ABC Family renews 'Liars'

ABC Family people have restored hourlong drama "Pretty Little Liars" for just about any third season. "Liars" received a 24-episode order for season three, expected once again to begin in June. Greater than 2.5 million audiences have up-to-date normally throughout its second season, which resumes Jan. 2 getting a switch from Tuesdays to Mondays. The series features an ensemble of Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Carol Marie Hair hair combs, Lucy Hale, Ian Harding, Laura Leighton, Chad Lowe, Shay Mitchell and Sasha Pieterse. I. Marlene King, Oliver Goldstick and Leslie Morgenstein professional produce "Liars" for Alloy Entertainment in colaboration with Warner Horizon Television. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Movieline's Interactive Shame Map: Explore NYC With Director Steve McQueen

comments: 3 || add yours Among the most admired (and controversial) films of 2011 is also one of the most striking NY-set movies in years: Shame, director Steve McQueen’s unflinching glimpse inside the life of Manhattan professional Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender) as he struggles with sex addiction and his reckless sibling Sissy (Carey Mulligan). The quotidian nature of Brandon’s routine — subway commutes, nondescript office work, late-night jogs — not only mask his emotional freefall, but belie the everyday tensions, pleasures, challenges and privileges associated with living in one of the world’s most intoxicating cities. Now you can tryst where Brandon trysts, drink where Brandon drinks, and brood where Brandon broods thanks to Movieline’s interactive Shame location map. McQueen, who first visited NY as a child in 1977, said his ensuing trips to the city commenced an enduring fascination with the its inhabitants and functions. “I remember Elvis dying and the blackout,” he recalled in a recent chat with Movieline. “But the thing about Brandon — and it was very meticulous — was where he would live, where he would work, how he would travel to work, what he would eat, where he would eat, take-out, where he would do his laundry… etcetera, etcetera. So that was, for me, very important to me. By coincidence, people talk about it being a ‘NY movie,’ but really, it was about his ritual. That was it.” After developing international renown as both a visual artist and a feature filmmaker (his debut Hunger, also starring Fassbender, won the Cannes Film Festival’s Camera D’Or prize in 2008), McQueen returned to NY for his second film — but only after he was essentially rebuffed in his first choice of London. “No one would talk to us,” McQueen said. “I think it was a time when sex addiction was very much in the media, and I think people just went underground. Of course, people very wary of the British media in London, and I think people thought we were a part of that, and that therefore they couldn’t talk to anyone. So it was myself and Abi Morgan who flew to NY and talked to two experts in the field who happened to live here. Then they in turn introduced us to people who had the addiction or were recovering from the addiction, and I thought to myself, ‘Well, why don’t we just shoot it in NY?’ And that was it.” McQueen’s sense for the city only translated so far to its practical locations, however. Enter David Velasco, a veteran location manager and scout and native NYer. “I’d already known of Steven off of Hunger,” Velasco explained. “I was a big fan of that film, and that immediately piqued my interest. And when he explained the subject matter, that extra-piqued my interest. So when I got the script, I gave it a read-through, and right after the first read, I called him back right away and was like, ‘I’d love to do this. What do you need me to do to get on this project?’” Working in concert with McQueen, cinematographer Sean Bobbitt and production designer Judy Becker, Velasco helped pin down a list of sites to evoke not just Brandon’s story, but Brandon himself. In the tradition of our interactive Drive map from earlier this fall, click on the map below for more information on each Shame location, and see each in action when Shame rolls out this Friday, Dec. 2, in limited release. (WARNING: Some spoilers follow.) Brandon’s ApartmentAddress: 9 West 31st Street, 15th FloorMcQueen: “Something that’s fascinating to me about NYers is that they live and work in the sky. It’s amazing. They live and work in the sky. And what it does, of course, is [introduce] a situation where there’s always a huge bloody window. There’s always a huge vista on the city, and you’re always framed by the city. I think it’s kind of interesting, because being framed by the city, you’re always in perspective of the city — and your own perspective of the city. It can actually be quite lonely in a way — to have that view all the time and be in the frame of this huge metropolis. What are you within that metropolis? What am I? Who am I? You’re always questioning in this view.”Velasco: “The apartment is actually an empty apartment that we scored in the building. It was a one-bedroom, empty, on the market. Luckily we came across it. It was one of those fluke things where it happened to be available. I immediately jumped in there and talked to management and was able to secure it and hold it for the span of a month, and luckily there was another apartment that freed up for logistical purposes to use as a staging space. As you can imagine, it was a super-tight location to shoot in.”McQueen: “Logistically it’s helpful to have everything in the same location — less time-consuming, to be honest. But also, I don’t see the reason why you’d want to make it any different. It is his building. This is Brandon — this is a way we identify with him, get to know him. This is it. It’s integral to the film, the same way that music he picks to play — the Glenn Gould — is integral to Brandon, too. There’s no way around that. I’m not making a TV commercial; I’m making a movie.” Velasco: “All the other units were occupied; there were people across the hall, down the hall… We were surrounded by people. [Did you encounter any problems?] I kid you not: Not one complaint from one neighbor the entire time we were there. If anything, people were super-curious. At that point, Michael was starting to get some serious press because of the upcoming X-Men movie that was coming out. If anything, people were starting to poke around and catch a glimpse; they heard, ‘Oh, Michael Fassbender’s in the bulding.’”↑ Brandon’s Apartment The Flatiron bachelor pad occupied by our protagonist and his sister. Read more 28 St N/R Address: Intersection of Broadway and West 28th StreetMcQueen: “It’s like rituals — it’s like tai chi: You follow the movement, and wherever the movement leads you, you go to it. Some place we wound up shooting were very ugly — the lot where Brandon runs back to his apartment or wherever. But you work with it, because those kinds of limitations are beautiful to me because I have to work with that. Again, I am not making TV commercials about being in a beautiful spot, and ‘This is gorgeous,’ and, ‘Oh, isn’t this great?’ None of that. It is about how people move and operate in the city. Like the subway. He takes the subway. It is what it is. Do you know what I mean? And I love that because it’s limiting, but it gives me so much. That’s the thing: It gives you so much that you have to deal with. Sometimes it’s a huge problem to have to deal with it, but it’s like… No. It gives you shit.”Velasco: “The interesting thing with Steve from the very beginning was that his whole thing was, because of the nature of the material, Michael’s character has to be relatable — real, authentic — for the audience to make a connection. So when we started to lock down this world — like when we picked his apartment for instance — that’s why that train got picked. Right away, Steven said, ‘Well, if Brandon lives in this neighborhood, what train would he take to get the work?’ And Judy and I are from NY; we know it inside and out. So we said, ‘Yeah, 28th Street. Totally.’ Or in the jogging scene: ‘What direction would he go jogging in?’ Well, he would go toward the Hudson River. The train wound up being closest to his apartment building.”↑ 28 St N/R Brandon’s nearest subway stop, where he leaves each day for work and returns with a strange premonition after his all-nighter. Read more Brandon’s officeAddress: Citigroup Center, 601 Lexington AvenueVelasco: “There was a floor controlled by a legal company, and Judy had actually shot something there in a corner office not that long ago, but she remembered there had been this whole other wing to the floor that she had been on that nobody had bothered to do anything with. So we went up there with Steve and checked it out — checked out the sightlines — and made a deal. If I’m not mistaken, a couple months after we started shooting there, the legal company that owned the floor was in the process of gutting it out. So what you see on the screen no longer exists. I believe that might have been on the 33rd floor.”↑ Brandon’s office Where our protagonist works at an undisclosed job and crashes his computer with porn; seen only from the interior. Read more Sissy’s performance/Brandon and Marianne’s trystAddress: The Standard Hotel, 848 Washington StreetVelasco: “Steven had spent time at The Standard when visiting NY, so during the process of him writing the script with Abi Morgan, he had always pictured that scene with Carey being there. Originally we thought we’d think about The Standard, but maybe we’d go find something else. But as time went on, and the more discussions we had, we said, ‘Well, if The Standard is where you want to be, and it’s what you imagined when you wrote it, why don’t we just do it there?’ It took some finagling with the hotel; they’re very particular about who does what there. Most of what they’ve ever allowed at The Standard is photo shoots. I think the only thing other than Shame that ever shot there was a piece of an episode of Gossip Girl — and that was like two people in a corner booth somewhere. You never even knew it was The Standard; it was just like this throwaway thing. […] The only reason that even happened was because one of the higher-ups on the board at The Standard was a fan of Steven’s — not just his movie work, but his work as a visual artist. It was for that reason that the door was cracked open and we were able to slip in.”McQueen: [Was the impulse again about being in the sky?] “I kept on being up in the sky. I had just come off this plane; I was stuck in the sky. NYers tilt their head to one side and look at me and say, ‘Is this guy crazy?’ But the views — when you look out at that broken jetty from The Standard Hotel? It’s amazing. It’s like people: some submerged, some with their heads just above water. It was that. The ordinary for me here is extraordinary. That’s what it was about. But at the same time, I’m not going for shots. I’m looking at how people move.”Velasco: [On The Standard’s reputation for guests having sex in the windows] “What’s interesting about all that is when Steven first wrote the script, and I met with him and his producer Iain [Canning], I casually mentioned, ‘It’s interesting reading these scenes, because that’s actually happened at The Standard.’ And they looked at me kind of confused at first and asked, ‘What are you talking about?’ And I literally Googled ‘Standard Hotel’ and some other configuration for images and said, ‘Yeah: People have actually had sex against the glass, and it’s caused problems with the city.’ They were unaware that was a situation with the hotel. [Did the hotel management have apprehensions about the scenes or the subject matter?] Talking to the hotel about it, it’s something they really can’t control. People will complain and call the city, but going into it we were very clear about laying out exactly the nature of what we were trying to do with regard to the script. We didn’t sugarcoat anything, but we also made a point of saying, ‘It’s not a gratuitous thing.’ […] Of all things, the one thing that got the hotel rep nervous was that moment where Fassbender does a line of cocaine. ‘Oh my God — he’s actually gonna do coke?’ And I was like, ‘The coke bothers you, but everything else is OK? All right; that’s interesting.’” ↑ The Standard Hotel Sissy performs “NY, NY” at the hotel’s top-floor nightclub; Brandon and Marianne tryst on the 12th floor. Read more Business drinks (and “Shots!”)Address: Flatiron Lounge, 37 West 19th StreetMcQueen: “David was a genius. I spoke to him about bars that people go to and what not. We talked about that, and that was it. He did his research. That bar was perfect — the first bar he goes to with his boss to pick up girls. It’s just one of those things where you walk in and say, ‘This is good; this makes sense.’”Velasco: “We searched for that for a while. It needed to feel like the kind of place that Brandon and his boss would go to after work, so we looked at a lot of different options for that. We came across that right as we were going into our last two weeks of preproduction — it’s one of the last things we settled on. It has some interesting detail to it, interior-wise. I believe we were there for actually two days.”↑ Flatiron Lounge Brandon and his boss have business drinks with clients and exchange tequila shots with a trio of women. Read more Broken pedestrian signalAddress: Corner of West 31st Street and 7th AvenueVelasco: “That’s kind of an interesting story. When we arrived there that night to shoot that run — which wasn’t an easy thing to get the city to allow us to do, but they relented — there was a food cart guy on that corner. Obviously he was in the shot where we wanted Fassbender to land before he crosses Seventh Avenue. So we actually asked him, ‘Can you move your cart?’ And the guy was nice about it; he’s like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ But he was kind of flaky, because he backed his cart up into the post, and apparently broke the signal. It was just hanging there. But Steve liked it: ‘Hey, let’s just leave it there.’ ‘All right; it’s your movie.’”McQueen: “We could have put it back, but I left it like that. It was perfect. It was gorgeous. He knocked it down, and was like, ‘The police…’ ‘No, no, leave it. It’s fantastic. Wonderful.’ It was hand-in-glove for us. Perfect for that moment when Brandon is jogging on the spot before he crosses. It was genius.” ↑ Broken pedestrian signal The corner where Brandon interrupts his fraught late-night jog. Read more Brandon’s thinking spotAddress: Pier 54, Hudson River at West 13th StreetVelasco: “The pier where he’s at when he’s looking at New Jersey at night, that’s the one he goes back to during the day — the exact same spot as before. Basically, Steve wanted that because in the story, [Brandon]’s from New Jersey. So he’d go down there occasionally to look at where he grew up — for whatever reason. That’s why he ends up going back down there toward the end.”McQueen: “The thing about Brandon — and it was very meticulous — was where he would live, where he would work, how he would travel to work, what he would eat, where he would eat, take-out, where he would do his laundry… etcetera, etcetera. So that was, for me, very important to me. By coincidence, people talk about it being a ‘NY movie,’ but really, it was about his ritual. That was it.” ↑ Pier 54 Brandon visits the Pier for a smoke before dinner with Marianne — and a breakdown after seeing Sissy in the hospital. Read more InotecaAddress: 98 Rivington StreetVelasco: “Judy and Steven both liked the intimacy of the location for one; two, the neighborhood it was in felt right.” [The server is vaguely incompetent, but isn’t that place renowned for knowledgeable servers and sommeliers?] Well, as far as the whole waiter part of it… We scouted a lot in preproduction — it was myself, Steven, Sean and Judy in a minivan going all over the city looking at location options. And in the course of that, we would always trade stories, especially Judy and myself, about going out to dinner, or great waiters or terrible waiters. And apparently it made an impression, because the next thing you know we’re watching them play this scene out and seeing the waiter do his thing, and we just started to laugh. He would do that a lot: Ask us or pick our brains, because again, he always wanted to draw from something real.”↑ Inoteca The Lower East Side eatery where Brandon takes his coworker Marianne on a date. Read more Brandon’s beatingAddress: Parkside Lounge, 317 East Houston StreetVelasco: “It’s a great bar. They’ve got that pool table in the back. We were there for I think one day of shooting. I remember taking Steven there for the first time; the minute he looked at it, he said, ‘This is great; this is where we want to do it.’ So that worked out perfect. [Where does he get beaten up?] That’s the corner right outside. The camera is facing Houston; you’re actually right next to the bar. It’s right there as soon as you walk out.” ↑ Parkside Lounge Brandon makes a new friend and a new enemy before taking a beating from the latter outside. Read more The nightclubAddress: Quo (exterior), 511 West 28th Street; The Eagle (interior upstairs), 554 W. 28th Street; Le Trapeze (interior downstairs), 17 East 27th StreetVelasco: [What’s the club that shuts Brandon out?] “That’s not even a club; that’s just an industrial storage locker. That’s the best way to describe it. It’s just some random guy who stores propane tanks in there. That’s technically the club entrance. [And then he crosses the street to a place called Quo?] That was one of the only times we actually did a Frankenstein and just created a location. It was such a specific thing that Steven wanted. It didn’t even start out that way: The bar he winds up in is Quo, which was on 28th Street. But when he walks in — that blackened room he walks into with the neon and he’s following the guy? That’s a leather bar also on 28th called The Eagle. And then we cut to the inside of one of the last active sex clubs in NY City — a place called Le Trapeze. That’s where you find him going through that blood-red labyrinth. They have this hidden upstairs area; we didn’t even know it was there. We were just about to leave, and Judy noticed some spiral stairs. ‘Hey, what’s that?’ And we walk upstairs and go, ‘Oh, this is nuts.’ And then he winds up in that booth — that booth was actually the only thing we built on a stage. Judy built that to mirror the labyrinth that we saw. So really it’s four different pieces that made up that one location.” ↑ The nightclub Shut out of his first choice after the beating, Brandon stakes out the gay club across the street. Read more Also see: Williamsburg BridgeAddress: Delancey Street at FDR Drive ↑ Williamsburg Bridge Brandon and his Flatiron Lounge conquest go for a quickie against a wall beneath the bridge. Read more Delancey F/J/M/Z subway stopAddress: Intersection of Delancey Street at Essex Street ↑ Delancey F/J/M/Z Brandon walks Marianne back to the train after their dinner and conversation. Read more Fulton St. ExchangeAddress: Intersection of Fulton Street at William Street ↑ Fulton St. Exchange Brandon follows the nameless redhead from the subway off the train and up the stairs. Read more To read more on Steve McQueen’s Shame, click here. Tagged: carey mulligan, david velasco, judy becker, michael fassbender, sean bobbitt, shame, steve mcqueen

Rachel Weisz Joins The Railway Man

She's on for the Colin Firth dramaColin Firth already has the benefit of a compelling story for his next film, The Railway Man, and now he's getting some superb acting support in the shape of Rachel Weisz.Jonathan Teplitzky is directing the real-life tale of World War II veteran Eric Lomax. Frank Cottrell Boyce and Andy Paterson have adapted Lomax's eponymous autobiography, which charts his capture and torture by the Japanese army and his forced work on the notorious "death railway" in what was once known as Burma.War Horse's Jeremy Irvine has been cast as the younger Lomax, and Weisz will play the older version's wife, Patti. While earlier reports had Lomax going after his captors in order to get some vengeful closure, Variety now more accurately reports that he actually makes peace with his former torturers with the support of his wife.Teplitzky will kick off shooting this coming February in Australia. Weisz was last seen in Dream House (though she probably wants to forget that) and will next be seen in Terrence Malick's latest, still-untitled project and The Bourne Legacy. She's also been busy working on Oz, The Great And Powerful.

Sarah Palin Angered Roger Ailes by Not Announcing Presidential Campaign Plans on Fox News (Report)

Sarah Palin upset her bosses at Fox News when she decided to announce her decision not to run for president on the cable news network, NY Magazine reported, citing anonymous sources.our editor recommendsSarah Palin Calls For Hanging of Jerry Sandusky During Fox News Appearance (VIDEO)Orlando Jones Apologizes for Advising Liberals to 'Kill Sarah Palin'Sarah Palin Book Publisher, Author Under Fire After Personal E-mails LeakLevi Johnston and Sarah Palin Book Debuts Bomb The Fox News commentator -- and former reality star and governor of Alaska -- reportedly angered network chief Roger Ailes by choosing to announce her intentions on Mark Levin's talk-radio show Oct. 5. The reveal came after months of speculation about her plans and got a bit lost amid the news of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' death. PHOTOS: 10 Hollywood Players That Will Make a Difference in the 2012 Elections Later that night, she gave a follow-up interview on Fox News' On the Record With Greta Van Susteren. Ailes was reportedly so upset by Palin's handling of the announcement that he considered refusing to put her on the air again and letting the remainder of her $1 million contract expire in 2013. PHOTOS: 10 Entertainers Democrats and Republicans Love to Hate "I paid her for two years to make this announcement on my network," Ailes is said to have told Fox News executive vp Bill Shine at the time. Shine then called Palin's reps, who discussed the matter with Palin, who then apologized. PHOTOS: Actors Who've Played Politicians As for why she reached out to Levin to make her announcement rather than Fox News, Palin is said to be upset that Fox News regularly employs Karl Rove as a contributor. The two have a history of feuding with each other. Meanwhile, the NY Magazine reports that Palin and Ailes' relationship is still tense, with Palin not providing the ratings boost he was expecting when he hired her. Related Topics Sarah Palin Roger Ailes Fox News Channel Politics

Quincy Manley to chair Asia Acad of Music

JonesThe Asia Academy of Music Arts & Sciences, launched in June like a kind of Asian counterpart to NARAS situated in Singapore, has named Quincy Manley as chairman of the board of governors. "I have developed some wonderful associations while using music and business cities in the region,In . mentioned Quincy Manley, who told Variety that he's been going to Asia as well as the Off-shoreline Rim since the late '50s. "Once I was approached to participate the board in the AAMAS, I felt it absolutely was a good chance to hold onto collaborate while using artistic community there and mentor their youthful artists,Inch added the 27-time Grammy champion, who offered as artistic director for your 2008 Summer season Olympics in Beijing with Ang Lee, and co-written the theme song in the recent World Expo in Shanghai with Tan Dun. Furthermore, Manley assists as professional producer of "Meet Up,Inch AAMAS's maiden event designed to gather the most effective talent from different nations in Asia to complete together. The show will probably be recorded live in Hainan, China and broadcast throughout Asia in April. Beverly Slopes-based management company ROAR, which reps Manley and AAMAS, introduced the parties. "The music activity and abilities of Quincy Manley have defined multiple decades of artists and fans around the globe,In . mentioned Robert Farina, co-founding father of AAMAS, in the statement. "His leadership and counsel as chairman within our board of governors will probably be invaluable which we're honored by his commitment and passion for the growth and development of the music activity industry throughout Asia." AAMAS -- made up of roughly 11,000 recording artists, composers, producers, label professionals and specialists -- calls itself Asia's "first-ever peer driven Academy established to recognition and award excellence inside the arts and sciences of music, also to promote collaboration between all industries in the music business across Asia as well as the world." Located in Singapore, AAMAS' make-up includes Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Macau, Malaysia, Nz, Philippines, Singapore, Columbia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. Contact Steve Chagollan at steve.chagollan@variety.com

New Line A Weight Rampage

Classic video game will get new lifeSince monsters both large and small continue to be a hot property for galleries to shape films around, and game titles remain a resource of inspiration, it had been only dependent on time before Half way Games' eighties classic monster mash Rampage was specific for cinematification.Rampage follows three humans who're mutated right into a giant ape (although not King Kong), a huge lizard (although not Godzilla) along with a giant werewolf (very few giant werewolves have legendary status, so that they did not have to be worrying a lot about that certain) and hang about wrecking city blocks as the military naturally attempts to stop them. The item of the overall game ended up being to cause just as much destruction as you possibly can. Fun!As the title continues to be up-to-date through the years, the classic 8-bit and arcade version is the one which likely still remains within the minds of individuals from the right age to possess loved the destruction.New Line has set Final Destination/Horrible Bosses producer John Rickard the job of getting a creative team to create the film version to existence, most probably finding some relatable human story among all of the madness...

Jeffrey Wright moves to 'Broken City'

Jeffrey Wright has grew to become an associate of cast of Allen Hughes' "Broken City," joining Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe inside the NY City crime thriller. Wahlberg stars just like a Brooklyn detective hired having a effective politician (Crowe) to identify his wife's lover, who's subsequently found and destroyed. Wright may have police force commissioner which has a more sophisticated history while using Crowe's character. Justin Chambers, James Ransone and Griffin Dunne recently grew to become an associate from the cast, including Catherine Zeta-Manley, Craig Pepper and Alona Tal. Pic was packed by Emmett/Furla, scripted by John Tucker which is skedded for release on Jan. 18, 2013 by last century Fox. Wright, repped by CAA, was last noticed in "Ides of March." He'll also appear in Stephen Daldry's "Very Noisy and very Close," which Warner Bros. opens in limited release on Christmas. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Horsedreams

Michael Laurence, Roxanna Hope and Matthew Schechter in "Horsedreams" A Rattlestick Playwrights Theater presentation of the play in a single act by Dael Orlandersmith. Directed by Gordon Edelstein.Desiree - Roxanna Hope Loman - Michael Laurence Mira - Dael Orlandersmith Luka - Matthew SchechterNY City was junkie paradise (and hell) within the seventies, a period that Dael Orlandersmith sights from an unconventional perspective in "Horsedreams." The dope addicts within this harrowing tale aren't any hopeless ghetto lowlifes, but high-flying Wall Street yuppies who recklessly have fun with fire simply because they think they are invincible. Although there's natural drama in watching the disintegration of the youthful husband and wife who become totally hooked on hard drugs, the possible lack of theatricality within the presentational style proves deadly. With what is basically a long aria, a red-colored-headed beauty named Desiree (Roxanna Hope) takes us with the steps of her descent from the party girl having a nose for blow to some pathetic junkie having a hot needle in her own arm. After Desiree's harsh dying, her husband, Loman (Michael Laurence), a effective corporate lawyer with both ft around the steps for success, accumulates the narrative with another endless monologue chronicling their own descent into junkie hell. Both thesps sweat it, under Gordon Edelstein's direction, to create some nuance to Desiree and Loman. But both figures are extremely shallow, so missing in self-awareness, it's nearly impossible to operate up some sympathy on their behalf. With everybody speaking in monologues, there is not any drama to talk of before the playwright introduces various other two figures: the couple's preternaturally intelligent 10-year-old boy, Luka (a superbly natural performance through the amazing Matthew Schechter), and Luka's nanny, Mina (given a sincere performance through the playwright). Luka and Mina are ready (and wise enough) to challenge Loman's delusion that he's just "using the edge off" his anxieties and it is "totally in charge" of his drug habit. But rather than letting Loman from the leash so he may finally communicate with another individual, Orlandersmith keeps him in aria mode until he works in speaking themself to dying. The raw material with this piece is strong stuff. However it cries out for any more dramatic form.Sets, Takeshi Kata costumes, Kaye Voyce lighting, Marcus Doshi seem, Ryan Rumery production stage manager, Sunneva Stapleton. Opened up November. 17, 2011. Examined November. 16. Running time: one hour, 25 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Stor Fisk's 'Fungi' goes Awol

BARCELONA -- Stor Fisk has licensed most worldwide sales privileges on toon series "Fungi" to Julie Fox's Paris-based Awol Animation. Mango Distribution, that is co-possessed through the Philippines' Top Draw Animation and Australia's Sticky Pictures, is selling Australia, Nz and Asia, outdoors Japan. Awol will handle Europe, U.S. and Latin America. A Barcelona-based pre-school and youngsters toon studio, Stor Fisk is creating "Fungi" with Catalan pubcaster TV3 and Top Draw. First program sales to Latin America and Germany have been in the whole shebang, stated Stor Fisk's Pablo Jordi. Directed by SF partners Jordi and Veronica Lassenius, the 26-seg "Fungi" narrates the mystery-fixing adventures of two kids -- Max, a music performer, and also the imaginative Frida. Both of them live at Fungihouse, an ebullient community of Undergrounders, where everyone uses fungi -- truffles -- for food, clothing, medicine as well as hats. Targeted at 4-8s, "Fungi" mixes fantasy with realism along with a Scandinavian style -- Lassenius is really a Finn Jordi acknowledged the influence of Scandinavian picture books -- having a cosmopolitan air. One family's accents vary from American to British to Scandinavian. "This mixture is original, but quite realistic. 'Fungi' is occur an illusion setting but offers realistic situations," Jordi told Variety. First full episodes is going to be ready by next Feb. A flagship toon production from Catalonia, "Fungi" comes off energetic condition financing within the North-east The spanish language region from both pubcaster TV3 and also the ICIC Catalan Institute of Cultural Industries, stated Jordi. TV3 plows about 3 million ($4.a million) each year into local animation production annually. It's co-creating 24 productions, stated TV3 animation co-producer Oriol Sala Patau. Five Catalan TV toon projects tested at September's Cartoon Forum: "Funghi," "The Mint Fairy," "Perfect Teeth," "Evening Breeds" and "Wilbur Willmore." "Fungi" has attracted lower a motivation from Spain's ICAA The spanish language Film Institute, plus development gold coin in the EU's Media Program. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Last Man Standing Enlists Reba Showrunner to Replace Series Creator

Last Man Standing Last Man Standing will soon have a new man in charge, Deadline reports. Series creator Jack Burditt has asked to leave the Tim Allen comedy after suffering a family tragedy earlier this year. Kevin Abbott is set to take over following the Thanksgiving holiday. Reba McEntire plots return to TV on ABC comedy Burditt had been on an extended leave of absence. Abbott, who previously took over as showrunner of Reba midway through its series run, is currently setting up a new pilot for Reba McEntire. He'll serve as showrunner on both shows if the McEntire project, Malibu Country, is picked up for the 2012-2013 TV season. Abbott is just waiting to get approval from TV Land, where he is under contract and serves as a consulting producer on Retired at 35.

Oscar turmoil: Murphy's out, Grazer in?

Eddie Murphy won' more host the Oscars, while his 'Tower Heist' producer John Grazer (left) may a part of for your recently departed Brett Ratner. The status in the Oscar telecast is at an ailment of flux Wednesday, with Eddie Murphy tugging out as host the morning after producer Brett Ratner walked lower over his usage of an anti-gay slur. AMPAS came out being scrambling for quick substitutes, with John Grazer's title emerging early since the Academy of motion Picture Arts and Sciences' top producer choice, Variety confirmed.AMPAS wouldn't discuss the Grazer gossips after leader Tom Sherak introduced Wednesday morning that Murphy has withdrawn as host in the 84th Academy awards."I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, which all of us wish him well," mentioned Sherak.Stated Murphy, "To begin with If only to condition which i understand fully and support each party's decision regarding a large change of producers with this particular year's Academy awards ceremony. I used to be truly searching toward being a component of the demonstrate that our production team and authors were just beginning to develop, but I know the completely new production team and host will perform a similarly champion.InchMurphy's announcement finishes four occasions of dialogue that began when Ratner mentioned "Practicing is ideal for fags" inside a Q&A session carrying out a screening of his "Tower Heist" in Hollywood, a sexually explicit phone interview on "The Howard Stern Show." Furthermore, it leaves the Academy in the start gates for your 2012 telecast, even though org is predicted to announce a completely new producer soon. Typically, the telecast producer makes up about organizing several, with input within the Academy, which describes why Murphy bowed out quickly. Whoever is called the completely new producer -- whether Grazer or any other person -- works together veteran live-TV producer Don Mischer, who remains in place. Reps for your "J. Edgar" producer did not immediately return messages.You will want to explain the Academy's business of supplying 24 Oscars on Feb. 27 occupies a lot in the three-hour telecast any host and producer is thought to experience a little under 40 minutes of your energy for just about any monologue and showing the presenters.When Ratner was named producer in August, he quickly triggered Murphy as host, with whom the director done his latest film, "Tower Heist" -- which Grazer appeared to become a producer. Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com

Surprise! Brett Ratner Out As Oscar Producer

Brett Ratner Describes His Oscar Resignation Academy Statement On Brett Ratner’s Resignation GLAAD Plans Public Forums On LGBT Images Brett Ratner Likely To Participate UPDATE: The Academy is not departing comments beyond the statement it launched about Brett Ratner’s resignation, however’m told the search will begin quickly for the next producer to participate Don Mischer in putting together the Oscarcast. The expectation is appropriate now is always that Eddie Murphy will hang in as Oscar host. It is also apparent that although AMPAS leader Tom Sherak pledged to back Ratner as extended while he didn’t ruin again, a chorus of Academy people, stars and filmmakers, were so upset by Ratner’s homophobic comment and also the lewd comments round the Howard Stern radio demonstrate that the Academy was under extreme pressure to lower him. EARLIER: Brett Ratner has walked lower as Oscar producer, carrying out a slew of dumb public claims that put the Academy in the terrible situation. This comes several hours after Academy leader Tom Sherak mentioned he banded behind Ratner despite his while using the word “fag” in the Q&A to market Tower Heist, and speaking graphically about his sex existence round the cable tv show Attack in the Show as well as in a mobile phone interview while using Howard Stern show. From a few things i’m told, the Academy board met and backed Sherak’s decision to manage behind Ratner, nevertheless the filmmakers finally put inside the towel. I doubt anybody tried to speak him from this. Now, the finest question for you is: Will Eddie Murphy stick to as Oscar host? I wouldn’t be blown away any time Tower Heist‘s lackluster box office and many types of this maelstrom, Murphy might question why he ever mentioned yes to start with, which he features a perfect out. Another question for you is, who'll end up being the new Oscar producer? The Academy could make its list quickly. I’m told that they're searching carefully at NY stage producer Scott Sanders before they provided the surprising decision to supply the job to Ratner. Maybe they'll go back to him or one of the other producers who’ve done the show before, an inventory including Joe Roth and Laurence Mark. This really is really the statement: Beverly Slopes, CA Today, Brett Ratner published his resignation just like a producer in the 84th annual Academy awards to Academy Leader Tom Sherak. Ratner then launched an empty letter for the entertainment industry through which he referred to his decision. “He did the very best factor for your Academy too for themselves,” Sherak mentioned. “Words have meaning, and they have effects. Brett is a superb person, but his comments were unacceptable. Most of us hope it is really an opportunity to boost awareness in regards to the harm that's triggered by reckless and insensitive remarks, regardless of intent.”

Indies find opportunities at AFM

Zoe Saldana and Bradley Cooper in "The Words." D'AmicoFordAs the 32nd American Film Market wraps, the indie sector is feeling optimistic about the Hollywood studios' move away from mid-budget projects, though sellers are feeling the pinch from worldwide economic woes. "We are continuing to filling a void for what used to be studio projects," noted Myriad Pictures CEO Kirk D'Amico after his sales-financing banner came on to co-finance Neil LaBute's "Seconds of Pleasure," with Mike Figgis to direct a cast including Matt Dillon, Julia Stiles, Brendan Fraser, Kristin Scott Thomas and Christina Hendricks."Seconds," due to go into production next summer, was developed and is produced by Scottish broadcaster STV. Myriad's already sold Switzerland and Turkey but hasn't sold major markets since buyers want to review LaBute's script."It's not like the old days, when you could get a director onboard and start making deals on selling territories," D'Amico noted. "Everyone's much more careful. The European financial crisis has created volatility, and that doesn't help this market, but for Myriad, AFM has been a continuum of the good Sundance and Berlin, a very solid Cannes and a very positive Toronto."Stuart Ford of IM Global reported more than respectable response on a quartet of new projects -- Jason Statham actioner "Hummingbird"; "Dead Man Down," starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace with Neil Moritz producing; "Blood," starring Paul Bettany, Brian Cox and Stephen Graham; and 3D musical "Walking on Sunshine.""Performance has been very solid on new big titles," Ford told Variety. "There were no big surprises -- and anyone who came in expecting a bumper market was going to be disappointed because the economic situation in Western Europe has been impacting pricing. The buyer appetite is there, but they're also limited by economic restrictions."That's the emerging consensus at the end of AFM -- sales were solid but not spectacular, particularly given the high level of sales earlier in the year at Cannes. "People bought so much earlier in the year that a lot of their slots for 2012 are already filled," noted Camelot Entertainment prexy Jessica Kelly, who closed a deal with U.K.'s Showbox Media Group for "A Warrior's Heart," "Attack of the Herbals" and "Norman."Production spurtOne of the brighter developments at AFM came as the fest was winding down as Joni Sighvattson's Palomar Pictures ("Killer Elite") has launched a partnership with Grosvenor Park on a package of three films -- remakes of "Joseph and the Girl" and "Elliot" and an adaptation of Stephen King's "Rose Madder," all slated to go into production within 18 months.Palomar is the first producer to sign on with Grosvenor Park since the latter announced plans during the Toronto Film Festival to resume financing films after a three-year absence. Grosvenor Park's aiming to provide a "one-stop shop" financing solution for independent films in the mid-range budget level via senior, gap and tax lending."We're attempting to fulfill the need in the market for films in the $20 million to $35 million range," Grosvenor Park chairman Don Starr told Variety. "There aren't enough of those available. At that budget range, you can get the cast and directors you need to make the film get the returns it needs."Exclusive Media sales prexy Alex Walton reported major interest in racing drama "Rush" -- which has already sold to StudioCanal for the U.K. -- in the wake of Ron Howard meeting with buyers on the first day. Walton said buyer interest in "Rush" (expected to cost about $50 million) was on a par with last year's interest at AFM in Exclusive's "Ides of March," another mid-budget project."Studios are not really in that business any more, so the indies are embracing it," Walton noted. "If a studio were making 'Rush,' it would cost $100 million, but we're doing it at a price where foreign buyers can recoup."Lisa Wilson of Parlay Films reported strong sales for literary drama "The Words" and financial thriller "Arbitrage" to most European markets."It really has gone according to script," she noted. "What people are looking for is something that 'ticks the boxes,' which means that it's reliable, particularly with DVD down and VOD not quite significant yet. It means that there's a predictability of performance -- it will have X number of admits in Y territory with free and pay TV -- based on factors like the director, cast and similar films."Theatrical pushFor many attendees, AFM is an opportunity to move forward on projects. Steve Sexton, topper of HSI Films said that, given the uncertainty of the DVD business, buyers and financers have been particularly focused on films that can open theatrically. "We've been finding that it's actually easier to finance bigger movies these days," he added.HSI's sales slate included "Answers to Nothing," "Carnaval" and "Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best." "Carnaval," starring John Cusack and Johnny Knoxville, will shoot in Brazil in January. Ford expects that there will be an uptick in strong new titles at Berlin, including two new projects from IM Global. He noted that new financing is challenging but pointed to several positive developments -- Japan has rebounded strongly, Russia's pricing has become attractive for sellers, and China and Brazil have become increasingly significant.And he agrees that indies have plenty of opportunities to move on what used to be studio projects."We're spoiled in terms of what we're being offered," Ford mused. "There are about half a dozen established companies that can do projects between $25 million and $40 million. There are lot of films in turnaround or with studio level producers like Neal Moritz attached."More buyers this yearThis year's market saw the number of buying companies rise 8% to 718 from 664 in 2010; buying executives up 7% to 1,523 vs. 1,417 a year ago; and overall attendance climb 4% to 7,988 vs. 7,695 in 2010.Michael Massangkay, VP of Cinemavault, said the market's seen a profound shift in how buyers are willing to view product. "We still ship DVDs, which takes four or five days, but we also tell buyers that they can view it in our online screening room, so now I'm up at 2 a.m. responding to that -- and making deals much faster," he noted.Barry Gordon, CEO of XLrator Media, said the opportunity to use digital platforms has energized this year's AFM, on the heels of partnering with ARC to acquire North American rights to the urban thriller "96 Minutes." "This is my favorite market because it's the best place to discover genre films," he added. "I love coming here and seeing an awesome poster."Gordon also noted that he hasn't found anyone who supports a possible move of AFM to downtown Los Angeles in 2013 -- particularly since the weather stayed sunny for most of the market."Most people feel like if it's not broke, why fix it?" he noted. "People who come from cold places really enjoy being next to the beach when they're here." Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Drifters (Gli sfiorati)

A Fandango production along with Rai Cinema. (Worldwide sales: Fandango Portobello, London.) Produced by Domenico Procacci. Directed by Matteo Rovere. Script, Laura Paolucci, Francesco Piccolo, Rovere, good novel by Sandro Veronesi.With: Andrea Bosca, Miriam Giovanelli, Claudio Santamaria, Michele Riondino, Asia Argento, Massimo Popolizio, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon.The tests and struggles of attractive youthful Italians give you the photogenic subject for contempo comedy-drama "Drifters." Based on Sandro Veronesi's Rome-set novel, helmer Matteo Rovere's sophomore effort benefits of its media-friendly depiction from the new social group, the titular gli sfiorati -- much like extended as nobody recalls it had been really launched in 1990. More questionable value might be the pic's incest story, likely to end up downplayed in Italo distributor Fandango's marketing come the film's spring release. Overseas, the sister-lust position might assist material that's otherwise vulnerable to being too slight for effective export to foreign arthouses. Handsome, 30-ant Mete (Andrea Bosca) posseses an apartment in Rome's attractive historic center, a stimulating (if unlikely) job just like a handwriting analyst plus an alluring, correctly hedonistic social existence. Less felicitously, his 17-year-old half-sister, Belinda (Miriam Giovanelli), to whom he's inconveniently attracted, just moved into his living room. As Mete's father, Sergio (Massimo Popolizio), a soccer star-switched-sports pundit, belatedly prepares to marry Belinda's mother, Virna (The the spanish language language-Italian actress Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), the two half-siblings and siblings negotiate their problematic closeness restrictions. Put together by Rovere, Laura Paolucci and Francesco Piccolo, the script effectively juggles several elements, particularly a fascinating subplot including nutty guy-eater Beatrice (Asia Argento, in the change-of-pace role that will earn her plenty more comedy castings). Meanwhile, a committed perf from Michele Riondino as Mete's real-estate-agent buddy Damiano can't disguise the stock-comedy part of this generic lothario character. In this particular follow-around his 2008 teen drama "Not gioco da ragazze," Rovere works in showing sister sex in the lighthearted context that never teeters into heavy problem-movie terrain a framework device, which places a lot of the experience lately, can also help auds accept whatever they might otherwise resist. However, the film's look for the "drifters," known to by Mete's fellow graphologist and friend Bruno (Claudio Santamaria) as "a completely new unforeseen category," is less assured. This liquid, glancing kind of existence, more a mindset when compared to a specific demographic, probably won't be challenging the type of Decades X and Y too for sociological supremacy. Tech credits are professional. Andrea Farri's score, with full confidence fusing orchestral and electronic elements, reps a substantial plus, as well as the appear mix is offered some showily effective moments in one nightclub scene. Picture-postcard Rome locations don' harm, with Sergio and Virna's wedding particularly giving a enjoyable whiz across the city in the vintage convertible, Colosseum and many types of.Camera (color, widescreen), Vladan Radovic editor, Giogio Franchini music, Andrea Farri production designer, Alessandro Vannucci set decorator, Cristina Del Zotto costume designer, Monica Celeste appear (Dolby Digital), Maricetta Lombardo supervisory appear editor, Gianluca Carbonelli re-recording mixer, Marco Cappolecchia visual effects supervisor, Rodolfo Migliari line producer, Ivan Fiorini assistant director, Matteo Albano casting, Francesca Borromeo. Examined at London Film Festival (Cinema Europa), March. 26, 2011. Running time: 111 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Dish profit increases 30%

Dish Network, the greater compact in the nation's two satellite television stations, saw profit and revenue rise last quarter but lost 111,000 clients, stating intense competition -- including heavy discounting by rivals -- an insufficient housing marketplace reducing discretionary trading by clients. The Englewood, Colo.-based company, that have nearly 14 million subs by Sept. 30, mentioned profit rose 30% to $319 million on lower costs from adding less clients. Revenue was up 12% to $13.6 000 0000. "Since the pay TV industry matures, we and our rivals progressively must goal to draw in a bigger proportion of latest clients from one another peoples existing customer bases rather than from first-time clients of pay TV services," the business mentioned. "Lots of our rivals are actually especially aggressive by supplying reduced programming and services for brand new and existing clients. Furthermore, programming offered on the web is increasingly common because the standard and speed of broadband systems have enhanced." Boss Joe Clayton mentioned that continuing to move forward Dish expects to build up the momentum of the Blockbuster-high quality programming service, which allows its clients to stream movies and tv shows and receive Digital video disks by mail. The quarter was the first one to completely incorporate Blockbuster, which Dish acquired from personal personal bankruptcy for approximately $240 million. Within the finish in the three-month period, Blockbuster still operated over 1,500 stores inside the U.S. Dish mentioned it's talked about flexible termination provisions inside the rents more than 900 of individuals stores. Bigger rival DirecTV the other day mentioned it added 327,000 clients inside the third quarter, due only to the exclusive Nfl Sunday Ticket. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Yup, He's Back: Arnold Schwarzenegger Tweets Photo from Set of The Last Stand

· Arnold Schwarzenegger was kind enough to tweet a snapshot from the set of Kim Jee-woon’s The Last Stand, his first starring film role in seven years. He’s flanked by a motley trio: Luis Guzmn, Jaimie Alexander and a truly befuddled Johnny Knoxville. Also in Buzz Break: Madonna’s amazing 1979 letter declaring her movie star ambitions, the fate of Robert Pattinson’s Bel Ami, and a Willy Wonka legend passes away. [FilmDrunk] · In an amazing handwritten letter from 1979, Madonna wrote to A Certain Sacrifice director Stephen Lewicki and said, “By the time I was in the fifth grade, I knew I either wanted to be a nun or a movie star. 9 months in a convent cured me of the first disease.” Now I have sympathy pains for W.E.. [Madonnarama] · I think we can all agree that the 21 Jump Street movie needs a new title. [Jezebel] · Robert Pattinson’s dandy-licious new movie Bel Ami landed a distribution deal with Sony. [Deadline] · Here’s the most depressing news of the day: Leonard Stone, who played Violet Beauregarde’s speedtalking, car salesman father in Willy Wonka and the Chcolate Factory, has passed away just shy of his 88th birthday. The violets are turning violet in his honor. [People]

First '21 Jump Street' Trailer: Jonah Hill Loves Getting Hit by Cars

.post-content img {display:none;} Continuing Hollywood's current obsession with everything 1980s, the first trailer for '21 Jump Street' is here, and it's actually pretty hilarious. Not to say we didn't have any faith in this movie, but... yeah. Anyway! Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star as Schmidt and Jenko, two cops who go undercover as high school students in order to break up a drug ring. In the process (or at least in the three-minute clip), Hill manages to get stabbed and hit by a car -- something that also happened to him in 'Superbad' -- while Tatum dry-humps a suspect in custody and does the worm at a house party. And, wait a minute: Ice Cube and Nick Offerman are in this movie, too? Sign us up! The only thing that's missing from this clip is that Johnny Depp cameo (one of Depp's first roles was in the original TV series). '21 Jump Street' hits theaters March 16, 2012. [via 21 Jump Street Facebook page] [Photo: Columbia] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook