2012 Spirit Award Nominations Announced

The Artist, Drive & more up for gongsAwards season is in full swing now, and naturally all the various ceremonies are getting their lists out there. Today sees the turn of the Spirit Awards, which honours films made for less than $20 million by US producers.And from the looks of the list, the teams behind Drive, Take Shelter, 50/50 and The Artist all look to be in with a chance of going home with a gong or two.The awards will be handed out at the usual beach locale in LA on February 25, the day before the Oscars. Check out a list of the major categories below.BEST FEATURE50/50BeginnersDriveTake ShelterThe ArtistThe DescendantsBEST DIRECTORMike Mills, BeginnersNicholas Winding Refn, DriveJeff Nichols, Take ShelterMichel Hazanavicius, The ArtistAlexander Payne, The DescendantsBEST FIRST FEATURE Another EarthIn The FamilyMargin CallMartha Marcy May MarleneNatural SelectionJOHN CASSAVETES AWARD BellflowerCircumstanceHello LonesomePariahThe DynamiterBEST SCREENPLAYJoseph Cedar, FootnoteMichel Hazanavicius, The ArtistTom McCarthy, Win WinMike Mills, BeginnersAlexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, The DescendantsBEST FIRST SCREENPLAYMike Cahill & Brit Marling, Another EarthJ.C. Chandor, Margin CallPatrick DeWitt, TerriPhil Johnston, Cedar RapidsWill Reiser, 50/50BEST FEMALE LEADLauren Ambrose, Think Of MeRachel Harris, Natural SelectionAdepero Oduye, PariahElizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May MarleneMichelle Williams, My Week With MarilynBEST MALE LEADDemian Bichir, A Better LifeJean Dujardin, The ArtistRyan Gosling, DriveWoody Harrelson, RampartMichael Shannon, Take ShelterBEST SUPPORTING FEMALEJessica Chastain, Take ShelterAngelica Huston, 50/50Janet McTeer, Albert NobbsHarmony Santana, Gun Hill RoadShailene Woodley, The DescendantsBEST SUPPORTING MALEAlbert Brooks, DriveJohn Hawkes, Martha Marcy May MarleneChristopher Plummer, BeginnersJohn C. Reilly, Cedar RapidsCorey Stoll, Midnight In ParisBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYJoel Hodge, BellflowerBenjamin Kasulke, The Off HoursDarius Khondji, Midnight In ParisGuillaume Schiffman, The ArtistJeffrey Waldron, The DynamiterBEST DOCUMENTARYAn African ElectionBill Cunningham NYThe InterruptersThe Redemption Of General Butt NakedWe Were HereBEST FOREIGN FILMA SeparationMelancholiaShameThe Kid With A BikeTyrannosaurROBERT ALTMAN AWARD Margin Call

'A.N.T. Farm' will return

'A.N.T. Farm'Disney Funnel has restored "A.N.T. Farm" for any second season following the newcomer half-hour grew to become no. 1 series on television one of the 6-11 and 9-14 demos.China Anne McClain stars within the skein, that has averaged 2. million audiences among kids 6-11 and 1.six million in kids 9-14 since its premiere in May. Serta Signer produced "A.N.T. Farm" and professional produces with Stephen Engel for It Is A Laugh Prods. Sierra McCormick, Mike Short, Stefanie Scott and Carlon Jeffery co-star. The renewal improves McClain's status as Disney Channel's latest signing-acting prodigy, following the kind of Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. McClain works frequently around the series and, at 13, has already been signed to some Hollywood Records contract. She's focusing on an album together with her siblings Sierra and Lauryn.An "A.N.T. Farm" soundtrack album launched in October spent five days atop the Billboard kids album ratings. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Honours season: And they're off

The Weinsteins' quiet pic 'The Artist' won best feature within the NY Film Experts Circle additionally to acquired five Spirit nods on Tuesday.Kaira Pitt needed home NYFCC's Best Actor award for his perfs in 'The Tree of Life' and 'Moneyball.'With 88 days to go to just before the 84th Academy awards, the kudos season's first responders unleashed a flurry of small experience Tuesday morning but no major surprises or clearness in the race with no apparent leader plus an enigmatic new Oscar voting system. Yes, a basic, black-and-white-colored film starring French stars is actually a contender this year. Absolutely, Kaira Pitt's portrayal of Concord A's gm Billy Beane in "Moneyball" needs to be taken heed of. And three photos -- "Take Shelter," "Beginners" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene" -- put themselves in the spotlight at the begining of goings.In La, Film Independent introduced its Spirit Award nominations, with "The Artist" and "Take Shelter" leading at five each. Back East, the NY Film Experts Circle was busy crowning "The Artist" best feature and picking Pitt and Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady") for acting honors.The bicoastal barrage introduced a good start to Alexander Payne's "The Descendants" (Spirit noms for feature and supporting actress Shailene Woodley, though George Clooney was excluded) and Sean Durkin's "Martha Marcy May Marlene," which acquired first feature, director and lead actress Spirit noms, along with the NYFCC's first-feature recognition. Focus Features' "Beginners" also managed to move on getting a Spirit nom put in the Gotham Award it won late Monday.Fox Searchlight's "The Tree of Existence," Terrence Malick's divisive film that shared the Gotham Award with "Beginners," exceeded the Spirit Awards' $20 million being qualified limit but was honored with the Gotham experts for cinematography (and shared a little of acting citations for Pitt and Jessica Chastain).But nothing developed a more effective statement than "The Artist," the quiet film that's acquired $204,878 since its release in four theaters Friday. Its pack-leading five Spirit noms and greatest feature recognition within the NYFCC -- in addition to director honors in the two caser for Michel Hazanavicius plus an actor nomination for Jean Dujardin -Place the film squarely inside the search. Org's top pick went onto obtain a best picture Oscar nomination 13 occasions in the last 2 decades.InchThe Artist" was purchased at the start from the Cannes Film Festival with the Weinstein Co., that's mounting among its trademark campaigns. The other day within an Academy screening, Harvey Weinstein introduced along Charlie Chaplin's granddaughters inside an ode to Hollywood's quiet-film era. Oscar glory for "The Artist" is a crowning achievement for old Harvey themselves: The ultimate time a basic film was nominated for top picture was 1929 ("The Patriot") -- which is been nearly 2 decades since a black-and-white-colored film remains nommed ("Schindler's List"). Omissions among the day's honorees include Paramount's "Constantly,Inch a largely improvised film from Drake Doremus which were receiving specific buzz but emerged empty Oscilloscope's "We must Discuss Kevin," that's obtaining a significant honours push for Tilda Swinton and Woodsy Allen's "Evening amount of time in Paris," which acquired basically a Spirit nom for supporting actor Corey Stoll and zilch within the NYFCC.Our prime-profile films that went empty-handed on Tuesday incorporated "The Woman While Using Dragon Tattoo," even though The brand new the new sony had arranged a distinctive, first-look screening for your NYFCC. However, these honours overlap with early election primaries. You will discover still much more honours votes later on -- the country's Board of Review will weigh in Thursday -- which honours aren't exactly guaranteed bellwethers. A year ago, "Black Swan" won the Spirit and "The Social MediaInch needed the NY crix jerk, while "The King's Speech" showed up inside the Oscar winner's circle.(Stuart Oldham, Dork McNary and Gordon Cox brought with this story.) Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Downgrade sinks Netflix stock

Netflix stock stumbled Tuesday after a downgrade by S&P, while the company's chief financial officer David Wells defended its strategy on all fronts -- foreign expansion, a host of nonexclusive content deals and last week's move to raise $400 million in a stock and debt sale to cushion its balance sheet. Wells told investors at the Credit Suisse Technology Conference that Netflix is working to "bring the brand back brick by brick" after several flubs this year provoked a subscriber revolt. "I think this is a long-term thing that we have to live with. It will take a little bit of time for it to come back," he said. The once high-flying shares closed down 3.4%, or $2.38, at $67.57 after Standard & Poor's late Monday cut its rating on the company's debt to BB- from BB, citing spending on content and international expansion that will continue to erode profits. Netflix has said it expects red ink in 2012 on new international services in the U.K. and Ireland. The agency also thinks it may take longer than anticipated for domestic subscriber growth to resume. Netflix's meteoric growth slammed to a halt last quarter. It ended September with 23.79 million U.S. subs, down from 24.59 million the previous quarter. The company effectively raised the price of its original DVD service and tried, then canceled plans, to rebrand it. Wells reiterated the company's prediction that net subscriber additions will turn positive for the month of December. Analysts estimate Netflix will spend about $1 billion on content deals for its streaming service in 2011 and see that rising to $1.9 billion next year. Netflix doesn't disclose those numbers but has said it expects spending to nearly double. Wells clarified that the "nearly" means the company is looking at an increase of about 78%. He said there is money set aside for renewals and "opportunity buys." Only about 15% of the budget is earmarked for exclusive or original programming -- a conscious decision by company execs. "Exclusivity matters when you have to be differentiated and for now there is no one in our direct space, so it's important to have more...less exclusivity and more content," Wells said. As for international, Wells acknowledged that the U.K. market is highly competitive, a downside, but said that's offset by the fact that it's smoother sailing given the higher degree of device penetration. "We don't have to do the marketing and heavy lifting of demonstrating to people" how streaming works, he said. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

John McCain: Daughter Meghan 'Went Over to the Dark Side' (Video)

Arizona Senator John McCain gave his two cents about his daughter Meghan's recent move to MSNBC as a paid contributor.our editor recommendsMedia Analyst Slams NBC News for Hiring 'Impostor' Chelsea Clinton10 Entertainers Democrats and Republicans Love to Hate "She went over to the dark side I guess," McCain said to Don Imus on the Fox Business Network. McCain added that he was proud of his daughter. PHOTOS: 10 Entertainers Democrats and Republicans Love to Hate "She's feisty. Being over there she is going to have to have quite a bit of that," the former Republican presidential candidate said. "I'm sure she will fight for the things she and I believe in over there and I wish her every success." STORY: John McCain's Daughter Makes MSNBC Debut as Paid Contributor Meghan McCain was hired on as a staffer earlier in November to cover the Republican presidential candidates and GOP primary. "It's a unique opportunity to share my perspective as a Republican on a network I respect and have built a relationship with over the past two years," the younger McCain said in a statement announcing her new position. PHOTOS: Democrats and Republicans' Favorite Movies McCain, who has openly announced her support for Mitt Romney, has been a guest on MSNBC since 2009. She also wrote a memoir, Dirty Sexy Politics, about her time on the campaign trail with her father. STORY: Media Analyst Slams NBC News for Hiring 'Impostor' Chelsea Clinton Meghan McCain is not the only politician's daughter to get on the NBC News payroll. Chelsea Clinton joined the network in November as a correspondent for the newsmagazine Rock Center with Brain Williams where she'll contribute to the "Making a Difference" series. Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 10 Entertainers Democrats and Republicans Love to Hate Related Topics MSNBC Fox Business Channel Politics

The earth the planet pandora Posts Surprise Third-Quarter Profit

NY - The earth the planet pandora Media on Tuesday reported enhanced third-quarter financials and released an unpredicted profit. The web music company reported a little quarterly profit of $638,000, in contrast getting a $1.8 million loss around-ago period. Wall Street experts had forecast a loss of profits. Revenue rose ninety-nine percent to $75 million, doubling a year ago's $37.7 million. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects Earnings

Ascot nabs Finecut's 'Leafie'

SEOUL -- Sales house Finecut has revealed several deals inked in the American Film Market. Ascot Elite acquired Korean animation "Leafie," which cumed $13 million on home turf, for German-speaking areas and Conquest Filmes required South america. It had formerly been offered to many areas, including Italia, Poultry, Indonesia, Portugal, Middle East and also the former USSR nations (excluding the Baltic nations). Hit local thriller "Blind" was offered for Japan (King Records) and Malaysia and Brunei (Hwa Yea Multimedia), after recent deals for German-speaking areas (MFA+), Taiwan (Bald eagle Worldwide Communication), and Thailand (STG). Summer time horror title "The KittyInch was offered for Japan (Magnetar) and French-speaking areas (Mercury), additionally to the previous sales for Singapore and Malaysia (Scorpio East), Taiwan (Bald eagle Worldwide) and Indonesia (DCU Home Theatre). The comedy movie "Easy Family" added deals for Japan (JoyNContents), Taiwan (Bald eagle Worldwide) and U.S. (CJ CGV). JoyNContents also acquired "Heartbeat," starring Yunjin Kim. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com