Uggie your dog Honours Campaign: Join the reason to obtain 'The Artist's' Canine Scene Stealer Some Recognition

Team Uggie! As individuals who've seen 'The Artist' know, the quiet film from director Michel Hazanavicius accomplishes many apparently impossible goals -- like creating a quiet film relevant and enjoyable to 2011 tastes and sensibilities -- though possibly none more than Uggie. Whereas most films use creatures like a schmaltzy crutch or cheap joke, Uggie your dog is the central go up and down of George Valentin, the quiet film star in 'The Artist' who will get pressed aside when talkies become en style. "I believe this character, Uggie, is essential,Inch stated Hazanavicius, seriously, to Moviefone throughout a current intervew. "He's the only real other character that does not speak, because he's your dog. But, it's his closest friend. I believe it is on the deep level, but It is sensible.Inch It will! Uggie -- like Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo -- is wonderful! So: where's the honours buzz? Because of the truly amazing S.T. VanAirsdale at Movieline, the following: "Retrograde union and Academy rules may stop [an Oscar nomination] for Uggie in groups in the past restricted to humans, but it is time for experts and honours physiques like NBR and also the Golden Globes to consider a great hard consider Uggie's huge eyes and huger talent and turn back discriminatory trend that forbids recognition of the degree of animal artistry." Amen, boy! To assist the reason, VanAirsdale has produced a "Consider Uggie" Facebook page, in addition to a Twitter hashtag (#consideruggie). Even if you think this can be a lark, observe that NY Publish film critic Lou Lumenick pressed for that NY Film Experts Circle to recognition the eight-year-old Jack Russell Terrier. "Greatest #NYFCC disappointment: no special award for the best performance of 2011, Jack Russell terrier in 'The Artist,'" Lumenick authored on Twitter. This could happen! Mind to Movieline to obtain your Team Uggie paraphernalia, and like this Facebook page. Uggie may not win an Oscar, but that does not mean he can't receive some critical love. There just must be one experts group guy (and lady) enough to face up for any dog. [via Movieline] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Expert opinions

'The Help''Mildred Pierce''Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'"One could say that casting an ensemble film requires the greatest skill. In my opinion, there is no better example than the casting of 'The Help.' Kerry Bardem and Paul Schnee did an amazing job in finding such vivid and skilled performers, who pulled the audience into not just one but two very different worlds and many story lines."I also really appreciated the skill shown in the casting of 'Crazy Stupid Love.' The family felt like a family. . .Excellent casting by Mindy Marin!"-- Deirdre Bowen ("A Dangerous Method," "Eastern Promises")* * * "I don't know how to explain an excellent ensemble, but I do find it very exciting being part of trying to achieve this. I loved Nuri Bilge Ceylan's 'Once upon a Time in Anatolia'; (it has) beautiful actors working in perfect harmony with each other, the director and the words."-- Jina Jay ("War Horse," "Coriolanus," "Tinker Tailor") * * * "I love 'Game of Thrones,' and I think Nina Gold does a brilliant job casting it. I just saw 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' and I thought it was fantastic, the cast was wonderful. Francine Maisler did a brilliant job of casting 'Moneyball.' You get to really focus in on that world, and I loved all the scouts -- I loved those faces."-- Ellen Lewis ("Hugo," "Boardwalk Empire")* * * "I love 'Boardwalk Empire,' I'm obsessed with it. It's a delicious cast, and the characters are so realistic. I long for them. I'm ready for Sunday night to come around."-- Laray Mayfield ("The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "The Social Network")* * * "To me, 'The Wire' is an amazing ensemble. They mixed established actors with people who'd never done anything before, and that's such a fun way to cast. Both 'Boardwalk Empire' and 'Mildred Pierce' were really, really well done. And they do a great job on 'Mad Men.'"-- Juliet Taylor ("Midnight in Paris," "Schindler's List").* * * "Ensemble chemistry is when the director has created a complete world, in that every actor feels a part of it. Everyone is living in the same experience."'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' is an incredibly successful ensemble. You've got Colin Firth, very British; Ciaran Hinds, an Irishman; Toby Jones, a terrific character actor; David Dencik from Sweden, and they were all meeting in this 1970s world at exactly the same pitch. It would be so easy to cast other people who'd lose their individuality, but these were all very clear and vivid."-- Fiona Weir ("Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Parts 1 & 2," "The Hereafter")SAG Awards: The Ensemble:Hunting in pairs | Jay displays eagle for rising talent | Expert opinions | Primetime wholes made up of great parts | SAG winners tend to head to Oscar glory Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Golden Globe competitors for television

The Globes get first crack at adoring new fall Tv shows, but these come in second for the Emmys if the involves spring debuts. The way in which these beginners fare against 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Good Wife,' 'Modern Family' and 'Glee'?Wager on Thrones(Cinemax)Precursor: "Rome"Why it might: The pay cabler's much-anticipated adaptation of George R.R. Martin's best-selling books will be a large success in the year, spiking the fantasy milieu with gritty human drama. However, the genre isn't for everyone, a more compact amount the show's penchant for graphic sex and violence.Otherwise the big one: Viewer favorite Peter Dinklage's portrayal of cagey outsider Tyrion Lannister has acquired him an Emmy.An upbeat opinion: Mary McNamara, La Occasions: "A great and thundering quantity of political and mental intrigue bristling with vivid figures, mix-hatched with enticing plotlines and seasoned getting a just a little fantasy." * * * The Killing(AMC)Precursor: ABC's "Murder One," which initially gambled while using one-situation/one-season construct.Why it might: Moody United States atmospherics, a twisty murder and compelling figures added up to water cooler spring hit for AMC. However, red-colored-colored herrings inside the plot didn't always please fans nor did the summer season-ending episode.Otherwise the big one: Mireille Enos acquired since the series' thoughtful, melancholy lead investigator, while Joel Kinnaman as her enigmatic, tart-tongued partner increased being a follower favorite.An upbeat opinion: Alessandra Stanley, NY Occasions: "Frightening and suspenseful, in a subdued, meditative way that's in some manner much more chilling." * * * Homeland(Showtime)Precursor: "24" for your propulsive sense of a threat inside our midst, combined with mental suspense of "Rubicon."Why it might: A timely show concerning the cost of hypervigilance within fighting against Terror, it combines thriller inteligence with acute character study. However, the up-and-comer batch of dramas is strong this year, as well as the popular holdovers ("Boardwalk Empire," "The Truly Amazing Wife") demonstrated tough endurance.Otherwise the big one: Claire Danes, becoming an intensely committed intelligence analyst, and Damian Lewis, since the returning war hero she suspects of sinister doings, are submiting memorable work each week.An upbeat opinion: Matt Zoller Seitz, Salon: "The most effective new show in the fall." * * * Enlightened(Cinemax)Precursor: Phone self-destructive side of well-meaning enhancement, "Samantha Who" and "The Completely New Adventures of Old Christine."Why it might: Edgy yet understanding, it means HBO's stature like a place for offbeat, culturally relevant comedy, and will be offering a killer star turn from Laura Dern. However, the humor might be too brittle and spread for individuals tastes -- which is not always a comedy.Otherwise the big one: It's tough to deny pressure of character that Dern will be here, a potent combo of pinwheeling eyes, proper gamesmanship and hair trigger temperament.An upbeat opinion: Robert Lloyd, La Occasions: "White-colored and Dern might have settled for lampooning a specific strain of spiritual striving as well as the blindness the convert mistakes for sight. But they're out for many factor.Inch * * * New Girl(Fox)Precursor: The twentysomething camaraderie of "Pals," though the three women concentrated into one kooky charmer.Why it might: Fueled with the star energy of Zooey Deschanel's winning lead perf together with a blessedly raunch-less approach to dating humor, the show remains the breakout sitcom hit in the fall. However, by choosing for oblong laughs rather than sporty guffaws, it runs the risk of not stimulating all tastes.Otherwise the big one: Deschanel is year's It Girl, fighting the limitations of just one-lining sitcom convention with refreshingly off-kilter scene-stealing together with a captivating inner light.An upbeat opinion: Matt Roush, TV Guide: "Everything about 'New Girl,' from her crazy co-stars for the solely awesome writing, is irresistible." * * * GOLDEN GLOBES RACETops in tubthumps? Best Picture: Drama Best Picture: Comedy or Musical Television Animation Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Lily Allen Welcomes Baby Girl (Report)

Lionsgate"The Hunger Games" Lionsgate, the studio behind the upcoming film version ofThe Hunger Games, has been sued for $10 million by a beauty products company that claims it isbeing jerked around overa deal to create special nail polish in connection with the movie's March release.our editor recommends'Hunger Games' Nail Polish Debuting in 2012'Hunger Games' Trailer Sparks Strong Reaction From Fans of the Book Series'The Hunger Games' Trailer: 5 Instant Observations While Watching Los Angeles-based American International Industries, which says it is the country's largest privately-held manufacturerof personal care and beauty products,filed a lawsuit Wednesday in LA Superior Court. The companyclaims that it closed a deal in late October to create a Hunger Games-branded version of its "China Glaze"nail polish, as well as contribute to the promotional campaignfor the adaptation of the popular Suzanne Collins novelthat Lionsgate is hoping will be a mega-blockbuster movie series similar to Twilight. But shortly after Lionsgate executives signed the contract, according to the complaint, the studio made statements to the press that the deal was "not happening," and askedAmerican to say that the parties "were merely 'discussing' a 'possible' promotional deal." American says it refused to lie, prompting a Lionsgate attorney to send an email on Nov. 17 saying that the studiowas "terminating" the contract. "However, the contract does not permitLionsgate to unilaterally terminate,"argues the complaint, a copy of which was obtained by THR. "Lionsgate attempted to justify its actions by claiming that American had supposedly 'leaked' information about the contract to the press. The claim was and is completely untrue--American did not 'leak' any information, and so informed Lionsgate immediately." American says it purchased millions of dollars in nail polish materials and expended substantial time and labor in reliance on the fully-executed contract, and it wants $10 million in damages. We've reached out to Lionsgate for comment and will update with a response. Thesuit, filed by Charles Harder and Michelle Goodman of LA's WolfRifkin Shapiro Schulman & Rabkin, alleges one cause of action for breach of contract. Lionsgate declined to comment on the suit. Email: Matthew.Belloni@thr.com Twitter: @THRMattBelloni PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'Hunger Games' First Look: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson Hunger Games

J.J. Abrams Verifies Benicio Del Toro's 'Star Trek 2' Interest

The villain of "Star Trek 2" remains unknown, though director J.J. Abrams certainly has his eye on someone for that role: Oscar-winning actor Benicio del Toro. Will still be up in mid-air regarding who BDT might participate in the "Trek" follow up, presuming he occurs board whatsoever, but Abrams confirmed to MTV News that he's greatly thinking about getting the "Traffic" actor aboard for his next interstellar voyage. "Well, we are just in discussions, we are in discussions," Abrams told us around the red-colored carpet for that "Super 8" Blu-ray and DVD release in La. "It isn't even discussions just being debated. However I would like to use him. I have wanted to utilize him for a long time, which felt just like a good chance." Abrams wouldn't enter into specifics concerning the role he's in your mind for del Toro. Speculation has ranged from del Toro dealing with the legendary role of Khan Noonien Singh to him putting that prominent temple to get affordable use like a Klingon villain. However the "Star Trek" director would offer only that whomever the smoothness is, del Toro is ideal for the part. "It's too soon to discuss exactly what the role is, but he's this kind of amazing actor," stated Abrams. "He's so versatile. He could kind of do anything whatsoever.Inch "Except play Uhura," he joked. "I wouldn't buy that." Though situations are enigmatic right now, Abrams guaranteed the role could be a smaller amount mysterious the moment casting is completed, whether del Toro ends up within the follow up. "The moment we all know who it is going to beand I'd love so that it is himthat'll be public understanding," he stated. Inform us that which you think about the "Star Trek" follow up news within the comments section as well as on Twitter!

Lake Bell Looks at the Best (and Worst) Choices From L.A. Auto Show

This Year's La Auto Show folded into downtown's L.A. Convention Center a week ago, debuting the typical (and unusual) new suspects from the automobile industry. I am particularly nostalgic of these occasions simply because they represent the first and many consistent reminiscences I've of hooking up with my motorhead father, Harvey Siegel.our editor recommendsLake Bell Test Drives the Fiat 500Lake Bell Test Drives the 2012 Bentley Continental GT PHOTOS: Lake Bell along with other Stars at GQ's Males of the season Party And also, since I have been attending auto shows since i have would be a young girl, I figured it fitting to stay juvenile during my account from the visit. Let us be truthful, the entire factor is really a recognition contest anyway, therefore i harken to my childhood by passing judgment within the purest form: Senior Superlatives -- Automotive Edition. STORY: La Auto Show Preview: Ford, Fiat, BMW, Mitsubishi For individuals individuals who have been lucky enough to get avoid this senior high school tradition, "Senior Superlatives" is a listing of sweeping labels that some kid who's mind from the yearbook reaches assign to people from the senior class. If you are 17 years of age, it is the stuff of bad dreams -- unless of course you are presented coveted title on most Prone to Succeed. OK, let us get lower into it (and when you're scoring in your own home, the show runs through November. 27): Greatest FLIRT: 2012 Audi R8 GT Spyder I am never confident that I am teasing using the R8 or maybe it's teasing beside me. Likely the first kind, because the R8 is just a vehicle and can't convey complex feelings. Regardless, an appreciation affair has lengthy since ensued between me which naughty-searching V-10. Despite the fact that I miss the R8 coupe's signature side intakes, its sexy squinty car headlights and also the 5.2L V-10 still makes me weak within the knees. Greatest WALLFLOWER : 2012 Coda Aw, poor Coda. This means well, but aesthetically could not be less enticing. Should you researched "vehicle" within the dictionary, it might picture a nondescript four-door vehicle. That is what a Coda appears like. Area of the benefit of getting an electrical vehicle is driving something that's filled with Jetsons design -- otherwise you do not get credit to save the planet. Zero pollutants? Great! But zero charisma? I'd rather snag a Prius at a lower price and obtain the entire extra credit. That Appears To Be COMPLETELY MEDIOCRE: 2012 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet I am talking about, why purchase a Murano Vehicle to start with, not to mention a convertible version? A harsh question, to be certain, however with a cost in excess of $40,000, how can i look for a purpose with this cumbersome and somewhat unattractive vehicle? I must CrossCabriolet this off my list due to there being virtually no time for mediocrity if this involves the competitive realm of Sports utility vehicles. CLASS CLOWN: 2012 Nissan Juke Having a title merely a vowel from as being a "joke," the Juke is shateringly over-designed -- before you tick this area for that "Allow It To Be Yours" exterior personalization option. Sorry, Juke, I'd rather "allow it to be another person's.Inch But awesome your jets, Nissan fans: Japan's response to muscle vehicle, the GT-R, easily wiped the Juke smile off my face using its protruding body and twin-turbocharged V-6 that creates 530 horsepower. Probably TO Finish UP IN JAIL: 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 With 700 horsepower along with a V-12, without having a run-along with what the law states it is simply embarrassing. After I requested an agent of Lamborghini, "Who the hell can purchase this mid-engine monsoon with nearly a $400,000 car or truck?" he responded: "Mostly brain surgeons." I'm not sure in addition terrifying: the truth that it provides to 62 mph by 50 percent.9 seconds or the world's wisest surgeons are joyriding inside a vehicle that, because of their better judgment, they shouldn't be driving whatsoever. BEST BODY: 2012 Aston Martin One-77 Good the almighty this factor has more curves than Sofia Vergara inside a push-up bra. MOST Memorable: BMW i8 Concept A couple of las vegas dui attorney can't understand this fully electric sports vehicle out in case your brain are just because a) it appears like space and b) it's within the new Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol trailer, which airs on television every seven seconds. Indeed, the i8 doesn't seem possible to disregard. Its half-translucent spend is easily the most exotic design I have ever observed in an electrical vehicle, which is really starting production in 2014. Every time they visit you proud to connect. (Sorry, Coda.) Probably Being Leader: 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gull-Wing This regal coupe goes beyond other candidates in the class. I'd pass any bill written with this 563 horsepower roadster, except the balance that accompany really buying it. But that is only because I am a liberal and pay lots of taxes. Filthiest MIND: 2012 Dodge Challenger SRT8 I might have become just a little pregnant from relaxing in this animal. With tuning from Dodge's Street and Racing Technology division improving the Challenger's already testosterone-oozing body towards the tune of 470 horsepower and 470 pound-ft of torque, the Challenger makes me nervous in most the best ways. Probably To Achieve Success: 2012 Kia Optima Hybrid No, I wasn't wooed to award Kia this honored title because its booth had an interactive computerized dancing gerbil inside a windbreaker. However, that element did warm me as much as seriously consider the business's stellar spontaneity, which in turn brought me to become amazed through the Optima Hybrid. This fuel-efficient sedan is truly affordable -- it begins at about $26,000 -- and really looks, dare I only say, type of awesome. Don't knock it 'til you attempt it. Kia should change its slogan to: "Kia. Who understood?" Related Subjects Lake Bell

We tv Greenlights Show About Gospel Duo Mary Mary

NY - AMC Systems' WE tv has greenlit an eight-episode, one-hour original series featuring siblings Erica and Tina Campbell of three-time Grammy top rated Gospel duo Mary Mary included in a push to begin "super serving" urban audiences on Thursday nights. The series, tentatively entitled Mary Mary, follows the music artists because they balance careers and families and increase WE tv's growing selection of original programming that showcases "every type of family and a myriad of drama." The network stated the show will debut on March 29 - following the second season run of Braxton Family Values - and air on Thursday nights. The funnel stated the show is a component of their technique to launch another evening of original programming devoted to serving its growing urban audience. "Mary Mary is a superb fit for WE tv," stated Kim Martin, leader & gm, WE tv. "Erica and Tina are modern women balancing careers and family and doing the work the main attraction.Their issues overlap with a lot of women today, which show will capture the entertaining good and the bad of existence they face every day.Inch WE tv's popular bridal programming, for example Bridezillas and My Fair Wedding with David Tutera, has built a Sunday following. Captured, the network revealed another evening of originals on Tuesdays, which showcases a contemporary look at family existence. Shows like Joan and Melissa: Joan Knows Best? and Braxton Family Values have been receiving that evening. "Thursdays are extra time of the strategy and will also be devoted to super serving WE tv's growing urban audience," the network stated Monday. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects WE tv

Sweden's Ostlund preps 'Tourist'

GIJON, The nation -- Swedish helmer-scribe Ruben Ostlund is planning "Tourist," his follow-around breakthrough hit "Play." A Swedish-French language movie, "Tourist" is defined at Ostlund's Gothenburg-based Plattform Produktion. Plattform is at talks for Philippe Bober's Coproduction Office to co-produce and handle "Tourist's" worldwide sales, as on "Play," Ostlund mentioned at Spain's Gijon Festival, which started its 49th edition Friday. Plattform's Erik Hemmendorff and Marie Kjelson will produce. The Swedish Film Institute and Swedish regional fund Film I Huge, that provides development costs, are backing "Tourist." A 3-part movie, "Tourist" highlights "behavior that people have seen in other people -- mostly incompatible areas -- think they'll never use, after which it have to admit they've that side for his or her character," Ostlund told journalists at Gijon. One part includes what Ostlund hopes being most likely probably the most spectacular avalanche in film history. It triggers a cheerful Swedish family -- father, mother, two kids -- travelling inside the French Alps. An avalanche sparks a spontaneous act of cowardice within the father, who can't understand why he responded by doing this. Ostlund, a specialist ski filmmaker, is presently concentrating on the script. Plattform aims to trigger the avalanche this winter, mixing shots with bluescreen vfx. Principal photography is skedded for spring, Ostlund told Variety. A discomfiting chronicle, based on true occasions, of 5 black boys gradually wrecking three white-colored kids -- "the idea wound up being to spread out discussions in regards to a factor that people have difficulties talking about, Ostlund mentioned -- "Play" was one Competition standout throughout Gijon's early running. Valeria Donzelli's French B.O. breakout "Commitment of War" confirmed its overseas potential, drawing applause in addition to tears inside a press screening. Belgian Bouli Lanners "The Leaders" elicited glowing press plaudits: "A bit of genius," reported Asturias' El Comercial. Playing Monday, Gijon's initial world preem, "Iceberg," from Spaniard Gabriel Velazquez ("Sud Express"), shown a contemplative three-story coming-of-age drama, set beside Salamanca's couch taters Rio Tormes, through which three adolescents face their first character-shaping large problems around. Underscoring a completely new industrial model in the united states of ratcheting lower budgets to limit connection with a seriously contracting local market, Velazquez mentioned that, because they needed some risk beginning production on "Iceberg" before closing its budget, the drama was eventually fully-funded by incentives. Inside the Rellumes sidebar, the near phantasmagoric docu "Hollywood Talkies," from Barcelona's Oscar Perez and Scar Ribot -- initiating the introduction of The the spanish language language-language version of early appear photos -- also had its fans. "Copito," a 3 dimensional live-action/toon movie from Filmax, among Spain's foremost forces in feature film animation, world preems inside a couple of days. Fest fetes eclectic Austrian helmer Michael Glawogger ("Whore's Glory," "Contact High"), Bertrand Bonello ("House of Tolerance") and festive NY-based indie cineaste Marie Losier, who presented her feature "The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye." Spaniard Montxo Armendariz -- whose films have usually twinned critical and commercial success in the united states -- can get the Nacho Martinez National Cinema Prize. Fest shuts Saturday with thriller "The Woman inside the Fifth," from Pawel Pawlikowski, whose "The Final Measure" assigned Gijon in 2000. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

WEtv Orders Reality Series Starring Gospel Duo Mary Mary

WE tv has greenlit an eight-episode, one-hour unscripted series starring siblings and music artists Erica and Tina Campbell from the three-time Grammy top rated Gospel duo, Mary Mary. The series, tentatively entitled Mary Mary, follows the siblings because they balance busy careers and growing families. It will debut on March 29, 2012 and air on Thursday nights, a brand new evening focusing on urban audiences.

Casting Company company directors Under Scrutiny After Analysis Finds Billed Molestor Hired Child Stars

Jason James Murphy offered a five-year prison term for kidnapping and mistreating an 8-year-old boy near Dallas, but has labored for just about any decade as Jason James employing kids just like a casting assistant for productions including Super 8, Not So Great Bears, The School Of Rock, Cheaper With The Dozen 2, as well as the approaching film The Three Stooges, the LA Occasions reviews. Police mentioned they've pointless to consider he molested anybody elsehe is cooperating utilizing their analysis into whether he complied with laws and regulations and rules affecting registered sex causes — including they report within five days after they take advantage of the alias. Regulations also bars sex causes from working directly with unaccompanied minors. The fact he's were built with a lot energy and opportunity to victimize kids has child protection advocates up in arms: Several condition they need unions to screen people who use children, also to have themsubmit to background assessments and fingerprinting. Murphy is possessed by Teamsters Local 399 since 2008.The union and casting company company directors told the paper they do not know Murphy’s background. “It’s shocking plus it’s devastating, not just just like a filmmaker but just like a father and somebody that's entrusted to ensure that everyone Sometimes with, especially children, feel at ease,” Super 8 director J.J. Abrams mentioned. “To think that someone similar to this is at our midst is unthinkable.”

Samuel French Launches Downloadable Plays

Last April, I pleaded my case that it was time for actors to spend their hard-earned ducats on a tablet computer. My reasoning was that with so many incredibly useful actor-oriented apps available, it was worth the expense, and at least part of that expense could be a legitimate tax deduction. Those reasons are about to take a back seat to a new one, however: the long-awaited arrival of downloadable plays.By the time you read this, publisher Samuel French will have begun offering 400 plays for download, sold through Apple's iBookstore. By the end of the year, the company will have 1,000 titleswhich it calls ePlaysfor sale, says Katy DiSavino, Samuel French's marketing and social media supervisor.But the longtime play publisher is hardly alone in offering downloadable drama, as Dramatists Play Service plans to roll out its own digital titles within the next three months. Purchasing plays will be a quick and easy download from the company's website (www.dramatists.com). They'll be sold in the widely used EPub format, which is compatible with about 50 e-book readers, according to Michael Q. Fellmeth, Dramatists Play Service's vice president for publications and IT.The two companies' plays will appear a bit different on your tablet or e-reader. You'll be able to view your Samuel French purchases as part of your iTunes library. For your Dramatists Play Service titles, you'll use something called Adobe Digital Editions, a free app that acts very much like iTunes in the way it organizes and displays the plays you've downloaded. Ultimately, the user experience will be very similar.If you're debating whether to buy an iPad or an e-book reader, it may simply come down to dollars and cents. An iPad 2 starts at $499, while the basic model of Barnes & Noble's e-reader, the Nook, can be had for $139. If it's mainly a play reader you're looking for, the numbers may speak for themselves.Dramatists Play Service's digital plays will cost the same as the printed editions, says Fellmeth, "so the standard acting-edition price will be $8, and librettos for musicals will be $9." This is in line with Samuel French's pricing, I should add.Imagine: a larger font size (nearly any size you want), light weight, and no wasted paper. Moreover, all tablets and e-book readers should be able to read PDF files, so you can skip printing out a one-time-use script for your next new-play reading. For me, that all adds up to a bit of digital heaven.Other play publishers will follow in these digital footsteps. And not a moment too soon.

Lionsgate Wants Gary Ross, Slumdog Writer for Hunger Games Sequel Catching Fire

The jury’s still out as far as I’m concerned on whether or not director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit) was the right director to helm Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, even with the mostly-satisfying first trailer debut earlier this week. Lionsgate, however, seems more confident in Ross, as they want him to return to helm the second Hunger Games installment, 2013’s Catching Fire, with writer Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) reportedly in the running to script. From Deadline: I’m told that Gary Ross, who directed The Hunger Games, is coming back for the sequel. He originally intended to write the outline for the second film and script it with author Suzanne Collins (they teamed to do a lot of writing on the first film), but the post production schedule on The Hunger Games has made that difficult. The highly anticipated trailer debut on Monday revealed a solid visual sense for the world inhabited by teenage heroine Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a working class girl in a future dystopia who winds up competing in a televised death match against 23 other youngsters. The trailer teased the events leading up to said Hunger Games and showed fans of Collins’ novel glimpses of the characters they know well, including Katniss, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Gale (Liam Hemsworth), and Cinna (Lenny Kravitz). What remains to be seen is if Ross and Co. capture the internal drama within Katniss as she begins to navigate the worlds of politics, love, and responsibility while trying to stay alive, not to mention how well Ross is able to evoke a sense of real danger and brutal violence in his tween and teen-oriented adventure. A more daring director would have been my preference — say Joe Wright, building off of the visceral action and style he lent to Hanna earlier this year — but Ross might be just safe enough to help make this the next MTV-safe franchise, a la Twilight. The Hunger Games as a story sets up the world of Panem and the inciting annual battle royale, but Catching Fire, the first of two sequels, expands Katniss’s world so much, and in such specific ways, that scripting it both for an established audience and for non-readers will be a trickier job. So while Collins adapting her own novel for the first film is a boon in many ways (a vote of confidence in the project, insurance against taking too much creative license or deviating from the material), it might take someone with more of a cinematic bent to translate the plot turns of Catching Fire to the screen. Is Beaufoy the right writer for the job? I don’t see why not; he’s notched solid films thus far, even if, as with Ross, there’s nothing in his resume that suggests he’s a particularly good match for a dystopian action adventure about a lethal teenage girl. Of course, Beaufoy’s Oscar statuette (and two additional writing nods) would give the Lionsgate series an added sheen of Oscar cred on top of Ross’s three nominations, so there’s that. Lionsgate Courts Simon Beaufoy To Script ‘The Hunger Games’ Sequel [Deadline]

Criminal Minds' Kirsten Vangsness: Garcia Steps Around the dish and Will get in to the Area

Kirsten Vangness After seven seasons, Kirsten Vangsness may ultimately don a Kevlar vest on Criminal Minds - much like Garcia's colorful personality, the vest is exclusive.Have a look at photos from Criminal Minds"I used to be so excited after they described. They so long as certain particularly for me personally, which was excellent,Inch Vangsness notifies TVGuide.com. "The dressmaker showed up, like, 'We're can make another dart in this.A In actual Kevlar vests, they don't have darts. Nonetheless they place them in mine. It's very flattering. [Another cast members' Kevlars] fit them also, but mine was totally hugged to my curves. It's a girly Kevlar - well suited for Garcia!"The fact Garcia is wearing a Kevlar means one factor: She's beginning the region. Despite the fact that tech goddess has traveled while using BAU before - and lest we forget, got shot - she's never been by helping cover their they inside the mission to have an unsub. That changes Wednesday (9/8c, CBS) each time a situation turns personal after her friend, Monica (Brigid Brannagh), from her survivors' support group, vanishes seven years after her daughter went missing.Formerly, Garcia's feelings would typically dominate such intense conditions, but she handles to keep my way through check this time around around - even insisting on venturing out inside the area. "We really required to appear sensible of why she's transporting this out. Like everyone knows she's the big empath and the one which wears her heart on her behalf account sleeve. How could she do this? However the one factor that will help them is always that she uses her feelings to help solve that situation," Vangsness states. "She knows her friend will die unless of course obviously they appreciate this guy, so she'll steel herself and extremely use that emotional energy to her advantage because the stakes are very high. She's no choice but to step-up for the plate."Criminal Minds' Joe Mantegna: Rossi's ex-wife's visit is bittersweetPlot aside, Vangsness was thrilled to get the unsub-tailing action since it meant she began work while using relaxation in the cast instead of being exclusively organized in their office, where her primary co-star can be a eco-friendly screen. "I realize them and love them which all of us spend some time together, but that's a primary problem having a full day - them in their FBI vests utilizing their guns out," she states. "We've this individual ... who notifies us the best way to retain the gun and guarantees situations are accurate, so that it was very strange once we stormed the evil castle sort to speak which he was like, 'You have to keep the trunk of the.T. [Prepare] and you accomplish that.A I'm not familiar with that."She's also not familiar with visiting the center of the episode's climactic scene. Fortunately, the outdoors scene allowed her to prep okay - getting a stick. "I wasn't like, 'Oh my God! I have to cry and scream.' I came across a stick outdoors which i started striking things from it, that people found amusing," Vangsness states. "Travelling and basically striking trees - amusing and fantastically entertaining in my opinion! Then they'd finish up like, 'OK, we are ready to shoot.' I walk over after which it I'm in tears. It absolutely was the oddest factor, however think I preferred to accomplish this otherwise I'd have walked around all day long lengthy as being a basket situation. Essentially train an acting class, I'd finish up like, 'Find a stick...'"The stick am helpful it is now offering an enduring home among the tchotchkes on Garcia's desk (no matter the prop department's best efforts to eliminate it). But Vangsness doesn't desire to add any longer "in the regionInch memorabilia for the collection. No matter this venture and Garcia overpowering situation presentation duties for Qq (Prepare), Vangsness hopes Garcia remains chiefly behind her wall laptop or computer systems.Exclusive: Criminal Minds books Charles S. Dutton"I really like it once i get disappear together, but she'd never make use of the area constantly and he or she wouldn't, not be a profiler. She's somebody to profile," Vangsness states. "She's so in regards to the triumph in the human spirit under every issues that In my opinion that which will you have to be really detrimental. They've mentioned in my opinion, 'It'd prosper once we gave Garcia a gun.' She'd never! She doesn't have confidence in guns. You'll be able to maybe leave her with a taser. A lasso - she might be capable of rock a lasso. A crossbow, maybe - something you're got a great chance of dealing with. That's it, next time we'll see her getting a crossbow!"

Dancing's Cheryl Burke: Make the most of Kardashian Is not Distracted By Kim's Divorce

Cheryl Burke and Make the most of Kardashian Cheryl Burke, a couple-time Dwts champion, feels somewhat rusty in the semifinals. "It's been a couple of seasons since i have have handled to obtain this far, and so i must become accustomed to it again!" she notifies TVGuide.com. "However I am very excited being back and to experience a shot at another final." Burke and Make the most of Kardashian will duke it for just about any place inside the final - with three dances - against J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff, Ricki Lake and Derek Hough, and Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. "In my opinion it'll be close," Burke states. "J.R.'s become amazing scores which he's amazing, but every single week, it changes. It may be anybody making the best which i simply really hope it's us." See what else she needs to say of planning for your semis, doing three dances so when Kardashian really title-drops USC around it seems. Have a look at photos from Dwts In my opinion lots of people were surprised to hear you have never done an instantaneous Dance before the other day. Cheryl Burke: Yeah! In my opinion lots of people think It's my job to ensure it is prior to the finish, maybe because I've won two occasions, however haven't won since the third season! I furthermore haven't handled to obtain this far shortly, so I have not done an instantaneous Dance. It absolutely was really demanding because I didn't experience how it would finish off, but Make the most of can be a fast student but it switched out great. And you've got three dances. How are things planning? Burke: We started while using Argentine tango first. He still needs plenty of work, your samba after which it we'll concentrate on the cha-cha relay. We're literally taking it a stride at any time. Rob's really less really stressed out after i thought he'd be. They are fully aware he has many attempt to do, so he's just trading within the job and that we do straight-through rehearsals, like five, six several hours with no breaks really. You think it's fair to produce everybody do three dances? You're all exhausted at this time around plus it puts a lot more pressure round the stars. Burke: It's [fair and therefore] everybody needs to take action, but it is really, very difficult. The semifinal is clearly vital and everyone desires to do their utmost and step-up their game, but three is perfect for everyone. I possibly could not accept it after they mentioned, "You've three dances." But many of us are coping with this problem and there's nothing we are able to perform. The positive factor for Make the most of is always that he's already done the cha-cha before, therefore we are simply gonna need to recycle a couple of from the stuff we now have done. Whatrrrs your opinion he must still concentrate on? Burke: In my opinion he really must concentrate on undertaking and being to the character of each and every dance. We have dirty the samba yet, therefore i think the samba is really a challenge for him. Dancing's Cheryl Burke: Make the most of Kardashian is more suitable to Kim Are you going to add in samba comes? Burke: I'm prone to try! We'll see what continues! You're crackin' the whip the other day. Are you currently presently now? Burke: You know what happens? I am. But he's also cracking the whip on themselves as they desires to increase the risk for final really badly, it is therefore nothing beats he is not working and i'm being very challenging to him to use. He's really pushing themselves and that we will probably try good to access the best together. You thought Make the most of had plenty of potential in the start of the summer season, but perhaps you have think you would be 7 days in the finals? Cheryl: I'm not prone to lie, in the event you asked for me inside the first couple times of training, I'd have mentioned, "No." [Laughs] However getting experienced past eight days and him improving every week, I understood he may allow it to be this far. I realize he's talent which he's shown that to everybody. Has he been distracted whatsoever with the hoopla around Kim's divorce? Burke: No, which has not distracted him whatsoever. He's been really focused and determined making it for the final. When he involves rehearsals, he will come in ready to work. You will discover only two more days left after which it he's a free of charge guy! Therefore I think he's really trying to help keep his mind together while focusing on dancing and not other activities. Are you currently presently thinking about possibly winning your third Mirrorball? Burke: Not! Once we achieve the best, maybe. At this time around, I'm just concerned about the semis. This will focus on, especially not receiving been here yesteryear handful of seasons. In my opinion everyone desires to know: Why Make the most of mention USC a great deal? Burke: [Laughs] Oh, I am unsure! I don't think he deliberately mentions it much, nonetheless they request him queries about it which he solutions them and states it. They work such as this which is amusing!

Contender: 'Young Adult'

'Young Adult'The "Juno" tag team of Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman reunite for "Young Adult," and the duo's reteaming automatically demands attention.It would be difficult for the pic, which stars Charlize Theron as a Minneapolis fiction writer who yearns to reunite with her high school boyfriend, to equal the huzzahs generated for "Juno" -- the film that elevated both Cody and Reitman's careers -- put the pair's pedigree can't be ignored.Cody won an Oscar for her "Juno" screenplay and Reitman was nominated for direction, as well as for producing the best pic nom. Reitman, in fact, has directed four thesps to Oscar-nommed performances: Ellen Page, George Clooney, Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick.Theron is another Oscar vet, having been nominated for "North Country" and winning for "Monster." Like in 2004's "Monster," Theron is often far from glamorous in "Young Adult," at times cast in a physically unflattering light in order to give her character a sense of both desperation and exhaustion.Likely to earn strong word of mouth is the supporting performance of Patton Oswalt, whose character has been disabled following a harrowing incident when he was a teen. Actor was overlooked in his well-reviewed 2009 indie "Big Fan" and may get more serious attention here.Release date: Dec. 9Paramount Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Contender: 'The Adventures of Tintin: The Key from the Unicorn'

'The Adventures of Tintin' Browse the reviewIt's three decades since Steven Spielberg's Saturday-matinee throwback "Raiders from the Lost Ark" arrived eight Oscar nominations, including mentions for the best Picture and Director. Now, Spielberg's eye-popping adaptation of Belgian artist Herg's boy-adventurer comics works an identical retro, gung-ho groove, using the crucial difference it comes made in cutting-edge motion capture technology. No helmer of the animated feature has yet been nominated within the Best Director category. On the other hand, most helmers of animated features aren't Spielberg.The 3-time Oscar champion appears more likely to become recognized within the top races for his live-action WWI epic "War Equine," which will hit US screens mere days after "Tintin" in December. Should that film underwhelm, however, it isn't impossible that Spielberg supporters within the Academy could switch allegiance towards the loftier entertainment - presuming "Tintin" is really as well-received by US audiences and experts as it's been in Europe, in which the source material is much more broadly familiar.At the moment, a Best Animated Feature jerk looks to become the film's primary target. Even there, though, it faces the obstacle from the animation branch's periodic potential to deal with performance capture. Knowing that, nods for composer John Williams and also the seem team may be the simplest will get of.Launch date: 12 ,. 21ParamountRead the range review Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Regular folks Star Kim Zolciak & Kroy Biermann Got married

First Launched: November 11, 2011 6:49 PM EST Credit: Getty Images ATLANTA, Ga. -- Caption Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann attend Perez Hiltons One Evening in Jersey throughout In AC weekend in your own home of Blues at Showboat on in Atlantic City, Nj October 29, 2010Real Regular folks of Atlanta star Kim Zolciak has got married her Atlanta Falcons football player, Kroy Biermann. Thanks everyone for that early champion and greatest wishes!!! @Kimzolciak makes me probably the most pleased guy alive!!! 11.11.11, Kroy Tweeted early Friday, a common day for wedding events. I like u, Kim Tweeted back. Kim Tweeted that her wedding, which was kept in Atlanta, was simply, beautiful throughout. Beautiful weather! Beautiful day!! Im walking around the cloud and Im so grateful! she written. Bravo Executive Andy Cohen didnt attend the large event, but sent his best of luck via Tweet. Mazel to @Kimzolciak and @biermann71 by themselves large day! Really really wish i could be there. #LoveByBravo, he written. Kim introduced her engagement to Kroy in October. The happy couple welcomed their first child together Kroy Jagger in May. Kim has two kids, Brielle and Ariana, in the previous marriage. Existence & Style first reported the wedding news. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

WGA East Cuts Deal With Daily Show And Colbert Producer

NY — The Authors Guild of America, East has talked about improvements towards the collective settling contracts with Hello Doggy, Corporation., the expansion company which produces the hit cable shows The Daily Show with Jon Stewart as well as the Stephen Colbert Report. The contracts substantially boost the formula for calculating residuals paid out to WGAE people for fundamental cable replays. The WGAE estimations that residuals obligations increases roughly 20% in 2012, despite a reduction in the quantity of replays which began in September 2011. It will make an authentic difference when Guild individuals are positively involved with discussions then when the company recognizes how integral writing is always to the shows success, mentioned WGAE Executive Director Lowell Billings, who was simply the unions chief negotiator. The folks concentrating on The Daily Show as well as the Colbert Report ratified the completely new contracts on November ninth and tenth. The company had already implemented improvements that have been part of the industry-wide Minimum Fundamental Agreement (Master of economic administration) talked about with the WGAE as well as the Authors Guild of America, West taken. The 2012-2015 Master of economic administration includes increases to minimum compensation and elevated contributions for the Producer-Authors Guild of America Monthly Pension.

Nia Lengthy Gives Birth To Choosing

First Released: November 9, 2011 6:58 PM EST Credit: La, Calif. -- Caption Nia Lengthy gets to this years Wager Honours held in the Shrine Auditorium on June 27, 2010 in La, California.Its another boy for Nia Lengthy. An agent for that 41-year-old actress states Lengthy gave birth Monday to boy Kez Sunday Udoka. Speaker Priscilla Moralez states both mother and child are happy and healthy to become home. Kez may be the first child for Lengthy and Ime Udoka. Lengthy includes a 10-year-old boy, Massai, from the previous relationship. Longs credits range from the films Soul Food, 'Love Johnson and Large Mommas House and television shows for example Boston Legal, 'Judging Amy and also the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

REVIEW: Herzog's Best in Years, Into the Abyss Tells a Story of Grief, Horror and Resilience

There’s a snag of resistance at the start of Into the Abyss, Werner Herzog’s new documentary about the execution of Michael Perry, the 2001 triple homicide he was convicted of (but never confessed to) with Jason Burkett, and the relatives of their victims. The film opens with a shot of a cemetery filled with identical white crosses where the unclaimed bodies of inmates are buried, and an interview with the man standing in front of it, Reverend Richard Lopez, a clergyman for death row inmates in Huntsville, Texas. He tears up as he talks about counseling men who are about to be given a lethal injection, about how, with their permission, he holds their ankle as they’re on the gurney so that they have the comfort of human contact as they pass. It’s an uncomfortable moment, this abrupt leap into such fraught territory, and there’s a palpable disconnect between the subject matter and Herzog’s familiar voice, from off-screen, prompting Lopez for stories about his encounters with wildlife on the golf course on the weekends. A few years ago, Steve James’ heartsick At the Death House Door launched from a very similar shot into an investigation of the wrongful death of Carlos DeLuna and a gentle but relentless examination of the flaws in the American capital punishment system. That’s not the type of film you’d expect or want of Herzog, but at the same time it’s something the topic all but demands. Could this be territory in which there’s no room for the filmmaker’s beloved ecstatic truth, one in which only the grim accountants’ facts are appropriate? As it turns out, no. Into the Abyss, which bears the subtitle “A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life,” reveals itself to be an outlandish, compassionate and, at times, improbably buoyant film about life’s capacity for grief and horror and about how it bubbles on miraculously in the face of such things. It’s the best thing Herzog’s done in years. In Conroe, Texas, and the surrounding Montgomery County in which the murders took place, the filmmaker discovers a near-mythic land of broken families, sudden destructiveness and tremendous emotion, one in which a capacity for violence appears to be tucked away in everyone, along with one for love. The crime around which the film revolves is notable for its brutality and its needlessness. Perry and Burkett, both 19 at the time, shot Sandra Stotler, the mother of their 17-year-old friend Adam, in order to steal her Camaro. After dumping her body in a lake, they went back to retrieve the car, and ended up running into and killing Adam and Jeremy Richardson, the friend he was with, after luring them out into the woods. They were caught a few days later, after a high-speed chase and a shootout. What would possibly lead a pair of teenagers to murder three people, people they knew, just for their cars is something no one can answer — not the matter-of-fact policemen who walk us through the crime, and not the two who committed it. Both Perry and Burkett are intriguing, unreliable figures who offer interviews from behind bars. Perry, who’s only a few days from execution, is a boyish-looking 28-year-old who bears an unfortunate resemblance to Jim Carrey’s character in Dumb and Dumber. He professes his innocence and his calm, saying “I’m either going home to the world or home to God.” Burkett, handsome and cold-eyed, is more forthright, in part because he pleaded guilty and is serving a life sentence instead of facing lethal injection. He has, despite the decade he’s spent in prison, managed to get married, and the film pulls back to introduce his wife, then friends and family members of the convicts and the victims, and finally former Huntsville death house prison guard Fred Allen, sketching out a region that seems caught in some biblically inflected cycle of suffering, regret and rebuilding. Into the Abyss isn’t much to look at, its interviews taking place in prison visiting rooms, parks and modestly decorated parlors. The normalcy works in contrast with the jaw-dropping stories so many of these subjects nonchalantly share, of loved ones and loss. All of the families seem decimated by death or incarceration — Burkett’s father, who’s spent most of his life in jail, speaks of being united, behind bars, for a Christmas dinner with his inmate son. “I wish that I could take his time,” he says of Jason, speaking of his feelings of failure as a parent. “He had trash for a father.” Richardson’s older brother traveled to his sibling’s funeral knowing it meant he was jumping bond — he was arrested at the service. Lisa Stotler-Balloun reveals that the loss of her brother and mother were only the most recent of a string of deaths in her family, by train, by suicide, by sickness. But the most memorable interview of all is one born of apparent serendipity with Jared Talbert, a local who knew Jason and who comes from a similarly rough background (he was illiterate into adulthood). He offers some insight into the region in a section labeled “The Dark Side of Conroe.” Talbert talks about the time Jason almost shot him in the head over a girl — the gun misfired, saving him. He mentioned getting stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver during a fight, and going to work half an hour afterward instead of going to the hospital. And he shows off the tattoo of his girlfriend’s name, Bailey, on his arm — they’ve been together three years. When Herzog asks what he’d do if they broke up, he considers and then suggests he’d get it changed to “Bailey sucks.” It’s a funny moment, but it’s also endearing against all odds, an example of the resilience that runs through so many of the people on-screen, who have gone through extraordinary and often terrible things and soldier on in an admirably matter-of-fact way, prepared for the wonder and the awfulness the world has to offer. Read Movieline’s interview with Werner Herzog about Into the Abyss here. Follow Alison Wilmore on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Exclusive CSI: NY Start Looking: How Come Danny and Lindsay Planning Their Memorials?

Carmine Giovinazzo, Anna Belknap It may be per week late, however it appears like CSI: NY's Halloween episode is going to be fittingly morbid.Friday's episode (9/8c, CBS) - that was knocked in support of repeats because of Game 7 around the globe Series the other day - finds Mac (Gary Sinise) & Co. looking into the dying of the fraternity pledge master, whois left within an open grave following a Halloween frat prank goes awry. But after investing each day collecting evidence inside a graveyard, a few of the CSIs minds' start to consider their very own mortality.Take a look at photos from the CSI: NY castAs you can observe within this exclusive first-look clip, Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) and Lindsay (Anna Belknap) particularly start to think harder about where their bodies' final resting places ought to be. Plus: Each of them share some ideas about how exactly the making it through spouse should handle the very much departed's funeral plans. (Hint: Danny wants a 2-week celebration including a performance from his favorite rock-band.)Watch the clip below. CSI: NY airs Friday at 9/8c on CBS.

The Vampire Diaries Bite: Ready for a 1,000-Year Flashback?

Joseph Morgan, Claire Holt On Thursday's episode of The Vampire Diaries, Alaric will begin to uncover the story - drawn in Viking script - of the Original family. And we'll finally meet a key figure in the show's mythology: Esther. Vampire Diaries exclusive first look: Meet Klaus' mother In this edition of The Vampire Diaries Bite, we delve into the connection between Esther and the talisman, Mikael's link to the family, and why he and Pearl are the only two who know how to kill Klaus. Make sure to send your theories, questions and comments to TVDBite@tvguide.com; we might feature them in an upcoming video.