NinjaVideo founder pleads guilty

A founding father of the NinjaVideo website plead guilty on Friday for his role in offering unlicensed downloads of movies and Television shows. Matthew David Howard Cruz, 23, of Raleigh, N.C., plead guilty inside a federal court in Virginia to conspiracy and criminal copyright violation. Sentencing is scheduled for 12 ,. 16, and that he faces an optimum penalty of 5 years imprisonment on each count. NinjaVideo operated from Feb, 2008, until it had been shut lower by police force in June 2010 included in the government's Operation Within Our Sites attack. Based on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which carried out the analysis with the National Intellectual Property Privileges Coordination Center, Cruz accepted he designed most of the operational aspects of the web site, by which movies still playing in theaters plus some not launched were among individuals offered. Cruz also accepted he made contracts with advertising organizations to create earnings for that site. He and the affiliates collected about $500,000 when they were running a business. Four other suspects were indicted earlier this year together with Cruz, and therefore are scheduled to visit trial on February. 6. Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

'Texas Killing Fields' Exclusive Clip: Jeffrey Dean Morgan And Chloe Moretz Face Off

What can you obtain if you put the Comedian striking-Girl inside the same room? Apparently, you obtain this emotional scene from "The Texas Killing Fields," a completely new crime thriller directed by Ami Canaan Mann. Mike Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jessica Chastain and Chloe Moretz star in this drama based loosely on real-existence occasions. Morgan plays John Heigh, a NY detective adopted in Texas who works alongside a close cop (Worthington), each of them joining together to analyze numerous unsolved killings where physiques are actually turning up in the nearby marsh residents call "The Killing Fields." In this exclusive clip within the movie, watch as Anne (Moretz), a close girl in the troubled home, goes mind-to-mind against Detective Heigh, who's clearly concerned on her behalf safety. But based on her talkand consistent with Moretz formit seems like Anne might take proper proper care of herself okay but looks, as they say, might be misleading. "The Texas Killing Fields" are available in choose theaters on October 14, 2011.

NCIS: Will Tony's Mole Search Pressure Him to develop Up?

NCIS Is NCIS' Tony DiNozzo truly the best guy to handle the Navy secretary's visit a mole? With all of possible respect to DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) being an agent, is not he a tad too wacky for super-secret spy work?Fall Preview: Get scoop in your favorite coming back shows"You request the question that's on everyone's mind," Weatherly informs TVGuide.com having a laugh. "When Tony reaches play Mission Impossible, he takes it very seriously. DiNozzo, despite his goofiness, may be the soul of discretion. In my opinion he offers a great convenience of secrets. A primary reason for your is the fact that nobody would ever believe that he can keep a secret. It's type of like hiding in plain sight giving him the mission."However the secret will not stay hidden for lengthy. Actually, in Season 9's premiere (Tuesday, 8/7c, CBS) Tony's analysis will culminate having a fellow NCIS agent being wiped out. Audiences will retrace Tony's steps through flashbacks, but Weatherly also promises a much deeper dive into Tony's mind when NCIS shrink Cranston (Wendy Makkena) returns."There's some kind of a mental poking around into DiNozzo's brain," Weatherly states. "Ultimately, I suppose I learned much more about my character, much more about his childhood, and that is always useful and intriguing. ... Tony is an extremely compartmentalized dude. That's how he safeguards themself, and it is clearly how he protected themself since he would be a kid."Plus some of individuals facts may repay when DiNozzo's father (Robert Wagner) returns towards the show with this season's Christmas episode. "I am sure you will see all of the style, the panache, and glamour that Mr. Wagner tends to bring with him ... but I've got a feeling that there are some edge that we'll have in that one," Weatherly teases."Take a look at our listing of TV's most sexy crime martial artists!However, the mole search could have a greater effect on DiNozzo's relationship together with his surrogate father, Gibbs (Mark Harmon). "DiNozzo's being assigned by someone outdoors from the immediate chain of command, meaning ," Weatherly states. "It is extremely unnerving. There's some nice drama with and i believe in ways it pieces together a few of the items that was happening in the finish of this past year between DiNozzo and ."But is not the only person miffed that SECNAV (Matt Craven) is playing having a person in his team. Vance (Rocky Carroll) can also be from the loop the very first time, which executive producer Gary Glasberg states will have out in many tales this year.InchIt adds another dynamic to the way in which they functions," Glasberg states. "I needed to pay attention to tales that really pull we together and also have them undertake lots of what they are facing like a unit. Because they evolve as co-employees, let me continue to allow them to come with an appreciation for that duties they have. I believe this is actually likely to bind many of them together."In the end can not be certain who the mole is, there is some suspicion surrounding DiNozzo's ex, E.J. Barrett (Sarah Jane Morris) - thinking about the last time we had her, she was tugging a microchip from her dead teammate's arm. "There is a new wrinkle within their relationship, and that i would say it's somewhat troubling," Weatherly teases. "I believe Tony questions several things about her and that i don't believe there's any returning for their initial blinky-blinky, lovey-dovey plot."NCIS scoop: Jamie Lee Curtis books two-episode arcDoes that obvious the way in which for Tony to obtain cozier with teammate Ziva (Cote p Pablo)? Not too fast. "Because of somewhat distressing occasions that start the storyline, he ultimately needs to rely on themself," Weatherly states. But younger crowd indicates that Tony's amount of time in therapy may open that possibility in the future."All the goofiness and also the spontaneity and also the deflection is clearly covering something nasty eating away at him inside," Weatherly states. "I believe this should take us a measure nearer to maybe understanding an important core truth... by what makes Tony tick. I believe you need to do this work alone sometimes. However it will make him more able in the future more in a position to approach rapport with Ziva."Together with, Weatherly states despite being handed a secret mission, DiNozzo knows he's not prepared to leave Gibbs' nest. "That's remote in the mind," Weatherly states. "He still recognizes that he needs the guidance. He must discover that missing link and i believe he knows intuitively that is the one that can display him that. It's why he's there."NCIS premieres Tuesday at 8/7c on CBS.

Euro TV upbeat on the web

CAMBRIDGE, England -- European tv producers started to rub with the web rather than to fear it outright. That was the prevailing mood within the U.K.'s most exclusive TV speaking shop, the three-day biannual Royal Television Society Cambridge Convention that wrapped Friday. Around 500 affiliates spoken, wined and dined at King's College, Cambridge, not definately not Blighty's reaction to Plastic Valley. The Tv cake cake toppers -- all the heads in the U.K. webs, aside from Funnel 5, plus RTL Group Boss Gerhard Zeiler -- spoken about the best way to earn money from Internet-enabled TV. The speaking shop which is upbeat title, TV Everywhere -- Paths to Growth, provided reasonable contrast with this elite gathering's last session, this past year, when the proceedings were entitled Riding The Storm as well as the atmosphere was noticeably downbeat. "Then everyone thought the net would kill TV," appreciated Simon Terrington, who runs U.K. media becoming a consultant Terrington and Co. "Now people are virtually sanguine relating to this and realize that TV as well as the Web can exist together." As stressed with the confab's worldwide keynote speaker, Discovery Communications prexy-Boss David Zaslav, research signifies that auds on sides in the Atlantic are trading more hours as you're watching TV. "Growing amounts of individuals are watching tv, plus they are watching it for longer,In . he mentioned. But Zaslav recognized that tv producers have to tread cautiously just before making handles technology behemoths like Google and Apple. "We must be careful. We're not able to you need to the finest check," informed Zaslav, who turned up in Cambridge by private jet, commonplace inside the U.S. but past the clear way of a lot of the U.K. web heads at King's College. Safeguarding Discovery's funnel brand was key, as connected platforms ongoing to enhance the stakes, he mentioned. This time around was echoed by Zeiler, who was simply upbeat in regards to the prospects for TV advertising across continental Europe but skeptical in regards to the impact connected TV may have on his business. The boss in the pan-Europe broadcast group was adament that his webs in Germany and France would sign handles aggregators, for instance Hulu, only if two criteria were met -- his systems achieve keep the ad gold gold coin and RTL's funnel brands stay in the lead. Selling programs piecemeal to services like Google TV, due to bow in Europe next season, is asking for trouble together with a lower share of ad revenue, he mentioned. Martin Sorrell, mind of worldwide advertising giant WPP, travelled in by private jet from China. He suggested the free-to-air systems had more to fear from Google in comparison to they recognized. "Google is not a technology company it is a media owner," Sorrell informed. In the converging era he mentioned the television industry was "much more vulnerable" than advertising agencies. "Free-to-air TV can be as narrowly balanced as newspapers," Sorrell mentioned. "Probably the most likely won't suffer as much because the whole process of felling trees and ultizing newspaper is inefficient. But free-to-air TV is very narrowly based." Free-to-air TV can be a legacy business introduced by professionals that are "established, conservative and also safeguard it," he added. "We are afraid because we've something to eliminate.Inch The apparent message was that TV operators needed to experience a viable pay strategy because in age the net there's "inadequate advertising to go to round." The next RTS Cambridge Convention will probably be located in 2013. In those days tv producers may have a clearer idea of whether Sorrell is suitable -- so when their way of coexistence while using online leaders has elevated their profits and or rely on them the trunk ft. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Dancing's Maks: I'm Still Prone to Pinch Tom's Butt

Maksim Chmerkovskiy Hey everyone!We imagine you stood a great week!Well, the big day is almost here. Everything's great. We've been busy yesteryear day or two traveling for Hope's pre-Olympic training and games. We're in Might at this time around, where she's a game title title, so she's been splitting her time between dancing, training and competing. I'm just attempting to 't be too annoying! I'm good in what we've, and so the traveling and her maybe the lack of ability to devote more hours to dancing doesn't really worry me. She's the routine lower. We really can't complain about anything. There's never a perfect partner to date as someone who's perfect together with an ideal situation. More often than not there's something - drama, injuries, a tough schedule or some type of problem. With nevertheless, In my opinion we're in the good situation. We're not crazy. It's been quite calm and drama-free.In my opinion Val is nervous. He doesn't know what you should expect yet. He's very verbal about how precisely amazing employment all of us do about the program, however in the outside, you will not ever begin to see the testing stuff. You don't define that which you undergo until you are doing this. He's participating now he's finally realizing exactly what switches into trading within the show. In my opinion he'll do great and i'm wanting he appears along with his own trick to taunt Tom. Butt-pinching is mine! I am in a position to assure Tom it is not over yet. How do there Not butt-pinching, right?Today is yet another large day inside our family. It's Sleep's birthday! He's two, so he's a sizable boy now. I'm prone to take him to L.A. the first time this year through the show, regardless of finish result. I don't think L.A. is ready for him, but what's going to you need to do? In my opinion it is time for him to become launched. He's sad. He described he doesn't such as this Val which i aren't home a good deal, so L.A., ideas come! I ought to also quickly mention my jewelry line. A small collection is presently on Amazon . com . com.com and Endless.com. It is not the whole collection yet. We're searching to find out how these can do. You will also have different shops which will be disseminating which hopefully to become out by year's finish. Individuals which are out, I realize people are content with and i believe you'll all can have a look!That's all for the moment. I am hoping you'll election for people this season. I'm very searching toward the premiere, but concurrently, it's kind of a calculated excitement - not in the bad way. I realize what you should expect which i understand I'm apt to be sitting back and watching Hope's reaction since it all originates. I'm excited on her behalf. Assist you to Monday!Maks

An Argument In The Hollywood Reporter

In March, The Hollywood Reporter taken care of immediately an allegation by Deadline.com of so-known as "stolen" tales by asking Deadline.com to supply specifics. We've got no response, now we all know why. Deadline.com's parent company PMC just prosecuted The Hollywood Reporter for copyright violation according to accusations of "stolen" tales. A preliminary overview of the complaint shows that it's replete with good examples of tales that came from from broadly-launched press announcements from publicists, or common confirmations from publicists to several shops, including both Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.com. It's not copyright violation to report these tales, even when occasionally Deadline.com posts them first. This suit is an additional make an effort to steer attention from the ongoing development of The Hollywood Reporter, including its 4.4 million site visitors monthly as measured by comScore compared to Deadline.com's 1.5 million. The Hollywood Reporter is happy with its original journalism which has driven our growth, and that we anticipate reacting for this suit in the court when needed. PMC's complaint also alleges the Hollywood Reporter has open job purports to PMC employees, despite the fact that it has nothing related to any accusations of copyright violation. It's also false. Lastly, today was the very first we learned about any allegation concerning the code for that "slide carousel" feature on our website, that was coded for all of us with a third-party vendor. We go ahead and take allegation seriously and also have, by today, removed the slide carousel feature in the end consider the problem. In contrast to its meritless accusations of stolen tales, Deadline.com didn't provide us with the conventional thanks to advance notice or chance to research the coding problem before it prosecuted and searched for publicity. We anticipate protecting ourselves in the court.

Magnolia nabs 'God Bless America'

Magnolia has acquired worldwide rights to Bobcat Goldthwaite's dark comedy "God Bless America."Deal was announced Tuesday at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival. "God" premered Friday in TIFF's Midnight Madness section."God" centers on a man, possibly terminally ill, who decides to kill repugnant members of society.Producers are Joel McKittrick and Jeff Culotta. Cassian Elwes and Preferred Content's Kevin Iwashina and Christine D'Souza brokered the deal.Pic stars Joel Murray and Tara Lynn Barr, and is a Darko Entertainment production written and directed by Goldthwait."God" is the second collaboration between Goldthwait, Darko and Magnolia/Magnet, who released "World's Greatest Dad" in 2009.Magnet is planning a 2012 theatrical release for "God" through Magnolia's Ultra VOD program. The film is Magnet's second acquisition out of the Toronto fest following Michael Dowse's raucous hockey comedy "Goon"Murray plays a divorced and depressed man who is becoming increasingly overwhelmed and infuriated by the rampant stupidity that surrounds him."I'm a big fan of all of Bobcat's films, and very excited to be collaborating with him again," said Magnolia/Magnet President Eamonn Bowles. "'God Bless America' is the revenge fantasy to end all revenge fantasies. It's a brilliant skewering of all that's despicable in American pop culture and it's his funniest film to date." Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

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'Anderson' opening ratings not proven

The launch Monday of Anderson Cooper's syndicated daytime talker "Anderson" averaged 1.1/3 in houses, since it fought against against off coverage in the U.S. Open men's tennis championship inside a couple of high-profile areas, including New You'll be able to and Boston.The atypical premiere situation, triggered by rain delays within the last week within the tennis matches in New You'll be able to, will prove to increase analyst caution to date as developing a preliminary assessment in the performance of Warner Bros.' "Anderson."Among women 25-54, "Anderson" shipped b .6/3, ranking No. one out of the demo due to its timeslot such areas as Dallas, Washington D.C., Ontario, Orlando and Pittsburgh.In contrast, returning syndie talker "Ellen" averaged a few.6 among houses within the season premiere, 1.5 in women 25-54. Monday's edition of "Accept Regis and Kelly" introduced 2.9 overall and 1.4 inside the 25-54 female demo. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Danniel Stamm to Direct Horror-Thriller Remake '13: Bet on Death'

TORONTO-Financing and purchasers company IM Global has set Daniel Stamm(The Final Exorcism) to direct the British-language remake of Thai horror-thriller 13: Bet on Dying.our editor recommendsToronto 2011: IM Global and Cent Black Team on New Financing FundToronto 2011: IM Global to look Late-Summer time U.K. Hit 'Inbetweeners' Stuart Ford stated Stamm is presently dealing with writing partner David Birke to evolve the script, which they hope to enter production early the coming year. STORY: Next Gen 2010: Hollywood's Youthful Guns: Daniel Stamm A cult favorite, the initial Bet on Dying is really a macarbre satire of media culture that follows a financially strapped salesperson who receives an anonymous telephone call telling him he's on the hidden camera game show, which if he complete 13 tasks, he'll get a multi-million cash prize. But, entrapped inside the disasters altered by unseen visitors, the protagonist's have to complete the overall game gets worse because the tasks grow more extreme, to some devastating point or orgasm. TORONTO 2011: IM Global and Cent Black Team on New Financing Fund Ford and John Kavanaugh-Johnson of Automatik, IM Global's production partnership with Alliance Films, will produce alongside Kiki Miyake. "Daniel is among the most gifted youthful genre company directors in the commercial and that we're really excited to determine what he and David can perform with your darkly riveting source material," Ford stated. TORONTO 2011: Market at the begining of Slump Miyake's Little Miracle banner initially introduced the broadly went after project to IM Global's executive v . p . of purchases Amal Elwardi. IM Global collaborator Jason Blum Paranormal Activity, Insidious) and Somsak Techaratanaprasert of Sahamongkolfilm (producer from the original Thai movie) will executive produce. IM Global and Automatik are presently in production or publish-production on 10 features they're creating and/or financing with assorted partners, including action-thrillers Safe (Jason Statham), Bullet towards the Mind (Sylvestor Stallone) and Thanks for visiting the Punch (James McAvoy), and genre game titles The Bay, from Craig Levinson, Scott Derrickson's Sinister and Take advantage of Zombie's The Lords of Salems. Stamm is repped by CAA and Undergrounds Films & Management Birke, by Paradigm and Madhouse Entertainment. Related Subjects Toronto Worldwide Film Festival

Colin Firth Will Be The Railway Guy

He'll play an authentic-existence POWPeriod dramas have offered Colin Firth rather well recently, by having an Oscar for your King's Speech and a lot of festival recognition of Mess, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. He'll be wanting that trend continues as he's grew to become an associate of World War Two Bang pic The Railway Guy. Jonathan Teplitzky is pointing the film, which Millions author Frank Cottrell Bryce and Andy Paterson have modified from former military officer Eric Lomax's book about his time spent taken with the Japanese and concentrating on the building of the "dying railway" between Thailand and Burma. But it's its not all dedicated to his Bang encounters - more youthful crowd put lower decades later to locate his tormentors and exact some revenge. The Railway Guy is certainly an incredible story and to offer the chance making it with Colin Firth as Eric is often the best gift any director could expect,Inch Teplitzky mentioned in the statement acquired with the Hollywood Reporter. He gained the announcement within the Toronto Film Festival, where he's premiering his latest film, Burning Guy. Lionsgate is searching to lock lower some customers within the festival and Lionsgate Uk will handle the film the following. Once all the deals will be in place, Teplitzky will begin shooting in February with filming searching for the Uk, Thailand and Australia.

Fall TV: An Opinionated Primer

Fall TV: An Opinionated Primer By Anthony Crupi September 8, 2011 (Illustration by GlueKit) People like to grumble about the state of television, and for good reason. Truly great shows are a rounding error in the qualitative calculus. For every "Modern Family," there's a torrent of programs like "Cavemen" and "The Paul Reiser Show." Most shows are just stuck in the middle; while it consistently struggled to stay in the top 50, "According to Jim" managed to eke out an eight-season run on ABC.The good news about the 2011-12 broadcast season is that it'll be hard to be worse than the previous year's, when the failure rate for new series was 77 percent and three were yanked before Columbus Day. At least a half-dozen new shows look particularly promising. As for the others, well, there's no accounting for taste.Monday CBS goes schizoid with the female-powered "2 Broke Girls" scheduled as lead-in to "Two and a Half Men." Entertainment president Nina Tassler says the former, a Kat Dennings comedy, tested better than any pilot in CBS history, and the opener is solid. (Points off for the laugh track, however, which seems to be making an unwelcome return.) "The OC's" Rachel Bilson is a sassy New York doctor who moves to the sticks in the CW's "Hart of Dixie," which airs after the rickety "Gossip Girl." On NBC, "The Playboy Club"a Jiggle TV show that Gloria Steinem has called a "net minus" for the culture at largehas plot holes through which you could fly the Playboy Jet. Fox could crush the competition with "Terra Nova," a sci-fi epic that marries apocalyptic dread and rampaging dinosaurs. Its $15 million budget is the most expensive since ABC's "Lost."Tuesday Although ABC's lineup is particularly women-friendly, the network's Tuesday night comedy block lolls in the backwaters of emasculating-wife jokes. Tim Allen, whose "Home Improvement" went dark 12 years ago, is back with "Last Man Standing," and the pilot seems woefully anachronistic. Airing after is "Man Up," 22 minutes of videogame and fart gags.Fox stays true to the season's defining motif with Zooey Deschanel in "New Girl," a genuinely funny single-camera comedy that airs in the plum post-"Glee" slot. In a twist, The CW goes after a more sophisticated crowd of young women with Sarah Michelle Gellar in "Ringer." A noir fantasy about addiction, murder, and decidedly un-"Buffy" sex, "Ringer" will likely get decent sampling.Lastly, on CBS, "Without a Trace's" Poppy Montgomery stars in "Unforgettable" at 10 p.m. She plays a cop with a rare condition that gives her the ability to remember everything she has ever experienced.Wednesday Simon Cowell's new musical competition on Fox, "The X Factor," was the most sought-after program in this year's upfront. Advertisers are forking over as much as $400,000 for a 30-second spotmaking it the most expensive newcomer in TV history. The smart money's on full-year support, as corporate sponsors include Pepsi (which paid $60 million), Chevrolet, and Sony. Cowell's return as a judge could outstrip "American Idol's" season 10 average (24.8 million viewers).Facing it down are new comedies, including NBC's Will Arnett-Christina Applegate effort "Up All Night," in which they're given too little to do, and Hank Azaria's workplace sex romp, "Free Agents," about life on the other side of the relationship spectrum, where people are single and desperate. ABC's "Suburgatory" is in limboliterally and figurativelybetween "Modern Family" and "The Middle." And at 10 p.m. the network goes up against two ancient procedurals on NBC and CBS with "Revenge," a 21st- century interpretation of "The Count of Monte Cristo" starring Emily VanCamp. It's a perfect panacea for the post-Madoff era, as VanCamp exacts retribution from some vile Hamptons swells.Thursday ABC reboots "Charlie's Angels," but their comely kick-assery may be short lived as it airs opposite "The X Factor" results show. Starring Annie Ilonzeh, Rachael Taylor, and Minka Kelly, it's a bit "darker" than the original in that these crime fighters were once crooks. CBS' bone-crunching, brain-melting "Person of Interest," according to research firm Networked Insights, is one of the most anticipated new fall dramas, thanks in part to contributions from ex-Losties J.J. Abrams and Michael Emerson. The lone 9 p.m. entry with the potential to draw a male-skewing crowd, it airs after the fall's third Paleolithic-man comedy, "How to Be a Gentleman."NBC's lineup includes "Whitney," created and co-produced by Whitney Cummings. A polarizing stand-up, Cummings can dole out the jokes, but a pedestrian script and a laugh track are a drag on the pilot. Although she's no Helen Mirren, Maria Bello nails down a strong leading role in the remake of the BBC classic "Prime Suspect," also on NBC. Still, given a subplot in which Bello must fight for the respect of her male colleagues, the pilot feels a bit musty. Thursday is supernatural night at the CW, which airs Kevin Williamson's witchy teen-angst drama, "The Secret Circle," after "The Vampire Diaries."Friday There are only two new series in the works for Friday night, and that number could be slashed in half before the sun sets on October. NBC's "Grimm" is strictly for the kiddies. After a homicide detective discovers that he's actually a monster hunter descended from the Brothers Grimm, the titular hero engages in all sorts of ham-fisted genre frippery. And Friday night remains ghost-friendly as CBS follows up on its old "Ghost Whisperer" and "Medium" franchises with "A Gifted Man," a weepy, I-see-dead-people drama starring Patrick Wilson as a surgeon with a God complex.Saturday The last time anyone watched scripted TV on a Saturday night, Captain Stubing was at the helm of the Pacific Princess. So, no, there are no new series airing on Saturday nights in the fall. Go out and make some friends, why don't you?Sunday The season's second paean to the joys of 1963, "Pan Am" boasts the swooping cinematography and luscious set design of a Martin Scorsese film. Sony Pictures TV spent some $10 million on the pilot, which stars Christina Ricci as a boho beatnik chick and international flight attendant. The show squares off with NBC's "Sunday Night Football" and CBS' pairing of "The Good Wife" and "CSI: Miami," but if the pilot is anything to go by, here's hoping ABC gives "Pan Am" some time to spread its wings. Earlier in the evening, another fairy tale procedural (ABC's "Once Upon a Time") must contend with the first quarter of NFL action and CBS' "Amazing Race." The show may get more sampling if it ditched the generic title for something more explicit, like "Hansel and Gretel and Murder or The Tortoise and the Heroin Distribution Ring." Adweek Fall TV: An Opinionated Primer By Anthony Crupi September 8, 2011 (Illustration by GlueKit) People like to grumble about the state of television, and for good reason. Truly great shows are a rounding error in the qualitative calculus. For every "Modern Family," there's a torrent of programs like "Cavemen" and "The Paul Reiser Show." Most shows are just stuck in the middle; while it consistently struggled to stay in the top 50, "According to Jim" managed to eke out an eight-season run on ABC.The good news about the 2011-12 broadcast season is that it'll be hard to be worse than the previous year's, when the failure rate for new series was 77 percent and three were yanked before Columbus Day. At least a half-dozen new shows look particularly promising. As for the others, well, there's no accounting for taste.Monday CBS goes schizoid with the female-powered "2 Broke Girls" scheduled as lead-in to "Two and a Half Men." Entertainment president Nina Tassler says the former, a Kat Dennings comedy, tested better than any pilot in CBS history, and the opener is solid. (Points off for the laugh track, however, which seems to be making an unwelcome return.) "The OC's" Rachel Bilson is a sassy New York doctor who moves to the sticks in the CW's "Hart of Dixie," which airs after the rickety "Gossip Girl." On NBC, "The Playboy Club"a Jiggle TV show that Gloria Steinem has called a "net minus" for the culture at largehas plot holes through which you could fly the Playboy Jet. Fox could crush the competition with "Terra Nova," a sci-fi epic that marries apocalyptic dread and rampaging dinosaurs. Its $15 million budget is the most expensive since ABC's "Lost."Tuesday Although ABC's lineup is particularly women-friendly, the network's Tuesday night comedy block lolls in the backwaters of emasculating-wife jokes. Tim Allen, whose "Home Improvement" went dark 12 years ago, is back with "Last Man Standing," and the pilot seems woefully anachronistic. Airing after is "Man Up," 22 minutes of videogame and fart gags.Fox stays true to the season's defining motif with Zooey Deschanel in "New Girl," a genuinely funny single-camera comedy that airs in the plum post-"Glee" slot. In a twist, The CW goes after a more sophisticated crowd of young women with Sarah Michelle Gellar in "Ringer." A noir fantasy about addiction, murder, and decidedly un-"Buffy" sex, "Ringer" will likely get decent sampling.Lastly, on CBS, "Without a Trace's" Poppy Montgomery stars in "Unforgettable" at 10 p.m. She plays a cop with a rare condition that gives her the ability to remember everything she has ever experienced.Wednesday Simon Cowell's new musical competition on Fox, "The X Factor," was the most sought-after program in this year's upfront. Advertisers are forking over as much as $400,000 for a 30-second spotmaking it the most expensive newcomer in TV history. The smart money's on full-year support, as corporate sponsors include Pepsi (which paid $60 million), Chevrolet, and Sony. Cowell's return as a judge could outstrip "American Idol's" season 10 average (24.8 million viewers).Facing it down are new comedies, including NBC's Will Arnett-Christina Applegate effort "Up All Night," in which they're given too little to do, and Hank Azaria's workplace sex romp, "Free Agents," about life on the other side of the relationship spectrum, where people are single and desperate. ABC's "Suburgatory" is in limboliterally and figurativelybetween "Modern Family" and "The Middle." And at 10 p.m. the network goes up against two ancient procedurals on NBC and CBS with "Revenge," a 21st- century interpretation of "The Count of Monte Cristo" starring Emily VanCamp. It's a perfect panacea for the post-Madoff era, as VanCamp exacts retribution from some vile Hamptons swells.Thursday ABC reboots "Charlie's Angels," but their comely kick-assery may be short lived as it airs opposite "The X Factor" results show. Starring Annie Ilonzeh, Rachael Taylor, and Minka Kelly, it's a bit "darker" than the original in that these crime fighters were once crooks. CBS' bone-crunching, brain-melting "Person of Interest," according to research firm Networked Insights, is one of the most anticipated new fall dramas, thanks in part to contributions from ex-Losties J.J. Abrams and Michael Emerson. The lone 9 p.m. entry with the potential to draw a male-skewing crowd, it airs after the fall's third Paleolithic-man comedy, "How to Be a Gentleman."NBC's lineup includes "Whitney," created and co-produced by Whitney Cummings. A polarizing stand-up, Cummings can dole out the jokes, but a pedestrian script and a laugh track are a drag on the pilot. Although she's no Helen Mirren, Maria Bello nails down a strong leading role in the remake of the BBC classic "Prime Suspect," also on NBC. Still, given a subplot in which Bello must fight for the respect of her male colleagues, the pilot feels a bit musty. Thursday is supernatural night at the CW, which airs Kevin Williamson's witchy teen-angst drama, "The Secret Circle," after "The Vampire Diaries."Friday There are only two new series in the works for Friday night, and that number could be slashed in half before the sun sets on October. NBC's "Grimm" is strictly for the kiddies. After a homicide detective discovers that he's actually a monster hunter descended from the Brothers Grimm, the titular hero engages in all sorts of ham-fisted genre frippery. And Friday night remains ghost-friendly as CBS follows up on its old "Ghost Whisperer" and "Medium" franchises with "A Gifted Man," a weepy, I-see-dead-people drama starring Patrick Wilson as a surgeon with a God complex.Saturday The last time anyone watched scripted TV on a Saturday night, Captain Stubing was at the helm of the Pacific Princess. So, no, there are no new series airing on Saturday nights in the fall. Go out and make some friends, why don't you?Sunday The season's second paean to the joys of 1963, "Pan Am" boasts the swooping cinematography and luscious set design of a Martin Scorsese film. Sony Pictures TV spent some $10 million on the pilot, which stars Christina Ricci as a boho beatnik chick and international flight attendant. The show squares off with NBC's "Sunday Night Football" and CBS' pairing of "The Good Wife" and "CSI: Miami," but if the pilot is anything to go by, here's hoping ABC gives "Pan Am" some time to spread its wings. Earlier in the evening, another fairy tale procedural (ABC's "Once Upon a Time") must contend with the first quarter of NFL action and CBS' "Amazing Race." The show may get more sampling if it ditched the generic title for something more explicit, like "Hansel and Gretel and Murder or The Tortoise and the Heroin Distribution Ring." Adweek

U taps scribe for Cinderella rethink

Peacock Is Cinderella the next Snow White?With a handful of new takes on the Snow White story actively in the works around Hollywood, Universal is looking to conjure a fresh take the classic Cinderella story as well, with Ann Peacock in final negotiations to rewrite an untitled reimagining of the fairy tale.Plot details are being kept under wraps. Michael Dougherty wrote the previous draft.Bruno Aveillan is aboard to helm the pic, with Scott Stuber and Pam Abby producing through the Stuber Pictures shingle.Pic has been in development for some time, but given the rise in fairy-tale rethinks over the past year, Universal sees this as a perfect time to get the wheels in motion on this project.Though the iconic character isn't getting quite the attention Snow White has received, she is attracting some attention on a couple of fronts. Disney brought on Mark Romanek to helm that studio's untitled Cinderella story.Universal has slated its "Snow White and the Huntsman," starring Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth, for release next summer. Relativity also its own untitled Snow White film starring Lily Collins and Julia Roberts aimed for a March 16 bow.Peacock's credits include Fox's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" and BBC Productions' "First Grader."She is repped by CAA and Principato/Young. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

New Trailer For The Retreat Is Online

Jamie Bell goes psycho for ScotlandCillian Murphy, no stranger to pandemics after 28 Days Later, is about to get some very bad news in The Retreat, the new psychological thriller in which he stars with Thandie Newton and Jamie Bell. And judging by the new trailer, which we have here, the results will be more than a little disturbing. Murphy and Newton star as Martin and Kate, a married couple who head to a remote Scottish island following a family tragedy. The space and fresh air are what they need to recover - until, that is, a soldier called Jack turns up with word of a deadly disease sweeping the mainland, and urges them to barricade their home against a possible influx of refugees. But is he telling the truth? And even if he is, is he any less dangerous than what's outside?{Retreat}{Retreat Poster}Bell looks impressively intimidating, given that we usually think of him as the skinny guy in films like King Kong and the upcoming The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn. The whole thing was directed by Carl Tibbetts, and The Retreat hits cinemas on October 14.