Sacha Baron Cohen will attend the Oscars as The Dictator

[brightcove]1339756220001[/brightcove]Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator has been causing Oscars 2012 controversy in spades this week, but he finally has his tickets for the tomorrow's ceremony.Extra has confirmed that General Aladeen will be in attendance, with Oscar producer Brian Grazer confirming that, "We're thrilled to have him and he'll be on the red carpet dressed as The Dictator."The Dictator himself also offered confirmation via his official Facebook page, with the following image:The Oscars ceremony takes place tomorrow night, with The Artist looking likely to sweep the board.The Dictator opens in the UK on 18 May 2012.

Digital brands team for own upfronts

Several leading brands within the digital content space take a webpage in the TV industry and hosting a number of presentations to marketers inspired through the upfronts. Google, Hulu, America online, Yahoo, Microsoft and Digitas would be the inaugural partners behind digital Content NewFronts, a 2-week showcase scheduled to start in mid-April in Manhattan. By situating themselves in Madison Avenue's backyard just days prior to the broadcast systems unveil their fall agendas, these businesses aspire to lure a lot of ad dollars likely to their TV alternatives. The NewFronts start April 19 with Hulu and conclude May 2 with Google/YouTube. Additional taking part publication rack likely to be introduced within the coming days. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

Fanboy or Fascist?

"Exactly what the box office success from the re-launched Special Models told Hollywood is the fact that the only method to create another global phenomenon is to create a new The Exorcist movie. 1997 was the beginning of the current-day fanboy/geek culture that now runs Hollywood. Fanboy culture (Comic-Disadvantage, Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, The The almighty from the Rings, J.J. Abrams, Joss Whedon, Marvel comics, Bet on Thrones, The Walking Dead, Glee, Aint-It-Awesome-News, Attack from the Show) is really a groupthink attitude that states be democratic, with its we-know-what is-best-because-were-fans ethic, but is actually popular culture fascism. And it is the fans demand (remember, fan is short for fanatic), that brought to The Exorcist: Episode I The Phantom Menace - probably the most over-blown (and perhaps most reviled) blockbuster in movie history." [Some Came Running]

Mega Buzz: New Women on Grey's and CSI plus an Old Flame round the Good Wife

Chad Michael Murray Chad Michael Murray confesses he wasn't exactly planning revisit One Tree Hill for your final season. "I've been busy with assorted discoveries throughout my very own existence ... [and] it never really dawned on me," Murray told TVGuide.com round the show's New You are able to set. "Your chance came, which i understood how important it absolutely was to individuals fans that are everything for the show - which could it have been.In . The cast of just one Tree Hill shares their all-time favorite episodes On Wednesday's episode, Lucas returns to Tree Hill to comfort his nearest friend Haley (Bethany Pleasure Galeotti), whose husband -Lucas' brother Nathan (James Lafferty) - went missing. Even though Murray carried out Lucas for a number of years, according to him that walking in to the role wasn't easy. "I've spent the ultimate few years coping with good quality mentors, people and teachers, prone to different theater classes and researching what you're saying and the way you represent all people feelings," according to him. "Lucas was only fairly simple. He was the moral core show, just to walk into might to tug everything to this fairly simple, quite simple-going [character] - that was the job.In . Murray and co-star Hilarie Burton both left the CW series after Season 6. Although there's been basically a few mentions from the figures Lucas and Peyton since their departure, Murray states he's imagined what they've been around and why they missed such milestone occasions as Brooke and Julian's wedding. "He's in Nz. The kiwis are extremely nice," Murray jokes. What about people letters Haley produces him? "I made a decision that yes, he did [receive them], but we uncover here that we haven't. Therefore I guess I have not.Inch As well as the odd resemblance Lucas and Haley and Nathan's boy Jamie share? "I have always mentioned, 'Dude, that's my kid. Where the hell was I 10 years ago?'" See photos in a single Tree Hill over time While Murray wouldn't spoil how Lucas makes his final exit, according to him he hopes the fans enjoy any visit from his character. "The fans are actually the primary one component that saved this show round the air for nine years, and they've been its existence bloodstream for the entire journey," according to him. "This is actually the only factor I'd in my mind." One Tree Hill airs Wednesdays at 8/7c round the CW.

Kevin Durand And Lukas Haas Set For Dark Was The Night

The thriller from Tyler Hisel appeared on the 2009 Black List of unproduced scripts under the titleThe Trees. Produced by Caliber Media Co, Sundial Pictures and Preferred Content, Kevin Durand (Robin Hood) and Lukas Haas (Inception) star in the feature, set in an isolated town where a logging company has interrupted the balance in the local woods, and an evil emerges threatening the locals. Sabina Gadecki (Freaky Deaky), Heath Freeman (Skateland), and Nick Damici (Stake Land) also star. Jack Heller will direct the feature, which begins principal photography Sunday. Heller is producing with his Caliber partner Dallas Sonnier and Sundial’s Stefan Nowicki.Preferred Content’s Kevin Iwashina and Ross Dinerstein will executive produce alongside Sundial’s Joey Carey and The Molecule’s Ted Markovic. Hisel and manager Alexander Robb are also executive producers and Iwashina will handle domestic sales.Durand is repped by WME, Alchemy Entertainment, and attorney Dave Feldman. Haas is repped by Innovative, managers Chuck Pacheco and Rick Yorn, and attorneys PJ Shapiro and Julian Zajfen. Hisel, repped by Katie Cates of Kaplan-Stahler and Alexander Robb of Insignia Entertainment, sold his pilot The Brink to Sony TV with Gran Via producing last fall.Dark Was The Night is his first feature.

Free Air travel Wing's Allison Janney to Guest-Star round the Large C

Allison Janney Free Air travel Wing's Allison Janney is positioned to guest-star round the approaching season in the Large C, Showtime introduced Tuesday. The Emmy-winning actress may have an ultra-effective Hollywood producer who want to purchase Trina (Laura Linney) and Paul's existence rights to have the ability to tell their story round the silver screen. Other notable guest-stars coming this season include Susan Sarandon and Victor Garber. Pilot Season: Tony Shalhoub, Allison Janney prone to NBC's Friday Evening Dinner Janney, whose credits have ABC's short-were living Mr. Sunshine, recently showed up charge at the office boss Greg Daniels' adaptation of British comedy Friday Evening Dinner. The Big C will return due to its third season on Sunday, April 8 at 9:30/8:30c on Showtime.

'The Artist' dominates BAFTA Awards

Best Actor Jean Dujardin, producer Thomas Langmann and helmer Michel Hazanavicius from the film 'The Artist.'Colin Firth examines Meryl Streeps BAFTA Award for actress.Octavia Spencer talks about her win for supporting actress. London-- "The Artist" charmed its way to seven prizes at the British Academy Film Awards on Sunday night, including best film, director and original screenplay for Michel Hazanavicius, and best actor for Jean Dujardin.The French silent, black and white pic also took awards for cinematography, costume design and original music.Hazanavicius, accepting the original screenplay prize at London's Royal Opera House, confessed his surprise, noting that "so many people thought there was no script, because there was no dialog."Meryl Streep won best actress for "The Iron Lady." She lost a shoe on the stairs up to the stage, giving presenter Colin Firth the chance to play Prince Charming and kneel before her to replace it."Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" took the nod for outstanding British film and for adapted screenplay. In the night's most emotional moment, writer Peter Straughan accepted the adapted screenplay award for himself and his late wife and co-writer Bridget O'Connor, who died on the day "Tinker Tailor" started shooting."She wrote all the good bits; I made the coffee," he said.Christopher Plummer won the supporting actor prize for his turn as a septuagenarian gay dad in "Beginners."A clearly surprised Octavia Spencer took supporting actress for "The Help," cementing her status as the Oscar frontrunner. In her speech, she noted that the prize proved "The Help" is not merely an American story, but a universal one."Senna," about Formula 1 racing driver Ayrton Senna, picked up BAFTA's first documentary feature award, and also took the editing prize.Director-scribe Paddy Considine and producer Diarmid Scrimshaw won the outstanding British debut award for "Tyrannosaur."The Orange Rising Star Award, voted on by the public, went to "Adulthood" and "Anuvahood" actor Adam Deacon, proving the loyalty of his cult youth fanbase by beating better known international stars Tom Hiddleston, Chris O'Dowd, Chris Hemsworth and Eddie Redmayne."For me it means acceptance. It's a win for the underdog," Deacon said.Pedro Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In" was the surprise winner for best film not in the English language, beating Iranian helmer Asghar Farhadi's Oscar foreign language favorite, "A Separation," which clearly paid the price for not sending out a DVD to voters.On a night when Martin Scorsese was honored with a BAFTA Fellowship, his "Hugo" won for best sound and production design.Scorsese, the most nominated director in BAFTA history, got a standing ovation for his Fellowship, which he described as "the highest and most profound honor." He paid tribute to the influence on his work of British cinema, which he described as "a bit of a mystery and a great marvel.""The Iron Lady" also won for hair and make-up."Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" finally won a BAFTA, for special effects, at the eighth time of asking, an overdue reward for the Potter franchise that has pretty much created London's world-class vfx industry.As previously announced, John Hurt was honored for his outstanding contribution to British cinema, and earned a standing ovation.Complete list of BAFTA winnersAcademy FellowshipMartin ScorseseOutstanding Contribution to British CinemaJohn HurtBest Film"The Artist"DirectorMichel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"Leading ActorJean Dujardin, "The Artist"Leading ActressMeryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"Supporting ActorChristopher Plummer, "Beginners"Supporting ActressOctavia Spencer, "The Help"Outstanding British picture"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"Outstanding DebutPaddy Considine and Diarmid Scrimshaw for "Tyrannosaur"Documentary"Senna"Original Screenplay"The Artist," Michel HazanaviciusAdapted Screenplay"The Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," Bridget O'ConnorFilm Not in the English Language"The Skin I Live In"Animated Film"Rango"Original Music"The Artist"Cinematography"The Artist," Guillaume SchiffmanEditing"Senna"Production Design"Hugo"Costume Design"The Artist"Sound"Hugo"Makeup & Hair"The Iron Lady"Special Visual Effects"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"Short Animation"A Morning Stroll"Short Film"Pitch Black Heist"Orange Rising Star (Audience Award) Adam Deacon Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Edinburgh to preem around 100 features

EDINBURGH -- This Year's Edinburgh Film Festival will premiere around 100 capabilities, after diminishing its program close to 60 films a year ago. New artistic director Chris Fujiwara, speaking freely the first time since his appointment, also mentioned the fest will restore the red-colored-colored carpet occasions therefore it abandoned a year ago. "It's dependent round the films as well as the ease of access to stars, but we're delighted to unveil all appropriate courtesy like the red-colored-colored carpet to be happy here," he mentioned. Fujiwara was hired last September a direct consequence in the disastrous 65th edition in June. Formerly situated in Japan, where he labored mainly just like a critic, he turned up in Edinburgh noisy . The month of the month of january. He known to his role as "bridge building" while using worldwide film community carrying out a bad publicity around last year's event. The 2011 festival performed around with while using size, structure and kind from the festival around the shoestring budget, but was broadly written of just like a failure. However, it nearly broke even financially on much reduced ticket sales, and so the challenge for Fujiwara would be to restore the fest's previous scope and impact with limited funds unlikely being a lot more than the 2011 figure near to 700,000 ($1.2 million). "My finest challenge is building the program with this particular city as well as the worldwide film community," he mentioned. Including retrospectives (which have been also abandoned a year ago) and shorts, the whole program includes 120-150 films. "I have the fantastic chance get yourself a clean slate," Fukiwara mentioned. "I'm told I am capable of singing the kind of festival If only to complete. I'm not thinking if this involves the primary difference from 2011, that is not something I get bogged reduced.Inch He acknowledged that his program would inevitably be restricted by whatever budget he's given, watching the sum is not fixed. "I am hoping to experience a comfortable budget," he mentioned, adding a plea for the fest's public funders and potential sponsors, "Please give to us money!" Getting spent yesteryear number of days within the Rotterdam Film Festival, he noted the response he received made him "more aware than in the past in the importance Edinburgh has inside the worldwide film world." The fest will occur June 20 for this summer time 1. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

'Watchmen,' 'Woman In Black' Talk Nerdy Around

It has been a large week in nerd news. "Watchmen" prequels are formally around the means by the type of "Before Watchmen," seven interconnected comic miniseries that chronicle Rorschach and pals before their fateful encounter within the Alan Moore and Dork Gibbons graphic novel. Talking about stories, Josh Trank's found-footage super hero flick "Chronicle" has gone out in theaters now, and it is awesome. But it is got stiff competition as Serta Radcliffe's large-screen comeback along with a whale of the drama. Have more on that, and several discuss Spidey's canceled "Avengers" cameo, within this week's Talk Nerdy! Watch Talk Nerdy!

Lionsgate, Starz ink multi-year pact

Lionsgate and Starz Entertainment Thursday introduced a completely new multiyear, multiplatform, film certification deal that will bring greater than 500 Lionsgate movies for the premium funnel.The comprehensive new agreement is Lionsgate's first extended-term library deal with Starz. The studio, which just acquired Summit Entertainment, can be a founding father of rival pay TV network Epix, along with Vital and MGM.Photos include recent releases ''Conan The Barbarian,'' ''Abduction,'' ''Margin Call'' and ''Red State'' additionally to photos within the ''Saw'' and ''Tyler Perry'' franchises, ''Precious,'' ''Rambo,'' ''3:10 To Yuma,'' ''Monster's Ball,'' and ''The Blair Witch Project.''Jim Packer, Lionsgate Leader of Worldwide Television and Digital Distribution, mentioned, ''This is an additional significant area of the ongoing income generating within our 13,000-title shot entertainment library, and that we are delighted to improve and expand our productive extended-term relationship with Starz, with whom we most recently became a member of round the television series ''Boss.'' Lionsgate remains dedicated to tapping traditional and digital customers alike after we explore techniques to unlock the requirement for our huge shot entertainment library resource.''''Starz Entertainment offers its clients a great combination of both original programming and theatrical films. We are always striving to possess a extended-term pipeline of quality library content to boost our first-run output film programming from Disney and also the new the new sony. This agreement - getting a good partner in Lionsgate -- enables us to satisfy people extended-term programming goals,'' mentioned Stephan Shelanski, EVP, Programming, for Starz Entertainment. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com