UTA Employs BBC Worldwide Prods. Executive As TV Lit Agent

UTA went outdoors from the agency world because of its latest agent hire. Lucinda Moorhead, Manager of Development at BBC Worldwide Prods., is joining UTA being an agent within the TV Literary Department. She'll start at the outset of the entire year. Moorhead, that has some agency experience (she began off being an assistant at CAA), spent the final three years at La-based BBC Worldwide Prods.. There, she done the introduction of scripted series, including Starz’s Torchwood: Miracle Day Starzs approaching drama series Da Vincis Devils, and also the NBC drama project Borgen, in line with the Danish format. Lucinda is really a passionate advocate for nice television, and that we know she is a terrific agent along with a major resource to the team, UTA Controlling Director Jay Sures stated. Added Jane Tranter, Mind of BBC Worldwide Prods., Lucinda includes a rare mixture of drive, creative passion, insight and wit. She's a category act, gifted, warm, funny and vibrant. UTA is lucky to possess her spark on the team, and that we all wish her immeasureable luck and happiness about this exciting new stage of her career.”

Terra Nova Braces for Explosive Season Finale

Jason O'Mara, Stephen Lang More expensive the summer season finale of Fox's Terra Nova to complete immediately - it starts with one! Airing December 19, the two-hour episode starts while using colonists warily awaiting the look in the eleventh Pilgrimage. They're unsure if this describes very good news or bad. Wager round the latter. "Our evil males, the Phoenix Group, is going to be delivering somebody using the portal getting a blast, plus it explodes," states professional producer René Echevarria. "Jim Shannon [Jason O'Mara] is hit with the blast and energizes 72 hrs later with a very surreal scene - Phoenix soldiers required command in the colony." This could eventually pressure Shannon and Cmdr. Nathaniel Taylor (Stephen Lang) to accomplish the unthinkable. "We've supercharged the premise within our show really chilling way," states professional producer Brannon Braga. "Everything changes." The jam-packed closer includes an unforeseen return to 2149 together with a mind-itchiness discovery that will leave the colonists - as well as the audience - rethinking the region-time fracture that connects the long run while using past. And prepare for that demise of two notable figures, including one that's being a significant fan favorite. Hints Braga: "Someone who is without family will under your own accord visit [their dying to have the ability to profit the Shannons survive." Also expect the turmoil between Taylor and also the boy, Lucas (Ashley Zukerman), striking full boil. "Everyone knows Lucas remains improving the Sixers as well as the Phoenix Group, and that we have taunted that something bad happened involving the two males in Somalia, but we all do not know why Lucas so intensely hates his father," states Echevarria. "That will all emerge inside the finale. It's Shakespeare meets Sophie's Choice." For further scoop inside your sci-fi faves, including Fringe, Supernatural and Physician Who, obtain the completely new problem of TV Guide Magazine, on purchase Thursday. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Add Charles Grodin for the Listing of customers That are Pretending the Muppets are actually the

I have got a soft spot for 'The Great Muppet Caper.' It absolutely was my first review of the Muppets and is probably the first five to six movies that we ever saw in the theater. (Which I still own the collector glasses.) So, once i observed that Charles Grodin -- an actress whose work I terribly enjoy -- written a product for Vulture about his encounters round the number of 'Caper,' I used to be excited! But, clearly, it is not a product about Grodin's actual encounters round the number of 'The Great Muppet Caper,' it's a composed story of techniques he almost rested with Miss Piggy. Miss Piggy can be a puppet. This never happened. You know what happens? I appear as being a grouch! It's a fine little tale which is well crafted (and you'll naturally like something which comprises a reference to the 'Heaven Can Wait'). But, because the completely new movie is going and virtually everyone has seen it, will we with one another stop pretending they're living creatures? Hell, even Jason Segel stopped transporting this out when he introduced the Muppeteers through the 'Saturday Evening Live' "great nights.Inch (Also, maybe sooner or later Grodin can provide us some real behind the curtain particulars about 'The Great Muppet Caper. And, yes, possibly I'm really the only person alive nobody wants these particulars.) [via Vulture] You'll be able to contact Mike Ryan on Twitter Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Homegrown tales energy Moroccan tube

SNRT scores using the first Arabic language telenovela, 'Zinate Al Hayate,' spanning 120 episodes. Morocco's pubcasters, SNRT and 2M -- collectively run by Stanford-educated Faical Laraichi -- are major forces in local film and TV production.Given fierce competition from about 300 pan-Arab satellite channels in The other agents, popular homegrown fiction is essential for safeguarding and growing the pubcasters' current 45%-50% primetime share.Most of the country's new generation of helmers have honed their abilities by employed by both big and small screen projects."We are now seeing the advantages of a procedure that started around seven, eight years back,Inch states Laraichi.Director-producer Nabil Ayouch is a key player within this evolution. Through his 2008-10 Produced in The other agents project, he created 42 genre-based TV movies, and groomed company directors for example Hisham Lasri, whose "The Finish" tested at Marrakech.This Year, Ayouch created two major TV hits for SNRT -- the Arabic language telenovela, "Zinate al hayate" (The Gorgeous Things of Existence), spanning 120 episodes, co-created with French TV giant Telefrance ("Plus belle la vie"), and also the 32-seg sitcom "Dima jirane" (Eternal Neighbors), which smacked a 50%-60% audience share.SNRT's forthcoming projects have an ambitious 64-episode TV series "The Foreigner," occur nineteen fifties The other agents, to premiere in 2012.Based on the prosperity of local films and TV series, SNRT is assembling a privileges catalog for that worldwide market and, much more important, for that Arab world.To be able to improve local writing abilities, Laraichi has additionally organized a number of project-driven screenwriting training courses in Casablanca with local production companies and authors, some including U.K. and French experts."Our two key focuses are becoming the script right and revealing new pointing, writing and acting talent," he states.Finally, SNRT is growing its participation in worldwide co-productions. Lately funded projects include Roschdy Zem's "Omar Wiped out Me" and EuropaCorp's $11 million "The Origin,Inch which bowed this season at Cannes.FEST TRAVELER: MARRAKECH FILM FESTIVALSalute to Mexican cinema Freedom fuels Arab oasis Homegrown tales energy Moroccan tube Arab Spring signals return of foreign films Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Bad News, Julia Roberts: Mirror, Mirror's Online Praise Might Be Studio-Generated

Last week, you and I watched the first trailer for Tarsem Singh’s Mirror, Mirror in slack-jawed horror. (After all, aren’t Snow White adaptations supposed to be about the titular princess and not Julia Roberts’s aging concerns, Bollywood dance numbers and Armie Hammer’s impression of a dog?) Surprisingly though, not all of the Internet’s feedback was negative. A few brave souls commented on the Relativity trailer enthusiastically — and now MovieMavericks.com is claiming that some of those suspicious thumbs-up reviews came from the same source. MovieMavericks.com points out that several “strangely optimistic comments” posted to their own Mirror, Mirror trailer write-up originated from the same IP address. Upon Google-searching those comments, MovieMavericks discovered that the same IP address user had posted the same positive reviews on other movie websites — leading them to believe that either A) There is just a very dedicated Brooklyn-based Tarsem Singh fan who is hellbent on raising the bar for Mirror, Mirror buzz. Or B) The studio (or a party involved with the film) is having someone do some web damage control on the atrocious-looking trailer. Among the copied and pasted positive remarks that MovieMavericks.com cites: · “Julia Roberts is going to be awesome as the Evil Queen. She’s such a good actress!” · “Definitely seeing this with my boyfriend! Can’t wait to see Lily Collins in action!!” · “Tareem [sic] Singh makes awesome movies. Immortals was amazing and this will be too.” For the record, the only positive comments that the trailer received when Movieline posted it last week were from user Laurietimes2 (“Count me in!!!”) and Rom Issy (“Beautiful scenery and costumes, fairytale story and a comedy? That rocks. In.”). Most commenters only had negative feedback though, exclaiming “AHAHAHAHAHA…oh wait, you mean it’s not a comedy?” or comparing it to a “90s ABC Disney TV-Movie musical” and calling Lily Collins’s Snow White “a plain looking woman with Dan Hedaya eyebrows!” Do you think that the strangely positive remarks about a trailer that looks exceptionally bad is studio-related? Please let me know in the comments section below after watching Julia Roberts, Lily Collins and Armie Hammer in the Mirror, Mirror trailer. Maybe you’ll discover that the film is “definitely worth seeing” upon second viewing. · Mirror, Mirror Astroturfing — Who’s Behind It? [MovieMavericks.com] via Who’s Faking ‘Mirror Mirror’ Praise? Hmm [Deadline]

'G.I. Joe' Follow up Crew Member Dies On Set

Mike Huber, a in your area hired crew member focusing on the group of Vital'sG.I. Joe 2: Retaliation,died November. 22 while focusing on the development in New Orleans. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths Vital released the next statement towards the Hollywood Reporter:"Our ideas and greatest condolences are using the Huber family at this time around." PHOTOS: 12 Shocking Hollywood Deaths Vital stated the security of their cast and crew is really a main concern which is "fully cooperating with all of looking into agencies because they examine the conditions surrounding this unusual accident." TMZ reported Wednesday that Huber died while focusing on a higher-powered scissor lift that expected over. Vital will releaseG.I. Joe 2on June 29 it followsG.I. Joe: An Upswing of Cobra, popular last year. Jon M. Chuis pointing theLorenzo di Bonaventura-created follow up, that will featureBruce Willis, Channing Tatum,Dwayne Manley,Adrianne Palicki,Ray StevensonandRZA, amongst others. The project started shooting in New Orleans in August. Email: Daniel.Burns@THR.com Twitter: @DanielNMiller Related Subjects

Paramount Offers Rentals Of Mission: Impossible On Facebook

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22, 2011– Paramount Pictures announced today it is offering the entire Mission: Impossible movie catalogue including Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible II and Mission: Impossible III available for rent directly through the Mission: Impossible Facebook Page. Fans of the franchise can also play the new social spy game Mission: Impossible the Game (https://apps.facebook.com/mission-impossible), the first 200 players to locate a hidden Easter Egg in the game will receive a code for a rental of one of the Mission: Impossible movies on the movie’s Facebook page.* Millions of people that Like the Mission: Impossible Page can easily rent and enjoy the entire collection of Mission: Impossible movies directly through Facebook using Facebook Credits at https://www.facebook.com/missionimpossiblemovie. Consumers simply click the ‘Rent Movies’ link on the Mission: Impossible Facebook Page and choose among three Mission: Impossible movie apps to seamlessly rent, watch and enjoy the action packed adventures of IMF operative Ethan Hunt. “Over the past decade movie fans have followed the impossible exploits of Ethan Hunt and his team of IMF operatives,” said Amy Reinhard, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Domestic Home Media Distribution for Paramount Pictures. “Now fans of Mission: Impossible on Facebook who are eagerly awaiting the release of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol have a chance to relive and share the adventures.” Mission: Impossible movies can be rented individually using Facebook Credits and viewed for up to 48 hours. While watching through Facebook, consumers will have full control over their movie viewing experience and can watch in full screen, pause the movie, leave Facebook and resume playing when logged back in. Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible II and Mission: Impossible III can each be purchased for 30 Facebook Credits ($2.99). This offering is currently only available to consumers in the United States. The Mission: Impossible movies are rated PG 13.

Box Office Report: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Thinking of getting Franchise Best $73.5 Mil Friday

Summit Entertainment's The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning-Part 1 is on the right course gain the 2nd-best opening of 2011, however it remains to appear whether or not this can match the $142.8 million debut from the Twilight Saga: New Moon on a single weekend 2 yrs ago.our editor recommendsBox Office Report: 'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Makes $30.3 Mil in Night time RunsNew Movie Reviews: 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning -- Part 1,' 'The Descendants,' 'Happy Ft Two' Striking Theaters'Twilight: Breaking Dawn' Wedding Invitation Designer Revealed (Exclusive)Box Office Report: 'Twilight-Breaking Dawn' Rakes in $8.9 Mil in the First Foreign Foray PHOTOS: 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning - Part I' Black Carpet Premiere For Friday itself, Breaking Beginning is searching in a gross of $73.5 million, which may represent a franchise best. New Moon made $72.7 million on its first Friday. The weekend's other new entry, Warner Bros.' Happy Ft Two, got off and away to a reduced-than-expected start, grossing an believed $six million on Friday for any forecasted weekend gross of $22 million to $24 million. The three dimensional family toon hopes to create up ground throughout Thanksgiving week. PHOTOS: 'Twilight' and also the Top 15 Grossing Threequels ever Breaking Beginning started playing in 3,251 theaters at 12:01 a.m. Friday, generating $30.3 million in night time grosses before getting into an overall total of four,061 locations by mid-morning. Until Harry Potter and also the Deathly Hallows Part 2 arrived this summer time, the final two Twilight photos set records for the best night time performance. This summer time, Deathly Hallows gained an enormous $43.six million in night time grosses coming to grossing north of $160 million in the first weekend. Breaking Beginning now stands at No. 2 when it comes to all-time night time best. PHOTOS: New Images of 'Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning' Starring Billy Burke, Taylor Lautner and Rachelle Lefervre, Breaking Beginning was directed by Bill Condon. By Thursday, Breaking Beginning had already gained $8.9 million from a number of foreign marketplaces. Related Subjects Taylor Lautner Rachelle Lefervre Twilight Saga Box Office Happy Ft 2 Billy Burke

Serkis to be feted at Whistler fest

Andy Serkis will receive Variety's Tech Pioneer Award at the Whistler Film Festival on Dec. 1. Serkis will appear via a live Skype conference as part of a Whistler Summit interactive narrative master class Following the release of "Kung Fu Panda 2," fest will also recognize helmer Jennifer Yuh Nelson with its first Trailblazer in Animation Award at an In Conversation event on Dec. 3. Fest runs Nov. 30 to Dec. 4. Contact Bobbie Whiteman at bobbie.whiteman@variety.com

Heavy D Public Wake Planned for Nov. 17

A public wake will be held in Mt. Vernon, NY on Thursday to commemorate the life of late rapper Dwight "Heavy D" Myers, who died unexpectedly on Tuesday, Nov. 8 outside of his Beverly Hills home at the age of 44.our editor recommendsHeavy D Autopsy Results Inconclusive, Pending Toxicology ReportsHeavy D's Funeral Set For Nov. 18Heavy D Visited Doctor the Day Before His Death PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths Details about the service, which will be held from noon until 6:00 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church, can be found on rememberheavyd.com, a recently created memorial website set up in his honor. It also includes information on how to donate to the Heavy D and Xea Myers Fund, which has been established in support of Heavy D's daughter. A Heavy D hotline number can also be found at the site along with instructions for flower delivery. VIDEO: Heavy D's Colleague and Friend, Russell Simmons Remembers the Rapper A funeral for the Jamaica-born, Queens-raised musician-turned-actor is scheduled for the following day, Nov. 18, also at the Grace Baptist Church. P. Diddy and Rev. Al Sharpton are expected to speak, according to the Associated Press. An autopsy, it was announced earlier today, proved to be inconclusive with toxicology results pending. Reports cited that Heavy D was experiencing difficulty breathing and collapsed. It could be several weeks before the cause of death is revealed. Related Topics Al Sharpton P. Diddy Heavy D

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs Finally Have Their Hollywood Coming-Out Party

Although Albert Nobbs has made the festival rounds and has long been generating awards-season buzz — particularly for star and co-writer Glenn Close — the film only had its Hollywood coming-out party of sorts over the weekend. Close and fellow cast members Janet McTeer and Mia Wasikowska toasted Nobbs on Friday at a cocktail party at Palihouse in Los Angeles. With Albert Nobbs, Close is finally unveiling on the big screen the indelible role she originated on the stage nearly 30 years ago, playing a woman so fearful of succumbing to poverty in 19th-century Ireland that she lives as a man for more than a decade so she can work as a hotel waiter. Director Rodrigo Garcia said he jumped at the chance to take on the project because he was impressed by Close’s persistence in getting the film made. Garcia also talked about the extraordinary character at the heart of the film, and how losing a sense of self is a gradual process. “It’s all about the closets you build for yourself,” Garcia told Movieline. “Albert has spent so much time living in this closet that she can no longer remember who she really is.” Asked whether his choice of the word “closet” lends support to the idea that Albert — who courts a young hotel maid throughout the film to keep up appearances — is gay, Garcia said the character’s sexuality isn’t defined. The maid, Helen (Wasikowska), finds Albert puzzlingly nonsexual. “No gay person who has seen it thinks that Albert is gay,” Garcia said. “But for a straight person, myself included, any ambiguity makes sense.” Regarding his film’s awards chances, the director says he’s not campaigning himself, just “going with the flow.” He added, however, that he does believe an audience is building for Albert Nobbs based on word-of-mouth and a story that resonates with anyone trying to make it through tough times. Only time can tell; Albert Nobbs opens in limited runs in NY and Los Angeles in December, and in wide release on Jan. 27. Read Stephanie Zacharek’s Toronto Film Festival review here. [Photo of Albert Nobbs co-stars Janet McTeer and Glenn Close at the 2011 Governors Awards: Getty Images]

The Academy Celebrates Vanessa Redgrave at Unprecedented Tribute in London

Just one night after presenting James Earl Jones with an honorary Oscar at the London theater where he and Vanessa Redgrave are currently starring in a West End production of Driving Miss Daisy, the Academy tonight honored Redgrave with a special tribute -- the first of its kind to ever be held in Europe, entitled "An Academy Salute to Vanessa Redgrave"-- in celebration of her more than half-century of work in film.our editor recommendsVanessa Redgrave returning to BroadwayFEINBERG FORECAST: 'Coriolanus,' 'J. Edgar,' 'Hugo,' 'Into the Abyss,' 'Lady' Move Post-AFI'Coriolanus' Trailer: Ralph Fiennes Takes Shakespeare to Another Level (Video) Redgrave is one of the most celebrated members of one of the all-time great acting families. She is the daughter of the late Michael Redgrave and the late Rachel Kempson, the older sister of the late Lynn Redgrave and the late Corin Redgrave, and the mother of the late Natasha Richardson and Joely Richardson. She has given standout performances in many memorable films, including Blow-Up (1966), Morgan! (1966), Isadora (1968), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Julia (1978), The Bostonians (1984), Howards End (1992), Girl, Interrupted (1999), and Atonement (2007). And she has received six Oscar nominations -- four for best actress and two for best supporting actress -- winning in the latter category for Julia. Now 74, Redgrave remains as busy as ever. She has given standout performances in three films released this year: Larysa Kondracki's The Whistleblower, Roland Emmerich's Anonymous, and Ralph Fiennes's directorial debut Coriolanus. Indeed, her show-stopping performance in Coriolanus as Volumnia, the mother of the title character (who is portrayed by Fiennes himself), could bring her another best supporting actress Oscar nod -- and possibly even another statuette. The Academy's invitation-only event, which was held at the Curzon Soho cinema complex, was introduced by former Academy president Sid Ganis, hosted by Sir David Hare, and attended by Jones, Richardson, Fiennes (who left the set of his current film in order to help fete Redgrave), Meryl Streep (Redgrave's co-star in the aforementioned Julia, who I'm told is in London screening Phyllida Lloyd's The Iron Lady for select journalists), Jane Fonda (who also worked with Redgrave in Julia), Dame Eileen Atkins (Redgrave's co-star in the 1975 TV series Arena, 1997 film Mrs. Dalloway, and 2007 film Evening),and Liam Neeson (the actor who was married to Redgrave's daughter Natasha), many of whom addressed the crowd about Redgrave during the ceremony. Vanessa Redgrave Oscars Coriolanus

Leonardo DiCaprio in 'Growing Pains': A Look Back at the 'J. Edgar' Star's Breakout Role

When ABC's Growing Pains debuted in September 1985, The Hollywood Reporter called it "a poor copy of Family Ties." THR predicted NBC's The A-Team would crush the family sitcom in the 8:30 p.m. Tuesday ratings, even though "Mr. T is no longer the heavyweight he once was." But Pains lasted seven seasons, including two in the viewership top 10, and three guest actors from the show went on to major stardom: Brad Pitt, Hilary Swank and Leonardo DiCaprio.our editor recommendsJ. Edgar: Film Review PHOTOS: 'J. Edgar' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals Today's J. Edgar star was 16 when he landed a recurring role on Pains in 1991. It wasn't DiCaprio's first credit: He had grown up in L.A. and appeared in five episodes of the daytime soap Santa Barbara and a dozen episodes of NBC's short-lived Parenthood and had film roles in Poison Ivy and Critters 3. But it was 23 episodes on Pains as Luke Brower, a homeless boy taken in by the Seaver family, that really put him in the public eye. THR COVER STORY: The Making of 'J. Edgar' Show creator Neal Marlens was also running The Wonder Years by the time DiCaprio came to Pains and has only a vague memory of him being cast. "I remember thinking, 'Hey, this kid is talented,' " says Marlens. "But only in retrospect was his being cast an event." It was DiCaprio's last stint on television. Within the next five years, the three-time Oscar nominee would make This Boy's Life, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Romeo + Juliet before blasting into the stratosphere with Titanic. Related Topics Leonardo DiCaprio J. Edgar

Madonna's Rumored New Single Leaked Online (Audio)

A demo version of the purported first single off of Madonna's next album has been leaked online.our editor recommendsMadonna Launches Her First Fragrance, Truth or Dare. What Took So Long?Madonna Defends Herself at London Premiere of 'W.E.'Madonna's Brother Tells Newspaper: I'm HomelessMadonna's Early Diva Days, Riveting Tales of Disco, Drugs and 80s Excess Highlight Nile Rodgers' Memoir The retro-sounding "Gimme All Your Love" would be included on the singer's 12th studio album, which will be released in spring 2012. PHOTOS: The Music Industry's Greatest Givers Madonna began work on the album in July, according to a tweet by her manager Guy Oseary. She said during press rounds promoting her film W.E. at the Venice Film Festival that the first single was due out in Feb. or March of next year. The song begins with cheerleaders/singers chanting to a snare drum: "L-U-V Madonna. Y-O-U you wanna?" PHOTOS: 20 Best and Worst Music to Movie Crossovers Madonna then sings, "I see you coming and I don't want to know your name/ I see you coming and you're gonna have to change your game." The chorus is pretty straight forward: "Gimme all your love and gimme your love, give me all your love today/Gimme all your love and gimmie your love, let's forget about time and dance our lives away." PHOTOS: MTV VMAs Greatest Feuds With Madonna, Courtney Love The single definitely sports an '80s sound with synthesizers, drum machines and "Hey Mickey" -like back-up vocals. The album will be Madonna's first CD since leaving Warner Bros. for a 360 deal with Live Nation, reports Billboard. Madonna - Give Me All Your Love - Full New Single 2011 Vidéo MrMusic sélectionnée dans Musique Related Topics Madonna

The Oscars Won't Fire Brett Ratner After Gay Slur

This is the week you Muggles have been waiting for: Friday marks the DVD and Blu-ray debut of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,' the final chapter in the most successful film franchise of all time. There's lots of evil in this installment of the Potter saga, almost as much as the evil present in David Lynch's 'Blue Velvet,' which makes its Blu-ray debut this week; the high-def edition includes 50 minutes of unseen footage. And evil (though unintentional) abounds in the frames of 'The Change-Up,' a very nasty body-switch comedy that gives the genre a bad name. Read on. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2' What It's About: After 10 wonderful years, (and seven movies), the cinematic saga of Harry Potter comes to a close with a stupendous, visceral, special-effects laden extravaganza. If you'll recall from 'Part 1,' the evil forces of Lord Voldemort have basically taken over Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic in preparation for enslaving their opponents and purifying the world. Harry, Ron and Hermione -- after what seemed like 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness in search of the "horcruxes" that give Voldemort his immortality -- amass enough wizardry strength to face off against the Dark Lord's minions while Harry himself takes on the evil one in a battle that would make Raoul Walsh or Sam Fuller proud. It's Kinda Like: 'The Big Red One' meets 'Excalibur' What We Say: This is a fitting end to the Harry Potter saga: a cinematic tour-de-force with strong acting and dazzling special effects. And in what must be the highest-grossing series in movie history -- and a series that has fattened the wallets of virtually half the British actors in the world -- the saga gave us the rare opportunity to watch a group of kids come of age (fictionally) on the big screen, witnessing their childhoods' end at the hands of duplicitous and evil adults (though for every bad adult there's also a positive role model). By the end of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,' Ron and Hermione have matured and acknowledge their love for each other while Harry flexes his muscles and kills off the evil father figure. Freud would be proud. • Extras: 'A Conversation With JK Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe,' 'The Goblins of Gringotts' featurette, 'The Women of Harry Potter' featurette, deleted scenes; the Blu-ray adds a 'Maximum Movie Mode' close up look at 'Blowing Up Hogwarts.' Rotten Tomatoes Reviews | Buy DVD | Save DVD to your Netflix queue Watch an exclusive clip: 'The Change-Up' What It's About: Dave and Mitch are best friends who have drifted apart from each other, going their separate ways: Dave (Jason Bateman) has a lovely wife, three kids and a high-paying job in a prestigious law firm; Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) is a man-child with no responsibilities and a stress-free life with no obligations. Ahh, but the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, and after a drunken night together, the pair urinate in the pool of a magical statue and wake up the next morning in each other's bodies. The rest of the movie has the pair struggling to avoid destroying each other's lives before they can find a way to get their old ones back. It's Kinda Like: 'The Hangover' meets 'Freaky Friday' What We Say: Hollywood (and audiences) love body swap comedies, whether they concern spirits coming back in human bodies (1941's 'Here Comes Mr. Jordan,' remade as 'Heaven Can Wait' in 1978 by Warren Beatty), women inhabiting men's bodies ('All of Me,' 1984), men inhabiting women's bodies ('Prelude to a Kiss,' 1992), women and men swapping bodies ('Turnabout,' 1940) or mothers and daughters and sons and fathers swapping bodies ('Freaky Friday, 2003 and 'Like Father, Like Son,' 1987). And while most of those films are enjoyable, we can't say the same for 'The Change-Up.' The film puts its emphasis on four-letter words, gross-out bodily functions, sex acts, double entendres and violence -- all in a particularly nasty way -- in attitude, in its stance toward women, in its foul-mouthed potty humor. It is cliched and lacks heart. In a word, it's despicable. It's a shame to see four good actors (Bateman, Reynolds, Olivia Wilde and Leslie Mann) wasting their time on such junk. • Extras: Commentary by director David Dobkin, deleted scenes, gag reel, behind-the-scenes featurettes. Rotten Tomatoes Reviews | Buy DVD | Save DVD to your Netflix queue Blu-ray Debut: 'Blue Velvet': (1986) The Blu-ray debut of David Lynch's visionary story of sex, death, greed and resurrection arrived too late for review. Lynch paints a perverted universe in which clean-cut Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) realizes his Mayberry-like home town is not so normal when he discovers a human ear in a field, leading him into an erotic murder mystery that involves a disturbed nightclub singer (Isabella Rossellini) and a drug-addicted sadist (Dennis Hopper). The film is ravishing on the big screen, so we hope Fox has done justice to the film in its high-def incarnation. This edition includes 50 minutes of never-before seen footage, 'Mysteries of Love' documentary, vignettes and "A Few Outtakes." Watch an exlusive Blu-ray clip: Other New November 8 Releases: 'Alleged': (2010) A romantic story about a young reporter and his fiancee -- and moral responsibility and journalistic opportunity -- set against the whirlwind of fundamentalism and sensationalism that was the 1925 Scopes "Monkey Trial" that pitted William Jennings Bryan against Clarence Darrow. Stars Nathan West, Ashley Johnson, Brian Denny, Fred Dalton Thompson, Colm Meaney. 'Atlas Shrugged: Part 1': (2011) The big-screen adaptation of Ayn Rand's philosophic magnum opus touting "the morality of rational self-interest" takes place in a dystopian future in the U.S. when the country is on the verge of economic collapse and a pair of lone entrepreneurs -- the owner of the nation's last railroad system and an industrialist whose super-strength metal alloy holds the promise of the future -- team to prevent the motor of the world from stopping. 'A Better Tomorrow': (2010 -- South Korea) stars Jin-mo Ju and Seung-heon Song in a remake of John Woo's 1986 cult classic, here about double-dealing and warfare among rival Thai and Korean mob syndicates. 'Boy Wonder': (2011) An urban psychological-thriller about a young boy who witnesses the brutal murder of his mother during a Brooklyn car-jacking and who grows up to be a loner, obsessed with finding his mother's killer -- as a straight-A student by day and a self-appointed hero at night. 'In My Sleep': (2009) A man with a rare sleep disorder, parasomnia, wakes up with blood on his hands and fears he may be a sleepwalking killer. Stars Philip Winchester, Lacey Chabert, Abigail Spencer, Kelly Overton, Michael Badalucco, Beth Grant, Tony Hale. 'The Perfect Age of Rock 'n' Roll': (2009) A rock star retreats to his hometown after his sophomore album flops and reunites with his estranged partner; the pair head out on the road in the hopes of salvaging their long lost dream. Stars Kevin Zegers, Jason Ritter, Taryn Manning, Lukas Haas, Peter Fonda, Lauren Holly, Kelly Lynch, Aimee Teegarden. 'The River Why': (2010) A young man leaves the city to find himself through his love of fishing, encountering a group of eccentrics who change his life. Stars Zach Gilford, Amber Heard, William Hurt, Dallas Roberts, Kathleen Quinlan, William Devane. '13': (2011) Remake of the award-winning 2005 international sensation "13 Tzameti," about a man who assumes a dead man's identity and finds himself embroiled in an underground world of power, violence, and chance where men gamble behind closed doors on the lives of other men in an underworld Russian roulette competition. Stars Jason Statham, Alexander Skarsgard, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Mickey Rourke, Michael Shannon, 50 Cent, Ray Winstone, Gaby Hoffmann, Ben Gazzara. Check out more November 8 DVD releases at OnVideo.

Funny Girl Wont Bow On Broadway This Year Due To Budget Shortfall

Theatergoers who have been looking forward to seeing Lauren Ambrose and Bobby Cannavale star inside a stage revival of Funny Girl won’t be cheered with this news. The show continues to be scrapped with this season. It absolutely was scheduled to spread out in April 2012 after first playing the middle Theater Group/Ahmanson Theatre in La. They simply couldn’t obtain the money together and will need to repeat the process next season. I’m told the cast will remain in place.We now have made the very difficult decision right now to postpone our manufacture of Funny Girl,” Bob Boyett stated. “Given the present economic system, many Broadway creating traders have discovered it impossible to keep their standard degree of financial commitment. Our need to produce Funny Girl around the scale it warrants needed a capital of $12 million which makes it probably the most costly revivals in Broadway history. I'm deeply saddened with this decision, however i, together with the best number of co-producers I've ever had the pleasure to utilize — Sonia Friedman, Jean Doumanian, Stacey Mindich and Tim Levy — determined this wasn't the best time for you to bringFunny Girl to the level.