Weekend Report: 'Act of Valor' Gets SEAL of Approval

Starring a group of "active duty Navy SEALs," Act of Valor trounced a handful of movies with major names attached this weekend. The movie wound up in first place with $24.7 million from 3,039 locations, which is just a little bit less than Tyler Perry's Good Deeds, Wanderlust and Gone made combined. The Top 12 earned an estimated $115.8 million this weekend, which is up a whopping 20 percent from the same frame last year.

Even without any movie stars, Act of Valor's opening was on the high end for movies that heavily feature modern warfare techniques. It was behind Battle: Los Angeles ($35.6 million) and Jarhead ($27.7 million) but ahead of Behind Enemy Lines ($18.7 million) and Tears of the Sun ($17.1 million), though it was more-or-less on par with these last two titles in estimated attendance. Also, in just two days it outgrossed 2009 Best Picture winner The Hurt Locker ($17 million), reinforcing the idea that overtly patriotic war movies probably have a commercial edge over more nuanced portrayals (though of course Jarhead's $27.7 million contradicts this a bit).

Relativity Media marketed Act of Valor by consistently reaching out to male audiences during sporting events (they purchased four Super Bowl spots) and with engaging tie-ins (Battlefield 3 was a big one). That strategy seems to have paid off, as the movie's skewed 71 percent male. Additionally, the audience was 60 percent 25 years of age and older, and 63 percent Caucasian, and they awarded the movie an impressive "A" CinemaScore.

This is Relativity Media's second first place opening in the past four months, following November's Immortals. The upstart distributor currently has five more movies on the schedule this year, and if it can score with a couple of those it will truly solidify itself as a mid-major player.

Tyler Perry's Good Deeds opened in second place with an estimated $16 million. That's the second-worst debut yet for writer-director Tyler Perry ahead of Daddy's Little Girls ($11.2 million). It's possible that Perry's brand has lost some of its luster in recent years, though Good Deeds was a bit of a departure anyway. Even when he's not dealing with his most popular character, Madea, his movies tend to be comedies with ensemble casts. Based on its marketing, at least, Good Deeds leaned dramatic and focused almost entirely on Perry's lead character. The movie's audience was 76 percent female and 85 percent over the age of 25, and they gave the movie a strong "A" CinemaScore.

Once again, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island held extremely well. The adventure sequel eased 32 percent to an estimated $13.5 million to claim third place ahead of Safe House and The Vow. Through three weekends, Journey 2 has earned $76.7 million, or $16 million more than the first Journey. It's hard to imagine this closing with less than $100 million, and when adding in its outstanding foreign run this looks like a huge success for distributor Warner Bros. Pictures.

Safe House fell 52 percent to an estimated $11.4 million in its third weekend. That brings its total to $98.1 million, which trails Denzel Washington's American Gangster by just $2.5 million. Barring some kind of weird twist, Safe House is poised to end up being Denzel's second-highest-grossing movie ever ahead of Remember the Titans $115.7 million.

The Vow crashed 57 percent to an estimated $10 million. That's nothing to cry about, though, since it became the first Sony/Screen Gems movie to ever pass $100 million on Saturday. It's also the first 2012 movie to reach that mark, and through 17 days in theaters the Channing Tatum-Rachel McAdams romance has made a massive $103 million.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance plummeted 60 percent to an estimated $8.8 million in its second weekend in theaters. That's a bit worse than the first Ghost Rider's 56 percent decline at the same point. Through 10 days, Spirit of Vengeance has earned $37.8 million, or less than half of Ghost Rider's $79 million.

Despite its decent word-of-mouth ("A-" CinemaScore last weekend) and lack of compelling competition this weekend, This Means War still fell 51 percent to an estimated $8.1 million. The rom-com/action hybrid brought its total to $33.6 million.

Meryl Streep to present at Spirit Awards

Meryl Streep has plans for the night before the Oscars.

The actress is among the stars confirmed as presenters at the Independent Spirit Awards, which are handed out on Feb. 25, the eve of the Academy Awards.

Entertainment Weekly reports that along with Streep, William H. Macy, Kirsten Dunst and Rashida Jones will also present at the ceremony, hosted by Seth Rogen.

The Independent Spirit Awards air at 10 p.m. ET on IFC. "The Artist" and "Take Shelter" lead with five nominations each. Films up for four awards include "Beginners," "Drive," "The Descendants" and "Martha Marcy May Marlene

27th Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards - Nominees

BEST FEATURE
50/50
PRODUCERS: Evan Goldberg, Ben Karlin, Seth Rogen
BEGINNERS
Producers: Miranda de Pencier, Lars Knudsen, Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Jay Van Hoy
DRIVE
Producers: Michel Litvak, John Palermo, Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker, Adam Siegel
TAKE SHELTER
Producers: Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin
THE ARTIST
Producer: Thomas Langmann
THE DESCENDANTS
Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

BEST DIRECTOR
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS - The Artist
MIKE MILLS - Beginners
JEFF NICHOLS - Take Shelter
ALEXANDER PAYNE - The Descendants
NICOLAS WINDING REFN - Drive

BEST SCREENPLAY
JOSEPH CEDAR - Footnote
MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS - The Artist
TOM McCARTHY - Win Win
MIKE MILLS - Beginners
ALEXANDER PAYNE, NAT FAXON & JIM RASH - The Descendants

BEST FIRST FEATURE
ANOTHER EARTH
DIRECTOR: Mike Cahill
PRODUCERS: Mike Cahill, Hunter Gray, Brit Marling, Nicholas Shumaker
IN THE FAMILY
DIRECTOR: Patrick Wang
PRODUCERS: Robert Tonino, Andrew van den Houten, Patrick Wang
MARGIN CALL
DIRECTOR: J.C. Chandor
PRODUCERS: Robert Ogden Barnum, Michael Benaroya, Neal Dodson, Joe Jenckes, Corey Moosa, Zachary Quinto
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
DIRECTOR: Sean Durkin
PRODUCERS: Antonio Campos, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, Josh Mond
NATURAL SELECTION
DIRECTOR: Robbie Pickering
PRODUCERS: Brion Hambel, Paul Jensen

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
MIKE CAHILL & BRIT MARLING - Another Earth
J.C. CHANDOR - Margin Call
PATRICK DeWITT - Terri
PHIL JOHNSTON - Cedar Rapids
WILL REISER - 50/50

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD
BELLFLOWER
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Evan Glodell
PRODUCERS: Evan Glodell, Vincent Grashaw
CIRCUMSTANCE
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Maryam Keshavarz
PRODUCERS: Karin Chien, Maryam Keshavarz, Melissa Lee
HELLO LONESOME
WRITER/DIRECTOR/ PRODUCER: Adam Reid
PARIAH
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Dee Rees
PRODUCER: Nekisa Cooper
THE DYNAMITER
WRITER: Brad Inglesby
DIRECTOR: Matthew Gordon
PRODUCERS: Kevin Abrams, Matthew Gordon, Merilee Holt, Art Jones, Mike Jones, Nate Tuck, Amile Wilson

BEST FEMALE LEAD
LAUREN AMBROSE - Think of Me
RACHAEL HARRIS - Natural Selection
ADEPERO ODUYE - Pariah
ELIZABETH OLSEN - Martha Marcy May Marlene
MICHELLE WILLIAMS - My Week with Marilyn

BEST MALE LEAD
DEMIÁN BICHIR - A Better Life
JEAN DUJARDIN - The Artist
RYAN GOSLING - Drive
WOODY HARRELSON - Rampart
MICHAEL SHANNON - Take Shelter

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
JESSICA CHASTAIN - Take Shelter
ANJELICA HUSTON - 50/50
JANET McTEER - Albert Nobbs
HARMONY SANTANA - Gun Hill Road
SHAILENE WOODLEY - The Descendants

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
ALBERT BROOKS - Drive
JOHN HAWKES - Martha Marcy May Marlene
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - Beginners
JOHN C. REILLY - Cedar Rapids
COREY STOLL - Midnight in Paris

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
JOEL HODGE - Bellflower
BENJAMIN KASULKE - The Off Hours
DARIUS KHONDJI - Midnight in Paris
GUILLAUME SCHIFFMAN - The Artist
JEFFREY WALDRON - The Dynamiter

BEST DOCUMENTARY
AN AFRICAN ELECTION
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Jarreth Merz
BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK
DIRECTOR: Richard Press
PRODUCER: Philip Gefter
THE INTERRUPTERS
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Steve James
PRODUCER: Alex Kotlowitz
THE REDEMPTION OF GENERAL BUTT NAKED
DIRECTORS/PRODUCERS: Eric Strauss, Daniele Anastasion
WE WERE HERE
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: David Weissman

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
A SEPARATION (Iran)
DIRECTOR: Asghar Farhadi
MELANCHOLIA (Denmark, Sweded, France, Germany)
DIRECTOR: Lars Von Trier
SHAME (UK)
DIRECTOR: Steve McQueen
THE KID WITH A BIKE (Belgium, France, Italy)
DIRECTOR: Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne
TYRANNOSAUR (UK)
DIRECTOR: Paddy Considine

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD
MARGIN CALL
DIRECTOR: J.C. Chandor
CASTING DIRECTORS: Tiffany Little Canfield,Bernard Telsey
ENSEMBLE CAST: Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci

Forecast: 'Act of Valor' Shoots for Top Spot This Weekend

At the end of what could become the highest-grossing February in history, four new releases enter the fray this weekend. Act of Valor is targeting first place with a very wide release (3,039 theaters), though it will face tough competition from Tyler Perry's Good Deeds (around 2,800 screens at 2,132 venues). Wanderlust (2,001 theaters) and Gone (2,186 locations) are also debuting this weekend, though it's unlikely either of them creates much of a stir.

Act of Valor is easily one of Relativity Media's most aggressively marketed movies so far. Beginning with the debut trailer last October and continuing through four Super Bowl commercials earlier this month (two pre-game, one in-game, and one post-game spot), the studio has clearly gotten the message out that Act of Valor is "a motion picture event starring active duty Navy SEALs." Whether that's an event that's interesting to a wide audience remains to be seen—most previews skirt over any type of story or character, both of which are usually key components to getting people in to theaters.

Military movies are few and far between lately, though Battle: Los Angeles scored around this time last year with a $35.6 million debut (of course, that movie also had lots of aliens). Going back a little further there's 2002's We Were Soldiers ($20.2 million debut) and 2003's Tears of the Sun ($17 million opening), both of which hit theaters on the first weekend of March. Those movies had major stars in Mel Gibson and Bruce Willis, though, while Act of Valor is devoid of recognizable faces. Regardless, Relativity's campaign has done a nice job reaching out to men (sporting events), gamers (Battlefield 3 cross-promotion), and the heartland audience (a country music-heavy soundtrack), all of which should lead to a debut around $20 million (Relativity is more modestly projecting between $15 and $17 million).

As he's done many times in the past, though, Tyler Perry could be a spoiler this weekend. The prolific writer-director-actor has made 10 movies in the past six years, which have combined to gross over $522 million for distributor Lionsgate. To this point, The Family That Preys and Daddy's Little Girls are the only Perry-branded movies to open to less than $20 million ($17.4 million and $11.2 million, respectively), though For Colored Girls also debuted below that mark ($19.5 million). Similar to all of those, Good Deeds is Madea-free and leans dramatic, so it's also likely to wind up in this range. Lionsgate is currently forecasting between $12 and $15 million.

Exactly one month before it was set to open last October, Wanderlust was bumped back to its current Feb. 24 release date. That late move, combined with the fewest theaters for a Judd Apatow production in over a decade, seems to indicate that distributor Universal Pictures has had a tough time coming up with the right strategy for the movie. Star Paul Rudd and director David Wain's last collaboration, Role Models, opened to $19.2 million in November 2008, and one would think adding Jennifer Aniston for Wanderlust would only help matters. Unfortunately, while Aniston is coming off of two $100 million movies, she's also recently starred in duds like The Switch and Love Happens, which debuted to $8.4 million and $8.1 million, respectively. Based on current tracking, Universal is expecting an opening of less than $10 million.

Gone will likely be the big loser this weekend, though it could surprise if young girls turn out in unexpected numbers. Prior to Gone, Amanda Seyfried received sole top-billing in Letters to Juliet and Red Riding Hood, which opened to $13.5 million and $14 million. Gone has had a much less-energetic marketing effort, though, and with its generic title and non-descript plot it should fall far short of those numbers. Summit is predicting an opening in the mid-to-high single digits.

Downton Abbey Finale Earns Biggest PBS Ratings in Three Years

The Season 2 finale of Downton Abbey on PBS drew a whopping 5.4 million viewers in its first airing to post the network's biggest audience in nearly three years.

The two-hour closer was PBS' most-watched program since the 2009 premiere of Ken Burns' National Parks and was also more than double the average prime-time PBS viewership.

"PBS and our member stations are so pleased that such a large audience is enjoying this great work from Masterpiece," PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement. "From viewing parties to Twitter mentions, Downton Abbey is riding a wave of public enthusiasm, and it's been wonderful to see so many people discovering public television as a destination for programming that's smart, distinctive and entertaining."

Overall, Season 2 was up by 25 percent over the first season.

Season 3, which will feature new cast member Shirley MacLaine, is currently in production in England and is scheduled to hit stateside early next year

Weekend Report: 'Safe House' Secures Presidents Day Lead

After finishing in third on Friday, Safe House played well on Saturday and Sunday and edged past The Vow and the disappointing Ghost Rider sequel to claim first place over Presidents Day Weekend. Journey 2 held extremely well and is estimated to have taken first place on Monday, while This Means War opened decently in fifth. For the four-day weekend, the Top 12 earned an estimated $173 million, which is a 10 percent improvement from the same weekend last year.

Safe House was off 29 percent to an estimated $28.4 million for the four-day weekend. Through 11 days the movie has made $82.6 million, which ranks second among Denzel Washington movies behind American Gangster ($83.3 million). Safe House is currently on pace to easily exceed $100 million, making it just the fourth Denzel movie ever to reach that level.

In its second outing, The Vow fell 35 percent to an estimated $26.6 million. That's a very solid hold given that the movie has already raked in tons of money between its huge opening weekend and its impressive Valentine's Day performance. On Sunday, The Vow passed Dear John ($80 million) to become Sony/Screen Gem's highest-grossing movie ever, and its total is expected to reach $88.5 million through Monday.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island dipped just three percent over the holiday weekend to an estimated $26.4 million. The movie is already at over $59 million, and is currently tracking $14 million ahead of the original Journey to the Center of the Earth. At this point, at least, that movie's $101.7 million total seems well within reach.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance flamed out this weekend with a meek $25.7 million start at 3,174 locations (65 percent of which came from 3D presentations at 2,352 locations). That opening is less than half the four-day start of the original Ghost Rider on the same weekend in 2007 ($52 million), which is a nearly unprecedented drop for a sequel.

An abundance of factors contributed to Ghost Rider's decline. While Nicolas Cage has been getting away with the over-the-top shtick for a while now, his star has faded in recent years with an abundance of bizarre and disappointing projects like The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Season of the Witch and Drive Angry. More important than Cage, though, is the fact that audiences probably weren't all that interested in a sequel to Ghost Rider in the first place. The original movie has a 5.2 rating on IMDb, which is atrocious considering fanboy fare usually gets a break on the site.

The nail in the coffin, so to speak, could have been the lengthy time off between the original and the sequel. As odd as this may sound, a good comparison is Happy Feet Two. Both Spirit of Vengeance and Happy Feet Two added 3D and were released exactly five years after their first movies. Happy Feet Two's opening was 51 percent of Happy Feet's, while Spirit of Vengeance's was 49 percent of Ghost Rider's. This seems to indicate that unless you have a monster of a brand (even with four years off, The Dark Knight Rises will probably be in good shape), you really shouldn't wait too long on the sequel.

One bright spot is that the budget for Spirit of Vengeance was just $57 million, or around half of the first movie's $110 million budget (our trusted source at Sony originally reported Ghost Rider 2's budget at $75 million, but said he accidently switched the numbers and sent along the revised figure on Sunday). Regardless, Ghost Rider is an established brand and the movie had a robust marketing effort, so it really should have opened much higher than $25.7 million.

Ghost Rider's audience was 61 percent male and 48 percent under the age of 25, and there is not currently a CinemaScore available.

Box Office Preview: 'Ghost Rider' Hopes to Burn Competition Over Presidents Day Weekend

Action could trump romance post-Valentine's Day as Nicolas Cage sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance looks to dominate the long Presidents Day Weekend.

Domestic box office observers believe the Sony action pic, based on the Marvel Comics character, could open to $35 million through Monday, a holiday. Sony co-financed and co-produced the film with Hyde Park Entertainment.

Hollywood is hoping for another strong weekend at the domestic office, which has prospered so far this year after a dismal 2011. Attendance is up nearly 15 percent year to date, while revenues are up more than 14 percent.

The first Ghost Rider, opening on the same weekend in 2007, turned into a surprise box office hit, opening to $45.4 million domestically and ultimately cuming $228 million worldwide.

Screen Gems and Spyglass' The Vow and Universal's Denzel Washington-Ryan Reynolds starrer Safe House are expected to remain strong players in their second weekend following powerhouse openings last weekend. On Valentine's Day alone, The Vow, pairing Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum, grossed a record-breaking $11.6 million, the best midweek showing ever for the holiday.

The Vow's domestic gross through Tuesday was $56.1 million, while Safe House's was $49.2 million.

Twentieth Century Fox's This Means War, starring Rachel McAdams, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy, will battle to catch up with Safe House and The Vow in its official debut. A romantic action comedy, This Means War grossed a strong $1.7 million in preview on Valentine's Day.

Conservative estimates show This Means War posting a four-day opening gross in the $14 million to $15 million range, although some box office obsevers believe the film could approach $20 million in its four-day opening.

The third new entry over the holiday weekend is Japanese animated film The Secret Life of Arrietty, which Disney is distributing via its deal with Japan's Studio Ghibl (Ponyo, Spirited Away). The film, released internationally in 2010 and grossing a stellar $126 million, was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, whose credits include the acclaimed Ponyo.

The U.S. version of Arrietty features a voice cast led by Will Arnett, Amy Poehler and Carol Burnett.

Tracking suggests Arrietty will open in the $10 million to $12 million range for the four-day weekend

TV Pilots 2012: The Complete Guide

Glee's Ryan Murphy tackling a half-hour comedy for NBC. Kevin Williamson bringing his Vampire Diaries sensibilities to Fox for a serial killer drama starring Kevin Bacon. Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes back in business with ABC for a period piece. Josh Schwartz and his Gossip Girl cohorts exploring Carrie Bradshaw's youth at the CW and Greg Berlanti with projects set up at three of the five broadcast networks.

These are a few of the highlights of Pilot Season 2013, where ABC, CBS, NBC, ABC and the CW sift through the numerous development projects and move forward in a bid to find the next breakout comedies and dramas. Here's a look at the pilots in contention for the 2012-13 television season, which THR will be updating through casting season so be sure to bookmark the page and come back for the latest news.

ABC
COMEDY

American Judy
Logline: A cosmopolitan woman gets married, becomes a fish out of water in the suburbs having to juggle stepkids, her mother-in-law and the ex wife of her husband, who also happens to be the town sheriff.
Cast: Judy Greer
Team: W Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont, EP Judy Greer, David Gardner, Peter Principato, Paul Young
Studio: ABC Studios
Format: Single-camera

Counter Culture
Logline: Three aging sisters run their West Texas family diner together, with sibling dynamics always getting in the way.
Cast:
Team: W Stephnie Weir; EP Claudia Lonow
Studio: Sony Pictures Television, ABC Studios
Format: Multicamera

Dan Fogelman's Untitled Alien Comedy
Logline: Centers on a family that moves into a coveted New Jersey gated community only to discover that the entire neighborhood is comprised of aliens disguised as humans.
Cast: Lenny Venito (father of the family), Jami Gertz (mother of the family), Simon Templeman (Wilt Chamberlain, leader of the aliens), Toks Olagundoye (Jackie Joyner Kersee, mother of lead alien family, Tim Jo (Joe Montana, son of the alien family)
Team: D/EP Chris Koch, W/EP Dan Fogelman EP Aaron Kaplan
Studio: ABC Studios, Kapital Entertainment
Format: Single-camera

How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life
Logline: Polly, a recently divorced single mom, moves in with her eccentric parents, Elaine and Max, a couple who's full of life but knows no bounds.
Cast: Sarah Chalke
Team: W/EP Claudia Lonow; EP Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Francie Calfo
Studio: 20th Television, Imagine TV
Format: Single-camera

Malibu Country
Logline: After her "good 'ol boy" rock star husband cheats on her and burns through most of their money, Reba divorces him and moves her three kids and mom from Nashville to the only asset they have left—a little house in Malibu.  There she’ll try to reignite her own singing career and keep herself and her three kids from being corrupted by the materialistic and rarified Malibu world she now calls home.
Cast: Reba McEntire
Team: W Kevin Abbott, EP Reba McEntire, Mindy Schultheis, Michael Hanel, Pam Williams, Dave Stewart, Narvel Blackstock
Studio: ABC Studios
Format: Multicamera

Only Fools and Horses
Logline: Based on the British format, the comedy chronicles the misadventures of two streetwise brothers and their aging grandfather as they concoct outrageous, morally questionable get-rich-quick schemes in their quest to become millionaires.
Cast:
Team: W Steven Cragg, Brian Bradley
Studio: ABC Studios
Format: Multicamera

Prairie Dog
Logline: Neil, an uncool cubicle worker (“prairie dog”) at one of the coolest companies in the world, is the victim of identity theft.  When he discovers the thief has created a much more fulfilling, kick ass life with his identity than he ever has, he engages the charismatic conman to help him change his life.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Jackie & Jeff Filgo
Studio: ABC Studios
Format: Single-camera

The Smart One
Logline: A brilliant and successful woman (Portia de Rossi) who begrudgingly goes to work for her less-brainy but more popular sister -- a former beauty queen, weather girl and now big-city mayor.
Cast: Portia de Rossi
Team: EP/W Donald Todd, EP Ellen DeGeneres, Lauren Corrao
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, A Very Good Production
Format: Multicamera

Untitled Kari Lizer project
Logline: Hilary Pfeiffer-Dunne, a high powered executive who has dominated corporate America for years, faces the biggest challenge of her life when she finds herself unemployed and acting as a full-time mom to her two teenagers.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Kari Lizer
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Kari's Logo Here
Format: Multicamera

Untitled Adam Sztykiel project
Logline: A raw and hilarious peek behind the curtain of modern twentysomething relationships.
Cast:
Team: W/co-EP Adam Sztykiel; EP Sean Perrone, Aaron Kaplan
Studio: 20th Television
Format: Single-camera

Untitled Mandy Moore
Logline: Newlyweds Annie (Mandy Moore) and Ben get the opportunity of a lifetime to run a hip, new restaurant in Annie's hometown bringing her closer to her needy and high-maintenance family.
Cast: Mandy Moore
Team: W Bob Fisher, Stacy Traub; EP/D Shawn Levy; EP Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements; P John Leshay
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television
Format: Single-camera

White Van Man
Logline: Based on the British format, revolves around a man who is forced to put his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father.
Cast: Kyle Bornheimer, J.K. Simmons
Team: W/EP Bobby Bowman; EP Mark Gordon, Andrea Shay, Paul Buccieri; D Michael Fresco
Studio: ABC Studios, Mark Gordon Co.
Format: Single-camera

DRAMA
666 Park Ave.
Logline: When a young couple accepts an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City, they unwittingly begin to experience supernatural occurrences, which complicate and endanger the lives of everyone in the building. Based on the book by Gabriella Pierce.
Cast:
Team: W/EP David Wilcox; EP Leslie Morgenstein, Gina Girolamo; D Alex Graves
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Alloy Entertainment

Americana
Logline: A soap revolving around a legendary fashion designer and his family business.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Michael Seitzman, EP Mark Gordon, Nicholas Pepper; D Phillip Noyce
Studio: ABC Studios

Beauty and the Beast
Logline: A fantasy reimagining of the classic fairy tale set in a mythical, dangerous world where a beautiful and tough princess discovers an unlikely connection with a mysterious beast.
Cast:
Team: W Jon Steinberg; EP Gary Fleder, Mary Beth Basile; D Yves Simoneau
Studio: ABC Studios, Mojo Films

Devious Maids
Logline: Based on the Mexican format, this soap follows four maids with ambition and dreams of their own while they work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Marc Cherry; EP Sabrina Wind, Paul Presburger, David Lonner, Larry Shuman, Michael Garcia, John Mass; D Paul McGuigan
Studio: ABC Studios

Gilded Lilys
Logline: Revolves around the opening of the first luxury hotel in New York in 1895 and the intermingling of love, treachery and disdain between the classes set against a backdrop of vicious family rivalries, scandalous secrets and conflict and co-mingling of the classes.
Cast: Blythe Danner, Sarah Bolger, Madeline Zima
Team: W/EP KJ Steinberg, EPs Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers; D Brian Kirk
Studio: ABC Studios, Shondaland

Gotham
Logline:After pursuing a seemingly unsolvable case, a female cop discovers a magical world that exists within New York City. A world that goes unseen by normal humans takes all of the familiar N.Y. landmarks and reinvents them in a magical, otherworldly manner.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Michael Green, EP Erwin Stoff; D Francis Lawrence
Studio: 20th Television

The Last Resort
Logline: Centers on the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine who, after ignoring an order to fire nuclear missiles, wind up being hunted and escape to a NATO outpost where they declare themselves to be the world's smallest nuclear nation.
Cast: Daniel Lissing, Andre Braugher, Daisy Betts, Autumn Reeser
Team: W/EP Karl Gajdusek, Shawn Ryan; EP Marney Hochman Nash; EP/D Martin Campbell
Studio: Sony Pictures Television

Nashville
Logline: A family soap set against the backdrop of the Nashville music scene revolving around one star at her peak and another on the rise.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Callie Khouri; EP/D RJ Cutler; EP Steve Buchanan/Grand Ole Opry
Studio: ABC Studios, Lionsgate, Gaylord Entertainment

Penoza
Logline: Based on the Dutch format, PENOZA centers on the widow of an assassinated criminal who is forced to adopt her husband’s role in a crime syndicate in order to protect her family.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Melissa Rosenberg; EP Alon Aranya, Howard Klein
Studio: ABC Studios, Endemol Studios

Untitled Roland Emmerich election drama
Logline: An astrophysics grad student in NYC learns that he is the chosen one to destroy the forces of evil.
Cast: Max Thieriot
Team: W/D Roland Emmerich, EP Mark Gordon, Nicholas Pepper; W/EP Harold Kloser
Studio: ABC Studios, the Mark Gordon Co.

Scruples
Logline: Based on the Judith Krantz novel, the sexy soap is set in the late 1970s and follows a socialite who, following her husband's death, seeks to open a fashion-forward boutique in the heart of Beverly Hills.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Bob Brush, Mel Harris; EP Tony Krantz, Annette Savitch, Natalie Portman
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Flame Ventures

Zero Hour
Logline: A bizarre twist of fate pulls a man who's spent 20 years as the editor of a skeptics magazine into one of the most compelling conspiracies in human history.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Paul Scheuring; EP Lorenzo DiBonaventura, Dan McDermott
Studio: ABC Studios

CBS
COMEDY

Friend Me
Logline: Twentysomething best friends Evan and Rob move from their hometown of Bloomington, Ind., to L.A. to begin their new lives working at Groupon. Evan has trouble breaking his old slothful habits and rather than go out after work to explore L.A. and meet new people, prefers to play online poker with his friends back home. Rob has different plans and is determined to drag Evan, kicking and screaming, along with him.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Alan Kirschenbaum, Ajay Sahgal; EP Eric Tannenbaum, Kim Tannenbaum
Studio: CBS Television Studios, Tannenbaum Co.
Format:

Partners
Logline: A personal story of two lifelong friends and their business partners. Architects Charlie and Louis' friendship has lasted longer than either of their romantic relationships and almost seems like a weird marriage. When Charlie decides to propose to his girlfriend, Louis' neurotic attempts to be supportive nearly result in the breakup of his own relationship.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Max Mutchnick, David Kohan
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, KoMut Entertainment
Format:

Super Fun Night
Logline: Revolves around three nerdy female friends on their "funcomfortable" quest to have "super fun" every Friday night.
Cast: Rebel Wilson
Team: W/co-EP Rebel Wilson, EPs Conan O'Brien, Jeff Ross, David Kissinger
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Conaco
Format: Multicamera

Untitled Dorf/Falcone project
Logline: Comedy series about a 37-year-old man (Ben Falcone) who loses everything he has in the real estate collapse and finds himself back at home in the house he grew up in ... with his parents.
Cast: Ben Falcone
Team: W Ben Falcone, Larry Dorf; co-EP Melissa McCarthy
Studio: Warner Bros. Television
Format: Multicamera

Untitled Greg Malins/Greg Berlanti project
Logline: Nick has a health scare and realizes Wendy, his best friend and business partner of 15 years, is "the one." Now he has to figure out how to break it to her.
Cast: Joanna Garcia Swisher
Team: W/EP Greg Malins and Greg Berlanti
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Berlanti Productions
Format:

Untitled Louis C.K., Spike Feresten
Logline: An ensemble comedy revolving around young people as they try to achieve their creative dreams in these tough financial times.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Louis C.K., Spike Feresten; EP Gail Berman, Lloyd Braun, Gene Stein
Studio: Berman/Braun, Universal Television, CBS Television Studios
Format:

Untitled Nick Stoller
Logline: Loosely based on Stoller's real-life experiences, the ensemble revols around a gy who gets his heart broken by his girlfriend and now must work one cubicle away from her at an ad agency.
Cast: Michael Angarano
Team: W/EP/D Nicholas Stoller, EP Katherine Pope, Peter Chernin;
Studio: Chernin Entertainment, 20th Television
Format: Single-camera

DRAMA
Applebaum
Logline: Based on Ayelet Waldman’s Mommy Track Mysteries series of books in which a former public defender becomes a private investigator to keep from being bored to death as a stay-at-home mom.
Cast:
Team: EP/W Ayelet Waldman; EP Jennifer Levin, Sherri Cooper; EP/D Chris Columbus
Studio: CBS Television Studios

Baby Big Shot
Logline: A legal drama that centers on a working-class woman who uses her street smarts to compete with her more polished colleagues at a top New York law firm.
Cast:
Team: W/Co-EP Dana Calvo, EP/Showrunner Kevin Falls; EP Jamie Tarses, Julia Franz
Studio: Sony Pictures Television/CBS Television Studios, Fanfare

Elementary
Logline: A modern take on the cases of Sherlock Holmes, with the famed detective now living in New York City.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Robert Doherty; EPs Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly; D Michael Cuesta
Studio: CBS Television Studios

Untitled Wootton/Berlanti (previously Golden Boy)
Logline: Revolves around the making of a man and tracks one cop's meteoric rise from officer to detective to police commissioner.
Cast: Chi McBride, Kevin Alejandro, Ryan Phillippe
Team: W/EP Nicholas Wootton, EP Greg Berlanti; D/EP Richard Shepard
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Berlanti Productions

Quean
Logline: An edgy and independent millennial hacker girl teams up with an Oakland police detective to solve crimes.
Cast:
Team: EP/W Ilene Chaiken; EP Joel Silver
Studio: Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros. Television, Silver Pictures

Trooper
Logline: A common-sense mother-turned-New York state trooper.
Cast:
Team: EP/ W Aron Eli Coleite; EP Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman; co-EP KristieAnne Reed; D Craig Gillespie
Studio: Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Warner Bros. Television

Untitled Ralph Lamb
Logline:Period piece set in the 1960s centered on the true story of Ralph Lamb – rodeo cowboy turned longtime Sheriff of Las Vegas.
Cast:
Team: EP/W Nicholas Pileggi, Greg Walker; EP/D James Mangold; EP Kathy Konrad, Arthur Sarkissian
Studio: CBS Television Studios

Widow Detective
Logline: A decorated police detective becomes a surrogate husband, lover and father to the families of three partners lost in the line of duty.
Cast:
Team: W/EP David Hubbard; EP Carol Mendelsohn, Julie Weitz; D: Davis Guggenheim
Studio: CBS Television Studios

NBC
COMEDY

Animal Kingdom
Logline: An office comedy revolving around a House-like veterinarian who loves animals but typically hates their owners.
Cast: Justin Kirk
Team: EP/W Alex Tanaka; EP Scot Armstrong, Ravi Nandan; D Anthony and Joe Russo
Studio: Universal Television, American Work
Format: Single-camera

Daddy's Girls
Logline: Revolves around a young woman who returns home from overseas to find her father in a serious relationship with the "mean girl" from her high school.
Cast: Christine Woods, Brenda Song
Team: W/EP Dana Klein; EP Aaron Kaplan; D Pam Fryman
Studio: 20th Television, Kapital Entertainment
Format: Multicamera

Downwardly Mobile
Logline: The proprietor of a mobile home park serves as a surrogate mother to all the unique people who live there in a challenging economy.
Cast: Roseanne Barr, John Goodman
Team: EP/W Eric Gilliland, Roseanne Barr, John Argent; D Gail Mancuso
Studio: 20th Television
Format: Multicamera

Friday Night Dinner
Logline: An adaptation of the British series that revolves around the Goodmans, a traditional Jewish family as they observe Shabbat dinners in which twentysomething brothers Adam and Jonny visit their parents.
Cast: Tony Shalhoub, Allison Janney, Kevin Bigley, Gil Ozeri, Aya Cash
Team: EP/W Greg Daniels; EP Howard Klein; EP/D Ken Kwapis
Studio: Universal Television, Big Talk Television, Deedle Dee Productions, 3 Arts
Format: Single-camera

Go On
Logline: An irreverent yet charming sportscaster tries to move on from loss and finds solace from the members of his mandatory group therapy sessions.
Cast:
Team: EP/W Scott Silveri; EP/D Todd Holland; EP Karey Burke
Studio: Universal Television
Format: Single-camera

Isabel
Logline: Inspired by the French-Canadian series Le Monde De Charlotte, a normal angry middle-class family wrestles with the challenges of everyday life while raising a daughter with magical qualities.
Cast: Marcia Gay Harden, Kevin Nealon, Sophia Schloss, Abigail Mavity, Skyler Gisondo
Team: W/EP Howard Busgang, Tom Nursall; EP Aaron Kaplan, Jocelyn Deschenes, Karey Burke; D/EP Todd Holland
Studio: Universal Television, Kapital Entertainment, Sphere Media, Dark Toy
Format: Single-camera

Next Caller Please
Logline: A gender comedy revolving around a brash alpha male DJ and his feminist co-host set in the office of a satellite radio station.
Cast:
Team: EP Stephen Falk; D Marc Buckland
Studio: Lionsgate Television, Universal Television
Format: Single-camera

The New Normal
Logline: Revolves around a blended family of a gay couple and the woman who becomes a surrogate for them as they grow their family.
Cast: Andrew Rannells, Ellen Barkin
Team: W/EP/D Ryan Murphy; W/EP Ali Adler
Studio: 20th Television, Ryan Murphy Productions
Format: Single-camera

The Sarah Silverman Project
Logline: Revolves around a woman readjusting to single life following a decadelong live-in relationship. Loosely based on Silverman's life.
Cast: Sarah Silverman, Harris Wittels, June Raphael, Tig Notaro, Ken Leung
Team: W/EP Sarah Silverman, Dan Sterling, Jon Schroeder; EP Ron Howard, Brian Grazer,
Francie Calfo; EP/D Ken Kwapis
Studio: 20th TV, Imagine TV
Format: Single-camera

Save Me
Logline: A woman who lets herself go in a broken marriage transforms into a version of herself and creates miracles along the way.
Cast: Anne Heche, Alexandra Breckenridge, Michael Landes
Team: W/EP John Scott Shepherd, D/EP Scott Winant; EP Neal Moritz, Vivian Cannon
Studio: Sony Pictures Television, Original Film & Television
Format: Single-camera

Untitled Hilary Winston
Logline: A shy and focused woman leans on her co-workers in a bid to come out of her shell and plot revenge after being dumped by her fiancé.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Hilary Winston; EP Jamie Tarses, Julia Franz; D Adam Shankman
Studio: Sony Pictures Television
Format: Single-camera

Untitled Jimmy Fallon
Logline: Three thirtysomething guys who enjoy the adventures of parenting despite the fact that they haven't grown up themselves.
Cast:
Team: EP/W Charlie Grandy; EP Jimmy Fallon, Amy Ozols; D Scott Ellis
Studio: Universal Television, Holiday Road
Format: Multicamera

Untitled Kari Lizer
Logline: Two friends, Nicole and Jen, who lead vastly different lives. Nicole has a perfect family and trouble-free pregnancy; while Jen has a strained relationship with her family, trouble with men and gained weight while on a diet.
Cast: Andrea Anders
Team: W/EP Kari Lizer; D Scott Ellis
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Kari's Logo Here
Format: Multicamera

DRAMA
Bad Girls
Logline: Adapted from the long-running U.K. series, follows the ins and outs of a group of unlikely women in a federal prison: a scandalous female warden, her new protégé and a host of inmates -- some mothers, some friends -- who struggle with loyalties to people on the inside and outside.
Cast:
Team: EP/W Nancy Pimental; EP John Wells, Andrew Stearn
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Shed Media, John Wells Productions

Beautiful People
Logline: An imaginative and thematically rich ensemble "what-if" drama set 10 minutes in the future where families of mechanical human beings exist to service the human population -- until some of the mechanicals begin to "awaken."
Cast: James Murray, Patrick Heusinger, Frances Conroy, Andrea Parker, Jud Tylor, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Madisen Beatey, Cody Christian, David Conrad, Tovah Feldshuh, Ernie Hudson (r)
Team: W/EP Michael McDonald; EP Robert M. Sertner; Co-EP Kate Garwood; EP/D Stephen Hopkins
Studio: ABC Studios/Universal Television

Chicago Fire
Logline: Action-driven drama exploring the complex and heroic men and women of the Chicago Fire Department
Cast:
Team: W/EP Derek Haas, Michael Brandt; EP Dick Wolf, Danielle Gelber, Peter Jankowski; D Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Studio: Universal Television, Wolf Films

County
Logline: Revolves around the lives of a group of young doctors, nurses and administrators in a frenetic underfunded and morally compromising L.A. County hospital.
Cast: Jason Ritter, Aimee Garcia, Michael B. Jordan
Team: W/EP Jason Katims
Studio: Universal Television

Do No Harm
Logline: A brilliant neurosurgeon wrestles with his dangerous alter-ego that threatens to wreak havoc on his personal and processional life.
Cast:
Team: W/EP David Schulner; EP Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan; Co-EP/D Michael Mayer
Studio: Universal Television

The FrontierLogline: Revolves around a group who follows their dreams and heads West from Missouri across the uncharted country in the 1840s.
Cast: Ethan Embry, Megan Ferguson, Jake McLaughlin, Bridget Regan, Al Weaver, Gina Bramhill
Team: W/EP Shaun Cassidy; EP/D Thomas Schlamme; EP Jeff Kwatinetz, Josh Barry
Studio: Sony Pictures Television, Prospect Park

Midnight Sun 
Logline: A thriller in which a female FBI cult specialist begins to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a group commune in Alaska who uncovers a larger conspiracy in the process. Based on an Israeli format.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Lisa Zwerling, EPs Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Alon Aranya, Efrat Shmayadron, Minit Toovi, Noah Stollman, Oded Davidoff
Studio: Universal Television

Revolution
Logline: Follows a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Eric Kripke (Supernatural), J.J. Abrams; EP Bryan Burk; D Jon Favreau
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Bad Robot

FOX
COMEDY

Ben Fox Is My Manny
Logline: A single mother gets an assist from her brother who moves in with her to help her raise her baby. The title character is a heightened version of Fox's brother, Ben Fox.
Cast: Maggie Jones
Team: W/EP Dana Fox; EPs Peter Chernin, Katherine Pope; D Jake Kasdan
Studio: 20th Television, Chernin Entertainment
Format: Single-camera

El Jefe (aka The Boss)
Logline: Tossed out of his Brentwood home, an affable but lost 30-year-old guy moves in with his longtime Latin American nanny and goes head to head with her strong-willed son and finds himself in a family and work life very different than the ones he grew up in.
Cast:
Team: W/EP David Guarascio, Moses Port; D Michael Patrick Jann
Studio: Sony Pictures Television
Format: Single-camera

The Goodwin Games
Logline: High-concept family comedy about a father who leaves his fortune to his three children -- only if they agree to his terms.
Cast: Becki Newton
Team: W/EP Carter Bays, Craig Thomas, Chris Harris
Studio: 20th Television
Format: Single-camera

Let It GoLogline: Ensemble comedy about a married couple, his best friend and her sister as they try to navigate, negotiate and sometimes manipulate society's unspoken rules.
Cast:
Team: W/EP DJ Nash; EP Peter Tolan, Michael Wimer
Studio: Sony Pictures Television, Fedora
Format: Single-camera

Like Father
Logline: Comedy centering on a father-son relationship, inspired by Lawrence's real-life experience.
Cast:
Team: W/D/EP Bill Lawrence; EP Jeff Ingold
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Doozer
Format: Single-camera
Little Brother
Logline: A man learns he has a half-brother who happens to be an ex-con.
Cast: John Stamos, T.J. Miller, Rosa Salazar
Team: W Fintan Ryan, Mike Royce; EP Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Jimmy Mulville; Co-EP: Fintan Ryan
Studio: 20th Century Fox Television, Adelstein Productions, Hat Trick
Format: Multicamera

Living Loaded
Logline: A partying blogger is forced to change career plans when he becomes a radio host.
Cast: Mike Vogel (second position to Pan Am), Michael Marc Friedman
Team: W/EPs Rob McElhenney, Rob Rosell, Dan Dunn; EP Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Nick Frenkel, Michael Rotenberg
Studio: FX Prods., 3 Arts
Format: Single-camera

Must HireLogline: An uptight, young executive hires his dad for an entry-level position and is shocked to discover that his new hire is a disruptive office clown.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Eli Jorne, Reed Agnew; EP Jamie Tarses
Studio: Sony Pictures Television
Format: Single-camera

Prodigy Bully
Logline: Based on the one-minute movies by Hank Perlman, a young boy genius uses his brains and brawn to get what ever he wants.
Cast: Mike O'Malley
Team: W/Co-EP Mike O'Malley, EP John Wells, Paris Barclay, Andrew Stearn
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, John Wells Productions
Format: Single-camera

Rebounding
Logline: An uplifting comedy about a man recovering from the death of his fiancé with the help of the idiots on his pickup basketball team.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Joe Port, Joe Wiseman; EP Steve Levitan; D Jason Winer
Studio: 20th Television
Format: Single-camera

Untitled Mindy Kaling comedy
Logline: A young Bridget Jones-type doctor tries to navigate her personal and professional lives.
Cast: Mindy Kaling
Team: W/EP Mindy Kaling; EP Howard Klein
Studio: Universal Television
Format: Single-camera

DRAMA
The Asset
Logline: Spy drama that revolves around a female agent set in the New York office of the CIA.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Josh Friedman; D Neil Burger
Studio: 20th Television

Guilty
Logline: Centers on a smart and ethically questionable defense attorney who uses his unique methods to solve cases he's been banned from handling after he's stripped of his license to practice law after being falsely convicted of fraud.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Greg Berlanti, EP Marc Guggenheim, Peter Johnson; EP/D McG
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Bonanza Productions, Berlanti Productions, Wonderland Sound and Vision

Untitled Karyn Usher project
Logline: The orphaned 17-year-old daughter of a CIA operative encounters a mysterious rogue agent/assassin who serves as both her surrogate father and professional mentor in the spy world.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Karyn Usher; EP Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Shawn Levy; W/EP/D Brett Ratner
Studio: 21 Laps/Adelstein Productions, 20th Television

Untitled Kevin Williamson serial killer drama
Logline: A thriller revolving around a diabolical serial killer who uses technology to create a cult of serial killers and the FBI agent who finds himself in the middle of it.
Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Shawn Ashmore, Valorie Curry
Team: W/EP Kevin Williamson; D Marcos Siega
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Outerbanks Entertainment

Untitled Josh Berman medical drama
Logline: A young female thoracic surgeon who becomes indebted to the South Chicago mafia is forced to moonlight as a "mob doctor" while also working full-time at Chicago's most prominent hospital.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Josh Berman, Robert Wright; D/EP Michael Dinner
Studio: Sony Pictures Television

CW
DRAMA

Arrow
Logline: Based on the DC Comics title, published by DC Entertainment, this hourlong drama is a modern retelling of the legendary DC Comics character Green Arrow.
Cast: Stephen Amell, David Ramsey
Team: EP/W Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg (The Vampire Diaries)
Studio: Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Beauty and the Beast

Logline: Loosely based on CBS’ Beauty and the Beast series from the 1980s, this is a modern-day romantic love story with a procedural twist.

Cast:
Team: EP/W Jennifer Levin, Sherri Cooper; EP Paul J. Witt, C. Anthony Thomas, Ron Koslow, Bill Haber; D Gary Fleder
Studio: CBS Television Studios

The Carrie Diaries
Logline: Based on the novel by Candace Bushnell, a young Carrie Bradshaw comes of age in the 1980s, asking her first questions about love, sex, friendship and family while exploring the worlds of high school and Manhattan.
Cast:
Team: EP/W Amy Harris (Sex and the City, Gossip Girl); EP Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Len Goldstein, Candace Bushnell; EP/D Miguel Arteta
Studio: Fake Empire in association with Warner Bros. Television

Cult
Logline: An inquisitive, young female production assistant on a wildly popular television show joins a journalist blogger in investigating the show's rabid fans. Together, the duo finds the fans might be recreating crime scenes from the show in their real lives -- behavior that has lead to a rash of disappearances and a likely murder.
Cast: Jessica Lucas, Alona Tal
Team: EP Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Len Goldstein; EW/W Rockne O'Bannon (Farscape)
Studio: Warner Bros. TV, Fake Empire

First Cut
Logline: Glad to leave her nerdy past behind for a fresh start in the adult professional world, a newly minted doctor discovers that, sadly and comically, life at the hospital where she works is no different than high school.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Jennie Snyder Urman; EP Dan Jinks
Studio: CBS Television Studios

Joey Dakota
Logline: Based on the Israeli format Danny Hollywood.  In this romantic-time-travel-musical, a documentary filmmaker travels back in time to the 1990’s where she meets and falls in love with the rock star subject of her film. When she unexpectedly returns to present day, she must find her way back to the past to reunite with her love and prevent his untimely death.
Cast:
Team: W: Bert Royal; EP Mark Harmon, Kim Tannenbaum, Eric Tannenbaum, Martha Haight
Studio: CBS Television Studios, Harmon/Tannenbaum

Shelter
Logline: Drama set at an historic New England summer resort where the new and returning staff attend to the practical, emotional and often comical needs of the guests while navigating friendships, rivalries and romances of their own.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Mark Schwahn; EP J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk
Studio: Warner Bros. Television, Bad Robot Productions, Mastermind Laboratories

The Selection
Logline: Based on the forthcoming series of books by Kiera Cass, The Selection is an epic romance set 300 years in the future which centers on a poor young woman who is chosen by lottery to participate in a competition to become the next queen of a war-torn nation at a crossroads.
Cast:
Team: W/EP Elizabeth Craft, Sarah Fain; D Mark Piznarski
Studio: Warner Bros. Television

Grammy Awards 2012: Adele takes home six awards

The Grammys cast aside their celebratory vibe Sunday to pay tribute to singer Whitney Houston, whose death over the weekend hung heavy over the 54th annual awards show.

Until Saturday, the pre-show drama had focused on Adele and how the six-time-nominee would fare in her first public performance since canceling a tour and having surgery on her vocal cords.
A glowing Adele did not disappoint, nor was she disappointed. She won six Grammys, including the Big Three: song and record of the year for “Rolling in the Deep,” and album of the year for “21.” Earlier in the night, she thanked “the doctors who brought my voice back.” That voice sound a touch raspy at points, but her resolve surged as she powered through “Rolling in the Deep.” Without much more than a few hand gestures and a couple of shy smiles, she commanded the screen like few performers during the 3 ½-hour nationally televised broadcast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. A great song and a great voice will do that for you.

She described her winning album “21” as being about something “everyone’s been through … which is a rubbish relationship,” and that universality translated to the year’s biggest-selling and now most-acclaimed recording.

Houston’s death in a Los Angeles hotel room Saturday put the Grammys into scramble mode, as they altered the telecast schedule and devised an appropriate tribute to the pop icon. “We’ve had a death in our family,” host LL Cool J said. He offered “a prayer for a woman we loved, for a fallen sister.”

Jennifer Hudson performed a stark version of the Dolly Parton song that Houston made her own, “I Will Always Love You,” on “The Bodyguard” soundtrack. Hudson, one of countless singers influenced by Houston’s pop-gospel sound, played it straight and true, pushing her voice hard in the final turn, the slight cracking exposing the intensity of emotion that underlined this annual music-industry gathering.

“There’s a little bit of a dark cloud …  a lot of people are heartbroken,” country singer Miranda Lambert said before the telecast. But “we can let music heal us.”

Bruce Springsteen came not to heal but to incite. He kicked open the telecast with a song that rocked the building, brought a clapping Paul McCartney out of his seat and expressed no small measure of discontent in an election year. “Where’s the promise from sea to shining sea?” Springsteen sang on “We Take Care of Our Own,” from his forthcoming album. He was backed up by an orchestra, but the sound that came through was clanging guitars and thundering Max Weinberg drums.

The telecast was rife with curious decisions. Chris Brown, who only three years ago backed out of the Grammys amid a criminal proceeding involving an assault on the singer Rihanna, scored multiple appearances. Yet the Grammys made only passing mentions to the late “Soul Train” founder Don Cornelius and jazz-poet Gil Scott-Heron.

A few other winners, losers, oddities and observations among the 78 Grammy categories:

“This is ridiculous!”: So said Adele after receiving her fifth Grammy. The remark wasn’t directed at Nicki Minaj, who did some serious “Exorcist”-style button-pushing in a Gothic song-and-dance number, but could anyone blame her if it was?

Second-hand James Brown tribute: In gold suit and pompadour, Bruno Mars tried to channel the Godfather of a Soul, but I’m hearing the influence of his old tour mate, Janelle Monae, who makes the James Brown attitude her own. Mars did get off a good line, though, demanding that the audience “get off your rich (behinds) and let’s have some fun.”

Collaborations, some good, some bad: In general, I’m all for the idea that the Grammys want to mix things up and put artists together who might have a certain chemistry. The Bonnie Raitt-Alicia Keys pairing on an Etta James tribute worked because both artists have a feel for blues-based ballads. But Rihanna was dancing and singing up a storm during “We Fell in Love in a Hopeless Place” before an acoustic duet with Coldplay’s Chris Martin prematurely killed her momentum.

Good vibrations – or not: Speaking of gratuitous collaborations … the Beach Boys reunited with Brian Wilson for the first time in decades, but were compelled to share the stage with lightweights Foster the People and Maroon 5. Wilson isn’t what he used to be as a singer or performer, but he and his bandmates deserved the spotlight to themselves if only for the genius of his songs. “Good Vibrations” still sounds futuristic, like a surf song for Martians.

All is forgiven? Chris Brown performed, ending a three-year hiatus from the Grammys. On Feb 8, 2009, he turned himself in to police in connection with an assault on his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, and then withdrew from performing on that year’s Grammys. On Sunday, he came back to shimmy and gyrate in a prime-time performance, but social media was abuzz with stunned responses. “Sorry, Chris Brown, I’m not over it,” tweeted one pundit.

A little dub step, anyone? Electronic dance music has been blasting out of the clubs and into the arenas in recent years, and that transition was marked by three Grammys for dub-step’s DJ-of-the-moment, Skrillex (a k a Sonny Moore). “This is the most surreal day of my life,” he said. I shared similar feelings about the near-riot Skrillex caused at last year’s Lollapalooza festival in Grant Park when his set turned the dance tent into something resembling a swarming ant hill. It’s unusual for the Grammys to be in step with musical trends (as opposed to a few years behind), but the Skrillex hat trick suggests the Recording Academy has more than a few club-hoppers in its ranks.

Take that, Skrillex! The Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl, in picking up one of the band’s five Grammys, asserted that he hates pretty much everything that electronic-dance-music maven Skrillex stands for, without mentioning Skrillex by name: “The human element of making music is most important. Singing into a microphone, learning to play your instrument … it’s not about being perfect… It’s not about what goes on in a computer, but what goes on in here and what goes on in here (points to head and heart).” Yet later on, the Foo Fighters participated in a live mash-up with DJ Deadmau5. So are computers cool or not, Dave?

Take that, Russell Brand! Katy Perry turned her performance into a not-so-veiled shot at her ex-husband. She donned a blue wig and flexed an S&M theme as she chirped about “the part of me that you’re never, ever gonna take away from me.” But it’s a big supposition to think that anyone else really cares that deeply about any of it.

And the living artist with the most Grammys is … ? Congratulations if you guessed Alison Krauss. She surpassed Quincy Jones with her 28th Grammy for best bluegrass album.

A public farewell: Glen Campbell, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and is in the midst of his farewell tour, bid goodbye on the big stage with a performance of “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Campbell clearly enjoyed the moment, and the audience – fully understanding its significance – showered him with adulation. It also made me wish that the great jazz-funk poet Gil Scott-Heron had been able to enjoy a similar privilege before he died last year, in lieu of the brief, posthumous tribute he received.

Another Grammy first! In winning best new artist, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon provided what was likely the first-ever Grammy shout-out to Eau Claire, Wis.

The Chicago story: Kanye West had a great night with four victories, but didn’t show up to claim any trophies. His “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” won for best rap album and “All of the Lights” for  best rap/sung collaboration and best rap song. He also shared best rap performance with Jay-Z for “Otis.” Jazz harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy shared a Grammy with Bela Fleck for best instrumental composition, "Life in Eleven,"  and former Chicago jazz trumpeter Maurice Brown played on the Tedeschi Trucks Band's "Revelator," which won best blues album. Nominees R. Kelly, Wilco, OK Go, Kurt Elling, Lupe Fiasco and the Numero Group were among those who came home empty-handed.

Redbox, Warner Agreement Ends

Redbox has vowed to continue stocking DVDs and Blu-ray Discs from Warner Home Video through “alternative means,” after an agreement to acquire movies directly from the studio expired Jan. 31.

On Jan. 10 Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group said it was implementing a 56-day embargo on new-release titles, beginning with Netflix, which agreed to the new retail window.

Redbox’s agreement with Warner delayed new-release titles for 28 days, but with that agreement expired, so does that restriction.

“Redbox will continue to provide our consumers with affordable access to new release movies from all major studios, including Warner Brothers, at our more than 28,000 locations nationwide,” said Gary Cohen, SVP of marketing and customer experience at Redbox. “We will work to provide Warner Brothers’ movies through alternative means. Redbox maintains direct working relationships with every other major studio.”

In other Redbox news, Walmart has agreed to host Redbox’s DVD kiosks at more than 3,700 locations through January 2015, the companies announced Jan. 31.

Redbox kiosks have been in Walmart stores since 2006.

“Redbox is proud to be located at America’s favorite retail destinations and to extend our relationship with Walmart,” said Maria Stipp, chief customer officer of Redbox parent Coinstar. “A key component to our success is our extensive retail footprint as it provides consumers greater access to movies and games at a low price.”

Forecast: 'Phantom Menace 3D' Squares Off Against Tatum, Denzel & The Rock

Midnight Update: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace in 3D opened to a solid $1.1 million at midnight screenings last night. More impressive, though, was The Vow's $700,000 midnight gross, which is fairly high for a romance. Finally, Safe House scored a decent $543,000 from 1,034 locations. Based on these results, it's reasonable to expect that all three of these movies finishes with over $20 million this weekend.

Between four new nationwide releases, there appears to be something for any prospective moviegoer this weekend. Nearly thirteen years after it set box office records but left plenty of fans disappointed, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace gets the 3D treatment at 2,655 theaters. It's going to have a tough time taking the top spot, though, with Channing Tatum-Rachel McAdams romance The Vow wooing tons of women at 2,958 locations. Also opening this weekend is Safe House, which finds Denzel Washington back in antagonist territory, and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, which replaces Brendan Fraser with The Rock. Those movies reach 3,118 and 3,470 locations, respectively.

Arriving a full 16 years after Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace was one of the most anticipated movies ever when it opened in May 1999. At the time, it was the fastest movie ever to reach $100 million, and its final tally of $431.1 million currently ranks seventh on the all-time list (21st adjusted for inflation). Reactions were mixed at the time, though: while there were plenty of exciting action set pieces, and it was of course nice to have a new Star Wars adventure, many believed the movie was marred with wooden acting, a dry story and one very bizarre character addition (hint: he lives at the bottom of a lake, and he pronounces the first person plural as "wesa").

Distributor 20th Century Fox's marketing effort seems specifically designed to combat the popular question "Why re-release this movie?" Nearly all of the advertising material highlights either the podrace or the climactic three-way lightsaber duel, both of which are shot in such a way that they seem like a natural fit for 3D. Also, for nearly two-thirds of the 30-second Super Bowl commercial, clips from other Star Wars movies were shown in an attempt to invoke nostalgia for the series as a whole.

So far, the recent crop of 3D re-releases have all been from the Disney animated vault. In September, The Lion King 3D opened to $30.2 million, and just last month Beauty and the Beast 3D scored $17.8 million. Those movies are probably more beloved today, though, and Disney's content is a little bit harder to come by than Star Wars (the Blu-rays were just released in the Fall, and it feels like the entire series accounts for around half of Spike TV's programming). Beyond all of this, though, it's important to remember the obvious fact that Star Wars is Star Wars, and the idea of getting to experience any of it again (or for the first time) on the big screen is an enticing offer. A Fox representative indicated that they are hoping for a $20 million debut.

Aside from its U.S. debut, The Phantom Menace 3D is also opening in 88 other countries this weekend, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom. With a worldwide total of $924.3 million from its original release, it's a near certainty that the re-release pushes the movie over the $1 billion mark.

2011 USC Annenberg Study: Hollywood Hooked on Sexualizing Women and Teen Girls

From USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism News

A new study by USC Annenberg researchers Stacy Smith Marc Choueiti and Stephanie Gall surveys the top 100 grossing movies of 2009 and shows Hollywood’s addiction to films that marginalize and sexualize women is as strong as ever.

Perhaps most troubling were the findings about young teen characters. Professor Smith and her research team of undergraduate students found the same prevalence of sexually revealing clothing and partial nudity in female characters in all age groups from 13 to 39. In fact, 13- to 20-year-olds were just as likely as 21- to 29-year-olds to be depicted that way.

The survey found 33.8 percent of female teen characters were seen in sexy clothing, and 28.2 percent were shown with exposed skin in the cleavage, midriff or upper thigh regions. For male teen characters, the numbers were drastically lower – 5.3 percent shown in sexy clothing and 11.2 percent showing skin.

Sexualizing a significant portion of women this age may contribute to males viewing girls and women as “eye candy” at younger and younger ages, Smith said.

“Viewing sexualized images of females in film may contribute to self-objectification in some girls or women, which – in turn – may increase body shame, appearance anxiety and have other negative effects,” she said.

Elsewhere, Smith’s team found numbers that echo a discouraging trend revealed in her studies of movies from 2007 and 2008.

They examined 4,342 speaking characters in 2009 movies, includingTransformers 2, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, The Twilight Saga New Moon, Up and The Hangover.

Of the speaking characters, 32.8 percent were women and 67.2 percent were men. That equals 2.05 males for every female. The percentage was identical to movies of 2008.

Less than 17 percent of films were gender-balanced, meaning they featured girls or women in 45 to 54.9 percent of speaking roles. Those findings were similar to the previous two years; only 15 percent were gender-balanced in 2008 and 12 percent in 2007.

“The infrequency of females in film is symptomatic of a greater industry issue,” Choueiti said. “Our data show that females are simply not equal in film, in front of or behind the camera.Yet, females control a vast majority of the purchasing decisions in the home and buy roughly half of the tickets at the box office. Hollywood is failing to court one of its most financially lucrative audiences.”

And unfortunately, the unchanged numbers – a lack of gender-balanced movies and women behind the camera – year after year reveal a “norm” in Hollywood that is damaging to women. It’s almost as if the stats reveal a industry formula regarding gender, Smith said.

“It’s completely consistent: there are about 4,300 characters across 100 films per year, and under a third are female. There’s a remarkable stability. It becomes normative without some content creators even thinking about it. It’s a status quo.”

The report is part of a survey conducted yearly by Stacy Smith and Marc Choueiti on the top 100 domestic films

"The Cry Hollywood" set for March 15, 2012

THOUSANDS TO GATHER IN THE HEART OF HOLLYWOOD TO PRAY


On March 15th, 2012, thousands of Christians from California and beyond are expected to Gather in the heart of Universal City (Universal Studios) for a powerful day of prayer, fasting and worship through an event called TheCRY Hollywood. “This is not a concert or a conference,” says Director Faytene Grasseschi (formerly Faytene Kryskow), “this is a CRY for God to move with His love and power in entertainment media in a way that will impact the masses.”

Grasseschi and her team believe in the power of prayer to change things and have conducted 8 similar mass prayer gatherings in the nation of Canada. Through these gatherings they saw remarkable answers to prayer including significant shifts in national political polls on the very days of the gatherings, the advancement of morally based legislation in the Parliament of Canada, a drop in youth stats on issues like drug abuse, a fresh outpouring of the spirit of God in many churches involved and many more tangible, marked, shifts.

More than simply prayer, however, one thing that really marks TheCRY is the spirit of blessing that the gatherings operate in. “Early on the Lord impressed on our hearts the power of loosing life, love and God’s glory through our prayers,” explains Grasseschi. “We are not coming to point fingers or accuse anyone. We believe God has a dream in His heart for everyone and we are here to pray that His dream for a generation breaks out. When it breaks out everything else has to leave. Like Ezekiel did, we want to speak life to dry bones.”

In the past, movements like TheCRY or TheCall, led by Lou Engle, have focused on prayer for a nation or a city. TheCRY Hollywood, however, seeks to pray for a sphere which impacts many nations. That sphere is entertainment media. Attendees and supporters are believing God to touch this sphere that touches the world and is influencing the mind of a generation.

TheCRY will be held at Gibson Amphitheatre on March 15th and many well known international and national leaders are planning to participate. For more information visit www.thecryhollywood.com.