News

Lynda Obst and Paula Weinstein will posthumously receive the Producers Guild of America’s (PGA) Trailblazer Award at the Guild’s 2025 ceremony next month.

The award recognises their “shared commitment to paving the way for female producers and championing women’s voices in Hollywood” and will be a poignant element of the PGA Awards on February 8 in Los Angeles.

“Lynda Obst and Paula Weinstein have made a lasting impact on the industry with their trailblazing work and steadfast commitment to amplifying women’s voices,” said PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line. “Lynda and Paula embody the spirit of...

Lynda Obst and Paula Weinstein will posthumously receive this year’s Trailblazer Award for their work creating opportunities for female producers, the Producers Guild of America announced Friday.

“Lynda Obst and Paula Weinstein have made a lasting impact on the industry with their trailblazing work and steadfast commitment to amplifying women’s voices,” Stephanie Allain and Donald De Line, PGA presidents, said in a statement.

“Lynda and Paula embody the spirit of women who have broken barriers and paved the way for future generations of producers. Their visionary work includes iconic films that have defined eras, alongside their unwavering commitment to championing underrepresented stories,” the statement continued. “Honoring them highlights their dedication to empowerment, innovation and mentorship, celebrating not just their individual legacies but also their shared commitment to advocating for women and fostering collaboration.”

The recognition will be given at this year’s PGA Awards on Feb. 8 at the Fairmont Century Plaza.

Hilary Swank has signed on for a recurring guest star role in “Yellowjackets” Season 3, Variety has confirmed.

The Oscar winner’s character in the Paramount+ with Showtime series is being kept under wraps. She will appear alongside cast members Melanie Lynskey, Sophie Nélisse, Juliette Lewis, Christina Ricci, Samantha Hanratty, Tawny Cypress, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sophie Thatcher, Courtney Eaton, Lauren Ambrose, Liv Hewson, Steven Krueger, Warren Kole, and Kevin Alves. It was previously announced that Joel McHale will guest star in the new season.

No premiere date has been set for Season 3 of the popular series at the time of this publishing, but the new episodes are currently in production. Season 2 aired in early 2023, with Paramount having renewed the show ahead of the Season 2 premiere.

Swank won the Academy Award for best actress for her roles in “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby.” Her other film work includes “Freedom Writers,...

Paula Weinstein, the producer, former studio executive and chief content officer of Tribeca Enterprises, has died. She was 78.

In a statement Weinstein’s daughter Hannah Rosenberg said, “The world is a lesser place without my mother. She was a masterful producer and a force of nature for the things she believed in… She shattered barriers in Hollywood and always lifted other women along with her.”

Weinstein joined Tribeca Enterpises in 2013 and managed the company’s branded entertainment, oversaw the programming team for the New York-based festival, and helped create the Tribeca Talks series.

She left the organisation last September to...

Paula Weinstein, who produced dozens of films including The Perfect Storm and The Fabulous Baker Boys, exec produced Grace and Frankie, won Emmys for Truman and Recount and was a former studio and Tribeca Enterprises executive during a nearly 40-year career, died Monday morning. She was 78.

Her daughter Hannah Rosenberg told Deadline that Weinstein died peacefully at her home in New York. She was well-liked around Hollywood; condolences to her many friends in the industry.

“The world is a lesser place without my mother,” Rosenberg said in a statement to Deadline. “Paula was a lifelong activist and force of nature who was a champion for social justice and underdogs for more than half a century. She shattered barriers in Hollywood and always lifted other women along with her. I know my mother would want me say this: if you’d like to honor her, please stop what you are doing...

Former studio executive and prolific producer Paula Weinstein is leaving Tribeca Enterprises, where she’s been chief content officer for the past decade, to jump into political work and help “as many voices as possible be heard.”

“I don’t want to sit on the sidelines and rail about everything. I really want to jump in, fully, into the campaigns. Both statewide and national campaigns,” she tells Deadline. “It just feels very much like a moment…between the climate, and book banning and everything else that I don’t need to go into.”

In a memo to staff this morning, Tribeca CEO Jane Rosenthal said Weinstein will “devote her efforts to fighting for the preservation and advancement of human and women’s rights, and most urgently the upcoming elections.” She will also continue to consult for Tribeca. Next summer’s festival, dates just announced, would have been her 12th.

Weinstein’s position,...

In the offices of Dunder Mifflin (Scranton branch), salesmen, accountants and even Hr got together to decide once and for all: Is Hilary Swank hot or not? They’re referring to her looks, but one could just as easily be talking about her career. At what point was Hilary Swank hot in her career? In 2008, when the episode aired: Yeah. In the years between her Oscars? Not exactly. Now? No. So, let’s take a look and find out…Wtf Happened to…Hilary Swank?

But to truly understand what the fuck happened to Hilary Swank, we go back to the beginning. And the beginning began when she was born on July 30th, 1974, in Lincoln, Nebraska. As a youth, Swank bounced around a bit, going from Nebraska to Washington to California, developing a love for both gymnastics (Junior Olympian; state finalist) and acting (appearing in The Jungle Book at 9 as Mowgli...

Actress-director Anjelica Huston may have been born into film royalty and may have fulfilled that royal destiny by becoming the third generation, after actor grandfather Walter and director-actor-writer father John Huston, to score Oscar gold, but her early innings were not the stuff cinema dreams are made of.

“Casino Royale” is the film where she first appeared, as an uncredited young teen 55 years ago this month. It is largely regarded as an overcooked comedy fiasco, or as Variety deemed it back then, “an attempt to spoof the pants off the James Bond.” The film had no less than five directors, including her father, John.

Variety was kinder to John Huston’s 1969 film “A Walk with Love and Death,” Anjelica’s first starring role, but most other outlets were tougher on the film and Huston’s performance, and it came and went with little notice.

In a vain attempt to overcome that fate,...

Len Amato, the former President of HBO Films, Miniseries and Cinemax, has been named chief content officer at MasterClass. He will head the content organization and help lead content innovation, strategy and development of class launches for the educational streaming platform.

During Amato’s tenure at the helm, HBO Films won the Emmy for Outstanding Made For Television Movie five times in six years from 2009-15. The Liberace pic Behind the Candelabra was its most-honored program, with 11 wins and 15 nominations at the 2013 Emmys.

Before becoming president, Amato — who left HBO a year ago — served as HBO program executive and executive producer on 2008’s multiple Emmy-winning film Recount. The film began Amato’s association with director Jay Roach and writer Danny Strong who would later repeat their creative collaboration on Game Change.

Amato joined HBO in March 2007 as SVP HBO Films.

Hilary Swank is set to star in a drama from Tom McCarthy that has been ordered to pilot at ABC, Variety has learned.

In the untitled series, a star journalist (Swank) moves to Alaska for a fresh start after a career-killing misstep, and finds redemption personally and professionally joining a daily metro newspaper in Anchorage.

McCarthy is writing and directing the pilot in addition to serving as executive producer under his Slow Pony banner. Swank will executive produce in addition to starring. Bert Salke of Co-lab21, Melissa Wells of Slow Pony, and Kyle Hopkins and Ryan Binkley of the Anchorage Daily News will also executive produce. 20th Television is the studio.

Should the project go to series, it would not be the first time Swank has starred in an ABC series. She previously appeared in the short-lived ABC sitcom “Camp Wilder” early in her career. She also starred in Season...

Banijay Executive Team

Banijay has set its leadership plans for Creative Networks, with James Townley and Lucas Green remaining in the business to lead the central content team. Both will report to Chief Executive Officer, Marco Bassetti. In the revised posts, Green will become Global Head of Content Operations. He will be at the helm of all super-brands and existing IP in the combined format catalogue, including MasterChef, Big Brother, Survivor, Temptation Island and Deal Or No Deal. Taking on all existing unscripted formats, his remit will cover Banijay’s 22-territory footprint, to promote recommissions, reboots and returnability. Townley becomes Global Head of Content Development, in charge of influencing and driving the development and creation of original unscripted IP across the group. In addition, he will manage internal creative incentivisation and pilot schemes, and targeted development for new platforms. In its new capacity, his team also includes Carlotta Rossi Spencer,...

Len Amato, President of HBO Films, Miniseries and Cinemax, is leaving the premium cable network after thirteen years.

His exit comes amid a wave of layoffs across HBO parent WarnerMedia, which has impacted a number of veteran, high-level executives. It also continues a consolidation on the longform side at HBO over the past 18 months as that part of the TV business has been evolving.

Longtime HBO Films President Amato added miniseries and Cinemax oversight in April 2019 when 25-year HBO veteran Kary Antholis stepped down as President, HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming.

At the time, Cinemax already had started to wind down original programming, a process that is now in its final stages. On the film side, HBO has been moving away from original productions, like the Emmy-winning Recount and The Normal Heart toward acquisitions, like this year’s Emmy hopeful Bad Education.

Additionally, with lines between ongoing drama series and limited series increasingly blurring,...

Which actors are the most "Presidential"? To find out, we assembled this exclusive list of actors who have portrayed the President of the United States more than once.

Getting the opportunity to portray a Us President in film is rare. It can be a dignified role, and many times the actor has to be able to exhibit certain qualities we would traditionally associate with the Us head of state. Us Presidents are also depicted in film in a variety of ways. Some of them are the main characters for their respective films, where others are simply bit parts designed to represent the figurehead. Other roles may be satires, caricatures, or played for comedic effect. Regardless of the purpose or the depth of the role, there have been a limited number of Us President roles in the last century+ of motion picture projection.

Of course, some actors are more Presidential than others.

Joseph Baxter Nick Harley Kirsten Howard Jan 10, 2018

Danny Boyle’s new crime series, Trust, focuses on the Getty kidnapping. An impressive cast has been assembled...

FX recently expanded its prestige drama lineup with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle’s new anthology series, titled Trust. This particular offering dramatises one of the most intriguing public criminal incidents of recent history with the ransom-seeking kidnapping of curly-locked young heir John Paul Getty III, which shockingly resulted in apparent indifference and noncompliance from the family patriarch.

While this story might ring familiar to those who caught All the Money In The World, the latest film from director Ridley Scott, expect this limited series to delve deeper into the Getty calamity.

A new trailer for the series has just arrived. Take a look...

Trust release date

Trust is set to debut in the Us on 25th March. We'll bring you the UK broadcast details when we have them.

Choosing sides may be necessary, but it's also not without consequences.

Daliyah's in jail, Fauzi's in exile, and Leila's staring down an army. Nafisa's having a breakdown, Molly's lost her damn mind, and Ahmed and Sammy are taking the idea of sibling rivalry to new levels.

All while Barry desperately tries to assert his power and ignore his nagging conscience.

Watch Tyrant Season 3 Episode 9 Online

Tyrant Season 3 Episode 9 sure gave us a lot to digest!

Daliyah's arrest on Barry's orders was a surprise to no one but herself – her over confidence about their relationship protecting her was a dead give away about how things were going to end up.

While part of me wanted her to go to Jordan with Fauzi, it does work better for the story for her to stay.

I'm curious about how long this hunger strike will last, and when Barry will resort to force feeding her.

What may be most surprising about Katja von Garnier’s music doc Forever and a Day, a contemporary portrait of iconic hard rock/heavy metal German band The Scorpions, is to note their five decades worth of musical presence. Formed by Rudolf Schenker in 1965, the band allowed Garnier to tag along as they embarked on what was meant to be their Final Sting tour, an eighteen month stretch of performances which were set to wrap up in Munich. However, based on the jubilant reaction as they performed, the band decided to then extend the tour. The result becomes a ruminative pondering on the nature of an artist’s retirement and what happens when creative outlets are eventually restrained. In between playdates, Garnier completes a historical portrait of the band’s ups and downs throughout the past fifty years.

As one of the band’s managers remarks early on, “it’s...

The first feature film ever about the women who fought for their right to vote is glorious. It is angry and passionate and defiant. It is essential. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for stories about women; love the cast

I’m “biast” (con): nothing

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)

Votes for women!

Campaigns to include women in the democratic process via voting have been going on for centuries. There are places in the world that we would consider the height of civilization — *cough* Switzerland *cough* 1971 *cough* — that have only just afforded women this basic human dignity within my lifetime. (I’m not terribly old.) For the first time ever, women in Saudi Arabia will be allowed to vote in local elections happening this December. This fight has concerned half the human race and won’t officially end until that first Saudi woman...

ABC's drama project "American Crime" is lining up one of the deepest casts you'll find this pilot season. The latest addition is Timothy Hutton, who has landed a lead role in the show.

The pilot, from "12 Years a Slave" Oscar winner John Ridley, is about a racially charged murder trial in California's Central Valley and its effect on those involved. Hutton, formerly of TNT's "Leverage," will play the father of the murder victim. His character is a gambling addict who has managed to turn his life around.

Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives") is in talks to play Hutton's wife, and Penelope Ann Miller has signed on to play the mother of the victim's wife, who was badly beaten when her husband was killed. The cast also includes Benito Martinez ("The Shield"), W. Earl Brown ("Deadwood"), Caitlin Gerard, Elvis Nolasco and Richard Cabral.

Other pilot casting:

- "Weeds" star Mary-Louise Parker will...

Sometimes, it takes a familiar face to put a face on a problem ... even one that is international in scope.

Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank is no stranger to championing social causes, and she takes up another as she and "My Left Foot" Oscar nominee Brenda Blethyn play the title roles in the HBO drama movie "Mary and Martha" Saturday, April 20. Written by Richard Curtis ("Love Actually," "Four Weddings and a Funeral") and filmed largely in South Africa, the BBC and NBC Universal co-production tells the story of two very different women who unite to crusade against malaria after both lose sons to the illness.

Mary (Swank) is an American who takes her child (Lux Haney-Jardine, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter") away from bullying classmates for an "adventure" abroad, and Martha (Blethyn) is an Englishwoman whose son (Sam Claflin, "Snow White and the Huntsman") volunteers at an African orphanage. After both...

By Rachel Bennett

Television Editor & Columnist

***

Movies used to be gold standard for actors, with George Clooney, Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio leaving the small screen for the big to achieve great professional and financial success.

However, times are changing, and many actors who left TV to work in movies are coming back, including Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams and Michael J. Fox. Due to the addition of cable and subscription-based original programming, better roles are being created that will give actors a chance for the recognition, awards and job security that movies no longer provide. Just look at Claire Danes, who returned to TV to star in Showtime’s Homeland, for which she’s nominated for an Emmy.

There are several actors who should return to TV, but not all of them will. Take a look at the top 10 TV stars who’ve left TV but should return:

10. America Ferrera...

In her return to television, Vera Farmiga is set for the plum female lead in A&E’s upcoming series Bates Motel, which serves as a prequel to Alfred Hitchcock horror classic Psycho and examines the twisted relationship between serial killer-to-be Norman Bates and his mother Norma. Farmiga will play Norma Louise Bates who is described as passionate, and compelling, a smart, multidimensional character who is always capable of surprising us. The Universal TV-produced Bates Motel has a 10-episode straight-to-series order for a 2013 premiere. Former Lost co-showrunner Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin (Parenthood) serve as writers-executive producers. “We are delighted to welcome Vera Farmiga to Bates Motel,” Cuse said. “She is a phenomenal talent who has demonstrated incredible range and intelligence in a number of landmark film roles, and we couldn’t be more excited to have her join our project.” Bates Motel had been developed as a miniseries when...

Walter White may be out from under the thumb of Gus Fring, but he won't be completely rid of him on Season 5 of "Breaking Bad."

The AMC series has cast Laura Fraser ("The Boys Are Back," "A Knight's Tale") in what creator Vince Gilligan calls an "important" role for Season 5, EW reports. She'll play Lydia, a former associate of Fring's (Giancarlo Esposito) who comes into Walt's (Bryan Cranston) orbit and is both "integral to the proceedings of season 5" and "nervous about her place in the world," Gilligan says.

She joins fellow newcomer Jesse Plemons ("Friday Night Lights") in the Season 5 cast. Lydia makes her first appearance in the second episode.

Fraser, a native of Scotland, has also appeared in "Vanilla Sky," "Titus" and the HBO movie "Iron Jawed Angels," in addition to several TV series in the U.K.

"Breaking Bad" premieres at 10 p.m. Et July 15 on AMC.

Hilary Swank has been going through quite the decable ever since receiving a ton of backlash when she attended a birthday party for Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov on Oct. 5. She made a speech at the event mentioning how she did her 'research' before attending and only later finding out that Kadyrov was accused of murdering some of his political rivals.

After the incident Swank fired her manager of eight years, Jason Weinberg, and two of his associates. She apologized, "If I had a full understanding of what this event was apparently intended to be, I would never have gone." The incident stirred such a controversy that Hilary has now stopped working with her publicity team. According to EW, they parted ways because of a disagreement on how to handle the situation. 

When will people start to understand? This actress has been in Million Dollar Baby, Iron Jawed Angels, Boys Don't Cry and the big kahuna,...

Enjoy a healthy serving of TV snacks, guaranteed not to spoil your supper:

- Courteney Cox is revisiting "Friends" territory with a comedy project she's executive producing -- both in material and choice of network. Cox and David Arquette are among the executive producers of a comedy called "Ten Years" that has just landed at NBC. It's from writer Howard J. Morris and looks at key moments in a decade-long relationship between a couple and their friends and family. [Deadline]

- Former "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" regular Emma Caulfield is joining ABC's fairy-tale drama "Once Upon a Time" as a guest star. Caulfield, late of "Life Unexpected" and the web series "Bandwagon" (which she also co-created) will play the blind witch from "Hansel and Gretel" in "Once's" ninth episode. [@emmacaulfield/TVLine]

- "Game of Thrones" may finally have completed its Season 2 cast with the addition of "Downton Abbey's" Rose Leslie. She'll play Ygritte,...

Exclusive: The 1989 classic Steel Magnolias is getting a contemporary remake with an all-black cast. Lifetime is developing an original movie based on the hit feature, which will be produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and Sony Pictures TV where the duo’s Storyline Entertainment has an exclusive deal for event long-form programming. Kenny Leon, who directed Storyline/Spt’s previous collaboration, the 2008 ABC movie A Raisin In The Sun, is attached to direct the new Steel Magnolias, which, like the movie, will be set in Louisiana and will explore the bond among a group of women in present day. Both Lifetime’s Steel Magnolias and ABC’s A Raisin In The Sun TV are based on properties that span a famous play and a feature. But while the Emmy-nominated Raisin In the Sun was based on Lorraine Hansberry’s play whose 2004 Broadway revival Leon directed, Steel Magnolias, penned by...

Chicago – As an actress, Vera Farmiga broke out big in 2009 with her Oscar nominated performance in “Up in the Air.” Farmiga is now taking a total filmmaker’s role, playing the lead character and directing the new film, “Higher Ground.”

Farmiga began her career in the late 1990s, scoring a featured role in the TV series “Roar.” After working some supporting parts in TV and film, including HBO’s “Iron Jawed Angels” and “Touching Evil” (both 2004), she began to appear in more prominent feature films like “The Manchurian Candidate” (2004), “The Departed” (2006) and “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” (2008). More attention came in 2009 opposite George Clooney with her Oscar nominated role in “Up in the Air.”

“Higher Ground” is her first film as a director, and she also plays the lead character named Corinne, a circumstantial convert to Evangelical Christianity. The film explores the phases of her faith and the life associated with it,...

* Julia Ormond(Iron Jawed Angels) is in talks to play Superman's real mom, Lara Lor-Van in The Man of Steel. Russell Crowe has been offered the role of his daddy, Jor-El, with Diane Lane and Kevin Costner playing his adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent. Henry Cavill(The Tudors) is Superman. Amy Adams is set for Lois Lane. Michael Shannon and Antje Traue(Pandorum) as the villains, General...

Hilary Swank stars in the powerful American suffrage drama as women risk their lives for the vote. Meanwhile extra-large men do battle in the Six Nations and rubber-faced funny man Rowan Atkinson performs live on stage. Film: Iron Jawed Angels Sky Atlantic HD: Sun 13 Mar, 2pm Oscar® winner Hilary Swank is Alice Paul, the woman who shook up the women's suffrage movement in the Us to give future generations the right to vote and hold office.

How far would you go for a sibling? A lot of drama has been produced of late showing organ transplants and similar sacrifices but while major events, are relatively short-term activities. Imaging spending eighteen years working to help a brother in jail. Conviction, a movie starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell as the siblings, takes an amazing true story and turns it into a compelling drama.

The children had a rough, lower socio-economic upbringing, relying on one another for companionship and protection. As adults, they married and lived near one another until Kenneth Waters was arrested and charged with murder. Betty Anne believed him to be innocent and after he was sentenced to life without parole, worked to overturn the conviction. The married mother of two, she chose to get her Ged and then enroll at Roger Williams University to obtain her law degree. The dogged dedication cost her marriage...

Welcome to Back Stage's exclusive guide to this year's Screen Actors Guild Award nominees in film and television. Here, you will find a write-up of every nominee for SAG Awards in 2011. Be sure to look for continued coverage of the awards race at our awards blog, "Behind the Scenes," at BackStage.com/bts.The 17th annual SAG Awards will be broadcast live Sunday, January 30, on TNT and TBS.Outstanding Performance By A Female Actor In A Leading Roleannette Bening"The Kids Are All Right"From the British stage star in "Being Julia" to the brassy con artist in "The Grifters" to the high-powered suburban wife in "American Beauty," Annette Bening has been principally known for playing glamorous, seductive women. She takes a slight departure as the lesbian physician Nic in Lisa Cholodenko's dramedy "The Kids Are All Right." While Nic is certainly attractive—love that spiky short haircut—she's...

Eva Longoria is back on the working saddle after her divorce announcement from Tony Parker. The "Desperate Housewives" star is producing three small-screen projects, joining forces with "Cold Case" star Kathryn Morris in one and going under her Unbelievable Entertainment in the other two.

Together with Morris, Longoria is developing a Texas border town soap titled "Sendera". According to Deadline, it is a "modern day Shakespearean drama about two wealthy families, one from Texas the other from Mexico, locked in a struggle for power, land, sex and legacy."

Sally Robinson who got an Emmy nomination for 2004 TV movie, "Iron Jawed Angels", is set to write the script. She is also to produce along with Morris, Alan Barnette, Virginia Trinkle and Longoria. The soap opera is in the works at ABC.

Meanwhile, ABC Studios is also working on "Parenting by Committee" with Unbelievable. It follows four single women "who find their...

Actress Hilary Swank has a penchant for choosing roles based on actual people. In 1999 she won her first Oscar for portraying Brandon Teena -- a Nebraska transgender male who was murdered six years earlier -- in the indie drama Boys Don't Cry. In 2005 Swank earned Golden Globe and SAG nominations for her work in the HBO movie Iron Jawed Angels, in which she played suffragette Alice Paul. Since then, Swank portrayed California school teacher Erin Gruwell in the 2007 drama Freedom Writers and legendary airplane pilot Amelia Earhart in director Mira Nair's 2009 biopic, Amelia. Swank's latest real-life project is the Tony Goldwyn-directed drama Conviction. In the film she dramatizes the extraordinary journey of Betty Anne Waters -- a Massachusetts woman who spent eighteen years fighting to exonerate her imprisoned brother, Kenny. He was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for a crime she believed he didn't commit.

Actress Julia Ormond

Julia Ormond Is “In Her Animal”

By

Alex Simon

Julia Ormond made an auspicious debut as an actress in the landmark 1989 British miniseries Traffik, on which the Oscar-wining Steven Soderbergh film was later based, playing the drug-addicted daughter of a member of Parliament. By 1994, Ormond was being touted as the next Audrey Hepburn, with her old school glamour and classically-trained acting chops, earned at London’s prestigious Webber-Douglas Academy of Dramatic Arts. High-profile turns in big studio pictures like Legends of the Fall and First Knight suddenly propelled the young, working actress into superstar status, with all the baggage that accompanies that much sought-after, and ultimately regrettable moniker.

With her turn in Sydney Pollack’s ill-fated remake of Billy Wilder’s classic Sabrina, in 1995, it all seemed to turn 180 degrees for Ormond, who suddenly found herself excoriated by the press that had built her up the year before.

Sci Fi Channel is teaming with Will Smith for “Unfinished Business”, a new crime procedural/drama about an ex-cop who starts seeing flashes of memories from the recently deceased, and then, compelled by them, begins helping lost and wronged souls take care of unfinished business. Sci Fi/Syfy plans to initially air “Business” as a 2-hour movie, that also will serve as a series pilot. It isbeing produced through Overbrook Entertainment, with Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz executive producing. Sally Robinson (”Iron Jawed Angels”) is writing the pilot, and Mikael Salomon (”Band of Brothers”) is attached to direct. Both Robinson and Salomon are also attached as executive producers. No release date is [...]...

The Sci Fi Channel is teaming with Will Smith for a new crime procedural, says The Hollywood Reporter . The network has ordered "Unfinished Business," a drama about an ex-cop who starts seeing flashes of memories from the recently deceased. The visions compel him to help wronged souls resolve their unfinished business. The network plans to air "Business" as a two-hour movie that will also serve as a potential series pilot. "Business" is being produced through Overbrook Entertainment, with Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz executive producing. Emmy-nominated scribe Sally Robinson ("Iron Jawed Angels") will write the pilot, and Emmy winner Mikael Salomon ("Band of Brothers") is attached to direct. Both also will serve as...

Will Smith is teaming up with the Sci Fi Channel for some "Unfinished Business." The "Hancock" star is set to executive produce a new series for Sci Fi called "Unfinished Business," about a man who an ex-cop who sees flashes of memories from the recently deceased and helps them resolve their unfinished business.

"Unfinished Business" is currently being produced as a two-hour movie with the possibility of serving as a pilot for a series. Sally Robinson ("Iron Jawed Angels") will write, while "Band of Brothers" Emmy-winning director Mikael Salomon is attached to direct.

"Sci Fi is excited to begin development on 'Unfinished Business' with Overbrook Entertainment and Will Smith," said Mark Stern, Executive VP of original programming at the Sci Fi network. "It is a compelling and thrilling drama that is perfect for our audience."

The Sci Fi channel will soon become the SyFy channel. The network will change its...

The Sci Fi Channel -- soon to be SyFy -- has ordered "Unfinished Business," a project from Will Smith. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz will executive produce "Unfinished Business" as a two-hour telefilm from Overbrook Entertainment. The movie, if successful, could also serve as a backdoor pilot for Sci Fi. Written by Sally Robinson ("Iron Jawed Angels"), the project focuses on an ex-cop who begins solving crimes using flashes of memories from the recently deceased.  Directed by TNT good luck charm Mikael Salomon ("The Company," "Salem's Lot"), "Unfinished Business" joins "The Phantom" and "Riverwood" on...

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sci Fi Channel is teaming with Will Smith for a new crime procedural.

The network has ordered Unfinished Business, a drama about an ex-cop who starts seeing flashes of memories from the recently deceased. The visions compel him to help wronged souls resolve their unfinished business.

The network plans to air Unfinished Business as a two-hour movie that will also serve as a potential series pilot.

The project is being produced through Overbrook Entertainment, with Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz executive producing.

Emmy-nominated scribe Sally Robinson (Iron Jawed Angels) will write the pilot, and Emmy winner Mikael Salomon (Band of Brothers) is attached to direct. Both also will serve as executive producers.

Unfinished Business joins The Phantom and Riverworld as backdoor pilots coming to the network, which changes its name to Syfy on July 7.

Sci Fi Channel is teaming with Will Smith for a new crime procedural. 

The network has ordered "Unfinished Business," a drama about an ex-cop who starts seeing flashes of memories from the recently deceased. The visions compel him to help wronged souls resolve their unfinished business.

The network plans to air "Business" as a two-hour movie that will also serve as a potential series pilot.

"Business" is being produced through Overbrook Entertainment, with Smith, James Lassiter and Ken Stovitz executive producing. Emmy-nominated scribe Sally Robinson ("Iron Jawed Angels") will write the pilot, and Emmy winner Mikael Salomon ("Band of Brothers") is attached to direct. Both also will serve as executive producers. The project will be produced by Universal Cable Prods., with Overbrook head Heather Courtney overseeing production.

"Sci Fi is excited to begin development on 'Unfinished Business' with Overbrook Entertainment and Will Smith," said Mark Stern, executive vp original programming at Sci Fi.

Missed previous episodes? The Hollywood Historian in me was busy last year. See: 1995 , 1996, 1997, 1998 , 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003.

With the annual Vanity Fair "Hollywood" issue about to debut for 2009 -- I'm guessing we see the new cover in less than two weeks (Update: the new cover has been leaked and Vanity Fair has chucked their traditional photo shoot *sniffle* for the millionth magazine cover featuring President Obama), let's briefly return to our Vanity Fair retrospectives. "Send in the Gowns" was the title of 2004's photo shoot and they returned to the first year's game plan of glamour girls. The cover was more crowded though, bringing us an unlucky 13. But who was this cover unlucky for?

Maybe all of them, with the exception of Maggie Gyllenhaal (hurrah) and Hilary Swank (known affectionately around these parts as Beelzebub), who was just 11 months away from her second Oscar. Vanity Fair had gotten less daring in their cover...

NEW YORK -- Producer Len Amato has been named senior vp at HBO Films, overseeing production and development of all films made for the pay TV channel.

Amato will report to president Colin Callender and be based in HBO Films' Los Angeles offices.

He arrives at the company after serving as president of Paula Weinstein and Mark Rosenberg's Spring Creek Prods., with a strong list of big-screen credits behind him. Since joining the company in the mid-1990s as vp development, Amato served as producer and executive producer on such films as Analyze This, Analyze That, Deliver Us From Eva, Rumor Has It, Blood Diamond and the recent release The Astronaut Farmer.

The new post marks Amato's return to his roots. His producing debut was Charles Dutton's 1997 drama First Time Felon for HBO, and he worked with the network again in 2004 as executive producer of Katja von Garnier's political drama Iron Jawed Angels.

"Len is one of the smartest executives in the industry with an impeccable reputation for good taste and great talent relations," Callender said.

Bruno Delbonnel took top honors for Warner Independent Pictures' A Very Long Engagement at the annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards, which took place Sunday. It is the first time the French cinematographer has won an ASC Award, though he also was nominated by the honorary cinematography society for his work on Jean Pierre Jeunet's Amelie. The award was presented to Delbonnel at the 19th annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland. Robbie Greenberg claimed top honors for HBO's Iron Jawed Angels in the cable movie competition. Jonathan Freeman won for NBC's Homeland Security in the original movie for broadcast television heat. Nathan Hope won for the episodic series competition for the "Down the Drain" episode of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

German helmer Katja von Garnier is in negotiations to direct MGM's upcoming werewolf flick, Blood and Chocolate. Von Garnier, who directed the 1997 hit Bandits, comes to the project after Rupert Wainwright dropped out in December to direct Revolution Studios' remake of John Carpenter's classic horror film, The Fog. Based on a script by Ehren Kruger, Blood and Chocolate is being co-financed and co-produced by Lakeshore whose Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi are producing. Daniel Bobker and Kruger also are producing. Elizabeth Ingold and Stephanie Palmer are overseeing the project for the studio. The feature is based on the book by Annette Curtis Klause and is set in a secret society of werewolves living in a modern day society. At the center of the tale is a romance between a female werewolf and a human. Von Garnier first made her mark with the German language Making Up! in 1993. Last year she directed HBO's TV movie Iron Jawed Angels. Von Garnier is repped by CAA.

Perennial awards favorite Sideways dominated the Screen Actors Guild nominations with a field-best four nominations, including Best Ensemble Cast. The Alexander Payne comedy also nabbed three individual acting nominations as well for lead Paul Giamatti and supporting players Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, putting it just ahead of a number of films that received three nominations each, including The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Million Dollar Baby, and Hotel Rwanda; all those movies also earned Best Ensemble nominations alongside Ray and Sideways. Jamie Foxx was once again the actor of the hour, taking home three individual nominations for Ray, Collateral, and TV movie Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story as well as an Ensemble nod for Ray. Foxx was followed by Hilary Swank, who received two solo nominations, for Million Dollar Baby and HBO movie Iron Jawed Angels, and an Ensemble mention for Million Dollar Baby.

With their film nominations, the SAGs threw a number of new names into the awards season mix, including Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), James Garner (The Notebook), Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland), Cloris Leachman (Spanglish), and Sophie Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda). A few noticeable absentees included Liam Neeson (Kinsey), Javier Bardem (The Sea Inside), and the entire cast of Closer, an actor-driven movie if there ever was one. On the TV side, familiar shows (The Sopranos, Everybody Loves Raymond, etc) rubbed elbows with a handful of newcomers, including Arrested Development and Desperate Housewives, and Patricia Heaton pulled a Hilary Swank of her own, getting two individual nominations for Everybody Loves Raymond and TV movie remake The Goodbye Girl as well as an Ensemble nomination for Raymond.

The SAGs will be handed out on Saturday, February 5. Here's the (very long) list of film and TV nominees:

FILM

Male Actor in a Leading Role: Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda; Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland; Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator; Jamie Foxx, Ray; Paul Giamatti, Sideways

Female Actor in a Leading Role: Annette Bening, Being Julia; Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace; Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake; Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby; Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Thomas Haden Church, Sideways; Jamie Foxx, Collateral; Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby; James Garner, The Notebook; Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland

Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator; Cloris Leachman, Spanglish; Laura Linney, Kinsey; Virginia Madsen, Sideways; Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda

Ensemble Cast: The Aviator; Finding Neverland; Hotel Rwanda; Million Dollar Baby; Ray; Sideways

TELEVISION

Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Jamie Foxx, Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story; William H. Macy, The Wool Cap; Barry Pepper, 3: The Dale Earnhardt Story; Geoffrey Rush, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers; Jon Voight, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Female Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries: Glenn Close, The Lion in Winter; Patricia Heaton, Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl; Keke Palmer, The Wool Cap; Hilary Swank, Iron Jawed Angels; Charlize Theron, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Male Actor in a Drama Series: Hank Azaria, Huff; James Gandolfini, The Sopranos; Anthony LaPaglia, Without a Trace; Jerry Orbach, Law & Order; Kiefer Sutherland, 24

Female Actor in a Drama Series: Drea De Matteo, The Sopranos; Edie Falco, The Sopranos; Jennifer Garner, Alias; Allison Janney, The West Wing; Christine Lahti, Jack & Bobby

Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Jason Bateman, Arrested Development; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace; Ray Romano, Everybody Loves Raymond; Tony Shalhoub, Monk; Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men

Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Teri Hatcher, Desperate Housewives; Patricia Heaton, Everybody Loves Raymond; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace; Sarah Jessica Parker, Sex and the City; Doris Roberts, Everybody Loves Raymond

Ensemble in a Drama Series: 24; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation; Six Feet Under; The Sopranos; The West Wing

Ensemble in a Comedy Series: Arrested Development; Desperate Housewives; Everybody Loves Raymond; Sex and the City; Will & Grace

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: James Garner...

Alexander Payne's Sideways, a tour through Southern California wine country in which two old friends come to terms with their lives, proved irresistible to the voters at the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which rewarded the rueful comedy with seven Golden Globe nominations, announced Monday morning at the Beverly Hilton. Sideways, which earned a best comedy nom along with mentions for its actors Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, dominated a crowded field for the 62nd annual Golden Globe Awards, which also saw the drama The Aviator score six nominations, while Closer, Finding Neverland and Million Dollar Baby took five nominations each. Jamie Foxx stood out from his fellow actors, earning three nominations: best actor in a comedy for his performance as the late musician Ray Charles in Ray, best supporting actor for his turn as an embattled taxi driver in the moody thriller Collateral and best performance by an actor in a miniseries or motion picture for Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story, an FX movie in which he played one of the founders of the L.A. Crips street gang. It was the first time a performer has collected three performance noms in a single year at the Globes. Hilary Swank hit a double, earning a film nomination as best actress in a drama for playing a young woman who enters the boxing ring in Million Dollar Baby and a TV nomination as best actress for a miniseries or motion picture for Iron Jawed Angels, a study of the suffragette movement.

Alexander Payne's Sideways, a tour through Southern California wine country in which two old friends come to terms with their lives, proved irresistible to the voters at the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which rewarded the rueful comedy with seven Golden Globe nominations, announced Monday morning at the Beverly Hilton. Sideways, which earned a best comedy nom along with mentions for its actors Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, dominated a crowded field for the 62nd annual Golden Globe Awards, which also saw the drama The Aviator score six nominations, while Closer, Finding Neverland and Million Dollar Baby took five nominations each. Jamie Foxx stood out from his fellow actors, earning three nominations: best actor in a comedy for his performance as the late musician Ray Charles in Ray, best supporting actor for his turn as an embattled taxi driver in the moody thriller Collateral and best performance by an actor in a miniseries or motion picture for Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story, an FX movie in which he played one of the founders of the L.A. Crips street gang. It was the first time a performer has collected three performance noms in a single year at the Globes. Hilary Swank hit a double, earning a film nomination as best actress in a drama for playing a young woman who enters the boxing ring in Million Dollar Baby and a TV nomination as best actress for a miniseries or motion picture for Iron Jawed Angels, a study of the suffragette movement.

Feature films Dirty Pretty Things, Finding Nemo and Seabiscuit and TV series Joan of Arcadia and The Bernie Mac Show were among the top the finalists announced Wednesday for the 2004 Humanitas Prize. The Humanitas Prize, now in its 30th year, honors writers whose work "honestly explores the complexities of the human experience and sheds light on the positive values of life." In announcing the finalists Humanitas Prize president Frank Desiderio opined that the award has become "all the more important since television has taken a de-humanizing turn with some of the so-called reality shows." In the feature film category, which awards a $25,000 prize, the finalists are Steven Knight for Miramax's Dirty Pretty Things; Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson and David Reynolds for the Pixar/Walt Disney Co.'s Finding Nemo; and Gary Ross for Universal's Seabiscuit. HBO leads the 90-minute TV category, which also carries a $25,000 prize. Finalists in that race are Tony Kushner for HBO's Angels in America; Sally Robinson and Eugenia Bostwick Singer & Raymond Singer and Jennifer Friedes for HBO's Iron Jawed Angels; and Jonathan Estrin for Showtime's Jasper, Texas.

Frances O'Connor has inked a deal that will put her between the Perrys -- Matthew Perry and his father John Bennett Perry -- in Franchise Pictures' The Beginning of Wisdom for director William Dear. The movie will shoot in Vancouver. Penned by T.J. Lynch, the story is set during the Vietnam War and centers on a recently widowed rancher John Bennett Perry) who falls for a beautiful hippie (O'Connor), who has been hired by his son (Matthew Perry) to take care of him and his ranch. O'Connor is repped by CAA and management firm the Bauer Co. She recently finished filming The Lazarus Child opposite Andy Garcia and Angela Bassett and will appear next in Timeline for Paramount Pictures and Iron Jawed Angels for HBO. Her other credits include Steven Spielberg's Artificial Intelligence: A.I. and Windtalkers.

Feature writer Tony Gayton is venturing into television, teaming with Emmy-winning producer Paula Weinstein to develop a military drama project for NBC and NBC Studios. Gayton (Murder by Numbers) and his brother, writer-director Joe Gayton, will pen the script for the project centered on a U.S. Marine unit stationed in Iraq. The two will executive produce the show with Weinstein and Len Amato. Tony Gayton's writing credits also include the 2002 feature The Salton Sea. Joe Gayton most recently wrote and directed the 1998 feature Sweet Jane. Tony and Joe Gayton are repped by Agency for the Performing Arts' Matt Ochacher and David Saunders. Weinstein, whose feature credits include Analyze This and The Perfect Storm, won an Emmy for the 1995 telefilm Truman. On the TV side, Weinstein and Amato most recently executive produced the HBO telefilm Iron Jawed Angels, starring Hilary Swank.