Academy and Other Hollywood Groups Urge Iran to Free Jailed Filmmakers

Last week, director Jafar Panahi's latest movie was screened at the NY Film Festival, even as an appeals court in his native Iran upheld his sentence, calling for six years of imprisonment and a 20-year ban on filmmaking or travel outside his homeland. He's one of several of Iran's most prominent filmmakers who've faced harsh sentences in recent weeks. Now, Hollywood has come together in support of the jailed artists. On Wednesday, a joint statement came from the Academy as well as Hollywood's top unions and trade groups, urging Iran to free the filmmakers and actors whose draconian sentences were recently handed down or upheld on appeal. Panahi and fellow filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof were arrested in March 2010 and accused of making anti-government films. Since last May, Panahi has been under house arrest. In December, he and Rasoulof received six-year prison sentences and were banned for 20 years from directing movies, writing screenplays, talking to the press or traveling outside Iran (except for medical care or to make pilgrimages to Mecca). Last week, an appeals court reduced Rasoulof's jail term to one year but upheld Panahi's sentence. Panahi and Rasoulof had been working on a documentary about the turmoil surrounding the 2009 Iranian elections. Panahi argued that he wasn't making an anti-government film; ironically, he did start making one during his house arrest. Shot in collaboration with Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, 'This Is Not a Film' chronicled a typical day of Panahi's house arrest during his appeals struggle. Shot in part on an iPhone, it was smuggled out of Iran on a flash drive hidden in a cake, which is how it managed to screen at Cannes and the NYFF this year. Now Mirtahmasb is under arrest, too. Excerpt from 'This Is Not a Film' Also drawing international outrage was the sentence against actress Marzieh Vafamehr, who starred in the 2009 Australian film 'My Tehran for Sale.' In some scenes, she appeared without her head covered (permissible, she argued, because her hair was shaved off), prompting a sentence of 90 lashes and a year in prison. According to The Guardian, director Granaz Moussavi said she provided the court with documentation citing permission from the government to make the film, but when it screened at the Toronto Film Festival two years ago, the filmmakers boasted of having shot much of the film guerrilla-style, without permits. Other film artists recently targeted for prosecution include Ramin Parchami (an actor recently sentenced to a year in jail after being held since his arrest in February during opposition protests) and six documentary filmmakers accused of being British spies (two are still being held). "We join our colleagues around the world in calling unequivocally for these filmmakers' safety, release, and return to filmmaking," said the Academy statement. "They deserve the same, full freedom of expression that the overwhelming majority of our members enjoy every day, no matter where they are from, no matter where they work, no matter what their beliefs." The Academy statement was issued in conjunction with similar statements by the Screen Actors Guild, the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild, the Producers Guild, the American Cinema Editors, the American Society of Cinematographers and the International Documentary Association. The Hollywood heavyweights' joint statement follows one made earlier this week by a group of 21 Iranian film artists working outside Iran. The group, which includes Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and directors Mohsen and Samira Makhmalbaf, called upon the world's governments, film festivals, and movie and TV organizations to petition Iran's government for the filmmakers' release. The group also called for economic sanctions and boycotts of Iran's official movie and TV organizations. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Follow Gary Susman on Twitter: @garysusman

'Glee' Cast Boosts Money for Budding Screenwriters at Youthful Storytellers Annual Benefit

What goes on once the Simpsons meet The Exorcist and also the stars from Glee carry it out? Well, a lot of money of money will get elevated for Hollywood-preferred charitable organisation Youthful Storytellers.our editor recommends'Glee' Star Cory Monteith Confesses He 'Was From Control' With Drugs'Glee's' Harry Shum Junior.: An Ultimatum Could Impact Mike and Tina, New Directions (Video)'Glee': Chord Overstreet Out as Darren Criss, Harry Shum Junior. Upped to Regulars'Glee' Season 3: Matthew Morrison and Jayma Mays Share a minute (Video) On Saturday evening, the business -- which connects mentors in the market with schoolchildren to assist them to write short scripts -Held its annual "The Greatest Show" benefit at Santa Monica's Crossroads School for Arts & Sciences. PHOTOS: 'Glee' Season 3: The Episodics Four kids were selected from around 700 students who required part within the program in the last year, and the like stars as Raven-Symone, Diary of the Wimpy Kid's Devon Stockand Glee's Us dot Marie Johnson, Cory Monteith, Harry Shum Junior. and Jayma Mays did cold blood pressure measurements-performances from the material. One of the highlights would be a script by 12-year-old Noam Greenfield from L.A.'s Canfield Elementary. "Noam's script would be a mash-from The Exorcist and also the Simpsons. You'd figures like Bart Skywalker and Darth Homer," states Abram Makowka, author-director from the 2010'sTug, who mentored Greenfield this past year. "We all do let the kids to develop something wholly initially and never to lick of the favorite show or movie. but it was so beyond his years that people just allow him to gone with it. It's known as The Simpire." PHOTOS: 'Glee' Season 3: To School Pictures The Youthful Storytellers runs enter in about 30 Title 1 schools, that are schools having a high area of free or reduced-cost breakfast and lunch program participants, a poverty indicator. Ten students per semester are combined with industry professionals, who they talk with to have an hour per week for seven days. In the finish of every session, stars arrived at the college to do what's known as "The Large Show." The audience can thank Glee co-creatorBrad Falchukfor getting cast people to go to the penultimate "Greatest Show." He co-founded Youthful Storytellers with Burn Notice professional producer Mikkel Bondesen and film writer Andrew Barrett. PHOTOS: Behind the curtain of Emmy Contender Glee's 'Rumours' Episode "For a number of these kids within the program, either British is another language, or they don't have lots of chance to appear and heard, may it be by their instructors or peers," states Falchuk. "Oftentimes, they're viewed as troublemakers or don't do this well in class or viewed as kids who don't cash to provide. Through writing the script, they gain self-esteem. It sometimes doesn't get together until they reveal up at 'The Large Show' and all of a sudden you will find these famous stars carrying out a reading through of the play also it's great. All of a sudden everybody sees them in a different way." Adds Makowka: "It's exceptional for building their self-confidence as well as for teaching them they have a voice." Related Subjects Glee Harry Shum Junior. Jayma Mays Cory Monteith Kaira Falchuk

Rdio launches free tier

Music streaming site Rdio has released a totally free version of their service, which makes it the first one to offer free on-demand music without advertisements. The freemium tier, which bows today, will operate in collaboration with Rdio's existing compensated tiers. Customers can subscribe to a forex account through Facebook or by delivering their email, and won't be needed to provide charge card info or download software to start listening. Customers might find an onscreen meter denoting just how much free music is at hand every month. Rdio rejected to reveal precisely the number of hrs is going to be available. The move comes in a busy time for that digital music streaming world, that was shaken up within the summer time through the U.S. debut of Spotify, the very first on-demand service to provide a free option. Further disruption showed up with Facebook's Open Graph platform, which enables customers to talk about streaming music activity through their profiles, but necessitates the user's buddies a subscription towards the same plan to sample this content, placing a premium on free access. Recently, streaming service MOG revealed a totally free, ad-supported tier of their own, and longtime on-demand player Rhapsody introduced a 30-day ''free trial'' period because of its offering. (Rhapsody also acquired Napster on Monday.) Rdio's insufficient an advertisement-supported model because of its free services are unique. While Spotify is betting on transforming a lot of its free customers to compensated customers, the organization does accrue some revenue from advertising. Rdio Boss Came Larner noted that although the service's gratis option stretches well beyond typical trial periods, the free ride doesn't continue indefinitely, and free customers is going to be requested a subscription eventually. Produced by Skype and Kazaa founders Niklas Zennstrom and Janus Friis, Rdio was released this year and it has a catalog of 12 million tunes. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Social Power Rankings: Glee Makes People Cry!

Glee "Asian F," Tuesday's emotional roller coaster of an episode of Glee, certainly got people talking - and as a result, it's No. 1 in Wednesday's Social Power Rankings. The consensus? It made people literally weep. "Last night I was a crying mess. Anyone who has been in a drama club or a glee club understands the emotions Mercedes has," says TVGuide.com commenter Giovanni Moretti. "When Will sang to Emma, that was it, all over, the entire box of Puffs was gone." Fans were also glad to see Mike Chang and Brittany Pierce take center stage. "It's strange to think that back in Season 1 Brittany and Mike were just window dressing," says TVGuide.com commenter bobby-j. "Heather [Morris] and Harry [Shum] have proven that they can dance, act, and sing. It was nice seeing them getting some good screen time."Other hot topics: Wednesday's premiere of American Horror Story, the possible end of The Simpsons' 23-season run and the cancellation of The Playboy Club. User @nevrothwen tweeted: "Am I the only one who actually liked Playboy Club?" Answer: Yes. (Sorry.)Check back anytime to see the latest Social Power Rankings, which are updated in real time throughout the week.

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Coroner: Shaun Conaway's Dying Was Triggered by Infection

Shaun Conaway An autopsy has says Shaun Conaway's dying was accidental and triggered with a major internal infection, the coroner told The Connected Press. Grease actor Shaun Conaway dies at 60 La County coroner Craig Harvey told the AP that the toxicology test wasn't carried out because Conaway have been put in the hospital for days prior to his dying and the bloodstream would have return clean. However, Harvey did observe that the actor's bloodstream contained traces of opiates along with other drugs when he was initially accepted towards the hospital. See other stars who've died this season Conaway died at age 60 on May 27, 2011. The actor, who had been most widely known for playing Kenicke in Grease and the role around the TV series Taxi, constantly battled with addiction, most of which was recorded on Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Came.