It's OK to Like 'The Artist'

It's OK to like 'The Artist.' Really. Chances are, you haven't even seen 'The Artist' yet, but the general consensus from the Oscar cognoscenti (recently promoted from Colonel Consensus) has turned sour on the film. At first, General Consensus hailed 'The Artist' as the bees' knees. "Hooray, 'The Artist,' you're so different. We like you!" But, alas, General Consensus is a finicky fellow. Because, as of late -- even though it's still the favorite to take home an Oscar for Best Picture -- admitting that you like 'The Artist' will get you about the same reaction as admitting that you think the Gin Blossoms' 'New Miserable Experience' is one of the best albums of the early '90s. Yes, 'The Artist' has a lot more in common with the Gin Blossoms than you might think. Last night I was talking on the phone to a friend, Steve, who lives in St. Louis. Steve has two young daughters, so he has to be, let's say, choosy with his movie selections, given all the free time that he doesn't have. When I told him he'd like 'The Artist,' his less-than-thrilled reaction was, "The black and white silent movie? Not sure that's my cup of tea." And there lies the problem with 'The Artist': there's a perception that it's highbrow fare. It's not. 'The Artist' may have a highbrow concept, but its story is decidedly middlebrow. The expectation that's causing Steve not to want to see 'The Artist' is perhaps the same expectation that's fueling the backlash against 'The Artist.' People who critique movies for a living are a passionate bunch. When a movie like 'The Artist' comes along -- a movie that seemingly promises highbrow pleasures -- these people get excited. But 'The Artist' is a regular old story about a silent film actor trying to remain relevant in a changing world. Oh, and he has a cute dog. Put it this way: The guy who played Dauber on 'Coach' is in 'The Artist.' This is how backlash happens. I've now heard members of awards-voting organizations apologizing for 'The Artist' winning, which is weird because the ability of 'The Artist' to deliver such a mainstream, middlebrow story, despite its highfalutin concept, is exactly what I admire so much about it. There are four albums that defined my freshman year in college: Pearl Jam's 'Ten' (even though it was released a year before), R.E.M's 'Automatic for the People,' U2's 'Achtung Baby' and Gin Blossoms' 'New Miserable Experience.' For the most part 'New Miserable Experience' found critical success too, at first, receiving solid reviews from outlets like Rolling Stone. I still have 'New Miserable Experience' on my iPod and, almost 20 years later, every song on that album is still good. (Some better than others, of course; I do find myself listening to '29,' 'Cajun Song,' 'Cheatin'' and, yes, 'Hey Jealousy,' more than I do 'Hold Me Down'.) In 2011, Gin Blossoms are forgotten and no one would ever consider them as an influential band from the 1990s. If there is a middlebrow blemish somewhere on the Earth's crust, its oozing puss is bound to someday erupt to the tune of 'Found out About You.' The Gin Blossoms define middlebrow success and, really, people don't have a problem with that -- but, of course, the Gin Blossoms were quickly discarded. 'The Artist' is pretending to be highbrow with its concept when, in reality, its just as middlebrow as the Gin Blossoms. Only 'The Artist' doesn't want to be discarded, it wants to be remembered forever as the best movie of 2011. This is why people are angry. The Earth is a cynical place these days. I am cynical and that's one reason I have this job. I struggle with that fact quite often. I watch a movie like 'War Horse,' 'Hugo' or 'The Artist,' and I feel this knee-jerk reaction to somehow try to discredit the earnestness I see before me. It's almost like we've been programmed as a society to be skeptical of anything that appears to be earnest -- and 'The Artist' is really earnest. But people are predisposed to remember things that have a bit more of an edge. The Gin Blossoms had zero edge. The earnestness of 'The Artist' is its edge. And it's OK to like that. One common argument is that 'The Artist' just doesn't feel like a Best Picture winner; that we won't be talking about 'The Artist' in ten years. I don't agree with this sentiment, but I'm open to the possibility. My real problem with the argument is that there's no realistic alternative offered. The argument against 'The Artist' is starting to sound like the argument against pretty much anything that Obama does. In other words: "That plan sucks, but I don't have a better one. But it still sucks." The thing is, looking back, very few Best Picture winners actually deserve the title of "Best Picture." Over the past 20 years, there's, maybe, six films that have that all-important "Best Picture" feel to them. I'd argue outside of 'Unforgiven,' 'Schindler's List,' 'Braveheart,' 'Titanic,' 'The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King' and 'No Country For Old Men,' the rest just happened to be released during a weak year or got incredibly lucky. Yes, I'll be the first to admit that 2011 is a relatively weak year for movies -- good, but... -- but that's certainly not the fault of 'The Artist.' Yet, as the current frontrunner, it's taking the blame. 'The Artist' isn't the first film to disguise itself as highbrow, it's just the first to make its intentions this obvious and open. Which is exactly why it's brilliant. Based on past winners, 'The Artist' is certainly a deserving candidate. (You're telling me 'The Artist' doesn't live up to the "excellent" standards of 'American Beauty'? Oh, puh-leeze.) But that's not really even my point. I'm not specifically arguing that 'The Artist' should win the Oscar for Best Picture anymore than I'm arguing that 'New Miserable Experience' should have won a Grammy (U2's Auchtung Baby really should have won over Eric Clapton Unplugged). I am saying that I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Artist' and, yes, it's quite OK to feel that way without being ashamed for liking something that's earnest and middlebrow -- cynics like myself be damned. You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter [Photo: TWC] The Best Movies of 2011 The Best Movies of 201150. 'Breaking Dawn'49. 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'48. 'The Trip'47. 'Warrior'46. 'Cave of Forgotten Dreams'45. 'The Iron Lady'44. 'We Bought a Zoo'43. 'Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol'42. 'Horrible Bosses'41. 'Contagion'40. 'Winnie the Pooh'39. 'Win Win'37. 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'38. 'Hanna'36. 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close'35. 'The Interrupters'34. 'Crazy, Stupid, Love'33. 'The Guard'32. 'Captain America: The First Avenger'31. 'The Ides of March'30. 'Beginners'29. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene''A Dangerous Method'27. 'The Adventures of Tintin'26. 'Bill Cunningham NY'25. 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'24. 'Young Adult'23. 'My Week With Marilyn'22. 'Margin Call'21. 'X-Men: First Class'20. 'Attack the Block'19. 'Shame'18. 'Super 8'17. 'Melancholia'16. 'The Muppets'15. 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'14. 'Tree of Life'13. 'Rango'12. 'The Help'11. 'Moneyball'10. '50/50'9. 'Drive'8. 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo'7. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II'6. 'Midnight in Paris'5. 'Bridesmaids'4. 'The Descendants'3. 'War Horse'2. 'The Artist'1. 'Hugo' See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Bachelor Ben Flajnik Describes What Really Happened With Jennifer Love Hewitt

First Released: December 16, 2011 12:01 AM EST Credit: ABC La, Calif. -- Caption Ben Flajnik in the promo photo for that BacheloretteNot lengthy after Ben Flajniks proposal was declined by Bachelorette Ashley Hebert captured, gossips appeared that Jennifer Love Hewitt was thinking about the truth star. And today, Ben has described what really happened using the former Ghost Whisperer actress. It had been right in the center of time after i was determining to become The Bachelor, Ben stated on the business call Wednesday, per People, from the interest from J. Love. Ultimately, Ben made the decision he thought about being The Bachelor, and that he also stated he wanted a less famous face for his lady. If this is stated and done, winding up having a Hollywood celebrity isn't something which I would like, he added. The latest season from the Bachelor, starring Ben, premieres on Monday, The month of january 2, 2012 at 8 PM, as well as in it, fans might see much more from the love-seeker literally. To date, America has seen my bare butt, and that i don't have any trouble with male nudity, he stated, per People. Whenever a beautiful lady insists upon go skinny-sinking around the beach, you do not refuse. Granted you will find cameras around, nevertheless its a bare butt. It is not that large of the deal in my experience. As formerly reported on AccessHollywood.com, Ben, 29, is really a wine maker from Sonoma, Calif., but his relationship with Ashley didnt ripen perfectly throughout his time on last seasons The Bachelorette, and she or he ultimately chose JP Rosenbaum, who she's apparently still with. Throughout his operate on The Bachelorette, Ben never was shy about his look for not just love, however for a lady to begin a household with. The wine maker loves his hobbies, including crab fishing, sailing, golf, skateboarding, surfing, playing piano and singing inside a tribute band. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Speed' prexy makes pit stop

Speed prexy Hunter Nickell has resigned his publish in the network, good at the finish of the season. Nickell has capped Speed since 2005, coming after that 12 years as FSN South g.m. He intends to consult on the number remaining key Speed projects within the next couple of several weeks while seeking new possibilities in Fox Sports Media Group. A Speed spokesperson stated an interim alternative ought to be named by week's finish for Nickell, whose decision to go away seems to possess come relatively all of a sudden. "It's unfortunate that Hunter is walking away in the end that he's accomplished for Speed," Fox Sports Media Group chairman David Hill stated. "He's a guy of great character, a genuine gentleman and he's offered Fox relentlessly for several years.Inch Speed's achieve increased by nearly 25% to 84 million houses under Nickell's tenure, thanks simply to new high-profile occasions such as the Dale earnhardt jr . Sprint All-Star Race, the Dale earnhardt jr . Hall of Fame Induction events and all sorts of three from the Dale earnhardt jr . publish-season honours banquets. Nickell has additionally been credited with better marketing Speed at Dale earnhardt jr . occasions and building associations along with other major race orgs. "I labored with great people and awesome partners," Nickell stated. "Thanks, and I've had a great time.Inch Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

The Three Stooges Meet the iPhone, Ogle Sofia Vergara and Poke Snooki In Underwhelming First Trailer

There’s something for everyone in the first trailer for The Three Stooges. Well, something for everyone who enjoys Sofia Vergara in tight sweaters, lobster-down-the-pants gags and Jersey Shore cameos. If any of those ideas interest you, click ahead to see the Farrelly brothers’ take on modern-era Moe, Larry and Curly. After spending over a decade in development limbo, The Three Stooges finally arrives in theaters April 13 with Chris Diamantopoulos (Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of ‘Mork & Mindy’) playing Moe, Sean Hayes as Larry and Will Sasso (MADtv) embodying Curly. The bumbling trio, best known for their slapstick act that originated in 1925, are somehow transplanted to modern-day Earth for Bobby and Peter Farrellys’ film. The movie chronicles the Stooges’ attempt to save their childhood orphanage and their accidental forays into reality television and murder mysteries. The supporting cast includes Jane Lynch, Larry David (?!), Jennifer Hudson, Sofia Vergara, Stephen Collins and at least four members of the Jersey Shore cast. In spite of the promising slate of actors involved (and the gratuitous shot of a hot nun in a sexy swimming suit), The Three Stooges looks to be another remake that audience members would have preferred never been made. VERDICT: Why I oughta…wait until The Three Stages is released on Blu-ray. [via Apple]

'Melancholia' tops European Film Honours

'Melancholia'London-- Lars von Trier's finish-of-the-world drama "Melancholia" nabbed the most effective film prize within the European Film Honours, which have been given out Saturday in Berlin.The pic, that have assigned the noms with eight mentions, also needed home two craft honours, cinematographer for Manuel Alberto Claro, and production designer for Jette Lehmann.Tom Hooper's "The King's Speech" needed three honours: Colin Firth was named best actor, Tariq Anwar clicked in the editor award, as well as the film also needed the People Choice award, which was selected for with the public.Susanne Bier was named best director for contempo drama "In the Better World," as well as the film author prize visited Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for "The Child Getting a bicycle.Inch Tilda Swinton was named best actress for troubled teen tale "We must Discuss Kevin." Helmer-scribe Hendes Van Nuffel won the invention Award for "Oxygen," which concentrates on a teen in crisis. The pic follows a boy battling with cystic fibrosis.Ludovic Bource needed the award for composer for "The Artist." The docu prize was acquired by 3d dance film "Pina," written and directed by Wim Wenders.The animated feature film kudo was acquired by "Chico and Rita," directed by Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba. Stephen Frears was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award, while Mads Mikkelsen was feted while using European Achievement in World Cinema award.French thesp Michel Piccoli, who toplined "There exists a Pope," was presented with the Special Honorary Award. Contact Leo Barraclough at leo.barraclough@variety.com

Disney Channel's 'Good Luck Charlie' Holiday Movie Strikes Ratings Gold

Marni Grossman/CBS"Blue Bloods" It was another down week in the ratings following Black Friday, even with football as one of the programming choices on broadcast. CBS continued its reign atop a sleepy Friday, up against Fox's telecast of the first Pac-12 championship game between the Oregon Ducks and the UCLA Bruins. (Ducks won the game handily.) Averaging a 1.4 rating in the key 18-49 demo during primetime, CBS' lineup slipped across the board from their last originals -- with Blue Bloods seeing the biggest drop. A Gifted Man (8 million total viewers, 1.2 rating in adults 18-49 demographic) hovered around its usual demo home, but compared to two weeks ago, was down a tenth. CSI: NY (9.7 million, 1.4) dropped two tenths, while Blue Bloods (11 million, 1.6) plunged. Even so, CBS either tied (A Gifted Man) for No. 1 or won its hours (CSI: NY, Blue Bloods). Following CBS was Fox with the Ducks-Bruins football game. From 8-10 p.m., the matchup didn't prove to be a big draw as 4.3 million tuned in and the network averaged a 1.3. ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (4.8 million, 1.2) dipped slightly and Katie Couric's big 20/20 interview (4.5 million, 1.3) with a pregnant Beyonce didn't infuse a new energy at 10 p.m. ABC placed third on the night with a 1.2 average. The CW's midseason finale of Nikita (1.7 million, 0.5) dropped, while Supernatural (1.9 million, 0.7) held firm. NBC's telecast of Game of Your Life (2.2 million, 0.6) wasn't a ratings winner; Dateline (4.1 million, 1.0) followed with a steep drop. 8 p.m. Fox: Pac-12 Championship Game (4.3 million viewers, 1.3 rating in adults 18-49) CBS: A Gifted Man (8 million, 1.2) ABC: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (4.8 million, 1.2) NBC: Game of Your Life (2.2 million, 0.6) The CW: Nikita (1.7 million, 0.5) 9 p.m. CBS: CSI: NY (9.7 million, 1.4) The CW: Supernatural (1.9 million, 0.7) 10 p.m. CBS: Blue Bloods (11 million, 1.6) ABC: 20/20 (4.5 million, 1.3) NBC: Dateline (4.1 million, 1.0) PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Fall TV Death Pool: Will 'Charlie's Angels,' 'Whitney' or 'How to Be a Gentleman' Be Axed First? TV Ratings

Douglas Carter Beane Spills the Broadway Beans

NY (AP) Douglas Carter Beane may have two musicals simultaneously playing on Broadway but that isn't enough."Neil Simon had four. Where are my other two? C'mon. I'm here to break records. I'm not here to do art," says the playwright, matter-of-factly. "I used to care about the process of creating art. Now it's all about the tally sheet at the end of the day."Then he smiles slyly, unable to keep up the ruse.To meet Beane is to laugh a lot his dialogue is littered with a wonderful mix of witty, arch and sarcastic humor that recalls the lost era of Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Round Table. He drops bon mots the way regular people drop crumbs."He has something witty to say about everything," says director and choreographer Dan Knechtges, who has worked with Beane twice. "He is always on. If you give him an inch he takes a mile with the joke."These days are good ones for Beane. "Sister Act," one of the musicals he helped write, has been playing for more than 250 performances on Broadway, and he's about to watch his new offering "Lysistrata Jones" open a few blocks away. In the pipeline for the next Broadway season is a play "The Nance" with Nathan Lane and another, still hush-hush musical.He both recognizes his good fortune and laughs at it. "I have very important phone messages that will be playing Broadway," he says, cracking up. "An evening of my tweets I think is going to be booked into the Golden Theatre."At a Times Square restaurant for an interview, he orders green tea but isn't interested in food. The waiter wonders if he should take away the menu. "Leave it," Beane says. "You never know. I have violent mood swings."Beane, whose play "The Little Dog Laughed" earned a Tony nomination and who also wrote the cult movie "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," has just come from the Walter Kerr Theatre, where he is still tinkering with his crafty updating of Aristophanes' play "Lysistrata." Beane has 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.He wrote it with his real-life partner, composer and lyricist Lewis Flinn, who gave the 411 B.C. story a pulsing, extremely hummable and contemporary soundtrack. Beane's book is classically structured in honor of the Greeks but he updates a line every week."Whatever the news item of that week is, there's one place in the show where I change the line," he explains. "I wanted to have that sense of freshness, to remind people the beauty of live theater is you never know what they're going to say next."The musical has been gestating for 10 years and has traveled from a theater in Dallas to a gym in Greenwich Village. It has its origins on a terrible day Sept. 12, 2001. Beane and Flinn had only recently met."On our fifth date we were on a roof watching helicopters, smelling burning rubber, going, 'What's going on here? Let's write something positive. Let's write about positive change and something good,'" he says. "That's how we started writing it."Initially, Beane thought he would update the story to a college football field. But Flinn worried that football helmets might make the singers' faces hard to see. So Beane, who confesses he's not a sports nut, switched to basketball and consulted with his brother-in-law, a big University of North Carolina fan. He wanted to know why college basketball inspires such passion and got a very Greek answer: "He told me, 'It's so mortal. The NBA is more immortal.'"Beane, 52, jumped into the research, but worked on the script intermittently over the years. In the final version, Beane says he kept in two Aristophanes-era jokes. "So when the audience laughs, I go, '411 B.C. still works! Still works.'"He had already written a rough draft of "Lysistrata Jones" when he was approached to update the script of the Olivia Newton-John movie "Xanadu." He almost turned it down since he already had a Greek story in the pipeline.So he asked friend and playwright Wendy Wasserstein for advice. "She goes, 'Just tell everybody it's a trilogy and they'll be waiting for the third part.' I thought, 'That's the smartest advice ever,'" he says. "So 20 years from now I'll come up with something and be like, 'The trilogy is complete at last.'"Beane has seen his demand as a script doctor skyrocket lately, in part because he is widely credited with getting "Sister Act" based on the film starring Whoopi Goldberg, now a producer of the show ready for its NY run following a London stand.Building on a book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner and working around songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, Beane feverishly wrote new material for the Broadway show. So crazed was the process that his typist Paul Downs Colaizzo became credited as an associate writer. Beane's script was nominated for a best musical Tony and his version is now touring the U.K.Asked if he's now considered a go-to show savior, Beane smiles. "I'm called in for shows all the time," he says, and looks down at his phone. "Someone just called me who has a musical based on the music of someone I just had to Google. I actually had to say to the agent, 'I will Google him and get back to you.'"Beane, who was raised in Wyomissing, Pa., says his humor and style were influenced by such writers as Parker, George Kaufman, James Thurber, Mark Twain and Noel Coward. Their works sustained him as a young man."If you go to the Wyomissing Public Library and pull up the files from 1976 to 1977, you will see 'D. Beane' took out all of these books. There is not one that was left behind," he says. "I just devoured them."While people often know Beane for his humor his addition of a couple of antiques dealers to "Sister Act" was stroke of comic genius his work always has depth and poignancy. The message of "Xanadu," even amid all the roller-skating silliness, was that art is still important. "Sister Act," for all the camp fun, reminds us to respect other points of view."My favorite moments are the moments everyone cries over," he says. "I see people in the audience crying and I go, 'I did that, too. I don't just do the jokes. I also do the cries.' Jokes and cries, jokes and cries. That's all I'm here for, people."Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Mark Kennedy December 2, 2011 PHOTO CREDIT AP Photo/Charles Sykes NY (AP) Douglas Carter Beane may have two musicals simultaneously playing on Broadway but that isn't enough."Neil Simon had four. Where are my other two? C'mon. I'm here to break records. I'm not here to do art," says the playwright, matter-of-factly. "I used to care about the process of creating art. Now it's all about the tally sheet at the end of the day."Then he smiles slyly, unable to keep up the ruse.To meet Beane is to laugh a lot his dialogue is littered with a wonderful mix of witty, arch and sarcastic humor that recalls the lost era of Dorothy Parker and the Algonquin Round Table. He drops bon mots the way regular people drop crumbs."He has something witty to say about everything," says director and choreographer Dan Knechtges, who has worked with Beane twice. "He is always on. If you give him an inch he takes a mile with the joke."These days are good ones for Beane. "Sister Act," one of the musicals he helped write, has been playing for more than 250 performances on Broadway, and he's about to watch his new offering "Lysistrata Jones" open a few blocks away. In the pipeline for the next Broadway season is a play "The Nance" with Nathan Lane and another, still hush-hush musical.He both recognizes his good fortune and laughs at it. "I have very important phone messages that will be playing Broadway," he says, cracking up. "An evening of my tweets I think is going to be booked into the Golden Theatre."At a Times Square restaurant for an interview, he orders green tea but isn't interested in food. The waiter wonders if he should take away the menu. "Leave it," Beane says. "You never know. I have violent mood swings."Beane, whose play "The Little Dog Laughed" earned a Tony nomination and who also wrote the cult movie "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," has just come from the Walter Kerr Theatre, where he is still tinkering with his crafty updating of Aristophanes' play "Lysistrata." Beane has 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.He wrote it with his real-life partner, composer and lyricist Lewis Flinn, who gave the 411 B.C. story a pulsing, extremely hummable and contemporary soundtrack. Beane's book is classically structured in honor of the Greeks but he updates a line every week."Whatever the news item of that week is, there's one place in the show where I change the line," he explains. "I wanted to have that sense of freshness, to remind people the beauty of live theater is you never know what they're going to say next."The musical has been gestating for 10 years and has traveled from a theater in Dallas to a gym in Greenwich Village. It has its origins on a terrible day Sept. 12, 2001. Beane and Flinn had only recently met."On our fifth date we were on a roof watching helicopters, smelling burning rubber, going, 'What's going on here? Let's write something positive. Let's write about positive change and something good,'" he says. "That's how we started writing it."Initially, Beane thought he would update the story to a college football field. But Flinn worried that football helmets might make the singers' faces hard to see. So Beane, who confesses he's not a sports nut, switched to basketball and consulted with his brother-in-law, a big University of North Carolina fan. He wanted to know why college basketball inspires such passion and got a very Greek answer: "He told me, 'It's so mortal. The NBA is more immortal.'"Beane, 52, jumped into the research, but worked on the script intermittently over the years. In the final version, Beane says he kept in two Aristophanes-era jokes. "So when the audience laughs, I go, '411 B.C. still works! Still works.'"He had already written a rough draft of "Lysistrata Jones" when he was approached to update the script of the Olivia Newton-John movie "Xanadu." He almost turned it down since he already had a Greek story in the pipeline.So he asked friend and playwright Wendy Wasserstein for advice. "She goes, 'Just tell everybody it's a trilogy and they'll be waiting for the third part.' I thought, 'That's the smartest advice ever,'" he says. "So 20 years from now I'll come up with something and be like, 'The trilogy is complete at last.'"Beane has seen his demand as a script doctor skyrocket lately, in part because he is widely credited with getting "Sister Act" based on the film starring Whoopi Goldberg, now a producer of the show ready for its NY run following a London stand.Building on a book by Cheri and Bill Steinkellner and working around songs by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, Beane feverishly wrote new material for the Broadway show. So crazed was the process that his typist Paul Downs Colaizzo became credited as an associate writer. Beane's script was nominated for a best musical Tony and his version is now touring the U.K.Asked if he's now considered a go-to show savior, Beane smiles. "I'm called in for shows all the time," he says, and looks down at his phone. "Someone just called me who has a musical based on the music of someone I just had to Google. I actually had to say to the agent, 'I will Google him and get back to you.'"Beane, who was raised in Wyomissing, Pa., says his humor and style were influenced by such writers as Parker, George Kaufman, James Thurber, Mark Twain and Noel Coward. Their works sustained him as a young man."If you go to the Wyomissing Public Library and pull up the files from 1976 to 1977, you will see 'D. Beane' took out all of these books. There is not one that was left behind," he says. "I just devoured them."While people often know Beane for his humor his addition of a couple of antiques dealers to "Sister Act" was stroke of comic genius his work always has depth and poignancy. The message of "Xanadu," even amid all the roller-skating silliness, was that art is still important. "Sister Act," for all the camp fun, reminds us to respect other points of view."My favorite moments are the moments everyone cries over," he says. "I see people in the audience crying and I go, 'I did that, too. I don't just do the jokes. I also do the cries.' Jokes and cries, jokes and cries. That's all I'm here for, people."Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Writers' words craft indelible images

Author-director Michel Hazanavicius (round the number of 'The Artist' with Jean Dujardin) began getting cure as being a 'short novel.'Silence.In films, quiet moments may be most likely the very best methods to stimulate a effective emotion to be able to portray a personality, and sometimes what's seen on the watch's screen is a lot more effective than any words may be.But telling tales visually is usually regarded as because the province in the director, not the writer, since authors are limited to words, whether it is dialogue or scene description. Yet authors frequently conceive images even when the story remains only words around the page.The year's most extreme example can be a film that's mostly quiet: "The Artist." By choosing to (almost) entirely avoid dialogue and appear effects just like a storytelling tool, author-director Michel Hazanavicius limited themselves to images to explain or stimulate a conflict.Hazanavicius points with a moment when diminishing quiet star George Valentin meets rising talkie star Peppy Burns around the staircase within the studio. "She's on the top (in the stairs) which he's gloomier than she which he might be a sad. She fitted in white-colored with very dark hair, and he or she is speaking and speaking because she's now doing speaking movies. He might be a faded and not speaking whatsoever. Plus there is a extended shot where he's listening and looking out at her where his eyes say he's deeply deeply in love with her. We use light and shadows," Hazanavicius states.Hazanavicius required to write his script before they're sure the project being possible. "I desired to carry out a modern movie though another film grammar," according to him. "Nobody attempted it for just about any very very long time which i didn't wish to carry out a spoof movie."So he written the script as being a short novel. "I'd write 'We understand he's confused' or 'He doesn't determine what she means,' after which it permit the actor perform,Inch Hazanavicius states."Shame" is actually no measure a basic film, but co-author/director Steve McQueen determines the main character's sex addiction inside the film's initial few minutes without many words. McQueen states writing a scene without dialogue is "about ritual.""Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is escaping . of mattress every morning, wiping the sleep from his eyes, switches the button round the reacting to machine, takes a shower and catches a train," according to him. Inside a couple of minutes he's round the prowl for his next liaison. "It is a kind of ritual -- once he'll wake up within the bed mattress, it's like 'Go,'?" McQueen states.For "Jane Eyre" film author Moira Buffini, writing moments left left without words is "a lot of the job." She states she produces to illuminate, using from "the kind of kitchenware the figures can use, for the banks of storm clouds coming.InchBuffini was very impressed with Jane Eyre's adoration for drawing and painting, so she written that to the script."There's one small scene inside the film where on her behalf account approach to bed mattress one evening, Jane holds her candle up to picture from the naked lady that Rochester has presented around the wall. I written 'She studies it by getting an artist's curiosity -- together with a girl's.' The scene very simply discloses Jane's sexual awakening to us," Buffini states.Like Hazanavicius, Buffini tried to be really apparent in their writing for your actor, as when explaining a specific emotion."For example, rather than saying, 'She is tearful,' say 'She is fighting to contain her tears.' That's active," she states.EYE Round The Oscars: The Writer Secrets exact harsh toll Writers' words craft indelible images Vet spice newcomer class Waking bad dreams or nightmares Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

'Key' slot at Comedy Central

Comedy Central has lined up its midseason schedule, with new sketch series "Key and Peele" set to premiere at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31. The net is clearly looking to give "Key" a good home -- the series debuts between the preem of ratings evergreen "Tosh.0" at 10 p.m. and the campaign-season kickoff on "The Daily Show" ("Indecision 2012") at 11 p.m. Russell Simmons and JB Smoove's "Russell Simmons Presents The Ruckus" will first air on Thursday at 10 p.m.; Smoove is another talent the net is looking to promote with a standup special on Jan. 21. Comedy Central will air new standup specials on Saturdays in January, with Tom Papa on Jan. 8, Kevin Hart on Jan. 15 and John Mulaney on Jan. 28. Late winter will see the March 14 return of "South Park" to its usual spot on Wednesdays at 10. The net's Comedy Awards will be back May 6. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

Gotham Award Winners 2011: 'Tree of Life,' 'Beginners' Tie for Best Feature

And you thought the NY Film Critics Circle was the unofficial official kick-off of awards season. On Monday night in NY, the Gotham Independent Film Awards were handed out for the 21st time -- though this edition was slightly different than usual. Two films tied for the top spot of Best Feature: Mike Mills's 'Beginners' and Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life,' both of which defeated 'The Descendants' for the award. Alexander Payne's presumed Oscar favorite was nominated three times (Feature, Ensemble, Breakthrough Actor), but failed to win one award. 'Beginners' also took home Best Ensemble. The film, which is about a dying man coming out to his grown son, co-stars Christopher Plummer -- already in the thick of the Oscar race -- and Ewan McGregor, as well as Melanie Laurent ('Inglourious Basterds'). Other awards handed out on Monday night: Felicity Jones won Breakthrough Actor for 'Like Crazy,' while Dee Rees won Breakthrough director for 'Pariah.' Previous Gotham Award winners include Oscar films 'Winter's Bone' and 'The Hurt Locker.' Whether 'The Tree of Life' or 'Beginners' will get a similar boost from the ceremony remains to be seen. [via Deadline] [Photo: Fox Searchlight] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

A 'Friday' Follow-up With Ice Cube and Chris Tucker? Maybe, States Small Lister

Obtain a matches ready, there can be another 'Friday' inside the works. Sadly, for 420 fans, the operative word here's "may." News a completely new 'Friday' follow-up was reported by TMZ, who spoken with Small Lister (a.k.a. the dude who carried out Debo) outdoors a Hollywood club on Tuesday evening. Lister states there's been talks with Ice Cube and Chris Tucker on possibly developing a fourth 'Friday.' Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Deadline reported that New Line has received discussions with Cube regarding another movie. Possibly they need to start lurking within the same clubs as Lister. So! There maybe possibly may be another 'Friday.' Your friendly Moviefone editors loved the very first (as well as the second the very first is fun), but: does anybody want 'Friday 4'? The ultimate time Chris Tucker carried out Smokey, he was 23 that was 16 in the past. Maybe for the reason that one he'd play a parent searching to obtain his kids to avoid smoking? Or even Smokey's in jail now and Ice Cube must bust him out, simply to uncover Debo being the prison guard. We smell marijuana two potential plots! [via TMZ and Deadline] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Gaghan polishes Shyamalan's 'A.E.'

Stephen Gaghan has completed a polish of Sony Pictures and Overbrook Entertainment's futuristic sci-fi pic "One Thousand A.E.," which will be directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan was credited as the sole writer on the first nine films he directed, but his latest, "A.E.," was scripted by Gary Whitta ("The Book of Eli"). Shyamalan rewrote the screenplay to fit his needs, but Gaghan was tasked with getting the script in shooting shape. He turned his revisions in to the studio nearly a month ago and may continue to work with Shyamalan to fine-tune the current draft as the pic's February start date draws near. Will and Jaden Smith are set to star as a father and son who crash-land on Earth one thousand years after mankind has abandoned the planet. The crash leaves the elder Smith badly injured, and it's up to the boy to find help in what is now a strange and dangerous place. The duo previously shared the screen in Sony's 2006 drama "The Pursuit of Happyness." Shyamalan and Will Smith are producing with the latter's Overbrook partners James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz and Jada Pinkett Smith. Gaghan, who won a best-adapted screenplay Oscar for "Traffic," is developing two projects as a director: a WB pic about a Mexican cartel, and Flashlight Pictures' indie drama about a Snakehead who trafficks in human cargo from China. His last bigscreen project was as writer-helmer of Warner Bros.' 2005 drama "Syriana." Gaghan is repped by CAA. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

Pilot Season Hot Trends: Comedies, Books, Formats, Westerns And Large Obligations

Economic decline be damned — the broadcast systems happen to be investing enjoy it’s 2007 this season. A slew of putting in a bid wars brought to some staggering 9 pilot orders/production obligations and 33 put pilot obligations to date this purchasing season. Furthermore, NBC is eying straight-to-series orders for just two Bryan Larger-written dramas: a Munsters reboot and Hannibal, in line with the Hannibal Lecter character. With dire needs, new proprietors prepared to invest lots of money inside a turnaround and new management wanting to make their mark, NBC continues to be probably the most aggressive this purchasing season. Additionally towards the likely straight-to-series orders, four from the 9 pilot orders/production obligations to date happen to be provided through the peacock network: comedy Isabel, inspired with a French Canadian format, and John Scott Shepherd’s comedy Save Me, that are casting, and also the J.J. Abrams/Eric Kripke adventure thriller Revolution and crime drama Blue Tilt, compiled by Chris Brancato and starring Ethan Hawke and Vince D’Onofrio, that have pilot production obligations. The rest of the 4 pilot production orders visited Jon Favreau comedy spec Tweaked along with a multi-camera place of work comedy from Bill Lawrence and Greg Malins at CBS, multi-camera family comedy The Manzanis starring Kirstie Alley as well as an untitled Serta Fogelman comedy at ABC and also the Mike Royce-composed cast-contingent comedy pilot Little Brother at Fox. It wasn’t precisely the mass hysteria of summer time 2007 once the systems were stockpiling when confronted with a possible authors strike, but the amount of emergency this year came pretty close. (NBC) got cash, (ABC) got competitive against that cash, and that we required the bait, Fox’s entertainment leader Kevin Reilly stated in the HRTS lunch recently. All of us think i was performed a bit. Indeed, there have been numerous projects, especially around the comedy side, which had NBC, ABC and Fox putting in a bid strongly against one another. How aggressive was ABC this year, which marked the very first full development cycle for that network’s topper Paul Lee? It paid out some 10 put pilot obligations, a lot more than every other network. Which is even though a sizable part of ABC’s development originates from sister studio ABC Galleries in which the huge most of sales don't have any penalties attached because the transaction involves moving money in one pocket to a different. Fox and CBS aren't far behind with 9 put pilot obligations each, while NBC has 5, through it a lot more than composed the main difference with several bigger obligations in addition to a slew of script sales with penalties attached. Area of the reason behind the staggering quantity of put pilot obligations this year may be the devaluation from the term, which once put on penalties of $a million but has become employed for penalties as little as $500,000 or even lower. The relaxation was fierce competition, especially between NBC and ABC. Both systems bought more projects compared to what they did this past year. NBC got second wind per month approximately ago once the network’s brass apparently examined their slate and made the decision it was missing in certain areas. When I have noted ad nauseam, it has been the growing season of comedy. Lengthy prior to the genre’s red-colored-hot fall with breakout hits New Girl, 2 Broke Women and Suburgatory and solid artist Last Guy Standing, the systems went strongly following the genre, which wound up eclipsing drama in sales this season the very first time in quite some time. With a recent account (you will find a couple of more comedy projects in play, therefore the comedy tally continues to be growing), there has been about 252 comedy and 250 drama sales this season versus. 233 comedy and 269 drama last season. Seven from the 9 pilot orders/production obligations visited comedy projects. In comparison, all large obligations in pre-WGA strike 2007 received to dramas: straight-to-series orders to Section 8 at ABC, The Philanthropist, Fear Itself and Robinson Crusoe at NBC and Very Last Minute at CBS and series resolve for Ryan Murphy’s Full B, The Trees andThe FBI at Fox and also the Kingdom at CBS. Aside from the astounding overall quantity of comedy buys, also remarkably high this season was the amount of half-hrs that included talent attached, especially at NBC and ABC. They include NBC comedy projects starring Roseanne Barr, Sean Hayes, Sarah Silverman, Portia p Rossi, Kal Penn, Snoop Dogg, Nick Thune and Omid Djalili. ABC went for comedies toplined by Kirstie Alley, Reba McEntire, Jim Belushi, Judy Greer, Ashley Tisdale, Shaun Garlin, Jim Breuer, Romeo Santos, Nia Vardalos, Marlon Wayans, Craig Kilborn and Sharon Horgan. Final 4 will even create their starring automobiles, as will Aasif Mandvi who's headlining a comedy for CBS. Fox has comedies starring Tyler Labine and Hannibal Buress. The popularity is nearly non-existent around the drama side save for NBC’s Blue Tilt which was offered with Hawke and D’Onofrio aboard. Talent continues to be large this year, with the big amount of comedy projects with stars attached but additionally within the rise of talent holding deals, which in fact had almost gone away recently. The second is yet another manifestation of the elevated competition this year, using the broadcast systems and also the galleries building war chests heading in to the craziness of pilot casting season. The stars signed in talent/development deals to date include Vanessa Williams, Jesse Martin, Leah Remini and Scott Michael Promote at ABC Dane Prepare, Jason Ritter, Sally Pressman and Corey Reynolds at NBC Martin Lawrence at CBS Greg Grunberg at Warner Bros. TV, and Tim Roth and Sarah Chalke at 20th TV. Also hot for any second straight season are book adaptations. I’ve counted a minimum of 4 dozen this season. One of the most prominent are Stephen Gaghan’s adaptation of Leif G.W. Perssons books about homicide detective Evert Backstrom at Fox, Shane Brennan’s adaptation from the King & Maxwell number of books by David Baldacci at CBS, the CW’s series according to Candace Bushnell’s Sex And Also The City prequel The Barbara Journals, NBCs Easy Rawlins, according to Walter Mosleys best-selling books, NBC’s Valley from the Dolls, composed by Lee Daniels (though that's based more about the film the book created), Peter Tolan’s single-camera comedy for ABC Angelas Bachelor's, in line with the book Angelinas Bachelor's: A Novel With Food and X-Males: Top Class co-authors Ashley Burns & Zack Stentz’s adaptation of Lev Grossmans popular fantasy novel The Masters of magic for Fox. Not really a large year for comic adaptations, with merely a handful, brought by Fox’s collaboration with Marvel around the Punisher, compiled by Erectile dysfunction Bernero. Another comics getting potential series treatment this year range from the Spectre at Fox and Deadman in the CW. Also escaping . of favor as source material are blogs and Twitter feeds, with just one major representative, Silvio Horta’s comedy at Fox in line with the Texts From Last Evening blog. Around the drama side, Westerns are hot this year, and also the streak began prior to the strong premiere of AMC’s Hell On Wheels on Sunday. CBS is restarting The Rifleman with Laeta Kalogridis, Chris Columbus and Carol Mendelsohn, Fox includes a Wyatt Earp Western composed by John Hlavin, NBC comes with an untitled Kerry Ehrin project occur the 1880s, while ABC has Ron Moores Hangtown , occur the first 1900, and David Zabels Gunslinger. The Western buys underline the broadcast systems’ ongoing curiosity about period dramas regardless of the struggles of sixties records The Playboy Club and Pan Am this fall. Shonda Rhimes alone setup 2 period projects: Gilded Lillys at ABC, a 1895 drama compiled by KJ Steinberg and Wildwood, a eighties dramedy compiled by Diane Ruggiero, which received a put pilot commitment at Fox. Furthermore, NBC’s Valley From The Dolls is occur sixties out of the box CBS’ Rob Lamb, from Goodfellas author Nicholas Pileggi. ABC bought 2 projects about seventies families who've their very own variety shows: an untitled comedy from author Joe Keenan and also the Lockharts, a musical hour drama from authors Michael Gans & Richard Register. The systems’ curiosity about series/movie reboots also wasn't wet through the quick demise of ABC’s Charlie’s Angels. (though the majority of the new projects were setup prior to the series opened). Series revamps include Bewitched and also the Rifleman at CBS, Wiseguy and also the Munsters at NBC (the second is technically a redevelopment from last season) and sweetness And Also The Animal in the CW. Movies getting series adaptations range from the 1984 action-adventure romantic comedy Romancing the Stone at NBC, with Mark Friedman and Shawn Levy potentially pointing, a comedy series in line with the 2010 British comedy feature The Infidel, using the film’s star Omid Djalili reprising his role, one half-hour series version of Zombieland at Fox, with original authors Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick aboard, along with a drama at ABC in line with the Lincoln subsequently Lawyer. Format adaptations also were extremely popular this season, using the geographic region from the source material ongoing to grow. You will find 3 projects according to Israeli formats — CBS’ comedy Existence Is not Everything, NBCs drama Support beams Of Smoke and also the CW drama Danny Hollywood. That's on componen with the amount of formats in the typically most widely used destination, United kingdom: Suburban Shootout and Whitened Guy Van at ABC and Friday Evening Dinner at NBC, that is shepherded by Greg Daniels. ABC has 2 high-profile remakes of Mexican telenovelas: Devious Service personnel, that is compiled by Desperate Average women creator Marc Cherry, as well as an adaptation of hit Soy Tu Duea, composed by Jorge Zamacona. Buddies co-creator Marta Kauffman is behind 2 format adaptations at ABC, Red-colored Band Society, which she's writing in line with the The spanish language format Polseres Vermelles, and musical drama The Avalon, in line with the Pan Asian format Your Kitchen Musical, which Kauffman will write with Jessica Queller. Furthermore, ABC has place in development Anti-Mafia Squad, a drama in line with the 2009 Italian series Squadra Antimafia Palermo Oggi. You will find 2 French Canadian comedy formats that made their method to the U.S. broadcast systems: Le Monde P Charlotte now, which offered as inspiration for that NBC pilot Isabel, and L'ensemble des Invincibles at Fox. The effective launch of fairytale-designed new series Not So Long Ago on ABC and Grimm on NBC came past too far to help the broadcast systems’ purchasing designs though ABC might have recognized that they are onto something with Not So Long Ago because it bought 2 drama projects with magical/fairytale elements in front of the show’s debut: the Jonathan E. Steinberg-composed Beauty and also the Animal, referred to being an epic fantasy re-imagining from the classic Beauty and also the Animal tale, along with a project from author Michael Eco-friendly and 20th TV, which focuses on a lady cop who finds out an enchanting world that is available within NY City. The second received a put pilot commitment in the network. While the amount of large obligations this year is definitely staggering, industry veterans realize that they don’t mean much. If your network doesn’t such as the finished script, generally it won’t get the project to pilot no matter the commitment. And often it won’t spend the money for steep penalty stipulated within the commitment either, resulting in the typical equine buying and selling between systems and galleries and moving of obligations to next season. This is a word of caution about how exactly irrelevant large obligations are: From the 4 projects with series commitment in 2007, none managed to get to pilot. From the five with series orders, one, Section 8, was scrapped (it lately resurfaced on Syfy as Alphas) and also the others didn’t last beyond that initial order. Approaching in a few days: A glance how showrunners and producers did this development season.

Eddie Murphy Quits as Oscars Host

File this under least surprising news of the day. Less than 24 hours after Brett Ratner resigned his Oscar producing duties, Eddie Murphy has stepped down as host of the 84th annual Academy Awards. Murphy leaves the high-profile position after the uproar surrounding Ratner's controversial comments at a 'Tower Heist' screening last week, when the director said, "Rehearsing's for fags." "First and foremost I want to say that I completely understand and support each party's decision with regard to a change of producers for this year's Academy Awards ceremony," said Murphy in a statement released by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. "I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I'm sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job." Said AMPAS president Tom Sherak about Murphy's decision, "I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well." With Murphy officially gone, the question must be asked: Who is going to step up as host? Neil Patrick Harris, come on down? RELATED: Robin Williams comments on Murphy's departure RELATED: Is this the new Oscars producer? EARLIER: Brett Ratner quits Oscars after gay slur controversy 10 Possible Oscar-Host Replacements Ricky GervaisRobert Downey Jr.The MuppetsMeryl StreepTina FeySteve Martin and Alec BaldwinNo OneNeil Patrick HarrisHugh JackmanBilly Crystal See All Moviefone Galleries » [via Oscars.org] [Photo: Getty Images] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's 10 Best Pop Song Covers

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a conundrum: He’s an immensely likable actor, though he’s also very self-serious. He’s hammy, yet pretentious. He’s always rousing crowds with spirited acoustic covers, yet he’s always pimping that website of his. Bottom line: He’s an interesting mix, and because he gave an amazing performance in Mysterious Skin, I grant him extra leeway — and a tribute to his best moments as a viral singing sensation! Yesterday we watched him strum the bejesus out of R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” and today let’s tally up all his fun covers, sort out our favorites, and declare one favorite. 10. “You Can’t Hurry Love” JGL opts for a disturbing falsetto that Robin Thicke might admire with his cover of the Supremes classic. Apparently, you also can’t hurry this song, since he sings it at roughly half-speed. 9. “Don’t Look Back in Anger” He interrupts his fine piano work and rollicking vocals before the song can really pick up steam, but JGL’s cover of the Oasis tune is perfectly salable. 8. “Who’s Loving You” I prefer JGL’s fast-strumming, crowd-energizing moments, but he goes for gusto with this longing Jackson 5 track. I can hear Simon Cowell muttering, “It was loud, screechy, self-indulgent…” but I’d rather he be bombastic than simpering. Thumbs up, I say. 7. “La Valse Mille Temps” I won’t knock the singing (which is very good), but I will knock JGL’s girl-baiting French trilling. Come on. That’s level-one pandering in the flirt world. 6. “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” I’m sticking mostly to live performances on the list, but his version of the heartbreaking Sesame Street song “I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon” would do Aaron Neville and Ernie proud.

Hal Kanter dies at 92

Kanter produced TV series Julia and authored for that Oscars. Emmy Award-winning comedy author Hal Kanter, who composed material for Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and various Oscarcasts and produced the floor-breaking TV series "Julia," died Sunday in Encino. He was 92 and died of complications from pneumonia.Kanter shared Emmys in 1991 and 1992 for writing the Oscars after first adding towards the Oscarcast in 1952, annually prior to the ceremony made the transition from radio to television.Kanter also directed numerous films, including 1957 Elvis pic "Loving You." In TV, he earned his finest mark using the comedy "Julia," a landmark for that TV biz in starring African-American actress Diahann Carroll inside a nonstereotypical role. She performed a widowed nurse having a youthful boy within the series that went from 1968-1971 on NBC.Younger crowd offered being an professional producer on "All in the household,Inch among other shows.Born in Savannah, Ga., the boy of Albert L. Kanter, who founded a effective comicbook line, Kanter started like a comedy author for radio within the nineteen thirties, then segued into TV as mind author for comedy-variety skein "The Erectile dysfunction Wynn Show" in 1949-50. The guy who'd later create "Julia" authored in early '50s for "The Amos 'n' Andy Show," a set scorned for that minstrelsy that it portrayed black figures.Kanter started writing for that bigscreen in 1951. His first effort was "Two Tickets to Broadway." Beginning with "My Personal Favorite Spy" that same year, he authored or co-authored numerous films starring Hope, such as the 1952 Hope-Crosby effort "Route to Indonesia," "Not Allowed,Inch "Here Come the Women" and "Casanova's Large Evening." Younger crowd composed the 1953 Jerry Lewis-Dean Martin comedy "Money At HomeInch and then authored the Elvis photos "Loving You" and "Blue Hawaii" and also the Doris Day-James Garner vehicle "Make Room Darling."Showing a significant side, Kanter did the variation of Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" in 1955. Other screenwriting credits include George Cukor's "Let us Have Sex,Inch with Marilyn Monroe and Yves Montand, and also the Frank Capra film "Pocketful of Miracles."Within the mid-'50s, Kanter produced, created and authored "The George Gobel Show," winning his first Emmy for his efforts. Throughout the seventies, Kanter authored and created for comedies including "All in the householdInch and "Chico and also the Guy" but he progressively moved focus to TV special offers and honours events, writing "NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary from the Wonderful Realm of Disney" and "AFI Existence Achievement Award: A Tribute to Henry Fonda" in 1978. He started fairly steady focus on the Oscarcasts in 1991 that they ongoing until 2008.Kanter was heavily involved with activities in the Authors Guild of America, finding the WGA West's Valentine Davies Award (for industry/community service) in 1983, the WGA West's Morgan Cox Award for plan to the guild in 2005 and also the WGA West's Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award for Television (an eternity achievement jerk) in 1989.Kanter also located many Authors Guild and Company directors Guild of America honours dinners.Children include wife Doris, to whom he was married for 70 years three kids: Donna Kanter, a author, producer and director and who owns the Donna Kanter Co., Lisa Kanter Shafer and Abigail Kanter Jaye a sister along with a daughter. Contact Carmel Dagan at carmel.dagan@variety.com

AMC's 'Hell on Wheels' draws 4.4 million in debut

AMC's latest series, the western "Hell on Wheels," came 4.4 million in the debut Sunday evening. That's far beneath the recent second season launch from the cabler's zombie drama "The Walking Dead," however the second greatest debut within the net's history. "Wheels," which broadcast at 10 p.m., had the advantage of a "Walking Dead" lead-in. Sunday's 9 o'clock "Walking Dead" received 6.3 million audiences, meaning while "Hell of Wheels" was strongly tried, there is a drop-from nearly two million audiences (31%). Next week's rankings determines if "Wheels" has got the strength to become a season-lengthy hit for that cabler. Within the 18-49 demo, "Wheels," the industry Canadian production shot in Calgary, Alberta, came 2.4 million in comparison towards the 4.3 million for "Dead." Retention was certainly better with older audiences, making sense thinking about "Wheels" happens within the Old West and it is a genre that's an appropriate fit for lengthy-time TV viewers. Within the 25-54 demo, 2.3 million audiences updated in, only a hair beneath the 18-49 total. Show happens in publish-Civil War America and focuses on a revengeful Confederate soldier and also the building from the Transcontinental Railroad. Anson Mount, Common and Colm Meaney star. Skein was produced by Joe Gayton and Tony Gayton, who professional produce with Jeremy Gold, John Shiban and David Von Ancken, who directed the pilot. Series was created by Endemol USA, in a single of their couple of non-reality endeavors, and Entertainment One. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Violeta Visited Paradise (Violeta se fue a los cielos)

A BF release (in Chile) from the Minera Escondida presentation from the Wood Producciones, Maiz Producciones, Bossa Nova Films production in colaboration with BG TV. (Worldwide sales: Wood Producciones, Santiago.) Executive producers, Patricio Pereira , Pablo Rovito, Fernando Sokolowicz, Denise Gomes, Paula Cosenza, Billy Garlick. Directed by Andres Wood. Script, Eliseo Altunaga, Rodrigo Bazaes, Guillermo Calderon, Wood, good book by Angel Parra.With: Francisca Gavilan, Thomas Durand, Christian Quevedo, Patricio Ossa, Luis Machin, Stephania Barbagelata, Roberto Faras, Gabriela Aguilera. (The the spanish language language, French dialogue)The intense, amazing existence in the Chilean singer-songwriter Violeta Parra is looked into with sensitivity and exquisite lightness of touch in Andres Wood's "Violeta Visited Paradise." Getting a searching central perf from Francisca Gavilan, this fantastically lensed portrait moves stylishly forward and backward with time to limn the presence of the woman who constantly fought to discover her place. Chile's Oscar submission reps a formidable addition to Wood's already solid oeuvre, in addition to its particularly Chilean subject isn't likely to prevent it from following Wood's "Machuca" into offshore arthouses. Despite the fact that some poetic license is inevitably taken, the pic is carefully good occasions of Parra's own existence, structured around a TV interview the singer gave in 1962. Elevated in poverty in southern Chile since the daughter from the alcoholic schoolteacher named Nicanor (Christian Quevedo), Parra will be a spirited child immediately. Becoming an adult, she was deeply romantic and deeply political, writing tunes that might be achingly lyrical or stridently defend the oppressed. Key occasions proven include Parra's travels using the Andes hills giving shows just like a duet along with her sister Hilda her visit to a vintage guy inside the countryside from whom sherrrd like to know tunes, but who'll not sing carrying out a dying of his grandchild her trip to the Intl. Youth Festival in Belgium, that they returns to discover her year-old daughter has died of pneumonia her in time Paris, where she exhibits her focus on the Louvre her tempestuous, on-off relationship with anthropologist Gilbert Favre (Thomas Durand) and her installment from the arts center in the remote tent within the Andes. These occasions are proven considerably from sequence, though Andrea Chignoli's precision editing guarantees that moments set years apart are created lighting rather than confusing by their juxtaposition. Some welcome comic relief comes through the 1962 interview, through which Parra handles persistence while using snide questions from the right-wing Argentinean interviewer (Luis Machin). Gavilan supplies a profoundly committed, rangy perf that handles being intense, gutsy and nuanced at one time, and bespeaks a idea of the value of getting Parra right regarding Chilean auds. The script allows for just about any warts hpv warts-and-all portrait that's definately not simple hagiography. Parra's multiple contradictions exist: She's headstrong but insecure, social but lonely, adventurous but home-loving, and more importantly, never quite able to be an excellent mother to her children. (Pic is founded on the memoirs of one of these simple, Angel.) Typically of Wood's films, production values are topnotch. Using locations is especially strong, and lenser Miguel Joan Littin, Wood's longtime collaborator, renders the peculiar light and textures from the Andean mountain village as capably while he does people in the banks in the Seine by evening. Visually, the pic is not dull and often demonstrates a daring sense of framework, as being a lovemaking scene shot using the gaps between floormats. Pic features about 20 mostly guitar-based tunes that repetition a fantastic choice of Parra's work, although her most broadly used tune, "Gracias a la vida," is missing. The highlight can be a searing, soul-baring performance of "El gavilan" (The Sparrowhawk), featuring the street that the pic might have been built: "I have nowhere being.InchDigital camera (color/ B&W), Miguel Joan Littin editor, Andrea Chignoli music, Violeta Parra art director, Rodrigo Bazaes appear (Dolby Digital SR), Miguel Hormazabal. Examined on DVD, Madrid, March. 29, 2011. Running time: 110 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

FilmDistrict Undergoing Major Reorganization

Upstart distribution company FilmDistrict is reorganizing and consolidating its operation, with Bob Berney, its theatrical distribution president, and Jeanne R. Berney, its exec vp of marketing, leaving the company.our editor recommendsAngelina Jolie's Directorial Debut Lands U.S. Distributor (Cannes)Drive: Cannes 2011 Review The duo will stay on until March 1, 2012, to help oversee the December 23 opening of the Angelina Jolie-directed In the Land of Blood and Honey. FilmDistrict, which distributes movies for GK Films (the company is an investor in FilmDistrict) as well as films it acquires, is moving its operations to Los Angeles, shuttering operations in NY. PHOTOS: 'The Rum Diary' Premiere at LACMA FilmDistrict was launched just over a year ago under the aegis of Peter Schlessel, who was previously at Sony. The company had a hit right out of the gate with the surprisingly strong showing of horror movie Insidious, followed by the inspirational surfer movie Soul Surfer. FilmDistrict picked up Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror movie, for distribution after the closing of Disney's label Miramax put that movie in limbo, as well as the critically acclaimed arty thriller Drive, starring Ryan Gosling. Audiences didn't show up for Afraid of the Dark, which has grossed only $24 million domestically, while the company's most recent release, The Rum Diary, opened to a dismal $5.1 million last weekend. The tally of the FilmDistrict movies adds up to more than $150 million domestically. STORY: Johnny Depp's 'Rum Diary' Tanks at Box Office: What Went Wrong Sources say that friction may have led to the parting of way between the two parties. Insiders say the big marketing spends for Drive and Afraid of the Dark didn't pay off at the box office while others say personality clashes eventually undid working relationships. "While I believe in the strategy of FilmDistrict, I remain committed to my roots and family in NY where there is a vibrant film community," said Bob Berney in a statement. "The team Jeanne and I assembled in NY and Chicago are second to none and we all are proud of the work we've done and the great successes we've had. I wish my colleagues at FilmDistrict good luck in the years to come." Said Schlessel: "This consolidation was necessary due to the inherent difficulties of having our production, acquisition and business divisions in Los Angeles with our distribution and marketing team in NY. We are very excited about next year's slate of films." Bob Berney is considered a guru in terms of marketing and distributing art house fare and helping those films cross over. His list of hits include Christopher Nolan's early film Memento, Nia Vardalos' My Big Fat Greek Wedding, del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, and Alfonso Cuaron's Y Tu Mama Tambien. Related Topics FilmDistrict

Anchor Bay Acquires Channing Tatum's Senior High School Reunion Comedy 'Ten Year'

Anchor Bay Films has acquired U.S. privileges to Jamie Linden's Ten Year, an ensemble comedy set in a 10-year senior high school reunion that first showed in the Toronto Worldwide Film Festival.our editor recommendsEXCLUSIVE: Rosario Dawson and Lynn Collins Graduate to 'Ten Year'EXCLUSIVE: Oscar Isaac Joins Cast of Channing Tatum Film 'Ten Year' Anchor Bay is planning for a spring release for that movie,which stars Lynn Collins, Rosario Dawson, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, John Geraghty, Ari Graynor, Oscar Issac, Ron Livingston, Justin Lengthy, Anthony Mackie, Kate Mara, Max Minghella, Aubrey Plaza, Scott Porter, Chris Pratt and Channing Tatum. It had been created by Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Tatum and the Iron Equine Entertainment partner Reid Carolin. It had been executive created by Eric Gores, Scott Lumpkinand Frank Mancuso, Junior. with financing from Gores and Mancuso's Boss Media. Paradigm repped Linden, using the Paradigm Film Finance Group repping Gores, Mancuso and Boss Media and settling the offer with Anchor Bay. The purchase was introduced Wednesday by Anchor Bay Entertainment leader Bill Clark and Kevin Kasha, executive vice president, purchases and co-productions, Anchor Bay Films. Related Subjects Channing Tatum Rosario Dawson

'Avengers' Trailer Features Loki's Arrival On Earth, Teases Tom Hiddleston

Have you been thinking about Loki's first appearance in the "Avengers" trailer, wondering whether or not that's the Asgardian villain's first arrival on Earth in the film? Wonder no more: Tom Hiddleston confirmed to MTV News that, yes, you are indeed looking at Loki's grand entrance, though the particular how's and why's remain unclear. See what he had to say in the video below. Check out more comic book movie news past the jump! "Walking" Recap The second episode of the new season of "The Walking Dead" premiered on Sunday (October 23), and yours truly sat behind the wheel of this week's recap. Give that a read, and if you're thirsty for more "Dead" goodness, see what actor Jon Bernthal had to say about the latest episode's Shane-centric cliffhanger! Millar For Three It's a good week to be comic book writer Mark Millar. The "Kick-Ass" creator is reuniting with director Matthew Vaughn on two adaptations "Superior" and "The Secret Service" and on top of that, the rights for his comic "War Heroes" have been snatched up by Universal. Not exactly "Kick-Ass 2" levels of exciting, but cool enough news nonetheless! "Avengers" Assemble On DVD! Some more "Avengers" news for you, but not of the movie variety. We have an exclusive clip from "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes," the animated series that unleashed volumes three and four on DVD today (October 25). Watch the video below to see Thor kick all kinds of Asgardian tail! Tell us what you think of today's Splash Page roundup in the comments and on Twitter!

Will Ferrell to become Granted Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Will Ferrell is within Washington tonight: the funnyman reaches The Kennedy Center in D.C. accepting the objective Twain Prize for American Humor.our editor recommendsComedy 'He's F***ing Perfect' Acquired By Fox 2000 for Will Ferrell to create (Exclusive)'Y tu mama tambien' duo join Will Ferrell filmConans Beard Shaved by Will Ferrell (Video) The first kind SNL castmate and "Funny or Die" co-creator won't be the only real comedian in the home: Erectile dysfunction Asner (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Up), Jack Black, Matthew Broderick, Adam McKay (co-founding father of "Funny or Die" with Ferrell and Chris Henchy), Conan O'Brien, John C. Reilly, Paul Rudd, and former SNL costar Molly Shannon all will be speaking in the event. STORY: Disappointed Hollywood Giving Obama Cold Shoulder The pop-punk band Eco-friendly Day can also be scheduled to do. The evening pays tribute towards the actor, author, and producer, 44, who rose to the top comedy totem pole when he first became a member of Saturday Evening Reside in 1995. Throughout his 7-year regular stint on NBC, Ferrell produced such memorable roles as Leader George W. Rose bush, Alex Trebek, Harray Caray, Within the Stars Studio host James Lipton, Jesse Reno, Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan, and also the evening club-going Steve Butabi, who visited the giant screen in 1998's A Evening in the Roxbury. Younger crowd made an appearance in a number of films throughout this era, including Austin Forces, Celebrity, Jay and Quiet Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander. PHOTOS: Stars Who've Performed Political figures After departing SNL in 2002, Ferrell demonstrated he could standalone around the big screen with Old-fashioned in 2003, then Elf exactly the same year. He ongoing to become a box office success with Anchorman: the Legend of Ron Burgundy, Starsky & Hutch, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ough Bobby, and voiced the title character in DreamWorks Animation's Megamind. This is actually the 14th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Previous those who win includeRichard Pryor (1998), Jonathan Winters (1999), Carl Reiner (2000), Whoopi Goldberg (2001), Bob Newhart (2002), Lily Tomlin (2003), Lorne Michaels (2004), Steve Martin (2005), Neil Simon (2006), Billy Very (2007), George Carlin (2008), Bill Cosby (2009), and Tina Fey (2010). The show is going to be recorded for any 90-minute special airing Halloween evening next Monday, October 31, at 9 p.m. EST on PBS. Related Subjects Jack Black John C. Reilly Will Ferrell Conan O'Brien

New 'Puss in Boots' Clip: Humpty Dumpty Is Back Together Again

The 'Shrek' franchise is no stranger to fairytale characters -- Pinocchio, the Three Blind Mice and the Gingerhead man have all made cameos in the series. Also on the list is the swashbuckling feline Puss in Boots, who, in addition to starring in the every 'Shrek' sequel, is getting his own spinoff at the end of this month. In 'Puss in Boots,' our hero will look to take down the murderous villains Jack and Jill. Joining the adventure this time around will be Humpty Dumpty, played by the always hilarious Zach Galifianakis. In this new clip, we see Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) meet Humpty Dumpty for the first time in the movie. The two appear to have a bit of a tumultuous history, however, which Puss is very quick to point out. 'Puss in Boots' hits theaters October 28. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

The Good Wife Casts Amy Sedaris to Go Up Against Eli Gold

Amy Sedaris Amy Sedaris has booked a multi-episode arc on The Good Wife, a show rep confirms. Sedaris will play Stacie Hall, a lobbyist who starts stealing the clients of Alan Cumming's Eli Gold. "We love Amy. We sometimes have dreams of switching all the actors from The Wire and Strangers With Candy," series co-creators/executive producers Robert and Michelle King told TVLine, which first reported the casting. "The next best thing is to have Amy playing Eli Gold's nemesis." The Good Wife: Parker Posey to guest There is no set airdate for Sedaris' Good Wife debut. The 50-year-old actress, best known for the TV series and subsequent film Strangers with Candy, most recently appeared on Raising Hope. She also released a book last November called Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People. Sedaris' character won't be the only thorn in Eli's side this season. Parker Posey will guest-star as his ex-wife in the Oct. 30 episode. Watch full episodes of The Good Wife The Good Wife airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS. Do you think Sedaris is a worthy opponent for Eli?

Fishing doc 'End in the Line' reels in recognition

LONDON -- Helmer Rupert Murray's sustainable fishing documentary, "The Conclusion in the Line," hooked the initial Puma.Creative Impact Award london on Tuesday. Pic trawls in the grant of 50,000 ($68,000) being split involving the filmmakers in addition to their campaign drawing awareness for the devastating impact over-fishing is putting on the oceans as well as the people in politics who don't safeguard our planet's sea food stocks. Murray mentioned the doc "was produced to carry out a job, which wound up being to change the means by which individuals considered the oceans." Producer George Duffield introduced that, consequently in the doc, another marine reserve happen to be created inside the Maldives, doubling negligence the earth's ocean presently under defense against 1% to twoPercent. The filmmakers' goal is always to achieve 10% over the following 10 years. The jury granted an unpredicted special commendation to helmer Anders Ostergaard's "Burma VJ," in regards to the Democratic Voice of Burma, several undercover journalists who risked their lives to document the 2007 uprising in the junta. Puma acquired yet another $34,000 for your impromptu runner-up. This Years jury incorporated H.M. Full Noor of Jordan, helmer Morgan Spurlock, Sudanese music artist Emmanuel Jal, Orlando Bagwell, director in the Ford Foundation's JustFilms initiative, and actress Thandie Newton. The Puma.Creative Impact Award can be a new annual award adoring the doc making the most crucial difference in the world, while using prize to help continue the filmmakers' campaign work. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Showtime Developing Drama Series About Little-Known LGBT Subculture With Merritt Johnson & Lee Daniels

EXCLUSIVE: Temple Grandin writer W. Merritt Johnson has teamed with Precious director Lee Daniels for a drama project in development at Showtime that sheds light on a little-known LGBT subculture. The contemporary drama, which Johnson is writing and Daniels is attached to direct, is set in NY City and centers on the disenfranchised multicultural transgender youth of the Ball subculture, previously portrayed in Jennie Livingston’s 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning. Some say the roots of the NY ball house culture can be traced to the 1930s,when the first underground drag balls were held in and around NY City by white men in gay bars, while others argue that it evolved out of the Harlem ballroom scene in the 1960s. Today’s underground ball house society consists of NY Citys disadvantaged black, Latino, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transexual communities who come together to compete for trophies and prizes. They all belong to different fraternity-like “houses,” or “drag families,” that serve as surrogate families for their members banded together under one leader. Their “voguing” dance style, in which competitors freeze to pose in glamorous positions, was re-created in Madonna’s Vogue video. Johnson and Daniels are executive producing. Johnson, repped by CAA and Leverage Management, was nominated for an Emmy for Temple Grandin and won a Peabody and Humanitas Prize. He also worked on the HBO series In Treatment. CAA-repped Daniels, who received an Oscar nomination for Precious, recently signed on to write and direct an adaptation of Valley Of The Dolls for NBC, 20th TV and Chernin Entertainment. On the feature side, his follow-up to Precious, The Paper Boy starring Nicole Kidman and Matthew McConaughey will be released next year.

BUSAN FILM FESTIVAL: THR's Festival Daily

The 3rd Day in the Busan festival dailies profiles the ten people you need to know at BIFF, how Vietnam is raising its global profile and why the star-studded Korean war epic My Way is amongst the eagerly anticipated releases in Asia.Related Subjects•Busan Worldwide Film ... Make out the print here (PDF download). Related Subjects Worldwide Asia Busan Worldwide Film Festival

'True Blood' Actor Michael Raymond-James Cast in Tom Cruise's 'One Shot'

Michael Raymond-James has been cast in One Shot, theParamount-Skydance Productions drama starringTom Cruise.our editor recommendsWerner Herzog Cast as Villain in Tom Cruise's 'One Shot'Richard Jenkins Cast in Tom Cruise's 'One Shot' The project, anadaptation of a 2005Lee Childnovel, centers onJack Reacher (Cruise), an ex-Army cop who gets sucked into the mystery surrounding the arrest of a sniper accused of killing five people in a shooting. PHOTOS: True Blood's Dark, Sexy New Style Raymond-James, who played murderer René Lenier on the first season of HBO's True Blood, has been cast in the role of Linsky, described as a lifelong criminal who is hired by villain The Zec (played by Werner Herzog) for a sensitive assignment. Christopher McQuarriewilldirect from a script he wrote. One Shot, which features a cast that also includes Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo and Richard Jenkins,is set to begin filming in Pittsburgh this month. PHOTOS: Tom Cruise and Other Famous 'South Park' Spoofs Raymond-James starred on FX's Terriers, which was critically acclaimed but cancelled after one season last year. He is represented by Talent Works and Sanders Armstrong Caserta Management. Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller Related Topics True Blood Tom Cruise Werner Herzog Movie Casting

R.I.P. Jobs

Up-to-date WITH HOLLYWOOD TRIBUTES: Apple just released this statement concerning the dying of their co-founder afterhis lengthy fight with cancer: “We are deeply saddened to announce that Jobs died today. Steve’s brilliance, passion and were the origin of numerous improvements that enrich andimprove our lives. The planet is immeasurably better due to Steve.” Hewas 56.What acompelling legacy he results in,building the planet’s best technology company by creating the products that transformed how people use electronics and totally changed the pc, music, and cell phone industries.Immediately, Wally DisneyPresident and CEOBob Igercirculated this response: “Steve Jobs would be a great friend in addition to a reliable consultant.His legacy will extend far past the items he produced or even the companies he built. It will likely be themillions of individuals he inspired, the lives he transformed, and also the culture he defined. Steve was this kind of original, having a completely creative, imaginative mind that defined a period. Despite all he accomplished, it feels as though he only agreed to be getting began.Together with his passing the earth has lost an uncommon original, Disney has lost an associate in our family, and that i have forfeit an excellent friend. Our ideas and hopes are together with his wife Laurene and the children throughout this hard time.” It’s no exaggeration to express that Iger’s 2005 success solving the lengthy-running feud between Disney and Jobs put in place by autocratic Michael Eisner signaled to Wall Street the Mouse House is at good hands. Jobs and Eisner have been warring within the existing Pixar distribution deal and it is unlikely renewal — lower to particulars like whether Pixar would deliver Toy Story sequels. (Eisner stated yes. Jobs stated no.) Even Roy Disney, nephew from the studio’s founder,on the sides withPixar against Eisner, whose relationship with Jobs am broken at that time that Iger grew to become point guy in thePixar discussions. On his veryfirst day as Boss, October 1, 2005, Iger told the board thathis top prioritywas to repair Disney’s slouching animation business and the method of doing which was to purchase Jobs’ Pixar.The first reaction, based on news reviews, was”stunned silence.” The boardgave Igerthe go-ahead for that garguantuan $7 billionpurchase. It made Jobsinto Disney’s biggest individualshareholder having a 7% stake virtually overnight.Additionally, it putPixar executives Erectile dysfunction Catmull and John Lasseter responsible for the Disney animation legacy. Later, Jobs told Fortune that Iger won him over when Iger stated that, the moment hefound out he would be Boss, he spent each day at Disneyland happening everyride and watching every show simply to realize that all of the new points of interest were based onPixar figures.Jobs up to his dying gaveIger and also the board input on everything. “I consider Bob Iger a buddy,”Jobs told playboy. “I don’t have lots of buddies. I simply enjoy him, and that he’s a reallysolid guy.” Later, whenJobs created ofiPods and iTunes and apple iphones and iPads, Iger’s Disney was the first adopter. “Steve Jobs was an remarkable visionary, our very dear friend and also the guiding light from the Pixar family,” stated John Lasseter, Chief Creative Officer & Erectile dysfunction Catmull, Leader, Wally Disney and Pixar Animation Galleries. “He saw thepotential of the items Pixar might be prior to the relaxation people, and beyond what anybody ever imagined. Steve required an opportunity upon us and supported our crazy imagine making cartoon films the main one factor he always stated ended up being to simply ‘make it great.’ He's why Pixar switched view we did and the strength, integrity and passion for existence makes all of us better people. He'll forever take part in Pixars DNA. Our hearts go to his wife Laurene as well as their children throughout this incredibly hard time.” News Corp Chairman Rupert Murdoch labored carefully with Jobs on developing exclusive content for that iPad: “Today, we lost probably the most influential thinkers, designers and entrepreneurs ever.David Jobs was this is the finest Boss of his generation.As I am deeply saddened by his passing, I’m reminded from the stunning impact he'd in changing the landscape of the way in which people consume media and entertainment.My heart is out to his family and also to everybody who had the chance to operate beside him in getting his many visions to existence.” After several weeks upon several weeks of showing up in public places weak and skeletal due to his illness, Jobs resigned his position atop Apple on August 24thsaying he could no more meet his responsibilities and anticipation as Apple Boss. Tuesday was the very first major product unveiling that will not be created by Jobs. Rather, his successor Tim Cookpresentedthe apple iphone 4S along with other upgrades.Jobs were built with a profound impact on Hollywood business byreinvigorating animation at Disney through Pixar and helping engineer that galleries acquisition of the CGI toon hitmaker. Additionally, his hardware and iTunes software have assisted Large Media find new platforms for his or her content when DVD sales hit the skids. Experts agreed the next arena for Apple to understand is television which recently named Boss Tim Prepare, formerly the companys COO, might be better still suitable for guide the organization there. But without Jobs genius facility for imagineering and branding, Apples future remains unclear although the organization’s stock have been increasing since Jobs’ exit. Before apple iphone 5 didn’t appear. Jobs resignation letter towards the Apple Board of Company directors and also the Apple Community was poignant: “I have always stated if there ever came each day after i could no more meet my responsibilities and anticipation as Apples Boss, I will be the first to show you. Regrettably, on that day originates.In my opinion Apple’s cleverest and many innovative days are in front of it. And That I anticipate watching and adding to the success inside a new role. I've made a few of the close friends of my existence at Apple, and that i thanks all for that years of having the ability to work alongside you.” Stated Art Levinson, Chairman of Genentech, with respect to Apples Board, when Jobs resigned: Steves remarkable vision and leadership saved Apple and led it to the position because the mobile phone industry's state-of-the-art and valuable technology company.Steve makes numerous contributions to Apples success, and that he has attracted and inspired Apples hugely creative employees and first class executive team. In the new role as Chairman from the Board, Steve continues for everyone Apple together with his unique experience, creativeness and inspiration. But it wasn't to become.

HLN offering coverage of Murray trial

As the legal teams involved in the Conrad Murray manslaughter trial begin to sift through the grisly details of Michael Jackson's death, HLN is giving the trial the Casey Anthony treatment.HLN has promised "gavel-to-gavel" coverage of the trial, which began last Tuesday and is expected to take four to six weeks before a verdict is rendered. And HLN is not the only outlet capitalizing on the trial: Fox Television Stations created a smartphone/tablet app that streams live coverage from its O&O KTTV in Los Angeles -- a program that outpaced all the other paid news apps in the Apple store within 24 hours of its launch.The major broadcast nets are offering live streaming of the trial on their websites. The other news cablers seem to have ceded the territory to HLN for now. One MSNBCer says they're "definitely not going wall to wall with it," and HLN was the only net to announce comprehensive coverage plans. HLN saw a ratings spike last week, with its total viewer average climbing from 97,000 on Tuesday to 145,000 on Wednesday -- compared with a recent average of 32,000 before the trial began. Over the same period, CNN dropped slightly from the previous week in total-day viewers (122,000) while MSNBC was mostly flat (138,000) and Fox News (310,000) saw a slight bump. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

Ronni Chasen Murder Case Tipster Sues Over Reward

Publicist Michael Levine and Palm Springs Film Festival head Harold Matzner are named in a lawsuit filed in L.A. County Superior Court on Monday by a "John Doe" who claims he never got a promised $125,000 reward for information leading to the identification of Ronni Chasen's killer. our editor recommendsBeverly Hills Police Chief: Ronni Chasen Murder a Rare, Isolated Incident Read the full lawsuit here. TMZ reports the tipster claims he contacted America's Most Wanted with information that led police to the Hollywood apartment of Harold Martin Smith. Smith was eventually confronted by police, shot and killed in the lobby of his apartment building on December 1, 2010. Police eventually concluded that Smith was in fact Chasen's killer in what they determined was a robbery gone wrong. The tipster's suit says he is the sole person to provide information to America's Most Wanted, and therefore is entitled to the full $125,000 reward. He says Levine offered $25,000 and Matzner offered $100,000. Levine tells TMZ the claims are "totally false." He also says, "I never arranged for a reward fund. I offered to call some friends, but was told by the family that the Palm Springs Film Festival was handling the reward." Related Topics Ronni Chasen

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Howard Bragman Steps Lower as Boss of A Quarter-hour PR

Bill Harrison takes over as Boss at A Quarter-hour Pr, changing founder Howard Bragman, the organization introduced Monday. The move works well immediately. Harrison had formerly offered as leader and COO from the L.A.-based agency.Bragman, an experienced Hollywood publicist who signifies Chaz Bono, Camille Grammer and Craig Manilow, will support the position of chairman. "Bill has shown to be an adept strategist and partner and i'm confident he'll embrace this role effective with respect to the company I founded to determine us grow to new levels," Bragman stated inside a statement. "His client management and mentorship abilities internally are talents one of the better I've observed in my 3 decades in the commercial.Inch Bragman, additionally a Hollywood political player, told THR he's vacating the Boss publish while he has duties and interests beyond running the pr firm he founded in 2005, adding that Harrison "offers the continuity and leadership to help keep this firm continue.Inch Bragmam is really a consultant to get affordable Morning America and regularly seems on Entertainment Tonight and Showbiz Tonight. Harrison became a member of A Quarter-hour following a stint at PMK -- now PMK*BNC -- where he handled the company's corporate entertainment clients. At A Quarter-hour, Harrison has handled the accounts of entertainment and lifestyle clients for example Ford Motor Co., Alloy Entertainment and eHarmony. "Now as part of your, brands, personas and celebs require highly creative and proper thinking to achieve this complex marketplace, Harrison stated inside a statement."I'm proud to carry on the work using the team and Howard, once we still expand our client success and gratifaction.Inch Email: Daniel.Burns@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller Related Subjects

Website shows Fascination with Nollywood

Gauteng -- Nollywood fans annoyed by the Nigerian film industry's ragtag distribution efforts have switched to some website that's snatching up privileges to local photos for online streaming.The website, Nollywood Love, founded by Nigerian entrepreneur Jason Njoku, was produced like a one-stop look for fans of his country's prolific film biz. They have acquired the privileges to almost 800 photos since starting last December.Njoku, who had been elevated within the U.K., states he was inspired to produce the web site after fruitless tries to find Nollywood Dvd disks for Nigerian relatives working in london.Prior to lengthy, he recognized that many people of Nigeria's diaspora viewed Nollywood photos online, where feature-length films were sliced up and submitted in a nutshell segments to YouTube.Regardless of the low quality, the photos were built with a huge following. Njoku recognized just how much untrained potential the web offered."The greater I checked out this strange factor known as Nollywood online, the greater I recognized there appeared to become no infrastructure around it," he states.Nollywood Love required off right after its launch and rapidly created a devoted YouTube funnel that draws in a lot more than ten million sights monthly -- a web-based coup for that filmmakers behind such cult hits as "Caught in the process," "Pastor's Gemstone" and "Pleasure and Crime."Njoku calls the website "a large part of the best direction" to have an industry affected by piracy and hampered by poor distribution."It gives Nigerian producers and production houses an chance to earn money,Inch he states.Revenue for Nollywood Love originates from short advertisements before each film.A lot more than 90% of traffic around the YouTube funnel presently originates from the diaspora, that has attracted audiences in additional than 200 nations."They are locations that traditional distribution would not have the ability to achieve," he states, stating the cost of global distribution.As internet broadband access makes greater inroads across Africa, Njoku also hopes Nollywood Love allows Nigerian helmers to achieve bigger auds around the region."Nollywood isn't a Nigerian phenomenon -- it's more a pan-African (phenomenon)," he states. "When (African audiences go) online, hopefully to become there." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

5 Things to Know About the Busan Film Festival

1. Pusan or Busan?: Busan has largely gone with "B" for the past decade, though the festival dates to when Romanization of the name meant it was called the Pusan International Film Festival. Organizers say visitors will no longer be confused about whether Pusan and Busan refer to the same port city (they do). And because BIFF has gone with PIFF for so long, Internet search engines can find information about the festival using either keyword. 2. Ticket Tech:Hur Nam-sik, Busan mayor and festival chairman, says the organizing committee is working to provide more mobile access to tickets. South Korea is one of the world's most tech-friendly countries, and fans can now purchase movie tickets with smartphones that can then be claimed at any Busan Bank location. Advance tickets also can be purchased through the festival's website at www.biff.kr. 3. Kim Kee-duk: BIFF plans to honor the life and career of Kim Kee-duk, the prolific helmer who defined 1960s Korean cinema. Since debuting with Five Marines in 1961, Kim turned out 66 features during a 16-year career through 1977. Hermes Korea, the local branch of the French fashion line, will hold a special reception in honor of 76-year-old director Oct. 7 in the Grand Ballroom of the Paradise Hotel. 4. Luxury Lounging: With fabulous suites that BIFF organizers reserve for the VIPs, the Westin Chosun Hotel - named after Korea's last royal dynasty, the Joseon (Chosun) Kingdom - offers fine dining, spa facilities and a view overlooking Haeundae Beach. The Chosun also offers access to Dongbaek Island and its mysterious mermaid sculpture as well as an open-sea garden for a great view of the Gwangan Grand Bridge. Rooms start at $163 a night. Visit www.echosunhotel.com. 5. Attention, Foodies: Haeundae Beach is a haven for food lovers, offering everything from upscale Italian cuisine to quirky local fare found in an entire alley lined with sogogi gukbap, or beef-stew eateries. Because Busan is a port city, seafood fans should head to Jagalchi Market for fresh fish. Bustling with vendor stalls and makeshift restaurants where you can eat charcoal-roasted clams on the spot, the area offers an experience not to be missed. Related Topics International Asia Busan International Film Festival

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Software fights piracy

With cyberlockers prepared to store numerous hrs of audio and video files, tech firm Vobile has released vCloud9 like a tool to shut digital doorways on unlicensed material. The Film Assn. of America has tossed its support behind the program technology specific at file-hosting services that identifies and handles unauthorized content that's been submitted for their sites. "vCloud9 provides an important new tool for website operators offering legitimate cloud-based storage services to have the ability to uncover unauthorized content on the internet and ensure copyright compliance, therefore safeguarding the privileges of content proprietors and also the creative community," stated Kevin Suh, senior Vice president, content protection, Internet for that MPAA. With cyberlockers, nearly all unauthorized submissions are saved as compressed files to permit simpler file uploading and installing. Through such file compressions, however, it's frequently hard to discern what the actual submissions are and whether's it has been legitimately bought. When vCloud9 finds new content, it matches its to Vobile's VDNA Database, a registry of copyrighted audiovisual content. If your match is located, business rules based on this content owner are instantly triggered the guidelines vary from serving advertisements from the submitted content to getting rid of the fabric directly from the website. Vobile is really a Santa Clara, Calif.-based creator of multimedia content monitoring and protection technology that's utilized by the main galleries, TV systems, record labels and sports leagues. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

Thomas Gibson on How Two and a Half Men Pulled Off a Dharma & Greg Reunion

Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson The biggest surprise of Monday night's big Two and a Half Men season premiere may have been the unexpected appearance of Dharma & Greg stars Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson. While much of the episode's secrets had already leaked - from the death of Charlie Harper to the funeral appearance of his old girlfriends - the show managed to keep the cameos by Elfman and Gibson a complete secret. Turns out that's because Elfman and Gibson weren't actually at the taping of Two and a Half Men's season opener. Instead, they shot their cameo days later, and didn't do it in front of a studio audience. The clip of Elfman and Gibson was later shown to another audience in order to record their reaction and laughter - and that crowd, which signed a non-disclosure agreement, managed to keep it quiet. "Nobody seemed to put it out there, which was kind of nice," Gibson says. Two and a Half Men executive producer Chuck Lorre was also the creator behind Dharma & Greg, which ran on ABC from 1997 to 2002. (Trivia note: It's the first show to feature Lorre's now-famous weekly vanity card messages.) Gibson, who's already a team CBS player (as the star of the network's long-running drama Criminal Minds), was immediately game to the idea. "I got a call and Chuck wanted to have some surprises and make a really big splash for the first episode," Gibson says. "I thought it was a really funny idea." That's why, nine years after Dharma & Greg went off the air, Elfman and Gibson - bickering like a couple that has now been married 15 years - were among the guest stars showing up to take a look at the Malibu beach house formerly occupied by Charlie, and now on the market. John Stamos was another cameo. One hiccup: Dharma & Greg was produced by 20th Century Fox TV, while Two and a Half Men is a Warner Bros. TV show. Lorre didn't secure permission to use the characters, but technically he didn't need to: Elfman and Gibson never referred to each other as "Dharma" or "Greg", and they were simply billed as special guest appearances, without actual character names. "I don't know if it was Dharma and Greg," Gibson says with a wink. "It could have been a different couple." But even casual Dharma & Greg viewers probably picked up on the similar character types. Elfman, for example, walked down the stairs marveling about the home's "feng shui." Then the two start squabbling, Gibson suggests a divorce, and Elfman promises to "take you and your uptight bourgeois family for everything you've got." (If you recall, the conflict between Dharma's hippy character and Greg's uptight family provided the backdrop for the show.) So are Dharma and Greg on the outs? "They certainly seem to be having some issues," Gibson says. "I'd like to think things are still OK between them, even though they might have been at each others' throats there." Gibson says the scene took about an hour to shoot, and that he had a chance to catch up with Elfman. "I hadn't seen her in a while," he says. Much of the Two and a Half Men crew once worked on Dharma & Greg, which made for another type of homecoming, he adds. "To get the chance to get together again, even for just an hour or so, was cool. It was a family reunion and a great experience for us." It's been a good week for Gibson. Besides appearing in the top-rated Two and a Half Men episode, Criminal Minds returned for its seventh season with a roar. The show averaged a strong 14.1 million viewers and a 4.1 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic - a stunning accomplishment for a show so late in its run. "Never underestimate the American public's taste for gore and mayhem and serial killers," quips Gibson. But the star also credited the return of stars Paget Brewster and A.J. Cook and a "new infusion of energy" on the show. "It feels like what we've done so far this season is some of the best stuff we've ever done," he says. Of course, following his Two and a Half Men gig, Gibson admits that he may have been bitten again by the comedy bug. "You can't substitute the act of making people laugh," he says. "It's definitely something that actors like to do." Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

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