Network aircraft pilots land Edwards, Barrowman

The return of Anthony Edwards to series television and also the migration of stars for example John Barrowman, Aidan Quinn and William Forsythe to potential new series outlined yesteryear week in broadcast network pilot casting. Looking, network-by-network ... ABC Edwards recognized his first series lead role since "ER," clocking set for "Zero Hour," the conspiracy mystery from author Paul Scheuring with Lorenzo DiBonaventura and Serta McDermott also professional creating. Carmen Ejogo ("Chaos") will co-star. "Torchwood" star Barrowman became a member of the ensemble for 19th-century drama "Gilded Lilys," while Robert Patrick ("The SystemInch) and Jessy Schram ("Falling Skies") reserved Andre Braugher starrer "Last Measure." Series regular Mercedes Masohn of "The Finder" and Robert Buckley ("One Tree Hill") happen to be cast in ABC drama pilot ''666 Park Avenue." Masohn's part is available in second position to Fox's "Finder." Terry O'Quinn, Dork Annable and Rachael Taylor have formerly became a member of the ensemble. Other castings in the ABC drama division: Karen LeBlanc became a member of "Beauty and also the Animal," Megan Ketch the magical "Gotham" and David Alpay ("The Tudors") and Christine Adams ("Terra Nova") fashion design drama "Americana." In comedy, Wendi McClendon-Covey, lately of "Bridesmaids," became a member of multicam "Only Fools and Horses" from Steven Cragg and John Bradley and including John Leguizamo. Ken Marino ("Party Lower") and Erica Ash will co-star opposite Judy Greer in "American Judy," and Greg Germann and Mo Gaffney, who've both recurred on Showtime's "House of Lies," will co-star with formerly introduced Mary McCormack within the Alphabet net's untitled Kari Lizer laffer. Danielle Nicolet ("The Starter Existence") reserved "Whitened Van Guy" with Kyle Bornheimer, and Justin Prentice and Juliette Angelo were cast in Reba McEntire starrer "Malibu Country." CBS Barbara-Anne Moss, who lately recurred around the final season of NBC's "Chuck," will require on another smallscreen adventure within the untitled project from Nicholas Pileggi and Greg Master occur sixties Vegas and starring Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis. Theo James ("Bedlam"), who performed the Turkish diplomat in PBS' "Downton Abbey," snapped up charge within the Eye's "Golden Boy" which was abandoned recently by Ryan Phillippe. Aidan Quinn ("Prime Suspect") has became a member of A Virtual Detective drama "Elementary" with Jonny Lee Burns and Lucy Liu, while Rhys Coiro ("Entourage") is aping Rachelle Lefevre in jumping from newcomer drama "A Gifted Guy" to pilot "Applebaum." Kyle MacLachlan can look in "Baby Large Shot," as the untitled Ben Falcone/Ray Dorf project added Emily Rutherfurd ("The Brand New Adventures of Old Christine"), Andrea Martin (who'll take part in the wife of Judd Hirsch's character) Emily Alyn Lind ("Revenge") and Quinn Friedman. Tim Robinson became a member of "Friend Me," Matt Prepare the untitled Greg Malins/Greg Berlanti project starring Bryan Greenberg and JoAnna Garcia Swisher, and Timothee Chalamet, Quinn Shephard and Lily Pilblad ("Lights Out") "Trooper" with Mira Sorvino. CW Key casting moves for that CW previously week include Jay Ryan because the Animal within the network's own "Beauty and also the Animal" reboot, and Mamie Gummer ("From the Map) because the lead in hospital drama "First Cut." Martin Donovan ("Boss") and Leonor Varela were cast because the king and full in Aimee Teegarden starrer "The Choice,Inch that will also co-star Peta Sergeant and Celia Massingham. The ensemble of "The Barbara Journals" increased to include Austin Butler ("Switched at Birth"), Brendan Dooling and Freema Agyeman ("Law & Order: United kingdom"), while Paul Blackthorne of ABC's "The StreamInch became a member of "Arrow." FOX Forsythe ("Boardwalk Empire") is headed for that untitled drama from Josh Berman and Robert Wright with Jordana Spiro playing a physician beholden towards the mob. Jay Harrington, who starred in ABC's "Best Ted," has became a member of Marc Guggenheim-scripted drama pilot "Guilty," with Cuba Gooding Junior. like a wrongly disbarred defense attorney who attempts to solve installments of wrongdoing. Jamie Chung ("Sucker Punch") became a member of "The Resource," starring Ali Larter and Bradley Whitford, while Aly Michalka ("Hellcats") has rebounded into Joe Port-Joe Wiseman comedy "Rebounding," with Steve Levitan also professional creating. Matt L. Johnson (Badger on "Breaking Bad") will even co-star. Other recent Fox castings include Adan Canto and Nico Tortorella ("Allow It To Be or Break It") for that untitled Kevin Williamson project starring James Purefoy and Kevin Sausage, Victor Rasuk ("Steps To Make It in the usaInch) for Ryan Hansen starrer "El Jefe" and Robbie Amell ("True Jackson, Vice president") for Bill Lawrence laffer "Like Father." NBC The untitled Jimmy Fallon project scripted by professional producer Charlie Grandy has added Anthony Anderson ("Law and Order") and Jesse Bradford ("Outlaw") to the group, while "Downwardly Mobile" with Roseanne Barr and John Goodman drawn on Romy Rosemont ("Glee") and Mary Birdsong (Reno 911!"). Sarah Wright ("Parks and Entertainment") became a member of Hilary Winston's untitled single-cam comedy, and Bebe Wood did exactly the same for "The Brand New Normal" from Ryan Murphy and Allison Adler. Allison Burns ("Terra Nova") shows up like a guest in Scott Silveri comedy "ContinueInch starring Matthew Perry. In drama, David Harbour ("Pan Am") continues to be cast in "Night time Sun," with Julia Stiles and Titus Welliver, Amy Huberman in Justin Kirk starrer "Animal Kingdom" and Amara Burns ("The Descendants") as daughter of Bill Pullman's leader in "1600 Penn." Finally, Lauren German ("Hawaii Five-"), Charlie Barnett and Teri Reeves will suit up for "Chicago Fire," starring Jesse Spencer and Taylor Kinney. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Ewan McGregor Makes Loving Look Easy in 'Salmon Fishing'

Ewan McGregor Makes Loving Look Easy in 'Salmon Fishing' By Jenelle Riley March 7, 2012 Photo by Blake Gardner Ewan McGregor has always been in love with love. Perhaps it's one of the reasons he's so excellent at portraying people in a deep state of devotion onscreen. In films such as "Moulin Rouge!," "Big Fish," and "I Love You Phillip Morris," the actor has made love at first sight seem believable, coming off as a romantic rather than a stalker. His likable optimism is a rare gift that is on display again in his new film, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen." In director Lasse Hallstrm's latest, McGregor plays Dr. Alfred Jones, a serious scientist who is approached by Emily Blunt's easygoing Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, a consultant to a sheik interested in bringing fly-fishing to Yemen. What seems like an impossible task becomes a cause for the pair, who find themselves falling for each other despite that Alfred is married and Harriet has a military boyfriend missing in action. Though he's done his time in dramatic roles, from his breakthroughs in "Shallow Grave" and "Trainspotting" to starring opposite recent Oscar winner Christopher Plummer in "Beginners," McGregor also excels at romantic comedies, and it's a genre he adores. "Since I was a kid, I loved watching old black-and-white romantic movies," he says. He cites among his favorites "It Happened One Night," starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as a wisecracking journalist and a spoiled heiress stuck on a road trip together. "Salmon Fishing" shares some qualities with that movie, though it seems McGregor has more of the Colbert role in this case. "You're right, he does have that similar arc," McGregor says with a laugh. "He starts off being very unhappy and locked up emotionally and sexually and socially. He's not comfortable in the world, and he takes himself very, very seriously as a scientist. So we see him peeling off the layers of that until he's a happy, relaxed man. It's a nice journey to take."Back Stage: You play besotted better than any actor I can think of; what's the key to hitting that emotion? Ewan McGregor: I don't know. You don't try to play besotted, you know, you're trying to tell the story of the script. And I am interested in films that are concerned with romance and falling in love, because I think it's one of the most powerful emotions that we feel as human beings, and I'm fascinated by it. I think it's an important emotion that we feel, and it drives a lot of the decisions that we make and the way we live our lives, so I think it's really interesting. I don't tire of exploring it. Back Stage: "Salmon Fishing" does offer up some new twists on the genre. For starters, when the film begins, they're both involved with other people. McGregor: I really like the element of them being involved with other people. I think it's a very real love story in that situation, that there are these obstacles. Fred is in an unhappy marriage, and it's interesting to look at. In the book it describes it very nicely, how she proposes to him at university, and he's so scared that he just says yes. He doesn't know what else to do. And the fact that Emily's character has fallen in love with a soldier missing in action; it's very complicated and not the usual romantic comedy situation. I think it makes it real, and I'm glad to see they've held on to that through the edit. I was worried they might try to pull back on those obstacles, but they haven't, which is great.Back Stage: There's a great turning point in the film where he receives a text from his wife and you expect him to go back to her, but he doesn't. McGregor: I noticed [while seeing the film] last night they've changed the text. When we shot it, and in the script, she says, "Fred, don't leave me," and he texts back, "I'm so sorry." They've changed the text to "I'm so sorry, Mary, it's for the best." Which is a note from a producerI can hear it. You know what I mean? It's something that definitely came from some film producer, not the director, and certainly not the actors. I thought it was nicer before, but anyway, it's not the end of the world. Back Stage: Do you find things like that happen a lot? McGregor: It's always happening in films, yes. Just in case somebody doesn't understand, they have to really spell it out. We always have those battles. Back Stage: Is that difficult for you, or is it something you don't think about? McGregor: Luckily, I'm not involved in it because I'm not directing; I'm just the actor, so most of that stuff happens in postproduction. When you're shooting a film there's often that kind of discussion, and it's always a case of sort of dumbing it down, I always feel. Just to make sure nobody's left in the dark, which is why we have so many movies that explain themselves as they go along now. Great cinema, the great movies of our time, don't do that, and they imbue the audience with a certain intelligence and a kind of ambiguity sometimes where you're left to make your own mind up. Two people don't always see the same film in the same way. I made a film with David Mackenzie last year called "Perfect Sense," and that's definitely the case in that. I've had all kinds of different responses from people who have seen it. And I love that about it. That's how we look at paintings, you know, there's nobody there explaining what we should see or shouldn't see or what we should feel or shouldn't feel. That's what's satisfying about any form of art, is our own interpretation of it. But the business side of the movie business will always interfere and demean that a little bit. Back Stage: One film that didn't find a big audience on release is "The Men Who Stare at Goats." It was a very offbeat film; do you think that's a case where it would have done better if there had been more interference? McGregor: No, I don't think there was anything in the film that made it popular or unpopular. Very often, it's just about how a film is released and the campaign and there's no science to it. There's no game plan you can look up on the Internet and know how to release a film. There was only one discussion about the film, and that was the ending, whether he runs through the wall or not. I felt we shouldn't see him go through the wall; we should freeze-frame just before he hits the wall. I think it would have been a sort of smarter ending. Again, we would have been left up to our own idea whether he made it or not. That's how it was in the script, as I recall. Back Stage: Another wonderful movie that sort of slipped under the radar initially is "I Love You Phillip Morris." Is it disappointing when these great films don't reach a wide audience right away? McGregor: No, I don't have any issues with that. My job is to make the film as best I can, and whether it's seen by lots of people or not lots of people, it doesn't really change the experience of watching the film. Lots of times people come up to me to speak about films that weren't seen by lots of people. One example is a film called "Stay" that I made, that gets brought up a lot. You wouldn't want to change them, because that's the way they are, and that's the director's vision for the movie, and you can't argue with that. You want people to see your films because you put your heart and soul into them, but I don't follow the release figures and the opening weekendit's not my business to worry about that. Ewan McGregor with Jim Carrey in "I Love You Phillip Morris". (Roadside Attractions) Back Stage: You've had great chemistry onscreen with everyone from Nicole Kidman to Jim Carrey. What's the secret to making that chemistry work? McGregor: It has nothing to do with me, really. I don't ever consider whether you've got chemistry or not when you're on set; you're just playing a part, and you're playing with the actor who's been cast in the other part. You often get on well or, very rarely in my experience, you don't. But it doesn't really matter; it doesn't alter what we do. Your job is to play the part convincingly. I've been very lucky, and I'm a very happy soul at work; I really like what I do, and I like to act with other actors. So it kind of lends itself to getting along with people, I suppose. Very rarely, maybe once or twice, have I had a problem with somebody. But it didn't matter to the film. Back Stage: What do you do if you're having a hard time working with someone? McGregor: Act. Back Stage: You trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; did they teach you a specific style of acting there? McGregor: Not really. We touched on all different kinds of stuff. There's no Guildhall style of acting, really, they just expose you to as many different kinds of things as possible. There were a lot of movement classes, and you worked with different kinds of directors. We did some work with a director who was a Method-based actor, but it didn't suit me, really. I don't know how anyone's got the time to stop and think about all those things when they're acting. I'm much more of an instinctive actor, and I feed off the other actors, and I like them to feed off me. I always think acting is about what's going on between two or more people, not just about what's happening on my face or what my intentions are. It's more of a shared experience when I do it. Back Stage: What would you say has been your most difficult role? McGregor: I don't really struggle with it. I've always found it rather easy, and I don't complicate it for myself. They all present different challenges, but on the whole I find it quite an easy job.Outtakes Recent films include "Haywire," "The Ghost Writer," and "Angels & Demons."His uncle, Denis Lawson, played Rebel Alliance pilot Wedge Antilles in the original "Star Wars" trilogy; McGregor would go on to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in the three prequels.Stage work includes playing Sky Masterson in the 2005 London production of "Guys & Dolls" and Iago in a 2007 production of "Othello" at the Donmar WarehouseSpy Games Back Stage first spoke to Ewan McGregor in 2004, when he was promoting the Tim Burton flick "Big Fish." At the time, there was an online movement to make McGregor the next James Bond. Asked if he would be interested, he replied, "I think like everything else, you'd have to think and deal with it if it came up. They haven't spoken to me about it; there's been no dialogue. It could be a blast to make those films; there's no question about that. We'll just have to see."Some reports have emerged since then that McGregor was offered the role of Bond in 2006's "Casino Royale" but turned it down. "No," McGregor says. "Good rumor, though." He admits, however, to being approached about the part. "I think they spoke to lots of British actors when they were looking for the next Bond, and they certainly spoke to me. But it wasn't something that I pursued, and it wasn't ever a situation where they offered me the part and I turned it down, no." As for an article in The Daily Mirror saying he turned down the part out of fear of being typecast, McGregor laughs. "No, no. I've been making films for 20 years; I think it would be hard to be typecast now." Ewan McGregor Makes Loving Look Easy in 'Salmon Fishing' By Jenelle Riley March 7, 2012 PHOTO CREDIT Blake Gardner Ewan McGregor has always been in love with love. Perhaps it's one of the reasons he's so excellent at portraying people in a deep state of devotion onscreen. In films such as "Moulin Rouge!," "Big Fish," and "I Love You Phillip Morris," the actor has made love at first sight seem believable, coming off as a romantic rather than a stalker. His likable optimism is a rare gift that is on display again in his new film, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen." In director Lasse Hallstrm's latest, McGregor plays Dr. Alfred Jones, a serious scientist who is approached by Emily Blunt's easygoing Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, a consultant to a sheik interested in bringing fly-fishing to Yemen. What seems like an impossible task becomes a cause for the pair, who find themselves falling for each other despite that Alfred is married and Harriet has a military boyfriend missing in action. Though he's done his time in dramatic roles, from his breakthroughs in "Shallow Grave" and "Trainspotting" to starring opposite recent Oscar winner Christopher Plummer in "Beginners," McGregor also excels at romantic comedies, and it's a genre he adores. "Since I was a kid, I loved watching old black-and-white romantic movies," he says. He cites among his favorites "It Happened One Night," starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert as a wisecracking journalist and a spoiled heiress stuck on a road trip together. "Salmon Fishing" shares some qualities with that movie, though it seems McGregor has more of the Colbert role in this case. "You're right, he does have that similar arc," McGregor says with a laugh. "He starts off being very unhappy and locked up emotionally and sexually and socially. He's not comfortable in the world, and he takes himself very, very seriously as a scientist. So we see him peeling off the layers of that until he's a happy, relaxed man. It's a nice journey to take."Back Stage: You play besotted better than any actor I can think of; what's the key to hitting that emotion? Ewan McGregor: I don't know. You don't try to play besotted, you know, you're trying to tell the story of the script. And I am interested in films that are concerned with romance and falling in love, because I think it's one of the most powerful emotions that we feel as human beings, and I'm fascinated by it. I think it's an important emotion that we feel, and it drives a lot of the decisions that we make and the way we live our lives, so I think it's really interesting. I don't tire of exploring it. Back Stage: "Salmon Fishing" does offer up some new twists on the genre. For starters, when the film begins, they're both involved with other people. McGregor: I really like the element of them being involved with other people. I think it's a very real love story in that situation, that there are these obstacles. Fred is in an unhappy marriage, and it's interesting to look at. In the book it describes it very nicely, how she proposes to him at university, and he's so scared that he just says yes. He doesn't know what else to do. And the fact that Emily's character has fallen in love with a soldier missing in action; it's very complicated and not the usual romantic comedy situation. I think it makes it real, and I'm glad to see they've held on to that through the edit. I was worried they might try to pull back on those obstacles, but they haven't, which is great.Back Stage: There's a great turning point in the film where he receives a text from his wife and you expect him to go back to her, but he doesn't. McGregor: I noticed [while seeing the film] last night they've changed the text. When we shot it, and in the script, she says, "Fred, don't leave me," and he texts back, "I'm so sorry." They've changed the text to "I'm so sorry, Mary, it's for the best." Which is a note from a producerI can hear it. You know what I mean? It's something that definitely came from some film producer, not the director, and certainly not the actors. I thought it was nicer before, but anyway, it's not the end of the world. Back Stage: Do you find things like that happen a lot? McGregor: It's always happening in films, yes. Just in case somebody doesn't understand, they have to really spell it out. We always have those battles. Back Stage: Is that difficult for you, or is it something you don't think about? McGregor: Luckily, I'm not involved in it because I'm not directing; I'm just the actor, so most of that stuff happens in postproduction. When you're shooting a film there's often that kind of discussion, and it's always a case of sort of dumbing it down, I always feel. Just to make sure nobody's left in the dark, which is why we have so many movies that explain themselves as they go along now. Great cinema, the great movies of our time, don't do that, and they imbue the audience with a certain intelligence and a kind of ambiguity sometimes where you're left to make your own mind up. Two people don't always see the same film in the same way. I made a film with David Mackenzie last year called "Perfect Sense," and that's definitely the case in that. I've had all kinds of different responses from people who have seen it. And I love that about it. That's how we look at paintings, you know, there's nobody there explaining what we should see or shouldn't see or what we should feel or shouldn't feel. That's what's satisfying about any form of art, is our own interpretation of it. But the business side of the movie business will always interfere and demean that a little bit. Back Stage: One film that didn't find a big audience on release is "The Men Who Stare at Goats." It was a very offbeat film; do you think that's a case where it would have done better if there had been more interference? McGregor: No, I don't think there was anything in the film that made it popular or unpopular. Very often, it's just about how a film is released and the campaign and there's no science to it. There's no game plan you can look up on the Internet and know how to release a film. There was only one discussion about the film, and that was the ending, whether he runs through the wall or not. I felt we shouldn't see him go through the wall; we should freeze-frame just before he hits the wall. I think it would have been a sort of smarter ending. Again, we would have been left up to our own idea whether he made it or not. That's how it was in the script, as I recall. Back Stage: Another wonderful movie that sort of slipped under the radar initially is "I Love You Phillip Morris." Is it disappointing when these great films don't reach a wide audience right away? McGregor: No, I don't have any issues with that. My job is to make the film as best I can, and whether it's seen by lots of people or not lots of people, it doesn't really change the experience of watching the film. Lots of times people come up to me to speak about films that weren't seen by lots of people. One example is a film called "Stay" that I made, that gets brought up a lot. You wouldn't want to change them, because that's the way they are, and that's the director's vision for the movie, and you can't argue with that. You want people to see your films because you put your heart and soul into them, but I don't follow the release figures and the opening weekendit's not my business to worry about that. Ewan McGregor with Jim Carrey in "I Love You Phillip Morris". (Roadside Attractions) Back Stage: You've had great chemistry onscreen with everyone from Nicole Kidman to Jim Carrey. What's the secret to making that chemistry work? McGregor: It has nothing to do with me, really. I don't ever consider whether you've got chemistry or not when you're on set; you're just playing a part, and you're playing with the actor who's been cast in the other part. You often get on well or, very rarely in my experience, you don't. But it doesn't really matter; it doesn't alter what we do. Your job is to play the part convincingly. I've been very lucky, and I'm a very happy soul at work; I really like what I do, and I like to act with other actors. So it kind of lends itself to getting along with people, I suppose. Very rarely, maybe once or twice, have I had a problem with somebody. But it didn't matter to the film. Back Stage: What do you do if you're having a hard time working with someone? McGregor: Act. Back Stage: You trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama; did they teach you a specific style of acting there? McGregor: Not really. We touched on all different kinds of stuff. There's no Guildhall style of acting, really, they just expose you to as many different kinds of things as possible. There were a lot of movement classes, and you worked with different kinds of directors. We did some work with a director who was a Method-based actor, but it didn't suit me, really. I don't know how anyone's got the time to stop and think about all those things when they're acting. I'm much more of an instinctive actor, and I feed off the other actors, and I like them to feed off me. I always think acting is about what's going on between two or more people, not just about what's happening on my face or what my intentions are. It's more of a shared experience when I do it. Back Stage: What would you say has been your most difficult role? McGregor: I don't really struggle with it. I've always found it rather easy, and I don't complicate it for myself. They all present different challenges, but on the whole I find it quite an easy job.Outtakes Recent films include "Haywire," "The Ghost Writer," and "Angels & Demons."His uncle, Denis Lawson, played Rebel Alliance pilot Wedge Antilles in the original "Star Wars" trilogy; McGregor would go on to play Obi-Wan Kenobi in the three prequels.Stage work includes playing Sky Masterson in the 2005 London production of "Guys & Dolls" and Iago in a 2007 production of "Othello" at the Donmar WarehouseSpy Games Back Stage first spoke to Ewan McGregor in 2004, when he was promoting the Tim Burton flick "Big Fish." At the time, there was an online movement to make McGregor the next James Bond. Asked if he would be interested, he replied, "I think like everything else, you'd have to think and deal with it if it came up. They haven't spoken to me about it; there's been no dialogue. It could be a blast to make those films; there's no question about that. We'll just have to see."Some reports have emerged since then that McGregor was offered the role of Bond in 2006's "Casino Royale" but turned it down. "No," McGregor says. "Good rumor, though." He admits, however, to being approached about the part. "I think they spoke to lots of British actors when they were looking for the next Bond, and they certainly spoke to me. But it wasn't something that I pursued, and it wasn't ever a situation where they offered me the part and I turned it down, no." As for an article in The Daily Mirror saying he turned down the part out of fear of being typecast, McGregor laughs. "No, no. I've been making films for 20 years; I think it would be hard to be typecast now."

Tila Tequila Entering Rehab After Recent Suicide Scare

Title That Tune logo design Should you could recognize Kanye West's "Runaway" from that first tinkling piano note within the Bud Lite Platinum Super Bowl commercial, then you may be fortunate. FremantleMedia has guaranteed the privileges towards the classic game show Title That Tune for any reboot, Vulture reviews. The organization includes a good history for refreshing game shows for example Family Feud and Let us Create a Deal. Fall TV Scorecard: Is the favorite show at risk? Title That Tune is really a song-speculating quiz reveal that starts two participants against one another to title tunes in line with the fewest notes performed. The one that advances towards the Golden Medley bonus round attempts to title seven tunes in thirty seconds or less. The show first first showed in 1953 and was observed in various incarnations through the '70s and 1980s. In 2001, VH1 first showed their version, Title That Video. MTV also attempted to produce other versions because of its flagship network and CMT, but neither got off the floor. CBS also attempted but unsuccessful in a reboot in 2006. Read this classic clip from the 1977 episode featuring Kathie Lee Gifford: Can you "tune" right into a update of Title That Tune?

'The Help' tops NAACP Honours

The cast of ''The Help'' walked away most abundant in kudos in the 43rd NAACP Image Honours Friday evening, taking home the very best prize for outstanding movie and nabbing outstanding actress and supporting actress honors for Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer correspondingly. Edging out co-stars Bryce Dallas Howard and Cicely Tyson, Octavia Spencer felt the Atlas-patterned Image Award statuette was a particularly apt trophy. ''Wow exactly what a beautiful award. It sometimes does seem like we've the load around the globe on our shoulders.'' Salim Akil required home the pointing award for ''Jumping the Broom'' and Anne Peacock got a writing award for ''The First Grader'' throughout the kudocast located by Sanaa Latham and Anthony Mackie. Around the men's side ''Jumping the Broom'' demonstrated fruitful for co-stars Laz Alonso and Mike Epps who walked away with best actor and finest supporting actor trophies correspondingly. George Lucas was honored using the NAACP Vanguard Award for creating understanding of social and racial issues. ''Tyler Perry's House f Payne'' won outstanding comedy series while Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Trecee Ellis Ross paired as much as collect the very best actor and actress kudos for any comedy series correspondingly. ''Law and Order: Special Sufferers Unit'' won for any drama series and LL Awesome J and Regina King required home and actress inside a drama. The NAACP Image Honours honors outstanding achievement by people of color in film, television, music and literature in addition to individuals who promote social justice through creative endeavor. Kudocast was broadcast Friday on NBC. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Eric Roth: 2012 Screen Laurel honoree

Roth'Extremely Noisy & Incredibly Close''Forrest Gump'Though loss and also the temporal character of existence are recurring styles in Eric Roth's writing, Roth has proven he isn't going anywhere. His 40-year career includes celebrated films like "Forrest Gump," "The Curious Situation of Benjamin Button," which year's "Very Noisy & Incredibly Close."Roth does not feel he's worth the WGA's 2012 Laurel Award for Screen, but uncle and frequent collaborator ("Ali" and "The Insider") Michael Mann disagrees, stating the complex subjects Roth takes up."They are amazing subjects to defend myself against. Only other authors know how much difficulty, nobody does. It's like high diving within the Olympic games -- whether it's a 3.6 high dive that counts for over a 1. dive -- and just your peers understand how difficult it's to complete 'The Good Shepherd' or 'Extremely Noisy.' "Roth's body of labor will quickly incorporate a sci-fi film for Warner Bros., that they calls, "my very own flight of fancy." But he concedes there's one legendary film he wishes he would have written."I'd an chance to possibly write 'Cuckoo's Nest.' If only I could've done that."It appears writing is not Roth's only passion. Mann employed Roth to see on his Cinemax skein "Luck" about equine racing because when Mann states, "Eric stays much more time in the track than anybody is aware of.Inch WGA Honours 2012Truth elbows out gags Good timing for WGA prexyHonoreesKress & McDuffie Eric Roth Tate Taylor Patric Verrone Zwick & Herskovitz Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

New image of Jaden Smith in After Earth

A glut of on-set images have recently emerged from the Costa Rican shoot of M Night Shyamalan's After Earth, but up until now, they've mainly featured Will Smith and son Jaden lounging about in their civvies.However, a new image has now been released featuring Jaden Smith in his full costume, and it's starting to give us some idea of the kind of visual aesthetic we can expect from the film.Set some thousand years in the future, After Earth tells the story of a young boy and his estranged father attempting to navigate a desolate and dangerous Earth when their ship crashes and maroons them.That's about as much as we know plot-wise, but this new image reveals that our heroes will be sporting some sort of second-skin, presumably designed to help them survive this newly inhospitable Earth.Co-starring Zoe Kravitz, Sophie Okonedo, and Isabelle Fuhrman, After Earth is slated to open in the UK on 7 June 2013. Will this be the film that kick-starts Shyamalan's career? Put it this way, it can't be any worse than The Last Airbender...

China fish story hooks Canada firm

'Back to the Sea,' is co-produced by Vancouver's IndustryWorks, with animation done in China. Vancouver-based indie production company IndustryWorks' president Evan Tylor never expected to be co-producing an animated feature, let alone one with China. But when he was presented with the opportunity to jump onboard "Back to the Sea," which was already in production, he jumped at the opportunity. Being in business with China opens up an enormous, rapidly growing market share and access to financing. And while China has a limit of only 20 foreign pics a year that are allowed to be released theatrically, pics with a Chinese production company involved are considered domestic, and are exempt from this limitation. "This woke me up to a whole other possibility," Tylor says of IndustryWorks' first co-production with China, via partnerships with Glory & Dream Digital Animation and the Jiangsu Broadcast Co., the second-largest broadcaster in China. Helmed by Glory & Dream co-founder Thom Lu, "Back to the Sea" follows Kevin, an adventurous young flying fish from the NY Harbor who is captured by a fishing ship and delivered directly to the fish tank of a restaurant in NY's Chinatown. There, he meets a quiet Chinese boy who has the same longing for excitement and adventure as his finned friend. The two embark on a quest to return Kevin back to the sea. The voice cast includes Christian Slater, Tim Curry, Mark Hamill and Tom Kenny ("SpongeBob SquarePants"). Pic opened wide across Canada in 2D and 3D on Jan. 27. There are plans ultimately to release the film on a wider scale in the U.S. Jiangsu will distribute and broadcast the dubbed version in China. Although the pic (budgeted at $8 million-$10 million) already had funding from Jiangsu, producers were keen to get a North American company involved in order to help breech that market. As a partner, IndustryWorks oversaw completion of deliverables, post-production, distribution, marketing, and agreements with SAG to complete casting, hooking up Slater and Currey. In return, they now own international ancillary rights outside China. Tylor believes the pic can find an audience within the North American market as well as China, due to its cross-cultural storyline. "They created a story that's very Western," Tylor says. Lu admits that Glory & Dream considered the market when plotting the pic. "We think NY Chinatown has the perfect combination of Eastern and Western culture," he says, "this background will not be too Chinese for North American audiences and also not too American for Chinese audiences." As the Chinese creative industry continues to grow and aim at branching out into the world market, Lu sees more co-productions with Canada and/or the U.S. "From the artistic side, North America makes the best animated films in the world and it sets the standard," he says. "Audiences are already used to this standard, so it will help us learn the rules of the North American market sooner." Since the animation industry in China is just getting started, there is a lack of professional talent and everything is compressed, Lu says. "If you look at our credits as they roll, you will see the names repeating over and over." Although the actual animation for "Back to the Sea" was done in China, by working with North American partners like IndieWorks, Trigger Music, Technicolor, and a recognizable voice cast, Lu hopes the Chinese animation industry can learn by association at the same time it finds a new export market. In many ways, Vancouver seems to be a natural fit for China-Canada co-productions. It is home to a large Chinese population and has extensive existing businesses ties to China. Several official visits from Chinese delegations to British Columbia over the past few years have targeted collaboration. The China Canada Script Competition was unveiled at the 2011 Whistler Film Festival in December. The initiative is spearheaded by Telefilm Canada and China Film Group, China's largest and most influential state-run film enterprise, and the sole importer of foreign films. "Iron Road" (2009), was the first co-produced Canada-China film in 22 years under a treaty established in the 1960s. Since then, there have been miniseries' such as "Marco Polo" and "Son of the Dragon," several features and documentaries, as well as a number of feature film projects currently being developed. And although IndustryWorks doesn't have anything in the pipeline just yet, it is already exploring future opportunities to co-produce with China. "Culturally they were very eager, very accommodating, respectful, and extremely polite to work with -- I have rarely if ever come across that in North American markets," he says with a laugh, "It was a nice change." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com