Anchor Bay Acquires Kurt Russell-Starrer Touchback

Anchor Bay has acquired United States distribution privileges to Touchback, the Don Handfield-directed gridiron drama that stars Kurt Russell, John Presley, Melanie Lynskey, Christine Lahti, Came Powell and Marc Blucas. The program would be to release the film the coming year. Presley stars like a battling player and former football hero who laments scoring the winning touchdown within the Ohio Condition Senior High School Championship game years back, while he hurt his knee and was conned of the professional career. He dates back over time towards the week before the overall game and struggles over whether or not to call another play, and whether he should marry his shigh school sweetheart. Handfield authored the script, and Freedom Films’ John Presley, Kevin Matusow and Carissa Buffel created. Anchor Bay’s Kevin Kasha brokered the offer with Gersh’s Jay Cohen. Hannibal Classics is handling foreign sales.

Billy Very Tweets He's 'Doing the Oscars'

Billy Very has tweeted he'll host the 84th Academy awards telecast.He written Thursday, "Am doing the Oscars and so the youthful lady inside the pharmacy stop asking my title once i get my medicines. Searching toward the show."The Academy has confirmed and handled to obtain official by re-tweeting Crystal's tweet.The gig willmark the actor-comedian's ninth turn as master of occasions. He formerly situated in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, and 2004.Very will replace Eddie Murphy, who walked reduced our prime-profile gig Wednesday inside the wake of Brett Ratner's decision to step lower on Tuesday. John Grazer, who grew to become an associate from the telecast Wednesay, and Don Mischer will produce.Ratner left as producer in the telecast determination quantity of ill-judged remarks in recent days, including saying "testing is ideal for fags" and speaking about his sex existence with Howard Stern.Very apparently switched lower an offer to host the honours in 2006.He next appears in "The Muppets," being launched later this month.James Franco and Hathaway As Catwoman situated the ceremony this season. The Hollywood Reporter

Gay-Rees: Driving pressure behind high-profile paperwork

James Gay-ReesAlthough he's tried the film business for 25 years, James Gay-Rees is not jaded. Contrary, he finds creating, that they is doing since 2002, invigorating."It's type of addictive," states Gay-Rees, who required doc "Exit With the Gift Shop" to Sundance this year (it later nabbed an Oscar nom) and captured introduced "Senna" towards the Park City fest, where it won a crowd award.Located in London, producer began his film career at Miramax in 1991 after graduation from England's Southampton U. having a degree in financial aspects and accounting. (His stepfather, director Mel Cruz, helmed "Tall Men" for that studio in 1989.)Following a year in NY, Gay-Rees became a member of Orbit Prods. around the Vital lot in La as mind of development, but eventually left to pursue work in creating.Directed by secretive street artist Banksy, "Exit With the Gift Shop" marked Gay-Rees' very first time creating a documentary. Although experts and audiences thought that pic was some type of hoax, it had been among last year's greatest-grossing docus."It could have been so difficult to engineer that," states Gay-Rees. "It's almost too surreal to become a hoax."Only a year later, producer made another splash at Sundance with Asif Kapadia's "Senna," about legendary Brazilian Formula 1 racing driver Ayrton Senna."It is extremely important with documentaries that you concentrate on great tales that stick out. The setting, for example, Formula 1, comes second towards the human drama."Gay-Rees is creating a story, "The Marriage Video," directed by Nigel Cole ("Calendar Women") in addition to another doc, tentatively entitled "The Pappas Siblings" about Australian skateboarders who self destruct."I wouldn't state that it had been any sort of accident which i experienced creating, however i don't believe should you understood how hard creating was you wouldn't always get into it to begin with. It certainly does not have any simpler as you become films made. It is simply that when you're doing so, despite the fact that you are aware how hard it's, it will get beneath your skin and also you continue returning for additional. Appropriately or wrongly."10 PRODUCERS To Look At 2011Jason Michael Berman Borderline Films Tyler Davidson & Sophia Lin James Gay-Rees Lawrence Inglee Red-colored Granite Pictures Laura Rister Jonathan Schwartz Diarmid Scrimshaw Kevin Walsh Contact Addie Morfoot at news@variety.com

AFM: Drafthouse Films Makes U.S. Distribution Deal With Image Entertainment

Santa Monica, CA Friday, November 4, 2011 – Drafthouse Films, the distribution arm of the Alamo Drafthouse, announced today from The American Film Market that it has entered a U.S. distribution deal with Image Entertainment, Inc., a leading licensee and distributor of programming throughout North America, solidifying itself as major player in the independent distribution arena. The exclusive distribution deal will span home video, digital, television and VOD platforms helping to further expand the ever-growing Alamo Drafthouse entertainment lifestyle brand. Drafthouse Films will release both new product and repertory titles as part of the deal with Image Entertainment. Drafthouse Films also announced today that it has acquired North American rights to award-winning films, the riveting crime drama BULLHEAD, Belgiums official 2012 Oscar candidate for Best Foreign Language Film and the outrageous international hit comedy, CLOWN. Michael Roskams BULLHEAD is a stunning debut and a harrowing tale of revenge, redemption and fate. The film has played to critical acclaim at Berlin Film Festival, Fantasia and Fantastic Fest and was called one of the most powerful experiences Ive had in a film this year, (Drew McWeeny, HitFix). Mikkel Ngaards CLOWN has been hailed as the funniest movie of the year! (Matt Singer, IFC) and raunchy, fearless and awesome! (Eric Kohn, indieWIRE). The uproarious comedy follows two wildly inappropriate friends as they run amok through the Danish countryside plowing through social taboos and unspeakable debaucheries. Also planned for Drafthouse Films in 2012 are the recently announced releases of SXSW 11 favorite THE FP and the stunning new RealD 3D restoration of 80s cult hit COMIN AT YA! As part of their plans to ramp their acquisitions and build the label, Drafthouse Films also made public today it appointed James Emanuel Shapiro, former Executive Director of Sales Planning and Acquisitions for Anchor Bay Entertainment, as the companys new Chief Operating Officer. James has been with the acquisitions and sales planning teams at Anchor Bay Entertainment since 2006 and helped build Anchor Bay Films into a top full service independent distribution company. While at Anchor Bay, James oversaw home video releases on everything from fest favorites like Paul Solet’s GRACE and Raymond De Felitta’s CITY ISLAND to TV content like AMC’s THE WALKING DEAD and the Starz original SPARTACUS to Overture and The Weinstein Company releases such as LET ME IN, BLUE VALENTINE, and this year’s Best Picture winner THE KING’S SPEECH. We are ecstatic about adding BULLHEAD and CLOWN: THE MOVIE to our growing lineup of films. They perfectly embody the bold and diverse slate that we plan to release under Drafthouse Films, and Image Entertainment is the perfect partner to help us get the broadest possible reach for them, said Drafthouse Films founder Tim League. We are thrilled at being part of Alamos expansion, commented Mark Ward, Vice President of Acquisitions at Image. Its going to be a pleasure working with them, releasing product fans will really enjoy. The deal is being negotiated by Mark Ward and Jess De Leo, Associate Director of Business and Legal Affairs on behalf of Image; Tim League, Founder and CEO of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Victoria Cook of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz and Liesl Copland of WME Global on behalf of Drafthouse Films.

World Series draws most viewers since 2004

The first Game 7 of the World Series since 2002 drew 23.2 million viewers to Fox during primetime Friday according to preliminary Nielsens, making it the most watched baseball game in seven years.Total audience for the World Series has typically gone up by at least a million when the more precise afternoon update comes in, meaning that Game 7 (in which St. Louis topped Texas) could reach the 25 million neighborhood but might fall short of passing the first episode of ''Two and a Half Men'' with Ashton Kutcher (28.7 million) as the most-watched program on TV since the Academy Awards.Nonetheless, the mass audience, on a night that Fox typically would have struggled to reach 3 million viewers with ''Kitchen Nightmares'' and ''Fringe,'' completes a long-awaited World Series boon for Fox, which in the previous seven years had seen only one World Series go past five games. Thursday's Game 6, a 10-9 extra-inning victory by St. Louis that was considered an instant classic, broke 21 million viewers.The last time the World Series crossed 30 million viewers was with Game 7 of the 2002 World Series between Anaheim and San Francisco. The top-rated Fall Classic contest since that time was Game 4 of the 2004 World Series, in which Boston won its first title in nearly a century by sweeping St. Louis before 28.8 million.Against the World Series on the East Coast, NBC's series premiere of ''Grimm'' managed to pull a 2.1 rating and 6 share according to preliminary Nielsens with 6.5 million viewers overall. ''Grimm'' improved upon its lead-in, the season premiere of ''Chuck'' (1.0/3, 3.4 million) on its new night. On the West Coast, the World Series was still wrapping up when ''Chuck'' aired and was over by the time ''Grimm'' bowed. NBC wrapped up its night with ''Dateline'' (1.3/4, 4.8 million). Once the World Series extended to a seventh game, CBS pulled its regularly scheduled firstrun programming Friday and went with drama repeats. However, ABC maintained its schedule with two episodes of ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'' (1.1/3, 4.2 million) and ''20/20'' (1.2/3, 5.2 million), as did the CW with ''Nikita'' (0.6/2, 1.8 million) and ''Supernatural'' (0.7/2, 1.7 million).In the 18-49 demo, Friday's World Series Game 7 had a 6.8 rating and 20 share among viewers 18-49 during primetime, peaking at 7.9/22, 24.8 million between 10:30 and 11 p.m. Eastern, according to the prelims. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

IMAX States Weak Canadian Dollar Hurt 3Q Earnings

The giant screen theater company states it created $8.39M in internet gain for 3Q, up 24.6% versus time a year ago, on revenues of $67.5B, up 32.2%. That changed into modified earnings of 16 cents a share, light in the 20 cents the road expected. But IMAX states it needed a 6 cent hit due to “a sudden lack of the Canadian Dollar in the U.S. Dollar within the finish in the third quarter.” Nearly all IMAX’s revenues will be in U.S. dollars, quite a few their expenses will be in Canadian dollars. Since the finish of September the Canadian dollar has elevated, leading IMAX to project a $3.4M grow in 4Q. Boss Wealthy Gelfond states he’s tolerant of approaching films introduced by Vital’s Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol: The IMAX Experience additionally to revenues from new theaters being built overseas. Gelfond states that 3Q was the first time that IMAX saw more gross revenues from overseas theaters than from domestic. The business elevated its worldwide growth plans by 25% and states people areas will consider about 75% in the new IMAX venues planned for an additional 15 several days.

Our Own Oslo

A Ljosband production, co-produced by Film House, F&M, with the support of the Icelandic Film Center. (International sales: Ljosband, Reykjavik.) Produced by Hronn Kristinsdottir, Anna Maria Karlsdottir. Co-producers, Egil Odegard, Mike Downey, Sam Taylor. Directed by Reynir Lyngdal. Screenplay, Thorsteinn Gudmundsson.With: Thorsteinn Gudmundsson, Brynhildur Gudjonsdottir, Hilmir Snaer Gudnason, Thorhallur Sigurdsson, Lilja Gudrun Thorvaldsdottir, Maria Heba Thorkelsdottir, Valgeir H. Skagfjord.Opposites attract to incendiary effect in "Our Own Oslo" but alas, the fire is literal rather than metaphorical in debuting Icelandic director Reynir Lyngdal's romantic comedy. This jauntily helmed tale of a relationship confounded by dueling compulsions and addictions features some witty dialogue and smart digs at Iceland's post-crash economy, but lacks credible chemistry between the two leads. A local hit, the Reykjavik fest entry is a likely bet for other Nordic events. (Okkar eigin Oslo) On a business trip to Oslo, straightlaced engineer Harald (scribe Thorsteinn Gudmundsson) shares a wild night with drunken, raven-haired beauty Vilborg (Brynhildur Gudjonsdottir), but when they meet again, it's clear they're both burdened by a lot of baggage. Disciplined Harald cares for his mentally disabled half-sister (Maria Heba Thorkelsdottir) and resents his long-dead alcoholic father. Meanwhile, irresponsible Vilborg, a less-than-sympathetic drama queen, is a gambling addict with a pending fraud charge, a sullen preteen son and an attractive ex-husband (Hilmir Snaer Gudnason). The aforementioned conflagration climaxes with a disastrous weekend all of the above share at Harald's summer cottage. Tech credits are solid.Camera (color, DV), Vidir Sigurdsson; editor, Stefania Thors; music, Helgi Svavar Helgason; production designer, Egert Ketilsson. Reviewed on DVD, Chicago, Oct. 23, 2012. (In Reykjavik Film Festival -- Icelandic Panorama.) Running time: 97 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com