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

VIDEO: 'Smash' Preview Supplies a Backstage Think about the NBC Drama

New NBC Entertainment topper Robert Greenblatt faces his first large test just like a broadcast network programmer when NBC's "Smash" premieres Feb. 6.Featuring former "The The American Idol Show ShowInch contestant Katharine McPhee leading an ensemble cast inside the story from the building of the Broadway play, the fourth-place network goes all-to advertise the series, delivering a seven-minute extended sneak try looking in the series.Inside the clip, McPhee and co-stars Debra Playing, Megan Hilty, Jack Davenport and Anjelica Huston (among others) are grew to become part of having a "dream team" of author-producers Neil Meron, Craig Zadan and Steven Spielberg simply because they discuss the concept for your series.I've had this idea for several years," Spielberg states. "I'm really considering what continues backstage. In movies, I realize precisely how to create an account and the way to create a production but also for me it's a complete mystery how they have it completed in theater."Watch the extended preview below. The Hollywood Reporter

SAG Awards Nominations: The Complete List

NY - Just like home improvement retailer Lowe's, travel Web site Kayak has also withdrawn commercials from TLC's All-American Muslim, the NY Times reported.our editor recommendsJon Stewart Skewers TLC, Lowe's Over 'American Muslim' BoycottLowe's Pulls Ads from TLC Show 'All-American Muslim' The paper said that at least these two advertisers have dropped ads on the reality TV show on the Discovery Communications network since activist group Florida Family Association condemned the series. However, the Times highlighted that others cited by the association as having pulled ads are disputing such claims, including Bank of America, Sears and Campbell Soup. Overall, the organization has said that 65 companies have stopped advertising on the show. Bank of America was only scheduled to run an ad spot in one episode of All-American Muslim, a spokesman told the Times. "We had a schedule all along," he said, "and it was set to expire when it did." "We didn't pull" commercials from All-American Muslim, a spokesman for Campbell Soup said. Other commercials "could run in subsequent episodes," even though the company didn't specifically request to be on the show, but - as is common - bought ad time on TLC in the 7-11pm time slot, he added. "We certainly support diversity and inclusion," the spokesman told the Times, "And we market to everybody here in the United States, including Dearborn, Michigan." A Sears spokesman also told the paper that his company's ad spots on All-American Muslim were "part of a general media buy that was not specific to any particular programming" and that the company hasn't pulled ads due to concerns about the show. Lowe's has been the focus of much debate about All-American Muslim and whether companies should advertise on it or not. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Discovery Communications TLC All-American Muslim

Lisa D'Amour's 'Detroit' Now Going-Broadway

NY (AP) Playwright Lisa D'Amour will have to wait somewhat longer on her behalf Broadway debut.The off-Broadway company Playwrights Horizons mentioned Monday it'll produce D'Amour's "Detroit" next fall. The offbeat work was prone to land this fall on Broadway."Detroit" is occur a suburb of the city and concentrates on a couple of who invite their new neighbors over for just about any barbecue only to progressively find their friendship veering uncontrollable.The play aided make D'Amour a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist. It had its world premiere a year ago at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company starring Laurie Metcalf.No casting remains introduced for your Playwrights Horizons run.Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. NY (AP) Playwright Lisa D'Amour will have to wait longer on her behalf Broadway debut.The off-Broadway company Playwrights Horizons mentioned Monday it'll produce D'Amour's "Detroit" next fall. The offbeat work was prone to land this fall on Broadway."Detroit" is occur a suburb of the city and concentrates on a couple of who invite their new neighbors over for just about any barbecue only to progressively find their friendship veering uncontrollable.The play aided make D'Amour a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist. It had its world premiere a year ago at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company starring Laurie Metcalf.No casting remains introduced for your Playwrights Horizons run.Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Station Buy Give CBS Duopoly In NY Market

CBS Television Stations stated today it has inked an offer to get independent NY station WLNY-TV, giving CBS two stations within the nation’s biggest media market. Once the deal qualifies, it'll mark the tenth duopoly in 10 U.S. metropolitan areas for CBS, joining La, Philadelphia, Dallas, Bay Area, Boston, Detroit, Miami, Sacramento and Pittsburgh. The combined talents of CBS 2 and WLNY-TV can give us a good platform for serving the whole NY area,” CBS Tv Producers leader Peter Dunn stated within the release announcing the offer. “Our plans for that station include adding people and assets to fuel a substantial growth of local news programming well past the nightly half-hour that presently airs.” WLNY is shipped within the NY-Nj-Connecticut tri-condition area as well as on New York, where an broadened news bureau is anticipated. The station produced $3.8M in revenue this past year, a small amount within the huge market, based on research firm BIA/Kelsey. But Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker calls the agreement “a wise, tuck-in acquisition which should provide some significant upside possibilities” for CBS.Duopolies typically generate more profit than stand-alone stations, she states, and WLNY provides extensive room to develop — particularly if CBS causes it to be a person in local news.

Forging forward

Mikros Image done the three dimensional conversion of Tarsem Singh's 'Immortals'Paris-based visual effects and publish-production company Mikros Image is growing, both because its cake toppers would like it to, and since they think it needs to."We're right into a more global business now, where we face a changing industry. So there's lots of restructuring happening,Inch states controlling director Gilles Gaillard.The organization, that has a yearly revenue of 32 million ($43.two million), includes a firm base in France, where it handles around 40 films annually in addition to advertising -- which adds 65% of their revenue -- and television work.However it has additionally setup subsidiaries in Belgium, Luxembourg and Canada, and it has established close ties with companies within the U.S. and Europe.One of many projects the organization is associated with are Michael Haneke's "Amour" the following pic from "A Prophet" helmer Jacques Audiard, "Not Gout p rouille et d'os" and "The Congress," one half live-action, half animation sci-fi pic from Ari Folman, the director of "Waltz With Bashir."Gaillard states the long term prospects for that vfx industry are great, as interest in entertainment product and advertising keeps growing.InchThe important thing factor is business models -- looking for methods for financing this creativeness," he states. "We're on your journey to consolidation, which our industry needs."To handle price of bigger projects effectively, he states, the sector must rationalize right into a less quantity of groups. "We believe there's one where you will find core companies -- like ours -- and close ties (with more compact shops), to ensure that you will find the full advantage of the city for the gamers involved," he states.In France, the vfx and publish-production sector has achieved positive results in the tax incentive for foreign production, along with the support deliver to domestic film and television production. The organization may then complement by using the tax incentives offered in Belgium, Luxembourg and Canada, and that's why it setup subsidiaries in individuals nations.Its pact with Eight VFX in Santa Monica helps generate biz from Hollywood, and enables Mikros Image to profit from Eight VFX's local understanding."If we are coping with American films, the connection needs to be with the visual effects administrators, that is sometimes more complicated to deal with. So this is exactly why we've been joining up with Eight VFX, because we required to have somebody who had been more acquainted with their method of handling things," he states.Mikros Image lately done the three dimensional conversion of Tarsem Singh's "Immortals."FRENCH VFX & ANIMATION:Mooning over Melies Universal benefit in Mac Gruff accord Forging forward Contact Leo Barraclough at leo.barraclough@variety.com

Joseph Farrell Dead: Father of the Movie Trailer Dies at 76

You probably never heard the name Joseph Farrell, but if you've gone to a movie in recent history, you've definitely seen his work. Farrell is credited with introducing a number of market research ideas into Hollywood, including the movie trailer. Confirmed by his publicist, Farrell died on Wednesday from natural causes at the age of 76. Farrell was the former chairman and CEO of the National Research Group which would fast become the "leading market research group in the film industry," reports Deadline. In addition to the movie trailer, Farrell also had a hand in the increased reliance on test screenings, box-office tracking, television spots and even the concept of quadrants -- that an audience can be split into four sections: men over 25, women over 25, men under 25, women under 25. The biggest hits -- think the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise -- are usually described as four-quadrant movies. (Something like 'Breaking Dawn Part 1' is not.) In 2003, Farrell created his own company, FP Productions, where he set up an exclusive first-look deal at Disney. He also remained a marketing consultant for the studios. [via Deadline] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

'Crime' a sign of new times

'Major Crimes'When Mary McDonnell took on a guest-starring role as Capt. Sharon Raydor on the fifth season of "The Closer," no one could have anticipated that the "Battlestar Galactica" actress would be the one carrying the torch over from the TNT hit procedural to spinoff "Major Crimes."In rather serendipitous fashion, Kyra Sedgwick and McDonnell had run into each other at a party and expressed their mutual admiration and desire to work together. The result of their exchange quickly turned into an invitation for McDonnell to play Sedgwick's nemesis in a guest arc."The scenes between Brenda and Raydor just sizzled with their conflict clash," recalls exec producer Greer Shephard, who has been a writer on the show since its inception. "She made a very big impression. We all knew that there was an expiration date for Kyra, and I think that we were always trying to look forward and see how the show could carry on."In McDonnell, and a polarizing character whose trajectory very much resembled that of Brenda Leigh Johnson's, they suddenly had their answer."Major Crimes," which premieres next summer, is already a transition in progress. Some of the skein's characters will be introduced throughout the latter half of the final season of "The Closer" and familiar faces will make a seamless move from one procedural to the other.Whereas "The Closer" ended each episode with a confession, that's where the story begins in the reboot, which ultimately focuses more on the justice system and its flaws.The presence of the district attorney's office will be introduced as part of the criminal process and the series will examine how confessions, which often given viewers closure in a case, sometimes aren't enough to convict a defendant in court."You're going to see how frail and human the justice system is," says exec producer James Duff. "You're going to see people struggling to create justice while dealing with their baser ambitions."Whether the show manages to live up to its predecessor depends largely on how invested fans are in McDonnell's character and the crime-solving team they've come to know for the past seven years. It's a gamble, but Entertainment Weekly TV critic Ken Tucker has no doubt they're up for the challenge."The smart thing the producers have done is bring the supporting cast front and center in recent seasons, making them full co-stars with Sedgwick," says Tucker. "Combine this with the way the show has woven Mary McDonnell into the show as Brenda's nemesis and 'Major Crimes' is a model of how to make a franchise survive after its star departs.""THE CLOSER" 100TH EPISODE TNT's blue streak | Sedgwick confides on 'Closer' ramifications | 'Crime' a sign of new times | Bailey, Reynolds recollect favorite moments Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Seth MacFarlane Receives Two Grammy Nominations (Video)

Seth MacFarlanecan add another talent (musician) to his list.our editor recommends'Simpsons' and 'Beavis and Butthead' Creators Join Seth MacFarlane at His THR Cover Shoot (Video)VIDEO: Behind the Scenes of THR's 'Seth MacFarlane' Cover Shoot Seth MacFarlane: The Restless Mind of a Complicated CartoonistGrammy Nominations: Kanye West Tops With 7 Nods; Adele, Rihanna Among Album of Year Contenders The showrunner, who is behind Fox's multi-billion dollar animated empire, is now a two-time Grammy nominee. PHOTOS: 54th Annual Grammy Nominees MacFarlane, who only recently began trying his hand at writing music, was nominated in the Best Song Written For Visual Media category, with "Christmastime is Killing Us," which he co-wrote withRon JonesandDanny Smith. In an even bigger coup, the producer, who is currently overseeingAmerican Dad!,The Cleveland Show, an update of the classic animated seriesThe Flintstones, a revamp of the 1980s PBS seriesCosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey, an untitled animated series he's preparing to pitch, a feature film due out next summer calledTed, a recurring gig as Comedy Central's celebrity roast master (most recent victim: Charlie Sheen) and the series that made them all possible,Family Guy, was also nominated for his big band album Music Is Better Than Words. PHOTOS: From the Mind of Seth MacFarlane The debut album is nominated alongside musical heavyweightsTony Bennett,Barbra Streisand,Harry Connick Jr.andSusan Boylein the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category. STORY: Seth MacFarlane Secretly Wants 'Family Guy' to End; Relaunch 'Star Trek' for TV The Hollywood Reporter's Oct. 21 cover story reported that when he set out to make the record withAmerican Dad!composerJoel McNeely, he had one goal in mind: to introduce others to the kind of music -- including many obscure songs from the 1940s, '50s and '60s -- he has been listening to and loving since he was a boy. In a nod to his idol, he recorded the vocals with the actual microphoneFrank Sinatraused on many of his classic albums. (According to McNeely, there's already talk of a brief East Coast tour this year and a desire to make a follow-up album.) "Seth is probably more knowledgeable about this music than anybody I've ever known," says McNeely, who has spent his career ensconced in that world. "If you name a song off of a particular album from that era, he'll be able to tell you not just who arranged it, but what studio it was recorded at, probably the year that it was recorded and who some of the players were. It's a little freaky." To read THR's MacFrarlane cover story in full, click here. Watch "Christmastime is Killing Us" below. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Behind the Scenes With the Showrunners Grammy Awards Barbra Streisand Harry Connick Jr. Seth MacFarlane Tony Bennett The Cleveland Show American Dad Family Guy Susan Boyle Grammys 2012

Placebo To Rock Sundance London Opening Evening

The 2 . 5 Males producer that required on Charlie Sheen, the greatest title in The spanish language TV, the first kind mind of Disney, and Fred and Ethel Mertz are some of the latest inductees in to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.our editor recommends'I Love Lucy': 5 Things to understand about the SeriesBunim/Murray and Henson Alternative Team on Satirical Puppet Show (Exclusive)Michael Eisner Sells Comedy Project to ABCRelated Subjects•Charlie Sheen The executive producer of 2 . 5 Males too The Large Bang Theory and Mike and Molly is Chuck Lorre, who made it Sheen's anger to determine his show become even more powerful within the rankings. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Greatest Blunders He's became a member of one of the 21st annual Hall of Fame inductees by Michael Eisner, who had been Boss from the Wally Disney Company from 1985 until 2005 Don Francisco, the most popular longtime Univision show host Sherman Hemsley, the actor who most notoriously performed George Jefferson TV lighting legend Bill Klages producers Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, who're broadly credited with inventing the current reality TV genre and also the late Vivian Vance and William "Bill" Frawley, who'll forever be appreciated as Ethel and Fred Mertz, the close friends from the Ricardo's on I Really Like Lucy. "The audience of inductees with this year's Hall of Fame has already established a amazing impact in most regions of the tv industry, from entertainers and hosts to producers and professionals," stated Mark Itkin, the WME board member who headed the choice committee. The announcement is made by Television Academy Chairman and Boss John Shaffner, who finishes his tenure as mind from the group in the finish of December. Another people of the year's selection committee were Mike Darnell, Leader of Alternative Entertainment at FOX Peter Roth, Leader of Warner Siblings Television Fred Silverman, founding father of the Fred Silverman Company and former executive at ABC, CBS and NBC Nina Tassler, Leader of CBS Entertainment and Steve Venezia, Director, Content Services at Dolby Labs, Corporation. The 2012 inductees join a lot more than 120 others within the Hall of Fame. Past honorees include Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson, Walter Cronkite, Wally Disney, Bob Hope, Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara Walters, Serta Rather, The famous host oprah Winfrey, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Lorne Michaels, Carl Reiner, Katie Couric, Bob Mackie, Bob Barker, Bea Arthur, Bill Cosby, Regis Philbin, William Shatner, Bob Stewart and Candice Bergen. The Academy's details about the brand new inductees follows following the break. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Chuck Lorre & His TV Empire Related Subjects Chuck Lorre Michael Eisner The Real Life Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 1 2 next last

'Iron Lady' Director Responds to Uproar Over Meryl Streep's 'Over-Emotional' Performance

This story appeared in the Dec. 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.our editor recommends'The Adventures of Tintin': What James Cameron Showed Spielberg and Jackson9 Things You Should Know About 'The Adventures of Tintin'Animated, Documentary and Foreign: 3 Key Oscar Categories AnalyzedRelated Topics•The Race•Golden Globes 2012 Pixar's animated movies have had a prize-winning run at the Golden Globe awards, but this year that run could very well come crashing to an end -- and all because of an intrepid young reporter called Tintin. When it comes to recognizing animated films in their own category, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was actually late to the game. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first gave out an Oscar for best animated feature in 2002. (Its first winner was DreamWorks Animation's Shrek.) It was five years before the HFPA, which had previously lumped animated movies into its comedy/musical category, decided to follow suit and designated a special Globe for animation. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Toy Wars For the past five years, ever since the HFPA created that new trophy, Pixar has ruled the competition. Cars, John Lasseter's celebration of America's automobile culture, took home the inaugural Globe for animation, defeating such contenders as Happy Feet, with its tap-dancing penguins, Monster House and Bee Movie. (That same year, at the Oscars, Happy Feet pulled off a surprise win by upstaging Cars.) And every year since then, another Pixar movie has upheld the tradition: Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up and Toy Story 3 all were winners. This year, Lasseter is back with the sequel Cars 2, in which Owen Wilson's Lightning McQueen and Larry the Cable Guy's Mater take a round-the-world drive in a plot tailor-made to appeal to the HFPA's international constituency. The song-and-dance birds of Antarctica will be back as well in their own sequel, director George Miller's Happy Feet Two. COVER STORY: Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson: The Titans Behind 'The Adventures of Tintin' Don't expect a replay of the 2006 race, though. There are plenty of other fierce contenders who are hoping for a nomination: DWA's Kung Fu Panda 2 and Puss in Boots, Fox's Rio, Paramount's Rango, Disney's Winnie the Pooh and Sony's Arthur Christmas among them. There also are a couple of new kids in toon town: Steven Spielberg, directing his first animated feature, The Adventures of Tintin, making use of the latest advances in motion capture and 3D cinematography with The Lord of the Rings maestro Peter Jackson at his side as producer. PHOTOS: 'Tintin,' 'Happy Feet Two' and 21 Other Awards Season Contenders Featuring Animals The HFPA, which has a demonstrated weakness for big marquee names, is going to find it hard to resist a filmmaker with that kind of pedigree. Plus, Tintin is based on the famous Herge comics character -- famous at least in Europe, from whence many HFPA members hail. Although Paramount won't open the movie in the United States until Dec. 21, almost a week after the Globe nominations are announced, it's already a growing hit around the world, where it grossed more than $160 million in its first two weeks of release via Sony and Paramount. So while Pixar may have the winning track record at the Globes, this year it's the challenger Tintin that is revving up to win the prize. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Oscars 2012: The Early Signals Related Topics Golden Globes John Lasseter Steven Spielberg Pixar Cars 2 The Adventures of Tintin Golden Globes 2012 Awards Season Preview

New Line, Ice Cube Plot Another Friday

New Line Cinema is at talks with Ice Cube to produce, produce and star in another installment in the Friday series. Cube may be in line to direct it too, but all that's being worked out. A TMZ report states that Chris Tucker to stay in serious predicts reprise his role inside the film. They have had discussions and Cube wants him, I’m told, nevertheless it’s unclear whether that part can be a reality. To start with, once i asked Tucker previously for Playboy, he described that because of his religion, he was reticent being described who're holding cards smoking mode as his character Smokey reaches the first film. He went to date regarding express he probably now wouldn’t required that memorable stint in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, because of the verbal explosion of profanity and liberal standby time with the “N” word. Stay up-to-date.

FEINBERG'S 5: Billy Crystal, AFI Fest, 'The Iron Lady,' 'Margin Call,' Morgan Freeman

Kevin Winter/Getty Images These, in my judgment, are the five awards-related stories from the past week that every self-respecting movie buff should know about...our editor recommendsBilly Crystal to Host the OscarsMeryl Streep Movie 'The Iron Lady' to Open Dec. 30Roadside Celebrates 'Albert Nobbs,' Prepares to Mount Late Campaign for 'Margin Call'Morgan Freeman to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement at Golden GlobesSteven Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin' Gets North American Premiere as 25th AFI Fest Closes 1. The Academy Makes the Best of It It was a rollercoaster of a week for the Academy. As THR was the first to report, Brett Ratner, who had been named the producer of February's Oscar show, resigned from the job on Tuesday after provoking a firestorm of controversy by stating during a Q&A that "rehearsal is for fags" and explicitly discussing his sex life with Howard Stern. Then, on Wednesday, Eddie Murphy, whom Ratner recently directed in Tower Heist and recruited to serve as the host of the Oscar show, also walked away from the show, leaving things in disarray. But that same day, Brian Grazer, the co-chief of Imagine Entertainment and the Oscar-winning producer of A Beautiful Mind (2001), stepped up to the plate and agreed to replace Ratner, and, on Thursday, Billy Crystal, the popular host of eight previous Oscar shows, agreed to come back and fill in for Murphy. (As a publicist friend said to me, it's a pretty safe bet that Crystal's opening monologue will begin, "Good evening and welcome to the Oscars. I'm your host, Eddie Murphy!") PHOTOS: Oscar Hosts Through the Years Despite the inconvenience and stress that the last week must have caused the Academy, they actually came out of it in pretty good shape; after all, does anyone doubt that they'd have preferred a Grazer/Crystal combo over Ratner/Murphy in the first place? Now, the Academy can devote its full focus to Saturday's third annual Governors Awards ceremony, at which actress/producer Oprah Winfrey will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and honorary Oscars will be presented to actor James Earl Jones (in absentia -- he didn't want to miss a night of his West End play Driving Miss Daisy) and makeup artist Dick Smith. (Click here to read my preview of the event and interviews with all three honorees.) 2. AFI Fest Closes Out Fall Festival Season The fall festival season drew to a close with the 25th annual AFI Fest, a week-long festival that was held in Hollywood (primarily at Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian theaters) and was bookended by two highly-anticipated films. The opening night screening was the world premiere of Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar and the closing night screening was the North American premiere of Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin, both of which generated mixed-leaning-positive responses from critics. PHOTOS: 'J. Edgar' Kicks Off AFI Fest In-between, many other awards hopefuls that have been playing on the festival circuit for months were also screened, including contenders for the big eight categories (Michel Hazanavicius's The Artist, Steve McQueen's Shame, Roman Polanski's Carnage, Luc Besson's The Lady, Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus, Lynne Ramsey's We Need to Talk About Kevin, Oren Moverman's Rampart, Simon Curtis's My Week with Marilyn, Lars von Trier's Melancholia), foreign language category (Wim Wenders's Pina, Asghar Farhadi's A Separation, Bela Tarr's The Turin Horse), and doc category (Werner Herzog's Into the Abyss). Be sure to check out my recent interviews with Coriolanus's director/star Fiennes (click here) and The Lady's star Michelle Yeoh (click here). 3. Iron Lady to December 30 The Weinstein Company has decided to push back the release date of Phyllida Lloyd's Margaret Thatcher bio-pic The Iron Lady -- which stars Meryl Streep in the title role -- from December 16 to December 30. This move, along with the fact that a trailer for the film has yet to be released, has stirred up doubts about whether the film will provide to be the awards contender that many expected it might be. Indeed, this film will test whether Lloyd will bring her game up to Streep's historic level (Streep seems to get nominated every time she appears in a film), or Streep will bring hers down to Lloyd's (Lloyd is best known for the 2008 big screen adaptation of Mamma Mia!). Either way, Harvey Weinstein will have a stake in the best actress Oscar race: he's also distributing My Week with Marilyn, which features an awards-caliber portrayal of Marilyn Monroe by Michelle Williams, who has been nominated twice in the past. 4. Margin Call Surprises Roadside Attractions has decided to mount a late but aggressive campaign on behalf of the timely Wall Street drama Margin Call, which was written and directed by first-time filmmaker J.C. Chandor and features an incredible ensemble cast led by Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Demi Moore, and Mary McDonnell. The film, which was released concurrently in select theaters and on VOD on October 21, quickly generated enthusiastic support from critics and phenomenal numbers on VOD, convincing the little studio -- which has previously guided The Cove (2009), Biutiful (2010), and Winter's Bone (2010) to Oscar success -- that they have a second contender on their hands to go along with Albert Nobbs, for which they hope to score a best actress nod for Glenn Close and a best supporting actress nod for Janet McTeer. Margin Call, which one publicist described as "The Help for men," received a best ensemble Gotham Awards nod earlier this month, and seems to have a strong shot a best ensemble SAG nod and a best original screenplay Oscar nod; a so-so shot at best supporting actor SAG/Globe/Oscar nods for Irons and/or Spacey (although both are currently working overseas and therefore unable to do much glad-handing); and a long shot at a best picture Oscar nod. Roadside has already mailed screeners to the HFPA, with others for SAG and the Academy still to come; Quinto is doing SAG Q&As and will probably attend the Gothams, perhaps with Irons and other members of the cast; and the studio is starting to buy ads on various websites that might be read by awards voters. 5. Globes to Fete Freeman The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that actor Morgan Freeman will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 15. The 74-year-old, whose booming voice has been likened to God's, made his film debut in 1964. In the years since, he has given memorable performances in dozens of critically and/or commercially successful films. Freeman has received five Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations, winning the best supporting actor Oscar for Million Dollar Baby (2004) and the best actor (musical or comedy) Globe for Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Previous recipients of the honor, which is determined by the HFPA's board of directors, include Alfred Hitchcock, Lucille Ball, Sidney Poitier, Sophia Loren, Sean Connery, Barbra Streisand, Martin Scorsese, and, at last year's ceremony, Robert De Niro. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Most Unforgettable Oscar Speeches PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Actors Who've Played Politicians Billy Crystal Brett Ratner Clint Eastwood Morgan Freeman Oscars Oscars 2012 J. Edgar Tower Heist

Red-colored-colored Band Trailer: Goon

This red-colored-colored band trailer for your R-rated hockey comedy Goon can be as rowdy since the rating signifies. Magnolia/Magnet acquired the film directed by Michael Dowse with Seann William Scott, Liev Schreiber and Jay Baruchel within the Toronto Worldwide Film Festival and in line with the Magnet website plans a March theatrical release preceded by video-on-demand in February.

Dimension to Distribute Michael Keaton Thriller 'Penthouse North'

Getty ImagesMichael Keaton and Michelle Monaghan Dimension Films has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to Penthouse North, a thriller that will star Michael Keaton and Michelle Monaghan and being directed by Ernest Ruben. A release date isn't scheduled yet. The mental thriller sees Monaghan just like a photojournalist blinded in Iraq who falls prey with a criminal (Keaton) who thinks you will discover stolen diamonds hidden in their apartment. THR broke what is the news in regards to the project at September's TIFF. The film is scheduled to begin shooting in Ottawa, Canada on 12 ,. 7. Rob Sackman and Michael Baker are coming up with the film along with Ruben. Also creating is David Loughery, who written the script. Jon Shiffman joins as executive producer. ICM packed the film and repped U.S. rights. Michael Keaton Michelle Monaghan

Dwts Episode Recap: Tuesday, November. 1, 2011

Evan Tate, Jessica Lange and Frances Conroy Halloween isn't at this time around for your Harmons. On Wednesday's conclusion of yank Horror Story's two-part event, it is not only Hayden as well as the house ghosts who wish vengeance. A U . s . States Horror Story Halloween: 5 techniques and treats When Tate takes Crimson out for date - curious he jumps in the chance to make it happen on Halloween evening - he'll be welcomed by some angry, in addition to bloody and mutilated peers who'll reveal a new challenge about his dark past. However, TVGuide.com quizzed Evan Peters, who plays Ben'shomicidal dreamerpsych patient Tate, concerning the questions residual from the other day: i.e. Why Tate know a great deal in what hides inside the basement? What's his deal with Rubber Guy? Is he utilized by Constance? When we're advertising online: What's so excellent about Crimson anyway? Why Tate know a great deal in regards to the good status for that Harmons' house? Evan Peters: I guess because he's already been through it for a while. Fair enough. One of the primary things we view Tate do is pummelled Violet's bully by tag-joining using the one factor that hides inside the basement. Just how does that relationship work? Peters: Tate can get help. He type of asks these spirits in your home for help and so they oblige, that's pretty sweet [laughs]. Foreign exchange renews American Horror Story for Season 2 And in line with the story he told Crimson, that factor can be a Franken-baby stitched together by crazy Dr. Charles circa 1924. However the one factor that aided Tate didn't appear as an infant. It looked fully grown. Peters: Yes, the Infantata assumes versions. We view a few them. That's all I am in a position to say. It absolutely was certainly frightening in solid existence. The makeup is phenomenal around the program: very real, very disgusting, dripping blood stream and saliva. It absolutely was terrifying. Might be the Rubber Guy one of the spirits Tate can request? How is it connected? Peters: Well, it's unlikely they're the identical person, but it is all related. Once the suit is lounging around, Tate are able to see it. Precisely what continues in your home is interconnected. How managed to get happen feel wearing the gimp suit? Peters: It's most likely probably the most uncomfortable a few things i normally wear throughout my existence. It's latex, not thick rubber, and you're simply around the soundstage, it is therefore absolutely freezing. It's also very tight inside the crotch area, it is therefore difficult to sit lower and operate. American Horror Story: Connie Britton solutions the burning questions Within the finish of Episode 2, Tate unveils it's Constance (Jessica Lange) who would like him to find out Ben (Dylan McDermott) for therapy. Are you able to explain that? Peters: Sherrrd like him to acquire better, that provides a great deal associated with his past and what's he's done. Tate's problem is his psychosis his ideas are dark and destructive and changed. Speaking about Constance, can it be pretty sure she drawn Adelaide (Jamie Maker) for the Harmons' house to produce her to existence for some reason? Peters: Yes, that's certainly some of it. In the event you die on that property, something allows you to definitely survive, allows you to definitely stay there. We don't define why yet, however i am wanting that we'll uncover. How come Tate drawn to Crimson (Taissa Farmiga)? Peters: He's just trying to find love. You will be aware first love, you dream it'll be forever. In my opinion he desires to experience a nice existence using this girl. The products his mother couldn't supply him with, he's wanting to acquire from Crimson. His mother? Err.... Return following a conclusion of yank Horror Story's two-part Halloween event (Wednesday at 10/9c on Foreign exchange) to obtain additional solutions to all or any your burning questions within the cast. For the time being, love this preview in the episode:

Justin Bieber Announces Donation, Acoustic Concert for School Kids on 'Ellen' (Video)

Michael Rozman/Warner Bros. Justin Bieber stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Tuesday to promote his new Christmas album and while he was there, he announced he was donating $100,000 to a Las Vegas elementary school and will perform an acoustic concert for the students in December. Ellen DeGeneres has been highlighting Whitney Elementary School since the beginning of the season. Over 70 percent of the student population is currently without a permanent home and DeGeneres has vowed to help them, including the donation of a $100,000 check from Target. Bieber announced he would match DeGeneres' gift and also travel to the school to perform songs from Under the Mistletoe, which was released Tuesday. PHOTOS: MTV EMAs Performers 2011: Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga DeGeneres also talked to Bieber about all the photos of the tween singer kissing girlfriend Selena Gomez on the cheek. "It seems that you and Selena find mistletoe everywhere you go," DeGeneres said. "First of all, it must be nice to finally not have to hide and run away. It must be nice you can be open about your relationship." "She has very kissable cheeks," Bieber replied. "I think that's really sweet," DeGeneres said. "Is that easier that you don't have to hide and do stuff like that anymore?" "You know I feel like I only live once. It sucks to always have to hide it. I just kind of do me, I guess," Bieber said. "You should do you," DeGeneres said. "You're a good person to do." video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player Ellen DeGeneres Justin Bieber

Glee Singer Charices Father Destroyed In Philippines

First Launched: November 1, 2011 9:36 AM EDT Credit: Getty Images MANILA, Philippines -- Caption Charice attends the 41st Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony within the NY Marriott Marquis on The Following Month, 2010 in NY CityThe estranged father of singer Charice Pempengco in the hit Tv program Glee was stabbed to dying in their hometown inside the Philippines, leading the teen star Tuesday to tug from the concert in Singapore. The singer apologized to her fans for requiring to skip the show scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday so she could travel where you can the Philippines. I am not necessarily there to sign up David Promote and Pals concert, she mentioned in the publish Tuesday on Twitter. I have revisit the Philippines as rapidly as you possibly can to obtain together with my family members. Her father, 40-year-old construction worker Ough Pempengco, will be in a little supermarket in San Pedro township south of Manila late Monday when he blown against a drunk guy who increased being angry and stabbed him by getting an ice pick inside the chest and back, in line with the Laguna province police chief, Senior Supt. Gilbert Cruz. A manhunt remains launched for your suspect, getting a 20,000 pesos ($470) award for information leading to his arrest. Cruz mentioned the killing came out random and there's no indication the suspect and victim had any prior grudges. Charice had extended been estranged from her father. Local media reported that Charices mother left him when Charice and her youthful brother were youthful children. In another Twitter publish Tuesday, Charice mentioned she'd a really great relationship along with her father before their family members troubles began. I loved him which i'll still love him, she written. Hes still my dad ultimately. The 19-year-old songstress, born Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco, is broadly known throughout Asia from concerts and TV talent shows inside the Philippines and Columbia. She's mentioned she'd borrow bus fare to visit amateur singing contests, and lastly broke to the American market when she was requested at 15 to to research the Ellen DeGeneres Show following a show saw a follower video of her online that went viral. She also came out round the The famous host the famous host oprah Winfrey Show and contains stood a recurring role on Glee since the character Sunshine Corazon. Copyright 2011 with the Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Amy Winehouse Posthumous Album to be Released in December

A new album of recordings from the late singer Amy Winehouse will be released on Dec. 5, Island Records announced Monday.our editor recommendsHollywood's Notable DeathsAmy Winehouse Found Dead in London Home PHOTOS: Amy Winehouse Funeral Lioness: Hidden Treasures will feature 12 songs, in a combination of new songs that she was working on prior to her death, cover versions of classic songs, previously unreleased tracks, and alternative versions of her hits. A demo version of "Wake Up Alone" and alternate versions of "Valerie" and "Tears Dry on Their Own" will be included. "Body & Soul," which was her final studio recording and appeared on Tony Bennett's Duets II, will also be included on the album. The album was put together byy Winehouse's longtime collaborators, producers Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths "Halftime" and "The Girl From Ipanema," are two new tracks that will be featured on the album. Winehouse's father, Mitch, said he has never heard "Halftime," before. "If the family had felt that this album wasn't up to the standard of Frank and Back To Black we would never have agreed to release it and we believe it will stand as a fitting tribute to Amy's musical legacy," he said in the statement from Island Records. VIDEO: Coldplay Pays Tribute to Amy Winehouse Some of the proceeds from the U.K. sales of the album will also go to help disadvantaged children and young adults. Winehouse was 27 years old when she was found dead in her London home on July 23. A British coroner recently ruled that the Grammy winner died from accidental alcohol poisoning. Below is a complete track list for Lioness: Hidden Treasures: 1. "Our Day Will Come" (Reggae Version) 2. "Between the Cheats" 3. "Tears Dry" (Original Demo) 4. "Wake Up Alone" 5. "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" 6. "Valerie" 7. "Like Smoke" (feat. Nas) 8. "The Girl From Ipanema" 9. "Halftime" 10. "Best Friends" 11. "Body & Soul" (with Tony Bennett) 12. "A Song For You" Related Topics Tony Bennett Amy Winehouse

CNN apparently reworking 'Morning'

CNN is certainly going through some major changes: the web looks like it's ending its current approach to morning show "American Morning," with anchor Soledad O'Brien set to think about over from 7 to 9 ayem and former ABC Newsie Ashleigh Banfield as her lead-in from 5 o'clock until 7. What is the news was reported with the NY Times' John Stelter.The Turner news internet reworked its primetime sked taken, with new hire Erin Burnett on at 7 p.m., Assault Gets worse reshuffled to switch two not successful iterations of CNN's Eliot Spitzer program at 8, and Piers Morgan altering Ray King at 9.Fox News' morning show "Fox & Pals" has ruled the cable morning show landscape for some time, and CNN seems being hunting for a completely new approach after ten years in the current version of "American Morning."TVNewser reported the other day the web is restructuring its Atlanta newsroom, reclassifying all authors to author/producers and requiring those to pay a severance package or re-apply for positions within 2 days. Contact Mike Thielman at mike.thielman@variety.com

Rayson steps lower at Target

LONDON -- The lady who founded U.K. distributor Target Entertainment, Alison Rayson, is walking lower as Boss after 13 years at the organization. Consequently Target, that was bought through the Metrodome Group this past year, has drawn on former FremantleMedia professional Emmanuelle Namiech since it's controlling director. Inside a statement Rayson stated: "It's been a remarkably tough decision to create, but additionally an optimistic and friendly decision. "I'm happy with what lengths Target originates since i have founded it 13 years back, however feel prepared to explore new possibilities during my professional existence." Rayson will work on specific projects with Target but gave no indication of her future plans. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

SAG seeks seal on foreign levies info

OsmondThe Screen Stars Guild has asked for an ailment court judge to seal this is how it handles vast amounts of foreign levies incorporated within the settlement inside the twisted class-action suit inside the funds. Lawyers for Ken Osmond, who filed the suit inside the funds in 2007, oppose the motion and assert that SAG is required by federal labor law to show any obligations more than $5,000. At issue is certainly an exhibit named a foreign Royalty Status Table, which particulars the status of SAG's foreign levy program, including specific dollar amounts collected at first in the program through March 21, 2011. SAG is insisting it's "an overriding interest" in safeguarding its private financial information which surpasses "right of public access" for the information. "When the motion is declined, then sensitive private financial information will probably be uncovered, to SAG deteriment," the guild mentioned in the filing to Superior Court Judge Carl West. The judge met with lawyers more than an hour or so approximately Wednesday and mentioned he'd made a decision not to hold a public hearing which were scheduled to cope with conflicting issues that he didn't identify, adding that he's scheduled a Jan. 10 hearing. "We've recognized several open issues and verifying needs," he told William Richert, charge complaintant in the similar suit filed in the Authors Guild of America. Neville Manley, attorney for Richert and Osmond, mentioned Wednesday the discretion problem remains conflicting. He's contended that SAG's required to reveal the information for the U.S. Dept. at the office beneath the Labor-Management Verifying Act in the Form LM-2 which many of the dollar amounts detailed on Exhibit 1 tend to be more than $5,000. "Further, the foreign levy funds detailed in Exhibit 1 are increasingly being paid out to individuals in the class, and so are distributions of SAG," Manley contended. "Therefore, the products in Exhibit 1 ought to be incorporated in SAG's account towards the DOL and really should be incorporated round the Form LM-2. As pointed out above, such report is going to be released.Consequently, SAG posseses an obligation to produce the products in Exhibit 1 public." The Osmond suit was settled taken as well as the Richert suit was setted in June 2010. In 2008, the organization company directors Guild of America settled a suit filed by William Webb. The law suits stem from "foreign levies" for American stars, authors and company company directors -- which began circulation in 1989 following a U.S. made the decision towards the the Berne Convention, which established the very best of authorship for those who create works of art. SAG, the WGA as well as the DGA began collecting the foreign funds at the begining of the 19 nineties regarding people and nonmembers who stood a stake in films and TV programs. The cash is collected from nations through systems for instance taxes on video sales and rental costs to pay for copyright holders for reuse. The Three guilds have declined any wrongdoing. SAG introduced taken it had created an internet-based Foreign Royalties tracker for stars and asserted the guild has collected $18.millions of in foreign royalties for artists combined with distributed $8.78 million in than 273,000 assessments to greater than 76,000 people. Manley mentioned that every side have resolved extended-standing arguments round the problem of engaging consultants Jesse Jasko and Daniel Gervais to look at the foreign levies programs at SAG as well as the WGA West. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

AMC Renews Walking Dead for Third Season; Workaholics Also Re-Upped

The Walking Dead AMC has renewed The Walking Dead for a third season."Today we are pleased to announce that the 'dead' shalllive as we proudlyrenew The Walking Dead fora third season on AMC and, globally, with our terrific partners at Fox International Channels," AMC President Charlie Collier said in a statement Tuesday. "We are thankful for everyone's contribution in front of and behind the camera as we continue to make The Walking Dead a unique television experience. And, we are so proud as it continues to set viewership records around the world."Ratings: The Walking Dead Season 2 premiere nabs 7.3 millionThe renewal comes as no surprise after the zombie drama's Season 2 premiere shattered ratings records last week, bowing to 7.3 million viewers. The opener also delivered 4.8 million among 18-to-49-year-olds and 4.2 million in the 25-to-54.AMC did not specify an episode order or a target premiere for Season 3. Season 2's 13 episodes will be split into two parts, with the first six airing now and the remaining seven episodes to return in February.Also being brought back for a third season: Comedy Central's Workaholics. Kent Alterman, the network's head of original programming and production, announced the renewal Tuesday, saying:"We feel like the show is one, big public service announcement, teaching the youth of America how to engage with the workplace."

New 'Great Gatsby' Set Photos: Is where of Myrtle's Dying?

The 1974 film adaptation of 'The Great Gatsby,' based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's landmark 1925 novel, was considered an important blast. Which explains why fans are wanting Baz Luhrmann's approaching 'Gatsby' flick can be a success. Despite the fact that the story's setting is 20's New You are able to, Luhrmann is shooting the film nationwide. And, because they new set photos prove, he's undertaking a great job at nailing the design of Prohibition-era NY. The photos appear to exhibit the outdoors of George Wilson's auto shop, the scene of Myrtle's unfortunate demise. Sadly, images of Gatsby's house have not yet materialize. No less than not. 'Gatsby' stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan and Isla Fisher since the condemned Myrtle. 'The Great Gatsby' is positioned to start on Christmas Day 2012, the identical date as Quentin Tarantino's 'Django Unchained,' which stars DiCaprio. 'The Great Gatsby' Gallery See All Moviefone Galleries » [via Gawker] [Photo: ELIOT PRESS/bauergriffinonline.com] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Firing within the crafts

Artists within the fest will demo how they created vfx on numerous their photos, including 'Captain America: The Initial Avenger.'Since its launch in 1998, Frankfurt's eDIT the Filmmaker's Festival has become among the primary industry occasions focusing around the craft and technology of filmmaking.Running March. 30-November. 1, the fest invites high-profile players in cinematography, animation, visual effects, editing and production to talk about their work and take part in courses, presentations and tests.The festival was begun with the regional industry inside the German condition of Hesse. The location includes a strong digital filmmaking and publish-production industry that developed using the the 19 nineties, turning around commercial production.While local players looked for greater recognition inside the bigger industry, fest director Rolf Kraemer states it quickly increased being apparent "that you just cannot discuss publish-production and visual effects inside the digital age without also dealing with camera as well as the whole workflow of production.""The idea was not just in show just what the industry here is capable of doing but furthermore to request filmmakers from around the globe to fulfill and exchange ideas of production -- not limited to publish-production and visual effects, though a effective focus on people areas."Specific at filmmakers but furthermore open to everyone, the fest provides the opportunity to speak shop with behind-the-moments talent from all over the world.Cameraman Peter Zeitlinger, who lensed Werner Herzog's 3d doc "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," will share his experience round the film.Zeitlinger states he first suggested of employing 3d to capture the curves in the walls in the Chauvet Collapse Southern France, where the world's earliest cave pieces of art exist. Herzog initially overlooked the idea, thinking the format being "useless of economic cinema," but changed his mind after visiting the cave.Director Onir will discuss his film "I am.Inch Also attending: ).g.Is Haris Zambarloukos ("Thor") and Hallvard Braein ("The Troll Hunter.")Oscar-winning editor Chris Dickens ("Slumdog Uniform") may also be among the fest's participants.Fest's partners include Imago, the eu Federation of Cinemato-graphers ACE, the American Cinema Editors society and Film Appear Editors (MPSE). Event is backed with the Hesse Secretary of condition for Greater Education, Research as well as the Arts broadcast watchdog LPR Hesse as well as the capital of scotland - Frankfurt.HIGHLIGHTSKey honoreesCinematographer Pawel Edelman, editor Terry Rawlings, composer James HornerSelect tests "Cave of Forgotten Dreams," Werner Herzog "I am,Inch Onir "Frankfurt Simularities," Enkelejd LlucaSunday, March. 30 The visual outcomes of "Harry Potter as well as the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." David Vickery, Double Negative The visual outcomes of "Transformers: Dark in the Moon." Scott Farrar, Industrial Light & Miracle The expansion type of Roland Emmerich's "Anonymous." Sebastian Krawinkel Bill Plympton's Arena of Animation. Bill PlymptonMonday, March. 31 The visual outcomes of "Captain America: The Initial Avenger." Gruff Owen, Double Negative Festival honors master class. Terry Rawlings Cinematography of "Thor." Haris Zambarloukos Digital Marriage: Role of d.p.'s inside the Digital Intermediate. Philippe Ros Nigel Walters, Imago Randy Roberts, ACE Jan Schutte Florian Rettich Richard Andry Pawel EdelmanTuesday, November. 1 Keynote: Randy Roberts, leader, ACE The visual outcomes of "X-Males: Top Quality.In . Nicolas Aithadi, MPC MPSE appear show: The appear (Editing) of "Abduction." William R. Dean, MPSE The visual outcomes of Lars von Trier's "Melancholia." Christian Vogt, Pixomondo The editing of "Cars 2." Stephen Schaffer, Pixar Animation Art galleries 3d cinematography of "Cave of Forgotten Dreams." Peter Zeitlinger Terry Rawlings on editing The visual outcomes of "Cowboys & Aliens." Roger Guyett, Industrial Light & Miracle The editing of "I am.Inch OnirRELATED LINKS: Educating future pros Contact Erection dysfunction Meza at erection dysfunction.meza@mannaa.de