Emmys 2011: Forecasts from THR's Tim Goodman

Don't blame experts for second-speculating Emmy voters. They introduced it on themselves through past mystery. As with: "What? How did Show X not get nominated?" However I've already written my annual and ever-more-contemptuous Emmy rant column, so let's move ahead (with merely a brief flare-up in some places). Although it's common practice to hedge your bets, even while a critic, possibly no honours show is much more tailor-designed for the "should win/will win" backhanded compliment. Here, then, are my picks for a few of the Emmys' most significant groups.our editor recommendsEmmy Nominations 2011: Full ListEmmys 2011: Five TV Experts Share Their PredictionsEmmys 2011: '30 Rock' Director Recalls Live Episode Challenges and 'SNL' Parallels (Q&A)Emmys 2011: 'Dexter's' Michael C. Hall Remembers Emmy Nomination with Carmageddon Preparation Emmys 2011: Five TV Experts Share Their Forecasts DRAMA SERIES Both Bet on Thrones and Boardwalk Empire are intriguing nominees -- and definitely a credit to Emmy voters. But Thrones is possibly too new and misguided to find the jerk, and Boardwalk, while lush and amazing, continues to be seeking its degree of greatness. PHOTOS: Emmy Snubs and Shockers Should and can Win: Mad Males, a set argument about greatness. The only method Mad Males manages to lose is that if voters feel a necessity to talk about the riches. (They shouldn't.) COMEDY SERIES I would like to see 30 Rock get recognized all over again, despite its uneven year. Here's why: It's more brilliant these days and works, knowingly, on a number of different amounts of comedy. However, whether it's likely to lose, I've got a alternative handy. Emmys 2011: 5 Large Trends Which Will Shape Honours Evening Should Win: Parks and Entertainment. Like 30 Rock (and several other comedies), it required a number of episodes before Parks found its stride, consider then -- from season two forward -- it's done an admirable job of fleshing out minor figures and finding humor in fresh places. Will Win: Of all of the sitcoms within this category, Modern Family appears in the actual wheelhouse of Emmy's voting bloc. It's funny but safer than Louie and fewer strongly submerged in sarcasm than 30 Rock. DRAMA ACTRESS Oh The almighty, discuss a category that may really go sideways and finish up a myriad of wrong. (And, yes, it must be stated again: The possible lack of Katey Sagal and Khandi Alexander here's criminal.) Mireille Enos' understated performance about the Killing can get unfairly lost, and many years of fantastic work most likely won't do much for Connie Britton on Friday Evening Lights, a set Emmy voters overlooked for a long time. Emmys 2011: The Magnificent Seven from the Drama Actor Races Should Win: Mad Males's Elisabeth Moss. She's been nailing this nuanced performance for a long time. Will Win: Julianna Margulies. I'm speculating Emmy voters are leaning toward the mainstream this season, and Margulies' fine performance about the Good Wife is going to be compensated. DRAMA ACTOR Any nominee could win, as well as an argument might be designed to support that win. Q&A: Emmys 2011: Why Kyle Chandler Holds His Underdog Status Should and can Win: Jon Hamm. This is actually the right pick. Three consecutive wins for Bryan Cranston were certainly deserved, but Hamm is lengthy past due. Allow it to be. COMEDY ACTRESS Uh-oh, I'm attempting to tamp lower the need to rant. Let's just say it's unfair to possess very gifted stars from non-comedy series joined here. (About the plus side, none of individuals shows switched up within the outstanding comedy category, to ensure that's progress.) Should Win: Tina Fey. I'd be perfectly pleased with Parks' Amy Poehler or Raising Hope's Martha Plimpton obtaining the jerk, but there's already enough securing within this format. Fey consistently finds the funny in a scenario. That may't be overstated. Will Win: Laura Linney. She's an impressive actress who are able to do drama and comedy. Regrettably, like Showtime champion Edie Falco before her, the fabric she's given about the Large C isn't that funny. COMEDY ACTOR Again, not really a category high could be egregious oversight picking one nominee over another. All of them do fine operate in various formats of funny. Emmys 2011: Will 'The Large Bang Theory' Cancel Itself From the Comedy Actor Race? Should Win: Louis C.K. It won't happen, but wouldn't it's phenomenal whether it did? He is doing everything on Louie his fearlessness and readiness to visit anywhere provide the show a welcome originality. Will Win: Steve Carell, whose farewell instances of Work were funny and touching -- that's catnip to Emmy voters. MINISERIES/MADE-FOR-TV MOVIE How much of an excellent and varied allotment (finally!): Starz got along with The Support beams of the world PBS got along with Downton Abbey ReelzChannel got along with The Kennedys, despite the fact that it shouldn't have -- but nonetheless, ReelzChannel in the Emmys! How strange and fresh. And, obviously, category-dominant Cinemax got along with Cinema Verite, Mildred Pierce and Too Large to Fail. Emmys 2011: 10 Lengthy Shots Worth Watching Should Win: Downton Abbey. Duh. Can there be a doubt? Will Win: Mildred Pierce. In lots of ways, it's too large to fail. Voters are unlikely to sidestep the all-star cast, despite the fact that the whole affair was as problematic because it was lovely. WRITING For Any DRAMA SERIES Television is really a author's medium. What which means is these are important races, the backbone of why is a great series. Appears unfortunate just one statuette will get passed out in each genre. Should and can Win: Mad Males. Nothing against Friday Evening Lights and particularly the wonderful Thrones, but Mad Males is nominated two times within this category for any reason. Mad Males is ethereal, which belies the visual reasons people stay tuned -- many individuals don't realize they're totally hooked on an existential drama. Q&A: Emmys 2011: ཚ Rock' Director Recalls Live Episode Challenges and 'SNL' Parallels WRITING For Any COMEDY SERIES A disagreement might be made (and won) that finding brilliance in drama writing is simpler than discovering it in comedy writing. Comedy is just more subjective. Physical humor, standard setup/punch-line matters, nuanced callbacks, absurdism -- it simply comes lower as to the enables you to laugh. But understand this wonderfully diverse gamut of shows: Louie, Modern Family, Episodes, Office (well, that place must have attended Parks). Should Win: 30 Rock. You are able to't just dismiss genius. Will Win: Modern Family. A safer wager, although not as ambitious as 30 Rock or Louie. EMMYS 2011: THR's Full Dental Coverage Plans Related Subjects Emmy Honours Primetime Emmy Honours Jon Hamm Laura Linney Steve Buscemi Tina Fey Mad Males 30 Rock Emmys 2011

AFI Honours 2011 to Occur Jan. 13

The twelfth edition from the American Film Institute's AFI Honours is going to be held Jan. 13. The annual, invitation-only lunch recognizes the year's best films and TV programs as selected by two juries, composed of students, experts, film and TV artists and AFI trustees. The deadline for TV distribution is March. 28, and also the deadline for film distribution is November. 4. The honorees is going to be introduced 12 ,. 11. Honours

D23: Pixar reveals new details for Toy Story short

While all remains quiet on the possibility of Toy Story 4, Pixar have thrown fans of Woody and Buzz a not inconsiderable bone in the form of an upcoming short to precede The Muppets.Entitled Small Fry, the short follows in the footsteps of Toy Story: Hawaiian Vacation in welcoming back the entire gang for another slice of animated fun. Attendees at this weekend's D23 expo were treated to a small clip which gave away a few of the plot points involved.This time around, Buzz finds himself left behind at a fast food restaurant and must find his own way home. Nothing revolutionary there then, with the old "lost toy" angle one that we've seen a few times before.However, there should still be plenty of fun to be had in the form of the new characters he meets along the way. One notable new addition will be a mermaid voiced by the ever-hilarious Jane Lynch, she of Glee and Role Models.The Muppets opens Stateside on November 23. UK fans waiting for their next fix of toy-based goodness will have a little longer to wait, with the film set to arrive on February 10 2012. As for the next full-length Toy Story, well we'll just have to wait and see...

The Dark Knight Rises Ends Pittsburgh Production, Thanks City

From the minute Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale gave that possibly ill-advised press conference announcing the start of The Dark Knight Rises location shoot in Pittsburgh, a torrent of spy pics, videos and spoilers have run out of the Steel City like water from an open fire hydrant. Not that Team Nolan has any hard feelings; the Pittsburgh leg of The Dark Knight Rises shooting schedule has come to a close, prompting Warner Bros. to thank city residents for their cooperation. Click through for a look at the friendly note. Classy! Wonder what Marvel will do to thank Cleveland for The Avengers? Skywriting? [via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Spotlight on Training Abroad

Duncan Stewart, director of casting at National Artists Management Company, talks about opening every submission and what he wants to see in a headshot.; casting; Duncan Stewart; headshot; new york city; open submissions; Duncan Steward, director of casting, talks about what he wants from an actor in a general meeting, mainly truth, likability, and lack of ego.; advice; casting; Duncan Stewart; new york city; tips; Duncan Stewart, director of casting, talks about what he expects from an audition and common mistakes actors make.; advice; auditions; casting; Duncan Stewart; new york city; Alaine Alldaffer breaks down the real role of a casting direcor.; Alaine Alldaffer; casting; casting director; Grey Gardens; play; stage; theater; Casting director Alaine Alldaffer talks about casting "Saved" and all the misconceptions about being an actor in New York City.; Alaine Alldaffer; casting director; NYC theatre; play; saved; NY casting director Bernie Telsey describes what actors need to know before walking into an audition. (Part 1 of 2) ; Bernie Telsey; casting director; We spoke with casting director Mark Teschner about working on soap operas. (Part 1 of 3) ; General Hospital; Mark Teschner; soap opera; NY casting director Bernie Telsey describes how to give your best audition. (Part 2 of 2) ; Bernie Telsey; casting director; We spoke with casting director Mark Teschner about working on soap operas. Need only beautiful people apply? (Part 2 of 3) ; General Hospital; Mark Teshner; soap opera; We spoke with casting director Mark Teschner about auditioning for soap operas. (Part 3 of 3) ; General Hospital; Mark Teschner; soap opera; Videos for the Back Stage News & Features section.

Russell Crowe Signs On For Mayoral Run In 'Broken City'

EXCLUSIVE: Russell Crowe is set to star alongside Mark Wahlberg in the Allen Hughes-directed independently financed noir drama Broken City. Production begins in November. Wahlberg plays an ex-cop-turned-private detective who is hired by the mayor (the role Crowe will play) to see if his wife is cheating on him. The private eye confirms those suspicions, and when the mayor's wife's cheating partner ends up dead, the private eye immerses himself in the mayor's business and uncovers a real estate scandal that involves the pol dealing himself choice city-owned properties. The script by Brian Tucker made the 2008 Black List script. The $60 million film will be financed by Emmett/Furla Films. Wahlberg is producing through his Closest to the Hole banner, Stephen Levinson through Leverage, and Randall Emmett, George Furla and Hughes are also producing. Wahlberg and Levinson, partners on Entourage and Boardwalk Empire, just wrapped the drama Contraband. Crowe is playing the small role of Jor-El in the Superman reboot Man of Steel, and just wrapped The Man With The Iron Fists. Emmett/Furla Films has stepped up the volume of films it is financing and producing. They just come aboard with Summit and QED to co-finance the Rob Cohen-directed Tyler Perry-starrer I, Alex Cross based on the James Patterson mystery series, and set Nicolas Cage and John Cusack to star in the fact-based Alaskan murder mystery The Frozen Ground, with Scott Walker directing his script. With Wild Bunch, EFF funded the Stephen Fears-directed Lay The Favorite, starring Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rebecca Hall and Vince Vaughn; EFF is about to begin production on the $25 million Fire With Fire with Willis and Josh Duhamel; and the company will partner with Groundswell Productions to fund Captive and is in pre-production with Exclusive Media to co-finance the David Ayer-directed Jake Gyllenhaal-starrer End of Watch.Crowe is repped by WME.

Brett Ratner and Don Mischer to Produce Oscars Telecast

Brett Ratner and Don Mischer will produce the 84th Academy Awards telecast, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak announced Thursday. Ratner, a surprise choice who has directed such movies as the Rush Hour series and X-Men: The Last Stand, said that he suspected one reason that Sherak and the Academy's new CEO Dawn Hudson turned to him is his love of comedy. "To their credit, Tom and Dawn really understand what is needed, and comedy is a big part of it and I want to make that part of it," Ratner said. While the Oscar show assignment usually goes to a more experienced Hollywood hand, Ratner is just 42, but he's long had a fascination with Old Hollywood lore -- he lives in Beverly Hills in a home known as Hillhaven Lodge, which once belonged to Ingrid Bergman,and he has palled around with Robert Evans -- and his sense of Hollywood history is something he could well draw upon in wrestling the Oscar show into shape. Before he accepted the challenge, though, he also me withMischer, who produced this past February's broadcast with Bruce Cohen, and Ratner said that gave him the confidence to say yes because, "the guy is just a pro." Speaking on a call with Ratner, Mischer, who will also direct the live broadcst, added of his new producing partner, "His enthusiasm was just overwhelming. We met for what was to be one-half hour and it turned into two-and-one-half hours as we talked approaches and ideas." Their first order of business will be deciding on a host, but both men insisted they haven't zeroed in on a choice. "We haven't discussed hosts yet," Mischer said. "It's wide open." When Sherak and Hudson first began discussing potential candidates to produce the show, it was Hudson who suggested calling in Ratner. "We just had an instinct that he would have a fresh point of view for the show. He's young, he's enthusiastic, and mostly he comes with a deep, deep love of movies," Hudson said of her intuition. "Brett is such a renowned cinephile, and such a student of this industry and of the Oscar shows. He knows the ins and outs of the shows from the beginning of time. He has a very broad sense of entertainment, a great sense of comedy, and he's a showman." Plus, she added, "He has great talent relationships," which is always useful in lining up a host and presenters. Sherak said he sparked to the idea immediately, and so he called Ratner in for a meeting a couple of weeks ago without telling him what was on the agenda. "But we started talking with him, and before we knew it, it was three hours later," Sherak said. Sherak also set up a meeting between Ratner and Mischer. "Don gives us continunity," said Sherak of Mischer, who has been nominated for an Emmy for his work on this year's Oscars. "We wanted Brett and Don to like each other, and they fell in love with each other." One concern that Ratner had was how the Oscar job would fit into his existing schedule. He's currently finishing post-production on the comedy Tower Heist, starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, which Universal releases Nov. 4. And he's developing a couple of projects: 39 Clues for DreamWorks and Hercules: The Thracian Wars for MGM, while also producing Relativity's Snow White. Mischer assured him that it was "absolutely doable. We have a lot of support and systems in place, having done it last year. So I'm not worried about Brett's schedule at all." Said Ratner, "I'm finishing a movie in a few weeks, then I'll do press and there will be a premiere I can't miss. Then I'm working on two movies that are in early, early pre-production. I foresee the day when I wrap [the Oscar show], and then I'm immediately shuttled off to a location to start pre-production on one of them." Before making a decision, though, Ratner first took a vacation, during which he reviewed a lot of past Oscar shows. Then, Wednesday night, he emailed Sherak -- who had been re-elected for a third term as Academy president the previous day -- and requested a meeting Thursday at which he accepted the assignment. As a student of the Oscars, Ratner knows the risks he faces for he now shares a further link with the late producer Allan Carr, who also once lived in Hillhaven. Carr produced the 61st Academy Awards in 1989, and that show drew a firestorm of criticism, much of it directed at its kitschy, overlong production numbers. But Ratner doesn't consider that an omen. "Look, Allan was a showman in his way, and it was a very different time," he said. "And by the way, he did some good things too. He had some good ideas. It was on that show that they changed the line 'and the winner is' to 'and the Oscar goes to'." Next year's awards show will be broadcast live by ABC on Feb. 26 from the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. Related Topics Brett Ratner Academy Awards Don Mischer