Kinnear, Connelly in talks for 'Writers'

ConnellyKinnearGreg Kinnear and Jennifer Connelly are in negotiations to star in "Writers," which will mark the feature helming debut of writer-director Josh Boone.Judy Cairo of Informant Media will produce "Writers," which is described as a funny and touching tale of a fractured family trying to rediscover one another over the course of a tumultuous year. Story explores the complicated relationships between a successful novelist (Kinnear), his ex-wife (Connelly), collegiate daughter and teenage son."Josh Boone has drawn a complex tapestry of rich and layered characters who break our hearts and make us laugh out loud at the same time," said Cairo.Informant's Michael A. Simpson and Eric Brenner will exec produce with Myles Nestel and Lisa Wilson of The Solution Entertainment Group, which will handle international sales. CAA is handling U.S. rights to "Writers," which is being produced in association with MICA Entertainment.Production is skedded to start in Wilmington, North Carolina in March.Kinnear, who recently wrapped production on Craig Zisk's "The English Teacher," will next stars in the indie pic "Thin Ice," which co-stars Alan Arkin and Billy Crudup. Thesp recently received Emmy and SAG noms for his performance as John F. Kennedy in "The Kennedys."Connelly will soon be seen opposite Ed Harris in Dustin Lance Black's directorial debut "What's Wrong With Virginia," which will be released this spring.Informant's upcoming releases include the Maggie Gyllenhaal-Hugh Dancy period comedy "Hysteria," which Sony Pictures Classics will release May 18, as well as the Aaron Eckhart-starrer "The Expatriate."CAA reps Boone, Kinnear and Connelly, who is managed by The Schiff Company. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

Electus nabs rights to Spike TV trio

Electus has acquired international distrib rights for three Spike TV series in time for TV industry confab NATPE: "Flip Men," "American Digger" and "Car Lot Cowboy," all unscripted skeins ariing on the guy-centric cabler (Electus also produces freshman skein "Cowboy")."Flip Men" has been airing on the net since Oct. of last year; "Digger" and "Cowboy" are set for March and April, respectively.The international offerings rep exactly the kinds of pitches that NATPE's move to Miami is tailored to facilitate. With several American cablers basing their international offices in Miami, cablers have been coming to the conference since last year in search of deals that expand into territories in South America, Central America, and Mexico. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

Lionsgate's done deal surprises experts

Lionsgate buys Summit for $412.5 million Wall Street mulls deal's benefits Lionsgate's $412.5 million deal to purchase Summit Entertainment, introduced Friday, showed up having a notable insufficient fireworks. "There is never really much drama within this settlement," noted James Berk, Boss of Summit investor Participant Media. "It truly unfolded inside a pretty orderly fashion. I believe that's type of unique." Once the deal announcement came a couple of minutes following the close of marketplaces Friday mid-day, the main one real surprise to a lot of could be that the transaction wasn't a tentative agreement but an intricate completed transaction -- funded like a utilized buyout that cashes out Summit's traders having a stake around 5% within the increased Lionsgate. Summit's possession -- including top Summit executives, Nala Opportunities and Suhail Rizvi's Rizvi Traverse Management -- have been thinking about early this past year a transfer to TV production in an effort to broaden procedures in the core companies of film production and foreign sales to be able to make use of the success from the "Twilight" franchise. Cake toppers Take advantage of Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger told Variety last Feb the first moves would occur within the following several weeks."I was considering the funds it might took to grow,Inch Berk noted. "Simultaneously, Summit grew to become very attractive like a potential acquisition so these conversations began with multiple parties."Besides making money with an investment from the Summit proprietors, Berk stated, the Lionsgate deal offers the advantages of having the ability to take better benefit of the "Twilight" and "Hunger Games" franchises, lengthy-term stability, money making from the Summit library and also the firepower to compete effectively using the large six galleries."This can be the best deal in the proper time,Inch he added. Berk also needs the offer to profit Participant, that is already midway via a five-year output cope with Summit and searching to increase feature production and transfer to TV production. The eight-year-old company -- centered on areas like the atmosphere, health care, human privileges, institutional responsibility, peace and tolerance -- has backed "Syriana," "Bothersome Truth," "Charlie Wilson's War," "Contagion" and "The Assistance.Inch Berk accepted that he's aware of there being one less buyer in Hollywood. "On one side, it's frustrating to get rid of a person within the feature film market," Berk told Variety following a announcement. "But when the organization executes, there's lots of convenience of its product." Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Heather Locklear Taken To Hospital Following 911 Call

First Published: January 12, 2012 9:52 PM EST Credit: WireImage LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Heather Locklear looking good in LA on March 19, 2010Heather Locklear was taken to a hospital on Thursday after her sister called 911 over a reported medical emergency, KNBC confirmed. Ventura County Sheriffs Department Captain Mike Aranda confirmed to KNBC that at 2:05 PM PST on Thursday, Locklears sister called 911 at the actress home for a medical emergency involving the former Melrose Place star. When the VCSD arrived, paramedics were administering aid to Locklear, the Capt. told KNBC. Locklear was taken to Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. TMZ claimed unnamed law enforcement sources told the website Locklear mixed prescription drugs and alcohol. Additionally, Radar Online also reported a source told the website that Locklears sister was worried for the actress safety. She was afraid Heather was going to harm herself because of her drinking mixed with medication, the source claimed to Radar. A rep for Locklear wasnt immediately available for comment when contacted by Access Hollywood on Thursday evening. After revealing their engagement last summer, Access confirmed in November that the star and her former Melrose Place co-star Jack Wagner were no longer engaged. As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, in January 2009, Locklear pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving. As a result, her 2008 driving under the influence case was dismissed. As a result of her plea, the actress was required to attend a 12-hour drug education program and was placed on three years probation. In July 2008, Locklear left an Arizona facility where she was receiving treatment for anxiety and depression, People previously reported. The actress, who checked herself into the facility mid June 2008, spent four weeks at the center. Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Jim Rome signs with CBS/Showtime

ESPNs Jim Rome Is Burning host is leaving the sports cabler. Sports yakker Jim Rome has signed a multiyear deal with CBS that will showcase him on Showtime and CBS Sports Network as well as the Eye itself. Rome will contribute interviews and features to CBS Sports' broadcast coverage of the NFL, college basketball, U.S. Open tennis and other events, while also hosting a new sports and entertainment series on Showtime set to debut in the fall."I don't think there's anybody else that could have afforded me this opportunity," Rome told Variety. "I'm really fired up."The radio mainstay, who will continue to host nationally syndicated "The Jim Rome Show" on 244 stations, will also front "Rome," a half-hour program weekdays on cabler CBS Sports Network, and contribute to CBSSports.com. "We are looking for really high-profile, highly recognizable programming for the CBS Sports Network and obviously for Showtime and CBS Sports also," CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus said. "He's got more than 2 million radio listeners every day, 600,000 followers on Twitter to be able to bring that fanbase to CBS is a win-win for everybody." ESPN's "Jim Rome Is Burning" signs off Jan. 27. Rome's CBS debut will come March 31 during college basketball's Final Four, with "Rome" premiering April 3 on CBS Sports Network. Though a wider audience will see Rome on the CBS broadcast side, fulfilling a decades-old ambition of Rome's to work for one of the major networks, his biggest impact will probably be in cable. Showtime entertainment prexy David Nevins said that the show, from Dick Clark Prods., is in initial stages of discussion but has "grand ambitions," including an intersection of sports and popular culture. Mark Shapiro, a longtime Rome pal and CEO of DCP's parent company, is exec producing."We've been in expansion mode on Showtime Sports," Nevins said, "but we haven't had the defining personality. And I felt like our scripted shows, our dramas and our comedies, are defined with particularly interesting personalities, but we've been looking to try to find that defining personality (in sports), and I think we've got a shot.I want this to be a mainstay show for us. It's potentially different from the way we do our series, which are a burst of 10 weeks in a row." CBS Sports Network, meanwhile, remains under the sports TV radar, but the aim is for Rome to be a gamechanger. "We've got to figure out ways to attract an audience and build a brand without investing hundreds of millions of dollars," McManus said. "This is an efficient and intelligent way to do that." Said Rome: "That's one of the reasons they brought me in. I've got to find away to get people to tune in to that network every single day."McManus said the weekday show will have similar elements as "Burning," but that the partners will "try to make it uniquely a CBS Sports Network program" and not a knockoff. "I am an enormous fan of ESPN broadcasts," McManus said, "but I think it's up to us to make a different program that has his signature on it." Rome is represented by CAA and attorney David Feldman of Bloom Hergott. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Actress unveils identity in IMDB suit

A girl suing IMDB for listing her age has recognized herself, carrying out a federal judge ruled the problem could not move ahead unless of course obviously she revealed her identity. Huang Hoang amended her $millions of suit in the site to include her title, a move that came the support in the Screen Stars Guild. "Ms. Hoang has proven great courage in walking forward on and on after her claims despite efforts to discourage her by demanding she be freely recognized," SAG mentioned in the statement. "thousands of stars have observed their careers hurt with the unauthorized publication from the birthdates by IMDB against their wishes. Screen Stars Guild which is people are a symbol of efforts to curtail this invasion of privacy implemented to enhance a business balance sheet." Her situation, filed in October beneath the title Jane Doe, indicates that by listing age groups without consent, IMDB damages careers as artists face dwindling options after their 30s, and also the options of casting company company directors losing them from consideration. She's found support in their situation from SAG and AFTRA. IMDB which is parent, Amazon . com . com, are trying to get the situation overlooked, fighting that Hoang has "no legal privacy fascination with her date of birth,Inch as you possibly can acquired in public areas records. Although Hoang has mentioned that IMDB acquired the birthdate from information she gave on their behalf when registering to IMDBPro, the web site mentioned she gave her consent incorporated within the customer agreement. Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

Matt Damon Pulls Out of Directorial Debut, May Still Star: Report

"Script issues" are supposedly to blame for Matt Damon's decision not to direct his first film, although he's reportedly still game to star in the film, according to Vulture. Damon's decision to forego directing duties on the untitled movie -- which is the brainchild of John Krasinski and Dave Eggers -- is all the stranger since Damon co-wrote the script with Eggers (of McSweeney's fame). Perhaps Damon didn't want to wear three hats in the film, in which he'd play a salesman whose arrival in a small town changes his life. (And, presumably, vice versa, given the way these things usually play out.) Krasinski and Frances McDormand were also set to star, although the fate of the project seems up in the air. The obvious suggestion: Get Oscar-sharing buddy Ben Affleck to direct. [via Vulture] [Photo: AP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

New Stills In The Impossible

Naomi Watt faces the Boxing Day tsunamiThe Impossible, Juan Antonio Bayona's dramatisation from the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, might be nearly annually from your screens, but, knowing by these new stills, the The spanish language director's latest has already been materializing with an impressive scale.In line with the true-existence story of the The spanish language family swept up in case, The Impossible follows the fate of the vacationing family whose Thai hotel is directly within the path from the colossal tidal wave. Mother Naomi W, father Ewan McGregor as well as their three boys (newcomer Tom Holland included in this) are separated and should endure the wave's terrible aftermath with the hope to be reunited. Here, W and Holland survey the carnage publish-tsunami.Initially, Bayona's latest does not seem to share DNA together with his last film, 2007's cracking haunted house flick The Orphanage. Wrong, states the director, who's focusing again on grief and struggling with a household unit. "It's pretty much exactly the same,Inch he informs Empire. "It comes down to the way you cope with discomfort, the way you overcome dying, what's family."Presently in publish-production, The Impossible does not possess a release date yet, but there's an earlier The spanish language trailer at Twitch.