Daily Variety articles from July 2010

Daily Variety archives from July 2010

Helmer gives thought to 'Recall' remake.
July 30, 2010... Len Wiseman is in final negotiations to direct a "Total Recall" remake for Columbia Pictures. Kurt Wimmer, who penned the studio's hit "Salt," is writing the screenplay, which is being described as a contemporized adaptation. [ILLUSTRATION...

Vonetta McGee.(Obituary)(Brief article)
July 30, 2010... Vonetta McGee, star of several blaxploitation-era films including "Blacula" and "Shaft in Africa," died July 9 in Berkeley, Calif., after being taken off life support following cardiac arrest. She was 65. Born Lawrence Vonetta McGee, the...

Could net growth hamper Comcast?
July 29, 2010... Be careful what you wish for, Comcast. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In reporting second-quarter earnings on Wednesday, CEO Brian Roberts said he was happy with the cable operator's addition of 118,000 broadband subscribers in the period,...

General Lee: exec dives into ABC fray.
July 29, 2010... Paul Lee's experience in overhauling the ABC Family cabler will be put to good use as he settles into his new job as ABC Entertainment Group prexy. ABC heads into the coming season at a crossroads. It is by no means in the deep slump it was...

Cullum confirmed: actor reprises role in B'way's 'Boys'.(LEGIT)
July 29, 2010... John Cullum is locked in to reprise his role in "The Scottsboro Boys," the Kander and Ebb tuner heading to Broadway in the fall. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cullum first played the character called the Interlocutor in the musical's world preem...

Eye daytime newbie is 'Talk' of TV town.
July 29, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Nina Tassler admits there's an elephant in the room when it comes to CBS' new daytime talker. Yes, Julie Chen is a panelist on "The Talk"--as the show, exec produced by actress Sara Gilbert, has now been dubbed. And...

UTA on reality kick.
July 29, 2010... UTA is dramatically expanding its reality TV presence in New York, tapping BBC Worldwide exec Allison Wallach as a new agent. Watlach, who had served as senior VP of programming at BBC Worldwide, will now serve as an agent in UTA's...

BSkyB to launch 3D net in the fall.(World News)
July 29, 2010... Rupert Murdoch's Blighty satcaster BSkyB will bow its much-hyped 3D network on Oct. 1--and it's banking on Hollywood to help drive subscription numbers. The movie lineup for launch weekend includes "Bolt" and "Monsters vs. Aliens," while...

India biz to boom.(World News)
July 29, 2010... The Indian film biz is set to grow by 12.4% a year to reach rupees 170.5 billion ($3.7 billion) by 2014 from $2 billion in 2009, according to a report released by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The report, Indian Entertainment and Media Outlook...

Basque fest adds 7 pics.(World News)
July 29, 2010... Spain's San Sebastian Film Festival has added seven films by high-profile helmers to its competition list. After a screenplay plaudit and upbeat reception for 2007's "Honey-dripper" John Sayles returns to the Basque resort with "Amigo" set...

Rappers tussle for top.
July 29, 2010... Eminem's "Recovery" held off a strong challenge by Rick Ross' "Teflon Don" to maintain its No. 1 position on the U.S. album chart for a fifth straight week. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Marking just a 4% decline, Eminem's torrid Aftermath...

Alembic eases CG file flow, sharing.
July 29, 2010... Two giants of the visual effects business, Industrial Light & Magic and Sony Pictures Imageworks, have launched an open-source software effort to address the problems of sharing large, complex CG files. The ILM/SPI project, dubbed...

Org publishes f/x handbook.
July 29, 2010... The Visual Effects Society has released one of its major projects, the "VES Handbook of Visual Effects." The 960-page tome is written by some 89 visual effects pros and edited by vfx supervisor Jeffrey A. Okun, chair of the VES, and vfx...

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.(Players)
July 29, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has signed on to star opposite Robert De Niro in "The Killer Elite," about a British government program to eliminate a group of contract killers. Clive Owen and Jason Statham also star in the pic.

Tony Hale.(Players)
July 29, 2010... Tony Hale has signed on to star in the indie "Not that Funny." Lauralee Farrer is helming the pic. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Jordana Spiro.(Players)
July 29, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jordana Spiro ("My Boys") has joined Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage in the cast of "Trespass." Production will start in August in Louisiana with Joel Schumacher directing and Irwin Winkler, Avi Lerner and Danny Dimbort...

Ed Asner.(Players)
July 29, 2010... Ed Asner will topline "Let Go." Asner will play an ex-con on parole in the indie laffer. Asner was recently heard in Disney's "Up." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Gia Mantegna.(Players)
July 29, 2010... Gia Mantegna has signed on to "Emergo." The pic also stars Michael O'Keefe and Kai Lennox. Mantegna will play a girl from a middle class background who recently lost her mother.

John Taylor.(Players)
July 29, 2010... John Taylor is set to appear in "Jackass 3D." Taylor was most recently seen in indie "The Diggers" with Paul Rudd.

The star as multi-tasker.(V PLUS: PROFILE IN EXCELLENCE: MARK WAHLBERG)
July 29, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mark Wahlberg's career arc reads like a particularly fanciful Hollywood narrative: Scrappy Boston kid from the wrong side of the tracks makes it big as the teen star of a 1980s hip-hop band, walks away from music to...

Two partners with one vision for how to work the HBO brand.(V PLUS: PROFILE IN EXCELLENCE: MARK WAHLBERG)(Mark Wahlberg and Steve Levinson of Leverage Management)
July 29, 2010... Steve Levinson, who has been Mark Wahlberg's partner at Leverage Management for nearly two decades, attributes the star's success as a producer to several reasons. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "His acting informs his approach to producing, and...

Thirst for gory telling: even TV's most cerebral skeins show that life is an open wound.(ROAD TO THE EMMYS: DRAMA)
July 29, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Quick, call Dexter Morgan. The Emmy drama race is a bloody mess. There's the story of America's favorite serial killer on "Dexter," the artery-rending "True Blood" and the high impact gross-out moments of "Breaking...

Tight grip on the ship: showrunners keep firm hand on series' creative direction.(ROAD TO THE EMMYS: DRAMA)
July 29, 2010... Although "Breaking Bad" showrunner Vince Gilligan is eager to praise the creative staff around him when it comes to his Emmy-winning cable series, he believes he's speaking for many other showrunners when he says the job "requires someone who's...

Who Killed Nancy?
July 29, 2010... (Docu--UK.) A Peace Arch release of an Ipso Facto films presentation of a Bill & Ben production in association with Double D Prods. and Moxie Makers. Produced by Ben Timlett, Christine Anderson. Executive producers, Ian Davies, Susan...

U.K. bizzers rally against org closure.(U.K. Film Council)
July 29, 2010... Leading lights from Blighty's film biz have got through the grieving stage and moved swiftly into anger. Acceptance may have to wait. Biz leaders have been lining up to vent their fury and to press for a cast-iron guarantee that film funding...

Scribe joins 'Tapped Out'.
July 29, 2010... Chockstone Pictures ("The Road") is revving up development on martial arts comedy "Tapped Out" naming scribe Michael Markowitz of "Horrible Bosses" to rewrite. Steve Schwartz, Paula Mac Schwartz, Roger Schwartz and Nathan Reimann will...

Comcast sees deal on track.
July 29, 2010... Comcast Corp. said it has no problem with a request to extend by two weeks the FCC comment period for critics of its proposed joint venture with NBC Universal. A number of orgs, including the American Cable Assn. and the Fair Access to...

'Low' takes it slow.(V)
July 29, 2010... "Get Low" drew a full house at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' screening, or, "living room," as it was referred to at Tuesday night's premiere. Making "Get Low" has been therapeutic for helmer Aaron Schneider: "I lost my...

Rearranging the alphabet.(VARIETY.COM)
July 28, 2010... Speculation grows about Stephen McPherson's future as ABC Entertainment prexy.

Tune in.(VARIETY.COM)
July 28, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CBS kicks off two weeks of gabfests with its presentation today at the Television Critics Assn. press tour.

CBS weds 'Wife' duo.
July 28, 2010... CBS Television Studios has tied the knot with "The Good Wife" creators/exec producers Robert King and Michelle King. The married showrunners of the CBS drama series have cut a two-year overall deal with the studio behind "Good Wife." Pact...

Title wave: fall pics set for Toronto.
July 28, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Robert Redford's post-Civil War-era drama "The Conspirator," writer-helmet Guillaume Canet's friendship intrigue "Little White Lies" and Barry Blaustein's dysfunctional family comedy "Peep World" will world preem as...

H'w'd jobs stay home.
July 28, 2010... Although "The Green Hornet" is set in Los Angeles, Sony Pictures execs considered shooting the pic in such states as Michigan, Massachusetts or Georgia. All offered better incentives that would keep production costs down, but location manager...

DWA sees the green.
July 28, 2010... DreamWorks Animation's expanded release schedule of three toons this year is boosting its bottom line. Although profits dipped 6.2% to $24 million during the second quarter versus the same period a year ago, revenue rose a robust 20% to $158...

Reality stars lose street cred.
July 28, 2010... USING "JERSEY SHORE" AS THE basis for scholarly analysis is a risky undertaking, but here goes, in a treatise we'll call "The Cycle of Un-Reality." MTV's favorite bed-hopping, brawling Guidos and Guidettes return for their second season...

Plain Jane.
July 28, 2010... (Series; CW, Wed. July 28, 9p.m.) Produced by Fly on the Wall Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television. Executive producers, Allison Grodner, Rich Meehan, Amy Palmer Robertson, Pete Tartaglia; supervising producers, Lori...

N.C. hikes pix tax breaks.
July 28, 2010... After lobbying from showbiz, North Carolina has bumped the maximum payout on its film production tax incentive from $7.5 million to $20 million. North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue signed the bill amending the program into law last week. A...

Random house dials up topper.
July 28, 2010... Susan Kamil has been named publisher of the Random House and Dial Press imprints of the Random House publishing group, prexy and publisher Gina Centrello announced Tuesday. Kamil, named to the editorship of the imprint in December 2008, has...

MTC whips out 'Man'.(LEGIT)
July 28, 2010... Manhattan Theater Club has lined up the Gotham preem of "The Whipping Man" for a winter slot in its 2010-11 Off Broadway season. Doug Hughes ("Doubt") will helm Matthew Lopez's play. Set just after the Civil War, storyline centers on a Jewish...

Disney expands its social media lands.
July 28, 2010... As expected, the Walt Disney Co. has acquired social gaming firm Playdom Inc. for $563.2 million, which will enable the Mouse House to integrate more of its characters and properties online. Deal includes a performance-linked earn-out of up...

TV's keeping it real in ratings race.
July 28, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Veteran reality programs--led by ABC's "The Bachelorette"--ruled the primetime ratings race last week, accounting for eight of the top 10 programs among young adults. While a good number of scripted dramas are...

Saints and sinners: marketers target dual auds for Joffe pic.
July 28, 2010... After church groups helped buoy "The Passion of the Christ" to one of the top-earning films of all time, marketing gurus began devising strategies to reach the faithful. Few have cracked the formula better than Paul Lauer and his Motive...

'Crosshair' in scope.
July 28, 2010... Mandeville Films and Top Cow Productions have placed a target on the comicbook "Crosshair" as a bigscreen adaptation. The Disney-based production shingle, run by David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, will shepherd the film with Top Cow. The two...

Venice's Euro stand: sidebar sets world bows.(World News)
July 28, 2010... The Venice Film Festival's independently run Venice Days section has unveiled its 12-title, largely European lineup including nine world preems. Modeled on Cannes Directors' Fortnight, the seventh edition of Venice Days features works by name...

Spain sitcom joins 'Golden' age.(World News)
July 28, 2010... "The Golden Girls" is getting a makeover for Spain. Disney Media Networks has teamed up with producer Jose Luis Moreno and Luis Balaguer's Miami-based production, talent management and marketing company Latin World Entertainment to co-produce...

Dark House.
July 28, 2010... A Lightning Entertainment release of a Fatal Frame Pictures presentation in association with Red Shogun Pictures. Produced by Mark Sonoda, Nick Allan. Executive producer, Charles Melander. Co-producer, Kenneth Schwenker. Directed by Darin...

'Lost' duo smoke out competish.(SUPPORTING ACTOR: DRAMA)(Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson)
July 28, 2010... A collection of Emmy veterans, everyone in this group has either won or been nominated in past years. The respective roles for which these thesps are being celebrated could not be more different, representing male archetypes across all lines...

Katie Couric: journalist crusades for cure.(STAND UP TO CANCER)
July 28, 2010... When my husband, Jay, was diagnosed, I was pulling my hair out, trying to find out everything I could about colon cancer," recalls CBS anchor Katie Couric. "I was so lost and felt so alone when my husband was sick." Since those difficult...

Thesp's site excites: Ed Norton's Crowdrise.com corrals diverse causes with a little help from the star's famous friends.(SHOWBIZ PHILANTHROPY LEADER REPORT)
July 28, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Edward Norton's website crowdrise.com is a community-based, fundraising platform that encourages interaction between friends and supporters for causes from worldwide mega-charities to the most personal and esoteric of...

America Ferrera: star focuses on education initiatives.(SAVE THE CHILDREN)
July 28, 2010... Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, with 73% of the population living on less than a dollar a day. Only 46% of the people are literate. America Ferrera, Save the Children's education ambassador, remembers her first visit to a...

Quincy Jones: music education key to org's goals.(QUINCY JONES MUSIC CONSORTIUM)
July 28, 2010... We're the only country in the world without a minister of culture," says impresario Quincy Jones. "Our music is the most widely imitated music. In Abu Dhabi, or Cairo, or Brazil or China, everywhere, our music is there, and we are the ones that...

Scarlett Johansson: thesp makes child hunger a priority with org.(BLESSINGS IN A BACKPACK)
July 28, 2010... One out of every six children in the United States (12.4 million) is at risk of hunger. It's a staggering statistic and one that Scarlett Johansson and the nonprofit Blessings in a Backpack are fighting to change. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "A...

Ethan Hawke: mom teaches son the basics of charity.(THE DOE FUND)
July 28, 2010... Ethan Hawke learned to embrace charity from his mother, Leslie Hawke. "She's a real Eleanor Roosevelt type," says the actor. When his 1989 film "Dead Poets Society" became a hit, Mom wanted her son to donate some of his income to the Doe Fund....

Bill Maher: pundit passionate about animal rights.(PETA)
July 28, 2010... When Delhi, a 57-year-old circus elephant, developed chemical burns from having had her feet soaked in undiluted formaldehyde, the org known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals furnished videotaped evidence of her mistreatment to the...

Ryan Reynolds: Parkinson's hits close to home for thesp.(MICHAEL J. FOX FOUNDATION FOR PARKINSON'S RESEARCH)
July 28, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When my father was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease 16 years ago, I watched him progress through a very slow and painful deterioration," says Ryan Reynolds. "While my father is still fighting this as best he can, I...

Hope's star power.(V PLUS: SHOWBIZ PHILANTHROPY LEADER REPORT)
July 28, 2010... Barbara Davis was terrified. "Our fifth child, Dana, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when she was 7 years old. Marvin and I took Dana to Boston's Joslin Diabetes Clinic for treatment. I was so impressed with Joslin that Marvin said, 'How...

Phillip Walker.(Obituaries)
July 28, 2010... Noted West Coast blues singer-guitarist Phillip Walker died of heart failure Thursday in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 73. Walker learned to play guitar as a teenager, and fell under the sway of such Lone Star musicians as T-Bone Walker and...

Norman Chandler Fox.(Obituaries)
July 28, 2010... Scribe Norman Chandler Fox, who wrote episodes of "Cagney and Lacey" and later hosted radio travel shows, was taken off life support and died on July 15 in Los Angeles. Fox, 71, had suffered from Parkinson's disease for more than 15 years. ...

'Men' hits high note.(Mad Men)
July 27, 2010... "Mad Men" delivered for AMC on Sunday, opening its fourth season with a series-high 2.9 million viewers. The network has to be pleased with the number. But the turnout also indicates that the show's aud has plateaued and that its cornucopia...

Fox up for 'Terrible'.
July 27, 2010... Shawn Levy and 20th Century Fox are teaming to turn classic kids picturebook "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" into a high-concept family comedy. Levy's production shingle 21 Laps will develop and produce the...

Sunny "Winter'.(Winter's Bone at the box office)
July 27, 2010... Metropolises like New York and L.A. are normally the strongholds for specialty pics, but for Roadside Attractions' Sundance Grand Jury prizewinner "Winter's Bone," smaller markets in middle America have served up the meat and potatoes of the...

On notice: Teamsters deal sends signal.(ANALYSIS)
July 27, 2010... With Sunday's resolution of the contract tussle with the Teamsters, Hollywood's majors have sent a clear message to other Hollywood unions: Dial down your expectations for the next round of labor talks. The key deal point in the pact to cover...

Pinch of patience pays off.
July 27, 2010... WHILE DRIVING DOWN TO Comic-Con last week to promote Salt, Lorenzo di Bonaventura reflected on how long it took him to get the picture off the ground. The spec script by Kurt Wimmer made the rounds for five years before it caught the eye of...

U.K. biz reax to funder ax.(United Kingdom Film Council)
July 27, 2010... Blighty's film support body the U.K. Film Council is to be shuttered, although the British film biz will continue to receive coin from the National Lottery and tax relief that the council had administered. The government's Dept. for Culture,...

Plum pact for Random.(Stephanie Plum, Random House)(Brief article)
July 27, 2010... Bestselling author Janet Evanovich has moved to Random House. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Evanovich's popular Stephanie Plum mystery series is being adapted for the bigscreen by Lionsgate. Pic based on the first book in the series, One for the...

Icahn files swap suit.(Carl Icahn)
July 27, 2010... Carl Icahn has amped up the battle over Lionsgate, filing suit over the recent $100 million debt-to-equity swap that reduced Icahn's stake to 33.5% from 37.3%. "We view this transaction as a prime example of scorched earth tactics executed...

Connick capitalizes: perf boosts B'way B.O.(LEGIT)
July 27, 2010... With tourism still going strong in Gotham, overall Broadway box office inched up by about $575,000 last week--with a large chunk of that attributable to Harry Connick Jr. The performer's concert outing, "Harry Connick Jr. in Concert on...

'Venice' moves to B'way.(LEGIT)
July 27, 2010... The Public Theater's well-reviewed Shakespeare in the Park production of "The Merchant of Venice," toplined by Al Pacino, will have a limited-run Broadway transfer that kicks off in October. Commercial producers Jeffrey Richards and Jerry...

The Bachelorette.(Theater review)
July 27, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (McGinn/Cazale Theater; 99 seats; $50 top) A Second Stage Uptown presentation of a play in one act by Leslye Headland. Directed by Trip Cullman. Set, Andromache Chalfant; costumes, Emily Rebholz; lighting, Ben...

Thesps are on the 'Verge'.(Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown)
July 27, 2010... Patti LuPone, Sherie Rene Scott and Brian Stokes Mitchell are among the thesps lined up for Lincoln Center Theater's Broadway tuner adaptation of "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown." LuPone, in her first Broadway role since scoring a...

Breakthrough with Tony Robbins.(Television program review)
July 27, 2010... (Series; NBC, Tues. July 27, 8p.m.) Produced by Reveille. Executive producers, Howard T. Owens, Mark Koops, Noah Oppenheim, Anthony Robbins, Tom Forman, Shauna Minoprio; co-executive producers, Jared Tobman, Will Ehbrecht Jon Beyer, Brad...

Masterchef.(Television program review)
July 27, 2010... (Series; Fox, Tues. July 27, 9p.m.) Filmed in Los Angeles by Reveille, Shine TV and One Potato Two Potato. Executive producers, Elisabeth Murdoch, Franc Roddam, Mark Koops, Howard T. Owens, Gordon Ramsay, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Pat Llewellyn,...

Bartlett back to biz: Discovery brings ex-ITV exec to States.
July 27, 2010... Former ITV managing director Lee Bartlett is back on this side of the pond, where he has joined Discovery Communications as its business affairs chief. New job reunites Bartlett with Discovery chief operating officer Peter Liguori. Before...

Sony marvels at G4.
July 27, 2010... Four new Marvel-based TV series "Iron Man" "X-Men." "Wolverine" and "Blade" will hit cabler G4 in 2011, anime-style, through a deal with Sony Pictures TV. Madhouse is producing with Marvel Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures...

Oprah sets star docus.
July 27, 2010... Oprah Winfrey's cabler is ramping up its documentary production with five original pics commissioned for the network's monthly docu showcase. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Julia Roberts. Goldie Hawn, Gabriel Byrne, Forest Roberts Whitaker and...

Jonas Bros., AOL team for teen site.
July 27, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cambio, a teen and tween-targeted website mounted by partners AOL and the Jonas Group, launches today with a full menu of teen-friendly content. Site is designed by New York-based MGX Lab, previously involved with...

Thesps make 'Brief' return.(Brief Encounter)(Brief article)
July 27, 2010... The Broadway staging of "Brief Encounter" will feature several of the same actors--including leads Tristan Sturrock and Hannah Yelland--who appeared in the show's popular run last season at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn. Also returning to...

Moms who garner noms: matriarchs matter in shows where parenting styles often conflict.(V PLUS: ROAD TO THE EMMYS: THE ACTRESS)
July 27, 2010... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The dreaded mom roles have come a long way from the days when the Donna Reeds suited up in heels and pearls as they nurtured their families in between cooking and cleaning. Almost half of the actresses nominated for...

Close's streak put to the test.(DRAMA: LEAD ACTRESS)
July 27, 2010... The six nominees who comprise this category are not only formidable femmes onscreen but off. Just consider their collective Emmy pedigree of 34 career nominations and five wins. Glenn Close has a track record that the win-at-all-costs Patty...

Scrubs a perfect fit for Falco.(Eddie Falco)(COMEDY: LEAD ACTRESS)
July 27, 2010... It's an even split between previous winners and newcomers in this category, which means either someone's adding to their collection or winning for their first at-bat. If previous years are any indication, though, fortune may favor the...

Return to yesteryear for Gless.(Sharon Gless)(DRAMA: SUPPORTING ACTRESS)
July 27, 2010... A TV veteran with five decades of experience, Sharon Gless comes into this race with two Emmys already on her shelf and looking to add a third. Gless, an 1980s icon for "Cagney and Lacey," has found a new audience on USA's summer hit "Burn...

Category offers slew of genres.(COMEDY: SUPPORTING ACTRESS)
July 27, 2010... Although Emmy loves repeat winners, this year promises a change. There will be a first-time winner in this category, because all are nominees who have never won or have won in a different category. The winners from the past two years--Kristen...

Brits burst into telepic territory.(MINISERIES/MOVIE: LEAD ACTRESS)
July 27, 2010... As is often the case in the minis-movies category, the subject matter is mostly biopics, and the actresses here certainly lived up to the legacy of their on-screen personas. All of the nominees played women overcoming extraordinary personal...

Film box office wrap: for the weekend of July 23-25.
July 27, 2010... Film Box Office Wrap FOR THE WEEKEND OF JULY 23-25 Ranking This Last Week Week Title (Distrib/Financier) 1 1 Inception (WB) 2 -- Salt (Sony) 3 2 Despicable Me (U) 4 3 The Sorcerer's Apprentice...