Odd Holiday Traditions for David Letterman

NY (AP) Think holiday traditions and mistletoe, eggnog and caroling come to mind. David Letterman's Christmas includes target practice inside a giant meatball, the Lone Ranger and singer Darlene Love.They all have finish up a part of CBS "Late Show" lore with time, their looks anticipated by fans like wrapped presents within tree. The traditions return Friday.Comic Jay Thomas will probably be back to knock a meatball in the the surface of a Christmas tree getting a football and recount his Lone Ranger anecdote again. Love will sing "Christmas (Baby Please Go Back Home)" as fake snow flutters to the stage.InchThe best traditions are the types you can't plan," mentioned Make the most of Burnett, executive producer of "Late Show.""These happened very organically on our show that is very silly and extremely crazy. It appears sensible while using sensibility in the 'Late Show' to sign up our tradition."Letterman's on-set Christmas tree is frequently decorated with oddities, such as the meatball on top as opposed to a star, angel or bow.Everything started one evening in 1998 when NY Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde will be a guest. He and Letterman selected up footballs and began tossing them within the tree, striving for your meatball. Watching their failures impatiently within the wings was Thomas, former quarterback at small Central Piedmont College in Charlotte now now, N.C.Thomas had spoken about while using target practice with Letterman just before the show, but nobody told that to stage manager Biff Henderson. He blocked Thomas from venturing out onstage."I fake right and Biff visits catch me which i play him as being a scramble," mentioned Thomas, who acquired a football and set with laserlike precision within the meatball, achieving in one throw just what the Nfl quarterback couldn't in many.Testaverde remains forgotten, but Thomas is requested back each year to determine if they can repeat his task.Round the same time period Thomas isn't sure exactly when Letterman discovered an account Thomas spoke of his time just like a radio DJ inside the South because he together with a buddy needed use a ride to Clayton Moore, star of television's "Lone Ranger." We won't be spoilers Letterman has referred to as it the "best story I've heard.InchThe story, too, is repeated each year. Thomas mentioned he and Letterman haven't spoken about why it's a tradition. It really has."It is the craziest factor I have have you been a part of,In . he mentioned.Thomas practices before each appearance, taking a football into Central Park and striving inside a particular tree branch.couple of years ago Letterman pressed from the meatball along with his own throw before Thomas even showed up in this area onstage, departing the comic whose acting career has cooled to moan in fake distress: "That is all I've!InchA year ago Thomas needed a cortisone shot to produce the show after he'd hurt his shoulder throwing a basketball. "They're shooting me up as being a racehorse to produce $760 striking a friggin' meatball," he mentioned.He's have been told by many individuals who anticipate his annual appearance, plus a well-known Hollywood representative. The power player, who Thomas wouldn't title, confessed that he's bipolar and sometimes plays a recording in the holiday show when he's glum. Thomas is glad to cheer within the director. He'd appreciate it a lot more if he may have an audition for one of the man's movies.The Darlene Love tradition has much much deeper roots. Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer learned in the beginning because he tried to experience "Monster Mash" on Halloween that his boss isn't much into holiday music. But Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Go Back Home)," initially recorded for that landmark 1963 holiday album "A Christmas Gift to suit your needs,In . is "the somewhere his and my holiday tastes coincide," Shaffer mentioned. "He loves the song."Shaffer was undertaking with Love in Betty Greenwich's musical "Leader in the Pack" during the cold months several weeks 1984 and Letterman found uncover their location. Shaffer isn't sure which guy had the idea of inviting her round the show then public on NBC but everyone was pleased with the outcomes.The first time, Shaffer supported Love getting a quartet. Since the years ongoing artists were put in approximate original producer Phil Spector's "Wall of Appear," and upward of 20 artists and entertainers are actually onstage with Love.Each year's twist involves how red-colored-colored-suited saxophone player Bruce Kapler can search for his solo: Twelve several weeks he burst using a chimney. The widow of famous sax session player Steve Douglas, who carried out round the original "Christmas (Baby Please Go Back Home)" recording, offered Shaffer the horn applied to that session, and Kapler borrows it each year for Love's appearance.Letterman's staff features a real emotional link to the song, enhanced using the passing of your time, Burnett mentioned."Every year there's a minute inside the song, where she's striking it full blast as well as the confetti comes lower, virtually every employee probably the most difficult stagehand you will see just choking it back," he mentioned.Everything the football, the meatball, the anecdote as well as the song lead to an unusual mix. But Letterman is certainly a strange guy."If Dork didn't be thankful, it cannot be on tv,In . Burnett mentioned.Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By David Bauder December 23, 2011 PHOTO CREDIT CBS/John Paul NY (AP) Think holiday traditions and mistletoe, eggnog and caroling come to mind. David Letterman's Christmas includes target practice inside a giant meatball, the Lone Ranger and singer Darlene Love.They all have finish up a part of CBS "Late Show" lore with time, their looks anticipated by fans like wrapped presents within tree. The traditions return Friday.Comic Jay Thomas will probably be back to knock a meatball from the top a Christmas tree getting a football and recount his Lone Ranger anecdote again. Love will sing "Christmas (Baby Please Go Back Home)" as fake snow flutters to the stage.InchThe best traditions are the types you can't plan," mentioned Make the most of Burnett, executive producer of "Late Show.""These happened very organically on our show that is very silly and extremely crazy. It appears sensible while using sensibility in the 'Late Show' to sign up our tradition."Letterman's on-set Christmas tree is frequently decorated with oddities, such as the meatball on top as opposed to a star, angel or bow.Everything started one evening in 1998 when NY Jets quarterback Vinny Testaverde will be a guest. He and Letterman acquired footballs and began tossing them within the tree, striving for your meatball. Watching their failures impatiently within the wings was Thomas, former quarterback at small Central Piedmont College in Charlotte now now, N.C.Thomas had spoken about while using target practice with Letterman just before the show, but nobody told that to stage manager Biff Henderson. He blocked Thomas from venturing out onstage."I fake right and Biff visits catch me which i play him as being a scramble," mentioned Thomas, who acquired a football and set with laserlike precision within the meatball, achieving in one throw just what the Nfl quarterback couldn't in many.Testaverde remains forgotten, but Thomas is requested back each year to determine if they can repeat his task.Round the same time period Thomas isn't sure exactly when Letterman discovered an account Thomas spoke of his time just like a radio DJ inside the South because he together with a buddy needed use a ride to Clayton Moore, star of television's "Lone Ranger." We won't be spoilers Letterman has referred to as it the "best story I've heard.InchThe story, too, is repeated each year. Thomas mentioned he and Letterman haven't spoken about why it's a tradition. It really has."It is the craziest factor I have have you been a part of,In . he mentioned.Thomas practices before each appearance, taking a football into Central Park and striving inside a particular tree branch.couple of years ago Letterman pressed from the meatball along with his own throw before Thomas even showed up in this area onstage, departing the comic whose acting career has cooled to moan in fake distress: "That is all I have!InchThis past year Thomas needed a cortisone shot to produce the show after he'd hurt his shoulder throwing a basketball. "They're shooting me up as being a racehorse to produce $760 striking a friggin' meatball," he mentioned.He's have been told by many individuals who anticipate his annual appearance, plus a well-known Hollywood representative. The power player, who Thomas wouldn't title, confessed that he's bipolar and sometimes plays a recording in the holiday show when he's glum. Thomas is glad to cheer within the director. He'd appreciate it a lot more if he may have an audition for one of the man's movies.The Darlene Love tradition has much much deeper roots. Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer learned in the beginning because he tried to experience "Monster Mash" on Halloween that his boss isn't much into holiday music. But Love's "Christmas (Baby Please Go Back Home)," initially recorded for your landmark 1963 holiday album "A Christmas Gift to suit your needs,In . is "the somewhere his and my holiday tastes coincide," Shaffer mentioned. "He loves the song."Shaffer was undertaking with Love in Betty Greenwich's musical "Leader in the Pack" during the cold months several weeks 1984 and Letterman found uncover their location. Shaffer isn't sure which guy had the idea of inviting her around the program then public on NBC but everyone was pleased with the final results.The first time, Shaffer supported Love getting a quartet. As time ongoing artists were put in approximate original producer Phil Spector's "Wall of Appear," and upward of 20 artists and entertainers are actually onstage with Love.Each year's twist involves how red-colored-colored-suited saxophone player Bruce Kapler can search for his solo: Twelve several weeks he burst using a chimney. The widow of famous sax session player Steve Douglas, who carried out round the original "Christmas (Baby Please Go Back Home)" recording, offered Shaffer the horn applied to that session, and Kapler borrows it each year for Love's appearance.Letterman's staff features a real emotional link to the song, enhanced using the passing of your time, Burnett mentioned."Every year there's a minute inside the song, where she's striking it full blast as well as the confetti comes lower, virtually every worker probably the most difficult stagehand you will see just choking it back," he mentioned.Everything the football, the meatball, the anecdote as well as the song lead to an unusual mix. But Letterman is certainly a strange guy."If Dork didn't be thankful, it cannot be on tv,In . Burnett mentioned.Copyright 2011 Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

REVIEW: The Adventures of Tintin Putt-Putts Along with a Terrier in Tow

There are times when too much of a good thing and not enough meet halfway and settle into a comfortable middle ground. That’s the case with Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, which would be better if it had been made using more traditional animation techniques rather than that performance-capture nonsense and if 3-D weren’t one of its big selling points. But halfway is still something, and The Adventures of Tintin is winning in a rousing, let’s-hunt-down-a-treasure way, once you get past — if you can — the Polar Express-style creepiness of animated figures who gaze through human-looking eyes. The picture is adapted from the graphic novels of Herg, the pen name of Belgian writer and illustrator Georges Remi (the pronunciation is a playful reversal of his initials), which trace the adventures of a ginger-haired cub reporter and, perhaps just as importantly, the wriggly-butt high jinks of his fox terrier, Snowy. Part of the appeal of the books, the first of which appeared in 1929, are their lo-fi visual clarity: Herg rendered his images in clear yet soft colors bordered by fine but distinct black outlines, a comic-book drawing style that later came to be known as ligne claire. The drawing in Tintin comics is flat, but pleasingly so — there’s plenty of dimensionality in the attendant details Herg clearly took pleasure in adding (the drape of a cloth overcoat, the soft wrinkle of a sock) and in the sense of movement and excitement carried over from frame to frame. In a Tintin comic, Snowy’s tail is never still — you never literally see it move, but you just know. Visually, The Adventures of Tintin isn’t all that ligne claire: Instead, it’s dimensional and rounded and shaded — even more so than a movie designed to be watched only in 2-D would be. This is Spielberg’s first foray into 3-D, and he goes all out to prove he can do it. But so what? The things that make Tintin enjoyable have less to do with that kind of technical prowess than with Spielberg’s affection for the source material and his obsessive eye for detail. (He and Peter Jackson, co-producers of the film, are both lifelong Tintin fans.) I started out hating Tintin — I don’t care how technically smooth the performance-capture animation is; anything made using this hyperrealistic technique is just begging to be held at arm’s length. But once I got over that Rosemary’s Baby, “What have you done to his eyes?” feeling, and relaxed into what is essentially a cheerful (if a bit manic) feat of storytelling, Tintin became a lot more fun. The story here — adapted from an assortment of Herg tales by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish — kicks off when Tintin (voiced by Jamie Bell) purchases a model ship with an important secret tucked inside. He knows it’s important because nefarious villain Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine (Daniel Craig) wants it, too. In the process of unlocking that secret, Tintin and Snowy find themselves on a hijacked sea freighter, where they meet Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), a boozy old seadog who, incidentally, bears an uncanny resemblance to Walter Matthau. Together they set off an on adventure that takes them across the ocean (with its billowing, rolling waves) and the desert (where those liquid waves are exchanged for rippling hills of sand). Snowy tags along every step of the way, either helping out or acting up, and sometimes both. Tintin’s plot is constructed of minor scrapes and narrowly avoided disasters, and it scampers from land to sea to desert to city with an abandon that only seems reckless: Everything in The Adventures of Tintin is meticulous — this is a Steven Spielberg movie, after all. But it’s fun to take in all the movie’s details, especially if you have even a passing familiarity with the Tintin books: The way Tintin’s camel-colored coat has the kind of hand-stitching a European coat of the ’30s would have; the soft glow of a green-shaded desk lamp illuminating a book spread out on a table; the gentle “tik-tik” sound made by Snowy’s toenails as he trots along. And the wry humor of the books emerges intact: An obsessive wallet-stealer moans, “I’m not a bad person. I’m a kleptomaniac!” The squabbling twin inspectors Thomson and Thompson, with their scrubbing-brush mustaches and bowler hats, also make several appearances, their voices provided by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. In some ways The Adventures of Tintin is too perfectly perfect. Spielberg and his team have scrutinized the way Herg moved the action from panel to panel and replicated it with utmost precision. It’s great as far as it goes. But the movie fairly vibrates with that showing-off quality that Spielberg just can’t shake. Still, Tintin musters a great deal of likable energy — John Williams’ jaunty score, in particular, is just the sort of soundtrack you’d want to have following you around if you were a red-headed adventurer in tweed plus-fours, rooting around for secret treasure. But it’s Snowy who really won my heart: Delighted by the aroma of a sandwich or encountering a camel for the first time, he’s everything you’d want a cartoon terrier to be. His pursuits are passionate, but his demeanor is casual. He’s the one thing in The Adventures of Tintin that’s never trying too hard. Follow Stephanie Zacharek on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Keanu Reeves Is Really A Guy Of Tai Chi

Funding guaranteed for directorial debutWe've known for some time that Keanu Reeves was trying challenging a eco-friendly light from someone for his dream project. And he's now finally been successful, with Village Roadshow and Universal walking as much as finance and distribute Guy Of Tai Chi, together with China Film Group and Wanda Media.Reeves will direct the film, in addition to co-starring with Tiger Chen, who they know from his Matrix days. Chen was area of the extensive team that made certain that Keanu would "know kung fu". Plot particulars are scarce, but we are apparently searching in the tale of the youthful martial artist who needs to face some difficult choices. Reeves has stated he'd enjoy playing the villain, there is however no confirmation on that to date.What we should can say for certain is the fact that Reeves is planning Guy Of Tai Chi being an afectionate himage to classic kick-ass cinema. "There's 18 fights," he revealed in April. "We have timed it. It comes down to forty minutes of fighting. I wish to create a good, solid kung fu movie. Good story, good plot - but let us find some good kung fu going!" The film's occur Beijing, and can shoot in Mandarin and British.Village Roadshow's Glen Basser stated today that, "We're very happy to announce Guy Of Tai Chiunder the Village Roadshow Pictures Asia label and also to extend our lengthy-standing relationship with Keanu." (Village Roadshow were also behind the Matrix trilogy).Universal's David Kosse meanwhile, considered along with, "Guy Of Tai Chihas an incredible pedigree of filmmakers and we are thrilled to take part in Keanu's directorial debut."Keanu's cameras start turning in Feb. Meanwhile, he will receive his fighting techinques on in 47 Ronin late in 2012, that we are rather excited.

Financing Hollywood: A Better Way For Studios To Pay For Films

Joe Simon, the legendary comic artist who created Captain America with his partner Jack Kirby, died Thursday at age 98 according to a Facebook post from his son. Marvel Comics confirmed his death, according to the website Comic Book Resources.our editor recommends'Avengers' 101: Trailer School'Captain America' Surprisingly Loved by the World PHOTOS: 'The Avengers': Comics vs. Film Simon is best known for Captain America, which he created with Jack Kirby for Timely Comics (the predecessor of Marvel Comics) in March 1941, a few months before the Pearl Harbor attack and America's entry into World War II. The cover of Captain America #1 famously displayed the hero punching Adolf Hitler in the jaw. Captain America was an instant hit with the first issue selling nearly a million copies. During World War II, Captain America was the one hero who rivaled Superman in popularity with American forces abroad. Simon and Kirby soon jumped to National Comics, the forerunner of DC Comics, in a pay dispute. At National, the pair worked on Sandman, the Boy Commandoes, and the Newsboy Legion. They also wrote and illustrated Captain Marvel Adventures #1, the first comic devoted to the boy who says "Shazam" to become a hero, for Fawcett Comics. PHOTOS: 'The Avengers': New Photos From Marvel's Superhero Film After serving in the Coast Guard during World War II, Simon returned to comics, producing horror and romance comics with Kirby as interest in superheroes waned after the war. In 1960, Simon founded the MAD magazine competitor Sick, and in 1966 he became the editorial director of Harvey Comics, where he launched the company's superhero line and again worked with Kirby. The last time Kirby and Simon teamed up was for a six-issue run of Sandman in 1974. The partnership between Simon and Kirby was as close -- if not closer -- than one between Kirby and Stan Lee at Marvel Comics. In a July 2011 interview to celebrate the release of his memoir, Simon said, "Jack was one-of-a-kind -- I knew that even before Al Harvey introduced us. As soon as we started working together, he and I were determined that when we worked together on a story, you wouldn't be able to see where one of us left off and the other started. We worked so closely together that, after the war, we moved into the same town on Long Island. That way, all we had to do was cross the street to get to the other's studio. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths "It wasn't until the late 1950s, after Mainline, that we started working on separate projects, but even then, we collaborated on features like The Fly and Private Strong. When Jack moved to California, we talked a lot on the phone. First, I would talk business with Roz, then she would hand me over to Jack so we could reminisce. We were friends until he passed away, and I still miss him." Simon became a champion of creator rights, suing Marvel over the rights to Captain America and retaining the copyrights for many of his other characters. He was beloved by a later generation of comic book artists like Rob Liefeld who said, "Joe Simon in his late 80′s was savvier than most of us in our 40′s. Generous and enthusiastic until the end!" PHOTOS: Comic-Book Characters in Dispute Joe Simon was born Hymie Simon in Rochester, NY in 1913. During his early twenties, he worked as an editorial cartoonist for newspapers before settling in NY City in the late 1930s, where he met Kirby when both were trying to break into the comics industry. In addition to his work in comics, Simon worked in advertising, notably as art director for Burstein, Phillips, and Newman from 1964 to 1967. Still, Simon would always be best known for his early work on Captain America. UPDATE: DC has released statements from co-publsihers Dan DiDio and Jim Lee on Simon's passing. Didio: "Joe Simon was a true legend in the comic book industry. So much of what we are today is owed to him and his amazing creativity. In addition to one of the great writers of the Golden Age, he was also an editor at DC Comics. We appreciate all of his contributions to DC Comics and the industry as a whole, both on the page and behind the scenes." Lee: "We lost another of the Titans this week. A creative virtuoso, Joe Simon will be best known for co-creating Captain America with legendary artist Jack Kirby but his many contributions to DC Comics, both as a writer and an editor, are legion and will continue to be cherished by longtime fans, this one included. Our sympathies go out to his family, friends and many, many fans." PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Comic-Book Characters In Dispute Captain America

ABC cancels 'Extreme Transformation: Home Edition'

'Extreme Transformation: Home Edition'Longtime ABC series "Extreme Transformation: Home Edition" will finish its run within the month of the month of january, the network introduced Thursday."Transformation" will close out its nine-season operated with its 200th episode around the month of the month of january sixth and thirteenth. The network expects to revive the franchise becoming an periodic special.The unscripted series saw its year-over-year ratings decline precipitously when ABC moved it from Sunday to Friday beginning this season.InchTransformation" is produced by Endemol USA, of Endemol Holding, and executive-produced by Brady Connell and George Verschoor.

Leonardo DiCaprio to Produce 'Beat the Reaper' Adaptation for HBO

Four high-profile new releases slugged it out in stores last week, and the result was a split decision.our editor recommends'Harry Potter' Films Dominate Home Video Chart Thanks to 'Deathly Hallows Part 2' Release'Harry Potter' Remains Top-Selling DVD, Blu-ray for Third Straight Week The Help, from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, was the No. 1 overall disc seller for the week ending Dec. 11, topping the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert sales chart. PHOTOS: SAG Award Nominees Including 'The Help,' 'Moneyball' The Civil Rights drama, which grossed $169 million in U.S. theaters, narrowly beat Warner's The Hangover Part II, which grossed $254.5 million over the summer. The comedy sequel debuted at No. 2 on First Alert, but topped Nielsen's dedicated Blu-ray disc sales chart its first week in stores. The Hangover Part II generated 44% of its first-week sales from Blu-ray disc, compared with 24% for The Help, Nielsen data shows. A third theatrical blockbuster that was newly released on disc, Universal's Cowboys & Aliens ($100.2 million), bowed at No. 3 on First Alert and No. 2 on the Blu-ray Disc chart, one notch ahead of The Help. The film generated 55% of its first-week sales from Blu-ray disc. PHOTOS: Best and Worst Alien Movies Joining the new release fray was 20th Century Fox's Mr. Popper's Penguins, a modest theatrical success with a $68.2 million theatrical gross that debuted at No. 5 on First Alert and No. 6 on the Blu-ray disc chart. The Blu-ray disc sales tally: 19% of total unit sales. The previous week's top seller, Sony Pictures' The Smurfs, slipped to No. 4 on both sales charts. On Home Media Magazine's rental chart for the week, the top spot went to Sony Pictures' Friends with Benefits, which rose to the top after bowing at No. 4 the previous week. The Help debuted at No. 2; the three other new releases are from studios that delay issuing product to Netflix and Redbox by 28 days, so none of them charted. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery How 'The Help' Was Cast Related Topics The Hangover Part II The Help

Oscar Index: Your Guess is As Good As Mine

The exhaustion levels are high and the confusion levels are even higher at Movieline’s Institute For the Advanced Study of Kudos Forensics, where the white-coated minions responsible for the Oscar Index have struggled to assay the state of the awards race through this week’s persistent turbulence. Read on for their results. [Click the graphs for full-size images.] The Leading 10: 1. The Artist 2. The Descendants 3. Hugo 4. The Help 5. Midnight in Paris 6. War Horse 7. The Tree of Life 8. Moneyball 9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close 10. Drive Outsiders: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2; Bridesmaids; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn; My Week With Marilyn; Margin Call Remember the good old days when all the noise we had to parse was the faint, fuzzy signal coming from the National Board of Review and a handful of other awards bodies? Those days are over: Led by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, something like 400 critics groups selected their annual award-winners this week. The relatively incidental AFI 10-best list overlapped with those, and all were followed this morning by the Screen Actors Guild Award nominations — which, to be honest, felt like the equivalent of a bracket-busting day of upsets in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. On the one hand, I love that we’re facing an Oscar season of utterly unsure things. This is the awards culture we should have: more movies to see, more movies to discuss, and tough choices across the board. On the other hand, the only votes that matter are those cast by the Academy, and beyond a few irretrievably sunk also-rans (cough, J. Edgar, cough), what’s to say they aren’t just going to default to the historical groupthink that can prevent such wild variations like those in the SAG, BFCA and other critical showcases? Why shouldn’t we think that, say, War Horse has the competition right where it wants it? I can think of a few reasons, actually: · SAG and the Academy share members. And the actors’ branch is the largest in the Academy. Thus the natural inclination of studios, distributors and other awards campaigners to scan right past the individual categories to the Ensemble nominations — which is to say, in admittedly generalizing terms, the film as a whole. Finding The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Midnight in Paris and Bridesmaids (!) in that class doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything come Oscar-nomination morning, and it certainly doesn’t mean that War Horse or Moneyball are in grave danger with a flexible number of Best Picture nominations. But it does illustrate what an very influential voting bloc is thinking in mid-December, and it underscores what specific work campaigners have cut out for themselves in the month ahead. · Heat rises. The Ides of March and J. Edgar fell off the pace not for lack of trying; in fact, neither Sony nor Warner Bros., respectively, have yet abandoned their sweeping awards campaigns for each. They fell off because neither film has even scratched the zeitgeist compared to films like The Artist, The Help, Midnight in Paris and — I can’t believe I’m about to write this — Drive. I mean, we knew it had art-house appeal, but what we didn’t know was the quality and volubility of its devotees. And I’m not even counting the BFCA’s Critics Choice Awards, which bestowed eight nominations on Nicolas Winding Refn’s violent, moody thriller; Oscar oracle Mark Harris also foresaw a comeback last week after an informal reader poll cited Drive — “by a landslide” — as the movie most deserving of a profile boost. SAG can snub Albert Brooks all it wants (and we’ll get to that in a bit), but it only galvanizes the faithful. That said, RuPaul “really loved” The Descendants, so maybe everyone just kind of broke even. · The variations aren’t that wild. Among all the winners and nominees remain the same high-functioning heavy-hitters we’ve seen populating the Index and every other Oscar barometer known to man. The most that you could say is that for every awards group that warmly embraces Hugo, another ignores it entirely. · We (still) look forward to the Daldry. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close remains under such an airtight embargo that even Scott Rudin can’t talk about it. This one has Academy groupthink in its DNA — Stephen Daldry has notoriously earned three Best Director nominations in three tries, screenwriter Eric Roth has hardware for Forrest Gump and remains as A-list as it gets, Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock and Scott Rudin are… well, Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock and Scott Rudin — yet early word from critics and insiders sworn to secrecy is that it will be precisely as polarizing as it looks. Whatever. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re still on the sideline this late in the game, you’re either coaching or you’re a back-up. We’ll see which ELAIC is soon enough. · The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is circling the drain. Steve Pond rounds up the awards-allergic consensus on David Fincher’s adaptation of the Swedish blockbuster — hardly a dismissal of the very, very good film so much as our reality check about a filmmaker who’s otherwise a perennial awards-darling. Unless… · Thursday’s Golden Globe nominations will shake things up yet again. I cant believe I spent more than even five minutes breaking all this down just so a roving gang of swag goblins can upend the whole thing tomorrow. Moving on! The Leading 5: 1. Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist 2. Alexander Payne, The Descendants 3. Martin Scorsese, Hugo 4. Steven Spielberg, War Horse 5. Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris Outsiders: Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; David Fincher, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo; Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive; Tate Taylor, The Help; Bennett Miller, Moneyball; Tomas Alfredson, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy Did I mention the Golden Globes? Literally any of the directors cited above are fair game for nominations. But as things specifically pertain to the Oscar race… Enh, it’s pretty much the same. Scott Feinberg reminded us that despite zero membership overlap, the Best Picture nominations for both the Critics Choice and Academy Awards historically tend to coincide — which, as Academy history would have us believe, means that the top eight or nine directors here (give or take Fincher) are pretty much the ones we’ll see fighting for nominations of their own over the next five weeks. I know — I’m really going out on a limb here. Kudos forensics will only get us so far! Your guess is as good mine.

'Anything Goes' on the highway

The Roundabout Theater company's strong-selling revival of "Anything Goes" will hit the street within the 2012-13 season. National tour stop at a lot more than 25 metropolitan areas including L.A., in which the musical will have a stint in the Ahmanson Theater. Roundabout work continues to be seen on the highway before, using the theater recently delivering out touring offshoots of their Broadway productions of "12 Angry Males" (which performed round the country for any total of 2 yrs) as well as tuner "Cabaret." "Anything Goes" apparently has the opportunity of success on the highway, where auds frequently gravitate toward old-fashioned Broadway standards having a familiar title. New revival, which opened up last season, also got an account boost if this obtained a few Tonys, including one to find the best revival and the other for that dance moves of helmer-choreography Kathleen Marshall. Tour opens in October 2012 at Cleveland's Playhouse Square. Cast along with other particulars for that road version still be introduced. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

What Classic Movie Have You Never Seen? Edgar Wright Wants to Know

Back in April, the UK film site LoveFilm polled 1500 people and found that nearly four out of every five lie about having seen a classic film in an effort to "impress people." The most notoriously fibbed-about films? 'Casablanca,' '2001: A Space Odyssey,' 'Taxi Driver,' 'Reservoir Dogs' and -- topping the list with nearly 30 percent of respondents saying they have never seen it -- 'The Godfather.' (Who are you people? See 'The Godfather' already!) What Edgar Wright is currently planning in conjunction with the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles has nothing to do with LoveFilm's poll of philistines, but it's part of the same cloth. Wright is screening a series of classic films he's never seen, and he wants fans to let him know some of their more surprising cinematic black holes. Beginning on Friday (Dec. 9) and carrying on through eight nights, Wright and the New Beverly will screen 18 films -- all in original 35mm prints -- for the low cost of $8. The catch is that Wright hasn't seen the films himself, and wants to experience them with movie fans to create a communal experience. Now the 'Scott Pilgrim' director has taken to his blog to expand the conversation. What classic movies have you never seen? It's OK -- you don't have to be embarrassed. "If someone has not seen something amazing, I say 'Envy those virgins,'" Wright wrote. Indeed. Which is where you come in, dear Moviefone readers. Have you gone through life without experiencing '2001'? Is 'Carnal Knowledge' still a mystery to you? Does the name Michael Corelone carry little-to-no meaning? Let us know below! If you're in the Los Angeles area, head over to Edgar Wright Here for more on the New Beverly Cinema experience. [via Movieline] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

No Engagement For Selena & Bieber

First Launched: December 8, 2011 12:20 PM EST Credit: Getty Images La, Calif. -- Caption Selena Gomez and Attacking Youthful Boys emerge within the 2011 American Music Honours held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angele on November 20, 2011 You will discover no wedding sensors soon for Selena Gomez and Attacking Youthful Boys! Despite photographs in the 19-year-old star sporting what came out to become band on her behalf account ring finger, an origin close to Selena told AccessHollywood.com they is not engaged. Furthermore to engagement gossips swirling, the happy couple was taken photos of in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico now relaxing and experiencing on the planet together. In September, Justin told Womens Placed on Daily, I certainly wish to be married by 25. For further with Access exclusive interview with Selena about her new scent including what Justin views the scent, Follow The Link! Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Stone Hall of Fame announces inductees

Thank you for going to the Stone Hall of Fame, Guns N' Roses.The seminal rock-band in the late eighties and early 1990's, most broadly noted for hits like "Thank you for going to the Jungle," "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "November Rain," leads the 2012 class of inductees introduced on Wednesday. Also making the cut might be the fashionable-hop trio Beastie Boys rockers the Sought After Chili A myriad of all kinds of peppers the late singer/songwriter Laura Nyro Donovan and influential British rock group The Small Faces/Faces, which incorporated Fly fishing rod Stewart and Moving Gems guitarist Ronnie Wood.Nyro, who written such hits the 5th Dimension's "Wedding Bell Blues" and Blood stream Sweat & Tears' "Once I Die," might be the only real female act making it this time around around around. The hall passed down Donna Summer season, Joan Jett as well as the Blackhearts, Heart and Rufus with Chaka Khan, who have been in existence the ballot for 2012.Nevertheless it wasn't just girls that were declined entry to the rock hall for next season. Voters also passed down stylish-hop pioneers Eric B. & Rakim, War, solution as well as the Rewriters.Guns N' Roses blazed round the rock scene later utilizing their official debut, "Appetite for Destruction." Fronted by siren-voiced singer Axl Rose, with Slash and Izzy Stradlin on guitars, Duff McKagan on bass and Steven Adler on drums, the crowd centered music having its aggressive rock grooves. At the beginning of their career they were belittled for lyrics inside the song "One inch millions ofInch regarded as homophobic, misogynistic and racist. They were also according to their disorder, gleefully embodying the mantra of sex, drugs and stone.This rock band offered untold 1000's of albums, delivering a obvious, crisp contrast with a pop world in line with the type of Madonna and Michael Jackson. Nevertheless the group's turmoil, frequently displayed prior to the world, will make the core to interrupt apart by 1996. Their induction should lead to talk once a lot of possible reunion, no less than for your induction ceremony.Their trajectory was the choice in the Chili A myriad of all kinds of peppers. Despite troubles that incorporated the drug-related dying of guitarist Hillel Slovak as well as the departure of guitarist John Frusciante, this rock band, fronted by Anthony Kiedis, with Flea on bass, drummer Chad Cruz and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer, released its tenth album, "I'm Together With You,Inch this year.The Beastie Boys (Adam Yauch, Mike Gem and Adam Horowitz) are the pioneers of rap. The initial white-colored act to produce real inroads inside the emerging genre, they were known initially for boorish party music, but would become a business considerably acclaimed due to its seem, experimentation with assorted soundscapes, even creating an instrumental album.Both Stewart and Wood will finish up second-time people in the Rock Hall (Stewart was inducted just like a solo artist in 1994 and Wood incorporated within the Moving Gems in 1989) for your Small Faces/Faces, an important rock group that developed as British invasion was peaking. Among their hits was the song "Stay With Me.""Well the right response is a thrill and recognition making it inside the Hall of Fame again,Inch Stewart mentioned in the statement. "We (Faces) were always synonymous with an above average party with this particular report on fellow artists being inducted I'm searching toward (it) ... which is a hell of reasonable to reunite and celebrate with my old mates."Donovan is much better recognized for trippy hits like "Mellow Yellow."Guns N' Roses as well as the Faces were inducted their first-time round the ballot. The Chili A myriad of all kinds of peppers needed to have to wait until their second try, as well as the Beastie Boys and Nyro were declined two occasions before which causes it to be this time around around around.Other inductees include Freddie King for early influence rock promoter Don Kirshner, who died taken, receives the Ahmet Ertegun award and Tom Dowd, Glyn Johns and Cosimo Matssa will probably be honored for musical excellence.The Stone Hall of fame induction ceremony will probably be kept in Cleveland, where the rock hall relies, on April 14. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Martin Scorsese To Get Music+Film Award At Upcoming Critics Choice Movie Awards

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Martin Scorsese, an awards contender this season with Hugo, will receive the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s second Critics Choice Music+Film Award at the upcoming 17th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. The ceremony will take place on Jan. 12 at the Hollywood Palladium and will be carried live by VH1 for a fifth consecutive year. Selected by the BFCA Board of Directors, the Music+Film Award recognizes an accomplished filmmaker who has heightened the impact of films through the use of source and original music. In addition to employing music in his acclaimed features, Scorsese also has done a series of documentary/concert films about musicians, most recently George Harrison: Living in the Material World. Quentin Tarantino received the inaugural Music+Film Award this year. The nominees for the Critics Choice Movie Awards will be announced next Tuesday.

Andy Serkis Shows Brilliant 'Apes' Performance In Behind-The-Scenes Blu-Ray Exclusive

Anyone who saw "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" this summer knows that one of the best parts of the film was Andy Serkis' incredible performance as sentient and revolutionary chimpanzee, Caesar. There has even been early talk of Serkis deserving Academy recognition for his work. Heck, even the stars of the film said the reason to see the film is Serkis and the rest of the apes. The DVD and Blu-Ray powers that be must have been paying attention to all the Serkis buzz because they've created an all-Serkis featurette for the "Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes" DVD and Blu-Ray, out Dec. 13, and we've got your exclusive first look right here. Check out the video below to see "The Genius Of Andy Serkis." "He really brought a lot of depth to the character," says writer/producer Richard Jaffa, over awesome footage of Serkis' acting in a side-by-side comparison of his raw performance and the finished film. "Once he's in it, he's in it and goes through this incredible transformation." "Andy is such an incredible actor; he gave really fantastic performances," adds Dan Lemmon, VFX supervisor. "You really feel this character go through a whole series of discoveries and revelations and setbacks and he tells that story in his face and in his body." "Andy Serkis has created this new type of performance in a way," says Serkis' co-star James Franco. "He fell into it, he was cast as Gollum just for his voice and Peter Jackson realized what a great physical performance he was giving and had to try and capture it in some way. So Andy sort of fell into it and has pioneered it." What do you think of Serkis' chances at award recognition for his work? Tell us in the comments or on Twitter!