NBC bets the nest on 'Smash'

'Smash' Katharine McPhee takes on the role of a struggling singer out to achieve stardom.The creative team behind 'Smash.'"Good for them," Theresa Rebeck thought when she read in Variety that Steven Spielberg had sold a drama series at Showtime revolving around an effort to mount a Broadway musical.Rebeck, a playwright, novelist, TV and film scribe, had pitched a similar concept to various networks over the years, to no avail. When she learned in November 2009 about the project DreamWorks TV had in the early stages of development at Showtime, she felt vindicated that her idea had been a good one, and happy that someone was finally tackling an arena that she knew to be full of potential for TV.What Rebeck didn't know was that she would be the one tasked with getting the show on its feet for Spielberg and his tuner team of producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron and composers-lyricists Marc Shaiman and Scott Witt-man. Nor could anyone have predicted that the ambitious venture destined to become "Smash" would eventually migrate from Showtime to NBC along with its biggest champion, Bob Greenblatt.The NBC Entertainment chairman's faith in "Smash" is evident by just how much the network is banking on the show to make a much-needed midseason splash in its Feb. 6 premiere, the night after the Peacock's telecast of the Super Bowl.NBC desperately needs the show -- toplined by Debra Messing, Christian Borle, Katharine McPhee, Jack Davenport and Megan Hilty -- to deliver an audience, but it is also counting on "Smash" to generate the kind of qualitative raves that have been few and far between for the network's programming in recent years. The Peacock is throwing every resource it has at the "Smash" launch, starting with the decision to sked it in the Monday 10 p.m. slot behind returning reality hit "The Voice." NBC's struggles in the first half of the season have only heightened the stakes for the return of "Voice" and the bow of "Smash."Rooted in the lives of the key players developing a Rialto tuner about Marilyn Monroe, "Smash" is a high-wire act of a show-within-a-show, enhanced by at least one original song per episode, song-and-dance numbers and location lensing throughout Gotham. (Some have dubbed it "The West Wing" with music.)The show, produced by Universal TV and DreamWorks TV, costs just under $4 million per seg, according to industry sources, a hefty sum for a first-year skein. But "Smash" demands the talents of legit pros and below-the-line specialists that aren't required on the typical network crime procedural."Smash" is rooted in a world Greenblatt knows intimately. He's a lifelong theater enthusiast who produced the Broadway adaptation of the film "9 to 5" in 2009 (as a sideline to his then-day job as Showtime entertainment prexy)."There is nothing that gets people galvanized and excited quite like a musical," Greenblatt says. "Everybody involved has to be energized about it, and then you add the songs and the choreography. It's very physically demanding to do a musical, and that energy gets everybody really excited."The success of Fox's "Glee" helped take the "Cop Rock" sting out of the notion of a series incorporating musical elements. But "Smash" ups the ante with the original music designed to coalesce by the end of the season into a cohesive musical.As "Smash's" creator and showrunner, Rebeck has not only crafted the story arc for the show's 15-episode frosh season, she's also written the book for an original tuner dubbed "Marilyn.""It's very much an 'Upstairs, Downstairs' kind of world, but instead of a mansion, it's a musical," Rebeck says.The production of each episode is complex, as the musical numbers are frequently shot out of sequence at various stages in Gotham, while the scripts for each seg have to be in shape early enough to allow Shaiman and Wittman, the tunesmiths behind "Hairspray," to deliver songs that have to pass muster with producers. There's a dance unit that almost always works separately on choreography with a regular troupe of hoofers as well as day players.The show's conceit requires that Broadway-caliber production numbers be staged with theatrical authenticity, but then filmed for the smallscreen. In addition to the original songs, there's at least one cover performed in most segs. Amid all of this activity, McPhee and other key actors have to find the time for studio recording sessions for the songs that will be released via Sony Music, which has logged big sales in the past three years with its parade of "Glee" hits."Whenever you do anything musical, there are a million challenges," says Meron. "We like to think of it as producing a gigantic action film. There are so many moving parts, so many details that must be taken care of. Scheduling is the biggest challenge. We are sometime shooting more than one (dramatic) segment at a time. One day you'll be shooting a musical sequence for the second episode, and the next day you'll be working on one for the fifth episode with a different director."To pull it off, Spielberg and his top TV lieutenants, DreamWorks TV toppers Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank, recruited from a short list of creatives with the experience that bridges both mediums.The first phone call after Showtime expressed interest in Spielberg's concept went to Zadan and Meron, whose resume hit the bull's-eye thanks to their varied track record with musical TV specials such as ABC's "Annie" and "Cinderella," telepics and drama series including Lifetime's "Drop Dead Diva" and film tuners including "Hairspray" and "Chicago." If that weren't enough, the duo were then in the midst of the launching the Broadway revival of "Promises, Promises.""If you start from the theory that the most difficult thing to produce well is a one-hour weekly drama, and you add all the elements we have (on 'Smash'), this is without a doubt going to be one of the most ambitious shows the audience has ever seen," Zadan says.Shaiman and Wittman were also in from the beginning, having responded immediately to the initial overture that came in a phone call Zadan and Meron made from Spielberg's office. The tunesmiths had some experience with Spielberg from working on the stage musical rendition of his 2002 pic "Catch Me if You Can."Rebeck was also a natural choice. The prolific playwright has an extensive background in TV drama from her years as a writer-producer on such series as "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "NYPD Blue," "Third Watch" and "L.A. Law." She also knew Greenblatt, Zadan and Meron from her professional travels over the years."It was pretty exciting when they came looking for me," she says.While Rebeck began navigating the "Smash" sked this summer, she was busy preparing for the November bow of her Broadway play, the dark comedy "Seminar," starring Alan Rickman. It was her previous Off Broadway play, the backstage Broadway drama "The Understudy," that convinced Spielberg she was the woman for the job.Beyond the exec producers, "Smash" has reached deep into Gotham's legit scene for cast and crew members. Director Michael Mayer, whose credits include "Spring Awakening" and "American Idiot," had never done any TV before he was tapped to direct the "Smash" pilot last year, as well as its second and third episodes.Mayer enlisted choreographer Joshua Bergasse (who danced in Shaiman-Whittman's "Hairspray") to conceptualize "Marilyn's" dance numbers. They tapped Bernard Telsey, the dean of legit casting in Gotham, to spearhead lining up the talent for a show that demands a high volume of guest stars and day players with legit experience. Lighting designer Donald Holder is a Rialto vet with credits ranging from "La Cage aux Folles" to "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.""Because so many of us who are making this show spend our lives primarily in theater, it's really important to all of us that the audience see the ways in which people dedicate their lives to this very unique art form," Mayer says. "My hope is that people will be turned on to the creative process, as well as (be given) a glimpse of what it's like to be a writer, director, choreographer or dancer watching these numbers come to life in a rehearsal space. "Like others on the "Smash" team, Mayer juggled other Broadway duties while working on the show as he prepped for the December opening of the revival of "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" with Harry Connick Jr. Looking at musical numbers through a TV lens gave him a deeper perspective."We stage ('Smash') as though these were being done for a Broadway show, but then we get the thrill of jumping inside the heads of people and give the audience another perspective that only the medium of film can deliver. In theater, you can't be in more than one place at a time -- there's just one frame and everything happens inside it. In film, you can jump inside, outside, back and forth. It's a very visceral experience."Besides McPhee, Jim Chory, the line producer and co-exec producer, marks a rare exception to the steeped-in-stage curriculum vitae of the "Smash" principals. His job is even more challenging than usual because of all the sked juggling and cross-boarding done to accommodate the tuner aspects of the show, but his background working on vfx and action-intensive shows like "Heroes" and "The Event" was good training.Rebeck and her fellow exec producer David Marshall Grant and the writing staff also face intense pressure to go above and beyond the typically punishing sked of a weekly drama series."There are about six extra steps that you have to take on each episode," Rebeck says. "The biggest challenge is that you can't change your mind, you can't hesitate, and you have to commit to all your story (points) earlier on. That's been a trick to figure out, because the thrill of TV is that as you're on the ride, a character or a storyline will really pop. For us it's really hard to move things around, but we still need to be able to accommodate that if it happens."(Mayer notes that his assistant director on two episodes, Luis Nieves, came to "Smash" from USA Network's high-octane drama "Burn Notice." "He thought he was prepared for anything after all those explosions, and after two days he said to me 'Oh my god, singing and dancing is so much harder.' ")From the start, the creative vision for "Smash" was to ground the series in the universal themes of ambition, aspiration and drive, rooted in the colorful clutch of characters who have to come together to get a Broadway musical off the ground -- the test of wills that it takes to get it launched, and then the even longer odds that the show will have more than a fortnight in the footlights.Spielberg and Co. were committed to making it absolutely Shubert Alley-authentic, but without being so inside the proscenium as to turn off viewers who have never set foot in a Broadway theater. It's a tricky balance."We never want this show to become 'Entourage.' We never want it to be totally insular to the theater community, so that even if you have no interest in Broadway you could still love this show," Zadan says. "We've all been watchdogs on the scripts. Every time it starts to veer into the direction of being too theater-oriented, we remind ourselves to broaden the base and go to the personal stories."The show's move from Showtime to NBC wound up helping its producers keep the focus on the broader dreamers-and-schemers theme. The initial draft of the pilot that Rebeck wrote for Showtime featured the same group of characters and "Marilyn" concept, but it was darker and edgier in the way pay TV fare demands. The need to make "Smash" work for the traditional upscale NBC drama aud has helped keep the focus on the characters and their motivations."When it was Showtime, it was darker and a little bit more cynical. And honestly, it didn't need that," Greenblatt says. "I was happy to take another look at it in the broadcast venue. It's a hopeful story that portrays the power of true optimism, which I think is a very welcome (sentiment) in our country today."Although the musical is the fulcrum of the show, Rebeck has no plans for an episode that features the "Marilyn" tuner from start to finish. "What we want you to see is the musical as something that is part of the lives of the people who are creating it," she says. (It's unclear where the storyline will go if the show is renewed for a second season.)Greenblatt says he thinks the prevalence of reality shows that has created celebrities out of everyday folks in recent years sets the stage nicely for viewers to latch onto "Smash" and the quest of McPhee's struggling singer Karen Cartwright to achieve stardom via "Marilyn." It's no accident that "Smash" will air in tandem with "The Voice," which proved a surprise hit for the Peacock last spring. And of course, McPhee got her start as a contestant on Fox's "American Idol."" 'Smash' is little bit like a scripted version of 'The Voice,' where out of obscurity someone is given a platform and suddenly everyone's talking about that person," Greenblatt says. "We want to tap into that exhilaration and the highs and lows of performing. The audience may learn a little bit about how a musical is put together, but that is not the main intention. We want the audience to be carried along by the drama and the passion and the excitement of it all."Sam Thielman contributed to this report. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Kim Jong-il's Tasteless Cinematic Legacy: In Memoriam

Kim Jong-il, the reclusive North Korean leader who died Sunday at age 69, was a tyrant, a thug, a meddler, a menace, a fanatic, a spendthrift, a dilettante, and a dangerous visionary responsible for some of the worst abuses witnessed by world civilization in the last half century. But enough about his movies. The awfulness of Kim’s regime — its human-rights transgressions, its warmongering, its political ruthlessness — obviously cannot be overstated, and anyone who’s seen such bracing nonfiction fare as Yodok Stories (about DPRK concentration camp refugees who stage a musical about their lives), Kimjongilia (about surviving under the Dear Leader’s oppressive thumb) or The Red Chapel (about Kim’s sociocultural stranglehold on Pyongyang) knows full well about the nightmare that is life above the 38th Parallel. His horrors and quirks made him an easy target for such infamous parodies as those filling Team America: World Police, yet it’s also worth substituting millions of men, women and children for “Arec Bardwin” in this clip for some leavening historical perspective: And once you’ve got that out of the way, let’s reflect on that time when Kim — a notorious cinephile who had put an international assortment of filmmakers and other “cultural consultants” (read: political prisoners) to work as DPRK propagandists (several of whom wound up committing suicide) — kidnapped South Korean filmmaker Shin Sang-ok and his ex-wife Choi Eun-hee. Their mission: Help Kim establish North Korea as a force in world cinema. They did exactly that with Pulgasari, quite possibly the worst monster movie in the history of a genre absolutely choked with awful films. Though, as with so many of the country’s most memorable cultural contributions over the years (Mass Games and magic shows come to mind) it’s a little more complicated than that: Despite Shin’s internal turmoil (or perhaps because of it), the director does have a few standouts from this phase in his career. Among them is Pulgasari, a Godzilla-esque film some suspect was meant as a slam to the cult of personality surrounding Kim Jong Il’s father as well as a veiled depiction of Shin’s feelings about his egomaniacal taskmaster. Fortunately, Kim loved it, largely because he interpreted the flick as an outright critique of capitalism. Even from beneath a pile of accolades and money, Shin and Choi couldn’t stop dreaming of escape. In fact, their “Dear Leader” was building them a mansion and a Hollywood-worthy movie set when the couple went to Vienna to negotiate film distribution rights in 1986. There, Shin and Choi eluded their bodyguards, fled to the American embassy, and pled for asylum. Discussions they’d secretly taped with their executive producer were used as proof that they hadn’t gone to North Korea for fame and fortune (as they’d been forced to claim during press conferences), and they were allowed to return home to South Korea. Shin passed away in 2006, at the age of 79. Kim Jong Il had to go back to relying on homegrown talent to crank out roughly 60 movies a year, but he never achieved his dream of winning an international audience. Regardless, as of 2006, a sign outside the country’s Ministry of Culture read, “Make More Cartoons”—proof that Kim Jong Il continued to impart his wisdom, and influence, on North Korean filmmakers. Here’s a glimpse at Pulgasari, for which I apologize in advance: And then there was Kim’s utterly vapid On the Art of Cinema, a 1973 book that served as both a motivational text for North Korea’s stillborn movie industry and a film-theory curio that no doubt just got a lot harder to find on Amazon. Among the “insights” therein: The cinema is now one of the main objects on which efforts should be concentrated in order to conduct the revolution in art and literature. The cinema occupies an important place in the overall development of art and literature. As such it is a powerful ideological weapon for the revolution and construction. Therefore, concentrating efforts on the cinema, making breakthroughs and following up success in all areas of art and literature is the basic principle that we must adhere to in revolutionizing art and literature. I mean, sure? I still prefer Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies 10 times out of 10, but maybe I’m missing something. In any case, we are left now with Kim’s son, Kim Jong-un, whose first economic policy effort as the DPRK’s new leader will no doubt be to find a buyer for his dad’s rumored collection of 20,000 DVDs. After all, the country needs all the GDP boost it can get, and to hear experts tell it, the kid’s more of “Watch Instantly” guy anyway. Good riddance to one and all.

Martha Stewart in 'Active Discussions' on New Hallmark Deal

She may not have been born this way, but Lady Gaga was pop's top-earning woman in 2011.our editor recommendsTony Bennett's Nude Lady Gaga Sketch Available on EBayLady Gaga Reveals 'Dream' of Working With Woody AllenThe Scene at THR's 2011 Women In Entertainment Power 100 Breakfast PHOTOS: THR's 2011 Women in Entertainment Power 100 According to Forbes, Lady Gaga earned $90 million from album sales, touring and endorsements -- double the estimated earnings of Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, who made $45 million and $44 million, respectively. In Gaga context, that's over $5 million for each of the pop provocateur's nearly 17 million Twitter followers, or $2 million a piece for her Facebook little monsters. The numbers reflect earnings between May 2010 and 2011. COMPLETE LIST: 2011 Women in Entertainment Power 100 That calendar means Adele, who notched $18 million and ninth place with only a few months of record-keeping for her chart-ruling 21, may be tough competition for Mother Monster in 2012. Rounding out the top 10 list was Beyonce ($35 million), Rihanna ($29 million), Pink ($22 million), Carrie Underwood ($20 million), Celine Dion ($19 million) and Britney Spears, who tied with Alicia Keys at $10 million for the No. 10 spot. Overall, U2 was Forbes' top act in music, with the band notching $195 million. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 54th Annual Grammy Nominees: Kanye West, Adele, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Katy Perry Related Topics Katy Perry Lady Gaga Taylor Swift

'The Girl Using the Dragon Tattoo' Premiere: Rooney Mara, Difficulties Hit the Red-colored Carpet (Photos)

Roger Arpajou/The new sony Pictures Classics"Night time in Paris" The nominees for that 18th annual SAG Honours were introduced on Wednesday, 12 ,. 14. The Assistance brought with four nominations, generating a number one role nomination for Viola Davis who plays the maid Aibileen Clark, supporting noms for Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer, along with a film ensemble nom.our editor recommends'The Help' Leads Screen Stars Guild Honours NominationsSAG Honours TV: 'Modern Family' Leads Nominations, 'Homeland' SnubbedSAG Honours Nominations: The Nominees' ReactionsSAG Honours: The NomineesSAG Honours Nominations: Key Stats, Inclusions and Snubs (Analysis)SAG Honours: 'Suits' Star Patrick Adams Responds to Shocking Nomination, Talks 'Friday Evening Lights' ExperienceSAG Honours: Jon Cryer on His First Nomination: 'I Didn't Have Reason Whatsoever to anticipate I'd Be Included'Why the SAG Honours Want to get Serious (Analysis)Dick Van Dyke Getting back With TV Wife Mary Tyler Moore at SAG Honours Other films nominated for the best film ensemble range from the Artist, The Descendants, Night time in Paris and Bridesmaids. For that television nominations, ABC's Modern Family leads total of 5 nods, including outstanding comedy ensemble. Dexter and 30 Rock follow with three nominations each. PHOTOS: SAG Honours Nominees The 18th annual SAG Honours will occur on Sunday, Jan. 29. The entire listing of nominees: Film Outstanding Performance With A Cast Inside A Film Bridesmaids The Artist The Descendants The Assistance Night time in Paris STORY: 'The Help' Leads Screen Stars Guild Honours Nominations Outstanding Performance With A Male Actor Inside A Leading Role George Clooney, The Descendants Demian Bichir, A Much Better Existence Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar Jean Dujardin, The Artist Kaira Pitt, Moneyball Outstanding Performance With A Female Actor Inside A Leading Role Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs Viola Davis, The Assistance Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady Tilda Swinton, We have to Discuss Kevin Outstanding Performance With A Male Actor Inside A Supporting Role Nick Nolte, Warrior Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn Armie Hammer, J. Edgar Jonah Hill, Moneyball Christopher Plummer, Beginners Outstanding Performance With A Female Actor Inside A Supporting Role Octavia Spencer, The Assistance Berenice Bejo, The Artist Jessica Chastain, The Assistance Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids Jesse McTeer, Albert Nobbs ANALYSIS: SAG Honours Nominations Key Stats, Inclusions and Snubs Outstanding Performance With A Stunt Ensemble Inside A Film The Adjustment Bureau Cowboys & Aliens Harry Potter and also the Deahtly Hallows: Part II Transformers: Dark from the Moon X-Males: Top Class TELEVISION Outstanding Performance With A Male Actor Inside A Television Movie Or Miniseries Laurence Fishburne, Thurgood Paul Giamatti, Too Large to Fail Greg Kinnear, The Kennedys Guy Pearce, Mildred Pierce James Forest, Too Large to Fail Outstanding Performance With A Female Actor Inside A Television Movie Or Miniseries Diane Lane, Cinema Verite Maggie Cruz, Downton Abbey Emily Watson, Appropriate Adult Betty Whitened, The Lost Valentine Kate Winslet, Mildred Pierce Outstanding Performance With A Male Actor Inside A Drama Series Patrick J. Adams, Suits Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire Kyle Chandler, Friday Evening Lights Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad Michael C. Hall, Dexter Outstanding Performance With A Female Actor Inside A Drama Series Kathy Bates, Harry's Law Glenn Close, Damages Jessica Lange, American Horror Story Julianna Margules, The Great Wife Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer Outstanding Performance With A Male Actor Inside A Comedy Series Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock Ty Burrell, Modern Family Steve Carell, Work Jon Cryer, 2 . 5 Males Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family Outstanding Performance With A Female Actor Inside A Comedy Series Julie Bowen, Modern Family Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie Tina Fey, 30 Rock Sofia Vergara, Modern Family Betty Whitened, Hot In Cleveland Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble Inside A Drama Series Boardwalk Empire Breaking Bad Dexter Bet on Thrones The Great Wife Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble Inside A Comedy Series 30 Rock The Large Bang Theory Glee Modern Family Work Outstanding Performance With A Stunt Ensemble Inside A Television Series Dexter Bet on Thrones Southland Spartacus: Gods from the Arena True Bloodstream PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery SAG Honours: The Nominees SAG Honours SAG Honours 2011 The Artist The Assistance

Marion Cotillard Whines (and Wins) in John Cameron Mitchell's 5-Minute Lady Dior Ad

Before I gift you with John Cameron Mitchell’s cute and funny five-minute short film for Dior where Marion Cotillard endures a panic attack during a photo shoot, let me acknowledge one unsettling truth: When she’s wearing banana curls and pink lipstick, Cotillard is a dead-ringer for Katy Perry. I DID NOT MAKE THE RULES. I’m sorry I discovered this, and I hope we can join hands and chuckle as we watch this silly photoshoot parody. “Open up that neck for me!” Best lines: “We really, really love your movie! I can’t wait to see it”; “What do you think of this? Tibetan prayer flags laced with Aztec gold. Isn’t that clever?” And of course, “There are people — tiny little people in the real world — who are counting on you.” The short is based on a Richard Avedon short film from the ’70s starring Lauren Hutton, and the mania of it is pretty similar. Every time I see Cotillard, it’s like I’m adoring her for the first time. Her conniption at the end is priceless. L.A.dy Dior The Film - Starring Marion Cotillard [The Beauty Shop]

George Clooney States Aloha To MTV's #9 Movie Of 2011

I confess I'm not the finest fan of "The Descendants." But clearly I'm inside the minority. For starters, the film can be a near lock to nab Oscar nominations for top Picture, Best Actor (George Clooney) and greatest Director (Alexander Payne), and could leave with wins for individuals three if Academy voters sour on "The Artist." Two, I don't think I've heard crying such as this in the theater since "Schindler's List," or even "Jack and Jill." And three, "Descendants" showed up inside the #9 devote MTV's Better of 2011 Movies list. My knock in the movie is squarely with Clooney's Matt King, an egocentric, workaholic, absentee father who out of the blue discovers he loves his after she suffers a catastrophic brain injuries and can die. In my opinion, that is not genuine it's self-delusional and basically loathsome. It might be one factor once the movie developed a reason behind exploring King's egotism. Rather, he's organized just like a hero, a blameless good guy, whilst is constantly put his needs ahead indeed, in place of people of his family people. Let us suppose this movie informed within the wife's perspective, and that is that tragedy where she's in the loveless marriage getting a man who's a complete d--k, and out of the blue she falls deeply deeply in love with another guy and starts imaging of one other existence for herself but eventually eventually ends up falling into coma. Identical story, and King's the villain. In Payne's telling, I never really buy King's grief. It feels forced, inauthentic. A more sincere analysis of grief occur in Cameron Crowe's "We Bought a Zoo," the story of just one family spinning within the dying in the mother. Matt Damon supplies a heartbreaking performance just like a father trying to breathe new existence into his deflated kids' lives. It's a tale that could be cheesy in almost anybody else's hands aside from Crowe's. "Zoo," though, isn't invoice discounting to the honours conversation. Yet that's also what's so enjoyable about these finish-of-the-year debates: no an individual's prone to accept everything, then when smart, informed people meet up to talk about movies, a person finishes up searching at films with fresh insight. This is actually the hope, no less than. But we nailed it inside our roundtable. Have a look by yourself on Friday at 4:30 p.m., after we live stream our debate in regards to the 5 best movies of 2011 at MTV Movies and NextMovie. Related: #10 Movie of year: "Attack the Block" All this week, watch "AMTV" on MTV each day at 8 a.m. ET for that Better of 2011 lists. Then, showed up at MTVNews.com at 5 p.m. after we reveal our top chioces of year!

A Virtual Detective: A Game Title Of Shadows clip online

A brand new clip from hotly-anticipated super-sleuth follow up A Virtual Detective: A Game Title Of Shadows finds its way online.Fortunately the footage does not scrimp around the one factor we have arrived at love most relating to this new franchise: the bromantic banter between Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law (Also known as Holmes and Watson).Watson appears at Holmes' Baker Street residence, but he aren't able to find his elusive, chameleon-like partner...That's an adequate amount of our description, get watching it on your own now.A Virtual Detective: A Game Title Of Shadows opens within the United kingdom this Friday. Why don't you pass time for now by reading through our overview of the film?

The Grateful Cast of 'Lysistrata Jones' Opens Up

NY (AP) Backstage in a tiny room at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway, four theater buffs are geeking out."This is Angela Lansbury's dressing room!" one says, referring to the time when the "Murder She Wrote" star was in a revival of Stephen Sondhein's "A Little Night Music.""Yes!" says another, looking around."And Bernadette Peters," says a third."Bernadette was upstairs, I think," corrects another.To be backstage is clearly something these four relish. But they're not just passing through: They've moved in.Patti Murin, Liz Mikel, Josh Segarra and Lindsay Nicole Chambers are starring in "Lysistrata Jones," a musical update of Aristophanes' play "Lysistrata" by Douglas Carter Beane. Half have been on Broadway before, but as understudies. It marks the first time all four are originating a Broadway part.Murin, a 5-foot-4 actress from upstate NY who is playing the plucky Lysistrata, has claimed the dressing room used by such luminaries as Edie Falco, Gabriel Byrne and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Mikel, a Dallas native making her Broadway debut, is sharing with Chambers the dressing room once occupied by Lansbury, Lauren Bacall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Elaine Stritch and, more recently, Ben Stiller during the recent run of "The House of Blue Leaves."For Segarra, who nabbed Jennifer Jason Leigh's old dressing room, just being in the Walter Kerr Theatre is special enough. Toward the end of his high school career, he and his dad visited the theater to watch "Take Me Out" and the teenage Segarra was so impressed that he decided to become a stage actor on the spot."I was like, 'This is what I want to do. This is it,'" says Segarra, 25, from Longwood, Fla. "For me, this is really surreal to know that I get to perform on this stage, where it comes full circle."He and his three co-stars have had a strange trip to this point, having taken the show from a 99-seat basement church gymnasium in Greenwich Village to a 950-seat theater in Times Square. The three actresses have been with it even longer, having been with the show since it debuted last year at Dallas Theater Center.Beane and his real-life partner, composer and lyricist Lewis Flinn, have taken the 2,400-year-old comedy about Athenian women withholding sex until their men stop fighting and plopped it to present day Athens College, where the basketball team hasn't won in decades. Enter transfer student Lysistrata Jones, who dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop "giving it up" until their boyfriends win a game. The musical has real basketballs bounced, passed and shot into hoops.The show is full of Beane's signature arch humor but also deftly explores the tension between determinism and choice. Chambers, 31, who was an understudy on Broadway for "Hairspray" and "Legally Blonde," says the mix of yuks and sentiment was a key reason she signed up. Campy is not fun if you're just being crass, says the Columbus, Ohio, native who is engaged to Chris Barron, the lead singer of the Spin Doctors. "It's much more fun to be campy when you do have a real heart."While parts often get recast with big names when shows jump to Broadway, the team behind "Lysistrata Jones" refused, partly because the Transport Group-produced musical needs athletic, young-looking actors. And partly as a matter of loyalty for a group who had sacrificed much."When people signed on to do that show in Greenwich Village, it was for less money than unemployment. Literally, if you got jury duty, it would have been a pay hike," says Beane, who nixed any idea of replacing his brood. "I'd go to theater jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200."The cast has a dozen actors and actresses who director and choreographer Dan Knechtges says are "overflowing with soul." He says his main job was to get out of the way so the audience could see their vibrant personalities."We sort of picked not necessarily the best triple threats around. But we picked people who had the most interesting personality, the most unique voice, the most unique look and out of that we tried to them make them do all of those things," says Knechtges.Murin, 31, a lithe blonde from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., is perfectly cast as a cheerleader, having been one at Syracuse University while studying musical theater. She was an understudy in Beane's "Xanadu" on Broadway and recently played the title role in "Emma" at The Old Globe in San Diego.She's been with the show since the beginning in Texas and in addition to singing, acting and dancing, has been asked to shoot three baskets on stage during the show, one of which is particularly tricky.If she misses, she vows to continue trying until she makes it. Her husband, a basketball nut and fellow actor Curtis Holbrook, has advised her not to be scared of failing. "There will be times I know I'll get into slumps," she says. "I guess it is a little bit of added pressure but it's OK. I'm learning to deal with that."The cast bonded recently during a five-day basketball clinic led by Chris Mullin, the retired NBA All-Star. He taught the actors the fundamentals of the sport and they say he gave them confidence.For Segarra, who plays a dimwitted baller and Lysistrata's love interest, dribbling comes second nature. A NY University graduate, he made his high school basketball team during his freshman year, but quit after being cast in a school production of "The Sound of Music." Unlike some of his fellow actors, Segarra is comfortable with a ball in his hand."That's when I have the most fun. That's when I get to show off because I know people are in the audience going, 'Let's see these theater boys play basketball,'" he says. "And I'll just drop it and start going. And I'll watch people's faces go, 'Oh.' That's my most prideful moment."Mikel, a veteran of the Dallas theater and music scenes who was best known nationally as Corinna Williams on the TV series "Friday Night Lights," is making her Broadway debut, but says she isn't making a huge deal out of it."Having done this professionally for 20 years now, I didn't want to psyche myself up and say, 'Oh, this is Broadway,'" she says. "It's another show. This is what I do. I'm grateful it has this geographical location, but it's what we do."One clear benefit to being in such a high-energy show is that none of the cast needs to go to the gym any more. Sweat rolls off them even before the finale, a 15-minute intense sequence of dancing and singing and layups."We can eat anything that we want!" says Chambers."I've never been skinnier in my life," agrees Murin, who is somewhat shocked to find herself snacking on chocolate bars. "You can't really talk to a whole lot of people about it. They're like, 'Oh, that sucks for you, doesn't it?'"Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Mark Kennedy December 12, 2011 "Lysistrata Jones" PHOTO CREDIT Joan Marcus NY (AP) Backstage in a tiny room at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway, four theater buffs are geeking out."This is Angela Lansbury's dressing room!" one says, referring to the time when the "Murder She Wrote" star was in a revival of Stephen Sondhein's "A Little Night Music.""Yes!" says another, looking around."And Bernadette Peters," says a third."Bernadette was upstairs, I think," corrects another.To be backstage is clearly something these four relish. But they're not just passing through: They've moved in.Patti Murin, Liz Mikel, Josh Segarra and Lindsay Nicole Chambers are starring in "Lysistrata Jones," a musical update of Aristophanes' play "Lysistrata" by Douglas Carter Beane. Half have been on Broadway before, but as understudies. It marks the first time all four are originating a Broadway part.Murin, a 5-foot-4 actress from upstate NY who is playing the plucky Lysistrata, has claimed the dressing room used by such luminaries as Edie Falco, Gabriel Byrne and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Mikel, a Dallas native making her Broadway debut, is sharing with Chambers the dressing room once occupied by Lansbury, Lauren Bacall, Kristin Scott Thomas, Elaine Stritch and, more recently, Ben Stiller during the recent run of "The House of Blue Leaves."For Segarra, who nabbed Jennifer Jason Leigh's old dressing room, just being in the Walter Kerr Theatre is special enough. Toward the end of his high school career, he and his dad visited the theater to watch "Take Me Out" and the teenage Segarra was so impressed that he decided to become a stage actor on the spot."I was like, 'This is what I want to do. This is it,'" says Segarra, 25, from Longwood, Fla. "For me, this is really surreal to know that I get to perform on this stage, where it comes full circle."He and his three co-stars have had a strange trip to this point, having taken the show from a 99-seat basement church gymnasium in Greenwich Village to a 950-seat theater in Times Square. The three actresses have been with it even longer, having been with the show since it debuted last year at Dallas Theater Center.Beane and his real-life partner, composer and lyricist Lewis Flinn, have taken the 2,400-year-old comedy about Athenian women withholding sex until their men stop fighting and plopped it to present day Athens College, where the basketball team hasn't won in decades. Enter transfer student Lysistrata Jones, who dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop "giving it up" until their boyfriends win a game. The musical has real basketballs bounced, passed and shot into hoops.The show is full of Beane's signature arch humor but also deftly explores the tension between determinism and choice. Chambers, 31, who was an understudy on Broadway for "Hairspray" and "Legally Blonde," says the mix of yuks and sentiment was a key reason she signed up. Campy is not fun if you're just being crass, says the Columbus, Ohio, native who is engaged to Chris Barron, the lead singer of the Spin Doctors. "It's much more fun to be campy when you do have a real heart."While parts often get recast with big names when shows jump to Broadway, the team behind "Lysistrata Jones" refused, partly because the Transport Group-produced musical needs athletic, young-looking actors. And partly as a matter of loyalty for a group who had sacrificed much."When people signed on to do that show in Greenwich Village, it was for less money than unemployment. Literally, if you got jury duty, it would have been a pay hike," says Beane, who nixed any idea of replacing his brood. "I'd go to theater jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200."The cast has a dozen actors and actresses who director and choreographer Dan Knechtges says are "overflowing with soul." He says his main job was to get out of the way so the audience could see their vibrant personalities."We sort of picked not necessarily the best triple threats around. But we picked people who had the most interesting personality, the most unique voice, the most unique look and out of that we tried to them make them do all of those things," says Knechtges.Murin, 31, a lithe blonde from Hopewell Junction, N.Y., is perfectly cast as a cheerleader, having been one at Syracuse University while studying musical theater. She was an understudy in Beane's "Xanadu" on Broadway and recently played the title role in "Emma" at The Old Globe in San Diego.She's been with the show since the beginning in Texas and in addition to singing, acting and dancing, has been asked to shoot three baskets on stage during the show, one of which is particularly tricky.If she misses, she vows to continue trying until she makes it. Her husband, a basketball nut and fellow actor Curtis Holbrook, has advised her not to be scared of failing. "There will be times I know I'll get into slumps," she says. "I guess it is a little bit of added pressure but it's OK. I'm learning to deal with that."The cast bonded recently during a five-day basketball clinic led by Chris Mullin, the retired NBA All-Star. He taught the actors the fundamentals of the sport and they say he gave them confidence.For Segarra, who plays a dimwitted baller and Lysistrata's love interest, dribbling comes second nature. A NY University graduate, he made his high school basketball team during his freshman year, but quit after being cast in a school production of "The Sound of Music." Unlike some of his fellow actors, Segarra is comfortable with a ball in his hand."That's when I have the most fun. That's when I get to show off because I know people are in the audience going, 'Let's see these theater boys play basketball,'" he says. "And I'll just drop it and start going. And I'll watch people's faces go, 'Oh.' That's my most prideful moment."Mikel, a veteran of the Dallas theater and music scenes who was best known nationally as Corinna Williams on the TV series "Friday Night Lights," is making her Broadway debut, but says she isn't making a huge deal out of it."Having done this professionally for 20 years now, I didn't want to psyche myself up and say, 'Oh, this is Broadway,'" she says. "It's another show. This is what I do. I'm grateful it has this geographical location, but it's what we do."One clear benefit to being in such a high-energy show is that none of the cast needs to go to the gym any more. Sweat rolls off them even before the finale, a 15-minute intense sequence of dancing and singing and layups."We can eat anything that we want!" says Chambers."I've never been skinnier in my life," agrees Murin, who is somewhat shocked to find herself snacking on chocolate bars. "You can't really talk to a whole lot of people about it. They're like, 'Oh, that sucks for you, doesn't it?'"Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Legendary Postpones The month of the month of january Start Paradise Lost

EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Pictures has stopped expects to start production early next season on Paradise Lost, the epic-sized Alex Proyas-directed film in regards to the fight between good and evil that's inspired with the John Milton poem. Bradley Cooper happen to be set to see Lucifer, Benjamin Master to see the archangel Michael, and Diego Boneta playing Adam and Camilla Belle Eve, with many other stars occur the knowledge epic. I’m told the film isn’t scrapped rather, Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni continues developing it to produce the script better and rework a low cost which in fact had passed the $120 million mark. The look has crewed up with an Australia shoot as well as the talent and underneath the line is researching the postponement at this time around that is always a massive disappointment each time a large film features its own start date scratched, even if it's temporary.

Dinerstein joins new Liddell distrib

Liddell Entertainment gets in to the distribution game, developing a brand new label, LD Distribution, to become headed by indie distrib vet David Dinerstein. L.A.-based startup intends to release 4 to 6 films, beginning the coming year with three photos including William Friedkin's "Killer Joe," that Liddell bought U.S. privileges in September. Other photos to undergo LD Distribution include scarer "The GatheringInch and "Disconnect," toplining Jason Bateman and Alexander Skarsgard. "We are trying to pay attention to getting a varied slate," Dinerstein told Variety. "Some films may begin out like a platform release, while some may have a large release. We be prepared to make the most of every chance available on the market.Inch Since its formation in 2006 by Mickey Liddell, Liddell Entertainment has joined most frequently with Kerbside Points of interest to get and distribute product, including 2009 docu "Good Hair" and many lately Glenn Close period pic "Albert Nobbs," dated for Jan. 27. The organization also started joining up with Open Road Films captured for such films as Liam Neeson-starrer "The Gray" and Elizabeth Olsen horror-thriller "Quiet House," each of which are skedded for release throughout first-quarter 2012. Dinerstein, who lately handled the independent road show for Kevin Smith's "Red-colored Condition," will even help manage the approaching Kerbside, Open Road releases. Liddell aims to create between four and six films annually, allocated at $25 million or less. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Will Ferrell Beer Commercial: Watch the Actor inside an Old Milwaukee Ad (VIDEO)

Apparently Will Ferrell loves consuming Old Milwaukee beer. The actor was recently spotted in local Old Milwaukee ads inside the Davenport, Iowa area. According to BusinessInsider, Ferrell did the ads free of charge, though there is no official word why the comic participated. The ads feature the 'Old School' star's signature schtick, while he goes fishing, diving inside the Mississippi and running with glasgow - Davenport. Three in the ads are below for that viewing pleasure. Apologies for that standard: they've been recorded getting a house movie camera off someone's television. [via CinemaBlend and BusinessInsider] [Photo: AP] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

ABC pulls 'Man Up' from schedule

ABC has attracted "Guy Up" in the schedule. In season-to-date earnings including full-week Digital video recorder playback, "Guy Up" was calculating a few.1 rating/5 participate grownups 18-49 and 7.millions of audiences overall -- but "Last Guy Standing" is faring much better before it (3.4/10, 11.8 million). This week's ratings may have been the identifying factor, as "Last Guy Standing" was up week to week while "Guy Up" dipped with a low. Internet shot 13 cases of the skein, and production was finished about recently. Eight episodes have broadcast and ABC might elope the relaxation from the segs inside the summer season. Searching to move on, ABC may also be strongly marketing "Push The Button,In . which will fill the 8:30 p.m. Tuesday slot beginning Jan. 3. "Guy up" stars Mather Zickel, Serta Fogler and Christopher Moynihan as three males searching for their manhood. Produced with the Alphabet's own ABC Art galleries, series is professional produced by Christopher Moynihan, Victor Fresco, Ron West and Kelly Kulchak. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Dan Gilroy Signs On To Pen Stan Lees Chinese Superhero Pic

Screenwriter Dan Gilroy has come aboard to pen the Chinese superhero project The Annihilator (working title) for Magic Storm Entertainment. CEOEric Mika said Gilroy would write the screenplay to introduce theStan Lee superhero to global audiences including the Chinese market asthe first film project of the global film-financing joint venture formed by Stan Lee POW! Entertainment and Ricco Capital-Fidelis Entertainment.Thestory concerns a young man who becomes a superhero who returns to his homeland to mete out justice.Gilroy’s credits include Real Steel, The Bourne Legacy and Two For The Money. Lee described The Annihilator as “the most incrediblyoriginal and unique superhero Ive created in a long time and said praised who added “it’s a joy to have a hand in bringing this to the screen.” Gilroy is repped by CAA.

Bradley Cooper Verifies 'Hangover 3,' Confesses Ryan Gosling Is More sexy

Everyone's favorite blackout crew is returning -- most likely. Within an interview with Graham Norton, 'Hangover' star Bradley Cooper (kind of) confirmed that 'Hangover III' will start filming next fall, and (possibly) be occur La. "Personally, i wish to accomplish it. I really hope we will start shooting in September. I understand Todd Philips is focusing on the script" stated the lately crowned Most sexy Guy Alive. Talking about which, there's been a little of the backlash over Bradley being granted the Most sexy title. Many felt Ryan Gosling was more deserving than Cooper, but Bradley does not mind -- he even confesses that Gosling is more sexy. A paparazzi photo of Gosling "literally appears like he's inside a photo shoot, like he just came from the runway ... After which there's ones of me, and that i literally seem like the neighbor who never arrives of his house," confesses Cooper. For another 'Hangover' follow up, don't be concerned: if there's a 'Hangover III,' may possibly not "follow the structure" from the latter, meaning Philips will need to develop not-recycled jokes this time around around. [via Vulture] [Photo: GF/bauergriffinonline.com] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Jeremy Piven on I Melt Together With You and also searching for your Anti-Ari Gold

Mark Pellington’s bromantic thriller I Melt Together With You've made quite the splash at Sundance, not the kind a filmmaker always desires to make: Experts walked in the film, recoiling within the bleakness displayed inside the tale of four former college pals (Jeremy Piven, Thomas Jane, Make the most of Lowe, and Christian McKay), returning for just about any weekend bender, who confront their collective middle-aged disillusionment with progressively violent finishes. Co-star Piven understood right from the start it may be a polarizing project to battle. “This movie isn’t for everyone — and, In my opinion, in a great way,” Piven recognized to Movieline in Park City, Utah carrying out a film’s infamous festival debut (a long version from the interview was formerly launched). “But… listen,” he ongoing. “I understood this movie wouldn’t be for everyone, nevertheless it’s personally. Which’s why I totally, psychologically, dedicated to this movie in every single way, shape, and form.” Continue reading through for further with Piven on the requirement for the darkness in I Melt Together With You, getting beneath the skin of his crooked Bernie Madoff-esque character, and the way he’s attempting to achieve not even close to Entourage’s Ari Gold. Did this look like material that people would find difficult when you see the script? Yeah. This movie isn’t for everyone — and, In my opinion, in a great way. In the event you don’t desire to even approach the idea of addressing what you're in this particular existence, it’s likely to be a tough movie that you ought to sit watching. It might be very polarizing concurrently, you are able to recognize totally committed people and you will not love these figures but… listen, I understood this movie wouldn’t be for everyone, nevertheless it’s personally. Which’s why I totally, psychologically, dedicated to this movie in every single way, shape, and form. Which I’m very, happy by using it. I really like it raises very good feelings, good or bad, in people. In my opinion we’ve done our responsibility. One of the film’s primary styles might be the fragility in the modern male psyche… There aren’t plenty of movies such as this. Some males don’t are covering that. Is always that a thing that initially spoke for you personally around the personal level? In my opinion so. If you have been people open to whom it’s better to placed their forces into a number of things, or point fingers, rather than putting a mirror around themselves. But it’s our most critical conversations to own. Because of this we've art, and art isn’t for everyone. Your character Ron, along with his pals, is going to terms with the fact he isn’t quite where he seriously considered when he was youthful — but unlike others, he resists facing his mistakes prior to the real existence forces him in to a corner. In my opinion he’s among people males who thinks it’s all mumbo jumbo, which he doesn’t desire to visit. He desires to have this ongoing relationship along with his wife and kids, and concurrently, he’s permanently or ill, buying their love. He’s done the wrong factor he’s lied, he’s cheated, he’s stolen little bits plus it’s advanced to the level where it’s incredibly dangerous to him and also the family. And you also realize that happening in popular culture constantly — the truth is the Bernie Madoffs available, now it’s a very timely character. Which he faced the effects. To find out that story play notice did, once i make out the print I believed, “There’s no chance I am in a position to’t play this role. I have to play this role. I have to visit.” The story centers around a pact some pals made two-and-a-half decades ago, an agreement borne from the collective idealistic punk romanticism. You think Ron ever really bought inside it to begin with? In my opinion he was to the energy from this, which he was a little more mainstream in comparison to relaxation in the males if this involves he was driven, and loved the feeling to become the primary one getting employment and after a little money. He was the ambitious entrepreneur inside the crew, but he'd an anarchic streak in older times that merely got homogenized while he elevated older. Your character and Tom Jane’s character represent that they like a apparent art versus. commerce divide, the theme that continues to be beneath the surface. (I Melt Together With You was acquired during the time of their Sundance premiere by Magnolia Pictures.) Yes, exactly. Which arrives inside the movie. What’s funny is always that people gravitate toward me thinking will have the ability to play these figures that are distracted by money. Concurrently, I had been elevated in the family where my parents are theater artists we was elevated in essentially the thing that was a vintage folks’ home, because we didn’t have money. Therefore I was ornamented with people with neck braces too as with electric electric wheelchairs and whatnot, because that’s everything you triggered by save lots of money once your parents are hands on artists. They’re theater stars who simply don’t get paid out. Which’s the means by that we was elevated. I used to be incredibly lucky, which i wouldn’t put it back for your world. So people are my roots. I’m some boring thespian from Chicago, which i’ve carried out these figures that people may connect me with. Why you think that's? Because I am in a position to. Because of the very fact I am in a position to. That’s it. The next journey will probably be playing all several types of figures. As you have seen by my energy, I’m much different then the Ari Golds around the world. So that it’s my job to manifest people other roles. Ron, as you have seen, visits an area that Ari Gold wouldn't visit, ever. That was a complete gift. Came from here on, are you currently presently striving to flee Ari? Oh, that’s all I’m doing. I play five different figures inside the new Spy Kids movie. Coping with Mark Pellington, to whom I Melt Together With You seems very personal, which kind of conversations perhaps you have have with him to understand where he was coming initially from from? Anytime you own an artist of Mark Pellington’s quality, you understand you’re apt to be in good hands. I'm speaking about, I’ve seen everything he’s done, which i loved the notion that he’s so incredibly gifted visually too. Then the fact he’s totally mounted on this story as well as the music which world, you just invest all you've got and you also know you’re in good hands. It’s this kind of rare factor, plus it’s a stylish factor which personally i think incredibly fortunate. Therefore I’m really pleased with what really came to exist all of this. Without beginning spoilers, how will you begin to see the ending in the film? Its darkness seems to think about people suddenly, takes them using their rut. Well, the film’s a number of things and you'll absorb it on a multitude of levels. Concurrently, the first is ok. It’s not just a documentary, plus it’s not based on true tales. If, within the finish in the movie, you kind of register by yourself — where am I at wonderful this kind of stuff? — plus it raises questions, those start questioning where they’re at and whatever they be worried about and who they wish to maintain this existence, that’ll be an amazing factor. Whether you want it or hate it. Because this question for you is the impetus for all things in the film: Where perhaps you have see yourself two-and-a-half decades ago? I haven’t been asked for that question. I used to be attending school acting, and loving which have. Which I switched that need considering a functional actor. I’ve become an chance to complete things i enjoy do, which is not more valuable than almost every other job, it really is a factor that we connected that my family members connects with. I’m just incredibly lucky to become working actor, which’s a few things i was pursuing at 2 decades old. Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Bruno Mars on 6 Grammy Nominations: 'It Feels Incredible'

Bruno Mars raked in an impressive six Grammy nominations on Wednesday, Nov. 30, ranking among acts including Adele and the Foo Fighters. A newcomer to the Grammy race, Mars' Doo-Wops & Hooligans is up for album of the year and his hit single "Grenade" for record and song of the year.our editor recommendsGrammy Nominations: By the NumbersGrammy Awards: Complete List of NomineesGrammy Nominations: Kanye West Tops With 7 Nods; Adele, Rihanna Among Album of Year Contenders PHOTOS: 54th Annual Grammy Nominees "It feels incredible," he said backstage at the Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! inside the Nokia Theatre. "Me and these guys [Producers The Smeezingtons] locked ourselves in a studio not too far from here to work on this album, especially 'Grenade,' that's the song we worked the hardest on. That's our trophy right there. "Of all the songs that we've been fortunate enough to be a part of this year, we were most proud of that one," Mars added. STORY: Grammy Nominations By the Numbers As for whether Mars will add "Grammy Winner" to his resume, he'll have to wait until Feb. 12 to see. For now, he'll revel in honor of just being nominated alongside some mega-talented artists. "I don't know [about] this awards stuff, I'm still getting used to it," he said. "It's hard for me because Adele is incredible, Kanye West is incredible... the fact that this album is being categorized with all these acts, it's incredible." STORY: Complete List of Grammy Nominees Asked whether he expected to come out atop the nominations list, Mars quipped, "Um, yeah! What do you think, I do this for fun?" West nabbed the most nominations for 2012 with seven nods. Mars, Adele and the Foo Fighters trail with six each, while Lil' Wayne and electronic music producer Skillrex -- in one of the biggest surprises of the evening -- came out with five. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery 54th Annual Grammy Nominees: Kanye West, Adele, Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Katy Perry Related Topics Bruno Mars Grammys 2012