The best places for trading back holiday games

Your relatives know you like to play video games. But they don't necessarily know what kind of video games. And while they always mean well, they don't always get it quite right

Maybe it's for the wrong platform. Maybe you already have it. Maybe it's Duke Nukem Forever. Whatever the reason, if the holiday season has left you with games you don't want, there's a myriad of ways to turn them into games you do. Some are better value, and some are worse, depending on the game.

Below you'll find a basic rundown of the most popular options as well as real-world pricing examples for outstanding RPG The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, hit shooter Gears of War 3, and the dismal Duke Nukem Forever.

GameStop
Fast, efficient, and ubiquitous, GameStop is the go-to destination for instant gaming gratification. Walk in with old games; walk out with new ones. Nothing could be easier...but there's a price to pay for that simplicity.
Specifically, GameStop tends to give you a lot less than your games are really worth, and then resell them with a huge markup to net $10-20 in pure profit. If you're cool with that, go nuts -- but in some cases your games could be fetching more than twice as much elsewhere.

Case study: Thanks to a special promotion that's running until early January, Skyrim is guaranteed to fetch you $30 worth of in-store credit, and that ain't bad at all. Gears of War 3 owners aren't so fortunate: current trade-in value on that is a Scrooge-worthy $11. And when we asked about Duke Nukem Forever, they hung up on us.

(We called back, and while the game may have taken 15 years to make, it's only taken six months for it to go from a $60 purchase to a don't-even-bother $2 trade-in. Ouch.)

Amazon
A comparatively new player in the used video games market, Amazon's simple process has earned it a good number of fans. Just find the games you want to sell back, rate their condition, and mail them off. A few days later you'll be credited with their value, and Amazon picks up the shipping, too. Trade-in prices are usually higher than Gamestop's, and you get paid in Amazon gift cards, which are more useful than Gamestop credit -- but you will have to wait as much as a week for mailing and processing.

Case study: Your copy of Skyrim, if in what Amazon calls "Good" condition, will net $34.50 in Amazon credit. Gears of War 3 more than doubles Gamestop's price at $26.95. And the Duke? Again, Amazon outdoes Gamestop, although at just $4.45 it's still barely worth your while.

eBay
Ah, eBay.
Almost as old as the Internet -- almost as old as Yahoo!, even -- this virtual garage sale has been going for some 16 years or thereabouts. So chances are you know the deal: for a new, unopened game, expect to get about 15-20% less than the in-store price, to be paid a few days to a week after you list your game, and to have eBay, Paypal, and the USPS all take a bite out of your profits. Ship delivery-confirmed, be communicative and up-front with your buyers, and there's little real risk -- but if you're not already an eBay pro it might be easier to go with one of the other options.

Case study: A used copy of Skyrim sells for around $45 before shipping, which'll net you about $38-39 after eBay and Paypal fees. As for Gears of War 3, that'll fetch in the region of $22.50 by the time all's said and done. Duke Nukem Forever, however, will do well to sell at all. Expect $5 or so, although one "lucky" eBayer was able to snag a lot of 10 for just $20.

Glyde
Think of Glyde as the anti-eBay.
With clean design, a low-hassle approach, and fixed prices, it makes selling an unwanted game "as easy as throwing it away," or so Glyde puts it. While that's an exaggeration, it's not a particularly big one: listing an unwanted item on the site is a ten-second task, and shipping's made easier with Glyde's Netflix-style pre-stamped mailers. The site only deals in video games, DVDs, and tech gadgets like iPads, and the fees are comparable to eBay's, but they'll pay you in real money without any Paypal hassles.

Case study: A used Xbox 360 copy of Skyrim, in excellent condition, sells for $45, of which you'll get $38.25 assuming you opt for the direct bank transfer payment option. Gears of War 3 will net you $24.75, and DNF fetches just $2.45. Or perhaps that should be "would fetch" -- you'd still have to find someone daft enough to buy it.

Goozex
Silly name, smart concept.
Goozex lets you trade in your games direct to other gamers. You mail your game direct to its lucky recipient, and once it arrives safely you're then credited with points to spend on games for yourself. It's not free -- Goozex charges a couple of bucks for each game you receive, plus reckon on about $3 in postage for each game you send out -- and it's not quick, as popular games have wait times of several months. It's easily the most cost-effective way of turning unwanted games into wanted ones, assuming you're not in a hurry.
Case study: Skyrim nets 1000 "Goozex points," enough credit for any new game, or two or three older ones. You'll pay a total of about $5.25 out-of-pocket by the time your incoming and outgoing trades are complete. For Gears of War 3, the story's exactly the same: 1000 points, and about a fiver in fees.
Even white-elephant gift Duke Nukem Forever has a chance of making itself useful, fetching a surprisingly worthwhile 400 points -- enough to pick up an

2012 Preview

With the U.S. box office poised to finish down around four percent year-over-year for 2011, Hollywood is setting its sights on 2012 with the hope that grosses can at least stabilize in the next 12 months. Similar to 2011, the upcoming lineup is packed with established and aspiring franchises and plenty of animated titles, most of which will be delivered in 3D. Considering audience interest in these areas appears to be on the decline, 2012 may not deliver the sort of jolt needed to revive confidence in the theatrical business.

Click here to see a full list of currently scheduled 2012 movies.

Looking ahead, the biggest title of 2012 will almost certainly be The Dark Knight Rises. The movie is the follow-up to 2008's The Dark Knight, which ranks third all-time with $533.3 million, and the promise that it's the conclusion to director Christopher Nolan's Batman series should guarantee the movie winds up at least over $400 million. This is just one of many franchise movies on the calendar, though.

Including Prometheus (because let's be honest, the buzzy teaser trailer basically outs it as an Alien prequel) there are at least 27 franchise titles (sequels, prequels, spin-offs) scheduled for release in 2012, which is identical to the number that were on the calendar going in 2011. Aside from The Dark Knight Rises, other highlights include the end of the Twilight series with Breaking Dawn Part 2, the Lord of the Rings prequel The Hobbit, and the long-awaited Avengers team-up. There are also odd-ball projects like a Bourne movie without Matt Damon, a time-traveling third Men in Black flick, and a G.I. Joe outing that ditches most of the cast from the original movie.

Hollywood is also attempting to kick-start some new franchises this year, and currently the most-hyped movie is March's The Hunger Games. Based on the first part of a popular young adult book series and featuring a female protagonist caught in the middle of a love triangle, the entire production clearly brings to mind Twilight, though The Hunger Games also features a helping of arena violence that should be at least somewhat appealing to boys as well. Other obvious franchise bait includes John Carter, Battleship, and Snow White and the Huntsman. Of course, there's also The Amazing Spider-Man, which actually already has a sequel on the schedule, though this reboot is more an extension of an existing franchise than an attempt at a new one.

Also filling the 2012 schedule are 11 animated wide releases, or the same number as 2011. While there are two major animated sequels in 2012 (Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Ice Age: Continental Drift), the animated lineup does seem more unique than in 2011. Brave is the first original Pixar movie since 2009's Up and Rise of the Guardians is DreamWorks Animation's first original movie since 2010's Megamind. There's also Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, Wreck-It Ralph, and Hotel Transylvania, along with three stop-motion animated movies (The Pirates! Band of Misfits, ParaNorman and Frankenweenie) and a new entry from Studio Ghibli (The Secret World of Arrietty).

While there's plenty of talk about declining interest in 3D movies, Hollywood either doesn't seem to have gotten the message or doesn't agree that there's a problem. There are currently 37 movies scheduled for nationwide 3D release in 2012, up a bit from 35 in 2011. While the lineup is made up primarily of franchise fare and animated movies, there are also four 3D re-releases this year. The biggest will likely be Titanic, though Beauty and the Beast, Finding Nemo and Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace should also add to their already huge box office totals with their re-releases.

As always, there are plenty of comedies on the schedule as well, though not nearly as many as in 2011. Only 29 comedies are currently scheduled for nationwide release, and that includes action comedies like MIB 3 and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters. At the same point last year, there were closer to 40 comedies on the schedule. Of course, comedies are lower budget and plenty will be added as the year goes on, but it's still worth keeping an eye on these to see if fewer comedies means higher grosses for each entry.

Weekend Report: 'M:I-4' Sizzles Over Solid Christmas Weekend

After typically slow earnings on Christmas Eve the box office came roaring back to life on Christmas Day, and the studios are expecting this surge to continue throughout Monday. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol easily topped the charts for the four-day weekend, while Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked had decent holds following their middling debuts. The only clear winner among the new releases was War Horse, which managed to nearly crack the Top 5 despite opening on Sunday. Based on studio estimates, the four-day weekend will end up at over $201 million, or up around 10 percent from the same four-day period last year.

Mission: Impossible scored an estimated $46.2 million from Friday to Monday for a total of $78.6 million. While it's still lagging behind all three prior Mission: Impossible movies, it's obviously worth noting that those movies were released during May, when grosses are much more front-loaded, and didn't open with a five-day limited engagement. It now appears like Ghost Protocol will easily finish ahead of Mission: Impossible III's $134 million, and could even wind up topping the first Mission: Impossible's $181 million. According to distributor Paramount Pictures, the movie received an "A-" CinemaScore from an audience that was 61 percent male and 65 percent 25 years of age and older. IMAX and "premium" screens accounted for 23 percent of the gross.

Sherlock Holmes added $31.8 million to bring its 11-day total to $90.6 million. Chipwrecked added $20 million for a total just under $57 million. While neither of these sequels have any chance of passing $200 million (like their predecessors did), they also appear to be officially out of "bomb" territory.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo grossed an estimated $19.4 million from Friday to Monday for a six-day total of $27.8 million. That's tops among the new releases, but is also a bit disappointing considering the movie is an adaptation of one of the most popular books of the last decade and featured a killer marketing campaign from distributor Sony Pictures ("The Feel Bad Movie of Christmas," Trent Reznor and Karen O's version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," etc.).

The Adventures of Tintin rounded out the Top Five with an estimated $16.1 million four-day haul. Including Wednesday and Thursday, as well as prior grosses from Quebec, Tintin has earned $24.1 million so far. With a title character largely unfamiliar to U.S. audiences and featuring the kind of motion capture animation that's been steadily losing appeal here, it probably would have been unreasonable to expect much more to start. Tintin's audience was 55 percent male and 51 percent 25 years of age and under, and they awarded the movie an "A-" CinemaScore. A huge 74 percent of the grosses came from 3D presentations.

We Bought a Zoo was just behind Tintin with an estimated $15.6 million. That's just a bit higher than Marley & Me's opening day gross of $14.4 million on Christmas Day 2008, which indicates that Zoo isn't off to a great start.

War Horse was the most impressive out of the new releases with an estimated $15 million from Sunday to Monday. Holding off on opening until Christmas Day, the Steven Spielberg-directed World War I drama claimed third place both days behind Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes. It's way too early to say for sure, but there's a very good chance this winds up being the highest-grossing Christmas release this year.

As expected, The Darkest Hour launched with a soft $5.5 million from 2,324 locations. The audience was 56 percent male and 75 percent under the age of 35, and they awarded the movie a poor "C+" CinemaScore.

16 most-anticipated tech products of 2012

Nintendo Wii U

Once again Nintendo is trying to revolutionize the gaming industry with a system that has a new controller with an embedded touch screen that allows you to continue a gaming session on the portable controller even when your TV is off.

On a more mundane level, this Wii supports 1080p visuals and is backward-compatible with all Wii gaming accessories and games. That latter trait may be its biggest selling point.

No word on pricing or exactly when the Wii U will hit the market, but Nintendo says it will be in stores in 2012. .

 

Google Ice Cream Sandwich products

The first Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) smartphones have just started trickling out onto the market. Loads more are coming in 2012. Yummy. 

iPad Mini

Will Apple do a 7-inch iPad? Some say no, some say yes, particularly with the success of Amazon's Kindle Fire. We hope Apple does go small. $299. 16GB. Slam dunk.



Better, more-affordable ultrabooks

Forget those underpowered Netbooks. The ultrabook is the new Netbook. We already saw the price for these lightweight machines head into reasonable territory in 2011. Now we look forward to the next batch offering similar performance for even less money.





Next-gen MacBook Air

Rumor has it that the next generation of MacBook Pros and Airs will get new designs, and we may very well see a 15-inch Air. Will the Air get even slimmer? Why not?

More-affordable Apple AirPlay products

In case you don't know what it is, Apple's AirPlay is a wireless streaming feature available on Apple mobile devices that allows you to stream audio and video over Wi-Fi. However, except for Apple TV and AirPort Express, AirPlay-compatible products tend to be pricey (most are speakers).

They could all stand to shave $100 off their list prices (and more in some cases). Hopefully that will happen in 2012. 

 

Kindle Fire 2 (and Amazon's 10-inch tablet)

The Kindle Fire's been a big hit and it isn't even that great. Just imagine what the Kindle Fire 2 will be like. And oh, Amazon may well release a 10-inch tablet that undercuts the iPad's price significantly. Can't wait for that to happen.

iPhone 5

For those of you who waited all 2011 for an iPhone 5, we've got news: you get to do some more waiting in 2012. When we'll see the iPhone 5 launch is anybody's guess, but whether it's released in June or November, it seems like a safe bet that it will have a new design and most likely support for 4G networks.



Apple iTV

Rumor has it that Apple will enter the TV market in 2012 with a set that will be a game-changer and once again turn another market on its head. We'll believe it when we see it.



iPad 3

Everybody's waiting--and expecting--an iPad 3 with a higher-resolution display. If the past is any indication, hear all about it in February or March, with a release soon after.

PlayStation Vita

Sony's next-generation handheld gaming device is slated to arrive in the U.S. on February 22, with dual analog sticks, a touch screen, and graphics that rival the PS3's. The Wi-Fi version is priced at $249 and the Wi-Fi/3G version will cost $299.99 (3G service plan extra).


While many think the Vita has an uphill road, it also has the potential to be a much-needed hit for Sony, which has lost a lot of luster in recent years.


Wider LTE (4G) rollout

We'll see lots more 4G phones in 2012--and hopefully lots more 4G service
coverage with true broadband speeds.



Nook Tablet 2

Barnes & Noble continues to do a lot of things right with its color Nook products. One request for the next model, most likely due to arrive in November: a little Bluetooth, please.

Nikon D800

The much-anticipated successor to the full-frame Nikon D700 was supposed to arrive in 2011. Alas, it didn't. Word is this rumored 36-megapixel prosumer camera will finally launch in early 2012. Price tag: We're guessing somewhere just south of $3,000.

Canon 5D Mark III

Like the Nikon D800, Canon's full-frame follow-up to the EOS 5D Mark II was widely expected to arrive in 2011. It failed to come, and was most likely delayed by the combination of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and Thailand flood tragedies. The current 5D Mark II costs around $2,000. This one will start out higher, most likely in the $2,500 range.

Windows 8

Unity is the theme with Windows 8, as Microsoft is bringing the Metro UI found on smartphones and Xbox 360 to the PC and tablets. Word is a beta may be out as soon as February with the final product ready to ship on PCs in late fall.

Televangelist Pat Robertson Slams ‘SNL’s Tim Tebow Skit As “Anti-Christian Bigotry”

It was probably Saturday Night Live‘s strongest skit last week, somewhat inexplicably buried in the last slot before the end of the show. But, if by airing the Tim Tebow sketch at 12:20 AM SNL was hoping to avoid controversy, it didn’t succeed. The skit, in which God asks the Denver Broncos quarterback, who openly professes his faith, to “tone it down a notch,” has gone viral. Yesterday it drew fire from televangelist Pat Robertson, who called it an example of “anti-Christian bigotry” in the country “that is just disgusting.” “If this had been a Muslim country and they had done that, and had Muhammad doing that stuff, you would have found bombs being thrown off,” Robertson said during an appearance on the Christian Broadcast Network, posted online by Mediaite.com. Robertson called Tebow “a wonderful human being” who should be “applauded” for talking publicly about his religious faith. Robertson was not alone in its criticism of the sketch. Additionally, Fox News’ Bob Beckel called the parody “despicable” for its portrayal of Jesus Christ.

‘Terra Nova’ Moves To Pick Up Stars Jason O’Mara & Stephen Lang, Add High-Level Writers While Awaiting Renewal Decision

Fox has not made a decision on a Terra Nova renewal, but the series’ producers are moving to secure key actors and beef up writer ranks to be ready for production on Season 2. The options on the cast of the prehistoric drama are up on December 31, and I’ve learned that pickups for stars Jason O’Mara and Stephen Lang are imminent. With the cast options’ expiration date looming, the network originally was expected to make a decision on the series last week, following a top-level meeting between the heads of 20th Century Fox, which produces Terra Nova, and Fox on December 16. That didn’t happen, but the pickup of sought-after actors O’Mara and Lang gives Fox a little bit of breathing room, and the network is now expected to make its decision in January. That would make for a very tight production schedule on Terra Nova, which has to begin filming in April to make a September premiere date because of the series’ extensive post-production, including visual effects.

The search is already underway for high-level writers to join executive producers Brannon Braga and Rene Echevarria in Season 2 as the network and studio are looking to elevate the writing on the show going forward. Last night’s two-hour season finale drew a 2.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 7.2 million viewers, a tad better than last week’s series low; it didn’t make Fox’s decision easier by making the case for a renewal one way or the other. And the network has to make the call on Terra Nova in a vacuum, before having seen its development for next season. (Fox faces similar pressure to rule on the future of veteran House next month to give the veteran series time for a proper sendoff should this be its final season.) Still, with strong DVR viewing, big international sales and Peter Chernin and Steven Spielberg behind it, Terra Nova at this point appears likely to be renewed.

Weekend Report: Dissapointing Debuts From 'Sherlock,' 'Alvin' Sequels

While franchise titles did claim the top three spots at the box office this weekend, it wound up being a very mixed frame for sequels. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked both tallied solid grosses, though they were notably down from their predecessors. On the other hand, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol had a robust start in limited release. Even with all of these established brands entering the marketplace, the Top 12 wound up down roughly 13 percent from the same period last year.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opened to an estimated $40.02 million, which is way down from the original Sherlock Holmes's $62.3 million over Christmas weekend in 2009. In what could be an even more concerning comparison, the movie wound up lower than Tron Legacy's $44 million start at the same time last year. That's shocking, considering Game of Shadows opened just two years after a well-received original while Tron hit theaters 28 years after a first movie that wasn't even widely available on DVD or Blu-ray until after Legacy's release. Distributor Warner Bros. Pictures is reporting that the audience was 59 percent male and 50 percent under the age of 35, and that it received an "A-" CinemaScore.

Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked debuted to an estimated $23.5 million, or less than half of The Squeakquel's $48.9 million. It was also significantly off from the first Alvin's $44.3 million. Distributor 20th Century Fox reports that the audience was 54 percent female and 53 percent under the age of 25. The movie earned a "B+" CinemaScore.

Both Sherlock and Alvin struggled to live up to franchise standards this weekend, albeit for different reasons. The marketing for Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows never sufficiently differentiated the movie from its predecessor. While the ads did often briefly mention Holmes's conflict with Professor Moriarty, the focus was mainly put on the slow-motion action and Holmes-Watson banter that were trademarks of the first movie. While that movie is generally well-liked, it probably doesn't have the sort of rabid fan base that will eagerly turn out for more of same, which seemed to bear out this weekend.

In comparison, 20th Century Fox did a great job showing that Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked had a unique premise (the Chipmunks get stranded on a desert island) in comparison to the first two movies. Regardless of how interesting the premise is, though, the Alvin and the Chipmunks series probably isn't looked upon fondly by most adults. While usually this wouldn't be a huge problem, the generally poor performance of family movies lately indicates that parents are probably being far more judicious in deciding what movies they will take their children to.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was the one bright spot at the box office this weekend. Opening at just 425 locations, Ghost Protocol earned an estimated $13 million for an impressive per-theater average of $30,588. That tops Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason ($8.7 million) for highest-grossing limited debut ever (fewer than 600 theaters). Ghost Protocol's 300 IMAX locations contributed an estimated $11 million, and it's $36,667 average was slightly better than that of Inception ($36,548) or Fast Five ($32,787). Of course both of those movies were in nationwide and IMAX release simultaneously, though it still serves to highlight the strong numbers from the fourth Mission: Impossible movie.

By releasing the movie five days early in IMAX and consistently pushing the format's immersive benefits, distributor Paramount Pictures managed to at least initially turn Ghost Protocol in to an event movie that demands to be seen on the big screen. It probably didn't hurt that a six-minute prologue for The Dark Knight Rises was attached at around 42 locations, though that also isn't a large-enough sample to solely account for the above-average performance. It's tough to say for sure if Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol's success will continue when it makes its nationwide expansion on Wednesday, but for the time being the movie appears to be in very good shape.

Last weekend's leaders didn't fare too well in their second outing. New Year's Eve dropped 43 percent to an estimated $7.4 million for a 10-day total of $24.8 million, while The Sitter plummeted 55 percent to $4.4 million for a total of $17.7 million.

After a decent week in limited release, Young Adult expanded to 986 locations and earned an estimated $3.65 million. That's not a very encouraging figure, but Young Adult also isn't the type of movie that's designed to open big anyway. A solid long-run target now looks to be director Jason Reitman's first movie, Thank You for Smoking, which wound up with $24.8 million in 2006.

'The Artist' Tops Golden Globe Nominations

UPDATED: Oscar contenders "The Descendants" and "The Help" follow with the George Clooney-directed political thriller "Ides of March" receiving recognition.

Barely saying a word, The Artist swept the film nominations for the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards, taking a commanding six nominations, including one for best comedy or musical. A pair of American dramas, The Descendants and The Help, followed with five noms each.

It was a good morning for a wide variety of filmmakers, including George Clooney, whose political drama The Ides of March made an unexpectedly strong showing with four noms; Woody Allen, who earned multiple noms, including directing and writing, for his Midnight in Paris; Angelina Jolie, who was included among the best foreign-language nominees for her Bosnian War drama In the Land of Blood and Honey; Glenn Close, who in addition to a best actress nom for Albert Nobbs also earned a song-writing nomination for the lyrics she wrote for a tune in the movie; and Madonna, who also squeezed into the action with a song-writing nomination for W.E.

On the TV side, the big winners were PBS/Masterpiece Theater’s upstairs/downstairs series Downton Abbey and HBO’s foray into hardboiled James M. Cain territory, Mildred Pierce, with both shows taking home four noms each.

The membership of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which votes the annual awards, which will be handed out at televised ceremonies hosted by Ricky Gervais on Jan. 15, named Descendants and Help as two of the best dramas of the year, along with Martin Scorsese’s 3D valentine to the history of moviemaking Hugo, Clooney’s Ides, Bennet Miller’s baseball drama Moneyball and Steven Spielberg’s World War I epic War Horse.

In addition to an acting nom for Clooney, who plays a father whose life is unravelling, Descandants collected mentions for supporting actress Shailene Woodley, director Alexander Payne and its screenplay penned by Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Help earned its five nominations with the help of acting noms for actresses Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer and a song nomination for "The Living Proof," by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas.

Woody Harrelson, star of the upcoming cop drama Rampart, drew laughs at the early-morning announcement held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel when, before announcing the best drama nominees, he adlibbed, “Rampart opens Jan. 27, but I don’t see it on the list.”

On the lighter side, Artist topped the list of best comedy or musical nominees, where it was joined by 50/50, a comedy about a young man with cancer; the bawdy all-girl jokefest Bridesmaids; the Gallic-flavored Midnight in Paris; and My Week with Marilyn, an account of a fling with Marilyn Monroe, which also brought Michelle Williams a best comedy/musical actress nomination for her performance as the iconic star.

Contributing to Artist’s sweep were acting nominations for its two lead players Jean Dujardin (as best comedy actor) and Berenice Bejo (as supporting actress) as well as director and screenwriter Michel Hazanavicius and composer Ludovic Bource.

Although the HFPA consistently denies that it favors star, there was a lot of star power on display among its choices.

Along with his acting nom, Clooney claimed a nomination for directing Ides. His buddy Brad Pitt was also on base with a dramatic actor nomination for Moneyball; Meryl Streep racked up her 26th Globe nomination for playing Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady; Leonardo DiCaprio secured a nom for his portrayal of another real-life figure, J. Edgar Hoover in J. Edgar; Ryan Gosling snared dual acting nominations, one in the drama category for his political operative in Ides and another for his comedy turn as a ladies man in Crazy, Stupid, Love; and Carnage, in which two Manhattan couples face off, earned two comedy actress nominations for its stars Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet, with Winslet also picking up a TV miniseries nomination for playing the title role in Mildred Pierce.

At the same time, the Globes voters welcomed a number of relatively new faces: Rooney Mara was nominated as best dramatic actress for her fierce and pierced performance in The Girl With the Golden Tattoo; Michael Fassbender grabbed a nom for his equally exposed portrait of a sex addict in Shame; and Kirsten Wiig picked up a best actress in a comedy nom for Bridesmaids, although her costar Melissa McCarthy was left standing at the altar, without a nomination.

While there were 11 films spotlighted among the best drama and best comedy/musical pictures, there were only five directors nominated, which meant someone had to be left off the list. From the comedy side, Allen and Hazanavicius made the cut, while the dramas served up Clooney, Payne and Scorsese. But that resulted in no noms for Help's Tate Taylor, Moneyball's Miller or Horse's Spielberg.

However, in addition to Horse, Spielberg was represented by The Adventures of Tintin in the animation category, which also includes Arthur Christmas, Cars 2, Puss in Boots and Rango.

Harvey Weinstein, who bet on Artist back in May when he picked up the film just prior to its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, had a lot to crow about, since the Weinstein Co. amassed 12 nominations, edging out Sony Pictures Classics, which had 10.

But for rival producer Scott Rudin, it was a morning with mixed results: While his Moneyball had four noms and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo had six, his post 9/11 drama Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was entirely overlooked.

69th annual Golden Globes nominees complete list:

FILM
Motion Picture, Drama
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture  – Drama
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
50/50
The Artist 
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week With Marilyn

Best Performance By An Actress in A Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult 
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture – Comedy Or Musical
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy, Stupid, Love.
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Best Animated Feature Film
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Foreign Language Film
The Flowers of War (China)
In the Land of Blood and Honey (USA)
The Kid With A Bike (Belgium)
A Separation (Iran)
The Skin I Live In (Spain)

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help 
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants 

Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role In A Motion Picture 
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn 
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method 
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Director – Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March 
Michel Hazanvicius, The Artist 
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist 
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, The Descendants
Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball

Best Original Score – Motion Picture
Ludovic Bource, The Artist
Abel Korzeniowski, W.E.
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Howard Shore, Hugo
John Williams, War Horse

Best Original Song – Motion Picture
“Hello Hello” — Gnomeo & Juliet
Music by: Elton John
Lyrics by: Bernie Taupin
“The Keeper” — Machine Gun Preacher
Music & Lyrics by: Chris Cornell
"Lay Your Head Down” — Albert Nobbs
Music by: Brian Byrne
Lyrics by: Glenn Close
“The Living Proof” — The Help
Music by: Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, Harvey Mason Jr.
Lyrics by: Mary J. Blige, Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas
“Masterpiece” — W.E.
Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry

TELEVISION
Best Television Series – Drama
American Horror Story, FX
Boardwalk Empire, HBO
Boss, STARZ
Game of Thrones, HBO
Homeland, Showtime

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series – Drama
Claire Danes, Homeland
Mireille Enos, The Killing
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Madeleine Stowe, Revenge
Callie Thorne, Necessary Roughness

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Drama
Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Kelsey Grammer, Boss
Jeremy Irons, The Borgias
Damian Lewis, Homeland 

Best Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Enlightened, HBO
Episodes, Showtime
Glee, FOX
Modern Family, ABC
New Girl, FOX

Best Performance By An Actress In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Laura Dern, Enlightened
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation

Best Performance By An Actor In A Television Series – Comedy Or Musical
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock 
David Duchovny, Californication 
Johnny Galecki, The Big Bang Theory 
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matt LeBlanc, Episodes

Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Cinema Verite, HBO
Downton Abbey,  PBS (Masterpiece)
The Hour, BBC America
Mildred Pierce, HBO
Too Big to Fail,  HBO

Best Performance By An Actress In A Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Romola Garai, The Hour
Diane Lane, Cinema Verite 
Elizabeth McGovern, Downton Abbey
Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult
Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce

Best Performance By An Actor In A Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television
Hugh Bonneville, Downton Abbey 
Idris Elba, Luther
William Hurt, To Big to Fail
Bill Nighy, Page Eight
Dominic West, The Hour

Best Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role In A Series, Mini-Series, Or Motion Picture Made for Television 
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story
Kelly Macdonald, Boardwalk Empire
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family 
Evan Rachel Wood, Mildred Pierce 

Best Performance By An Actor in A Supporting Role in A Series, Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television 
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Paul Giamatti, Too Big to Fail
Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce 
Tim Robbins, Cinema Verite
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family

SAG Awards TV: Rookies ‘Suits’, ‘American Horror Story’ & ‘Game Of Thrones’ Join The Fray As Betty White’s Reign Continues

Screen Actors Guild’s love affair with Betty White continues. White followed up on her SAG’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010 with her first SAG Award nominations, an individual and ensemble nods for Hot In Cleveland, last year, winning her first SAG Award in January in the best actress in a comedy category. This morning White got an early present for her 90th birthday in January, two individual SAG Award nominations: one for TV Land’s Hot In Cleveland and one in the longform category for her role in Hallmark Hall Of Fame’s The Lost Valentine. She is one of only 2 performers to accomplish that this year, along with Glenn Close, nominated of her series Damages and feature Albert Nobbs.

The list of SAG Award nominees in the TV series categories includes one true newcomer, surprise nominee Patrick J. Adams of USA Network’s hot new series Suits who earned his first nomination of any kind. Two other breakout shows, FX’s American Horror Story and HBO’s Game Of Thrones, were the only other freshman series to make the cut – AHS with co-star Jessica Lange, previous SAG nominee in the film and lingform TV categories, nominated for best actress in a drama series; and best series Emmy nominee GOT with a nom in the best drama series ensemble category. (Though Emmy-winning GOT co-star Peter Dinklage didn’t get an individual nomination.) Because it premiered in midseason, NBC’s sophomore Harry’s Law also earned a nomination in its first year of eligibility, a best actress in a drama series mention for star Kathy Bates. Left out was Showtime’s new drama Homeland as well as New Girl star Zooey Deschanel.

While not very welcoming to freshmen, the SAG Awards nomination field, led by Modern Family with 5 noms, includes several first-time nominees who are getting their dues after being overlooked previous years. The list includes recently minted Emmy winner Kyle Chandler, who landed Friday Night Lights‘ first (and last) SAG Award nomination in the best actor in a drama series category; fellow reigning Emmy winner Julie Bowen of Modern Family, previous Emmy winner Jon Cryer of Two And A Half Men as well as hit CBS comedy series The Big Bang Theory, which landed its first ever SAG Award nomination (individual or ensemble) in the best comedy series ensemble category.

Despite Big Bang star Jim Parsons’ 2 consecutive Emmy wins, he is yet to receive a SAG Award nomination after getting snubbed again this year. Meanwhile, 30 Rock‘s Alec Baldwin, who lost to Parsons at the Emmys for the past 2 years, has a shot at continuing his remarkable string of 5 consecutive best comedy actor SAG Award wins for 30 Rock with a sixth individual nomination in a row. (The NBC series was also recognized for best comedy ensemble and best actress Tina Fey.) Parsons and Dinklage were not the only current Emmy winners left out of the SAG Awards
nominations. They’re joined by Justified‘s Margo Martindale as the FX drama series is yet to get its first SAG Award nomination.

Best comedy series actress Melissa McCarthy also missed the cut for her CBS series Mike & Molly but landed one on the feature side for Bridesmaids. Along with Baldwin and White, all TV series winners from last year (individual or ensemble) are back in contention this year: Boardwalk Empire‘s Steve Buscemi, The Good Wife‘s Julianna  Margulies and the ensembles of Modern Family and Boardwalk Empire.

The changes in the top series categories from last year include GOT and Breaking Bad, back in contention after a prolonged break between seasons, taking over for perennial favorite Mad Men, sidelined this year because its fifth season was delayed, and TNT’s The Closer. GOT and Breaking Bad join last year’s nominees Dexter, The Good Wife and Boardwalk Empire. Only one new entry in the best comedy ensemble field, Big Bang in for last year’s nominee Hot In Cleveland. Once again, there is only one multi-camera show in the category, Big Bang, but with the CBS comedy replacing the TV Land sitcom, we have a rare broadcast sweep in the top comedy field with Big Bang and returning nominees 30 Rock, Modern Family, The Office and Glee. In addition to Homeland and Justified, the list of series left out from the list of nominees also includes FX’s Sons Of Anarchy and Louie and NBC’s Parks & Recreation.

The longform field includes the Emmy winners for best lead actress (Kate Winslet for Mildred Pierce) and best supporting actress (Maggie Smith for Downton Abbey) squaring off in the best actress in a movie/miniseries category. Of The Kennedys miniseries, it was Greg Kinnear, a lead actor Emmy nominee for playing John F. Kennedy, that made the cut at the SAG Awards, not Berry Pepper who won the Emmy for playing Bobby Kennedy. Kinnear will compete with Guy Pearce, the supporting actor Emmy winner for Mildred Pierce. Here is a list of the SAG Awards TV nominees:

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
BREAKING BAD (AMC)
DEXTER (Showtime)
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
GLEE (FOX)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
THE OFFICE (NBC)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
PATRICK J. ADAMS / Mike Ross – SUITS (USA)
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thomson – BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)
KYLE CHANDLER / Eric Taylor – FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (DirecTV)
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White – BREAKING BAD (AMC)
MICHAEL C. HALL / Dexter Morgan – DEXTER (Showtime)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
KATHY BATES – HARRY’S LAW (NBC)
GLENN CLOSE   – DAMAGES (DirecTV)
JESSICA LANGE  – AMERICAN HORROR STORY (FX)
JULIANNA MARGULIES  – THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
KYRA SEDGWICK – THE CLOSER (TNT)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN  – 30 ROCK (NBC)
TY BURRELL  – MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
STEVE CARELL   – THE OFFICE (NBC)
JON CRYER  – TWO AND A HALF MEN (CBS)
ERIC STONESTREET  – MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
JULIE BOWEN– MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
EDIE FALCO – NURSE JACKIE (Showtime)
TINA FEY – 30 ROCK (NBC)
SOFIA VERGARA  – MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
BETTY WHITE  – HOT IN CLEVELAND (TV Land)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
LAURENCE FISHBURNE / Thurgood Marshall – THURGOOD (HBO)
PAUL GIAMATTI / Ben Bernanke – TOO BIG TO FAIL (HBO)
GREG KINNEAR / Jack Kennedy – THE KENNEDYS (REELZ CHANNEL)
GUY PEARCE / Monty Beragon – MILDRED PIERCE (HBO)
JAMES WOODS / Richard Fuld – TOO BIG TO FAIL (HBO)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
DIANE LANE / Pat Loud – CINEMA VERITE (HBO)
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham – DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)
EMILY WATSON / Janet Leach – APPROPRIATE ADULT (Sundance Channel)
BETTY WHITE / Caroline Thomas – HALLMARK HALL OF FAME: THE LOST VALENTINE (CBS)
KATE WINSLET / Mildred Pierce – MILDRED PIERCE (HBO)

Weekend Report: No Party for 'New Year's Eve'

While it did finish in first place, New Year's Eve dropped the ball this weekend with a disappointing $13.7 million opening. Things were comparatively better for The Sitter, though Jonah Hill didn't impress in his solo debut. Adding these two movies to an already weak field turned out to be box office poison—the Top 12 wound up with an estimated $69.7 million, which is the second-worst gross of the year so far. There is also a very good chance that once all movies report tomorrow, overall box office will wind up at its lowest point since 2008.

New Year's Eve's estimated $13.7 million was off 75 percent from Valentine's Day's $56.3 million debut last February. A drop was to be expected, given the different time of year and the distance from the titular holiday, though the opening is still far lower than even the most modest expectations. It's tough to account for this middling debut, considering the movie is the first romantic comedy in months and has an abundance of familiar faces, though it may simply be that audiences don't look back fondly on Valentine's Day and its ensemble, patchwork structure. With three weeks to go until New Year's Eve the movie will certainly hold up better than Valentine's Day, but this still isn't a very good starting point.

The Sitter debuted in second place with an estimated $10 million. That's lower than any other movie with Jonah Hill in a major leading role, though this is really the first time he's tried to open a movie alone (he co-starred with Michael Cera in Superbad and Russell Brand in Get Him to the Greek). The movie is the latest R-rated comedy to fail to hit the mid-teen-millions range, with this slump dating back all the way to The Change-Up at the beginning of August.

After leading for three-straight weeks, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 dipped 52 percent to an estimated $7.9 million and took third place for the weekend. On Saturday, it passed The Hangover Part II to become the third-highest grossing movie of the year behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and it has so far made $259.5 million.

The Muppets eased 36 percent to an estimated $7.1 million. That's a slightly steeper decline than Tangled or Enchanted at the same point, but it does appear that The Muppets is at least leveling off a bit. The movie has now earned $65.8 million.

With the Christmas season in full swing now, Arthur Christmas held on extremely well at the box office. The holiday animated movie dipped a light 11 percent to $6.6 million, and has a total of $33.5 million so far.

Hugo expanded in to 2,608 theaters and fell 19 percent to an estimated $6.1 million. Given its expanding pattern, this marked the first weekend that distributor Paramount Pictures tracked exit polling. The audience was 52 percent male and 31 percent under the age of 25, and they awarded the movie a "B+" CinemaScore. After nearly three weeks in theaters, the Martin Scorsese children's book adaptation has grossed $33.5 million.

The Descendants made its nationwide expansion this weekend and was up a tick to $4.8 million. The movie is pacing way ahead of past Alexander Payne movies About Schmidt and Sideways and has already earned $23.6 million through its fourth weekend.

Two significant limited openings also took place this weekend. Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody's Young Adult debuted to an okay $320,000 at eight locations. That's not great business for a high-profile release like this, though its real test comes next weekend when it expands in to around 1,000 locations.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, on the other hand, was a big hit with an estimated $301,000 from just four theaters. Its per-theater average of $75,184 is the third-best of the year behind Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life, and also the third-highest ever for a movie opening in four theaters behind The Tree of Life and The King's Speech. The Cold War espionage thriller will surely be expanding in the coming weeks, though there's no set nationwide release date yet.

Are These The Most Anticipated 2012 Films?

Thousands of film fans responded to the survey, which was posted on Fandango.com during the first weeks of December. According to male moviegoers, the most anticipated blockbuster of 2012 will be Warner Bros’ The Hobbit, while for females, it’s Summit’s Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2. When it comes to remakes, men are most anticipating Sony’s Total Recall while women are most looking forward to Warner Bros’ The Great Gatsby. Several studios are missing from these lists, so it looks like some marketing departments have to play catch-up in the coming months:

THE MOST ANTICIPATED BLOCKBUSTER IN 2012:

According to Men:

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Warner Bros)
2. The Avengers (Marvel/Disney)
3. The Dark Knight Rises (Warner Bros)
4. The Bourne Legacy (Universal)
5. Men in Black III (Sony)

According to Women:

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 (Summit)
2. The Hunger Games (Lionsgate)
3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Warner Bros)
4. Dark Shadows (Warner Bros)
5. The Avengers (Marvel/Disney)

THE MOST ANTICIPATED REMAKE IN 2012:

According to Men:

1. Total Recall (Sony)
2. The Amazing Spider-Man (Sony)
3. The Great Gatsby (Warner Bros)
4. Snow White And The Huntsman (Universal)
5. Mirror Mirror (Relativity)

According to Women:

1. Snow White And The Huntsman (Universal)
2. The Great Gatsby (Warner Bros)
3. Mirror Mirror (Relativity)
4. Total Recall (Sony)
5. The Amazing Spider-Man (Sony

Blu-ray Sales Up 35 Percent in 2011 - Even Stronger Overseas

As you might imagine, 'Star Wars' gave the format quite a boost.

Blu-ray sales are up significantly this year, with growth reaching 35 percent in the U.S. Last year, 85 million Blu-rays were sold. This year the estimate is sitting at 115 million. It's a big step forward and certainly a sign of things to come.

Part of the reason, of course, is the release of 'Star Wars' on Blu-ray. The HD version of the series inspired quite a few first-time Blu-ray disc purchases and spurred on sales of players. What may be even more important is the price of Blu-ray players. Customers are seeing Blu-ray players and DVD players at similar price points and at that point there's no reason to stick with DVD. It's getting to the point that making DVD players seems a bit pointless.

One thing that needs to happen, according to Futuresource analyst Jim Bottoms, is a reduction in the prices of Blu-ray discs. In Europe, where sale growth is even stronger, there's a much smaller difference between DVD and Blu-ray prices.

Source: Home Media Magazine

Fox Business Says Muppets Movie Anti-Biz

How did we miss this? Fox Business news on the network’s “Follow the Money” program last week opined that Disney’s The Muppets movie storyline featuring an evil oil baron made it the latest example of Hollywood’s anti-corporate liberal agenda. “They’ve been doing it for decades. Hollywood, the left, the media, they hate the oil industry,” complained Dan Gainor of the conservative Media Research Center. ”They hate corporate America. And so you’ll see all these movies attacking it”:

 

Weekend Report: 'Twilight' Three-peats on Quiet Weekend

Another weekend, another win for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. The latest Twilight movie claimed the top spot at the box office for the third-straight weekend thanks to an average hold and a comparatively poor second-weekend performance from its biggest competitor, The Muppets. On an aggregate level, the Top 12 grossed around $75 million, which is slightly off from the same period last year ($78.3 million).

Breaking Dawn dropped 60 percent to an estimated $16.9 million. That tally is the best third-weekend gross out of all of the Twilight movies including New Moon, which fell 64 percent to $15.4 million on the same weekend in 2009. Through 17 days in theaters, the penultimate Twilight movie has earned $247.3 million.

The Muppets held on the second place with an estimated $11.2 million. It's 62 percent post-Thanksgiving decline was notably worse than Tangled's 56 percent and Enchanted's 52 percent. The movie has so far made $56.1 million, and it should pass The Muppet Movie ($65.2 million) next weekend to become the highest-grossing entry in the franchise (though it has no chance of surpassing that movie's attendance).

After expanding to 1,840 theaters (up from 1,277 last weekend), Hugo moved up two spots to claim third place. The Martin Scorsese children's book adaptation eased just 33 percent to $7.6 million, and has now earned $25.2 million.

Arthur Christmas was off just 39 percent to an estimated $7.35 million. That's the best post-Thanksgiving drop for a Christmas movie since Just Friends in 2005 (which had an identical decline), and it indicates that Arthur will continue to play well throughout the Holidays. After 12 days in theaters, the Aardman Animation movie has grossed $25.3 million.

Falling 55 percent to an estimated $6 million, Happy Feet Two did little to improve its status as one of 2011's biggest disappointments. With a total of $51.8 million so far, the animated sequel has currently made just 43 percent of its predecessor through the same point, and it has virtually no chance of closing anywhere near $100 million.

Distributor Fox Searchlight had a strong weekend in the specialty arena. The Descendants expanded to a nearly-wide 574 locations and eased 29 percent to an estimated $5.2 million. The movie has so far made $18.1 million, and should be set for a nationwide push beginning next weekend. Searchlight also opened Shame to $361,000 at 10 locations for a weekend-best per-theater average of $36,100. That's a better opening average than 2004's The Dreamers (Searchlight's last NC-17 movie) despite playing in twice as many theaters. While the movie is way too graphic and ultimately ambiguous for mainstream audiences, Shame seems like a lock for a healthy arthouse run.

Media Missionary School Forms New Group

Media Missionary School, a division of Flannelgraph Ministries, has announced plans for the formation of an “ownership group”. The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 6, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. to be held at Storytellers Media Center located at 1530 Tremont Street, Cincinnati, OH. The group is open to anyone who believes in the vision and the work of Media Missionary School. The main purpose of the ownership group is to help launch and support the opening of Storytellers Media Center. Members will volunteer their time and be an advocate for the new center.

We asked Harold Hay, President of Media Missionary School why this ownership group is important to the overall success of the new media training center. “Obviously, I can’t open this center by myself. It’s going to take a lot of people working together for the common goal of fulfilling the Great Commission and being a witness for Christ. That’s why we are so passionate about raising up, developing, and training tomorrow’s future media professionals to think, work and function as missionaries. The ownership group or the OG is going to be necessary to build a foundation from which we can launch this ambitious vision. We want to have an influence on mainstream media. The reality is if your message isn’t represented in Hollywood or the broader media and entertainment industry, it might as well not exist. We want to teach our students how to communicate a message that points people to the path of grace which leads to forgiveness and redemption. “

Asked if the members of the OG will be responsible for fundraising and financial support, Hay went on to say, “Although financial support is a necessity in running a ministry, we’re looking for people who are committed to the cause and believe in the mission first and foremost. There are many ways that you can give other than money. In fact, giving yourself and your time is often more important than just writing a check. We are looking for people who are committed followers of Christ and are willing to invest their heart into something they can believe in.”

Hay went on to say that members will be required to attend monthly meetings and special events. They will also be required to volunteer their services at least twice a month. There will be a number of roles the OG will be able to plug into including accounting, bookkeeping, teaching, maintenance, cleaning, administration, web development, advertising, promotions, marketing, mentoring, etc.

If you are interested in joining the ownership group, please contact Media Missionary School by e-mail at Harold_media@insightbb.com or call 859-918-6220.

Gobble Gobble: The Biggest Box-Office Turkeys of 2011

Turkey Day comes once a year, but in a year that's been short on big motion-picture success stories, it seems like a fresh bird has landed at the box office every weekend.
In honor of the biggest film-going holiday on the calendar, TheWrap has assembled a list of 2011's biggest duds so far:

THE RUM DIARY
With Johnny Depp movies having amassed an astronomical $7.67 billion across the globe over the course of his career, this film stands out like a bad batch of hooch. Grossing just $19.1 million worldwide on a $45 million budget, it was Depp's least successful film since 1999's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," another movie based on the actor's close friend, the late Hunter S. Thompson. It was perhaps an even greater disappointment for director Bruce Robinson, who battled with alcohol and writer's block while penning the screenplay, and who hadn't directed a film since 1992 ("Jennifer 8").
Also read: 'Rum Diary' One of Johnny Depp's Biggest Career Flops

MARS NEEDS MOMS
Disney's 3D animated comedy performed so badly at the box office, it not only convinced the studio to shutter producer Robert Zemeckis' ImageMovers Digital company, it also made the film industry second-guess the entire motion-capture filmmaking technique.
(Steven Spielberg's "Tintin" has since pulled everyone back from the edge on that.)
"Mars Need Moms" grossed a poultry ... er, paltry $39 million of its $190 million production budget in a huge blow to Disney's bottom line. Critics didn't like it, either. The film scored only 36 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips called it "one of the least visually appealing films ever to go out under the Disney banner."
Also read: Can Steven Spielberg's 'Tintin' Save Motion-Capture Animation?
 
LARRY CROWNE
With Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in the leading roles, this romantic comedy seemed like a sure-fire hit ...  if it had been released in, say, 1995.
The film, which was also directed by Hanks, wasn't a huge money-loser for producer Vendome Pictures, grossing $52.4 million worldwide on a production budget of $30 million. But the rom-com -- not so affectionately known as the "Scooter Movie" because its ubiquitous key art featuring its stars on a Vespa -- didn't exactly juice the careers of Hanks, 55, or Roberts, 44.
"Larry Crowne" drew an audience that was 81 percent above the age of 35 its opening weekend. There were "Murder She Wrote" episodes that didn't skew that old.
Also read: 'Larry Crowne': So Flaccid It Seems Written by a Q-Tip
 COWBOYS & ALIENS 
The graphic novel from which it was adapted was a New York Times best-seller; director Jon Favreau had a proven sci-fi/action pedigree with "Iron Man" and campaigned his heart out for the movie; Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig provided plenty of star power; and it had the executive-producer stamp of approval from none other than Steven Spielberg.

Still, audiences couldn't get their collective heads around the genre mash-up, which featured an Old West town banding together to take down an alien invasion. The $163 million film grossed just $174.6 million globally, losing money once prints and advertising costs were factored in.
Also read: 'Cowboys & Aliens': Yeah, There Are Cowboys ... and Aliens -- But Not Much Else
 GREEN LANTERN
In a summer filled with men in superhero tights, audiences just didn't buy Ryan Reynolds, traditionally a goofy comic actor, as a super-empowered crime-fighter. 

The film was produced by Warner Bros. for more than $200 million with the aim of launching a vital franchise at a time when Christopher Nolan is winding down his mega-successful "Dark Knight" series. But it only grossed $219.9 million worldwide. Despite the fact that audiences didn't gobble up the first film as much as was anticipated, Warner and DC Comics are already collaborating on a sequel.
Read also: Too Many Men in Tights? 5 Reasons the Superhero Summer Has Been a Bust.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN The reboot of this shirtless sword-fighting epic starring "Game of Thrones'" Jason Momoa in the role originated by Arnold Schwarzenegger nearly three decades ago  didn't perform nearly as well as hoped.
 The $90 million 3D film grossed just $48.8 million worldwide, and it was listed as a key piece of dead weight by executives for studio Lionsgate when they reported a $19 million quarterly operating loss earlier this month. Critical disdain also ran high for the reboot, with Rotten Tomatoes scoring it at only 23 percent.
Also read: 'Conan the Barbarian': Ahnuld, Where Are You Now That the Remake Needs You?



YOUR HIGHNESS
Director David Gordon Green had succeeded with the pot-fueled comedy sub-genre before with "Pineapple Express," but this R-rated comedy was a real bummer, grossing only $25 million on a $50 million budget. Universal released the film in April, just a few months after co-star Natalie Portman won an Oscar, and moviegoers scratched their heads when her name appeared in the marquee. They also wondered what co-star James Franco was smoking when he showed up in another pot comedy after rumors circulated that he was stoned while hosting the Academy Awards.
Also read: James Franco Dazed at the Oscars? You Shoulda Seen Rehearsal

THE DILEMMA
One of two poor-performing Kevin James vehicles this year (along with "Zookeeper"), this adult comedy was perhaps an even greater disappointment for director/producer Ron Howard, who hadn't made a comedy since 2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It didn't lose a ton of money for Howard's Imagine Entertainment and studio Universal, grossing $69.7 million on a budget of around $70 million. But publicity-wise, it was more trouble than it was worth, thanks to a trailer that showed co-star Vince Vaughn's character calling such things as hybrid cars "gay."
 Also read: Universal Pulls Gay Slur from 'Dilemma' Trailer; May Remain in Film
THE BIG YEAR
This PG comedy about bird watchers, which starred Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin, ended up on the turkey list based on an anemic $7.1 million gross at the box office against a $41 million production budget. Director David Frankel had scored previously with "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Marley and Me," but none of those movies' charms seemed to be on display here, with critics aggregating Fox's "Big Year" at 39 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. 
Also read: Review: Owen Wilson's Bird-Watching 'Big Year' Neither Soars Nor Lays an Egg


THE THING
This European-produced prequel to John Carpenter's acclaimed 1982 sci-fi/horror film with the same title failed to connect with U.S. audiences, grossing just $16.9 million domestically and $19 million worldwide on a $38 million production spend. While Carpenter's "Thing" benefited from the grizzled heroics of actor Kurt Russell -- fresh off his action-movie breakout in the director's "Escape From New York" -- the new movie had little in the way of star power, with Joel Edgerton ("Warrior') among the few recognizable names in the marquee. Critics didn't flock to the film, either, scoring it at 33 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.