24 Hours of Awards Season Madness

Borrowing a page from the movie marketers' playbook, the Democratic National Committee on Monday released a 30-second TV spot-a "trailer-style" video titled "Mitt v. Mitt"-that blasts the Republicans' presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney for being a politician who is "willing to say anything."our editor recommendsBox Office Politics: The Movies and Stars Dems vs. GOPers Love (and Love to Hate)President Obama Holds Secret Meet-and-Greet With Hollywood Execs and Influencers (Exclusive)Obama Addresses Hollywood: Reelection Won't Be as Sexy as His First Campaign PHOTOS: Box Office Politics: The Movies and Stars Dems vs. GOPers Love (and Love to Hate) According to the DNC, the TV ad is, in fact, a trailer for a longer video treatment available on the committee's new website, MittvMitt.com, which highlights the former Massachusetts governor's current contradiction of his former positions on a range of issues involving the economy, immigration, a woman's right to choose and workers' rights,. (The longer "treatment" includes sound bites from Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Ronald Reagan.) PHOTOS: 10 Hollywood Players That Will Make a Difference in the 2012 Elections The anti-Romney videos underscore two important things about the Obama campaign: It clearly views the former Massachusetts governor as the president's chief foe, and the campaign is unafraid to use Hollywood-style promotional tactics (along with entertainment industry money) to fight him. The video seems likely to get an additional bounce from its timing, since much of the mainstream news media's current coverage of Romney is focusing on how he's attacking his surging rival Newt Gingrich for taking a position on undocumented immigrants that the former Massachusetts governor once advocated himself. VIDEO: Mitt Romney's 2007 'Meet the Press' Appearance Provides Fodder for Newt Gingrich Campaign The "trailer"-whose script was released by the DNC-begins with the sort of voice over familiar to theater goers: VO: From the creator of "I'm running for office for Pete's sake" CHYRON: From the creator of "I'm running for office for Pete's sake" CHYRON: Lawn work at Romney's home still done by illegal immigrants, Boston Globe, 12/04/07 VO: ...comes the story of two men trapped in one body. VO: Mitt versus Mitt EXCLUSIVE STORY: Mitt Romney Is First GOP Presidential Hopeful to Book Hollywood Fundraiser CHYRON: Mitt vs. Mitt MITT ROMNEY: I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose. CHYRON: Pro-choice, MittvMitt.com ROMNEY: The right next step... is to see Roe Vs. Wade overturned. CHYRON: Anti-choice, MittvMitt.com VO: Two Mitts willing to say anything. CHYRON: MittvMitt.com, Willing to say anything ROMNEY: We put together an exchange, and the President's copying that idea. I'm glad to hear that. CHYRON: Pro-health reform, MittvMitt.com VIDEO: Hollywood-Funded Super PAC Blasts Mitt Romney in Internet Attack Ad ROMNEY: Obamacare is bad news. CHYRON: Anti-health reform, MittvMitt.com VO: See it all at MittvMitt.com CHYRON: See it all at MittvMitt.com [DNC Disclaimer] STORY: GOP Flameout to Six-Figure TV Star: Analysts Weigh in on Who'll Make It The ad currently is running in Albuquerque, NM; Raleigh-Durham, NC; Columbus, OH;Pittsburgh, PA; Washington, DC; and, Milwaukee, WI on a mix of broadcast and cable. The strategy at work, according to the DNC, is that "Democrats don't need any dirty tricks to prove Mitt Romney has no core convictions and no new ideas for creating jobs. We need only to let him speak for himself." The trailer style has a proven record of drawing crowds into theaters. Now the Democrats are hoping they can use it attract voters to their polling places. Watch below: PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 10 Hollywood Players That Will Make a Difference in the 2012 Elections Related Topics Politics Mitt Romney

Dwayne Manley Tracks Monsters

For any new comic adaptationDespite getting an active schedule as well as an already protruding bag filled with likely future projects, Dwayne Manley just keeps piling within the options. He's now mounted on a movie according to comic miniseries The Monster Hunter's Survival Guide. Paul Russ produced the title for Zenescope Entertainment this season. You will be less-than-shocked to listen to it aims to function as a comprehensive How You Can for individuals searching to fight undead creeps, supernatural monsters and various harmful monstoids.At this time, the film version reaches a really initial phase, without any authors or director attached, though What This Means Is War author/producer Simon Kinberg is managing development.Manley, who well and truly Introduced It to Fast Five this season, will next appear in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island and G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation in 2012. He's also busy filming Snitch, which finds him like a father instructed to help take lower a drug dealer to help keep his boy from prison. And when that wasn't enough, he's also walked in the wrestling ring lately for a few large shows...

You Know What's Awesome? This New Trailer For Shame

From Sideways to Little Miss Sunshine to Slumdog Millionaire and Black Swan, Fox Searchlight has long proven more than adept at marketing its awards-season wares. Thus the distributor seemed a logical choice to acquire Shame, the acclaimed sex-addict drama that was near-instantly presumed to be destined for an accursed NC-17 rating. But now Searchlight, continuing its “What, us worry?” campaign on behalf of the Steve McQueen-directed, Michael Fassbender-starring gem, may have hit its stride. The first trailer was fine and all, but it wasn’t until we got into poster territory that we all really saw the inspiration begin to crystallize. And now there’s this preview, replete with the head-exploding NC-17 green band from the MPAA ratings board and set co-star Carey Mulligan’s mournful “NY, NY.” It’s otherwise mostly silent, not so unlike many the most evocative bits of McQueen’s film — the subway flirtations seen here chief among them. Anyway, I love this. Shame opens Dec. 2 in limited release. VERDICT: Sold!

FEINBERG FORECAST: 'The Help' and 'The Artist' Are Early Frontrunners at Globes

Dale Robinette/DreamworksBridesmaids What follows is my first assessment of the Golden Globe Awards' major categories...our editor recommendsRicky Gervais Returning as Host of Golden Globes'The Help's' Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer to Present at THR's Women in Entertainment BreakfastTHR's Directors Roundtable: How to Fire People, Who to Steal From, and Amy Pascal's Secret Advice'The Artist': The Not-So-Silent Entry BEST PICTURE (DRAMA) Frontrunners The Help (Disney, 8/12, PG-13, trailer) The Descendants (Fox Searchlight, 11/23, R, trailer) War Horse (Disney, 12/25, PG-13, trailer) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Bros., 12/25, TBA, trailer) The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Sony, 12/21, TBA, trailer) Major Threats The Ides of March (Sony, 10/14, TBA, trailer) Moneyball (Columbia, 9/23, TBA, trailer) Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Focus Features, 12/9, TBA, trailer) J. Edgar (Warner Bros., 11/11, R, trailer) Margin Call (Roadside Attractions, 10/21, R, trailer) Possibilities The Iron Lady (The Weinstein Company, 12/30, TBA, teaser) Shame (Fox Searchlight, 12/2, NC-17, trailer) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2 (Warner Bros., 7/15, PG-13, trailer) A Dangerous Method (Sony Pictures Classics, 11/23, R, trailer) Super 8 (Paramount, 6/10, PG-13, trailer) The Tree of Life (Fox Searchlight, 5/27, PG-13, trailer) OPINION: Bravo to the HFPA for Bringing Back Ricky Gervais as Golden Globes Host BEST PICTURE (MUSICAL OR COMEDY) Frontrunners The Artist (The Weinstein Company, 11/23, TBA, trailer) Midnight in Paris (Sony Pictures Classics, 5/20, PG-13, trailer) Bridesmaids (Universal, 5/13, R, trailer) Crazy Stupid Love (Warner Bros., 7/29, PG-13, trailer) Carnage (Sony Pictures Classics, 12/16, R, trailer) Major Threats Beginners (Focus Features, 6/3, R, trailer) 50/50 (Summit, 9/30, R, trailer) Young Adult (Paramount, 12/9, R, trailer) My Week with Marilyn (The Weinstein Company, 11/23, R, trailer) The Rum Diary (FilmDistrict, 10/28, R, trailer) Our Idiot Brother (The Weinstein Company, 8/26, R, trailer) Hugo (Paramount, 11/23, PG, trailer) Possibilities Bad Teacher (Sony, 6/24, R, trailer) Friends with Benefits (Sony, 7/22, R, trailer) We Bought a Zoo (20th Century Fox, 12/23, PG, trailer) The Muppets (Disney, 11/23, PG, trailer) The Hangover Part II (Warner Bros., 5/26, R, trailer) The Adventures of Tintin (Paramount, 12/21, PG, trailer) BEST DIRECTOR Frontrunners Alexander Payne (The Descendants) Steven Spielberg (War Horse) Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris) Tate Taylor (The Help) Major Threats David Fincher (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Stephen Daldry (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Clint Eastwood (J. Edgar) George Clooney (The Ides of March) Martin Scorsese (Hugo) Possibilities Steven Spielberg (The Adventures of Tintin) Bennett Miller (Moneyball) Terrence Malick (The Tree of Life) Tomas Alfredson (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) Jason Reitman (Young Adult) Roman Polanski (Carnage) BEST ACTOR (DRAMA) Frontrunners George Clooney (The Descendants) Brad Pitt (Moneyball) Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar) Ryan Gosling (The Ides of March) Tom Hanks (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Major Threats Daniel Craig (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Michael Fassbender (Shame) Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) Paul Giamatti (Win Win) Ryan Gosling (Drive) Zachary Quinto (Margin Call) Possibilities Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method) Woody Harrelson (Rampart) Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus) Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) BEST ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY) Frontrunners Jean Dujardin (The Artist) Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris) Ryan Gosling (Crazy Stupid Love) Joseph Gordon-Levitt (50/50) Ewan McGregor (Beginners) Major Threats Johnny Depp (The Rum Diary) Eddie Murphy (Tower Heist) Ben Stiller (Tower Heist) Christoph Waltz (Carnage) John C. Reilly (Carnage) Possibilities Matt Damon (We Bought a Zoo) Paul Rudd (Our Idiot Brother) Bradley Cooper (The Hangover Part II) Russell Brand (Arthur) Jesse Eisenberg (30 Minutes or Less) BEST ACTRESS (DRAMA) Frontrunners Viola Davis (The Help) Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady) Glenn Close (Albert Nobbs) Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Sandra Bullock (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Major Threats Keira Knightley (A Dangerous Method) Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene) Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre) Kirsten Dunst (Melancholia) Possibilities Helen Mirren (The Debt) Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin) Michelle Yeoh (The Lady) Felicity Jones (Like Crazy) PHOTOS: Behind the Scenes of THR's Actress Roundtable 2011 BEST ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY) Frontrunners Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn) Charlize Theron (Young Adult) Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) Cameron Diaz (Bad Teacher) Emma Stone (Crazy Stupid Love) Major Threats Jodie Foster (Carnage) Kate Winslet (Carnage) Julianne Moore (Crazy Stupid Love) Possibilities Mila Kunis (Friends with Benefits) Jennifer Aniston (Horrible Bosses) Scarlett Johansson (We Bought a Zoo) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Frontrunners Christopher Plummer (Beginners) Albert Brooks (Drive) Kevin Spacey (Margin Call) Jeremy Irons (Margin Call) Colin Firth (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) Major Threats Viggo Mortensen (A Dangerous Method) Stanley Tucci (Margin Call) Jonah Hill (Moneyball) Armie Hammer (J. Edgar) Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn) George Clooney (The Ides of March) Possibilities Brad Pitt (The Tree of Life) Patton Oswalt (Young Adult) John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene) Nick Nolte (Warrior) Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) Jim Broadbent (The Iron Lady) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Frontrunners Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) Octavia Spencer (The Help) Shailene Woodley (The Descendants) Jessica Chastain (The Help) Berenice Bejo (The Artist) Major Threats Vanessa Redgrave (Coriolanus) Carey Mulligan (Shame) Demi Moore (Margin Call) Judi Dench (J. Edgar) Evan Rachel Wood (The Ides of March) Possibilities Marion Cotillard (Midnight in Paris) Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) Amber Heard (The Rum Diary) Elle Fanning (Super 8) Judy Greer (The Descendants) Golden Globes The Artist Bridesmaids The Help Golden Globes 2012

Coen, Streep join U.S.-China Forum

BEIJING -- Filmmaker Joel Coen, thesp Meryl Streep and music performer Years old-Years old Ma are some of the large names visiting Beijing for that inaugural U.S.-China Forum on Arts and Culture. The 4-day event begins Wednesday evening having a dinner for 240 visitors in the U.S. embassy, overseen through the organic food guru Alice Waters, proprietor from the Chez Panisse bistro in Berkeley. Waters will prepare the meal in the embassy, which is offered through the celebrity visitors, that also include artist Eric Fischl, scribes Amy Tan and Mark Danner, and ballet dancer and director Damian Woetzel. Coen will apparently meet "Town of Existence and Dying" helmer Lu Chuan throughout his visit, while Streep will host a screening from the Margaret Thatcher biopic, "The Iron Lady." Waters will even attend a screening of Robert Kenner's "Food Corporation." The helmer will attend together with scribes Corby Kummer and Michael Pollan. "Hopefully this is actually the to begin many annual occasions of the type, alternating between China and also the U . s . States," stated the U . s . States' freshly minted ambassador to China, Gary Locke. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

'Anonymous' conundrum

'Anonymous' questions whether Shakespeare written his plays. Roland Emmerich's Shakespearean era literary mystery "Anonymous" wasn't prone to approach the B.O. success in the helmer's finish-of-the-world blockbusters like "Independence Day" or "The Following Day Of Tomorrow," nevertheless the high-minded tale is an especially tricky cost The brand new the new sony.Starring Rhys Ifans, David Thewlis and Vanessa Redgrave, the pic furthers a thought process that questions whether Shakespeare written his body at work. The film allures an intellectual crowd -- a number of them might be fans in the Bard.Your dog work with Emmerich, "Anonymous" became a member of its second frame (November. 4-6) grossing a reserved $1.2 million for just about any domestic cume approaching $3 million through November. 8.The brand new the new sony made a decision to reduce the film's release just a week before its Stateside debut due to soft monitoring, beginning "Anonymous" at 265 locations. However, many B.O. bloggers the pic's eventual rollout used to be too wide. The studio extended the film within the soph sesh to 514 venues, with various promising opening per-screen average of $3,856. Average for your second act was $2,399 per screen.The brand new the new sony is scaling back the film's domestic count to 482 a couple of days ago, essentially sealing the pic's U.S. fate.In Blighty, too, "Anonymous" has encounter the conundrum to become a smart alternative history in the nation of Shakespeare fans. The pic made $71,643 within the second frame there, lower a steep 73% for just about any cume of just above $500,000.Might be the comfort silence? Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

'Saturday Evening Live': Charlie Day Helps Skewer the Kardashians, Gaddafi and Attacking Young Boys (Video)

NBC When Muammar Gaddafi was wiped out on March. 20, lots of commentators lamented the truth that Saturday Evening Live was off that week. Cast member Fred Armisen's impersonation from the Libyan dictator is one kind of his most memorable figures on the program, therefore it's little surprise they opened up the November. 5 outing with Armisen addressing the crowd as Gadaffi's ghost. PHOTOS: 'SNL' Stars Salute Kennedy Center Honoree Will Ferrell "As you may have suspected, I'm in hell now," he stated, "which you'll see looks virtually like Libya." He appeared to get rid of everyone else a little with that certain, compelling more awkward groans than laughs, but Armisen required to give Gaddafi his swan song. Host Charlie Day was became a member of onstage throughout his monologue because of it's Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-star Danny Devito. He urged Day to provide probably the most to his first turn on the program, which Day required like a signal to sing an audio lesson, the sadly brief "Charlie Day Day." Obtaining the greatest news products from the last couple of days taken care of at the start of the broadcast, the episode then posted the obligatory Kim Kardashian divorce spoof. VIDEO: Charlie Day Teams Track Of 'Horrible Bosses' Co-Star Jason Sudeikis Charged being an E! function, Kim's Fairytale Divorce, incorporated the next rather fantastic moments: - Kristen Wiig like a crazy, camera-hogging Kris Jenner - Kris Humphries being known to as Kim's "husband of three episodes." - Taran Killam dealing with his incredibly small catalog of Bruce Jenner facial expressions - Earth Wind and Fire carrying out at their divorce reception - Approaching Kardashian spin-off Brody Jenner, Khloe & Kris Take Vitamins Nasim Pedrad, as Kim, also added this little bit of levity towards the news of her unsuccessful marriage: "Situations are searching for for me personally. I'm single, there's a National basketball association lock-out." And, never someone to remain out, Attacking Young Boys gained a unique jerk throughout Weekend Update. When Seth Meyers raised the present paternity scandal marring the publicity tour for that 17-year-old singer's Christmas album, the fake anchor stated that "lots of babies seem like Attacking Young Boys.Inch These, in video: Saturday Evening Live

TV Ratings: 'X Factor' Gives Fox Demo Win, 'Modern Family' Tops Wednesday

Fox Fox's recently restored X Factor didn't top its previous filled with grownups 18 to 49, nevertheless it did supply the network a higher-scoring 3.9 rating for your evening, calculating 11.5 million audiences for your evening. Besting other series inside the demo and total audiences was Modern Family. A completely new episode in the ABC comedy assigned the evening in grownups 18 to 49 getting a 5.6 rating (a season low) together with a 13.2 million audiences. Revenge (3.), The Middle (2.7), Suburgatory (3.1) and Happy Being (3.5) also released strong results in the demo, while using later tying a collection high set the other day. STORY: 'The X Factor' Restored for Second Season CBS won the evening in audiences, edging out Fox's X Factor block with 11.8 million for your evening together with a 3.3 inside the demo. Criminal Minds exercised ideal for the network, getting a 3.6 rating. NBC attracted single.5 inside the demo, also placing fourth in audiences with 6 000 0000 for your evening, because the CW ongoing its Tuesday pairing from the Ringer repeat and America's Next Top Model for the tune of a single.5 million together with b .6 in grownups. Fox - 3.9 - X Factor: 11.5 million, 3.9 ABC - 3.5 - The Middle: 9.3 million, 2.9 - Suburgatory: 8.5 million, 3.1 - Modern Family (R): 13.2 million, 5.6 - Happy Being: 7.9 million, 3.5 - Revenge: 8.6 000 0000, 2.9 CBS - 3.3 - Survivor: South Off-shoreline: 11.9 million, 3.5 - Criminal Minds (R): 12.8 million, 3.6 - CSI: 10.6 000 0000, 2.7 NBC - 1.5 Up With The Evening: 4.7 million, 1.8 Up With The Evening (R): 3.4 million, 1.2 - Harry's Law: 7.millions of, 1.1 - Law & Order: SVU: 7. million, 2. CW - .6 - Ringer (R): 1.2 million, .4 - America's Next Top Model: 1.8 million, .8 TV Ratings