'Homeland' scores 1.7 million for Sunday finale

The growing season finale of "Homeland" came 1.7 million audiences Sunday evening for Showtime. Coupled with a later showing, the episode received an overall total of two million audiences. Which was enough to really make it probably the most-viewed season finale associated with a first-year Showtime series. When additional linear telecasts, in addition to Digital recording device and When Needed usage, are incorporated, "Homeland" is calculating 4.two million audiences. "Homeland," in line with the Israeli series "Criminals of War," stars Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin as CIA agents, in addition to Damian Lewis like a taken but lately launched soldier suspected of turning against America. Professional producers are Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa, Avi Nir, Went Telem, Gideon Raff and Michael Cuesta. "Homeland" was preceded at 9 p.m. through the sixth-season finale of "Dexter," which in fact had an aud of two.two million because of its first telecast and a pair of.7 for that evening. Show is calculating 5.4 million audiences across all platforms. Star and professional producer Michael C. Hall lately reupped his deal to follow the show for an additional two seasons. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

TLC's 'All-American Muslim': Controversy Does Not Equal Ratings

Anger Management distributor Debmar-Mercury is hoping to lure NATPE's station buyers with its starCharlie Sheen.our editor recommendsChuck Lorre Nearly Quit 'Two and Half Men' Because Of Charlie SheenCharlie Sheen's 'Anger Management' Lands First International Deal With Canada's CTV Lionsgate Vice Chair Talks Charlie Sheen Show, Netflix, Summit Deal, 'Hunger Games' Co-presidentsMort Marcus and Ira Bernstein are expected totouch down in Miami Beach for the annual syndication conference in late January with their Lionsgate-produced sitcom's star. They will host an invite-only party with Sheen on the evening of Monday, Jan. 23. PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen's Wacky Twit Pics The pair and its partners on the Lionsgate-produced series are banking on the media interest in Sheen's next move translating to interest from station buyers. The series, loosely based on Revolution Studio's 2003 film by the same name, will begin its network run with 10 episodes on FX this summer. If the episodes hit a certain ratings threshold, the down-the-middle sitcom will be granted an additional 90 episodes. PHOTOS: Charlie Sheen's Colorful Career Given the size of the order, along with the model Debmar has pioneered with other TV fare from Tyler Perry and Ice Cube, the company will begin shopping it to station buyers for its syndicated run at NATPE. Earlier this month, Management inked a lucrativedeal to air the series in Canada. Canadian broadcaster Bell Media will broadcast the series on its CTV Network, which already airs Sheen's former vehicle Two and a Half Men. All of this comes before the cast has been set. Though showrunnerBruce Helfordhas already hired his writing staff and begun handing in story ideas, an actress to star opposite Sheen has yet to be selected. Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com Twitter: @LaceyVRose PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Charlie Sheen's Colorful Career Related Topics Charlie Sheen Natpe

Matt Damon Calls Tony Gilroy's 'Bourne Ultimatum' Script 'Unreadable,' Quickly Apologizes

It appears that interior designer and Spago co-founderBarbara Lazaroff comes with an problem with ex-husband Wolfgang Puck's redesign plans for that restaurant.our editor recommendsSpago Intends to Close Temporarily in Summer time 2012 (Exclusive)The Eat Sheet: Wolfgang Puck Dishes on His New Restaurant in the Hotel Bel-Air (Q&A) Lazaroff, who did the restaurant's design if this opened up in 1997, states on her behalf Facebook page, inside a publish that went to more than 3,000 buddies: "Why would my ex wish to tear this restaurant apart? Change for change sake? A total waste of money ... but really all ego?" Puck told The Hollywood Reporter on March 20, 2011 that his Beverly Hillsides flagship would shut lower for 6 to 8 days within the summer time of 2012 to redo the restaurant.Waldo Fernandez, the designer of West Hollywood's Soho House,was selected for theredesign. PHOTOS: Greatest Hollywood Splurges It appears the redo is much more than Lazaroff expected. She asks, "why rip out this gorgeous skylight and change it having a flat obvious one ... who'll clean the bird poop off it every single day.Inch She's also upset, though less than just as much, using the alternative "from the works of art I commissioned" with a lengthy wine wall. She asks, "why don't you compromise and then leave one painting?" It will get a little more personal when she asks about altering the colour plan to black, gray and brown together with removing the "art glass" between your kitchen and also the dining area and it is alternative with plain glass. "Why, for which other purpose rather than say, Barbara's design is certainly going!Inch she creates. Another change that doesn't meet her approval may be the entry/bar area's flooring being transformed from stone to carpet. "Who carpet within the primary entry inside a high traffic area?" she asks after which states, "Oh he would cut in stone in to the stone, however when he discovered it had been too hard (he) considered this dysfunctional option." Sufficiently excited, Lazaroff requires a shot in the bar design saying the suggested candy striped awning includes a look "from a Chicago Godfather bar." Ouch. Onto towards the private diner where she states there'd be "garden trellis work all over the walls with fake French doorways plastered from the expanse from the biggest wall ... going nowhere." There is a stray line that states "remove the olive trees within the garden," which seems to mean they'd be removed, after which comes her final reaction that came having seen the plans, "I believed it was a chapter of Ashton Kuchner's Punk'd [sic] ... it had been a chapter of Pucked .. Ugly is Ugly." She finishes with "because the designer who made it happen all gratis, being an owner ... it's time to speak up!" It appears she did. When arrived at for comment, Lazaroff, who based on the Wolfgang Puck corporate website, is really a partner in the organization, stated she "would rather this 't be released since it was on my small personal Facebook page." She added the posting was "not really a personal vendetta against Waldo. However I have lots of money committed to the restaurant. Will it need refreshing? Absolutely. We want new carpeting, new chairs. But I wish to are able to afford to repair things in the kitchen area. I'd rather not see money wasted." A Spago representative stated Puck couldn't be arrived at for comment. The pair divorced in 2002. Related Subjects Wolfgang Puck Facebook Dining

Pols narrow language in Piracy Act

Cruz Schmidt In front of a home Judiciary Committee election on Thursday, committee chairman Lamar Cruz (R-Texas) revealed numerous changes to suggested antipiracy legislation that goal to appease experts who the bill is written too broadly and may stifle innovation.The alterations towards the Stop Online Piracy Act, revealed Monday, narrow the phrase rogue websites devoted to infringing activities. Additionally, it makes obvious that provisions would apply simply to foreign sites -- an attempt to ease concerns the new law would create liabilities for Online sites companies and pressure these to police domestic sites.Numerous changes usually are meant to address concerns the legislation would hinder the architecture from the Internet, because it would require that foreign sites be blocked by stopping them from solving to that particular Website.Within the new text from the bill, Internet companies no more could be needed to redirect customers once they attempt to access a rogue site, however they still would need to do something to avoid customers from being able to access an illegal site. The brand new text also requires an "inter-agency expert" to review any impact it's on DNS. The alterations also remove essential by which copyright holders would first need to serve a notice to payment processors and ad systems before following through in courts to pressure these to stop support of rogue sites. Experts had billed the provision would basically imply that suspect sites might be stop without having the ability to defend themselves in the court.The legislation, just like a companion bill within the Senate, is targeted at curbing rogue websites overseas by permitting the Justice Dept. to acquire court orders to pressure payment processors, ad systems, search engines like google and ISPs to chop off support, whether by crippling links or stopping searches from solving to particular domain title. Smith's changes remove a particular deadline of 5 days for organizations to do something against rogue sites, changing it with language they should act "as expeditiously as you possibly can.InchHowever the changes continue to be unlikely to appease everybody, particularly Google, among the chief competitors from the legislation.Which was apparent as Google's executive chairman Eric Schmidt spoke to reporters after giving an address in the Economic Club of Washington on Monday, charging the legislation would add up to "criminalizing links." Google along with other Internet firms have belittled the debts as providing them with new liability to police the web, and they've been became a member of by a number of public interest groups which have elevated freedom of expression concerns.Supporters' "goal is affordable, and also the mechanism is terrible," Schmidt stated after his speech, based on Bloomberg News. "By criminalizing links, what these bills do is that they pressure you to definitely take content from the Internet. In so doing, it's a kind of censorship."Michael O'Leary, senior professional Vice president for global policy and exterior matters in the MPAA, known as Schmidt's comment a "new weapon in (Google's) toolbox of hyperbole.""There's broad recognition that companies online ecosystem possess a serious responsibility to focus on criminal activity," O'Leary stated. "This kind of rhetoric only works as a distraction and that i hope isn't a stalling tactic."He added: "Schmidt's pleading using the audience to impress stop stealing might be bolstered by Google taking concrete steps to handle the growing problem of rogue websites."When the legislation passes the home Judiciary Committee, as industry reps expect, the next phase will be a floor election. With Congress wrangling over a number of other conditions prior to the holiday recess, such as the extention of the payroll tax cut, you will find doubts that it'll occur through the finish of the season. The Senate version also offers yet to really make it towards the floor, and among the bill's chief competitors, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), has vowed a filibuster.Nonetheless, each side within the debate within the legislation are participating in a flurry of lobbying prior to the House Judiciary election. Demand Progress stated 70 reps of tech companies and advocacy groups held a method session over the past weekend and also have released an offer known as "Censor Everything" week, with the aim of driving "more constituent contacts to Congress than we have observed in years," within the words of Demand Progress executive director David Segal.On Tuesday, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a vital supporter from the legislation, is holding an expo of counterfeit merchandise known as "Rogue Website Roulette," to become in a Capitol Hill meeting room. Cruz is scheduled to deal with the big event, together with other union and industry supporters. Also on Tuesday, MPAA chairman Chris Dodd will address copyright thievery within an appearance before progressive think tank the middle for American Progress. Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

Amy Winehouse's 'Lioness' Tops U.K. Charts; 2011's Highest Music Sales Week

NY - Investment firm FMR LLC, the parent of Fidelity Management & Research Co., has added to its stake in Discovery Communications and now controls 18.2 percent of the cable networks company's Class A stock, according to a Monday regulatory filing.our editor recommendsDiscovery Communications CEO David Zaslav Urges Patience For OWN LaunchLowe's Under Fire for Pulling 'All-American Muslim' Ads The filing showed that the Boston-based firm owned 25,699,140 shares of Class A stock, or 18.209 percent. An older filing shows that FMR held 24.5 million shares of Discovery, led by CEO David Zaslav, as of Sept. 30. The purchase of more stock is typically seen as a sign that an investor sees upside in a stock. As is common practice in these cases, a Discovery spokeswoman declined comment. In October, FMR slashed its stake in AOL to less than 5 percent after raising it to 10.32 percent in July. The investment company also owns stock in the likes of the Walt Disney Co., Time Warner, Comcast, DirecTV, Apple, Google and Amazon.com, among others. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Discovery Communications

Theron and Oswalt Make a Perfect Imperfect Pair in 'Young Adult'

Charlize Theron is stretchingand not in a fun way."I'm so old," she croaks, her back an obvious source of discomfort. Patton OswaltTheron's co-star in the new Jason ReitmanDiablo Cody picture "Young Adult"chimes in with a helpful journalism tip. "So your first words will be 'Wracked by osteoporosis, Charlize Theron '." Theron laughs, and Oswalt continues. "That will be your opening sentence."Well, third sentence will have to do. But the easy patter between the two actors demonstrates that the chemistry they share in "Young Adult" isn't limited to the screen. Theron is, of course, a 10-foot-tall Oscar-toting screen goddess who wields all the knock-'em-dead looks of the fashion model she once was. Oswalt is a short comedian's comedian whose acting chops have made him a big-screen secret weapon deployed in films as varied as the Pixar blockbuster "Ratatouille" and the indie darling "Big Fan." These two should, according to all laws of nature, not be friends. Yet they are. That's kind of the point.In "Young Adult," written by Cody and directed by erstwhile nominee Reitman, Theron plays Mavis Gary, an alcoholic ghostwriter of kids' fiction who, on the verge of bottoming out, returns to her Minnesota hometown with designs to seduce her high school squeezenow married with a child. Her plan goes sour from the get-go, and as Mavis falls apart, she finds herself hanging out more and more with Matt Freehauf (Oswalt), a former classmate whom she ignored in high school, back when she was queen bee and he was the victim of shocking abuse at the hands of the crowd she ran with. Reunited, they form an unlikely (and unhealthy) but believable pair.The bond that the actors developed was evident from the first time they met, at a table read of the script. "We just clicked," Oswalt says, addressing his co-star. "I knew that [Reitman] wanted you for the role really bad, and I didn't know that we were going to click the way we did."Working Vacation For Theron, the task in front of her was to portray Mavis as she saw the character on the page: A woman whose actions are horrible but who is ultimately a likable person. "I think, when you read a character like that, you'd have to be an idiot not to see the potential for it," Theron says, "especially for a woman in this day and age. I think that there's something very rare when something like that comes across, when you see a female character be that conflicted, and showing the not-so-pretty side of human behavior when it comes to women. Those are the gems. And in the hands of someone like Jason Reitman, they're lottery tickets." Theron signed on for the role just weeks before shooting was to begin. Then she took the script with her on vacationto Bora Bora."You went to Bora Bora?" Oswalt says, expressing genuine surpriseor a convincing facsimile of it. "Goddamn it. I hired an acting coach." Oswalt worked with coach Nancy Banks, whom he calls "amazing," to help him prepare. Together they went through the script, line by line. Banks told the actor not to worry about creating too detailed a backstory for his character, arguing that no person, real or fictional, knows one's own story correctly. Theron agrees with the approach. "I don't spend a lot of time on backstory," she says.But the most obvious challenge facing Oswalt was nailing Matt's physical disability. The character walks with a severe limp and uses a cane. "I had to figure out how the leg worked and then didn't work, and how the cane would replace that," he says. "My physical therapist gave me a sheet with all these exercises on it and said, 'At the end of the day, do these stretches, because if you don't, you could permanently walk that way.' That was really nerve-racking."Unrehearsed The "click" that Theron and Oswalt felt at that first table read was proved to indicate a deeper bond: Both Theron and Oswalt are dismissive of long rehearsal periodsa good thing, given that their director feels the same way. "If you overthink the actual scene in rehearsal too much, it will just freeze you up and the life is gone," Oswalt says. "It's better to jump in, make a couple of mistakes. Sometimes the mistakes are better than the written word."Both actors, of course, heap plenty of credit on Cody's written word, noting that they stuck to the script for most of the shootsave one scene that Reitman tossed out and ordered Theron and Oswalt to improvise. It was one of several in which the actors' appreciation for each other grew."Not to blow smoke up your ass," Oswalt tells Theron, "but in those scenes with you, you did the one thing that most actors do not have the guts to do, which was in some scenes you would give me fucking nothing. Most actors are like, 'I want to be present, and I'm listening.' But Mavis, there are just scenes where she is not there." Because it was part of Mavis' character to not be present, Theron's willingness to do the same helped Oswalt thrive in their scenes. "I lucked out," he tells Theron. "You, Diablo's script, Jason, boom. I hit the trifecta. Thank you."Theron smiles at her co-star. "Oh, my God," she says."And Bora Bora," Oswalt adds. "I would like to thank the country of Bora Bora."Charlize Theron Outtakes Won an Oscar in 2004 for best actress for her turn in "Monster" and was nominated in 2006 for "North Country"Trained as a ballet dancer at the Joffrey Ballet School in NY until a knee injury ended her dance careerWill next be seen as Queen Ravenna alongside Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth in "Snow White and the Huntsman"Patton Oswalt Outtakes Co-founded "The Comedians of Comedy" tour with Maria Bamford, Zach Galifianakis, and Brian PosehnEarned a Grammy nomination for his 2009 comedy album, "My Weakness Is Strong"Was nominated for the breakthrough award at the 2009 Gotham Independent Film Awards for his role in the film "Big Fan"

Caitlin Plays Herself

Joe Swanberg and Caitlin Stainken in "Caitlin Plays Herself."A Swanberry production. Produced by Joe Swanberg. Directed, edited by Joe Swanberg. Script, Caitlin Stainken, Swanberg.With: Caitlin Stainken, Joe Swanberg, Frank V. Ross, Spencer Parsons, Megan Mercier, Kurt Chiang, Tim Reid, Adam Wingard.The newest in Joe Swanberg's self-reflective series about artistic indecision (after "Art History," "Silver Bullets" and "The Zone") focuses on real-existence performance artist Caitlin Stainken (who also co-written) and her intermittent relationship by getting an indie filmmaker carried out, not remarkably, by Swanberg themselves. Composed largely of fixed, extended medium shots and extended shots, "Caitlin Plays Herself" is sliced up into discrete, self-enclosed tableaux, kind of being an American "Vivre sa vie" without any passion, drama or gorgeous imagery. Decidedly understated pic, which bows 12 ,. 2 in Gotham, isn't likely to change auds' pre-existing opinions in the prolific mumblecore maven. The film opens around the naked Caitlin (Stainken) screaming soundlessly within deluge of black oil using what calculates to become performance/theater piece protesting the British oil oil spill. Cut with a naked Caitlin in the tub, involved with a quarrel with Swanberg about nudity and bad playwriting (though for just about any film that starts getting a defense of nudity, Swanberg's film is uncharacteristically genital-free). Their heated discussion opposes the performance artist's work-in-progress aesthetic while using filmmaker's wish to have a finished product. Yet Caitlin's urge toward experimentation appears to help keep sway, proven with the film's inadequate segues or continuity between moments, which feel at random sectioned off as self-contained setpieces you will never know within the desultory dialogue the amount of time elapses between segments. In their on-again, off-again relationship with Swanberg, Caitlin handles to intensify mumblecore's patented social clumsiness into something resembling open-ended theater. Aside from a couple of casual (if awkward) sexual encounters including males referred to by mumblecore helmers Frank V. Ross and Spencer Parsons, the pic features handful of people of Swanberg's usual eccentric troupe. This leaves the thesping chores to Swanberg, never most likely probably the most charming screen personality, and Stainken, whose very self-possession, even when hooked uncertain, offers handful of points of entry having less assertive personas further divorces the moments in the sense of linear narrative. Swanberg's recently found fascination with aesthetic formalism forces the humans within the plans to vie for dominance against, say, an enormous wind-tossed willow tree or possibly an abstract painting inside the dead center in the frame overall effect is always to isolate an individuals figures in limbos that goes for them making. "Caitlin" marks Swanberg's sixth feature this year (with "Uncle Kent" and "Autoerotic" joining these three). Apparently the filmmaker's reaction to creative doldrums is elevated productivity.Camera (color, HD), Adam Wingard, Swanberg music, Keith Ruggiero appear, John Bosch. Examined on DVD, NY, November. 27, 2011. Running time: 69 MIN. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com