Backstreet Boy Nick Carter to Guest-star on 90210

Tony Lucca This is how confident we were that Tony Lucca would advance through this week's battle rounds on The Voice: We got a hold of him Monday morning - just as he'd completed a weekend performing on a rock cruise - to ask him if his missing facial hair would make a comeback in subsequent episodes, what really happened after Christina Aguilera failed to recognize her former fellow Mouseketeer ("Wake up," Christina!), and whether or not coach Adam Levine is actually a loveable, cocky rock star (or just a cocky rock star) when the cameras aren't rolling. The Voice recap: Let the battle rounds begin! And, of course we grilled him all about MMC (that's Mickey Mouse Club for those who didn't grow up in the 90s), from dating Keri Russell and making Britney Spears swoon, to his affection for the soap-within-the-show Emerald Cove. In our minds, there's no doubt that it was the Mouse Club faithful that helped send "Tony Lucca" trending on Twitter immediately after he appeared on The Voice's second season premiere. (And - spoiler alert - we were right. The 35-year-old Waterford, Mich. native beat out Chris Cauley in a performance of U2's "Beautiful Day." On to the live shows!) Right after your blind audition aired, "Tony Lucca" immediately blew up on Twitter. You think that's a lot of MMC die-hards reminiscing? Not that your rendition of "Trouble" wasn't damn fine... Tony Lucca: There's a ton of MMC love there. Shortly after MMC was canceled it wasn't long before I was making records and getting on the Internet to see who was out there as far as the Mouse Club fan base. I was trying to hit up message boards to find fans and have fans find fans, just really trying to connect with as many as I could. I had a nice little mailing list going. Then MySpace came along and with it this influx of Mouse Club fans who wanted to know where I'd been all these years. Then came Facebook and another flood of people, and the same with Twitter. I think just when I thought they'd all come out of the woodwork, here comes The Voice. I think we've now seen the last of them. If they missed it before, they know now that I've been making music for the last, you know, 15 years. Entertainment Weekly names you as their No. 1 pick going into the battle rounds. Lucca: I was in Mexico and a friend sent me a text with a picture of that spread in the magazine. I was like, "What?!" That's huge. Well, I mean it's everything and nothing because after the battle rounds everything's going to shift around. And I can't lie and say that I don't think some of it has to do with the runaway story, the barrage of media coverage on the whole Christina thing. I'm sure that sort of helped put me out there a little further in everyone's perception of the show. But, yeah, I was also definitely flattered and honored. The magazine also profiled your coach, Adam Levine, calling him a loveable douchebag. Now that you've worked with him, how accurate is that description? Lucca: What people dig about Adam is yeah, he's got this particular brand of mojo that can be kind of intimidating, but I think ultimately he's very direct. The dude tells it like it is. For someone like me, you're sticking your neck out there to see what happens, you want someone who's going to give it to you straight. And while he kind of throws on the salesman charm when he's trying to get people on his team, I think he comes across as the most relateable in a way. With Cee Lo it's like "Where's this guy come from? What planet does he live on?" Similar thing with Christina. Blake's a pretty normal guy but he definitely clings to the country thing that may turn some people off. Adam is the modern rock star guy. Who doesn't love a good rock hero? Check out clips from The Voice You've been at music for a while, recording and touring as an independent artist. (Lucca's song "Devil Town" was even featured on the Friday Night Lights soundtrack.) Why audition for The Voice now? What makes you feel ready to try your hand at "the big time"? Lucca: If anyone can attest to the plight of the indie artist, it's certainly me. It's a wonderful path, extremely rewarding and gratifying most every step of the way. But after a while it's easy to wear out, making the rounds coast to coast every year only to show up and see the same 75-150 come to a club each time you're there. After a while, you want something else to help catapult you. Three or five years ago, I might have felt like I still had too much to prove, or that [auditioning] was beneath me or something. Or maybe 10-15 years ago I would have thought, "No, I'm going to get it the old-fashioned way. I'm going to get a band and play shows on the Sunset Strip. I'm going to get some A&R guy to come down and discover me and pay me seven figures to be a rock star." [Laughs] Those things are gone. That paradigm is gone. I think independent artists now are constantly looking for the next avenue to break past the ceiling they find themselves hitting. I know for a lot of my friends, they put a lot of their efforts into music licensing, trying to get songs placed on Grey's Anatomy, putting thousands of dollars into campaigning for just one show because it has the power to break an artist. That sort of strategy didn't exist 10 years ago. Everyone's had to adapt. I think when The Voice came along, they showed you that not only were they not shying away from artists who had been established before, but that they were highlighting them. This was the show that was going to shed light on people who have been at this and are deserving of this kind of break. Obviously, that appealed to me greatly. So it's safe to say you never auditioned for American Idol or The X Factor before? Lucca: I never did. That approach, that kind of star-making machinery, didn't appeal to me. The Voice seemed a little more artist-friendly, a little more authentic. Obviously, you knew that there was a possibility that Christina, whom you worked with on MMC, could wind up as your coach. Would that have been too weird? Lucca: Yeah, I think if we were reunited and working together, that might make for some exciting TV, but I think as the show progressed it might be a little problematic, like a conflict of interest. But I was tickled to see that she turned around. I wasn't totally surprised that she didn't seem to recognize me there... Really? You guys used to perform very memorably together! Lucca: Well, in that environment, a zillion things running through your mind, I don't fault her. I mean, it's been almost 20 years. But to be totally honest, Adam is who I was hoping would turn around - and he turned around first. He pushed two buttons; it was a no-brainer for me. Fall 2012 TV scorecard: Which shows are returning? Which aren't? So truth - you knew Britney had a crush on you, right? Lucca: I'm not gonna say I was naïve to the idea that that might have been going on. But again, I think it was more that the younger kids on the show looking up to the older kids. Specifically, with regards to Britney, she was a big Keri Russell fan and I was dating Keri at the time. I think that her crush might have just been like, "Oh, I love Keri's hair, Keri's car... and Keri's boyfriend." Thinking back on those early days, what do you remember more fondly: Emerald Cove or Malibu Shores? Lucca: [Laughs] There was a little more innocence going into to Emerald Cove that was a really wonderful time with those friends of mine. Driving to Malibu every day to go to work on Malibu Shores didn't suck. But thank God that was short-lived, you know? It could have been detrimental had it gone on too long. I was certainly flattered and grateful for the opportunity to be on an Aaron Spelling show on NBC show, but the scripts each week seemed like they were really trying to sabotage it somehow. We had a Saturday at 8 o'clock timeslot, so it seemed doomed from the get-go and you wonder who was in on the sabotage [Laughs]. But yeah, both those shows I have a lot of fond memories of for sure. Has your son, who appeared with you before the blind audition, seen any of your work on MMC? Lucca: Yeah, there's plenty of stuff on YouTube, but I don't know that he gets it entirely. It was a really quirky, goofy show. There wasn't much on there that I think would appeal to him. He definitely gets it in terms of people asking about it all the time, and I think it really hit him when he came out to L.A. with me and realized how big a celebrity this Christina Aguilera girl is. [He's] like, "You were as famous as her once?" When he sees me doing the choreography and the dancing and singing, he gives me this funny look. Did you shave all that facial hair off just for The Voice? Lucca: I did [Laughs]. When I went in for my first audition in Chicago, I was in the middle of a tour so I had a very big beard and longer hair. Since it's all about "the voice" I wasn't really concerned about it. When I got a callback to go to Los Angeles, I'd taken the advice of friends and family who had said, "You know, you should take the beard off." I shaved and when I showed up in L.A., I walk into the production office, and they're like, "Aaaaand, who are you?... What? Why did you do that?" My indie artist spirit wants to just look rough and rugged and not really give two sh-s, but I'm not sure I'll be able to grow it back for the show. We'll see. What can you tell us about preparing for the battle rounds? How much did you actually get to work with Adam? Lucca: We worked quite a bit. It's all very surreal, because at this stage of the game they don't want to give anyone too much of an advantage on any one team. It's not like I got his phone number and said, "Hey dude, I'll meet you at the Whiskey at 8 o'clock and we can hang out and talk about this battle round." Most of the time spent with the coaches is on-camera. They want to capture that excitement and element of surprise because of the guest advisers. That being said, it's very constructive time. ... Going into each of the sessions with him was just wonderful. I just took advantage of each little moment with him. I wasn't so surprised who he paired me up with, but I was a little bummed because I really took to this person. We had a nice rapport together. Adam picked the song and it's a big one -- huge. It required getting the greenlight from the original artist themselves. You start to realize, I guess we are at that level of the game where if Adam Levine wants a song for The Voice, he can just call the artist up and get it. What do you think of Tony Lucca's chances of winning The Voice? Do you miss MMC and can you still recite the theme song?

PGA taps Sprung as associate director

SprungSusan Sprung has been appointed to the newly created post of associate national exec director for the Producers Guild of America.The appointment was announced by national exec director Vance Van Petten. The org, which recently passed 5,000 in membership, said the hire is the result of the PGA's growth in members and the breadth of their programs.Sprung previously served as special counsel at the law firm of O'Melveny and Myers in Los Angeles. Prior to that, she was an associate at Barrett Smith Shapiro Simon and Armstrong in NY and specialized in general corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, large bank financings, private placements and public offerings.She also served as corporate counsel to Trizechahn Corp. during completion of the Hollywood and Highland project. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Being a parent: Crosby's Dilemma, the following Twist in Julia's Baby Mission and Wants Season 4

16 days lower the Boiuna, and also the determined folks searching for Dr. Emmet Cole within the Amazon . com happen to be attacked by cockroach storms, the creepy dolls of the dead girl, el corpo seco, spontaneous blindness, along with a hanging guy who can't die. However the really freaky stuff is not likely to originate from outdoors from the Magus for considerably longer. Find Out More > Other Links From TVGuide.com Bruce GreenwoodLeslie HopeJoe AndersonMichael GreenThe RiverZach Estrin

FX Renews Archer for Fourth Season

Our top moments of the week: 13. Lamest Return: Chad Michael Murray makes his much-anticipated return to One Tree Hill when Lucas comes to town to pick up his niece and nephew for a vacation to distract them from their dad Nathan's abduction and... well, that's it. Not only do all of Murray's scenes take place in the airport, but would Lucas Scott really come to Tree Hill after two years away and not see his other friends? We're glad Murray came back for the show's final season, but our imagination of how Lucas, Peyton and Sawyer are was much more exciting than reality. 12. Most Outrageous Reveal: After surviving their... Read More > Other Links From TVGuide.com American IdolDesperate HousewivesOne Tree HillChad Michael MurrayJennifer BealsThe BachelorHow I Met Your MotherPhil KeoghanRyan SeacrestLamar OdomTom ColicchioTop ChefCastleParenthoodThe Walking DeadSarah GruenebergAmazing Race 20Danny HoralJoey LasallaMaiya TanakaMisa Tanaka

2 decades of Garbage That Opened up on Oscar Weekend

Since the Academy which is site visitors gather Sunday to readily slap congratulatory-calloused backs within the Oscars, a really different condition will overtake multiplexes country wide. There, audiences will probably be confronted with a 1-joke hippie comedy with Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston (Wanderlust), an Amanda Seyfried thriller withheld from experts before opening day (Gone), the Navy SEAL recruitment effort (Act of Valor), and frequent Oscar week artist Tyler Perry, departing from his matriarch Madea for something different (Good Deeds). This kind of weak area is hardly an anomaly the initial several days round the calendar previously will be the wasteland in the release schedule, using sharp contrast for the Academy's annual celebration of movement picture "greatness." A curious paradox is usually in play - in those days Hollywood crows about its best, it frequently provides numerous its worst. To gauge this phenomenon - and display the film industry's staggering self-unawareness - this can be a think back at what's been foisted round the public through the final 2 decades of Academy awards weekends: 83rd Academy awards (2011): A year ago the tepid comedy Hall Pass first demonstrated at No. 1, while ex-Oscar heavyweight Nicolas Cage offered up his pulpy 3-D actioner Drive Angry, that may only achieve No. 9. 82nd Academy awards (2010): An infrequent occurrence of the standard, popular effort as Disneys Alice's adventures in wonderland opened up as much as almost $150 million in operation, because the sprawling cops-and-gangs saga Brooklyns Finest lagged well behind. 81st Academy awards (2009): Tyler Perrys lengthy lasting hits ongoing with Madea Visits Jail. Also featured was the roundly overlooked comedy Thrilled - possibly best-recognized for sporting the poster that basically mentioned F-U to audiences. 80th Academy awards (2008): Convoluted espionage thriller Perspective, with one-time Oscar king Forest Whitaker, first demonstrated at No. 1, outpacing the forgettable comedy Be Kind, Rewind inside a distant No. 8. Also languishing were Ray the Cable Males Witless Protection, and Charlie Bartlett, both showing on over 1,000 screens and landing well in the top. 79th Academy awards (2007): Tellingly, no era could be capable of unseat Ghost Driver within the top Jim Carreys not successful thriller The Total Amount 23 did best, Reno 911: Miami barely registered, and Warner Brothers and sisters put Billy Bob Thorntons The Astronaut Player by 50 %,000 theaters, where it crash-showed up at No. 10. 78th Academy awards (2006): Can remember the Bruce Willis/Mos Def pairing 16 Blocks? That was an Oscar weekend debut. Also forgotten were Ultraviolet, the mermaid tale Aquamarine, and basically to improve the execrable color theme, The Pink Panther within the fourth week. 77th Academy awards (2005): Tyler Perry had his first large-screen hit with Diary from the Mad Black Lady. Then came the not successful horror title Cursed, which sparked Wes Cravens self-enforced sabbatical from filmmaking. A whole lot worse was the dreadfully unfunny Guy of the house, featuring once-proud Oscar-champion Tommy Lee Manley. 76th Academy awards (2004): Mel Gibsons pet project The Passsion of Christ shocked the earth in order to $600 millon global, while Ashley Judd offered within the formulaic Twisted, the useless follow-up Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights did little business, as well as the coldly overlooked comedy Club Dread did little of anything. 75th Academy awards (2003): Most likely the weekend while using finest departure from Oscar greatness. How did Decreasing the home remain unseated after 72 hours? It absolutely was challenged by rectal-breaking aliens in Dreamcatcher plus an unfunny airline travel farce with Oscar-champion Gweneth Paltrow referred to as View within the Top. Most likely probably the most blatant affront to Academy excellence came with the hate crime referred to as Boat Trip, starring Oscar exile Cuba Gooding Junior. 74th Academy awards (2002): The vampire follow-up Edge 2 acquired some attention, grew to become part of with the 20th anniversary reissue of E.T, as well as the roundly side walked mix-dressing comedy Sorority Boys. 73rd Academy awards (2001): Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love-Hewitt sitting towards the top getting a memory-repel lark referred to as Heartbreakers, largely unchallenged having a familial outing referred to as Brothers and sisters as well as the Chris Klein implied-incest comedy referred to as Say It's not So. 72nd Academy awards (2000): Romeo Must Die wasn't sufficiently strong enough to oust Erin Brockovich from remaining on top. Another Chris Klein misfire, Here In The World, begged for attention, and therefore did the very first James Franco contemporary Cyrano update referred to as Anything. 71st Academy awards (1999): Trophy individuals who win Sandra Bullock and Film Clip tried to fake chemistry in Forces of Character, while Clint Eastwood trailed behind with True Crime. Add the animated remake in the King & I for the mix for bad measure. 70th Academy awards (1998): As Titanic steamed within the Oscars as well as the box office alike, drowning within the wake were the political misfire Primary Colors, the sexy thriller Wild Things and Jackie Chan as Mr. Nice Guy. 69th Academy awards (1997): Jim Carrey needed occur in the Oscars to supply, mugging for the crowd while he suggested how good his Liar, Liar had completed that weekend. Furthermore, it marked the transformation of Jennifer Lopez from Fly Girl into thespian along with her biopic Selena. 68th Academy awards (1996): Handful of switched up for Sharon Gems remake of Diabolique since it placed a distant third (clearly searching for a nude scene), and Spike Lees Girl 6 was roundly overlooked. 67th Academy awards (1995): Living around its title was the Damon Wayans comedy Major Payne, which nevertheless did a lot better than the Stephen King adaptation Dolores Claiborne. Alas, neither could exceed Outbreak within the third week of release. Disneys Tall Tale was an also-went. 66th Academy awards (1994): The franchise parody Naked Gun 33 1/3 will be a modest hit. A young Thora Birch wasn't as fortunate: Her animal slapstick outing Monkey Trouble (professional-produced by three-time nominee Ridley Scott) was barely seen. 65th Academy awards (1993): Melanie Griffith and Don Manley revealed their vanity project Born Yesterday, but nonetheless could not topple the next iteration in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Best Actress champion Marlee Matlin appeared to become in the forgotten thriller, Hear No Evil, that ought to have appeared better on paper. 64th Academy awards (1992): White-colored Males Cant Jump did relatively well. Still, there's plenty of dismay available inside the Rodney Dangerfield embarrassment Ladybugs. Doing worse: the curler skating romance The Key Edge. Kaira Slager has talked about movies and entertainment for Film Threat, Mediaite, which is a author at CHUD.com. His less informative impressions on entertainment can be found on Twitter. [Photo illustration: Movieline via Shutterstock/AMPAS]

Entertainment Ones Mind Of Scripted TV Noreen Halpern Exits

EXCLUSIVE: Noreen Halpern, Entertainment One Television’s mind of scripted programming, is departing the organization after three years. The move signifies a parting of the methods for Halpern and lengthy-time partner John Morayniss, who can serve as eOne’s mind of TV. In 2002, Halpern and Morayniss left Alliance-Atlantis together to produce their very own independent studio, Blueprint Entertainment. In 2008, Blueprint was acquired by eOne. Within the 3 years since, as Leader of Dramatic Programming, Halpern centered on purchase of content, including using non-traditional financing for TV drama, and proper close ties. She oversaw all eOne’s scripted series and longform projects, including drama series Hell On Wheels (AMC), Rookie Blue (ABC), Haven (Syfy), Hung (Cinemax) and also the Firm (NBC). It has been a thrilling journey, and Im really happy with the shows weve placed on the environment,” Halpern stated. “Theres an amazing development slate Im departing having a wonderful team who'll keep things continuing to move forward. But you will find other mountain tops to climb and Im searching toward that.” Based on eOne, the parting is “amicable” and Halpern will stay at the organization to assist using the transition. Noreens numerous contributions enabled eOne Television to grow and flourish every year, stated Patrice Theroux, eOnes Leader, Shot Entertainment. Noreen is really a creative leader and visionary in the market and we'll certainly miss her presence.”

Familiar women in TV pilot casts

As of this early on inside the pilot casting process, it's mainly female stars acquiring the visit competing for spots inside the 2012-13 TV season. Kirstie Alley, Roseanne Barr, Jami Gertz, Judy Greer, Marcia Gay Harden, Anne Heche, Reba McEntire, Rhea Perlman and Sarah Silverman are the significant stars with smallscreen pasts that are already installed on greenlit comedy aircraft aircraft pilots. Getting most likely probably the most nostalgia might be the pairing of Alley and Perlman, 19 years following a pair ended their run together on NBC's "Cheers," in ABC's "The Manzanis." Alley and Perlman will co-star with Robert Costanzo and Michael Rispoli inside the comedy of a boisterous Italian family, put together by Dork Flebotte and Marco Pennette. Barr, star of one other classic sitcom from individuals years, is reteaming with "Roseanne" professional producer Eric Gilliand on "Downwardly Mobile" for NBC, a multicam comedy of a surrogate mother in the rv park. Barr came out on tv in last year's Lifetime unscripted series, "Roseanne's Nuts." McEntire, whose "Reba" went for 125 episodes round the WB and CW, is starring in ABC's "Malibu Country," a multicam series from Kevin Abbott of a divorcee who moves along with her kids and mother from Nashville to Malibu. Greer, who starred in midseason comedy records "Miss/Brought" for ABC in 2008 and "Mad Love" for CBS this season, can provide another use "American Judy" for ABC. Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan written the pilot devoted to some lately-married stepmother inside the and surrounding and surrounding suburbs, a premise making the show a potential companion with ABC newcomer success "Suburgatory." Moving the choice direction is Silverman just like a lately single lady inside the NBC untitled comedy she's co-writing for NBC, which bought pilot "Isabel" with Harden (whose dabblings in TV add a 13-episode arc on "Damages" three years ago). "Weeds" veteran Kevin Nealon may have Harden's husband in the comedy, put together by Howard Busgang and Tom Nursall, about middle-class parents from the daughter with magical forces. Adding to NBC's early run inside the casting department is Heche, an ordinary on HBO's "Hung" for 3 seasons which has charge in NBC single-cam comedy "Save Me." The John Scott Shepherd-written pilot involves a housewife who involves believe she's a prophet. 2 decades after her TV breakthrough inside the cast of CBS' "Square Pegs," Gertz has already established a web-based insurance lead role inside the untitled ABC comedy from Serta Fogelman ("Crazy, Stupid, Love") of a regular family whose Nj gated community has people from another planet. Tim Jo, Toks Olagundoye and Simon Templeman are actually cast in roles intriguingly named Joe Montana, Jackie Joyner Kersee and Wilt Chamberlain. Meanwhile, Digital digital rebel Wilson ("Bridesmaids") will star and write in CBS comedy pilot "Super Fun Evening," of a trio of pals who make an effort to make every Friday evening an memorable one. In addition to cable will get to the act, with Lizzy Caplan ("Party Lower") joining Michael Sheen inside the cast for Showtime drama pilot "Masters of Sex," about sixties researchers William Masters and Virginia Manley. Paul Bettany happen to be initially cast inside the Masters role before yanking out. Casting progress is further behind on network dramas, but hardly non-existent, with Kevin Sausage developing a rare foray to the series world by having an untitled Kevin Williamson work with Fox dedicated to an steered obvious of killer. Jason Ritter fronts "County," Jason Katims' hospital-centered work with NBC, while Frances Conroy and Toyah Feldshuh have grew to become part of the ensemble cast for your Peacock's near-future fantasy drama "Beautiful People," put together by "MadTV" grad Michael McDonald. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Star Trek's Avery Brooks Arrested on Suspicion of Driving under the influence

Avery Brooks Avery Brooks remains arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, TMZ.com reviews. The The Exorcist: Deep Space Nine star was stopped Sunday in Wilton, Conn. after someone complained the 63-year-old actor was driving from time to time. Following a cops given a area sobriety test, Brooks was arrested. See the relaxation of current day news Brooks is much better recognized for playing Benjamin Sisko on The Exorcist. His other credits include American History X, Spenser: Services together with a man Referred to as Hawk.

Scribes fitted for 'Fashioning Apollo'

Hoberg LikkelKat Likkel and John Hoberg have signed onto adapt Nicholas p Monchaux's non-fiction book "Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo."Marc Shmuger will produce through his Global Produce shingle together with company prexy Tom McNulty.It recounts the real story of methods a team of bra and girdle makers from Playtex effectively designed and produced the spacesuit that enabled Neil Remedy and Buzz Aldrin just to walk around the moon."This monumental achievement would not happen to be possible were it not for that perseverance and resourcefulness of the memorable team of dreamers," Shmuger stated. "It is a lengthy way in the shop floor of Playtex to the top of moon, which incredible story tracks the way it happened."This marks the very first feature the writing duo has composed. They have formerly labored in television, writing and creating such shows as "I'm Earl" and "Best Ted."They're repped by UTA. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

Tribeca lines up art awards

Cindy Sherman, Kara Master and incognito street artist Junior are some of the artists whose works will be presented as trophies towards the filmmakers of winning photos within the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival's jury competitions. Eleven artists are adding one work each, varying from works of art to photos to sculptures. Tribeca's connect to the art world is available in part through fest co-founder Robert P Niro, whose late father was an abstract expressionist painter. Peter Dayton, Stephen Hannock, Clifford Ross, Walton Ford, Kim Keever, Nathan Sawaya, Hugo Tillman and Stanley Whitney complete the adding creatives, whose pieces is going to be granted to filmmakers in competish groups including narrative feature and doc for world cinema and NY-centric photos. Artworks are positioned for public display in downtown Gotham April 5-25, just before the fest's kudo ceremony April 26. The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival runs April 18-29. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Blagden boards U's 'Les Miz'

George Blagden will play Grantaire in Universal's "Les Miserables," starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. Tom Hooper is helming the pic, which also stars Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne. William Nicholson Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schoenberg adapted the Victor Hugo novel. Pic is slated to bow on Dec. 7. Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will produce for Working Title alongside Cameron Mackintosh and Debra Hayward. Blagden just wrapped shooting on the indie "The Philosophers" and can be seen next in Warner Bros.' "Wrath of the Titans." He is represented by Paradigm, Untitled and Lou Coulson Associates. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

Jones out as 'X Factor' host

Jones Steve Jones is officially out as host of "The X Factor."Jones used his Twitter account to announce the news Monday afternoon: "I won't be hosting next season's 'X Factor,' which is a shame but I can't complain as I've had a great time. Good luck to everyone on the show."Fox confirmed that Jones wouldn't be back but wouldn't offer any statement or comment. While former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell was a well-known personality to "X Factor" viewers, most American viewers had no idea of who Jones was before the singing-competition series launched in the fall. In its first season, "The X Factor," which aired on Wednesdays and Thursdays and ended on Dec. 22, averaged a 4.3 rating in the 18-49 demo and 12.6 million viewers per week.No new audition or production schedule has been set for the second season. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Casting Directors Named for New CW, NBC, CBS, ABC Pilots

Casting Directors Named for New CW, NBC, CBS, ABC Pilots By Pete Keeley January 23, 2012 CBS's 1987 series "Beauty and the Beast" Mark Saks will cast the first NYbased pilot of the 2012 season, CBS's "Elementary," a modern take on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries set in NY City.Another modern take on a classic, NBC's "Do No Harm," a Jekyll-and-Hyde retelling centering on a neurosurgeon who develops an immunity to the drug he uses to keep his destructive alter ego in check. Liz Dean at Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer is casting this project.Speaking of beast mode, The CW's new "Beauty and the Beast" also signed a casting team, Sari Knight and Mandy Sherman. This show doesn't come from the Disney version, but is based on the 1980s series starring Ron Perlman as a lion-man who lives in a secret subterranean world and falls for an assistant NY D.A. That show was actually pretty awesome, so here's hoping this one is too.Another pickup from the TV-casting machine that is Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer is NBC's Western drama "Frontier," which centers on a wagon train that sets out from Missouri in the mid 19th century. Eric Dawson will run point on this one.Finally, ABC's comedy pilot "Counter Culture" will be cast by Jill Anthony. The pilot, based on a book by Candace Taylor, follows three sisters who run a diner in Texas. Obviously, their personalities are perfect fits, and they agree on everything all the time. Wait, no. Scratch that last part.Back Stage wasn't able to confirm shooting schedules for any of the above projects. Casting Directors Named for New CW, NBC, CBS, ABC Pilots By Pete Keeley January 23, 2012 CBS's 1987 series "Beauty and the Beast" Mark Saks will cast the first NYbased pilot of the 2012 season, CBS's "Elementary," a modern take on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries set in NY City.Another modern take on a classic, NBC's "Do No Harm," a Jekyll-and-Hyde retelling centering on a neurosurgeon who develops an immunity to the drug he uses to keep his destructive alter ego in check. Liz Dean at Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer is casting this project.Speaking of beast mode, The CW's new "Beauty and the Beast" also signed a casting team, Sari Knight and Mandy Sherman. This show doesn't come from the Disney version, but is based on the 1980s series starring Ron Perlman as a lion-man who lives in a secret subterranean world and falls for an assistant NY D.A. That show was actually pretty awesome, so here's hoping this one is too.Another pickup from the TV-casting machine that is Ulrich/Dawson/Kritzer is NBC's Western drama "Frontier," which centers on a wagon train that sets out from Missouri in the mid 19th century. Eric Dawson will run point on this one.Finally, ABC's comedy pilot "Counter Culture" will be cast by Jill Anthony. The pilot, based on a book by Candace Taylor, follows three sisters who run a diner in Texas. Obviously, their personalities are perfect fits, and they agree on everything all the time. Wait, no. Scratch that last part.Back Stage wasn't able to confirm shooting schedules for any of the above projects.

Football fuels Fox to Sunday victory

The NY Giants' overtime victory within the Bay Area 49ers in football's NFC Championship game obtained monster rankings for Fox on Sunday -- drawing a lot more than four occasions the combined youthful-adult viewership of ABC, CBS and NBC. ABC's ''Once Upon a Time'' was the very best-ranked series, lower only a tick from a week ago. Reliable preliminary Nielsen estimations for that NFC Championship will not be accessible until later today, but Fox's stations averaged an 18.7 rating/40 be part of grown ups 18-49 and 50.a million audiences overall for that full amount of primetime Sunday. These amounts are required to develop nicely within the excellent because they don't precisely reflect West Coast viewing, and the overall game began around 6:40 p.m. ET. The internet than adopted at 10:57 p.m. ET having a special ''American Idol,'' which came a 7.9 demo rating and 19.8 million audiences, based on time zone-modified preliminary Nielsen amounts purchased by Fox the internet had wished to obtain ''Idol,'' around the air earlier, however the late football finish resulted in the background music series wound up airing from primetime in much of the nation for basically its first couple of minutes. Earlier within the day on CBS, the network's coverage from the AFC Championship between your Gambling and Baltimore Ravens came a 29.1 household rating/51 be part of Nielsen's metered-market overnights -- the very best score to have an mid-day AFC title game in 18 years game peaked having a 34.9/56 in the final fifteen minutes. In primetime, the internet broadcast ''60 Minutes'' (1.5/3 in 18-49, 7.9 million audiences overall), then ''Undercover Boss'' (2.2/5 in 18-49, 9.two million audiences overall) and repeats of ''The Good Wife'' (1.1/2 in 18-49, 5.six million audiences overall) and ''CSI: Miami'' (1.4/3 in 18-49, 6.two million audiences overall). ''Boss'' was lower dramatically from a week ago if this did not face football. ABC tied to its regular selection, opening with ''America's Funniest Home Videos'' (1.2/3 in 18-49, 5.two million audiences overall) after which surging at 8 p.m. with ''Once Upon a Time'' (3.2/7 in 18-49, 9.3 million audiences overall), which while substandard, only agreed to be slightly removed from a week ago if this faced just the concluding ten minutes of football. Also inside a tick was ''Desperate Housewives'' (2.6/5 in 18-49, 7.5 million audiences overall), and ''Pan Am'' closed the evening (1.3/3 in 18-49, 3.9 million audiences overall) up slightly from a week ago. NBC broadcast a 2-hour ''Dateline'' (1.1/2 in 18-49, 5.two million audiences overall) then two special original instances of the canceled cop drama ''Prime Suspect'' (.8/2 in 18-49, 4.3 million audiences overall at 9 and .7/2 in 18-49, 3.six million audiences overall at 10). Preliminary 18-49 earnings for that evening: Fox, 18.7/40 ABC, 2./4 CBS, 1.6/3 NBC, .9/2 Univision, .8/2. As a whole audiences: Fox, 50.a million CBS, 7.two million ABC, 6.4 million NBC, 4.six million Univision, 2.5 million. Contact Ron Kissell at ron.kissell@variety.com

Ricky Gervais: I'm Never Hosting the Golden Globes Again

Ricky Gervais "Phew! Thank f--- that's over." That's how Ricky Gervais described completing his third stint as host of the Golden Globes... and his last. The British comedian and creator of The Office insists he will not be making it a four-peat. "I've told my agent to never let me be persuaded to do it again though," he wrote on his blog. "It's like a parachute jump. You can only really enjoy it in retrospect when you realise you didn't die and it was quite an amazing thing to do." Ricky Gervais on returning to the Golden Globes: "What's the worst that could happen?" Gervais, 50, came under fire last year for his offensive jokes that skewered Hugh Hefner, Charlie Sheen, the cast of Sex and the City 2 and Scientologists, among others. During this year's telecast, save for one bleeped f-bomb, Gervais seemed to be holding back, with just a few zingers on Justin Bieber's manhood, Jodie Foster's Beaver and Elton John. Still, Gervais says this was his favorite time hosting. "The crowd were great this year too," he wrote. "I think they finally worked out that my gags only seemed rude and nasty but were actually not too scary at all. Or they were just drunker. Either way, it was fun..." Do you think Gervais should host the Golden Globes again?

Top Moments: Late Night Settles a Beef and Revenge Gets Relative

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Our top moments of the week: 12. Most Sympathetic Plea: Resident One Tree Hill villain Dan Scott returns to town after his diner and home burn down. Dan tears up when he begs Haley tohelp him get back on his feet, and we actually feel bad for him for the first time ever. It may have taken nine seasons, but it looks like Dan Scott is finally back in our good graces... for now. 11. Funniest Hunger Strike: In preparation for his wedding, Castle's Ryan goes on a nine-day cleanse with his fiancée Jenny. The poor guy resists the urge to give in to solid foods until Esposito takes a tad too long eating a donut in front of him. "Do you have to be such a cliché? Stuffing your face with that th-th-thing?!" Ryan sneers. He proceeds to jump over Esposito to reach for the powdered confection, but sadly, Esposito finishes the donut and Ryan is left to explain himself. "He was flaunting that donut!" he says before apologizing and taking another swig of his green cleanse juice. Oh Ryan, nobody looks at the groom at a wedding, so why deprive yourself of all the donuts you can eat? 10. Most Cringeworthy Diss: David Cross has made no secret of his disdain for the Alvin and the Chipmunk films, but he takes things a little too far on Conan when he details how he was legally obligated to "spend a week on a cruise ship" dressed as a pelican for Chipwrecked - a move he claims came from an unnamed producer who has it out for him. "[The producer is] the personification of what people think about when they think negatively about Jews," Cross says, drawing nervous laughter from the audience as Conan promptly changes the subject. Hey, David? It's fine that you're doing the movies just for the money, but don't bite the hand that feeds you. 9. Cheating Death Award: When Renee gets the sneaking suspicion that Ben is cheating on her with Bree on Desperate Housewives, she barges into Bree's hotel room to confront her. Instead, she finds a despondent Bree, alone, with a gun, a bottle of booze and a suicide note on the table. Renee quickly susses out the situation and convinces Bree not to pull the trigger. For once, we're grateful that Renee is so paranoid, territorial and obnoxious. 8. Best Rise to the Occasion, Part I: On House of Lies' series premiere, Marty Kaan makes the best of a misunderstanding and invites a stripper to pretend to be his wife at an important business dinner with a potential client. Although she plays the part well, things spiral out of control quickly when his date ends up having sex with the client's wife in the restaurant bathroom. The client finds out, punches Marty in the face and storms out. But the next day, Marty so impresses the client's boss that he's hired anyway. Celebratory dinner, anyone? 7. Worst Skin-Baring: On The Bachelor, one woman's poor fashion choice is one man's gain. Blakeley, a VIP cocktail waitress, sports a tight, cleavage-baring jumper for a group date to a community-theater production, leaving very little to Ben's imagination (and likely scarring the kids in attendance). And because that's not enough skin, Blakeley wastes no time jumping into the pool with Ben and kissing him when they return home, sealing her chances at getting the group date rose. Next time, leave the kiddies out of it. 6. Most Painful Way to Turn Down a Proposal: What's the best way to apologize to your long-distance girlfriend for standing her up? If you're NCIS' Ray, you propose. "I love you. Now or never, Ziva David," he says. "Will you marry me?" Though Ziva doesn't immediately reply, she seriously considers becoming Mrs. CI-Ray - but then she learns that Ray once killed a Navy commander on U.S. soil. Because a simple "no" won't suffice at that point, she punches Ray in the face, putting us all one step closer to the elusive dream that is Tiva. 5. Best Rise to the Occasion, Part II: Today's weather report: cloudy with a chance of... penis? Noting the lack of snowfall in most of the U.S. compared to last year, Good Morning America weatherman Sam Champion illustrates the point further by outlining the snow-less northern part of the country. Which is fine - except his drawing resembles a certain part of the male anatomy. ("He so did not just do that," Robin Roberts says later.) What makes his gaffe even better? An oblivious Champion carries on with his forecast, reporting that a forthcoming arctic air may "last a little bit longer." 4. Worst Continuity: The dissolution of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries' marriage kicks off on Keeping Up with the Kardashians when Kim nonchalantly confesses to her mom Kris Jenner in a dark car that she's not excited to return home from Dubai to her husband. "There's something in my relationship that I just feel, like, isn't right," she says. "Is this normal? Should I be feeling this way?" "No, Kim, it's not normal," mama Kris replies. You know what else doesn't feel right, Kim? How you're wearing the exact same outfit, makeup and nail polish coming out of a studio two months after this soul-bearing heart-to-heart was supposedly shot halfway around the world. At least your mom changed into her Dubai outfit! 3. Best (and Bloodiest) Kept Secrets: Parks and Recreation didn't win any People's Choice Awards, but its pre-taped skit is totally winning. The cast shows off their hidden talents that include "wearing the hell out of a suit" (Aziz Ansari), smashing a laptop with a hammer (Adam Scott), making funny sounds with her mouth (Amy Poehler), growing a beard within seconds (Nick Offerman and Rashida Jones), making any woman fall in love with him (Rob Lowe) and, most hilariously, swallowing swords (Chris Pratt and Aubrey Plaza). "He's so relaxed," Plaza observes as she forces a blade down her on-screen hubby's throat. "Not after I tickle him though." Cue major blood splatter. Your turn, Aubrey. 2. Best Reveal We Should Have Seen Coming (But Totally Didn't): On Revenge, Emily takes down her latest victim - an author who crucified her father in a popular Hamptons society novel way back when- by burning down his house and taking all of the interview tapes for the book in question. However, Emily's victory lap comes to a screeching halt when she watches her father's interview and learns that Charlotte is his daughter, which makes her Emily's half-sister. Hey, at least she now has something else in common with her beau Daniel, who is also now Charlotte's half-sibling. Oh, wait, is that weird? 1. Most Delicious Display of Brotherly Love: After ?uestlove called out Tina Fey on Watch What Happens: Live for "never [being] nice" to her Philly brethren The Roots, it was obviously going to come up when the 30 Rock star dropped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. "I [saw it and] was like, 'What?! What is ?uest talking about?'" Fey says. "And I am from Philly, so I had a very Philly reaction. I was like, 'I'm gonna kick his ass. I'm gonna key his car, I'm gonna drag him behind a Wawa and we're gonna fight!" ?uest explains that it was a misunderstanding. But to ensure that it's all water under the bridge, Fey suggests they "do the Philly ritual - we have to bite the Hoagie of Forgiveness." With an assist from Fallon, the two bite into the gigantic sub, Lady and the Tramp-style ("With this hoagie, I thee friend," ?uest declares), and put their, uh, beef behind them. Now that's what you call swallowing your pride. What were your top moments?

Sony, Will Smith pump 3D at CES

StringerHiraiSony Corp. issued a vote of confidence for 3D movie exhibition at its presentation Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show with some help from the star of one of its biggest upcoming blockbusters, Will Smith.The "Men in Black 3" star was joined by its director, Barry Sonnenfeld, who Smith praised but also singled out the other man standing on stage with them: Sony Corp. chairman-CEO Howard Stringer."Barry did an amazing job directing the movie and you did a good job paying for it," Smith joked."Let's hope you do a good job paying me back," Stringer shot back.Smith and Sonnenfeld took to the stage after the first 3D exhibition of the teaser trailer for "MIB3," which is one of at least four new films Sony has coming out this year that utilize the technology, including the latest installments of the "Spider-Man," "Ghost Rider" and "Underworld" franchises."Some may be skeptical about the future of 3D but I think the numbers speak for themselves," said Phil Molyneux, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, noting the $6 billion in revenue worldwide 3D pics brought in last year.Smith's appearance was one highlight of a wide-ranging event that offered nary a word about two of the bigger issues Sony has made headlines with over the past year: the security breaches on the Playstation Network and the question of who will succeed Stringer, who is expected to hand over his CEO duties to Kazuo Hirai, executive deputy president of Sony Corp. Sony has declined comment on the latter issue.What the presentation did put heavy emphasis on was integrating the conglom's many devices into one connective experience. "There's more to the Sony story than great standalone products," Hirai said.The TV is the centerpiece of the connected experience, with everything from the Xperia smartphone to the Bloggie camera envisioned as a wireless feeder of content via WiFi from smaller screens to the living room.Stringer touted Sony as an over-the-top player to be reckoned with given the company's breadth of products."Wireless connectivity is making TV the entertainment center of the home once again," said Stringer, who noted Sony has manufactured 100 million connected TVs. " This network of connected viewers dwarfs in every size every cable and satellite company on earth."Sony's own connected TV line, Bravia, will be enhanced with X Reality Pro, a "picture engine" that undoes the compression that creates the grainy, pixilated nature of YouTube content for better exhibition of digital content.Sony Entertainment Network is the linchpin of the conglom's efforts to push premium content across its products, allowing users to stream or download content to myriad branded devices via a single ID and digital wallet.Music Unlimited is a big piece of SEN, with a global catalog of 12 million songs available in four new countries, Hirai revealed, bringing its total footprint to 13. Its counterpart for TV and movies, Video Unlimited, is in nine.Sony also touted its PlayStation Vita portable gaming device, noting it isn't entirely for gaming. When the device hits stores in U.S. and Europe next month, Netflix will be a charter member, and Music Unlimited will also be available.The conglom also announced that its new mobile unit, Sony Ericsson, will be renamed Sony Mobile Communications. Hirai said the rebranding will give its smartphones a fresh start as Sony aims to fight for a bigger presence in that market, especially in the U.S.Sony is also focusing on improving capabilities for customers using its cameras to shoot personal photos and video. PlayMemories Online allows users to upload photos and clips that can be easily played across a range of Sony devices.While Sony stood by its 3D capabilities, the company also touted the new technology of 4K, which promises images with four times the resolution of HD. Molyneux explained Sony was well positioned to be a dominant force deploying that technology on TVs because it already utilizes 4K on the production side. The company already has a 4K home theater projector and a Blu-ray player with 4K upscale functions.But the device that may have drawn the most oohs and aahs was Sony's new Tablet P, which has a dual screen that allows it to be folded into a pocket or purse.On the 3D side, Stringer also touted cable channel 3Net, the company's joint venture with Discovery and IMAX.Sony closed the event with a live perf from Kelly Clarkson, who sang "Mr. Know It All," the first single from her new album. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

Jennifer Lawrence To Announce Oscar Nominations

First Launched: The month of the month of january 9, 2012 4:02 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium La, Calif. -- Caption Jennifer Lawrence reaches the 83rd Annual Academy awards locked in the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on February 27, 2011 Jennifer Lawrence might help announce the 2010 Academy awards nominees. The 21-year-old actress will join Academy of motion Picture Arts and Sciences Leader Tom Sherak within the nominations announcement on Jan. 24. Lawrence acquired her first Oscar nomination a year ago for Winters Bone. She stars inside the anticipated adaptation in the Hunger Games, searching for release in March. Sherak and Lawrence will announce 10 of Oscars 24 groups in early-morning press conference. The 84th annual Academy awards is going to be provided on Feb. 26. Copyright 2012 with the Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Distribs, exhibs flock to Paris

'La Vie d'une autre''38 Witnesses''Ernest and Celestine''Cloclo'Sylvie Testud's "La Vie d'une autre," Lucas Belvaux's "38 Witnesses" and Philippe Lefebvre's "Paris by Night" will screen at the 14th Unifrance Paris Rendez-Vous, which will run Jan. 11-16.A marriage-on-the-rocks dramedy, the Kinology-sold "Vie" stars Juliette Binoche and Mathieu Kassovitz.Films Distribution's crime drama "Witnesses" opens January's Rotterdam fest. With Roschdy Zem and Sara Forestier, "Night," which tracks a night-shift vice-squad cop, is one of multiple Rendez-Vous thrillers. TF1 Intl. also brings four.The Rendez-Vous also testifies to France's ongoing comedy boom, showcasing Gaumont sales hit "The Chef," with Jean Reno, and Other Angle's potential B.O. juggernaut "Would I Lie To You? 3."Among debuts: EuropaCorp's romcom "Love Lasts Three Years," starring Louise Bourgoin ("Adele Blanc-Sec") from writer-turned-helmer Frederic Beigbeder; Films Distribution's thriller "Paris Under Watch," by Cedric Jimenez and Arnaud Duprey; and Pathe's "Sunday Dads" from helmer Louis Becker. Studiocanal will unveil "Cloclo," a biopic of famed French singer Claude Francois.It seems every year, two or three films break out at the Rendez-Vous. Candidates for 2012 include Studiocanal's 2D toon pic, "Ernest and Celestine," warmly received as a work-in-progress at Annecy, and Pyramide's "Here Below," from Jean-Pierre Denis ("Murderous Maids"), the true story of a nun's love for a French Resistance fighter.Under Regine Hatchondo's direction, the Rendez-Vous will invite a delegation of 30 exhibitors from arthouse and multiplex theaters to sample upcoming releases. "The diversity of multiplexes in France is exceptional," Hatchondo says. "Overseas distributors are faced with a completely different situation."Hatchondo notes that since 2010, the number of screens has multiplied in places such as China and India, but "this has not benefited arthouse European cinema" and distributors are focusing instead on Americal films and local features.Unifrance will also invite seven European TV channel toppers to participate in a workshop during the Rendez-Vous. "The place of French cinema on European channels has changed," says Hatchondo. "The sales volume has remained roughly the same, but European pictures are seldom programmed for primetime; as a result acquisition prices have gone down."For the second edition of its online experiment, My French Film Festival -- set for Jan. 12 to Feb. 1 -- Unifrance teamed with Allocine and attracted new partners: China's Youku, U.S.'s SnagFilms, Germany's Filmstarts.de, and Brazil's Terra.TV, in addition to Mubi, Filmin, KT in Korea and J.Com in Japan.Lineup boasts titles that are still available in most territories, notably Valerie Donzelli's goofy feature debut "The Queen Of Hearts" and laffer "Back To Square One," directed by comics Thomas Ngijol and Fabrice Eboue."We think that the VOD market will eventually prove highly complementary to theatrical activity. And in many instances, a VOD release doesn't impact negatively the theatrical rollout," Hatchondo points out. "The idea behind the online festival is not only to analyze the different VOD markets, but also to bump up the international exposure of emerging French directors to help them for their next films."Hatchondo is optimistic about next year's B.O. prospects for French films. Citing "The Artist," "Intouchables," "Declaration of War" and "A Gang Story," she thinks there's a good chance many Gallic titles will translate to international auds.RELATED LINKS: Gallic laffers get guffaws Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com