Music Center taps three

Lythgoe "The American Idol ShowInch executive producer Nigel Lythgoe and executives Julia Stewart and Bert Valdam happen to be named towards the board of company directors from the Music Center, the downtown La carrying out arts organization that runs programming in the the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and Wally Disney Concert Hall."It's with great pleasure which i welcome these outstanding new people towards the Music Center Board. All of them share an in-depth link with the humanities, happen to be accountable for the leadership and development of many creative companies, and also have established important connections inside their fields," Music Center prexy and Boss Steve Rountree stated.Lythgoe may be the Boss of Nigel Lythgoe Prods. and started "The American Idol ShowInch in 2002.Lythgoe can also be the co-creator, executive producer as well as on-air judge for "Which Means You Think You Are Able To Dance." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Anna Maria Muehe: Adopted family into biz

Anna Maria MueheIf that title seems to heard this before, it'll. Berlin-born Anna Maria Muehe's parents were both thesps: her mother is East German Jenny Groellmann, and her father, Ulrich Muehe, is much better known worldwide since the star of "The Lives of Others," which won the foreign-lingo film Oscar in 2006.For Muehe, another career will be a possibility ("Like anybody, I used to be considering various thingsInch), but after shooting her first feature at 15 -- Maria von Heland's "Large Women Don't Cry" (2001) -- she found the lure of showbiz too great to address.Yearly later, she won the actress award within the Copenhagen Film Festival on her behalf lead role in Achim von Borries' "Love in Ideas," and contains since came out in Julie Delpy's "The Countess," Til Schweiger's "1 1/2 Knights in combat in combat" and Christian Schwochow's "November Child," that they received a German Film Award nomination."In my opinion my great fortune, up to now, is always that every movie I've made, I've labored with brilliant stars. For example, a year ago I carried out alongside Otto Sander, a man who's socialized for this kind of very very long time, too as with a multitude of films, yet who's never lost the pleasure using what he's doing,Inch she states.Does she consider herself a European or possibly a German actress? "I don't really go to whichever difference. To acquire me hooked, it really takes a great script plus an interesting director it is not important whether it's a German or possibly an worldwide project -- the task as well as the preparation are the same.InchFor instance, one of the better company company directors is Dominik Graf. I'm really intrigued by his approach to dealing with projects and how he works together stars. However, you'll find lots of outstanding company company directors around the world. It may be an recognition to make use of them.InchCome back for the Berlin Preview >> Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Check Out What Beavis and Butt-Head Would Look Like in Real Life

Beavis and Butthead Ever imagine what Beavis and Butt-Head would look like in real life? Thanks to makeup effects artist Kevin Kirkpatrick, we now know. Kirkpatrick created prosthetic models of MTV's recently revived animated anti-heroes, complete with Butt-Head's braces and Beavis' enormously creepy smile... and they're just as frighteningly ugly in real life as they are in the land of animation. Check out photos of the models here. Is this how you imagined Beavis and Butt-Head in real life? Hit the comments with your thoughts.

Kristen Bell Talks About Getting Dirty in House of Lies, Hope for a Veronica Mars Film

Kristen Bell She curses, she gets lap dances, she makes raunchy sex jokes. For Kristen Bell's latest role on Showtime's House of Lies, it's safe to say her squeaky clean Veronica Mars persona has officially left the building. "Being in a strip club in the middle of the afternoon with the lights on was a little unnerving. There's a scene where I have to dance sexily around in my underwear that made me very nervous," Bell tells TVGuide.com. The part "scared me a little bit." In the half-hour comedy, which follows a team of management consultants and stars Don Cheadle, Bell plays whip-smart, cutthroat "schmooze operator" Jeannie Van Der Hooven. House of Lies marks Bell's first series regular TV project since she played a teen sleuth in cult favorite Veronica Mars, which was axed in 2007. On the big screen, she's co-starred in films Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Burlesque and still voices the title character of Gossip Girl. "I was excited that Jeannie was very, very different and much more provocative [than Veronica Mars]," Bell says. "It's important to show that it is a shark tank and it is sink-or-swim and Jeannie would not be able to work there if she didn't play like a boy and get as dirty as they did." Don Cheadle goes for laughs in "bold and dangerous" House of Lies Producers liked her for the role at least partly because Jeannie was such a departure. "To see her open up is pretty amazing," creator and executive producer Matthew Carnahan says. Bell was first approached about House of Lies after she and fiancé Dax Shepard pitched another project to Showtime President David Nevins. Instead, Nevins called her the next day to gauge her interest in the pilot for a slick, racy comedy starring Cheadle. "Before he finished the 'le' in Cheadle, I said yes," she recalls. "I just flew by the seat of my pants." Working with Cheadle, who both stars in and executive-produces the comedy, Bell wouldn't get top billing - but she says that was part of the appeal. She remembers all too well the pressure and long hours that went with carrying Veronica Mars. "What they initially said was, 'You're a small role in the pilot, but don't worry we're going to develop your character. It's going to be great,' which I can tell is the pitch that everyone gets when you have under 20 lines in a pilot. They always promise you the world. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't," she says."Even if they were yanking my chain about developing the character, I said to myself, 'Its fine. If I have to support Don Cheadle in a series, there are worse jobs you can have.'" Check out photos of Kristen Bell It came as a pleasant surprise when the producers delivered. "I've never had a promise carried through like this," she says. "I love my part." Bell has already bonded with the cast, too - a perk that the movie star says will keep her coming back to TV. "The four of us met and immediately fell in love. A four-way love square hasn't even been done on Jersey Shore," she says of her castmates, which also include Ben Schwartz (Parks and Recreation) and Josh Lawson (Romantically Challenged). "I'm a creature of habit. I'm a lot like a dog. I like being fed at the same time. I like seeing the same people every day. On TV, it really becomes like a big family. Those relationships, I think on a human level, fuel what you're able to do as an actor." And yes, she's totally down to get back into Veronica Mars' shoes should a big-screen continuation go into production. "I'm so thankful for the impact that Veronica Mars has had on my life. It makes me excited that it affected people to the degree that it did. It makes me excited that fans still want a movie because I still want a movie," she says. "That wasn't an easy show to shoot or to publicize. I'm proud of it, and I think nothing compares to something you work on that you're genuinely proud of." House of Lies airs Sundays at 10/9c on Showtime.

CBS in talks with Letterman, Ferguson

CBS is within talks with David Letterman and Craig Ferguson to resume its latenight combo. Letterman's deal is thought to run out in August. Sources near to the situation say Letterman is inclined to reup for an additional multi-year hitch. Letterman's Worldwide Pants banner produces both "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson." "As could be expected at this time around, we are getting conversations with both Dork and Craig about long term,Inch CBS stated inside a statement carrying out a NY Occasions report Thursday around the talks. "You will find no further particulars to announce at this time around." Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Pay TV visits war

To be aware what market dynamics have created the explosion of smart Televisions as of this year's CES, consider an easy concept: the immovable object meeting the irresistible pressure.The immovable object: the cable operators, satcasters and telcos known to as MSOs. The Comcasts and DirecTVs around the globe are very established with both clients and content firms that they'll not be easily displaced no matter just how much dissatisfaction there's available together.The irresistible pressure: The myriad choices to video delivery showing up all around the MSOs, from Netflix to Google TV. There's however this kind of beehive of innovation emerging from lots of businesses that the impact in the so-referred to as "over-the-top" category is irrevocable. NPD In-Stat forecast revenues online rental costs and downloads could double by 2015.Smart Televisions end up being the playing area where these opposing sides clash, either delivering the conventional TV package using a coaxial cable or easily via broadband connection because of on-screen programs.These two actions spent much of year grinding away at each other, beginning the rumblings from the seismic change already shaking American viewing habits. There's however a great deal energy pressing against each other the entertainment landscape for future years may leave the stress together rather than one pressure simply ceding ground for the other.In case your fault line has emerged, it's the customer deficits many MSOs acquainted with recent quarters -- damning evidence of cord-cutting, whereby disgruntled multichannel clients start cheaper digital options. But view of whether cord-cutting really will come in just about any significant technique is harder.The phenomenon may be mainly because of housing shortfalls triggered through the sluggish U.S. economy. But handful of doubt the growing cost of multichannel video packages on recession-battered clients can be a factor.Nevertheless, the trajectory of the cost is only able to remain headed upward due to the rash of the season-finish deals involving the most pricey programming package available, the Nfl, which is various funnel partners. The 63% increase in programmer obligations that can result in the $28 billion in renewal the Nfl fetched from 2013-22 will probably be attracted within the operators, who'll ultimately pass that cost onto clients.No real surprise Credit Suisse found itself in December treating an increase projection for your MSO business it had launched earlier around, studying a 250,000 sub gain with a insufficient 200,000. It moved its perspective round the discussion from accusing cord-rotor blades regarding the it named "cord-nevers" -- youthful clients who'd sooner choose cheaper digital options than register the first time for multichannel packages.Probably the only reason the tv business hasn't splintered forever across a lot of new digital distribution options is the systems are locked into greatly lucrative handles MSOs that safeguard their exclusivity for the content.Roughly half from the $48 billion cable systems collected in revenues this season came from in the affiliate costs the MSOs paid out on their behalf, according to SNL Kagan. The MSOs may even start to exert with additional hold over tv producers given that they provided $1.47 billion this year in retransmission consent costs -- supplying all of them with a dual revenue stream that effectively renders them cable channels.This is why systems like Cinemax can't you have to their current content which makes it available at the same time with a third party like Hulu or go right to clients. Nevertheless the cabler nicely shown this year it's fully able to perform just that with Cinemax Go, a credit card applicatoin that allows only MSO clients to gorge around the deep chest of pleased with an imaginative interface.At first blush, Hollywood may appear to own nothing to concern yourself with. Because the traditional multichannel world winds lower, they atone for losing in revenues with sales to individuals new digital players. But it's not simple."An average decrease in clients may have a disproportionate impact on EBITDA," informed a Credit Suisse report. "The issue for media conglomerates is always that cable network profit cash is bigger than studio profit dollars." Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com