Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing Unit Promotes Angela Galgani To SVP Publicity

Sony Pictures Worldwide Marketing & Distribution has upped Angela Galgani to SVP Publicity. She will take over day-to-day duties running the NY publicity office, a role previously held by Gigi Semone, who departed in September. The new tasks include overseeing the NY staff and developing East Coast-based PR campaigns for Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation releases. Her current workload includes The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, 21 Jump Street, The Pirates! Band Of Misfits, Men in Black 3, I Hate You Dad, and The Amazing Spider-Man, among others. She previously was VP Publicity and started at Sony Pictures as an intern in 1997.

The Highest Paid Young Actors in Movies

When Kermit, Miss Piggy, Jason Segel and Amy Adams sat down for Moviefone's Muppets Unscripted session, they weighed in on today's most pressing issues. Like, who has the funnier laugh, Seth Rogen or Fozzie Bear? Is Meryl Streep or Miss Piggy a better actress? And what happened when Kermit and Jason Segel spent a night in Mexico? All valid questions. All hilarious responses. (Hint on that last one: it involved a drink called 'The Muppet.') The session also includes something the world is dying to know -- at least according to Miss Piggy. What is it? You'll have to watch the video to find out (check the 5:15 mark), but you won't be sorry. Muppets Unscripted: You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll jump for joy. Make sure to check out 'The Muppets,' opening nationwide this Wednesday, Nov. 23. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Embed on your site:

John McCain's Daughter Makes MSNBC Debut as Paid Contributor

Getty Now that the political season is heating up, Meghan McCain -- daughter of erstwhile Republican presidential candidate John McCain, will be appearing on MSNBC more often -- and as a paid contributor.our editor recommendsChelsea Clinton Joins NBC News as Special CorrespondentChelsea Clinton Joining NBC News Has Conservative Pundits Talking Bias, Political Motivations McCain makes her debut on the network (as a staffer) Monday at noon on NOW with Alex Wagner. PHOTOS: 10 Entertainers Democrats and Republicans Love to Hate In a statement released by MSNBC on Monday, McCain said: "It's a unique opportunity to share my perspective as a Republican on a network I respect and have built a relationship with over the past two years." McCain has been a frequent guest on MSNBC since 2009. She wrote a memoir, Dirty Sexy Politics, about her time on the campaign trail with her father. PHOTOS: Democrats and Republicans' Favorite Movies McCain is among three children of politicos on the NBC News payroll including Jenna Bush Hager and Chelsea Clinton, who joined the network last week as a correspondent for the newsmagazine Rock Center with Brain Williams where she'll contribute to the feel-good "Making a Difference" series. Clinton said she would donate her NBC News salary to the Clinton Foundation and the George Washington University Hospital.

Feist

Presented by KCRW. Also appearing: Chilly GonzalesIf she had wanted it, Leslie Feist could have easily snagged the indie-pop princess crown. Her quadruple-Grammy-nominated 2007 album, "The Reminder," boasted catchy tunes such as "1234" and "My Moon Man" that sold countless iPods and taught kids how to count along with Elmo. But instead of cashing in on that success, Feist took time off to regroup and rejuvenate, and returned with "Metals," a thoughtful, introspective collection of songs that showcases her smoky, honey- tinged voice and complex musicianship, proving she'd rather be a serious artist than a pop confection. Now four albums into her career, Feist has amassed loyal fans and admirers, many of whom exhibited their lively spirit from the moment she took the stage at the sold-out Wiltern. Kicking off with the haunting "Undiscovered First" from the new album, Feist, who was backed by a three-piece band and a trio of talented female singers, seemed completely at ease and in her element. She jovially bantered with the crowd, encouraging them to blow on a conch shell she passed around, and teasing Los Angelenos about being too cool to sing along. The band segued into "A Commotion," which proved that Feist and her band can get as loud and rowdy as the hardest rock band, only to turn on a dime and head in a quieter direction. During the two-hour set, Feist performed nearly every track off of "Metals," and played only a smattering of her earlier material. She interestingly chose to re- orchestrate familiar tunes such as "Mushaboom" and "So Sorry," taking them in a darker, less poppy direction that rendered them almost unrecognizable. She obviously had no intention of pandering to the crowd. A highlight of the evening came when Feist surrendered the spotlight to her back-up singers, the female folk trio Mountain Man, who delivered an a capella tune with such gorgeous harmonies that they managed to silence the rowdy bar-goers at the back of the venue and elicit whoops and hollers from the crowd. Hearing what they were capable of made it all the more impressive that Feist's voice is such a finely tuned instrument that she can command these wailing sirens for her own aims. The evening culminated with a five-song encore, which included a moving performance of "Metals'" final track "Cicadas and Gulls," featuring nothing but Feist, her back-up singers and an acoustic guitar, and "Feel It All," the danciest, most feel-good tune of the night, especially given that "1234" was notably absent from the proceedings. Her frequent collaborator and opening act, Chilly Gonzales, joined her on piano for a final number, "Limit To Your Love." Before saying goodnight, Feist hopped atop the piano and surveyed the adoring crowd, who seemed ready and willing to follow her to new heights. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

The Adventures of Tintin

Having bought a model ship, the Unicorn, for a pound off a market stall Tintin is initially puzzled that the sinister Mr. Sakharine should be so eager to buy it from him, resorting to murder and kidnapping Tintin - accompanied by his marvellous dog Snowy - to join him and his gang as they sail to Morocco on an old cargo ship. Sakharine has bribed the crew to revolt against the ship's master, drunken Captain Haddock, but Tintin, Snowy and Haddock escape, arriving in Morocco at the court of a sheikh, who also has a model of the Unicorn. Haddock tells Tintin that over three hundred years earlier his ancestor Sir Francis Haddock was forced to scuttle the original Unicorn when attacked by a piratical forebear of Sakharine but he managed to save his treasure and provide clues to its location in three separate scrolls, all of which were secreted in models of the Unicorn. Tintin and Sakharine have one each and the villain intends to use the glass-shattering top Cs of operatic soprano the Milanese Nightingale to secure the third. With aid from bumbling Interpol agents the Thompson Twins our boy hero,his dog and the captain must prevent Sakharine from obtaining all three scrolls to fulfil the prophesy that only the last of the Haddocks can discover the treasure's whereabouts.

Growing Audiobook Industry Offers Rewards and Challenges for Stars

Richard Ferrone has seen the field of audiobooks come full circle. When he began narrating in 1990, these were mostly obtainable in libraries or through subscription and were difficult to find in main bookstoresperhaps 10 game titles on the shelf. Through the finish from the decade, "you did not have only one shelf," he remembered lately, "you'd an entire wall." Now, in age digital downloads, the shelves are sparse again.But that does not mean clients are slow. Actually, it's flourishing, for well-established veterans for example Ferrone as well as for beginners like Shannon McManus. The La resident began narrating audiobooks in mid-April by late October had already recorded seven game titles.Based on a 2009 survey through the Audio Marketers Association, 30 member companies totaled $331 million in revenue in 2008, and also the industry in general might gross near to $1 billion annually. A completely independent producer who has worked within the area because the early the nineteen nineties stated, "The amount of production being released of trade audiobook posting is staggeringmany occasions what it really was about ten years ago.InchHistorical evidence from stars can also be encouraging. From the 10 who have been questioned with this article, all were making their living solely as stars, and earnings from audiobook marketers paid for for around 33 percent to 85 % of the annual earnings.Of course, you will find disadvantages to rapid growth. Huge production has meant sporadic quality, and hourly wages have, normally, dropped substantially. "I'd buddies of mine in early 1990's getting outlandish sums of cashDollar10,000 to $12,000 for 3 times of work," stated Scott Brick, a number one voice in the market, using more than 600 game titles to his credit. "Nowadays, you are likely to be lucky to obtain $3,000" for your period of time.This small square from the entertainment market is, like all other, within an intense duration of adaptation, and stars will work harder than ever before. The independent producer, who requested to stay anonymous so he could speak candidly in regards to a business where he's a totally free agent, wondered via email whether audiobooks have downshifted in the golden chronilogical age of the the nineteen nineties towards the bronze chronilogical age of the 2010s.Tavia Gilbert, an actress in Tigard, Maine, was more neutral. "I believe the audiobook market is in a interesting transitional point," she stated. "It will likely be interesting to determine the way it shakes out."'Quite, A significant Task' Audiobook narration is much like almost every other type of acting, only much more: Anybody having a mouth thinks they are able to get it done. Sean Pratt, that has read 600 books because the mid-1990's and it is in the center of recording David Promote Wallace's "Infinite Jest," constantly receives queries from stars who wish to enter the area. This is exactly what he informs them:"Go back home, see your bookcase, shut your vision, achieve out, and grab a magazine. You do not get to select. Take that book and sit somewhere quiet and small, just like a closet, and browse aloud for 3 hrs each day. For those who have any stumbles, support and begin the sentence again. Should you hit a thing you do not know how you can pronounce, go look up. Do this for 3 hrs each day, for 2 days, after which, if you are still interested, call me.InchIn 16 years," he stated, "I have had five people call me."Kyle McCarley, who lives in La, is really a relative newcomer towards the business. He built their own studio for around $1,000 and it has established a voice-over career throughout yesteryear 2 yrs. When requested how hard it will be a narrator, he chuckled. "Oh, it is extremely, a significant task," he stated. "Quite an undertaking."When McCarley will get a magazine, he reads it completely to acquaint themself using the story, to obtain the voice from the author, and also to write a personality guide. Some books have 100 or even more figures, and that he supplies a unique voice for every. "Once I finish reading through, I feel the guide and record a brief sample," he stated. "I'll have [the producers] participate in it and find out should they have feedback. When they desire a change, I'll record a brand new sample."Only then does he get into his recording booth, where he works eight hrs each day for 3 or 4 days straight. He stays another couple of weeks cutting the audio together. Due to the standard of his work, McCarley makes $150 per finished hour of the audiobook, that is $25 to $50 over a typical nonunion rate. But his actual hourly minute rates are about $37. "You most likely log four hrs of labor for each finished hour," he stated.Books Undercovered The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has already established jurisdiction over audiobooks because the nineteen thirties, once they were first documented on 78s for that blind. Rates were covered within the Seem Tracks Code, which mandated purchase every hour the actor put in the studio. Within the the nineteen nineties, companies for example Books on Tape and Recorded Books discovered a huge consumer market, particularly among individuals. However their business design did not always lend itself to having to pay stars by studio hour, stated Pratt, who's a part of AFTRA's steering committee on audiobooks.When he began out, Pratt wasn't an AFTRA member. The union "did not know very well what went into making an unabridged audiobook,Inch he stated, "how costly it had been, how lengthy [it required] to learn.Inch The audiobook companies balked at having to pay for studio hrs, and "AFTRA really skipped the boat for any very long time about looking to get this stuff under union contract," he added.Within the mid-2000s, AFTRA authorities enlisted Pratt (who had registered as a member when he done a show on HGTV) along with other audiobook narrators with the hope they may help the union bring much more of the work under contract."I introduced in 3 or 4 [marketers]coupled with them sign a union contract," he stated. "You will find many people who narrate audiobooks who're AFTRA people who wanted health insurance and retirement, and that we labored overtime to create increasing numbers of people on. It does not cost much more to really make it a union gig, and that we get health insurance and retirement, so everyone wins."The deals will also be within the publisher's interest, and also the union's greatest concession, in some instances, continues to be altering the level of salary from studio hrs to finished hrs."AFTRA contracts have minimum rates for narrators, plus health insurance and retirement contributions," stated Steve Sidawi, an AFTRA organizer. "The rates will be different somewhat" but generally vary from $200 to $350 per finished hour. Holter Graham, a longtime narrator and leader of AFTRA's NY local, stated getting Audible.com to sign a union deal was among the key moves. It's possessed by Amazon . com.com and it has a sizable facility in Jersey City, N.J. David Zema, a longtime narrator and radio producer, stated Audible is running "a few changes each day,Inch such may be the interest in audiobooks.Because the Audible signing, Graham stated, "we are signing deals right and left."Breathe Gilbert's first response in the audiobook world was quick and certain. "We are not interested, many thanks, don't apply again," she stated she was relayed through a business that received her demo. "They stated I'd some enunciation issues, some breathing issues."She tied to it met Grover Gardner, a longtime narrator that has labored like a casting director for Blackstone Audio and it has since recorded a lot more than 100 books for many marketers. Gilbert values the way the work has enhanced her acting in other mediamostly through her enhanced breathing."That's the essence of existence, and thus this is the essence of each and every acting job," she stated. "You decide to go from the inside out, in the breath with the musculature from the body, and so the character radiates after that.InchShe also relishes the talent needed to create a quality audiobook and hopes that elevated production does not dilute the job. "Somebody's not reading through a magazine for you personally they are carrying out a magazine for you personally,Inch Gilbert stated. "Yet you will find increasingly more stars entering the marketplace since it is accessible. If you possess the technological tools to become a sound book narrator, that you can do ittechnically. However I can hear the main difference between someone who's acting using their voice and someone who's reading through a magazine.InchAssets Here is a narrow your search of audiobook industry websites.ACX.com: The Audio book Creation Exchange, possessed by Audible.com, enables authors, agents, marketers, along with other privileges holders to switch information and narrators and producers to locate work. AudioPub.org: The website from the Audio Marketers Association, the trade association for that industry. Voices.com: A jobs site for producers and stars. Voice123.com: A jobs site for producers and stars.

The Muppets Most likely Will not Host the Academy awards

Sorry, @muppetoscars! It seems the imagine getting Kermit and Miss Piggy host the 84th annual Oscars is simply that: an aspiration. Variety reviews around the always reliable "good authority" that although the Academy of movement Picture Arts & Sciences understand the online movement to find the Muppets to host the Academy awards instead of Eddie Murphy, they apparently aren't interested. What's that factor Kermit always states? Oh, right: it ain't easy being eco-friendly. [via Variety] [Photo: Disney] 10 Possible Oscar-Host Substitutes Ough GervaisRobert Downey Junior.The MuppetsMeryl StreepTina FeySteve Martin and Alec BaldwinNo OneNeil Patrick HarrisHugh JackmanBilly Very See All Moviefone Art galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

'Harold & Kumar' Director in Talks to battle Warner Bros. Comedy 'Family Getaway' (Exclusive)

Getty Images New Line's A Very Harold & Kumar 3d Christmas opened up as much as $13.millions of the 2009 weekend, and professionals at sister company Warner Bros. clearly loved whatever they saw, because the film's director has became a member of early discussions to battle a hot comedy work with the studio.our editor recommendsLionsgate Shopping 'Harold & Kumar' Tv Program (Exclusive)'A Very Harold & Kumar 3d Christmas': Just what the Experts Say Todd Strauss-Schulson continues to be eyed to direct Family Getaway, an account from the family that discovers its patriarch is certainly an assassin each time a rival killer appears, turning a vacation in to a mix-country vehicle chase. PHOTOS: Fall Movies 2011: Warner Bros. Jeremiah Friedman and Nick Palmer written the very first spec. Nick Kasdan done the script when he was installed on direct. Strauss-Schulson made his feature directorial debut with New Line and Mandate's Harold & Kumar Christmas. He broke onto Hollywood's radar with comedy shorts (Mano a Mano, Die Hardly Working and Pillow Fight were among the significant) and done a show for MTV Asia. VIDEO: John Cho, Kal Penn Promise Holiday Cheer in 'A Very Harold & Kumar 3d Christmas' Harold & Kumar will be a good showcase for Strauss-Schulson's capabilities, enabling him to influence the pot-smoking duo through numerous comedy and action-oriented situations. Family Getaway appears as an identical vehicle. He's repped by UTA, Variety and attorney Greg Slewett. Email: Borys.Package@thr.com Twitter: @Borys_Package Warner Bros. Pictures Group

'The Darkest Hour' One-Sheet Promises Holiday Destruction (Photo)

This holiday season, five young people will simply try to survive their Darkest Hour in Chris Gorak's sci-fi thriller. Summit has released its first one sheet for the 3D film, which reads "Survive the Holidays." The art features a crowded city street engulfed in flames and destruction. The Darkest Hour stars Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirby, Max Minghella and Rachael Taylor as a group of young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow after a devastating alien attack. The film, set for a Christmas Day release, combines the classic beauty of the Russian city with mind-blowing special effects by director Gorak and Timur Bekmambetov. Emile Hirsch Summit Entertainment

'Magnolias' bloom in U.K.

LONDON -- A new revival of Robert Harling's bittersweet comedy "Steel Magnolias" will tour the U.K. in a production helmed by David Gilmore ("Grease") and produced by David Ian Prods. ("Seminar," currently previewing on Broadway).Opening in Bath April 2, "Steel Magnolias" will hit Cardiff, Bradford, Nottingham, Brighton, York, Richmond, Birmingham and Southampton, ending Jun. 16 in Milton Keynes.The production, whose cast of legit and TV names includes Isla Blair, Cheryl Campbell and Cherie Lunghi, is believed to be eyeing a fall West End berth. Contact David Benedict at benedictdavid@mac.com

'J. Edgar' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals

The stars of the biographical drama, written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by Clint Eastwood, walked the carpet in Hollywood on Nov. 3 to kick off this year's annual AFI Fest. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as FBI director J. Edgar Hoover in the Warner Bros. feature, which co-stars Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts.

Before I Leave You

A Huntington Theater Company presentation of a play in two acts by Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro. Directed by Jonathan Silverstein. Emily - Kippy Goldfarb Jeremy - Ross Bickell Koji - Glenn Kubota Trish - Karen MacDonald Peter - Alexis CaminsLate-in-life changes among a group of sixtysomething Cambridge friends is the focus of this world preem at Beantown's Huntington Theater Company. But even if it taps into a potentially rich demographic, "Before I Leave You" proves a superficially written and poorly staged production that smacks of lower-the-bar provincialism. This creaky, clunky work by local playwright Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro diminishes the reputation the Huntington has established in the development of new plays and writers (most recently the excellent "Sons of the Prophet"). How such a shoddy piece of playwriting made it to the main stage of a major regional is the biggest mystery surrounding a play that has none. One feels for the actors (well, most of them) who are stuck with stilted dialogue, one-note characters and a plot that can be easily surmised as soon as it is set up. Helmer Jonathan Silverstein ("The Temperamentals") is also at a loss, providing rudimentary staging that leaves his actors stranded. Allen Moyer's set design of towers of white bookcases looks like it's trying to impose a metaphor on a play that has little meaning. "Before I Leave You" centers on a quartet of elder friends around Harvard: Jeremy (Ross Bickell), an esteemed writer who has had some recent health problems; his chatterbox sister Trish (Karen MacDonald) who is living with her sibling temporarily; his best friend and fellow professor Koji (an awkward, wooden performance by Glenn Kubota) and the professor's wife, Emily (Kippy Goldfarb), whom the writer has been in love with for years, unbeknownst to everyone except the audience. The tensions between the autocratic Asian father and his likable but aimless son Peter (Alexis Camins) provides most of the conflict. As everyone frets about Jeremy's health, several characters make well-telegraphed changes to their lives. Themes of Asian identity, responsibility and following-one's-bliss are only lightly examined here, with neither insight nor grace. Camins offers a bit of charm, and Bickell and Goldfarb manage to retain some dignity. But otherwise "Before I Leave" reps a Huntington low point.Sets, Allen Moyer; costumes, Michael Krass; lighting, David Lander; sound and original music, David Remedios; production stage manager, Carola Morrone LaCoste; stage manager, Ryan A. Anderson. Opened Oct. 26, 2011. Reviewed, Oct. 28, 2011. Runs through Nov. 13. Running time 2 HOURS, 10 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com