Bill Maher & Seth MacFarlane Croon Sinatra

In a party thrown by Family Guy creator/runner Seth MacFarlane now, MacFarlane was became a member of onstage by Bill Maher to belt the Frank Sinatra tune Star. It works out both men have decent chops, despite acocktail or two. Obviously, that shouldn’t be considered a huge surprise within the situation of MacFarlane, wholast monthreleased their own album of large band standards and showtunes. Watch:

Locarno opens doorways to Africa

ROME -- The Locarno Film Festival's Open Doorways co-production mart will concentrate on French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa this season. The prominent Swiss fest has employed African cinema specialist Alex Moussa Sawadogo, who's director of Berlin's AfriKamera film festival, as consultant in choosing twelve taking part projects to become introduced in May 2012. Open Doorways this season is available to distribution from: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Djbouti, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger, Central African Republic, Republic from the Congo, Democratic Republic from the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles and Togo. Reason for the mart/workshop, that will run August. 4-7, would be to help selected projects interact with co-production partners, especially European producers. Open Doorways also assigns a prize worth 50.000 Swiss Francs ($58,000), along with other more compact cash nods provided by Gaul's CNC and broadcaster ARTE. Previous models of Open Doorways have centered on Central Asia, Greater China and, this past year, India. Locarno, that is devoted to indie photos and cutting-edge fare, may have its 65th edition August. 1-11. Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com

Samuel L. Jackson Is Highest-Grossing Actor of All Time

Samuel L. Jackson's movies have made more than $7.4 billion -- making him the highest-grossing actor of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.our editor recommends'Avenger's' Samuel L. Jackson, Anne Hathaway Reveal Acting Inspiration'Avengers' Star Samuel L. Jackson Joins Twitter (Video) PHOTOS: 'The Avengers': New Photos From Marvel's Superhero Film Jackson, 63, has made more than 100 movies since debuting in Spike Lee's 1991 movie, Jungle Fever. PHOTOS: Hollywood Golfers' Handicaps Jackson's Jurassic Park ($914 million), Pulp Fiction ($212 million) and the Star Wars prequels ($2.4 billion) are among his top earners. PHOTOS: Steven Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn' He averages four films a year. He made six in 2010, four in 2011 and will have three in 2012. Related Topics Samuel L. Jackson

Occupy Wall Street: MTV Plans 'True Life' Episode

L.Lanteri MTV's documentary series True Life has covered a wide range of topics, including "I Live in a Brothel," "I'm Going to Fat Camp," "I'll Do Anything for Money" and "I Don't Like My Small Breasts." Now, the show, which has been around since 1998, is taking on the recent NY protests with "I'm Occupying Wall Street."our editor recommendsThe Scene at Occupy Wall StreetOccupy Wall Street: Naomi Wolf Arrested (Video)Occupy Wall Street: Protesters Create Print Publication MTV announced that an episode about young demonstrators will air on Saturday, November 5 at 6 p.m. ET/PT. MTV embedded its cameras over a two-week period with three young people in NY City. PHOTOS: The Scene at Occupy Wall Street The show will follow Bryan, one of the leaders of the Occupy Wall Street sanitation team. While camping out in Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan, he becomes fearful that the city will use sanitation issues as an excuse to evict the protesters. Viewers will also meet Kait and Caitlin, two college students worried that they won't be able to find jobs when they graduate. The pair tries to recruit their friends to join the cause and work to keep spirits high among the occupants. Since 1998, True Life has covered more than 140 topics, from drug addiction to body issues and sexual topics. VIDEO: Occupy Wall Street: Alec Baldwin Visits the Protesters Last week, reports circulated that an ad on Craigslist from the creators of MTV's The Real World was looking for Occupy Wall Street protestors to join the cast. Representatives from Bunim/Murray confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the post was theirs, adding the company frequently targets specific groups in a similar manner to find a diverse cast. The Occupy Wall Street protests began in mid-September in Zuccotti Park. The protesters have been demonstrating against corporate greed and corruption. Actors and filmmakers, including Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Alec Baldwin and Mark Ruffalo, have dropped by the protests to express their support. MTV Occupy

'Puss in Boots 3D' Going Out on 268 Imax Screens

TORONTO -- Giant screen exhibitor Imax Corp. will roll out DreamWorks Animation's Puss in Boots in 3D from Octo. 28, simultaneous with its North American wide release.our editor recommends'Puss in Boots' Opening a Week Earlier on Oct. 28Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek Bring 'Puss in Boots' to France (Cannes) Imax plans 268 domestic playdates for the animated pic, and another 47 screens internationally, with 24 theaters releasing day-and-date. Directed by Chris Miller, Puss in Boots 3D is voiced by Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thorton and Amy Sedaris. Related Topics International DreamWorks SKG Puss in Boots

The Dark Dark evening Increases New you are able to city Location Shoots May Occupy Wall Street

The Dark Dark evening Increases, that's been shooting in La together with other designs around the globe, will mind for NY City locales that may are the vicinity of Occupy Wall Street protests, the La Occasions reviews. Producers in the third movie in Christopher Nolan’s vision in the Batman saga recently launched a casting call beneath the code title “Magnus Rex,” and cast people are actually told the shoot could include moments shot within the Occupy Wall Street protests. People demos will most likely be happening through the 2-week period the Warner Bros.-Legendary Pictures production is scheduled being shooting inside the city that suddenly is actually nicknamed Gotham, beginning October 29. That doesn’t mean more understanding concerning the protests will estimate the storyline, nonetheless they could add authenticity to styles in the franchise. The shoot was planned several days ago, and director Christopher Nolan most likely would take advantage from the protests just like a backdrop for a thing that’s already within the script. Exact locations remain secret, nevertheless the casting call specified that interested stars should have “military and/or police training/experience, weapons training, and/or fighting styles training.” Maybe they’re also recruiting for location security.

Michael Seligman Returns as Supervising Producer for Oscar Telecast

NY - Michael Seligman is returning as supervising producer of the 84th Academy Awards telecast on ABC, marking his 35th year of involvement with the show.our editor recommends'Ded' to represent Philippines for OscarsBrett Ratner and Don Mischer to Produce Oscars Telecast Telecast producers Brett Ratner and Don Mischer made the announcement. "Michael's experience on the Oscars is unmatched," said Ratner and Mischer. "With his knowledge of all things Oscar and his diverse relationships throughout the industry, we had to have him on our team." Seligman is a live broadcast specialist with more than 300 major events to his credit. He has garnered nine Emmy nominations, seven for his work on the Oscar telecasts, including one this year. The 2012 Academy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics ABC Oscars Oscars 2012

Roush Review: Last Guy Standing

Tim Allen Even TV comfort food comes with an expiration date. So it's with Tim Allen's comeback vehicle around the network that made him a star.Last Guy Standing (tonight, 8/7c, ABC) is essentially a weary, gender-corrected version of Allen's hit Do It Yourself. Main difference is the fact that this time around, Allen's the only real guy inside a household of women: a lengthy-suffering wife (Nancy Travis, who has a tendency to relax having a glass of vino and smile at her husband's boorish jokes) and three shrill kids, together with a single mother, a spoiled princess along with a tomboy (the second performed by Kaitlyn Dever, who had been so terrific on Justified as scrappy little Loretta and is just one of many talents being wasted here).Want more fall TV news? Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!When I noted within the Fall Preview problem, "This Based on Tim vehicle will seem like Old Home (Improvement) Week to his legion of fans, however the buzz of nostalgia might be drowned by the yawn of familiarity over this type of hammy retread." Allen has become playing an alternative on Tim Taylor as Irritated Old Guy: this time around known as Mike Baxter, who works best for an outside sports company that reeks of testosterone. Or, as Mike announces with pride when he walks in to the office: "It has the aroma of balls in here."Mothballs, maybe. (Although in comparison to ABC's other "woe is guy" show it's being combined with in a few days, the intolerable Guy Up!, this feels as though a contemporary classic.)Rather than getting a Television show which to spout his gems of chauvinist knowledge, Mike is defined responsible for the business's website, where he rails in very extreme webcam close-facing various metrosexual "What went down to males?" offenses: citrus body clean, herbal hair gel, tanning beds, even soccer as "Europe's covert war for that hearts and minds of America's kids." Leading edge it isn't, but that is not what this make of middlebrow mugging is about.As you of his kids states within the second of tonight's back-to-back episodes, "He's just angry because ... we actually have no idea why." And it is virtually impossible of looking after, since we have heard everything before, also it was more amusing and fresher to begin with.Sign up to TV Guide Magazine now!

'The Avengers' Trailer Verdict: More Hulk, Less Stark, Less Loki, More Dark

I've got one word for the makers of the new Avengers trailer: Transformers. With the release of the first full trailer for Disney and Marvel's all-star 2012 superhero tentpole, fans finally get a real look at the four main heroes together -- The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor -- with some semblance of the film's narrative on display. Loki's back, so are Nick Fury and Black Widow, Hawkeye's now on the scene, and everyone's looking like they want to do some righteous ass-kicking. Cars explode, voiceovers portend, Tony Stark cracks jokes. Awesome. Or it would be if we hadn't seen all of this before and expected every single thing that we saw in the trailer. And this gets at the crux of the Avengers problem: Given the scope and impact of the individual films, how does this one deliver something bigger, better, newer? PHOTOS: 'The Avengers': New Photos From Marvel's Superhero Film Admittedly, for a film of this scale, this "trailer" is really just an extended teaser. We're not meant to see everything yet. The movie doesn't come out for another seven months or so, and the studio and filmmakers need to save some build for the meantime. Still, take a look back at the first real Transformers: Dark of the Moon trailer. That involved characters we had seen before -- robot and human -- but managed to convey epic drama and conflict as we got hints of Chicago being completely destroyed as well as great emotional moments (note Bumblebee -- a robot(!!) -- in despair). Not only does theAvengerstrailer do none of this, but it recycles a villain from Thor. Writer-director Joss Whedon better have bigger, badder forces behind Loki to ramp up the darkness quotient or nobody's going to care. Even the Joker, one of the best-depicted comic book villains of all time in The Dark Knight, would seem less terrifying if he was brought back for another go-round. And this gets to the scale problem, too. We really only see one street of cars wrecked by Loki. Seriously? Didn't we see that done in Independence Day fifteen years ago? We really need the Avengers for this? Audiences are going to need a much bigger threat to humanity to get invested in this showdown. STORY: 'The Avengers' Trailer: Fans, Industry React And that includes the showdowns between the heroes, as well. Thus far all we get is two lame jokes from Stark, including a backhanded compliment to Bruce Banner that essentially calls attention to the ridiculousness of these superheroes in the first place. That's a dangerous game to play with fans, who want these guys/archetypes taken seriously. And at this point, Banner/The Hulk is a much more interesting character than Stark. Iron Man's theonly one we've seen more than once so far, and that second outing left a lot of fans wanting, not to mention tired of the shtick. This trailer basically does the job of getting fans excited. But that is going to wear off very quickly, and we have a long way to go until Go Time, let alone until any future sequels or further Avenger team-ups. Marvel, Disney and Whedon absolutely must have some bigger, better spectacle ahead, and be willing to show it. That wow-factor bar is set very high -- and set partially by Iron Man itself. Without the courage to put something big on the line -- in the trailer and in the movie -- this franchise darling will have fans seeking vengeance. Avengers Marvel Entertainment

Nicki Minaj Discloses Dark Times Of Early Career

First Released: October 10, 2011 8:00 PM EDT Credit: Getty Images NY, N.Y. -- Caption Nicki Minaj poses within the press room in the iHeartRadio Music Festival held in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas on September 24, 2011On stage, Nicki Minaj is really a colorful artist who is filled with existence, but she's revealed she once battled through some very dark occasions. I stored getting doorways condemned on my small face, the pop star told the November problem of Cosmopolitan magazine from the beginning of her musical career. I felt immaterial was working. I'd moved out by myself, and here' was thinking Id need to go home. It had been one stalemate to another. At some point, I had been, like, An amount happen basically just didnt awaken? Thats generate an income felt. Like maybe I ought to simply take my existence? she revealed. Nowadays, Nicki is much more confident, sporting her very own style both musically and fashion-smart and shes even ready for bigger success. I'll have released five albums and can come with an Oscar and Grammys, she told Cosmo of her future plans. Individuals plans likewise incorporate children eventually. And I'll be marriage and, a few years next may have a bun within the oven. My whole existence is all about being Nicki Minaj now. Its a never-ending saga, she stated. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All privileges reserved. These components might not be released, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Steve Jobs Bio Could Set New Sales Records

Even though it does not hit bookstores for three weeks, Steve Jobs, the authorized biography by former Time managing editor Walter Isaacson, is poised to become the bestselling book of 2011. Since Apple founder Jobs died on Oct. 5, presales of the book have skyrocketed. It is a triple No. 1 -- topping the iTunes books, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble bestseller lists. In the first few hours after Jobs' death the book jumped 42,000 percent on Amazon, going from 424 to No. 1.our editor recommendsSteve Jobs' Death Prompts His Biography Release To Be Moved By a MonthSony Pictures in Negotiations for Rights to Steve Jobs BiographySteve Jobs' Biography Sales Jump 42,000 Percent Upon Death Steve Jobs Dies at 56Related Topics•Steve Jobs Publisher Simon & Schuster appears poised to break the its own opening day sales record, set on July 12 when A Stolen Life, the book by Jaycee Dugard about her 18 years in captivity, sold 175,000 copies, including 100,000 eBooks. Sales of Steve Jobs could also exceed the sales of the best-selling non-fiction book of 2010. Decision Points, George W. Bush's memoir of his presidential years, sold 2.6 million print copies and 307,000 digital copies in 2010. With Steve Jobs No. 1 on Apple's digital book list, No. 2 on Amazon, and No. 9 on Barnes & Noble's Nook list, it should easily surpass the digital sales of Decision Points. Apple's iTunes bookstore also appears to be a beneficiary of Jobs death. PHOTOS: Steve Jobs: 10 Memorable Milestones of the Apple Co-Founder's Career Apple's digital bookstore has lagged behind its competitors. Amazon, for example, offers a Kindle app for the iPad that allows users to read their digital books across multiple devices, cutting into the need for iTunes users to adopt the later-to-the-market iBooks format. But the strong sales of Steve Jobs on the Apple bookstore relative to the Kindle and Nook suggests that Apple is drawing new customers who decide to buy Jobs' biography at his own company's bookstore. In response to the public interest, Simon & Schuster advanced the publication date from Nov. 21 to Oct. 24. The publisher had already moved up the date once before. On Aug. 15, nine days before Jobs announced he was stepping down as CEO, the company bumped the date from March 6, 2012 to Nov. 21. It also changed the title from the awkward iSteve: The Book of Jobs to the more straightforward Steve Jobs: A Biography. PHOTOS: Remembering Steve Jobs Beyond announcing the new publication date, Simon & Schuster did not provide any additional details about the release, including the size of the initial print run or sales expectations. Simon & Schuster is determined to prevent early copies of the book from leaking out. One publishing insider called the efforts to embargo copies of Steve Jobs prior to publication the tightest ever seen in publishing. A company spokesperson did not respond to a request for additional information. Isaacson's book agent Binky Urban also did not respond to a request for a comment. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths Time magazine, which bought "first serial" rights -- the exclusive right to a pre-publication excerpt -- rushed to include an excerpt in its Oct. 17 issue featuring Jobs on the cover. Time's sister publication, Fortune, will run a post-publication second serial excerpt. Other publications are reportedly interested in rarely-sold third serial rights. Related Topics George W. Bush Steve Jobs

Taylor Lautner Gets His Don Draper On

First Published: October 5, 2011 5:18 PM EDT Credit: GQ Australia SYDNEY, Australia -- Caption Taylor Lautner on the cover of GQ Australia October/November 2011 issueMove over Don Draper! Taylor Lautner is getting his business chic on. The Twilight Saga star opted for a professional and stylish look for the cover of GQ Australias October/November 2011 issue. (Click HERE to see the photos!) In the new interview with the Abduction star, Taylor admitted the fan frenzy thanks to his role as Jacob Black in the Twilight films can sometimes be tough to handle. It comes down to what kind of mood youre in, he told the magazine. You have to make a decision before you go out: are you willing to sign autographs and take pictures, say hello and meet new people? When asked if the fan attention in his day-to-day life is ever upsetting, the 19-year-old said that sometimes it isnt easy, but hes learned to let things go. I wouldnt say I get upset about it. I asked for this, he said. It gets frustrating. But during that frustration you say, OK. Why am I frustrated? Im doing what I love. But sometimes you really just want to go do whatever you want to do. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

ESPN Drops Hank Williams, Jr. Opening From 'Monday Night Football' (Video)

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images ESPN has dropped its traditional Monday Night Football opening song for the Indianapolis-Tampa Bay game on Monday following singer Hank Williams Jr.'s comment on Fox News' Fox & Friends comparing President Obama to Hitler. UPDATE: Hank Williams Jr. Backtracks From Obama-Hitler Comparison Williams' song "All My Rowdy Friends" has been used to open Monday Night Football since 1991 on both ABC and ESPN. In a statement, ESPN said: "While Hank Williams, Jr. is not an ESPN employee, we recognize that he is closely linked to our company through the open to Monday Night Football. We are extremely disappointed with his comments, and as a result we have decided to pull the open from tonight's telecast." VIDEO: Hank Williams, Jr. Compares Obama to Hitler on Fox News The singer, talking to hosts Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson and Brian Kilmeade live via satellite from Nashville on Monday morning, got into a political discussion in which he stated that Speaker of the House John Boehner's golf game with President Obama was "one of the biggest political mistakes ever." "It's like Hitler playing golf with [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu," he said. The Fox News anchors seemed taken aback at Williams' comment. Carlson wanted Williams to clarify, saying, "You used the name of one of the most hated people in all the world to describe, I think, the president." "That's true," Williams said. "But I'm telling you like it is." ESPN

Knell named Boss, prexy of NPR

Sunshine ahead for Gary Knell: the prexy and Boss of Sesame Workshop, producer of "Sesame Street," continues to be named Boss and prexy of NPR. Knell will formally dominate leadership from the org 12 ,. 1. Knell guaranteed to "depoliticize" the heated debate over public radio, that has affected public broadcasters' capability to generate funding both openly and independently.Dork Edwards, chairman of NPR's board of company directors, stated inside a prepared statement that Knell is "an remarkable leader with extensive experience of public media, programming and education." For his part, Knell stressed radio stations nonprofit's flexibility. "(NPR is) among the world's respected and leading companies of news, music and cultural programming - both around the air and across ever-growing digital platforms." Knell also stated he wanted the org to "expand civil dialogue and elevated the bar for media."The organization continues to be without permanent leadership since Vivian Schiller resigned in the publish after two much-covered controversies including accusations of political prejudice around the public radio network. Probably the most public of individuals involved commentator and frequent Fox News guest Juan Williams, who had been ignored for saying in the news Corp cabler he felt uncomfortable when flying with individuals outfitted in Muslim garb. Schiller was broadly belittled on her handling from the incident as well as for her remarks in reaction to that particular critique Williams was hired by Fox in a reported $two million annually.NPR reviews that Knell presently made over $700,000 last year which the professional "could be going for a pay cut" to become listed on this news org. Knell has offered on several Senate committees and subcommittees for Dems, and it has labored with Republicans including former Kansas Sen. Mike Brownback and Rose bush administration Secretary of Condition Condoleeza Grain. Contact Mike Thielman at mike.thielman@variety.com