Baz Luhrmann Injured On 'Great Gatsby' Set

It's not easy being Jay Gatsby nor is it easy being the man who oversees him, apparently. Though it's not an action movie by any stretch of the imagination (though it does veer off towards the thriller genre at points), production on "Great Gatsby" reportedly got a bit hairy over the holiday weekend when director Baz Luhrmann was injured on the film's Australian set following a collision with a camera crane, according to the Sydney Morning Herald (via The Hollywood Reporter). "We were on quite a cramped set and he was ducking under the crane," "Gatsby" co-producer Anton Monstead told the Herald of the incident. "He struck his head on the weights on the end of the camera crane. He split open his head, and we had to get the doctor." Luhrmann reportedly needed three stitches in his head following his injury. As a result of the accident, production on the Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire starring drama shut down one day early for the Christmas holiday, with shooting planned to resume after the new year. Tell us what you think of the news in the comments section and on Twitter!

Friday Box Office: Sherlock Stomps Alvin on Another Sleepy Friday

What are you doing available, people? Every one of these franchises and rehashes within the multiplex, and Hollywood can’t suit your needs inside them? The other day it absolutely was the aromatic anti-charm of latest Year’s Eve falling flat on opening weekend, now new obligations of the Virtual Detective and Alvin as well as the Chipmunks are limping right in front in the pack? No less than Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol shown signs existence in limited IMAX release, but ugh. Inside a couple of days’s Christmas harvest couldn’t come very quickly, but for the moment, your Friday Box Office will be here. 1. An Online Detective: A Game Title Title OF SHADOWS: $14,700,000 (new) 2. ALVIN As Well As The CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED: $6,800,000 (new) 3. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL: $4,110,000 (new) 4. Year’S EVE: $2,530,000 ($19,936,000) 5. THE SITTER: $1,435,000 ($14,756,000) [Figure via Box Office Mojo]

Atkins Files For Divorce, Attorneys Deny Assault

First Published: December 15, 2011 2:02 PM EST Credit: Getty Images Caption Rodney Atkins speaks at the #1 Party for Take A Back Road at BMI in Nashville, Tenn., on October 3, 2011NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Rodney Atkins has filed for divorce and his attorney denied Thursday the country singer assaulted his wife last month. Atkins was arrested Nov. 21 and charged with domestic assault. His wife, Tammy Jo Atkins, told police that after a night of heavy drinking he assaulted her and tried to suffocate her with a pillow. Attorney Rose Palermo said in a statement the allegations of violence are completely untrue and that the argument between the couple did not become physical. Palermo writes of an unfortunate verbal dispute that was within hearing range of the couples young son. When Atkins realized this, his first priority became getting out of the earshot of the child, and that is when Mrs. Atkins called the police and gave them her version of the argument, which is completely untrue. The platinum-selling singer, known for No.1 hits including If Youre Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows), 'Take a Back Road and Watching You, decided to file for divorce as a result of the false statement to police, the statement says. Both allege inappropriate marital conduct in divorce filings in Williamson County. Tammy Jo Atkins is seeking full custody, an equal distribution of their assets, alimony and child support. Rodney Atkins is seeking joint custody. In one filing, his attorney says Tammy Jo Atkins ill conduct was a justifiable cause for his own conduct in the early morning hours of Nov. 21. Tammy Jo Atkins told police the couple had been arguing all night and that her husband was intoxicated. She claimed he tried to smother her with a pillow during the night and then in the morning grabbed her by the face and shoved her down a hallway. She said she feared for her safety and that the assault occurred in front of their 10-year-old son, Elijah. A hearing in the divorce case is scheduled for Dec. 20. Palermos statement says the police witnessed no violent acts and that this is a case of her word against his. Mr. Atkins plans to spend significant time with his child over the Christmas holidays and respectfully requests privacy at this time, the statement reads. Mr. Atkins wants to thank his fans for standing by him and he is confident the truth will prevail. Robert Jackson, the attorney for Tammy Jo Atkins, did not immediately respond to a message left by The Associated Press. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

It's time for new deals

Even Wall Street can have too much of a good thing. Investors are begging big media to stop using mountains of cash to buy back stock and instead get busy and do some deals -- or else pay bigger dividends. Time Warner has obliged, putting in a second bid for Dutch TV giant Endemol on Monday, this time all in cash after the first mixed cash-and-stock offer was rejected. There have been only two major deals this year: News Corp.'s acquisition of Shine Group and Scripps' purchase of UKTV. But the five biggest media companies -- TW, News Corp., Walt Disney, Viacom and CBS -- will buy $15.5 billion worth of their own shares in fiscal 2012, predicted Evercore Partners' Alan Gould. That's up from an estimated $12.5 billion this year and reps a major chunk of the combined companies' circa $200 billion in market capitalization. Management buys up stock when company honchos think it's cheap or undervalued. If the shares have already rallied, if they're overvalued or heading lower, that's not so good. Repurchases assume "CEOs are better than anyone else" at knowing where the stocks are heading, Gould said. Buybacks, in fact, "have the potential to destroy shareholder value if shares are purchased above intrinsic value, a legitimate risk in the context of an uncertain macro environment," wrote Anthony DiClemente of Barclays Capital in a note to clients. The U.S. economy has been shaky, battered by woes in Europe and at home and with little visibility for advertising or much else. DiClemente wants media congloms to make strategic acquisitions -- of international assets in particular. Companies have access to cheap financing, the dollar is getting stronger, and buying new assets could boost sluggish revenue growth. "It's no secret that the media sector has a dubious record when it comes to M&A," DiClemente acknowledged. But the disastrous AOL-Time Warner, Viacom-CBS and Vivendi-Universal deals happened a decade ago. The analyst said it's time to get back in the game. Repurchasing stock reduces the number of shares outstanding and boosts earnings per share. DiClemente noted that management compensation is sometimes tied to earnings per share. Also, since investors generally like stock buybacks, a company's share price usually rises when one is announced. That's a boon for execs who hold lots of stock options. Media investor Chris Dixon said a program of regular stock buybacks that monitors the market and can jump in to take advantage of dips is a good idea. But it becomes a problem when they are "used as excuse for not taking action when companies are unwilling to invest in new ventures." If there's nothing around to buy, congloms could invest in their current businesses. "That 'there's too much money around and nothing else to do with it'" isn't a good motivation for buying back stock, Dixon said. The other main way to return cash to stockholders is through dividends, which aren't "accretive" to earnings per share but do give investors back some cash on a regular basis. Analysts today would prefer dividend hikes to more buybacks. Most media companies have also raised their dividends. But buybacks have accelerated much more quickly. DiClemente noted that in 2009, dividends made up 67% of total capital returns, but in 2011, only an estimated 15% will be from dividends -- vs. 85% from share repurchases. Dividends can leave management with less flexibility, however. Once you raise a payout it's hard to cut it without investors making a stink and the stock taking a hit. Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said last week at a media conference that Viacom would return $20 billion to shareholders over the next five years -- a mix of buybacks and dividend payments that he didn't break out. DiClemente figures Viacom will have bought back 11% of its market cap in 2012, at the high end of the group. Under its existing program, it's authorized to buy back as much as 28%. Share buyback programs, which lay out the amount of stock management is authorized to purchase over a given time, are approved by a company's board of directors. Disney acquired $5 billion worth of stock in fiscal 2011. CBS last week announced an additional $1.5 billion buyback on top of its ongoing program under which it acquired $850 million in shares this year as of Sept. 30. News Corp. is buying back $5 billion -- some of the cash that's sitting there after the conglom gave up its bid for BSkyB. Time Warner, which has the highest dividend yield in the group, acquired $3.7 billion in stock this year through the end of October under a $5 billion program. Time Warner Cable announced a $4 billion shares repurchase last month. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Five-Year Engagement Trailer: Holy Christ, Alison Brie and Jacki Weaver Are In the Same Movie

The first trailer for The Five-Year Engagement has arrived, and only time will tell where it falls on Universal chief Ron Meyer’s well-known quality-control spectrum. Does the story of one couple’s protracted wedding plan look funny enough? Sure. Will Emily Blunt and Jason Segel bring in the dates and the dudes alike? Why not? But do you know what really sells this movie? I can barely even write it. Here — let me try pictures: And… Believe it: Alison Brie and Jacki Weaver are in the same movie. And their characters are related. And they have the best lines. (“This is your wedding! You only get a few of these!”) And they go to a funeral, which at this point I’m just going to imagine is my own: To what do we owe this mind-melting phenomenon? And what do we call it? Jalison? Briever? Anyway, we can figure it out later, just call me a doctor. [via Yahoo!] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

David E. Kelley, Dr. Sanjay Gupta Team for TNT Medical Drama

Patty Jenkins Petty Jenkins is no longer directing Thor 2. The filmmaker, best known for directing the Charlize Theron movie Monster and AMC's pilot for The Killing, was to have been the first female director of a Marvel Studios movie. Alas, "creative differences" are being blamed. "I havehada great time working at Marvel," Jenkins toldThe Hollywood Reporterin an exclusive statement."We parted on very good terms, and I look forward to working with them again." The move is sudden since as late as Monday afternoon Jenkins was actively working on the movie. The filmmaker participated in an interview and photo shoot withTHRon Dec. 2, during which she discussed her involvement in the project and praised Marvel. "I have a long love of superhero films and I'd been saying over and over again to my agents at CAA that I'd like to do one," Jenkins told THR for a magazine feature on female directors that hits newsstands on Dec. 8. "That's the real revolution."The Marvel guys are so brave in terms of who they choose overall, and I don't think they had any pause about me being a woman." Jenkins told THR she had stayed away from features from the past several years because of her young son but eagerly accepted the Thor 2 job. "I met with all the actors and to my surprise, here we are," she said. Marvel is said to want to work with Jenkins again in some capacity. According to insiders, the studio is now on the hunt for a new filmmaker and the vacancy is expected to be filled very quickly. The director's departure is the second for Thor 2; Kenneth Branagh, who directed the first movie, did not return for a second outing, also citing "creative differences." Marvel had no comment. Pamela McClintock contributed to this report. Email: Borys.Kit@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Kit PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Thor: Behind the Scenes Thor Thor 2

Content demand produces cyber-investing in an offer war

The eye in content online streaming services has created a potentially lucrative situation for Hollywood art galleries searching to monetize libraries with digital dollars. But also for clients, the flurry of dealmaking surrounding films and tv shows is creating confusion over who has what they desire to check out.That wasn't the first plan.It had extended been thought that art galleries would blanket most services wonderful their game game titles, letting the information make the most of each service's growth, rather than betting round the individual players that art galleries thought would survive and shunning others. However, if Netflix started ponying up considerable gold gold coin to lock lower exclusive content, art galleries started siding while using finest bidder. Pay cablers like Cinemax, Epix and Starz see their particular streaming-content programs in order to keep their clients happy and remaining put, and in order to secure films and tv shows to have an extended run and using their company platforms.Cablers have reason to concern yourself with sub retention: Pay TV houses declined by about 366,000 through the second quarter of 2011 (and ongoing to become flat inside the third quarter), according to IHS Screen Digest, with elevated deficits expected in 2012, experts say.By 2015, nearly 12 million U.S. houses can get Television films and shows online services instead of a conventional pay TV provider, up from 2.5 million houses within the finish of 2010, according to research firm SNL Kagan.Netflix which is rivals may need to start investing more earnings for content, though.Without its Starz deal, Netflix forget about has Disney and also the new the new sony movies, and may have DreamWorks Animation's figures -- like "Puss in Boots" and 'Shrek" -- from 2013, using a pricey new exclusive deal.As Hollywood brokers more digital deals, distribution are cluttering screens -- from Televisions with built-in Online connections to pills to cell phones -- additionally to videogame consoles together with other set-top boxes.Websites too have grown to be more fashionable for content delivery, with art galleries progressively adopting Facebook to supply up film rental costs -- Blockbuster may also be likely to provide up its films as rental costs round the social media next season, while Warner Bros. acquired Flixster to stream movies and promote cloud-based service UltraViolet.Meanwhile, Amazon . com . com.com, Walmart's Vudu and greatest Buy's CinemaNow, among others, are walking around deal with Apple's iTunes, still the dominant seller and renter of films and tv shows and pushing money game game titles through its iCloud. Expect more competition once Redbox starts streaming films through its website.Consequently, you will discover greater than 100,000 full-length Television films and shows available on the internet in a moment, according to SNL Kagan and Nielsen.Everything has forced hardware makers to consider new techniques to create finding programming simpler -- an especially important problem as each streaming service starts searching much a lot more like others, together with exactly the same content.One fact is to exhibit to search engines like google like google like Microsoft's Bing, for example, to quickly identify all of the platforms that offer a specific film, Tv program or project which has an actress. Microsoft's Xbox 360 360 360 vidgame console might have this feature, which will undoubtedly be described as a primary speaking point at CES the next month.Consequently, clients may finish off winning as services supply cheaper subscription packages to draw more clients.Vudu, which formerly only enabled individuals to stream films they leased or purchased from the website, is becoming permitting these to download the overall game game titles for later viewing on numerous items. And Greatest Buy merged with Apple to incorporate its Insider technology, featured within the second-generation of Apple Core processors, to CinemaNow, that make more HD versions of films provided with the service due to its enhanced copyright protection.Nobody in Hollywood is predicted to complain -- no less than less extended their terms keep receiving targeted attractive. CONTENT COMPETITION Warms up UPWalmart's VuduTitles: 16,000-plus over 1,900 accessible in HDPrice: Rental costs change from $.99 to $5.99. Rental costs of films still in theaters or possibly in premium VOD window: $4.99 to $24.99. Tv program episodes to own cost $1.99-$2.99. For full seasons: $16.99-$43.99.Film partners: All of the art galleries FirstLook Art galleries, Kino and Magnolia PicturesTV Partners: Bravo, BBC America, Comedy Central, Discovery Communications, MTV, National Geographic, Nickelodeon, NBC, Oxygen, Showtime, Spike TV, Starz Entertainment, Syfy, TLC, USA Network Best Buy's CinemanowTitles: 6,000-plus movies and tv shows to download to own, over 3,000 films to rentPrice: Download to rent: $2.99 to $3.99 download to keep: $9.95 to $19.99.Film partners: last century Fox, Warner Bros., Apple (which will provide more HD game game titles).NetflixTitles: 17,000-plus*Cost: Base cost to stream movies and receive them by mail is $16 $8 for Netflix Instant streaming $8 for disc-by-mailFilm partners: DreamWorks Animation, Fox, Lionsgate, Miramax, MGM, Open Road, Vital, Relativity Media, Universal, Warner Bros.TV Partners: ABC Art galleries, ABC Family, AMC, the CW, Discovery, Disney Funnel, Fox, Lionsgate, Media Rights Capital and BBC's "House of Cards," NBCUniversal, SonyHulu PlusTitles: 45,670 includes 2,520 moviesPrice: $7.99 monthly to get into mostly Tv shows.Film partners: Being approved qualifying criterion Collection, Miramax FilmsTV Partners: ABC, BBC, Fox, NBC, The CW, A&E, Bravo, VH1, Comedy Central, E! Entertainment, Foreign exchange, History, MTV, Spike, Univision, USA NetworkAmazon Prime Instant VideoTitles: 13,000 by early 2012Price: $79 a yearFilm partners: Universal, The brand new the new sony, Warner Bros., Magnolia Pictures, IFC Films, Strand Delivering, Music Box Films, Film Movement, Reel MediaTV Partners: The brand new the new sony, BBC, PBS, National Geographic, Egami Media, Vivendi Entertainment, New Video Group, Fred Rogers Company, Sesame Workshop, CBS, NBCUniversal*analyst estimate Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com