Margin Call Producer Joe Jenckes Joins Benaroya Pictures As Head Of Production

March 7, 2012 (Los Angeles, CA)Joe Jenckes, a producer of the award-winning and critically acclaimed financial thriller MARGIN CALL, has joined Benaroya Pictures as its Head of Production. Jenckes, who had been partnered with MARGIN CALL writer-director J.C. Chandor for ten years, was one of the early supporters of the film, and through the course of production he developed ties with Michael Benaroya, CEO of Benaroya Pictures. He will work closely with Benaroya on all upcoming projects moving forward, serving as executive producer on the companys upcoming production KILL YOUR DARLINGS starring Daniel Radcliffe, Elizabeth Olsen, Dane DeHaan, and Jack Huston. The film is currently in pre-production in NY City, with principal photography set to commence March 19. Jenckes is in NY overseeing prep on behalf of Benaroya. After seeing Joe’s great success as one of the first supporters of J.C. Chandor and ‘Margin Call’, we look forward to his continued track record of uncovering quality films, said Benaroya. He will be a valuable on-set presence with our future projects as we engage in additional productions.” Benaroya Pictures romantic mystery THE WORDS starring Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, and Ben Barnes recently premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired by CBS Films, who will release it later this year. The companys financial thriller MARGIN CALL was recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Best First Feature Award at the recent Independent Spirit Awards.

Fox Moves The Finder To Fridays, Pushes Hotel Hell To Summer

Displaced by new drama Touch, Fox’s The Finder will finish its freshman run on Fridays. The Bones offshoot was originally slated to air its entire season on Thursdays. But Fox recently announced that its high-profile midseason drama Touch will get the post-American Idol slot beginning March 15. So The Finder‘s last Thursday episode will air on March 8. After a brief hiatus, the drama will resurface in the Friday 8 PM slot, beginning April 6 for its last 3 episodes of the season and likely series. There, it will replace the latest Gordon Ramsay series, Hotell Hell, which will now premiere in the summer, possibly paired with one of the the other 2 Ramsay shows, Hell’s Kitchen (I can see the promos already — A Night Of Hell on Fox) and MasterChef.

UPDATE: Nicollette Sheridan Will Be First On Stand As Desperate Housewives Trial Wraps Opening Statements

Freelance writer Dominic Patten is a Deadline contributor 3RD UPDATE, 4:35 PM:Stephen McPherson killed Edie Britt. That’s according to defense lawyer Adam Levin in his opening statement late this afternoon. Levin claims that the former ABC Entertainment president gave Desperate Housewivescreator/executive producer Cherry the OK to kill off Nicollette Sheridan’s character on the series — months before an alleged head-slapping incident between the actress and Cherry. Levin told jurors that on May 22, 2008, Cherry along with fellow Housewives exec producer Bob Daily went to then-ABC Studios boss Pedowitz and asked him if they could kill off Sheridan’s character in a “tentpole” Season 5 story arc. Pedowitz agreed, and that same day the group went to McPherson with the idea. “The evidence will show,” Levin said, “that Mr. McPherson agreed”. Along with Sheridan and Cherry, who were both in court today, Pedowitz, Daily and McPherson are scheduled to testify in the two-week trial. “People die all the time on television”, Levin said, citing the collective decision. “It can increase buzz and revenue”. Levin also all but claimed that Sheridan’s assertion that Cherry hit her on set in September 2008 was the actress attempting to generate buzz and revenue for herself. Sheridan, “suffered no injury” when Cherry “lightly tapped” her on the head while giving her on-set direction that day. “She didn’t even have a red mark; she didn’t even take an aspirin,” Levin told the jury, dismissing the plaintiff’s contention that the actress was “hit hard,” as her lawyer claimed earlier. “The evidence will show she went to her trailer and the first call she made was to check her voicemail”. Concluded Levin: “Ms. Sheridan was not battered nor wrongfully terminated”. The trial continues Thursday. 2ND UPDATE, 4:15 PM: Both opening arguments have ended. Sheridan is schedule to be the first witness on the stand tomorrow morning at 9:15 and is expected to testify all day Thursday and the entire half-day session Friday. 1ST UPDATE, 3:20 PM:Sheridan’s lawyer Mark Baute said in his opening statement this afternoon that the formerDesperate Housewivesco-star is “bravely” waging this lawsuit battle “largely alone in a town where no one wants to take on the networks”. In his presentation, Bautelaid out a series of contradictions to Cherry, ABC Studios and ABC’s defense of Sheridan’s wrongful termination and battery suit. He argued that Cherry never decided as he had claimed to fire Sheridan from the show in May 2008, nor that the actress acted unprofessionally or was fired as a “cost-cutting measure.” He also told the jury that if Cherry really had decided to get rid of Sheridan in May 2008, why did he exercise the actress’ $4 million Season 5 contract option “on June 3, 2008″?”Bottom line, this is a retaliatory termination,” Baute said. The lawyer also made reference to a reported head-slapping incident between Sheridan and Cherry on the set on September 24, 2008 — Cherry later admitted he “lightly tapped” Sheridan on the head while giving direction on a scene. Boute said Sheridan “knows the difference between getting slapped on the head hard and getting tapped.”Then-ABC executive Mark Pedowitz demanded an investigation into the incident a month later, but Baute told the jury that it was conducted without either Sheridan or Cherry being interviewed by ABC human resources, and that the “network, studio and everyone went along because a show like Desperate Housewives is a serious revenue-generating machine.” Baute concluded his opening statement at about 3 PM, and was locked in an embrace with his client as the jury filed out of the courtroom. PREVIOUS, 2:05 PM: A jury has just been seated in the trial that pits former Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan against series creator/executive producer Marc Cherry and ABC over her departure from the hit show. Nine women and six men were selected after three days in the downtown LA courtroom. Following instruction from Judge Elizabeth Allen White, will be the opening statement from Sheridan’s lawyer Mark Baute. The trial is expected to last until March 12.

Movieline Liveblogs the 2012 Oscars (Plus: Complete Those who win List!)

Hollywood's greatest (and perhaps most anticlimactic) evening is here, which could only mean one factor: Movieline's third annual Oscar Liveblog Extravaganza! Join your Movieline editors and loyal visitors once we parse the Oscars to inside an inch of the glamorous lives. The enjoyment starts around the red-colored carpet at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, using the Oscarcast proper starting at 8:30 p.m ET/5:30 p.m. PT. And regardless, keep up to date with the 2010 Oscar class with this commentary following the jump. [ADVISORY 8 p.m. ET: The CoverItLive/Twitter interface is buggy for the moment we are focusing on an answer! Interesting persistence!] [ADVISORY 8:20 p.m. ET: Many apologies to visitors who was simply looking at the livetweet module technical difficulties around the Twitter interface managed to get impossible to carry on. Please chime along with us within the comments!] 11:38 Well, thank you for playing along, and sorry for that technical difficulties. But enough about Harvey Weinstein's high-five capabilities! That's all. More Monday on Movieline. Go consuming! What still doing here? 11:35 And Tom Cruise announces The Artist as well as Picture champion. And provide Uggie the Oscar! 11:33 Some excellent cosmetic surgery within the last 3 minutes. 11:30 Meryl Streep wins Best Actress! Great? 11:26 "Rooney, you've got no experience. Champion, obtain the fuck from here." 11:24 Best Actress! Colin Firth is really eloquent. "Glenn! You're so Nobbsie. Hallo, Nobbsie! Congratulations, Glenn. You probably did Nobbsie. Nobbsie!" 11:20 VIOLIN LADY! 11:18 Champion to Jean Dujardin! You may never operate in the town again. 11:14 I've nothing left. Demian, George, Jean... what a method to introduce you to ultimately PUUUUUKE 11:08 Thanks towards the Academy for raising George Kuchar to roughly 10 dead-industry-people places below Bette Davis. 11:03 I DIED 10:58: VIOLIN LADY! 10:52 Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius. Clearly. 10:48 Oscar date: "Where's our dead people montage? Where's our dead people montage?" Yeah, kinda. 10:45 Yayyyyy, photo-bombers Brandon Oldenburg and William Joyce take Best Animated Short. Champion. Cocktail/smoke/heroin/sleep break... BRB. 10:42 Short those who win: The Shoreline (dramatic) and Saving Face (documentary). Y'all are totally fucking up my Oscar pool. 10:39 Kristin Wiig, film size full. May I would recommend Margaret? 10:33 Adam Sandler wants to get at the reality. When he's 85. He may make it happen. 10:30 Woodsy Allen wins Best Original Script. Let us reach what affects Reese Witherspoon about Overboard. 10:26 Best Modified Script: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash win it for that Descendants. Payne, insufferably, to his mother: "Basically ever won another Oscar, I needed to dedicate it for you.Inch Well, then. 10:18 Must I be saying something about these suits? The cymbals? Or that 1/2 of Flight from the Conchords just won an Oscar? Yes, that. 10:13 Ludovic Bource! Method to rape the Academy awards! 10:10 Uggie was around the Academy awards. We made it happen. 10:04 VIOLIN LADY! 10:01 For Novices, Christopher Plummer becomes the earliest actor ever to win an Oscar. Go away, kid. 9:58 Melissa Leo, who're you putting on? "Penney's" Oh. 9:56 Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich within the same Oscarcast? What did we all do to deserve this? Oh, incidentally, Hugo just won Best Visual Effects. 9:54 Emma Stone single-handedly saved a minimum of the final half-hour from the Academy awards. Thanks you, Emma! 9:47 Gore Verbinski is definitely an Academy Award-champion. That's all. 9:45 Take a look at Movieline's Best Documentary Feature roundtable here. 9:42 Robert Downey and Gwyneth Paltrow "introduce" Best Documentary Feature: Undefeated. Um, wow. Shocking upset over Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory. 9:40 The Academy awards just leaped the circus elephant. 9:37 Thanks Miss Piggy and Kermit! Here's my undertake "What it really Way to Use the bathroom." 9:29 When the idea is you energy with the bullshit and montages and provide the those who win time for you to speak, i quickly am allllll for your. Oh, wait - Cirque Du Soleil approaching next. Let alone! 9:26 Hugo wins Best Seem Editing and finest Seem Mixing. My consuming games can't maintain this pace! Decelerate, Tina Fey! 9:24 Yay! Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall win Best Editing for that Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo and also have absolutely nothing to say. Nicely done, gentlemen. 9:22 The cults from the Academy awards and Christopher Guest just died before my eyes. 9:17 Via @jenyamato at @movieline: "Could it be an excessive amount of for you to that certain day the Academy awards can get Keyboard Cat to experience from the lengthy-winded acceptance speeches?" AMEN, SISTER. 9:15 VIOLIN LADY! 9:14 Octavia Spencer wins Best Supporting Actress! Roll Tide! 9:10 Incidentally, exactly what does Otis the Oscar Cat think the 2010 honours to date? Ahem. 9:07 A Separation wins Best Foreign-Language Feature! Approach to take, Iran! Imagine what you'll use nuclear weapons! 9:06 Loving Sandra Bullock at this time. I desired Chinese by means of German, seriously. 9:01 Lovely film-fan montage. "I recall saying, 'Can I please that?'" No, Adam Sandler, you can't. 9:00 OK, therefore the theme is to visit the films. 8:58 "Ldkjhafdslkjfhakljdhfsalkjhdadjk!!!" Could not have stated it much better, Cameron and J-Lo! Oh, and also the Iron Lady won Best Make-Up. 8:57 Another minute passed! This implies the following shot. 8:56 Mark Bridges and also the Artist win Best Costume Design. And first Harvey Weinstein mention! This implies a go. 8:54 Roland Emmerich was around the Academy awards. Now I'm able to die. #ConsiderEmmerich 8:52 I was off and away to this type of nice, fast start! And today... this clip reel? "This is when movies were really made on film." Your Very Best CINEMATOGRAPHER SHOT DIGITAL, ASSHOLE. 8:46 Nice to determine Donatella Versace make Italia 2-for just two. Could it be a Hugo evening? 8:44 Robert Richardson! Huge upset! I believe? I am drunk. Second 3-D champion in 3 years, though - pretty good. Take a look at his Movieline chatwith Shaun Cronenweth here. 8:43 Large evening for you personally, Carl! 8:41 Did I miss the Very Noisy and extremely Close a part of that song? Or only agreed to be the part where Very bombed? 8:39 Marty Scorsese's daughter knows how pathetically weak this really is. A lot for that more youthful demographic! 8:37 How did we have ever disregard the "Chapter 11 Theater"? 8:35 I've no clue what's going on with this particular intro. Bourbon, please. 8:25 I seem like I have resided and/or labored an eternity within the last 1 hour 30 minutes. Only six hrs to visit!

Christopher Plummer Stokes Beginners Beef with Uggie: 'Our Dog Had Soul'

Backstage within the Film Independent Spirit Honours, Christopher Plummer (who vies for your Oscar tomorrow) celebrated his Best Supporting Actor win for beginners and gleefully stoked the fires from the pup versus. pup beef between their very own co-star inside the film, Cosmo, as well as the Artist's award season favorite Uggie. "We'd somewhat private talk," he referred to of scene-stealer Cosmo. "You now take it up, In my opinion our Cosmo was much more human than Uggie. Uggie was only a trickster. Our dog had soul." Fighting words!

Leonard Maltin to head Biografilm jury

ROME - U.S. Film critic Leonard Maltin has been recruited to head the jury at Italy's eighth Biografilm Festival, billed as a cinematic celebration of human lives. The Bologna-based event, headed by Italo critic and film industry entrepreneur Andrea Romeo, will feature a slim competish comprising ten selected international pics, out of 450 submitted, each centered around a character's life and work. Emerging event will run June 8-18. Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com

Senator boosts gold gold coin to boost production

Senator Entertainment, which inked a distinctive output deal with Relativity Media in December, is searching to enhance greater than tens of millions of ($13.3 million) utilizing a share increase later this year to arrange for just about any significant rise in possibilities.Furthermore towards the slate of approaching Hollywood game game titles, the Berlin-based customers are also maintaining a focus on German and European productions.Senator is joining track of producer Christoph Mueller by having an adaptation of Hermann Hesse's medieval tale "Narcissus and Goldmund."Senator Boss Helge Sasse mentioned the film is really a large-allotted, British-language worldwide production getting an english-American cast.Senator has yet to announce a director for your project, although industry affiliates are betting on Florian Gallenberger, director in the 2009 historic Nanking drama "John Rabe," while using reigns.Gallenberger has formerly expressed keen fascination with adapting the novel, that's set against turbulent historic occasions and follows the lives of two pals whose lives take different paths while you becomes a wanderer and artist, another a scholarly and controlled monk.Local and European productions constitute a couple of primary support beams at Senator, another being U.S. content -- the business is praising the wealth of French comedy "Intouchables," which has designed a jaw-losing $33 million, which causes it to be most likely the very best Gallic pic ever in Germany. A year ago, "King's Speech" needed in than $22 million, becoming most likely the very best releases in Germany this season.Sasse also provides high anticipation for Daniel Cohen's approaching "Comme not chef" (The Chef), starring Jean Reno, which unspools in Berlin's Culinary Cinema sidebar.Searching forward, Senator will probably spend substantially more incorporated within the Relativity deal, which will increase its releases from 20 close to 30 photos yearly.InchAbout fifty percent within our films vary from U.S. and they are extremely effective,Inch mentioned Sasse. "We wanted to experience a more expected situation and greater product security."The Relativity agreement can provide Senator German rights to such films as "Rut,In . "Hunter Killer" and "Afterburn."The arrival capital increase follows another $13.3 million the business elevated a year ago using a bond problem.Senator's other U.S. game game titles include Curtis Hanson's surfer pic "Of Males and Mavericks," starring Gerard Butler "Our Idiot Brother," "Spy Kids: Constantly in the world in 4D," "W.E." and "a few days in NY," which Senator co-produced. Contact Erection dysfunction Meza at erection dysfunction.meza@mannaa.de

Exclusive New Haywire Clip

McGregor & Carano setup a jobSteven Soderbergh's Haywire hits movie theaters today, but in front of your evening visit there's an exclusive clip from the film to get a taster. Of course, this is among the couple of moments within the film where Carano's speaking to a person instead of kicking someone's ass, but hey!We are about variety here.Carano plays black operations agent Mallory, who works best for Ewan McGregor's Kenneth (also her old boyfriend). Here, getting finished one mission and came back home, she's welcomed by her boss with a brand new assignment, that they discuss here.Not pictured:Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, MichaelFassbender, ChanningTatum, Michael Angarano and Bill Paxton. Haywire's out today, featuring the only real Dublin-set action scene you are prone to check this out year.

Recently "Mellow" Charlie Sheen Preps His Forex Series Anger Management

Charlie Sheen Because he plots coming back to primetime via FX's approaching sitcom Anger Management, Charlie Sheen states he's putting last spring's "tiger bloodstream"-fueled antics behind him."I am a much more mellow and focused plus much more rooted the truth is,Inch Sheen told reporters Sunday evening at Pasadena's Castle Eco-friendly. Sheen required his image rehab tour towards the nation's TV experts, who have been collected in a party honoring Fox's and FX's approaching series. But when Sheen showed up, reporters mobbed him.Sheen amusingly calls his public meltdown last spring his "winning journey" but stands by his contention he was unhappy together with his participation on 2 . 5 Males.What went down? The actor states his behavior was triggered by "what happening its individuals years around the set, also it seemed to be concerning the pressure preparing 3 decades in the industry, and merely finally attempting to say everything I needed to express.Inch He adds: "I stated them all at one time also it produced a tsunami of bizarre proportions."Despite several accounts that Sheen's substance use was affecting his performance on Males - resulting in his dismissal - Sheen states he thinks he was "right by what they [Males producer Warner Bros. TV] tried which was drastically wrong versus. things i tried... when it comes to who had been in breach. This is exactly why I pressed it so difficult because I understood there is victory in the finish."Nevertheless, when requested whether he harbored any regrets from this past year, Sheen states, "I will be a little less vocal concerning the people I labored with." (Sheen notoriously blasted Males professional producer Chuck Lorre, in addition to CBS and Warner Bros., resulting in his dismissal.)Exclusive: Chuck Lorre Talks 2 . 5 Men's Turnaround and the "Painful" YearSheen's exit from Males brought to many unusual moves - together with a countrywide stage reveal that got off and away to a bumpy start. "It had been a genuine [lesson] of adhering as to the you realize,Inch Sheen states of the items he learned from that have. Since that time, he's gone to acting, getting just wrapped the Roman Coppola movie A Glimpse Within the Mind of Charles Swan III, that Sheen states he was compensated $1,700 per week - "and that i never was more happy," he states. "It ain't concerning the money."Sheen restored his gripe he felt underutilized on 2 . 5 Males which it did not solicit his opinions on the program - but being an executive producer and profit participant in Anger Management, he promises to be really involved. "Each time I see [Anger Management executive producer Bruce Helford], it's just like a hundred warm hugs," Sheen states. "To possess my input welcomed is definitely an alien concept in my experience.InchProvides Helford: "Whenever I perform a show having a star, only then do we partner. We are carrying this out together. Anything I actually do I run by Charlie and that we discuss it. She has great ideas and we are using individuals."The reveal shares a title using the movie Anger Management, but very little else. Sheen will have an old baseball player with anger issues who ends up being an unconventional anger management counselor. Sheen's character (named Charlie, natch) juggles his work and private existence - because he comes with an ex-wife, a 13-year-old daughter and the own counselor.The smoothness also works together with two therapy groups: A personal one, and something in a women's prison (which was Sheen's idea). "This can be a show about how exactly all this affects Charlie's existence," Helford states. "It's half place of work and half personal existence there is however a natural flow backwards and forwards... His existence is much more messed up than the majority of his patients."Helford states he's searching to provide Anger Management a "mature tone" much like Roseanne (where he once labored) and also the shows of famous All in the household producer Norman Lear. "We've the license to get it done,Inch he states.Sheen and Helford have previously hired a writing staff for that show, and today intend to start casting in a few days. A couple of charge roles demand women within their late 30s or early 40s, "and individuals will be stars you know, I am sure," Helford states.Lionsgate (the studio behind the show) and it is Debmar-Mercury distribution arm will initially produce 10 instances of Anger Management. In the event that initial order hits a particular rankings threshold, then a purchase by Forex for an additional 90 episodes immediately takes over.Below a increased production schedule, several episode could be recorded per week. "To achieve that type of schedule, you'll need somebody that knows their stuff, that has carried this out before," Helford states. "And Charlie is actually sharp and extremely fast."Although Management is going to be shot with multiple cameras and audience laughs, the show will not be recorded before a studio audience. A crowd will screen each episode later as well as their laughter recorded for use within the telecast.For his former 2 . 5 Males stomping grounds, Sheen calls the brand new version (now starring Ashton Kutcher) a "totally new show." "I believe areas of it are funny," he states. "I do not watch it much, but from things i viewed I believed it was an excellent. [But] it is a different show."Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Round the Set: Masters of magic of Waverly Place Prepares to completely disappear

Masters of magic of Waverly Place There's some pretty intense competition happening among the Masters of magic of Waverly Place cast simply because they begin shooting the best episode in the hit Disney Funnel sitcom. Sure, there's that whole plot point about which Russo child will win the wizard competition as well as their forces. Much like fierce, though, might be your dream over who reaches keep the cozy lounge chair inside the wizards' lair. "Everyone's fighting over that particular,Inch jokes Mike T. Austin, who plays Max, the youngest Russo sister. Adds Jennifer Stone, who plays Harper, "[We're] in the war over that chair. I may need to kick a couple of folks the shin with this.Inch Whether it's a really cozy chair. Or fight for furniture is simply the cast's approach to trying to hold onto a show that's become most likely typically the most popular in Disney Funnel history throughout its four seasons round the air. Meanwhile, star Selena Gomez is processing her feelings in the more direct way. "It's greatly affecting me," she sighs. "I've been quiet, adhering to myself, and everyone keeps asking me wrong. They still tell possess fun, finish around the high note." Masters of magic does that. Throughout its run, the series showed up at greater than 182 million audiences in 169 nations in 32 different languages and won a 2009 Emmy for Outstanding Children's Program. And since the show winds lower, creator Todd Greenwald is doing all they can to keep the final results in the wizard competition in tonight's finale an unpredicted for everyone. That meant handing the best four script pages for the cast an hour or so approximately just before the final moments were shot to make sure that "after they were on stage, it absolutely was like watching everything unfold the first time,In . he describes after production systems. "It absolutely was certainly satisfying as well as the stars, who've been playfully battling to find out who'd win your competitors, didn't see [this ending] coming. In my opinion everyone else will enjoy a the actual way it calculates." If he could only make them determine who'll obtain the lounge chair... Masters of magic of Waverly Place airs Friday at 8/7c on Disney Funnel. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Trump Drops Republican Party Registration

First Released: December 24, 2011 11:31 AM EST Credit: Getty Images NY, N.Y. -- Caption Jesse Trump and Melania Trump attend the planet premiere of Tower Heist in the Ziegfeld Theatre, New york city, on October 24, 2011Billionaire businessman Jesse Trump has transformed his voter registration in NY condition from Republican to unaffiliated. A spokesperson for Trump states the businessman and tv host transformed his affiliation to preserve his choice to seek the presidency in 2012. Special Counsel Michael Cohen stated Friday that Trump could go into the race if Republicans neglect to nominate an applicant who are able to defeat Leader Obama. He stated Trump most likely would use his substantial wealth to the playing area with Obamas re-election campaign. Cohen stated Trumps resolve for hosting Televisions The Apprentice could keep him from doing anything until May, once the shows season systems up. He stated Trump filed his voter registration documents Thursday. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kaira Pitt Consoles Suicidal Guy at 'Moneyball' Q&A

The 2009 Sunday, things got just a little odd undertaking a screening of 'Moneyball' in California. Within a Q&A session featuring Kaira Pitt and Jonah Hill, a man awoke for the microphone and referred to to Pitt he was thinking about suicide. Following a room had fallen quiet, Pitt referred to for the guy that "the situation is cyclical." Ongoing the star: "When you're up you're up, so when you're lower you're lower." Pitt ongoing to go over films that have changed his existence and affected him positively. There is a minimal-quality video in the exchange, which you'll want to watch below (it starts within the 42-second mark). Following a Q&A, Pitt apparently approached the man and spoken with him more. On Tuesday, Pitt won the NY Film Experts Circle Award for top Actor for his role in 'Moneyball.' The film follows Kaira as Concord A's gm Billy Beane. [via Us Weekly and Hollywood Elsewhere] [Photo: AP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Win Tickets to the L.A. Premiere of 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

In 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' Gary Oldman plays a retired spy set on hunting down a mole inside British intelligence. Now, Moviefone is offering you the chance to do a little spying of your own -- at the official Los Angeles premiere of the film. Next week, we'll be giving away two pairs of 'Tinker Tailor' premiere tickets. To enter, simply head over to the Moviefone Facebook page and tell us -- in 100 words or less -- who your favorite on-screen spy is, and why. The premiere takes place on December 6, so be sure to get your comment logged before the midnight deadline on December 2. A few notes on eligibility: winners must be at least 18 years old and reside in the Los Angeles area (sorry, non-West Coasters). 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' which Leslie Felperin of 'Variety' likened to "a perfectly seasoned consomme," is up for seven British Independent Film Awards and was nominated for the Gold Lion at this year's Venice Film Festival. It was directed by Tomas Alfredson and stars Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, Mark Strong and John Hurt, as well as Oldman. The film opens in limited release on December 9. For Official Rules: Click Here [Photo: Focus Features] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

The Book Of Mormon Now In The Black

While there is suspicion that the year-old Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark will have to run for decades to recoup its $75 million budget despite its glowing press, the same cannot be said of the Tony-winning The Book Of Mormon. The musical by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone this week recouped its capitalization and will now begin pouring cash into the pockets of investors. This is hardly a surprise: the musical continues to be Broadway’s hot ticket, and it has broken the house record 22 times at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre since opening March 24.

Bret McKenzie Shares 'Hobbit' Set Tales Talks 'Flight from the Conchords' Movie (Video)

LONDON - James Murdochstepped lower from a number of senior positions managing the group's British newspapers in September without creating a public announcement, it emerged Wednesday.our editor recommends'James Murdoch Arrested' Tweet Taken Lower by Sky NewsJames Murdoch Confesses News Corp. Put British MPs Under Covert SurveillanceNews Corp.: 35% of Investor Votes Opposed James Murdoch Rupert Murdoch Was Requested by Parents of Killed Schoolgirl to 'Put Things Right' at News Corp. Over Phone-HackingRelated Subjects•Rupert Murdoch Per documents filed at Companies House on Sept. 16, it seems that Murdoch walked lower two several weeks ago from his position as director of News Group Newspapers, which manages The Sunand This News around the globe, so that as director of Occasions Newspapers, which runs The Timesand The Sunday Occasions. He's also walked lower as director of Director of News Worldwide Holdings. PHOTOS: News around the globe's Top Ten Scams News Group Newspapers remains involved in many criminal and judicial research into alleged criminal activities in the posting group. However, he'll remain in many much talked about positions that advise a ongoing relationship using the newspaper operation that's been so broken through the phone-hacking facts that eventually forced the closure from the News around the globe. Murdoch remains executive chairman of News Worldwide - the division that puts out The Sun's Rays, The Occasions, The Sunday Timesand formerly This News from the Worldand he remains director from the Timesnewspaper board. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Memorable Mea Culpas News Worldwide reps haven't given a reason for that failure to announce such key changes once they happened but stated they just reflected Tom Mockridge's appointment as leader of News Worldwide. "Following a appointment of Tom Mockridge as Boss of News Worldwide, in September James Murdoch walked lower in the boards of numerous News Worldwide subsidiary companies including News Group Newspapers (NGN) and Occasions Newspapers Ltd (TNL). He remains Chairman of NI Group Ltd (News Worldwide) along with a director of Occasions Newspapers Holdings Ltd (TNHL), the holding company of Occasions Newspapers," the organization stated inside a statement. Mockridge, the first kind Boss of Sky Italia, was hired to operate the newspaper operation after his predecessor Rebekah Waderesigned, and was shortly after that arrested in This summer. James Murdoch also remains non-executive chairman of BSkyB, that is 39 percent-possessed by News Corp. Meanwhile, News Ltd Australia has unconditionally refused claims it attempted to bribe an old Australian senator, Bill O'Chee. "News Limited chairman and leader John Hartigan unconditionally refused accusations of improper conduct by the organization that have been released within the Fairfax press today," the organization stated inside a statement reported through the Wall Street Journal, a part of News Corporation. Australia's Federal Police has confirmed towards the newspaper that it's looking into claims the former Queensland senator have been offered favorable news coverage in return for supporting specific digital television legislation. Related Subjects Worldwide News Worldwide News Group Newspapers James Murdoch Phone Hacking Scandal

Cameron Crowe Returns With 'We Bought a Zoo'

When Cameron Crowe was courting Matt Damon to star in "We Bought a Zoo," he traveled to the set of the Coen brothers' "True Grit" in Austin and presented Damon with a script, a CD of songs that he'd burned and a copy of "Local Hero" -- a perfect little 1983 movie in which Peter Riegert played an oil-company executive sent to buy a remote village in Scotland."My instructions were to not just read the script and make a decision," Damon says.Crowe had brought all the tools in his kit -- music, film and words -- not only to convey what he had in mind for this movie but to envelop Damon in the world he meant to create. "He said: 'I know what you're going to be afraid of; the bad version of this movie is really a movie you don't want to be in. That's what I'm afraid of too,'" Damon says. And that told Damon two things: that Crowe wanted to avoid making the bad movie and that he intended to fight against it with Damon as his brother-in-arms.Crowe was right: Damon didn't want to make what he calls "the Disney version" of the story about a grieving widower with two children who makes the unlikely decision to buy and restore a dilapidated zoo. "It might be popular, but it wouldn't be something that I'd be proud to be a part of," Damon says.As he listened to Crowe's music on a run through Central Park, though, he got a very different vibe. "There were all these songs I know but live versions that he got from sound boards," Damon says. "A song like, 'I'm Open' by Eddie Vedder -- he gave me a particularly moving version that I've never heard. I kind of finished that run and went, 'That's a really good feeling.' "Then Damon watched "Local Hero" and found it to be "a masterpiece."Still, Crowe, 54, hadn't directed a feature since the poorly received "Elizabethtown" in 2005. Damon says he wasn't thinking about that film but rather about Crowe's 1996 hit "Jerry Maguire." "I kept coming back to, this is the guy who did, 'You complete me,' " Damon says. "This is a guy who could aim for that small bull's-eye and hit it."So he signed on to do "We Bought a Zoo," happily succumbing like many before him to the delights of a Cameron Crowe seduction.As for Crowe, he says it was the other way around. Fox was imagining a shortlist of candidates for the lead, but Crowe says it was all over for him halfway through his meeting with Damon. What lured him was the actor's obvious appetite to play the emotion in the film."He's, like, wide open to a thrilling new peak and searching for it," Crowe says. "There's nothing, 'Kid, this is how we did it with Clint' about it." So "it was purely him seducing me because halfway through our meeting, I was like, 'I can't do this without Matt Damon.' And I declared it.""We Bought a Zoo" is a movie that defies easy categorization, so it might seem an unlikely project to come from Fox, which has not established a reputation for taking creative risks (unless you happen to be James Cameron). Damon plays the father who buys the zoo to begin an adventure and console his motherless children. Scarlett Johansson is the scrappy zookeeper. The film is a comedy and a drama; Tom Rothman, co-chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, calls it "an emotional event" and says no one should be surprised that the studio backed the project. (The film opens Dec. 23, but Fox is so high on it that the studio scheduled sneaks around the country during Thanksgiving weekend hoping to generate strong word-of-mouth.)"We do a lot of things around here that don't fit neatly into a niche, and this movie was one of them," Rothman says. "That's what's kind of great about it. You say, 'What movie does this remind you of?' and no one can give you a movie."That's why many in the industry say they are rooting for "Zoo" even if they have nothing to do with the film. "Cameron works from a truly, deeply creative place," says Paula Wagner, a producer on Crowe's "Vanilla Sky" (2001) and "Elizabethtown." "And I don't know that our business right now allows that. Our business became very focused on the business of it all. The buzzwords became about numbers, brands. But the word 'original' is coming back into our vocabulary. That's what I would say about Cameron: original, original, original."Says Crowe's former mentor, James L. Brooks: "He's singular -- that's the big deal about Cameron. There's one guy like that."Crowe was never a director to crank out one film after another: There were generally gaps of about four years from "Say Anything" (1989) to "Singles" (1992) to "Jerry Maguire" (1996) to "Almost Famous" (2000). But with a longer break than usual, it has been natural for some of Crowe's old associates in the industry to surmise that he had not made a film since 2005 because of disappointment. His 14-year marriage to Nancy Wilson of the rock band Heart ended in divorce in 2010. And "Elizabethtown," a $45 million film pairing Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom, had fizzled at the box office and brought unaccustomed wrath from critics.Crowe had taken some knocks for "Vanilla Sky," his adaptation of the Spanish film "Open Your Eyes," but the long knives really came out for "Elizabethtown." "The Village Voice" panned it under the headline "Almost Shameless," while "The NY Times" dismissed it as "a strange, messy stew of a movie."But Crowe seems baffled and a bit dismayed by the supposition that he was in a funk or somehow affected by the chilly reception of his most recent film. "Elizabethtown" was a movie made for all the right reasons, and people who connect with the movie really connect to it," he says. "It's not the biggest group of people ever, but I still really believe in 'Elizabethtown.' It wasn't, like, a savage blow."Instead, Crowe says he simply got engaged in writing scripts, including a long and ultimately frustrating effort to make a Marvin Gaye biopic with Will Smith. "We had many meetings where we talked about it," Crowe says. "And at the end, he couldn't say yes. It's a tough thing to play Marvin Gaye. He's a towering figure. Who would want to be the guy who played Marvin and didn't nail it? Will isn't wrong; the guy who plays it should be a guy who tears into it and knows it's the right thing, and I don't think he ever came around the corner on it."While working on that and other ideas -- and hanging out with his twin boys, now 11 -- Crowe says, "I got into such a script-writing mode that I lost sight of the joy of directing." Then Fox production president Emma Watts came to him with a draft for "We Bought a Zoo" by Aline Brosh McKenna ("27 Dresses," "The Devil Wears Prada"). The script was based on the 2008 book by Benjamin Mee, the man who actually bought the zoo. Watts found herself pitching the project to Crowe on her phone in the Neiman Marcus parking lot, and she says her hopes weren't high. After all, Crowe had written pretty much every film he had directed, and most felt very personal to him. "I don't get nervous very often, but I actually did," she says. "I thought for sure I was dead because he was being so polite to me."But Watts was thrilled when Crowe said he would try a rewrite to see if he could find his version of the movie. "There's nothing quite like a turn through his typewriter," Watts says. There are so many lines from Crowe movies that stick in the popular psyche: "You complete me." "You had me at hello." "Show me the money." "The guy just writes lines that you think of your whole life," Watts says."I knew talking on the phone to Emma that Benjamin Mee's real-life story had all the elements I love in storytelling: humor, great characters, love and an impossible dream," Crowe says. "I could already hear the music too. That story came knocking in a big way, and it didn't go away. You wait for the zing, and the zing happened on 'We Bought a Zoo.'"Crowe's website is called The Uncool, which is funny, of course, because Crowe has been the King of Cool for a generation that believes it really knows cool. His gift for making those around him feel included in his cool world is part of his magic. "I was incredibly susceptible to that because I was never cool," says one executive who has worked with Crowe. It's a quote that could come from many in Hollywood.Crowe came by his cool honestly. He was born in Palm Springs to a realtor father and a mother who taught English and sociology, demonstrated for peace and farm-workers' rights and recognized that her son was gifted. Crowe skipped kindergarten and two grades in elementary school. "It wasn't that I was a tiger mom and wanted to push my son," says his mother, Alice, now 90. "He was sort of bored."By the time he was in high school in San Diego, he was very obviously younger than his classmates, and he was battling a kidney disease, nephritis, which Crowe says he eventually outgrew. Crowe's mother says he was so out of place that he felt more secure hanging out in the school's newspaper offices. Crowe says the kidney condition gave him "permission to be a geek. You're weak, you go the doctors' offices a lot, and you're not on the teams at school so much. All of that opened the door for the arts because my mom was like, 'I'm taking you to the movies.' "If he felt uncool then, that didn't last long. At 13, Crowe started writing rock reviews for a local alternative paper, "The San Diego Door," even though his parents didn't allow rock music in the house. ("I wasn't that strict," his mother says. "It's just the lyrics bothered me. I thought they were very demeaning to women, especially.")The rest, as they say, is history. Crowe started corresponding with Lester Bangs, who had left the "Door" to become editor of the rock magazine "Creem." Crowe graduated from high school at 15 and on a trip to L.A., met "Rolling Stone" editor Ben Fong-Torres, who made him the youngest correspondent ever at the magazine. Crowe went on the road with the Allman Brothers Band at 18, and his work profiling such legendary rockers as Eric Clapton, Neil Young and members of Led Zeppelin not only enveloped him in permafrost cool but became fodder for "Almost Famous." His mother's dream -- that he would go to law school, or even college -- was doomed.On an assignment on the set of the 1978 movie "American Hot Wax," Crowe met producer Art Linson, who gave him a tiny cameo in the film. ("Whoever was there got to walk in," Linson says.) The following year, Crowe enrolled in Clairemont High School in San Diego as a young-looking 22-year-old and wrote the book "Fast Times at Ridgemont High." Linson optioned it before it was published. Crowe wrote the screenplay, and Amy Heckerling directed the film, which featured a cast of unknowns including Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nicolas Cage (credited as Nicolas Coppola). The film was not only a sleeper hit, grossing $27.1 million, but became a pop culture touchstone."It was Cameron's voice," says Linson. "Half the things that were said out of people's mouths in that movie are part of the culture. Cameron has a wonderful ear. He listens and he's smart, so the details you hear are authentic."Crowe next teamed up with Brooks, who first produced "Say Anything," in which John Cusack courted Ione Skye. He then drove Crowe hard through many rewrites of "Jerry Maguire." "He's somebody who was successful at a weirdly young age," says Brooks. "He was successful in an amazing era when it was happening in the big time. There's an enormous sophistication to that, but he never became cynical." Crowe is "as sharp an observer as there is," Brooks continues, but "his heart is still true. His emotion is genuine. He loves all his characters."Crowe says Brooks -- who made him write out the manifesto that Tom Cruise's character announces, but never reads, in Jerry Maguire -- taught him to be even truer to his own voice. The film was not only Crowe's biggest commercial hit, with a gross of $274 million worldwide, but led to a close friendship and partnership with Cruise, who was a producer on "Vanilla Sky" and "Elizabethtown."Throughout his career, Crowe has seemed to operate on executives and producers almost like a drug. John Goldwyn, who was president of Paramount when Crowe made "Vanilla Sky" there, says the filmmaker's charm is unsurpassed. "There's nothing aggressive about him, nothing that makes you bristle," he says. "He makes you his friend. You can see why he was such a seductive interviewer."Says an executive who oversaw one of Crowe's films: "I really can't describe how he makes you feel that you can't question his choices. He is charming, cool, warm -- and you let down your guard as the boss." That paved the way for Crowe to make his particular brand of personal movie, some with budgets that seem surprisingly big, especially in retrospect: $60 million for "Almost Famous," $68 million for "Vanilla Sky" (though that one included Cruise in his heyday), $45 million for "Elizabethtown" (with no big star)."Cameron doesn't want to hear that something can't happen exactly the way he'd like it to happen," says a producer who has worked with him. "That's why some of his movies have been overpriced. There's a way to look at that as uncompromising. The other way to look at it is being a brat." (In the case of "We Bought a Zoo," Watts says Crowe came in under budget -- at about $50 million -- and ahead of schedule. And Rothman says the production "was one of the easiest and sweetest experiences I've had in a long time.")One area where Crowe very much wants his way is when it comes to preparation. Before shooting Zoo, he rented space in the Hyatt Westlake Plaza in the San Fernando Valley to plan and rehearse. He taped off areas that were the same size as rooms would be on the set and even brought in furniture. Crowe and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto blocked scenes, the cast rehearsed, and Damon says by the time the cameras were rolling, "It felt like executing a game plan; there were literally no surprises." All the more remarkable when you consider that the cast included lions and tigers and bears, literally.Exactly how seriously Crowe takes that commitment to preparation and rehearsal became clear when he cast Ashton Kutcher in "Elizabethtown." Kutcher was then still part of "That 70's Show," and Crowe told him he had to set aside a few weeks to focus only on the film. But sources involved with the project say Kutcher didn't heed Crowe's words. Although he promised he would deliver when the cameras were rolling, Crowe lost faith. "The thing about Cameron is, he never gets angry," says one involved in the production. He simply dropped Kutcher and, despite Paramount's resistance, cast Bloom."I'll spend months working with an actor, and I think I spent four months with Ashton," Crowe says. "At a certain point, it's like, 'This is not meant to be.' " And though the film didn't succeed with Bloom, Crowe says, "It felt like a noble crusade."Given actors and crew who are committed and prepared, it's hard to imagine any director who could create a more generous and inclusive environment. "He has a strong vision, but he has a sense of collaboration that is embracing of other people," says producer Wagner. "He likes to listen to people's thoughts. It's a special gift, really, that he has."Says Damon: "Everybody's respected, and their work is respected. When you're working with a benevolent dictator who wants to hear your opinion and the opinion of the entire crew, automatically you have this electric environment. Everyone comes to work with their ideas."Johansson felt it, too. "Cameron doesn't just direct his actors, he conducts them," she says in an e-mail from Scotland, where she's filming "Under the Skin" with director Jonathan Glazer ("Sexy Beast"). "On any given take, he might be playing a song and throwing out impromptu dialogue, all the while motioning enthusiastically by the monitor. You can actually hear him chuckling and gasping from behind the video screen during each take. He creates his own little world and invites everyone to live there for the run of production. Nothing is too over-the-top or too subtle to take a shot at. He's willing to try everything once on the chance he might steal one precious moment."Says Crowe of the filmmaking process: "It's gossamer. The best stuff is invisible. There's no formula. You have to cross your fingers and leap."Music weaves throughout Crowe's life and movies. "Singles," which followed friends in their 20s in Seattle, featured a song from Nirvana before the band got big. The track had to be dropped because by the time the film was done because the song had become too expensive to license. ("Kurt and Courtney snuck into the premiere at Grauman's and watched the movie anyway," Crowe says.) He also brought in pre-famous members of Pearl Jam to portray Matt Dillon's band in the film.Crowe keeps current: He thinks this is "one of the greatest times for music in decades. I'm talking about bands like the Civil Wars, Frightened Rabbit, the Belle Brigade, Dawes, Avey Tare, Sigur Ros, Radiohead, and Thom Yorke's latest electronic phase." Bob Dylan is Crowe's favorite DJ; his "Theme Time Radio Hour" is "the best thing on satellite radio. There are 100 episodes, and each one is a classic. I listen incessantly."For "We Bought a Zoo," Crowe got Jonsi of Sigur Ros to create a soundtrack. "He is very private, very picky about the projects he does, so we're honored he did this score," Crowe says. "The soundtrack -- a first for us -- is pure score, with two new songs, a 52-minute soundscape that is a complete musical journey, meant to be listened to from beginning to end. It ends with the movie's end-title track, which Jonsi asked me to help write lyrics for. It was a surreal experience after only writing tongue-in-cheek songs for fake movie bands in our movies." (The song is called "Gathering Stories.")Damon says Crowe played music on the set of "We Bought a Zoo," which was enormously helpful to him in preparing to play emotionally charged scenes. "It was a technique I've never seen before," Damon says. Sometimes the music overlapped with dialogue and lines had to be looped later, but in other cases, Crowe just played a part of a song before the scene was shot. It particularly illuminated a scene in which Damon is looking a photographs of his deceased wife."Music changes your mood and can bring you places that a lot of analysis and talking can't," Damon says.Fox executive Watts says she saw that when she visited the set. "He was directing Scarlett and Matt in this one scene, and there was this moment he was trying to get. I was thinking, 'I don't know if he's going to get it.' And he plays a piece of music right before the next take -- a piece of a particular song -- and they started the scene, and there it is. He's a national treasure, Mr. Cameron Crowe."For Crowe, the tactic produced the performance that he had to have. "What Matt does in the movie is that rarest of things: comedy and drama and real emotion," he says. "The list of people who can do that is the shortest list in acting, and it's the easiest thing to miss because he makes it look effortless. But it's not. It's the toughest. And for me, it makes the movie."Now that he's gotten back in the chair on "We Bought a Zoo" with such happy results, Crowe says he's eager to direct again. Not that he has any shortage of other projects. He's still doing journalism and has recently done an interview with Neil Young that is scheduled to run in "Rolling Stone" next year. He's also working on a compilation of his reporting on rock. "It's called 'Hamburgers for the Apocalypse' and includes new interviews with the artists I profiled in the day, from Zeppelin to Bowie to Joni Mitchell," he says.Crowe, who lives in Pacific Palisades, is also spending time with his sons, sharing custody with his former wife. "We go to the Pacific Dining Car in Santa Monica and have steaks and talk about girls," he says. "I get most of my pointers from them these days. We are fishing nuts and go sportfishing whenever we have time on the weekend. They're great fishermen, and we all fish together and then eat all we catch in a big fish cook-off, usually while watching Food Network." (Crowe's other cable passion: Chris Matthews.)But Crowe says he has scripts that he wrote in the past few years and hopes one of them will turn into his next directing gig. (He's just sent out a spec script which he says is Preston Sturges-influenced.)Although some in the industry observe that the business has changed since the days when studios were willing and able to lay wagers on the type of original material that has flowed from Crowe's pen, he believes that the audience is waiting for just such films."Character comedy-drama is really hard to get made right now, and I think that's a statement that feeds on itself," Crowe says. "But it's not necessarily true. It's the nourishing thing that people crave. People are going to go where they get characters that they remember. I don't think people are ever going to a place where they're like, 'I'm over stories about character and love.'"Crowe recalls a recent conversation his mother, Alice. "I can't help but write about love," he told her."What else is there?" she replied.Crowe's Five Favorite Films "Quadrophenia" (1979)"Local Hero" (1983)"Stolen Kisses" (1968)"The Rules of the Game" (1939)"The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001)MIX FOR MATT: No director knows music like Cameron Crowe. To woo Damon to do "We Bought a Zoo," Crowe burned a CD for him. "Even if it's not music that ends up in the movie, it's the feeling that counts," Damon says. Crowe played music on the set, too. By then, "Matt was emotionally DJ'ing and asking for songs."Save It for Later Pete TownshendI'm Open (Live) Eddie VedderWar of Man (Live) Neil YoungSoul Boy The Blue NileMohammed's Radio Jackson BrowneSanganichi Shugo TokumaruAirline to Heaven WilcoBuckets of Rain Bob DylanThe Heart of the Matter (Live) Don HenleyI Will Be There When You Die My Morning JacketAin't No Sunshine Tom Petty And The HeartbreakersChild of the Moon Rolling StonesIf I Am a Stranger Ryan AdamsConcrete Sky Beth OrtonHelpless (Live) Neil YoungDon't Be Shy (no piano) Cat StevensNerstrand Woods Mark Olson And The CreekdippersWhy It's So Hard to Find a Copy of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" The first time Cameron Crowe based a movie on a true story was nearly 30 years ago, when he wrote a screenplay from his first book, "Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story." The Amy Heckerling-directed film became a sleeper hit and a cult classic. At 22, Crowe had spent a year as a senior at Clairemont High School in suburban San Diego, chronicling the experiences of his "classmates." Typical of Crowe, the book played both funny and sweet. But if you want to read that book, be prepared to open your wallet: Fast Times has been out of print since the early '80s, and copies can be found on eBay and other sites at prices ranging from $125 to $345. And Crowe tells "THR" he likes it that way:Why hasn't "Fast Times" been republished? It's the one thing that I still have the rights to, and I like that there's one thing that's not readily available. I like knowing that if you really want it, you can find it, but nobody's pushing it in your face. I have been approached about republishing, but I haven't done it. I like it too much as a kind of bootleg.Are you surprised about the prices? I like those prices.How do you feel about the book now? I love the book. It's one of my favorite things that I've ever written. The book opens the door where all the stuff I learned as a journalist can be applied to a non-celebrity and it's just as interesting. You can interview a kid sitting in his room, and it's more interesting than Rod Stewart. It very much opened a door to being a screenwriter because it let you know that it was a level playing field, story-wise. The Hollywood Reporter

NCIS' David Dayan Fisher Pleads Not Guilty in Choking Case

David Dayan Fisher NCIS' David Dayan Fisher has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge in his choking case, TMZ reports.David Dayan Fisher arrested for battery over pool-towel altercationThe actor was arrested in September for allegedly choking his neighbor during an argument about whether pool towels had been hung up. Fisher claimed it was in self-defense after his neighbor insulted his late mother.He is due back in court next month.

Obama Speechwriter-Switched Show Scribe Discloses '1600 Penn' Particulars (Q&A)

The 2009 fall, Jon Lovett cast off his three-year gigas Leader Obama's speechwriter to try and allow it to be in television. The NY-elevated Lovett, 29, wasted virtually no time. He's getting married to the 2 mobile phone industry's using the red-colored-hot1600 Penn, a Whitened House comedy Lovett offered to NBC withThe Book of MormonstarJosh GadandModern FamilydirectorJason Winer.our editor recommends'Book of Mormon' Star, Obama Speechwriter and 'Modern Family' Director Sell Whitened House Comedy to NBCObama Dismisses Republican Rivals on 'Tonight Show' (Video) The Hollywood Reporter: Just how much depends in your time using the Obamas? Jon Lovett: Clearly, my encounters are likely to inform things i do, but this family may have practically nothing related to the leader. The concept is this fact is really a dysfunctional family, and also the first family today is to date from that, it's absurd. PHOTOS: Preview NBC's Fall Key Art for 'Playboy Club,' 'Grimm,' 'Whitney,' More THR: You'll want signed some kind of ironclad NDA using the leader, correct? JL: Well, yeah. It's serendipitous ... which i were built with a ending up in Jason, and that he pointed out this concept he and Josh Gad have been considering. I understand that world and just how the Whitened House works, but this isn't about me telling tales in the Whitened House. THR: Also do you know us concerning the project? JL:The only real factor we spoken about this it's not about politics, it comes down to a household. It comes down to what goes on when a classic married, dysfunctional family just transpires with live only at that most well-known address. Beyond that, we'll see. THR: You've spoken about other projects, together with a potential MASH update. Where does that stand? JL:Will still be just a concept. That's' something which I needed to spoken to 20th about before other concept arrived. Which was something which I had been thinking about. THR: Still something you want to do sooner or later? JL:I believe so. It had been a concept which i thought could be intriguing and maybe timely. THR: Searching back at the time there, that which was the highlight? JL: Waiting in the rear when he [repealed] "Don't request, don't tell," or going with the leader when he was making his situation for healthcare reform.Individuals were probably the most significant moments for me personally. And for probably the most fun? Nothing even compares to the Whitened House Correspondants' dinner, that was about giving the Leader an opportunity to poker fun at themself, the press and also the absurd side of Washington. THR: What lengths are you able to go? JL:The truly amazing factor would be that the Leader isn't afraid to visit pretty far. He isn't afraid in individuals moments to push the limit while he, like many of us, relishes the opportunity to poker fun at the absurd and superficial side of Washington. THR: Are you going to stay associated with the Leader in a capacity? JL:I'm not sure but I wish to be useful. The toughest part about determining to depart was no more adding and no more feeling like I had been a part of a team that I do believe in and serving a Leader that I do believe in. Which was the only toughest part about departing and also the only factor that helped me hesitate. I wish to discover a method to be useful. Related Subjects Obama Politics

Does Rachel McAdams 'Sherlock Holmes 2' Poster Mean A Bigger Role?

Inside the new An Online Detective film, "A Game Title Title of Shadows," our planet's most well-known detective meets tabs on his arch-enemy within the original Arthur Conan Doyle tales, Professor Moriarty. But what is going to become in the only person to own ever out-witted Holmes, the infamous Irene Adler? Rachel McAdams referred to the legendary character inside the first film, but until recently, a potential appearance inside the follow-up used to be up up. Eventually, it absolutely was introduced that McAdams would reprise her role, only inside a small capacity. However a completely new Korean marketing character poster signifies McAdams manually as Adler, with no other players found. Works this suggest we may go to a bigger presence from Irene Adler than we'd thought? You will never say until "A Game Title Title of Shadows" hits theaters on December 16. All signs to date have pointed with a small role for Adler and McAdams, so what's probably the situation is always that Warner Bros. is simply searching to capitalize in the stars profile. Adding McAdams to marketing material, for any little role, boosts the film's overall star energy. Would you like to go to a bigger role for Rachel McAdams in "An Online Detective: A Game Title Title of Shadows"? Inform us inside the comments below and also on Twitter!

Production Designer Bruno Rubeo Dies at 65

Bruno Rubeo, an Oscar-nominated production designer and frequent collaborator of directors Taylor Hackford and Oliver Stone, died Nov. 3 in Trevi, Italy of complications from pneumonia. He was 65.Related Topics•Obituaries Rubeo's wife is costume designer Mayes Rubeo (Apocalypto, Avatar, John Carter From Mars), and his son is veteran art director Marco Rubeo (The Truman Show, Tropic Thunder, Thor). A native of Rome, Bruno Rubeo's big break came in 1986 when Stone tapped him to design Salvador, and he and the director went on to collaborate on Platoon (1986), Talk Radio (1988) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). Rubeo served as production designer on Bruce Beresford's Driving Miss Daisy (1989), for which he received his Academy Award nomination. Rubeo began working with Hackford in 1992 on the Chicano gang epic Blood In, Blood Out. This began Rubeo's longest professional collaboration - he characterized his relationship with the director as "a marriage without sex" - with the duo working on Dolores Claiborne (1995), The Devil's Advocate (1997), Proof of Life (2000) and the long-delayed Love Ranch (2010). Rubeo also designed such films as Ivan Reitman's Kindergarten Cop (1990), Jon Amiel's Sommersby (1993), Joel Schumacher's The Client (1994), John McTiernan's The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), Mike Newell's Pushing Tin (1999) and Michael Radford's The Merchant of Venice (2004). Rubeo served in the Italian navy before moving to Canada, where he worked as an art director on several TV and independent film projects. He was art director and production designer on Spring Fever, a 1982 film starring Susan Anton. Related Topics