Ratings: Football, Wonderful Life Most Popular over Christmas Weekend

It's A Wonderful Life On Christmas Eve and Christmas, people who squeezed in some television amidst all the opening of presents, eating and visiting the folks went with an old holiday standby and - what else? - football. NBC's airing of It's a Wonderful Life was No. 1 on Saturday night, with Frank Capra's 1946 film starring James Stewart grabbing 4.55 million viewers. First runner-up: ABC's rerunning of 1965's The Sound of Music. Check out the best and worst of 2011 NBC's Sunday Night Football trounced the reruns and holiday fare it was competing with. The football game in which the Green Bay Packers clinched home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs by decisively beating the Chicago Bears averaged 21.24 million viewers, posting a 6.8 rating among industry-prized 18-to-49-year-olds. It produced the highest overnight rating for a game played on Christmas night since 1995.

Oscars 2012: One Star, Two Oscar-Worthy Performances

Because the Oscar race shapes up, several top stars and filmmakers could find their greatest competition for any nomination is ... themselves. A minimum of 10 of the year's greatest overachievers are able to be nominated for not merely one but two movies. And maybe even a lot more than two if you are running odds for, say, Jessica Chastain, how can you decide whether 'The Help,' 'The Tree of Existence,' or 'Take Shelter' is probably to earn her a go in an Academy Award? By reading through our handicapping, below. For additional around the Oscar race, mind to GoldDerby.com [CLICK PHOTO To Produce GALLERY] Oscars 2012: One Star, Two (or even more) Oscar-Worthy Performances George Clooney in 'The Descendants'George Clooney in 'The Ides of March'Brad Pitt in 'Moneyball'Brad Pitt in 'The Tree of Existence'Ryan Gosling in 'The Ides of March'Ryan Gosling in 'Drive'Jessica Chastain in 'The Tree of Existence'Jessica Chastain in 'The Help'Jessica Chastain in 'Take Shelter'Viola Davis in 'The Help'Viola Davis in 'Extremely Noisy and extremely Close'Michael Fassbender in 'Shame'Michael Fassbender in 'A Harmful Method'Carey Mulligan in 'Shame'Carey Mulligan in 'Drive'Steven Spielberg for 'War Equine'Steven Spielberg for 'The Adventures of Tintin'Steve Zaillian for 'Moneyball'Steve Zaillian for 'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo'Abi Morgan for 'Shame'Abi Morgan for 'The Iron Lady' See All Moviefone Art galleries » [Photo: The new sony] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Follow Gary Susman on Twitter: @garysusman

Cheers & Jeers: And also the Champion is.

Bill Hader and Seth Meyers Cheers to Saturday Evening Love generating probably the most Cheers this season!Want more Cheers & Jeers? Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!The venerable NBC skitcom received nine Cheers this year, for outbreaks like Bill Hader, musical visitors for example Rhianna and hosts varying from Melissa McCarthy and Miley Cyrus to Steve Buscemi and Jimmy Fallon. Last year's champion, Fallon finished a detailed second with eight Cheers, tying Community and Boardwalk Empire. Lengthy-running hits NCIS and Burn Notice adopted with six each, comparable to late-evening faves David Letterman and Conan O'Brien. Along with a sextet of dark cable/satellite dramas - Breaking Bad, Damages, Save Me, The Killing, Justified and also the late, great Lights Out - received five.Around the downside, the Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor Pad trio combined for six Jeers, tying with last year's large loser, Work. A lot of other past-their-primetime shows - Desperate Average women, House, America's Next Top Model, Glee and Californication - were smacked with four Jeers, as the Talk, Rizzoli & Isles and Weeds got three. Better luck the coming year!What shows do you consider deserved probably the most Cheers and Jeers this season?Sign up to TV Guide Magazine now!

Matthew Lillard on The Descendants, Hollywood Comebacks, and the Soup Commercial That Almost Killed Him

comments: 1 || add yours Matthew Lillard admits he’s had three enduring cinematic moments — in Scream, as its hilariously unhinged killer Stu Macher; in SLC Punk, as the spiky-haired Stevo; and in Scooby Doo, reprising Casey Kasem’s beloved voice role Shaggy Rogers in living color. He is often both goofy and dark, and that dichotomy makes him a weird, but ingenious choice to play Brian Speer, a married real-estate hustler who has an affair with the wife of Matt King (George Clooney) in Alexander Payne’s critical darling The Descendants. Unlike Brian Speer, Lillard doesn’t need to be confronted or challenged into honesty; he’s a mature, yet devilishly candid actor who’s pondered Hollywood’s fickleness and the personal gratification of acting in equal measure. Movieline caught up with Lillard to discuss his improbable quickie audition for The Descendants, surviving Freddie Prinze Jr.’s filmography, and the legacy of Scream. This appears to be your first brush with awards season. How disorienting or fun is it? It’s literally that thing where you’re the fat, ugly kid in high school and all the sudden someone says, “Dude, you have the chance to be the prom king.” You’re like, “What?” You think it’s a joke at first and then it sets in that, wow, you’re on this trajectory. In the back of your mind, you just don’t know if you’re going to get a chance to come back — and I keep talking about this, and I don’t want to repeat shit to you, man — but it’s worth noting because it’s been my life. I’m completely aware of where my career’s been lately, and to have an opportunity to come back like this, with a movie like this and the people I’m with, and to have a chance to put on a tuxedo in March is ridiculous. You also realize that it’s a whole other level of Hollywood; I had no idea the amount of effort that studios graciously and gracefully put into these movies that they care about. Tom Rothman, who runs Fox, I’ve seen him speak about the movie three times. All three times he almost brought me to tears, because he’s so passionate about it. I see the kind of effort they’re putting in — they’re trying to generate the accolades we hope it gets — and it’s really kind of humbling. I’ve heard you talk about being a big Alexander Payne fan. Do you find yourself comparing this movie to his others? My biggest fear about being in an Alexander Payne movie was — I didn’t want to be the joke. I don’t want the whole movie to be like, “Wow. What the hell was she thinking?” in this kind of loose, weird way. Because for a guy who steals from George Clooney, I’m not the typical guy you’d expect, so I was afraid that throughout the course of the movie I’d be a joke. I was happy at the end of the day and I was proud of my work. I was happy about the fact that I wasn’t the joke at the end of the movie. I’ll never forget that one of the first premieres I ever went to in L.A. was Citizen Ruth — Payne turns out these incredible performances. I mean, Giamatti? And now George (Clooney). For me, I feel like the movie as a whole stacks up performance-wise to what he’s done in the past. I’m happy to be a part of that statement. The ensemble of The Descendants is a great mix — veterans, dependable supporting players like you and Judy Greer, newcomers like Shailene Woodley — what was the group dynamic like? I will say that the ensemble as a whole is as diverse and eclectic as the movie. I just think if you put Beau Bridges and Robert Forster against Amara Miller, who plays the young girl, and Nick (Krause, as Woodley’s boyfriend Sid) — that’s just crazy casting. Then there’s Judy and I who come from comedy, and Rob Huebel and Mary Birdsong as well. He just pulls on really eclectic performances and people. It’s funny, because you have these moments — like while taking these spotlight bows at the NY Film Festival — but you realize that this [mix] doesn’t happen very often. Right now we’re all the toast of the town, and that’s fun to be a part of. The weird thing is, across the board, we’re all so appreciative for our own reasons. For Judy and I, we get to change our feathers a little. As Robert Forster says, Alexander Payne has now punched his clock again. He’s given him another breath of life and another kind of — what’s the world I’m looking for? — you know, people see him again. He’s got more time on his clock. And the same with Beau. So we’re all appreciate. The kids have never had a chance, the old guys have their clocks punched, and we get to show our different colors. And George sees this for what it is; he gets to show himself off for the actor that he is. He gets a chance to be seen in a different life. He’s incredible. Your casting story for The Descendants, where you auditioned quickly with your kids waiting in the car, is great. My favorite part of it is when you said you saw a bunch of traditional “leading men” types up for the same role. How did comparing yourself to those types make you feel about the role? I just thought there was no way Payne would see me in that way. I mean, look, once I got the job, I felt great going to set. It’s not like I went to set saying, “Oh God, what am I doing here? I suck.” I have pride in my work, and whether you do great movies or not — and I wish every movie I’ve done in my life could’ve been The Descendants — and whether you’re doing “bad” or “good” movies. Being in this movie was like running with the best of the best. That’s all we want as actors. That’s all anyone wants as an artist or competitor. But walking in the room to get the room, I’d already discounted myself in being able to get it. Do you have a worst audition story? Oh my God. [Laughs.] I’m sure there are so many. I’m going to call you tomorrow and be like, “I have it!” Least favorite audition story. Thing is, I’m a funny actor, but I’m not good at being funny. I’m going to ramble for a second: I’m an actor who can make things funny in the moment, like in stakes or in circumstances or out of character. But if you give me a [mimics rimshot], like a sitcom? I’m not good at that. A good sitcom? I’d be good at that. But a bad sitcom, I’d be bad at. There are several times when I walked into a room and just felt like such a sham. That’s the problem with auditioning. I love auditioning because it’s a chance to work, and if everyone cast like Alexander Payne, I think I’d work more. I’m good in an audition. But it’s those auditions with your hat in your hand and you need the job because you need to make money, and you know you’re not right for it. You just feel like a sham. That’s the bad audition — that’s not a specific audition, but it’s just the overall world of auditions. I did almost choke to death once in a Lipton Cup A Soup audition when I was 21. Um, what? Yeah. I made this choice — my whole life, I’ve made choices in acting for better or for worse — well, I made this choice in this Lipton Cup A Soup audition, and you had to eat the noodles. I thought, “Oh, it’ll be great. I’ll play this college kid.” I must’ve been 19. “I’ll play this college kid who’s just home from school” — I had this whole back story I created — “and he loves, loves Mom’s cooking! Wah-wah!” So I shoved the noodles in my mouth, and then I started to choke to death, which is generally a bad audition. Then I threw it up into the cup and started eating it again. I thought, “That is such a creative and brave choice. I am for sure going to book this.” And you didn’t nab the job? No, shockingly. In recent interviews, you’ve brought up the successful 2004 comedy you starred in, Without a Paddle, and how it mysteriously became your last studio movie until The Descendants. That’s a pretty confounding fact. Do you think about it a lot when you reflect on your career? When it’s hot, I don’t think about it. When it’s not, you’re like, have I done something wrong? You go back and recalculate your own career. You think, have I done something inexcusable where I don’t deserve a break? Or I don’t deserve that comeback? You know what I mean? Why are there guys out there who disappear who don’t get a chance to come back? So you’re sitting there weighing what you’re going to do with your life and how you’re going to pay for your kids to eat, you think, OK, am I crazy? Am I delusional? Because I’m not. That’s the thing about me, I think. I’m the most normal guy in the world, but I happen to be an actor. You look at your life and think, “Where am I at?” And how do you judge that? There’s no rhyme or reason to it. People get hot, and you wonder, “Why is that person electric and getting $10 million a movie? And why does somebody disappear?” I’m not a bad guy, and I know people like me. I’m not a jerk. In fact, I’m on my way to being kind. But maybe I should try drug rehab to benefit my career. You’re faced with that decision: Walk away, or double up your efforts. For me, I’ve been keenly aware that I’d rather be an actor, sell everything, and plug away for another chance. Luckily, look, I got through without hustling on the street. I’ve just been doing bad movies. It’s a declining scale of return. To me, you represent a dwindling class of strong, very likable characters actors. Where have the character actors gone? I think that in general, what’s happened in our world as our industry gets squeezed, guys like that and like me — there aren’t many jobs. If you do get that job, they’re not paying any money. And I don’t want to talk about money in an interview, because I did that once, and I sounded disgusting. And who’s crying about actors acting? But I will say, it’s just really hard right now. Character actors are becoming a thing of the past. They’re just going by the wayside. They’re just cutting through that caliber of acting. I think a guy like Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the greatest actors we have right now, and I think he is like that guy. Paul Giamatti is a character actor that’s funny and can do straight and serious. Same with Phil. They do huge choices. It sounds crazy, but if you go back and watch Twister, Philip Seymour Hoffman is incredible. Boogie Nights? Incredible. The guy just eats up the screen. I think there are guys out there who transition into being stars. I mean, that’s the hope, right? But I think nobody in their right mind gets into an industry like this and goes, “You know what I want to do? Be a second fiddle.” I mean, maybe they do? I just don’t want to be that guy who gets lost in the lexicon of Freddie Prinze Jr. movies. I’m glad to have them, and I’m glad I did them. I learned a lot in that process of my life. But I was 23 years old — and now I’m 41. I prefer to think of you as the Dorothy Lamour to Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Hope and Crosby. Please tell me you enjoy glamorous escapades. [Screams laughing.] Yes. We do. We eat crumpets and drink champagne almost every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I think that is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Thanks for making my day. No adventures together? Maybe a trip to Morocco or something? Oh my God, that would be amazing. We did soft-shoe all over the south of France. We got into some capers in the Himalayas. You recently directed your first feature, Fat Kid Rules the World. What are you like as a director? Great question, thank you. I am a better director than I am an actor, if that means anything to anyone. In this blue period of my career, I thought, “What am I going to do? Am I going to sell pharmaceuticals to make money or am I going to do something creative that keeps me alive as an actor?” I taught acting. And in teaching acting, I learned more about acting and myself than I ever thought I would. First of all, I love actors. Every question you ask — by the way, you ask good questions because I want to ramble and answer them for 20 minutes. But I direct with energy. I believe in energy. I think energy is an electric thing in actors. I try to inspire, encourage, and make choices with lots of energy. And truth. I’m big fan of truth and being funny. I like leading 50 people into battle every day. Obligatory Scream question: I think it’s one of the few ’90s horror movies that is still terrifying. How do you feel about it now? I’m glad it’s scary and unnerving, because it does hold up. I did watch it recently, and the opening sequence with Drew is terrifying. Having done 40 movies, there are a couple you can be proud of. They’re not all great, and they’re not all terrible. That was one that kind of changed the trajectory of my life. I’ll still walk down the street, and I’ll hear that I’m the guy in Scream. It’s one of three movies they identify me for — Scream, Scooby Doo, and SLC Punk, which are the three biggest movies I’ve done. And now The Descendants! People recognize me. It’s fun. Lastly, you’re a part of Movieline’s magazine past. I heard you ventured to our founder Anne Volokh’s Hollywood manse and played movie clip games with friends. Yes. We used to play this thing called “Coffee and Clips.” This is the greatest game ever. You bring a clip of a movie, you have to have a reason for bringing that clip, and you show a three-to-five-minute clip and everyone talks about it afterward. I was invited randomly one day, and it was the day that Jack Lemmon had passed away. So I brought Jack Lemmon in Glengarry Glen Ross, and I didn’t know you were supposed to stop the clip. So we watched the last 20 minutes of the movie. I got carried away because, like, I love that movie. Follow Louis Virtel on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter. Tagged: alexander payne, george clooney, judy greer, matthew lillard, oscar, scream, shailene woodley, the descendants

Christian Bale assaulted in China

BEIJING -- Thesp Christian Bale was assaulted Thursday by security guards as he tried to visit one of China's best-known dissidents, the blind, "barefoot lawyer" Chen Guangcheng, who has been under house arrest since his release from prison last year. The "Dark Knight" star was with a CNN crew when they were jostled by plainclothes security officials. Footage showed Bale asking "Why can I not visit this man?" as guards tried to take away his camera. Blinded by a fever in infancy and self-taught as a lawyer, Chen was jailed for drawing attention to forced sterilizations and abortions in his locality because of the One Child Policy. Authorities have sealed off Chen's village of Dongshigu and turned his home into a no-go area for activists. Foreign diplomats and journalists who have tried to visit him have been attacked by groups of hired thugs around the house. Bale features in top helmer Zhang Yimou's "The Flowers of War," China's most expensive pic ever. At a news conference at the weekend, Bale denied that "Flowers" was an anti-Japanese propaganda pic. "It's far more of a movie about human beings and the nature of human beings' responses to crisis, and how that can reduce people to the most animalistic behavior, and also raise them up to the most honorable behavior," he said. "The Flowers of War," which is largely funded with Chinese government money, has an undeniably nationalistic and anti-Japanese tone, and Zhang is regularly criticized by young filmmakers in China, who believe that the former rebel has become too cozy with the Communist establishment he used to criticize. This was underlined when he orchestrated the Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, and made films such as "Hero," which were deeply pro-authoritarian in their tone. It's not the first time that Chen's fate has popped up in Hollywood dispatches. In October, Relativity Media came under fire from human-rights groups for shooting comedy "21 and Over" in the city of Linyi, close to where he is being held. The controversy comes as Hollywood companies are trying to forge closer links to the booming Chinese film biz, and shows that human-rights issues have not gone away, and can cause public relations headaches. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Natalie Portman angry over Patty Jenkins leaving Thor 2

Natalie Portman is reportedly most displeased at the exit of Patty Jenkins from superhero sequel Thor 2 earlier this month.Monster director Jenkins had been announced as the replacement for Kenneth Branagh, after Branagh had turned down the opportunity to return. It was an appointment that would have made Jenkins the first female director to head up a major superhero movie, only for her to leave the project abruptly at the beginning of the month.Whilst "creative differences" were mooted, The Hollywood Reporter suggests that Jenkins was fired without warning, a course of events that has riled Portman.It is thought that the star had already been considering her position in the sequel over concerns that it would keep her from spending time with her new baby. However, those issues were apparently resolved, with Jenkins presence a key factor in Portman's decision.Portman is now contractually obliged to appear in the film, although Marvel hope to appease her somewhat by involving her in the search for Jenkins' replacement. Word on who that might be, as we get it.

'Guvnors' to transfer to Theater Royal Haymarket

Nicholas Hytner's National Theater manufacture of the SRO comedy "One Guy, Two Guvnors" will transfer with a brand new cast to the second West Finish home, the Theater Royal Haymarket, from March 2. Owain Arthur, presently understudying the key role produced by James Corden, will require over when Corden leaves using the original company for that Gotham transfer opening in the Music Box on April 18. Further casting for that Theater Royal Haymarket transfer has not yet been introduced. "One Guy, Two Guvnors" is departing its current home from the Adelphi theater to create method for the transfer of Jonathan Kent's Chichester Festival Theater manufacture of Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" from March 10. Contact David Benedict at benedictdavid@mac.com

VIDEO: The Fight for the Throne Intensifies in Game of Thrones Teaser

Game of Thrones The new teaser for Game of Thrones sets the theme of brotherly conflict in Season 2. "My brother left no true born heir," new character Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) narrates. "The iron throne is mine by right." Game of Thrones Season 2 Peek: Tyrion, Arya... and Joffrey with a crossbow? Although short, the trailer depicts Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Robb Stark (Richard Madden), Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) and Bran Stark (Isaac Hempstead Wright) who are all featured in the next season based on George R. R. Martin's second book in his A Song of Fire and Ice series. Game of Thrones premieres in April, 2012 on HBO. Cold Wind Tease

Box Office Report: 'New Year's Eve' Leads Worst Weekend Since 2008 With $13.7 Million

Garry Marshall's star-studded ensemble pic New Year's Eve stumbled in its box office debut, grossing a tepid $13.7 million as overall box office revenues fell to their lowest levels in more than three years.our editor recommends'New Year's Eve': What the Critics Are Saying'New Year's Eve': Abigail Breslin Talks About Her First On-Screen Kiss (Video)Why 'Moneyball' Star Jonah Hill Is Living With His ParentsNew Movie Reviews: 'Hugo,' 'The Muppets,' 'My Week With Marilyn' Hitting TheatersRelated Topics•Box Office Updates Early and mid-December are always sluggish because of holiday preparations, but Warner Bros. and New Line still expected New Year's Eve to earn $20 million or more in its opening. The pic's cast includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Lea Michele, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Hilary Swank and Seth Meyers. PHOTOS: 'New Year's Eve' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals "The box office was just in really bad shape," Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman said. "While we had the No. 1 movie, we were No. 1 in a very soft market." Overall box revenues for the weekend reached an estimated $78 million, the lowest number since early September 2008, when revenues only reached $68 million over the Sept. 5-7 weekend. This weekend was down 15 percent from the same frame a year ago and 4 percent from last weekend in a sobering reminder of the downturn that has gripped the domestic box office for much of 2011. "There weren't enough moviegoers," said Fellman, "and the only thing you can hope for is that the big Christmas films, which start to kick in next weekend, help to pick up the pace. Overseas, New Year's Eve grossed $12.9 million as it opened in 36 markets, including $2.4 million both in the U.K. and Australia, for a total worldwide bow of $26.6 million. In the U.S., New Year's Eve even scored better exits than Marshall's Valentine's Day, which opened to a massive $72 million over the four-day Valentine's Day/President's Day weekened in 2010. And New Year's Eve received a B+ CinemaScore, compared to a B for Valentine's Day. As expected, the ensemble romantic comedy played heavily to females, who made up 70 percent of the audience. Opening to No. 2 after New Year's Eve was 20th Century Fox's R-rated comedy The Sitter, headlining Jonah Hill in his first starring vehicle. The film debuted to $10 million, in line with pre-weekend tracking. STORY:Jonah Hill on Turning Serious and Earning Oscar Buzz for 'Moneyball' (Video) The Sitter cost less than $25 million, while New Year's Eve's production budget is pegged at $56 million. The comedy, produced by Michael De Luca, played evenly to males and females, with 47 percent of the audience under the age of 25. In the film--which received only a C+ CinemaScore--Hill plays a college student on suspension who is prodded into babysitting the kids next door. Things go askew when he takes them for a wild ride across NY City after being promised sex with his girlfriend. "We opened in line with our pre-release expectations, and we'll continue to play as the college crowd finishes up finals," said Chris Aronson, Fox's senior vice president of domestic distribution. Among holdovers, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 1 fell to No. 3 after ruling the top spot for three consecutive weekends. The pic grossed $7.9 million for a domestic cume of $259.6 million. Sony and Aardman's Arthur Christmas fell only 11 percent from last weekend, the best hold of any nationwide release, grossing $6.6 million for a cume of $33.5 million. Overseas, the holiday pic racked up another $14.3 million from 63 territories for a foreign total of $57.5 million for a world cume of $91 million. Martin Scorsese's 3D family friendly film Hugo, distributed by Paramount, fell a narrow 19 percent at the domestic box office as it upped its theater count from roughly 1,800 to 2,608, grossing $6.1 million for a domestic cume of $33.5 million in its third weekend. Paramount believes that Hugo, which received a B+ CInemaScore as it expanded, will remain a player throughout the holidays, since it is appealing to a multi-generational audience. However, whether Graham King's GK Films, which fully financed the movie, can recoup its costs is a question mark, since Hugo cost well north of $100 million to produce. COVER STORY:Martin Scorsese Talks 'Hugo,' Recurring Nightmares and How His 12-Year-Old Rules the Roost Hugo--named best film of the year by the National Board of Review--is among a slew of movies positioning themselves as awards season heats up and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association prepares to announce Golden Globe nominations on Dec. 15. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy scored the third best opening of the year for a limited release, grossing $300,737 from four theaters in NY and Los Angeles for a location average of $75,184. The only films to score a higher theater average this year were Midnight in Paris ($99,834) and The Tree of Life ($93,000). Tinker Tailor--starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Tom Hardy--was produced by Working Title. Focus Features is distributing the British espionage pic in the U.S. Jason Reitman's Charlize Theron starrer Young Adult also opened to strong numbers, grossing $320,000 from eight theaters in five cities for a location average of $40,000. The movie reteams Reitman with Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody, and moves into a total of 1,000 theaters on Dec. 16. Domestic Box Office Dec. 9-Dec. 11 Title/Weeks in Release/Studio/Theater Count/Weekend Total/Cume 1. New Year's Eve (1), Warner Bros./New Line/3,505, $13.7 million 2. The Sitter (1), 20th Century Fox/2,850, $10 million 3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 1(4), Summit/4,406,$7.9 million, $259.6 million 4.The Muppets(3), Disney/3,328,$7.1 million, $65.8 million 5.Arthur Christmas(3), Sony/3,272,$6.6 million, $33.5 million 6. Hugo(3), Paramount/2,608,$6.1 million, $33.5 million 7. The Descendants(4), Fox Searchlight/876, $4.4 million, $23.6 million 8. Happy Feet Two(4), Warner Bros./2,840, $3.8 million, $56.9 million 9.Jack and Jill(5), Sony/2,787,$3.2 million, $68.6 million 10. Immortals(5), Relativity Media/2,286,$2.4 million,$79.8 million PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Movie Report Card: 10 Biggest Flops of 2011 (So Far) PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Box Office Flops of Late Summer 2011 Related Topics Jonah Hill Martin Scorsese Box Office New Year's Eve The Sitter

Exclusive: George Lopez's First Post-Talk Show Project Lands at Fox

George Lopez George Lopez is plotting his return to TV, but this time behind the camera. Fox confirms that it's developing a comedy project from Lopez based on the life of comedian Mark Viera. The untitled half-hour is the first project to be developed by Lopez since TBS canceled his late-night series Lopez Tonight in August. Viera stars as a blue-collar man who buys a building in the Bronx in order to stay close to his roots and teach his son street smarts. The decision surprises his wife and backfires when his extended Latino family moves in. Chris Case (Retired at 35) is writing the script and will executive produce, along with Lopez and Leslie Kolins Small. Warner Bros. TV, which also produced ABC's George Lopez sitcom, is the studio. Case's other credits include Reba, Titus and Spin City. The busy writer also has a script (with Joey Gutierrez) in contention at CBS. Viera, who indeed hails from the Bronx, was featured on Martin Lawrence Presents 1st Amendment Stand Up and also guested on 30 Rock. Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

William Hurt In Talks For The Host

He'd play JebNow that he's got his female lead in place (that would be Saoirse Ronan) and a couple of blokes to support her (Jake Abel and Max Irons), Andrew Niccol has started looking for the rest of The Host's cast. And his gaze has fallen upon William Hurt, who is now in talks for the movie.Adapted by Niccol from Twilight author Stephenie Meyer's alien invasion tome, The Host will follow Melanie Stryder (Ronan) a young woman whose brain is hijacked by one of the extraterrestrials that specialise in replacing their host creatures' personality. But the new arrival, Wanderer, finds that Melanie is more of a challenge than normal, and the joint being, dubbed "Wanda," ends up falling in with a group of humans who are part of the rag-tag resistance.If he signs, Hurt will play Jeb, Melanie's uncle, and one of the early few who realised what was really going on with the stealthy invasion. Initially dismissed as a wacko, he quickly gained more respect when his survivalist hideaway became a key base of operations.Jeb's blend of seeming eccentricity and hard-wired control of situations makes this sound like a solid role for Hurt to play.Niccol aims to kick off shooting in February and the film will be out on March 29, 2013.

New Sherlock Banner Online

Holmes untrousers his MauserGrandstand set-pieces are virtually guaranteed in A Virtual Detective: A Game Title Of Shadows but blow us lower if the new banner does not go ahead and take prize. It's an overflowing train, for heaven's sake. Somebody call Chris Pine, Denzel which dude within the helicopter.We are presuming that this is actually the same locomotive that appears within the trailer bearing Holmes (Robert Downey Junior.) and Watson(Jude Law) in to the mountain tops where uber-enemy Professor Moriarty is based on wait.Along with the fox-cunning crime solver and the medical partner, the most recent in Guy Ritchie's franchise introduces Jared Harris as Moriarty, Stephen Fry as Holmes's brother Mycroft, and Noomie Rapace as mysterious gypsy Sim.A Virtual Detective: A Game Title Of Shadows steams to your nearest multiplex on December 16.

'Girl While using Dragon Tattoo' New Yorker Review: Critic Breaks Embargo, Angers Studio (UPDATE)

Within the files people probably don't care much: venerable NYer film critic David Denby has written summary of 'The Girl While using Dragon Tattoo' which will publish inside the print edition in the NYer on Monday, an entire eight days while watching embargo date on reviews set through the new the new sony. Mentioned The brand new the new sony inside an email to experts on early Sunday morning: "This embargo breach is completely unacceptable." Denby's review won't be online until Monday morning, but NY Publish film critic Lou Lumenick has mentioned it's "positive to mixed" with special notice presented to star Rooney Mara. "You can't take how well you see off Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander," Lumenick quotes Denby as writing. The issue for that new the new sony is becoming trying to manage the relaxation of experts who've seen 'Dragon Tattoo' already. Andre Caraco, the executive v . p . from the new the new sony Pictures publicity, written these email to experts on Sunday morning and guaranteed effects due to not only the NYer, but almost every other pros who break the embargo. "By enabling experts to find out films early, at different occasions, embargo dates level the playing area and enable reviews to use within the films' primary release window, when audiences are most interested. Needs to be principle, the NYer's breach violates a trust and undermines something designed to help journalists complete the job and serve their site visitors. We have been speaking directly while using NYer relevant for this matter and be ready to take measures to make certain this kind of breach does not happen again," Caraco written. "Meanwhile, we've every goal of maintaining the embargo in place and you need to help help remind you that reviews is probably not launched right before December thirteenth." Lumenick, who along with Denby is part of the NY Film Experts Circle, miracles if Denby's embargo-breaking review has anything associated with his displeasure inside the NYFCC moving its honours voting up by 2 days this year. "Denby saw the film on November. 28, yesterday the NY Film Experts Circle selected on its annual honours," written Lumenick. "Just before the screening, Denby -- according to Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly -- undoubtedly opposed the organization's decision to election on honours 2 days earlier than usual, too as with several e-mails advised us to obstruct the election until after we'd seen 'Extremely Noisy and very Close,' a movie many of us haven't even been requested to yet. "Did Denby proceed to fast deliberately making it harder for that NYFCC to find out movies earlier (and election earlier) next season? Thinking about the truth that the NYer frequently prints reviews well after every else, you have to question." 'The Girl While using Dragon Tattoo' is going in theaters on 12 ,. 23. So far, few other experts have broken the review embargo. UPDATE: The Playlist has launched an e-mail thread between David Denby and 'Dragon Tattoo' producer Scott Rudin, where the NYer critic mentioned he broke the embargo because of the season-finish glut of films -- which triggered publication issues for your magazine. "The jam-from important films helps it be very hard on magazines. We shouldn't run lots of small reviews at Christmas. That is not just what the NYer is about. Anthony and I'd rather not write them by doing this, and our site visitors shouldn't read them by doing this.Inch Sadly for Denby, Rudin didn't see things his way. "The needs of playboy cannot trump your word," Rudin written inside an email. "The fact the review is great is immaterial, after i suspect you understand. You've very badly damaged the film that way, which i could not in good conscience invite you to definitely view another movie of mine again." No overreactions here! Mind towards the Playlist to determine the whole email thread. [via NYP, Deadline] [Photo: Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Corporation.] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook