Benedict Freedman dies at 92

Benedict Freedman, a mathematics professor at L.A.'s Occidental College who also penned movie and TV scripts, as well as novels, died Feb. 24 in Corte Madera, Calif. He was 92.Freedman wrote 10 books with his wife, Nancy, one of which, the bestseller "Mrs. Mike," was adapted into a 1949 feature film starring Dick Powell and Evelyn Keyes. The book and film were based on the true story of a Mountie and his wife in Canada's remote far north. "Mrs. Mike" is still in print.By the time he was married in 1941, Freedman was already a showbiz veteran. He dropped out of Columbia U. at the age of 16 to help support his family, going to work as a comedy writer for radio. The couple met at MGM, where Freedman was a writer and Nancy a young actress.His bigscreen efforts included the 1954 sci-fi comedy "The Atomic Kid," scripted by Freedman and John Fenton Murray from a story by Blake Edwards. It saw Mickey Rooney's character remade by the force of a nuclear blast. Freedman paired again with Murray on the original script for 1956 B-movie adventure "Jaguar" and again on 1961 comedy "Everything's Ducky," starring Rooney and Buddy Hackett as sailors who sneak a talking duck onto their ship.Freedman wrote scripts for television shows including "The Mickey Rooney Show," "The Red Skelton Hour," "The Andy Griffith Show" and "My Favorite Martian."He was born in NY City, to David Freedman, a writer for radio and Broadway, and his wife, Beatrice, a violinist.He became a mathematician only after returning to college, this time UCLA, in his late 40s.Nancy died in 2010. Freedman is survived by three children; eight grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and a sister. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Oscars 2012: Since It Happened

At a negative balance-colored carpet for the last award..Thank you for going to Empire's live coverage in the Oscar red-colored-colored carpet as well as the ceremony. We'll be departing comments round the Academy Awards' best (and worst) fitted simply because they arrive round the red-colored-colored carpet - then departing comments on all the individuals who win and nonwinners because they are introduced. Relax, grab a brew from the favourite beverage and like the evening around....

Smash's Katharine the truly amazing

Plus they thought Hathaway As Catwoman and James Franco will bring in additional audiences.Sunday's 84th Oscars, located by Oscar stalwart Billy Very for that ninth time, loved a little bump over last ... Find Out More > Other Links From TVGuide.com CSI: MiamiFamily GuyThe ApprenticeThe SimpsonsAnne HathawayBilly CrystalJames FrancoAmerican Father!The Mentalist84th Academy AwardsNapoleon DynamiteAmazing Race 20Oscars Red-colored Carpet Live

Chris Rock to Present at Oscars

Chris Rock Chris Rock is coming back to the Oscars.The Grammy winning comedian, who hosted Hollywood's biggest night in 2005, will be a presenter at the 84th annual Academy Awards, the academy announced Wednesday. Rock joins previously announced Oscar presenters Halle Berry, Bradley Cooper, Tom Cruise, and Cameron Diaz.Hugo, The Artist lead Oscar nominationsThe 47-year-old actor is starring in the upcoming films What to Expect When You're Expecting and 2 Days in NY. Rock has also appeared in Death At A Funeral, Grown Ups and Bee Movie.The 84th Academy Awards, hosted by Billy Crystal, airs Sunday, Feb. 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT on ABC.

Wood, Mikkelsen chipper for 'Charlie'

Evan Rachel Wood and Danish thesp Mads Mikkelsen have joined the cast of "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman," which will see them co-star alongside Shia LaBeouf. The gritty pulp romancer, which is produced by Voltage Prods. and Bona Fide Prods. and is being shopped in Berlin, will see Wood play Gabi Banyai, a Hungarian girl who Charlie (LaBeouf) falls in love with after her father dies on a plane next to him. Mikkelsen will play Nigel, Gabi's violent estranged husband, who will stop at nothing to make sure the two don't end up together. The two shingles are currently in pre-production on the pic, which is helmed by commercials director Fredrik Bond. Matt Drake ("Project X") penned the script, which was on the Hollywood Black List of the best unproduced screenplays. "Little Miss Sunshine" producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa produce with Bill Horberg ("Don't Be Afraid of the Dark") through their Bona Fide Prods. banner while Craig J. Flores ("300") will produce for Voltage. Nicolas Chartier, whose sales outfit Voltage Pictures is selling the pic, will exec produce. Bona Fide developed the script with Drake and attached Bond. Pic is skedded to lense in Eastern Europe in May. CAA reps Wood, LaBeouf, Bond, Berger and Yerxa. UTA reps Mikkelsen. Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com

Vital Comedy to bow in Russia

LONDON -- A close version in the Vital Comedy web is always to bow in Russia this spring. Viacom, which has the organization, mentioned the funnel is a "100% Russian language, non-stop place to choose credible humor, personalized particularly for Russian audiences." Web, which will launch in April, showcases worldwide and native laffers implementing stand-up, sketch, satire, off-beat shows and sitcoms. Specific at 18-34 year olds, launch sked includes "Charlie Sheen's Roast," "Raising Hope," "Last Guy Standing," "Workaholics" and "South Park." In your town produced commissions will be in the pipeline. Among the Russian comics arranged are Dmitry Romanov. Nick Walters, gm, Viacom Worldwide Media Systems Russia, mentioned: "Getting spent lots of time researching and studying Russian audience tastes, we're sure there's an enormous chance to find the best comedy funnel to pay attention to.In . VIMN recently hired former Disney professional Mikhail Nepomnyaschy as commercial director, verifying to Walters, Also aboard is Andre Gromkovski, mind of funnel, Vital Comedy Russia. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

CBS Revives Person to person to appear Inside Houses of George Clooney, Jon Bon Jovi

Person to person The revival of CBS' legendary program Person to person special will feature George Clooney, Jon Bon Jovi and Warren Buffett. Longtime newsman Edward R. Murrow launched Person to person in 1953 in order to let audiences to the houses of stars like John and Jackie Kennedy, Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis. In December, the network introduced their intends to regenerate a modern day version in the program. Have a look at photos of George Clooney The completely new special, airing Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 8/7c, will explore the La home of recent Oscar nominee Clooney, the riverfront Nj estate of Jovi as well as the Omaha office of economic leader Buffett. CBS' Charlie Rose and Lara Logan will host the program. "When someone opens their property, they're talking about a part of themselves that traditional interview programs can't achieve," co-executive producer Judy Tygard mentioned in the statement. Are you currently presently excited to acquire a take a look at Clooney's crib?

Ian Abercrombie, Elaine's Boss on Seinfeld, Dies at 77

Ian Abercrombie Ian Abercrombie, the British stage actor best known as Elaine's boss Mr. Pitt on Seinfeld, has died. He was 77.Abercrombie died Thursday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from complications of kidney failure, according to the Los Angeles Times. He had recently been diagnosed with lymphoma.See other stars we've lostBorn in England, Abercrombie started out as a stage dancer and made his American stage debut in 1955 in a production of Stalag 17 with Jason Robards. After serving in the Army as part of Special Services in Germany, he returned to acting, appearing in numerous plays, TV shows and films before a seven-episode arc on Seinfeld changed his life."Incredibly so," he told CNN in 1998. "I mean, I have been around as an actor for 40-odd years, and this show knocked me out of the ballpark."Abercrombie played Justin Pitt, Elaine's eccentric, picky boss who fired her after he became convinced that she had tried to kill him. "I was a pain in the neck. I was a hypochondriac. I was many things, and I just made her life so miserable," Abercrombie said of Mr. Pitt. "She wouldn't take the salt off my pretzels, you know. She brought me white socks ... she did a lot of things for me, but she could never do it right."Abercrombie also appeared on the TV series Birds of Prey, Get Smart, L.A. Law, Dynasty, Northern Exposure, NewsRadio, Murphy Brown, Desperate Housewives and How I Met Your Mother. Most recently, he recurred on Wizards of Waverly Place as Professor Crumb.Check out photos of Ian AbercrombieHis film credits include They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, Young Frankenstein, Army of Darkness, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rango.Abercrombie was a founding member and former board member of BAFTA-LA and was a board member of the Actor's Fund of America.He is survived by his brothers Douglas, Donald and Alex.Watch Abercrombie on Seinfeld:

Sundance 2012: The Genre Movies We're Excited For

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... Vin Diesel on the set of "Riddick"? While we're just happy to see that the movie is busy filming, we're a bit confused by Diesel's superhero style get-up. Is this the vengeance-seeking gear in Riddick's part of the universe? We can't wait to find out. The image comes courtesy of Diesel's Facebook page, where he thanked his fans for giving him the chance to make a new "Riddick" movie. "Grateful for the opportunity to make magic," he wrote. There has been a lot of activity recently prepping the upcoming film. "Battlestar Galactica" actress Katee Sackhoff joined the production as the female lead, Dahl, a Nordic mercenary tasked with hunting down Riddick. In addition, Jordi Molla is playing the movie's villain, a man named Santana bent on killing Riddick. Karl Urban will reprise his role as Lord Vaako. David Twohy returns to direct his third Riddick film. He helmed the previous two entries, "Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick." The movie does not have a set release date yet. Here's the official synopsis for the movie: "Betrayed by his own kind and left for dead on a desolate planet, Riddick (Diesel) fights for survival against alien predators and becomes more powerful and dangerous than ever before. Soon bounty hunters from throughout the galaxy descend on Riddick only to find themselves pawns in his greater scheme for revenge. With his enemies right where he wants them, Riddick unleashes a vicious attack of vengeance before returning to his home planet of Furya to save it from destruction." What do you think of this new image of Diesel as Riddick? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter.

The new sony VOD game titles visiting South America

'The Smurfs'"The Lady Using the Dragon Tattoo," "Moneyball" and "The Smurfs" will quickly be accessible on VOD in South America because of a pact between The new sony Pictures Television and giant The spanish language telco Telefonica.Agreement includes brand new The new sony Pictures releases over an unspecified period of time, such as the approaching "Males in Black III" and "The Astonishing Spider-Guy" in addition to catalog game titles and television skeins.Move is available in the wake of Netflix's launch in South America in September as various companies boost their content. Digital TV Research reviews that 71% from the region's TV homes -- 93 million -- may have digital TV by 2016, triple the finish-2010 total. Pay TV homes rose 19% this year to 34.4 million, per Screen Digest estimations.Content is going to be on online TV, pills, Computers, mobile phones and video games and can develop the information offered on Telefonica's virtual videoclub platform.The happy couple have contracts already in position in The country, the Czech Republic and Germany. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

FremantleMedia reshapes int'l biz

FremantleMedia is shuffling its professional pack, moving worldwide entertainment prexy Take advantage of Clark towards the recently produced role of director of worldwide entertainment development and giving his old title to acting prexy Trish Kinane. Kinane, who'll are accountable to FremantleMedia's chief operating officer Gary Carter, will oversee the worldwide roll-of all the company's non-scripted formats through its worldwide production network. The organization, that is a part of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, supports the privileges to global brands including "Idol," "Got Talent" and "The X Factor," in addition to a back catalog which includes "Family Feud" and "The Cost is appropriate.Inch Before Fremantle, Kinane was joint controlling director of U.K. shingle Action Time, whose shows incorporated "Love in the beginning Sight," offered to Vital, and "Billion Dollar Chance a person can have,Inch acquired by Fox. She also released Ludus Entertainment, which produced and created factual entertainment formats "Dial a Mother," and players "Watching the Detectives" and "Cleaning soap Challenge." In 2008, she and business partner Stephen Leahy were granted the FRAPA Intl. Gold Format Award at Mipcom. Clark will lead FremantleMedia's efforts to produce and get new worldwide entertainment formats. Professional, who'll are accountable to Boss Tony Cohen, also joins the FremantleMedia operating board. Clark stated: "I see enormous potential in stretching our significant development expertise even more, to produce new entertainment formats which are as effective as our other global hits." Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com