Biz takes tentative steps amid big changes

CBS and Warner Bros. inked a deal with Netflix for shows like The Vampire Diaries, above. Brian F. OByrne in Prime Suspect For showbiz, 2011 has been a year of movement in fits and starts, rather than great leaps forward, as the industry grapples with a fast-changing, increasingly global business landscape.There haven't been any transformative transactions on the scale of, say, Comcast-NBCUniversal (although that union was formally sealed in January) or Disney-Marvel. Time Warner's unsolicited $1.4 billion bid for Endemol marks the biggest bucks that any of the biz's major congloms have put on the table (at least publicly) for an acquisition.'Prime' prospect for PeacockDespite the lack of blockbuster developments, however, there have been areas of notable activity that could set the stage for bigger changes to come: Windows, windows, windows. In TV and film, the biz has been acting like a menopausal woman in a stuffy room who can't decide whether she wants the window opened wide, halfway or just a crack.The tug of war between studios and exhibitors on the issue is emblematic of the struggle to balance the demands of various stakeholders in the theatrical business -- particularly the changing habits of younger moviegoers. Even more than Universal caving on its plan for an early "Tower Heist" premium VOD window, the bigger surprise has been the lackluster showing so far from the $30 PVOD window that Warner Bros., Fox and Universal carved out with DirecTV, amid much drama with exhibs and some high-profile creatives.No one has released any numbers, but it's common knowledge that the studios have been disappointed with the results.Is it a marketing problem? Is it the titles being offered? Only time and more market research will tell. The rise of Netflix. The netcaster has been part of virtually every conversation about the biz's future, but Hollywood still can't quite decide if Netflix is friend or foe.Most in the biz seem to be leaning toward the friend side, though there has been unabashed schadenfreude as the company's high-flying stock has fallen from $300-plus to the $70-$80 range in recent weeks.CBS and Warner Bros., the two majors that have been most conservative in making their TV skeins available online, embraced Netflix as the savior of the CW in reaching a path-breaking output deal for the net's programming. Netflix is also seen as filling a big financial hole for serialized and niche-appeal programs that will never fetch big bucks in the traditional cable/TV station syndie market (think "Mad Men").But now that so many have hitched their wagons with Netflix, the company's fumbles with subscriber relations and its $400 million debt/stock offering last week have raised questions about whether it is in danger of becoming overextended.n Film-financing follies. As Variety's Rachel Abrams has reported, the climate for film-financing deals has definitely improved during the past year, but the terms and the players are very different than they were before the economic meltdown. The big banks are tiptoeing back in for big studio projects, on a selective basis. And companies like Endgame Entertainment are helping to fill the void in the indie sector with its new P&A fund. A big question for indie players is whether it's possible to make real money on with a VOD release strategy. There's an optimistic feeling out there is that all it will take is one or two home runs (by indie standards) to juice this market. International channels finally get some attention. They're massive worldwide operations, yet the majors' international channel operations have for years been largely invisible in Hollywood. But that's changing as Fox, Sony and others have become more ambitious with programming for their clusters of studio-branded channels. Gently down the stream. The competition among music streaming services stepped up a notch this year as Pandora went public and Europe's Spotify moved into the U.S. market.What's interesting is that all this activity has coincided with a period of consolidation among music publishing companies large and small.No showbiz shingle has undergone more of a top-to-bottom transformation this year than the NBC broadcast net. As the sawdust flies on the rebuilding of its primetime lineup, here's hoping the Peacock can find the resources to hang in there with "Prime Suspect," its strongest new drama in years. Much praise has been showered on the writing and Maria Bello's performance, and not to be overlooked is the show's rock-solid supporting cast, anchored by the great Brian F. O'Byrne.Grant Tinker has often told the story of how at a time when NBC was in bad shape, he and Brandon Tartikoff made the decision to renew "St. Elsewhere" after its low-rated first season because they knew it was a good show.Let "Prime Suspect" be the "St. Elsewhere" for this generation. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Ough Gervais to come back as Host of Golden Globes

La (AP) Ough Gervais is coming back as host from the Golden Globes.The Hollywood Foreign Press Association introduced through Twitter on Wednesday that Gervais will require his third turn as Globes host in The month of january.Gervais left some wondering if he'd return after his performance only at that year's show, when he required pointed injections at Celebrities and also the HFPA, which puts around the annual ceremony.The 50-year-old comedian published a YouTube clip on his Twitter page Wednesday of his biting opening monologue in the 2011 show, promising "This (occasions) 10."In the ceremony captured, Gervais joked the HFPA accepts bribes (soon after the audience was prosecuted for accusations it involved in payola schemes) and sharpened at stars for example Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis and Robert Downey Junior."I am suggesting now If you do not enjoy it... (Expletive) you! Should you choose enjoy it.. Adore you!Inch Gervais tweeted Wednesday.The HFPA acknowledged on its website that "not everybody is satisfied using the decision" to create Gervais back because "his blunt one-inserts focusing on large-title celebs triggered anger and bitterness in certain quarters."Downey stated throughout the ceremony: "Besides the proven fact that it has been greatly mean-spirited, with mildly sinister undertones, I'd the vibe from the show is fairly good to date, wouldn't you?"The HFPA stated following the reveal that Gervais "pressed the envelope and from time to time went too much.InchNevertheless, the injections compensated off in rankings, drawing nearly 17 million audiences towards the NBC broadcast and beating out its network competition for the reason that time slot.Gervais initially stated following the reveal that he'd not return since it's host. Captured, Philip Berk, who had been leader from the HFPA at that time, refused that Gervais have been asked to return.However the organization stated Gervais "progressively warmed towards the idea" and lately talked about his return using the HFPA's new leader, Dr. Aida Takla-O'Reilly.The 69th annual Golden Globe Honours is going to be held Jan. 15 in the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hillsides, Calif., and broadcast by NBC.Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Cromer joins Raine's 'Tribes'

Cromer The Olivier-nommed "Tribes," which bowed at London's Royal Court, is getting a commercial production directed by David Cromer at Off Broadway's Barrow Street TheaterThe Nina Raine-penned comedy, which follows a deaf boy in a hearing family, is scheduled to begin performances in mid-February with an opening date set for March 4.Cromer's most recent Gotham outing was a revival of John Guare's "House of Blue Leaves" on Broadway, starring Edie Falco and Ben Stiller.Tickets for "Tribes" go on sale Dec. 15. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

Magazine to Focus on Reality TV

Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi It was only a matter of time: A magazine is going to focus on reality TV and its stars. Reality Weekly will debut the first week of January, according to The NY Times, and will include features such as "Biggest Fights of the Week," "Hottest Shots of the Week," and "Where Are They Now?" Growing Up Gotti's Victoria Gotti will also write a weekly column. Catch up on the rest of the day's news "The material reality shows give us is an embarrassment of riches," Reality Weekly Editor Richard Spencer said. "Reality stars, you can't keep them away. It's always 'Come to my wedding!' or 'I just redid my baby's room. Want to see it?'" The magazine will be published by American Media Inc., the company behind the National Enquirer, Star and Radar Online and will cost $1.79 an issue. "Less money/More fun!" is the tagline. Certainly, interest in reality TV remains unabated, as shows such as Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Jersey Shore post record ratings even after several years.

'Homeland' EP Talks 'The Killing' Effect, Teases Major Brody Revelation

Showtime If there's one thing that haunts all new TV thrillers with a central mystery at the core of its drama, it's the effect The Killing had on an audience's trust. The AMC show and its creator, Veena Sud, angered many of its fans when it didn't answer its own question: Who killed Rosie Larsen? Homeland co-creator and EP Alex Gansa addressed the controversy in relation to the new Showtime series.our editor recommendsDo TV Series Get or Deserve Second Chances? 'American Horror Story' Adds 'Homeland' Actor (Exclusive)No Laughing Matter -- Drama is Still King of the Small ScreenShowtime Renews 'Homeland' for Second Season PHOTOS: 10 Showrunners to Watch in 2012 "I don't want to cast stones at The Killing, because I thought The Killing was unbelievable, and incredibly evocative," Gansa tells The Hollywood Reporter. "And I know how hard it is to do these things. You have to understand that The Killing also was at kind of a disadvantage in so far as a murder had already been committed." "And so the detectives were out trying to solve that murder," he continues. "But there wasn't really the sense that something else was a threat, that something else was about to happen. They were trying to piece together what happened in the past. And that's very different from the situation that we have." In contrast, Gansa explains that Homeland contains an active terrorist threat to the U.S. that Carrie (Claire Danes), Saul (Mandy Patinkin), and David Estes (David Harewood) can stop. STORY:Top 50 Power Showrunners 2011 "So whether or not Brody is guilty," Gansa says. "Whether or not he's been turned in captivity, whether or not, hypothetically, he'll go through with the terrorist act, there is a real and bona fide plot against America." "So, clearly The Killing is a cautionary tale at some level to us," He goes on to say. "But it didn't influence our storytelling." Gansa says that he and co-creator Howard Gordon had the first season fairly mapped out even before Showtime gave it a full season order. And while the season pivots on the guilt or innocence of Sgt. Brody (Damian Lewis), the threat to America could come from several other sources, as well. STORY: DVR Dump Vol. 2: 10 Freshman Series I'm Keeping But, of course, that may not satisfy viewers who really want to know if Brody has really been turned against America while being held captive by Al-Qaeda. And Gansa tells THR we will definitely know the answer to that mystery by the end of the season and possibly much sooner. "There is a major, major revelation in the next episode," he says. "In the episode that airs this Sunday, you will understand whether Brody is innocent or guilty." Homelandairs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime. Email: Jethro.Nededog@thr.com; Twitter:@TheRealJethro Showtime Homeland

Isabel Lucas, 'Immortals' Star, on the Differences Between Michael Bay and Tarsem

Isabel Lucas probably isn't whom you'd first picture playing Athena, the goddess of wisdom: In fact, the Aussie actress tells us she had a different Australian actress star in mind to play Zeus's daughter in 'Immortals.' All part of director Tarsem Singh's vision of younger than usual Olympian gods, as Lucas told Moviefone. The actress spoke to us about her new film, the differences between Tarsem and Michael Bay (who directed her in 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'), and what's going on with the long-delayed 'Red Dawn.' Did you have to get in shape to play Athena? No. Aactually, Tarsem didn't want me to necessarily to be all muscular. The guys were all training months before. So I didn't have to do anything, except for the martial arts training for the sickle fight. And that was for about two or three weeks and a couple of hours a day. That ws fun. It was intimidating too because I haven't done any of that sort of martial arts before, so it was a new thing to take on. What appealed to you the most about this part? Mostly I think what drew me was Tarsem being involved in directing. He's incredible as a director and he has such an artistic vision. These films have all been done before, but his style is so breath-taking, and the colors ... maybe it's the Indian influence, but they're just very unique to him and so original and so beautiful and so brutal all at once. I really wanted to work with Tarsem and then just to be offered the role of a goddess is very special. I grew up being very interested in Greek mythology because my mum read to my sister and I. Nothing that we'd really remember, but it sort of vague memories of mum telling me stories. I didn't really need to do a lot of research on Greek mythologies, it was more about doing research on the archetype of the Athena character. I really loved revisiting that material. When you read the script, did any of the violence make you wonder if you should do the movie? I did, actually. I was really sort of being blown [away] by every blow but I felt like it was worth it. And the moral of the story... it's about a man who's been ostracized by society. It's his journey to becoming a hero, changing the fate of humanity and bringing peace to earth. Yes, there is a lot of violence and I was put off a little, but I think all the other elements coming together, it was all worth it. How does Tarsem differ from Michael Bay as a director? They're actually quite black and white in terms of how they work. I think that they're both very technical directors, they certainly have that in common. They're also very visual directors. They can really stamp their own style. However, I think Tarsem's approach is very philosophical, the way he asks so many questions and involves everyone right down to every detail and he's very approachable to ask questions, to talk to. He explains things very easily. He's very much an actor's director as well. And also, just he's just a whole lot of fun. He's a very enthusiastic, full of life, very passionate and very opinionated and full of humor. But really a lot of fun to be around. And really has good intentions behind everything. His heart is on the tip of his ... sleeve? So you could come to with him with suggestions? Yes, you're not so much just a chess piece, he wants you on board because he wants you to be creatively involved. Did you make any suggestions he incorporated into the movie? Yes, it was always a collaboration. What's one idea you gave him that he took? Well, actually, one of the things that was more his idea and I ended up agreeing with, was to play Athena a lot younger. Obviously, he cast the gods a lot younger than how they were depicted in history. We remember Athena as being a middle-aged woman and she's stoic and serious and she's a woman of wisdom and was in the war providing council. You can't be young, in your early 20s and doing that. I think that was an interesting choice for him and he really encouraged me to play her more passive and more childlike than how she was remembered. It's sort of, in the way, the seed of what she became. At first, I was resisting that, it's not Athena. But then I thought that she's probably a woman in her mid-30s like Cate Blanchett. That's really whom one would imagine to be playing Athena. Personally, I would imagine her. But that's not what he had in mind. So it was a younger Athena. We can see the arc for what she grows to become. This does lay the groundwork for a sequel. Is that something you've talked about? I think the producers and director would have to answer that, but they were definitely talking about it. Would you want to come back and play an older version of her? Sure. I love Athena. I love all the goddesses and the archetypes and what they represent because I think they're always going to be relevant not just to women but to humanity. They're living energy. There's a lot we can still learn from them. What's going on with 'Red Dawn'? Good question. I think it's going to be coming out next year. That's the rumor that's going around. With Chris [Hemsworth] having done 'Thor' and the hype that's surrounding him now, it seems like they might pick it up on that wind. RELATED: 'Immortals' director Tarsem blasts '300' and 'Clash of the Titans' RELATED: Is 'Immortals' too violent? [Photo: Relativity] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

'Immortals' Ultra-Violence: Does Hollywood Require More In Depth R-Rating?

'Immortals' certainly offers the very pitched fight moments you expect from an action epic, however when you believe the carnage is on componen with '300' or 'Gladiator,' reconsider. Director Tarsem Singh happily referred to his stance on-screen violence to Moviefone and recognized his goal is always to make audiences uncomfortable. Can remember the scene in 'The Cell' where Vincent D'Onofrio unspools a victim's digestive system? Expect really this kind of literally stomach-churning ickiness in 'Immortals,' which pushes the R-rating so desperately, we've request: Are you currently searching for any new "hard R" label? Spoilers ahead after we discuss the higher nasty moments in 'Immortals.' Now, don't get me wrong me. I'm one of the finest 'Gladiator' fans you'll ever meet. When Russell Crowe beheaded another gladiator getting a fast two-sword stroke, I cheered with the relaxation in the audience. Singh, however, is adamantly against that kind of enjoyment of R-rated violence. While he told Moviefone, he wants everyone else to "feel below componen.Inch Well, mission accomplished. The script is actually brothers and sisters Vlas and Charley Parlapanides, nevertheless the execution seems being all Singh's doing. Consider these moments (spoilers, clearly): -- Theseus (Henry Cavill) watches helplessly just like a soldier cuts his mother's throat in close-up. -- A monk who's been tortured reduces their very own tongue rather than reveal the area of oracle Phaedra (Freida Pinto) -- A defector is paid out by King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) through getting his face broken and also the testicles bashed together with an enormous mallet. -- King Hyperion kills a minion by pushing his eyes into his skull -- Three women are roasted alive within the metal sculpture. We hear their muffled screams and discover them dying their save comes too far gone. People moments read horrible enough, that will help you only imagine what they're just like 3d. The same situation have carried out in the past films (the interest-gouging in 'Blade Runner,' say, or poor Aaron Eckhart's fire-roasting fate in 'The Missing'), nevertheless the sheer pile-from unpleasantness in 'Immortals' makes each scene a lot more distasteful. That's to convey nothing in the final fight, when the organs are flying fast and furious -- in 3d! -- as combatants are split by 50 percent. Certainly, lots of people will consume 'Immortals,' but if you are trading $75 million around the movie, shouldn't you need almost all moviegoers to relish themselves? It's tough to consider a director together with a studio would deliberately set to alienate a needing to pay audience together with your over-the-top violence, yet Singh is satisfied together with his accomplishment and sights anything less being "dumbing lower." He is not alone: inside the press notes, producer Mark Canton (who formerly produced '300') boasts, "It's within your face. We're not playing it safe. History isn't safe. Mythology isn't safe. And we're not really considering safe." Yes, the film is rated R, however, if that rating may also be deliver to a lot of the f-word, much like 'The King's Speech,' 'Billy Elliot' or 'Good Will Hunting,' clearly the ratings method is broken. It's been mentioned before, nevertheless the British have a much more helpful system more precisely conveys just how much when you're go to a movie. Inside the Uk, 'Immortals' must be slashed to earn a "15" rating, the identical rating that was presented to '300' without any cuts being made. The moments in the list above must be well toned lower to avoid acquiring a Uk "18" rating. Inside the U.S., the moments remain untouched (once the version I saw within the press screening is the same as the primary one that is being released to theaters) for just about any meaninglessly blanket R rating. The MPAA alerts of "strong bloody violence together with a scene of sexuality." Strangely enough, '300,' that have its share of violence but never hit the identical visceral, disturbing notes as 'Immortals,' appeared to become rated R for "graphic fight sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity." Due to the MPAA wording, you'd think that "graphic" may well be more extreme than "strong." You would be wrong. If "sickeningly graphic" violence (Singh's own assessment of just one finish of his filmmaking spectrum) may be the factor, then you'll enjoy 'Immortals.' Though movies like 'Immortals' and 'Human Centipede' in the marketplace, there must be another rating to warn people who favors less extreme violence what they're looking for once they buy a ticket. And people people going just for the best violence will probably be jarred with the overall schlockiness, an greatly unfulfilling story as well as the camping factor of gods fitted like go-go ballroom ballroom dancers. You have to question, who's this movie for? Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook