Accommodations and eateries at Sundance

Canyons ResortHyatt Escala LodgeAn believed 40,000 to 50,000 Sundance festgoers descend on Park City -- with a permanent population of the mere 8,000 -- throughout the annual film blowout, blocking roads, pathways and eateries, and creating transportation bad dreams. Although screening venues in Salt Lake City might be less crowded, most industryites would rather be in which the action is: on -- or simply off -- Park City's historic Primary Street.By early The month of january, lodging for that fest's first four days is going to be confined however, day five with the fest's closing weekend typically offer more options. Minimal costly remain in Park City may be the Chateau Apres, with $45 per evening/per person dorms (but limited availability). The booking firm Park City Crash Pads offers lower-cost qualities with amenities for example free wi-fi.Just outdoors of town, but accessible by free Park City buses, the Canyons Resort has several plush apartment-style lodging, additionally towards the Waldorf Astoria Park City (opened up in '09). The Hyatt Escala Lodge (opened up in November 2010) provides a discount for that other half from the fest.Salt Lake City hotels are less pricey the drive to fit City is simply under an hour or so based on weather.Websites VRBO.com and C-list are another resource for last-minute reservations -- though if your deal is simply too good to be real, well, you realize. Quick bites really are a fest must, because most greater-finish eateries are reserved web hosting dinners. Open 24/7, Fresh Market (formerly Albertsons) provides a sandwich counter as well as in-store Local cafe. Burritos from El Chubasco (near to festival HQ at 1890 Bonanza Dr.) are handy for wait-list lines, and also the year-old Sammy's Bistro (within the same minimall at 1890 Bonanza Dr.) has sandwiches, sauces and preparing salads. Frequently overlooked, the cafeteria at Park City Mountain Resort's Legacy Coffee shop is really a reliable option for breakfast and lunch, and it is on the shuttle route.The Yard event space (formerly the place to find non-official gifting lounges) in a former lumber yard close to the Yarrow Hotel is going to be the official festival venue this season, hosting New Frontier films. Onsite is really a 400-vehicle parking area along with a stop for that express shuttle towards the Temple Theater. Inside the Yard is a coffee shop having a recently installed NY-style pizza oven. Run through the entrepreneurs from the Blind Dog Restaurant and Sushi (also inside the complex), the Yard coffee shop will open most probably daily from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. after which transform in to the fest's latenight lounge.Other new eateries include: Park City's first-ever kosher restaurant, the Bistro in the Canyons Resort the in your area filled Farm in the Canyons Resort as well as for a higher-altitude nosh, Yama Sushi in the Montage Resort in Deer Valley. Easy Street in the Sky Lodge lately added gluten-free menu products the hotel's roof Sky Blue bar remains a civilized retreat above Primary Street's craze.Music is an essential part of Sundance activities. Even though sheriff padlocked the city's biggest music venue Harry O's captured, it will likely be re-incarnated as Park City Live throughout the fest. The ASCAP Music Coffee shop returns to reduce Primary Street throughout your day a course that changes nightly will showcase music from festival films -- a celebration that will need a fest credential together with tickets offered at the primary box office.Fest coordinators will tweet arranging changes, tests and ASCAP Music Coffee shop night time shows via @sundancefestnow. A totally free Sundance festival cell phone application can be obtained for apple iphone, iPad and Android customers.The first kind Racquet Club Theater has returned, reconstructed with 550 seats and re-named the MARC. Expect an broadened concession stand (in the same suppliers in the Library Theater) because the popular Racquet Club Grill isn't any more.Of course, warm socks and ibuprofen ought to be at surface of any packing list. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

The Grateful Cast of 'Lysistrata Jones' Opens Up

NY (AP) Backstage in a tiny room at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway, four theater buffs are geeking out."This is Angela Lansbury's dressing room!" one says, referring to the time when the "Murder She Wrote" star was in a revival of Stephen Sondhein's "A Little Night Music.""Yes!" says another, looking around."And Bernadette Peters," says a third."Bernadette was upstairs, I think," corrects another.To be backstage is clearly something these four relish. But they're not just passing through: They've moved in.Patti Murin, Liz Mikel, Josh Segarra and Lindsay Nicole Chambers are starring in "Lysistrata Jones," a musical update of Aristophanes' play "Lysistrata" by Douglas Carter Beane. Half have been on Broadway before, but as understudies. It marks the first time all four are originating a Broadway part.Murin, a 5-foot-4 actress from upstate NY who is playing the plucky Lysistrata, has claimed the dressing room used by such luminaries as Edie Falco, Gabriel Byrne and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Mikel, a Dallas native making her Broadway debut, is sharing with Chambers the dressing room once occupied by Lansbury, Lauren Bacall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Elaine Stritch and, more recently, Ben Stiller during the recent run of "The House of Blue Leaves."For Segarra, who nabbed Jennifer Jason Leigh's old dressing room, just being in the Walter Kerr Theatre is special enough. Toward the end of his high school career, he and his dad visited the theater to watch "Take Me Out" and the teenage Segarra was so impressed that he decided to become a stage actor on the spot."I was like, 'This is what I want to do. This is it,'" says Segarra, 25, from Longwood, Fla. "For me, this is really surreal to know that I get to perform on this stage, where it comes full circle."He and his three co-stars have had a strange trip to this point, having taken the show from a 99-seat basement church gymnasium in Greenwich Village to a 950-seat theater in Times Square. The three actresses have been with it even longer, having been with the show since it debuted last year at Dallas Theater Center.Beane and his real-life partner, composer and lyricist Lewis Flinn, have taken the 2,400-year-old comedy about Athenian women withholding sex until their men stop fighting and plopped it to present day Athens College, where the basketball team hasn't won in decades. Enter transfer student Lysistrata Jones, who dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop "giving it up" until their boyfriends win a game. The musical has real basketballs bounced, passed and shot into hoops.The show is full of Beane's signature arch humor but also deftly explores the tension between determinism and choice. Chambers, 31, who was an understudy on Broadway for "Hairspray" and "Legally Blonde," says the mix of yuks and sentiment was a key reason she signed up. Campy is not fun if you're just being crass, says the Columbus, Ohio, native who is engaged to Chris Barron, the lead singer of the Spin Doctors. "It's much more fun to be campy when you do have a real heart."While parts often get recast with big names when shows jump to Broadway, the team behind "Lysistrata Jones" refused, partly because the Transport Group-produced musical needs athletic, young-looking actors. And partly as a matter of loyalty for a group who had sacrificed much."When people signed on to do that show in Greenwich Village, it was for less money than unemployment. Literally, if you got jury duty, it would have been a pay hike," says Beane, who nixed any idea of replacing his brood. "I'd go to theater jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200."The cast has a dozen actors and actresses who director and choreographer Dan Knechtges says are "overflowing with soul." He says his main job was to get out of the way so the audience could see their vibrant personalities."We sort of picked not necessarily the best triple threats around. But we picked people who had the most interesting personality, the most unique voice, the most unique look and out of that we tried to them make them do all of those things," says Knechtges.Murin, 31, a lithe blonde from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., is perfectly cast as a cheerleader, having been one at Syracuse University while studying musical theater. She was an understudy in Beane's "Xanadu" on Broadway and recently played the title role in "Emma" at The Old Globe in San Diego.She's been with the show since the beginning in Texas and in addition to singing, acting and dancing, has been asked to shoot three baskets on stage during the show, one of which is particularly tricky.If she misses, she vows to continue trying until she makes it. Her husband, a basketball nut and fellow actor Curtis Holbrook, has advised her not to be scared of failing. "There will be times I know I'll get into slumps," she says. "I guess it is a little bit of added pressure but it's OK. I'm learning to deal with that."The cast bonded recently during a five-day basketball clinic led by Chris Mullin, the retired NBA All-Star. He taught the actors the fundamentals of the sport and they say he gave them confidence.For Segarra, who plays a dimwitted baller and Lysistrata's love interest, dribbling comes second nature. A NY University graduate, he made his high school basketball team during his freshman year, but quit after being cast in a school production of "The Sound of Music." Unlike some of his fellow actors, Segarra is comfortable with a ball in his hand."That's when I have the most fun. That's when I get to show off because I know people are in the audience going, 'Let's see these theater boys play basketball,'" he says. "And I'll just drop it and start going. And I'll watch people's faces go, 'Oh.' That's my most prideful moment."Mikel, a veteran of the Dallas theater and music scenes who was best known nationally as Corinna Williams on the TV series "Friday Night Lights," is making her Broadway debut, but says she isn't making a huge deal out of it."Having done this professionally for 20 years now, I didn't want to psyche myself up and say, 'Oh, this is Broadway,'" she says. "It's another show. This is what I do. I'm grateful it has this geographical location, but it's what we do."One clear benefit to being in such a high-energy show is that none of the cast needs to go to the gym any more. Sweat rolls off them even before the finale, a 15-minute intense sequence of dancing and singing and layups."We can eat anything that we want!" says Chambers."I've never been skinnier in my life," agrees Murin, who is somewhat shocked to find herself snacking on chocolate bars. "You can't really talk to a whole lot of people about it. They're like, 'Oh, that sucks for you, doesn't it?'"Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Mark Kennedy December 12, 2011 "Lysistrata Jones" PHOTO CREDIT Joan Marcus NY (AP) Backstage in a tiny room at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway, four theater buffs are geeking out."This is Angela Lansbury's dressing room!" one says, referring to the time when the "Murder She Wrote" star was in a revival of Stephen Sondhein's "A Little Night Music.""Yes!" says another, looking around."And Bernadette Peters," says a third."Bernadette was upstairs, I think," corrects another.To be backstage is clearly something these four relish. But they're not just passing through: They've moved in.Patti Murin, Liz Mikel, Josh Segarra and Lindsay Nicole Chambers are starring in "Lysistrata Jones," a musical update of Aristophanes' play "Lysistrata" by Douglas Carter Beane. Half have been on Broadway before, but as understudies. It marks the first time all four are originating a Broadway part.Murin, a 5-foot-4 actress from upstate NY who is playing the plucky Lysistrata, has claimed the dressing room used by such luminaries as Edie Falco, Gabriel Byrne and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Mikel, a Dallas native making her Broadway debut, is sharing with Chambers the dressing room once occupied by Lansbury, Lauren Bacall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Elaine Stritch and, more recently, Ben Stiller during the recent run of "The House of Blue Leaves."For Segarra, who nabbed Jennifer Jason Leigh's old dressing room, just being in the Walter Kerr Theatre is special enough. Toward the end of his high school career, he and his dad visited the theater to watch "Take Me Out" and the teenage Segarra was so impressed that he decided to become a stage actor on the spot."I was like, 'This is what I want to do. This is it,'" says Segarra, 25, from Longwood, Fla. "For me, this is really surreal to know that I get to perform on this stage, where it comes full circle."He and his three co-stars have had a strange trip to this point, having taken the show from a 99-seat basement church gymnasium in Greenwich Village to a 950-seat theater in Times Square. The three actresses have been with it even longer, having been with the show since it debuted last year at Dallas Theater Center.Beane and his real-life partner, composer and lyricist Lewis Flinn, have taken the 2,400-year-old comedy about Athenian women withholding sex until their men stop fighting and plopped it to present day Athens College, where the basketball team hasn't won in decades. Enter transfer student Lysistrata Jones, who dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop "giving it up" until their boyfriends win a game. The musical has real basketballs bounced, passed and shot into hoops.The show is full of Beane's signature arch humor but also deftly explores the tension between determinism and choice. Chambers, 31, who was an understudy on Broadway for "Hairspray" and "Legally Blonde," says the mix of yuks and sentiment was a key reason she signed up. Campy is not fun if you're just being crass, says the Columbus, Ohio, native who is engaged to Chris Barron, the lead singer of the Spin Doctors. "It's much more fun to be campy when you do have a real heart."While parts often get recast with big names when shows jump to Broadway, the team behind "Lysistrata Jones" refused, partly because the Transport Group-produced musical needs athletic, young-looking actors. And partly as a matter of loyalty for a group who had sacrificed much."When people signed on to do that show in Greenwich Village, it was for less money than unemployment. Literally, if you got jury duty, it would have been a pay hike," says Beane, who nixed any idea of replacing his brood. "I'd go to theater jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200."The cast has a dozen actors and actresses who director and choreographer Dan Knechtges says are "overflowing with soul." He says his main job was to get out of the way so the audience could see their vibrant personalities."We sort of picked not necessarily the best triple threats around. But we picked people who had the most interesting personality, the most unique voice, the most unique look and out of that we tried to them make them do all of those things," says Knechtges.Murin, 31, a lithe blonde from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., is perfectly cast as a cheerleader, having been one at Syracuse University while studying musical theater. She was an understudy in Beane's "Xanadu" on Broadway and recently played the title role in "Emma" at The Old Globe in San Diego.She's been with the show since the beginning in Texas and in addition to singing, acting and dancing, has been asked to shoot three baskets on stage during the show, one of which is particularly tricky.If she misses, she vows to continue trying until she makes it. Her husband, a basketball nut and fellow actor Curtis Holbrook, has advised her not to be scared of failing. "There will be times I know I'll get into slumps," she says. "I guess it is a little bit of added pressure but it's OK. I'm learning to deal with that."The cast bonded recently during a five-day basketball clinic led by Chris Mullin, the retired NBA All-Star. He taught the actors the fundamentals of the sport and they say he gave them confidence.For Segarra, who plays a dimwitted baller and Lysistrata's love interest, dribbling comes second nature. A NY University graduate, he made his high school basketball team during his freshman year, but quit after being cast in a school production of "The Sound of Music." Unlike some of his fellow actors, Segarra is comfortable with a ball in his hand."That's when I have the most fun. That's when I get to show off because I know people are in the audience going, 'Let's see these theater boys play basketball,'" he says. "And I'll just drop it and start going. And I'll watch people's faces go, 'Oh.' That's my most prideful moment."Mikel, a veteran of the Dallas theater and music scenes who was best known nationally as Corinna Williams on the TV series "Friday Night Lights," is making her Broadway debut, but says she isn't making a huge deal out of it."Having done this professionally for 20 years now, I didn't want to psyche myself up and say, 'Oh, this is Broadway,'" she says. "It's another show. This is what I do. I'm grateful it has this geographical location, but it's what we do."One clear benefit to being in such a high-energy show is that none of the cast needs to go to the gym any more. Sweat rolls off them even before the finale, a 15-minute intense sequence of dancing and singing and layups."We can eat anything that we want!" says Chambers."I've never been skinnier in my life," agrees Murin, who is somewhat shocked to find herself snacking on chocolate bars. "You can't really talk to a whole lot of people about it. They're like, 'Oh, that sucks for you, doesn't it?'"Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Source: Lindsay Lohan Has Completed Community Service For Next Hearing

First Launched: December 9, 2011 1:24 PM EST Credit: WhoSay Caption Lindsay Lohan showcase her new smile on October 30, 2011LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner needs to be surprised about Lindsay Lohans progress hearing inside a couple of days the actress has apparently completed the current a part of her court-mandated community service and psychological therapy needs before schedule. Lindsay has completed her community service and therapy needs, an origin near the 25-year-old told Access Hollywood on Friday. The embattled star will return to court on Wednesday for your progress report hearing. As formerly reported on AccessHollywood.com, Lindsay, whose first official images from her Playboy shoot will debut on Thursday, has acquired an excellent status around the county morgue (where shes serving her mandatory community service), according to TMZ. A police source apparently told the site the actress remains polite and hard-working, which she never gripes in regards to the work. Lindsay spent under five several hours inside the Century Regional Detention facility in Lynwood, Calif., captured, after being bought for everybody a 30-day jail sentence for breaking probation following a actress was started in the community service assignment within the Downtown Womens Center in La. Furthermore for the jail sentence, Judge Sautner bought Lindsay to pass through psychological therapy periods and serve 423 several hours within the county morgue by March 29, 2012. The judge also mentioned Lindsay can forget about leave the country and really should possess the permission of her new probation officer to go to outdoors California. When contacted in regards to the positive news on Friday, Lindsays repetition told Access, We never discuss Lindsays community service progress. The truth is she's being diligent and submission wonderful court-mandated needs. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Lowe's Pulls Ads from TLC Show 'All-American Muslim'

First Look Pictures Investors in the 2009 Nicolas Cage film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call-New Orleans have filed a lawsuit against Nu Image and First Look Studios, claiming that proceeds from the motion picture have not been shared and that top executives have siphoned off revenue. Polsky Films, a film production outfit founded by brothers Alan and Gabe Polsky, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. According to the complaint, Polsky put up $1.3 million to finance the print and advertising budget for the U.S. distribution of the film. The financing agreement allegedly stipulated that Nu Image and First Look had to establish a collection account at Comerica bank and was obligated to pay all U.S. proceeds from the film into this account. The agreement limited deductions to home video packaging, freight and delivery expenses. Once the money was placed into the collection account, the complaint says, the proceeds had to be distributed according to a specific plan. Besides reimbursement for its own P&A contributions, Nu Image wasn't supposed to collect money until residuals, bank financing and Polsky's P&A contributions were recouped. In its lawsuit, Polsky says that the defendants failed to properly set up the collection account and have exhibitors and licensees pay proceeds there. Instead, the defendants are accused of improperly deducting expenses, failing to disburse proceeds, and not accurately and truthfully accounting for all of the money. Co-defendants Avi Lerner, head of Nu Image, and Trevor Short, former CEO of First Look Studios, also are targeted in the complaint. The lawsuit includes allegations that the defendants fabricated "P&A Expenses" in order to profit themselves at the expense of the plaintiffs. Polsky, represented by Miles Feldman, is demanding compensatory damages and as a result of the breach, wants a declaration that it now owns distribution rights on the film. Nu Image hasn't responded yet to request for comment. Bad Lieutenantwas directed by Werner Herzog and was nominated for several awards at the Venice International Film Festival and the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards. E-mail: eriqgardner@yahoo.com Twitter: @eriqgardner

New DVD Releases: Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011

The Simpsons Highlights from this week's DVD releases:The Simpsons: Season 14 This four-disc (three-disc Blu-ray) set includes all 22 episodes, plus tons of bonus material. Commentary tracks, after being absent from previous releases, are back. Executive producers Al Jean and Mike Scully can be heard on every track, along with various writers, producers and directors. Also included are original sketches, deleted scenes, an animation showcase, and a special 300th episode featurette.(Buy the DVD)(Buy the Blu-ray)Big LoveThe four-disc Season 5 set includes the series' final 10 episodes, plus a look back with the Big Love: End of Days, or Inside the Episodes featurettes with the creators of the show. The complete series set contains all 53 episodes on 20 discs, and includes all the bonus material from season five, as well as seasons one through four.(Buy Season 5) (Buy the complete series)Alvin & the Chipmunks: Driving Dave CrazyHave you already tired of your Alvin & The Chipmunks Christmas album and are looking for a different way to get your Chipmunks fix? Pick up this single-disc release of six episodes of the popular '80s cartoon. Episodes include "Dave's Getting Married," "Every Chipmunk Tells a Story," "Romancing Ms. Stone," "Maids in Japan," "Incredible Shrinking Dave" and "Mother's Day."(Buy Alvin & the Chipmunks: Driving Dave Crazy)

Neil Smit Named Boss Of Comcast Cable Communications

PHILADELPHIA, PA December 7, 2011 Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), one of the cell phone industry's leading media, entertainment and communications companies, introduced today it's named Neil Smit Boss of Comcast Cable Communications. Mr. Smit, who also may serve as Leader of Comcast Cable and makes up about every part in the companys cable business, grew to become part of Comcast in March 2010. He reviews to John L. Roberts, Chairman and Boss of Comcast Corporation. Neil is doing an remarkable job. He's driven innovation, enhanced the customer experience, elevated the speed of the introduction of new products, and contains extended we into new options for lucrative growth. I anticipate his ongoing leadership within our terrific cable team, mentioned Mr. Roberts. Mr. Smit grew to become part of Comcast from Charter Communications where he offered as Boss and Director from 2005-2010. Right before Charter, he was Leader of your energy Warners America Online Access Business controlling America Online (America online), CompuServe and Netscape ISPs. More youthful crowd offered by America online as Executive V . P ., Member Services, and Chief Operating Officer of MapQuest. Before that, Mr. Smit will be a regional leader with Nabisco and offered in lots of management positions at Pillsbury. For five . five years, he offered on active duty while using Navy Shuts Teams and outdated within the service just like a Lieutenant Commander.

Constraint Order Granted Against Terrence Howard

First Released: December 6, 2011 11:37 PM EST Credit: Getty Images La, Calif. -- Caption Terrence Howard attends a screening of Precious in New york city, November. 5, 2009Terrence Howard was purchased Tuesday to remain 100 yards (90 meters) from his estranged wife after she stated the Oscar-nominated actor frequently threatened striking her throughout their marriage. The star declines the accusations. Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon granted the stay-away order searched for by Michelle Howard after she filed a extended declaration alleging abuse started inside a week from the couples The month of january 2010 marriage. Michelle Howard declared divorce annually later. The constraint order remains essentially until a Jan. 17 court. Inside a text a week ago, she claims Howard, 42, has frequently hit her and threatened her. She mentioned inside a sworn declaration that they is within constant anxiety about Howard and it has chronic health problems triggered through the stars treatment. Howard in the own sworn declaration authored he hasn't threatened his wife which she's frequently vowed to ruin his status and release private particulars. My home is constant anxiety about Michelles endeavors to ruin my status even supplying this declaration might result in my being exposed to some paparazzi blitz which wouldn't be great for my career, Howard authored. Michelle Howard authored that Howardhas hit her several occasions and threatened to throw her from the hotel balcony in Nigeria this past year. She incorporated a text she stated he delivered to her on Thursday by which he begged her to not pursue the divorce and threaten his career, ending the missive, I cant promise the way i will respond. Howard authored in the filing he immediately accompanied the content with another text proclaiming that he wasnt threatening her. Despite my efforts to get rid of myself physically from (Howards) existence, his periodic mood shifts from anger, risks and violence to claims of affection and demands for reconciliation continue and haven't gone away, she authored. Howard made an appearance within the first Iron Guy film and received an Oscar nomination in 2005 for his role in Hustle and Flow. His attorney Christian Markey III didn't immediately return an e-mail message seeking comment. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

IMDb Explains Why 40-Year-Old Actress Shouldn't Fear Blacklisting

Martin Scorsese will be honored at the 17th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards.our editor recommendsBox Office Report: Martin Scorsese's 'Hugo' Overperforms on ThanksgivingMartin Scorsese to Direct 'The Snowman' for Working TitleMartin Scorsese Calls Filming 'Hugo' in 3D 'An Enjoyable Headache' Chosen by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), the Hugo director has been tapped to receive the Critics' Choice Music+Film Award. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live on VH1 on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 at 8 p.m. from the Hollywood Palladium. PHOTOS: Martin Scorsese On Set The honor comes at an opportune time for Scorsese and Hugo, which was named best film by the National Board of Review. Scorsese was also named best director by the National Board of Review. "This year's Critics' Choice Movie Awards marks another gratifying collaboration with the Broadcast Film Critics Association and our partners at VH1," says Joey Berlin, president of BFCA. "With a very impressive lineup of films featuring the world's biggest stars under consideration this year, we look forward to a truly spectacular show highlighted by the presentation of the Music+Film Award to Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time." COVER STORY: The Dreams of Martin Scorsese The Music+Film Award honors a filmmaker who has touched audiences through cinematic storytelling and has heightened the impact of films through the use of source and music. Scorsese has had a storied career, with films like Mean Streets, The Departed, Goodfellas and music documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World. Quentin Tarantino received the first Music+Film Award. The Critics' Choice Movie Awards, held by the BFCA, honor the best in cinematic achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics' organization in the U.S. and Canada. Nominees for the Critics' Choice Movie Awards will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 13. Nominating ballots went out to members on Dec. 5 and the deadline to return them is Dec. 11. The awards ceremony is executive produced by Jesse Ignjatovic for Den of Thieves, Berlin for Berlin Entertainment and Lee Rolontz for VH1. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Martin Scorsese: Into the Past Related Topics Martin Scorsese Hugo

The Muppets Are Brainwashing Your Children, According to Fox News

Get your pitchforks ready -- those wackos in Hollyweird are trying to brainwash your children into thinking terrible evil things. Using their agents of propaganda, they are attempting to corrupt an entire generation of impressionable viewers with false information, in an effort to lead this country's future into a perilous decline. Parents take heed: to protect your children, you must not take them to see 'The Muppets'; it may appear to be a holiday comedy for the whole family, an attempt to carry on the message and spirit of its creator Jim Henson, but that is mere deception. It is actually a weapon designed to trick your children into thinking that the oil industry -- and by proxy capitalism and America -- is evil. You can thank the good people at Fox Business Report for alerting us all to their dastardly motivation. Since there's clearly no other economic news important enough to cover, 'Follow the Money' host Eric Bolling spoke with Dan Gainor of the Media Research Center, and asked the question that needed to be asked: "Is liberal Hollywood using class warfare to brainwash our kids?" And the answer is a resounding "YES!" In the new 'Muppets' movie, Chris Cooper stars as Tex Richman, an oil baron who plans to tear down the famed Muppet theater and drill for the precious oil percolating underneath. He also plans to buy out the Muppets name and re-package them for a group of low-life Reno troublemakers because he believes that we live in a "hard, cynical world" and it deserves a "hard, cynical act." And 'The Muppets' has the gall to imply that these are less than admirable character traits. As Bolling and Gainor explain, the movie may deceive you into thinking that an unhealthy lust for personal wealth can you leave morally bankrupt, but don't buy it! 'The Muppets' -- like previous children's entertainment including 'Captain Planet,' Nickelodeon's 'Big Green Help' and 'Syriana' -- is trying to deceive your child into thinking capitalism is bad. Tex Richman is a successful businessman, and like Bolling reminds you, we should admire those people. Even though Richman blatantly flaunts his wealth in the Muppets' faces when they ask him for leniency, you shouldn't believe that someone with wealth would refuse to be charitable. (And the fact that Bolling made his fortune on the NY Mercantile Exchange, trading crude oil among other things, has nothing to do with his motivation; if you're just going to use that "fact" to question his "objectivity" then you can hop on the first bus back to Cuba.) Oil, that ever-lasting lifeblood of the planet Earth, provides an endless amount of benefits to the America people; if children believe the lies of 'The Muppets,' they could grow up with the ridiculous notion that there are negative consequences to the oil business. Now that you've had your eyes opened, don't think that all is lost. There is still suitable entertainment you can share with your children this holiday season, like 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' -- which coincidentally is also produced by the Fox corporation. It's kind of funny that the movie that poses the biggest financial threat to the potential audience of 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' just so happens to be mental poison to your child; it's a good thing the employees of the company were brave enough to point out this fact about their competition. [via MediaMatters] [Photo: Disney; Fox] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Mary J. Blige and Gavin DeGraw to Perform on CBS' Celebrity Skifest Special (Exclusive)

Joe DeAngelis/ Persona PRBrandon Jay McLaren Brandon Jay McLaren is moving in with USA Network. The Killing's teacher has been tapped to co-star in White Collar creator Jeff Eastin's hourlong drama pilot for USA Network, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. McLaren, whose credits also include Being Erica and the feature Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, will play Dale Jakes, a quick-tempered U.S. Customs agent in the drama from Fox TV Studios that revolves around agents from various federal and state law enforcement agencies who all live in at an undercover house in Southern California. STORY: USA Network Back in Business With 'White Collar' Creator He joins Aaron Tveit (Gossip Girl), who will play a housemate/rookie FBI agent Mike Warren, in the project. McLaren will next be seen recurring on Season 2 of TNT's alien invasion drama Falling Skies. He's repped by Pakula/King & Associates, Hofflund/Polone and Trisko Talent Management. Eastin's White Collar was renewed for a fourth season in August; the Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay drama returns in January. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit TV Casting USA Network Jeff Eastin TV Development

George Michael Getting 'Better on an hourly basis,A States Boyfriend

La will quickly follow in NY's actions, disbanding its primary encampment of Occupy protesters.our editor recommendsOccupy Wall Street to produce Benefit AlbumFox News Anchor Calls Pepper Spray 'A Food Product' After Occupy Altercation (Video)Occupy Wall Street: News Organizations Complain About Police Treatment PHOTOS: The Scene at Occupy La Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa gave a press conference Friday mid-day, telling the Occupy L.A. protesters that they have to leave their City Hall camping through the finish of Sunday. "The movement has awakened the nation's conscience, it's given voice to individuals who haven't been heard," Villaraigosa stated, adoring their motivations, but he was adamant the time had come to allow them to get a new venue for his or her protest. PHOTOS: 'Occupy Wall Street' Artists On Scene of Protests Roughly 485 tents are presently setup outdoors City Hall, something the mayor designed a reason for observing was not sustainable. "It's time to close the park and repair the causes,Inch he ongoing, "to ensure that we are able to restore public use of the park." Occupy L.A. leaders launched an argument Thursday they would reject orders to depart, and also the AP reviews this official order from Villaraigosa has yet to prompt the official response. PHOTOS: The Scene at Occupy Wall Street "I'm proud to the fact that this is a peaceful non-violent protest," Villaraigosa stated. "It's peaceful because we've made the decision to complete things in a different way in La. We've not looked one another lower across barricades and barbed wire." The town's official deadline for Occupy L.A. to abandon City Hall is 12:01 a.m. on Monday. Watch Villaraigosa's press conference below: PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'Occupy Wall Street Hollywood': Artists On Scene of Protests PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery The Scene at Occupy La Related Subjects Antonio Villaraigosa Occupy

Star Trek 2 Set for May 2013, Will Be in 3-D

With J.J. Abrams finally all-the-way onboard for sure, the Star Trek sequel is moving firmly ahead, settling into a May 17, 2013 release slot. What’s more? Abrams and LOST veteran Damon Lindelof are co-scripting with Trek writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. What’s even more-more? Star Trek 2 will reportedly be filmed in 3-D. Get ready for lens flares in yo’ face! Beam me up, Scotty — right into the freaking screen! Bring your own vintage, pre-annihilation Romulan ale and Federation perfume come May 2013 and make it a 5-D experience. Now that’d be going boldly where no filmmaker has gone before. [Deadline]

Bob Iger Says He's in 'No Rush' to Replace Regis Philbin on 'Live!'

While Regis Philbin ended his 28-year run hosting his ABC morning show Friday, his co-host Kelly Ripa has just locked in to a five-year deal at Live! with Disney-ABC Domestic Television.our editor recommends'SNL': 'Live! With Regis and Kelly' Holds Auditions for Regis Philbins Replacement (Video)Disney Chief Bob Iger Joins Apple BoardWho Will Replace Robert Iger as Disney's CEO? This means the show will extend through 2017, so the search is on for a quality, longtime co-host for Ripa. And Disney CEO Bob Iger says he is in no rush to lock in Philbin's replacement. STORY: Regis Philbin's Last Show: Luminaries Bid Farewell to 'Live!' Host "We're just not going to rush this," Iger told The NY Times after Friday morning's taping of Live! With Regis and Kelly. "It may take six months or longer. There is no deadline. If the press starts writing in six months that nothing is happening, that won't matter. We are going to take our time." Iger added that jumping to a new name would be disrespectful to the nearly three decades the 80-year-old Philbin devoted to the live talk show. "It's better to put a little space in there," he said. But he added: "This is a great job. We're hearing from a lot of people who want it." STORY: Why Regis Philbin Is Saying Farewell to 'Live!': Inside the Talk Show Host's Departure First up is Jerry Seinfeld, who will be stepping in as Ripa's co-host next week, while How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris will be co-hosting the following week. But Iger, who had a large part in recruiting Ripa for the show, pointed out that having a big-name celebrity co-host might not necessarily be the best move for the show. "Nobody knew Kelly," Iger pointed out. "Everybody thought we would pick a different name. But we took our time. And Kelly turned out to be a home run." Related Topics Bob Iger Regis Philbin Kelly Ripa Live With Regis and Kelly Disney-ABC Domestic Television

Dancing's Derek Hough: I Do Not Feel Pressure to Win

Ricki Lake, Derek Hough Derek Hough has already been the very first Dwts professional to win three Mirrorball trophies, and can he be the first one to win four? "Honestly, I do not believe pressure to win this year, so we'll see what goes on,Inch he informs TVGuide.com. "Previously, I have felt pressure to win, however i think this season, it's anybody's to win and no one's to get rid of.Inch Hough and Ricki Lake will dance it against J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff, and Take advantage of Kardashian and Cheryl Burke for Season 13 glory. Discover what Hough considers his competition, if he's concerned about his perfect record in finals and what he considers the judges' harsh critiques.Dancing's Cheryl Burke: Take advantage of Kardashian isn't distracted by Kim's divorceYou required a season off and you are already in the finals. That isn't too shabby.Derek Hough: Yeah! Initially when i first began practicing, I had been like, "Wait, how do you do that again?" [Laughs] However it just reminded me just how much I loved the satisfaction and fulfillment of taking someone who does not understand what they are doing and therefore are afraid or nervous to seeing these huge alterations in them, not only physically, but psychologically and personally. It is extremely fulfilling to determine that. It had been nice to understand that. I am so happy with Ricki. We are just attempting to appreciate it all now at this time. This really is Ricki's a week ago of ever being on the program and that i want her just to walk away stating that it's been an incredible experience and never "I'd never try it again!InchShe is were built with a couple of injuries. How's she doing?Hough: She's doing good. I believe you receive a second wind at this time. The thing is light in the finish from the tunnel. You simply go, "OK, we now have yet another week." It has been 13 days with no day off, therefore it is type of just like a countdown. It's exciting.You've four dances now. How's it going both handling it?Hough: It's crazy! A week ago, whenever we had three, because we'd a lot to complete, it had been almost laughable. It had been like, "We can not even cry about this. We must embrace it." I seem like this is the attitude now too - just embrace the workload and become excited and seem like you've won so far as getting this far and succeeding.Study Maks' Dancing blogYour freestyles will always be fun. What have you got your sleeve this time around? Hough: I actually do know. I have been experimenting by using it during my mind, however i haven't place it to paper yet, so I'd rather not say it aloud. But It might be really awesome whether it all goes based on plan. We'll observe how it shakes out.Exactly what do you think about Take advantage of and J.R.? The show has performed your competition with J.R.Hough: Yeah, but that is all in fun. It's nothing serious. We are all great buddies and happy to stay in the finals together. I believe Take advantage of in Week 1, you'd go, "He most likely would not be within the finals." I believe he'd the same factor. But it is literally been incredible to determine what lengths he's come, not only in dancing, but additionally like a person. But from Week 1, I certainly felt like J.R. could be here. He's certainly probably the most natural so far as ability goes and that i hope his ankle's okay. I believe he'll be fine. With Take advantage of and Ricki, both of them began from ground zero. There is however no competition between anybody. We stated after [Tuesday's] show, "Let us simply have fun." It will likely be a contented final. We are likely to get out there and have fun and whomever wins wins.There is some drama concerning the judges' critiques, beginning with Maks' comments that converted into a supposed "feud" between everyone. Hough: That was strange! I am unsure how that began. [Laughs] However the idol judges factor, I recieve it. The truth is, you need to do work so difficult and it is difficult to get critique. I recieve that, but it's their job to critique otherwise they are obsolete. When they just stated, "You probably did a fantastic job, carry on,Inch they would not be doing their job. I actually do seem like as harsh as they have been, they've sandwiched it with nice comments and individuals were overlooked [for] from the negative comments.Do you consider they ought to tone lower their negative remarks?Hough: Well, the way in which I view it would be that the idol judges happen to be exactly the same for 13 seasons. Nothing's transformed. So for me personally, they haven't transformed and they are not likely to change plus they should not change, so I must alter the way I prepare my partner to manage them every season. I only say, "Listen, this dance may be amazing. I believe you are fantastic and I really want you to think you are fantastic, however the idol judges may not enjoy it and merely be ready for your. I simply do not want you to definitely be amazed, so just appreciate it.Inch I am talking about, Bruno [Tonioli] puts his feet in the mouth lots of occasions, but it is fun since it is live television. He certainly has stated several things this year where I can tell why people would go personally, but he does not mean it.Take a look at photos from Dancing using the StarsNone of individuals were targeted at everyone, but did Ricki take anything they have stated hard?Hough: Yeah, I do not think they have stated items to her which were as harsh as a few of the stuff they have stated with other rivals. But honestly, this sounds bad, but nobody would judge her more roughly than I'd. I will be the first to inform her when the idol judges were too generous, like, "I am unsure we deserve that score." I believe due to that attitude, when they say something bad, she's not annoyed out because of it. As we perform a routine, she may not feel it's so good because I have informed her previously it had been better, but towards the viewer it could look great. I am tough on her behalf and due to that, she does not start out personally. But I am also her greatest supporter.Do you realize you've got a perfect record in finals?Hough: [Laughs] I'm and that i do not consider it. To tell the truth, previously haunt me, like, "I'd rather not result in the finals basically don't are able in winning." I do not view it like this any longer. I truly don't feel pressure to win. But I have never called it in and I have always labored very difficult and pressed my partners for their maximum ability, so we'll find out if it stays [perfect]!

Box Office Report: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Earns $30.3 Mil in Midnight Runs

Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1 grossed $30.3 million in midnight runs as fans rushed to see the second-to-last installment in the blockbuster franchise.our editor recommends'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1' Black Carpet Premiere ArrivalsRed Carpet's Top 10: Twilight: Breaking Dawn Premiere'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Wedding Invitation Designer Revealed (Exclusive) PHOTOS: 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1' Black Carpet Premiere Arrivals The movie began playing in 3,251 theaters at 12:01 a.m. Friday, before moving into a total of 4,061 locations by mid-morning. Breaking Dawn narrowly set a new franchise record, coming in slightly ahead of the $30 million earned by The Twilight Saga: Eclipse in midnight runs in summer 2010, and notably ahead of the $26.3 million earned by The Twilight Saga: New Moon two years ago on the same weekend. Until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 came along this summer, the last two Twilight pics set records for best midnight performance. This summer, Deathly Hallows earned a massive $43.6 million in midnight grosses. Breaking Dawn now stands at No. 2 in terms of all-time midnight best. PHOTOS: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn': New Images From the Pentultimate Film in the Saga The movie's midnight performance suggests it will have no problems matching, or even besting, the $142.8 million debut of New Moon. PHOTOS: 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon': A Behind-the-Scenes Look Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, Breaking Dawn was directed by Bill Condon. As of Thursday, Breaking Dawn had already earned $8.9 million from a handful of foreign markets. Related Topics Robert Pattinson Taylor Lautner Box Office Twilight Kristen Stewart

How's Demi Moore Dealing With Split?

First Released: November 18, 2011 10:04 AM EST Credit: Getty Images La, Calif. -- Caption Demi Moore attends the Margin Call premiere in the Landmark Sunshine Cinema, New york city, on October 17, 2011A next day of Demi Moore introduced that shes divorcing Ashton Kutcher red carpet years together, reviews have appeared concerning the condition from the actress following a split. She stated [she] would change for that better, a resource told Us Weekly. Adding, Which the time had come on her to pay attention to herself again and her women. The 49-year-old actress has three kids with ex Bruce Willis Rumer, 23 Scout, 20 and Tallulah, 17. Based on the mag, when requested about Ashton, Demi stated, He's his factor, but she wanted to pay attention to her. Most are wondering if Demi can change her Twitter handle, MrsKutcher, since she intends to divorce the 2 . 5 Males star. The happy couple were a couple of Twitters first celebs to embrace the micro-blogging website. This Year, Demis Tweets colored a significantly different picture from the couples relationship. you're the best. the best and i'm in love with you mr kutcher! Demi Tweeted in March 2010, based on People. After accusations of infidelity came about, her Tweets transformed. In September, the actress published a photograph of the damaged heart, writing, 2day can U feel some1 elses heart discomfort needs desires as U can seem to be your personal? Fundamentally counseled me reaching 4 exactly the same. By press time, Demi hasn't transformed her MrsKutcher Twitter handle. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Grey's Anatomy': Nia Vardalos and Peri Gilpin to Guest Star (Exclusive)

GettyNia Vardalos and Peri Gilpin A completely new group of brothers and sisters will probably be joining Meredith and Lexie on Grey's Anatomy. My Large Body body fat Greek Weddingstar Nia Vardalos and Frasier's Peri Gilpin will guest star by having an episode in the ABC medical drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. Vardalos, whose TV work includes stints on Cougar Town, Drop Dead Diva and My Boys, may have Karen Winterbottom, while Ensure It Is or Break It's Gilpin may have her sister, Marcy, by having an episode in the Shonda Rhimes series. The bickering brothers and sisters may come to Dallas Sophistication within a chapter slated to air in mid-The month of the month of january. STORY: ABC Art galleries Developing Star Vehicle for 'My Large Body body fat Greek Wedding' Actress Vardalos' casting comes nearly 2 days after Grey's and Cougar Town producer ABC Art galleries introduced it absolutely was developing a comedy for your actress, who's married to Cougar Town's Ian Gomez. "Because Iangets treated perfectly onCougar Town,I desired to acquire that action," Vardalos mentioned in those days. STORY: 'Grey's Anatomy's' Kim Raver on Handling Tragedy: Teddy Can Change Than Izzie Gilpin, meanwhile, stars on ABC Family's Ensure It Is or Break It and carried out Roz Doyle for 11 seasons on NBC's Frasier. Vardalos is repped by Paradigm and Untitled Entertainment Gilpin is to apply Innovative Artists, Burstein Company and Blossom Hergott. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com Twitter: @Snoodit RELATED: 'Grey's Anatomy's' Kevin McKidd: Owen and Cristina Have 'Brushed A Good Deal Beneath the Carpet' ABC Nia Vardalos Peri Gilpin Grey's Anatomy

UTA Moving To New Beverly Slopes Location: 9336-9346 Social Center Complex Named UTA Plaza

Beverly Slopes (November 15, 2011) —- United states . Talent Agency and global property developer and owner Tishman Speyer today introduced that UTA, one of the cell phone industry's greatest talent and literary agencies, is moving its global headquarters. The organization has signed a extended-term lease for roughly 120,000 sq foot inside the 9336-9346 Social Center Drive complex in Beverly Slopes, that is re-named UTA Plaza. The 191,000 square-ft complex, formerly the planet headquarters for Hilton Hotels Corporation, comprises two four-story structures of a skybridge by getting an expansive outdoors plaza. UTA will be the sole tenant in the 9336 building and you will be a principal tenant in the adjoining 9346 building. The Two structures and campus will be in the best stages from the comprehensive expansion and restoration, and UTA will begin a unique multi-big interior and exterior build-at the begining of 2012. UTA expects to maneuver its 350 employees to the new building in the finish of 2012. Tishman Speyer acquired the house taken and immediately began concentrating on remodeling and rethinking it a premier space specific within the entertainment and media industry. UTA, presently located in Beverly Slopes Golden Triangular district, will be the latest entertainment and media company to uncover its global headquarters into this developing portion of Beverly Slopes, that's already where you can companies for instance Live Nation, YouTube, Netflix, America online.com and Relativity Media. After 20 great years on Wilshire we are excited to experience a new campus that will permit our ongoing growth and offer an enhanced atmosphere for that co-employees and clients, mentioned the UTA Board of Company company directors in the joint statement. UTA Plaza will give you all the amenities we have been looking for, additionally to advertise a sense of community for UTA. We are thrilled to have attracted UTA, one of the cell phone industry's leading entertainment firms, with this property, mentioned Tishman Speyer Regional Controlling Director Mark Laderman. After under yearly of possession, UTA Plaza was already well leased, an accomplishment that underscores the advantage of this property together with the effective development with the Capital of scotland - Beverly Slopes from the new entertainment business district. UTA has engaged award-winning worldwide architectural and design firm Rottet Studio to create out its new offices, with Rottet principals Richard Riveire, AIA, and Lauren Rottet, FAIA, AIA, leading the project. Rottet is presently creating the agencys new interior, which will add a condition-of-the-art 150+ chair screening room together with other amenities. Rottet may also be creating UTAs private outdoors spaces round the campus which will be useful for occasions and entertaining. Our goal is to make a space that reflects the first and dynamic culture of UTA together with the artistic brilliance from the clients, mentioned Rottets Richard Riveire. The completely new space allows us to picture the organization within the context from the bigger, more elegant plus much more technologically advanced interior set against a backdrop from the exciting new portion of Beverly Slopes. Its a great canvas which to use, and Rottet Studio is honored being entrusted using this project. UTA presently occupies 80,000 sq foot since the primary tenant of Wilshire Rodeo Plaza at 9560 Wilshire Blvd. The block-extended structure, situated between Camden and Rodeo Drives, remains the agencys home since its formation in 1991. Right before UTA, the structure was where you can Drexel Burnham Lambert inside the eighties. UTA was represented inside the lease settlement by its Chief Operating Officer Andrew Thau, Michael DeSantis of Cushman Wakefield in Century City and attorney Andrew Friedman of Friedman & Affiliate marketers of Beverly Slopes.

WME Signs Julian McMahon

EXCLUSIVE: Former Puppy nip/Tuck star Julian McMahon has signed with WME. He was with UTA. McMahon is better noted for playing womanizing cosmetic surgeon Christian Troy around the lengthy-running Forex drama Puppy nip/Tuck, which gained him a Golden Globe nomination. Around the feature side, the Aussie actor performed Dr. Victor Von Disaster within the Fantastic Four movie franchise. McMahon is handled by Will Ward.

Stock not only shock

Imagine if a Hollywood time machine whisked helmer John Ford from the set of 1935 release "The Informer," which earned him his first Oscar, to the shoot of "Brokeback Mountain" some 70 years later.The crusty master might have been taken aback by the newer pic's subject matter but he would have been quite at home with the actual process of shooting: 35mm film cameras, magazines, the shouts of "Action!" and "Cut." After all those years, moviemaking was still moviemaking.Yet just a few years later, filmmakers of that generation are reeling from future shock. Instead of film stock, it's digital files. No magazines, no need to cut, cameras can record continuously. Release prints are dying, replaced by DCPs. Digital 3D is the rage. Higher frame rates are on the horizon. Sound is moving to 7.1. Advances are about to put colors on the screen that film couldn't duplicate, and to expand the dynamic range of images to something like that of the human eye.It's a brave new world of possibilities, but it's turned movies into a kind of tech mad lib: 3D at 60p to the right of us; 4K with 7.1 to the left of us; Imax in front of us -- in 3D or 2D."For the first time, whether they will say it out loud or not, most everybody is looking at (the technological change) and beginning to realize that the industry that they knew isn't going to be the industry that is going to be there in, pick a number: a decade? Two decades?" says Ray Feeney of RFX, one of Hollywood's leading technologists. Even actors, notes Feeney, are seeing their craft evolve thanks to performance capture.Feeney is among those calling for an industrywide conversation to bring some order out of this chaos, and not just for the sake of finding something as stable as the 35mm film platform was. He notes that while the industry has sunk fortunes moving from 35mm to digital projection -- a lateral move in terms of quality -- the home-theater experience has improved by leaps and bounds."One of the most important things that has differentiated cinema in the past has been spectacle. Compared to any other way of getting your story presented, it's been head and shoulders above." But what qualified as spectacle even 20 years ago doesn't stand out anymore, compared to what auds can get at home today. Feeney says he's seeing a growing consensus that the industry must change, but suggestions range from 3D to more luxe accommodations at theaters.Peter Lude, prexy of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, says the industry needs to view this not as a problem but as an opportunity. "Theatergoers are going to see better quality images in a number of these ways," he says. "And it's not subtle."Today filmmakers have to choose which of these new features they want to work with, if only because the sheer amount of data of 4K/3D/high-frame-rate would be unwieldy at best. "I'd like not to have to choose between those technologies, but rather have a platform that the filmmaker could decide what's most appropriate for their particular story," Lude says.Feeney and Lude agree the industry needs to start talking, as it did when it created the Digital Cinema Initiative to set specifications for d-cinema. Says Lude: "I think everybody has skin in the game to map out the evolution. It's not a studio problem, it's not an exhibitor problem, it's everybody's problem. Or everybody's challenge: to be able to take what we've got and keep those growing to support future needs."HIGHLIGHTS9:45 a.m. Keynote Conversation with director Shawn Levy, interviewed by Variety's David Cohen.10:15 a.m. Keynote Conversation with director Roland Emmerich, interviewed by Variety film editor Josh Dickey.11 a.m. The State of Technology in Film: From Production to Exhibition. Speakers: Chris de Faria, Warner Bros.; Cliff Plumer, Digital Domain; Curtis Clark, chairman of the American Society of Cinematographers Technology Committee; Robert C. Bailey, Colorworks, Sony Pictures Entertainment; Moderator: David Cohen11:45 a.m. New Realities on the Set: How Are the Roles of the Film Crew Impacted in the Digital Age? Speakers: Steven Fierberg, d.p.; Oliver Bokelberg, d.p.; Bill Bannerman, co-producer and aerial unit director; Steven Poster, prexy of the Intl. Cinematographers Guild; Josh McLaglen, first AD/producer; Guy Hendrix Dyas, production designer. Moderator: Peter Caranicas, deputy editor at Variety1:45 p.m.What's Next for CGI Animation? CGI/Live-Action Hybrids, Motion-Capture, and More. Speakers: Cary Granat, Reel FX; Richard Hollander, Rhythm & Hues; Erik Nash, Digital Domain; Rob Bredow, Sony Pictures Imageworks; Steve Sullivan, Industrial Light and Magic.2:30 p.m. The New Technology Landscape. Speakers: John Schwartzman, d.p.; Peter Lude, president of SMPTE; Wendy Aylsworth, Warner Bros. Moderator: David Cohen3:15 p.m. Film Restoration. Speakers: Grover Crisp, Sony Pictures Ent.; Robert Heiber, Chase Audio by Deluxe; Andrea Kalas, Paramount Pictures; Moderator: Leonard Maltin.4:45 p.m. Masters of Technology: Making Movie Stars Out of Special Effects and Unique Imagery. Speakers: Steven Quale, director of "Final Destination 5"; Raja Gosnell, director of "The Smurfs," Chris Miller, director of "Puss in Boots"; Marti Noxon, writer "Fright Night" and "I Am Number Four"; Apurva Shah, supervising technical director on "Cars 2." Moderator: Variety's Karen Idelson Contact David S. Cohen at david.cohen@variety.com

Rewriting history to suit the demands of drama

'Iron Lady''Moneyball''Anonymous'Some of Hollywood's most honored films have tortured history into a question mark. Why would the Nazis of "Casablanca" have cared about letters of transit signed by Gen. De Gaulle? How could "Braveheart's" William Wallace have fathered England's Edward III, when the birth took place seven years after his death? Roman generals didn't sound British. Cole Porter wasn't straight. The "Bridge on the River Kwai" wasn't on the River Kwai.The thing is, no one cares, if the movies are good. But any notion that cinema has moved beyond fact-fudging will likely be quashed by this year's crop of reality-based projects, many of which dance blithely along the border between fiction and non-.Some of the infractions are relatively minor, and some are simply sins of omission: "Moneyball" sort of glosses over the fact that Billy Beane never did win a division championship with the Oakland A's, and the song his daughter sings in a pivotal scene didn't come out till six years after she reputedly sings it.In "W.E.," the Madonna movie about the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, no mention is made of Wallis Simpson's rather infamous sexual history, pre-prince. And in "Anonymous" all bets are off: Not only did the Earl of Oxford allegedly write all the Shakespeare plays (a position many scholars agree with), but Shakespeare himself was a craven, illiterate lout; Elizabeth I had numerous illegitimate children, including the Earl of Essex (which will surprise fans of the 1939 Bette Davis film "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex"), and the old Virgin Queen was apparently pretty adept at performing oral sex.Elsewhere, the demands of drama naturally lead to the compression of time, characters and circumstances, whether the subject is a British prime minister, Marilyn Monroe or a comedy writer with cancer."I wanted to write the best movie possible," says Will Reiser, who based the screenplay for the cancer comedy "50/50" on his own experience. "But the movie is fiction. I didn't want to worry about my story and what happened to me, even though my arc and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's in the movie are pretty similar."Jason Keller, who scripted "Machine Gun Preacher," about the colorful Sam Childers, says he "had the opposite problem of screenwriters who have to tackle living people. I had so much material to sift through and research (that) I literally didn't start writing for almost eight months after I met him."The problem, Keller says, was the reality was occasionally too violent for the movies. "How do you talk about the violence of Central Africa," he asks, "and not tip over into a place where people simply cannot watch the screen?"What happens in "My Week With Marilyn," in which Michelle Williams inhabits the late movie goddess, is based on Colin Clark's memoir about his tenure as third AD on "The Prince and the Showgirl," in which Monroe starred with Laurence Olivier. "It's all conjecture," director Simon Curtis says of the star's alleged attraction to the young Clark (played by Eddie Redmayne). "Marilyn elsewhere in her life was always drawn to high-status alpha males, influential men. Michelle had an insight, though: In the 'Prince and the Showgirl,' her character is drawn to the young prince, not the Olivier character, and Michelle wondered if perhaps Marilyn was working out some kind of Method thing."Unlike "Moneyball," "50-50," or "Machine Gun Preacher," all of which required their director to make viewers care about subjects they likely didn't know anything about, "My Week With Marilyn" has the opposite problem. "For most people, she's a brand," says Curtis. "A poster, a Warhol. They don't know the performances, or the person." In other words, everybody thinks they already know her.In the case of some films this year, they know the subjects -- and don't like them. That's a problem shared by "The Iron Lady," helmer Phyllida Lloyd's story of Margaret Thatcher starring Meryl Streep, and "J. Edgar," Clint Eastwood's film about longtime FBI honcho J. Edgar Hoover, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Both have addressed the problem of long, politically charged lives by focusing on only a part of the story, and -- in the case of "Iron Lady" -- telling the tale from its subject's p.o.v."This story is not an objective biopic," Lloyd says of her film. "The story is all told from Margaret Thatcher's point of view and it's an imagined story of how it might it have felt to be the first female leader in the western world." She and screenwriter Abi Morgan tried to be extremely rigorous about the facts "but necessarily, there's some compression of time and one or two places where in order to make the story clear we've taken something out."On the whole," Lloyd says, "we're not nervous about being shot down in flames for our facts. We might be for the imagined part of the story."Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of "Milk," laughed at the idea that a subject's life has to undergo some alterations. "No, the movie is 77 years long," he says of "J. Edgar." "Every second of the man's life is in there."Seriously, he adds, you have to make tough decisions about what period of the person's life you want to tell. "In this case," Black says, "a cradle-to-grave version might not say anything. I'd done the research and I had this question: Why does this man replace the spot where love and family go with political admiration. What does that do to a man's soul?"The conclusion, Black says, was that Hoover's ruthlessness and inability to love had to do with his sexuality, and his times. Audiences may empathize, he says, even if they instinctively don't like Hoover."I'm not interested in a historical piece that makes people into good or bad solely, that have white-hat/black-hat caricatures," he says. "To me that's not truthful. Even if you loathe the character, you're not learning about them or learning something that could prevent a person like that from coming back into power."Ultimately, he adds, deciding what to leave in or cut "has to do with why you're making the film."EYE ON THE OSCARS: BEST PICTURE PREVIEWReading the voters' minds | Rewriting history to suit the demands of drama | Veterans back in action | Beyond the boardsAWARDS SEASON CALENDARNovember | December | January | February Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Colin Quinn Tweets That Will Ferrell Had a Bad Drug Problem

· I can’t quite tell whether he’s being facetious or aggressively bitter, but Colin Quinn tweeted today that Will Ferrell used to have a bad drug problem. Is he clowning? You tell me. Also in Buzz Break: Roger Moore bashes Quantum of Solace, Eddie Redmayne gets a fantastic new job, and Anderson Cooper uses his journalism powers to put the Kardashians in perspective. [ONTD] · My Week With Marilyn’s Eddie Redmayne, who might just be Cate Blanchett, is set to costar in Universal’s Les Miserables as Marius. Hugh Jackman will play Jean Valjean, Russell Crowe will play Inspector Javert, and Anne Hathaway is your new Fantine. [Deadline] · And the winner of the “Who Can Tear Down Kim Kardashian’s Marriage Best?” contest is… Anderson Cooper. [HuffPost] · Roger Moore called Quantum of Solace a “long, disjointed commercial.” Someone has a license to kvetch! [Cinema Blend] · Oscar producer Gil Cates died at 77. I hope his image will be broadcast six or seven times in the next “In Memoriam” reel. [Deadline]

'Real Steel' Has Become to start dating ? Movie, Based on Attacking Young Boys and Selena Gomez

Why visit the cinema with a lot of schlubs when you are able rent the whole factor out yourself? That is what star couple Attacking Young Boys and Selena Gomez made the decision to complete once they attended a personal screening of -- wait for this -- 'Real Steel' in a multiplex in Canada. Can't say we blame them: If paparazzi cameras were shoved within our face every three seconds, we'd want some time to ourselves, too. Gomez have been in Winnipeg, Manitoba on her concert tour when she and Bieber were spotted starting the cinema. The Winnipeg Free Press reviews the couple allegedly had cheese pizza shipped for them throughout the screening too. In either case, we're surprised using the 'Real Steel' movie pick 'Footloose' appears like a better option for any date film. Gomez is visible next inside a cameo role within the approaching 'Muppets' movie, out November. 23. [via THR and Winnipeg Free Press] [Photo: AP] Selena Gomez and Attacking Young Boys See All Moviefone Art galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Matt's Guide to Wednesday TV: World Series, Luther Finale, a Pretty prequel, and More

Idris Elba Play ball! Or, seeing that TV hardly rolls over for the World Series any more, should we be saying, "Play hardball?" The showdown between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers begins tonight (Fox, 7:30/et) from Busch Stadium in St. Louis. No matter how many innings the games go, it probably won't seem as long as some of these recent two-hour episodes of The X Factor. That takes care of sports enthusiasts, but there's plenty else going on. Some highlights: On the comedy front, NBC's little-show-that-could Up All Night (8/7c) goes into flashback mode for a classic childbirth-as-comedy episode, in which we wait patiently for control-freak Reagan's 18-page "birthing plan" to go awry, while Chris weighs giving up his law career for the daddy track. Ava, naturally, is so phobic about hospitals that she finds a way to make the couple's special day all about her. At least until Reagan lays panicked eyes on the gorgeous young doctor (Sam Page) stepping in to handle her delivery. Want more fall TV news? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now! Meanwhile, on ABC's more popular sitcom lineup, the night starts with The Middle (8/7c), which has been on fire lately, finding the Hecks contemplating a move to an apartment because their house has become even more ramshackle than usual. We also get the return of Sue's hilariously giddy "sort-of-ex-boyfriend" Brad, who joins her for a school skit on texting while driving. On Suburgatory (8:30/7:30c), recently (and thankfully) renewed for a full season, Dallas and the frightful Dalia move in with Tessa and George after a burglary spooks the 'burbs. And when Claire goes out on a "boys' night" with Mitchell and Cam on Modern Family (9/8c), she gets more than she bargained for when she encounters guest star Gilles Marini, who doesn't play for her brother's team. Also getting the early pickup from ABC, guilty pleasure Revenge (10/9c) actually names this week's episode "Guilt," promising to show a more vulnerable side to Madeleine Stowe's ice-queen Victoria Grayson in the wake of another blow-up with spoiled daughter Charlotte. It sounds like the show is really getting its suds on, as Emily's first victim Lydia returns to the Hamptons with a vengeance. Another alert from the guilty-pleasure front: Though currently between seasons, ABC Family's breakout hit Pretty Little Liars airs a special prequel episode (8/7c) to kick off the channel's annual "13 Nights of Halloween" stunt. The episode takes fans back to the time when Alison still ruled the roost, with more tricks than treats in store for her BFFs Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer. [For gluttons, a Liars marathon begins airing at 11 am/10c, with the pilot episode airing after the prequel at 9/8c.] Finale alert: TV's most twisted detective, BBC America's Luther (10/9c) wraps its second season - happily, there will be a third - with Emmy-nominated Idris Elba in rare form. "Look at me. Do I look like I'm joking?" he shouts at the psycho-of-the-week, who turns out to be twins wreaking random havoc on London by the throw of a dice. Doused in gasoline in a volatile cliffhanger, John Luther is absolutely no joke. He's also busy covering up his ward Jenny's murder of the loathsome Toby and compromising his fellow officers along the way. All in a disturbing day's work. Note to BBC: Four episodes are simply not enough. So what else is on? ... On the guest-star watch, Seinfeld's Jason Alexander appears on NBC's Harry's Law (9/8c) as a teacher fired in a dispute over Darwinism. ... Homicide: Life on the Street's Isabella Hoffman arrives on CBS' Criminal Minds (9/8c) as Rossi's first wife, bearing bad news (is there any other kind on this show?). ... PBS' Nature (8/7c, check local schedules) kicks off its 30th season with a look at Radioactive Wolves and other wildlife that exist within the uninhabited 1,100-square-mile "exclusion zone" surrounding the contaminated landscape of Russia's Chernobyl nuclear disaster. ... Perhaps you'd rather spend time with feral hogs, in which case A&E presents the premiere of American Hoggers (10/9c), the latest and perhaps strangest docu-reality series spotlighting an unorthodox family business. Hoggers profiles the Campbells of Texas, who spend their days chasing wild hogs off of embattled ranches and farms. I'm hoping in a very special episode, they'll eventually set their sights on the Jersey Shore cast. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Anne Hathaway Officially Joins Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in 'Les Miserables'

In Hollywood, an actor or actress's true age is often as much of a special effect as some massive, green-screen enhanced explosion. According to the NY Post, one actress is suing to keep it that way. The paper reports that an unnamed star has filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com for using her credit card information to reveal her age on the Amazon-owned site IMDb; she's seeking $1 million in damages. The actress -- who filed the suit in Seattle under the name "Jane Doe" -- claims that having her age on public record threatens her career. "In the entertainment industry, youth is king," the suit allegedly reads. "If one is perceived to be 'over-the-hill,' i.e. approaching 40, it is nearly impossible for an up-and-coming actress, such as the plaintiff, to get work." According to the Post, the woman's exact age isn't listed in the lawsuit, but it does say she lives in Texas. Amazon and IMDb got her credit card information in 2008 when she subscribed to IMDb Pro; her age was published shortly thereafter. [via NYP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Eric Becker Upped In Communications At Starz Entertainment and Media

Eric Becker remains promoted to V . P . of Corporate Communications for Starz Entertainment and Starz Media. In this role, Becker makes up about corporate communications for your Starz Entertainment and Starz Media companies, including Worldwide Distribution, Starz Digital Media divisions together with other holdings. He's charged with integrating PR way of the various Starz business models and also the responsibilities include media relations and corporate matters. Eric has already established a considerable role in spearheading Starzs communications efforts after we still expand our position in the marketplace using the effective introduction of latest, original programming, noted Theano Apostolou, SVP of Corporate Communications and Programming Publicity. He's an incredibly valued part of the Starz family and also the counsel, experience and dedication are actually an resource towards the senior management and co-employees across our business models. In the earlier role Becker offered as Executive Director, Corporate Communications at Starz Entertainment. Becker has added several parts of PR responsibility throughout his tenure at Starz, including oversight of corporate communications and media relations for Starz Digital Media this past year, including digital and also on-demand distribution, and home based business extensions for licensed content, furthermore to possessed content from Starz Originals, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Overture Films and Manga Entertainment. Becker has offered round the board of company company directors for your Association of Cable Communicators (ACC) since 2010 to ensure that as PR Chair for your Cable & Telecommunications Association of promoting in the Rocky Hills Board of Company company directors since 2006. He offered round the Board for SkiTAM as Publicity Co-Chair this past year-2010 and processes becoming an ongoing mentor for your National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) L. Patrick Mellon and ACC Mentorship Programs. Right before joining Starz Entertainment in June 1999, Becker was Director, Corporate Communications for On Command Corporation, where he was responsible for investor relations and corporate communications for your leading in-room entertainment and understanding company for hotels. Right before that, Becker was an connect at GBSM, a Colorado-based communications speaking to firm focusing in proper communications, media relations and marketing. Becker acquired his Bachelor of Arts ever and the archaeology of gortyn from Northwestern College and acquired his Juris Physician within the Boston College School of Law.

Insiders: Events

TODAY: Julie Bowen hosts the 11th annual Les Girls cabaret featuring perfs by Sarah Chalke, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, Steven Weber and others to benefit the National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund. Avalon Hollywood. BreastCancerDeadline2020.orgAMC Networks' Josh Sapan is feted with the Center for Communication's Frank Stanton Award. Pierre Hotel. Cencom.orgTUESDAY: Gus Van Sant and architect Brad Cloepfil discuss their inspirations and shared love of the Pacific Northwest. L.A.'s Hammer Museum. ZocaloPublicSquare.orgTHURSDAY: Thesp Chandra Wilson is among the honorees at the Champion Ball fund-raiser for nonprofit org CoachArt, which aids youths with chronic illnesses. Beverly Hilton. CoachArt.orgFRIDAY: Composer Danny Elfman, costume designer Colleen Atwood and production designer Rick Heinrichs take part in a panel discussion about working with Tim Burton, followed by a screening of "Edward Scissorhands." LACMA's Bing Theater. Lacma.orgA screening of "Like Crazy" kicks off the Film Independent Forum. Werner Herzog delivers Saturday's keynote. DGA Theater. FilmIndependent.orgMohamed Amin's "Egyptian Maidens" opens the 15th annual Arab Film Festival. Through Sunday at the Writers Guild Theater. ArabFilmFestival.orgThe three-day Aliens to Zombies fan confab opens at the Hollywood Roosevelt. AlienstoZombies.comSATURDAY: Thesp Gregory Walcott takes part in the Alex Film Society's screening of Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space." Glendale's Alex Theater. AlexFilmSociety.org SUNDAY: Hank Azaria and James L. Brooks are among the players in the All-In for Kids poker tourney to benefit the Alliance for Children's Rights. Commerce Casino. Kids-alliance.org Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

The Actor-kaira Pitt, Amber Heard Attend 'The Rum Diary' Premiere (Photos)

Kevin Winter/Getty Images The Actor-kaira Pitt, Amber Heard as well as the other stars of FilmDistrict's The Rum Diary attended the premiere event on Thursday, October 13, within the La County Museum of Art. The large event featured a black carpet, and Playboy mogul Hugh Hefner backed the large event.our editor recommends'The Rum Diary' Premiere at LACMAThe Rum Diary: Film Review Amber Heard used a wonderful Elie Saab dress, and co-star Aaron Eckhart used an Armani jacket. PHOTOS: Stills From 'The Rum Diary The primary focus in the evening centered across the late journalist, Hunter S. Thompson, who written the highly acclaimed novel that the film was based. Depp, who was simply a person friend of Thompson's, stars as journalist Paul Kemp, who travels to Puerto Rico to use, but eventually eventually ends up doing more consuming than actual working. FILM REVIEW: The Rum Diary Director/author Bruce Robinson's film is positioned to start in theaters on March. 28. View more photos from the Actor-kaira Pitt, Amber Heard as well as the relaxation in the cast within the Rum Diary premiere within the La County Museum of Art here. Fashion Amber Heard The Actor-kaira Pitt Aaron Eckhart The Rum Diary

Syfy Renews 'Haven' for Third Season

Syfy"Haven" Syfy is returning Haven. The supernatural series continues to be given a 13-episode order for that third season, to premiere in 2012. Haven, according to Stephen King's The Colorado Kid released within the summer time of 2010 and stars Emily Rose and Eric Balfour. "The wonderful cast, brought by Emily Rose, Eric Balfour and Lucas Bryant, together with the terrific production team, shipped a effective season both in critical acclaim and rising viewership," stated Mark Stern, leader of original content at Syfy and co-mind of original content at UCP. We are very excited to determine this compelling series return for any third season of supernatural intrigue in 2012." Haven has been doing decent rankings business, hanging round the 1.8 million total audiences mark because of its second season, which started the 2009 summer time. The show focuses on FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose) who comes to the city of Haven, Maine to resolve the murder of the local ex-disadvantage, but she soon finds out the city is really a refuge for those who have supernatural capabilities. Haven is executive created by John Morayniss, Noreen Halpern, David MacLeod, Lloyd Segan, Shawn Piller, Scott Shepherd, Matt McGuinness, Mike Ernst and Jim Dunn. SyFy Haven

CW Gives Sarah Michelle Gellar Drama Ringer Full-Season Order

On the heels of a big ratings rebound last night, the CW’s new drama series Ringer has been given a full-season order. After a decent start, the Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring mystery kept sliding against original competition on the major broadcasting networks until it spiked 33% in the adults 18-49 (0.8) and adults 18-34 demographics and 15% in viewers (1.7 million) last night with an episode featuring the demise of a supporting character. Will we see more people being whacked on Ringer in the following weeks to keep the ratings up? Originally developed for CBS, Ringer was created by Nicole Snyder and Eric Charmelo who co-executive produce. CBS TV Studios and Warner Bros. TV are producing in association with ABC TV Studios and Brillstein Entertainment, with Pam Veasey, Peter Traugott and Richard Shepard executive producing.

News Corp Stung By Investor Advisory Services Promoting Traders To Reject James Murdoch Together With Other Board Candidates

Things may be interesting in La on March. 21 whenNews Corp holds its annual traders meeting.Advisory firm Institutional Investor Services recommended today that stock entrepreneurs reject 13 of News Corp’s 15 board people, like the three Murdochs: Rupert and also the sons James and Lachlan. Joel Klein, who runs News Corp’s Education Division, and Accel Partners’ James Breyer were really the only nominees considered acceptable by ISS. The firmsays that even though this news Around The World phone-hacking scandal”is possibly most likely probably the most visible and severe instance of the failure of board stewardship, it's part of a number of failures of board independence, oversight, and responsiveness to investor concerns stretching back no less than to 2004, once the organization reincorporated from Australia to Delaware.”The report probably won’t customize the outcomes of the investor election: Due to News Corp’s dual stock arrangement, the Murdoch family controls about 40% in the voting shares even though it has just 12% in the equity. Rupert’s ally, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, controls yet another 7% in the votes. News Corporation states it “strongly disagrees” with ISS recommendations because the “disproportionate focus” round the scandal is “a injustice towards the stockholders.” The business adds that ISS “failed to consider the Companys compensation practices reflect its robust performance in FY 2011 driven by its broad, diverse quantity of companies all over the world.” Still,the report is certainly an embarrassment — especially following oneout lastweek from another proxy advisory service, Glass Lewis. It advised News Corp traders to withhold their votes from James and Lachlan additionally to four other company company directors: opera singer Natalie Bancroft (her family offered Dow Manley to News Corp in 2007), News Corp CFO David DeVoe, J. Rothschild Capital Management’s Andrew Dark evening, and former General Counsel Arthur Suskind. The firm states that due to James Murdoch’s “poor oversight” of News Worldwide through the NOTW hacking, “we don't think he's right for more service around the organization’s board.” Bancroft has “limited, if any, relevant experience to board service” because the other people are too close to management or not successful to provide sufficient oversight. Glass Lewis added that News Corp “could have nominated an even more appropriate candidate” than Breyer to participate the board becoming an independent director. Breyer’s been belittled for his insufficient skill when controling corporate corruption. Glass Lewis also endorsed a proposal that would require News Corp by having an independent director work as chairman in the board, if you take your work from Boss Rupert Murdoch. Glass Lewis had one little bit of encouraging news for News Corp, though: The firm gave Murdoch’s company a “D” grade within the assessment of how well News Corp matched up up executive pay utilizing their performance. That’s up within the “F” grade News Corp received the last couple of years.

Real Steel Punches The US Box Office

Robot boxing tops the chartsIt might not have been the knockout punch that DreamWorks and Disney were quite hoping for, but robo-boxing drama Real Steel still managed to score a win at the US box office, earning $27.3 million in its first weekend.George Clooney's latest directorial job, political drama The Ides of March, also enjoyed a solid start, taking in $10.4 million. The two new arrivals shoved Dolphin Tale down to third, but the heart-warming family pic still nabbed $9.1 million. Moneyball was fourth with $7.5 million and cancer comedy 50/50 stayed in fifth with $5.5 million.Courageous slipped from fourth to sixth with $4.6 million, and The Lion King's 3D re-release fell down to seventh, earning $4.55 million. That still kept it ahead of faltering thriller Dream House, which sank to eighth and $4.5 million. In ninth place we find What's Your Number? taking $3 million and Abduction slumming it in 10th with $2.9 million.To see the full fight between the films in the chart, take yourself over to Box Office Mojo.

Anim'est Intl. toons up in Bucharest

BUDAPEST -- The 6-year-old Anim'est Intl. Animation Film Festival, which has become East Europe's premier toonfest, opened its doors in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, Friday for 10-days of screenings. Fest will screen 436 films to 150 industry professionals and an estimated 22,000 local visitors, who can choose from an eclectic line-up. Most of the films are shorts, but there are 27 features, including U.S. fare like "Rango," "Rio" and "Kung Fu Panda 2," and international pics like France's "A Cat in Paris" and the U.K.-France's "The Illusionist."The winning title in the fest's competition will receive the Anim'est Trophy, and will be shortlisted for Europe's top animation prize, the Cartoon d'Or, presented by the European Association of Animation Film.With 511 films screened at Anim'est 2010, the fest's shrinkage over the last year may be a reflection of the effects of the economic crisis. But toon professionals state that the genre is fairing better than most. Jan Naszewski, head of Warsaw-based New Europe Film Sales, says the market for children's cartoons is decreasing, but demand for animation overall is still strong. "We've found there is always a market for animation," Naszewski told Variety, particularly shorts, which more and more broadcasters favor because of their programming versatility. "For me as a distributor it is easier to sell animation than (fiction) features and documentaries." And in a world where international co-productions have increasingly become the norm, animation offers cross-cultural appeal. "Animation often has little dialogue, and is easier to dub," Naszewski said. "It's a better fit for international co-productions."Fest rep Toma Peiu says the animation biz has been strengthened by technological developments and cross-fertilization with the VFX sector. "Animation covers a much broader range than ever before," he said. Fest wraps Oct. 16. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

New Regency moves into 'Broken City'

WahlbergCroweNew Regency originates aboard to co-produce the Allen Hughes-helmed drama "Broken City" with Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe installed on star. Project, put together by John Tucker, arises from Emmett/Furla Films. New Regency is co-financing the pic, that is distribbed by 20th Century Fox, per its deal with New Regency. "Broken City," set in the backdrop of latest NY, centers around a classic cop-switched-P.I., who, while attempting to show his existence around, finds themselves thrust in the heart of the seedy backroom politics from the corrupt mayoral election. Wahlberg is creating alongside Hughes, Randall Emmett, Stephen Levinson and George Furla. Wahlberg and Crowe are repped by WME. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

Wally Disney Stretches Robert Iger's Contract Through June 2016

NY - The Wally Disney Co. has extended Robert Iger's employment contract through June 2016, the entertainment conglomerate stated Friday, investing in motion an extended-term succession process. Underneath the new agreement, effective March. 1, Iger, 60, will prove to add the role of chairman following current chairman John Pepper Junior.'s retirement in the board at Disney's 2012 annual investor meeting in March. For now, Iger will stay leader and Boss, Disney stated. Iger, who had been named leader and Boss on Sept. 30, 2005, will contain the positions of chairman and Boss through March 31, 2015, after which a brand new Boss is going to be named. Iger will support the title of executive chairman until his term finishes, the organization stated. Anything requires his retirement in the finish from the term. Iger's previous employment contract was set to run out on Jan. 31, 2013. "The Disney board required action at this time around to secure the advantage of Iger's leadership through 2016, offer a highly effective, seamless succession and management transition along with a continuity from the company's corporate technique to create lengthy-term value for investors," Disney stated inside a statement. Wall Street experts say amusement parks unit mind Tom Staggs and CFO Jay Rasulo, who formerly swapped jobs to provide them contact with new roles, are most likely internal candidates for that Boss role once it reveals, they also mention other strong professionals as you possibly can candidates. "I expect Jay Rasulo or Tom Staggs to become named the following Boss - or leader first," stated Burns Tabak analyst David Joyce, who outlined Disney's deep management bench. "Anne Sweeney or George Bodenheimer, who presently co-run the television qualities, could be moved in to the parks or CFO role then." Meanwhile, Iger's annual salary will rise from $two million to $2.5 million under his new contract. He isn't receiving any up-front equity award regarding the the brand new contract agreement, and the annual bonus - whose target increases by $two million to $12 million - depends around the company's performance, including operating profit, return on invested capital, earnings per share and after-tax-free income. His annual lengthy-term equity incentive award of options and restricted stock models is going to be "entirely determined by the business's future financial performance," Disney stated. Disney outlined that Iger "has brought the organization to record operating results while positioning Disney for future years within the global, dynamic multi-media industry." It added that Disney's total investor return since his elevation towards the leader and Boss roles is five occasions greater compared to the broad-based S&P 500 stock index. "Among the most legendary brands and prominent companies on the planet, The Wally Disney Company takes a leader using the proven driving privileges creative and financial success inside a dynamic world," Pepper stated inside a statement. Stated Iger: "I am devoted to growing lengthy-term value for investors and am confident we'll continue doing so with the effective execution in our core proper focal points: the roll-out of top quality, top quality content and encounters, using technology, and creating development in numerous and exciting worldwide marketplaces." Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects

'Hart of Dixie' Casts Lemon's Younger Sister

One week in and "Hart of Dixie" is already expanding its world.The CW drama, set in the Deep South and starring "The O.C.'s" Rachel Bilson, will introduce the younger sister to Southern belle, Lemon (Jaime King), in an upcoming episode, "The Hollywood Reporter" has learned.Fifteen-year-old singer-actress Claudia Lee has been cast as Magnolia, first appearing in the Nov. 7 hour. Though Lee is currently only expected to appear in one episode, there is a possibility she may appear in at least one more.Lee appeared on several episodes of Disney XD's "Zeke and Luther" as Bridget.Creator Leila Gerstein spoke to "The Hollywood Reporter" recently about broadening the world. "Starting in episode two, we are expanding our town quite a bit," she said. "We have a slew of recurring characters, people that we need to hang out in the local bar/clamhouse/roadhouse, which is called the Rammer Jammer. There is a waitress named Shelly and we meet a couple of belles in Lemon's world.""Hart of Dixie," executive produced by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, launched to 1.8 million total viewers and a 0.8 rating on Monday night following the duo's "Gossip Girl."Lee is repped by Paradigm. The Hollywood Reporter

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Toback, Carpanzano aboard for 'Gotti'

Fiore Films has added James Toback and Salvatore Carpanzano as executive producers on "Gotti: Inside The Shadow Of My Father.InchToback co-written the script, along with director Craig Levinson and Leo Rossi. Inside an announcement Thursday, Carpanzano's known to becoming an worldwide businessman that's been instrumental in putting together the financing for your film.Cast includes Travolta Qantas Video, Al Pacino, Chazz Palminteri, Ben Promote and Kelly Preston. Levinson and Toback teamed on "Bugsy.""Jim can be a tremendous resource with this film and most likely probably the most prolific and artistic talents in Hollywood, and i am searching toward coping with him relating to this and future projects," mentioned Marc Fiore, mind in the banner.The shingle acquired existence rights from John Gotti, Junior., the boy in the late mob boss John Gotti, for the story of his existence along with his father. The biopic will concentrate on the relationship from the father who were living and died with the mob code together with a boy who thought we would leave that world behind. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

'Hunger Games' Star Liam Hemsworth Lines Up 'Expendables 2'

From District 12 to Bulgaria? For Liam Hemsworth, apparently so! Variety reports that 'The Hunger Games' star has been cast opposite Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and Terry Crews. Hemsworth will play a sniper in 'The Expendables 2' -- which director Simon West is shooting in Bulgaria later this year -- while also doing his part to lower the average age of the AARP action star cast. [Variety] Photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic

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R.I.P. Jeffrey Hodes

Comedy writer Jeffrey Hodes has died suddenly from cancer treatment-related complications. He was in his 40s. Hodes had cancer but was in remission and was getting ready for a bone marrow transplant. He went in yesterday for a blood transfusion in preparation for the transplant when he started having breathing problems. An MRI revealed blood in his brain and, after a day in intensive care, he was taken off life support this afternoon. For his entire career, Hodes worked with Nastaran Dibai who was his wife and writing partner. Hodes is survived by Dibai and their young daughter. Hodes and Dibai worked together on such comedy series as According to Jim, 3rd Rock From the Sun and The Nanny and the Kelly Ripa-starring Hope & Faith. Last year, Hodes and Dibai developed a comedy project for ABC with Ripa and her husband Mark Consuelos. “Jeffrey Hodes was a brilliant comedy writer, an amazing showrunner and a wonderful husband and father,” Ripa said. “I considered myself one of the luckiest people alive to call him a true friend. I will miss him terribly.” The Ripa/Consuelos project was executive produced by Aaron Kaplan, who collaborated with Hodes and Dibai on several projects, including the ABC pilot Funny in Farsi, which the writing duo created. He was an fantastic writer and an even better husband and father.” Kaplan said. “The world has lost a truly talented man.” TV producer Mindy Schultheis was also among Hodes’ close friends. (Hodes and Dibai wrote for the Lifetime comedy Rita Rocks, which Schultheis produced) “I’m heartbroken,” Schultheis said. “I honestly don’t even have the words to express how much he will be missed. He had a passion for life, his family and his work that permeated all he did. He was not only an incredibly talented writer but he was a truly wonderful guy.” Up until Hodes’ death, he and Dibai were serving as co-executive producers on TV Land’s recently renewed series Happily Divorced, reuniting with The Nanny star/co-creator Fran Drescher. The two wrote the first season finale of the comedy, their last produced episode.

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