Cinemax renews 'Luck' for second season

HBO's 'Luck' opened to at least one.a million audiences Sunday.Cinemax is betting large on "Luck" and it has because of the series another season. The equine racing drama from creator David Milch and director Michael Mann opened to at least one.a million audiences in the first telecast Sunday which number increased to two.two million whenever you count its two same-evening repeats. A sneak preview of "Luck" in December following a season finale of "Boardwalk Empire" came 1.a million too, so up to now the pilot has received 3.3 million audiences, based on Nielsen. Individuals figures are far underneath the latter Cinemax dramas debuts, but rankings anticipation for "Luck" will always be modest. "Boardwalk Empire" came 4.8 million audiences because of its initial episode if this opened in September 2010 and "Bet on Thrones" attracted 2.two million if this released in April this past year. To be able to generate more awareness, the pay cabler made then the second episode on popular digital platform Cinemax Continue Sunday because the pilot was airing. Show stars Dustin Hoffman, Nick Nolte and John Ortiz, in addition to a number of other people who play figures whose daily existence happens in the racetrack. Production for that second season will start inside a couple of days. Cinemax has purchased 10 episodes which will air beginning next The month of january. "We could not become more thrilled using the critical reaction to this beautiful good article, and that we are extremely looking forward to where David and Michael intend to take these incredible figures," stated Cinemax programming leader Michael Lombardo. Milch, Mann and Carolyn Strauss are professional producers. Within the 9 p.m. timeslot Sunday, Showtime defeated "Luck" with a brand new episode of "Shameless." Skein came 1.3 million audiences which was then a million for Don Cheadle starrer "House of Lies." Both Cinemax and Showtime is going to be confronted with severe Sunday competition within the next couple of days in the broadcast side. A few days ago it is the Super Bowl on NBC, adopted not much later through the Grammys on CBS after which on February. 26 may be the Academy awards telecast on ABC. Last year's Super Bowl came 111 million, which makes it probably the most-viewed show in TV history. Having a game from the Gambling versus. the NY Titans, some are speculating the overall game might top that mark. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

'Spartacus' preem up versus. last season

"Spartacus:" Vengeance" came 1.3 million audiences because of its initial telecast Friday and a pair of.7 million combined from four showings over the past weekend. The 2 Friday telecasts were a tenPercent bump over last year's opening-evening premiere of prequel "Spartacus: Gods from the Arena." However, last Feb Starz was offered free of charge to Dish TV clients and roughly 9 million potential audiences were put into the Starz world. That certain-year promotion is placed to finish inside a couple of days, so anticipate seeing the "Spartacus: Vengeance" amounts drop substantially when individuals audiences do not have Starz available any longer. Actually, due to individuals additional 9 million audiences who could watch "Vengeance" earlier this weekend because of the promotion, the rankings for "Vengeance" were really less than "Gods from the Arena," despite more total audiences. Starz will offer you 10 instances of "Vengeance," lower in the 13 instances of the very first season. Following the dying of star Andy Whitfield because of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, charge character was recast with Aussie thesp Liam McIntyre. He co-stars with Lucy Lawless and Peter Mensah. Skein, that is created through the pay cabler, was produced by Steven S. DeKnight. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Sarah Jessica Parker is Demi's 'Lovelace' replacement

ParkerSarah Jessica Parker has been cast as Gloria Steinem in "Lovelace," replacing Demi Moore in the role.Producers made the announcement Friday, three days after Moore ankled due to seeking treatment for exhaustion. Chloe Sevigny recently joined the cast as a feminist journalist on assignment for a men's magazine to find out who the real Linda Lovelace is.Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman are directing the pic, which stars Amanda Seyfried as Linda Boreman, aka "Deep Throat" star Linda Lovelace. Peter Sarsgaard and Sharon Stone co-star alongside Juno Temple, Wes Bentley, Hank Azaria, Bobby Cannavale, Chris Noth, Robert Patrick and James Franco."Lovelace" is a Millennium Films production that will be produced by Heidi Jo Markel for Eclectic Pictures, Laura Rister and Jason Weinberg for Untitled Entertainment and Jim Young for Animus Films. Exec producers include Boaz Davidson, Danny Dimbort, Mark Gill, W. Merritt Johnson, Avi Lerner, Trevor Short and John Thompson for Nu Image/Millennium Films.Steinem founded Ms. Magazine, which published the article "The Real Linda Lovelace," in which Steinem discussed Linda's relationship with her abusive pornographer husband Chuck Traynor, who she blamed for creating the myth that Linda "loved to be sexually used and humiliated." When Lovelace announced her first memoir "Ordeal," she was joined at the press conference by Steinem and other members of the feminist group Women Against Pornography. Steinem later wrote the introduction for Lovelace's 1986 memoir, "Out of Bondage."Production on the Andy Bellin-scripted pic began Dec. 20 in Los Angeles, and the film is being made with the cooperation of Boreman's estate. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Japan's Sono unveils new project

TOKYO -- Japanese helmer Sion Sono, a festival favorite with "Cold Fish," "Guilty of Romance" and "Himizu," is working on a new pic, "Kibo no kuni" (The Land of Hope). Set in Japan's northern Tohoko region, devastated in the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, pic will focus on three couples whose lives are torn apart by the disaster. "The story depicts the bonds between husband and wife, between parent and child and between lovers," Sono explained at a Thursday presser. Shooting started on Jan. 13 and is skedded to wrap early February. A release date and distributor have not yet been decided. Sono's most recent pic, "Himizu," was also set in the disaster zone following a post-March-11 rewrite by the helmer. It screened in competition in Venice, with its leads, Shota Sometani and Fumi Nikaido, sharing the Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young actor and actress. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Pilot Season: CBS Orders Jerry Bruckheimer Drama Trooper

Jerry Bruckheimer CBS has ordered a pilot for Jerry Bruckheimer's Trooper. The one-hour drama centers on a sensible mother who becomes a NY state trooper. Heroes scribe Aron Eli Coleite will write and executive-produce alongside Bruckheimer (CSI franchise, The Amazing Race) and Jonathan Littman. KristieAnne Reed is also attached as an co-executive producer. Pilot Season: CBS orders comedy from The Muppets's Nick Stoller CBS previously picked up dramas Elementary, a modern take on Sherlock Holmes, and the legal series Baby Big Shot, along with the untitled Nick Stoller comedy.

One Tree Hill's James Lafferty: Nathan Actually Needs Dan In His Life This Season

James Lafferty Will One Tree Hill's Dan Scott gain forgiveness in this final season? As the resident villain, Dan (Paul Johansson) has long been shunned by his son Nathan (James Lafferty) and his family, but on the Season 9 premiere a much more broken-down Dan returned to town in hopes of convincing Nathan and his wife Haley to help him to get back on his feet. "In the past, Dan's presence has brought a lot of turmoil and conflict, but this year, the way he colors Nathan's life is much, much different," Lafferty tells TVGuide.com. "Nathan's actually going to need Dan a bit more this year." Tragedy, transformation and troubled couples: What to expect From One Tree Hill's last season But can Dan ever redeem himself for killing his brother Keith, among other things? Lafferty says, "That remains to be seen. That's largely at the heart of Nathan's storyline this season and that's one of the things we have to see him come to terms with - whether or not he can forgive Dan towards the end." The cast of One Tree Hill shares their all-time favorite episodes It only seems fitting that the series, which began by highlighting Nathan and Dan's intense relationship, comes full circle with the storyline - although it seems one of them might not make it out alive. When asked about that body Haley identifies in the season premiere, Lafferty says, "It definitely has something to do with Nathan's storyline, but I can't tell you how much." In addition to wrapping up a nine-seasons-long saga, Lafferty says the show will subtly nod to earlier times. "There's a prevalent feeling of nostalgia in our last couple of episodes. We allude back to the original structure of the show and we hint at the beginning when it was about the Ravens basketball team and when it was about Tree Hill high," Lafferty says. "We don't focus too hard on it, it's not as if we go back and play those roles again, but we definitely harken back to a time when things were simpler for our characters and their formative years." Lafferty, who's one of the few original cast members remaining, says that although fans will be "thrown for a loop," they'll ultimately be satisfied by the way Nathan Scott signs off. "Tying this relationship up between Nathan and Dan is something that was really needed for Nathan's storyline, Dan's storyline and probably the show as a whole. This season, Dan's back in a huge way and there's very close attention paid to that relationship between father and son that either needs a total break off or mending."

New Abe Lincoln subsequently: Vampire Hunter Poster

Plus some fresh photos...We are still a couple of several weeks from the discharge of Abraham Lincoln subsequently: Vampire Hunter, and there is no manifestation of a trailer at this time, though MTV went behind the curtain. However the team behind the film are searching to help keep it within our minds with a brand new poster and a few fresh images, which you can observe below.The poster, which arrives thanks to the IMP Honours site, is really a familiar lick to anybody who saw the 2 marketing pieces that showed up last month. While using Lincoln subsequently memorial, that one is constantly on the push the fundamental idea: that Lincoln subsequently, before and throughout his tenure because the 16th Leader of America, discovered the presence of vampires of the underworld and fought against to defeat their evil fanged plots no matter what.Ben Master may be the guy within the muttonchops and stovepipe hat, who swears revenge after his mother is wiped out with a vampire. Lincoln subsequently will get some help from friendly fanged fellow Henry Sturgess (Dominic Cooper) and should face lower the evil Adam (Rufus Sewell), who's dealing with slave proprietors to provide human fodder for his fellow nightwalkers.On the way, we see Lincoln subsequently become the presidential figure appreciated through background and obtain a look at his personal existence, including his marriage to Mary Todd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead).Wanted's Timur Bekmambetov is behind your camera for that one, with Seth Grahame-Cruz adapting their own genre-mashing book. Abraham Lincoln subsequently: Vampire Hunter is going to be on August 2, once the large question is going to be whether or not this can be more entertaining than its title. The brand new pictures come via Germany's Movie-Infos.Lincoln subsequently: Vampire Hunter Photos

Blu-ray up 20 % this year

Blu-ray increased Hollywood's homevideo biz this year, growing 20% to top $2 billion in sales the very first time since its launch in 2006. You will find now 40 million products that may play Blu-ray dvds in houses, up 38% in comparison to 2010, based on the Digital Entertainment Group, whose annual sales figures were launched Tuesday in the Electronic Devices Show in Vegas. Overall investing for that home theatre category was slightly lower 2% for that year, producing $18 billion, however the industry's sales performance clearly stable this year, the DEG stated. Total consumer investing on home shot entertainment for that other half of the season rose nearly 1% to $9.7 billion, driven with a strong third quarter which was up 5%, the very first quarterly increase since 2008. The purchase of dvds fell 13% to create nearly $9 billion, mainly due to reduced DVD sales. Around the rental side, traditional retail shops required the greatest hit this past year, shedding 29% to earn $1.6 billion. Kiosks, operated by Redbox along with other suppliers, demonstrated probably the most development in the course, up 31% to gather $1.7 billion in costs. The DVD-by-mail biz still saw 4% growth this past year, generating $2.4 billion. Any manifestation of growth -- particularly when it involves disc sales -- is nice news for galleries because they turn to keep their homevideo companies healthy through any means necessary. More lately, that's incorporated creating longer home windows between when new game titles are for sale to rent through Netflix, Redbox and Blockbuster once they hit store shelves to buy and adopting digital locker services like UltraViolet to encourage sales. The very best selling Blu-sun rays of the season were Warner Bros.' "Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows, Part 1," "Harry Potter - Deathly Hallows, Part 2," Disney's "Twisted" and "Cars 2," Paramount's "Transformers - Dark of Moon," Universal's "Bridesmaids," Fox's "Rio," "DreamWorks' "The Assistance,Inch Disney's "Lion King" and WB's "Hangover Part 2," based on Nielsen VideoScan First Alert. Five from the game titles offered a lot more than 2 million dvds. A lot more than 100 UltraViolet game titles is going to be offered by the main galleries this season which allow customers to gain access to the flicks in the cloud to experience on electronic products registered using the digital locker. The very first game titles grew to become available this past year through The new sony Pictures Home Theatre, Universal Galleries Home Theatre and Warner Home Video. Lionsgate and Vital Home Media Distribution launch their first game titles this season. Around the three dimensional front, sales of three dimensional Blu-ray dvds also have began to locate some traction, with available game titles a lot more than tripling this year, growing from 20 to 65, while unit sales elevated a lot more than six occasions within the same period. Films available as three dimensional Blu-sun rays include Fox's "Avatar," Disney's "The Lion King," "Cars 2" and "Pirates from the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." Other findings through the DEG: -- Electronic sell through (EST) was up 9% for that year to earn $554 million. -- VOD rose another 7% to $1.86 billion. -- Subscription-based streaming services like Netflix produced $993.six million. -- Both era and catalog sales of Blu-ray game titles saw double digit development of 20% this year. -- Total Blu-ray transmission this year leaped 38% (including BD set-tops, PS3s and home entertainment models) with total household transmission of Blu-ray compatible products now at nearly 40 million U.S. houses. -- You will find now a lot more than 74.5 million U.S. homes with HDTVs a lot more than 27 million HDTVs were bought within the U.S. this year. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

Katee Sackhoff Joins Riddick

She'll play in the female leadWe've become accustomed to get all the news in regards to the presently untitled Tales Of Riddick follow-up from Vin Diesel's Facebook page it's almost an unpredicted to find out something appear elsewhere. But Deadline might be the website verifying that former Battlestar Galactica star Katee Sackhoff is becoming in final discussions to simply accept female lead.Sackhoff, who cemented herself into sci-fi history since the cigar-chomping, bar-brawling, viper-flying Starbuck, is acquiring in the deal to see Dahl, a Nordic mercenary around the quest for Richard B. Riddick.The actress was mentioned to become involved dating back November a year ago, along with Bokeem Woodbine and Dork Bautista, nevertheless the casting process was positioned on hold when the finances looked somewhat shaky and production round the new film was briefly shut lower. Things seem to become fully in line now, which we expect others to register shortly, supposing they haven't required to start other projects.They'll all join Diesel and Karl Urban, who's reprising his role as Necromonger Vaako. With David Twohy back on writing and pointing duties, Riddick (or whatever it eventually eventually ends up being referred to as) needs to be out either later this year or mid 2013.Sackhoff, meanwhile, gets the Haunting In Georgia, Lockdown and Sexy Evil Genius set to achieve inside the next season roughly, and contains also acquired employment in TV cop drama Longmire.

WGA Nominees Announced

The Writers Guild of America, West and Writers Guild of America, East have announced their nominees for the best screenplays of 2011, and it's a fantastic group. So happy that not only "Bridesmaids" snuck into the Original Screenplay category, but the wonderful "50/50" and "Win Win," as well. As expected, "Midnight in Paris" and "Young Adult" round out the category.In Adapted Screenplay, there were no real surpries. Oscar frontrunners "The Descendants," "Hugo," "Moneyball," and "The Help" all received nods. In addition, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" earned a spot.It's important to note certain films were not eligible due to the peculiar WGA rules. These include contenders like "Drive," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and "Beginners." CONTINUE READING ON BEHIND THE SCENES

Good BCS start for ESPN

The Rose Bowl scored the best non-NFL rating for ESPN since last years BCS championship game. ESPN is off to a pretty good start in its second season airing college football's Bowl Championship Series, as Monday's two high-scoring nailbiters produced solid ratings. The Rose Bowl game from Pasadena, in which Oregon topped Wisconsin 45-38, averaged 17.6 million viewers and an 11.8 coverage household rating from about 5:10-8:40 p.m. ET, according to Nielsen. While down from last year's huge 13.0 rating for the matchup of Wisconsin against TCU, it reps the best non-NFL rating for ESPN since last year's BCS title game (Auburn-Oregon). Game did a 34.8 in Milwaukee and a 29.7 in Portland, Ore. And the nightcap, an overtime contest that saw Oklahoma State outlast Stanford 41-38 in the Fiesta Bowl from Glendale, Ariz., averaged 13.7 million viewers and a 9.7 coverage household rating -- up 37% over last year's 7.2 for the Fiesta matchup between Oklahoma and Connecticut. The local scores Monday night in Oklahoma City (36.7) and San Francisco (13.9) were the highest on record for an ESPN bowl game. Combined, ESPN's two-game household average of 10.7 was up 8% from last year's 9.9 and figured to make ESPN the top-rated network on Monday night when nationals and demo data are released. ESPN also noted that live viewership for both of Monday's BCS games soared on its ESPN3 online network. The Rose Bowl had 347,000 unique viewers (up 46% from last year) and the Fiesta Bowl saw 291,000 unique viewers (up 80%). On the broadcast side Monday, CBS aired original episodes of its lineup and was paced by "Two and a Half Men" (prelim 4.4/10 in 18-49, 13.8 million) and "2 Broke Girls" (prelim 4.3/10, 12.0 million). ABC kicked off its season of "The Bachelor" (prelim 2.4/6, 7.7 million), down 17% vs. last year but still ahead of the combined 8-10 p.m. showing for NBC's competing reality entries "Who's Still Standing?" (prelim 1.5/3, 5.6 million) and "Fear Factor" (prelim 2.5/6, 7.9 million). The Alphabet then did reasonably well at 10 p.m. with a special preview of "Celebrity Wife Swap" (prelim 2.4/6, 6.3 million), which ran second among the broadcasters to CBS' "Hawaii Five-0" (prelim 2.9/7, 11.7 million) and outperformed the demo delivery of the two most recent original episodes of "Castle" to air in the Monday-at-10 slot. "Wife Swap" bowed in its regular Tuesday 9 o'clock slot last night. Due to the New Year's holiday, the primetime ratings report and Nielsen charts for the Dec. 26-Jan. 1 frame will appear in Thursday's paper this week. Contact Rick Kissell at rick.kissell@variety.com

China checks culture

Jintao'Beginning of the Great Revival'China's President Hu Jintao is urging the country to resist what he calls hostile forces in the West that are using culture -- apparatchik-speak for Hollywood movies, among other things -- to sow division.He called on authorities to expand China's cultural influence in a speech to Communist Party leaders in October, made public in the Party magazine Qiushi (Seeking Truth) this week."We must clearly see that international hostile forces are intensifying the strategic plot of Westernizing and dividing China, and ideological and cultural fields are the focal areas of their longterm infiltration," Hu told the annual policy meeting of the Party's Central Committee, effectively the 365 most powerful people in China.Clearly the most hostile international force is the U.S., or more specifically Hollywood, and Hu's comments are in line with the Party's recent decision to boost the local culture industries, such as movies, books and art, while reinforcing socialist principles.The article in Seeking Truth, founded in 1958 by Mao Tse-tung, is most likely a sign that Hu is hammering home the policy of boosting China's cultural influence at the start of a new year.The Communist Party often characterizes efforts to push socialist values as an ideological struggle with the West, especially the U.S.The Party is trying to shore up support for its socialist principles at a time when there are mounting calls for greater representation from China's growing middle class plus rising anger at corruption and land grabs by property developers.The most popular films in China in recent years have been overwhelmingly Hollywood blockbusters, including "Avatar" plus the "Harry Potter" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchises, although there have been some local exceptions.The Party has tried its hand at its own blockbusters: 2009's "The Founding of a Republic" marking 60 years of Communist rule, was popular but last year's "Beginning of the Great Revival" was not a success.The Party keeps a tight grip on cultural output through censorship, and building up a cultural bulwark against calls for reform is crucial.Recently it rolled back freedoms for reality TV skeins, gameshows and talent programs on satellite TV. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Take advantage of Fiennes talks Skyfall

Concrete particulars concerning approaching Bond movie Skyfall are actually couple of in number since the film's official title was introduced, but Take advantage of Fiennes has revealed a little bit about what expect from his character."I'm allowed to convey I'm a government agent," revealed Fiennes for the Mail On Sunday. See, we stated it absolutely was only the briefest of clips!Larger rates of interest would be the reactivation of Bond's official website 007.com, that's been relaunched together with a countdown clock for the film's release, together with a welcome video recorded by co-producer Michael G Wilson.It is fairly light on detail, with Wilson while using chance by means of saying thanks to Bond fans for ongoing support since the famous theme increases without anyone's understanding. Slight it may be, nevertheless it was enough to rekindle our excitement for film number 23.Skyfall will probably be released inside the Uk on 26 October 2012. Hopefully we'll learn more to do with the completely new cast of figures inside the coming several days...