The Grey tops the US box office

Liam Neeson's rock-hard thriller The Grey has slogged its way to the top of the US box office, after an opening weekend of $20 million knocked Underworld: Awakening off its perch.The vampires and werewolves saga slipped to second with a $12.5 million weekend, narrowly edging out Katherine Heigl's latest misfire, One For The Money.Red Tails slipped several places to fourth with $10.4 million, while Sam Worthington's Man On A Ledge opened disappointingly with just $8.25 million in the coffers.The Oscar-nominated Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close continued to underwhelm at the box office, adding just over $7 million to its overall haul. The Academy Award announcement also seemed to make a negligible influence on The Descendants which took around $6.5 million.Mark Wahlberg's Contraband was in eigth spot on $6.5 million, with another action thriller propping up the table in the shape of Haywire, on $4 million. Sandwiched between those two is the 3D refit of Beauty And The Beast, which took £5.3 million.Next week sees Daniel Radcliffe arrive in US screens with The Woman In Black. Can he scare some life into an otherwise turgid box office? We'll have to wait and see...

Joaquin Martinez dies at 81

Actor Joaquin Martinez, best appreciated for your role of offerings His Shirt Red-colored-colored in Sydney Pollack's Robert Redford starrer "Jeremiah Manley" as well as the title role in Robert Aldrich's "Ulzana's Raid" (1972), starring Burt Lancaster, died on Jan. 3 at his home in Everdingen, Holland, carrying out a brief have trouble with pancreatic cancer. He was 81. Born in Cozumel, Mexico, Martinez examined Method acting with Seki Sano and located prominence in Carlos Velo's Mexican film "Pedro Paramo," which opened up at Cannes in 1967. Soon after he gone after La and labored becoming an actor in film, on television and onstage more than 3 decades. Offered stereotypical roles, like many Latino stars, throughout his career in Hollywood, Martinez activly works to redefine the various, sometimes getting him into conflict with producers and company company directors. His TV work including guest roles in many Western series, including "The Top Chapparal," "Bonanza" and "Gunsmoke" guest gigs on "Marcus Welby, M.D.," "Ironside," "Quincy," "L.A. Law," "Empire" and "Northern Exposure" and roles in telepics and miniseries incliuding "Ishi: All the His Tribe," "Centennial," "How a West Was Won" and "Gems for Ibarra." Film credits Bille August's 1993 "Home from the Spirits," and "Revenge" (1990), starring Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn. In 2001, Lee Tamahori cast Martinez inside the Jason Bourne thriller "Die A Later DateInch based on his longtime recognition of Martinez's performance in "Ulzana's Raid." Onstage Joaquin came out with Christopher Reeve and Christine Lahti in Tennessee Williams' "Summer season and Smoke" within the Ahmanson in 1988. He appeared to become a geniune cast part of the musical drama "Zoot Suit." Martinez is managed to get by his wife, Marja Valkestijn boy Christopher, a publicist a daughter, Jennifer stepson Sjoerd and former wife Mary Preston. Donations may be created in the memory for the SAG Children's Fund for Children's Literacy. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

WGA Nominations 2012: 'Win Win,' 'Bridesmaids' and Steve Zaillian Among Nominees

It seems like no less than lots of people haven't overlooked 'Win Win.' The well-examined, honours-season afterthought received a sizable boost on Thursday within the Authors Guild of America when Tom McCarthy was among the five nominees for top Original Script. The WGA also selected Diablo Cody (for 'Young Adult'), Will Reiser (for '50/50'), Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (for 'Bridesmaids') and Woodsy Allen (for 'Midnight in Paris') as original script nominees. Round the modified side, the scripts for 'The Descendants,' 'The Help,' 'Hugo' as well as the Steve Zaillian twosome, 'Moneyball' and 'The Girl While using Dragon Tattoo,' were designated as honorees. Clearly, don't go putting lower a pleasant earnings on these films within your Oscar conjecture pools at this time around the WGA considered scripts for 'The Artist,' 'Beginners,' 'Drive,' 'Margin Call,' 'Shame,' 'Melancholia,' 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,' 'The Iron Lady,' 'The Skin Home Is,A 'Martha Marcy May Marlene' and 'My Week With Marilyn' ineligible. So! What can the WGA nominations mean for your Academy awards? That 'Bridesmaids' is virtually locked to, no less than, a Best Original Script nomination it's doubtful the trio of Will Reiser, Diablo Cody and Tom McCarthy will all get requested for the Kodak Theater in February with 'The Artist' and 'Beginners' residual which 'War Horse' is most likely not the Oscar favorite you assume. The Richard Curtis and Lee Hall adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's novel was snubbed despite getting qualification for just about any WGA nomination. [via GoldDerby.com] [Photo: Fox Searchlight] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Simon Cowell Idol idol judges The X Factor

Simon Cowell, The X Factor The X Factor burst onto TV wanting being the greater, bigger brother of yank Idol. But ratings were not as large - The X Factor has averaged 12.7 million audiences this fall compared to American Idol's 25 million last season. Still, professional producer Simon Cowell states viewer awareness expires, aided with the show's surprise eliminations and unscripted drama. "Inside the U.K., it needed us seven seasons to really get to some degree where I used to be happy," states Cowell, who created the show in England. After one season inside the U.S., "I'm happy with the talent, I'm pleased with the thrill, but people know the show." He confesses there has been a few hiccups this season, specially the failure of Paula Abdul's groups. "Paula developed a large mistake," states Cowell. "She should have saved that kids' group [inTENsity] in. Beginning the second year, hopefully we'll improve groups." There has been intense debate and anger surrounding options created by judge/mentor Nicole Scherzinger. After voting off Came Ryniewicz after which it forcing a deadlock that sent Rachel Crow home, audiences are actually viciously attacking Scherzinger through Tweets ("You are a lowlife for voting off Rachel!"), Facebook messages in addition to dying risks. "It's absurd, but I've had them formerly and i'm still alive," states Cowell. "I respect the fact we have rules, and you also can't cry relating to this after because that's the way is." Could he replace Scherzinger next season? "Don't know,In . according to him. "We change these shows constantly. You give consideration towards the network, you give consideration towards the sponsors." Ultimately, Cowell thinks they've satisfied their mission statement. "We came the following to discover a star, but we found a few,Inch according to him. "People now have the rules and understand that we encourage older entertainers and teens to compete. I actually do think we're part of a next-generation talent show." Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Digital tools add quality, spend less

'The Girl using the Dragon Tattoo'The fluid workflow of digital editing is developing a faster, cheaper and -- based on Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter, co-editors of "The Lady Using the Dragon Tattoo," -- better method of making movies.What was once visual effects tasks, for example compositing, is now able to handled within the editing bay faster and much more inexpensively, and also the shots will go back in to the cut.Digital tools also empower the editors to seize their most favorite components from multiple takes -- an actor's line reading through in one take, another actor's entrance from another -- and mix them. The end result, hopefully, is preferable to any take that happened at the time.InchWhenever we enter into that final degree of detail, everything begins to sing," Baxter states. "There's an amount of minute particulars which help an editor give clearness that ultimately produces a much better film."

Film Incentives be employed in New You'll be able to

Whilst many states boost the debate round the real price of tax incentives to boost film and television production, the consensus in NY seems being that such incentives complete the job. Which position now appears to own received support within the latest data released with the Bureau at the office Statistics (BLS).NY state's incentives are mentioned to lead to aiding to lure such projects as films "The Bourne Legacy," "Males in Black III" and "New Year's Eve" and tv series "Blue Bloods," "Boardwalk Empire," "Damages," "Person of curiosity,In . "Glee," "Gossip Girl" and "Pan Am."Research in to the data signifies the film and television production industry makes up about greater than 141,000 jobs within the health of NY, including direct production-related jobs additionally to indirect jobs in companies coping with the expansion industry. The core production jobs covered inside the 2010 jobs report in the NY Condition Comptroller are around 43,000, an increase of 20% within the 36,000 jobs in 2008, plus an increase of 22% over 2009. (The expansion recession this past year is credited to uncertainty in individuals days in regards to the incentives program.)With non-core production-related jobs place in, the quantity of direct jobs reaches 48,690, up 13% (nearly 5,600) over 2009. (Annual overall job growth between 2009 and 2010 in NY Condition was flat country wide it absolutely was lower 1%. NY's production incentive features a 30% refundable tax credit applied against qualified costs. Furthermore for the BLS report, the incentives' success may also be measured with the rise in NY projects. This Season, the NY film incentive program received 91 programs for your incentives, including 71 movies, six television aircraft aircraft pilots and 14 television series. This Season, the program stood a 66% boost, with 137 programs so far, including 91 movies, 20 television aircraft aircraft pilots and 26 television series, according to NY Condition Governor's Office for Film and television Development.In one instance of the area impact of filming, the feature "Arthur," which shot in NY for 48 days this season, spent greater than $26 million with local providers, making greater than 4,300 local utilizes, including 1,043 crew people."The completely new job figures released by BLS confirm what a lot of us working for this industry know actually was, that film and television production remains a catalyst for NY's economic recovery," mentioned Mike Jackman, co-chair in the NY Production Alliance, a company of guilds, unions, providers the ones representing the film industry. "It's of not surprising really the only dip in job growth came throughout 2009, yearly funding for your NY Condition incentive briefly went dry," he added. "The NY Condition Film Credit, created with the legislature and maintained under Governor Andrew Cuomo, is constantly create job options for NYers within the economic spectrum." John Ford, leader of IA local 52, mentioned, "Regarding the males and girls at Local 52, we are so pleased with the impact of individuals programs if this involves real job growth. The robustness of production in NY suggests that there are more chance and competition for professional studio mechanics, artists and craftspeople." "Film tax credits create jobs, stimulate local economic climates, and film productions in-condition," added Richard Masur, chair in the Screen Stars Guild national legislative committee and former Guild leader. "SAG individuals have experienced an increase in work due to these credits, plus a thirty percent increase in background actor workdays. These extra occasions of employment keep stars working and make them to become qualified for any medical insurance and pension benefits.""States understand that film and television production bring elevated investment and good jobs, which explains why NY put incentives in place and the reasons you start to see the positive year-after-year rise in this sector," mentioned Vans Stevenson, senior V . p . of condition government matters within the Film Association of America. "Competition between states and Canada is fierce of those jobs since they are the types of work people want - with benefits plus an average salary of $79,000 yearly - which describes why an ailment like NY focuses on growing this sector."Stevenson also challenged recent claims the development tax credit was in some manner directly affecting funding for public schools, particularly in NY City. "The assertion that public school students not have access to the educational assets due to there being a low cost allocation for your production incentive program is intellectually dishonest and factually incorrect," he mentioned. "For example, this past year the film and television production companies spent $5.10 for every dollar invested with the condition inside the program, in line with the group of the Empire Condition Film Production Credit launched August 2010 with the NY Condition Department of Taxation and Finance as well as the NY Condition Governor's Office of motion Picture and television Development. This is a really positive return on investment.Inch Contact Peter Caranicas at peter.caranicas@variety.com

Rosie ODonnell Engaged!

First Released: December 5, 2011 3:05 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium La, Calif. -- Caption Rosie ODonnell and Michelle Models attend the fourth Annual Thanksgiving Feed a buddy at Bongos, Miami, Fla., on November 24, 2011 Rosie ODonnell is engaged to Michelle Models, a businesswoman, her repetition confirmed to gain access to Hollywood on Monday. The repetition told Access the 2 grew to become engaged several days ago and can still split their time between NY City and Chicago, where Rosie films her The famous host oprah Winfrey Network talk show, The Rosie Show. Rosie and Michelle first went public using their romance in the red-colored carpet for that Building Dreams for children Gala in NY City in September. When news of the romance first broke, a resource told People who Rosie and also the IT company headhunter met in a cafe captured. They met in a Local cafe a couple of several weeks ago, a resource told the magazines website at that time. They're adorable together and therefore are very, happy. Rosie and her last girlfriend, Tracy Kachtick-Anders, apparently split in Feb 2011 after at least a year of dating. The talk show host was with Kelli Contractor, a tv marketing executive, from 2004-2007. The happy couple have four children together Parker, Chelsea and Blake, who have been all adopted and Vivienne Rose, who Kelli delivered in 2002. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.