'The Help' Named Best Film of 2011 by Black Film Experts Circle

"The AssistanceInch remains named best film of 2011 with the Black Film Experts Circle, which paid out it in four other groups: best actress, Viola Davis best supporting actress, Octavia Spencer best modified script, Tate Taylor and greatest ensemble.The crowd gave three honours to Pariah, including its best director prize, which visited Dee Rees, who also needed the honors for top original script, additionally to best independent film.Olivier Litondo was named best actor for "The Initial Grader," while Albert Brooks was named best supporting actor for "Drive."The honours were introduced Tuesday by BFCC co-leader Mike Sargent carrying out a experts group's annual meetingin NY.Another individuals who win were: Best documentary, "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey" best foreign film, "Existence, Most SignificantlyInch and greatest animated film, "Rango."The BFCC gave its Pioneer Award to Harry Belafonte its Rising Star Award to "Pariah's" Adrepero Oduye together with a unique Mention to "Attack the Block."The crowd also named its top films of year: "The Help,In . "The Artist," "Pariah," "Drive," "The Descendants," "Attack the Block," "The Tree of Existence," "Hugo," "The Woman while using Dragon Tattoo" and "Warrior."Founded this season, the BFCC can be a membership organization made up of film experts of color from dailynewspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, radio, television and being qualified on-line guides. The Hollywood Reporter

Box Office Report: 'New Year's Eve,' 'The Sitter' Lead Another Soft Weekend

Garry Marshall's star-packed ensemble pic New Year's Eve finished Friday with a tepid $5.1 million, diminishing chances that the movie will open to $20 million. Instead, the movie is looking a $15 million debut.our editor recommendsBox Office Report: 'New Year's Eve' Ringing in the Holiday EarlyBox Office Preview: 'New Year's Eve,' 'The Sitter' Open in Advance of Holiday CrushNew Movie Reviews: 'New Year's Eve,' 'Young Adult,' Madonna's 'W.E.' Hitting Theaters 'Young Adult': What the Critics Are Saying The Warner Bros. and New Line film still came in No. 1 for the day, followed by 20th Century Fox's new R-rated comedy The Sitter with $3.7 million. Headlining Jonah Hill in his first starring role, Sitter is eyeing a $10 million weekend. PHOTOS: 'New Year's Eve' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals New Year's Eve and The Sitter are leading another soft weekend at the domestic box office, which could be down from last year by as much as 8 percent. Heading into the weekend, New Year's Eve had been projected to gross $20 million or higher in its debut. While that's far less than the $72 million bow of Marshall's Valentine's Day over the four-day Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend in 2010, Warner Bros. expects the film to have an especially strong multiple and play through New Year's Day since it's the only holiday romantic comedy. New Year's Eve, which cost $26 million to make, includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron, Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Lea Michele, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Hilary Swank and Seth Meyers. PHOTOS: 'Young Adult' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals New Year's Eve received a B+ CinemaScore, while The Sitter, which cost under $25 million to make, received a C+. The two new films knocked The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn--Part 1 from its top perch after ruling the box office for three weekends. On Friday, Breaking Dawn placed No. 3, grossing $2.5 million for a domestic cume of $259.3. Disney's The Muppets came in No. 4, grossing an estimated $1.7 million for a North American cume of $60.4 million. Martin Scorsese's Hugo placed No. 5 as it expanded into a total of 2,600 theaters, grossing $1.6 million for a total $28.9 million. Paramount is distributing the film. Sony's holiday day film Arthur Christmas enjoyed a stellar hold, falling only 13 percent on Friday to $1.4 million for a cume of $28.3 million. Fox Searchlight's The Descendants followed with $1.3 million as it upped its theater count to 876 for cume of $20.6 million. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Biggest Box Office Bombs Related Topics Box Office New Year's Eve The Sitter

Shaun Probst Marries Girlfriend Lisa Ann Russell

Lisa Ann Russell, Shaun Probst Survivor host Shaun Probst and actress Lisa Ann Russell got married in a tiny ceremony in La, People reviews. A spokesperson for that couple stated it happened Monday in a private house and was attended with a couple of buddies and family. 8 possible challengers to exchange Regis Philbin on Live! This can be a second marriage for Probst and Russell. He was married to psychotherapist Shelley Wright from 1996 until 2001. Russell formerly was married to Saved Through the Bell and Franklin & Party star Mark-Paul Gosselaar, with whom she's two children. Probst is placed to host the live finale of Survivor: South Off-shore, which airs on Sunday, 12 ,. 18 at 8/7c on CBS.

3 Take-Aways From the UBS Media Investor Conference

NEWYORK - Yahoo said Thursday it would launch the Yahoo Comedy Channel with a slate of original comedy video content featuring such comedians as Mike O'Brien, lead writer on Saturday Night Live, and Seth Morris (No Strings Attached, Step Brothers) in the company's latest sign of commitment to the premium content space.our editor recommendsYahoo Building NY StudioYahoo Shutters Four Entertainment Blogs The channel will launch with a Bill Maher stand-up performanceentitled CrazyStupidPolitics: Bill Maher Live from Silicon Valley, available exclusively on Yahoo.The performance, which the firm said will be the first-ever, live, free broadcast online, will take place on Feb. 23, 2012 at the San Jose Performing Arts Center. The comedy news comes off the heels of Yahoo's launch of a women-focused programming slate, which had nearly 10 million streams in its first month. Yahoo, which has been exploring its options, said it is the top destination online for comedy with 1 billion streams of its original programming to-date. "Bill Maher's special is a groundbreaking event, not only for Yahoo and Bill but for the Internet as the first-ever, live, free broadcast online," said Erin McPherson, vp & head of Video at Yahoo. We are focusing on fresh, original voices like Bill and our other original programs with the Yahoo! Comedy Channel to continue to provide our consumers and advertisers with the best premium content on the Web." "I'm excited to be doing something new in bringing a live stand up show to a web giant like Yahoo," said Maher. "It is my goal to make people say "Oh no he di'nt" in every medium on earth." Yahoo's production partners in the comedy channel include Funny or Die, Broadway Video, Electus, David Morgasen and Principato-Young, among others.Among its planned programming are: - Funny Or Die Presents First Dates with Toby Harris: Starring Seth Morris, the LA-based series shows ill-fated first dates with the always single Toby Harris. "Each episode centers around a different woman and issue that will leave the audience bickering amongst themselves who was right and who was wrong, and how they would have handled it better," Yahoo said. - 7 Minutes in Heaven: Hosted by Mike O'Brien, the show invites celebrities into his closet for an intimate conversation. - Sketchy: A weekly video series featuring comedy shorts written, directed and starring Principato-Young Entertainment, whose roster includes Ed Helms, Justin Long, Anthony Anderson, Rob Corddry, Rob Riggle, Rachel Harris, Rob Huebel, Paul Scheer and others. - Hackerazzi: From Morgasen, the director known for viral videos like the "David Blaine Street Magic" spoofs and "Obama-McCain Dance-off," as well as work on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The show attaches celebrity heads to actors to reach comedic effects. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Yahoo

'Melancholia' Wins Best Film at European Film Awards

BERLIN -- Lars von Trier's apocalyptic drama "Melancholia" blew them away at the 24th European Film Awards, Europe's version of the Oscars, taking home three trophies, including best film."I don't have a message from Lars for you because he has stopped making public statements. I can't imagine why," said one of "Melancholia's" producers as she accepted the honor on von Trier's behalf, making reference to the director's infamous pro-Hitler quips in Cannes this year."Melancholia's" cameraman Manuel Alberto Claro got the best cinematography nod for his hypnotic lensing of earth's final days and production designer Jette Lehmann won the EFA for her opulent sets."Melancholia" was the odds-on favorite to take the top prize at this year's EFA's. The host of the 24th European Film Awards, German comedienne Anke Engelke, acknowledged the film's frontrunner status when she started the show, making her entrance on stage in a wedding dress walking in slow-mo, aping Dunst's character in the von Trier drama.But Von Trier was beat out in the best director race by fellow Dane Susanne Bier for her Foreign Language Oscar winner "In a Better World." And the European Film Academy preferred Tilda Swinton's gripping performance as the mother of a murderer in "We Need to Talk About Kevin" to Kirsten Dunst's depressed bride in "Melancholia," giving Swinton the best actress nod. Colin Firth added an EFA best actor trophy to his Oscar with what will likely be his last honor for "The King's Speech." Neither Firth nor Swinton made it to the EFA ceremony, which was somewhat low-wattage in terms of star power."The King's Speech's" award haul also included the best editing honor for Tariq Anwar and the People's Choice Award voted on by European cinema goers.Oscar favorite "The Artist" won one EFA for best composer nod for Ludovic Bource's classic score. Bource singled out the film's canine star for "inspiring all the music" in Michel Hazanavicius' film.Another strong Oscar contender, the 3D dance film "Pina" from Wim Wenders won best European documentary.Belgium brothers Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne took the best screenplay honor for their script to "The Kid with a Bike." Belgium's other big win of the night was for Oxygen, from first-timer Hans Van Nuffel, won the European Discovery prize for best debut feature.In one of the biggest surprises of the evening, French acting legend Michel Piccoli, who was nominated in the best actor category for playing the Pope in "Habemus Papam," was hauled on stage to recieve a lifetime achievement award from actor Bruno Ganz and director Volker Schlondorff.But the biggest laughs of the evening came thanks to Stellan Skarsgard and his tribute to Mads Mikkelsen, winner of the award for achievement in European cinema. Skarsgard turned the speech about his old friend into a mini-roast."I don't admire you for your looks, because you're not good looking," Skarsgard riffed. "You have an 'interesting' face. I know you've been voted sexiest man in Denmark like 6 times but those are by people who don't know you. And we have to remember, Denmark is a very small place."But Skarsgard ended on a sweet note. "Mads, everything you do has a clarity to it. There's nothing fuzzy about what you do. You're acting is clean, graceful and very poetic."The biggest applause of the night was for veteran British director Stephen Frears, who received a lifetime achivement honor."Actually, I'm everything you don't," Frears said to the audience of European film professionals. "I'm not an auteur and I make cheerful films because I can't stand the misery anymore. I'm just a bloke who makes films and hopes the audience likes them. And I'll try to do better next time." The Hollywood Reporter

VIDEO: The Karate Kid's Rough Draft Feels Like Swedeing With the Stars

In a video that hit the Web over a year and a half ago but appears to have only really surfaced this week, find Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and other principals from The Karate Kid rehearsing the entire 1984 classic on handheld camera for the film’s director, John G. Avildsen. It’s like something out of Be Kind Rewind — except, you know, featuring the actual cast working with no budget and the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind the VHS (?) camera announcing sound cues (“Wind chimes!”) and other pertinent atmospherics as the story rolls along. Find the first transfixing segment below and the rest of the rehearsed Karate Kid — which Avildsen shot in its entirety — on YouTube. [via Grantland]