'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.