Several More Stars Cast In Broadcast Aircraft aircraft pilots

Jericho alum Lennie James remains cast inside the ABC drama pilot Gotham. The 20th TV-produced project concentrates on Detective Annie Travers (Megan Ketch), considering the impossible murder from the nightclub owner who's stunned to know that NY features a whole secret magical good status that she (and everyone else) was formerly unaware. James, repped by UTA and manager Estelle Lasher, will playGabriel Riga, the magnetic and wealthy Boss running for Mayor of NY City. He was most recently an ordinary on HBOs Hung. Kevin Bishop is positioned since the male lead in CBS’ multi-camera comedy pilot Super Fun Evening, put together by and starring Bridesmaids‘ Digital digital rebel Wilson. The project, from Warner Bros TV and Conan OBriens studio-based Conaco banner, follows three nerdy female pals on theirfuncomfortable pursuit to possess super fun every Friday evening. Bishop, repped by ICM and Uk’s Troika, may have a guy who's attracted to one of the women. Mo Gaffney remains put in the cast of ABC’s untitled Kari Lizer project (also called The Under professional). The multi-camera comedy, from Warner Bros. TV, concentrates on Hilary Pfeiffer-Dunne (McCormack), a greater-powered executive who now faces the finest challenge of her existence when she finds herself unemployed and becoming an entire-time mother to her two teens. Gaffney, repped by Stone Manners Salners, may have Robin, a supermom who clashes with Hilary. Khary Payton, who was simply just released within the Foreign exchange pilot Forces, remains cast in NBCs comedy pilot Continue. The only real-camera project, put together by Scott Silveri and directed by Todd Holland,concentrates on Ryan (Matthew Perry), an irreverent yet charming sportscaster who, trying to maneuver ahead in the loss, finds surprising solace within the people of his mandatory support group. Payton, repped by Bauman Redanty & Shaul and Gekis/Ribers, may have one of the group’s people, Don, a practical-class guy who went bankrupt and whose wife left him while using kids. Zoe Jarmon, and Dana Delorenzo are actually put in Mindy Kalings Fox single-camera comedy pilot, through which she stars just like a youthful Bridget Manley-type Physician/Gyn balancing personal and professional existence, ornamented by awesome co-employees inside a small office. Jarmon, repped by TalentWorks and Variety, may have a receptionist at work. Delorenzo is to apply 3 Arts and attorney Lev Ginsberg.

New NBC Drama and CBS Comedy Pilots Tap Casting Directors

Two network pilots have secured casting directors, Back Stage has confirmed."Notorious," a drama for NBC will be cast by Julie Tucker and Ross Meyerson. The pilot focuses on a female detective who goes undercover as the daughter of a wealthy family's maid in order to solve a murder. Tucker has also worked as a casting director on "Damages," Rescue Me," "Nurse Jackie," and "White Collar." Victor Garber, who received three Emmy nominations for his role as Jack Bristow on "Alias," is attached to star. Shooting is scheduled to begin this month. The renewal of this season's "Prime Suspect," another NBC show centered on the exploits of a female detective, is currently uncertain due to low ratings. Brett Greenstein and Collin Daniel will cast an Untitled Project by producers Mike Lisbe and Nathan Reger for CBS. The pilot is about a widower and father of two teenage girls who loses his job in construction and decides to become a police officer. Lisbe and Reger produced the 2010 CBS comedy "$#*! My Dad Says," starring William Shatner. They also worked on this season's "How to Be a Gentleman." Both shows were cancelled in their first seasons. Comedian Martin Lawrence is set to star as the single dad. This marks Lawrence's first return to television after his breakout show "Martin" ended in 1997. Since then, he had enjoyed a steady career in Hollywood, starring in "Bad Boys," "Wild Hogs," and a series of "Big Mommas House" films. However, he has not taken on any movie projects recently. The pilot is scheduled to shoot in April.

Fuentes-Leon preps 'Vanished Elephant'

GUADALAJARA -- Helmer-scribe Javier Fuentes-Leon is prepping "The Vanished Elephant," the follow-up to his debut feature, "Undertow," which won Sundance's World Dramatic Competition Audience Award in 2010. The film noir thriller turns on crime novel scribe Edo Celeste, whose girlfriend disappeared years before. On the 5th anniversary of her disappearance, he receives an envelope with photos that seem part of a collage, clues to what happened to her. The pic was originally set in L.A., but will now lense in Peru, placing elements of classic film noir against the backdrop of Lima, "a humid, sprawling, chaotic urban area," Fuentes-Leon said, "bursting with movement, vibrancy and sharp contrasts between the haves and have-nots." Moving from the streets of Lima to Peru's Paracas beaches, " 'Elephant' asks constantly: What is fiction and what is reality?," and explores "the creative process, and the loss and emptiness which remains when something close or personal escapes us," Fuentes-Leon explained at Mexico's Guadalajara festival. The pic's title refers to an elephant-shaped rock-formation off Paracas, which collapsed and disappeared into the ocean during Peru's 2007 earthquake. Skedded to shoot fall 2012, "Elephant" is set up at Lima's Elcalvo Films. Fuentes-Leon and Colombia's Dynamo, a producer on "Undertow," are working together to raise the financing and to make the film. Peru's Oscar submission, "Undertow" was picked up for U.S. distribution by The Film Collaborative for theatrical and Wolfe Releasing for DVD. The pic was a sales success for Shoreline, and grossed a sturdy 155,836 ($208,976) in Spain. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Medvedev to launch 'independent' channel

MOSCOW -- A new fully independent public television channel could be created in Russia under plans unveiled by the country's lame duck president Dmitry Medvedev. Medvedev -- who is due to stand down following Sunday's presidential election in which current prime minister Vladimir Putin is almost certain to win in the first round -- plans to issue a presidential decree next month. If he does, it will likely be one of his last acts as president before formally standing down ahead of the inauguration of the new president in early May. The plans for the new channel, to be funded by a combination of tax-exempt donations and a levy on advertising from other networks, have been drawn up by film and television industry representatives on the Presidential Council on Human Rights. Nailing his colors to a liberal agenda just days before an election that critics charge will be characterized by massive vote rigging to ensure Putin's victory, Medvedev said the new channel would not carry advertising and would be wholly independent of both government and private interests. If the scheme -- the cost of which has not been revealed by the Kremlin -- goes ahead, it is likely to use an existing public channel, such as Rossiya 2, Moscow's TV Tsentr or Zvezda (Star TV), a patriotic military-themed channel launched several years ago. Russia's major public channels all carry advertising and combine public and private ownership. Critics of Putin's earlier two terms as president claim that investigative reporting on political and business issues have been effectively banned from the airwaves over the past decade. In signs of some loosening of the reins, Russian channels have recently begun reporting the mass opposition rallies that have been taking place since parliamentary elections in December were marred by widespread fraud. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Oscars Available Along With Other Publish-Oscar Talk: Hammond

Since all individuals Academy Award nominees who didn’t win on Sunday evening have experienced a complete day to lick their wounds, there's great news: Should you hurry you will get in on today’s record purchase (by Nate D. Sanders Monthly Auctions) and purchase an Oscar statuette. See, situations are already searching for.Obviously, the Academy totally frowns about this Oscar fire purchase however they can’t do anything whatsoever about this because the honours on the market are pre-1950 — the yearthe Academy transformed the guidelines and forged contracts with those who win they (or their estates) must first offer tosell the Oscar to Academy for $1 before using it the marketplace. Intoday’s selection of gold males — which instantly doubles the amount of Academy awards ever sold around the free market — you will find some pretty historicallysignificant honours. They incorporate a screenwriting Oscar won by Herman Mankiewicz for co-writing Citizen Kane (its only win in 1941 the matching Orson Welles ScreenplayOscar fetched $861,000 in December) and finest Picture Academy awards for that twentieth century Fox films How Eco-friendly Was My Valley (1941) and Cavalcade (1933), the second the very first Best Pic Oscar for that studio. There's also director Norman Taurog’s Oscar for 1931′s Skippy,that they won at 32, making them still the youngest to win within the category. You might like to buy the first-ever Effects Academy Award for 1938′sSpawn From The North or perhaps a Black and WhiteCinematography award for that 1939 classic Wuthering Levels along with a color one for1948′s The Yearling. The Very Best Many Years Of Our Livesor the Film Editing prize for the similar movie. Art Company directors might such as this year’s losing composers may want to consider buying Hugo Friedhofer’s 1946 Scoring of the Dramatic Picture Oscar for Paul Groesse’s Color Art Direction award for 1949′s Little Women.Stars can pick between 1947′sA Double Existence Best Actor Oscar for Ronald Colman or (most likely less costly)Charles Coburn’s 1943 Supporting Actor statuette for that More The Better, a title that describes the spirit of the good deal of Academy awards on the market. The auction finishes at 5 PM (PT) today, but there's extended putting in a bid beginning at 5:15. Meanwhile, in news about individuals who really got their Academy awards the traditional way and won Sunday evening, Meryl Streep might not have the ability to sell her collection but she could practically begin a museum with individuals three Academy awards and record 17 nomination certificates. I still don’t get why a lot of media reviews call her TheIron Lady win an unexpected. Although Viola Davishadbeen victorious over Meryl in the Experts Choice and SAG honours, Meryl beat her in the Globes and BAFTA. It had been a level match and extremely a toss-up — not really a large Oscar surprise. Meryl’s self-deprecatingandcharming acceptance speech would be a show highlight: “When they known as my title I'd these feelings I possibly could hear 1 / 2 of America going, ‘Oh no, her? Again?’ But, whatever!” The truth is if you have 17 nominations, probably the most associated with a actor, you need to have at leastthreewins for the reason that time.As she continued to spot her buddies within the audience, old and new,it brought to mind an execllent Oscarspeech distributed by the incredibly gracious Ingrid Bergman upon winning herthird Oscar in 1975 for Murder Around The Orient Express.“It’s always nice to obtain an Oscar”, she stated, before mentioning it must have attended fellow nominee Valentina Cortese for Day For Evening. “Here I'm. I'm her rival and don’t enjoy it whatsoever. Please forgive me, Valentina. I didn’t mean to.” Streep presently has just one other record to chase: Katharine Hepburn’s total of 4 acting wins,even while she stated in her own speech, “I know I should never be up here again”. Time will inform about this. Even though it would be a well-promoted 29 years between Academy awards for Streep, she didn’t beat Hepburn’s record on that because the great Kate needed to wait 34 years between her first Oscar for Morning Gloryin 1934 andher secondfor Guess Who’s Visiting Dinnerin 1968. Not everybody was thrilled with Streep’s speech. A formerMargaret Thatcher aide, The almighty Norman Tebbit, was furious she never oncementioned the individual she performed within the film, contributing to debate in certain quarters within England over getting a united states play their country’s famous former Pm. In the well-attended GREAT British Film Reception on Friday in the Consul General’s L.A.residenceto recognition British Oscar nominees, United kingdom Culture Secretary Jeremy Search amusingly told everyone else, “Isn’t it great that individuals legendary Americansuperheroes, Batman, Superman and Spider-Guy are nowall beingplayed by British stars — payback for getting a united states play our Margaret Thatcher”. Incidentally, Streep’s win included in this season’s results was great for the legally embattled Golden Globes, which finally returned like a strong precursor for that Academy awards, with all of four acting those who win Sunday winning Globes first. So toodid The Artist for the best Picture (Musical or Comedy) and Music Score and Woodsy Allen for the best Script. Although everybody were built with a severe Oscar-weekend hangover, I'm toldbig champion Harvey Weinstein was still being honoring Monday evening having a special dinner for his staff, honours consultants yet others who led towards the triumphantcause of Oscar’s most devoted campaigner. Those who win from Best Documentary Undefeatedand The Artist(including Best Director Michel Hazanavicius, who had just originate from a Jay Leno tape) were there telling tales from the lengthy, hard season that started for most of them nine several weeks earlier in Cannes and it has now finally created Oscar. Finally, with the recenttalk from the advanced chronilogical age of many Academy people, it's interesting to notice senior citizens can cheertwo records damaged this season that put just a little dent in the concept that Hollywood is totally ageist. As continues to be broadly noted, 82-year-oldChristopher Plummer grew to become the earliest actor or actress to win an Oscar (and that he needed to beat another 82-year-old, Max von Sydow, to get it done). Woodsy Allen, at 76, has become the earliest person to ever win a Script Oscar, eclipsing this past year’s recordachieved by TheKing’s Speechwriter David Seidler, who had been only 73 as he place it. And So I guess it had been appropiatealso inside a yearthat also includedthe first quiet film to win Best Picture in 84 years that entertainment in the Academy’s Governors Ball was supplied by 85-year-old Tony Bennett, who seemed fantastic. Which was an ironic choice also because Bennett’s only acting role inside a movie is at the 1966 kitsch classicThe Oscar.

SACHA BARON COHEN BANNED FROM Academy awards: EXCLUSIVE

Will Sacha Baron Cohens The DictatorWalk The Oscar Red-colored Carpet? Up-to-date 5:30 PM With Increased Particulars EXCLUSIVE… BREAKING 3PM… The Academy Of Movement Picture Arts & Sciences has drawn actor Sacha Baron Cohen‘s tickets in the 84th Oscars. What this means is he's banned from attending the Academy awards despite the fact that he's an Academy member andone from the stars from Hugo, Vital’s 11-nominated movie andBest Picture contender. “Unless they’re assured that nothing entertaining will happen around the Red-colored Carpet, the Academy isn't acknowledging Sacha Baron Cohen towards the show,” Vital just explained. This is because thata proposalreached the Academy for Baron Cohen to strut the Red-colored Carpet entirely costume as his title character within the approaching Paramountcomedy The Dictator.UPDATE AT 5:30 PM: Later today, faced with the bad publicity caused by its action, the Academy attempted to parse what it really did when asked by some media shops. But the truth is, today, the Academy’s Controlling Director Of Membership Kimberly Rouchphoned Paramont’s honours staff to express Baron Cohen’s tickets have been drawn unless of course he provides the Academy assurances in advance promisingnot toshow on the Red-colored Carpet in costume and notto promote the film around the Red-colored Carpet.The Academy managed to get obvious that, without individuals assurances, it wouldn't problem him the tickets. So he’s banned.* Obviously, the following best factor to that particular publicity stunt is the media coverage which this prohibit will generate for Baron Cohen’s film. Therefore the Academy has made the decision to do something like dictators concerning the actor playing The Dictator. Ugh. Release up, people. Frankly, the Academy appears like uptight wankers with this particular management of among the globe’s funniest comics.The Academy basically needed to refuse whenthat proposal was given to it.Everybody active in the ceremony was adamantly against it for the reason it constitutes a mockery of the items Hollywood views its most exclusive event. Rather, the Academy clearly wants another excessively lengthy, absurdly reverential show about movies nobody bothered to determine in which the best factor concerning the telecast would be the comeback of popular host Billy Very at 63. The Dictator is really a spoof concerning the “heroic story of the Middle Eastern dictator who risks his existence to make sure that democracy never involves the nation he so lovingly oppressed”. Whether the truth that the 84th Oscars is going to be beamed into 200 nations had anything related to this prohibit is unclear. Butit is extremely unusual for that Academy to drag an associate’s tickets. An Academy awards representative acknowledged to Deadline yesterday:”We would hope that each studio recognizes that this can be a bad idea. The Red-colored Carpet isn't about stunting.” Oh really? Then why did Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park crossdress downthe Red-colored Carpet as J-Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow in evening gowns in 2000? Or Ben Stiller appearas an Oscar presenter entirely blue Avatar makeup and hair this year? Deadline reported yesterday that Baron Cohen’splan ended up being to come outfitted because the Dictator after which become a tuxedo and attend the Academy awards as planned. He wasn’t scheduled to provide an award, but he was coming at Kodak Theatreas area of the Vital contingent. Now he is able to’t do even that. Vital includes a Best Picture nominee within the Martin Scorsese-directed Hugo by which Baron Cohenplays the stop inspector from the movie a good orphan in nineteen thirties Paris. In the 2007 Academy awards, Baron Cohen was requested to become a presenter and stated he'd get it done only when he or she is in character as Borat. And Academy awards’Powers That Be stated, “No way.” He didn’t attend. But this is actually the very first time he's been formally banned in the show. Purists believe that the Academy awards isn't any spot for such inside your face promotion. The Academy hasn’t even permitted movies to become marketed throughout the Oscarcast, until this season. On the other hand, these Academy awards have little suspense since it’s a forgone conclusion that most of the those who win from the marquee groups happen to be known and also the Artist will win Best Picture.The possibilities of Baron Cohen’s Red-colored Carpet walk was the nearest factor to drama. This will not have been Baron Cohen’s very first time upstaging an honours show. To advertise Bruno, he travelled with the air in the MTV Movie Honours and arrived together with his crotch when confronted with Eminem, who later accepted the stunt was practiced. Along with a trailer for that Dictator it was among the raciest ever permitted through the MPAA throughout the Super Bowl, where Baron Cohen’s character was hilariously portrayed managing a competitive race while and leg-shooting rivals having a starter pistol because they got near to him.

Graham King set to keynote

Producer Graham King will keynote the BritWeek Film and TV Summit, produced in association with Variety and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, on April 27. King is a partner in GK Films and producer of "Hugo" and "Rango," contenders in Sunday's Oscar best-picture and animated-feature races, respectively. He leads a roster of high-profile speakers at the summit, which will explore winning approaches to global success in film and TV. Other speakers include Paul Abbott, creator and exec producer of Showtime's "Shameless"; Basil Iwanyk, producer at Thunder Road Pictures; Stuart Ford, CEO of IM Global; Tim O'Hair, head of production at Parallel Media; and Gareth Neame, managing director of U.K. production at NBCUniversal Intl. King won an Oscar as producer of "The Departed" and produced the Tim Burton-directed "Dark Shadows," starring Johnny Depp. Latter pic will be released by Warners in May. The Film and TV Summit takes place at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City and is one of several BritWeek 2012 events. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com