'Iron' perf proves Streep's mettle

StreepWith her Oscar win for "The Iron Lady," Meryl Streep has became a member of a decidedly elite club, becoming just the fifth actor to win three Academy awards. Katharine Hepburn won four, and Walter Brennan, Ingrid Bergman and Jack Nicholson have three each. Streep made an appearance stunned when her named was known as Sunday. Viola Davis have been seen by many people because the likely champion for "The Assistance.Inch "After I heard my title, I possibly could hear 1 / 2 of America going, 'Oh, no! Not again! Her!' But whatever!" Streep stated in the stage. Strep thanked her longtime makeup artist J. Roy Helland, who won the makeup Oscar with Mark Coulier for "The Iron Lady," after which have a large laugh by saying, "I am not going to be up here again!" Streep received her first Oscar nom for "The Deer Hunter" and won her first Oscar annually later for "Kramer versus. Kramer." She was nominated almost 30 years ago for "In France They Lieutenant's Lady," then won the following year for "Sophie's Choice." Streep then tallied up twelve more nominations within the next 30 years without winning before you take the trophy Sunday on her portrayal of former British Pm Margaret Thatcher in "The Iron Lady," both like a retired person beset by senility so that as formidable politician who peaked using the 1982 Falklands war against Argentina. The 17 Oscar nods for Streep, 62, would be the nearly any artist continues to be nominated through the Academy, including "Silkwood," "From Africa," "A Cry at nighttime,Inch "The Bridges of Madison County," "Adaptation," "The Manchurian Candidate" and "The Demon Wears Prada." She received her 16th nom in '09 for "Julie & Julia." Besides Davis, Streep bested Glenn Close for "Albert Nobbs," Rooney Mara for "The Lady Using The Dragon Tattoo" and Michelle Williams for "My Week With Marilyn." Streep had won her eighth Golden Globe along with a BAFTA Award earlier. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

The Actor-brad Pitt Joins Edgar Wright For 'Night Stalker'

It appears like The Actor-brad Pitt and Edgar Wright might be joining as much as search the supernatural in Disney's adaptation of two 1970's telepics and also the ABC series "Kolchak: The Evening Stalker." Deadline reviews that Depp would potentially star as Carl Kolchak in "The Evening Stalker." He's a hardboiled reporter who takes up tales that police force does not wish to touch. The majority of the cases within the original tales involved monstrous animals like vampires of the underworld and zombies, but Kolchak also investigated the dark realm of ghouls along with other occult mysteries. Using the "Rob from the Dead" director usually getting a submit the writing side of his projects, it would be great to determine Disney hands this responsibility to Wright. No scribe continues to be named yet, though. The cool stylings from the director and Depp ought to be fascinating to look at. In the end anticipate more news relating to this inspired collaboration, mind beyond the break for phone relaxation of the week's horror news. Popular Manga Tale 'Bleach' Getting American Adaptation Fans of Tite Kubo's manga/anime tale "Bleach" is going to be seeing a united states adaptation from Warner Bros. soon. The studio has acquired the privileges towards the story and it is setting "Wrath from the Leaders" scribe Serta Mazeau towards the task of revamping it. The film follows teen Ichigo who are able to see ghosts. A malevolent spirit referred to as a Hollow attacks his family, and also the youthful guy turns into a Hollow hunter investing his existence to safeguarding the innocent and helping tortured souls find peace within the afterlife. The most popular story continues to be modified for videogames, buying and selling cards, musicals, and much more. Can Warner Bros. find the correct mixture of the supernatural, action, and comedy to produce a worthy remake? Will the casting of that one be another "Akira?" The 'Demonologist' Fights Fiends from Hell "To the near futureInch director Robert Zemeckis finds his new creating project in "Demonologist." Universal grabbed in the story, which develops from a novel compiled by Andrew Pyper. The result is a professor that has been staring at the epic John Milton poem "Paradise Lost." He accepts a totally free visit to Italia, but while there a demonic spirit "seems to kill his daughter." The professor embarks on the dark journey in order to save her in the wicked organizations. Will the studio be cautious making this the following "Da Vinci Code," or can they cause the horror entirely pressure? Vampires of the underworld on the Plane in 'Night Wings' We have had "Snakes on the Plane," but prepare for vamps traveling the friendly skies. THR is confirming that the "Fright Evening-esque" story is in route from Ember Entertainment. The organization continues to be granted distribution privileges for "Evening Wings." Whenever a 12-year-old boy requires a redeye flight, he soon finds out that you will find bloodsucking vampires of the underworld throughout him. He attempts to convince the crew the vamps take presctiption-board from Romania, only one passenger thinks him. The man also is surely a mourning father, seeking revenge from the vamp clan. Syfy author Paul Birkett and visual effects producer Dusan Strugar are focusing on that one which hopefully means these vampires of the underworld will really constitute the terrifying variety and never the romantic version we have been getting lots of recently. Disney Constitutes a Creature Feature Disney and also the author behind fright movies like "The Ring" and "Scream 4" are joining up for any creature feature. The Donald Duck studio has wanted to produce a project connected using their amusement park ride, The Matterhorn. They are striving to have an adventure story and also have because of the job to first-time director John Beletic. Justin Springer ("Tron Legacy") is going to be creating. Five adventure searchers together with a travel guide, a cartographer, a getaway artist, a serious sports enthusiast, as well as an archeologist mind towards the Alps "for mysterious reasons" and face several yetis (think mountain dwelling Bigfoot animals) protecting a secret. Yetis make everything better, so here's wishing Disney enables its team to experience in the gnarly beastie position. Amanda Seyfried Evades Abductors in 'Gone' Yesterday we discovered that Red-colored Riding Hood actress Amanda Seyfried includes a taxidermy collection, which made us love her much more. Her new movie "Gone" opens tomorrow. Seyfried stars like a youthful women attempting to escape abduction, haunted through the kidnapping of her sister 2 yrs earlier. Getting evaded capture before, she thinks the mysterious abductor has return to complete the task, but nobody will believe her. Pay attention to the actress discuss the film on Dread Central. Inform us that which you think about this week's Horror Bites within the comments as well as on Twitter!

Walden Media makes book on 'Rex Libris'

'Rex Libris'Walden Media is moving ahead on progression of "Rex Libris," tapping Ben Zazove to evolve the humorous sci-fi graphic novel.Walden acquired feature rights to "Rex" a year ago, which follows the zombie-slaying adventures of librarian Rex Libris while he safeguards the books in the Middleton Public Library and pads our planet's literary treasures from numerous supernatural opponents. The graphic novel is written and attracted by James Turner, and launched quarterly by Slave Labor Graphics. Warner Bros. had introduced in 2007 that "Rex Libris" reaches development with Variety Media creating.Evan Turner and Michael Bostick are handling the job for Walden, with Brent Lilley handling for Slave Labor Graphics.Walden just released your family adventure "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" through Warner Bros.Zazove written "Tooth Fairy 2" for Walden and Fox Entertainment. He's repped by Kaplan-Perrone. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Who Knew? Something Called Dorothy and the Witches of Oz is Apparently Opening Friday

Can't wait for Sam Raimi's star-studded, mega-budget Oz: The Great and Powerful? How about a low-budget, modern-day twist on the L. Frank Baum classic featuring Dorothy as a children's book author (and Kansas transplant, natch) in Manhattan and co-starring Lance Henriksen, Billy Boyd and Christopher Lloyd? Oh. Well anyway, here's the latest on Dorothy and the Witches of Oz, the erstwhile little-seen mini-series that by all appearances this weekend should become a little-seen theatrical release. Writer-director Leigh Scott's film reportedly has one of the more roundabout broadcast/distribution records of any recent movie (save for Margaret, perhaps), but will finally come to theaters Friday. By "theaters," I mean "four venues in Arizona," with three more to follow Feb. 24 in Kansas and Kentucky. The film itself, meanwhile, appears pretty deeply NYC-centric -- because no one's ever imposed that twist on the Oz legend before: It does kind of look better than This Means War, right? And in "glorious 2D"! Well-played, team. Arizona, you are in luck! [via Big Hollywood]

Jirafa readies Leiva's 'Groenlandia'

Bruno Bettati's Jirafa Films, whose "The Summer season of Flying Sea food" reaches the Berlinale Co-Production Market, is planning "Groenlandia," helmer Jose Luis Torres Leiva third film.Occur the Valdivia hills within the lakeside village of Puerto Fuy, pic follows a 73-year-old upon the market person whose a lot more youthful g.f. announces she's pregnant."The landscape is again a personality in Torres Leiva's film, but 'Groenlandia' may well be more dramatic and actor-driven, and rehearse professional stars," Bettati mentioned.A black-humored family dramedy, "Flying Sea food," might be the fiction debut of Chilean-French helmer-scribe Marcela Mentioned, whose third documentary, "The Youthful Butler," carried out Berlin's 2011 Forum."Sea food" has attracted lower Chilean subsidy funding plus gold gold coin from France's " " new world " " Cinemas Aid plan. It'll begin lensing in November, mentioned Bettati, who, with Sergio Gandara, has walked lower as professional director at film promotion board CinemaChile. Chilean TV producer Constanza Arena has transformed them.Chilean cinema seems being transitional phase with projects including "Groenlandia," Pablo Larrain's Gael Garcia Bernal-starrer "No" and Alicia Scherson's "The Long Run,In . with Rutger Hauer, which Jirafa co-produces, mixing art together with an industrial tilt. Bettati noted that "five years ago, i had been trying to find funding and funding and funding and customers were something you accomplished afterwards.InchNow, he mentioned, Chilean producers secure sales reps before a film is finished. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Tenpercenter Carlos Carreras joins APA

Talent agent Carlos Carreras has became a member of APA after ankling from Paradigm. Carreras will are accountable to Ryan Martin, mind from the agency's Talent Department. Carreras' client roster has a multitude of Latin American talent including Demian Bichir, Karen Olivo and Ana Claudia Talancon. Other clients include Jose Maria Yazpik, Jordi Molla, Leonardo Sbaraglia, William Fichtner, Gina Rodriguez, Derek Theler, Diego Klattenhoff, Ashley Zukerman, Jason Priestley, Harrison Gilbertson, Oscar Jaenada and Jordi Molla. It's unclear which clients follows his proceed to APA. Carreras formerly labored being an agent at UTA for 5 years, growing representation within the The spanish language-language marketplace with Jennifer Lopez, Jimmy Smits, Ruben Rotor blades and Wilmer Valderrama and Guillermo Arriaga. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Will Cougar Town's Grassroots Marketing Repay? The Cast and Crew Weigh In

Bob Clendenin, Busy Philips and Courtney Cox Cougar Town continues to be from the air eight several weeks, but that does not mean the show's cast and crew weren't working hard marketing the show's lengthy-looked forward to return. In October, the cast shot secret, blink-and-you-skipped-it cameos on other primetime series like Grey's Anatomy and Castle. Two several weeks later, show bosses Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel started organizing a large number of viewing parties in metropolitan areas spanning from from California, FL towards the show's Culver City set, where fans could get together to look at never-before-seen Season 3 episodes, meet people from the cast and revel in some free wine. More lately, Biegel gave fans the opportunity to win a stroll-on role when they waved an indication exhibiting the series' premiere time and date on-air throughout Super Bowl XLVI. Cougar Town stars to pop on your preferred shows Incensed over ABC shelving his show for such a long time, Lawrence even put a personal party for journalists in The month of january - and nicely rejected network publicists who requested when they could visit. "The times of the network running advertisements saying, 'Make sure you read this show next Wednesday [are gone,Inch Lawrence told reporters in the event. "For this reason In my opinion grassroots marketing can be done and when it turns the dial whatsoever, it will likely be the near future.Inch "Waiting until [Feb] would be a little tough. You won't want to test people an excessive amount of,Inch star and executive producer Courteney Cox stated throughout January's gathering. "When the show does well within the first three episodes, then we'll return most likely for 2 years. ... As we don't, then we are canceled which is going to be it, but I do believe that people have strong fans." That fan loyalty is going to be examined large-time once the show returns on Tuesday, February. 14 at 8:30/7:30c without the advantage of hit series Modern Family like a lead-in. Rather, Cougar Town will air on the new evening following newcomer comedy Last Guy Standing. ABC cuts seven episodes from Cougar Town's third season Co-star John Van Holt remains positive that fans will discover the Cul-p-Sac crew's new house. "It's the very first time I have ever experienced something similar to this," he stated. "I can not go anywhere without somebody asking, 'What happened to Cougar Town? Just when was it returning on?'" The concept is less to usher in new audiences Lawrence just wants the die-hards to return. These. "As we do this, we win," Lawrence states. "My foolish optimism would be that the individuals who such as this show were religiously in it which there's a large number to help keep it alive. My fear is the fact that we remained off too lengthy." The final episode to air was viewed with a series-low 5 million audiences in May. Cougar Town coming back in Feb So whether fans arrive - and with no cast, crew and free booze -- is anyone's guess. "This is actually the very first time I can not let you know how this show can do,Inch Lawrence stated. "Personally, i believe that the show's resource is community where those who enjoy it enjoy it a great deal and can abide by it and appear of these insane parties. When the show continues to be on the coming year, I am likely to be grateful. And when it isn't, I am likely to be pissed and think [ABC] mismanaged it." (Additional confirming by Natalie Abrams)

The Lowdown on NBC's Smash: Weighing the Hype vs. the Reality

Smash, Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty Thanks to NBC's relentless marketing and PR campaign, much is already known about Smash, a big-risk series about the making of a Marilyn Monroe musical. At the center of the sudsy backstage drama is American Idol's Katharine McPhee, who stars as an ingénue pitted against a more seasoned Broadway chorus girl to play the iconic blonde. If the premise sounds hopelessly niche for a broadcast network in desperate need of a hit (thespians! show tunes! jazz hands!), both NBC and critics high on the series have been working hard to change your mind. Advanced word on Smash is that it's the anti-Glee (especially if you've tired of that show's pop song-happy chorus of high schoolers), The West Wing but on Broadway (should you miss Aaron Sorkin's defining sense of a workplace), and a game-changer for NBC (if you went bananas for the first episode, which NBC screened in theaters and made available on-demand and online weeks before Monday's official premiere). Watch Smash right now - then tell us what you think! Is it all just hyperbole? TVGuide.com watched the show's first four episodes, and grilled the creators, songwriters and cast of Smash, to give you the low down on what you can really expect: No one spontaneously bursts into song. Smash itself isn't a musical. Characters aren't "singing their feelings while skipping down halls," explains series songwriter-composer Marc Shaiman. But in attempting to keep things grounded in reality, the characters do visit one lounge/club/karaoke bar per episode in order to belt off-stage. Whether or not that device will continue beyond the fourth episode remains to be seen, but the producers are already reserving the right to change their mind: Shaiman and writing partner Scott Wittman admitted they are dying to find a real way for Anjelica Huston, who plays the producer of the Marilyn musical, to sing. "I just snuck off with them and we did a recording of something," Huston revealed. "I have a sort of long history of singing; generally, I only do it in the shower, but I love to sing." But Smash is very inside Broadway. The plotlines -- and here is where those West Wing comparisons come in - revolve entirely around the politics and inner workings of the theater biz: the brutal auditions, creative clashes, endless rehearsals, diva rivalries. NY Post theater critic Michael Riedel gets name-checked as the "Napoleonic little Nazi" villain in the first episode (and he's thrilled about it!) and real-life theater investors drop in for cameos. Huston believes it's a provocative inside look at life on The Great White Way: "The one thing I'm absolutely convinced about is that people love to be on the inside, whether they live in Middle America or not. People like to know the numbers," she said. "They also like to know who's sleeping with whom. It's a sophisticated soap." Uma Thurman takes the stage for five-episode arc on NBC's Smash The behind-the-scenes drama is more sudsy than serious. As much as Smash's creative team (executive producers Steven Spielberg, Shaiman and Wittman, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and creator Theresa Rebeck -- all hard working theater folk) want the series to be authentic to the biz, it seems more important that they "put on a show" themselves. Think of the breezy way Entourage did showbiz, not so much the annotated notes-required way Luck does horseracing. The resulting tone is mostly light and fun, and only occasionally melodramatic. In Smash, one of the assistants working on the musical is an eavedropping spy; the director is a swaggering ego incarnate who puts the moves on both potential Marilyns; the producer likes to toss Manhattans in the face of her soon-to-be ex; and one of the songwriters is trying to make time to adopt a Chinese baby with her husband while sorting through her feelings about having had an affair with one of the actors in the show. Megan Hilty, who plays one of the actresses up for the part of Marilyn, says the theater world just happens to be "very incestuous, and very gossipy." "You become a family working together, but that's a byproduct," she said. Don't expect Glee-sized music sales, or fanfare. Smash dabbles in radio hits - Christina Aguilera, Bruno Mars, Michael Buble, Adele, Carrie Underwood, Gretchen Wilson and Blondie covers are mixed in with original show tunes about Marilyn Monroe - but not in the poppy radio-friendly style of the Fox hit. Also unlike Glee, Smash is a 10 pm show aimed at adults, not teens who are more likely to send songs up the iTunes charts. You can color us shocked if the Smash music sells even a fraction as well as the Glee covers do. Marilyn Monroe is sort of beside the point. The truth is none of the series producers considered themselves well-versed in all things Norma Jean before they decided to make her the subject of the musical. Rebeck says Wittman pitched Monroe during a brainstorm meeting, and she wasn't initially enthused. "I said, 'Oh, I don't know,'" Rebeck recalls, remembering a Marilyn musical that famously flopped on Broadway in 1983. But as they began to research and read about the film icon, they agreed that she led a "very theatrical, very eventful life." "Eventually I had a moment where I finally said, 'I'm not sure I can write a brilliant musical about Marilyn, but I do know I could write a brilliant television show about people trying to write a brilliant musical about Marilyn.'" Bernadette Peters and Nick Jonas to guest-star on Smash Acting isn't Katharine McPhee's backup plan. The good news is among a cast of pros, several of whom come direct from the Broadway stage, she doesn't stand out as green. Turns out acting isn't just an alternate road to fame for the 27-year-old Los Angeles native who came up second to Taylor Hicks on Idol. "I've always had a lot of theater and musical theater in my life," McPhee says. She performed in plays and musicals throughout high school, and studied theater in college "for three semesters before I dropped out to go into acting, to be a movie star!" she says, laughing. "Oh, the dream seemed so easy in the moment." Don't be deceived by Mount McPhee -- casting Marilyn is going to take most of the first season. To hear the theater vets tell it, leading roles are not so easily won -- spoiler alert: later in the first season, watch for Uma Thurman to come in as a movie star also vying to play Marilyn -- so don't read too much into the special attention McPhee's been getting. Says Christian Borle, who plays one of the musical's songwriters: "That is something that drives theater people crazy. If they can bring in a star, they will. It's a question of money. They need people to buy tickets." Hilty says she's been edged out before. "I can't tell you how many times I've done readings and workshops for projects wanting to go to Broadway. You give your life to it and at the end of the development, they're like, 'We love you. You're perfect. No one could do this better than you. But we need a star.'" It's going to take more than one show to turn around NBC's ratings woes, but it's still bad news if Smash underperforms. In January, NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said Smash wasn't a "make-or-break show" for the fourth-place network. But tepid applause certainly won't be good considering the failures of The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect and nearly dead The Firm, and just OK viewership for Law & Order: SVU, Grimm and Parenthood. Adding pressure to the performance of Smash is NBC's other, arguably riskier, mid-season series Awake, a somber drama about a man living in a fractured reality after a fatal car crash. That show isn't getting half the promotion Smash did. And now, a promo featuring the casts of all of NBC's shows - even Donald Trump! - gathered to promote Smash:

Casting Directors Announced for New Pilots from 'Shameless' Show Runner

John Frank Levey and Melanie Burgess will cast the one-hour drama pilot "Bad Girls" for NBC, Back Stage has confirmed. John Wells, the showrunner for Showtime's "Shameless" and creator of "E.R.," is executive producer for this adaptation of the long-running British crime drama of the same name."The project follows the ins-and-outs of a group of unlikely women in a federal prison: a scandalous female warden, her new protg and a host of inmates some mothers, some friendswho struggle with loyalties to people on the inside and the outside," according to "The Hollywood Reporter." Shed Media and John Wells Productions are producing, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The pilot is scheduled to shoot in Los Angeles in March.Back Stage also confirmed that Levey and Burgess will cast the pilot for Wells' other project in development this season, "Prodigy Bully," a half-hour single-camera comedy for Fox, written by "Glee" co-star Mike O'Malley. The show is about a young boy genius who must adapt to a new private school, but uses his brains and brawn to get whatever he wants. Production is scheduled to begin in early April in Los Angeles.Together, Levey and Burgess have also cast the TV series "Southland," "Torchwood," and "Shameless," among others.