HanWay taps Stead for finance role

LONDON -- Brit sales outfit HanWay Films has appointed David Stead as finance director at the company. Stead's principal focus will be to manage HanWay's development into a finance-focused sales business capable of green-lighting production. The exec has worked in the media biz for 18 years, most recently at Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment where he had financial responsibility for projects involving David and Victoria Beckham, Claudia Schiffer and Andy Murray. He also had sole responsibility for the financial analysis and planning of "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance." Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com

'The Grey' looks to steer box office pack

Liam Neeson in "The Grey"Weekend box office prospects want somewhat grey in contrast for the previous three weekends, with Open Road's wolf adventure pic "The Grey" searching to steer individuals while Fox Searchlight tries an ambitious country wide expansion for Oscar-nominated "The Descendants." In contrast, each week up to now this year had one or more film earn north of $20 million, assigned by "The Demon Inside" which first demonstrated Jan. 6 with $33 million.Most bloggers expect Liam Neeson starrer "The Grey" striking around $12 million through Sunday. Summit's "Guy around the Ledge" is forecasted to bow somewhere inside the high single-amounts, then Lionsgate's "One Your hard earned money can buyInch monitoring inside the $5 million-$7 million range.Within the second outing, The brand new the new sony-Screen Gems' "Underworld Awakening" is predicted to lower between 50%-58%, putting the film inside the mix for your weekend's top place. "Awakening" bowed to $25.3 million.Other Oscar-nommed game game titles may even use make hay from the nods."Descendants," at nearly 2,000 locations, sees the biggest rollout of best picture Oscar-nominated photos, which includes the Weinstein Co.'s "The Artist," broadening to 897 playdates, and Paramount's $56 million grosser "Hugo," at 965. Entering its eleventh frame, "The Descendants" has cumed $52 million in your area by Wednesday "The Artist" up to now has totalled $13 million."Descendants" may have a sizable weekend outdoors the States, since it launches in the total 25 offshore areas, including South usa, France, Germany, India, Russia as well as the U.K.Top holiday holdovers, "An Online Detective: A Game Title Title of Shadows" and "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," also expand to new areas a couple of days ago. "Holmes," which has cumed $261.3 million worldwide, bows in France, while "Mission," approaching $340 million, opens in China and Italia.B.O. experts maintain that it's unlikely overall box office will match previous years' totals, for example with 2009 when Fox's Neeson sleeper hit "Taken" kickstarted its $145 million-Stateside run this same weekend by getting a dent gross of nearly $25 million.Like "Taken," R-rated "The Grey" should appeal mostly to have an over-25 male audience, though Open Road mentioned the pic saw a present uptick in female interest.Allotted at $20 million, "The Grey" follows several oil-rig bruisers introduced by Neeson, who fight to outlive after their plane crashes inside the Alaskan backwoods. Pic, which reunites Neeson with "A-Team" helmer Joe Carnahan.Open Road mentioned it used several mix-marketing techniques to advertise the pic to Christian along with other ethnic groups. Distrib also became a member of while using Weather Funnel to market "Grey," focusing around the pic's hazardous filming conditions in Alaska. "The Grey" marks only the second release for your distrib, after last year's "Killer Elite," which made $25 million in your area.Also competing for male attention, Summit's "Guy around the Ledge," starring Mike Worthington, Jamie Bell and Erection dysfunction Harris, set you back a reported $48 million. Tax savings and foreign pre-sales reduced the studio's connection with roughly $8.5 million."Guy around the Ledge," along with Lionsgate's "One for the investment,In . would be the initial game game titles to start at the same time following a Lionsgate-Summit merger captured. It's reported that neither company preferred to maneuver their pic simply because they already had spent a lot of the media budget. Katherine Heigl mystery pic "One for the investment,In . using the Jesse Evanovich character, should work as effective female counterprogramming.For "Guy," Summit became a member of with Livingsocial, offering a buy-one-get-one-free date package, while Lionsgate offered half-cost tickets for "Money" via Groupon.Close to the weekend's trio of Oscar pic competitors, Kerbside Attractions' "Albert Nobbs," with three nominations including actress for Glenn Close, bows inside a healthy 246 Stateside locations.Weinstein's "The Iron Lady," which received a deal to find the best actress for Meryl Streep, adds under 200 locations for just about any total 1,244. A week ago, "Iron Lady" showed up inside the top, getting an altered weekend gross of $3.7 million. Pic has cumed $13.9 million in your area since bowing 12 ,. 30. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

CBS accumulates three drama aircraft pilots

CBS acquired a trio of drama aircraft pilots Thursday. The Attention gave the jerk to "Quean," from Ilene Chaiken ("The L Word"), Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. TV. Pilot concerns an edgy and independent millennial hacker girl who teams track of an Concord police detective to resolve crimes. Chaiken and Joel Silver are executive producers. Also purchased was "Applebaum," a set according to author Ayelet Waldman's "Mother Track Mysteries" number of books where a former public defender turns into a private eye to help keep from being bored to dying like a stay-at-home mother. CBS TV Galleries is behind "Applebaum," which is executive created by Waldman, Jennifer Levin, Sherri Cooper and Chris Columbus, who'll direct the pilot. Columbus has helmed theatricals including "Harry Potter and also the Chamber of Secrets." Finally, "American Gangster" film writer Nicholas Pileggi has teamed with "With No Trace" executive producer Greg Master with an untitled period piece occur the 1960's focused on the real story of Rob Lamb, a rodeo cowboy switched longtime sheriff of Vegas. CBS TV Galleries is behind the pilot, which is executive created by Trina Konrad and Arthur Sarkissian and James Mangold, who'll direct the pilot. Mangold has helmed theatricals including "Walk the roadInch and "3:10 to Uma." Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

Nicol Williamson dies at 75

Nicol Williamson, the British actor most widely known for his role because the wizard Merlin within the 1981 film "Excalibur" so that as A Virtual Detective in 1976's "The Seven-Per-Cent Solution," died of esophageal cancer on 12 ,. 16 in Amsterdam, where had resided in excess of 2 decades. He was 75.Williamson had a large number of film credits to his title but won more plaudits for his stage acting. Playwright John Osborne once referred to him as "the finest actor since Marlon Brando."He was nominated for any Tony Award in 1966 for his role in Osborne's "Inadmissible Evidence" and again in 1974 for Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya." Younger crowd was nominated three occasions for acting honors in the British Academy Film Honours, Britain's same as the Academy awards.In films, he was an acclaimed wizard Merlin in John Boorman's "Excalibur" as well as performed Little John to Sean Connery's Robin Hood and Audrey Hepburn's Lady Marian within the 1976 movie "Robin and Marian."Luke Williamson referred to his father as multitalented and multifaceted. "He could do all of it,Inch Williamson stated inside a telephone interview. "He could sing, he authored poetry, he authored prose, he authored a magazine ... He was focusing on a Compact disc around prior to his illness, and that he finished it as they was dealing with chemotherapy."Because he left the theater behind, he gravitated more toward musical projects, such as the Compact disc, which Luke stated would eventually become launched on his father's website.Luke Williamson stated his father seemed to be made it by his wife, Jill Townsend. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Emma Roberts States I am My Family Members Secret

And therefore does Craig RobertsFor sometime now, Lymelife director Derick Martini remains developing an untitled drama that after went beneath the title I am My Family Members Secret. Well, the title seems being in position (no less than for the time being) and Martini has furthermore found the initial two items of casting for your film, with Emma Roberts and Craig Roberts signing on.Secret focuses on two brothers and sisters that are different. They comprehend it might have something connected to an unexpected, existence-altering mystery their parents are actually staying away from them more than 2 decades. You'll find few other plot particulars beyond that, though we question when the implies that certain in the siblings and siblings is certainly an alien! Ooh... or their parents are really figments from the imagination? Time to stop taking a chance, we fear.And merely just in case anybody wondered, no, they're ultimately related. Emma, who also came out in Lymelife, is part of the acting legacy headed by Julia and Eric. Craig, however, was the youthful star of Richard Ayoade's excellent Submarine. Emma will next be viewed in Celeste And Jesse Forever, that's drawing some praise within the Sundance Film Festival. And Craig also provides a film within the fest, since he's part of the cast of Red-colored-colored Lights. Martin, meanwhile, most recently shot Chloe Moretz/Blake Lively drama Hick.

Juma brings Israeli 'Ring' to States

Another Israeli format may be going to U.S. shores. Juma Entertainment has acquired Stateside rights to reality skein "Using This Ring" from Tel Aviv-based development and distribution shingle Armoza Formats. "Using This Ring," now within the third season in on Israeli TV, features three couples attempting to beat their marital worries. The show's twist is the host might be the only real reason behind contact involving the couples and counselor. Audiences will watch the couples reaching this host as well as the host reaching the counselor, nevertheless the couples and counselor never meet. Robert Horowitz, Lewis Fenton and Avi Armoza are situated as professional producers. Showtime's highly rated series "Homeland" was based on an Israeli program "Hatufim" and fellow pay cabler Cinemax got three seasons from mental health expert drama "In Treatment." Also, NBC is presently running cases of Israeli gameshow import "Who's Still Standing?" Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Keep on the top of Talent Agency and Casting Office Contacts

No cheating.Which from the following solutions below may be the correct reaction to the question?Paul Russell Casting's current land mail address is:A. 159 West 25th Street, Suite 1209, NY, NYB. 525 Eighth Avenue, Suite 1005, NY, New york city. 38 West 38th Street, second Floor, NY, NYD.330 West 38th Street, Suite 1208, NY, NYE. No aboveF. I've no clueRetain the way to go for later. In case your response is dependant on the below situations, you will have the incorrect address. You are wasting money and energy not only in delivering ads to my office but in addition for a lot of your abilities agency and casting director mailings.If you are purchasing pre-printed mailing labels which are marketed as getting the present addresses of talent agencies and/or casting offices attached for them or Compact disks concentrating on the same imprinted digital information. Should you depend on the internet "audition boards" and "actor-friendly-sites-for-a-fee" for locating the present addresses of talent agencies and/or casting offices. If you are buying non-fiction books around the entertainment industry claiming to achieve the most up-to-date contact details on agents and/or casting company directors. Precisely how up-to-date can individuals records be once the publish date around the cover page is really a year or even more past?Agents, casting company directors, along with other entertainment professionals are similar to stars if this involves maintaining semi-permanence of brick-n-mortar positioning. The card board boxes for moving will always be close at hands. A previous address to have an agency or casting office which was valid yesterday is frequently vacant or occupied by another entity tomorrow. Why? Several reasons. Listed here are three.1. Property is Costly. Entertainment affiliate payouts are frequently modest to non-existent for that gamers behind the curtain. Agencies and casting (unless of course they're cash-wealthy companies) routinely range from one office to a different to be able to survive financially. When office rents increase, the title plate around the talent reps' or casting directors' door comes lower and it is soon positioned on the entry to some more budget-friendly abode.2. Film and television Casting Company directors are Nomadic. You will find only a number of screen casting company directors which have a lasting, non-office at home that they have the effect of the rent. Many film and television casting company directors are self employed who work from whatever industrial, grey cubicle the development company provides. When the production systems, the casting director accumulates their laptop along with other toys and progresses. The following tenant (frequently a civilian-based business) remains wondering why they're receiving actor headshots via land mail.3. Freelance Casting Company directors Leverage the Office At Home. Casting company directors, unlike talent agents who're restricted by performers' unions, can function everywhere, and several are abandoning formal offices. A significant area of casting company directors, because of the web, now work at home offices. Personally, I like searching in the trees out my back library window while my felines chase one another like rambunctious children when i scan actor rsums and headshots. My stress is less.But vacated offices by casting company directors and representation aren't the sole challenge an actress faces in striking their targets with marketing. There's frequent personnel turn-over.Casting and talent affiliates and assistants jump from office to office just like a hyper bet on checkers performed by espresso-drunk apes. A real estate agent at one office yesterday may today work at another agency or have opened up his very own office. To understand in which the gamers in our game are, you have to keep informed from the turn-over transitions.The possible lack of consistency for any valid contact address or current personnel leaves the actor who's sensibly doing land-based mailings having a problem. Just how to help keep Gps navigation-like watch using the entertainment nomads? You will find just the following two reasonably assured accurate shops for stars: "Call Sheet" (formerly referred to as "Ross Reviews") and IMDBPro.com.[Note: Prior to going further here marketing "Call Sheet," "Back Stage" didn't request of me to solicit on their behalf via this publish, nor shall we be held receiving compensation for my viewpoints. Since that's taken care of let us move ahead.]"Call Sheet," released by "Back Stage," is launched six occasions annually both in print an internet-based versions. Just before each publication, the "Call Sheet" editor updates contacts for that agents and casting company directors listed. Actor-friendly internet sites, pre-printed mailing label retailers, along with other "assets" rip information from older versions of "Call Sheet" after which re-market it to stars. Stars are having to pay others frequently peer stars for "used goods" which are constantly problematic. Many of these re-retailers never update and/or make corrections. Like lazy stars who never bother to update their very own e-mail lists, the re-retailers offer information collected once and then sell on it many occasions.How do you know this? Because my office still receives mail (frequently on pre-printed labels) towards the sometime ago abandoned addresses above. And also the only reason my office still receives a number of that out-dated, addressed mail happens because the mail company at three of history PRC locations above is identical and forwards to my present out-of-the-city address.Re-retailers of agent and casting director addresses aggravate an actor's mission for correct contact details further by frequently restricting the geography from the talent marketplaces. If the actor wants contact details for agents and casting company directors on shorelines, she or he usually must purchase that information individually. Sometimes, the re-retailers also pressure stars to buy contacts for agents and contacts for casting company directors individually. Stars are having to pay out wads of money for outdated information.Whereas, with "Call Sheet," the actor will get every franchised agent and casting director across the nation. That's If the agency, agent, or casting office desires to be listed. Most do like a professional courtesy towards the industry.An additional plus to "Call Sheet" is the fact that sometimes a workplace includes an internet site and/or e-mail address. (The second a precious commodity for actor marketing.)IMDBPro.com may have similar contact details for agents and casting company directors. But updates and proper addresses are reliant upon someone in the talent agency or casting office by hand typing the data and delivering it over the ether that's the web. This is frequently overlooked.The cent-pinching actor may scoff at having to pay for contact details via "Call Sheet" and/or IMDBPro.com, thinking they are able to scoop the contact details free of charge from an online internet search engine. To individuals short-sighted scrapers I challenge all of them with this Google "Paul Russell Casting" and see the number of contact addresses are came back. You will see several. Which may be the correct address? Just one website presently has my new address. Others is going to be incorrect.With postal rates constantly growing and also the economy forcing moves or office closures, an actress should update their e-mail lists a minimum of two times annually. Do not have a subscriber list? Don't understand how to mail-merge and regularly send-out both digital and difficult ads that will get an answer? Should you clarified to "no" to the of individuals questions bad actor. I understand that visitors of "ACTING: Allow It To Be Your CompanyInch clarified "yes" and therefore are in front of you in marketing when they apply themselves.Keep the contacts current. Avoid re-retailers. It is your career. Your company. You may either run it just like a Fortune 500 company or piddle it away just like a forgotten mother-n-pop convenience store. You are the one that is within charge. Make a move.Now, the response to the question "Paul Russell Casting's current land mail address is" is "E. No Above."Should you experienced my office address wrong (which transformed by 1/1/2012), guess what happens you must do. Be ingenious. Do your work being an actor which, simply, is to locate reliable methods to find work.Paul Russell's career like a casting director, director, acting teacher and former actor has spanned nearly three decades. He's done projects for major film galleries, television systems, and Broadway. He's the writer of "ACTING: Allow It To Be Your Company How to prevent Mistakes and get Success like a Working Actor." To learn more, check out world wide web.PaulRussell.internet.

Cougar Town Returning Feb. 14

Cougar Town Cougar Town fans, awaiting is finished. Season 3 will premiere on Tuesday, Feb. 14, ABC introduced Tuesday. When the Courteney Cox-fronted comedy returns by getting a chapter titled "Ain't Love Strange," Jules (Cox) is upset when Grayson (Josh Hopkins) calls her "expected," and Betty (Christa Burns) worries that Stan is coming initially from a "demon child." Earlier the other day, ABC professionals introduced that they're behind the series, but had yet to discover returning date. Once Push The Button got cashiered after 2 days, the 8:30/7:30c Tuesday time slot was transformed by Last Guy Standing repeats. It'll easily be filled by Cougar Town. ABC pulls Push The Button from schedule, replaces with Last Guy Standing repeats "I believe you'll find once we launch [Cougar Town], that we'll bring a sizable, strong message that individuals love the show," ABC Leader Paul Lee mentioned the other day. "There is available a great launch pad with this. We didn't have a very place formerly, but because it relates, hopefully it will prosper.Inch Are you currently presently excited for your return of Cougar Town?

The Vampire Journals Casts Smallville's Cassidy Freeman

Cassidy Freeman Cassidy Freeman is returning for the CW. The Smallville alum has reserved a guest-perfect The Vampire Journals, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Freeman, who referred to sometimes villain Tess Mercer round the recently ended super series, may have Vampire Diaries' Sage, a personality noticed in 20's flashbacks. Her allure is experienced both Salvatore brothers and sisters as well as the Original family. Vampire Journals Postmortem: The way in which Klaus return? A Klaus-Caroline pairing? Freeman next appears in the&E's new series Longmire. She'll make her Vampire Journals debut in Episode 16, and he or she gets the possible ways to recur. TVLine.com first reported what is the news. The Vampire Journals airs Thursdays at 8/7c round the CW.

Wild Bunch ink deal with Twisted Pictures

Pan-European sales and distribution group Wild Bunch has inked a 3-year output deal with Mark Burg's Twisted Pictures, the label behind the "Saw" horror franchise. Twisted Pictures must create two photos inside the newbie beneath the deal, and a couple of films each year next. Wild Bunch will acquire and take proper care of worldwide sales rights. Twisted Pictures is Evolution's genre arm, where Burg and prexy Michael Benchel is constantly on the spearhead the development and production team. Shingle "produces genre pictures with compelling story lines together with an excellent approach that increases within the crowd," mentioned Wild Bunch Boss Vincent Grimond. Burg mentioned, "From 'Sin City' to 'Paranormal Activity' to 'Insidious,' Wild Bunch's choice of movie picks remains round the innovative from the products youthful audiences are craving." Deal was arranged by Menchel and Continental Entertainment Capital's Benjamin Waisbren. Burg, Menchel and Waisbren assists as producers at Twisted Pictures. Burg founded Evolution inside the late the 19 nineties with Oren Koules and launched Twisted Pictures in 2004 with Koules as well as the late Gregg Hoffman. Burg split from Koules in June and rejigged the shingle, prospecting former CAA agent Menchel as prexy. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com