Committee backs CA incentive extension

Legislation for an extension of California's film production incentive program has received backing from the State Senate Appropriations committee.The panel agreed Thursday to send Assembly Bill 1069 to the Senate floor -- but with some key details still to be worked out, such as the number of years before the entire Senate votes on the bill. If the panel had not acted Thursday, the bill would have been suspended until next year's legislative sessions.The California Assembly approved the bill on a 77-1 vote in June. That version included a five-year extension of California's Film & Television Tax Credit Program, which has allocated $400 million in credits so far. The program -- aimed at halting runaway production -- is slated to end in fiscal year 2013-14, with the last credits to be allocated by July 2012. It offers significantly smaller incentives than other states, with a maximum 25% credit and a total of $500 million in credits over five years.California Film Commissioner Amy Lemisch, who administers the credits program, noted this week that producers aren't able to use the credits until after post-production is completed, long after its positive economic impact is generated -- estimated in a study at $2.8 billion over its first three years.Earlier this week, New York announced that a record 23 TV series were lensing in the state this year on the heels of the legislature's five-year renewal of its film incentive tax program. New York State offers a 30% refundable state tax credit, capped at $420 million per year; New York City offers an additional 5% refundable credit, capped annually at $30 million. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Alexander Skarsgard Headed To The East

He's in talks for the eco-thrillerTrue Blood's Eric Northman - AKA actor Alexander Skarsgard - certainly isn't hurting for job offers at the moment. He's already attached to play a Viking in Warner Bros' The Vanguard and now he's in talks for the latest effort from Another Earth's writer/star Brit Marling, called The East. As she did with Earth, Marling has co-written the script and will take the lead role of a female agent who infiltrates the titular eco-terrorist group. Assuming he locks in a deal, Skarsgard's on to play the leader of the terrorists, who target unethical corporations. East also sees Marling teaming back up with Zat Batmanglij, who co-wrote cult leader drama Sound of My Voice with her and directed that film. He'll step behind the camera once more for the new movie. The plan is to kick off shooting in Nashville across October and November. Skarsgard will next be seen in Lars von Trier's Melancholia and then Rod Lurie's Straw Dogs remake, before cropping up as one of the naval officers in Battleship next year. Marling also knows a little bit about being in demand. Since hitting big at Sundance with both Another Earth and Sound of My Voice, she's weighed offers from Tom Cruise and Steven Soderbergh, but ultimately scored a gig on Robert Redford's new film, The Company You Keep...

Analyst Downgrades News Corp. Stock, Citing Phone Hacking 'Witch Hunt,' 'Powerful Personal Enemies'

NEW YORK - Needham & Co. on Monday downgraded its rating on the stock of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. from "buy" to "hold," citing legal costs related to the phone hacking scandal, a "witch hunt" by "powerful personal enemies" of the media mogul who can use it against him, as well as the stock's history of underperforming amid weaker stock markets. "We expect litigation costs to be a meaningful cost center for News Corp. for the foreseeable future, and we think this expense is not adequately reflected in Wall Street models," analyst Laura Martin wrote in a report, estimating the additional legal costs at $100 million-$150 million for the fiscal year that runs through June 2012. "Wall Street underestimates the resolve of powerful personal enemies of the Murdochs and political enemies of News Corp.'s conservative media outlets," she also said. Speaking of a "witch hunt," Martin added: "We expect the powerful enemies of conservative-leaning Fox News and Wall Street Journal to exhibit sharper elbows in an election year like 2012." Even if accusations prove erroneous, "near term headline risk for News Corp. is acute," the analyst said. The conglomerate is also traditionally not a good play amid weak stock markets, which have recently seen volatility amid continued concerns about the U.S. economy and debt issues around the world, according to the Needham report. "Recent market volatility suggests that markets may trend downward over the next 12 months," Martin wrote. "Over the past 15 years, in 100 percent of instances, News Corp.'s share price underperformed downward corrections in the S&P 500, typically by 15 percent over 6-12 months." The Needham analyst concluded: "News Corp. is not a good place to hide during downward market cycles." Overall, she said that "the risk of owning News Corp. is rising vis-a-vis its peers." What could help the stock? Martin mentioned "a robust economy," an increase of its current stock buyback program from $5 billion to $12 billion and a sale of newspaper assets, which aren't popular on Wall Street. Meanwhile, Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce took a different view of News Corp., which he rates a "buy" with a short-term price target of $17, on Monday. He cited "good growth guidance" for the conglomerate's just-started new fiscal year and rejigged his financial estimates in some areas. Reiterating his "buy," Joyce said the company's stock is the "cheapest in our universe" and added that "we believe the hacking-related fears are already built into the stock price." News Corp. shares opened higher on Monday amid a broader market gain. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Rupert Murdoch News Corp. Phone Hacking Scandal

Emmys 2011: Matt LeBlanc on Playing Matt LeBlanc

It's OK to admit you were more than a little shocked to hear an old friend's name announced on Emmy noms morning in the lead comedy actor category. Truth be told, Matt LeBlanc was kind of shocked, too. Here, the star of the Showtime boutique comedy Episodes reflects on his return to primetime, the perils of playing himself and why he misses a studio audience.our editor recommendsEmmy Nominations 2011: Full ListEmmys 2011: Last Chance for GoldRelated Topics•Emmys STORY: Confessions of the Emmy Writers The Hollywood Reporter: You've known Episodes co-creator David Crane for many years from your work together on Friends. Did he craft the show specifically with you in mind? Matt Leblanc: About two years ago, I got a call from David and [co-creator] Jeffrey Klarik, and they asked me, "What are you up to these days?" I said, "Oh, nothing -- enjoying being a dad, taking time off, figuring out the next phase of my life." They said: "We have an idea. Let's get together and have lunch," and I asked: "Really? What is it?" They said, "We want to tell you in person," and I said, "Well, give me a hint." They said, "We'd rather get together," and I said, "C'mon!" I was living in Montecito at the time and met them for lunch. Their pitch was so thorough. They laid out the whole first season, all seven episodes, right there. I was very impressed. THR: You play a version of yourself in Episodes that isn't terribly flattering. Did you have reservations about doing this? Leblanc: I was a little skeptical. But they said: "Look, we're not making a documentary. So if there's anything you're not comfortable with, we just won't do it." Actually, it became really fun to poke fun at the public's perception of celebrity. I mean, our [Friends] salaries were printed in the L.A. Times Business section one time, so after that everybody assumed we printed money in our basements. Believe me, I wish I could print money in my basement. So I suggested to David and Jeffrey: "Then let's make me really rich. Let's take advantage of that perception." It became really fun once I got my head around the fact that it was a character and not really me. VIDEO: Emmy Roundtable: Comedy Actors THR: Have there been moments written in the script that you felt were a little too over-the-top? Leblanc:There was one scene in particular when I call my ex-wife a very derogatory name -- the C-word, actually. My real-life ex-wife and I have a really amicable friendship; we're good partners in raising our daughter together. So that was a little uncomfortable. I just had to make sure to have a conversation with her beforehand. THR: It probably helps that you've also never really been one of those celebrities whose personal life we think we know intimately. Leblanc:Well, I've slipped up here and there and done stupid stuff. But when I slipped up, it was usually big. I decided to save them all up and be a real asshole. THR:Were your friends surprised that you were game to poke fun at yourself on the show? Leblanc:Most just asked, "Are you OK with them making you such an asshole?" I'm like: "It's just a character. People play murderers. Do you think they're really murderers?" They say: "But yeah, it's your name. People are going to think it's you!" I say: "Oh, I don't think people will think that, and if they do, that's OK. Besides, they already think I'm Joey Tribbiani, so who cares?" PHOTOS: Emmy Nominees 2011 THR: It's already been seven years since Friends ended. How does it feel to be looking back on the show? Leblanc:Friends was a weird phenomenon. I remember after 9/11, there was this big thing in the L.A. Times Calendar section about how "America needed its comfort-food television." We got labeled as "comfort food." I don't know how that happened. We all said, "Wow, that's a lot of responsibility, so let's try to be our best." To have been part of that was so fantastic. And now to be working with David again is amazing. I'm excited to go back to London at the end of October to shoot season two of Episodes. THR: So the second season takes place in England, not L.A.? Leblanc:No, it will take place in L.A. again. We actually shot the whole first season in England with very little second-unit stuff in L.A., like real-wide shots of my car driving up the coast -- that's about it. That guard booth where the main characters live in the gated community, that was all at a military base outside of London. My house in Malibu in the show was actually this house in the woods next to a power plant. They just wrapped the whole house in greenscreen. There are way more special effects in Episodes than you would imagine. STORY: Emmys 2011: 10 War Stories From the Writing Trenches THR: Showtime is only in about 15 percent of U.S. homes. It must have been a strange adjustment for you going from Must-See TV on Thursday nights on NBC to a much smaller audience on cable. Leblanc:Yeah, David and I joke that we are mostly just doing Episodes for friends and family. A good number on Showtime is maybe a million people; with Friends, it was 30 million people. Network television is great, but it has so many standards-and-practices constraints. I get it, but society is evolving, and those rules need to reflect the new face of society -- and they haven't yet. When you get on cable, the gloves are off. Not everything's so perfect. There's a little more dirt; there's a wrinkle in the curtain. The main thing that took getting used to is that Episodes is a single-camera show, so there's no audience. So I say a punch line, and no one laughs. On my first day of shooting, I was completely thrown when the only laughter I heard was from a few crew people chuckling at the monitors. I was like, "What the hell?" Related Topics Emmy Awards Emmys 2011 Matt LeBlanc Episodes David Crane

CSI: Miami Exclusive: 24 Vet Is Horatio's New Nemesis

Carlos Bernard, David Caruso CSI: Miami's Horatio Caine (David Caruso) is no stranger to formidable foes, but this season his opponent will be quite a doozy. 24 alum Carlos Bernard has been cast as Horatio's spectacularly wealthy season-long nemesis, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively. Fall Preview: Get scoop on your favorite returning shows"We're going to slowly position Horatio in opposition to a very subtle, but powerful, political patriarch," co-executive producer Barry O'Brien tells us. "He's kind of a Donald Trump meets the Kennedy family. ...There will be a very high-octane relationship between the two. A hero is as heroic as his opposition is deadly, so we're really going to go there with this character."Bernard's character, which hasn't yet been named, is all the more ruthless because he uses his political sway to keep his depraved serial killer son safe from the law. "We're going to discover that over the course of the season that they may be pulling a lot more strings politically than meets the eye," O'Brien says."That will be a driving theme through season 10 - that Horatio may not completely understand the face of evil that is facing him. ... Horatio's fight for justice might just get compromised." CSI: Miami scoop: Alana De La Garza returns for the season premiereBesides his work as Tony Almeida on 24, Bernard has also recurred on The Young and the Restless and ABC's short-lived Scoundrels. His recent guest-star appearances include roles on Burn Notice and as the villain in the upcoming Charlie's Angels reboot.CSI: Miami returns Sunday, Sept. 25 at 10/9c on CBS. Bernard's arc is slated to kick off in late October.

NY Film Fest Adds Galas For David Cronenberg And Pedro Almodovar Films

New York, NY, August 15, 2011 - The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced the first-time addition of two Galas to join the Opening, Centerpiece and Closing Night Galas for the upcoming 49th New York Film Festival (September 30 October 16) with David Cronenbergs A DANGEROUS METHOD set to screen on Wednesday, October 5 and Pedro Almodovars THE SKIN I LIVE IN on Wednesday, October 12. "Were delighted to be welcoming David Cronenberg to the festival for the first time and to be welcoming back one of the NYFFs closest friends, Pedro Almodovar, says Richard Pea, Selection Committee Chair & Program Director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center. Its a special pleasure to introduce our audiences to exciting new work by two of contemporary cinemas most challenging artists. Scheduled at Alice Tully Hall on Wednesday, October 5 will be David Cronenbergs A DANGEROUS METHOD. Adapted by Christopher Hampton from his play The Talking Cure, the film chronicles the ever-shifting relationship between Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Basking at first in Freuds approval and encouragement, Jung increasingly questions his theories and methods. At the heart of their dispute is their rival approaches to the beautiful yet deeply unbalanced Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightly), who eventually draws each man under her spell. Produced by Jeremy Thomas, the Sony Pictures Classics release also stars Vincent Cassel and Sarah Gordon. The film is set for a November 23 release. Presented the following Wednesday, on October 12, will be Pedro Almodvars THE SKIN I LIVE IN. Reuniting the director with Antonio Banderas, the star of several of his early films, this dramatic thriller was written by Almodovar in collaboration with brother and producer, Agustin, based on Thierry Jonquets novel Mygale. Dr. Robert Ledgard (Banderas) is a world famous plastic surgeon who argues for the development of new, tougher human skin; unbeknownst to others, Dr. Ledgard has been trying to put his theory into practice, keeping a young woman, Vera (Elena Anaya), imprisoned in his mansion while subjecting her to an increasingly bizarre regime of treatments. Fascinated by the thin layer of appearance that stands between our perception of someone and that persons inner essence, Almodvar here addresses that continuing theme in his work in a bold, unsettling exploration of identity. Almodvar regular Marisa Paredes offers another winning performance as Marilia, Ledgards faithful assistant. A Sony Pictures Classics release is scheduled to open October 14. Commenting on the first-time addition of the two Galas to join the Opening, Closing and Centerpiece events headlining the NYFF lineup this year, Rose Kuo, Executive Director, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, said, "This year has seen a great deal of growth for us with the opening of our new Film Center and we are thrilled to continue that expansion at this years NYFF. We will be offering more screenings, panels, and family events as well as these two new marquee nights that feature highly anticipated fall films."

V. Good News! Bridget Jones 3 Movie in the Works

Renee Zellweger Everyone's favorite British singleton is back! Working Title Films is moving forward with a third installment to the Bridget Jones films, which are based on the novels by Helen Fielding, EW reports. When can you next catch Renee Zellweger on TV, online or on demand? Add her to your Watchlist and you'll know for sure In Bridget Jones's Diary and its sequel, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, Renee Zellweger plays the working-class heroine who has a fondness for food, drinking and smoking and laments about the "Smug Marrieds" who plague her singleton life. The original was very loosely based on the plot of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, while the second has elements of Austen's Persuasion. In both films, Colin Firth played the "good guy" love interest, Mark Darcy, while Hugh Grant portrayed the "bad boy," Daniel Cleaver. Although no other details about the third film are available, Firth had once told Access Hollywood one possible plot: Bridget has trouble conceiving children with Mark, and thus turns to Daniel for help, which of course, does not end well. Fielding began writing a third book in the series earlier this year.

UCLA fest spotlights Iranian pix

Nikhol Boosheri and Sarah Kazemy in the controversial Sundance-honored, lesbian-themed 'Circumstance,' the Noor Festival's centerpiece film.Formed to foster understanding between Iran and the U.S., the Noor Iranian Film Festival has managed to annoy one entity already: Iran's culture ministry has told filmmakers that if they submit pics to the event, they'll lose their license to work in the country. But that's not deterring founder and director Siamak Ghahremani. The fest, whose fourth edition took place Aug. 5-7 at UCLA's James Bridges Theater, unspooled several shorts and features. Centerpiece was Sundance audience award winner "Circumstance" from Maryam Keshavarz. Other pics include "American Coup," "Chasing Che," "Letters to the President," "Kick in Iran" and "1994." Ghahremani's aim in starting the sprocket opera in 2009 was to counter Iran's negative image among Americans. Event skipped last year out of respect for the many who were killed in Iran during the turmoil that followed that country's elections. "There were no Iranian festivals outside Iran" when he started his fest, Ghahremani says. And while filmmakers such as Jafar Panahi and the Makhmalbafs are well known at Cannes and New York, their work was little seen in L.A. Ghahremani hopes to change that with his festival, which include films touching on issues such as poverty, oppression and gay life. In the first few years, he received plenty of submissions from Iran and Iranians around the world. However, when Iranian authorities threatened sanctions against participants, it had an adverse effect, he says, even though the disapproval made his event better known in thein the expat community. "But on the plus side, two other Iranian film festivals came up in New York and the U.K.," adds Ghahremani. The Noor fest was set to give Bob Yari a lifetime achievement award on Aug. 7. The jury includes Kami Asgar, Corey Feldman, Frances Fisher, Bai Ling and Max Martini. Ghahremani says he whittles down the submissions and then lets the jury decide which pics to screen. "I'm the only one who knows the winners beforehand," he adds. "I'm the PriceWaterhouse security." Contact Shalini Dore at shali.dore@variety.com

Cycle Kick

A male recollects the storyline of two impoverished siblings, Ramu and Deva. While Ramu studies within the Government College, he glues Bollywood movie posters in addition to trims the grass having a manual lawnmower in the exclusive St. Joseph's College, where Football Coach, Thomson, quits because of variations using the Principal. Ramu longs to experience football, but must work to create a minimum of Rs.100 daily to make sure their survival, while Deva attends an area school. Deva's wish they own a bicycle is satisfied after Ramu finds an abandoned bike, and by using his garage-owner friend, Yadav, causes it to be roadworthy. While employed in your garden of the wealthy family, he falls deeply in love with the daughter, Shrishti, as well as on being discovered, will get fired, and also the bike will get stolen. The siblings significantly locate the bike with Ali Mirza, complain to his father, and take having the bike. A vengeful Ali will get his buddies together and attempts to accept bike back but Thomson intervenes and sets a disorder that compel the duo to talk about the bike. Ali then tries to woo Suman, who favors the organization of Vijay, and this can lead to an actual confrontation - that could well finish up altering everyone's lives forever.