Hugh Hefner, Playboy Ready For His Or Her Next Sections

First Released: December 30, 2011 1:20 PM EST Credit: WireImage Caption Miss The month of january Anna Sophia Berglund and Hugh Hefner come out at Day 1 of TCM Classic Film Festival 2011 in La on April 28, 2011 La, Calif. -- Around the second floor from the Playboy Mansion, past the apparently endless hallway lined with photos from the famous people that have visited the legendary party playground, is really a narrow staircase that creates a small attic. LOCK DOOR, signed Hef, reads a hand crafted note added towards the lofts small entrance. Pardon me basically sit? asks Hugh Hefner, ever the gentleman because he leads a reporter in to the cramped room which has just one chair. Ive got a poor stylish. Within this modest space is how Hefner looks after a detailed record of his existence that spans a lot more than 2,500 volumes and counting a Guinness world record for any personal scrapbook collection. Every Saturday, the 85-year-old founding father of Playboy magazine stays a couple of hrs scrap booking a spare time activity he started in 1943 with cartoons he came of themself and the high-school class mates. Individuals doodles were most likely only a method of creating an enormous amount of my very own to see my buddies, Hefner states, sitting among the archives of his existence in yes, his trademark silk pajamas and robe. As well as in retrospect, in considering it, it is not a great deal diverse from creating playboy. Because the year starts and Playboy approaches its 60th birthday, Hefner expects to carry on focusing on playboy, his scrapbooks along with a Hollywood movie about his existence. Thats alive again, he states from the biopic idea thats been bandied about for many years. Though 2011 wasnt entirely kind towards the guy or even the brand Hefners 24-year-old fiance cancelled their engagement days before their June wedding and NBCs The Playboy Club was the very first fall TV casualty, canceled after just three episodes Hefner is positive about what is next, personally and appropriately. Retirement is unthinkable in my experience, he states. The near future is vibrant and incredibly exciting and Im searching toward playing a component inside it. Hef his preferred nickname since his teens is a media pressure since he released the very first problem of Playboy in 1953 and that he continues to be figurehead from the empire he produced. Although Playboy Businesses named Scott Flanders its leader in '09, Hefner is constantly on the function as editor-in-chief from the magazine, selecting the coverage models and centerfolds and editing the cartoons, letters and party jokes. Even Hefner is baffled to describe the long lasting benefit of Playboy, that has created and outlasted a lot of copy cats, but he speculates it has related to the standard from the publication cheap i was saying stuff that were important then and today. The present problem, featuring balance-recommended nude pictorial of Lindsay Lohan, includes articles about Occupy Wall Street and Pakistani nuclear researcher A.Q. Khan, together with an excerpt from Elmore Leonards latest novel and, obviously, individuals photo propagates. Its impossible to split up Hefner in the notionof busty youthful special gems and also the whole clothing-optional, lifes-a-party, I-work-in-pajamas factor. But this kind of image belies a thoughtful guy who deeply values his contributions towards the social-sexual changes of time, yet whose orderly persona appears tame in comparison towards the celebs of the modern tabloid scene. A longtime supporter from the First Amendment, Hefner was an earlier advocate of civil privileges and reproductive privileges, and hes championed personal protections in publications. Its very obvious that Playboy was instrumental within the sexual revolution, he states. I was creating a situation for that irrational sexual values that people had in those days, and creating a situation for that sexual revolution in time immediately before it grew to become a real possibility, and doing the work inside a forum which was very influential. Within the sixties, he states, everyone read Playboy. Playboy was at its peak, selling nearly seven million copies per month, and it is cutting-edge content of recent authors and nude photos and Hefners own editorials against puritanical repression become a huge hit to some college-age audience hungry for change. Hefner was opening the Playboy Club working in london in 1966 as he recognized the sexual revolution was well arrived. The miniskirt had just showed up, sex was in mid-air and gaming, gambling had just become legal within the clubs, he recalls. I used to be writing the Playboy Philosophy a couple of years, and I felt like week working in london which i was searching in the future. Thats when Hefner required his practice from the Playboy lifestyle to a different level. He opened up increasingly more Playboy clubs, released a Television show in La and purchased a private jet, named the Large Bunny, to shuttle him both to and from Playboys headquarters in Chicago towards the West Coast. He bought five . 5 acres within the classy Holmby Hillsides neighborhood alongside Beverly Hillsides and, because he puts it, leaped in to the pool. He was slowed down with a stroke in 1985 along with the conservative values that centered throughout the Reagan era. Hefner married his 1989 Playmate of the season, Kimberly Conrad, in This summer of this year. Boy Marston was created annually later and Cooper was created in 1991. Hefner and Conrad separated in 1998 but continued to be married until their sons switched 18. They divorced this year. Cooper Hefner has become a 20-year-old junior studying film and history at Chapman College in suburban Orange, Calif., and that he states he hopes to participate an attempt to revive Playboys attract youthful people. I certainly think there's some rebranding that should be done, Cooper Hefner states on the tour of the overall game house, just a little cottage a brief walk in the mansion thats the place to find a billiard table and a range of arcade games. Personally, i dont think, with my generation the ones of my maturity, the company is really as awesome because it is at the 60s and 70s. Indeed, Playboys print circulation has become lower to at least one.5 million and it is audience skews over the age of in the heyday. While not a significant moneymaker, Hugh Hefner demands playboy continues to be life blood of the organization. Still, the actual way forward for Playboy which Hefner required private this year after 4 decades of public possession is within brand certification for merchandise and clubs, states Boss Flanders, observing the one billion dollars-as well as the certification creates yearly dwarfs the companys media profits. Cooper Hefner concurs up-to-date Playboy Clubs can enjoy a large part in wooing a far more youthful following, but he thinks cinema projects for example Playboys new short-film contest and the fathers large-screen biopic will also help lure a more youthful demographic. The elder Hefner has always loved the films, giving them a call my other family. Movies assisted solidify his ideas concerning the painful consequence of sexual repression. What he saw on the watch's screen echoed the hurtful and hypocritical side of puritanical values he familiar with their own existence. I saw the censorship within the movies once the production code arrived in 1934 after i was still being a youngster, and saw the truth that in movies, even sophisticated couples, as with The Thin Guy, Nick and Nora Charles rested in twin beds, Hefner states. Quite simply, couples in movies rested in twin beds, and that i related that like a kid that I did not get lots of hugs and kisses during my home. Hefner still screens movies in the mansion three occasions per week: Classics on Fridays and Saturdays and new films every sunday. Each year on his April 9 birthday, he runs his favorite film, Casablanca, and visitors dress yourself in the styles from the nineteen forties. The initial playboy is not bashful about attempting to see their own colorful existence around the giant screen. Previous attempts at scripts of his story read as though these were carrying out a piece on someone whos already gone, Hefner states, offering an uncommon acknowledgement of their own mortality. But you have the man here. There is not an excellent mystery. I'm able to point in which the physiques are and just how to get it done. Besides focusing on a brand new script for that biopic, Hefner is focusing on new associations with 25-year-old Playboy models Shera Bechard and Anna Berglund. He describes themself as basically a really romantic person. I have no idea which i might be best offered at married (existence), he states. But I know which i need a continuing partnership. He must also keep focusing on Playboy, conceding that possibly the company he built is just about the true love hes searched for throughout his existence. It most is definitely the partner of who I'm, undoubtedly, also it does fulfill me with techniques that many work wouldnt for some individuals, he states. It's provided him using the type of bigger-than-existence existence reflected within the photos that fill the hallway near his scrap booking room. Its type of as with Casablanca, Ricks Caf. Everyone involves Ricks. Well everyone involves Hefs, he states, passing through the pictures. Youll locate them from Mick Jagger to Doris Day to Groucho Marx, youthful and old. Hefner states he was always a dreamer, but his existence is beyond anything he ever imagined. Most peoples lives, if they're effective, possess a peak after which its a bell-formed curve, or they've wonderful many a slow dissipation. The alternative continues to be the situation here, Hefner notes almost shyly. Im the luckiest guy, from my perspective, the luckiest guy in the world. If it can be done making some real difference on the planet, its too sweet. Copyright 2011 through the Connected Press. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Box Office Attendance Hits 16-Year Low

Simon Pegg and Tom Cruise Movie attendance has fallen to its lowest number in 16 years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Early estimates show that the box office revenue in 2011 was about $10.2 billion -- a 3.6 percent drop over last year -- roughly equating to 1.28 billion people that went to the movies. The turnout is the lowest number since 1995 which saw only 1.211 billion people at the movies. 2002 had the highest movie turnout with 1.57 billion. Mission Impossible tops holiday weekend box office While attendance for American films was down 4.4 percent this year, the foreign box office saw a record of $13.53 billion in ticket sales. Did you go to the movies this year?

'Bel Ami' Trailer: Robert Pattinson's Inevitable Period Piece

It's the period piece 'Twilight' fans have been waiting for. The first trailer for 'Bel Ami' has arrived, which features Robert Pattinson getting frisky with Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci and Kristin Scott Thomas (insert cheesy Kristen Stewart-related pun/joke/insult here). The film, based on the 1885 novel by Guy de Maupassant, follows ex-soldier Georges Duroy (Pattinson), who looks to make a name for himself in the upper reaches of Parisian society, all while sleeping with every lady that comes his way. 'Bel Ami,' which was co-directed by Decian Donnellan and Nick Ormerod, is set to hit theaters on March 2, 2012. Start lining up now Twi-hards! [via MSN Movies] <a data-cke-saved-href='http://video.uk.msn.com/?mkt=en-gb&vid=fae1b3ae-bc50-4947-a29a-011836e782ad&from=&src=FLPl:embed::uuids' href='http://video.uk.msn.com/?mkt=en-gb&vid=fae1b3ae-bc50-4947-a29a-011836e782ad&from=&src=FLPl:embed::uuids' target='_new' title='Bel Ami trailer (MSN Exclusive)' >Video: Bel Ami trailer (MSN Exclusive)</a> Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Budweiser 'United' with ABC on reality show

Anheuser-Busch InBev has inked a deal with ABC to air the reality show "Bud United states . presents: The HugelyInch within the month of the month of january. FreemantleMedia is creating the Budweiser-high quality entertainment project that will unspool over seven episodes and focus on a young quantity of hopefuls searching to win their chance to compete inside their favorite sport, prepare alongside a specialist chef or obtain chance to do in concert. Series bows Jan. 21 and airs each following Saturday. Evan Weinstein, co-executive producer of "The Astounding Race" and @radical.media (which has created some of the best quality entertainment projects for Nike, The brand new the new sony, Apple and IBM) are coming up with the series, with FreemantleMedia Companies disseminating the show worldwide. Budweiser brokered the sale with ESPN who needed the show to ABC. Budweiser cast the show by choosing from candidates who sent videos for the Budweiser page on social networks like Facebook and China's Renren, showing their passions for basketball, baseball, soccer, racing, music and fashion. Twenty-one participants will compete inside the series' run with every episode focusing on some three fans competing for shot at racing against other professional racecar drivers playing for just about any team, pitching for just about any professional baseball team or undertaking around the concert stage, for example. Participants were trained and mentored by stars and professionals including racing tales Richard Childress and Kevin Harvick, USA soccer star Alex Morgan, baseball coach Tom House and chef Hubert Keller, among others. Budweiser has extended been a substantial sponsor of sporting occasions, including last year's FIFA World Cup, and saw the series in order to convey more mileage from the marketing dollars. Show will air online once it airs on ABC, backed by additional content and "HugelyInch tips from celebrity mentors. "We utilized Budweiser's unmatched utilization of worldwide sports, entertainment and lifestyle assets to produce these contestants' dreams be realized,In . mentioned Frank Abenante, V . p . of worldwide brands at Anheuser-Busch InBev. "We're searching toward giving audiences the opportunity to discuss throughout these amazing journeys of second chances and ambitions satisfied." Budweiser bowed "Bud United states ." a year ago just like a global platform for hooking up consumers' passions. "We are particularly proud to think about Budweiser to new levels, by turning current assets into high quality content, brought to existence with unique and exciting storytelling," mentioned Jason Warner, global V . p ., Budweiser. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

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Experts and auds alike have observed it over and over: achingly serious foreign-language film Oscar distribution that seem to possess been selected for your nobility from the intentions rather than their entertainment value."Something which tugs within the heartstrings and sets it against an excellent historic backdrop tends by having an advantage, be it great,Inch states Box Office Magazine and KPCC "FilmWeek" film critic Wade Major. "In the event you consult with people round the foreign-language selection committee, a couple of from the youthful people, they're often fatigued by all the well-meaning, serious movies about World War Ii, the Holocaust and oppression internationally -- whether it is China or Iran -- or families losing farms."But 2011 features a crop of foreign-language films through which po-faced pedantry has already established a back chair to dynamic storytelling, from Belgium's "Bullhead," which relies on a mob movie framework to research the adult aftermath of childhood sexual assault, to Mexico's "Miss Bala," which assumes the-button subject of narco-trafficking utilizing a suspense thriller of a beauty pageant contestant (Stephanie Sigman) kidnapped and pressed to get results for a criminal offence cartel."We thought whenever we managed to get happen well, the social commentary can come from beneath which we wouldn't must have extended, didactic dialogues," states "Miss Bala" author-director Gerardo Naranjo. "Really, inside the movie, the (lead) actress rarely talks nor does the theif. In my opinion that particular in the common mistakes of Mexican film is always that we overdo our jobs and continue to explain everything and draw conclusions."Italy's "Terraferma" starts off just like a coming-of-age tale of a 19-year-old Sicilian (Filippo Pucillo) caught involving the old (his grandfather's dying fishing business) as well as the new (his uncle's tourism trade). Then their fishing-boat happens upon a decreasing raft of African refugees, as well as the film veers very from social drama to suspense."I didn't desire to send any message, I used to be just trying to portray the issue, that people thought was interesting enough being told in (film) language," states the film's author-director Emanuele Crialese. "Personally, immigration is a crucial subject in the century" and, even though he preferred to he wanted to research the problem in the human instead of a political perspective, he allows that "after we deal with an individuals subject, we we're dealing also with politics in some manner.InchFor foreign films that serve their social issues upright, Philippe Falardeau, author-director in the French-language Canadian Oscar entry "Monsieur Lazhar," thinks lots of people might prefer them since they get enough standard-problem action, romance and psycho-drama from movies inside their native tongue."Just like a spectator, you'd like to learn what's happening in people (other) nations," according to him. "It's our window for his or her world."Inside a very long time since "Schindler's List," auds are actually give a good amount of film portrayals in the Holocaust. But director Agnieszka Holland's fact-based drama "In Darkness" offers a fresh perspective round the tragedy, while still controlling being moving and suspenseful.The film explores the moral frailties of both film's protagonist, anti-Semitic Polish-Catholic crook Leopold Socha (Robert Wieckiewicz), as well as the Jewish refugees he helps hide inside the sewers underneath the Nazi-occupied capital of scotland - Lvov. Furthermore, it shows how existence continues both below and above ground -- and not through women knitting and youngsters fighting over crayons. People fornicate, masturbate and skyrocket. A man commits infidelity while his wife and daughter watch within the next bed mattress.While these moments will titillate some, Holland incorporated those to illustrate a simple human truth."Through the Holocaust, during the ghettos, the sexual existence was loaded,Inch she states. "In my opinion that people needed this closeness, this sensual dimension."EYE Round The Oscars: Language Fests get kicks from kudos Created for greater success Pix playing for national pride Message sent via special delivery Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

American Film Institute Cites Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Wife Among Top TV Shows of 2011

Larry David, Julianna Margulies Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Good Wife and Game of Thrones were among the honorees on the American Film Institute's lists of top 10 TV shows of 2011. Besides The Good Wife and Game of Thrones, other first-time AFI selections included Homeland, Justified, Louie and Parks and Recreation. Boardwalk Empire and Breaking Bad each made the top 10 for the second year in a row. This was the third year in a row that Modern Family was recognized. Homeland, Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones top WGA and PGA nods AFI does not rank its list or pick one TV series as the year's best. Do you agree with the picks?

Fire On Universal Backlot, No Injuries Reported

UPDATE, 6:28 PM: Fire started inside a construction area atop the previous Technicolor building Thursday mid-day at Universal Galleries. Employees were cutting and handling tubes when sparks captivated insulation material, based on a Universal speaker. The blaze was extinguished rapidly and damage was limited towards the construction “shed” on the top from the building close to the intersection of Lankershim and Cahuenga. No injuries were reported. Your building is unoccupied and going through internal demolition just before eventual re-purposing. Formerly, 5:23 PM: Fire exploded inside a three-story building around the Universal Galleries backlot Thursday mid-day. CNN reported that 55 firefighters responded and also the fire was knocked lower by about 1 pm. No injuries were reported. Your building was “under demolition,” fire authorities stated. Cause was unknown. A 2008 fire destroyed several locations over four acres and 13 “blocks” such as the NY street sets. Individuals were restored and reopened in summer time 2010. Former Techn Building structure on the top tubes half-hour repurposing no bu

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows: Film Review

The life story of the late singer, dancer and actor Sammy Davis Jr. will be developed for the stage and as a feature by Entertainment Studios, it was announced Thursday, on what would have been the entertainer's 86th birthday.our editor recommendsOscar Rat Pack "Sammy Davis, Jr. was a phenomenal entertainer, icon, and American treasure whose inspirational story has to be told," said Byron Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Entertainment Studios. Entertainment Studios acquired the life rights to the story from Davis's daughter Tracey Davis, whose mother is actress May Britt, the second of his three wives. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Riches to Rags: 18 Stars Who Have Lost It All "On his deathbed, one of the last things my father told me as he put my face in his hands was: 'Tracy, tell my story. Warts and all'," said Tracey Davis. "Byron Allen, who knew and worked with my father, is the perfect producer to help my family and I achieve my father's dying wish." Davis, who died in 1990, started out as a child in vaudeville as a dancer and singer working with his father and uncle. He later became a recording artist. Davis lost an eye in an auto accident in 1954 but continued to grow as a performer, starring on Broadway in Mr. Wonderful in 1956. He became even more famous when he was the only African-American who was part of Frank Sinatra's "Rat Pack," which led to movies, performances in Las Vegas and elsewhere. In 1966, Davis had his own variety show on TV, making him one of the first African- Americans to do so. He talked about the racism he faced in his life in interviews and was a supporter of the Civil Rights movement. However, he was criticized in 1970 for publically embracing then President Richard Nixon. Davis died deep in debt to the IRS of throat cancer. His estate was left to fight years of legal battles. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Hollywood's Riches to Rags: 18 Stars Who Have Lost It All Related Topics

Nakashima preps 'Advancing Titans'

Tokyo, japan, japan -- Helmer Tetsuya Nakashima, together with producers Genki Kawamura and Yuji Ishida, could make "Shingeki no Kyojin" (Changing Leaders), an sci-fi actioner with various hit comicbook, they introduced Thursday. Nakashima, Kawamura and Ishida last teamed for "Confessions," a psycho-drama that acquired $50 million a year ago, while being selected as Japan's entry for just about any foreign-language pic Oscar. The story concentrates on a race of leaders taking inside the earth and consume a persons population, forcing the kids to reside in behind gigantic walled enclosures. Your leaders attack. The comicbook by Hajime Isayama has offered 6.6 000 0000 copies of six paperback models since its launch inside the Bessatsu Shonen Magazine this past year. Nakashima remains on the way of casting the pic, but expects to start shooting in the year of next season. Release is skedded for 2013, with Toho delivering. Nakashima mentioned the pic, that will need extensive CGI, will probably be "most likely probably the most pricey Japanese film ever," but did not title a figure. "That is my first experience (using this project), however it may be the ultimate Nakashima film ever," the helmer added. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Dobie Gray, 'Drift Away' Singer, Dies at 71

TNT is trying its hand at another medical drama.our editor recommendsSherry Stringfield, Virginia Madsen to Star in TNT Telepic 'Hornet's Nest'Justin Bieber, Cee Lo Green to Perform at TNT's 'Christmas in Washington' SpecialTNT Targets 'The Closer,' 'Rizzoli & Isles' Fans with Weekend Event Sweepstakes Mere months after pulling the plug on HawthoRNe, the Turner network has ordered a pilot for Chelsea General, a new medical series fromproducerDavid E. Kelley(Ally McBeal,Chicago Hope) and practicing neurosurgeon and CNN chief medical correspondentDr. Sanjay Gupta, M.D. Kelley penned the pilot, which isbased on Gupta's upcoming novelMonday Mornings. The book follows the lives of five surgeons as they push the limits of their abilities and confront their personal and professional failings. It uses as its backdrop their hospital's weekly morbidity and mortality conference, when doctors gather with their peers for a confidential review of complications and errors in patient care. Kelley and Gupta will executive produce. "Chelsea Generalpromises to be a smart, witty and extremely powerful medical drama, the kind of series David E. Kelley is renowned for making," said Michael Wright, executive vice president head of programming for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies. "We look forward to working with David and Sanjay in bringing the doctors' fascinating stories and characters to television." Kelley, whose Harry Law is in its second season on NBC, is repped by WME, Original Management and Gendler & Kelly. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 10 Broadcast and Cable TV Show Most Watched By Men Related Topics David E. Kelley TNT TV Development

Ask Matt: Vampire Diaries, Dexter, Glee, the TV Laugh Track, and More!

Nina Dobrev Question: As we approach the annual barrage of year-end Top 10 lists, I'm dreading the fact that one worthy, excellent TV show will be overlooked by most critics: The Vampire Diaries. Don't get me wrong, I love Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones as much as any sane person, but I also think TVD is one of the most expertly paced, perfectly plotted shows on TV right now. Unfortunately, I don't think many professional critics bother to watch it, though they'll analyze lesser shows like True Blood and The Walking Dead just because of the networks they air on. Even if critics don't think The Vampire Diaries is Top 10 worthy, I think it at least deserves to be part of the year-end conversation. Why is it so hard for a show like this to be taken seriously? - DonnieMatt Roush: I like Vampire Diaries and probably give it more consideration than many critics do - just try sitting through Secret Circle afterward, and you instantly appreciate how much more enjoyable TVD is - and I do appreciate its breakneck (often literally) pace and what-next plotting. But this is one of those shows I classify as more of a "guilty pleasure," and while I can enjoy the over-the-top twists and turns, it just doesn't feel serious enough as a supernatural drama for me to take it terribly seriously. There is a CW factor at play here as well, I'm sure, because we're being asked to believe these characters are still in high school, plus the various authority figures are so shallow, and Mystic Falls seems to have at least one major social event every week where someone ends up dead or missing. True Blood is just as campy, and though I felt it had its best season this year since the first, it's not really Top 10 material, either. The Walking Dead earns points for its graphic ruthlessness, and I wasn't nearly as bored on the farm as others seemed to be. But the only sci-fi/fantasy type show making the cut on my Top 10 list this year (which will be published in the issue on stands next week - and online at some point) is Fox's Fringe, which not only blew me away with its creative ambition and worlds-colliding risk-taking, but actually made me care for Peter and Walter Bishop and the various versions of Olivia Dunham. Nothing derivative or silly about that show.Want more fall TV news? Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!Question: I know some people are not crazy about Dexter this year. However, honestly, I absolutely love it. I thought last year was horrible - Deb decided to let the killer(s) go? Come on! - and this year is more exciting to me, just because of how "character"-driven it is with every character on the show. Obviously from Dexter with his faith and the "light" and the "darkness" factor, to Deb with her relationship problems with her therapist, to Quinn with his downslide after Deb broke up with him. Plus side storylines with the closed case that Deb reopened, to the Ice Truck Killer hand that the geek stole and now in his house! A lot going on this year and I am enjoying it more than I did last year! With that being said, I did not see that twist coming with Gellar! Some people say they did, others say they did not. Either way it made last week's episode even better! Any chance you know any spoilers regarding the finale and when does it air? Because last year's finale was terrible. - MichaelMatt Roush: The Professor Gellar reveal really was one of the biggest red herrings anyone has tried to pull off in a long time. I'm on board with it, especially because Colin Hanks is having such a field day now, so I do agree this season is better than last year's - though they're all going to pale compared to the fourth season with John Lithgow's "Trinity Killer," and I really enjoyed the episode this season where Dexter went to Nebraska (with the shade of his brother in tow) to clean up some loose ends with that story. The subplots involving Dexter's co-workers aren't jazzing me any more than they ordinarily do, but now that we know (after Sunday's episode) that Doomsday's endgame is targeting the Miami Police Department, I'm hoping for some meaningful mayhem on that front. Beyond that, I have no spoilers - that's not what I do in this column - but I can tell you the season finale is in two weeks, Sunday, Dec. 18. And the buzz is that there will be some game-changers as the show heads into what will likely be its final two seasons.Question: I'd become disenchanted with Glee this season. With a season of, for me, a plethora of must-see broadcast TV, I had to cut some of the shows I watch and/or tape for later viewing, and Glee was one of them. Last week, with so many repeats, I once again watched it, and was blown away by the music. Coach singing "Jolene," Santana singing anything, Finn, Puck and his "teacher," the baby's adopted momma (isn't he supposed to be under 18, and is this "grounds" for her once again taking her golden voice and leaving the show?), had me once again entranced, and thinking the music was worth sticking around for. But after the show ended, I wondered. I always loved the music - or most of the time; toward the end of last season, not always - and thought that far outweighed the lack of story, but is it enough to bring me back? Is it enough to bring back many viewers that have dropped the show? I'm on the fence. What about Fox? Are they going to "hold em, or fold em"? And what about you? Are you still in the stick-around mode? I'd really like to know your thoughts on a matter you might feel you visited one too many times. - DorothyMatt Roush: As aggravating and uneven as Glee can be, I doubt I'll ever drop it. The highs, musical and otherwise, are still stimulating enough to get me through the more cringe-worthy stuff (like Sue's behavior and Kurt's outfits), and I've always been a believer that there should be a show like this on TV - which is why I'm also high on NBC's upcoming Smash, a much less problematic series creatively from the get-go, though its commercial appeal has yet to be determined. Despite Glee's ratings decline this season, it's far from the point of cancellation. It still has enough young-demographic appeal and watercooler potential to be of value to the Fox brand. But whether Glee can win back those it has alienated or frustrated is a tougher call. Once people break up with a show, and Glee has given fans plenty of reasons to do so (especially last season), it can be hard to win them back, regardless of what's on the playlist. On a similar note ...Question: Wow, last week's episode of Glee blew me away! It reminded me of the first season and why I watched it to begin with. I normally fast-forward during the songs or awkwardness that make me cringe, which recently has been more than once an episode. Not so this episode, but my question for you: Do you think the crazies that were up in arms over the episode where teenagers very tastefully lost their virginity will be as offended with the fact that Puck and the teacher got it on? I'm willing to bet no, and I'd love to hear your professional opinion on why that is. - DanMatt Roush: So far I'm not aware of any uproar from the usual circles - in particular, one self-promoting organization that will go unnamed that most recently took credit for the apparent demise of Fox's low-rated Allen Gregory, as if its lack of quality or appeal weren't to blame. Maybe because the episode didn't hinge entirely around sex, and what went down between Puck and Shelby was mostly off-camera - Discretion? On Glee? - the watchdogs haven't got their knickers in a twist yet. I'm assuming there will be consequences from this rather unpleasant and tasteless subplot, which might also appease the nay-sayers.Question: I had read recently that David Shore had a meeting with Fox execs to confirm whether or not Fox was going to renew House for a ninth season. Have you heard anything in the chatter as to what the fate of the show might be so that I can prepare myself if this is truly the end for House? - BrandonMatt Roush: There are no updates that I'm aware of; I'd think Fox will have to address this next month during its winter TCA session, if not earlier. Hugh Laurie's recent statements about quitting TV after House ends no doubt stirred up more new speculation about how much longer the show can go on. I've pretty much broken up with House this season - don't like the new characters, the old ones bore me, and I miss Cuddy - but I'd come back to see how it wraps if they do decide to end it this year (which I think would be wise). And there's still plenty of time to plot an end game at this point. The worst result would be for Fox to scrap the show in the spring without any warning. That would be no way to treat a show that has done so well for the network, and I don't see that happening.Question: The laugh track was used early in TV history to show viewers that whatever was said or done was funny enough to laugh at. Why do shows still use them? I turn to another channel when a laugh track is used. Don't producers know that people are now "sophisticated" enough to know when to laugh at dialogue or actions? - AmyMatt Roush: Seinfeld. Friends. Everybody Loves Raymond. Cheers and Frasier. Roseanne. Will & Grace. All in the Family. The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The Big Bang Theory. And yes, I Love Lucy. Need I go on? Sitcoms filmed in front of a studio audience, with laugh tracks sweetened or not, may not be to everyone's taste, but they are and have always been hugely popular for a good reason, and not just for people of a certain age. Properly executed, written and performed, they are among the most enduring classics TV has ever produced, and the best of these shows are written for the express purpose of generating laughter from a live audience, with the expectation that the home audience will laugh along. And for the most part, they do. When a traditionally filmed sitcom doesn't work (see: Whitney), there is nothing more painful than listening to canned (or sweetened) laughter when you're sitting there stone-faced. But I've seen my share of "sophisticated" single-camera comedies that are just as bad if not worse. There's a style to writing and producing both types of TV comedies, and I refuse to buy the argument that one is better than the other. The Modern Family creators earned their stripes with shows done the "old-fashioned" way, and thankfully, they're still producing belly laughs regardless of the format. For those interested in the state of the art of the laugh track, check out this recent excellent survey from the esteemed Joe Adalian.Question: While it is definitely not a perfect show, I feel Terra Nova has been improving every week, especially as it ups the stakes for the characters, as it did with the recent Taylor-focused episode and last week's reveal of Skye as the mole. I have to say I did not see that coming, and am really looking forward to watching that play out once Jim and Taylor are made aware of it, which I'm sure is coming soon. How long until Fox has to make a decision regarding a second season? I know you expect one, but especially given the long lead-time necessary to handle all of the effects, is there a date by which the network must say yes or no in order for the production to meet the hypothetical additional order? Can they wait until the upfronts in May to pull the trigger, or does the order have to come sooner? If they can wait until May, is that what you expect them to do? I know ABC often rewards its big hits with early renewals, and while Terra Nova is not a huge blockbuster, I think an early renewal might help their cause to produce more episodes next year. I've heard that Fox is contractually obligated to order 22 for the next round but am not sure if that will come to pass or not given the logistical difficulties of the production. If they really do want 22, I'd think sooner would be better than later to inform the producers of that decision.On a similar note, have you heard anything about what ABC's plans are for a ninth season of Grey's Anatomy in regards to the cast? All the remaining principal characters who have been there since the pilot have deals expiring at the end of this season, and a few of them have made comments to the press about weather or not they want to return, but the last I heard was Ellen Pompeo saying that no one has approached her about a new deal. Given the level of behind-the-scenes scrutiny at Grey's in the past, it would surprise me if negotiations actually manage to be kept completely from the media. So, do you know if these have started yet? I hope they are completed in such a way as to give any characters who must be written out a proper farewell arc, rather than just an abrupt exit stage right as was given to Burke and, to a lesser degree, Izzie (Katherine Heigl was intended to come back for a few more episodes which ended up not happening, as I recall.) The Izzie sendoff was fine, but my understanding is that they didn't know her final episode was her final episode when it was written, and I don't want to see that happen again. Granted, Burke and Izzie's exits were slightly different situations, but still. If some characters are going to leave, I would like closure with their stories if at all possible. - JakeMatt Roush: With Terra Nova, the renewal if it happens (for however many episodes) almost certainly has to be decided before the May upfronts for the show to be able to meet production deadlines. Can't say if there's a specific date that would represent the point of no return, but I imagine Fox will want to wait to see how the final episodes perform this month before making that call. It's a tricky situation; they've spent a lot of time and money developing the show, but its numbers haven't merited an early pick-up, and creatively, it's only now beginning to pick up steam, which might be too late. This is another topic I'd expect to come up during Fox's TCA executive session.With Grey's Anatomy, contract negotiations are rarely private, even when the participants would rather they be. (Negotiating through the media is always a popular tactic.) I'm sure as they get down to business, we'll all be hearing about it, and if you asked me to bet, I'd put my money on everyone coming back for at least another season. If any of the major players do depart at season's end, they deserve a significant send-off. That only makes sense. Whether that will happen, who can say at this point?Question: First of all, I've really enjoyed two new sitcoms this season: NBC's Up All Night and CBS's 2 Broke Girls. I think that both are so funny and the characters are awesome. What do you think about them and do you think that they have good chances to get renewed? How about other new series and what are your favorite new series? - HermanniMatt Roush: A renewal for 2 Broke Girls is a virtual no-brainer, and Up All Night has a good shot at a second season, especially if it performs decently when it moves to Thursdays next month (where it should have been airing all along). I like both shows well enough - though I often wish 2 Broke Girls didn't stoop so low for its crude laughs, and Up All Night is still trying to find a balance between the domestic comedy (which I like) and the workplace stuff (very uneven). But the new comedy I'm still craziest about is Fox's New Girl, with ABC's Suburgatory not far behind. Among dramas, my biggest letdown was ABC's Pan Am (which I expected much more from), and the nicest surprises have also been from ABC: Revenge and Once Upon a Time. CBS's Person of Interest is also just unusual enough to keep me interested, and I find the two leads fascinating.Question: I am just amazed at how much better Law & Order: SVU is this season. When I first watched this season, I thought I wouldn't like it with Christopher Meloni gone. Turns out I was wrong! In my opinion, Danny Pino and Kelli Giddish bring something to the show that it never had before, and new show runner Warren Leight has turned the show around for the better! But my question: Is Dick Wolf working on another new Law & Order series? I remember Bob Greenblatt stating that he'd like to see the Law & Order franchise continue on NBC. Is it possible that there I a Law & Order: Chicago in the works? Do you know, Matt? - JamHendMatt Roush: I've heard nothing (and neither has my most reliable L.A. mole) on that front, but given what a colossal dud Law & Order: Los Angeles was, it's hard to imagine NBC wading into that arena again anytime soon. I expect Dick Wolf will never stop coming up with new twists on the Law & Order formula, but I'd be surprised if they go back to trying to recapture the mothership's magic in a different city. That ship has sailed, and sunk. For the moment, I expect NBC will just stand behind SVU for as long as it's feasible. By the way, while we're saving our pennies in hopes of eventually being able to afford the new DVD boxed set of the complete Law & Order, I hope NBC never stops regretting the way they shut down the original series.Question: Will Pan Am make it for a complete season? Or will it disappear one of these days? I love the show! - GabrielaMatt Roush: Sorry to say it's not looking good. ABC only picked up one episode beyond the original 13 that were ordered, way short of a "back nine," which means after the remaining episodes air in early 2012, the crew is likely to be grounded for good. ABC insists it isn't canceling the show yet, which reportedly has sold well in overseas markets (though Sony, not ABC's Disney, is the distributor), but if ABC's replacement show GCB performs more strongly than Pan Am, which most expect will happen, we're talking a serious case of clipped wings. I liked the pilot episode and the idea and escapist look of the show, but the characters have never really ignited for me, which is a real shame.Question: I am thrilled to see that TNT is attempting a movie-of-the-week franchise this winter, with some very good actors making adaptations of books by popular writers. There are so many crappy movies all over cable, and I miss the higher quality movies that used to be on the networks (and I don't just mean high quality movies like Sarah Plain and Tall but fun stuff like Lace). Even USA used to do a good job at weekly movies back in the day. Have you looked at any of these and can you recommend some particular entries in the series? I'm particularly looking forward to the one with Carla Gugino. In a month of program drought when it is cold and everyone is home, I'm happy that TNT is one of the networks doing original programming and we have more options than Netflix and all of these insipid Christmas movies. (And I used to like Christmas movies, but how many Santa needs a bride, cold-hearted career woman discovers the value of family and Christmas movies can you watch?) - RebeccaMatt Roush: No argument on the increased sappiness of what has become of the Christmas TV-movie, and TNT's "Mystery Movie Night" is a refreshing change as well as a good idea, though so far it's decidedly a mixed bag. I reviewed the first two movies last week in my daily "Guide" columns: Innocent was pretty good, and Ricochet pretty awful. Like you, I'm so happy to have Carla Gugino back on TV I couldn't resist watching this Tuesday's entry, Hide (9/8c), which is no great shakes as a mystery (it's ridiculously convoluted) or as a character study (Gugino plays yet another career cop who sacrifices her personal life for the job), but it's a serviceable enough B-movie, which is about as high as TNT's ambitions seem to be toward this project.That's all for now. Keep sending your comments and questions to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com, and in the meantime, follow me on Twitter!Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Past plaudits don't guarantee future performance

Lynne Ramsay, winner of the 1999 BAFTA British debut prize, has her first helming gig in nearly a decade with director of 'We Need to Talk About Kevin,' above.'Senna'How good is BAFTA at predicting the future? Its prizes for British debut and short are about promise as much as achievement, so how many recent winners have gone on to forge notable careers?In the first few years after it was introduced in 1998, the debut award seemed to act like a curse. Winners such as Richard Kwietniowski (1998), Asif Kapadia (2001) and Emily Young (2004) took six years to direct another movie, while Joel Hopkins (2002) took seven. Of these, only Kapadia has gone on to make more than one.Lynne Ramsay (1999) and Pawel Pawlikowski (2000) moved onto their second projects more swiftly, Pawlikowski even winning a BAFTA for his soph pic "My Summer of Love." But both slowed until completing their third movies this year.Amma Asante, who won for "A Way of Life" in 2005, still hasn't made another film.There's clearly no shortage of talent among these names. Ramsay and Kapadia will both be competing at BAFTA again this year, with "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and "Senna." Perhaps it says more about how little structure there is to help even the most promising British newcomers to progress.But from 2006 onward, BAFTA made a deliberate effort to identify filmmakers with better prospects. The hit rate for the debut award improved dramatically, with Joe Wright, Andrea Arnold, writer Matt Greenhalgh, Steve McQueen and Duncan Jones all advancing quickly onto one or several new movies.Last year's winner, Chris Morris for "Four Lions," previously took the short prize in 2002. Paddy Considine, a contender this year for his directing debut "Tyrannosaur," is also a former short winner.However, in the past decade, the winner of best short was more likely to end up directing episodes of the long-running BBC daytime soap "Doctors" than making a feature film. Only two others, Hattie Dalton ("Third Star") and Brian Percival ("A Boy Called Dad"), along with a handful of nominees (Sam Taylor Wood, Martin McDonagh, Tom Harper and David Yates) have managed to get a movie made.BAFTA PREVIEWUpsets at BAFTA on the wane? | Open field for bevy of British runners | Hurdling British reserve | Past plaudits don't guarantee future performance Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

'The Grey' Trailer: Liam Neeson Fights Character, Baby wolves in Alaskan Backwoods Adventure

.publish-content img Liam Neeson has discarded his great amount of opponents during the last 5 years, but possibly none more vicious compared to twosome of enemies he faces in 'The Grey': Nature along with a pack of vicious baby wolves. Neeson reunites together with his 'A-Team' director Joe Carnahan for that new action drama, which concentrates on several Alaskan pipeline employees who survive a deadly plane crash -- simply to find yourself stranded within the backwoods throughout the dead of winter. Can Neeson and the team -- performed by Frank Grillo ('Warrior'), Dermot Mulroney, Dallas Roberts ('Rubicon') and James Badge Dale ('Shame') amongst others -- survive lengthy enough to battle the baby wolves and also the rapidly declining temps? As lengthy as Neeson can construct glass-shard knuckles from minibar bottles of alcohol, most likely! Watch the exclusive new trailer for 'The Grey' -- having a special introduction from Neeson and Grillo -- above. 'The Grey' cuts into theaters on Jan. 27, 2012. For additional around the film, mind to 'The Grey' Facebook page. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook