Awards season: And they're off

The Weinsteins' silent pic 'The Artist' won best feature from the NY Film Critics Circle as well as earned five Spirit nods on Tuesday.Brad Pitt took home NYFCC's Best Actor award for his perfs in 'The Tree of Life' and 'Moneyball.'With 88 days to go before the 84th Academy Awards, the kudos season's first responders unleashed a flurry of tiny insights Tuesday morning but no major surprises or clarity in a race with no apparent frontrunner and an enigmatic new Oscar voting system. Yes, a silent, black-and-white film starring French actors really is a contender this year. Absolutely, Brad Pitt's portrayal of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane in "Moneyball" should be taken seriously. And three pics -- "Take Shelter," "Beginners" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" -- put themselves on the map in the early goings.In Los Angeles, Film Independent announced its Spirit Award nominations, with "The Artist" and "Take Shelter" leading at five apiece. Back East, the NY Film Critics Circle was busy crowning "The Artist" best feature and picking Pitt and Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady") for acting honors.The bicoastal barrage brought a boost to Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" (Spirit noms for feature and supporting actress Shailene Woodley, though George Clooney was excluded) and Sean Durkin's "Martha Marcy May Marlene," which earned first feature, director and lead actress Spirit noms, plus the NYFCC's first-feature honor. Focus Features' "Beginners" also moved forward with a Spirit nom added to the Gotham Award it won late Monday.Fox Searchlight's "The Tree of Life," Terrence Malick's divisive film that shared the Gotham Award with "Beginners," exceeded the Spirit Awards' $20 million qualifying limit but was honored by the Gotham critics for cinematography (and shared a piece of acting citations for Pitt and Jessica Chastain).But nothing made a stronger statement than "The Artist," the silent film that's earned $204,878 since its release in four theaters Friday. Its pack-leading five Spirit noms and best feature honor from the NYFCC -- not to mention director honors in both cases for Michel Hazanavicius and an actor nomination for Jean Dujardin -- put the film squarely in the hunt. Org's top pick has gone on to receive a best picture Oscar nomination 13 times in the last 20 years."The Artist" was purchased at the beginning of the Cannes Film Festival by the Weinstein Co., which is mounting one of its trademark campaigns. Last week at an Academy screening, Harvey Weinstein brought along Charlie Chaplin's granddaughters in an ode to Hollywood's silent-film era. Oscar glory for "The Artist" would be a crowning achievement even for ol' Harvey himself: The last time a silent film was nominated for best picture was 1929 ("The Patriot") -- and it's been nearly 20 years since a black-and-white film has been nommed ("Schindler's List"). Omissions among the day's honorees include Paramount's "Like Crazy," a largely improvised film from Drake Doremus that had been getting good buzz but came up empty; Oscilloscope's "We Need to Talk About Kevin," which is receiving a significant awards push for Tilda Swinton; and Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," which earned only a Spirit nom for supporting actor Corey Stoll and nothing from the NYFCC.The high-profile films that went empty-handed on Tuesday included "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo," even though Sony had arranged a special, first-look screening for the NYFCC. However, these awards are the equivalent of early election primaries. There are still many more awards votes to come -- the National Board of Review will weigh in Thursday -- and these awards are not exactly surefire bellwethers. Last year, "Black Swan" won the Spirit and "The Social Network" took the NY crix nod, while "The King's Speech" landed in the Oscar winner's circle.(Stuart Oldham, Dave McNary and Gordon Cox contributed to this story.) Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

The brand new the new sony Pictures Classics Delivering The Raid

EXCLUSIVE: The brand new the new sony Pictures Classics remains set to produce The Raid, the Gareth Evans-directed fighting styles film that won the Evening time Madness Award within the recent Toronto Film Festival. It is also rumored being in order to the arrival Sundance Film Festival, by which time it has a completely new soundtrack from Linkin Park. For SPC, the film can be a departure in the current honours competitors including Take Shelter and Evening amount of time in Paris, nevertheless the film was certainly most likely probably the most buzzed-about films at Toronto for your industry crowd. It will likely be a investing in an offer fight within the festival, nevertheless the domestic distribution rights happen to be smartly collared with the The brand new the new sony Pictures Worldwide Purchases Group back at Cannes, a buy made on partial footage which gave The brand new the new sony this news on remake rights. The remake was placed at Screen Gems, now SPC’s Tom Bernard and Michael Barker will release the first next spring. For Evans, he’s coming back to Jakarta to shoot a larger-scale film which includes the heavens and story lines within the Raid. Heres a clip:

Seven Artists Selected for 2012 Sundance Retreat

Seven Artists Selected for 2012 Sundance Retreat By Madasyn Czebiniak November 28, 2011 Seven artists will have a chance a person can have: to unwind, recharge, create new material, and also have it critiqued in the early stagesat a cattle ranch around the borders of Sheridan, Wyo. Yes, a cattle ranch. The Sundance Institute Theatre Program introduced today the seven artists selected for its 2012 Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation. Five authors and 2 composers were selected with this year's program, which happens in Feb. They're Bruce Norris, Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Nathan Louis Jackson, Brett Neveu, Joshua Schmidt, Heidi Schreck, and Georgia Stitt."Ucross supplies a spectacular atmosphere and support, that is significantly essential in permitting artists inspiration and community," Philip Himberg, creating artistic director from the theater program, stated inside a written statement.Added Ucross Foundation leader Sharon Dynak, "We trust this year's choice of exceptional authors and composers will discover as much creative inspiration within our surroundings because the artists that precede them." Seven Artists Selected for 2012 Sundance Retreat By Madasyn Czebiniak November 28, 2011 Seven artists will have a chance a person can have: to unwind, recharge, create new material, and also have it critiqued in the early stagesat a cattle ranch around the borders of Sheridan, Wyo. Yes, a cattle ranch. The Sundance Institute Theatre Program introduced today the seven artists selected because of its 2012 Playwrights Retreat at Ucross Foundation. Five authors and 2 composers were selected with this year's program, which happens in Feb. They're Bruce Norris, Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig, Nathan Louis Jackson, Brett Neveu, Joshua Schmidt, Heidi Schreck, and Georgia Stitt."Ucross supplies a spectacular atmosphere and support, that is significantly essential in permitting artists inspiration and community," Philip Himberg, creating artistic director from the theater program, stated inside a written statement.Added Ucross Foundation leader Sharon Dynak, "We trust this year's choice of exceptional authors and composers will discover just as much creative inspiration within our surroundings because the artists that precede them."

Prince William Helps Save Shipwrecked Ocean adventurers Inside The Irish Sea

First Launched: November 27, 2011 10:36 AM EST Credit: Getty Images LONDON, England -- Caption Prince William waves for the crowd while he arrives with Prince Harry for your Royal Wedding of Prince William to Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey london on April 29, 2011 Prince William grew to become part of a frantic save mission Sunday carrying out a cargo ship sank inside the Irish Sea, departing several crew people still missing. The second in line for the British throne, who's a Royal Air Pressure helicopter and known properly as Flight Lt. William Wales, was aboard an airplane which saved two crew people in the beginning Sunday, after their vessel experienced a cracked spend in gale pressure winds in the coast of north Wales. Britains secretary of condition for defense mentioned William happen to be co-pilot in the helicopter, which moved a few to his base RAF Valley, round the Welsh island of Anglesey. Government physiques mentioned five people remain missing following a Swanland cargo ship, that have eight people aboard and was moving thousands of lots of limestone, sent a mayday call. Holyhead Coastguard mentioned one body happen to be retrieved within the sea, however the fate in the other crew people wasn't known. Everyone knows that no less than many of them are wearing immersion suits and possess strobe lighting together, however sea the elements is challenging at best, mentioned Jim Eco-friendly, a coastguard representative. Save helis from RAF Valley and from Dublin coastguard base in Ireland were initially shipped towards the scene, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest in the Llyn peninsula in north Wales. Helis from RAF Chivenor, in southwest England, as well as the Irish Coastguard are ongoing to obtain the missing crew, along with watercraft within the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Two RNLI lifeboats, along with four search and save helis and a pair of other commercial watercraft, are searching for the relaxation from the six crew, the RNLI mentioned in the statement. Gale-pressure winds battered the Irish Sea throughout Sunday as well as the coastguard mentioned it's thought the indegent condition may have triggered the incident. Copyright 2011 with the Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Brenne Rimberg...Got the Part

Twenty-year-old nonunion actor Brenne Rimberg needed to stand out at the crowded open casting call for Troika Entertainment's 201112 national tour of "Fiddler on the Roof," which she read about in a Back Stage casting notice in April. She hoped to get cast as Shprintze, one of Tevye's five daughters."Right off the bat, Brenne was so authentic to the show," says Heather Hurst, casting assistant at Clemmons/Dewing Casting. "She walked in wearing her prairie skirt and her little Keds and socks. She looked like she had just walked out of Anatevka, but not in a costume, like that's just who she is."Half an hour before the doors opened at 10 a.m., however, there were already 250 actors in line. By the time Rimberg was called in to sing, the length of her audition slot had been cut dramatically. Instead of 32 bars of her song, she would have only eight bars to show the casting directors what they were looking for.But Rimberg was not discouraged. She had worked hard all week to carefully prepare one of her favorite songs"Much More" from "The Fantasticks"and was genuinely excited to perform it, if only for a moment. "The way I approached it was, this is my eight bars," she says. "This is my space for five seconds of music, and I get to do what I love to do."Casting director Joy Dewing says that when casting the role of Shprintze, she looks for a fantastic actor who reads very young. She must be a strong mover who can sing well in the style of traditional musical theater. In Rimberg, Dewing says, she immediately felt she had found someone with the necessary "solid grasp on the period and style of the piececzarist Russian Jews, peasants, and the early 20th century."The role of Shprintze is very specific," Dewing adds, "because this actress has to believably play a child and also understudy the very challenging role of Chava," Tevye's middle daughter."It's something that people don't realize we are constantly thinking of," says Hurst. "Yes, we need to find a perfect Shprintze, but we have to find a Shprintze that can cover Chava."Since 2009, Rimberg has been a student at NY University's Tisch School of the Arts, where she is earning a BFA at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She has already landed roles in regional productions, short films, and television spots.Rehearsals for "Fiddler" began in September, and the tour started in late October. "I officially took a leave of absence from school," Rimberg says, "and it was a bit terrifying. Did I make the right decision? It's starting a new adventure, and that's a little bit scary, but I know I did."Has Back Stage helped you get cast in the past year? We'd love to tell your story. Be in the weekly column by emailing casting@backstage.com for NY or bswcasting@backstage.com for Los Angeles with "I Got the Part" in the subject line.

'Idol' Alums Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina Flub Thanksgiving Performances (Video)

Freddie Mercury died two decades ago today. The Full singer and songwriter have been privately fighting Helps for 4 years, announcing he had contracted the condition on November. 23, 1991, eventually before he died of Helps-related bronchopneumonia. He was 45.our editor recommendsLady Gaga's Thanksgiving Special Includes Tony Bennett, Poultry Carving (Video)MTV EMAs: Adam Lambert Works With Full (Video)Rhianna Unlikely to exchange Freddie Mercury on Full Tour Noted for his wide vocal range and unequalled showmanship, the Zanzibar-born Mercury (nee Farrokh Bulsara) also authored a lot of Queen's greatest hits such as the six-minute-lengthy rock opus "Bohemian Rhapsody," sports anthems "We're the Champions" and "We'll Rock You" and throwback "Crazy Little Factor Known as Love." STORY:Bette Davis Joins Michael Jackson and Elvis on Greatest-Generating Dead Celebs List "Somebody to likeInch and "Body fat Bottom Women" both got the Glee treatment this season, but in lots of ways, Mercury remains as relevant today as his was through the seventies and eighties. Just request Katy Perry, who outfitted as the Full frontman on her 24th birthday celebration in 2008, or Rhianna, who named herself following a Full song. The American Idol Show fashion rocker Adam Lambert has additionally reported the magnetic performer like a major influence, and possibly to prove it, walked set for the late singer in the 2011 MTV Europe Music Honours, carrying out a medley of Full hits together with original people John May and Roger Taylor. Right after night time on November. 24, the saying RIP Freddie Mercury had been trending within the U.S. and worldwide. Obviously, what endures, now 2 decades after his passing, may be the music. Full offered 32 million albums within the U.S., over fifty percent which were bought after Mercury's dying, while globally, it's believed the band has moved some 300 million models. GALLERY: Top Ten Greatest Compensated Artists Presently honoring the band's 40th anniversary, making it through member Taylor is leading the charge around the Full Extravaganza contest, which through audition videos posted online, aims to construct a Full tribute tour and guitarist Maycollaborated with Gaga around the MTV Video Music Awardsin August (he lately told NME he finds Gaga "inspiring"). But Mercury's sprit lives together with legendary imagery forever etched within the minds from the early MTV audiences. Here, seven of individuals moments: "Bohemian Rhapsody" (1975) The 3-act small-rock opera wasn't any. one in the band's native England for nine days as well as gave Full its first Top Ten U.S. hit. In the future, it might be sang on Wayne's World and The American Idol Show, but possibly its most immediate impact came using a "marketing film," Also known as music video, which supported the track and demonstrated the planet exactly what a rock star appeared as if. "Crazy Little Factor Known as Love" (1979) Freddie Mercury was fashion-conscious from the beginning, regularly putting on bodysuits and sequined accoutrements, sometimes makeup, however for "Crazy Little Factor Known as Love," the singer went for any classic leather ensemble that appears enjoy it came completely from Elvis Presley's 1968 special. And no surprise: the song, a No. 1 hit within the U.S., seemed enjoy it was created of this blues-meets-doo wop era. "Expensive" (1980) This guitar rock band made an earlier foray into film if this was employed to compose the soundtrack towards the movie Expensive Gordon. The foremost and only single, "Flash's Theme," did not do gangbusters around the charts however it would be a kind of sonic time capsule of the era when multi-layered harmonies and guitar solos ruled. Decades later, Will Ferrell and Jon Heder would skate towards the song in Rotor blades of Glory. "PressurizedInch (1981) A jam session this guitar rock band had with David Bowie at his studio in Montreux, Europe converted into the duet "Pressurized,Inch which featured the now instantly identifiable bass line (tried by Vanilla Ice in 1990 for his hit "Ice Ice Baby"). It arrived at the U.S. Top 40 almost 30 years ago and once more capped the charts within the U.K. The background music video, however, shows neither artist as both had touring obligations they could not shoot around. "I wish to Liberate" (1984) Freddie Mercury and Co. got themselves banned by MTV for that video to "I wish to Liberate," which featured the men outfitted as women within an homage hitting British cleaning soap opera Coronation Street. In some way, the tribute aspect got lost in translation and also the network simply saw the clip as a number of moments featuring Mercury inside a leather small-skirt and fishnet tights (the moustache, however, continued to be). The song unsuccessful to hack the U.S. Top 40 nevertheless its questionable treatment designed for an immediate talker within the pre-internet age. "Radio Ga Ga" (1984) The muse for pop star Lady Gaga's title was among Queen's later hits, along with a modest one at this. Still, it made impression by utilizing images from Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi movie Metropolis for that video and offering a commentary around the dying of radio in the lyrics. And there is a feeling of reflection, too, because the band traveled via a publish-nuclear world while lamenting the past. Live Aid (1985) Carrying out to 72,000 at London's Wembley stadium and the other 1.9 billion watching on tv, Queen's 25-minute finest hits set instantly went lower among the most monumental live performances within the good reputation for rock music and glued the spotlight on Mercury, who brought the huge crowd in clap- and sing-alongs. More to the point, he and the bandmates performed a vital role in raising the greater than £150 million that went towards famine relief consequently from the event. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Lady Gaga's Fashion Forward Style Related Subjects Glee Adam Lambert Katy Perry Rhianna

Indian multiplex Glamour on expansion blitz

GOA -- Indian multiplex chain Glamour Movie theaters would be to add 28 screens by March 2013, parent company Stargaze Entertainment introduced Wednesday. Stargaze invested 750 million rupees ($145 million) within the expansion. The entire quantity of screens following the additions will number 50. "Our expansion plans are inline with this vision to provide worldwide motion picture experience to more compact metropolitan areas of India that do not have quality cinema infrastructure," stated Stargaze controlling director Sumant Bhargava. "The marketplace has huge growth potential with approaching retail infrastructure during these metropolitan areas, hopefully to sustain our current rate of growth as well as consolidate our market position by March 2013." Reliance would be the Indian market leaders with 260 screens. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

James Murdoch Steps Back From Senior U.K. Newspaper Positions

LONDON - James Murdochstepped lower from numerous senior positions controlling the group's British newspapers in September without developing a public announcement, it emerged Wednesday.our editor recommends'James Murdoch Arrested' Tweet Taken Lower by Sky NewsJames Murdoch Confesses News Corp. Put British MPs Under Covert SurveillanceNews Corp.: 35% of Investor Votes Opposed James Murdoch Rupert Murdoch Was Asked for by Parents of Wiped out Schoolgirl to 'Put Things Right' at News Corp. Over Phone-HackingRelated Subjects•Rupert Murdoch Per documents filed at Companies House on Sept. 16, it appears that Murdoch walked lower two several days ago from his position as director of News Group Newspapers, which handles The Sunand What Is The News around the world, to ensure that as director of Occasions Newspapers, which runs The Timesand The Sunday Occasions. He's also walked lower as director of Director of News Worldwide Holdings. PHOTOS: News around the world's Top Ripoffs News Group Newspapers remains involved with many criminal and judicial research into alleged criminal activities within the posting group. However, he'll stay in many much spoken about positions that advise a ongoing relationship while using newspaper operation which has been so damaged with the phone-hacking details that eventually forced the closure in the News around the world. Murdoch remains executive chairman of News Worldwide - the division that creates The Sun's Sun rays, The Occasions, The Sunday Timesand formerly What Is The News in the Worldand he remains director in the Timesnewspaper board. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Memorable Mea Culpas News Worldwide reps haven't given grounds for your failure to announce such key changes after they happened but mentioned they simply reflected Tom Mockridge's appointment as leader of News Worldwide. "Carrying out a appointment of Tom Mockridge as Boss of News Worldwide, in September James Murdoch walked reduced it's of several News Worldwide subsidiary companies including News Group Newspapers (NGN) and Occasions Newspapers Ltd (TNL). He remains Chairman of NI Group Ltd (News Worldwide) together with a director of Occasions Newspapers Holdings Ltd (TNHL), the holding company of Occasions Newspapers," the business mentioned in the statement. Mockridge, the first sort Boss of Sky Italia, was hired to use the newspaper operation after his predecessor Rebekah Waderesigned, and was soon after that arrested within this summer time. James Murdoch also remains non-executive chairman of BSkyB, that's 39 percent-possessed by BSkyB. Meanwhile, News Ltd Australia has without any reason declined claims it tried to bribe a classic Australian senator, Bill O'Chee. "News Limited chairman and leader John Hartigan without any reason declined accusations of improper conduct through the organization which have been launched inside the Fairfax press today," the business mentioned in the statement reported with the Wall Street Journal, part of News Corporation. Australia's Federal Police has confirmed for the newspaper it's considering claims the first kind Queensland senator happen to be offered favorable news coverage in exchange for supporting specific digital television legislation. Related Subjects Worldwide News Worldwide News Group Newspapers James Murdoch Phone Hacking Scandal

FCC Moves To Close AT&T Deal With T-Mobile Predicting Massive Job Loss

Up-to-date: The merger in the wireless companies have been round the ropes after August when the Justice Department mentioned it could challenge the sale in the courtroom on antitrust grounds. Now FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is circulating a draft order which will add an important additional barrier for the deal: It could request an administrative law judge to consider when the combo would serve everyone interest — following a finish in the Justice trial, due to originate from February.Which will significantlydelay and complicate the AT&T and T-Mobile’s merger plans. The ultimate time the FCC did this — in 2002 when Echostar preferred to merge with DirecTV — the companies scrapped their plan. Genachowski’s proposal followsa conclusion by FCC staff thatconsumers might be hurt if AT&T and T-Mobile merge. “The record discloses that — in no uncertain terms — this merger would produce a massive insufficient U.S. jobs and investment” as AT&T cuts costs to produce the overall costs in the deal work, a senior FCC official states. The organization learned that there’d be less competition in 99 in the 100 finest areas. (The exception is Omaha.) Staffers also found the final outcome the offer wouldn't improve deployment of 4G services. Once the FCC decides not to approve a merger similar to this, it must send the problem to have an administrative law judge for just about any court-like hearing which will have a look at when the deal would serve everyone interest. The judge’s finding would return fully FCC for just about any election. AT&T states the FCC’s draft order is “yet another instance of a government agency acting to prevent billions in new investment and the introduction of many thousands of recent jobs at any time when the U.S. economy anxiously needs both. At this time around around, we are searching whatsoever options.” But Dish Network — that's been gathering wireless spectrum with the expectation of beginning a broadband service — states the FCC made the very best decision. An AT&T-T-Mobile mergerwould raise “barriers to entry for potential new beginners like Dish Network.” Consumer advocates also congratulated the organization. “It means the FCC finds merit inside our arguments the combined AT&T/T-Mobile can produce a duopoly inside the wireless market (AT&T and Verizon) which will increase prices for service too for cell phone models,” states Media Access Project Policy Director Andrew Jay Schwartzman. Free Press Boss Craig Aaron states the Department of Justice as well as the FCC both agree this merger can be a bad deal, which is time for AT&T simply to walk away.

ABC Cuts Seven Episodes from Third Season of Cougar Town

Courteney Cox Cougar Town's third season remains cut from 22 episodes to 15, in line with the Hollywood Reporter.Cougar Town stars to pop in your preferred showsThe half-hour comedy starring Courteney Cox did not have from ABC's midseason selection released on Friday, but sources tell TVGuide.com that Cougar Town will still return in the year, although the official premiere date is not set.NBC benches Community, sets series finale date for ChuckShows incorporated inside the schedule are new comedy Push The Button, Celebrity Wife Swap (premiering Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 8/7c and 9/8c correspondingly), The River (Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 9/8c), and GCB (Sunday, March 4 at 10/9c). Missing, starring Ashley Judd, will need Charlie's Angels' old slot on Thursdays at 8/7c beginning March 15.Premiere dates for Shonda Rhimes' new drama Scandal as well as the comedy Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23 have not yet been set.

Elisabeth Shue Replacing Marg Helgenberger on CSI

Elisabeth Shue, CSI Elisabeth Shue is returning to Las Vegas! The 48-year-old actress, who earned an Oscar nomination for her role in Leaving Las Vegas, has been tapped to replace Marg Helgenberger on CSI beginning in February, CBS announced Friday. Shue will portray a new CSI, fresh off an anger management course, who may have been fired by D.B. Russell (Ted Danson) when they worked together in Seattle. Check out the rest of today's news "While it's difficult to say goodbye to a beloved character like Catherine Willows, it's exciting to start a journey with a new CSI, especially when that character is played by Elisabeth Shue," executive producer Carol Mendelsohn said. "The new CSI also struggles with 'brutal honesty issues' and suffers no fools." Adds executive producer Don McGill, "Elisabeth's character will share a past, in another crime lab, with Ted Danson's character. The first time, things didn't go so well between the two of them.Maybe the second time's the charm, or not." CSI welcomes Ted Danson, prepares to say goodbye to Marg Helgenberger An original cast member, Helgenberger announced she would exit the series during Season 12. Helgenberger initially planned to walk away at the end of last season, but said she was convinced to stick around for Danson and to give the character a proper send-off. "[I was] having a hard time letting go," she said at the time. "I'm not done playing this character." Shue will make her first appearance on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 10/9c on CBS.

Mega Buzz: An Explosive Private Practice, Castle's Twist and a Dexter Death

Caterina Scorsone, Stana Katic, Jennifer Carpenter Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questionsto mega_scoop@tvguide.com. What can you tease about the two-hour episode of Private Practice? -JessicaNATALIE: As you might expect on an episode about Amelia's intervention, her brother Derek Shepherd will make an appearance! It won't mean things go smoothly though, as Amelia will turn the tables on her friends by exploiting their faults - Addison's inability to have a child, Pete's recent heart attack - causing two of the bunch to have very Izzie-like reactions. I'd love some good Castle scoop. - Mike ADAM: Sounds like Castle and Beckett are going to be working closely with aKim Kardashian type. I hear the show is looking for a big-name guest star to play a reality TV star and tabloid darling who has achieved massive, mostly unexplainable fame. Although the starlet generally enjoys the flashbulbs, she's grown tired of the gossip blogs, one of which is offering a million bucks for the first nude picture of her. (Psst, Castle! Just take a screenshot from the sex tape!) Will Travis help Dexter take down Gellar on Dexter? -Mitchell NATALIE: Travis will stop playing follow the leader when he pays the ultimate price for abandoning Gellar. The latest DDK victim will, in a bizarre way, become a catalyst for Deb to reevaluate her own relationship with Dexter. How are Kevin and Garcia doing on Criminal Minds? Is Nicholas Brendon going to drop by again soon? - Michelle ADAM: They're still going strong, and you'll see just how strong soon. The plan is for Kevin to visit in this season's 13th episode of the season in a very revealing way. "[Garcia's] shower gets used a lot," Kirsten Vangsness tells us. "Of all the characters, who has gotten the most action? Garcia! All I'm saying is that maybe that continues." Will Adam and Cassie ever get together on The Secret Circle? -SammyNATALIE: Here's some good news for Adam and Cassie 'shippers: Executive producer Andrew Miller says their sparks will ignite when the show returns in January. "It won't be on the backburner for long," he says, noting that Jake's absence will open new possibilities. The bad news: Cassie's journey toward the dark side of magic will change her as a person. What else can you tell us about Detective Amaro's wife coming to SVU? - DebbieADAM: Danny Pino tells us that it might not be a warm-and-fuzzy reunion. "She is deployed in Iraq, and there's a looming question as to where they stand in their relationship," he says. "They're going to have to open that Pandora's Box of what they've been holding back for years and years. So, that might lead to some volatile exchanges." Got any scoop on Happy Endings? -James NATALIE: Wonder how the gang will celebrate Valentine's Day? Let's examine the hearts and flowers. First up, Alex will have her own Julia Roberts Pretty Woman fantasy. Aw. (But remember, Vivian was a hooker.) Alex's jilted fiancé Dave, meanwhile, will have a chance to spread his love to many people when he pursues a time-honored V.D. tradition: a threesome! Isn't it romantic? Can you tell us anything else about Hodgins' visit to The Finder? - Janice ADAM: It's out of this world. When Hodgins - who never met a conspiracy theory he wouldn't investigate - meets a former space shuttle pilot who claims to have seen a UFO during one of his final flights, he gets to work, digging for the truth. But when the astronaut's co-pilot mysteriously dies, Hodgins' eyewitness goes into hiding. If only there were a man with the ability to locate any person or thing anywhere in the world handy... Oh, wait! What's coming up on Pretty Little Liars? -Nikki NATALIE: The Halloween prequel showed us that good guy Lucas has an evil side, and it looks like the PLLs will soon discover it. "There's a big reveal coming up for Lucas ... [he's] getting scarier and scarier," executive producer Oliver Goldstick tells us. Could this be related to the other big hints Goldstick offered about the rest of Season 2? "Somebody is getting arrested and somebody is getting killed." Will Danielle find out that Auggie's in the CIA too on Covert Affairs? - Heather ADAM: Danielle's still coming to terms with Annie's big secret, but once she does, she might have some suspicions about the other people in her sister's life, including Auggie. "That was one of my questions. What's going to happen to Auggie?" Christopher Gorham tells us. "Does she find out that Auggie also works for the CIA? Would she automatically assume that he did? ... We found a great way to deal with that question in the [Season 2 finale]. It's going to set up Season 3 in a really interesting way." I'm so excited that Jules and Grayson are getting married on Cougar Town! What's coming up for the rest of the Cul-de-Sac Crew? - Esmeralda NATALIE: Laurie is branching out this season by opening up a bakery! (But let's be real, when's the last time she showed a house for Jules' real estate company anyway?) She'll also see a spike in her personal life when she begins dating a soldier stationed in Iraq - and by dating we mean Skyping. It's been fun seeing Madeline get in on the action on Burn Notice this season. Is she a temporary or more permanent addition to the group? - Troy ADAM: With big bad Anson on the loose, the team needs all the help they can get. Thankfully, Mama Westen is up for the challenge. "Madeline becomes a very integral into the workings of trying to bring Anson down," Gabrielle Anwar tells us. "She becomes part of the team in much more concise ways than ever before. Every time that the team has relied on her to come through, she's always come through." Natalie's Mega Rave: As the elevator doors closed, Amelia defiantly showed Charlotte the second prescription pad she snuck past her. It was a chilling face-off. Private Practice's talented supporting cast has come to the fore, and we welcome it.Maybe now the Emmys will notice too. Adam's Mini Rant: We love Elizabeth Hurley on Gossip Girl, and we get why Charlie is in her employ, but what the heck is Nate doing playing tabloid reporter? Someone please find this kid another story line! (Additional reporting by Joyce Eng, Robyn Ross and Kate Stanhope) Crave scoop on your favorite TV shows?E-mail Adam and Natalie at mega_scoop@tvguide.comor drop us a line atTwitter.com/TVGuide

Peter Thea joins Universal Group

Ongoing the ongoing professional exchange between your new the new sony and Universal Group labels, former Jive Records professional Peter Thea will join UMG as professional V . p . of Universal Republic and Island Def Jam. Situated in NY, Thea will account to current Republic/IDJ chairman-Boss Craig Weiss, under whom he labored at Jive. A classic recording engineer-switched-entertainment lawyer, Thea grew to become an associate of Jive in 1999 as senior V . p ., later improving to professional V . p . within the organization. Jive was consolidated into RCA Records lately. In the statement, Thea mentioned: "I am thrilled being coping with Craig again. Craig has revived the business getting an image that fosters a great creative atmosphere legitimate talent to flourish." Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Hollywood-China Film Venture to Get Cash Infusion

HONG KONG (AP) A Hollywood-China movie production venture that plans to make big budget films for worldwide audiences has been cleared for an infusion of $220.5 million from an unlikely source a construction company.Shareholders of Hong Kong's Paul Y. Engineering Ltd. on Tuesday approved the investment in the joint venture that is also aimed at China's increasingly lucrative film market.The construction firm, which says it wants to diversify and thinks the movie industry has strong growth potential, is taking a 50 percent stake in the production company, Legendary East Ltd., in exchange for the investment."Diversification into some unremarkable business is totally useless. Profit margin would be low, risk high," Paul Y. Chairman James Chiu said. "We decided to seek an innovative growth avenue."After the deal, Hollywood production house Legendary Entertainment will have a 40 percent stake while China's Huayi Brothers Media Corp. will have 10 percent.Legendary Entertainment has produced global blockbusters including "Inception" and the two "Hangover" movies while Huayi releases include the hit Feng Xiaogang disaster epic "Aftershock," the kung fu drama "Shaolin" and the Tsui Hark fantasy epic "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame."Paul Y executives promised to leave the movie making to the experts."What we're bringing to table is, practically, cash," Deputy Chairman Tom Lau said. "We do not understand the business of motion pictures nor do we pretend that we can contribute" anything more than money.Legendary and Huayi executives will control the film development and approval committees "completely," Lau said.The Hong Kong-based venture, which was announced in June, plans to make one or two big budget movies a year starting in 2013 for worldwide audiences that are also commercially viable in China. The movies will be mainly in English and feature themes based on Chinese history, mythology or culture.Beijing-based Huayi will distribute the movies inside China while Warner Bros. Pictures will handle international distribution.Movies produced by the partnership will be allowed to bypass Chinese import restrictions that effectively limit the country to about 20 foreign blockbusters a year. Chinese box office takings surged 64 percent to $1.5 billion in 2010 and are expected to grow 30 percent this year to $2 billion.Legendary East said in August its first film, "The Great Wall," will be directed by Edward Zwick and look at how the Great Wall of China came to be built.Chiu said there are many other stories from Chinese history the venture could draw on, such as the epic novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," a fictional account of feuding warlords amid the disintegration of the Han dynasty in the second century.Chiu said while he enjoyed "The Dark Knight" and "Superman Returns," both Legendary Entertainment productions, he's not a big moviegoer."I have no patience to sit in the cinema for two hours."Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Kelvin Chan November 15, 2011 PHOTO CREDIT AP Photo/Kin Cheung HONG KONG (AP) A Hollywood-China movie production venture that plans to make big budget films for worldwide audiences has been cleared for an infusion of $220.5 million from an unlikely source a construction company.Shareholders of Hong Kong's Paul Y. Engineering Ltd. on Tuesday approved the investment in the joint venture that is also aimed at China's increasingly lucrative film market.The construction firm, which says it wants to diversify and thinks the movie industry has strong growth potential, is taking a 50 percent stake in the production company, Legendary East Ltd., in exchange for the investment."Diversification into some unremarkable business is totally useless. Profit margin would be low, risk high," Paul Y. Chairman James Chiu said. "We decided to seek an innovative growth avenue."After the deal, Hollywood production house Legendary Entertainment will have a 40 percent stake while China's Huayi Brothers Media Corp. will have 10 percent.Legendary Entertainment has produced global blockbusters including "Inception" and the two "Hangover" movies while Huayi releases include the hit Feng Xiaogang disaster epic "Aftershock," the kung fu drama "Shaolin" and the Tsui Hark fantasy epic "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame."Paul Y executives promised to leave the movie making to the experts."What we're bringing to table is, practically, cash," Deputy Chairman Tom Lau said. "We do not understand the business of motion pictures nor do we pretend that we can contribute" anything more than money.Legendary and Huayi executives will control the film development and approval committees "completely," Lau said.The Hong Kong-based venture, which was announced in June, plans to make one or two big budget movies a year starting in 2013 for worldwide audiences that are also commercially viable in China. The movies will be mainly in English and feature themes based on Chinese history, mythology or culture.Beijing-based Huayi will distribute the movies inside China while Warner Bros. Pictures will handle international distribution.Movies produced by the partnership will be allowed to bypass Chinese import restrictions that effectively limit the country to about 20 foreign blockbusters a year. Chinese box office takings surged 64 percent to $1.5 billion in 2010 and are expected to grow 30 percent this year to $2 billion.Legendary East said in August its first film, "The Great Wall," will be directed by Edward Zwick and look at how the Great Wall of China came to be built.Chiu said there are many other stories from Chinese history the venture could draw on, such as the epic novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," a fictional account of feuding warlords amid the disintegration of the Han dynasty in the second century.Chiu said while he enjoyed "The Dark Knight" and "Superman Returns," both Legendary Entertainment productions, he's not a big moviegoer."I have no patience to sit in the cinema for two hours."Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Pamela Anderson to experience Virgin Mary in Christmas Television Show

TORONTO - Yes, that Virgin Mary.our editor recommendsPamela Anderson returns to TVPamela Anderson's marriage annulled Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, famous for nude photo shoots along with a homemade porn video with Tommy Lee, would be to play mother Mary holding baby Jesus in her own arms on Canadian TV this Christmas. PHOTOS: Models Switched Celebrities Anderson, a local of Canada, will headline A Russell Peters Christmas Special for CTV and also the Comedy Network, where she'll come in a sketch comedy scene occur a Christmas manger with Canadian funnyman Russell Peters, who's hosting the main one-hour special to bow here on December 1. STORY: Pamela Anderson Will get Indian Transformation for TV Turn A Russell Peters Christmas Special will even star Michael Bublé, Ted Lange (The Love Boat), Saturday Evening Live alumnus Jon Lovitz and Scott Thompson (The Children within the Hall). STORY: Pamela Anderson And Russell Peters In Christmas Sketch Comedy Routine The Canadian show will feature a mixture of stand-up and sketch comedy, stop-motion animation and musical performances. A Russell Peters Christmas Special is created by Round 2 It Entertainment, Peters' production shingle, CPI Pictures and Insight Productions. Related Subjects Pamela Anderson Worldwide Michael Buble CTV

Yates to direct bigscreen 'Doctor Who'

Yates"Harry Potter" director David Yates is teaming up with the BBC to turn its iconic sci-fi TV series "Doctor Who" into a bigscreen franchise. Yates, who directed the last four Potter films, told Daily Variety that he is about to start work on developing a "Doctor Who" movie with Jane Tranter, head of L.A.-based BBC Worldwide Prods. "We're looking at writers now. We're going to spend two to three years to get it right," he said. "It needs quite a radical transformation to take it into the bigger arena." "Doctor Who" follows the adventures across space and time of a super-intelligent alien in human form, who battles a variety of cosmic bad guys aided by plucky human companions. "The notion of the time-travelling Time Lord is such a strong one, because you can express story and drama in any dimension or time," Yates said. The series ran from 1963 to 1989, and then was successfully rebooted in 2005 by writer Russell T. Davies and subsequently by Steven Moffat ("The Adventures of Tintin"). Tranter oversaw the revival when she was the BBC's drama topper in London. "Doctor Who," starring Matt Smith as the 11th incarnation of the Doctor, is now one of the pubcaster's most lucrative global TV franchises. The series airs Stateside on BBC America. Yates made clear that his movie adaptation would not follow on from the current TV series, but would take a completely fresh approach to the material. "Russell T. Davies and then Steven Moffat have done their own transformations, which were fantastic, but we have to put that aside and start from scratch," he said. Yates and Tranter are looking for writers on both sides of the Atlantic. "We want a British sensibility, but having said that, Steve Kloves wrote the Potter films and captured that British sensibility perfectly, so we are looking at American writers too," he explained. There are two previous films, based on the TV series: "Doctor Who and the Daleks" (1965) and "Doctor Who: Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D." (1966), both starring Peter Cushing. The BBC has since made a few unsuccessful attempts to develop a "Doctor Who" feature, and shot a one-off telepic in 1996 at a time when the TV series was dormant. But the combination of Yates and Tranter means this is the most high-powered effort to date to launch "Doctor Who" onto the bigscreen. Before directing "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and both parts of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Yates worked with Tranter on several BBC TV series, including "The Way We Live Now" and "State of Play." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Black Rabbit, Impatient back 'China'

PARIS -- Gaul's Black Rabbit Film and Canada's Impatient Pictures have boarded Gallic scribe-helmer Frederic Colier's "Produced in China." The British-language drama is going to be lensed on location in Canada with French and native talent. The film activates two siblings who find it difficult to get on together until a Chinese lady makes their lives. Colier formerly directed "Dinosaur Park" and "The Hindenburg Omen." "Frederic (Colier) includes a wonderful way with words, and it has written a universal script that mixes the very best of French and United States storytelling," stated Adeline Monzier, who's creating for Black Rabbit, together with Isabelle Obadia. Gregory Mackenzie, producer and founding father of Impatient, referred to the film's plot as "a sincere and enjoyable story." Pic marks Black Rabbit Film's first feature production. The outfit was released this season by Obadia and Monzier, that run the professional network of indie distribs, Europa Distribution, in parallel. The duo also produced Gotham happening, a 2-day industry showcase of yankee indie films in Belgium, whose first edition begins Saturday. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

REVIEW: Immortals Wants to Be 300 So Bad It Hurts

As cool-looking, dumb and deadly serious as you could desire, Immortals openly aims to be the heir to 300, and succeeds in at least being a reasonable facsimile that hits many (too many) of the same testosterone-driven beats. The battles are just as imaginatively bloody, the abs painstakingly chiseled, the dialogue tin-eared, only this time around the stakes are not just the fate of the historic(esque) world, but of the divine one as well. There are gods in this film, beautiful, gold-cloaked ones who watch worriedly from atop Olympus as Greece is overrun by the armies of the wicked King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke), a man who wants nothing less than to bring about the destruction of their divine order, though they’re forbidden to interfere in the world of man for…oh, who knows why? Also, it’s in 3-D — dark, dark 3-D I’d avoid if given the option. Despite this new expansion in scale, Immortals lacks the inexorable forward momentum of its role model 300, as well as that movie’s audacious, gleeful fascism and oblivious, accidental homoeroticism. You wouldn’t think the absence of these elements would leave much of a wound, but there was something mesmerizing about 300’s macho outrageousness that Immortals can’t equal — Gerard Butler, his phallic facial hair and his band of fearsome warriors were fighting for their kingdom, by the gods, and their right to continue throwing babies they deemed defective off of cliffs. Theseus, as played by Man of Steel-to-Be Henry Cavill, is a handsome bore who draws his sword “to protect those I love” and who seems awfully attached to his mother for such a supposed tough guy. Raised a peasant in a small village, Theseus has been taught to fight and act noble by a wise old man (John Hurt) who’s actually Zeus (Luke Evans) in disguise — those rules of noninterference are complicated. When Hyperion slaughters Theseus’ mother and everyone else left behind in the settlement, our hero is taken into slavery, and there meets a thief named Stavros (Stephen Dorff) and the virginal Sibylline Oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto) and heads toward a rendezvous with his destiny. Immortals is the third film from Tarsem Singh, who established himself in the arenas of commercials and music videos before making The Cell in 2000 and The Fall in 2006. In this film, Singh continues to display an astonishing visual imagination and far less facility with pacing and exchanges of dialogue. Immortals drags whenever anyone open his or her mouth to do anything other than utter a battle cry, and characters seem to endlessly dwell on how they lost their faith when the gods failed to heal their sick family or give them the pony they wanted. Cavill isn’t a bad lead, but the role of Theseus doesn’t give him much to work with other than opportunities to dismember enemies with a sword and pose shirtless. Rourke fares better as the evil king, ordering gravelly cruelties from out of the semi-darkness and oozing menace around a series of increasingly goofy headwear. He controls a mighty, rapacious army, though why they stick around is a bit of a mystery — everyone has to wear a Leatherface-like mask, recruitment seems to involve getting a vasectomy done with a hammer, and Hyperion has an alarming tendency to kill his underlings to make a dramatic point. While not all of the lavish visual touches work — Rourke is intimidating no one in that Totoro helmet — Immortals is packed with shots of grandeur and gorgeousness. Theseus’ home village is carved into the side of a cliff, and the approach to it is a winding path that leads in from a lookout through whose cylindrical bell the camera zooms. A white-walled oasis in the middle of the desert contains a pool of blue water, a giant marble wall is the location of the Greeks’ last stand, and a metal statue over a flame proves an ingenious torture device. Theseus’ ability to side-scroll his way across the screen killing anonymous combatants would have been more impressive a few years ago when it hadn’t yet become fairly standard, but the film does contain two exhilarating fight scenes. One provides a clever revision of the myth from which our protagonist takes his name — a fighter referred to only as “the beast,” who wears a bull-shaped headpiece made of wrought iron — goes to hunt down Theseus in the labyrinthine temple in which he’s laying his mother to rest. The other is the climactic battle between the Olympians and the Titans that unfolds as one of three simultaneous fights and is by far the most exciting, operating on unique physics in which the gods seem able to warp time in service of their wreaking havoc on their somewhat demonic opponents. The pseudo-Greek mythology from which Immortals draws many of its elements is best not examined too closely, or at all, lest you start to wonder why, for instance, the Olympians imprisoned those troublesome Titans in the first place instead of just killing them as they’re clearly able to do. But their ridiculousness aside, the moments the gods head down to Earth are when the film truly comes to life, as they plunge from the heavens in pointy hats and use their powers to smear mortals across cliff faces. Those are the times when Immortals breaks free from the shadow of 300 and finds a path toward excess more its own. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Bryan Fullers NBC Double: Daisies Creator Has Two Projects Thinking of getting Series Orders

Over the following month approximately, Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Larger might have two series on NBC. He's behind two high-profile projects, The Munsters and Hannibal, each of them on the script-to-series track. Larger initially created a reboot from the sixties comedy series The Munsters last season and the was among very couple of scripts new NBC chief Bob Greenblatt stored in play when he required within the network in The month of january. Greenblatt folded the project to have it redeveloped by his team. Larger’s new outline posted in Septemer was received well (it had been the talk of NBC’s pre-Emmy party), and the draft only agreed to be shipped on Friday. Word is the fact that NBC, which might pull the trigger on the series order as soon as now, envisions the brand new Munsters like a potential summer time or event series. Like Larger’s previous series, Pushing Daisies, the project features striking pictures mixed with the classic Munsters archetypes. Grand daddy Mike Dracula is basically Dracula who put together Herman because no guy was good enought for his daughter Lily, an attractive vamp. Lily’s niece Marilyn the freak is really normal and Lily and Herman’s only child, Eddie, has his werewolf habits surface in adolescence, forcing the household to relocate for their famous 1313 Mockingbird Lane address. Individually, Larger is writing Hannibal, a drama series for Gaumont Worldwide Television and producer Martha P Laurentiis, which NBC just bought preemptively. Larger is writing the script about in line with the legendary literary and film character Hannibal Lecter against a 13-episode commitment, meaning how the script will trigger a 13-episode series if NBC wants it. (NBC includes a short window to determine upon finding the draft, having a potential release triggering a problem.) I hear the network first got thinking about the project when Larger pointed out it delicately towards the network’s new entertainment leader Jennifer Salke over drinks. A highly-known foodie as evidenced by Pushing Daisies, I hear Larger was drawn to the dark, sick side of Hannibal, who has a tendency to feast on his sufferers. Additionally towards the 2 NBC projects thinking of getting series pick-ups, Larger is writing an active-action addaptation of Pinocchio, that is awating eco-friendly light from Warner Bros., and it has another high-profile feature gig within the works. Furthermore, Larger has 2 cable projects, which stem from his previous overall deal at NBCU, with Pushing Daisies alums Jim D. Grey and Lisa Pleasure. An adaptation from the classic novel Lotus Caves, which Larger is co-writing with Grey, is within serious contention at Syfy, with Cary Granat’s Granat Entertainment creating. And also at USA, Larger is supervisory Pleasure on Mind Fields, that is created by Howie Mandel. Outdoors of TV and film, WME-repped Larger has his design/furniture business with art director/interior decorator Scott Roberts, Larger+Roberts Co.

Bryan Fullers NBC Double: Daisies Creator Has Two Projects Hoping to get Series Orders

Yearly month roughly, Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Bigger may have two series on NBC. He's behind two high-profile projects, The Munsters and Hannibal, all of them around the script-to-series track. Bigger initially produced a reboot in the sixties comedy series The Munsters last season and also the was among very handful of scripts new NBC chief Bob Greenblatt saved in play when he needed inside the network within the month of the month of january. Greenblatt folded the project to be redeveloped by his team. Bigger’s new outline published in Septemer was received well (it absolutely was the talk of NBC’s pre-Emmy party), and also the draft only decided to be shipped on Friday. Word is always that NBC, that might pull the trigger around the series order the moment now, envisions the completely new Munsters just like a potential summer season or event series. Like Bigger’s previous series, Pushing Daisies, the project features striking pictures combined with the classic Munsters archetypes. Grand dad Mike Dracula is essentially Dracula who come up with Herman because no guy was good enought for his daughter Lily, a stylish vamp. Lily’s niece Marilyn the freak is actually normal and Lily and Herman’s only child, Eddie, has his werewolf habits surface in adolescence, forcing your family to relocate for his or her famous 1313 Mockingbird Lane address. Individually, Bigger is writing Hannibal, a drama series for Gaumont Worldwide Television and producer Martha P Laurentiis, which NBC just bought preemptively. Bigger is writing the script about good legendary literary and film character Hannibal Lecter against a 13-episode commitment, meaning the way the script will trigger a 13-episode series if NBC wants it. (NBC features a short window to find out upon locating the draft, getting a possible release triggering an issue.) I hear the network first got taking into consideration the project when Bigger stated it delicately for the network’s new entertainment leader Jennifer Salke over drinks. A very-known foodie as evidenced by Pushing Daisies, I hear Bigger was attracted towards the dark, sick side of Hannibal, that has a inclination to feast on his sufferers. Furthermore for the 2 NBC projects hoping to get series pick-ups, Bigger is writing an energetic-action addaptation of Pinocchio, that's awating eco-friendly light from Warner Bros., and contains another high-profile feature gig inside the works. In addition, Bigger has 2 cable projects, which stem from his previous overall deal at NBCU, with Pushing Daisies alums Jim D. Gray and Lisa Pleasure. An adaptation in the classic novel Lotus Caves, which Bigger is co-writing with Gray, is at serious contention at Syfy, with Cary Granat’s Granat Entertainment creating. At USA, Bigger is supervisory Pleasure on Mind Fields, that's produced by Howie Mandel. Outdoors of TV and film, WME-repped Bigger has his design/furniture business with art director/interior decorator Scott Roberts, Bigger+Roberts Co.

Rebekah Brooks $2.7M Severance Adds To James Murdochs Problems

Rupert Murdoch’s not-quite-so-apparent-heir James will face even tougher questioning Thursday when he returns to Parliament for more questioning about the phone-hacking scandal that has shaken the News Corp. empire.In the latest of a string of disclosures since the culture media and sport select committee last interviewed James Murdoch, The Guardian revealed over the weekendover the weekend that News International’s disgraced former chief executive Rebekah Brooks received $2.7 million, use of a London office and chauffered limousine for two years as part of her severance package.”It is remarkably curious that such a generous package is given to Ms. Brooks when others have been cut loose,” said Tom Watson, the member of parliament who has taken the lead in efforts to expose the scandal surrounding News of the World which has now spread to another News International paper, The Sun. “It is almost as if she hasn’t really left the company. I am sure Mr. Murdoch will want to explain the decision to his shareholders.”Scotland Yard on Friday arrested a Sun journalist as part of a related investigation into News Corp. employees bribing police and other government officials. Brooks, 43, Brooks was editor between 2003 and 2009 before being elevated to chief executive of News International. Murdoch, 38, also faces questions about discrepancies between his previous testimonyand assertions byformer NOTW executives who testified in September that he knew more about the lawbreaking earlier than he has been willing to concede particularly a “damning email” Murdoch has said they never showed him — raising the possibility that he was trying to cover up the extent of lawbreaking when he authorized a $1.4 million out-of-court settlementwith a non-disclosure clause tosoccer chief Gordon Taylor, a hacking victim who knew that a secondreporter had been implicated. In light of these developments and an embarrassing but impotent vote by a significant number of News Corp. shareholders against James’ re-election to the company board, his performance Thursday will be under a microscope. As if it hasn’t already.

'Ground' breaking for Norris

Dean Norris has boarded the thriller "Frozen Ground" starring Nicolas Cage and John Cusack. Emmett Furla Films is financing and producing with Amber Entertainment. Pic centers on the investigation of serial killer Robert Hansen. Norris plays one of the state troopers investigating the murders. Scott Walker will helm from a script he wrote. Randall Emmett and George Furla are producing with Amber's Mark Ordesky and Jane Fleming. Envision and Curtis Jackson will exec produce. Pic is in production in Alaska. Norris is best known for his role as DEA agent Hank Schrader on the AMC skein "Breaking Bad." He is repped by Bauman, Redanty & Shaul and Industry Entertainment. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

Sundance Cinema to take over Sunset 5 theaters

L.A.'s specialty cinema scene is changing, with Laemmle Theater's West Hollywood Sunset 5 set to change hands and a new multiplex opening in North Hollywood.Laemmle, which currently operates eight theaters in the Los Angeles area, announced Thursday it will not re-up its lease of the Sunset 5 that expires at the end of the month, while Laemmle will open the NoHo 7 on Lankershim Blvd., adjacent to the TV Academy, on Dec. 21.Dine-in circuit Sundance Cinemas has opted to take over Sunset 5 operations, making it the first L.A. theater for the circuit, which is part of Robert Redford's Sundance brand. Sunset 5 will close on Dec. 1 for renovations and is set to re-open next spring."We had a great run at the Sunset 5," Laemmle prexy Greg Laemmle told Variety. "It's not on the cutting edge for us anymore, but we still feel independent cinema is alive and well."Laemmle said the North Hollywood location will continue to screen independent films, but also play major studio fare.Sundance Cinemas has locations in San Francisco and Madison, Wisc, with a Houston location set to open Nov. 23. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

'MTV First: Breaking Dawn' Countdown: Bella And Edward's First Hug, Your Preferred 'Twilight' Moment!

A Vampire Named Edward and Jacob Black have undergone quite your way during the period of the "Twilight" films, but regardless of how far their relationship went, it certainly is best in the beginning. That is why our countdown of the top 5 favorite "Twilight" momentsall prior to tonight's MTV First special with "Breaking Beginning" stars Billy Burke, Taylor Lautner and Taylor Lautnercomes lower to 1 special fan-favorite encounter Bella and Edward's initial hug! The romance from it all aside, there's without doubt the fan-favorite "Twilight" moment owes a lot of its success towards the clumsiness of Bella and Edward's first hug. The stars behind the curtain, Kristen and Take advantage of, were exercising the kinks with each other peoples dynamic around the group of that first movie, like a flashback to MTV News' first trip to the 2008 production will certainly help remind you. "Once we hug I simply attempt to kill her constantly,Inch a clearly uneasy Pattinson remarked about kissing Stewart, who added: "And That I love that. She's an overall total sadomasochist whenever you consider it." Our MTV First honoring "Breaking Beginning - Part 1" begins on MTV tonight (November 3) at 7:56 PM EST. We'll be became a member of by Take advantage of, Taylor and Kristen because they debut a unique "Breaking Beginning" clip, and after, make sure to mind to MTV.com to have an exclusive half hour interview using the trio, where they'll respond to questions posted by you. Exactly what do you think about Bella and Edward's initial hug? Tell us within the comments as well as on Twitter!

Evolution Entertainment Opens New You are able to Outpost

Management/production company Evoluton Entertainment has opened up offices in NY the very first time. Work, known as Evolution-East, is going to be run by Stephen Gates, that has been at Evolution for 11 many will concentrate on lit talent and making inroads to theater, book along with other intellectual qualities for clients. “There is an abundance of chance here and a significant unique talent pool too,” Evolution leader Mike Menchel stated. Evolution is within pre-production around the Charlie Sheen series Anger Management and lately wrapped the most recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre offering, Leather Face three dimensional.