Martin Scorsese and William Monahan remaking The Gambler

The Departed team of director Martin Scorsese and screenwriter William Monahan are turning their attention to another remake: 1974's The Gambler.Scorsese aficionados will be unsurprised to learn that the pair want their Departed leading man Leonardo DiCaprio to star.The Hollywood Reporter states that the pair are developing the remake, though taking Scorsese's growing to-do list into account (Silence, The Wolf Of Wall Street), it's not clear when we can actually expect this.The original Gambler starred James Caan as an English professor who's secretly caught in the grip of a gambling addiction, which kind of undercuts all those inspirational vibes he's been sending out to his students.Czech filmmaker Karel Reisz (Saturday Night And Sunday Morning, The French Lieutenant's Woman) directed the original.It sounds like it's the kind of role DiCaprio has made his own: a decent-at-heart bloke taken to breaking point by some demon or another.And he's hardly likely to say no to his old mucker Scorsese, having starred in four out of his five last features.We'll keep our ear to the ground on this one, which will no doubt gather pace if D-Cappz signs on. After all, the last time these guys got together for a remake, it didn't turn out too bad, eh?Martin Scorsese's next, Hugo, is set to open on 2 December 2011.

Ricky Gervais Says the Golden Globes - and the Oscars - Want Him Again

Ricky Gervais — the troublemaking Golden Globes host who made callous, hilariously truthful jokes about such esteemed statesmen as Hugh Hefner, Tim Allen, and Robert Downey Jr. during his last hosting gig — claims he’s been asked back to the ceremony for a third straight year. And the Oscars, too. That’s fantastic. But is Gervais willing to take up the offers? The giggling imp explains. While Gervais claims the HFPA has reached out to him in The Guardian, he doesn’t sound optimistic about returning to the dais. Asked by interviewer Richard Bacon if he was considering the [Golden Globes] offer, Gervais replied: “I am but I shouldn’t do it. It’s a second encore. Don’t do a second encore. I don’t think I should do it. What am I going back as?” A hysterical host, that’s who! Speaking of last year’s furor, he added: “Just because you are offended doesn’t mean you are right,” Gervais said of his critics. “People fall into this myth that I’m a shock comedian. I’ve never been that. People say I crossed the line but I didn’t draw the fucking line, you did.” Once again, genius. And finally, Gervais explains sound reasoning for turning down the Oscars. The star, who gave the first preview of his new sitcom, Life’s Too Short, a BBC and HBO co-production which will air in the UK on BBC2, also revealed he had been approached about hosting the Oscars, a gig he said he would never accept. “They said to my agent would he like to be on our list. I couldn’t do the Oscars. It’s a thankless task for a comedian. They don’t want to hear jokes, they want to hear if they have won the most important award of their career,” he said. I concur, but that’s hogwash. All of Melissa Leo’s antics, Oscar-related or not, should be tagged with zingers. · Ricky Gervais Invited Back to Host Golden Globes [Guardian]

New 'Woman In Black' Poster: Daniel Radcliffe Thinks In Ghosts

Companies ghosts? It is the question the new United kingdom quad for Daniel Radcliffe's "The Lady in Black" is appearing. And, in line with the afraid expression on Radcliffe's face within the poster, it appears like his character Arthur Kipps certainly does. This is actually the "Harry Potter" star's first film role publish-The Boy Who Resided, and it is a pleasant sight to determine only Radcliffe's title about the poster. While fans may be intrigued by the idea of the film, I'd be hard-pressed to reason that the draw for "The Lady in Black" is not seeing exactly what the 22-year-old actor is capable of doing. The lately-launched trailer for "The Lady in Black" also showed off how terrifying the film is probably likely to be. "The Lady in Black" follows Kipps, an attorney along with a father, because he visits a little British town to handle the estate from the deceased Alice Drablow. But, because the trailer shows us, there's a little a lot more than you would think happening within the sleepy little countryside town, also it rapidly becomes obvious that Kipps has bitten off a lot more than he is able to chew. In the creepy "blank-faced women in matching dresses" chanting a terrifying nursery rhyme -- "What she would like is unknown, but she always returns: the threat of darkness, The Lady in Black" -- towards the chill-inducing appearance from the titular spectre, this can be a movie this Movies Blog author is both anticipating and fearing simultaneously. Fortunately, I've until "The Lady in Black" is launched on Feb 3, 2012 to organize myself. Exactly what do you think about the brand new United kingdom quad for "The Lady in Black"? Inform us within the comments section below or on Twitter!

ABC's TV Series 'Missing' to Screen at MIPCOM Conference

MIPCOM 2011 attendees will find ABC Studios' TV series Missing at this year's market when the thriller premieres on Oct. 3rd in Cannes with its stars Ashley Judd, Cliff Curtis and Adriano Giannini on hand, organizers Reed MIDEM said on Thursday. The screening in the Palais des Festivals' Grand Auditorium will be followed by a Q&A with the show's stars and production team before they head to the red carpet for MIPCOM's Opening Night Party.our editor recommendsABC Picks Up Drama 'Missing' for Summer Missing is produced by Stillking Films and shot on location all across Europe including Prague, Istanbul and Dubrovnik. The show is a collaboration between creator/executive producer Gregory Poirier and executive producers Gina Matthews, Grant Scharbo, Steve Shill and James Parriott. Missing stars Judd as a woman who learns that her son disappeared while studying abroad in Rome then decides to take matters into her own hands and travels to Europe to track him down. "We're very proud of this edge of your seat thriller and the great storytelling that spans continent. We hope that Missing is the first of what will be many truly global productions to come out of ABC Studios," President of ABC Entertainment Group Paul Lee said. Director of Reed MIDEM's Television Division Laurine Garaude added: "The MIPCOM World Premiere TV Screenings offer the ideal platform to preview, launch and raise awareness for the shows that audiences will be watching in the year to come." Related Topics ABC Ashley Judd

Is Apple's iPad Replicated From '2001: An Area Odyssey'? (Video)

Everett Collection Who's much more of a visionary -- outgoing Apple Boss Jobs or legendary film director Stanley Kubrick? Now you ask , a lot more than academic. Now, Samsung challenged Apple's patent claims over tablet products by pointing to some scene in Kubrick's 1968 classic film, 2001: An Area Journey. Samsung is protecting itself against a suit introduced by Apple that alleges that it is competitor's type of various Android mobile phones and mobile pills infringe the look patents for apple iphones and iPads. Apple has asserted that Samsung's items will confuse customers included in a push to prevent the purchase of Samsung's allegedly infringing mobile products. Already, Apple has obtained some court victories, most particularly in Europe where earlier this year,adistrict court in Düsseldorf, Germany granted Apple's preliminary injunctionagainst the EU purchase of Samsung's Universe Tab 10.1. Now, Samsung has struck back by asking a California District Court to think about the question of whether an item in2001: An Area Journey that appears just like a tablet pc could be classified as "prior art." Based on Samsung's opposition papers: "Attached hereto as Exhibit D is really a true and proper copy of the still image obtained from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film "2001: An Area Journey." Inside a clip from that film lasting about about a minute, two astronauts are eating and simultaneously using personal tablet computer systems. The clip obtainable online athttp://world wide web.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ8pQVDyaLo. Just like the look stated by theD'889 Patent, named revealed within the clip comes with an overall rectangular shape having a dominant screen, narrow edges, a mainly flat front surface, a set back surface (that is apparent since the pills are laying flat up for grabs's surface), along with a thin form factor." Below may be the clip under consideration. (Hat tip: Foss Patents) It's to the of course laymen eyes as "non-enabling prior art" that wouldn't allow anybody skilled within the art to construct this type of device, however again, if your patent holder can sue a sci-fi film for violation, as was the situation last year for makers from the film, Knowable, possibly the sci-fi world can return the favor and safeguard its turf. Are movie galleries passing up on a potentially lucrative new revenue stream by neglecting to tips to negotiate in the USPTO? OK, most likely not. E-mail: eriqgardner@yahoo.com Twitter: @eriqgardner Jobs Apple 2001: An Area Journey

Open Letter to Hollywood: Less Speaking Creatures, Please, along with other Suggestions

Dear Hollywood Professionals, Producers, Company directors and Screenwriters, I really like movies -- a lot to ensure that I make my living watching and covering them. I am additionally a mother of three kids younger than 10. Therefore it is with considerable personal and professional expertise which i request you to definitely please, for that passion for previews and popcorn, make smarter family films. Why? Because numerous movies launched within the genre are, as my 6-year-old daughter loves to say, stinkalicious. They appear a lot more like gimmicky ploys than well-thought-out projects. Last December, it had been very easy to develop the worst movies of the season it grew to become absurdly apparent that some family film tropes ought to be prevented (unless of course, possibly, the film is handled through the prodigies at Pixar). Here are a few ideas that needs to be given an instantaneous red-colored light throughout a pitch meeting: Speaking Creatures: With very couple of exceptions, speaking-animal movies are awful. I do not mean animated movies with speaking creatures, because individuals would be the Mouse-Eared standard (from Mickey to Bambi to Nemo). I am speaking about creatures that appear to be "real" but talk. Best-of-the-worst good examples include 'Marmaduke,' 'Garfield,' 'Alvin and also the Chipmunks,' 'G-Force' and so on as well as on. Live-Action/Animation Hybrid cars: As memorably enchanting as 'Enchanted' was, most family movies that regularly feature the mixture of live-action and animation are simply as unwatchable as speaking-animal movies. Additionally to a few of the good examples in the earlier point, additionally, there are 'The Pink Panther,' 'Hop' and 'Fat Albert.' Cartoon Remakes: Again, this is not nearly 'The Smurfs,' but it is among why Hollywood should veer from adapting beloved Saturday-morning cartoons as well as comic-strips. The funnies survive very best in our collective reminiscences and DVD shelves, not repurposed, restarted and spit out for any "new" generation. Seriously, we are able to just watch these shows on Hulu or Netflix -- you don't need to using them as movies. Toilet Humor: The periodic scatological joke isn't surprising -- as well as welcomed in the event like middle-school comedy 'Diary of the Wimpy Kid.' But a lot of poop, pee and fart jokes (even just in movies particularly targeted at kids and tweens) begin to metaphorically stink up a flick, so please, continue but be careful. Just a little goes a lengthy way. Unnecessary Sequels: Sometimes you do not know when you should quit. Every good family movie doesn't need endless subsequent payments (unless of course, obviously, it's a number of titles like 'Harry Potter' or 'The Hunger Games'). Yes, a number of them are excellent ('Toy Story 3'), but generally, the final a couple of are stale when in comparison towards the originals. For instance, 'Shrek,' 'Spy Kids,' 'Ice Age' as well as 'Cars' all have to be finished, period. Move ahead, Hollywood, move ahead. What exactly will i like, you are wondering? Lots! Beautiful Animation: Galleries that take animation seriously, and not simply like a vehicle to obtain adults and children within the theater: Pixar, Studio Ghibli and Blue Sky Galleries all make animated films that everybody can also enjoy. New Literary Adaptations: Rather than remaking tv shows and older movies, concentrate on fabulous children's books, youthful-adult fiction and graphic books that haven't yet transfer towards the giant screen. 'Bridge to Terabithia,' 'How to coach Your Dragon' and, obviously, the 'Harry Potter' films prove that after done correctly, children's book adaptations can rank among a year's best movies. Coming-of-Age Tales: We want more tender comedies about becoming an adult that may attract tweens (think the center-school humor and adorable first-romance theme of 'Little Manhattan'). Kids deserve not only over-the-top fart jokes and "I am a geek" plot lines. Have it together, Hollywood. Families want superbly made, well-behaved, memorable movies nearly as much as child-free grown ups. Stop feeding us stale leftovers and pretending it's gourmet cuisine. Eventually, using the growing price of movie tickets and credits, we are likely to spit it and turn into inside with this personalized Netflix queues. Sincerely, The Moviefone Mama Give me an idea to inform the Hollywood forces about warm and friendly movies? You've got a say! It is your money that keeps galleries running a business, in the end. Images thanks to Vital, the Weinstein Company and Warner Bros.

Agency Legal Fight: Diverse Talent States Function Group Reps Stole Files, Clients

Diverse Talent Group today searched for an injunction against three former employees, alleging that Iham Durzi, Ehab Durzi and Wendy Morrison used its confidentialfiles and informationto steal clients. The filing states thatwhile these were employed at Different and planning to maneuver to new, rival agency Function Talent Group,the trio misconstrued the financial status of Different and toldclients it had been going to shut its doorways.Since Function opened up in August, theDiverse filing alleges, the trio compromised into its computer systems, transformed contactinformation andhave used Diverse’s private background financial information and trade tips for lure its clients. The filing in L.A. Superior Courtasks the trio cease those activities alleged and undergo arbitration with regards to assessing award for damages according to lost profits. In their employment agreement with Diverse, which started in August 2010, the trio decided to resolve any disputes through arbitration, the filing claims. Diverse Talent Group is definitely an L.A.-based boutique agency representing stars, company directors, authors, and producers in film, TV, advertisements and digital.

Jimmy Fallon Will Return to 'Saturday Night Live' as Host

Jimmy Fallon is returning to his comedic roots with his a Saturday Night Live hosting gig.our editor recommendsHow the Music of 'Jimmy Fallon' Whips Its Late-Night Competition Emmys 2011: Stephen Colbert Addresses Jimmy Fallon Face Off (Video)'Jersey Shore' Tribute: Jimmy Fallon Spoofs DJ Pauly D, Snooki (Video) PHOTOS: Emmy Nominees 2011 NBC's late night host will join musical guest Michael Buble on Dec. 17. The telecast will mark Buble's second musical appearance, and Fallon's first since he served a six-year stint as "Weekend Update" co-anchor and frequent impressionist on the network's long-running sketch comedy show. STORY: Radiohead to Open 37th Season of 'Saturday Night Live' "I've never forgotten where I came from. That's why I'm so incredibly honored to be hosting the Saturday Night Times program December 17th on HGTV," quips Fallon in a statement. STORY: Alec Baldwin, Melissa McCarthy Set as 'Saturday Night Live' Hosts Fallon has been generating favorable buzz and growing ratings since he took over for Conan O'Brien as host of the net's weekday entryLate Night in March 2009.He garnered still more goodwill as host of the 2010 Emmy Awards, and his show is nominated for three Emmys, including its first in the best variety, music or comedy series category, at this year's kudofest. STORY: Netflix Renews Deal With NBCUniversal for Streaming TV Shows, Movies The netpreviously announced 30 Rock's Alec Baldwin (with musical guest Radiohead) and Bridesmaid's Melissa McCarthy (with Lady Antebellum) will host on SNL's Sept. 24 and Oct. 1 editions, respectively. Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com; Twitter: @LaceyVRose Related Topics Jimmy Fallon Conan O'Brien NBC Saturday Night Live

Bromance at 'Brother' preem

1. Zooey Deschanel and Elizabeth Banks 2. Paul Rudd and Harvey Weinstein synergy in the ArcLight. Stars Zooey Deschanel (L) and Elizabeth Banks get through to the premiere of "Our Idiot Brother" located through the Weinstein Company and Ron Burkle held at ArcLight Movie theaters on August 16, 2011 in Hollywood, California. "Our Idiot Brother" Premiere Located By The3. Rashida Johnson and director Jesse Peretz 4. Kathryn Hahn with producer Aleen Keshishian NO TABLOIDS Stars Amy Poehler (L) and Sasha Spielberg attend the premiere of "Our Idiot Brother" after party located through the Weinstein Company and Ron Burkle held at Skybar at Mondrian La on August 16, 2011 in West Hollywood, California. "Our INO TABLOIDS Actress Kathryn Hahn (L) and Executive Producer Aleen Keshishian gets to the premiere of "Our Idiot Brother" located through the Weinstein Company and Ron Burkle held at ArcLight Movie theaters on August 16, 2011 in Hollywood, California. "Our Idiot Bro"Our Idiot Brother" might be re-named "Our Idiot Bromance," according to Paul Rudd and Harvey Weinstein's blooming brotherhood, as evidenced in the Weinstein Co. pic's August. 16 preem in the ArcLight.Speaking concerning the duo's Funny or Die vid, Weinstein stated, "Paul put my 'King's Speech' Oscar within the trash. He's callous." Rudd screamed in the audience, "I really like you, Harvey!" The star accepted later, in the Mondrian afterparty, that filming the recording was "just a little frightening, even while nice as Harvey's visited me."Rudd's fave moment was carrying out a scene having a naked Steve Coogan: "It isn't frequently that you will get to visit your heroes completely naked. He was making me laugh so difficult -- him just bending lower."Co-star Kathryn Hahn stated there is grounds for the good feeling about the set: "Nobody were built with a trailer. Nobody could head off to their corner between takes, and i believe that assisted with your family aspect." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

First Look at Charlize Theron in Diablo Cody-Jason Reitman Collabo Young Adult

After nabbing Oscar nods for their first collaboration, the 2007 indie darling Juno, screenwriter Diablo Cody (who won the Academy Award) and director Jason Reitman reprise their partnership in this December’s Young Adult, the story of a YA novel author (Charlize Theron) who returns to her hometown to win back her now-married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). After the jump, get your first look at Theron traveling in a slightly less glamorous getup than we’re used to seeing. Observe: The baggy Hello Kitty t-shirt. The hair pulled back. The luxury toy dog half-slipping off the shoulder. The last-minute Victoria’s Secret purchase for use upon arrival. This woman does not give a crap right now. She’s probably wearing Uggs, too. Now, compare this to what real-life Charlize Theron looks like when traveling the world: Would real Charlize Theron ever wear sweat pants to the airport? HELL NO. Conclusion: This is what you call acting. And I kind of love the idea of slightly sloppy, slightly not-together, living in the past Charlize Theron trying inappropriately to break up a marriage. Sounds like My Best Friend’s Wedding for the YA author community. The official synopsis of Young Adult, courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Mandate Pictures: Academy Award winner Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a writer of teen literature who returns to her small hometown to relive her glory days and attempt to reclaim her happily married high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson). When returning home proves more difficult than she thought, Mavis forms an unusual bond with a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn’t quite gotten over high school, either. Young Adult will be released December 16, 2011. [via Slashfilm]

Brad Pitt Negotiating to Play Assassin in Adaptation of The Gray Man

According to Variety, Brad Pitt is negotiating to play the title role in the assassin thriller The Gray Man, adapted by Adam Cozad from Mark Greaney’s 2009 novel. The role would see Pitt as Court Gentry, an ex-CIA operative known for his lethal skill who goes on the run after his last job goes wrong, with action taking place across the globe. Could this be Hollywood’s next Bourne-style property? James Gray (Two Lovers) is on board to direct from Cozad’s script — making Gray the man, so to speak, for The Gray Man. (Yes, groan, I know.) When he was first announced to direct the film, Gray himself acknowledged the legacy of the Bourne films on the genre. “What [Paul Greengrass] did was a documentary-style objective approach, and he owns that style,” Gray told Deadline back in January. “I want to do the opposite, which feels like a good way to sympathize with a professional hitman. You humanize him by never distancing yourself from his experience. This story has emotional stakes that enable me to do that.” What hasn’t been mentioned, thus far, is the possibility that The Gray Man could spawn an entire action franchise; the film is adapted from Greaney’s novel of the same name, but he wrote two sequels: 2010’s On Target and the forthcoming Ballistic, which hits shelves this September. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at Greaney’s own fantasy casting for The Gray Man, posted last year with an acknowledgment that he had no say in the selection process: Casey Affleck for the Gray Man, Michael Caine as his handler, James Franco (or Topher Grace) as an “evil,” “intelligent” corporate attorney. (Read the full fantasy cast list here.) Brad Pitt in talks to star in ‘The Gray Man’ [Variety]

TV Executive Roundtable: AMC Chief Defends 'Drama' Around Matthew Weiner, 'Mad Men' Negotiations (Video)

When the nominations for the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards were announced July 14, the panelists for The Hollywood Reporter's inaugural TV Executive Roundtable had reason to pop champagne: Together, the invited execs scored a whopping 211 noms. It was a coincidence that the five whose schedules allowed them to participate a few weeks earlier included four cable programmers -- Charlie Collier (AMC), John Landgraf (FX), Sue Naegle (HBO) and David Nevins (Showtime) -- but that led to spirited debate about the medium's rivalries, the Netflix threat and how to handle unruly showrunners. As the only pure "seller" on the panel, Dana Walden (20th Century Fox Television) summed up the quintet nicely: "For people who are so darn competitive, it's a remarkably friendly group."our editor recommends'Mad Men' Creator Matthew Weiner Speaks Out on Delay'Mad Men' Creator Matthew Weiner Nears Deal for Fifth SeasonDon't Blame Matthew Weiner for 'Mad Men' DelayWhen TV Brands Go Off BrandFX Cancels 'Lights Out' PHOTOS: Emmy Nominees 2011: 'Mad Men,' 'Modern Family' and More The Hollywood Reporter: Is there a specific show you haven't done that you'd really like to make? CHARLIE COLLIER: Before I got here, AMC did Broken Trail, a Western with Robert Duvall, and since then we've been looking for a Western series -- and we've seen a lot. Finally we have one, Hell on Wheels, coming in November. SUE NAEGLE: I probably shouldn't have seen it, but I got a chance to. It's really good! COLLIER: Why, thank you. DAVID NEVINS: There are certain tones of comedy that are not out there that I think are big opportunities for us. There's a wide-open area of adult, R-rated comedy that feels sophisticated but is really raucous. That's doing well in the movies right now, and I think it is being underdone on television. I have ambitions in that direction. PHOTOS: 'Justified': Behind the Scenes JOHN LANDGRAF: Well, ironically, that's how I would sort of define our comedy brand, so I think David and I will be mining the same gold mine for the next couple years. I'm not so much genre-focused as just trying to find something different. One of the biggest challenges all of us face is the sheer volume of scripted original programming between broadcast and premium and basic cable. To find anything that's not already on television -- even mostly not on television -- is extremely difficult. COLLIER: Wilfred [the FX comedy about a man who sees his neighbor's dog as a person] is just that. It's so smart and so good and really different. I think that's the challenge: How do you find something that doesn't look like anything else that's out there? And then, when you do it, how do you make sure you just don't try to make something else that's repetitive of your success? DANA WALDEN: It needs to have a new twist. That's what we spend a lot of time talking about as we go into the development season, which we are about to go into again, which feels like Groundhog Day! (Laughter.) PHOTOS: Summer TV Preview 2011: 'Wilfred,' 'The Glee Project' and More NAEGLE: I don't miss that train. WALDEN: It's trying to find something that you're not developing "out of the box," just to be out of the box. Modern Family is a great traditional comedy. There are many elements about it that feel fresh and original, but it's not reinventing the wheel -- it's just executing a comedy in an incredibly special way. Glee is a bigger swing, but again, it's telling high school stories, coming-of-age stories, just with this incredible twist. [Warner Bros. TV president] Peter Roth used to say, "A great series is a conventional idea with a completely updated twist." I think that is right. THR: Cable networks are brands. Do you feel pressure when greenlighting series to stay within that brand or to expand it? NEVINS: That's the most relevant question for every programming decision we make. Showtime is not a narrowly defined brand, but it does have certain connotations of "adult" and "sophisticated" and having psychological depth to the shows. Unlike networks that sell advertising, we're not defined by a demographic that we sell to, so we can have shows that appeal to different groups. But we need people who will subscribe, and we need to make shows that are somebody's favorite show. GALLERY: The Quotable TCA: TV Press Tour Eavesdropper NAEGLE: We talk about that a lot, too -- passionate engagement. Not every single show needs to succeed on the same level. The audience you get for True Blood doesn't have to be the audience you get for Bored to Death. But whether people are passionately engaged in the show is the most important thing. Is this someone's favorite show? COLLIER: You know, what gets all the press for AMC is the original series, but our film library inspires a lot of what we do. Walking Dead is a huge brand choice, but for 14 years we have been doing something called "Fear Fest." NEVINS: And killing with it. COLLIER: It's a two-week horror film festival, and it has some of our highest ratings every year. So how do you super-serve that audience? Because it's not for everybody. It's certainly not the Mad Men audience. ANALYSIS: When TV Brands Go Off Brand LANDGRAF: We were a very male brand with The Shield, Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck, and then I said, "Well, there's got to be a female application," so we launched Dirt, The Riches and Damages. Two out of those three failed, but we got Damages out of it. Then we said, "Maybe there's a way to take a more traditional television genre and make an elevated, literary show out of it." So we launched Terriers and Lights Out and Justified. Two of those three failed, but we got Justified out of it. I don't know if you guys feel this, but things felt limitless when I originally came to the channel. It was so great not to be bound by the convention of broadcast television, and then when you have a brand you start to love it, you curate it -- but you also start to feel hedged in by it because you're like, "Well, then I have to exclude all these things." I'm still restless to expand the boundaries, and so it's this yin-yang between fulfilling the brand, nurturing it, keeping it vibrant, making sure you're talking to the people that love your channel and love your shows, but also leaving that little room for experiment: "Well, this doesn't sound like an FX show, but maybe it is, right?" WALDEN: That's so smart. It has never made sense to me that annually, network executives will say: "We don't want to hear pitches in this particular arena. It wasn't successful; it doesn't fit our brand." I thought, "Well, what if someone came in and pitched you the best possible version of that arena and executed it in the best possible way?" The brand can't be so narrowly defined that you miss out on opportunities. COLLIER: If you bring in the best version of a big idea, there's no one around this room who's going to say: "You know what? It doesn't fit in." NAEGLE: Every time someone asks, "What are you looking for, and what are you not looking for?" I say: "Please! The only thing I don't want you to bring me is a lovable-prostitute show." (Laughter.) WALDEN: What about a really good one? NEVINS: And yet you watch Gigolos. NAEGLE: I do love Gigolos. Because, you know, they are just there for each other. WALDEN: You guys were talking about that committed, passionate audience. Look at a show like Prison Break, which was not a huge ratings performer, but it was a huge international performer. That audience would find that show anywhere: They would buy it on DVD; they would download it wherever they could. Like John with Sons of Anarchy. All of us have had those shows that didn't make sense on paper, but you start with that Comic-Con group -- I remember with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, seeing this rabid group of people waiting in line to go in and see that panel. COLLIER: You don't have to wait for Comic-Con anymore. How many of you watch your shows with a Twitter feed on your lap now? NAEGLE: I watched Game of Thrones this week -- poor Ned Stark lost his head! I sat in my bed with a computer on my lap ... NEVINS: Watching people's heads explode. NAEGLE: Some people were like, "I'm so upset with you!" Others said, "I thought it was brave." I like you, Jughead. Not so much you, MonkeyBrain. COLLIER: During the final episode of The Walking Dead, the CDC explodes and they're running away, and people were saying, "Oh, my God!" and "I can't believe it!" And someone says, "Who cut the lawn?" LANDGRAF: Zombies are compelled to do two things: Eat brains and garden. THR: How do you guys really feel about Netflix? LANDGRAF: I don't think we really know yet. Dana and I do a show called Sons of Anarchy that [Walden's Fox 21 produces] and we air. It's a co-production with FX Productions, and its fourth season is about to air. If you looked at the ratings for the 10 p.m. Tuesday-night airings, which were the primary airings, they were up 14 percent. If you looked at the cumulative C3 rating for the week, which is what Charlie and I sell, it was down 8 percent. [C3 is a measure of commercials watched live and within three days of DVR playback.] DVRs just exploded, so a 14 percent gain in Tuesday-night viewership equals 8 percent loss in saleable ad impressions. What helps that is the fact that Sons of Anarchy is a huge DVD title, and there's lots of revenue coming in from the backend. I'm pretty sure that all five of us would say that we are in this as a passion -- we love great storytelling and great content, and we want to figure out how to allow the business to continue to evolve to support that. Particularly for Charlie and me, who are in the ad-supported side of the business, it's really tough. The DVR is making significant erosion into what we can actually sell to advertisers, so that brings in the question of the backend. With Netflix, I can't say I don't appreciate the revenue stream, but I will also say that maintaining the ecosystem of basic cable, satellite and premium cable is vital to the economics. So I look at Netflix as potentially helpful until it's causing cord-cutting erosion in that universe, at which point it's actually a leech that's hurting the organism that it's living on, which is the organism that actually creates the content that it puts in there. And so we'll just have to see. I think their move into original content in buying the Kevin Spacey project House of Cards kind of declares them in some ways as a direct competitor to Showtime and HBO. NAEGLE: I thought that was an aggressive announcement. There's value in saying to the world, "Not only are we going to swing, but we are going to swing really big." We all know it's incredibly difficult to get a series right, and to go right into series for that amount of time [26 episodes], it's a big undertaking. We looked at it and said, "OK, there's no competing with that," even though we have a great relationship with [Cards executive producer] David Fincher. I thought the script was very good. I think the original was really good. We've all seen it and loved it. So I think it's a really interesting show for them, but it certainly was a giant undertaking. NEVINS: We'll see where it ends up. I think they are putting their toe in the water, but it remains to be seen whether that's going to be the main thrust of what they do. WALDEN: These are conversations about the future and whether our business can sustain in the future. These shows that we produce for everyone here are incredibly expensive shows. They are high-end, high-quality, big ideas. ... That comes at a price tag, and the studio business is under siege from every different direction. The DVD business is shrinking. Networks want to control more of the distribution beyond the typical license term. Syndication is no longer the business it once was. It's a fantastic opportunity for the slam-dunk Modern Family, but that is 2 percent or 3 percent of your business. THR: Mad Men is hugely important to the AMC brand, but costs emerged as a key issue in negotiations with Matthew Weiner. At what point is the expense not worth it? COLLIER: It's, how do you balance the creative need with the business need? That's all of our jobs. Mad Men is a fantastic situation. It put us on the map. It is a calling card. We wanted Matt back for three years, and we wanted the show to end -- he said seven seasons. We wanted the show to come to a conclusion on our air. So that was the focus for that negotiation. THR: How close was it to being canceled? COLLIER: So much of this is in the public eye and so much of it is in sound bites, and it's never about the one thing that's in the sound bite. We had two things we wanted: We wanted Matt back, and we wanted the show back -- and there was a lot of noise and other things around it, but you get bits and pieces [in the media]. It's very flattering that our negotiations are a topic of conversation, but I see in everyone's eyes here, [heated negotiations happen on] every single show, you know what I mean? NAEGLE: We were just so happy ours weren't playing out in the press. COLLIER: I should say one other thing: Matt gets blamed for things that have nothing to do with him. And that creates drama as well. Look, I'm the president of the network, and recently someone was blaming Matt for the scheduling move of the show to 2012. Well, that has nothing to do with Matt -- that's a network decision. We made it because we are achieving that balance of getting Matt back on and getting the show to conclusion and paying for it and making a business model, and so the buck stops with me. But you get the sound bite, and it says, "Oh, you know, blame whoever, you know ... " WALDEN: Well, there is clearly the perception that the negotiation was so stalled and so delayed as a result of what Matt was trying to negotiate for himself. NEVINS: Set the record straight, man. COLLIER: Well, that's what's unfortunate. Look, the buck stops with me. It really does. When that decision is made to move Mad Men, it's not Matt's fault. The network has to create the balance between the business and the creative, and what's great is we have Mad Men coming back until its conclusion. To me, that's the best. It's not about the sound bite. THR: David, how would you describe the rivalry between HBO and Showtime as you pursue more male-oriented series? NEVINS: It's all about me and Sue. (Laughter.) NAEGLE: What's the e-mail that I sent you on your second day on the job? I'm like: "Welcome to the job. Get ready; it's going to be a kung fu match." WALDEN: I think I should answer this question. (Laughter.) NEVINS: Personally, there is a lot of respect going back and forth between Sue and I. We've known each other and worked together for, you know, 15 years. NAEGLE: You're going to age us. NEVINS: The truth is, we do well when HBO does well. Because of the way that cable is sold, our businesses are quite tied to each other. It's a friendly rivalry. NAEGLE: I feel like there's actually a friendly rivalry between all of us. The Killing, we didn't get a chance to hear the pitch because we didn't have a template deal with the studios. But we had been following the format; we were dying to have it. We actively engaged on The Walking Dead. Justified is a pitch I really wanted to hear. To me, Justified looks like a perfect FX show. Would it have been a perfect HBO show? Maybe it would have turned out slightly differently, but I don't know. NEVINS: There is a certain amount of rooting for the good stuff to win. We all do it that way. WALDEN: I want some good stuff to fail, but I'm a bad person. THR: We asked at the THR Showrunners Roundtable to name the most outrageous note they received from a network. So we'll ask you: What was the most outrageous response you've received from a showrunner to a legitimate note? NEVINS: I've just got to go back through the library. WALDEN: It's got to be Mitch Hurwitz [Arrested Development], right? He was hilarious. NEVINS: But he would always listen to a note. That's the thing. WALDEN: Mitch is lovely to work with, but he will engage you for a half-hour on your notes. You'll have a lively conversation, and he'll agree with some and disagree and push back -- and do none! Zero. But it seemed so productive! NAEGLE: David Simon [Treme] told me this story. I think this was on Homicide -- it was not on HBO, I'm praying -- but when they would get notes on Homicide, they'd be listening to the speaker box [in the writers room, and they would run around and do what they call an "antler dance." They put their fingers in the air, and they just danced like crazy deer. So the executive is talking about these notes that they -- believe me -- labored over, thinking: "Is this really a thoughtful response? Do I believe what I'm saying?" Meanwhile, these writers are like, "Uh-huh, sounds really good," while pretending they're crazy animals. So I was just at Boardwalk Empire with Timmy [Van Patten] and [showrunner] Terry [Winter]. They were just about to do a notes session with our executive, and I walked out and was like, "I do not want to poke my head in and see this!" (Naegle does the antler dance.) NEVINS: That's why, by the way, it's so much better to do it in person. You look someone in the eye. NAEGLE: I think about that antler dance a lot. WALDEN: [Producer] Henry Bromell told me on Homicide that they delivered a great episode very early on in the show, and the network president said, "I have just one note: Do we have to see a dead body?" And Henry says, "It's called Homicide." THE CONTENDERS Charlie Collier, AMC 29 Emmy noms, led by Mad Men John Landgraf, FX 6 Emmy noms, led by Justified Sue Naegle, HBO 104 Emmy noms, led by Mildred Pierce David Nevins, Showtime 21 Emmy noms, led by The Borgias Dana Walden, 20th TV 51 Emmy noms, led by Modern Family Click here to see more of the TV Executives Roundtable videos. Related Topics Emmy Awards AMC Awards Charlie Collier Mad Men Dana Walden Sons of Anarchy FX 20th Century Fox Television Showtime HBO John Landgraf Emmys 2011 Studio Executive Roundtable