Nina Agdal Subs For Kate Upton, Goes to Prom With Jake Davidson

Jake Davidson, the L.A. teenager who famously asked Kate Upton to his senior prom, landed a solid consolation prize in Danish supermodel Nina Agdal. Agdal was the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition's 2012 "Rookie of the Year." She's also the h...

American Idol Fans Stab Each Other Over Finalist Dispute

American Idol Season 12 drew the smallest ratings in show history.

But, as proven by Karen Elaine Harrelson and Gregory L. Stambaugh, that doesn't mean the battle between Candice Glover and Kree Harrison didn't elicit some serious emotion.

According to The York Dispatch, these two were watching last week's Idol finale (and drinking) when they got into an argument over who should win.

Accounts differ on who went into the kitchen of Stambaugh's home to get a knife first… but both ended up with stab wounds and both were treated at the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

Both were arrested as well, of course.

They were each charged with two counts of simple assault and one count of aggravated assault.

Authorities said they found two knives and two bottles of alcohol, among other things, in the home; while both halves of the couple confirm they had been imbibing.

Stambaugh said Harrelson started drinking beer and tequila at 5 a.m., while he joined in at noon by downing beer and a pint of scotch. That's... impressive. And frightening.

Boy Scouts Vote to Allow Gay Scouts; Gay Scout Leaders Still Prohibited

The Boy Scouts of America have voted to allow gay Scouts to join the ranks.

According to multiple media sources, the scouting organization decided, by a 61-38 vote, to eliminate sexual orientation as youth membership criterion.

Under the new ruling, gay Scout leaders are still prohibited, however.

The Boy Scouts of America's National Council's decision to ease a long-standing ban and allow openly gay boys came amid a firestorm of controversy.

One that likely won't end with this particular vote, either.

The Scout leaders who voted during the annual meeting in Texas accepted the proposal, but it was far from unanimous, and may not please either side.

Already, critics say they went too far ... or not far enough.

Some conservative churches that sponsor Scout units wanted to continue excluding gays, in some cases threatening to defect if the ban were lifted.

More liberal Scout leaders, while supporting the proposal to accept gay youth, have made clear they want the ban on gay adults lifted as well.

Should the Boy Scouts allow gay scouts?

Chief Keef Threatens to Assault Katy Perry Over Song Diss

Chief Keef is back in the news.

But not because his baby mama has sued him for child support. And not because the 17-year old was arrested for pot possession.

No, this time, Keef just said some REALLY mean things to Katy Perry.

• 
• 

It all started when Perry Tweeted on Wednesday: "Just heard a new song on the radio called ‘I hate being sober’ I now have serious doubt for the world."

At that, the young rap star went off.

“Dat b*tch Katy Perry Can Suck Skin Off Of my D*ck,” Keef fired back via Twitter yesterday, later adding: “Ill Smack The Sh*t out her."

Impressively, Perry took the very high road in her response.

“sorry if I offended you," she Tweeted. “I heard a lot of people guesting on the song & didn’t even know it was you in particular. Actually I’m a fan of your “Don’t Like” video [to be honest].”

Wow, Katy. You are a much bigger person than we would have been in this situation.

Jodi Arias Jury Fails to Decide on Death Penalty

A Phoenix jury Thursday declared that it could not agree on whether to recommend the death penalty or life in prison for convicted murderer Jodi Arias.

She was recently found guilty of slaying her lover, Travis Alexander.

Jodi Arias, dressed in black, tearfully held her hand to her face as the jury's decision was read. She has said that she'd welcome the death penalty.

She won't get it from this jury. At least not yet. Superior Court Judge Sherry Stephens set a June 20 hearing to prepare for a penalty-phase retrial.

The mistrial doesn't undermine Jodi Arias' guilty verdict or murder conviction. This phase is totally separate and devoted only to her punishment.

A new jury, possibly in a different city, will be asked to hear testimony only on the penalty issue, unless the prosecutors were to offer her a plea deal.

The prosecution announced that it will weigh its options.

Should Jodi Arias get the death penalty?

Flickr Suffers Outage Four Days After Major Revamp

Just four days after Yahoo-owned Flickr unveiled a brand-new upgrade, the site is experiencing major downtime for some—but not all—users. Flickr tweeted its acknowledgement of the site going down, about two hours ago. Experiencing slowness or having trouble accessing the site? We’re on it, and are working to fix the issue as quickly as possible. #badpanda — Flickr (@Flickr) May 24, 2013 While it appears that some users are not seeing any problems, there are others who have not been able to access the site for hours. TNW spotted a tweet from @danielbowen complaining about the downtime that was posted at 5:30PM PDT. That’s almost six hours ago, at time of writing. But isitdownrightnow.com shows the site is up, and other users like @bestofnatparks posted a tweet about its Flickr gallery about three hours ago. Flickr’s update, launched just four days ago, overhauled the photo site’s interface with large, high-res photos. This pairs with a recent update of Flickr’s apps on both iOS and Android. Flickr has said that the updated iOS app yielded 25 percent more uploads. The additional load placed on Flickr’s systems by all the high-res flood coming in is likely to have taken its servers down. Flickr has about 89 million users. The new site upgrade also bumped up each user’s upload quota to a whopping 1Tb. Not everyone’s going to be rushing to reach the quota, but it’s undoubtedly revived a lot of interest from users who have fallen by the wayside in recent years.

Cannes: Another Jewelry Heist? $2.6M Necklace Missing After Hotel Du Cap Soirée (Reports)

In what would be the second high-profile jewerly heist of the Cannes Film Festival, a diamond necklace valued at $2.6M is said to be missing after a star-studded party at the Hotel Du Cap earlier this week. Fawaz Gruosi, founder of Swiss jeweler De Grisogono, told Reuters that the necklace disappeared after being worn as part of an annual event, which this year celebrated the company’s 20th anniversary and was attended by Sharon Stone and Paris Hilton among others. Local police, hotel security and 80 bodyguards had been on duty Gruosi told Reuters, but an inventory at the end of the night found the necklace missing. A Cannes police source said they were investigating whether it was a theft, an inventory issue, or a loss, according to Reuters. Last week’s theft of $1.4M in Chopard jewels is still under investigation. Swiss newspaper Le Matin says police are actively pursuing at least three suspects.

‘Hangover III’ With Weak $11M Wed/Thurs Kicks Off Too Crowded Memorial Weekend

THURSDAY 11:30 PM, 2ND UPDATE: Warner Bros’ The Hangover Part III co-financed with Legendary Pictures went wide in 3,555 North American theaters today and my sources say it opened to $11 million which includes Wednesday late shows and Thursday midnights. That’s miniscule compared to The Hangover Part II‘s Thursday opening of $31.6M - 3,615 locations on May 26, 2011 - which was the highest-grossing opening day ever for a live-action comedy. (H3‘s also is less than Thursday’s $13.5M debut a week ago for Star Trek Into Darkness.) Plus audiences only gave The Hangover Part III a ‘B’ CinemaScore compared to the ‘A-’ which the sequel scored. This threequel also scored even worse reviews (only 26% positive on Rotten Tomatoes) than H2 (34%) which was considered embarrassingly awful. But it’s still going to make a lot of moolah: worldwide moviegoers really like this mindless crap especially during the summer months. Internationally, the comedy is taking off in 3 markets this weekend – the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The studio tells me early numbers in Australia indicate a strong opening day of A$1.75M from 494 screens, dominating 80% of the Top 5. NZ also opened big, controlling over 70% of the Top 5. Next weekend H3 opens in 32 markets, including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil. Here in the U.S., the Hollywood studios now think weekends should start on Wednesday just to wring ... Read More »

Study: Women Movie Critics Fewer Than 20% on Rotten Tomatoes

The age of the Internet has not been kind to female movie critics.

According to a new study titled "Gender @ the Movies" obtained by TheWrap ahead of its Friday release, film criticism has become even more male-dominated in the age of online news than it was six years ago.

Also read: Rex Reed Ripped for Calling Melissa McCarthy 'Tractor-Sized' and 'Hippo' in Review

The study tracked review activity by top Rotten Tomatoes critics this spring and found that top male critics wrote 82% of film reviews featured on the aggregator site during a two-month period, with top female critics accounting for less than 20%. By comparison, men wrote 70% of reviews for the top 100 U.S. daily newspapers in 2007.

"Film critics appear to have become less, not more gender diverse over the last six years," Martha Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, wrote in a report accompanying the findings.

And that, she added, means that films with male directors and writers get greater exposure to their work.

The ratio improved but only barely when considering the actual number of men and women writing reviews today. The center, based at San Diego State U., found that 78% of the top critics this spring were male and 22% female.

Also read: Academy Defends Seth MacFarlane Despite Charges of Sexism

The center decided to examine the relationship between gender, film critics and movie reviews after veteran critic Rex Reed attacked Melissa McCarthy's appearance in "Identity Thief," and an upstate New York newspaper editor ordered a critic to avoid reviewing films with strong female characters.

There were 145 writers designated as top critics on Rotten Tomatoes during the study period. The site designates writers as top critics based on the size of their outlet and length of time practicing their craft; Reed, who writes for the New York Observer, qualifies as a top critic on Rotten Tomatoes, as does chief Wrap critic Alonso Duralde.

The ratio was even worse at entertainment magazines and websites such as Entertainment Weekly, which tilted 91% to men and 80% men at general interest magazines and sites. The picture was slightly brighter for women reviewing films at newspaper sites (28% female) and radio (30% female).

Also read: Sexist Hollywood?: Women Still Struggle to Find Film Jobs, Study Finds

The center also analyzed the more than 2,000 reviews to determine whether film critics tend to gravitate toward movies written or directed by their sex and if their reviews are biased in favor of those sharing their gender.

It found that there is some truth to the perception that female critics gravitate toward movies written or directed by women and vice versa.

But it did not find evidence of gender bias toward filmmakers in the reviews themselves.

According to the report, "neither male nor female critics award substantially higher ratings to films directed and/or written by those of their same sex."

The bottom line?  "Popular film criticism remains a predominantly male activity," Lauzen writes.

The study was to be released on Friday.

Studios Drool Over Sci-Fi Drama – but Will Spielberg Take It to TV? (Exclusive)

Mickey Fisher, an unknown and unsigned writer until recently, has film studios drooling over his script "Extant" for weeks. There's just one twist: it's not a film script.

Fisher wrote "Extant" as a TV pilot. It's a one-hour sci-fi drama about John and Molly Watts and their son, a human-like robot named Ethan. Molly, the space-traveling wife, is also pregnant with a baby that is part human and part alien. The family intrigue deepens in subsequent episodes.

Multiple agencies sought to sign the writer after reading the script, and WME won out. WME and manager Brooklyn Weaver, who discovered Fisher, sent the script around to the studios who are hot to trot for a high-concept script mixing sci-fi and familial drama.

"Everyone is freaking out about it," an agent at a rival firm said. "It's 'A.I.' as a TV series."

Though just 56 pages, it introduces several plotlines and interconnected characters that would be difficult to resolve in a single film. The script is written in five acts and takes place on earth and in a space station.

Also read: Steven Spielberg to Produce Live-Action 'Halo' Series

Warner Bros. still made an offer to acquire the project and turn it into a movie, according to multiple individuals inside and outside the studio, but now the studio is talking with Fisher about acquiring a different pitch. The studio declined to comment.

WME and Weaver always harbored dreams of turning "Extant" into a TV series with Steven Spielberg producing. They are halfway there: Amblin TV, which produced "ER" and "The Americans," is developing and packaging it. It remains unclear if Spielberg will take a credit, though his involvement would make it even more attractive to networks.

Also read: 'Jurassic Park 4' to Arrive June 2014, Steven Spielberg to Produce

Not bad for a playwright whose lone screenwriting credits before this were "Summer Nuts" and "The King of Iron Town," a pair of microbudget films.

Fisher is also represented by attorney Jeff Frankel.

Cubic Telecom Secures $5.2M To Create Devices That Roam Mobile Networks Cheaply

We're all familiar with the bill shock associated with roaming abroad with our cellphones. There are plenty of players that allow you to swap out your SIM card and use cheaper traffic, including Cubic Telecom. However, that process is tedious. So Cubic has secured new funding to enable a range of tablets and notebooks to have their technology built into partner devices. To do this they've raised a further $5.2 million in funding from Enterprise Ireland, Qualcomm Incorporated, ACT Venture Capital and TPS Investments.

Indies Fight for a Foothold in Season of Caped, Masked Superheroes

Summer is the busiest time of year at the multiplexes, with the major studios throwing wannabe blockbusters at every open date and big-budget sequels gobbling up all available screens.

For indie films, it's the perfect time of the year.

"People are in the moviegoing habit during the summer, but there's a smart audience out there that wants more than the latest superhero or another alien invasion," Sony Pictures Classics Co-President Tom Bernard told TheWrap.

See photos: 15 LIttle Movies You Shouldn't Miss This Summer

"It's counter-programming -- and for us, releasing films in the summer has worked year-in and year-out."

Sony Classics is venturing into the belly of the beast once again this year.

On Memorial Day weekend, which brings the debuts of "The Hangover Part III" and "Fast & Furious 6," SPC is releasing a sequel of its own: Richard Linklater's low-budget, talky and touching "Before Midnight," a movie whose only explosions are emotional.

The company is also releasing the Israeli drama "Fill the Void" at the same time, while Focus Features will use that weekend to put out the Alex Gibney documentary "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks."

Also read: WikiLeaks Doc Director on Julian Assange: 'The Balls of This Guy - I Thought, Wow.'

For Bernard, a crowded summer is simply an opportunity to show off films aimed at an audience that isn't interested in the movies vying for $100 million openings.

"Our audience is sometimes an older audience, and it's a solid moviegoing audience 52 weeks out of the year," he said. "And they normally don't like to see the explosion movies.

"The only time it's bad for is if there's a studio movie that captures our audience, like the 'Bourne' movies did. But if you look at the kind of films that are going to be out there this summer, our audience doesn't want to see those films."

The summer of 2013 has already seen the release of several indies, including Noah Baumbach's black-and-white gem "Frances Ha," with Greta Gerwig (photo above).

Still to come: Fox Searchlight's "The Way, Way Back" (right) from the writers of "The Descendants"; the Weinstein Co.'s "Fruitvale Station," which won the top jury and audience prizes at Sundance; A24's "The Spectacular Now," with Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley; Roadside Attractions' "Thanks for Sharing," the directorial debut of "The Kids Are All Right" writer Stuart Blumberg.

See video: Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell Are Delightful Jerks in 'The Way, Way Back' Trailer

Bernard said the company decided on a May opening for "Before Midnight" soon after they bought the film at Sundance. SPC had had enormous success with another "Midnight" movie two years ago, when Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" opened right after the Cannes Film Festival, stayed in theaters all summer long and became the top-grossing movie of Allen's career with more than $56 million in the U.S. and $150 million wordwide.

Bernard points to that and a 2002 early-summer movie, IFC's $241 million-grossing late-April release "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," as examples of films that can flourish even as bigger summer flicks are monopolizing available screens.

"A lot of indie movies play specialized screens, and they're the bread and butter of those kind of screens," he said of the competition for theater space. "And then the big multiplexes also want to offer something for everybody. You have to give the film buyers credit: They want something for an audience that isn't interested in seeing 'Iron Man.'"

Also read: 'Before Midnight's' Director, Stars Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke Celebrate 'the Lowest Grossing Trilogy Ever'

A decade ago, he added, "'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' played hide-and-seek in the multiplexes all summer. Big movies opened and took some of its screens, and then those movies fell off and it went back onto more screens. 'Midnight in Paris' did the same.

"There's an ebb and flow throughout the summer that these movies can take advantage of."

In addition, the later months of summer can offer another advantage to indies, allowing them to capitalize on weariness on the part of both moviegoers and film critics.

"We like to open our films in the second half of the summer," Bernard said, "because by that time the audience is tired of explosions, and the studios are starting to release movies that might not be as good. That way we get to shine with the critics, and we'll often be given better placement in the media coverage."

This year, SPC will release Pedro Almodovar's "I'm So Excited!" in late June (opposite "White House Down"), Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine," pictued above left, in late July (opposite "The Wolverine") and the comedy "Austenland" in mid-August (opposite "Kick Ass 2").

Weinstein, meanwhile, will release the Terrence Stamp drama "Unfinished Song" in late June, "Fruitvale Station" in late July and "Haute Cuisine" in August, while Radius-TWC offers Nicolas Winding Refn's Cannes entry "Only God Forgives" on July 19.

Also read: Ryan Gosling's 'Only God Forgives': Critics Really, Really Hate Crime the Drama

Fox Searchlight will put out "The Way, Way Back" on July 5, right on the heels of the July 4 break usually reserved for the hugest of the huge.

And August will also see the release of the touching Sundance favorite "The Spectacular Now," and director David Lowery's festival hit "Ain't Them Bodies Saints."

Certain films, Bernard said, are best suited to the fall and winter, when awards season is in full swing and nominations can give a movie an extra boost at the box office. (SPC used this strategy last year for Michael Haneke's "Amour," which received five Academy Award nominations and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.)

But otherwise, he insisted, the summer is a godsend for indies because it's a time of year when the major studios have turned their backs on the thinking moviegoer.

"The only problem comes when we miscalculate on the studio movies that reach the complete audience," he said. "But that's seldom the case – and I don't see anything like that this summer."

Indies Fight for a Foothold in Season of Caped, Masked Superheroes

Summer is the busiest time of year at the multiplexes, with the major studios throwing wannabe blockbusters at every open date and big-budget sequels gobbling up all available screens.

For indie films, it's the perfect time of the year.

"People are in the moviegoing habit during the summer, but there's a smart audience out there that wants more than the latest superhero or another alien invasion," Sony Pictures Classics Co-President Tom Bernard told TheWrap.

See photos: 15 LIttle Movies You Shouldn't Miss This Summer

"It's counter-programming -- and for us, releasing films in the summer has worked year-in and year-out."

Sony Classics is venturing into the belly of the beast once again this year.

On Memorial Day weekend, which brings the debuts of "The Hangover Part III" and "Fast & Furious 6," SPC is releasing a sequel of its own: Richard Linklater's low-budget, talky and touching "Before Midnight," a movie whose only explosions are emotional.

The company is also releasing the Israeli drama "Fill the Void" at the same time, while Focus Features will use that weekend to put out the Alex Gibney documentary "We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks."

Also read: WikiLeaks Doc Director on Julian Assange: 'The Balls of This Guy - I Thought, Wow.'

For Bernard, a crowded summer is simply an opportunity to show off films aimed at an audience that isn't interested in the movies vying for $100 million openings.

"Our audience is sometimes an older audience, and it's a solid moviegoing audience 52 weeks out of the year," he said. "And they normally don't like to see the explosion movies.

"The only time it's bad for is if there's a studio movie that captures our audience, like the 'Bourne' movies did. But if you look at the kind of films that are going to be out there this summer, our audience doesn't want to see those films."

The summer of 2013 has already seen the release of several indies, including Noah Baumbach's black-and-white gem "Frances Ha," with Greta Gerwig (photo above).

Still to come: Fox Searchlight's "The Way, Way Back" (right) from the writers of "The Descendants"; the Weinstein Co.'s "Fruitvale Station," which won the top jury and audience prizes at Sundance; A24's "The Spectacular Now," with Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley; Roadside Attractions' "Thanks for Sharing," the directorial debut of "The Kids Are All Right" writer Stuart Blumberg.

See video: Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell Are Delightful Jerks in 'The Way, Way Back' Trailer

Bernard said the company decided on a May opening for "Before Midnight" soon after they bought the film at Sundance. SPC had had enormous success with another "Midnight" movie two years ago, when Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" opened right after the Cannes Film Festival, stayed in theaters all summer long and became the top-grossing movie of Allen's career with more than $56 million in the U.S. and $150 million wordwide.

Bernard points to that and a 2002 early-summer movie, IFC's $241 million-grossing late-April release "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," as examples of films that can flourish even as bigger summer flicks are monopolizing available screens.

"A lot of indie movies play specialized screens, and they're the bread and butter of those kind of screens," he said of the competition for theater space. "And then the big multiplexes also want to offer something for everybody. You have to give the film buyers credit: They want something for an audience that isn't interested in seeing 'Iron Man.'"

Also read: 'Before Midnight's' Director, Stars Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke Celebrate 'the Lowest Grossing Trilogy Ever'

A decade ago, he added, "'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' played hide-and-seek in the multiplexes all summer. Big movies opened and took some of its screens, and then those movies fell off and it went back onto more screens. 'Midnight in Paris' did the same.

"There's an ebb and flow throughout the summer that these movies can take advantage of."

In addition, the later months of summer can offer another advantage to indies, allowing them to capitalize on weariness on the part of both moviegoers and film critics.

"We like to open our films in the second half of the summer," Bernard said, "because by that time the audience is tired of explosions, and the studios are starting to release movies that might not be as good. That way we get to shine with the critics, and we'll often be given better placement in the media coverage."

This year, SPC will release Pedro Almodovar's "I'm So Excited!" in late June (opposite "White House Down"), Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine," pictued above left, in late July (opposite "The Wolverine") and the comedy "Austenland" in mid-August (opposite "Kick Ass 2").

Weinstein, meanwhile, will release the Terrence Stamp drama "Unfinished Song" in late June, "Fruitvale Station" in late July and "Haute Cuisine" in August, while Radius-TWC offers Nicolas Winding Refn's Cannes entry "Only God Forgives" on July 19.

Also read: Ryan Gosling's 'Only God Forgives': Critics Really, Really Hate Crime the Drama

Fox Searchlight will put out "The Way, Way Back" on July 5, right on the heels of the July 4 break usually reserved for the hugest of the huge.

And August will also see the release of the touching Sundance favorite "The Spectacular Now," and director David Lowery's festival hit "Ain't Them Bodies Saints."

Certain films, Bernard said, are best suited to the fall and winter, when awards season is in full swing and nominations can give a movie an extra boost at the box office. (SPC used this strategy last year for Michael Haneke's "Amour," which received five Academy Award nominations and won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.)

But otherwise, he insisted, the summer is a godsend for indies because it's a time of year when the major studios have turned their backs on the thinking moviegoer.

"The only problem comes when we miscalculate on the studio movies that reach the complete audience," he said. "But that's seldom the case – and I don't see anything like that this summer."

ABC, NBC & Fox Go To DC Court Against Alki David’s FilmOn And Aereokiller

ABC, NBC and Fox today filed a lawsuit against digital entrepreneur Alki David‘s FilmOn and his Aereokiller service, claiming copyright infringement. Allbritton, which owns ABC’s TV station Washington DC also is a plaintiff in the suit. Filed in Federal District Court in D.C. on David’s 45th birthday, the complaint (read it here) is similar to one filed in Los Angeles in August by ABC, NBC and CBS against his streaming site that then was known as BarryDriller.com. It, in turn, hewed closely to a suit filed against the site by Fox days earlier. (David this week finally  settled his name-game tussle with Barry Diller and the latter’s Aereo service.) Related: TV Networks Get Tentative Victory In Aereokiller Streaming Case David is a media industry provocateur whose FilmOn streams programming taken from over-the-air signals, and it — like Diller’s Aereo — has incurred the wrath of broadcasters. In today’s suit, the networks and Allbritton claim that “Aereokiller provides users and subscribers the ability to receive whichever broadcast station the user or subscriber chooses, ultimately having the ability to watch live broadcast television programming over the Internet using any device. In other words, through the Aereokiller service, Defendants built a business founded on offering its users and subscribers a ‘live’ Internet and mobile streaming service based on ... Read More »

Global Showbiz Briefs: Chello Zone Goes ‘Hardcore Pawn’; Karlovy Vary Celebrates Schatzberg; R&H Malaysia Goes It Alone

Chello Zone Bringing ‘Hardcore Pawn’ To Several Territories International TV provider Chello Zone has acquired all nine series of the US reality TV show Hardcore Pawn for its CBS Reality network in Poland and one of its EMEA feeds. CBS Reality will air the shows in primetime across Poland, Cyprus, Hungary, Romania, the Middle East and Africa. The first will premiere in Poland in June. The reality documentary series, which centers on a Detroit pawn shop, is produced by Zodiak USA for Tru TV and distributed internationally by Zodiak Rights. Karlovy Vary To Celebrate Jerry Schatzberg The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival said today that Palme d’Or-winning director Jerry Schatzberg will attend the 48th edition of the festival to screen three of his earliest films. The influential American director will introduce his recently restored debut Puzzle Of A Downfall Child (1970), The Panic In Needle Park (1970) and Palme winner Scarecrow (1973). The Czech Republic fest runs June 28-July 6.R&H Malaysia Now An Independent The Malaysian unit of visual effects studio Rhythm & Hues is now a stand-alone entity, following the VFX house’s company’s acquisition by competitor Prana Studios. In an interview with Digital News Asia, R&H Malaysia Senior Manager Hasnul Hadi Samsudin said that the move to become independent was because the assets purchase of R&H did not include the Malaysian facilities as part of ... Read More »

Amanda Bynes: Arrested For Marijuana Possession, Throwing Bong Out of Window

Amanda Bynes was arrested Thursday night in New York City, to the shock of no one.

Police were called to her Manhattan apartment on suspicion of disorderly conduct. It's unclear who called them, but Bynes was behaving strangely (big surprise)

When officers arrived, they witnessed her throw a bong out of her 36th floor window.

Amanda Bynes, 27, was taken to New York's Roosevelt Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, before getting taken to a Midtown police station.

The star, whose antics have become legendarily odd, was charged with reckless endangerment, marijuana possession, and felony tampering with evidence.

The endangerment and tampering occurred when she allegedly threw the bong out of her apartment window, law enforcement officials say.

Amanda, who slammed a recent report alleging she is off the rails, went BALLISTIC during the arrest, yelling, "Don't you know who I am?"

Police sources confirm that she was briefly evaluated at the hospital but was then arrested and jailed. She will go before a judge Friday morning.

The troubled star has been exhibiting bizarre behavior for the past few months, as anyone who follows her on Twitter and Instagram well knows.

She is already on three years probation for driving with a suspended license, and was recently denied entry on a private jet because she has no ID.

Bynes is also still facing a DUI charge from April 2012. 

Story developing ...

Amanda Bynes Arrested In NYC And Taken To Roosevelt Hospital For A Psychiatric Evaluation (UPDATE)

And the universe has spoken as I'm getting flashbacks to Brit Brit's 5150 situation. NBC New York says that the police got a call tonight about a "disorderly person" (see: Amanda Bynes) going crazy at an apartment building in Midtown. When the police s...

Hammond On Cannes: Leo DiCaprio’s Moon Trip Tops ‘Cinema Against AIDS’ Auction

Would you pay €1.5 million ($1.94 million) to spend a weekend at Oscar parties? Or €1.8 million to fly to the moon on Virgin Galactic with Leonardo DiCaprio?  Someone did — and more. That happened at amFAR’s annual Cinema Against AIDS Cannes Film Festival gala’s very special 20th anniversary Thursday night. Co-hosts Weinstein and Kenneth Cole announced to a roomful of very high rollers that the event, held of the Hotel Du Cap, raised €25 million ($32.3 million), smashing last year’s record total of over €10 million. The ultra-high style party is a two  decades long staple of the Cannes festival, and Weinstein told me if it just made a dollar more than the previous year they’d be happy. But these multimillionaires and billionaires obviously came to play this year and really stepped up at the auction that featured numerous stars including jury members Nicole Kidman and Christoph Waltz, along with Jessica Chastain, Jeremy Renner, Rosario Dawson, Heidi Klum, Goldie Hawn, Janet Jackson, Adrien Brody and major fundraiser/auctioneer Sharon Stone. Weinstein said the event — which he, Elizabeth Taylor and Dr. Mathilda Krim started in 1993 — changed up the rules this year and decided to focus primarily on just 10 major items rather than 20, and the crowd responded. Items included original art by Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst, a family portrait by Annie Leibovitz (two of those went for €450,000 apiece), a private performance by ... Read More »

Jason Sudeikis Says He’s Still Undecided About Leaving ‘SNL’ (Video)

With her own announcement that she's retiring next year, Barbara Walters grilled Jason Sudeikis about reports that he's leaving NBC's "Saturday Night Live" when he appeared on Thursday's "The View."

"Yeah, well, I mean... You never leave the show," Sudeikis, who was promoting his new animated film "Epic," answered when Walters asked him about the reports.

"You never leave the show, I really believe that," he continued. "I think these last few weeks have shown that, with Kristen [Wiig] coming back to host, [Maya Rudolph has] been back."

Of course, Walters didn't get this far in her journalism career by being a pushover.

"I feel honored to be getting hardballed by you!" he said. "I don't know. I sincerely don't know at this point."

He then joked, "I'll stay if you stay. How about that?"

Reports that Sudeikis is on his way out of the NBC sketch show began months ago. But the buzz was reignited when cast mate Jay Pharoah included him in a goodbye tweet, which was subsequently deleted, alongside confirmed show departers Bill Hader and Fred Armisen last Sunday.

Watch the interview below:

Katy Perry, Justin Bieber Documentary Directors Tackle the Electric Daisy Carnival

Electric Daisy Carnival promoter Insomniac Events will make a documentary about the 2013 dance festival in Las Vegas "through the eyes of the fans and the creative minds behind the event."

Fillmakers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz's Magical Elves will direct the film, which Haven Entertainment will produce. Magical Elves previously directed the Katy Perry and Justin Bieber concert movies, which made more than $100 million between them at the box office.

The documentary will take fans behind the scenes of the festival, which has become one of the most popular in the world since its inception in 1997. It is expected to attract more than 300,000 attendees this year.

"EDC has evolved into a unique pop culture movement and we're thrilled to have the opportunity to film it," Cutforth said in a statement while Jane Lipsitz added, "We're inspired by the stories that come together at EDC - stories of love, music, youth and discovery, which are timeless."

The event has also been a lightning rod for controversy, moving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas after a spate of drug-related deaths. Insomniac then faced corruption charges.

Yet the festival's promoters have insisted those problems are in the rearview mirror now that the festivities have moved to Las Vegas.

A previous documentary about EDC, "Electric Daisy Carnival Experience," papered over those rough spots and portrayed the hard work that goes into the festival and the unadulterated fun most attendees have.

"I'm very excited for audiences to witness the passion that goes into making EDC Las Vegas an unforgettable experience for the fans, who I consider our headliners," Insomnaic CEO Pasquale Rotella said in a statement. "The teams at Haven Entertainment and Magical Elves understand the spirit of EDC and I'm confident that we will capture the magic of the festival on film."

Electronic dance music, an umbrella term for innumerable genres of digitally produced, pulsating music, is having a moment in the Hollywood sun. Popular DJ and producer DJ is executive producing a narrative film with the Underground that aims to capture the festival experience while both Warner Bros. and Summit are developing their own projects.

IATSE Strikes New 3-Year Deal With Commercial Producers

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have reached a new three-year agreement with the Association of Independent Commercial Producers that covers commercial artists and below the line technicians. The new agreement comes into ...

AngelPad’s Sixth Batch Of Startups Includes Companies Working On Drones, Storage, And More

AngelPad, the San Francisco-based accelerator founded by former Googlers, held its sixth demo day yesterday. I wasn't there (I know, it's super-embarrassing), but I did get to meet with founding partners Thomas Korte and Carine Magescas today to talk about the newest batch of companies. Magescas said that in the three years since AngelPad was founded, "the premise of what we had in the beginning has been validated." That premise breaks down to three main ideas, she said. First, she and Korte "push [the startups] really hard." That's particularly important in the company's early stages, Korte said, because it can be hard for the founders to get honest feedback from their family and friends, and because making a relatively small change can have a big effect on a startup's ultimate trajectory.

The Elvis Presley Family Supports Potential Sale Of CORE Media’s Majority Estate Stake

As we reported earlier this week citing the Financial Times, CORE Media Group is exploring a sale of Elvis Presley Enterprises as well as Muhammad Ali Enterprises. There had been no official comment on the potential sale until now. Deadline has obtained exclusively a statement from the Presley family about the development. “Our family enjoys a strong working relationship with CORE and is supportive of their process,” the statement says. “Lisa [Marie Presley] will maintain her interest in EPE and ownership of Graceland Mansion and looks forward to whatever opportunities enable the best long-term interests of the family.” Lisa Marie Presley owns 15% of EPE, which manages the assets of the Elvis Presley estate, including the 100-acre property in Memphis, Tennessee. CORE’s predecessor, CKX, bought the other 85% in 2005. (The Muhammad Ali family retains 20% ownership in MAE.) The Presley and Ali assets are estimated to fetch more than $200 million but CORE is not dead set to sale and may retain the properties if it is not satisfied with offers.

Paddy Considine and Fares Fares Join Tom Hardy Thriller ‘Child 44′ (Exclusive)

Paddy Considine and Fares Fares ("Zero Dark Thirty") are in negotiations to join the international ensemble of Summit Entertainment's Soviet-era thriller "Child 44," TheWrap has learned.

The duo will be joining Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman in the movie, which Daniel Espinosa ("Safe House") is directing from a script by Richard Price, who adapted the bestselling novel by Tom Rob Smith.

"The Killing" star Joel Kinnaman was previously reported to be in negotiations as well.

Set during the 1950s, "Child 44" follows a member of the Soviet police (Hardy) who finds himself the target of his own government's suspicions as he investigates a brutal serial killer targeting children.

Fares will play one of Hardy's trusted allies, while Considine's role is being kept under wraps.

Summit, which is owned by Lionsgate, partnered with Worldview Entertainment to co-finance and executive produce the movie earlier this year.

Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer will produce for Scott Free Productions along with Greg Shapiro. Lionsgate execs Erik Feig and Jim Miller will oversee the project for the studio.

While "Child 44" is set in Russia, its cast will be primarily British (Hardy, Oldman, Considine) and Swedish (Rapace, Kinnaman, Fares).

Considine, who co-starred in "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "Cinderella Man" for Universal, will soon be seen in the studio's upcoming comedy "The World's End," which reunites him with his "Hot Fuzz" co-stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, as well as director Edgar Wright.

Fares, who previously worked with Kinnaman on "Safe House" and the "Snabba Cash" films, is best known for his key supporting role in Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty."

Considine is repped by CAA and Troika, while Fares is repped by Don Buchwald & Associates and Magnolia Entertainment.

Paddy Considine and Fares Fares Join Tom Hardy Thriller ‘Child 44′ (Exclusive)

Paddy Considine and Fares Fares ("Zero Dark Thirty") are in negotiations to join the international ensemble of Summit Entertainment's Soviet-era thriller "Child 44," TheWrap has learned.

The duo will be joining Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and Gary Oldman in the movie, which Daniel Espinosa ("Safe House") is directing from a script by Richard Price, who adapted the bestselling novel by Tom Rob Smith.

"The Killing" star Joel Kinnaman was previously reported to be in negotiations as well.

Set during the 1950s, "Child 44" follows a member of the Soviet police (Hardy) who finds himself the target of his own government's suspicions as he investigates a brutal serial killer targeting children.

Fares will play one of Hardy's trusted allies, while Considine's role is being kept under wraps.

Summit, which is owned by Lionsgate, partnered with Worldview Entertainment to co-finance and executive produce the movie earlier this year.

Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer will produce for Scott Free Productions along with Greg Shapiro. Lionsgate execs Erik Feig and Jim Miller will oversee the project for the studio.

While "Child 44" is set in Russia, its cast will be primarily British (Hardy, Oldman, Considine) and Swedish (Rapace, Kinnaman, Fares).

Considine, who co-starred in "The Bourne Ultimatum" and "Cinderella Man" for Universal, will soon be seen in the studio's upcoming comedy "The World's End," which reunites him with his "Hot Fuzz" co-stars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, as well as director Edgar Wright.

Fares, who previously worked with Kinnaman on "Safe House" and the "Snabba Cash" films, is best known for his key supporting role in Kathryn Bigelow's "Zero Dark Thirty."

Considine is repped by CAA and Troika, while Fares is repped by Don Buchwald & Associates and Magnolia Entertainment.

Online Video-Ad Network Tremor Video Files For Its IPO

Video ad network Tremor Video has filed for its long-awaited public offering. The company's shares will trade on the NYSE at TRMR and it wants to raise at least $86 million.

Listen to Snoop Lion’s ‘One Life to Live’ Theme, ‘Brand New Start’

Snoop Dogg has made several cameo appearances on "One Life to Live," but the musician will make his first as Snoop Lion on Tuesday's episode. The guest spot will coincide with Snoop's debut of the theme song he recorded for the recently revived online soap opera.

Prospect Park-The Online Network released the brand new title track, aptly titled "Brand New Start," on Friday.

Also read: Snoop Lion Doing 'One Life to Live' Theme, Guest Starring

Snoop has reinvented himself as a reggae artist since last appearing on the soap when it was broadcast on ABC. He documented his reinvention journey in the music doc "Reincarnated," which Snoop will be promoting during multiple cameo appearances on OLTL.

Snoop Lion's special appearances will air during new episodes, debuting Tuesdays and Thursdays through June 6.

Listen to the theme song, featuring singer IZA:

Like A Snow-Covered Block Of Ice Wrapped In A Lace Doily…

My abuelita just wants to grab Nicole Kidman, lay down on a bathtub and take a shower while standing on top of her. Because the pattern of Nicole's dress is the same pattern as one of my abuelita's old rubber bathtub mats. The first woman to be made en...

IATSE Seals 3-Year Pact With Commercials Producers

NEW YORK, NEW YORK — The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) and the Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) concluded negotiations in New York on Tuesday for a new 3 year collective bargaining agreement covering below the line technicians and artists who create commercials. The parties agreed to early negotiations in order to promote stability and give both sides an opportunity to plan and budget past the current expiration date of September 30, 2013. IATSE President Matthew Loeb commented, “We recognized the value of early negotiations when both sides are willing to address the important issues and provide stability to the members of the IA and the commercial producers.” The details of the pact have not been released. Issues that the parties dealt with include wages and benefits, training, safety, overtime, long work days as well as non-traditional commercials and low budget commercials. “The industry is changing and it is important that as we see new opportunities that come with new challenges, we can work with the skilled crew base we have always relied on in new and progressive ways,” said Matt Miller, President and CEO of AICP. “Our open and frank discussions centered around this theme.”

What’s Hot At This Week’s LA Screenings?

After ad buyers at last week’s upfronts, it is international buyers’ turn to get a glimpse of the broadcast networks’ crop of new shows. The annual LA Screenings are wrapping after marathon sessions of the studios unveiling their new series, with talent and producers on hand to promote them. After lackluster LA Screenings last year, with international buyers lamenting the lack of breakouts, there is some excitement this week. That is a promising sign for the broadcast networks as the screenings usually serve as a good barometer — last year’s broadcast freshman class indeed failed to produce major hits. The interest seems spread almost evenly between drama, which normally travels better overseas, and comedy this year. Not surprisingly, hot NBC drama pilot The Blacklist is garnering a ton of attention for producer Sony TV. Also hot at the studio is 1980s comedy The Goldbergs. Interestingly, Australian networks are very high on Rake, a remake of an Australian series. Additionally, Michael J. Fox, star of Sony TV’s new NBC series The Michael J. Fox Show, has been receiving enthusiastic reaction from buyers who waited up to an hour for a photo with the actor at the studio’s party Monday. ... Read More »