Minnie Driver Takes Winding Road To Kari Lizers NBC Comedy Pilot

EXCLUSIVE: Minnie Driver is set to star opposite Andrea Anders in Kari Lizers NBC comedy pilot Lady Friends. The Warner Bros. TV-produced project is about two life-long female friends who are living very different lives but couldnt live without each other. Nicole (Anders) has everything going for her.Her best friend, Jen (Driver), has parents who have no faith in her, terrible instincts that led her to a 17-day marriage to a guy who dumped her, and she gained 15 pounds on the cabbage soup diet.And yet, somehow, she is Nicoles rock. Lady Friends landed Driver in a nail-biter, after a month-long pursuit. The producers cast the other lead, Anders, at the beginning of February when they also identified Driver as the choice for Jen. The problem was that Driver was under a talent deal at ABC, which would not release her. Executives and agents tried persuasion, which didn’t work. Then the network, NBC, used gamesmanship in the form of some good old horse trading. ABC wanted Kal Penn, who had a talent deal at NBC, to star in its comedy pilot Prairie Dogs. NBC offered to release Penn from his deal if ABC would let Driver go so she could do Lady Friends. That didn’t work either. (Penn did end up doing Prairie Dogs.) In the end, patience and perseverance paid off. ABC finally released Driver and she quickly closed a deal with Warner Bros. for Lady Friends. The Oscar-nominated former Riches star is with CAA and Untitled.

Justin Bieber Gets The Movie Career He's Always Wanted

The MTV Movies team doesn't write about Justin Bieber very often — pop music's not necessarily our forte — but recently there's been a lot of talk about his ambitions for a serious acting career. That's something we do know a thing or two about. At least, that's what we tell ourselves. Word has it that Bieber wants to mirror the career of another musician-turned-actor, Mark Wahlberg. The two are even collaborating on a "Color of Money"-esque basketball drama, with Wahlberg playing the wise veteran to Bieber's cocky rookie. Based on his infamous role on "CSI" and the rumors about a "Fear" remake, Bieber wants to go dark and shirk the mantle of the fresh-faced pop star in favor of a tough-guy acting persona. Objectively speaking, he's got a bit to go before pulling "dark" off without unintentional laughs. In honor of Justin's 18th birthday, MTV Movies feels obligated to give back to the boy who's given so much to us. We've mapped out where Bieber should be by his next few birthdays to overcome his image problem and have the acting career he wants. March 1, 2013 - Age: 19 First of all, take this slow. You can't go from "Baby" to girlfriend stalker that quickly. No one will believe you. Skip "Fear 2: The Fearening." Make that basketball movie. Don't act too "hard," and chill out for a few years. March 1, 2016 - Age: 22 You've got acting cred now thanks to Wahlberg. Don't waste it. You're next step is a young guy reluctantly thrown into a life of crime. You're looking to make a DiCaprio-esque transition here. This is your "Catch Me If You Can." March 1, 2019 - Age: 25 Hopefully the baby face is gone by now. Drop out of the spotlight for a while, put on some muscle, get a tattoo. Hell, grow a beard if you can. Now you get to play a criminal, the only catch being that he is essentially a good guy. This is where Wahlberg is king. March 1, 2021 - Age: 27 Here's a little bit of strategy for you. Overreach. Join an indie movie that wouldn't have a wide release without you. Go too dark. Play a straight-up killer, no remorse, but make sure it's a good movie. (Always make sure.) There will be backlash, but that's all part of the plan. March 1, 2023 - Age: 29 Come out of hiding after upsetting the masses with your last movie. Now it's time to win them back. Go for the Oscar with another sports movie. Here's your "Fighter." It can be basketball, bowling, doesn't matter. The character just has to make a comeback mirroring your own. March 1, 2026 - Age: 32 By now, you've worked out your niche. If you're following Wahlberg, you're the reluctant tough guy, who will do anything for his family, America or justice. Work that niche, rinse and repeat for years to come.

CDG's fashion platoon

Columbus Short, Kate Beckinsale and Len Wiseman party at BevHilton. Deborah Hopper and Marcia Gay Harden flank Clint Eastwood in the Costume Designers Guild Honours. Jennifer Eve, Lou Eyrich and Ryan Murphy celebrate a "Glee" victory Tuesday. David Fincher with Trish Summerville Jany Temime and Jane Lynch "I have never experienced an area because of so many well-outfitted people," presenter Betty Kemper stated Tuesday in the Beverly Hilton. Indeed, these were. Jane Lynch emceed the Costume Designers Guild Honours, where kudos received to "W.E.'s" Arianne Phillips, "Harry Potter's" Jany Temime and "Dragon Tattoo's" Trish Summerville, amongst others. An honorary award visited they of Deborah Hopper and Clint Eastwood, who stated, "We all know movies and television are an ensemble. People discuss company directors and auteurs. I never supported that type of factor. It is a platoon."Kate Beckinsale also received an honorary trophy, which she stated belonged to any or all the costume designers who've outfitted her. But, she rapidly added, "I am using this award home because Personally i think I deserve something for the destroying my stomach with the corsets you have made me put on through the years.Inch

Ratings: Cougar Town Returns to All-Time Low

Courteney Cox and Busy Phillips Can we give the Cougar Town crew an A for trying?Despite the cast and producers' valiant guerrilla marketing effort for the long-delayed third season, the comedy returned Tuesday to 4.8 million viewers and a 1.8 rating in the adults 18-to-49 demo - both series lows.Social TV: Cougar Town creator offers ponies, drunken raves to loyal fansThe silver lining? The show suffered relatively small drops in both measures - 4 and 10 percent, respectively - from the Season 2 finale (when it aired on Wednesdays after Modern Family) and posted the highest retention rate out of Last Man Standing (82 percent) all season. Still, Cougar Town's premiere numbers are below those of the timeslot's previous (and now-canceled) occupants Man Up and Work It.CBS won the night, powered by NCIS, which drew 19.4 million viewers and a 3.9 rating.8 p.m.CBS: NCIS 19.4 million viewers (3.9 demo rating)ABC: Last Man Standing 7.6 million (2.2); Cougar Town 4.8 million (1.8)Fox: Glee 6.9 million (2.8)NBC: The Biggest Loser 5.8 million (2.0) [8-10 p.m.]CW: Hart of Dixie (R) 0.7 million (0.3)9 p.m.CBS: NCIS: Los Angeles 16 million viewers (3.2)ABC: The River 4.9 million (1.7) Fox: New Girl 6.6 million (3.2); Raising Hope 4.68 million (2.1)CW: Ringer 1.07 million (0.3)10 p.m.CBS: Unforgettable 10.9 million viewers (2.0)ABC: Body of Proof 6.1 million (1.2)NBC: Parenthood 4.4 million (1.6)

Wager Eco-friendly-Lights Drama from The Sport Designers

Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil Wager has due to the eco-friendly light to Single Black Female, a drama from The Sport designers Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, Deadline reviews. The project is among the personal and professional information on the Atlanta-based talk show host. The series, put together by Brock Akil, is part of the Akils' deal with the network with a series and several pilot obligations. Have a look at really current day news Brock Akil most recently written and Akil directed the remake in the film Sparkle, which will feature Whitney Houston in their final role. It's slated with an August release.

U.K. cracks down on film tax fraud

LONDON -- The U.K. tax authorities have arrested several British bankers on suspicion of using investments in film production to illegally evade tax. According to a report in the Financial Times, investigators for H.M. Revenue and Customs arrested four current and one former employee of the Royal Bank of Scotland at their homes last week, along with several employees from two other unnamed banks. The arrests relate to the private financial affairs of the bankers, rather than to any film investment schemes run by the banks themselves. It is not known which film investment schemes are implicated in the investigation. The U.K. government has progressively tightened the rules governing tax relief for film investment over a period of several years, to make it harder for wealthy individuals to use film production vehicles as a mechanism for avoiding tax. Under current rules, anyone investing more than 25,000 ($39,500) into film must prove that they are actively involved in the production, in order to write off the investment against tax. They must show that they spend more than 10 hours a week working on the production. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Tribeca Teaches expands to L.A.

The Tribeca Film Institute is expanding its Tribeca Teaches program to Los Angeles with an after-school digital storytelling program at Lennox Middle School. The program, announced Monday, is presented in partnership with Southern California Crossroads. It is TFI's first pilot outside of NY City and will focus on the medium of video games to guide a bilingual, storytelling curriculum to students. The six-year-old Tribeca Teaches youth programs in NY are expected to serve more than 15,000 students in 2012. Tribeca Teaches Los Angeles will launch an 18-week program to help students script their own stories using videogame narratives, partnered with filmmakers, teachers, community activists and parents. One of the current Tribeca Teaches NY programs involves a partnership between the Bronx Preparatory Charter School and a Brazilian school to create a student film. Students in Brazil will read Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin, and conduct viewings of "Menace II Society," while students in the Bronx will watch "City of God" and read Chico Mendes' Fight for the Forest. "Over the past six years we have built a strong foundation for young storytellers in NY City, helping students to see themselves as storytellers, and providing teachers with the tools they need to use film and media in the classroom," said Beth Janson, exec director of the Tribeca Film Institute. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com