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