Ruling boosts Fox's Dodger situation

By JON WEISMAN Fox Sports acquired a great U.S. District Court ruling Friday within the efforts to avoid an faster obtain the La Dodgers' publish-2013 cable rights. Since the Connected Press reported, Judge Leonard Stark launched a stay , pending a Jan. 12 hearing , from the federal personal personal bankruptcy court ruling on friday that enabled the Dodgers to begin selling people rights, even though they were not get to industry for nearly yearly. The private personal bankruptcy court had formerly ruled inside the Dodgers' favor, round the theory it might maximize the requirement for the bankrupt franchise, that's legally sure to be provided by April 30. The stay upholds, at the moment no less than, Fox Sports' contractual exclusivity through November. 30 on settling while using Dodgers for cable rights like the following a expiration from the current deal. Had Fox lost on these grounds, it could have faster the energy for other bidders , namely Time Warner Cable, that will most likely seek complimentary programming due to its soon-to-be-launched cable channels devoted for the La Opponents , to produce a play for your Dodgers. However, it has been stipulated the following who is the owner of the Dodgers is not sure to accept any TV rights deal created through the Dodgers' current owner, Frank McCourt. Consequently, the Dodgers' ultimate cable tv fate will most likely remain open prior to the possession transition happens. The fate of Fox Sports' Prime Ticket funnel is broadly considered to depend on having the ability to offer the Dodgers extended-term. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Jennifer Aniston Hints Shes Attempted Injectables

First Launched: December 16, 2011 2:30 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium La, Calif. -- Caption Jennifer Aniston reaches the 18th Annual ELLE Women In Hollywood Tribute within the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Slopes, Calif. on October 17, 2011 Jennifer Aniston was recently named Most widely used Lady ever, as well as the actress appears to own had outside assistance maintaining her appearance. The 42-year-old opened up up up about her beauty regime in InStyles The month of the month of january problem. People think that I perform a lot of injections, however dont. I'm not proclaiming that I havent attempted it however observe its a slippery slope, she told the mag. Everything cosmetic stuff looks absurd on me. The actress, recognized for her rocking bikini body, has furthermore states when she hits the beach, she now must up her SPF. Ive started getting people little sun spots, she referred to. The situation is beginning to be released. The feel [of my skin] is changing. So Ive recently started zapping the spots and achieving spray golden complexion whenever I am in a position to. And Ive graduated to showing SPF 60 sun block when Im round the beach. And possibly the very best existence-style change Jen makes in recent several days might spark a rumor or two. I quit smoking a few several days ago which i positioned on a couple of pounds, she revealed. Normally Id finish up like, Oh my gosh god, I obtained weight! Everyone will think Im pregnant! Now, I merely dont care. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bad Movies We Love: Clue

For once in Bad Movies We Love history, I’m both speechless and teary-eyed. The holiday season is here, and as far as I’m concerned, that means it’s time to wheel out the movies that are fucking dependable — the ones that enrich our families, provide nourishment for our newborns, and encourage Jesus to be more of a hilarious character actress. For me, this means one movie — my favorite movie — and one that could be considered bad if you are a heartless, freakish, braindead moviegoer who thinks that skittish ensemble comedies based on board games might be stupid. I would strangle those people in a poorly lit billiard room. The movie is Clue, it’s the one thing on Earth I’m positive I love, and I want to hug you as I write this. Girl, let’s hold our candlesticks high, our dignities low, and bludgeon the daylights out of Mr. Boddy. Where to begin, darlings? Even in terms of campy, overpopulated ’80s comedies, Clue is an anomaly. It resembles the (pretty unwatchable) Peter Sellers murder mystery Murder By Death in appearance and tone — and Eileen Brennan flaps about in both — but Clue defies the familiar whodunit genre with three strange attributes: 1. A rigid adherence to the characters, gameplay, and vaguely glamorous world inside Clue’s 2-D mansion; 2. An excess of jokes concerning Communism, J. Edgar Hoover, and shady politicians of the 1950s; 3. A cast that is trying so hard to sell every one-liner, aside, and petty plot machination that we see steam fly up from Lesley Ann Warren’s dcolletage every four minutes. For a frothy mystery comedy, it is deeply labored effort. I can’t gauge how or if a first-time viewer will appreciate the charismatic brio I so deeply cherish here. In fact, to an amateur, Clue may just seem like a barrage of underwritten jokes. But I don’t care. I am an indoctrinated attendee in Clue’s sprawling manor, and I can’t limit myself to choosing five fabulous parts of the movie. Since I ruined your life last week with Who’s That Girl, I’ll edify you with a lengthier tribute to Clue’s greatness. I’m picking its 25 most amazing moments. You can’t stop me — not with your revolver, your Jell-O rendering of Colleen Camp, or your Academy Award nomination for Private Benjamin. Sit back and giggle at the splendor. (I realize that some of this won’t make sense to first-timers, but please just let me freestyle here. True Clue lovers can’t blather enough about their adoration. Spoilers everywhere.) 25. The absolute lamest joke about Communism possible — repeated twice. Allow Miss Scarlet (the ravishing, Oscar-nominated Sarandon doppelganger Lesley Ann Warren) to define Communism for you. Pretty fishy! 24. The shamelessly hacky plot For the uninformed: Clue is about the game’s six familiar characters (Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, etc.) who are invited to a dinner party. Their host Wadsworth (Tim-effing-Curry) introduces them to a man named Mr. Boddy, who Wadsworth reveals is blackmailing all of them. Boddy turns up dead. Then other peripheral characters turn up dead. Wadsworth solves the murders and begins to explain how he figured them out. Then the movie treats us to — pay attention now — three separate endings, each with a different explanation for the 6-7 murders that occur in the mansion. Vamping and jokes ensue. Credits. It’s “Choose Your Own Adventure” for an Agatha Christie crowd. You’re hooked or you’re not a person. 23. Unnecessarily fantastic and nonsensical cameo #1: A character from Madeline Kahn’s past Wadsworth, in the throes of explaining how each of the murders occurred in ending #3, accuses the dark and mysterious Mrs. White of strangling Yvette the maid. He declares, “You were jealous that your husband was schtupping Yvette — that’s why you killed him, too!” The word “schtupping” is no accident. Madeline Kahn earned her second Oscar nom for playing Lili von Shtupp in Blazing Saddles. And Clue, of course, knows that you know that. Because it loves us. 22. Mr. Boddy is played by a notorious SNL musical guest. Lee Ving, the aptly monikered actor who plays Clue’s famously offed victim, possesses a hotheaded, Sean Penn-adjacent grit as Mr. Boddy. Indeed, he’s a true showbiz rioter: As the lead singer of the L.A. punk outfit Fear, Ving led a Saturday Night Live musical performance that devolved into audience stage-diving and thrashing. Producer Dick Ebersol stopped the performance midway through and cut to a pre-taped rehearsal performance in its place. That’s about as rock n’ roll as Clue gets. Because ahem: 21. The soundtrack — for white people who love white people who rip off black people Clue is set in 1954 New England, and the hilariously pre-Elvis soundtrack reflects that. The two key records playing throughout the manor are Bill Haley and the Comets’ tidy rendition of Big Joe Turner’s much more libidinous “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” and the white doo-wop group the Crew Cuts’ version of The Chords’ “Sh-Boom.” Go back to the Delta and whine about it, black innovators! The whites are loving their un-syncopated good times. Shake it, Yvette.

FCC Passes Act to Turn Down Volume on TV Ads

After four years at the top of the LA Times' newsroom, editor and executive vice president Russ Stanton will step down on Dec. 23. He will be succeeded by managing editor Davan Maharaj. Stanton, 52, joined the LA Times in 1997 as a business reporter in Orange County. During Stanton's tenure as editor, the newsroom staff shrank from more than 900 people to approximately 550 through layoffs and amid reports that the publication's film and TV advertising revenues have shrunk. The newspaper also, however, expanded its digital reach to more than 17 million readers and won three Pulitzer Prizes. "I'm very proud of what this staff has accomplished over the last four years," Stanton, said in the announcement. "This is a newsroom filled with dedicated, knowledgeable and experienced journalists, and under Davan's leadership there is continued greatness ahead for the Los Angeles Times." "Russ Stanton has been an outstanding editor for the Los Angeles Times over the past four years," said Times President and Chief Operating Officer Kathy Thomson. "As he moves on to the next phase of his career, we are extremely fortunate to have someone as talented and experienced as Davan Maharaj, who can step in immediately with energy and vision for how to continue The Times' advancement in the digital age." Maharaj, 49, will be the LA Times' 15th editor. He has worked at the paper for 22 years and previously held the posts of assistant foreign editor and Business editor with stints in Orange County, Los Angeles and East Africa. "I am humbled and honored to lead one of the most talented and resilient newsrooms in the nation," he said. "We've made huge strides in getting our journalism to wide and diverse audiences across Southern California and beyond. We will continue to push forward, especially in the digital and mobile space. Our commitment to delivering high-quality journalism remains unwavering." Related Topics Los Angeles Times

Charlie Sheen's 'Anger Management' Lands First International Deal With Canada's CTV

Casey Nicholaw, who co-directed The Book of Mormon as well as the stage version of Elf, is in talks to direct the Austin Powers musical being developed by Mike Myers and Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures.our editor recommendsMike Myers Welcomes Baby BoyMike Myers Best Moments in Austin Powers (Video)Mike Myers Expected to Close 'Austin Powers 4' Deal Colin Callender, the former HBO Films president whose run included the acclaimed Band of Brothers and Angels in America, and partner Sonia Friedman are producing the musical, which will be set to the music of Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. Myers will write the story, which will act as a prequel to the movies, though the NY Post reported that he will not star in the production. Sources tell THR that the musical will be set in 1960s London and detail how Powers first acquired his mighty mojo. PHOTOS: 'South Park's' Most Famous Spoofs The three Powers movies, released by New Line, spoofed the 1960s spy genre popularized by the James Bond series and featured a swinging spy transported to modern times. The movies had a "fake movie" self-awareness to them, sometimes playing up the fact that parts were taking place on soundstages. The movies also featured musical numbers and montages, and Myers is said to consider the movies to be musicals. He also is a fan of Bacharach's music (The Look of Love is Myers' father favorite song). Incidentally, it was first heard in the 1967 Bond satire Casino Royale and was nominated for the best song Oscar. PHOTOS: Tony Awards 2011 Myers also is developing a fourth installment of the Powers movies but that project hasn't yet reached the writing stage. Nicholaw has proven himself adept at wielding a comedic and musical touch. He shared a Tony with Trey Parker for directing Book of Mormon, which swept the Tonys earlier this year. He also did the choreography for the musical. Nicholaw also pulled double duty for the Elf production and choreographed Spamalot. Email: Borys.Kit@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Kit PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Modern Film & Television Comedians Related Topics Mike Myers

Guy Ritchie on Sherlock Holmes 2, Powerful Friends, Madonna, and His RocknRolla Sequel

The stakes are higher and the villains far more treacherous (Moriarty!), but everything in Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows is of a piece with the 2009 predecessor that introduced Robert Downey Jr.’s turn as the titular OCD turn of the century sleuth. For director Guy Ritchie it’s felt like one long evolution from the days of Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels; now, at the helm of his biggest film to date — which features some of the most innovative action sequences of the season — Ritchie is firmly in his wheelhouse. As he told Movieline recently in Los Angeles, “I enjoy playing in a bigger sandbox… and I enjoy having powerful friends to help me manifest a vision.” Said sandbox feels considerably roomier this go-round with Holmes, who finds himself obsessing over his newly discovered nemesis Moriarty (played splendidly by Jared Harris), the evil mastermind behind a plot that could bring all of Europe to the brink of war. Recapturing the jaunty tone that made Sherlock Holmes a commercial and critical hit, Ritchie ups the ante with a new female foil (Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), kinetic new action techniques dreamed up for the film, and an even more overt man-love between Holmes and his loyal right hand man, Dr. Watson (Jude Law). Movieline caught up with Ritchie to discuss how the Sherlock sequel came together, the benefits of the aforementioned “powerful friends,” his recent comments about his marriage to Madonna, and when that long-awaited RocknRolla sequel will happen. When it came time to decide where to go with the sequel, did you feel there were a lot of potential different story directions to go in? Not really. It was very early on that the decision was made that it was going to be about war, and then that evolved from there. That was a completely ongoing creative process until really we finished filming. The plot here taps into a revisionist fantasy; what if Sherlock Holmes could have stopped World War I? I thought an important aspect of the philosophy behind the film, if you will, is that maybe Moriarty isn’t the problem. Maybe the problem lies in the human condition. I like that because it stops pointing the finger at anyone in particular and it points more at the human condition than it does at an individual. In a traditional sense we’ve got a villain that we can blame, but then he points the finger at everyone else and I think that’s a plausible accusation that he makes. Hence, well, there was a war wasn’t there? And the quote is, “Hidden in the unconscious is an insatiable desire for conflict.” I like the idea that Moriarty had somehow capitalized on that. He knew eventually, however big the gun got would be how big the conflict would become. History has illustrated that point most eloquently. Do you think or hope that your audience reads deeper elements into Sherlock Holmes? Noomi Rapace’s Sim has a line, for example, where she talks about not having papers. That’s because she’s a gypsy! But listen, I don’t care if you take any philosophy away from it or you don’t, it’s up to the individual, but I like the idea that we thought about those things, and I like the idea that it has that dimension to it. But I’m afraid not having papers doesn’t mean anything to me as an Englishman, right, so it’s wasted on me. But I like the idea that we thought about it. This is a sequel that builds on its predecessor, like all great sequels do, which allows you to comment on not only what happened previously but also address the critical and audience reaction to the first film. And one area in which Game of Shadows seems to embrace even more this time around is the love between Sherlock and Holmes - it’s almost post-bromantic, so beyond subtext that it’s overt. Yeah, and that to a small degree was what I gleaned from Conan Doyle’s Holmes and Watson. Partly, they needed to be camp to balance the macho aspect of their characters. Plus, no one else was doing that thing. So that worked. But also, to me this doesn’t feel so much as a sequel as it does the ongoing narrative of Holmes and Watson; it lends itself to a very long story of Holmes and Watson, it was designed as such. So it just feels like an ongoing saga to me. Your Sherlock-O-Vision, in which Holmes predicts a sequence of events in his mind before they happen, was a great idea in the first film. Here you build on that with a great twist, which I won’t spoil. But you also here have a forest action sequence playing with speeds and camera rigs to great effect. Do you conceive of these visual techniques beforehand — are these tricks that you’re itching to try? Yeah, usually, and then you come up with a theme that you think will work. And then on the day you find out if it really works. Like the forest sequence, I had the idea of two cameras on a speed rail — that meant that everything about that camera was moving ultra-fast, the frame speed and the physical projection of the camera itself. So there was a lot in there and I hoped that it was going to produce an interesting aesthetic — and I wasn’t really sure until I got on with it. I extended a couple of days when I saw it was working. Most directors seem to try out new techniques like that on smaller projects or shorts before doing it full on in a film. I usually do, I usually shoot a commercial a year and try to stick whatever it is I’m interested in into the commercial. But you do it on movies too; you try an idea in the first movie and you can fully exploit it in the second. Which visual trick were you most proud to pull off? I think I probably like the forest sequence most. I’ve seen the forest sequence hundreds of times and I still like watching it, so that’s probably my favorite sort of “fuck-dust” scene, if you will. “Fuck-dust?” Fuck-dust, yeah. [Laughs] In terms of being through a lot of tinsel, which I enjoy. It’s enough to keep me stimulated in all sorts of ways. Lovely! Going back to your beginnings, Lock, Stock is so much a part of your story but you’ve come so far in terms of the kinds of films you’re making and the budgets you’re working with. What is the biggest difference in terms of how you make films? I’m not sure, I’ve sort of forgotten about the experience. Well, I haven’t forgotten it but I don’t sort of look back on them, really. You know, filmmaking is pretty much after a while about confidence and zeroes, and the zeroes are less intimidating than you might think. But there has been an evolution; the first job I did was for 250 pounds, the next one was for 1,000 pounds, the next was for 5,000 pounds. Then 25,000, then 50,000, and then a million. Then a million to five, and ten, and fifteen to whatever the last one was. So it’s evolved, and now the zeroes I don’t find as intimidating as I would’ve. And I enjoy playing in a bigger sandbox. I enjoy the tools. And I enjoy having powerful friends to help me manifest a vision, essentially. Filmmaking’s great fun but it’s even more fun if you’ve got friends with deep pockets that are also deeply invested in the process. And by powerful friends you mean your producers? Yeah, producers at a studio which have been nothing but helpful for me. Do you find you have to fight frequently over projects? Occasionally you fight, but I think a studio wants you to fight. People fight with me and often I want them to fight with me just to test a theory. Sometimes a theory needs to be tested and sometimes you need to stick a flag in the ground to find out whether the theory is valid. People put forward valid arguments or they don’t. I suppose it’s like a court of law in that sense; things and theories need to be tested, and often that means people get excited and arguments are involved, but that’s all part of the creative process. Giving birth is painful. By a coincidence of timing, Madonna’s film W.E. is coming out around the same time as Sherlock Holmes 2; you recently described your marriage to Madonna as a soap opera, but do you think the filmmaking impulse in any way influenced her during your time together? I don’t know, she’s always been interested in film. Actually, I sort of encouraged her to be interested in film and she used quite a lot of my crew on her film. I haven’t seen her film and I haven’t read her script so it’s hard for me to comment, but I wish her the best with it. And I think most people’s marriages are like soap operas so I don’t know if I’m unique in that sense, to a degree, but I suppose it was exceptionally operatic. [Smiles] But then as I say I suppose everyone’s is at some point or another. And finally, is there any movement on that RocknRolla sequel you’ve been wanting to make? You know, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it! I’ve written a script, I think it’s a great script, and Joel [Silver] wants to pay for me to do it. But up until now we haven’t had the time to do it. It’s sitting there and we’d all like to do it, it’s just a question of when we’re going to fit it in. So we’ll wait and see. Wait until after Sherlock Holmes 2 opens? [Nods] Everything changes once a film’s released. I just have to wait until this film is released before I can even predict what’s going to happen next. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

CBS's 'Face the Nation' Will Expand to a single Hour to Rival 'Meet the Press' and 'This Week'

our editor recommends'Saturday Evening Live': Katy Perry Hosts, Alec Baldwin Can get Last Laugh on American Airline carriers (Video)SNL: Even Satan Upset by Penn Condition Scandal (VIDEO)Where Alec Baldwin Was Before He Boarded His American Airline carriers Flight (Video) Alec Baldwin came back to 30 Rock Saturday evening for just about any special appearance on Saturday Evening Live. But he wasn't acting like his usual self. After Baldwin was started a u . s . states Airline carriers flight the other day for decreasing to energy lower his cell phone while playing Words With Pals, the actor launched a sarcastic apology for the airline travel by having an article launched inside the Huffington Publish. STORY: 'Words With Pals' Defends Alec Baldwin After He Was Started American Airline carriers Flight So as a solution, the captain in the flight-who suspiciously looks as being similar to the 30 Rock actor-switched on Weekend Update with Seth Meyers. Getting a thick southern drawl, American Airline carriers' "Captain Steve Rogers" launched an apology for the actor, who he calls "a u . s . states treasure." "I am ashamed in the manner he was treated," the "pilot" mentioned. "I'm speaking about, what harm would it not do to be able to permit him to keep playing his game? Not just any game really, but a factor game for smart people." Meyers ongoing to whisper to Baldwin with the apology, "Alec, are you currently certain that is the best way to handle this?" That Baldwin would break from character and say, "Yeah, keep on.In . "Okay Alex, that is a lot of, I'd rather not be a part of this any more,Inch Meyers mentioned, stifling Captain Rogers while he empathized with Baldwin for slamming the bathroom door in the plane lavatory. "Seth I'm not Alec," Captain Rogers responded. "But When only I used to be-that man's the hero! A smart hero!" Related Subjects Alec Baldwin Seth Meyers Saturday Evening Live