ReelzChannel Picks Up Steven Seagal Drama Series

ReelzChannel, which entered original programming earlier this year with the high-profile acquisition of the miniseries The Kennedys, has acquired its first original scripted series — drama True Justice starring action movie star-turned-TV reality star Steven Seagal. The series, slated for a March 2012 launch, stars Seagal as Elijah Kane who leads a hardcore undercover team of Seattle based cops who take on gangs, drug lords and crime syndicates as they fight to clean up the streets. Seagal, Nicolas Chartier and Phillip B. Goldfine are executive producing, with Keoni Waxman serving as co-executive producer and director. Sojo Prods. and Voltage Pictures are producing in association with Steamroller Prods. ReelzChannel will be the U.S. distributor of the 13-episode series, which was independently produced. Internationally, it has aired on Nitro in Spain and digital channel 5USA in the UK.

Black Eyed Peas To Become Listed On Obama For Tree Lighting

First Released: November 30, 2011 11:06 AM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption apl.p.ap, Fergie, will.i.am and Taboo from the Black Eyed Peas attend the Peapod Adobe Youth Voices Academy launch at Urban Arts Partnership in NY City, on April 19, 2011WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Black Eyed Peas and Kermit the Frog are joining the selection of entertainers who'll help light the nation's Christmas Tree close to the Whitened House. Carson Daly will host the lighting ceremony Thursday. Entertainers will even include In A Major Way Hurry, Betty Goulding, this guitar rock band OneRepublic, country star Rodney Atkins and singer Marsha Ambrosius. Leader Obama and the family will formally light the tree. This is the 89th year for that holiday tree lighting. The tradition started with Leader Calvin Coolidge in 1923. This is actually the first lighting of the new National Christmas Tree which was grown in March. Its a 26-feet-tall Colorado blue brighten from the Nj tree nursery. Strong winds in Feb toppled the final tree which had was around the Ellipse since 1978. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Gotham Honours: Tree Of Existence, Beginners Share Kudos For Top Feature

Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Existence and Mike Mills’ Beginners shared the most effective feature award at Monday evening’s 21st Annual Gotham Independent Film Honours. Other nominees for top Feature were nominees were The Descendants, Meek’s Cutoff and Take Shelter. Girlfriend won everyone else award and Dee Rees was named breakthrough director for Pariah. Mike Mills’Beginners needed best ensemble performance, as well as the prize for top Film Not Noticed In A Theater In Your Area visited Moments from the Crime. People filmmakers win each week’s run at Cinema Village in NY City. The win byBeginners will be a large surprise since the movie bested the higher profileThe Descendants, Rob Nichols’Take Shelter andMartha Marcy May Marlene. Best documentary wasBetter Our World.Improvement Actor Award visited Felicity Manley for Constantly. Event happened at Cipriani on Wall Street. Complete report on individuals who win: Best Feature / Tie BEGINNERS Directed by Mike Mills Produced by Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Miranda p Pencier, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen Released by Focus Features TREE OF Existence Directed by Terrence Malick Produced by Sarah Eco-friendly, Bill Pohlad, Kaira Pitt, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill Released by Fox Searchlight The Most Effective Feature Jury incorporated: Anne Carey, Jodie Promote, Nicole Kidman, Lee Percy, and Natalie Portman Best Documentary BETTER Our World Directed and produced by Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane p la Vega Produced by Mike Nicholson The Most Effective Documentary Jury incorporated: Jonathan Caouette, Keiko Deguchi, Rachel Grady, Chris Hegedus and Stanley Nelson Breakthrough Director Award DEE REES Author and director of PARIAH Released by Focus Features The Breakthrough Director Jury incorporated: Ellen Kuras, Anthony Mackie, John Cameron Mitchell, Mike S. Ryan, Mira SorvinoBreakthrough Actor Award presented by stars Stanley Tucci and Melissa Leo. Breakthrough Actor FELICITY Manley Actor in Constantly Released by Vital Vantage The Breakthrough Actor Jury incorporated: Chris Eyre, Melissa Leo, Anne Rosellini, Ira Sachsand Jeffrey Wright Best Ensemble Performance Award Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox,Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos in BEGINNERS Released by Focus FeaturesThe Best Ensemble Performance Jury incorporated: Lena Dunham, Ryan Fleck, Peter Hedges,Philip Seymour Hoffman and Emily Watson. Best Film Not Playing inside a Theater In Your Town Award Moments From The CRIME Blue Hadaegh & Grover Babcock, Company company directors and Producers The person receiving the finest Film Not Playing inside a Theater In Your Town award wasdetermined with the editors of Filmmaker magazine, a publication of IFP, together with a curator within the Museum of recent Art. Gotham Independent Film Audience Award GIRLFRIEND Justin Lerner, DirectorProduced by Jerad Anderson, Kristina Lauren Anderson, Justin Lerner, Take advantage of OBanion Everyone Else Award was selected online by Filmgoers who love movies. Excitement Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers Live the Dream grant LUCY MULLOY for approaching film UNA NOCHE The thrill Spotlight on Women Filmmakers Live the Dream grant jury incorporated: Zoe Cassavetes, Katherine Dieckmann, Judy Greer and Jon Kilik.

States Weigh the Efficacy of Film and TV Incentives

When Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan slashed the budget last spring for his state's generous film and television production tax incentive program, he drew heavy fire. Michigan's program had been praised by both Hollywood and Detroit as a boon, helping to create a relatively small growth sector in the state at a time when most industries had been doing the opposite of growing. A study by Ernst & Youngand commissioned by several Michigan tourism agenciesfound that in 2010, the state spent $117.2 million on tax incentives and generated $503 million in economic activity as a result.But Snyder, a Republican who had vowed to crack down on tax relief for big business, cut the program's budget to $25 milliona fraction of its typical annual expenditure since it went into effect in 2008, and well below what many felt would be necessary to hold Hollywood's interest. The result, according to those who backed a robust incentive program, has been disastrous."We very suddenly found that we were not getting any new large-budget films," said Marcia Fishman, executive director of the Detroit branch of the Screen Actors Guild. "It turned into what we would call more work under lower-budgeted film." Shortly after Snyder announced plans to cut the tax credits, Marvel's big-budget production "The Avengers" scrapped plans to shoot in Michigan. "We probably would have had that had the incentive not changed," Fishman said.She added that since the tax credits began, she has seen actors who had departed for Los Angeles return home, where they found work plentiful and in some cases even bought homes. Since the program was scaled back, she has seen evidence of the reverse occurring.But the issue has hardly been put to rest. A push is currently under way in the state Legislature to replace the tax incentive program with a grant-based model, one that the state's Republican Senate majority leader has said should receive as much as $100 million in annual funding."Having built a state-of-the-art studio with seven sound stages, [infrastructure] is not going to be the issue," said Howard Hertz, a Michigan-based entertainment lawyer, referring to Detroit's recently opened Raleigh Studios facility. "The issue is, are there going to be state funds to help support the industry and get it rolling again?"National Debate Michigan is not the only state where tax incentive programs, which became popular in the last decade and led to the development of emerging production markets in states like Louisiana and Georgia, have become the subject of intense debate. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey famously axed a tax credit for the MTV reality program "Jersey Shore" in September. In May, the ABC drama "Body of Proof" decamped from Rhode Island to California after the Ocean State's governor threatened to eliminate his state's incentive program. "Body of Proof" secured a tax refund in California, where the future of that state's incentives were in doubt until October, when Gov. Jerry Brown extended the $100 million-a-year program through 2015over the protestations of advocates who pointed out that the state is in the process of cutting funding to schools and other social institutions.While industry organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America and unions such as SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have lobbied hard for incentives across the country, critics of the programs are not hard to find."They don't work," Joseph Henchman of the conservative Tax Foundation told Back Stage in June. "They don't create jobsat least permanent jobs. They're not effective at creating lasting economic development. And states have better priorities, whether they be using the money for other spending priorities or leaving it with taxpayers." Recent studies by the Tax Foundationwhich in June released figures showing that the number of states investing in incentives declined this year for the first time everand the progressive Center on Budget and Policy Priorities appear to reinforce that sentiment.'Glamour Industry' NY state offers one of the nation's most well-funded programs, giving $420 million in tax credits on below-the-line expenditures to qualifying scripted film and television projects each year. Holter Graham, president of AFTRA's NY local, bristled when he spotted a recent NY Times column calling the state's commitment to incentives a "particular lunacy" and the sector that benefits from them a "glamour industry.""We're the 99 percent, if you want to frame it with what's on everybody's lips these days," Graham said. "These credits very specifically go to the middle class that is the entertainment industry. They go to me and they go to set designers and catering people and mechanics. What we're doing is creating an environment where businesses will come into NY and spend a lot of money and hire lots of NYers."Graham linked, in part, the uptick in television shows being produced in NY to the state's tax incentive program. (New York City was home to a record number of pilot shoots this year.) He emphasized the quasi-permanent nature of TV production, where a long-running show such as "Law & Order" can become a fixture in a community, versus film, where a production brings in cash on a more short-term basis. He also dismissed the often conflicting studies touted by incentive supporters and detractors, noting, "This is America, and if you have enough money you can get an expert to say anything and, to some extent, prove it." He pointed instead to the increased amount of work he has been seeing in New York for AFTRA members.But it's not just AFTRA members working in TV who have seen an increase in job opportunities in NY in recent years. According to a 2010 report by the state comptroller, the number of jobs and the level of wages in film and TV production in the state rose each year between 2004 and 2008. It was during that period that NY's tax incentive program first went into effect, though at a smaller funding level than it enjoys now.Most backers emphasize that tax credits don't just benefit actors. At a time when state governments everywhere are looking to raise revenue but are skittish about hiking taxes, cutting incentive programsparticularly programs for an industry that can be easily linked to images of movie-star chic and excesscan look attractive. But supporters such as Mario Cilento, chief of staff to the president of the NY State AFL-CIO, contend that tax incentives are a boon for middle-class workers of all stripes."We're not just talking about the artists or the writers or the producers who come in just for the duration of the production," he said. "We're talking about the building-trades workers who construct and deconstruct the sets and the stages. We're talking about [union members] who set up the lighting and all the other electrical equipment. We're talking about sound and video technicians who specialize in their various arts, Teamsters who bring all of the materials in and out." He added, "We're not just talking about jobs. We're talking about good jobs that have pensions and health insurance, and all of the residual good effect that that has on an economy." By Daniel Holloway November 23, 2011 "Gran Torino" PHOTO CREDIT Warner Bros. Pictures When Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan slashed the budget last spring for his state's generous film and television production tax incentive program, he drew heavy fire. Michigan's program had been praised by both Hollywood and Detroit as a boon, helping to create a relatively small growth sector in the state at a time when most industries had been doing the opposite of growing. A study by Ernst & Youngand commissioned by several Michigan tourism agenciesfound that in 2010, the state spent $117.2 million on tax incentives and generated $503 million in economic activity as a result.But Snyder, a Republican who had vowed to crack down on tax relief for big business, cut the program's budget to $25 milliona fraction of its typical annual expenditure since it went into effect in 2008, and well below what many felt would be necessary to hold Hollywood's interest. The result, according to those who backed a robust incentive program, has been disastrous."We very suddenly found that we were not getting any new large-budget films," said Marcia Fishman, executive director of the Detroit branch of the Screen Actors Guild. "It turned into what we would call more work under lower-budgeted film." Shortly after Snyder announced plans to cut the tax credits, Marvel's big-budget production "The Avengers" scrapped plans to shoot in Michigan. "We probably would have had that had the incentive not changed," Fishman said.She added that since the tax credits began, she has seen actors who had departed for Los Angeles return home, where they found work plentiful and in some cases even bought homes. Since the program was scaled back, she has seen evidence of the reverse occurring.But the issue has hardly been put to rest. A push is currently under way in the state Legislature to replace the tax incentive program with a grant-based model, one that the state's Republican Senate majority leader has said should receive as much as $100 million in annual funding."Having built a state-of-the-art studio with seven sound stages, [infrastructure] is not going to be the issue," said Howard Hertz, a Michigan-based entertainment lawyer, referring to Detroit's recently opened Raleigh Studios facility. "The issue is, are there going to be state funds to help support the industry and get it rolling again?"National Debate Michigan is not the only state where tax incentive programs, which became popular in the last decade and led to the development of emerging production markets in states like Louisiana and Georgia, have become the subject of intense debate. Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey famously axed a tax credit for the MTV reality program "Jersey Shore" in September. In May, the ABC drama "Body of Proof" decamped from Rhode Island to California after the Ocean State's governor threatened to eliminate his state's incentive program. "Body of Proof" secured a tax refund in California, where the future of that state's incentives were in doubt until October, when Gov. Jerry Brown extended the $100 million-a-year program through 2015over the protestations of advocates who pointed out that the state is in the process of cutting funding to schools and other social institutions.While industry organizations such as the Motion Picture Association of America and unions such as SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have lobbied hard for incentives across the country, critics of the programs are not hard to find."They don't work," Joseph Henchman of the conservative Tax Foundation told Back Stage in June. "They don't create jobsat least permanent jobs. They're not effective at creating lasting economic development. And states have better priorities, whether they be using the money for other spending priorities or leaving it with taxpayers." Recent studies by the Tax Foundationwhich in June released figures showing that the number of states investing in incentives declined this year for the first time everand the progressive Center on Budget and Policy Priorities appear to reinforce that sentiment.'Glamour Industry' NY state offers one of the nation's most well-funded programs, giving $420 million in tax credits on below-the-line expenditures to qualifying scripted film and television projects each year. Holter Graham, president of AFTRA's NY local, bristled when he spotted a recent NY Times column calling the state's commitment to incentives a "particular lunacy" and the sector that benefits from them a "glamour industry.""We're the 99 percent, if you want to frame it with what's on everybody's lips these days," Graham said. "These credits very specifically go to the middle class that is the entertainment industry. They go to me and they go to set designers and catering people and mechanics. What we're doing is creating an environment where businesses will come into NY and spend a lot of money and hire lots of NYers."Graham linked, in part, the uptick in television shows being produced in NY to the state's tax incentive program. (NY City was home to a record number of pilot shoots this year.) He emphasized the quasi-permanent nature of TV production, where a long-running show such as "Law & Order" can become a fixture in a community, versus film, where a production brings in cash on a more short-term basis. He also dismissed the often conflicting studies touted by incentive supporters and detractors, noting, "This is America, and if you have enough money you can get an expert to say anything and, to some extent, prove it." He pointed instead to the increased amount of work he has been seeing in NY for AFTRA members.But it's not just AFTRA members working in TV who have seen an increase in job opportunities in NY in recent years. According to a 2010 report by the state comptroller, the number of jobs and the level of wages in film and TV production in the state rose each year between 2004 and 2008. It was during that period that NY's tax incentive program first went into effect, though at a smaller funding level than it enjoys now.Most backers emphasize that tax credits don't just benefit actors. At a time when state governments everywhere are looking to raise revenue but are skittish about hiking taxes, cutting incentive programsparticularly programs for an industry that can be easily linked to images of movie-star chic and excesscan look attractive. But supporters such as Mario Cilento, chief of staff to the president of the NY State AFL-CIO, contend that tax incentives are a boon for middle-class workers of all stripes."We're not just talking about the artists or the writers or the producers who come in just for the duration of the production," he said. "We're talking about the building-trades workers who construct and deconstruct the sets and the stages. We're talking about [union members] who set up the lighting and all the other electrical equipment. We're talking about sound and video technicians who specialize in their various arts, Teamsters who bring all of the materials in and out." He added, "We're not just talking about jobs. We're talking about good jobs that have pensions and health insurance, and all of the residual good effect that that has on an economy."

Strauss-Schulson Targets Final Women

Dark comedy for Harold & Kumar directorIt's hardly done Twilight money, nevertheless the relative success of the extremely Harold And Kumar 3d Christmas in america box office has given director Todd Strauss-Schulson his pick of affordable future projects. The primary one he's gone with is horror comedy Final Women, that's joining together at New Line.The title means well-worn slasher movie trope of whittling lower a cast of teens until there's basically your final Girl to battle the maniac. Jamie Lee Curtis might be the ultimate girl in Halloween, for example, as they are Marilyn Burns inside the Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Wolf Creek carried out with people genre anticipation quite cleverly, and comics heroine Cassie Hack (pictured - any excuse) can be a final girl-switched-professional slasher killer.Sadly, there's still little symbol of the extended-developing Hack/Slash film really happening.Final Women involves a lady referred to as Max whose mother will be a eighties scream full, but disappeared. When Max and her pals are just like miracle attracted in to the area of the famous slasher film, she finds herself reunited along with her starring mother, as well as the two have to take lower the movie's psycho together. We're taking a chance it doesn't go well for Max's pals.The condition line is "Friday The thirteenth meets Towards The Near FutureInch, but everybody is studiously remaining from saying the apparent, which is niagra appears just like a horror Last Action Hero. Has nobody involved read Empire problem 269?Authors Mark Fortin and Josh Burns are presently making their particular revisions for his or her spec script, but casting and shooting may need to delay until Strauss-Schulson is finished while using similarly humorous but less frightening Family Getaway.

'Breaking Dawn' Director Bill Condon Talks Collaboration with 'Twilight's' Trio Discloses Particulars From Next Film (Video)

Not surprisingly, fans switched in groups to determine Breaking Beginning - Part 1 its opening weekend (the film is anticipated to create around $140 million locally).our editor recommendsBox Office Report: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Headed for $140 Mil Domestic Opening'Twilight: Breaking Dawn's' Rachelle Lefervre on Jacob's Pivotal Imprinting Scene, TK TK TK'Twilight: Breaking Dawn's' Taylor Lautner on Working Opposite Faux Bella Cullen Chance of Joining Twitter (Video)Red-colored Carpet's Top Ten: Twilight: Breaking Beginning PremiereTwilight Time Capsule LaunchesRelated Subjects•Twilight The penultimate film within the Twilight Saga's franchise, which hit theaters November. 18, stars series regulars Taylor Lautner (A Vampire Named Edward), Billy Burke (Jacob Black) and Rachelle Lefervre (Edwards Friend Jacob). But, additionally to some couple of vampire and werewolf fresh faces within the cast, the film's director, Bill Condon seemed to be a new comer to Twilight's world. PHOTOS: 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning - Part I' Black Carpet Premiere "For me personally, this movie, it had been a mix of the romance and also the romantic melodradrama - kind of classic Hollywood filmmaking within the first couple of thirds of the movie, which become a huge hit in my experience,Inch he toldThe Hollywood Reporter of his vision for Breaking Beginning - Part 1. "And also the last third, it felt just like a flat-out horror movie. I began in horror movies and that i love horror movies and that i've been searching to complete one again, to ensure that mixture of things really become a huge hit in my experience.Inch Condon also stated that his stars were very involved with their character's archs through the shooting process. PHOTOS: 'Twilight' and also the Top 15 Grossing Threequels ever "To begin with, Kristen may be the greatest Twihard, so on her, she was excited, since it wasn't all being done situps right into a two-hour movie, therefore it was kind of like, "Oh, no, I miss that line, I miss that moment" things like that. And often I agreed, and often not," he stated. While Pattinson "described something which he'd been playing that people never saw before and that i thought, 'let's put that into this movie.' For Taylor [he wanted] to actually explore the way in which Jacob's perspective is expressed within the book the very first time in Breaking Beginning. We actually have more inside his of mind." In the movie's Hollywood premiere November. 15, the director, who's also helmed Dreamgirls and Chicago, told THRwhat fans can get once the screen goes black onBreaking Beginning - Part 1(after Bella opens her eyes like a newborn vampire) plus they return annually from now to determine the franchise's final film. REVIEW: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning - Part 1 "In early stages I place the scripts together, a large 220-page script, and it is exactly the same factor. It is the same story. It's one book that we are telling and it truly is the moment the very first movie finishes the 2nd one starts. Therefore it was good, I can not imagine getting annually burglary between individuals two." PHOTOS: New Images of 'Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning' One things fans can anticipate? A vampire expensive mob they surprised Condon with on set. "It had been probably the most brilliant factor ever!" Condon told THR. "It's for movie two. It is going to certainly be around the DVD. It had been just like a Westside Story dance off, it had been incredible." Related Subjects Taylor Lautner Rachelle Lefervre Twilight Saga Twilight Billy Burke Bill Condon

Kermit Unveils Craziest Balancing: 'When in Mexico, Do since the Amphibians Do' (VIDEO)

.publish-content img Sometimes, even frogs need to revealed. Throughout Moviefone's Muppets Unscripted session, Kermit the Frog revealed his craziest balancing -Body that involved Jason Segel, Mexico, together with a glass or two referred to as "The Muppet." Jeez, Kerm first of all you joked about Segel's nude moments, now this? Discuss working eco-friendly blue. Return Sunday Evening and Monday for further from Moviefone's Muppets Unscripted session. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

'Brave' Trailer: Pixar's New Fantasy Involves Existence

A brand new trailer for "Brave," the most recent Pixar and Disney collaboration, has sprung to existence, also it looks to combine the very best aspects of both companies. "Brave" follows Scottish princess Merida (voiced by "Boardwalk Empire's" Kelly MacDonald) like a youthful lady going to create her very own place on the planet. She rebels against her parents (Billy Connolly and Emma Thompson) and defies her country's age-old custom to be able to seek her very own independence. By doing this, she unknowingly sets loose chaos on her behalf kingdom and it is instructed to "uncover this is of true bravery" to be able to right the wrongs she produced. There's some really impressive animation in "Brave," as Pixar fans have started to expect. This is just one of only three films Pixar has been doing which have starred exclusively humans (another two being "Up" and "The Incredibles"), though a lot of their other movies have incorporated human figures. Still, it's nice to determine such great emphasis being positioned on a persons facets of their animation -- just take a look at Merida's hair! -- rather than creating a speaking seafood or toy as realistic as you possibly can. Still, I am unclear about certain parts of the trailer. Exactly what does a bear within the forest have related to Merida's independence? So why do parents so set on getting married to their daughter off provide a second considered to her going off and away to gain her freedom? And how come there need to be a guy waving his underoos around from under his kilt? "Brave" is just one of my more anticipated films of 2012, but to date the 2 trailers launched for this haven't done the idea justice during my eyes. Here's wishing that trailer number 3 does the secret for me personally. Inform us that which you think about the "Brave" trailer within the comments section below or on Twitter!

Image, W2 ink distribution deal

Image Entertainment has struck a distribution deal with W2 Media covering U.S. rights to Image films including homevideo, television, digital and VOD. W2 Media keeps theatrical rights on all Image game game titles. The very first slate of releases includes "Toast," "Pete Smalls Is Dead," "Smile" and "The Puck Hogs." "Toast" was released theatrically in September "Pete Smalls Is Dead," starring Peter Dinklage, is positioned for just about any theatrical release on Friday. The sale announcement is created Tuesday through the American Film Market by Bill Bromiley, chief purchases officer for Image. "This lately produced deal can be a terrific addition towards the distribution pipeline of latest release from Image Entertainment," Bromiley mentioned. "We're thrilled to have W2 onboard and anticipate the broad spectrum of films they'll supply the marketplace.Inch "Smile" concentrates on seven pals who've organized a soothing visit to Another agents that turns into a nightmare. Mock documentary "The Puck Hogs" follows a men's leisure hockey team with the path of the weekend tournament. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Aaron Sorkin's Vanity Fair Essay on David Fincher: He's a 'Genius'

Director David Fincher includes a status to be a cranky person to utilize. However, Aaron Sorkin is here now to convince you otherwise. Within the December problem of Vanity Fair, the Oscar-winning film writer authored an essay on Fincher, calling him "warm, honest, as well as an extremely generous collaborator." However, the piece does not exactly begin this way. Actually, the very first paragraph has Sorkin basically calling the 'Social Network' director emotionless. "David Fincher inside a negative mood is not simple to discern from David Fincher inside a good mood. Fincher tired is equivalent to Fincher vitalized," creates Sorkin. "There's never anything about his attitude that insists upon request, 'What's wrong?' This can be what individuals mean once they discuss strength. Also focus." After that, the piece is praise. Sorkin continues to explain Fincher like a "genius"and somebody that "has great persistence with individuals who aren't as gifted because he is." However the one factor the director dislike? Individuals who aren't effective as hard because he does. Mind on to Vanity Fair to see the whole piece. You can observe Fincher's potential genius displayed within this winter's long awaited 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo.' [via Vanity Fair] [Photo: Getty Images] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Keira Knightley Will Be Effie Gray

For period drama UntouchedEmma Thompson is not going to be pleased. Why? Well, you might remember that back in August, we reported on her finally appearing to get all the elements sorted for Effie, the film about Euphemia "Effie" Gray and her unhappy marriage. With Dakota Fanning on board to star, it finally kicked off shooting last month. But now comes word of a competing drama about the woman, with Keira Knightley in talks for the lead.This new one is called Untouched, and has House Of Sand director Andrucha Waddington set to call the shots. It'll tell the same basic story of Effie, the teenage girl who gets wed to arty type John Ruskin, only for him to be disgusted by some part of her body and refuse to consummate the marriage. The couple lived a joyless, loveless existence, with his parents constantly attacking poor Effie. But her story has a happier ending, as she divorced Ruskin and married his protégé, John Everett Millais.Aleksandra Crapanzano wrote the script, but there's no word on when the film will kick off shooting. And that's even assuming anyone will want to invest given the chances of a clash with Effie. Still, despite the seeming disparity of her playing a teenager, Knightley's name should draw some attention.

Yahoo Shareholder Slams Jerry Yang and Demands Two Board Seats

Two years after Carl Icahn ended a proxy battle with Yahoo, the Internet company has another fight on its hands, this time with a fund that owns a 5 percent stake in Yahoo.our editor recommendsGoogle Considers Yahoo BidPeter Chernin: Yahoo Situation Is too Confusing for a BidYahoo Beats Earnings Estimates and Stock Rises After the Closing BellAOL CEO Pitches Yahoo Deal to Investors (Report) Daniel Loeb, CEO of an investment entity called Third Point, fired off a harshly worded letter to Yahoo that called into question the competence of co-founder Jerry Yang. He also demanded that Third Point be awarded two board seats at Yahoo, either via the creation of new ones or by getting rid of Yang and chairman Roy Bostock. In particular, Loeb is curious about Yahoo's previously disclosed efforts to find a buyer or partner or other kind of relationship or strategy to boost the languishing stock price. Yang is part of a nine-person committee spearheading that effort, but he's also rumored to be interested in taking Yahoo private, and this apparently confuses Loeb. "At a bare minimum, Mr. Yang must declare whether he is a buyer or a seller -- he cannot be both," he writes in his lengthy letter to Yahoo's board of directors. Loeb also wasn't impressed with the way Yang attempted unsuccessfully to sell Yahoo to Microsoft three years for more than twice what Yahoo's market capitalization is today. "Given his ineptitude in dealing with the Microsoft negotiations to purchase the company in 2008," Loeb writes, "it is now clear that he is simply not aligned with shareholders." Yahoo on Friday issued a statement backing Yang that reads, in part, "News reports based on rumor and speculation are just that. The board's comprehensive strategic review process is still underway, with a wide range of options under active consideration. We can assure all Yahoo shareholders that whatever the outcome of the strategic review process may be, it will serve the best interests of all the company's shareholders." Related Topics Carl Icahn Yahoo Microsoft

Summit, Central Partnership reach output agreement

Summit Entertainment and Central Partnership have reached a new exclusive six-year output agreement for all rights in the CIS region to Summit's slate of theatrical films.The deal was announced Friday during the American Film Market by Ralpho Borgos, Summit Senior VP, International Sales and Armen Dishdishyan, Exec VP International of Central Partnership.This output deal encompasses all upcoming films produced by Summit through December 2017 beginning with Summit's ''Now You See Me.'' Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

BT Vision adds 41,000 customers

LONDON -- The U.K.'s under-carrying out paybox BT Vision may finally be attaining momentum, thanks simply to on-demand U.S. fare. The hybrid digital terrestrial and broadband service stated it made 41,000 internet additions within the last quarter -- its best figures in excess of 2 yrs. But BT Vision, backed by local telco BT, continues to have only 640,000 houses registered -- far behind the ten million and three.76 million Britons that purchase BSkyB and Virgin correspondingly. However, the truth that the straggler, which bowed in 2007, added 41,000 new customers within the last quarter in comparison with BSkyB 's 26,000, signifies a milestone for that outfit. BT Vision Boss Marc Watson stated: "It's the very first time we now have beaten Sky since launch and that we have added more clients than both (including Virgin Media) combined. "It's very encouraging but we're not getting caught up. We're a youthful business that has a lot to complete.Inch BT Vision lately bowed a brand new subscription film service, driven by fare from Warner Bros., Universal and also the U.K.'s Film 4, plus on-demand channels from ABC and Warner Bros. Watson stated the on-demand services saw strong growth with audiences watching normally 46 or 47 shows monthly, additionally for their traditional linear TV viewing. BT Vision provides Freeview, catch-up as well as on-demand content. BT is among the partners within the BBC-brought YouView connected TV consortium, whose launch arrives sometime the coming year following numerous delays. There's been speculation that BT Vision might pre-empt YouView by bowing a brand new set-top box that may, perhaps, compete directly with YouView. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Davis Films bites for 'Night'

Davis Films, the company behind the "Resident Evil" franchise, has bought feature rights to mother-daughter authors P.C. and Kristin Cast's young-adult vampire series "House of Night." Acquired as another potential franchise for Davis Films, "House of Night" centers on a 16-year-old girl named Zoey Redbird, who's sent to a special boarding school after learning she is genetically earmarked to become a "vampyre" in adolescence, or killed in the process. The series has sold more than 12 million copies in the U.S. and has been on the NY Times bestseller list for a record 140 weeks, with versions in a total 39 countries. Series' ninth installment, "Destined," hit bookshelves on Oct. 25. Davis Films topper Samuel Hadida credited the Cast writing duo for penning a series with worldwide appeal. "They have created a world of adolescent growth against a backdrop of supernatural suspense that resonates around the world with young readers immersed in 'Twilight' and 'Harry Potter,'" Hadida said. "We see with 'House of Night' the same franchise potential." Deal was negotiated by Sean Daily at Hotchkiss and Associates and Meredith Bernstein on behalf of the authors. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Kim Kardashian Leaves for Australia Without E! Cameras

If fans are wanting to look for the immediate fallout of Kim Kardashian's divorce filing from Kris Humphries, her husband of 72 days, on E!, they're in a complete loss.our editor recommendsKris Jenner to talk about Kim Kardashian's Divorce on 'Today' ShowKim Kardashian's Brother Make the most of Addresses Elephant inside the Ballroom After 'Dancing While using Stars'Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries Shot Finale Scene Where they Decide to 'Take a Break'Kim Kardashian Divorce: 10 Signs the marriage Was One Large Hoax All Along PHOTOS: 19 of Hollywood's All-Time Least Close ties On Monday evening, Kim left for Australia and E! certifies for the Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday that it's cameras aren't joining her. The star left for Australia with sister Khloe Kardashian and her husband, Lamar Odom. They'll promote their Kardashian Kollection for Sears. According to People, Kim will host a launch party at Sydney's Hugo's Lounge on her behalf new purse line for Sears. And he or she was taken photos of without her wedding ring. PHOTOS: Inside Kardashian Corporation. Following a news of her divorce filing broke on Monday morning, An E! representative told THR that network producers and professionals were much like amazed at what is the news as everybody. They went into emergency conferences to talk about how to handle it, including how a network will deal with scheduled re-airings in the couple's two-part wedding special. Kourtney and Kim Take NY finished shooting in mid-October and sources tell THR that Kim and Humphries shot a scene through which they made a decision to "have a relaxation" utilizing their relationship. By Monday morning, E! did not have expects to shoot further footage for your series, including her publish-divorce filing trip to Australia together with an agent certifies to THR that hasn't changed. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Top Earners An E! representative also told THR that Kourtney and Kim Take Miami had ended on shooting yesterday and there has been no expects to shoot additional footage for the series, either. Email: Jethro.Nededog@thr.com Twitter: @TheRealJethro Related Subjects E! Entertainment Kim Kardashian Lamar Odom Maintaining While using Kardashians Kris Humphries