'Hunger Games' Quick Studies: All That You Should Find Out About Katniss Everdeen plus much more

The countdown is on until March 23, when 'The Hunger Games' -- Suzanne Collins' best-selling youthful adult thriller -- hits theaters. In the event you haven't seen the awesome trailer or browse the three chart-topping books, you will possibly not know very well what the 'The Hunger Games' is about it isn't just most likely probably the most anticipated releases of 2012 but it's set being the next Large Movie Franchise. Basically, this really is really the most recent page-to-screen series getting a hardcore built-in following that's stirring up teen and adult fans in to a veritable craze. This can be a handy primer of what you should know to arrange for your silver screen adaptation in the popular series. Watch a clip now WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The dystopian thriller happens in the bleak, publish-apocalyptic future, in which the U . s . States -- now referred to as Panem -- remains split up into 12 Districts that serve the controlling Capitol. Within a morbid public lottery, 16-year-old huntress Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) takes her 12-year-old sister's place to compete in the public fight-to-the-dying contest that begins her against 23 other teens, including her fellow District 12 "Tribute" Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Simply because they train to compete inside the titular Hunger Games, it's apparent their developing friendship reduces amazing capability to kill each other if this involves. But no matter their feelings, they are going to need to live the 22 Tributes off their Districts revisit home. WHO'S WHO Inside The CAST The remarkably large cast is introduced by Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The Three most critical males in Katniss' existence are her nearest friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus' on-and-off-camera love in 'The Last Song'), her fellow District 12 tribute Peeta (Josh Hutcherson, from 'The Youngsters Are Okay,A 'Bridge to Terabithia' and 15 other movies), and her frequently-drunk Hunger Games mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woodsy Harrelson). Other important cast people include Elizabeth Banks as Capitol representative Effie Trinket Lenny Kravitz as Katniss' personal stylist Cinna Paula Malcomson as Katniss' mother Stanley Tucci since the Hunger Games' host Caesar Flickerman and Oscar champion Jesse Sutherland as Panem's Leader Snow. Which doesn't even include all of the 22 other Hunger Games Tributes! Jennifer Lawrence on Katniss Everdeen: 'Her Face Can Not Be Badass' THE VIOLENCE Will Probably Be INTENSE The Hunger Games is certainly a yearly public fight for the dying between 24 adolescents aged 12-18. You'll find 24 "Tributes" -Body boy then one girl all of Panem's 12 Districts -- who must compete every year for your amusement in the Capitol to ensure that like a indication in the energy the central city holds over its Districts. Think 'The Running Man' meets 'Battle Royale' by way of CBS' hit reality show 'Survivor.' Once if this involves (the delicately controlled battleground), the Tributes have one goal: being the ultimate one standing. Meaning plenty of teen-on-teen murder (hands-to-hands and weapons based, along with the assistance of the dangerous Arena), because ultimately, there can be only one victor. It Is not Suitable For Kids Yes 'The Hunger Games' series is launched by Scholastic, but it's certainly for youthful adult site visitors -- a.k.a. middle-schoolers or mature tweens. Sense Media rates the three books too for children 12 & up, so on the large screen the PG-13 film will probably be difficult for additional youthful fans to process. Even some teens are very attentive to handle all of the kid-on-kid killing, so consider yourself informed. The Sale While Using FIRE You might be wondering just what the deal is by using the fireplace inside the movie's trailer, key art and posters. Let us explain, although it's a SPOILER: When Katniss and Peeta are introduced to Hunger Games audiences inside the Tribute Parade, they're wearing ensembles custom-created by Cinna to represent their District's primary industry: coal mining. The costumes are form-fitting black "unitards" incorporated in synthetic fire, making Katniss and Peeta absolutely memorable within the first moment they're seen. Katniss is going to be named "The Woman Who Was Simply Burning.Inch For that bird emblem, it's a "Mockingjay" -- a hybrid involving the mockingbird as well as the imaginary "jabberjay," an inherited mutation the Capitol unleashed to eliminate the mockingbird. It's a metaphor for that Capitol can't control along with the gold pin Katniss' friend gives her to use through the Games. Have A Look At 'The Hunger Games' District Purchasing and selling Cards This Is not LIKE 'TWILIGHT' OR 'HARRY POTTER' Although everyone (including us!) loves evaluating el born area-office potential and recognition of 'The Hunger Games' for the worldwide phenomena of 'Twilight' and 'Harry Potter,' the three tales are not alike -- besides the truth they deal with amazing teens overcoming dangerous conditions. The Woman burning does not have miracle like the Boy Who Were living with no requirement of saving like "The Woman Stunned by Vampires of the underworld from the underworld." Give consideration to Taylor Swift's 'Hunger Games' Song 'Safe and Sound' There's An Appreciation Triangular OK, so there's one small-small way 'The Hunger Games' mirrors the 'Twilight' saga: there's a trilogy-extended love triangular involving the beautiful protagonist and a pair of worthy suitors, among whom is her nearest friend. Katniss' two swoon-worthy prospects: her fellow hunter and good friend Gale and her fellow Hunger Games contestant Peeta, who's been independently smitten along with her for any very long time. Who she'll finish tabs on we'll never tell, but let's only the fan divide between Team Gale and Team Peeta can be as fierce as Team Jacob versus. Team Edward. Either in situation, both are amazing (and gorgeous) males. You Will Notice TWO SEQUELS It is not a spoiler to ensure that Katniss survives the titular Hunger Games ultimately, what protagonist dies inside the first story from the series? The second installment, 'Catching Fire,' introduces everyone else to more than twelve new figures, nearly all whom are veteran Hunger Games children who can't wait to fulfill the competitor from District 12. Fantasy Casting: Who Should Star in 'Catching Fire'? IT'S Simpler To Determine Clearly, THAN Notice If you wish to be ready for the March 23 premiere, start reading through with the Scholastic book series now. It isn't-put-lower-able, and when you start reading through through about Panem, a history in the Hunger Games, and Katniss and Peeta's ordeal if this involves, you will not stop until you've blazed through 'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay.' One tip -- buy or borrow the three books simultaneously, and that means you don't finish off anxiously running for the nearest Barnes & Noble for an additional installment. Have A Look At MORE PHOTOS FROM 'THE HUNGER GAMES' #america online-photo-gallery .pictures .america online-photo-gallery .photos .gallery-headline a .america online-photo-gallery-fullscreen .photos .gallery-headline a 'The Hunger Games' Character Posters See All Moviefone Galleries » (Photos because of Lionsgate.) Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Notable Passings of 2011

Notable Passings of 2011 December 28, 2011 Gilbert Cates, 77, was an award-winning director and television and theater producer who oversaw 14 Academy Awards telecasts from 1990 to 2008. The Bronx, N.Y., native won an Emmy Award for the 1991 ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal. Cates injected new energy into the show by recruiting hosts such as Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. In addition to working on the Oscars, Cates served two terms as president of the Directors Guild of America, from 1983 to 1987. He was also the producing director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, as well as the founder of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and its dean from 1990 to 1998. Betty Garrett, 91, was best known for her recurring roles on the popular TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Laverne & Shirley." But she first achieved fame as a musical comedy star, breaking through in the 1946 Broadway revue "Call Me Mister" and then starring in such classics of Hollywood's golden age as "On the Town," "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Neptune's Daughter," and "Words and Music." Her career stalled when her husband, Larry Parks, testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee that he had been a Communist, but the couple found work in summer stock. In her later years, Garrett had featured roles on Broadway in "Meet Me in St. Louis" and the 2001 revival of "Follies."The raspy-voiced Peter Falk, 83, will always be remembered for playing the title role on the NBC television series "Columbo." During the three and a half decades he portrayed the disheveled yet clever detective, Falk also starred in comedies and dramas on stage and screen. He won four Emmys for his performance on "Columbo" as well as one for "The Price of Tomatoes," a presentation of "The Dick Powell Theatre." He received Oscar nominations for "Murder, Inc." and "Pocketful of Miracles." His other film credits include John Cassavetes' "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence," "Robin and the 7 Hoods," "The Great Race," "The Princess Bride," and Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire." Farley Granger, 85, gained fame as a handsome juvenile in two Alfred Hitchcock films, "Rope" and "Strangers on a Train." Though the roles, as well as his work in pictures like "The North Star," "They Live by Night," "Small Town Girl," and "Hans Christian Andersen," established him as a movie star by the 1950s, he chose to focus on television and stage roles for the rest of his career. He appeared with Eva Le Galliene's National Repertory Theatre and on Broadway in "Deathtrap" and other plays. In 1986, Granger won an Obie Award for his performance in Circle Repertory Company's premiere of "Talley & Son" by Lanford Wilson, who also passed away in 2011.Crusty character actor Harry Morgan, 96, built a career playing sidekicks and henchmen in more than 100 movies and is beloved by TV viewers for his performance as Col. Sherman Potter, the flinty, sharp-tongued commanding officer, on the long-running series "M*A*S*H" from 1975 until its finale in 1983. He replaced McLean Stevenson, who had quit the show, and in 1980 Morgan won an Emmy for his work. He had recurring roles on numerous other series, including "December Bride," "The Richard Boone Show," "Dragnet," and the sequel "After MASH." His many films include "The Ox-Bow Incident," "The Big Clock," "Madame Bovary," "High Noon," and "Inherit the Wind."Alice Playten, 63, a petite actor with a big voice, began as a child performer, appearing in the Broadway productions of "Oliver!" and "Gypsy." Barely out of her 20s, she made a sensation in the short-lived 1967 musical "Henry, Sweet Henry," stealing the show from star Don Ameche and earning a Tony nomination. She gained even wider recognition for a series of comical Alka-Seltzer commercials as a newlywed trying out exotic dishes on her indigestion-afflicted spouse. Playten also appeared on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!," "George M!," "Rumors," and "Seussical" and won Obie Awards for her performances in "National Lampoon's Lemmings" and "First Lady Suite."One of the most distinguished playwrights of the latter half of the 20th century, Lanford Wilson, 73, depicted the lives of ordinary people with lyric realism and compassionate honesty. He's best known for his trilogy of plays about the Talley family, a Lebanon, Mo., clan journeying from belief in to disillusion with the American dream. The works"Fifth of July," "Talley's Folly," and "Tally & Son"were premiered by the Circle Repertory Company, the Off-Broadway theater Wilson co-founded. The first two transferred to Broadway, and "Talley's Folly" won the Pulitzer Prize. Wilson's other insightful works include "Lemon Sky," "Balm in Gilead," "The Hot l Baltimore," "Angels Fall," and "Book of Days." Considered by many the most beautiful woman in the world, Elizabeth Taylor, 79, survived eight marriages and a scandalous private life to emerge as a symbol of Hollywood glamour and a beloved activist for AIDS research and prevention. More than a stunning beauty and the object of gossip, she grew from a child star in "National Velvet" and "A Date With Judy" to a respected actor. Who could forget the wild yet innocent Angela in "A Place in the Sun," the frustrated and passionate Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," the conflicted Catherine in "Suddenly, Last Summer," or the vitriolic Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," for which she won her second Oscar. The first was for the melodramatic "Butterfield 8." Taylor appeared on Broadway in revivals of "The Little Foxes" and "Private Lives" as well as in many TV movies, but it's as a film goddess that she will be remembered.Sidney Lumet, 86, was a critically acclaimed director, producer, and screenwriter. He made more than 40 films; many of them dealt with social issues and were set and shot in his hometown of New York City. He began as an Off-Broadway director, then moved into directing TV and in 1957 made his feature film debut with "12 Angry Men," for which he received his first of five Academy Award nominations. The others were for directing "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network," and "The Verdict" and for writing "Prince of the City." Though he didn't win any of them, Lumet received an honorary Oscar in 2005. One of the first directors to successfully transition from TV to film, he led the way for many others to make the switch. Sherwood Schwartz, 94, created two of the most popular sitcoms in television history, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." Though both series (for which he also penned the catchy theme songs) were dismissed by the critics, they achieved long life in syndication and are affectionately remembered by millions of viewers. Schwartz began his showbiz career writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio show and later made the transition to television, writing for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "I Married Joan," and "The Red Skelton Show," for which he won an Emmy Award. Arthur Laurents, 93, had numerous successes on Broadway and in Hollywood, but his most enduring legacy will probably be his contributions to two classic musicals, "West Side Story" and "Gypsy." He wrote their books and directed hit revivals of each. He also directed the original production of the hit musical "La Cage aux Folles" and authored numerous plays, including "Home of the Brave," "A Clearing in the Woods," "The Time of the Cuckoo," "Invitation to a March," "The Enclave," "The Radical Mystique," and "Jolson Sings Again." Most of his later works debuted at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, where he enjoyed a fruitful partnership with artistic director David Saint. Laurents' screenwriting credits include "Rope," "The Snake Pit," "Anastasia," "Bonjour Tristesse" (he also wrote the title song's lyric), "The Way We Were," and "The Turning Point."Other Notable Passings Ray Aghayan, 83, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated costume designer; worked on more than a dozen Academy Awards shows and was the life partner of costume designer Bob MackieTheoni V. Aldredge, 88, costume designer for hundreds of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including "A Chorus Line" received an Academy Award for her work on "The Great Gatsby" Tom Aldredge, 83, Emmy-winning character actor whose career spanned five decades on stage and screen; seen most recently on "Boardwalk Empire" husband of Theoni V. AldredgeJames Arness, 88, actor; best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running CBS series "Gunsmoke" considered a hallmark performer in TV's Western genrePhyllis Avery, 88, stage and television actor; starred in eight Broadway shows and played the wife of Ray Milland's character on the 1950s sitcom originally called "Meet Mr. McNutley"Frances Bay, 92, actor; had roles on more than 100 TV shows and in 50 films, including "Happy Gilmore," as the grandmother of Adam Sandler's title characterDoris Belack, 85, stage, television, and film actor; known for her roles as a soap opera producer in the movie "Tootsie" and as a judge on the TV show "Law & Order"Price Berkley, 92, founder, editor, and publisher of the weekly trade publication Theatrical IndexRoberts Blossom, 87, character actor; best known for portraying comic and sinister old men, including the next-door neighbor in the 1990 film "Home Alone"Wally Boag, 90, actor; played Pecos Bill, the Old West traveling salesman, in the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland for almost 30 yearsTommy Brent, 88, theater producer; best known for putting on summer musicals and plays at Rhode Island's Theatre by the Sea Patricia Breslin, 80, stage and screen actor; featured on numerous TV series, including "The Twilight Zone," as the wife of William Shatner's character in the episode "Nick of Time"Joseph Brooks, 73, screenwriter, producer, director, and songwriter who composed the Academy Awardwinning song "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same nameAnne Brownstone, 87, stage, screen, and radio actor; starred in hundreds of radio shows opposite icons like Jimmy Stewart and also wrote and acted on early television shows such as "Dragnet"Michael Cacoyannis, 90, Greek theater director and filmmaker; best known for directing the 1964 film "Zorba the Greek" William Campbell, 87, film and television actor; guest-starred on two episodes of the original "Star Trek" series: "The Trouble With Tribbles" and "The Squire of Gothos" Annette Charles, 63, television and film actor; best known for her role as Cha Cha DiGregorio in the 1978 movie musical "Grease" Linda Christian, 87, Mexican film and television actor; notable for playing the first Bond girl, in the 1954 TV adaptation of "Casino Royale"Diane Cilento, 78, Australian stage and screen actor; earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 1963 film "Tom Jones" Jeff Conaway, 60, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Grease" as Kenickie and on the TV show "Taxi" as struggling actor BobbyJackie Cooper, 88, film and television actor; earned an Oscar nomination at the age of 9 for his role in 1931's "Skippy," the youngest nominee ever for best actor, and played Perry White in four "Superman" movies in the 1970s and '80sNorman Corwin, 101, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter who was known in the 1930s and '40s as the "poet laureate of radio" for writing, producing, and directing acclaimed radio dramasJohn Cossette, 54, television and theater producer; executive-produced more than a dozen Grammy Awards telecasts and co-produced the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet"Sam Denoff, 83, Emmy-winning comedy writer; best known for working on TV's "The Dick Van Dyke Show"Marion Dougherty, 88, influential casting director who helped launched the careers of stars such as Anne Bancroft, Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Al Pacino, and Robert RedfordRyan Dunn, 34, star of the "Jackass" television series and films; also featured in the 2007 film "Blonde Ambition" and on the TV show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"Donya Feuer, 77, choreographer, theater director, and filmmaker who sometimes collaborated with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman Mary Fickett, 83, stage, film, and television actor; best known for her role as Ruth Martin on the daytime drama "All My Children"Bob Fraser, 66, television producer, writer, director, actor, and teacher; familiar to thousands of actors who have taken his workshops and studied his book and DVD series "An Actor Works"Dan Frazer, 90, film and television actor; best known for playing Capt. Frank McNeil on the television series "Kojak" adviser to New York's WorkShop Theater Company Leo Friedman, 92, renowned stage photographer during Broadway's glamour age who captured the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine HepburnDolores Fuller, 88, actor, songwriter, and muse of director Ed Wood Jr.; acted in three of his films, including "Glen or Glenda," and also wrote song lyrics heard in a number of Elvis Presley moviesPam Gems, 85, British playwright whose works include "Piaf" and "Stanley"Donald Grody, 83, actor and executive director of Actors' Equity Association from 1973 to 1980; led efforts to establish and fund permanent rent-subsidized housing for actors at NY's Manhattan Plaza Edward Hardwicke, 78, actor; best known for playing Dr. John Watson on three British "Sherlock Holmes" TV series, shown in America during the 1980s and '90sLeonard Harris, 81, arts and theater critic and actor; played Sen. Charles Palantine in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film "Taxi Driver"Edward Hastings, 80, founding member of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and its artistic director from 1986 to 1992; staged contemporary and classic plays in the U.S. and abroad Vclav Havel, 75, playwright and former Czech president who led the overthrow of a totalitarian regime in the Velvet Revolution; several of his plays were produced Off-Broadway and three"The Increased Difficulty of Concentration," "The Memorandum," and "Private View"won ObiesBill Hunter, 71, Australian film, television, and stage actor; appeared in more than 60 films, won two Australian Film Institute Awards, and provided the voice of the dentist in Pixar's "Finding Nemo" Sybil Jason, 83, child actor signed by Warner Bros. in the 1930s to rival Shirley Temple, but the two became friends Allan Jefferys, 88, entertainment editor and drama critic for WABC TV and radio in NY during the 1960sHal Kanter, 92, Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer whose work included the Oscar telecast; created the TV show "Julia," the first sitcom to star an African-American in the role of a professionalBob Kelly, 87, Broadway makeup artist and wig maker; worked on shows such as 1962's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and 2002's "Say Goodnight, Gracie" Paul Kent, 80, film, television, and stage character actor; co-founded L.A.'s Melrose Theatre, where he served as artistic director for many years Elliott Kozak, 80, television agent and Bob Hope's producer for more than 30 years; sold to NBC the Motown 25th-anniversary special that featured Michael Jackson's first televised "moonwalk"Michael Langham, 91, classical theater director, artistic director of Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and head of the Juilliard School's drama division; directed at London's Royal Shakespeare Company and Old Vic, working with then-rising stars Peter O'Toole and Judi DenchJerry Leiber, 78, lyricist who worked with Mike Stoller to create such hits as Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" the 1995 Broadway musical "Smokey Joe's Caf" is based on their songs Len Lesser, 88, film and television character actor; best known for playing Uncle Leo on the TV show "Seinfeld" Judy Lewis, 76, actor; penned a memoir about her life as the illegitimate daughter of Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Loretta YoungPhyllis Love, 85, stage and screen actor; originated the role of Rosa Delle Rose in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" on Broadway Lou Maletta, 74, the founder of the Gay Cable Network in 1982Arthur Marx, 89, television and film screenwriter, playwright, and best-selling author; son of Groucho MarxAnna Massey, 73, British television and film actor; featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film "Frenzy" and often appeared in British costume dramasChristopher Mayer, 57, film and television actor; starred on "The Dukes of Hazzard" in its 198283 season and appeared on the daytime drama "Santa Barbara"Bill McKinney, 80, film and television character actor; played a mountain man in the 1972 film "Deliverance" and appeared in seven Clint Eastwood films Sue Mengers, 79, Hollywood agent who represented such stars as Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, Cher, Bob Fosse, and Gene Hackman; seen as a trailblazer for women in behind-the-scenes roles in entertainmentMarian Mercer, 75, stage and television actor; earned a Tony Award in 1969 for her performance in the Broadway musical "Promises, Promises"Sidney Michaels, 83, Tony-nominated playwright; had great success on Broadway in the 1960s with productions of "Tchin-Tchin," "Dylan," and "Ben Franklin in Paris"David Mitchell, 79, Broadway set designer; won Tony Awards for "Annie" and "Barnum" Charles Napier, 75, character actor; recognized for his tough-guy roles in films such as "The Blues Brothers" and "Rambo: First Blood, Part II"John Neville, 86, British-born Canadian actor-director and artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the 1980s; starred on the TV series "The First Churchills"A.C. Nielsen Jr., 92, expanded his father's Nielsen Company into its current role as an international market research firm, most associated with television ratingsSam Norkin, 94, theater caricaturist and former president of the Drama Desk; captured more than 70 years of stage performancesShirley Carroll O'Connor, 93, publicist and first female press agent for the Clyde BeattyCole Bros. and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses; famously lost eight elephants on Hollywood BoulevardPatrice O'Neal, 41, standup comedian; known for his unfiltered honesty and for addressing topics such as race and his struggle with diabetesRoland Petit, 87, French film and ballet choreographer and head of the Paris Opera; choreographed for Rudolf Nureyev Madelyn Pugh Davis, 90, television writer; best known for her work on "I Love Lucy"Francesco Quinn, 48, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Platoon" and was the son of actor Anthony QuinnBeverly Randolph, 59, Broadway stage manager for more than 30 years; managed or supervised more than 20 Broadway productions Cliff Robertson, 88, film and television actor; won an Oscar for his title performance in the 1968 film "Charly" and played Uncle Ben in the 2002 film "Spider-Man" and its two sequelsRal Ruiz, 70, Chilean director who made more than 100 filmsSol Saks, 100, screenwriter; best known for writing the pilot of the television show "Bewitched"Michael Sarrazin, 70, Canadian film and television actor; gained fame starring opposite Jane Fonda in the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"Hubert J. "Hub" Schlafly Jr., 91, television engineer who helped invent the teleprompterJohn Scoullar, 61, composer, lyricist, playwright, and performer; was in the original stage production of "King of Hearts"Gene Shefrin, 90, Hollywood publicist who represented Dick Clark, Guy Lombardo, and Don RicklesElisabeth Sladen, 65, British actor; best known for her role as Sarah Jane on the TV show "Doctor Who" and its spinoff "The Sarah Jane Adventures"Karl Slover, 93, Czech actor who played the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins band in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz"Bubba Smith, 66, football player and actor; played Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" movies and appeared on the TV shows "Charlie's Angels," "Good Times," and "Half Nelson"G.D. Spradlin, 90, veteran character actor; best known for playing authority figures in films such as "The Godfather: Part II" and "Apocalypse Now"Helen Stenborg, 86, character actor; won an Obie Award for "Talley & Son" and, with husband Barnard Hughes, the 2000 Drama Desk Award for lifetime achievementLeonard Stern, 88, Emmy-winning writer, producer, and director; his career included "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart," and "McMillan & Wife"Tony Stevens, 63, dancer, director, and choreographer; danced in such Broadway shows as "The Boy Friend" and "Irene" directed and/or choreographed "Perfectly Frank," "Wind in the Willows," and "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life" helped organize the workshops that provided the basis for "A Chorus Line"Elaine Stewart, 81, sultry Hollywood actor; promoted as a "dark-haired Marilyn Monroe" in such 1950s films as "The Bad and the Beautiful," "The Adventures of Hajji Baba," and "The Tattered Dress" Ellen Stewart, 91, founder, artistic director, and producer of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, one of the most prominent Off-Off-Broadway theater companies. Leonard Stone, 87, character actor; known for such films as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Soylent Green" and the TV shows "General Hospital," "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "Barney Miller," and "L.A. Law"Alan Sues, 85, zany comic actor and one of the stars of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" also appeared on "The Twilight Zone" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Betty Taylor, 91, actor; played Sluefoot Sue at Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue for three decades Clarice Taylor, 93, actor; best known for playing the grandmother on "The Cosby Show" also an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company, appeared in "The Wiz" on Broadway, and won an Obie for her one-woman play about comedian Moms Mabley Giorgio Tozzi, 88, distinguished Metropolitan Opera bass; nominated for a Tony Award for the 1979 revival of "The Most Happy Fella" and provided vocals for the film version of "South Pacific" Margaret Tyzack, 79, British character actor; won a Tony Award for "Lettice and Lovage" and starred on the British TV series "The Forsyte Saga," "The First Churchills," and "I, Claudius"Theadora Van Runkle, 82, costume designer; received three Oscar nominations, started a fashion trend with her designs for 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde," and won the Costume Designers Guild's lifetime achievement awardThanasis Vengos, 83, Greek comedy actor; appeared in more than 120 films Yvette Vickers, 82, actor, pinup model, and singer; appeared in the 1958 cult film "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"Jane White, 88, actor and singer; made her reputation in Shakespearean and Greek classical roles but was best known for her comic performance as the wicked queen in the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" Andy Whitfield, 39, Welsh actor; starred as the title character on the television series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"Vesta Williams, 53, singer and actor; had a recurring role on the TV show "Sister, Sister" as the best friend of Jacke Harry's characterDoric Wilson, 72, playwright, director, producer, critic, gay-rights activist, and an influential figure in the early Off-Off-Broadway movementRandall L. Wreghitt, 55, Tony-winning Broadway and Off-Broadway producer; his credits included "Grey Gardens," "Little Women," "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," and "Golda's Balcony"Dana Wynter, 79, film and television actor; best known for her role in the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" also starred in "The List of Adrian Messenger," "On the Double," and "Airport" Norma Zimmer, 87, actor and singer; best known as the Champagne Lady on "The Lawrence Welk Show" and as a member of the Girl Friends Quartet; sang with stars such as Frank Sinatra and Dean MartinCompiled by Frank Nestor, with additional reporting by David Sheward Notable Passings of 2011 December 28, 2011 Gilbert Cates, 77, was an award-winning director and television and theater producer who oversaw 14 Academy Awards telecasts from 1990 to 2008. The Bronx, N.Y., native won an Emmy Award for the 1991 ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal. Cates injected new energy into the show by recruiting hosts such as Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, and Jon Stewart. In addition to working on the Oscars, Cates served two terms as president of the Directors Guild of America, from 1983 to 1987. He was also the producing director of the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles, as well as the founder of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television and its dean from 1990 to 1998. Betty Garrett, 91, was best known for her recurring roles on the popular TV sitcoms "All in the Family" and "Laverne & Shirley." But she first achieved fame as a musical comedy star, breaking through in the 1946 Broadway revue "Call Me Mister" and then starring in such classics of Hollywood's golden age as "On the Town," "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," "Neptune's Daughter," and "Words and Music." Her career stalled when her husband, Larry Parks, testified to the House Un-American Activities Committee that he had been a Communist, but the couple found work in summer stock. In her later years, Garrett had featured roles on Broadway in "Meet Me in St. Louis" and the 2001 revival of "Follies."The raspy-voiced Peter Falk, 83, will always be remembered for playing the title role on the NBC television series "Columbo." During the three and a half decades he portrayed the disheveled yet clever detective, Falk also starred in comedies and dramas on stage and screen. He won four Emmys for his performance on "Columbo" as well as one for "The Price of Tomatoes," a presentation of "The Dick Powell Theatre." He received Oscar nominations for "Murder, Inc." and "Pocketful of Miracles." His other film credits include John Cassavetes' "Husbands" and "A Woman Under the Influence," "Robin and the 7 Hoods," "The Great Race," "The Princess Bride," and Wim Wenders' "Wings of Desire." Farley Granger, 85, gained fame as a handsome juvenile in two Alfred Hitchcock films, "Rope" and "Strangers on a Train." Though the roles, as well as his work in pictures like "The North Star," "They Live by Night," "Small Town Girl," and "Hans Christian Andersen," established him as a movie star by the 1950s, he chose to focus on television and stage roles for the rest of his career. He appeared with Eva Le Galliene's National Repertory Theatre and on Broadway in "Deathtrap" and other plays. In 1986, Granger won an Obie Award for his performance in Circle Repertory Company's premiere of "Talley & Son" by Lanford Wilson, who also passed away in 2011.Crusty character actor Harry Morgan, 96, built a career playing sidekicks and henchmen in more than 100 movies and is beloved by TV viewers for his performance as Col. Sherman Potter, the flinty, sharp-tongued commanding officer, on the long-running series "M*A*S*H" from 1975 until its finale in 1983. He replaced McLean Stevenson, who had quit the show, and in 1980 Morgan won an Emmy for his work. He had recurring roles on numerous other series, including "December Bride," "The Richard Boone Show," "Dragnet," and the sequel "After MASH." His many films include "The Ox-Bow Incident," "The Big Clock," "Madame Bovary," "High Noon," and "Inherit the Wind."Alice Playten, 63, a petite actor with a big voice, began as a child performer, appearing in the Broadway productions of "Oliver!" and "Gypsy." Barely out of her 20s, she made a sensation in the short-lived 1967 musical "Henry, Sweet Henry," stealing the show from star Don Ameche and earning a Tony nomination. She gained even wider recognition for a series of comical Alka-Seltzer commercials as a newlywed trying out exotic dishes on her indigestion-afflicted spouse. Playten also appeared on Broadway in "Hello, Dolly!," "George M!," "Rumors," and "Seussical" and won Obie Awards for her performances in "National Lampoon's Lemmings" and "First Lady Suite."One of the most distinguished playwrights of the latter half of the 20th century, Lanford Wilson, 73, depicted the lives of ordinary people with lyric realism and compassionate honesty. He's best known for his trilogy of plays about the Talley family, a Lebanon, Mo., clan journeying from belief in to disillusion with the American dream. The works"Fifth of July," "Talley's Folly," and "Tally & Son"were premiered by the Circle Repertory Company, the Off-Broadway theater Wilson co-founded. The first two transferred to Broadway, and "Talley's Folly" won the Pulitzer Prize. Wilson's other insightful works include "Lemon Sky," "Balm in Gilead," "The Hot l Baltimore," "Angels Fall," and "Book of Days." Considered by many the most beautiful woman in the world, Elizabeth Taylor, 79, survived eight marriages and a scandalous private life to emerge as a symbol of Hollywood glamour and a beloved activist for AIDS research and prevention. More than a stunning beauty and the object of gossip, she grew from a child star in "National Velvet" and "A Date With Judy" to a respected actor. Who could forget the wild yet innocent Angela in "A Place in the Sun," the frustrated and passionate Maggie in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," the conflicted Catherine in "Suddenly, Last Summer," or the vitriolic Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?," for which she won her second Oscar. The first was for the melodramatic "Butterfield 8." Taylor appeared on Broadway in revivals of "The Little Foxes" and "Private Lives" as well as in many TV movies, but it's as a film goddess that she will be remembered.Sidney Lumet, 86, was a critically acclaimed director, producer, and screenwriter. He made more than 40 films; many of them dealt with social issues and were set and shot in his hometown of NY City. He began as an Off-Broadway director, then moved into directing TV and in 1957 made his feature film debut with "12 Angry Men," for which he received his first of five Academy Award nominations. The others were for directing "Dog Day Afternoon," "Network," and "The Verdict" and for writing "Prince of the City." Though he didn't win any of them, Lumet received an honorary Oscar in 2005. One of the first directors to successfully transition from TV to film, he led the way for many others to make the switch. Sherwood Schwartz, 94, created two of the most popular sitcoms in television history, "Gilligan's Island" and "The Brady Bunch." Though both series (for which he also penned the catchy theme songs) were dismissed by the critics, they achieved long life in syndication and are affectionately remembered by millions of viewers. Schwartz began his showbiz career writing jokes for Bob Hope's radio show and later made the transition to television, writing for "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet," "I Married Joan," and "The Red Skelton Show," for which he won an Emmy Award. Arthur Laurents, 93, had numerous successes on Broadway and in Hollywood, but his most enduring legacy will probably be his contributions to two classic musicals, "West Side Story" and "Gypsy." He wrote their books and directed hit revivals of each. He also directed the original production of the hit musical "La Cage aux Folles" and authored numerous plays, including "Home of the Brave," "A Clearing in the Woods," "The Time of the Cuckoo," "Invitation to a March," "The Enclave," "The Radical Mystique," and "Jolson Sings Again." Most of his later works debuted at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, where he enjoyed a fruitful partnership with artistic director David Saint. Laurents' screenwriting credits include "Rope," "The Snake Pit," "Anastasia," "Bonjour Tristesse" (he also wrote the title song's lyric), "The Way We Were," and "The Turning Point."Other Notable Passings Ray Aghayan, 83, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated costume designer; worked on more than a dozen Academy Awards shows and was the life partner of costume designer Bob MackieTheoni V. Aldredge, 88, costume designer for hundreds of Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including "A Chorus Line" received an Academy Award for her work on "The Great Gatsby" Tom Aldredge, 83, Emmy-winning character actor whose career spanned five decades on stage and screen; seen most recently on "Boardwalk Empire" husband of Theoni V. AldredgeJames Arness, 88, actor; best known for playing Marshal Matt Dillon on the long-running CBS series "Gunsmoke" considered a hallmark performer in TV's Western genrePhyllis Avery, 88, stage and television actor; starred in eight Broadway shows and played the wife of Ray Milland's character on the 1950s sitcom originally called "Meet Mr. McNutley"Frances Bay, 92, actor; had roles on more than 100 TV shows and in 50 films, including "Happy Gilmore," as the grandmother of Adam Sandler's title characterDoris Belack, 85, stage, television, and film actor; known for her roles as a soap opera producer in the movie "Tootsie" and as a judge on the TV show "Law & Order"Price Berkley, 92, founder, editor, and publisher of the weekly trade publication Theatrical IndexRoberts Blossom, 87, character actor; best known for portraying comic and sinister old men, including the next-door neighbor in the 1990 film "Home Alone"Wally Boag, 90, actor; played Pecos Bill, the Old West traveling salesman, in the Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland for almost 30 yearsTommy Brent, 88, theater producer; best known for putting on summer musicals and plays at Rhode Island's Theatre by the Sea Patricia Breslin, 80, stage and screen actor; featured on numerous TV series, including "The Twilight Zone," as the wife of William Shatner's character in the episode "Nick of Time"Joseph Brooks, 73, screenwriter, producer, director, and songwriter who composed the Academy Awardwinning song "You Light Up My Life" for the film of the same nameAnne Brownstone, 87, stage, screen, and radio actor; starred in hundreds of radio shows opposite icons like Jimmy Stewart and also wrote and acted on early television shows such as "Dragnet"Michael Cacoyannis, 90, Greek theater director and filmmaker; best known for directing the 1964 film "Zorba the Greek" William Campbell, 87, film and television actor; guest-starred on two episodes of the original "Star Trek" series: "The Trouble With Tribbles" and "The Squire of Gothos" Annette Charles, 63, television and film actor; best known for her role as Cha Cha DiGregorio in the 1978 movie musical "Grease" Linda Christian, 87, Mexican film and television actor; notable for playing the first Bond girl, in the 1954 TV adaptation of "Casino Royale"Diane Cilento, 78, Australian stage and screen actor; earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 1963 film "Tom Jones" Jeff Conaway, 60, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Grease" as Kenickie and on the TV show "Taxi" as struggling actor BobbyJackie Cooper, 88, film and television actor; earned an Oscar nomination at the age of 9 for his role in 1931's "Skippy," the youngest nominee ever for best actor, and played Perry White in four "Superman" movies in the 1970s and '80sNorman Corwin, 101, Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter who was known in the 1930s and '40s as the "poet laureate of radio" for writing, producing, and directing acclaimed radio dramasJohn Cossette, 54, television and theater producer; executive-produced more than a dozen Grammy Awards telecasts and co-produced the Broadway musical "Million Dollar Quartet"Sam Denoff, 83, Emmy-winning comedy writer; best known for working on TV's "The Dick Van Dyke Show"Marion Dougherty, 88, influential casting director who helped launched the careers of stars such as Anne Bancroft, Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Bette Midler, Al Pacino, and Robert RedfordRyan Dunn, 34, star of the "Jackass" television series and films; also featured in the 2007 film "Blonde Ambition" and on the TV show "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"Donya Feuer, 77, choreographer, theater director, and filmmaker who sometimes collaborated with Swedish director Ingmar Bergman Mary Fickett, 83, stage, film, and television actor; best known for her role as Ruth Martin on the daytime drama "All My Children"Bob Fraser, 66, television producer, writer, director, actor, and teacher; familiar to thousands of actors who have taken his workshops and studied his book and DVD series "An Actor Works"Dan Frazer, 90, film and television actor; best known for playing Capt. Frank McNeil on the television series "Kojak" adviser to NY's WorkShop Theater Company Leo Friedman, 92, renowned stage photographer during Broadway's glamour age who captured the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine HepburnDolores Fuller, 88, actor, songwriter, and muse of director Ed Wood Jr.; acted in three of his films, including "Glen or Glenda," and also wrote song lyrics heard in a number of Elvis Presley moviesPam Gems, 85, British playwright whose works include "Piaf" and "Stanley"Donald Grody, 83, actor and executive director of Actors' Equity Association from 1973 to 1980; led efforts to establish and fund permanent rent-subsidized housing for actors at NY's Manhattan Plaza Edward Hardwicke, 78, actor; best known for playing Dr. John Watson on three British "Sherlock Holmes" TV series, shown in America during the 1980s and '90sLeonard Harris, 81, arts and theater critic and actor; played Sen. Charles Palantine in Martin Scorsese's 1976 film "Taxi Driver"Edward Hastings, 80, founding member of San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater and its artistic director from 1986 to 1992; staged contemporary and classic plays in the U.S. and abroad Vclav Havel, 75, playwright and former Czech president who led the overthrow of a totalitarian regime in the Velvet Revolution; several of his plays were produced Off-Broadway and three"The Increased Difficulty of Concentration," "The Memorandum," and "Private View"won ObiesBill Hunter, 71, Australian film, television, and stage actor; appeared in more than 60 films, won two Australian Film Institute Awards, and provided the voice of the dentist in Pixar's "Finding Nemo" Sybil Jason, 83, child actor signed by Warner Bros. in the 1930s to rival Shirley Temple, but the two became friends Allan Jefferys, 88, entertainment editor and drama critic for WABC TV and radio in NY during the 1960sHal Kanter, 92, Emmy-winning comedy writer and producer whose work included the Oscar telecast; created the TV show "Julia," the first sitcom to star an African-American in the role of a professionalBob Kelly, 87, Broadway makeup artist and wig maker; worked on shows such as 1962's "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and 2002's "Say Goodnight, Gracie" Paul Kent, 80, film, television, and stage character actor; co-founded L.A.'s Melrose Theatre, where he served as artistic director for many years Elliott Kozak, 80, television agent and Bob Hope's producer for more than 30 years; sold to NBC the Motown 25th-anniversary special that featured Michael Jackson's first televised "moonwalk"Michael Langham, 91, classical theater director, artistic director of Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival, and head of the Juilliard School's drama division; directed at London's Royal Shakespeare Company and Old Vic, working with then-rising stars Peter O'Toole and Judi DenchJerry Leiber, 78, lyricist who worked with Mike Stoller to create such hits as Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" the 1995 Broadway musical "Smokey Joe's Caf" is based on their songs Len Lesser, 88, film and television character actor; best known for playing Uncle Leo on the TV show "Seinfeld" Judy Lewis, 76, actor; penned a memoir about her life as the illegitimate daughter of Hollywood legends Clark Gable and Loretta YoungPhyllis Love, 85, stage and screen actor; originated the role of Rosa Delle Rose in Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" on Broadway Lou Maletta, 74, the founder of the Gay Cable Network in 1982Arthur Marx, 89, television and film screenwriter, playwright, and best-selling author; son of Groucho MarxAnna Massey, 73, British television and film actor; featured in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film "Frenzy" and often appeared in British costume dramasChristopher Mayer, 57, film and television actor; starred on "The Dukes of Hazzard" in its 198283 season and appeared on the daytime drama "Santa Barbara"Bill McKinney, 80, film and television character actor; played a mountain man in the 1972 film "Deliverance" and appeared in seven Clint Eastwood films Sue Mengers, 79, Hollywood agent who represented such stars as Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Michael Caine, Cher, Bob Fosse, and Gene Hackman; seen as a trailblazer for women in behind-the-scenes roles in entertainmentMarian Mercer, 75, stage and television actor; earned a Tony Award in 1969 for her performance in the Broadway musical "Promises, Promises"Sidney Michaels, 83, Tony-nominated playwright; had great success on Broadway in the 1960s with productions of "Tchin-Tchin," "Dylan," and "Ben Franklin in Paris"David Mitchell, 79, Broadway set designer; won Tony Awards for "Annie" and "Barnum" Charles Napier, 75, character actor; recognized for his tough-guy roles in films such as "The Blues Brothers" and "Rambo: First Blood, Part II"John Neville, 86, British-born Canadian actor-director and artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in the 1980s; starred on the TV series "The First Churchills"A.C. Nielsen Jr., 92, expanded his father's Nielsen Company into its current role as an international market research firm, most associated with television ratingsSam Norkin, 94, theater caricaturist and former president of the Drama Desk; captured more than 70 years of stage performancesShirley Carroll O'Connor, 93, publicist and first female press agent for the Clyde BeattyCole Bros. and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses; famously lost eight elephants on Hollywood BoulevardPatrice O'Neal, 41, standup comedian; known for his unfiltered honesty and for addressing topics such as race and his struggle with diabetesRoland Petit, 87, French film and ballet choreographer and head of the Paris Opera; choreographed for Rudolf Nureyev Madelyn Pugh Davis, 90, television writer; best known for her work on "I Love Lucy"Francesco Quinn, 48, film and television actor; appeared in the movie "Platoon" and was the son of actor Anthony QuinnBeverly Randolph, 59, Broadway stage manager for more than 30 years; managed or supervised more than 20 Broadway productions Cliff Robertson, 88, film and television actor; won an Oscar for his title performance in the 1968 film "Charly" and played Uncle Ben in the 2002 film "Spider-Man" and its two sequelsRal Ruiz, 70, Chilean director who made more than 100 filmsSol Saks, 100, screenwriter; best known for writing the pilot of the television show "Bewitched"Michael Sarrazin, 70, Canadian film and television actor; gained fame starring opposite Jane Fonda in the 1969 film "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?"Hubert J. "Hub" Schlafly Jr., 91, television engineer who helped invent the teleprompterJohn Scoullar, 61, composer, lyricist, playwright, and performer; was in the original stage production of "King of Hearts"Gene Shefrin, 90, Hollywood publicist who represented Dick Clark, Guy Lombardo, and Don RicklesElisabeth Sladen, 65, British actor; best known for her role as Sarah Jane on the TV show "Doctor Who" and its spinoff "The Sarah Jane Adventures"Karl Slover, 93, Czech actor who played the lead trumpeter in the Munchkins band in the 1939 classic "The Wizard of Oz"Bubba Smith, 66, football player and actor; played Moses Hightower in the "Police Academy" movies and appeared on the TV shows "Charlie's Angels," "Good Times," and "Half Nelson"G.D. Spradlin, 90, veteran character actor; best known for playing authority figures in films such as "The Godfather: Part II" and "Apocalypse Now"Helen Stenborg, 86, character actor; won an Obie Award for "Talley & Son" and, with husband Barnard Hughes, the 2000 Drama Desk Award for lifetime achievementLeonard Stern, 88, Emmy-winning writer, producer, and director; his career included "The Honeymooners," "Get Smart," and "McMillan & Wife"Tony Stevens, 63, dancer, director, and choreographer; danced in such Broadway shows as "The Boy Friend" and "Irene" directed and/or choreographed "Perfectly Frank," "Wind in the Willows," and "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life" helped organize the workshops that provided the basis for "A Chorus Line"Elaine Stewart, 81, sultry Hollywood actor; promoted as a "dark-haired Marilyn Monroe" in such 1950s films as "The Bad and the Beautiful," "The Adventures of Hajji Baba," and "The Tattered Dress" Ellen Stewart, 91, founder, artistic director, and producer of La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, one of the most prominent Off-Off-Broadway theater companies. Leonard Stone, 87, character actor; known for such films as "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and "Soylent Green" and the TV shows "General Hospital," "Gunsmoke," "Mission: Impossible," "Barney Miller," and "L.A. Law"Alan Sues, 85, zany comic actor and one of the stars of "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" also appeared on "The Twilight Zone" and "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" Betty Taylor, 91, actor; played Sluefoot Sue at Disneyland's Golden Horseshoe Revue for three decades Clarice Taylor, 93, actor; best known for playing the grandmother on "The Cosby Show" also an original member of the Negro Ensemble Company, appeared in "The Wiz" on Broadway, and won an Obie for her one-woman play about comedian Moms Mabley Giorgio Tozzi, 88, distinguished Metropolitan Opera bass; nominated for a Tony Award for the 1979 revival of "The Most Happy Fella" and provided vocals for the film version of "South Pacific" Margaret Tyzack, 79, British character actor; won a Tony Award for "Lettice and Lovage" and starred on the British TV series "The Forsyte Saga," "The First Churchills," and "I, Claudius"Theadora Van Runkle, 82, costume designer; received three Oscar nominations, started a fashion trend with her designs for 1967's "Bonnie and Clyde," and won the Costume Designers Guild's lifetime achievement awardThanasis Vengos, 83, Greek comedy actor; appeared in more than 120 films Yvette Vickers, 82, actor, pinup model, and singer; appeared in the 1958 cult film "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman"Jane White, 88, actor and singer; made her reputation in Shakespearean and Greek classical roles but was best known for her comic performance as the wicked queen in the musical "Once Upon a Mattress" Andy Whitfield, 39, Welsh actor; starred as the title character on the television series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand"Vesta Williams, 53, singer and actor; had a recurring role on the TV show "Sister, Sister" as the best friend of Jacke Harry's characterDoric Wilson, 72, playwright, director, producer, critic, gay-rights activist, and an influential figure in the early Off-Off-Broadway movementRandall L. Wreghitt, 55, Tony-winning Broadway and Off-Broadway producer; his credits included "Grey Gardens," "Little Women," "The Lieutenant of Inishmore," and "Golda's Balcony"Dana Wynter, 79, film and television actor; best known for her role in the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" also starred in "The List of Adrian Messenger," "On the Double," and "Airport" Norma Zimmer, 87, actor and singer; best known as the Champagne Lady on "The Lawrence Welk Show" and as a member of the Girl Friends Quartet; sang with stars such as Frank Sinatra and Dean MartinCompiled by Frank Nestor, with additional reporting by David Sheward

Kosslick to continue at Berlinale

BERLIN -- Dieter Kosslick is positioned to continue as director in the Berlin Film Festival when his current contract expires in 2013. Germany's Government bodies Commissioner for Culture as well as the Media has asked for Kosslick, who needed the reins within the fest in 2001, to stay on for the following three years, although a completely new contract has not been signed. Kosslick has received a substantial impact on the Berlinale, putting a much greater focus on German cinema than his predecessor, Moritz p Hadeln, in addition to beginning such initiatives since the educational Talent Campus as well as the World Cinema Fund, that helps filmmaking in less developed regions around the world. Yet he's also disappointed a fare share of film experts with lineups that have not successful to enhance the quantity of glamour and adulation of other festivals, for instance Cannes and Venice, despite aiding to produce such films as Asghar Farhadi's Iranian hit "A Separation," Bela Tarr's "The Turin House" and Wim Wenders' "Pina," that have been within the running for foreign Oscar nominations. For that 2011 Berlinale, the fest's German sidebar will probably be praising males. Many of the movies up to now selected for your Perspektive Deutsches Kino section focus on males: from bromances to romances to males that don't like talking about themselves and girls who question do not know guy a man. The Perspektive opens with Katarina Peters' documentary "Guy for just about any Day," in which a volume of women transform themselves into males for just about any day. Joachim Schoenfeld's debut feature "Gegen Morgen" (Before Tomorrow), meanwhile, concentrates on two cops, throughout "Westerland," author-director Tim Staffel changes their very own novel, "Jesus und Muhammed," in another debut facet of two teens who fall crazily for each other and hole up along with a tropical that becomes sometimes paradise, at in some cases hell. "What's amazing this time around around is always that the three movies selected up to now are works of company company directors who've been way past 40 after they made their first full-length films," mentioned Perspektive director Linda Soeffker. "A comprehensive spectrum and roundabout routes enrich the festival atmosphere and cinema culture." Matthias Stoll's "Sterben nicht vorgesehen," a couple of medium-extended works within the Academy of Media Arts in Perfume, can be a loving portrait of his dead father. Concentrating on a girl protagonist, Janis Mazuch's "Tage in der Stadt" (Out Off) focuses on a girl who begins a completely new existence after trading 13 years in jail. The Perspektive may even again screen the feature film individuals who win in the Max Ophuels Award, given out at Saarbruecken's Max Ophuels Preis film festival (Jan. 16-22), together with the champion from the year's Steps Award for documentary, "Another Chelsea: An Account from Donetsk," by Jakob Preuss. The Berlinale, which runs Feb. 9-19, can also be praising Studio Babelsberg's 100th anniversary. One of the world's earliest large-scale film studio complexes, Babelsberg is seen because the birthplace of German cinema. In recognition in the event, the Berlinale is showing a distinctive 10-pic series, Happy Birthday, Studio Babelsberg, including such game game titles as Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's "The Ultimate Laugh," Josef von Sternberg's "Nowhere Angel," Konrad Wolf's "Goya," Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" and Stephen Daldry's "The Visitors." Contact Erection dysfunction Meza at staff@variety.com

ROLL CALL: Sandra Bullocks Holiday Tradition: Smuggling German Sausages!

First Published: December 20, 2011 2:41 PM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Sandra Bullock appears on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno at NBC Studios in Burbank, Calif. on December 19, 2011 LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Sandys Sausages: Some people kiss under the mistletoe, leave out cookies for Santa, hunt for The Elf on The Shelf but not Sandra Bullock she breaks the law during the holidays! Since my mother passed, we break the law, because we have to manage to smuggle German sausages into the country, and apparently bringing meats across the waters is against the law, the actress said on Mondays The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Adding, We just have to break the law a little bit, but eventually someones package gets through Im not at liberty to divulge how we smuggle the sausage. Josh & Fergies Holiday Card!: Fergie and Josh Duhamel have shared their holiday card with their fans on the actors Facebook page. We love that even the couples dogs (Meatloaf and Zoe) are getting into the holiday spirit! See what were talking about HERE! Courtney Stodden Continues To Spread Her Holiday Cheer: Roll Calls favorite teen bride who married an actor in his 50s (is there more than one?) continues her assault on Christmas! The 17-year-old headline maker and her actor hubby took their own special holiday cheer to the snow for what else a bikini photo-shoot! And if your Stodden stocking hasnt been stuffed enough, click on over to Courtneys Twitter, where shes regaling her readers with a racy take on The 12 Days of Christmas. Were hoping Santa brings us a Stodden-free 2012 this year! More Celebrity Cheer!: In much better celebrity holiday news, check out AccessHollywood.coms festive Holiday Season in Hollywood gallery, HERE! A JoBro on Santas lap, Maksim Chmerkovskiy and his dog trimming the tree and a pop star rocking a naughty Mrs. Claus outfit, what more could you want this holiday season?! -By Jesse Spero Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Rooney Mara: 'Law & Order: SVU' Quotes Were 'Just Not True'

A week ago, Rooney Mara was cited as telling Allure magazine that her time like a guest star on 'Law & Order: SVU' was "so awful" and "so stupid." Burn! But did Mara really say individuals nasty reasons for the Dick Wolf-created mega-franchise? Not necessarily, a minimum of based on Mara herself. "To begin with, the 'SVU' factor -- that's simply not true," Mara told Huffington Publish. "Which was my first job. It could not happen to be more exciting for me personally. This is an experience I hold very dear to my heart. People start out from context, and that is simply not the situation. I had been more nervous doing that job than I had been doing ['Dragon Tattoo']." Mara was cited by Allure as stating that 'SVU' was not something she holds near and dear. "Individuals are enthusiastic about that demonstrate. I do not have it,Inch she stated. Mara could be observed in 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo' in theaters on Tuesday. For additional in the rising star, mind to Huffington Publish. For additional from 'Dragon Tattoo' director David Fincher, click the link. [Photo: Getty] Best Performances of 2011 11. Uggie, 'The Artistཆ. Corey Stoll, 'Midnight in ParisƏ. Ryan Gosling, 'DriveƎ. Kristen Wiig, 'Bridesmaidsƍ. Michelle Williams, 'My Week With Marilynƌ. Meryl Streep, 'The Iron LadyƋ. Michael Fassbender, 'ShameƊ. Albert Brooks, 'DriveƉ. Charlize Theron, 'Young Adultƈ. Kaira Pitt, 'MoneyballƇ. Rooney Mara, 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo' See All Moviefone Art galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Chronicle gets a cool new poster

A new poster has been released for Fox's upcoming sci-fi flick Chronicle, and we must admit, it's succeeded in piquing our interest!The film sees a group of high-school lads making a bizarre discovery that suddenly bestows weird and wonderful powers upon them. A bit like Spider-Man then, but without the painful inconvenience of a nasty spider bite.Our young heroes soon manage to bring their powers under control, but it isn't long before things spiral out of control. As is often the way with super-human abilities.The poster is a pleasingly enigmatic affair, with some excitingly gravity-bothering action accompanied by the deadpan tagline, "Boys will be boys".The boys in question are newcomers Dane DeHaan, Michael B. Jordan, Alex Russell and Michael Kelly, with first-time director Josh Trank at the helm. Chronicle is released in the UK on 1 February 2012.

Which Vampire Journals Original Is Returning having a Vengeance?

Claire Holt Elena's back-stabbing ways may return to haunt her around the Vampire Journals. Within the CW series' midseason finale, Elena (Nina Dobrev) demonstrated that they, too, was able to killing when she stabbed and wiped out Rebekah (Claire Holt) as she ready for the homecoming dance. Consider when has being dead stopped a vampire? Start Looking: Torrey DeVitto around the Vampire Journals "We've not seen all of the Rebekah," executive producer Julie Plec informs TVGuide.com. "The truth that Elena wiped out Rebekah will return to bite her within the butt." Once the series accumulates in The month of january, besides the initial sister return inside a flashback, but she also makes her presence felt in our day. Exclusive: Vampire Journals casts Klaus' Original siblings "I am not likely to say when she makes her reappearance, and surely her being undaggered isn't in Elena's welfare,Inch Plec teases. The Vampire Journals returns towards the CW on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 8/7c. What is your opinion is available for Elena?

Natalie Portman angry over Patty Jenkins departing Thor 2

Natalie Portman looks like it's most displeased within the exit of Patty Jenkins from superhero follow-up Thor 2 captured.Animal director Jenkins happen to be introduced since the alternative for Kenneth Branagh, after Branagh had switched lower the opportunity to return. It absolutely was a consultation that can make Jenkins the initial female director in your thoughts up a substantial superhero movie, only for her to go away the project abruptly in the start from the month.Although "creative versions" were mooted, The Hollywood Reporter signifies that Jenkins was fired suddenly, a program of occasions that has riled Portman.It's thought the star had lately been considering her position inside the follow-up over concerns it might keep her from trading time along with her newborn. However, people issues were apparently resolved, with Jenkins presence an important aspect in Portman's decision.Portman is becoming contractually obliged to appear inside the film, although Marvel desire to appease her somewhat by including her within the mission for Jenkins' alternative. Word on who that may be, after we get it.

Dark Dark night Increases looking for Operation Early Bird

The Dark Dark night Rises' viral advertising campaign continues apace today using the discharge of a brand new document mentioning to something known as Operation Early Bird.Coming hot around the heels of these two documents launched yesterday, the brand new information was launched through the viral Twitter account @thefirerises . A lot of the details are again blacked out, but from what we should will easily notice, Early Bird describes a unique Forces operation to extradite Dr. Leonid Pavel.As though that were not enough to obtain all of us excited, a brand new website continues to be setup bearing the title Operation Early Bird, where a clock counts lower to 6pm today.Hopefully at that time we'll possess a better concept of what all of this subterfuge is all about, and the way the great physician will squeeze into Nolan's movie.The Dark Dark night Increases is launched within the United kingdom on 20 This summer 2012. Meanwhile, here's the most recent document that you should pore over...UPDATE: Well, in the stroke of 6pm yesterday, Operation Early Bird revealed itself like a high-tech map, detailing IMAX locations worldwide where tests from the Dark Dark night Rises' prologue will occur in a few days.Not surprisingly, tickets happen to be clicked up fast, but you will find still a couple of locations remaining - enter rapidly if you wish to enjoy 6 minutes of IMAX goodness.If you cannot get tickets for one of these simple tests, you are next best chance would be to catch Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol in an IMAX venue able to projecting the entire 70mm experience, because the prologue is going to be playing being an epic sorta-trailer then.

'We Bought a Zoo' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals: Matt Damon, Cameron Crowe, Scarlett Johansson, Elle Fanning

Previous Black list script, "Juno," went on to gross nearly $150 million in the U.S. The Black List, Overbrook Entertainment exec Franklin Leonard's annual collection of the "most-liked" unproduced screenplays of the year, hit the town Monday. The Los Angeles Times had the scoop on the ten screenplays with the top votes, as selected by 307 industry readers. The Top 10, in order, areThe Imitation Game by Graham Moore (CAA, The Safran Co.),When the Street Lights Go by Chris Hutton & Eddie O'Keefe (WME,Tariq Merhab Management),Chewie by Evan Susser & Van Robichaux (WME, Industry Entertainment),The Outsider by Andrew Baldwin (CAA, Anonymous Content),Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses by Matthew Aldrich (CAA,Silent R Management),In the Event of a Moon Disaster by Mike Jones (CAA, The Gotham Group),Maggie by John Scott III(CAA, Trevor Kaufman),The Current War by Michael Mitnick (WME,Fourth Floor Productions),The End by Aron Eli Coleite (CAA),Beyond the Paleby Chad Feehan (CAA,Management 360) andEzekiel Moss by Keith Bunin (CAA,Kaplan/Perrone). PHOTOS: THR's Awards Season Roundtable Series 2011 - The Writers In past years, scripts that topped the Black List that went on to become successful films include Juno by Diablo Cody, The Social Network by Aaron SorkinandFuckbuddies by Liz Meriwether.The top vote-getters in the 2011 list once again highlight relatively unknown writers, giving them an often helpful public career boost. While the list does not exist in any official capacity, it has frequently proven itself a strong barometer of which new voices are resonating within the management, agency and studio trenches. The complete Black List, starting with the top vote-getter, below: 133 votes The Imitation Game by Graham Moore 84 votes When the Street Lights Go by Chris Hutton, Eddie O'Keefe 59 votes Chewie by Evan Susser, Van Robichaux 53 votes The Outsider by Andrew Baldwin 43 votes Father Daughter Time: A Tale of Armed Robbery and Eskimo Kisses by Matthew Aldrich 33 votes In the Event of a Moon Disaster by Mike Jones 30 votes Maggie by John Scott III The Current War by Michael Mitnick 28 votes The End by Aron Eli Coleite 27 votes Beyond the Paleby Chad Feehan Ezekiel Moss by Keith Bunin 24 votes Grace of Monaco by Arash Amel He's F****n Perfect by Lauryn Kahn 23 votes Bethlehem by Larry Brenner 20 votes Powell by Ed Whitworth The Three Misfortunes of Geppetto by Michael Vukadinovich 19 votes The Knoll by Christopher Cantwell, Christopher Rogers 17 votes A Many Splintered Thing by Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair Bastards by Justin Malen Blood Mountain by Jonathan Stokes Crazy for the Storm by Will Fetters Desperate Hours by E Nicolas Mariani Flarsky by Daniel Sterling How to Disappear Completely by Ed Solomon 16 votes The Slackfi Project by Howard Overman 14 votes Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino St. Vincent de Van Nuys by Ted Melfi The Museum of Broken Relationships by Natalie Krinsky 13 votes Saving Mr. Banks by Kelly Marcel The Accountant by Bill Duburque 12 votes Bridges on the Fort Point Channel by Chuck Maclean Cities of Refuge by Brandon Willer Good Kids by Chris McCoy The Big Stone Grid by Craig Zahler 11 votes Dirty Grandpa by John Phillips Grim Night by Allen Bey, Brandon Bestenheider Hidden by Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Leaving Pete by Ali Ali Waller, Morgan Murphy 10 votes Little White Corvette by Michael Diliberti Sex Tape by Kate Angelo The Flamingo Thief by Mike Lesieur The Gun Eaters by Alex Paraskevas, Jordan Goldberg Two Night Stand by Mark Hammer Watch Roger Do His Thing by Michael Starrbury 9 votes Flashback by Will Honley Friend of Bill by Harper Dill Jane Got a Gun by Brian Duffield Murders and Acquisitions by Jonathan Stokes The Last Drop by Brandon Murphy, Phil Murphy The Last Witness by Stefan Jaworski 8 votes Bad Words by Andrew Dodge Dead of Winter by Sarah Conradt Gaslight by Ian Fried Home by Christmas -- Bob Hope in Korea by Ben Schwartz Jurassic Park by Imran Zaidi On a Clear Day by Ryan Engle The Pretty One by Jenee LaMarque 7 votes 77 by David Matthews Christo by Ian Shorr Line of Sight by F. Scott Frazier Pinocchio by Bryan Fuller Subject Zero by Dave Cohen The Hitman's Bodyguard by Tom O'Connor The Wedding by Andrew Goldberg Untitled Hlavin Heist by John Hlavin 6 votes Before I Fall by Maria Maggenti Breyton Ave by J. Daniel Shaffer El Fuego Caliente by Ben Schwartz Guys Night by Christopher Baldi Hyperdrive by Alex Ankeles, Morgan Jurgenson Self/Less by Alex Pastor, David Pastor The Duff by Josh Cagan Untitled Arizona Project by Luke Del Tredici

vpage.fools.11

Jerrol LeBaron, who produced and stars inside the Zuko Films doc "Fools round the Hill," traveled the country trying to understand why congressmen don't see the bills that become law. couple of years and 40,000 miles later he needed his fight to Washington - a metropolitan area much less different then Hollywood. Within the 12 ,. 7 preem party at Cafe Entourage, LeBaron mused, "You execute a great help Hollywood you have a movie made. You execute a great help Washington you have a law passed." Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

U.S. Copyright Office Considers New Rules Impacting iPads, Video Games, Blu-Rays

Karen Neal/ABC"Man Up" ABC has pulled the plug on freshman comedy Man Up sooner than expected.our editor recommendsMan Up!: TV Review'Man Up!' Creator Christopher Moynihan Credits Sitcom Trend to Generation of Lost Men The sitcom created by and starring Christopher Moynihan has been removed from the schedule with repeats of the Tim Allen comedy Last Man Standing taking over its Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. slot through year's end. Production on the ABC Studios series' 10 episode has already wrapped, with remaining episodes possibly being burned off in the summer. STORY: 10 TV Shows Canceled Faster Than 'The Playboy Club' Since premiering Oct. 18 to 7.7 million viewers and a 2.4 in the coveted adults 18-49 demographic, the comedy co-starring Dan Fogler has tumbled in the ratings, with Tuesday's installment tying a series low with a 1.6 rating in the demo and 4.8 million viewers. ABC effectively ended the rookie comedy's run last month when it scheduled freshman cross-dressing comedy Work It in Man Up's time slot, effective Jan. 3. Michael O'Connell contributed to this report. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 10 TV Shows Canceled Faster Than 'The Playboy Club' Man Up

Stanley G. Robertson dies

Television and film executive Stanley G. Robertson, who had been an African-American pioneer in show business as Vice president of both a significant TV network, NBC, and then of Columbia Pictures, died November. 16 at his home in Bel Air. He was 85. After from journalism, Robertson labored his in place at NBC from page to Vice president of film programs, accountable for primetime programming. Younger crowd went their own production company, Jilcris through Universal he created a short but landmark 1979 series, "Harris and Company," the very first weekly TV drama dedicated to a black family. Later he worked with with Bill Cosby over "Ghost Father," starring Cosby, and "Males of Recognition." The happy couple professional created the flicks. During the period of his career, Robertson labored behind the curtain to succeed minority inclusion within the entertainment industry. Born in La having a handicap -- poor vision -- Robertson initially attended a college concentrating in aesthetically impaired students. He received a diploma from La City College in 1949 after which labored like a general assignment reporter for African-American newspaper the La Sentinel for 2 years. He rose to controlling editor, then moved to Ebenholzfarben magazine, where he grew to become connect editor. He left Ebenholzfarben, however, to pursue another type of career, entering USC in 1954 to review telecommunications. Robertson was initially hired like a page at NBC in 1957, then did a stint in the network's music clearance department. With time he was marketed in to the network's executive ranks, first like a manager of film program procedures in 1965, then like a director of movies for television, Vice president of movies for television in 1971 and then Vice president of film programs. Trying to bring minority images further in to the mainstream, Robertson released their own production company, Jilcris Corporation., sealing an offer with Universal Galleries like a author, producer and executive. There he developed and created "Harris and Company," starring Bernie Casey like a father of 5. Later, Robertson went Bill Cosby's production company at Universal. He subsequently left for Vital, where he was instrumental in producing the film "Males of Recognition," the storyline from the first African-American U.S. Navy diver. It starred Cuba Gooding Junior. and Robert P Niro. Back In 1984, Robertson was introduced to Columbia Pictures by studio mind Frank Cost and subsequently made Vice president of production by Guy McElwaine. Robertson's efforts led to the development of the very first program centered on developing minority authors and company directors in a major studio. Younger crowd began a course that developed new minority management personnel. Robertson is made it by his wife of 58 years, Ruby a daughter along with a boy. A memorial service for Robertson is going to be held on Monday, 12 ,. 19 at 11 a.m. in the Courtyard by Marriott, 6333 Bristol Park Way, Palisades Garden Room, Culver City. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Social Energy Rankings: You People Are Totally Constructed By Virgins Kissing

Virgin Journals Individuals have spoken, and they are all saying one factor: TLC's Virgin Journals will most likely be a lot better than the very first time. On Wednesday, we released a preview in the new series (which premieres Sunday at 9/8c) about, among other virgins, a "sexually unskilled" couple who anxiously anxiously waited until their wedding to discuss an agonizingly awkward first hug. Numerous you'd something to express from it. Consequently, the as-yet-unaired show is not any. one out of our Social Energy Rankings, this list of the extremely spoken-about shows every week. "Between that pic as well as the video, it seems as being a promo for your partner in the Walking Dead," cracked TVGuide.com commenter bobby-j. On Facebook, Steve Franco wondered aloud why Hollywood hadn't better trained those to hug. "Undertake and don't saw the John Hughes movies within the eighties?" he asks. (Ah, Samantha Baker, Mike Ryan, The Thompson Twins, by birthday-cake candlelight...) Another hot subject now: Was Drew's elimination round the X Factor premature? Return anytime to look for the newest Social Energy Rankings, which are up-to-date instantly with the week.

Art springs eternal

'Midnight in Paris'Effects guru Joe Letteri states when Spielberg visited the 'Avatar' set, he got a feeling of what he could do on 'Tintin.'On the top -- a really shiny, CG-enhanced surface -- it appears that the reigning masters of yankee cinema have gone off on high-tech tangents: Martin Scorsese makes a three dimensional family movie ("Hugo"). Steven Spielberg has handled a motion-capture cartoon ("The Adventures of Tintin"). Terrence Malick has fused their own genealogy to hallucinatory cosmology ("The Tree of Existence"). Woodsy Allen has imagined historic figures in re-produced yesteryear ("Night time in Paris"), similar to Canadian cousin David Cronenberg, who visited the pioneering psycho-practitioners Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud around the eve of The First World War ("A Harmful Method").But simply underneath the scanned veneer -- and/or even the apparently foreign turf onto which these specific company directors have came -- lie exactly the same obsessions which have informed their careers from the beginning. Scorsese -- via "Hugo's" slightly fictionalized story of quiet-cinema magician Georges Melies -- explores the roots of film and also the problem of their upkeep. "Tintin" recalls the experience serials which were firing Spielberg as sometime ago as "Raiders from the Lost Ark." Neither Cronenberg nor Malick are other people to aberrant psychology, obviously. And Allen? Additionally towards the neurotic various insecurities apparent in "Midnight's" hero Gil (Owen Wilson), you will find other apparent Allen trademarks: An appreciation affair with Jazz Age music a recurring nostalgic impulse (i.e. "Radio Days," "Sweet and Lowdown," "Crimson Rose of Cairo"), as well as an affinity for that literary Lost Generation. All this frames "Midnight's" visit to bygone Paris as wish-fulfillment-by-cinema."Well, it certainly sounds sexy," Allen states of your time-visiting the '20s, although he adds he'd rather not get it done -- it might shorten his life time. "But I must have the ability to vacation there for any day every occasionally, as you takes a vacation to Aspen or Hawaii, simply to take some trip and also have lunch at Maxim's in Paris in 1923 after which return to Manhattan."About yearning to have an elusive past, however, Allen pretty much concurs. "Nearly every film I actually do has that one quality into it,Inch he states -- while adding that filmmaking is an illusion, of sorts: "I get the opportunity to invest annually dealing with the type of music I love, beautiful women, scintillating men who're amusing and charming and gifted. I get the opportunity to use every day and work on great locations and sets. Each film which i do practically does fulfill that fantasy of just living inside a world which i can't really reside in real existence."For Scorsese, re-creating the birth of cinema and Melies' contributions into it (like the seminal quiet "A visit to the Moon") would be a no-brainer. "I could not resist on that certain," he states. "It's interesting to exhibit just how much not just imagination, but scientific work, entered the miracle."It is a miracle he felt compelled to understand more about, and examine, with the eyes of somebody like Melies, who had an imagination that transcended his medium. "Imagine what you might use three dimensional. Imagine what you might use computer systems. You are speaking a lot more than three dimensional, you are speaking holograms. This is where it is going anyway, ultimately," Scorsese states. "Imagine a legendary hologram."Cronenberg, that has operated in extremis, both physically and psychologically, in a lot of films, pointed towards the ways "A Harmful Method" didn't vary from his previous work."A buddy reminded me the first film I ever did would be a seven-minute short known as 'Transfer' (1966) in regards to a mental health specialist along with a patient," he states. "Which is before Used to do horror or sci-fi films. Also, I'd Oliver Reed like a psychotherapist in 'The Brood,' an unusual one."Cronenberg notes, too, that he'd also done period pieces before -- including "M. Butterfly," "Spider" and "Naked Lunch" -- "however the difference, certainly, is the fact that they are historic people. To ensure that was intriguing and lots of fun. Individuals have sometimes stated, regarding Michael Fassbender, 'Does it allow it to be harder playing a genuine person?' (Fassbender shows Carl Jung.) "And that he stated that no, actually it causes it to be simpler, due to there being a lot known about these folks and there is a lot information, it's not necessary to construct it up on your own. It is the same for me personally, too.InchBut what's completely different may be the creative process. "I can not imagine it isn't such as this for Marty Scorsese, too," Cronenberg states, "because I spoken with him in more detail before my last movie. Each movie is much like you haven't made another film. They are all irrelevant for you, artistically. They do not provide you with anything. The concept that you've these styles or obsessions, whatever people prefer to think, doesn't have effect on the film you are doing now." Except, obviously, for that craft from it all. "You are aware how to create movies," Cronenberg states. "But so far as the creative process, each movie is much like the very first you have ever made."Or, in Allen's situation, the final. "Everything was normal routine for me personally,Inch Allen states, when requested if "Midnight's" content had any impact on his pointing style. For Scorsese, on the other hand, the dramatic technical obstacles had him rethinking his technique "constantly. Everything. It would be a test.""Basically discovered (if) you cannot, then OK," he states. "But I have to view it personally.Inch So he states they examined everything.How a old has informed the brand new helps to make the current innovation appear a lot more organic towards the ongoing evolution of cinema -- it might be moving faster, and much more significantly, however the movies won't forget about yesteryear.The alchemists behind "Tree of Life's" visual cocktail of astrophysics and microbiology recognized a lot of what Malick was imagining was recognized through what need to be considered old-fashioned means -- the type of stuff visual effects expert Doug Trumbull was doing back on "2001: An Area Journey." Spielberg's heart happens to be using the type of heroic exploits that Tintin finds themself engaged. And Scorsese, through Melies, ties it altogether."Everything which has been completed in cinema, he did first," Scorsese states. "When it comes to effects, the visual methods to some extent -- what grew to become matte works of art, what grew to become matte shots, what grew to become blue screen and eco-friendly screen and today cartoon. I am talking about, all this ended by him. He'd a concept, while he would be a magician, and that he desired to make use of the film to produce these magical illusions. So he needed to develop a means.InchThat history, technology and also the marketplace have incorporated, and steered the careers of some illustrious company directors, is most likely true -- only to some certain point."It's lovely to consider that 'Now at this time, during my career, I ought to perform a romantic comedy,' " Cronenberg states. "But it is so challenging a film made, you may have five options. Why did I perform a particular movie in a particular time? Since it got the financing."I realize the wish to have a schematic that's intriguing and appealing," he states. "It helps you to be aware of facts from the film world."Eye around the Academy awards: The Director PreviewArt springs eternal Adaptability key when diving in to the unknown Sundance kids goal high and wide Genre automobiles take high road Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Dr. Conrad Murray Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison For Michael Jackson's Death

Getty ImagesFelicity Jones The 21st annual Gotham Independent Film Awards took place Monday night at NY's historic Cipriani Wall Street restaurant. As I cautioned when the Independent Filmmaker Project announced this year's nominees, there is little reason to believe that the results at the Gothams have any direct impact on the Oscar race -- sometimes both organizations happen to arrive at the same choice (see: The Hurt Locker), but the reality is that Gotham nods and wins are really a reflection of nothing more than the tastes of the five-person "committees" that are arbitrarily selected and assigned to the various categories by the IFP (some members of which have never worked on a film), whereas Oscar nods and wins are determined by thousands of people (virtually all of whom are filmmakers). Still, studios and talent whose work was recognized Monday night were unanimously exuberant, if only because it can't hurt to get a moment in the spotlight in front of a crowd packed with colleagues and journalists, to say nothing of the free print and online publicity that is afforded to the winners in the form of news coverage.our editor recommendsThe Scene: Inside the 21st Annual Gotham AwardsGotham Awards 2011: The Red Carpet ArrivalsGotham Awards 2011: 'Tree of Life,' 'Beginners' Tie for Best FeatureDo Gotham Awards Nominations Actually Impact Oscar Race? (Analysis)Gotham Awards 2011: Honorees Charlize Theron, Gary Oldman Reveal the Inspiration Behind Their Work PHOTOS: Gotham Awards 2011 Red Carpet Arrivals That being stipulated, what/who was perceived to have gotten a bounce last night? And what/who was perceived to have taken a hit? Here's my take... Focus Features is justifiably feeling over the moon about their night. They went 3-for-3 in competitive categories, none of which they were expected to win: Beginners, which has been regarded as a long-shot contender for best picture and best original screenplay Oscar nods, beat The Descendants, among other high-profile films, to win both of the top two categories, best feature (it tied with The Tree of Life) and best ensemble, and Pariah filmmaker Dee Rees topped several bigger names to win best breakthrough director. Moreover, they got a cherry on their cake, as Gary Oldman, who is on the bubble in the best actor race for his understated performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, was the subject of a glowing tribute from Alec Baldwin, a great montage of his life's work and the night's only standing ovation afforded to an individual. STORY: 'Tree of Life,' 'Beginners' Tie for Best Feature at Gotham Awards Paramount is pretty happy right now, as well. They have been campaigning aggressively on behalf of Charlize Theron (Young Adult) and Felicity Jones (Like Crazy), both of whom they'd like to sneak into the competitive best actress race, and their efforts got a big boost last night thanks to Theron's tribute (during which she and her co-star/best supporting actor hopeful Patton Oswalt stole the show) and Jones' somewhat surprising win over two other young women who have been seen as likelier bets for Oscar nods, including one of whom is competing in the same category: Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene). Fox Searchlight likely has mixed emotions. The Descendants and Martha Marcy May Marlene, which led the entire field with three nods each -- including the big two, best feature and best ensemble -- both went home empty-handed. However, their night was somewhat salvaged when The Tree of Life, their tough-sell best picture Oscar hopeful, won best feature (it tied with Beginners). Complete List of Gotham Awards Winners Roadside Attractions has to feel a little disappointed with the way things turned out for their films. IFP first denied Albert Nobbs any nominations, and then denied Margin Call -- a red-hot film at the moment -- a win in the one category in which it was nominated and really fit the bill: best ensemble. As great a film as the category's winner Beginners is, it's primarily a four-person flick (Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, Christopher Plummerand Goran Visnjic), whereas its hard to even keep count of all of the impressive moving pieces in Margin Call (Zachary Quinto, Jeremy Irons, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci, Paul Bettany, Demi Moore, Simon Baker, Penn Badgley, Mary McDonnelland the list goes on). Sony Pictures Classics can't be thrilled about its showing. While David Cronenberg, who directed its film A Dangerous Method, was the subject of a nice tribute, Take Shelter, its stronger Oscar contender -- which is thought to be on-the-bubble for best actor (Michael Shannon) and best original screenplay (Jeff Nichols) -- was shut out after scoring nods in the top two categories, best feature and best ensemble. STORY: The Scene Inside the 2011 Gotham Awards Oscilloscope is a small and young enough studio that it was probably happy just to have a ticket to the party. The fact that Meek's Cutoff came up short for best feature and Evan Glodell (Bellflower) didn't win best breakthrough director can't have knocked anyone's socks off. The Weinstein Co. had its Gotham hopes dashed long before Monday night -- oddly enough, its films weren't rewarded with so much as a single nomination! PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Gotham Awards 2011: The Red Carpet Arrivals Gotham Awards Alec Baldwin Charlize Theron David Cronenberg Patton Oswalt The Tree of Life Like Crazy Martha Marcy May Marlene Elizabeth Olsen Beginners The Descendants Felicity Jones

ON THE BRINK: Online Soap Opera Network May Fold, Spelling The End Of OLTL, AMC

EXCLUSIVE: This is potential very bad news for soap fans who feel thankful this Thanksgiving that canceled ABC series One Life To Live and All My Children may continue online. That now may not be happening. It was considered a bold and risky move when Rich Frank &Jeff Kwatinetzs Prospect Park in July made a licensing deal with ABC to keep OLTL and AMC alive for online distribution. The transfer from broadcast TV to the Web proved far more difficult than anyone anticipated. I hear that Prospect Park self-financed extensive research and its principals held hundreds of meetings with potential investors for their Online Network, which was originally slated to launch in the first quarter of 2012. (The latest plan has been for Once Life To Live to go on first, with All My Children put on hold.) In a sign of potential hurdles, Prospect Park in late July issued a statement that it was “in the process of working out the essential terms of our proposed collective bargaining agreements with the appropriate guilds and unions, which we must do prior to firming up deals with above- and below-the-line talent.” I hear that those negotiations proved difficult, mostly because there is no existing template for a broadcast program transitioning online. Word is that the guilds have been looking to hold OLTL and AMC to broadcast terms, which is somewhat understandable as the Prospect Park-ABC deal calls for the two series to continue to be delivered with the same quality andin the same format and length. But shows produced on broadcast terms are impossible to support with online vs. TV advertising. (ABC, which makes extra money on its soaps from off-network sales to SoapNet and foreign territories, claimed it was still losing money on OLTL and AMC, leading to their cancellation.) To make the target launch date, the soap writers hired by Prospect Park were supposed to start work earlier this month but they haven’t as there is no deal with the WGA. And all pacts with actors from OLTL and AMC that Prospect Park made over the past few months were contingent on clearances by the unions. Additionally, I’ve learned of potential issues with the online network’s tech partners. I hear that Prospect Park principals are still trying to find a last-minute solution to keep the soap online venture going but feel pressed into a corner after exhausting every possible avenue and may decide to pull the plug as soon as today.

Bollywood's Yash Raj to Hollywood

Prolific Bollywood producer Yash Raj Films has opened up up an outpost in Hollywood referred to as YRF Entertainment. Uday Chopra, boy of Yash Chopra and brother of Aditya ("Dilwale dulhaniya le jayenge"), will mind the business, and Jonathan Reiman will mind up development and production. The La-based shingle will produce and finance British-language photos for your U.S. and overseas market. "My family members features a deep persistence for making and disseminating quality films that entertain and enlighten audiences," Uday Chopra mentioned. "I share that passion, additionally to some passion for American films that I have had since childhood. It's that enthusiasm and my adoration for the creative process of filmmaking that drove me to do this startup company.Inch First around the docket is Jason Bateman starrer "A Lengthy Week." Written and directed by Peter Glanz, pic also stars Olivia Wilde and Billy Crudup. Following a original financier dropped the pic, Chopra met with Glanz and producer Neda Armian and very soon acquired the rights. "Week" centers around a man-child (Bateman) who lives along with his wealthy parents until he out of the blue finds themselves started out and disinherited. Wilde plays the love interest. Pic is shooting in NY. YRF intends to setup a slate of films that it's going to develop by yourself, beginning by getting an untitled action-comedy by Serta Ewen ("Opposites Attract") about two twentysomethings who synergy after running using their hick metropolitan areas. Contact Shalini Dore at shali.dore@variety.com

Idina Menzel on Being a parent, Being Pigeonholed and Her PBS TV Special

TORONTO - Stage and screen star Idina Menzel has came from the role from the eco-friendly-skinned Elphaba in "Wicked" and Maureen in "Rent."And also the Broadway belter includes a recurring guest star role as Rachel's biological mother on Fox's "Glee."But nothing even compares to when Menzel and husband and "Private Practice" star Taye Diggs were built with a baby boy, Master Diggs."In my experience, it had been a present to possess this intense fascination with someone who I'd never felt before, for a kid, which makes you are feeling much better than other things you have done,Inch Menzel stated backstage after carrying out over two nights to have an approaching PBS TV special recorded in Toronto in the Royal Conservatory of Music's Koerner Hall.She described being a parent has transformed her from the gifted, yet self-absorbed artist bedeviled by doubts to taking pleasure in first-time fulfillment."Since I'd my boy, I've much more of just one cup half-full perspective on existence he (Master) has given me," Menzel stated having a broad smile."Basically messed up a higher note, Time passes simpler on myself," she added, knowing like a mother she's an infant boy home who loves her.Menzel marked another milestone in Toronto, using the Kitchener-Waterloo Orchestra and legendary maestro Marvin Hamlisch via a medley of hit tunes from "Glee," "Wicked" and "Rent," and tales from the career that required her from the wedding singer in New York, NY to arousing bravos on Broadway and screen looks.For Menzel, an initial-time TV special is all about showing fans that connect her success with role-playing that she's far not only a Belle of Broadway by having an acting bug."Everybody really wants to pigeon-hole you, during my situation like a eco-friendly witch for Wicked or perhaps a rock singer for rental," she stated."This (PBS special) provides you with an chance to become myself and become genuine and also to show a large spectrum of talents," Menzel added.That proposition is going to be examined in no time as Menzel's PBS TV special to air in March 2012 is going to be then an active album along with a DVD release.The opportunity to be herself also follows Menzel and Hamlisch sprucing up her one-lady concert show carried out with a number of orchestras within the U.S. and also at Royal Albert Hall working in london, England.Her solo amounts are connected with set-up tales that recall being relayed through a bandleader to continue singing throughout a marriage gig like a guy had heart disease around the party area "since the band always plays on, like it is the Titanic," or embarrassing herself in college by singing Cole Porter's "Love Available" to thrill an instructor she'd a crush on who switched to be gay.She also informs, and colorfully embellishes, a tale about being overlooked in a dining room table by Barbara Streisand after she carried out on her in a Kennedy Center Honors concert, simply to learn in the finish from the meal the Broadway legend didn't remember her glasses and did not write out Menzel carrying out on stage.Menzel also spoke of meeting Taye Diggs in 1996 around the Broadway group of Rent "Did a tad too much teasing back-stage, guess what happens I am talking about ladies?" as well as landing a recurring role on "Glee" after questioning she'd find yourself getting work again after being pregnant.InchI had been getting an infant, I had been really body fat and that i obtain a script for 'Glee,'" she remembered prior to the Gleeks within the Toronto audience exploded with cheers on her rendition of Lady Gaga's "Poker Face.""I believe you need to be vulnerable and intimate by having an audience," Menzel states backstage as round her the PBS production crew packed up for that morning flight home over the border.As though to underline that time, Menzel for the finish of her PBS special walked towards the front from the acoustically perfect Koerner Hall stage, dropped her microphone, and filled the quiet hall by having an a cappella version of "Permanently" from Wicked."'For Good,' that's my personal favorite area of the show. It's removed lower, there is no orchestra you are able to hide behind," she described. The Hollywood Reporter