Pilot Season: NBC Picks Up Ryan Murphy Comedy

Ryan Murphy NBC has ordered a pilot for The New Normal, a comedy from Glee co-creator Ryan Murphy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Along with fellow Glee producers Ali Adler and producer Dante DiLoreto, Murphy will co-write and direct the single-camera project about a gay couple trying to start a family with the help of a surrogate.Photos: The best and worst Glee performances (so far!)As previously reported, Book of Mormon actor Andrew Rannells will star as one of the three lead roles.The project will be Murphy's first half-hour show and fifth overall series. His credits also include American Horror Story, Popular and Nip/Tuck.

Pilot Season: CBS Picks Up Three Drama Pilots, Including One from The L Word Creator

Ilene Chaiken CBS has green-lit three new drama pilots, including one from The L Word's Ilene Chaiken. Chaiken's Quean follows an edgy and independent Millennial hacker girl who teams up with an Oakland police detective to solve crimes. (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in America?) Joel Silver will serve as executive producer alongside Chaiken. Pilot Season: CBS picks up a Super Fun comedy, and a detective drama The untitled Ralph Lamb project is a period piece set in the '60s that tells the true story of Lamb, a rodeo cowboy turned longtime sheriff of Las Vegas. Nicholas Pileggi and Greg Walker will write and executive-produce alongside James Mangold, Cathy Konrad and Arthur Sarkissian. Based on Ayelet Waldman's Mommy Track Mysteries book series, Applebaum centers on a former public defender who becomes a private investigator to keep from being bored to death as a stay-at-home mom. Waldman will write and executive-produce alongside Jennifer Levin and Sherri Cooper. Chris Columbus is also attached as the pilot's director and will also executive-produce. Pilot Season: CBS orders Jerry Bruckheimer drama Trooper CBS previously picked up the pilots Elementary, a modern take on Sherlock Holmes, a project from Jerry Bruckheimer, the legal drama Baby Big Shot, a half-hour comedy from Bridesmaids' Rebel Wilson, Widow Detective from CSI's Carol Mendelsohn, and an untitled Nick Stoller comedy.

Reeves to attend Berlinale Talent Campus

BERLIN -- Keanu Reeves will be among the many industryites taking part in the Berlinale's educational Talent Campus this year. Reeves produced Chris Kenneally's documentary "Side by Side," screening in the Berlinale Special sidebar, which examines the impact of digital cinema. In it, Reeves interviews David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Christopher Nolan, Steven Soderbergh, Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron. At a special Talent Campus panel, Reeves will discuss the art of interviewing and onscreen conversation with director and film critic Mark Cousins, whose own doc series, "The Story of Film -- An Odyssey," unspools in Berlinale Special. Some 150 experts will attend the 10th Talent Campus, lecturing, mentoring and meeting the 350 filmmakers participating in the program, which runs Feb. 11-16. The future of filmmaking is one of this year's main themes. Taking part in Building Narrative Worlds: Digital Design for Cinema will be production designers Alex McDowell ("Minority Report"), Uli Hanisch ("Cloud Atlas"), Habib Zargarpour ("The Bourne Identity") and visual artist Thomas Demand, who will discuss the possibilities of creating new digital worlds and alternate universes and their influence on storytelling. Also taking part in diverse discussions will be filmmakers Timo Vuorensola, director of Panorama screener "Iron Sky," Brillante Mendoza, whose "Captive" unspools in Competition, and Tony Gatlif, director of fellow Panorama screener "Indignados." The Berlinale runs Feb. 9-19. Contact Ed Meza at staff@variety.com

'Hugo' and 'The Artist' Lead With Most Oscar Nominations

Martin Scorseses Hugo leads the Oscar race with 11 nominations, but the silent film The Artist is close behind with ten nods. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and 2010 Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence announced the nominations early Tuesday morning. Other films that scored multiple nominations were Moneyball with six, Alexander Paynes The Descendants with five, and the ensemble-driven film The Help with four. Among the nine best picture nominees, there were some surprises, such as the critically dividing Terrence Mallick-film The Tree of Life and the late contender Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.Even though some frequent Oscar contenders were nominated again, including Woody Allen and Meryl Streep with her record-breaking 17th nomination, some new names will be included on Oscar ballots this year. Melissa McCarthy for the comedy Bridesmaids and Gary Oldman for Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy both received their first nominations. However, Tuesday mornings announcement had an absence of actors that seemed poised for nominations earlier in the year. Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar, Michael Fassbender in Shame, and Ryan Gosling in Drive and Ides of March all went unrecognized. Though his film War Horse received a Best Picture nomination, Steven Spielberg did not garner a nomination for best director. Given the theme for this years Academy Awards is Celebrate the Movies, it seems appropriate that the films Hugo and The Artist, which both pay homage to early cinema, scored the most nominations. The winners may not be announced for another month, but the contenders will certainly vie hard for Oscar gold right until the finish. The 84th Annual Academy will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 4 p.m. (PST) / 7 p.m. EST. The complete list of nominees is below.Actor in a Leading RoleDemin Bichir in "A Better Life"George Clooney in "The Descendants"Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"Brad Pitt in "Moneyball" Actor in a Supporting RoleKenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"Nick Nolte in "Warrior"Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Actress in a Leading RoleGlenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"Viola Davis in "The Help"Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn" Actress in a Supporting RoleBrnice Bejo in "The Artist"Jessica Chastain in "The Help"Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"Octavia Spencer in "The Help" Animated Feature Film"A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli"Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal"Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson"Puss in Boots" Chris Miller"Rango" Gore Verbinski Art Direction"The Artist" Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan"Hugo" Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo"Midnight in Paris" Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hlne Dubreuil"War Horse" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee SandalesCinematography"The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth"Hugo" Robert Richardson"The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki"War Horse" Janusz Kaminski Costume Design"Anonymous" Lisy Christl"The Artist" Mark Bridges"Hugo" Sandy Powell"Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor"W.E." Arianne Phillips Directing"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius"The Descendants" Alexander Payne"Hugo" Martin Scorsese"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick Documentary (Feature)"Hell and Back Again" Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky"Pina" Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel"Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas Documentary (Short Subject)"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin"God Is the Bigger Elvis" Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson"Incident in New Baghdad"James Spione"Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen Film Editing"The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius"The Descendants" Kevin Tent"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall"Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker"Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen Foreign Language Film"Bullhead" Belgium"Footnote" Israel"In Darkness" Poland"Monsieur Lazhar" Canada"A Separation" Iran Makeup"Albert Nobbs" Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin"The Iron Lady" Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland Music (Original Score)"The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams"The Artist" Ludovic Bource"Hugo" Howard Shore"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias"War Horse" John Williams Music (Original Song)"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie"Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett Best Picture"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer"The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer"The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers"Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers"Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers"Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers"The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined"War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers Short Film (Animated)"Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg"La Luna" Enrico Casarosa"A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe"Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby Short Film (Live Action)"Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane"Raju" Max Zhle and Stefan Gieren"The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George"Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey"Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witz Sound Editing"Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce"Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene GeartyTransformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl"War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom Sound Mixing"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson"Hugo" Tom Fleischman and John Midgley"Moneyball" Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin"War Horse" Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson Visual Effects"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson"Hugo" Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning"Real Steel" Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier Writing (Adapted Screenplay)"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash"Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan"The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon"Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan Writing (Original Screenplay)"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius"Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig"Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen"A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi By Frank Nestor January 24, 2012 PHOTO CREDIT Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images Martin Scorseses Hugo leads the Oscar race with 11 nominations, but the silent film The Artist is close behind with ten nods. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak and 2010 Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence announced the nominations early Tuesday morning. Other films that scored multiple nominations were Moneyball with six, Alexander Paynes The Descendants with five, and the ensemble-driven film The Help with four. Among the nine best picture nominees, there were some surprises, such as the critically dividing Terrence Mallick-film The Tree of Life and the late contender Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.Even though some frequent Oscar contenders were nominated again, including Woody Allen and Meryl Streep with her record-breaking 17th nomination, some new names will be included on Oscar ballots this year. Melissa McCarthy for the comedy Bridesmaids and Gary Oldman for Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy both received their first nominations. However, Tuesday mornings announcement had an absence of actors that seemed poised for nominations earlier in the year. Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar, Michael Fassbender in Shame, and Ryan Gosling in Drive and Ides of March all went unrecognized. Though his film War Horse received a Best Picture nomination, Steven Spielberg did not garner a nomination for best director. Given the theme for this years Academy Awards is Celebrate the Movies, it seems appropriate that the films Hugo and The Artist, which both pay homage to early cinema, scored the most nominations. The winners may not be announced for another month, but the contenders will certainly vie hard for Oscar gold right until the finish. The 84th Annual Academy will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 4 p.m. (PST) / 7 p.m. EST. The complete list of nominees is below.Actor in a Leading RoleDemin Bichir in "A Better Life"George Clooney in "The Descendants"Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"Brad Pitt in "Moneyball" Actor in a Supporting RoleKenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"Nick Nolte in "Warrior"Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Actress in a Leading RoleGlenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"Viola Davis in "The Help"Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn" Actress in a Supporting RoleBrnice Bejo in "The Artist"Jessica Chastain in "The Help"Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"Octavia Spencer in "The Help" Animated Feature Film"A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli"Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal"Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson"Puss in Boots" Chris Miller"Rango" Gore Verbinski Art Direction"The Artist" Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan"Hugo" Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo"Midnight in Paris" Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hlne Dubreuil"War Horse" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee SandalesCinematography"The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth"Hugo" Robert Richardson"The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki"War Horse" Janusz Kaminski Costume Design"Anonymous" Lisy Christl"The Artist" Mark Bridges"Hugo" Sandy Powell"Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor"W.E." Arianne Phillips Directing"The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius"The Descendants" Alexander Payne"Hugo" Martin Scorsese"Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen"The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick Documentary (Feature)"Hell and Back Again" Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner"If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman"Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky"Pina" Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel"Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas Documentary (Short Subject)"The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin"God Is the Bigger Elvis" Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson"Incident in New Baghdad"James Spione"Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy"The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen Film Editing"The Artist" Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius"The Descendants" Kevin Tent"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall"Hugo" Thelma Schoonmaker"Moneyball" Christopher Tellefsen Foreign Language Film"Bullhead" Belgium"Footnote" Israel"In Darkness" Poland"Monsieur Lazhar" Canada"A Separation" Iran Makeup"Albert Nobbs" Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin"The Iron Lady" Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland Music (Original Score)"The Adventures of Tintin" John Williams"The Artist" Ludovic Bource"Hugo" Howard Shore"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Alberto Iglesias"War Horse" John Williams Music (Original Song)"Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie"Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett Best Picture"The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer"The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer"The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers"Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers"Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers"Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers"The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined"War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers Short Film (Animated)"Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon"The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg"La Luna" Enrico Casarosa"A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe"Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby Short Film (Live Action)"Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane"Raju" Max Zhle and Stefan Gieren"The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George"Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey"Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witz Sound Editing"Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce"Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene GeartyTransformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl"War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom Sound Mixing"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson"Hugo" Tom Fleischman and John Midgley"Moneyball" Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin"War Horse" Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson Visual Effects"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson"Hugo" Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning"Real Steel" Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier Writing (Adapted Screenplay)"The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash"Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan"The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon"Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan Writing (Original Screenplay)"The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius"Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig"Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor"Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen"A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi

There is no getting away Fox's 'Alcatraz' blitz

Fox held an Alcatraz premiere party on Alcatraz Island a week ago. The show, which will come from J.J. Abrams, bows tonight. With the much material to utilize, Fox's marketing mavens could not help but devise a more sophisticated advertising campaign to tubthump the brand new mystery-thriller "Alcatraz." The show mines the stories from the well known federal prison situated on the rocky island within the Bay Area Bay. "Alcatraz," which bows tonight having a two-hour opener, also offers hefty built-in marketing muscle: It comes down from J.J. Abrams, along with other "Lost" alums, particularly co-star Jorge Garcia, will also be involved. Fox has seeded promotions for that show over the Internet, together with a top quality positioning within the popular Zynga-distribbed Facebook game "Empires and Allies" (featuring prisons like a major factor of their story). Another broadly seen viral vid continues to be the faux promo place for any book about Alcatraz compiled by the smoothness performed by Garcia. "Besides J.J. obtain that built-in fanbase, but add in addition an excellent cast and hang it somewhere known as Alcatraz. It is simply a present to entrepreneurs," stated Joe Earley, Fox's prexy of promoting and communications. The piece p resistance from the launch ballyhoo was Wednesday's premiere party held within the Rock itself -- filled with the arrivals line snaking with the prison showers and visitors eating spartan chow from metal plates. Most of the 400 participants were fans who won tickets through local radio and television promotions. Logistically, it had been challenging to drag off, because everything needed to be ferried to the area, and organizers had only two hrs to prep following the prison, now operated like a national park, closed to vacationers. Earley credits the resolution of the net's creative services to get it done for that sheer promo value because the event spurred a flurry of media attention. "It had been worthwhile to become relaxing in Cell Block D watching individuals moments shot within the cell block," Earley stated. "When it is dark and you are available on Alcatraz island, regardless of how jaded you might be (about premiere occasions), you realize it is a really awesome factor to see.Inch Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Marathon meeting for SAG, AFTRA

Leaders of Hollywood's two finest artist unions are finishing nine occasions of conferences in the radar to give consideration as to the may be the ultimate proposal for merging the Screen Stars Guild as well as the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists, Spokespeople for SAG and AFTRA did not have comment Sunday mid-day. The marathon meeting was scheduled using the goal of planning the proposal to fulfill the unions' formerly introduced goal of finishing just before submission for the national boards within the finish in the month. Several periods are actually locked in the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood in the SAG and AFTRA offices. When the national boards approve, it's possible the proposal may be revealed through the SAG Honours on Jan. 29. SAG is now offering about 120,000 people while AFTRA has about 70,000, about 45,000 artists possessed by both unions. When the proposal be approved through the national boards, people may be asked for to OK the merger in the referendum that will need 60% of people voting in each and every union to approve. SAG people defeated merger plans in 1999 and 2003 while AFTRA people supported both. Concerns over SAG's insufficient identity as well as the impact on the SAG-producers health insurance pension plans were elevated inside the 2003 election, each time a merger took it's origin from 58% of SAG individuals who selected. The condition AFTRA and SAG Group for starters Union has held five conferences since June to work through particulars just like a title, governance, financing, membership needs and dues. Aside from explaining the conferences as productive, the unions have revealed only general particulars in regards to the substance of discussions. SAG's selected leadership remains centered lately by people meant for a merger, who contend the combined union may well be more effective and take off jurisdictional overlaps. Rivals within SAG contend that SAG should remain for stars only. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Exclusive 'Woman In Black' Clip Will Make You Yell At Your Screen

Dan, wake up! Look behind you! Just try to watch this exclusive clip with Daniel Radcliffe from "The Woman in Black" and not yell at the screen. The new Victorian ghost story follows Radcliffe's character Arthur Kipps, a young lawyer and widower who has a penchant for falling asleep while horrifying ghosts approach him from behind. The dog knows something is up. Hell, even the stuffed monkey can't look. Wake up! Wake up! "The Woman in Black" did some of its own sneaking up from behind in the last round of MTV Movie Brawl 2012. The horror movie overtook Kristen Stewart's "Snow White and the Huntman," pulling off the upset to the delight of Radcliffe fans everywhere. It will face some stiff competition in the next round, though, when it faces off against "The Hobbit." "The Woman in Black" opens on February 3rd. What did you think of the "Woman in Black" clip? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

Akira's Been Shut Lower. Again.

More budget and/or script issues...Somebody* really, really really does not want the live action remake of anime adventure Akira to occur. Since the film is in limbo after Warner Bros. professionals purchased the development offices shut lower so more work can be achieved around the script.Based on the Warmth Vision blog, the film, which finally appeared to become approaching shooting this season, continues to be a large headache for that studio, although the exact reason seems unclear. The primary suspect appears to become the movie's old enemy: its script, that is still giving problems.Though director Jaume Collet-Serra and also the producers had sliced how big your budget and begun dragging inside a cast including Garrett Hedlund, Ken Watanabe, Helena Bonham Carter and Billy Burke, the problems mean that they're going to now finish up reserved when Akira pulls itself back on its ft.Tthat "when" not "if" appears to become the current thought at this time: Warners has invested considerable time and cash developing this behemoth and is not likely to allow it to just disappear into history among the large unsuccessful projects. But given how price conscious the large galleries have grown to be lately, it seems sensible that everybody involved is attempting to become careful...*Possibly everyone.

Rob Fiennes talks Skyfall

Concrete particulars concerning approaching Bond movie Skyfall happen to be few in number because the film's official title was introduced, but Rob Fiennes has revealed a small bit in regards to what don't be surprised from his character."I am permitted to express I am a government agent," revealed Fiennes towards the Mail On Sunday. See, we said it had been just the briefest of clips!More substantial interest rates are the reactivation of Bond's official website 007.com, that has been relaunched including a countdown clock towards the film's release, along with a welcome video recorded by co-producer Michael G Wilson.The recording is pretty light on detail, with Wilson using the chance by way of thanking Bond fans for his or her ongoing support because the famous theme increases without anyone's knowledge. Slight it might be, however it was enough to rekindle our excitement for film number 23.Skyfall is going to be launched within the United kingdom on 26 October 2012. Hopefully we'll learn a little more about the brand new cast of figures within the coming several weeks...

MSG yanks content from TW Cable

In a dramatic finale to a vitriolic carriage dispute, MSG Network pulled its programming from Time Warner Cable at midnight Saturday after the two sides remained stalemated over fees. "As of midnight tonight, MSG Network and MSG Plus will be dropped from the Time Warner Cable channel lineup, and NY area sports fans will miss exclusive local live coverage of the Knicks, Rangers, Islanders, Devils and Sabres," said MSG in a statement Saturday night. "What does that say to NY sports fans?" "We hate that our customers have been put in this terrible position and MSG has offered no credible explanation as to why they suddenly need a 53% increase after last year's rates," said Mike Angus, senior VP for content acquisition at Time Warner Cable. "Perhaps after renovating the Garden they are looking for NY sports fans to fund renovations of the forum the recently purchased in Los Angeles. Who knows? That's what banks -- not our customers -- are for." MSG noted TW Cable's "record-setting $5 billion investment in the Los Angeles Lakers" recently. Angus claimed the two sides had reached an agreement for a 6.5% hike earlier in the year but then MSG reneged. "We hope that in these economic times no one can afford to pay 53% more for their channel," Angus added. MSG reiterated that TW Cable has "grossly mischaracterized our position" and is only trying to get premium programming on the cheap. "We are disappointed," said Michael Bair, president of MSG Media. "All we have asked is for Time Warner Cable to value our programming in the same way as other TV providers -- nothing more, nothing less." The decision is particularly dramatic since the NBA season, hobbled by a strike, started only last week and ratings for the Knicks have been up sharply. But the cable operator noted that "nearly 40%" of the remaining Knicks games, most NBA playoff games and the NBA All-Star game will still be viewable, as well as nearly 30% of Rangers games, nearly 20% of Sabres games and some Devils games. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com