Queen Latifah to Host Daytime Talk Show

Queen Latifah Queen Latifah returning to daytime television as host of a new talk show. The as-yet-untitled show comes from Latifah's production company with Shakim Compere, Flavor Unit Entertainment, and Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment. Sony Pictures Television will produce it. Check out more of today's news "We've had a long and successful history both personally and professionally with Overbrook's Miguel ... Jada and Will," Compere said. "We share a common vision and have been wanting to collaborate for quite some time." Overbrook executive Miguel Melendez added: "This forum is the perfect place to showcase Latifah's tremendous range of talents and unique ability to connect and inspire people." Latifah previously hosted The Queen Latifah Show from 1999 to 2001. The new series is slated to debut in fall 2013. Will you watch?

Fest test weeds out all but Oscar's best

'The Descendants''The Artist'And the Academy Award for best picture goes to a "festival film." For four years in a row, that's been the case on Oscar night: "The King's Speech," "The Hurt Locker," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "No Country for Old Men" all premiered at film festivals. Previously, sprocket operas may have helped boost the likes of "American Beauty" (1999) and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000), but they were far from the widespread promotional platform that they have become today -- and not only for independent films, but studio projects, as well.Witness Paramount's surprise screening of Martin Scorsese's "Hugo" at the NY Film Festival, which generated lots of chatter building up to the film's unveiling and strong buzz from the cinephile audience. Or Warner Bros.' late fall launch of Clint Eastwood's "J. Edgar" at the AFI Film Festival.And yet, this year's fest circuit has done more to eliminate than illuminate potential contenders, with negative reviews undermining several big titles, while, leaving the year's remaining players in "a race to be last," as some pundits put it.Among those delaying their release dates until as late as possible, neither Steven Spielberg's "War Horse" nor Stephen Daldry's "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" were ready in time for fall fest berths. David Fincher's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and Angelina Jolie's directorial debut "In the Land of Blood and Honey" remain to be seen. And Jason Reitman's "Young Adult" conspicuously avoided the Telluride-Toronto launch that catapulted his previous two features, "Juno" and "Up in the Air," into the awards race."Because the end of the year is crowded, you want to get early awareness, and if you feel you have a movie that has the steam to go the distance, it's definitely everybody's strategy," says David Glasser, COO of the Weinstein Co., which has several contenders on the circuit, from "The Artist" to "My Week With Marilyn."Telluride Film Festival co-director Gary Meyer also believes Oscar talk has increased in recent years. "Ever since 'Brokeback Mountain' and 'Capote,' there's been this anticipation: Are we going to pick up films that are going to get nominations and awards?" he says.But Meyer and other programmers say Academy buzz has little effect on their programming."You're barking up the wrong tree if you think the NY Film Festival is looking to influence the award season," says NYFF selection committee member Scott Foundas, who wrote the first rhapsodic review of "The Social Network" tied to its NYFF preem last year, but insists the new film by Alain Resnais is just as likely to end the festival as this year's closer, the latest kudo contender by Alexander Payne, "The Descendants."Some critics complain that festivals have become overwhelmed by Oscar talk; as the NY Times' Manohla Dargis recently grumbled, "It's a drag how late-summer, early-fall festivals like Telluride and especially Toronto are now too often seen as warm-ups for the Oscars."But Toronto co-director Cameron Bailey doesn't have a problem with festivals playing a role in awards campaigns. "I don't think art should be a competitive game," he says. "But I like that awards give people a focus, and allow them to recognize what they think is the highest quality work of the year."According to Bailey, distributors are far less explicit with their Oscar goals, mostly because it's just too early in the race: "The fact is that all the movies that launched here were a long shot. Whether 'American Beauty' or 'King's Speech,' you probably would not have been able to say this is a best picture. There's just too much unpredictability."Even so, festivals will sometimes work with producers and distributors to position a film. For example, Bailey believes TIFF made "a significant difference" for Steve McQueen's "Shame." "I didn't want to play it niche; I wanted to play it in one of our bigger houses. And I think having the film in that context did a lot to open it up to a wider audience," he says."The Descendants" producer Jim Burke also hails the benefits of the fest experience, particularly for smaller films that require word of mouth. "For this sort of movie, we need people to see it and tell their friends to see it." It also helps to have George Clooney at your screenings.Indeed, a couple of festival launches were stymied this year because of actors' unavailability. "J. Edgar," for example, may have pushed harder to screen earlier if Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't shooting "The Great Gatsby" in Australia. Likewise, Focus Features' "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" could have garnered some high-profile domestic fest slots after premiering in Venice had star Gary Oldman not been on the set of "The Dark Knight Rises." But Focus CEO James Schamus says, "It's not such a big deal. We like festivals, and they can be very useful, but when you have the goods, when you have the quality, people will find the film."AWARD SEASON LAUNCH:Acad muzzles the clink and guzzle scene | New rules redraw Oscar's picture, doc, toon races | Tricky pics spend years en route | Fest test weeds out all but Oscar's best Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

FEINBERG FORECAST: Can 'Shame' Crack the Major Categories Despite NC-17 Rating?

BEST PICTURE Frontrunners The Artist (The Weinstein Company, 11/23, TBA, trailer) War Horse (Disney, 12/25, TBA, teaser) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Brothers, 12/25, TBA, trailer) The Descendants (Fox Searchlight, 11/23, R, trailer) Moneyball (Columbia, 9/23, TBA, trailer) The Help (Disney, 8/12, PG-13, trailer) Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics, 5/20, PG-13, trailer) J. Edgar (Warner Brothers, 11/11, R, trailer) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Sony, 12/21, TBA, trailer) Shame (Fox Searchlight, 12/2, NC-17, trailer) Major Threats The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight, 5/27, PG-13, trailer) The Ides of March (Sony, 10/14, TBA, trailer) 50/50 (Summit, 9/30, R, trailer) The Iron Lady (The Weinstein Company, 12/21, TBA, teaser) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 (Warner Brothers, 7/15, PG-13, trailer) The Adventures of Tintin (Paramount, 12/21, TBA, trailer) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Focus Features, 12/9, TBA, trailer) Possibilities Drive (FilmDistrict, 9/16, R, trailer) We Bought a Zoo (20th Century Fox, 12/23, TBA, trailer) Young Adult (Paramount, 12/9, TBA, trailer) Hugo (Paramount, 11/23, TBA, trailer) Super 8 (Paramount, 6/10, PG-13, trailer) My Week With Marilyn (The Weinstein Company, 11/23, R, trailer) Carnage (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/16, R, trailer) In the Land of Blood and Honey (FilmDistrict, 12/23, TBA, TBA) BEST DIRECTOR Frontrunners Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) Steven Spielberg (War Horse) Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Alexander Payne (The Descendants) Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) Major Threats Bennett Miller (Moneyball) Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar) David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) Tate Taylor (The Help) Steve McQueen (Shame) George Clooney (The Ides of March) Phyllida Lloyd (The Iron Lady) Possibilities Steven Spielberg (The Adventures of Tintin) Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) Roman Polanski (Carnage) Jonathan Levine (50/50) Cameron Crowe (We Bought a Zoo) Jason Reitman (Young Adult) Tomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) Martin Scorsese (Hugo) David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2) BEST ACTOR Frontrunners Brad Pitt (Moneyball) Jean Dujardin (The Artist) George Clooney (The Descendants) Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) Michael Fassbender (Shame) Major Threats Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50) Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris) Daniel Craig (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Jeremy Irvine (War Horse) Woody Harrelson (Rampart) Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March) Ryan Gosling (Drive) Possibilities Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) Paul Giamatti (Win Win) Demian Bichir (A Better Life) Thomas Horn (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Anton Yelchin (Like Crazy) Rhys Ifans (Anonymous) Matt Damon (We Bought a Zoo) Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method) BEST ACTRESS Frontrunners Viola Davis (The Help) Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn) Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Major Threats Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) Charlize Theron (Young Adult) Keira Knightley (A Dangerous Method) Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) Michelle Yeoh (The Lady) Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) Possibilities Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre) Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) Ellen Barkin (Another Happy Day) Rachel Weisz (The Whistleblower) Vera Farmiga (Higher Ground) Adepero Oduye (Pariah) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Frontrunners Christopher Plummer (Beginners) Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Jim Broadbent (The Iron Lady) Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn) Tom Hanks (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Major Threats Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life) Albert Brooks (Drive) Armie Hammer (J. Edgar) Nick Nolte (Warrior) Jonah Hill (Moneyball) Christoph Waltz (Carnage) NEW John C. Reilly (Carnage) NEW Possibilities John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene) George Clooney (The Ides of March) Jeffrey Wright (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Patton Oswalt (Young Adult) Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method) Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Frontrunners Berenice Bejo (The Artist) Octavia Spencer (The Help) Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) Carey Mulligan (Shame) Major Threats Jessica Chastain (The Help) Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Judi Dench (J. Edgar) Judy Greer (The Descendants) Emily Watson (War Horse) Jessica Chastain (The Tree of Life) Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) Possibilities Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March) Naomi Watts (J. Edgar) Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) Jodie Foster (Carnage) NEW Kate Winslet (Carnage) NEW Scarlett Johansson (We Bought a Zoo) BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Frontrunners Richard Curtis, Lee Hall (War Horse) Eric Roth (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash (The Descendants) Stan Chervin, Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian (Moneyball) Tate Taylor (The Help) Major Threats Steven Zaillian (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) George Clooney, Grant Heslov (The Ides of March) Hossein Amini (Drive) Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) Roman Polanski (Carnage) Possibilities Pedro Almodovar (The Skin I Live In) Christopher Hampton (A Dangerous Method) Cameron Crowe, Aline Brosh McKenna (We Bought a Zoo) James Ellroy, Oren Moverman (Rampart) John Logan (Coriolanus) BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Frontrunners Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) Dustin Lance Black (J. Edgar) Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen (Shame) Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) Major Threats Will Reiser (50/50) Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady) Diablo Cody (Young Adult) Tom McCarthy, Joe Tiboni (Win Win) Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) Asghar Farhadi (A Separation) Possibilities Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy Mae Marlene) Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones (Like Crazy) Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter) Mike Mills (Beginners) Adrian Hodges (My Week with Marilyn) J.J. Abrams (Super 8) Dee Rees (Pariah) BEST ANIMATED FILM (FEATURE) Frontrunners The Adventures of Tintin (Paramount, 12/21, TBA, trailer) Rango (Paramount, 3/4, PG, trailer) Happy Feet 2 (Warner Brothers, 11/18, TBA, TBA, trailer) Cars 2 (Disney, 6/24, TBA, trailer) Arthur Christmas (Sony, 11/23, TBA, trailer) Major Threats Puss in Boots (DreamWorks, 11/4, TBA, trailer) Rio (20th Century Fox, 4/15, G, trailer) Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked (20th Century Fox, 12/11, TBA, TBA) Winnie the Pooh (Disney, 7/15, G, trailer) Possibilities Kung Fu Panda 2 (DreamWorks, 5/26, PG, trailer) The Smurfs (Sony, 7/29, TBA, trailer) The Lion of Judah (Animated Family Films, 6/3, TBA, trailer) BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM (FEATURE) Frontrunners The Interrupters (The Cinema Guild, 7/29, TBA, trailer) Project Nim (Roadside Attractions, 7/8, PG-13, trailer) Buck (IFC Films, 6/17, PG, trailer) Senna (Producers Distribution Agency, 8/12, PG-13, trailer) If a Tree Falls (Oscilloscope, 6/22, TBA, trailer) Major Threats Into the Abyss (Sundance Selects, 11/11, TBA, TBA) Koran by Heart (HBO Documentary Films, TBA, TBA, trailer) Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey (Submarine Deluxe, TBA, trailer) Bill Cunningham NY (Zeitgeist Films, 3/16, TBA, trailer) Hell and Back Again (Docurama Films, 10/5, TBA, trailer) Page One: Inside the NY Times (Magnolia, 6/24, TBA, trailer) Tabloid (Sundance Selects, 7/15, R, trailer) Magic Trip (Magnolia, 8/5, TBA, trailer) Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (Anchor Bay Films, 10/16, TBA, trailer) Possibilities We Were Here (Red Flag Releasing, 9/?, TBA, trailer) The Rescuers (Menemsha Films, TBA, TBA, trailer) The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (Sundance Selects, 9/9, TBA, trailer) Pearl Jam Twenty (Abramorama, 9/20, R, trailer) Bobby Fischer Against the World (HBO Documentary Films, TBA, TBA, TBA) The Whale (Paladin, TBA, TBA, TBA) The Bully Project (The Weinstein Company, TBA, TBA, trailer) Revenge of the Electric Car (Westmidwest Productions, TBA, TBA, trailer) The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (Sony Pictures Classics, 4/22, PG-13, trailer) Still Seeking Domestic Distribution Better This World Bombay Beach The Carrier Footnote BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Frontrunners A Separation (Iran) Where Do We Go Now? (Lebanon) Le Havre (Finland) A Simple Life (Hong Kong) In Darkness (Poland) Major Threats Monsieur Lazhar (Canada) Declaration of War (France) Footnote (Israel) Pina (Germany) Terra Firma (Italy) Happy, Happy (Norway) Sonny Boy (Netherlands) Possibilities The Flowers of War (China) Black Bread (Spain) Postcard (Japan) Omar Killed Me (Morocco) The Turin Horse (Hungary) Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey) Montevideo: Taste of a Dream (Serbia) Morgen (Romania) Shame

The Expletive-Laced, Booze-Drenched Good status for that 'Rum Diary' Movie

"Coming half-drunk in the foreign place is tough round the nerves. There is a feeling that something is wrong, that you just can't get yourself a grip." -- Hunter S. Thompson, 'The Rum Diary' The Actor-kaira Pitt and Hunter S. Thompson are using a tiki hut on Depp's property in La a fire place is burning inside the pit together with a bottle of Jack Daniels rests available. It's 1999. The celebrity as well as the good physician have collected to solicit potential bankers with an adaptation of Thompson's recently launched book, 'The Rum Diary.' Carol Sorensen, mind in the now defunct studio The Shooting Gallery, approaches. Pleasantries are exchanged and Depp begins reading through with an excerpt within the novel. "...I lay back round the cot getting a bottle of rum looking at my navel, and plotted the best way to defend myself. Essentially stood a luger, I believed, I really could drill the bastards. I depend on a single elbow and pointed a finger within the window, seeing which kind of shot I really could get. Perfect... " The Three of those wallow inside it, speaking, laughing, imbibing, and strategizing, with no approach to understanding that it will be another 12 years just before the film finally opens. Because time, A-listers will probably be cast after which it quit financing will probably be moved from studio to studio then one author-director, who had previously been sober for six-and-a-half years, will begin consuming again -- all to be able to bring this boozy pre-Gonzo tale from the American journalist in Puerto Rico for the silver screen. It's hardly the street Thompson imagined when he first made a decision to produce the film. Hell, it's hardly the street he saw when he first began writing 'The Rum Diary,' almost 4 decades earlier, while dwelling in Puerto Rico. Yes, it's been a extended, twisted journey for Hunter S. Thompson's first novel. Thompson, who was simply in early 20s when he written it, would condition he wanted 'The Rum Diary' being the "Great American Novel" -- on componen with F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'Great Gatsby.' Years later, he recognized it rather increased being "the fantastic Puerto Rican novel," much less there's anything wrong with this particular. How a 'Rum Diary' book found be can be a story alone (the one that can get an incredible telling in the recent 'GQ' article), but why don't we get the story in 1999, twelve several weeks following a book's release. This is where Thompson and also the friend The Actor-kaira Pitt began exploring the idea of which makes it a film. The first plan happen to be for 'The Rum Diary' being launched before 'Hell's Angels,' Thompson's gripping true-existence tale in the renegade California bike gang. But after Thompson gone after free air travel Coast, inside the mid-'60s, pals began pushing him to accomplish 'Hell's Angels' instead of 'The Rum Diary.' It absolutely was raw, emotional and fit inside the New Journalism genre that people happen to be raving about. 'The Rum Diary' was, comparatively, old-fashioned -- composed inside the Hemingway or Fitzgerald vernacular of yesteryear. Eventually, the novel ended up in Thompson's basement, getting dusty. It may be a very long time later before someone happened upon it -- though who that a person was remains determined by debate. "Many people have mentioned to own found the first manuscript," states Anita Thompson, who was simply married to Hunter through the final years of his existence. "He lent it to ['60 Minutes' correspondent] Erection dysfunction Bradley sooner or later, decades ago. There has been also different versions in the manuscript, therefore i think Johnny [Depp] is correct in saying he'd found one version from this. Doug [Brinkley, a historian coping with Hunter] think it is. [Author-investigator] Shelby Stadler think it is. Various assistants think it is.In . No matter who "discovered" it, there's soon an over-all consensus that Thompson should publish it, then possibly convert it into a film, using the Actor-kaira Pitt starring since the youthful journalist Paul Kemp. Depp was an apparent selection for the role -- he'd already carried out Hunter (beneath the alias of Raoul Duke) in 1998's 'Fear and Loathing in Las vegas,' a movie with various quantity of articles Thompson authored for 'Rolling Stone' magazine inside the seventies. To look into the part, Johnny had moved straight into Hunter's basement in Colorado, where he happened within the 'Rum Diary' manuscript. With heavy fascination with it and one of the finest stars on the planet within the corner, Thompson made a decision to forge ahead while using film. To get the right person making it, he and Depp began holding court within the actor's house in California. Eventually, they selected Carol Sorensen. Things would soon possess a turn for your surreal, simply because they frequently did when Thompson was involved. Carol had made the decision to assist finance the film, nevertheless the slow pace of progress began to irritate the author. Then, within the month of the month of january 2001, Carol received a now infamous fax from Thompson: "Okay, you lazy bitch. I get frustrated with this particular waterhead fuckaround that you're doing with 'The Rum Diary.' We are not really spinning our wheels strongly. It's like the whole project got surrended to zombies who live in pressboard boxes beneath the Hollywood Freeway. I seem to be the only person who's doing anything about getting this movie made. I have come up with Depp, Benecio del Toro, Kaira Pitt, Nick Nolte, together with an excellent film author from England named Michael Thomas ... So when you don't take action QUICK [sic], you'll probably destroy a great idea. I'm in the mood to lessen yr. [sic] fucking hands off." Was Thompson likely to bolt? Was the film in serious danger of not provided? On first (and second, and third) reads, the letter sounds almost fatally threatening. But Anita Thompson and Sorensen herself recall it a little bump inside the road. "That's, with techniques, a hug from Hunter. He was serious, and concurrently, he cared enough to make time to write instructions, the sign it was vital to him," states Anita, who'll use further her late husband's legacy while using soon-to-be-launched Gonzo Foundation. "But he wanted this process being fun. When it stopped being fun and located a grinding halt, he [did] things like that to kick it into action. Sorensen, speaking to filmmaker Wayne Ewing, also thought we would accentuate the positive. "[Hunter] was not ever rude, lectureous -- he will be a chivalrous romantic guy ... [We] stood a difference of opinion whether Michael Thomas was the very best film author for 'the Rum Diary,' that was a sizable part of the problem. But ... I'd a pleasurable knowledge about Hunter." Once the fax's purpose wound up being to right the ship, however, it not successful. Eventually, Benecio del Toro, Nick Nolte and Josh Hartnett all shipped the project, as did Sorensen as well as the Shooting Gallery. Then, in 2005, Hunter S. Thompson put a gun to his mind and committed suicide. He was 67 years old and impacted by health problems. In the suicide note subsequently launched in 'Rolling Stone,' he written, "Relax -- This can not hurt." Pals and family collected at his home in Woodsy Creek, Colorado to deliver him offered by a highly effective salute. Thompson's dying only elevated Depp's resolve to recognition his late friend by permitting the film made. Immediately after the funeral, producer Graham King acquired the rights for the book, and things began moving again. Then, in 2007, Johnny employed Bruce Robinson, author-director in the alcohol-drenched cult classic 'Withnail & I,' to produce and, ultimately, direct the film. "[Johnny] sent me it, which i make out the print, referred to as him up and mentioned, 'Yeah, I'll write the script,'" Robinson notifies Moviefone. "four to five several days later, he was back in danger saying, 'Are you prone to direct it?' I'd determined and guaranteed myself I wasn't prone to ever play the role of considered a movie director again. Period. To become cajolled having a celebrity into pointing something will be a really rare and unusual experience. But Johnny may have whoever the hell he likes, cheap he believe I'll be the best director with this -- ultimately you acquiesce compared to that.In . You can realise why Depp am insistent. Though he'd been sober for six . five years, Robinson authored and directed one of the great alcohol-fueled adventure tales ever: 1987's 'Withnail & I,' whose title character, carried out by Richard E. Grant, scandalizes the patrons from the quiet café by standing and announcing, "We wish the very best wines available to humanity. Which we wish them here, which we wish them now!" Try while he might, however, Robinson couldn't appear to discover a distance towards the script. Then he had what exactly can easily be known to love a Gonzo epiphany: This rum-drenched story needed a jolt of electricity, and in order to it might say was through alcohol. "I used to be travelling throughout my writing room for approximately monthly before I really could get yourself a hook on [the story], which i recognized that we required to visit. I desired to come back into that devote my thoughts. I preferred to achieve the madness again just a little,Inch Robinson states. "[Despite the fact that my thoughts states, 'Don't visit, don't visit,A the creative side of me states, 'If you don't visit, you can't write this.' There's no words in bottles, nevertheless it softens up just a little.Inch Robinson could drink, finish the script after which it quit. It's as if Thompson's spirit was presiding inside the writing process, withholding inspiration until Robinson was ready to risk his sanity -- in addition to his existence. Soon, the script was finished. Aaron Eckhart, Amber Heard and Giovanni Ribisi grew to become an associate from the cast, as well as the film began production in Puerto Rico this past year. couple of years later, Thompson's vision has again been adopted celluloid, his rabid curiosity showing itself off to another generation of fans. But make no mistake: 'The Rum Diary' is not any 'Fear and Loathing Part 2.' You will discover no lizards upgrading Depp's leg or imaginary bats beating their wings hard. The novel, ultimately, was written before Hunter's Gonzo days, when he used to be racking your brains on who he was and what he wanted around. It's a portrait from the guy near something profound, and potentially dangerous for the establishment. Just what it's, he -- or, more particularly, Paul Kemp -- can't quite make certain. But every bottle of rum, vino or two and vicious, cursing tirade seems to hint within the answer. [Photo: FilmDistrict] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

'Book of Mormon' Star, Obama Speechwriter and 'Modern Family' Director Sell White House Comedy to NBC

NBC is getting back into politics.our editor recommendsPreview NBC's Fall Key Art for 'Playboy Club,' 'Grimm,' 'Whitney,' More'Book of Mormon' Tops Tony Nominations With 14 The network has granted a put pilot commitment to 1600 Penn, asingle camera comedy from 20th Century Fox TV, about a dysfunctional family that just happens to live at the most famous address in America. The coveted project comes from Tony-nominatedBook of Mormon starJosh Gad, former President Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett and Modern Family director Jason Winer, all of whom will serve as executive producers. THEATER REVIEW: Book of Mormon Lovett will bring his personal experience as the project's writer, with Winer on board to direct. 1600 Penn marks Gad's second project in development at NBC. The former Back to You star,who is currently filmingThanks for SharingoppositeGwyneth Paltrow, is also writing a high-concept comedy about a family on the road. PHOTOS: Preview NBC's Fall Key Art for 'Playboy Club,' 'Grimm,' 'Whitney,' More Gadis repped by ICM and Brillstein Entertainment Partners; Winer, who has directed episodes of New Girl and Apartment 23, is repped by ICM and Mosaic. Lovett is repped by CAA, Mosaic and Jeff Frankel of McKuin Frankel Whitehead. Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose Related Topics NBC Modern Family

MSNBC Makes Last Word Last Again, Moves Up Erection dysfunction Show to eight PM

MSNBC mentioned today it's moving The Ultimate Word With Lawrence O’Donnell to the original 10 PM ET/PT slot Monday-Thursday. That’s where it first demonstrated when the show opened up in September 2010 just before being switched to eight PM within the month of the month of january, as well as the Erection dysfunction Schultz-situated The Erection dysfunction Show was gone after 10 PM. Now Erection dysfunction Show will proceed to 8 PM. This move will strengthen the flow within our programming with the evening,” MSNBC leader Phil Griffin mentioned in the release announcing the move. “As the title indicates, The Ultimate Word goes at in conclusion within our programming day, diligently wrapping-within the days political dialogue. Eds passionate voice can be a perfect kickoff to primetime at 8 PM. The Rachel Maddow Show remains inside the 9 PM slot.

'The Avengers' Trailer Downloaded 10 Million Times Since Debut

.post-content img {display:none;} You really loved 'The Avengers' trailer. In 24 hours following its debut on Tuesday, the promotional clip for the Joss Whedon-directed film was downloaded 10 million times on iTunes. That breaks the previous record for Apple downloads, and likely points to a ridiculous box-office haul for 'The Avengers' next May. That's something Disney and Paramount can get behind! Starring Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Cobie Smulders, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, 'The Avengers' hits theaters on May 4, 2012. [via Press Release] RELATED The Dark Side of 'The Avengers' Cast Robert Downey Jr, 'Less Than Zero'Chris Evans, 'Puncture'Chris Hemsworth, 'Ollie Klublershturf Vs. the Nazis'Samuel L. Jackson, 'Jungle Fever'Jeremy Renner, 'Dahmer'Mark Ruffalo, 'Reservation Road'Scarlett Johansson, 'The Last Score' See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Discovery And News Corp Flunk Research Firms Governance Tests

It’s not surprising to see that News Corp was one of 10 companies given an “F” grade by corporate research firm GMI Ratingsfor management or accounting practices that could make them risky bets for investors. But Discovery Communications — a Wall Street darling?The GMI Risk List, out today, slams the cable channel owner for having”a complex system of share classes and director relationships” that give”two principal shareholders disproportionate control over the company.”GMI adds that Discoverys compensation practices “do not hold executives to stringent performance standards.” What’s more, there are “a number of concerns about expense recognition and the quality of the balance sheet, including high levels of goodwill and debt.” Discovery’s stock has risen about 200% over the last three years — a factor Fortune cited last month in naming it one of the “fastest growing companies” — although it’s off 2.6% in 2011. As for News Corp, GMI notes that while there was a “short-term investment impact” in July when theNews Of The World phone hacking scandal burst into the open “the companys share price has rebounded to the level it enjoyed before the scandal broke.” But News Corp’s “poor governance contributed to its recent problems, and may continue to put investors interests at risk.” Despite the resignation of big names including News International CEO Rebekah Brooks and Dow Jones chief Les Hinton — as well as some changes on the board — “there is little indication that the quality of the companys governance is improving.”For example, GMI notes that “the companys investigation into the phone-hacking scandal is being led by directors with strong ties to the company and the Murdoch family.” Over the last few days investor advisoryfirmsInstitutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis made similar criticisms of News Corp, which the company vigorously rejected.

Start Searching at Bones' Season 7 Premiere

David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel In this exclusive sneak-look image, a glowing Bones (Emily Deschanel) shares a touching moment with Booth (David Boreanaz) simply because they prepare for a completely new day. "Season 7 starts with Brennan and Booth as much fans have always wanted them - together and expecting," states executive producer Stephen Nathan. However that they're formally a couple of, can there is a similar dynamic? "May be the relationship different? Sometimes yes, sometimes no," states Nathan. "The conflict and confusion won't disappear. It's just assigned offered by some physical contact. And, clearly, murder." Clearly! Bones returns Thursday, November 3, at 9/8c on Fox. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Ratings: Charlie's Angels Takes a Nosedive

Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels is probably not extended with this particular world. The ABC series was Thursday night's least expensive-rated show as ratings walked twenty percent.Decrease Preview: Get scoop inside your favorite returning showsAngels dropped to 5.9 million audiences together with only 1.2 rating inside the grownups 18-to-49 demo. ABC stood a poor evening overall: Grey's Anatomy hit a thrilling-time low 3. rating and 8.5 million audiences, and exercise sank 25 percent with a 2.1 and 6.2 million audiences.Most shows needed a dip, due to the baseball 2010 national football league 2010 nfl playoffs around the best spinner's. Falling slightly, The Big Bang Theory attracted in 13.6 000 0000 audiences together with a 4.4 to win the evening in groups, but, once again, How to be a Gentleman not successful to help keep onto its lead-in. The comedy came 7.82 million together with a couple.5 rating. Person of curiosity also notched a few.5, but snagged 11.46 million audiences. At 10/9c, The Mentalist was really the only show to relish an uptick, rising four percent to 12.9 million together with a couple.7.The X Factor (11.2 million, 3.8) ongoing to complete continuously enough for Fox to win the evening. The show was lower just three percent.Selection: Which fall premieres won you over? Which flopped?On NBC, Work (5.71 million, 3.1) released its worst amounts in six . five years, but was the Peacock's best artist. Community (3.4 million, 1.5), Parks and Entertainment (4.13 million, 1.9) and Whitney (4.88 million, 2.3) all dropped, while Prime Suspect (5 million, 1.5) shed eyeballs, when you are inside the demo. Round The CW, The Vampire Journals (2.55 million, 1.2) as well as the Secret Circle (1.96 million, .8) fell 8 and twenty percent, correspondingly.

Octavia Spencer eyes Diablo Cody pic

SpencerOctavia Spencer is at early discussions to participate the cast in the untitled Diablo Cody project at Mandate Pictures.Russell Logo design and Julianne Hough are likely to star, with Cody making her directorial debut in the script she composed.The pic concentrates on a protected youthful lady (Hough) who handles to get rid of her belief carrying out a plane crash and visits Las vegas, where she meets an unlikely companion (Brand).Spencer would play card dealer inside a casino round the strip where Brand's character works. Mandate had no discuss the casting.Mason Novick will produce with Mandate Prexy Nathan Kahane will professional produce with Cody.The WME-repped Spencer was most recently seen in DreamWorks' "The Help.In . Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

Kirsten Dunst on Lars Von Triergate: 'I Was the Only One... to Get Him to Stop'

“Well yeah, you could see my face. I was choking, because I’m watching a friend having a meltdown. And what he’s saying is horrendous in a roomful of press. He was asked an inappropriate question [about his family] and his response was to make a joke about it. But no one laughed and he just kept unravelling.” Kirsten Dunst told her side of the Lars von Trier Cannes controversy to The Guardian recently, wondering why none of her fellow Melancholia co-stars stepped in to stop their director from shoving his foot squarely into his own mouth. “That’s what I don’t understand,” Dunst continued to The Guardian. “There were a lot of us sitting there. There was Stellan [Skarsgrd], John [Hurt], Charlotte [Gainsbourg]. And no one said something. No one wanted to help. I was the only one to lean in to Lars and get him to stop.” Granted, the look on Dunst’s face was a comic highlight of the proceedings last May, when von Trier made one of the most poorly-conceived jokes ever spoken at a press junket. (The upside: It yielded months and months of amusing press coverage!) Before I send you to the full Guardian interview for more of Dunsts’s musings, there’s also this gem of a quote from Dunst on Melancholia co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg and her other von Trier movie Antichrist, which perhaps unintentionally leads to quite a vivid mental picture: “That kind of film is harder for someone like me to get away with. I’m more in the public eye than Charlotte.” She pauses to reconsider. “It’s something about Charlotte’s body, too. You couldn’t have someone like me, with big breasts, in that film. Charlotte’s thin and her breasts are small and that’s easier to watch somehow. For someone like me to do that film — it would almost be ridiculously shocking.” And thus, Kirsten Dunst breaks her silence over the Nazi kerfuffle with boobs. A master of deflection, this one. I think this calls for an Antichrist-Melancholia double feature! For research purposes, of course. Kirsten Dunst: after the apocalypse [The Guardian]

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Derek Luke Joins the Remake of 'Sparkle'

More news round the remake front (yes, we are getting as frustrated with writing it when you're reading through through it): Derek Luke remains cast since the male lead inside the remake in the 1976 film 'Sparkle.' The film follows singer Sparkle Williams and her rise to fame. This time around around around, actress Jordin Sparks will probably be playing Sparkle with Luke representing Stix, a singer-songwriter deeply deeply in love with Sparkle. Starring alongside Sparks and Luke will probably be Whitney Houston, Mike Epps and Cee Lo Eco-friendly. If possibly we are capable of getting another Curtis Mayfield soundtrack by using this. [via Deadline] Image because of Getty Images

Ask Matt: The Good Wife's Move, Community, Sons of Anarchy and More!

Julianna Margulies Question: In previous years I followed CBS shows Shark and The Unit to their new time on Sunday evenings that ended up to be their last season. Because of the preceding football game, one never knows when a certain program will start, with delays that can last as long as an hour. This, of course, prevents one from switching to another network for a later program. Since we still have a video tape recorder that automatically fast-forwards over commercials (most of them), I would end up taping those shows, with an extra margin of half an hour. I don't know whether a TiVo type recorder can even adjust to such delays. It appears that The Good Wife will follow the same pattern. Perhaps this time I will watch it online, or On Demand. But I have to wonder how much this new time slot will affect its viewership (in addition to the new direction and hair style). - HannaMatt Roush: This is a perennial problem for viewers in the time zones where football overruns impact the start of CBS' prime-time lineup. (Rule of thumb: If you're not watching live, set the recorder for at least a half-hour after the original end time.) For some shows, the move to Sundays has been a kiss of death, especially those that air in the last hour of prime time (although CSI: Miami refuses to die). This isn't necessarily the case for The Good Wife. CBS is not blind to the time-shifting problem on Sundays, and has realistic expectations for Good Wife's performance. The show is more complex than the average procedural, which is why CBS moved it from Tuesdays, figuring (rightly) that a formula show like Unforgettable would mesh better with the NCIS combo. Sunday is a good showcase spot for a network drama that's as good as what you find on cable, and unless it absolutely tanks (which isn't likely), CBS isn't going to mess with this one. It's the only network drama taken very seriously at the Emmys these days, and CBS is understandably very proud of it. Even with Alicia's new hairstyle and sexual freedom, it should be OK where it is for a while to come.Want more Matt Roush? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!Question: Give it to me straight: How much time do you think we have left with Community? As much as I love this crazy show that's so perfect for an avid TV fan like myself, I realize that it will never be able to attract a bigger audience, not while remaining the same wacky fun that it is now. So what do you think? How much longer can I expect to enjoy my favorite study group? - AinavMatt Roush: The only upside to NBC remaining entrenched in the ratings cellar is that it tends to provide a longer lifeline to cult shows like Community, Parks and Rec, Parenthood - and of course Chuck - all of which almost certainly would have been canned early on at most other networks. As long as critics continue to love Community (and really, what's not to love?) and the media keep beating the drum, I wouldn't give up hope. Plus, the new head of NBC Entertainment, Bob Greenblatt (who hails from Showtime), appears to be taking more of a cable approach to his schedule, nurturing the shows he believes in - and given that he hasn't pulled the plug on anything yet, perhaps even a few he doesn't. At the very least, we can expect to see a full third season's worth of Community episodes, although I'd love to see NBC try it out in a more protected hammock position - airing between Up All Night (which should be moved to 8/7c on Thursdays pronto) and The Office, for instance. (Because Parks and Rec should really be airing after The Office, no?) As with many of these shows, renewal will always be a season-to-season nail-biter, and I'll stay optimistic as best I can that we get to see these kooks graduate some day.Question: Greetings from Sin City, Las Vegas, NV! I love your column and follow on Twitter. Here's my first-ever question submission. With regards to Sons of Anarchy on FX, I firmly believe our beloved one-eyed driver Kurt "Big Otto" Sutter has really put together a great cast, crew and team of writers. Do you think that FX will give them the chance to go to the beloved 7-season goal? With most awards shows not even acknowledging any of the greatness that is Charming (save Katey's Golden Globes win), what are the chances some of those voters can put a show near the chopping block or at least influence the network to make some decisions? Thank you for any light you can shine into my eyes. - ScottyMatt Roush: This is an easy and safe bet, Scotty. FX will keep airing Sons of Anarchy for as long as Kurt Sutter wants to tell the story. The show kicked off its fourth season with its best ratings yet, and no amount of Emmy apathy can put a dent in that. (For the record, while Emmy attention can help keep a marginal series alive, lack of same has no effect whatsoever on a successful show like SOA.) In the tradition of The Shield, I'd like to think this is a narrative with a definite end point, and whenever happens will be up to the guy running the show. I'm liking the conflicts this season, within and outside the club, more than usual, but I'm not sure what it would take to boost its profile within the Emmy community. It may just not be their kind of show.Question: As much as I loved the premiere episode of 2 Broke Girls, I was disappointed in how low the second episode went. Did we really need horse poop jokes? And on the subject of the horse, it is so unbelievable that they are boarding it in their backyard, in NY City, that it just completely takes away from the story. Why not sell the horse to further their cupcake dream? Does this show get any better in future episodes? - Larry SMatt Roush: I suppose we'll all find out together, because CBS hasn't made any future episodes available for preview yet. (Compared to Fox sharing multiple episodes of New Girl in recent weeks, which I enjoy more every time I see it.) I still like the two Broke stars, but even in the pilot, I found many of the jokes (and ethnic caricatures) cringe-worthy, though the quotient of laughs to cringe weighed in the show's favor. In week two, it veered the other direction to the point that I've already started second-guessing my earlier recommendation. I'm going to give it a few more episodes before I decide once and for all, but anyone shocked by its raunchiness - and willingness to stoop to horse poo for a slapstick punch line - hasn't been watching Two and a Half Men over the years, because that's the level of humor this show is clearly trying to emulate. Love it or hate it, broad (so to speak) comedy is popular. And I like your idea of selling the horse to fund the cupcake venture. The horse gag is getting old, and ridiculously stupid, even two weeks in.Question: What is a good lifespan for a reality show? I've considered this question based on a few things: The Amazing Race's 317th Emmy, the debut of Survivor 23 (?!) and the current season of Project Runway. It seems like we're in a stage where the long-running/good reality shows are really getting old. Don't get me wrong. I have been a die-hard fan of Race since the "Swing you fat bastard!" glory days of Season 1, but each season has been less and less fresh. Survivor always has its up and down seasons, but as long as they are still ratings and award winners, will producers keep just churning them out? It's different of course for scripted shows, since by a comparative time they would have been through a zillion cast changes and everyone would be clamoring for their cancellation. But it seems like reality shows have either gone on for the long haul - like these (and American Idol and others) - or crashed and burned. Again, I'm not wishing for these shows' demise, but I'm just curious on your thoughts: How does one gauge when enough is enough and leave on a good note?As for Project Runway: Has the move to Lifetime hurt this show in the ratings? I admit, this season has been somewhat better, but week in and out, I forget it's on. It doesn't play a million times nor do they have marathons like on Bravo, and it just seems to be forgotten. Plus by bleeding into the new fall season, it's really getting lost. Now I see ads for Project Accessory, which seems a little lame. So is it time to close up shop on this once great show? - Larry BMatt Roush: These are fair questions, because TV is still on a learning curve when it comes to the genre that changed the landscape of prime time. Many of the shows that pioneered the reality revolution are long in the tooth, and few (excepting Idol, perhaps) pack the ratings punch they once did. The novelty has worn off long ago, to be sure, but these are still reliable draws, and because the producers can change the rules and switch up the game from season to season, they do seem to have a longer shelf life than most comedies and dramas. I know others would argue that many of these shows have run their course, but the ones I enjoy - a list that does not include dating shows, Big Brother or anything involving Donald Trump - I tend to find myself going back to them season after season, with a new cast of "characters" keeping me engaged (although all of them have their off seasons). It will be big news when one of these longtime tentpoles is finally taken off the air, and I don't see it happening anytime soon.And that includes Project Runway, which Lifetime spent a fortune acquiring and promoting. I haven't been tracking its ratings, but in this case, it's all about enhancing the network brand, which is why they're doing the upcoming all-star season as well as the Accessory spin-off, which I agree may be one too many even for me.Question: I know that this year's Emmys have just aired and we have a year to wait until the next one. Keeping that in mind, is it too early to declare that this season of Breaking Bad should and deserves a clean sweep in every category it can get nominated in? The writing this season has been fantastic, and Giancarlo Esposito is killing it as Gus, with Brian Cranston and Aaron Paul holding their own, creating a triangle of incredible talent balancing this show. What are the chances of any other show being able to compete against this juggernaut? - GeoffMatt Roush: The drama competition is always fierce, and we're a long way (and an entire new season of Mad Men) away from being able to make this call that definitively. But no question, the races will be even more tight and meaningful with Breaking Bad back in the race after sitting this year out. Cranston and Paul (previous winners) are sure to be nominated, and Esposito deserves it as well for his quiet intensity. The writing, the directing, all just brilliant. My only worry is that this season will have aired so long before the nomination process begins, the odds may favor shows that air later in the calendar year. But this season of Breaking Bad has been so incredibly riveting, I do ultimately believe that attention will be paid.Question: My question is regarding Breaking Bad, following the incredible 11th episode "Crawl Space." First of all, I have to say that the first few episodes this season were a bit too slow and quiet for my taste, but I'm glad that's turned around as the last couple of episodes (starting with "Bug") have been crazy intense and arguably some of the show's strongest ones. After watching "Crawl Space," I just got the sense that the series could end perfectly in two more episodes. I trust Vince Gilligan's magical abilities and I know he'll be able to shock us and keep us on the edge of our seats for another season (and a longer one at that) - but I still find myself wondering what they could possibly do to keep it going for another 16 episodes after Season 4. I guess we'll have a better idea on October 9 when the current season comes to a wrap! Do you have any idea how AMC will roll out the final season? I vaguely recall reading somewhere online an interview with Aaron Paul where he speculated that the final 16 episodes would be split into two seasons, which - given this is a cable network - is not too far a stretch, right? But I would hate if they did that. I think they should air all of them consecutively as one season, any other way would be unfair to the fans and just seem like they're trying to milk the cow for as long as possible, and I just don't see the point - they've set an end, so why drag it on? (Plus I don't think I can handle the wait!) - JonathanMatt Roush: I hear you, but a split season does seem like a viable option. That's how TNT is handling the final season of The Closer, also a signature show for its network. The negotiations for this final season of Breaking Bad were almost as harrowing as what happens on the show, so I'm mainly relieved that Vince Gilligan will get to dictate the creative terms of the show's final chapters, however they're scheduled. But I would expect that we will be in for a wait, one way or another. And it will be excruciating.Question: I started watching Fringe this summer and was able to catch up before Season 4 began. While I love the show and am sorry I haven't watched it from the beginning, I am finding myself falling down the Lost rabbit hole of reading the fan message boards and getting upset by what I read. (I know, I know, I need to just stop reading them!) The common comment is that the new Peter-less worlds are better off without him and Lincoln Lee should replace him. While I love Lincoln Lee (both of them), I just can't believe that is true, especially where Walter is concerned. He may be just as crazy (no one can change that), but he is a sadder, less connected and adjusted person without his son. I am really enjoying this "reboot" and am intrigued to see where this season is going. Not since Lost has a show required me to be so engaged, which I love. So as a long-time Fringe viewer and less crazed fan, what do you think of the new season so far and the world without Peter? - AmyMatt Roush: I'm loving the season so far, last Friday's in particular, as both worlds worked together to solve a case. The clash of the Olivias is always exciting and amusing, and the contemplation of "the path not taken" by the professor and his doppelganger villain was provocative and poignant. Even so, I'm itching for Peter to be restored to the universe, and can't wait to see how that is executed and explained. As glad I am to see the Lincolns (aka Seth Gabel) upped to full-time status, the thought that he's a suitable replacement for Peter is just silly. Ignore any chatter that lessens your enjoyment of Fringe. The show needs all the support it can get.Question: I've been an avid viewer of Eureka from day one, and I am truly upset that it has been so unceremoniously cancelled! And as it will take forever until the last season is coming around, I was happy to hear that we will at least get another Christmas episode this year. However, while I really enjoyed the final episode of the season as it was the funny, touching and poignant Eureka that I love, it ended on such a cliffhanger that I am somewhat stumped as to what will happen with the Christmas episode. Last year, the Christmas episode was completely stand-alone from the previous season's story arc. I can't imagine how they would accomplish something similar this year. There are too many dramatic happenings, loose ends and people somewhere else, rather than in Eureka, for a stand-alone episode to work. Do you have any word on what's planned, and whether this time around the Christmas episode will be a continuation of the ongoing storyline? - Anna from CologneMatt Roush: Cologne, how cool! But best to think of these holiday specials as fables, long-lost chapters in a show's history. Eureka's Christmastime episode is not merely a stand-alone, it's animated. Titled "Do You See What I See," it will tell of an anomaly (so what else is new) that renders everyone and everything in Eureka as a cartoon. Thus, we get The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons as the voice of Sheriff Carter's long-suffering Jeep, Edward James Olmos as a sled dog who befriends Deputy Andy, and so on. The episode will use a variety of animated styles - Looney Tunes, anime, claymation - and it sounds like a great deal of fun. And yes, I'm also sorry that next season will be its last. This has long been one of my favorites of the Syfy lite series.Question: As I do each year, I studied TV Guide Magazine's Fall Preview issue to decide which new shows to sample. This year, I had nine new shows on my list and have so far seen seven and bits of others. I was particularly interested in New Girl, which you had mentioned in an Ask Matt column before the Fall Preview came out. I watched it On Demand and thought, "What a quirky mess is Jess!" After reading your gushing blurbs in the Fall Preview, I watched it again, thinking I'd missed something. I still didn't like it. So my question is this: How many episodes of a show do you and your colleagues usually get to see before you anoint it the best new comedy (or drama)? For the record, of your five Best, I agree with your assessments of Person of Interest, Pan Am and 2 Broke Girls, and have not seen The X Factor. - FrankMatt Roush: With New Girl, you either fall for Zooey as Jess, or you don't. Thankfully, lots of people did, making it the first full-season pickup of the season. But in terms of producing the Fall Preview issue, I (like other critics putting together these fall overviews in late summer) only had the pilot episode to go on. Especially with network series that are green-lighted in spring and only go into production in the summer, it's very rare to have anything but the pilot to go by when filing these first impressions, which is pretty much how I look at my critical "takes" in that issue. (We typically don't start seeing second episodes of shows, and by no means all shows even then, until after Labor Day.) I also tend to factor in what I learn about the individual shows by attending the TCA press tour in the summer, where the producers and actors shed light on their vision for the shows and their characters. Sometimes what they say urges me to give a show the benefit of the doubt, sometimes it just confirms my suspicion that a show is a stinker. As noted in an earlier question, I'm not sure I'd put 2 Broke Girls in that "top 5" feature now. The Fall Preview issue is so targeted toward network series I wish I'd thought to include Showtime's Homeland instead. (Our Fall Cable Preview is out now.) Live and learn.Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

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VIDEO: Tyler Perry is Richest Artist being Lampooned on SNL

For comics and cultural experts of nearly any color and persuasion, Tyler Perry might be the textbook concept of an easy target: A mogul whose media empire rests atop a foundation of alleged minstrelsy, union-busting, mix-dressing, bad hit television and mass-produced screen melodrama. Add his recently revealed $130 million annual earnings for the picture, plus it’s like the target was moved within inches of the particular photography enthusiasts — among whom, possibly clearly, was Saturday Evening Live. Still: Very good! Kenan Thompson carried out the writer-director-producer-actor-studio baron in Saturday’s “Weekend Update” segment, throughout which Seth Meyers reminded him he outshine the type of Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer for your honors of finest-paid out artist in showbiz. “I did, I did so,” Perry replies. “But keep in mind that people men're Jewish and so are inside a traditional disadvantage to Hollywood.” As well as the kicker, again responding to Meyers: “My movies are in regards to the modern black experience. They’re all disaster movies.” And merely what about this title for his next film? I'm speaking about, it’s not likely definately not the particular title. I’ll be there with sensors on. Anyway, how extended before Perry hosts SNL? It must happen eventually, right?

Lionsgate nabs 'Chaos' feature rights

Lionsgate has bought feature rights for the ''Chaos Walking'' youthful adult novel trilogy by Patrick Ness.The announcement is created Monday by Lionsgate's co-COO and Film Group Leader Joe Drake.Studio has set ''Chaos'' with Doug Davison who'll produce through his Quadrant Pictures.Tales are occur a dystopian future with humans colonizing a distant earth-like planet. When contamination referred to as Noise out of the blue makes all thought audible, privacy vanishes immediately too as with the ensuing chaos, a corrupt autocrat expects to get control in the human funds and wage war while using indigenous alien race."A sense of emergency and momentum propagates throughout these tales -- it may result in the books ones you can't put lower, and can lead to the films ones you can't miss round the silver screen,Inch mentioned Drake of his decision to find the variation rights. "But besides the story elements, the earth inside the tales is actually strongly imagined. They're books, much like 'The Hunger Games,' that individuals feel truly beg being brought to existence on film."The rights deal was talked about for your studio by Make the most of McEntegart, the Film Group's Senior Executive V . P ., as well as the author by his agent Michelle Kass of Michelle Kass Affiliate marketers london and attorney Howard Abramson of Behr Abramson in LA. Robert Melnik, Executive V . P . of economic Matters for Lionsgate, talked about Davison's producer deal with attorney Ron Genow. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com