DCP seeks reconsideration in Globes dispute

Having a trial pending within the privileges towards the Golden Globes, Dick Clark Prods. is asking a federal court judge to reconsider her decision to not render summary judgment over most of the issues in the dispute using the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. U.S. District Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank ruled August. 8 that because there have been "numerous genuine disputes of fabric fact," the HFPA's situation against longtime producer DCP could proceed. The situation focuses on a clause inside a 1993 pact that made an appearance to provide DCP "perpetual privileges" to create the telecast as lengthy as it may still land a broadcast cope with NBC. The non-jury trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 6, having a final pretrial conference scheduled for August. 25. Inside a filing on Monday, lawyers for DCP requested that Fairbank reconsider her decision the HFPA's claims aren't barred through the statute of restrictions. Fairbank ruled the HFPA was still being inside the time period to launch suit since the dispute came about after DCP signed a lengthy-term cope with NBC last October. The HFPA sued in November, declaring the new NBC deal is invalid because DCP didn't obtain its consent. But lawyers for Dick Clark Prods. contend that, due to the statute of restrictions, the HFPA has lengthy since passed time that can raise among its chief claims. The HFPA is quarrelling that it is prexy in 1993, Mirjana Van Blaricom, behaved beyond her authority when she signed the 1993 pact, an amendment for an earlier contract. Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

Julianne Moore Eyes HBO Period Drama 'Dope'

Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesJulianne Moore HBO is getting back into business with its Mildred Pierce team for a period drama based on the novel Dope. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Oscar nominee Julianne Moore is circling the project, which takes place in 1950 in New York and revolves around a woman who returns to society as a private eye after rehabilitating herself on a farm from a heroin addiction. Mildred Pierce executive producer/director Todd Haynes would direct the project, with Mildred executive producers John Wells and Christine Vachon also on board in the same capacity. Author Sara Gran adapted her book and penned the script for the project, which is in development. For Moore, the project would reunited her with the cable network: She's set to play Sarah Palin in the upcoming telepic Game Change. Mildred Pierce, starring Kate Winslett, topped the list of Emmy nominations this year, collecting 21 noms, including for best movie/miniseries. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit Julianne Moore HBO

15 Movies That Made The Grade: A+ CinemaScore Posse

Tate Taylors The Help shot to the top of the class within hours of its opening in North America, earning an A+ CinemaScore. Only a select few movies have earned the top grade, which almost always guarantees an especially long and happy run. Its an elite club that includes the likes of The Kings Speech, The Blind Side and, of course, Titanic. Why does it mean so much? A great CinemaScore means great word-of-mouth, which is the best publicity of all for a film

Guillermo Del Toro: 'Pacific Rim' No 'Invasion Movie,' 'Mountains Of Madness' Can Get Made

by Kevin Sullivan We thought we'd at their maximum on nerdy excitement over "Off-shore Rim," a film best made clear as Guillermo del Toro directs giant robots fighting monsters, however the "Hellboy" director amped up again with talk of "top-notch monsters" in the latest sit-lower with MTV News. When del Toro first saw the initial two-page pitch for "Off-shore Rim," one detail separated it from newest monster movies in the mind: it isn't an invasion movie," he stated. "It had been an extremely new method of getting giant monsters and giant robots fight one another." To obtain a sense of what don't be surprised come This summer 2013, del Toro states his latest hearkens to japan kaiju movies in the nineteen fifties and '60s like Godzilla. Think miniature structures and men in rubber suits. The kaiju genre in Japan that's outlandish, but is definitely incredibly appealing, del Toro stated. But as pumped because he involved "Off-shore Rim," del Toro appeared equally disappointed about another project -- the film that almost was, del Toros R-ranked adaption from the H.P. Lovecraft tale "In the Mountain tops of Madness." I believe [discovering the project was shelved] was among the toughest instances of my existence, he stated. Tom Cruise had signed about the star, and George Lucas Industrial Light and Miracle finished a creature test so excellent the director referred to it as being heartbreaking." But "Mountain tops" went from steam just days prior to being scheduled to enter production when del Toro received a telephone call while scouting locations close to the Arctic Circle: He and the team will have to go back to the States. Next after arranging conflicts forced him off as director of "The Hobbit." But del Toro is hopeful. 'Mountains' may happen eventually. Cthulu willing, well have it made. In the event that does not set your geek heart aflutter, we have no idea what's going to. Inform us what you believe within the comments section as well as on Twitter!

San Sebastian to honor Glenn Close

CloseMADRID -- Glenn Close will receive the San Sebastian Film Festival's Donostia Award for career achievement on Sept. 18. Close will be at the Spanish event to present the European premiere of her latest film, Rodrigo Garcia's "Albert Nobbs." Pic will play out of competition. Nobbs" is inspired by George Moore's short story "The Singular Life of Albert Nobbs," turning on a woman passing as a man in order to live and work in 19th century Dublin. Close stars and also shares producer and writer credits on the film. In 1982, she won an Obie Award for playing the Nobbs character Off Broadway. Other cast members include Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson and Janet McTeer. An Ireland-U.K.-U.S. co-production, "Nobbs" is produced by Trillium Prods., Mockingbird Pictures and Parallel Film Prods. Film is being sold internationally by WestEnd Films and has been acquired by Liddell Ent. and Roadside Attractions for a Stateside release. Indie distribbery Emon will distribute "Nobbs" in Spain. Previous recipients of the Donostia Award include Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Liv Ullmann, Francis Ford Coppola and Woody Allen. Fest runs Sept. 16-24. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Schwentke Consideing Poison Kitchen

Tracing the rise of the Nazi partyThough his work up to now - including Flightplan, The Time Traveller's Wife and Red - has been largely fictional, director Robert Schwentke always seems to be pondering the idea of making something based in fact. Case in point: he's now attached to make The Poison Kitchen for Constantin Film. Written by Ninja Assassin's Matthew Sand (a worrying sign, but we'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now), Kitchen traces the true story of the Muenchener Post, the Munich-based newspaper that traced the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party, and was ringing the alarm bells about their plans long before anyone else. Such was Hitler's anger at the paper's actions that he called it the Munich Pest and, once he rose to power in 1933, he sent storm troopers to destroy the editorial office and printing presses, and threw the staff into prison. "We've always wanted to do a movie about the ramp up to 1933: What happened in the early years, how did Hitler get to where he ended up and how did that work? That's really about this time, said Constantin's Martin Moszkowicz in a statement picked up by Variety. This isn't the first historical piece Schwentke has considered - he's still interested in real-life sub drama Shadow Divers. But the real world will have to wait until next year at the earliest, as he's busy getting ready to make R. I. P. D. , featuring Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges as dead cops battling evil for Universal...

Universal Group Signs Bollywood Star Priyanka Chopra to Global Deal

NEW DELHI -- Universal Group (UMG) and U.K.-based Desi Hits, an east-west entertainment platform, have signed an international recording agreement with top Bollywood actress and former Miss World Priyanka Chopra.our editor recommendsJust one minute: Priyanka ChopraPriyanka Chopra to get Nielsen jerk Included in this global deal, Chopra will release her debut album in The United States with Desi Hits through Interscope Records as well as in other worldwide marketplaces on Island Records United kingdom (distributed in India via Universal Music India). An experienced Western classical singer, Chopra is presently within the studio, writing and recording her debut pop album, which is sang in British. Troy Carter, Boss of talent management agency Atom Factory, that also handles Rhianna, has signed with Chopra to handle her career worldwide. Founded this year together with UMG, Desi Hits continues to be creating remix collaborations featuring top stars like Rhianna and Britney Warrior spears, using their tracks getting an Indian-flavored transformation by DJs and producers with Indian/South Asian roots. Recent Desi Hits projects incorporate a remix of Rhianna's "Fringe of Glory" by Mumbai-based DJ Aqeel, noted for his many remixes of Bollywood tunes. The most recent Desi Hits marketed remix features top Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam on the transformation of Britney Warrior spears' latest track "I Wanna Go." "It's been a lengthy valued dream that is finally coming true," stated Chopra who's the very first major worldwide signing for Desi Hits. "I'm truly excited with an chance to provide my musical dimension on the world platform." "Pop music has always were built with a romance with Indian culture with Priyanka's unique talent and experience, we now have the possibilities to push the limitations of popular culture," stated Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records Chairman Jimmy Iovine who co-created the Eminem-starring 8 Mile additionally to albums by U2 and Dire Straits. "Priyanka is definitely an worldwide celebrity that has fascinated millions all over the world. Her foray in to the American music business meets the vision in our company, which aims to fuse the very best of eastern and western culture to produce miracle," added Desi Hits Boss Anjula Acharia-Bath. "Bollywood has already established Priyanka to itself for too lengthy," stated Universal Music United kingdom chairman and leader David Frederick. "She's exceptional talent and that we anticipate starting her recording career all over the world.Inch Chopra's adoration for singing is well-known as well as in an early on interview with THR she stated, "Basically obtain the right chance to help nurture my fascination with music, I'd go for this." Among Bollywood's top stars, the award-winning Chopra lately featured in acclaimed Bollywood film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj's Saat Khoon Maaf (Susanna's Seven Husbands), the script which was co-compiled by veteran Hollywood film writer Matthew Robbins (The Sugarland Express). Additionally to marketing atmosphere awareness initiatives, Chopra may be the National Ambassador for UNICEF in India. Related Subjects Worldwide Asia Jimmy Iovine Universal Group

The Rides We Want to See at the Star Trek Theme Park

Showtime in reload mode

With Showtime having crossed the 20 million barrier in subscribers for the first time, network entertainment prexy David Nevins said the mandate is to maintain the sensibility without becoming complacent.''There's no substitute for staying on the cutting edge,'' Nevins said at the Television Critics Assn. press tour Thursday. ''A healthy network is in a constant state of renewal and reinvention.''Showtime's audience base grew by 2 million in the past year to reach 20.5 million. In 2011, ''Shameless'' was the network's most-watched drama premiere in seven years, ''Borgias'' broke that record three months later and hopes exist that upcoming Claire Danes starrer ''House of Lies,'' given an Oct. 2 launch following the sixth-season premiere of long-running hit ''Dexter,'' will itself set a new mark.'' 'Shameless' started us in a new direction,'' Nevins said. '' 'Shameless' is bigger; it has more scope to it, (but) I don't think there's been radical shifts in the sensibility (except) a little more emphasis on comedy in the comedies. ''I think we're still trying to find the subversive characters, but I think we're busting out of a certain formula that has defined a number of our recent shows. I think we're a collection of those shows. I don't think we need to be one narrowly defined programming brand other than being sophisticated and being adult. ... I think we have a number of shows, all of which have to be the favorite of somebody, but I think heterogeneity is a good thing.''Showtime made one new series announcement on the unscripted side: 10-episode, half-hour, one-on-one interview series ''Laughing Stock,'' exec produced by Steve Carell and David Steinberg with Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock of Carousel Prods. Steinberg will host interviews with A-list comic personalities including Tina Fey, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Larry David, Ellen DeGeneres, Judd Apatow, Jane Lynch, Sarah Silverman, Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Don Rickles and Carell.After ''Homeland,'' which co-stars Damian Lewis and Mandy Patinkin, the next high-profile launch for Showtime will be black dramedy ''House of Lies'' with Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell, which has been given a Jan. 9 premiere date between the season premieres of ''Shameless'' and ''Californication.''''I like shows that have some scope, that feel like they have some bigness to them and that have relevance to the world we live in today,'' Nevins said.Series will remain the bread and butter for Showtime, added Nevins, who has no desire to compete with HBO or others on the movies and miniseries front.''For us, it's really abut renewable resources,'' Nevins said. ''You fall in love with something, you stay with that subscription all year in order to get back to that show.''On that note, it was interesting to hear Nevins reflect upon the cancelation of ''United States of Tara'' after two seasons.''It was a big show for us,'' Nevins said, ''Toni Collette won an Emmy, and it got real acclaim. You've got to make decisions about where you put your resources. We felt that show had accomplished what it was going to accomplish. ... It was time to invest in and plant some new seeds.''On the other hand, ''Weeds'' is in its seventh season, but Nevins is ''optimistic'' about its renewal."I think that show's got real life in it," he said. "Jenji (Kohan) has done a really good job of evolving her show and making it move."Two other projects remain alive at Showtime but without scheduled airdates: comicbook adaptation "100 Bullets" -- "a very important piece for us," Nevins said -- and Oliver Stone's 10-part "Secret History of America." Nevins said that the doc was about halfway done but was interrupted by Stone's feature film schedule. "It's a labor of love for him," Nevins said, "but movies are his day job and when you get movie financing, you take it and shoot it." Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Cowboys & Aliens

The Old West.. where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents-townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors-all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.