Perspektive opens with Katarina Peters' documentary "Man for a Day," in which a number of women transform themselves into men for a day. Joachim Schoenfeld's debut feature "Gegen Morgen" (Before Tomorrow), meanwhile, centers on two policemen, while in "Westerland," author-director Tim Staffel adapts his own novel, "Jesus und Muhammed," in another debut feature about two young men who fall in love and hole up together on an island for what becomes at times paradise, and at other times hell. "What is remarkable this time is that all three feature films selected so far are works of directors who were way past 40 when they made their first full-length films," said Perspektive director Linda Soeffker. "A broad spectrum and roundabout routes enrich the festival environment and cinema culture." Matthias Stoll's "Sterben nicht vorgesehen," one of two medium-long works from the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne, is a loving portrait of his dead father. Centering on a female protagonist, Janis Mazuch's "Tage in der Stadt" (Out Off) focuses on a woman who begins a new life after spending 13 years behind bars. The Perspektive will also again screen the feature film winners of the Max Ophuels Award, handed out at Saarbruecken's Max Ophuels Preis film festival (Jan. 16-22), as well as the winner of this year's First Steps Award for documentary, "The Other Chelsea: A Story from Donetsk," by Jakob Preuss. The Berlinale, which runs Feb. 9-19, will also be celebrating Studio Babelsberg's 100th anniversary. One of the world's oldest large-scale film studio complexes, Babelsberg is seen as the birthplace of German cinema. In honor of the event, the Berlinale is presenting a special 10-pic series, Happy Birthday, Studio Babelsberg, including such titles as Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's "The Last Laugh," Josef von Sternberg's "The Blue Angel," Konrad Wolf's "Goya," Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" and Stephen Daldry's "The Reader." Contact Ed Meza at staff@variety.com

Howard Stern Joins NBC's 'America's Got Talent'

Fox Searchlight Pictures"The Descendants" Earlier this morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced the nominees for the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards -- which will take place in Hollywood on Sunday, Jan. 15 -- and there were numerous noteworthy surprises and snubs. Here's my best attempt to make sense of it all.our editor recommends'The Artist' Tops Golden Globe Nominations Golden Globe Awards Nominations: The Complete ListGolden Globe Awards Nominations: The Nominees' Reactions COMPLETE LIST: 2012 Golden Globe Awards Nominees NOTEWORTHY FACTOIDS The Artist, a black-and-white silent movie, garnered a field-leading six nominations: the film for best picture (musical or comedy), Michel Hazanavicius for best director, Jean Dujardin for best actor (musical or comedy), Berenice Bejo for best supporting actress, Hazanavicius for best screenplay and Ludovic Bource for best original score. Close behind on the nominations leaderboard are The Descendants with five; The Help, The Ides of March, Midnight in Paris and Moneyball with four; and Hugo with three. NOTEWORTHY INCLUSIONS The HFPA is famous for nominating famous actors and actresses for performances at which others scoff, and while last year's public chiding from host Ricky Gervais may have kept them a bit more in-line this year than in others -- indeed, there was no nod for Johnny Depp for The Rum Diary or Anne Hathaway for One Day -- they still couldn't resist making a few egregiously inappropriate nominations: Carnage has been pilloried by critics and audiences alike and no one associated with it has been nominated or honored by any other awards group, but Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet both managed to score best actress (musical or comedy) Globe nods. The HFPA really likes George Clooney and Ryan Gosling, so they doubled-down on them this year: Clooney was nominated for best actor (drama) for The Descendants, which is perfectly legitimate, and for best director for The Ides of March, which is surprising but justifiable, since they apparently liked the film enough to nominate it for best picture (drama). Gosling, meanwhile, was nominated for Ides for best actor (drama) and also for Crazy Stupid Love for best actor (musical or comedy). The HFPA also has some odd loyalties. For whatever reason(s), they seem to love Brendan Gleeson a lot more than any other awards group, having nominated him for best actor (musical or comedy) for In Bruges three years ago and now for The Guard, another little film that no one else is talking about. All things being equal, the HFPA will usually award a performance in a commercial studio film over a performance in a little indie, and this year was no exception. Among their selections this year: Jessica Chastain (for The Help rather than The Tree of Life) for best supporting actress, Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) for best actress (drama), and Jonah Hill (Moneyball) for best supporting actor. To their credit, they also managed to fit in a few standout perfs given by actors' actors in smaller movies, including: Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) for best actress (drama), Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method) for best supporting actor, and Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) for best supporting actress. NOTEWORTHY SNUBS Somewhat surprisingly, the HFPA completely snubbed a handful of star-studded films, including Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, for which they could have nominated Tom Hanks for best supporting actor and/or Sandra Bullock for best supporting actress; We Bought a Zoo, for which they could have nominated Matt Damon for best actor (musical or comedy) and/or Scarlett Johansson for best supporting actress; Margin Call, for which they could have nominated Kevin Spacey and/or Jeremy Irons for best supporting actor; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, for which they could have nominated Gary Oldman for best actor and Colin Firth for best supporting actor; Melancholia, for which they could have nominated Kirsten Dunst for best actress (drama); and The Tree of Life, for which they could have nominated Brad Pitt for best supporting actor -- not to worry, though, they took care of him for Moneyball! The HFPA also completely ignored a handful of critically-acclaimed indies that do not feature A-list stars, including Martha Marcy May Marlene, for which they could have nominated Elizabeth Olsen for best actress (drama) and/or John Hawkes for best supporting actor; Like Crazy, for which they could have nominated Felicity Jones for best actress (drama); Take Shelter, for which they could have nominated Michael Shannon for best actor (drama); and Coriolanus, for which they could have nominated Ralph Fiennes for best actor (drama) and/or Vanessa Redgrave for best supporting actress. Rather bizarrely, SAG, which is generally more conservative in its choices, nominated Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), the year's most unlikely breakthrough star, for best supporting actress, but the HFPA did not, despite liking her film enough to nominate it for best picture (musical or comedy) and her costar Kristen Wiig for best actress (musical or comedy). Others who were nominated yesterday by SAG but not today by the HFPA: best actor nominee Demian Bichir (A Better Life) and best supporting actor nominees Armie Hammer (J. Edgar) and Nick Nolte (Warrior). Because there are only five slots in the best director category, the HFPA could not accomodate A-listers like Steven Spielberg (War Horse), David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar), to say nothing of the lesser-known directors of their best picture (drama) nominees The Help (Tate Taylor) and Moneyball (Bennett Miller). PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 8 Possible Hollywood Targets for Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes Golden Globes Golden Globes 2012

Camera Operators set lifetime nods

Paul Babin and Zoran Veselic are among the recipients of the Society of Camera Operators' 2012 Lifetime Acheivement Awards. Babin will be recognzed for his work as camera operator on pics including "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and "Magnolia." Veselic will be honored in the technician category with creds including the blockbuster "Spider-Man" and awards contender "Moneyball." Other career kudos recipients are dolly grip Harry Rez as mobile camera platform operator and Andrew E. Cooper as motion picture stills photographer. The SOC will present an award for distinguished service to the motion picture industry to Sol Negrin, who has worked as a lenser and a professor. The SOC is dedicated to advancing the contributions of camera crews. The kudos ceremony will raise funds for the Vision Center of Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Honors will be presented Sunday, Feb. 12 at the ATAS Goldenson Theater in North Hollywood. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Foreign Box Office: 'Puss In Boots' Purrs To No. 1 Overseas

NBC Pop star Katy Perry appeared on NBC's Saturday Night Live this week for the first time as its host. And if anyone thought the sketch show would take it easy on her, they were wrong. Plus, Alec Baldwin made a guest appearance to give another jab to American Airlines, which kicked him off of a flight earlier this week.our editor recommends'Saturday Night Live': Steve Buscemi Skewers Miley Cyrus, 'Dateline,' and College Sex Abuse Scandals (Video)'SNL': Jason Segel and Surprise Guest Paul Rudd's Sloppy Kiss Take Bromance to New Level (Video) PHOTOS: 'SNL' Stars Salute Kennedy Center Honoree Will Ferrell Perry seemed a bit nervous during the opening monologue, but thankfully a crew of cast members didn't let her go it alone. They posed as folks from her hometown who inspired her songs and, yes, she almost kissed a girl (Kristen Wiig, who was dressed in a blue wig and outfit with ice cream cones for breasts, which mirrored Perry's often outlandish style). The singer-turned-host appeared in at least nine sketches during the 90-minute show portraying herself on a Finnish talk show that has a clip for everything (even the future), Christina Aguilera in a parody of the movie, New Years Eve, recent musical guest Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, a ballsy Pippa Middleton, among others. She was particularly funny as the "loving version of racist" Hello Kitty collector in a spoof on college TV and people who take their love of Japanese pop culture to extremes. Watch the J-Pop Talk Show below. Baldwin made a surprise visit to throw one more jab at American Airlines after booting him from a flight earlier this week. He played the plane's pilot who came on to "Weekend Update" with Seth Meyers to apologize to the actor for throwing him off the plane. That's one way to get the last laugh. Take a look a the sketch below. Perry's opening act on her tour,Robyn, was the musical guest this week. The Swedish singer had a big dance hit here in the U.S. in the late-90s, "Do You Know (What It Takes)." And let's just say she brought dance choreography to a whole new level on the show. Watch below. Email: Jethro.Nededog@thr.com; Twitter:@TheRealJethro PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'SNL' Stars Salute Kennedy Center Honoree Will Ferrell Alec Baldwin Katy Perry NBC

'The Three Stooges' Trailer: Moe Teaches 'Jersey Shore's' Snooki a Lesson in Comedy (Video)

Thursday marks the 21-year anniversary of the death of John Lennon.our editor recommendsPaul McCartney Says Beatles Split All on John Lennon'Idol' Meets the Beatles With Mixed Results, MeltdownsPaul McCartney, Yoko Ono, Sir George Martin, Olivia Harrison to Attend Fifth Anniversary Show of Beatles' 'LOVE' John Lennon's Tooth Fetches Over $30,000 at Auction, Goes to Dentist The legendary singer-songwriter was shot and killed Dec. 8, 1980, at age 40 in NY by Mark David Chapman at the entrance to the building where he lived. His death came just three weeks after the release of his album Double Fantasy, which marked the first album for Lennon since the birth of his son in 1975. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths Lennon was born Oct. 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England. His first band, the Quarrymen, evolved into what became the Beatles in 1960. He and fellow band member Paul McCartney would go on to form one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century, writing most of the group's hits. Lennon's marriage to Japanese artist Yoko Ono in 1969 played a part in the disintegration of the Beatles a decade after the band's formation. He went on to have a successful solo career, with hits including "Mother," "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine." VIDEO: Remembering the Beatles' George Harrison Here are five iconic moments from Lennon's career: 1. Beatles' First Appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show The U.K. had already been enthralled with Beatlemania when the group made its U.S. debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, performing "All My Loving," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to an audience full of mostly screaming females. As they performed "Till There Was There," the names of the group members were superimposed over close-ups, including the famous "Sorry girls, he's married" over Lennon. The appearance marked their breakthrough to international stardom. 2. Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band The Beatles' 1967 album was part of the group's experimental phase and spawned such singles as the title track, "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "A Day in the Life." It was named one of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" by Rolling Stone in 2003. The Bee Gees -- Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb -- starred in a 1978 film musical of the same name that featured new versions of songs from the album as well as 1969's Abbey Road. "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" also was featured in the Beatle's Yellow Submarine movie. 3. "Imagine" After embarking on his solo career, Lennon had several hits, including this one, which endures today and is a staple on TV singing competitions like American Idol and The Voice. Lennon and Ono performed the song -- which in 2004 was ranked No. 3 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" -- together in Madison Square Garden in 1972. 4. "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" Lennon would became an anti-war activist, reflected in songs like "Give Peace a Chance," his first solo single, and the holiday-themed "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)," which still gets lots of play every December. To advertise the single, Lennon and Ono paid for billboards in 12 cities around the world that read in each country's native language: "WAR IS OVER-IF YOU WANT IT." Watch the official video below. 5. Last Full Concert Performance Lennon gave two benefit concerts in NY's Madison Square Garden in 1972 to aid patients at the Willowbrook State School mental facility. They were has last full-length concert appearances. In the clip below, he performs "Mother." PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Hollywood's Notable Deaths Related Topics Yoko Ono The Beatles John Lennon

Hot Worldwide Trailer: This Means War

Chris Pine and Tom Sturdy play spies who uncover they’re dating the identical lady - Reese Witherspoon. The opt at each other rather like another last century Fox pairing (we’ll permit you to guess which) and “may the most effective guy win.” Periodic hilarity and physical comedy ensue. You function as judge. Directed by Micrograms, script by Timothy Dowling and Simon Kinberg. Opens February 17.

NFL's new TV deals worth billions yearly

CBS, Fox and NBC is going to be having to pay a lot more for that National football league under prospective deal renewal and also have to learn how to pay for this. The National football league is poised to create off another explosion within the sports TV privileges boom, closing in on contract extensions with CBS, Fox and NBC that on their own would generate a lot more than $3 billion in annual revenue from 2014-21. As Sports Business Daily first reported, NBC, CBS and Fox are poised to resume their current privileges handles payment increases in excess of 60% -- only slightly less percentage-smart compared to massive "Monday Evening Football" extension the National football league and ESPN signed in September. ESPN went from $1.1 billion to $1.9 billion yearly if this restored its National football league deal. A comment from the new broadcaster deals is anticipated in the future this month or early the coming year. Network sources didn't read the deals, but speaking in the UBS Global Media and Communications summit in NY today, CBS Corp. Boss Leslie Moonves alluded for them. "The cost of poker is rising," Moonves stated, "(but) a bad football game outrates most programming." Because of the elevated need for live programming within the Digital recording device age, the charge increases aren't surprising, though they actually are daunting. Fox (whose current National football league package is easily the most costly, at $720 million yearly through 2013), CBS ($620 million) and NBC ($603 million) will all approach or shoot beyond the $1 billion-per-year mark within their next deals. "It will likely be tough for that broadcast systems to create this lucrative," SNL Kagan senior analyst Deana Myers told Variety. "Inside a good year, it's essentially break-even or unprofitable." However the systems have little choice, because nothing can replicate the crowd figures the National football league creates. Even on broadcast leaders CBS and Fox, National football league viewership exceeds the huge most of their shows. As well as for NBC, there is no contest: "Sunday Evening Football" is regularly the Peacock's only program besides "WorkInch within the primetime top 30. The National football league needed to protect against labor strife this summer time to obtain itself back around the playing area, but permanently reason. Whenever you mix the approaching broadcast network handles individuals of ESPN and DirecTV Sunday Ticket, the league brings in additional than $6 billion in TV revenue from 2014. And today, the systems need to learn how to pay it. "Using this large of the rise without getting that large of the increase in advertising, (the systems) are most likely going to need to take a look at stations for any greater cut of retrans costs," Myers stated. As the expectation is customers may ultimately absorb the expense from the privileges increases, Myers noted the growing possibility of pushback from the systems. "Almost always there is talk on sides," Myers stated, "concerning the network wanting more income to cover more programming, and also the operator side saying, 'We don't wish to purchase this.' And particularly if you are an over-the-air network, people could possibly get that free of charge when they want. ... I believe there's likely to be debate and turmoil surrounding license costs and retrans costs." That's before adding a brand new Thursday-evening package of eight games, the opportunity of expansion on The spanish language-language nets or the chance that in the future, the size of the National football league regular season will expand from 16 to 18 games. Myers indicates there's a place in which the sports privileges rocket ship will plateau. "I believe there needs to be considered a limit," she stated. "You cannot still get increases each year that are connecting more than inflation. You have had a troubled economy plus some pushback from comsumers." Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Hurdling British reserve

'Take Shelter''Like Crazy''50/50''Melancholia''Martha Marcy May Marlene'Small U.S. indie photos -- even those that might tickle the Golden Globes' or Oscars' fancy -- face a constant find it difficult to be observed in the BAFTAs.Which was apparent in last year's nominations, when "Winter's Bone," "Blue Valentine" and "Rabbit Hole" were overlooked. The heavens of individuals films (Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Williams and Nicole Kidman) all continued to Oscar nods. Yet these were usurped in the BAFTAs, not by British rivals, but by two other People in america -- Julianne Moore and Hailee Steinfeld, a supporting actress Oscar nominee -- along with a European, Noomi Rapace.As that shows, BAFTA's national pride rarely becomes parochial, even though only award really won by "The Children Are Right" or "True Grit" was for Brit "Grit" cinematographer Roger Deakins.BAFTA can also be faster compared to Academy awards to recognition foreign-lingo stars, for example Rapace, Gael Garcia Bernal, Audrey Tautou, Ulrich Muehe or Zhang Ziyi.However when the BAFTAs disagree using the Academy awards, it's most frequently over U.S. indies. "Sideways" and "Within the Bed room" were accepted with less enthusiasm by British voters, while "The Customer," "Rachel Marriage,Inch "Frozen River," "Transamerica," "Hustle & Flow" and "Half Nelson" were overlooked completely.That may reflect the unfamiliarity of individuals films to U.K. audiences, the truth that their British distribs tight on incentive to mount a hostile campaign or just they do not get launched over time to entitled to the BAFTA due dates.It's even more significant, therefore, whenever a U.S. indie does have the ability to break using that British reserve. The BAFTA victory for "The Hurt Locker" was broadly viewed as the level within the pic's Oscar duel with "Avatar.""Black Swan," "The Wrestler" and "Little Miss Sunshine" really worked out better at BAFTA than in the Academy awards, while "Juno" and "Precious" also smacked near how much they weigh.This season, Fox Searchlight is pushing because of its Sundance pickup "Martha Marcy May Marlene," flying director Sean Durkin and stars Elizabeth Olsen and John Hawkes into London for any Q&A to boost their profile.Vital is wishing that Brit actress Felicity Johnson will highlight "Constantly.Inch Both photos can get their U.K. release February. 3, only a week prior to the BAFTA ceremony, with the hope that any kudos pays off in the box office. Studiocanal is using the same technique for Oren Moverman's "Rampart," opening February. 10, the final possible being approved date for that honours.Such brinkmanship depends on DVD screeners. However no media buzz to steer voters once they make their picks in The month of january.By comparison, the late-November opening for Jonathan Levine's "50/50" from Lionsgate and Shaun Nichols' "Take Shelter" in the Works provides them an opportunity of some critical momentum.Low-profile mid-year releases for example "Mutually Beneficial,Inch "Beginners" as well as Cannes champion "The Tree of Existence" will require a substantial effort to create it well into contention, while wildcards this season include two British-speaking films from European auteurs having a coterie of passionate industry fans, Nicolas Winding Refn's "Drive" and Lars von Trier's "Melancholia," whose chances also rely on wise campaigns.BAFTA PREVIEWUpsets at BAFTA around the wane? Open area for bevy of British runners Hurdling British reserve Past plaudits don't guarantee future performance Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Not such a long time ago Bosses how Lost Affected Their Fairytale World

Not such a long time ago From Lost not to such a long time ago, executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis sure learn how to create an entangled mystery which keeps audiences itchiness their heads. The duo began the work a minimum of eight in the past, nevertheless it needed concentrating on Lost to really hone their idea. "I had been really youthful which we didn't learn to execute the idea we'd. We referred to as it our eight-year writer's block," Kitsis states getting fun. Exclusive: Not such a long time ago casts Lost's Emilie p Ravin as Belle The finish result? A collection through which familiar fairytale figures are actually ripped utilizing their world having a curse the Evil Full (Lana Parrilla) unleashed expecting destroying everyone's happy being and obtaining among her. They're gone to live in Storybrooke, a major city through which time stands still, with no recollections from the previous fairytale particulars. Enter Emma (Jennifer Morrison), an authentic-existence fugitive hunter who in some manner must break the curse. Even though series is ripe with mythos popping within the original magical tales and just what the Once authors also provide created, the producers believe the particular strength and advantage of the series lies elsewhere. "We i i never thought about Lost or Once really as mythology shows, even though mythology clearly is a component of [both]," Horowitz states. "They are character shows to us. That was the best lesson on Lost: Really discovering how to overcome the story through character." Kitsis notes that Lost bosses Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse labored to put character first round the island mystery series. "On Lost, we started to know the easiest method to tell these character tales while using background the mythology and hopefully attempt to weave it together." Horowitz and Kitsis also provide pieced together their particular "bible" to keep close track of the Once timelines and character histories, such as the primary one employed by the Lost authors. "It's just to keep ourselves straight about what we're doing," Horowitz states. "But we're enabling ourselves freedom. It is not like we mentioned, 'Here's exactly what the 3 seasons might be, or five seasons.' We've got a little of goal posts, but we're enabling ourselves to make a freedom to change our minds." Not such a long time ago Tales: When Snow White-colored met her Prince Charming Freedom suggests the producers are generally dedicated to the current season, rather than searching an excessive amount of ahead regarding the their endgame may be - though they observe that Lost fans relied on knowing there's an finish nearby, however remote that could be. "You would like to ensure that five years from now, whatever ideas we've, they're still relevant," Kitsis states. "There's a curse that needs to be broken, which figures have observed their happy being ripped from their website. Emma [Jennifer Morrison] will come in there trying to assist them find their happy being. Ultimately, the ultimate happy ending is ideal for Emma." Before that could occur, Emma, who also just is really the daughter of Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow White-colored (Ginnifer Goodwin), must truly end up being the hero in the story - a mission the authors find exciting because she was not ever part of the fairytale canon. "Emma is essentially a completely new fairytale character," Kitsis notes. "Emma's journey is just beginning plus it is not written yet." "We now have heard people speaking about: Will [Emma] break the curse? The way in which she break the curse? When will she break the curse?" Horowitz states. "The curse, in several ways, might be the end in the iceberg. Even if you must do know what you're, that doesn't mean everything immediately returns to simply you receive a happy ending." Adds Kitsis, "Really, in lots of ways, it might just worsen it.Inch Sadly, this means Prince Charming and Snow White-colored have a very extended strategy to use before their tale becomes the love story everyone knows to ensure that it's. "Anytime there is a love story around the Tv program, it definitely is hard to make sure that they are apart," Kitsis notes. "In fairytale land, we understand that these two belong together. Now, in Storybrooke, these two are separated by [David's] wife, to ensure that they are unable to be together. You are in a position to really realize that the curse makes good on its promise, that is it'll rip whatever you love from your existence." ABC orders full seasons of Not such a long time ago, Last Guy Standing, Happy Being Getting her parents the happy ending they deserve will be the finest challenge for Emma. Though she's gone feet-to-feet with Storybrooke's mayor Regina, who adopted Henry (Jared Gilmore), the boy Emma put within the towel for adoption 10 years ago, she'll have to face the very best antagonist in the story: Regina's fairytale counterpart, The Evil Full. "The Evil Full is not somebody whose bad side you have to can get on, however when anybody might take her on, it's Emma," Kitsis states. Are you currently sticking around to look for the best showdown? Not such a long time ago airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.

Tyler Perrys Latest The best spinner's Comedy Series Off And Away To OK Begin Holiday Evening

While other systems filled the Christmas with repeats and special offers, The best spinner's elected to produce a brand new scripted series on Black Friday. For many implies that would spell gloom and disaster, although not when the series has Tyler Perry’s title inside it. Perry once more demonstrated his drawing energy as his latest The best spinner's sitcom, Tyler Perrys For Better Or Worse, came 3.4 million audiences (1.8 million in grown ups 18-49) in the launch Friday evening. The series according to Perry’s Why Did I Got Married? movies was considerably lower in the stellar debut of Perry’s first The best spinner's sitcom, the lately canceled House of Payne, which opened up with 5.9 million audiences in June 2007, but nearer to the premiere audience for Perry’s second The best spinner's comedy Satisfy The Browns (4 million) in Feb 2009. For any launch in the center of a four-day holiday, For Better Or Worse did solid business. Now you ask , why the premiere was slotted there.

Golden Globe challengers for animated feature

It has been another strong year for animated features, both artistically and also at this area office. And also the HFPA can nominate five, using the champion possibly making the Oscar listing of best photos.The Adventures of Tintin: The Key from the UnicornClassic precursor: "Casablanca" meets "All over the world in 80 Days."Chances for any nom: It's all of the right elements -- Steven Spielberg pointing his first animated film, ground-breaking three dimensional motion capture (according to Jim Cameron's animation process produced for "Avatar"), Healing For Peter Jackson creating, and Difficulties, Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis doing voice-overs. Glowing reviews and huge B.O. overseas -- where it had been smartly launched first -- only increase its Globe chances. * * * Arthur Christmas Classic precursor: "Elf" and"Santa's Workshop."Chances a nom: The three dimensional computer-animated fantasy comedy is co-created by The new sony and respected U.K. animation house Aardman ("Wallace & Gromit") featuring the best periodic elements along with a top Brit voice-gloomy which includes Globe noms James McAvoy as Santa's boy Arthur and Imelda Staunton as Mrs. Santa, Globe fave Hugh Laurie (six noms, two wins) and Globe champion Bill Nighy. * * * RangoClassic precursor: "Pinocchio" with a few "High Noon" tossed in.Chances for any nom: Boasting a lot of firsts, Paramount's "Rango" displayed condition-of-the-art animation and visual effects by industry giant ILM, called the first animation film for ILM and "Pirates from the Caribbean" veteran Gore Verbinski. Having a stellar cast which includes Globe champion The Actor-brad Pitt -- charming because the swashbuckling eco-friendly, bug-eyed chameleon -- and Isla Fisher as his passion interest, the lizardy Western would be a global smash, raking in additional than $242 million and critical plaudits. * * * Puss in BootsClassic precursor: "Shrek" franchiseChances for any nom: Superbly animated in three dimensional, this prequel towards the "Shrek" films stars Antonio Banderas because the title character entirely Zorro/Latin lover mode, and was directed by "Shrek 3's" Chris Burns. The $130 million production also features the vocal talents of Salma Hayek as Cat Softpaws and Zach Galifianakis as Humpty Dumpty inside a redemption tale which should attract all HFPA cat-enthusiasts. * * * Kung Fu Panda 2Classic precursor: 2008's $631 million global smash "Kung Fu Panda"Chances for any nom: Starring a Globe-friendly cast which includes Julia Roberts and Dustin Hoffman, the well-received follow up gained $653 million worldwide -- which makes it the greatest-grossing film ever directed with a lady, Jennifer Yuh -- who won an Annie on her focus on the very first film. * * * Cars 2Classic precursor: 2006's "Cars"Chances for any nom: As the follow up was lovingly developed and directed by Pixar mind John Lasseter, and wound up grossing over $551 million worldwide (considerably, just 1 / 2 of what last year's "Toy Story 3" made), "Cars 2" unsuccessful to meet (maybe excessive) anticipation. Critical reception seemed to be mixed, which year may offer rivals a genuine opportunity to knock Pixar off its perch. * * * Gnomeo & JulietClassic precursor: Offspring of Wally Disney, Mario Puzo and also the BardChances for any nom: The kitschy, kid-friendly tale of rival tribes of British garden gnomes includes a strong voice-gloomy (James McAvoy and Emily Blunt because the title figures) as well as an even more powerful score from Elton John, who also professional created and worked with with Rhianna on "Hello, Hello." * * * RioClassic precursor: "101 Dalmatians"Chances for any nom: The irresistible Circus vibe of "Rio," the three dimensional CG extravaganza from native boy director Carlos Saldanha ("Ice Age") and Blue Sky, would be a $484 million global hit and appears tailor-designed for the party-loving Globes. * * * Happy Ft TwoClassic precursor: 2006's $385 million grossing Globe-champion "Happy Ft."Chances for any nom: The most popular penguin dance party teams four-time Globe champion Robin Williams with Globe those who win Kaira Pitt and Matt Damon, throws in beginners Sofia Vergara, Pink and customary, as well as showcases an eco-sensitive plot. * * * GOLDEN GLOBES RACETops in tubthumps? Best Picture: Drama Best Picture: Comedy or Musical Television Animation Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Marcia Gay Harden on Shailene Woodley in 'The Descendants'

Posted: Wed., Nov. 23, 2011, 12:00pm PTBy 'The Descendants'"In 2005 I had the great honor of playing Shailene Woodley's mother in 'Felicity: An American Girl Adventure.' I was immediately impressed by her work ethic, both on and off set. Here was a young girl flawlessly embodying a Colonial era, minuet-dancing, horseback riding rebel. Even then, she was working with a depth and caliber that separated her from so many other child actors. Indeed, she was an inspiration to all her cast.Not surprisingly, watching Shailene navigate the turbulent waters of 'The Descendants' was again riveting. She is tasked with being at once emotionally vulnerable and raw, and yet somehow guarded and cynical in all the same moment. Shailene is inspirational, refusing to fall back on cliche or vanity, but delighting us with her honest anger, her unexpected humor, and her shatteringly raw breakdown. She doesn't ask us to like her, but in revealing the truth of her abandonment and her disappointment with her mother, she allows us to identify with all of our daughters, and to yank at our hearts as we watch them grow up. Shailene, as one of your many moms, thank you for teaching me valuable lessons as I watch you grow up."Return to the SAG Preview Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Cameron Crowe Returns With 'We Bought a Zoo'

When Cameron Crowe was courting Matt Damon to star in "We Bought a Zoo," he traveled to the set of the Coen brothers' "True Grit" in Austin and presented Damon with a script, a CD of songs that he'd burned and a copy of "Local Hero" -- a perfect little 1983 movie in which Peter Riegert played an oil-company executive sent to buy a remote village in Scotland."My instructions were to not just read the script and make a decision," Damon says.Crowe had brought all the tools in his kit -- music, film and words -- not only to convey what he had in mind for this movie but to envelop Damon in the world he meant to create. "He said: 'I know what you're going to be afraid of; the bad version of this movie is really a movie you don't want to be in. That's what I'm afraid of too,'" Damon says. And that told Damon two things: that Crowe wanted to avoid making the bad movie and that he intended to fight against it with Damon as his brother-in-arms.Crowe was right: Damon didn't want to make what he calls "the Disney version" of the story about a grieving widower with two children who makes the unlikely decision to buy and restore a dilapidated zoo. "It might be popular, but it wouldn't be something that I'd be proud to be a part of," Damon says.As he listened to Crowe's music on a run through Central Park, though, he got a very different vibe. "There were all these songs I know but live versions that he got from sound boards," Damon says. "A song like, 'I'm Open' by Eddie Vedder -- he gave me a particularly moving version that I've never heard. I kind of finished that run and went, 'That's a really good feeling.' "Then Damon watched "Local Hero" and found it to be "a masterpiece."Still, Crowe, 54, hadn't directed a feature since the poorly received "Elizabethtown" in 2005. Damon says he wasn't thinking about that film but rather about Crowe's 1996 hit "Jerry Maguire." "I kept coming back to, this is the guy who did, 'You complete me,' " Damon says. "This is a guy who could aim for that small bull's-eye and hit it."So he signed on to do "We Bought a Zoo," happily succumbing like many before him to the delights of a Cameron Crowe seduction.As for Crowe, he says it was the other way around. Fox was imagining a shortlist of candidates for the lead, but Crowe says it was all over for him halfway through his meeting with Damon. What lured him was the actor's obvious appetite to play the emotion in the film."He's, like, wide open to a thrilling new peak and searching for it," Crowe says. "There's nothing, 'Kid, this is how we did it with Clint' about it." So "it was purely him seducing me because halfway through our meeting, I was like, 'I can't do this without Matt Damon.' And I declared it.""We Bought a Zoo" is a movie that defies easy categorization, so it might seem an unlikely project to come from Fox, which has not established a reputation for taking creative risks (unless you happen to be James Cameron). Damon plays the father who buys the zoo to begin an adventure and console his motherless children. Scarlett Johansson is the scrappy zookeeper. The film is a comedy and a drama; Tom Rothman, co-chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, calls it "an emotional event" and says no one should be surprised that the studio backed the project. (The film opens Dec. 23, but Fox is so high on it that the studio scheduled sneaks around the country during Thanksgiving weekend hoping to generate strong word-of-mouth.)"We do a lot of things around here that don't fit neatly into a niche, and this movie was one of them," Rothman says. "That's what's kind of great about it. You say, 'What movie does this remind you of?' and no one can give you a movie."That's why many in the industry say they are rooting for "Zoo" even if they have nothing to do with the film. "Cameron works from a truly, deeply creative place," says Paula Wagner, a producer on Crowe's "Vanilla Sky" (2001) and "Elizabethtown." "And I don't know that our business right now allows that. Our business became very focused on the business of it all. The buzzwords became about numbers, brands. But the word 'original' is coming back into our vocabulary. That's what I would say about Cameron: original, original, original."Says Crowe's former mentor, James L. Brooks: "He's singular -- that's the big deal about Cameron. There's one guy like that."Crowe was never a director to crank out one film after another: There were generally gaps of about four years from "Say Anything" (1989) to "Singles" (1992) to "Jerry Maguire" (1996) to "Almost Famous" (2000). But with a longer break than usual, it has been natural for some of Crowe's old associates in the industry to surmise that he had not made a film since 2005 because of disappointment. His 14-year marriage to Nancy Wilson of the rock band Heart ended in divorce in 2010. And "Elizabethtown," a $45 million film pairing Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom, had fizzled at the box office and brought unaccustomed wrath from critics.Crowe had taken some knocks for "Vanilla Sky," his adaptation of the Spanish film "Open Your Eyes," but the long knives really came out for "Elizabethtown." "The Village Voice" panned it under the headline "Almost Shameless," while "The NY Times" dismissed it as "a strange, messy stew of a movie."But Crowe seems baffled and a bit dismayed by the supposition that he was in a funk or somehow affected by the chilly reception of his most recent film. "Elizabethtown" was a movie made for all the right reasons, and people who connect with the movie really connect to it," he says. "It's not the biggest group of people ever, but I still really believe in 'Elizabethtown.' It wasn't, like, a savage blow."Instead, Crowe says he simply got engaged in writing scripts, including a long and ultimately frustrating effort to make a Marvin Gaye biopic with Will Smith. "We had many meetings where we talked about it," Crowe says. "And at the end, he couldn't say yes. It's a tough thing to play Marvin Gaye. He's a towering figure. Who would want to be the guy who played Marvin and didn't nail it? Will isn't wrong; the guy who plays it should be a guy who tears into it and knows it's the right thing, and I don't think he ever came around the corner on it."While working on that and other ideas -- and hanging out with his twin boys, now 11 -- Crowe says, "I got into such a script-writing mode that I lost sight of the joy of directing." Then Fox production president Emma Watts came to him with a draft for "We Bought a Zoo" by Aline Brosh McKenna ("27 Dresses," "The Devil Wears Prada"). The script was based on the 2008 book by Benjamin Mee, the man who actually bought the zoo. Watts found herself pitching the project to Crowe on her phone in the Neiman Marcus parking lot, and she says her hopes weren't high. After all, Crowe had written pretty much every film he had directed, and most felt very personal to him. "I don't get nervous very often, but I actually did," she says. "I thought for sure I was dead because he was being so polite to me."But Watts was thrilled when Crowe said he would try a rewrite to see if he could find his version of the movie. "There's nothing quite like a turn through his typewriter," Watts says. There are so many lines from Crowe movies that stick in the popular psyche: "You complete me." "You had me at hello." "Show me the money." "The guy just writes lines that you think of your whole life," Watts says."I knew talking on the phone to Emma that Benjamin Mee's real-life story had all the elements I love in storytelling: humor, great characters, love and an impossible dream," Crowe says. "I could already hear the music too. That story came knocking in a big way, and it didn't go away. You wait for the zing, and the zing happened on 'We Bought a Zoo.'"Crowe's website is called The Uncool, which is funny, of course, because Crowe has been the King of Cool for a generation that believes it really knows cool. His gift for making those around him feel included in his cool world is part of his magic. "I was incredibly susceptible to that because I was never cool," says one executive who has worked with Crowe. It's a quote that could come from many in Hollywood.Crowe came by his cool honestly. He was born in Palm Springs to a realtor father and a mother who taught English and sociology, demonstrated for peace and farm-workers' rights and recognized that her son was gifted. Crowe skipped kindergarten and two grades in elementary school. "It wasn't that I was a tiger mom and wanted to push my son," says his mother, Alice, now 90. "He was sort of bored."By the time he was in high school in San Diego, he was very obviously younger than his classmates, and he was battling a kidney disease, nephritis, which Crowe says he eventually outgrew. Crowe's mother says he was so out of place that he felt more secure hanging out in the school's newspaper offices. Crowe says the kidney condition gave him "permission to be a geek. You're weak, you go the doctors' offices a lot, and you're not on the teams at school so much. All of that opened the door for the arts because my mom was like, 'I'm taking you to the movies.' "If he felt uncool then, that didn't last long. At 13, Crowe started writing rock reviews for a local alternative paper, "The San Diego Door," even though his parents didn't allow rock music in the house. ("I wasn't that strict," his mother says. "It's just the lyrics bothered me. I thought they were very demeaning to women, especially.")The rest, as they say, is history. Crowe started corresponding with Lester Bangs, who had left the "Door" to become editor of the rock magazine "Creem." Crowe graduated from high school at 15 and on a trip to L.A., met "Rolling Stone" editor Ben Fong-Torres, who made him the youngest correspondent ever at the magazine. Crowe went on the road with the Allman Brothers Band at 18, and his work profiling such legendary rockers as Eric Clapton, Neil Young and members of Led Zeppelin not only enveloped him in permafrost cool but became fodder for "Almost Famous." His mother's dream -- that he would go to law school, or even college -- was doomed.On an assignment on the set of the 1978 movie "American Hot Wax," Crowe met producer Art Linson, who gave him a tiny cameo in the film. ("Whoever was there got to walk in," Linson says.) The following year, Crowe enrolled in Clairemont High School in San Diego as a young-looking 22-year-old and wrote the book "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Linson optioned it before it was published. Crowe wrote the screenplay, and Amy Heckerling directed the film, which featured a cast of unknowns including Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nicolas Cage (credited as Nicolas Coppola). The film was not only a sleeper hit, grossing $27.1 million, but became a pop culture touchstone."It was Cameron's voice," says Linson. "Half the things that were said out of people's mouths in that movie are part of the culture. Cameron has a wonderful ear. He listens and he's smart, so the details you hear are authentic."Crowe next teamed up with Brooks, who first produced "Say Anything," in which John Cusack courted Ione Skye. He then drove Crowe hard through many rewrites of "Jerry Maguire." "He's somebody who was successful at a weirdly young age," says Brooks. "He was successful in an amazing era when it was happening in the big time. There's an enormous sophistication to that, but he never became cynical." Crowe is "as sharp an observer as there is," Brooks continues, but "his heart is still true. His emotion is genuine. He loves all his characters."Crowe says Brooks -- who made him write out the manifesto that Tom Cruise's character announces, but never reads, in Jerry Maguire -- taught him to be even truer to his own voice. The film was not only Crowe's biggest commercial hit, with a gross of $274 million worldwide, but led to a close friendship and partnership with Cruise, who was a producer on "Vanilla Sky" and "Elizabethtown."Throughout his career, Crowe has seemed to operate on executives and producers almost like a drug. John Goldwyn, who was president of Paramount when Crowe made "Vanilla Sky" there, says the filmmaker's charm is unsurpassed. "There's nothing aggressive about him, nothing that makes you bristle," he says. "He makes you his friend. You can see why he was such a seductive interviewer."Says an executive who oversaw one of Crowe's films: "I really can't describe how he makes you feel that you can't question his choices. He is charming, cool, warm -- and you let down your guard as the boss." That paved the way for Crowe to make his particular brand of personal movie, some with budgets that seem surprisingly big, especially in retrospect: $60 million for "Almost Famous," $68 million for "Vanilla Sky" (though that one included Cruise in his heyday), $45 million for "Elizabethtown" (with no big star)."Cameron doesn't want to hear that something can't happen exactly the way he'd like it to happen," says a producer who has worked with him. "That's why some of his movies have been overpriced. There's a way to look at that as uncompromising. The other way to look at it is being a brat." (In the case of "We Bought a Zoo," Watts says Crowe came in under budget -- at about $50 million -- and ahead of schedule. And Rothman says the production "was one of the easiest and sweetest experiences I've had in a long time.")One area where Crowe very much wants his way is when it comes to preparation. Before shooting Zoo, he rented space in the Hyatt Westlake Plaza in the San Fernando Valley to plan and rehearse. He taped off areas that were the same size as rooms would be on the set and even brought in furniture. Crowe and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto blocked scenes, the cast rehearsed, and Damon says by the time the cameras were rolling, "It felt like executing a game plan; there were literally no surprises." All the more remarkable when you consider that the cast included lions and tigers and bears, literally.Exactly how seriously Crowe takes that commitment to preparation and rehearsal became clear when he cast Ashton Kutcher in "Elizabethtown." Kutcher was then still part of "That 70's Show," and Crowe told him he had to set aside a few weeks to focus only on the film. But sources involved with the project say Kutcher didn't heed Crowe's words. Although he promised he would deliver when the cameras were rolling, Crowe lost faith. "The thing about Cameron is, he never gets angry," says one involved in the production. He simply dropped Kutcher and, despite Paramount's resistance, cast Bloom."I'll spend months working with an actor, and I think I spent four months with Ashton," Crowe says. "At a certain point, it's like, 'This is not meant to be.' " And though the film didn't succeed with Bloom, Crowe says, "It felt like a noble crusade."Given actors and crew who are committed and prepared, it's hard to imagine any director who could create a more generous and inclusive environment. "He has a strong vision, but he has a sense of collaboration that is embracing of other people," says producer Wagner. "He likes to listen to people's thoughts. It's a special gift, really, that he has."Says Damon: "Everybody's respected, and their work is respected. When you're working with a benevolent dictator who wants to hear your opinion and the opinion of the entire crew, automatically you have this electric environment. Everyone comes to work with their ideas."Johansson felt it, too. "Cameron doesn't just direct his actors, he conducts them," she says in an e-mail from Scotland, where she's filming "Under the Skin" with director Jonathan Glazer ("Sexy Beast"). "On any given take, he might be playing a song and throwing out impromptu dialogue, all the while motioning enthusiastically by the monitor. You can actually hear him chuckling and gasping from behind the video screen during each take. He creates his own little world and invites everyone to live there for the run of production. Nothing is too over-the-top or too subtle to take a shot at. He's willing to try everything once on the chance he might steal one precious moment."Says Crowe of the filmmaking process: "It's gossamer. The best stuff is invisible. There's no formula. You have to cross your fingers and leap."Music weaves throughout Crowe's life and movies. "Singles," which followed friends in their 20s in Seattle, featured a song from Nirvana before the band got big. The track had to be dropped because by the time the film was done because the song had become too expensive to license. ("Kurt and Courtney snuck into the premiere at Grauman's and watched the movie anyway," Crowe says.) He also brought in pre-famous members of Pearl Jam to portray Matt Dillon's band in the film.Crowe keeps current: He thinks this is "one of the greatest times for music in decades. I'm talking about bands like the Civil Wars, Frightened Rabbit, the Belle Brigade, Dawes, Avey Tare, Sigur Ros, Radiohead, and Thom Yorke's latest electronic phase." Bob Dylan is Crowe's favorite DJ; his "Theme Time Radio Hour" is "the best thing on satellite radio. There are 100 episodes, and each one is a classic. I listen incessantly."For "We Bought a Zoo," Crowe got Jonsi of Sigur Ros to create a soundtrack. "He is very private, very picky about the projects he does, so we're honored he did this score," Crowe says. "The soundtrack -- a first for us -- is pure score, with two new songs, a 52-minute soundscape that is a complete musical journey, meant to be listened to from beginning to end. It ends with the movie's end-title track, which Jonsi asked me to help write lyrics for. It was a surreal experience after only writing tongue-in-cheek songs for fake movie bands in our movies." (The song is called "Gathering Stories.")Damon says Crowe played music on the set of "We Bought a Zoo," which was enormously helpful to him in preparing to play emotionally charged scenes. "It was a technique I've never seen before," Damon says. Sometimes the music overlapped with dialogue and lines had to be looped later, but in other cases, Crowe just played a part of a song before the scene was shot. It particularly illuminated a scene in which Damon is looking a photographs of his deceased wife."Music changes your mood and can bring you places that a lot of analysis and talking can't," Damon says.Fox executive Watts says she saw that when she visited the set. "He was directing Scarlett and Matt in this one scene, and there was this moment he was trying to get. I was thinking, 'I don't know if he's going to get it.' And he plays a piece of music right before the next take -- a piece of a particular song -- and they started the scene, and there it is. He's a national treasure, Mr. Cameron Crowe."For Crowe, the tactic produced the performance that he had to have. "What Matt does in the movie is that rarest of things: comedy and drama and real emotion," he says. "The list of people who can do that is the shortest list in acting, and it's the easiest thing to miss because he makes it look effortless. But it's not. It's the toughest. And for me, it makes the movie."Now that he's gotten back in the chair on "We Bought a Zoo" with such happy results, Crowe says he's eager to direct again. Not that he has any shortage of other projects. He's still doing journalism and has recently done an interview with Neil Young that is scheduled to run in "Rolling Stone" next year. He's also working on a compilation of his reporting on rock. "It's called 'Hamburgers for the Apocalypse' and includes new interviews with the artists I profiled in the day, from Zeppelin to Bowie to Joni Mitchell," he says.Crowe, who lives in Pacific Palisades, is also spending time with his sons, sharing custody with his former wife. "We go to the Pacific Dining Car in Santa Monica and have steaks and talk about girls," he says. "I get most of my pointers from them these days. We are fishing nuts and go sportfishing whenever we have time on the weekend. They're great fishermen, and we all fish together and then eat all we catch in a big fish cook-off, usually while watching Food Network." (Crowe's other cable passion: Chris Matthews.)But Crowe says he has scripts that he wrote in the past few years and hopes one of them will turn into his next directing gig. (He's just sent out a spec script which he says is Preston Sturges-influenced.)Although some in the industry observe that the business has changed since the days when studios were willing and able to lay wagers on the type of original material that has flowed from Crowe's pen, he believes that the audience is waiting for just such films."Character comedy-drama is really hard to get made right now, and I think that's a statement that feeds on itself," Crowe says. "But it's not necessarily true. It's the nourishing thing that people crave. People are going to go where they get characters that they remember. I don't think people are ever going to a place where they're like, 'I'm over stories about character and love.'"Crowe recalls a recent conversation his mother, Alice. "I can't help but write about love," he told her."What else is there?" she replied.Crowe's Five Favorite Films "Quadrophenia" (1979)"Local Hero" (1983)"Stolen Kisses" (1968)"The Rules of the Game" (1939)"The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001)MIX FOR MATT: No director knows music like Cameron Crowe. To woo Damon to do "We Bought a Zoo," Crowe burned a CD for him. "Even if it's not music that ends up in the movie, it's the feeling that counts," Damon says. Crowe played music on the set, too. By then, "Matt was emotionally DJ'ing and asking for songs."Save It for Later Pete TownshendI'm Open (Live) Eddie VedderWar of Man (Live) Neil YoungSoul Boy The Blue NileMohammed's Radio Jackson BrowneSanganichi Shugo TokumaruAirline to Heaven WilcoBuckets of Rain Bob DylanThe Heart of the Matter (Live) Don HenleyI Will Be There When You Die My Morning JacketAin't No Sunshine Tom Petty And The HeartbreakersChild of the Moon Rolling StonesIf I Am a Stranger Ryan AdamsConcrete Sky Beth OrtonHelpless (Live) Neil YoungDon't Be Shy (no piano) Cat StevensNerstrand Woods Mark Olson And The CreekdippersWhy It's So Hard to Find a Copy of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" The first time Cameron Crowe based a movie on a true story was nearly 30 years ago, when he wrote a screenplay from his first book, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story." The Amy Heckerling-directed film became a sleeper hit and a cult classic. At 22, Crowe had spent a year as a senior at Clairemont High School in suburban San Diego, chronicling the experiences of his "classmates." Typical of Crowe, the book played both funny and sweet. But if you want to read that book, be prepared to open your wallet: Fast Times has been out of print since the early '80s, and copies can be found on eBay and other sites at prices ranging from $125 to $345. And Crowe tells "THR" he likes it that way:Why hasn't "Fast Times" been republished? It's the one thing that I still have the rights to, and I like that there's one thing that's not readily available. I like knowing that if you really want it, you can find it, but nobody's pushing it in your face. I have been approached about republishing, but I haven't done it. I like it too much as a kind of bootleg.Are you surprised about the prices? I like those prices.How do you feel about the book now? I love the book. It's one of my favorite things that I've ever written. The book opens the door where all the stuff I learned as a journalist can be applied to a non-celebrity and it's just as interesting. You can interview a kid sitting in his room, and it's more interesting than Rod Stewart. It very much opened a door to being a screenwriter because it let you know that it was a level playing field, story-wise. The Hollywood Reporter

Steven Spielberg Hosting Special 'War Horse' Tests Throughout Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving weekend is starting to look as being similar to Christmas within the multiplex.our editor recommends'War Horse': Latest Trailer Heavy on Orchestration, Heartstring Yanking (Video)Steven Spielbergs 'War Horse' Poster Debuts (Photo)'War Horse': Watch Trailer for Steven Spielberg's Adaptation DreamWorks introduced on Tuesday it'll hold special word-of-mouth tests of Steven Spielberg's War Equine on Sunday, November. 27 in 10 urban centers. PHOTOS: It's a Zoo This Season: 23 Honours Competitors Featuring Animals The primary screening are available in NY City, being a Q&A with Spielberg. The session will probably be beamed in via satellite for the other nine tests, additionally to streamed survive MSN.com with real-time text translation provided by Ortsbo.com. People attending the tests, or hearing the live stream, can text inside their questions. War Equine, good considerably acclaimed stage play and book, opens country wide on 12 ,. 25. On Saturday, November. 26, last century Fox holds official sneaks of Cameron Crowe's Christmas film We Bought a Zoo in hundreds of theaters nationwide. We Bought a Zoo, starring Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson and Elle Fanning, opens 12 ,. 23. Related Subjects Steven Spielberg War Equine

Hallmark greenlights 'Crew Nine'

Hallmark Hall of Fame has greenlit "Crew Nine," a drama starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as a youth counselor who inspires troubled kids. Pic will be helmed by Darnell Martin ("Cadillac Records"), from a script by Ligiah Villa-lobos ("Under the Same Moon"). Project will be the third Hallmark telepic to air on ABC under the licensing deal the net signed earlier this year after CBS declined to renew the franchise. The first title to fall under that deal, "Mitch Albom's Have a Little Faith," airs Sunday. "Crew Nine" revolves around a counselor at a youth detention facility who trains kids to battle forest fires and assist the public during other natural disasters. Production begins this month in Atlanta. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Taylor Quick Wins Large At AMAs

First Released: November 21, 2011 12:43 AM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Taylor Quick accepts the award for Favorite Country Female Artist onstage in the 2011 American Music Honours held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Survive November 20, 2011LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Taylor Quick was crowned artist of the season in the American Music Honours for again. This really is so crazy! the nation celebrity stated after beat such challengers as Adele, Rhianna and Katy Perry to capture the 3 honours that they was nominated for at Sundays ceremony, including artist of the season, the shows greatest accolade that they formerly stated last year. I wound up writing the record on my own, so because you would recognition it by doing this, you've no clue what this signifies in my experience, stated Quick after winning the trophy for favorite country album for Speak Now. She seemed to be granted the prize for favorite country female artist. Nicki Minaj, the pink-loving stylish-hop diva, won two honours Sunday. She began the 39th annual fan-favorite ceremony by sporting a set of loudspeakers on her behalf much-spoken about posterior and was later honored as favorite rap/stylish-hop artist, besting an organization that incorporated mentor Weezy, and won favorite rap/stylish-hop album for Pink Friday. Theres a lot love within this room, beamed the pink-haired Minaj. Adele have been the nights leading nominee with four nods, but didnt have a presence in the show: She was absent in the ceremony because she's recuperating from recent throat surgery. Adele tied Quick with three honours: favorite pop/rock female artist, adult contemporary artist and pop/rock album for 21. Other those who win incorporated Maroon 5 as favorite pop-rock-bandOrpairOrteam, Blake Shelton as favorite country male artist, Lady Antebellum as favorite country band/duo/group, Beyonce as favorite soul/R&B female artist, Beyonce for favorite soul/R&B album for Noisy and Hot Chelle Rae as new artist of the season. The ceremony within the Nokia Theatre within an abnormally wet La was drenched with 17 musical performances. Attacking Young Boys got within the holiday spirit among a forest of neon lights with Underneath the Mistletoe, and Kelly Clarkson, putting on a shimmering red-colored gown together with her hair taken aside, shipped a swinging rendition of her hit Mr. Realize It All as back-up ballroom dancers outfitted as nineteen thirties-era photography enthusiasts clicked the very first-ever The American Idol Show champion. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony shared custody of the children of rapper Pitbull, who became a member of the first kind couple in a set of separate performances. Lopez carried out basically an active version of the vehicle commercial starring the Idol judge set to Papi using the vehicle onstage before starting into her hit On the ground. Pitbull later came back to the level and became a member of Anthony for Rain Over Me. Lopez expressed surprise when she won the favourite Latin music artist award. It has been up and lower and merely exciting and overwhelming and thus a lot of things, Lopez stated from the this past year. Several artists shipped removed-lower performances: This Guitar Rock Band Perry crooned a difficult Basically Die Youthful, a pink-haired Perry supported herself on guitar for The One Which Got Away along with a platinum-blonde Chris Brown simply sang All Back prior to being became a member of with a troop of helmet-clad back-up ballroom dancers for any fancy interpretation of Say It Beside Me. There have been collaborations, too. Lopez became a member of a glowing-in-the-dark will.i.am for his new single Hard. Christina Aguilera dueted with Maroon 5 on the Moves Like Jagger, after which Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine teamed with Gym Class Heroes for his or her hit Stereo system Hearts. Bieber became a member of LMFAO in animal-print pants for that shows finale, which ended with everybody on stage including David Hasselhoff draining lower to smiley-face under garments. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ricky didn't lose their number

Millions will be closely watching Ricky Gervais' opening remarks when he emcees his third Golden Globes on Jan. 15.Ricky Gervais' scalding humor raised eyebrows and hackles for his hosting of the most recent edition of the Golden Globes.The Brit comedian took shots at a handful of folks in the Beverly Hilton ballroom, including Robert Downey Jr., Johnny Depp and past HFPA president Philip Berk. Those who weren't happy with Gervais' jokes expressed their displeasure to the press and the story continued on for several days after the last acceptance speech was made.So how has the HFPA responded? By hiring Gervais again.The January 2011 telecast garnered solid ratings, bringing in an average audience of 17 million viewers. This return engagement by Gervais could draw even more, with viewers waiting to see at whom the host will hurl insults.Leading up to the announcement that Gervais was coming back for a third time, the Brit funnyman had done a bit of a flip-flop on whether he would return. In an October interview on "Live With Regis and Kelly," Gervais suggested that he would likely turn down another gig emceeing the Globes."I don't think I should really," he said at the time. "I did it twice and the reason I did it twice is I wanted to improve on the first year and I don't think I could top it, so I'll probably leave it there."As the Gervais stint's storm raged, the old adage about "no such thing as bad publicity" also began circulating."Clearly it was the most outrageous and irreverent Golden Globes show we've ever seen," recalls TV Guide critic Matt Roush. "The show has a reputation of being looser and funkier in some regards, but they revere the stars and Gervais insulted them to their face. That crossed the line."Some don't mind a Globes host taking shots at those in the room as long as the material is worthy."I think if you go after famous and powerful people you have to go after them with material that is so good that it is going to translate to everyone," says AOL TV critic Mo Ryan. "You must make it fresh so it isn't just 10-year-old Hugh Hefner jokes."The Golden Globes enjoys its reputation as one of the awards season's most laid-back affairs with wine flowing from bottles visible on the telecast. As a result, it has been marketed in recent years as an anything-can-happen event.That aura has long been a nightmare for Globes directors and producers but a boon to reality-addicted viewers looking for something to shake up the telecast.Before Gervais officially reupped for the job, the HFPA had the option of going hostless or with multiple hosts, both of which has occurred in the past. While that might have been the safer move, it clearly wouldn't have the ratings impact of Gervais coming back. And thus the org decided that a Gervais-hosted-Globes is dangerous but makes for good television.So now that he is returning, it's highly unlikely he'll take it soft on to the industry in which he skewered. The comedian has remained confident his previous performance was the right way to go."I was surprised (by the media reaction)," Gervais said on "Regis and Kelly." "I don't think I went over the top. I went there to entertain. You can't regret something you meant to do and I meant to do every second of it."GOLDEN GLOBES PREVIEWRicky didn't lose their number | Peace for a time as org and prodco collaborate | No-limit rule a boon for global pic parade | HFPA denies being starstruck in noms process | Marketing strategies can shift at Globes time | No rest for the bleary-eyed | New kids on the block Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Multiple houses add to "Heist" vfx and post

Several vfx houses contributed to the post-production and visual effects of Universal's Brett Ratner-helmed, Ben Stiller/Eddie Murphy action comedy.Working under the same roof in Manhattan, the Gotham facilities of Company 3 and Method Studios, both subsids of Deluxe Entertainment Services and part of Deluxe Creative Services Group, collaborated on effects and DI color grading. The joint effort yielded 138 vfx shots, with Company 3 prexy/co-founder and head of Deluxe Creative Services Group Stefan Sonnenfeld performing the DI color grading. The collaborators shared a single color pipeline and a theater, and were thus able to use the same projector for both visual-effects reviews and DI grading. As visual-effects shots took shape under the direction of Method vfx supervisor Greg Liegey and his team, Sonnenfeld could immediately contribute his input. "As we developed the visual-effects shots, the filmmakers could review exactly what they would later see in the DI theater," said Method Studios' exec VP Dan Glass. "If there were questions about how a shot would look during the final grade, we consulted with Stefan, who was right there in the building. If Stefan wanted to see how a shot was evolving and possibly augment or modify his pre-grade, he did that as well. This created efficiencies that saved the production time and eliminated any surprises throughout the DI grading process." Added Sonnenfeld: "This is an excellent example of the synergy our companies strive to provide our clients. It's especially exciting because it demonstrates how we take on complex and challenging feature films in our NY operation."Vfx and design house Gravity was also contributed to "Heist," producing more than 200 vfx shots. The company's work included digital set extensions, photorealistic CG buildings, a CG car, CG stunts, CG face replacements, digital matte paintings, and simulations. Under the direction of digital effects supervisor Yuval Levy and VP of features and TV Karin Levinson, the Gravity team provided helmer Ratner and vfx supervisor Mark Russell with a series of pre-visualized sequences and style frames that illustrated the most climactic scenes of the film. These previs scenes became the blueprint for the shooting of the heist sequences.The majority of Gravity's work focused on the sequences involving the heist, in which characters played by Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy and Matthew Broderick steal a classic Ferrari from a corrupt billionaire's penthouse apartment through an exterior window on the 65th floor. For these scenes Gravity created a series of greenscreen window comps so that views of Manhattan seen from inside the penthouse and the views of the tower's opulent apartments would be appear authentic. "Working with Gravity from the beginning on the previs gave us a head start in making these sequences work down the road," Russell said. In addition, design and vfx company Phosphene created CG environments for the pic, building such elements as the tower's rooftop swimming pool and deck and the interior of a three-cab, 60-story elevator shaft. In all, the Phosphene team, under the direction of creative director John Bair, augmented and manipulated the physical environment in approximately 70 complex 3D CG set extensions. "NY's vfx infrastructure and community is growing at a very fast pace," said Phosphene co-founder/exec producer Vivian Connolly. "We are experiencing a trend of wonderful directors finishing their films here." Added Ratner, "It would have taken any other huge vfx company months to pull off what Phosphene did in a matter of weeks with perfection." Contact Peter Caranicas at peter.caranicas@variety.com

Annalisa (Il paese delle spose infelici)

A Fandango relieve a Fandango production, along with Rai Cinema. (Worldwide sales: Fandango Portobello, London.) Produced by Domenico Procacci. Directed by Pippo Mezzapesa. Script, Antonio Leotti, Antonella Gaeta, Mezzapesa, good novel "Il paese delle spose infelici" by Mario Desiati.With: Nicolas Orzella, Luca Schipani, Aylin Prandi, Cosimo Villani, Vincenzo Leggieri, Gennaro Albano, Antonio Gerardi, Roberto Corradino, Rolando Ravello, Valentina Carnelutti, Nicola Rignanese, Teresa Saponangelo.Notwithstanding moments of visual beauty, Pippo Mezzapesa's debut, "Annalisa," only from time to time makes its narrative arrived at existence. Were the helmer just striving to capture the spirit of adolescence via this the 19 nineties tale occur southern Italia, then having less ligament may be pardoned, but more youthful crowd desires to tell an account in regards to a couple of mismatched pals as well as the mysterious lady they befriend, and here the pic doesn't hold interest. Respectable though rarely inspired, "Annalisa" isn't likely to produce a dent fitness center play much further afield. New kid Veleno (Nicolas Orzella) is called "faggot" by his peers (though he is not coded as gay). Awesome classmate Zaza (Luca Schipani) befriends him, and so they become intrigued by Annalisa (Aylin Prandi) after she attempts a very public suicide. Zaza uses Annalisa's self-destructive promiscuity, yet won't accept it when she services others. Meanwhile, he's caught between soccer dreams and drug peddlers. Annalisa's character remains frustratingly underdeveloped, as well as the drug subplot feels forced, its climactic moment practically discarded. Lenser Michele D'Attanasio nicely captures the strong summer season light, though faces are very frequently in shadow.Camera (color), Michele D'Attanasio editor, Giogio Franchini music, Pasquale Catalano production designer, Sabrina Balestra costume designers, Francesca Vecchi, Roberta Vecchi. Examined at Rome Film Festival (competing), March. 30, 2011. Running time: 81 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

'Immortals' Ultra-Violence: Does Hollywood Need More Descriptive R-Rating?

'Immortals' definitely delivers the fiercely pitched battle scenes you expect from an action epic, but if you think the carnage is on par with '300' or 'Gladiator,' think again. Director Tarsem Singh cheerfully explained his stance on screen violence to Moviefone and admitted his goal is to make audiences uncomfortable. Remember the scene in 'The Cell' where Vincent D'Onofrio unspools a victim's intestines? Expect a lot more of that kind of literally stomach-churning ickiness in 'Immortals,' which pushes the R-rating so hard, we have ask: Is it time for a new "hard R" label? Spoilers ahead as we discuss the more gruesome scenes in 'Immortals.' Now, don't get me wrong. I'm one of the biggest 'Gladiator' fans you'll ever meet. When Russell Crowe beheaded another gladiator with a swift two-sword stroke, I cheered along with the rest of the audience. Singh, however, is adamantly against that kind of enjoyment of R-rated violence. As he told Moviefone, he wants the audience to "feel bad." Well, mission accomplished. The script is by brothers Vlas and Charley Parlapanides, but the execution seems to be all Singh's doing. Consider these scenes (spoilers, of course): -- Theseus (Henry Cavill) watches helplessly as a soldier cuts his mother's throat in close-up. -- A monk who's been tortured cuts off his own tongue rather than reveal the location of oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto) -- A defector is rewarded by King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) by having his face scarred and his testicles bashed in with a giant mallet. -- King Hyperion kills a minion by pushing his eyes into his skull -- Three women are roasted alive inside a metal sculpture. We hear their muffled screams and see them dying as their rescue comes too late. Those scenes read horrible enough, so you can only imagine what they're like in 3D. Similar scenarios have played out in previous films (the eye-gouging in 'Blade Runner,' say, or poor Aaron Eckhart's fire-roasting fate in 'The Missing'), but the sheer pile-up of unpleasantness in 'Immortals' makes each scene that much more distasteful. That's to say nothing of the final battle, when the internal organs are flying fast and furious -- in 3D! -- as combatants are split in two. Certainly, some people will eat up 'Immortals,' but when you're spending $75 million on a movie, shouldn't you want the majority of moviegoers to enjoy themselves? It's hard to believe a director and a studio would deliberately set out to alienate a paying audience with such over-the-top violence, yet Singh is proud of his accomplishment and considers anything less to be "dumbing down." He's not alone: in the press notes, producer Mark Canton (who previously produced '300') boasts, "It's in your face. We're not playing it safe. History isn't safe. Mythology isn't safe. And we're really not interested in safe." Yes, the movie is rated R, but when that rating is also given out for an excess of the f-word, as with 'The King's Speech,' 'Billy Elliot' or 'Good Will Hunting,' clearly the ratings system is broken. It's been said before, but the British have a far more helpful system that more accurately conveys what you can expect when you go see a movie. In the UK, 'Immortals' had to be cut to earn a "15" rating, the same rating that was given to '300' without any cuts being made. The scenes listed above had to be toned down to avoid getting a UK "18" rating. In the U.S., the scenes remain untouched (if the version I saw at the press screening is the same as the one that's being released to theaters) for a meaninglessly blanket R rating. The MPAA warns of "strong bloody violence and a scene of sexuality." Interestingly, '300,' which had its share of violence but never hit the same visceral, disturbing notes as 'Immortals,' was also rated R for "graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity." Given the MPAA wording, you'd think that "graphic" would be more extreme than "strong." You would be wrong. If "sickeningly graphic" violence (Singh's own assessment of one end of his filmmaking spectrum) is your thing, then you'll enjoy 'Immortals.' But with movies like 'Immortals' and 'Human Centipede' on the market, there needs to be a different rating to warn people who prefers less extreme violence what they're in for if they buy a ticket. And those of you going just for the extreme violence will be jarred by the overall schlockiness, an immensely unsatisfying storyline and the camp factor of gods dressed like go-go dancers. You have to wonder, who is this movie for? Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Movieline's Week in Review: Good There's help Difficult to get

It’s over. It might mean the most effective of news or perhaps the worst of news, a completely new beginning or perhaps the utmost in closure. Its extremity is unmatched, its harsh clearness frequently benumbing. Lots of people discovered now exactly what it’s over meant for them. For the majority of the relaxation people, it couldn’t be over very quickly. But you're going to get much more closer here with Movieline’s Week in Review. · Think you'd a difficult week? You may have been Brett Ratner. Or Eddie Murphy. Or John Grazer. Or perhaps the AMPAS establishment. Brutal. · Annnnnd, action, Jason Bourne. · Appreciate now’s illustrious interviewees Henry Cavill, Charlotte now now Gainsbourg, Bill Condon, Werner Herzog, Tarsem and Jay Duplass. · At debuts from Tintin to Haywire, we'd you covered at AFI Fest. · Despite Adam Sandler striking bottom, we thought we would can remember the good occasions. · Go watch Melancholia. Now. · Nice knowing you, J. Edgar Oscar hopes! · A Where’s Waldo movie is happening, apparently. Be sad accordingly.

Roland Emmerich Puts the Brakes on his Sci-Fi Action Movie 'Singularity'

Jochen Luebke/AFP/Getty Images Roland Emmerich's Singularity has halted pre-production in order to focus on the script.our editor recommendsEXCLUSIVE: 'Scream' Actress Neve Campbell in Talks for 'Singularity''Anonymous' Director Roland Emmerich: 'I Don't Like to Shoot Action Scenes' The movie, budgeted at $175 million, was due to begin shooting in March 2012 in Montreal, and Emmerich was due to read with actors this week as it worked towards a May 2013 release but those plans have changed as Emmerich has decided to work on the script. STORY: 'Anonymous' Director Roland Emmerich: 'I Don't Like to Shoot Action Scenes' Insiders say that Emmerich wasn't happy with the screenplay, which focuses on a young man whose body is made up a swarm of nanobots, giving him all sorts of powers at the same time as it brings unwanted attention from an evil corporation. Emmerich wrote the script with frequent collaborator Harald Kloser. Emmerich and the studio are bringing in futurist and AI specialist Ray Kurzweil to work with Emmerich. Singularity is a term used by technologists to signify the emergence of a super-intelligence that would overtake human intelligence. STORY: How Roland Emmerich Made 'Anonymous' on a Budget Sources say the work on the script is not due to budgetary concerns a la The Lone Ranger nor is it due to the poor performance of Anonymous, which saw Emmerich stray from this usual genre to make a period drama focusing on Shakespeare. The $30 million feature has only taken in $3.2 million worldwide since it's October opening. Anonymous

Parnes puts out shingle

Legit industry vet Joey Parnes is set to hang out his own shingle with Joey Parnes Prods., a new outfit focusing on producing and managing Broadway plays and tuners. Parnes is currently wrapping up a stint as interim exec director of the Public Theater, where he also served on the search committee for a permanent replacement to fill the post. Joey Parnes Prods. aims to offer a range of services that includes exec producing and general management as well as consultation for non-profit theaters, including those plotting a commercial Broadway transfer. Longtime general manager Parnes recently helped shepherd the Public Theater's revival of "Hair" to the Main Stem, where it recouped and picked up a Tony. The new Parnes office -- where Parnes will be joined by colleagues Sue Wagner, John Johnson and Nate Koch -- is currently set to produce Judy Garland bioplay "End of the Rainbow," skedded for an April opening on the Main Stem. Further projects with the Public are also in the offing. Over his 30-year career in the business, Parnes has managed or produced a string of Rialto outings including "The Merchant of Venice," "The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?" and the original production of "Dreamgirls." His resume also includes stints as a coordinating producer for the Tony Awards as well as a two-year gig in the mid-1990s as exec producer at the Public. He finishes off his current term at the Public at the end of the month. Joey Parnes Prods. will operate out of Parnes' current office in midtown Gotham. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Disney Interactive Will Give You Content To YouTube The Coming Year

The businesses introduced today that Disney brings “family-friendly video entertainment” to Google’s video site in addition to Disney.com beginning at the start of 2012.”Programming includes video attracted from relevant family-friendly content presently available across YouTube, original video created by Disney, in addition to a mixture of current Disney Interactive original series, choose Disney Funnel programming and Disney user produced content,” the businesses stated today. First of all in Feb is going to be an authentic video series according to Disneys hit mobile game Wheres My Water? and it is primary character Swampy.With internet video consumption overflowing and YouTube at the middle of that trend, we have seen an chance for Disney Interactive and YouTube to create Disneys legacy of storytelling to an alternative generation of households and Disney fanatics around the platforms they prefer, Disney Interactive Co-Leader Jimmy Pitaro states. YouTube’sGlobal Mind of Content Close ties Robert Kyncl states his operation has 800 million customers worldwide.

Academy Dinner Honors 2011 Nicholl Fellowship Winners

Academy Announces Winners Of 2011 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowships Although they are certainly best known for thoseother awards they hand out in February, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences do a lot more throughout the year. One of its prized events happened Thursday evening at a dinner atthe Beverly Wilshire, where the26th annualDon and Gee Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowships were awarded to what Academy president Tom Sherak described as the “Academy’s Magnificent 7.” The Nicholl Fellowships were established in 1985 and are now chaired (and hosted)by new Academy governor Gale Anne Hurd, who told me she’s been on the Nicholl committee since 1989. Each of the writing fellows (or teams) will receive a $35,000 prize in order to continue developing their scripts (checks arehanded out in installments with the understanding that the recipients will complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year), and the Academy is not involved otherwise commercially with the scripts in any way and holds no rights to them. Even with the Oscars in the mix, Sherak opened the program by saying: “This is my favorite event. It’s nights like this that I wish I were an agent. You want to sign every one of them.” He added these few winners were chosen from among a record 6,730 entries by the 24 judges and committee members who read everything. It was quite a night that also included a rousing keynote address from David Seidler,this year’sreigning Best Original Screenplay winner for The King’s Speech and “new Academy member”at age 74. At the reception before the dinner, I asked Seidler how the Oscar has changed his life at this age. Hejoked, “Producers now owe me more, but it takes them longer.” Seidler is red-hot, though, having completed two new scripts over the summer and now embarking on two rewrites. He asked me who I thought was the front-runner to win Original Screenplay this year and I suggested probably Woody Allen for Midnight In Paris. “Well, he has me beat then,” Seidler said. Allen at 76 would usurp Seidler asthe oldest winner ever in that category, meaning that Seidler’s record could be short-lived. His speech, which he said was working on right to the last minute, won over the crowd and certainly provided inspiration for the writers in attendance. “I just only want to talk to the writers here. Usually, you want to talk to aspiring writers and you wind up talking to perspiring writers, but look, you beat the odds, you persevered and you won,” he told the enthusiastic crowd.”After I metwithFrancis Coppola (about writing Tucker), he said, ‘Have your people call my people.’ I didn’t have any people. I had a friend who had an agent. I came to this town at age 40. It’s nice to come at an age when most people are leaving. …Don’t write for Mercedes or mortgages. Write what is in your hearts and souls and it should have honesty and morality. We are the only entity who can move souls. We should Occupy a Studio,” he said to rousing applause. I sat next to two of the chosen fellows, Chris Bessounian and Tianna Langham, the latter telling me she was so nervous she had completely lost her appetite. They had been entering their script, Guns And Saris, for the past four years but only managed to get to the semifinals before this year so they also hedged their bets and enterted a second script. When they got the congratulatory call from the Academy, Bessounian had to ask , “Uh, which script?” He added that when the winners’ names appeared on this website lastmonth, it was a big deal. “The most exciting thing was seeing our name on Deadline. It’s our home page,” he told me. The other fellows chosen were Dion Cook for Cutter, John MacInnes for Outside The Wire, Matthew Murphy for Unicorn and Abel Vang & Burlee Vang for The Tiger’s Child. With the exception of Cook (from Altus, Okla.), all are from Southern California even though entries were received from all 50 states and around the world. In addition to Hurd, the committee includes such notables as Eva Marie Saint, Bill Mechanic and Naomi Foner. Previous winners have included Jason Micallef, whose new film Butter premiered at Toronto; Ehren Kruger, who wrote Transformers: Dark Of The Moon; Mike Rich, who wrote Secretariat; Susannah Grant, who went on to win an Oscar nod for Erin Brockovich; and Andrew Marlowe and Terri Miller, who met as fellows, married and now produce the ABC series, Castle.

The Five Most Cringe-Inducing Quotes From Leonardo DiCaprio's New You are able to Occasions Profile

How do you from the greatest celebrities on the planet have the ability to have a low profile among a culture of 24/7 celebrity news coverage? They kinda can't, and that's why it's almost unfathomable -- as well as admirable -- that Leonardo DiCaprio in some way handles to become uber-famous all and keep his rockstar-esque mystique. Knowing that, so how exactly does an entertainment reporter approach a job interview with Leo? Well, if you are NY Occasions author Brooks Barnes, you request him about his supermodel female friends, make an effort to charm the hell from him, then completely spoil the finish of 1 of his movies. Therefore, Moviefone presents for you 5 most cringe-inducing quotes from present day NY Occasions profile of Leonardo DiCaprio. On dating models "And private questions aren't appreciated. Just why do he dates all individuals models? He put a glance -- um, duh, wouldn't you should you could? -- after which frosted over. 'I've never really spoken about this type of stuff, and, very professionally, I am likely to ensure that it stays this way,A he stated." How his 'J. Edgar' makeup can lead to some sexually-billed fanfic "[DiCaprio] estimations he spent about two days from the 39-day shoot as 'old [J. Edgar] Hoover,' which needed sitting upright to 5 hrs each day in [the] makeup chair... 'It's like you have been slathered in honey and covered with a huge duvet.' (Relayed through a reporter he had just produced a brand new fantasy for his crazier female fans, he chuckled.)" On his role in 'Shutter Island,' which will get unceremoniously spoiled "[DiCaprio's] figures are mainly tortured, unsympathetic, bigger-than-existence men produced by using a small club of the-list company directors, most particularly Martin Scorsese ... [DiCaprio plays] a mental patient in 'Shutter Island.'" [Editor's note: We do hope you were not waiting for your someone to originate from Netflix!] On his 'J. Edgar' putting on weight "Mr. Black also takes note of Mr. DiCaprio's fondness for German chocolate cookies. 'Some of individuals pounds on later [J. Edgar] Hoover weren't prosthetic,' he stated. 'I'll say it. Leo got just a little body fat.'" On his 'playful' eyes "Personally Mr. DiCaprio results in just as you think he'd. He was tired, coming in a morning interview the next day of flying to La from Australia, where he'd been filming 'The Great Gatsby.' But he seemed to be playful -- individuals blue eyes might have been jet lagged however they still handled to twinkle -- and exceedingly polite." [via NYT] [Photo: Warner Bros] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Mike Royce sets second Fox laffer

Mike Royce has set up a second comedy project at Fox. The "Men of a Certain Age" creator-exec producer and 20th Century Fox TV have landed a script-plus-penalty order for an untitled multicamera laffer about a two-income couple who are determined to "have it all" but wind up forced to make compromises to achieve that goal. Royce is writing the script and will serve as exec producer. Shortly after inking an overall deal with 20th in September, Royce took the reins of a pre-existing 20th comedy project for Fox about an ex-con who moves in with his younger brother. "Little Brother" has been in the works at the network for a while from 20th-based 21 Laps and Hat Trick Prods. With Royce on board, Fox gave the project a put pilot order. Royce is repped by UTA, manager Cary Hoffman and attorney Jared Levine of Barnes Morris. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

AFI Fest draws 'Tintin' as closer

The AFI Fest has place the final puzzle piece in position within this year's selection, introduced Monday that Steven Spielberg's motion-capture animated film "The Adventures of Tintin" may have its United States premiere in the fest's closing-evening gala on November. 10. Besides this suggest that Hollywood will see a movie that Europe has accepted, however it means the fest will start and finish with a couple of the most popular films within the honours conversation. Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" may be the opening-evening premiere on November. 3. "Tintin," which got on a proper B.O. begin in its European debut last weekend, is dependant on the worldwide beloved figures produced by Herg, and stars Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Difficulties, Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. "Steven Spielberg is really a national treasure," stated Bob Gazzale, AFI prexy and Boss. "He's written this nation's cultural legacy over 40 years, he inspires artists and audiences alike and that he honors all of us by premiering 'Tintin' at AFI Fest, where we celebrate the most effective the planet needs to offer for 2011." The AFI Fest runs November. 3-10 in La. Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com

Winfrey Looks Towards The Web To Energise Her Network

First Released: October 28, 2011 9:10 AM EDT Credit: Getty Premium La, Calif. -- Caption The famous host oprah Winfrey talks in the Cable Show 2011 at McCormick Place, Chicago, June 16, 2011After two-and-a-half decades on television, The famous host oprah Winfrey states she's getting time of her existence on the internet. The 57-year-old mogul is hooking up with audiences through her weekly webinars, and she or he states it is the most fun Ive had ever. Winfreys live webcast discussions about her new show, Oprahs Lifeclass, happen to be very popular, theyve been put into the selection around the The famous host oprah Winfrey Network. Lifeclass opened earlier this year and features Winfrey discussing her favorite interviews and experience from her lengthy-running talk show. On Fridays, she talks about Lifeclass training throughout an hour or so-lengthy webcast having a live audience and invites audiences to comment or request questions personally or through Facebook, Twitter and Skype. Winfrey states hooking up together with her audience individually and instantly is simply a fantastic experience. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.