Lantern Entertainment likely won’t be liable for the unpaid royalties that the bankrupt The Weinstein Company owes several Hollywood stars, based on new bankruptcy court ruling in the case. A group of prominent actors, directors and producers are seeking to recover profit participation payments that the indie studio…

NBC is developing Voice Of The City, an hourlong New York City-set period musical drama from Tony-nominated Claudia Shear (Dirty Blonde), Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land), Oscar winner Bruce Cohen (American Beauty) and Universal TV. Written and executive produced by Shear, Voice Of The City is set in New York…

BREAKING: Madonna will get back behind the camera to direct an adaptation of the Rebecca Walker novel Adé: A Love Story. The novel is based on Walker’s experience. It revolves around a young college student who falls in love with the title character, a young Swahili man, and they plan to marry and live a simple life…

EXCLUSIVE: The new WGN America is barely 8 months old, but it already has ordered two original scripted series — Salem and Manhattan — and has made a major off-network acquisition with Person Of Interest. Now the scripted newcomer is adding an ambitious event series to its programming roster. I’ve learned that WGN has…

EXCLUSIVE: Academy Award-winning producer Bruce Cohen (American Beauty, Milk, Silver Linings Playbook) is set to produce The Fifth Beatle, about the life of Beatles manager Brian Epstein. The English entrepreneur Paul McCartney dubbed “the fifth Beatle” helped launch the career of the Fab Five and managed them until…

EXCLUSIVE: I’m hearing that Dexter star Michael C. Hall is negotiating to play the lead in Big Fish on Broadway next year. Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks, who produced the Tim Burton-directed film, are producing the musical stage adaptation. Susan Stroman (The Scottsboro Boys) is directing and Andrew Lippa (The Addams Famil…

Hugh Jackman was the first to be offered the hosting job at the upcoming Oscarcast by producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer, an offer he turned down because he’s preparing to shoot Wolverine with Oscar-nominated Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky. But Jackman–who in my view did an excellent job in his year as host…

Beverly Hills, CA — Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare will executive produce the red carpet arrivals show "Oscar's Red Carpet Live," 83rd Academy Awards® telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. This will be the pair's first time producing the red carpet show. "Oscar's Red Carpet Live," which has…

Beverly Hills, CA — Past winners and/or nominees Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, Sandra Bullock, Marisa Tomei and Oprah Winfrey will present on the 83rd Academy Awards, telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer announced today. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2010 will be presented on February…

EXCLUSIVE: Oscarcast executive producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer have been searching for the host or hosts of the 83rd Academy Awards. I’m told that the first person they approached just in the past couple weeks was Hugh Jackman who turned down the offer. Jackman successfully hosted two years ago, and nixed the…

Academy Awards telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer have set 62nd Emmys production designer Steve Bass to do the same for the 83rd Academy Awards. The big surprise is that their choice isn’t David Rockwell, who has been the production designer for the past two Oscarcasts and won an Emmy for last year’s. I’m…

This is surprisingly early for such a big decision to be made. In fact, the earliest that the producers and director of the Academy Awards telecast have been chosen in recent years. But Academy of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences President Tom Sherak just told me that he made up his mind last year to fill the two…