Susan Lucci To Co-Star In Marc Cherrys ABC Pilot Devious Maids

EXCLUSIVE: Daytime icon Susan Lucci is heading to primetime while staying close to her soap roots. The former All My Children star is returning to ABC with a plum co-starring role in the network’s pilot Devious Maids, a primetime soap from Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, in a plum co-starring role. Based on the Mexican format, Devious Maids follows four maids (Ana Ortiz, Dania Ramirez, Roselyn Sanchez, Judy Reyes) with ambition and dreams of their own while they work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills. Lucci will play one of the employers, Genevieve Delacourt, a beautiful, wealthy woman who is gently crazy. Having spent her adult life attracting one powerful man after another, she’s reduced to seducing the Armenian pool boy, and the vertiginous drop in her sexual status has left her — well, the word is nuts. Unused to having men walk past her as if she were as sexless as a mailbox, Genevieve is feeling suicidal. For the past 41 years, Lucci played her signature role of Erica Kane on ABC’s daytime drama All My Children, the only original cast member to be on the series until its end last fall.

Neighborhood Watch will receive a teaser trailer

Neighborhood Watch's publicity remains building continuously now a teaser trailer remains released.The top-profile summer season comedy features a variety of comic talent with Ben Stiller grew to become part of by Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade.The film's story sees several fathers creating a neighbourhood watch to acquire time from their loved ones. However, their plan goes horrifyingly wrong after they uncover an intergalactic threat to Earth.The teaser provides almost no, nevertheless it demonstrates the cast patrolling the region with 'Still D.R.E' thumping utilizing their vehicle, before Stiller and Hill make an effort to shake lower a close troublemaker.Submarine director Ayoade is making his large Hollywood debut here, even though teaser doesn't give much away about his character with basically a short removal of some shades revealing his trademark specs underneath.See the trailer below:The script consists by Seth Rogen and also the writing partner Evan Goldberg. The pair have formerly labored with on projects for instance Superbad, Pineapple Express as well as the Eco-friendly Hornet. The film is due to roll in cinemas on 22 August 2012.

NBC's 'Smash' up despite 'Voice' decline

Auto racing's Daytona 500, postponed about 36 hours due to bad weather, moved to primetime Monday and enabled Fox to score a rare victory on the night. Net finished a bit ahead of NBC, whose "Smash" edged up in its fourth week despite modest declines for lead-in The Voice."According to preliminary national estimates from Nielsen, "The Voice" averaged a 5.4 rating/13 share in adults 18-49 and 13.9 million viewers overall, down in the neighborhood of 8%-10% week to week but still easily the night's No. 1 series -- and up about 20% vs. the comparable fourth episode of its rookie season a year ago. It was followed by "Smash" (2.4/6 in 18-49, 6.9 million viewers overall), which was up a tick week to week -- and up three-tenths in the 10:30 p.m. half-hour -- to finish in a virtual demo tie with CBS' "Hawaii Five-0."Fox's ratings for NASCAR's Daytona 500 race are subject to revision as the preliminaries do not accurately reflect live viewing in all time zones. But in the early numbers released by Nielsen, the rain-delayed race averaged a 4.5/11 in adults 18-49 and 13.9 million viewers overall on the net's affiliates from 8 to 11. Fox, which has been finishing fourth on the night in recent weeks, is expected to win the night. The Daytona 500 took a toll on most of CBS' lineup. Though "How I Met Your Mother" (3.6/10 in 18-49, 9.1 million viewers overall) and "2 Broke Girls" (3.7/9 in 18-49, 10.1 million viewers overall) held up OK, "Two and a Half Men" (3.6/9 in 18-49, 11.8 million viewers overall), "Mike & Molly" (2.9/7 in 18-49, 10.1 million viewers overall) and "Hawaii Five-0" (2.5/6 in 18-49, 9.4 million viewers overall) were all down by about 15% week to week.ABC edged up with its combo of "The Bachelor" (2.6/6 in 18-49, 8.0 million viewers overall) and "Castle" (2.2/5 in 18-49, 8.5 million viewers overall), with the latter hitting a five-week high. And at CW, struggling leadoff drama "Gossip Girl" (0.5/1 in 18-49, 1.2 million viewers overall) was up in the net's target demo of adults 18-34 (0.7/2). And at 9, "Hart of Dixie," likely affected by the NASCAR race on Fox, edged down (0.5/1 in 18-49, 1.4 million viewers overall).Preliminary 18-49 averages for the night: Fox, 4.5/11; NBC, 4.4/11; CBS, 3.1/8; ABC, 2.4/6; Univision, 1.5/4; CW, 0.5/1.In total viewers: Fox, 13.9 million; NBC, 12.1 million; CBS, 10.0 million; ABC, 8.3 million; Univision, 3.7 million; CW, 1.4 million. Contact Rick Kissell at rick.kissell@variety.com

CAA Signs Andy Serkis

EXCLUSIVE: Andy Serkis has signed with CAA. The organization will repetition him becoming an actor, author and director, in addition to repetition The Imaginarium, the London-based performance capture studio for Serkis produced with producer Jonathan Cavendish. Serkis is marketing a best career since he arrived el born area and carried out Gollum inside the Master in the Ring film series. After re-joining with Healing For Healing For Peter Jackson to see the title character in King Kong, Serkis then introduced the ape Caesar to existence in Rise in the Planet in the Apes. He’ll return for your follow-up, together with the Hobbit. Serkis also directed second unit round the LOTR prequel. More youthful crowd carried out Captain Haddock in Tintin. Serkis it's still handled by Principal Entertainment’s Ray Taube, and Lou Coulson Connected inside the Uk.

Trophy town

Trina Schulman and Gwyneth Paltrow at WIF party Michael Angarano and Juno Temple at Weinstein partyMatthew Lillard and Shailene Woodley at Spirit AwardsLucy Liu and Anne HecheSeth Rogen and Jonah Hill hit the beach for that Spirit Honours. Fiona Shaw, Jeremy Search, Kenneth Branagh, Victoria Beckham, Gary Oldman and Consul-General Barbara Hay meet in Hancock Park to toast an excellent year for Britons in the movies. Honorees John Logan and Michelle Williams celebrate the Irish in film with host J.J. Abrams in the Oscar Wilde Honours. The trophy-giving over the past weekend began early, on Thursday evening at Bad Robot in Santa Monica, in which the Oscar Wilde Honours honored John Logan, Melissa McCarthy and Michelle Williams.J.J. Abrams located the big event devoted towards the Irish in film, which brought him to exclaim, " 'The Artist' gets nothing tonight."Logan introduced Williams, although he initially hesitated due to her Scandinavian roots. "Her everyone was actually the Viking hordes that found Belfast and pillaged," he joked.On Friday, Trina Schulman and Gwyneth Paltrow located the ladies in Film cocktail soiree at Ceconni's, where Oscar-nommed stars Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer received jeweled broaches along with other treats."It is a great recognition to co-host the wedding,Inch stated Paltrow. "We have to fit everything in we are able to to improve the quantity of women in film...because we're wiser than males and than males."Anywhere, the Britons put a cocktail pour in the consul general's residence in Hancock Park. Culture and Media Secretary Jeremy Search told Oscar nominees Jesse McTeer, Gary Oldman, Kenneth Branagh yet others, "We are incredibly proud to the fact that the U.S. galleries spent $1.5 billion making films within the U.K. this past year. We are incredibly proud to the fact that the 3 greatest U.S. superheroes -- Superman, Batman and Spider-Guy -- are Britons. And that is minimal that you can do after we have permitted a united states to experience Margaret Thatcher."Later that evening, the attention on Black Salute in the Park Plaza Hotel honored Martin Lawrence and Darlene Allen, amongst others.The comedian recognized his prize from Luke Wilson and Tim Allen, who joked, "It's like finding yourself in Cirque du Soleil if you use Martin."Also it appeared such as the circus is at town as Darlene Allen attempted to simply accept her award from Nia Lengthy and Kimberly Elise as the video screen stored bleeping out and in, stifling her. "C'mon now, just contain the video," Allen yelled. "It does not work!"The greatest pre-Academy awards honours confab, obviously, came Saturday mid-day. Seth Rogen began the Independent Spirit Honours around the Santa Monica beach with an irreverent note, telling everyone else that there are nothing to become produced by winning one of these simple trophies."It will not even lift up your cost, since it proves that you will work with nothing," stated Rogen, who later cautioned, "Please, keep the acceptance speeches short since the tent has attend a bar mitzvah at 5."Saturday evening, the Weinstein Co. put a pre-Oscar party at Soho House in WeHo. If Harvey and Bob Weinstein were nervous about Sunday night's outcome, they actually did not show it.Tony Bennett briefly tickled the ivories once the siblings presented their mother, Miriam, who lately celebrated mothering sunday.Later on at night, Harvey huddled track of Leonardo DiCaprio, who puffed with an electronic cigarette.(Shalini Dore, Erin Maxwell, Dork McNary and Shaun Sneider led for this report.) Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Disney Taps Edgar Wright To Helm The Actor-brad Pitt Within The Evening Stalker Feature Redo

EXCLUSIVE: Disney is setting Edgar Wright to direct The Evening Stalker, the remake from the ABC telepic and series the studio is developing like a potential star vehicle for The Actor-brad Pitt to experience smart tabloid reporter Carl Kolchak. Depp and the Infinitum Nihil partner Christi Dembrowski will produce. Wright, most widely known for pointing Rob from the Dead and Scott Pilgrim Versus. The Planet, comes aboard prior to the studio has set a author, and that he will oversee and shape the project with Depp and Dembrowski in the first floor. As Deadline revealed, the film required root in the studio last summer time, borne from Depp and Dembrowski’s fond reminiscences from the original 70s movie and series that starred Darren McGavin. He covered crime for any tabloid and the cases always brought to supernatural perpetrators that incorporated zombies, vampires of the underworld, werewolves and aliens. Obviously, neither his editor nor other people would believe him or permit him to run what appeared like crazy tales. But Kolchak would put themself in grave danger each episode. David Kennedy is going to be professional producer from the film. The topic matter is going to be customized to suit Disney’s family film mandate and likely a PG-13 rating, but the thought of Wright’s hyper-reality style and Depp’s gift for creating cool figures seems like a great match in my experience. Wright can also be mounted on direct Ant-Guy for Marvel Galleries and Disney. The Evening Stalker was 1 of 2 films that Depp and Dembrowski set in the studio. Another would be a drama concerning the Night time Ride produced by Paul Revere to warn Colonial militia from the impending British invasion that made him a seminal estimate the American Revolutionary War. Jon Brown and Infinitum Nihils Margaret French-Isaac is going to be executive producers. Depp next saddles up for Disney with Armie Hammer within the Gore Verbinski-directed The Lone Ranger. Wright’s repped by CAA and United kingdom-based Independent Talent.

Degrassi Actor Neil Hope Revealed to Have Died in 2007

Grant Wilson Ghost Hunters' longtime co-lead investigator Grant Wilson is leaving the Syfy series this May, he announced on Wednesday's episode. "While paranormal investigating has always been and will remain a passion for me, after enjoying nearly eight successful seasons on television, I have made the decision to leave the series in order to focus on other aspects of my personal life. I will deeply miss working with Jason and the rest of the dedicated investigators and crew that have become like family, and I wish them all the best as they continue to follow their passion and realize the vision of [The Atlantic Paranormal Society]," Wilson said in a statement. "I will also miss interacting with our wonderful fans worldwide. You are all at the heart of what we do on Ghost Hunters, and I'm grateful to have gotten to know many of you over the years." Check out photos from Ghost Hunters Wilson's announcement on Wednesday's episode delivered 2.2 million viewers - the show's biggest audience in 15 months, according to Entertainment Weekly. Wilson will appear in six more episodes beginning in April, culminating with his final appearance on Wednesday, May 16 at 9/8c. Ghost Hunters International will take over the time slot for seven weeks beginning on Feb. 22. "When Grant and I founded TAPS nearly 20 years ago, we never imagined that we would be able to make such an impact just by doing what we enjoy every day. I will miss working with Grant on a daily basis, and am indebted to the level of dedication and expertise he has brought to our field," co-lead investigator Jason Hawes said in a statement. "I can't imagine having a better partner through it all - both on the show and off. Grant and I, along with our spouses and children, are all like one big family. While I fully support his decision to move on from the series, this longtime friendship -- as well as our business partnership -- will continue off-camera for years to come." Are you sad Wilson is leaving? Who do you want to replace him?