Daily Variety articles from April 2012, page 3

Daily Variety archives from April 2012

Pinewood opens Attenborough stage.(World News)
April 25, 2012... Blighty's Pinewood Studios has unveiled a 30,000 sq-ft purpose-built stage for film and TV production, named after multi-hyphenate Richard Attenborough. It is the second largest space at Pinewood, after the 60,000 sq-ft 007 stage, and has...

Malta/Cinecitta team up.(World News)
April 25, 2012... Rome's Cinecitta Studios and the Malta Film Commission have pacted to allow productions shot in Italy and on the Mediterranean isle to tap tax credits from both countries and other benefits, to attract more high-profile pics, such as Universal's...

Spanish shingle's getting 'There'.(World News)(A Contracorriente Films acquires the movie entitled 'Here and There')(Brief article)
April 25, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Spain's A Contracorriente Films has picked up all Spanish rights to Antonio Mendez's emigration drama "Here and There," which was selected Monday for Cannes' Critics' Week. The feature follows a short of the same...

Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey.(Movie review)
April 25, 2012... Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey (Docu) A CineDiaz, Defining Entertainment production, in association with Game 7 Films, Arcady Bay Entertainment. (International sales: Visit Films, New York.) Produced by Ramona S. Diaz. Executive...

The Fourth Dimension.(Movie review)
April 25, 2012... The Fourth Dimension (U.S.-Russia-Poland) A Vice and Grolsch Film Works presentation. Produced by Priya Swaminathan, Matt Elek, Michael Derkits. Executive producers, Eddy Moretti, Shane Smith, Ronald Van Amerogen, Thomas Kamphuis. Reviewed...

Jack & Diane.(Movie review)
April 25, 2012... Jack & Diane [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Magnolia Pictures, Soandbrad and Deer Jen Prods. presentation in association with A Space Between and RCR Media Group. Produced by Jen Gatien, Karin Chien, So Yong Kim, Bradley Rust Gray. Executive...

The Flat/Ha-dira.(Movie review)
April 25, 2012... The Flat (Ha-dira) (Docu--Israel) An Amon Goldfinger, Zero One Film coproduction with ZDF, SWR, Noga Communications--Channel 8 in cooperation with Arte. (International Sales: Zero One Film, Berlin.) Produced by Goldfinger, Thomas Kufus. ...

Downeast.
April 25, 2012... Downeast (Docu) A Carnivalesque Films presentation. Produced by David Redmon, Ashley Sabin, Deborah Smith, Dale Smith, Marcy Garriott, Robert Garriott. Directed, edited by David Redmon, Ashley Sabin. Camera (color), Redmon, Sabin;...

Mansome.(Movie review)
April 25, 2012... Mansome (Docu) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Paladin release of an Electus, Warrior Poets, DumbDumb production. Produced by Jeremy Chilnick, Meri Haitkin, Morgan Spurlock. Executive producers, Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Ben Silverman, Drew...

Nielsen primetime ratings report.(Statistical table)
April 25, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Top shows in 18-49 1. American Idol-Wed. (Fox) 4.8/13 2. Modern Family (ABC) 4.1/11 3. American Idol-Thu. (Fox) 4.0/13 4. Two and a Half Men (CBS) ...

The Wild Ones/Los salvajes.(Movie review)
April 25, 2012... The Wild Ones (Los salvajes) (Argentina) A La Union de los Rios presentation. Produced by Alejandro Fadel, Agustina Llambi Campbell. Executive producer, Campbell. Directed, written by Alejandro Fadel. Camera (color, widescreen, DV),...

Anna Popplewell.(Tenpercenteries)
April 25, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ICM has signed Anna Popplewell, best known for her role in the "Chronicles of Narnia" franchise. She is also repped by Luber Roklin Entertainment.

Mads Matthiesen.(Tenpercenteries)
April 25, 2012... Mads Matthiesen has signed with Paradigm for representation in all areas. His debut pic, "Teddy Bear," preemed at Sundance this year.

Toby Hemingway.(Tenpercenteries)
April 25, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] UTA has inked Toby Hemingway. His credits include "Black Swan." He is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment.

Tyler Spindel.(Tenpercenteries)
April 25, 2012... Tyler Spindel has signed with New Wave Entertainment. Spindel was a recurring director on Nick Swardson's 'Pretend Time' on Comedy Central. He is repped by APA.

Walk of Fame honor: John Cusack.(Brief article)
April 25, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] John Cusack was honored Tuesday with a star on upper Vine Street on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Also attending the ceremonies were James McTeige, who helmed the thesp in "The Raven," which bows Friday. DAILY VARIETY...

CBS Films doubles up on prexies.(CBS Corp. promotes Wolfgang Hammer and Terry Press as CBS Films' co-presidents)
April 24, 2012... CBS has promoted Wolfgang Hammer and Terry Press to co presidents of the CBS Films division after spending more than half a year without a prexy. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Press has been consulting for the studio since 2010 and Hammer has...

Global vision: exhib biz savors int'l gains as box office rebounds.
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's always a more pleasant affair rubbing elbows with fellow industryites when business is booming. And as 2012 worldwide box office continues to impress and technology continues to evolve, at tendees at this year's...

Netflix touts fresh fare amid fiscal funk: vid service posts first net loss in seven years, but CEO lauds 'Lilyhammer,' originals plan.(Financial report)
April 24, 2012... Netflix wants to remember the first quarter of 2012 for something more significant than its first net loss in seven years: the launch of its original programming efforts. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CEO Reed Hastings wouldn't divulge specific...

Critics' Week touts tyros.(Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week 2012)
April 24, 2012... The lineup of the 2012 Critics' Week of the Cannes Film Festival, consisting almost exclusively of rookie filmmakers, was unveiled on the sidebar's website Monday evening in France. The 51 st edition opens on May 17 with the British feature...

U finding its sea legs: o'seas perf eases early 'Battleship' worries.(TENTPOLE tracker)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Battleship" has sailed into a headwind of negative perception since the project was announced in 2009: It took forever to greenlight, it's based on a boardgame with no narrative, it lacks bankable stars, it's opening...

DW spawns daddy redo.(DreamWorks L.L.C. acquires remake rights to the movie entitled 'Starbuck')(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... DreamWorks has acquired remake rights to last year's French-Canadian hit "Starbuck" and tapped original filmmaker Ken Scott to write and direct the comedy. Andre Rouleau will produce, while Scott Medniek will exec produce. [ILLUSTRATION...

Critics go to 'Work': 'Newsies,' 'Once' also snag tuner noms.(Outer Critics Circle nomination for the play entitled 'Nice Work If You Can Get It')
April 24, 2012... Broadway musical "Nice Work If You Can Get It" tops the list of Outer Critics Circle nominations, scoring nine noms in the first round of legit kudos to announce contenders this season. Two more Rialto offerings, "Newsies" and "Once," nabbed...

Variety to debut 'Cannes Live' online.(Six degrees of Variety: OUR EVENTS AND CONNECTIONS)
April 24, 2012... Variety and Ortsbo have partnered to produce a daily program at the Cannes Film Festival that will stream live around the world. "Variety Live," to run May 16-27, will include news from the Croisette and interviews with fest talent and other...

Dogwoof finds home in Gotham.(Dogwoof to set up office in Manhattan, New York)(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] U.K. indie docu distributor Dogwoof is setting up shop in Gotham with plans to expand to L.A. Following preem of "Town of Runners" last week at Tribeca, Dogwoof U.S.A. plans a Manhattan office. Distrib moved into...

Hasbro looks to heroes after Q1 loss.(Financial report)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Weaker than expected demand for its toys caused Hasbro to record a $2.6 million loss during the first quarter--a figure the toy maker is looking to reverse significantly thanks to tie-ins with Marvel's "The Avengers,"...

U Republic recruits Sexton.
April 24, 2012... Underscoring the increasing importance of licensing and nontraditional revenue streams in the record biz, Universal Republic/Island Def Jam has appointed Cynthia Sexton to serve in the newly created position of exec VP of licensing and branding....

'Party' is moving to Wyndham.(play entitled 'Abigail's Party' to transfer to Wyndham's Theater)(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... The Menier Chocolate Factory revival of "Abigail's Party," Mike Leigh's 1970s comedy of marital discord, will transfer to the West End's Wyndham's Theater on May 15. Helmed by Lindsay Posner and designed by Mike Britton, the transfer of the...

Ghost the Musical.(Theater review)
April 24, 2012... Ghost the Musical (Lunt-Fontanne: 1,511 seats; $137 top) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Colin Ingrain, Hello Entertainment/ David Garfinkle, Donovan Mannato, MJE Prods., Patricia Lambrecht, Adam Silberman presentation, in association with...

Plays' time to shine: as tourists exit Rialto, musicals decline.(LEGIT)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Broadway's spring break is definitely over: Box office last week was down almost across the board, with the biggest drops reported at the shows most fueled by city visitors. Still, there were some notable...

Broadway top 10: April 16-22, 2012.(LEGIT)
April 24, 2012... Broadway Top 10: April 16-22, 2012 Week's gross Prev. Show receipts week's (Theater)(Prod. category) Potential Gross (Seats) gross...

Chernin Charts Plan: Flush Group Eyes 'High-Growth Trends'
April 24, 2012... Peter Chernin is building a very different kind of media conglom than the one he ran for Rupert Murdoch for many years. On the heels of receiving a $200 million infusion from Providence Equity Partners and other investors, Chernin Group is on...

Burnett, Plestis prep new skeins for Syfy.(Mark Burnett and Craig Plestis to work on new series for Syfy L.L.C.)(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... Syfy is stocking up its development slate, tapping reality uberproducers such as Mark Burnett and Craig Plestis to deliver new series to the net. The NBCUniversal cabler is set to announce the projects, as well as other programming news, at...

Peyton placed for 'Lobo'.
April 24, 2012... Brad Peyton has come on board to rewrite and direct the Warner Bros. pic "Lobo." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pic is based on the DC comicbook and will be produced by Joel Silver, Akiva Goldsman and Andrew Rona. Story revolves around an alien...

Hausfater set as COO at Aldamisa.
April 24, 2012... International sales and finance company Aldamisa Intl. has tapped Jere Hausfater as chief operating officer, effective immediately. Company is also in talks with former Voltage exec Nadine de Barros to come on board as president of...

Lohan locks 'Liz' role.(Castings)(Lindsay Lohan to star as Elizabeth Taylor in the movie entitled 'Liz & DIck')(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... Lindsay Lohan will star as Elizabeth Taylor in Lifetime original movie "Liz & Dick." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Telepic centers on the nearly 25-year relationship between Taylor and Richard Burton, to whom she was married two times. ...

'Charlie Countryman' rounds up cast.(Castings)(Til Schweiger, Shia LaBeouf and Melissa Leo join the cast of the movie entitled 'The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman')(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... "Inglourious Basterds" thesp Til Schweiger is set to join Shia LaBeouf in "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman," which commercials helmer Fredrik Bond is directing from a Black List script by Matt Drake. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The...

3D on Epix originals menu.(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Epix's upcoming slate of original programs includes a 3D pic from Roger Corman and an animated docu on the late Monty Pythoner Graham Chapman. "Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader" is Corman's first foray into 3D. Pic...

Weekend at the B.O.
April 24, 2012... Weekend at the B.O. $135.2 million April 20-22, 2012 -1.1% +18.0% vs. last year vs. last weekend Screen scene The weekend's top 10 engagements: Theater, city (circuit) Gross 1 Think Like a...

Film box office wrap: for the weekend of April 20-22.
April 24, 2012... Film box office wrap for the weekend of April 20-22 Ranking Reported This Last weekend Week Week Title (Distrib/Financier) box office...

Dates with destiny: spat over sked could sideline Rome fest.(World News)(International Rome Film Festival 2012)(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... The future of the Rome Film Festival is hanging in the balance more than a month after the appointment of Marco Mueller as artistic director. Mueller, who still doesn't have a contract, is pushing for new dates for his ambitious vision of the...

Ofcom probes Sky.(World News)
April 24, 2012... U.K. media regulator Ofcom has launched a probe into the hacking of private email accounts by BSkyB's Sky News. It comes after the News Corp.-controlled net admitted earlier this month that it accessed the accounts of a Brit who faked his own...

EFP picks producers.(World News)(European Film Promotion on Tracy O'Riordan, Liisa Penttila and Morgan Bushe)(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... Tracy O'Riordan of London-based Moonspun Films, Liisa Penttila of Finland's Edith Film and Morgan Bushe of Dublin's Fastnet Films are among 25 producers picked to take part in European Film Promotion's Producers on the Move program at the Cannes...

Italo B.O. loves 'Rome'.(World News)
April 24, 2012... Woody Allen has notched up his best bow in Italy after "To Rome With Love" opened numero uno following its Rome world preem, pulling $3.7 million from a massive 599 screens via Medusa. Pie, consisting of four non-intersecting vignettes, one...

San Sebastian hugs Latam.(World News)(the 60th San Sebastian International Film Festival debuts the Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum)(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... The 60th San Sebastian Film Festival will host its first Europe-Latin America Co-Production Forum Sept. 27-28, showcasing up to 20 projects. The event provides one-to-one meetings with financiers and co-producers, round-tables, workshops and...

Social justice pix grab prizes.(World News)
April 24, 2012... Sundance Institute and broadcast media program WorldView will jointly present cash prizes at the first Sundance London festival this week to four pies focusing on social justice in the developing world. Katie Mark's "Street Girls," about...

Links under construction: event spotlights tradition of trans-Atlantic success between L.A. and London.(V PLUS: BRITWEEK 2012)(Company overview)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Now in its sixth year, BritWeek showcases British connections with California and has become a major cultural event on the calendar for local Anglophiles. "The fact that it actually runs for two weeks shows just how...

Highlights.(V PLUS: BRITWEEK 2012)(Brief article)(Calendar)
April 24, 2012... TODAY Red carpet reception at consul general's residence WEDNESDAY Ken Robinson delivers the keynote address at the BritWeek UKTI Business Innovation Awards, honoring dynamic trans-Atlantic businesses, at the Four Seasons Hotel. 6:30...

Actor who can handle light switch: the ever youthful vet of 50 pics increasingly drawn to dark roles.(V PLUS: HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME HONOREE: JOHN CUSACK)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] John Cusack, whose star is being unveiled today on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, is a veteran of more than 50 films, and yet even at 45, the stage-trained actor still exudes the boyish charm that marked his early work...

Channeling Poe to nab serial killer: thesp calls 'Raven' 'fantasy fiction'.(V PLUS: HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME HONOREE: JOHN CUSACK)
April 24, 2012... John Cusack once said he was in possession of an "interesting mix of enthusiasm and blackness," which mirrors a quote attributed to Edgar Allen Poe: "There is an elegance in true enthusiasm." Perhaps it makes sense then that Cusack, a...

Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy.(Movie review)
April 24, 2012... Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy (U K.-Canada) A Proteus Entertainment (in U.K.) release of a Rob Heydon Prods. production in association with Astral, the Movie Network and Silver Reel, with the participation of Canadian Film or Video Production Tax...

Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story.(Movie review)
April 24, 2012... Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story (Docu) A Tribeca Film release of a Hangover Lounge presentation in association with Eyepatch Prods. of a Better Than Plan A production. Produced by David Zellerford. Co-producer. Yvette Johnson. Executive...

The L.A. Complex.(Television program review)
April 24, 2012... The L.A. Complex (Series; CW, Tues. April 24, 9 p.m.) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Filmed in Toronto by Epitome Pictures in association with Bell Media. Executive producers, Martin Gero, Linda Schuyler, Stephen Stohn; co-executive producers,...

Total Blackout.(Television program review)
April 24, 2012... Total Blackout (Series; Syfy, Wed. April 25, 10 p.m.) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Produced by FremantleMedia North America. Executive producers, Henrik Nielsen, Jeff Apploff; co-executive producer, Jack Martin; director, Per Zachariassen;...

The List.(Movie review)
April 24, 2012... The List (Docu) A Goldcrest Films presentation of a Principle Pictures production in co-production with 1TVS in association with Chicken & Egg Pictures. Produced by Beth Murphy, Scan Flynn. Executive producers, Charles Sennott, Nick...

Cloudlands.(Theater review)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cloudlands (South Coast Repertory, Costa Mesa, Calif.; 336 seats; $68 top) A South Coast Repertory presentation of a musical in one act with book and lyrics by Octavio Solis, music and lyrics by Adam Gwon....

A Tale of Two Cities.(Theater review)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Tale of Two Cities (Charing Cross Theater, London; 275 seats; 29.50 [pounds sterling] ($47) top) A PNPF Associates in association with Ovation presentation of a musical in two acts music by David Pomeranz,...

The Convert.(Theater review)
April 24, 2012... The Convert (Kirk Douglas Theater, Los Angeles; 317 seats; $45 top) A Center Theater Group presentation in association with McCarter Theater Center and Goodman Theater of a play in three acts by Danai Gurira. Directed by Emily Mann. Sets,...

CinemaCon set to fete Stallone.(CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Award for Sylvester Stallone)(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... Sylvester Stallone will receive CinemaCon's career achievement award. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] He will be presented with the kudo at the CinemaCon ceremony Thursday in The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. CinemaCon noted that...

Filmgoers still like 3D.
April 24, 2012... Movies in 3D continue to excite American moviegoers--at least half of them, anyway--according to a study from the International 3D Society. The ors reported 52 percent of those surveyed saw at least one 3D pic in the last three years. Of those,...

Stress-free warrior.(V)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At Friday's Taste for a Cure gala, friends sang the praises of NBC's Jennifer Salke, serenading her and raising $575,000 for UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Care Center. During what 20th...

A different 'Desire'.(V)(play entitled 'A Streetcar Named Desire')(Brief article)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The audience at Sunday's Broadway opening of "A Streetcar Named Desire" ran the cultural gamut, from Edward Albee to Melissa Harris-Perry, from Jessye Norman to Beau Bridges. But it was the curtain call that had people...

Really-modern family.(V)
April 24, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was a night of tears, cheers and jeers Saturday at the 23rd annual GLAAD Media Awards held in downtown L.A. at the Westin Bonaventure--a location choice that drew a...

No stroll in this 'Park'.(V)(Theater review)
April 24, 2012... Playwright Bruce Norris ducked the press at the Broadway bow of his Pulitzer Prize-winning Clybourne Park," which opened Thursday at the Walter Kerr Theater, following the kind of dramatic ups and downs usually reserved for Lifetime's endangered...

Fremantle shakeup's exec factor.
April 20, 2012... Cecile Frot-Coutaz will be heading home to Europe as the new CEO of FremantleMedia. French-born Frot-Coutaz, currently the CEO of FremantleMedia's North America division, will shift from Los Angeles to London and replace 17-year...

Cannes has its cake ... and auteurs, too, with starry 65th plans.
April 20, 2012... Turning 65 often means taking stock and enduring jokes about showing your age. But the Cannes Film Festival will mark its 65th birthday this year with a lineup that honors its rich tradition of auteur innovation while also reveling in a fresh...

Will 'Hunger' pangs abate?
April 20, 2012... After four weekends atop the domestic box office, "The Hunger Games" will likely succumb this weekend to Sony's African-American-targeted comedy "Think Like a Man," which could hit upwards of $20 million through Sunday. Joining "Man" in wide...

Walmart plies int'l VOD.
April 20, 2012... Walmart-owned streaming video service Vudu has plans for an aggressive international expansion, according to sources, which could spell trouble for Netflix and other competitors. The U.S. retail behemoth is expected to make Mexico the first...

Molto music leverage: Sony-EMI publishing combo redraws landscape.
April 20, 2012... The Europe--ommission's approval Thursday of the $2.2 billion purchase of EMI Music Publishing by a consortium led by Sony/ATV represents the first draft in a major redrawing of the international music publishing map. Blessing by the Euro...

Scribe finds his way.(LEGIT)
April 20, 2012... LONDON Canadian-born, London-based Evan Placey has won the Brian Way Award, the 6,000 [pounds sterling] ($9,600) Brit prize for plays for younger audiences, for "Holloway Jones." Produced by the Synergy Theater Project, the winning play...

U.S. stage bow 'found': Thesp boards off B'way family dramedy.(LEGIT)
April 20, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jake Gyllenhaal will make his U.S. stage debut later this year in an Off Broadway staging of Nick Payne's play "If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet." Show will be produced as part of the 2012-13 season at the Gotham...

Broadway recap.(LEGIT)(Theater review)(Excerpt)
April 20, 2012... Bruce Norris 'play "Clybourne Park" opened Wednesday on Broadway in a commercial transfer of a production that premiered at Playwrights Horizons in 2010 and recently played in L.A.'s Mark Taper Forum. The following is an excerpt from Bob...

Leads set for Rialto's revised 'Cinderella'.(LEGIT)(Brief article)
April 20, 2012... The brewing Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" has locked in its leads, with Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana set to play the title character and her Prince Charming, respectively. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Brits will go 'Psycho'.(LEGIT)(American Psycho)(Brief article)
April 20, 2012... LONDON "American Psycho," a new tuner based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik ("Spring Awakening"), will receive its world premiere production from Brit touring company Headlong. Company a.d. Rupert Goold,...

Hulu cues originals: Netcaster touts shows, woos buyers.
April 20, 2012... Hulu on Thursday unveiled series and development projects, including an animated skein from "Saturday Night Live's" Seth Meyers before a crowd of 700 at the Internet vid giant's first upfront presentation in Gotham. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Shoreline pix go to VOD.(Film Pickups)
April 20, 2012... GoDigital has closed a deal to release four Shorline Entertainment titles on its VOD platforms, which the independent digital distrib plans to unspool this year. Titles are docu "Fat Belly"; Serbian sci-fi animation pic "Technotise: Edit and...

'Nature' calls to Cinedigm, New Video.(Film Pickups)(In Our Nature)(Brief article)
April 20, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cinedigm and New Video have acquired joint U.S. distribution rights to Brian Savelson's feature debut "In Our Nature," with plans to launch the film theatrically during fall 2012, followed shortly by a VOD and homevid...

Banner bites on vamp tale.(The Immortal Rules)(Brief article)
April 20, 2012... LONDON Joni Sighvatsson's Palomar Pictures ("Killer Elite") has optioned the rights to upcoming vampire book series "Blood of Eden," penned by young-adult scribe Julie Kagawa. The first installment of the seties, "The Immortal Rules," is...

Meyer walks to 'Dark Hall'.(Stephenie Meyer's Down a Dark Hall)(Brief article)
April 20, 2012... "Twilight" scribe Stephenie Meyer and Meghan Hibbett's Fickle Fish Films have optioned young-adult suspense tome "Down a Dark Hall" by novelist Lois Duncan and will produce an adaptation. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Duncan's 1974 novel revolves...

Mesa global taps Ennis.(Mesa Global's Robert Ennis )(Brief article)
April 20, 2012... Expanding its New York digital media and advertising practice, advisory and capital-raising firm Mesa Global has hired mergers and acquisitions expert Robert Ennis as managing director. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ennis, who most recently...

Murdochs to appear at hacking probe.(Rupert and James Murdoch)(Brief article)
April 20, 2012... Rupert and James Murdoch are due to appear next week at the U.K. inquiry into media ethics set up in the wake of the phone-hacking and police corruption scandal at the Murdoch-owned News of the World. Meanwhile, lawyers for hacking victims of...

A dose of reality: six series join Bravo contenders.
April 20, 2012... Less than a month after its upfront, where it announced seven reality shows in development, Bravo is now adding six more series to the mix. The cabler, which recently ordered a second season of "Shahs of Sunset," is increasing its original...

Animal Planet lands Disneynature trio.(Brief article)
April 20, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Animal Planet has licensed rights to three films in the Disneynature series from Disney-ABC Domestic TV. The network will present the world basic-cable premiere of "Oceans" in the third quarter of this year and...

NBC taps biz affairs chief.
April 20, 2012... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NBC has recruited Viacom exec George Cheeks to serve as exec veep of business operations for NBC Entertainment and Universal Television. Cheeks will assume many of the duties previously handled by Marc Graboff, who...