Twee-riffic! Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom Will Start Cannes

Prepare for some twee twinkling around the Croisette -- Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom is placed to spread out the 2012 Cannes Film Festival! Last year's opener, Woodsy Allen's Night time in Paris, continued to savor a rousingly effective theatrical run coming to some Best Picture nomination Anderson's comedy, about a set of pre-teen lovebirds around the lam in sixties Colonial, will open stateside approximately per week after its May 16 Cannes debut and marks his go back to live-action film after his newest film, the Oscar-nominated Fantastic Mr. Fox. Inside a statement announcing the premiere, Cannes mind Thierry Frmaux recommended Fellini and Renoir while calling Anderson a 'brilliant and artistic filmmaker' much less shabby for any guy who most lately adopted within the actions of a number of cinema's cleverest company directors by helming a set of vehicle advertisements for Hyundai! (Stated advertisements are classic Anderson, though, through and thru -- can't quite the same with this week's other ad director-for-hire, Darren Aronofsky.) Moonrise Kingdom stars youngsters Jared Gilman as Mike and Kara Hayward as his best woman Suzy, together with Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Erectile dysfunction Norton, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, and Harvey Keitel. [Deadline]

First look at Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer in The Lone Ranger

The first image of Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp in The Lone Ranger has been tweeted to the world, by producer Jerry Bruckheimer!Using his Twitter account to reveal the new look of the duo, it's clear Tonto, played by Johnny Depp, looks a little miffed he's saddled with Armie Hammer's man of the law.With a crow mounting his dark matted tresses, it looks like Depp could be playing Jack Sparrow again, but we can presume there will be less Keith Richards in his performance as the Ranger's Native American companion.On director duties is Gore Verbinski, who's worked with Depp on three of the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies and Rango. For Hammer, this will mark his first collaboration with the pair, and also his first major step into blockbuster acting (if you don't count Mirror Mirror).Helena Bonham Carter, Tom Wilkinson and William Fichtner are also starring with the boys in this adventure tale that will take The Lone Ranger and Tonto across the American plains to bring justice to a corrupt system.There's a little wait to see these boys in action though: the big screen adaptation is still scheduled for a May 2013 release. Let's hope Bruckheimer keeps these visual tweets coming.

One-on-One Conversation With Directors Emily Mann and Blanka Zizka

One-on-One Conversation With Directors Emily Mann and Blanka Zizka March 7, 2012 The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation is continuing its conversation series on artistic leadership. Emily Mann is in her 22nd season as artistic director of McCarter Theatre and for the past 35 years has produced, directed, written, and adapted plays and productions around the country. Blanka Zizka, who is in her 31st season as artistic director of the Wilma Theater, just received the SDCF's Zelda Fichandler Award, which recognizes a director or choreographer for transforming the regional arts landscape. The conversation between the two will be 90 minutes and is part of the Women Center Stage 2012 Festival. Topics will include approaches to direction, career influences and challenges, and opinions on fostering creativity and successful collaboration. March 10. The Living Theatre, 21 Clinton St., Manhattan. 1011:30 a.m. $10. www.cultureproject.org/wcs/festival/2012-directors-weekend/. For more information, email Foundation@SDCweb.org or www.womencenterstage.org. One-on-One Conversation With Directors Emily Mann and Blanka Zizka March 7, 2012 The Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation is continuing its conversation series on artistic leadership. Emily Mann is in her 22nd season as artistic director of McCarter Theatre and for the past 35 years has produced, directed, written, and adapted plays and productions around the country. Blanka Zizka, who is in her 31st season as artistic director of the Wilma Theater, just received the SDCF's Zelda Fichandler Award, which recognizes a director or choreographer for transforming the regional arts landscape. The conversation between the two will be 90 minutes and is part of the Women Center Stage 2012 Festival. Topics will include approaches to direction, career influences and challenges, and opinions on fostering creativity and successful collaboration. March 10. The Living Theatre, 21 Clinton St., Manhattan. 1011:30 a.m. $10. www.cultureproject.org/wcs/festival/2012-directors-weekend/. For more information, email Foundation@SDCweb.org or www.womencenterstage.org.

CWs The Option Casts Its King & Full

EXCLUSIVE: Leonor Varela (Edge II) and Martin Donovan (Boss) are likely to co-star inside the CW’s drama pilot The Option, that's been compared for the Hunger Games. Using the approaching quantity of books by Kiera Cass, The Option is known to becoming an epic romance set 300 years afterwards. Put together by Elizabeth Craft & Sarah Fain and directed by Mark Piznarski, it concentrates on America Singer (Aimee Teegarden), an unhealthy youthful lady who's selected by lottery to register in the competition to marry Prince Maxon (Ethan Peck) and become the next filled with the war-torn nation inside a crossroads. Varela and Donovan may have Maxon’s parents, Full Amberly and King Clarkson. Varela, repped by KLWGN, just wrapped a six-episode arc on TNT’s Dallas reboot.

Aidan Quinn To Co-Star In Elementary, Descendants Amara Burns In 1600 Penn

Aidan Quinn is placed to co-star opposite Jonny Lee Burns and Lucy Liu in CBS drama pilot Elementary. The project, compiled by Robert Doherty, is occur current day and stars Burns as eccentric Brit A Virtual Detective, an old consultant to Scotland Yard whose addiction problems brought him to some rehab center in NY City. Just from rehab, Holmes now lives in Brooklyn with sober companion Joan Watson (Liu) while talking to for that NYPD. Quinn will have NYPD Captain Gregson who labored with Sherlock at Scotland Yard after 9/11 and am impressed together with his work he has asked him to operate like a consultant towards the police in NY City. Gregson increased familiar with Sherlock’s “eccentricities” within the U.K., but knows they won’t always fly within the The Big Apple. Michael Cuesta is pointing the pilot, created by CBS TV Galleries and Timberman/Beverly. Quinn most lately performed an NYPD detective on another primetime drama, NBC’s Prime Suspect. Amara Burns, who performed George Clooney’s youngest daughter within the Descendants, has became a member of the cast from the NBC comedy pilot 1600 Penn, co-produced by Josh Gad, Jason Winer and Jon Lovett and directed by Winer. Created by 20th TV, it's a dysfunctional family comedy in which the out-of-control earliest boy (Gad) returns home and becomes not just its greatest liability but the glue holding everybody together. The twist is this fact family resides within the Whitened House. Burns will have Marigold, the Leader’s (Bill Pullman) tough, youngest daughter and 1 / 2 of a set of 13-year-old girl-boy twins.

Eric Near To Co-Star In Last Measure, Two Other ABC Aircraft pilots Increase Casts

With No Trace alum Eric Close continues to be cast in Basic steps drama pilot Nashville. Compiled by Callie Khouri, directed by R.J. Cutler and created by Lionsgate and ABC Galleries, Nashville is referred to like a family cleaning soap about love, new bands, family, politics and sex set from the backdrop from the Nashville music scene. It focuses on 40-year-old Nashville celebrity Rayna James who's stunned to locate that her star is diminishing and her label requires her to synergy with teen sensation Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) on touror else face losing her very own tour and also the labels promotion of her latest record, whose sales happen to be underwhelming. Gersh-repped Close will have Rayna’s husband who's now living on his wife’s salary. Jessy Schram (Falling Skies) continues to be put into the cast on ABC’s drama pilot Last Measure, concerning the crew of the U.S. nuclear submarine who, after disregarding a questionable to fire nuclear missiles, escape to some NATO outpost where they declare themselves to become the planet’s littlest nuclear nation. Schram will have Mike’s (Scott Speedman) dutiful wife whose persistence for his return keeps growing thin. The actress is repped by Mitchell Gossett whorecently left UTA and came back to CESD, and KLWGN Danielle Nicolet continues to be cast in ABC’s comedy pilot Whitened Guy Van, about Tony (Kyle Bornheimer), who's instructed to put his dreams on hold to be able to dominate the household renovator business from his father. Nicolet, repped by APA and KLWGN, will playthe sister of 1 of Tony’s co-employees.

Box Office Actuals: The Lorax $70.2M

MONDAY BOX OFFICE ACTUALS:UpdatesBox Office Blockbuster: $70.7M For Dr. Seuss The Lorax Is Years Biggest. 1. The Lorax (Universal) NEW [3,729 Theaters] Friday $17.4M, Saturday $31.2M, Sunday $21.4M, Weekend $70.2M 2. Project X (Warner Bros) NEW [3,055 Theaters] Friday $8.1M, Saturday $7.6M, Sunday $5.6M,Weekend $21M 3. Act of Valor (Relativity) Week 2 [3,093 Theaters] Friday $3.8M, Saturday $6.1M, Sunday $3.6M, Weekend $13.5M (-44%) Cume $45.1M 4. Safe House (Universal) Week 4 [2,553 Theaters] Friday $1.9M, Saturday $3.5M, Sunday $1.9M, Weekend $7.3M Cume $108.3M 5. Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds (Lionsgate) Week 2 [2,132 Theaters] Friday $1.8M, Saturday $3.4M, Sunday $1.8M, Weekend $7.0M (-55%) Cume $25.7M 6. Journey 2 (Warner Bros) Week 4 [3,060 Theaters] Friday $1.3M, Saturday $3.2M, Sunday $1.9M, Weekend $6.5M Cume $85.2M 7. The Vow (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 4 [2,826 Theaters] Friday $1.8M, Saturday $2.7M, Sunday $1.4M, Weekend $6.0M Cume $111.6M 8. This Means War (Fox) Week 3 [2,342 Theaters] Friday $1.6M, Saturday $2.6M, Sunday $1.3M, Weekend $5.5M Cume $41.3M 9. Ghost Rider 2 (Sony) Week 3 [2,487 Theaters[] Friday $1.1M, Saturday $2.2M, Sunday $1.3M, Weekend $4.6M Cume $48.8M 10. Wanderlust (Universal) Week2 [2,002 theaters] Friday $1.1M, Saturday $1.7M, Sunday $980K, Weekend $3.8M (-41%) Cume $12.4M

TWC plans appeal of 'Bully' rating

The Weinstein Co. plans to appeal the MPAA's decision to assign an R rating to its upcoming docu "Bully," from filmmaker Lee Hirsch. TWC said the R rating was assigned on the basis of "some language." "As a result, 'Bully' could not be screened in U.S. middle and high schools, where it might otherwise reach a mass national audience of students and be used as a tool to stop an epidemic of physical, psychological and emotional violence," the company said. TWC co-chairman Harvey Weinstein will appeal the rating at the MPAA's Sherman Oaks screening room on Thursday. He'll be joined by Alex Libby, one of the bullied children in the film. "Bully" is set for release on March 30. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Oscar: Awards Season Frenzy Hits A Pinnacle At WGA and ACE. Is The End In Sight?

When the awards season kicked into gear at Telluride and Toronto it appeared the movie to beat was going to be Fox Searchlight’s The Descendants, but then along came the big momentum for the little-silent-movie-that-could, The Artist , and that was all she wrote — that is until this last weekend before ballots are due on Tuesday. Descendants has been on a tear these last few days, almost seeming to say ‘it ain’t over til it’s over’. With significant victories for Best Adapted Screenplay at the WGA awards Sunday night preceded by the prestigious USC Scripter Award and Best Drama Feature Editing win at the ACE Eddie awards Saturday , not to mention writer/director Alexander Payne’s special award from ACE, you have a pretty impressive haul. But is it too late to turn around the momentum of The Artist? After all, ballots are due at PriceWaterhouseCoopers by Tuesday at 5pm, and with the President’s Day holiday on Monday slowing postal delivery the only way to getballots in on time is to have them hand- delivered. Still one major rival nominee (and loser at WGA) told me it was such a reliefnot to have to hear the name of The Artist called Sunday night at WGA (it was ineligible for nominations since it was not produced under guild auspices). However the two big screenplay winners at BAFTA the week before, The Artist and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,although ineligible for WGA are up for Oscars next week. They could upset the apple cart and veer fromtraditonsince even though WGA winners can be predictive of Oscar winners, it usually is just one out of two that repeat due to the fact that the writers unionmakes so many non-union films ineligible. But in my view both of tonight’s big scripting winners at the ceremony held simultaneously on both coasts (Zooey Deschanel and Joel McHale were hosts at the Hollywood Palladium), Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris and The Descendants would appear to hang on to front runner status in their respective writing categoriesat the Oscars. Yes, if there is an Oscar sweep for The Artist that can easily include original screenplay but it seems more likely the Academy will want to spread the wealth and award a personal favorite, Midnight In Paris. It is doubtful that the WGA ceremony, coming as late as it does in the season , has any direct impact on the final vote but it appears the two voting bodies may be of like mind this year. And this weekend’s myriad awards shows brought especially good news for Descendant’s helmer AlexanderPayne who received the ACE’s special filmmaker award, saw his longtime editor Kevin Tent take a surprise Eddie for editing The Descendants (Hugo veteran Thelma Schoonmaker was thought to be the winner) and on top of all that, won the USC Scripter award. When I caught up with him at the Beverly Hilton Saturday night still celebrating the ACE wins 40 minutes after the show ended, I gave Payne the happy news that he had just won the USC Scripter Award. He seemedpleased, but in a unique moment that shows just how long awards season can be he then asked me, “Okay , what is the USC Scripter Award”? Hey, it’s not easy keeping up with every award you win, especially when you are on a roll like Payne is right now. At any rate he was thrilled to bag two honors in one night and then follow it up on Sunday with yet another. It puts Descendants back in front runner postion for the Adapted Screenplay Oscar and adds some intrigue in the late innings of the race. The American Cinema Editors , which hand out the Eddies ,is the one guild that most closely resembles the actual voting pool of the Oscars and pound for pound have by far the biggest crossover of members in common. Statistically speaking an editing nomination is a must if you have serious Best Picture aspirations and the win by Descendants, which also has an Oscar nod in the category, is important. The Eddie victory is tempered by the Eddiewin of The Artistfor director Michel Hazanavicius and Anne-SophieBionin the comedy or musical editing category so the two will be going head to head at the Oscars with both having the added bonus of Eddie triumphs. Hazanavicius has really been running non-stopthis season and had just arrived from Paris hours before the ceremony Saturday. He goes back right away for the Cesar awards being held next Friday night and then hops a plane back to L.A for the Oscars Sunday, and hopefully the Independent Spirit Awards Saturday afternoon in Santa Monica, but he expressed doubt that he , wife and Best Supporting Actress nominee Berenice Bejo, star Jean Dujardin and producer Thomas Langmann will even make it back in time to the Indie Spirits. He said whatever happens he is very grateful to Harvey Weinsteinfor the whole experience of this awards season. He said Harveydid not cut a frame of The Artist before releasing it in America (depsite a sometimes-bad rap for fiddling with films). Solo at the Eddies,he said he sent Bejo and their newborn (she gave birth in September at the beginning of the season) to a spa in the south of France for some much needed rest before the last leg of this marathon run towards Oscar. One audience member in attendance for both WGA and Eddie awards shows told me the speeches were so good it’s a shame these ceremonies didn’t take place a month ago so they could have maximum impact on the Oscar vote. Indeed Payne made a truly great acceptance speech at the Eddiesdrolly observing, “when they called me up to receive this, I asked them: ‘who passed it up’?”And there was one after another great speechat the WGA Sunday especiallyfrom The Help’s Tate Taylor who won the Guild’s Paul Selvin award and Eric Roth (Forrest Gump) who took the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award and delivered aterrific speech (one that NY Times Film Critic Manogla Dargis won’t want to hear)that was preceded by a brilliantly wry and funny David Fincher taped intro. The best acceptance of the night though was not from the movie side but rather TV’s Modern Family which in winning Best Comedy Series gave each of its writers a chance to put a “downer” on their victory. Creator Steve Levitan never fails to preside over the best awards acceptance speeches in the business. The two long-overdue writingawards for AMC’s riveting Breaking Bad were also nice to see. The Cinema Audio Society awards (Hugo got the big movie prize) and Golden Reel awards for Sound Editing were also given out this weekend. The last major Guild craft ceremony is Tuesday for the costume designers and then it is on to Oscar and an end to all this madness.

Amazing Spider-Guy Clip Online

Peter Parker declined access!The advertising campaign for your Amazing Spider-Guy is becoming arrived, using the huge, multi-country footage screening as well as other trailers, photos and posters online. The very first full clip has turned up, which is full of whatever you might expect within the adventures of Peter Parker. Take a look below.Everything, clearly, supposing you expect him to appear inside the lanky kind of Andrew Garfield being hassled in to Gwen Stacey's building by an officious Noo Yawk doorman (carried out by John Scurti, which has usually been found engaging in danger alongside fellow Amazing Spider-Guy actor Denis Leary on TV's Save Me).Yes, if you're wanting for explosions, web-slinging, roaring lizard monsters or perhaps the lovely Emma Stone as Gwen, you're best searching in a clip again. Still, it's a very good sign in the humour which will explain the film.This footage first sprang around the film's viral site, that's been encouraging graffiti artists (okay, it's just a stunt) and promises more goodies later on. Hopefully that will include more tantalising footage.And when you really need to start to see the whole film in one sitting, you will have to delay until This summer time 4. Your day we declare our independence! From... the lack of ability to start to see the Amazing Spider-Guy in cinemas. So that's nice.

Bassist Michael Davis dies at 68

Michael Davis, the bassist of influential late sixties rock-band MC5, has died of liver failure, his wife mentioned Saturday. He was 68.Davis died at Enloe Clinic in Chico, Calif., on Friday mid-day carrying out a month-extended hospitalization for liver disease, mentioned Angela Davis.Born on June 5, 1943, the bassist acquired attention inside the revolutionary Detroit band MC5 after which carried out in the version in the group referred to as DKT-MC5 with former MC5 people Wayne Kramer on guitar and Dennis Thompson on drums.The first MC5 rose to prominence from 1964 to 1972, making waves with incendiary anti-establishment lyrics together with a blistering early-punk appear, beginning utilizing their first album "Take away the Jams," released in 1969.A looked for-after bassist in addition to producer, Davis was likely to remain in Belgium now recording with punk rock music artist Sonny Vincent, mentioned Davis' wife.Davis stood a scare in 2006 because he hurt his inside a motorbike accident around the La freeway. He later co-founded the non-profit Music Is Revolution Foundation, dedicated to supporting music teaching programs in public areas schools.In the last few years, Davis also returned with a adoration for painting, fostered because he first examined fine arts at Wayne Condition College in Michigan. He dropped in the type in 1964 to see music, but started studying art again recently in Or and California, while using goal of finishing his bachelor's degree in fine arts.Davis is managed to get by his wife, their three sons, together with a daughter in the previous marriage. Memorial plans were pending, mentioned Angela Davis. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Lynton in your thoughts Broadcasting Board

The brand new the new sony Pictures Entertainment Boss Michael Lynton will lead the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the organization that overseas all U.S. government worldwide broadcasting like the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.Lynton was named interim presiding governor in the board following a departure of Walter Isaacson, its chairman because this summer time, 2010. Leader Obama has yet to appoint a completely new chairman."It is a pleasure to make use of this multitalented, bipartisan board, plus an recognition being selected to help lead the company,In . Lynton mentioned in the statement. "We are each dedicated to the reason behind creating this agency the most effective it might be. With this various talents and diverse abilities, many of us bring something for the table."Lynton is really a part of the board's governance committee, and also the appointment for the board was confirmed with the Senate in summer season, 2010. Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

Ford Won't Maintain New Edge Runner

Whispers flatly declined by production co.This is among people tales where we update around the rumour that made an appearance so tenuous that individuals didn't bother to report it to start with. However when you saw reviews a week ago that Harrison Ford reaches predicts return as Deckard, you can now safely ignore them. Production company Alcon Entertainment has flat-out told Deadline that, whatever Ridley Scott's new Edge Runner calculates being, Harrison Ford most likely won't keeping it.Scott had already mentioned this beautiful without any reason several several days ago, and given Ford's well-known antipathy for your film (he didn't showed up at enjoy it like the relaxation around the world), the potential for the actor's participation always made an appearance remote at best. But Alcon's Andrew Kosove reiterates using a reasonably strident, "It's absolutely patently false that there are been any discussion about Harrison Ford in Edge Runner.""That which you are trying associated with Ridley now's have the painstaking technique of trying to interrupt the trunk from the story, determine the direction we will accept movie and uncover a author to function about it,In . he describes. "The casting in the movie could not be further out of your minds now. It's like asking as can make paradise red-colored-colored or blue. There is no discussion relating to this.InchKosove appeared to become keen to fret that, because so many have surmised, Scott is not planning anything as being a conventional follow-up to his 1982 classic. "What Ridley's doing in Prometheusis an excellent template that we're trying to complete,Inch Kosove states. "He created something having a association for the original Alien, but lives alone just like a standalone movie."Just what relating to this "probablyInch? "Just before being aware of what we will probably do, I suppose you are able to say yes, [Ford] could [return]," Kosove confesses. "But it's most unlikely.Inch

David Alan Grier Shrugs Off 'Porgy and Bess' Row

NY (AP) David Alan Grier has a gentle message for anyone who is getting all hot and bothered thinking that he's helping ruin an American masterpiece."Relax. Let it go," he says. "We're not killing it. We're just doing our version."The actor and comedian is currently starring as Sporting Life in a reworked version of the Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" on Broadway following a controversial out-of-town tryout this fall near Boston.The creative team, with the blessing of the creators' estates, condensed the four-hour opera into a two-and-one-half-hour musical, eliminated a lot of the repetitiveness and tried to deepen the characters. Their effort generated headlines when purists including Stephen Sondheim complained that a musical treasure was being corrupted."We just want people to be propelled by the story and the music," Grier says. "It's not like we made a deal with the estate to destroy all previous versions and burn down all the opera houses. They will continue to do it and it will continue to live and be interpreted. That's what keeps classical works like this alive."It's the fifth time on Broadway for this Yale School of Drama graduate best known for his scathing wit and his four seasons aboard the groundbreaking sketch comedy TV show "In Living Color."The 55-year-old didn't expect to return to Broadway so soon after appearing in David Mamet's "Race" in 2010, but he had never been in "Porgy and Bess" and thought the new version was going to be "historic."He emailed the American Repertory Theater's Diane Paulus, who was directing the adaptation by Suzan-Lori Parks and Deidre L. Murray. Grier, who knew Paulus from a workshop of her "Best of Both Worlds," wanted to play Sporting Life, the drug-pusher and pimp portrayed in the original Broadway production by Cab Calloway and in the film version by Sammy Davis Jr.Grier impressed the team by holding his own alongside lead actors Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis, and singing two songs: the funny, upbeat "It Ain't Necessarily So" and the teasing, seductive "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon.""I would sit in the back the theater with my musical director and my choreographer. He'd start singing and we'd all look at each other and our jaws would drop. It's a performance that's blossomed," says Paulus."He's been the most incredible company member for this show. He's cracked a joke at every perfect and imperfect moment and made us all laugh. He's a famous name and yet he's right there in the trenches with everyone like the way Audra and Norm are."To get into character, Grier learned all he could about the 1930s in South Carolina, went back to the original notes left by the show's creators, listened to Ella Fitzgerald scat and watched documentaries of pimps. He also drew on his roots growing up in Detroit and watching pimps decked out in colorful clothes stroll down 12th Street."It was like an urban ballet," he says.The controversy over the show didn't scare him off: It made him even more excited. The show moved over the winter from the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass, to Broadway's Richard Rogers Theatre, opening in January to generally positive reviews."I don't want to be in a production that everyone says, 'Did you open? Did you close? Oh, I didn't see it. Good thing you did it just the way it's always been done,'" Grier says. "No, I want to be in a production that's exciting and gets people talking."Grier laughs that when "Porgy and Bess" first opened in 1935, opera buffs were incensed by what some considered a crass monstrosity: George Gershwin wasn't considered a bona fide opera writer, the show's melting of jazz and blues into a classical European art form was highly unusual, and few thought black singers could fully succeed at singing opera. Over the years, though, it became an opera masterpiece."So when we open, now there are all these opera purists who say, 'Oh no, it's nothing BUT grand opera. You have to do it ONLY the way grand opera must be done,'" he says. "The exciting thing is everyone feels they own it."Grier, who lives in Los Angeles, has found time to see as much Broadway as he can, including "Venus in Fur" and "Jerusalem." At "Follies," he was happy to see other people dance. "It was so great to sit in the audience and not be performing," he says, laughing. "I was going, 'Wow, that was a big number! I bet they're tired now.'"As for reviews, he doesn't sweat them. He recalls the reaction his Broadway debut got in 1981 when he played Jackie Robinson in "The First." One reviewer said Grier was perfect in the role. Another said he was terrible."So I had them framed right next to each other on my wall and above my bed because that sums it up one terrible, one perfect," he says. "My shoulders are broad. This is the career I've chosen. You are judged publicly."Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Mark Kennedy January 31, 2012 "Porgy and Bess" PHOTO CREDIT Michael J. Lutch NY (AP) David Alan Grier has a gentle message for anyone who is getting all hot and bothered thinking that he's helping ruin an American masterpiece."Relax. Let it go," he says. "We're not killing it. We're just doing our version."The actor and comedian is currently starring as Sporting Life in a reworked version of the Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" on Broadway following a controversial out-of-town tryout this fall near Boston.The creative team, with the blessing of the creators' estates, condensed the four-hour opera into a two-and-one-half-hour musical, eliminated a lot of the repetitiveness and tried to deepen the characters. Their effort generated headlines when purists including Stephen Sondheim complained that a musical treasure was being corrupted."We just want people to be propelled by the story and the music," Grier says. "It's not like we made a deal with the estate to destroy all previous versions and burn down all the opera houses. They will continue to do it and it will continue to live and be interpreted. That's what keeps classical works like this alive."It's the fifth time on Broadway for this Yale School of Drama graduate best known for his scathing wit and his four seasons aboard the groundbreaking sketch comedy TV show "In Living Color."The 55-year-old didn't expect to return to Broadway so soon after appearing in David Mamet's "Race" in 2010, but he had never been in "Porgy and Bess" and thought the new version was going to be "historic."He emailed the American Repertory Theater's Diane Paulus, who was directing the adaptation by Suzan-Lori Parks and Deidre L. Murray. Grier, who knew Paulus from a workshop of her "Best of Both Worlds," wanted to play Sporting Life, the drug-pusher and pimp portrayed in the original Broadway production by Cab Calloway and in the film version by Sammy Davis Jr.Grier impressed the team by holding his own alongside lead actors Audra McDonald and Norm Lewis, and singing two songs: the funny, upbeat "It Ain't Necessarily So" and the teasing, seductive "There's a Boat That's Leaving Soon.""I would sit in the back the theater with my musical director and my choreographer. He'd start singing and we'd all look at each other and our jaws would drop. It's a performance that's blossomed," says Paulus."He's been the most incredible company member for this show. He's cracked a joke at every perfect and imperfect moment and made us all laugh. He's a famous name and yet he's right there in the trenches with everyone like the way Audra and Norm are."To get into character, Grier learned all he could about the 1930s in South Carolina, went back to the original notes left by the show's creators, listened to Ella Fitzgerald scat and watched documentaries of pimps. He also drew on his roots growing up in Detroit and watching pimps decked out in colorful clothes stroll down 12th Street."It was like an urban ballet," he says.The controversy over the show didn't scare him off: It made him even more excited. The show moved over the winter from the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass, to Broadway's Richard Rogers Theatre, opening in January to generally positive reviews."I don't want to be in a production that everyone says, 'Did you open? Did you close? Oh, I didn't see it. Good thing you did it just the way it's always been done,'" Grier says. "No, I want to be in a production that's exciting and gets people talking."Grier laughs that when "Porgy and Bess" first opened in 1935, opera buffs were incensed by what some considered a crass monstrosity: George Gershwin wasn't considered a bona fide opera writer, the show's melting of jazz and blues into a classical European art form was highly unusual, and few thought black singers could fully succeed at singing opera. Over the years, though, it became an opera masterpiece."So when we open, now there are all these opera purists who say, 'Oh no, it's nothing BUT grand opera. You have to do it ONLY the way grand opera must be done,'" he says. "The exciting thing is everyone feels they own it."Grier, who lives in Los Angeles, has found time to see as much Broadway as he can, including "Venus in Fur" and "Jerusalem." At "Follies," he was happy to see other people dance. "It was so great to sit in the audience and not be performing," he says, laughing. "I was going, 'Wow, that was a big number! I bet they're tired now.'"As for reviews, he doesn't sweat them. He recalls the reaction his Broadway debut got in 1981 when he played Jackie Robinson in "The First." One reviewer said Grier was perfect in the role. Another said he was terrible."So I had them framed right next to each other on my wall and above my bed because that sums it up one terrible, one perfect," he says. "My shoulders are broad. This is the career I've chosen. You are judged publicly."Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

'Real Steel' Deleted Scene Floats Like A Butterfly, Stings Like A Boxing Robot

This past October, "Real Steel" proved that if you're going to make a movie about robots fighting each other, you have to care about the robots. More importantly, you have to care about the young boy and the washed-up boxer behind the robot. This exclusive deleted scene from the upcoming Blu-ray release of "Real Steel" shows off just the kind of scene that made audiences care and had them cheering to the tune of $85 million domestically. Check out the scene after the jump. In the film, Hugh Jackman plays Charlie, a down-on-his-luck former boxer, who now makes a living on an illegal robot fighting ring. After a match doesn't go as he planned, Charlie finds himself saddled with a debt he can't pay and a teenage son, who Charlie must care for after the boy's mother passes away. The exclusive deleted scene above didn't make it into the final cut of the film, but shows the kind of heart that made "Real Steel" a success last year. The scene follows Charlie's son, Max, as he learns the true origins of the butterfly pin he hold so dear. "Real Steel" arrives on Blu-ray and DVD today (January 24). What did you think of the "Real Steel" clip? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

Oscar Surprises and Snubs: Gary Oldman Gets His Due, But Leo Sits This One Out

Gary Oldman, Leonardo DiCaprio Just after the Oscar nominations were read on Tuesday morning, Albert Brooks tweeted: "And to the Academy: "You don't like me. You really don't like me." The Drive star seemed to be a near-lock for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, but his name wound up on the wrong side of the shortlist. "I got ROBBED. I don't mean the Oscars, I mean literally. My pants and shoes have been stolen," he continued to quip on Twitter. But Brooks' omission wasn't the only big shocker. Here are our top surprises and snubs:See the complete list of Oscar nominations SurprisesActing nominees: The past few years have seen a Michael Shannon here and a Maggie Gyllenhaal there, but this year's acting class features the most surprises - big and small - that we've seen in a while. After the Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globenominations came out, Melissa McCarthy's Supporting Actress nomination for Bridesmaids and Rooney Mara's for Best Actress for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo weren't that shocking, but Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) for Supporting Actor? He only got a handful of critics' awards nominations and now joins Shannon and Gyllenhaal, among a few others, on the list of people who earned an Oscar nod without having first cracked the Golden Globe orSAG finals. Also joining that exclusive club? Gary Oldman, who at long last received his first - yes, first - Oscar nomination for Best Actor for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Unlike von Sydow, however, Oldman earned a BAFTA nod, which counts for a lot since Brits make up a huge portion of the Academy voting bloc. The Best Actor category also features a surprising fresh face in Demian Bichir (A Better Life). Both Bichir and McCarthy were snubbed by the Globes but nominated by SAG, proving once again that, of the two, the SAGs are a better predictor of the Oscar acting races. (It makes sense: Actors vote for both the SAGs and the Academy's acting awards). This year, 17 of the 20 Oscar nominees also received SAG nods.Broad comedy: Speaking of McCarthy, many predictors thought she was unlikely to be nominated because Bridesmaids was too raunchy a flick for the stodgy old Academy voters' taste. But that perception is now officially changing (see also: Robert Downey Jr.'s nomination for Tropic Thunder three years ago). Unfortunately, Bridesmaids missed out on a Best Picture nod. Baby steps, people.The Tree of Life: Terrence Malick's divisive drama about the origins of life had been snubbed for the majority of the awards season, but it managed to make it into both the Best Picture and Best Director races (Malick is an Academy favorite). That one-two punch is a deadly combo - especially with fewer directing slots than picture slots. (Only three films have won Best Picture without a Best Director nomination.) The Tree of Life is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of movie, and it's clearly the former with the Academy.Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Producer Scott Rudin's schmaltzy, poorly reviewed adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's 9/11 drama made the Best Picture cut over his other better - and better-reviewed, even prematurely - book adaptation (Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) without much momentum. We probably should have seen it coming since the Academy loves Stephen Daldry (The Reader, The Hours, Billy Elliot - all Oscar-nominated films). The Brit, however, was excluded from the director lineup, preventing him from getting four Best Director nominations for his first four feature films.Billy Crystal to host the Oscars for the ninth timeSnubsAlbert Brooks: Like we said, the SAGs are the best indicator for Oscar success. Brooks' SAG snub for Drive was shocking then, but many believed he could overcome it since he had been giving Christopher Plummer (Beginners) a run for his money in precursor awards. Instead, the Academy went for the veteran in von Sydow. Fun fact: Both Plummer and von Sydow are 82, and if either wins, he would become the oldest acting Oscar winner in any category. Jessica Tandy, who was 80 when she won Best Actress for Driving Miss Daisy, currently holds the record.Steven Spielberg: The two-time winner didn't earn a directing nod for War Horse, but perhaps most shocking is that The Adventures of Tintin, which he co-produced with lord of the Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson, was snubbed from the animated feature lineup after winning the Globe and the Producers Guild Award. Don't feel too bad for Spielberg: War Horse received a Best Picture mention, so he's nominated as a producer.Shailene Woodley: The final Supporting Actress slot came down to Woodley (The Descendants) and McCarthy (neither earned both Globe and SAG nods like the otherfour women in the category). Woodley lost out in the end, despite starring in the more Academy-friendly film and being a young starlet. The Academy usually loves breakout young actresses, especially in the supporting race - recent nominees include Hailee Steinfeld, Anna Kendrick, Abigail Breslin and Saoirse Ronan, and of course, the youngest acting winner ever was Tatum O'Neal, who was 10. Leo and Fassy: The Best Actor lineup was shaping up to be one of, if not the hottest ever, but Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) and Michael Fassbender (Shame) both failed to score nods. Were voters uncomfortable with Shame's NC-17 rating and the never-ending nudity? While we wish Fassbender made the shortlist, we're OK with DiCaprio's snub. His J. Edgar Hoover was adequate in an inadequate film, and we're glad he didn't make it in on his name - or Clint Eastwood's - alone, which happens more often than not with A-listers.What surprised you the most? Who do you think deserved a nomination?

Sundance 2012: Rodrigo Corts on Red Lights

Total Film rocked up at the super stylish Bing Bar on Main Street earlier today for a chat with Rodrigo Cortés, director of starry supernatural thriller Red Lights.The filmstars Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver as college professors who make a living out of debunking claims of paranormal phenomena, whose scepticism is challenged by Robert De Niro's sinister celebrity psychic.Lightshas had something of a mixed reaction at the festival - reports of a lukewarm reception during the Friday night premiere contrasted with a wildly enthusiastic response after yesterday's public screening (which Total Film attended)."The first screening and the second screening had such different energies," smiled the amiable Spaniard who says, like it or not, he's made the film that he wanted to make."It's very difficult in festivals to have a clean perspective on films. They have to compete with the expectations everybody has and you can get very strong reactions- positive or negative," he continued."That's part of the game and as a filmmaker you should be very aware of this in order to keep your position strong. There's always gonna be wind out there- sometimes blowing for, sometimes against... But you better know what you wanna do and try to keep your centre."

Ex-Penn St. Football Coach Joe Paterno Dead At 85

First Published: January 22, 2012 1:43 PM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Joe Paterno on October 29, 2011 in State College, PennsylvaniaSTATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Joe Paterno, the longtime Penn State coach who won more American football games than anyone in major college history but was fired amid a child sex abuse scandal that scarred his reputation for winning with integrity, died Sunday. He was 85. His family released a statement Sunday morning to announce his death: His loss leaves a void in our lives that will never be filled. He died as he lived, the statement said. He fought hard until the end, stayed positive, thought only of others and constantly reminded everyone of how blessed his life had been. His ambitions were far reaching, but he never believed he had to leave this Happy Valley to achieve them. He was a man devoted to his family, his university, his players and his community. Two police officers were stationed to block traffic on the street where Paternos modest ranch home stands next to a local park. The officers said the family had asked there be no public gathering outside the house, still decorated with a Christmas wreath, so Paternos relatives could grieve privately. And, indeed, the street was quiet on a cold winter day. Paternos sons, Scott and Jay, arrived separately at the house late Sunday morning. Jay Paterno, who served as his fathers quarterbacks coach, was crying. Paterno built his program on the credo Success with Honor, and he found both. The man known as JoePa won 409 games and took the Nittany Lions to 37 bowl games and two national championships. More than 250 of the players he coached went on to the NFL. He will go down as the greatest football coach in the history of the game, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said after his former team, the Florida Gators, beat Penn State 37-24 in the 2011 Outback Bowl. Paternos son Scott said on Nov. 18 that his father was being treated for lung cancer. The cancer was diagnosed during a follow-up visit for a bronchial illness. A few weeks after that revelation, Paterno also broke his pelvis after a fall but did not need surgery. Paterno had been in the hospital since Jan. 13 for observation for what his family had called minor complications from his cancer treatments. Not long before that, he conducted his only interview since losing his job, with The Washington Post. Paterno was described as frail then, speaking mostly in a whisper and wearing a wig. The second half of the two-day interview was conducted at his bedside. As the last 61 years have shown, Joe made an incredible impact, said the statement from the family. That impact has been felt and appreciated by our family in the form of thousands of letters and well wishes along with countless acts of kindness from people whose lives he touched. It is evident also in the thousands of successful student athletes who have gone on to multiply that impact as they spread out across the country. The final days of Paternos Penn State career were easily the toughest in his 61 years with the university and 46 seasons as head football coach. It was because Paterno was a such a sainted figure more memorable than any of his players and one of the best-known coaches in all of sports that his downfall was so startling. During one breathtaking week in early November, Paterno was engulfed by a scandal and forced from his job, because he failed to go to the police in 2002 when told a young boy was molested inside the football complex. I didnt know which way to go and rather than get in there and make a mistake, he said in the Post interview. Jerry Sandusky, the former defensive coordinator expected to succeed Paterno before retiring in 1999, was charged with sexually assaulting 10 boys over 15 years. Two university officials stepped down after they were charged with perjury following a grand jury investigation of Sandusky. But attention quickly focused on an alleged rape that took place in a shower in the football building, witnessed by Mike McQueary, a graduate assistant at the time. McQueary testified that he had seen Sandusky attacking the child and that he had told Paterno, who waited a day before alerting school authorities. Police were never called and the states top cop later said Paterno failed to execute his moral responsibility by not contacting police. You know, (McQueary) didnt want to get specific, Paterno said in the Post interview. And to be frank with you I dont know that it would have done any good, because I never heard of, of, rape and a man. So I just did what I thought was best. I talked to people that I thought would be, if there was a problem, that would be following up on it. On the morning of Nov. 9, Paterno said he would retire following the 2011 season. He also said he was absolutely devastated by the abuse case. This is a tragedy, the coach said. It is one of the great sorrows of my life. With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more. But the university trustees faced a crisis, and in an emergency meeting that night, they fired Paterno, effective immediately. Graham Spanier, one of the longest-serving university presidents in the nation, also was dismissed. According to Lanny Davis, an attorney retained by the trustees as an adviser, board vice chairman John Surma regretted having to tell Paterno the decision over the phone. The university handed the football team to one of Paternos assistants, Tom Bradley, who said Paterno will go down in history as one of the greatest men, who maybe most of you know as a great football coach. Thick, smoky-lens glasses, rolled up khakis, jet-black sneakers, blue windbreaker Paterno was easy to spot on the sidelines. His teams were just as easy to spot on the field; their white helmets and classic blue and white uniforms had the same old-school look as the coach. Paterno believed success was not measured entirely on the field. From his idealistic early days, he had implemented what he called a grand experiment to graduate more players while maintaining success on the field. He was a frequent speaker on ethics in sports, a conscience for a world often infiltrated by scandal and shady characters. His teams consistently ranked among the best in the Big Ten for graduating players. As of 2011, it had 49 academic All-Americans, the third-highest among schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision. All but two played under Paterno. He teaches us about really just growing up and being a man, former linebacker Paul Posluszny, now with the NFLs Jacksonville Jaguars, once said. Besides the football, hes preparing us to be good men in life. Paterno certainly had detractors, as well. One former Penn State professor called his high-minded words on academics a farce. He was criticized for making broad critiques about the wrongs in college football without providing specifics. A former administrator said his players often got special treatment compared to non-athletes. His coaching style often was considered too conservative. Some thought he held on to his job too long. There was a push to move him out in 2004 but it failed. But the critics were in the minority, and his program was never cited for major NCAA violations. However, the child sexual abuse scandal prompted separate investigations by the U.S. Department of Education and the NCAA into the schools handling. Paterno played quarterback and cornerback for Brown University and set a defensive record with 14 career interceptions, a distinction he boasted about to his teams all the way into his 80s. He graduated in 1950 with plans to go to law school. He said his father hoped he would someday be president. When he was 23, a former coach at Brown was moving to Penn State to become the head coach and persuaded Paterno to come with him as an assistant. I had no intention to coach when I got out of Brown, Paterno said in 2007 at Beaver Stadium in an interview before being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Come to this hick town? From Brooklyn? In 1963, he was offered a job by the late Al Davis $18,000, triple his salary at Penn State, plus a car to become general manager and coach of the AFLs Oakland Raiders. He said no. Rip Engle retired as Penn State head coach three years later, and Paterno took over. At the time, the Lions were considered Eastern football inferior and Paterno courted newspaper coverage to raise the teams profile. In 1967, PSU began a 30-0-1 streak. But Penn State couldnt get to the top of the polls. The Lions finished second in 1968 and 1969 despite perfect records. They went 12-0 in 1973 and finished fifth. Texas edged them in 1969 after President Richard Nixon, impressed with the Longhorns bowl performance, declared them No. 1. Id like to know, Paterno said later, how could the president know so little about Watergate in 1973, and so much about college football in 1969? A national title finally came in 1982, in a 27-23 win over Georgia at the Sugar Bowl. Penn State won another in 1986 after the Lions picked off Vinny Testaverde five times and beat Miami 14-10 in the Fiesta Bowl. They have made several title runs since then, including a 2005 run to the Orange Bowl and an 11-1 campaign in 2008 that earned them a berth in the Rose Bowl, where they lost 37-23 to Southern California. In his later years, physical ailments wore the old coach down. Paterno was run over on the sideline during a game at Wisconsin in November 2006 and underwent knee surgery. He hurt his hip in 2008 demonstrating an onside kick. An intestinal illness and a bad reaction to antibiotics prescribed for dental work slowed him for most of the 2010 season. Paterno began scaling back his speaking engagements that year, ending his summer caravan of speeches to alumni across the state. Then a receiver bowled over Paterno at practice in August, sending him to the hospital with shoulder and pelvis injuries and consigning him to coach much of the season from the press box. The fact that weve won a lot of games is that the good Lord kept me healthy, not because Im better than anybody else, Paterno said two days before he won his 409th game and passed Eddie Robinson of Grambling State for the most in Division I. Its because Ive been around a lot longer than anybody else. Paterno could be conservative on the field, especially in big games, relying on the tried-and-true formula of defense, the running game and field position. Theyve been playing great defense for 45 years, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said in November. Paterno and his wife, Sue, raised five children in State College. Anybody could telephone him at his modest ranch home the same one he appeared in front of on the night he was fired by looking up Paterno, Joseph V. in the phone book. He walked to home games and was greeted and wished good luck by fans on the street. Former players paraded through his living room for the chance to say hello. But for the most part, he stayed out of the spotlight. Paterno did have a knack for joke. He referred to Twitter, the social media, as Twittle-do, Twittle-dee. He also could be abrasive and stubborn, and had his share of run-ins with his bosses or administrators. And as his legend grew, so did the attention to his on-field decisions, and the questions about when he would retire. Calls for his retirement reached a crescendo in 2004. The next year, Penn State went 11-1 and won the Big Ten. In the Orange Bowl, PSU beat Florida State, whose coach, Bobby Bowden, left the Seminoles after the 2009 season after 34 years and 389 wins. Like many others, he was outlasted by JoePa. Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

R&B 'godfather' Johnny Otis dies at 90

By Connected PRESS Johnny Otis, the "godfather of rhythm and blues" who written and recorded the R&B classic "Willie as well as the Hands Jive" too for decades evangelized black music to white-colored audiences just like a bandleader and radio host, died at his home inside the La foothill suburb of Altadena on Tuesday. He was 90 combined with been ill for quite a while. Otis, who was simply white-colored, was produced John Veliotes to Greek immigrants and was elevated in the black part of Berkeley, where he mentioned he recognized a lot more with black culture than their very own. Just like a teen, he changed his title as they thought Johnny Otis appeared more black. "Just like a kid, I made a decision when society determined that particular must be black or white-colored, I'd be black," he once referred to. His musical tastes clearly reflected that adopted culture which after he increased being famous, his dark skin and hair frequently introduced audiences and club entrepreneurs to visualise he was black like his bandmates. Otis was leading their very own band in 1945 because he acquired his first large hit, "Harlem Nocturne." In 1950, 10 of his tunes made Billboard magazine's R&B chart. His "Willie as well as the Hands Jive" offered greater than 1.5 million copies and was covered years later by Eric Clapton. He later written "Every Beat of My Heart," which was popular for Gladys Dark evening & the Pips. Nevertheless the influence of Otis was felt most through his capacity to identify and promote talent. He wove into his bands such various and legendary R&B vocalists as Etta James, Hank Ballard, Large Mama Thornton as well as the Robins, the ultimate a business which will evolve to the Coasters. He produced Thornton's original recording of "Hound Dog," a sound lesson which will later become an amount bigger hit for Elvis. "His band shows another style on just about any new recording," mentioned Piero Scaruffi, author of "Past Rock Music, 1951-2000." "The reason being Otis did not pressure his personality on others but labored while using personality in the others. He might possibly not have been a great composer or artist themselves, but he would be a amazing conductor." Otis launched his professional music career becoming an 18-year-old drummer for bawdy barrelhouse pianist Count Otis Matthews, although he'd never carried out the drums for the time being. Matthews instructed him to basically pound the syncopated "shave together with a haircut, six bits" beat which will end up being the backbone of early rock 'n' roll. His mastery from this soon shown his ticket along with other bands and lastly to headlining their very own group. Otis saw themselves as curator of black popular music, which for him represented much more than a diversion or livelihood. His mix-country R&B reviews and also the radio and tv looks were dedicated to delivering black music to white-colored audiences. "The music activity isn't just the notes, it's the culture -- the means by which grandmother cooked, the means by which grand dad told tales, the way a kids walked and spoken," he once mentioned. Later on he along with along with his sons Shuggie and Nicky and spent lots of his time painting and firming. More youthful crowd opened up up an all natural supermarket in Sebastopol at the begining of the 19 nineties to promote his boy Nicky's vegetables, creating the store along with his own colorful paintings. Although he'd little success selling groceries, he did draw large crowds for the market every Friday and Saturday evening because he completed there along with his band. Otis also stood a regular show playing records round the nonprofit Pacifica Radio Network's stations until failing health motivated him to retire in 2005. Furthermore to his sons, Otis is managed to get by his wife, Phyllis, whom he married in 1941 kids Jesse and Laura and several grandchildren.__ Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Repetition: Gene Hackman Fine, On His Way Home Following Accident

First Launched: The month of the month of january 13, 2012 6:11 PM EST Credit: Getty Images La, Calif. -- Caption Gene Hackman attends the next House ESPN Playboy party within the town of the city of jacksonville, Fla., on February 4, 2005 Gene Hackman is soon after being hit having a vehicle while mowing the lawn in Key West, Fla., his repetition notifies Access Hollywood. He's fine, he's on his way home, a repetition for Hackman told Access on Friday, adding the actor experienced only bumps and bruises. On Friday mid-day, TMZ reported the Academy Award-winning star, 81, happen to be airlifted with a Florida trauma hospital with serious injuries to his mind and the entire body carrying out a collision. The accident apparently happened at roughly 3 PM local time, in line with the website. Few other particulars round the accident were immediately available. Hackman last came out round the silver screen inside the 2004 comedy Thank you for going to Mooseport. Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Mercedes revs up wiser cars

Daimler AG chairman Dieter Zetsche forecast the next of connected Mercedes automobiles that may manage traffic and lower fuel usage. In a show where wise Televisions are growing, Mercedes-Benz wants a wiser vehicle."Some co-workers still believe that vehicle-discussing edges on communism," stated Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Mercedes-Benz throughout his first keynote at CES in Vegas while talking about the business's CarTogether initiative before a huge picture of Argentinian revolutionary Che Guevara. "But when this is the situation, viva la revolucion!"Running using the theme, Zetsche known as the vehicle "an individual promise of independence," saying new wise automobiles which will hit the street from Mercedes and it is rivals will give you motorists with "greater than a mode of transportation.""Some might think about the vehicle only accessory of electronic devices,Inch he stated, stating the heavy emphasis at CES on mobile phones pairing with new automobiles. "Some consider electronic devices only accessory towards the vehicle. Both perspectives miss the objective.InchHe stated the web and cloud-based connections are helping turn "automobiles to auto-mobility. Mainly, that mobility is going to be fueled by software."Offering "existence, liberty and also the quest for mobility," Zetsche stated Mercedes' CarTogether program is needed reduce pollutants by utilizing internet sites like Facebook.Mercedes is also thinking of getting Twitter to inform motorists when their vehicle is billed and alleviate the "range anxiety" electric vehicle proprietors have.Younger crowd sees the next when sensors in cars and crowd sourcing might help reduce traffic. "We make use of the web to handle immeasurable data traffic," he stated. "So why wouldn't you utilize it to handle immeasurable traffic?Inch Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

Quincy Photos searches for 'Sentient' existence

Quincy Pictures has released with "The Sentient," a sci-fi thriller short having a trio of Oscar-nominated crew people. "Sentient," directed by Gabriel Scott from their own script, has a lot more than 80 vfx shots in nine minutes of film time, with Digital Sandbox adding all of the VFX. Allene Quincy and Nik Isbelle star with Quincy professional creating. Company really wants to make "The Sentient" right into a full-length feature. Crew incorporated Oscar nominees Randy Kerber as composer, Scott E. Anderson on VFX and Ron Kline, who's been nommed for 11 Academy awards, as seem mixer. Rapid was lately proven in a private industry screening in the Off-shore Design Center. Scott is repped by APA and handled by Dork Brown of Artist Worldwide. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

MTV Movie Brawl 2012: 'Cosmopolis' Vs. 'Bel Ami'

The MTV Movie Brawl 2012 is officially on! After the initial play-in and wild card rounds, 16 films have been selected to compete in a series of head-to-head single elimination matches in our March Madness-style bracket. In the end, only one of these flicks can be crowned the can't-miss movie of the year, and the choice is entirely up to YOU. Which movie will win the brawl for it all? Vote at MTV Movies Blog and make your choice known! We never said we were going to make this easy on you, did we? The Wild Card round of the MTV Movie Brawl 2012 allowed five new competitors into this competition, and ultimately, four did well enough to make it into our 16-film bracket. Two of those movies featured one of Hollywood's hottest actors, but now, one of them has to be eliminated and the very, very difficult decision is currently in your hands. (4) "Cosmopolis" vs. (5) "Bel Ami" It's Robert Pattinson versus Robert Pattinson in our second match of the MTV Movie Brawl 2012, presenting a seemingly impossible choice for RPattz lovers. How do you decide between one movie over the other? It comes down to which of the two projects piques your interest more: "Cosmopolis," the surrealist thriller from visionary auteur David Cronenberg, or "Bel Ami," the adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's novel that sees Rob locking lips with Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott Thomas. It's a difficult decision, one we certainly don't envy. All the same, we're more than a bit curious to see the outcome Watch our MTV Movie Brawl 2012 analysis!

Ruling looms on FCC's authority

Chers f-explosive device assisted result in the FCCs new fleeting-expletive regime. Seven years back, once the FCC was at the time of the attack on fleeting expletives uttered in primetime, and Congress was around the warpath after Jesse Jackson's wardrobe malfunction, I requested a network chief things to model of the problem.The finish result, he predicted, will be a showdown within the Top Court, in which the FCC's very capability to regulate indecent content is possibly watered lower -- or possibly removed altogether.Well, here i am. On Tuesday, the Top Court will hear dental arguments in FCC v. Fox Television Stations, the networks' challenge towards the FCC's current indecency regime. Tv stations not just want our prime court to get rid of the FCC's W-era hardline on so-known as fleeting expletives and pictures, sanctions for any stray f-explosive device or shot of the woman's behind, but to reconsider the landmark 1978 Pacifica decision that upheld the FCC's authority to manage indecent content around the airwaves after George Carlin gave his infamous "seven dirty words" monologue around the radio throughout the daytime.According to the systems, Pacifica is ripe for re-evaluation because of the alterations in technology and viewing habits. In 1978, our prime court's justification for any lower First Amendment threshold for tv stations was that stations possess a "distinctively pervasive presence within the lives of People in america" as their achieve extended in to the privacy of the house. It is now most likely that satellite and cable, which don't face exactly the same scrutiny, are what audiences watch within their living spaces.The situation comes from Fox broadcasts from the Billboard Music Honours in 2002 and 2003 by which Cher and Nicole Richie, in separate occurrences, uttered expletives throughout the live telecasts. However the high court is also trying out a sanction against ABC for any 2003 "NYPD Blue" episode, "Nude Awakening," that demonstrated a ladies behind along with a small area of the side of 1 of her breasts. Formally, our prime court isn't trying out the favourite of occurrences, the 9/16th of the second shot of Jesse Jackson's nipple throughout the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show, however their decision will unquestionably have an affect on the near future disposition of this situation. The Next Circuit Court of Appeals lately struck lower a $550,000 fine on CBS stations for that exposure.The systems found sympathy in appellate courts the FCC's rulings were unconstitutionally vague and violated the foremost and Fifth changes. Strangely enough, they responded optimistically once the Top Court ruled against them last year. Within the 5-4 decision, our prime court ruled the FCC was within its authority in the rulings, however the justices started constitutional questions to the low courts. Justice Clarence Thomas chosen within the majority but, inside a concurrent opinion, wondered if the indecency policy made sense inside a landscape where broadcast television is no more "distinctively pervasive." Tv stations not just begin to see the FCC's regime as outdated but think that the attack on fleeting expletives went past the intent from the court within the Pacifica decision. The Roberts court has given a large berth towards the First Amendment, as with your decision this past year striking lower a California law banning the purchase of violent videogames to minors. Therefore the question here's of scope: Can they limit their decision towards the question of cracking lower on fleeting profanity and nudity or address the whole indecency policy itself. The FCC argues that it is regime isn't just constitutional but reasonable. They noted that Pacifica permitted for any "contextual" method of indecency -- news broadcasts convey more free reign than award shows. For a policy being vague, the FCC notes in the brief that Fox bleeped the swear words in later broadcasts from the Billboard Music Honours, meaning it had little trouble being aware of what was indecent and that which was not.Tim Winter, leader from the Parents Television Council, that has brought the drive to wash in the airwaves, thinks there's a high probability our prime court will a minimum of send the "fleeting expletives" policy to the FCC. When they go further, he fears an FCC removed of their authority. Clearly, our prime court's decision, like a lot of they're thinking about this term, has enormous implications for Hollywood. When the systems win, expect a backlash. Winter stated this type of ruling could inspire a brand new drive to demand that cable channels get offers for with an "a la carte" basis to clients. It is really an election year, and around the economy is point of interest of voters, the "distinctively pervasive presence" within the family room includes a method of which makes it towards the stump. Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

Broadway slips with individuals using their company nations

'Sister Act'The recent boom in Gotham tourism motivated an connected spike in Broadway ticket sales to domestic travelers, with different current demographic group of this year's-11 season within the Broadway League. But even though worldwide tourism amounts were up for your city overall, Rialto sales to individuals using their company nations drenched an unforeseen decline. The discrepancy was one of the handful of surprises inside the report, which learned that, just like prior years, the normal Primary Stem theatergoer was white-colored, wealthy, well educated and female. Last season, really, the Broadway showgoer was better than in the past: Caucasians taken care of more than 82% in the season's 12.5 million theatergoers versus. 76% in the 11.9 million participants this past year-10. The normal age downticked from 45 to 44, despite the fact that change is most likely too minor to prove terribly encouraging to people inside the biz who concern yourself with the graying of legit auds. It is not apparent what triggered the tenPercent decline in tickets sales to worldwide travelers, who last season compensated out for 1.77 million ducats versus. 1.96 million the summer season prior. (In comparison, sales to domestic site site visitors rose by about 10%, from around 5.5 million this past year-10 to nearly 6 000 0000 last season.) One adding factor may have been the season's choice of shows, with last season famous for its preponderance of latest musical options. Generally, it's older shows -- which have had time to cultivate an international profile -- that pull in people using their company nations. Besides, the completely new game game titles vulnerable to prove the finest draws to worldwide crowds -- "It of Mormon" having its "South Park" ties, Daniel Radcliffe starrer "How you can achieve Business Without Really Trying" and movie adaptations "Sister Act" and "Priscilla Full in the Desert," for instance -- all bowed toward the conclusion of the year, which did go to a rise in ticket sales to individuals using their company nations, according to an every three several weeks breakdown.Meanwhile, individual to individual remains top relation to purchasing options, although for plays, which frequently produce a mature, classical audience, reviews still hold a bit more sway than personal recommendations. For musicals, the most effective identifying factors were individual to individual and favorable knowledge of the musical's score. The reported influence of advertisement generally ongoing to express no, with TV as well as the Internet repping most likely probably the most-reported shops for ads that switched auds' heads. Broadway.com, an online site possessed using it . group that runs Rialto producer and presenter Broadway Across America, was the most effective way to obtain info. The proportion of tickets bought more than per month in advance continued to be steady around 35%, but the amount of ducats bought 1-4 days right before a show rose to 28% (versus. 22% the last season). Trend is most likely a relief to Primary Stem producers, to whom advance sales have extended provided a useful barometer from the production's extended-term B.O. outlook. Stats within the League's report were come up with from about 5,750 returned surveys that have been initially provided to theatergoers at 27 productions at some 78 individual perfs. "Mormon," "The best way to Succeed," "Catch Me If You are Able ToInch "Jerusalem" and "The Phantom in the Opera" were among the shows where surveys were given out. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com