First Class Graduates From Oprahs South Africa Girls School

First Published: November 30, 2011 11:22 AM EST Credit: HARPO Productions Caption Oprah in S. Africa at the opening of the Leadership Academy for GirlsHENLEY-ON-KLIP, South Africa -- Mpumi Nobiva was raised by her grandmother in a neighborhood beset by poverty and crime after her mother died of AIDS. Now one of the first to graduate from Oprah Winfreys school, she is headed to college in North Carolina. Winfrey spent $40 million to give her girls a campus with computer and science labs, a library and a wellness center. None paid tuition. The students are high-achievers, often from communities where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of apartheid. And as the South African school year nears its end, all 72 members of the schools first graduating class have been accepted to universities in South Africa or the United States. More than a dozen have received full scholarships. Winfrey told her students that when you teach a girl, you teach a nation. The first class, my class, will prove that, said Nobiva, 18, who will study visual and performing arts at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina. Winfrey will be at the school for graduation ceremonies in January, school officials said Wednesday as students gathered to reflect on their experiences over the last five years. The school that has drawn sometimes harsh attention because of the celebrity who founded it, and also because of early problems. Students have been accused of being spoiled. Allegations that a woman employed to care for the girls in their dormitory had instead abused teens were the subject of headlines around the world. The woman was acquitted last year. Earlier this year, a newborn born to a student at the school was found dead, again drawing international attention. Yes, weve had bad coverage, Nobiva said. But it has certainly made us stronger. Winfrey, who has visited her school often, has instilled a sense of purpose. On Wednesday, Nobivas classmates aspiring doctors, accountants, engineers and lawyers spoke of their plans to serve their communities. You can imagine the impact of girls with that insight going out into the universe, Nobiva said. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Steven Soderbergh Lines Up Thriller The Bitter Pill, Will Probably Never Actually Retire

Ever since Matt Damon let slip, like “a 14-year-old girl,” that Steven Soderbergh wanted to retire from filmmaking, Soderbergh has been toying with his adoring public. Look people, he’s not retiring anytime soon. He’s said as much, side career in fine art or no. What more evidence do you need? How about the bazillionth new project announcement from Team Soderbergh? Good, because here it comes. Soderbergh will reunite with Scott Z. Burns (The Informant!, Contagion), whose screenplay for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. he was going to direct until he departed the project this month, for The Bitter Pill. Described as a “thriller set in the world of psychopharmacology,” Bitter Pill will be produced by frequent Soderbergh collaborator Gregory Jacobs and Lorenzo di Bonaventura. So there you have it. Between January’s crazy actioner Haywire, next summer’s stripper tale Magic Mike, and that Liberace HBO project filming next year (not to mention Soderbergh’s promising career as a second unit director on The Hunger Games), he’s settling in for the long haul. At least, the longish short-term haul. Steven Soderbergh’s New Project Is Thriller ‘The Bitter Pill’ (Exclusive) [THR]

The Iron Lady

Meryl Streep stars as former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 'The Iron Lady.'A Weinstein Co. (in U.S.)/20th Century Fox (in U.K.) release of a Pathe, Film4, U.K. Film Council presentation with the participation of Canal Plus and Cine Plus, in association with Goldcrest Film Prod., of a DJ Films production. (International sales: Pathe, London.) Produced by Damian Jones. Executive producers, Francois Ivernel, Cameron McCracken, Tessa Ross, Adam Kulick. Co-producers, Anita Overland, Colleen Woodcock. Directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Screenplay, Abi Morgan.Margaret Thatcher - Meryl Streep Denis Thatcher - Jim Broadbent Young Margaret Thatcher - Alexandra Roach Young Denis Thatcher - Harry Lloyd Carol Thatcher - Olivia Colman Alfred Roberts - Iain Glen Muriel Roberts - Victoria Bewick Airey Neave - Nicholas Farrell Edward Heath - John Sessions Geoffrey Howe - Anthony Head Shadow Minister - David Westhead Francis Pym - Julian Wadham Michael Heseltine - Richard E. Grant John Nott - Angus Wright Gordon Reece - Roger Allam Michael Foot - Michael Pennington June - Susan Brown Susie - Phoebe Waller-BridgeAbout halfway through "The Iron Lady," in what will surely be the scene most often excerpted to illustrate its star's undeniable thesping chops, Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher delivers a peevish rant about how she's always been more interested in ideas than in feelings. The same cannot be said of this fuzzy-headed biopic, which glosses over the former British prime minister's politics in favor of a glib, breakneck whirl around her career and marriage. The Weinstein Co. Stateside release is unlikely to win B.O. and acclaim on the level of "The King's Speech," but Streep's technically impeccable if slightly too comical perf should command attention. While Blighty would appear to be "The Iron Lady's" most potentially remunerative territory, word of mouth could hurt it there; left-leaning auds in particular will chafe at what an easy ride the film gives its protagonist, still deeply reviled by many Brits. Pic may do proportionally better offshore (apart from Argentina, for obvious reasons), where Thatcher is remembered mostly for her standing as the Western world's first femme head of state, her mother-knows-best charisma and her iconic, matronly hairstyle, but not much else. Employing a classic look-back-in-befuddlement structure, the script by Abi Morgan ("Shame") opens in the present with an aged, semi-senile Margaret Thatcher (Streep) having imaginary conversations with her late husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent, underscoring the pic's resemblance to "Iris," in which he also played the husband of a woman suffering from dementia). At the behest of her daughter, Carol (Olivia Colman, hilarious and touching by turns), Margaret prepares to dispose finally of Denis' old clothes, still hanging in the closet eight years after his death. As she does so, she remembers how she rose from humble origins as a Grantham grocer's daughter (played in flashbacks by newcomer Alexandra Roach, a dead ringer for Streep's Thatcher) to become prime minister for 11 consecutive years, from 1979-90. Whereas recent fact-based films about British public figures such as "The Queen" and "The King's Speech" have focused primarily on key historical moments in their subject's lives, director Phyllida Lloyd ("Mamma Mia!") here goes for an old-fashioned breadth-over-depth approach that would almost seem audaciously retro if it weren't so clunky and on-the-nose in the execution. Awkwardly expository flashbacks depict Margaret deciding, in chronological order, to stand for Parliament, challenge Edward Heath (John Sessions) for leadership of the Conservative party, send troops to defend the Falkland Islands, and eventually resign in the face of waning popularity. Morgan's dialogue makes all kinds of unnatural contortions to allow Thatcher to call her cabinet members by their first names, so auds can work out that "Geoffrey" is meant to be onetime chancellor, then foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe (Anthony Head) and "Michael" is defense secretary Michael Heseltine (Richard E. Grant) -- both of whom register as little more than one-dimensional cameos with good wigs and latex prosthetics courtesy of hair and makeup designer Marese Langan. The rest is montage, using thickly layered archival footage to cover Thatcher's remaining career highlights, such as the miners' strike of 1983, the mid-'80s financial-sector boom and the poll tax riots of 1990. Perhaps because the script attempts to cover such a massive amount of recent history, an antic sense of giddiness takes over, and it starts to become apparent that Lloyd and, to an extent, Streep are mostly playing it for laughs, or at best turning Thatcher's story into that of another plucky British femme underdog who defies the status quo. Much is made of how Thatcher broke through the glass ceilings of gender and class on a personal level; rather less is said about how her policies disadvantaged the poor. Pic does underscore how Thatcher preferred the company of men and had scant sympathy for other women, even her own daughter: Her scenes with Carol rep the film's most persuasive emotional moments. With a strong assist from personal hair and makeup designer J. Roy Helland, whose aging work is subtle yet expressive throughout, Streep turns in a compelling perf that just about merits its advance hype. Especially immaculate is her rendering of Thatcher's voice, which evolved over the years from a high-pitched screech (seen here derided in the House of Commons) to the more commanding, whisky-roughened contralto of her later days. But the film's mealymouthed stance toward its subject's politics undercuts Streep's efforts: There's neither room for her to be a tragic heroine nor latitude to make her an entirely comical figure, which would alienate the film's natural pro-Thatcher constituency. Other tech credits are largely serviceable, although editing is often choppy and at times spatially incoherent; use of cantered angles is more distracting than stylish.Camera (Deluxe color, Panavision widescreen), Elliot Davis; editor, Justine Wright; music, Thomas Newman; music supervisor, Ian Neil; production designer, Simon Elliott; supervising art director, Bill Crutcher; art director, Nick Dent; set decorator, Annie Gilhooly; costume designer, Consolata Boyle; sound (DTS/SDDS/Dolby Digital), Danny Hambrook; supervising sound editor, Nigel Stone; re-recording mixers, Tim Cavagin, Craig Irving, Nigel Stone; special effects supervisor, Neal Champion; visual effects supervisor, Angela Barson; visual effects, BlueBolt VFX; stunt coordinator, Julian Spencer, Tony Lucken; assistant director, Guy Heeley; second unit camera, Martin Kenzie, Hamish Doyne-Ditmas; casting, Nina Gold. Reviewed at Odeon Covent Garden, London, Nov. 23, 2011. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 105 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Watch Emma Watson Spend A 'Week With Marilyn'

FROM HOLLYWOOD CRUSH: Emma Watson includes a relatively small supporting role within the soon-to-be-launched "My Week With Marilyn"... but that did not stop us from jumping throughout this EXCLUSIVE look at among her moments! Emma, sporting sideswept bangs and searching every inch the seductively adorable nineteen fifties sweater girl, plays a wardrobe assistant and love interest to Eddie Redmayne's Colin Clark. As well as in this charming clip, she rejects his advances. Browse the full story at Hollywood Crush!

Blood stream and Gifts

A Lincoln subsequently subsequently Center presentation from the play by 50 percent operates by J. T. Rogers. Directed by Bartlett Sher. Dmitri Gromov - Michael AronovJames Warnock - Jeremy Davidson Colonel Afridi - Gabriel Ruiz Simon Craig - Jefferson Mays Abdullah Khan - Bernard White-colored Saeed - Pej Vahdat Walter Barnes - John ProcaccinoDespite a very-grounded and admirably lucid production helmed by LCT resident director Bartlett Sher, new play "Blood stream and Gifts" does not have heart. J.T. Rogers' review of the mess created through the large foreign forces after they were busily meddling in Afghanistan between 1981 and 1991 is not missing in intelligence. As well as the finger-pointing and handwringing, the drama draws its political message within the actions of stereotyped figures in cliched situations. Play originated from in England among several short works about Afghanistan commissioned with the Tricycle Theater for just about any 12-hour marathon production referred to as "The Fantastic Game." The extended version seen here ended a year ago within the National Theater. Bartlett Sher's new staging in the play for your intimate space at LCT's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater is easy. In Michael Yeargan's subtle stage design, a geometric floor pattern of Middle Eastern tiles will set the knowledge in a number of locales in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. (When known for, a gigantic American flag drops lower to whisk the knowledge to Washington.) Low benches set along three sides in the stage really are a competent approach to stockpile stars for quick exits and entrances. Catherine Zuber's costumes is most likely not strictly accurate, but they're suggestive enough to feed for your real factor. And Jesse Holder's warm lighting stops missing piercing the eyeballs to produce us take notice. Pared lower for the bone, Rogers' Cold War thriller presents a subjective precis of occasions through the decade between 1981 and 1991 when Russia had an trying out military in Afghanistan. In attempting to subvert the Russians, the blundering Western forces introduced through the united states . States and also the United kingdom conspired with Pakistan to arm the mujahideen "freedom mma fightersInch -- and inadvertently laid the work for your obsessed Islamist militancy and tribal factionalism that introduced to civil war. The story is a lot more compelling in comparison to 1 Rogers told in "The Overwhelming" in regards to the genocidal bloodbaths in Rwanda. But people atrocities were observed in the perspective from the reasonably attracted American family made vulnerable by their political insufficient understanding. Here, the players couldn't pass because of not broadly attracted figureheads. Dmitri Gromov (Michael Aronov), a Russian KGB agent, and James Warnock (Jeremy Davidson), the CIA station chief, meet cute within the airport terminal terminal in Islamabad. They are soon grew to become part of by Simon Craig (Jefferson Mays), a fecklessly charming MI6 British agent. Although Rogers takes decide to give these three spooks individualized personal histories, they aren't remotely credible. To make certain, Aronov plays Gromov with self-mocking Russian wit, and Mays finds the sad, soft place that dissolves Craig's British reserve. But Davidson does nothing to humanize Jim Warnock by playing that decent but naive American getting a lantern jaw and rigid spine. Thesping capabilities aside, the men're what they are -- predictions of nationalist traits. Having less realism reaches become more acute when Warnock and Craig join the callous Pakistani Colonel Afridi (a very frightening Gabriel Ruiz) in plotting to operate a vehicle the Russians in the country. Craig very correctly signifies arming Ahmed Shah Massoud, a Tajik warlord with broad popular support. Colonel Afridi pushes for Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the Pashtun leader from the military of Islamist extremists. Both men're historic figures plus it might have been interesting to check out the conspirators settling with every one, or all of them. But no, Warnock throws his support behind the imaginary Abdullah Kahn, a decent guy in Bernard White's authoritative perf, but, you understand, a made-up person. Rogers is certainly a proficient scribe who brings real intelligence (and literate dialogue) to the stage. There's however inadequate dramatic art here to sustain a bit of fiction -- and not enough reality with an authentic historic drama.Sets, Michael Yeargan costumes, Catherine Zuber lighting, Jesse Holder appear, Peter John Still production stage manager, Rob Hamlin. Opened up up November. 21, 2011. Examined November. 19. Running time: TWO Several hours, 15 MIN.With: Andres Munar, Paul Niebanck, Andrew Weems, Liv Rooth, Robert Hogan, Rudy Mungaray, J. Paul Nicholas. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

NO TWILIGHT SLUMP! Breaking Dawn Breaking Records: $72M Friday For 3rd Biggest Domestic Opener; $138M Global Total So Far; Happy Feet 2 Disappointing

FRIDAYPM/SATURDAY AM, 6TH UPDATE: Oh sure, you’re too cool (or too male) for the Twilight Saga global phenom. ButSummit Entertainment’s Breaking Dawn Part 1 is shatteringthe four-month-old North Americanbox office slump today and shooting the overall moviegoing weekend up +11% from last year’s total. Hollywood shouldbe grateful tofemales young and old for keeping the business buoyed this weekend now that young males have abandoned indiscriminate moviegoing. (Seriously, give thanks early.) Here isthe Top 10 rundown. Full analysis later: 1. Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Summit) NEW [4,061 Theaters] Friday $72M (including $30.2M midnights), Estimated Weekend $140M Yowza! Summit Entertainment was cautiously optimistic that this fourth Twilight Saga installmentBreaking Dawn Part 1 could match or beat the biggest one-day and Friday opening in the franchise’s history. It didn’t. But it was the #3 best-ever Single Day and Friday opening, behind only Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2‘s $91M and the Twilight Saga New Moon‘s $72.7M. Despite director Bill Condon receiving the worst reviews of the franchise, this pic todayearned a ‘B+’ CinemaScore.Also, the penultimate pic based on Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance novelsis off to a great start internationally as it began its roll out in 54 markets around the globe with $66M starting Wednesday through Friday screenings. The global total is now $138M. 2.Happy Feet Two (Warner Bros) NEW [3,606 Theaters] Friday $5.9M, Estimated Weekend $22.5M Given how well family fare is doing at the North American box office these days, the real test for this 3D sequel to George Miller’s beloved 2D toon will be over Thanksgiving weekend. But for now Happy Feet Two is grossingonly half of the 2006 original, which opened to a $12M Friday and $41.5 weekend. “One word: disaster. Despite being in 3D,” a rival studio exec snarked to me tonight.But another noted, “No doubt all the families are waiting until next week to go to the movies.” Pic released on the anniversary of the original and received a ‘B+’ CinemaScore from adiences.Hollywood expected a weekend opening in the high $30sM. Nope. And next week The Muppets movie debuts so more competition for the tots and their parents. On the other hand, singing and dancing CGI penguins are hard to resist. 3. Immortals (Relativity) Week 2 [3,120 Theaters] Friday $3.8M (-74%), Estimated Weekend $13M, Estimated Cume $53.5M That’s a big drop for a 300-clone that underperformed last Friday.Immortals is not the Hail Mary that Relativity hoped it would be. 4. Jack And Jill (Sony) Week 2 [3,438 Theaters] Friday $3.5M (-65%), Estimated Weekend $12.5M, Estimated Cume $41M This Jack And Jill won’t have the usual gazillion multiple of most of Adam Sandler/Happy Madison comedies. 5. Puss In Boots (DreamWorks Animation/Par) Week 4 [3,415 Theaters] Friday $2.5M, Estimated Weekend $12M This toon cat Puss In Boots still has afew more than nine lives left. 6. Tower Heist (Universal) Week 3 [2,942 Theaters] Friday $2.1M, Estimated Weekend $7.2M, EstimatedCume $53.7M 7. J. Edgar (Warner Bros) Week 2 [1,947 Theaters] Friday $1.8M (-57%), Estimated Weekend $6.5M, Estimated Cume 8.Harold & Kumar 3D Xmas (NL/Warner Bros) Week3 [1,808 Theaters] Friday $915K, Estimated Weekend $3M, EstimatedCume $28.3M 9. In Time (Fox) Week3 [2,591 Theaters] Friday $520K, Estimated Weekend $2M, EstimatedCume $33.6M 10. The Descendants (Fox Searchlight) NEW (opened Wed) [29 Theaters] Friday $318K, Estimated Weekend $1M Alexander Payne’s dramedy starring George Clooney had good momentum heading into its opening weekend expansion today into 11 additional markets (including Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington DC, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Denver, Minneapolis, and Toronto). Fox Searchlight’s The Descendants had made $79K from Wednesday and Thursday grosses at 5 theaters (2 in NY and 3 in LA). The production budget was $20 million with tax rebates and the Academy Awards talk should help the film perform through March. “This comedy/drama is attracting the over-30 upscale audience who is aware of the terrific reviews we have received,” a Fox Searchlight exec tells me. “And exhibition is very excited about the film after seeing it at the Show East Convention in late October.” On Wednesday before Thanksgiving, The Descendants increases to over 60 markets and about 425 theaters. “We feel the Thanksgiving Holiday is an excellent time to be playing wider as it is counter programming to the 3 wide kids films opening on this date. At Searchlight, we fell it really is a marathon and not a race with our releases.” The initial marketing campaign was launched virally in early May with a web teaser called Who is he? which consisted only of a scene from the film with George Clooney goofily running to his neighbors house to ask – you guessed it – Who is he? Then, at the end of May, Searchlight launched The Descendants trailer on The Tree Of Life linking auteur filmmakers Alexander Payne and Terrence Malick and continued through the summer and into the fall. The film was an audience and critical favorite when it premiered at the 2011 Telluride Film Festival, and the buzz carried over into The Toronto Film Festival. The film went on to play over 15 more festivals including NY and London. Searchlight is now working with various museums and film societies across the county to set Alexander Payne retrospectives and to target urban art house cinefiles initially and eventually upscale suburbanites over Thanksgiving and through December. The project was developed with Ad Hominem, which is Payne’s and writer/producer Jim Taylor’s and producer Jim Burkes production company. (OSCARS: Jim Burke & Jim Taylor Give Birth To Alexander Paynes The Descendants)Stephen Frears was initially attached to direct. When Frears departed, Payne went back to the original book written by Kaui Hart Hemmings and began writing his own adaptation of the screenplay after original drafts were penned by Jim Rash and Nat Faxon. Payne flew to 2009′s Toronto Film Festival to meet with Clooney who was therefor Up In The Air. The Oscar buzz began with the sellouts of the special screenings and tribute to George Clooney atTelluride. FRIDAY 5 PM, 4TH UPDATE: Summit Entertainmentsources tell me that Breaking Dawn Part 1 is softening slightly tonight for a $70 million opening day. So now this fourth Twilight Saga featureis targeting $135M for its debut weekend. That will be the 2nd biggest weekend debut since the studio began making Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance novels into films — behind only the Twilight sequel New Moon‘s $142.8M. That’s about halfway between what Summit lowballed and what rival studios highballed Breaking Dawn‘sgrosseswould be. Stay tuned for more updates… FRIDAY 2:30 PM, 3RD UPDATE: Summit Entertainment’s Breaking Dawn Part 1 is shattering Hollywood’s box office slump today. My sources say this fourth film version of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga vampire novels is looking at opening to $72+ million in North American grosses, consisting of $42+M for matinee and evening screenings in 4,061 theaters, plus $30.25M for 12:01 PMpost-midnight showings in 3,521 locations. Right now Breaking Dawn may wind up with the franchise best one-day and Friday opening, surging pastTwilight‘s $36M, New Moon‘s $72.7M, and Eclipse‘s $68.5M. Stay tuned for more updates. FRIDAY 9:30 AM, 2ND UPDATE: Critics may be ravaging Summit Entertainment’s Breaking Dawn Part 1 but the fans are loving it. Overnight, thefilm version of the Stephenie Meyer novelmade$30.25M from 12:01 AM post-midnight showingsin a whopping 3,521 theaters. That’s a best for the Twilight Saga franchise (Twilight made 7.5M whichset a record at that time, New Moon $26.3M, and Eclipse $30.1M.) But it alsosets the #2 all-time midnights record behind Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2. FRIDAY 7 AM UPDATE: Here we go again. Not only is Summit Entertainment’sBreaking Dawn Part 1 helping surge the North American box office today after a months-lasting slump. But it’s also a big shot in the arm to international ticket sales. The Twilight Saga film franchise’s fourth installmentrolled out after 12:01 AM into a whopping 3,251 domestic theaters and then expanded into 4,061 theaters by midday. And the film is off to a great start internationally as it started its roll outin 54 markets around the globe with Wednesday screenings from select territories totalling $8.9 million with many more countries, data and their grosses to come over the coming days. I’velearned that an internal Summit Entertainment estimate puts this weekend’s domestic opening of Breaking Dawn Part 1 at $110 million to $125 million. That will be the 2nd biggest weekend debut since the studio began making Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance novels into films — behind only the Twilight sequel New Moon. However,rival studios think Summit is lowballing and expect Breaking Dawn to debut to $142+M. And remember this is a female-driven 2D movie. It’s the 3D fanboy-driven movies that have been so hurt by slumping box office of late. Since the franchise began, Twilight opened domestically to $69.6M in 2008, New Moon to $142.8M in 2009, Eclipse to $64.8M in 2010. Summitprojected in an investor prospectus obtained by every showbiz media outlet that it would make $228 profit from Breaking Dawn,and that the final back to back films in the franchise would generate more than $1.2 billion in revenues and $447 million in profits for the studio and its investors. Yowza! Also rolling out this weekend into 3,606 theaters, with 2,800 3D screens,is Warner Bros family fare Happy Feet Two. The sequel also from director George Miller is releasing on the anniversary of the original, which grossed$41.5M in 2D on November 17 of 2006. “This Happy Feet Two feels like it will have to work to get to that figure despite being in 3D,” a rival studio exec tells me. Hollywood expects a weekend opening in the high $30sM which is good enough in these slumping times. “The strong schedule offamily films this past summer gave us an ideal launch for the campaign, startingwith a teaser trailer on Kung Fu Panda on Memorial Day weekend, and playingthrough on films ranging from Harry Potter to Smurfs, with the main trailerdebuting in the fall, culminating with a placement on Puss In Boots,” a Warner Bros exec tells me. Already, domestic pre-sales show thatBreaking Dawn Part 1 hasjumped onto MovieTickets.com’s highest advance seller list, ranking 5th among the Top 5 — ahead of The Twilight Saga’s last installment Eclipse but behind Harry PotterAnd The Deathly Hallows Part 1. In anticipation of the increased sales for Breaking Dawn‘s release,MovieTickets.com said it grew its theatre chain group count to 244 this week, and now sells tickets for over 17,400 movie screens.) Joel Cohen, CEO of MovieTickets.com, stated, The success of The Twilight Saga and the trends we saw from advance ticket sales of the most recent film is phenomenal. The fans who have supported this franchise from the beginning show no signs of walking away from what we know will continue to be a record-breaking movie going event.The net production budget for Breaking Dawn Part 1, after tax rebates and such,is $110 million. Costs were held down because parts 1 and 2 were made back-to-back by Summit. But the director of both pictures,Bill Condon,is not receiving anywhere near the generally good reviews of the previous Twilight Saga movies. Overseas, the Twilight Saga films have grossed over $1 billion coming into this latest release. Twilight grossed $200M, New Moon more than doubled its predecessor with $416M, and Eclipse is just shy of crossing the $400M mark. The breakdown of territories releasing this weekend is as follows: Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Chile, CIS, Croatia, Czech, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, UAE, Ukraine, Aruba, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Taiwan, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, West Indies, UK. Germany releases on November 24th, South Korea on December 1st, and Japan on February 25th. Chronologically,the international rollout started Wednesday withBelgium, France, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland. Thursday withAustralia, Argentina, Bahrain, Bolivia, Chile, CIS, Croatia, Czech, Denmark, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, UAE, Ukraine. Friday withAruba, Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Latvia, Lithuania, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Taiwan, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, West Indies, UK as well as Canada and the U.S. (Previous: YIKES! Twilight Fans Already Lining Up For Breaking Dawn Premiere) On Wednesday,Breaking Dawn Part 1 opened #1 in France grossing $3.83M for its opening day.The film dethroned the highly popular French comedy Intouchables ahead also of the hugely popular Tintin 3D. It is the third highest opening result for this year in France.Summit said the film is performing very well across the country in all provinces, and first screenings at the Le Grand Rex theater in Paris was sold out. In Australia,midnight screenings werehugewith$1.27M. In Italy,it opened #1withbox office of $2.3M. In Belgium,it made$786K which was63.7% of all the Wednesday film business in that country.Breaking Dawn Part 1 dethroned hometown boy Tintin 3D. This is especially notable considering the fact that, unlike Eclipses opening, it was not during a summer or holiday period. In Sweden, the film reported box office of$757K.

David Oyelowo Joins Steven Spielbergs Lincoln subsequently subsequently

EXCLUSIVE: David Oyelowo has grew to become an associate from the cast of Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln subsequently subsequently. He's headed to Virginia and may behave as a cavalryman. Oyelowo takes the job because they’s simultaneously shooting the Christopher McQuarrie-directed One Shot with Tom Cruise starring as Jack Reacher inside the Lee Child novel series. Oyelowo plays charge detective considering a sniper massacre in Pittsburgh. Oyelowo, last seen inRise in the Planet in the Apes as well as the Help, recently wrapped the Lee Daniels-directed The Paperboy, playing a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who teams with another reporter to check out the potential wrongful conviction from the killer. Matthew McConaughey, John Cusack and Nicole Kidman also star. Oyelowo will next be seen starring in Red-colored-colored Tails, the George Lucas-hatched drama of a crew of Black aircraft aircraft pilots inside the Tuskegee training program who persevered through segregation to obtain their chance to exhibit their stuff up beneath the guidance of Col. A.J. Bullard. Oyelowo is repped by ICM, Inphenate and Uk-based Hamilton Hodell.

Happy 30th Anniversary to General Hospital's Laura and Luke!

General Hospital In honor of Laura Baldwin and Luke Spencer's big nuptials which took place Nov. 17, 1981, when 30 million people watched, take a look back at the stars who checked into General Hospital - before they were famous. Demi Moore, John Stamos and Ricky Martin are among those featured in Snakkle's gallery, Luke and Laura's Wedding - 30 Years Later.

Justin Biebers Paternity Suit Dropped

First Launched: November 16, 2011 12:01 PM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Attacking Youthful Boys attends the MTV Europe Music Honours 2011 within the Journey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland on November 6, 2011 La, Calif. -- The paternity suit against Attacking Youthful Boys has apparently been dropped. According to TMZ, the problem filed by Mariah Yeater, who mentioned the 17-year-old singer fathered her 3-month-old baby, was overlooked the other day. Yeaters lawyers apparently withdrew within the situation after Biebers team threatened suit. A repetition for Bieber wasn't immediately designed for comment when contacted by Access Hollywood on Wednesday. As formerly reported on AccessHollywood.com, an origin told Access that Bieber had made intends to think about a DNA make certain planned to think about harsh suit against Yeater on her behalf claims. Captured, the singer told Matt Lauer within a feel and look on NBCs Today show, To produce the record straight, none of it's true never met the woman. His repetition formerly told Access, Its sad that a person would fabricate malicious, defamatory, and demonstrably false claims. We'll intensely pursue all available legal remedies to safeguard and safeguard Justin against these accusations. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Hacking Update: No Less Than 28 Murdoch Employees Are Available In PIs Detailed Notes

What they're known as having a minimum of 28 employees of News Corp’s U.K. subsidiary are available in notes snapped up in the private agent who devoted to phone hacking, the primary counsel for your government’s inquiry to the scandal surrounding News Worldwide as well as the shuttered News around the world tabloid. “At least 27 other NI employees” furthermore for the jailed former royal editor Clive Goodman are available in notes of Glenn Mulcaire, the PI who was simply also jailed for intercepting voice mails within the month of the month of january 2007. Chief counsel Robert Jay mentioned the quantity of names that appear scribbled on Mulcaire’s notes “suggests wide-different, illegal activity within the organisation.” Police also now suspect that phone hacking may have ongoing until 2009, which might include Murdoch’s tenure that began in 2007. Suspicion of wrongdoing has furthermore spread to another News Worldwide paper, the sun's sun rays, also to a competitor, the Daily Mirror whose parent Trinity Mirror’s representative mentioned the business does not have knowledge of ever while using the private agent Mulcaire. Also on Monday, the NOTW’s former chief reporter substantiated James Murdoch’s repeated claims he was not ever informed in the full extent from the organization’s illegal activity. Neville Thurlbeck — the person to whom the “for Neville” email that consists of evidence of common phone hacking was addressed — told Reuters that”Murdoch happen to be saved at night time and passing up on vital evidence showing phone hacking went far wider” when compared to a single rogue reporter, Clive Goodman. Thurlbeck mentioned former editorColin Myler and legal manager Tom Crone also were alert to evidence which recommended like a factor another senior executive within the paper. Evidence in mind incorporated voicemail message message transcripts and brought to Murdoch’s approving, based on Crone and Myler’s recommendation, a payment around $1.4 million to soccer union boss Gordon Taylor. News Corp experts have snapped up upon the large payment as “hush money”to buy Taylor’s silence. Thurlbeck has furthermore protested his innocence inside the Taylor situation which is in an unfair dismissal situation.

Annalisa (Il paese delle spose infelici)

A Fandango discharge of a Fandango production, together with Rai Cinema. (Worldwide sales: Fandango Portobello, London.) Created by Domenico Procacci. Directed by Pippo Mezzapesa. Script, Antonio Leotti, Antonella Gaeta, Mezzapesa, in line with the novel "Il paese delle spose infelici" by Mario Desiati.With: Nicolas Orzella, Luca Schipani, Aylin Prandi, Cosimo Villani, Vincenzo Leggieri, Gennaro Albano, Antonio Gerardi, Roberto Corradino, Rolando Ravello, Valentina Carnelutti, Nicola Rignanese, Teresa Saponangelo.Notwithstanding moments of visual beauty, Pippo Mezzapesa's debut, "Annalisa," only occasionally makes its narrative come to life. Were the helmer just striving to capture the spirit of adolescence via this the nineteen nineties tale occur southern Italia, then the possible lack of ligament might be pardoned, but younger crowd really wants to tell a tale about a few mismatched buddies and also the mysterious lady they befriend, and here the pic does not hold interest. Respectable though rarely inspired, "Annalisa" is not likely to create a dent both at home and play much further afield. New kid Veleno (Nicolas Orzella) is known as "faggot" by his peers (though he isn't coded as gay). Awesome classmate Zaza (Luca Schipani) befriends him, plus they become intrigued by Annalisa (Aylin Prandi) after she attempts a really public suicide. Zaza uses Annalisa's self-destructive promiscuity, yet will not accept it when she services others. Meanwhile, he's caught between soccer dreams and drug peddlers. Annalisa's character remains frustratingly underdeveloped, and also the drug subplot feels forced, its climactic moment practically disposed of. Lenser Michele D'Attanasio nicely captures the strong summer time light, though faces are extremely frequently in shadow.Camera (color), Michele D'Attanasio editor, Giogio Franchini music, Pasquale Catalano production designer, Sabrina Balestra costume designers, Francesca Vecchi, Roberta Vecchi. Examined at Rome Film Festival (competing), March. 30, 2011. Running time: 81 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Happy Foot Two

'Happy Foot Two'A Warner Bros. (in U.S.) release presented in colaboration with Village Roadshow Pictures from the Kennedy Burns Mitchell production with Dr. D. Art galleries. Produced by Doug Mitchell, George Burns, Bill Burns. Executive producers, Chris deFaria, Philip Hearnshaw, Graham Burke, Bruce Berman. Co-producer, Martin Wood. Directed by George Burns. Co-company company directors, David Peers, Gary Eck. Script, Burns, Eck, Warren Coleman, Paul Livingston.Voices: Mumble - Elijah Wood Ramon/Lovelace - Robin Williams The Mighty Sven - Hank Azaria Gloria - Alecia Moore (Pink) Will the Krill - Kaira Pitt Bill the Krill - Matt Damon The wondrously eccentric, eco-conscious sensibility George Burns brought to his 2006 penguin-designed toon yields a really less amazing Antarctic adventure in "Happy Foot Two." Even though it keeps the buoyant musical stylings and splendid pictures that made its predecessor so distinctive, this chatterbox from the follow-up handles to get rid of its way getting a raft of annoying side figures the slender narrative framework provides far too indulgent a showcase. The end result feels closer to the antic, fast-speaking kind of much contempo animation won't keep Warners from achieving another family-friendly holiday hit, and 3d ticket taxes should help combat less-than-glowing response. Thinking about the truth that any follow-around the Oscar-winning "Happy Foot" might be challenged to aid the standard of the penguins-and-pop concept or perhaps the chastening impact of the atmosphere styles, it absolutely was possibly shrewd of returning scribes Burns and Warren Coleman (joining with scenarists Gary Eck and Paul Livingston) to reduce their ambitions here. "Happy Foot Two" is nine minutes shorter than its predecessor and, absent the sensation of showmanship distributed by its stunning 3d imagery and genre-spanning soundtrack, its relatively bare-bones story seems right for any direct-to-video quickie in comparison to some bigscreen outing. Doing little to counter this belief might be the script's abundance of kid-friendly existence training, most of them written by tap-dancing emperor penguin Mumble (again well voiced by Elijah Wood) for the benefit of his youthful chick, Erik (Ava Acres). As much a musical misfit as his father wasn't such a long time ago, klutzy Erik humiliates themselves throughout one of the penguins' conformist group medleys and is out in your own home. While Mumble heads to finds his boy, a massive ice-shelf collapse traps the comfort in the rookery inside an enormous gorge. What evolves is less popular adventure than the usual lengthy problem-fixing exercise through which Mumble and Erik try to free their community, while Mumble's sweet-voiced spouse, Gloria (Alecia Moore, also called R&B star Pink, altering the late Brittany Murphy), does her easier to maintain calm lower below. The save mission, alas, can succeed only by utilizing pals from neighboring Adelie Land, who conspire to exhibit "Happy Foot Two" in to a wearying parade of foreign accents and showboating vocal turns. The standout here's Anthony LaPaglia, oozing Cockney menace just like a surly elephant seal another thesps generally placed their boisterous cues from Robin Williams, again doing dual purpose as Latin-lover type Ramon and crazy guru Lovelace. Particularly irritating are Will and Bill the krill (Kaira Pitt, Matt Damon), a noisy, wisecracking crustacean duo stuck in the parallel story that plays just like a lot underwater filler. The area between visual and verbal sophistication could scarcely be pronounced here, since the krill's lightly speckled physiques rate among the film's most intricate, photorealistic works of art. After which it there's the Mighty Sven (Hank Azaria), an itinerant Swedish puffin while using show-off charisma from the revival-tent preacher. Accordingly, Burns and co-company company directors David Peers and Eck sometimes push the musical amounts toward the advantageous quantity of a secular gospel service, a method that really works insofar since the film's episodic subplots really illustrate some easily digestible morals: If kids haven't yet understood that bullying is not good, being different is okay, along with the smallest being can shape the fortunes of, be confident that "Happy Foot Two" leaves little room for doubt. The uninhibited musical sensibility remains admirable and infectious because the soundtrack may have done without such viral mind aches as "Never Gonna Offer You Up" and "Dragostea Din Tei," you will discover wealthy pay outs in Moore's soulful performance of "Bridge of sunshine,Inch a soaring anthem of hope bathed inside the glow in the northern lights, together with a climactic setpiece that reps possibly the most effective film usage of Full and David Bowie's "PressurizedInch since "Grosse Pointe Blank." Throughout these moments, the film reaches for your sublime and every so often achieves it, though virtually every such instance is immediately then a place of dialogue-heavy down-time. Overall, what "Happy Foot Two" needs really is silence, a sense of hushed peace that will enable the viewer to contemplate the regal great factor relating to this frozen world as well as the horror of the potential extinction. Once again, Burns and also the crew prowl these spectacular, forever varied landscapes by getting an amazing eye for detail, the swooping camera and fluid cutting mixing to produce thrilling alterations in scale and perspective the immersive effect is further enhanced by artful, off traffic (otherwise entirely essential) 3d. The motion-capture rendering in the penguins' actions can be as precise and realistic of course, even though periodic interpolation of live-action human figures, used so hauntingly inside the first film, is repeated less effectively here.Camera (Technicolor, widescreen, 3d), Peers, David Dulac editor, Christian Gazal music, John Powell music supervisor, Kim Eco-friendly production designer/art director, David Nelson set designer, Mark Sexton animation director, Make the most of Coleman supervisory appear editor/appear designer (Dolby Digital/Datasat/SDDS), Wayne Pashley re-recording mixers, Paul Massey, Phil Heywood, Peter Cruz choreographers, Wade Robson, Dein Perry, Kate Wormald visual effects supervisor, Dulac visual effects, stereoscopic supervisor, Jason Fairley casting, Kristy Carlson. Examined at Warner Bros. Art galleries, Burbank, November. 9, 2011. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 99 MIN.With: Sofia Vergara, Common, Hugo Weaving, Richard Carter, Magda Szubanski, Anthony LaPaglia, Benjamin "Lil P-Nut" Flores Junior., Ava Acres, Meibh Campbell. Contact Justin Chang at justin.chang@variety.com

'Call Up' tops Brit List

LONDON -- "The Call Up," a sci-fi horror script by Charles Barker set in the world of virtual gaming, tops the 2011 Brit List, which ranks the most liked unproduced screenplays in the U.K. and Irish film community. Barker is a commercials director with extensive CGI experience. "The Call Up," which heads the list with 10 votes, is being developed by rookie producer Matt Wilkinson, who left his post as a development exec at Working Title earlier this year to start his own company Stigma Films. The Brit List is modelled on Hollywood's Black List, which asks a pool of development execs, agents and producers to recommend their favorite unproduced scripts. Second in this year's Brit List, with eight votes, is William Boyd's adaptation of his own novel "Ordinary Thunderstorms," which is being developed by David Thompson's Origin Pictures with BBC Films. It's a thriller about an innocent man being pursued across London by police and a hitman. In joint third spot, with seven votes each, are Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth's comedy "Olivia and Jim" from Forward Films, and Hong Khaou's drama "Lilting the Past" from producer Dominic Buchanan, about a bereaved mother trying to make sense of her son's death. Origin Pictures has two other highly-placed projects on the list, playwright Polly Stenham's adaptation of her own play "Tusk Tusk," and James Graham's "X+Y" about a teenage math prodigy's quest to find the formula for love. Both received six votes, along with "Man Up" by Tess Morris, a romantic comedy being developed by Big Talk for Studiocanal. The list includes several titles by high-profile writers. William Davies, whose credits include "Johnny English Reborn" and "How to Train Your Dragon," has five votes for his drama "Second Is Nowhere," in development at BBC Films. Among the scripts with four votes are the Focus Features project "Baghdad Wedding," adapted by Hassan Abdulrassak from his own play, in tandem with Nick Drake; Jay Basu's crime thriller "Bad Traffic" for producers David Gerson, Nick Wechsler and Rory Gilmartin; and Juliette Towhidi's adaptation of Vera Brittan's classic WW1 memoir "Testament of Youth" for Heyday. Also with four votes are Sebastian Foster's Western "Burnthaven" for Cloud Eight Films, and Catherine Shepherd's comedy "Like a Virgin" about a contemporary and unvirginal Mary who learns she's going to give birth to the next Messiah. Scripts with three votes include "The Invisible Woman," about the mistress of Charles Dickens, written by Abi Morgan ("Shame," "The Iron Lady"); and two adaptations of John LeCarre novels. "Our Kind of Traitor," adapted by Hossein Amini ("Drive"), and "A Most Wanted Man," adapted by Andrew Bovell ("Lantana") with Anton Corbijn set to direct. Both LeCarre projects are being developed by Ink Factory and Potboiler Prods. Other notable projects with three votes include "Miss You Already," by director Paul Andrew Williams and comedienne Morwenna Banks; an adaptation of Edith Wharton's "The Buccaneers" by Heidi Thomas for Ruby Films; a David Nicholls version of Thomas Hardy's novel "Far From the Madding Crowd" for DNA Films; and "I, Macrobane," a black comedy by writer/director Ben Wheatley, being developed by Big Talk. Completing the list are Amber Trentham and Thomas Carty's romantic thriller "Available Light;" Trevor Preston's thriller "The Chinese Busker;" Nicholas Horwood's horror script "The Good People;" Howard Overman's comedy thriller "The Slackfi Project," in development at Sony; David F. Shamoon's road movie "Taking Off;" and Joshua St Johnston's musical "Walking on Sunshine" with Vertigo. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Law & Order: SVU's Dann Florek ongoing Undercover, Coming In the Formula in Season 13

Law & Order: SVU A lot more than two decades after TV audiences first met Capt. Jesse Cragen (Dann Florek) on Law & Order, the actor - as well as fans - still does not quite have his character determined. And that he wouldn't get it every other way. "I usually like once the authors throw a spanner or after i uncover new things because playing a personality such as this, in my experience, is much like spending time with an excellent friend," Florek informs TVGuide.com. "I'd never presume which i know everything about him." Exclusive sneak look: SVU's Captain Cragen is able to go undercover Florek will become familiar with much more about his "friend" on Wednesday's episode of Law & Order: SVU (airing at 10/9c on NBC) when Cragen volunteers to visit undercover like a guy seeking a mail-order Russian bride. Although ADA Cabot (Stephanie March) is quick to warn the captain to not get psychologically associated with his fake date, that proves much easier in theory. "When you are undercover, among the key things you need to do is play a personality as near to yourself as you possibly can so you do not get swept up in lies," Florek states. "He ends up talking about being married, losing his wife, difficulty getting children and that he becomes flooded with one of these feelings he thought he'd set aside nicely in boxes in the psyche somewhere." These carefully guarded secrets from Cragen's personal existence might be new information with a audiences, however for die-hard franchise fans - and Florek themself - the episode would be a blast in the past. "It is returning to old stuff that really even return to the initial Law & Order. After I browse the script, 21 many years of stuff began returning," he states. "I loved the episode since it would go to emotional locations that we do not normally go and Cragen does not normally go." Exclusive: SVU drafts Treat Williams for guest place It's a part of the brand new direction Law & Order: SVU has had carrying out a major reshuffling before and behind your camera - most particularly the departure of longtime series star Christopher Meloni. What The Law States & Order franchise grew to become famous for coping with its turning door of cast people inside a quick manner (even Cragen's departure in the flagship series in 1993 was described curtly like a transfer towards the Anti-Corruption Task Pressure). The lack of Meloni's Det. Elliot Stabler continues to be addressed heavily in contrast. "He'd had the experience for 12 years which was a long-running cop partnership in television history which means you can't just say, 'Well, Elliot's not returning,'" Florek states. "I believe in justness towards the audience, in justness to Mariska Hargitay's character, it needed to be addressed and in addition it needed to be release.Inch Under last year, Florek wasn't sure whether Cragen would are accountable to duty whatsoever for Season 13. Just before Meloni's sudden exit, reviews stated that Hargitay's Det. Benson could be marketed to some supervisor position midseason - departing the fate from the current boss unknown. "I had been certainly apprehensive and uncertain because after i heard exactly what happening initially, I did not know basically would return,Inch Florek states. "I did not know anything about this. I first viewed it inside a magazine or something like that and thus this is when everything was hush-hush and that i was waiting to listen to that which was happening." VIDEO: SVU's Mariska Hargitay states she's scared but looking forward to Benson's promotion But rather than losing a captain, the series acquired two new detectives (Kelli Giddish and Danny Pino). "It is a fresh undertake everything. You will find many new company directors, brand new authors, many new producers. Warren Leight, the brand new showrunner, is extremely, very thinking about story and not simply plot," he states. "Will still be procedural, but we are just escaping that a bit and i believe it is a nice touch. We type of blew up and restore it together." Although Florek has no clue exactly what the future holds for Cragen, he values the smoothness-driven detour. "I believe it's serendipitous. I do not think anybody first viewed it visiting a particular extent, however i believe that it's made the show reborn. It truly is another animal," he states. "If these changes had not happened, I do not think we'd be speaking about Russian brides and Cragen going undercover. So that as close when i ended up being to others involved - but still am in lots of ways - I am grateful of these changes." Go behind-the-moments of Wednesday's episode with Florek:

Image, W2 ink distribution deal

Image Entertainment has struck a distribution deal with W2 Media covering U.S. rights to Image films that include homevideo, television, digital and VOD. W2 Media retains theatrical rights on all Image titles. The initial slate of releases will include "Toast," "Pete Smalls Is Dead," "Smile" and "The Puck Hogs." "Toast" was released theatrically in September; "Pete Smalls Is Dead," starring Peter Dinklage, is set for a theatrical release on Friday. The deal announcement was made Tuesday during the American Film Market by Bill Bromiley, chief acquisitions officer for Image. "This newly formed deal is a terrific addition to our distribution pipeline of new release from Image Entertainment," Bromiley said. "We're pleased to have W2 onboard and look forward to the broad spectrum of films they will bring to the market." "Smile" centers on seven friends who have organized a relaxing holiday in Morocco that turns into a nightmare. Mock documentary "The Puck Hogs" follows a men's recreational hockey team through the course of a weekend tournament. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Dimension Acquires Privileges To Michael Keaton Thriller Penthouse North

Dimension Films has arrived U.S. distribution privileges to director Frederick Ruben’s thriller Penthouse North, which stars Michael Keaton and Michelle Monaghan and starts shooting in December in Ottawa. David Loughery authored the script and it is creating with Ruben, Shaun Sackman and Michael Baker Jon Shiffman is executive producer. The storyline focuses on a sadistic criminal named Hollander (Keaton) who plays the cat-and-mouse game with Sara Taylor (Monaghan), a photojournalist who had been blinded in Iraq and has a lot of money of stolen diamonds hidden in her own apartment. Hollander uses mental and physical torture in order to locate them, but Sara fights back. Dimension’s Andrew Kramer and Michal Steinberg discussed the offer with Sackman and ICM, which assisted package the film and co-repped U.S. privileges.

Die Hard Search For Bruce Willis Son Down To Four Actors

EXCLUSIVE: In the young actor category, a role to die for is John McClane Jr, the son of Bruce Willis indestructible cop character in A Good Day To Die Hard, which John Moore will direct in Russia early next year for 20th Century Fox. Im told the studio, Moore and Willis are down to these four actors for the role: Hunger Games Liam Hemsworth; Emmy-winning Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul (scheduling on his series could pose a problem); The Pacific star James Badge Dale; and D.J. Cotrona, who was a regular in the series Detroit 1-8-7 and is currently shooting G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation. The studio would not comment.

'Martha Marcy' Filmmakers Sign First-Look Deal with Fox Searchlight

Borderline Films, the creative team behind the indie hit Martha Marcy May Marlene, has signed a couple-year start searching deal with Fox Searchlight.our editor recommendsMartha Marcy May Marlene: Film ReviewGotham Award Noms Visit 'The Descendants' and 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' The sale fortifies the written text involving the filmmakers and Searchlight, which acquired MMMM at Sundance which is delivering it now in movie theaters. FILM REVIEW: Martha Marcy May Marlene Borderline consists of Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin and Josh Mond. Durkin written the script for MMMM making his directorial debut round the drama. Campos and Mond socialized as producers along with Patrick Cunningham and Chris Maybach. MMMM, starring Elizabeth Olsen, won the dramatic feature pointing award at Sundance and ongoing to unspool within the Festival p Cannes, Toronto Worldwide Film Festival and NY Film Festival among others. Olsen has created some Oscar buzz on her behalf breakout performance. The principals call Searchlight "an ideal home" and also the move takes their company to a different level. AUDIO: Sean Durkin Discusses 'Martha Marcy May Marlene's' Rare Journey Through Four Major Film Fests The second reason is unquestionably true, since it can provide the business-created in 2003 and becoming produced several acclaimed shorts, music videos and features-a kind of stability extremely difficult for indie filmmakers to discover. The sale also needs to really calm one of the finest worries that indie filmmaker have-wondering what its next distribution outlet will probably be. Email: Borys.Package@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Package Related Subjects Fox Searchlight Pictures Martha Marcy May Marlene

Goldwyn Honours title those who win

UCLA student Robin Rudenberg has acquired the 2012 Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award, scoring $15,000 on her script "Reckoning." The 56th annual kudo, established through the Samuel Goldwyn Foundation and granted to ambitious scribes signed up for any school within the U. of California system, also hands out second and third place awards plus an honorable mention laurel. Second place visited Devin Fearn, nabbing $7,500 for script "Wendigo," while Amy Aniobi and Georgia Lin Sundling tied for third place, taking $4,000 each for Aniobi's "Blame Chocolate" and Sundling's "The Lengthy Short Drop." Fearn, Aniobi and Sundling are enrolled at UCLA. UC Santa Barbara's Cameron Lund acquired honorable mention along with a $2,000 prize for his script "Practicing To Achieve Perfection." David Hoberman, Paul Mazursky and Melanie Marnich selected the 2010 those who win, introduced Wednesday evening in L.A. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Oscar Producer Gilbert Cates Dies at 77

Oscar Producer Gilbert Cates Dies at 77 By Dany Margolies November 1, 2011 Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Gilbert Cates, an worldwide recognized leader in television, film, and theater, has died. He was 77.Cates was the creating director from the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. He would be a professor at UCLA, becoming dean from the School of Theater, Film and tv (that they founded) from 1990 through 1998. He created 14 Oscars shows, the final in 2008, garnering 84 Emmy nominations and 17 Emmy Honours within the years. He offered two terms as leader from the Company directors Guild of America. His film pointing credits include "I Never Sang for My DadInch (that they created) and "Summer time Wishes, Winter Dreams," each film generating two Oscar nominations because of its stars. His credits for acting, pointing, and creating in theater, film, and tv number within the many 100s.Last Year, Back Stage presented Cates having a Garland Award for lifetime achievement. Up to now he continues to be only person so identified by Back Stage. The youthful Cates have been a fencer at DeWitt Clinton Senior High School in the Bronx, N.Y. "After I reached Syracuse College," he told Back Stage inside a 2009 interview regarding the the Garland Honours, "the very first week I had been there, the drama department had introduced these were doing 'Richard III,' plus they sought out a fencer who may help choreograph the fight scene between Richard and Richmond. I acquired around the fencing team the very first week I had been there, because I had been okay in the sport, after which this call found look for a choreographer, and that i returned [home] Thanksgiving and told my astonished father I wasn't only likely to be a physician however i was likely to be a director, which helped me a large hit in the household for any while. And that is the way i began. But really I majored in theater at Syracuse. I didn't have a need to do other things but direct in the theater."Cates later gained a masters degree after writing his dissertation around the European circus of 1964. He started being employed as a webpage and tour guide at various systems. But Cates loved to credit Back Stage together with his professional start: "The very first job I gotwhich was because the assistant stage manager of the show known as 'Shinbone Alley,' with Eartha Kitt and Eddie Bracken, that performed in the Ambassador Theatre, I thinkI discover the notice of this job at the spine Stage."Through the years, Cates sought out bravery in the stars, specifically in theater. He stated, "Great acting is really a combination not just of expertise and talent but additionally an excellent of risk-taking, of jumping off within the deep finish from the pool, not knowing quite whether you are able to go swimming or otherwise. I can not imagine anybody playing King Lear, regardless of how gifted you're, who's not frightened at the idea to do that role, how big it, the dimension from it, the size of it. Which means you need courage to become an actormore courage to become an actress, frankly, than other things in the theater apart from as being a author."Teaching continued to be Cates' pleasure and mandate through the years. "I really like [students] simply because they bring a feeling of energy and a feeling of discovery and openness you don't find with those who have been doing the work for 10 or 20 or 3 decades,Inch he stated. "I attempt to encourage them to handle the fundamentals. If something isn't working, almost always it isn't employed by among 3 good reasons: Either it is the exposition, and that means you don't worry about it or it is the conflict, meaning there is no conflict to help keep you connected or there is no resolution, there is no ending into it. It does not need to be for the reason that order, but all you think about, all you understand in narrative formwhether it's film, theater, television, ballet, you title itother compared to talent or the execution from it, you'll need that exposition. Who're the folks? So why do we love them about the subject? You'll need the conflict, you need to comprehend it, and you'll need a resolution. 90-nine percent of time, when something does not work, it is because it's missing among individuals three things."Cates would be a gracious presence at Geffen Playhouse opening nights, because he cordially welcomed old buddies and met brand new ones. He seemed to be a close friend to Back Stage visitors, adding essays and the video presence to provide perspective and advice to any or all stars. His devotion to creating theater inside a film-and-television town was summed up best when he told Back Stage, "It's our obligation to encourage theater people where we liveto result in the wine where it's drunk." Oscar Producer Gilbert Cates Dies at 77 By Dany Margolies November 1, 2011 PHOTO CREDIT Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Gilbert Cates, an worldwide recognized leader in television, film, and theater, has died. He was 77.Cates was the creating director from the Geffen Playhouse in La. He would be a professor at UCLA, becoming dean from the School of Theater, Film and tv (that they founded) from 1990 through 1998. He created 14 Oscars shows, the final in 2008, garnering 84 Emmy nominations and 17 Emmy Honours through the years. He offered two terms as leader from the Company directors Guild of America. His film pointing credits include "I Never Sang for My DadInch (that they created) and "Summer time Wishes, Winter Dreams," each film generating two Oscar nominations because of its stars. His credits for acting, pointing, and creating in theater, film, and tv number within the many 100s.Last Year, Back Stage presented Cates having a Garland Award for lifetime achievement. Up to now he continues to be only person so identified by Back Stage. The youthful Cates have been a fencer at DeWitt Clinton Senior High School within the Bronx, N.Y. "After I reached Syracuse College," he told Back Stage inside a 2009 interview regarding the the Garland Honours, "the very first week I had been there, the drama department had introduced these were doing 'Richard III,' plus they sought out a fencer who may help choreograph the fight scene between Richard and Richmond. I acquired around the fencing team the very first week I had been there, because I had been okay in the sport, after which this call found look for a choreographer, and that i returned [home] Thanksgiving and told my astonished father I wasn't only likely to be a physician however i would be considered a director, which helped me a large hit in the household for some time. And that is the way i began. But really I majored in theater at Syracuse. I didn't have a need to do other things but direct within the theater."Cates later gained a masters degree after writing his dissertation around the European circus of 1964. He started being employed as a webpage and tour guide at various systems. But Cates loved to credit Back Stage together with his professional start: "The very first job I gotwhich was because the assistant stage manager of the show known as 'Shinbone Alley,' with Eartha Kitt and Eddie Bracken, that performed in the Ambassador Theatre, I thinkI discover the notice of this job at the spine Stage."Through the years, Cates sought out bravery in the stars, specifically in theater. He stated, "Great acting is really a combination not just of expertise and talent but additionally an excellent of risk-taking, of jumping off within the deep finish from the pool, being unsure of quite whether you are able to go swimming or otherwise. I can not imagine anybody playing King Lear, regardless of how gifted you're, who's not frightened at the idea to do that role, how big it, the dimension from it, the size of it. Which means you need courage to become an actormore courage to become an actress, frankly, than other things within the theater apart from as being a author."Teaching continued to be Cates' pleasure and mandate through the years. "I really like [students] simply because they bring a feeling of energy and a feeling of discovery and openness you don't find with those who have been doing the work for 10 or 20 or 3 decades,Inch he stated. "I attempt to encourage them to handle the fundamentals. If something isn't working, almost always it isn't employed by among 3 good reasons: Either it is the exposition, and that means you don't worry about it or it is the conflict, meaning there is no conflict to help keep you connected or there is no resolution, there is no ending into it. It does not need to be for the reason that order, but all you think about, all you understand in narrative formwhether it's film, theater, television, ballet, you title itother compared to talent or even the execution from it, you'll need that exposition. Who're the folks? So why do we love them about the subject? You'll need the conflict, you need to comprehend it, and you'll need a resolution. 90-nine percent of times, when something does not work, it is because it's missing among individuals three things."Cates would be a gracious presence at Geffen Playhouse opening nights, because he cordially welcomed old buddies and met brand new ones. He seemed to be a great friend to Back Stage visitors, adding essays and the video presence to provide perspective and advice to any or all stars. His devotion to creating theater inside a film-and-television town was summed up best when he told Back Stage, "It's our obligation to encourage theater people where we liveto result in the wine where it's drunk."

Baby Whisperer to save the day

Mickey Rourke does the hands and footprint factor at Grauman's. The raunchy "A Really Harold & Kumar three dimensional Christmas" boasts visual effects like Kal Penn's Claymation penis jutting out at audiences, John Cho's member stuck to some pole inside a homage to "A Christmas Story," naked nuns taking a shower along with a toddler at the top of cocaine and marijuana. First-time helmer Todd Strauss-Schulson says the stoned little girl was really triplets. "These were 2 1/24 months old which looks like it's the worst age to become, but we thought about being diverse from 'Hangover,'" he stated at Sunday's Beverly Wilshire junket for brand new Line's third installment from the series. "These were so connected, if a person would start crying it might set others off. Therefore we were coping with this Hydra, these monster babies," he ongoing. "We needed to employ a Baby Whisperer with down in her own hair and bellbottoms and she or he would train the infant, play these games and bribe her with sugar. "When she rubs her nicotine gums, that's brushing her teeth. Coming 'cocaine' on her behalf was coming sugar. Therefore the baby was type of high constantly, a sugar-hurry." For Cho's exposure, "We did possess the guy in 'Boogie Nights' who made that penis make our Asian penis. It had been rigged to some fake pole to drag off if this needed to be. I believe John wanted a bigger penis however it appeared more amusing if this was more compact." Mickey Rourke states he'd one prayer while making Relativity's "under $100 million" pic "Immortals." "Please God, allow me to 't be late for work or I will not work with another 13 years. "I must remain consistent,Inch the thesp ongoing at Saturday's Four Seasons junket. "Should you cause a lot of problems, regardless of how good you're, you will be unemployed. Within the past when the call was 7, I'd appear at 11. My status am bad, it made Marlon Brando seem like a fairy prince. When you are unemployed for 13 years, it is a humiliating experience. What I am fortunate about is most of the people I alienated and pissed off, they are no longer working any longer, they are all dead or nobody cares. The brand new breed does not care things i did two decades ago." For Britain's Henry Cavill, the "Immortals" star who's next as Superman, Rourke stated, "It is so nice to determine a youthful actor doing his push-ups and jumping around. I appreciated after i would be a youthful actor. He could not wait to visit work and that i could not wait to obtain off work." Producer Mark Canton also stated nice reasons for Cavill. "We was by Henry with bankers for any year when individuals would say, 'Who's Henry Cavill?' 'He's from "The Tudors," ' 'He's the GQ model.' He then will get the Superman job and also the same individuals who did not see him prior to this say they love him -- plus they still haven't seen him. We all know we made the ideal choice.Inch -- Stephen Schaefer Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com