Variance Acquires Indie Trouble With Bliss With Dexters Michael C. Hall

Variance Films has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to The Trouble With Bliss, the Michael Knowles-directed film that stars Michael C. Hall, Brie Larson, Peter Fonda, Lucy Liu, Brad William Henke, Sarah Shahi, and Chris Messina. The film will get a theatrical release on March 23, 2012, per Variance founder Dylan Marchetti. Hall plays 35-year-old Morris Bliss, who is clamped firmly in the jaws of NY City inertia. He wants to travel but has no money; he needs a job but has no prospects; and he still shares an apartment with his widowed father (Fonda), who treats Morris with a mix of disdain and exasperation. When he finds himself juggling a bizarre relationship with the sexually precocious 18-year-old daughter (Larson) of a former classmate and the advances of his very forward neighbor (Liu), Morris realizes that even though his life is unraveling, its also opening up in ways that are long overdue. The Trouble With Bliss absolutely charmed me, said Marchetti. The characters arent phony, the lessons learned arent clichd, and any chance to see a cast like this work together is worth it in my book. Knowles wrote the script with Douglas Light, based on Light’s novel East Fifth Bliss. The film was acquired after it played the Newport Beach Film Festival. It was produced by John Ramos and John Will.

London Riots Turned Into Dramatic Stage Play

GettyWoody Allen Some food for thought about the 2011-12 awards season to go along with your Thanksgiving leftovers ...our editor recommendsBrett Ratner Breaks Twitter Silence Following Oscars ExitBilly Crystal Replaces Eddie Murphy for Oscars: What Hollywood is SayingRicky Gervais Offers to Host Oscars Following Eddie Murphy, Brett Ratner Exits A best actress Oscar nomination might well be rewarded to ... an Olsen sister. An Oscar nomination might be awarded to Steve McQueen for the first time since 1966 ... only now he's British and black. Woody Allen wrote and directed a movie that made over $133 million worldwide ... yes, in this century. Francis Ford Coppola, Werner Herzog, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Wim Wenders -- all of whom are in their sixties or seventies -- directed 3D films, while Michel Hazanavicius, a 44-year-old Frenchman, wrote and directed a black-and-white silent film. Glenn Close may finally win an Oscar for dressing up as a man, and Leonardo DiCaprio may finally win an Oscar for dressing up as a woman. Albert Brooks may score his first Oscar nom in 24 years... for playing a Jewish mobster ... in a drama. Jonah Hill may score an Oscar nod ... period. Clint Eastwood, the 81-year-old who is best known for his work on-screen as a gun-toting tough guy and off-screen as a conservative mayor of Carmel, California, just directed his latest film using a script by -- and working in close collaboration with -- Dustin Lance Black, a 37-year-old gay screenwriter. Angelina Jolie has directed a movie, while Werner Herzog is now acting in one. The famously reclusive Terrence Malick has not only been seen in public, but has even had off-the-record conversations with journalists. Carey Mulligan gets nude in a movie ... while Kate Winslet does not. Woody Harrelson, one of the most notorious potheads and anti-authority figures of his time, may score his first best actor Oscar nod in 15 years ... for playing a cop. Michelle Yeoh, who is Asia's most famous female action star and a former Bond girl, may score her first Oscar nod for playing Aung San Suu Kyi, Asia's most famously demure and soft-spoken leader. Documentary filmmaker Steve James was screwed by the Academy's documentary branch ... again. The Academy, which is supposedly so liberal, has fallen head-over-heels for a film about Margaret Thatcher, but not for a film about George Harrison. A Harry Potter film has a shot -- a long shot, but a shot -- at scoring a best picture Oscar nod. Jessica Chastain has given a half-dozen memorable supporting performances this year -- any one of which is arguably Oscar-worthy -- but consequently may wind up without a nomination for even one of them. The Academy is allowing studios to ply journalists with food, alcohol, and parties before nominations are announced ... but has essentially banned them from breathing during phase two. Ricky Gervais insulted the famously sensitive HFPA to their faces on national television less than a year ago ... and was asked to host the Golden Globes again. Billy Crystal, who virtually nobody under the age of 25 has even heard of (he himself basically acknowledged as much), was asked to host the Oscars again. Am I forgetting others? Feel free to add to the list in the comments section below! PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'J. Edgar' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals Oscars

NBC Orders Two More Episodes of Up All Night

Will Arnett, Christina Applegate NBC has ordered two more episodes of freshman comedy Up All Night, TVGuide.com has confirmed. Up All Night, which was previously picked up for a full season, will now air 24 episodes, instead of the initial 22 from the original order. NBC orders full season of Grimm The series, which stars Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph, is getting a big push from the network, moving to Thursday nights in January, following The Office. In turn, Whitney will move to Wednesdays. Up All Night debuted to 10.95 million viewers, but has continuously lost audiences each week. The show is now averaging around 6 million viewers.

Hip Pads, Prosthetic Chins, Dips in Sub-Zero Lakes: The Making of 'My Week With Marilyn'

The year 2008 was frought with turmoil for Michelle Williams. Heath Ledger, her estranged husband, died of an accidental overdose in January, leaving her a grief-stricken single mother. Although fresh from an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain, her career was in limbo -- her passion project, Blue Valentine, had yet to materialize, and she considered leaving acting altogether.our editor recommendsMy Week With Marilyn: Film ReviewMichelle Williams' 'My Week With Marilyn' Moves to Thanksgiving WeekendMichelle Williams: Fashion Through the YearsThe Actress RoundtableMichelle Williams to Rock British Designer Todd Lynn Hot Off the RunwayMichelle Williams Channels Marilyn Monroe on and off ScreenMichelle Williams Red Carpet Evolution: From 'Dawson's Creek' to the Oscars (Photos)Michelle Williams to Receive Hollywood Actress Award at 15th Annual Hollywood Film Awards (Exclusive)Marilyn Monroe Mania Fed By 'Picturing Marilyn' Exhibit Featuring Unseen PhotosMarilyn Monroe Confidante and Costumer Angela Alexander DiesTHR's Actress Roundtable: Six A-Listers Sound Off on Bad Reviews, Nudity and Playing Hitler PHOTOS: The Lost Marilyn Monroe Photos "I wasn't sure if acting was the right place for me," she says. "Or if I was any good or liked what I was doing anymore." It was also around that time that Williams first read Adrian Hodges' script for a Marilyn Monroe project, for which she'd been wooed by director Simon Curtis. She was drawn to the story, which offered a snapshot of a week of the actress' life during the 1950s, but worried that she wasn't ready for the commitment. "I finished the last page, put it next to my bed and had already committed in my own mind to making this movie," says Williams. "But then the terror set in." Curtis, a veteran British TV and stage director who had been working on his first feature-directing assignment for more than five years, flew to NY and met with Williams in her Brooklyn home. "He came bearing gifts: books, postcards and little temptations, little enticements, to playing Marilyn," she recalls. PHOTOS: The Making of 'My Week With Marilyn' Although she had a firm offer for the lead, Williams told Curtis she wanted to audition to make certain she was right for the part. She was unsure if she could do justice to such an iconic character -- especially one who'd meant so much to her while growing up in Montana; she'd had a poster of Monroe on her bedroom wall that she stared at each night. She also worried about the feasibility of transforming her look. "There were certain unbridgeable gaps," she says ."I couldn't re-arrange my face and body to look like hers." While she spent the next six months laboring over research, Curtis and his team stayed hopeful. "We kept going back to her," says producer David Parfitt. "She'd say no. Then we'd go away for a bit and decide she's got to do it. We'd have another go. Then her agent and manager got behind it. She was very hard to persuade." VIDEO: Michelle Williams Brings a 'Heat Wave' to 'My Week With Marilyn' During this time, Derek Cianfrance's 10-year oddysey to make Blue Valentine finally materialized, and Williams filmed her grueling role -- an Oscar nomination would result -- as an unhappy wife opposite Ryan Gosling. She says the shoot acted as a kind of therapy. "It brought me back to life and reminded me, brought me back to myself," she says. At about the same time, Harvey Weinstein, whose company had acquired Valentine, fell in love with Williams' talent. "Harvey said, 'I want to be more involved with this girl,' " says Parfitt. "So we said, 'Well, we have this other film.' And he said, 'I want it.' " The idea for a movie about what happened in 1956 when Monroe, America's biggest movie star, flew to London to make the movie The Prince and the Showgirl with Lawrence Olivier, the U.K.'s greatest actor, began around 2003 after Curtis read two books by the late Colin Clark: The Prince, the Showgirl and Me and My Week With Marilyn. During the next six years, Curtis joined forces with Parfitt to get development funds from the BBC and the U.K. Film Council, then waited 18 months while Parfitt negotiated the rights with Clark's estate and six months more for Hodges' script. PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes of THR's Actress Roundtable 2011 Finally, in early 2010, Williams committed, and after $10 million in funding from Weinstein, it was a go. "For me, the most crucial discovery -- the flash -- was that the widely accepted image of Marilyn Monroe was a character that Norma Jeane played," says Williams. "Unless you study her and understand her a bit better than the commonly accepted view, one could miss who she was underneath that. Marilyn was a part she played." Bringing Monroe's complicated duality to life was Williams' biggest goal. For Curtis, capturing the authenticity of time and place was crucial. This process began with shooting at London's Pinewood Studios on the very stages where Olivier had directed and starred with Monroe. Curtis added additional locations at Parkside House, where Olivier had stayed; at Clark's home; at the Eaton school, which Clark attended; and, thanks to an unprecedented deal, to shoot even in front of Windsor Castle for a few hours early one Saturday. But there was another element, adds Curtis. "It came from a line in the Clark diaries that was, 'This is a fairy tale, but nevertheless, it's true.' It's a true story that I wanted to be magical as well," he says. Making magic on a $10 million budget isn't easy -- nor, as Weinstein told Parfitt, is gathering "the best British and international cast." So Curtis, Parfitt and Weinstein tapped friends and industry connections to fill in the blanks. Curtis persuaded Judi Dench to play Dame Sybil Thorndike, whom she had known. Parfitt used a trip to L.A. on behalf of BAFTA to meet with Kenneth Branagh, his former business partner, and recruited him to play Olivier. Weinstein then brought in Emma Watson for the role of the young costume designer, Lucy. Williams, meanwhile, continued her intense research into Monroe. In May 2010, she flew to London for meetings with makeup artist Jenny Shircore. "We spent half a day just standing in front of a mirror," says Williams. "We weren't trying to reconfigure my face. We were trying to add, you know, the curve of the lip, an eyeliner. It began a long process." VIDEO: 'My Week With Marilyn': Michelle Williams Takes on Monroe It was key early on that Williams, much shorter and lighter, not look exactly like Monroe; rather, she wanted to channel her essence. Williams gained a little weight to approximate Monroe's signature curves, but it just made her face puffy, so instead Williams and Shircore used padding to fill out her hips and rear end. Like Williams, costumer Jill Taylor did intense research, finding photos from the making of the movie in an archive. "Michelle is a much smaller lady," says Taylor, "so I really had to work on getting the proportions right." They had to find clothes for three Marilyns: the glamorous, sexy actress; the character of Elsie that Monroe plays in the movie within the movie; and the real-life Monroe, who wore simple, tailored clothes, often in earth tones. Taylor's biggest challenge was that she could only afford to make one reproduction of a white gown Monroe had worn in the movie, which Williams had to wear for a quarter of the eight-week shoot. "I was nearly wetting myself every day for 12 days straight," recalls Taylor. "If something happened to it, there was no other dress." Related Topics SAG Awards Michelle Williams Marilyn Monroe SAG Awards 2012 Awards Season Preview My Week With Marilyn 1 2 next last

Facebook Hit by Porn Attack

NY - Facebook was hit in recent days by what the social network called a "coordinated spam attack" that led to the posting of pornographic and violent images on the pages of some Facebook users, the Wall Street Journal reported. Some users had taken to blogs and Twitter to complain about porn and other disturbing pictures that appeared in their friend feed. Facebook, led by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, said that some of its users were tricked into pasting and executing "malicious" code in their browser URL bar, causing them to share the offensive content without knowing it, according to the Journal. The action enables hackers to bypass Web security controls. Facebook also said that it is working on addressing the issue and has built "enforcement mechanisms" to shut down malicious pages and accounts. "We've put in place back-end measures to reduce the rate of these attacks and will continue to iterate on our defenses to find new ways to protect people," a Facebook spokesman told the Journal. Chester Wisniewski, senior security adviser at Internet security firm Sophos, told the Journal that the pasting of bad code, known as "cross-side scripting," typically happens due to an enticement, such as a chance to win a free Apple iPhone. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Mark Zuckerberg Facebook

Global Showbiz: Australia, Belgium, Thailand

Gena Rowlands Barred From Australian Movie Gena Rowlands continues to be knocked in the Australian filmLast Dance due to limitations on casting of foreign talent, the Australianreports. The 81-year-old actress ended up being to have performed a Holocaust survivor of German and Jewish origin who's taken hostage in her own apartment with a radical Palestinian (Underbelly‘s Firass Dirani). Under Australian union recommendations, a nearby production must obtain 30% foreign investment whether it employs foreign stars although that rule apparently didn't apply toLast Dance due to its under A$2.5million budget.Terence Hammond authored the script with Rowlands in your mind and she or he practiced for several weeks. Your decision through the stars union comes days after it bowed to pressure and permitted Richard E. Grant to star inThe Kath and Kim Fillum now shooting in Melbourne. The barring of Rowlands has elevated the ire from the production industry and placed pressure around the actress who changed her, Julia Blake, days before filming ended up being to begin. Animal Logic Wins Agreement For Lego Movie Sydney and Fox Galleries-based Animal Logic, which done bothHappy Ft movies andLegend from the Parents: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, can make theLego movie for Warner Bros, according toEncore and theHerald Sun.Nsw Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Stoner stated the federal government assisted secure the Lego project against strong competition in the US and Canada. The development is anticipated to lead$48 million towards the local economy and rehearse a lot more than 200 people. The film will be written and directed by Phil The almighty and Chris Burns, who also teamed onCloudy having a Possibility of Meatballs and21 Jump Street. Serta Lin and Roy Lee are creating. Lego’s Jill Wilfert is professional producer. Endemol, Canal+ Belgium Partner On Scripted Series Endemol has closed an offer to created a scripted local adaptation from the crime thrillerPenoza in Belgium. Canal+ Belgium has commissioned an eight-episode first run that Endemol Belgium will produce.Initially produced by Endemol’s NL Film and created by Alain p Levita,Penoza is presently in production on its second season within the Netherlands on KRO funnel NED3. The show released on NED2 in September 2010 and elevated the channels timeslot average by 55%. TheCanal+ Belgium cope with Endemol marks their initial partnership within the territory. Endemol continues to marketPenoza like a scripted format in areas. Penoza‘s story focuses on Carmen, whose husband is killed while using the services of organized crime. She doesn’t trust law enforcement to provide justice and safeguard her children so takes matters into her very own hands. Many Thai Film Locations Untouched By Surges Despite flooding in Bangkok during the last couple of days, many productions are ready to go in provincial locations untouched through the surges.”We have 8 or 9 productions filming or on the point of start production,” stated Wanasiri Morakul, director from the Department of Tourism’s Thailand Film Office.Suvarnabhumi Airport terminal, Thailand’s primary gateway remains open and it is operating normally. Bangkok’s Don Meaung Airport terminal is closed however the domestic air carriers based there has progressed to Suvarnabhumi. Furthermore the primary commercial and financial center of Bangkok remains clear by flooding and it is likely to continue being dry. Filming locations in central provinces for example Kanchanaburi, Pattaya and Hua Hin also have not been impacted by surges. Southern provinces untouched by flooding include Phuket, Krabi, Sarathani, Ko Samui, Hat Yai, Phang-Nga and Ko Chang.Filmmakers will also be busy within the northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Sukothai. Nocost permits for filming in Thailand’s nature as well as on goverment agency land continues to be extended into 2012. Morakul also stated that throughout reconstructionhotel lodging will offer you great values motel Bangkok as well as in the provinces.Morakul advised filmmakers to make contact with theThailand Film Office directly with concerns.

Fletcher to direct 'Fight Before Christmas'

Fletcher"The Proposal" helmer Anne Fletcher is set to direct "The Fight Before Christmas" for Shawn Levy's 21 Laps banner. Levy will produce the pic, penned by "Due Date" scribe Adam Sztykiel. Filmmakers are keeping the logline under wraps. Now that Fletcher is attached, filmmakers will rev up casting -- looking at thesps including Bradley Cooper, who is already considering an offer for the male lead. Fletcher is no stranger to 21 Laps, either -- the multihyphenate did the choreography on the banner's October release "Real Steel," which has grossed more than $220 million worldwide. While "Fight" is not yet greenlit, 20th Century Fox -- where 21 Laps is based -- would distribute the family comedy should it move forward. Levy has spearheaded a number of successful films for the studio, including the "Night at the Museum" pics and "Date Night." Aaron Kaplan and Sean Perrone, who manage Sztykiel, will exec produce. Lauren Levy will oversee for the studio while Dan Levine and Billy Rosenberg will handle for 21 Laps. UTA reps Fletcher, while CAA reps Cooper. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

Disney Acquires Mother Blogger Platform Babble Media

NY - The Wally Disney Co. stated Monday it has acquired Babble Media, a web-based raising a child platform featuring a lot more than 200 influential mother writers. Disney referred to Babble because the "premier blogging service for any new generation of connected parents," highlighting it covers such subjects as pregnancy, day care, health, food, family activities in addition to lifestyle subjects for example home, fashion and family items. Financial the deal, first reported by AllThingsD, weren't revealed. Babble is really a NY-based start-up released in 2006. It'll remain based in NY, Disney stated. Co-founders Rufus Griscom and Alisa Volkman will join the Disney Interactive Media Group unit. Disney Interactive will infuse its moms and family evergreen content into Babble, the organization stated. "Parents' associations with Disney are founded in tales, and Disney's best tales are about families," stated Brooke Chaffin, senior vice president of moms and family, Disney Interactive Media Group, inside a statement. "We feel that Babble and Disney can harness the energy of storytelling to see, entertain and empower parents everywhere. Using more than 3.9 million mother blogs within the U.S. alone, Disney Interactive recognizes and values the key and effective role moms took on in new media." Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects The Wally Disney Company

HBO struggles with originals on Monday

The season three debut of 'Bored to Death' garnered only 240,000 viewers.Enlightened has faltered in its Monday run on HBO. The cabler has struggled to find another beachhead for originals beyond Sunday night. Lombardo HBO is looking back on its experiment with programming comedies on Monday this fall and feeling a bit, well, enlightened. The pay cabler, which has more original programming than it can fit into its regular Sunday-night schedule, made the decision to air newbie series "Enlightened" and the third season of "Bored to Death" on Mondays. The results haven't been good, raising questions about how HBO will find the real estate to program the large number of originals in the works for the coming year. While HBO execs always stress that the weeklong cumulative viewer totals are the best indicator a show's performance, "Enlightened" has been a disappointment no matter how the numbers are dissected. The Laura Dern starrer drew only 210,000 viewers for its Oct. 10 launch and is now averaging 175,000 per episode and 1.5 million for the week. In its season-three debut, "Bored to Death" garnered just 240,000. That's down from the 1.1 million who tuned in to the "Bored to Death" season premiere a year ago, when the comedy had the benefit of a "Boardwalk Empire" lead-in. HBO programming topper Michael Lombardo says it would havebeen difficult for any new shows to gain traction on Mondays. "If we're going to experiment on a new night of the week, it probably would have been smarter to do it in summer," Lombardo told Variety, "and it's not the best idea to do it on a night where you're going up against new fall shows and pro football. No one could've guessed how competitive Mondays were going to be. Knowing what we know now, we probably would've picked a different night. We're a little disappointed, but we knew neither show would be a numbers story." The experiment was not HBO's first on Mondays. Two episodes of "Six Feet Under" were aired on Mondays about a decade ago before the series was moved back to Sunday, and an entire season of "Big Love" ran on Mondays before eventually switching back to Sunday. Neither show fared well in a Monday timeslot. Lombardo said that while the ratings have been small for "Enlightened," those who watch are passionate, and he will keep that in consideration when determining whether the show will be renewed for a second season. Critics have been kind as well, with the skein rating higher on Metacritic.com than most new shows. HBO has a long history of renewed shows that were never big hits but were critically applauded, including "The Wire," "In Treatment" and "Treme." Producers and cast were made aware of the Monday shift and were told that ratings might take a hit. HBO didn't have much choice in moving both shows off Sunday. With "Boardwalk Empire" as well as comedies "Hung" and "How to Make It in America" currently airing, there simply wasn't room for "Enlightened" and "Bored to Death." Holding them until "Boardwalk Empire" ends its season on Dec. 11 wasn't a viable option either. Shows premiering during the winter holidays don't fare well. The upcoming Sunday slate is overflowing, and HBO may have more enviable situations to deal with going forward. Net has high hopes for the new David Milch-Michael Mann horse racing series "Luck," set to premiere on Jan. 29. Also set for the first quarter are the return of "Eastbound and Down" plus the premieres of the Ricky Gervais skein "Life's Too Short" and Chris Lilly's "Angry Boys." Quarter two includes the return of "Game of Thrones" and, possibly, "Treme," as well as the premieres of Lena Dunham's comedy "Girls" and "Veep," starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Lombardo said that while the Monday experiment has not worked out as planned, it doesn't mean HBO wouldn't try and branch out to an additional new night again. However, it's not going to happen anytime soon because it's not a move that comes cheaply. "To rebrand a new night would command a financial commitment that we're not prepared to make at this time," Lombardo said. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Jennifer Lopez: I'm Able To Stand By Myself Two Ft

First Released: November 8, 2011 2:39 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium Caption Jennifer Lopez shows some leg at Glamours 2011 Women of the season Honours in NY City on November 7, 2011 La, Calif. -- Jennifer Lopez walked out last evening at Glamour Magazines 21st Annual Women of the season Honours, where she revealed how shes lately grown and just how spend pass her recent existence training onto her children. I believe Ive learned previously couple of years is will be able to stand by myself two ft, and also to give myself credit for your, Jennifer, who introduced her seven-year marriage to Marc Anthony was in This summer, told Access Hollywood. To actually give myself some love, rather than always beating myself up for which I did not do or the way i might have done something better or what else Im likely to do next, she ongoing. Simply take one minute along with a beat to understand things that I've accomplished. Thats something which I must focus on, but Im focusing on it. Im improving in internet marketing, I believe. (Click The Link to determine J.Los daring dress!) Spending time to understand herself can also be something she hopes to impart on her behalf twins, Emme and Max, 3, especially her daughter. Thats the main one factor I wish to train my daughter to like herself, and also to feel great all by herself, regardless of what happens, the star, who demonstrated of some serious leg within an Atelier Versace gown and Jimmy Choo heels, ongoing. Adding, Among the finest to train [my children to become great people, to like themselves, to like others, to deal with others with respect and kindness, to understand that theyre inside a fortunate position, and also to be charitable and strive simply because you've success does not imply that you stop doing individuals things. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Obama Vows To Veto Bill Impeding Internet Neutrality Rules

This is simply the third veto Obama makes, nevertheless the White-colored House states today he’ll visit once the Senate on Thursday encourages a bill to upend the FCC’s internet neutrality rules. The resolution toscrap the guidelines — which are due to focus on November 20 — resembles the one that the house passed in April. The Senate election may be close: Texas Republican Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s bill has 42 cosponsors. Supporters include Maine Republican Olympia Snowe who favors internet neutrality but states the issue needs to be made a decision by Congress — not the FCC.In today’s “Statement of Administration Policy,” the White-colored House states that “the open Internet enables entrepreneurs to create new releases without nervous about undue discrimination by network companies.” For example, Comcast wouldn’t be capable of favor transmissions over its broadband lines for just about any service it likes, for instance Hulu, over people from the rival for instance Netflix. The administration states that disapproval of internet neutrality would “threaten the basic principles of innovation online economy as well as the democratic spirit that has made the net a pressure for social progress around the globe.” Once the Senate passes the total amount, your administration statement states “his senior experts indicate he veto the Resolution.” Even if Obama stops a congressional effort to overturn the recommendations, the FCC will have to defend them in the courtroom in the challenge created by Verizon. The phone company states the FCC doesn’t possess the right to create rules for that internet.

Should the Academy Fire Brett Ratner as Producer of the Oscars?

During a post-'Tower Heist' Q&A session on Friday night in Los Angeles, director Brett Ratner said "rehearsing is for fags" when asked by an audience member if he rehearses scenes before filming. So, yeah, that's not good. Ratner has since apologized for his comments in a statement to The Wrap: I apologize for any offense my remarks caused. It was a dumb way of expressing myself. Everyone who knows me knows that I don't have a prejudiced bone in my body. But as a storyteller I should have been much more thoughtful about the power of language and my choice of words. Meanwhile, over at Grantland, Mark Harris is rallying for the Academy to relieve Ratner of his Oscar producing duties. I've had to listen to versions of every one of these mea-not-quite-culpas over the years and seriously, I'm no longer interested in patiently witnessing the slow arc of a public figure's learning curve. What I do care about is what the Academy does, which should be either to ask for and receive his resignation from the show or to drop him as the producer of a show that is supposed to represent the best the industry has to offer. There's not really a long, nuanced debate to be had about this. If he had used an equivalent racial or religious slur, the discussion would go something like, "You're fired." Apology or not. The same rule applies here. You don't get a mulligan on homophobia. Not in 2011. Grantland doesn't have a commenting system, but we do! And we are quite curious what you think about this situation. Keep in mind: if Ratner is fired, Eddie Murphy (who has his own controversial history with that particular slur from his comedy specials 'Delirious' and 'Raw') is probably gone. That shouldn't be a factor in a decision like this, but it kinda does -- which is also why it's very unlikely that Ratner will be fired. So, you're in charge of the Oscars. (Congrats!) Knowing that you may lose Murphy if you fire Ratner, what do you do? Is his apology enough, or is Harris right in demanding that Ratner step down or be replaced? Fire away in the comments section below. [via Grantland] [Photo: BAUERGRIFFIN] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Spinning history to match the requirements of drama

'Iron Lady''Moneyball''Anonymous'Some of Hollywood's most honored films have tortured history right into a question mark. Why would the Nazis of "Casablanca" have thought about letters of transit signed by Gen. P Gaulle? How could "Braveheart's" William Wallace have fathered England's Edward III, once the birth happened seven years after his dying? Roman generals did not seem British. Cole Porter wasn't straight. The "Bridge around the River Kwai" wasn't around the River Kwai.The truth is, nobody cares, when the movies are great. But any notion that cinema has moved beyond fact-fudging will probably be quashed with this year's crop of reality-based projects, a few of which dance blithely across the border between fiction and non-.A few of the infractions are relatively minor, plus some are merely sins of omission: "Moneyball" kind of glosses over the truth that Billy Beane never did win a division championship using the Concord A's, and also the song his daughter sings inside a pivotal scene did not emerge till six years after she reputedly sings it.In "W.E.," the Madonna movie concerning the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, no mention consists of Wallis Simpson's rather infamous sexual history, pre-prince. As well as in "Anonymous" all bets are off: Not just did the Earl of Oxford allegedly write all of the Shakespeare plays (a situation many students accept), but Shakespeare themself would be a craven, illiterate lout Elizabeth I'd numerous illegitimate children, such as the Earl of Kent (that will surprise fans from the 1939 Bette Davis film "The Non-public Lives of Elizabeth and Kent"), and also the old Virgin Full was apparently pretty skilled at carrying out dental sex.Elsewhere, the requirements of drama naturally result in the compression of your time, figures and conditions, if the subject is really a British pm, Marilyn Monroe or perhaps a comedy author with cancer."I needed to create the very best movie possible," states Will Reiser, who based the script for that cancer comedy "50/50" by himself experience. "However the movie is fiction. I did not want to bother with my story and what went down in my experience, despite the fact that my arc and Frederick Gordon-Levitt's within the movie are pretty similar."Jason Keller, who scripted "Machine Gun Preacher," concerning the colorful Mike Childers, states he "had the alternative problem of screenwriters who've to tackle living people. I'd a lot material to dig through and research (that) I literally did not start writing for nearly eight several weeks once i met him."The issue, Keller states, was the truth was from time to time too violent for that movies. "How can you discuss the violence of Central Africa," he asks, "and never tip over right into a place where people just can't watch the screen?"What goes on in "My Week With Marilyn," by which Michelle Williams inhabits the late movie goddess, is dependant on Colin Clark's memoir about his tenure as third AD on "The Prince and also the Showgirl," by which Monroe starred with Laurence Olivier. "It's all regulated conjecture," director Simon Curtis states from the star's alleged attraction towards the youthful Clark (performed by Eddie Redmayne). "Marilyn elsewhere in her own existence was always attracted to high-status alpha males, influential males. Michelle had a look, though: Within the 'Prince and also the Showgirl,' her character is attracted towards the youthful prince, not the Olivier character, and Michelle wondered if possibly Marilyn was exercising some type of Method factor."Unlike "Moneyball," "50-50," or "Machine Gun Preacher," which needed their director to create audiences worry about subjects they likely did not know anything about, "My Week With Marilyn" has got the opposite problem. "For most of us, she's a brandname,Inch states Curtis. "A poster, a Warhol. They do not know the performances, or even the person." Quite simply, everyone thinks they already know that her.Within the situation of some films this season, they are fully aware the topics -- and do not like them. This is a problem shared by "The Iron Lady," helmer Phyllida Lloyd's story of Margaret Thatcher starring Meryl Streep, and "J. Edgar," Clint Eastwood's film about longtime FBI honcho J. Edgar Hoover, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Have addressed the issue of lengthy, politically billed lives by concentrating on only an element of the story, and -- within the situation of "Iron Lady" -- telling the storyplot from the subject's p.o.v."This story isn't a goal biopic," Lloyd states of her film. "The storyline is told from Margaret Thatcher's perspective and it is an imagined story of methods it could it have felt to become the very first female leader within the civilized world." She and film writer Abi Morgan attempted to become very rigorous concerning the details "but always, there's some compression of your time and a couple of places where to be able to result in the story obvious we have taken something out."Overall," Lloyd states, "we are not nervous about being shot lower in flames for the details. We may be for that imagined area of the story."Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning film writer of "Milk," chuckled thinking that the subject's existence needs to undergo some modifications. "No, the film is 77 years lengthy," he states of "J. Edgar." "Every second from the man's existence is within there."Seriously, he adds, make tough choices by what duration of the individual's existence you need to tell. "Within this situation," Black states, "a cradle-to-grave version may not say anything. I'd done the study and that i had this: How come this guy replace the place where love and family opt for political admiration. Exactly what does that to some man's soul?"The final outcome, Black states, was that Hoover's ruthlessness and lack of ability to like had related to his sexuality, and the occasions. Audiences may sympathise, he states, even when they intuitively can't stand Hoover."I am not thinking about a historic piece which makes people into bad or good exclusively, which have whitened-hat/black-hat caricatures," he states. "In my experience that isn't truthful. Even when you detest the smoothness, you are not researching them or learning something which could prevent an individual like this from returning into energy."Ultimately, he adds, determining things to leave in or cut "has related to why you are making the film."EYE Around The Academy awards: BEST PICTURE PREVIEWReading the voters' minds Spinning history to match the requirements of drama Veterans in action Past the boardsAWARDS SEASON CALENDARNovember December The month of january Feb Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Sycamore to release 'Isle of Dogs'

Edward Sylvan's Sycamore Entertainment Group has entered the distribution game, acquiring its first pic for U.S. release, Tammi Sutton's horror film "Isle of Dogs." Sycamore will release the film, starring Andrew Howard ("Limitless"), in partnership with DreamFactory Entertainment early next year. "Isle," written by Sean Hogan and exec produced by Andrea Fellers, nabbed kudos for best thriller at last month's Shriekfest. Story centers on a complex love triangle involving a thief, his wife and her lover. As a publicly traded company, Sycamore will focus on "hybrid P&A and full service distribution deals," Sylvan said. Sycamore plans to announce several other acquisitions in the coming weeks. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Daly takes diva to London

LONDON -- Tyne Daly can make her London debut in The month of january 2012 reprising her turn as Maria Callas in the western world Finish transfer of "Master Class."Created working in london by Max Cooper, Maberry Theatricals, the Marks-Moore-Turnbull Group, Ted Snowdon and Sonia Friedman Prods. in colaboration with Manhattan Theater Club, the development runs Jan. 21 - Apr. 28 in the Vaudeville theater having a February. 7 press evening.Terrence McNally's drama about legendary diva Maria Callas initially opened up at Washington's Kennedy Center before opening at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theater in Gotham this season. The creative team for Stephen Wadsworth's production remains intact. Additional London casting is going to be introduced shortly. Contact David Benedict at benedictdavid@mac.com