Daily Variety articles from December 2008

Daily Variety archives from December 2008

Auds gobble up laffer: holiday frame a B.O. feast.
December 1, 2008... What economic crisis? The domestic box office flourished over the long Thanksgiving sesh, ending slightly ahead of last year. Better yet, all sorts of films did well--a further indication that going to the movies is becoming more and more...

'Milk' spills into top 10.
December 1, 2008... The specialty box office is thankful indeed after a lengthy and troubling downturn. In its debut over the five-day Thanksgiving frame, Gus Van Sant's Sean Penn topliner "Milk" broke into the B.O. top 10. The Focus Features title,...

Sides escalate war of words.
December 1, 2008... SAG's strike threat has kicked off a heated holiday-season spin battle between the guild and the majors--with each side blaming the other for being greedy during the nation's financial crisis. Both sides launched major PR offensives over...

L.A. Grammy Museum set for closeup.
December 1, 2008... The Grammy Museum in the L.A. Live complex, which opens to the public Saturday, has an important closeup Wednesday: CBS' Grammy Awards nominations concert is timed to give a significant plug to the Recording Academy's newest project in addition...

B'way offering bargains.(Broadway)
December 1, 2008... Broadway is gearing up for winter months that may turn out to be colder than usual. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Producers are hawking discounted tickets, which in recent years have become de rigueur for perfs during the traditional winter...

A pair of dreamers in the grand design.
December 1, 2008... THEY ARE ANOMALIES. Jumbo-sized anomalies. At a moment when belt-tightening is the order of the day, "Australia" and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" reflect grandiose creative appetites and lavish visions. And we should be grateful...

The Reader.(Movie review)
December 1, 2008... (U.S.-Germany) A Weinstein Co. (in U.S.) release and presentation of a Mirage Enterprises (U.S.)/ Neunte Babelsberg Film (Germany) production. Produced by Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris. Executive...

Indian media, gov't clash over terror info.
December 1, 2008... Indian media was itself a major news item as the Mumbai terror attacks came to a conclusion over the weekend. The country's broadcasters were summoned Friday by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to deal with charges that the...

A buoyant Beyonce: 'I Am' takes top slot on CD sales chart.
December 1, 2008... Beyonce's two-CD set "I Am... Sasha Fierce" I Music World/Columbia] sold 482,000 copies in its opening session to greatly outdistance the No. 2 finisher, Nickleback's "Dark Horse," according to Nielsen Soundscan data for the week ended Nov....

Obama talks with Brokaw.
December 1, 2008... NBC News' "Meet the Press" has scored the latest sitdown with President-elect Barack Obama. Interim host Tom Brokaw, former anchor of "NBC Nightly News," will talk to Obama in an exclusive interview to air Sunday, the network said. ...

Cast game for 'Fame' redo.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Lakeshore and MGM have tapped Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally and Bebe Neuwirth for the roles of instructors and supervisors in the upcoming "Fame" remake. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Production begins...

Benderspink pulls 'Straw'.
December 1, 2008... Benderspink has acquired film rights to "The Straw Men," a crime thriller by Brit author Michael Marshall, along with fights to the comic adaptation by Zenescope Comics head Joe Brusha. The book, the first in a trilogy, follows a detective...

WGA, Perry ease their 'Payne' in deal.(movie producer Tyler Perry)
December 1, 2008... Tyler Perry has come to terms with the Writers Guild of America West on a contract covering scribes on his TBS comedy skeins "House of Payne" and "Meet the Browns." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Deal, announced Wednesday, came after five...

Not so 'Rosie' holiday: Thanksgiving eve variety spec fizzles.('Rosie Live')(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... NBC's attempt to revive the variety show genre hit a serious snag last week as "Rosie Live" drew a small audience on Thanksgiving eve. Preliminary Nielsen estimates show that the Rosie O'Donnell-hosted spec, featuring celebrity guests,...

Cinematheque bows kudo.(American Cinematheque )(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... At tonight's American Cinematheque tribute to Samuel L. Jackson, the org will award its inaugural Sydney Pollack Award to Sundance Film Festival director Geoffrey Gilmore. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cinematheque said the award honors...

Talent goes rep-hopping.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A quartet of talent spent the holiday weekend hunting for new representation. Adrien Brody signed with Paradigm right before Thanksgiving. UTA signed writer-director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and scribe Julian Fellowes. ...

Katherine Boecher.(Players)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Katherine Boecher has booked a lead role as a Russian villain in Relativity's "The Spy Next Door." Credits include "The Closer" and "Mad Men."

Sherri Saum.(Players)
December 1, 2008... Sherri Saum ("Rescue Me") has signed on as a series regular for HBO's "In Treatment," starring Gabriel Byrne. Sam's credits include "Army Wives" and "Law and Order: Criminal Intent." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Laura Allen.(Players)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Laura Allen has joined the cast of Jeffrey Fine's indie "Cherry." Allen's credits include "Dirt" and "The 4400."

Jason Stuart.(Players)
December 1, 2008... Jason Stuart has booked a role in Regent's ,'The Pit and the Pendulum," based on the Edgar Allan Poe story. His credits include "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Ping Pong Playa." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Salute to 'Slumdog': Boyle's drama tops Brit nods.(World News)(Slumdog Millionaire)
December 1, 2008... Danny Boyle's Mumbai-set "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Hunger," Steve McQueen's account of a jailed Irish Republican Army member's hunger strike in the 1970s, each won three nods at the British Independent Film Awards, which were handed out over...

Tykwer thriller to usher in Berlinale.(World News)(Tom Tykwer's 'The International')(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... German helmer Tom Tykwer's "The International," starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts, will open the 59th Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 5. The world preem of Tykwer's action thriller, tracing the criminal business transactions that finance...

Sky Italia's tax bill rises.(World News)
December 1, 2008... The unpredictable relations between rival media giants Rupert Murdoch and Italo Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi took a dramatic new turn over the weekend, when it emerged that Sky Italia would be hit hard by the removal of a key tax break. ...

New ogre overhaul: 'Shrek' cancels perf to make changes.(LEGIT BITS)('Shrek the Musical')(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Previewing tuner "Shrek the Musical" has canceled its Tuesday perf in order to incorporate changes to the production that creatives would not have had time to accomplish otherwise, according to reps for the show. All other perfs will play...

Composer-lyricist Adam Gwon has picked up the fourth annual Fred Ebb Award for musical theater songwriting.(LEGIT BITS)
December 1, 2008... Composer-lyricist Adam Gwon has picked up the fourth annual Fred Ebb Award for musical theater songwriting. Named after the late lyricist Ebb ("Cabaret," "Chicago"), the award comes with a $50,000 cash prize. Gwon's resume includes the...

Off Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company will bring over the Irish cast of Martin McDonagh's play "The Cripple of Inishmaan" in the Garry Hynes-helmed production that has toured the U.K.(LEGIT BITS)
December 1, 2008... Off Broadway's Atlantic Theater Company will bring over the Irish cast of Martin McDonagh's play "The Cripple of Inishmaan" in the Garry Hynes-helmed production that has toured the U.K. "Inishmaan" reunites McDonagh, Hynes and the Atlantic...

London Cries.(Theater review)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (Irondale Center; 92 seats; $40 top) An Irondale Ensemble Project presentation of a musical in two acts by Di Trevis and Frank McGuinness, adapted from "London Labour and the London Poor" by Henry Mayhew; music...

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An Activision Blizzard presentation of a game developed by Blizzard for the PC. Rated T. $40 plus $15 per month Expansion packs for the massive, and massively popular, "World of Warcraft" are an epic event in the...

Showbiz stocks: Friday, November 28, 2008.
December 1, 2008... Showbiz Stocks Friday, November 28, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT CIDM ... .69 .03 -84.6 Avid ...

Actors on actors: in the spirit of the SAG Awards, thesps champion their colleagues' 2008 perfs.(V PLUS: SAG AWARDS PREVIEW)
December 1, 2008... Dustin Hoffman on MELISSA LEO in 'Frozen River' It's funny. When you're in the business, you can tell something in the first minutes of watching, particularly in terms of the actors. Just at the start of "Frozen River," the first thing I...

Search and employ: actor experts meet the challenge of putting together all the performer pieces.(CASTING COUPS: BEFORE THE CAMERAS ROLL)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Find "cute"! Find "dark"! Find "chemistry"! Find "unknown"! And, oh yes, find me a Pygmy! And of course, they gotta be able to carry a film. That's the kind of phone call casting directors live for. For...

Play it again and again, Sam: Samuel L. Jackson's talent and overtime work ethic earn him the prize.(AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE)(Interview)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Samuel L. Jackson hardly minds being "the hardest working man in showbiz." Even if he doesn't think it's necessarily true. Making four movies a year, he insists he is only "doing what I like to do. There are...

Tough enough to demand the movies' exalted top spot: Bogart, Marvin, Jackson: too good to be supporting players forever.(ICONS)
December 1, 2008... Samuel L. Jackson's movie career began as a throwback to the days of the old studio system when guys who exuded a sense of contained danger, like Humphrey Bogart and Lee Marvin, were initially labeled "supporting actors." Bogart, playing a...

The action's with Jackson: George Lucas, Neil LaBute and Craig Brewer talk about working with a favorite actor.(MOVIE MEN AT WORK: HELMERS & PRODUCERS)
December 1, 2008... So obvious are Samuel L. Jackson's gifts as an actor, it's almost redundant to praise him. Yet heaping encomium on Jackson is what people do, and none more so than the directors he has worked with. "Sam is incredibly professional," says...

Transforming tentpoles: studios and producers are quietly kicking the tires on 3-D as they prepare future franchise installments.(3-D ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Within five to seven years, I expect all movies out of Hollywood to be in 3-D," Jeffrey Katzenberg predicted at the recent 3DX conference in Singapore. "In sound, we've gone from vinyl to 8-track to cassette to...

Avoiding pitfalls: three ways the industry can head off potential trouble with stereo filmmaking before it strikes.(V PLUS: 3-D ENTERTAINMENT SUMMIT)
December 1, 2008... QUALITY CONTROL: 3-D, unique among movie formats, holds the seeds of its own destruction. Technically poor 3-D, or even 3-D that's too aggressive and separates the right- and left-eye images too widely, can be painful enough to induce a...

Tech titans give peace a chance: electronics industry aims to avoid stereo homevido format war.(3-D AT HOME)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 3-D homevideo is set to make a splash next year, with manufacturers coming out with rigs that use two competing styles of glasses and even some that don't need glasses at all. Samsung has sold as many as a...

More champagne for Bond.(Quantum of Solace)
December 1, 2008... James Bond stayed strong at the international box office as "Quantum of Solace" racked up its fifth straight weekend victory with $20.1 million at 8,755 playdates in 73 markets. "Solace" managed to win easily even though it took a 50% hit...

Game over: Redstone's Midway days done.
December 2, 2008... After losing an estimated $500 million-plus, Sumner Redstone has finally rid himself of Midway Games. The Viacom and CBS mogul sold his 87% stake in the troubled "Mortal Kombat" publisher over the weekend to private investor Mark Thomas...

Sci Fi mines life before 'Battlestar'.
December 2, 2008... Sci Fi Channel has greenlit "Caprica," the much-anticipated prequel to hit series "Battlestar Galactica." "Caprica" will star Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, Paula Malcomson and Polly Walker, and will be set 50 years prior to "Galactica's"...

Studios ogle future of 3-D.
December 2, 2008... The 3-D format is a boon to both studios and exhibitors, and it's here to stay--or it will be, as soon as the credit markets thaw. That was the message from Monday's speakers at the 3-D Entertainment Summit in Century City. In a panel...

Par on Grisham's case.(John Grisham's 'The Associate')(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Paramount Pictures has set Shia LaBeouf to play the title role in the bigscreen version of John Grisham's upcoming legal thriller "The Associate," to which the studio has just acquired rights. Lorenzo di Bonaventura...

Will Oz auds stick with 'Australia'?
December 2, 2008... It may be the most expensive and ambitious film ever made Down Under, and it certainly received saturation media coverage, but Baz Luhrmann's "Australia" isn't breaking records in Oz. Then again, how it holds will be the real test. Fox...

Majors say SAG snag due to writers' gripes.(Screen Actors Guild)
December 2, 2008... Hollywood's labor brawl has turned ugly, with the majors accusing the Writers Guild of America of pushing SAG toward a strike by "blatantly" sabotaging the guild's last round of negotiations. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a blast at the...

Bountiful Broadway: top 10 shows all top $1M.(LEGIT)
December 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Every show in the Broadway top 10 grossed more than $I million last week, a healthy holiday frame dominated by crowdpleasing tuners. Total cume hit $22.3 million (or $22.9 million including estimates for "Young...

Wilson's 'Gone' gets Rialto revival.(LEGIT)(August Wilson's play 'Joe Turner's Come and Gone')(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... Lincoln Center Theater will produce a Broadway revival of August Wilson's play "Joe Turner's Come and Gone," to be helmed by Bartlett Sher ("South Pacific") in the spring. One of the plays in Wilson's 10title cycle depicting...

Broadway Top 10: Nov. 24-30.
December 2, 2008... Broadway Top 10: Nov. 24-30 Show (Theater) Week's Net (Prod. Receipts Category) Potential Prev Week's $Change Attendance (Seats) Net Receipts Net Receipts Avg. Tick Capacity ...

Dame Edna: Live and Intimate!(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... (Post Street Theater, San Francisco; 740 seats; $78 top) A Post Street Theater presentation, in association with Wombat, of a show in two acts by Barry Humphries. Additional material, Andrew Ross. Costumes, John Van Gastel, Stephen Adnitt;...

Sense of 'Humor' at MTC.(LEGIT BITS)
December 2, 2008... Manhattan Theater Club will round out its Off Broadway season with "Humor Abuse," a new play created by Lorenzo Pisoni and Erica Schmidt. Solo play features Pisoni ("Equus") recounting his childhood with Pickle Family Circus, the San...

Praisery logs London ID.
December 2, 2008... PR concern ID has hired Rupert Fowler to head a newly established London office, giving the company a European presence to go with its New York and Los Angeles outposts. ID has also hired Natalie Lent to head an Emerging Platforms...

'Kung' Pow at noms: 'Panda' tops Annie race.
December 2, 2008... In the battle for Annie Award nominations, DreamWorks Animation's tubby panda fared better than Pixar's plucky robot or Disney's doggy hero. "Kung Fu Panda" led with 17 noms for the ASIFA-Hollywood animation kudos, including best feature,...

B'buster will take tix Live.
December 2, 2008... Blockbuster will be the exclusive physical retail ticket outlet for Live Nation Ticketing. The homevideo and game retailer has inked a three-year agreement with concert promoter Live Nation to sell tickets in about 500 outlets. The stores...

Killer's in 'Hollywood'.
December 2, 2008... GC Corp. has bought rights to Israeli TV series "Danny Hollywood," assigning it to the venture capital fund's production unit, Killer Films. Story follows three time-traveling journalists investigating the mysterious death of a pop star....

Farrelly floats Boat with comedy shorts.
December 2, 2008... Overture Films and A Bigger Boat are going short, developing an untitled feature produced by Peter Farrelly and Charles Wessler consisting of two dozen short comedy films in the vein of ,'The Groove Tube" and "Kentucky Fried Movie." ...

Lips.
December 2, 2008... A Microsoft presentation of a game developed by iNiS for the Xbox 360. Rated T. $70 (with two microphones). Microsoft's efforts to broaden the Xbox 360's appeal beyond hardcore "Halo" players continues with "Lips," a flashy new karaoke...

Xanadu.
December 2, 2008... (Mandell Weiss Theater, La Jolla, Calif.; 525 seats; $100 top) A La Jolla Playhouse presentation of a musical in one act with music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar, book by Douglas Carter Beane, based on the Universal Pictures film...

'Cadillac' takes blues legends for a ride.
December 2, 2008... CADILLAC RECORDS," WHICH opens Friday, will be the latest film to explore a blues story, this one about Chess Records, the 20th century's single most important blues record label. It proffers a convincing likeness of Muddy Waters but tweaks the...

Showbiz stocks: Monday, December 1, 2008.
December 2, 2008... Showbiz Stocks Monday, December 1, 2008 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg %Chg AccessIT CIDM ... .66 -.03 -85.2 Avid ...

Beeb cuts post jobs: pubcaster arm hands out pinkslips.(World News)
December 2, 2008... BBC Resources, the pubcaster's post-production and studio facilities arm, is cutting 210 of its 742 staffers as it addresses the impact of the economic downturn. The outfit operates as a commercial venture, selling its services to the...

Telecinco signs up for TBS kidvid block.(World News)
December 2, 2008... Time Warner's TBS has inked with Telecinco, Spain's top-rated broadcaster, to air a three-hour children's programming block weekend mornings on the flagship free-to-air Telecinco channel. Telecinco will also sked six hours daily of kids...

Sony's Wigan will get CineAsia nod.(ASIA)
December 2, 2008... Longtime Sony Pictures exec Gareth Wigan will receive the CineAsia Visionary Award Dec. 11 at the Wynn Macau in Macau. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] From 1997 through last spring, Wigan oversaw Sony's local-language production program,...

Filmex fetes 'Bashir'.(JAPAN)('Waltz With Bashir' in Tokyo Filmex Festival)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... Israeli helmer Ari Folman's Cannes competition player "Waltz With Bashir" won the grand prize at the ninth Tokyo Filmex Festival, which closed Sunday. A personal docu made in the form of a toon, the pie was cited for "inventing a new...

ITV gig for BBC exec.(UNITED KINGDOM)
December 2, 2008... Terrestrial web ITV has tapped the BBC exec credited with nurturing the original version of global hit "Strictly Come Dancing"--known in the U.S. as "Dancing With the Stars." Elaine Bedell, who will be ITV's director of entertainment and...

'Tony' dances at Turin.(World News)(Pablo Larrain's 'Tony Manero')
December 2, 2008... "Tony Manero," Chilean helmer Pablo Larrain's offbeat portrayal of a Santiago low-lifer obsessed with John Travolta's character in "Saturday Night Fever," was the big winner at the 26th Turin Film Festival, which wrapped Saturday amid plaudits...

'Liverpool' flies at Gijon.(World News)(Gijon Festival)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... "Liverpool," from Argentina's Lisandro Alonso, took feature kudos at Spain's Gijon Festival, which closed on Saturday with "In Search of a Midnight Kiss" from U.S. helmer Alex Holdridge. A slice-of-lifer, "Liverpool" follows a 50-ish...

'Frozen' solid at Stockholm.
December 2, 2008... STOCKHOLM -- U.S. helmer Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River" won the kudo for best film Sunday at the Stockholm Film Festival, which specializes in pics by up-and-coming directors. Brit Steve McQueen won the debut director prize for "Hunger,"...

Kudos go back to basics: Gotham gathering returns the emphasis to smaller pics, nonstudio-financed filmmaking.(APPLE'S EYE: TRULY INDIE)
December 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In a year of industry retrenchment, shakeups and shutdowns, it's fitting that this year's leading Gotham contender "Ballast"--with four nominations--is itself an emblem of small-scale DIY perseverance. Self-financed...

Gus Van Sant: 'Milk' maestro continues to shake it up.(GOTHAM TRIBUTE HONOREES)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Gus Van Sant keeps on proving his versatility. The helmer made alternative arthouse viewing a must-see with "Drugstore Cowboy" and "My Own Private Idaho." He helped launch the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in...

Sheila Nevins: HBO docu topper fell for 'Polanski'.(GOTHAM TRIBUTE HONOREES)(Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... Among the kudos Sheila Nevins, president of HBO Documentary Films, has amassed are 22 primetime Emmys, 25 news and docu Emmys and 28 Peabody Awards--not to mention the doc and shorts Oscars racked up by the cabler under her tenure ("The Blood...

Penelope Cruz: thesp warms to mature men.(GOTHAM TRIBUTE HONOREES)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... A couple of weeks ago, Penelope Cruz was "stressed" about the Gotham Awards. Not because she's being honored--that was a "nice surprise"--but because "you have to write a long speech, and I don't have anything down yet." IFP will recognize...

Melvin Van Peebles: original indie's still a 'Baadasssss'.(GOTHAM TRIBUTE HONOREES)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... The term "renaissance man" seems tailor-made for Melvin Van Peebles, an artist who, in his 76 years, has achieved and created more than pretty much anyone you can name. He's a film director, screenwriter, actor, novelist, photographer,...

Thesps try to crack kudo case: procedural performers struggle for awards cred.(TV GLOBES CONTENDERS)
December 2, 2008... Sure, it's easy to win an acting award when it's all about you. Your character. Your emotions. But sometimes, it's all about the clues. Closing the case. Chasing the medical malady. What's an actor to do while spouting legalese or...

Drama: post-strike changes help create wide-open race for series nominations.(V PLUS: TV GLOBES CONTENDERS)
December 2, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] INCUMBENTS The cult audience of "Mad Men" was denied a proper celebration when it won the TV drama award at the strike-impaired 2008 Golden Globes, so expect redoubled merriment if the instant classic can...

Comedy: four 2007 nominees return to face challenge from Monday-night foes.(V PLUS: TV GLOBES CONTENDERS)
December 2, 2008... INCUMBENTS "Extras" retired on top, taking a Golden Globe in its final opportunity and leaving behind four possible return nominees. The belle of the ball might be "30 Rock," which has won two Emmys and seen its profile soar thanks to Tina...

Spectacle: Elvis Costello With ...
December 2, 2008... (Talkshow; Sundance Channel, Wed. Dec. 3, 9 p.m.) Filmed in London by Rocket Pictures, Prospero Pictures, Spybox Pictures and Reinvention Entertainment. Executive producers, Elton John, David Furnish, Steve Hamilton Shaw, Jordan Jacobs,...

Beck sets Fox bow.('Glenn Beck')(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... Cable yakker Glenn Beck, most recently on CNN Headline News, will bow his new show on Fox News Channel on Jan. 19 in the 5 p.m. ET timeslot. The new show--dubbed "Glenn Beck," as it was on CNN--will feature "a variety of guests and topics...

3-day weekend at the B.O.(Statistical table)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... $162.8 million Nov. 28-30, 2008 ([dagger]) +93% -1% vs. last year * vs. last weekend Screen scene The weekend's top 10 engagements: Theater, city (circuit) Gross 1 Bolt ...

Producer heads to 'Oz'.
December 2, 2008... Daytime talk producer Mindy Moore Borman ("The View," "Good Morning America") has been named exec producer of "Dr. Oz," the syndic series being developed and sold by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Prods. and Sony Pictures Television. [ILLUSTRATION...

New York's top pics.
December 2, 2008... New York's top pics (based on location average for the weekend of Nov. 28-30, 2008 *) Nat'l # N.Y. # N.Y. Title (dist) Week of locs of locs avg/loc 1. Milk (Focus) ...

Film box office wrap: for the weekend of Nov. 28-30.
December 2, 2008... Film Box Office Wrap FOR THE WEEKEND OF NOV. 28-30 Ranking Title Reported Per This Last (Distributor/ Weekend Pct. Engagement Week Week Financier) Box Office...

The screening room.
December 2, 2008... The Screening Room The Screening Room runs Tuesdays and Fridays. Send schedules to jeffrey.sneider@variety.com. Screenings are open to Academy and guild members. For a complete list of screenings in all cities, visit Variety....

Busy abroad: it was tubthumping instead of turkey for these stars.(V)(Brief article)
December 2, 2008... Thesps Nick Moran and Michael Sheen attend the British independent Film Awards on Sunday; far right: Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley arrive at the Old Billingsgate for the event. [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Keanu Reeves waves to fans...

Small wonders: spirit noms are high on low budgets.
December 3, 2008... Small films got a big push in the 2009 Spirit Award nominations, in which a lot of little-seen pies got more attention than some high-profile indies this year. In the noms unveiled Tuesday, "Rachel Getting Married," "Ballast" and "Frozen...

Polanski move spurred by doc.(Roman Polanski )
December 3, 2008... HBO's docu about Roman Polanski has become evidence in the decades-long campaign to have sexual misconduct charges against the director dismissed. On Tuesday, Polanski's attorneys submitted "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired" to the Los...