Dancing with the Stars Episode Recap: Monday, Oct. 17, 2011

Andrew Lincoln [Warning: The following story contains spoilers from the Season 2 premiere of The Walking Dead. Read at your own risk.] "I hear we're getting shot," says an actress, smiling behind a mask of rotted teeth. "Awesome!" replies a bloody actor with an enthusiasm that's, ironically, everywhere on The Walking Dead set - from undead extras to lead actors - even after an in-house summer shake-up. "It's jam-packed, character-wise and action-wise," says Andrew Lincoln, as electrified by the world of hungry corpses as his character, Rick, is terrorized by them. Deeper, darker and (at 13 episodes) more than twice as long as last year, Season 2 of the record-breaking AMC drama questions the cost of survival, and how much humanity its characters can salvage. Executive producer Robert Kirkman, author of the original comic book, promises "gut-wrenching drama." And, of course, lots of guts, too. This season's opener started with a shock - young Sophia got lost in the zombie-filled woods - and ended with a bang, as Rick's young son, Carl, was accidentally shot. "They're the hope of the future," says Steven Yeun (Glenn). "If the kids are gone, what's the point?" Not everyone shares this concern. "Some just want to keep moving, others are desperate to find Sophia, and everyone has their own agenda," says Melissa McBride, who plays Carol, Sophia's mother. Adds Kirkman, "It's interesting how quickly a few move to self-preservation. It'll shock you who goes there, that 'we need to make sacrifices' mode." That philosophical split will cause tension between best friends Rick and Shane (Jon Bernthal). "Shane figures out what it takes to survive: a lack of empathy and emotion," says Bernthal, whereas Rick tries to hold onto his humanity - to a point. "Not that Rick's gone to the dark side," says Lincoln, "but that's the question: Can we survive without becoming monsters? And everyone's arguments are sound. One week you're going, 'Shane is a psycho!' and the next you're like, 'But he's right!'" Caught between the two men is Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies), Rick's wife - and Shane's ex-lover. "Every time Rick says, 'We have to be human,' Lori hears that," says Callies, "but every time Shane says, 'Guys, it's math. It's what we need to do to keep Carl alive,' that makes sense, too." It's a dynamic, Kirkman says, that'll make it even harder to keep Lori and Shane's Season 1 affair secret: "Carl's shooting brings them into new areas, puts a lot of strain on Lori and Shane, and brings up some dark stuff they've been keeping under wraps, so to speak." Could Lori's condition, like her comic-book counterpart, become even more delicate this season? (Spoiler alert: The character was revealed to be pregnant in the comic book.) Callies will only say Lori's focus is Sophia and Carl, but adds vaguely, "Later, she may have some decisions about taking on new responsibilities." What else can we expect this season? Dr. Jenner's secret, whispered to Rick in the final moments of last year's finale, "will be revealed," says exec producer Gale Anne Hurd. Andrea (Laurie Holden), the most broken survivor after her sister's death, will morph into a more powerful player. "I've been off with the boys - learning to shoot, embracing my inner tomboy," says Holden. And Glenn makes a connection with a new character, Maggie Green (Lauren Cohan). "It gives him someone to live for," says Yeun. For more on The Walking Dead, pick up this week's Halloween preview issue of TV Guide Magazine, on newsstands Thursday, October 20! Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

'Beyond Thrilled': My Week With Marilyn Director Simon Curtis On His Auspicious NYFF Debut

The world premiere of your first feature film — in the hypercritical climes of the NY Film Festival, no less — would be nerve-wracking for any director. But Simon Curtis isn’t any director. He’s a BAFTA- and Emmy-nominated television and stage veteran who’s worked with a who’s who of British acting royalty, a noteworthy group of whom appear in Curtis’s feature debut My Week With Marilyn. Of course, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi (along with younger stars Eddie Redmayne and Dominic Cooper) all orbit the staggering lead performance of Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe during the troubled making of The Prince and the Showgirl. Movieline caught up with Curtis today to take the temperature of both his My Week With Marilyn experience and his NYFF afterglow. How are you feeling now having your big, buzzy, NY Film Festival world premiere out of the way? I was beyond thrilled with the response in the room — all three screenings yesterday. We’ll see how we get on. But I’m very proud of the film; it feels like a crowd-pleaser. That’s my dream. It’s full of very complicated, sort of upsetting things, but it’s very, very funny, too. Or I always thought so, and it seems the audience did, too. So I was thrilled to hear that big NY audience — that big cinema — laughing. I was really surprised to hear you say yesterday that this was your first film. I know some of your background — the stage and TV, of course, but I would have sworn you’d made a feature previously. Yeah. But there’s “TV,” and there’s TV, and I’ve been very lucky. Some of those BBC things… I don’t know if you saw Cranford, for example. In terms of the cast, I don’t know where the difference is. Frankly, there’s more TV than good films at the moment. [Laughs] But anyway. Yeah, this is my first film. Why did you want to do this as your big-screen debut? I fell in love with the material. I feel in love with the two diaries. Along the way, as we’ve been developing this, I’ve spoken to people about other movies, and they nearly happened and all that. But I decided to hold on for the film that I truly believed in — the film that I cherished. I’ve only thought about this in recent conversations, but it has so many of the themes in this film that are the themes I live my life by. I’m married to an American actress [Elizabeth McGovern] who’s come to live in England. Americans can be Anglophiles; I don’t know what the word is for an English person who loves America, but I’ve always loved America. The idea of celebrity when it starts to go away, as expressed by Olivier and Vivian [Leigh] in this film. These are the themes I obsess over that happen to be in this film. I didn’t choose it for that reason, but in retrospect, that’s why I was drawn to it, perhaps. And also, as a young man wanting to get into the profession, I identify very much with Colin’s voyage into the film. Considering that there were two books, and considering the richness of the material and the characterizations, did it ever occur to you to maybe adapt this as a miniseries or longer movie for TV? No. I always wanted to make this as a film. One of the things that makes this film work is a bona fide movie star playing Marilyn. Michelle is a genius, I think, but not only is she a genius, she’s at the exact right moment of her life to play Marilyn, age 30, in 1956. It’s what I dreamt of: the right person to do it, you know? Well, yes, and I’d agree that Michelle is something of a genius. But do you really think she’s a “bona fide movie star”? Wouldn’t that work against playing another, actual bona fide movie star? You know more about that than me, but for me, she is. Basically, instead of saying “bona fide movie star,” we can just say she is absolutely the right person to play this character now. She’s the right age; there’s so much excitement and interest in her. Also, she’s a director’s dream. She’s such a hard worker, and she sets such high standards for herself. But she also, fantastically for this very complicated character — let alone the risk of playing someone so famous — she works equally hard on the internal character as she does on the external. And of course part of the film is the culture clash between the external, Olivier style of acting, and the internal, Method style. But Michelle does both. Working her way toward the start of the shoot, she was working equally on the body language. That dance that Marilyn does in The Prince and the Showgirl was a way into learning how Marilyn moved — not just in that dance, but in life as well. But then she’d be working on all the internal stuff. And it’s a very particular moment in Marilyn’s life. We always said it wasn’t a biopic; it was a moment in time. And at this time, when she arrives in England, she is now married to the great intellectual who she thought would rescue her from her life and give her intellectual and artistic credibility. She was coming to work with the great Olivier — who, again, she thought would give her credibility. And also, she was way ahead of her time with Milton Greene in setting up Marilyn Monroe Productions to produce her own movies. When she arrived in England, it was like this phenomenal moment that could all have gone a different way. And in some ways, the story of our film — the making of The Prince and the Showgirl — is how all those dreams collapsed. When you have such concrete primary sources as the diaries and The Prince and the Showgirl — and you clearly want to treat each with a certain verisimilitude — how did you go about making sure that My Week With Marilyn is its own thing? Is it just naturally so? Winding back, I was very keen to recreate The Prince and the Showgirl as accurately as possible. But Michelle and I talked about it a lot — about how there’s The Prince and the Showgirl, and there’s also the press conferences and little snippets of Marilyn, but there’s no footage, obviously, of her in private. So that was a world we could make our own. You know what I mean? The casting in any film makes a difference, but in this in particular, there’s something about Branagh’s Olivier that is unique to our film. Whereas another Olivier would have been a different kettle of fish. Another Colin Clark would have been a different thing. Eddie has a particular flavor, doesn’t he? Several attributes — he the authentic old Etonian playing an old Etonian. It’s that sort of thing. You’re also directing Branagh directing his own character and Marilyn on a film set within your set. How do you keep control as these layers compound? It’s very complicated, some of those scenes. I found it very hard working out where Marilyn would do five or even six takes of a line. But the thing about directing is that it’s this bizarre mixture of control and lack of control, and I’m a great believer in the idea that if you cast the right people, they’ll bring something special. In totally different ways, Michelle and Ken brought so much into the room. They’re both such formidable intellects; they know what they know. I know some directors would be quite challenged by that, but I was just very grateful. To say nothing of the supporting cast — Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi… I’ve always believed in being ambitious with casting, because actors can only say no. Never be afraid of asking. A lot of those parts are actually quite short commitments, so we sort of got lucky in a way. Judi had met Sybil Thorndike, and obviously it intrigued her — the notion of playing Sybil. I’d also worked with Judi in two previous years, so that helped, too. The allure of working with Michelle helped a lot, and liking the script helped. Being in London — local — helped. All these things contribute. Julia Ormond surprised me here, too — just totally heartbreaking. Like a lot of actresses her age, she understands Vivian’s heartbreak about having been the most beautiful woman in the world and now, at only 43, being made to feel like she’s passed it. I think modern actresses completely get that. I was wincing. Yeah! Absolutely. But it was very important to keep that in, because had Marilyn lived, maybe at 43, she’d have felt the same. Even when you’re the most beautiful woman of your generation, it can go. Do you think we can even have mythologies worthy of these kinds of interpretations and dramatizations in the future? I mean, there’s Twitter, Facebook, blogs, the rest of the Internet. Is that, too, a time that’s passed? Well, I do think the film is a love letter to a lost time. And I also think that Marilyn was a sort of prototype celebrity in a way — that frenzy around her, that interest in here. I read a biography written shortly after [The Prince and the Showgirl] — while she was still alive — that there was a sort of People magazine-y type of thing. So obviously that was going on. It just wasn’t in everybody’s face all the time. I love your having invoked Lost in Translation as something of an inspiration for this. What’s behind that influence? It wasn’t an influence, but I was thinking, “Can this story work?” And watching one of my favorite film, Lost in Translation, made me think, “Yes, it can.” They’re these two different people who come into contact with each other randomly for this short, intense time, have this impact on each other, and then go their separate ways. That’s in the structure of this film. What’s next for you? I’m not sure. I’d love to do a contemporary American story — without iconic characters. [Laughs] But I don’t know. I was talking to Sam Shepard last week about his collaborations with European filmmakers, and their historical interest in American mythology, landscape and psyche. Do you relate to that? That’s interesting. Yes, I think I do. I mean, for a Brit, I’m very knowledgeable about America and, again, whatever the equivalent of an American Anglophile is for America. I’m married to an American. I spend a lot of time here; my children are American citizens. It’s very precious to me, my relationship with America. You can think also of Sam Mendes, American Beauty, that sort of thing. But I do recognize that, and it has a great appeal to me.

The Simpsons Cast Close to Signing Deal But How Much Will They Make?

The Simpsons It looks like The Simpsons may continue their hijinks on Fox. The cast of the longest-running prime-time scripted series is close to signing a deal, which will keep them on the air for one more year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The new deal won't reduce their salaries as much as the 45 percent pay cut Fox originally demanded, but it will not include any revenue pay. The Simpsons' Harry Shearer: I'm willing to take a 70 percent pay cut in exchange for profits On Monday, it was reported that the actors - Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer - proposed a 30 percent pay cut in exchange for a small percentage of the show's back-end profits, which includes syndication and merchandising. But that offer was swiftly rejected by the network. Early Friday, Shearer spoke out against Fox, saying he would take a pay cut as large as 70 percent in order to get a share of the sitcom's hefty profits. Shearer said there were "simply no circumstances under which the network would consider allowing me or any of the actors to share in the show's success." Fox gives Simpsons actors an ultimatum The show's producers have already agreed to salary reductions, but several of them already have deals that include compensation from back-end profits. The deadline - Friday at noon - for Fox's ultimatum for the cast to take the pay cut or the show will be canceled has passed, without response from the actors or the network.

Jordana Brewster on Fast Five, Maturing Onscreen and the Chance of a Sixth Fast & Furious Film

Last week, Movieline spoke with with Fast Five star Tyrese Gibson to get the male perspective on being part of such a lucrative, testosterone-driven franchise. Eager to get another take, we reached out to Jordana Brewster, who has played the sole heroine of the car heist series since day one. The Yale graduate eagerly discussed her growing role in Fast Five (which is released on DVD and Blu-ray this week), a potential sixth installment and her own meager knowledge of automobiles. It seems like even five movies in, Fast & Furious continues to grow more and more popular at the box office. Did you have any idea that it would be such a lasting franchise when you signed on? No! When we signed on, I was in high school and I didn’t know much about car culture. I didn’t even have my license at the time, so I knew that we were making a movie about cars but I don’t think any of us knew that we were onto something so special that would keep growing. Justin [Lin] is really amazing in that he keeps building on it without taking the fans for granted. He knows that he’s got to keep expanding and he does that by taking us to new places like Rio de Janeiro and adding characters like Dwayne Johnson’s character. Our fans are amazing and so loyal. And not just the fans but the critics also seem to have a certain respect for this franchise. Have you always felt the critics’ support as well? I stopped reading reviews like two or three movies in, so I try not to pay too much attention to that. But if they did, that’s awesome. Has your knowledge of cars expanded tremendously since the first movie? Well, I still don’t drive a stick. I did take one class, but I was so hopeless, I just said, “I’m not going to get this” and gave that up. I do love driving and appreciate it more. There’s no way you can’t living in Los Angeles. I also have developed an appreciation for just beautiful cars like the GT40 I drove in Fast Five. I was like, “Oh my gosh, I love the lines on that car.” But then someone like Paul will know what’s going into the engine and how you fix that car if it breaks down. I’m not that savvy. Do you feel any pressure to drive an awesome car in real life? No, I mean, I drive a Range Rover Sport which I really love. My dream car would be a Maserati. That would be amazing. Fast Five was such a fun movie to watch. What was the most fun scene to shoot? My favorite scene by far was the foot chase that we shot in Puerto Rico. Paul and I got to do all of these stunts which was so much fun for me — not just as an actor because I got to kick ass and jump off roofs — but because my character, Mia, got to grow and be on the run with the boys. That was something that Justin and I had talked about, and it was really important to evolve. Did you have to do some strong convincing to let Justin do your own stunts? No, Justin was like, “I’m going to push you on this one.” It was just time for her — and me — to be on the run with the boys and protect her family. She had a lot more at stake on this movie. How do you unwind from being on such an action-heavy, testosterone-fueled set every day? I meditate, which I really like. Just 20 minutes twice a day and that really helps. It’s funny because when you watch the movie it seems like it’s constant adrenaline but there’s so much stopping and starting on set that everyone is pretty mellow. That’s the only way to keep your sanity. [SPOILER ALERT] How did you react when you found out that Mia was going to be pregnant in this movie? I was excited, because story-wise, I thought it helped up the ante for her and it helped her and [Paul Walker’s character] Brian become closer. How do you think this will change the trajectory of the franchise? I don’t know. I’m excited to see where they’ll take it if there’s a sixth movie. Have you heard anything about a sixth movie yet? Nothing official, but I would be up for it. It’s so much fun because you’re working with your friends and you’re working with these people that you have a shorthand with. How much feedback do you get from female fans? I think I’ve gotten the most feedback on this one because Mia was stronger and on the run with the boys and involved in the action. Because she was a stronger female character, I did get a great response. I hear from them on Twitter about the action sequences. And yes, I still get a lot of questions about Paul and what it’s like to work with him. [Laughs]

Fox Searchlight sets 'Shame' release date

Marking what is going to be Fox Searchlight's last release this year, the studio has dated Steve McQueen's provocative drama "Shame" for limited release on 12 ,. 2. Fox Searchlight acquired U.S. distribution rights for the film within the Toronto Film Fest, while using knowing that it could release the film this year. "Shame," the tenth title to endure Fox Searchlight this season, stars Michael Fassbender just like a sex-addicted 30-something, whose existence involves a mind when his youthful sister, carried out by Carey Mulligan, involves accept him. McQueen co-written the script with Abi Morgan See-Saw Films' Iain Canning and Emile Sherman produced. The film can be a difficult sell, given its written content plus an inevitable limited rating, though potential honours traction should draw some attention. Before acquiring "Shame," Fox Searchlight moved "The Descendants" from November. 23 to November. 18, distancing the two films. The distrib released Kenneth Lonergan's "Margaret" last weekend and may bow Sundance pickup "Martha Marcy May Marlene" on March. 21. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Analyst: 3d Re-Releases Could Boost Annual U.S. Box Office by $200 million-$300 Million

NEW You'll be able to - Re-delivering choose classic movies in 3d may lead $200 million-$300 million for the U.S. box office every year, MKM Partners analyst Eric Handler thought in the report Wednesday. It came a following day of Wally Disney mentioned it could re-release in 3d four movies over the following couple of years following a wealth from the Lion King re-condition in 3d, which has approached $80 million inside the U.S. "We percieve this decision and the prospect of more major blockbuster game game titles being reformatted for just about any 3d re-release becoming an attractive chance for your Hollywood art galleries and cinema operators for instance Cinemark and Regal," Handler written. "Obtaining a choose volume of "classic" films reformatted in 3d throughout typically slow release periods may lead $200 million-$300 million of domestic box office revenue by having an annual basis." He added: "There's likely an identical worldwide chance too.Inch Handler suggested that such films make most sense throughout seasonally slow several days as September and October, which consider roughly 5.four percent and 6.three percent, correspondingly, in the year's total box office, additionally to February-April. Hollywood art galleries may require re-releases as they can "freshen a catalog title and not only drive box office sales, but furthermore reinvigorate downstream revenue drivers and consumer product distribution," Handler contended. "For your participants, the appeal is high for just about any classic film re-release limited cost point since it offers moviegoers a correctly identifiable tentpole type of title to find out using what would most likely be described as a seasonally slow period that's missing in large budget content." Four 3d re-releases are slated for 2012, then two more in 2013. Beyond the Disney game game titles, they include Fox's Alien: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace and Titanic. "Possible films which will make sense for future 3d re-release, inside our opinion, include people that have been in the spotlight for some time that could attract family audiences, are very appreciated franchises, or boast large effects appeal that could translate well in 3d,Inch Handler mentioned, suggesting the type of Aladdin and E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial will make sense along with franchises, such as the Our god in the Rings, Raiders in the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park. "Possible one-off game game titles that could attract audiences include Close Encounters in the Third Kind, Jaws, Ghostbusters as well as Independence Day," he added. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Subjects 3d The Wally Disney Company last century Fox Film

Image Nation Separates Hollywood Division

Image Nation has separated its U.S. business from its local filmmaking activity. Michael Garin, who was appointed new CEO in February, will continue to be overall head of Image Nation, while running overseas business Image Nation International. Its American partners include Participant Media, Hyde Park Entertainment, Parkes/Macdonald and Warner Bros. Former UAE ambassador Mohammed Al Otaiba has been appointed head of newly-formed Image Nation Abu Dhabi, which has produced two local movies so far: Sea Shadow and Djinn, directed by Tobe Hooper. Garin told me recently that he has spent time restructuring deals originally signed by his predecessor Ed Borgerding, trying to give Image Nation more of a say over what gets green-lit. He has restructured Image Nations deal with National Geographic Films in particular. Before I arrived, the strategy was much more passive, he told me. The partnerships have changed significantly. Before I arrived Participant and National Geographic were structured in a way that gave us little or no control over projects. Those are not structures I would have entered into on that basis. Garin said that after hundreds of millions of dollars invested, Image Nations international exposure is close to zero. Through its Participant tie-up, Image Nation has co-produced two movies currently in strong spots at the U.S. box office: The Help, which spent 25 days at number one, and Contagion, which has grossed nearly $68 million in less than a month at theatres. That should help ease the pain of movies that Garin admits the Abu Dhabi fund took a bath on, including Peter Weirs The Way Back and Robert Rodriguezs Shorts.

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