The Ideal for Control of SAG's New You'll be able to Division Wasn't A Fight

They were stated to become minimal exciting Screen Stars Guild elections in recent memory. Guild leader Ken Howardriding a wave of support for efforts to merge SAG as well as the American Federation of Television and Radio Artistsfaced no serious rivals within the bid for re-election. His political partner, Amy Aquino, would run unopposed for just about any second term as secretary-treasurer. MembershipFirstthe Hollywood faction typically skeptical of merger and locked returning few years in the political have trouble with Howard and Aquino's Unite for Strength partydeclined to endorse a slate of candidates for officer and board of director positions. In NY, the professional-merger group United states . Screen Stars Country wide would undoubtedly, since it had for more than ten years, still dominate. Your finish of the summer time came, by using it something unforeseen. A completely new political faction calling itself One Strong Union emerged, announcing its have to change things because they are, modify the direction of merger talks, and area a slate of 10 board candidates. The surprise was where the unrest made an appearance: NY.USAN, introduced by incumbent division leader Mike Hodge, saw challenges beforemost recently this past year, when several stars according to MembershipFirst went for board of company company directors but not successful to secure any seats. However it was different. One Strong Union was comprised of stars who had formerly been aligned with USAN and was backed by a few players in union politics. Boasting endorsements from Holter Graham, leader of AFTRA's NY local former SAG leader Melissa Gilbert and a few of the stars who aided found USAN at concerning the time in the 2000 ads strike, One Strong Union looked to become rival with teeth.But looks were misleading. When election results showed up Sept. 22, Howard won not remarkably, Unite for Strength made gains in the country's and Hollywood conference rooms, and USAN did exactly what it usually does. In the five national board seats obtainable in NY, only one visited an OSU candidate. That publish was won by Mike Robards, who was simply not effective, however, within the bid to unseat Hodge as leader. All 11 USAN candidates won division board seats, while using remaining three prone to One Strong Union. No revolution happened. But fault lines within SAG's political establishment were revealed.United states . Front Howard, Aquino, the ones in the Hollywood-based Unite for Strength were vocal inside their support for Hodge and USAN through the campaign. "Mike Hodge will not lose," Howard candidly told Back Stage just days just before the election's finish. Aquino, speaking round the evening that effects were introduced, interpreted USAN's electoral success becoming an endorsement in the guild's Hollywood and national leadership too.InchWe happen to be cooperating inside the this past year . 5,Inch Aquino mentioned. "It is therefore very satisfying to find out that both people in NY and La are content with what's happening and wish it to continue."What's happening, clearly, might be the movement to merge SAG and AFTRA. Merger remains the conventional dividing line between SAG political factions. The thing that was thinking about One Strong Union's challenge might be the group was comprised of stars who support merger, and endorsement of merger with AFTRA was part of OSU's platform. The crowd also expressed support for Howard and Aquino, even though both candidates campaigned for USAN.With One Strong Union's stance round the most pressing problem facing SAG sounding almost indistinguishable in the rival's (the merger a part of OSU's campaign mailer was unique only for its insistence the final merger plan have particulars on mixing the two unions' pension and health programs), the crowd dedicated to the process.InchI'd just condition there are different perspectives, different approaches," Robards told Back Stage in August. "The main factor is always that who's selected for the board may have an impact round the shape and also the wealth from the merger effort." Robards did not respond to a request being asked with this particular article.Aftermath With Robards becoming lost to Hodge having a margin of nearly two to at least one, individuals who goes onto shape merger will probably be people that are already carrying this out. The SAG and AFTRA merger committees have mandates utilizing their particular boards of company company directors use a proper plan through the month of the month of january, together with a subscription election from the routine may be carried out by next summer season."We are heavily associated with conferences and conversations with AFTRA and dealing through specific particulars," Hodge mentioned. "We are mandatedand I put the concentrate on 'mandated'to bring this program just before the board within the month of the month of january."Hodge wouldn't speak with the information in the merger conferences to date. He did, however, address accusations of partiality and inadequate transparency he mentioned were created by his rivals, particularly in regards to the positioning of board people round the merger committee. Hodge defended the options created in committee positioning, watching he together with other leaders offered options to two of his One Strong Union rivals to use on merger subgroups. One board member, asked for right before ballots being mailed, never responded. Another, asked for through the election, recognized. "We now have never done anything aside from to be fair and open with anybody inside the boardroom," Hodge mentioned.Phoebe Jonas is among three OSU individuals to win a division board chair in NY. She was one of the only group individuals to possess no prior experience round the board, but she mentioned the audience produced to cope with what she referred to as "inadequacies in inclusivity and inadequacies in transparency" inside the NY board's proceedings."I saw that there has been very qualified people, board people, who've been experts in the certain venue, whether it's new media or emerging technology, who've been not positioned on certain committees," she mentioned. "When that each or persons remain off or overlooked, this is where my very own little Phoebe alarm starts to go to off."Now Jonas will probably be one of the only people round the NY board to own challenged the institution's leadership. But she mentioned she's positive in regards to the future: "My feeling is what's done is carried out we've work to accomplish. I realize personally that i'm not necessarily happy relocating there if there's a combative attitude. That is not a few things i plan to bring. Which I really don't believe that's the other people expects to create. And So I am excited."Hodge established that tasks are already being completed to smooth relations involving the two factions. He confirmed that he'll be meeting informally with Robards to talk about the concerns that introduced for the campaign challenge: "Mike Robards was gracious enough, which i absolutely be grateful, to deliver us a congratulatory note on Thursday evening."While using division presidency guaranteed and also the party still firmly in control in the boardroom, Hodge will once again keep up with the positioning to produce leadership decisionsand to draw in fire from people displeased with people options. He mentioned he does not intend to change his approach."I do not trust being punitive," he mentioned. "I don't think that it serves a goal. In my opinion as extended when you show an excellent-belief effort to do the job at hands, you have to can proceed. If there's some form of behavior that's specific at undercutting or undermining, yes, I have to respond to that. I'd not consider that to become punitive. I'd consider that to become responsive."

Summit Signs On For Area 52 With Lorenzo Di Bonaventura

EXCLUSIVE: Summit Entertainment has acquired screen rights to Area 52, and will develop a live action adaptation based on the four-issue comic book series published in 2001. Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Mark Vahradian will produce, and JC Spink will be executive producer through Benderspink. The comic focused on a top secret warehouse in Antarctica called Area 52, a government storage dump for otherworldly discoveries, manned by a ragtag group of misfits who have been exiled to the middle of nowhere to staff it. When an alien killing machine is accidentally hatched in this repository, the group must band together and use the stored mythological weapons and artifacts to save themselves and the world. They are tying up the underlying rights to the Brian Haberlin comic, and will go out to writers shortly. Di Bonaventura and Vahradian are coming off Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Red, the latter for Summit. Benderspink most recently exec produced I Am Number Four and The Hangover 2.

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Box Office Report: Brad Pitt's 'Moneyball' Tops Friday; Taylor Lautner's 'Abduction' Lands at No. 4

Sony's Brad Pitt baseball drama Moneyball topped the Friday box office with an estimated $6.8 million, putting it on course to score the best opening ever for a baseball drama with a projected weekend take of $20 million and solidifying the film's awards standing. Taylor Lautner's Abduction, meanwhile, landed at No. 4.our editor recommends'Moneyball': Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill in New Trailer'Moneyball': What the Critics Are Saying'Abduction': Taylor Lautner Gets Chased Down, Shot at in New Trailer (Video)Taylor Lautners Abduction': What the Moviegoers Are Saying Moneyball's Friday standing doesn't mean itwill necessarily come in at No. 1 -- the weekend is proving to be one of the difficult to call in months. PHOTOS: 'Moneyball' Premiere in Oakland Disney's 3D re-release of The Lion King continued to awe, grossing $6.1 million on Friday and potentially $20 million or more for the weekend, depending upon how Saturday plays out. Dolphin Tale --from Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros., the same team behind The Blind Side --came in at No. 3 on Friday with an estimated $5.1 million. STORY: Box Office Preview: Brad Pitt's 'Moneyball' Looks to Out-Run Taylor Lautner's 'Abduction' The best news for Dolphin Tale: The inspirational film is only the third movie this year after The Help and Soul Surfer to earn a glowing A+ CinemaScore, meaning it could get a sizeable boost on Saturday and catch up with the competition. (Blind Side also received the top grade). Moneyball --an early awards contender for Pitt's performance as Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane --also pleased its audience, earning an A CinemaScore. The biopic played evenly among women and men but skewed older, with 89 percent of the audience over the age of 25 and 58 percent over the age of 50. STORY: New Movie Reviews: 'Moneyball,' 'Abduction,' 'Machine Gun Preacher' Hitting Theaters As it stands now, the best opening for a baseball drama was $16 million for Disney's The Rookie. The fate of the weekend's two other films --thriller Abduction and Jason Statham-Robert De Niro action pic Killer Elite --did solid business, but not spectacular. PHOTOS: 'Abduction' Red Carpet Premiere From Lionsgate and placing No. 4, Abduction grossed an estimated $3.8 million on Friday for a projected weekend gross of $11 million. Playing heavily to females, the pic drew a B- CinemaScore (it also has been roundly rejected by reviewers). Killer Elite, the first title from acquisition and distribution company Open Road Films, grossed $3.5 million on Friday and received a B CinemaScore. The big question will be whether Killer Elite pulls ahead of Abduction. Related Topics Brad Pitt Taylor Lautner Box Office Moneyball Abduction Killer Elite

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AMCs 'Hell on Wheels' Leads TV's Wild For Western Trend

Long considered a dormant TV format, the Western series could be making a big return to the small screen. In addition to AMC's Hell on Wheels, which bows in November and is set amid the building of the Union Pacific Railroad in the 1860s, the genre has become one of the most in-demand in TV development circles during the current cycle.our editor recommendsAMC Announces Premiere Date for 'Hell on Wheels' 'Twilight's' Cam Gigandet Joins TNT Western 'Gateway' PHOTOS: Fall TV Preview 2011: 10 Fresh Faces To Know TNT recently ordered to pilot Gateway, an action-adventure set in 1880s Colorado, from executive producer Bruce C. McKenna (The Pacific). ABC nabbed Gunslinger from David Zabel (Detroit 1-8-7) and Hangtown, a procedural pitch set in the Wild West, from Battlestar Galactica mastermind Ron Moore. CBS and author Nicholas Pileggi (GoodFellas) are prepping Ralph Lamb, based on the 1960s adventures of a real-life cowboy-turned-Las Vegas sheriff, and NBC has ordered a script for Shaun Cassidy's 1840s-set The Frontier. VIDEO: AMC Announces Premiere Date for 'Hell on Wheels' "They're simple, emotional stories that you can make sense of in the context of the world," AMC senior vp original programming Joel Stillerman says of the appeal. It doesn't hurt that True Grit, the Western movie remake starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, grossed more than $250 million in the winter, making it the second-highest-grossing Western ever. Hell on Wheels follows AMC's 2006 Western miniseries Broken Trail, its first original scripted effort and still its biggest commercial success. "Writers are hunting for 'what's next' always," says a TV agent, noting that it has been a tough year to sell sci-fi and comic book fare given the "uncertain future" of fall series Grimm, The River and Terra Nova. STORY: NBC Saddles Up to Another Western Project To be sure, the latest crop is filled with twists on the traditional formula that proliferated in the early days of TV with such series as Gunsmoke and The Rifleman. For instance, NBC sister studio Universal TV has set up an untitled Western told from a female perspective from Peter Berg and fellow Friday Night Lights producers. Zabel's series also centers on a female hero. The knock on dust-and-tumbleweeds dramas is that they are "distinctly American," as one source puts it, which can hurt internationally. What's more, the genre is often criticized for older-skewing viewership, hardly the coveted demo of deep-pocketed advertisers. But the appeal of the Western seems timeless. Says Stillerman, "There's usually a good guy and a bad guy, relatively clear moral boundaries, and aesthetically it's a beautiful genre." Related Topics ABC AMC NBC CBS Peter Berg TNT Hell on Wheels

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Emily Deschanel Welcomes Baby Boy

FIRST PUBLISHED: September 22, 2011 9:59 AM EDT LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Its a boy for Bones star Emily Deschanel and husband David Hornsby. The actress, 34, and the Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia star had their first child on Wednesday, Henry Hornsby, the actress rep confirmed to People. Emilys Bones co-star TJ Thyne congratulated the new mom on Twitter on Wednesday. CONGRATULATIONS EMILY D!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay yay yay!!! he Tweeted. After Emily announced she was expecting in April, sister and New Girl star Zooey Deschanel expressed her excitement over the pregnancy news, Tweeting, I am super excited to be an aunt! Emily, who reportedly stuck to a vegan diet during her pregnancy, married David in September 2010. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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'June Ambrose Project' comes to VH1

VH1 has given a series order to "The June Ambrose Project," set to debut in early 2012. Ambrose is a celebrity stylist and half-hour reality skein examines Ambrose's life and clients, which have included Alicia Keys, Kelly Ripa, Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige. Produced by Ish Entertainment, Michael Hirschorn, Wendy Roth, Jeff Schmidt and Brandon Wilson are set to exec produce. EP's for VH1 are Shelly Tatro, Brad Abramson, Danielle Gelfand and Jeff Olde. Said Olde, exec VP of original programming and production for VH1: "June is an original and a creative force of nature who will offer our viewers an exclusive peek behind the curtain into her world of celeb fashion and branding." Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

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Broadway sales rebound

Broadway box office rebounded nicely the other day, with lots of shows acquiring momentum undertaking a slouching prior sesh. The lately opened up up "Follies" released its best tally ever despite requiring to handle a comp-heavy week, and spring records for instance "Priscilla Full in the Desert" and "Sister Act" drenched notable increases. The revival utilizes a publish-Labor Day frame that was probably compounded than usual with the concurrence in the tenth anniversary of Sept. 11. While using city now liberated to give consideration with other activities, overall Rialto sales upticked by $1.7 million to $16 million for 25 shows round the boards. The increase at "Follies" ($877,239), which opened up up Sept. 12, was fueled by reviews that shown sufficiently strong enough enough to combat the revenue lost the other day within the comped opening evening and second-evening press perfs. Meanwhile, with less competish now running -- in addition to enough distance early in the year honours craze to start to produce a merchant account with theatergoers -- two tuners from last season, "Priscilla" ($734,089) and "Sister Act" ($621,509), rallied, climbing by about 35% each. The shows also drenched attendance totals more than 70% each, which neither musical had handled to accomplish in recent days. Jersey Boys" ($982,489), "Memphis" ($648,373) and "Billy Elliot" ($628,149) also were among the shows to report hefty upticks. Last season's runaway hit, "It of Mormon" ($1,291,617), ongoing to become on componen having its healthy tally in the earlier frame, but increases at "Wicked" ($1,479,369) and "The Lion King" ($1,414,948) transformed the most effective 10 to put "Mormon" in third, just before "Spider-Guy: Turn Off the Dark" ($1,231,589). Possibly more hampered than other shows with the back-to-school slump that keeps family auds away (like the youthful fans of star Daniel Radcliffe), "How you can achieve Business Without Really Trying" ($820,375) didn't resurge as strongly as other options within the 2010-11 season. With only one production presently in previews, the Frank Langella starrer "Guy and Boy" ($213,069 for seven perfs), the 2011-12 slate has not ramped up. Both grosses and attendance ought to keep growing inside the future as other shows -- including Samuel L. Jackson-Angela Bassett topliner "The Mountaintop" -- begin their preview periods. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Brad Pitt Backtracks on 'Moneyball' Press Gaffe About Jennifer Aniston

Brad Pitt is backtracking from recent comments he made about his ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston, and their marriage.our editor recommendsToronto 2011: Brad Pitt on Winning in an Unfair Game'World War Z': Brad Pitt to Begin Filming in GlasgowAngelina Jolie, Brad Pitt Donate $2 Million To Namibian Wildlife SanctuaryJennifer Aniston, Justin Theroux Rent House in Beverly Hills (Photos) In an interview with Parade magazine, Pitt -- who next stars in Moneyball, which recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival -- seemed to criticize Aniston, to whom he was married from 2000-05. PHOTOS: Toronto Film Festival: 13 Films to Know "I spent the '90s trying to hide out, trying to duck the full celebrity cacophony," he said. "I started to get sick of myself sitting on a couch, holding a joint, hiding out. It started feeling pathetic. It became very clear to me that I was intent on trying to find a movie about an interesting life, but I wasn't living an interesting life myself. I think that my marriage [to Aniston] had something to do with it. Trying to pretend the marriage was something that it wasn't." FILM REVIEW: 'Moneyball' The quotes received a great deal of media attention after they were posted on Parade's website Thursday. Later in the day, Pitt issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter through his reps at CAA in which he clarified what he was trying to say and praised Aniston. PHOTOS: 15 Movies That Made The Grade: A+ CinemaScore Posse "It grieves me that this was interpreted this way," he said. "Jen is an incredibly giving, loving and hilarious woman who remains my friend. It is an important relationship I value greatly. The point I was trying to make is not that Jen was dull, but that I was becoming dull to myself -- and that, I am responsible for." Pitt has largely remained silent about Aniston and their marriage since they got divorced six years ago. However, he did raise eyebrows when he posed with Jolie for a family-themed shoot in the July 2005 issue of W magazine, not long after his split with Aniston. STORY: Angelina Jolie Wears $15,000 Handcuff Bag to 'Moneyball' Premiere After the magazine came out, Aniston remarked that he was missing a "sensitivity chip." Pitt -- who has six children with Angelina Jolie -- is on the promotional tour for Moneyball, which opens Sept. 23. In the movie, which Steven Zaillian adapted from Michael Lewis' best-selling book, Pitt plays Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane, a role that is earning him Oscar buzz. ANALYSIS: Why Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt Are the Frontrunners in Oscar's Best Actor Race Aniston is currently dating Justin Theroux, who co-stars with her in the upcoming movie Wanderlust. Related Topics Angelina Jolie Brad Pitt Jennifer Aniston

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REVIEW: Gus Van Sant's Restless Is Sweet, If Feather-Light

Restless is so fluttering and tender, so guileless, that you almost can’t believe it was made by an grizzled old hand like Gus Van Sant. Then again, maybe you can. Annabel (Mia Wasikowska) and Enoch (Henry Hopper, son of Dennis) play somber teenagers who meet at a memorial service. Enoch is haunted by the death of his parents — he lost them suddenly in an accident. Annabel has her own secret, spilled early on: She’s dying of cancer. They fall in love, quickly and fervently, knowing only doom and sadness await them — and they’ve never even seen Love Story. Restless is, in places, ever-so-silly. When Enoch accompanies Annabel to the hospital on a “date” — she has to have a transfusion — they wile away the time playing Operation. He gazes at her sensitively: “Does it hurt when they…?” The question trails off, delicately. It probably does, but Annabel isn’t about to belabor the point. Elsewhere, they run hand-in-hand down a hospital corridor, merrily and mischievously, so they can sneak into the morgue. Ah, young love! Do they still make young people like this? I’m not sure. But Van Sant, I think, is wishing they did. It’s hard to say exactly when Restless is supposed to be set, but it doesn’t feel contemporary. Annabel and Enoch romp around in the kinds of vintage clothes many of us wore in the ’70s and ’80s (and some of us even beyond): Old silk dressing gowns, lacy flapper dresses, loose woolen coats in soft plaids. Hopper’s Enoch has blondish, every-which-way hair and a sultry pout — he could be the Boy with the Thorn in his Side that Morrissey sang about so long ago. And, perhaps most remarkable of all, neither of them ever use an electronic device — they talk face-to-face all the time, and actually seem to enjoy it. Restless is really just a wisp of a movie — there’s very little to hold this bit of dandelion fluff to the ground. But it’s painless to watch. Hopper and Wasikowska are sweet together, and she, in particular, knows how to play guilenessness as something other than a kind of vapidity. (She brought an exquisite matter-of-factness, and plenty of vulnerability, to Cary Joji Fukunaga’s fine adaptation of Jane Eyre, the kind of performance that bodes well for a young actress’s future.) These two young performers emerge relatively unscathed from the heartfelt absurdity of the movie around them. They sure don’t make ‘em like they used to. Which is why, every once in a while, it’s nice to see someone try. [This review appeared earlier, in a different form, during Movieline’s coverage of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.]

Roman Polanski Attending Zurich Film Festival

Roman Polanski, who was simply placed directly under house arrest by Europe when he found attend the Zurich Film Festival this past year, is returning for the festival this year to just accept a very long time achievement award. With different comment, Polanski will not do interviews through the festival but will probably be going. Festival planners won't also discuss the legal situation. Last time, Polanski never handled to obtain for the festival, arrested within the airport terminal terminal and introduced into provisional custody of the children from the children. Swiss government physiques eventually freed him and declined an extradition request in the united states . States, where Polanski skipped on the conviction for taking part inside a sex act by getting an underage girl in 1978. Polanski’s latest film, Carnage, was recognized since the opening evening film in the NY Film Festival. He most certainly is not prone to attend that gathering. Here’s the announcement: Zurich, Europe September 15, 2011 – Director Roman Polanski will attend the arrival seventh Zurich Film Festival to just accept the lifetime achievement award that was intended for him couple of years ago, to recognition his outstanding career achievements just like a filmmaker. The announcement is created today by Zurich Film Festival Company company directors Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht. The Earth Premiere from the full-length non fiction film follows the tribute ceremony. Particulars in regards to the film as well as the world premiere will not be released just before the state screening on Sept 27. We are especially proud to welcome Roman Polanski this year to obtain his award, stated Zurich Film Festival company company directors Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht. We will be tremendous enthusiasts of his work which we're delighted that individuals will rapidly be capable of express this to him personally.

Hysteria

An Informant Media and Forthcoming Films production in colaboration with Beach Films and Chimera Films. (Worldwide sales: Elle Driver, Paris.) Created by Sarah Curtis, Judy Cairo, Tracey Becker. Executive producers, Michael A. Simpsons, Eric Brenner, Ken Atchity, Sandra Siegel, Leo Frederick, Nathalie Frederick, Mark Kress, Hakan Kousetta, Claudia Blumhuber, Florian Dargel, Peter Fudakowski, Stephen Dyer. Directed by Tanya Wexler. Script, Stephen Dyer, Jonah Lisa Dyer.With: Hugh Dancy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jonathan Pryce, Felicity Johnson, Rupert Everett, Ashley Jensen, Sheridan Cruz, Gemma Johnson, Anna Chancellor, Malcolm Rennie, Kim Criswell, Georgie Glen, Elisabet Johannesdottir.Tanya Wexler's "Hysteria" feels similar to an amount result if a person required the conceptual gist of Sara Ruhl's sublimely witty play "Within the next Room," place it through committee-driven script development, and targeted for that type of boisterous costume crowdpleaser that congratulates its audience for taking pleasure in such refined entertainment even while it panders. This fictive comedy concerning the real-existence utilization of vibes to deal with Victorian ladies' "hysterical" disorders will attract enough positive notices in the usual suspects to aid advertisements recommending critical consensus. However the overcalculated pic could earn a fast ancillary exit just like easily as sleeper success. The winking tone is placed through the coy announcement "This story is dependant on true occasions. Really." Fledging physician Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy) is introduced being fired from his latest 1880s London publish at least again insisting on progressive medical ideas (like hospital hygiene) sometimes when leeches and bleeding continue to be recognized remedies. Eager for employment, he lands in the door of Dr. Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce), who's carrying out a flourishing business among genteel ladies stricken with "hysteria" -- a blanket term for practically any female complaint, especially mental. Dalrymple's method includes getting them lay lower on the table, bare legs separated behind a discreet puppet-theater curtain, and by hand rubbing their privates release a "nervous tension." It's stressed this process is strictly therapeutic, not sexual, however these patients most likely have no clue how much of an orgasm is. They simply know they, enjoy their treatment. Mortimer proves a fast study (though he evolves hands cramps from a lot friggery), even being urged to woo his mentor's preferred daughter, Emily (Felicity Johnson), that has a thornier brother or sister, suffragette Charlotte now (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who irks Papa no finish by enhancing the lower classes in a charitable organisation settlement house. Ahead-of-her-time "feisty" having a vengeance, she's like Mary Poppins juggling copies of "Das Kapital" and "The Feminine Eunuch." Naturally, idealistic but convention-bound Mortimer will realize he really wants to be this spitfire's domestic partner instead of Emily's dully respectable husband. Although not before lots of foreseeable contrivances, together with a trial scene that enables the 2 results in speechify points the film has made glaringly apparent. The majority of the comedy originates from Mortimer and wealthy layabout friend Edmund's (Rupert Everett) semi-accidental invention from the vibrator -- which saves Mortimer's hands further stress and works formerly undreamt miracles for Dalrymple's clientele. In comparison using the subtle humor playwright Ruhl eked from erotic awakening under moralistically blindered conditions, "Hysteria" offers broad laffs via stereotypes and slapstick. Dancy handles a couple of sly moments, and Everett is really as ever a scene-stealer, if barely identifiable within beard and changed features, with a raspy voice. However the estimable Pryce and Johnson are wasted, together with a number of other fine thesps, while Gyllenhaal works too gratingly hard within an already strained role. Shot in England and Luxembourg, pic is handsome enough on design levels, professional in tech departments. Orchestral score is galumphingly frolicksome within an elephant-in-toeshoes way.Camera (color, widescreen), Sean Bobbit editor, Jon Gregory music, Gast Waltzing additional music, Christian Henson production designer, Sophie Becher supervisory art director, Bill Crutcher set decorator, Charlotte now W costume designer, Nic Ede seem (Dolby Digital), Martin Trevis assistant director, Laurence Rexter-Baker casting, Gaby Kester. Examined at Toronto Film Festival (Gala), Sept. 12, 2011. Running time: 99 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Lucci Not Departing ABC's 'All My Children' Quietly

NEW You'll be able to (AP) Erica Kane wouldn't leave quietly if she felt she'd been injured. Neither is Susan Lucci as "The KidsInch will get near its finish on ABC.Lucci has memorably referred to Kane concerning the drama, which airs its last episode on ABC on Sept. 23, which is unclear whether she'll be a part of an attempt emigrate the series online.In the lately launched epilogue to her memoir, Lucci significantly belittled her ABC bosses for axing "The Kids,Inch that's been concerning the air since 1970. She mentioned careful analysis cancel the show was motivated by avarice and mentioned your brain of ABC's daytime unit, John Frons, has "that fatal combination of insufficient understanding and arrogance."Frons, in getting rid of "The KidsInch and "One Existence to resideInch in April, mentioned the cleaning cleaning soap operas were a victim of lowering interest. He mentioned trying to aid shows in severe decline was like "trying to trap a falling knife."Lucci shared with her own story inside the paperback edition of "My Existence," a memoir launched in hardcover taken. The actress mentioned Frons mentioned, in proclaiming that in regards to the cancellation, that it may be forty percent cheaper to produce the cooking and weight-loss series that are altering the two cleaning cleaning soap operas."If John Frons could show his bosses he could save the network forty percent in production costs, he is able to keep his job even if the comfort people lost ours," she written.She noted that several employees on "The KidsInch had either lost their jobs or lost money when the show moved its production base from NY to California lately to economize. "I question, did John Frons possess a pay cut, too?" Lucci written.She belittled Frons for establishing a completely new mind author about the enter in 2008, and essentially pushing aside Agnes Nixon, the cleaning cleaning soap opera legend who created "The Kids.InchLucci mentioned that several occasions "I'd click the television to ABC and not realize I used to be watching 'All The Children.A Once the show was unrecognizable in my opinion, I am in a position to only imagine how our audiences felt."Frons wasn't designed for comment, a speaker mentioned, and ABC declined to cope with Lucci's specific comments."Just about everyone has the respect in the world for Susan and so are sorry she felt the necessity to write this epilogue to have an otherwise incredible career," speaker Jori Petersen mentioned.The long run for Lucci and "The KidsInch is uncertain. The media company Prospect Park within this summer time signed a certification deal to continue the two cleaning cleaning soap opera tales beyond their television lives either online or on other platforms. The business features handles a couple of from the "One Existence to resideInch stars, which is mentioned being settling with Lucci together with other "The KidsInch stars.Prospect Park does not have announcement on any "The KidsInch participants, speaker Melissa Zuckerman mentioned Monday.Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

John Calley, studio lion, dies at 81

CalleyJohn Calley, the studio exec and producer whose 50-year career included stints atop three major studios with dozens of influential and hit films from "Catch-22" and "All the President's Men" to "The Exorcist" and "The Da Vinci Code," died Tuesday after a long illness. He was 81. Calley had most recently been chairman and CEO at Sony Pictures Entertainment, which he joined in 1996 after successful turning around MGM/United Artists in the 1990s and running Warner Bros. in the 1970s. "As a studio head he was unfailingly supportive and didn't try to do the filmmaker's job," said Mike Nichols, director of Calley-produced films "Catch-22," "Postcards from the Edge," and "Closer." "When he believed in someone he trusted and supported him and when very rarely he had a suggestion it was usually a life saver. In fact, that's what he was: a life saver." Though Calley was known as a cerebral and erudite executive, the films he championed spanned all genres and budgets. As Sony topper, he partnered with younger execs like Amy Pascal to discover a new audience, using his instincts and business acumen to pull off pricier projects like "Men in Black," "Charlie's Angels" and "Spider-Man." "John Calley was more than a mentor and boss -- he was the most extraordinary and generous friend," said Pascal, now co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment. "He had a steely business mind and the soul of an artist. His sense of humor about the business never made him cynical or got in the way of his passion for movies and directors. ... He never pandered to the audience, he never accepted conventional studio wisdom and he never lost his enthusiasm. John was my guiding light. He taught me everything." The trick to greenlighting big studio movies, Calley explained last year, is to understand the process and its terrors. "It's a guy lying in a bed in a rented apartment in Century City at four in the morning in a fetal position trying to decide whether or not to say yes to a $175 million budget for 'Spider-Man,'" he said in a companion interview for "You Must Remember This," a docu about Warners. "It comes down to one guy who has to use his gut." Well liked, with a taste for well-crafted films, Calley didn't seek out the spotlight despite his various high-profile positions. Apart from his marketing acumen and craftsmanship, Calley was known for bringing a greater air of comfort in dress to Hollywood executive suites -- sweaters, sportswear, etc. The office called for a "suit" but Calley often refused to wear one. A New Jersey native, Calley cut his teeth in TV before producing movies like "The Americanization of Emily" and "Catch-22" with Martin Ransohoff in the early 1960s. But he made his mark during a long and fruitful run heading production at Warner Bros., where he made a conscious decision to avoid imposing his will on filmmakers the way earlier studio bosses had. Filmmakers loved and trusted him as a result, and over the years he developed close relationships with the likes of Nichols, Stanley Kubrick and Clint Eastwood; he bought Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets" and encouraged him to make "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," a complete change of pace. Calley dropped out of Hollywood in 1981 and stayed away for a dozen years, with notable exception: He produced two movies during that time, including 1993's "The Remains of the Day," which earned Calley his sole Oscar nomination. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences honored Calley with its Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 2009, calling him "one of the most trusted and admired figures in Hollywood." He was one of four honorees at AMPAS' first Governors Awards that November, though he was too ill to accept in person. He was born on July 8, 1930, in Jersey City, N.J., and attended Columbia U. before serving in the Army. From 1951-57 he worked his way up the ladder at NBC, with positions in sales, production and programming. He eventually became director of nighttime programming before leaving to join Henry Jaffe Enterprises, where he developed and produced musical programming. But he soon left to become vice president in charge of radio and television programming at the Ted Bates Advertising Agency, where he remained until 1960. Calley returned to filmmaking as an exec VP and producer at Filmways, where he developed and produced a range of pictures including "Ice Station Zebra," "Topkapi," "The Cincinnati Kid," "The Americanization of Emily," "The Loved One" and Nichols' "Catch-22." Several of those films were released by United Artists. When Filmways was absorbed into Warner Bros., in the late 1960s, Calley joined the studio as an exec VP of worldwide production. When chairman Ted Ashley departed, Calley and Frank Wells moved up to president and chairman, respectively. Calley would later add the vice chairman title. The Ashley-Calley-Wells years at WB were fruitful ones, with standout titles including "Deliverance," "What's Up, Doc?," "Superman," "All the President's Men," "Chariots of Fire" and "Woodstock." Then, in 1980, claiming to be burnt out by the process, he took a well-paid consulting role at WB that continued until 1987. He moved back to Connecticut and spent his time reading and enjoying himself. He had been offered various studio positions throughout the '80s but always demurred. In 1993, Frank Mancuso asked him to restart the defunct United Artists as part of his overall strategy to rebirth MGM/UA. Calley took the job, secure in the knowledge that it was only a temporary one as the studio was being prettied up and readied for sale by its default owner, Credit Lyonnais. Starting at ground zero, Calley generated the most successful Bond franchise film at the time, "GoldenEye," with a new Bond, Pierce Brosnan. He also picked up the low-budget "Leaving Las Vegas," which became a major critical and financial hit and Oscar winner. But his biggest coup was 1996's "The Birdcage," directed by his pal Nichols and starring Robin Williams. This remake of the company's French release "La Cage aux Folles" went on to gross well in excess of $100 million at a time when the studio was up for sale. Though Mancuso would become partial owner of the studio and his position was secure, Calley decided to move to the troubled Sony Pictures Entertainment, which had been steadily unraveling. In late 1996, when his predecessor Alan Levine was fired, Calley signed a five-year contract with Sony as president and COO to oversee both its Columbia and TriStar film and video divisions. Calley engineered a B.O. turnaround at Sony, and became chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures in 1998. He stepped down in 2003 and produced films including Patrick Marber adaptation "Closer" (directed by Nichols), "The Da Vinci Code" and its sequel, "Angels and Demons." But running a studio can get boring after a while, Calley admitted a few years ago to fellow travelers Peter Bart and Peter Guber on "Sunday Morning Shootout." "What must be said is," Calley said, "the money's good." Calley is survived by his daughter Sabrina Calley and step-children Emily Zinnemann, David Zinnemann (Amy) and Will Firth from his marriage to Meg Tilly. A memorial will be held at Sony Pictures Studios with further details to be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the individual's favorite charities.(Timothy M. Gray and Josh L. Dickey contributed to this report.) Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

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Warner Bros. Backing Mel Gibson Movie About Jewish Icon

Warner Bros. is joining forces with Mel Gibson to develop a movie about the Jewish hero Judah Maccabee, and Basic Instinct screenwriter Joe Eszterhas has come aboard to write the screenplay. Gibson will produce through his Icon Productions and will decide whether he'll act in or direct the film once the script is completed. Although Gibson was accused of anti-Semitism by a number of Jewish leaders when he released The Passion of the Christ in 2004, he's wanted to tackle a movie about Maccabee for more than a decade. Maccabbee, considered one of the great warriors in Jewish history, led a popular revolt against he Seleucid king Antiochus IV, seizing Jerusalem and reconsecrating the Temple, an event remembered by the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.our editor recommends'Hangover II' Director Defends Decision to Fire Mel Gibson PHOTOS: '80s Action Stars: Where Are They Now? Eszterhas, who hit it big in the '80s with movies like Flashdance, Jagged Edge and Basic Instinct, before retreating from Hollywood in recent years, has been talking with Gibson for about a year and did a lot of his own research on the subject before embarking on a screenplay, according to once source familiar with the project. There's no timetable in place at the moment, but once Ezterhas, repped by ICM, completes the script, Gibson will decide whether or not to act in the film and whether he'll direct it. Gibson's last film appearance was his star turn in Jodie Foster's The Beaver, which opened in May. Whether the controversial actor's decision to take on a Jewish hero appeases his critics remains to be seen. PHOTOS: Mel Gibson's 'Signs' and 13 Other Alien Movies "The story that has always fired my imagination...is the Book of Maccabbees," Gibson told Sean Hannity in a WABC ratio interview in 2004 when he was promoting The Passion. "The Maccabbees family stood up, and they made war, they stuck by their guns, and they came out winning. It's like a Western," he explained. At that time, though, Gibson's critics objected to his making such a movie. The Anti-Defamation League's Abe Foxman told the Orlando Sentinel, that if Gibson made that movie, "We'll lose. He'll write his own history. I would prefer to leave the fate of Jewish history and Hollywood to Steven Spielberg. The Maccabees...are our sacred history. Related Topics Mel Gibson

Michael Luisi Drawn on To Operate WWE Galleries

Michael Luisi, who until this season went your day-to-day procedures at Miramax as EVP Worldwide Procedures, continues to be drawn on as leader of WWE Galleries, where he became a member of in The month of january as EVP Business Development and General Counsel. He'll are accountable to WWE chairman and Boss Vince McMahon. Luisi is going to be billed with growing the WWE portfolio worldwide on multiple platforms — theatrical, home video and VOD. The very first project he'll oversee isn't any One Lives, a co-production with Pathe Pictures that stars Luke Evans and it is directed by Ryuhei Kitamura. The horror thriller, which Luisi introduced to the organization, is within postproduction.

TWC creates VOD label

The Weinstein Company is creating a new label to bring content to digital and traditional platforms simultaneously, hiring former Magnolia execs Tom Quinn and Jason Janego to head the initiative. As co-presidents, Quinn and Janego will oversee acquisitions, productions and distribution of label content, and will "develop content and distribution strategies that move beyond the on-demand model," according to a statement from the company. The pair will attend this year's Toronto Film Fest with an eye toward titles for the fledging label. Company expects to debut its first title under the new label in the first half of 2012. "For me, the independent theatrical space is 500 prints and under," Quinn told Variety. "I'd love to be able to take that kind of a size release and/or smaller and also make it available to 80 million-plus homes while the film's being written about, while the film is being reviewed, while it's being publicized." The label, which will be based in New York, will focus initially on VOD with an eye towards all infant and emerging platforms. "The rule of thumb for me is being agnostic ... it's not one singular VOD model or theatrical model," he said. "It really is a tailor-made distribution strategy for each and every film." While the new banner will look at many distribution platforms, Quinn said the company will focus on transactional business models. "I think paying one sum for the film that you want to see and having a certain amount of time to see it, I think that's the model." New exec added that the banner is already eyeing several titles but declined to give specific names. At Magnolia, Quinn and Janego served as senior VP and head of legal and business affairs, respectively. Magnolia implemented day-and-date releasing in 2005, beginning with Steven Soderbergh's "Bubble" and Alex Gibney's "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room" simultaneously in select theaters and on DVD. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

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National Geographic Finding Anastasia

Did Romanov Princess Anastasia survive a Bolshevik firing squad or did she and her brother Crown Prince Alexis perish with their father, Tsar Nicholas II, before another firing squad in 1918? The chance find of human remains in a Siberian forest brings forensic anthropologist Dr.Anthony Falsetti in search of the truth. Marshalling DNA, ballistics and the very latest forensic analysis, an international team works to dispel the greatest myth of the 20th century and tell a real story more remarkable than any fiction.

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