Academy Mails Oscar Nomination Ballots

The Oscar nominating ballots are in the mail.On Tuesday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mailed nomination ballots for the 84 th Academy Awards to its 5,783 voting members.Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. PT on Jan. 13.The nominations will be announced Jan. 24, and the Oscars themselves will be broadcast live by ABC from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on Feb. 26. The Hollywood Reporter

Jessica Biel Finds Truth About Fishes

Joining Kaya ScodelarioSwitching up the big studio projects with the smaller indie fare has always seemed to be Jessica Biel's modus operandi. Fitting then, that Biel will be joining Kaya Scodelario in Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes, following her sci-fi ass-kicking in Len Wiseman'sTotal Recall.As reported last week, Scodelario replaced Rooney Mara in the drama that marks Francesca Gregorini's second directorial effort (following Tanner Hall). Early reports revealed that it's about a young girl who's obsessed with her neighbour because she bears an uncanny resemblance to her dead mother, and agrees to babysit said neighbour's child, which turns out to be a lifelike doll.We're now hearing that the neighbour's name is Linda, and that the doll is a surrogate, since Linda is dealing with the emotional after-effects of the death of her daughter. So it's not quite the bonkers Lars And The Real Girl-alike that it initially appeared. Since Emanuel has lost a mother and Linda has lost a daughter, we're starting to infer the film's emotional end-point. Early days yet though, so there's no real telling what might be in store.Linda is the role that Biel's in line for, and while she hasn't officially quite signed yet, she's apparently in "final talks". The screenplay is Gregorini's own, and shooting presumably starts sometime early next year.

Longtime teams keep work fresh

Thelma Schoonmaker gave Sacha Baron Cohen's dialogue air in 'Hugo.'The 'J. Edgar' editors shared the fight sceneLongtime editor-director teams tend to develop a working shorthand together over the years, which carries from one project to the next across their bodies of work.Yet after a decade or more of collaboration, how do editors keep their work fresh, while infusing films with a director's signature style?Often, the helmer's approach to projects is key. The editors of "J. Edgar" say Clint Eastwood's decisive approach to filmmaking makes every project feel fresh -- even after 36 years as a team. Joel Cox says Eastwood's belief in both trusting one's gut and letting the film find itself allows for creative freedom and brings energy in every project."There's something about your first instinct when you see something that you hold as a memory," Cox says. "When you start to play around with it you can't do the films like we're doing, the emotional films, you can't edit them that way, because emotion is moments."Films -- they're like a special wine," he adds. "If you allow them to breathe and open up, sometimes you find magic that is not on the page but ends up on the screen."That philosophy inspired Cox and co-editor Gary Roach to split a cut between them for the first time on "J. Edgar," in a crucial segment in which Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his second-in-command, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer), have a fistfight that's taut with romantic tension. The scene, with its slow build and ultimate explosiveness, was the film's most challenging for the editors. Dividing it helped them manage the sequence, as well as achieve Eastwood's signature emotional style.In Alexander Payne's "The Descendants," which examines a family's dynamics after the wife/mother suffers a mortal injury, editor Kevin Tent was driven by the dynamic that's evolved through 16 years of working with the director, as well as fresh hurdles in the material."We are both hard on each other and hard on the film to make sure it keeps getting better."In their latest collaboration, he says, "The challenge was trying to keep it light with comedic moments, but to not cheapen the heartfelt sorrow.""We also didn't want to make it such a heavy drama that people were going to slit their wrists afterward."The twin importance of the director's approach and a history of collaboration is also key to a fresh take for Thelma Schoonmaker, who has been cutting for Martin Scorsese for more than 30 years. "(Scorsese) is always pushing himself, he wants to experiment, and that means I get to do that too," Schoonmaker says. "Hugo," a period piece about a young boy who helps rediscover forgotten movie pioneer Georges Melies, is their latest collaboration, and their first in 3D. "Every cut is a new problem to solve, or something to enjoy," she says.One of Schoonmaker's biggest challenges in "Hugo" was incorporating Sacha Baron Cohen's improvisational style with the rest of the performances.In one particularly tricky scene, Cohen's socially inept Station Inspector approaches Emily Mortimer's soft-spoken flower-seller to make a romantic overture. Schoonmaker left extra pauses in Cohen's dialogue to balance their performances and enhance the comedy -- a trick she learned on Scorsese's 1990 gangster film, "Goodfellas."Eye on the Oscars: Vfx, Sound & Editing Thesps up f/x respect | Longtime teams keep work fresh | Randy's Rules for top sound | Sound editing: Always make dramatic sense | Sound Mixing: Making it all feel real | Digital tools add quality, cut costs Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

The Sitter: Film Review

This story appears in the Dec. 16 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Earvin "Magic"Johnson, now 52, won five NBA titles when he played for the 1980s "Showtime" Lakers; his Magic Johnson Enterprises, which once included a theater chain, was estimated by Forbes in 2009 to be worth $500 million; and as of Dec. 2, he was part of a bid to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers. But he threw up a brick when he entered the late-night talk show business with 1998's The Magic Hour, two years after ending his 13-year playing career. The Hollywood Reporter review said the syndicated Twentieth Television show was "absent the spark of spontaneity and sharp conversation." While Magic Hour started strong and even briefly topped CBS' Late Show With David Letterman in the NY ratings, success was fleeting. Critics said Johnson seemed stiff on-air, was prone to mumbling and had poor interviewing skills. His sidekick, comic Craig Shoemaker, was fired for calling the show "an absolute nightmare." But Magic Hour did have one high point when its most high-profile critic, Howard Stern, was invited as a guest. The shock jock began by asking, "Where's the white guy, the comedian?" (Johnson's response: "We weren't clicking"), then gave the novice host interviewing advice ("Loosen up and talk Ebonics all you want. Why does everyone have to understand every word you say?") and asked detailed questions about Johnson's sex life before becoming HIV-positive in 1991. Although the Stern appearance doubled the show's ratings, it was off the air after three months. Johnson then focused on deals with Burger King, PepsiCo, Ron Burkle and others that financially freed him from ever having to host a talk show again. Related Topics Howard Stern Earvin Magic Johnson

Odom trade may alter 'Khloe & Lamar' production

'Khloe and Lamar'If the Los Angeles Lakers' proposed trade of Lamar Odom to the New Orleans Hornets becomes official, the move may affect production on E!'s reality series "Khloe & Lamar." The "Keeping Up With the Kardashian" spinoff is currently in production on the second season, shooting in Los Angeles. With the NBA season delayed until a start date of Dec. 25 due to the lockout, Odom would have to move to the Big Easy imminently. E! has not yet made a decision on whether it will follow Odom, and presumably wife Khloe Kardashian, permanently to New Orleans. Eight-episode first season ran in April and May earlier this year. Finale drew 2.5 million viewers. Show is exec produced by Ryan Seacrest, Eliot Goldberg, Jeff Jenkins and Jonathan Murray. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Adele Is iTunes' Top Seller in 2011, Foo Fighters' 'Wasting Light' Named Album of the Year by Apple Staff

MythBusters Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman visited the Northern California neighborhood that was damaged by their cannonball experiment gone wrong earlier this week.our editor recommendsOops, 'MythBusters' Launches Cannonball Through Family's Home'MythBusters' Host Jamie Hyneman Logs 30,000 Followers on First Day of Twitter Account The duo met with families in Dublin, Calif. on Wednesday, and offered to play for property damage and hotel charges incurred by the families affected. PHOTOS: Lights, Camera, Accident! 20 Hollywood Stunts Gone Wrong Savage told the Los Angeles Times, "We feel really lucky and fortunate that, after a nearly perfect safety record over eight years, that this mishap didn't lead to anybody being injured. "We're gathering all the information we can. ... Our main concern is making sure this never happens again." PHOTOS: 10 Broadcast and Cable TV Show Most Watched By Men Savage also wrote in a series of tweets, "It's true, a cannonball got away from a Mythbusters experiment in Dublin, CA. Nobody hurt thank goodness. Jamie and I toured the damage." "Now it's back to SF, to meet and discuss how to keep this from ever happening again. Very intense. We're SUPER relieved no one was hurt." The show's star also assured fans on Thursday that the program would not be cancelled because of the accident, "Tweeps: thanks SO much for all the kind support. FYI, Mythbusters has NOT be suspended/cancelled. We're still in production. Happy holidays." Co-star Hyneman said the accident would not happen again, "Loose cannon: glad no one was hurt. Won't happen again." Discovery Channel and Beyond Productions described the incident as such: "On Tuesday, December 6, 2011, MythBusters was filming on a closed set at the Alameda County Sheriff's Department bomb range in Alameda County, California. During the testing, a cannonball took an unforeseen bounce from a safety berm. No injuries were reported, but damage was reported in one Dublin home and one parked car. "Sgt. JD Nelson, Public Information Officer and bomb technician for the Alameda County Sheriff's office, who is a regular safety explosives expert for MythBusters, was on site and all proper safety protocol was observed. Beyond Productions is currently assessing the situation and working with those whose property was affected." PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Lights, Camera, Accident! 20 Hollywood Stunts Gone Wrong Related Topics Jamie Hyneman MythBusters Adam Savage

Carrie Fisher, Carson Kressley to Star in Modern-Day 'Christmas Carol' for Hallmark Channel (Exclusive)

NY - CBS Corp. is seeing continued advertising momentum, expects digital distribution deals to provide a continuing revenue stream and wants a healthy Netflix, which has paid up for library content deals with the company, president and CEO Leslie Moonves said here Tuesday in kicking off the second day of the 39th annual UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on a typically bullish note.our editor recommendsCBS' Leslie Moonves on Charlie Sheen Debacle: 'S--- Happens'CBS News Retires 'Early Show' Title He also said his company wants to remain in business with the NFL, even though he didn't confirm that a new long-term NFL TV deal was close to being signed. Asked about the advertising market late in the year, Moonves said scatter ad market sales remain up in the mid-teens percentage range at CBS, even though competitors with weaker ratings are not doing as well. With the year-end approaching, "demand is picking up again," he said, and trends in the first quarter are looking "promising" with few cancellations. Summarized Moonves: "We're feeling good about advertising" - both nationally and locally. Moonves on Tuesday also once again lauded the "extremely solid" programming schedule at CBS and suggested that the broadcast business is" taking share away from cable," he said. Asked about concerns that broadcast TV may face some fallout from the availability of more content in new forms, Moonves said there was no sign that cable, the Internet or anything else has hurt ratings or financials. Asked about Netflix and its recent subscriber issues, Moonves said: "We want a healthy Netflix...We're rooting for them. We hope they continue to remain strong" and gain subs. The company has become "much more of a friend than a foe," he said. And Moonves said international growth by Netflix makes CBS "very excited" about potential upside in the likes of the U.K. and Canada. Asked about recent online content deals more broadly, which some analysts have predicted will slow down, Moonves said "the future looks extremely bright for this revenue stream to continue forever." And overall deals this year have turned out better than expected. He reiterated that hundreds of millions of dollars in deals for library content are flowing to CBS Corp. "Exclusivity we have avoided," because it is a "dirty word," he quipped. After all, the company wants to be open to whoever else gets into the digital distribution space, including Apple and Google. Other companies are "kicking the tires" for additional digital distribution deals, he said. "You have not heard the last of these deals." Moonves also reiterated on Tuesday that "primary engines" for his company are the CBS network and Showtime, which he called the "family jewels." With retransmission fees rising and syndication strong, "why would you mess with that," Moonves said. Speaking of Showtime, Moonves told the UBS conference that Homeland is "the best show on television." He added: "It's a great hit." He later told The Hollywood Reporter that he is, of course, proud of all the hit shows on his networks. Moonves told the UBS conference that Showtime continues to look for more original content, including upcoming Don Cheadle comedy House of Lies, which he accidentally called House of Cards, the name of Netflix's first push into original programming, before correcting himself right away. The CBS boss also got a question about the future of football content on the network. The NFL is reportedly close to signing an eight-year extension of TV rights deals to 2021 with broadcast partners CBS, Fox and NBC that would earn it about $3.2 billion a year, a 60 percent increase over the current contract. "I assume we'll continue to be in business with the NFL," Moonves told the UBS conference. It is "an unbelievable property" as even a bad football game outrates most programming, he said, adding that CBS is making a lot of money from the CBS. While retransmission consent fees will continue to rise from current levels, sports deals will take up "some of that money," Moonves said, but described this as "nothing to worry about." Nomura analyst Michael Nathanson said early Tuesday that 2014 could mean some headwinds from a new NFL deal for CBS. The cost for the NFL should go up since it has done "extremely well," but Moonves emphasized that the league "likes their partners to be strong" and make money. "We hope it continues for many years." Asked about his broader plans for sports coverage, Moonves said: "We really love the mix of sports programming we have...I'm not looking to expand...We're as solid as we have ever been." He pointed to the company's NFL, SEC, NCAA and golf events coverage. Moonves said CBS has no major revenue from reverse retrans deals with TV station groups yet, with 2013 starting to see financials from that revenue stream becoming more significant. His firm looks at each station group separately though, and there isn't a finite solution, he emphasized. Some struggle, so "we're not going to go after them as much," Moonves said, describing overall network-stations relationships at CBS as good. Asked about the use of cash at CBS Corp., Moonves said it could well raise its dividend next year. And while it plans no major acquisitions right now, the company will keep its eyes open for possible deals if they make financial and strategic sense, he said. Moonves started the second day of the UBS conference. Monday night, UBS had organized a cocktail reception at a bar near the conference location, the Grand Hyatt hotel in midtown Manhattan. Among those schmoozing at the reception were Aryeh Bourkoff, vice chairman, head of investment banking, Americas at UBS, Madonna manager Guy Oseary, ICM's Patti Kim, Showtime boss Matt Blank, TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, Dish Network board member Carl Vogel, Time Warner CFO John Martin, Anschutz executive Daniel Benel, Electronic Arts CFO Eric Brown, Katherine Keating, the daughter of the former prime minister of Australia, and former Sundance Channel CEO Larry Aidem. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Leslie Moonves CBS CBS Corporation

Work of Art's Michelle on What Went Wrong, the Kymia Controversy and Why Poop Is a Good Thing

Michelle, Work Of Art Jerry Saltz picked Work of Art contestant Michelle Matson to win the whole thing - her first two pieces "The Eternal Woodsman" and "Dirty Playground" made her a frontrunner early on. But when she was faced with having to create something out of the pieces of a Fiat 500, Matson's anthropomorphic vision of a happy/sad car got her nothing but the boot. While traveling abroad, the 29-year-old Brooklyn artist who specializes in unusual paper-based creations, told TVGuide.com via e-mail about what went wrong, the Kymia controversy and her obsession with poop. Jerry is pretty much devastated to have sent you home. Does that make you feel any better? He writes that behind the scenes, he really tried to save the entire bottom three. Michelle Matson: It makes me feel amazing to have such a well-regarded critic in my corner -- even if I did end up getting sent home. However, I would have loved it if we were all allowed a pardon! Mental hiccup!! Work of Art's The Sucklord on how the kids challenge ruined him Were you surprised to have been cut? What did you think of the criticism of your piece? Why do you think Lola and Kymia were spared? Matson: I was surprised, but not shocked. I felt that the three of us made pretty poor pieces and in my opinion the criticism was fair. Someone had to be sent home. Given a second chance, would you have stuck with your original human body made of car parts idea? Or the steamy, sinful car windows? (In his recap, Jerry writes that your first idea would have been your "best piece" yet.) Matson: In retrospect, I wish I had stuck with my original idea. It was the piece I was most excited by and I think it would have turned out very well. Why do you think you second-guessed yourself this week? Even when Simon didn't seem sold by your Diet Coke can in Pop Art Week, you stuck with it. Matson: Well, it's not as simple as all that. During the Pop Challenge I made a second piece which Simon and I discussed in depth. Simon is a very intelligent man and a convincing mentor. I respect his opinion, and wish I had made better choices for this challenge. Work of Art's Bayete: I couldn't pull it together at all Why did you and Lola ignore Kymia when she was asking to use the computers during Street Art Week? Why is everyone annoyed by her? Did you also stick stickers on her street art or was that just Lola? Matson: When a bunch of artists are working in close proximity to one another it generates a lot of noise and distraction -- you learn to tune stuff out in order to concentrate. It's like reading on the subway. I think Kymia was feeling the stress of the challenge and overreacted to a perceived slight. Lola and I directed the crowd to stick the stickers everywhere. There were stickers all over DUMBO. It was great -- the crowd was like a swarm of bees. I revisited the site recently and there are still little tiger cigarettes here and there, stuck under guardrails and on stop signs. Which piece that you made on the show are you most proud of and why? Matson: Probably the kids challenge, I was really loving the grassy landscape and vines growing all over that piece. It has really inspired my latest body of work -- it's a totally new direction for me. Nature! Why poop? It was a subject you also wanted to return to during movement week. Matson: I love how the body works, it's this amazing perfect/imperfect thing. Birth, death, growth, digestion, cell regeneration, bodily failure, reproduction... it's all fascinating to me. Poop is one of those things that is equal parts necessary, gross and kinda enjoyable. Everyone feels better after a good poop. What's next for you? Matson: I'm exhibiting some brand new pieces next month at this amazing artist-run project space: Youth Group Gallery in Brooklyn, NY. The opening is January 27th.

Celebrate Britney Spears' 30th Birthday With a Look Back at Crossroads

News flash, people: Britney Spears is 30 years old today. Oh, how the years (and ruined relationships and children and countless bags of Cheetos) have flown by! In honor of the pop princess’s milestone birthday, let’s flash back to the year 2002, a time when Brit-Brit was not a girl, and not yet a woman. When she debuted her first starring turn, the start of a promising career as a serious dramatic actress! When Zoe Saldana was just that girl from Center Stage! Let us return to Crossroads. I’ve always had a soft spot for Crossroads — moreso than I do for Britney herself — and that has everything to do with timing. The spring of 2002 was the height of youth pop culture fandom for anyone who grew up watching Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera on The New Mickey Mouse Club: Britney was the golden girl of post-MMC stardom, had already topped the charts and earned a Grammy nod, and she was dating Justin Timberlake OF ‘NSYNC FAME. But just as she’d morphed from bubblegum tunes and schoolgirl uniforms of “Baby One More Time” to the coy, latex-ed Euro-pop of “Oops… I Did It Again,” Spears was ready for another transformation. Enter Crossroads, which combined with the python-accessorized “I’m a Slave 4 U,” announced that Britney was all grown up, kinda. Directed by Tamra Davis and penned by a pre-Grey’s Anatomy Shonda Rhimes, Crossroads followed three high school graduates (Spears, Saldana, and Taryn Manning) on a road trip to Los Angeles. Each young heroine had an objective of her own — travel, find an estranged mother, see a fiance — but only Britney got to sleep with Anson Mount and discover her inner rock star while singing “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” for tips at a roadside karaoke contest. Side note: Points for the pre-zeitgeist love for karaoke, but no karaoke joint I know collects tips for random amateurs warbling cover songs, bare midriff or no. And anyone who actually sings “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” at karaoke should be paying the audience, not the other way around. Double side note: I once sang “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” at a karaoke bar because Anson Mount was there. He left before my song came up. I did not receive tips. Anyways, I digress. For a widely-panned and fairly vanilla teen roadtrip vanity project, Crossroads was surprisingly charming. An instant guilty pleasure! It predated the wave of tween idol vehicles that followed, although fellow songstress Mandy Moore beat Britney to the punch by a month with the Nicholas Sparks weepie A Walk to Remember (“Aaaand I lift my hands and praaaay…”) , but that’s a BMWL candidate for another conversation. And again, it was timing. Crossroads fared decently, all things considered — $61 million at the box office on a $12 million budget, plus years of royalties in karaoke renditions of “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” (see above) — but it marked a turning point for Spears. Within months of the film’s debut, her split from Timberlake went public. The following year at the MTV Music Awards she shook tongues with Madonna. Then came her first marriage, her second marriage, the K-Fed years, the babies, rehab, and her comeback… all before the age of 30. So take a bow, Britney! You’ve lived (and then some). But I’ll always remember you as that plucky bucket hat-wearing, GAP sweatpants-clad goody two-shoes from Crossroads, and not as the pop idol whose name once became synonymous with her own ladyparts. Join me, readers! Name your favorite/most notorious Britney moment below.