Guy Ritchie And Lionel Wigram Join The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros is making a deal with Guy Ritchie and his new partner Lionel Wigram to come aboard The Man From U.N.C.L.E., the film that Steven Soderbergh left just recently over budget and difficulty with casting after George Clooney dropped out. Based on the classic TV show, the film has a script by Scott Z. Burns. Ritchie and Wigram are forming a shingle together after making the Sherlock Holmes films. The intention is for Ritchie to direct the film. This would be the first project under the new shingle for the British director and producer, who open Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows on December 16. The film premieres in the UK tonight. Soderbergh has set his sights on The Bitter Pill, a thriller that Summit will put into production next year, after this week closing a deal that calls for a green light commitment on the Burns-scripted thriller.

Erin Andrews Sues for $10 Million Over 2008 Hotel Peephole Incident

NEWYORK - Yahoo said Thursday it would launch the Yahoo Comedy Channel with a slate of original comedy video content featuring such comedians as Mike O'Brien, lead writer on Saturday Night Live, and Seth Morris (No Strings Attached, Step Brothers) in the company's latest sign of commitment to the premium content space.our editor recommendsYahoo Building NY StudioYahoo Shutters Four Entertainment Blogs The channel will launch with a Bill Maher stand-up performanceentitled CrazyStupidPolitics: Bill Maher Live from Silicon Valley, available exclusively on Yahoo.The performance, which the firm said will be the first-ever, live, free broadcast online, will take place on Feb. 23, 2012 at the San Jose Performing Arts Center. The comedy news comes off the heels of Yahoo's launch of a women-focused programming slate, which had nearly 10 million streams in its first month. Yahoo, which has been exploring its options, said it is the top destination online for comedy with 1 billion streams of its original programming to-date. "Bill Maher's special is a groundbreaking event, not only for Yahoo and Bill but for the Internet as the first-ever, live, free broadcast online," said Erin McPherson, vp & head of Video at Yahoo. We are focusing on fresh, original voices like Bill and our other original programs with the Yahoo! Comedy Channel to continue to provide our consumers and advertisers with the best premium content on the Web." "I'm excited to be doing something new in bringing a live stand up show to a web giant like Yahoo," said Maher. "It is my goal to make people say "Oh no he di'nt" in every medium on earth." Yahoo's production partners in the comedy channel include Funny or Die, Broadway Video, Electus, David Morgasen and Principato-Young, among others.Among its planned programming are: - Funny Or Die Presents First Dates with Toby Harris: Starring Seth Morris, the LA-based series shows ill-fated first dates with the always single Toby Harris. "Each episode centers around a different woman and issue that will leave the audience bickering amongst themselves who was right and who was wrong, and how they would have handled it better," Yahoo said. - 7 Minutes in Heaven: Hosted by Mike O'Brien, the show invites celebrities into his closet for an intimate conversation. - Sketchy: A weekly video series featuring comedy shorts written, directed and starring Principato-Young Entertainment, whose roster includes Ed Helms, Justin Long, Anthony Anderson, Rob Corddry, Rob Riggle, Rachel Harris, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer and others. - Hackerazzi: From Morgasen, the director known for viral videos like the "David Blaine Street Magic" spoofs and "Obama-McCain Dance-off," as well as work on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The show attaches celebrity heads to actors to reach comedic effects. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Yahoo

MythBusters Mistake Transmits Cannonball Through House, Van

First Released: December 7, 2011 12:08 PM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman attend The Paley Center for Medias A Night Time using the Discovery Channels MythBusters on June 13, 2011 in Beverly HillsDUBLIN, Calif. -- A stunt for that Television show MythBusters sent an errant cannonball via a California familys house and right into a parked minivan a couple of hundred ft away. Producers for that Discovery Funnel show fired the cannonball Tuesday in the Alameda County Sheriffs Department explosive device range behind the Santa Rita Jail if this misfired. Sheriffs spokesperson J.D. Nelson told the Contra Costa Occasions that nobody was hurt and also the houses citizens didnt even awaken before the dust was settled literally on the top of these. Nelson, who is another consultant for that show, stated producers used the cannon they built in the range a lot more than 50 occasions without incident. The cannonball was supposed to undergo a couple of water-filled barrels along with a concrete wall. Rather, it passed within the barrels, with the wall, after which required a really unfortunate bounce that sent the ball skyward, Nelson stated. About 700 ft away, it returned while watching Dublin home, then tore with the door and out a wall on the rear of the home. The projectile then returned at least one time many entered the street before damaging the window and dashboard from the minivan, where it found relaxation. We'd some tremendous misfortune plus some tremendous best of luck for the reason that nobody was hurt, Nelson stated. Jasbir Gill, who is the owner of the minivan, stated he and the children had just become home. Its frightening, Gill stated. I had been within the van 5 minutes before happened. Nelson stated he would never know the precise size, speed or weight from the cannonball. The show, based on the Discovery Funnel website, mixes scientific method with gleeful curiosity and common-fashioned resourcefulness to produce (its) own signature type of explosive experimentation. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'The Artist,' 'War Horse' Among Contenders Nominated for Satellite Awards

This article appears in the Dec. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.our editor recommendsThe Making of Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse'From 'The Artist' to 'War Horse,' 23 Awards Contenders That Prominently Feature Animals (Photos)'War Horse': Newest Trailer Heavy on Orchestration, Heartstring Pulling (Video)'War Horse' Star Jeremy Irvine to Play Young Colin Firth in 'The Railway Man' (Exclusive)Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson: The Titans Behind 'The Adventures of Tintin' In October 2010, Steven Spielberg fell in a hole. "I was walking in a trench with my viewfinder and the crew following me, and all of a sudden I disappeared," recalls the director of the time when he was shooting War Horse just outside London. "It was a hole dug for explosive charges, and a storm had washed away the warning cones and filled it up. I was totally under ice water. I threw my hands over my head, and two big grips pulled me out." Now, 13 months after wrapping his World War I epic, Spielberg can laugh about "the murder hole." But that was only one of the challenges involved in bringing his movie to the screen, along with fighting freezing weather, dealing with an army of 5,800 extras and about 300 horses, and turning to filmmaker Peter Jackson for crucial wartime artifacts from his private collection -- all within a 63-day shoot and with an exceptionally tight $70 million budget ($65 million after tax breaks). PHOTOS: The Making of 'War Horse' Spielberg first heard about War Horse in the summer of 2009. That's when his longtime producer Kathleen Kennedy mentioned the West End adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's 1982 novel, which centers on a British horse named Joey that we follow from birth through four years of war. During that time, he is enlisted by the army, captured by Germans and hidden by French farmers, all while being trailed by Albert, the young Englishman who raised him. When Kennedy spoke of the project, Spielberg was on the scoring stage for The Adventures of Tintin. Having finished 31 days of motion-capture work, he was in a yearlong holding pattern until animation was completed and he could return to the film. To his surprise, he discovered that the book's movie rights had not been optioned, so Kennedy flew to England, where she had breakfast with Morpurgo, then hired Billy Elliot scribe Lee Hall to craft an initial draft. COVER STORY: Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson -- The Titans Behind 'Tintin' "What was irresistible for me had nothing to do with global war," says Spielberg. "It was how Joey linked disparate characters together and the length to which Albert went to find him." After working briefly with Hall, Spielberg moved on to a second writer, Four Weddings and a Funeral's Richard Curtis, in an attempt to bring the screenplay closer to the book. Curtis was nervous: He'd met Spielberg only once before, at France's César Awards in 1995, when the presenter declared Spielberg's Schindler's List a masterpiece and said, "If any other film wins, it will be a disgrace to the honor of France" -- only for Four Weddings to pick up the best foreign film trophy. PHOTOS: Steven Spielberg on Set But Spielberg was more interested in the new picture, and he was clear it should focus on the horse -- like the novel, the movie was to be told from the horse's point of view -- rather than intercutting that story with the boy's. Curtis became convinced this would work when he read the book aloud to his 14-year-old daughter while she was in bed, awaiting an operation. "I found it hard to read the last 10 pages to her because they were so emotional," he recalls, declining to say more about the operation. "I thought immediately, 'If it works in the book, we can do it in the film.' " PHOTOS: 'The Adventures of Tintin' Now he moved fast, whipping through more than a dozen drafts in three months while conducting two-hour telephone conversations with Spielberg. On one occasion, he had to hide in a hospital medicine cabinet while discussing the script, "surrounded by syringes and pills, because I couldn't talk in my daughter's room." As he wrote, a research team plowed through troves of artifacts at England's Imperial War Museum, frequently copying photos that would be used to stage scenes. Spielberg was fascinated by their discoveries. "I was not prepared for how many millions of horses perished during the Great War -- it was over 4 million," he says. "And it wasn't all in close combat; a lot was just through malnutrition and mistreatment. But don't forget that the Humane Society was born out of the First World War, and it was a huge turning point in technological warfare that supplanted the horse once and forever." PHOTOS: 23 Awards Contenders Featuring Animals In addition to the material his researchers found, Spielberg drew on an unexpected source: his Tintin producer Jackson, who collects war memorabilia. "He's even got about 15 working biplanes, which we didn't need," marvels Spielberg. "He sent about three cargo containers to the U.K., free of charge. He pretty much lent me his entire World War I collection." As all of that fell into place, a critical matter loomed: finding the right actor to play Albert, who ages from 15 to 21. "I looked for months and months," says Spielberg. "I was running out of hope, then Jeremy Irvine came in toward the last third of the casting process." There was one snag: The 20-year-old Irvine's most extensive acting experience had been playing a tree in the chorus of the Royal Shakespeare Company. "I had a couple of months of going in to audition two or three times a week, sometimes doing videotape and knowing it would be shown to Steven," he says. "It was quite intense." Weeks after his first audition, adds Irvine: "I got a call at about 8 p.m. or 9 p.m., saying, 'Can you meet Steven for tea in a hotel in London tomorrow morning?' I did what any actor would do: I freaked out." He won the role regardless, and shooting commenced Aug. 6, 2010, in Dartmoor, in the south of England. Production designer Rick Carter had searched for British locations that would be convincing, such as the bucolic farm where Joey's story begins and the no-man's-land where the war is fought. A crew of 750 worked ferociously so each location would be ready when filming took place. Operations revolved around seven locales, ranging from the untamed moors of Dartmoor to a derelict airfield in Surrey, England (where land could be dug up to look like a battlefield) to the Duke of Wellington's storied estate west of London. Each had its share of difficulties. In Dartmoor, a nature preserve, the land couldn't be touched. "We had to put down netting and bring the dirt in and plant what looked like rocks and dig into that," says Carter. The appalling weather created some "nail-biting situations," he adds. Right before the shoot, a terrific storm blew away part of a thatched roof on Albert's farmhouse -- in actuality, made of Styrofoam. "We had to have a crew repaint it every day because it was falling apart," Carter notes. For one shot, in which men and horses emerge like ghosts from a field of reeds, the plants were moved from another part of the country and set in place individually. "There was a marsh somewhere in the south of London still in bloom; we went there and paid a farmer to cut his whole field down, then we put the reeds in Styrofoam." Even the 250 yards of trenches Carter dug, which might seem a simple task but involved laying down an infrastructure to keep them in place and allow tracking shots, required six weeks of preparation alone. "It was like a construction site, with 20 Caterpillars running around," he says. Creating clothing for the men who would inhabit those locations was no easier. "[Costume supervisor] Dave Crossman would trawl through eBay, seeing what we could get -- the hardware and the insignias," says costume designer Joanna Johnston, a longtime Spielberg collaborator. Beyond the beauty of the uniforms, she was surprised at the real-life parallels she discovered with the movie. "The great-grandfather of a girl who worked with us was a milkman whose horse was taken during the war -- and amazingly, the horse made it back," she says. As far as the present horses were concerned, Kennedy brought one huge advantage: Having produced 2003's Seabiscuit, she knew the ins and outs of working with equines. "That was one of the biggest departments on the film, with 200 to 300 people," she says of the animal unit. "You'd sometimes have as many as 180 to 280 horses in a scene. You'd have groomers and drivers to haul the horses and the feed, people to set up portable barns, vets and everyone else who handled the tack and the horses' makeup." Fourteen horses in all played Joey, the most prominent being one named Finder, which had starred in Seabiscuit. "We had bought horses for Seabiscuit, then we sold them -- and Bobby Lovgren, our lead trainer, bought Finder," says Kennedy. "He turned out to be one of the best horses Bobby had ever worked with, so he brought Finder with him to England." Except for one notable shot in which the horse stumbles and falls into a trench, most of the work was done without CGI effects. That added pressure to the shoot, as did the ever-changing British weather. "It was unbelievably rainy and cold," says Kennedy. "Even when you had your wellies on, sometimes you'd just take a step and one would be left stuck in the mud. It was freezing and raining, but then there would be these amazing skies and the whole crew would stop and gaze out at the landscape because it was so beautiful." Moments like these vanished during the hardest part of filming, when the trench warfare took place. "As soon as your big woolen uniform gets wet, the weight is unbelievable," says Irvine, "and you'd be running across no-man's-land, right through the mud and dirt. There were sequences where explosions would take place next to me and three or four stuntmen would fly through the air -- and then there'd be other scenes where you're just soaking wet. I got trench foot [a medical condition contracted through lengthy contact with dampness]. The soldiers used to get it all the time. And then there were the rats." Several dozen rodents were released into the trenches with the actors, much to their horror. But the rats were even more of a nightmare for the producers. "When you put mud on a rat, it immediately starts to clean itself. We could never keep them covered in mud," says Kennedy with a laugh. Shooting wrapped Oct. 27, 2010, following five days of studio work. Audiences will see the finished movie when Disney releases it domestically on Christmas Day through its distribution pact with DreamWorks, which financed the film through its partnership with Reliance Entertainment. (The picture unfurls internationally starting Dec. 26 in Australia.) The U.S. opening comes four days after the Dec. 21 North American release of Tintin, which already has proved an international blockbuster. In some ways, War Horse is more important for DreamWorks -- Tintin, a joint venture between Sony and Paramount, wasn't financed by the company. The former's success is critical for the studio, which has had some recent disappointments along with one megahit, The Help. Spielberg says he'll cherish the memories of making the film -- the tenderness of working with the horses, the miracle of the sunsets and the chance to bring history to life -- despite all the obstacles he encountered. "The thing about filming is, [almost] everything goes wrong," he says. "It's using the parts that go right in the finished film that counts." PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery The Making of Steven Spielberg's 'War Horse' Related Topics Steven Spielberg International Kathleen Kennedy War Horse Awards Season Preview Books Books to Film

In Honor of ScarJo's Dean Martin Duet, 5 of the Most Random Celebrity Holiday Tracks

It’s the week after Thanksgiving which means that it’s time to start firing up some holiday playlists. Here to help is Scarlett Johansson, whose virtual duet with Dean Martin hit the Internet today. Is their posthumous rendering of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” creepy? A little. A necessary addition to the holiday track canon? Not at all. But random? Completely! In honor of this Christmas-time cut, let’s review five of the other most random celebrity holiday recordings to confound the masses. 1. David Hasselhoff, “Silent Night” (In German!) Granted, David Hasselhoff lip sync-ing to “Stille Nacht” on a winter wonderland soundstage (complete with dry ice snow effect) may seem semi-relevant in Germany — the nation that made the Baywatch actor a pop star in the late ’80s — but in the U.S., this clip is just deliciously irrelevant and completely random. Dig in! 2. Heidi Klum, “Wonderland” German beauty Heidi Klum is already a successful model, television host, businesswoman, fashion designer and television producer. So why would she dare try her hand at singing? Because she can and because someone — again in Germany — hired her to do so. Here lies the multihyphenate’s 2006 debut single “Wonderland,” which was penned for a series of German ads. 3. Kathie Lee Gifford, “‘Twas The Night Before Christmas” (Hip Hop Version) Startling news: Back in 1995, shortly before her sweatshop scandal, Kathie Lee Gifford recorded a Christmas album Rock N Tots Cafe: A Christmas “Giff” Song Album by Kathie Lee Gifford. Even more frightening than the title was her attempt at hip hop with the track “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Below, find the damning music video evidence in which Kathie Lee wears a waitress uniform and bops around a Pee-wee Herman-style set. You’ve been warned. 4. Ozzy Osbourne and Jessica Simpson, “Winter Wonderland” You may not want to put your eyes back into their sockets for the next selection on Movieline’s ode to random holiday tracks. For 2003’s long-forgotten Osbourne Family Christmas Special, mismatched former MTV stars Ozzy Osbourne and Jessica Simpson recorded a duet in which Simpson tried to sexily shimmy up to Osbourne while he shrieked into the microphone like an off-key scarecrow. 5. Bea Arthur and Assorted Aliens, “Good Night, But Not Goodbye” Back in 1978, CBS aired The Star Wars Holiday Special, which followed Chewbacca and Han Solo as they traveled back to Chewie’s home world to celebrate a very special holiday, Life Day. While franchise stars Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher took part in the small-screen, variety show-style festivities, Bea Arthur inexplicably appeared as a Mos Eisley cantina bartender who sings to a set of aliens including Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes. Enjoy with furrowed brow. Now that you’ve survived the above, what is your favorite celebrity holiday track?

Menkes can get retrospective

Nina Menkes' latest film, 'Dissolution,' may have throughout this spring's retrospective, furthermore to some couple of of her older photos. Gotham's Anthology Film Archives as well as the UCLA Film Archives will partner use a retrospective of films by Nina Menkes this spring.Her latest pic, 2010's "Dissolution," may have with the retrospective week in NY, furthermore to older works.Experimental filmmaking stalwart Menkes, which has made six features, has generated a repetition for controlling every aspect of production, becoming producer, author, director and editor. She's labored with on several projects with sister Tinka Menkes as lead actress.Menkes' first feature was 1986's "Magdalena Viraga," a great L.A. prostitute jailed for killing her pimp. Other photos include Sundance alum "Filled with Diamonds" (1991), "The Bloody Child" (1996) and "Phantom Love" (2007)."Dissolution," shot in black and white-colored in Tel Aviv, is loosely based on Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment." Israeli music artist and philosopher David Fire stars.Menkes' next movie, "Heatstroke," will probably be shot in Cairo and L.A., with Gus Van Sant onboard as professional producer.Bicoastal retrospective is positioned for March, with exact dates and lineups to produce. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Luke Wilson, Kevin Connolly Join 'Elvis & Nixon' (Exclusive)

Luke Wilson is within talks and Kevin Connolly has signed to become listed on the cast of Elvis & Nixon, the indie drama centering around Elvis Presley's famous ending up in Richard Nixon in 1970.our editor recommendsEric Bana to experience Elvis in 'Elvis & Nixon' Eric Bana has already been aboard to star as Presley while Danny Huston will portray Nixon within the project, which being helmed by actor Cary Elwes, making his directorial debut. The historic meeting was started by Presley, who authored Nixon a six-page letter asking for a trip and recommending he be produced a "Federal Agent-at-Large" within the Bureau of Drugs and Harmful Drugs. Within the script, the background music legend drags his entourage to Washington along with a clash of cultures develops. Wilson would play Sonny, among Presley's "Memphis Mafia" who travels with him to Washington. Connolly is playing a personality named Ronnie, a limo driver. Elwes authored the script together with Joey Sagal and Hanala Sagal. Michael Benaroya (Margin Call) and Carol Wiersma (Bobby) are creating. A The month of january begin in Louisiana has been eyed. As THR formerly reported, the film is just one of several in development concerning the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Wilson, who last made an appearance in Dying in a Funeral, next stars with Anna Paquin and Ryan Phillippe in Straight A's, a comedy from Nu Image/Millennium. He's repped by CAA and attorney Bob Wallerstein. CAA-repped Connolly was among the stars of HBO's Entourage and it has made an appearance such movies as He's Simply Not That Into You and also Secretariat. Email: Borys.Package@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Package Related Subjects Luke Wilson Kevin Connolly