'Today' producer upped

Senior "Today" producer Dee Dee Thomas has been upped to exec producer on "Weekend Today." Thomas will report to "Today" exec producer Jim Bell and work closely with anchors Lester Holt, Amy Robach and Jenna Wolfe. Thomas has overseen several special broadcasts during her tenure at "Today," along with coverage for five Olympic Games and two different "Today Throws a Wedding" broadcasts. The producer has been with NBC News since 1993 and joined "Today" in 1995.Also at NBC News' weekend programs, Sam Singal has been named exec producer of weekend editions of "NBC Nightly News." Singal, too, will work with Holt on his broadcasts, and will report to "Nightly News" exec producer Patrick Burkey. Singal has been with NBC News since 1998 and "Nightly News" since 2002 and has covered, among other events, Ted Kennedy's funeral and the most recent withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

Graham Rogers plans for 'Long Time Gone'

Rogers Exclusive: "Precious" producer Sarah Siegel-Magness has tapped Graham Rogers for her directorial debut "Long Time Gone."Ryan toplines the Smokewood Entertainment production as a woman who suffers a nervous breakdown after her cheating husband leaves her. Rogers will play Ryan's 18-year-old son Henry, a good-hearted stoner who has flunked out of high school and is determined to comfort her with the help of his estranged older brother (Zach Gilford, "Friday Night Lights") and live-in girlfriend (Amanda Crew, "Sex Drive").Karen McCullah ("The Ugly Truth") wrote the script, which is based on April Stevens' novel "Angel, Angel." Scribe will also produce with Bobbi Sue Luther and Gary Magness, while Andrew Sugerman and Seth Jaret will exec produce.Rogers, who stars in the upcoming genre pic "1313: Haunted Frat," will soon be seen alongside "Glee" thesp Chris Colfer in the indie comedy "Struck By Lightning." He's repped by APA, Dino May Management and attorney Rick Genow. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

ROLL CALL: Matt Damon Says There Are Better Choices Than Him For President

By Jesse SperoLOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans No President Damon In The Future: Despite a recent glowing endorsement from filmmaker Michael Moore, Matt Damon says he does not have his sights set on The Oval Office. The actor was asked about a possible Presidential run on Monday, to which he quickly said, No sir. Adding, I think there are probably better choices out there. So that means no Secretary of State Clooney? Pitt Rocks The Locks: Brad Pitt is brining long hair back! The screen hunk showed off his grown out locks in the new issue of New York magazine. Are we feeling long-haired surfer looking Brad or is clean cut and cropped Brad a better choice? Check out Brads free-flowing look HERE and decide! J.Lo Turns Up The Hotness In Leather!: Speaking of hot, Jennifer Lopez was spotted on the set of her video Papi in Los Angeles on Tuesday sporting a pair of skintight leather pants looking fab. The 42-year-old mother of two rocked a pair of Christian Louboutins with her Balmain and Christian pants, Us Weekly reported. Check out J.Los sexy look, HERE! Emma Watsons Co-Star On Stars New Role: Gird Your Loins: Emma Watsons The Perks of Being a Wallflower co-star Ezra Miller has a warning about the actress upcoming post-Potter role. You better gird your loins, he told E! When it comes to Emma people just have no idea. People have no idea what theyre in for. Its great! Emmas new movie, based on the 1999 young adult novel, is slated to hit theaters in 2012. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

New York basks in tax breaks

New York landed the Alphabet's freshman series "Pan Am." The Peacock's rookie show "Smash" is taking advantage of a five-year renewal of New York's state incentive program. New York is boasting a record number of TV series lensing in state this year on the heels of the legislature's five-year renewal of its film incentive tax program. Albany's long-term commitment to incentive coin provides the stability producers need to settle in the state even if the series doesn't demand a Gotham-specific setting. The record number of 23 new and returning primetime series comes after much trial and error among biz boosters, who have learned to be savvy in lobbying for production incentives at the state capital. Among the new primetime skeins setting up shop in Gotham are ABC's "Pan Am"; CBS' "A Gifted Man," "Unforgettable" and "Person of Interest"; and NBC's "Smash." "The tax credit program is in place with funding for five years, and that gives predictability to the major studios," said Douglas C. Steiner, who runs the Brooklyn Navy Yard-based production facility Steiner Studios. By contrast, California's tax incentive program is in its third year with 27 projects receiving credits this year. The last credits are to be allocated by next July for a total of $500 million over five years. The State Assembly approved a bill in June for a five-year extension. The Golden State's program is significantly smaller and not as sweet as many others, with a maximum 25% credit for taxes on below the line expenditures. California officials contend that Hollywood's existing infrastructure and the desire to stay close to home have the potential to reverse more than a decade of runaway production. The climate for lensing in the Empire State has improved markedly in just a few years, compared with when the 2007 ESPN mini "The Bronx Is Burning," about the 1997 N.Y. Yankees, was shot in Connecticut. Since film and TV industryites began pushing the state to beef up its incentive program in 2007, the issue has often been a tug-of-war with lawmakers. The program, anchored by a lucrative 30% credit on taxes for below-the-line expenditures incurred in the state, had been renewed on an annual basis, and usually went down to the wire as part of a larger budget battle. The five-year renewal passed last year makes it easier for Hollywood studios to do long-term budget forecasts incorporating the credits that are particularly important to ongoing TV series. "Only recently have they come to the conclusion that it was such an amazing job creator that it deserved adequate funding," said New York film commissioner Pat Swinney Kaufman. Boosters of the tax credit program emphasize that film and TV production pumps some $5 billion into the local economy, supporting 4,000 local businesses and 100,000-plus jobs. Kaufman, Steiner, and others had been agitating for years to raise the ceiling on tax credits per production to such a level that it wouldn't come up for debate in the legislature every year. The Fox drama "Fringe" left Gotham for Toronto when the credit hit its financial cap in 2009 and lawmakers balked at raising the ceiling. So how did they do it? "We've gotten more sophisticated politically," Steiner said. "We constantly have to be in front of legislators and their staffs, telling them how it's helping and working, and we don't just show up around budget time and vote time." Now that the program has some breathing room, Kaufman said she saw a fast rise in TV lensing activity during pilot season and that translated to more ongoing series this fall. "We broke records with our pilot season," she said. All this success has raised some questions, of course. "There's always been a fear of an arms race in the tax credits," Steiner said. If one state offers bigger credits to steal biz from its neighbor, the worry becomes that the neighbor will respond, and the big losers will be the taxpayers. But New York has several things that its neighbors don't, including Broadway. "Part of the infrastructure here is from the theater -- prop houses, wardrobe, dancers, actors," Steiner said. Everyone, even Mayor Bloomberg, is taking a victory lap. "Our growth in our production and entertainment industries is one of the reasons we're creating jobs at a faster clip than the rest of the nation," he said Monday at Steiner Studios. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

The Lone Ranger Is Probably Not Dead, and 5 Other Tales You Will Be Speaking About Today

Also within this Monday edition from the Broadsheet: Pixar announces two new films… Paper Wings finds pilot… Jackson talks West Memphis Three… and much more ahead. · Hold your horses, Lone Ranger fans! (Groan.) Inside a new interview with Deadline, Disney chairman Wealthy Ross stated the film is probably not dead at this time. “I’m wishing to get it done. I’m certainly wishing. It’s a compelling story and nobody wants to utilize Jerry [Bruckheimer] and Johnny [Depp] a lot more than me therefore we’ll see results for yourself.” As Deadline highlights, director Gore Verbinski’s title isn't-so-plainly absent from that quote, meaning possibly the studio could proceed using the Lone Ranger in a reduced budget, but without Verbinski holding the reins. Take advantage of Marshall, keep the apple iphone billed. [Deadline] · Talking about Disney, the studio held its Comic-Disadvantage competitor D23 in Anaheim over the past weekend, where it introduced plots for the following two Pixar films. The very first — going to be out November. 27, 2013 — follows an amount happen if dinosaurs hadn't become extinct the 2nd, from Up director Pete Docter, will target the human mind (Beginning cartoon!) and get to theaters on May 30, 2014. Before individuals films are launched, Pixar has Brave and Monsters College arriving the summer time of 2012 and 2013, correspondingly. [Slashfilm] · Nicole Kidman continues to be pushing for any third Sex and also the City film. “I understand what the storyline is. It’s a little story, but It ought to be told. Now you ask ,, what’s the best time for you to tell it?” Answer that question for Sarah within the comments below. [Parade] · John Kirk — the overall game of Thrones director lately hired to helm Thor 2 — continues to be put responsible for Paper Wings, a possible starring vehicle for Tom Cruise. Wings is all about a rodeo star who falls for any country singer (once rumored to become Reese Witherspoon). [Variety] · Former television producer and current film writer Noah Oppenheim will pen the reboot of Free War Games that MGM is planning director Seth Gordon. [Deadline] · West Memphis Three supporter and all sorts of-around good guy Jackson required to his Facebook page to state pleasure and outrage about how a trio was launched from prison. “[L]et’s not think for any second that justice was offered today. Not even close to it. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley are finally free to begin their lives after investing 18 years imprisonment in Arkansas for any crime they didn't commit, however i’m discovering it tough to suppress an in-depth anger.” He continues after that, also it’s really worth your time and effort. [Facebook]

10 Emmy Long Shots Worth Watching

10 Emmy Long Shots Worth Watching By Tim Appelo August 17, 2011 (Illustration by Pixel Pusher) Emmy pundits usually are in the business of telling you who will win. But sometimes, just being nominated signifies a big victory, and some of the most fascinating and culturally important shows and actors in the race are nominees whose hopes are the lowest. Sadly for pundits, sometimes they win anyway. Even if they don't, here's why we applaud the dark horses of 2011.1. Melissa McCarthy Lead Comedy ActressIn a year with two other contenders of unconventional stature, Kathy Bates ("Harry's Law") and Margo Martindale ("Justified"), "Mike & Molly's" McCarthy is the one who makes you go, "Whoa!" Bates is an iconic movie star propping up a so-so show, and Martindale is a respected character actor breaking out big-time in a great one, but 14 years after she first appeared on her cousin Jenny McCarthy's show, Melissa McCarthy is a real phenom. She won a Teen Choice scene-stealer award for "Bridesmaids" and could probably win a most lovable Emmy contender prize. What's her secret? She combines aspects of her two comedy icons, Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin of "Saturday Night Live." "What I liked about Jane was how straight she played stuff," McCarthy tells "THR." "Even as a little kid, I was weirdly obsessed with that show. I don't think I understood why it was so funny." From Radner, McCarthy took a shame-free approach: "Gilda Radner didn't have an ounce of pride to her. That was one of my favorite qualities in anybody." McCarthy's persona shows no fear and doesn't think she's being funny. "To that person, they're making a really great point. It can't be funny or strange to the person," she says. "It should all seem like one plus one equals two. You're just stating facts." Fact: Nobody is funny in quite the way McCarthy is. And if you're surprised at her nomination, she was so shocked she almost collapsed on camera.2. Mireille Enos Lead Drama ActressPlaying a homicide detective as broodingly moody as the Seattle skies above her in "The Killing," Enos out-underacts anybody else on TV. Forget about the show's controversially tricky, red-herring-happy plotline and concentrate on her face. Its stoic resolve might be the most radical thing about the most radically original gumshoe show around. It's the anti-"SVU," and hers is the opposite of a Mariska Hargitay performance -- maybe too opposite to get eight noms like Hargitay. Emmy or no Emmy, Enos is a somebody now, instead of just one of those wives on "Big Love" who's so great but her name escapes you.3. Michelle Forbes Supporting Drama ActressAs the dangerously enraged mom of the girl whose murderer is hunted in "The Killing," Forbes probably has less chance of winning than Enos, but both are submitting episodes in which their characters desperately seek their missing kids. Forbes' performance is the more searing and scary; she's worlds away from the usual blubbering victim's mother on procedurals. She's not a sentimental prop; her fury propels the tragic plot. Forbes' mind-stealing maenad was about the most intense character on "True Blood," too.4. "Parks and Recreation" Comedy SeriesIn some ways as much a reflection of its "SNL" comedienne inventor as "30 Rock" is, "Parks" has faced a rockier, less-Emmy-blessed road. But Amy Poehler relentlessly improved the show, tinkered with her role as bureaucrat nerd-in-chief, put more of the literally brilliant Rob Lowe in the mix and broke out this season with a best comedy nom to go with her lead comedy actress nom. If not for its unstoppable rival "Modern Family," "Parks" might not be such a dark horse.5. James Woods Supporting Miniseries/Movie ActorAs Dick Fuld, "the Gorilla of Wall Street," Woods gets the bellowing villain role in the movie "Too Big to Fail," a mostly sympathetic portrait of the architects of the 2008 financial disaster (and the shaky, dicey bailout). Fuld turned his billion-dollar personal stock in Lehman Brothers into $56,000 through sheer brazen denial, a character flaw Woods feasts on like a banker on a sucker investor. The best salesman sells himself down the river first. He won't get noticed in such a star-studded cast (Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Tony Shalhoub, Bill Pullman, Matthew Modine, Topher Grace, John Heard, Cynthia Nixon), and they're all overshadowed by lead William Hurt, but Woods reasserts his ongoing role as the 800-pound gorilla of high-IQ villains. Woods thinks of financial giants as resembling movie stars: You're only as good as your last grosses or share price, so you gotta believe in your dream. Woods is a believable fanatical believer.6. Timothy Olyphant Lead Drama ActorThe "Justified" star's revolver won't likely outdraw the "Boardwalk Empire" tommy guns of Steve Buscemi, but his dramatic aim is just as deadeye, his dialogue is purer tough-guy poetry, and he's more dynamic than Buscemi and livelier than "Mad Men's" Jon Hamm, the other frontrunner. The ironic problem is, Olyphant might actually be overshadowed by some of his own castmates. Martindale, ostensibly a guest actor on the show, submitted as supporting actress instead (perfectly reasonable given that she's Olyphant's de facto co-star) and got far more Emmy buzz for it than his campaign has. (He's not that much better than he was last season, and she's the big reason this season sizzles.) Supporting nominee Walton Goggins gets more ink for his stunning work this season than Olyphant, and even surprise guest actor nom Jeremy Davies upstages the easygoing star with his jagged, jittery rhythms. Sometimes it pays for talent not to be quite so surrounded by other talent, from an Emmy strategy perspective.7. Edgar Ramirez Lead Miniseries/Movie ActorThe "Carlos" star is a dark horse of a different color. Many pundits actually favor SAG and Globe nominee Ramirez to win for the animal magnetism of his performance as real-life terrorist Carlos the Jackal. I originally ranked his chances ahead of Hurt's in that other terror story, "Too Big to Fail." But now I think the 2011 fiscal crisis makes "Fail" more timely. Also, Ramirez is a long shot because of the confusing nature of Carlos' success. He and it were big figures in last season's movie-awards race, even though its origin as a TV broadcast made Carlos ineligible for an Oscar. But critics and film festivals treated it like a movie, showering it with kudos. Now it seems like old news in another medium. It's amazing such a sprawling polyglot drama even got made. "It's a 5-hour movie that was never rehearsed," Ramirez tells "THR." When he told director Olivier Assayas he and his co-stars had no idea how to play their roles, Assayas said he was relieved because he had no idea how to shoot the movie. So everything was improvised. "It was a happening thing, like a happening in the '60s," says Ramirez. "Very cinema verite, very nouvelle vague." Not Emmy meat, but it's a starmaking role.8. "The Kennedys" Miniseries/MovieDissed from the outset sight unseen, driven by howls of protest from History channel to teensy upstart Reelz, the pulpy miniseries defied critics by nabbing 10 Emmy noms. Criticized for sensationalizing its subjects, Kennedys actually sentimentalizes them, soft-pedaling their plutocrat cynicism and omitting their stinging wit. In real life, Jackie's relation by marriage, Gore Vidal, said she and Jack were like the denizens of "Dangerous Liaisons." It might face a less uphill battle for best miniseries/movie if it were meaner and less safe. Still, you have to admire its pluck as the little soap opera that could. Greg Kinnear is good as JFK, Tom Wilkinson is better as his ruthless dad, and if Katie Holmes can't capture Jackie's spirit, she's got the look. Jackie once quipped about the famous pillbox Oleg Cassini designed for her, "He got an awful lot of mileage out of that little hat." So does Katie.9. "Friday Night Lights" Drama SeriesThey said a show so quiet and deliberate and emotionally realistic would face certain death. It did. Repeatedly, for five seasons. And now it's finally over and has one last chance to beat the odds. It probably won't, but you have to respect Emmy for coming to its senses and nominating FNL before it's gone.10. "Game of Thrones" Drama SeriesThe most bold, strange, bewilderingly complex show of the season, there's no way it can overcome Emmy's anti-fantasy tradition and win. On the other hand, even its creators doubted Thrones could be nominated the first year. So who knows? Debuting late in the Emmy race, which the showrunners thought would be a disadvantage, turned out to be a good thing, because it made Thrones the latest rage. The show is like its sole acting nom, supporting actor Peter Dinklage: It's a proud dwarf that stands head and shoulders above the competition. The Hollywood Reporter 10 Emmy Long Shots Worth Watching By Tim Appelo August 17, 2011 (Illustration by Pixel Pusher) Emmy pundits usually are in the business of telling you who will win. But sometimes, just being nominated signifies a big victory, and some of the most fascinating and culturally important shows and actors in the race are nominees whose hopes are the lowest. Sadly for pundits, sometimes they win anyway. Even if they don't, here's why we applaud the dark horses of 2011.1. Melissa McCarthy Lead Comedy ActressIn a year with two other contenders of unconventional stature, Kathy Bates ("Harry's Law") and Margo Martindale ("Justified"), "Mike & Molly's" McCarthy is the one who makes you go, "Whoa!" Bates is an iconic movie star propping up a so-so show, and Martindale is a respected character actor breaking out big-time in a great one, but 14 years after she first appeared on her cousin Jenny McCarthy's show, Melissa McCarthy is a real phenom. She won a Teen Choice scene-stealer award for "Bridesmaids" and could probably win a most lovable Emmy contender prize. What's her secret? She combines aspects of her two comedy icons, Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin of "Saturday Night Live." "What I liked about Jane was how straight she played stuff," McCarthy tells "THR." "Even as a little kid, I was weirdly obsessed with that show. I don't think I understood why it was so funny." From Radner, McCarthy took a shame-free approach: "Gilda Radner didn't have an ounce of pride to her. That was one of my favorite qualities in anybody." McCarthy's persona shows no fear and doesn't think she's being funny. "To that person, they're making a really great point. It can't be funny or strange to the person," she says. "It should all seem like one plus one equals two. You're just stating facts." Fact: Nobody is funny in quite the way McCarthy is. And if you're surprised at her nomination, she was so shocked she almost collapsed on camera.2. Mireille Enos Lead Drama ActressPlaying a homicide detective as broodingly moody as the Seattle skies above her in "The Killing," Enos out-underacts anybody else on TV. Forget about the show's controversially tricky, red-herring-happy plotline and concentrate on her face. Its stoic resolve might be the most radical thing about the most radically original gumshoe show around. It's the anti-"SVU," and hers is the opposite of a Mariska Hargitay performance -- maybe too opposite to get eight noms like Hargitay. Emmy or no Emmy, Enos is a somebody now, instead of just one of those wives on "Big Love" who's so great but her name escapes you.3. Michelle Forbes Supporting Drama ActressAs the dangerously enraged mom of the girl whose murderer is hunted in "The Killing," Forbes probably has less chance of winning than Enos, but both are submitting episodes in which their characters desperately seek their missing kids. Forbes' performance is the more searing and scary; she's worlds away from the usual blubbering victim's mother on procedurals. She's not a sentimental prop; her fury propels the tragic plot. Forbes' mind-stealing maenad was about the most intense character on "True Blood," too.4. "Parks and Recreation" Comedy SeriesIn some ways as much a reflection of its "SNL" comedienne inventor as "30 Rock" is, "Parks" has faced a rockier, less-Emmy-blessed road. But Amy Poehler relentlessly improved the show, tinkered with her role as bureaucrat nerd-in-chief, put more of the literally brilliant Rob Lowe in the mix and broke out this season with a best comedy nom to go with her lead comedy actress nom. If not for its unstoppable rival "Modern Family," "Parks" might not be such a dark horse.5. James Woods Supporting Miniseries/Movie ActorAs Dick Fuld, "the Gorilla of Wall Street," Woods gets the bellowing villain role in the movie "Too Big to Fail," a mostly sympathetic portrait of the architects of the 2008 financial disaster (and the shaky, dicey bailout). Fuld turned his billion-dollar personal stock in Lehman Brothers into $56,000 through sheer brazen denial, a character flaw Woods feasts on like a banker on a sucker investor. The best salesman sells himself down the river first. He won't get noticed in such a star-studded cast (Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, Tony Shalhoub, Bill Pullman, Matthew Modine, Topher Grace, John Heard, Cynthia Nixon), and they're all overshadowed by lead William Hurt, but Woods reasserts his ongoing role as the 800-pound gorilla of high-IQ villains. Woods thinks of financial giants as resembling movie stars: You're only as good as your last grosses or share price, so you gotta believe in your dream. Woods is a believable fanatical believer.6. Timothy Olyphant Lead Drama ActorThe "Justified" star's revolver won't likely outdraw the "Boardwalk Empire" tommy guns of Steve Buscemi, but his dramatic aim is just as deadeye, his dialogue is purer tough-guy poetry, and he's more dynamic than Buscemi and livelier than "Mad Men's" Jon Hamm, the other frontrunner. The ironic problem is, Olyphant might actually be overshadowed by some of his own castmates. Martindale, ostensibly a guest actor on the show, submitted as supporting actress instead (perfectly reasonable given that she's Olyphant's de facto co-star) and got far more Emmy buzz for it than his campaign has. (He's not that much better than he was last season, and she's the big reason this season sizzles.) Supporting nominee Walton Goggins gets more ink for his stunning work this season than Olyphant, and even surprise guest actor nom Jeremy Davies upstages the easygoing star with his jagged, jittery rhythms. Sometimes it pays for talent not to be quite so surrounded by other talent, from an Emmy strategy perspective.7. Edgar Ramirez Lead Miniseries/Movie ActorThe "Carlos" star is a dark horse of a different color. Many pundits actually favor SAG and Globe nominee Ramirez to win for the animal magnetism of his performance as real-life terrorist Carlos the Jackal. I originally ranked his chances ahead of Hurt's in that other terror story, "Too Big to Fail." But now I think the 2011 fiscal crisis makes "Fail" more timely. Also, Ramirez is a long shot because of the confusing nature of Carlos' success. He and it were big figures in last season's movie-awards race, even though its origin as a TV broadcast made Carlos ineligible for an Oscar. But critics and film festivals treated it like a movie, showering it with kudos. Now it seems like old news in another medium. It's amazing such a sprawling polyglot drama even got made. "It's a 5-hour movie that was never rehearsed," Ramirez tells "THR." When he told director Olivier Assayas he and his co-stars had no idea how to play their roles, Assayas said he was relieved because he had no idea how to shoot the movie. So everything was improvised. "It was a happening thing, like a happening in the '60s," says Ramirez. "Very cinema verite, very nouvelle vague." Not Emmy meat, but it's a starmaking role.8. "The Kennedys" Miniseries/MovieDissed from the outset sight unseen, driven by howls of protest from History channel to teensy upstart Reelz, the pulpy miniseries defied critics by nabbing 10 Emmy noms. Criticized for sensationalizing its subjects, Kennedys actually sentimentalizes them, soft-pedaling their plutocrat cynicism and omitting their stinging wit. In real life, Jackie's relation by marriage, Gore Vidal, said she and Jack were like the denizens of "Dangerous Liaisons." It might face a less uphill battle for best miniseries/movie if it were meaner and less safe. Still, you have to admire its pluck as the little soap opera that could. Greg Kinnear is good as JFK, Tom Wilkinson is better as his ruthless dad, and if Katie Holmes can't capture Jackie's spirit, she's got the look. Jackie once quipped about the famous pillbox Oleg Cassini designed for her, "He got an awful lot of mileage out of that little hat." So does Katie.9. "Friday Night Lights" Drama SeriesThey said a show so quiet and deliberate and emotionally realistic would face certain death. It did. Repeatedly, for five seasons. And now it's finally over and has one last chance to beat the odds. It probably won't, but you have to respect Emmy for coming to its senses and nominating FNL before it's gone.10. "Game of Thrones" Drama SeriesThe most bold, strange, bewilderingly complex show of the season, there's no way it can overcome Emmy's anti-fantasy tradition and win. On the other hand, even its creators doubted Thrones could be nominated the first year. So who knows? Debuting late in the Emmy race, which the showrunners thought would be a disadvantage, turned out to be a good thing, because it made Thrones the latest rage. The show is like its sole acting nom, supporting actor Peter Dinklage: It's a proud dwarf that stands head and shoulders above the competition. The Hollywood Reporter

Katharine Houghton Tackles Tennessee Williams in 'The Pretty Trap'

Katharine Houghton Tackles Tennessee Williams in 'The Pretty Trap' By Simi Horwitz August 11, 2011 Katherine Houghton in 'The Pretty Trap' Katharine Houghton is still most known for her role as the benign and almost guileless young white woman engaged to an African American man in the 1967 film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," starring Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, and her aunt, Katharine Hepburn. But Houghton has spent most of her career on stage. Indeed, she has performed leading roles in more than 50 regional productions. Her heart is very much in the theater.Currently she is performing Off-Broadway in the New York premiere of "The Pretty Trap," a little-known early one-act version of "The Glass Menagerie." Houghton plays Amanda, who, in this lighthearted incarnation, is an intrusive pest of a mother but ultimately a rather genial soul. The actor is clearly having the time of her life interpreting Amanda through an unexpected lens. But then, so much of Houghton's life and career has been unexpected. 1. Her legendary aunt helpedbut not as much as we'd think. Houghton says she had little contact, short of holidays, with Hepburn. In part, the obstacle was proximityor, more precisely, lack thereof. Houghton was growing up in Connecticut while her aunt was based on the West Coast. Aunt Kate was glamorous and fun, but in a family of eccentrics she was by no means the most interesting, Houghton says: "I only had a vague idea of who she was. I had only seen a few of her movies. It was way before the era of TCM."At Sarah Lawrence College, Houghton majored in philosophy with an eye toward an academic career. But in her junior year, she decided to give summer stock a shot and was hooked. She proceeded to land roles in theater, including her Broadway debut in "A Very Rich Woman," and a few film and TV parts. Clearly, everyone in the industry knew who her aunt was. But if directors were predisposed to cast (or not cast) her because of her heritage, it was never made obvious, she says.Houghton auditioned for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," but she has little doubt that her aunt was influential in her getting cast. "Working with my aunt on that film was difficult and complex," she says. "It was an exceedingly hard time for her. Spencer was dying, and she was like a tinderbox. It was a fascinating experience for me but not easy. Spencer was darling, supportive, and protective. He had flaws, but he was wonderful to me. So was Sidney, who was kind, sweet, and available. He was like a big brother."Houghton likens the film to an "event": the stars, their lifelong relationships, and the movie's emotionally charged topic. Her role was rather one-dimensional, she concedes. Still, she had the opportunity to observe great actors at work, especially Tracy, who had mastered the art of revealing all thought and feeling through his eyes, she says. "Even in his silent films, it was all there with no mugging." 2. She wrote plays to give herself roles. Houghton is also a writer and, like many actors, began by scripting pieces for herself. Following "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," she was typecast as the woman in interracial relationships. But it was not simply the typecasting that put her off; the material was so much inferior to "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." "I turned down these projects and returned to the theater," she says. "It was fate. I went on to play Hedda and Nora and Nina and Kate."But as she aged, she found fewer opportunities on the stage as well. To gracefully transition from playing ingnues to more mature roles, she wrote a solo show for herself, "To Heaven in a Swing," detailing Louisa May Alcott's life with her famous Transcendentalist father, Bronson Alcott. Doors in acting opened again, and, equally important, Houghton discovered the joy in writing. Many more plays followed, all of which were produced, Off-Broadway and regionally. Her play "Buddha" was published in "The Best Short Plays of 19881989."She is currently working on the book and lyrics for a new musical, "Bookends," loosely inspired by the lives of renowned rare-book dealers Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern. Houghton met the colorful pair when she was researching Alcott. "Bookends" has been a work in progress for many years, though Houghton recently signed on with a new composer, whom she does not wish to identify short of saying he is employed as a composer by major film studios. "Collaboration is extremely difficult," she says. "I can't afford to pay a composer. The composer has to be doing this for love."Houghton hopes to see the show produced Off-Broadway or regionally and insists she'll have a hands-on role in the casting. "Though Madeleine and Leona are in their 90s, I feel they have to be played by younger women," she says. "They need a lot of energy. They also need to be smart and funny. But they don't have to be great singers. They can talk the songs like Rex Harrison. The younger actors in the piece will have to be real singers."3. She tackled 'Pretty Trap' to originate a Williams work. Though Houghton has appeared before in Tennessee Williams plays, including two shots as Laura in "The Glass Menagerie," she had never originated a Williams role. That drew her to performing in "The Pretty Trap," she says. She also much prefers this Amanda to the one in the legendary play, whom she views as a tad too nostalgic as she endlessly recalls her gentlemen callers of the past. By contrast, Houghton says, in "The Pretty Trap" Amanda is earthy, courageous, and devoid of self-pity. She is a pragmatist very much concerned with her children's future. Although Amanda doesn't anticipate much success for either, she wants everyone to be happy, Houghton points out. "And I love the comedy." Still, Houghton faces very substantial challenges in this piece, not least making the transitions real and not allowing Amanda to emotionally spiral out of control. "There are moments she teeters and is just about to fall off, but she always pulls herself back," says the actor. Like any great writer, Williams is complex and requires the actor "to dig and dig and dig," she says. "You have to find the different levels, and if you're not doing that, you're not doing him justice. A major challenge in Williams is that his characters are not consistent, which makes them great parts to play. But that really forces you to work. We had eight days of rehearsal. I reread the script eight times, wondering, What is she thinking? What is happening? My mind changed from day to day."Houghton admits she probably couldn't have done this role as a younger woman. Playing Amanda requires maturity and having had the "joy and agony of launching a young person," she says. Curious about which of the two Amandas is closer to the playwright's mother, on whom the character is based, Houghton contacted an old friend who knew Williams' mother. "She said Amanda in 'The Pretty Trap' was more like the original."4. She has no career regrets. Houghton doesn't know if she'd do anything differently in her career if she had it to do over. She says she's had a good time and been lucky in the people she has worked with. Still, she's not sure she'd be acting if she were starting out today, mostly because there are so many more people entering the field and the odds of getting noticed are that much longer.Nevertheless, she believes that actors can still have viable careers in theater. "In film and TV, you need a gimmick, a recognizable persona," she says. "Once that happens, you'll get stuck playing it. You'll have fame and money, but at a cost. You won't get to play Lady Macbeth."My advice to young actors is to know what you want and to do it," she adds. "Know what kind of actor you want to be, and then go for it. If you have a unique persona, go to Hollywood. If you want to act, do that and be poor your whole life." She has no regrets. "The Pretty Trap" is playing through Aug. 21 at Theatre Row's Acorn Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St., NYC. Tickets: (212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com. Katharine Houghton Tackles Tennessee Williams in 'The Pretty Trap' By Simi Horwitz August 11, 2011 Katherine Houghton in 'The Pretty Trap' Katharine Houghton is still most known for her role as the benign and almost guileless young white woman engaged to an African American man in the 1967 film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," starring Sidney Poitier, Spencer Tracy, and her aunt, Katharine Hepburn. But Houghton has spent most of her career on stage. Indeed, she has performed leading roles in more than 50 regional productions. Her heart is very much in the theater.Currently she is performing Off-Broadway in the New York premiere of "The Pretty Trap," a little-known early one-act version of "The Glass Menagerie." Houghton plays Amanda, who, in this lighthearted incarnation, is an intrusive pest of a mother but ultimately a rather genial soul. The actor is clearly having the time of her life interpreting Amanda through an unexpected lens. But then, so much of Houghton's life and career has been unexpected. 1. Her legendary aunt helpedbut not as much as we'd think. Houghton says she had little contact, short of holidays, with Hepburn. In part, the obstacle was proximityor, more precisely, lack thereof. Houghton was growing up in Connecticut while her aunt was based on the West Coast. Aunt Kate was glamorous and fun, but in a family of eccentrics she was by no means the most interesting, Houghton says: "I only had a vague idea of who she was. I had only seen a few of her movies. It was way before the era of TCM."At Sarah Lawrence College, Houghton majored in philosophy with an eye toward an academic career. But in her junior year, she decided to give summer stock a shot and was hooked. She proceeded to land roles in theater, including her Broadway debut in "A Very Rich Woman," and a few film and TV parts. Clearly, everyone in the industry knew who her aunt was. But if directors were predisposed to cast (or not cast) her because of her heritage, it was never made obvious, she says.Houghton auditioned for "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," but she has little doubt that her aunt was influential in her getting cast. "Working with my aunt on that film was difficult and complex," she says. "It was an exceedingly hard time for her. Spencer was dying, and she was like a tinderbox. It was a fascinating experience for me but not easy. Spencer was darling, supportive, and protective. He had flaws, but he was wonderful to me. So was Sidney, who was kind, sweet, and available. He was like a big brother."Houghton likens the film to an "event": the stars, their lifelong relationships, and the movie's emotionally charged topic. Her role was rather one-dimensional, she concedes. Still, she had the opportunity to observe great actors at work, especially Tracy, who had mastered the art of revealing all thought and feeling through his eyes, she says. "Even in his silent films, it was all there with no mugging." 2. She wrote plays to give herself roles. Houghton is also a writer and, like many actors, began by scripting pieces for herself. Following "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," she was typecast as the woman in interracial relationships. But it was not simply the typecasting that put her off; the material was so much inferior to "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." "I turned down these projects and returned to the theater," she says. "It was fate. I went on to play Hedda and Nora and Nina and Kate."But as she aged, she found fewer opportunities on the stage as well. To gracefully transition from playing ingnues to more mature roles, she wrote a solo show for herself, "To Heaven in a Swing," detailing Louisa May Alcott's life with her famous Transcendentalist father, Bronson Alcott. Doors in acting opened again, and, equally important, Houghton discovered the joy in writing. Many more plays followed, all of which were produced, Off-Broadway and regionally. Her play "Buddha" was published in "The Best Short Plays of 19881989."She is currently working on the book and lyrics for a new musical, "Bookends," loosely inspired by the lives of renowned rare-book dealers Leona Rostenberg and Madeleine Stern. Houghton met the colorful pair when she was researching Alcott. "Bookends" has been a work in progress for many years, though Houghton recently signed on with a new composer, whom she does not wish to identify short of saying he is employed as a composer by major film studios. "Collaboration is extremely difficult," she says. "I can't afford to pay a composer. The composer has to be doing this for love."Houghton hopes to see the show produced Off-Broadway or regionally and insists she'll have a hands-on role in the casting. "Though Madeleine and Leona are in their 90s, I feel they have to be played by younger women," she says. "They need a lot of energy. They also need to be smart and funny. But they don't have to be great singers. They can talk the songs like Rex Harrison. The younger actors in the piece will have to be real singers."3. She tackled 'Pretty Trap' to originate a Williams work. Though Houghton has appeared before in Tennessee Williams plays, including two shots as Laura in "The Glass Menagerie," she had never originated a Williams role. That drew her to performing in "The Pretty Trap," she says. She also much prefers this Amanda to the one in the legendary play, whom she views as a tad too nostalgic as she endlessly recalls her gentlemen callers of the past. By contrast, Houghton says, in "The Pretty Trap" Amanda is earthy, courageous, and devoid of self-pity. She is a pragmatist very much concerned with her children's future. Although Amanda doesn't anticipate much success for either, she wants everyone to be happy, Houghton points out. "And I love the comedy." Still, Houghton faces very substantial challenges in this piece, not least making the transitions real and not allowing Amanda to emotionally spiral out of control. "There are moments she teeters and is just about to fall off, but she always pulls herself back," says the actor. Like any great writer, Williams is complex and requires the actor "to dig and dig and dig," she says. "You have to find the different levels, and if you're not doing that, you're not doing him justice. A major challenge in Williams is that his characters are not consistent, which makes them great parts to play. But that really forces you to work. We had eight days of rehearsal. I reread the script eight times, wondering, What is she thinking? What is happening? My mind changed from day to day."Houghton admits she probably couldn't have done this role as a younger woman. Playing Amanda requires maturity and having had the "joy and agony of launching a young person," she says. Curious about which of the two Amandas is closer to the playwright's mother, on whom the character is based, Houghton contacted an old friend who knew Williams' mother. "She said Amanda in 'The Pretty Trap' was more like the original."4. She has no career regrets. Houghton doesn't know if she'd do anything differently in her career if she had it to do over. She says she's had a good time and been lucky in the people she has worked with. Still, she's not sure she'd be acting if she were starting out today, mostly because there are so many more people entering the field and the odds of getting noticed are that much longer.Nevertheless, she believes that actors can still have viable careers in theater. "In film and TV, you need a gimmick, a recognizable persona," she says. "Once that happens, you'll get stuck playing it. You'll have fame and money, but at a cost. You won't get to play Lady Macbeth."My advice to young actors is to know what you want and to do it," she adds. "Know what kind of actor you want to be, and then go for it. If you have a unique persona, go to Hollywood. If you want to act, do that and be poor your whole life." She has no regrets. "The Pretty Trap" is playing through Aug. 21 at Theatre Row's Acorn Theatre, 410 W. 42nd St., NYC. Tickets: (212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com.

Bryce Dallas Howard on 'The Help,' Modern Racism and Playing the Villain

Bryce Dallas Howard has played a vampire, a character from a bedtime story brought to life, and the wife of 'Terminator's John Connor, so isn't it about time she plays a villain? We're not talking about a Disney-type villain clad in black robes here, but rather a well-to-do southern woman with a vicious temper and racist tendencies. In 'The Help,' adapted from Kathryn Stockett's book of the same name, Howard plays Hilly Holbrook, the mean bigot who basically runs the upper class of Jackson, Mississippi. With her '60s garb and manicured hair, Hilly rules the roost and manipulates all of the women in town. Howard's portrayal is a success -- you love to hate her, and it's worth watching the movie just to see her get her comeuppance. Moviefone caught up with Howard to talk about playing the bad girl, potential Oscar nods and modern-day racism. The movie was pretty heavy at times. Was it ever tough for you to actually say the things that Hilly says? Yeah, absolutely. There are scenes that I would never want to go back and do ever, ever again. But there were a lot more scenes that were so fun because Hilly's getting what she deserves. Like the chocolate pie scene, the commode scene or even the scene at the end on the porch when Hilly shows up at Skeeter's house and is attacking Skeeter [Emma Stone] and Skeeter's mom, when [Allison Janney] comes out and tells her off. Those were incredibly fun. Did you like playing the villain then? I loved playing a character that I didn't have to worry about being appealing or likable or attractive in any way, that gave me a real sense of freedom. It's a character that's so different from myself that I didn't have to worry about making her different from me, whereas sometimes you play a normal person and you don't want to be playing yourself so you come up with these things and they're not necessarily organic to the movie. So it's almost easier to play the extreme. For me, it's way easier to play an extreme. So not being a vampire. Yeah, being a vampire was way too close to home for me. [Laughs] Straight up, your character is a bitch. Everyone hates you. I know. We'll see how that turns out! Obviously '60s societal racism doesn't exist anymore on that level, but do you think we have a new stratification currently in terms of racism? Absolutely. Prejudice still exists and I think that we're going through a civil rights movement right now. The backdrop of this film is the civil rights -- obviously it's interwoven into the storyline -- and I play a character who's so self-righteous and really believes that what she's doing is right, but she's so wrong. I think that's something that's important to convey in any civil rights movement, that there's two sides and there's a side that's moving forward and embracing unity in some kind of way and there's a side that's resisting. And I think it's important to understand the psychology of that resistance, or to understand the psychology behind those beliefs because that's the only way they can be transformed, ultimately. Do you think that's probably the main message coming out of this movie? I don't know what the main message is. I mean, I think ultimately, at its core, it's a story of courage because these women really had to risk everything in order to just tell their story. And if this movie inspires one person to speak up who previously would've remained silent, I think that would be a very powerful thing. So a ton of themes, like family, mother/daughter relationships... While the movie is emotional (of course) and also hilarious, it's very powerful. It's a very powerful film and I think it's powerful on many levels, and that's what the book was like. I smell potential Oscar nods for this movie. What do you think about Viola Davis' performance? She's a powerhouse. There's no better word I think to describe her talent. She's one of our greats, and to get to work with her is such a powerful experience. It's so crazy getting to know her as a woman; she's a lovely, warm, highly intelligent, hard-working, hilarious woman, and then you see the movie and it's this character that's so internal and has suffered so much and goes through so much and is so different from how Viola actually is. It's craft, it's like I got to witness genius and that is something that I'll always be really grateful for. I think the chemistry in 'The Help' was just amazing. There wasn't one weak link in the entire cast. What's next for you, your new baby? [Howard is several months pregnant] Baby, yep. I'm doing a movie called '50/50' and it's going to come to the Toronto Film Festival this year. Then I produced a movie called 'Restless' with Gus Van Sant, that's also going to come to TIFF. 'The Help' opens in theaters on Wednesday, August 10. >> Check out our interview with Howard's co-star, Octavia Spencer

Andy Cohen To Pen Coming-Of-Age Memoir

Henry Holt introduced Monday it's acquired the privileges to Bravo Executive V . P . and late evening host Andy Cohen's untitled memoir.our editor recommendsSummer Books: 5 Beach Blanket Must ReadsHow Andy Cohen wrangles the 'Housewives'Andy Cohen Apologizes for 'Tasteless' Heidi Montag TweetBravo Professional Andy Cohen Desired to Stick Knife in Eyes Watching Kids Choir at OscarsKristen Wiig, Andy Cohen, Elijah Wood Chat in Closet in New Web Series (Video) It uses Cohen's existence-lengthy passion for popular culture and entertainment like a focus to inform the storyline of his journey from the closeted gay teen becoming an adult in seventies suburban St. Louis to some multi-hyphenate cable tv giant. Publication is scheduled for summer time 2012. PHOTO: Summer time Books: 5 Beach Blanket Must Reads Inside a statement announcing the offer, Holt's leader and writer Stephen Rubin stated: "Anybody who sees what Andy Cohen has accomplished at Bravo knows the man is really a marketing genius. What nobody knows by yet, is the fact that Andy is another very sexy and compelling author having a story to inform which will charm, shock and engage visitors using its candor, honesty, and wit. Andy is really as irresistible about the page because he is on the watch's screen.Inch Cohen added, "I enjoy write and I am thrilled which i reach share tales of my improbable crossing points with popular culture which have overflowing my existence. Like a teen Cohen's passion for such hit Television shows because the Brady Bunch, Laverne & Shirley, and Donnie and Marieled him to maneuver to New You are able to in the twenties to pursue work in entertainment. He arrived his first job at CBS News, where he eventually rose to senior producer on CBS Today and 48 Hrs. He moved onto a programming job at NBC Universal's TRIO before presuming his present position as mind of original programming for Bravo. One of the Bravo hits that Cohen has shepherded towards the small screen are Queer Eye for that Straight Guy, Project Runway, Kathy Griffin: My Existence about the D-List. He's won both an Emmy along with a Peabody Award and Out Magazine named him the most popular blogger of 2006. Henry Holt promises Cohen's memoir "includes many amusing moments of incidents about the set even though on assignment, and talk about his coming-of-age social existence full of antics and mayhem." Cohen is repped by CAA. The deal weren't introduced, though Cohen apparently received a six-figure advance for that book. Related Subjects Bravo

'The Middle': Ray Romano Reunites With Patricia Heaton for Guest Gig

TNT ABC is staging an Everyone Loves Raymond reunion of sorts. Ray Romano continues to be drawn on to guest star within the third season premiere of ABC's The Center opposite his former on-screen wife Patricia Heaton. As first reported by TV Guide, Romano can look within the hourlong season opener as as Nicky Kohlbrenner, a man from Frankie's (Heaton) past who single-handedly destroyed Frankie and Mike's (Neil Flynn) honeymoon, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Romano, whose TNT drama Males of the Certain Age was canceled recently, starred opposite Heaton for nine seasons on Raymond. Season 3 from the Middle premieres Sept. 21. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com Twitter: @Snoodit Patricia Heaton Ray Romano The Center Everyone Loves Raymond