Judge: Marvel has Ghost Driver rights

Released: Thu., 12 ,. 29, 2011, 4:58pm PTA federal court judge has rejected a comicbook author's claim they can the level of smoothness Ghost Driver, ruling it had been apparent that Marvel Comics had the rights for the superhero. In the ruling launched on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest granted summary judgment to Marvel after concluding that, even though Gary Friedrich produced and written the initial comic that introduced the level of smoothness in 1972, he conveyed rights for the character by marketing assessments from Marvel by signing a 1978 agreement that "effectively ended any remaining possession claims" he may have observed. Friedrich remains pursuing the rights for the character since 2004, as plans were inside the is utilized with a movie adaptation eventually released in 2007 and starring Nicolas Cage. A follow-up is within the works well with release next season. He'd contended he maintained rights as they did his behave as an independent worker, which even though he signed over rights for the character, he did not sign inside the rights to non-comic used in films, TV and selling. But Forrest rejected people arguments. She mentioned that they didn't have to "travel lower the rabbit hole" of when the jobs are made "servicesInch or outdoors of Marvel. She noted that his freelance assessments contained a legend round the back watching that by marketing them, Marvel maintained the level of smoothness rights. "Regulations is apparent that whenever an individual encourages an inspection prone to an condition, he accepts that condition," Forrest written. She also mentioned the 1978 agreement "unquestionably conveyed whatever renewal rights he may have maintained, if any." Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Why the SAG Awards Need to Get Serious (Analysis)

Paramount Pictures has unveiled a new logo that pays tribute to the the studio's 100th anniversary. The new logo will be seen at the opening of Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol, which opens on Dec. 16. The studio's logo, which depicts the Wasatch mountain range that stretches from the Utah-Idaho border, was created in 1916. The 100th anniversary logo was created by Devastudios Inc. The logo will be used throughout 2012 and the 100th anniversary wording will be dropped in 2013. Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller Related Topics Paramount Pictures

Charlie Sheen's 'Anger Management' Lands First International Deal With Canada's CTV

Casey Nicholaw, who co-directed The Book of Mormon as well as the stage version of Elf, is in talks to direct the Austin Powers musical being developed by Mike Myers and Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.our editor recommendsMike Myers Welcomes Baby BoyMike Myers Best Moments in Austin Powers (Video)Mike Myers Expected to Close 'Austin Powers 4' Deal Colin Callender, the former HBO Films president whose run included the acclaimed Band of Brothers and Angels in America, and partner Sonia Friedman are producing the musical, which will be set to the music of Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. Myers will write the story, which will act as a prequel to the movies, though the NY Post reported that he will not star in the production. Sources tell THR that the musical will be set in 1960s London and detail how Powers first acquired his mighty mojo. PHOTOS: 'South Park's' Most Famous Spoofs The three Powers movies, released by New Line, spoofed the 1960s spy genre popularized by the James Bond series and featured a swinging spy transported to modern times. The movies had a "fake movie" self-awareness to them, sometimes playing up the fact that parts were taking place on soundstages. The movies also featured musical numbers and montages, and Myers is said to consider the movies to be musicals. He also is a fan of Bacharach's music (The Look of Love is Myers' father favorite song). Incidentally, it was first heard in the 1967 Bond satire Casino Royale and was nominated for the best song Oscar. PHOTOS: Tony Awards 2011 Myers also is developing a fourth installment of the Powers movies but that project hasn't yet reached the writing stage. Nicholaw has proven himself adept at wielding a comedic and musical touch. He shared a Tony with Trey Parker for directing Book of Mormon, which swept the Tonys earlier this year. He also did the choreography for the musical. Nicholaw also pulled double duty for the Elf production and choreographed Spamalot. Email: Borys.Kit@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Kit PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Modern Film & Television Comedians Related Topics Mike Myers

Kino Lorber Acquires 'Putin's Kiss' Documentary

Replacing Elizabeth Shue with Jonah Hill can't be anyone's idea of an upgrade, but the former's spunky Adventures in Babysitting innocence would be a couple of notches too nice for The Sitter, David Gordon Green's attempt to infuse the 1987 film's setup with the grit and strangeness of other up-all-nighters by Scorsese and Demme. The fusion works far better than Green's sword-and-sandal-and-stoners dud Your Highness, but is unlikely to connect with audiences like his previous '80s riff Pineapple Express.our editor recommendsSeducing Charlie Barker: Film ReviewSherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: Film Review Hill plays loser Noah Griffith, who facilitates a rare night out for his divorced mom by babysitting her friend's three children -- any one of whom would be more than he can handle. A coddled neurotic, a wannabe celebutante, and a Salvadoran foster kid who loves blowing things up, the three adolescent nightmares hint at how broadly screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka will draw characters throughout the film, particularly when it comes to African-Americans. Hill's character may be less thin than the rest, but little effort is put into convincing us he'd make the series of dumb decisions The Sitter requires in order to keep him running through Manhattan and Brooklyn in the wee hours. A transparently dishonest phone call from Marisa (Ari Graynor) is all it takes to make Noah pack the kids into a stolen minivan and go in search of the cocaine he thinks will convince Marisa to have sex with him. (Where, we wonder, are the siblings supposed to wait during this couple's tender moment?) Before the night's out, he'll be responsible for two stolen cars, a pocketful of diamonds, a few demolished bathrooms and enough wasted coke to turn a pool table snow white. In the midst of the familiar hijinks and confrontations that get between Noah and satisfaction, one is weird enough to remember: Sam Rockwell's "Karl with a K," a gregarious gangster who packs his drugs in dinosaur eggs and hires effeminate bodybuilders as enforcers, isn't really new territory for the actor, but Rockwell gets more than his share of the film's laughs hamming through it. Hill shows less snark and agitation than usual here, and the restraint serves him well during the one sequence -- Noah counseling a kid who doesn't yet know he's gay -- in which the movie actually cares more about believability than retro affectations. All things considered, though, the kids would be a lot better off with Elizabeth Shue. Opens: Friday, Dec. 9 (Twentieth Century Fox) Production Companies: Michael De Luca Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Cast: Jonah Hill, Max Records, Ari Graynor, J.B. Smoove, Sam Rockwell, Landry Bender, Kevin Hernandez, Kylie Bunbury, Erin Daniels, D.W. Moffett Director: David Gordon Green Screenwriters: Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka Producer: Michael De Luca Executive producers: Josh Bratman, Jonah Hill, Donald J. Lee Jr., Lisa Muskat Director of photography: Tim Orr Production designer: Richard A. Wright Music: Jeff McIlwain, David Wingo Costume designer: Leah Katznelson Editor: Craig Alpert Rated R, 81 minutes Ari Graynor Jonah Hill Sam Rockwell David Gordon Green The Sitter

Really? A New American Psycho? (And 5 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today)

Happy Friday! Also in today’s edition of The Broadsheet: The Dark Knight Rises prologue peeks out… Ice Cube recycles some new Friday sequel hype… Guy Ritchie may cry U.N.C.L.E.… Arguably the most inspired Harrison Ford casting rumor ever… and more. · Lionsgate has reportedly commissioned Noble Jones to write and potentially direct a new adaptation of American Psycho, the nightmarishly violent Bret Easton Ellis novel that Mary Harron and Christian Bale turned into one of the early ’00s most searing, memorable films. This would be the same Noble Jones who, as Deadline’s Mike Fleming reminds us, “who cut his teeth directing commercials, videos for Taylor Swift and Mary J. Blige” but also handled second-unit directing duties on The Social Network, so hey. But really? They just made this movie. And it was good! Sheesh. [Variety] · “Mr. Beaks Has Seen The First Six Minutes Of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES!” That and other fanboy splooge has commenced rocketing over the Atlantic if you’re into that kind of thing. The Movieline team is checking it out early next week and will report back with our take then. [AICN] · So there’s good news and bad news about Ice Cube. Bad news first: His production team is said to be angling for a fourth installment of the Friday franchise. Good news: This is all reported by very respected trade-news arbiter TMZ, so there’s a very high probability that it’s nowhere close to happening. [TMZ] · Guy Ritchie could direct The Man From U.N.C.L.E. So could I! You never know. Anyway, Warner Bros. wants to stay in business with Ritchie after Sherlock Holmes, so… yeah. [Deadline] · I love love love love love love love the idea of Harrison Ford playing the great Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey in 42, the long-gestating biopic about Jackie Robinson. I want nothing more than to cutout a floating Rickey head for the Oscar Index. Please, Legendary Pictures, please don’t screw this up. [Deadline] · “It’s truly a buyer’s market in the world of Barbie real estate.” Regardless of your feelings about the famous doll, this read will fascinate you. [The Awl]

Expecting

A Banco Estado presentation from the Ondamax Films, Mirera Escondida, Lastarria 90 and Zona Cinema production. Executive producers, Gaston Chedufau, Jose Andres Calderon. Co-producers, Felipe Braun, Juan Carlos Salfate. Directed, put together by Francisca Fuenzalida.With: Maria p la Garcia, Diego Ruiz, Claudia Hidalga, Maite Neira.A effective male lead together with an enthusiastic sense to take advantage from only one location help make "Expecting" more vital than general a view. But despite its talents, this scrappy teen abortion saga from Chilean author-director Francisca Fuenzalida provides extensive tips from the reluctant first feature, as well as the filmmaker's failure to tamp lower her characters' too-abrupt emotional changes turns what needs to be a pokey-writers into an frequently overheated melodrama. Appeal seems mostly limited to fests together with other low-key indie sanctuaries. Pic starts strong having its only outdoors scene, as sexy protag Natalia (Maria p la Garcia) buys a cache of pills in the pernicious nurse (Claudia Hidalga) in the park. Abortion remains illegal in Chile, and Natalia plans to employ a parentless evening in your house to furtively finish her first-trimester pregnancy. Boyfriend Diego (Diego Ruiz) seems to supply emotional support, as well as the two spend the comfort in the evening in your home, talking about should you undergo while using procedure, playing out their class versions and questioning their future together, until a medical emergency throws everything into chaos. "Expecting" is most effective if the stresses the quiet moments of creepingly indefinite terror because the two wait for pills to use. The naive youthful fanatics aren't entirely apparent by what they're participating in, so any minor discomforts or delays inside the pills' effect functions as tripwires of extreme anxiety -- a tense time-killing card-game scene is extremely well carried out, because regard. Yet as deftly since the film navigates these internalized sequences, the even even louder conflicts tend to be clumsily orchestrated, with a lot of storming from rooms, an ill-advised almost-sex scene plus an excessively spiky vacillation between tenderness and hostility making the central couple just a little difficult to believe. Garcia props up camera well, but frequently gives too telenovela-ant a contour to her character's rather rigid emotional arc. Ruiz can be a minor thought, however, effectively offerring a being applied sense of stress and helplessness submerged underneath his teenaged approximation of stiff-upper-lip maleness. Around the technical level, the film does well to use within its limited budget and positioning, remaining from claustrophobia or a sense of visual sameness despite happening almost entirely within the single dwelling.Camera (color), Pablo Letelier editor, Rodrigo Saquel music, Sebastian Jarpa production designer, Pamela Chamorro costume designer, Pamela Paredes appear, Jarpa connect producer, Alvaro Corvera casting, Pilar Zderich, Jimena Rivano. Examined at AFI Film Festival (Breakthrough Cinema), November. 7, 2011. Running time: 83 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Russell pics marked by raw passion

"People say, 'Oh, he's got bad taste,' or whatever," said composer Peter Maxwell Davies of helmer Ken Russell. "Well, of course he has -- thank God for that!"Indeed, a robust, unabashed vulgarity was essential to the charm of Russell's films. A Romantic in the original 19th-century sense of the word, Russell reveled in the depiction of lush, unbridled emotion, as extreme as it could go, crafting imagery that could be swooningly beautiful one moment and rankly repugnant the next -- often, in films like "The Devils" (1971), only a splice apart. He never, as the English say, did anything by half. If a reader -- say an educated one from Mars, but with some familiarity with culture here on Earth -- knew nothing about Russell, a cursory glance over his filmography would suggest a devotee of high art. His resume features plenty of literary adaptations (several D.H. Lawrence novels, including 1969's "Women in Love," 1989's "The Rainbow" and 1993's "Lady Chatterley" for TV, as well as Oscar Wilde's "Salome's Last Dance" and Bram Stoker's "The Lair of the White Worm," both in 1988), alongside period dramas about writers and performers (1977's "Valentino," 1986's "Gothic") and bio-pics about the classical composers he adored (1970's "The Music Lovers," 1974's "Mahler" and 1975's "Lisztomania"). Russell was also a learned aficionado of opera and classical dance (he aspired to be a ballet dancer in his youth), art forms that feature frequently in his films.However, the passionate, lusty way he tackled such material couldn't be more different from the dry, elegantly restrained style that's come to characterize British period drama and literary adaptations. Well into his dotage, when he started making ultra-low-budget pics literally in his own back garden, Russell remained an enfant terrible of the film world; he even looked a bit like an overblown, florid baby in his later years, with his twinkling blue eyes and colorfully garbed, rotund form. As strange as it might seem to say of a helmer who in "The Devils" filmed a scene of frenzied, naked nuns pleasuring themselves on a full-size effigy of Christ on the cross, there was an essential innocence about his work, a reverence for nature and a rapturous devotion to life's most primal pleasures: sparkly textures, soaring music, beautiful naked women, among many other things.Although born in 1927 and technically too old to qualify as a baby boomer, and politically a conservative according to some reports, Russell hit his artistic stride in the Swinging '60s, and the counterculture sensibility of those times haunted his work. Sure, "Women in Love" is set immediately after WWI ended in 1918, but every frame of it feels embedded in 1969, from the blithe, quasi-hipster way the characters talk to the let-it-all-hang-out exuberance of the famous naked wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed (Russell's male muse), which pushed the boundaries of censorship at the time.He pushed them perhaps too far for some with "The Devils," which shed scenes of sexual explicitness and extreme violence at the behest of first Warner Bros., then of the British censors -- the way an Afghan hound loses hair in summer -- before its release. And yet, it is in some ways Russell's masterpiece, ravishing in every sense, thanks to the outstanding perfs Russell coaxed from thesps Reed, Vanessa Redgrave and Dudley Sutton; the exquisite, starkly monochromatic production design by young Derek Jarman; and elaborate costumes by Shirley Russell, the helmer's first wife, who collaborated closely with him on some his best-known films including "Women in Love," "The Boy Friend" (1971), "Tommy" (one of his rare dalliances with pop music) and "Lisztomania."If his work from the late 1960s and '70s will stand as Russell's best, there was still energy, visual flair and a very English eccentricity to admire in those that followed, even those he shot Stateside such as "Altered States" (1980) or "Crimes of Passion" (1984), or those that were critically reviled at the time, like "Gothic." But then, Russell never much cared what critics thought, and has the distinction of being one of the few directors caught on camera bashing a film critic (Alexander Walker) over the head with a copy of the critic's own review. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

'Dancing With the Stars' Winner J.R. Martinez Visits Pentagon

DETROIT -- Dr. Feelgood, the Theatre of Pain and, of course, plenty of Girls, Girls, Girls are taking up residency in Las Vegas during February.our editor recommendsConcert Review: Motley Crue at the Hollywood BowlMotley Crue Rocker Vince Neil Charged With Battery Motley Crue in Sin City will hunker down from Feb. 3-19, 2012 at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The 12-show run will include Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 5), Valentine's Day and President's Day, and the band members are promising an extravaganza that will both live up to and surpass their usual theatrical standards. PHOTOS: 20 Best and Worst Music to Movie Crossovers "It's gonna be just over-the-top craziness," frontman Vince Neil told Billboard.com during a conference call with reporters. "Vegas is pretty much based on big, big shows, and Motley Crue is also. We're putting together a show right now that's something we have never done in our lives. It's a stationary show. It doesn't have to move around, so we can do all kinds of stuff we only really dreamed about." Neil said the group plans for the production to be "interactive," with even those seated towards the back or the top of the venue "encompassed in the show." Drummer Tommy Lee added that, "I think more and more people are wanting an experience, and we're trying to bring that into this where people aren't necessarily at the show, they're IN the show. We're really trying to design something here that, when you leave there, you're wearing the show. You're taking parts of it with you. It's on you ... Why not make it a full-on experience, really? We're putting together moments of this show where the actual audience participates. They're in it. They're around it. It's going to be really exciting." PHOTOS: A History of Grunge in Pictures Neil and Lee did not share specific details to share about the production but Lee said that the show would involve "other entertainers ... and not in a musical fashion," as well as dancers in various stages of undress. "It sure would be fun to really do it Vegas style and have there be some nudity, or almost nude," Lee said, to which Neil added, "Basically, Tommy's saying there'll be lots of naked girls on stage." Lee also revealed he'll be using a modified, "even more crazy" version of the rollercoaster-like track that let him play upside down during the Crue's concerts this year. "Vegas is known for its huge, over the top shows," said Neil, who resides there when the band is off the road. "That's why I think we're a perfect fit for this." Lee, meanwhile, noted that "having (the show) not have to move every night really opens a bunch of doors for us -- literally trap doors." The Crue, whose last album was 2008's "Saints of Los Angeles," does not plan to include any brand new music in the shows, but Lee predicted there will be some flexibility in the set list from night to night. "I would imagine our plans are probably to switch it up," he said. "If we're doing a Friday, Saturday and Sunday, chances are there might be some people coming to see two shows ore maybe even three if they're there. Who knows? So I imagine we'll mix it up." The Motley Crue in Sin City show dates are Feb. 3-5, 8, 10-12, 14-15, 17-19. Ticket prices are $85 for the general admission pit and reserved floor seating, and $65 for balcony reserved with $129.50-$179.50 VIP packages. The presale has already started; public sales begin at 10 a.m. Saturday [Dec. 3] at www.motley.com, www.thejointlasvegas.com and www.ticketmaster.com. The Hard Rock is also offering vacation packages that include tickets to the show. Lee and Neil says the Crue will consider returning to Las Vegas for another residency, perhaps for even greater lengths. "If it's successful and works out for everybody, why not?" Neil says. "That's what's great about Vegas -- people from all over the world are here for a few days, then move on, new people always coming in. Basically you're having the world come to you." That said, the Crue -- which begins a six-date U.K. tour with Def Leppard and Steel Panther on Dec. 6 -- is planning to see some more of the world during 2012. A North American tour is likely, but Lee said whether it will be a Crue Fest package hasn't been determined. "We're still discussing and putting together plans for the summer ... planning the rest of our new year," the drummer explains. "Right now we're focusing on getting the Vegas residency dialed in." The quartet is also reported to be publishing a 10th anniversary expanded edition of its band memoir The Dirt -- Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, but neither Neil nor Lee specified what new material will be included. Related Topics

Jay-Z's Lyrics Analyzed as Subject of College Course

NY - Cable giants Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable along with smaller cable firm Bright House Networks have agreed to sell wireless spectrum to telecom company Verizon Wireless for $3.6 billion.our editor recommendsVerizon's FiOS TV Subscriber Growth Slowed in Third Quarter'The X Factor' Partners with Verizon WirelessComcast Executive Reiterates Confidence in NBC Turnaround OpportunityTime Warner Cable Mulls Bid for L.A. Dodgers TV Rights (Report)Viacom, Time Warner Cable iPad Dispute Heats Up The companies also struck agreements that will see the cable firms and the telecom giant sell each other's products. SpectrumCo, a joint venture of the cable companies, said Friday that Comcast will receive approximately $2.3 billion from the sale. Time Warner Cable about $1.1 billion and Bright House $189 million. Analysts said the deal was evidence that the cable operators have decided against spending a lot of money to build out their own wireless network and services. "The agreement comes at a time when consumer demand for wireless services and bandwidth is increasing rapidly," the firms said. "This sale of spectrum is an important step toward ensuring that the needs and desires of consumers for additional mobile services will not be thwarted by the current spectrum shortage." Government action to free up more spectrum is expected, but the deal partners said their transaction that available spectrum is used effectively for the benefit of customers. The deal partners said Friday that they have also formed an "innovation technology joint venture" for the development of technology to better integrate wireline and wireless products and services. "We're excited to be able to offer the nation's best wireless services to our customers and to have Verizon Wireless as a sales channel for our superb wireline services," said TW Cable president and COO Rob Marcus. "We're also pleased to have obtained an attractive price for the spectrum we're selling." "These agreements, together with our Wi-Fi plans, enable us to execute a comprehensive, long-term wireless strategy and expand our focus on providing mobility to our Xfinity services," said Neil Smit, president of Comcast Cable. Dan Mead, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless, added: "Spectrum is the raw material on which wireless networks are built, and buying the...spectrum now solidifies our network leadership into the future, and will enable us to bring even better 4G LTE products and services to our customers." Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 20 Best Taglines From Movies Over the Last 30 Years Related Topics Verizon Communications Time Warner Comcast Verizon Wireless

Magic Johnson to Bid to Buy Los Angeles Dodgers

This article appears in the Dec. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.our editor recommendsThe Making of Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse'From 'The Artist' to 'War Horse,' 23 Awards Contenders That Prominently Feature Animals (Photos)'War Horse': Newest Trailer Heavy on Orchestration, Heartstring Pulling (Video)'War Horse' Star Jeremy Irvine to Play Young Colin Firth in 'The Railway Man' (Exclusive)Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson: The Titans Behind 'The Adventures of Tintin' In October 2010, Steven Spielberg fell in a hole. "I was walking in a trench with my viewfinder and the crew following me, and all of a sudden I disappeared," recalls the director of the time when he was shooting War Horse just outside London. "It was a hole dug for explosive charges, and a storm had washed away the warning cones and filled it up. I was totally under ice water. I threw my hands over my head, and two big grips pulled me out." Now, 13 months after wrapping his World War I epic, Spielberg can laugh about "the murder hole." But that was only one of the challenges involved in bringing his movie to the screen, along with fighting freezing weather, dealing with an army of 5,800 extras and about 300 horses, and turning to filmmaker Peter Jackson for crucial wartime artifacts from his private collection -- all within a 63-day shoot and with an exceptionally tight $70 million budget ($65 million after tax breaks). PHOTOS: The Making of 'War Horse' Spielberg first heard about War Horse in the summer of 2009. That's when his longtime producer Kathleen Kennedy mentioned the West End adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel, which centers on a British horse named Joey that we follow from birth through four years of war. During that time, he is enlisted by the army, captured by Germans and hidden by French farmers, all while being trailed by Albert, the young Englishman who raised him. When Kennedy spoke of the project, Spielberg was on the scoring stage for The Adventures of Tintin. Having finished 31 days of motion-capture work, he was in a yearlong holding pattern until animation was completed and he could return to the film. To his surprise, he discovered that the book's movie rights had not been optioned, so Kennedy flew to England, where she had breakfast with Morpurgo, then hired Billy Elliot scribe Lee Hall to craft an initial draft. COVER STORY: Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson -- The Titans Behind 'Tintin' "What was irresistible for me had nothing to do with global war," says Spielberg. "It was how Joey linked disparate characters together and the length to which Albert went to find him." After working briefly with Hall, Spielberg moved on to a second writer, Four Weddings and a Funeral's Richard Curtis, in an attempt to bring the screenplay closer to the book. Curtis was nervous: He'd met Spielberg only once before, at France's César Awards in 1995, when the presenter declared Spielberg's Schindler's List a masterpiece and said, "If any other film wins, it will be a disgrace to the honor of France" -- only for Four Weddings to pick up the best foreign film trophy. PHOTOS: Steven Spielberg on Set But Spielberg was more interested in the new picture, and he was clear it should focus on the horse -- like the novel, the movie was to be told from the horse's point of view -- rather than intercutting that story with the boy's. Curtis became convinced this would work when he read the book aloud to his 14-year-old daughter while she was in bed, awaiting an operation. "I found it hard to read the last 10 pages to her because they were so emotional," he recalls, declining to say more about the operation. "I thought immediately, 'If it works in the book, we can do it in the film.' " PHOTOS: 'The Adventures of Tintin' Now he moved fast, whipping through more than a dozen drafts in three months while conducting two-hour telephone conversations with Spielberg. On one occasion, he had to hide in a hospital medicine cabinet while discussing the script, "surrounded by syringes and pills, because I couldn't talk in my daughter's room." As he wrote, a research team plowed through troves of artifacts at England's Imperial War Museum, frequently copying photos that would be used to stage scenes. Spielberg was fascinated by their discoveries. "I was not prepared for how many millions of horses perished during the Great War -- it was over 4 million," he says. "And it wasn't all in close combat; a lot was just through malnutrition and mistreatment. But don't forget that the Humane Society was born out of the First World War, and it was a huge turning point in technological warfare that supplanted the horse once and forever." PHOTOS: 23 Awards Contenders Featuring Animals In addition to the material his researchers found, Spielberg drew on an unexpected source: his Tintin producer Jackson, who collects war memorabilia. "He's even got about 15 working biplanes, which we didn't need," marvels Spielberg. "He sent about three cargo containers to the U.K., free of charge. He pretty much lent me his entire World War I collection." As all of that fell into place, a critical matter loomed: finding the right actor to play Albert, who ages from 15 to 21. "I looked for months and months," says Spielberg. "I was running out of hope, then Jeremy Irvine came in toward the last third of the casting process." There was one snag: The 20-year-old Irvine's most extensive acting experience had been playing a tree in the chorus of the Royal Shakespeare Company. "I had a couple of months of going in to audition two or three times a week, sometimes doing videotape and knowing it would be shown to Steven," he says. "It was quite intense." Weeks after his first audition, adds Irvine: "I got a call at about 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., saying, 'Can you meet Steven for tea in a hotel in London tomorrow morning?' I did what any actor would do: I freaked out." He won the role regardless, and shooting commenced Aug. 6, 2010, in Dartmoor, in the south of England. Production designer Rick Carter had searched for British locations that would be convincing, such as the bucolic farm where Joey's story begins and the no-man's-land where the war is fought. A crew of 750 worked ferociously so each location would be ready when filming took place. Operations revolved around seven locales, ranging from the untamed moors of Dartmoor to a derelict airfield in Surrey, England (where land could be dug up to look like a battlefield) to the Duke of Wellington's storied estate west of London. Each had its share of difficulties. In Dartmoor, a nature preserve, the land couldn't be touched. "We had to put down netting and bring the dirt in and plant what looked like rocks and dig into that," says Carter. The appalling weather created some "nail-biting situations," he adds. Right before the shoot, a terrific storm blew away part of a thatched roof on Albert's farmhouse -- in actuality, made of Styrofoam. "We had to have a crew repaint it every day because it was falling apart," Carter notes. For one shot, in which men and horses emerge like ghosts from a field of reeds, the plants were moved from another part of the country and set in place individually. "There was a marsh somewhere in the south of London still in bloom; we went there and paid a farmer to cut his whole field down, then we put the reeds in Styrofoam." Even the 250 yards of trenches Carter dug, which might seem a simple task but involved laying down an infrastructure to keep them in place and allow tracking shots, required six weeks of preparation alone. "It was like a construction site, with 20 Caterpillars running around," he says. Creating clothing for the men who would inhabit those locations was no easier. "[Costume supervisor] Dave Crossman would trawl through eBay, seeing what we could get -- the hardware and the insignias," says costume designer Joanna Johnston, a longtime Spielberg collaborator. Beyond the beauty of the uniforms, she was surprised at the real-life parallels she discovered with the movie. "The great-grandfather of a girl who worked with us was a milkman whose horse was taken during the war -- and amazingly, the horse made it back," she says. As far as the present horses were concerned, Kennedy brought one huge advantage: Having produced 2003's Seabiscuit, she knew the ins and outs of working with equines. "That was one of the biggest departments on the film, with 200 to 300 people," she says of the animal unit. "You'd sometimes have as many as 180 to 280 horses in a scene. You'd have groomers and drivers to haul the horses and the feed, people to set up portable barns, vets and everyone else who handled the tack and the horses' makeup." Fourteen horses in all played Joey, the most prominent being one named Finder, which had starred in Seabiscuit. "We had bought horses for Seabiscuit, then we sold them -- and Bobby Lovgren, our lead trainer, bought Finder," says Kennedy. "He turned out to be one of the best horses Bobby had ever worked with, so he brought Finder with him to England." Except for one notable shot in which the horse stumbles and falls into a trench, most of the work was done without CGI effects. That added pressure to the shoot, as did the ever-changing British weather. "It was unbelievably rainy and cold," says Kennedy. "Even when you had your wellies on, sometimes you'd just take a step and one would be left stuck in the mud. It was freezing and raining, but then there would be these amazing skies and the whole crew would stop and gaze out at the landscape because it was so beautiful." Moments like these vanished during the hardest part of filming, when the trench warfare took place. "As soon as your big woolen uniform gets wet, the weight is unbelievable," says Irvine, "and you'd be running across no-man's-land, right through the mud and dirt. There were sequences where explosions would take place next to me and three or four stuntmen would fly through the air -- and then there'd be other scenes where you're just soaking wet. I got trench foot [a medical condition contracted through lengthy contact with dampness]. The soldiers used to get it all the time. And then there were the rats." Several dozen rodents were released into the trenches with the actors, much to their horror. But the rats were even more of a nightmare for the producers. "When you put mud on a rat, it immediately starts to clean itself. We could never keep them covered in mud," says Kennedy with a laugh. Shooting wrapped Oct. 27, 2010, following five days of studio work. Audiences will see the finished movie when Disney releases it domestically on Christmas Day through its distribution pact with DreamWorks, which financed the film through its partnership with Reliance Entertainment. (The picture unfurls internationally starting Dec. 26 in Australia.) The U.S. opening comes four days after the Dec. 21 North American release of Tintin, which already has proved an international blockbuster. In some ways, War Horse is more important for DreamWorks -- Tintin, a joint venture between Sony and Paramount, wasn't financed by the company. The former's success is critical for the studio, which has had some recent disappointments along with one megahit, The Help. Spielberg says he'll cherish the memories of making the film -- the tenderness of working with the horses, the miracle of the sunsets and the chance to bring history to life -- despite all the obstacles he encountered. "The thing about filming is, [almost] everything goes wrong," he says. "It's using the parts that go right in the finished film that counts." PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery The Making of Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse' Related Topics Steven Spielberg International Kathleen Kennedy War Horse Awards Season Preview

Keith Olbermann Will No Longer Engage With His Twitter Followers

Keith Olbermannis going on a Twitter silence of sorts.our editor recommendsKeith Olbermann Calls Canada's Rob Ford 'Worst Person In The World'Keith Olbermann Mocks Newsweek's '150% Insane' Michele Bachmann Cover (Video) Keith Olbermann Slams 'Very Stupid' Sarah Palin, Jokes About Anthony Weiner The Current TV host announced Wednesday via his Twitter stream that he no longer would be engaging with followers via the site's "at replies." PHOTOS: Hollywood's Twitter Feuds Following a Monday interview with comedian Richard Lewis in which the duo broke down the Republican field of presidential candidates, Olbermann on Tuesday had a tense exchange with a follower he thought insulted Lewis, ultimately blocking her. STORY: Keith Olbermann Breaks Silence on MSNBC Exit; Could Earn $100M at Current TV After the follower blogged about the exchange late Tuesday, Olbermann's followers took to Twitter to question him about the exchange, prompting him to declare that he'd no longer respond to his at replies. "I'm more confused than anything else right now, but there's some undeniable sadness and anger," the blogger wrote. "Mr. Olbermann, I think what you did was extremely petty. Not just blocking me but blocking anyone who you construe as disagreeing with you or daring to question you." PHOTOS: Keith Olbermann's Famous Feuds "Ok, my thanks to everybody, but life is brief. TFN I won't be replying to tweets. #ShowPlugs, photos, Baseball Nerd updates will continue," he tweeted. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Keith Olbermann's Famous Feuds Related Topics Keith Olbermann

'The Muppets' Stage a Comeback

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (AP) Jason Segel is balancing a bowling pin atop his noggin.The jolly actor-screenwriter is perched on the stage of a makeshift Muppet Theater that's been erected inside a mammoth Universal Studios soundstage. He's nervously grimacing while the furry blue daredevil Gonzo the Great winds his arm up in preparation to launch a bowling ball toward Segel for a stunt the pair are filming for "The Muppets."Segel, who co-wrote the movie with "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" director Nicholas Stoller, is balancing more than just a bowling pin on his head these days: The Walt Disney Co., which acquired The Muppets franchise from The Jim Henson Co. in 2004, has entrusted him with the first big-screen adventure starring the felt-covered performance troupe in 12 years."I think at some point, The Muppets changed a little bit," said Segal during a break from filming earlier this year. "Our goal with this movie is to reintroduce The Muppets to kids in a way that's reminiscent of the movies from the late '70s and early '80s. The great thing about those movies and what Pixar does now is they don't pander or condescend to children."Segel, a hardcore Muppet fan best known for his R-rated roles in such movies as "Knocked Up" and "I Love You, Man," petitioned Disney brass to resurrect The Muppets with Stoller in a way that would appeal to both nostalgic adults who grew up watching "The Muppet Show" and children more familiar with computer-generated 3-D animation than big-eyed puppets.In the film, out Wednesday, Segel and Amy Adams play a small-town couple named Gary and Mary who along with Gary's puppet brother Walter (portrayed by Peter Linz) work to reunite The Muppets. It seems the felt ones have found themselves irrelevant in an entertainment landscape dominated by such over-the-top fictional game shows as "Punch Teacher."The musical's storyline mirrors The Muppets' own reality. They haven't starred in a film together since the 2005 made-for-TV movie "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" and have been absent from theaters since 1999's "The Muppets in Space.""It's funny that the success of the movie might undue the story itself," said director James Bobin. "That's what actually drew me to the story. I was struck by how honest it was and with real artistic license portrayed how people perceive The Muppets at this time. One of the great emotional drives in any story is getting the band back together."The new movie finds The Muppets off doing their own thing: Fozzie Bear is languishing in a tribute band called The Moopets, Miss Piggy is sashaying around Paris as a fashion editor, Animal is treating his anger management issues at rehab, Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem are performing in the NY subway and Scooter is working at Google.The filmmakers, most of who have never worked with puppets, let alone The Muppets, closely collaborated with the puppeteers who have been portraying these characters for years. One particular meeting with them led Segel and Stoller to axe any self-referential jokes and puns about The Muppets being puppets. "I wonder how that felt," for example, was a goner."We're all partners on this movie," said producer Todd Lieberman. "We grew up on The Muppets, but these guys have been living it for 20 years. They know these characters better than any of us possibly could because they've been doing it for 20 years. They know the characters, and they know the style. They know what to do and what not to do for the brand."Adams, who ran the award show gauntlet earlier this year for her role in "The Fighter," found it more difficult to switch between flashy gowns at night and Mary's conservative ensembles by day during production than working with puppets. She said acting opposite puppets like Walter wasn't any more difficult than working opposite actors like Mark Wahlberg."Once you accept that the puppet that you're working with is an actual character, it really is no different from working with another human actor," said Adams. "The puppeteers are geniuses at disappearing. I don't know how they do it, but they do it. I see Peter and Walter as two completely separate beings. Peter is Peter, and Walter is Walter."The immersive set design helped, too. For the new Muppet Theater that's supposed to look like it's abandon until The Muppets give it a makeover, production designer Steve Saklad and his team incorporated the towering theater set built in 1924 for "Phantom of the Opera," which is still standing inside a soundstage on the Universal Studios backlot."We were originally going to shoot the parts of the Muppet Theater scenes that face the audience in a historic downtown Los Angeles theater, but it would've been limiting for the director to split everything up," said Saklad. "I think it worked out for the best because now we've got this huge, luscious theater covered in a thousand coats of paint."Saklad said the new Muppet Theater set was put in storage after production on "The Muppets," just in case it's required for a sequel, and he's hoping that no one paints over the "Phantom of the Opera" walls. However, the prospect of The Muppets as a rejuvenated franchise featuring Segel is one the actor-screenwriter can't seem to fathom."That would certainly be amazing," said Segel sheepishly. "It's not something I'm even thinking about right now. I'm still focused on this movie. My big goal was just to re-establish The Muppets where they belonged. From there, everything else is gravy. I just wanted to see The Muppets again the way I remembered them." The Hollywood Reporter

'The Dark Dark evening Rises' Occupy Wall Street Shoot: Why This didn't Happen

Lately, a rumor made an appearance that director Christopher Nolan would take advantage from the Occupy Wall Street movement to help shoot moments for 'The Dark Dark evening Increases.' In line with the La Occasions, the protesters weren't apt to be written to the movie, but would simply get used as "a backdrop or possibly a stand-looking for a thing that already can be obtained inside the film." That bit of Batman gossip has since been destroyed, in the interview with Indiewire, 'Dark Dark evening Rises' star Matthew Modine recognized how close Nolan had showed up at filming at OWS, and why it never happened. According to Modine, The understanding of Christopher Nolan and also the incredible team was that, even though it made an appearance like wise to provide [the protestors] an opportunity for work, to supply them money, it could send an awful message. Within the finish throughout your day, we're developing a movie. What's happening lower there's more valuable than that. To co-opt what's happening there and across the country ... we didn't desire to trivialize it. It absolutely was more valuable to respect what they're doing instead of do just about anything that could potentially trivialize the political situation downtown. No matter what your feelings are in regards to the Occupy protests, Nolan probably developed a good decision. Zuccotti Park remains -Up to early today, that's -- chaotic. Who knows what showing a sizable-budget production like 'The Dark Dark evening Rises' may have implemented to the encompassing area? Mind to Indiewire to determine the whole interview with Modine. 'The Dark Dark evening Rises' hits theaters This summer time 20, 2012. Have a look at photos of 'The Dark Knight' around Manhattan below. [via Indiewire] 'The Dark Dark evening Increases' Hits NY See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

China continues piracy crack lower

BEIJING -- China is trying to underline that it's seriously interested in cracking lower on piracy by establishing a unique office to assist the campaign against violation of intellectual property privileges and counterfeit items.Filmmakers, both domestic and foreign, regularly complain that rampant piracy in China causes it to be a harmful sell to be employed in. This means, for instance, that movies have little chance to create revenue streams apart from box office takings because IPR thievery is really common.Work is going to be setup underneath the Secretary of state for Commerce, the federal government stated inside a statement."China faces a difficult task fighting IPR violation along with the production and purchase of fake items, so greater administrative and police force work is needed," it stated.Police were being urged to determine a mix-regional enforcement system to facilitate research.A attack released in November this past year saw good success, and most 28,000 criminal cases of violation of IPR and selling shoddy goods have been cracked. Over 6,700 criminal gangs who have been involved with wholesaling and marketing the products were destroyed. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

'Immortals' Director Tarsem Singh on Evaluations to '300,' Screen Violence and also the 'Dreadful' 'Clash from the Titans'

Future Guy of Steel Henry Cavill is making the press models for 'Immortals,' as well as on Monday evening, the 'Man of Steel' star stopped by 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' for any chat. The subject? Superman's legendary red-colored outer under garments, that has apparently been cast off for that Zack Snyder-directed reimagining. "Why put on training pants when you are able be much more revealing?" Cavill joked in the charming British accent. Bad he can't use his native voice to experience Supes. He'd seem so charming! Anyway, no under garments. Noted. [THR/Warmth Vision] When Lindsay Lohan is not investing four hrs in jail, she's appearing for Playboy inside a pictorial that recalls Marilyn Monroe. Because NY Magazine (link NSFW) did not do this in 2008. Expect the Lohan problem to become on newsstands in December. [The Insider] Clive Owen is placed to star in 'Recall,' a normal-sounding actioner made less generic because it had been compiled by Paul Schrader ('Taxi Driver,' 'Raging Bull'). [Variety] Think about it as being 'The Da Vinci Code: The More youthful Years.' Universal has acquired the spec script 'Leonardo' by Jonny Kurzman, concerning the youthful Leonardo Da Vinci attempting to stop the return from the Dark Age range. This is an action-adventure film, should you could not tell. [Variety] 'Skyfall' has added two new stars: Ola Rapace and Helen McCrory, the second who you realize most from 'Harry Potter' as Narcissa Malfoy she's also in 'Hugo.' Rapace may be the estranged husband of Noomi Rapace (the initial 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo'). [@007] 'Bridemaids' scene-stealer Wendi McLendon-Covey finds a brand new role: she'll star within the indie comedy 'A Whitened Trash Christmas,' the industry parody of 'A Christmas Carol.' Girl is funny! Can't we obtain her better material? [Variety] [Photo: Warner Bros.] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Berlusconi steps lower as Italy's pm

ROME -- Silvio Berlusconi on Tuesday guaranteed to resign following a key election established that the Italo media mogul and pm no more includes a majority in parliament. The move is viewed as the ultimate act within the TV tycoon's 17-year career because the leading guy in Italian politics. Leader Giorgio Napolitano, who met Berlusconi following the election, released an argument saying Berlusconi had assured him he'll resign after crucial economic reforms are passed inside a Senate election planned for in a few days. Berlusconi, that has been vacillating as Italy's financial crisis increases, on Tuesday mustered 308 votes inside a routine budget bill, seven votes shy from the majority he necessary for the 630-member Lower House of Parliament to prove that he's still in command. Technically, Berlusconi won the election. Like 321 deputies, many of them in the center-left opposition, abstained from voting to really make it obvious that Berlusconi now lacks support in the own camping. Earlier within the day, a vital Berlusconi coalition ally, Umberto Bossi, mind from the Northern League, advised the 75-year-old TV magnate to step lower. Following the election, opposition leader Pier Luigi Bersani known as for Berlusconi to instantly submit his resignation to Napolitano. It had been a poor day for Berlusconi, whose Mediaset TV group published a 31% drop in nine-month operating profit to 368.two million ($507.8 million), and shares closed lower 2.94%. The finish from the media mogul's political cycle could also have a long term toll on Mediaset, that has lengthy utilized its political clout. You will find now several possible situations of the Italian political crisis which can lead to a caretaker government through 2013 or early elections to become locked in The month of january in the earliest. Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com

Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura Ink New Cope With Vital (Exclusive)

Jemal Countess/Getty Images Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, that has been with Vital for pretty much ten years, has signed a 3-year deal to stay using the studio.our editor recommendsProducer Lorenzo di Bonaventura Thinking of getting Options as Vital Relationship Frays (Exclusive)'Transformers' Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura Sells Set of Comedies to ABC (Exclusive) A high producer, di Bonaventura continues to be behind such Vital projects asG.I. Joe: An Upswing of Cobra (2009) andFour Siblings (2005). He was one of many producers around the summer time's Transformers: Dark from the Moon, which made $1.11 billion worldwide, as well as created the 2 previous films within the franchise. In March, di Bonaventura told THR it had been his "hope and belief" he would remain using the studio, but at that time, he was stated to become exploring options elsewhere due simply to tension withstudio presidentAdam Goodman. Di Bonaventura is producingG.I. Joe 2: Retaliation, that is slated for release in June, along with a remake of Stephen King's Pet Sematary, among other forthcoming projects. Producer's company, Di Bonaventura Pictures, continues to be based at Vital since 2002 he's been operating under a number of three-year handles the studio. Within the the nineteen nineties, di Bonaventura labored at Warner Bros., where he rose towards the publish ofhead of worldwide production. Captured, the prolific producer branched out into TV production, joining up with Serta McDermott in June to begin Di Bonaventura Pictures Television. The organization includes a three-year overall deal at ABC Galleries. Di Bonaventura also offers a number of film projects setup at Summit Entertainment, including an adaptation of Homelanders, a youthful adult series that Miles Chapman will adapt. Email: Daniel.Burns@THR.com Kim.Masters@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller @KimMasters Lorenzo di Bonaventura Vital Pictures

It's Official: Nathan Lane to Star in USA Network Comedy Pilot

It's official: Nathan Lane will star in the united states Network comedy pilot from Douglas McGrath. Furthermore, 30 Rock actor Cheyenne Jackson and Scrubs vet Ken Jenkins have became a member of the cast.our editor recommendsUSA Network Orders Two Comedy PilotsUSA Network In Business With 'White Collar' Creator Lane, who's already becoming a professional producer around the untitled project, will topline the half-hour effort. The only-camera project focuses on Jasper (Lane), an unlucky actor whose Broadway aspirations should be placed on hold when his father's health requires a turn for worse, forcing him revisit his Texas home town. Jackson will have Tim, a handsome physician who befriends Jasper in the Texas home town. Jenkins will portray Jasper's father Burl, who lives by themself and drinks heavily as his health is diminishing. Oscar nominee McGrath will write, direct and executive produce the pilot from Universal Cable Prods. In the effort to go in the comedy space, USA will start airing Modern Family repeats starting in fall 2013. The McGrath project is just one of two comedies the network has purchased aircraft pilots for, another being Paging Dr. Freed. Lane is repped by ICM and Anonymous Content, while Jackson is repped by ICM and also the Schiff Company. Related Subjects Nathan Lane USA Network

'Fringe' Star Joshua Jackson Teases Peter's Return

Out of nowhere, Peter Bishop has been dropped back into the "Fringe"-verse, much to the delight of the show's fans. Without giving away too much, this week's episode, "Novation," sees the back-to-life Bishop struggling to return to the fold that he was once the center of. As he works to convince his girl, Olivia, his dad, Walter, and everyone else for that matter that he's actually Peter Bishop, Walter's deceased son, fans are also trying to figure out just what the deal with Peter is these days. "He comes back to a pretty bad situation here," Joshua Jackson told MTV News this week about Friday's episode. "One: he's completely confused because the time that you have spent in season four with the characters, for him happened in one second. So the whole thing has to be explained to him. But then he gets dropped out of his world and brought back and all of sudden it's 'ut-oh, it's not good.' It's a bad, anti-'It's A Wonderful Life.'" After several seasons of playing Peter, this new storyline actually feels a bit old for Jackson. "In a strange way, its a bit like it was in the beginning of season one cause in season one he was the outsider brought into this world and basically shown things he couldnt appreciate or understand," he said. "So the only difference now here is he's in this place he knows, he has all these experiences, I dont think he's questioning his sanity, but he's got to be scratching his head a little bit. Like, 'You guys got to be kidding me? Like how many more universes do I have to save before I get some credit here?'" With so many questions left unanswered and so much of season four left to answer them (or raise even more for that matter), Jackson actually thinks Peter should be treated with more kindness than he's received so far. "If the world was just, Peter would retire on a beach somewhere getting served daiquiris and peeled grapes for the rest of his life," he joked. "I mean two universes, thats a lot of work!" The next episode of "Fringe," "Novation," airs tonight (November 4) on Fox at 9 PM EST. Tell us what you think of Jackson's return to "Fringe" in the comments section and on Twitter!

Molly Shannon At Center Of Disney Feature Pitch Deal

EXCLUSIVE: Molly Shannon teamed with veteran scribes Make the most of Muir and Bob Hilgenberg to promote an untitled comedy feature pitch to Disney. They'll write the script together for just about any film that might be a star vehicle for Shannon. It’s based on their own encounters being a parent, as well as the comedy focuses on the social arena of motherhood. The film will probably be produced by Andrew Panay (Wedding Crashers), and Shannon will probably be professional producer. Hilgenberg & Muir are presently scripting an energetic-action version in the Family Circus for Fox and Walden Media. Shannon’s repped by Gersh and Framework Entertainment, the scribes are repped by Summit Talent & Literary.

New Movie Reviews: 'Tower Heist,' 'A Very Harold & Kumar 3d Christmas,' 'The Boy of No One' Striking Theaters

The initial weekend of November sees two large comedies opening plus a bittersweet rock dramedy together with a gritty cop drama.our editor recommendsEddie Murphy States John Grazer Saved 'Tower Heist' (Video)Ben Stiller Unveils 'Zoolander' Follow-up Secrets Way ahead for the Fockers and What He Considers 'Tower Heist' Co-Star Eddie Murphy as Oscar HostEddie Murphy in 'Tower Heist': Just what the Experts Say Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy in 'Tower Heist' Trailer (Video)'Charlotte Rampling: The Look' Puts the Actress' Style inside the SpotlightSUNDANCE: Al Pacino-Katie Holmes The Boy of Nobody Tanks, Prompts Walkouts 'Tower Heist' Director Brett Ratner Apologizes for Epilepsy Joke in Movie's Trailer (Video) Universal takes charge withBrett Ratner's comic caper flickTower Heist.LiketheOcean's series, Heist carries with it an all-star cast, includingBen Stilleras the straight guy, Eddie Murphyas therude, confrontational wiseass and Alan Alda since the Bernie Madoff-like swindler. PHOTOS: 'Ben Stiller Show' Alumni: Where Is It Now? Another large comedy premiering a couple of days ago might be the 3rd installment in theHarold & Kumar series, A Very Harold & Kumar 3DChristmas,from Warner Bros./New Line Cinema. Also opening now's Killing Bono, aBritish dramedy about some brothers and sisters who attended school with U2but could never replicate their success as artists. Round the serious side,Dito Montiel's Sundance movieSon of Nobody,from NuImage/Millennium Films,agritty cop drama about hidden secrets occur publish-9/11 NY starringAl Pacinoand Katie Holmes, opens in choose theaters. PHOTOS: ྌs Action Stars: Where Is It Now? Here's just what the Hollywood Reporter's experts need to say of people films -- while others opening a couple of days ago -- and discover how they are needed to complete within the box office: Tower Heist Brett Ratner's comic caper about co-workers who turn the tables around the Bernie Madoff type can be a easily designed crowd pleaser.Follow the link to determine Todd McCarthy's review. THR COVER STORY: Ben Stiller Unveils What He Considers 'Tower Heist' Co-Star Eddie Murphy Hosting the Oscars A Very Harold & Kumar 3d Christmas It's Harold & Kumar versus. Christmas and, yes, Christmas wins out.Follow the link to determine Kirk Honeycutt's review. Charlotte now now Rampling: The Look An engaging doc unveils plenty of sweet Charlotte now now along with somewhat hush-hush.Follow the link to determine Jordan Mintzer's review. VIDEO: 'A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas' Red-colored-colored Band Trailer: The second Coming of Neil Patrick Harris The Boy of Nobody Atmospheric and intriguing, this cop movie turning around a concealed secret and occurring by 50 percent time frames stars Al Pacino and Katie Holmes.Follow the link to determine John DeFore's review. Killing Bono Modified from rock critic Neil McCormick's autobiography, Nick Hamm's British comedy stars Ben Barnes, Robert Sheehan and Krysten Ritter.Follow the link to determine Jordan Mintzer's review. VIDEO: Al Pacino, Channing Tatum Sport Badges, Mustaches in 'Son of Nobody' Trailer Youthful Goethe for one another German director Philipp Stölzl's film falls gently involving the stools of high-brow camping and genuine seduction by its many period charms, fine stars and lovely landscapes.Follow the link to determine John DeFore's review. Related Subjects Brett Ratner Channing Tatum Eddie Murphy Katie Holmes Al Pacino Ben Stiller The Boy of Nobody Tower Heist A Very Harold & Kumar 3d Christmas Charlotte now now Rampling: The Look Killing Bono Youthful Goethe for one another

Discovery confronts need to hone OWN

Yakker "The Rosie Show" on OWN has seen a slide in aud numbers, especially the 25-54 femme demo, since its premiere. "Oprah's Lifeclass" started off slowly on weekday primetime. Discovery Communications delivered a strong third quarter earnings report Tuesday, but even an increase in its revenue and profit projections for the full year wasn't enough to divert Wall Street's attention from the problems at OWN.Discovery's joint venture with Oprah Winfrey is in the red for the year, with negative cash flow to the tune of $55.6 million, according to numbers provided by SNL Kagan. The subscriber fees that cable and satellite operators pay to carry the channel have dropped to 5 a sub per month, from 7 last year when the channel was still Discovery Health, according to Kagan.Losses for a startup operation are no surprise, but OWN's growth curve has been steep as the cabler has struggled mightily to gain viewer traction with its original programming. Its most recent big bets, the Rosie O'Donnell yakker and the Winfrey fronted "Oprah's Lifeclass," have had a sluggish start in their Monday-Friday primetime runs. Discovery CEO David Zaslav preached patience during the quarterly earnings call in which analysts grilled him about OWN's finances. Discovery brass would not disclose many details about the joint venture, but chief financial officer Brad Singer acknowledged that it had invested $12 million more in the cabler during the quarter.For 2011, SNL Kagan estimated operating expenses of nearly $160 million at OWN, and revenue of $104 million. In terms of distribution, the net is in more households than Discovery Health, which it replaced, but only about 5.8 million more.Zaslav said he's confident that OWN's fortunes will improve now that Winfrey is serving as full-time CEO."We are working hard to develop content that will appeal to her audience," Zaslav said. "We are building some meaningful audience growth and flow. Viewership is up from previous levels (and) there's some nice momentum going into 2012. We are starting to swing in a positive direction in term of getting people to spend more time with us."For the year to date, OWN is essentially flat in primetime compared to its Discovery Health predecessor. After three weeks on the air, "Rosie" and "Oprah's Lifeclass" have yet to make much of a difference in the numbers."Rosie," airing at 8 p.m., started out with an average of 321,000 viewers in its first week, declining to 229,000 in week two and 223,000 in week three. There's been a similar slide in the all-important women 25-54 demo, where "Rosie" started out with an average of 140,000 viewers but slid last week to 106,000."Lifeclass," trumpeted as Winfrey's return to the airwaves, bowed to an average of 310,000 total viewers in week one, declining to 297,000 last week. In women 25-54, the show has inched up from an average of 118,000 in week one to 122,000 last week.OWN's biggest original success story to date is the weekly docu-series "Our America With Lisa Ling," which started slowly earlier this year but has shown steady progress. In October the show averaged a healthy 542,000 viewers, and 230,000 in women 25-54. Reality skein "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" has also gotten some traction, pulling in 421,000 total viewers in October, including 144,000 in women 25-54. Zaslav pointed to the performance of "Our America" and "Sweetie Pie's" in defending the net's performance to analysts."It's like we said at the beginning, it's gonna take some time."David Leavy, Discovery's corporate communications topper, reinforced the company's mantra that new cablers take three to five years to really find their footing with viewers -- even with Oprah Winfrey's name on the door. "Yes, it's Oprah Winfrey, so the expectation is a litte higher, but we are very pleased," Leavy told Variety. "We probably didn't have enough original programming when we launched. It's the right trajectory -- no one's declaring victory, but we're seeing green shoots."Beyond OWN, Discovery's third-quarter results were strong, buoyed by growth in international markets. Net income rose to $238 million from $189 million the year before. Revenue jumped 18% to almost $1.1 billion with 19% growth at both domestic and international networks.For the full year, the company said raised its projections, pegging revenue to come in between $4.17 billion and $4.25 billion, and net profit of about $1 billion. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

Kim Kardashian Sets the Record Straight: "I Married for Love"

Mark Harmon NCIS' Mark Harmon certainly has silver fox status since he's 60, but was he so cute in secondary school? See the relaxation of current day news See Harmon before he will be a star in this photo gallery from Snakkle.com. Plus, have a look at just what the relaxation in the cast of NCIS was around before they were considering Navy and Marine Corps crimes. (Youthful Pauly Perrette can be as cute just like a button.) Begin to see the photos here.

Arnold Schwarzenegger Searching For QED Action Film Black Sands

EXCLUSIVE: Arnold Schwarzenegger is positioned to star in Black Sands, an action film which will be directed by Scott Waugh and Mike McCoy. Funded by Bill Block’s QED, the film will begin production April 1, 2012. Inside the Skip Forest-scripted film, Schwarzenegger may have a loner who wages war against a callous weapons manufacturer and also the private military inside the Southwest. A bad tone is Guy Burning meets High Flatlands Drifter. Block will probably be selling worldwide areas beginning today. Forest scripted An Excellent Day To Die Hard, which Fox is planning for production. Waugh and McCoy most recently directed Act Of Valor, an action adventure which has actual Navy Shuts. That film was acquired within an auction for distribution by Relativity Media, which paid out a $13 million minimum guarantee together with a $Thirty Dollars million P&Dedication, and scheduled the film for release on February 17, that's Leader’s Day Weekend. Al Ruddy will produce Black Sands with Block and Paul Hanson. Waugh, McCoy and Max Leitman will be the executive producers through their Bandito Brothers and sisters banner. Schwarzenegger has squarely returned to his action wheelhouse since returning to acting after ending his run as California governor. He’s shooting the Kim Jee-woon-directed The Ultimate Indicate Lionsgate, after finishing The Expendables 2. QED just completed I, Alex Mix, the Make the most of Cohen-directed thriller good James Patterson novel, with Tyler Perry playing Mix and Matthew Fox his enemy. QED may also be creating the Neil Blomkamp-directed Elysium, which stars Matt Damon and Jodie Promote. That film is presently shooting. QED and Schwarzenegger connected taken on Cry Macho, but that project is tabled for the moment. CAA reps Schwarzenegger and Forest, ICM reps the organization company directors.

South Park Creators Investigated By the Church of Scientology?

Matt Stone and Trey Parker An ex-Scientologist has posted online what he says is the contents of a document from the Church of Scientology discussing an investigation into the private lives of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone back in 2005. According to the documents posted by Marty Rathbun and first picked up by The Village Voice, the investigation took place shortly after the Comedy Central animated series mocked the church in the episode "Trapped in the Closet." Remember? The one that parodied Tom Cruise. South Park's run extended through 2013 The investigation included rummaging through Stone and Parker's garbage to obtain phone records, bank records and personal letters, as well as using public records to try to get information on friends of the creators, including John Stamos and Rebecca Romijn. Rathbun says this first posting is just one "of a trove" of documents related to the investigation. The document he revealed Sunday suggests that Scientology was examining public records on those people, looking for a vulnerability. "Phone records. Bank records. Personal letters that expose some kind of vulnerability. They'll read stuff into the kind of alcohol you're drinking and how much. Prescriptions. They'll figure out your diet. They can find out a lot about you through your trash," he told the Voice.

PalmStar adds Bassick, Jahns

PalmStar Media Capital has hired Michael Bassick as Co-CEO and Dan Jahns as COO to expand its film finance business. PalmStar, which provides fund management and film related investment activities, announced the hires Friday. The company said it recently signed deals with two international film funds to provide project sourcing and investment advice and is in talks with several others to provide similar services.Kevin Frakes, Co-CEO and founder of PalmStar, said ''Michael brings to the firm a tremendous knowledge of film financing and outstanding fund raising capabilities and Dan provides a wealth of experience in corporate finance and sales with a proven ability to execute on businessstrategies.''Bassick, who joined the firm this past spring, was previously Founder/CEO of MarkediaWorldwide and managing partner of MJB Ventures, a boutique film investment company. He has over 15 years in film finance, media and marketing.Jahns was previously COO of Fierce Entertainment, a film development, production and finance company in West Hollywood. He has over 20 years of experience in sales and financial services with companies including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity Research and Management and Reuters. PalmStar most recently collaborated with K5 International to co-finance Paul Walker starrer ''Vehicle 19,'' which completed production in South Africa in September and Bille August's ''Night Train to Lisbon,'' staring Jeremy Irons and produced by Studio Hamburg Filmproduktion. ''Night Train'' is set to begin production later this year. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Comedy rules season's first month

"WorkInch is constantly on the deliver demos for that Peacock network. Tim Allen in "Last Guy Standing" "2 . 5 Males," above, has given CBS additional spark on Mondays while "Last Guy Standing" shipped a large bow for ABC. Comedy rules for that first month from the TV season, using the best story being released of each and every network associated with half-hrs. It is a different story, meanwhile, in other genres since many reality shows and dramas appear to become facing a constant fight. The record-setting top shows on fundamental cable, actually, have embarked in to the teeth from the broadcast season and worked out perfectly. A week ago among grown ups 18-49, AMC's second-season premiere of "The Walking Dead" rated second among all primetime dramas (tied with CBS' "Criminal Minds" and never too much behind the Eye's "NCIS"), while MTV's "Jersey Shoreline" outperformed all unscripted broadcast skeins aside from one seg of Fox's "The X Factor," based on Nielsen. In comedy, though, broadcast is how it's at, as half-hrs take into account the fall's top six entertainment series in 18-49. CBS, the growing season leader in 18-49 through four days, makes its greatest noise in comedy as new series "2 Broke Women" (4.3/11, 10.71m) and also the new-ant "2 . 5 Males" (5.9/14, 16.20m for that 4th seg featuring Ashton Kutcher) have re-vitalized the whole Monday comedy block, and leadoff hitter "Generate An Income Met Your Mother" is off and away to its very own hot start (4./11, 8.89m a week ago) CBS Monday has emerged because the top-ranked live-action comedy block among grown ups 18-34, surpassing ABC's Wednesday (also is up) and NBC's Thursday (that is lower). Also for that Eye, "The Large Bang Theory" is Thursday's No. 1 series (4.6/14, 13.58m a week ago). At Fox, while dinosaur drama "Terra Nova" and Simon Cowell-fronted reality show "The X Factor" did OK although not carried out in addition to many had thought, it's Zooey Deschanel comedy "New Girl" which has set up the very best rankings. Preempted a week ago, the laffer is tied with "2 Broke Women" because the season's No. 3 comedy and top newcomer. ABC, whose reality tentpole "DwtsInch is getting a sub-componen season rankings smart, is happy with its new Wednesday comedy "Suburgatory" (3.1/8, 8.92m a week ago), that is building a little on its lead-in from "The CenterInch (2.9/9, 8.87m a week ago) and supplying a much better lead-set for "Modern Family" (5.9/15, 13.65m a week ago). Now in the third season, "Family" expires and trails only CBS' "2 . 5 Males" within the 18-49 non-sports program ratings it is also probably the most Digital recording device-erectile dysfunction show, so when final amounts are available in for Week 4, it's likely to go forward of football to complete No. 1 the very first time. The Alphabet also saw Tim Allen's new show "Last Guy Standing" open well last Tuesday (3.6/10 in 18-49, 13.19m), becoming the very best-ranked 8 p.m. comedy debut on any internet in nearly eight years. Even though it's been a difficult begin to the growing season for NBC, its Wednesday comedy "Up Through The Night" has demonstrated a spark (2.1/6, 5.24m a week ago) and figures to become requested to assist shoreline up Thursday evening sooner or later. "Work,Inch meanwhile, remains easily the net's No. 1 entertainment series in demos (3.3/9, 6.08m a week ago). Searching at amounts for that week of March. 10-16, Fox required benefit of Sunday's National football league overrun to win in grown ups 18-49 having a 2.9 rating/8 share. It had been then CBS (2.6/7), ABC (2.3/6), NBC (2.1/6) and Univision (1.4/4). Fox also edged in front of CBS for that week's lead in grown ups 25-54 (3.5/9 to three.4/8) as the Eye ongoing its winning streak to begin the growing season as a whole audiences (10.six million to eight.9 million for Fox). Of note for that frame, ABC's "Revenge" (2.7/7 in 18-49, 7.90m), perhaps probably the most buzzed about new fall drama, grew to become the very first drama to exhibit per week-to-week 18-49 gain. One evening later, CBS' "Person of great interestInch did exactly the same (2.8/7, 12.04m). The dramas whose fates seem to be up in mid-air are CBS' "A Gifted Guy" on Friday (1.2/4, 7.71m) and ABC's "Pan Am" on Sunday (1.8/4, 5.83m), using the latter lower a tick week-to-week and lower a lot more than 40% from the premiere. Around the comedy side, NBC's "Whitney" was already acquired for that relaxation of year but ongoing its decline last Thursday (2./5, 4.25m), off nearly 40% from the premiere. On cable a week ago, AMC's "Walking Dead" (3.8/9, 7.26m) established a fundamental-cable drama record for many grown ups 18-49 (4.8 million). It and MTV's easy "Jersey Shoreline" (3.6/9, 6.47m) rated among TV's top 15 primetime series in 18-49 a week ago. Some of the best entertainers incorporated E!'s finale of "Maintaining Using the Kardashians" (2.1/5, 3.98m), BET's "Stylish Hop Honours" (2.1/5, 4.08m) and FX's "Sons of Anarchy" (1.9/5, 3.56m). FX's "American Horror Story" (1.4/3, 2.46m) maintained nearly 90% from the demo aud because of its premiere from the previous week. Showtime's "Homeland" averaged 1.08 million because of its third episode Sunday at 10 p.m., up 15% week to week. Including its same-evening repeat, Sunday's seg came slghtly more audiences compared to premiere (1.34m versus. 1.33m), and also the pay cabler stated the show is on the right track being its top-carrying out first-year drama up to now. Contact Ron Kissell at ron.kissell@variety.com

Channing Tatum May Join Foxcatcher

In predicts co-star with Steve CarellChanning Tatum has extended been developing a career from being known more than just turning up in large action fare for instance GI Joe. He's added romantic dramas and comedies to his CV and contains also moved into creating. Now he's apparently in predicts co-star with Steve Carell in Bennett Miller's new planned drama Foxcatcher.The director, who's presently round the receiving finish of praise for Kaira Pitt baseball drama Moneyball, remains developing the film for just about any few years alongside Capote author Serta Futterman and fellow scribe E Max Frye.Foxcatcher would tell the actual story of John du Pont (Carell), the heir with a chemical fortune who experienced from attacks of paranoid schizophrenia. Throughout a particular easily fit into 1996, he shot and destroyed Olympic wrestler Dork Schultz (Tatum, if he signs on). The title, just just in case you're wondering, arises from the title in the Pennsylvania factory, which was built by du Pont, and where the incident happened.Du Pont visited prison for your crime, where he died a year ago. Schultz, who was simply 36 in those days, omitted a wife and a pair of youthful children.Burns is rounding within the financing for your movie, despite the fact that he doesn't have a very distributor in place yet, we doubt that'll take extended due to what they are called involved even if they don't score Tatum. The aim is always to start shooting early next season.

Hinton looking for more questions

HintonRupert Murdoch's former chief lieutenant L'ensemble des Hinton, who resigned as Boss of Dow Johnson in This summer, will be grilled for any third time by British pols probing accusations of phone hacking at News Corp.'s now defunct Sunday paper, this news around the globe.Hinton, executive chairman from the tabloid's writer News Intl. from 1995 to 2007, is going to be questioned via videolink in the U.S., where he lives, by people of Parliament looking at the culture, media and sport choose committee on March. 24.In March 2007, he told pols he thought Clive Goodman, this news around the globe reporter jailed for intercepting voicemail messages, had behaved alone.When accusations of common hacking started to emerge in September 2009, Hinton was adamant he'd seen no evidence to claim that was the situation.In This summer, when Hinton resigned after it had been says killed schoolgirl Milly Dowler's phone have been compromised, Hinton stated he'd "viewed with sorrow from NY because the News around the globe story unfolded."He added that although he'd seen "100s of news reviews of both actual and alleged misconduct throughout time I had been executive chairman of News Intl." he was "unaware of what apparently happened."Hinton labored with Murdoch in excess of half a century. Throughout his This summer 19 grilling by pols, Murdoch stated he'd trust the professional together with his existence. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Javier Bardem May Be The 'Bond 23' Villain

We may not know which villain Difficulties will face off against over the following 007 flick, but all of us can say for certain which actor may have him. On ABC Nightline, actor Javier Bardem confirmed the gossips that he'll function as the theif in 'Bond 23' (which can be retitled 'Skyfall'). "I am very excited. My parents needed me to check out the flicks, which i saw these, to experience that's apt to be fun," recognized Bardem. Unsure on who the actor will probably be representing, but we'd become more than happy with Anton Chigur from 'No Country for Old Males.' [via ComingSoon] [Photo: AFP/Getty Images] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Real Steel Bot-Battle Wins Weak Weekend; George Clooneys Ides Of March Distant #2

SATURDAY PM/SUNDAY AM,3RD UPDATE: Younger males used tobe Hollywood’s target audience. But as I’ve been pointing out recently, they’re just not consistently (and indiscriminately) going to the movies anymore. The reason is either financial or too many other entertainment choices. That was the gist of internal conversations inside studios all summer when uncompelling farefell short with young guys who stayed away from the malls.But would this troubling pattern continue into fall? It’s fuzzy so far.DreamWorks/Disney’s Real Steel required a mammoth marketing push to pump up mediocre tracking so it could dominate the North American box officeall weekend. Disney confirmedgrosses went up +30% from Friday to Saturday for a $29M opening weekend and an ‘A’ CinemaScore.Problem is Hollywood would have impressedif the result was $35M because of its family overlay and$110+M budget. By contrast,George Clooney’s newcomer The Ides Of March had only a $12.5M production budget after rebates. But this R-rated adult political thriller co-starring Ryan Gosling washard to sell even for Sony Pictures. The piceked out $10.5M, less than the modestweekend whichHollywood expected afterit was ahit at both the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. Though well-reviewed, audiences gave it just a B CinemaScore though those under age 25 bestowed a B+. The rest of the box office held wellfor an overallweak weekend. Here are the Top10 movies: 1. Real Steel (DreamWorks/Disney) NEW [3,440 Theaters] Friday $8.5M, Saturday $12M,Weekend $29M This Shaun Levy-directed bot battle starring Hugh Jackman received a rare ‘A’ CinemaScore overall and ‘A+’ from moviegoers under age 25. But itsawareness and wannaseegoing into this weekendconcerned DreamWorks because, if anything of late, tracking has been overperforming box office, not the other way around.This was considered a crucial weekend financially for the rebooted studio. Sources told me as recently as Friday that Real Steel needed to make $125+M all in domestically to keep India’s Reliance funding on track (even though CEO Stacey Snider claimed the partnership is solid).But even though it placed #1,the below-$30M weekend opening is soft for the PG-13 father-son dramaif it hopes to recoup its $110+M costs. Disney believes Sunday and Monday business could push the cume higher because of the Columbus Day holiday when 36% of kids are out of school. Which is why the pic was sold as feel-good family fare (Levy directed Night At The Museum et al)simultaneously with the Rocky With Robots rock’em-sock’em. Hugh Jackman stars as the relatable everyman — that is, if everyone had a hardbody and Sugar Ray Leonard as a boxing trainer — with Dakota Goyo plucked from thousands of 10-year-old boys who auditioned to play son Max. The pic is based on the 1956 short story Steel by Richard Matheson, who seven years later adapted it for a 1974 episode of The Twilight Zone starring Lee Marvin in a futuristic world of android combatants. John Gatins received screenplay credit with Dan Gilroy and Jeremy Leven getting story credit, and Don Murphy, Susan Montford, and Shawn Levy producer credit. Marketing was predictably omnipresent and expensive, including cast personal appearances at Comic-Con,CinemaCon, Super Bowl XLV, NBA finals and NFL fall games. Demonstrating the airline will do anything for a few bucks, Virgin America permanently branded its new Airbus A320 Real Steel and wrapped the plane with image from film. Extensive integration took place on ESPN including homepage takeover across all platforms the day before the films release.ESPN Deportes, Boxeo Telemundo sponsorship, Univision tie-in to Futbol Liga Mexicana, Solo Boxeo, and more were aimed at Hispanic audiences. Overseas, the pic rolled out to 24% of the international market this weekend including Jackman’s native Australia followinga global press junket in Los Angeles, and international press tours in France, Russia, Germany, UK, Latin America, plus Toronto and Down Under. 2. The Ides Of March (Sony) NEW [2,199 Theaters] Friday $3.4M, Saturday $4.3M, Weekend $10.5M Let’s be honest: George Clooney can’t marquee a major movie anymore unless it’s an ensemble. But even though he’s only modest box office, Hollywood still wants to be in business with him and his classy low-budget films that get attention at awards time. So $11M-$13M grossing pics (his average without frequent co-star Brad Pitt) are acceptable as long as the production budgets stay in that range as well. LikeThe Ides Of March did. Sony Pictures acquired rights to distribute while the project was still in development. It’s based on the play Farragut North by Beau Willimon, a writer who’d worked on Howard Deans presidential campaign. It’s the first film with Sony since Clooney and his Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov moved from Warner Bros to Sony in 2009. The Ides Of March was fully financed by Cross Creek Pictures so Brian Oliver shares producer credit. Millimon’s first Farragut North draft came in so clean that Clooney and Heslov committed immediately. They re-wrote the script with Willimon and renamed it The Ides Of March, perhaps a too-obvious reference to all that Shakespearean plotting in Julius Caesar. Ultimately, the pic could do a 5X multiple because of word of mouth and the standoutcast’s Oscar chancesincludingRyan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood. The film’s first trailer went up with Crazy, Stupid, Love in July. But the real buzz launched at the Venice Film Festival at the end of August, and built to the Red Carpet gala at Toronto.Nevertheless, marketing a political film from the liberal Clooney — especially when he’s director, producer, and writer — is a tough task in this deeply divided 2012 election climate. (Supposedly the script would have made it to the big screen sooner but it was deemed too cynical to release when President Obama first took office. Not so now) Interesting how Ryan Gosling is featured more prominently on the one-sheet than Clooney even though George appeared on Time magazine’s cover in real life. This also explains why, in the TV ad, Sony took great careto barely show Clooney or even hint at the specific ideology behind The Ides Of March. (Like, duh.) The media campaign targeted adults of both sexes andits highlights included the Emmy Awards, new season primetime premieres, NFL fall games, and the MLB divisional playoffs. Trailers were aired during CNN’s Piers Morgan talk show as well. 3.Dolphin Tale (Alcon/Warner Bros) Week 3 [3,478 Theaters] Friday $2.4M, Saturday #3.7M,Weekend $9M, Cume $48.9M 4. Moneyball (Sony) Week 3 [3,018 Theaters] Friday $2.2M, Saturday $3.1M,Weekend $7.3M, Estimated Cume $49.1M 5. 50/50 (Summit Entertainment) Week 2 [2,479 Theaters] Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.2M,Weekend $5.3M (-39%),Cume $17.1M 6. Courageous (Sherwood/Sony) Week 2 [1,161 Theaters] Friday $1.3M, Saturday $1.8M,Weekend $4.6M (-49%), Cume $15.9M 7. Lion King 3D (Disney) Week 4 [2,267 Theaters] Friday $1.2M, Saturday $1.9M,Weekend $4.5M,Cume $85.9M 8. Dream House (Universal) Week 2 [2,664 Theaters] Friday $1.3M, Saturday $1.9M,Weekend $4.4M, Cume $14.4M 9. What’s Your Number? (Fox) Week 2 [3,011 Theaters] Friday $1M, Saturday $1.3M,Weekend $3M, Estimated Cume $10.3M 10. Abduction (Lionsgate) Week 3 [2,591 Theaters] Friday $865K, Saturday $1.3M, Weekend $3M, Cume $23.4M

Unionization Effort Shuts Down Production On Syfy Reality Series Face Off

EXCLUSIVE: We’ve learned that the crew of SyFy’s competition reality series Face Off walked off the job yesterday in an effort to obtain a contract with IATSE, the union that represents film and TV crew members. Production on the series’ upcoming second season remained dark today. Syfy had no comment but Gemini 3, the company that employs the crew on the show, issued the following statement in response to our inquiry: “Gemini 3 is in the process of negotiating with IATSE in order to work out a resolution.” Face Off, which features up-and-coming SFX makeup artists competingin a series of challenges, was renewed in March after averaging 1.4 million viewers in its first season. Dwight D. Smith and Michael Agbabian of Mission Control are executive producing. The process of unionizing reality series has been slow and not always smooth. The biggest skirmish came last fall when the crew of NBC’s The Biggest Loser went on strike for 2 weeks until its producers reached a labor agreement with IATSE.

Apple CEO Tim Cook on Steve Jobs: 'No Words Can Adequately Express Our Sadness'

Apple CEO Tim Cook sent a company-wide memo on Wednesday to employees, notifying them of co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs' death earlier in the day.our editor recommendsSteve Jobs Dies at 56What Is Steve Jobs' Hollywood Legacy?Steve Jobs' Death Inspires Dozens of Facebook Pages In His MemorySteve Jobs' Death: Hollywood Honors the VisionaryCBS News Ends Relationship With Source of Bogus Steve Jobs Death Tweet (Exclusive)Related Topics•Steve Jobs "I have some very sad news to share with all of you," Cook begins. "Steve passed away earlier today." PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths Cook, who replaced Jobs as CEO of the company in August, told staff that Apple was "planning a celebration of Steve's extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon." The executive directed them to share "thoughts, memories and condolences" to an email address specifically set up for the occasion. PHOTOS: 9 Highest Paid Entertainment CEOs "No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve's death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him," Cook continued. "We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much." One of Cook's pargraphs from the memo is posted on the official Apple website. Read Cook's full memo to staff below: Team, I have some very sad news to share with all of you. Steve passed away earlier today. Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We are planning a celebration of Steve's extraordinary life for Apple employees that will take place soon. If you would like to share your thoughts, memories and condolencesin the interim, you can simply emailrememberingsteve@apple.com. No words can adequately express our sadness at Steve's death or our gratitude for the opportunity to work with him. We will honor his memory by dedicating ourselves to continuing the work he loved so much. Tim Related Topics Steve Jobs Apple

Watch The Hangover 2 Online For Free

Could Michael C. Hall Walk Away From Dexter?

Michael C. Hall Could the sixth season of Dexter be star Michael C. Hall's last? Contract negotiations for the actor to return next year have hit a snag, Deadline reports. According to the site, contract talks broke down Monday - the day after the serial killer drama's sixth season premiere became Showtime's most-watched season opener in 14 years. Hall, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, is reportedly asking for $24 million over the next two seasons; the cable network offered $20 million. Check out our fall preview for galleries, scoop, premiere calendars and more! Showtime is still hopeful about striking a deal either for two seasons or one, according to Deadline. Reps for Showtime and Hall had no comment on the report. Hall, 40, won Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards for his performance in 2009. Before Dexter, he starred on HBO's Six Feet Under for five seasons. Dexter airs Sundays at 9/8c on Showtime.

Watch Harry Potter 7 Online Free

50 Cent to Headline, Produce Action Thriller 'The Pursuit'

Ryan Pierse/Getty Images Rapper-switched-actor Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has zeroed in on action project The Pursuit as his next starring vehicle. Cheetah Vision Films, which Jackson runs with producer Randall Emmett, and Emmett/Furla Films are creating the thriller which is directed by Jessy Terrero. Terrero just signed a 3-picture pointing cope with the producers. PHOTOS: Top Ten Greatest Compensated Artists Based on the producers, Pursuit, compiled by Matt Manley, follows "a cop and criminal (who) unintentionally synergy to find an steered clear of bank thief as each one has their own personal vendetta from the guy. Meanwhile, a determined US Marshall tracks the males to avoid them from killing the convict and rather ensure that he's introduced to justice the right way.Inch Jackson will have the cop. Lionsgate will distribute the pic through its ten-movie output deal. The program would be to start shooting in Louisiana in Feb, 2012. PHOTOS: 7 Music to Movie Company directors: Michael Bay, David Fincher, Spike Jonze Terrero, whose debut feature was the 2004 comedy Soul Plane, is really a regular Jackson collaborator. He's directed numerous music videos for that rapper in addition to Jackson's 2010 crime thriller, Gun. The duo also provide Emmett/Furla's action thriller Self employed, that also stars Robert DeNiro and Forest Whitaker, within the can. Jackson is repped by CAA and attorney Aron Baumel. 50 Cent

Howard Stern Sidekick Artie Lange And Nick DiPaolo To Launch Sports Radio Show October 3

EXCLUSIVE: Artie Lange is closing a deal to return to make his return to radio. Lange is teaming with fellow stand-up comic Nick DiPaolo for The Nick and Artie Show, a sports-themed talk show that will broadcast weeknights from 10 PM-1 AM East Coast time. The plan is to launch October 3, and it will also be taped for broadcast on Direct TV later on. They hope to roll out cross country, and will start in between 20 and 30 markets. Their deals are worth high six-figures. It’s a three year commitment and the total value of the deal is in excess of $3 million, I’m told. Lange returns to the airwaves in regular rotation for the first time since he left under tragic circumstances. Lange replaced Jackie Martling as writer and on-air sidekick to Stern, and his blue collar sensibility and quick wit made him a popular part of the show. But he also spoke openly about his problems with depression, and vices like substance abuse and gambling, and it was clear these were taking a toll on him as he mixed the early morning radio gig with weekend stand-up appearances. His Stern Show run ended when he attempted suicide in 2010. Lange resurfaced slowly on the stand-up comedy circuit, and he comes back to the radio almost two years later, healthy and with his life back on track, Im told. DiPaolo is a longtime Lange palthey came up together on the stand-up comedy circuitand DiPaolo has also done hosting stints on Sterns Sirius XM Satellite Radio channels. The new show wont be on Sirius XM; it will be syndicated on terrestrial radio. Lange and DiPaolo tested out their radio chemistry when they subbed for Tony Bruno on Fox Sports Radio earlier this year, and it was no secret they were looking for a deal. The show wont be syndicated by Fox, though, but they are close to finalizing with another company. The show will be national in scope and take a hardcore fans perspective. The hosts were bred to disagree. Lange grew up in New Jersey with an affinity for NY teams while DiPaolo grew up in the Boston area as a fan of the New England teams. Best for Lange, his new gig means he can wax on about his beloved NY Yankees and other sports without having to bear Stern as he veered the conversation into his favorite TV competitions, Dancing With The Stars and American Idol. Lange and DiPaolos deals are being finalized by Tony Burton of Don Buchwald & Associates; Lange is managed by 3 Arts and DiPaolo by New Wave Entertainment.

Watch X-Men: First Class Online Free