Jason Bourne Tops Holiday Weekend Box Office

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol capped the Christmas weekend box office, consuming $26.5 million, Box Office Mojo reviews. The Tom Cruise thriller knocked up two spots in the second week, getting its total to $59 million. A Virtual Detective: A Game Title of Shadows starring Robert Downey Junior. arrived at No. 2, grossing $17.8 million. The follow up dropped considerably from last week's opening of $62.3 million. Alvin and also the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked was next, consuming $13.3 million in the second week of release. The anticipated film adaption of Stieg Larsson's book The Lady using the Dragon Tattoo first showed at No. 4, tugging in only $13 million. The Adventures of Tintin, that was also launched now, adopted in fifth place having a gross of $9.a million. We Purchased a Zoo, starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, first showed within the sixth place with $7.8 million. Rounding the top ten: New Year's Eve (No. 7, $3 million), Arthur Christmas (No. 8, $2.7 million), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning - Part 1 (No. 9, $2.a million, getting its six-week total to $270.9 million) and Hugo (No. 10, $two million). Did put forth the films this holiday weekend?

Court rules for Veoh in UMG suit

Obtaining a four-year legal fight between Universal Group and video-talking about site Veoh with a likely close, an appeals court in Pasadena today upheld a young decision for Veoh, which was punished by UMG for copyright breach in 2007. A federal district court ruled in Veoh's favor this past year, rejecting UMG's claims that Veoh which is traders were accountable for UMG-copyrighted material released towards the site by clients. Both court rulings learned that the web site was protected beneath the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe-harbor provision, tallying that Veoh had made good belief efforts to look at content also to remove infringing material upon request from copyright entrepreneurs. Veoh, which was launched in beta form in 2006 and loved early investment from former Disney topper Michael Eisner, continued to be round the fringe of personal personal bankruptcy by February of 2010, with then-Boss Dmitry Shapiro stating the ongoing legal fight just like a adding factor. It absolutely was soon after that acquired by Israeli company Qlipso. Though only briefly reported inside the ruling, the UMG-Veoh situation bears numerous parallels to have an breach suit filed by Viacom against YouTube, in which a federal court ruled for YouTube this season for similar reasons, placing the duty on copyright entrepreneurs to see host sites of infringing material. Viacom's advantage of that decision is presently pending. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Top Chef's Dakota: I Was Hurt By Nyesha's Comments

Dakota Practice makes perfect - but not on Top Chef. Dakota Weiss' trial run to cook venison went off without a hitch, but when it came time to cook for the elimination challenge, all four racks wound up undercooked, leading to her and teammate Nyesha Arrington's eliminations. "It was such a shock because our trial run went perfectly," Dakota tells TVGuide.com. "And of course the racks that counted did not come out perfectly. But that's what happens sometimes." So what went wrong? Find out below.Top Chef's Nyesha: I don't know how our dish ended up undercookedDid you think you guys were screwed once you saw the venison was raw?Dakota: Yeah. I thought we were goners. I did think for a split second at Judges' Table that we did have a chance. I was so caught up in my own drama and the venison being undercooked - but at the same time the dish was really, really nice - that I wasn't really aware of all the other problems with the other dishes. I was like, "Huh. We may have a chance." But ultimately, it was about [cooking] the game and we didn't do that!What went wrong? Was it the oven? Did you not time yourself?Dakota: It's hard to say. Both Nyesha and I were super cautious. We did a trial run on our extra rack of venison that we had. We seared it through in the oven and timed it down to the very last second. We cut it open and it was gorgeous. When it came down to doing the one for the competition, we were confident it would be fine. But, you know, there are lots of reasons for why it went wrong. There was a lot of opening of the ovens, they were tied really tight, so maybe they were more dense inside and took a little bit longer to cook. Who knows?Did the trial run take up too much time?Dakota: Oh, no! That's what was funny because when we were sitting in the stew room, all the other chefs were saying, "Gosh, you guys looked so relaxed and calm." We had a plan. We had everything timed down to plating and time definitely wasn't an issue. It just took longer for it to cook for whatever reason. Top Chef's Whitney: My thought process was offYou didn't have a back-up plan in case that happened?Dakota: There was no back-up plan. We just felt really good about it after the trial run. I know once I cut into that first rack, I grabbed Nyesha immediately because I thought she should know that they weren't looking good. Your immediate reaction is to put it on the stove, but when you're working in an extremely small kitchen with six burners, it was definitely hard to get on that stove because everybody else is trying to get their stuff going. Space was an issue. I had literally one burner and four racks to cook. Were you able to cook any of them through?Dakota: We were able to cook two of them. It was very rough all around as far as the equipment we had to work with. I had one burner and one sautee pan to put two racks in and was just basting, basting, basting. It came down to the point where we had to plate, so I had to pull them. I had to make that choice: Do we serve them rare venison or nothing at all? How awkward was it at Judges Table when Heather went off on Beverly?Dakota: Yeah. I would rather eat nails for breakfast than ever have to deal with that again. [Laughs] It was painfully uncomfortable. Every person who's there is very talented; there's no doubt about that. But you can't put that many personalities in one kitchen and expect everyone to get along. It's impossible. Heather and Beverly are both very successful chefs, but their personalities clash and they deal with emotions differently. They deal with their staff differently. I mean, it was going to happen eventually with somebody and it just happened to be Beverly and Heather.Did you think it was weird she brought up last week's challenge? Everyone knows the judges don't care about what happened even earlier that day.Dakota: Yeah, absolutely. We were all baffled ourselves. A few people were like, "Get over it! This is a new day, new challenge." The fact that they got paired together - we all knew that this isn't going to go well. [Laughs] It was very strange, very awkward. I'm definitely glad it's over. I think everybody felt they were either going to hit it out of the ballpark because they'd be trying to do their best or they're just going to completely let their personalities get in the way of their cooking. Top Chef's Chuy: I knew I was screwedYou obviously felt guilty about taking Nyesha down with you. Did you guys go into it understanding that something like that could happen?Dakota: We definitely did. Of course I felt super guilty. The whole situation was just awful. But at the same time, it was a team challenge. Being that the focus was the venison, perhaps both of us should've worked on it. I was a little slighted and a little hurt to hear her comments - that that was all I had to do and I messed up. It was like, "Yeah, but hey, we're a team." And I didn't just work on the venison. I did other things that the people loved, like the gratin. I don't know. I feel guilty, but I have to remind myself that I can't sit here and dwell on it, and it was a team effort. We just didn't work well as a team in the end. It was a bad team effort.What are you up to now?Dakota: I'm in Christmas party hell! [Laughs] ... Everybody's having their Christmas parties and they want to do it here [at W Los Angeles], which is fabulous and I'm super excited about that. So just working and more Christmas parties.

'Lady' as well as the champion

NY, NY - DECEMBER 13: Sophistication Gummer and Mammie Gummer attend the "The Iron Lady" NY premiere after party within the Royalton Hotel on December 13, 2011 in NY City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/WireImage) Abi Morgan and Phyllida Lloyd flank "Iron Lady" producer Damian Manley. Meryl Streep provides her political platform. A movie premiere is certainly a strange place to produce a political career, but that didn't stop "The Iron Lady" helmer Phyllida Lloyd from throwing her weight behind Meryl Streep. "Meryl for leader!" Lloyd excited just before the film's Gotham premiere Tuesday within the Ziegfeld.Streep, who nailed Britain's polarizing Pm Margaret Thatcher, mentioned she favors to order her political ambitions for your bigscreen. "Over my dead body!" she quipped of Lloyd's suggestion. Still, if she did choose to possess a run at office, the decorated thesp features a unique platform: "My platform might be heels. I'd work on platform heels. They're much better than stilettos."Film author Abi Morgan made clear the film's appeal, particularly for your preem's female-heavy crowd, which incorporated trailblazers Billie Jean King, Gloria Steinem and Christiane Amanpour."Meryl which i laugh and say it's 'King Lear' for ladies,Inch mentioned Morgan. Meanwhile, revelers embarked 10 blocks for the Royalton with an after-party, where the usual blood stream pudding and meat pies were transformed with shrimp, burgers and grilled veggies. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Exclusive: Wants A Existence Clip

Glimpse at Carol Morley's docudramaIt may not appear like the most Christmasy of tales, there's however something so profoundly moving about Wants A Existence that individuals required to share a clip within the docudrama/drama-documentary together with you this chilled e'en.Carol Morley's film carried out to rapt audiences within the LondonFilm Festival earlier around which is ongoing to create buzz. It notifies the story of Joyce Vincent, a vivacious aspirant singer who died in their bedsit in North London in 2003. Tragic while not unusual, it may seem, besides the truth that no-one observed. For three years.Morley's film seeks the get through to the bottom in the story, mixing reconstructions of Vincent's existence and speaking-mind interviews along with her nearest and dearest. Well, relatively nearest and dearest.Showing up in this particular clip are her ex-boyfriend Martin Lister and Lynne Featherstone, Megapixel for Hornsey and Wood Eco-friendly, who also attempted to access the feet from the story only to be rebuffed by everyone within the police for the utilities companies who ongoing to supply Joyce's flat throughout that time. Existence PosterPlaying Vincent is Zawe Ashton, also called the perfectly foul-mouthed Vod in Fresh Meat. Catch her heralded performance when Wants A Existence arrives on December 16.

An Ambiguous "Error" Hits The X Factor

We are lower towards the final five, and tonight the participants is going to be singing two tunes each, and also the first needs to be considered a dance number. Host Steve Johnson foreshadows a twist later within the episode. The Jackson kids were here a week ago, meaning it needs to be Madonna's daughter Lourdes now, right? Get excited! To begin the evening, Melanie assumes a dance remix of Adele's "You,Inch making me question... is the very first time we are hearing her do Adele? Since it type of appears just like a no-brainer artist on her. Melanie's voice is perfect per usual, however the back-up ballroom dancers robots and pyrotechnics demonstrated to become a little annoying. "You looked and seemed such as the rock star diva that you're tonight," states Nicole. Next, Marcus Canty does Chaka Khan's "Ain't Nobody (Love Me Better)," but for the second time today, the idol judges are place-up with the song choice. While everyone knows he does not possess the most powerful voice within the competition, Marcus is actually entering their own if this involves performance-quality. He's perhaps probably the most exciting someone to watch on stage within the competition. "I must state that would be a very, excellent performance. You returned strong," states Simon. Rachel Crowe sings B.O.B.'s "Nothin' you,Inch even though I believe Simon had the best idea with selecting something youthful, it had not been the very best we have seen from her. Paula states, "You're just superbly courageous. Your vocal depth goes beyond all decades. You nailed it, and I am so pleased.Inch Next we now have Josh Krajcik. It will likely be interesting to determine how he handles this genre, since there is no doubt he's could not be further from the dance music artist. Within an unusual and unpredicted move, he sings Beyonce! And (for me) it's awesome! I did not think Nicole been with them in her own. The song, "We Found Love," isn't just current and relevant, however it gave Josh an chance to showcase his voice in different ways than we have seen. Apparently, I viewed another performance compared to idol judges. "I possibly could never really help you carrying this out song. And So I did not purchase it,Inch states LA. You had been great like a singer, however i did not buy that song." Simon concurs, and jams Nicole's song choice. Rounding the top 5, Chris Rene assumes another Beyonce hit (that one, her collaboration with T.I. "Live Your Existence") however it was shaky and unimpressive. He is doing the half-singing/half-rapping factor he always does, while gliding over the stage with what made an appearance to become a small-treadmill. The only real word I'm able to think about to explain the performance is "not-special." However the idol judges did not appear in your thoughts it. They are playing nice today typically. "I am not gonna say you are the very best singer because you are not," states Simon. "But being an overall potential recording artist... I believe you do brilliant." We are in the midway point when Steve discloses the twist! "There is a mistake in communication using the song choices here on the program, so we have needed to slowly move the Pepsi Challenge tunes to in a few days.Inch (The performers were said to be carrying out tunes selected through the audiences tonight). The crowd launches a unanimous gasp. They boo. The horror! Rather, the participants will sing an audio lesson that they have selected - but they have only had one evening to organize because everybody just discovered last evening. Which would be to state that someone in production realllllly messed up, and today they have been fired. Steve alerts that given that they haven't had enough time to organize, pressure at this time is incredible. (By he means, "They are likely to be tragic, so bear around.Inch) Next fantastic build-up, I can not wait for a next five performances! How about you? We are beginning by helping cover their Melanie again, and fortunately she decided on a song ("Whenever You Believe") that meets her very well. She can actually don' wrong if this involves a Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston number. Melanie looks stunning, the backdrop shenanigans are minimal, and overall it had been a high-notch performance on her. "You actually considered that last evening also it was so good?Inch states LA. "Which was unbelievable." Marcus sings "An Audio Lesson for you personally,Inch that is certainly a departure for him. It is a soulful performance - not whatsoever what we should would expect in the guy that has become well known for gyrating back-up ballroom dancers and doing flicks on stage. It had not been the very best vocally, however it was much better than I figured he was able to. "Appreciate telling all of us why we fell deeply in love with you from the beginning,Inch states Nicole. "You help remind me of the youthful Al Eco-friendly. Which was beautiful." Rachel's choice, "Music and Me," by Michael Jackson, could not happen to be more off-target on her. It felt old, boring, and to be honest, it put me to rest. There's not really anything else to say of it. "I really like that you simply selected that song on your own,Inch states LA. "How well you see for you personally is really inspiring." Which essentially means he did not possess the heart to inform her how terrible it had been. Josh Krajcik, however, does an incredible rendition of "Something" through the Beatles. Clearly being an older contestant, he's a much better knowledge of themself being an artist. Still it wasn't my personal favorite performance of his, however it was an undeniably good song choice. "In comparison towards the first song I believe it was an enormous improvement," Simon informs him. "I believe whenever you watch it back you looked really insane midway through it. Much like your eyes were moving." Co-sign. The final artist from the evening is Chris Rene, that has elected to sing an authentic song tonight. Are you able to say Dangerous? It's most likely only the guitar, but does he look hot tonight or what? Much i'm happy to report, I like the performance. No, really - I really like it. The song includes a appealing Jason Mraz-like quality into it, also it reminds us that there are more to him compared to half-rapper/half-singer dude. "The planet works in mysterious ways, Chris. Had that glitch not happened, you would not happen to be singing this song," states Paula. "This is exactly what I have been awaiting. God appreciate it.Inch Simon calls the song a stroke of genius. This performance may have just single-handedly saved him from elimination tomorrow. Exactly what a confusing evening it was! What have you think? Was Chris's original song the standout from the evening? Who's going home tomorrow? Weigh in below! show less

Alec Baldwin: Flight Attendant Reamed Me For Playing Words With Friends

First Published: December 6, 2011 6:32 PM EST Credit: WireImage LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Alec Baldwin attends the 2011 NY Philharmonic Orchestra Spring Gala Benefit Performance of Stephen Sondheims Company at Lincoln Center in NY City, on April 7, 2011Alec Baldwins love of the popular online game Words With Friends appears to have caused the actor a slight travel problem at LAX on Tuesday. Flight attendant on American reamed me out 4 playing WORDS W FRIENDS while we sat at the gate, not moving. #nowonderamericaairisbankrupt, the actor Tweeted on Tuesday afternoon, following reports that the actor had an impromptu change of planes following an on-board incident. Followed by another series of Tweets, #theresalwaysunited and But, oddly, 30 Rock plays inflight on American. It is not known if the 30 Rock star was removed from his original flight or if he left voluntarily, but actor appeared to have worked out the smartphone snafu. Now on the 3 oclock American flight. The flight attendants already look..smarter, Alec added in another Tweet. But it also appears that the actor might be done using American Airlines. #theresalwaysunited Last flight w American. Where retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950s find jobs as flight attendants, he added. A rep from American Airlines told Access Hollywood, Were sorry but owing to privacy concerns regarding our customers, we dont comment on something that might or might not have happened. A rep from the FAA told Access they had no information about the incident. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Dwayne Manley feeling Michael Bay's 'Pain'

JohnsonBayWahlbergWhich muscular stars did Michael Bay call first for his darkly comedy bodybuilding pic "Discomfort and Gain?" His fellow WME clients Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Manley, "Another Males" co-stars that are the management to topline Bay's low-budget (by his standards) laffer. Both thesps have spoken concerning the project with Bay, even though Johnson's participation is further along than Wahlberg's, sources caution will still be at the beginning of the casting process. With Manley noisy . talks and Wahlberg circling, the pairing may depend around the second actor clearing room within the schedule. With various Miami New Occasions article from 1999, "Discomfort and Gain" follows some Florida bodybuilders who get taken up inside an extortion ring together with a kidnapping plan that goes terribly wrong. "Captain America" scribes Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely written the first script and possess in contrast its tone for the Coen brothers' "Fargo," which was also with various true crime story. Extended-gestating dark comedy, that's mentioned to keep a modest $20 million cost, is defined at Vital and you'll be produced by Bay and Jesse P Line, that's been connected using the project since 2001. Wahlberg, who's presently shooting Allen Hughes' "Broken City" with Russell Crowe, has several potential projects competing for his next slot, including Universal's "2 Guns" and Adam McKay's football comedy "Three Mississippi." Lately, Wahlberg has smartly balanced his career, mixing comedies like "Another Males" and "Date Evening" between dramatic turns in "The Fighter" and "The Lovely Bones." He next stars in Seth MacFarlane's adult comedy "Ted" and Baltasar Kormakur's crime thriller "Contraband." Manley has labored non-stop since aiding to usher "Fast Five" for the finest gross in Universal's "Fast and Furious" franchise. With "Discomfort and Gain" prone to start production in the year, Manley would be capable of squeeze the film in before returning for your sixth and seventh records in "Fast" series, which Universal would ideally would rather shoot back-to-back beginning next season. Manley, who returns to family fare with "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" Feb. 10, recently wrapped "G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation" and may soon begin filming Ric Roman Waugh's action thriller "Snitch." Contact Rob Sneider at rob.sneider@variety.com

Records Show Christie Brinkley Owes $531K In Taxes

First Launched: December 3, 2011 10:33 AM EST Credit: Getty Images NY, N.Y. -- Caption Christie Brinkley attends the Broadway opening evening of Priscilla Full in the Desert The Musical within the Structure Theatre in NY City on March 20, 2011Records show supermodel Christie Brinkley owes $531,000 with the spine taxes, as well as the IRS has filed a lien against her. The Daily News of NY looks at the tax lien was filed November. 21 around the mansion in Bridgehampton on NYs New You are able to, where she lives. A speaker for Brinkley states the star was surprised to hear the lien happen to be filed. Speaker Claire Mercuri states: Christie Brinkley has instructed her team to resolve the issue immediately. Brinkley was once married to Billy Joel. She made her Broadway debut this year playing Roxie Hart inside the musical Chicago. Copyright 2011 with the Connected Press. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Britt-Gibson: Tough guys inspire hard-edged screenplays

Justin Britt-GibsonJustin Britt-Gibson is obsessed with tough guys, the cynical, obsessive, hard-living, hair-trigger types found in the fiction of the Donald Westlake and Mickey Spillane and movies like 1971's "The French Connection" and 1967's "Point Blank," starring Lee Marvin."I live and breathe in that world," Britt-Gibson says. "That's what gets me up in the morning, punching the keys."The scribe put himself on the Hollywood map -- and the 2007 Black List -- with "Grown Man Business," which a takes '70s-style revenge film storyline and sets it against a gritty urban backdrop similar to "Boyz in the Hood" and "Juice," two favorites from his youth."My father's still around, we have a relationship, but my parents divorced when I was 4," Britt-Gibson says. "I thought, what would happen if my biological father found out I was killed when I was 18 years old? I decided to do my take on the guy avenging the death of the son he never knew."Britt-Gibson grew up far from the 'hood in Silver Springs, Md., with his mother, Donna Britt, a onetime USA Today film critic and Washington Post columnist currently writing a memoir for Little, Brown and Co.; stepfather Kevin Merida, national editor at the Post; and two brothers.A film major at Temple U., he came to L.A. in 2002 for a summer internship at Tom Hanks' Playtone Prods., where he pored over scripts, studying their structure. Returning after graduation, he worked as a freelance journalist, P.A.'d on the short-lived series "Listen Up," and wrote several scenes for the third season of HBO's "Deadwood" as part of a writers program held by series creator David Milch.In the years since, Gibson-Britt, who's signed with Gersh, has scripted the "Lethal Weapon"-esque "Streets on Fire," in development at Ashton Kutcher's Katalyst Films, and "7th Son," a graphic novel adaptation for Warner Bros. He also has a blind deal with Fox 21, and he's doing a rewrite for Paramount on "Code Name Sasha." But what he'd like more than anything is to see "Grown Man Business" finally make it to the bigscreen."To this day, it's my baby," he says.TEN SCREENWRITERS TO WATCH 2011:Josh Applebaum & Andrew Nemec | Jay Baruchel & Jesse Chabot | Justin Britt-Gibson | Neil Cross | Andrew Haigh | Kurt Johnstad | Lauryn Kahn | Paula Pell | Jon Spaihts | Brian Yorkey Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com