New Avengers Portraits Online

As well as the cast speak!There's newer and more effective Avengers photos and several choice morsels of understanding within the castsetting the interwebs a-buzz today, because of a completely new cover story from Entertainment Weekly. Look: Mark Ruffalo does Blue Steel!Lots of what's revealed is unremarkable: Chris Evans states the lately future-turned up Captain America is "lonely" and "a sea food from water" Scarlett Johansson worries they doesn't look awesome enough with guns rather than some factor super.But Chris Hemsworth teases an amazing dynamic for Thor within the bigger group: trying to guard his brother Loki but still time joining combating him. Jeremy Renner claims that Hawkeye might be the only real part of they who is able to take lower The Hulk "along with his tranq-tip arrows", and states he's a particular bond with Johansson's Black Widow.And Ruffalo has some amusing material about Bruce Banner's relationship with Tony Stark: "Banner's most likely probably the most mild-mannered guy, but a complete loose cannon. Nobody really wants to create him off apart from Iron Guy, who just desires to see him pop. It's funny, there's a very awesome dynamic between Tony Stark and Banner. Banner really loves it, and finds it refreshing. They are a good deal alike in the strange way. They're both of these kind of scientists that are mavericks, kind of renegades. Banner, for individuals his mild-mannered mythology, he's still the dude who was simply testing some pretty crazy shit on themselves, so he's that digital digital rebel streak in him."Robert Downey Junior meanwhile states that his on-set manner remains "just fucking aggressive and hurtful... whatever... the normal.In . Mind to EW for your full interviews. The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon, is going on May 4 next season.

'Fringe' Producers, 'Shield' Scribe Sell Western to Fox

John Hlavin Hot author John Hlavin is boarding the small screen's Western train. Fox has acquired an untitled Western script within the Shield scribe Hlavin that will explore the roots of Wyatt Earp, chronicling the well-known occurrences within the existence -- like the Gunfight within the OK Corral -- additionally to particulars about his brothers and sisters getting order with a lawless frontier. PHOTOS:18 Familiar Faces of Fall TV Hlavin has offered the project for the network through last century Fox Television, which introduced in Fringe's Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci through their studio-based K/O Paper Products to executive produce the project. K/O Paper Products leader Louise Kadin may even executive produce alongside Hlavin, whose TV credits include Trust Me, Daybreak and E-Ring. Hlavin, which has the Western The Gunslingerin development at Warner Bros. Pictures, is presently penning Risk for that new the new sony Pictures and coping with DreamWorks on his untitled heist film. His large-screen credits have penning the fourth installment inside the Underworld franchise for Screen Gems. PHOTOS: Fall TV Preview 2011: The Returning Shows Kurtzman and Orci inked a 3-year overall deal with 20th Television a year ago combined with drama aircraft aircraft pilots Locke & Key and Exit Strategy setup at Fox that didn't have the series pickup in May. That is their second project this development season CBS acquired a girl-fronted drama turning around a congresswoman who fights for your underdog. Overall, the Hlavin project continues the Western trend this development season. EXCLUSIVE Q&A: Fox's Kevin Reilly on 'X Factor' Ratings, 'Terra Nova' and exactly how forward for 'Glee' TNT recently gave pilot orders to Gateway, an action-adventure occur 1880s Colorado within the Pacific's Bruce C. McKenna. ABC is developing Gunslinger from Detroit 1-8-7's David Zabel and Hogtown, a procedural pitch occur the Wild West from Battlestar Galactica's Ron Moore. CBS and GoodFellas' Nicholas Pileggi will also be planning Take advantage of Lamb good sixties adventure in the cowboy-switched-Las vegas sheriff while NBC has Take advantage of Cassidy's 1840s-set The Frontier additionally to some Western project told in the female perspective from Friday Evening Lights' Peter Berg. STORY: Saddle Up! TV Westerns Hot AMC's Union Off-shoreline Railroad 1860s Western Hell on Wheels,meanwhile, is first in the gate, premiering November. 6. Hlavin is repped by UTA and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com Twitter: @Snoodit The Shield Roberto Orci Alex Kurtzman TV Development

Fantastic Fest: Kevin Sorbo on the Twisted Julia X 3D, Christian Films, and Hollywood Snobbery

comments: 0 || add yours Genre fans already know Kevin Sorbo for his long-running stints on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Andromeda, two shows for which he’s earned international stardom on the small screen, and in recent years the erstwhile Hercules/Dylan Hunt has branched out by adding Christian flicks to his resume. But are audiences — not to mention fans of his faith-based work — ready to see Sorbo as the ultra-violent, masochistic lady-hunting sociopath he plays in P.J. Pettiette’s horror satire Julia X 3D? Sorbo stars in the Fantastic Fest entry Julia X 3D as The Stranger, a suave serial killer who takes sadistic pleasure in kidnapping and torturing young single women he finds via the internet while listening to the dulcet tunes of The Carpenters on his iPod. When he brings home his latest victim, a blonde named Julia (Valeria Azlynn) whom he brands with the signature X — the next in his series of alphabetically-marked “girlfriends” — he discovers she’s not quite like his other conquests. And thus begins their twisted, comical love story. Movieline spoke with Sorbo in Austin, TX after a Fantastic Fest screening of Julia X 3D about the joys of playing such a warped, dark character, how he balances the role with his run of faith-based films, why Hercules: The Legendary Journeys never got the respect it deserved from mainstream Hollywood, how Hollywood is “a whore” and snobbish to boot, and that one time a botched line reading on Hercules became a YouTube sensation (i.e. “Disappointed!”). P.J. Pettiette prefaced the intro by warning the audience that Julia X takes a few tonal shifts they may not expect. How much of a concern was it that viewers wouldn’t go along with the film? Kevin Sorbo: I think people come into movies like this with assumptions. They go, ‘Oh — this is going to be a slasher movie, or a horror movie,’ so I think there’s a page out of Scary Movie with something like this. There’s a lot of very comical stuff, it’s like a very strange love story. It is quite twisted. And at times, quite surprisingly romantic. Sorbo: [The characters] are both so fucked up, and they both realize they found their soulmates. I’m going to talk about this in vague terms so as to not spoil it for readers… Sorbo: That’s right, you don’t want to wreck the twist where people halfway through go, [redacted]! I think saying it’s a strange love story might be enough. When Julia X first came along, were you looking for material that was a significant departure from the projects you’re known for? Sorbo: Probably not. I was looking for something different, and certainly to play a bad guy. I’ve had enough people come and ask me, talking about other scripts. But this came along and I said yeah, this is interesting to me. I’m not myself a huge fan of Friday the 13th and stuff like that, I don’t need to see slasher movies like that. I enjoyed Scary Movie because of David Zucker-type of humor - Airplane, Naked Gun, whatever. I love that kind of humor. So when I read this it had a lot of interesting beats. There’s a line from When Harry Met Sally when she fakes the orgasm and Reiner’s mother, who’s in that scene, says, ‘I’ll have what she’s having.’ That line for me [in Julia X] is when she leaves and I say, ‘Please let her continue.’ [Laughs] For me that reminded me of that movie. Do you think your fans, particularly those of Hercules and Andromeda, will be surprised by the things they see you do in Julia X and the extremes to which this movie goes? Sorbo: You know, I was just in Spain for the film festival there last week and a lot of fans from all over Europe came down there. They’ve already seen the movie — I guess it’s in Germany, or something. They said they were so blown away and so scared, but so attracted to it at the same time. It was a really good response. It is wonderfully perverse to see you play these twisted shades, even beyond the fact that your character is a killer. Was it hard to hit tonally? Sorbo: Hercules had a lot of humor in it, and I like sarcastic humor. Maybe it’s because I’m a fan of Letterman, I don’t know. I grew up in a family of four boys as well, so that stuff was always there with us, competition-wise. So I identified with that. I’ve done a lot of sitcom work, and I actually had my own pilot for ABC. I feel I’m comfortable with finding the right timing for things. What makes it even riskier here is the element of violence, especially when it’s extreme violence done to female bodies. That’s often hard to watch in horror films. Sorbo: Yeah, but they made female characters that were actually very strong. And somebody mentioned in the audience that a lot of times in horror movies, they trip, they can’t find the car, can’t find the key, those women always look so helpless. These are not helpless women. They’re pretty tough women, in their own right. That’s the first great surprise in the film. Sorbo: No question. Because you don’t really know it until the second time she escapes and dives through the window, you start realizing there’s something about this woman that’s not quite the same. Because she actually initially comes across as very helpless, when I’m throwing her around and branding her and she’s fumbling around. Then she shows her true colors. Do you see this as a new kind of serial killer villain in the horror lexicon? Sorbo: Yeah! Because of the humor element in there. But the thing is, he is very violent. He’s very scary. He goes from one extreme to the other, there’s a north and south pole to this guy and you don’t know where he’s going to be. When he’s beating her up around the house and sits her down and says, ‘I think we’re having a great time, aren’t we? This is a great date!’ I didn’t hear the reaction I thought I was going to from the audience at the very end. It was interesting; there was sort of a sadness in the audience… Which was the toughest scene to shoot? Sorbo: Probably near the very end, when I have Alicia [Leigh Willis] on my back and I’m throwing her up against the walls. We had certain places we had to hit because they made breaking areas in the right spots, we had to make sure we hit them in the right area. I don’t know if she’s a Method actress but she comes across that way, she really gets into it. I’m from the Meisner technique — she might be the same, but she really commits, which was great. On top of that she’s sexy as hell. I can’t remember how many women around me commented on her legs. But my favorite scene, frankly, is my scene with Joel [David Moore] when I speak with him for the first time. He’s like, ‘Holy shit!’ That’s a fun scene; you two are like characters from two different movies sharing the same scene, talking on two different levels about the situation. Sorbo: It was, because he has no clue. I’ve known Joel for years, he’s a good friend, but that’s the only time we’ve ever worked together. Were you instrumental in bringing him onboard? Sorbo: No! They told me they got him, and it was just like, boom! I think at the time when he got it he probably had no idea I was playing The Stranger. How do you see Julia X in relation to your greater career, especially side by side with your faith-based films? Sorbo: [Laughs] They’re a little bit different. Well, I’m a Christian but I’m also an actor. So there are people like my character. There are certain characters I wouldn’t play just out of principle, but this character, I like the bends and twists of him and I just said, yeah, I’m going to do this. But with What If…, and there’s another one called Abel’s Field and I’ve got another one I’m shooting this year called Persecuted, and I think we got James Woods which could be very cool. I like to mix it up. I got three TV series that I’ve sold, two to SciFi and one to Sony. So hopefully I’m on TV on a regular basis again soon, I kind of want to get back in that television mode. So we’ll see. You’re known for a number of sci-fi and fantasy properties - is that a creative space you particularly relish working in, or are you looking for other sorts of projects? Sorbo: The last five or six years I’ve really mixed it up a lot, but I have no problem being identified with Hercules and Captain Dylan Hunt from Andromeda. From 1993 to 2005 I was very heavily employed, and any actor’s grateful to have that. Two series that did that well, that combined 250 hours of television — I think a lot of actors would love to have that resume so I’m very fortunate. Both shows are still on in about 100 countries around the world. You’re so strongly associated with those characters, Hercules in particular — do you feel like that ever works against you? Sorbo: I don’t think anymore. People still look at it, and I think the public is open to seeing me in different things, it’s certain areas in Hollywood. It’s funny, they all have blinders on. They all know you’re actors but they look at you one way. It’s like, wait a minute — what if I play a different role? Well, then they think you’re that. Hollywood is kind of stupid in a lot of ways, and they’re weird people to deal with. The studios are a very odd bit, it’s amazing to me that anything gets made because there are so many cooks in the kitchen and everybody’s afraid to make a decision. They want to keep their jobs, so nothing happens. Do you prefer, then, to work outside of that system? Sorbo: I would rather work outside of it, but you know — if you want to get involved in network and cable then you’ve got to work with the studios again. I don’t have a problem with studios, it’s some of the people that work in them that make things difficult because, like I said, I think a lot of them are just afraid to make decisions. You were previously up to play roles like Superman and Mulder in The X-Files before your Hercules days. Sorbo: Before Hercules, yeah. I was down to the last few guys in both of those series. How different do you think your career would have been if you’d done those shows instead? Sorbo: X-Files might have [changed my career] because it was mainstream and on a network. Hollywood does have a snobbery toward first run, syndicated shows. Hercules, we ran for seven years and Universal Studios wanted to go for three more years on it, but at that time I was pretty burnt out working 100 hour weeks, lifting two hours a day, every day. I loved Hercules, but by that time I had gotten married, I kind of wanted to move back to the States. I was living in New Zealand and nothing against New Zealand, I had seven wonderful years there and I loved it. But I was ready to do something different. You’ve got to fight these people on these different things sometimes… it’s weird, on the one hand they’re happy to have you working that way and on the other they want you to do something different. But like I said, with the snobbery factor — Hercules was a first-run, syndicated show. It becomes the most-watched television show in the world yet Hollywood doesn’t want to pay attention anyway. Fine, they don’t want to look at me as an actor, I have no problem with that. But I told our DP, our directors, our choreographers, our costume woman Ngila Dickson, I told all of those people, ‘You should be winning Emmys and Golden Globes for the show, because it’s an amazing show.” We had two full units, we had $1.4M an episode between 1993 and 2000, which is a lot of money. A lot of one-hour television doesn’t do that today. We were in New Zealand, getting double the money. Yet they never paid attention to us. That entire crew went on to work on Lord of the Rings and sure enough, they all won Academy Awards. What do you think is behind this snobbery? Sorbo: The networks did not want to bring cable into the Golden Globes and Emmys, but they had to eventually, they were forced to. Now cable’s dominating. But they did not want to. It’s a pure snobbery issue, there’s no question. I think it’s not being on a network. The politics of Hollywood are the politics of Hollywood. You’ve got to fight that game all the time. It gets frustrating. It’s weird; I did a sitcom for ABC called Bobby Cannon. It was a show that my manager and I developed, we got Barry Kemp to write it who did Coach, he did Newhart, he did Taxi. We tested number one in all the markets they tested the pilot in, and they didn’t pick us up. I swear, it’s weird. Why do you spend the money doing that? It comes down to I think they have favors to run with other people. It’s strange that you have just a handful of people, at each network, that decide what the world gets to see. Is there any way to reclaim that power in the choices that you make? Sorbo: Ha! I don’t think anybody can. You get to a point where you can fight it, but I really think it comes down to everybody’s afraid to make a decision. I sat in that room when we auditioned five women to play opposite me in my sitcom and I remember the president of ABC at the time saying, ‘Uh, you know, I think that I don’t like any of them. What do you guys think?’ Of course nobody said anything! I stood up and picked two, I said, ‘You think Brooke Shields wasn’t good?’ I thought she was very good, and we had great chemistry. It’s weird. It’s just a game. On a lighter note, there’s an infamous video of you from the set of Hercules very seriously delivering the line, ‘Disappointed!’ It seems like you’re reading the direction rather than the dialogue. Sorbo: [Laughs] I don’t remember it! It’s funny because I remember every episode as a whole, but I’m watching it with my kids again and I’ll look at it and go, ‘I remember the episode, I remember the storyline, I know that’s me talking - but I have no recall of that scene.’ That’s me, I know it’s me! I know I did it. Do I yell out, ‘Disappointed?’ Yes. ‘Disappointed!’ It’s so wonderful because you put such conviction into it. Sorbo: Then I think I remember that. [Laughs] We had a lot of fun on that set. I was also wondering if you have it written in your contract that you have to keep your fabulous hair intact. Sorbo: [Laughs] Well, it’s been different lengths through the years! I mean, from Hercules to Andromeda, it was shorter than this on Andromeda for five years. But I’m kind of growing it out now. I’ll probably have to cut it for Persecution, because I play a Billy Graham type of character. It’s a very good script. Going back to your faith-based work, what do you think it is that’s made this genre so successful in recent years? Sorbo: I think Blind Side sort of opened the door to that. I would put Blind Side in that category. And there’s Kirk Cameron… Sorbo: Fireproof? You know, Fireproof hit a chord on marriage, it had a resonance with people. Sony came onboard and put big money into it. I think my movie What If… is a wonderful movie, and we had a deal in place with the same division that put out Fireproof and something happened with the producers and we didn’t do it. We went out independently on our own, it stayed in theaters for like five months moving from city to city. I would do radio interviews on local radio stations. But I think it’s a movie that deserved as much acclaim as that did. There’s still a huge divide between faith-based movies and mainstream audiences. Sorbo: Well, here’s the thing: I think Hollywood is a whore, they’ll make anything that makes a buck. Trust me, they will. So there were a lot of people, when I did Soul Surfer and What If…, who said, ‘We need more movies like that!’ And I said, ‘Well then, you’re going to have to support them.’ Hollywood will make anything they’re going to make money on. So these Christian groups and family groups and blah, blah, blah, if they want more movies like that, then they have to support them. Period. Get more of Movieline’s Fantastic Fest coverage here and follow us on Twitter! Tagged: andromeda, bobby cannon, brooke shields, fantastic fest, hercules, horror, julia x, julia x 3d, kevin sorbo, kirk cameron, persecution, pj pettiette, what if...

Google, Dish Made Highest Hulu Bids in First Round (Report)

NEW YORK - Google and Charlie Ergen's Dish Network submitted the two highest offers for online video joint venture Hulu, led by CEO Jason Kilar, in the recent first round of bidding, Business Insider reported. They beat out Amazon.com and Yahoo in the opening round. Citing two unnamed sources, it said that satellite TV firm Dish, which earlier this year acquired Blockbuster as it continues to boost its online video services, offered around $1.9 billion, compared to the more than $2 billion that Hulu's owners were looking for. It said Dish is interested in the Hulu content, but also its back-end technology. Meanwhile, YouTube owner Google bid in the range of $4 billion for Hulu, but proposed special conditions, according to Business Insider. Google asked for more content for a longer period of time than Hulu owners Walt Disney, News Corp. and NBCUniversal have offered in a sale. Analyst Richard Greenfield of BTIG recently called Google the "most compelling" buyer for Hulu. Hulu's owners must now decide on their next steps. Some of them recently signaled they could decide not to sell if the price is not right or if they see advantages to continued ownership. Email: Georg.SzalaI@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Google Hulu Dish Network

Watch Transformers 3 Dark Of The Moon

He's a Rocketman: Elton John Biopic in Development

Elton John Elton John and the partner, David Furnish, are developing Rocketman, a biopic concerning the legendary singer/songwriter , Entertainment Weekly reviews. Still unclear about what you are watching this year? Sample all of the new shows here The film will chronicle the existence and epic career from the "Candle within the Wind" singer. Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) authored the script. "We have always thought there is an excellent motion picture chance to inform Elton's existence story," Furnish told playboy. "But we wanted to hang about until time was right. Elton feels very looking forward to doing the work now - he's in an exceedingly happy devote existence at this time and thinks it is a good time for you to creatively think about yesteryear.Inch Take a look at these dramatic before-and-after pictures of celebrity weight reduction John and Furnish are presently around the search for any director and star -- or even several stars -- to portray the John. The script for Rocketman, which was already completed, does not be put off by the reduced points of John's existence. "Elton has resided an extremely remarkable and different existence," Furnish ongoing. "You cannot tell his existence story without visiting the dark places. We are going to relate individuals too. But in the finish, we would like individuals to come from the cinema feeling inspired and uplifted. Can you pay to determine a film about John?

ABC buys 'Zero Hour' script

ABC has purchased a drama script from ABC Galleries and also the creator of "Prison Break." Paul Scheuring will executive produce "Zero Hour" with Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Serta McDermott. Epic adventure in regards to a skeptical everyman who will get taken up in a single of history's finest conspiracies. His search leads him on the harmful journey all over the world collecting clues which will unlock not just a spectacular mystery all around the Twelve Apostles but additionally questions regarding their own identity. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

Avalon

A Fasad and Idyll presentation. (Worldwide sales: Trustnordisk, Hvidovre, Denmark.) Produced by Erika Wasserman, Jesper Kurlandsky. Co-producers, Gunnar Carlsson, Jessica Request, Lars Hermann, Lars G. Lindstrom. Directed, put together by Axel Petersen.With: Johannes Brost, Peter Carlberg, Leonore Ekstrand.Bona-fide scoundrels are hardly ever a movie's focus, as well as the character in the heart of helmer Axel Petersen's splendid debut feature "Avalon," does less than become qualified like a tough-core villain. Still, the baggy-eyed ex-party boy, ex-felon, club promoter and general reprobate, carried out by Johannes Brost, can be a longshot for sympathy, making Petersen's moral juggling act appear much more impressive. The normal distrib obstacles will affect this Swedish-language production, but Petersen can be a talent to check out, and niche houses could do respectable biz getting a movie that echoes the very best of latest Scandinavian art cinema. The eighties haven't ended for Janne (Brost). True, he's just become free of a court-bought ankle bracelet (what he did to deserve it's less than referred to), however he's gone into partnership with Klas (Peter Carlberg), to start a completely new nightclub inside the Swedish and surrounding and surrounding suburbs, referred to as Avalon (inspired with the Roxy Music hit, that's part of the soundtrack). Klas opted for a shady sources for financing, but all goes well- it's tennis week at Bastad as well as the customers are organizing. Then Janne and also the equally irresponsible sister, Jackie (terrific first-timer Leonore Ekstrand) go consuming and driving, knock lower some scaffold, and kill a Lithuanian immigrant who's been concentrating on the roof. For a lot of of the first half, "Avalon" can be a dogma film: It's shot under light from the sun, without melodramatic utilizes into the story, and there is no music, save that comes using a vehicle radio or PA system. This plan changes eventually (and effectively, using Julian Hruza's score), nevertheless the atmosphere created up to the level of impact can be as spare as Janne's soul: When he digs the dead youthful guy from beneath the remains, he gives no thought to calling police force -- or perhaps the victim's family, or his girlfriend, who appears trying to find him. The body is eventually thrown away by a few Klas' "bankers," who are not only found expecting their share of profits that the gym has, but something fee for body removal. Janne can be a fascinating void, a moral bankrupt and broken beauty: Although damaged from years of alcohol and medicines, he keeps a specific charisma -- the lines and wrinkles and every once in awhile vacant stares unable to totally disguise the handsome guy beneath. Brost, who makes Janne wonderfully debauched and corrupt, also moves as being a guy who's maintained his youth. That image is contagious -- and helps it be doubly terrible when Janne's world starts to spins uncontrollable, then one watches him falling aside from inside. Brost's performance is amazing, and largely internalized: He's ideal when quiet, and thinking, not too deeply and never so profoundly, in context of preventing responsibility. Ekstrand, helmer Petersen's aunt, can be a find, and Carlberg has several startling moments, including one where he returns for the club and finds out the Lithuanian is dead. Shock can be a cliched emotion in film Carlberg helps it be fresh. The denouement of "Avalon" is itself rather shocking, but only if the very first is expecting reform, rehab or guilt. The pic can be a fascinating and ultimately haunting movie, partly because of the means by which Petersen choreographs his figures, but furthermore because of people figures themselves. Production values are fine, including some spectacular cinematography by Men Mansson.Camera (color), Men Mansson editor, Theis Schmidt music, Julian Hruza production designer: Ellen Oseng costume designer: Denise Ostholm appear (Dolby Digital), Robert Hefter, Lars Wignell. Examined at Toronto Film Festival (Discovery), Sept. 13, 2011. Running time: 76 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Sarah Palin -- You Betcha!

A Freestyle Delivering (in U.S.) relieve a Funnel 4 presentation in colaboration with Awakening Films from the Marc Hoeferlin production. (Worldwide sales: Content Media Corp. Intl., Santa Monica.) Produced by Hoeferlin. Executive producer, Shani Hinton. Directed by Nick Broomfield, Joan Churchill.With: Nick Broomfield, John Bitney, Colleen Cottle, Wally Moneghan, Mike Wooten, Chuck Heath, Sally Heath, Lyda Eco-friendly, Howard Bess, Laura Chase, Sarah Palin.A sarcastically well toned, smartly timed character murder, comic documaker Nick Broomfield's "Sarah Palin -- You Betcha!" spades enough muck concerning the Tea Party leader and self-known to hockey mother to satisfy her haters, but lacks sufficient humor and insight making it essential-see for anyone outdoors the Brit muckraker's number of fans. Details remain mainly on the quantity of an asked Alaskan blogger's pseudo-scoop the allegedly depressed Palin soothed the discomfort of losing the 2008 vice presidential race by watching wedding shows in bed mattress while scarfing lower fast-food tacos. The Freestyle Delivering pickup won't outgross its politically counterpart, "The Undefeated." Failing, possibly intentionally, to land the interview while using press-shy Palin herself, Broomfield (who co-directed the pic with longtime collaborator Joan Churchill) makes do getting a group of quirkily incensed folks within the subject's hometown of Wasilla, delivering another implicit critique of approved celebrity docus that surrender their newspaper cred upon obtaining the celeb's participation. This really is really the filmmaker's key subject, best looked into twelve-odd in the past inside the properly grubby "Kurt and Courtney." But "You Betcha!" signifies the subject is wearing thin, as well as Broomfield's trademark haughty narration and "Who, me?" on-camera attitude. Improbably fitted in the plaid flannel jacket and crazy winter hat, Broomfield braves Wasilla's ice and snow searching for the particular story in the "most widely used governor in the very very coldest condition," or otherwise a few cheap jokes. Each time a local tour guide unveils Palin's childhood home is now a thrift store, the type of the former beauty full still visits from time to time, Broomfield quips, "I believed she checked out Barney's." Basically shooting sea food in the barrel, Broomfield begins by finding Palin's father, Chuck Heath, a classic science teacher and current lover of deer antlers. Heath cordially grants or loans or financial loans a ho-hum interview in the kitchen area of his house but soon turns cold, inspiring the investigative journalist to buy some antlers from Heath wishing of thawing the ice. Subsequent speaking heads flesh the docu's rash sketch of Palin just like a sociopathic, dim-witted and callous careerist who, Broomfield argues, frequently is dependant on public and then try to triggers people nearest to her. A Wasilla pastor labels the hometown girl an "apocalyptic" Christian who wouldn't hesitate to make a nuclear combat evil. An opportunistic agent repping Palin's put-upon ex-boy-in-law promises tasty dish on "drugs and stuff," but balks at Broomfield's offer of 500 clams. Most indicting of, possibly, can be a childhood friend's myth-cracking observation that Palin, nicknamed "Barracuda" on her behalf basketball-shooting prowess, actually was really a dribbler. Clearly, the from time to time amusing pic should really intervene in Palin's presumed presidential bid, leaning on charges of anti-intellectualism and homophobia that might be learned in the general read of Palin's own best-selling tell-all, "Going Rogue." Bumrushed by Broomfield at some book signings, Palin solutions the documentarian's interview request getting a chirpy "I betcha I really could do that!In . Nevertheless the sitdown never involves pass, enabling Broomfield to feign outrage and justify a component-length kind of retaliation providing you with him more that's much like his allegedly vengeful subject than he may decide to admit. Besides its bevy of pixilated YouTube clips and decades-old local news reviews acquired from VHS, all evincing Palin's insufficient understanding on some level or other, "You Betcha!" includes Kilifax's snotty tune "Sarah Palin" and finishes while using legendary audio clip in the pol getting phone-pranked having a guy absurdly impersonating Nicolas Sarkozy. A smallscreen thriller-style musical score pumps in the quantity of Broomfield's ridicule to mildly enjoyable effect. Other tech credits are unremarkable but sufficient.Camera (color, DV), Churchill editor, Michael X. Flores music, Jamie Muhoberac appear, Broomfield supervisory appear editor, Joe Milner re-recording mixer, Milner connect producer, Sarah Reid. Examined at Toronto Film Festival (Real to Reel), Sept. 9, 2011. Running time: 92 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

'Glee' DVD Maker Gives to Music Education

NEW You'll be able to (AP) Producer in the "Glee" Digital video disks is giving $millions of to school arts programs nationwide.twentieth Century Fox Entertainment introduced the donation Friday, saying it'll make use of the nation's Association for Music Education to obtain the money to schools. The business states 73 schools can get grants or loans or financial loans different from $10,000 to $50,000.Fox's popular series is devoted to some greater school singing group.Qualified high schools are increasingly being asked for to submit videos about why their schools deserve a grant. You will notice a public election to winnow your competitors and education association government bodies could make the best election.20th Century Fox is delivering a DVD and Blu-ray in the "Glee" second season inside a couple of days.Copyright laws and regulations 2011 Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Indie Filmmakers Are Now Soliciting Fans For Funding Online

Award-winning documentary director Jennifer Fox had just wrapped production on her new film, My Reincarnation, when she got one of those 'bad news' calls.our editor recommends'Iron Sky' funding completeToronto 2011: 10 Hot Titles Buyers Dare Not Miss PHOTOS: Toronto Film Festival: 13 Films to Know 'One of our backers suddenly couldn't come through with their commitment,' she recalls. 'Our film was finished, about to go out to festivals, and suddenly we had a $100,000 hole.' With creditors at the door, Fox did what indie filmmakers are increasingly doing to get their movies made: crowd-funding. She went online and asked her fans for money. On Kickstarter.com, the largest crowd-funding site, she asked for $50,000 in donations. She got $150,000. Fox isn't alone. Film editor Christopher Salmon raised $161,000 online to fully finance his directorial debut, an animated short based on Neil Gaiman's story The Price. Famed mumblecore director Andrew Bujalski raised $50,000 toward his new feature, a 1980s drama set in the world of computer chess. STORY: Toronto 2011 Critics Preview: Why the Festival Matters Several entries at this year's Toronto International Film Festival got backing from Kickstarter, including the urban drama Pariah, from first-timer Dee Rees, and Gary Hustwit's city-planning documentary Urbanized. For the political doc Sarah Palin: YouBetcha!, director Nick Broomfield asked fans for $30,000 to pay for distribution. COVER STORY: David Cronenberg on How the $20 Million 'Dangerous Method' Got Made In Europe, where state subsidies are an option, crowd-funding isn't as popular. But there are exceptions. Finnish director Timo Vuorensola raised $1.2 million of the $10 million budget for his Nazis-on-the-moon movie Iron Sky through his website Ironsky.net. Hotel Desire, an X-rated German sex drama, secured its $200,000 budget through a combination of online fundraising and corporate sponsorship. Kickstarter, launched in 2009, has helped members raise a total of $32 million for film projects. The largest single amount was $345,000 for Blue Like Jazz, a religion drama based on Donald Miller's memoir. Kickstarter co-founder Yancey Strickler says he has had conversations with the major talent agencies and studios about using his site for larger projects. But he admits using just the crowd to raise even a $5 million budget would be a challenge. 'We aren't doing that kind of business,' says Strickler. 'At least not yet.' Related Topics Toronto International Film Festival International

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ROLL CALL: Jake Gyllenhaals Busy Weekend With Rashida Jones & Anna Kendrick

By Jesse SperoLOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Friends Or More Than Friends For Jake?: Does Jake Gyllenhaal have romance brewing or is he just spending time with a few gal pals? The Hollywood bachelor who has been previously linked to Taylor Swift and Reese Witherspoon was spotted with both Rashida Jones and Anna Kendrick over the holiday weekend. Jake and the Parks and Recreation star (and his dog Atticus) enjoyed lunch at Cafe Gratitude in Los Angeles on Sunday, E! Online reported. Then on Monday, Jake was spotted heading to Las Vegas with his End of Watch co-star, Anna. The duo was reportedly joined by friends on the one-day Labor Day trip and then they were spotted late last night in LA at a Starbucks and then Subway. Judging by the casual meals, were guessing Jake and his gals are just pals. Alyson Hannigan Slams Baby Rumors (And Her Wardrobe Choice!): Alyson Hannigan would like everyone to know, shes not rocking a baby bump! NO, Im not pregnant! I just ate too much carnival food, that time of the month, hurt my back & couldnt suck my gut in, & need 2 do cardio! the actress Tweeted after photos surfaced of her showing a slight bulge in the mid-section over the weekend. (See the less-than-flattering photo, HERE!) Following the rumored baby bump brouhaha, the actress whose character is coincidentally pregnant on How I Met Your Mother also Tweeted, And Im NEVER gonna wear that shirt again!!! The Eye Roll Of The Week!: We challenge any other celebrity out there to top Madonnas stellar rolling of her eyes after a fan gave her hydrangeas at the Venice Films Festival following the premiere of her directorial debut, W.E. The pop icon can be heard saying, I absolutely loathe hydrangeas, after the incident. See the magical Madge moment, HERE! Geek Break!: Speaking of cold, a deleted scene from The Empire Strikes Back has been released on EW.com showing Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) keeping the sexual tension nice and steamy on the icy planet of Hoth. Check out the lovers quarrel that includes gems like, Youve been so busy being a princess, you havent learned how to be a woman. I could have helped you, and You have all the breeding of a bantha and just about as much charm! HERE! Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray is set for release on September 16. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Harvey Fierstein Adds Love to 'Newsies'

NEW YORK (AP) When Harvey Fierstein was asked to make the film "Newsies" work on stage, he realized that something was missing from the original."In a musical, there's an old rule: You must follow the love story," the four-time Tony Award-winning actor and writer said Thursday. "It gives the audience somewhere to go and someplace to rest their hearts."The trouble with the film "Newsies" was that it lacked that spark of passion.So Fierstein rolled up his sleeves and put one in. It's among many changes made to the 1992 film musical that tells the story of child newspaper sellers in turn-of-the-century New York who go on strike.The film, starring Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall and Ann-Margret, did poorly at the box office but has become something of a cult hit of late. It's the top most requested stage adaptations from Disney films.The Disney-backed stage musical will make its debut this month at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J. Performances begin Sept. 15, with an official opening set for Sept. 25.The idea of putting it on stage began when Fierstein met with composer Alan Menken in his office decorated with posters of his hugely successful films, such as "The Little Mermaid," ''Beauty and the Beast," ''Aladdin" and "Pocahontas."At one point, Fierstein pointed to a poster of "Newsies," and asked if he'd considered adapting the film. Menken said he and lyricist Jack Feldman had been wrestling with it for decades but couldn't make it work."I said, 'I'll make it work,'" recalled Fierstein.Fierstein, known for his work in "Hairspray," ''La Cage aux Folles" and "Torch Song Trilogy," remembers the film fondly, even if it did contain bad Brooklyn accents. He would show a video of the film to his nephews. "It was one of those baby-sitting tools for boys," he said. "It's very boy."When he recently went back to the movie, Fierstein said he realized that it was a very old story the next generation standing up for itself. "Whether it's Tiananmen Square or the Arab Spring or the American Revolution, there comes a time when the older generation must step aside for the new one."In the stage musical, the lead role of Jack Kelly is played by Jeremy Jordan, who recently starred on Broadway in "West Side Story" and will be there again this winter in the musical "Bonnie and Clyde." The part of Davey went to Ben Fankhauser, who starred in the first national tour of "Spring Awakening."The new musical retains the memorable songs "Santa Fe," ''The World Will Know," ''Carrying the Banner," ''Seize the Day" and "King of New York," but adds a young female reporter to the story, played by Kara Lindsay.Menken recalls being shocked initially when Fierstein suggested starting the show with the song "Santa Fe." Menken balked, saying that song was something the musical had to build up to.In the end, Fierstein won."Just the boldness of that idea, of that moment at the top of the show, for me, was transformative. And the idea of Katherine hugely transformative," Menken said. "So it's just great to have that infusion of new ideas and energy."Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Mark Kennedy September 2, 2011 Harvey Fierstein PHOTO CREDIT AP Photo/Charles Sykes NEW YORK (AP) When Harvey Fierstein was asked to make the film "Newsies" work on stage, he realized that something was missing from the original."In a musical, there's an old rule: You must follow the love story," the four-time Tony Award-winning actor and writer said Thursday. "It gives the audience somewhere to go and someplace to rest their hearts."The trouble with the film "Newsies" was that it lacked that spark of passion.So Fierstein rolled up his sleeves and put one in. It's among many changes made to the 1992 film musical that tells the story of child newspaper sellers in turn-of-the-century New York who go on strike.The film, starring Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall and Ann-Margret, did poorly at the box office but has become something of a cult hit of late. It's the top most requested stage adaptations from Disney films.The Disney-backed stage musical will make its debut this month at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, N.J. Performances begin Sept. 15, with an official opening set for Sept. 25.The idea of putting it on stage began when Fierstein met with composer Alan Menken in his office decorated with posters of his hugely successful films, such as "The Little Mermaid," ''Beauty and the Beast," ''Aladdin" and "Pocahontas."At one point, Fierstein pointed to a poster of "Newsies," and asked if he'd considered adapting the film. Menken said he and lyricist Jack Feldman had been wrestling with it for decades but couldn't make it work."I said, 'I'll make it work,'" recalled Fierstein.Fierstein, known for his work in "Hairspray," ''La Cage aux Folles" and "Torch Song Trilogy," remembers the film fondly, even if it did contain bad Brooklyn accents. He would show a video of the film to his nephews. "It was one of those baby-sitting tools for boys," he said. "It's very boy."When he recently went back to the movie, Fierstein said he realized that it was a very old story the next generation standing up for itself. "Whether it's Tiananmen Square or the Arab Spring or the American Revolution, there comes a time when the older generation must step aside for the new one."In the stage musical, the lead role of Jack Kelly is played by Jeremy Jordan, who recently starred on Broadway in "West Side Story" and will be there again this winter in the musical "Bonnie and Clyde." The part of Davey went to Ben Fankhauser, who starred in the first national tour of "Spring Awakening."The new musical retains the memorable songs "Santa Fe," ''The World Will Know," ''Carrying the Banner," ''Seize the Day" and "King of New York," but adds a young female reporter to the story, played by Kara Lindsay.Menken recalls being shocked initially when Fierstein suggested starting the show with the song "Santa Fe." Menken balked, saying that song was something the musical had to build up to.In the end, Fierstein won."Just the boldness of that idea, of that moment at the top of the show, for me, was transformative. And the idea of Katherine hugely transformative," Menken said. "So it's just great to have that infusion of new ideas and energy."Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.