Thesps warm up for 'Pitch Perfect'

AmbudkarKellyUtkarsh Ambudkar and Brock Kelly have joined the cast of Gold Circle Films' romantic comedy "Pitch Perfect," which will be distributed by Universal.Duo join Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Alexis Knapp, Skyler Astin and Hana Mae Lee in the Jason Moore-directed pic set in the world of collegiate a capella competitions.Ambudkar will play Donald, a beat-boxing member of the group Divisi who has an especially dry sense of humor.Kelly will play Howie, the leader of a popular fraternity on campus.Brownstone Prods. partners Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman are producing "Pitch Perfect," which scribe Kay Cannon adapted from Mickey Rapkin's nonfiction tome.Ambudkar is a founding member of the hip-hop comedy troupe Freestyle Love Supreme who previously co-starred alongside Kendrick in Jeffrey Blitz's 2007 pic "Rocket Science." Thesp's previous credits also include the CW pilot "Danni Lowinski." He's repped by Gersh and manager Lou Viola.Kelly is best known for his recurring role as young Dean Winchester on the CW's "Supernatural." His deal was brokered by manager Kevin McGinley of Rogues Gallery. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

Thirty reviews in 30 days? No problem!

The fall TV crush is winding down, and after filing 30 reviews in September, it's fair to say that volume of criticism probably isn't healthy for anybody. There is, however, some method behind the madness. Having one critic tackle every new network series -- a challenge Howard Rosenberg used to undertake, with remarkable grace and good humor, at the Los Angeles Times -- at least fosters a sense of continuity. Agree or disagree, panned or praised, you have some context about the writer's likes and dislikes. There's value for the critic, too, in watching everything, if only because doing so provides helpful perspective. The pressure now is often to make sweeping pronouncements -- "best," "most exciting," "horrible" -- in order to stand out in the braying online space. More nuanced phrasing ("promising," "not completely satisfying") is generally more accurate -- especially when assessing pilots -- but seriously, who's going to link to that? The main issue for journalists is "normal people" don't feel compelled to sample each show, instead picking out a few programs that interest them and ignoring the rest. The tradeoff for a well-rounded view, then, is reviewers putting themselves inherently out of step with the public they purport to serve. As for that public, the modern era has also made criticism a two-way street in the ability to convey instant feedback. Most messages come from folks eager to call you a moron -- hitting "send" without much reflection, and even less interest in spelling -- but occasionally the interaction is very thoughtful, and once in a while someone passes along a compliment. Even writing for a business trade like Variety, negative comments usually break down into three categories: Die-hard fans, eager to defend something they loved (or less frequently level accusations of a payoff for liking something they didn't); people directly connected to a show; and conservatives with an abiding hatred and distrust of the media, who assume covering Hollywood automatically makes you a Marxist. While customer service dictates replying to everyone, in the interest of time (the better to do things like, oh, write 30 reviews), I've crafted the following form letter, which can be easily tailored to each of these constituencies. Dear A) TV show enthusiast; B) Producer, network executive or agent; C) Person filling out a form on a right-wing website: While I appreciate your assertion that I A) am fat and ugly; B) really need to get over my bitterness about not dating more in high school; C) am spiritually dead inside, please rest assured that played no role in formulating my review. I am sorry you think I A) write like a third-grader; B) have a personal vendetta against you; C) am godless and hate America. Please remember reactions to TV shows are highly subjective, so I hope we can respectfully agree to disagree. Although you say A) everyone in your favorite chat room; B) critics you respect, along with your spouse, mother and/or talent representatives; C) Rush Limbaugh and somebody on the Drudge Report completely validate your opinion, frankly, such anecdotal evidence doesn't hold much sway. Nevertheless, thank you for taking the time to A) suggest the name of a remedial writing course; B) copy my editor, publisher and everyone I have ever worked with regarding what a jackass I am; C) quote passages of scripture. For what it's worth, my experience is that people like me better when A) I agree with them; B) they are several years removed from their jobs running a network or studio; C) they actually read the review in which I supposedly offended them. And if it's any consolation, my opinions A)sometimes evolve and soften over time; B) probably won't cost you any viewers; C) are not part of a Communist conspiracy. At any rate, I wish you the best of luck with your A) online "Save our show" campaign; B) future career endeavors; C) gun collection. Thanks again for taking the time to write. And for your sake, I truly hope A) your favorite program doesn't get canceled; B) I like your next project better; C) the Rapture happens just the way you say it will. Contact Brian Lowry at brian.lowry@variety.com

Watch Online Transformers 3 Dark Of The Moon

Stefan and Elena's Struggles, the Originals and More Vampire Diaries Spoilers

Paul Wesley Slap on your flapper dresses and tailcoat tuxedos. The Vampire Diaries is flashing back to the roaring '20s. In Thursday's episode, Stefan (Paul Wesley) will revisit a piece of his past, one in which he doesn't actually remember (thank goodness for diaries!), but is filled with blood and a serious disregard for human life and emotions. How horrifying is it? Let's just say that next to Ripper Stefan, Klaus (Joseph Morgan) actually looks pretty tame. Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder Says Damon Is, Like, So Pissed As Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) attempt to track him down, they'll be faced with their own set of problems; namely, what could possibly bring him back from the brink of maniacal bloodlust? Plus, new friends and old foes return. Get the scoop on Vampire Diaries' trip to the '20s below, along with Caroline's (Candice Accola) fate, the Originals and Jeremy's (Steven R. McQueen) ghost issues. 1. Ripper's trip to the '20s: Before Stefan discovers why doesn't remember his experiences in the era by the end of the episode, he'll revisit his time there as he and Klaus travel to Chicago in an attempt to contact a witch who may hold the key to why Klaus can't create new hybrids. In doing so, we'll find out why Stefan really is important in the long run. "One of the big questions that we left last year with was why Klaus took such an interest in Stefan, Stefan specifically of all people," executive producer Julie Plec says. "What we really wanted to do was show the roots of Klaus' character as it relates to his family, the people that he's known for 1,000 years and been with off and on for 1,000 years that we notoriously know that he's daggered one by one and carted around in coffins." 2. The Originals, resurrected: The family will be popping in and out this season, but don't expect to see all of them. "That was our intention until we did the math and realized we've said there's seven children, and that's a lot of new people to bring into the story," Plec says. "The mother is going to be someone we meet in the past, as well as other siblings and we'll see Elijah [Daniel Gillies] again." 3. Elena's mission to save Stefan: Stefan and Elena will finally come face-to-face. "This episode is a big deal for the Stefan and Elena relationship," Plec says. "In her plucky little heart... she's a compassionate savior of her friends and loved ones. I really do think she believes it is as easy as just getting him out of that environment." Unfortunately, it's not that easy. We'll see Elena "as she struggles with her desire to help rescue this hero in her life... but also the realities of learning the lesson that you can't necessarily let yourself be consumed in your own life by saving someone else's." 4. Old foes return: "We get to learn some old, old secrets and return to play with some old friends-slash-foes," Plec teases of Thursday's episode. We're sworn to secrecy not to reveal exactly who is returning, but he or she will appear in both the past and present. Vampire Diaries' Wesley: Damon Is a Puppy In Comparison to What Stefan Is Morphing Into 5. Caroline gets tortured: If you thought Klaus was heartless when it came to his family, that's nothing in comparison to Caroline's dad (Jack Coleman), who takes to torturing her in an attempt to break her of her blood lust. "It's a story about a parent thinking they know best for their child," Plec says, and in this case, father does not know best. 6. Ghostly appearances: While Jeremy doesn't appear in Thursday's episode, his visions of dead girlfriend Vicki (Kayla Ewell) and Anna (Malese Jow), who are seemingly at odds, will come back in full force the following week. "There is an agenda happening with our ghosts that isn't just, 'Hey, I want to make amends with my loved ones,'" Plec says. "We're [also] going to see the emotional consequences of Bonnie [Katerina Graham] bringing Jeremy back to life, which is that it's put a rift in her romantic relationship with him. Our arc is to see what the ghostly and supernatural consequences are. We go all out in Halloween and have ourselves some fun. It's not Halloween in the show, but we still do an episode where we get to have a little fun with ghosts and really pay off that chapter." Plus: Plec notes that Jeremy seeing dead people is not limited to just Anna and Vicki. 7. The Council divided: The discovery that Caroline is a vampire and Tyler (Michael Trevino) is a werewolf will have consequences on the Council, those sworn to protect Mystic Falls from the supernatural. "There's a couple juicy Council moments coming up," Plec says. "For those of you that follow the moves of the council and their glorious incompetencies, next week showcases that beautifully. Next week, it's like, 'Wait a second, who actually on this council is not somehow carrying a secret for their child that are supposed to be the very people we are fighting against?'" Photo Gallery: TV's Sexiest Eye Candy 8. Matt's struggles: Matt's (Zach Roerig) issues with the supernatural nature of Mystic Falls will come to a head in the fifth episode. "It's set the weekend before senior year begins, and it's an annual tradition of senior prank night and things, of course, goes horribly wrong," Plec says. "For Matt, specifically, it's kind of bittersweet because... there was a sense of life he's had that he's really lost over the two seasons of our show and it's really hurting him. We get to explore that in a beautiful and tragic way." Plus, Plec adds, "Matt's gotta get laid this year, for sure, because he just needs that. He needs love." We can get on board with that. You? Sound off in the comments on what you'd like to see for the vamps, wolves, witches and other things that go bump in the night. The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

Watch Movies Online For Free

Technicolor, IMGlobal ink service deal

Technicolor and film financing-sales company IM Global have entered into a partnership encompassing a multi-year service arrangement. Deal, announced Monday, calls for Technicolor to provide IM Global with front end services, international release and trailer printing and distribution services for international theatrical and subsequent ancillary platforms. IM Global CEO Stuart Ford said in a statement, ''Technicolor provides a first class service and a world famous brand which perfectly complements our fast growing library of titles and enables us to handle business in fifty plus territories on a daily basis.'' Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

The Hangover 2 Watch Online

Le Carre sons spy opportunity

Simon and Stephen CornwellWorking Title's "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" is the eighth John le Carre novel to reach the bigscreen, starting back in 1965 with "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold."Now the author's two sons, Stephen and Simon Cornwell, are bidding to increase that number through their own production company the Ink Factory, which they launched last year."We didn't set off with the intention of getting involved in my father's stuff, but he found out about it when he was writing his last book, and he suggested we take it on," says Simon, a London-based digital entrepreneur.Stephen is an L.A.-based screenwriter whose credits include "Unknown." Their slate now includes their father's three most recent thrillers -- "Our Kind of Traitor," "A Most Wanted Man" and "The Mission Song" -- in partnership with Gail Egan of Potboiler Films, who produced the 2005 version of le Carre's "The Constant Gardener.""A Most Wanted Man," scripted by Andrew Bovell and to be directed by Anton Corbijn, is on course to shoot next spring. This $15 million spy story, developed with Film4, is set in Hamburg, whose film fund has already granted it $1.3 million."Our Kind of Traitor" is being scripted by Hossein Amini ("Drive"), and "The Mission Song" by James Bond film writers Neal Purvis and Rob Wade.Although Le Carre has stayed on the bestseller lists throughout his 50-year writing career, the acclaim for the Tomas Alfredson-helmed "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" has put the 79-year-old spymaster right back in the spotlight. The original 1974 novel jumped back onto the U.K. charts last week, coinciding with the film's $4.4 million opening weekend via Studiocanal." 'Tinker Tailor' has clearly re-established John le Carre in people's minds," says Simon. "It's also a really good, interesting and brave film, so from my point of view it sets the bar very high, but also shows just how good a movie you can make if you really commit."Le Carre has an executive producer credit on Working Title's film ("thoroughly earned," his son notes), and is just as involved with the projects being developed by Ink Factory. "Financially we're all in it together," says Simon. "He likes to be available as a resource to the scriptwriters, but he also hands people the flexibility to do it their way. He says don't make a film of the book, make a film of the film."But Ink Factory isn't just about le Carre. The company is developing an L.A. thriller, "Message to the King," by Stephen and his writing partner Oliver Butcher, which FilmNation is financing and James McTeigue is attached to direct. Cornwell and Butcher are also writing an untitled action thriller for Vin Diesel, to be co-produced by Ink Factory and Diesel's shingle One Race.A handful of of other projects are still under wraps. "The common thread through everything is that they are thrillers oriented towards the international market," says Simon Cornwell.As the slate ramps up, the Ink Factory is expanding its staff in London and Los Angeles. "We are quite ambitious," Cornwell says. "We would like to grow to become one of the larger players in the European independent media sector, but of course we're very conscious of the fact we have to get our first project, our second project and our third project off the ground and onto the screen." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Watch Transformers 3 Dark Of The Moon Full Movie

I'm Carolyn Parker

A Clinica Estetico, Jacob Burns Film Center POV/American Documentary presentation from the Look and remain production. Produced by Jonathan Demme, Lindsay Jaeger, Daniel Wolff, Steve Apkon. Executive producers, Glenn Allen, Rocco Caruso, Abdul Franklin, Simon Kilmurry. Directed by Jonathan Demme.With: Carolyn Parker, Kyrah Julian, Ray Nagin.Jonathan Demme's "I'm Carolyn Parker" supplies a slender but engaging human-interest position round the slow-moving recovery effort following Hurricane Katrina. Recognized for her work regarding New Orleans' heavily affected Lower Ninth Ward and her fellow residents' "to come back,Inch Parker comprises an unforgettable camera subject perfectly appropriate for Demme's scruffy, affectionate documaking. Shot inside the five years it needed to rebuild her house, this smallscreen-bound item reps a worthy addition for the growing body at work on Katrina which is still-ongoing aftermath. Parker first came mind lines inside a The month of the month of january 2006 city council meeting where, following a proposal from the temporary halt to repairing efforts in New Orleans' worst-flooded areas, she freely retorted, "Over my dead body." That clip offers a feisty, inspiring counterpoint for the warm, irrepressibly good-humored lady taken within numerous well-observed human gestures, whether she's baking chicken inside the FEMA trailer she describes to her daughter or worshipping at among numerous local chapels threatened with closure. Resourcefully made docu ties Parker's advocacy for the civil-rights struggle she strongly recalls dealing with, which undoubtedly accounts no less than partly on her behalf amazing resilience.Camera (color/B&W, HD), Demme editor, Ido Haar music, Zafer Tawil music supervisor, Susan Jacobs. Examined at Venice Film Festival (Horizons), Sept. 5, 2011. (Also in Toronto Film Festival -- Real to Reel.) Running time: 91 MIN. Contact Justin Chang at justin.chang@variety.com

Schmidt to look at Senate Judiciary Committee

When Google's Eric Schmidt seems before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Wednesday to reply to antitrust questions, the entertainment lobby is going to be watching -- and it is likely which more than a couple of within the biz will harbor a sense of satisfaction in seeing him within the hotseat.Google's relationship with Hollywood has sometimes been chilly, but among insurance supporters in Washington it's frequently a lot more like permafrost, because the industry lobby complaints the search giant has not done nearly enough to combat piracy, or in some instances is aiding and abetting it. Industry insurance supporters are earning some effort to influence congress around the Senate antitrust subcommittee to question Schmidt about copyright issues, however the session is centered on concerns that Google is continuing to grow to some extent where rivals are in a disadvantage.Schmidt is scheduled to talk first, then a panel which includes Shaun Katz, Boss of NexTag, and Jeremy Stoppelman, co-founder and Boss of Yelp."Anybody within the bigger entertainment industries has needed to cope with antitrust issues," stated Chris Castle, a music and technology lawyer. "They've had their mergers and purchases looked at. You will find there's lengthy history within the entertainment business of coping with government. So the concept that a business could generate a lot of money without needing to take into account what many people see are pretty egregious weak points is frustrating." "The truth that he's decided to testify...I believe is the start of something, but it's just the beginning," he added.Prior to the hearing, Google provides your blog page refuting the idea it's the all pervading gateway towards the web. "Using Bing is an option. Sure, Google is loaded with lots of customers, but Bing is a lot more like a Gps navigation for the net -- a useful guide, although not essential to circumvent,Inch the publish mentioned, observing that sites once-thriving America online and Bebo were also once known as "gatekeepers."Schmidt is in opposition to the most important bit of Hollywood-backed legislation in the future before Congress this season, the Safeguard IP Act, that is targeted in the reducing support for "rogue" sites which are dedicated to trafficking in unlicensed content. The Senate version includes a provision that needs that "information location tools," like search engines like google, take measures to get rid of or disable use of "rogue" sites and also to remove hypertext links, But Schmidt has known as the suggested legislation "simple methods to complex problems," and stated the bill's approach to reducing illegal sites' use of the domain title system had free speech implications.Nonetheless, for a while Google continues to be knowledgeable that it's an growing target, and it has broadened its lobbying presence within the Capital. In April, Google's general counsel Kent Master faced a home hearing by which he needed to battle critique from some congress that the organization hadn't done enough to limit report on unlicensed content atop search engine results as well as in its autocomplete feature. Master was adamant that Google continues to be playing "the Whac-A-Mole game" around others, but he informed Congress not to overload in mandating what search engines like google can and can't do.Late this past year, Google introduced a number of steps to combat online violation, together with a vow to do something within 24 hrs on takedown notices it receives from copyright proprietors and removing terms carefully connected with violation from showing up in autocomplete. On Sept. 2, Master published a progress set of a Google blog by which he stated, amongst other things, they have enhanced methods to make certain that it is AdSense program does not show up on sites with unlicensed content, which legitimate music sites are becoming greater visibility. "There's plenty more to become done, and that we anticipate further refining and enhancing our processes with techniques which help both rightsholders and customers," Master authored.It Industry Assn. of America, however, found the progress wanting. "We appreciate that Bing is dealing with us to build up something to transmit Google bulk notices about using AdSense on sites that facilitate online thievery," authored Steven Marks, the RIAA's executive v . p . and general counsel. "However, because of the significant benefits Google receives from all of these services and it is obligations through the official recommendations that regulate marketers, Google must do more to make sure that it doesn't place and make money from advertisements on sites that provide illegal content." He added that Google is constantly on the list unauthorized sites before legitimate ones searching results, and, although it has enhanced how quickly it responds to takedown notices, it has not been "good at terminating repeat culprits." Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com