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Chinese Court Says Cartoon Producer, Parents Responsible In Boy’s Act Of Copycat Violence: Reports

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday December 19, 2013 @ 5:47am PSTTags: China, Screen Violence

pleasant goatA Chinese court has ruled that producers of a hit kids’ TV cartoon hold partial responsibility for serious burns sustained by two children in a copycat act of violence. The court also laid partial blame on the legal guardians of a 10-year-old boy who in April tied two others to a tree and set them on fire in Jiangsu province, the Xinhua news agency reported. The 10-year-old boy said he had been imitating a scene from the cartoon Xi Yangyang & Hui Tailang (Pleasant Goat And Big Big Wolf). With increased scrutiny on how violent images affect TV and film audiences, and how ratings systems inform parents, the decision by the court comes at a notable moment.

One of the injured boys, aged seven, had burns to 80% of his body. His four-year-old brother was burned across 40% of his body. The court ordered the 10-year-old boy’s guardians and Guangzhou-based producer, Creative Power Entertaining, to pay 60% and 15%, respectiely, of their compensation. Because the show is aimed at children, the court said producers are obliged to scrutinize violence carefully, and that inappropriate scenes should be cut and warnings given, Xinhua said. Read More »

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Berlin Fest’s Panorama Includes Films From Michel Gondry, John Michael McDonagh

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday December 19, 2013 @ 4:34am PSTTags: Berlin Film Festival, John Michael McDonagh, Michel Gondry, Yves Saint Laurent

Berlin Film FestivalThe Berlin Film Festival will ultimately line up 50 narrative and documentary features for its Panorama section that showcases innovative mainstream and radical alternative films. Today, it’s offered up the first 19 titles. Included among them are Michel Gondry‘s Is The Man Who Is Tall Happy?, John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary and Tsai Ming-liang’s Journey To The West. Jalil Lespert’s biopic Yves Saint Laurent will open Panorama Special on February 7th at the newly-renovated Zoo Palast cinema. The Berlin Fest runs from February 6-16. Below is the list of Panorama films announced today:

PANORAMA
Arrête Ou Je Continue (If You Don’t, I Will)
France
By Sophie Fillières
With Emmanuelle Devos, Mathieu Amalric
World premiere

Bai Mi Zha Dan Ke (The Rice Bomber)
Taiwan
By Cho Li
With Huang Chien-wei, Nikki Hsieh, Michael Chang
World premiere

Bing Du (Ice Poison)
Taiwan / Myanmar
By Midi Z
With Wang Shin-Hong, Wu Ke-Xi
World premiere

Calvary
Ireland / Great Britain
By John Michael McDonagh
With Brendan Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, Aidan Gillen
European premiere Read More »

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Hot TV Trailer: Jeremy Piven In ‘Mr Selfridge’ Season Two Preview

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday December 19, 2013 @ 3:49am PSTTags: ITV, Jeremy Piven, Mr. Selfridge, PBS

Earlier this year, ITV and PBS both ordered a second season of the Jeremy Piven-starring department store drama Mr Selfridge. The promo below for the much-anticipated new 10-episode series has aired on British TV in the past few weeks, but had somehow … Read More »

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Daniel Radcliffe, Chevy Chase Among Celeb Guests For Sky’s Reboot Of ‘The Kumars’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday December 19, 2013 @ 3:30am PSTTags: Chevy Chase, Daniel Radcliffe, Sky, The Kumars

the kumarsThe follow-up to International Emmy and Peabody Award-winning comedy/talk show hybrid The Kumars At No. 42 will bring the Kumar clan back to television after a seven-year break. The new show, titled The Kumars, is a six-part series … Read More »

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Global Showbiz Briefs: Wanda Cinema Line Adding 80 IMAX Theaters In China; New BBC Gig For Mark Freeland; More

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 10:00pm PSTTags: BBC, The Cinema Guild, Wanda Cinema Line

China’s Wanda Cinema Line To Add 80 IMAX Theaters
Wanda Cinema Line, Asia’s largest movie theater owner, will add 80 additional IMAX theaters to its locations throughout China, the company confirmed today. Rollout will start in 2016 and will bring Wanda’s IMAX commitment to 210 theaters in the territory. Under the terms of the agreement, up to 40 of the 80 additional theaters will install IMAX’s next-generation laser projection system. Wanda Cinema Line was one of IMAX’s first exhibition partners in China, dating to 2007. The parties signed a revenue-sharing deal in the territory in 2011. IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond recently said he plans to more than double the company’s footprint in China over the next five years. At a November Bloomberg conference, he said: “I feel like I’ve got the wind at my back. … I’m a huge China bull.” In 2012, Wanda Group expanded heavily into the U.S., acquiring AMC Entertainment in a $2.6B deal, and today that company went public on the New York Stock Exchange. Read More »

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Simon Cowell Confirms Demi Lovato’s Exit From ‘The X Factor’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 8:52pm PSTTags: Demi Lovato, Fox, Simon Cowell, The X Factor
Nellie Andreeva

simon-cowell-demi-lovato-1888592When The X Factor gets renewed for a fourth season, it will be without judge Demi Lovato.  Speaking on the red carpet after tonight’s performace finale, X Factor boss Simon Cowell confirmed that Lovato won’t be back next … Read More »

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Is ‘Anchorman’s Paul Rudd Superhero Material? ‘Ant-Man’ In The Offing

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 6:52pm PSTTags: Anchorman 2, Ant-Man, Marvel, Paul Rudd
Mike Fleming

antThe long-rumored crowning of Paul Rudd as Ant-Man is finally happening. He is Marvel‘s choice to star as the title character in the Edgar Wright-directed film. Rudd has proven himself adept at light drama and he is exceptionally good at  comedy, but I never really thought of him as superhero material. Wright, who wrote the Ant-Man script with Joe Cornish, showed at Comic-Con two years ago a demonstration of the technology developed that displayed a speck-sized Ant-Man running down the barrel of a gun and then re-emerging in actual size to put a hurting on a bad guy. It was pruddpretty cool stuff, but Wright put the whole thing down to make The World’s End first. He did that mainly because the film’s producer, Working Title’s Eric Fellner, was diagnosed with cancer. Wright — who felt that Shaun Of The Dead — the first leg of what would become the Cornetto trilogy wouldn’t have gotten made if it wasn’t for Fellner — never would have forgiven himself if he didn’t make the third film in the series quickly, just in case the producer’s condition worsened. Marvel relented, and Kevin Feige agreed to wait. Fellner got his movie and, more important, a clean bill of health.

Related: Disney Moves Up ‘Ant-Man’ Release To Summer 2015
 Read More »

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UPDATE: ‘Duck Dynasty’ Star’s Suspension For Anti-Gay Comments Draws Reaction

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 4:48pm PSTTags: A&E Networks, Duck Dynasty, Phil Robertson

Phil Robertson Duck Dynasty SuspendedUPDATED: 6:44 PM: Here comes the backlash to the Duck Dynasty star’s anti-gay remarks published in GQ today. The Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT civil rights group in the U.S., is demanding an apology from Phil Robertson and for A+E Networks to denounce his comments. “These remarks go beyond being outlandishly inaccurate and offensive,” the group said in a long and detailed statement. “They are dangerous and revisionist, appealing to those in our society who wish to repeat patterns of discrimination. We urge A+E to immediately denounce and repudiate Robertson’s comments. Furthermore, we call on you to see that Phil Robertson apologizes for his vitriolic comments. Surely a brand like A+E does not want to be associated with such racist and homophobic remarks. Meanwhile, GLAAD, which had slammed Robertson’s remarks as “vile” earlier in the day, praised A&E for its swift action to suspend its star. “What’s clear is that such hateful anti-gay comments are unacceptable to fans, viewers, and networks alike,” the organization said in a statement. “By taking quick action and removing Robertson from future filming, A&E has sent a strong message that discrimination is neither a Christian nor an American value.”

PREVIOUSLY: A+E Networks said that Phil Robertson has been put on an indefinite hiatus from his hit reality series for anti-gay remarks he made in the January issue of GQ magazine, which became available today.  This comes as Season 5 of the series is set to debut January 15. We’re hearing that the show isn’t shooting right now, and there are episodes in the can that Robertson will be in. But he will not be a part of the production when filming resumes. “We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty”, the network group said in a statement just now. ”His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.”

A&E_logoThis move is no small potatoes for A&E Network — the series’ Season 4 debut remains the No. 1-rated nonfiction series telecast in cable history with 11.8 million viewers. For A&E was its best-ever series telecast in adults 18-49 (6.3 million viewers) and adults 18-34 (3 million). It has spawned a couple of Christmas specials (the one last week drew 8.9 million viewers) and just landed its first major awards nomination this month, a PGA Awards nom for best reality series. The Louisiana family also secured big salary increases just before that record Season 4 premiere, with the clan reportedly earning more than $200,000 an episode — roughly 4.5 times more than their previous salaries – divvied up among the nine adults and 11 kids on the show. Those negotiations with the WME-repped family and series producer Gurney Prods caused a delay in the start of the season. Read More »

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Hot Trailer: Netflix Docu ‘Mitt’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 4:47pm PSTTags: Mitt, Mitt Romney, Netflix

Minutes after the Sundance Film Festival announced last week that it would have the documentary’s world premiere, Netflix said it had picked it up. Director Greg Whiteley had intimate access to Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign for the GOP presidential nomination from 2006 through his Election Night defeat. … Read More »

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Marcia Cross Makes TV Return With Starring Role In Fox Comedy Pilot ‘Fatrick’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 4:45pm PSTTags: Fatrick, Marcia Cross
Nellie Andreeva

crossIn her return to television, Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross is taking a comedy route, signing on for the lead female role in Fox‘s single-camera comedy pilot Fatrick. The project, written by Don’t Trust The B—- In Apt. … Read More »

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Zoe Soul Joins ‘The Purge 2′; David Dobkin To Helm WB’s Hugh Hefner Pic; ‘AWOL 72′ Adds Heather Roop

By JEN YAMATO | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 4:42pm PSTTags: AWOL 72, David Dobkin, Hugh Hefner, playboy, The Next Chapter Of The Purge, The Purge 2, Zoe Soul

zoe soulEXCLUSIVE: Zoe Soul (Prisoners) has been cast in the Universal/Blumhouse/Platinum dunes sequel The Next Chapter Of The Purge, the follow-up to this year’s hit thriller set on the one day a year when crime is legal. James DeMonaco will again write and direct with Blumhouse’s Jason Blum producing alongside Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes and Sebastien Lemercier. Frank Grillo stars in the pic, which has also added Michael K. Williams, Carmen Ejogo, Zach Gilford, and Kiele Sanchez to its cast. Soul is an alumnus of BET’s Reed Between The Lines who has a role in current awards season hopeful Prisoners with Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. The singer-actress is currently writing and developing her own music with producer Justin Gray and also J Bynum, with whom she performs as Zoe & The Bear. The Purge 2 is due in theaters June 20, 2014. Soul is repped by Untitled, Allegory and Alex Kohner of Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein & Kohner.

david dobkinDavid Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) is in talks to direct Warner Bros.’ Hugh Hefner biopic, which Peter Morgan is scripting. The untitled Playboy project first originated at Universal via Imagine Entertainment and will be produced by Jerry Weintraub while Lynn Harris oversees for WB. Coming off a string of comedies including Fred Claus and The Change-Up, Dobkin most recently wrapped drama The Judge with Robert Downey Jr., who was once in contention for the Hef role. He’s repped by WME and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Read More »

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TBS To Adapt Hit Online Series ‘Jake & Amir’ As TV Comedy With Ed Helms Producing

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 4:06pm PST
Nellie Andreeva

jakeamirEXCLUSIVE: Hit online series Jake & Amir is heading to television. TBS has put in development a comedy based on CollegeHumor’s most popular and longest-running series by comedy duo Amir Blumenfeld and Jake Hurwitz. Hurwitz and Blumenfeld will star the TV project. They will co-write with another scripter duo, Mike Lisbe and edhelmsNate Reger, with The Hangover and The Office alum Ed Helms executive producing.

Created by Hurwitz and Blumenfeld, Jake & Amir will revolve around an odd-couple friendship between best friends and co-workers Jake (Hurwitz), the sensible “regular guy”, and Amir (Blumenfeld), the obsessive oddball. Together they must navigate the cubicles of their workplace, stand up to the corporate man and try to function with their dysfunctional co-workers, all while maintaining their shenanigans. CollegeHumor is producing, with the online comedy brand’s Ricky Van Veen and Sam Reich executive producing alongside Hurwitz & Blumenfeld; Lisbe and Reger, who serve as regerlisbeshowrunners; and Pacific Electric Picture Co.’s  Helms and Mike Falbo. Blumenfeld and Hurwitz originally teamed with CollegeHumor to pitch the Jake & Amir concept to TV networks. TBS, which has been focusing on younger-skewing comedy fare to fit its blockbuster off-network series The Big Bang Theory, bought the project; partnered Blumenfeld and Hurwitz with experienced comedy writers, Lisbe and Reger, who serve as co-executive producers on the network’s Cougar Town; and brought in Helms. This follows the template of TBS’ comedy Sullivan & Son, also exec produced by a well-known actor-producer, Vince Vaughn. Read More »

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SAG-AFTRA Will Represent Chicago Public Media

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 4:05pm PSTTags: SAG AFTRA

The staffers at Chicago Public Media voted 40-7 today to have SAG-AFTRA as their union. The deal covers professionals who produce, report, host and present content for Chicago’s sag-aftra__130109005212__130214234025__130406160817__130525174654__131017234703National Public Radio outlet WBEZ, Vocalo, Sound Opinions and related digital services. … Read More »

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Ray Ford Joins Fox Comedy Pilot ‘Fatrick’; ‘Gang Related’, ‘The Strain’ Add Recurrings

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 3:15pm PSTTags: Fatrick, Gang Related, Jim Watson, Pasha Lychnikoff, Ray Ford, The Strain

Ray FordDon’t Trust the B—- in Apt 23′s Ray Ford has been cast in the Fox pilot Fatrick, reuniting with the pilot’s co-creator/exec producer Nahnatchka Khan, who created Apt 23. He will play Maurice, the longtime best friend of Patrick, a thirtysomething guy realizing that his life isn’t quite where it should be and forced to face the damage caused by years of being the chubby kid called “Fatrick”. Maurice is the only one who knows “both Patricks” and now serves as his therapist. Ford, whose credits include and Grey’s Anatomy, is repped by Rectangle Entertainment and Amsel, Eisenstadt, Frazier & Hinojosa. Dante Hoagland (30 Rock) has also been cast in the comedy as the 12-year-old Maurice and Lucy Rust has been cast as the younger version of Patrick’s sister.

Pasha Pasha-lychnikoffLychnikoff has joined the upcoming Fox drama Gang Related, from 20th Century Fox TV and Imagine TV. He will recur as Slotko Yegenev, the head of a Russian organized crime family. The series centers on a gang member (Ramon Rodriguez) sent in to infiltrate the San Francisco Police Department. Lychnikoff, whose TV credits include The Big Bang Theory and Deadwood, next will be seen in the Nicolas Cage pic Tokarev, and he starts filming The Dancing Bull in February. He is repped by Don Buchwald & Associates. Read More »

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Daniel Wu, Clancy Brown Join Big Screen World Of ‘Warcraft’

By JEN YAMATO | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 3:00pm PSTTags: Clancy Brown, Daniel Wu, Warcraft

Daniel Wu Warcraft Clancy Brown WarcraftLegendary and Universal Pictures’ video game adaptation Warcraft has leveled up Daniel Wu and Clancy Brown to its cast in undisclosed roles. California-born … Read More »

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Dylan Clark Partners With Scott Stuber In Bluegrass Films

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 2:53pm PSTTags: Bluegrass Films, Dylan Clark, Scott Stuber, Universal Pictures
Mike Fleming

Dylan ClarkBREAKING: In a move that has been rumored now for two months, former Universal Pictures EVP Dylan Clark has joined Scott Stuber‘s Bluegrass Films as a partner who’ll oversee film and television. It reunites the duo, who worked together from 2001-2005 when Stuber was Universal vice chairman. Clark had been developing films as a producer since leaving Chernin Entertainment, where he BluegrassFilmshelped reboot a franchise with Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. The move follows the exit of Pam Abdy from Bluegrass to take the president post at New Regency. “Dylan is the perfect fit for the company,” said Stuber. “We have a great working relationship and have been friends for a long time and I can’t think of a better person to help Bluegrass Films continue to grow.” Clark takes the post as Stuber readies Seth MacFarlane’s Ted followup A Million Ways To Die In The West, Kill The Messenger and Ted 2, which starts production in Spring 2014. Read More »

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FCC Prepares To Eliminate Its TV Sports Blackout Rules

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Financial Editor | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 2:37pm PSTTags: FCC, NFL

The agency followed through today on an effort launched last month by then-Acting Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn: NFLTVIt released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that invites public comment before it eliminates the rules adopted in 1975 to help broadcasters and the NFL. They say that if a sports league requires a TV station to black out a game – usually a football game that isn’t sold out — then cable and satellite distributors can’t offer it in the community either. “The sports industry has changed dramatically in the last 40 years…[and] the economic rationale underlying the sports blackout rules may no longer be valid,” the notice says. When the rules were adopted about 59% of the NFL’s regular season games were blacked out due to failure of the games to sell out. But the FCC observes that in 2011 just 6% were blacked out, and just in four cities: Buffalo, Cincinnati, San Diego, and Tampa Bay. Also, TV payments have become much more significant than gate receipts to most teams’ revenues. Read More »

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“Willy-Nilly” SAG-AFTRA Slammed Over Dismissal Request In $130M Residuals Suit

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 2:04pm PSTTags: Ed Asner, SAG AFTRA

DJP LEGAL BADGEAlmost a month ago, SAG-AFTRA sought to toss out of court the remaining portions of a multimillion-dollar residuals suit filed by former SAG President Ed Asner and 15 other members of the self-titled United Screen Actors Committe. This week, the plantiffs rejected that idea and fired back at the union, which they say has SAG_AFTRA_Logo__130627231650__130712010638__130731223802__130917164007__131120210226“clearly taken advantage of its role as a fiduciary” and it members. “SAG-AFTRA simply does not record what is earned but it willy-nilly converts checks as it sees fit, by either endorsing checks made out to performers and placing same into its purported Trust Account, or by holding onto performers checks for months if not years on end to the ongoing detriment of its members who depend on these earnings to live,” Tuesday’s 26-page federal court filing says. The union must be “held accountable for misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance in these and other regards,” it adds.  Asner and the United Screen Committee first filed suit over more than $130 million in allegedly improperly dispersed foreign residuals on May 24.  A hearing on the union’s November request for dismissal and motion to strike is scheduled for January 6 in front of District Judge Manuel Real. In the fall, the judge set a June 24, 2014 trial date in the case.

Related: SAG-AFTRA Takes “First Step” To Merge Health Plans Read More »

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Warner Bros Alliance With Black List Leads To Script Deal For Universal Assistant

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday December 18, 2013 @ 1:48pm PSTTags: Tasha Huo, The Black List, Warner Bros
Mike Fleming

blacklistEXCLUSIVE: Four months after aligning with The Black List to find new writing talent in under-served demos, Warner Bros has selected the first writer who’ll get a two-step WGA minimum deal. It’s Tasha Huo, and the … Read More »

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