'Chef' aims to fry up repeat course

The streak is over.After "The Amazing Race" won for top competition reality series seven years in a row, all it took was a frying pan and some shallots for voters to move their allegiance to Bravo's "Top Chef." Nothing is forever, but clearly there were some in TV world wondering when, if ever, the Academy would go against the "Race.""Top Chef" has long been admired by both serious foodies and those who regularly grab burgers on the way home from work. That type of appreciation by all could make it a repeat winner.Where "Race" goes from here is an interesting question. Exec producers Bertram van Munster and Jerry Bruckheimer may take last year's first-time ever snubbing as a personal affront and offer clips they feel may be as Emmy worthy as past seasons, looking to regain their lost glory.Whether voters agree is a different issue. Some may feel that "American Idol," which was sagging both creatively and in the ratings, showed a renewed spark last season that's finally worthy of Emmy attention. Of all the reality shows nominated here, it's difficult to argue that "Idol" hasn't had the biggest effect on television in the past 10 years. Credit is due to new judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez for breathing life into a series that had more than its share of detractors in the past few seasons."Dancing With the Stars," which occasionally drew more total viewers than "Idol," remains a strong fan favorite and could make a case that it should be given its due. And the same can be said of "So You Think You Can Dance," an annually strong summer performer."Project Runway" taps into the fashion world, and its advantage is that, besides "Top Chef," it feels unlike anything else here."The Amazing Race"CBSBest moment: The season began with a splash as contestants braved a shark-infested tank in order to find a compass. Why it might win: The unfinished business angle of season 18 married old with new by bringing back familiar faces from previous seasons. The formula worked, and "Race" continued to be a ratings darling.Maybe not: After winning an astonishing seven years in a row, voters said no more last season. That could be the beginning of another trend where other reality skeins are finally acknowledged."American Idol"FoxBest moment: There were several, including Stevie Wonder singing "Happy Birthday" to judge Steven Tyler, metal head James Durbin performing with Judas Priest and the soulful Casey Abrams giving a surprised Jennifer Lopez a kiss.Why it might win: New judges Lopez and Tyler clearly reinvigorated a show that was going through the motions on Simon Cowell's final year. A better talent pool didn't hurt, either.Maybe not: The show started splendidly but lost some of its unpredictability by the end when Scotty McCreery won -- to the surprise of absolutely no one."Dancing With the Stars"ABCBest moment: Kirstie Alley hushed any doubters with a high-scoring cha-cha routine set to Cee-Lo's "Forget You" and the waltz between Mark Ballas and Chelsea Kane was lodged in many viewers' memory banks.Why it might win: Out of all the shows nominated here, "Dancing" uses the best mix of celebrities and civilians. And it's nice to know that an actor, singer or athlete has to work as hard here as anyone else.Maybe not: Always a bridesmaid, "Dancing" is a longtime nominee but has never taken made it to the winner's circle. Not sure how this particular season would make the outcome any different."Project Runway"LifetimeBest moment: Designers are told to create an outfit based on a profound moment in their lives. Mondo digs deep and incorporates a secret he has been hiding for 10 years into his creative process -- his HIV-positive status.Why it might win: Episodes were extended to 90 minutes for season eight, allowing for storylines to be better drawn out.Maybe not: The show has lost a lot of its luster over the past few seasons, with many fans not as passionate about the skein compared to when it was on Bravo."So You Think You Can Dance"FoxBest moment: Ellen DeGeneres stepped in to perform the "Outta Your Mind" with Twitch Boss because the contestant who performed it with Twitch originally ruptured an Achilles tendon and had to drop out of the competition. Why it might win: "Dance" pulled in star power, including Megan Mullally and Neil Patrick Harris, to guest judge and attract attention from outside the usual "Dance" viewership.Maybe not: The fact that it's a summer series and against much weaker broadcast competition could hurt. And coming off the end of the spring edition "Dancing With the Stars" can make the genre feel redundant."Top Chef"BravoBest scene: Jimmy Fallon had the chefs on his latenight talkshow, where they had to spin a wheel filled with his favorite foods to find out what they had to cook for his birthday party. Why it might win: Voters offered their appreciation last year and, like a good meal, that satisfied feeling can linger into another win. As "Race" cast attest, this category lends itself to repeat champions. Maybe not: If viewers hadn't seen the previous seasons featuring the all-star chefs, they might have felt out of the loop and disconnected. ROAD TO THE EMMYS: REALITY, NON-FICTION & COMPETITION Nonfiction series, specials have H'wood auraSeries | Competition series | Non-fiction series | Non-fiction special| Hosts Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Lionsgate taps Ortega for 'Dirty Dancing'

Kenny Ortega choreographed the original 'Dirty Dancing,' starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, in 1987. Kenny Ortega choreographed the original 'Dirty Dancing,' starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, in 1987. Lionsgate has tapped "High School Musical" helmer Kenny Ortega to direct its remake of "Dirty Dancing," the 1987 romance pic for which he choreographed stars Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. Ortega and Debra Martin Chase ("The Princess Diaries") will produce the pic, which will incorporate songs from the original, as well as classic songs from the 1960s and new compositions. Story chronicles a teen girl's forbidden romance with her first love Johnny Castle, a dancer who encourages her sexual awakening. Eleanor Bergstein, the writer and co-producer of the original film, is in discussions with Lionsgate to be involved in the remake in a producorial capacity. Lionsgate's Alli Shearmur will oversee the project for the studio. "The opportunity to direct Dirty Dancing is like returning home for me," said Ortega. "Growing up in the 60's on the dance floor helped define me as a person and as an artist. I am looking forward to assembling a great creative team and an exciting cast to bring Dirty Dancing to the screen for a new generation. Patrick Swayze set the bar for men dancing in the movies as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire did before him," added Ortega, who also thanked Bergstein "for originally choosing me to choreograph Dirty Dancing and for her continuous support." "Amazingly it has been almost 25 years since the original film was released, but the fans remain legion, and engaged more than ever with a brand that is special and vital to them," said Lionsgate prexy Joe Drake. "This remake of Dirty Dancing presents an exciting opportunity to both celebrate what has made this movie so beloved and refresh and enhance it so that new audiences can claim it as their own," said Chase. Ortega, who previously helmed two episodes of the 1988 "Dirty Dancing" TV series, last directed Sony's Michael Jackson pic "This Is It," which grossed more than $260 million worldwide. Ortega is repped by Paradigm, McDonald/Selznick Associates and attorney Steve Warren, while Chase is repped by attorney Michael Gendler. Lionsgate's Rob McEntegart negotiated their deals on behalf of the studio. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

NYC Woman Charged With Stalking Marion Cotillard

FIRST PUBLISHED: August 6, 2011 11:11 AM EDT NEW YORK, N.Y. -- A New York City woman faces charges that she sent threatening emails and videos to a website dedicated to the French actress Marion Cotillard. FBI agents say in a court filing that Teresa Yuan sent a series of spooky messages in July that included ramblings about wanting to play Russian Roulette with the actress. In another video she says she would feel no regret after it happens because thats apparently how it feels to be a killer. On one recording, she hisses and growls at the camera. Yuan faces a charge of interstate stalking. Her lawyer, Michael Schneider, tells The New York Daily News he wouldnt comment on the case. Cotillard won an Oscar for her role as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. Copyright 2011 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

J.K. Simmons on His First Leading Role in The Music Never Stopped and Moving Past Spider-Man

J.K. Simmons has appeared in countless films and television shows, but the Michigan-born actor, 56, is only now making his debut as a leading man. In Jim Kohlberg’s The Music Never Stopped (available on DVD this week), Simmons plays a hard-nosed father dealing with an estranged son (Lou Taylor Pucci) who suffers a brain tumor that keeps him from forming new memories. The only way the pair can connect is through the very rock music — an impressive soundtrack for the micro-budgeted indie that includes Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead and the Beatles — the father despises. Like Almost Famous, The Music Never Stopped is a delicately written and acted movie loosely based on true events that profiles heartbreaking human moments around a powerhouse set list… only on a much more intimate scale. Simmons rang up Movieline on Tuesday to explain why it’s impossible to summarize his first lead project, why he hasn’t seen the new Spider-Man trailer yet and why, after 10+ years voicing the yellow M&M, he can’t keep the candy-coated chocolates in his house. I never cry in movies but I teared up in The Music Never Stopped. It is such a touching, well-acted story. Well, I’m glad you saw it. I wish more people did. Maybe they will if you get the word out. A lot of movies tend to over dramatize relationships between parents and their teenage children, but even in this movie’s extreme circumstance, your relationship with Lou Taylor Pucci’s character seemed so natural. How did you establish such an honest character and bond with Lou? I think it was almost an ideal combination of things because first of all, the script that Gwyn Lurie and Gary Marks wrote was so spot-on in every aspect — like the Dr. Oliver Sacks/music therapy and the period detail. But to me, most importantly, the characters that they wrote and put on the page in tandem with Jim Kohlberg having the right sensibility as a director and assembling the cast was everything. Lou Pucci and I were able to get together and bond before shooting and really connect with each other just as actors with similar philosophies about creating a character and serving the story. As human beings, we just clicked. He has a great relationship with his dad too so that helped. It was a great combination of positives. This wasn’t your first time playing a father. How did establishing this parent-child connection on The Music Never Stopped compare to your experience prepping to play Ellen Page’s onscreen dad in Juno? This sounds disingenuous but if it’s the case of a great script, which was the case with both Juno and The Music Never Stopped, I just try to lift the character off the page. When you’re working with truly, ridiculously talented actors like Lou Pucci and Ellen Page, the style, to me, it doesn’t even have to be consciously arrived at. It’s just something that’s intrinsic in meeting. In an ideal scenario, when you have actors like Lou Pucci and Ellen Page who are young and can actually listen as an actor — which is an underrated and somewhat unusual skill especially in film — then you just count your lucky stars that you’ve found yourself in that situation. I just wish that all the people that saw Juno would see this movie. [Laughs] That would make this situation even better. How would you pitch this movie to people who haven’t seen it yet? Right there, that’s part of the problem. For me though, there is a reason why I’m 56 years-old and I haven’t branched out into producing, directing or writing — I’m a one-trick pony. I like to act. Every other aspect of show business, I find uninteresting. I have no idea how to pitch a movie and with a movie like this, you can lay out the synopsis of the plot and everything but to me, it sounds like “Oh, OK, whatever.” I can’t boil this down to a synopsis and make it seem interesting. What I like to tell people is, “This is a really good story about relatable people who go out of their comfort zone to connect with another human being. And it happens to involve some really cool ’60s music and other interesting elements about Oliver Sacks and music therapy. Was it draining or more therapeutic to work on a movie as emotionally charged as this one? I keep coming back to this but if you’re working with actors as good as these, then finding that emotion is easy. It’s just there. All you have to do is be open to it. There are elements of the movie that continue to be relevant in life for me. Like what? I got a kid who’s butting his head up against adolescence and there are some good perspectives from this movie that I have to remind myself of once in awhile. I have to try to relate to him the way he is now and not the way he was when he was a cuddly, little three-year-old. People evolve and it’s important to not stop evolving just because you’ve reached “adulthood.”

Laurence Fishburne to Play Perry White in Man of Steel

Laurence Fishburne Looks like the thing to do after leaving a crime procedural is to join Man of Steel.Laurence Fishburne, who exited CSI after two seasons, has signed on to the Superman reboot as Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White, Entertainment Weekly reports.Laurence Fishburne exits CSI after two seasonsFishburne is the first black actor to play the part. He succeeds Frank Langella, who played White in 2006's Superman Returns. Jackie Cooper, who filled the role in the Christopher Reeve movies, died in May.Christopher Meloni in talks to join Man of SteelMan of Steel, produced by Christopher Nolan and directed by Zack Snyder, stars Henry Cavill (in the title role), Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane and Christopher Meloni. Meloni, of course, left Law & Order: SVU after 12 years before joining Man of Steel in the role of a general.Man of Steelstarts production this fall and is slated to hit theaters June 14, 2013.

'American Reunion' Plot Details: The Pie-Loving Continues!

It's been a good long time since Jason Biggs made sweet, passionate love to a warm apple pie so what's happened to his character more than a decade past that pop culture defining encounter? We'll get the full answer to that question and more when "American Reunion" parties down in the spring of 2012, but for now, how about a tease of what's in store for Jim, Oz, Finch, Kevin and Stifler's next adventure? Check out a full synopsis for "Reunion" past the jump! In the comedy American Reunion, all the American Pie characters we met a little more than a decade ago are returning to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasnt and that time and distance cant break the bonds of friendship. It was summer 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity. In the years that have passed, Jim and Michelle married while Kevin and Vicky said goodbye. Oz and Heather grew apart, but Finch still longs for Stiflers mom. Now these lifelong friends have come home as adults to reminisce aboutand get inspired bythe hormonal teens who launched a comedy legend. Good to know what everybody's been up to since we saw them last in "American Wedding" (and, in some cases, since "American Pie 2"), though the scant details we're offered manage to avoid spoiling a single one of the movie's presumably plentiful gross-out moments. No big dealI'm happy to wait a few months before having to worry about laughing and vomiting at the same time! Thanks to Collider for the plot synopsis; head over there to check out full synopses for the Mark Wahlberg starring "Contraband" and Drew Barrymore's "Everybody Loves Whales," too! Tell us what you think in the comments section and on Twitter!

Hoodwinked Too Hood VS Evil

Hood vs. Evil will find a teen such as Red Riding Hood who will be training in a distant land with a mysterious, covert group called the Sister Hoods. When Red and the Wolf get called upon by Nick Flippers the head of the Happily Ever After Agency over to investigate the disappearance of Hansel and Gretel.