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Box Office
Weekend Estimate
January 27-29, 2012 (*millions)
FILM GROSS/CUMULATIVE TOTAL
1 The Grey (2012) $20M/$20M
2 Underworld: Awakening (2012) $12.5M/$45.1M
3 One for the Money (2012) $11.8M/$11.8M
4 Red Tails (2012) $10.4M/$33.8M
5 Man on a Ledge (2012) $8.25M/$8.25M
6 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) $7.14M/$21.1M
7 The Descendants (2011) $6.55M/$58.8M
8 Contraband (2012) $6.53M/$56.4M
9 Beauty and the Beast (1991) $5.34M/$41.1M
10 Haywire (2011) $4M/$15.3M
Projects Announced
“Boxing Helena” Helmer Getting Back In The Game With Some “Grace” Though she’s got a few films under her belt, Jennifer Lynch hasn’t exactly enjoyed the easiest time of it in her career. “Boxing Helena” didn’t exactly set the world alight, and her last film, snake-woman horror “Hisss,” vanished off the radar with little success. While she has the thriller “Rabbit” awaiting release, she’s plowing on to the next, setting up “A Fall From Grace.” The script, which Lynch wrote with Eric Wilkinson, follows a detective tracking a serial killer who burns his victims along the Mississippi River. It’s partly based on Wilkinson’s trip to the abandoned Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, which stretches over the river near St Louis, and which was the site for a grisly double murder. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32975 Boy, Those Pythons Will Reunite Over “Absolutely Anything” If you were secretly hoping that the surviving members of Monty Python might someday make nice and get back together to collaborate on a film, you should feel happy: they’re doing just that. But if you hoped to see them on screen, you’ll have to be satisfied with just hearing their voices, as they’re providing the vocals for CG/live-action sci-fi farce “Absolutely Anything.” Terry Jones will be directing the film, which will be based on a script he developed with Gavin Scott across the last 20 years. It finds a group of aliens — voiced by Jones, Terry Gilliam, John Cleese and Michael Palin — who decide to give a human the power to do anything as a lark to see what a cock-up he’ll make of the whole thing. Cue madness and a talking dog named Dennis (to be voiced by Robin Williams) who understands more about what’s going on than anyone else. If you noticed that there’s a name missing from that list, you’re spot on: Eric Idle has been approached, but has yet to sign on the dotted line. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32976 You Can’t Stop Max Landis, You Can Only Hope To Contain Him It must feel pretty good to be Max Landis right about now. Not only does he have buzzed-about script “Chronicle” set to hit cinemas next month, but he’s been winning one high profile writing job after another and selling pitches like they come with coupons for world domination attached. Now Disney is the latest studio to snap up one of his ideas, nabbing a new adventure pic. While the title remains a mystery (or has yet to be decided, at least), what we know of the basic plot finds a brother and sister setting out on an epic adventure. Landis has script pitches sitting at several studios, including a Frankenstein tale and a new take on the Pied Piper at Fox (which is releasing “Chronicle”) and adventure thriller “Amnesty” at Universal, which Ron Howard is attached to direct once he’s finished working on “Rush.” Then there’s action comedy “Good Time Gang,” which has Mark Wahlberg and Jonah Hill on board to play mercenaries. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32979 Who You Gonna Call To Save Santa? Why, Martin Freeman, Of Course! An elf helps to save Santa’s reputation when something goes badly wrong at the North Pole … No, we haven’t been watching ace Aardman comedy “Arthur Christmas” in a desperate attempt to recreate the festive season. That’s the plot for “Saving Santa,” a new ‘toon set to feature the voices of Martin Freeman, Noel Clarke, Joan Collins and Tim Curry. While you might wonder why someone else wants to tackle a Christmas cartoon so soon after Aardman’s effort, that doesn’t seem to be bothering the team from producers Gateway Films, which is using the new movie to launch its animated output. Freeman will be playing a clumsy elf who has to rescue Santa’s HQ when its location is discovered by a nasty villain. Ricky Roxburgh has written the script and Leon Joosen is directing. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32978 John Lee Hancock Is Circling John Grisham There was a time (the early ’90s) when adapting a John Grisham novel for the big screen was essentially like printing money. The run of “The Firm,” “The Pelican Brief,” “The Client” and “A Time To Kill” arguably marked the high point of those years, while nowadays, NBC is struggling to get anyone to care about their TV take on that Tom Cruise movie. But New Regency, whose honcho Arnon Milchan was behind “Kill,” “Client” and “Runaway Jury,” is going to give it another go with “The Partner.” “The Blind Side” director John Lee Hancock has been tapped to write and direct the movie, but it still might not be his next project. The helmer has been taking his sweet time choosing something being linked to the electronics drama “Electric Boy Genius” and the Will Smith-produced Hurricane Katrina pic “The American Can” in the past little while. He’s apparently also eyeing “Highwaymen,” a movie about some retired cops who are sent back into action to catch Bonnie and Clyde (that actually sonunds pretty cool). If he does that instead, “The Partner” will come after. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/the-blind-side-director-john-lee-hancock-to-direct-john-grishams-the-partner ABC Is Back In The Made-For-TV Movie Business Cuba Gooding Jr will play Dwayne Johnson, a counselor at a youth correctional facility in an upcoming ABC movie titled “Firelight” (once called “Crew 6,” with Terence Howard previously eyed for the lead), which is scheduled to air on April 22 from 9pm to 11pm. Darnell Martin is attached to direct. Gooding Jr.’s character, nicknamed DJ, is said to be a counselor at a youth correctional facility where “the incarcerated girls and young women come from trouble, often violent, backgrounds.” He trains the kids to battle forest fires and assist the public during other natural disasters. Joining Gooding Jr. in the film are DeWanda Wise, Yakina Horn and Q’Orianka Kilcher. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/dewanda-wise-black-swan-theory-train-joins-cuba-gooding-jr-in-abc-telepic-firelight Tyler Perry’s Latest Has A Decidedly Caucasian Feel Tyler Perry’s next Lionsgate production “Madea’s Witness Protection” will begin filming next week in Atlanta. Perry opted for an “interesting” and mostly white cast ensemble for this one, with the exception of Romeo Miller, the son of rapper Master P. Film is about a man (played by Eugene Levy) “who, after his investment company goes belly up due to embezzling, is put in witness protection with his family, which is forced to move from a wealthy Connecticut neighborhood to Madea’s home in the South.” Miller is set to play a man who blames Levy’s character for his depleted church investments and seeks revenge. Denise Richards signed on to play Levy’s wife. Besides Levy, Miller and Richards, Doris Roberts, Devan Leos, Tom Arnold, Danielle Campbell, and of course Tyler Perry himself round up the cast. Flick will be produced by Perry along with Paul Hall and Ozzie Areu. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/eugene-levy-denise-richards-and-romeo-levy-to-star-in-tyler-perrys-madeas-witness-protection Project Updates
So, That Story About “The Goon” Being Dead? Yeah, Not So Much, Actually Earlier this week, we reported on the apparent demise of the David Fincher-produced adaptation of Eric Powell‘s “The Goon” after star Paul Giamatti commented that the picture had run out of money. However, it now seems we were a bit too quick to give up on the long-gestating project. Powell has taken to his blog to address the issue, writing that “THE GOON FILM IS STILL ON THE TABLE,” and Giamatti and Fincher have since weighed in as well, with Giamatti apologizing for the misinformation. Long story short, the film’s still got a great many steps to go before it hits theaters — but it’s still very much clinging onto life. http://www.slashfilm.com/david-finchers-the-goon-adaptation-dead/ Paul Giamatti’s The Latest To Join New “Romeo & Juliet” Flick Now that shooting is set to kick off shortly in Italy, director Carlo Carlei is filling out the rest of the cast for his new adaptation of “Romeo And Juliet.” And the latest actor to step aboard? Paul Giamatti. The “Barney’s Version” actor will appear as Friar Lawrence, a key advisor to both Romeo and Juliet in the play, who likely regrets helping them get together given their tragic end. Kids back in those days, eh? Douglas Booth, most recently seen in the BBC’s “Great Expectations,” is on as Romeo, while “True Grit”’s Hailee Steinfeld will be Juliet. Ed Westwick and Kodi Smit-McPhee have signed on to play Tybalt and Benvolio. Script is by Oscar winner Julian Fellowes. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=32977 Just About Everyone Wants To Work With Charlie Kaufman It just keeps getting better and better. Only a day after Charlie Kaufman’s wildly ambitious “Frank Or Francis” landed its first female lead in Catherine Keener, more exceptionally talented thesps are coming on board. Elizabeth Banks has joined the crazed musical satire, adding another strong voice to the already first-rate cast. She’ll join Steve Carell, Jack Black, Nicolas Cage and Kevin Kline in the film that will follow three characters — pretentious screenwriter Frank Arder (Carell); an online film blogger (Black); and a major comedian on the decline (Cage) — through an elaborate plot that will find their lives and careers intersecting. Banks will take the role of an actress who has made a series of comedy bombs who starts up an affair with Arder. Still no word on the role for Keener. Paul Reubens also joined the cast. He’ll be playing an old-school film critic. Kate Winslet is not in the film despite previous reports. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/charlie-kaufmans-frank-or-francis-adds-elizabeth-banks That’s Sarah Jessica Parker In For Demi Moore In That “Lovelace” Flick According to “Lovelace” directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, Sarah Jessica Parker — and not Mary-Louise Parker — will replace Demi Moore in their new film about porn star Linda Lovelace. She’ll play journalist and Ms. magazine co-founder Gloria Steinem. She joins a “Lovelace” cast that already includes Amanda Seyfried as the titular porn star, Peter Sarsgaard as her abusive ex-husband, James Franco (in a cameo as Hugh Hefner) and Adam Brody as Lovelace’s “Deep Throat” co-star Harry Reems. http://news.moviefone.com/2012/01/27/sarah-jessica-parker-in-l_n_1237526.html Everyone Take A Breath! “This Means War” WILL Be Rated PG-13 After All Good news, kids! Fox apparently cut a few racy jokes from Chelsea Handler, who plays Reese Witherspoon’s sister in the film, and “This Means War” earned its PG-13 rating. You know you’re excited. http://news.moviefone.com/2012/01/27/this-means-war-r-rating-u_n_1236231.html Pilot Season
NBC Wants To See If Ryan Murphy Can Do Comedy As Well As Drama NBC is officially getting into the Ryan Murphy business. The network has given pilot orders to “The New Normal,” a family comedy from “Glee” co-creator Murphy and Ali Adler, a writer on the Fox musical. The project landed at the network after a multiple network bidding war and hails from 20th Television, where Murphy has an overall deal. Murphy and Adler will pen the script alongside Dante Di Loreto, who also produces Murphy’s FX horror anthology “American Horror Story.” The single-camera comedy revolves around a blended family of a gay couple and the woman who becomes a surrogate for them as they grow their family. Murphy will direct the pilot. “The Book of Mormon”‘s Andrew Randells will star as one of the three leads after signing a talent holding dealwith 20th Television and NBC last week ahead of the pilot’s official pickup. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ryan-murphy-glee-nbc-comedy-pilot-order-285339 Alphabet Moves Forward With Another Trio Of Comedies ABC has given pilot orders to three comedies. First, the female-skewing network may have found a single-mother comedy to pair with single-dad breakout hit “Suburgatory.” The network has picked up to pilot “How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life,” a single-camera comedy from Claudia Lonow loosely based on her own life. From Imagine Television in association with 20th Television, Lonow will pen the script and executive produce with Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Francie Calfo on board as nonwriting EPs. Second, the net has ordered a pilot for a half-hour single-camera project from “Due Date” scribe Adam Stykiel. Described as a raw, hilarious peek behind the curtain of modern twentysomething relationships, Sztykiel will pen the 20th Television project and co-exec produce alongside Sean Perrone and Aaron Kaplan. Third, Steven Cragg and Brian Bradley will adapt the British series “Only Fools & Horses.” The ABC Studios multicamera project revolves around the misadventures of two streetwise brothers and their aging grandfather has they concoct outrageous, morally questionable get-rich-quick schemes in a bid to become millionaires. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/abc-comedy-pilots-claudia-lonow-due-date-happy-endings-285424 CBS Also Finds Three Sitcoms It Likes Capping off a busy week, CBS has ordered three more comedies. The top-rated network has ordered a half-hour comedy from Greg Berlanti and Greg Malins, “Partners,” from “Will & Grace” creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick and “Friend Me,” from Alan Kirschenbaum and Ajay Sahgal. With “Partners,” Kohan and Mutchnick will turn the lens on their lives with a semi-autobiographical comedy about two male best friends — one gay, one straight — who are both in serious relationships.The pair will write and executive produce the project. For its part, the untitled Malins-Berlanti comedy, which the pair will write and executive produce through Warner Brothers TV, centers on the character of Nick, who has a health scare and realizes Wendy, his best friend and business partner of 15 years, is ‘the one’. Now he has to figure out how to break it to her. Finally, “Friend Me,” set up at CBS Television Studios and The Tannenbaum Co, is being penned by Kirschenbaum and Sahgal. The comedy revolves around twenty-something best friends, Evan and Rob, who move from their hometown of Bloomington, Indiana to Los Angeles to begin their exciting new lives working at Groupon. Kirschenbaum and Sahgal are joined by Eric and Kim Tannenbaum as executive producers. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-comedy-pilots-greg-berlanti-partners-285431 Not Content With Comedy, ABC Also Nabs A Couple Dramas After picking up three comedies earlier Friday, the network gave the green light to a pair of dramas from established writers — including a Nashville-set musical. The first, “Americana,” hails from “North Country” scribe Michael Seitzman and is described as a soap revolving around a legendary fashion designer and his family business. From ABC Studios and the Mark Gordon Co., the “Grey’s Anatomy” producer is also attached to exec produce alongside Nichoals Pepper and Seitzman. The second, titled “Nashville,” hails from “Thelma & Louise” writer Callie Khouri, who will exec produce alongside RJ Cutler, who will direct. The project, also a soap, is set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene and revolves around one star at her peak and another on the rise. The pickup is cast contingent based on the deal closing between co-producers ABC Studios and Lionsgate. Steve Buchanan/Grand Ole Opry are also attached to exec produce through Gaylord Entertainment. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/abc-orders-pilots-soapy-musical-285448 Acquisitions/Film Festivals
Highly Touted Canadian Gambling Flick To Make American Debut Canadian-produced feature “High Chicago” is set to make it USA premiere; and it will do so at the upcoming Pan African Film Festival which begins February 9th. Film stars black British thespian Colin Salmon, and is directed by Alfons Adetuyi, his feature film directorial debut; though Adetuyi is no stranger to the cinema, as he’s worked primarily as a producer and director of TV and documentaries in Canada. Karen LeBlanc, Fulvio Cecere, Rob De Leeuw, John Robinson, and Sebastian Pigott round out the starring cast. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/nice-high-stakes-gambling-drama-high-chicago-to-make-usa-debut-at-pan-african-film-fest MOMA’s Director’s Fortnight To Get Underway In Style The Museum of Modern Art has announced its 11th annual Documentary Fortnight festival will be opening on February 16th with film archivist Jim Hubbard’s “United in Anger: A History of ACT UP” and Tatiana Huezo Sanchez’s “The Tiniest Place.” Hubbard and Sanchez will both be in attendance for a post-screening Q&A sessions. Special events include a retrospective for Paper Tiger Television with two screenings of “Paper Tiger Television: Thirty Years of Alternative Media” on February 24 & 25th and two “Guided Tours to the Interactive Documentary” on February 18th. Off-site special events include two screenings of D.A. Pennebaker’s “Elizabeth and Mary” at Nitehawk Cinema in Greenpoint and Williamsburg on February 21st. http://www.indiewire.com/article/momas-documentary-fortnight-to-open-with-united-in-anger-and-the-tiniest-places The Buying Parade At Sundance Continues With “Shadow Dancer” ATO Pictures has picked up North American rights to James Marsh’s “Shadow Dancer,” which is currently screening at the Sundance Film Festival. Starring Andrea Riseborough, Clive Owen and Gillian Anderson, the narrative film is Marsh’s follow-up to acclaimed docs “Project Nim” and “Man on Wire.” Sarah Lash, ATO’s Head of Acquisitions negotiated the deal with CAA who brokered it on behalf of the producers. http://www.indiewire.com/article/ato-pictures-acquires-marshs-shadow-dancer And, The Truth Is, “Nobody Walks” With Magnolia Magnolia Pictures has acquired distribution rights to Ry Russo Young’s “Nobody Walks,” which is screening in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The deal was brokered by Submarine, which has been having a very successful Sundance thus far. A source confirmed a mid-six figure deal, and that multiple distributors had been interested in the film, which stars Olivia Thirlby, John Krasinski and Rosemarie DeWitt. http://www.indiewire.com/article/magnolia-pictures-takes-sundances-nobody-walks That Controversial “Compliance” Flick Also Goes To Magnolia Magnolia continues to make buys, the latest being the acquisition of Craig Zobel’s “Compliance.” The NEXT section entry based on true events follows Sandra (Ann Dowd), an overworked manager at a fast food restaurant, who receives a call from a police officer accusing one of her employees of stealing from a customer; thus setting into motion a nightmarish scenario that quickly spirals out of control. Magnolia released Zobel’s previous film, “The Great World of Sound.” http://www.indiewire.com/article/magnolia-buys-u-s-rights-to-compliance “2 Days In New York” Makes It A Trifecta For Magnolia Magnolia Pictures has acquired Julie Delpy’s “2 Days In New York,” the follow-up to “2 Days in Paris.” Starring Delpy and Chris Rock, the two play a Manhattanite couple with two kids who have to endure a two-day visit from relatives that will test their relationship. CAA negotiated the domestic rights with Rezo handling international. http://www.indiewire.com/article/magnolia-buys-2-days-in-new-york TWC Decides It Has A “Favorite” At Sundance, After All “Lay the Favorite,” a fact-based comedy about a private dancer who becomes a player in the world of high-stakes gambling, has sold to the Weinstein Co. A source pegs the deal at a little over $2 million. The film, which receive a tepid response from critics at the festival, was directed by Oscar-nominated Stephen Frears (“The Queen”) and stars Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Joshua Jackson, Laura Prepon, Rebecca Hall and Vince Vaughn. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/risky-business/sundance-2012-lay-favorite-bruce-willis-catherine-zeta-jones-283852 Business/Legal News
The Scoggins Report: The Year-End Pitch Scorecard Is Here! Friend/colleague/collaborator Jason Scoggins took a little time away from his recent sojourn to Sundance to put together a most impressive tabulation of the pitches that sold over the course of 2011. As usual, The Scogmeister takes care to pack his missives with plenty of info, which makes it an entertaining read. Click the link to see for yourself (or, just go ahead and subscribe! We do, and it’s totally worth it!). http://www.itsonthegrid.com/news/the-scoggins-report-2011-year-end-pitch-sales-scorecard/ “Tree Of Life” Producers Listed For Academy, Brad Pitt Gets Hosed The Academy has announced its final tally for official producers of Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life.” They are Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Dede Gardner and Grant Hill. On the outside is the film’s star, Brad Pitt, who is listed as a producer on the film and is also Gardner’s producing partner in Plan B Entertainment. Academy rules permit no more than three producers to be nominated for best picture. An executive committee considered whether an exception should be made for “The Tree of Life” and while four were allowed, five were not. http://www.indiewire.com/article/oscar-conundrum-no-brad-pitt-nomination-for-the-tree-of-life Sundance Winners! We Got Your Sundance Winners Here! It was a fait accompli pretty much from minute one. No other film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival got as much buzz as 29-year-old first-time feature-length filmmaker Benh Zeitlin’s “Beasts Of The Southern Wild,” a mythical film about a 6-year-old girl who lives in a southern Delta community at the edge of the world (read our review here). And so it was no surprise that the film won the jury prize for best drama (and cinematography) at Saturday’s Sundance awards ceremony. Eugene Jarecki’s “The House I Live In,” an all-encompassing chronicle on the losing American war on drugs, won the documentary prize. “The Surrogate,” starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and Wiliam H. Macy, won the audience award for best drama. The audience award for best documentary went to “The Invisible War,” a film about the unreported world of sexual assault in the U.S. military. Complete list of winners at IndieWire. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/beasts-of-the-southern-wild-tops-the-sundance-film-festival-awards Lionsgate Stock Takes A Licking Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce on Friday downgraded his recommendation on shares of Lionsgate to “neutral,” from “buy,” after a recent dramatic run-up in the share price for the mini-major post-Summit takeover. Stock in Lionsgate is up sharply so far in 2012 after the leveraged buyout of Summit Entertainment, and ahead of the March 23 theatrical release of “The Hunger Games.” http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/analyst-downgrades-lionsgate-stock-rapid-285294 Fired Disney Exec Takes Things To The Next Level, Legally Speaking Glen Lajeski, a former executive vice president involved in movie music marketing at Walt Disney Pictures, filed a lawsuit against the studio in state court on Friday that alleges his contract was breached when he was fired by the company in June. The suit says that Lajeski was fired on or about June 15 “without specifying any cause for the termination and providing no opportunity to cure.” The suit says that Lajeski’s employment contract was not set to expire until Jan. 1, 2013. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/fired-disney-exec-sues-studio-285422 Idris Elba Fans Can Relax, There Will Be A Third Season of “Luther” Following Idris Elba’s best actor win at the 2012 Golden Globes®, BBC America confirmed it is to co-produce the next installment of the critically-acclaimed drama, “Luther,” starring Idris Elba. The four-part mini-series will premiere in 2012 as part of BBC America’s Dramaville. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/bbc-america-to-co-produce-third-series-of-luther Mamie Gummer’s Heading Back To “The Good Wife” Mamie Gummer is returning to “The Good Wife.” The recurring guest star will appear in an upcoming episode of the hit legal drama, Robert and Michelle King, “Good Wife” co-creators and executive producers, confirmed. Gummer has appeared on “The Good Wife” three other times as the cunning Nancy Crozier. The last time she popped up was in the Season 2 episode titled “Getting Off.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/the-good-wife-mamie-gummer_n_1237605.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 Adult Swim Will Not Be Left Out Of The Talk Show Bidness Move over, Space Ghost: Adult Swim has announced production of “The Eric Andre Show,” a late night talk show that will play with the conventions of a normal talk show, showcasing the talents of stand-up comedian Eric Andre. Fellow comic Hannibal Buress will be Andre’s “apathetic co-host.” The show will premiere June 24, 2012. According to a press release from Cartoon Network, whose programming bloc Adult Swim has made hits of the unlikeliest of programs, the talk show will take place “on a dingy public-access TV channel within an alternate reality, The Eric Andre Show creates its own distorted pop culture universe by conducting interviews with an unpredictable mix of actual celebrities, ‘fake’ celebrities and extreme real-life weirdos.” The show will be produced by Abso Lutely Productions, known for making Adult Swim’s “Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/adult-swim-announces-the-eric-andre-show-hannibal-buress_n_1237236.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 Matt Bomer, David Arquette And Other Juicy Bits Of TV Guest Spot Announcements Matt Bomer is heading from “White Collar” to “Glee.” Bomer is in talks to appear on “Glee” as Blaine’s (Darren Criss) brother. Meanwhile, David Arquette is heading to “Cougar Town.” The estranged husband to “Cougar Town” star Courteney Cox will play a hotel concierge who offers Jules and the Cul-de-Sac crew anything they need in the Season 3 finale. “Hostel” star and former “Scream Queens” host Shawnee Smith has joined the cast of “Anger Management.” Smith will star opposite Charlie Sheen in the FX sitcom as Sheen’s character’s ex-wife, and Eddie Marsan and Dash Mihok will co-star in “Ray Donovan.” The two will play brothers to Liev Schreiber’s title character. Paula Malcomson has been tapped to play Ray’s wife, Abby. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/27/matt-bomer-glee_n_1236992.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 Ben Silverman’s New Company Gets Into Bed With Nat Geo Ben Silverman’s Electus has sealed a development deal with National Geographic Channel, the companies announced Friday. The deal, a so-called three-for-one pact, includes one series green light. That project is described as an “immersive reality series” that recreates the arduous 66-day journey of the Mayflower. The other two projects were not disclosed. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ben-silverman-electus-national-geographic-channel-deal-285284 FremantleMedia Likes Those “Real Housewives” Folks A Lot FremantleMedia North America and “Real Housewives” producer Purveyors of Pop have inked an overall deal to develop and produce unscripted programming. Purveyors of Pop principals Matt Anderson and Nate Green serve as executive producers on Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise, including the Atlanta, New Jersey and New York installments, as well as “Bethenny Ever After.” http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fremantlemedia-north-america-real-housewives-producers-285315 Industry Moves
Sometimes, It’s Not So Nice To Work For Oprah It’s a mean cruel world out there as Lisa Erspamer surely learned this week … After 18 years working with Oprah Winfrey and known as one of her most closest and trusted executives, she was fired this week from her position and told to clear out her things from her office as Excecutive Vice President of Production at the Oprah Winfrey Network. There is some dispute as to whether Oprah herself personally fired her or let others to do the dirty job. First it was reported that just an internal e-mail was sent throughout OWN stating that Erspamer was being removed from her position. Reportedly Erspamer was unaware and stunned at the news that she had been let go. Meanwhile Oprah herself was literally halfway on the other side of the world in India interviewing Deepak Chopra for her series “Oprah’s Next Chapter.” http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/major-shakeup-at-own-its-a-cutthroat-business Peacock Hires A Talented Guy To Run Talent Development Chuck LaBella is settling down at NBC. The producer and longtime NBC consultant has joined the network’s alternative department as vp of talent development. The position, more common in cable, is designed to focus on luring celebrities and handling talent relations. In making the announcement, NBC stressed LaBella’s expertise in bringing key talent to series and specials, ticking off past accomplishments such as talent producing for Bill Maher’s “Politically Incorrect” and booking musical guests for Craig Kilborn’s late night show. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nbc-talent-development-chuck-labella-285261 Labor Issues
That SAG-AFTRA Merger Just Got A Little Closer To Fruition The SAG board of directors Friday approved a proposed merger with AFTRA, bringing the two unions a step closer to uniting, eight decades after they were founded on opposite coasts and during very different times. The move was expected, as was the new union’s name: SAG-AFTRA. The proposal, which includes a Merger Agreement and Constitution, was approved 87.1% to 12.9%. According to a SAG statement, these documents outline the merger plan, dues and finance structure, membership requirements, and other basic attributes of the successor union. On Saturday, the AFTRA board of directors also approved the measure, triggering a membership vote that could unite the unions by the end of March into a single union, to be called SAG-AFTRA. The proposal, which includes a Merger Agreement and Constitution, was approved 94% to 6%. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/screen-actors-guild-aftra-merger-plan-285439 Around The Web
How To Really Upset PETA On Screen, Often Hilariously — Empire
Fifteen Festival Darlings That Might Have Made Better TV Shows Than Films — TV Squad
In Defense Of Katherine Heigl (Yes, Really) — MovieFone
The Sunday Strip Of What Is Still One Of The Funniest Cartoons Out There — Foxtrot
Ladies And Gentlemen, The Amazing Christopher Plummer — THR.com
FNB Editorial
And So The Long Slog To Oscar Night Begins We’re not going to lie to you, this is just the first of a bunch of editorials we’re going to be writing about next month’s Oscar telecast, but we feel like we owe it to you to point this out, so as to not be blindsided by it later. This week, we’re going to take a moment to discuss the idea of snubs.
And it's really brief and to the point, so there really isn't any point in not reading it. Click on the link to do so.
http://filmnewsbriefs.com/2012/01/fnb-editorial-and-so-the-long-slog-to-oscar-night-begins/
Website to Watch http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/action-movie-fx/id489321253?mt=8
This is the first iPhone app from Bad Robot, J.J. Abrams' production company that has been behind "Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol" and "Lost." Inspired by the latest "Mission Impossible" movie, the app lets you create, or "direct," videos using two special effects: a missile strike or a car being hurled at a target. It's simple, just turn on the app, select which effect you want to go with, point your phone camera at your intended a target (my friend's dog was the unfortunate victim of many attacks this past holiday season), and shoot away. Then, save it to your library or share them on the web. The sound design is courtesy of Skywalker Sound (oh yeah) and it's free for a limited time; so get to it! Additional Source:
www.cynopsis.com | 
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