BBC America developing two new series

BBC America is developing two new series with Blighty shingle Clerkenwell Films, with BBC Worldwide disseminating.Sci-fi drama ''Wired'' arises from Steven Volk (''Afterlife'') and happens in the world similar to ours with the exception that it's occupied by synthetic replicas of humans. Styles in the series include man's relationship with technology and the way that affects society values and morals.''The Dead Beat,'' from John Jackson (''Being Human''), can be a buddy cop drama through which one of the authorities is dead. ''We couldn't are more excited being developing these British projects with Clerkenwell , our first originals inside the sci-fi genre,'' BBC America g.m. Perry Simon mentioned. ''Supernatural Saturday has converted into a well known fixture on BBC America's schedule, which two highly ideas provide a new dimension towards the programming.''BBC America signed a non-exclusive development deal with Clerkenwell in September.''There's a great energy behind this partnership,'' Clerkenwell Boss Murray Ferguson mentioned, ''The prospect of reaching an international audience is exciting.'' Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Gooding great for Fox pilot

GoodingCuba Gooding Junior. has arranged what can be his first TV series regular role, in Fox drama pilot "Guilty."Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Micrograms and Peter Manley are professional creating the pilot, compiled by Guggenheim and directed by Micrograms, which will feature Gooding like a wrongly disbarred defense attorney who solve crimes while seeking revenge on individuals who setup his fall.Gooding, the 1996 supporting actor Oscar-champion for "Jerry Maguire," has made an appearance mainly in features, aside from early career efforts just like a recurring part on "MacGyver" 2 decades ago. Most lately, he was seen around the giant screen in The month of january release "Red-colored Tails.""Guilty" originates from Berlanti Productions, LegalScribe Entertainment and Wonderland Seem and Vision in colaboration with Warner Bros. TV. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

EFM biz boom for German distribs

BERLIN -- German distribs stocked up on movies at this year's European Film Market in Berlin, which saw bustling business. Studiocanal Germany picked up Leslye Headland's Sundance screener "The Bachelorette," starring Kirsten Dunst, Regis Roinsard's "Populaire," with Romain Duris and Berenice Bejo ("The Artist"), and Caroline Link's German drama "Marokko," starring Ulrich Tukur. In the run-up to EFM, the company also acquired Robert Zemeckis' "Flight," starring Denzel Washington. Studiocanal is fortifying its German activities with a three-pillar strategy that includes independent acquisitions, German films and in-house international productions, such as Susanne Bier's "Serena," starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. Studiocanal Germany is also set to release Terrence Malick's "Lawless" and "Knight of Cups" as well as Derek Cianfrance's "The Place Beyond the Pines," starring Cooper and Ryan Gosling. The distrib likewise nabbed Blu-ray/DVD rights to Mark Cousins' 15-part TV series "The Story of Film: An Odyssey," which unspooled at the Berlinale. Prokino Filmverleih acquired Bier's "All You Need Is Love," starring Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm; Ken Loach's "The Angel's Share" and the documentary "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel," about the influential fashion editor. Josh Boone's family drama "Writers," with Greg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly, went to Wild Bunch Germany, which also bought Ashton Kutcher heist comedy "Chase Liberty" and Stefano Sollima's hit Italian police drama "A.C.A.B.: All Cops Are Bastards." Wild Bunch's releases include Angelina Jolie's Berlinale screener "In the Land of Blood and Honey." Capelight Pictures, which is releasing Berlinale opener "Farewell, My Queen" in May, took Klaartje Quirijns' documentary and Berlinale Special screener "Anton Corbijn Inside Out," about the Dutch photographer and filmmaker who served on this year's Berlinale jury; Jennifer Lynch's "Chained"; Geoffrey Fletcher's "Violet & Daisy," starring Saoirse Ronan und Alexis Bledel; Antoine Charreyron's animated actioner "The Prodigies"; and Rob Margolies' "She Wants Me." MFA+ Film Distribution, which is releasing the Silver Bear-winning "A Royal Affair" in April, acquired Behn Zeitlin's Sundance winner "Beasts of the Southern Wild" as well as Alice Schmid's Swiss doc and Berlinale Generation Kplus opener "The Children from the Napf" as well as Marion Huetter's poetry slam doc and Perspektive Deutsches Kino screener "Rhymers and Rivals." Contact Ed Meza at staff@variety.com

OSCARS: Global media descends on Hollywood

The 84th Academy Awards are held at the Hollywood and Highland Center in the heart of Hollywood.Reporters James Li and Maggie Wang from the China Movie Channel.Officers from the Armed Forces Network, above, on the red carpet at Hollywood & Highland.It's three hours and counting until the red carpet outside the Hollywood and Highland Center is hit with ''the swarm,'' in the words of one cameraman busily preparing the busiest few hours of the year for showbiz journos.An international stew of languages can be heard by early-arriving reporters strolling on the red carpet. TV crews from time zones around the globe are sending live shots and hosts are prepping for chaos by studying notes with factoids about the various nominees -- and the names of their significant others.One outlet that boasts the one of the biggest auds for the Oscars is China Movie Channel, which reaches some 700 million households on the mainland. Reporters James Li and Maggie Wang say the Oscars is naturally one of their biggest events of the year. Wang notes that they keep the red carpet coverage focused on ''the films themselves'' rather than fashion and celeb gossip.Another group of reporters drawing attention is the uniformed trio from Armed Forces Network, who have been high-fiving the active servicemembers who are in the front row of the fan bleacher seats.

Tune In (and Tweet Along) This Weekend During the Indie Spirit and Academy Awards

It's almost showtime, folks! Ready your Oscar picks, sharpen your wits, and join Movieline as Hollywood and Indiewood fete the best of the year. Your friendly Movieline editors S.T. VanAirsdale and Jen Yamato will be on hand at @movieline during Saturday's Independent Spirit Awards and Sunday's Academy Awards, so synchronize your watches and join us in tossing back a few and Tweeting up a storm on the big day(s). First up is the Film Independent Spirit Awards, held annually on the beach in Santa Monica. The breezy affair celebrates the best of "indie" film -- I put that in quotes since the word takes multiple meanings these days, though technically Film Independent considers films made for $20 million and under to qualify -- and is hosted this year by Seth Rogen. A special credit this year goes to John Waters, who'll provide "The voice of God" for the proceedings. Follow Movieline on Twitter for live-tweets from backstage in the winners' room when the show begins Saturday at 1:30pm PT (the telecast will air on IFC that night at 10pm ET/PT) and check back here at Movieline.com for a wrap up of the night. Sunday, of course, is the big dance; join S.T. VanAirsdale and Jen Yamato for an 84th Academy Awards live-tweetstravaganza here at Movieline starting at 7pm ET/4pm PT with the red carpet, where we'll watch as filmdom's finest dazzles on their way into Hollywood's glitziest shopping mall! Then let the bubbly-fueled snark rip at for the Oscars telecast Sunday at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT, hosted by Billy Crystal. Make sure to leave your Oscar predictions in the comments section before the telecast on Oscar Sunday so we can assign bragging rights to a victor at the end of the night... Catch up on Movieline's coverage of this year's Oscar race. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Ratings: Large Bang Beats Idol Overall the first time

Viola Davis, Jean Dujardin Fun fact: No movie about movie-making has won Best Picture within the Oscars. Will The Artist break that tradition within the 84th Academy awards? We'll need to hang about until Sunday (8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT, ABC) to uncover, but meanwhile, let's have predictions. See the nominees here, print your ballot, construct your picks and perform a comparison to ours below.Hugo, The Artist lead Oscar nominationsPictureWho will win: The ArtistDone deal. After sweeping virtually every major precursor, the black-and-white-colored valentine for the quiet film era is poised being the initial quiet film to win Best Picture since Wings triumphed within the first Academy awards in 1929. Stylish, warm together with an understanding-good delight, it's carried out so genuinely that you just forget there is no dialogue. Plus, it's the most effective ace within the hole of: Uggie.Be cautious for: The DescendantsAlexander Payne's tale of human imperfection, which needed home the Golden Globe to find the best Picture round the drama side, acquired some last-minute steam having a couple of industry trophies in the last weekend, like the Authors Guild Award. But its likely insufficient too far gone.Are you currently aware? The Artist, which has 10 nominations (Hugo leads with 11), would be the first entirely black-and-white-colored film to win Best Picture since 1960's The Apartment. Schindler's List, which won 18 in the past, wasn't completely in black and white-colored.DirectorWho will win: Michel Hazanavicius, The ArtistHe's really the only first-time nominee inside the group, nevertheless the Frenchman, who's also nominated to find the best Original Script and greatest Editing, must cruise to have an easy victory here. Whether the Artist is the way you like, you can't deny it is a massive gamble that could've look like a disingenuous gimmick. Hazanavicius pays homage to Hollywood's past although imbuing the film along with his own artistic vision. He's mentioned just about any large precursor up to now, like the most reliable predictor, the organization company directors Guild Award, which has mismatched while using Oscars only six occasions since its starting in 1949.Be cautious for: Martin Scorsese, HugoOne of Hazavanicius' handful of deficits came consequently of Scorsese within the Globes, which isn't that huge from the shock since the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is big round the star factor. Had Scorsese, nominated for his or her own love letter to movie-making, not finally won his first Oscar five years ago for your Departed, he might stand in an enhanced chance with an upset. Do you realize? In Oscars' 83-year history, there's a Best Picture and greatest Director split 21 occasions, most recently six in the past when Crash won the most effective prize, while Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) mentioned the 2nd.Oscar Surprises and Snubs: Gary Oldman can get his due, but Leo sits that certain outActorWho will win: Jean Dujardin, The ArtistFor a while, this made an appearance to become race between best buds George Clooney (The Descendants) and Kaira Pitt (Moneyball) until Dujardin moved into pole position along with his mild Screen Stars Guild Award upset. (The SAGs are selected by stars, who represent the greatest voting bloc inside the academy.) Dujardin, who also snagged the comedy Globe as well as the BAFTA, is peaking within the correct time, charming the pants off everyone along with his talk show looks and Funny or Die video, and you'll increase the risk for argument that his role is regarded as the difficult. With no dialogue, he carries The Artist and intrigues as George Valentin, making the 20's star a totally recognized character with solely his facial expressions and the entire body movement that put scenery-eating performances to shame.Be cautious for: George Clooney, The DescendantsThe academy loves Clooney - nominating him, no less than. He acquired two nods this year (he's also up in Best Modified Script for your Ides of March) for no more than seven in six years, with one win (Best Supporting Actor for 2005's Syriana). His subtle, nuanced performance may be worth another statuette, but this narrative sounds somewhat familiar. couple of years ago, Clooney made an appearance primed to win for Up in mid-air at the beginning of the summer season, but he was eventually overtaken by someone with elevated momentum: an overdue Rob Bridges. However in the speed he's accumulating these nominations, another win cannot be that remote, right? Do you realize? Jane Wyman was the initial person to win an Oscar for just about any quiet performance inside the appear era for 1948's Johnny Belinda.ActressWho will win: Viola Davis, The HelpDavis' poignant, encouraging turn just like a put-upon maid tugs in the centre extended following a credits roll. Performance aside, in the event you saw the overwhelming crowd - also called her peers - reaction to her SAG victory lately, you'll be able to clearly realize that these want this on her behalf. Even Meryl Streep wants it on her behalf, espousing plaudits on her behalf account Doubt co-star and friend virtually every chance she'll get. Davis, who was simply nominated inside the supporting category for 2008's Doubt, can be a respected, longtime character actress who's getting her day on the planet. Having a movie about racial inequality, there'd be history connected having a Davis win: Only the second black actress to obtain multiple Oscar nominations (Whoopi Goldberg to become another), she'd be only the second to win Best Actress - 10 years after Halle Berry increased being the initial. Be cautious for: Meryl Streep, The Iron LadyThe 17-time nominee and a pair of-time champion remains seeking her third trophy, that is her best opportunity to increase her collection in nearly 10 years. Streep's technically proficient transformation into Margaret Thatcher - spanning decades - might be the stuff which Oscars are produced and means the concept that there is nothing she can't do. She's already acquired the planet and (predictably) the BAFTA, with producer/honours shark Harvey Weinstein in their corner this year, her campaign has ratcheted up too.Do you realize? If Streep wins, her 29-year drought between victories would be the third longest, behind Helen Hayes (39 years) and Katharine Hepburn (34 years). Think back finally year's Oscar fashion hits and missesSupporting ActorWho will win: Christopher Plummer, BeginnersHeartbreakingly funny, sad and moving, Plummer supplies a career-best performance just like a late-blooming gay guy. His title remains engraved round the trophy for many days, together with victory would also recognize Plummer's six-decade film career, which was overlooked with the Oscars until his first nomination couple of years ago throughout the final Station. At 82, Plummer would be the earliest acting Oscar champion ever, dethroning Jessica Tandy, who was simply 80 when she struck gold for Driving Miss Daisy. Be cautious for: Max Von Sydow, Very Noisy & Incredibly CloseVon Sydow, who was simply formerly nominated 23 in the past for Pelle the Conqueror, remains untested against Plummer round the bigger honours stages, but he should not be underrated. Outfitted having a stirring, first-class mute performance, Von Sydow also provides the benefit of in a Best Picture-nominated film. Both his as well as the film's nods were somewhat surprising, which indicate strong support within the academy. Von Sydow may also be 82 (he's eight several days older than Plummer), so he'd finish up to be the earliest acting champion too.Do you realize? Plummer and Von Sydow will be the earliest nominees round the male side, nonetheless they still trail the first artist ever being nominated, Titanic's Gloria Stuart, who was simply 87.Supporting ActressWho will win: Octavia Spencer, The HelpSpencer has centered all honours season and contains proven no signs and signs and symptoms of vulnerability. Her feisty Minny has you getting the Kleenex and doubling finished laughter, the industry classic breakthrough performance for your 41-year-old, whose extended, hard-working years inside the biz have acquired her plenty of goodwill and admiration - as well as pals. (Remember her date for the SAGs?)Be cautious for: Berenice Bejo, The ArtistIf voters are really gaga for your Artist, Bejo - and her radiant and peppy overnight sensation Peppy - could ride the momentum with a win. Helping her cause: Bejo, who's married to Hazanavicius, is possibly a web-based insurance lead inside the film, and extra screen time is not an undesirable factor.Do you realize? If Davis and Spencer win, it may be the first time in 13 years that particular film has won both actress honours. The sweep has happened 10 occasions: Jezebel, Gone while using Wind, Mrs. Miniver, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Miracle Worker, Who's Frightened of Virginia Woolf?, Network, Moonstruck, The Piano and Shakespeare for one another.Who you think will win?

'Lyons' roars to Broadway

Add yet another towards the roster of recent plays striking Broadway this spring: Nicky Silver's Off Broadway alum "The Lyons," toplined by Linda Lavin, has reserved a run in the Cort Theater to have an April opening. Play, in regards to a family faced through the imminent dying of their patriarch, bowed inside a nine-week run last fall at Off Broadway's Winery Theater. Lavin toplined that staging underneath the direction of Mark Brokaw, who reprises his helming responsibilities around the Primary Stem too. Dick Latessa ("Hairspray") will co-star with Lavin, because he did Off Broadway. The relaxation from the Winery cast -- including Michael Esper, Kate Jennings Grant, Brenda Pressley and Gregory Wooddell -- is also likely to result in the jump. Kathleen K. Manley ("Hair," "Race") produces the transfer. Even though production has yet to create exact dates, it's anticipated the run will open just before this season's April 26 cutoff for Tony Award eligiblity. "Lyons," which gained generally strong reviews in the Winery, joins an active slate of recent plays this spring including "Clybourne Park," "Peter and also the Starcatcher," "Miracle/Bird," "One Guy, Two Guvnors" and "The Writer," amongst others. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

VIDEO: Chris Cornell Covers Whitney Houston's "I'll Always Adore YouInch

Chris Cornell Add Chris Cornell for the report on artists who've paid out homage for the late pop diva Whitney Houston. Following many touching tributes, including ones from Jennifer Hudson within the Grammys and Amber Riley in Tuesday's episode of Glee, the Soundgarden front guy completed an acoustic version of Houston's Bodyguard ballad "I'll Always Adore YouInch inside a fundraiser event for Leader Obama in San Francisco Bay Area on Thursday. You will see his performance below. Do you want Cornell's version?

'2 Guns' fires sales

Mark Damon's Experience Limitless has seen its most popular market ever in Berlin, clocking up a lot more than $sixty five million in pre-sales because of projects like "2 Guns" and "Rule #1."The $84 million actioner "2 Guns," toplining Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington and helmed by "Contraband" director Baltasar Kormakur, has demonstrated to become among the most popular game titles in the market.Pic, that has offered between $45 million-$50 million in pre-sales, locked a multi-territory cope with The new sony Pictures Worldwide Purchases on February. 9 along with a $10.six million cope with eOne for U.K. and Canadian privileges.Reese Witherspoon starrer "Rule #1" has offered to Benelux (DFW), Canada (eOne), Iceland (Myndform), Israel (U . s . King), Portugal (Lusomundo), Scandinavia (Mis Label), Russia (Zao West), China (HGC), Eastern Europe (Revolutionary Delivering), India (Tanweer), Thailand (M Pictures) and South America (Imagem), while Italia Films required privileges for Middle East, Poultry and A holiday in greece.Talking with Variety, Damon and Experience prexy Tamara Stuparich P La Barra pointed out that the 2011 EFM, which marks the very first time the outfit has had on third-party projects for sales, continues to be "the only greatest market" of the careers.Before the marketplace opened up, distrib Swen clicked up Latin American privileges for "2 Guns," which Universal is disbursing locally.Also it does not hold on there: Foresight's Jim Carrey starrer "Pierre Pierre" has offered to Germany (Warner Bros.), Russia (Zao West), China (HGC) and South America (Imagem & Gussi) additionally to many other areas."We have been seeing bargains emerge from China and Germany, that is very positive," stated Damon. Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com