Watercooler: In Praise of Glee's Santana

Amber Riley, Naya Rivera, Louise Morris See, for this reason you need to make Christmas lists, kids! Several months ago, Watercooler requested Santa for any couple of things when it comes to Glee, and last evening, we've got the main one we wanted probably the most: More Santana. Actually, it had been just like a "a really special Santanisode" that saw the spitfire who once declared "the only real straight I'm is straight-up bitch" formally adopting her Sapphic self and displayed the always-scrumptious Naya Rivera's capability to be a variety of fierce, funny and believably vulnerable. Her version of "Constant Craving" with Idina Menzel? Which was just extra awesome-sauce quietly. Not too this is actually the very first time Rivera has become the interest she so highly warrants. All season, as the relaxation people happen to be wondering if Karovsky can get several scene this season, Santana's coming-out story continues to be brewing, and 2 days back, we've got that Finn slap that seemed a great deal like "buckle her in, it's gonna get Lima Levels-adjacent up in here!" Lawdy, made it happen ever! Between your scene together with her grandmother and also the "I Kissed a womanInch number, the main focus on La Lopez composed for most of the hour's lesser moments. Our only worry is how this story goes came from here. Clearly, she'll take some help handling the aftershocks to be openly outed (because of that anti-Sue commercial), therefore we really hope the authors handle it properly. Not sensibly - we'd never request that from people that just put an instructor into mattress having a student - just realistically. Like, maybe use guidance counselor Emma as not only an Obsessive-compulsive disorder point. Or have Blaine take a rest from being smugly self-impressed to mentor her regarding how to be a well-modified gay teen with great hair like him. Just please, don't reduce her to another weepy, whiny martyr like last year's canonization of St. Kurt. That mess has become travelling in roll-neck ponchos and Santana warrants so a lot better than that. Would you agree? How whenever they handle Santana's story since everybody knows she's "Lebanese"? Sign up for TV Guide Magazine today!

Golden Globes Preview: 'Tintin,' 'Cars 2' Faceoff in Animation Category

This story first appeared in the Dec. 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.our editor recommendsGolden Globes Preview: 'Tintin,' 'Cars 2' Faceoff in Animation CategoryGolden Globes TV Predictions from THR's Tim GoodmanGolden Globes Comedy vs. Drama Category Battle Rages OnWhy the Golden Globes Crawled Back to Ricky Gervais As red carpets go, the Globes' fashion gauntlet has historically been livelier and looser than the prim-and-proper Oscar arrivals. Globes-going actresses have broken the mold by wearing emerging or unknown designers, eschewing cumbersome gowns for party-hearty cocktail hemlines, showing scandalous skin and, in some cases, going completely off the grid. Who can forget Lara Flynn Boyle's pink chiffon tutu by L.A. designer David Cardona in 2003? Or Cameron Diaz -- nominated in 1999 for There's Something About Mary -- strolling down the carpet in a critically panned floral dressing gown? Years earlier, Whoopi Goldberg also made waves when she showed up in a bright yellow tracksuit the night she won for The Color Purple in 1986. And Cher famously wore a skintight shredded mini with mesh stockings when she received her 1984 Globe for Silkwood. PHOTOS: Golden Globes Party Pics But the Globes' fashion mood has recently shifted. Nominees like Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Jennifer Aniston, Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek, Cate Blanchett and Reese Witherspoon have upped the designer quotient with made-to-measure gowns by renowned couturiers Valentino, Yves St. Laurent, Chanel, Gucci, Nina Ricci, Dior, Armani Prive and Atelier Versace. The Globes have now become a critical stop in an Oscar hopeful's campaign for fashion glory: You have to dress like an Oscar winner to become an Oscar winner. This is why the 2012 Globes carpet will feature the latest runway trends -- white, pretty pastel and sorbet hues, fun floral prints, feminine taffeta, tulle, chiffon and lace gowns, demure sleek '20s flapper silhouettes -- and more statement-making couture from A-list designers than you can shake a stiletto at. PHOTOS: Golden Globes Red Carpet Style And because the Globes features an entertaining mix of film and TV stars, fashionistas are already looking forward to seeing what TV "It" girls Sofia Vergara and Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Christina Hendricks and January Jones (Mad Men), Claire Danes (Homeland) and Zooey Deschanel (New Girl) will wear to kick off the earliest moment of TV's seven-month long awards season. But it's this year's photogenic and youthful film ingenues-- Keira Knightley (A Dangerous Method), Rooney Mara (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) -- who are the anticipated style-setters. Still, let's hope perennial rule-breaker Helena Bonham Carter -- who wore a black lace Vivienne Westwood frock and different colored shoes last year -- will attend this year's Globes and add some classic individuality to the mix. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 8 Possible Hollywood Targets for Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes Related Topics Golden Globes Oscars

France's CNC may have revenue designated

PARIS -- French Senate has happened a bill to cap revenues in the CNC, the problem film and TV agency, at Pounds 700 million ($938 million), and divert the extra to the condition budget. The CNC's rev streams from taxes on film tickets, Television stations, VOD, mobile, Internet, Digital video disks together with other film-related products, which really fund the biz, may have an individual cap. Excess from taxes on the web service companies will be familiar with finance the country's Music Center (NCM), that's set to create next season. The measure triggered uproar inside the French film and TV biz if the was passed lately with the National Setup (a href="http://internet.selection.orgOrpostOrVR1118044920" target="_new">Variety, March. 24, 2011/a>). Industry players and unions lobbied so energetically in the bill the federal government suggested an amendment that restricted the cap to revenue from taxes on tv services, nevertheless the Senate rejected that. The measure could yet be overturned, however, having a bipartisan commission, composed of people in politics from both chambers, which will seek an even more consensual approach. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

NBC Issues Apology to Michele Bachmann for Jimmy Fallon's 'Late Night' Song Slam

Aldo RossiClockwise from left: Cari Fletcher, Paige Elizabeth, Dani Knights and Hayley Orrantia X Factor's Simon Cowell says girl group Lakoda Rayne, which he along with fellow judges L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger created when it paired bootcamp finalistsDani Knights, Cari Fletcher, Paige Elizabeth and Hayley Orrantia, was voted off the competition for being "too pretty."our editor recommends'X Factor' Double Elimination: Who Went Home for the Holidays?'X Factor' Burning Questions: Is L.A. Reid Out of the Demi Lovato Loop? Will Chris Rene's 'Young Homie' Be Released?'X Factor' Redux: Melanie Amaro Finds Her Spirit and Her Accent (Video) "It's a problem I've had all my life," he joked following Wednesday's elimination show. But in all seriousness, he blamed the group members' looks for their exit. "Girls didn't like them," Cowell said. "Groups are always difficult but I think someone like Drew is very good in that she speaks to teenagers like a teenager -- that's part of her appeal. They're a bit older, but it's the same principle." PHOTOS: 'X Factor' Behind the Scenes As The Top 11 Work Out the Week's Performances As for LeRoy Bell, the unlikely 60-year-old finalist who stole America's heart with his velvety voice and sweet disposition, Cowell doubts ageism was at work. "It was personality-ism," the head judge told the Hollywood Reporter. "You've really got to pop now, you've got to make people want to vote for you when you're competing with people like Drew or Rachel [Crow] or particularly what Melanie [Amaro] did Tuesday night. At this point, you make a statement and I always felt with LeRoy that he was slightly embarrassed that he had to compete with 13 ort 14-year-olds because he's a man and he's got dignity. And I kind of get it, but I felt that he didn't quite let himself go in the way that Josh [Krajcik] lets himself go." Speaking of letting things go, it seems Reid isn't holding a grudge when it comes to Cowell's verbal assault the other night. "L.A. was a little bit frosty at the beginning, particularly when he saw the playback of the show," Cowell cracked. "I don't think he liked that very much, because I had the last word." PHOTOS: Get to Know 'X Factor's' Top 17 Finalists Still, Cowell insists it's mostly for show. "I explained to L.A. before we did the show that we're going to have that kind of relationship," he said. "If you like each other, you can have that kind of banter." But Cowell isn't about to let the Demi Lovato slip go. To recap: Reid criticized Drew for singing the hit "Skyscraper" saying it was music for 40-year-olds. Lovato, who sings the song, is 19. "We haven't stopped talking about it," Cowell said with a chuckle. "I'm having the album delivered to his dressing room." Cowell adds that he was as surprised as anyone that Reid "didn't know the song," but he also saw it as an opportunity. "I loved it because I knew he was going to have a problem with [Drew], that's been going on for a while," Cowell explained. "So when he dropped the ball on Demi, it was like, 'Fine, now I'm going to say what I want to say.'" And did he ever. Cowell called Reid's insights "stupid, inaccurate rubbish" among a slew of other insults, leaving the Epic Records chairman dumbfounded. But no hard feelings -- minutes later, the two were kibitzing outside the X Factor stage door. It is television, after all. Twitter: @shirleyhalperin PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Inside Simon Cowell's 'X Factor' Trailer (Exclusive) PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'X Factor' Behind the Scenes: The Top 11 Work Out the Week's Performances Nicole Scherzinger Paula Abdul Simon Cowell Antonio L.A. Reid Lakoda Rayne LeRoy Bell Josh Krajcik Melanie Amaro Drew Ryniewicz The X Factor

Paramount's 'Star Trek' Sequel to Open May 17, 2013

Entertainment law firm Liner Grode Stein Yankelevitz Sunshine Regenstreif & Taylor Llp. is remodeling the office building at 9800 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills that it purchased from a partnership that includes former CAA chairmanMichael OvitzandBob Goldman, the agency's former CFO.our editor recommendsMichael Ovitz Selling Live Nation Headquarters in Beverly Hills (Exclusive)Secrets of Hollywood Agency Mailrooms PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes of CAA and Other Agency Mailrooms The 40,000-square-foot building, which the law firm purchased for roughly $13.5 million in December 2010, is adjacent to the former CAA headquarters and was used by the agency as an annex when it outgrew its main building next door. STORY: The Secrets of Hollywood Agency Mailrooms CAA moved from its I.M. Pei-designed 9830 Wilshire Blvd. headquarters to new Century City offices in 2007. Ovitz, Goldman and others still own the 9830 building.It is now occupied by Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which signed a 10-year lease at the property in 2008. Liner Grode Stein, which has a client roster that includes Summit Entertainment, Tokyo Broadcasting System and filmmaker Michael Moore, will move into its new building in March. The 60-lawyer firmwill relocate from its current headquarters at 1100 Glendon Ave. in Westwood. STORY: Michael Ovitz Opens His Home For an Art Tour Ovitz and partners have sold two properties in Beverly Hills in less than a year. In April, THR reported that Ovitz, Goldman and real estate developerBill McGregor agreed to sell the Beverly Hills headquarters of Live Nation to NY-based commercial real estate investment firm Tishman Speyer Properties. The $20 million deal for the 57,111-square-foot building at9348 Civic Center Driveclosed in September. Email: Daniel.Miller@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller Related Topics Michael Ovitz Real Estate CAA

Lake Bell Reviews the Best (and Worst) Offerings From L.A. Auto Show

The 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show rolled into downtown's L.A. Convention Center last week, debuting the usual (and unusual) new suspects of the automobile industry. I'm particularly nostalgic for these events because they symbolize the earliest and most consistent memories I have of connecting with my motorhead father, Harvey Siegel.our editor recommendsLake Bell Test Drives the Fiat 500Lake Bell Test Drives the 2012 Bentley Continental GT PHOTOS: Lake Bell and Other Stars at GQ's Men of the Year Party And since I've been attending auto shows since I was a little girl, I thought it fitting to remain juvenile in my account of the visit. Let's be honest, the whole thing is a popularity contest anyway, and so I harken back to my childhood by passing judgment in the purest form: Senior Superlatives -- Automotive Edition. STORY: Los Angeles Auto Show Preview: Ford, Fiat, BMW, Mitsubishi For those of you who were lucky enough to avoid this high school tradition, "Senior Superlatives" is a list of sweeping labels that some kid who's head of the yearbook gets to assign to members of the senior class. If you're 17 years old, it's the stuff of nightmares -- unless you're bestowed coveted title of Most Likely to Succeed. OK, let's get down to it (and if you are scoring at home, the show runs through Nov. 27): BIGGEST FLIRT: 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder I'm never sure if I'm flirting with the R8 or if it's flirting with me. Likely the former, as the R8 is only a car and cannot convey complex emotions. Regardless, a love affair has long since ensued between me and this naughty-looking V-10. Even though I miss the R8 coupe's signature side intakes, its sexy squinty headlights and the 5.2L V-10 still makes me weak in the knees. BIGGEST WALLFLOWER : 2012 Coda Aw, poor Coda. It means well, but visually couldn't be less enticing. If you looked up "car" in the dictionary, it would picture a nondescript four-door vehicle. That's what a Coda looks like. Part of the appeal of having an electric car is driving something that is complete with Jetsons design -- otherwise you don't get credit for saving the world. Zero emissions? Great! But zero charisma? I'd rather snag a Prius for less money and get the full extra credit. MOST LIKELY TO BE COMPLETELY MEDIOCRE: 2012 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet I mean, why buy a Murano SUV to begin with, let alone a convertible version? A harsh question, to be sure, but with a price tag of more than $40,000, how can one find a purpose for this clunky and somewhat unattractive car? I have to CrossCabriolet this off my list because there's no time for mediocrity when it comes to the competitive world of SUVs. CLASS CLOWN: 2012 Nissan Juke With a name only a vowel away from being a "joke," the Juke is painfully over-designed -- even before you tick the box for the "Make It Yours" exterior customization option. Sorry, Juke, I'd rather "make it someone else's." But cool your jets, Nissan fans: Japan's answer to the muscle car, the GT-R, wiped the Juke smile off my face with its bulging body and twin-turbocharged V-6 that puts out 530 horsepower. MOST LIKELY TO END UP IN JAIL: 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 With 700 horsepower and a V-12, if you don't have a run-in with the law it's just embarrassing. When I asked a representative of Lamborghini, "Who the hell can buy this mid-engine monsoon with nearly a $400,000 sticker price?" he replied: "Mostly brain surgeons." I don't know what's more terrifying: the fact that it delivers 0 to 62 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds or that the world's smartest surgeons are joyriding in a car that, due to their better judgment, they should not be driving at all. BEST BODY: 2012 Aston Martin One-77 Good lord this thing has more curves than Sofia Vergara in a push-up bra. MOST UNFORGETTABLE: BMW i8 Concept Two of the reasons you can't get this fully electric sports car out if your brain are because a) it looks like space and b) it's in the new Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol trailer, which airs on TV every seven seconds. Indeed, the i8 is impossible to ignore. Its half-translucent shell is the most exotic design I've ever seen in an electric car, and it is actually going into production in 2014. It'll make you proud to plug in. (Sorry, Coda.) MOST LIKELY TO BECOME PRESIDENT: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gull-Wing This regal coupe transcends all other candidates in its class. I would pass any bill authored by this 563 horsepower roadster, except the bill that comes with actually purchasing it. But that's only because I'm a liberal and pay a lot of taxes. DIRTIEST MIND: 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 I may have gotten a little pregnant from sitting in this animal. With tuning from Dodge's Street and Racing Technology division enhancing the Challenger's already testosterone-oozing body to the tune of 470 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, the Challenger makes me nervous in all the right ways. MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED: 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid No, I wasn't wooed to award Kia this honored title because its booth had an interactive computerized dancing gerbil in a windbreaker. However, that element did warm me up to pay close attention to the company's stellar sense of humor, which then led me to be pleasantly surprised by the Optima Hybrid. This fuel-efficient sedan is genuinely affordable -- it starts at about $26,000 -- and actually looks, dare I say, kind of awesome. Don't knock it 'til you try it. Kia should change its slogan to: "Kia. Who knew?" Related Topics Lake Bell

On Bella's Desire and Beyond: Going Deep on Breaking Dawn with Twilight's Melissa Rosenberg

Throughout the Twilight franchise, one screenwriter has adapted author Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling book series about a teenager and her love for a vampire for the screen: Melissa Rosenberg. It’s a tricky job, balancing the desire to satisfy fans with the need to make Meyer’s 500+ page-novels cinematic, all while transforming heroine Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) from unsteady teen to self-possessed woman. But in Breaking Dawn - Part 1 Bella finally is an agent of her own destiny, her senses awakened, and her choices confident. Was she, as Rosenberg insists, an active heroine under the surface just waiting to spring into action all along? The topic of Bella’s long-criticized status as a passive heroine (as written by Meyer) was just one of many Movieline dove into recently in an extensive chat with Rosenberg. (Also discussed: That honeymoon! That vastly improved acting! The virtually unfilmable events of 2012’s Breaking Dawn - Part 2!) Arguably the best-crafted installment in the series, Breaking Dawn - Part 1, which opened to $139.5 million last weekend and earned the #5 spot among the all-time biggest openings of all time, marks a promising beginning of the end for the Summit franchise; meanwhile, Rosenberg turns her attentions to fostering stronger roles for women through her production company and upcoming television projects. Read on for more. [Spoilers follow] Critics have long criticized Bella Swan for being a passive heroine, but in Breaking Dawn she most clearly seems to take charge of her life. Did you see this installment as an opportunity to show her as more of an active agent in her own destiny? I think in the film versions of Bella, she’s fairly proactive even from the start. That’s at least been one of my primary objectives, to shift her into that role. In Breaking Dawn that’s more obvious, because she seems to finally know and assert what she wants — in her choice of men, in her sexuality. It feels like she becomes a woman in Breaking Dawn, whether it’s through these specific rites of passage — the wedding, the loss of virginity, the childbirth. By the time we get to the honeymoon, she wants to have sex, and she’s the aggressor. I’ve always loved that about Bella. She’s desirous. She pursues Edward in that way; he’s the one who saying, “No, let’s hold off…” I love that. In some ways, this is terrible perhaps, it gives girls permission to own that for themselves as well. Along those lines, Breaking Dawn is fairly intense for the younger side of the fandom; by now, girls who were tweens and younger teens at the start of the franchise have grown up with it, but you’ve got sex and the desire of sex and the repercussions of sex — pregnancy, even the debate over abortion… are these rather intense subjects for young girls to take in? Yeah, there’s a lot to process. I think particularly in this movie, which is PG-13 — it’s really PG-13. Parents really need to think about it, if [their children] are not 13. It’s a very grown up movie, a grown up story with some very adult themes. It’s emotionally complex, and, you know, it’s about a marriage. Marriage is hard work! I’m somewhere in the middle of the Twilight demographic so these themes aren’t so alien to me as they might be to younger viewers - but then, aren’t these kids watching shows like Teen Mom on MTV anyway? Maybe, and as you said earlier I think they’ve grown up with this character and they’ve gone through her journey to get here. And the movie in itself is a journey; she begins as a girl leaving home for the first time and getting married. The wedding, as you said, is a rite of passage. Having sex for the first time… you’re sort of drawn into it and taken along on her journey. Which scene did you find was most difficult to hammer into shape, or to get absolutely right as you were writing it? There were a number of them, but some of the harder stuff was when Bella comes back and Jacob sees her for the first time, fully pregnant, then sits down with her to try and convince her not to go through with it. That was very, very hard; you’re talking about really complex emotions and conveying Bella’s point of view, Jacob’s point of view… there was a lot going into that scene and those similar to it. Those took a number of different drafts. In comparison to the previous films in the series, Breaking Dawn seems most subtle in its references to prior events or details from the book — for example, it doesn’t shove a reminder in our face of who Laurent was when his fate comes up in discussion at the wedding, and we don’t get an over-explanation of why Rosalie is the one person who would help Bella defend her baby. Was that a deliberate choice? That is why for a screenwriter to have really great collaborators is very valuable, because it’s hard for me to separate myself from the material and initially I was putting all sorts of backstory in there. Then, as I start to get notes from the studio and the producers and Stephenie, and most importantly in that case, is Bill [Condon], because he is coming to it fresh. He’s able to say, “You know, you don’t need all of that — the fans who know about it will get it, and the ones who have never read it, it won’t matter.” There are some nice surprises in the film for fans of the book; they’re going to get the Laurent and Irina reference, but to anyone who hasn’t read the book it just doesn’t matter. Even a brief callback, like Charlie looking curiously at the graduation caps collage in the Cullen house… Yes! That wasn’t in the book but it was a reference to the first movie. Those sorts of things are fun for fans, and yet they’re thankfully integrated into scenes without being hammered home. Right — well, that was a product of much honing, because I started by overexplaining a lot. [Laughs] How was working with Bill different than your previous collaborations with Catherine Hardwicke, Chris Weitz, and David Slade? You know, all four of them have been wildly different in their processes, and I’ve been very fortunate that each one has been not only very talented but actually a nice person to work with. [Laughs] I actually personally like each one of them. And Bill, as with them all, was very different. Bill is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter himself, so my experience has been that he approaches everything as a storyteller. I don’t want to in any way lesson my experience with the other directors, but Bill probably is one of the best creative collaborations of my career, which is saying a lot — I’ve been doing this for two decades! Why do you two work so well together? He is a screenwriter and speaks the same language. His process is very similar to mine. So he was able to create the room for me to do my best work, as best as I could, and to support it and be there as a sounding board; he had countless ideas. He’s woven into every line and scene of that screenplay, and yet he gave me ownership of it, he allowed me to bring everything I could to it. That’s a very unique gift as a director. It really is the ideal collaboration. It’s something every screenwriter would hope for. I also think it’s apparent, from watching Breaking Dawn, that Bill was quite good working with his actors. Very clearly. I think they’re better than they’ve ever been. What’s your perspective on why the cast has progressed through the past three films until now? I think it starts before they even get on set; not to have everything be about me, but it starts with his work with me. This story is very much character drama. It’s not the big, epic storytelling of New Moon and Eclipse. This is a really personal, intimate story about a girl’s coming of age, about a marriage. Hence, I was actually looking forward to writing the fifth movie because it’s all cool action and new characters. I was like, “How the hell am I going to do this?” Bill was actually attracted to this one because he loves that kind of storytelling. I think in some ways it goes back to his Gods and Monsters days. So he just kept on pushing me to go deeper and deeper into the characters and their conflict, pulling back the layers, so before the actors come onboard he’s already pushing me to really give them something to play. A lot of his work is just bringing me up, and then the actors get onstage and he’s already embodied what he wants and needs from them, and can guide them in a really masterful way. Let’s talk honeymoon. Obviously I enjoyed what sexytime we saw within the PG-13 rating, but fans were hoping that somewhere out there was an R-rated version of the scene. The holy grail of Twilight fandom! How did you walk the line, even in conceiving the scene, in terms of how far you should go? [Laughs] For me, the important aspect of that scene is the story of this consummation of this epic love story - the connection between them, the chemistry between them, the intensity is what delivers. Then it lands in Bill’s lap, in his capable hands, to really shoot that and direct that in a way that delivers. He made a choice early on that I wrote toward, which was an idea of his, to play a lot of it in flashback. So it’s very funny; they go to bed and the audience is going, “What?! That’s it?” Then he plays back a lot of it in this really wonderful flashback moment. I thought that was great, it really gets you inside Bella’s experience of the night.

True Blood stream Taps Valentina Cervi for Villainous Role

Valentina Cervi True Blood stream gets in fresh blood stream for Season 5. Italian actress Valentina Cervi will join the cast just like a series regular, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Cervi, who recently came out inside the BBC miniseries Zen, will portray Salome, a classic vampire who's not only intelligent but a skilled seductress. TVLine.com first reported what is the news. True Blood stream Scoop: Lucy Griffiths joins cast as Eric's "sister" Salome, just like the Salome within the Bible, is regarded as the effective person, though she's in a position to hiding her forces if the serves her purpose. True Blood stream is slated to return with Season 5 next season.

Prison Proper Dog Training Memoir 'Weekends With Daisy' Headed to Silver Screen (Exclusive)

Getty CBS Films has pre-emptively clicked up film rights for the forthcoming memoirWeekends with Daisy, written bySharron Kahn Luttrell.our editor recommendsTHR's 5 Books every week: Stephen King, F1, Rock History, and Umberto EcoWhat Amy Baer's Exit Way of CBS Films' Future With facets of The Blind Side, Luttrell's story particulars how just like a middle-class freelance journalist in Colonial she made a decision to volunteer with an inmate dog-training program. For a labrador puppy just for fun on saturday to continue its learning the outside world, Luttrell eventually produced adeepening relationship with both dog as well as the male convict who was simply training her jail time. (Many of the U.S. service-dog inhabitants are trained by crooks.) PHOTOS: 10 Finest Book-to-Silver Screen Adaptations in the Latter-and-a-half decades Lauren Shuler DonnerandJack Leslieof the Donners' Company are coming up with the project. Both professionals have extended attempted supporting similar inmate dog-training programs.Professionals Mark Ross and Ryan Conroy are controlling for your studio. Gotham Group'sEllen Goldsmith-VeinandLuke Sandlerrepped the acquisition in the book's film rights.Daisy is presently to entrepreneurs, though no deal has yet been set. CBS films is at production on Seven Psychopaths and 7500, while its Toronto acquisition Seafood Fishing inside the Yemen will open in theaters in March. The business will next release The Woman in Black in February. The Donners' Company most recently produced the Fox actioner X-Males: Top Quality, which made $354 million worldwide this year. Lauren Shuler-Donner CBS Films

Jason Segel's 'Goonies' Adventure? 'Muppets' Star Plans Next Project

Because Jason Segel did not get a good enough nostalgia fix from dealing with Kermit and Miss Piggy in 'The Muppets,' the star and film writer is wishing never to say die about his next film. Sorta. Within an interview using the Playlist, Segel says the next scripted project might be a kids adventure like 'The Goonies' or 'Labyrinth.' "I really got back to possession my first script I ever offered after i was 21-years-old," Segel stated when requested about his future plans. "It sitting on the shelf plus they did not realize that it had been exactly the same Jason Segel. I found them since the contract was up and that i visited purchase it up plus they were really like, 'No, wait, which was you? Which was your script?' And That I was like, 'Yep, sorry dudes.' And So I now purchased it and I wish to allow it to be. It is a kids adventure movie within the type of 'Goonies' or 'Labyrinth' or something like that like this. I believe this is the next large factor Let me attempt to tackle." Not sure yet on any concrete particulars, but Segel did demonstrate that the script includes puppets from the non-Muppet variety. The 'Muppets' star has 'Five-Year Engagement' arriving 2012, in addition to a cameo appearance in Judd Apatow's spiritual non-follow up to 'Knocked Up.' He seemed to be rumored as with discussions for that lead in 'Sex Tape.' [via Indiewire/The Playlist] [Photo: Disney] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Wendi McLendon-Covey Lands Starring Role: Is She Still the Unsung Hero of Bridesmaids?

Very happy news on the wire today: Wendi McLendon-Covey, whose hilarious role in Bridesmaids all but vanished in the film’s third act, is set to star in A White Trash Christmas, a Christmas Carol revamp in which a “whiskey-soaked, trashy mother is visited by three ghosts who try to show her a path to a brighter future.” While this character sounds like a retread of her Bridesmaids part, I’m always down for a lady-led Scrooged reboot. (A Diva’s Christmas Carol, anyone?) This leads us to a larger question: Is McLendon-Covey the unsung hero of Bridesmaids? We provide evidence after the jump. Though she gets as bawdy as the other actresses, McLendon-Covey’s subtle delivery in her brief introduction with Kristen Wiig is so, so perfect. No one else in the cast could as brilliantly nail a line about cracking a blanket in half. In this classic outtake reel from Bridesmaids, we gawp as McLendon-Covey works her improv brio and spouts disgusting images to describe her household. While Melissa McCarthy is just as brassy, McLendon-Covey is straight-up gross — and we have to respect that. Bridesmaids Outtakes - watch more funny videos But last and most important, she’s just like us. In this junket interview, McLendon-Covey expresses exasperation with the lack of female-led comedies and pinpoints exactly what works about the movie: It’s mainly about a friendship, not romance. Let’s get this woman her own Oscar buzz. McLendon-Covey Picks Up ‘Trash’ [Variety]

European Film Awards Nominations Set

The European Film Academy unveiled its nominations this morning for the European Film Awards. Winners will be announced during a December 3 ceremony in Berlin. Here are the noms: EUROPEAN FILM 2011 THE ARTIST, France WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Michel Hazanavicius PRODUCED BY: Thomas Langmann & Emmanuel Montamat LE GAMIN AU VELO (The Kid with a Bike), Belgium/France/Italy WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne PRODUCED BY: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Denis Freyd & Andrea Occhipinti HVNEN (In a Better World), Denmark DIRECTED BY: Susanne Bier WRITTEN BY: Anders Thomas Jensen PRODUCED BY: Sisse Graum Jrgensen THE KINGS SPEECH, UK DIRECTED BY: Tom Hooper WRITTEN BY: David Seidler PRODUCED BY: Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Gareth Unwin LE HAVRE, Finland/France/Germany WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Aki Kaurismki PRODUCED BY: Aki Kaurismki & Karl Baumgartner MELANCHOLIA, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Lars von Trier PRODUCED BY: Meta Louise Foldager & Louise Vesth EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2011 Susanne Bier for HVNEN (In a Better World) Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne for LE GAMIN AU VELO (The Kid with a Bike) Aki Kaurismki for LE HAVRE Bla Tarr for A TORINOI LO (The Turin Horse) Lars von Trier for MELANCHOLIA EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2011: Kirsten Dunst in MELANCHOLIA Ccile de France in LE GAMIN AU VELO (The Kid with a Bike) Charlotte Gainsbourg in MELANCHOLIA Nadezhda Markina in ELENA Tilda Swinton in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN EUROPEAN ACTOR 2011: Jean Dujardin in THE ARTIST Colin Firth in THE KING’S SPEECH Mikael Persbrandt in HVNEN (In a Better World) Michel Piccoli in HABEMUS PAPAM Andr Wilms in LE HAVRE EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2011: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne for LE GAMIN AU VELO (The Kid with a Bike) Anders Thomas Jensen for HVNEN (In a Better World) Aki Kaurismki for LE HAVRE Lars von Trier for MELANCHOLIA CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2011: Manuel Alberto Claro for MELANCHOLIA Fred Kelemen for A TORINOI LO (The Turin Horse) Guillaume Schiffman for THE ARTIST Adam Sikora for ESSENTIAL KILLING EUROPEAN EDITOR 2011: Tariq Anwar for THE KING’S SPEECH Mathilde Bonnefoy for DREI (Three) Molly Malene Stensgaard for MELANCHOLIA EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2011: Paola Bizzarri for HABEMUS PAPAM Antxn Gmez for LA PIEL QUE HABITO (The Skin I Live in) Jette Lehmann for MELANCHOLIA EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2011: Ludovic Bource for THE ARTIST Alexandre Desplat for THE KINGS SPEECH Alberto Iglesias for LA PIEL QUE HABITO (The Skin I Live in) Mihly Vig for A TORINOI LO (The Turin Horse)

5 Family Revelations from Kris Jenners New Memoir

Kim Kardashian's Oct. 31 split from husband of 72 days Kris Humphries, her mother and manager Kris Jenner debuted her first book, Kris Jenner...And All Things Kardashian. While the memoir largely focuses on her early life, her close friendship in Nicole Brown Simpson and the subsequent O.J. Simpson trial, Jenner, 55, makes room for a few Kardashian family bombshells.our editor recommendsKim Kardashian Divorce: 10 Signs the Marriage Was One Big Hoax All Along Kim Kardashian on Wedding: 'It Was Like Heaven'Kim Kardashian's Official Wedding Photos Hit Web; Were They Worth $1.5 Million? Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries Join Ranks of Hollywood's All-Time Shortest Marriages (Photos)Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries Shot Finale Scene Where they Decide to 'Take a Break' PHOTOS: 19 of Hollywood's All-Time Shortest Marriages 1) Only briefing touching on daughter Kim's relationship and marriage to now-estranged husband, NBA star Humphries, Jenner calls Kim a "hopeless romantic." Jenner says: "As I write this...something new has happened...Kim fell in love." She continues, "I had never seen Kim so happy and I could tell Kris was different." (The book seemingly went to print before the September 17 wedding extravaganza.) PHOTOS: Inside Kardashian Inc. 2) The seemingly ever-present mother was remarkably unaware of Kim's relationship with her first husband, record producer Damon Thomas (whom she never mentions by name). Jenner says that 19-year-old Kim moved out of her father's home and into an undisclosed location -- odd for a mother who is now keenly aware of her children's every movement. Jenner even took her daughter shopping for home essentials for the mystery apartment, discovering later that Kim had rented a place in Northridge and was driving a brand new Jaguar that Thomas presumably bought for her. Jenner only discovered Kim had actually married Thomas three months after the fact when Kourtney decided to do an Internet search for her sister and uncovered the marriage certificate. STORY: Kim Kardashian Divorcing Kris Humphries After 72 Days of Marriage 3) Jenner calls Kim's first boyfriend T.J. Jackson (pop icon Michael Jackson's nephew) her "first true love." But it was Jenner who was "inconsolable" when the teenagers amicably split and retreated to her bathroom to "bawl." STORY: Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries' Divorce: By the Numbe 4) During a trip to the Atlanta for the 1996 Olympic games, the eldest Kardashian sister Kourtney Kardashian had a flight grounded at LAX after screaming on the flight that there was a bomb on the plane. Both Kourtney and Kim were detained by airline personnel and were not permitted to fly until the following day. STORY: Kim Kardashian Divorce: E! Caught by Surprise, Holding Emergency Meetings 5) After her father's passing, Khloe Kardashian was so grief stricken that her hair began falling out in "big clumps." Eventually, she lost it all and began wearing hats. Related Topics Khloe Kardashian Kim Kardashian Kourtney Kardashian Kris Jenner E! Keeping Up With the Kardashians Kris Humphries

AFM 2011: Ron Howard Discloses Intend to Lure Dale earnhardt jr .-Loving People in america to His F1 Movie 'Rush' (Q&A)

When Universal Galleries condemned the brakes on Ron Howard's ambitious Stephen King adaptation The Dark Tower, the Oscar-winning director switched gears to become listed on the independent auto-racing movie Hurry. The film, compiled by Howard's Frost/Nixon scribe Peter Morgan, focuses on the complicated friendship between seventies F1 racing rivals Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl of Inglourious Basterds) and James Search (Thor star Chris Hemsworth). Universal will release Hurry stateside, and Exclusive Media is selling the film worldwide at AFM. The director spoken with The Hollywood Reporterabout how he intends to make American audiences, which typically affiliate with Dale earnhardt jr ., fall deeply in love with the activity of F1.our editor recommends'The Dark Tower' Crumbles as Universal Formally Cancels Ron Howard Project Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard Team for Canon Short FilmImagine Declines 'Dark Tower' Trilogy in Turnaround As Questions MountRon Howard, John Grazer Search for New Studio, Financing for 'Dark Tower'Oscar Symbols: Ron Howard, John Grazer, Akiva Goldsman The Hollywood Reporter: How have you try this project? Ron Howard: I was attempting to fast-track Dark Tower, after which, due to difficulties with your budget along with other conditions, we needed to restore it a little. All of a sudden, I discovered myself free. I have known Peter Morgan since we did Frost/Nixon. I understood it was something he was writing which he'd found interest from independent bankers. I requested basically could see clearly, as well as in a whirlwind, maybe five or ten days, I'd signed to create Hurry. STORY: The Painful Dying of Hollywood's Producers: No Top Class, No Calls Back THR: What amount of the project had been in position? Did you've got a cast? Howard: There wasn't any cast after i became a member of. Peter was always very thinking about getting Daniel Bruhl to experience Lauda, and the moment I met him, I figured he'd do well for that role. And I'd were built with a ending up in Chris Hemsworth with the preparation for Dark Tower and thought he'd be quite interesting. He then gave an incredible audition and merely nailed it. We stopped casting right then. THR: F1 has become a sport worldwide but less so within the U.S. Why will American audiences wish to watch a F1 movie? Howard: Because they are fascinating figures -- ballsy, masculine men. It had been a really harmful era in racing, and listed here are two absolute people in the height of the forces. It can make for nice drama and incredibly exciting action. I wasn't a die-hard F1 fan before I just read Peter's script, but I have been submerging myself nowadays. I believe the thrill Personally i think like a fresh convert might be infectious. STORY: The Condition from the Studio Deals: Who's Doing What Where THR: What kind of research are you currently doing? Howard: I am going to try and do things i did with firefighting in Backdraft, the area capsule in Apollo 13 or even the boxing ring in Cinderella Guy. None of individuals were mobile phone industry's I understood before I made individuals movies. However I got intrigued, first through the figures, then using their world. I Quickly attempted to merge the 2. I have been investing considerable time around F1 tracks and speaking to individuals attached to the sport. I have met Niki Lauda a couple of occasions. I sitting with him throughout the race at Silverstone Circuit [in England], and the commentary am riveting I did not even dare wake up to use the bathroom! Fortunately, F1 continues to be covered such detail within the last 35 to 4 decades with plenty of documentaries, most lately with Senna, that we just today finished watching for that seventh time. STORY: 'The Dark Tower' Crumbles as Universal Formally Cancels Ron Howard Project THR: Exactly what does your shooting schedule seem like? Howard: We obtain moving in Feb, and when everything goes right, we'll provide the film for early winter. But it is a really complicated film. This is not like every film I have done before, however i think we are able to offer audiences an uncommon standpoint. I believe we are able to obtain the camera into places it has not been before -- in the actual middle, within the guts from the race -- and provide the crowd a genuine connection with what these men do. THR: Is model -- individually financing a movie after which obtaining a studio to distribute -Body you can see using for your own personel production company, Imagine? Howard: Sure. Listen, I am involved with by doing this largely because Peter, who's additionally a producer around the project, had assemble it this way. But we now have the assets we have to define this movie, so I am very excited. STORY: John Grazer: Stephen King's 'The Dark Tower' Still a try at Cinemax THR: What's the way forward for Dark Tower? Howard: We're ongoing to operate around the script to figure out ways to create your budget more workable but still provide the work in ways the project warrants. I was always racing and fast-monitoring the project, and so i always wince after i see something discussed it and there is a release date inside. Most of these projects frequently take years to get together within the right ways. However I am deeply in love with the fabric, and also the minute it may get together correctly, I'm fully devoted to it. Hurry was type of just like a gift. I really like tales that focus on fascinating figures, and here you've psychologically complex, rare people, and they're also youthful and awesome -- and it is all within this unbelievably glamorous, sexy period within the mid-'70s. But, when it comes to emotion and also the heartbeat from the story, I believe they'll be very relatable. If you do not know anything about F1, I am likely to present it in a way that you will most likely fall deeply in love with it. Should you choose know F1, I am likely to be very sincere and deliver a movie you'll love, too. Related Subjects AFM Chris Hemsworth Ron Howard AFM 2011 Stephen King

Was Kim Kardashian & Kris Humphries Marriage A Sham?

First Published: November 1, 2011 7:24 PM EDT Credit: Getty Premium Caption Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian appear on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno at NBC Studios in Burbank, Calif. on October 4, 2011LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries met just one year ago and were only married for 72 days, but was the NBA star Kims first pick to be her groom and was their relationship orchestrated? Access Hollywood sat down with The Dailys Los Angeles Bureau Chief Richard Johnson who claimed Kris was cast in the role of Kims husband and was not her first choice. This was a reality TV marriage which means that its unreal, Johnson claimed. I think they came together for the reasons of making money, making ratings and making programming and the season was over and so was the marriage. According to Johnson, Kris wasnt even Kims first choice for her leading man. She went out and looked for an NBA player to sort of star in the next season of her show, he continued. Danilo Gallinari was a very handsome Italian player for the NY Knicks, now hes on the Denver Nuggets, but she went after him first and he wasnt interested and then [Kim] settled on Kris Humphries. But was Kris aware of the plan alleged by Johnson? The big question is whether Kris Humphries actually knew what the plan was or whether he was the unwitting adult, Johnson continued. I think he figured it out eventually because supposedly he began asking for demands and supposedly he asked for a raise from E!. And lately, he hired a publicist and I think however naive and innocent going in, he was no longer naive and innocent at the end. POLL: Do You Think Kim & Kris Marriage Was True Love Or All For The Cameras? CLICK HERE to vote! Johnson speculates the couples lucrative money train stopped due to the NBA owners locking the players out while they negotiate a new contract. Once they had the NBA lockout, he was suddenly hanging around the house. He was interfering with her activities and it was never supposed to be that way, Johnson claimed. If the NBA was playing now, he would be playing the New Jersey Nets 82 scheduled games. Despite Johnsons claims, marriage counselor Stacy Kaiser who appeared on Tuesdays Access Hollywood Live does not buy into the idea that the couples relationship was orchestrated. I dont really believe thats the case, she said. First of all, there has been way too much emotion behind whats been going on between them. Theres been so much anger and sadness and resentment and its my belief that you just cant fake that. On Tuesday, E! also released a statement slamming reports that the relationship was manufactured. Any insinuation that E! and producers orchestrated Kims wedding is completely false, E! said in a statement to Access. The Kardashians have authentically lived their lives on camera for a long time and Kims wedding is one of the many real-life events that the family has shared with viewers, from Masons birth to coping with their fathers death to Khloe and Lamars wedding. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ben Kingsley leads cast for 'A Doll's House'

Cinema Alterna has attracted on Ben Kingsley, Julian Sands, Jena Malone and Michele Martin for your lead roles within the large-screen version of "A Doll's House." Produced by Cinema Altera principal Charles Huddleston, the film is imagined being an current adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic play. Huddleston will direct the film in the script he modified with Michele Martin. The Little Film Company's Clay Epstein is executive creating and handling worldwide sales for your film. Epstein will introduce "A Doll's House" to customers within the American Film Market. Principal photography is slated to begin within the month of the month of january in Cincinnati. "Ibsen's tale from the family unraveling when faced together with your debt crisis can be as relevant now because it might be one hundred and 30 years ago," mentioned Huddleston. "By setting it up into current day world I'm prone to heighten the characters' emotional turmoil and send them around the frightening journey where their deceptions and financial options threaten not only their social standing however lives." "A Doll's House" concentrates on a young woman's avoid an overbearing husband set throughout current day recession. Martin ("Aiding Venus") may have Nora Helmer, the naive youthful wife from the banking executive. Malone ("Pride & Prejudice") will behave as Christine Linde, a pal of Nora's who must decide between her loyalty to Nora and her own future while Kingsley is attached for your role of Dr. Rank, a pal for the Helmers. Sands may have Nathan Gynt, a specialist inside the seedy arena of lending desperate people money. "A Doll's House" remains elevated eight occasions on Broadway, most recently in 1997. Cinema Alterna expects to create two to three movies yearly -- half for under $millions of because the partner are available in the $5 - $ten million range. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

U.K.'s Chelsea takes 'Blackthorn'

"Blackthorn"MADRID -- Chelsea Films, Curzon Artificial Eye's genre label, has acquired all rights to the U.K. and Ireland on Sam Shepard starrer "Blackthorn." Chelsea's Daniel Cooper and 6 Sales' Marina Fuentes closed the deal Monday in the run-up to the American Film Market, which kicks off Wednesday in Santa Monica. The film will be released in the U.K. next year. An integrated cinema theater and film distribution group, Curzon Artificial Eye mixes high-profile art film and crossover pickups -- such as "Melancholia" and "We Need to Talk About Kevin"-- with choice buys of lesser-known titles. Produced by Arcadia Motion Pics. and Aiete Films, the Mateo Gil-helmed "Blackthorn" reprises the Butch Cassidy legend, imagining the outlaw, played by Shepard, to have survived his supposed death in Bolivia in a 1908 shoot-out with the Bolivian army. World preeming at April's Tribeca festival, "Blackthorn" has emerged as one of Spain's sales hits of 2011. Magnolia Pictures has just released "Blackthorn" in the U.S., where it garnered positive reviews and a first 24-day $124,289 on limited release. In France, the film is still on a 70-print release after Bac Films put it out in an August bow. Ascot Elite has acquired German-speaking territories, and Non Stop took Scandinavia. "We are positive that our current negotiations with Italy, Japan, Latin America and other territories will be closed during the American Film Market," said Mar Abadin, 6 Sales head of sales. "Blackthorn" makes its last market appearance at early December's Ventana Sur. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com