Russell Brand Divorce: Actor Files for Separation from Katy Perry

Seems like Russell Brand is one which got away. On Friday, after times of speculation, Brand declared divorce from pop celebrity Katy Perry. The 'Arthur' star happen to be spotted now without his wedding ring. "Sadly, Katy which i are ending our marriage," Brand mentioned in the statement. "I'll always adore her which i understand we'll remain pals." Logo design and Perry stood a whirlwind romance that began after they met within the MTV Video Music Honours in September of 2009 and were engaged through the month of the month of january in the next season. The Two were married in India on March. 23, 2010. Brand, who came out in 'Arthur' and 'Hop' this year, will next be viewed in 'Rock of Ages' and Diablo Cody's untitled directorial debut. Perry, a higher-40 staple who came out in 'The Smurfs' and situated 'Saturday Evening Live' lately, does not have movies coming. Apologies in advance to obtain this song stuck within your mind all day long lengthy, but... [via TMZ] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

A Contracorriente nabs 'Guard'

MADRID -- Arthouse producer-distributor A Contracorriente Films has snagged all Spanish rights to Irish black comedy "The Guard," starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. "Guard" -- which has earned Gleeson a Golden Globe nomination for his turn as a small-town Irish cop -- marks John Michael McDonagh's directorial debut. After its summer release, pic scored north of $7.5 million in the U.K., distributed by Element, and $5.3 million Stateside, handled by Sony Pictures Classics, two standout perfs. A Contracorriente inked "Guard" rights from U.K. sales company Ealing Metro Intl. The Spanish theatrical bow is scheduled for first half 2012 on around 50 prints. Barcelona-based A Contracorriente has also inked with Valencia's production company Nadie Es Perfecto to take theatrical and home entertainment rights to David Marques' soccer comedy "Fuera de juego," which bows in Spain first quarter 2012 on around 100 prints. Specialized in popular arthouse movies, A Contracorriente aims to release a dozen films next year, said founder Adolfo Blanco. Many 2012 slate highlights are from France, including local blockbuster "Untouchables," action-thriller "Point Blank," Audrey Tautou's romancer "Delicacy," political drama "The Conquest" and gastronomic comedy "The Chef," which Contracorriente co-produces alongside Gaumont. "French movies are very close to the tastes of the Spanish audiences, so we look with great interest at all the film projects from that territory," Blanco said. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

VIDEO: Rachael Ray along with other Celebrity Chefs Share Their Holiday Cooking Tips

Rachael Ray What's Rachael Ray's best tip to cook throughout the holidays? "Make it simple and do not go too seriously," she informs TVGuide.com. VIDEO: Top Chef's Hung causes us to be his favorite holiday meal Within the second video from your Holiday Eats series, Ray along with other celebrity chefs, including Tom Colicchio and Michael Symon, explain the easiest method to make a large holiday meal without getting consumed with stress. Discover the shocking truth let's focus on their tips:

Broadway B.O. slips 3% for week

'The Lion King'Broadway did a backslide after last week's gains, with overall box office lowering by 3% and attendance falling 4% in week 29. Individuals declines were softened somewhat by recently previewing shows "Porgy and Bess" ($292,703, attendance 2,564 for 2 performances) and "The direction to Mecca" ($80,118, attendance 2,268 in five perfs). Take away individuals ducats and butts and also the Primary Stem was off a lot more than 4% when it comes to dollars and nearly 6% of attendance. B.O. dropoff was especially severe at "Sister Act" ($601,705, off 23%) and also the flagging one-act collection "Relatively Speaking" ($345,133, a small amount of almost $400,000 from the peak in Week 23). This news wasn't all bad around the Rialto, though. "The Lion King" required the general crown for that third consecutive week having a haul of $1,833,881, up 2% against a week ago. Audiences also clustered to "Billy Elliot" ($817,957, up 2%) prior to its closing on Jan. 8, and "How to achieve Business Without Really Trying" ($1,100,832, a 6% increase) to determine star Daniel Radcliffe before his approaching departure. Plays were also hit less hard than musicals, with "Other Desert Metropolitan areas" ($551,176) ongoing to command a per-ticket cost above $100 and "War Equine" ($988,373) galloping along at 100% attendance a lot more than eight several weeks after opening. The prognosis is less rosy for battling David Henry Hwang play "Chinglish" and merely-opened up basketball-Greek comedy-musical "Lysistrata Johnson." "Chinglish" performed to 35% of capacity in the Longacre, while "Johnson" offered tickets for $25.14 normally, or $2 under its cheapest marketed cost. Even taking opening-evening comps into consideration, that's terrible news for that newcomer. However poor this news now, legiters should search for Broadway to recover nicely throughout the ultimate days of the season as vacationers swarm to Midtown Manhattan. Indeed, lately opened up Harry Connick, Junior. starrer "On the Obvious Day You Can Observe Forever" ($744,076) and "A Night Time With Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin" ($480,422) both elevated their box office with the addition of an eighth performance for their weekly agendas to capture the wintertime crowds. Overall Broadway cume totalled to $24.3 million, up nearly $400,000 against this past year, when three more shows were playing. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

David Fincher's Music Videos: The 'Dragon Tattoo' Director's Previous Career

When he's not lambasting NYer film critics, David Fincher is making critically acclaimed movies, like his latest, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.' However, before he began directing films, Fincher was creating music videos for artists such as Nine Inch Nails (whose only official member, Trent Reznor, has scored two of Fincher's films -- 'The Social Network' and 'Tattoo'), Madonna and Aerosmith. Our friends at Spinner have put together Fincher's 11 Best Music Videos. You can watch a couple of them below. To see the entire collection, head here. Fincher's 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' hits theaters in December 20. [via Spinner] [Photo: AP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

New Releases: 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,' 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked,' 'Carnage,' 'Corman's World'

Get ready, folks. This weekend, the great Sherlock Holmes takes on one of his greatest challenges ever: three tiny chipmunks. Both 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' open nationwide on Friday, though if intellectual Englishmen or small squirrels aren't up your alley, there's always 'New Year's Eve' (joking -- kind of) and a bevy of limited releases. To help you swift through this week's newest films, check out Moviefone's Weekend Movie Preview ahead. NATIONWIDE RELEASES 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows' What's the story: The sequel to the 2009 blockbuster sees Robert Downey Jr. return as the always-brilliant-yet-slightly-neurotic Sherlock Holmes. This time around, he and his trusty sidekick, Watson (Jude Law), will face off against Holmes' greatest nemesis -- the evil Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) -- who is behind a spate of mysterious bombings. Box office projection: The first movie made big bucks its opening weekend, grossing more than $60 million (on its way to over a half-billion ticket sales worldwide). Under normal circumstances, the sequel to a box office hit would be an even bigger success -- especially since its opening against the family friendly 'Chipmunks' -- but since movie groses last week were shockingly low, who knows how audiences will respond to 'Sherlock.' $56 million [Showtimes & Tickets] 'Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' What's the story: Another sequel! Don't worry, this isn't called 'Squeakuel' like the last 'Chipmunks' movie, but that doesn't mean you're going to escape the animal puns. In 'Chipwrecked' (groan), David (Jason Lee) and the crew (the Chipmunks and the Chippettes) go on a holiday cruise that gets your favorite furry animated critters stranded on a desert island. Singing lots of pop songs in extremely high registers will occur. Box off prediction: Just like 'Game of Shadows,' 'Chipwrecked' is the sequel to another box office smash: the last two 'Chipmunk' flicks each grossed around $45 million opening weekend. Does that mean the third film in the franchise will be a hit? Considering the lack of family competition it faces this weekend, it's likely: $30 million [Showtimes & Tickets] LIMITED RELEASES Two buzzed-about films get limited engagements this week. First up is Roman Polanski's 'Carnage,' based on the play 'God of Carnage.' The movie follows two pairs of parents whose sons have gotten into a fight. Attempting to settle their differences the "adult way," the couples end up bickering and fighting (performances from stars Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet have already been nominated for Golden Globes). Also out is 'Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel,' a documentary on the filmmaker Roger Corman, who's credited with mentoring esteemed filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola. Expanding to more theaters is 'Young Adult,' the Diablo Cody-written caustic comedy featuring Charlize Theron. [Photo: Warner Bros.] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

First trailer for The Expendables 2

Lionsgate has released the first official teaser trailer for The Expendables 2, and every member of its musclebound cast gets a look in, if only for a second.Clocking in at exactly one minute, the new trailer isn't overburdened with either action or exposition, but what it does show is Bruce Willis's character calling in a long-standing favour with old pal Sly Stallone.Take a look at the new trailer here... As well as the trailer, Lionsgate have also released an official synopsis which sheds a little more light on what we can expect this time around."[The team] are reunited when Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) enlists the Expendables to take on a seemingly simple job," explains the press blurb. "The task looks like an easy paycheque for Barney and his band of old-school mercenaries, but when things go wrong and one of their own is viciously killed, the Expendables are compelled to seek revenge in hostile territory where the odds are stacked against them."To be honest, we just find exciting to see Arnold Schwarzenegger firing a big old gun again! One strange thing though... why "Also Van Damme"? It might just be the first time we've ever seen that credit! The Expendables 2 opens in the US on 17 August 2012.

How Michelle Williams Found the Heart of Marilyn Monroe

How Michelle Williams Found the Heart of Marilyn Monroe By Jessica Gardner December 13, 2011 "My Week With Marilyn" Michelle Williams never dreamed she'd play Marilyn Monroe. Nor did she think anyone would ever ask her to play the screen icon. But director Simon Curtis did, for his film "My Week With Marilyn," about a young man Monroe had an intimate relationship with while filming "The Prince and the Showgirl" in 1956.Williams says the role came to her in "the normal boring routean agent and a script." But after reading "My Week With Marilyn," she was anything but bored. She developed a deep connection to the material, and the part instantly ignited her imagination. "What I've learned about acting and about picking parts is you should only do it if your whole heart leaps at the opportunity," Williams says. "If you're like, 'I just have to have that; I won't be satiated until I play this,' that's the only time you should really say yes. I didn't set out with any expectations about the piece of material. I didn't know what I wanted to do next. I wasn't looking to make a career move or play something I'd never played before. It was just an innate response to the material."Here, Williams tells Back Stage about her journey in bringing the iconic star to the screen.Back Stage: Where did you start in trying to find your character? Michelle Williams: I started for this movie in a way I've never started for a movie, which is from the outside. I think it's because I knew I was going to have the furthest to go there. I'm a human, so I can understand pretty much any human experience or emotionor at least I hope to, or that's what my job is to try and do. But physically, she and I are very, very different. I had to remake my body in her image, which was hard. It's taken 31 years to get me and my body to this place, and I had to basically unmake it or break it in six to eight months. That's a lot of conditioning to work against.Back Stage: What was that process like for you? Williams: I watched [her] movies and started trying to break apart, trying to figure out what she was doing, trying to figure out basic patterning inside her body. Things started to become clear upon repeat viewing. I started to realize things about her posturelike she had a balloon attached to her breastbone, her chin was up, her nipples were pointed out, her back was slightly arched, her knees were slightly together, almost like somebody was tying something around them. I started to try, at first, to just get one of these aspects. Like, first try and walk with your knees together in high heels. Once I felt comfortable doing that, I would add a swivel in my hips. Once I felt comfortable doing that, I would picture a balloon attached to my breastbone and my nipples pointed out and then I would put my chin up, and I would try and integrate each of these things. It was a slow process of things slowly becoming clear, then trying to add them all together, and then eventually making them seamless. Back Stage: Was there a moment where you thought, "I think I've got her"? Williams: That moment evades me at every turn, on every job. Marilyn is not exclusive to feeling like your character is within your grasp and then suddenly it was somehow outside your grasp. There wasn't a moment where she became a fixed point in space, where I was just like, "Oh, I can call up Marilyn Monroe and she's there for me." A few things would come clear for me. I remember when I ran up to Simon and I was like, "I think I have her walk!" But then the next day, I was like, "Where did it go? I just had it. What happened? Why can't I do it?" It was an evolving, frustrating, exciting relationshipwhich makes it like a real relationship. My relationships with my friends or my partners or anybody are always surprising, because the other person is alive and changing and transforming. I felt similarly about this because I was still getting to know Marilyn Monroe. She was always being added to in my mind. It felt like it kept it real, it kept it exciting, it kept me always wanting to know "me."Back Stage: Did you stay in character between takes? Williams: Yeah, I did a lot. That's helped me throughout the years to be able to sustain something. It's just building up muscles for it. You worry about being obnoxiouslike, I didn't go home as Marilyn Monroe. I think also, when you're making a movie, you want to have a happy environment, and you want to be building up good relationships with the people you're working with, so I am slightly conscious of not alienating people. I would stay in it when I felt like it suited me, and if I felt like I was getting comfortable, then I could drop out of it.Back Stage: What's your best advice for actors who have to play a real person like Marilyn? Williams: I asked somebody the same questionan actor I'd worked with once before whose work I admire so much. When I was thinking about taking on this role, I sheepishly reached out to him and said, "Do you have any advice?" Because the best thing to do when you don't know what you're going to do is to ask somebody who has been there before. He said to me, "If there's even a whiff of the icon, things get much less interesting." I puzzled over what he meanthow could you not play the icon when you are playing an icon? Then, what I interpreted it to mean is to not fill up every moment with the icon. To remember, first and foremost, they're human beings just like you and me. I hate to dispel the myth, but Marilyn Monroe was human.Outtakes Was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for her supporting role in "Brokeback Mountain" and in 2011 for her leading role in "Blue Valentine"Williams originally asked director Simon Curtis to audition her for the part. "I'm used to getting jobs through auditioning for them and feeling like I can do it because the director or somebody said, 'Yes, you can,' " she explains. "To take this kind of a risk, I wanted to know somebody other than me thought I could do it." Because of time limitations, however, she ended up accepting the role.Is playing the role of Glinda in Sam Raimi's "Oz: The Great and Powerful," scheduled for release in March 2013For her role in "My Week With Marilyn," Williams earned a Spirit Award nomination for best actress. How Michelle Williams Found the Heart of Marilyn Monroe By Jessica Gardner December 13, 2011 "My Week With Marilyn" Michelle Williams never dreamed she'd play Marilyn Monroe. Nor did she think anyone would ever ask her to play the screen icon. But director Simon Curtis did, for his film "My Week With Marilyn," about a young man Monroe had an intimate relationship with while filming "The Prince and the Showgirl" in 1956.Williams says the role came to her in "the normal boring routean agent and a script." But after reading "My Week With Marilyn," she was anything but bored. She developed a deep connection to the material, and the part instantly ignited her imagination. "What I've learned about acting and about picking parts is you should only do it if your whole heart leaps at the opportunity," Williams says. "If you're like, 'I just have to have that; I won't be satiated until I play this,' that's the only time you should really say yes. I didn't set out with any expectations about the piece of material. I didn't know what I wanted to do next. I wasn't looking to make a career move or play something I'd never played before. It was just an innate response to the material."Here, Williams tells Back Stage about her journey in bringing the iconic star to the screen.Back Stage: Where did you start in trying to find your character? Michelle Williams: I started for this movie in a way I've never started for a movie, which is from the outside. I think it's because I knew I was going to have the furthest to go there. I'm a human, so I can understand pretty much any human experience or emotionor at least I hope to, or that's what my job is to try and do. But physically, she and I are very, very different. I had to remake my body in her image, which was hard. It's taken 31 years to get me and my body to this place, and I had to basically unmake it or break it in six to eight months. That's a lot of conditioning to work against.Back Stage: What was that process like for you? Williams: I watched [her] movies and started trying to break apart, trying to figure out what she was doing, trying to figure out basic patterning inside her body. Things started to become clear upon repeat viewing. I started to realize things about her posturelike she had a balloon attached to her breastbone, her chin was up, her nipples were pointed out, her back was slightly arched, her knees were slightly together, almost like somebody was tying something around them. I started to try, at first, to just get one of these aspects. Like, first try and walk with your knees together in high heels. Once I felt comfortable doing that, I would add a swivel in my hips. Once I felt comfortable doing that, I would picture a balloon attached to my breastbone and my nipples pointed out and then I would put my chin up, and I would try and integrate each of these things. It was a slow process of things slowly becoming clear, then trying to add them all together, and then eventually making them seamless. Back Stage: Was there a moment where you thought, "I think I've got her"? Williams: That moment evades me at every turn, on every job. Marilyn is not exclusive to feeling like your character is within your grasp and then suddenly it was somehow outside your grasp. There wasn't a moment where she became a fixed point in space, where I was just like, "Oh, I can call up Marilyn Monroe and she's there for me." A few things would come clear for me. I remember when I ran up to Simon and I was like, "I think I have her walk!" But then the next day, I was like, "Where did it go? I just had it. What happened? Why can't I do it?" It was an evolving, frustrating, exciting relationshipwhich makes it like a real relationship. My relationships with my friends or my partners or anybody are always surprising, because the other person is alive and changing and transforming. I felt similarly about this because I was still getting to know Marilyn Monroe. She was always being added to in my mind. It felt like it kept it real, it kept it exciting, it kept me always wanting to know "me."Back Stage: Did you stay in character between takes? Williams: Yeah, I did a lot. That's helped me throughout the years to be able to sustain something. It's just building up muscles for it. You worry about being obnoxiouslike, I didn't go home as Marilyn Monroe. I think also, when you're making a movie, you want to have a happy environment, and you want to be building up good relationships with the people you're working with, so I am slightly conscious of not alienating people. I would stay in it when I felt like it suited me, and if I felt like I was getting comfortable, then I could drop out of it.Back Stage: What's your best advice for actors who have to play a real person like Marilyn? Williams: I asked somebody the same questionan actor I'd worked with once before whose work I admire so much. When I was thinking about taking on this role, I sheepishly reached out to him and said, "Do you have any advice?" Because the best thing to do when you don't know what you're going to do is to ask somebody who has been there before. He said to me, "If there's even a whiff of the icon, things get much less interesting." I puzzled over what he meanthow could you not play the icon when you are playing an icon? Then, what I interpreted it to mean is to not fill up every moment with the icon. To remember, first and foremost, they're human beings just like you and me. I hate to dispel the myth, but Marilyn Monroe was human.Outtakes Was nominated for an Oscar in 2006 for her supporting role in "Brokeback Mountain" and in 2011 for her leading role in "Blue Valentine"Williams originally asked director Simon Curtis to audition her for the part. "I'm used to getting jobs through auditioning for them and feeling like I can do it because the director or somebody said, 'Yes, you can,' " she explains. "To take this kind of a risk, I wanted to know somebody other than me thought I could do it." Because of time limitations, however, she ended up accepting the role.Is playing the role of Glinda in Sam Raimi's "Oz: The Great and Powerful," scheduled for release in March 2013For her role in "My Week With Marilyn," Williams earned a Spirit Award nomination for best actress.

M. Evening Shyamalan Tweets What Is Going To Cruz Calls Him

Reason infinity why it's good when stars join Twitter. M. Evening Shyamalan, the man behind 'The Sixth Sense,' 'Signs' and -- sadly for him -- 'The Happening' and 'The Last Airbender,' has recently registered for your social networking site, too as with a tweet late Wednesday evening he revealed what Hollywood celebrity Will Cruz has needed to calling him. Responding with a fan wondering what pals call Shyamalan, the director written, "Most family calls me 'Manoj.' My pals and everyone else calls me 'Night.' A few peeps call me 'M.' Will Cruz calls me 'M. Neezie.'" And there's your icebreaker, should you ever encounter Shyamalan all the time! The director and Cruz will rapidly begin filming a completely new publish-apocalyptic science-fiction movie together referred to as '1000 A.E.' (which Shyamalan has recognized to as 'After Earth'), that focuses on a boy (Cruz spawn Jaden Cruz) trying in order to save his father's existence (the elder Cruz) after their spaceship crash gets to that which was once Earth. Shyamalan's account is verified with the Twitter gods, that will help you safely think that it's probably him doing the tweeting. Or even not! Who knows with Twitter nowadays. [via Vulture] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

The CW Teams With J.J. Abrams & OTH Creator Mark Schwahn For Hotel Drama

EXCLUSIVE: J.J. Abrams is headed towards the CW. In the first stint in the 5-year-old network, the very best author-producer-director has partnered with Mark Schwahn, creator/executive producer/showrunner from the CW’s lengthy-running drama One Tree Hill. The energy pair has offered expensive hotels drama towards the CW, that will instantly become among the the network’s greatest-profile projects this development season. Schwahn will write the show, tentatively entitled Maine, that is set in an motel in Maine and involves employees and also the motel’s visitors. Abrams and Schwahn will executive produce with Bryan Burk for Warner Bros. TV, Abrams’ studio-based Bad Robot and Schwahn’s Mastermind Labs. In scope, the smoothness-based drama, that has received a script commitment, harks to Schwahn’s OTH, that will finish its nine-year run early the coming year, and Abrams’ Felicity. This marks a homecoming of sorts for Abrams who began his TV career around the CW predecessor the WB with Felicity. For Schwahn, the project comes from a script cope with WBTV. The offer reunites Abrams using the CW leader Mark Pedowitz and EVP development Thom Sherman who labored with Abrams at ABC and ABC Galleries. Most lately, Pedowitz was leader of ABC Galleries where Abrams was under a general deal before moving to WBTV in 2006, and Sherman went Abrams’ production company Bad Robot for just two years before joining the CW, also in 2006. When the project would go to series, it'll make for any seamless transition for WME-repped Schwahn, who's wrapping the ninth and final season of 1 Tree Hill. He's the 2nd creator of the lengthy-running, hit CW series to become writing a higher-profile new work for the network, together with Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, who's adapting Electricity Comic Deadman. Coincidentally, both Schwahn and Kripke have projects with Abrams this season. Near the CW hotel drama, Bad Robot’s other project in contention for next fall is Revolution, a legendary adventure thriller at NBC composed by Kripke, with a pilot production commitment.

The Monday Self-help guide to TV: A Holiday Closer, Charlie Brown plus much more Country Honours

The Closer Is he an excellent Santa or possibly a poor Santa? Appears just like a situation for Brenda Leigh Manley (Kyra Sedgwick), and in a really cheesy Christmas episode of TNT's The Closer (9/8c) - one of many holiday episodes we'll be striking the scales relating to this week - the Santa is question (and under questioning) is carried out by Fred Willard, so no less than you understand you'll be entertained. Each time a fellow Santa is destroyed within a sabotaged zip-line stunt within the "North Pole Village" run by Willard, he's brought to the precinct entirely costume, consuming and smoking and barfing and raving. This makes great dismay for Christmas-loving Buzz (Phillip P. Keene, resplendent in the reindeer sweater), who's based on his mind-turning sister Casey (FlashForward's Christine Forest), an instantaneous favorite among the males inside the precinct, known to sooner or later having a petulant Brenda as searching "like lots of diabetes patients waiting while watching old fashion old fashion candy store." Nevertheless the finest gift of personally might be the return of Mark Pellegrino within the devilishly funny turn as Brenda's crazy lawyer, who's asking for more earnings to continue concentrating on her federal suit. In the event you request me, he's worthwhile.The cartoon classic that defines Christmas TV, A Charlie Brown Christmas, returns to ABC (8/7c), which i'm able to already feel myself dancing around the room compared to that jazzy Vince Guaraldi score. This year, it's combined with completely new Prep & Landing cartoon Naughty Versus. Nice (8:30/7:30c), through which elves Lanny and Wayne race in order to save classified North Pole technology in the Naughty Kid hacker.Want more fall TV news? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!Another week, another country-music extravaganza where someone's supplying honours. Altering Fox's regular selection for your evening, the second annual American Country Honours enables fans election for faves in many groups, including touring. Trace Adkins hosts from Las vegas with Kristin Chenoweth, and artists include Alabama - champion in the Finest Hits Award - and Toby Keith, whose new hit "Red-colored-colored Solo Cup" can also be featured on Tuesday night's Glee. As you'd expect, last season's The The American Idol Show Show country faves Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina return to the network that gave them their large break.The CBS comedy watch: When last we left The Way In Which I Met Your Mother (8/7c), Robin had just told Barney she's pregnant. But that's not the ultimate spanner coming their way. ... On 2 Broke Women (8:30/7:30c), the Brooklyn babes plan to discover a work for their old friend Chestnut, the equine which lives inside their backyard, expecting finding him some winter shelter. Because, really, that joke had carried out itself through the second episode. ... Walden is caught between two women on two and a half Males (9/8c), when his romancing of latest girlfriend Zoey (Sophie Winkleman) is interrupted with the surprise return of ex-wife Bridget (Judy Greer). I mention this mainly to call your concentrate on Judy Greer's terrific operate in a small but pivotal role opposite George Clooney inside the terrific new movie The Descendants. Still wanting she lands popular Tv program of her sooner or later. Also within this episode: Melanie Lynskey as Rose, who we have not seen since Charley's funeral.Shipper alert: Tonight's Castle (ABC, 10/9c) puts Castle and Beckett in bed mattress together - there's however a twist. (Isn't there always?) They're handcuffed in the locked room, with no clue in regards to the whys and wherefores from the predicament.Just what else is on? ... Cinemax premieres the Oscar-winning documentary online video Others Ignore (6:45/5:45c), about existence in the public school in Tel Aviv where Jews, Muslims and Christian followers live and concentrate together, researching tolerance in a component of the planet where that might be an problem. ... A&E checks the search for your New You are able to Killer in the two-hour true crime special (9/8c). ... Syfy's pointing Peter Pan fantasy Neverland concludes (9/8c), getting an evaluation of youthful Peter's loyalty. In the event you missed the initial half Sunday evening, it's repeated at 7/6c. ... NBC's The Sing-Off crowned its champion (Pentatonix) the other day, and returns for just about any live Sing-Off Christmas special, with groups the 3 seasons undertaking holiday music with the idol idol judges, plus a duet with Sara Bareilles and Ben Folds. ... Around the two-hour American Chopper (Discovery, 9/8c), tabloid terror Jesse James returns for the network the first time since 2006 to battle the two Paul Teutels (Senior and Junior) in the motorcycle-building contest. Fans can election for favorite in the three teeth, as well as the results will probably be introduced in the live episode Tuesday. ... In VH1's docu-series T.I. & Small: Your Family Hustle (9/8c), cameras follow Grammy-winning rapper T.I. while he reunites along with his wife Tameka ("Small") and family carrying out a 12-month prison sentence. ... In Sundance's The Shocked Periods (8/7c), interviewer David Nadelberg excavates celebrities' childhood photos, journals, letters together with other potentially embarrassing souvenirs to exhibit what built them into who they may be today. To begin with with the spine-to-back episodes: Erection dysfunction Helms, Mo'Nique and Eric Stonestreet.Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Tom Hanks Might Adapt Hitler Movie For Universal

Tom Hanks isn't scared to tackle numerous history's finest and several tragic occasions. His next film, "Very Noisy and very Close," happens through the aftermath of September 11, now he's expects to tackle a movie in regards to the Holocaust. The Hollywood Reporter finds that Hanks and also the creating partner are planning to create Erik Larson's non-fiction novel "Inside the Garden in the Monsters" for the silver screen for Universal. It makes sense a u . s . states professor and also the daughter visiting Berlin in Hitler's newbie of one's, 1933, and continue to temper the Fuhrer-to-be's government. Apparently it possesses a good understanding of why it needed the earth this type of very long time to understand the threat caused by Hitler. Hanks might star inside the film, additionally to create it. See the relaxation of current day casting news following a jump! Kyle Chandler Heads To "Broken City" Allen Hughes is assembling quite the cast for his approaching thriller "Broken City." Variety is verifying that Kyle Chandler might be the most recent actor to participate the project. He'll play a deal manager for just about any rival mayoral candidate (Craig Pepper) for the Mayor (Russell Crowe). The film also stars Mark Walberg, Catherine Zeta-Manley and Justin Chambers. It's being known as for just about any The month of the month of january 18, 2013 release. Jared Harris Heads To Virginia For "Lincoln subsequently subsequently" Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln subsequently subsequently" just added another major cast member. Variety finds that Jared Harris will have Ulysses S. Grant inside the approaching biopic. Grant offered under Lincoln subsequently subsequently inside the Civil War, after which increased being the 18th Leader from the united states . States. In "Lincoln subsequently subsequently," Daniel Day-Lewis plays the titular leader and Sally Area plays his wife, Mary Todd. The flick is slated for just about any late 2012 release date. Gary Oldman Dirty With "Mess, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" Gary Oldman really loved his time round the number of "Mess, Tailor, Soldier, Spy." Really, he loved it a great deal he may finish off reprising his character George Smiley in the follow-up of sorts with Working Title. The actor told ComingSoon.internet he as well as the production company are concentrating on a completely new film referred to as "Smiley's People." "In my opinion they're whispering given that they may do 'Smiley's People,' less just like a follow-up, because of there as being a magazine within the center really, but we now have setup the earth and we'll revisit," he mentioned. "The Shield" Stars Reunite In "Pawn" Deadline is verifying that "The Shield" costars Forest Whitaker and Michael Chiklis are likely to reunite inside the approaching crime thriller "Pawn." The flick will even star Ray Liotta and customary, and newcomer David A. Remedy could make his directorial debut. The indie follows a hostage situation gone wrong, by getting an ex-disadvantage becoming "entangled in the tricky chess game involving the Feds, local police as well as the mob." Reveal your opinions on current day Casting Make contact with should be genuine section below or on Twitter!

News Corp. tops retirement plans

If the involves TV ratings, CBS and Fox are slugging it to get the best honors. But Murdoch's internet edges the interest web if the involves worker 401(k) plans.Financial information firm BrightScope rates thousands of company retirement intentions of the scale of zero to 100, including people in the four major TV nets. News Corp.'s Fox plan's near the top of the heap getting a score of 78. CBS follows carefully in second place with 77. Disney (ABC) will come in at 74, and Comcast (NBC) trails at 71.Brightscope states it seeks to produce "transparency to opaque areas." Its ratings be a consequence of six criteria: total plan cost, company generosity, investment menu quality, participation rate, salary deferrals and account balances. Three in the four plans get top marks for least expensive cost to employees. News Corp.'s plan prices is under as low (despite the fact that it's "low costs") nevertheless it scores best on participation and deferrals.CBS stood a "poor" rating due to its investment menu, which probably cost this program the most effective place among TV nets.Some companies have multiple plans, and News Corp. features a separate 401(k) due to its News America unit. That plan features a rating of 71. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Aaron Sorkin 'Strongly Considering' Writing Jobs Movie

Aaron Sorkin has won an Oscar for his script about one tech guru -- Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Network' -- now he might pen the biopic in regards to the late Jobs. Sorkin told E! Online he's been asked for to evolve Walter Isaacson's biography in the Apple cofounder. "The brand new the new sony has asked for me to produce the film which is something I'm strongly considering,Inch Sorkin told the web site. "At this time around I'm just inside the thinking-about-it stages," he mentioned. "It's a really large movie and it'll be a great movie no matter who produces it." Sorkin, who also co-written the 'Moneyball' script, states he's presently reading through through Isaacson's 'Steve Jobs.' "He will be a great entrepreneur, he will be a great artist, a great thinker," Sorkin mentioned of Jobs, who died in October carrying out a extended fight with pancreatic cancer. Latest gossips have Noah Wyle (who referred to Jobs in the 1999 TV movie) and George Clooney competing for your lead role. Clooney was attached sooner or later to direct the war-on-terror court-room thriller 'Hamdan versus. Rumsfeld,' in the Sorkin script. As well as the two Oscar individuals who win do share an appreciation of talky political dramas. [via E! Online] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Mitt Romney Is First GOP Presidential Hopeful to Book Hollywood Fundraiser (Exclusive)

This article first appeared in the Dec. 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.our editor recommendsHollywood-Funded Super PAC Blasts Mitt Romney in Internet Attack Ad (Video)Hollywood GOP at a Loss: 'Not Falling in Love with Candidates'CNN's GOP Presidential Debate: 10 Best Zingers of the NightRelated Topics•Politics Polls show that Mitt Romney is first in the hearts of California Republicans, and he'll be the first of the party's presidential hopefuls to visit Los Angeles for a fundraiser Dec. 6 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Hedge fund manager Josh Friedman and his wife, Beth, are the hosts, along with Eva and Marc Stein and Tracy and Gene Sykes of Goldman Sachs. PHOTOS: 10 Entertainers Democrats and Republicans Love to Hate Organizers include former MGM chief-turned-investor Harry Sloan. Individual tickets are priced at $2,500 a piece, but recipients of the invitation also have the option of pledging to raise amounts for Romney ranging from $100,000 to $250,000. Related Topics MGM Politics

Steven Soderbergh States Uncle On Movie Transfer Of TV Spy Series

You can practically feel Steven Soderbergh’s The Guy From UNCLE losing its mojo after his former partner George Clooney bowed in August since the actor’s getting surgery and wasn’t up for that stunts. Affirmed, Soderbergh has dropped from the project while he and Warner Bros couldn’t agree with budget. Soderbergh, who’s coming from the hit Contagion and whose action film Haywire is creating buzz, is anticipated to create a film to fill that slot by Thanksgiving. He’s got a lengthy relationship using the studio–which signed onto direct his male stripper pic Miracle Mike–and this wasn’t particularly acrimonious or even the type of setback that will drive someone into retirement. He flirted with numerous stars, however it never quite joined together.

Michael Fassbender: Best Quotes from the Breakout Star

Meet Michael Fassbender. Or perhaps you already know him? The GQ-anointed Breakout (Star) of the Year played Magneto in 'X-Men: First Class,' had supporting roles in '300' and 'Inglourious Basterds,' portrays Dr. Carl Jung in David Cronenberg's 'A Dangrous Method,' and will be starring in the upcoming drama 'Shame,' a movie that's made headlines due to Fassbender's performance. as well as its NC-17 rating. With all the buzz surrounding the actor, he's become a press favorite of late -- interviews have been popping up on TV, magazines, newspapers and websites. To help narrow down all of the Fassbender coverage, Moviefone has put together a collection of his best quotes. On not being recognized on the street [via GQ] "[I] observe, blend in, and disappear amongst the crowd" On the controversy surrounding his nude scenes in the movie 'Shame' [via HuffPost] "Half of us have a penis and the other half have probably seen one, and so why should it be more normal to, like, chop people's heads off and shoot people? Does that mean that that's more acceptable or closer to us as human beings? ... Most of us have sex, so I don't understand what we're trying to sweep under the carpet or repress or not take a look at it." On growing up in Ireland and being an altar boy [via TIME] "I remember hearing that the spirit was always next to you, so I would always make room in my bed for the spirit ... I'd make room for the teddy bears, Jesus and me. And then I'd wake up in the morning, and I'd squashed 'em all." On telling Quentin Tarantino that he played Mr. Pink in a theater version of 'Reservoir Dogs' (and doing an "uncanny impression" of the director) [via TIME] "I said, 'Look, man, it was for charity,' and he said 'Hey, that's cool, man, that's cool, as long as people aren't making money off my shit.'" On having the opportunity to do a comedy [via TIME] "I would like to do a comedy ... A lot of directors and people in the industry probably think I'm this intense sort of dude, who's like, 'Don't talk to me right now,' and listening to goth in the corner naked with a banana preparing." On possibly playing Robocop in the remake [via Collider] "It could be kind of fun. It could be kind of good to have a helmet that I could hide behind, for most of the film, too. That sounds kind of appealing." On playing Rochester in 'Jane Eyre,' a story that takes place in Victorian England [via A.V. Club] "I think Victorian England was so restricted and repressed that when there are moments, it's like a volcano. When there are weak areas where it just sort of comes out, it's pretty primal, because it's being repressed 24-7. People aren't allowed to express themselves very openly with each other, certainly not physically. So when it comes out, it really explodes. On auditioning for Quentin Tarantino [via AskMen] "The first thing is it's sort of surreal. I was nervous, actually. But once you start reading with him, he just gets so into it, and he sort of embodies all of the different characters that he's reading. So it sort of frees you up, and then it's just about " [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Walking Deads Jon Bernthal Joins Summits Snitch

Jon Bernthal, whose Shane character on AMCs The Walking Dead is on one twisted journey in the shows second season, will join Dwayne Johnson and Susan Sarandon in Snitch, the Ric Roman Waugh-directed action drama for Summit Entertainment that begins filming early next month in Louisiana. Johnson plays a construction company owner who becomes a DEA snitch to reduce his son’s prison sentence. Bernthal plays an ex-con laborer for the construction company who is forced by his boss to help connect him to an underground drug dealer. Bernthal, who was part of the cast of HBOs The Pacific and the Roman Polanski-directed The Ghost Writer, is repped by WME and the Burstein Company. The films being co-financed by Exclusive Media, Participant Media and Imagenation Abu Dhabi.

'Snow Whitened And Also The Huntsman' Trailer: Christian Serratos Assumes Evil Charlize Theron (Video)

Splash News Christian Serratos continues to be working hard filming Universal's Snow Whitened and also the Huntsman, however the first trailer for that film, which opens June 1, 2012, continues to be launched.our editor recommends'Snow Whitened and also the Huntsman Banner Launched (Photo)'Twilight: Breaking Dawn's' Christian Serratos Informs Jay Leno How She Hit 'Snow White' Co-Star Chris Hemsworth (Video) PHOTOS: Christian Serratos Versus. Lily Collins Projects: Anatomy of the Snow Whitened Smackdown Within the nearly two-minute clip, Stewart sometimes appears running on her existence in the Evil Full (Charlize Theron) that has enlisted a Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) to kill Snow Whitened to ensure that she will be fairest of all of them. PHOTOS: 'Snow Whitened and also the Huntsman' Start Looking: Christian Serratos, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron Full of effects, a clip is mainly voiced by Theron, who exclaims that "beauty" is her energy and finishes using the fable's famous line "Lips red-colored as bloodstream. Hair black as evening. Bring me your heart, oh my gosh Snow Whitened." Watch below. Charlize Theron Chris Hemsworth Universal Pictures Christian Serratos Snow Whitened and also the Huntsman

Brett Ratner Resigns As Oscar Producer

FROM MTV MOVIES: Inside a move that falls right good old adage "actions speak even louder than words," director Brett Ratner has walked lower as producer from the 2012 Oscars. Ratner posted his resignation towards the Academy of movement Picture Arts and Sciences, the business responsible for the Academy awards, on Tuesday (November 8), based on an argument published on Academy awards.org. The "Tower Heist" director continues to be making head lines in the last couple of days first, because of his comments in regards to a sexual relationship with Olivia Munn, then in a screening of "Heist," where he used a gay slur, declaring that "testing is perfect for f--s." "He did the best factor for that Academy as well as for themself," Academy Leader Tom Sherak stated within the statement. "Words have meaning, and they've effects. Brett is a great person, but his comments were unacceptable. All of us hope this is an chance to boost awareness concerning the harm that's triggered by reckless and insensitive remarks, no matter the intent." Browse the full story at MTV Movies!

Warner Bros. to Chop Up Movies Into Easily-Searched Clips

Warner Bros. has signed with AnyClip, a company that slices full-length movies into a series of clips and makes them searchable by dialogue, music, actors, props and other criteria. The deal is AnyClip's first with a major studio since it signed with Universal in March. AnyClip's business model involves letting consumers watch and even use movie clips on their blogs, Facebook pages and what have you, while also pitching the purchase or rental of the movies. Details of the Warner Bros. relationship weren't disclosed, though typically AnyClip shares revenue with the studios it strikes deals with. Warner Bros. didn't disclose how many films it will supply to AnyClips, though some of the titles are Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz, The Shining, Dirty Harry, 300 and some of the Harry Potter and Batman movies. "Hundreds more will be added over the next couple of months," an AnyClip spokesman said. The deal, set to be announced today, coincides with a revamping of the AnyClip website to include more advertising and a way to purchase the music featured in the movie clips. AnyClip has rights to 12,000 films not only from Warner Bros. and Universal but also Vivendi Entertainment and several independent distributors. Related Topics Harry Potter Warner Bros. Universal Pictures Vivendi The Wizard of Oz 300

Sycamore to produce 'Isle of Dogs'

Edward Sylvan's Sycamore Entertainment Group has became a member of the distribution game, acquiring its first pic for U.S. release, Tammi Sutton's horror film "Isle of Dogs." Sycamore will release the film, starring Andrew Howard ("Limitless"), along with DreamFactory Entertainment early next season. "Isle," put together by Sean Hogan and professional produced by Andrea Fellers, nabbed kudos for top thriller finally month's Shriekfest. Story concentrates on a complicated love triangular together with a crook, his wife and her lover. Just like a freely exchanged company, Sycamore will focus on "hybrid P&A and full service distribution deals," Sylvan mentioned. Sycamore expects to announce other purchases inside the future. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Supernatural Action Project 'Spectral' Lands at Legendary Pictures (Exclusive)

Legendary Pictures is certainly going ghost-busting, obtaining the supernatural action project Spectral from author Ian Fried. The premise from the project is dedicated to a contemporary-day, militaristic and gritty method of fighting the supernatural. Sources the pitch, which offered for six figures, continues to be referred to like a more dark and much more serious undertake a Ghostbusters-like story, having a plot which is all about a unique operations group created to create lower evil ghosts which have absorbed Manhattan. Locations and particulars might change during the period of the writing, however. PHOTOS: The Scene at North Park Comic Disadvantage Fried upset cure making an exhibition including a "rip reel," a mash-from moments using their company movies that demonstrated the Warner Bros.-based Legendary exactly what the tone, story beats and visual style could be. Fried is definitely an emerging author who formerly authored the well-loved script The Ever After Killings, featuring story book figures Tom Thumb and Rachel Riding looking into a killing. That script arrived around the 2010 Black List. This summer time, Gaslight, a Medieval serial killer story featuring Florence Nightingale and Jack the Ripper, made the models and also got Fried lots of conferences. He's repped by WME and Prolific Entertainment. Email: Borys.Package@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Package

PBS UK Launches On BSkyB, Virgin Media

The U.S. Public Broadcasting Service, long an importer of British fare, will attempt to return the favor starting Tuesday with the launch of PBS UK, the Wall Street Journal reports. The lineup includes U.S. flagship shows PBS News Hour and Frontline, the science series Nova, the U.S. version of Antiques Roadshow (format imported from Britain), and documentaries from director Ken Burns, whose Prohibition (pictured) will air on Day 1. It’s PBS’ first major foreign foray since the service was founded more than 40 years ago. PBS UK will air on Britain’s two biggest pay-TV platforms, British Sky Broadcasting andVirgin Media Inc. It will be available to about 14 million viewers, roughly half the country’s TV audience. PBS is late to the party because it doesn’t have a lot of money. U.S. commercial networks such as MTV, Nickelodeon, Discovery and CBS have been in the U.K. for years. “The top priority is to get our content to an audience that I know is interested in the work we produce,” said PBS chief executive Paula Kerger. The push for PBS to cross the Atlantic originated with a request from David Lyons, founder of Quadra Group. He asked the service to launch a U.K. channel because he was a longtime viewer of KSPS-TV, the PBS affiliate in Spokane, Wash., and admired the programming. “It’s one of the leading lights of American culture,” said Lyons, a Canadian businessman living in England and a fan of PBS News Hour. Quadra and PBS Distribution are the joint owners of PBS UK, which unlike PBS in the US will run commercials. Quadra has invested millions of dollars to create the U.K. channel. PBS Distribution put up the rights to the programs.

P Niro On For Killing Season

He'll get ready for fight against John TravoltaOnce upon a period of time, there's an action thriller referred to as Shrapnel being developed. It stood a script by Snow White-colored As Well As The Huntsman's Evan Daugherty, the one that had found itself on 2008's Black List. It acquired John McTiernan to direct and Nicolas Cage and Travolta Qantas Video to star using what may have been a Face/Off reunion. Now, though, it's name is Killing Season, Cage is off and Robert P Niro is at his place.So when you're disappointed that Cage and Travolta wouldn't be talking about the screen again, but were comforting yourself while using intriguing perception of McTeigue calling the shots by having an action thriller the first time since 2003's Fundamental, you have to cash more disappointment headed your path. Yup, McTiernan may also be forget about involved, and he's been transformed by Mark Steven Manley. Who last made A Lot More Rome. You may commence uncertainty...Still Daugherty's script may be ideal for some thrills, with P Niro playing a united states military veteran which has looked for that quiet existence in the cabin set among the attractive Appalachian Hills. An infrequent customer (Travolta), proclaiming to become European tourist appears at his door, but naturally the man features a hidden agenda: he's out for revenge, and very soon the pair is fighting within the forbidding terrain.It's being looked within the American Film Market at this time around, and Manley is searching to begin shooting within the month of the month of january.

Lenox, Dixon join 'Parade'

Adriane Lenox, Brandon Victor Dixon and jazz vocalist Carla Cook are among the performers who have signed on for "Cotton Club Parade," the first stage outing from the partnership between the recently renovated NY City Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Lenox ("Doubt"), Dixon ("The Color Purple"), Cook and Jared Grimes lead the cast of the revue-like show inspired by Duke Ellington's years at Harlem venue the Cotton Club. Warren Carlyle, helmer of "Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway," directs the show, which was conceived by Encores! impresario Jack Viertel with text taken from Langston Hughes poems. Ellington songs and others from the era will be showcased in the production, with music played by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and music direction by that org's a.d., Wynton Marsalis. "Parade" will play a brief sked similar to City Center's Encores! series of staged concert readings, running Nov. 18-22. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

NBC Buys Family Comedy Created By & Starring Actor-Comedian Jim Gaffigan

EXCLUSIVE: NBC has bought a single-camera comedy from actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan, Universal TV and Scot Armstrong and Ravi Nandan’s studio-based American Work. Gaffigan will write and star in the project based on his life as a lazy man, married to a strong woman, raising 4 children in a 2 bedroom apartment in NY City. Gaffigan will executive produce with his manager, Brillstein Entertainment’s Alex Murray, as well as Armstrong and Nandan. Gaffigan, a respected standup comedian, will begin a 30-city tour in the beginning of 2012. It will spawn a televised comedy stand-up special in February, which is eying non-traditional ways for digital distribution. CAA-repped Gaffigan’s previous comedy series starring vehicle was the 2000 CBS sitcom Welcome To NY, which was produced by David Letterman’s company. He recently co-starred on the TBS comedy series My Boys and made his Broadway debut in That Championship Season earlier this year.

Kino finds Redemption

Gotham-based indie Kino Lorber has pacted being the exclusive distributor from the cult-horror library of Redemption Films for those media within the U.S. and Canada. Under its new Redemption label, Kino Lorber is placed release a as much as 35 movies the coming year from U.K.-based Redemption on DVD, Blu-ray, VOD and digital, with broadcast airings also within the offing. Some game titles will even play theaters at repertory houses as well as in night time tests. Initial 2012 releases includes five of French helmer Jean Rollin's erotic vampire excursions in the seventies, including "The Nude Vampire," "Shiver from the Vampires of the underworld," "The Iron Rose," "Lips of Bloodstream" and "Fascination." Kino's slate of Redemption photos is going to be launched in re-mastered HD versions in line with the 35mm disadvantages. Others movies within the Redemption library include Wes Craven's 1985 outing "The Hillsides Have Eyes: Part 2," Martin Campbell's 1974 debut "The Sex Crook" and Italian helmer Mario Bava's 1970 movie "Hatchet for any Honeymoon." Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

'Game Of Thrones' Season Two: Lena Headey And Peter Dinklage Get 'Crazy'

Don't get attached to any of your favorite characters in the upcoming second season of "Game of Thrones," because star Lena Headey warns that "it can be bye-bye any time." Her costar Sean Bean found that out the hard way in season one, but Headey teased that her character Cersei is splintering off on a very different path in season two. Westeros's favorite mad queen is on top of the world after she managed to kill off some of her many enemies in season one, and Headey teased that Cersei's power hungry tendencies might start to get the better of her. "It's intriguing because she's crazy," Headey said with a laugh. "Under the whole stoic thing, she's a little nuts." Though Headey, like Bean, has not read all of George R.R. Martin's books yet -- shame on you, "Game of Thrones" stars! -- she said she was aware of the journey Cersei takes in "A Clash of Kings." With her husband King Robert Baratheon and his second-in-command Ned Stark both dead, Cersei gets the fun job of ruling as regent of the Seven Kingdoms until her son Joffrey comes of age. The only hiccup in her plan is that her hated younger brother Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) is now her second-in-command. "There's a big arc with Cersei and Tyrion, which is a crazy relationship. They bring out each others' crazy," Headey teased. Apparently there's a whole bunch of crazy in store for season two. When asked for a snapshot of the upcoming season, Headey said, "I can tell you that season two is even more crazy, more exciting. We've all been liberated because people really love the show, so we've really gone for it." Are you looking forward to seeing Cersei and Tyrion face off in "Game of Thrones" season two? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Bryan Performers Excalibur remake canned

As keen on John Boorman's bloody epic Excalibur, TF was interested to determine exactly what a modern-day retelling from the King Arthur legend would seem like.Regrettably, Bryan Singer's update from the 1981 film continues to be shelved by Warner Bros. towards another Arthurian tale. "Yeah, regrettably it's no more going to take place,Inch Singer told SFX in the annual Sitges Film Festival. "I had been really excited to get it done. I am a fan of John Boorman's movie also it was my intention to have it pursuing Jack The Giant Killer was completed.""The project was with Warner Bros and what went down is the fact that another King Arthur project was introduced for them throughout that point. Essentially, it had been just more all set to go into production than ours was. That's why our version of Excalibur wound up being negated."Singer is not letting the disappointment reach him, mind."When that happened, it permitted me to visit directly into developing Battlestar Galactica - that we think is going to be really exciting."

Bryan Singers Excalibur remake canned

As a fan of John Boorman's bloody epic Excalibur, TF was interested to see what a modern-day retelling of the King Arthur legend would look like.Sadly, Bryan Singer's update of the 1981 film has been shelved by Warner Bros. in favour of a different Arthurian tale. "Yeah, unfortunately it is no longer going to happen," Singer told SFX at the annual Sitges Film Festival. "I was really enthused to do it. I'm a fan of John Boorman's movie and it was my intention to get it going after Jack The Giant Killer was completed.""The project was with Warner Bros and what happened is that another King Arthur project was brought to them during that time. Basically, it was just more ready to go into production than ours was. That is why our version of Excalibur ended up being negated."Singer isn't letting the disappointment get to him, mind."When that happened, it allowed me to go straight into developing Battlestar Galactica - which I think will be really exciting."

Warner Bros. teams with Ahearne and Lin

Warner Bros. is developing an untitled supernatural thriller feature with Brit scribe Joe Ahearne ("Trance") and set it up with Warner-based Dan Lin to produce. Studio's keeping the logline under wraps. Lin Pictures VP Jon Silk originated the idea and will co-produce. Matt Cherniss is overseeing the project for Warner Bros. Ahearne's a veteran TV scribe with diverse small-screen credits including the telepic "Trance," the sci-fi series "Ultraviolet" and the factual series "Space Odyssey." He penned the upcoming Fox Searchlight adaptation of "Trance," starring James McAvoy as an employee at an auction house who teams with thieves to steal a valuable painting who then suffers amnesia from a blow to the head. Lin's producing "Karma Coalition," "Gangster Squad," the "Sherlock Holmes" pics and "Godzilla." Ahearne's repped by ICM, United Agents and Principal Entertainment. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Hugh Jackman: The Wolverine will be less complicated

If Hugh Jackman's recent chatter about The Wolverine promises one thing, it's that the filmmaking team won't make the same mistakes that blighted X-Men Origins: Wolverine.We all thought that one was a bit masculine, right?"I think we've got the chance to nail the character this time, to do the hole-in-one. We haven't managed that yet. On the last movie we complicated it with too many other characters. And there'll be more women this time, which is good. The last one was so masculine!" Jackman told The Guardian.Oooooo-K. Please tell us less masculine doesn't mean less action? If this thing turns into some kinda weepy-eyed, touchy-feely, 'What's wrong with Wolvie?'-type flick you can count us out now."The new film will go more into the character. I don't think we've ever seen his rage expressed properly. We're letting go with this one of the whole 'Who am I? Where did I come from? Oh no, I've lost my memory' thing. I feel like that's sent us all to sleep. 'Yeah, whatever pal. We're bored! Fine, you were a sushi chef, whatever it was, can we just get on with the story now?'" Jackman added.Sounds like we're back on track. But watch out Wolverine, we're jacking into Cerebro to track the movements of this one very closely.

TV Ratings: Fox's 'Fringe' Improves, CW's 'Nikita' Slips

The CW"Nikita" CBS released another Friday victory, having its drama selection settling in. A Gifted Guy (7.5 million total audiences, 1.2 rating in grownups 18-49 demographic) and CSI: NY (9.7 million, 1.6) both continued to be steady inside the demo, while Blue Bloods (11 million, 1.9) enhanced a notch from the other day. Compared to last Friday, CBS enhanced its average in 18-49, posting single.6 rating in primetime. Fox placed second inside the demo for your evening, getting single.4 rating. Kitchen Bad dreams or nightmares (3.7 million, 1.5) dipped slightly, but sci-fi cult favorite Fringe (3.2 million, 1.3) enhanced within the third week out. Like the other day, NBC placed third with repeats of Up With The Evening, Whitney together with a 2-hour Dateline (6 000 0000, 1.4). Inside a few days, NBC will launch Chuck and Grimm, plus it remains to look if people programs would customize the competition. ABC adopted the network broadcast encores of Suburgatory, Revenge, Modern Family together with a brand new 20/20 (3.4 million, 1.1), lower over half an incredible number of audiences. The CW's Nikita (1.6 000 0000, .5) saw a decline and Supernatural (1.6 000 0000, .7) matched up up the other day's demo mark. Refresh for your latest .. TV Ratings

Glees Harry Shum Junior. Amazed At His Vocal Capabilities

First Launched: October 7, 2011 3:46 PM EDT Credit: Access Hollywood Caption Harry Shum Junior. stops by Access Hollywood Survive October 7, 2011 La, Calif. -- Harry Shum Junior. walked into the singing spotlight now on Glee, something he trained hard for. I'm not a singer, I dont result from a vocal background following a tour, I mentioned, They might cause me to feel sing, the actor told Billy Rose rose bush and Package Hoover on Fridays Access Hollywood Live. So, I desired to make it happen. I went into vocal training which voice showed up in this area. Harry, who's most broadly noted for his fancy deal with the hit FOX series, was taken aback through the outcome. I used to be like, Hey, thats excellent. I used to be surprised, he ongoing. The 29-year-old actor appeared to become happy in regards to the issues elevated throughout this days episode, titled Asian F, mentioning for the stereotypical high education anticipation that some Asian parents placed on their kids. Thats things to understand about the show. Its getting light compared to that. In my opinion you will discover parents that are such as this, he referred to. It may like to numerous varying people and not the Asian community. Plenty of parents are too very challenging to their youngsters with school in addition to not [permitting these phones] perform the humanities. The Glee star who also came out inside the original ipod device device ads spoken with Billy and Package about meeting the late Apple co-creator Jobs within the Academy awards. I dont get star struck, but this individual, oh my gosh gosh I dropped it, he appreciated. I used to be just speaking a hundred miles per hour, I didnt know very well what to convey, which he just described, Thank you for the effort and people ads were great. I shook his hands plus it was amazing. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Keck's Exclusives: Eric McCormack Summer Series Lines Up Eclectic Guest Stars

Edward Furlong and Tom Sizemore TNT's new Eric McCormack crime drama Perception, set to debut in summer 2012, has already booked an eclectic lineup of guest stars to come play with the Emmy-winning Will & Grace star. Roger Bart, who played Desperate Housewives' crazed pharmacist, and two actors who have toiled with pharmaceuticals and the law in real life - Edward Furlong (Terminator 2) and Tom Sizemore, have been cast in suspicious roles.Roger will playa high-powered IRS agent questioned in connection with the murder of a cult member, while Edward and Tom will appear together in an episode centered around an Irish crime syndicate. Tom will play a top-level mobster and Edward will play a rising underworld figure.Worlds away from Will & Grace, Perception finds Eric playingDr. Daniel Pierce, an eccentric neuroscientist and university professor called upon by his former student (Rachael Leigh Cook) to help the feds solve complex criminal cases. Though Pierce'sintimate knowledge of human behavior gives himan edge in reading people, he's a bit of a social moron.Does this sound like a series you'd add to your record list?Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine today!

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Infomercial Pitchman, Facing Charges of Managing a Scam, Commits Suicide

Jesse Lapre Jesse Lapre, an infomercial pitchman who had been facing charges of managing a scam to market useless companies, has died within an apparent suicide, based on the Hollywood Reporter. The Phoenix-based Lapre is at federal custody of the children and located dead in the cell Sunday morning. He was indicted in June on 41 counts of conspiracy and fraud. Lapre was charged with marketing companies that defrauded nearly $52 million from a lot more than 220,000 sufferers. Lapre's trial was scheduled to start Tuesday. Watch among his commercials:

Shine ink cope with Discovery

CANNES -- Shine Worldwide has agreed a multi-title cope with Discovery Systems Latin America/U.S. Hispanic in excess of 200 hrs of programming. The package incorporates finished instances of "MasterChef," "The Greatest Loser" and "One Born Every Minute." The 2nd season of "MasterChef Australia" and "Junior MasterChef Australia" will air on Discovery Travel & Living. Seasons one and 2 of both U.K. and U.S. versions of "One Born Every Minute" are destined for Discovery Home & Health. Furthermore DLA/USH has acquired seasons seven and eight from the U.S. version of "The Greatest Loser," plus season three of TLC's "Hoarding: Hidden Alive." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Defense: Jackson Gave Themselves Fatal Dose Of Drug

La, Calif. -- Prosecutors told jurors Tuesday that Michael Jackson was destroyed with the actions of his personal physician, who used a dangerous anesthetic without sufficient safeguards and botched recovery efforts when he found the singer unconscious. Defense lawyers countered that Jackson triggered their very own dying for the drug propofol after his physician left the region in the desperate try to beat his chronic failure to relaxation. Nothing Dr. Conrad Murray may have done may have saved the King of Pop, defense attorney Erection dysfunction Chernoff told the panel, because Jackson was wanting to restore his fame and needed relaxation to arrange for several crucial comeback concerts. The competing versions of Jacksons dying and Murrays role within it were organized in opening claims within the doctors involuntary wrongful dying trial. Speaking more than an hour or so approximately, da David Walgren relied heavily on photos and sound files to produce his situation that Murray was an inept and reckless caretaker of Jackson. He shown an image from the lifeless Jackson around the hospital gurney, and carried out a recording of Jackson speaking with Murray because the da mentioned he was consuming a mysterious substance roughly six days before his dying. The entertainers speech was heavily slurred but identifiable since the worldwide celebrity. He spoke of his wants the arrival concerts. We should be phenomenal, Jackson isheard telling Murray. When people leave this show, when people leave my show, I'd like these to say, Ive never observed nothing can beat this throughout my existence. Go. Go. Ive never observed nothing can beat this. Go. Its amazing. Hes the best artist in the world. Murray is billed with giving Jackson a lethal dose of propofol inside the mattress room in the entertainers leased mansion, but Chernoff mentioned Jackson gave themselves the fatal dose. He mentioned the singer consumed several pills in the sedative lorazepam round the morning of his dying that was enough to put six people to rest. More youthful crowd mentioned Jackson self-consumed propofol, plus it destroyed him instantly. Jackson did not really possess a chance to shut his eyes, Chernoff mentioned. Within the opening remarks, Walgren mentioned Murray was grossly negligent by delivering Jackson propofol. The da mentioned while utilized by Jackson, the doctor was shipped greater than four gallons in the anesthetic, that's normally gave in hospital designs. He mentioned Jackson reliable Murray as his physician. That misplaced depend upon Conrad Murray cost Michael Jackson his existence, Walgren mentioned. He left him there, abandoned him to take care of themselves, the da mentioned later while winding lower his opening remarks. The doctor had initially requested $5 million to get results for the singer for just about any year, but recognized the reduced rate of $150,000 monthly, Walgren mentioned. His contract being Jacksons personal physician was not ever signed which he was not ever paid out. He told jurors that Murray misled paramedics and er doctors by not allowing them to know he'd been giving Jackson propofol just like a sleep aid. More youthful crowd referred to as physician inept and mentioned he frequently deviated within the standard of care by departing the singer alone while under sedation and not immediately calling 911 when he found the singer was unconscious. Murray never calledfor emergency services themselves, rather waiting greater than 20 minutes to own among Jacksons security officials increase the risk for call. Fundamental sense requires 911 be referred to as immediately, Walgren mentioned. Fundamental sense. Which we understand that wasn't done. Chernoff told jurors it had not been their job to discover whether Murray will be a good physician. He mentioned Murray and Jackson were really pals, and Murray was trying to wean Jackson from propofol. Jackson, however, needed a lethal dose before he died, the lawyer mentioned. Sometimes through the defense lawyers opening claims, Murray came out being crying and simply easily wiped his eyes getting a tissue. Testimony was prone to begin later inside the day, with prosecutors prone to call the pop celebs friend and choreographer, Kenny Ortega. Numerous Jacksons family everyone was inside the courthouse, including his father Ernest, mother Katherine, brothers and sisters LaToya and Jesse, and brothers and sisters Jermaine, Randy and Tito. LaToya Jackson moved a sunflower, Michaels favorite flower. Murray turned up holding hands along with his mother. If billed, he faces around four years jail time and losing his medical license. Copyright 2011 by Connected Press. All rights reserved.These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Grey's Anatomy's Kate Burton Heads to Scandal

The Particular Regular folks of Atlanta The Particular Regular folks of Atlanta will return Sunday, November. 6, Bravo introduced Monday. Fall Preview: Get scoop inside your favorite returning shows The arrival fourth season follows returning cast mates NeNe Leakes, Kim Zolciak, Sheree Whitfield, Kandi Burruss, Phaedra Parks and Cynthia Bailey. NeNe is becoming separated from husband Greg, Kim is at love and pregnant, Sheree is trying to create her dream house, Kandi is starting a adult toy line, Phaedra has turned into a licensed mortician and Cynthia is ongoing her modeling. Season 3 averaged 3.6 000 0000 audiences, which causes it to be the finest-rated season in the reality show franchise.

Chris Evans on Captain America's Avengers costume change

Chris Evans might be marketing Puncture at this time but you know what happens online journalists are similar to, all we like them about are comic-book movies and ladies.Thankfully, Chris remains very happy to illuminate us in regards to the former. But less round the latter.When pressed in regards to the changes to Captain America's costume we now have seen in the set pictures showing up on that darn Internet, Evans told The Playlist: "The initial (costume) will be a 19 forties look, very utilitarian, a thing that would serve a goal round the battleground.""In The Avengers, Joss just stood a certain vision within the mind in what he wanted Cap to look like.""That's what he preferred to determine. It's so nice concentrating on these movies as well as the director's a follower.He's the dude at Comic-Disadvantage that people fear so much pissing off. If Joss is content, I'm happy."Evans appeared to become fairly frank about the probability of him arriving in Iron Guy 3 or Thor 2 or even the other Marvel films presently inside the pipeline."From people six films, essentially appear in one of people (other films), it counts incorporated within the deal.""If they needed me in the third Cap, and I believe that, 'Fuck you, produce $Thirty Dollars million.A Highly... they wish to avoid that."Much like we, Chris. Much like we.And Evans even made an appearance to ensure Captain America 2's release date."They may delay until 2014 until they release the next Cap. Marvel has many balls up, they will not cannibalize their films."Puncture is at US cinemas now, and you'll be released inside the Uk later this year. Avengers is going 4 May 2012 and Captain America 2 will probably be within the summer season of 2014 (apparently).

When Taylor Lautner Wept

I know we all kind of visualize Taylor Lautner as a big strapping serving of beefcake and cheese, but the Abduction star is sensitive, too. Just ask him how he reacted to both the end of production and an early-edit screening of Breaking Dawn, Part 1. Or don’t ask him! Fine! Either way, here’s your Buzz Break. [via BuzzSugar] · “Is Scarlett Johansson Dating Kieran Culkin?” (Spoiler alert! No.) [People] · Is it time for iconic manic pixie dream girl Zooey Deschanel to change up her persona? (Spoiler alert! Yes.) [Salon] · As the 1,000,000th person cast in Lincoln, playing Confederate VP Alexander Stevens, Jackie Earle Haley wins an all-expenses-paid trip for two to DreamWorks HQ for a personal meeting with Steven Spielberg. I’m sure there will be balloons. [Deadline] · I’ve been saying it for years to incredulous ears, but finally Science confirms: “Smokers are less likely to be obese. And the declining use of cigarettes across the country — due to both tightening pocketbooks and new laws (thanks, Mayor Bloomberg) — accounts for a bigger increase in the obesity rate in the U.S. than any other factor.” So! Light up for your health! [The Atlantic Wire via The Awl]

Comcast Still Upbeat About NBC Despite Economic Concerns

NBC’s broadcast network is reviving faster than Comcast expected and represents “our biggest upside in the near term,” NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke told an investment conference this morning. Since Comcast bought a 51% stake in NBCU in January “most of the things that have changed have changed for the better.” He says that the national ad business remains “very strong” — with spots for the 2012 Super Bowl nearly sold out. Although there are growing signs that the economy may weaken or stagnate, Burke told the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conferencethat NBC can improveonce it gets the respect he says the network deserves from advertisers.He says unit prices for NBC’s ads “are discounted heavily, up to 25%” vs. ABC, CBS, and Fox.If NBC developsmore must-see showsthen thegap should narrow and “you can imagine hundreds of millions (of dollars) in EBITDA coming in.” Burke adds that NBC-owned stations also are “significantly less profitable than we need to be” and that “there’s no reason” that Spanish language network Telemundo can’t reach a bigger audience. Burke also is upbeat about revenues from the networks’ and stations retransmission consent deals with cable and satellite distributors — including Comcast. The exec says that some of that cash will go back into programming. The network’s previous owner, General Electric, “had not been as enthusastic about the business and had not been as willing to invest as we are.” Comcast also is pushing to find synergies between NBC and other parts of the company. “We don’t look at NBC as a stand-alone anymore,” he says. He added that “the world is very different” now than it was a few years ago when NBC operations were run by larger-than-life personalities such as Dick Ebersol in sports and Andy Lack in news. “You have to start from the premise that every executive in the company will work with everyone else.” Burke says the teamwork paid off when Comcast heavily promoted NBC’s The Voice. “In Comcast markets The Voice had ratings that were 45% higher than in non-Comcast markets.” At Universal’s film studio, Burke says thathe was disappointed by sales for Cowboys And Aliens and The Change Up. He added that”the film business is tougher today than it was a few years ago” largely due to declining DVD sales. But he says the studio still can improve by making more movies that appeal to global audiences, and by coordinating promotional efforts across Comcast. He also says he’s “bullish” about the Universal Studios theme parks even though “it was probably the last thing on our list” of interests when Comcast bought its NBCU stake. There’s been no slip in the 40%-to-50% uptick in attendance in Orlando following the opening last year of its “Wizarding World Of Harry Potter” attraction.

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Conan O'Brien Sells Comedy Pilot to The best spinner's (Exclusive)

The best spinner's has purchased one half-hour comedy pilot from the late evening host,Conan O'Brien. The multi-camera sitcom project, which originates from Warner Horizon and O'Brien's Conaco shingle, concentrates on a household guy who quits his regular job and returns towards the neighborhood where he was raised. While there, he reunites together with his former closest friend. Production about the project will start later this season. O'Brien, Shaun Ross (Conan) and David Kissinger (Eagleheart, Andy Barker, P.I.) assists as executive producers, together with writersBen Wexler (Still Standing), Ross Novie and Jay Rondot (Secret Girlfriend). Wexler can also be aboard as showrunner. O'Brien is repped by WME. Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com @LaceyVRose Related Subjects Conan O'Brien The best spinner's TV Aircraft pilots

Will Pretty Little Liars' Ezra Face Off Against Aria's Parents?

Lucy Hale and Ian Harding Are Pretty Little Liars' Ezra and Aria headed for further trouble? Clearly they are! Pretty Little Liars finale: Burning questions clarified! "Things get yourself a little heated ... people injured,Inch Ian Harding notifies TVGuide.com. Inside the summer season finale, the duo hit a few snags as Ezra's ex, Jackie, fought against war with Aria (Lucy Hale), threatening to show the first sort teacher-student couple. Then, Aria's mother (Carol Maries Hair hair combs) faced Ezra while using understanding he was seeing among his students. For the moment, she thinks that girl is Spencer (Troian Bellisario). A way, the secret's sure to be revealed. "Someone's prone to uncover with the next number of episodes," Harding teases. And what is going to happen once the cat's in the bag? Appears like things finish track of physical in the scene Harding describes among his recent faves. "[It] involves most of the cast, a couple of from the parent cast, which is very tumultuous," according to him. "We'd a fight coordinator." Hmm, could Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Fitz be headed for just about any showdown? Pretty Little Liars finale: Is Alison's killer finally revealed? We'll have to wait longer to uncover. Meanwhile, there is the approaching Halloween prequel episode airing in October. Audiences will recall that Ezra was not used to Rosewood inside the series premiere. (Ezra and Aria stood a hot hookup from your bar.) But possibly that wasn't his first appearance around. "There's the chance you will notice me very quickly," Harding states. "You have to look very difficult.In . Are you currently presently searching toward the return of Pretty Little Liars?

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Golden Globes to come back despite court clash

NBC will broadcast the Golden Globe Honours on Jan. 15, 2012.The Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Dick Clark Prods. have arrived at a brief truce within their ongoing legal fight that will permit the 2010 Golden Globes to take, based on an argument launched by DCP, the HFPA and NBC. The kudocast continues to be scheduled for Jan. 15 on NBC.However, the standoff between your two organizations, that has been postponed in the court because of the judge's illness, continues, based on an argument launched by DCP."The parties are content to possess arrived at a contract relevant towards the 2012 Golden Globe Honours, while protecting their particular positions."

Natalia Dyer in final talks for 'Healer'

Natalia Dyer is final discussions to become listed on the cast of Giorgio Serafini's supernatural thriller "The Healbot."Joel Courtney ("Super 8") and Isabelle Fuhrman ("Orphan") star as teenage twins who continue an outdoor camping trip using their ailing father (James Le Gros), simply to become lost inside a haunted forest.Dyer will have a mysterious being delivered to safeguard Courtney's character in the various animals which are to destroy him.Serafini authored the indie pic, which Giuseppe Pedersoli and Susan Manley are creating with the former's Italia-based Smile Prods. banner. Production begins in a few days in New York.Dyer will quickly be observed in an outbreak role because the lead in Leah Meyerhoff's "Unicorns," a coming-of-age story a good awkward teenage girl who escapes to some fantasy world when her first partnership turns progressively violent. Louise Rae ("Frozen River") and Mark Mathis ("Precious") created the indie pic, that was a Sundance Lab finalist and IFP grant champion.Dyer is repped by manager Christopher Rockwell and attorney Marcy Morris. Contact Shaun Sneider at shaun.sneider@variety.com

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Scott Foley And Rina Mimoun Team For Brother or sister CBS Drama, NBC Buys CIA Project

After Scott Foley co-starred in Rina Mimoun’s CBS/Warner Bros. TV drama pilot The Physician earlier this development season, the actor is joining with Mimoun for an additional CBS/WBTV drama project, this time around becoming a author. CBS has bought The Escape Artist, a drama script from WBTV in regards to a brother and sister who help people disappear. It will likely be co-written and executive created by Foley and Fortunate creator Mimoun, marking Foley’s writing debut. Elsewhere, NBC has bought Secret America, a drama script set at the field of CIA from author Peter Landesman, Imagine TV and twentieth century Fox TV. The spy drama is occur the suburbs that seems to become middle America but really provides hiding for a sizable community of intelligence agents. Landesman, Erwin Stoff, John Grazer and Francie Calfo are executive creating.

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Toronto 2011 Critic's Preview: Why the Festival Matters

The first movie to have its world premiere at a film festival and go on to win the best picture Academy Award was Woody Allen's Annie Hall, which debuted at Los Angeles' Filmex in spring 1977. Four years later, Chariots of Fire launched in competition at Cannes and came from behind to snare the Oscar. The Last Emperor began its long march to awards glory at the 1987 Tokyo Film Festival, and in 2000, American Beauty, unveiled at Toronto in 1999, pulled off the trick.our editor recommendsToronto 2011: 10 Hot Titles Buyers Dare Not MissToronto 2011: Buyers to See First Footage of Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper's 'The Place Beyond the Pines' Carnage: Venice Film ReviewThe Descendants: Telluride Film ReviewA Dangerous Method: Venice Film ReviewRelated Topics•Toronto International Fil... From 1928 to 2004, these four were the only films launched at festivals that then bagged the top Oscar. All that has changed. During the past six years, five best picture winners have bowed at festivals; for the most part, they were relatively low-budget productions initially perceived as niche pictures. In the end, all but one became big hits. COVER STORY: David Cronenberg on How the $20 Million 'Dangerous Method' Got Made The first was Paul Haggis' Crash, which was unknown when it premiered at Toronto in 2005. The Departed triumphed the next year commercially and at the Oscars despite eschewing festivals, but it was followed by No Country for Old Men (Cannes), Slumdog Millionaire (Telluride), The Hurt Locker (Venice) and The King's Speech (Telluride), all underdog winners. No wonder, then, that Hollywood's radar screens are trained on Toronto. Although some of the most eagerly awaited films have already been viewed at Venice or Telluride -- Alexander Payne's The Descendants, David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method, Roman Polanski's Carnage -- it was The King's Speech's screening at last year's festival that caught the eye of press and industry figures, not its Telluride premiere. The Social Network had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival a couple weeks later, and the two films duked it out for the next five months until Speech prevailed at the Kodak Theatre. So what unknown quantities are critics eyeing in Toronto this year? Among the galas, Bennett Miller's baseball drama Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, has clear appeal -- but there's no advance word on it, and a choppy production history provokes qualms. Also eagerly anticipated are Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz; Bruce Beresford's Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding, starring Jane Fonda and Catherine Keener; Darrell Roodt's Winnie, with Jennifer Hudson as Nelson Mandela's (Terrence Howard) controversial wife; another Africa-set drama, Marc Forster's Machine Gun Preacher, starring Gerard Butler and Michelle Monaghan; and Luc Besson's Burma-set drama The Lady, featuring Michelle Yeoh. In the Special Presentations section are Jonathan Levine's already-hyped dramedy 50/50; Oren Moverman's Rampart; Michael Winterbottom's Trishna, with Freida Pinto starring in an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles set in India; and, for buffs, Guy Maddin's Keyhole, starring Isabella Rossellini. The New York Film Festival, which opens Sept. 30, will again have one world premiere that's garnering much speculation: My Week With Marilyn, in which Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh appear as Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. All other releases for the rest of the year will open directly in theaters without major festival exposure. What caused the sudden shift from more obviously mainstream fare winning all the Oscars to specialized films taking their place? All sorts of explanations can be proposed, but the answer lies in a combination of several of them: studios are no longer in the prestige pictures business, a gradual shift in the makeup and sensibilities of Academy members, the increasing sophistication of marketing and publicity campaigns, DVDs of smaller films getting into the hands of voters, and the shrewd use of festivals as a launching pad. Since 1977, when Annie Hall beat Star Wars in a battle rather comparable to that of two years ago when Hurt Locker prevailed over Avatar, how many Oscar winners have there been that might, in this day and age, be considered festival-type films? Even now, it's perplexing that The English Patient was not shown at any festivals -- it seems a natural. And, given Clint Eastwood's longtime presence at major festivals, it would have been easy to imagine Million Dollar Baby working the circuit, but it barely made a December 2004 release in time. Like it, Eastwood's J. Edgar is skipping festivals and heading straight for cinemas toward the end of the year. Related Topics Toronto International Film Festival David Cronenberg Roman Polanski Moneyball Take This Waltz A Dangerous Method The Descendants Carnage

4:44 Last Day on Earth

A Fabula/Funny Balloons/Wild Bunch presentation in association with Bullet Pictures. (International sales: Wild Bunch/Funny Balloons, Paris.) Produced by Juan de Dios Larrain, Pablo Larrain, Peter Danner, Brahim Chioua, Vincent Maraval. Directed, written by Abel Ferrara.With: Willem Dafoe, Shanyn Leigh, Natasha Lyonne, Paul Hipp, Anita Pallenberg, Deirdra McDowell, Paz de la Huerta, Triana Jackson, Trung Nguyen, Jose Solano, Judith Salazar, Jimmy Valentino, Pat Kiernan.If the world were ending tomorrow, you'd probably want to spend your final hours with better company than the central duo in "4:44 Last Day on Earth." A less nihilistic and far less interesting companion piece to Lars von Trier's recent "Melancholia," Abel Ferrara's latest cine-doodle likewise treats a worldwide cataclysm as an occasion for two individuals to exorcise their demons, here through acts of sexual, artistic and emotional release more perplexing than edifying to witness. Ferrara's underlying tenderness at times creeps into his raw, unruly filmmaking, but beyond his international following, this apocalyptic melodrama won't have especially deep impact. The rare disaster picture to hilariously sum up its doomsday scenario with the words "Al Gore was right," "4:44 Last Day on Earth" features footage of the global-warming spokesman explaining, vaguely, how rapid ozone depletion has scheduled the Earth for a date with disaster tomorrow at 4:44 a.m. "There will be no survivors. The world will end," another broadcast ominously announces. We see these and many other images on the many TV screens and iPads littering the Upper East Side loft where Cisco (Willem Dafoe) lives with his younger lover, Skye (Shanyn Leigh). Pic unfolds mostly within the confines of this rectangular multimedia space, a microcosmic representation of how technology facilitates the rapid dissemination of bad news, good news (the Dalai Lama makes an appearance), fond memories, distractions and whatever else human beings seek in times of crisis. It's also the place where Skye, a painter, feverishly attacks a sub-Jackson Pollock canvas while Cisco, an actor, spends his time watching TV and occasionally railing against passersby in the streets below. Faced with the prospect of imminent destruction, Cisco and Skye seek refuge in sex, occasioning an extremely hands-on foreplay sequence that lasts several indulgent minutes, captured with an up-close and frankly undesired level of intimacy. By around this point, auds may question why writer-director Ferrara chose to filter the end of the world through the ravings and gropings of this particular pair; a shot of the two meditating cross-legged fails to provide an answer (and indeed signaled the cue for several journalists to hastily exit the film's Venice press screening). The techno-savvy twosome also spend a great deal of time on Skype, saying their farewells to loved ones. This leads to the most dramatic rupture in the film, when Skype -- er, Skye -- catches Cisco video-chatting with his ex-wife and daughter, prompting the young woman to go ballistic and complain to her mother (Anita Pallenberg, memorable in her brief, blurry appearance). Cisco's sudden itch for a cocaine fix only makes matters worse, and he soon storms out of the apartment. "4:44 Last Day on Earth" becomes more involving at this stage, as Cisco drops in on some buddies (among them Natasha Lyonne and Paul Hipp) whom he hasn't seen in some time and, he realizes, won't see ever again. The sight of longtime friends having a drink and shooting the breeze, laughing on the edge of the abyss, at last inspires a genuine reckoning with Ferrara's hypothetical endtimes scenario. The hopeful message the director seeks to leave us with, of the need to draw close to our loved ones in what is literally humanity's darkest hour, feels entirely sincere in the delivery. But it's too little too late, begging to be taken seriously in a way this largely alienating picture hasn't prepared us for. Even when they're not ranting hysterically at each other, Dafoe (reteaming with the helmer after "New Rose Hotel" and "Go Go Tales") and first-timer Leigh (also Ferrara's g.f.) give performances that leave the viewer firmly on the outside, looking in. Ferrara's fans will be heartened by this essential New York helmer's first Gotham-shot film in more than a decade. Given the subject matter, the Manhattan ambience is rather less than triumphant; what we see of the city is largely restricted to the view from Cisco's rooftop, where the blue-green tint of the sky, captured in limpid outdoor shots by Ferrara's longtime d.p., Ken Kelsch, imparts a subtle sense of the otherworldly. Tech package is expectedly rough and raw but achieves some nifty, even spooky low-budget effects in the final stretch.Camera (color, DCP/35mm), Ken Kelsch; editor, Anthony Redman; music, Francis Kuipers; production designer, Frank DeCurtis; art director, Sara K. White; set decorator, Shawn Annabel; costume designer, Moira Shaughnessy; sound, Allison Howe; sound designer, Neil Benezra; visual effects supervisor, David Isyomin; stunt coordinators, Tony Vincentl, Jared Burke; line producer, Adam Folk; assistant director, Michael Meador. Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (competing), Sept. 5, 2011. (Also in New York Film Festival.) Running time: 84 MIN. Contact Justin Chang at justin.chang@variety.com

Eddie Murphy as you possibly can Oscar Host: News Met With Mixed Responses

News that Eddie Murphy is proving itself to be the key candidate to host the 84th Oscars was met with mixed responses on the web.our editor recommendsBilly Very 'Itchy' to Host Academy awards AgainBrett Ratner and Don Mischer to create Academy awards TelecastBrett Ratner: Oscar Offer Felt Like 'The Twilight Zone' (Q&A)Related Subjects•Academy Honours After reviews appeared Saturday that producers Brett Ratner and Don Mischer are interested in drafting Murphy to host, lots of people required to Twitter to state their ideas, and many weren't happy. PHOTOS: The Greatest Unsuccessful Jokes in the Academy awards Javier Fuentes Brett Ratner thinks it'd be considered a helpful to have Eddie Murphy to host the Academy awards. Younger crowd thought killing Cyclops offscreen was advisable [in X-Males: The Final Stand]. Dustin Rowles You realize who's a level better option to host the Academy awards than Eddie Murphy? Everybody. #SayNoToNorbit Matt Goldberg Brett Ratner wants Eddie Murphy to host the Academy awards. Inside a related story, Academy awards being 220% more unwatchable. Tarek Naga Eddie Murphy? Way outdated #oscar Adam surely you'll need someone vaguely likeable? Micah Mann Horrible idea. 1986 known as & they need their Oscar host back! Tyler Promote The number of body fat suits will Eddie Murphy host the Academy awards in? N Eddie Murphy remains to be? lol Jon Sieruga horrid!! PHOTOS: Backstage in the 83rd Oscars Many more expressed the sentiment that Murphy might be a good host if he channels his eighties-era film roles. GoAvi8tor If it is Eddie Murphy Delirious it will likely be an enormous hit! Tamy Emma Pepin Eddie Murphy in foretells host the 2012 Academy awards that is very good news as we obtain the 1983 version of Eddie. Tameika Eddie for that academy awards good idea however i want old "raw" Eddie not "dad daycare " eddie lol katykk hmm i don't like how shit went lower with frightening spice. i only say no to eddie. now, 1980's eddie? ok last one, fo sho! PHOTOS: Oscar Show Moments And others think the concept is a great one, period. Jonathan Di Lello Think this is advisable. Think he is going to do an admirable job hosting. This type of funny guy!! Jonathan Crawford want it. I really hope he will get the gig. Steve Runciman Brilliant ! X Nora Paradiso I Believe EDDIE MURPHY Is Really A TRUE Professional! HOPE He Is Doing THE Academy awards!!!!! Dennis Perkins Eddie Murphy could be good being an Academy awards host Betty Black Now that might be an aspiration role! "Eddie Murphy in foretells host the Oscars" Natalie Eshaya Eddie murphy in foretells host the academy awards. Omg. Might be awesome. Mel Davis Wise Decision! He's amusing! :-) Zanade GREAT FREAKING IDEA!!!! I really like Eddie STORY:Eddie Murphy at Surface of List to Host 84th Oscars While others believe that Murphy could be much better than this season's hosting duo of James Franco and Hathaway As Catwoman, although some offered up their very own suggestions. Boy from the Bronx He will not be 1987 Raw but an enormous improvement over Franco/Hathaway Lewis Duckett bad idea..although nothing might be worse than Franco/Hathaway. Restore Billy Very! tee sure y not provide him a go couldn't b worse than this past year w/john franco Winnie Rocklage Bad idea. It ought to be @ActuallyNPH [Neil Patrick Harris] April Darcy Seriously? Just let Ellen [DeGeneres] host the damn factor already! Pattie Fedorow Can't see Eddie M doing Academy awards. Rather see [Craig] Ferguson every day. Related Subjects Eddie Murphy Oscars Honours