Mad Men's Season 5 Poster: What Does It Tell Us?

Billy Crystal And they thought Anne Hathaway and James Franco would bring in more viewers.Sunday's 84th Academy Awards, hosted by Oscar stalwart Billy Crystal for the ninth time, enjoyed a small bump over last year's much-maligned festivities, according to preliminary numbers.Check out the Oscars fashion hits and missesThe three-hour telecast drew 39.3 million viewers and an 11.7 rating in the adults 18-to-49 demographic, up from 37.9 million and just a tick below last year's 11.8.The audience was the second biggest since the 2007 ceremony, when 40.2 million tuned in. (The 2010 show scored 41.7 million.)The Artist, Hugo and Meryl Streep top OscarsElsewhere, networks forfeited the night to the Oscars for the most part, airing repeats, except for The Amazing Race (7.6 million, 2.1) and Celebrity Apprentice (5 million, 1.8), which fell 25 and 30 percent, respectively, to hit series ratings lows.8 p.m.CBS: The Amazing Race 7.6 million viewers (2.1 demo rating) ABC: Oscars Red Carpet Live 8.64 million (3.0); 84th Academy Awards 6.3 million viewers (1.7) [8:30-11:30 p.m.]Fox: The Simpsons (R) 3.9 million (1.6); Napoleon Dynamite 3.6 million (1.6)NBC: Celebrity Apprentice (R) 2.5 million (0.8) 9 p.m.CBS: The Mentalist (R) 4.8 million (0.9)Fox: Family Guy (R) 3.5 million (1.6); American Dad! (R) 3.2 million (1.5)NBC: Celebrity Apprentice 5 million viewers (1.8) [9-11 p.m.]10 p.m.CBS: CSI: Miami (R) 5.8 million (1.2)

Pilot Season: Adam Campbell Cast in Nick Stoller's CBS Pilot

Lucas Cruikshank as Fred Figglehorn Nickelodeon is turning President's Day into Fredsident's Day using the premiere of the new series, Fred: The Show. The 11-minute episodes star Lucas Cruikshank as Fred Figglehorn, a 6-year-old character that 18-year-old Cruikshank first prominent on his YouTube funnel. On Monday's premiere two-parter, Fred's neighbors confront him having seen him destroy their home. In part one, Fred attempts to declare his innocence as well as in the 2nd, he finds out his enemy Kevin (Mike Weary) is responsible. Nickelodeon announces Fred: The Show, In A Major Way Hurry movie premiere Watch our first consider the series' promo: Fred: The Show moves to the regular Friday timeslot beginning February. 24 at 8/7c on Nickelodeon.

Meryl Streep Rejoins the Elite Oscar Club This Year

A few days ago, I wrotea postin that people noted thatGeorge Clooney(due to his best actor Oscar nomination lately for"The Descendants") has end up part of a high-notch club of males who've acquired 3 or even more Oscar nominations in the period of just five years -- which many of them wound up winning one or more times in their streaks -- a thing that Clooney has yet to accomplish, but hopes to accomplish on February 26.A Few Things I didn't remember to understand in those days was that Clooney is not the one of the year's acting Oscar nominees that's been nominated no less than three occasions since the 2007-2008 honours season, nevertheless it calculates Meryl Streephas accomplished the identical task.Due to Streep's best actress Oscar nomination lately for"The Iron Lady," she's now a part of a equally exclusive club of girls who've acquired 3 or even more best actress Oscar noms in the period of just five years!Whilst Clooney introduced a guys total to 16 males and 18 streaks (Spencer TracyandJack Lemmonhad two each), Streep brings the feminine total to twenty as well as 23 streaks. Most amazingly, this can be herfourthsuch streak -- few other female has several. But, she's won a best actress Oscar just once that was 29 in the past.Despite the fact that Streep lost this year's best actress SAG Award toViola Davis("The AssistanceInch), and although seven in the last 10 individuals who win of the prize ongoing to repeat within the Oscars, she'll have belief from the fact 14 in the 19 other women's streaks produced one or more statuette (three producedtwo) -- five for your third film inside the streak (as would be also for Streep). The Hollywood Reporter

Strand signs on for Gallic photos

L.A.-based outfit Strand Delivering has clicked up some Gallic arthouse photos for U.S. distribution: Cesar-nommed "17 Women," Delphine and Muriel Coulin's directorial debut repped by Paris-based Films Distribution and French vet Andre Techine's "Impardonnables" (Unforgivable) provided by TF1 Intl."Unforgivable" can be a drama concentrating on a writer's daughter who will get lost round the island of Sant Erasmo. Pic, which opened up at Cannes' Directors' Week, was produced by Mentioned Ben Said's SBS Films. It absolutely was composed by Techine and Mehdi Ben Attia, modified from Philippe Djian's novel.A dramedy situated in Brittany, "17 Women" is founded on the actual story of countless American secondary school ladies who made a decision to get pregnant concurrently. Pic remains selected at numerous worldwide fests since premiering at Cannes' Experts Week to warm reviews, and acquired a Cesar nomination to find the best first film. Pic was produced by Denis Freyd at Archipel 35.Strand Delivering has acquired films by French auteurs including Gaspar Noe, Jacques Audiard, Benoit Jacquot and Francois Ozon.Strand will host the U.S. premieres of "Unforgivable" and "17 Women" within the Unifrance Rendez-Vous festival in NY. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Drive-inches in digital bind

Large Sky Drive-in Theater in Midland, Texas was the very first U.S. drive-directly into go fully digital, trading $300,000 to transform three screens. The main galleries are driving difficult to stop disbursing 35mm prints in The United States through the finish of 2013, only one sector remains associated with traditional film prints: the drive-in movie biz. From the 366 drive-in theaters left within the U . s . States merely a handful have transformed into digital projection another 10% are required to transform before summer time. Two key hurdles: Neither digital Cinema Initiative tech specs nor the Virtual Print Fee business design were created with drive-inches in your mind. But now, because the U . s . Drive-in Theater Proprietors Assn. gathers in Kissimmee, Florida, for that industry's annual confab, drive-in proprietors are anticipating news of the addendum towards the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI) and changes towards the virtual print fee (VPF) rules which should smooth the way in which for drive-inches to create the change to digital -- as well as for film prints to really disappear within the U.S. If drive-inches don't convert, they risk obsolescence.National Assn. of Theater Proprietors prexy John Fithian stated he needs an offer to update the DCI to become approved within days. Several galleries have previously signed off around the changes. For drive-in operators, an up-to-date DCI is crucial, since theaters must meet DCI specs to obtain digital prints and should become digital to get VPF. Drive-inches can't satisfy the current version from the specs simply because they can't provide hiding to alter the aspect ratio of the screens and should not deliver 5.1 seem. Most drive-in sites have converted their audio system to FM transmission, through which patrons get the soundtrack through their vehicle stereo system. Merely a couple of have maintained old-style window loudspeakers for nostalgia.The update can also be likely to waive or revise the necessity that outside theaters satisfy the same brightness standards as indoor theaters: 14 feet Lamberts. Confronted with interference from ambient light and throw distances as lengthy as 900 ft in certain theaters, even drive-inches most abundant in effective projectors available on the market get no more than 10 fL. Most drive-inches typically get 5-7 fL. The enticement for drive-in operators is the fact that digital projectors provides more versatility in theatrical programming, along with the capability to present three dimensional, permitting exhibs to screen alternative content including concerts, sports and cultural perfs.But similar to their hardtop alternatives, drive-inches need Virtual Print Fee revenue to assist defray the price of digital conversion."We're seeking virtually exactly the same conditions and terms the indoor theaters are trying to find,Inch stated Frank Hattinger, who owns six drive-inches in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Salt Lake City. Hattinger stated he needs the VPF fee to pay for around 75% from the cost to transform to digital. Regardless of the cost hurdles, a couple of drive-inches have previously made the leap to digital. Mike Kirkland's Large Sky Drive-in Theater in Midland, Texas was the very first U.S. drive-directly into go fully digital, trading $300,000 to transform three screens. But many drive-in proprietors happen to be not able to create the change to digital with no guarantee of VPF gold coin. And also the VPF model itself needs an update to support the initial business types of drive-inches. Particularly, most ozoners, as Variety's slanguage has called them, are periodic, so that they only generate revenue for area of the year. "It's economically a frightening conversion," stated NATO's Fithian. "But you need to place it all in perspective. Despite the fact that drive-inches are usually periodic they gross much more on a single screen than the usual typical indoor theater does."Drive-in screens will be in decline for a while. Later, there have been a lot more than 2,000 drive-in screens. Near to 70% of individuals have closed, with a maximum of 606 screens in the finish of 2011. Since most drive-inches have anxiously waited before the DCI and VPF issues could be resolved, individuals that anxiously waited to create the switch will reap a shorter VPF period compared to typical 10-year payout provided to early adopters. Some drive-inches don't quality for VPF whatsoever under current policy simply because they cannot show enough first-run features. Other operators want the best for double features, that are common at drive-inches, and think the present VPF model for paying double features is unfair."They've punished us essentially for operating our business diversely than other theaters operate their business," stated Ron Cohen, who owns Transit Drive-in in Rockport, N.Y. "We run double features therefore we obtain a half VPF."Time is running short prior to the studios' September deadline to transform to digital but still be qualified to get the virtual print fee incentive. Cohen stated he lately compensated $300,000 to transform four screens and needs to obtain $20,000 to $30,000 over six years from VPF."To tell the truth I do not know exactly what the VPF amount is. They will not even let me know because there's a non-disclosure agreement between Cinedigm and also the galleries." Cohen stated. "The drive-in theaters which are effective as well as in a good-size market are most likely likely to have the ability to survive, however the drive-in theaters which are out in the united states -- individuals one- or two-screen theaters that do not squeeze into the VPF model the galleries have preferred -- will not have the ability to allow it to be.Inch Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com