AFM: Exclusive Media Group Backs Comedy Outrun With Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell And Bradley Cooper

Exclusive Media Group acquired offshore privileges to Outrun, an intimate comedy written and co-directed by Dax Shepard. Shepard stars with Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper and Tom Arnold. David Palmer directs with Shepard. Shepard plays an ex getaway driver who breaks the guidelines of Witness Protection they are driving his girlfriend (Bell) to La so she will land her dream job. Government bodies and the former gang (brought by Cooper) get smart and then try to track him lower. Andrew Panay is creating with Nate Tuck, Kim Waltrip and Jim Casey. Exclusive co-chairmen Nigel Sinclair and Guy East introduced the project to market throughout AFM. Exclusive Films Worldwide’s Alex Walton will handle sales for that film, which just wrapped. Exclusive most lately completed The Ides of March.

Henry Cavill clicked in Guy Of Steel action shots

It is possible to new beardy, shirtless Clark Kent Helicopter Save action figure not far off?That is what it really appears like from all of these pictures adopted the Vancouver group of Guy Of Steel.From the possible lack of supersuit TF assumes this course of action happens in early stages in the existence, prior to the guidance counsellor has already established that important talk about work in superheroism.Most annoying trend to date? With this particular film and Immortals it appears like Cavill is challenging Matthew McConaughey for many screen time with no shirt.

Oscar Index: War Horse, We Have a Problem

Welcome to week six of Oscar Index, your regular reading of buzz, hype, speculation and crippling myopia in and around the 2011-12 awards beat. This installment brings some rather momentous determinations from the wonks at Movieline’s Institute for the Advanced Study of Kudos Forensics — let’s get right to them! [Click the graphs for full-size images.] The Leading 10: 1. The Descendants 2. The Artist 3. War Horse 4. The Help 5. Midnight in Paris 6. Moneyball 7. J. Edgar 8. The Ides of March 9. My Week With Marilyn 10. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Outsiders: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Tree of Life, Hugo, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Gasp! After a month of sight-unseen supremacy, Steven Spielberg’s War Horse has officially eased into trot mode behind the muscular fall-festival favorites The Descendants and The Artist. At least that’s the sense of the punditocracy everywhere from Gold Derby — where Alexander Payne’s dramedy inched ahead of the equine Spielberggernaut — to THR and In Contention, where Michel Hazanavicius’s silent triumph has either come even with or surpassed War Horse in the Picture race. It’s not all good for the new front-runners; after all, no one wants to peak too soon, and hearing guys like Tom O’Neil and Scott Feinberg debate the mechanics of a Descendants/Artist showdown (and for the likes of longtime Horse-whipper Jeff Wells to spotlight it) suggests War Horse and DreamWorks’ happy retreat (for now) into the Oscar shadows while the other heavyweights get all gladiatorial on each other for the awards gods. But when you hear about stuff like the Descendants’ dynamite SAG/BAFTA screening last week, or witness its early awards-profile boost with the recent Gotham Awards nominations — both coming nearly a month before the next wave of acclaim rolls in around its Nov. 18 release date — Fox Searchlight’s strategy looks fairly unassailable at this point. Add to that the advancement of the NY Film Critics Circle’s awards announcement to Nov. 28 — the first in the nation — and you’ve got an early tone-setter tailor-made for Payne, George Clooney and Co. to enter December as the film to beat. The week’s other big momentum was seen with The Help (which one Academy member reportedly told Steve Pond would not only be nominated for Best Picture, but would win) and Midnight in Paris (which earned the highest scores — alongside The Descendants and The Artist, natch — in David Poland’s first Oscar chart of the season). Both remain virtual sure things in the nomination phase, but the continuing chatter about their growing Academy constituencies is enough to make even a horse blush. Finally! Here’s to the challengers! Also, earlier this week I heard from an awards-campaign consultant who seemed fairly certain that Hugo has what it takes to garner the requisite 5 percent of first-place votes for a Best Picture nomination. Its (alleged) secret weapon: The branch stewardship of much-respected Martin Scorsese collaborators like cinematographer Robert Richardson, editor Thelma Schoonmaker, costume designer Sandy Powell and others. “All you really need are 300 votes,” this consultant explained. Well, that and what many are predicting to be a blockbuster holiday turnout. Instinct tells me that Dragon Tattoo and Extremely Loud in particular will keep sharper edges in the Academy proper, but as noted previously, this isn’t about my instinct. So! For what it’s worth, etc., etc. The Leading 5: 1. Alexander Payne, The Descendants 2. Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist 3. Steven Spielberg, War Horse 4. Clint Eastwood, J. Edgar 5. David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Outsiders: Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; George Clooney, The Ides of March; Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris; Bennett Miller, Moneyball; Tomas Alfredson, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; Tate Taylor, The Help Not much more to add here that doesn’t simply reflect what’s above, other than — and here we go back to instinct again — I can totally see Woody Allen creeping in and taking Eastwood, Fincher or Daldry’s spot. And as Ides fades into oblivion, this is likely the last week you’ll see Clooney’s smiling face on the Index.

Scott Ross darkens SMPTE mood

Throughout Tuesday's keynote address at SMPTE, Scott Ross compared the glide path for that visual effects industry to what helicopter whose rotors have stopped turning after which just falls in the sky. The first kind Boss and founding father of Digital Domain continued to explain the drastic impact at work costs, competitive putting in a bid for work and uncertain workflow on the business now affected by bankruptcy and jammed pipelines. Though many galleries rushed directly into buy or start their very own vfx facilities throughout the the nineteen nineties, Ross thinks many have discovered what grew to become apparent to him while running Digital Domain. "It's tough to run these companies since there frankly is not lots of money to become made," Ross stated. Galleries wanting to profit from the vfx industry could find escaping . of this business much more pricey than engaging in the trade, Ross described. The expert continued to notice that despite Sony's efforts to unload The new sony Pictures Imageworks for several years, getting a buyer is probably not this type of boon. It is possible the depreciation hit from this type of purchase could be so huge that could hurt The new sony overall due to the quantity of an investment already produced in the vfx company, Ross thought. The first kind gm of ILM thinks associations having a studio or filmmaker aren't enough to help keep a facility groing through the lengthy haul. Despite Weta's recent triumphs, Ross does not believe the vfx house will have the ability to sustain its success once helmer Jackson no more is dependent on the organization for his vfx-heavy films. At that time, there might not be enough try to support the ability because other helmers and galleries will be put off by delivering their files completely to Nz, Ross described. "It's very pricey to help keep and keep an innovative labor force, develop proprietary software after which contend with others for focus on jobs which involve creating pictures which have nothing you've seen prior been seen onscreen," he stated. "But those that did it get access to distribution like Pixar does through Disney." Ross did not be put off by hitting the scales around the question of unionizing vfx employees, that has been hotly debated by industry professionals for quite some time. As they accepted that lots of trouble for vfx employees have to be addressed, the first kind vfx house chairman stated that nobody may wish to carry the price that accompany a union. Galleries continues to push for additional work on a smaller cost because they are focused only at the base line. Ross were built with a similarly dark conjecture for that arc from the 2D to three dimensional conversion business, that is now proving itself to be game titles like "The Lion King" have demonstrated lucrative having a three dimensional re-release. Exactly the same forces will challenge and alter this technical work with time, and jobs may ultimately be drawn offshore. "The technology is essential in 2D to three dimensional conversion but ultimately the thing you need are people since it takes lots of a person to get this done work," Ross stated. "The issue is that lower costs at work are likely to motivate galleries and facilities to consider individuals jobs from the U.S., and we'd be fools to consider it will likely be different this time around of computer was with vfx." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Hollywood Awards honorees

ACTORGeorge Clooney"Descendants"Two years ago, George Clooney was tubthumping a pair of pics at the Toronto Film Festival when he booked a dinner with "Descendants" helmer Alexander Payne to discuss a possible collaboration. Before dessert arrived, Clooney had committed to play a Hawaiian land baron challenged by bad fortune and parenthood -- a role different from his recent string of confident overachievers."If you stop pushing the limits (as an actor), then you just start thinking, Well, I have a fanbase that I have to perform to," Clooney said before the pic's NY Film Festival preem. "Then you are stuck doing that same guy all the time. I'm just not interested in that."For Clooney, it's more important to seize a career-changing opportunity than to play to previous expectations."When I finally got 'Out of Sight,' which was a breakout part for me, I was at the right age to do that and at the right time in my career," he says. "I was ready to do that role. I think the right roles come around, and you do them. It feels forced otherwise." ACTRESSMichelle Williams"My Week With Marilyn Monroe"Michelle Williams considers her turn in "My Week With Marilyn" the most challenging role of a career that already boasts two Oscar noms."Oh my goodness gracious, it broke me," says the actress. "I've never attempted anything like this. Mostly it's been me making these people up. Their full breadth is sort of in my head and only I know if I'm really living up to it. But there's a certain Marilyn that is very public. So there is a certain amount of other people's expectations. I wish I could play this part for the rest of my life. I miss her like a friend I haven't seen in a while."They key to her perf, Williams reveals, was to realize "the real gulf" between the public persona and the insecure woman. She says MM's greatest role was "Marilyn Monroe the icon. And she played herself to perfection. But it was just that, like Charlie Chaplin twisting his moustache. Then she basically realized she had imprisoned herself."Williams see MM as both manipulator and victim."That's a big question. Was she being played? Or was she the one playing? Is it possible for her to be really that guileless? To be that innocent? I always figured it was a manipulation that she wasn't really aware of."She needed love and she needed attention and she would die and starve without it. So these were moves she made so that she would get what she needed to survive. Some part of me thinks they were unconscious on her part." ENSEMBLE"The Help"Viola Davis speaks for the cast of "The Help," which is receiving the best ensemble award. The shoot in Greenwood, Miss., she recalls, was anything but typical."The cast was 95% women and really different in terms of personalities and different generations and different backgrounds -- and it was a lovefest. I think because it was a small community, 2 hours from a major city, and that it was a piece that wasn't about vanity or sex appeal. And of course," she adds, "it had a lot to do with the leadership, Tate Taylor," who adapted and directed Kathryn Stockett's bestseller for the screen.Taylor didn't pull an Elia Kazan and try to replicate offscreen the onscreen division of the pic's maids and society ladies. "Oh gosh, it was not like that at all! Absolutely the opposite. We needed that, to walk off the set from 1962, and we needed a release to step away from the 1960s era into the 21st century. We needed to have an understanding that we were not in that time period. That was our salvation." SUPPORTING ACTRESSCarey Mulligan"Shame"Carey Mulligan never thought she'd be cast as Sissy, the emotionally unstable sister of the even more troubled brother, in Steve McQueen's "Shame.""She's so far removed from anything I played before," says the English actress. "I thought, I'm the last person you'd think of to play a risque character. He'll want someone sexier and more dangerous than me."Mulligan also had to sing, and her show-stopping version of "NY, NY," performed atop the Standard Hotel, is a first."I've never sung in a film before; I did it at school but never professionally. For me she was trying to speak to her brother rather than give a performance. It's a song about escapism. When she was little, NY was a place she was going to go see, and everything going on when they were kids was going to go away. It would mean everything would be healed. It did turn into an emotional experience doing it."Mulligan is now playing Daisy Buchanan to Leonardo DiCaprio's Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann's 3D adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald classic. SUPPORTING ACTORChristopher Plummer"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"How is Christopher Plummer doing these days?"I think I'm all right. I have a pulse," jokes the octogenarian whose very good year began with his gay widower in "Beginners" and concludes with a year-end blockbuster, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.""I love that -- 'a Christmas movie.' Just my kind of Christmas: a nice, dark, black Christmas!" he says with a big laugh.Plummer's film career began with "Stage Struck" in 1958. Onstage, he has "played most of the great classical roles ever written." But it was Michael Mann's "The Insider" in 1999 that jumpstarted his movie career again. Plummer recalls, "It sort of lifted me out of the morass of the '60s and '70s" movies, which coincided with his solo turn in "Barrymore" onstage. "So the movie scripts got more distinguished as the years went on."Plummer unspooled a film version of "Barrymore" at the Toronto Film Fest and is hoping for a distribution deal.Last year, he received his first-ever Oscar nom, for "The Last Station." Regarding a possible Acad follow-up with "Beginners," he says he doesn't act for the honors. "But awards are always nice to get. It's ironic how it's given my movie career a little bit of an uplift towards the end of my existence."DIRECTORBennett Miller"Moneyball"Though Bennett Miller grew up a diehard Yankees fan, it wasn't the baseball that attracted him to "Moneyball.""I liked the character, his struggle and the adventure he was on," says the helmer. "When I really explored the story, I was intrigued that there were two things going on. On the one hand, it's a simple story about a guy trying to win baseball games, though the deck is stacked against him. On the other hand, it's a middle-aged guy who is trying to resolve something in himself."Like Miller's previous directorial effort "Capote," "Moneyball" centers on a real-life character, Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, leaving the helmer with little room for dramatic license. Still, Miller found it easier to tackle a protag like Beane than the author of "In Cold Blood." "There are so many people still alive who knew Truman Capote really well, and they have strong opinions about who he was and what he was like," explains Miller. "There was a more rigid demand in that case to be accurate to the details of the person's persona," he says of "Capote."PRODUCER Letty Aronson"Midnight in Paris"As Woody Allen's sister and longtime producer, Letty Aronson has developed a shorthand for communicating with the auteur. It hinges on "the ability to understand the verbal and nonverbal clues in a given situation," explains Aronson, who began working with her older brother nearly two decades ago on "Bullets Over Broadway." For example, "After dailies he tells me a certain shot was not exactly what he wanted, but he can probably live with it. I immediately know that he will not be satisfied and will keep worrying about it if he doesn't reshoot it. So I just say, 'Let's cut our losses, stop talking about making it work, and let's just reshoot.' "Though working in a foreign country poses a huge headache for producers, Aronson says the Paris-shot film's greatest obstacle was a different kind of time difference."Woody is notorious for hating to shoot at night," says Aronson. "Our normal shooting days end by 7 p.m. In this case, it was necessary to work until at least 3 in the morning very often and certainly past midnight the rest of the time. Getting him to accept this schedule was by far the biggest challenge." SCREENWRITERDiablo Cody "Young Adult"Diablo Cody never received the memo that Hollywood's interest in original material hovers somewhere between tepid and repulsed."Original screenplays must not be working as well as movies based on Hasbro toys," quips the "Young Adult" scribe. "Don't get me wrong: I would love to write a movie based on a board game that makes a billion dollars. It's just not in my skill set. I like to write spec scripts about small weird events in a person's life."Following the hoopla surrounding her Oscar win for 2007's "Juno," the scribe could have commanded any studio project with her pick of director. Instead, Cody started writing yet another spec about a flawed heroine for "Juno" helmer Jason Reitman."I was feeling more introspective, and I didn't want to write about teenagers again," recalls Cody, who will soon segue to the director's chair for her next project, an untitled comedy starring Julianne Hough and Russell Brand. "I wanted to write about someone mature. Ironically, I ended up writing about someone less mature than Juno. It just goes to show that age is nothing but a number." ANIMATIONGore Verbinski"Rango"After "Pirates of the Caribbean," director Gore Verbinski was ready to walk the plank career-wise. "I thought the time was right to take on the challenge of my first animated feature," says the "Rango" helmer. "I like to do things that aren't comfortable."Johnny Depp and the rest of the "Rango" cast initially balked at his unconventional ani approach that called for the entire voice cast to be on hand for the full 20-day production. "We did about eight pages a day, give or take, and at first, they were like, 'Whoa, this is a lot of page count,' " recalls Verbinski, who insisted that the actors have their lines memorized. "Eventually, they found it liberating."BREAKTHROUGH ACTORJoseph Gordon-Levitt"50/50"Who does Joseph Gordon-Levitt credit for his brilliant career?"I had a teacher when I was a little kid, Kevin McDermott, who I learned from enormously, from age 8 to about 11," says the star of "50/50." "I learned so much about being an actor as well as being a person."Today Gordon-Levitt doesn't have coaches or do class. He boarded "50/50" with just a week's notice to star as a cancer-stricken young man."It came together very last minute, but for me it never felt like more of a risk," he says. "My process is always the same: I read a script -- I read a lot of scripts -- and it's rare I really find one. And I loved this script. They were human beings and not plot devices or stereotypes. It made me care."In his next outing Gordon-Levitt changes gears, literally, with "Premium Rush," a two- instead of four-wheel thriller. He plays a bicycle messenger in dire jeopardy. "It's a great, classic, popcorn action movie. And I definitely liked riding around on a bike in NY City." As for having a breakthrough year, "I do feel the difference, yeah," Gordon-Levitt admits. "It's been a gradual thing for a long time. I went to Sundance in 2005 with 'Brick' and 'Mysterious Skin' and people recognized there was stuff I could do besides '3rd Rock From the Sun,' and then '(500) Days' came out and I heard, 'We thought he was only doing dark indie things.' And with 'Inception,' it was, 'Oh! he could be in big action things,' so that was a breakthrough. So I'm a believer in the slow boat. I'm not interested in short cuts." NEW HOLLYWOODFelicity Jones"Like Crazy"It took until Drake Doremus' "Like Crazy" for British newcomer Felicity Jones to realize her career had taken off."That film has been a turning point creatively and personally," says Jones despite previous perfs in "Brideshead Revisited," "The Diary of Anne Frank" and "The Tempest."She won a best actress award at Sundance for her turn as "Like Crazy's" impulsive heroine, a Londoner whose life derails when visa issues prevent her continued affair with Californian Anton Yelchin. Regarding why the pic marks a turning point, Jones wonders, "Well, where do I start? It was a completely new way of making a film, one I'd never done before. They wrote an outline and then the dialogue is improvised. It was all character-driven and a very naturalistic way of acting."As for being discovered at Sundance, "the main thing is it's having these opportunities you'd always hoped you have. The desire is to have really great scripts, and now that seems more of a possibility."She has finished "Hysteria," a comedy about the invention of the vibrator, and David Hare's political thriller "Page 8." Plus she has reunited with Doremus, making "a companion piece in some ways to 'Like Crazy,' " an untitled drama with Guy Pearce and Amy Ryan."But she's a very different, more self-destructive character in a much darker, more complicated, more difficult relationship," says Jones.BREAKTHROUGH DIRECTORMichel Hazanavicius"The Artist"For Michel Hazanavicius, there's nothing incongruous about a lifelong Parisian taking on a classic Hollywood-set love story."I don't think of Hollywood as all that American," says the French helmer about his silent black-and-white film "The Artist," which revolves around the romance between a movie star and an ingenue. "I think of it as fodder for everyone."The helmer, best known for his "OSS" spy comedies, immersed himself in pics like "Sunset Boulevard" as well as Charlie Chaplin's oeuvre. Despite his familiarity with American movies, the director had never worked with American thesps. "It was challenging, but it wasn't so painful," says Hazanavicius of his co-stars John Goodman and James Cromwell. "My English isn't perfect, but I could be understood." EDITOR Stephen Mirrione"Contagion" and "The Ides of March"Since editing George Clooney's directorial debut, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," Stephen Mirrione has cut the helmer's three subsequent films. What keeps the pair's relationship going strong is simple."He does have a real nice editing room in Lake Como," Mirrione quips. "And I have a special skill that makes me invaluable. I can repair and maintain his pinball machine over there."Three years after working together on Clooney's "Leatherheads," the duo picked up where they left off."His work ethic is right in line with my own, and we just sit down and start going through the cut, getting it where it needs to be," explains Mirrione, who also edited Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck." "Once we are there and it feels right, we don't do a lot of second-guessing."Mirrione, who also frequently collaborates with Steven Soderbergh and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, says Clooney's "Ides of March" is the latest in a string of films he has edited that delve into the world of politics."The underlying message of many of these films is that people need to listen to and respect each other as human beings," he says." That's what it all boils down to for me." COMPOSERAlberto Iglesias "The Skin I Live In" and "Tinker, Tailer, Soldier, Spy"After toiling for four months on the score of Pedro Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In," Alberto Iglesias tried in vain to relax during a 15-day vacation before embarking on "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.""I tried really hard to read the 'Tinker' script and could not understand a thing -- my English is not the best," quips the Spanish composer. "After that, it was impossible to rest. I was quite nervous.""Tinker" helmer Tomas Alfredson assuaged Iglesias' fears by translating the Cold War-era espionage thriller into a more universal language."He helped me focus on what is not evident -- the underwriting," says two-time Oscar nominee. "I understood through him the cadence that the film needed."When working with frequent collaborator Almodovar, Iglesias enjoys a common language as well as a shared vision."He gives me a lot of information on the characters, but he also wants to be surprised by the music," he explains. "The dream is to create a contagious art, with no fear of complexity and still (accessible) to the public." PRODUCTION DESIGNERJames Murakami"J. Edgar"On "J Edgar," James J. Murakami was faced with the challenge of re-creating periods spanning from the early 1930s to the 1970s in painstaking detail but on a tight budget. The film's $35 million pricetag prompted the production designer and his frequent collaborator, Clint Eastwood, to get creative."Trying to shoot in Los Angeles and make it look like Washington and NY wasn't easy," notes Murakami. "There are very few buildings left in the city that go back that far. There are also locations that we shot 50 or 100 times. We had to find a way to make them look different."His biggest coup was pulling off the Justice Dept. set. "I was surprised by how close we got," says Murakami.VISUAL EFFECTSScott Farrar"Transformers"Scott Farrar received the biggest compliment on his "Transformers" handiwork from an unlikely source."We were filming in Chicago, and there were thousands of bystanders," recalls Farrar of the "Dark of the Moon" lensing. "There was a husband and wife and their two kids, and the husband kept saying, 'Where are the big robots?' And the wife, said, 'Maybe they'll be here tomorrow.' If people think it's that real, I think we've achieved what we wanted to achieve."The Industrial Light & Magic supervisor, who spent 18 months making Megatron, Bumblebee and Optimus Prime come to life in 3D for their third bigscreen outing, says that each frame took a whooping 122 hours to render, up from 72 hours per frame for the 2D "Revenge of the Fallen.""The aesthetic challenge is trying to make it look better than the last," he notes. "We had cooler shots and cooler action this time around, and we allowed the audience to really savor the transformations. (3D) is like taking a really great magic trick and taking the illusion and puffing it out." SPOTLIGHT HONOREESThe Spotlight honorees at the Hollywood Awards are distinguished by their sudden prominence on American screens this yearAndrea Riseborough Andrea Riseborough, already seen as an endangered virginal tea parlor maid in "Brighton Rock," portrays "W.E.'s" Wallis Simpson, the American divorcee whose affair and subsequent marriage with England's king changed the course of British history.Jean Dujardin & Berenice Bejo Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo of "O.S.S. 177" reteam for Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist." She plays the movie extra whose relationship with him, a silent-screen star, spans the transition to the talkies.Shaileen Woodley Shaileen Woodley portrays a troubled teen coming to terms with her mother's impending death in Alexander Payne's "The Descendants." The young thesp had logged time guesting on various TV series but her star clicked as the cneterpiece of ABC Family hit "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," which debuted in 2008.Anton Yelchin Playing a British student's American lover in "Like Crazy," Anton Yelchin charts the rough ride to maturity that separation imposes on even the most ardent and amorous of couples.Amber Heard Amber Heard portrays the sexy mistress who jeopardizes her cushy life with Aaron Eckhart for a fling with Johnny Depp's wary journalist in "The Rum Diary."Elle Fanning Until her work as an in J. J. Abrams' "Super 8," Elle Fanning was known as Dakota's little sister. No longer. HOLLYWOOD AWARD Grit & glam in movie mecca | Glenn Close: 30 years of remarkable transitions | Hollywood Awards honorees Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

TV Land's Upon the market at 35 Employs Marissa Jaret Winokur as New Series Regular

Marissa Jaret Winokur Marissa Jaret Winokur has became a member of the cast of TV Land's Upon the market at 35, TVLine reviews. Winokur, 38, will have the sharp, but unlucky-in-love daughter of Alan (George Segal) and Elaine (Jessica Walter) and sister of David (Johnathan McClain). Marissa Jaret Winokur is departing The Talk Winokur, most widely known on her Tony award-winning performance within the original Broadway run of Hairspray, most lately co-located The Talk, but left the daytime show after four several weeks. Upon the market at 35 will return for Season 2 in 2012.

Blackberry Service Glitches Hit North America

NY - Blackberry service glitches that affected email and other services spread to North America on Wednesday following two days of technology problems in Europe and Asia, according to device maker Research in Motion said.our editor recommends'Glee' Star Chris Colfer Talks Politics on 'Piers Morgan Tonight' (Video)Actor Josh Duhamel Kicked Off Plane for Not Turning Off BlackBerry "BlackBerry subscribers in the Americas may be experiencing intermittent service delays this morning," the company said. With the spread of iPhones and Android phones, the Blackberry problems may prove less disruptive to entertainment industry people than they may have been a few years ago, observers said. But Piers Morgan, host of CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, commented on the tech issues via Twitter. "I love you #Blackberry - but if you continue to stop me BBM communicating with my sons, we're so, like, OVER," he tweeted. Some Twitter users also suggested that the Blackberry outages would be good for Apple's iPhone 4S pre-orders, which started off strong this week. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Piers Morgan Apple

OSCAR ALUMNI: Maximilian Schell to check out Academy Tribute Tuesday

United states . Artists It's been five years since the legendary Austrian-born Swiss actor-director Maximilian Schell was last within the united states . States, nevertheless the 80-year-old, who showed up in La Monday, will probably be praising a considerably bigger milestone Tuesday within the Academy of motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Slopes: the arrival 50th anniversary of his best actor Oscar win for his performance becoming an attorney safeguarding alleged Nazi war crooks in Stanley Kramer's Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). (Schell appeared to become recognized through the Academy getting a jerk for your Guy inside the Glass Booth [1975] together with a best supporting actor jerk for Julia [1977], and directed the foreign-language films First Love [1970] as well as the Pedestrian [1973] and documentary feature Marlene [1984], which received nods inside their particular groups, too.) The Academy tribute, which will can begin 7:30pm PST, may have a screening in the film, a Q&A while using actor moderated by Ray King and videotaped tributes to him in the type of Tom Brokaw, William Shatner (who also came out in Judgment at Nuremberg), and Alec Baldwin (who starred inside the 2000 TV small-series Nuremberg). Advanced tickets have offered out, but people who want to stand it the standby line will probably be designated amounts beginning at 5:30pm PST. Schell granted The Hollywood Reporter his only interview right before the Academy event for your to start our "Oscar Alumni" pieces, through which we'll get together with honorees from Oscars past one or more times each month. Asked for if they can believe that it's been half-century since his large evening, he jeered, "I must!In . Other highlights in the conversation appear below. On his parents and why his family fled Vienna for Zurich when he was 8 "My mother was an actress together with a director, too. And my father will be a playwright and poet. He written plays -- which he written things against Hitler." On his acting debut at four years old "I carried out in the follow my father... My mother directed it. I desired to bop getting a 'violet,' and he or she was very beautiful, and, clearly, I fell, type of, for one another. But my mother, for reasons uknown, changed it, within the last moment, to another girl... which i mentioned I wouldn't appear. Then she mentioned I wouldn't get everything to eat your evening, which i still mentioned, 'Nm-mm.' Your 'violet' even came and needed my hands, therefore i went as you're watching audience, which i screamed, 'I'm not just a flower. I'm grass!' And there's an amazing reaction within the audience -- huge applause. I'd the finest I ever suffered.Inch On being 'discovered' for his first American film The Youthful Lions (1958) "A realtor... for William Morris was shipped to Europe for scouting... to uncover who be interesting for America... and so they sent him to my agent, who mentioned, 'The only one I realize is Maximilian Schell'... after which it he asked for me get to Paris to fulfill [director] Edward Dmytryk and Marlon Brando. Marlon couldn't speak a factor of German which i couldn't speak a factor of British, but, in some manner, we have got along perfectly for just two several hours, at the conclusion he mentioned I ought to get familiar with the part." On arriving Hollywood "It absolutely was exciting. I loved Hollywood immediately. It's this kind of wonderful, adventurous city, and many types of the truly amazing the situation is here... [However] One of the bad things in Hollywood was once i drove using this girl lower Sunset Blvd., and he or she mentioned, 'Who's your chosen composer?' which i mentioned Mozart. 'How can you spell that?' I mentioned, 'I don't think this really is really the best city personally.In . Round the live TV version of Judgment at Nuremberg that broadcast on CBS's Playhouse 90 in 1959 "George [Roy Hill] am happy with me [inside the 1959 live TV version of Child of all time which broadcast on CBS's Playhouse 90] he mentioned, 'If I ever search for a component to suit your needs I'll immediately contact you'... then George sent us a script referred to as Judgment at Nuremberg." [Claude Rains, Melvyn Douglas, and Paul Lukas also starred.] On Stanley Kramer's silver screen adaptation of Judgment at Nuremberg "Stanley Kramer saw [the tv version], which i had been the only real person he needed [almost -- Werner Klemperer also came out in versions], as they thought, 'That youthful actor is a special Hendes Rolfe'... I used to be really surprised... clearly, I didn't know it may be this kind of success." [Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, and Judy Garland also starred.] Round the role he carried out in on tv and film (as well as the role he initially wanted a lot more) "Hendes Rolfe only decided to be a lawyer -- and, really, it had not been written for just about any thirty years old, you understand, but George felt that we works best using the part. Really, I preferred the accused one, the role which Burt Lancaster carried out, because it's a great role: you might be quiet for the whole film, after which it, again, you have a great speech. But he [Hill] mentioned, 'He can be a minister -- she must be older. But it's much more interesting that you just play in the youthful guy -- it absolutely was written to suit your needs!' But he was right." On undertaking his large speech near to the finish in the film (follow the link to determine watching it within the whole) "Tracy been in his contract he'd always only work from ten to at least one and from three to five... Always, after they desired to setup a scene with Spence, plus it was ten to five, you understand, Spence would take his watch and say, 'Well, folks, I don't know as it were ensure it is!' And so they didn't ensure it is, clearly, which he went. However, once i had my great ending speech -- which we written together, really, Abby Mann, and George Roy Hill, and myself -- he mentioned, 'Max, would you like me?' You understand, it's usual the partner who's this really is this is not on the screen sits or stands close to the camera. So he mentioned, 'Max, would you like me with this particular scene?' I mentioned, 'Spence, it's already five o'clock.' He mentioned, 'Well, you don't need me.' However he continued to be there with an unknown little actor from Europe -- he continued to be, which he aided. It absolutely was a great show of friendship, plus it trained us a great deal.Inch On learning he -- as well as co-star Tracy -- happen to be nominated to find the best actor Oscar "In my opinion I used to be skiing somewhere in Europe. I didn't know anything much about acting honors. It absolutely was wonderful being nominated." On Oscar evening "I came for your Oscars. The initial three occasions I came, after which it afterwards I mentioned, 'I'll stay in Munich, and also have a sleeping pill, so when the telephone rings I'll know I won, so when it doesn't ring I'll get enough relaxation.'" [Follow the link to check out Joan Crawford announce the most effective actor nominees for 1961 (which incorporated Charles Boyer, Paul Newman, Stuart Whitman, and Tracy), open to envelope and study his title, and him deliver his victory speech.] Round the impact in the Oscar "Well, it absolutely was, personally, a benefit. Clearly, it assisted me known in the world... Clearly, it's very important with an actor -- but my real goal was pointing... Sadly, there weren't lots of good parts... Which I started to direct." On being so carefully associated with playing The spanish language people and/or films about World War Ii (including Judgment at Nuremberg [1959-TV, 1961-film], Return within the Ashes, Counterpoint [1967], The Pedestrian [1973], The Odessa File [1974], A Bridge An Excessive Amount Of [1977], Mixture of Iron [1977], Julia [1977], The Man inside the Glass Booth [1975], as well as the Diary of Anne Frank [1980-TV]) "I didn't would rather [play] lots of The spanish language people, you understand? Because the The spanish language people didn't hold the picture of loving, fantastic males, you understand?... Germany has another side -- a great side -- which argument It's my job to loved to represent." On whether lucrative considers themselves a lot more like a director than an actress "Yes, much more. In truth, I don't think I'm an actress. I'm a creator -- or act as.In . On his current projects "I have three plans: the very first is to carry out a film about Karl Marx within the last days in Algeria... these men to carry out a wonderful film about Mozart and Napoleon, who, according to history, had never met, however understood they did... after which it to carry out a film maybe about myself -- a vintage actor who did Hamlet three occasions in German, now he hopes to make it happen once more... I don't determine whether I am in a position to make certain they're, nevertheless it's nice to think about... I like uncover -- constantly to discover, constantly being surprised, constantly being surprised by what's happening in the world.In . Alec Baldwin William Shatner Oscars

Raine Group sets equity fund

The Raine Group has completed the fundraiser because of its flagship private equity finance fund, growing the business's achieve into entertainment, digital media and sports opportunities using more than $475 million assets under management. Raine stated Tuesday it's completed three principal opportunities using the fund: multimedia company Vice, browser-based games giant Jagex, and superstar-driven e-commerce platform OpenSky. "We're very happy to have effectively completed our fundraiser process," stated Shaun Sine, among Raine's two founders. "This can be a significant milestone for Raine and that we are looking forward to the prospects for the opportunities up to now and our capability to still gather strong management teams with this limited partners to complete around the global possibilities we have seen within our focus areas." Company also introduced that media banking vet Glenn Schiffman has became a member of the firm like a partner. Schiffman originates from Nomura Holdings, where he headed investment banking. Before Nomura, he spent 17 years at Lehman Siblings. Sherri Williams has became a member of Raine as controlling director web hosting positions and capital marketplaces. She was formerly with Montgomery & Co., where she was assisted build the firm's private positioning business. Sine and Frederick Ravitch and founded Raine, a merchant bank focused exclusively on entertainment, digital media and sports, together with WME last year. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' Graphic Novels to Be Released by DC Entertainment

DC Entertainment is releasing graphic novels in print and digitally based on Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy.our editor recommendsGirl With Dragon Tattoo Star Rooney Maras Racy New Poster'Headhunters' Beats 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' in Norwegian Bow The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will be released by the company's Vertigo imprint in 2012, with sequel The Girl Who Played With Fire following in 2013 and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest in 2014. No writers or artists have been revealed. PHOTOS: Hollywood's New Leading Ladies The announcement comes ahead of the the Frankfurt Book Fair and NY Comic-Con. "The intricate characters and stories Larsson created in the Millennium Trilogy are a perfect match for the graphic novel format, where we can bring Lisbeth Salander to life in entirely new, visually compelling ways," says Dan DiDio, co-publishers of DC Entertainment. "It's a distinct honor to work on a story that is already so popular with millions of readers around the world." PHOTOS: Top 10 Sleeper Hits "Stieg always liked comics and it will be exciting to see the unforgettable characters he created come to life on the comics page," says Stieg's brother Joakim Larsson. More than 17 million copies of the three books have been sold in the U.S. alone. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Last Guy Standing (Series ABC)

'Last Guy Standing'Credits: Shot in La by 21 Laps and Double Wide Prods. in colaboration with 20th Century Fox Television. Executive producers, Jack Burditt, Tim Allen, Marty Adelstein, Shawn Levy, Becky Clements, Richard Baker, Ron Messina co-executive producers, Marsh McCall, Kevin Hench, Andy Gordon, Liz Astrof producers, John Pasquin, John Amodeo director, Pasquin author, Burditt.Mike - Tim Allen Vanessa - Nancy Travis Eve - Kaitlyn Dever Mandy - Molly Ephraim Kristin - Alexandra Krosney Kyle - Christoph Sanders Erection dysfunction - Hector Elizondo Disney's Marvel Comics once launched a title referred to as "Let us say ?" which interfered with comicbook history to research the rewritten effects. Consider "Last Guy Standing," Tim Allen's not-so-triumphant return to ABC, as "Let us the Father on 'Home Improvement' had women instead of boys?" Although it's one of several comedies dabbling in gender (along with a little conservative) politics, probing such matters gives this "Guy" a lot of credit. Mostly, it is really an excuse to check out Allen occupy an Archie Bunker-like role 2 decades after he began raking in cash for ABC. All the best catching lightning in the bottle two occasions. Mike is usually away on business for extended stretches, but a general change in the catalogue where he works -- together with a campaign for his wife Vanessa (Nancy Travis) at her job -- can keep him closer to home. Meaning he must learn to deal with his kids, like the single mom Kristin (Alexandra Krosney), who lives together. Kristin's toddler is at child care, where Mike is told they're "developing a mosque from pillows." His grimace and grumbling about "Obamacare" notifies you he's conservative ("old-fashioned,Inch as his daughter puts it), nevertheless the more pertinent problem regards your guy mystified by all the excess estrogen surrounding him. Clearly, Vanessa is actually contrast omniscient -- a great deal to make sure that when one of the women bursts into tears, she immediately button button snaps at Mike, "What is perhaps you have do?" What author Jack Burditt ("30 Rock") and director/"Get It Done YourselfInch alum John Pasquin did is concoct a collection made to achieve women by watching your guy chafe against society's perceived feminization. If there's any potential here, nearly all it comes down lower from Allen's relationship along with his youngest daughter (Kaitlyn Dever, fresh off FX's "Justified"), an unpleasant tomboy and also the boss Erection dysfunction (a slumming Hector Elizondo). But that's grasping at straws. Allen's Mike saunters using the wispy pilot (something a great errant blind date he arranges including his kids) spouting laugh lines like, "It has the scent of balls in here," that's truer than intended. Another episode -- creating a one-hour premiere -- is evenly arid, with Mike pushing middle-kid Mandy (Molly Ephraim) to discover a job, and chafing in regards to the sissified perception of baby-proofing the house. Allen is among people rare standup comics while using chops to actually thrive in the sitcom format, but here he's simply staring at the motions -- in the series likely to replicate "Home Improvement's" vibe and hope nobody notices the primary difference. Stranger stunts have labored, as well as the show features a fair shot having a minimum of opening -- especially due to the promising amounts for a lot of new comedies. Nonetheless, unlike when "Home" opened up, neither males nor women will need to are in position to have the ability to change channels.Camera, Jesse A. Morgan production designer, Bernie Vyzga editor, Pamela J. Marshall music, Monte Montgomery, Carl Thiel casting, Marc Hirschfeld, Blyth Nailling. 30 MIN. Contact John Lowry at john.lowry@variety.com

Fall TV Popularity Contest: Did American Horror Story Scare You or Scare You Off?

Alexandra Breckenridge, American Horror Story Glee bosses Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk are used to making audiences cheer, but Wednesday night they did their best to make them cringe with the premiere of FX's American Horror Story. We want to know what you thought of this show - and what you think of every new series this season. Vote: Which fall premieres won you over? Which flopped? Did American Horror Story give you the willies? Would you trust that crazy maid? Will Jessica Lange's good neighbor act keep you coming back? Vote now! And remember to encourage your friends and other fans to vote. Check back to see what TVGuide.com users think of your favorite - and least favorite - new shows for fall and the final rankings for the debuts. Fall TV: Get the lowdown on this season's must-see new shows When can you vote next? Here's a handy calendar to help you keep track.