Greg Grande on Jefferson Sage

Released: Involves an finish., Feb. 3, 2012, 4:00am PTBy Grande'Bridesmaids'Greg Grande on Jefferson Sage, production designer, "Bridesmaids" and "New Girl"Anybody who's seen "Bridesmaids" will not ever neglect the production type of Jefferson Sage's tacky Brazilian Churra-Chi restaurant in the seedy neighborhood where Annie (Kristen Wiig) takes her fellow bridesmaids for just about any "steak" lunch. It's the jumping-off point where Sage has subtly created a perfect palette and takes us around the visual journey into an anything-goes world, immediately juxtaposed in the chic, cream-on-white-colored, bridal-gown studio where everything literally erupts.Sage's design and color sensibility along with his spontaneity also lead the means by which after we zigzag from Annie's stress apartment for the Parisian-designed bridal shower in the Tudor revival mansion, full of French cafe round the terrace, pavilion tents for that reason, a miniature Eiffel Tower together with a seven-ft chocolate fountain. All this facilitates the climax of "Bridesmaids" -- which Sage, working with director Paul Feig and producer Judd Apatow, have changed the landscape in the American female comedy.Shifting for the smallscreen, Sage produces a place awesome enough to hold the type of style-setter Zooey Deschanel in Fox's "New Girl": an empty loft with textured walls, uncovered brick, metallic loading door and giant home home windows in the spacious living space where Deschanel and her three male roomies curler skate within the huge wood floor, hang within the entrance and bounce in the walls.The appearance sense is outlined with bold color options spread on entrance doors and walls, which hints in the loft's industrial past and us visually involved. Then there's probably the most discussed bathroom on network TV -- a urinal alongside lockers and a pair of commercial sinks -Making us appreciate Sage's innovative style. He seems to possess every opportunity to create cohabitation in the sexes look stylish and current.Greg Grande's credits include "Cougar Town," "Switched at Birth" and "Jane by Design."ADG Honours 2012Tightening the definitionDesigners on designProduction designers and art company company directors discuss the ADG-nominated work from the peersJohn Muto on Dante Ferretti Greg Grande on Jefferson Sage Norm Newberry on Stuart Craig John Sabato on Patti Podesta Ken Averill on Christopher Glass John Shaffner on Steve Bass Dork Blass on Mark Worthington John Iacovelli on James Yarnell Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

The Voice Rules! (But Here Are 6 Things That Could Make It Even Better)

The Voice A year ago, no one, not even the powers that be at NBC, expected The Voice to pose a real threat to American Idol. Simon Cowell had taken his talents to The X Factor and between the two shows, Fox would out-yell and outspend any and all other music competitions. But then The Voice and its big red swivel chairs and its panel of feisty, funny judges surprised everyone. Rather than repurposing the Idol formula, The Voice gave America a much-needed break from painful auditions, "dawgs," "songs that inspire" week, and judges critiques that ranged from "you really made it your own" to "that was beautiful, perfect." The show also beat X Factor to the punch in having judges act as mentors to the contestants, and in lining up a group of contestants of all ages and races and - most importantly - singing styles. The Voice Season 2 scoop: More blind audition rounds, bigger teams, savvier contestants And so, The Voice not only became NBC's 2011 sleeper hit, it also reinvigorated a format that Idol in 10 seasons had made tired. So what now? Executive producer Mark Burnett has already announced slight tweaks for Season 2: each coach will have a team of 12 (up from last year's 8), and both the initial blind audition rounds and the head-to-head battle rounds will be extended. The show has also hired new social media correspondent Christina Milian, who replaces Alison Haislip. Auditions were filmed last summer, and the battle rounds have been taped, but that doesn't mean there isn't time to consider some constructive feedback! Our hopes and wishes for Season 2: We've seen the dancers - and we don't need them. At first, they were shiny and new. Now, after also watching legions of them stomp around contestants on both The Voice and The X Factor, they're just distracting and remind us too much of a Vegas night club (not a compliment). Besides, no one sounds good trying to sing and booty shake at the same time. The Voice: No more nice judges and details on the new advisers Really? More than four weeks of battle rounds? Love the neon boxing ring. Love the duets. The problem with the battle rounds is that the contestants who appear in that first week go MIA for the next several weeks - and then it's good luck to viewers who can remember them after all that time. We are, after all, talking about starting with 48 acts this season. Footage has been filmed, but maybe we do more than four battles per hour-long episode? Can we hear less about the tweeting? Stop taking away valuable minutes from showing us how the coaches mold their singers just to prove that the show is interactive. What show isn't these days? And because The X Factor allowed people to tweet their votes, Twitter-capable shows are a lot less impressive now. Do viewers really care that @SheltonFan98 thinks one of his contestants did a rockin' job? If you're going to keep the social media lounge around, and we assume you will, make it a real part of the show. Maybe let viewers vote on song choice, or pick better fan questions for the contestants and coaches to answer? Adam and Carson should no longer share a wardrobe. Or, at the very least, they can't share the same stylist. Our suggestion? Carson, go ahead and keep doing the T-shirt-black leather jacket combo you like so well. Adam, you don't need to wear a jacket ever. The Voice names Christina Milian as new social media correspondent No more second chances. Last season, producers were forced to let several rejected hopefuls sing again when the show ran out of potential contestants during the blind auditions. This strikes us as unfair. If a singer can't push the coaches' buttons the first time - see what we did there? - then do they really have a shot at winning? Adam should have taken Casey her first time. We realize that the blind auditions have been shot, but we're optimistic that the show's popularity last season made this a non-issue the second time around. Cool it with the come-ons, Christina. Unlike those other overly supportive female judges, Christina has never been afraid to speak her mind, even if it means cutting off the other coaches. And that's A-OK with us, but could you please stop trying to pick up every young thing that hits the stage? X-Tina, we know you like to flaunt what you've got, but let's let grandpa Steven over at Idol enjoy the title of TV's sleaziest singing judge. What are your hopes and dreams for the new season of The Voice? Tell us in the comments below and check out a preview from the premiere, which airs Sunday after the Super Bowl on NBC:

AFTRA Board of Directors Approves SAG-AFTRA Merger Package

The AFTRA board of directors Saturday approved a proposed merger with SAG, triggering a membership vote that could unite the unions by the end of March into a single union, to be called SAG-AFTRA. The move was expected and came a day after SAGs board passed a similar motion.The proposal, which includes a Merger Agreement and Constitution, was approved 94% to 6%.We now have the opportunity to finally stand united through one union to secure more union work and better benefits for our members, and for the generations of entertainment and media professionals who follow us, said AFTRA president Roberta Reardon."This is a terrific outcome, said SAG president Ken Howard. He added, I believe our members will decisively approve this merger.The AFTRA percentage is even higher than the SAG vote, which was by 87.1% to 12.9%. Votes on the SAG board are weighted. The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that there were approximately 8 or 9 votes against merger out of the 71 member board. Unexpectedly, one of the No votes was from a NY board member.Howard will make a high profile announcement regarding the balloting during the nationally televised SAG Awards on Sunday. According to a SAG statement yesterday, the proposal will be sent to the two unions membership for a vote on or about February 27, with a ballot return and tabulation deadline of March 30.The SAG materials will include an opposition statement, even though merger opponents did not achieve the necessary 25% threshold that would have mandated one. However, merger proponents proposed including such a statement anyway.It takes a 60% affirmative vote within each union in order to pass a merger referendum. AFTRA met those thresholds during attempts in 1998 and 2003, but SAG did not. The Hollywood Reporter

ABC orders 'Nashville,' 'Americana' aircraft pilots

ABC purchased a set of drama aircraft pilots Friday from screenwriters trying their hands at TV cleaning soap operas. Callie Khouri, who had been an Oscar for the best original script in 1992 for "Thelma & Louise," is joining with documentary filmmaker R.J. Cutler ("The September Problem") on "Nashville,' a household cleaning soap set from the backdrop from the Nashville music scene that follows one star at her peak and something increasing. Cutler will direct the pilot. Steve Buchanan of Gaylord Entertainment will even executive produce with Khouri and Cutler. This pickup is contingent on closing the co-production deal between ABC Galleries and Lionsgate. Additionally, Michael Seitzman ("North Country") is writing and executive creating "Americana," a cleaning soap set around popular designer and the family and business, with Mark Gordon and Nicholas Pepper of Mark Gordon Co. and ABC Galleries. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

Greenburg: No slowing down lower sports TV boom

Ross Greenburg Productions Founder Ross Greenburg talks onstage at Varietys 2012 Sports Entertainment Production Summit.Spike TV Sports and Multi-Platform Programming Senior V . P . Jon Slusser, Fox Sports V . p . of Area Methods Michael Davies, Basketball Digital Director of Technical Methods Chris Brown, Cameron-Pace Group Boss and Co-Chairman Vince Pace and 10 Fold EntSince he will be a kid maturing in NY consuming people "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" moments, Ross Greenburg is really a sports glutton. Too as with his words, the sports TV biz is "approaching." The prior Cinemax Sports topper, now an unbiased producer, wax poetic in regards to the current condition of public sports in delivering the keynote speech at Wednesday's Sports Entertainment Production Summit within the Luxe Sunset. "Nowhere else will you see 58 million people appear to check out a football game," he mentioned in case, backed by Sports Video Group and Variety, mentioning to Sunday's NFC championship broadcast. "Everybody loves their teams in addition to their sports. What you're seeing its lid being blown off, and distribution is everywhere." Greenburg, which has moved onto multiple projects but has clearly soured on boxing, his former bread and butter, mentioned the sports behemoth just develop, mainly because of live programming. "What lots of people on television are starting to recognize,In . he mentioned, "is you have to be there live. You can't have the same satisfaction watching it well your Digital video recorder. Entrepreneurs know that you'll be there live. Entrepreneurs realize that you won't be fast-delivering through ads." Everything comes lower to storytelling, Greenburg stressed. Which he advised people in the market seeking recommendations for programming: "Whether or not this tugs in the centre, chances are it'll tug within the public's." In earlier sections, Jon Slusser of Spike TV foreshadowed Greenburg's sights on live sports through the "Beyond the Ball: The Convergence of Sporting Occasions and Entertainment" discussion, proclaiming that people inside the 18-34 demo like live occasions, "and live is important for social media.Inch He stressed the positive relationship, for instance, between Twitter activity and ratings. On one panel, Vince Pace in the Cameron-Pace Group discussed 3d in sports programming and mentioned any time seeing new technology through the new the new sony while others, the proliferation of glasses-free 3d is not remote. "It's incredible in my opinion that people are on course,Inch he mentioned, while watching furthermore that 3d encounters with glasses are becoming convenient and viewer-friendly too. Through the "Sports Reality: Where Sports Takes a Lesson from Entertainment" gathering, Scott Messick of Mess Media mentioned the requirement of "DGA-level company company directors" the simple truth is programming. "You will need a large amount of pointing the simple truth is,In . he mentioned. "There is a nuance to shooting." Tim Duffy of Spike TV added that "sports sports athletes die two occasions," the initial moment the conclusion from the playing careers, and the majority are keen to remain inside the limelight. He told the story of meeting Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace) inside a vegan restaurant to talk about a possible sports-based reality show. Nevertheless the Lakers' forward mentioned he didn't wish to be described just like a theif. Found the final outcome Duffy in regards to the project: "Pass. Not everybody warrants being on tv.In . Fox Sports Media Group offered a distinctive tribute for the late Doug Sellars, a longtime executive who died in December at half a century old. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

New 'Dark Shadows' Still Gives A Close-Up Look At Johnny Depp

With every new awesome image revealed of Johnny Depp in "Dark Shadows," we feel more and more guilty about reacting negatively in our first look at his make-up in the upcoming Tim Burton film. A new shot of Depp as vampire Barnabas Collins shows him looking a bit more kid-friendly than we came to think of the character in the cult TV series, but we're still digging the look. Up until now, the images we've seen from the film have seemed to imply that Burton was taking a darker route, but could it be that "Dark Shadows" will have kid-friendly components as well? We'll just have to wait for the first trailer to get a better sense of what the movie has in store. When MTV News caught up with Chloe Moretz at the People's Choice Awards, she argued that "Dark Shadows" would play to both younger and older crowds because of the way it brings together Burton-lovers and fans of the old TV show. "I think also it's open to the older group that actually saw the TV show back in the 1970s," she said. "And also the new group that love Tim Burton, and they love supernatural movies and TV shows." Moretz added, "I think it's a really revolutionary movie." "Dark Shadows" stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Moretz and Gulliver McGrath. It's due in theaters on May 11. What did you think of this latest still? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Keck's Exclusives: Start Looking at Becki Newton how I Met Your Mother

Becki Newton, Neil Patrick Harris Beginning Feb 13, former Ugly Betty star Becki Newton brings her sexy sass to The Way I Met Your Mother - and shove it in Barney's face (for that relaxation of the season and likely in to the next). "My character will show a genuine challenge to Neil Patrick Harris and provide him a run for his money," teases Becki of her character, Quinn. "She type of has Barney determined before he even begins speaking."Quite simply, shall we be to visualize Quinn is really as promiscuous as Barney? "Possibly, yes," she states. "And it is a lot fun! For Barney, it will likely be like searching within the mirror. He isn't accustomed to someone speaking his language, and it is going to rock his world."Works out Becki cast herself within the role after ending up in the show's producers. "She sitting lower and stated, 'Barney requires a love interest and that i ought to be that girl,'" discloses professional producer Craig Thomas. "She desired to seriously like a formidable pressure to complicate his world." Complications involve several secrets that Quinn is keeping. "The ultimate thirty seconds of her first episode, inside a scene with no in our cast, will disclose who she is really. She's essentially a puppet master playing Barney." Expect Ted to decrease a Quinn-related explosive device on love-struck Barney a couple of episodes later.While Becki's meshing together with her new TV family, she has not forgotten her Betty roots. She and her boy lately met up with Ana Ortiz, Ashley Jensen as well as their babies. States Becki, "Everyone knows one another very well it felt oddly normal to possess our children around.InchSign up to TV Guide Magazine now!