The Eyes of Tammy Faye

A documentary look, mostly through the eyes of Tammy Faye Bakker Messner, at her rise and fall as a popular televangelist with husband Jim Bakker. Traces their rise: her teen marriage to Jim; their children's TV show (she was a puppeteer and singer), success founding the 700 Club, co-founding the Trinity Broadcast Network, and starting PTL Network; her nondenominational version of Christianity reaching out to all; and, their building of Heritage USA, a theme park. Things fall apart as money woes mount for Heritage and for Jim, as Tammy takes pills, and as Jerry Falwell takes PTL. Jim goes to prison; she remarries, finds herself alone again, yet remains unsinkable.

Phoenix Pictures to shutter in 2013

Mike Medavoy will close down Phoenix Pictures in 2013 following two decades of film production including "Black Swan," "Shutter Island," "The People vs Larry Flynt," "The Thin Red Line" and "Zodiac."Medavoy told Variety on Friday that he would shutter the company and sell the library in two years in order to spend more time with his family -- and to focus on passion projects outside the Phoenix banner."I want to do what excites me and I want to spend more time with my family, since I now have a 13-year-old son," he said. "As always, I'm ready for new challenges."Phoenix is currently in production on "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and will be the production entity on several other existing Phoenix projects such as "The Last Voyage of Demeter," which Medavoy said is probably the most likely to go into production next. And he'll continue to work on projects outside the Phoenix banner with Phoenix President Arnie Messer, co-presidents Bradley Fischer and David Thwaits and VPs Christopher Trunkey, Edward McGurn and Doug McKay.For example, Medavoy and McKay announced a week ago that they had obtained rights to Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine," which will be produced outside Phoenix. In July, Medavoy and McGurn reached a deal to develop and produce a feature film about the 33 Chilean miners rescued from the San Jos Mine last year with Jos Rivera ("Motorcycle Diaries") writing the script.Medavoy's been involved in more than 300 films -- including seven that have won the best-picture Oscar going back to 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." He penned a 2002 biography, "You're Only as Good as Your Next One: 100 Great Films, 100 Good Films and 100 for Which I Should Be Shot.""I've done all kinds of films -- 'Terminator,' 'Robocop,' 'Silence of the Lambs, 'Philadelphia' -- so what I can say is that if it's different, then it intrigues me," Medavoy told Variety two years ago.The producer's more-than-four decade Hollywood career has encompassed stints as co-chief at United Artists, Orion and Columbia. Phoenix, notably, was inolved with more than 25 films with the same exec team in place.Its last first-look deal with Sony -- under which Phoenix would supply part of the production costs -- expired in 2004 with "The Sixth Man" the final pic made under that arrangement. Phoenix's business model focuses on the basic business of putting together packages, taking them to studios and then navigating the development process, even if it takes years.Medavoy announced in June that he and Shanghai Film Group were teaming on a feature film and a TV miniseries -- both set in World War II in China.Medavoy, who was born in Shanghai in 1941, lived the first six years of his life there before immigrating to Chile and then the U.S. He also produced the WWII thriller "Shanghai," which hasn't yet been released by the Weinstein Co. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Frank Dileo dies at 64

Manager Frank DiLeo, who guided Michael Jackson's career both at the height of his '80s fame and then near the end of the singer's life, died Monday, Aug. 24. He was 63, and had suffered a heart attack and undergone bypass surgery earlier this year.A Pittsburgh native, DiLeo got his start in the industry as a rack jobber and a regional promotion man at Epic Records. He went on to work for RCA and Bell (the precursor of Arista Records).DiLeo was VP of promotion at Epic and turned the slumbering imprint into the hottest label in the country during CBS Records prexy Walter Yetnikoff's regime. His work on behalf of Jackson's multiplatinum 1982 smash "Thriller" led the vocalist to hire DiLeo as his manager in 1984.He shepherded the superstar through the 1987 release of the megahit "Thriller" follow-up "Bad," exec produced the 1988 Jackson video feature "Moonwalker," and was point man on the "Bad" world tour and the Jacksons' "Victory" tour. He also negotiated Jackson's lucrative endorsement deal with Pepsi. However, he was abruptly terminated by the superstar in February 1989.DiLeo also managed Taylor Dayne, Laura Branigan and Jodeci and helmed Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora's solo career. In later years, he was active in Nashville as a manager and music publisher.He reunited with Jackson during the singer's 2005 child molestation trial and rejoined him as manager in 2009. He served as co-producer of the posthumous Jackson documentary "This Is It."The short, rotund DiLeo also enjoyed small but eye-catching roles as mobster Tuddy Cicero in Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas" (1999) and rock promoter Frankie "Mr. Big" Sharp in the Mike Myers-Dana Carvey vehicles "Wayne's World" (1992) and "Wayne's World 2" (1993).DiLeo is survived by his wife, Linda; a son; and a daughter. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Conan Screenwriter Opens Up About Failure, and 5 Other Stories You'll Be Talking About Today

Also in this Wednesday edition of The Broadsheet: Universal may have put Ouija back in the box… 360 heads to London… Ed Zwick will climb the The Great Wall… and more ahead. · As you may have heard, the Marcus Nispel-directed remake of Conan the Barbarian didn’t slay many comers at the box office last weekend; the much-hyped splatterfest opened in fourth place with barely over $10 million in ticket sales. Sean Hood (Halloween: Resurrection) was one of four credited screenwriters on the film, and on Tuesday he took to the Q&A site Quora to answer the question: “What’s it like to have your film flop at the box office?” Apparently, it’s a lot like a political campaign, and there’s always plenty of blame to spread around: Unfortunately, the work I do as a script doctor is hard to defend if the movie flops. I know that those who have read my Conan shooting script agree that much of the work I did on story and character never made it to screen. I myself know that given the difficulties of rewriting a script in the middle of production, I made vast improvements on the draft that came before me. But its still much like doing great work on a losing campaign. All anyone in the general public knows, all anyone in the industry remembers, is the flop. A loss is a loss. Translation: Hood made the best lemonade he could out of the Conan lemons! Click through to Quora to read the entire post. [Quora] · It looks like Universal may have mercifully put the planned screen adaptation of Ouija that no one wanted back in the box. According to a report from Vulture, the film has been put in a turnaround, with the studio allowing producer Michael Bay and director McG the chance to shop Ouija to another studio in the next week. If this is all accurate, Universal would be forced to pay Ouija rights holder Hasbro a $5 million penalty for passing on the film. Stay tuned… [Vulture] · After premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, the Fernando Meirelles-directed drama 360 will open BFI’s 55th London Film Festival. Rachel Weisz, Jude Law and Anthony Hopkins star. [Deadline] · Ed Zwick will direct The Great Wall for Legendary East, the Hong Kong-based production company started by Legendary. The film will focus on the mysteries of the Great Wall of China, with Marshall Herskovitz writing the script. [Deadline] · The kooky cast of Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim keeps getting more kooky. Clifton Collins has joined Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnan and Charlie Day in the big budget alien invasion flick. [Variety] · Release dates! Warner Bros. has set the low budget Todd Phillips-produced comedy Project X for March 2, 2012. Meanwhile, Sylvester Stallone’s Bullet in the Head lands on April 13, 2012. Mark those calendars! [Deadline]

Evil in the Bayou

Jake Le'Claire has led a miserable existance as a PI ever since he was kicked off the force in New Orleans, LA. Jake encounters mysterious cult murders verses voodoo after Ryan Mason hires him to find his missing wife, after being blown off by the local police. Jake convinces Det. Dirk Osbourne to team up with him and they run into grisly human and animal sacrifices along the way. These sacrifices are all given as a gift by Adrian to Satan, who brings him forth to RULE the world with Adrian by his side! Something goes wrong! DEAD WRONG! Jake becomes the ultimate sacrifice.

Warner Bros Project X To Open March; Stallones Bullet To The Head In April

What to do with Project X, the $12 million raunchy R-rated Warner Bros comedy that was constructed secretly and produced by Todd Phillips and executive produced by Joel Silver, and populated with a cast that was chosen on the basis of never having done anything recognizable? Warner Bros, which probably hasn’t had a film with this low a budget since the Depression, has moved the film out of its Nov. 23 date. It will now open March 2, 2012. The studio has also given the Walter Hill-directed Sylvester Stallone-starrerBullet to the Head an April 13, 2012 release date, getting the film out before the summer onslaught.

Test Your Robot Trivia With the Pop Culture Puzzle of 'Where's Wall-E?'

From ComicsAlliance: Inspired by Martin Hanford's Where's Waldo books, Richard Sargent of Hopewell Studios has presented robot fans with a similarly awesome challenge: Find Pixar's WALL-E amid dozens of pop culture's most famous robots, then identify them all. The amateur robotologist who correctly identifies the largest number of 'bots by August 31 will even be awarded a print from Hopewell. You don't have to get competitive to enjoy the mechanized fruits of Sargent's labors, though. Hit the jump to take in the awesomeness that is 'Where's WALL-E?' Whether your favorite robots come from comics, movies, cartoons or gaming (or, as is the case with many awesome characters, all of the above), 'Where's WALL-E?' has a little something for everyone. Here's a few of our favorites: The Good Bill and Ted Robots (Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey) The Butler From 'Sleeper' Silent Film Star Maria and Her Date C-3PO The T-800 and Johnny 5 Film critic Tom Servo Try your hand at identifying them all below: [Click Image To Enlarge] Numbered Guide [Via Neatorama/TDWG/Reddit]

Miramax Makes Film Cope With Facebook

Miramax introduced today on its blog that it's joining up with Facebook to produce Miramax Experience, an application that will permit customers worldwide to look at movie clips and have-length films in the studio. It's the most ambitious move yet for any Hollywood studio on Facebook. In the beginning, the beta application offers rental video-on-interest in 30 Facebook credits ($3), but Miramax stated it intends to eventually sell films to keep electronically so purchasers can enjoy them on any device. (Presently, 20 films are available in the studio library, including Chicago, Gangs of recent You are able to, Good Will Hunting and Pulp Fiction.) The studio, which joined withOoyala and AllDigital to construct the application in eight days, stated which more than 50 million Facebook customers presently mention aMiramax film within their profile, connect to the Miramax page or such as the fan pages of Miramax game titles and talent. Offering up movies via Facebook has become a trend. A week ago, Universal stated it might provide the Coen brothers' The Large Lebowski since it's first rental in the Social Theater application. In March,Warner Bros also started offering movies, includingThe Dark Dark night, some ofHarry Potter films and Beginning. To date, all the choices are for sale to a 48-hour window for $3.

Do Not Take a shower and Avoid the Garage in 2 New Clips from 'Don't Hesitate from the Dark' (VIDEO)

With 'Fright Night' in theaters and horror season under way, the following scare factory we must looks toward is 'Don't Hesitate from the Dark.' Written and created by Guillermo del Toro, the storyline involves just a little girl (Bailee Madison) who would go to accept her father (Guy Pearce) and the new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) inside a large old mansion. Right after relocating, the small girl finds out the existence of little animals jailed within the basement and sets them free because she's searching for new buddies. It does not take lengthy for that girl to understand the animals aren't everything nice, and before she knows it, they are attempting to kill her and her family. Click through to look at two new clips from CinemaBlend that provide us a much better consider the animals as well as their evil antics. Directed by Troy Nixey, and hang to have an August 26 release, guess we now have one other reason to maintain better tabs on our secrets. You do too think individuals little animals look stupid or terrifying? [via CinemaBlend] Photo thanks to FilmDistrict.

Caregiver

When Paige Hopkins begins working at a halfway house for degenerate teenage girls, she believes that her syrupy sweet disposition is just what the girls need to find their path to redemption. But these hardened street girls show Paige that she couldn't be more out of place. So Paige quickly adapts to their ways - which includes beatings, torture and even murder - all delivered with a smile. Gradually, it becomes clear that she may be more troubled than any of her charges.

Jani Lane: Warrant Honors Late Singer at North Dakota Concert (Video)

While carrying out in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Warrant compensated tribute for their former lead singer, the late Jani Lane, on Friday.our editor recommendsJani Lane's Dying: Hollywood, Fellow Music artists ReactWarrant's Jani Lane: 5 Items to Know PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths "The man was loved and that he authored some amazing tunes," Robert Mason, this guitar rock band's current frontman, told everyone else. "Honestly, I really like singing them. I've always stated that." The audience devoted all of their show to Lane, who had been found accurate Thursday at 47-years of age. STORY: Jani Lane Autopsy Not yet proven Toxicology Report Pending Lane (born John Kennedy Oswald) offered because the lyricist and primary songwriter for Warrant. He became a member of this guitar rock band in 1986, 2 yrs after its formation by guitarist Erik Turner. Watch below because the band works "Paradise" in the recognition. The Lane-composed track was the audience's most in a commercial sense effective song, from the 1989 album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Wealthy. "Paradise" arrived at No. one in Moving Stone with no. 2 about the Billboard Hot 100. Related Subjects

Fragile Machine

Fragile Machine is an underground cg film about science, religion, and man's role in a new nature of which he has partial authorship. Through a unique combination of animation and music which some have likened to an 'electronic operetta' it tells the story of the first girl to be built in a factory instead of born from a womb. The questions abound regarding her creation. Why was she made? Does she have a soul? Where would she go if she died? These and other questions are all examined in a fractured and experimental way. As in opera, the story serves the music and visuals, whose style embodies the drama of the piece. It is intended for audiences who love film and animation for their own sake, who want to take time to dissect a massively layered and compressed work and extract meaning and underlying structure. The work draws upon conclusions from quantum physics about the structure of reality, and attempts to build a bridge between numerous philosophical and religious traditions including western existentialism, Buddhism, Zen nature-worship, Jungian Analysis and Christianity. Every frame has been imbued with meaning, and the loving attention to detail is almost heartbreaking, as Leda Nea asks the darkness who she is, and why. Featuring six chapters, it merges advanced computer animation and music in a wholly new method of postmodern storytelling. Woven into the film's hypnotic narrative are fractured and nonlinear examinations of humanity's roots and future.

Halliday exits as Harpo PR topper

Lisa Halliday, mind of communications and strategy at The famous host oprah Winfrey's Harpo, Corporation., has ankled after 12 years. The org states that Halliday is exiting "revisit La to pursue other interests." Halliday have been with the organization since 1999, when she left Wally Disney Galleries for Harpo. As senior Vice president of communication and strategy, Halliday continues to be about the front lines of countless high-profile Winfrey endeavors, most famously which was the debut of Winfrey's troubled cable funnel, OWN. Halliday also brought media relations for that debuts of syndie shows "Dr. Phil," "The Dr. Oz Show" and "The Nate Berkus Show," in addition to managing The famous host oprah print branding with Winfrey's magazine, "O: The The famous host oprah Magazine." Harpo reps stated that Halliday's alternative could be named inside a month. Contact Mike Thielman at mike.thielman@variety.com

Comedians Rally in Support of Jerry Lewis

LOS ANGELES (AP) Jerry Lewis' separation from the Muscular Dystrophy Association is not a laughing matter for some comedians.Paul Rodriguez, Larry Miller, Tom Dreesen, Norm Crosby and others have joined in support of Lewis, the 85-year-old comedian who the MDA said is no longer its national chairman and will not appear on this year's telethon. The Tucson, Ariz.-based association announced earlier this week that the organization was parting ways with him after 45 years."If this is the way we're going, we should also tell grandpa we don't need him for Thanksgiving," joked Miller.The funnymen told reporters gathered at The Laugh Factory comedy club Friday in Hollywood that they want the MDA to feature Lewis in some capacity on the upcoming telethon. At the very least, they said he deserves a proper send-off on the show he made famous. Rodriguez said Lewis should be brought back in a limo and "given the accolades that he deserves.""He's not dead," said Rodriguez. "He's very much alive."The comedians said they hadn't spoken with Lewis since the separation was announced, but Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada said they supported Lewis "regardless of why he was dismissed." Dreesen speculated that the MDA told Lewis that he would be phased out of the telethon, and the group was fearful of what Lewis would say during the six-hour broadcast."There's no way they would give him the microphone for five minutes," said Dreesen.MDA spokesman Jim Brown declined to say what prompted the decision. Lewis publicist Candi Cazau of Las Vegas also declined to comment. She said on Thursday the comedian was traveling outside his home state of Nevada. Lewis previously said in a statement issued through the association in May that he would make his final appearance on the Sept. 4 telethon.Preparations for the 46th annual telethon are under way as planned at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, where the event will be held, said casino spokesman Tom Mikovits. He said the MDA telethon, which has been broadcast from the South Point since 2006, makes arrangement with the event venue on a year-to-year basis.Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. By Derrik J. Lang August 8, 2011 PHOTO CREDIT AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes LOS ANGELES (AP) Jerry Lewis' separation from the Muscular Dystrophy Association is not a laughing matter for some comedians.Paul Rodriguez, Larry Miller, Tom Dreesen, Norm Crosby and others have joined in support of Lewis, the 85-year-old comedian who the MDA said is no longer its national chairman and will not appear on this year's telethon. The Tucson, Ariz.-based association announced earlier this week that the organization was parting ways with him after 45 years."If this is the way we're going, we should also tell grandpa we don't need him for Thanksgiving," joked Miller.The funnymen told reporters gathered at The Laugh Factory comedy club Friday in Hollywood that they want the MDA to feature Lewis in some capacity on the upcoming telethon. At the very least, they said he deserves a proper send-off on the show he made famous. Rodriguez said Lewis should be brought back in a limo and "given the accolades that he deserves.""He's not dead," said Rodriguez. "He's very much alive."The comedians said they hadn't spoken with Lewis since the separation was announced, but Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada said they supported Lewis "regardless of why he was dismissed." Dreesen speculated that the MDA told Lewis that he would be phased out of the telethon, and the group was fearful of what Lewis would say during the six-hour broadcast."There's no way they would give him the microphone for five minutes," said Dreesen.MDA spokesman Jim Brown declined to say what prompted the decision. Lewis publicist Candi Cazau of Las Vegas also declined to comment. She said on Thursday the comedian was traveling outside his home state of Nevada. Lewis previously said in a statement issued through the association in May that he would make his final appearance on the Sept. 4 telethon.Preparations for the 46th annual telethon are under way as planned at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, where the event will be held, said casino spokesman Tom Mikovits. He said the MDA telethon, which has been broadcast from the South Point since 2006, makes arrangement with the event venue on a year-to-year basis.Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Rapper Big Boi Arrested On Drug Charges In Miami

FIRST PUBLISHED: August 7, 2011 5:02 PM EDT MIAMI, Fla. -- Grammy-winning OutKast rapper Big Boi has been arrested in Miami on charges of illegally possessing drugs, including ecstasy and Viagra pills. The rapper, whose real name is Antwan Patton, was charged with three counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia on Sunday. According to the Miami-Dade County Corrections website, the 36-year-old Patton was also carrying MDMA, which is the main ingredient in Ecstasy. The rapper was booked on $16,000 bond. Phone and email messages were left for Big Bois publicists. Big Boi is best known as half of the groundbreaking rap duo OutKast, which includes Andre 3000. The Atlanta-based group won six Grammys and churned out six platinum-plus albums, including their Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which sold over 10 million copies. Copyright 2011 by Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Taylor Lautners Beautiful New Ride

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Score one for Team Jacob! The Twilight Sagas Taylor Lautner, 19, recently dropped some serious cash on a star-worthy sexy new ride a 2012 SLS AMG Mercedes-Benz priced at more than $200,000. Its very cool, Taylor told Access Hollywood of his impressive new wheels at the 2011 Hollywood Foreign Press Association Luncheon in Beverly Hills on Thursday. Ive been driving my first car for the past four and a half years and Ive always had my eye on this car. The heartthrob who looked dapper in a suit by Calvin Klein said the privilege of being able to afford a car of such high caliber has not been lost on him. Its beautiful and Im extremely fortunate, he said. In addition to the incredibly highly anticipated upcoming Breaking Dawn films, Taylor will next be seen in John Singletons action thriller, Abduction, alongside Lily Collins, Alfred Molina and Sigourney Weaver. Im super excited its coming out in like a month and a half now, Taylor told Access of his Abduction anticipation. It was a fast process we filmed it last summer, he added. But its been a journey since then. Its coming together really well. I cant wait for everyone to see it. Catch Taylor on the big screen when Abduction hits theaters on September 23. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.