By the Numbers: Breaking Down the New Dark Knight Rises Trailer

After premiering this past weekend before Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows screenings, the latest official trailer for The Dark Knight Rises has hit the Internet today. Depicting a Gotham City eight years after the events in 2008’s The Dark Knight, the trailer teases societal upheaval, (literally) explosive football plays and best of all, two new villains: Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman (or at least, Selina Kyle) and Tom Hardy’s mysterious, mumbling Bane. Let’s parse the trailer the only way we know how: By the numbers. Seconds of the ominous national anthem played: 8 Melodramatic confessions made by Alfred: 1 Number of mohawked and muzzled villains who prefer the comforts of a lambswool jacket lining: 1 (Bane!) Percentage of muscle mass Tom Hardy appears to have lost between filming Warrior and Dark Knight: 0 Mansions being ransacked: 1 Number of impressively calm prison breaks: 1 Number of fictional football players named after the current Mayor of Pittsburgh: 1 (Ravenstahl) Number of fictional football teams playing in Steelers colors: 1, the Gotham Rogues Number of touchdowns made by Hines Ward amidst Heinz Field explosions: 1 Number of masquerade balls set at the Carnegie Museum of Art: 1 Number of Academy Award-nominated actresses at said masquerade ball: 2 Number of Academy Award-winning actresses at said masquerade ball: 1 Seconds of precious Joseph Gordon-Levitt screen time: 1 Punches thrown by Batman: 2 Number of hovercrafts shown: 1 Number of heavily-choreographed Gotham City fistfights: 1 Number of seconds I spent confused by Tom Hardy’s Silence of the Lambs-style mouthpiece: 30 Christopher Nolan’s final Batman installment premieres in theaters July 20, 2012. To view the trailer in HD, head over to Apple. [via Apple]

Lysistrata Jones: Theater Review

Getty ImagesMichelle Williams, left, and Tilda Swinton With the Screen Actors Guild Awards announced Wednesday and airing Jan. 29, this makes the SAGs the group and show with the longest nominations out in the press. And how does this shake up the red carpet picture? Well, for one thing, there are going to be a lot of Bridesmaids who need dresses! And Kristin Wiig and Melissa McCarthy have now moved up to A-list status, so they will be getting some major dresses offered and made for them.our editor recommendsSAG Awards TV: 'Modern Family' Leads Nominations, 'Homeland' SnubbedSAG Awards: 'Suits' Star Patrick Adams Reacts to Shocking Nomination, Talks 'Friday Night Lights' ExperienceSAG Awards: Jon Cryer on His First Nomination: 'I Had No Reason Whatsoever to Expect I Would Be Included'SAG Awards Nominations: The Complete ListSAG Awards Nominations: The Nominees' ReactionsSAG Awards: The Nominees The ladies of The Help will also have their pick of the designer litter -- not that Emma Stone hasn't had first dibs on dresses from next season from Europe, but now Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer will be joining her in that "we'd LOVE to make you a dress or three" category. Though Davis, Spencer and Chastain are not your average actress size 2's, they won't be hurting for major designer offers. Chastain was recently seen wearing Viktor & Rolf spring 2012 and Louis Vuitton spring 2012 -- both looks that are very hard to procure. This could be the year of the Large Sexy Gown: Both Spencer and McCarthy are glamazons who love to dress up and plenty of designers will be on board to help them in their quests. COMPLETE LIST: 2012 SAG Awards TV and Film Nominees Glenn Close is an Armani loyalist, and Meryl Streep tends to wear very simple things, so not much curiousity there. Tilda Swinton and Michelle Williams will be the fashion gets for designers at the SAGs -- both nominated for best actress, and both with definitively chic and quasi surprising styles. Will Williams wear Chanel couture (which shows before the SAGs air in Paris in January)? She is one of the few whom the house would consider. Will Swinton have her Euro designer friends Haider Ackermann or Raf Simmons (now at Jil Sander, said to be jumping ship to Dior) or Viktor & Rolf make her an avant-garde gorgeous gown or tux -- or will she got with lower-key Prada, which she also wears? PHOTOS: SAG Awards Nominees And in the supporting category, we can be sure that Berenice Bejo from The Artist, nominated for best supporting actress, will get some fashion love -- though somehow we doubt she'll be wearing any of the 1920s looks from the spring collections of Gucci or Marc Jacobs. But it would be wild if she did! Somehow we expect she will go with what is chic and French, representing her country. When it comes to the SAG TV noms, Kate Winslet, Juliana Margulies, Tina Fey, Julie Bowen and Sofia Vergara will all have many designer options -- with Winslet getting the most, of course. But Margulies always looks amazing at any awards show. STORY:'The Help' Leads Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations Kelly McDonald and Aleksa Palladino of Boardwalk Empire will also get good looks -- if they hire good stylists. That's key here. Because after the Critics Choice Awards and the Globes (both early and mid-January), it takes a savvy stylist to get designers to part with the really great dresses they might be holding back for the Oscars. And only Williams or Swinton could score couture for the SAGs -- maybe. We're sad Kirsten Dunst isn't going, but there are more nominations to be had. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery SAG Awards: The Nominees Fashion SAG Awards Kristen Wiig Red Carpet SAG Awards 2012

Paris Jackson Says Dad Michael Was Only Trying To Protect His Children With Masks

First Published: December 14, 2011 2:21 PM EST Credit: The Ellen DeGeneres Show Caption Paris Jackson chats with Ellen DeGeneres in an interview set to air on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on December 15, 2011LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The images of Paris, Prince and Blanket Jackson with their faces obscured by masks were commonplace when the late Michael Jackson traveled with his children. Though the mysterious habit may have seemed odd to many, Paris, now 13, says she finally understands why her dad required the kids to cover up. Im like, This is stupid why am I wearing a mask? Paris told Ellen DeGeneres in an interview for Thursdays The Ellen DeGeneres Show when asked if hiding her face was weird. But I kind of realized the older I got like, he only tried to protect us and hed explain that to us too. The aspiring actress, who recently nabbed her first acting role, revealed she was bitten by the acting bug after watching her father perform. I love acting, she told Ellen. My Dad was in the movie Moonwalker and I knew he could sing really well, but I didnt know he could act. I saw that and I said, Wow, I want to be just like him, she added. Paris also shared what she considers the King of Pops most memorable piece of fatherly advice. He said, If I die tomorrow, always remember what I told you, Paris recalled. I took his advice and I remembered everything he told me. As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Paris will star as an as yet undisclosed human character in Lundons Bridge and the Three Keys, a live action feature film, based on a childrens book series by Dennis H. Christen. According to the books description on Amazon, the story surrounds the war between the land and the sea. The film will also feature the voices of Larry King as King Pom, his wife, Shawn King as Queen Dalina, and Joey Fatone as Paco, a sea horse. The project is currently in production and no release date is currently available. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AFI Top 10 Films of 2011: 'Bridesmaids,' 'Hugo,' 'J. Edgar' and More

From Boston to NY to Los Angeles, critics' groups handed out awards on Sunday -- as did the American Film Institute, which honored ten films as the best of 2011. On the list? Usual suspects like 'The Descendants,' 'War Horse' and 'Hugo,' pleasant surprises like 'Bridesmaids,' and one head-scratcher: 'J. Edgar.' Check out the alphabetized top-ten ahead. 'Bridesmaids' 'The Descendants' 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' 'The Help' 'Hugo' 'J. Edgar' 'Midnight in Paris' 'Moneyball' 'The Tree of Life' 'War Horse' Notably absent from that fairly strong list: 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' -- which apparently did screen for the AFI, according to Sasha Stone -- 'Drive,' 'The Artist' and 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.' Those latter two films weren't eligible for the AFI list, but did receive special honors from the organization. Last year, the AFI top-ten matched almost perfectly with the ten films nominated for Best Picture, with the exception of eventual winner 'The King's Speech'; it wasn't eligible. [via Deadline] [Photo: Universal] The Best Movies of 2011 The Best Movies of 201125. 'Captain America: The First Avenger'24. 'Beginners'23. 'Warrior'22. 'The Interrupters'21. 'Hanna'20. 'Take Shelter'19. 'Ides of March'18. 'Horrible Bosses'17. 'Win Win'16. 'Margin Call'15. 'Crazy, Stupid, Love'14. 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'13. 'Tree of Life'12. 'Attack the Block'11. 'X-Men: First Class'10. 'The Help'9. 'Rango'8. 'Super 8'7. 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'6. 'Midnight in Paris'5. 'Moneyball'4. '50/50'3. 'Drive'2. 'Deathly Hallows, Part II'1. 'Bridesmaids' See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Helmer charged with fraud in Mass.

Daniel Adams, director of low-budget photos "The Golden Boys" and "The Lightkeepers," remains charged with bilking the health of Massachusetts out more than $4.7 million through inflated and fraudulent film credit programs.The 50-year-old Harvard grad, who shot the movies on Cape Cod from 2006, was arraigned Friday in Boston Municipal Court on two counts of making an inaccurate claim and a pair of counts of larceny more than $250. He was arrested by condition police the evening before without incident."We allege this defendant knowingly defrauded people by lounging about his production costs with the aim of creating funding for his films and also the personal profit," Attorney General Martha Coakley mentioned in the statement.Government physiques began considering Adams, a classic political campaign-worker, in March 2010, each time a Department of Revenue worker spotted suspicious tax claims mounted on "Lightkeepers. The romantic comedy starring Richard Dreyfuss and Blythe Danner acquired $32,307 on a single screen over 2 days in December 2009.Authorites say Adams scam began in 2006, when he published greatly inflated expenses in making use of for your states 25% tax credit round the two films.Following his arraignment, Adams have been held on $100,000 cash bail that his attorney told the Boston Herald he could not immediately publish. An excellent jury indictment was expected Monday, together with a probable-cause hearing is scheduled for was scheduled for Wednesday. Adams got his start pointing ads inside the Boston area, later joining track of producer Michael Mailer. His first feature, they co-written and directed, was the Sandra Bullock-starrer "A Fool And Also The Money.Adams had mentioned $17 million throughout the time from the 2 films, a couple of which the attorney generals office mentioned were fraudulent or pretend altogether he apparently mentioned he paid out Dreyfuss $2.5 million, when the fee actually was $400,000.Massachusetts film tax credit program allows production companies being returned over a quarter of qualified expenses. Obligations are paid out as tax credits that might be transformed into cash or offered along with other companies. When faced with lowering tax revenues, film production incentive programs are actually under fire among multiple ripoffs and skepticism that they are an excellent return on investment. In Iowa, the state's former film chief, Tom Wheeler, is discovered guilty in September of just one count of misconduct for his participation in the film production credit scandal. Prosecutors mentioned that Wheeler essentially switched one other way as filmmakers published inflated expenses to collect greater credits. In those days, the state's incentive program was probably the most lucrative within the u . s . states, offering a 25 percent credit for costs. Most infamously, credits were launched with a production to buy luxury automobiles for individual use. An ailment audit learned that $25.6 000 0000 in tax credits were improperly paid out as well as the program was suspended this past year. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Actress' Lawsuit Puts Focus on Age as Job Barrier

LOS ANGELES (AP) A million-dollar lawsuit by an actress who claims her job prospects were damaged when she was outed online as a 40-year-old has run smack into conventional wisdom: If Sandra Bullock, 47, and Helen Mirren, 66, are getting steady work, bias against older actresses surely must have vanished.Film stars Meryl Streep, Halle Berry and Glenn Close are also members of the 40-plus and employed club. On TV, the majority of the "Desperate Housewives" female leads are nearing 50, while Emmy Award-winning Julianna Margulies of "The Good Wife" is 44.But industry insiders and unions say star power obscures the ageism gap between high-profile performers and working stiffs a unique aspect of Hollywood's division of the haves and have-nots."There is a tendency for all of us to think of the actors we see all the time and whose names we know," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the Screen Actors Guild's deputy national executive director and general counsel."But the vast majority of characters on TV and film are portrayed by people we don't know and who are struggling to make a living as an actor," he said.Want examples? Think of searching a movie's closing credits to identify an actor in a minor role, or the somewhat familiar face that pops up as the guest victim or killer on a TV crime drama.Older actresses face more hiring hurdles than their male counterparts, according to employment statistics from SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, as well as the experience of those on the front lines.Women over 40 make up 24.3 percent of the U.S. population, the 2010 census found. In comparison, union casting analysis show actresses over 40 years old get 12.5 percent of roles for television and film. Men of that age are also about a quarter of the population but nearly equal their ranks in casting.(Television doesn't do well by women overall, who are 50.8 percent of the U.S. population but are seen in only a quarter of roles, according to union statistics.)The picture is no prettier when it comes to earnings in the youth-obsessed industry. In 2010, for example, actresses ages 41 to 50 working in SAG-covered film and TV projects earned a total $58 million compared to the $160 million paid to actors in that age group.The guild is heartened by the high-profile older actresses who are finding work, especially on TV, and Crabtree-Ireland said, "We hope that this will be the beginning of a trend for all of our members, but our data doesn't show that."Among the groundbreakers are Close, 64, of "Damages" and the upcoming theatrical release "Albert Nobbs"; Kyra Sedgwick, 46, of "The Closer"; and Marg Helgenberger, 52, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."That's progress, given that superstar Bette Davis was 42 when she played an aging actress on the brink of irrelevance in "All About Eve" (1950) and was 56 when she starred as an elderly "spinster" descending into madness in "Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" (1964).Compare that to Dana Delaney and her role as a smart, sexy medical examiner in "Body of Proof." Delaney turns 56 next March."It's a miracle I'm still working," said Salma Hayek, 45, whose credits include the newly released "Puss in Boots" and "Frida" (2002), for which she received an Oscar nomination. "They told me you'll never work because I have the accent. ... They told me you're not going to work after 35 or 30, and I've never been busier in my life." But non-marquee performers see a different script. The lawsuit filed in October by an actress identified only as "Jane Doe" contends that "lesser-known forty-year-old actresses are not in demand in the entertainment business."How her age became public is at the heart of the suit. She says it was through the Internet Movie Database Pro website IMDbPro, the subscription-based counterpart to the popular and free IMDb, which are subsidiaries of Amazon.com. IMDbPro's home page boasts that "Industry Insiders Use Pro," which offers 80,000 representation listings for actors, directors, and producers. Those listings generally include, among credits and contacts, birth dates."It's become a really big tool in our business. But it's become a detriment to the working actor," said agent Marilyn Szatmary, a partner in SMS Talent in Los Angeles. There's a growing reliance on using an actor's chronological age to judge them for a role, instead of assessing the age they can "play" on screen, she said."You get on the phone with a casting director and you try to pitch someone for a role, say a 30-year-old character, and the actor legitimately can play 30," Szatmary said. "But the casting director goes on IMDBPro and says, 'No, this says they're 35.' And they won't call them."What Crabtree-Ireland calls "the IMDb issue" has provoked a flood of complaints from guild members in the last five to six years. Young actors can be affected as well, he said, recalling a 22-year-old who, when her age was revealed online, abruptly stopped getting juvenile roles she'd routinely played.Industry changes, including the rise of reality TV series and diminished film production, have reduced the available work for actors and made hiring more competitive. In this crowded field, even a guest role on a TV series such as "Grey's Anatomy" can draw 2,000 submissions, Szatmary said.That's why those responsible for filling roles need to use all tools at their disposal, casting directors say. Actors may claim to be younger and may post misleading photos online, said casting veteran Sheila Manning. ("The photos they are using are, shall we say, Photoshopped," she said.)If they look right for the part they'll be considered regardless of their age, Manning said."It's better now. There's more work for them (veteran performers), probably because the people hiring them are also getting older," Manning said. "I don't think we cast by age, I think we cast by looks. Look at Susan Sarandon, who's 65. She looks spectacular."Isabella Hoffman, 52, whose credits include "Princess Diaries 2" and TV's "Homicide: Life on the Street" and "Criminal Minds," tries to avoid being typecast by age and, like many working actresses in Hollywood, looks younger than her years. But she sees the problem in a larger, more intractable context."Our belief system in America is 'youth rules.' That's what people want to see. We've based a lot of our decisions about what we sell, what we wear ... on a much more youthful group."Asked if that makes it especially tough for performers, she replies. "I don't know. You could also look at the flip side." She paused, and then added with a rueful laugh, "I can't look at the flip side."SAG and IMDb representatives have been meeting over a nearly two-year period to discuss dropping ages from the site, Crabtree-Ireland said, with the guild providing a proposal that he declined to detail. AFTRA and other guilds are involved in the effort that so far has been fruitless.The "Jane Doe" lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, where Amazon is based, alleges that IMDB used the actress' credit card and other personal information to determine and post her birth date in violation of privacy and consumer rights. The actress, whose suit doesn't describe her career and notes only that she's from Texas and of Asian ethnicity, said she was keeping her identity unknown to avoid "even further damage and economic injury."(Her attorney, who didn't respond to requests for comment, claimed in a filing that his client has been subjected to ridicule and retaliation. Several actors approached to discuss the issue on the record declined, citing its sensitivity, and a declaration filed this week by Crabtree-Ireland argued that if Jane Doe's name becomes known she could face industry blacklisting as a complainer.)Amazon has a "long-standing practice of not commenting on litigation matters," company spokeswoman Mary Osako said in an e-mail that included a November motion for dismissal of the suit. There has been no ruling yet on the motion, which is based in part on the actress' anonymity. The motion also alleges that she is attempting to deceive the public and potential employers by hiding her age and tried to make IMDb "perpetuate" a falsehood about it.SAG intends to keep pressing the company on posting ages and has not ruled out any options, Crabtree-Ireland said, including "litigation or legislative efforts. However, we continue to hope that IMDb will acknowledge the harm and take voluntary action.""They have a moral obligation to consider the impact," he said. "IMDb covers a whole lot of people who are not and never will be newsworthy, the journeymen who keep the industry running. There will never be a profile on them in a major newspaper or magazine. But data is being published in a way that really undermines their career."Despite the specter of age bias, Salma Hayek insists that "you cannot lie about your age."But, she added, "I do think people should stop being obsessed about the age of the actors because it takes away some of the magic. You should be able to transform into anything."Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

The gift of giving

A present to some favorite charitable organisation within the title of the client is really a significant method to thank you, and it has become progressively well-liked by Hollywood. Some everybody within the biz includes a favorite, below are some worthy industryconnected non-profits that might not be prominent around the radar.Saban Free ClinicFounded in 1967 because the L.A. Free Clinic, the Saban Free Clinic (endowed by Haim and Cheryl Saban) has four locations where handle roughly 90,000patients. The Saban Free Clinic, 8405 Beverly Blvd., La, 90048 Phone: (323) 653-8622HOLA (Heart of La)Situated near to downtown L.A., HOLA aimsto aid at-risk youth by supplying activities that them from the roads. Volunteers originate from all fields and can include professional sports athletes and showbiz executives who're devoted to helping these children find success.Heart of La,2701 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 100,La, 90057Phone: (213) 389-1148Global Alliance for Clean CookstovesWoodsmoke exposure from cooking over open fires causes a lot more than two million early deaths yearly within the third world.This worldwide private-public partnership, headed by Secretary of Condition Hillary Clinton, seeks to distribute energyefficient cookstoves Jennifer Aniston is global ambassador.Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Ste. 400,Washington, D.C., 20036Phone: (202) 650-5345p class="contact"> Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com