New production diary for The Hobbit

At the end of last week, we drew your attention to a potential extra Christmas present being teased by The Hobbit director Peter Jackson. Well hooray and hurrah, that present did indeed arrive, and turned out to be a new production diary from the set of the fantasy epic.Whilst the more eagle-eyed of you will have spotted this on Jackson's Facebook page a few days ago, the small matter of gift-giving and turkey-snaffling may have distracted you somewhat, so we thought we'd give it a push to the top of your post-Christmas agenda.The new diary focuses upon the unique challenges of filming in remote parts of New Zealand, and explains how exactly the logistics work on bringing such a huge production together.There's also a wonderfully nostalgic segment detailing how the crew rebuilt the town of Hobbiton on the very same farm that was used a decade or so earlier on The Fellowship Of The Ring. It had us reaching for the box-set all over again!Take a look at the new diary, below... Yes, just as the excitement of the trailer was beginning to wane, Jackson has stoked the fires of anticipation all over again. It's going to be quite the adventure when the film finally arrives on 14 December 2012...

Jennifer Aniston Hints Shes Tried Injectables

First Published: December 16, 2011 2:30 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Jennifer Aniston arrives at the 18th Annual ELLE Women In Hollywood Tribute at The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. on October 17, 2011 Jennifer Aniston was recently named Hottest Woman of All Time, and the actress appears to have had a little bit of help keeping up her good looks. The 42-year-old opened up about her beauty regime in InStyles January issue. People think that I do a lot of injections, but I dont. Im not saying that I havent tried it but I see how its a slippery slope, she told the mag. All that cosmetic stuff looks ridiculous on me. The actress, known for her rocking bikini body, has also revealed that when she hits the beach, she now has to up her SPF. Ive started getting those little sun spots, she explained. Things are beginning to pop out. Even the texture [of my skin] is changing. So Ive recently started zapping the spots and getting spray tans whenever I can. And Ive graduated to using SPF 60 sunblock when Im on the beach. And possibly the healthiest lifestyle change Jen has made in recent months might spark a rumor or two. I quit smoking a few months ago and I put on a couple of pounds, she revealed. Normally Id be like, Oh my god, I gained weight! Everyone is going to think Im pregnant! Now, I just dont care. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Nominee responses: Berenice Bejo, "The Artist"

Berenice Bejo in 'The Artist'"I am within the moon. I possibly could haven't expected this type of great a reaction to the film within America. There is no noise inside it. Individuals are just concentrating on the pictures plus they like the things they see. It requires you to definitely places in which you never opt for a film. It is a love story as well as about Hollywood and fame. Everybody really wants to dream."

Google acquires RightsFlow

Striving to streamline obligations to music artists and marketers, YouTube parent Google has acquired certification and royalty confirming service RightsFlow.RightsFlow, released in 2007, utilizes a 30-million-song database and proprietary technology to complement tunes to marketers and manage payment.Though featuring countless musicvideos on its site, YouTube has from time to time were built with a contentious relationship with marketers over royalty obligations, disbursement which can often be a Byzantine process."By mixing RightsFlow's expertise and technology with YouTube's platform, hopefully to more quickly and effectively license music online,Inch authored YouTube product manager David King around the company's blog, "meaning more music for you personally all to savor and much more money for that gifted people creating the background music.InchThe deal weren't revealed. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Ailes' crowning moment?

Fox News has been the prime media platform for GOP presidential candidates, giving the net an edge over rivals in coverage of the party's primary; here Sean Hannity interviews Newt Gingrich.While their politics might be polar opposites, Fox News shares one trait with the Cold War-era Kremlin. Always a source of fascination among media watchers, the channel is inspiring a flurry of analysis and a sifting for clues regarding policy shifts by imperious leaders and chinks in its iron wall.Two themes have emerged simultaneously. Under the heading the "Murdoch primary," some have surmised that the Republican presidential nomination runs directly through Fox News and News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, with the treatment afforded candidates offering signs as to his king-making preferences. Josh Marshall at Talkingpointsmemo.com has articulated this point, which has been picked up by others, such as MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.The second impression states that the channel -- as much a political operation as a media one -- is behaving like a general-election candidate with "plans to tack toward the center," as NY magazine's Gabriel Sherman put it. The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz has also discussed this "course correction," which received renewed attention when FNC granted a "liberal media" representative -- from the NY Times! -- backstage access to a GOP debate.Both theories appear flawed, with some basic misunderstandings of Fox News and its principal architect, CEO Roger Ailes.There's no question Fox wields enormous influence over the Republican Party. But Ailes is the main sounding board for politicians, not his boss Murdoch, who has probably been distracted in part by the hacking scandal endangering his family succession plans.Ailes made headlines with the "course correction" comment after the network's prolonged detour into conspiracy-minded lunacy with Glenn Beck, prompting Kurtz to report, post Beck, that Fox is "edging back toward the mainstream."Still, there are multiple forces at work here, balancing Ailes' desire to maximize ratings with a goal of playing a significant role in the electoral process.In a May profile, Sherman wrote Ailes "wanted to elect a president." While 2012 is far from his last hurrah, at 71, he's doubtless aware there are only so many more campaigns he can help sway. However, as competitive as Ailes is, such a prospect could be considerably more enticing than the familiar thrill of kicking CNN to the curb.What most coverage has missed, too, is how being cozy with Republicans so neatly dovetails with Fox News' ratings success. Throughout the campaign, GOP candidates have treated Fox as a safe (or safer) haven to disseminate their messages. This forces other outlets -- especially those the hopefuls shun -- to rely on Fox News video, magnifying the brand's impact and helping it echo through the mediasphere.It's to Fox's benefit, then, to enjoy its relationship with the GOP as the party's primary media platform.Despite all that, Fox News' critics tend to underestimate Fox's vulnerability to the impulses governing all news in today's rough-and-tumble media world.Like any other organization, much of Fox's bias is toward whatever constitutes the sexiest story. Indeed, the irony in how freely FNC brandishes the "liberal media" charge involves self-servingly choosing to overlook this apolitical inclination in rivals, whose "what a story" bias so obviously trumps all else.Similarly, Fox needn't relish reporting on Herman Cain's alleged improprieties to see a story combining infidelity and politics as irresistible.Finally, any political analogy only goes so far. In a fragmented TV universe, Fox has an advantage the eventual Republican nominee doesn't: Strictly in terms of cable ratings, it can "win" without expanding its loyal base.If all this indicates gravitational forces pulling in different directions, we won't know how the stars truly align until the GOP settles on a standard-bearer, but this much is clear: Accusing Fox of edging anywhere prior to the general election -- when there finally won't be multiple Republicans from which to choose -- seems premature at best. And as the network's orchestrated outrage over a new "War on Christmas" demonstrates, if there's any tacking being done, it can be measured in inches. In other words, once the race boils down to President Obama versus whoever's still standing, will there be stories about Fox News' pursuit of the "mainstream" and tough treatment of Republicans?Like the Kremlin (or the Shadow), only Ailes knows for sure. Yet however Fox News looks now, the channel's true colors ought to show the closer we get to Labor Day. Contact Brian Lowry at brian.lowry@variety.com

New Movie Reviews: 'New Year's Eve,' 'Young Adult,' Madonna's 'W.E.' Hitting Theaters

Warner Bros. PicturesTom Hardy as Bane The blogosphere was abuzz Thursday night with reactions to an eight-minute preview of The Dark Knight Rises that was unveiled to press by Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan.our editor recommendsChristopher Nolan Debuts 8-Minute 'Dark Knight Rises' Preview'Dark Knight Rises' Prologue Screening at 42 IMAX Theaters Before 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol''The Dark Knight Rises' Marks the End of Christian Bale's Batman EraChristian Bale Rates His 'The Dark Knight Rises' Co-Stars'Dark Knight Rises' Director Christopher Nolan Reveals New Details About the Plot, Villain Bane The preview, which will be seen later this month in select IMAX theaters before Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol, introduced Bane, the Batman movie's major villain, played by a masked Tom Hardy. The footage revolved around a heist involving a plane. PHOTOS: The Christian Bale Directors Posse: 6 Auteurs Won Over By the Actor Those in the audience at Universal City's AMC IMAX theater applauded after the video ended and soon after hit the Internet to post their first reactions to the footage. The Hollywood Reporter's Borys Kit noted that the crowd was "definitely impressed" with the sequence, which was "grand in scope" and "filled with a lot of tension and dread." Some attendees "did point out one pickle, however: the sound," he added. "It may be early in the sound mixing process, but a lot of key dialogue, particularly that of Bane, who speaks via a mask, was unintelligible." STORY: First 'Dark Knight Rises' Villain Photo Released Empire's James White, meanwhile, was one of those who left the theater amazed at the footage. "A miniature thrill ride in and of itself, the prologue features some stunning camera work (clearly Nolan felt like applying some of the tricks and style he mastered on Inception) and the opening sequence, which gives us our first look at Bane (Tom Hardy), comes off like a cross between a Bond movie and everything we've come to love about Nolan's Bat-universe," he wrote, adding: "The major feeling we were left with is that we want to see more, and we want to see it right now." SuperHeroHype's Silas Lesnick echoed those sentiments, writing that the preview ended with a "rapid montage of shots" that "feature a lot to excite fans." "Think less The Dark Knight and more Inception or, even closer, an IMAX version of a James Bond film," he wrote of the footage. VIDEO: 'Dark Knight Rises' Fight Scene Hits Web But he also noted the sound issues. "Though the response from the crowd was overwhelmingly positive, there was much discussion about Bane's voice," he added. "Muffled by his mask and featuring a British accent, it's difficult to fully understand exactly what he is saying (but likely intentionally)." Alex Billington of FirstShowing.net tweeted his thoughts on the preview. He also wrote that he couldn't understand Hardy "half the time," but was enthusiastic about what he saw. "TDKR IMAX prologue was amazing," he tweeted. "I didn't think he could, but I think Nolan has done it, he's made a movie to top TDK. Holy s--- so good!!" COVER STORY: Christian Bale on Why He's Starring in a $100 Mil Chinese Movie He then added: "There is Catwoman, Bane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, it looks like everything I could've wished for and more. Nolan, such a brilliant filmmaker." The movie marks Nolan's final film in his Batman trilogy, which stars Christian Bale in the title role. The Dark Knight Rises -- which also stars franchise newcomers Anne Hathaway as Catwoman along with Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard and Josh Pence -- opens July 20. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 'The Dark Knight Rises' First Look: On the Set Anne Hathaway Christopher Nolan Joseph Gordon-Levitt Christian Bale The Dark Knight Rises Gary Oldman

'American Psycho' Remake in the Works

Government regulation isn't the only thing Wall Street should be worrying about. According to Variety, writer Noble Jones has been hired to re-adapt the Bret Easton Ellis novel, 'American Psycho.' The book was originally brought to life in the 1998 movie starring Christian Bale as Patrick Batemen, a wealthy investment banker masquerading as a serial killer. With the current anti-Wall Street vibe going on, a movie about a murdering one-percenter makes total sense (also, the story is set during the 1980s Wall Street boom, so expect Jones to play up that culture of excess to the max). Whoever steps into the role of Batemen will have some big shoes to fill: Bale's performance in the original movie is terrific. Hopefully the director will keep all Huey Lewis and the News references. Hey, Paul! [via Variety] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Not so long ago Bosses how Lost Affected Their Fairytale World

Not so long ago From Lost to Not so long ago, executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis sure understand how to create an entangled mystery which will keep audiences itching their heads. The duo started the footwork at least eight years back, however it required focusing on Lost to actually hone their idea. "I was really youthful and that we did not learn how to execute the concept we'd. We known as it our eight-year writer's block," Kitsis states having a laugh. Exclusive: Not so long ago casts Lost's Emilie p Ravin as Belle The end result? A set by which familiar fairytale figures happen to be ripped using their world with a curse the Evil Full (Lana Parrilla) unleashed expecting wrecking everyone's happy being and acquiring among her very own. They are moved to Storybrooke, an urban area by which time stands still, without any reminiscences of the previous fairytale details. Enter Emma (Jennifer Morrison), a genuine-existence fugitive hunter who in some way must break the curse. Although the series is ripe with mythos popping in the original magical stories and exactly what the Once authors also have produced, the producers believe the actual strength and benefit of the series lies elsewhere. "We i never thought about Lost or Once really as mythology shows, despite the fact that mythology clearly is part of [both]," Horowitz states. "They're character shows to us. Which was the finest lesson on Lost: Really finding out how to approach the storyline through character." Kitsis notes that Lost bosses Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse worked to place character first around the island mystery series. "On Lost, we began to understand the best way to tell these character tales using the background the mythology and hopefully try to weave it together." Horowitz and Kitsis also have pieced together their very own "bible" to keep an eye on the Once timelines and character histories, like the main one utilized by the Lost authors. "It is simply to help keep ourselves straight in regards to what we are doing," Horowitz states. "But we are permitting ourselves freedom. It isn't like we stated, 'Here's what the 3 seasons could be, or five seasons.' We have got a bit of goal posts, but we are permitting ourselves to produce a freedom to alter our minds." Not so long ago Tales: When Snow Whitened met her Prince Charming Freedom implies that the producers mostly are centered on the present season, instead of searching too much ahead as to the their endgame might be - though they notice that Lost fans depended on knowing there is an finish around the corner, however remote that might be. "You want to make certain that 5 years from now, whatever ideas we now have, they are still relevant," Kitsis states. "There is a curse that should be damaged, which figures have experienced their happy being ripped from their store. Emma [Jennifer Morrison] is available in there trying to assist them to find their happy being. Ultimately, the final happy ending is perfect for Emma." Before that may happen, Emma, who also just is actually the daughter of Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) and Snow Whitened (Ginnifer Goodwin), must truly get to be the hero from the story - a mission the authors find exciting because she never was area of the fairytale canon. "Emma is basically a brand new fairytale character," Kitsis notes. "Emma's journey is simply beginning also it has not been written yet." "We have heard people talking about: Will [Emma] break the curse? The way she break the curse? When will she break the curse?" Horowitz states. "The curse, in lots of ways, may be the tip from the iceberg. Even when you need to do know what you are, that does not mean everything immediately returns to only you get a happy ending." Adds Kitsis, "Actually, in many ways, it could just worsen it.Inch Regrettably, what this means is Prince Charming and Snow Whitened possess a lengthy approach to take before their tale becomes the love story we all know so that it is. "Anytime you've got a love story on the Television show, it certainly is hard to ensure that they're apart," Kitsis notes. "In fairytale land, we realize that both of these belong together. Now, in Storybrooke, both of these are separated by [David's] wife, so that they can not be together. You're able to really observe that the curse makes good on its promise, which is it will rip all you love out of your existence." ABC orders full seasons of Not so long ago, Last Guy Standing, Happy Being Getting her parents the happy ending they deserve would be the finest challenge for Emma. Though she's gone foot-to-foot with Storybrooke's mayor Regina, who adopted Henry (Jared Gilmore), the boy Emma threw in the towel for adoption ten years ago, she'll need to face the best antagonist from the story: Regina's fairytale counterpart, The Evil Full. "The Evil Full isn't somebody whose bad side you need to access it, but when anybody may take her on, it's Emma," Kitsis states. Are you adhering around to determine the best showdown? Not so long ago airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.

ICM Imploding, Part 2: Chris Silbermann Forces Decision By Largest Investor And Calls ICM Board Meeting Friday; Secretly Relying On Mike Ovitzs Advice And Help

ICM Imploding! Chris Silbermann & Jeff Berg Battle For Control: Rizvi Sits On Sidelines; How Long Will Warring Last? BREAKING … ICM president Chris Silbermann and ICM Chief Business Development Officer & General Counsel Rick Levy took the red-eye from L.A. last night and arrived in NY this morning to confront the agency’s investor Suhail Rizvi and demand a management buyout as soon as possible that would eliminate the tenpercentery of majority shareholder Rizvi Traverse Management. This follows a 13-day-old demand by Silbermann and Levy to Rizvi to allow the management buyout. At that time, Rizvi said he would make a decision by Christmas. But that was not soon enough for Silbermann and Levy, who today tried to force Rizvi to make his decision sooner. Rizvi told the executive pair that he would have an answer for them tomorrow. Also tomorrow, Silbermann and Levy have demanded an ICM board meeting so they can present the management buyout proposal. At this point, however, sources tell me that the pair have not submitted a written proposal in advance to the board. Whether they can present a cohesive written proposal tomorrow remains to be seen. Both Silbermann and Levy are on their way back from NY to L.A. tonight for tomorrow’s board meeting. But what is really startling about ICM and Silbermann right now is that he has involved none other than Michael Ovitz in his plans to take control of the agency. When I first heard about this several months ago, I asked Silbermann and Ovitz separately if they were speaking, planning, or at all involved together in ICM activities. Both Silbermann and Ovitz privately denied it. But I can confirm that Silbermann has been talking almost daily to Ovitz about the management buyout plan, as often as four times a day recently. My sources have seen the phone logs. Insiders tell me that Silbermann went to Ovitz for help in obtaining the necessary financial backing to accomplish the management buyout. I’m told that Ovitz is not interested at putting his own money into the agency at this point, but has been trying to introduce Silbermann to various financial backers. The fact that Silbermann has asked and is receiving Ovitz’s advice and help in this ICM matter will become a hot-button issue not just inside ICM but in Hollywood in general. Ovitz remains one of Hollywood’s most controversial and disliked business personalities ever to achieve success in this town. His reputation was further tarnished recently when he made a move on giant sports and fashion management and production firm IMG when its owner and Ovitz’s longtime pal Teddy Forstmann was in the final stages of dying from brain cancer. (See Michael Ovitz And IMG World And Teddy Forstmanns Brain Cancer: The Real Story, And Also What Ovitz Told Me About It.) Ovitz’s maneuvering as a member of IMG’s advisory board after he was placed there by Forstmann attempted to dislodge Teddy’s hand-picked successor from running the company. After his maneuvering was discovered and publicized, Ovitz was kicked off the board. Shortly after, Forstmann died. But IMG is now in the hands of his hand-picked successor. Hollywood responded with outrage to news of Ovitz’s maneuvering: there’s every reason to believe that Hollywood will be equally outraged that Silbermann is involving him in the ICM implosion. This is especially the case because for decades Ovitz was a key competitor to ICM chairman and CEO Jeff Berg, whom Silbermann wants to remove from controlling the agency. Berg in turn has been fighting back. The infighting has torn apart ICM internally to the point where agents are being forced to choose sides between the two men. MORE