Chita Rivera to star in 'Drood'

RiveraA Broadway revival of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," toplined by Chita Rivera, is most likely the first trio of options introduced for your 2012-13 season within the Roundabout Theater Company.Also round the bill certainly are a Rialto revival of "Possess a have a picnic" helmed by Mike Gold together with a brand new play, "The Inevitable Disappearance of Tom Durnin," by Steven Levenson. Legit and tv helmer Scott Ellis ("Weeds," "Two Broke Women") will direct both "Drood" and "Inevitable Disappearance."Comic mystery "Drood" is not seen on Broadway since it carried out an 18-month run that began in 1985. Tuner with book, music and lyrics by Rupert Holmes ("Curtains") draws on Brit music hall traditions in creating a stage version from the incomplete novel by Charles Dickens. Auds are solicited to choose whodunit each evening, getting another ending completed using the results.Rivera may have Princess Puffer, the proprietor from the opium family room. Actress was last round the Primary Stem in their 2005 autobiographical outing "Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Existence.""Drood" may have Studio 54, one of the Roundabout's Broadway venues, in the run searching for the fall.InchHave a have a picnic," meanwhile, has came in the winter 2013 stint at another in the nonprofit org's Rialto venues, the American Airline carriers Theater. The 1953 William Inge play is produced in colaboration with commercial producer Darren Bagert.Director Gold ("Circle Mirror Transformation," "Seminar") also helmed the Roundabout's current Off Broadway revival of "Try Looking In Anger."The only real Off Broadway outing up to now introduced, "Inevitable Disappearance," can be a Roundabout commission from Levenson, whose play "The Text of Trees" carried out the theater's Off Off Broadway space.Story concentrates on a man trying to rebuild his existence and also the family after prone to prison for just about any white-colored-collar crime. Show is on tap for just about any stint within the Laura Pels Theater, the Roundabout's Off Broadway venue, by getting a precise timeline being determined.Further options for your Roundabout's 2012-13 season be introduced. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Bremner finds his way in the 'Snow'

BremnerEwen Bremner has joined the cast of the sci-fi thriller "Snow Piercer."Cast already includes Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton and Octavia Spencer.Bong Joon-ho is helming from a script he co-penned with Kelly Masterson; Park Chan-wook is producing. Set in a world covered in snow and ice, the story follows a train full of travelers who struggle to co-exist. Bremner plays a father who joins forces with Evans' character to save his kidnapped son.He is repped by Global Artists Agency, Independent Talent Group and Alchemy Entertainment. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

'G.I. Joe' Stars Tease Flint And Lady Jaye's Romance

Don't think that "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" only will be in regards to the action. The arrival action flick directed by Jon M. Chu may also be prone to have its great deal of romance, due to the inclusion in the figures Flint and Lady Jaye. For people fans familiar with the series, Flint and Lady Jaye are two Joes who become close although within the same unit. Sooner or later, G.I. Joe disbands, as well as the two finish off marriage. They later rejoin the Joes when the organization is reconstructed, in addition to their marriage is mentioned to experience a good effect on all of them. While there's most likely not a relationship in this particular film, stars D.J. Cotrona and Adrianne Palicki -- who play Flint and Jaye in "Retaliation" -- promise you will notice some sparks flying between their two figures. "Anybody that's familiar with 'G.I. Joe,' the storyline lines, they're two very primary figures and they have a significant specific relationship together that evolves and goes certain places," Cotrona told MTV News. "In my opinion we managed to get happen justice inside the movie therefore i think the fans is going to be really excited." When "Retaliation" begins, Flint and Jaye will have history together, Palicki mentioned. "We kind of showed up into it with this particular own story lines," she referred to. Cotrona agreed, adding that Palicki's Lady Jaye has elevated the Joe unit a lot more than his Flint has. Despite the fact that the two figures might have known each other for a while once the film starts, Cotrona mentioned that fans might find the bond unfold before their eyes since the film progresses. "It [starts as] a brother-sister factor," he taunted, "plus it proceeds into the areas.In . "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" also stars Dwayne Manley, Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis. It's due in theaters on June 29. Are you currently presently searching toward seeing Lady Jaye and Flint hit them in "G.I. Joe: Retaliation"? Reveal inside the comments section below or on Twitter!

SAG, AFTRA unveil pro-merger booklet

The Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists have unveiled their official pro-merger materials that will be hitting member mailboxes next week. "There are many reasons to approve this merger and the most important is also the most basic: we are stronger together," said the cover letter by SAG prexy Ken Howard and AFTRA president Roberta Reardon. "If SAG and AFTRA remain separate, employers will continue to divide our work and undermine our bargaining strength. Merger puts an end to that. As one union, SAG-AFTRA will have maximum power to protect our members thoughout the entertainment and media industries." Howard and Reardon noted that members expressed strong support for merger during the 20 meetings in 13 cities that the duo held over a six-month period last year."We heard you say that you want more leverage for stronger contracts and a union that could help stem the tide of non-union work -- making sure that all media, old and new, is union media," they said. "Your message was clear and compelling. Make us stronger by making us one."The 18-page document was posted Sunday night on the www.sagaftra.org site. Earlier on Sunday, opponents of the SAG-AFTRA merger disclosed their official statement that's included in the ballot materials and cited a dozen problem areas.The booklet goes out Feb. 27 to 120,000 SAG members and 70,000 AFTRA members. Ballots will be tabulated March 30 and 60% of those voting in both unions must approve for the merger to go through.Problem areas cited in the opposition document, which received approval Friday from SAG lawyers, include assertions of the merger plan's shortcomings in a dozen areas: pension and health; split earnings on pension and health contributions; dues structure; "preferential" treatment of broadcasters; the three-voucher system for background actors; "bloated" bureaucracy; a convention structure of governance; elected leaders ability to receive pay; majority voting rules for Hollywood reps; exchange of information; agent rules; and negotiating strength. "The current merger plan solves almost nothing and adds too many inherent problems," the opponents' conclusion said. "Vote no and demand that our union leaders conduct the necessary due diligence to create an agrement which will not harm actors." The complete merger document includes official rebuttals to the opposition report that reflect the long-standing divides within the unions, particularly at SAG. AFTRA's rebuttal accused the opponents of being unwilling to recognize changing circumstances."Rather than clinging to a rapidly disappearing past, this merger moves both unions forward to catch up to the present and prepare for the future," it said. The SAG rebuttal accuses the opposition of creating financial losses for members in 2008 when AFTRA split off from joint negotiations with SAG and reached a deal on the primetime TV contract a year before SAG, which held out for a sweeter deal. Pro-merger reps have dominated SAG elections since 2008. "Instead of fighting our employers, they chose to fight AFTRA, leading to separate negotiations and over $100 million in lost earnings," the rebuttal said. "Can we really afford to do that again?"Alan Rosenberg, who served two terms as SAG prexy from 2005 to 2009, has continued to insist that AFTRA's leaders have been too accommodating to employers, and that a merger will put those leaders in a dominant position. During an anti-merger demonstration last week, he also asserted that the pro-merger forces within SAG undermined the guild's bargaining position during the 2008-09 negotiations The pro-merger reps on the SAG board have dominated elections in recent years. A total of 63 of the 71 national board members endorsed the deal in the ballot materials, including Adam Arkin, Jeff Garlin, former president Richard Masur and Tony Shalhoub. SAG members turned down merger proposals in 1999 and 2003 while AFTRA members supported both combos. A total of 68 AFTRA board members endorsed in the ballot materials, including Bob Edwards, Jason Priestly and former president Shelby Scott. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Pilot Season: Ugly Betty Alum Michael Urie to Co-Star in CBS' Partners

College hoops fans, prepare to spread out your purses if you wish to call at your favorite team try to really make it towards the final four. Turner Sports and CBS Sports, which grew to become partners in broadcasting March Madness this past year, will begin charging fans $3.99 to look at all 67 games on a single website, Ad Week reviews. Discover whenever your favorite team is playing next! Since 2006, CBS has permitted fans to look at live games online via... Find Out More >

Exclusive: Hugh Grant Talks Cloud Atlas

Within an adventure with cannibalsHugh Grant, Britain's latest investigative reporter and all sorts of-round national treasure, will get to his regular job with a few peachy roles in coming several weeks. If you have seen a clip for Aardman's Pirates! Within An Adventure With Researchers you know about his knockabout Sailing Captain within the stop-motion caper. However, you not termed as much about his role within the genre kaleidoscope that's Cloud Atlas.For that new problem Empire sitting lower with Grant to talk about his film career up to now, Leveson and also the lure of Hollywood blockbusters in the publish-Four Wedding ceremonies heyday. Along with a cracking interview he demonstrated to become.He shared some fascinating experience into his role in Tom Tykwer and Lana and Andy Wachowski's Russian toy of the movie. Or should that be roles? "I've six cameo parts within this strange, ambitious film," Grant described. "I perform a large amount of killing and raping. I put on a great deal of prosthetic constitute, too. You most likely will not know that i'm within the film! However it would be a laugh. I figured before I just read it that I'd transform it lower, that we normally do, however i was thinking about meeting the Wachowskis because I've always respected them enormously. And they're so charming and fascinating."Explaining individuals six figures as "incredibly evil", Grant described the Wachowski siblings' decision to cast him against type brought to serious soul-searching: "I slightly known as my very own bluff. Within the parts I'm a cannibal, about 2000 years later on, and that i thought, 'I can perform that. It is easy.A After which I'm all of a sudden waiting in a cannibal skirt on the mountaintop in Germany and they're saying, 'You know, hungry! We should obtain that flesh-eating, just like a leopard who's so hungry...' and i'm thinking, 'I can't do this! Just produce a witty line!'"Cloud Atlas lately wrapped and also the three co-company directors coping the unenviable task of knitting all of this narrative complexity together within the editing suite. "It will likely be fascinating to determine the way it works out," marvelled Grant, who describes it as being the greatest independent film of his career. "I've come across little items of cut footage which is just astonishing. I most likely had 20 shooting days, and all of them is shooting their very own area of the film using their own deck hands. It's amazing."There's genuine anticipation building around that one - much more now we all know that Hugh Grant is going to be channelling his inner leopard - along with a trailer should not be too far. Expect Cloud Atlas itself around the giant screen later this season.

VIDEO: A Vampire Journals Original Discusses [Spoiler's] Return

Frederick Morgan and Daniel Gillies Spoiler alert: The next discloses something major from Thursday's episode. Read at the own risk! The Originals have returned in the "dead" around the Vampire Journals, and they've a bone to choose with Klaus. On Thursday's episode "Offering the Dead," Klaus' sister Rebekah (Claire Holt) was undaggered by her brother Elijah (Daniel Gillies). But it is not quite a contented reunion for that brothers and sisters as Rebekah lately found that Klaus (Frederick Morgan) was the one that wiped out their mother 1,000 years back. "He's absolutely likely to feel some aggression targeted toward him," Holt told TVGuide.com on our recent trip to the Atlanta set. She's so unhappy concerning the fact he lied to her all this time around and she or he feels tricked by him." The Vampire Journals Bite: Frederick Morgan informs us what's going to devastate Klaus Obviously, Rebekah is not the only person who ought to be angry. Esther (Alice Evans) shocked Klaus when she was free of that mysterious 4th coffin. "[Rebekah] is actually excited to possess her mother back and [now they will be] a effective unit," Holt adds. Discover the shocking truth for additional on which Rebekah's return method for Elena and just how the household will wreak havoc throughout next week's large formal ball.

Pilot Season: Reba McEntire, '70s Show Team Sell Comedy Projects to ABC

Reba McEntire Reba McEntire may be returning to TV soon! ABC has ordered comedy pilots Malibu Country, which will star the country singer-actress Reba McEntire, and Prairie Dogs, from That '70s Show's Jackie and Jeff Filgo. In Malibu Country, McEntire stars as a broke divorcee who moves her family to Malibu where she attempts to revive her music career while keeping her children from being corrupted by the city. McEntire will reunite with Reba showrunner Kevin Abbott, who will write and executive-produce the pilot, along with Mindy Schultheis, Michael Hanel, Pam Williams, Dave Stewart and Narvel Blackstock. Get the latest news on all the pilot pickups here Prairie Dogs follows Neil, an uncool cubicle worker (or "prairie dog")who becomes the victim of identity theft.When he discovers the thiefhas created a much more fulfilling, kick-ass life with his identity, he decides to make the charismatic conman his life coach. The Filgos will write and executive-produce.