Focus Features taps Chernin's McLaughlin

Chernin Entertainment's professional V . p . Josh McLaughlin is joining Focus Features as senior V . p . of production. McLaughlin, who begins working this month from Focus' west coast offices, will account to Focus' production prexy Jeb Brody. He'll use Focus' global production team in NY, London, and La. McLaughlin spent nearly couple of years working alongside Peter Chernin and Dylan Clark to build up the film production arm at Chernin Entertainment. He formerly offered as professional V . p . and co-mind in the movie division in the Mark Gordon Company, where he produced Kasi Lemmons' "Consult with Me" for Focus. McLaughlin, who began his industry career within the Gersh Agency, spent eight years utilized by Mark Gordon at his eponymous banner we've spent with him for just two years at Mutual Film Company. "Josh can be a gifted executive who not only has extensive associations within the creative community - particularly with company company directors and authors - but who also provides a knack for finding and developing smart material. He'll be a great accessory for that primary focus team," mentioned Brody. Focus is now offering Paul Weitz's Robert P Niro-Paul Dano pic "Being Flynn" in theaters, and may soon premiere Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" at Cannes. Contact Rob Sneider at rob.sneider@variety.com

'Cat' on region's hot toon groove

Animation is thriving in Frances Rhones-Alpes region, as illustrated by 'A Cat in Paris.' Toon shingles Folimage, La Poudriere, TeamTO and others operate from La Cartoucherie, a former munitions factory updated by the city. The Oscar nomination for "A Cat in Paris," a delicately drawn but noirish 2D cartoon produced by Folimage, is just the latest recognition for the thriving filmmaking scene in Gaul's Rhone-Alpes region. Already strong in animation, the area is now working to expand its media production into other sectors.Distributor Marc Bonny already had roots in Rhone-Alpes when he set up kid-focused Gebeka Films in Lyon in 1997. Since then, he's seen local production mushroom, occasionally taking a co-producer credit for himself.In Valence, to the south, Folimage has expanded and attracted like-minded companies. "I call it the Folimage galaxy," Bonny says. Meanwhile, the Pixel campus was established in the Lyon suburbs and is now home to more than 50 audiovisual, multimedia and service companies."These are the two large centers of image production which now exist in the region," Bonny says. "There are also some companies at Annecy, but for me it's more the international animation festival and film market that are the strong points there."Folimage was set up in 1981 by animator Jacques-Remy Girerd, first producing his own films and then those of other animators. In time, the shingle added features to its roster of shorts, including "La Prophetie des grenouilles" and now "A Cat in Paris."Early on, Folimage looked abroad for inspiration, with a visiting artists program Girerd credits with raising the quality of their output. Participants have included Michael Dudok de Wit, who went on to win an Oscar for the short "Father and Daughter," and Konstantin Bronzit.Folimage also helped establish the Poudriere animation school, which accepts 20 students on a program taught entirely by industry insiders."There are no professors, there are only professionals who come for one or two days or for a week to lead a workshop, give a course or mentor a film," Girerd says.In 2009, Folimage and La Poudriere moved to La Cartoucherie, a former munitions factory renovated by the city. This soon attracted spinoff outfits and newcomers such as Parisian studio TeamTO, which relocated production to the site. TeamTO had links with Valence through producer Corinne Kouper, who taught at the school, but the atmosphere was an additional draw."We were joining a group of companies with which we shared a working philosophy: quality, originality, ambition and international vision," says topper Guillaume Hellouin.Now TeamTO has more than 50 animators on site, plus layout artists, lighting and compositing pros."Ambition is high, but the team spirit is there, and we now have applications from artists coming from all over the world," Hellouin says.The challenge for the Rhone-Alps region remains trying to achieve similar strength in other areas of audiovisual production and multimedia. It already has a growing number of vidgame companies, with around 30 developers based in Lyon and an outpost of games giant Ubisoft in Annecy. On the Pixel campus, Imaginove has been charged with building bridges, helping companies in the region with research and training to devise new ways with content.According to Hellouin, TeamTO's R&D team is already taking advantage by collaborating with local companies in complementary fields. "Mixing expertise with videogame studios and research labs is a fantastic opportunity that the region can offer," he says.Cartoon Movie 2012Euro cel bloc sold on stereo 3D | 'Cat' on region's hot toon groove | On the horizon Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Video: Dustin Lance Shades of black Play Prop 8

A reading through happened last evening in La featuring George Clooney, Kaira Pitt, Martin Sheen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jane Lynch, Kevin Sausage and morefor Oscar-winning author Dustin Lance Black’s play 8 directed by Take advantage of Reiner.It’s with different 2010 situation filed through the American Federation for Equal Privileges (AFER) inU.S. District Courtto overturn California’s Proposition 8that removed the privileges of same-sex couples to marry. This YouTube footage starts having a real professional-Prop 8 ad then your playstarts 1 minute in:

TOLDJA! MGM Sets Joel Kinnaman For Robocop

‘The Killing’s Joel Kinnaman Will get ‘Robocop’ Offer EXCLUSIVE: MGM has closed its cope with Joel Kinnaman to experience the title role in Robocop, the remake that's being directed by Jose Padilha, helmer of two action packed Elite Squad films. Strike Entertainment partners Eric Newman and Marc Abraham are creating. Josh Zetumer authored the script. Deadline says the sale choose to go to Kinnaman to accept role came from by Peter Weller within the 1987 Paul Verhoeven original. Kinnaman most lately completed an unforgettable performance within the Daniel Espinosa-directed Safe House opposite Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. He burst in this area within the AMC series The Killing and just before he starred within the Espinosa-directed Snabba Cash. Hollywood is frantically looking for male stars that galleries can take shape movies around. Kinnaman, whos repped by UTA and Magnolia Entertainments Shelley Browning, has his ticket towards the large game.

Terence Davies Has Sorrows

Mother Of Sorrows, that isGiven how he appears to become ramping up his output since making The Dark Blue Ocean, we are starting to question whether someone has ended up a dose of 5-hour energy boost drink into Terence Davies' tea. Because hot around the heels of him finally getting passion project Sunset Song inching once again towards movie theaters comes word that he's also creating a film according to Richard McCann's Mother Of Sorrows.McCann's 2005 debut nabbed the Stonewall Book Award for gay fiction and also the John C Zacharis First Book Award. It interweaves 10 tales about two siblings who must cope with the dying of the father and also the overriding influence of the strong, complicated mother."It is really an important story since it touches the humanity in most people,Inch Davies informs Variety. "I really like the delicacy from the book and it is gentle journey from publish-The Second World War optimism for that American Paradise to some much deeper knowledge of both maternal and filial love as well as an acceptance of mortality by giving up towards the light."There is no word yet on when he'll reach really shoot Sorrows, since Sunset Song is presently his active project. But maybe he'll have a leaf from Terrence's Malick's book and choose two movies shot in a single year...

Fiddler Joe Thompson dies at 93

Posted: Tue., Feb. 21, 2012, 11:24am PTBy ASSOCIATED PRESS Joe Thompson, a nationally renowned old-time fiddler and folk musician died Monday of natural causes in Mebane, N.C. He was 93. Taught by his father how to play the fiddle, Thompson mastered a style of African-American country fiddling that has largely disappeared. In 2007, he won a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Pilot Season: Willa Holland Joins Arrow

Nickelodeon is turning President's Day into Fredsident's Day with the premiere of their new series, Fred: The Show. The 11-minute episodes star Lucas Cruikshank as Fred Figglehorn, a 6-year-old character that 18-year-old Cruikshank first made popular on his YouTube channel. On Monday's premiere two-parter, Fred's neighbors confront him after seeing him destroy their property. In the first part, Fred tries to declare his innocence and in the second, he discovers his nemesis Kevin (Jake Weary) is responsible. Read More > Other Links From TVGuide.com Lucas CruikshankFRED: The Show