'Mission: Impossible' tops Friday B.O.

'Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol'Paramount's "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" conquered a crowded Friday Stateside against three major openers with more to come this holiday weekend. Actioner grossed $9.7 million yesterday."Ghost Protocol" expanded Wednesday after a weekend of exclusively large-format playdates. Pic has earned $25.1 million since Wednesday, and $42.2 million domestically to date. Its six-day Wednesday-to-Monday haul will likely land just north of $50 million, putting it on top for the long frame.Par's pic is followed by a pair of holdover sequels. Warner Bros.' "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows" grossed $6.4 million yesterday, while Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" earned another $5.4 million. Both in their second frame, they've cumed $65.5 million and $42.3 million, respectively.Sony's gritty "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" adaptation grossed $4.6 million yesterday. Earlier this week, B.O. experts predicted a tighter race between "Dragon Tattoo" and "Ghost Protocol," but the former's R rating is holding it back during the family holiday. Still, with high interest among adults, it has the most to gain from soft Christmas Eve business today.In fifth, "The Adventures of Tintin" (distribbed domestically by Par) earned $3.5 million yesterday. Pic opened internationally eight weeks ago and has cumed more than $237 million overseas, so its more modest domestic bow -- pundits are putting its six-day total close to $20 million -- shouldn't trouble worldwide distributors Par and Sony too much.Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo" opened yesterday, earning just $3 million for Fox. Its four-day haul should fall in the low teens through Monday.Still to come, Disney's "War Horse," Summit's "The Darkest Hour" and Par's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" all bow Christmas Day, looking to benefit from increased moviegoing traffic in the week following the holiday. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Mirror Mirror will receive a completely new poster

Tarsem Singh's Snow White-colored adaptation Mirror Mirror has released a completely new poster, and in truth, it's done little to allay the fears created by last month's screamingly camping trailer. Because first teaser, it made an appearance as though Singh was striving squarely for your kiddie market, which cutesy completely new one-sheet seems to ensure that impression.In the fairytale font for the jaunty tagline ("belong to the spell!") signifies that is being keen on eleven-year-old women, while using poster much like the artwork familiar with promote The Princess Journals.It may be an advertising strategy which will certainly appear sensible thinking about the existence of Snow White-colored As Well As The Huntsman, which looks to become wholly deeper affair vulnerable to attract an adult audience.However, it doesn't do much to whet our appetites for Tarsem's vision, which seems being heavy on slapstick comedy, funny faces and Bollywood dancing. We feel everyone knows where our money will probably be being spent...Mirror Mirror opens inside the Uk on 16 March 2012, with Snow White-colored As Well As The Huntsman developing 1 June 2012.

'Guvnors' to transfer to Theater Royal Haymarket

Nicholas Hytner's National Theater output of the SRO comedy "One Guy, Two Guvnors" will transfer having a completely new cast towards the second West Finish home, the Theater Royal Haymarket, from March 2. Owain Arthur, presently understudying the important thing role created by James Corden, will need over when Corden leaves while using original company for your Gotham transfer opening within the Music Box on April 18. Further casting for your Theater Royal Haymarket transfer has not been introduced. "One Guy, Two Guvnors" is departing its current home in the Adelphi theater to produce way of the transfer of Jonathan Kent's Chichester Festival Theater output of Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" from March 10. Contact David Benedict at benedictdavid@mac.com

Tonight Watch an active Online Q&A with Oscar Champion Meryl Streep!

Following funding screening tonight from the new film "The Iron Lady," you'll have the ability to take part in an active online Q&A session with acclaimed actress Meryl Streep and director Phyllida Lloyd. On Tuesday, December sixth following a choose screening in the DGA Theater in NY City, the live Q&A will start at roughly 8:45 p.m./ET, and will also be provided online within the following space: The Q&A is going to be moderated through the Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg. The Weinstein Company located an identical event this past year using the film The Nobleman Speech coupled with over 20,000 questions posted inside a 30-minute period throughout the Q&A. For tonight's event, audiences can submit questions at Ironladymovie.com and facebook.com/theironladymovie. Opening in choose U.S. theaters on December 30th, the film is definitely an intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the foremost and only female Pm from the Uk. Among the 20th centurys most well-known and influential women, Thatcher originated from nowhere to smash through obstacles of gender and sophistication to become heard inside a male centered world. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd, The Weinstein Companys "The Iron Lady" stars Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Harry Lloyd, Olivia Colman, and Alexandra Roach. It's compiled by Abi Morgan and created by Franois Ivernel, Damian Johnson, Adam Kulick, Cameron McCracken, Anita Overland, Tessa Ross, and Colleen Woodcock. Make certain it will save you this link and return here on Tuesday, December sixth at 8:45 pm/ET to get familiar with this excellent online event!

Jesus Celebrity

A La Jolla Playhouse presentation from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival manufacture of a rock opera in 2 functions, with lyrics by Tim Grain and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Directed by Des McAnuff. Choreography, Lisa Shriver. Musical director, Ron Fox. Sets, Robert Brill costumes, Paul Tazewell lighting, Howell Binkley video, Sean Nieuwenhuis seem, Jim Neil fight director, Daniel Levinson, stunt coordinator, Simon Fon. Opened up November. 30, 2011. Examined 12 ,. 3. Runs through 12 ,. 31. Running time: 110 MIN.Jesus - Paul Nolan Judas Iscariot - Josh Youthful Mary Magdalene - Chilina Kennedy Pontius Pilate - Jeremy Kushnier King Herod Bruce Dow Caiaphas - Marcus Nance Annas - Aaron Walpole With: Matt Alfano, Mary Antonini, Karen Burthwright, Jacqueline Burtney, Mark Cassius, Ryan Gifford, Kaylee Harwood, Mike Nadajewski, Melissa O'Neil, Laurin Padolina, Stephen Patterson, Katrina Reynolds, Jennifer Driver-Shaw, Matthew Rossoff, Jaz Sealey, Jason Sermonia, Julius Sermonia, Lee Siegel, Jonathan Winsby, Sandy Winsby.In Des McAnuff's Broadway-bound revival of "Jesus Celebrity," costume designer Paul Tazewell dresses the title character in solid whitened, as though offering an empty canvas which the planet is asked to fresh paint for the following 2,000 many beyond. The effectiveness from the contractor from Nazareth for everyone everyone's choose reasons may be the theme here, surely probably the most thoughtful and scintillating reading through from the Webber/Grain rock opera since its 1969 recording. Underneath the overture, turbanned, black-covered riot police spin warrior spears to whack raggedy proles. Although this production was created in Stratford, Ontario lengthy prior to the Wall Street protests, an unavoidable feeling of "Occupy Judea" produces immediacy, strengthened with a news ticker orienting us to some time and place. Pharisees carrying pepper spray would not be an unexpected sight. Creating the country's energy vacuum paves the way (literally, powering Robert Brill's glittering structure of the set) towards the response to a prayer. Not the typical one-dimensional saintly/pallid Jesus, Paul Nolan offers intriguing amounts of engagement and detachment, always departing us once taken off understanding him entirely. For the reason that, he purposely brings up the remote celebrities in our age: James Dean John Lennon Bowie and Jagger - all individuals enigmas which we're able to eagerly project whatever we dreamed. It's really no different in Jerusalem, circa 33 A.D. An oppressed populace dances its requirement for Deliverer in Lisa Shriver's exciting choreography. The apostles sing their longing for a fighting commander. Temple elders Annas (weaselly Aaron Walpole) and Caiaphas (menacing basso Marcus Nance) must manufacture a scapegoat to help keep Rome from their hair, while Governor Pilate (a subtly nuanced Jeremy Kushnier) is affected by existential doubt. Jesus becomes everybody's obscure object of desire, just as he remains today. Even King Herod (Bruce Dow), typically dismissable like a preening, queeny jester ("Walk across my pool"), is granted gravitas. His vaudevilley Charleston is definitely an amusingly rousing Las vegas lounge act, but as this potentate is frantically seeking salvation, Dow is crushed to understand "You are not the The almighty/You are only a fraud!" An ordinarily contemptuous snap is invested with genuine terror. Still more personal demands are put by tormented Judas (Josh Youthful) and reviled Mary Magdalene (Chilina Kennedy). McAnuff creates an affectional triangular where the Masters mixed signals alternately seduce and perturb his dearest disciples, similar towards the spiritual crises referred to by sages from St. Augustine to Thomas Merton. The helmer's notion would really are more effective if Jesus stored both at equal arm's length. By separating Judas yet granting Mary unfettered use of Jesus' attention, McAnuff stacks when and cuts down on the tension. Kennedy lacks vulnerability anyway, and her "I'm Not Sure How you can Love Him" results in like a mere announcement, no anguished question. It is a rare directorial misstep in a wide array of occurrences marked by equal measures of theatricality and probing intelligence. Concept involves full fruition within the title number, usually carelessly thrown in must be, it is good and B, it's around the album. Here, McAnuff reincarnates Judas like a spangled Jimmy Swaggart, strutting atop a ramp jutting out within the auditorium. Because the silently dignified Jesus starts to talk at his side, the sizzling Youthful revs in the evangelical fervor - and all of a sudden we can not hear a thing from the Word the gospel becomes an afterthought. This dramatization of man's inhumanity to Jesus' message turns into a memorable staging coup. "Celebrity" is really a triumph of interpretation believe it or not impressive compared to helmer's superbly multicultural reimagining of "The Wiz" in 2006, which regrettably never managed to get from La Jolla. Mischievous original helmer Tom O'Horgan introduced, "I wish to shake Them up," but McAnuff really wants to make Them think and feel. What opened in Gotham in 1971 like a cheesy mess will shortly return like a wise and moving spectacle. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Russell photos marked by raw passion

"People say, 'Oh, she's bad taste,' or whatever," mentioned composer Peter Maxwell Davies of helmer Ken Russell. "Well, clearly he's -- fortunately for the!InchCertainly, a powerful, unabashed vulgarity was essential to the charm of Russell's films. A Romantic inside the original 19th-century sense of the word, Russell reveled inside the depiction of lush, lots of emotion, as extreme as it might go, crafting imagery that might be swooningly beautiful one moment and rankly repugnant the next -- frequently, in films like "The Devils" (1971), basically a splice apart. He never, since the British say, did anything by half. In case your visitors -- say an educated one from Mars, though some understanding of culture here in the world -- understood nothing about Russell, an over-all glance over his filmography indicate a devotee of high art. His resume features plenty of literary adaptations (several D.H. Lawrence books, including 1969's "Women for one another,Inch 1989's "The Rainbow" and 1993's "Lady Chatterley" for TV, additionally to Oscar Wilde's "Salome's Last Dance" and Bram Stoker's "The Lair in the White-colored Earthworm," in 1988), alongside period dramas about authors and artists (1977's "Valentino," 1986's "Medieval") and bio-photos in regards to the classical composers he respected (1970's "The Music Activity Fanatics," 1974's "Mahler" and 1975's "Lisztomania"). Russell appeared to become a learned aficionado of opera and classical dance (he aspired to become ballet dancer within the youth), artistic representations including frequently within the films.However, the passionate, lusty way he handled such material couldn't be totally different from the dry, stylishly restrained style that's showed up at characterize British period drama and literary adaptations. Well into his dotage, when he started making ultra-low-budget photos literally within the own backyard, Russell ongoing to become an enfant terrible in the film world he even looked just a little being an overblown, florid baby within the senior years, along with his twinkling blue eyes and colorfully garbed, rotund form. As strange as it can certainly seem to express from the helmer who in "The Devils" shot a scene of crazy, naked nuns pleasuring by themselves an entire-size effigy of Christ round the mix, there's an essential innocence about his work, a reverence for character together with a rapturous devotion to life's most primal pleasures: sparkly textures, soaring music, beautiful naked women, among many other things.Although born in 1927 and technically too old being qualified being an infant boomer, and politically a conservative according to some reviews, Russell hit his artistic stride inside the Swinging '60s, as well as the counterculture sensibility of people occasions haunted his work. Sure, "Women for every otherInch is positioned right after WWI brought to 1918, but every frame from this feels a part of 1969, within the blithe, quasi-hipster way the figures consult with the let-it-all-hang-out exuberance in the famous naked wrestling scene between Alan Bates and Oliver Reed (Russell's male muse), which pressed the restrictions of censorship in those days.He pressed them possibly an excessive amount of for a lot of with "The Devils," which shed moments of sexual explicitness and extreme violence within the behest of first Warner Bros., then in the British censors -- the means by which an Afghan hound handles to get rid of hair in summer season -- before its release. But, it's somewhat Russell's masterpiece, ravishing in every single sense, due to the outstanding perfs Russell coaxed from thesps Reed, Vanessa Redgrave and Dudley Sutton the exquisite, starkly monochromatic production design by youthful Derek Jarman and elaborate costumes by Shirley Russell, the helmer's first wife, who labored with carefully with him on some his best-known films including "Women for one another,Inch "The Boy Friend" (1971), "Tommy" (among his rare dalliances with pop music) and "Lisztomania."If his operate in the late sixties and '70s will stand as Russell's best, there's still energy, visual flair together with a really British eccentricity to admire in people that adopted, even people he shot Stateside for instance "Transformed States" (1980) or "Crimes of Passion" (1984), or people that have been considerably reviled in those days, like "Medieval." However, Russell never much cared what experts thought, and contains the excellence to become one of the handful of company company directors caught on camera bashing a film critic (Alexander Master) inside the mind getting a duplicate in the critic's own review. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Update: Kris Humphries Files For Separation From Kim Kardashian

First Released: November 30, 2011 5:19 PM EST Credit: Getty Images La, Calif. -- Caption Kris Humphries announces his brand endorsements in the Trump SoHo, NY City, on November 17, 2011One month after Kim Kardashian declared divorce from Kris Humphries, her husband of 72 days, the National basketball association star has responded by filing a request of their own. Kris, 26, declared separation and nullity of marriage, a repetition for that Nj Nets player told Access Hollywood on Wednesday. The request was filed in California, in which the lavish wedding happened. A resource near to Kris told Access the athlete ultimately hopes to have their short-resided marriage annulled, therefore clearing the record of the union ever getting occurred. He's responsive to marriage, both psychologically and religiously, the origin stated. He entered it in good belief and not expected items to come out by doing this. As formerly reported on AccessHollywood.com, after days of gossips declaring he was still being wishing to create his brief marriage to Kim work, Kris hired lawyer Lee Hutton earlier this year. Hutton formerly repped the athlete throughout prenup discussions. Kim, 31, hired famous lawyer Laura Wasser (Britney Warrior spears, Maria Shriver) and, based on the divorce filing, is asking that Kris pay their own lawyer costs. She also asks the court reject any attempt by Kris to acquire spousal support. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Dragonriders of Pern' Author Anne McCaffrey Dies

Dragonriders of Pern author Anne McCaffrey has died. She was 85 and died at her home in Ireland following a stroke on November. 11, based on Del Rey Books and Random House.our editor recommends'X-Men' Author to evolve 'Dragonriders of Pern' Book Series for Giant Screen Related Subjects•Obituaries The sci-fi and fantasy author is better noted for her 14 Dragonriders of Pern books and also the two-part The Ship Who Sang. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths Her first novel, Restoree, was released in 1967, and, as her official website relays, was "written like a protest from the absurd and impractical portrayals of ladies in sci-fi books within the ཮s and early ླྀs." She continued to create nearly 100 books, including Decision at Doona, the Acorna youthful adult series, Dinosaur Planet, Stitch in Snow and also the Year from the Lucy. McCaffrey was the very first lady to win Hugo and Nebula honours, notes the Wall St. Journal. She was awarded with a Sci-fi Hall of Fame in 2006. In April, Watchmen and X-Males author David Hayter inked an offer to pen a giant screen adaptation from the Dragonriders book series for Copperheart Entertainment and Entertainment One. PHOTOS: 10 Greatest Book-to-Screen Adaptations from the Last two-and-a-half decades Copperheart's Steve Hoban (Splice) and Carver will produce the film, with Susan Montford of Angry Films and Hayter executive creating together with Transformers producer Don Murphy. Production is scheduled to start early 2012. Dragonflight, the very first within the Dragonriders of Pern series, features a top-notch number of players decide to try the skies being worn by giant, fire-breathing, telekinetic dragons in order to save the wondrously exotic planet of Pern from the terrifying airborne menace. McCaffrey is made it by two sons along with a daughter. Additional confirming by Etan Vlessing. Related Subjects Obituaries

Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh Team for 'Italian Shoes'

Okay, most of us understood that 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning Part 1' could be huge the only real suspense was: could it be record-breaking huge? (Early answer: Apparently not.) The bigger shockers were the failure of 'Happy Foot Two' to start anywhere near to the amounts of their smash predecessor, as well as the stunning success (for just about any glum indie Oscar hopeful using numerous screens) of George Clooney's 'The Descendants.' 'Breaking Dawn' did break the franchise's own record due to its opening evening time screening, which acquired $30.25 million inside the wee several hours of Friday morning (edging the $Thirty Dollars million benchmark set by 'Eclipse'). Which is total take Friday of $72 million was the next greatest single-day gross ever, behind the franchise's own 'New Moon' ($72.7 million) and 'Harry Potter as well as the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($91 million). Still, amounts such as this should have brought to some weekend total around $148 million. Rather, distributor Summit is calculating a dent or dimple at $139.5 million. That's missing the $142.8 million franchise record set two obligations ago by 'New Moon.' It's possible that word-of-mouth on that certain isn't as strong not remarkably. (As of this writing, Moviefone's own informal survey finds 'Breaking Dawn' audiences either exuberantly passionate or bitterly disappointed, with raves outnumbering pans a few-to-1.) It's also feasible for some grown ups and kids needed the PG-13 rating seriously and continued to be away, thinking about this installment is much more frank, disturbing, and gory in comparison to first three movies if the involves subjects of sex, pregnancy, and having a baby. Now, $139.5 million is virtually no disappointment, specially when put in overseas grosses for just about any worldwide debut gathering $283.5 million. Nonetheless, with several large holiday movies opening over the following number of days, 'Breaking Dawn' isn't situated additionally into it might be for your sharp dropoff vulnerable to visit the Christmas. Incidentally, Taylor Lautner's thriller 'Abduction' has acquired an thought $27.6 000 0000 so far, grossing about as much over nine days as 'Breaking Dawn' did when Lautner first needed his shirt off throughout Friday's first screening. Nobody expected the dancing penguins of 'Happy Foot Two' being any kind of competition for to start with, however, many bloggers did expect it to compete positively while using original, which first demonstrated at $41.5 million five years ago. Ultimately, that certain had much of the cast, similarly striking Antarctic pictures, and 3d taxes opting for this. Round the minus side, five years can be a very very long time between sequels for just about any family movie many kids who respected the flightless fowl in individuals days have graduated for the relatively chaste vampires of the underworld from the underworld and werewolves of 'Twilight.' Also, the penguin craze has cooled since 'March in the Penguins' and 'Happy Feet' ruled el born area office. Reviews weren't as strong this time around around out. Finally, the follow-up faced stiff competition not just from 'Breaking Beginning,' but furthermore from fellow family toon 'Puss in Boots,' still holding a unique after four days in theaters. Consequently, 'Happy Foot Two' must be pleased with another-place debut thought at $22. million, about fifty percent the opening go ahead and take original loved. Last week's champion, 'Immortals,' faced a steep drop, as action epics frequently do around the second weekends. It lost 62 percent of last week's business and needed third place by getting an thought $12.3 million. (You wouldn't think the macho 'Immortals' as well as the excess estrogen-heavy 'Breaking Dawn' might be competing for a similar audience, nevertheless the males who drawn their dates to look for the nasty Greek epic the other day probably returned the favor now for your similarly bloody birth of Bella's baby.) In 10 days, 'Immortals' makes $53. million. Adam Sandler movies also typically lose half their business the second week so that it was with 'Jack and Jill,' which declined 52 percent dropped to fourth placed on thought earnings of $12. million. By 50 Percent days, the comedy has already established in $41. million. Within the fourth week, 'Puss in Boots' showed up fifth by getting an thought $10.7 million, lower 57 percent from a week ago. In four days, the 'Shrek' spinoff has acquired $122.3 million. Clooney's 'The Descendants' handled to compromise the most effective 10 even though it's a heavy-designed grown-up movie using just 29 screens. It acquired an thought $1.2 million in the last weekend, meaning an enormous $42,150 per venue. Bring that towards the earnings since its solid early opening on Wednesday, plus you've got a complete take of $1.3 million. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning Part 1' - Trailer No. 2 The whole top: 1. 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning Part 1,' $139.5 million (4,061 screens), era 2. 'Happy Foot Two,' $22. million (3,606), era 3. 'Immortals,' $12.3 million (3,120), $53. million total 4. 'Jack and Jill,' $12. million (3,438), $41. million 5. 'Puss in Boots,' $10.7 million (3,415), $122.3 million 6. 'Tower Heist,' $7. million (2.942), $53.4 million 7. 'J. Edgar,' $5.9 million (1,947), $20.7 million 8. 'A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas,' $2.9 million (1,808), $28.3 million 9. 'In Time,' $1.7 million (1,367), $33.4 million 10. 'The Descendants,' $1.2 million (29), $1.3 million [Photos: Summit, Warner Bros., Fox Searchlight] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Follow Gary Susman on Twitter: @garysusman

The merits of 'Melancholia'

Kirsten Dunst in 'Melancholia.'Von TrierWhen Lars Von Trier released into his infamous tirade in Cannes, marketers who had the privileges to his latest pic, "Melancholia," might have despaired -- however, the film does good business. Now you ask ,: Could it did better? Lengthy-time students of the self-announced anarchist and mischievous provocateur, who now demands he isn't a real Nazi and was just kidding, could have been justified in exclaiming, along with Kirsten Dunst's character within the film, "What have you expect?"Anybody who thought Von Trier's distribution partners, a lot of whom have was through the director since his breakout hit "Smashing the Waves" in 1996, would turn against him, is going to be disappointed. Cannes might have declared Von Trier to become "persona non grata," but his film, which opened up within the U.S. November. 11 and made $257,174 from 19 screens over its opening weekend, continues to be given a warm welcome by many people film experts, fellow professionals and cinemagoers. Some of the movie's distribs have previously registered release a Von Trier's next film, erotic drama "Nymphomaniac," and a week ago the ecu Film Academy compensated "Melancholia" with eight nominations in the annual honours. The film's box office gross stands at $14.4 million through November. 13, a figure that's prone to rise substantially because the pic continues to be running in theaters in a number of areas, and it has yet to spread out in lots of others. With video and TV sales put into the pot, production company Zentropa will probably easily recoup its investment around the film.But nonetheless the idea remains: It might have been a lot better if he'd just stored his mouth shut."After I saw the film, I believed it was fantastic really effective. I had been so impressed which i thought it might win a significant prize in Cannes possibly not the Palme d'Or, however the Grand Prix," recalls Regine Vial, mind of distribution at French indie L'ensemble des Films du Losange. Because it was, the film needed to get by using the actress award for Dunst.Vial opened up the film in August and it is glad she did. Although a lot of folks France visit the beach for many of this month, there is little competition within the arthouse market, which gave the film a obvious run within the press, and time for you to build its audience through person to person. Vial being asked to look on radio shows to discuss the scandal, which gave her the chance to change the main focus to the film.Within the two several weeks between Cannes and also the opening, she'd intensely marketed the film through preview tests at locations in which the chattering classes gather. These incorporated a theater festival in Avignon along with a film festival in Corsica."We desired to show the film straightaway in as numerous place as you possibly can to allow people this would be a fantastic bit of filmmaking, and permit word to spread," Vial states. "Melancholia" has had $3.4 million in Gaul by November. 13 -- a lot more than every other territory -- which is still playing in theaters there, but Vial thinks it might have been much more popular if Von Trier had not have run his mouth, and also the film had won among the top awards in Cannes. Prior to the festival, Vial had wished the film would acquire a box office close to $4.two million she now needs it to finish on about $3.8 million. Antonio Medici, general director at Italy's BIM Distribuzione, can also be dismayed concerning the fallout from Von Trier's rant in Cannes. He states some theater proprietors rejected to accept film, and although others required their place, he feels the episode distracted in the film's unquestionable quality, and brought many people to prevent it. "Melancholia" were built with a poor opening weekend in Italia on March. 21, but has retrieved slightly since. Medici estimations the box office, which now stands at $638,164 by November. 13, will finish up between $676,000 and $744,000, that is about 30% underneath the company's estimate within the run-as much as Cannes. Medici places blame the shortfall around the debate, that was covered in primetime news shows on all of the primary Television channels in Italia."Some several weeks had passed, however i believe there have been still people who did not wish to watch a film from the guy who made this type of statement," Medici states.Ivo Andrle, purchases mind at Aerofilms, the film's Czech distributor, were built with a better experience. He opened up the "Melancholia" soon after Cannes, and it has banked $192,000 and handle its run this really is 57% a lot more than the $109,000 he forecast prior to the festival. He states the debate produced an appetite in media for news about Von Trier, that they then given with information concerning the film itself."The media attention began using the scandal, and increased quickly, however they just spoken concerning the scandal and never concerning the film. Therefore we attempted to follow-up and provide them further subjects to incorporate in their coverage," he states.So, how can you solve an issue like Von Trier? Well, the director may curently have provided the solution themself, when he declared recently he'd sworn a vow of silence. His pics' marketers hope that later on he'll allow his films to talk on their own. n Contact Leo Barraclough at leo.barraclough@variety.com

Tribune Tells Bankruptcy Court That It Has A Plan To Finally Stand On Its Own

It’s been nearly three years since real estate magnate Sam Zell drove Tribune to seek bankruptcy protection — the result of his disastrous $8.2B leveraged buyout transactions in 2007. Butthe broadcasting, publishing and Internet power says its days in thepenalty box may soon be over:The company filed a third amended reorganization plan at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware yesterday that it says has the support of senior unsecured creditors Oaktree Capital Management; Angelo, Gordon & Co; and JPMorgan Chase Bank. The document, released late last night, says that Tribune will ask the court at a conference on Tuesday to hold a December 13 hearing on the proposal, setting it up to be confirmed in February. The media company has “been in bankruptcy too long,” it said in a court filing. Although Tribune owes creditors about $13B,the new proposal says it “incorporates a protocol for resolution of the few remaining disputes.” These disagreements mostly involve how to split $534M owed to junior credit holders including hedge fund Aurelius Capital Management — and Zell. The new plan wouldlet the junior lenders make that decision, which the court could adjust later if it wants. Tribune’s media holdings include the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and 23 TV stations.

Mattel, Disney team on 'Cars' display

Mattel professional Jean Gomez shows the companys rare die-cast Cars collection to children at the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A.After parking its Hot Wheels cars at Los Angeles' Petersen Automotive Museum for a long time, toymaker Mattel has teamed with Disney and Pixar to produce a new lengthy-term display in the venue, this time around turning round the "Cars" franchise. Using more than 250 million "Cars"-designed die-cast cars offered because the first film folded into theaters in 2006, Mattel will display most of the latest and rarest from the toys through its "From Big Screen to Die-cast: Disney-Pixar Cars Imagined by Mattel" exhibit until April. Through the years, Mattel has created a lot more than 500 unique types of the "Cars" character toys. Exhibit features dioramas of "Cars" moments featuring 100s of die-cast "Cars" automobiles, rare, never-launched and collectible automobiles and also the good reputation for the film franchise's die-cast packaging designs. Also displayed may be the new Lightning McQueen Alive toy, featuring a realistic mouth, moving eyes and shrugging shoulders. Mattel spent annually . 5 developing the automobile, project designer Scott Derman stated. Among the rare cars displayed may be the "Apple Vehicle," a whitened vehicle having a silver Mac apple on its hood, that was offered solely in a single online-only package. It's since become probably the most desired "Cars" toys, by having an selling price of just about $700 on eBay. The exhibit also shows cars which were available only on special events or at occasions, such as the "John Lasseter" truck, named for Pixar's topper, that was only provided to Pixar employees who done the "Cars" movies. The "Cars" toys are 1/55 scale, bigger than most die-cast cars, that are 1/46 in scale, to more precisely capture the facial expressions, personality and character particulars, stated Chris Lower, Mattel's Vice president of design. "Which was to capture the essence of are they all unique, that is their character -- their smile, their eyes and every one of that," Lower added. Some plastic prototypes of never-launched cars including Albert "Buffet Master" Hinkey, also called McQueen's greatest fan, was sold off by Bonhams to profit the Robert E. Petersen Free Chartered Bus Program, which supplies free transportation towards the museum for schools in underserved towns. Bonhams can also be auctioning from the 1994 Toyota Supra Custom featured in "The Short and also the Furious" and also the 2004 Lexus Concept Vehicle from "Minority Report." In 2003, Mattel opened up its Hot Wheels Hall of Fame in the Petersen to celebrate the 35th anniversary from the toy line. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Shawn Stockmans Sing-Off Blog: The Contractors & Destroyers In Hollywood

First Released: November 16, 2011 2:47 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium La, Calif. -- Caption Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Males carrying out throughout the Rachael Ray Show at Pats King of Meats in Philadelphia, PA., August 30, 2011Wow, such a questionable week! Im in Japan at this time and so i needed to watch the show came from here. Incidentally, I acquired an opportunity to go to the town of Sendai, where epicenter from the large quake was and also the tsunami that adopted on March 11. To witness the communal feeling and just how resilient the folks listed here are is really inspiring and that i was honored to possess been welcomed here with your memorable warmth! Now, because the competition will get nearer to the ultimate 3, it will get increasingly more intense, and also the margin of error is very slim! The critiques become a little more meticulous, for what is on the line is really a existence altering recording contract using the giant record company The new sony. Due to the options my co-idol judges and that i made on who had been removed in the show, these past couple of episodes were looked at by a lot of, which for that record, we seem to comprehend is just work hazard and it arrives with the territory. Lots of you requested me on my small Twitter page, some with pronounced irateness I would add, lol, How can we arrived at our choices? Ill make an effort to explain it as being fireproof as you possibly can: Within the first couple of episodes, as compared to the ladder ones, its pretty apparent. Though every group is amazing, its obvious to us that has more depth of area to possess a long term within the competition. Because the days continue, and Ill speak just for myself, I attempt to search for the audience who although sing a cappella, because with a certain point of year everybody on the program is damn good, but who are able to translate good enough the public will buy their record. I search for an appeal overall, along with a group which i have the individuals will interact with instantly, not only musically, but personally! Now music in general is subjective, and nowadays it's very hard to sell records of any sort so I am not saying our options will always be just right. Point in fact, once you're able to the final five, normally such groups surely may have a prosperous career within the music biz! Nevertheless its things i see at that time. Just to illustrate, Vocal Point is definitely an amazing number of men from Provo, Utah that nailed mainly EVERY performance! These were creative, fun to look at and also the women loved them. My only problem should you even wish to refer to it as that's their front guy place. You actually didnt possess a stick out a couple of men who could have been the face area from the group. Their cohesiveness was their gift as well as their curse, because in my experience there wasnt somebody who completely different from the system! With all of that being stated, I still feel there is a shot at being amazing recording artists and entertainers. But when you do a comparison towards the other groups within the competition, I believe you'll learn what it's I am talking about. Thats a trade secret I simply gave you, which means this blog will self-destruct in thirty seconds. Before it will, I felt the necessity to make use of the space Access Hollywood has given me to philosophize on a few things i consider during my travels (say no to, I seem just like a lonely hunter or something like that). Anyway Ever witness a youngster have fun with LEGOS? To witness a young child put a lot thought and time for you to creating something is really awe-inspiring! You can observe the pleasure they get of the many single piece they stack within their visionary formation the chunky yellow ones, the little petite red-colored ones, the half-moon formed blue ones, all in perfect symmetry to produce what this child is creating in the ideas in the beautiful mind. When its finally complete, once the LEGO masterpiece has its own last and final component carefully complied, ever see another child come and kick over that creation! The youthful architect instantly evolves tears in the eyes, angry, yet also hurt that somebody would do this type of mean and evil factor! The truth is instantly introduced to come to light in the interaction between two children. That the truth is, in existence, you will find Contractors and DESTROYERS! I've been lucky enough to be around both finishes from the yin and also the yang! You can study from both, essentially how you can be and just how To not be!! Personally, i am inspired by contractors due to their focus on detail as well as their capability to create something from nothing! To witness several males and ladies on the tv program construct harmony from nothing to construct a seem which brings the on looker of millions to a number of feelings is amazing and not tiring to determine! To look at my spouse in some way have a household together and have time for you to make certain Im looked after, to seeing my mother raise FIVE kids practically by hand, to my dad never flailing in the values in becoming positive in whatever cause you choose to take part in, to seeing my very own group people for action once we come up with probably the most beautiful music Ive heard, Ive been fortunate to be with greatness the majority of my existence! Contractors! The main one factor every one has in keeping is they have what we should call, TALENT, SKILL, the capability to really make a move that benefits others naturally! To gold coin my very own phrase, lol, individuals who destroy are usually TALENTLESS, and MAD about this! Have a look around, and you will see according to that definition whom you should devote your precious attention and time to, in most facets of existence! Build or destroy, it's your choice! -SHAWN Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Paternity Suit Against Attacking Youthful Boys Dropped

Attacking Youthful Boys The 20-year-old lady who mentioned Attacking Youthful Boys fathered her 4-month-old child has dropped her paternity suit, TMZ reviews.Mariah Yeater quietly made a decision against pursuing the problem the other day.Veoh further reported that Yeater's lawyers, Lance Rogers and Matt Pare, have quit the problem.Picture Gallery: Attacking Youthful Boys using the yearsTwo days ago, Yeater hit the 17-year-old pop star getting a suit, proclaiming they and Bieber had sex backstage after his show in La, creating the birth of her boy, Tristyn.Is Attacking Youthful Boys a parent or gaurdian?Previously the other day, the Canadian singer introduced expects to possess a DNA test upon his return to the united states . States by 50 percent days. More youthful crowd mentioned he'd be suing Yeater once the test results go back to exhibit the results of those accusations.Within a short appearance round the Today show nearly on friday, Bieber mentioned: "To produce the record straight, none of it's true. I realize I'm apt to be a target, however i am not really considered a victim. It's crazy, because each night following a show I've gone from transpires with my vehicle."Attempts to get comment from Bieber's repetition were not immediately returned.

Hell on Wheels: TV Review

For Hell on Wheels, AMC's ambitious Western, there's lots of trouble to cope with immediately -- present, past and future.our editor recommendsAMC Revs Up 'Hell on Wheels' With Full Season OrderAMCs 'Hell on Wheels' Leads TV's Wild For Western TrendFirst Take a look at AMC's New Drama 'Hell on Wheels' (Video) In our, the pilot is not excellent. It's flat, has flashes of action, then finishes having a thud. Which, consequently, raises yesteryear. If you are will make a Western, you are likely to be in comparison to Deadwood, the Cinemax jewel, regardless of what you need to do. What Hell on Wheels does not need, at this time, are evaluations to such greatness. It's definately not Deadwood. Period. As well as the series to prevent worrying concerning the troubles for the future -- whenever a staggering increase of Westerns are coming round the bend -- it must establish itself in a rush and become an engaging drama inside a crowded area. STORY: AMC's 'Hell on Wheels' Leads TV's Wild for Western Trend Getting viewed the very first four episodes, achieving that goal can be problematic. You will find elements to Hell on Wheels which are compelling. There's potential in abundance -- as there must be when you are carrying out a genre series because of so many legendary elements to select from. There is however a nagging suspicion that Hell on Wheels, produced by Tony and Joe Gayton, does not quite understand what it really wants to be, which might explain why after four hrs it appears like an accumulation of ideas that haven't quite gelled. The series is placed publish-Civil War and focuses on your building from the transcontinental railroad. In early stages the producers began callingHell on Wheels an "Eastern" rather than a Western, since it concentrates on moving East to West (hence, no Chinese workers -- just an accumulation of former slaves, ex-soldiers and Irish immigrants). Regardless of what they are calling it, the majority of the pilot appears like it really wants to be part Clint Eastwood Western (just select one) and, well, Deadwood. Like it gives audiences a huge dose of Cullen Bohannon (Anson Mount), an old Digital rebel soldier hell-bent on revenge for that murder of his wife. Bohannon's got the squinty eyes, the beard, the hat and also the sidearm that indicates "troubled loner prepared to kill you." However the series then changes to Thomas Durant (Colm Meaney), the greedy public face of Union Off-shore Railroad, who concurrently really wants to get wealthy from government subsidies and land grants or loans for that railroad and, less with excitement, to accomplish the imagine coast-to-coast travel. VIDEO: Start Looking at AMC's New Drama 'Hell on Wheels' The 2 get together within the moving tent city referred to as Hell on Wheels, a kind of base camping for that railroad employees because it inches westward. Hell on Wheels, the city, appears like a less recognized version of Deadwood, the city in, well, Deadwood. You have the dirt and also the whores and also the consuming, although not the layered nuance of figures. That's partially because Hell on Wheels has trouble, as pointed out above, determining what it really really wants to be. For instance, we learn, as Bohannon seeks employment around the railroad, he would be a former slave owner who married a woman in the North, gave his slaves independence annually prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, and -- what? Wants revenge? Once he begins to have it, by picking from the males involved, the Bohannon character begins to empty out. You want to learn more about him, but he just appears one-dimensionally centered on revenge. Every other time we meet him, there isn't enough either to love him or detest him, so he turns into a caricature of Clint. The pilot also introduces Elam (Common), an ex-slave none too pleased to be taking orders from Bohannon while being employed as a totally free guy around the railroad. Elam and also the relaxation from the former slaves are evidence the Gaytons wish to tackle the race problem. We meet Lilly Bell (Dominique McElligott), the only real lady who's not really a prostitute. So perhaps there's an position to tackle concerning the struggles of ladies, too. We meet plenty of Indians, although the producers have stated they will not really tackle that aspect until Season 2. Meanwhile, there's Frederick Black Moon (Eddie Warrior spears) who converts to Christianity underneath the guidance of Reverend Cole (the wonderful Tom Noonan). So you have got the Indian position type of addressed, plus religion. Sean and Mickey McGinnes (Ben Esler and Phil Burke) would be the youthful Irish hustlers within the camping, check from the immigrant box, too. STORY: E1, Endemol to create 'Wheels' Pilot But none of them of those figures really involves existence, even through four episodes. They exist, they hint in an capability to be produced into something, however they don't stay with you. Like Hell on Wheels really wants to be a lot of parts (or, if you wish to be cynical about this, checked off boxes) there is however no whole. Actually, the very best character seems within the second episode but is not pointed out within the voluminous press materials or episode synopsis (!). It's Christopher Heyerdahl, playing a personality named The Swede. How one thing in a single hour -- Episode 2 -- the Swede appears fully created and also the lead, Bohannon, appears to become an deliberately murky mixture of negative and positive that's more theoretical than apparent? Obviously, to obtain far enough to bother with that problem, audiences will have to work through the pilot. In a nutshell, it simply does not pop. And getting Meaney's railroad boss deliver some absurdly colorful exposition to nobody particularly (telling us, not showing us, exactly what the series should be about) boosts real concerns. Possibly a few of the issues here could be tracked that Joe and Tony Gayton accepted to TV experts in This summer they pitched AMC on the different project (which AMC did not get, based on the siblings) and were later spoken into the thought of a Western because that is what AMC was searching for in an effort to link the funnel to its Damaged Trail roots. That does not exactly scream passion project, will it? Also it stands in stark contrast to David Milch's all-in method of starting Deadwood. There is however still expect Hell on Wheels if audiences choose to have patience (not really a given for just about any show). The sun and rain of the good series are here. You will find tales to inform. But something must take place in a genuine hurry (like, say, Episode 5?), to help keep the belief. Possibly there is a connecting agent that can make this series a lot more than the sum of the its parts. Otherwise, it will not be lengthy before more Westerns show up on the television horizon -- and one of these is certain to understand it properly. Email: Tim.Goodman@THR.com AMC Hell on Wheels Common

Comcast Boss: Telemundo Soccer World Cup Privileges Deal 'Should Be Profitable'

The lengthy-gestating drama My Wild Existence, focusing on animal conservationist Dame Daphne Sheldrick, is finally taking strides for the giant screen.our editor recommendsPhilip Noyce Pointing 'The Arrangement' for Mandate Nicole Kidman is mounted on star because the elephant advocate while Philip Noyce is aboard as director.Shaun Stockwell(The Harmful Lives of Altar Boys) authored the script. Mandalay's Peter Guber and Trina Schulman will produce together with Geyer Kosinski and Chris Burns. Experience Limitless has acquired foreign sales privileges towards the Mandalay Pictures project and can begin selling it at AFM. PHOTOS: Oscars Nominees Lunch The project have been setup at New Line and try to attracted talent: Nick Cassavetes and Walter Salles were attached at certain points while stars for example Jennifer Aniston and Kate Winslet circled. Mandalay is incorporated in the procedure for extricating it from New Line and it is in discussions with Universal to achieve the film distributed locally having a date sometime round the 2012 holidays. Telepool has acquired the privileges for Germany. VIDEOS: Honours Watch Roundtable: The Stars Production is scheduled for first quarter 2012 on location in Africa. National Geographic character photography enthusiasts Dereck and Beverly Joubert will engage in taking photos of the elaborate character sequences, based on the producers. Sheldrick and her husband David devoted their lives to safeguarding the creatures of Kenya's Tsavo National Park. Sheldrick is credited with discovering how you can formulate the milk required to feed orphaned tigers. Her autobiography is scheduled to become released in March. Remington Chase, Stepan Martirosyan, Mark Damon and Tamara Stuparich P La Barra will executive produce. Related Subjects AFM Nicole Kidman Worldwide Asia AFM 2011

'Midnight in Paris' Actor Corey Stoll Cast in Indie 'Decoding Annie Parker'

Corey Stoll remains cast in Decoding Annie Parker, a drama-comedy that stars Samantha Morton in addition to features Helen Search, Aaron Paul, Maggie Sophistication and Rashida Manley. The actor may have Sean, your physician who befriends the film's title character, carried out by Morton. Steven Bernstein is pointing the indie pic, of a breast cancers patient. Stoll completed an memorable performance as Ernest Hemingway in Woodsy Allen's Evening amount of time in Paris, which was released taken making $116 million worldwide. Stoll's film credits include Salt and Lucky Number Slevin. His television credits include Law & Order: L.A., The Truly Amazing Wife and NCIS. Decoding is presently filming in La. The project continues to be produced byClark Billings, Stuart Ross, Keith Kjarval, Mary Vernieu and Ron Senkowski. Jonathan Brownlee and Sahil Chanana executive creating. Stoll is represented by Talent Works and Suskin Management. Email: Daniel.Burns@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller Related Subjects Aaron Paul Helen Search Maggie Sophistication Rashida Manley

'X Factor' United kingdom Rankings Still Wobble

LONDON - Simon Cowell'sundisputed dominance of British television is searching a bit more vulnerable after another rankings wobble from ITV hit X Factor.our editor recommends'The X Factor' Premiere: Simon Cowell Won Over by Youthful Rachel Crows Song, Emotional Backstory (Video) 'The X Factor' Redux: 5 Afterthoughts around the Shows Premiere 'American Idol' Creator Sues Fox For Millions in 'X Factor' Money (Exclusive)'American Idol's' Nigel Lythgoe Jams Twitter Fans Over 'X Factor' PHOTOS: Behind the curtain: THR's 'X Factor' Cover Shoot The show's rankings average fell from 10.a million a week ago to 9.six million on Saturday evening in comparison to Strictly Come Dancing - the United kingdom version of Dwts- which came a typical audience of 10.two million on BBC1. PHOTOS: An 'American Idol' to X Factor' Timeline X-Factorpeaked with 10.a million at 19.45 BST, a way behind the 11.3 million peak watching the BBC's celebrity dance extravaganza Strictly. X Factor United kingdom's rankings a week ago had started to seem a security bell once they were considerably lower on the program's performance last year.The final time the BBC show beat X Factor is at 2007. STORY: 'X Factor' United kingdom Condemned By Primal Scream Show's Rankings Slide Continues Cowell's recent large-money game show Red-colored Or Black also unsuccessful to wow audiences, despite being probably the most costly entertainment show ITV has released recently. Without Simon Cowell within the line-up, there have been always fears the ITV show might lose steam. But ITV bosses is going to be wondering how they may change a reveal that presently has a rump of former audiences simply not disturbing to stay tuned. The easy answer - returning Simon Cowell - looks more and more tricky as Cowell wrestles using the challenge of tugging off Fox's X-Factor. And, based on some associates, the issue is not only Cowell. Some of the ITV1 show's top production staff has progressed to focus on the Fox show, and numerous on-air glitches indicates their presence is skipped. PHOTOS: 'The X Factor': Start Looking at Simon Cowell's New Knowing Team This season's knowing line-from Louis Walsh, Tulisa Contostavios, Kelly Rowlandand Gary Barlow, haven't meshed in the same manner onscreen, with lots of audiences taking to Twitter to dismiss on-screen rows between Tulisa and Kelly as "fake." After Kelly Rowland apparently needed to cry removed from the show using what her agent referred to as "a viral throat infection," audiences weren't impressed, either together with her phone-directly into wish her team well, or her alternative, the first kind X Factor United kingdom champion Alexandra Burke. Chat show host Jonathan Rosswas one of 100s of fans who have been unpersuaded by Rowland's apparent sickness, Tweeting: "Kelly Rowland is delivering minimal credible sick voice I've ever heard. She's clearly not ill." Piers Morganwas also not impressed. "I believe someone must nicely show Kelly Rowland that quaint old showbiz phrase 'the show must continue,'" he Tweeted underneath the hashtag #SickMyA** Meanwhile, 100s of audiences were similarly negative about Alexandra Burke - who some thought had been administered the positioning on the program because she's an archive release approaching on Cowell's Syco record label. Celebrity news site HolyMoly blogged: "nobody please incite Alexandra Burke back, please," while Mr Paparazzi Tweeted "Seeing Alexandra Burke on X Factorhas made us understand just how much we love to Kelly Rowland. Former England Rugby captain Will Carling crudely spoke for a lot of when he Tweeted "Doesn't Alexandra Burke talk utter shi*e!! No clue what she's speaking about." Related Subjects Simon Cowell Worldwide The X Factor

NBC buys 'Afterthought' pitch

Exclusive: NBC has bought our prime-concept pitch "Afterthought" from hot feature scribes Evan Daugherty ("Snow Whitened and also the Huntsman") and Melissa Rosenberg ("The Twilight Saga"), who is constantly on the branch into TV creating following her success with Showtime's "Dexter."Referred to like a closed-ended procedural within the vein of "CSI," by means of "Beginning" and "The Cell," story follows an unconventional team inside the FBI that utilizes the six-hour window between clinical dying and cellular dying to resolve killings simply by entering the reminiscences from the lately deceased.Rosenberg, who'll make her non-writing creating debut, will professional produce the project through her Tall Women Prods. banner, while Daugherty will co-professional produce and write the pilot. Daugherty produced the concept and introduced it to Rosenberg, because the two share exactly the same features agent at UTA, Tobin Babst.The Peacock-affiliated Universal Television will produce."I am delighted to become dealing with Bob Greenblatt again, getting had this type of great creative relationship on "Dexter," stated Rosenberg. "I had been keen on Evan's from the beginning and that he has an array of fresh, original ideas. 'Afterthought' is high concept -- combined with a powerful, complex female protagonist -- and it is precisely Tall Women Prods.' raison d'etre."Additionally to her focus on "Dexter," Rosenberg has credits on several effective TV series, including "The O.C." and "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Lady." She's written all five films in Summit Entertainment's "The Twilight Saga," which stars Billy Burke and who toplines Daugherty's feature debut, "Snow Whitened and also the Huntsman."Rosenberg can also be writing "Highlander" for Summit and "Earthseed" for Vital. Latter may be the first set of features up at Tall Women Prods.Daugherty broke in to the business together with his thriller script "Shrapnel," which John McTiernan is mounted on direct. Scribe can also be adapting Veronica Roth's youthful adult novel "Divergent" for Summit and Red-colored Wagon Entertainment.Daugherty and Rosenberg correspondingly handled by FilmEnging and three Arts Entertainment, correspondingly. Contact Shaun Sneider at shaun.sneider@variety.com

'Avengers' Trailer Proves Loyal to Comics' Roots

Zack Rosenthal/Marvel Galleries This short article first made an appearance within the March. 28 problem from the Hollywood Reporter.our editor recommends'The Avengers': Comics versus. Film'The Avengers': New Photos From Marvel's Super hero Film'Avengers' Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson Talk Fight Moments and Injuries (Video)'Avengers' Robert Downey Junior. and Chris Hemsworth On Hypothetical Fight Between Thor and Iron Guy (Video)'Avengers' Tom Hiddleston Talks the Return of Loki (Video) Avengers assemble! A clip for Marvel's The Avengers first showed March. 11, almost seven several weeks in front of its May 4 release. The first burst of enthusiasm was strong: The preview for that Joss Whedon-helmed flick recorded a lot more than ten million downloads on iTunes throughout the very first 24 hrs, breaking all records for movie trailers around the service. But to guarantee the film is really a success, Marvel and it is new owner, Disney, are first attempting to power up hard-core fans, because the trailer first showed, the comics cognoscenti happen to be poring within the 124 seconds of footage to ascertain if it captures that Marvel Comics mojo. PHOTOS: 'The Avengers': New Photos From Marvel's Super hero Film The film unites four major heroes (Captain America, Iron Guy, Thor and also the Hulk, who've with each other made $2.5 billion worldwide in six separate film efforts), adds two new heroes (Hawkeye and Black Widow) and tosses in another half-dozen major supporting gamers. It's trying to behave nothing you've seen prior attempted: bring the central miracle from the Marvel Comics world -- the interconnectivity of their disparate heroes -- towards the giant screen in one location. Jonah Weiland of Comic Assets stated a clip "provides for us a peek at the dynamic between your core people. Frankly, that's among the greatest challenges with this particular 'team movie' concept." By greenlighting the reported $220 million budget, Marvel offers quite a bit riding around the movie. Whether it works, Avengers will launch a brand new generation of interconnected franchises and secure Marvel's movie future. PHOTOS: New Generation of Superheroes Marvel continues to be building toward a natural movie world with little cameos and Happy easter ! in some places in the earlier films, however it lays everything at risk with Avengers. To date, a clip -- full of nods towards the classic tales, the visual look of legendary artist Jack Kirby (the brush behind virtually every major Marvel character in the nineteen forties with the ྂs) and also the influence from the popular 2002 comics reboot The Ultimates, that also affected the Thor and Captain America movies -- has comics enthusiasts gushing. Authored one fan on comics site bleedingcool.com, "I'd a geekgasm." Using the full class roster revealed, a clip uncovers three key ways the film intends to recognition story lines which will have longtime comic fans searching toward May (whilst getting within an brand new audience.) Don't Wreck Havoc On the category Prez Nick Fury initially would be a secondary character, a cigar-chomping, Italian-American The Second World War vet having a dash of Mission Impossible. Within the Ultimates reboot, Fury was moved in the forefront because the leader from the Avengers and re-imagined being an ass-kicking, gun-carrying, bald-headed team leader particularly patterned on Samuel L. Jackson. The up-to-date Fury, displayed within the trailer with guns blazing, is a lot more Bourne than Bond. Knowing through the trailer, The Avengers will pack more action in it than some of Marvel's other films. Plus, the film has Loki because the primary villain, a jerk to 1963's The Avengers #1, which introduced they together to manage Thor's mischievous half-brother. STORY: 'The Avengers' Trailer Downloaded A Lot More Than ten million Occasions in 24 Hrs Possess the Large Males on Campus Bicker in addition to Bond The do-gooder Captain America and also the wise aleck Iron Guy have always were built with a complicated but important relationship within the comics. The heroes shared a magazine within the sixties but have frequently clashed recently. Marvel's publish-9/11 affected narrative Civil Wars had them on opposite sides of the effort to join up all heroes, with Cap leading the resistance and Iron Guy dealing with the federal government. A clip implies that Whedon, who co-authored the film's script with Zak Penn, is smartly playing in the clash. Sure, Robert Downey Junior.'s Iron Guy is certainly going for the greatest zingers, but don't underestimate Chris Evans' place-on portrayal from the Star-Spangled Avenger to win fans. A clip can also be jammed with Marvel's trademark hero-versus.-hero fights, including teases of the sure-to-be-epic confrontation between Captain America and Thor (Chris Hemsworth). VIDEO: 'The Avengers' Trailer Hits the net Result in the New Kids Feel in your own home Whedon has become a comics fan. He composed an acclaimed 24-problem run of Astonishing X-Males, therefore it's no real surprise the trailer is full of callouts to classic comic shots -- Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) drawing his bow in to the camera and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) for action -- that suggest starring turns of these fan-favorite supporting figures. Plus, the Nederlander position shots of Thor tossing his hammer and Captain America jumping on the vehicle reveal that Whedon is taking the kinetic energy from the visual type of original Avengers artist Kirby. View photos that compare the comics using the approaching Marvel film here. Avengers Joss Whedon Marvel Entertainment The Avengers

Social engineering

'Glee: The three dimensional Concert Movie'Justin Bieber in concertShia LaBeouf attends the NY premiere of 'Transformers: Dark From The Moon'Once a celebration was considered successful if industryites turned up, networked and went home having a gift bag having a sponsor's items. Individuals days are gone. Now occasions should have an electronic and interactive element that goes viral, and visitors are required not only to connect to sponsors' items but also to get on the internet and publish to Facebook concerning the event.Individuals pop-up photo cubicles at parties might be amusing for visitors, but look closer, there is a secondary purpose. Images include a sponsor's logo design and frequently connect to a Facebook page or website. On the bigger scale: the June "Transformers: Dark from the Moon" premiere takeover of Occasions Square produced a large number of pages of YouTube videos."Your event can no more be localized, it needs to be viral on some level," states Mia Choi, founding father of Gotham's MAS Event and Design, a celebration planning firm. Occasions are actually about producing online content.Content can encompass immediate social internet posts via Facebook, a web-based link-up or webcast or digital media within the team meeting, like a quiet auction with an iPad application.Sponsorships will always be the easiest method to augment event budgets within the era of austerity, however sponsors want more bang for his or her buck. Event organizers have discovered the recently easiest way to keep sponsor associations would be to integrate the sponsor in to the event artistically and propel their brand online."The concept will be subtle but additionally to find the message across," states Chad Hudson, prexy of Chad Hudson Occasions. (His firm created the "Transformers 3" Gotham premiere and "Glee 3D's" Westwood bow.) Joining up with sponsors which make sense for any film's theme -- like setting up a Godiva chocolate lounge for that "Valentine's" premiere, for example -- is the greatest practice."The way a brand harnesses that sponsorship is actually key how effective it will likely be for your brand," states Chris Ryan, Vice president of L.A.-based R3 Marketing. At occasions, brands now request for "build out" -- a top quality Very important personel lounge in a publish-premiere party is a model -- along with a be part of social networking.Sponsors should also give partygoers grounds to tweet. To that particular finish, event organizers must create immersive encounters, which could vary from a photograph backdrop that encourages visitors to instantly tell mobile phone cameras, to some party vignette (the chocolate room) that confers a tale, to building a set up that instantly produces massive online awareness and interest (think Target's multi-media fashion spectacular and transformation from the Standard NY in August 2010).As Ryan describes it, this really is new-generation sponsorship -- brands are not only sponsoring occasions, but reaching the crowd there and creating a significant connection. Not only logo design plastering (though this tradition is more healthy than ever before), "brands have to recognize, should you put money into a sponsorship, you might also need to invest money to activate it," adds Ryan.A tournament on Facebook associated with a celebration is an excellent method to increase sponsorship efforts. Virgin America did exactly that using its "Real Steel" tie-along with DreamWorks Pictures. Not just did the air travel plaster a "Real Steel" robot image on the plane (revealed by star Hugh Jackman) but additionally backed a web-based contest for fans to go to the pic's premiere."It can make our obligation as event people on some level harder but additionally more interesting," Choi states. "We are no more just party organizers, we are entrepreneurs."EVENT PLANNER'S GUIDE Social engineering Upgrades provide a new luxe on existence Space craft Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Nicole Scherzinger and Lewis Hamilton Split After four years

Lewis Hamilton and Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Scherzinger and her boyfriend, race vehicle driver Lewis Hamilton, have referred to as it quits after four years together, People reviews. Distance was one reason for your split, an origin told playboy. The X Factor judge, 33, relies in La while Hamilton, 26, features a house in Europe and travels the earth frequently. Have a look at photos of Nicole Scherzinger Within This summer time, Scherzinger's father was reported as telling The Daily Mail the pair had become engaged, but she quickly shot lower the gossips and mentioned he was misquoted. Scherzinger and Hamilton met within the European Music Honours in November 2007.

Start Looking: Suburgatory's Sweet 16

Jane Levy/ABC When Suburgatory's Tessa (Jane Levy) turns the large 1-6, the ABC comedy borrows a webpage from MTV's My Super Sweet 16 and throws an memorable birthday party. "She would like to possess a low-key party with only two buddies, pizza and rent a film,Inch Levy states. However when Dallas (Cheryl Hines) finds out Tessa's plans, she takes matters into her very own hands to toss the party a person can have. "It's outrageous,Inch adds Levy, who didn't have a Sweet 16 party in tangible existence but did get a vehicle. "There is a pony along with a [signature drink known as the] Tessa-tini." Tessa even sheds her trademark city-girl clothes for that large occasion. "It had been quite a simple whitened dress plus they really bejeweled the entire factor," states Levy. "Dalia picks it and I am really upset about this, but when I try the fit Personally i think very beautiful." Party on! Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Exclusive Clip From Anonymous

Hamlet, via Roland EmmerichHe's destroyed the planet and many of their populace several occasions over, and today Roland Emmerich has switched his laser-targetting system on William Shakespeare, fighting in Anonymous the Bard isn't, in reality, the writer from the plays of William Shakespeare. Wherever you get up on the idea-, you will still admire the delicious costumes, quality cast and rather gorgeous manufacture of this exclusive clip in the film.This segment intercuts between two completely different productions of Hamlet, one in the public theatre from the Rose and something within the royal court of Elizabeth I(Vanessa Redgrave here, although JoelyRichardson plays her more youthful self). The film's candidate for that true author from the plays, the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) watches carefully to ascertain if the mob will get the political allusions he's put into the play, attacking the Queen's consultant, Cecil (David Thewlis). Anonymous has gone out on October 28 and it is in the BFILondon Film Festival now.-OMGit's nonsensical obviously Shakespeare authored Shakespeare.

Don Giovanni

Peter Mattei may be the sexy title character and Luca Pisaroni his unhappy servant in Don Giovanni.A Metropolitan Opera manufacture of an opera in 2 functions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Conductor, Fabio Luisi director, Michael Grandage.Don Giovanni - Peter Mattei Leporello - Luca Pisaroni Donna Anna - Marina Rebeka Donna Elvira - Barbara Frittoli Zerlina - Mojca Erdmann Don Ottavio - Ramon Vargas Masetto - Joshua Blossom The Comendatore - Stefan KocanThe mixture of Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Grandage and gifted baritone Mariusz Kwiecien seemed just like a potent one -- the first kind making his Metropolitan Opera pointing debut with a brand new manufacture of Mozart's "Don Giovanni," the second presenting NY to his acclaimed interpretation from the title role. But it wasn't to become, because of an injuries that sidelined Kwiecien. Fill-in Peter Mattei couldn't save the evening from a feeling of disappointment: Grandage has created a staging that professionally experiences the paces without delivering much when it comes to insight or excitement. It's possibly churlish to grouse about Mattei when he walked in on such short notice, but the reality is he lacks the charisma of Kwiecien, who happens to be a effective presence onstage. Because the sexy Don, Mattei comes off a lot more like a tall, gawky frat boy from a Judd Apatow film, and the voice, while fluid, doesn't carry the burnished, oaken quality one craves for that part. It was a production created to showcase Kwiecien's star charisma, that might have invigorated the proceedings. Grandage's primary departure from tradition would be to move the experience in the early 17th century towards the mid-18th, and also to add a little more groping and fondling than we are accustomed to seeing. Set and costume designer Christopher Oram produces a production heavy on monochrome, having a unit set showing three tiers of balconied home windows that frequently split apart into modular sections and function as a type of arcaded backdrop. What looks striking at curtain's rise starts to put on thin through the finish from the lengthy evening. Grandage does, however, deliver a coup for that finale: Giovanni makes his trip lower to Hell supported by huge bursts of real flame so effective you are able to have the warmth shooting out in to the auditorium. The cast is uneven, with bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni giving the evening's most appealing and well-rounded performance as Giovanni's unhappy servant Leporello. Ramon Vargas is really a type of elegance as Don Ottavio his exquisite "Il mio tesoro" in Act II makes him a sustained ovation. Joshua Blossom is definitely an endearing Masetto with fine-grained tone, but Stefan Kocan proves a shaky-voiced, unimposing Commendatore. The ladies fare poorly, with Barbara Frittoli as Donna Elvira making particularly rough, patchy sounds throughout Act I. Marina Rebeka is really a believably tortmented Donna Anna, and her voice rings out remarkably in the upper register, but she lacks the load and gravity essential for the role's heavier, more declamatory sections. Mojca Erdmann is serviceable but a bit more as Zerlina. Within the pit, Fabio Luisi ably substitutes for that indefinitely-sidelined James Levine he conducts from the harpsichord, which he comes with all the opera's recitatives.Set and costume designer, Christopher Oram lighting designer, Paule Constable. Opened up and examined March. 13, 2011. Running time: 3 Hrs, 30 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Zachary Quinto: Im A Gay Man

First Published: October 16, 2011 6:01 PM EDT Credit: Getty Images LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Zachary Quinto attends The Merchant Of Venice opening night after party at Espace in NY City on November 7, 2010Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto has decided to publicly reveal he is gay in a new interview and on a personal blog post, both of which hit the web on Sunday. Following an eight-month stint in the NY City revival of Angels in America (where the 34-year old played a man who abandoned his AIDS-stricken boyfriend), Zachary told NY Magazine he was left in deep contemplation regarding the plays dark themes. [The role was] the most challenging thing Ive ever done as an actor and the most rewarding, he said of the award-winning Tony Kushner play, in an interview posted on the mags website on Sunday. And at the same time, as a gay man, it made me feel like theres still so much work to be done, and theres still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed. Zachary who will next be seen on the big screen in the upcoming thriller, Margin Call again referenced his sexuality while discussing the tragic death of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer, a gay teenager who took his own life last month after being bullied. And again, as a gay man I look at that and say theres a hopelessness that surrounds it, but as a human being I look at it and say Why? Wheres this disparity coming from, and why cant we, as a culture and society, dig deeper to examine that? he told the mag. Were terrified of facing ourselves. In a personal post on ZacharyQuinto.com, the actor said Jameys suicide prompted him to live his own life publicly. in light of jameys death - it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it - is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality, he wrote. our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country. i believe in the power of intention to change the landscape of our society - and it is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action, he continued. jamey rodemeyers life changed mine. and while his death only makes me wish that i had done this sooner - i am eternally grateful to him for being the catalyst for change within me. Click HERE to read the rest of Zacharys blog. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Social Energy Rankings: Chynna Phillips Dwts Ouster Sparks Outrage

Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani Chynna Phillips got the boot on Tuesday's Dwts, and TVGuide.com clients are angry."The wrong person was told to visit home AGAIN! 2 wks back to back,Inch @MigCrowe tweeted. "Not just a dance contest any longer. Merely a recognition contest. I'm annoyed." TVGuide.com user RNRRT confirms. "Chaz and Nancy require home... they can't dance! Let's election for anybody who is able to really dance. I am frustrated using the pity party." On Facebook, we asked for in the event you felt the best person was told to visit home, together with an astonishing 96 percent of participants mentioned, "Hell for the no!" Kris Marasca written, "The judges' votes need to carry excess body fat in comparison to popular election. There's no chance the three least expensive scoring ballroom ballroom dancers were saved while someone like Chynna got told to visit home.InchBut hold on, TVGuide.com clients, for starters more day! Commenter StarMesa posseses an idea towards the playing area: "The idol idol judges needs to be allowed one 'save' per season, kind of like exactly what the The American Idol Show Show does - once the idol idol judges think the voters first first got it wrong, they need to be capable of reverse it and enable the happy couple to stay.InchOther hot subjects now: The Rosie Show opened up on OWN (we referred to as it an emergency nearly all you appropriately couldn't agree) and Fox made a decision to shelve New Girl until November to produce way of two-hour cases of The X Factor.Return anytime to look for the newest Social Energy Rankings, which are up-to-date instantly with the week.

George Clooney to obtain Actor of year Recognition at Hollywood Film Honours (Exclusive)

The 15th annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Honours, presented by Starz Entertainment, will recognition Academy Award champion George Clooney having its 2011 Hollywood Actor Award. The 50-year-old A-lister continues to be famous for his performance becoming an psychologically-distant husband and father who's forced by tragic conditions being family guy in Alexander Payne's The Descendants, that's been celebrated by people in the press and public alike since its premiere within the Telluride Film Festival in September. Clooney will collect his statuette within the Hollywood Honours Gala Ceremony, which will exist in the Beverly Hilton on March. 24, 2011. Carlos p Abreu, the founder and executive director in the event, described, "George Clooney shipped an ideal and passionate performance in Alexander Payne's human drama The Descendants. Clooney is constantly shine among Hollywood's most gifted stars. We're delighted to recognition him as of this year's Hollywood Film Honours." PHOTOS: Best Presidents in Movies and TV Previous visitors in the Hollywood Actor Award include Jackie Chan, Russell Crowe, Ewan McGregor, Tom Hanks, The Actor-kaira Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix, Forest Whitaker, Richard Gere, Josh Brolin, Robert P Niro, and Robert Duvall. Crowe and Whitaker ongoing to win the most effective actor Oscar just several days after collecting their very own, while Hanks, Depp, and DiCaprio received nominations. FEINBERG FORECAST: 'Marilyn' Divides, 'Ides' Disappoints, 'Hugo' May Be Monday's Surprise In recent days, as "The Race" was the first to report, p Abreu revealed the visitors of numerous other honours, too (that derive from p Abreu together with a panel of experts): the cast in the Help for your Hollywood Ensemble Award Oscar nominee Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn, Meek's Cutoff, Take This Waltz) for your Hollywood Actress Award Oscar nominee Christopher Plummer (Beginners) for your Hollywood Supporting Actor Award Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan (Shame, Drive) for your Hollywood Supporting Actress Award Oscar champion Diablo Cody (Youthful Adult) for your Hollywood Film author Award Rango for your Hollywood Animation Award Letty Aronson (Evening amount of time in Paris) for your Hollywood Producer Award Oscar nominee Emmanuel Lubezki (The Tree of Existence) for your Hollywood Cinematographer Award Oscar champion Stephen Mirrione (The Ides of March) while using Hollywood Editor Award Oscar nominee Alberto Iglesias (The Skin Home Is, Mess Tailor Soldier Spy) for your Hollywood Film Composer Award Oscar nominee James Murakami (J. Edgar) for your Hollywood Production Designer Award Oscar champion Scott Farrar (Transformers: Dark in the Moon) for your Hollywood Visual Effects Award Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) for your Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award Ernest Gordon-Levitt (50/50) for your Hollywood Breakthrough Actor Award Jessica Chastain (Coriolanus, Your Financial Troubles, The Help, Take Shelter, as well as the Tree of Existence) for your Hollywood Breakthrough Actress Award Felicity Manley (Constantly) for your New Hollywood Award Bérénice Bejo (The Artist), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Elle Fanning (Super 8), Amber Heard (The Rum Diary), Andrea Riseborough (W.E), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), and Anton Yelchin (Constantly) for your Hollywood Spotlight Award and Oscar nominee Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) for your Hollywood Career Achievement Award. STORY: George Clooney Unveils How His Father Affected 'Ides of March' More youthful crowd introduced the nominees with this particular year's Hollywood Film Award, which is dependant on everyone through voting round the Yahoo! Movies website, are Captain America: The Initial Avenger, Cowboys & Aliens, Harry Potter as well as the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2, The Help, Pirates in the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Rango, Rise in the Planet in the Apes, Super 8, Transformers: Gloomy in the Moon, and X-Males: Top Quality. George Clooney The Ides of March The Descendants

Report: Fox Offers The Simpsons' Voice Stars Ultimatum

The Simpsons Fox has due to the Simpsons' six voice stars an ultimatum: They have until noon Friday to find out if you should pay an income cut of nearly fifty percent or this season will be the last, The Wrap reviews.TVGuide.com's Social Energy Rankings: The Simpsons' possible demiseVariety further reviews that producers have formerly made the decision to salary cuts, the onus is about the animated sitcom's cast. They've created $440,000 per episode, but that could be cut to $250,000, The Wrap states.And no matter what goes on, Fox wants the show just for another year since its forget about lucrative, an expert speaking on condition of anonymity told the web site.Might Be The Simpsons going to an finish?On Monday, it absolutely was reported the heavens - Serta Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Cruz, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer - recommended a thirty percent pay cut in exchange for a small % in the show's back-finish profits, including distribution and selling. But that offer was rapidly rejected with the network.

Billy Bob Thorntons Daughter Gets 20-Year Term

First Published: October 6, 2011 11:23 AM EDT Credit: Getty Images ORLANDO, Fla. -- Caption Billy Bob Thornton attends the premiere of Manure held at Eccles Theatre during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2009 in Park City, UtahThe estranged daughter of actor Billy Bob Thornton has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the death of a friends 1-year-old daughter during an overnight stay at her home. Amanda Brumfield was sentenced Thursday, four months after she was convicted of aggravated manslaughter of a child. She was acquitted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse charges. Brumfield claimed that Olivia Madison Garcia hit her head after falling while trying to climb out of a playpen. Prosecutors said it was impossible that a fall from that height would cause a three-and-a-half inch fracture on the girls skull. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Paul Master Finds Hrs

For any new thrillerWhile nowadays he's mostly most widely known for driving very rapidly in a lot of the Fast and also the Furious franchise records, Paul Master continues to be trying for something new of pace in the other movies. And he's certainly switching gears for Hrs, a brand new dramatic thriller.Eric Heisserer, that has been creating a reputation for themself like a horror film writer (with credits such as the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, Final Destination 5 and also the approaching Factor prequel), is behind the script and can direct the film. Hrs follows a youthful father (Master) who must find it difficult to keep his newborn daughter alive inside a devastated, abandoned New Orleans hospital soon after Hurricane Katrina hits.Hidden producer Peter Safran has rustled in the money to find the movie made, and Heisserer will begin the cameras turning in March the coming year, shooting in New Orleans itself.Master, meanwhile, has additionally been branching out behind your camera just a little, executive creating and starring in rental vehicle thriller Vehicle 19. He's also expected revisit the driver's chair for that sixth Fast film...

Tony Bennett scores first No. 1 album

Tony Bennett, in his 61st year as a recording artist, proves his timelessness this week as his "Duets II" becomes the pop vocalist's first No. 1 album. The 85-year-old singer's all-star Columbia set bows at the top of the U.S. album chart with 179,000 copies shifted, according to Nielsen SoundScan data for the week ending Sept. 25. Sales were undoubtedly heated by widespread airing of Bennett's "Body and Soul" video with Amy Winehouse, in what proved to be the late British singer's last recorded performance. Bennett's previous personal best was "Duets: An American Classic," which debuted at No. 3 in 2006 with a 202,000-unit week. In his '60s heyday, Bennett peaked with his "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" album, which hit No. 5 in 1962. Historically, "Duets II" out-positions a couple of other celebrity sing-offs -- Frank Sinatra's 1993 "Duets," which topped out at No. 2, and its No. 9 successor of 1994. Only similar recent project to reach the top slot was Ray Charles' posthumous "Genius Loves Company" (2004), which debuted at No. 2 and finally reached No. 1 in March 2005 after its multiple-Grammy triumph. Week's other top five debut is Demi Lovato's "Unbroken" (Hollywood). Teen Disney star's third set launches at No. 4, just missing the six-figure mark with 96,000. Her last album "Here We Go Again" debuted at No. 1 two years ago. After just a one-week reign, country threesome Lady Antebellum's "Own the Night" (Capitol Nashville) falls to No. 2 with 125,000 sold in a 64% decline. Adele's still-puissant "21" (Columbia) dips one position to No. 3, losing just 2% and selling 117,000. Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter IV" (Cash Money) drops two posts to No. 5 with sales of 84,000 (off 28%). Four other acts make comparatively mild top 10 debuts this week. Needtobreathe's "The Reckoning" (Atlantic) moves in at No. 6 with 49,000 sold out of the box. Christian rock band, which has moved no higher than No. 20 on the chart in three previous tries, has been opening for Taylor Swift. Young R&B boy band Mindless Behavior makes its first album chart appearance with "#1 Girl" (Interscope). L.A. act's debut set reaches No. 7 with a 36,000-unit stanza. Soulful vocalist Gavin DeGraw's "Sweeter" (RCA) takes the No. 8 slot with a 34,000-unit opening. Singer received the sort of pre-release publicity no one wants in August, when he was assaulted in NY's East Village. Pearl Jam's "Twenty" (Columbia), the soundtrack for Cameron Crowe's documentary about the Seattle band, arrives at No. 10 with 27,000. It slips into the top 10 just behind Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Watch the Throne," holding its No. 9 position with 31,000 (down 14%). Headed for the chart next week are fresh albums by J Cole, Blink-182, Wilco and Switchfoot. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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Amen

A Kim Ki-duk production. (International sales: Finecut Co, Seoul.) Produced, directed, written, edited by Kim Ki-duk.With: Kim Ye-na, Kim Ki-duk.Post-millennial love is riddled with fear and the inability to communicate, says Kim Ki-duk's "Amen," and if that sounds cliched, then so be it. Meandering and oddly lethargic, pic boasts glaring narrative inconsistencies and willful abstractions that aren't buttressed by any sense of intellectual coherence. Consequently, this low-budget fable about a Korean woman adrift in Europe descends further into the solipsism of Kim's recent "Arirang," suggesting the acclaimed helmer has likewise lost his way. Kim's own prediction at a San Sebastian press conference that, apart from diehard fans, non-fest auds are unlikely to show any interest is probably spot-on. An unnamed Korean girl (Kim Ye-na), with no French and little money, arrives in Paris in search of a street painter called Lee Myung-soo for reasons at first unclear. Finding her way to his home, she is told he has moved to Venice. She calls his name out across the rooftops, hoping he will miraculously hear her, and lies down in a cemetery (she's drawn to the solidity and peacefulness of religious statues) before boarding a train where a mysterious figure in a gas mask enters her carriage, rapes her in a tunnel and robs her of her possessions, including her shoes. The girl is given practically no dialogue, demonstrating her lack of a voice in this alien culture. Now forced to walk around in a pair of slippers and seemingly little the worse for her experience, she manages to find Lee's address, but is told he has gone to Avignon. There, after falling asleep in a field, she awakens to find her shoes have been returned to her. Intriguingly, her attacker is also her protector. As hermetically sealed as the surreal gas mask that features so largely here, "Amen" is deliberately haphazard in its relationship to reality. The multiple credibility flaws -- for example, that the masked figure leaves taunting clues in places where the heroine just happens to be passing -- bespeak either utter carelessness or auteur arrogance, but in either case it's the film that suffers. By some measure the film's strongest element, Kim Ye-na is compelling as she patters hesitantly around. Forced to bear the weight entirely alone, she registers beautifully the nuances of fear, anger, frustration and general vulnerability. But auds will be as uncertain as she is about just what is going on. Multiple issues, from the loss of a sense of religion to, yes, the viewer as voyeur are all touched on but never developed, perhaps the result of there having been no script in place when shooting began. Presumably meant as an homage to the European continent that has feted him for so long, pic has Kim Ki-duk hauling his digital camera around various attractive locations and indeed bringing them successfully to life with the directness of a tourist video. Several nicely composed frames contrast with the general air of spontaneous artlessness, such as when the girl sits forlornly on some steps as a pigeon slyly eyes her. Sound makes good use of ambient noise, rising and falling to reflect the intensity of the nightmare the girl is going through.Camera (color, HD), Kim; sound, Kim. Reviewed at San Sebastian Film Festival (competing), Sept. 17, 2011. Running time: 72 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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3 Arts & Sander/Moses Sell Drama Projects

EXCLUSIVE: Fox has bought Pandemic, an untitled medical thriller drama from Mystic Pizza author Amy Holden Manley, 3 Arts Entertainment and last century Fox TV. WME-repped Manley is writing the project, which follows an epidemiologist who's facing difficult adversaries while he fights to avoid a catastrophic pandemic. She'll executive produce with 3 Arts’ partner Erwin Stoff, that's been leading a push inside the drama area for your management/production company this season. Stoff is executive creating for 3 Arts two other hourlong projects, a cop drama with magical aspects of Michael Eco-friendly and 20th TV, which recently showed up a put pilot commitment at ABC, and CIA drama Secret America at NBC from author Peter Landesman, Imagine TV and 20th TV. Meanwhile, ABC has bought Puzzle Master, from ABC Art galleries and studio-based Sander/Moses Prods. Put together by Gwendolyn Parker (Without any Trace), the project concentrates on a awesome puzzle master who uses her unique skill and distinctive approach to perceiving the world to help the San Francisco Bay Area Bay Areas Special Research Division solve crimes. The project is inspired with the work of prolific puzzle and gaming designer Scott Kim. Paradigm-repped Parker and UTA-repped Ian Sander and Kim Moses will executive produce. This really is really the 2nd project at ABC this season for Ghost Whisperer executive producers Sander and Moses, who offer the circus-designed Berzerkus inside the works within the network.

Post-Mortem: Why Young Guys Didnt Drive

There aremany box office deaths that are deserved.But few and far between are the box office deaths that get grieved. Welcome to the wake for Drive. This well-reviewed favorite at the Cannes and Toronto film festivals, with 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, was a cut above other moviesso this is more of a post-mortem than an autopsy report.As FilmDistrict’s president of theatrical distribution Bob Berney emailed me the weekend of its opening,”Dont know if youve seen Drive or not.But its extreme in many ways: ultra-violent, very different pacing. As Albert Brooks (sleazy crime lord and ex-movie producer in the film) says about his characters films,’some critics call them European’.This film is not a typical formulaic wide release.Yes, the CinemaScore is ‘C-’ but I just think that their methodology is designed for the average, wide release film. They never anticipated asking people about a Nic Refn movie! I dont buy it and hope they are very wrong.” Defined as an American genre movie, based on the book by James Sallis, with a screenplay by Hossein Amini, Drive was FilmDistrict’s widest release to date — 2,886locations. Itarrived by way of a pre-buy for U.S. from script stage.Ryan Gosling hand-picked Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Bronson with TomHardy, The Pusher Trilogy).Refn, who went on to win Best Director at Cannes for Drive,has told the story of his “blind date” with Ryan when he first came to LosAngeles: Nic had the flu and was on some type of American medication and wascompletely out of it at the meeting. After awkwardly looking down and not sayinganything, he finally asked Ryan to drive him home. (Nic doesn’t drive.) On the way, with REO Speedwagon playing, he began crying but was living theconcept of the movie; a guy driving at night listening to pop music. Ryan saidhe was in.Through the process they became pals and planningmore films together. (Then again actors respond toRefn. It’s rumored that, instead of “action”, he yells “Let’s fuck!” when starting ascene.) InToronto, Nic, Ryan, Bryan Cranston, and scene-stealing Albert Brooks all wore dark suitsand looked like they had just stepped off the setof Reservoir Dogs. Despite all the Internet and fest hype, Drive‘s weekend box office was surprisingly low-key.FilmDistricthad projected Drive would open#2 witha $12M-$14M weekend.While many R-rated action and horror films normally drop on Saturday over the first weekend, it had a healthy 11% jump, signaling good word-of-mouth for Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman,and Albert Brooks who could getsupporting actor nominations for playing against type.Butit eked out only an $11M weekend for #3.Younger males used to flock to such anoriginal, violent, and stylized R-rated film that breaks a lot of rules.They didn’t.But now young guys who used to be Hollywood’s target audienceare just not consistently (and indiscriminately) going to the movies anymore.The reason is either financial or too many other entertainment choices. That wasthe gist of internal conversations insidestudios all summerwhen uncompelling fare like Conan The Barbarian, Fright Night,Cowboys & Aliens, and Green Lantern fell short with young guys.”It didnt dawn on us they weren’t coming tothe malls,” one perplexed exec told me. “Instead, adults did.” Still, Drive’s mere $4M was the 3rd best opening day forGosling, behind Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Notebook,sparkingdebate over whetherRyan is hurt if hecan’t fill seats fora good pic.”Noway,” Berney tells me. “It says that he is a smart guy who picks challenging roles and is in it for the long career. He has carefully taken smaller indie roles over the pastfew years and has mixed in bigger studio films where he always shines. Hesgot a supportive team behind him, and he doesnt follow the typical path, and Ireally think that will serve him well over the long run.” As for Drive‘s underperformance, Berney admits to me, “Somepeople thought it should have done $20M the first weekend, but they are crazy!Even with the great reviews and Cannes pedigree, its still an ‘arts-ploitation’film. Its out there in a new genre. Its really a polarizing film but in a good way. The pacing, music, style, and violence creates heated debate and reaction. The people that love it, really love it and talk about it. But its too extreme for many.” FilmDistrict plansover the next few weeks in terms of the number oflocations to consolidatein each market so the screen averages for core theaters in top urban marketswill remain high.For its 2nd weekend in release,Drive was the#2 or #3 film in many of the complexes. Overall, it was No. 7 and dropped only -50%. There may be life left in this pic.

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Jury Selection To Resume In Jackson Doctor Trial

FIRST PUBLISHED: September 23, 2011 11:23 AM EDT LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Michael Jacksons personal physician returns to court Friday for in-person questioning of potential jurors in his involuntary manslaughter trial. The session comes two weeks after a pool of 145 people was created to possibly hear the case against Dr. Conrad Murray. Prosecutorsand defense attorneys have been going through the groups responses to a 30-page questionnaire and dismissing some of the group if their answers indicated certain biases. The judge has not revealed how many people have been dismissed. Attorneys will have limited time to question prospective jurors. Opening statements are scheduled to begin on Tuesday in Los Angeles. Murray has pleaded not guilty. Authorities contend he gave the singer a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol in the bedroom of the singers rented mansion on June 25, 2009. Copyright 2011 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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