'Wicked' Continues Its Box Office Reign Over 'Lion King'

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Academy awards: Indie Films Score 17 Wins

La, February. 26, 2012 Independent films taken 17 Academy awards at tonights 84th Oscars, together with a Best Picture victory through the Artist. The award brings the amount of independent films taking Best Picture honors to twenty in the last 31 years, based on the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA).Independent films collected 17 Oscars during these groups: (*Please be aware, companies listed include Independent companies active in the film that are also IFTA Member companies) Best Picture The Artist (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) Pointing Michel Hazanavicius The Artist (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) Actor inside a Leading Role Jean Dujardin The Artist (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) Actress inside a Leading Role Meryl Streep The Iron Lady (Path Worldwide, Goldcrest Pictures, U.K. Film Council, The Weinstein Company) Actor inside a Supporting Role Christopher Plummer Beginners (Focus Features) Writing (Original Script) Woodsy Allen Night time In Paris Language Film A Separation Animated Feature Film Rango (GK Films) Art Direction Hugo (GK Films) Production Design: Dante Ferretti Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo Cinematography Robert Richardson Hugo (GK Films) Costume Design Mark Bridges The Artist (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) Documentary (Feature) Undefeated (The Weinstein Company) Makeup Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland The Iron Lady (Path Worldwide, Goldcrest Pictures, U.K. Film Council, The Weinstein Company) Music (Original Score) Ludovic Bource The Artist (Wild Bunch, The Weinstein Company) Seem Editing Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty Hugo (GK Films) Seem Mixing Tom Fleischman and John Midgley Hugo (GK Films) Visual Effects Take advantage of Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning Hugo (GK Films)

Camera Operators honor 'Glee,' 'J. Edgar'

Camera operators for "J. Edgar" and the skein "Glee" claimed the Society of Camera Operators' top competitive awards. Along with previously announced lifetime achievement honorees, the recipients were recognized on Sunday at the Leonard H. Goldenson Theater at the Academy. Stephen Campanelli won the feature film award for his work on the Clint Eastwood-helmed biopic, and Andrew Mitchell won in the TV category for the Fox series. Campanelli was previously nommed for "Hereafter" and "The Changeling." Eastwood received the SOC Board of Governors Award. Eastwood and Campanelli have been collaborators for 18 years, starting with "The Bridges of Madison County." Pics nominated for the feature category also included "The Help," "War Horse," "Cowboys & Aliens" and "The Descendants." The other nommed series were "Memphis Beat," "Bones," "True Blood" and "The Closer." Paul Babin was honored with the SOC Award for Lifetime Achievement in Camera Operating. The org's first College Camera Operator of the Year award acknowledging student productions went to Petr Cikhart of the AFI for his work on "The Skull Cap." The kudos ceremony raised funds for the Vision Center of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Fox Orders Patton Oswalt-Mike Barker Animated Superhero Comedy Presentation

EXCLUSIVE: While Fox’s pilot season is about live-action comedies, the network also is keeping its animated pipeline flowing. Fox has given a presenation order to Working Class Hero, an animated comedy starring actor-comedian Patton Oswalt and co-written and executive produced by American Dad co-creator/executive producer Mike Barker. The project, from 20th Century Fox TV, is set in a world where superheroing is just another low-paid government job and centers on a dad (Oswalt) whose powers are no match for his misfit superhero co-workers and his demanding family. WME-repped Barker co-wrote Working Class Hero with American Dad animator Brent Woods and the show’s writers assistant Jordan Blum, who co-wrote an episode of the animated comedy earlier this season. Woods and Blum serve as co-executive producers. Oswalt, repped by CAA and Generate, will produce. Over the past year, Fox introduced as many new animated comedy series, three, as it did live-action. Of them one, last year’s midseason entry Bob’s Burgers, was renewed for a second season; another, Allen Gregory, has been canceled; andNapoleon Dynamite is doing so-so in the ratings.

Mary McCormack Set Since The Lead In Kari Lizers ABC Comedy Pilot

In Plain Sight star Mary McCormack, has arranged her next series gig, playing charge in Kari Lizer’s untitled ABC comedy pilot (also called The Under professional). The multi-camera comedy, from Warner Bros. TV, concentrates on Hilary Pfeiffer-Dunne (McCormack), a greater-powered executive who, getting centered the business America for any very long time, now faces the finest challenge of her existence when she finds herself unemployed and becoming an entire-time mother to her two teens. McCormack segues for the ABC pilot in the five-year stint since the star of USA’s U.S. Marshal drama In Plain Sight, whose fifth and final season premieres on March 16. McCormack’s other series credits are the West Wing, Murder One as well as the Cinemax semi-scripted Electricity comedy K Street.

Obama hits up Hollywood for additional gold coin

Leader Obama treks to La today for his ninth visit since taking office and, once more, he'll raise money at a number of Hollywood-centric occasions. Scheduled to land at Poor at 4 p.m., again at the time of hurry hour, Obama will mind towards the Holmby Hillsides home of producers Colleen and Bradley Bell, most widely known for that cleaning soap opera "The Bold and also the Beautiful." Obama will headline two occasions: One having a live perf through the Foo Martial artists is targeted at more youthful contributor, with tickets beginning at $250 per person, and also the other is really a dinner and reception with tickets set at $35,800 per person. Co-hosts from the dinner would be the Alarms, John Emerson and Kimberly Marteau, Will and Viveca Ferrell, Noah Mamet, Nicole Avant and Ted Sarandos, plus Ken and Lissa Solomon. This is Obama's first trip to L.A. this year, with what bundlers hope will mark elevated interest and enthusiasm in the reelection campaign. Based on the Center for Responsive Politics, Obama has elevated $1.two million from TV, movie and music sources to date this cycle. That's lower in the nearly $2.8 million he elevated at this time within the last cycle, as he was kept in a fierce primary fight with Hillary Clinton. Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

Audition for Off-Broadway World Premiere of recent '60s Musical

Telsey + Clients are holding auditions on Wednesday, Feb 15 for that world premiere of "Dogfight," a brand new musical which will debut Off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in June.The show is going to be directed by two-time Tony Award champion Joe Mantello ("Other Desert Metropolitan areas," "job,Inch "Wicked"), with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ("A Christmas Story," "James and also the Giant Peach") along with a book by Peter Duchan. "Dogfight" was the champion from the 2011 Richards Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre. Occur nov 1963, "Dogfight" follows three youthful Marine corps around the eve of the deployment to Vietnam. The boys put down for just one last evening of debauchery. When Corporal Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an uncomfortable and idealistic waitress, he enlists her to win a cruel wager together with his fellow recruits, and she or he rewrites the guidelines of the overall game and shows him the energy of empathy. The musical relies the 1991 film of the identical title, starring River Phoenix as Eddie and Lili Taylor as Rose.Equity principal auditions is going to be held Feb 15 in NY City. To learn more and audition particulars, visit BackStage.com. (Subscription needed.) The casting company directors will also be accepting headshot and rsum distribution via email from stars who cannot attend these auditions.

Henry Cavill looking to join period epic The Great Wall

Henry Cavill is still working hard as the eponymous man of steel in Zack Snyder's new Superman film, but the Brit star must be enjoying a little downtime, because he's eying his next project, period epic The Great Wall.Edward Zwick, of The Last Samurai, is already in place as director, having written the screenplay with Marshall Herskovitz. It's based on a story by World War Z scribes Max Brooks and Thomas Tull.Plot details are light, but Variety report that the film will look into the mystery behind how China's Great Wall was built in the 5th Century BC.No word yet on who Cavill would play, though we assume he'll get to fling a few fists in the process. With Zwick behind the camera we should definitely expect some action, not to mention beautiful period furnishings.Cavill may still be pumping iron as Superman, but we won't get to see the finished film until Man Of Steel opens on 14 June 2013.

Pilot Season: Daisy Betts Cast in ABC's Last Resort

Daisy Betts Daisy Betts has been cast in ABC's drama pilot Last Resort, TVGuide.com has confirmed.Executive-produced by Shawn Ryan (Lie to Me), the series follows a U.S. nuclear submarine crew led by Capt. Marcus Chaplin, who defies orders to fire nuclear missiles. As a result, they set up a camp on an island that is home to a NATO listening station.Pilot Season: Andre Braugher lands lead in Shawn Ryan's Last ResortBetts, who has appeared in Harry's Law and Persons Unknown, will join Andre Braugher in the pilot. The actress will play Grace Shepard, the gutsy newbie to the submarine crew who is a family friend of Chaplin (Braugher).

Judge urges Dick Clark, HFPA to settle

Testimony ended on Tuesday in the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.'s suit against Dick Clark Prods. over the rights to the Golden Globes, with a federal judge urging both sides to come to a settlement before he renders a decision."I have sat here every day of the trial puzzled at why what should be such a clear path to settlement doesn't work," said U.S. District Judge Howard Matz.While he complimented both legal teams for an "exemplary job," he indicated that if no settlement is reached he would make a decision where "someone is going to lose." And he suggested that it was personalities, more than anything else, that prevented a settlement. He cited testimony from DCP CEO Mark Shapiro, who was asked at one point why no agreement could be reached, "It was because of the people in the room or the lack of people in the room."Both sides will return on Friday for guidance on closing arguments.The HFPA sued DCP in November, 2010, claiming its longtime producer entered into a new broadcast deal with NBC without getting its approval. DCP claims it does not need it, citing an "extensions" clause in a 1993 agreement giving it the rights to produce the show as long as it landed a deal with the Peacock network.Earlier in the day, deposition testimony from Dick Clark was read in open court. Clark did not testify in open court. But in his deposition, he was asked whether DCP needed to get the HFPA's approval when DCP extended its NBC deal in 2001."I would assume they had to agree," Clark said.But asked whether he knew whether the HFPA actually approved the deal, he said, "I have no idea." Contact Ted Johnson at ted.johnson@variety.com