'Harry Potter' and The Oscars: Why The Boy Wizard Got Snubbed

This morning, Harry Potter fans everywhere had to come to terms with some pretty big disappointment. Hopes that "Deathly Hallows Part 2" might earn Oscars glory crashed and burned today with the nominations announcement. It wasn't just the fans that prayed for a big night on Oscar night. Warner Bros. made a big push for award consideration with their ubiquitous "Consider" ad campaign. Many held out hope for a Best Picture nomination and perhaps recognition, at long last, for Alan Rickman and Severus Snape. Alas, "Deathly Hallows - Part 2" did not make the cut, despite a relatively long list of nine Best Picture nominees, one less than the maximum. But were the awards dreams just fan delusions that got out of hand? When a movie makes more than one billion dollars world-wide, you should pay attention. When a movie earns some of the most unanimous praise of the year from critics, you should pay attention. Despite both of these enormous factors, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" scored only three nominations, all in technical categories. The snub reveals the supreme stubbornness of the Academy, and two highly superficial and trivial factors led to Harry's disappointing morning. First, for Academy voters, the "Harry Potter" films fall into two of Oscar's least favorite genres: the children's film and fantasy. There are notable exceptions for each, however. Just this year, "Hugo," a "children's film" earned the most nominations of any movie, but without its auteur director behind the camera, we would have seen a very different outcome. And despite its fantasy setting, "The Lord of the Rings" earned Best Picture nominations for each installment, but their dark and epic tone from the get-go made them more Oscar-friendly. Secondly, "Deathly Hallows - Part 2" was the eighth film in a series and the second half of one complete story. Superficial things like numbers after a title can make the difference and spell disappointment for even the most qualified film. If you strip away the context and focus on the actual merits of the film, you'd have a hard time arguing that a movie like "Avatar," one with a comparable scale and box office haul, deserved the recognition that "Deathly Hallows" didn't get. The Academy's oversight would have been more understandable had the nominee pool been stronger this year. Aside from "The Tree of Life," this year's Best Picture contenders make up the safest and most Oscar-friendly field of nominees in recent memory. A nomination for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" would have defied Academy stereotypes and shook up a race that is destined to leave many viewers snoring. Did you think "Harry Potter" deserved more Oscar attention? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

TV deals increase before NATPE

Electus has already established worldwide rights to Spike TV's "Switch Males." Before NATPE opens its entrance doors, deals are increasingly being made. Once they want you, they require you: "Katie" is taken away for 93% of the united states, in line with the latest figures from Disney-ABC Domestic TV distribution. Disney-ABC Domestic topper Janice Marinelli mentioned she wanted the show would satisfy the growing demand throughout your day sked left through the famous host the famous host oprah Winfrey. "You typically felt just like you were vanishing (from 'Oprah') having a couple of information that you just was without,Inch Marinelli mentioned. "'Katie' will most likely be live five days each week, if there's something happening within the u . s . states or in news reports, we'll be capable of discuss it." The hourlong yakker is taken away in 95 in the best gamers areas and may likely use cleanup a few deals while at NATPE now. The show, produced by former NBCUniversal prexy-Boss Rob Zucker, is skedded for just about any September premiere. In other pre-NATPE news, FremantleMedia Companies and Mattel are joining track of Cartoon Network South Usa on "Max Steel," a CGI cartoon using the Mattel toy line and produced by animation studio Nerd Corps Entertainment. Comedy/adventure toon follows a superpowered teen became a member of getting a self-aware alien machine. It's been the subject of eight telepics together with an earlier CGI series produced at this time-defunct Netter Digital. Most recently, "Twilight" thesp Rachelle Lefervre made the decision to star inside the character's bigscreen debut for Vital, though he apparently handled to maneuver about this year. The toys, while largely unknown inside the U.S., are popular abroad -- specifically in Brazilian -Making the show a likely candidate for your lately worldwide NATPE, with a large Latin American presence becasue it is in Miami. Fremantle brings the show for the confab this year the sale with Cartoon Network South Usa offers the 26 "Max Steel" half-several hours distribution in Mexico, South usa, Argentina and Chile. Electus has acquired worldwide distrib rights for 3 Spike TV series just before the tv industry confab: "Switch Males," "American Digger" and "Vehicle Lot Cowboy," all unscripted skeins airing round the guy-centric cabler. Electus also produces newcomer skein "Cowboy." "Switch Males" remains airing round the internet since October of a year ago "Digger" and "Cowboy" are situated for March and April, correspondingly. The world options repetition exactly the types of pitches that NATPE's go to Miami is personalized to facilitate. With several American cablers basing their worldwide offices in Miami, cablers are actually going to the conference since a year ago searching for deals that expand into areas in Brazilian, Guatemala and Mexico. Contact Mike Thielman at mike.thielman@variety.com

U.K. blocks Pinewood expansion plan

LONDON -- A mere nine days after U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron visited Blighty's Pinewood Shepperton Studios, the government has rejected the studio's proposed expansion plans dubbed Project Pinewood.The 200 million ($309 million) proposal, which was initially unveiled in 2007, planned to double the size of Pinewood Studios, and envisaged creating more than 1,400 homes, offices and permanent film sets replicating destinations such as NY's Tribeca neighborhood and Montmartre in Paris. In a statement, Pinewood said it was "disappointed by today's decision by the secretary of state for communities and local government," and added that the company would "take time to review the decision in detail."Shares in Pinewood-Shepperton have fallen 7.5 pence (11.6 cents) to 265 pence (409.8 cents) -- some 6% -- since the planning application was rejected. The proposal has met its fair share of opposition from residents near the studio, and the South Buckinghamshire District Council, which rejected the plans initially. In July, Brit real estate, transport and infrastructure investment company Peel Holdings completed a takeover of the Brit studios, upping its ownership to 71.1% of its stock. Pinewood Shepperton, which has housed the lensing of pics such as Martin Scorsese's "Hugo," the "Harry Potter" franchise and upcoming Ridley Scott pic "Prometheus," said it would "continue to implement its master planning consents at Pinewood and Shepperton studios and pursue its international strategy of developing studios overseas." Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com

Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox compete for Elizabeth Taylor biopic

Lindsay Lohan and Megan Fox are in talks to play Elizabeth Taylor according to Larry Thompson, executive producer of Lifetime movie Liz & Dick."I've been talking to Lindsay Lohan directly, and with her reps, and have been in conversations with other actresses, including Megan Fox," Thompson said."It's a very serious selection," Thompson continued. "It's like casting for Hollywood royalty."Whilst we definitely agree that Liz Taylor is Hollywood royalty, we're not entirely sure we'd place Lindsay Lohan or Megan Fox into that particular category.Still, the actresses have a lot in common - they're both 25, they've both courted more than their fair share of controversy, and, perhaps most importantly in this context, they both bear more than a passing resemblance to Liz.We'll find out which actress has won the race to play one of Britain's finest actresses very soon, as the movie starts shooting in the spring.To see Taylor in action, check out this trailer for the classic Father Of The Bride:[brightcove]970155846001[/brightcove]

David Letterman Near Deal to stay on Late Surface 2014

The Late Show with David Letterman David Letterman was passed to achieve success Johnny Carson as host in the Tonight Show, but is becoming poised to dethrone Carson since the longest-running late-evening star in TV history. Letterman, 64, is approaching a deal with CBS which will keep him behind the desk in the Late Surface 2014, in line with the NY Occasions. 2014 will mark his 32nd year in the finish of evening (11 years on NBC's Late Evening then so what can be 21 years on CBS). Carson was round the air in the finish of evening for thirty years. As Dork catches Jay, will be the late evening wars over? CBS remains approved by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, to produce new handles the show's staff, producers and authors, in line with the newspaper. Despite the fact that this signifies a deal with Letterman is "very close," just like a source notifies the Occasions, not able to CBS' other late-evening host, Craig Ferguson, is uncertain. He may not continue since the host in the Late Late Show. Despite the fact that it had been believed that Letterman would retire within the finish of his current two-year deal, which expires in August, he's now vulnerable to stick to TV. Ferguson features a clause within the contract he'll succeed Letterman whenever he chooses to step lower. However, Ferguson may leave CBS if he is not offered a sizable salary or possibly a larger production arrange for his show, in line with the Occasions. Are you currently presently happy David Letterman is remaining in the finish of evening?

Tom Hardy talks playing Al Capone

Tom Hardy has spoken to the Daily Mail's Baz Bamigboye about his upcoming role as Al Capone in Cicero.Hardy will play the infamous gangster after he has finished shooting Mad Max: Fury Road.He told Bamigboye: "I've been working with Warner Bros, watching their gangster films - the ones with James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart and Edward G. Robinson," naming The Petrified Forest, The Public Enemy and Little Caesar as examples."It's interesting to get them, and a bit of Capone, into the bloodstream... The idea isn't to remake those films but to get a flavour of them as we explore Capone's career as a racketeer."On the status of the movie (which is set to be directed by Harry Potter's David Yates), Hardy added: "The idea at the moment is of doing a trilogy of films, but nothing is set. Everyone is just talking and exploring."Tom Hardy will next be seen in This Means War, before appearing as Bane in The Dark Knight Rises (you may have heard us mention that one before).