Variety.com

American agents' global talent hunt

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 16:18:40 EST

Eye on the Oscars: Foreign Language: Percenters move early on signing foreign contenders -- Scandinavia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, you name it -- Hollywood doesn't discriminate in its search for new talent.

Ventana Sur makes good impression

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 16:12:06 EST

Weekly Film: Buenos Aires mart has Cannes connection -- Never have so many high-caliber film players gathered in Latin America as for the first edition of Ventana Sur, the Nov. 27-30 film mart that marked a kind of coming of age for region's film biz.

A journey though 6 decades of foreign film

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 16:08:47 EST

Eye on the Oscars: Foreign Language: One critic tackles o'seas Oscar winners -- Variety Features Editor Peter DeBruge catches up with Oscar foreign-language recipients.

Albania pairs up for film biz

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 16:02:43 EST

Weekly Film: Tiny nation leans on co-prod'ns to boost profile -- Filmmakers in a country where cinema all but collapsed in the last 20 years, Albania, have a secret weapon: Eurimages.

Sky Deutcshland topper may exit

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:50:50 EST

Weekly TV: Murdoch pay TV fails to meet subscriber goals -- Speculation continues to surround Sky Deutschland and the future of topper Mark Williams as News Corp.'s money-losing German satcaster struggles to woo subscribers.

Broadway baton trending down

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:43:30 EST

Legit B.O.: Robust orchestras a thing of the (recent) past -- Broadway saw bustling traffic over Thanksgiving, with close to 253,000 patrons crammed into 34 playhouses. But the most crowded seating was in the orchestra pits of the St. James, the Palace, the Neil Simon and the Vivian Beaumont.

Music biz strikes a chord with TV placement

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:39:01 EST

Music News: From ‘Glee’ to the Black Eyed Peas, the tube grooves with licensing -- Mamie Coleman is looking into the eye of an MP3 hurricane.

Oscar race a big deal for small countries

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:36:54 EST

Eye on the Oscars: Foreign Language: Academy Award recognition is a high-stakes games -- For smaller countries in the Oscar race, recognition on the international stage makes it worthwile.

Liam Clancy dies at 74

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:36:30 EST

Music News: Clancy Brothers singer was last surviving member of group -- Liam Clancy, last surviving member of the rousing Irish folk group the Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem, died in Cork, Ireland, on Friday. He was 74.

Foreign fare eyes bigger picture

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:33:28 EST

Eye on the Oscars: Foreign Language: Expanded category could include o'seas titles -- In its 52-year history, the foreign-lingo category has often been one of the Oscars' most contentious, riddled with rule changes and mini-controversies.

Good riddance to the Lost Decade

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:29:42 EST

Peter Bart: Greed, self-interest and neglect defined 10 years -- I find myself looking forward to New Year's Eve this year, though it's almost a month away.

Eastwood collection spans 35 years

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:11:23 EST

Technology News: Warner Bros. DVD set explores star's history -- A new DVD collection covering Clint Eastwood's 35-year relationship with Warner Bros. will provide a visual representation of what that may have looked like in modern times.

NBC U deal makes Comcast CEO a player

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 15:00:07 EST

Weekly First Look: Brian Roberts joins elite group of media honchos -- Redstone, Rupert … Roberts. Brian Roberts, 50, one of the savviest media dealmakers of the last two decades, has officially become Hollywood royalty.

Animation scribes see few residuals

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 14:52:52 EST

Animation: Union representation is murky, upfront payday is the norm -- Another year has gone by with writers not seeing a penny of residuals from animated feature films, even some blockbuster toons.

Networks holding steady

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 14:38:10 EST

TV Ratings: Sports, new hits could spur rare growth -- Ten weeks into the new season, the networks are holding their own -- and with some help from sports, could be headed for their first year-over-gains in some time.

TV musicals sing to young women

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 14:35:35 EST

Weekly: Raised on Disney, today's girls are drawn to tuners -- When ABC introduced "COP ROCK" IN 1990, ONE network executive traced the musical police drama's failure to myopia in Manhattan and Hollywood. While privileged big-city execs might go see musicals, he noted, most of the great unwashed masses watching television don't.

Keeping 'Glee' in tune

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 14:02:58 EST

TV News: Music supervisor Bloom plays key role for hit series -- Music supervisor PJ Bloom had worked with writer-director-producer Ryan Murphy on the series "Popular" and "Nip/Tuck" and the film "Running With Scissors." But Bloom was bemused when Murphy told him about his new project.

Drabinsky plans stage comeback

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:57:28 EST

Legit News: Convicted producer plots new projects -- Despite being convicted of fraud and forgery in a Canadian court this summer and sentenced to seven years in prison, legit producer Garth Drabinsky is attempting a theatrical comeback with a trio of shows planned for Toronto and the West End.

One Club to hold awards ceremony Feb. 17

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:55:43 EST

Technology News: Advertising, design event to be held at the Egyptian -- The One Club has set its awards ceremony for Feb. 17 at the Egyptian Theatre to honor excellence in advertising and design.

Film Independent elects new officers

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:55:04 EST

Film Independent's Spirit Awards: Condon, Garcia, Poul and Allain to serve on board -- Film Independent, which produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, has elected new officers Bill Condon, Rodrigo Garcia, Alan Poul and Stephanie Allain.

Armored

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 13:29:23 EST

Film Reviews: A so-so heist-gone-awry thriller, "Armored" doesn't exactly take its audience captive.

Nine

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 08:18:18 EST

Film Reviews: Sophisticated, sexy and stylishly decked out.

The Strip

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 21:36:45 EST

Film Reviews: A semi-serious comedy about employees at a third-rate strip-mall electronics store.

Have You Seen Us?

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 21:30:45 EST

Legit Reviews: A blessing of a play receiving its world premiere at New Haven's Long Wharf Theater.

Banana Shpeel

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 20:41:24 EST

Legit Reviews: Cirque takes a real slip with this frantic, vaudeville-inspired show.

Michael Feinstein and David Hyde Pierce

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 19:39:00 EST

Legit Reviews: Michael Feinstein and David Hyde Pierce make an especially jolly pair.

Breaking Point

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 19:36:41 EST

Film Reviews: Overplotted and underwhelming, virtually nothing rings true or holds attention.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 18:00:00 EST

Legit Reviews: It was brave of Rebecca Gilman to return to the original source material for this stunning stage treatment.

Paa

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 17:21:46 EST

Film Reviews: An extended showcase for the Big B's ability to push the envelope of his career even at the age of 67.

Sweet Charity

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 15:57:13 EST

Legit Reviews: Matthew White's revival of "Sweet Charity" is a thrillingly complete piece of work.

Alice

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 13:21:55 EST

TV Reviews: Derived from "Alice in Wonderland," this lavish two-parter has uneven results.