Funnel Altering: Versus Becomes NBC Sports Network

NBC Sports Network logo design The brand new year brings a brand new identity for Versus, the cable sports network most widely known for hunting and fishing shows, the Tour p France and also the Nhl. Now an element of the NBC Universal empire (following a merger with Comcast, which possessed Versus), the funnel - presently obtainable in a lot more than 75 million homes - becomes the NBC Sports Network at 4 p.m. ET on Monday, The month of january 2 and can undergo a serious transformation throughout every season. "It will likely be significantly different with time," states Jon Burns, the leader of programming, who's building what he calls "a complete-service sports network," which will include live occasions, news and talk shows and original programming. Versus, that was once referred to as Outside Existence Network, has gradually moved forward right into a player within the TV sports world. However, many unusual programming options - such as the T. Ocho Show, a train wreck of the talk show featuring flamboyant National football league stars Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco - compromised the network's credibility. "Whenever we required over Versus, there is lots of programming around the network that people did not think was in line with what NBC Sports involved,Inch Burns states. "So the first factor we did was we jettisoned some qualities like Wacked Out Sports and T. Ocho and Sports Soup." But overhauling the network has not only been about eliminating junk. "Quickly the softball bat we designed a long-term deal to increase the NHL for ten years, we acquired broadcast and cable privileges for Major League Soccer therefore we began to produced a lot of our original programming," Burns states. (For the hunting and fishing shows, "they'll keep having a job within this new funnel moving forward,Inch Burns promises, "however they most likely will not possess a dominant as role as they have had previously.") The NHL remains a main issue with the schedule with games and studio shows several nights per week, along with the All-Star Game on Jan. 29 and also the Stanley Cup 2010 nfl playoffs early in the year (together with NBC). Also remaining aboard are Mountain West Conference basketball games and also the Tour p France. For new purchases, soccer will end up a prominent area of the line-up, beginning using the championship bet on the women's Olympic being approved tournament for that CONCACAF region (including North and Guatemala) on Jan. 29. Other U.S. women's and men's national team games are planned, and also the to begin the network's roughly 40 MLS contests is going to be public on March 11 (additional games will air on NBC). "It's all of the markings of the sport that's increasing,Inch Burns states of MLS. "Should you consider the attendance figures and exactly how it's growing, we believe it had been ideal for us. We made a hostile bid for this. It is a good property that's delivering a note to everyone that they are here and they are not going anywhere soon.Inch This summer's London Olympic games offer the funnel having a bounty of programming, including U.S. team tests and pre-Olympic competition in sports like swimming, diving, gymnastics, water polo, area hockey, track and area and volleyball. Throughout the Games the network covers a number of occasions, including cycling, basketball and soccer. Original programming initiatives started last fall with NBC Sports Talk (weeknights at 6/5c). Because the title suggests, the emphasis is much more on talk - and opinion. "There is lots places where one can get highlights, but ideas let you know things to model of this news,Inch Burns states. Another reveal that opened within the fall is CNBC Sports Biz (Fridays at 7/6c), located by CNBC's manic, Twitter-obsessed reporter Darren Rovell, who concentrates on money instead of X's and O's. As well as in possibly the network's greatest statement, Bob Costas will host a monthly interview show, Costas Tonight, premiering early in the year, and quarterly town hall special offers, starting with Costas Tonight: Live In the Super Bowl, on Thursday, February. 2. Take a look at a promo for that NBC Sports Network: Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Baz Luhrmann Hurt On 'Great Gatsby' Set

Frequently it's complicated being Jay Gatsby nor can it be easy being the man who runs him, apparently. Climax no action movie by any stretch in the imagination (even though it does veer off for that thriller genre at points), production on "Great Gatsby" apparently got just a little hairy inside the holiday weekend when director Baz Luhrmann was hurt round the film's Australian set undertaking an accident getting a camera crane, in line with the Sydney Morning Herald (with the Hollywood Reporter). "I had been on the significant cramped set which he was ducking beneath the crane," "Gatsby" co-producer Anton Monstead told the Herald in the incident. "He struck his mind round the weights round the finish from you crane. He split open his mind, which we needed to get the physician." Luhrmann apparently needed three stitches within the mind following his injuries. Consequently in the accident, production round the Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire starring drama shut lower eventually early for your Christmas holiday, with shooting planned to resume following a year. Reveal everything you consider what is the news inside the comments section and also on Twitter!

The Hobbit Trailer: Bilbo Baggins Heads Out on An Unexpected Journey

Martin Freeman Welcome back to Middle Earth!The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey won't hit theaters for another year, but you can feast your eyes on the long-awaited teaser trailer now.Check out the best movies of 2011The clip kicks off with an older Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm) explaining to Frodo (Elijah Wood) that he might not have told him about all of his adventures. Cut to our first look of Martin Freeman as a young Bilbo, who is recruited by Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to go on a journey with the Company of Dwarves to reclaim the Lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug. Keep your eyes peeled for some other, um, precious familiar Lord of the Rings faces.The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of two Hobbit films from Peter Jackson, opens Dec. 14, 2012.

'Alvin and also the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' Reviews That Are Positive: The Couple of, The Proud?

Since you may have observed, 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked' showed up in theaters today with eyes toward grossing enough cash to finance a little island country. The 3rd installment within the kiddie franchise will push the worldwide earnings of Alvin, Simon and Theodore over $1 billion -- this despite near unanimous trashing from film experts during the last 4 years. Does 'Chipwrecked' do enough things to make experts forgive the prior two films? Hardly! With only a ten percent Fresh rating on Rotten Tomato plants, 'Chipwrecked' is not one of the worst-examined films of 2011, it is the worst examined film within the franchise. (That is saying something: 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks' was at 26 %, while 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel' was at 21 percent.) Who paid for for that positive notices this time around around? Joe Neumaier, Lisa Giles-Keddle, David Ehrlich (despite his review being clearly negative nice one, RT), Kerry Lengel and Graham Youthful. Authored Neumaier within the NY Daily News: "Either the 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks' movies are improving, or I have accidentally hidden my brain for that winter. [...] The 3rd entry within the franchise -- 'Chip-Wrecked' -- is, dare I only say, the charm." Echoed Graham Youthful: "Never underestimate the energy of little squeaky things." Yes, never underestimate that. 'Chipwrecked' has gone out in theaters now. For additional around the generating energy of 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks,' take a look at Moviefone's handy 'Alvin' earnings guide on this link. [via RT] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Sound editing: Always make dramatic sense

BrownMichaelRussellSound editors essentially choose the aural palette that create the soundscape of a film, often finding sounds make "dramatic sense" (as sound guru Randy Thom explains it) even if they don't represent precisely what's seen on screen.In order to create emotionally resonant sounds for the chimp characters in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," Chuck Michael and the sound team worked with recordings of noises made both by actors and by chimps. Ape sounds were recorded at Chimp Haven in Louisiana, then layered with actors' vocals."There's an emotional range that only an actor can convey, but there's also an authenticity that comes from these being the real sounds made by chimps," Michael says.In "Cars 2" making dramatic sense meant not always using the exact sound made by the particular make or model of car seen in the film. Originally helmer John Lasseter wanted that kind of authenticity, but that changed.Supervising sound editor Tom Myers says, "You need something that will resonate with the audience emotionally.""Fast Five" also needed car and crash sounds that would tell the action story in a way that put the audience in the center of the action. Even though the audience is looking at 1970 Dodge Charger for a large part of the movie, chances are they're hearing a group of sounds developed by a crew over time, says the film's supervising sound editor Peter Brown."These films are very creative in finding new ways to push or abuse the cars," Brown says laughing. "So we have to find ways to articulate specific sounds that match with the action or the abuse so it makes it believable and fun for people watching."Such films as "Green Lantern" and "Transformers 3" also traffic in the kinds of crashing and booming noises you might find in these car-centric projects, but they've got a different challenge altogether -- find sounds that make things that may not exist at all completely believable.Though it might seem an easier task to match a sound to an imaginary being Optimus Prime or a to the sounds made when a character with superhuman powers tears apart a sidewalk or train, there's still a kind of internal logic that must be followed. Auds' ears can detect a fake just as quickly as the eye though they might not immediately be aware of what's wrong.Says Greg P. Russell, sound re-recording mixer on "Transformers 3": "Even though (Optimus Prime) has never walked down the street, there's a dramatic logic to what it would sound like if he did. His weight and size would make him sound a certain way and everyone in the audience has an internal sense of how that should sound to them. You have to follow that logic or there will be this sense that something is wrong."Karen Baker Landers, a supervising sound editor on "Green Lantern," sums it up thusly: "People who go to movies, especially movies with superheroes, have heard a lot of great sound editing and mixing. And you're also trying to get them to connect with the story, not just believe a character is a superhero."Eye on the Oscars: Vfx, Sound & Editing Thesps up f/x respect | Longtime teams keep work fresh | Randy's Rules for top sound | Sound editing: Always make dramatic sense | Sound Mixing: Making it all feel real | Digital tools add quality, cut costs Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Anne Heche Signs With UTA (Exclusive)

Jason Merritt/Getty Images Brad Pitt will be honored at the 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which has selected the actor to receive its Desert Palm Achievement Actor Award for his lead role in Moneyball and supporting turn in The Tree of Life.our editor recommendsAngelina Jolie and Brad Pitt Lend Support To '72 Days' at a Casual Private Party Year of the Hunk: How George Clooney, Brad Pitt Could Save the Oscars SAG Awards Nominations: The Nominees' ReactionsSAG Awards Nominations: The Complete ListCharlize Theron, Patton Oswalt and The Cast of 'Young Adult' to Be Honored at the Palm Springs Film Festival PHOTOS: Palm Springs Film Festival The prize will be presented at the festival's Awards Gala on Jan. 7 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. PHOTOS: SAG Awards Nominees "Brad Pitt consistently mesmerizes audiences with the depth and versatility of his performances. He has the rare ability to interpret and capture the most complicated facets of human nature, infusing his roles with strength and emotion," festival chairman Harold Matzner said. "In The Tree of Life, he portrays a father whose sensitive son tries to make sense of their relationship and understand the wrongs of a difficult childhood.In Moneyball, he faces failure head on and draws upon his dormant, though fierce competitive nature to become a standout in the world of major league baseball management." Pitt has received the NY Film Critics Circles' best actor award for his work in the two films. He also has received a best actor nomination from the both the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Screen Actors Guild for Moneyball. In 2007, Pitt along with the cast of Babel, received the festival's Ensemble Performance Award. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Brad Pitt's Most Memorable Movies Palm Springs International Film Festival Brad Pitt The Tree of Life Moneyball

Ratings: People Dont Love I Hate My Teenage Daughter

I Hate My Teenage Daughter I Hate My Teenage Daughter, which didn't get a lot of love critically, also didn't get a lot of love from viewers, as the show lost some 37 percent of its lead-in's audience, Nielsen overnights show. Muppets and models, meanwhile, gave The CW its most-watched Wednesday in a year. NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center declined by 5 percent from a year ago, and Harry's Law set series highs in both viewership and the 18-to-49-year-olds, while the Grammys special rose 12 percent from a year earlier. Catch up on today's news 8 p.m.CBS: Survivor: South Pacific 10.92 million viewers (3.1 demo rating)ABC: The Middle 6.01 million (1.8); Suburgatory 5.26 million (1.7)Fox: The X Factor 10.87 million (3.7) {8-9:30 p.m.}NBC: Christmas in Rockefeller Center 9.42 million (1.8)CW: Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa 2.40 million (0.8) 9 p.m.CBS: Criminal Minds [rerun] 7.55 million viewers (2.1 demo rating)ABC: Modern Family [rerun] 7.16 million (2.6); Happy Endings [rerun] 4.96 million (2.1)Fox: I Hate My Teenage Daughter 6.84 million (2.8) {9:30 p.m.}NBC: Harry's Law 9.91 million (1.4)CW: America's Next Top Model 1.93 million (0.8) 10 p.m.CBS: Grammy Nominations Concert Live 5.36 million viewers (1.9 demo rating)ABC: Revenge 4.01 million (1.2)NBC: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 9.83 million (2.2)