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Projects Announced
First "Paris" And "New York," Now “Jerusalem, I Love You”? Apparently, Yes
Lawrence Kasdan, Jerry Zucker and Brad Silberling are among the all-star directing team set for filmmaking pilgrimages to the Holy Land for “Jerusalem, I Love You.” Joseph Cedar, Ari Folman and Hiam Abbas have also signed on to direct their respective visions of love in the holy city. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lawrence-kasdan-jerry-zucker-brad-300014 It’s Entirely Possible That Greg Mottola Might Be Making Another Movie Soon If you feel like you haven’t heard anything in a while from “Superbad,” “Adventureland” and “Paul” director Greg Mottola, you have no need to worry. He’s been very busy, working on the forthcoming Aaron Sorkin-scripted HBO show “The Newsroom.” There was been little word on what his next feature film effort might be, but Mottola recently gave a little hint. In an interview, he revealed, “Campbell Scott and I — we’ve spent a million years working on it, but we wrote a script together that I may try to get made in the next year.” And well, that’s it. No word on what it is or what it’s about. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/greg-mottola-has-co-written-a-script-with-campbell-scott-that-may-be-his-next-directorial-effort Michael Fassbender Will Be Climbing "The Mountain Between Us” Michael Fassbender will now take the lead in “Miss Bala” director Gerardo Naranjo’s English-language debut, “The Mountain Between Us.” The script, by J. Mills Goodloe, is based on the novel by Charles Martin, and tells the story of Ashley, a writer heading east for her wedding who meets Ben, a doctor. When their flight is cancelled, the two charter a flight only to have that plane’s pilot suffer a heart attack. The plane crashes into a mountain and so the two fight the elements and their injuries to return to civilization, and, of course, fall in love with each other. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/michael-fassbender-to-climb-the-mountain-between-us-for-miss-bala-director-gerardo-naranjo The Studios Are Circling A Surprising Bit Of … Ahem … “Mommy Porn” “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the surprise erotic literary hit that began as a posting on a fan-fiction website, is sparking major interest from Hollywood as movie studios clamor for film rights. According to a representative for the E.L. James book, which became a word-of-mouth eBook hit and scored a six-figure reprint deal with Random House imprint Vintage, has set meetings for next week with studio executives and directors to discuss a film adaptation and to conduct an auction of film rights for the hot property. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fifty-shades-grey-book-film-300153 Project Updates
Robert Rodriguez Always Has A Ton Of Plans, And Now Is No Different Austin native Robert Rodriguez appeared Tuesday at South by Southwest where, along with playing music, and offer updates on several projects, including the sequels to “Sin City” and “Machete.” “Machete Kills” is scheduled to begin filming in April, and now he has said he plans to shoot the long-delayed “Sin City 2″ this summer. A follow-up to the Rodriguez/Frank Miller collaboration has been in talks since the original film bowed back in 2005. Last we heard, “The Departed” screenwriter William Monahan was taking a swing at Miller’s script, which combines “A Dame to Kill For” with two new stories. Rodriguez didn’t mention any cast members, but considering the kind of talent he attracts, don’t be surprised if the names are pretty huge. The filmmaker also talked about his new venture Quickdraw Animation, which will produce CG-animated features. Topping the list is a remake or extension of the ’80s animated classic “Heavy Metal” as well as an as-yet-unnamed family film. The director said that revealing the title would give away a lot of details, much like his “Spy Kids” franchise. http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2012/03/14/robert-rodriguez-says-sin-city-machete-sequels-filming-this-year/ Rupert Grint Is Joining “The Drummer” By now you’ve likely or hopefully heard of not only the Brian Wilson story — the drummer of the Beach Boys, but a talented and unique musician in his own right — but the film biopic based on his life called, “The Drummer.” To recap, “Bottle Shock” director Randy Miller is at the helm, Aaron Eckhart (“Battle: Los Angeles,” “The Dark Knight”) will play the late Dennis Wilson and Vera Farmiga (“The Departed,” “Up In The Air”) was recently cast as Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter Christine McVie — the Fleetdwood Mac song “Hold Me” from 1982′s Mirage album was inspired by her tempestuous relationship with Wilson. Now two more actors have joined the cast: “Harry Potter” star Rupert Grint and quickly rising star and 15-year-old, Chloë Grace Moretz (“Let Me In.” the upcoming Tim Burton film “Dark Shadows”). Moretz is in negotiations to play Wilson’s daughter Jennifer, while Grint will play a William Morris mail-room intern who befriended the musician in the last few years of his life. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/chloe-grace-moretz-rupert-grint-join-aaron-eckhart-in-dennis-wilson-biopic-the-drummer With Tony Kaye's Help, Draco Is Getting Sexy Tom Felton will be starring opposite Sharon Stone in Tony Kaye’s upcoming sexual thriller, “Attachment,” the director told ComingSoon.net today. The film, written by Christopher Denham, stars Stone as a married woman and teacher who shares a night of infidelity with one of her students. Afterward, the student begins to stalk her and her family as he dates her own teenage daughter. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=88012 Did We Happen To Mention That Ron Howard’s "Dark Tower” Thing Might Be Back On? Things looked bleak for Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Akiva Goldsman’s attempt to bring Stephen King’s epic “Dark Tower” series to both cinema and TV screens when Universal decided to pass on the idea last July. But the power trio swore they would not give up, and it looks like they might just have a champion riding in, with Warner Bros. now in talks to make at least one film. Apparently, the studio bought Goldsman’s script for the first movie and has asked him to take another pass on it. Howard is still on board to direct and, assuming he still wants to be involved and is available whenever shooting starts (possibly early next year) Javier Bardem remains the director’s first choice for gunslinger Roland Deschain. http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=33392 Colin Farrell Seems Ready To Buckle Some Swash, Camelot-Style David Dobkin’s “Arthur and Lancelot” is now headed toward cameras after being put on the chopping block at the end of 2011, and getting taken off the calendar from its previously slated March 22, 2013 release date in January. Originally set to star Joel Kinnaman (who has just landed the “RoboCop” reboot at MGM) and “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington, the expensive film was hovering at a budget near $120 million, which made the studio wary given the lack of star power. But it now seems they have someone who is giving them a bit more confidence to push on. Reports have Colin Farrell taking the lead, though it’s not clear which of the duo he’ll take. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/david-dobkins-arthur-and-lancelot-kicks-back-to-life-with-colin-farrell-now-set-to-star Okay, Forget About Bryan Cranston Being In The New Alexander Payne Flick Alexander Payne has already lined up his next project, but the search is still on for the lead actors. Bryan Cranston has tried out for the father-son road trip movie, but the “Breaking Bad” star ultimately wasn’t right for for the role, the director-writer admitted. “I don’t think he’s right for the part,” Payne said, “but he’s an astonishing actor, that guy.” This isn’t out of the ordinary for the filmmaker, who passed over “Descendants” star George Clooney for “Sideways.” Payne is hoping to shoot “Nebraska” later this year, and said that casting the main characters will be “like casting a Mike Leigh film.” http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/alexander-payne-bryan-cranston-nebraska-300243 Once More With Feeling: New Line Goes Back To The Drawing Board With “Y” Adaptation Just as “Lost” writer Brian K. Vaughan returns to the comic world with his new original series titled “Saga,” there is movement on another Vaughan creation, “Y: The Last Man.” Writing duo Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia are in final negotiations to write New Line Cinema’s adaptation of the acclaimed Vertigo comic book. J.C. Spink, Chris Bender and David Goyer are producing. The comic, created by Vaughan and Pia Guerra, centers on Yorick, an escape artist who is the last survivor of a mysterious plague that has killed every male mammal in the world. With his pet monkey, he sets out to find what might have wiped out the world’s male chromosomes. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/y-the-last-man-stephen-scaia-matthew-federman-brian-k-vaughan-300211 So, Yeah, That Hirsch-McConaughey “Killer Joe” Flick Is Still For Adults Only The appeals board of the Classification and Ratings Administration has upheld the NC-17 rating assigned to director William Friedkin’s drama “Killer Joe” for “graphic aberrant content” involving violence and sexuality, as well as a scene of brutality. Movie stars Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Gina Gershon, Thomas Haden Church and Juno Temple. Written by Pulitzer prizewinner Tracy Letts, film is about a killer who befriends a young man who wants his mother murdered. “Killer Joe” was acquired by Mickey Liddell’s distribution company LD Entertainment after making playing at both the Venice and Toronto film festivals last fall. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/killer-joe-nc-17-rating-matthew-mcconaughey-300185 Well, Sure. Why WOULDN’T Rodrigo Santoro Do The “300″ Sequel? So, that “300: Battle Of Artemisia” movie is still rolling along, with the most randomly assembled cast ever including Sullivan Stapleton, some guy you never heard of named Jamie Blackley, and the gorgeous Eva Green. Now, at least one recognizable face from the first movie may be back. Rodrigo Santoro recently chatted with Collider, and confirmed he was circling the movie. “We are talking about it. Let’s see what happens. It’s a long story, my friend. A long story,” he said. Details on the Kurt Johnstad and Zack Snyder penned script have been kept under wraps, but it seems the plot will criss-cross with the events of “300″ with events taking place before and after (which certainly seems to gel with reports last year that the story would span ten years). http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/rodrigo-santoro-in-talks-to-return-as-xerxes-in-300-battle-of-artemisia Now, Jeremy Renner Might Be Driving Over To “Motor City” Already bouncing from Chris Evans to Dominic Cooper to Jake Gyllenhaal — who dropped out exactly one day after news of his coming aboard hit the web — Albert Hughes has had a helluva time finding a leading man for “Motor City.” But, in a nice stroke of luck, he might have landed on yet another quality leading man. Jeremy Renner has received an offer to join the genre thriller, so let’s recap that plot again: Penned by Chad St. John, the hotly buzzed-about 2009 Black List script follows a small-time crook who is framed and sent to jail, and then goes after the guys that put him there. Amber Heard is on board as the gal, with Gary Oldman as the villain and if the script hasn’t changed, the twist here is that Renner will have one line of dialogue in the whole thing. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/jeremy-renner-the-latest-actor-looking-to-take-a-drive-out-to-motor-city Out Of Prison, Jessie Misskelley To Produce His Own Story Last December, things began to take shape for “Devil’s Knot,” the West Memphis Three biopic, when Reese Witherspoon was cast as Pam Hobbs, the mother of murder victim Stevie Branch. Now, one of the WM3 members, Jessie Misskelley Jr., has signed on as a producer. The film, based on the Mara Leveritt book of the same name, tells the real-life story of the West Memphis Three, a group of teenagers accused of committing heinous murders in West Memphis, Arkansas. After the trial, an HBO documentary called “Paradise Lost” was released, examining the case and lack of evidence used to convict the three. Soon after, celebrities like Eddie Vedder and Johnny Depp were taking up the group’s cause. The WM3 would eventually serve 18 years in prison before they were released in 2011. http://news.moviefone.com/2012/03/14/west-memphis-three-devils-knot_n_1344232.html So, If You’re Keeping Score, That’s Owen Wilson Out Of “Admission,” And Paul Rudd In (Maybe) Two weeks ago it was announced that two of your favorite stars — Owen Wilson and Tina Fey — may soon be sharing the big screen in “Admission.” But that’s not happening: Wilson has dropped out. However, another one of your favorite celebs may be taking his place. The LA Times is reporting that Paul Rudd is circling Paul Weitz’s (“About A Boy”) upcoming drama, “Admission.” Fey, who has been attached the the project for some time, is set to play an Ivy League admissions counselor who gets a little too close to her 17-year-old student. Rudd is eying the role of a neighboring teacher who falls for Fey. http://news.moviefone.com/2012/03/14/admission-tina-fey-paul-rudd_n_1345217.html Still No “24″ Movie, But Hope Springs Eternal Looks like the clock has run out on “24.” (Sorry.) Kiefer Sutherland hinted that the movie would be a direct continuation of the show, set six months after the series ended, with everything gearing up to shoot next month, once the actor was done with his work on his latest Fox show “Touch.” But it looks like scheduling just couldn’t be worked out. Deadline reports that both Fox and Sutherland were concerned about the timetable for the movie, and worried that they wouldn’t be able to get it in the can before the actor was due back on the set of “Touch.” The decision was a late one, only coming down recently, as Antoine Fuqua was apparently in talks to direct. But there’s more. The site reveals that the script, written by Billy Ray and touched up by Mark Bomback, had a story that would spread over a “three-picture arc.” But for now, the movie is headed to the backburner, with no word yet on if they’ll try to make it during Sutherland’s next break from his show. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/24-movie-wont-shoot-in-2012-apparently-was-the-start-of-a-trilogy-with-antoine-fuqua-circling-to-direct Pilot Season
Wait, Simon Pegg Might Be In “L.A. Noir,” Too? SWEET! Simon Pegg could be heading to cable. The funnyman is circling a role in former “Walking Dead” showrunner Frank Darabont’s TNT drama pilot “L.A. Noir.” “Walking Dead”‘s Jon Bernthal is set to star in the period drama as Joe Teague, an ex-Marine-turned-LAPD cop working in an era of rampant police corruption who finds himself at the center of the war between Captain William Parker (Neil McDonough) and mobster Mickey Cohen. Also cast is Milo Ventimiglia, who will play a former marine who served with Bernthal’s character during WWII and is now a budding lawyer groomed to be a master “fixer” for the mob. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/simon-pegg-frank-darabont-l-a-noir-tnt-300196 NBC’s Girls In Prison Pilot Adds A Little Ross “Girlfriends”‘ Tracee Ellis Ross is slated to star in the new NBC drama pilot titled “Bad Girls,” adapted from the UK ITV series by the same name which ran from 1999 until 2006. The John Wells Prods and WBTV project centers on a group of unlikely women in a federal prison. Ross will play a powerful business woman, who puts off having children to tend to her career; she is now desperate to get pregnant, but becomes incarcerated for selling dummy mortgages. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/tracee-ellis-ross-to-star-in-nbc-prison-drama-pilot-bad-girls Freddie Prinze Jr. Is Coming Back To TV? Really? Break Out The Champagne! Freddie Prinze Jr. has joined the cast of “Community” writer Hilary Winston’s untitled new pilot. According to reports, the actor will play ex-fiance to Agnes, played by “7th Heaven” star’s Sarah Wright. After being dumped by Prinze Jr.’s character, Agnes’ coworkers (Mena Suvari, Aubrey Dollar, and Kyle Howard) help her shake off her shy nature and plot revenge. It was also recently announced that”Growing Pains” star Joanna Kerns will also appear in the untitled sitcom pilot. This is the first time Prinze Jr. has made a splash in the TV world since 2010′s “24″ and ABC’s “Freddie.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/freddie-prinze-jr-nbc-pilot_n_1342304.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 From Bond To Ball, Actor Joins New Cinemax Series Cinemax has enlisted the star of the Oscar-winning foreign-language film “In a Better World” to headline its Alan Ball drama “Banshee.” Ulrich Thomsen, whose credits include playing James Bond henchman in 1999′s “The World Is Not Enough,” has been cast as an intimidating businessman. Jonathan Tropper and David Schicker will pen the drama, which revolves around Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) a criminal who steps into the identity of the sheriff of Banshee, Penn., where he continues his shady ways while being hunted by gangsters he crossed in his past. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ulrich-thomsen-alan-ball-banshee-cinemax-300190 And, Of Course, There’s A Mass Casting Round-Up, Too Jenna Elfman is headed to the White House. The “Dharma and Greg” alum has been cast in NBC’s “1600 Penn” alongside Bill Pullman, Brittany Snow, Josh Gad and Amara Miller. Elfman is set to play the president (Pullman)’s wife in the comedy pilot about a dysfunctional First family, which which will be directed by Jason Winer. “Friday Night Lights” alum Gaius Charles has joined the cast of “NCIS.” On the CBS drama, Charles will play Jason, a smart and likable character alongside Tony (Michael Weatherly), who saved him from a fire five years earlier. “7th Heaven” actor Carlos Ponce has landed a spot on Nick at Nite’s “Hollywood Heights.” In a U.S. adaptation of the Mexican telenovela “Alcanzara Una Estrella,” Ponce has been cast as father to Eddie Wild, a rock star who develops a relationship with aspiring teen musician Loren (Brittany Underwood). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/jenna-elfman-1600-penn-nbc_n_1344803.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 Acquisitions/Film Festivals
Oscilloscope Continues Its Spending Ways With Yet Another Pickup Fans of Mark Magidson and Ron Fricke’s 1992 non-narrative film “Baraka” should be pleased to learn that their latest film “Samsara” will be arriving in theaters this August. Oscilloscope Laboratories has just announced its acquisition of the film. The film had its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. “Samsara” takes its named from the Sanskrit word for “the ever turning wheel of life.” The film, shot over four years in 25 different countries, explores the wonders of the world, both natural and man-made. http://www.indiewire.com/article/oscilloscope-acquires-baraka-follow-up-samsara Toronto Fest Keeps Cameron Bailey Running The Artistic Side The Toronto International Film Festival has named Cameron Bailey as its artistic director, aligning him with artistic director of TIFF Bell Lightbox, Noah Cowan. The move is essentially a title change, as Bailey, who previously served as co-director of the festival, will continue to oversee all TIFF programming efforts year-round along with Cowan. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/cameron-bailey-named-artistic-director-of-tiff How Fitting! Latest “Madagascar” Sequel To Open At Cannes They say you can’t go home again … yet, what is it in our savage nature that cries out for us return to our roots and our origins? What are those feelings that flow through veins and reach to our very bowels that compel a longing gaze backward instead of forward? It’s an eternal question, one that has puzzled philosophers and wise men for ages, yet the brave filmmakers of “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” have ventured to plumb those thematic depths, in a film that will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Directed by Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon, the project brings together the humble talents of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston and Martin Short, to tell the powerlful, continental tale of a crew of hardscrabble, scrappy wildlife animals — standins for wild variety of humanity that populate this fragile Earth — who find themselves taking cover in a modest traveling circus in the hopes that they can make their way home to the place where the American Dream can be made possible: New York City. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/indie-arthouse-film-madagascar-3-europes-most-wanted-to-premiere-at-the-cannes-film-festival We Have Winners In Austin! South By Southwest Winners, Here! … and just like that, the SXSW Film Festival is winding down a close. The juries have weighed in and handed out the statues for the best of the fest. In the Narrative Feature department, “Gimme The Loot” has taken the Grand Jury prize. Directed by Adam Leon, making his feature film debut, the movie tells the story of Malcolm and Sofia, two determined teens from the Bronx who hatch a plan for revenge against a rival gang of graffitti artists by tagging a NYC landmark. Meanwhile, in the Documentary category, “Beware Of Mr. Baker” scored the win. Another debut here, this time from Jay Bulger, the doc investigates the fascinating life of Ginger Baker, the drummer for Cream and Blind Faith, who battled drug addiction and self-destructive behavior while also creating an enviable catalog of music and becoming one of rock ‘n roll’s most colorful players. No distribution deals for either film yet, but surely that will change soon. For a full list of winners, Indiewire’s got you covered. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/gimme-the-loot-beware-mr-baker-lead-2012-sxsw-film-awards-winners And Another Pair Of Flicks Sell At SXSW, Too Anchor Bay is negotiating a distribution deal on the controversial thriller “Girls Against Boys.” Austin Chick’s film stars Nicole LaLiberte (“Kaboom”) and Danielle Panabaker (“Friday the 13th”) as a pair of bartenders who take revenge against men who have abused them. Also, Image Entertainment has picked up the U.S. distribution rights to “The Tall Man,” starring Jessica Biel. Directed by Pascal Laugier — who previously helmed the brutal “Martyrs” — the film is set in a small town where children have gone missing over the years, leaving superstitious locals to tell tales of the Tall Man, a legendary, dark figure who absconds with children. http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/sxsw-films-girls-against-boys-the-tall-man-get-picked-up-thats-what-she-said-finds-a-home Business/Legal News
Showtime Schedules Summer Goodies It’s going to be a smokin’ summer on Showtime as it’s scheduled the return date for “Weeds” and and “Episodes” for July 1. "Weeds," which stars Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker as a suburban housewife who deals marijuana will pick up after last season’s finale that found (spoiler alert!) a gunman pointing at the family. "Episodes" makes it's triumphant nine-episode return after star Matt Leblanc scored a Globe for portraying a fictional version of himself. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/showtime-weeds-episodes-premiere-dates-300083 With A Third Tragic Equine Death, HBO Cancels “Luck” HBO has decided to cancel its horse-racing drama “Luck” after a third horse died during production on Tuesday. In a statement, HBO said, “It is with heartbreak that executive producers David Milch and Michael Mann together with HBO have decided to cease all future production on the series ‘Luck.’ We are immensely proud of this series, the writing, the acting, the filmmaking, the celebration of the culture of horses, and everyone involved in its creation.” Mann and Milch put out a joint statement, saying, “The two of us loved this series, loved the cast, crew and writers. This has been a tremendous collaboration and one that we plan to continue in the future.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/luck-canceled-hbo-dustin-hoffman_n_1346185.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 Writer Claims “Touch” Was Actually His Idea, So He’s Suing Fox is being sued by a writer who claims his novel and screenplay about an autistic child became the basis for the new series “Touch.” The show stars and is executive produced by Kiefer Sutherland, who is also named as a defendant. The lawsuit was filed this week in New York federal court by an attorney for Everette Hallford, who wrote Visionary, a novel published in 2008 by Tumblar House Books, a small Catholic publisher. Hallford’s suit claims that in 2009, he spent every day at a New York children’s hospital, caring for his newborn granddaughter, who eventually died of pineal blastoma cancer. During his visits, he came to know a bioethics representative of the hospital, who said he was good friends with Tim Kring, who created the NBC show “Heroes” before creating “Touch.” Hallford says he was invited to meet Kring, but the meeting never happened. Instead, Hallford says, he passed along his book, which included a link to a website that showcased Hallford’s screen adaptation entitled “Prodigy.” Hallford says there is a “reasonable possibility” that Kring saw this and in the suit cites many similarities. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/writer-sues-fox-claiming-touch-stolen-tim-kring-300029 That Eagerly Anticipated Jesse Owens Doc Is Coming Your Way May 1 Directed by Laurens Grant and written and produced by Stanley Nelson, their documentary film about the legendary Olympic athlete Jesse Owens will make its television premiere on May 1st on PBS’s American history documentary series “American Experience.” Owens, who become a worldwide overnight celebrity at his triumph winning several Gold medals at the Nazi Berlin Olympics in 1936, was a much more complex and deeper person that people would like to imagine and the film goes further to examine his life after all the hoopla had died down. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/laurents-grants-jesse-owens-doc-on-pbs-may-1st CBS Is Bringing Back A Whole Mess Of Shows CBS is getting ahead of the competition with a series of pickups. Among those returning to the most-watched network are No. 1 series “NCIS” and spinoff “NCIS: LA” as well as No. 1 newsmagazine “60 Minutes.” They join previously announced returnees “How I Met Your Mother,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “Survivor” on CBS’ future schedule, with discussions surrounding the future of “Two and a Half Men” under way. Left off the list of pickups are rookie dramas “A Gifted Man” and Poppy Montgomery’s “Unforgettable,” whose futures remain uncertain. The Hollywood Reporter’s got the whole list. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/cbs-renewals-good-wife-ncis-60-minutes-mike-molly-2-broke-girls-two-and-a-half-men-300093 “Community” Will, At The Very Least, Have A Second Life On Comedy Central “Community” is coming to Comedy Central. Reruns of the cult-hit NBC sitcom will join Comedy Central’s line-up in 2013. “Within the chaos of the current media landscape we are fortunate that we live in a timeline where ‘Community’ comes to Comedy Central,” David Bernath, executive vice president of program strategy and multiplatform programming, said in a statement. “Our staff is celebrating with a game of paintball in the offices today.” Comedy Central has picked up the rights to all three seasons of the Dan Harmon series. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/14/community-comedy-central-reruns_n_1345309.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Ftvsquad+%28TV+Squad%29 That Cool Hub Series Has A Couple Returning Stars To Help With The “Haunting” Disney XD’s “Mr. Young” star Brendan Meyer and MTV’s “My Super Psycho Sweet 16″ alum Matt Angel are returning to the spooky world of R.L. Stine’s “The Haunting Hour” on The Hub. The actors will reprise their roles from Season 1’s “The Dead Body” in which Will (Meyer) makes a deal with Jake (Angel) to get rid of bullies who have been targeting him. The episode will air on the series’ upcoming third season. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/rl-stine-haunting-hour-hub-brendan-meyer-matt-angel-casting-300213 Around The Web
An Interesting Take On The BBC's "Sherlock Series — TV Squad
Not That We Needed Another Set Of Awards, But Movieline's New Soilies Are Pretty Fantastic — Movieline
A Celebration Of All Things Michael Caine — EmpireOnline
If You're Looking For An Explanation Behind The Crushing News That The "24" Movie Ain't Happening, This May Be It — THR.com
Everything You Wanted To Know About "Raising Arizona," But Were Afraid To Ask — Moviefone
Website to Watch
http://www.findeatdrink.com/Index/Home.html Food websites are good and bad. Good, because the best sites offer you great recommendations and content on what you should be checking out, especially when you live in a cornucopia of eateries like New York. Bad, because they always make us really hungry. If you suffer from a similar affliction, take a look at this site. It’s a website from former Food Network host and VH1 VJ Robin Dorian that is designed for people who want to explore the wining and dining establishments in a city in which they are visiting (or residing). The site curates recommendations from top chefs, sommeliers, bartenders and other food experts, who share their favorite places to eat, drink and food shop. It also publishes Q&A’s with top culinary professionals and offers downloadable travel guides, with each covering one of 44 cities from across the globe. Additional Source:
www.cynopsis.com
Catherine Clinch's Media Grazing
Screenwriting In America, Part 1 I’ve spent most of my life immersed in screenwriting. My first career as a television writer was eclipsed by my entry into motherhood. Rather than lie dormant, I segued into what I like to call my 12 year “place-holder” career working up to associate publisher of Creative Screenwriting Magazine. Now that my sons are in college, I’m seguing back to screenwriting. One might think the biggest challenge I face is ageism. Surprisingly, that is only a contributing factor in what I see as the greatest problem with screenwriting today: Theory-ism. In 1980, there weren’t many books on how to write a screenplay. Most of us read “The Art of Dramatic Writing” by Lagos Egri. We somehow figured it out. Enter Syd Field and his theory of what makes a good screenplay. Suddenly, the producers and executives that had heretofore clung to William Goldman’s mantra of “nobody knows anything” were flashing the book at every writer’s meeting demanding to know what you may or may not have written on pages 30, 60 and 90. In the blink of an eye, how-to books on screenwriting spawned a cottage industry. This morning, I entered “screenwriting books” in the search bar at Amazon.com and received 2,023 results. The question that begs to be answered is: why aren’t movies getting better? Last week I stumbled upon a cache of red-covered scripts from A-list screenwriters at The Big Agency. Not classics, but hot off the presses scripts that had Property Of notices listing studios and A-list producers on the title pages. I immediately started reading and discovered 3 important facts: 1. There are way too many scripts being written about the crisis in the Middle East. 2. The quality of the writing is excellent. 3. These A-list writers aren’t following the how to “rules” of screenwriting. The action blocks are full of shot calls and internal thoughts that that can’t be seen on screen, yet offer a narrative to the reader. Important details are often capitalized or in bold type. Many of the scripts begin with one or more quotes. The pages are a demonstration of consistently high quality writing. Here’s the kicker: none of these A-list screenwriters seems to have written a book about screenwriting.
TOMORROW: PART 2!
Catherine@nuclearfamilyfilms.com | 
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