Exclusive: VFX studio in Taiwan pact

Visual effects company Rhythm & Hues Galleries has pacted for 3 new endeavors in Taiwan: a movie investment fund, a brand new visual effects facility along with a cloud computing center for that vfx and animation industries. The deals, to become official in signing events on 12 ,. 30 in Taipei and 12 ,. 31 in Kaohsiung, sets up three stand alone businesses. The film investment fund, East Grand Films, has been setup by using Taiwan's Secretary of state for Economic Matters. It aims to co-finance and co-produce "major Hollywood movies," based on R&H. East Grand will leverage R&H's Hollywood associations to locate investment possibilities. R&H sets up its new vfx facility within the southern town of Kaohsiung. It aims to eventually employ 200 Taiwanese artists. The brand new facility is going to be La-based R&H's sixth, joining facilities in Vancouver Hyderabad, India and Kl, Malaysia. The cloud computing center is going to be setup like a partnership between R&H, Chunghwa Telecom and Quanta Computer systems, a maker of mobile computing and electronic hardware. R&H is crediting helmer Ang Lee, who's dealing with the organization on Fox's "Existence of Pi," with recommending greater cooperation between R&H and Taiwan. "He opened up doorways for all of us using the MOEA," stated Lee Berger, prexy of R&H's film division, "And we have been very impressed using the support and guidance we have received in the Taiwanese government since.Inch Besides "Existence of Pi," R&H's slate includes "Large Miracle," "R.I.P.D." and "Snow Whitened and also the Huntsman." Studio is renowned for its fur and animal work, that was conspicuously featured within the Oscar-winning vfx for "The Golden Compass." It had been a producer on "Yogi Bear" and it is developing its very own feature qualities. Its development slate including "Super Zero," to become helmed by John Dykstra. Contact David S. Cohen at david.cohen@variety.com

Why 'Super 8' is The Best Comic Book Movie of the Year

But how can that be?! 'Super 8' isn't based off a comic book. Article FAIL! You're right, 'Super 8' has nothing in common with a comic book. In 'Super 8,' lovable outcast Joe Lamb (Joel Courteney) is caught up in an amazing adventure where an other-worldly threat descends upon his neighborhood; armed with his wits and a few limited resources, he fights to save the life of the girl of his dreams (Elle Fanning), all while trying to live up to the lessons imparted from his deceased parent. The movie cleverly juggles the duel conflicts of young angst and sci-fi spectacle, using beautifully detailed art design and breath-taking action sequences. It couldn't have less in common with Spider-Man. But in all seriousness, 'Super 8' contains all the same bullet points as a comic book movie: thrills and chills, charming heroes and melodrama designed to appeal to the young and young-at-heart. Does "comic book movie" forever have to mean "a movie that was adapted from Marvel Comics issue #233"? A comic book movie should be something that looks and feels like the best comic reading experience, but is transformed into something new and unique on the big screen. And if more projects like 'Super 8' come along, hopefully future comic book movies won't have to be weighed down by the boundaries of pre-existing comics. Why do I consider 'Super 8' to be the best comic book movie of the year? Because unlike 'Thor,' its romance was more genuine. Unlike 'Captain America' it didn't feel like it was sprinting to set up the sequel. Unlike 'X-Men: First Class,' its band of teen heroes were better developed with more personality. It wasn't made by a hired gun looking to collect a paycheck; it was made by a geek auteur (and former comic shop employee) who was writing a love letter to a certain kind of story. I don't let a little thing like "no actual 'Super 8' comic" get in the way of proclaiming it the best comic book movie of the year. Watch the trailer for 'Super 8' 2011 was a prolific year for comic book movies: in addition to Marvel's three releases, 'Green Lantern,' 'Dylan Dog: Dead of Night,' 'Cowboys & Aliens,' 'The Adventures of Tintin' and 'The Smurfs' all saw theatrical release this year. But did each of these adaptations truly capture the spirit of their comic book origins? A comic book movie aims to mash up genres like sci-fi, action, horror, comedy or romance with lots of bright, colorful visuals. Why can't comic fans itch that scratch with movies like 'Super 8,' 'Attack the Block,' 'Hobo With a Shotgun' or 'Drive'? 'Hobo With a Shotgun' does over-the-top vigilantism and moral caricatures better than the three 'Punisher' movies that have been attempted. Ryan Gosling's calm, cool and brooding Driver persona feels like it was plucked straight out of a Vertigo mini-series. Compare 'Green Lantern' with 'Attack the Block.' Both movies deal with bad-ass, wise-cracking humans fighting off alien invasions. But 'Attack the Block' was made by Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright, a creative team that grew up with geek pop culture, and sought to pay tribute to their influences, while still saying something new. 'Green Lantern' was designed to be a Warner Bros. tentpole franchise that would replace the now-concluding 'Harry Potter' and 'Dark Knight' series with lucrative merchandising opportunities. The ultimate end goal of 'Attack the Block' was to give sci-fi fans something they had never seen before. 'The ultimate end goal of 'Green Lantern' was to develop a new entertainment brand that could appeal to various demographics that have never read a 'Green Lantern' comic (in the form of action figures, video games, clothes, school supplies and Halloween costumes). Which movie do you think would be the more satisfying experience for comic book fans? And no matter how big this year felt, 2012 will actually be bigger, with the release of 'The Avengers,' 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and 'The Dark Knight Rises.' Hollywood is always going to chase trends and film something that's already proven to work. But as box office receipts continue to plummet and the entertainment industry struggles to harness profits in the wake of a financial depression, they're going to mine the source material harder and faster than before. Spider-Man fans are complaining that this summer's reboot is wasting time telling an origin story that everyone already knows; all they need to see is Peter Parker swinging through NY City, punching out Doc Ock and getting yelled at by Jameson. Well that's not going to happen -- because Sony wants to target the current teen market that is obsessed with 'Twilight.' The only thing Sony needs to do is not piss off Spider-Man fans too much; your devotion to Spider-Man is so complete, that the studio knows your ticket purchase is already a guarantee. They don't need to make a movie that sells to you; they just need to remind you of their brand. Die-hard 'Green Lantern' or 'Spider-Man' fans will stick by their franchise no matter what; these characters have been with the readers since childhood, and the readers will stand by them through better or worse. Simply getting to the adaptation stage isn't the victory, and neither is getting a movie that fits into a pre-existing template without compromising too much. The victory is a unique movie that embodies the virtues and infinite possibilities of a comic book. Comics have never been for the masses -- they've always appealed to the weird, the geeky, the outcast and the daydreamers. And their movies should strive to be as audacious. There's going to be a time (probably sooner than later) when movies based on comic books are not special anymore. They will be just another formula that clogs up movie theaters like schlocky horror movies and bad romantic comedies. That can be averted if fans and filmmakers alike start thinking outside the four-color box and start changing the definition of what it means to be a "comic book movie." It can be its own genre and style free from any technological boundaries; it should be pulp fiction for a certain type of filmmaker and a certain type of audience. 'Scott Pilgrim vs. The World' shouldn't be looked at as the risk that failed; it should be the creative standard that lights a fire under the ass of movie directors and comic artists alike. What's to stop J.J. Abrams or Joss Whedon from forgoing the monthly floppy altogether and bringing an original superhero to the big screen? Conversely, why couldn't Grant Morrison or Mark Millar draw from their years of scripting sequential art, and film their own sci-fi blockbusters? If the label is too rigid to shake, then keep 'Steel,' 'Elektra' and 'Fantastic Four' as your definition of "comic book movies"; I'm going to replace them with 'Robocop,' 'Big Trouble in Little China' and 'The Incredibles' for mine. As a lifelong comic reader, I'll always check out the latest superhero adaptation from the Big Two. But as a fan of the artform, I'm much more excited to see a project that re-invents the storytelling tools, and moves like a living, breathing 3D comic book that pops off the theater screen. ComicsAlliance Counterpoint: 'The Adventures of Tintin' is The Best Comic Book Movie of the Year Get more comic book news at ComicsAlliance. (Photo credits from top: Paramount, Warner Bros., Sony) The Geekiest Movie Moments of 2011 11. Wolverine's Cameo in 'X-Men: First Class'10. Peter Sarsgaard's Forehead in 'Green Lantern'9. Geek Hollywood Unites on 'The Adventures of Tintin'8. The Plague from 'Hobo With a Shotgun'7. All the Asgard Scenes in 'Thor'6. The Jotnar from 'The Troll Hunter'5. They Finally Kiss in 'The Deathly Hallows, Part 2'4. The Driller from 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'3. Andy Serkis as Caesar in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'2. Moses Vs. the Monsters in 'Attack the Block'1. 'The Case' from 'Super 8' See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Eric Larnick on Twitter Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

'W.E' Composer Talks Golden Globes, Making Music With Madonna

In talking about mainstream award shows and the predictability of their annual nominees lists, the Golden Globes are often the hardest to predict in that their nominees always include a few unexpected surprises. This year, no one was perhaps more pleasantly surprised at hearing the 2012 nominations than composer Abel Korzeniowski, who scored a Best Original Score nomination for his work on "W./E.," the Madonna-directed romantic drama that has yet to be released wide in theaters. "Its quite difficult when a movie is not really in theaters," Korzeniowski told MTV News recently of his disbelief in being nominated. "So far weve had only the qualifying run which was one theater in Los Angeles so almost no one had seen the film. It was even more surprising because we have no ads anywhere, not on the Internet, not in newspapers so I thought it wouldnt be possible." In short: "It's a big surprise." The Polish composer, whose most recent work was the score for "A Single Man," went on to say that becoming involved with "W./E." in the first place was an even bigger surprise. "One day I got a call that Madonna wanted to contact me and I just couldnt believe it. 'What do you mean Madonna? The Madonna?' She wanted to send me a script and I got it and in the script itself there were already references to my music," he recalled. "This was really flattering. Most of the time after our initial meetings we had to work on the phone, which is not ideal situation but at least when we spoke on the phone she was able to sing a little to me which was really thrilling, if you think about it. Madonna is singing my music on the phone and hearing this and she doesnt need auto tune, it was just great." Korzeniowski explained that this particular scoring experience, for which he employed a 60-piece orchestra and various piano, violin, cello and viola solos, as well as the appropriately anachronistic inclusion of a Sex Pistols song, was unique in that Madonna flew out to Los Angeles to work with him at his studio and he composed music on the spot. "This was a really great adventure because basically I had to compose having her behind my back. It was a very stressful situation because its unusual. A lot of time its not such an immediate process, but at the same time it was really thrilling and it worked well. The most surprising thing about working with Madonna? Well, the tempo of work. The four months we worked together felt like the final stage of any other movie, the stage where everything speeds up and you have to work to your fullest ability. I loved it, shes such a perfectionist and she cares about every little detail, how it affects the story and I think this was the biggest thrill and challenge." Does Korzeniowski's Globe nomination have you curious to see "W./E." when it hits theaters February 3, 2012? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter!

AMC renews 'Hell on Wheels'

AMC has given another-season order to oater ''Hell on Wheels.'' Renewal marks another success story for your cabler, which has seen its first-year scripted series except one receiving year. ''The Killing,'' ''Mad Males,'' ''The Walking Dead,'' and ''Breaking Bad'' all handled to obtain past their rookie season. Only ''Rubicon'' was canceled after one season. ''Hell on Wheels'' came an effective 4.4 million audiences due to its November. 6 debut, with 2.4 million inside the 18-49 demo. The summer season finale is positioned for Jan. 15. Show, which shoots in Alberta, Canada and concentrates on the structure in the Transcontinental Railroad following a Civil War, stars Anson Mount, Colm Meaney and customary. Entertainment One produces, with designers Joe and Tony Gayton professional creating alongside Jeremy Gold of Endemol, showrunner John Shiban and pilot director David Von Ancken. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

List Of Nominees For The Golden Globe Awards

First Published: December 15, 2011 10:04 AM EST Credit: Dreamworks Caption Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer in DreamWorks The HelpLOS ANGELES, Calif. -- MOTION PICTURES Picture, Drama: The Descendants, 'The Help, 'Hugo, 'The Ides of March, 'Moneyball, 'War Horse. Picture, Musical or Comedy: 50/50, 'The Artist, 'Bridesmaids, 'Midnight in Paris, 'My Week with Marilyn. Actor, Drama: George Clooney, The Descendants; Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar; Michael Fassbender, Shame; Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March; Brad Pitt, Moneyball. Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs; Viola Davis, The Help; Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady; Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin. Director: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; George Clooney, The Ides of March; Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Alexander Payne, The Descendants; Martin Scorsese, Hugo. Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, The Artist; Brendan Gleeson, The Guard; Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50; Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love; Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris. Actress, Musical or Comedy: Jodie Foster, Carnage; Charlize Theron, Young Adult; Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids; Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn; Kate Winslet, Carnage. Supporting Actor: Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn; Albert Brooks, Drive; Jonah Hill, Moneyball; Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method; Christopher Plummer, Beginners. Supporting Actress: Berenice Bejo, The Artist; Jessica Chastain, The Help; Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs; Octavia Spencer, The Help; Shailene Woodley, The Descendants. Foreign Language: The Flowers of War, 'In the Land of Blood and Honey, 'The Kid with a Bike, 'A Separation, 'The Skin I Live In. Animated Film: The Adventures of Tintin, 'Arthur Christmas, 'Cars 2, 'Puss in Boots, 'Rango. Screenplay: Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, The Ides of March; Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist; Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants; Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball. Original Score: Ludovic Bource, The Artist; Abel Korzeniowski, W.E.; Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Howard Shore, Hugo; John Williams, War Horse. Original Song: Hello Hello (music by Elton John, lyrics by Bernie Taupin), Gnomeo&Juliet; The Keeper (music and lyrics by Chris Cornell), Machine Gun Preacher; Lay Your Head Down (music by Brian Byrne, lyrics by Glenn Close), Albert Nobbs; The Living Proof (music by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr., lyrics by Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas), The Help; Masterpiece (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), W.E. TELEVISION Series, Drama: American Horror Story, FX; Boardwalk Empire, HBO; Boss, Starz; Game of Thrones, HBO; Homeland, Showtime. Actor, Drama: Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire; Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad; Kelsey Grammer, Boss; Jeremy Irons, The Borgias; Damian Lewis, Homeland. Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, Homeland; Mireille Enos, The Killing; Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife; Madeleine Stowe, Revenge; Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness. Series, Musical or Comedy: Enlightened, HBO; Episodes, Showtime; Glee, Fox; Modern Family, ABC; New Girl, Fox. Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, Enlightened; Zooey Deschanel, New Girl; Tina Fey, 30 Rock; Laura Linney, The Big C; Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation. Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock; David Duchovny, Californication; Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory; Thomas Jane, Hung; Matt LeBlanc, Episodes. Miniseries or Movie: Cinema Verite, HBO; Downton Abbey (Masterpiece), PBS; The Hour, BBC America; Mildred Pierce, HBO; Too Big to Fail, HBO. Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Romola Garai, The Hour; Diane Lane, Cinema Verite; Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece), Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult; Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce. Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece); Idris Elba, Luther; William Hurt, Too Big to Fail; Bill Nighy, Page Eight (Masterpiece); Dominic West, The Hour. Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story; Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire; Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey (Masterpiece); Sofia Vergara, Modern Family; Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce. Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones; Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail; Guy Pierce, Mildred Pierce; Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite; Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family. PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Morgan Freeman. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ad campaign to boost anti-piracy bill

Hollywood studios, networks, and guilds and unions, and other content creators are pouring money into a broadcast and cable ad campaign, hoping to drum up support for a major piece of anti-piracy legislation, and to counter intense opposition from Internet firms and public interest groups. Creative America, an organization recently formed to organize industry and grassroots support for the PROTECT IP Act in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House, said that the ads are scheduled to air on broadcast and national cable television channels, and will also appear in print form and online. The campaign will be one of the most significant media efforts by Hollywood to make its case for more stringent rules in Congress to curb copyright infringement on the Internet. With edgy music and an image of hand typing on a keyboard in a darkened room, the narrator says, "They're stealing American jobs. Internet criminals, using illegal foreign websites." B>a href="http://vimeo.com/33248176" target="_new">The ad/a>/b> calls for viewers to contact Congress to urge support for the bills. Creative America was formed by studios and unions in part to make anti-piracy issues to rank-and-file members of the industry, as well as to the general public. But the effort has been overshadowed in recent weeks as Internet firms like Google, Facebook and Yahoo took out a full page ads in the NY Times opposing the legislation, and groups like MoveOn and DemandProgress mount viral efforts to urge lawmakers to vote against the bills. The ads were produced by Armour Griffin Media, including creative director Mark Armour and political consultant Chad Griffin. The org also unveiled a documentary short, "Content Theft: The Big Picture," which explores the world of "stolen films and television on the Internet." Contact Ted Johnson at ted.johnson@variety.com

'Glee' Recap: Sam's Return, Sectionals Showdown

Ray Mickshaw/FOX A former Universal Network Television employee might soon get to bring to a jury claims that behind the scenes of TV show House there's "hard-drinking, over-sexed, cussing, gun-toting males" who made life difficult for her.our editor recommends'House' Star Hugh Laurie Says He'll Retire From TV Acting Once Show EndsOlivia Wilde Makes Final 'House' Appearance Monday: 'I See It as a Really Important Chapter in My Life' (Video) In July 2010,Carl Jones, who spent four years working as an assistant property master on the Fox medical mystery show, suedHouseproducer Universal and two of its staffers, claiming that he was victim to sexual harassment and was fired when he spoke up about allegedly obnoxious behavior on the part of his supervisors. After nearly a year and a half of extensive discovery and pre-trial motions, Los Angeles Superior Court JudgeRichard Fruinindicated last week his willingness to have a jury decide whether Jones was retaliated against for objecting to a hostile workplace. Jones makes some wild allegations in his lawsuit about back-stage behavior on the show. He targets his supervisorsTyler PattonandMike Caseyfor repeated bad acts and says his genitals were groped and that he was called a "bitch," "faggot," "slave," and "pussy." In the prop trailer where Jones worked, the plaintiff alleges that adult magazines and adult movies were around and that his supervisors were hard drinkers who would invite females from the wardrobe and other production departments there to engage in sexual activity. Jones allegeshe was forced to clean up semen and condom wrappers and was ridiculed when he declined to go out to a nearby off-set strip club. The set ofHouseis also described as a dangerous place to work. Against Universal's policies, Patton allegedly brought a real gun there and would throw knifes in between bouts of tequila drinking. Jones says he was fired in March 2010, by an extremely drunk Patton, after which he complained to Garret van der Meer, the show's co-executive producer/unit production manager. Jones says his complaints were ignored, and the former staffer believes that speaking up about what was going on, including contacting his union, led to retaliation, included being "blackballed from all Universal Productions." Jones says he scored another job after his dismissal, but as a result of being placed on a blacklist, he wasn't able to get access to the Fox lot, so he then lost that second job. Universal wanted a summary judgment dismissal of this lawsuit, saying that Jones had failed to exhaust his administrative remedies, that his claims were time-barred, and that the plaintiff couldn't show "discriminatory motive based on his gender or perceived sexual orientation." The studio said that each season was an independent one in terms of employment and that the decision to not rehire Jones for Season 7 of House couldn't be tied to Jones' allegations of sexual innuendo on the set. The defendant believes that Jones' theories about why he was dismissed are merely speculative. For their part,Patton and Casey vigorously denied they engaged in the above-described offensive conduct. At a hearing last week, Judge Fruin considered some of the evidence submitted in depositions so far and tentatively decided there are enough triable issues to reject Universal's motions to dismiss discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims. He threw out claims based on the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and asked for additional briefings for a hearing scheduled for December 16. If the judge sticks to his tentative ruling, the case could be on track to be heard by a jury next year. Jones is represented byLawrence Organat Equality Law, and Universal is being repped byLori BowmanandMarrian Changat Ogletree, Deakins. E-mail: eriqgardner@yahoo.com Twitter: @eriqgardner House

New 'The Lorax' Trailer: More Fuel For Fox Business

.publish-content img The condition trailer for 'The Lorax' has turned up, also it won't be soothing the fears in the folks at Fox Business. 'The Lorax,' using the popular Dr. Seuss book, notifies the story in the evil Once-ler (Erection dysfunction Helms), who decreases all the Truffula Trees inside the town to generate money. Really the only element in the process may be the Lorax, an orange creature who talks for your trees. The Lorax is voiced by Danny Devito, who also narrates a clip. The ultimate time Devito read a film, it absolutely was 2003's 'Duplex.' Hopefully 'The Lorax' is a great deal a lot better than that mess. 'The Lorax' hits theaters March 2, 2012. [via ComingSoon and Yahoo!] [Photo: Universal] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

2011-2012 College Football Bowl Game Schedule

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images It's an SEC showdown for college football's national championship when No. 1 LSU meets No. 2 Alabama on Jan. 9 in New Orleans. The SEC sent a whopping nine teams to post-season play. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Biggest Fantasy Football Fans ESPN is broadcasting the bulk of the BCS bowl games, some of which sport names that could be mistaken for parodies, i.e., the New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Iowa St. vs. Rutgers), the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl (Florida vs. Ohio St.) and the Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl (Florida International vs. Marshall). Not even the granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl, can escape a wacky bowl name but at least it managed to give its corporate sponsor second billing -- the Rose Bowl presented by VIZI. PHOTOS: 10 Broadcast and Cable Shows Most Watched by Men Also of note, in spite of months of controversy over a child sex abuse scandal by longtime former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, and the firing of university institution Joe Paterno, Penn St. made the cut and faces Houston in the TicketCity Bowl on Jan. 2. The complete 2011-2012 college football bowl schedule is below. DEC. 17 Gildan New Mexico Bowl -- Albuquerque, NM Wyoming vs. Temple 2 p.m. ET, ESPN Famous Idaho Potato Bowl -- Boise, ID Ohio vs. Utah State 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl -- New Orleans, LA San Diego State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette 9 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 20 Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl -- St. Petersberg, FL Florida International vs. Marshall 8 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 21 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl -- San Diego, CA TCU vs. Louisiana Tech 8 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 22 MAACO Bowl Las Vegas -- Las Vegas, NV Boise State vs. Arizona State 8 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 24 Sheraton Hawaii Bowl -- Honolulu, HI Southern Mississippi vs. Nevada 8 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 26 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl -- Shreveport, LA North Carolina vs. Missouri 5 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 27 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl -- Detroit, MI Purdue vs. Western Michigan 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Belk Bowl -- Charlotte, NC North Carolina State vs. Louisville 8 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 28 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman -- Washington, D.C. Toledo vs. Air Force 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl -- San Diego, CA California (U.C. Berkeley) vs. Texas 8 p.m. ET ESPN DEC. 29 Champs Sports Bowl Florida State vs. Notre Dame -- Orlando, FL 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Valero Alamo Bowl -- San Antonio, TX Baylor vs. Washington 9 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 30 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl -- Dallas, TX BYU vs. Tulsa 12 p.m. ET, ESPN New Era Pinstripe Bowl -- NY, NY Iowa State vs. Rutgers 3:20 p.m. ET, ESPN Franklin Am. Mortgage Music City Bowl -- Nashville, TN Mississippi State vs. Wake Forest 6:40 p.m. ET, ESPN Insight Bowl -- Tempe, AZ Iowa vs. Oklahoma 10 p.m. ET, ESPN DEC. 31 AutoZone Liberty Bowl -- Memphis, Tenn. Vanderbilt vs. Cincinnati 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl -- San Francisco, CA Illinois vs. UCLA 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Chick-fil-A Bowl -- Atlanta, GA Virginia vs. Auburn 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl -- Houston, TX Texas A&M vs. Northwestern 12 p.m. ET, ESPN Hyundai Sun Bowl -- El Paso, TX Georgia Tech vs. Utah 2 p.m. ET, CBS JAN. 2 TicketCity Bowl -- Dallas, TX Penn State vs. Houston 12 p.m. ET, ESPNU Outback Bowl -- Tampa, FL Michigan St. vs. Georgia 1 p.m. ET, ESPN Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl -- Jacksonville, FL Florida vs. Ohio State 1 p.m. ET, ESPN2 Capital One Bowl -- Orlando, FL South Carolina vs. Nebraska 1 p.m. ET, ESPN Rose Bowl presented by VIZIO -- Pasadena, CA Wisconsin vs. Oregon 5 p.m. ET, ESPN Tostitos Fiesta Bowl -- Glendale, AZ Oklahoma State vs. Stanford 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN JAN. 3 Allstate Sugar Bowl -- New Orleans, LA Michigan vs. Virginia Tech 8: 30 p.m. ET, ESPN JAN. 4 Discover Orange Bowl -- Miami, FL Clemson vs. West Virginia 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN JAN. 6 AT&T Cotton Bowl -- Arlington, TX Arkansas vs. Kansas St. 8 p.m. ET, Fox JAN. 7 BBVA Compass Bowl -- Birmingham, AL Pittsburgh vs. SMU 1 p.m. ET, ESPN JAN. 8 GoDaddy.com Bowl -- Mobile, AL Northern Illinois vs. Arkansas State 9 p.m. ET, ESPN JAN. 9 Allstate BCS National Championship Game -- New Orleans, LA No. 1 LSU vs. No. 2 Alabama 8:30 p.m., ESPN PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Hollywood's Biggest Fantasy Football Fans Sports Joe Paterno Jerry Sandusky

Weekend Receipts: Twilight Takes Top Slot for Third Week in a Row

Breaking Dawn sparkled to the top slot yet again on the quietest weekend of the season, but just take a gander at the healthy size of Shame’s art house opening! Meanwhile, the latest offerings from Martin Scorsese and Alexander Payne enjoyed a boost. But I’ve got to ask: What happened to the Muppets’ mojo? 1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Gross: $16,900,000 ($247,300,000) Screens: 4,046 (PSA $4,177) Weeks: 3 Breaking Dawn surpassed the half-billion mark worldwide earlier this week, so at this point it’s just adding more cash to the money pile. Still, $16 million in its third week is impressive indeed, and speaks to the lasting power of the YA franchise. 2. The Muppets Gross: $11,200,000 ($56,137,000) Screens: 3,440 (PSA $3,256) Weeks: 2 (Change: -61.7 %) Unfortunately, stamina is something The Muppets seems to lack, evidenced by a 61.7 percent drop off from last weekend’s strong opening. Was Muppets Mania a Thanksgiving week phenomah-na-mah-na, so to speak? Where are your second-wave Muppets spoof marketing materials now, Disney? 3. Hugo Gross: $7,625,000 ($25,188,000) Screens: 1,840 (PSA $4,144) Weeks: 2 (Change: -32.9 %) All things considered, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo fared decently in its second week, following a weak debut that had awards-watchers and fans concerned. Even adding 500+ screens to its theater count, Hugo had just a smidge more than half of the reach of The Muppets, for instance. So keep cheering the 3-D adventure on as it, along with other family-oriented offerings, struggle to keep a foothold in the coming weeks. 4. Arthur Christmas Gross: $7,350,000 ($25,292,000) Screens: 3,376 (PSA $2,177) Weeks: 2 (Change: -39.1%) Speaking of which, we come to Arthur Christmas. The Aardman Animation pic earned great reviews and is timed to capitalize on holiday cheer, but audiences have yet to discover its delights on a larger scale. Give it a few weeks for tot-toting moviegoers to figure out they still haven’t seen the one movie of the season that has the word “Christmas” in its title. 5. Happy Feet Two Gross: $6,000,000 ($51,785,000) Screens: 3,536 (PSA $1,697) Weeks: 3 (Change: -55.2%) Oh, the sad saga of Happy Feet Two. Pour out some hot buttered rum for this one as it continues its slide down the top 10. — — Shame Gross: $361,000 (new) Screens: 10 (PSA $36,100) Weeks: 1 Let’s hear it for the NC-17 Fassbender flick, which opened in limited release to a sizable per-screen average! Expect this one to swell and enlarge as it engages in further rendezvous with the art house crowd. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Emily Watson Honored at U.K.'s Women in Film And Television Awards

LONDON British comedy legend Victoria Wood, actress Emily Watson, comedian and TV presenter Sue Perkins and BBC2 Controller Janice Hadlow all featured on the honor roll call at the 21st annual Women in Film and TV Awards ceremony.The awards, dished out during a raucous lunchtime ceremony in central London and hosted by actress and comedian Miranda Hart, aim to celebrate the work and achievements of women working in the film and television sectors.Wood received the EON Productions lifetime achievement award for her work which includes some of British TV's best loved shows including "Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV," "Dinnerladies," "Housewife 49" and "Eric and Ernie."Watson, not present at the shindig, was heralded in the MAC sponsored best performance category for turn in ITV1's "Appropriate Adult."Hadlow picked up the Littlestar contribution to the medium award for her drama, comedy and specialist factual programming skills as BBC 2 controller.Output on Hadlow's watch includes "The Hour," "Wonders of the Solar System" and "Fantabulosa" during her tenure at BBC Two and previously at BBC Four.Perkins won the BBC News and Factual nod for her work on "The Great British Bake Off" on BBC One.The ITV achievement of the year nod was awarded to three winners: Alex Crawford (Special Correspondent, Sky News), Sara Sidner (International Correspondent, CNN) and Zeina Khodr (Correspondent, al-Jazeera English) for reporting from the front lines of war zones. "Not only do we have a record number of awards -14 this year - but we actually have a total of 18 winners, said WFTV CEO Kate Kinninmont."I'm particularly delighted to see that the ITV achievement of the year award is being presented to the three courageous women correspondents who risked their lives to get to the frontline and report live on the fall of Tripoli. We still don't allow females to fight on the frontline, yet these three women managed to dodge the bullets and get to the heart of the story while the men were reporting from balconies back at their hotel."The Technicolour sponsored writing Award was also presented to a trio: Jo Brand, Joanna Scanlan, Vicki Pepperdine, the driving force behind TV comedy "Getting On."Other winners included film producer Andrea Calderwood ("The Last King of Scotland"). The Hollywood Reporter

UK Media Ethics Inquiry Hears Celeb Horror Stories: JK Rowling & Sienna Miller Testify; CNNs Piers Morgan To Be Questioned

Horror stories of car chases, intense paranoia, spitting paparazzi, and most of all an ineffective regulatory systempeppered todays inquiry intoNews Corp’s News Of The World phone hacking scandal by a British government-backed inquiry intoUK press ethics and practices. Notably appearing in London Thursday were actress Sienna Miller and Harry Potter author JK Rowling. Also giving evidence was media lawyer Mark Thompson whose client Hugh Grant gave evidence at the inquiry earlier this week. Thompsonaccusedthe UKs Press Complaints Commission, which is the body that deals with complaints about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines, of beingineffective. “Some of the worst offenders are photographic agencies and paparazzi and the PCC can’t control them,” he said.Also on Thursday, the Leveson Inquiry announced that it would call former British newspaper editor Piers Morgan as a witness to talk about UK media methods. Morgan, who now hosts CNN’sPiers Morgan Tonight, said he would appear soon. Hearings will resume Monday with testimony from singer Charlotte Church among others. JK Rowling separatelycalled the PCC toothless. But, she said, I cant pretend I have a magical answer. (She then caught herself and added, No Harry Potter joke intended, that slipped out.) She said she has not been phone hacked but spoke about how she felt “blackmailed” by The Sun, also a News Corp newspaper, aftera manuscript of one of her books was stolen from the printers and came into the hands of The Sun.She had to take legal action to prevent the contents of the book being revealed pre-publication, she said, and felt The Sun was trying to turn the situation into a photo opportunity.She also said paparazzi hounded the authorso constantly after her children were born that she felt like a hostage in her own house, Rowling told the inquiry. When a journalist once managed to get a note into her daughters school bag, she noted, Its very difficult to say how angry I felt that my 5-year-old daughters school was no longer a place of complete security from journalists. She further evoked an instance when a journalist directly contacted the headmaster at her eldest child’s school claiming theyd heard the girl had revealed details of the final Potter book that were upsetting to other schoolchildren. Rowling also objected to her addresses being printed in the press.Clearly I cant put an invisibility cloaking device over myself or my house, nor do I wish to, she said. Sienna Miller received a 100,000 settlement from News Of The World earlier this year over her phone hacking claims. Today she described being hounded by press and paparazzi – whether they were driving illegally or spitting at her to get a reaction. She said she was happy to be giving evidence and hoped that some form of change comes to our media. Prior to learning she was under surveillance, Miller explained that news items repeatedly appeared with information to which only she and her closest friends and family were privy. So she changed her mobile number 3 times in 3 months, but the stories continued unabated. Horribly, I accused my friends and family of selling stories, she said.When she realized the intrusions on both herself and her entourage were perpetrated by hackers, I did feel constantly very scared and intensely paranoid.

Keck's Exclusives: Hilarie Burton Will get the Secrets towards the Castle

Hilarie Burton Former One Tree Hill hottie Hilarie Burton is become reality star. Kind of. Hilarie, who left her One Tree role as Peyton last year and presently costars on USA's Whitened Collar, has won a guest just right ABC's Castle like a charming reality TV personality named Kay Cappuccio, who in my experience sounds nearly the same as a particular Kardashian. ABC's description from the character notes Kay has "accomplished significant fame and fortune without having any noticeable skill or talent - she's famous mostly to be famous." Obviously that may also affect a variety of Hiltons or Real Average women inhabiting our Televisions.The smoothness bio continues to express, "Her open attitude, visual appearance and knockout body make her a popular of tabloids and gossip websites around the world. Kay both relishes this spotlight and simultaneously feels a prisoner of her very own celebrity lifestyle - it makes sense a lady who's more complicated than she might in the beginning appear."More complicated than she appears? Well, a lot for my Kardashian evaluations. Sure, which was bitchy of me to express, but additionally fitting thinking about this episode's cheeky title: "An Embarrassment of Bitches."Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Bill Condon on Breaking Dawn, Bella as Bride of Frankenstein and Twilight's 'Gay Sensibility'

Every director who’s gone through the whirlwind circus that is filming and releasing a Twilight movie eventually gets to relax and breathe a sigh of relief, but Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls) still has miles and miles to go. Fans and critics will finally see what the Oscar-winner brings to the YA vampire franchise when The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 hits theaters Nov. 18, but if they find themselves displeased with his treatment of Stephenie Meyer’s beloved novel, it could be a tough year’s wait until Condon’s simultaneously-shot series ender (Breaking Dawn - Part 2) concludes the series next fall. But! Judging from the temperature of the Twilight community thus far, Condon probably needn’t feel anxious; he’s played the Summit game so far with palpable enthusiasm for the tale of one Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and her angst-ridden coming of age saga, earning fan support along the way. Fully aware that much rides on getting Breaking Dawn - Part 1’s big moments right — the wedding, the honeymoon, the butter-hued love-making, and its gory repercussions — Condon collaborated creatively with the series’s best expert (Stewart, “the biggest Twi-hard in the world”) but took care to put his own cinematic stamp on Breaking Dawn. Condon rang Movieline the other week and discussed his pre-release nerves, the Breaking Dawn on set dance-off that warmed his heart, the question of the “gay sensibility” he may or may not have brought to the Twilight franchise, what big plans might be in store for Breaking Dawn 1 & 2 on DVD/Blu-ray, and more. How are you feeling in this moment, knowing the film is about to start being seen, finally, after all this time? I know! Well, anxious, obviously. But excited, too. Because you live in a cocoon for so long, and we don’t do big previews or anything like that, so it’ll be fun, you know? Breaking Dawn - Part 1 is a part of the Twilight Saga that contains a lot of big important life events happen to Bella Swan — the wedding, the honeymoon, the birth of a child, and what comes after that… which of those big moments did you feel the most pressure to nail? I think the big three — wedding, honeymoon, birth. You just felt like those, you’ve got to get right. But man, I would say the most pressure might have been the wedding. Just because, my god, everybody has an idea of what it should be like. And I have to say, ultimately I kind of stayed with that one idea: What’s Bella feeling? For each of those three things. And once you sort of do it through that prism, things start falling into place. So that it really because about, what is she feeling as she walks down that aisle? But you have this incredible collaborator in Kristen Stewart. The wedding made us all anxious, but excited. Did Kristen have a lot to say, a lot of input into how the wedding came together? Absolutely. She was a big collaborator in the design of the dress, and in general… as you know, she’s like the biggest Twi-hard in the world, and she’s very tough on herself as well. She had a list of things she was most anxious to get right, and I think the wedding was a huge part of that. Just making sure that she could express as much as possible — and again, it’s all happening on her face. That’s not dialogue, that’s not anything. It’s just to express as much of what’s going on inside that character as she could. So in a way, it’s like you and Kristen planned the wedding together. Right! Rumor has it there is a musical number in the wedding scene. True? This has gotten a little [distorted]… there’s no musical number. No. All there is, is that people dance at the wedding so we brought a choreographer in; Ashley [Greene] and Jackson [Rathbone] are both great dancers, and they just chill out for a moment. That’s all it is. But there was some sort of dance battle on set? There was. It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen. In that second movie, as you know from the book, a half hour takes place in this one location, this on field. And we shot there for — when you include the second unit it was a couple of months, but the first unit was there for many weeks - and we came to the last, widest shot, with 80 vampires on one side and 27 vampires on the other. I’m sitting up the ladder and suddenly you hear this music — “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” — and suddenly the Cullen side starts this incredible, West Side Story kind of rumble dance, and of course the other vampires then start to dance back. It was unbelievably great. Did you film that? Is that something that will be seen on the Blu-ray? I think there was a lot of B-camera rolling, and stuff like that. So that will all come out - but it’s the second movie. Who was responsible for that? It was a couple of actors who organized it. I know Myanna Buring was behind it, and Lee Pace. There were a couple of others, I should figure out exactly who. But they kept it a secret! They rehearsed this number for a week and kept it a secret! It was great. It was so great.

'X Factor': Vocal Sweetening? Lip Syncing? The Lowdown on the Shows Sound

Ray Mickshaw / FOXX Factor's Top 12 performs "Without You" If there is one aspect of X Factor that may take some getting used to, it's how the contestants' vocals sometimes sound a little too perfect. Who can forget the episodes shot at the judges' homes, where a distracting running water fountain was miraculously muted as soon as Paula Abdul's groups hit their first notes? And during Thusday's show, internet chatter went ballistic when LeRoy Bell's vocals kicked in before he had a chance to actually mouth a word.our editor recommends'X Factor': With 10 Million Votes Cast, How Does it Compare to 'American Idol'? (Analysis) 'X Factor' Redux: An 8-Year-Old's Take on the Top 12'X Factor': What the 'American Idol' Alums Think of Simon Cowell's New Show So what's the story? It's a fairly well-known fact that during group numbers on singing shows -- like American Idol, which all but admitted to the practice in season 9, at least where the choruses was concerned -- contestants will sing to a backing track and that sometimes their individual microphones cannot be heard above the pre-recorded music. This is what happened on Thursday's elimination show as X Factor's Top 12 performed "Without You" by David Guetta (see video below). Says Fox in its show'sdefense: "All survival songs are performed live, with just a backing track. For the group ensemble performance, the vocals are pre-recorded to allow acts to concentrate on preparing for their own live competitive performances on Wednesdays -- this is also no different to what other competition shows do for ensemble performances." (Meaning: the contestants are in fact lip-syncing.) The show has had vocal controversies before. After public outcry that X Factor UK contestants were being auto-tuned, Cowell admitted the practice then banned it. When The Hollywood Reporter asked show judge and creator Simon Cowell about vocal sweetening on US X Factor, he said, "We have to mix the show just like you mix the tracks as you mix my voice, but nothing like auto-tuning or, how do you call it, 'sweetening?' No one's got an unfair advantage." Not feeling quite satisfied with that answer, we asked an independent expert and X Factor viewer, producer Tricky Stewart (Beyonce's "Single Ladies," Justin Bieber's "Baby")to comment on the show's vocals. "I don't think they're tweaking vocals in that they're messing or manipulating them," he told THR. "But I do think the people on X Factor are so competitive with other shows on television that they're paying attention to every detail about how it actually sounds -- every microphone and every reverb. They're going hard, trying to get a step up and you can see it." Actually, you can hear it. What do you think? Does a lip-synched group number rub you the wrong way? Should singing show producers be more transparent about this practice? And if so, how? Update: A spokesperson forAmerican Idoltells THR, "American Idoldoes not lip-sync. All of our solo performances, both during competition and after the contestant has been eliminated, are sung live with no vocal background tracks. Our ensemble performances are sung live with a background chorus track. During ALL solo and ensemble performances, our band is live." Simon Cowell American Idol The X Factor

The CW Sets Midseason Lineup

The CW"One Tree Hill's" Sophia Bush The CW has set its midseason lineup, anchored by the final season premiere of One Tree Hill. Kicking off Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m., the ninth and final season will welcome back star Chad Michael Murray and take over the time slot previously occupied by now canceled reality series H8R and repeats of the network's Sarah Michelle Gellar series Ringer. Reality series Remodeled will premiere the following week, on Jan. 18, following the second episode of OTH at 9 p.m. and see modeling industry veteran Paul Fisher meld scores of small agencies into one new venture, dubbed The Network. Following holiday breaks, Kevin Williamson's Thursday dramas The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle will return with new episodes on Jan. 5, with Nikita and Supernatural returning Friday, Jan. 6. 90210 and Ringer and will return with fresh episodes on Tuesday, Jan. 10, at 8 and 9 p.m., respectively. Josh Schwartz's Monday block will return with Gossip Girl and Hart of Dixie airing original episodes on Jan. 16 and 23, respectively. A full schedule is below. Thursday, January 5 8-9 p.m. The Vampire Diaries (original episodes return) 9-10 p.m. The Secret Circle (original episodes return) Friday, January 6 8-9 p.m. Nikita (original episodes return) 9-10 p.m. Supernatural (original episodes return) Tuesday, January 10 8-9 p.m. 90210 (original episodes return) 9-10 p.m. Ringer (original episodes return) Wednesday, January 11 8-9 p.m. One Tree Hill (season premiere) 9-10 p.m. One Tree Hill (season premiere encore) Monday, January 16 8-9 p.m. Gossip Girl (original episodes return) 9-10 p.m. Hart of Dixie (encore episode) Wednesday, January 18 8-9pm. One Tree Hill 9-10 p.m. Remodeled (series premiere) Monday, January 23 8-9 p.m. Gossip Girl 9-10 p.m. Hart of Dixie (original episodes return) Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit The CW One Tree Hill

The Temple (Deool)

A Devisha Films production. Created by Abhijeet Gholap. Executive producer, Nitin Prakash Vaidya. Directed by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni. Script, Girish Pandurang Kulkarni.With: Nana Patekar, Dilip Prabhawalkar, Girish Kulkarni, Sonali Kulkarni, Kishor Kadam, Atisha Naik, Shrikant Yadav, Jyoti Subhash, Usha Nadkarni, Mohan Agashe. (Marathi dialogue)The qualifier "rising" no more must be put into "helmer" when explaining Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni after "The Temple," the director's third and finest feature up to now. Since his debut, "The Wild Bull," Kulkarni's proven a desire for the mistakes of village existence, but here he's honed his satire, retaining the humor while which makes it more biting. Skewering venality using a tale of the simple cowherd whose vision of the deity turns the townspeople into mad suppliers, scripter Girish Pandurang Kulkarni takes up corruption from multiple angles yet keeps things from feeling preachy. A proper fest existence is assured. Local rollout is placed for early November and may exceed the strong showing for "Wild Bull," contributing to the growing B.O. energy of Marathi photos recently. Stars like Sonali Kulkarni and Nana Patekar will help, together with a few production amounts superbly built-into the plot. Though things drag a little toward the finish from the first hour, they get within the other half, and also the film includes a palpable appeal despite an unnecessarily extended ending. When Kesha (Girish Kulkarni) includes a imagine the triple-figured god Dutta, the artless cowherd can't contain his excitement smarter males within the village warn him to help keep the vision to themself, fearing ridicule or perhaps a stampede, but it is past too far. In the beginning, little alterations in the city, in which the latest TV cleaning soap takes priority over anything else, however several males drunkenly propose a temple ought to be built. Gentle sage Anna (Dilip Prabhawalkar) continues to be focusing on plans with local politico Bhau (Patekar) to construct a hospital, but popular pressure pushes aside this vital improvement and that he watches helplessly like a sanctuary is built and vacationers and pilgrims swamp the city. Bhau's an average local politician, neither too corrupt nor too honest and completely underneath the thumb of his party superior, meaning he is doing things for political expedience instead of community enhancement. Money flows in to the village coffers and also the whole tenor of existence changes, with individuals values shifting as cynical opportunism and hypocrisy take hold. Kesha, the guy who had the vision, is basically forgotten, and also the sacred cow will get sick and dies, with just the simple cowherd to mourn. Towards the pic's enormous credit, rural existence prior to the temple is not some Edenic existence: there's poverty, a primitive infrastructure and superstition. The helmer does not reason that modernity is itself corrupting, but instead what it is integrated, so as the coming of electricity ought to be a pressure permanently, its implementation stops working community ties and erodes social relations. The craze of consumerism replaces genuine spiritual feeling, leading to local people wired towards the outdoors world but stop from one another, urged by energy-hungry politicos along with a yellow press only thinking about sensationalism. The pic leavens things with warmth and humor without weakening the pointed critique. Thesping is globally strong, especially Patekar and Sonali Kulkarni as his wife (not their very first time being an onscreen couple) their playful relationship and strong sexual chemistry add an unpredicted degree of closeness. Lensing by Sudhakar Reddy is topnotch, with special attention compensated to landscape and also the village's isolation. The 2 production amounts, both appealing tunes, are organically incorporated, advancing sarcasm and satirizing celebrity culture. Opening credits, of the submit silhouette making sand designs on backlit glass, are lovely.Camera (color, widescreen), Sudhakar Reddy editor, Abhijeet Deshpande music, Mangesh Dhakde production designer, Prashant Bidkar seem, Anthony B.J. Ruben assistant director, Vikrant Pawar. Examined at Abu Dhabi Film Festival (Showcase), March. 18, 2011 (Also in Busan Film Festival -- A Window on Asian Cinema). Running time: 145 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

DirecTV, News Corp. Achieve Broad Carriage Deal

NY - Satellite Television giant DirecTV and News Corp. have struck a brand new broad-based carriage deal for any slew from the latter's cable systems, but additionally its broadcast stations, keeping channels from going dark in DirecTV homes by night time PT. The Television stations and systems taught in carriage deal include Forex, National Geographic, 19 regional sports systems, Speed, Fuel TV, Fox Soccer, but additionally Fox Broadcasting and also the Fox local stations and Fox News Funnel together with Fox Business Network. Financial terms and the size of the brand new agreement weren't revealed. It had been thought that only one for reds had in early stages pressed to create together the 2 parties' carriage deals, including one for that Fox broadcast stations, that was set to run out at year's finish, into one agreement. DirecTV had threatened to prevent transporting this news Corp. cable systems if the agreement wasn't arrived at by November. 1. "Both of us be aware of past 10 days happen to be challenging, but we are pleased that each side may ultimately get together to make sure our audiences still enjoy Fox programming," the businesses stated inside a joint statement. A week ago, DirecTV required the carriage dispute towards the FCC. Inside a Thursday letter to William Lake, the mind from the FCC's Media Bureau, the organization had stated that Fox "is applying misleading advertising telling DirecTV clients that "soon, in certain marketplaces, you might lose the local Fox station," despite the fact that our retransmission consent agreement doesn't expire for more than two several weeks." Cablevision Systems inside a large programming dispute with News Corp./Fox late this past year also attempted to create the FCC in to the showdown. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects

Keck's Exclusives: Glee Reveals Sue's Evil Origins

Jane Lynch All I'm saying is it's about damn time. On November 15, Glee will finally reveal why Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) hates musical theater. As the kids prepare to stage West Side Story, "we wanted to show that Sue at one point had Broadway dreams," teases exec producer Ian Brennan. A flashback shows 16-year-old Sue on stage belting out the title song from Oklahoma!, a performance savaged by one brutal critic. "Her little heart was broken," sighs Jane. "Will tells Sue, 'Poor little Susie Sylvester was told she wasn't good, and now she's got to punish the world.' Like a lot of angry people out there, Sue's a wannabe." Glee cast 19-year-old Colby Minifie for the part of young Sue. "I think they did a terrific job casting," raves Jane. "She has a great voice and energy." Also coming up is the election of the students' class president, which coincides with Sue's congressional bid. "People are voting for both elections in the school, with signs pointing voters in different directions," says Ian, who promises that the final results take "a very surprising twist." Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

The Expletive-Laced, Booze-Soaked History of the 'Rum Diary' Movie

"Arriving half-drunk in a foreign place is hard on the nerves. You have a feeling that something is wrong, that you can't get a grip." -- Hunter S. Thompson, 'The Rum Diary' Johnny Depp and Hunter S. Thompson are sitting in a tiki hut on Depp's property in Los Angeles; a fire is burning in the pit and a bottle of Jack Daniels rests on the table. It's 1999. The movie star and the good doctor have gathered to solicit potential financiers for an adaptation of Thompson's recently published book, 'The Rum Diary.' Holly Sorensen, head of the now defunct studio The Shooting Gallery, approaches. Pleasantries are exchanged and Depp begins reading an excerpt from the novel. "...I lay back on the cot with a bottle of rum resting on my navel, and plotted how to defend myself. If I had a luger, I thought, I could drill the bastards. I lean on one elbow and pointed a finger at the window, seeing what kind of shot I could get. Perfect... " The three of them sit there, talking, laughing, imbibing, and strategizing, with no way of knowing that it will be another 12 years before the movie finally opens. In that time, A-listers will be cast and then drop out; financing will be moved from studio to studio; and one writer-director, who had been sober for six-and-a-half years, will begin drinking again -- all in an effort to bring this boozy pre-Gonzo tale of an American journalist in Puerto Rico to the big screen. It's hardly the path Thompson imagined when he first decided to make the movie. Hell, it's hardly the path he saw when he first began writing 'The Rum Diary,' almost four decades earlier, while living in Puerto Rico. Yes, it's been a long, twisted journey for Hunter S. Thompson's first novel. Thompson, who was in his early 20s when he wrote the book, would say that he wanted 'The Rum Diary' to be the "Great American Novel" -- on par with F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Great Gatsby.' Years later, he admitted that it instead became "the Great Puerto Rican novel," not that there's anything wrong with that. How the 'Rum Diary' book came to be is a story in itself (one that gets a fascinating telling in a recent 'GQ' article), but let's pick up the story in 1999, one year after the book's release. That's when Thompson and his friend Johnny Depp began exploring the idea of turning it into a film. The original plan had been for 'The Rum Diary' to be published before 'Hell's Angels,' Thompson's gripping true-life tale of the renegade California bike gang. But after Thompson moved to the West Coast, in the mid-'60s, friends began pushing him to finish 'Hell's Angels' instead of 'The Rum Diary.' It was raw, emotional and fit inside the New Journalism genre that people had been raving about. 'The Rum Diary' was, comparatively, old-fashioned -- composed in the Hemingway or Fitzgerald vernacular of yesteryear. Eventually, the novel ended up in Thompson's basement, collecting dust. It would be many years later before someone stumbled upon it -- though who that someone was remains a matter of debate. "So many people have claimed to have found the original manuscript," says Anita Thompson, who was married to Hunter during the last years of his life. "He loaned it to ['60 Minutes' correspondent] Ed Bradley at one point, decades ago. There were also different versions of the manuscript, so I think Johnny [Depp] is correct in saying he'd found one version of it. Doug [Brinkley, a historian working with Hunter] found it. [Writer-researcher] Shelby Stadler found it. Various assistants found it." No matter who "rediscovered" the book, there was soon a general consensus that Thompson should publish it, then perhaps turn it into a film, with Johnny Depp starring as the young journalist Paul Kemp. Depp was an obvious choice for the role -- he had already played Hunter (under the alias of Raoul Duke) in 1998's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,' a movie based on a series of articles Thompson had written for 'Rolling Stone' magazine in the 1970s. To research the part, Johnny had moved in to Hunter's basement in Colorado, where he stumbled across the 'Rum Diary' manuscript. With heavy interest in the book and one of the biggest stars on the planet in his corner, Thompson decided to forge ahead with the film. To find the right person to make it, he and Depp began holding court at the actor's house in California. Eventually, they settled on Holly Sorensen. Things would soon take a turn for the surreal, as they often did when Thompson was involved. Holly had agreed to help finance the movie, but the slow pace of progress began to irritate the author. Then, in January 2001, Holly received a now infamous fax from Thompson: "Okay, you lazy bitch. I'm getting tired of this waterhead fuckaround that you're doing with 'The Rum Diary.' We are not even spinning our wheels aggressively. It's like the whole project got turned over to zombies who live in cardboard boxes under the Hollywood Freeway. I seem to be the only person who's doing anything about getting this movie made. I have rounded up Depp, Benecio del Toro, Brad Pitt, Nick Nolte, and a fine screenwriter from England named Michael Thomas ... And if you don't do something QUICK [sic], you're going to destroy a very good idea. I'm in a mood to chop yr. [sic] fucking hands off." Was Thompson about to bolt? Was the film in serious danger of not being made? On first (and second, and third) reads, the letter sounds almost fatally threatening. But Anita Thompson and Sorensen herself recall it as a minor bump in the road. "That's, in a way, a hug from Hunter. He was serious, and at the same time, he cared enough to take the time to write a letter, which is a sign that it was important to him," says Anita, who will look to further her late husband's legacy with the soon-to-be-launched Gonzo Foundation. "But he wanted this process to be fun. So when it stopped being fun and came to a grinding halt, he [did] things like that to kick it into action. Sorensen, speaking with filmmaker Wayne Ewing, also chose to accentuate the positive. "[Hunter] was never rude, lectureous -- he was a chivalrous romantic guy ... [We] had a difference of opinion whether Michael Thomas was the right screenwriter for 'the Rum Diary,' that was a big part of the problem. But ... I had a lot of fun with Hunter." If the fax's purpose was to right the ship, however, it failed. Eventually, Benecio del Toro, Nick Nolte and Josh Hartnett all dropped off the project, as did Sorensen and the Shooting Gallery. Then, in 2005, Hunter S. Thompson put a gun to his head and committed suicide. He was 67 years old and plagued by health problems. In a suicide note subsequently published in 'Rolling Stone,' he wrote, "Relax -- This won't hurt." Friends and family gathered at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado to send him off with a proper salute. Thompson's death only strengthened Depp's resolve to honor his late friend by getting the movie made. Soon after the funeral, producer Graham King obtained the rights to the book, and things began moving again. Then, in 2007, Johnny recruited Bruce Robinson, writer-director of the alcohol-drenched cult classic 'Withnail & I,' to write and, ultimately, direct the film. "[Johnny] sent me the book, and I read it, called him up and said, 'Yeah, I'll write the script,'" Robinson tells Moviefone. "Four or five months later, he was back on the line saying, 'Are you going to direct it?' I had determined and promised myself I wasn't going to ever try and be a film director ever again. Period. To be a bullied by a superstar into directing something was a really rare and unusual experience. But Johnny can have whoever the hell he likes, and the fact that he was so confident that I would be the right director for it -- ultimately you acquiesce to that." It's easy to see why Depp was so insistent. Though he'd been sober for six and a half years, Robinson had written and directed one of the great alcohol-fueled adventure tales of all time: 1987's 'Withnail & I,' whose title character, played by Richard E. Grant, scandalizes the patrons of a quiet café by standing and announcing, "We want the finest wines available to humanity. And we want them here, and we want them now!" Try as he might, however, Robinson couldn't seem to find a way into the script. Then he had what can only be described as a Gonzo epiphany: This rum-soaked story needed a jolt of electricity, and the only way it was going to get it was through alcohol. "I was walking around in my writing room for about a month before I could get a hook on [the story], and I realized that I had to go there. I had to go back into that place in my head. I needed to feel the madness again a bit," Robinson says. "[And while] my head is saying, 'Don't go there, don't go there,' the creative side of me is saying, 'If you don't go there, you can't write this.' There's no words in bottles, but it softens it up a bit." Robinson was able to drink, finish the script and then quit. It's as if Thompson's spirit was presiding over the writing process, withholding inspiration until Robinson was willing to risk his sanity -- and even his life. Soon, the script was finished. Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard and Giovanni Ribisi joined the cast, and the film began production in Puerto Rico in 2009. Two years later, Thompson's vision has again been captured on celluloid, his rabid curiosity showing itself off to a new generation of fans. But make no mistake: 'The Rum Diary' is no 'Fear and Loathing Part 2.' There are no lizards crawling up Depp's leg or imaginary bats beating their wings in his face. The novel, after all, was written before Hunter's Gonzo days, when he was still trying to figure out who he was and what he wanted in life. It's a portrait of a man on the verge of something profound, and potentially damaging to the establishment. What precisely it is, he -- or, more specifically, Paul Kemp -- can't quite be sure. But every bottle of rum, glass of wine and vicious, cursing tirade seems to hint at the answer. [Photo: FilmDistrict] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Vampire Diaries Exclusive First Look: Meet Klaus' Mother

Alice Evans Get ready to meet the Original matriarch of The Vampire Diaries. The Vampire Diaries stars: "Ghost World" answers (almost) everything In the eighth episode, titled "Ordinary People" and airing Thursday, Nov.3 at 8/7c on The CW, viewers will get their first glimpse of Esther during a 1,000-year flashback featuring her children Klaus (Joseph Morgan) Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and Rebekah (Claire Holt). Esther, played by Alice Evans, is as fierce as her sons, but longs to protect her family.Plus: Look closely and you'll see that Esther is wearing a very important piece of jewelry. See photos from The Vampire Diaries What new mythology will we learn by meeting Esther? And will this help explain why Klaus is the vampire he is today? The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

Putin rejects Lenfilm plan

MOSCOW -- The way forward for Russia's historic Lenfilm Galleries in St. Petersburg continued to be unclear after Pm Vladimir Putin belittled existing intends to modernize the complex, that was founded in 1918. Filmmakers petitioned Putin throughout the summer time in order to save Lenfilm from the multimillion dollar transformation that will have given partial charge of the condition galleries to effective private interests. Now carrying out a ending up in St. Petersburg-based director Alexander Sokurov -- whose latest film "Faust" won the Golden Lion at Venice recently -- Putin stated the studio's future needed a radical re-think. "I actually want to save the studio," Putin stated, based on condition news agency RIA Novosti. "The studio includes a fine tradition which ought to be valued, but everything is more difficult of computer appears initially. There have been many suggestions, but no proposal that's seriously exercised from a fiscal perspective.Inch Conservative estimations put the price of saving Lenfilm -- where falling apart infrastructure and many years of neglect threaten the structure from the galleries -- around $15 million. Sokurov told Putin that around $60 million was required to place the studio back on its ft and causes it to be a main issue with Russia's modern cinema infrastructure. "It might take that to produce a truly great studio," Sokurov stated. The most recent public-private partnership plans, introduced captured by Russia's culture minister, involved a plan to modernise the galleries by using major Russian industrial to media conglomerate AFK Sistema. The organization already is the owner of a recently built studio complex within the city: Russian World Galleries. The plan envisaged departing 25% plus one share of Lenfilm possession in public places hands. The plan was placed on ice captured following a dispute on pricing the studio's assets, including an excellent downtown location in St. Petersburg and valuable film library of classic Soviet-era films. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

SyFy Orders Haunted Schools Reality Series

Syfy already has several reality series concerning the paranormal, brought by Ghost Predators. The cable network has purchased a different one, School Spirits from executive producers Mark Burnett (Survivor) and Seth Jarrett (Celebrity Ghost Tales). The six-episode series will inform true ghost tales of hauntings which have happened at schools across the nation. The tales is going to be told with the recommendations of real students, instructors, parents and staff which have experienced the paranormal activity and motion picture reenactments.

ABC Gives Full Seasons to 'Revenge,' 'Suburgatory' Orders More 'Happy Endings'

ABC"Revenge" ABC is making its first moves throughout this television season, acquiring the trunk nine on two Wednesday evening options: Revenge and Suburgatory. Furthermore, the network has bought six additional scripts for sophomore comedy Happy Being. Revenge, loosely good Alexandre Dumas book The Count of Monte Cristo, remains given an entire 22-episode season. The series, introduced by Emily Van Camping and Madeleine Stowe, remains holding firm within the 10 p.m. slot, calculating 8.8 million total audiences together with a couple.8 rating among grownups 18-49 within the first 72 hours. Its latest episode won the hour inside the demo, topping veteran CBS procedural CSI on the way. PHOTOS: Fall TV Dying Watch: Which New Shows Will Probably Be Axed? Revenge, created by Mike Kelley, concentrates on Emily Thorne (Van Camping), or Amanda Clarke, who returns for the Hamptons to think about revenge on individuals who destroyed her family, including her father's (James Tupper) dying. Gabriel Mann, Henry Czerny, Ashley Madekwe, Josh Bowman, Nick Wechsler, Connor Paolo and Christa B. Allen complete the ensemble cast. The whole order is predicted for Suburgatory, since the rookie series notched a effective ratings performance within the debut on Sept. 28, calculating 9.8 million total audiences together with a 3.3 rating among grownups 18-49, being a effective lead-straight into Modern Family. PHOTOS: ABC's New Fall Tv Shows Starring Jane Levy, Jeremy Sisto and Cheryl Hines, Subugatory involves only one father (Sisto) and teenage daughter (Levy) who go to the and surrounding and surrounding suburbs after dwelling in NY City. Created by Emily Kapnek, the Warner Bros. TV-produced series airs at 8:30 p.m. carrying out a Middle. The additional script order for Happy Being has come about as the comedy notched an 18 percent increase in the previous week, even though evening saw less competition with no X Factor on Fox. The David Caspe-created half-hour series has seen a ratings bump inside the plum publish-Modern Family slot. A year ago, Happy Being adopted a weakened lead-in, Cougar Town -- and saw numerous its episodes broadcast from order. While using pick-ups of Revenge and Suburgatory, ABC's newcomer series join Whitney, Up With The Evening, 2 Broke Women, New Girl, Ringer, Hart of Dixie as well as the Secret Circle in receiving full seasons. The network arrives its ambitious fairytale drama Not such a long time ago later this month and new comedy Guy Up! on Tuesday. What is the news mark ABC chief Paul Lee's first moves to date this season. Revenge Suburgatory

NBC Buys Comedy From Broken Lizard Duo, Adapts Australian Format Laid

NBC has boughtKept Men, a multi-camera comedy from writers-actors Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme, members of the Broken Lizard comedy filmmaking group behind such movies as Super Troopers and Beerfest. Heffernan and Lemme will write the project, which tells he story of two friends who become supported by their respective wives after their business closes down. They also will executive produce with 3 Arts. APA-repped Heffernan and UTA-repped Lemme just wrapped photography on The Babymakers with Olivia Munn and Paul Schneider. Additionally, NBC is developing a U.S. version of the Australian black comedy series Laid, from BermanBraun. Ali Rushfield (Help Me Help You) will write the script for the project, which was brought to NBC and BermanBraun by Jeremy Fox and Kary Mchoul of Digital Rights Group. It centers on a woman whose ex-boyfriends/one-night stands start dying under suspicious circumstances, prompting her to launch an investigation with her roommate and try to stop the murder spree. UTA-repped Rushfield, Lloyd Braun, Gail Berman and Gene Stein are executive producing. The original series, created by Marieke Hardy and Kirsty Fisher, premiered on ABC1 in February. The format was repped by ICM.

Warners Buys Spec 'The Envoy' for Joel Silver to produce (Exclusive)

Jason Merritt/Getty Images Warner Bros has acquired an action thriller spec titled The Envoy by Robert Lynn. Silver Pictures' Joel Silver and Andrew Rona are attached to create. The story concentrates on youthful diplomatic courier whose routine delivery turns deadly when it's discovered the sensitive information he carries includes stolen plans with an attack on American interests. She must achieve the American embassy in Vienna while various forces make an effort to stop him. Silver's Sarah Meyer introduced the project in and may act in the producer capacity. Silver and Rona have observed success inside the worldwide thriller arena, while using Liam Neeson thriller Unknown being the latest example. Silver is developing a Virtual Detective: A Game Title Title of Shadows, which opens December, as well as the duo have comedy Project X being launched next season. Lynn will be a scribe contestant on Project: Greenlight who ongoing to produce and direct several low-budget movies. That is his initial purchase. He's repped by UTA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment and attorney Owen Seitel. Warner Bros. Pictures Group

UPDATE: Apple Introduces iPhone 4S, Souped-Up Features Focus On Ease Of Use

UPDATE: Apple just wrapped up its press conference announcing the upgraded iPhone. Better hardware, new operating system, and available on Sprint as well as AT&T and Verizon — but not the revolutionary iPhone 5that some predicted. Available Oct. 14, wireless subscribers will be able to score a 64 gig version of the iPhone 4Sfor $399,a 32 GB model for$299, and 16 GB for$199. Butthe price for the 8 GB iPhone4has been cut to $99 while the 3GS is free. The 4S will look a lot like previous iPhones but will have a dual core processor that handles graphics about seven times faster — good news for gamers. It will be a world phone, capable of handling wireless calls transmitted via GSM or CDMA technologies. The camera has been upgraded: 8 megapixels with more sensitive light processing andface detection. The company also talked up the speed; just a half second lag between shots. It will handle 1080p high definition video with image stabilization. Apple’s also excited about a new feature called Siri: It will answer verbal inquiries about, say, the weather, stock prices, and restaurant reviews — and handle tasks such as making appointments in your calendar. As expected, the company said that it will launch its iCloud service on Oct. 12. No talk about Facebook integration. Investors apparently expected more: The value of Apple shares declined during the presentation and are down about 4.7% about an hour before the end of the trading day. PREVIOUS 2:10 AM: Super-secretive Applee-mailed “Let’s Talk iPhone” invitations to a 10 AM PT media event at its headquarters in Cupertino this morning. But it’s the first major product unveiling that won’t be introduced by Steve Jobs. Instead,his successor Tim Cook is expected to present what may be the iPhone 5 and/or the iPhone 4S and/orApple’s latest iOS mobile software –iOS 5.According to The AP,the latest iPhonewill includewireless device setup and content syncing, a better 8-megapixel camera, as well as email and Web-browsing apps. Butthe new smartphone isn’t expected to lookmuch different from the iPhone 4, though it could be thinner and have a bigger screen. Deadline’s sibling site BGR.com says some industry watchers had hoped fora brand new teardrop-shaped iPhone 5 with larger display, insanely thin design, and more. Now its looking like Apple might be set to introduce an upgraded iPhone 4 instead. Bummer, right?Not ifApples iPhone 4S isa pretty substantial bump as opposed to just an incremental update, as many are speculating. Some even thinkAppleis set to unveil about a dozen various iPhone models this week, ranging from a modest update on the cheap to a teardrop-shaped overhaul that will feature a 4-inch display and a unibody aluminum design. Many industry watchers are predictinga more powerful chip: Apple’s dual-core A5 processor, which is the sameused in its current iPad for improved multitasking, opening apps, and gaming. A new service called iMessage will allow iOS 5 users to send text messages to each other over Wi-Fi or wireless carriers’ data networks. A folder called Newsstand will corral newspaper and magazine app subscriptions in one place to make it easier to find them.The newiPhone is also expected to include Apple’s forthcoming iCloud service, which will store content such as music, documents, apps and photos on Apple’s servers and let you access them wirelessly on numerous devices. AP saysanalysts believeApple couldtrot out new iPods and updates toiTunes music software, which it usually does in the fall anyway.In any case, the new software willbe available for Apple’s iPad, iPhone 4 and 3GS and the two most recent generations of the iPod Touch. Janney Capital Markets analyst Bill Choi believes Apples success with the iPhone will continue to sky rocket. Choi estimated recently that Apple will ship 87 million iPhone units this year and 107 million during 2012, a 27% increase year-over-year. Apples growing number of carrier partners will be the primary catalyst for the growth, Choi said, noting that 228 wireless carriers offered the iPhone in a total of 105 countries during the third quarter of this year. There are still a handful of major carriers worldwide that have yet to carry the iPhone. Potential deals with Sprint (52.1M subscribers), T-Mobile (33.6M subscribers), China Mobile (628M subscribers) and other large international carriers pose a catalyst to fuel iPhone sales, Choi wrote in a research note. Meanwhile,the Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint has anagreement with Apple to purchase over $20 billion worth of iPhones over the next four years, oraround 30 million iPhones.

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Damon Lindelof talks Michael Fassbender in Prometheus

twentieth century Fox has been incredibly tight-lipped about Ridley Scott's new addition towards the Alien series but a couple of more particulars about Prometheus are beginning to emerge.Yesterday we'd the official synopsis that clarified a couple of questions and today author Damon Lindelof has revealed some quite interesting particulars."[Michael Fassbender] plays a robot. One thing that brings up the thought of Edge Runner is, 'What does the film seem like in the robot's perspective?A Should you request him, 'What would you consider all this? What are you doing? Exactly what do you consider these humans surrounding you?A, would not it be awesome as we found a means for your robot to reply to individuals questions," Lindelof stated within an interview with MTV.Lindelof also spoken about Charlize Theron's role and her character's salary thanks to Weyland-Yutani."Her character's title is Meredith Vickers and she's kind of a company entity. That's another among the familiar things in the Alien movies - that you will find corporate interests in play. I seem like Charlize introduced a brand new spin on the old variation. It is a remix... I do not think she's slimy [like Paul Reiser's character in Aliens]. She's not the short-speaking, lizard-oil face of the organization. Incidentally, 'What clients are she a face of?' I believe is really a large area of the fun. Once we were developing the script, she'd some really awesome ideas that managed to get not the suit you are accustomed to.InchLindelof can also be keen to worry this is Ridley's vision, despite his focus on the script: "It had been really about channelling that idea to ensure that I had been understanding his vision, instead of imposing my vision onto it.Inch

6 Real-Existence Things You Do Not Have Known About 'Moneyball'

'Moneyball' isn't about winning, it is therefore fitting the Kaira Pitt-introduced film fell just missing topping el born area office in the last weekend. (All hail 'The Lion King,' the NY Yankees for the 'Moneyball' A's.) Still, a $20.6 000 0000 first pitch is not to sneeze at -- 'Drive' may have destroyed, probably literally, for the number -- and a lot of ticket customers put lower hard-acquired cash to find out 'Moneyball' in theaters throughout week one. What did the non-baseball fans inside the audience miss in regards to the film? Some pretty interesting stuff! Ahead six things you do not have known in regards to the real-existence players in 'Moneyball.' 1. The A's beginning rotation actually was great "The joke on 'Moneyball' was, 'Where was the chapter on getting three in the five to six best beginning pitchers in the sport,AInch current Padres GM Jed Hoyer, formerly an assistant while using Boston Red-colored-colored Sox, told Sports Outlined. Indeed, author Michael Lewis didn't make that large from the deal in regards to the Athletics beginning rotation in 'Moneyball: The ability of Winning an Unfair Game' despite the fact that it ranked among the most effective within the league in 2002. Counting runs like cards in the casino can be a fun parlor trick, while not once the other team scores more. The 2002 American West Champion A's were nobleman of stopping another team from scoring. Employees introduced the American League in ERA (Acquired Run Average), as well as the aforementioned "three in the five to six best beginning pitchers in the sportInch -- Tim Hudson, Craig Zito and Mark Mulder -- combined for 57 wins, 493 strikeouts plus an ERA of three.05 over 675 innings. So, very good. The A's staff should take nothing in the job Billy Beane did building the 2002 team -- he drafted the three players despite traditional scouts saying they'd apparent defects -- nonetheless they certainly warrant more attention they received in the film and book. 2. It was not Scott Hatteberg, Jeremy Giambi and David Justice who transformed Jason Giambi, but Miguel Tejada A sizable show is produced in 'Moneyball' about how precisely Beane preferred to exchange the on-base section of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and Olmedo Saenz with scrap-heap players Scott Hatteberg, David Justice and Jeremy Giambi. True, but under: To start with, Jeremy Giambi really was round the 2001 Concord A's along with his brother, Jason, and not acquired inside the off-season Justice introduced they in walks, only carried out in 118 games and Hatteberg, unlike just what the film presents, will be a fixture inside the line-up and most likely probably the most valuable players in baseball based on his salary. Still, combined, the three players hit 34 home runs, four under Giambi hit by simply themselves in 2001. How did the A's really replace his decrease in the choice? Getting a monster campaign from shortstop Miguel Tejada, who won MVP in 2002 striking 34 home runs (an increase of three in the earlier season) with 131 RBI (an increase of 18 RBI in the earlier season). The film makes some allusion to Tejada -- who was simply signed before Beane needed over as GM -- however, you would not know how important he wound up being towards the team's success without searching within the statistics. 3. Carlos Pena wasn't good Bear in mind that part in 'Moneyball' when Billy Beane exchanged "All-Star" first baseman Carlos Pena as they was impeding Scott Hatteberg from playing? Relating to this: Pena was exchanged for the Detroit Tigers in 2002, nevertheless it wasn't from spite the initial baseman hit only .218 with 7 home runs in 40 games for Concord. He wouldn't really become a thrilling-Star until 2009 when he was while using Polk Bay Sun sun rays. 4. Art Howe really was pretty passive Philip Seymour Hoffman is gruff and priggish in 'Moneyball' as Art Howe, that's kinda the particular the complete opposite of just what the real-existence Art Howe was like. Known to as obtaining a Dudley Do-Right personality, Howe was laid-back throughout his time with Concord -- almost too laid-back for Beane to cope with. As Lewis written in 'Moneyball': "Billy had told Art where and just how to manage throughout a game title title to make sure that the players would need to idolize him and take strength from his countenance, because when Art hanging out the bench, while he preferred to accomplish, he made an appearance as though a prisoner of war." Not always the identical guy you saw inside the movie, right? 5. Billy Beane loved the A's stood a perceived disadvantage Through the 2000 season, with Concord round the upswing in Beane's third year at the office, Major league baseball created a blue-ribbon panel to be able to understand why the A's were winning. Beane reveled to help keep Major league baseball at night time: "'Major League,' a movie in regards to the new Cleveland Indians,'" Beane and Paul DePodesta (the particular-existence "Peter Brand" in the film) written inside their presentation. "To have the ability to assemble a losing team, the master distributes all of the players being requested to spring training. The baseball professionals condition that a number of these players are way past their prime. Fans start to see the list inside the paper and remark, 'I've never even learned about half of those males.' Our situation carefully resembles the film.Inch Written Lewis: "If the suited his reasons, Billy could toss the very best pity party this side in the Last Supper." All people moments in 'Moneyball' of Beane being upset along with his financial limitations? Contact them dramatic license. 6. Billy Beane increased being Red-colored-colored Sox GM for just about any hot minute The film makes good usage of Beane's flirtation with and spurning in the Boston Red-colored-colored Sox, but leaves one key aspect out: the particular-existence Beane recognized John Henry's offer being GM in the Red-colored-colored Sox getting a handshake agreement. Paul DePodesta was set being Oakland's gm, which he even went up to now as to work through a trade to obtain Kevin Youkilis, the Greek God of Walks, as compensation for losing Beane. Ultimately, though, Beane made a decision against signing with Boston, Youkilis continued to be while using Red-colored-colored Sox and increased to become vital part of the team's World Series champion in 2007, and DePodesta would end up being the GM in the Dodgers in 2004. Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Columbia Tri-Star Related: 8 Great Movie Baseballs 8 Best Movie Baseballs In recognition of 'Moneyball,' listed below are the eight best movie baseballs The Baseball in 'The Natural'The Baseball in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off'The Baseball in 'E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial'The Baseball in 'Men in Black'The Baseball in 'Bull Durham'The Baseball in 'There's Something About Mary'The Baseball in 'Major League'The Baseball in 'The Sandlot' See All Moviefone Galleries »

Michael Fassbender Wanted For Robocop?

He's on Jose Padilha's wishlistLess a casting announcement plus much more a disagreement of directorial intent, Elite Squad director Jose Padilha has states he needs to talk with Michael Fassbender regarding his pending Robocop remake."It's early yet," Padilha recognized around the Brazilian Tv program, however i like Michael Fassbender. I'll consult with him. There's possible...Inch Definately not concrete then, but a sign the the director expects to fill the metal suit by getting an actress greater than in a position to some affecting wiped out-cyborg emoting, alongside the serving in the public trust, safeguarding in the innocent and looking after in the law. Peter Weller's are large robot boots to fill (Robert Burke's, less), but Fassbender is presently playing another synthetic elsewhere... Would he are interested?The completely new Robocop happened through the MGM shenanigans, and lost its mooted director Darren Aronofsky in route. We could only imagine what his version might have found, but after talking to the type of Robert Rodriguez and David Slade, the studio's alighting at Padilha is certainly an intriguing, notable and exciting choice. The grittily excellent Elite Squad films made more earnings within the Brazilian box office than Avatar, and another factor to consider may be the 2010 Brazilian nomination for Oscar consideration.Padilha is presently fine-tuning the Robocop script with buzzy youthful author Josh Zetumer, as well as the director certifies the experience will occur, as before, in dystopian Detroit. He's presently in LA, hammering the particulars that will enable him to start shooting in the year.

Fall TV Recognition Contest: Are You Currently Presently Aboard with Pan Am?

Christina Ricci and Margot Robbie ABC's high-flying sixties drama Pan Am first demonstrated Sunday, and you need to know very well what you considered it - which that you simply consider every new series this season.Selection: Which fall premieres won you over? Which flopped?Do Christina Ricci & Co possibly you've ready to book returning flight? Election now! It's also wise to tell your pals together with other fans to election, too.Return all fall to determine which TVGuide.com clients consider your chosen - and least favorite - new shows. And remain up-to-date to look for the ultimate rankings in the season's most loved and resented debuts.Fall TV: Have the lowdown relating to this season's must-see new showsHere's our handy calendar that may help you keep close track of when you election.

Such A Friday Brawl! Moneyball Wins #1, Lion King three dimensional #2, Dolphin Tale #3, Abduction #4, Killer Elite #5

FRIDAY11 PM, 2NDUPDATE: Finally, I've some clarityfollowing Rentrak hiccups throughout your day and early evening. To not mentionevery studio’s confusion within the ordering from the 5 Best due to fierce fights happening in the United States box office throughout today. And, geez,I’m said to be on holiday: 1. My sources say The new sony’s newcomerMoneyball continues to be rising because the evening continues for maybe the very best baseball-designed opening ever. It’s definitelyNo. 1 Friday with roughly $6.8M from 2,993 theaters. (Like a The new sony professional explained, “$six million could be great. $7 million amazing. $8 million will be a triumph.”) Having a healthy adult bump tomorrow, it’s searching in a $20M weekend. That solid number assists in keeping Kaira Pitt’s star wattage shining and the honours chances climbing because ofthis well-examined male-centric sports movie.Audiences really loved this pic: it received all A’s — male, female, youthful, old — from CinemaScore. 2. Even Disney is surprised that it is Lion King three dimensional is within second place tonight from 2,330 theaters which offered mostly greater listed tickets.But rival galleries let me know itgot a lift today in the rain backEast for any $6.1M Friday, oran excellent holding -31% from the opening the other day.Using the normal kiddie matinee bump, that’s a $20M weekend too.This re-release’s projectedis $60M by Monday. Here’s my question: why do in most the marketing hype I’ve been sent through the studio relating to this pic, nobody at Disney is saying thanks to Jeffrey Katzenberg for micro-controlling the initial? C’mon, Mouse House, give credit where credit arrives. Even when Jeffrey is really a large discomfort ineveryone’s ass. 3. A little way behind is Alcon Entertainment’s Dolphin Tale in 3,507 theaters.Distributor Warner Brossaid it opened up with $5M today but rival galleries think the Friday number iscloser to $5.5M.Alcon thinks that,unlessitsmaimed mammal manages to lose to Moneyball by greater than a mil today, the heartstrings-tugging pic should jump 60% on Saturday due to the household film bump striking $24M and win the weekend.Hmm. Remember,it’s also playing within the most theaters.And, for days, it wastracking strong. Based on the CinemaScores, parents and kidsin the crowd are passing on a b+. 4.Lionsgate’s Abduction in 3,118 theaters may finish uparound $4.2M Friday and what is mid-teens but additionally just $11M for that weekend for the way front-loaded it might be. (That’s what went down to Zac Efron in Charlie St Cloud.)On the other hand, I’velearned that Rachelle Lefervre’s $36M-budget action thriller was outspent 4-to-one in marketing dollars by both The new sony and Warner Bros prior to a few days ago. Shame on Lionsgate’s Jon Feltheimer for tying everybody’s hands despite powerless Alli Shearmur pleaded.So anybody who stated this Twilight kid couldn’t open an envelope is wrong: you will find major stars who still could be thrilled with this outcome, particularly in as rotten a examined movie as that one. Audiences didn’t think it had been badly as experts, passing on a B- CinemaScore.Bad Lionsgate can’t appear to create a decent movie or market one any longer. 5.Remains to appear if Abduction can edge out Killer Elite whichmay be $10M for that weekend from 2,986 theaters. Open Road Films is expressingoptimism that itspic will probably go upon Saturday after its $3.5M debut today. Here’s the relaxation from the Top Ten (Full analysis coming) 6. Contagion (Participant/Warner Bros) Week 3 [3,136 Theaters] Friday $2.8M, Believed Weekend $9M, Believed Cume $57.5M 7. Drive (FilmDistrict) Week 2 [2,904 Theaters] Friday $2M (-50%), Believed Weekend $6M, Believed Cume $21.6M 8. The Assistance (Participant/DreamWorks/Disney] Week 7 [2,695 Theaters] Friday $1.3M, Believed Weekend $4.5M, Believed cume $154.5M 9. I Don’t Understand How She Will It (Weinstein Co) Week 2 [2,490 Theaters] Friday $700K (-55%), Believed weekend $2M,Believed Cume $8M 10. Hay Dogs (The new sony) Week 2 [2,408 Theaters] Friday $600K (-62%), Believed Weekend $1.8M, Believed Cume $8.5M FRIDAY 4 PM: On holiday. So box office is introduced for you from the sunny climate in which the palms sway over time towards the dancing trade winds… But home there’s a fierce fight happening. They are very early grosses, and my sources say Rentrak continues to be going through problems today — this provides you with Hollywood much more Maalox moments than normal. The new sony’s Moneyball starring Kaira Pitt won't be any. 1 with approximately $8M Friday and perhaps mid-$20sM for that weekend. That solid number helps Kaira Pitt’s honours chances within this well-received male-centric sports movie. At this time Alcon Entertainment/Warner Bros’ Dolphin Tale and Lionsgate’s Abduction are fighting for No. 2 with around $6M today and what is high teens for that weekend. Interesting, since the heartstrings-tugging pic was monitoring far better. On the other hand, Rachelle Lefervre’s action thriller is playing in 389 less theaters. So anybody who stated this Twilight kid couldn’t open an envelope is wrong, wrong, wrong: you will find major stars who does be thrilled with this outcome, particularly in as rotten a examined movie as that one. Open Road’s Killer Elite looks a notch lower – maybe $5M today, and low teens for that weekend. Frequent updates coming with full analysis.

Nathan Lane Joins The English Teacher

He'll be a drama tutor in the comedyJust last week, we reported on Julianne Moore and Greg Kinnear signing on to lead off the cast of indie comedy The English Teacher. Now they're going to be joined by Nathan Lane. Moore is playing a high school English teacher whose life is thrown into chaos when a former star pupil returns to their small town after failing to make it as a playwright in NY. From the sounds of it, the teacher tries to help out with the writer's work and enlists Lane's drama teacher to add a little input. There's still no word on who Kinnear will be playing. Craig Zisk, usually to be found directing TV shows such as Weeds and The Big C, is behind the camera for his first film gig, with Dan and Stacy Chariton providing the script. The movie will kick off shooting next month in NY. Lane, who would probably rather forget he last appeared in The Nutcracker 3D, will next crop up as the faithful servant to Julia Robert's Evil Queen in Tarsem Singh's take on the Snow White story.

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