SeeFlik launches online video competitions

Striving make use of a showcase for emerging filmmakers, lately minted SeeFlik is beginning some movie clip competitions. The contests -- a Judge's Award together with a Fans Favorite -- will probably be open only to students who attend or are within five years of graduation from accredited undergraduate or graduate film programs. SeeFlik, headed by longtime industry Ray Meli, suggested the contests just like a "farm system" for your entertainment industry. "100s of thousands of emerging artists and filmmakers finish college each year and possess handful of options aside from the conventional film festivals to acquire their voices heard," Meli mentioned. The initial round in the contests will conclude on Feb. 29 with individuals who win receiving $50,000 together with a showcase for talent agencies and art galleries. The business is beginning with operating capital of $millions of, funded by Wall Street professionals Adam Wachter and Rob Parket together with other professionals. Wachter is chief operating officer, and Parket is chief financial officer. David Greenblatt, who co-founded Endeavor, assists becoming an agent to contest individuals who win and mentor them through the whole process of meeting agents, managers and studio professionals. SeeFlik has attracted on six industry vets for everybody on its Judge's Honours panel -- Michael London, Shane Black, Angelo Pizzo, Keir Pearson, Robert Kamen and Suzanne p Passe. The Fans Favorite competition will employ "The The American Idol Show ShowInch-style voting, in which the winning short depends upon the quantity of votes received. "SeeFlik puts in a single location a great forum for emerging filmmakers being discovered," Greenblatt mentioned. SeeFlik has furthermore registered nearly 20 film schools as affiliate entrepreneurs to cover great shape are marketing including schools at Florida Condition U., NYU, Syracuse U., UCLA and USC. The competitions aren't limited to students and alumni within the affiliated schools, and SeeFlik expects to grow the network of film schools. Being qualified, films ought to be original and a maximum of 25 minutes. Participants enter by uploading films digitally for the SeeFlik site. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Hathaway As Catwoman Can get Engaged

Hathaway As Catwoman and Adam Shulman Hathaway As Catwoman can be a bride-to-be! The 29-year-old actress, who co-situated this years Oscar ceremony, is engaged to boyfriend Adam Shulman, her repetition certifies TVGuide.com. Shulman, who sprang the question after three years of dating, recommended getting a diamond ring he earned with Kwiat Heritage Jewels. See other stars who've become engaged this year This won't be the first time for your actress - who acquired an Academy Award nomination for Rachel Marriage - to don a wedding gown: She starred opposite Kate Hudson inside the 2009 film Bride Wars. Us Weekly first reported what is the news.

Schwentke can get HBO's 'Lobotomist'

Robert Schwentke remains attracted onto direct the Cinemax drama pilot "The Lobotomist," with Daniel Thomsen aboard to produce the script. Schwentke, who helmed "Time Traveler's Wife," may even professional produce with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Killoran of Appian Way, Kaira Fischer and Laeta Kalogridis of Mythology Entertainment, and Mike Medavoy. Thomsen will co-professional produce and Aaron Criswell is positioned just like a co-producer. Inspired with the meteoric increase and lower of Dr. Walter Freeman, "The Lobotomist" notifies the story of just one man's pursuit to affect the planet using a new, experimental nuclear physics. However, if the maverick physician want to visit any measures to achieve his goals, his existence careens uncontrollable -- within the amounts of worldwide recognition for the tabloids, while using good status for mental health care, changed within the wake. Pilot, that might eventually really are a series, is founded on it "The Lobotomist" by author Jack El-Hai. The project came to exist when DiCaprio, "Shutter Island" professional producer and author Kalogridis, and producer Fischer were concentrating on the Martin Scorsese film and gravitated toward El-Hai's book while researching a history of lobotomy. Mythology optioned it and, together with DiCaprio and also the production shingle, Appian Way, needed it to Cinemax. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

N.B.A. and Players Reach Tentative Agreement

LeBron James The N.B.A. and its players reached an agreement early Saturday morning, officially ending the second-longest lockout in the history of the league.The final negotiations took 15 hours, but it was ultimately decided that a 66-game compressed regular season will begin on Christmas Day, according to the NY Times.NBA Cancels First 2 Weeks of Season"We've reached a tentative understanding that is subject to a variety of approvals and very complex machinations," N.B.A. commissioner, David Stern, said at 3:40 a.m., "but we're optimistic that that will all come to pass, and that the N.B.A. season will begin on Dec. 25, Christmas Day, with a tripleheader."For now, the regularly scheduled Christmas games will be played as planned: Boston Celtics vs. the NY Knicks, followed by the Miami Heat vs. the Dallas Mavericks and the Chicago Bulls vs. the Los Angeles Lakers. The remainder of the schedule, which will need to be tweaked in order to accommodate for the lost time, should be released within the next few days.Check out the latest headlines"We're really excited," said Peter Holt, the San Antonio Spurs owner and chairman of the league's labor-relations committee. "We're excited for the fans. We're excited to start playing basketball, for players, for everybody involved."

Gale Anne Hurd Exploring Area 51

For a possible new TV showThe mystery surrounding top secret US military base Area 51 has fascinated people for years, particularly those who think it holds the secrets of contact with alien life and has long been the place that America uses to developed new technology. It's been the subject of many books, films and TV shows. The latest person attempting to tackle the mystery? Walking Dead executive producer Gale Anne Hurd. Hurd's Valhalla Entertainment company has optioned the rights to Annie Jacobson's book of interviews with former base employees and those with connections to the place, Area 51: An Uncensored History Of America's Top Secret Military Base.Though the book doesn't shed much light on any of the big conspiracy theories surrounding the base, the show will follow two men working there who discover something that the government will kill to keep secret. Karl Gajdusek, who recently worked on Joseph Kosinski's Oblivion script, is on board to write the pilot script and produce the show should it win an order from one of the US networks. Hurd has yet to shop it around, but you can bet one of her first calls will be Walking Dead channel AMC...

Dry County zones for 'Chopping Mall'

Robert Hall's Dry County Entertainment is going out inside a "Dicing Mall," acquiring the remake rights for the eighties horror title. Hall and creating partner Kevin Bocarde will produce and write. Hall may also be coming onto direct, with lensing to begin in spring. The first "Dicing Mall" was produced by Roger Corman and also the wife Julie. It centered on several teens who become in a retail complex with killer robots. Bocarde mentioned the completely new movie won't be considered a straight remake. "It'll offer the fundamental concept of youthful people in a mall however, the story could have a deeper, supernatural spin," he referred to. Recent remakes of Corman's films are the Jason Statham starrer "Dying Race," last year's "Piranha" as well as the approaching "Piranha 3d.Inch Hall noted he'd started in show business at Corman's studio. "It becomes an exciting approach to pay homage and recognition Roger although growing the first film's premise," he mentioned. Hall and Bocarde are repped by UTA. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Yair Dori returns to Argentina with startup company

BUENOS AIRES - Argentine telenovela vet Yair Dori has launched a production and customers company in Argentina, returning for the business after selling his interest five years ago in Dori Media Group, now located in Tel Aviv. Dori mentioned the venture, referred to as Yair Dori, will produce three TV series yearly and spinoffs in film, concert occasions, selling, new media and theater additionally to distribute for other producers. Its first series in production are teen adventure "Senales," teen dramedy "Sonadores," rock-band tale "Paraiso Urbano" and "Historias del Divan," a psychoanalyst drama directed by Juan Jose Jusid of those bigscreen comedy hits as "Father Is My Idol." It'll distribute comedy "Club p hombres" for Pampa Films and kiddie comedy film "Hermanitos del fin del mundo" for Argentina Sono Film. The launch comes at trouble as output deals limit utilization of Argentina's leading systems El Trece and Telefe as well as the world economic recession damps worldwide demand. But Dori is not frustrated. "Crises will be the moment to start buying and selling," he mentioned. "When the cycle gets into an increase period many individuals will probably be considering, 'Why didn't we start earlier.' " Yair Dori will produce in Argentina and neighboring nations like Uruguay, and may pursue co-productions in the united states and elsewhere, he mentioned. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com