Jersey Shore's Snooki Unveils Dramatic Fat Loss

Nicole Snooki Polizzi Jersey Shore's Snooki (Nicole Polizzi) takes the "G" part of "G.T.L." seriously nowadays. The reality star recently posted an image of her new, super-slim body to Twitter, writing, "So happy I'm within my goal weight I used to be once i reaches secondary school! Feelin fit is amazing and really should not wait to set hardcore!"The 23-year-old remains open about her weight struggle, getting fought against a diet disorders in secondary school and, sooner or later, weighing only 80 pounds.Photo gallery: Dramatic celebrity weight reductionInchI truly wouldn't eat. I'd only have lunch which i'd only have planning preparing salads. It got so crazy that we would only have a cracker every day or possibly a cucumber every day which i'd feel full," she told The Insider within the month of the month of january 2010.However, she's now adopted a far more healthy attitude, tweeting about her "late evening gym periods."Lately, she told Wendy Williams she only agreed to be five pounds from her goal of 98 pounds.What can you consider Snooki's change?

Longtime teams keep work fresh

Thelma Schoonmaker gave Sacha Baron Cohen's dialogue air in 'Hugo.'The 'J. Edgar' editors shared your dream sceneLongtime editor-director teams often create a working shorthand together through the years, which carries in one project to another across their physiques of labor.However following a decade or even more of collaboration, how can editors keep their work fresh, while infusing films having a director's signature style?Frequently, the helmer's method of projects is essential. The editors of "J. Edgar" say Clint Eastwood's decisive method of filmmaking makes every project feel fresh -- despite 36 years together. Joel Cox states Eastwood's belief both in having faith in a person's stomach and letting the film find itself enables for creative freedom and brings energy in each and every project."There is something regarding your first instinct if you notice something you hold like a memory," Cox states. "When you begin to experience around by using it you cannot perform the films like we are doing, the emotional films, you cannot edit them this way, because emotion is moments."Films -- they are just like a special wine," he adds. "Should you permit them to breathe and open, sometimes you discover miracle that's this is not on the page but eventually ends up on screen.InchThat philosophy inspired Cox and co-editor Gary Roach to separate a cut together the very first time on "J. Edgar," inside a crucial segment by which Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) and the second-in-command, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), possess a fistfight that's taut with romantic tension. The scene, using its slow build and ultimate explosiveness, was the film's most difficult for that editors. Dividing it assisted them manage the succession, in addition to achieve Eastwood's signature emotional style.In Alexander Payne's "The Descendants," which examines a family's dynamics following the wife/mother suffers a mortal injuries, editor Kevin Tent was driven through the dynamic that's developed through 16 many years of dealing with the director, in addition to fresh hurdles within the material."We're both difficult on one another and difficult around the film to make certain it keeps improving."Within their latest collaboration, he states, "The task was attempting to keep it light with comedy moments, but not to cheapen the sincere sorrow.""We did not need to make it this type of heavy drama that individuals would slit their arms after."The twin need for the director's approach and past collaboration can also be answer to a brand new require Thelma Schoonmaker, that has been cutting for Martin Scorsese in excess of 3 decades. "(Scorsese) is definitely pushing themself, he really wants to experiment, which means I recieve to achieve that too," Schoonmaker states. "Hugo," a period of time piece in regards to a youthful boy who helps find forgotten movie pioneer Georges Melies, is the latest collaboration, as well as their first in three dimensional. "Every cut is really a new problem to resolve, or something like that to savor,Inch she states.Among Schoonmaker's greatest challenges in "Hugo" was integrating Sacha Baron Cohen's improvisational style using the relaxation from the performances.In a single particularly tricky scene, Cohen's socially inept Station Inspector approaches Emily Mortimer's soft-spoken flower-seller to create a romantic overture. Schoonmaker left extra breaks in Cohen's dialogue to balance their performances and boost the comedy -- a trick she learned on Scorsese's 1990 gangster film, "Goodfellas."Eye around the Academy awards: Vfx, Seem & Editing Thesps up f/x respect Longtime teams keep work fresh Randy's Rules to find the best seem Seem editing: Always make dramatic sense Seem Mixing: Which makes it all feel real Digital tools add quality, spend less Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Lysistrata Manley

Patti Murin and Josh Segarra in "Lysistrata Manley" A Paula Herold, Alan Wasser, Ernest Cruz, Michael McCabe, John Breglio, Takonkiet Viravan/Scenario Thailand, Hilary A. Williams, Broadway Across America, James G. Robinson presentation from the musical by 50 percent functions with music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn book by Douglas Carter Beane. Directed and choreographed by Serta Knechtges. Music direction, Kaira Simmons.'Uardo - Alexander Aguilar Tyllis - Ato Blankson-Wood Lampito Kanagawa - Katie Boren Robin - Lindsay Nicole Chambers Heterai - Liz Mikel Lysistrata Manley - Patti Murin Cleonice - Kat Nejat Mick - Josh Segarra Mhyrinne - LaQuet Sharnell Xander - Jason Tam Harold - Teddy Toye Cinesius - Alex WyseSex, gags and dunk shots add Douglas Carter Beane's "Lysistrata Manley," about several cheerleaders who finalise to remain chaste to motivate their males round the Athens U. basketball team to put an finish for the school's 33-year losing streak. This college-level "Secondary School Musical" is layered with giddy and frequently wicked sophistication, which is company of 12 provides vibrant performances backed by energetically brisk staging in this particular sweetly silly romp. Auds will fight to avoid laughter. The show can be a direct descendant of Beane's earlier "Xanadu," but much better than that relate, and much more amusing than his other current Broadway musical, "Sister Act." Borrowing its plot from Aristophanes, "Lysistrata Manley" juxtaposes lowbrow popular entertainment with highbrow wit to supply good-natured injections at modern culture, mores and eccentricities as transfer student Lizzie (Patti Murin) convinces her squad, whose males have been in the overall game, to withhold the items until they win. The show within the Walter Kerr Theater is virtually similar to the version mounted with the Transport Group last spring lower on Washington Square, with one minor cast change. Beane has ongoing to update his script there's a tale about Newt Gingrich at Tiffany's, and also the other in which the leading lady asks her iPhone's Siri about neighborhood brothels. Performances have ongoing to build up. Murin bakes a lovely and undefeatable Lizzie Josh Segarra is enjoyable since the dull basketball star who independently spouts Frost and Dickinson Lindsay Nicole Chambers is perfect since the librarian geek who conveys through poetry jams and Liz Mikel might be the big-voiced extra-large Greek goddess who's really the only adult in your home. Funniest and several impressive is Jason Tam, who carried out the hurt dancer Paul inside the recent "Chorus Line." Here he's greatly droll since the computer geek Xander, giving a hysterical exhibition of eccentric dancing while he Googles the steps on his cell phone. Helmer/choreographer Serta Knechtges, heretofore known inside the latter role, keeps the show moving as being a fluid the overall game of basketball, delivering laffs in route. Weakest link might be the score by Lewis Flinn. The music activity is essentially functional, in no way as tasty since the additional circumstances the lyrics involve some vibrant spots, no less than when they are not overamplified past audibility. It had been something from the problem when the show carried out downtown by having an actual basketball court at Judson Memorial Chapel, nevertheless the appear is unaccountably more garbled within the Kerr.Sets, Allen Moyer costumes, David C. Woolard and Thomas Charles LeGalley lights, Michael Gottlieb appear, Tony Meola orchestrations, Flinn production stage manager, Lois L. Griffing. Opened up up 12 ,. 14, 2011, examined 12 ,. 9. Running time: 2 Several hours, 10 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Grimm: Satisfy the New Hansel & Gretel

Daryl Sabara Spy Kids star Daryl Sabara will have one-1 / 2 of the story book duo Hansel and Gretel with an approaching episode of Grimm, Entertainment Weekly reviews. Grimm's Silas Weir Mitchell: Monroe is wilier than Twilight's Jacob Sabara and Necessary Roughness' Hannah Marks will have Hanson and Gracie, destitute teens attempting to survive within the roads of Tigard who all of a sudden get entangled in to the creature world's underground community of human organ dealing. The reality is, this is not your parents' version of Hansel and Gretel. Grimm airs Fridays at 9/8c on NBC.

British Film Institute creates film fund post

LONDON -- The British Film Institute has announced plans to appoint a single executive to run its production and distribution funds, with a combined annual budget of 21 million ($33 million). This follows the resignation of Tanya Seghatchian as head of the BFI's film fund in September, and the departure of Peter Buckingham as head of distribution and exhibition in November. These two jobs will be replaced by a newly-created role titled director of film fund, reporting to BFI chief executive Amanda Nevill. This marks a move toward a more integrated policy of development, production and distribution investment, in line with the expected recommendations of the U.K. government's Film Policy Review to be announced in January. According to a BFI statement, the new director of film fund will be responsible for leading the existing production and distribution teams, nurturing filmmaking talent from across the U.K., championing creative excellence and encouraging a boldness of approach. The BFI took over from the U.K. Film Council last April as the public body responsible for investing lottery coin into British film production and distribution. Both Seghatchian and Buckingham moved across from the UKFC to the BFI, but decided to leave once the transition was complete. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Transgender Performers on How Art and Identity Inform Each Other

Transgender Performers on How Art and Identity Inform Each Other By Simi Horwitz December 9, 2011 Lucas Silveira The statuesque and striking Bianca Leigh admits that exposing one of her breasts in her one-person musical "Busted" was a vulnerable moment. But it was not gratuitous, confessional, or therapeutic, she says, despite her being a transgender woman.Indeed, Leigh never planned to write a piece about the transgender experience, but she felt that audiences were ready, and so was she. "With humor, I showed how the abuse of power can affect any disenfranchised person," she says. "Busted" recounts what happened when she was arrested for alleged solicitation.Leigh no longer feels disenfranchised but concedes that she faces obstacles, especially as an actress. (The majority of the trans women interviewed prefer the term "actress" to the gender-neutral "actor.") Transgender roles are fewoften they're prostitutes, criminals, or murder victimsand when a good part surfaces, more often than not it does not go to a transgender actor. The films "Transamerica" and "Boys Don't Cry" are classic examples. Leigh wants to do more than transgender roles but will seize any small opportunity. "I will work nonstop," she insists. "I have to prove I am an actress who happens to be trans."Leigh is luckier than most transgender actors in that she has representation. Her agent, Judy Boals, says she had no reservations in taking on Leigh: "I will submit her for everything, but mostly beautiful, glamorous, upscale female roles. I haven't gotten her much yet, but mostly because of her many downtown theater credits. Also, in the few films she's been in, she's played transgender characters." Generally, Boals explains, casting directors and agents like to put people in boxes.A Trans Life On Stage and Off "Transgender" is an umbrella term for a person whose gender identity and lifestyle don't match his or her biological sex. Most transgender people know at an early age that they're "trapped in the wrong body" and are usually "out" as homosexuals prior to making the actual gender transition. Some have surgical and/or hormonal treatments, though typically they won't discuss whether they've had so-called "bottom surgery." Others don't take medications or undergo gender realignment procedures. Still others want to "pass," while some see themselves on a gender continuum, sharing characteristics of men and women. A fair number continue to identify with queer culture."I am going to face hatred and discrimination and therefore feel part of a larger queer community," Leigh explains. "But it's not about being gay. I am a woman of transsexual experience." In contrast, trans woman and actor Laverne Cox identifies as a straight female, despite knowing discrimination not only as a trans woman but as an African American.Trans male standup comic Ian Harvie describes himself as a man, but not male. "A male is what you are biologically, while a man is something you can create," he says. He maintains the F (for female) on his driver's license, contending that "if I ever get arrested, I want to go to the women's prison. That's a female privilege I'd like to keep. I don't want the privileges of a straight male, though sometimes I get them because of how I look."Justin Vivian Bond, previously best known for the persona of inebriated lounge singer Kiki of the duo Kiki and Herb and who has been taking estrogen for a number of years, says, "I identify as a transgender. I do not believe in the gender binary, and I do not live as a male or female. When I played Kiki, I was playing a woman. But I was not a man playing a woman, or a woman playing a woman. I was a transgender playing a woman." In his more recent incarnation as a singer, Bond evokes a sophisticated man-woman, but with no campy overtones. Author of the recently published memoir "Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels," he is now participating in a queer art mentorship program and will be guiding a trans male dancer, who did not wish to be identified but who said, "My trans body allows me to occupy a new artistic space."Ambiguous gender identity is part of a long theatrical tradition, says David Kaufman, theater critic and author of "Ridiculous!: The Theatrical Life and Times of Charles Ludlam." Ludlam's performance as Camille in his comic version of the Alexandre Dumas classic was an iconic and moving example of gender blending onstage. "He wore gowns but also exposed his chest hair," Kaufman says. "He was not trying to conceal his male identity. He did not embrace camp. In fact, he felt camp was in the eye of the beholder. He said, 'I'm doing real acting in drag.' " Ludlam was gay but not transgender.Is it Necessary to Pass? Transgender performers are not new. Consider Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis, and Holly Woodlawn, who all starred in Andy Warhol films. The most famous transgender person today is probably Chaz Bono, and the brouhaha over his appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" has brought the topic front and center. The precise number of transgender performers is not available, but all the interviewees agree that their presence will be increasingly felt.They can currently be seen performing cabaret acts, experimental solo pieces, standup comedy, and roles in film and TV. Candis Cayne was on "Dirty Sexy Money," and Harmony Santana played a young boy beginning to transition in the highly praised indie film "Gun Hill Road."Casting director Sig De Miguel, who has cast transgender actors in films, looks forward to the time when a character's transgender status is incidental to the script and an actor's trans identity is irrelevant to casting. "You may be born male, but you're a woman now," De Miguel says. He doesn't think passing as one sex or the other is relevant.By contrast, Cox wants to pass and would love to play a straight woman. "In the film 'Musical Chairs,' my character's sexuality was not an issue," she says. "I had a love interest, and I played it as a straight woman." Similarly, Santana hopes to pass onscreen and believes it's her job as a performer to do so. "The only challenge right now is my voice," she says. "I think it's still a little masculine, but I've been told by men it's sexy." She acknowledges that she would be a little uncomfortable doing a romantic scene with a straight actor, unless he knew she was a trans woman. Shaping a Performance To what degree being transgender shapes a performance is arguable. Trans woman Marlo Bernier concedes that as a woman, her comedic skills are sharper than when she was a man. Still, she had no problem playing men, saying that acting is acting. For others, trans identity and artistry are profoundly interrelated. CeCe Suazo-Augustus says she brought a "unique LBGT twist" to her interpretation of conspirator Cinna in a production of "Julius Caesar" by the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival's Will Power to Youth program in 1997.Likewise, Kestryl Cael, an edgy "trans-masculine" (the phrase he prefers) performance artist, started writing his own pieces in part because the roles in dramatic literature didn't mesh with his aesthetic or sensibility. "I have a queer identity and don't identify with women or straight men," he says. "I use the gender-neutral pronoun 'hir.' "Cael does not send out headshots or rsums but will perform in the works of friends, who understand that he'll bring a special "queer" spin to the undertaking. He would not play a misogynistic straight man in a representational style, but would play the part with a wink to the audience. "I will not identify with that character," he says. "My approach is more Brechtian."Harvie wants his audiences to love him and embrace his "trans-ness" as much as he does, likening it to a "gift." Presenting an easygoing and charming persona, he discusses his life as a woman before top surgery, when he was forced to wear a triple-D bra, and the misery he endured in "lugging the girls around."Without finger-wagging, he hopes his audiences will view sex, gender, and male and female politics in new ways. "I talk about trans-ness, so I've become a transgender comic," Harvie says, "but I see myself more as an identity comic, like a black comic or 'recovery' comic." In the end, his goal is bonding with viewers, because he is one of them. "Everyone feels like an outsider," he says.Playing a lounge-lizard emcee with slicked-down black hair, a slightly shiny, baggy suit, and a fake mustache, standup performer Murray Hill sees himself as an outsider separate from the audience. He views his act as a fun defense mechanism. At the same time, he asserts that "living a life weaving between gender binaries" has made it more possible for him to connect to theatergoers across gender lines. "What I love about my character is it translates differently to each person," Hill says. "Some folks have no idea, others are in on it, and some folks are just confused. That makes for a thrilling ride for both me and the audience." But foremost, "I'm an entertainer," he emphasizes. "I sing, I dance, I interact with the audience, and I tell jokes. I'm everyone's favorite uncle at the dinner table during holidays, after a few drinks."Mixed Emotions Being trans may inform some actors' performances, but for others, performing paved the way for transitioning. Santana had not started her change when she was cast in "Gun Hill Road," but as she delved into her role and the director insisted that she "become a girl," she was able to make the decision to go ahead with sexual reassignment. "It gave me the strength to be comfortable in my skin," she recalls.Harvie came out onstage when he was a woman because not to do so felt dishonest, he says. "I knew I looked like a butch dyke, and I know that was what the audience was seeing. I was aware I was trans before I did standup. But performing helped me get honest about it."Not all demons are from within. Lucas Silveira, a rock singer based in Canada, recounts how difficult it was for him when he was still "Lilia." In the male-dominated music industry, he was stigmatized as a woman and a lesbian. In addition, he felt inauthentic and self-conscious onstage."I came out as a gay woman when I was 17," he says. "I became a trans man at 32, and at 33 I did top surgery. Five years later I started taking testosterone. I was warned I might lose my voice." In fact, that didn't happen, and he had many more recording opportunities. "The freak aspect initially served me well," but "now it has boomeranged." Opportunities diminished while squabbles within his band, the Cliks, flourished. "When I did my last album, I was already out as a trans man and we were all queer-identified," Silveira says. "But when the photographer wanted me to take off my shirt, the other singers did not want me to do it. They had internalized homophobia and transphobia." Transitioning is not always as liberating as one might imagine. Alekxia, a trans woman, says that before transitioning she booked a few SAG and AFTRA jobs, mostly for commercials and voiceovers in Spanish. But once she started the medical procedures, the phone stopped ringing. "In the last two years, I've only auditioned for two roles," she says.Bernier has had a better time of it, though when she started transitioning she agonized over what would happen if she became a series regular in a male role, "with breasts growing and T-shirts getting tighter. I was terrified." At the moment, she is working behind the camera as a director. "In films centering on transgender life, usually the trans person has to make the major transition," she says. "In my film 'Stealth,' family members will have to make the major transition." Perhaps more groundbreaking, upcoming Bernier films do not deal with transgender characters at all.Though progress may be slow, steps are being taken. The performers' dreams don't seem quite that improbable. Silveira wants to go mainstream: "My music is not based on my being transgender. It's based on my being a human being." Hill would love to move into acting and is even willing to take on a distaff role. "I'd play a woman for one of Tyler Perry's movies in a heartbeat," he says. Leigh's ambition is to tackle a larger-than-life matriarch, broad, or courtesan. "I think the male-to-female transsexual is the new courtesan," she proclaims in celebration. "You can't bring us home to Mama."Now that's attitude. Transgender Performers on How Art and Identity Inform Each Other By Simi Horwitz December 9, 2011 Lucas Silveira The statuesque and striking Bianca Leigh admits that exposing one of her breasts in her one-person musical "Busted" was a vulnerable moment. But it was not gratuitous, confessional, or therapeutic, she says, despite her being a transgender woman.Indeed, Leigh never planned to write a piece about the transgender experience, but she felt that audiences were ready, and so was she. "With humor, I showed how the abuse of power can affect any disenfranchised person," she says. "Busted" recounts what happened when she was arrested for alleged solicitation.Leigh no longer feels disenfranchised but concedes that she faces obstacles, especially as an actress. (The majority of the trans women interviewed prefer the term "actress" to the gender-neutral "actor.") Transgender roles are fewoften they're prostitutes, criminals, or murder victimsand when a good part surfaces, more often than not it does not go to a transgender actor. The films "Transamerica" and "Boys Don't Cry" are classic examples. Leigh wants to do more than transgender roles but will seize any small opportunity. "I will work nonstop," she insists. "I have to prove I am an actress who happens to be trans."Leigh is luckier than most transgender actors in that she has representation. Her agent, Judy Boals, says she had no reservations in taking on Leigh: "I will submit her for everything, but mostly beautiful, glamorous, upscale female roles. I haven't gotten her much yet, but mostly because of her many downtown theater credits. Also, in the few films she's been in, she's played transgender characters." Generally, Boals explains, casting directors and agents like to put people in boxes.A Trans Life On Stage and Off "Transgender" is an umbrella term for a person whose gender identity and lifestyle don't match his or her biological sex. Most transgender people know at an early age that they're "trapped in the wrong body" and are usually "out" as homosexuals prior to making the actual gender transition. Some have surgical and/or hormonal treatments, though typically they won't discuss whether they've had so-called "bottom surgery." Others don't take medications or undergo gender realignment procedures. Still others want to "pass," while some see themselves on a gender continuum, sharing characteristics of men and women. A fair number continue to identify with queer culture."I am going to face hatred and discrimination and therefore feel part of a larger queer community," Leigh explains. "But it's not about being gay. I am a woman of transsexual experience." In contrast, trans woman and actor Laverne Cox identifies as a straight female, despite knowing discrimination not only as a trans woman but as an African American.Trans male standup comic Ian Harvie describes himself as a man, but not male. "A male is what you are biologically, while a man is something you can create," he says. He maintains the F (for female) on his driver's license, contending that "if I ever get arrested, I want to go to the women's prison. That's a female privilege I'd like to keep. I don't want the privileges of a straight male, though sometimes I get them because of how I look."Justin Vivian Bond, previously best known for the persona of inebriated lounge singer Kiki of the duo Kiki and Herb and who has been taking estrogen for a number of years, says, "I identify as a transgender. I do not believe in the gender binary, and I do not live as a male or female. When I played Kiki, I was playing a woman. But I was not a man playing a woman, or a woman playing a woman. I was a transgender playing a woman." In his more recent incarnation as a singer, Bond evokes a sophisticated man-woman, but with no campy overtones. Author of the recently published memoir "Tango: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels," he is now participating in a queer art mentorship program and will be guiding a trans male dancer, who did not wish to be identified but who said, "My trans body allows me to occupy a new artistic space."Ambiguous gender identity is part of a long theatrical tradition, says David Kaufman, theater critic and author of "Ridiculous!: The Theatrical Life and Times of Charles Ludlam." Ludlam's performance as Camille in his comic version of the Alexandre Dumas classic was an iconic and moving example of gender blending onstage. "He wore gowns but also exposed his chest hair," Kaufman says. "He was not trying to conceal his male identity. He did not embrace camp. In fact, he felt camp was in the eye of the beholder. He said, 'I'm doing real acting in drag.' " Ludlam was gay but not transgender.Is it Necessary to Pass? Transgender performers are not new. Consider Candy Darling, Jackie Curtis, and Holly Woodlawn, who all starred in Andy Warhol films. The most famous transgender person today is probably Chaz Bono, and the brouhaha over his appearance on "Dancing With the Stars" has brought the topic front and center. The precise number of transgender performers is not available, but all the interviewees agree that their presence will be increasingly felt.They can currently be seen performing cabaret acts, experimental solo pieces, standup comedy, and roles in film and TV. Candis Cayne was on "Dirty Sexy Money," and Harmony Santana played a young boy beginning to transition in the highly praised indie film "Gun Hill Road."Casting director Sig De Miguel, who has cast transgender actors in films, looks forward to the time when a character's transgender status is incidental to the script and an actor's trans identity is irrelevant to casting. "You may be born male, but you're a woman now," De Miguel says. He doesn't think passing as one sex or the other is relevant.By contrast, Cox wants to pass and would love to play a straight woman. "In the film 'Musical Chairs,' my character's sexuality was not an issue," she says. "I had a love interest, and I played it as a straight woman." Similarly, Santana hopes to pass onscreen and believes it's her job as a performer to do so. "The only challenge right now is my voice," she says. "I think it's still a little masculine, but I've been told by men it's sexy." She acknowledges that she would be a little uncomfortable doing a romantic scene with a straight actor, unless he knew she was a trans woman. Shaping a Performance To what degree being transgender shapes a performance is arguable. Trans woman Marlo Bernier concedes that as a woman, her comedic skills are sharper than when she was a man. Still, she had no problem playing men, saying that acting is acting. For others, trans identity and artistry are profoundly interrelated. CeCe Suazo-Augustus says she brought a "unique LBGT twist" to her interpretation of conspirator Cinna in a production of "Julius Caesar" by the Los Angeles Shakespeare Festival's Will Power to Youth program in 1997.Likewise, Kestryl Cael, an edgy "trans-masculine" (the phrase he prefers) performance artist, started writing his own pieces in part because the roles in dramatic literature didn't mesh with his aesthetic or sensibility. "I have a queer identity and don't identify with women or straight men," he says. "I use the gender-neutral pronoun 'hir.' "Cael does not send out headshots or rsums but will perform in the works of friends, who understand that he'll bring a special "queer" spin to the undertaking. He would not play a misogynistic straight man in a representational style, but would play the part with a wink to the audience. "I will not identify with that character," he says. "My approach is more Brechtian."Harvie wants his audiences to love him and embrace his "trans-ness" as much as he does, likening it to a "gift." Presenting an easygoing and charming persona, he discusses his life as a woman before top surgery, when he was forced to wear a triple-D bra, and the misery he endured in "lugging the girls around."Without finger-wagging, he hopes his audiences will view sex, gender, and male and female politics in new ways. "I talk about trans-ness, so I've become a transgender comic," Harvie says, "but I see myself more as an identity comic, like a black comic or 'recovery' comic." In the end, his goal is bonding with viewers, because he is one of them. "Everyone feels like an outsider," he says.Playing a lounge-lizard emcee with slicked-down black hair, a slightly shiny, baggy suit, and a fake mustache, standup performer Murray Hill sees himself as an outsider separate from the audience. He views his act as a fun defense mechanism. At the same time, he asserts that "living a life weaving between gender binaries" has made it more possible for him to connect to theatergoers across gender lines. "What I love about my character is it translates differently to each person," Hill says. "Some folks have no idea, others are in on it, and some folks are just confused. That makes for a thrilling ride for both me and the audience." But foremost, "I'm an entertainer," he emphasizes. "I sing, I dance, I interact with the audience, and I tell jokes. I'm everyone's favorite uncle at the dinner table during holidays, after a few drinks."Mixed Emotions Being trans may inform some actors' performances, but for others, performing paved the way for transitioning. Santana had not started her change when she was cast in "Gun Hill Road," but as she delved into her role and the director insisted that she "become a girl," she was able to make the decision to go ahead with sexual reassignment. "It gave me the strength to be comfortable in my skin," she recalls.Harvie came out onstage when he was a woman because not to do so felt dishonest, he says. "I knew I looked like a butch dyke, and I know that was what the audience was seeing. I was aware I was trans before I did standup. But performing helped me get honest about it."Not all demons are from within. Lucas Silveira, a rock singer based in Canada, recounts how difficult it was for him when he was still "Lilia." In the male-dominated music industry, he was stigmatized as a woman and a lesbian. In addition, he felt inauthentic and self-conscious onstage."I came out as a gay woman when I was 17," he says. "I became a trans man at 32, and at 33 I did top surgery. Five years later I started taking testosterone. I was warned I might lose my voice." In fact, that didn't happen, and he had many more recording opportunities. "The freak aspect initially served me well," but "now it has boomeranged." Opportunities diminished while squabbles within his band, the Cliks, flourished. "When I did my last album, I was already out as a trans man and we were all queer-identified," Silveira says. "But when the photographer wanted me to take off my shirt, the other singers did not want me to do it. They had internalized homophobia and transphobia." Transitioning is not always as liberating as one might imagine. Alekxia, a trans woman, says that before transitioning she booked a few SAG and AFTRA jobs, mostly for commercials and voiceovers in Spanish. But once she started the medical procedures, the phone stopped ringing. "In the last two years, I've only auditioned for two roles," she says.Bernier has had a better time of it, though when she started transitioning she agonized over what would happen if she became a series regular in a male role, "with breasts growing and T-shirts getting tighter. I was terrified." At the moment, she is working behind the camera as a director. "In films centering on transgender life, usually the trans person has to make the major transition," she says. "In my film 'Stealth,' family members will have to make the major transition." Perhaps more groundbreaking, upcoming Bernier films do not deal with transgender characters at all.Though progress may be slow, steps are being taken. The performers' dreams don't seem quite that improbable. Silveira wants to go mainstream: "My music is not based on my being transgender. It's based on my being a human being." Hill would love to move into acting and is even willing to take on a distaff role. "I'd play a woman for one of Tyler Perry's movies in a heartbeat," he says. Leigh's ambition is to tackle a larger-than-life matriarch, broad, or courtesan. "I think the male-to-female transsexual is the new courtesan," she proclaims in celebration. "You can't bring us home to Mama."Now that's attitude.

Robert Downey Jr.: We're Having a Baby Boy!

Robert Downey and Susan Downey Robert Downey Jr. has spilled the beans: He and wife Susan are having a baby boy. The Iron Man star revealed the sex of his impending child, who is due in February, Monday night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. "I am not permitted to discuss it," he joked. "I can't say a word... We're having a boy!" Robert Downey Jr., wife expecting baby This is the second child for Downey, who has a 17-year-old son, Indio, with his ex-wife, Deborah Falconer. However, this is the first child for he and wife Susan, who have been married for six years. "I don't want to be presumptuous," he told Jay Leno, "But I think actually it's been tougher on me. Just the hormones and the mood stuff and the nausea and the whole thing." "I gotta be careful," Downey quickly added. "I am going to have to see my wife some time after doing this segment with you, and I think I'm already in trouble." Check out Downey's appearance to find out the gift Leno gave him:

NBC Tv Producers Team With News Nonprofits: Report

NBC Tv producers in La, Chicago and Philadelphia will begin joining track of nonprofit newsgroups in people urban centers while others, in line with the NY Occasions. KNBC La works together with public radio station KPCC. The Chicago station WMAQ works while using Chicago Reporter blog and magazine. Philadephia’s station WCAU works together with public radio station WWHY which is NewsWorks,a hyperlocal news site.All 10 NBCs possessed and operated stations may even collaborate while using acclaimed investigative journalism nonprofit organization ProPublica. The partners certainly are a results of Comcast’s getting control of NBC Universal. Toward obtaining government approval, Comcast certain to strengthen local coverage through such partners no less than five of the stations. This program was patterned round the Hillcrest station KNSD and local Site voiceofsandiego.org. The us government put the partnership in writing. Valari Staab, the best choice in the NBC-possessed television stations, mentioned the area stations searched for out what organizations we thought may lead original unique content we couldnt otherwise have.” Sometimes the partners enables stations to cover more news without adding staff more directly, and nonprofit news organizations can get new shops for journalism and potentially recover some costs. NBC is making unspecified donations to all the partners. The associations involving the stations as well as the nonprofits will probably be introduced Tuesday. NBC has gone after shoreline up is 10 local stations which in fact had been through financial cuts before Comcast needed over — adding newscasts, employing reporters and altering TV trucks.

Peter Weller Joins Star Wars Follow up

First Released: December 5, 2011 3:51 PM EST Credit: Getty Images La, Calif. -- Caption Peter Weller attends 49th Annual NY Film Festival screening from the Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Over the eighth Dimension at Alice Tully Hall on October 15, 2011 in NY CityRobocop actor Peter Weller is joining the cast of director J.J. Abrams large-screen Star Wars follow up. An APA talent agency spokesperson for Weller stated Monday the stars role is really a principal one out of the film, but particulars were being stored under systems. Wellers sci-fi qualifications range from the Robocop films and also the TV series Journey 5. He's guest-starred on shows including Dexter, 'Fringe and Psych. His pointing credits include Monk and also the TV movie Elmore Leonards Gold Coast. The 2nd Star Wars film includes the return of stars Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. The film is placed for any May 2013 premiere. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Grammy Nom Preview: Who'll Lead The Means By Which?

First Launched: November 30, 2011 11:16 AM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Adele works onstage throughout the 2010 MTV Video Music Honours at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in La on August 28, 2011LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- She likely wont get 21, but Adele is poised to simply accept finest share of nods when the Grammy nominations are introduced Wednesday evening. The British singer-songwriter has received a great year, due to her sophomore album, 21. The mournful album of a not successful relationship might be time best-selling disc using more than 4.5 million copies offered. It's brought to 2 smash singles, Moving inside the Deep and also you. It Academy will most likely increase Adeles achievements. She's a effective contender to acquire bids for album of year too for song and/or record of year for your searing groove Moving inside the Deep. But shes only a few of the favorite to get the best nominations. Taylor Swifts multiplatinum Speak Now's a possible contender for album of year, as they are Tony Bennetts Duets II, which marked the 85-year-olds first album to debut at No. 1, which makes them the first artist to do this task. Lady Gagas Born Using This Method, that have time finest debut with 1.millions of albums offered within the first week, could become her third straight disc being nominated for album of year. She was reported for your Fame Monster this year too for her debut, The Fame, this season. Then theres Kanye. His My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was most likely probably the most highly regarded as as albums of 2010, which is qualified for just about any nomination for album of year. Same goes with his collaboration with Jay-Z for Watch the Throne, another contender inside the category. Many of the nominations are scheduled being revealed through the fourth annual Grammy nominations concert special, to air reside in the Nokia Theatre in La on CBS at 10 p.m. EST. Rhianna is slated to spread out and shut the show. Other artists include Katy Perry, who could easily get accurate documentation of year nomination on her behalf hit Firework Beyonce, who could snag a few nominations, including album of year for Noisy as well as the Band Perry, the country sister trio likely to end up up for top new artist. (Another strong contender for the category, Nicki Minaj, is scheduled to become presenter round the special.) This Rock Band Perry, at rehearsals Tuesday evening, were hopeful about acquiring a nomination. Our fingers are joined. We kinda don't like to think about a lot of about this kind of stuff on nights before nominations. We should not be described as a misfortune charm. Ill let guess what happens, it may be the cherry on top of the truly wonderful year, mentioned Kimberly Perry. We actually just today got what is the news that weve been licensed platinum. Weve been high-fiving and praising all day long lengthy. Once we were honored being nominated for top new artist, we'd easily be praising a couple of days back to back. The 2010 nominations will mark the lately trimmed Grammys. Taken, among some protests, the academy cut the quantity of groups from 109 to 78. A couple of from the more niche groups, like best Zydeco or Cajun music album, were removed. Furthermore, males and girls will compete together in vocal groups for pop, R&B and country, instead of getting separate groups for each sex. Regardless of the cuts, there's an avalanche of groups, as noted by Neil Portnow, the Academys Boss and leader. Weve got 78 groups now. It could be easily unthinkable these on a lot of our shows, he mentioned Tuesday. The 54th annual Grammy Honours is going to be provided Feb. 12 in La, and you'll be telecast survive CBS. Copyright 2011 with the Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

American Airlines Files for Bankruptcy Protection

Getty ImagesFelicity Jones The 21st annual Gotham Independent Film Awards took place Monday night at NY's historic Cipriani Wall Street restaurant. As I cautioned when the Independent Filmmaker Project announced this year's nominees, there is little reason to believe that the results at the Gothams have any direct impact on the Oscar race -- sometimes both organizations happen to arrive at the same choice (see: The Hurt Locker), but the reality is that Gotham nods and wins are really a reflection of nothing more than the tastes of the five-person "committees" that are arbitrarily selected and assigned to the various categories by the IFP (some members of which have never worked on a film), whereas Oscar nods and wins are determined by thousands of people (virtually all of whom are filmmakers). Still, studios and talent whose work was recognized Monday night were unanimously exuberant, if only because it can't hurt to get a moment in the spotlight in front of a crowd packed with colleagues and journalists, to say nothing of the free print and online publicity that is afforded to the winners in the form of news coverage.our editor recommendsThe Scene: Inside the 21st Annual Gotham AwardsGotham Awards 2011: The Red Carpet ArrivalsGotham Awards 2011: 'Tree of Life,' 'Beginners' Tie for Best FeatureDo Gotham Awards Nominations Actually Impact Oscar Race? (Analysis)Gotham Awards 2011: Honorees Charlize Theron, Gary Oldman Reveal the Inspiration Behind Their Work PHOTOS: Gotham Awards 2011 Red Carpet Arrivals That being stipulated, what/who was perceived to have gotten a bounce last night? And what/who was perceived to have taken a hit? Here's my take... Focus Features is justifiably feeling over the moon about their night. They went 3-for-3 in competitive categories, none of which they were expected to win: Beginners, which has been regarded as a long-shot contender for best picture and best original screenplay Oscar nods, beat The Descendants, among other high-profile films, to win both of the top two categories, best feature (it tied with The Tree of Life) and best ensemble, and Pariah filmmaker Dee Rees topped several bigger names to win best breakthrough director. Moreover, they got a cherry on their cake, as Gary Oldman, who is on the bubble in the best actor race for his understated performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, was the subject of a glowing tribute from Alec Baldwin, a great montage of his life's work and the night's only standing ovation afforded to an individual. STORY: 'Tree of Life,' 'Beginners' Tie for Best Feature at Gotham Awards Paramount is pretty happy right now, as well. They have been campaigning aggressively on behalf of Charlize Theron (Young Adult) and Felicity Jones (Like Crazy), both of whom they'd like to sneak into the competitive best actress race, and their efforts got a big boost last night thanks to Theron's tribute (during which she and her co-star/best supporting actor hopeful Patton Oswalt stole the show) and Jones' somewhat surprising win over two other young women who have been seen as likelier bets for Oscar nods, including one of whom is competing in the same category: Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene). Fox Searchlight likely has mixed emotions. The Descendants and Martha Marcy May Marlene, which led the entire field with three nods each -- including the big two, best feature and best ensemble -- both went home empty-handed. However, their night was somewhat salvaged when The Tree of Life, their tough-sell best picture Oscar hopeful, won best feature (it tied with Beginners). Complete List of Gotham Awards Winners Roadside Attractions has to feel a little disappointed with the way things turned out for their films. IFP first denied Albert Nobbs any nominations, and then denied Margin Call -- a red-hot film at the moment -- a win in the one category in which it was nominated and really fit the bill: best ensemble. As great a film as the category's winner Beginners is, it's primarily a four-person flick (Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, Christopher Plummerand Goran Visnjic), whereas its hard to even keep count of all of the impressive moving pieces in Margin Call (Zachary Quinto, Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Penn Badgley, Mary McDonnelland the list goes on). Sony Pictures Classics can't be thrilled about its showing. While David Cronenberg, who directed its film A Dangerous Method, was the subject of a nice tribute, Take Shelter, its stronger Oscar contender -- which is thought to be on-the-bubble for best actor (Michael Shannon) and best original screenplay (Jeff Nichols) -- was shut out after scoring nods in the top two categories, best feature and best ensemble. STORY: The Scene Inside the 2011 Gotham Awards Oscilloscope is a small and young enough studio that it was probably happy just to have a ticket to the party. The fact that Meek's Cutoff came up short for best feature and Evan Glodell (Bellflower) didn't win best breakthrough director can't have knocked anyone's socks off. The Weinstein Co. had its Gotham hopes dashed long before Monday night -- oddly enough, its films weren't rewarded with so much as a single nomination! PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Gotham Awards 2011: The Red Carpet Arrivals Gotham Awards Alec Baldwin Charlize Theron David Cronenberg Patton Oswalt The Tree of Life Like Crazy Martha Marcy May Marlene Elizabeth Olsen Beginners The Descendants Felicity Jones

Piers Morgan, Wife Welcome a Daughter

Piers Morgan, Celia Walden It is a girl for Piers Morgan.The Piers Morgan Tonight host and the wife, British writer Celia Walden, have welcomed daughter Elise, he introduced Friday."It's correct. I have be a father for that 4th time, to some little girl known as Elise," Morgan tweeted. "She'sabsurdlybeautiful, and absolutely adorable."Piers Morgan expecting 4th childThis may be the first child for that couple. Morgan has three sons, Spencer, 18, Stanley, 14, and Albert, 11, together with his ex-wife, Marion Shalloe.Morgan, 46, and Walden, 34, get married this past year.

Dancing's Derek, Jerry O'Connell, Josh Groban to Guest-Host Live!

Jerry OConnell, Josh Groban Jerry O'Connell and Josh Groban are coming back to reside! With Kelly to guest-host opposite Kelly Ripa. O'Connell is slated to look on Friday, November. 25, while Groban will appear for multiple days beginning 12 ,. 7. Furthermore, Dancing using the Stars' Derek Hough and Jonah Hill can make their co-hosting debuts on Monday, 12 ,. 5 and Tuesday, 12 ,. 6, correspondingly. . 8 possible challengers to exchange Regis Philbin on Live! A lasting alternative for Regis Philbin has not yet been named, but Ryan Seacrest, Andy Cohen and Mark Consuelos - Ripa's husband - are apparently the very best three candidates. Regis Philbin announces final day on Live For now, Ripa is going to be became a member of with a slew of guest hosts, including Jerry Seinfeld, who had been the very first after Philbin left, The Way I Met Your Mother's Jason Segel and Neil Patrick Harris, Sex and also the City's Kim Cattrall, comedian Howie Mandel, chef Jamie Oliver and Miss Piggy. Who do you consider should replace Philbin?

Pereda gears up for 'Greatest Hits'

GIJON, Spain -- Mexico City-based Interior 13 Cine is producing tragic comedy "Greatest Hits," helmed by Mexican Nicolas Pereda, whose "Summer of Goliath" topped Venice Horizons in 2010.Interior 13 Cine, which produced Yulene Olaizola's Tribeca fest player "Artificial Paradises," will co-produce with Colombia's Burning Blue, run by Diana Bustamante and Jorge Ferrero. Holland's Hubert Bals Fund co-finances and has distribution rights for Benelux."Hits" toplines Gabino Rodriguez, the star of all Pereda's features, and another Pereda regular, Teresa Sanchez . It turns on a mother and street bootlegger son whose harmony is shattered by the return of the long absent father.According to Pereda, he grew up in a Mexican society where many men desert their families either out of need or sheer irresponsibility. The father figure is absent in many of his films. In "Hits," he pictures the father's return. Pereda's fifth feature, "Hits" rolls in three weeks, Interior 13 co-head Maxiliano Cruz said at Spain's Gijon festival, where "Hits" features in Puentes, a select Europe-Latin America co-production forum.Gijon's main industry event, Puentes is organized by the Media Program's Eave, a training initiative for new producers, and the Buenos Aires Festival of Independent Film's Buenos Aires Lab.It boasts an attractive bevy of projects, some from name directors, shingles or producers, at least for cognoscenti of Latin American film. Chile's Forastero, producers of Golden Globe-nominated "The Maid," is a moving woman-in-crisis drama "I'm Sorry Mum," to be helmed by Sebastian Lelio ("The Year of the Tiger").Sara Silveira's Dezenove Som e Imagens is co-producing "Rosa F.C." helmed by Michael Wahrmann and set in the immigrant neighborhood of Sao Paulo.Ex-Wild Bunch exec Lucie Kalmar is producing Niles Atallah's "Rey"; and Buenos Aires' Utopica Cine, producers of "Las Acacias," is backing Fernando Salem's "How Most Things Work," a feel-good comedic road movie with a pop-art aesthetic. Utopica is fielding multiple European co-production offers, "Things" producer Paula Massa said at Gijon. Puentes experts include UDI's Frederic Corvez ("The Colors of the Mountain"), Jean des Forets at Petit Film ("Cold Water of the Sea"), Pandora Filmproduktion's Christoph Friedel ("Medianeras") and Michel Ruben at Colombia's Dynamo ("Blind Alley"). Puentes runs Nov.22-24. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Hidden Hopes

A Historic Media presentation from the Jean-Pierre Delbecq-Matt Mazer production. Produced by Mazer, Steven Meyer, Christopher J. Gambale. Executive producer, Delbecq. Co-producers, Andrew Montgomery, Yaron Svoray. Directed by Steven Meyer. Put together by Douglas K. Dempsey, Matt Mazer.With: Adam Frydman, Tessie Jacob, Ella Prince, Alexander Blank, David Prince. Narrator: Laurie Anderson. (British, Polish dialogue)In Steven Meyer's overfamiliar and underwhelming docu "Hidden Hopes," several concentration-camping children return to the web site from the distressing recollections, Poland's Maidanek dying camping. They're based on an worldwide team of archeologists and scientists to look in fields where Jews hid their possessions in order to the crematorium, the hurried search plays less poignantly than intended. The docu's insistent inflation of hidden gold jewelry and watches into symbols of heroic defiance and transcendental tragedy rings hollow inside the wake more substantial Holocaust recommendations. Opening November. 18 at Gotham's Quad Cinema, "Hopes" reps a little historic footnote. Helmer Meyer never fully includes his docu's disparate elements. Yesteryear-haunted visit by troubled children, together with the intonation of Kaddish to start of dying, are actually more movingly referred to elsewhere. Little evocative use includes the strikingly oppressive appearance of Maidanek itself, which stands, virtually intact, just like a memorial to atrocity. As well as the constant sell you of the value of the search constitutes a person suspect that, definately not being along for your ride, the documentary crew comprises the driving pressure behind the whole enterprise.Camera (color, HD), Meyer editor, Dempsey music, David Van Tieghem. Examined on DVD, NY, November. 14, 2011. Running time: 81 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

'J. Edgar' Movie Math: How Clint Eastwood May Have Developed His Latest Film

Audiences weren't wild about 'J. Edgar' in the last weekend. Opening on roughly 1,900 screens, the Clint Eastwood-directed biopic acquired $11.4 million, mediocre enough for fifth place. ('J. Edgar's' per-screen average was $6,005, underneath the per-screen average of 'Jack and Jill' and 'Puss in Boots,' for reference.) Experts weren't that excited either: on Rotten Tomato vegetables, 'J. Edgar' stood a forty percent Fresh rating, utilizing it componen with 'Immortals' (39 percent) and 'In Time' (38 percent). Not the type of reception an alleged Academy awards contender is suppose to obtain! Why did audiences and experts somewhat reject the newest Leonardo DiCaprio film? Possibly simply because they have experienced nearly all it before. Ahead, a brief think about the movie math behind 'J. Edgar.' [Click for bigger] Oscar Bait (twenty percent): Ahem. 'Brokeback Mountain (17 %): The forbidden romance between Hoover and also the companion Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) is not consummated onscreen, nevertheless it certainly recalls the unrequited moments between Ennis Del Scar and Jack Twist. Silly Putty (16 percent): As Armie Hammer told Moviefone, "It is not somewhat makeup, I'll explain how.In . Preach, Armmie! 'The Notebook' (13 percent): Toward the conclusion from the lives, Hoover and Tolson have a bit of Allie and Noah included, especially -- SPOILER -- when Tolson tearfully hugs Hoover's dead body. 'Psycho' (11 percent): Dame Judi Dench plays Hoover's domineering and repressive mother, the type of lady who casts this kind of large shadow over her son's existence he dons her dress after she dies. She wouldn't even harm a fly. 'The Aviator' (ten percent): Leo becoming an eccentric and tragic historic figure? It is the obvious method of the long run. 'Watchmen' (9 %): Within the strange pewter-y filter that Eastwood affects over everything for the absurd Richard Nixon impersonator that involves the best 20 minutes, all that's missing from 'J. Edgar' is Dr. Manhattan's giant blue penis. 'Mommie Dearest' (four percent): You will discover some high camping moments in 'J. Edgar,' possibly none more absurd than when Hoover pleads with Tolson to check out his foot following a latter guy smashes a glass in the fit of jealous rage. It's not "No wire wardrobe wardrobe hangers!" (what's?), but it's certainly inside the same realm. Cake chart created by Catarina Ferreira [Top Photo: Warner Bros.] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

ABC's 'Last Man Standing' to Get New Showrunner

Mere weeks after Last Man Standing was granted a full season pick-up, the Tim Allen comedy is getting a new showrunner.our editor recommendsTV Ratings: Tim Allen's 'Last Man Standing' Debuts Well, 'Parenthood' Rises'Once Upon a Time,' 'Last Man Standing' Get Full-Season Orders at ABC'Home Improvement' to 'Last Man Standing': Tim Allen Says Men Are Still Being Backed Into a Corner PHOTOS: ABC's New Season TV Shows: 'Pan Am,' 'Once Upon a Time' and More Kevin Abbott, best known for running the WB'sReba, will likely take the reins at the 20th Century Fox-produced half hour about a manly man raising three daughters in a progressive world. Abbott would replaceEmmy-winningJack Burditt,who suffered a family tragedy earlier this fall and has asked not to return to the show.In Burditt's absense, deputy executive producers Marsh McCall and Andy Gordon have been shouldering his load. For his part, Abbott's name resurfaced this development season when hesoldanother collaboration withReba McEntireto ABC. The multicamera project,Malibu Country,centers on Reba, who divorces her cheating husband and moves her family from Nashville to Malibu and tries to reignite her singing career and keep her three kids grounded in a city of excess. TV REVIEW: Last Man Standing IfMalibuends up getting ordered to series, Abbott would run both shows, joining the likes of other multi-show showrunnersSeth MacFarlaneorChuck Lorre. At present, he is negotiating to be let out of his committment at TV Land, where he serves as a consulting producer atRetired at 35. Assuming he can do so, Abbott will begin at Last Man Standing after Thanksgiving. Heading into the fall,Standing was the recipient of both hefty marketing and high expectations care of its star Allen's reemergence on TV. Proof:the show was tasked with opening up a new night of comedy and drawing more male viewers to a network that historically skews female. The series, which came out of the gate particularly strong with a 3.5 rating for its premiere in early October, has fallen in the weeks since. Still, in the first four weeks of its run, Allen's comeback vehicle has averaged 11.2 million viewers and a 3.2 rating among the coveted 18 to 49 demo, according to Nielsen. Abbott, whose other credits include The Golden Girls, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper and Roseanne, is repped by CAA. Related Topics ABC Tim Allen Last Man Standing

'Jack and Jill' On Course to Earn 0% Rotten Tomatoes Rating [UPDATE]

It might be the most important movie of our time, but not for critics. With 45 reviews counted thus far, Adam Sandler's 'Jack and Jill' has earned the rare zero-percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning it could be the worst-reviewed film of 2011. 'Jill' is currently tied with fellow Happy Madison production 'Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star' and the Sarah Palin documentary 'The Undefeated' on the list of zero percenters, but neither of those films found such a wide critical audience: 'Bucky Larson' only had 32 total reviews, while Palin's doc received just 15. Starring Sandler, Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino (yep, this is real), 'Jack and Jill' focuses twins reconnecting after years apart. "More than 24 hours has passed since I watched the new Adam Sandler movie, and I'm still dead inside," wrote Time Magazine's Mary Pols. Even Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers, a noted film cheerleader, was disgusted. "On a scale of 1 to 10 on the laugh meter, 'Jack and Jill' is a negative 10. A total bust, a stupefyingly unfunny and shamelessly lazy farce packed with cringe-worthy jokes and overt product placement." Moviefone will keep you updated on 'Jack and Jill's' critical progression throughout the day. Fingers crossed noted contrarian Armond White loves this one! UPDATE: He did! White and Movie Mike's Mike Smith have weighed in with positive reviews for 'Jack and Jill.' Find out more here. [via Rotten Tomatoes] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Rose McGowan Unveils A Little More About Her Mysterious 'Tell-Tale Heart' Character (Exclusive Video)

The haunting tale from the guy who killings a vintage guy, after which it hides his body under his floormats only to be driven insane with the appear of his still-beating heart remains modified into an approaching film starring Patrick John Flueger, Rose McGowan and Peter Bogdanovich.our editor recommendsFirst Look: Rose McGowan, Patrick John Flueger in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' (Photos)Rose McGowan to Star in Romantic Thriller 'Napa' Once of the extremely interesting areas of the arrival film is adding a completely new romance story, which McGowan's character stars in. McGowan and Flueger spoke for the Hollywood Reporter inside an exclusive interview in regards to the film, that's being produced by Daniel Zirilli through Popart Film Factory & Leverage Entertainment. Start Searching PHOTOS: Rose McGowan, Patrick John Flueger in 'The Tell-Tale Heart' "My character Ariel inside the Tell-Tale Heart is somebody that could be genuine and processes accordingly," mentioned McGowan. "Ariel suits the plot with techniques they is an element of Patrick John Flueger's imagination but she might be real too.Inch Flueger, who plays charge inside the film, most recently starred in Paramount's Footloose. "It's easy to be requested into everybody who are around you that the organization company directors is trying to create. Just taking all people things in and continue to gone by using it and hopefully it's working," mentioned Flueger. McGowan, recognized for her roles in Grindhouse, Scream, Jawbreaker, The Black Dahlia and Charmed, has received a connection for the Edgar Allan Poe story since she was very youthful, it calculates. "Someone said The Tell-Tale Heart once i was four years old which i increased being passionate about this to the level where once i was little I'd bypass anytime I saw wooden flooring in Italia where I had been elevated, I'd put my ears on the floor and scoot around listening for hearts," she told THR. "And my parents, whose fault was that we see the story to start with, were horrified and everyone made fun of those for letting me read Edgar Allan Poe but that's the way in which i felt deeply deeply in love with them." Director John La Tier's adaptation is shooting in New Orleans. "In my opinion the town is unquestionably a personality inside the Tell-Tale Heart but if there's apt to be an urban area getting a heartbeat beneath the floormats, In my opinion New Orleans will most likely whether it is,Inch added McGowan. Related Subjects Rose McGowan

Sports' struggles can train Hollywood

A sparse crowd attends a game title between your La Dodgers and also the Philadelphia Phillies this summer time at Dodger Stadium. For a long time Hollywood's leading gamers took refuge using their pursuit to entertain the planet by settling into choice seats at Opposing team and Dodgers games -- particularly when the neighborhood teams were winning titles.What exactly can the city glean in the sports world's current withdrawal leading to convulsions -- including labor strife threatening to wash the National basketball association season and also the auction from the Dodgers, following a public meltdown which will have people wondering who'll play proprietors Frank and Jamie McCourt within the movie?These situations aren't completely similar, but parallels to entertainment provide some training.Underneath the McCourts, the Dodgers handled to alienate fans of the items made an appearance to become among baseball's unshakable points of interest. Even if they was mediocre the franchise consistently came well, simply because going to Dodger Stadium was this type of enjoyable experience.It is possible, quite simply, to mismanage a beloved property right into a temporary shambles. As well as on the entertainment side, the deluge of options means such problems can wreak havoc faster than ever before.For the National basketball association, in which the lockout has stated area of the season and may endanger the entire factor, you will naturally watch charges and counter-charges flying via Twitter without hearing echoes from the last authors strike.Of course, the talent guilds are considerably not the same as professional sports, since anybody drawing an National basketball association or National football league salary nowadays is raking inside a substantial amount of cash. There's not middle-class and battling people, out of the box true for a lot of stars, authors and company directors to whom unemployment may be the norm and dealing the welcome break.You will find key common threads, though, starting with the brevity of careers (specifically in sports), which supplies management a effective little bit of leverage -- nobody really wants to throw away their prime generating years -- and may drive a wedge between legitimate "stars" and journeymen. Billionaire proprietors also perform a fair job impersonating major galleries when insisting their damaged business design really means they are the aggrieved, desperate parties.The main one component of reassurance, for Hollywood and sports, may be the public's lack of ability to keep grudges against stuff that delight and divert them.The National football league suffered its very own labor discord and quickly roared in the rankings. Past National basketball association and Mlb stoppages and scams produced foreseeable griping -- a pox on their own over-fortunate houses! -- that demonstrated toothless when the business of thrilling 2010 nfl playoffs and seven-game series started again.Many people think it is equally tough to stay mad at movies and television, if the supply of friction comes from strikes or conservatives (mainly) who insist they'll boycott shows or movies due to a star or filmmaker's politics. The same thing goes for cable-carriage fee disputes, which rarely trigger the wholesale customer flight that channels dangle to weaken a distributor's resolve throughout discussions prior to the parties inevitably achieve an agreement.Eventually, customers are animals of habit that do not like having to contemplate the folks behind the curtain if this involves their entertainment. Confront all of them with the truth that artists and sports athletes don't ply their trade strictly from devotion to craft or the overall game, and they're going to lash out temporarily their way, or at management.Take away the distraction and set out an item that like, however, and all sorts of is forgotten. Yet despite repeated demos of the dynamic, within the warmth from the moment fans and media commentators frequently seem false sensors about residual damage and unforgiving audiences.Former Dodger Steve Garvey, who's a part of an organization putting in a bid for that franchise, lately told a sports radio show, "Sports may be the memory business," which reflects an attractive feeling of nostalgia, implanted through the warming imagery of fathers passing their passions to sons.The truth is harsher than that -- and nowadays, much more likely involves father watching sports alone. In the end, the number of youthful kids stay awake until night time to look at large games almost almost always scheduled underneath the lights -- to not create shared reminiscences, but instead to increase TV revenue?For Hollywood and sports, therein lies the actual lesson: Because of its excesses, sports frequently finds itself within the amnesia business. For the pervasiveness of this condition, the National basketball association and whomever ends up possessing the Dodgers must thank their lucky stars. Contact John Lowry at john.lowry@variety.com

The Biz: Matt Lauer Talks "Where in the World"

Whrere In The World Is Matt Lauer? During the week of November 7, Today coanchor Matt Lauer will pack his bag and refill his Ambien prescription as he jets off for the 10th edition of "Where in the World Is Matt Lauer?" He explains why this jaunt to five far-flung locations in five days might be his last.TV Guide Magazine: Is this really going to be the swan song for "Where in the World?"Lauer: I think it could be. Ten is a nice round number. You never say never. It becomes more difficult on me each time. I think I was 39 when I first did one of these and I'm 53 now. I don't recover from jet lag as well as I used to. It's harder in terms of coming up with "wow" locations. We want this always to be something that people are stunned by and excited by. We've done 46 locations, and it will be 51 after this year. That's a lot.TV Guide Magazine: Has it become too expensive?Lauer: In terms of the economics of the show, it does very well. A lot of people line up to sponsor it. Yes, it's expensive and it takes a lot of resources. But it's always paid off in the past.TV Guide Magazine: ABC's Good Morning America has been touting its ratings gains. Does that put added pressure on this trip?Lauer: No. There's pressure on me every day. There's no pressure on me to do "Where in the World?" I put the pressure on myself whether the gap is X or it's X times two. So it's something you live with in this business we're in.TV Guide Magazine: Can you give us one clue about where you're going?Lauer: One of the days will take me to a location that absolutely captured my imagination when I flew over it in a previous "Where in the World?" I made a mental note, and I'm going there this time.Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Talkback: Should Studio Heads Be as Candid as Universal's Ron Meyer?

I was traveling all day as Movieline’s report from the Savannah Film Festival picked up steam around the blogosphere, but early on it was clear that two polar-opposite reactions were building in response to Universal Studios chief Ron Meyer’s comments about his studio’s well-publicized (at least, outside of the studio) recent flops. Either you love his blazing moment of candor — because we’ve all thought the same about most, if not all, of the woeful Universal films mentioned — or you despise what he stands for. But Meyer is a businessman, the President and COO of one of the largest movie studios and theme park conglomerates in the business. Should more filmmakers and studio heads follow suit? Real talk on the level of what Meyer dropped, in the form of numerous truth bombs, is so woefully rare. It’s not a surprise that a studio chief necessarily must make money to keep his company, and his own job, afloat, or that he’d make decisions to green-light projects based on potential profit, or that he’d regret putting out subpar product. (Even if awards-winners and prestige pics happen more by accident then by design.) What’s surprising — refreshingly so — is that he’d be so open about it. Meyer confessed to watching every movie that comes out, either in his home theater or at the multiplex — where he can gauge the reactions of real ticket-buyers — and, yes, he knows what’s up when a movie like The Wolfman struggles to gain a critical or commercial foothold. Admitting to the faults of releases like that failed horror reboot, the Will Ferrell vehicle Land of the Lost, and even this past summer’s Cowboys & Aliens made Meyer more human; when an employee of Wolfman producer Stratton Leopold entered the Savannah Film Festival Q&A to tell Meyer his boss was right across the street, Meyer replied, with a smile, and without skipping a beat: “Tell him I hold him responsible.” (The two shook hands and went for ice cream following their exchange, so it seems any hard feelings were forgotten in the haze of commiseration.) So it would seem Meyer might not worry so much that folks like Jon Favreau and Benicio Del Toro may get wind of the complaints he aired down in Savannah. “I wonder about the way these comments are going to affect his relationships with filmmakers,” wrote HitFix’s Drew McWeeny of Movieline’s report. “If I were Jon Favreau or Benicio Del Toro or Brad Silberling or Joe Johnston, I’d think long and hard about comments that go beyond blunt to being publicly insulting.” Meyer is, after all, their boss; and he is, by his own admission, the one ultimately responsible for Universal’s output. If said output is “mediocre” or even “crappy,” then at least the guy at the top acknowledges it. The question some folks asked, then, is how could Meyer sell product he knew was subpar while pretending it smelled like roses? It’s an idealistic question with no practical answer, since this is an industry. A movie business. Product is made, product is sold. Better product some of the time — but with many, many exceptions — earns bigger demand. Could Meyer have made said crap films better before releasing them, as Scott Weinberg points out? Sure. I looked back at images of Meyer with the cast and crew of The Wolfman at its L.A. premiere. Did Meyer’s smile that night belie a sense of worry, of fear that “one of the worst movies we ever made” was about to meet its fate? Not a chance. Maybe he was hoping that despite the film’s failings, it would still find an audience. Maybe he has an excellent poker face. Probably both. Meyer’s reputation for being the longest-sitting studio chief of contemporary times was another of the topics he addressed down in Savannah, talking to an audience filled with a number of aspiring producers and filmmakers eager for such lessons in career success and longevity. He answered, self-deprecatingly, that he considers himself “OK” at his job, but reminded the audience that he’s had 14 consecutive years in the black at Universal. Practically speaking, I’d think that record, and recent hits like Fast Five and Bridesmaids, would mean more to the folks Meyer works for than his recent truth-saying; probably less so for the filmmakers who work under him. But maybe knowing Meyer’s unafraid to unleash the real talk will force everyone around him to sharpen up, make better decisions, create less crappy — maybe even good, or great — films. And now that the conversation’s out there, maybe Meyer will think twice himself before making the next Wolfman. But here’s the thing: Meyer’s not the only studio head out there who has to think of the bottom line while churning out product of questionable and/or varying quality. If other studio chiefs ‘fessed up to their own duds, could this industry entertain an actual dialogue that improved the overall quality of the mainstream offerings released into the world? Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter. [Top photo of (L-R) Universal Pictures co-chairs Donna Langley and Adam Fogelson, Benicio Del Toro, Ron Meyer and Wolfman producer Rick Yorn: Getty Images]

ZDF Enterprises enters 'Killing House'

BERLIN -- ZDF Enterprises, the commercial arm of German pubcaster ZDF, has boarded Mythic International Entertainment's action-thriller "The Killing House." Directed by Mythic's Jonathan English ("Ironclad), pic is set in the world of the SAS, the British Army's Special Air Service unit, and follows an officer who questions his morality after a particularly brutal mission. Mythic describes the action-packed story and conspiracy-laden plot as "reminiscent of the 'Bourne' films and classics such as 'Three Days of the Condor.'" The deal was brokered by Margrit Staerk, ZDF Enterprises' director of feature films. It's the latest acquisition for ZDF Enterprises, which has been intensifying its focus on international indies and nabbing all rights to its pick-ups. The company recently acquired Ami Canaan Mann's "Texas Killing Fields," starring Sam Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan; Stephen Sommers' "Odd Thomas," with Anton Yelchin; and Rob Cohen's "I, Alex Cross," starring Tyler Perry. "The Killing House" is slated to begin filming in May in the U.K., Germany, Belgium and Hungary. Casting is currently underway on the project. Mythic International Entertainment's Andrew Curtis and Rick Benattar are producing along with English, who also helmed the company's medieval actioner "Ironclad," starring Paul Giamatti and James Purefoy. Contact Ed Meza at staff@variety.com

Other Desert Cities

'Other Desert Cities'A presentation by Lincoln Center Theater, in association with Bob Boyett, of a play in two acts by Jon Robin Baitz. Directed by Joe Mantello.Polly Wyeth - Stockard Channing Brooke Wyeth - Rachel Griffiths Lyman Wyeth - Stacy Keach Trip Wyeth - Thomas Sadoski Silda Grauman - Judith LightHelmer Joe Mantello did a savvy job of recasting "Other Desert Cities" for its Broadway transfer. When the show preemed at Lincoln Center earlier this year, it wasn't clear that Jon Robin Baitz's tightly wrapped family drama about a patrician clan of Old Guard California Republicans even had a leading character. That ensemble vibe survives in this production, but with the magnetic Rachel Griffiths ("Six Feet Under") now taking the lead in the part of the renegade daughter from NY, it's easier to overlook the artifices of the plot and surrender to the drama. A stalwart Stacy Keach and the invincible Stockard Channing reprise their respective roles as Lyman Wyeth, a former movie star who went on to become a powerful GOP bigwig, and his wife, Polly, as socially charming and politically calculating as her dear friend Nancy Reagan. Thomas Sadoski also makes a welcome return as their son, Trip, a good-natured producer of trashy reality-TV shows and the kind of attentive son who would spend Christmas Eve with his parents. (The white-and-gold artificial Christmas tree in the living room is set designer John Lee Beatty's witty way of capturing the arid holiday spirit in Palm Springs, circa 2004.) In the context of this bleached-out desert setting, it falls on the characters to supply all the color. In the original production, Linda Lavin made an especially vibrant character of Silda Grauman, Polly's free-thinking, hard-living alcoholic sister, fresh out of rehab and come to live with her sister and brother-in-law. That role, which opened up when Lavin went into Nicky Silvers' new play "The Lyons," went to Judith Light. Light (who played another straight-shooter in "Lombardi") makes sharp work here of Silda's outspoken views on politics, religion and her sister's pretensions. But because she isn't as vivid as her predecessor, the thesp makes it easier for Griffiths to claim centerstage as Brooke Wyeth, the prodigal daughter who arrives with the manuscript of a memoir that accuses her parents of driving their older son to suicide. Newly divorced and recovering from a breakdown that had her hospitalized for years, Brooke isn't the most stable person in the world. Elizabeth Marvel's provocative perf came from that vulnerable state of mental instability, making Brooke's volatile character seem dangerous. In Griffiths' deeply compassionate perf, she comes across as more rational and a lot healthier: more thoughtful than brooding, intellectually curious rather than paranoid. Neither of these insightful performances, however, can solve the improbabilities of the melodramatic plot, which hangs on a family secret long buried and implausibly never discussed. And while Baitz ("The Substance of Fire") gives his articulate characters the wit and intelligence to go to battle on any number of ideological issues that divide them, he studiously avoids bringing up anything as lively as politics.Sets, John Lee Beatty; costumes, David Zinn; lighting, Kenneth Posner; sound, Jill BC DuBoff; original music, Justin Ellington; production stage manager, James FitzSimmons. Opened Nov. 3, 2011. Reviewed Oct. 28. Running time: TWO HOURS, 20 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

5 Terrible Moments from Five of the Fall's Best Films

We’re on the verge of a star-studded Oscar season, but before we dig into the potentially embarrassing J. Edgar, the probably overblown War Horse, or the already-cloying Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, let’s take a second look at five great films from fall and remember that they weren’t so flawless either. In fact, these films all possessed one ridiculous moment that completely took me out of the otherwise believable drama. Did you have the same problems with Moneyball, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and Drive? Click through for our rundown. Moneyball Moneyball’s critical success seemed like a statistical impossibility (guh-her!), but it’s a smartly scripted meditation on Oakland Athletics manager Billy Beane’s intuition, his successful 2002 recalibration of the team, and the almost mystically unwatchable sport of baseball. It’s successful, that is, until the movie’s conversational realism goes south when we’re introduced to Beane’s wide-eyed preteen daughter. At first she seems like a loyal, if unassuming girl, but in the most cringe-inducing minute of fall cinema, she reveals herself to be a brilliant singer-songwriter who strums a guitar and trills damning lyrics about her father’s character. When do we hear her full, perfectly composed ditty about being a loser, you ask? Why, over the closing credits after her father’s team loses! It’s a little convenient. Especially since Billy Beane has no such singer-songwriter daughter, and the song she chirps is Australian artist Lenka’s post-2002 tune “The Show.” Martha Marcy May Marlene Martha Marcy May Marlene’s glimpses into its fractured heroine’s cult past are disturbing and engrossing, but it runs into trouble when chronicling Martha’s new life squatting with her chilly sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) and her arrogant husband Ted (Hugh Dancy) at their vacation home. The worst of it occurs when Martha, whose grasp of social norms is clearly shot to hell — she tries sleeping in bed with Lucy and Ted while they’re having sex; she swims nude in the middle of the day as neighbors abound — endures a PTSD-grade conniption during the night. As she harrumphs up the stairs in a maniacal, nocturnal fit, she kicks away Ted, who tries to restrain her. Ted’s reaction? Not to realize that Martha Marcy is exhibiting the most textbook trauma since Sybil, but to yell, “She’s crazy!” and dismiss her animalistic terrors as selfish bitchiness. Come on. I don’t care how many pontoon boats Ted owns; there’s no way he’s too rich to realize Martha’s been through a dehumanizing hell. Drive Drive is undeniably the starkest, most stylish thriller of fall. It is also undeniably pretentious. I’m ambivalent about whether College’s soundtrack contribution “A Real Hero,” which reiterates the inanely literal lyrics, “He’s a real hero and a real human being,” needs to played twice during the film, but I’m very decided that there’s no need for an inhumanely long, lingering gaze between The Driver (Ryan Gosling) and Irene (Carey Mulligan) at her apartment. The Driver is supposed to represent stoic, charitable heroism, but scenes like this squelch his pure intentions and recast him as a reticent homewrecker. He should want to help the beleaguered Irene, not bed her. Later in the film when he steals a kiss from Irene in a surreal elevator scene, the dissolution of The Driver’s saintly intentions is clear. He’s just a horndog with a decent coat and strong facestomping legs after all. 50/50 Bryce Dallas Howard’s role as Rachael in the cute, inoffensive 50/50 is mysteriously one of the most poorly treated female characters of the season. As the cancer-stricken Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s artsy girlfriend, she should be likable until Seth Rogen’s character Kyle spots her making out with an arthouse hipster. Instead, the movie is mean to Rachael right as it begins; early in the film, we’re treated to viewings of her artwork, which she assigns contrived, sophomoric titles like “Existence” and “Defiance” (the actual names are escaping me, but you get the point) — and we’re supposed to laugh at her moronic ideas. Meanwhile, her boyfriend is spending weeks working on a similarly contrived NPR segment about volcanoes for half the movie, so I can’t decide whose artistic instincts are worse. Nevertheless, Levitt is treated like a lovable everyman and she’s treated like a disposable, idiotic bitch as soon as the movie starts. The Ides of March Sure, The Ides of March skimps on deep intrigue and settles for surface-level political thrills, but it’s chockablock with great performances. One of my favorites was Marisa Tomei, who plays a roving, no-nonsense NY Times reporter whose scoops compromise the candidates’ campaigns. However, I could’ve done without learning that her name was “Ida,” and that she represents — wait for it! — the Ides of March. I haven’t experienced such a pang of punny pain since (500) Days of Summer when a girl named Autumn replaced Summer in the movie’s final moments. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, we need to have a firm discussion about your movie paramours.

Hollywood's Historic Magic Castle Damaged by Fire

An early afternoon fire damaged the attic and walls of the Magic Castle, the famous private magicians club in the Hollywood Hills, on Monday.our editor recommendsFire damages Downey StudiosFire damages N.Z. 'Lord of the Rings' studio The Los Angeles Times reports the Los Angeles Fire Department was called to the Chateauesque mansion at 7001 W. Franklin Avenue just after noon and worked to extinguish the blaze. Officials reported no injuries and said the fire was contained to the attic and walls, but cautioned that water damage could be extensive. No cause for the fire was released, but one source told the LAT that maintenance had been done in the building Monday morning. The 1909 mansion is the headquarters of Academy of Magical Arts and serves as a nightclub and performance space for magicians. Those who have performed at the club include Mark Wilson and Jay Ose, as well as celebrity magic enthusiasts, such as Cary Grant, Steve Martin, Johnny Carson and Neil Patrick Harris. Related Topics

News Corps HarperCollins Confirms To Buy Religious Author Thomas Nelson

NY–(BUSINESS WIRE)– HarperCollins Entrepreneurs today introduced it's became a member of in to a definitive agreement to obtain Thomas Nelson, Corporation. with an undisclosed sum. The acquisition, that's prone to close by the conclusion in the twelve several weeks, is prone to controlling clearances together with other customary closing conditions. Thomas Nelson is probably the leading trade entrepreneurs within the united states . States. The Business provides multiple kinds of inspiring content including: books, Bibles, e-books, journals, audio, video, curriculum and digital programs designed for download on smart electronic items. It's launched a couple of of the greatest-selling books on the market, like the current #1 bestseller Paradise Is Ideal For Real, as well as the books of several popular authors, for instance Billy Graham, Max Lucado, and Dork Ramsey. Founded in 1798 in Edinburgh, Scotland, Thomas Nelson shares a extended and wealthy heritage with both NYs Harper Brothers and sisters and Scotlands William Collins & Sons. It's thus with great pleasure that we anticipate welcoming Thomas Nelson for the HarperCollins family, mentioned John Murray, Leader and Boss of HarperCollins Entrepreneurs Worldwide. HarperCollins global print and digital posting platform, including e-book distribution into greater than 175 areas, Print-on-Demand, Digital-to-Print at Retail, and worldwide marketing achieve, comes with an chance to increase the crowd of Thomas Nelsons distinguished authors. In addition, Thomas Nelson adds further good good balance to our existing posting programs. Its broad inspiring appeal is a superb complement to Zondervan, which will still publish books consistent with its mission, added Murray. We are excited being joining HarperCollins Entrepreneurs, mentioned Mark Schoenwald, Leader and Boss of Thomas Nelson. We're feeling this transaction signifies an elegant proper fit for the organization. With HarperCollins assets and capabilities to draw in on, we'll make use of the numerous options in this rapidly changing arena of posting.

Star Trek 2 will use a different title

Sources close to the project have apparently revealed new information about J.J. Abrams Star Trek 2, including the fact that the sequel won't actually be called Star Trek 2.The unnamed dirt-dishers claim the film will begin shooting in January but will use a different title.Khan Strikes Back, perhaps?Zoe Saldana, who plays Nyota Uhura, confirmed that the cast don't yet know where the sequel will boldly go."We still haven't gotten a script yet," she told Access Hollywood. "We're very excited to read it and get back into space.""I'm really curious and I'm pretty sure that Zach is as well," she said when asked if the romance between her character and Zachary Quinto's Spock would continue.

Savvy auds drive need for seamless show stuffers

BriggsCBS laffer '2 Broke Girls' featured suitcases by Rimowa, a client of Propaganda GEM.Over the past two decades, Propaganda GEM has solidified its status as a leader in the world of showbiz product placement. Moving forward, it must ensure that it doesn't become a victim of its own success."Consumers are more aware of product placement than ever before," says Propaganda partner and managing director Daphne Briggs. "It is painfully obvious when a product (is) forced into the action."Unfortunately, this branding overkill is not limited to film. The past TV season provided a number of poor examples of brand integrations."In fact, TV is the medium most at risk of product-placement overload. Gone are the days of straight product loan. Instead, media buys and hefty integration fees are common, with networks closely monitoring sets to safeguard against non-paying brands receiving logo exposure.But with networks increasingly willing to take coin from corporate clients looking for airtime, the results can feel all too forced."One can always tell when a company lacks entertainment marketing agency representation," adds Briggs, who has woven such clients as Rolls Royce and Carlsberg into such skeins as "In Treatment" and "Desperate Housewives.""A company with a decent agency would never allow their client to just be forced into the action. There needs to be a believable reason as to why a product or brand appears."And though Propaganda GEM is praised by studios and creatives for finding innovative ways to use products to punctuate the action without turning off the viewer, the company's future success hinges on staying ahead of today's audiences, who are becoming increasing adept at sniffing out an ad dressed as a prop.Likewise, Propaganda co-founder Anders Granath warns that product-placement gurus must not kill the goose that laid the golden egg."The field of entertainment marketing will offer very interesting opportunities in the future, on the condition that both (the studio's) and the brand's unique attributes and know-how are commonly safeguarded and smartly exploited," he says.Propaganda GEM at 20A placement in the sun | Savvy auds drive need for seamless show stuffers | Outsiders looking in Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

'The Lorax' Trailer: We Dare You Not to Smile

.post-content img {display:none;} In 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,' Danny DeVito plays Frank, a gun-toting alcoholic slob. As such, you'd be forgiven for doing a double take upon hearing his voice in the first trailer for 'The Lorax'; it's odd that coherent, non-vulgar sentences are coming out of the actor's mouth! All joking aside, judging from this first look at 'The Lorax,' based on the popular Dr. Seuss book, it could be the finest Seuss adaptation since -- er, the cartoon 'Grinch Stole Christmas' from the '60s. Zac Efron stars as Ted, a boy who becomes fascinated with Ashley (Taylor Swift), the girl next door. Ted soon learns about the evil Once-ler (Ed Helms), a man who chops down the beautiful Truffula Trees in order to make a garment known as the Thneed. The only thing standing in the Once-ler's way is the Lorax (DeVito). From the looks of this trailer, director Chris Renaud ('Despicable Me') has created a colorful Seuss-ian universe for the film. Also, for fans of the original story, it's great to finally see the face of the Once-ler (in the book, we only see his arms and hands). You can check out the trailer above (for the HD version, head over to Apple). 'The Lorax' hits theaters on March 12, 2012. [via ComingSoon] [Photo: Universal] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Torture Porn is Destroying Halloween

How can you scare people when movies like 'Saw,' 'Hostel' and 'The Human Centipede' routinely feature appendages being slashed off or faces made with other individuals areas of the body? This is the problem amusement parks are presently facing each Halloween. The haunted house is a tradition for decades, however, places like Universal Galleries, which host Halloween-designed occasions every year, are progressively getting trouble losing it audiences who had been desensitized because of the torture porn genre. Within the Thursday edition from the NY Occasions, Brooks Barnes talks towards the team behind Universal's annual Horror Nights, and finds out difficulties they face every fall. The scarce resource is ideas: approaching with new methods to entertain a 'been-there, screamed-at-that' subscriber base elevated on torture movies like 'Saw' and bloody game titles... To have their footing about this shifting terrain -- that's, to help keep frightening people and earning money from this -- Universal's fright makers have switched for an intense, year-round planning and construction regimen. What exactly performs this year-round planning process contain? Well, everything begins each October -- and therefore the Universal team is presently planning for 2012's Horror Nights -- where several ideas are tossed on a white board. By The month of january, the minds happen to be converted into three dimensional computer models, giving the creative team a "virtual tour" from the set. When the story's finished, audio and lighting design commences. Construction then happens through the summer time, with stars cast in This summer. But does planning ahead of time help much? Based on the Occasions, the revenue stream from Horror Nights is steady. To discover how Universal intentions of frightening clients this season, browse the entire piece over around the NY Occasions website [via NYT] Probably The Most Banned Horror Movies ever 'A Serbian Film' (2010)'Freaks' (1932)'Hostel' (2005) and 'Hostel: Part II' (2007)'Salo, or even the 4 months of Sodom' (1976)'Last House around the Left' (1972)'The Evil Dead' (1981)'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (1974)'I Spit in your Grave' (1978)'Cannibal Holocaust' (1980) See All Moviefone Art galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Watercooler: Psych Slays Us with Some Help from the Original Buffy

James Roday, Dule Hill Leave it to Shawn and Gus to find the sharpest way possible to stick it to the vampire craze.Last night, the perfect storm of crime fighting and pop-culture comedy that is Psych served up a bloodsucker-centric scream that flowed with bloody goodness like a severed vein. Perfectly (and misleadingly) titled "This Episode Sucks," the hour first won us over with the guest spot by Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer, here playing the main suspect in the murder of a man completely drained of his blood. To tweak a phrase from that flick, we weren't mad or disappointed to see her having so much fun.And while she looked great and was clearly game for the goofiness this show excels at, Swanson was but one of "Sucks" bits of awesome. There was also a cameo by Lost Boys survivor Corey Feldman (complete with the musical strains of "Cry Little Sister" from that kick-ass gem of '80s cinema), a turn by Tom Lenk, who previously did some damage as Andrew on TV's Buffy, and more nods to vamp movies than you could shake a wooden stake at.In fact, we gotta give major props to James Roday for directing the episode with such smarts that he was able to pull off so many undead gags and still fit in a story with an actual beating heart. It's not every day you get Lassiter looking for love, as Blacula and Lestat banter about True Blood, Dracula 2000 and Count Chocula. Hell, there was even a shout out to TB's Alexander Skarsgard and a scene straight out of The Strangers, which isn't about vampires, but is still one of the most messed up horror movies ever. Seriously, don't watch that thing alone or at night. It's as wrong as this episode was right-on.So did you sink your teeth into Psych last night? Wasn't it a scream?Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!