Rock 'n' roll pearls from Oyster drummer

It absolutely was all rock 'n' roll without any bull Monday evening within the preem of Magnolia's "Roadie" within the Angelika. The film follows a roadie who returns where you can Queens after being fired with the Blue Oyster Cult. According to Albert Bouchard, original drummer for your Cult, the pic is accurate. He ongoing to regale partygoers within the Parkside Lounge with real tales of sacrilege and scatology within the road. Within the afterparty, site visitors were also treated with a musical performance with the film's director and authors, Michael and Gerald Cuesta, and original tunes by Jill Hennessy, who stars inside the pic with Bobby Cannavale and Ron Eldard. :- Alexa Harrison Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

AFTRA, Networks Reach New Three Year Deal

THR.com photo editor Chris Godley was shot by a gunman in Hollywood on Friday morning, but was only grazed by a bullet and not seriously injured in an incident that was captured on video by witnessesand widely circulated on the Internet.our editor recommendsGunman Opens Fire Near Hollywood's ArcLight Theater (Video) A gunman randomly opened fire at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street in Los Angeles on Friday morning at about 10:15 a.m. The man was shot and killed by police, who may have been working on a nearby film set. The shooter reportedly fired nine to 12 shots and after running out of bullets, he allegedly pulled out a knife while shouting, "Kill me" and "I want to be killed," the Associated Press has reported. The identity of the gunman has been withheld by authorities. The shooting occurred while Godley, 27, a Hollywood Reporterstaffer since October 2010, was driving into work from his North Hollywood home.Godley's right leg was grazed by a bullet in the incident. Godley said that while he waited at a red light at the intersection of Sunset and Vine, he noticed two men who were ducking behind objects, but he didn't make much of it because they appeared to be joking around. As he entered the intersection -- driving south on Vine -- the gunman fired a shot into a red Honda Civic, shattering a window. At first, Godley thought he was stumbling upon a movie crew that was filming in the area and had neglected to cordon off the intersection. However, Godley said it quickly became apparent that the situation was dire. VIDEO: Gunman Opens Fire Near Hollywood's ArcLight Theater "I processed the information very quickly. I hit my gas pedal and sped through the intersection as fast as I could," Godley said Friday evening. "I knew he was going to take a shot at me. He took a shot and it went through my driver side door, grazed my leg, bounced off of my iPad and went into my passenger side door. It did not come out the other side of the door, so the bullet is in my door." "If he had aimed a little bit better I could just be gone right now. I am still processing all of that. I think it has yet to really set in. -- THR.com photo editor Chris Godley Footage of the incident shows Godley's black 2003 Toyota Tacoma speeding through the intersection as the gunman, clad in jeans and a white undershirt, fires a shot only a few feet from the driver-side window of the pickup truck. Godley said he did not get a good look at the shooter. Another man, driving a Mercedes-Benz, was shot in the jaw and was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. "If he had aimed a little bit better I could just be gone right now," said Godley. "I am still processing all of that. I think it has yet to really set in." After making it past the shooter, Godley continued down Vine to De Longpre Avenue, where he turned right and parked his car. After checking to make sure he wasn't seriously injured, Godley dialed 911. He later returned to the scene, where he spent several hours being interviewed by investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department, who retained his car for examination. Later, at a nearby police station, he was examined by paramedics. Godley said that he remains puzzled by the men who appeared to be having fun as they ducked away from the gunman's attack. "That seemed odd to me at the time and it seems odd to me now." He has not watched footage of the incident. "I think I am going to watch it but not tonight," Godley said. Resting at home on Friday night, Godley said he is still processing the incident. "I'm still pretty numb to the situation right now," he said. "I had a little bit of an awakening in the shower when I really looked at my leg and really kind of processed how close the bullet came to doing a lot more damage than it did." Watch the video below: View more videos at: http://nbclosangeles.com. Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Lights, Camera, Accident! 20 Hollywood Stunts Gone Wrong Related Topics

XBox Live expands TV tie-ins

The recent update to XBox Live has added Microsofts Bing search service and an upgrade to Kinect, the consoles voice- and gesture-control device. When the latest version of XBox Live is unveiled Sunday, the free update will serve as a reminder of both how far the Microsoft service has come and how much further it still has to go.The online entertainment storefront for the XBox 360 gaming console has been offering TV and movies for five years, giving Microsoft a long head start into what has become one of the most competitive environments in media: so-called "over-the-top" devices delivering videos as a potential alternative to incumbents like cable and satellite.XBox Live may be making its greatest strides yet between the addition of Microsoft's Bing search service and upgrade of Kinect, the voice and gesture-control device that renders the console's own controller irrelevant to entertainment consumption. Moreover, XBox Live is making a sixfold increase in blue-chip content partners that will include Comcast and interactive versions of channels the nation's largest cable operator doesn't have. But the fact Microsoft has made a deal with Comcast to begin with is a telling indication that matching the offerings of MSOs isn't easy. The U.S. portion of the 35 million XBox Live subs worldwide are watching over an hour of video per day in addition to the gaming they consume on the service for $60 per month. Regardless, the buzz on cord-cutting solutions tends to get dominated by entries from tech giants like Google TV and Apple TV or smaller specialized players like Roku and Boxee.Yet XBox 360 and Sony's Playstation 3 have proven that consoles ceased to be strictly for gaming years ago. A study issued last month by Strategy Analytics found that 65 percent of Xbox 360 owners under the age of 25 watch more movies and TV shows through the console than on computers.More than a few of the strategies shaking up the multichannel landscape today got their start on XBox Live. Two years before TV Everywhere reared its head, it was offering authenticated cable access abroad to MSOs like France's Canal Plus. XBox 360 was also the first device to provide an app capable of connecting TVs with Netflix, which remains the console's most popular video attraction. XBox Live was the first service that enabled renting high-definition movies on the Internet."A million tech years ago, that was innovative," said Ross Honey, GM of entertainment and advertising at XBox Live. "Today your toaster can do that."The biggest innovation to the new update is its range of navigation options. Kinect, a sensor that listens to voice commands, has been better integrated into XBox Live and tied to Bing. In addition, Windows wireless devices can run an app that turn the phone into a remote control.All that functionality may be necessary given the sheer increase in content coming to XBox Live viewers will dig through. Many of the 48 programming partners coming in the U.S. and overseas were first announced in October, including HBO Go, BBC iPlayer, Bravo, Syfy, TMZ and "Today" show. New additions to that roster include MLB.tv and Vudu.At first blush, the lineup seems a giant step toward realizing the speculation that Microsoft was looking to be a "virtual MSO," packaging the same channels that cablers and satcasters provide. But none of the networks in the current XBox Live lineup are a replication of the live 24/7 channels offered by MSOs; they are either broadband products like HBO Go or meager VOD samplings such as what Bravo provides.Two key ways Microsoft looks to close the quality gap with the MSOs this go-round is by offering subscribers to both Comcast and Verizon-owned FiOs TV authenticated access over XBox, which essentially turns the console into a set-top box. But even in those instances, subs aren't getting the full experience they get from their cable or telco providers. FiOs TV users can only watch a pre-selected bouquet of 26 channels that include HBO, MTV and CNN but not the complete lineup. And Comcast doesn't offer access to its live channels at all, opting instead to provide access to its broadband VOD platform Xfinity.The second key way Microsoft is striving to differentiate itself from MSOs is its gradual build-up of channels with special features. Last year, it launched the effort with an ESPN-branded channel that turned college football telecasts into interactive extravaganzas for viewers to interact socially and play games with friends using XBox. UFC will get a similar treatment with the new update, rolling up content from its pay-per-view events, UFC.com and exclusive material.But even there MSOs stay a step ahead given the UFC offering won't include all MMA league's fights that will be featured on a range of News Corp.-owned linear channels including Fox and FX.There are still other fronts where Microsoft can look to make advances in programming, but aren't getting significant improvements in this update. The Zune marketplace, an iTunes-like storefront for ordering movies and TV shows a la carte, returns with little enhancement. And Microsoft hasn't experimented with its own original programming for XBox in several years, though Honey indicated the company hasn't ruled that out for the future. Previous efforts included an exclusive licensing of the webisode sensation "The Guild" and an interactive adaptation of the Endemol unscripted format "1 vs. 100."Looking back years from now on the over-the-top race, all the content growth coming to XBox Live with this update will likely be overshadowed by improvements made to Kinect. It may be the most crucial feature given the hype has already begun that Apple will introduce its own Internet-connected TV set next year complete with Siri, the voice-recognition feature currently wowing buyers of the iPhone 4S. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

AT&T: FCC Report Critical Of T-Mobile Deal Is One-Sided And Cherry-Picks Facts

Yourarelysee a company that does as much business with federal regulators as AT&T doesattack them as ferociously as the phone giant did today. AT&T is livid over a staff study that concluded its$39B wireless phone acquisition of T-Mobile would be anti-competitive and result in lost jobs. The report, released yesterday,”is so obviously one-sided that any fair-minded person reading it is left with the clear impression that it is an advocacy piece, and not a considered analysis,” AT&T Senior Executive Vice President of External & Legislative Affairs Jim Cicconi said in a blog post. He adds that the report “cherry-picks facts to support its views, and ignores facts that dont,” and “treats its own speculationsas if they were fact.” Calling the staff effort”not the fair and objective analysis to which any party is entitled,”Cicconi also blasted the FCC for releasing the document.AT&T withdrew its merger application at the agency after the FCC moved to block it,although the phone company hasn’t formally abandoned the effort to acquire T-Mobile. By making the report public, he says,the FCC showed that “this was intended more for advocacy and to impact public perceptions. And neither is a proper basis for action by a regulatory agency.” Consumer groups, which opposed the AT&T deal, rushed to the FCC’s defense. Media Access Project Policy Director Andrew Jay Schwartzman called the report “thoroughly documented.” He adds that AT&T”takes advantage of the fact that some of the most damaging findings in the report are from confidential documents which AT&T has refused to make public.” And Consumers Union Policy Counsel ParulDesai says AT&Ts claims that it was treated unfairly “are simply unfounded and an attempt to distract from the truth that this merger means higher prices and fewer choices for consumers.

Biz takes tentative steps among large changes

CBS and Warner Bros. inked an offer with Netflix for shows such as the Vampire Journals, above. John F. OByrne in Prime Suspect For showbiz, 2011 is a year of motion in fits and begins, instead of great advances forward, because the industry grapples having a fast-altering, progressively global business landscape.There weren't any major transactions around the scale of, say, Comcast-NBCUniversal (although that union was formally sealed in The month of january) or Disney-Marvel. Time Warner's unrequested $1.4 billion bid for Endemol marks the greatest dollars that the biz's major congloms have put up for grabs (a minimum of openly) to have an acquisition.'Prime' prospect for PeacockDespite the possible lack of blockbuster developments, however, there has been regions of notable activity that may set happens for bigger changes in the future: Home windows, home windows, home windows. In TV and film, the biz continues to be acting just like a menopause lady inside a stuffy room who can't decide whether she would like your window opened up wide, midway or simply a crack.The tug of war between galleries and participants around the problem is representational from the find it difficult to balance the requirements of numerous stakeholders within the theatrical business -- specially the altering habits of more youthful moviegoers. Much more than Universal caving on its arrange for an earlier "Tower Heist" premium VOD window, the larger surprise continues to be the lackluster showing to date in the $30 PVOD window that Warner Bros., Fox and Universal created by helping cover their DirecTV, among much drama with exhibs plus some high-profile creatives.Nobody has launched any amounts, but it is common understanding the galleries happen to be disappointed using the results.Could it be an advertising and marketing problem? Could it be the game titles on offer? Only some time and more researching the market will inform. An upswing of Netflix. The netcaster continues to be a part of just about any conversation concerning the biz's future, but Hollywood still can't quite determine if Netflix is friend or foe.Most within the biz appear to become leaning toward the friend side, though there's been unabashed schadenfreude because the company's high-flying stock has fallen from $300-plus towards the $70-$80 range in recent days.CBS and Warner Bros., the 2 majors which have been most conservative for making their TV skeins available on the web, accepted Netflix because the messiah from the CW in reaching a path-breaking output deal for that net's programming. Netflix can also be viewed as filling a large financial hole for serialized and niche-appeal programs which will never fetch a lot of money within the traditional cable/TV station syndie market (think "Mad Males").However that a lot of have betrothed their wagons with Netflix, the business's fumbles with customer relations and it is $400 million debt/stock offering a week ago have elevated questions regarding whether it's at risk of becoming overextended.n Film-financing follies. As Variety's Rachel Abrams has reported, the climate for film-financing deals has certainly enhanced throughout yesteryear year, however the terms and also the gamers are extremely diverse from these were prior to the economic meltdown. The large banks are tiptoeing in for large studio projects, on the selective basis. And firms like Endgame Entertainment are assisting to meet the increasing demand within the indie sector using its new P&A fund. A large question for indie gamers is whether or not you can make real cash up with a VOD release strategy. There's an positive feeling available is the fact that all it will require is a couple of home runs (by indie standards) to juice the forex market. Worldwide channels finally acquire some attention. They are massive worldwide procedures, the majors' worldwide funnel procedures have for a long time been largely invisible in Hollywood. But that is altering as Fox, The new sony yet others have grown to be more ambitious with programming for his or her groupings of studio-top quality channels. Lightly lower the stream. Your competition among music streaming services walked up a notch this season as The planet pandora went public and Europe's Spotify moved in to the U.S. market.What's interesting is the fact that all of this activity has coincided with a time of consolidation among music posting companies small and big.No showbiz shingle has gone through much more of a high-to-bottom transformation this season compared to NBC broadcast internet. Because the saw dust flies around the repairing of their primetime selection, here's wishing the Peacock will find the assets to stay with "Prime Suspect," its most powerful new drama in a long time. Much praise continues to be bathed around the writing and Maria Bello's performance, and never to become overlooked may be the show's rock-solid supporting cast, moored through the great John F. O'Byrne.Grant Mess has frequently told the storyline of methods at any given time when NBC is at bad shape, he and Brandon Tartikoff made a decision to resume "St. Elsewhere" after its low-ranked first season simply because they understood it had been a great show.Let "Prime Suspect" function as the "St. Elsewhere" with this generation. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

'Planet of Snails' tops IDFA honours

''Planet of Snails,'' South Korean helmer Seung-Jun Yi's feature docu concerning the daily existence and passion for a hard of hearing and blind guy, has won the VPRO IDFA award for the best feature in the 24th annual Worldwide Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), it had been introduced in a ceremony Friday evening. IDFA's top prize has a ?12,500 (U.S.$16,546) cash prize. ''Snails,'' which received its worldwide preem here, is created by CreativEast. Paris-based CATandDocs is handling world sales. IDFA's five-person feature competish jury also gave its special award to Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi's world-preeming ''5 Damaged Cameras,'' a portrait of the Palestinian village fighting off encroaching Jewish pay outs over many years. Pic also nabbed IDFA's aud award and $6,619 cash. The earth's biggest docu fest and mart, which opened up November. 16 with ''The Ambassador'' from helmer Mads Brugger (''The Red-colored Chapel'') and concludes Sunday, saw an archive public aud of the believed 200,000+, up from 2010's count of 180,000. Other IDFA competish those who win include Jorge Gaggero's ''Montenegro'' (best mid-length docu), Xun Yu's 'The Disappearing Spring Light (best first film) and Jessica Gorter's ''900 Days'' (best Nederlander docu). Micha X. Peled's feature ''Bitter Seed products,'' concerning the plight of Indian cotton maqui berry farmers and also the third inside a trilogy about globalization, won best Eco-friendly Screen (environment) docu along with the Oxfam Global Justice award. Last week ''Last Days Here,'' from Phillie's Don Argott and Demian Fenton, won best music documentary. Pic was tested in IDFA PLAY, the fest's first music docu sidebar. IDFA presented 340 film and trans-media docus to public and industry auds this season. The outlet weekend was mostly about preems and parties, but a posse from ''Focus Forward''-the innovation-designed number of three-minute paperwork released last September by video writer Cinelan together with General electric-required happens to announce it's added seven filmmakers to the roster. On Monday IDFA moved into full-on biz mode with the beginning of the 3-day Forum. The prestige worldwide co-financing event has modified recently to mirror changes on the market (less home windows, tight budgets), the emergence of third-sector funders and new methods for telling and viewing non-fiction tales. The 2010 slate incorporated 57 projects (features, series, trans-media) searching for funding partners or future purchasers as a whole-tables and individual meets. This season IDFA reviews 2,670 local and worldwide visitors (producers, purchasers, filmmakers etc.) , the increase from 2010's headcount of two,477. A lot more than 200 U.S. visitors attended IDFA 2011. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Bruce Rosenblum Reveals His Plans for the TV Academy

One big idea on the mind of the new chairman and CEO of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences,Bruce Rosenblum, is to hold a television industry "summits," modeled after those put on in the 1990s by the last top TV executive to lead the group.Rosenblum, who is a member of the office of the president at Warner Bros. and oversees all TV at the busiest studio in Hollywood, is the first high-level studio executive to head the TV Academy since Richard Frank, who was president of Disney TV during his tenure.In 1994, Frank was the vision behind a summit that the organization calls "one of the most notable events in the Television Academy's history," a daylong conference at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus, titled "Information Superhighway Summit."Then-VIce PresidentAl Goreprovided the keynote address, and participants included the chairman of the FCC, Bill Gates of Microsoft, John Malone (then head of the largest cable company), Brian Roberts (now of Comcast, which now owns control of NBC Universal), DreamWorks Jeffrey Katzenberg, Disney heads Michael Eisner and Robert Iger; and others."I hope we can put together a summit similar to what Rich Frank did during his tenure that I think elevated the visibility of the academy," Rosenblum told "The Hollywood Reporter" in an interview shortly after his election Wednesday night. "We're at a wonderful moment in time when technology is so dramatically influencing our business in a positive way that we can bring together a lot of the influential people in the industries to talk about where technology is taking our business."What Rosenblum does not want is to play the political games that have dogged the academy in the past or to dwell only on the Primetime Emmy Awards while ignoring everything else the group does."If you look at the results of the election tonight, I think you will see a group of new officers who are expressing a desire to work past the politics of old," said Rosenblum. "I think we have a unified desire to bring new voices to the table and move the academy forward, not to retain the status quo. If the new group of officers can be successful at that agenda I think you'll see a diminishment of the politics of old."Rosenblum wants to improve the diversity of the group, address piracy concerns and bolster the work done by the Academy Foundation, in part by bringing this new attitude into play."A lot of the focus of the academy is traditionally around the Primetime Emmy Awards," Rosenblum said. "Yet the academy provides a lot more functions though out the year that are not as well known. I think we can elevate the brand of the academy, elevate the awareness of the academy and certainly elevate the stature of the academy through things like professional development, and creating opportunity for there to be more relevance for the members other than just getting to vote for the Emmys. We can push forward a diversity initiative within the peer groups and governors. I think the philanthropic work of the foundation is terrific and the Academy can generate more revenue through digital opportunities or sponsorships. All of that will benefit the great work of the philanthropic foundation."Before his election, there were some concerns expressed about whether "peer" members among the academy -- mostly crafts people -- would be able to deal honestly with Rosenblum because of his executive power."I don't make those hiring decisions," Rosenblum said. "Having met with almost every one of the governors personally before the election, I think the results speak for themselves. There was a comfort level that myself and others elected to positions tonight will bring a renewed vigor and hopefully excitement to the Academy."Rosenblum also responded to those who are concerned that as one of the members of management he might not side with rank-and-file members on key issues."The chair position is one of leadership but it's not one of making decisions," said Rosenblum. "The decisions at the academy are made by the Board of Governors along with the executive committee. It's a consensus building role. It's a collaboration-building role and what I'm hopeful [for] is that I and the others elected tonight can bring to the academy just that -- consensus building and finding ways to add value to what the Academy can do for the members of all the peer groups."Still, it seems like there will be inevitable conflicts of interest. Rosenblum has said he wants to help boost local production and help create jobs, but what happens when it is in the interest of his studio to go to a state or country that offers greater tax and other incentives? Isn't that a potential conflict?"First of all, the academy needs to be careful because it is not a lobbying organization," responded Rosenblum. "But to the extent that the academy can provide guidance to both the city and state on creating appropriate incentives to retain production locally, that will benefit all of the members of the Academy based in Los Angeles. This is not a situation of conflict. It is one of supporting the Academy in doing what is in the best interest of the membership of the academy."Rosenblum said it is too early to discuss what leadership he might provide on the direction of the Emmys. He doesn't even officially start his term until January. For now, he wants to bring everyone together. To that end, he talked both before and after the election with producer Nancy Bradley Wiard, who ran against him in the race for the chairman's position."She was very gracious," said Rosenblum. "She congratulated me. She wished me the best and I expressed to her that I hope she remains actively involved in the academy because she provides a lot of value, a lot of institutional knowledge, and she's someone I hope I can turn to and so I encouraged her to remain involved."And why is Rosenblum involved? He has a busy job, a family and now a voluntary positionthat doesn't pay anything but can take up a lot of time and carry with it huge responsibility, includingpressure and scrutiny from the academy members, the media and the public."I know it sounds clich, but we all are very fortunate to work in this industry," replied Rosenblum. "As I said in my speech tonight (to the Governors and executive committee prior to the vote), I think we're in a golden age of television. I think the caliber of the products being produced and the quality of the people working in our Industry has never been better. So this was an opportunity to give back and to get actively involved in an organization that I think can represent our industry to an even greater extent than it already does." The Hollywood Reporter

Call of Duty: MW3 Rakes In $775M In 5 Days

Activision’s first-person shooter multiplayer game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has grossed more than $775 million in its first five days of sales, the company reported Wednesday. In just its first day on the market, Activision sold more than 6.5 million units in North America and the United Kingdom for an estimated sell-through rate of more than $400 million. Activision claimed the new edition in its debut — for about $650 a pop — has surpassed the openings of all movies, books and videogames.It even surpassed last years release of Call of Duty: Black Ops, which grossed $650 million, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which sold $550 million. Activision Blizzards CEO Bobby Kotick boasted to AllThingsD that theCall of Duty franchise is one of the most valuable entertainment properties worldwide, having exceeded $6 billion in lifetime revenue.

'The Muppets': Where's Elmo?

This story originally appeared in the Nov. 25 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.our editor recommends'The Muppets' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals'The Muppets' at D23: Jason Segel Talks About Their Comedic Influence (Video) Fans of Elmo might be let down to learn that the character does not appear in Disney's Nov. 23 reboot The Muppets. PHOTOS: 'The Muppets' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals Among the disappointed is star and co-writer Jason Segel, who was rebuffed in ironic fashion. "I wrote a scene where we were trying to get Elmo to be the celebrity host of The Muppet Show, anda team of lawyers tells us no," Segel said Nov. 9 on Ryan Seacrest's radio show. "[Then] that's what actually happened -- a team of lawyers told us Elmo wasn't available." VIDEO: The Muppets' Jason Segel On Future of the Film Franchise Disney bought the Muppets from the Jim Henson estate in 2004, but Sesame Street characters remain with the Children's Television Workshop. Crossovers have occurred, but studio attorneys apparently decided against Elmo. Joked Seacrest, "Can you imagine going to law school, and that's what you're defending?" Disney declined comment. Related Topics Jason Segel The Muppets

Keck's Exclusives: David Copperfield Levitates into Wizards of Waverly Place

Jennifer Stone, David Copperfield, Selena Gomez Friday night on the Disney Channel, The Wizards of Waverly Place will get a visit from arguably the most famous wizard alive today. Master magician David Copperfield, who rarely appears on television outside of his own spectacular specials, will guest star as himself on the tween comedy. And as this photo reveals, David will be swept off his feet by the show's young stars."I get zapped there when Harper [Jennifer Stone, left] becomes Cinderella and magical things take place," previews the magic man by phone from his Copperfield Bay resort in the Bahamas. "I get to do some close-up magic right before their eyes, but something goes a bit wrong."Like any true magician worth his weight in bunny rabbits, David won't reveal his secrets, but insists what is seen in this photo "is not a camera trick. If you had been there live it would have looked the same way. I gave Selena Gomez [at right in the photo] a lesson and she definitely passed the Copperfield school of magic!"Before he appeared on set to shoot his scene, David practiced the illusion at his live show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. And by the time it came to shoot, "it worked perfectly on the first take!"David says he couldn't resist the opportunity when Disney extended an invitation. "I used to watch the Mickey Mouse Club when I was a little kid and was in love with Annette [Funicello], so I thought this would be fun to do." Plus, he'd also seen the series because he tries his best to "keep in touch with all things magical."The magic begins Friday at 8/7c on the Disney Channel. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Don't cry on the account, B'way

Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin at Sardi's The celebs of "A Evening Time With Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin" insist the spring's Broadway revival of "Evita," starring Ough Martin, "isn't to completeInch utilizing their show, set to start Monday within the Ethel Barrymore Theater."Not whatsoever," Mandy Patinkin mentioned at Tuesday's press junket in Sardi's restaurant. It's only coincidence he and Patti LuPone's last game on Broadway reaches "Evita" in 1979.Roles like Avoi Peron and Che Guevara don't arrive often. But that's not the question, LuPone was adament.InchIt is not whether you will notice an excellent role, it's 'will I buy hired again!' It definitely is the question," she mentioned. "I don't think there's an actress unless of course obviously it's Meryl Streep or Bobby P Niro who not worry that they're going to ever work again. It's part of the territory. You question if you're vital enough to acquire hired again. And consists of nothing associated with age."

Production Designer Bruno Rubeo Dies at 65

Bruno Rubeo, an Oscar-nominated production designer and frequent collaborator of company company directors Taylor Hackford and Oliver Stone, died November. 3 in Trevi, Italia of complications from pneumonia. He was 65.Related Subjects•Obituaries Rubeo's wife is costume designer Mayes Rubeo (Apocalypto, Avatar, John Carter From Mars), and also the boy is veteran art director Marco Rubeo (The Truman Show, Tropic Thunder, Thor). A nearby of Rome, Bruno Rubeo's large break showed up 1986 when Stone attracted on him to produce Salvador, which he as well as the director ongoing to collaborate on Platoon (1986), Talk Radio (1988) and Born round the fourth of the summer time (1989). Rubeo offered as production designer on Bruce Beresford's Driving Miss Daisy (1989), he received his Academy Award nomination. Rubeo began coping with Hackford in 1992 round the Chicano gang epic Blood stream In, Blood stream Out. This began Rubeo's longest professional collaboration - he indicated his relationship while using director as "a relationship without sex" - while using duo concentrating on Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Devil's Advocate (1997), Proof of Existence (2000) as well as the extended-postponed Love Ranch (2010). Rubeo also designed such films as Ivan Reitman's Kindergarten Cop (1990), Jon Amiel's Sommersby (1993), Joel Schumacher's The Client (1994), John McTiernan's The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Mike Newell's Pushing Container (1999) and Michael Radford's The Merchant of Venice (2004). Rubeo offered inside the Italian navy before moving to Canada, where he labored becoming an art director on several TV and independent film projects. He was art director and production designer on Spring Fever, a 1982 film starring Susan Anton. Related Subjects

Brains and brawn fuel nouveau action heroines

'Hanna''The Debt'The latest Bond girl, Brnice Marlohe, was introduced November. 3 -- a indication that even just in 2011, that nickname remains. It instantly fires up images of bikini-clad, gun-carrying babes emerging in the surf. This is not to express these stars were not capable -- Halle Berry continued to win an Oscar -- but Difficulties certainly is not known to like a Bond boy, and that he never needs to get saved ultimately. This season, though, a couple of action films gave stars possibilities to show this genre convention on its ear. Despite guns strapped privately for their well-well developed legs, they'd ideas within their brains and strength within their hearts. For "Your Debt,Inch director John Madden needed to find an actress who could believably come to be Helen Mirren, who plays Mossad secret agent Rachel Singer, billed with searching for a Nazi war criminal. Jessica Chastain, a mystery during the time of filming, not just arrived the role, but her movie presence this year appears ubiquitous. "Both of them really rose towards the challenge," Madden states, who adds the part "rolled away physical, emotional and moral challenges all-in-one package." As well as exactly the same role, both surprised Madden throughout filming. "The film known as for Helen to complete action sequences in a reason for someone's existence whenever you seldom observe that,Inch he describes. "She's courageous." Chastain held her very own too. In a single scene, Rachel submits to some gyne cological exam to be able to take lower the film's villainous physician. "This is an very vulnerable female experience," Madden states. "Yet it needed her to be really anti-feminine. "Both of these transported the knot at the middle of the storyline included, and passed that knot backwards and forwards,Inch he adds. "They exchanged notes and viewed each other peoples rehearsals. However it seemed to be very intuitive. They are fierce." Just 16, Saoirse Ronan shot "Hanna," a film that needed her to complete fight moments with grown males -- at some point, battling three at any given time. "It had been quite fun," she states having a smile. Ronan's challenge lie in developing a teenage girl who had been an experienced assassin but had not seen the planet outdoors the forest where she was raised. "I'd attempt to remember important experience I'd had, then drive them away," she states. "Hanna is seeing everything the very first time, just like a child." "Her innocence made her much more interesting," adds Ronan. "Children could be smart in a great deal different options than we are able to due to their innocence." While "Colombiana" did not score too well with experts, Zoe Saldana's emotional performance got observed. The actress states after filming "Avatar," she'd an idea for additional action, and was attracted towards the unusual character of trained-on-the-roads Cataleya. "I loved her because she might have easily been a man,Inch Saldana states. "She's a little of the thug, and she's primal. Yet that did not mean she wasn't a lady. She was tough, but fragile too." Having seen her parents wiped out before her growing up, Cataleya is on the revenge pursuit to find their murderers. "An event like this changes everything," she states. "She was re-living that loss every single day.Inch Saldana does end up in a T-shirt and under garments for just one fight scene, and recalls she needed to fight for that shirt. "Sometimes you need to do feel objectified like a lady," she states. "However, you look amazing around the outdoors so when you start to sing your character is not credible. I must tackle the individual psychologically." But Saldana confesses you will find sensationalist elements at play. "Women would be the more attractive animals," she states. "If she's kicking ass, it will likely be observed in a sexual way... We visit the movies to become taken for any ride, and so i did want and give people that have.InchHonor Season Focus: The WomenThesps seize career reins Brains and brawn fuel nouveau action heroines Longtime collaborators help dress the various components Startling breakthroughs Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Fake 'Jack and Jill' Twitter Account: Funnier Than the Movie?

Because the day wouldn't be complete without another 'Jack and Jill' post: some merry pranksters have set up a fake account for the critically-destroyed film on Twitter. "NO SPOILERS, but there's a HUGE athlete cameo in 'Jack & Jill,'" reads the feed. "His name rhymes with Paquille So Real, but that's all we're saying!!!! Pls RT." Lolz. Or, as @JackNJillMovie would say, "LOL. Just thinking about something from #JackAndJill LOL!!!" No word who is controlling the fake Twitter account (unfortunately, it probably isn't Armond White), but, well played all involved. You can follow the fake account for all your snarky 'Jack and Jill' needs by clicking here. 'Jack and Jill' is in theaters now. EARLIER: The only positive reviews for 'Jack and Jill' [Photo: Sony] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Work of Art's Bayet: I Could not Pull It Together Whatsoever

Bayete Did selecting a headline about Sister Act do him in? Or maybe it was Simon's words of encouragement that brought him lower the incorrect path? Possibly, as judge Jerry Saltz suspects, exhaustion grew to become an issue. Work of Art's Bayeté Ross Cruz states the end result is he was told to go home because his golden entrance just wasn't excellent. TVGuide.com spoken with the 34-year-old multimedia artist, digital photographer and arts educator by what went wrong throughout this week's "Ripped in the Head lines" challenge, exactly what the doorways were designed to say, and calling The Sucklord Sucklord: You did not appear surprised to become removed in Wednesday's episode. Why? Bayeté Ross Cruz: The piece which i made, I do not think was an excellent piece. I had been disappointed in myself because of not determining an easy method of offerring the concept, and crafting the concept right into a good work of art. I prided myself on by using this competition as a way to experiment... however i got myself in times where I had been dealing with new materials as well as an idea I could not quite pull together. Well, not "quite" -- I could not pull it together whatsoever. Watch full instances of Thing of beauty That which was the concept you had been attempting to convey using the doorways and also the headline you select ("Different Chapel, More Sequins"): Cruz: I have been intrigued using the spectacle and also the pageantry of organized religion, like how they may suck people in through spectacle. That is what snapped up me [concerning the headline, that was for any review for Broadway's Sister Act musical]. There's this play relating to this movie about these nuns and it is another commodification of religion. In contrast to a number of your rivals, Simon p Pury appeared to love in which you were choosing the doorways. Do you consider that put you? Cruz: Well, no. He did encourage me to choose the concept, but it is quite a unusual scenario to become creating art in. It's hyper-intense and also the timing is short and you are on reality TV. Given additional time, an amount you have carried out in a different way using the doorways? Cruz: It is a tough question to reply to. As we had additional time, everything could be different! But when I'd additional time, I suppose I would have had the opportunity to determine the fresh paint drying out, printing the crosses bigger, I most likely might have done some thing creative using the colour of the doorways as well as the way i hung them... You'd achieve this a lot of things in a different way should you have had additional time. Although not getting a lot of time can also be the enjoyment and discomfort of the overall game. Take a look at present day news Jerry blogged that you simply were a "true artist," but suspected you may have been exhausted with that reason for your competition. True? Cruz: I believe it is something that is available the truth is TV situations. I am not making excuses, but what you are coping with may be the competition, having an atmosphere that's unusual, and finding yourself in a production and handling a production schedule. Fatigue can sneak on only you may not even understand it. I believe it is a fair assessment. Did anybody but Simone question calling The Sucklord Sucklord? Cruz: That's the one thing about reality TV -- this is an unusual situation, which means you go by using it. Sucklord? OK! I requested him, "Am I designed to address you because the Sucklord?" He was like, "Nah, when you are speaking in my experience you simply call me Sucklord." I figured, this really is type of fun this really is type of a gas! It is a great character. I am talking about, Nicole Kidman known as him Sucklord! He's an excellent guy really. That which was your preferred challenge? I truly loved the stop-motion animation you've made in Week 4? Cruz: Which was my personal favorite. The children challenge pertains to among my goals being an artist, which would be to create work that's a significant and compelling and informative a part of everyday existence. After I make my work, let me make stuff that could work from the "high-art" perspective, but additionally be the kinds of stuff that people can connect with poor their everyday lives... I believe lots of occasions artists question, if I am carrying out a show to have an memorial or perhaps a museum, as to the extent is the fact that relevant around the world in particular? Who's the most powerful competitor? I figured Leon would be really unequalled. He was among the artists I had been most impressed with, not while he was much better than the relaxation people, but because his style and aesthetic and exactly how he labored really was captivating. I figured he'd go really far within the competition, so you will never say... I believe it's anyone's game. Take a look at Smith's current art projects Question Bridge and also got the Energy. Thing of beauty airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.

THR Poll: Oscar Audiences Want Eddie Murphy as Host

Inside the wake of Brett Ratner's sudden exit as Oscar producer, the question remains whether Eddie Murphy will fulfill his duties as host in the 84th Academy awards.our editor recommendsBrett Ratner Out as Oscar Show Producer (Exclusive)Eddie Murphy, Came Barrymore Top Report on Overpaid ActorsBrett Ratner's Oscar Exit Sparks Passionate Reactions Across the WebBrett Ratner, Allan Carr as well as the Home That Unites the Disgraced Oscar Producers PHOTOS: Oscar Show Moments Murphy was employed for the job by Ratner we now have spent together on Universal's Tower Heist, released the other day. The Hollywood Reporter enlisted Penn Schoen Berland to gauge viewer interest by having an compensated survey of 550 honours show audiences age groups 13 to 59 taken November. 6. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Memorable Mea Culpas Effects were in contrast against a good example of 450 audiences asked after James Franco and Hathaway As Catwoman were introduced as hosts this season. STORY: Brett Ratner's 10 Offensive Quotes That Brought to Oscar Trouble 72%: Honours show audiences who support Murphy as Oscar host Only 54 percent supported Franco/Hathaway this season A effective 74 percent of honours show fans intend to watch Murphy, up from 66 percent for Franco/Hathaway Males and African Us citizens may take a look at 85%: Tower Heist moviegoers who support Murphy as Oscar host 91 percent of Tower Heist audiences plan to watch Murphy host Audiences say Murphy will probably be "fun," "entertaining" and "outrageousInch in contrast for the 2011 hosts Nonetheless they the show will probably be less "stylish" and "classy" Related Subjects Brett Ratner Eddie Murphy Oscars 2012

Reading through with the voters' minds

The very best price of Pi. A unified area theory. The recipe for Coca-Cola. They all are kid's stuff in contrast regarding the Hollywood looks for around this time around around each year: An equation that reaches best picture.Every honours season, you will discover movies that add in writing -- 2010's good good examples include "The Ghost Author," "Never Let Me Go," "Fair Game," "Conviction" and "Please Give" -- but that never quite compute.Much less remarkably, affiliates say, the answer comes lower to math. Math and passion. Passion and math."You will need 300 No. 1 picks by having an Academy ballot," states one veteran publicist and Academy member, "meaning possibly 20% in the AMPAS membership." ("A minimum of 70 250," added another, "according to whether everyone votes.") Basically, it is not enough to become film everyone likes: You have to be a movie that merely enough everybody loves.InchAppear back finally year's top lists," states Strategy PR prexy Cynthia Swartz. "Every film that was a potential best picture champion got a specific volume of No. 1 votes. The equipment rewards films that are people faves, even if they are only faves for just about any small minority instead of a movie that's perfectly loved by all, however is not a higher selection for anybody."That may mean excellent accomplishments, one studio strategist states, for just about any film like "The Tree of Existence.""You will discover people who just don't get it," she states. "And you'll find people who believe it is a visible poem. It could get people No. 1 votes."So when nobody has anything bad to express of the film? "This is actually the movie," she states, "which will injured.InchMost affiliates to whom Variety spoke asked for anonymity, since they're either voting or trolling for votes. Nevertheless the consensus seems being that Oscar's new voting process -- be responsible for 10 nominees, and may more likely result in seven -- increase the seriousness of the "passion" problem, even though all the movies that went traction-free a year ago had other, classical problems too: A release date that was too early a deal that was too cheap a director who was simply too questionable (Roman Polanski). Or, inside the situation of, say, "Never Let Me Go," written content that was more dark and uneven.InchBut sometimes Oscar voters go dark," states Dork Karger, senior author at Entertainment Weekly. "With 'Monster,' say, or 'Boys Don't Cry,' the hook was the existence altering performance in the stars."There should be that hook, Karger demands. "I buy the sense the Academy is applicable to films that really have memorable peaks and valleys," according to him. "If there's one component that nominees share, with techniques, it's the fancy moments counterbalanced with quieter moments. 'The Ghost Writer' was great but was without people peaks and valleys, nothing beats 'The Hurt Locker,' say, or 'The Artist,' that we am very bullish about."Veteran Oscar strategist Tony Angellotti states, "Sometimes it's as simple as a tale that's well handled and arresting. In some cases, it's the press coping with the role of advocates regarding films simply because they debut at film festivals. But nonetheless in some cases it's the character in the competition itself that allows for so-referred to as 'dark horses' to linger and thrive. It's rarely the identical scenario, year upon year, that's what helps it be fascinating."And irritating: " 'Babel' will be a movie that was divisive, you loved it otherwise you didn't,Inch states the studio strategist. "But individuals who loved it put it inside the No.1 place.""Crash," which outshine the widely used "Brokeback Mountain" in 2006, managed it, while you old Hollywood hands put it, because, "most of us selected against bigots, thinking we're not. It made us feel more happy about ourselves." Rather, clearly, they were referred to as homophobes."It's strange that you will find no perfect formula to exhibit a pedigree movie into an Oscar movie," states Mark Harris, Oscar author for your website Grantland and adding editor to NY magazine. "You will need some combination of critical recognition and audience recognition but the X factor may be the one factor making Academy people move the DVD up screener pile."The standards? "How extended can it be?In . "Can it be subtitled?" "I hear it's depressing." "I am unsure anybody within it.In . They could comparable to nobody watching or else enough.Every once in awhile, a movie defies the mathematics, like "Winter's Bone.""People made a decision they have to watch it," states Harris. "It absolutely was an excellent campaign, however think Academy everyone loves a movie they hear exceeds anticipation. 'Winter's Bone' did not have particular pedigree, nevertheless it increased to become film you possessed to determine.InchReally, he added, a pedigree could work against you. "In case your film has all the qualifications on paper, and critical buzz is 'It's OK,' your whole idea of pedigree can hurt its Oscar chances. "Much like over-hype. Every one of these movies get handicapped from June to September, Harris states. "And also you get 'Angela's Ashes' or 'Snow Falling on Cedars.' You'll be able to possess the balloon deflate. There's that strange eleventh-hour component that turns 'I can't wait' to 'I don't care.' "To ensure that as everyone confirms, there's the question of box office -- less because money equals quality, but because of the psychology of success."Everybody loves a champion," Harris states. "Then when it doesn't appear just like a champion, it doesn't obtain the chance being champion."EYE Round The Oscars: BEST PICTURE PREVIEWReading the voters' minds Spinning history to complement the needs of drama Veterans for action Beyond the boardsAWARDS SEASON CALENDARNovember December The month of the month of january February Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

'Fringe' Star Joshua Jackson Teases Peter's Return

From nowhere, Peter Bishop remains dropped in to the "Fringe"-verse, much for the delight in the show's fans. Without offering a lot of, this week's episode, "Novation," sees the trunk-to-existence Bishop fighting revisit the fold he was once the center of. While he actively works to convince his girl, Olivia, his father, Walter, and everyone else for the matter that he's really Peter Bishop, Walter's deceased boy, fans may also be racking your brains on exactly what the deal with Peter is nowadays. "He returns with a pretty bad situation here," Joshua Jackson told MTV News now about Friday's episode. "One: he's completely confused because the time you've place in season four while using figures, for him happened in one second. And so the whole factor must be referred to to him. However he'll get dropped from his world and reduce and all of sudden it's 'ut-oh, it is not good.' It's a bad, anti-'It's A Great Existence.'" After several seasons of playing Peter, this new story really feels just a little old for Jackson. "In the strange way, its just a little appreciate it was in the beginning of season one cause in season one he was the outsider introduced into our world and basically proven things he couldnt appreciate or understand," he mentioned. "And so the only difference now here's he's in this place they are fully aware, he's every one of these encounters, I dont think he's questioning his sanity, but she needs to become itchiness his mind a little. Like, 'You males arrived at be kidding me? Like the amount of more galaxies can i save before I buy some credit here?'" Due to a lot of questions left not-clarified and lots of season four left to resolve them (or raise a lot more for the matter), Jackson really thinks Peter needs to be given more kindness than he's received up to now. "Once the world only decided to be, Peter would retire around the beach somewhere getting offered daiquiris and peeled grapes for your relaxation of his existence," he joked. "I'm speaking about two galaxies, thats plenty of work!" The next episode of "Fringe," "Novation," airs tonight (November 4) on Fox at 9 PM EST. Reveal everything you consider Jackson's return to "Fringe" inside the comments section and also on Twitter!

'Come As You Are' tops Valladolid

'Come As You Are'Madrid-- Belgian Geoffrey Enthoven's crowdpleaser "Come As You Are" topped the 56th Valladolid Festival, one of Spain's main art pic showcases, on Saturday.A seriocomedy about three young special-needs men on a road trip to lose their virginity, "Come" won Valladolid's Golden Spike amid a flurry of further plaudits for social-issue films.A Cannes Un Certain Regard player, Robert Guediguian's vintage social drama, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro," picked up fest's Silver Spike and its Audience Award. A 2 hour-long World War II drama, Agnieszka Holland's "In Darkness" won director. Turning on a group of Jews hiding in the sewers of Nazi-occupied Lvov, "Darkness" is a Sony Pictures Classics U.S. release and Poland's Oscar entry.Meanwhile, Spaniard Paula Ortiz's "Chrysalis," about three generations of women in the male-ruled Spain of 1923, 1940, and 1975, nabbed new director.The birdlike Zhou Dongyu took actress for Zhang Yimou's Wild Bunch-sold "Under the Hawthorn Tree." In one of Valladolid's toughest face-offs this year, Brendan Gleeson shared actor for John Michael McDonagh's "The Guard" with Patrick Huard, a standout in Ken Scott's sperm donor comedy "Starbuck."With Canadian Oscar candidate "Monsieur Lazhar" sweeping screenplay and the Fipresci Intl. Federation of Film Critics award, another top winner at Valladolid was French sales company Films Distribution: It has international rights to "Kilimanjaro" and "Lazhar"; its Berlin-based branch, Films Boutique, reps "Come."Fest ran Oct. 22-29. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Grace Kelly Biopic in the Works: Who Should Play Her?

'Rear Window' star Grace Kelly is getting the big-screen biopic treatment: Cue the casting frenzy for someone who can portray the classic, cool blonde. THR suggests Amanda Seyfried, Blake Lively, Diane Kruger, January Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow, among others. 'Grace of Monaco' will tell the actress-turned-princess's story amid the politics of Monaco in the '60s. Kelly's films include the Alfred Hitchcock thrillers 'Rear Window,' 'To Catch a Thief,' and 'Dial M for Murder,' as well as 'The Country Girl,' for which she won a Best Actress Oscar. Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, the Europacorp co-founder who recently launched his Stone Angel production and financing company, acquired the spec script by Arash Amel, who also penned the upcoming Aaron Eckhart thriller 'The Expatriate.' Kelly left Hollywood behind in 1956 to marry prince Rainer of Monaco and Amel's script focuses on a six-month period in 1962 when Monaco clashed with France over its tax-free status and Kelly maneuvered behind the scenes to save her adopted country from a coup. The script is similar to 'The King's Speech' in scope and tone, according to THR. Princess Grace died in 1982 after suffering a stroke and losing control of her car. [via THR] [Photo: AFP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Ed Zwick's 'Uncharted' Short Film Explores Heroism

Ed Zwick is best known for his directorial work on "Glory," "The Last Samurai," and "Defiance." If there's a consistent theme running through the films, it's the concept of heroics, people placed into situations where they are forced to muster up their will in the face of adversity. So, who better to produce a short film about heroism (in relation to Sony's upcoming "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" game)? Speaking to Empire, Zwick stated that he wasn't much of a gamer, but he was intrigued by the idea of talking to a number of different people all associated with the game in some manner and asking them to define what heroism means. The "Uncharted" franchise developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony portrays the ongoing adventures of Nathan Drake, a direct descendent of Sir Francis Drake. A third-person action game, "Uncharted" blends shooting with platforming and puzzle solving. The series' third major release, "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception" is releasing for the PlayStation 3 on November 1. If you're like Zwick, and the last videogame you played probably involved a yellow ball eating white pellets, just know that the "Uncharted" games are wildly successful. One of the title's most lauded features is the incredibly cinematic story and character performances woven into the action. Drake is an everyman with an "Indiana Jones" complex; a comparison that runs so deep Sony even put out this delightfully weird commercial starring Harrison Ford in Japan. Speaking of "Uncharted" movie adaptations, the film is still lacking a director after David O. Russell walked away from the project. For his part, Zwick doesn't seem too interested. "Ha, no, that's not anything I've ever given thought to," he told Empire. Tell us what you think in the comments section and on Twitter!

Michael Douglas Son Pleads Guilty To Drug Charge

First Published: October 20, 2011 12:39 PM EDT Credit: Getty Images NY, N.Y. -- Caption Cameron Douglas and Michael Douglas arrive at the premiere of Warner Bros. Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past, Los Angeles, April 27, 2009Michael Douglas imprisoned son has pleaded guilty to a new drug charge. Cameron Douglas admitted Thursday that he managed to get drugs in prison while serving a five-year sentence for an earlier drug plea. Douglas entered the plea to a narcotics possession charge. Hes agreed to serve another year in prison. Douglas admitted possessing drugs from May through last week. Thats when authorities found what appeared to be heroin and cocaine in his cell. Federal Judge Richard Berman questioned whether security lapses at two federal prison facilities made it possible for Douglas to obtain drugs. The 32-year-old son of the Academy Award-winning actor had previously admitted to dealing methamphetamine and cocaine. He recently testified for the government in a drug trial as part of a cooperation deal. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Conan O'Brien Sells 'Fat Chance' Comedy Project to TBS (Exclusive)

TBS extends its relationship with late night host Conan O'Brien. The Turner-owned cable network has ordered a script for Fat Chance, a half-hour comedy pilot being developed by O'Brien's Conaco and Warner Horizon Television. The multi-camera comedy follows what happens to two best friends -- the overweight Chance Hubbard and the incredibly good-looking Rollie -- when a beautiful girl named Alex enters their lives. The project will be executive-produced by O'Brien, David Kissinger (Eagleheart, Andy Barker, P.I.) and Jeff Ross (Conan), along with pilot writer Jay Lacopo (The Third Wheel, Man of Your Dreams). The news comes as O'Brien's shingle continues to build its stable of projects at Turner, including a potential Ben Wexler-run sitcom about a family man who quits his day job and returns to the neighborhood where he grew up. O'Brien is repped by WME. Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com Twitter: @LaceyVRose Related Topics Conan O'Brien TBS TV Development

A&E Renews 'The Glades' for a Third Season

A&E will remain in business with The Glades.our editor recommends'The Glades' Returns With OK Ratings A&E Gives Series Pickup to 'Longmire' Western The cable network has renewed its charcter-based procedural for a third season, which will premiere in summer 2012. The news comes as the net looks to expand its scripted footprint, with other scripted dramas Breakout Kings and upcoming Longmire. For its part, The Glades' second season grew 12 percent in the advertiser beloved 18 to 49 demographic --and 2 percent in the adults 25 to 54 demo-- compared to a year earlier. On average, the series, starring Matt Passmore,lured 3.9 million total viewers. The drama, which is produced by Fox Television Studios, is executive produced by creator Clifton Campbell (White Collar, 21 Jump Street) and Gary Randall (Saving Grace). Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com Twitter: @LaceyVRose Related Topics A&E

Keck's Exclusives: Hot in Cleveland's New Coupling

Hot In Cleveland Hot in Cleveland's latest stunt reunites Wendie Malick with Laura San Giacomo, her costar from NBC's Just Shoot Me! Laura guest stars around the December 14 episode from the TV Land hit, but many of her moments are with Valerie Bertinelli's Melanie. "I play Valerie's [estranged] sister, Caroline," states Laura. Caroline discloses she's a lesbian associated with a personality performed by Sandra Bernhard. Works out ex-cleaning soap star Victoria (Wendie) is pretending to become gay after her fake marriage to Pleasure (Jane Leeves) reignites her celebrity. "They are all only at that lesbian event where I'm, and therein lies the hilarity," adds Laura. But Wendie states the episode also offers a significant message. "Laura includes a fabulous scene speaking about becoming an adult gay and the inability to inform your family," she states. "It will earn her a GLAAD Award nomination." Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Hulk Mark Ruffalo Supports Occupy Wall Street, States Protests Are Near to 'True Direct Democracy'

Mark Ruffalo might have been present in the Javits Center in NY on Saturday evening for that NY Comic Disadvantage panel about 'The Avengers,' but it is likely his ideas were downtown using the growing quantity of protestors at Occupy Wall Street. Not just has Ruffalo verbal together with his support, but he even visited protestors at Zuccotti Park a week ago following the park proprietors, Brookfield Qualities, planned an evacuation from the site Ruffalo assisted them clean Zuccotti Park up, despite an evacuation order that never came. States the Oscar-nominated star from the movement inside a new interview using the Wall Street Journal: "It's nearer to the real direct democracy than most likely anything before it is time.Inch Within the profile of Ruffalo, the 'Avengers' star -- who'll take part in the Hulk in Joss Whedon's super hero supergroup mash-up next summer time, the 3rd star after Eric Bana and Edward Norton to do this recently -- discovered concerning the protests online. "Honestly, I believe in some manner I had been waiting for this to occur. I was expecting it to occur,Inch he stated. Ruffalo was concerned about Occupy Wall Street getting a concealed agenda, but he has not found one. "I spent considerable time comprehending the structure from it, trying to puzzle out if there is a hierarchy, if there is a particular group, whether it were built with a real political bent or maybe it had an idea which was self-serving." Based on the star, it isn't. Rather, this is an extension from the change that began using the election of Obama in 2008. "Honestly, I see hope," Ruffalo stated towards the Journal. "The main one metric that people forget is, we must request ourselves partly, who put Obama in to the Whitened House? Which was a significant coup for the country, which was the very first African-American to become make the Whitened House, and that he was make the Whitened House on the commitment of change. Lots of his campaign promises were striking greatly at the middle of things i think this movement is all about.Inch Strong political claims and moviemaking don't frequently mix -- some audiences still will not see films featuring open liberal Sean Penn, for example -- but it is doubtful Ruffalo's comments will modify the 'Avengers' main point here upon release next May. In the end, Morgan Freeman known as the Tea Party "racist" within an interview with Piers Morgan recently at the time 'Dolphin Tale' was launched, which film has still made a remarkable $58.six million up to now. For additional on Ruffalo, take a look at his profile within the Wall Street Journal. [via WSJ] [Photo: Mike Disciullo/bauergriffinonline.com] The Negative Side of 'The Avengers' Cast Robert Downey Junior, 'Less Than Zero'Chris Evans, 'Puncture'Chris Hemsworth, 'Ollie Klublershturf Versus. the Nazis'Samuel L. Jackson, 'Jungle Fever'Jeremy Renner, 'Dahmer'Mark Ruffalo, 'Reservation Road'Scarlett Johansson, 'The Last Score' See All Moviefone Art galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Taken 2 plot revealed

The tremendous success of Taken guaranteed a follow up also it appears as though Liam Neeson's character is going to be butting heads with increased criminals in Taken 2 around this time around the coming year.Whilst we can not formally reveal when very difficult striking film come in the local multiplex, we all do know once the Yanks is going to be setting it up and that is normally an excellent guide: 5 October 2012.In the end, we are unlikely to have it in front of the US - once we did using the first film - now it's be a effective franchise.Olivier Megaton (The Transporter 3, Colombiana) is going to be sitting behind your camera, while Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen share scriptwriting responsibilities again.Additionally, there are now a plot synopsis for that film..."Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, the upon the market CIA agent having a particular group of abilities who stopped at absolutely nothing to save his daughter Kim from Albanian kidnappers. Once the father of among the kidnappers swears revenge, and takes Bryan and the wife hostage throughout their loved ones visit to Istanbul, Bryan enlists Kim to assist them to escape, and uses exactly the same advanced degree of special forces tactics to obtain his family to safety and methodically remove the kidnappers 1 by 1."Appears like Neeson has exactly the same way of bringing in trouble as John McClane does in Die Hard movies. The tales individuals two could tell on the beer!

Winners and Losers of Netflix's Aborted Qwikster Plan

This story first appeared in the Oct. 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. our editor recommendsNetflix's Qwikster Offshoot Unpopular on Wall Street and Main StreetNetflix Yanks Plan to Separate DVD-By-Mail From Streaming ServiceNetflix's Decision to Cancel DVD-Streaming Split: What the Industry, Consumers Are SayingNetflix Stock Rises 7% Early Monday After Company Ditches Qwikster PlanNetflix Shares Sink Again as Analysts Dig Into Qwikster and Blockbuster Sets Press Event'Gossip Girl,' 'Vampire Diaries' Go to Netflix Under Four-Year Streaming Licensing Deal with CW Customers may have grumblingly endured a 60 percent price hike, but asking them to arrange their DVD queue at some website called Qwikster was too much. So after hearing the complaints, Netflix dropped its spinoff gambit Oct. 10, less than a month after announcing it. Qwikster was to have been the name given to the Netflix DVD business, which would also begin renting video games, and it was going to operate separately from the streaming business, which would retain the Netflix moniker. But in a blog post, CEO Reed Hastings announced its quick demise. "This means no change: one website, one account, one password -- in other words, no Qwikster," he wrote. PHOTOS: Netflix's 10 Most Rented Movies of All Time Judging from comments at the blog, users rejoiced, but investors didn't know what to think, so the stock jumped higher shortly after the news, then sunk to a 52-week low, then recovered a bit before ending the day's trading down 5 percent. Not a good sign, considering the Nasdaq rose 3.5 percent the same day, with every other major entertainment stock participating in the rally. (The stock lost another 2.7 percent Oct. 11.) Analysts, too, seemed confused. Example: Tony Wible of Janney Capital Markets upgraded the stock the day Qwikster died, while Michael Pachter at Wedbush Morgan downgraded it. In the middle was Barton Crockett of Lazard Capital Markets, who kept his rating at "neutral," though he praised the dumping of Qwikster. "We saw the decision to force consumers to a new website with a new, hokey name as likely hastening the decline of DVD by mail, still used by 14 million of Netflix's 24 million subscribers," Crockett wrote. "So, clearly, abandoning the name change is positive." PHOTOS: Hollywood's Biggest Blunders One person who no doubt is disappointed that Netflix, a $6 billion company, won't be launching a newfangled product called Qwikster is one Jason Castillo, proprietor of the @Qwikster Twitter account who was allegedly fielding acquisition offers. Last THR heard, Castillo had turned down $1,000 for his Twitter handle and was angling for ongoing payments for as long as Qwikster existed. Turns out, that wasn't very long. Related Topics Netflix

The Great Tarantino/McQueen Slave-Movie Duel, and 5 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

Happy Wednesday! Also in today’s edition of The Broadsheet: Yet another possible Leonardo DiCaprio project surfaces… Aaron Sorkin declined Steve Jobs’s invitation to write a Pixar film… Hilary Duff wants to be the next Stephenie Meyer… Occupy Wall Street’s celebrity dynamic gets a closer look… and more. · Two good turns deserve another for filmmaker Steve McQueen and his muse Michael Fassbender (pictured at right), who will follow their triumphant tandem Hunger and this fall’s Shame with the drama 12 Years a Slave. Chiwetel Ejiofor is coming along for the true story of Solomon Northup, a NYer who was kidnapped and held in captivity in Louisiana in the mid-19th century. Sounds good, but… [Variety] · …Quentin Tarantino will see McQueen’s Fassbender and raise him a Don Johnson. Or something: After reportedly months of arm twisting, QT has all but set Johnson for an undisclosed role in his own slave saga Django Unchianed. Two auteurist slave films in one year! Better than Snow White, I guess. Whose will reign? [Variety] · Leonardo DiCaprio has been linked to yet another project in early development: The Imitation Game, a biopic about Alan Turing, the, um, “English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, computer scientist, criminally prosecuted homosexual, and tortured soul who committed suicide by eating a cyanide-laced apple.” Warner Bros. paid seven figures for Graham Moore’s spec script; Ron Howard’s name has reportedly come up to direct. [Deadline] · I’m a little late to this, but still: Steve Jobs. Wanted Aaron Sorkin. To write a Pixar movie. I mean! Sorkin turned the late visionary down, alas, explaining, “The truth is I don’t know how to tell those stories. I have a young kid who loves Pixar movies and she’ll turn cartwheels if I tell her I’m writing one and I don’t want to disappoint her by writing the only bad movie in the history of Pixar.” Nuts. [The Daily Beast] · I had no idea Hilary Duff is a novelist now. A two-time novelist, no less, utterly eager to have her supernatural young-adult potboiler pair Elixir and Devoted turned into movies. Just throwing that out there; the more you know, etc. [MTV via THR] · “Do protestors feel celebrity support is helping or hurting their cause?” Good question for the demonstrators at Occupy Wall Street. Seriously! Good question. [EW] · Whoops! An autopsy-room image of Michael Jackson’s nude, dead body — with his genitals blacked (ahem) out — was briefly shown on TV Tuesday during Conrad Black’s manslaughter trial. That is all. [People] [Photo: Getty Images]

'Method' acting

Moviegoers at the NY Film Festival filled Alice Tully Hall to capacity Oct. 5 for Sony Pictures Classics' "A Dangerous Method," with helmer David Cronenberg, screenwriter Christopher Hampton and star Michael Fassbender among the attendees. The afterparty was at the Empire Hotel, where guests wandered the open-air rooftop restaurant sipping a novelty cocktail, appropriately called, given the movie they'd just seen, Bitter and Twisted (grapefruit/vodka/bitters). Since the movie is all about Freud, Jung, and Jung's patient-mistress Sabina Spielrein, everyone involved with "A Dangerous Method" was more than willing to talk psychoanalysis. Fassbender, thinking back to his previous movie assignment "X-Men," thought his Magneto wouldn't say anything on the couch. "He'd just start playing with those little metal ball assemblies that everyone has." Regarding Jung, "I'd want to talk to him about his sex with Sabina," Cronenberg said. As for Hampton, he said, "I've actually never been analyzed, and I'm frightened of being analyzed -- in case they fix me." Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

'Super Troopers' Duo Sell Comedy to NBC

Timothy Norris/Getty ImagesSteve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan NBC is looking for its own Men. The network has picked up a comedy project titled Kept Men from Super Troopers writer-actors Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme. The project, from 3 Arts and Universal TV, revolves around two friends who become supported by their respective wives after their business closes down. In addition to writing and starring in the project, Heffernan and Lemme would also serve as executive producers. Sources say the comedy could wind up being either a single- or multi-camera project. Beyond writing and starring in Super Troopers the duo's credits also include Beerfest and Club Dread, and have a number of features in development through their Broken Lizard single. Heffernan is repped by APA, 3 Arts and Ginsburg Daniels; Lemme is witih UTA, 3 Arts and Ginsburg Daniels. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit NBC TV Development

Oscar Predictions: Even Harvey Weinstein Is a Sucker For George Clooney

“I love George Clooney’s movie, The Ides of March,” Harvey Weinstein raved recently when asked for an Academy Award prediction. “I love politics, and this movie is the best political movie — it’s gotta be right up there with the best of the best. Seriously, it is the toughest, most incisive, no-bullshit movie I’ve seen this year. And [Ryan] Gosling hits it out of the ballpark. And the entire cast is great. Clooney just nailed it. It’s an appropriate movie for these times. So Oscar prediction? That that gets nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. And it’s not mine.” [Vulture]

'Fringe' Producers, 'Shield' Scribe Sell Western to Fox

John Hlavin Hot author John Hlavin is boarding the little screen's Western train. Fox has acquired an untitled Western script in the Shield scribe Hlavin which will explore the roots of Wyatt Earp, chronicling the well-known occurrences in the existence -- such as the Gunfight in the OK Corral -- in addition to particulars about his siblings getting order to some lawless frontier. PHOTOS:18 Familiar Faces of Fall TV Hlavin has offered the project towards the network through twentieth century Fox Television, which introduced in Fringe's Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci through their studio-based K/O Paper Items to executive produce the project. K/O Paper Items leader Louise Kadin will even executive produce alongside Hlavin, whose TV credits include Believe Me, Daybreak and E-Ring. Hlavin, that has the Western The Gunslingerin development at Warner Bros. Pictures, is presently penning Risk for The new sony Pictures and dealing with DreamWorks on his untitled heist film. His large-screen credits likewise incorporate penning the 4th installment within the Underworld franchise for Screen Gems. PHOTOS: Fall TV Preview 2011: The Coming back Shows Kurtzman and Orci inked a 3-year overall cope with 20th Television this past year coupled with drama aircraft pilots Locke & Key and Exit Strategy setup at Fox that did not obtain the series pickup in May. This really is their second project this development season CBS acquired a lady-fronted drama turning around a congresswoman who fights for that underdog. Overall, the Hlavin project continues the Western trend this development season. EXCLUSIVE Q&A: Fox's Kevin Reilly on 'X Factor' Rankings, 'Terra Nova' and the way forward for 'Glee' TNT lately gave pilot orders to Gateway, an action-adventure occur 1880s Colorado in the Pacific's Bruce C. McKenna. ABC is developing Gunslinger from Detroit 1-8-7's David Zabel and Hogtown, a procedural pitch occur the Wild West from Battlestar Galactica's Ron Moore. CBS and GoodFellas' Nicholas Pileggi are also preparing Rob Lamb in line with the sixties adventure from the cowboy-switched-Vegas sheriff while NBC has Rob Cassidy's 1840s-set The Frontier in addition to a Western project told from the female perspective from Friday Evening Lights' Peter Berg. STORY: Saddle Up! TV Westerns Hot AMC's Union Off-shore Railroad 1860s Western Hell on Wheels,meanwhile, is first from the gate, premiering November. 6. Hlavin is repped by UTA and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com Twitter: @Snoodit The Shield Roberto Orci Alex Kurtzman TV Development

Gymnast Alicia Sacramone, MLB's Jose Reyes Appearing Nude for ESPN The Magazine's Body Problem

Alicia Sacramone Gymnast Alicia Sacramone, baseball player Jose Reyes, soccer player Hope Solo, football player Steven Jackson and National basketball association player Blake Griffin are probably the sports athletes appearing nude for ESPN The Magazine's third annual Body Problem, USA Today reviews. A lot more than 20 sports athletes can look naked (using their private parts smartly covered) inside a portion of the problem entitled "Physiques We Would Like.Inch The problem, the magazine's annual "exploration and celebration from the sports form," hits newsstands on March. 7. Other sports athletes showing up within the problem include speedskater Apolo Ohno, tennis player Vera Zvonareva, IndyCar racer Helio Castroneves, WBNA player Sylvia Fowles and snowboarder Louie Vito. "It is really an problem within the small amount of time we have been doing the work that's become pretty anticipated," ESPN Playboy editor-in-chief Chad Millman told the newspaper. "When it comes to the sports athletes we have attracted, we seem like the audience is actually strong."

TOLDJA! Jack Black Pic Bernie Acquired By Millennium Entertainment

Deadline revealed within this summer time that Millennium Entertainment was buying U.S. distribution rights for the La Film Festival opening film Bernie, the Richard Linklater-directed film that stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey, for just about any low seven figure minimum guarantee and $millions of P&Dedication. Millennium has finally confirmed the sale. Here’s the condition announcement: La (September 28, 2011) Millennium Entertainments Boss Bill Lee introduced today the organization has acquired U.S. rights to Richard Linklaters BERNIE, the opening evening film within the 2011 La Film Festival. Put together by Skip Hollandsworth and Linklater, BERNIE stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew McConaughey. Mandalay Vision and Wind Dancer Films produced and funded. Director of Purchases Vincent Scordino talked about the sale regarding Millennium Entertainment. The business thinks about the problem in regards to a March 2012 release. Black plays Bernie, the beloved mortician inside a small Texas town. MacLaine might be the metropolitan areas richest, meanest widow, in addition to she adores him. Nobody will say an undesirable word about Bernieeven after he commits an very nasty crime. Were thrilled to produce the newest within the very gifted Richard Linklater to audiences, pointed out Millennium Entertainment Boss Bill Lee. BERNIE can be a wonderfully endearing film that showcases memorable work from Jack, Shirley and Matthew and signifies the type of quality films were searching to fill our slate with. Millennium Entertainment recently released PUNCTURE, starring Chris Evans. They'll next release TRESPASS, starring Academy Award individuals who win Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman, which opened up within the Toronto Worldwide Film Festival and may open October 14, 2011.

'Moneyball' tops Friday B.O.

'Moneyball'Sony's "Moneyball" tossed for first last evening within the domestic box office with $6.8 million.Studio thinks the Kaira Pitt starrer will behave much like last year's "The Social Media,Inch revealing its legs with adult auds up through honours season. That given, "Moneyball" should land somewhere inside the high teens to win a couple of days ago. Pic acquired a b Cinemascore from every demo.Disney's "The Lion King" reissue came back for second on Friday with $6.millions of. Dork Hollis, distribution prexy within the Mouse, mentioned there's some concern the discharge was too frontloaded and would hit its soph slump this frame, but midweek sales and last night's perf indicate otherwise.Fresh faces needed another top spots with Warner Bros.' "Dolphin Tale" in third with $5.millions of, and Lionsgate's "Abduction" in fourth with $3.8 million. "Killer Elite," the initial title from Open Road Films, opened up up last evening to roughly $3.4 million."Elite" is predicted to fall around $12 million or $13 million through Sunday, which more often than not meets anticipation for Open Road. The distribbery acquired the film totally free and merely aims to recoup P&A costs. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Hope Solo: Maksim Chmerkovskiy Is Extremely Sexy!

La, Calif. -- Hope Solo was Dwts ballerina Maksim Chmerkovskiys dream partner, now that the 2 are paired up and competing in Season 13, the soccer goalkeeper has recognized he would be a perfect fit. And also the self-referred to sex on the stick (a nickname he gave themself throughout rehearsals with Kirstie Alley last season), continues to be focused in rehearsals, departing your camera-stealing lines for an additional time. Maks results in a particular way, and hes very sexy, very confident, but simultaneously, he really wants to win, Hope told Access Hollywood in defense of her sometimes-open ballroom bad boy, after last nights DWTS. Thats things i respect about him, because when a sports athlete, he makes me strive, he pushes me, and hes intense. Thats all I truly worry about. Hope can also be devoted to carrying out a good project for herself and particularly for Maks, that has yet to consider home the mirrorball within the competition and also the two carried out nicely on Monday evening, arriving third for that evening and netting 21 highlights of 30. All along Maks desired to get three 7s, and also to accomplish this, Im so relieved, Hope stated. Im so happy, and that i didnt wish to allow him to lower, because hes labored so difficult, and Im certainly a sports athlete. But, their impressive debut score nearly didnt happen. I almost cried within the dressing room, Hope stated of her a reaction to putting on a pink, sequined dress. I place the outfit on, hair and makeup done, and that i didnt think I possibly could go out. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved.These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Fall TV Previews: Up All Night, Free Agents

Christina Applegate In this year's mixed bag of a new fall season, I tend to find myself touting several of the comedies more frequently than almost any of the dramas, which is rarely the case. There are plenty of sitcom stinkers this fall - one of tonight's, actually, is at the very bottom of my must-flee (as opposed to must-see) list. But with New Girl, 2 Broke Girls, Suburgatory and (tonight's pick) Up All Night, there's reason to believe that network comedy's renaissance - reflected in the fact that all six of this year's best-comedy Emmy nominees are network shows - may be here to stay.Want more fall TV news? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!Up All Night is clearly a work in progress (as are most pilots), and its revamped opener shows the strain of rethinking Maya Rudolph's scene-stealing character post-production, awkwardly inserting new workplace scenes that aren't an especially smooth fit. (She went from being a neurotic public-relations exec to being a manically neurotic over-the-top daytime talk queen, sort of a mini-Oprah. Traces of Rudolph's justifiably praised SNL Oprah impersonation can be seen here, and I'll be curious to see how this develops.)Rudolph is the wacky comic icing on what otherwise is a more grounded and endearingly realistic comedy about two exhausted new parents (Christina Applegate and Will Arnett) who are still adjusting to the loss of their it's-all-about-me, hard-partying lifestyle to make way for adorable baby Amy. One sign that they're not quite there yet: Their cooing over the baby is punctuated by oodles of bleeped cursing.Theirs is the human comedy of anxiety and panic familiar (perhaps too familiar) to anyone who's new to the child-rearing game. As Reagan (Applegate) heads back to work for Ava the TV diva (Rudolph), leaving husband Chris (Arnett) to be Mr. Mom at home, she hears Matt Lauer snarking at her from the Today set on TV, and what she hears coming from Chris's mouth - "Babe. Worry. I can't totally do this" - rattles her even more. It's not much easier for Chris, whose first solo trip to the mega-supermarket with baby on board is a nightmare of disorientation. Applegate is, as always, disarming, but Arnett is the real revelation here, playing an actual human being for a change instead of an ironic comment on a character. We know he's brilliant at absurdism, but it's nice to see him get real.NBC is hoping to launch a new Wednesday comedy block with this show, which may get a first-week boost by airing after the America's Got Talent finale. But considering that next week it goes up against ABC's broader and funnier The Middle, not to mention the juggernaut of Fox's The X Factor, the only real shot Up All Night has is if the network decides to move it to Thursdays, where its arch tone would be a decent fit among NBC's irony-laced cult faves. (It would definitely be more at home on Thursday than the shrill Whitney, which premieres next week.) Given that Lorne Michaels is attached to this one as an executive producer, NBC may give it another night and time to shine should it implode on Wednesdays.Whereas I can't imagine any place where the toxic workplace comedy Free Agents would be welcomed. An unpleasant show about miserable people working in an environment (corporate public relations) that's about as welcoming as Chernobyl, this is the decidedly non-romantic story of newly divorced whiner Alex (Hank Azaria), who cries after sex and any time he hears a certain Archies song, and snappish co-worker Helen (Kathryn Hahn), who drowns her sorrows over her dead-too-soon fiancé, to whom she's turned her home into a creepy shrine.Into their uninviting lives we're thrust after a post-coital opening scene and a morning-after standoff at work, where Helen informs Alex he's not ready for a relationship because he's an "absolute mess." (True enough. Still not funny.) PoorAlex, though, can't catch a break. He's hounded at work by grotesque boors, including a lascivious boss played by Buffy's Anthony Head - reprising his role from the original British series, which BBC America will begin showing next month - who keep urging the schnook to "get back on the horse." He's regularly mocked to his face by his snark-shark of an executive assistant Emma, whom he begs to "turn down the sass maybe one little notch." She doesn't. And being part of this year's trend of emasculated wusses, PoorAlex just shrugs it off.Thankfully, where TV is concerned, we are all free agents, and can walk away from a train wreck like this without even a backward glance.Finally, the CW is trying to convince people that tonight's pathetic new quasi-reality show H8R (pronounced "hater") is somehow a response to online bullying, the victims in this case being quasi-celebs (largely of the "reality" variety) like Snooki and the Kardashians, who really should develop thicker skins - if that's even possible - when it comes to taking abuse for being famous. Or infamous, as the case may be. The real victims in H8R are the everyday schmos who are ambushed, Punk'd-style, by that week's "star" and host Mario Lopez, who spend the bulk of each episode trying to convince their targets and us that these overexposed tabloid terrors aren't really so bad. Not buying it. Not watching it. Feel free to hate H8R, and should they come knocking, don't let them in. No one needs to be on TV this badly.Up All Night and Free Agents premiere Wednesday, 10/9c and 10:30/9:30c, on NBC. Next week, they move to their regular time period in the 8/7c hour.H8R premieres Wednesday at 8/7c on the CW.Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

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About That Time Paul Rudd Met President Obama

“He asked about my character in How Do You Know, and I told him I’m a guy who gets into some hot water, and though his intentions are good he gets indicted by the government for possible violations. And Obama says, ‘Oh, so you’re playing a congressman.’ And I was like, ‘No, actually I work for my dad in this corporation.’ I’m trying to explain, and Obama interrupts me and says, ‘It was a joke.’ I just felt so stupid. Of course it was a joke, and it’s actually a pretty good one. I’m normally pretty good at catching them. If you’re not the fucking President of the United States, I can usually identify when you’re joking.” Now you know. [Playboy]

X-Men: First Class Full Movie

I Spent 29 Minutes Playing Dirty Dancing On Facebook So You Don't Have To

Not every Facebook game can be as engaging as that of our sister site Deadline. Take the Hollywood social-media fun-time application unveiled today: Dirty Dancing, a hip-swinging, watermelon-schlepping journey through all the rocking romance of the classic 1987 film. But pixelated! Because, you know, nobody puts Baby in a corner, but apparently putting her in 16-bit animation is totally fine. “By visiting http://apps.facebook.com/dirtydancinggame, everyone who has ever wanted to be a part of those magical times in the Catskills can now have the time of their lives by acting as managers and caretakers of Kellerman’s Resort,” notes a press release sent along to Movieline HQ. “Players and their Facebook friends will join the characters to build the resort, provide guests with fun activities and dances, spread romance and enjoy music from the classic Dirty Dancing soundtrack. The game is designed using Pixel Art to re-create that fun and innocence which made Dirty Dancing one of the most popular films of the ’80s.” The time of my life, eh? Let’s give it a shot! Uh, whoa. “Pick a Trainer now!” OK! Stop yelling! So wait, though: I’m a straight guy. Am I supposed to want Johnny as a trainer? I think? He’s the dancer, right? Isn’t it creepy if I go with the coltish teen virgin? Fuck it. Johnny it is. [SELECT] Swell! I don’t… see them? Is that the clubhouse over there, though? I could use a drink. There are girls in the bar, yes? Six vodka gimlets and a hotel key is perfectly good romance. Let’s get sparking! “Spread romance”? I love the euphemisms! Anyway, sure, I’ll click. Heads up, Single Guest: I am totally going to drop a romance wave on you right now. Again? So soon? OK, I think I can. But you said. Ugh. Let me get a towel.

Exclusive Start Looking: Sarah Michelle Gellar Returns to any or all The Kids

Sarah Michelle Gellar My Children will quickly finish its staggering 41-year run although not before among its most well-known grads drops directly into say goodbye. Ringer star Sarah Michelle Gellar, who won a 1995 Daytime Emmy as Kendall Hart, the wicked, sexually audacious daughter of Erica Kane, will go back to the ABC cleaning soap September 21. Gellar contacted the show herself, particularly asking to not play Kendall because the role has become possessed by Alicia Minshew - so rather she is going to play a delusional patient at Pine Valley Hospital who thinks she's Erica's daughter! The very first person Gellar's character encounters - and recognizes - is Dr. Maria Santos Gray, performed by fellow AMC alum Avoi La Rue (CSI: Miami). States the soap's professional producer Julie Carruthers: "It had been an excellent pleasure to welcome Sarah to Pine Valley and particularly fun to possess her character wink towards the audience with fun lines that recommended her previous character." Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

'March' to Toronto

Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor.Viggo Mortensen, Michael Barker, David Cronenberg and Tom Bernard chat at Sony Pictures Classics cocktail party.Paul Giamatti, Kate Mara and Max Minghella juggle three "Ides" events. Cee Lo Green performs at Alliance Films Press Party at South of Temperance during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2011 in Toronto, Canada. Alliance Films Press Party - Toronto International Film Festival South of Temperance ToPaul Haggis and Jon Hamm Michel Hazanavicius and Jean Dujardin unveil "The Artist." EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE * EXCLUSIVE * (EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE) Rhys Ifans and Jamie Campbell Bower at Columbia Pictures "Anonymous" Premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Center on September 11, 2011 in TAlliance's Victor Loewy and Sony's Amy Pascal meet at Alliance bash; Cee Lo Green performs "Crazy." Sony Corporation Chairman, CEO and President Sir Howard Stringer and actor George Clooney attend "The Ides of March" party.Unsuspecting Canucks might've been double-checking their calendars as the city buzzed about "The Ides of March," George Clooney's political drama that was a centerpiece at the Toronto Film Festival on Friday.No less than three parties championed the cast, including a pre-show event at Soho House and a late-night soiree at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, but that didn't explain the near 45-minute delay of the pic's unspooling at Roy Thomson Hall."Sorry we're so late. You know, blame Brad Pitt," Clooney joked as he introduced the film, noting his friend's "Moneyball," which screened earlier and slowed auds getting to their seats.The rest of the night went off without a hitch at the Alliance Films party where cast members of "Ides," including Ryan Gosling and Evan Rachel Wood, joined the Canadian distrib to toast its 21 films at the fest.Wood downplayed the political side of "Ides.""It asks the questions of who we want to be as people, rather than what party or candidate is better," she said. "There are no heroes or villains in this film."The Alliance event featured a surprise mini-concert from Cee Lo Green, who had the crowd belting out his Gnarls Barkley hit "Crazy.""Usually you expect a corporate event to be cold and coarse, but tonight was an exception," he said.Friday also saw the annual fundraiser for Artists for Peace and Justice, at Ame restaurant.Paul Haggis hosted along with Gerard Butler, with Jon Hamm in attendance. The helmer is proud of the org's community outreach work in Port-au-Prince. "APJ built a state-of-the-art cholera center that has treated over 10,000 people and just opened the first free high school in Haiti, with a permanent structure going up now," said Haggis.APJ's fundraising continued Saturday when Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder performed. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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