Sweet Science For Mariah Carey

After receiving a string of favorable reviews for her starring turn in the Sundance Film Festival selection "Wisegirls," Mariah Carey is set to reteam with the film's producer for her next acting job, the indie drama "Sweet Science."

Carey will star in the project as a determined boxing manager who drafts an unknown female boxer to make a name for them both. Gary Goldman ("Total Recall"), Stan Seidel ("One Night at McCool's") and Rick Angres penned the screenplay.

"Wisegirls" producer Anthony Esposito will produce through his Leading Pictures along with Meg Liberman and Cami Patton. Producers are eyeing a summer start for "Science."

"I had such a great experience with Mariah Carey on 'Wisegirls' that I wanted to make another film with her," Esposito said. "Her performance in 'Wisegirls' is outstanding, with reviews from Sundance praising her work. I feel (that) given the right role, the depth of Mariah's performance will make everyone take notice of her great acting ability."

Plucked as a special screening for Sundance last month, "Wisegirls" is scheduled for release this year from Lions Gate Films. In the David Anspaugh-directed film, Carey stars alongside Mira Sorvino and Melora Walters as Rachel, a sassy-yet-sensitive waitress who works in a restaurant run by the mob.

Carey, repped by WMA and Talent Entertainment Group, made her feature starring debut last year in the 20th Century Fox rags-to-riches tale "Glitter." She also made a cameo appearance on an episode of Fox's "Ally McBeal last month and, even more recently, made headlines for parting ways with her record label, Virgin Records . Sources said Carey is in conversations with several labels about a new recording contract but that she has yet to make a decision on where her next music home will be.

Leading Pictures partnering with Fusion International Sales

For "Science," which is being packaged by WMA Independent, and all other films on Leading Pictures' slate, Esposito is partnering with John Fremes' Fusion International Sales Corp. for worldwide distribution and marketing. Leading Pictures' slate also includes:

• "Ironman," written by Nathan Adams, produced by Rich Salvatore and and starring Patrick Swayze and Jesse Bradford in the story of a high school wrestling champion who struggles with the death of his mother and the volatile relationship with his abusive father.
• "Caught in the Headlights," written and to be directed by Deborah Brock, produced by Pam Abraham and Ed Reilly and starring Anne Archer and Patrick Bergen in the story of an FBI agent who must overcome hit men and rogue agents when trying to transport a murder suspect back for a trial.
• "Angel Falls" written and to be directed by John Rice, produced by Stockon Briggle and Frank Suffert and starring Alyssa Milano as an angel who loses her memory and falls in love with the man she is sent to save.

Holes' For Sigourney Weaver With As Director Andrew Davis

Sigourney Weaver will star in Walden Media/Phoenix Pictures' "Holes" for director Andrew Davis. Principal photography begins in late April in Northern California.

Based on Louis Sachar's book of the same name, the story centers on a boy who is sent to a youth detention camp after being convicted of a crime he did not commit. There, he and other youths are forced by the warden (Weaver) to dig holes, being told that the activity builds character. Eventually, though, the boy discovers that the warden is seeking an outlaw's hidden fortune.

Brent Hanley adapted the story, which is being produced by Phoenix topper Mike Medavoy with Lowell Blank and Teresa Tucker-Davies of Davis' Chicago Pacific Entertainment. Walden came aboard to finance and co-produce the project in the summer. Walden Media executive vp production Alex Schwartz will oversee the project.

Weaver, repped by WMA, next stars in Miramax Films' "Tadpole." She has been nominated for three Oscars, for her roles in "Gorillas in the Mist," "Working Girl" and "Aliens." Weaver most recently appeared on the big screen in "Heartbreakers."

Anthony LaPaglia 'Vanished' For Jerry Bruckheimer

Hot off his acclaimed performance in "Lantana" as a detective investigating the case of a missing woman, Anthony LaPaglia has signed on as the lead in Jerry Bruckheimer's CBS drama pilot "Vanished," playing the head of the FBI division that focuses solely on missing persons.

Oscar-nominated actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste ("Secrets & Lies") is in final negotiations and Enrique Murciano ("Black Hawk Down") is set to join LaPaglia in the Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Warner Bros. TV project as members of the FBI team.

Hank Steinberg wrote "Vanished" and will executive produce with Bruckheimer and Jonathan Littman. David Nutter will direct.

"Lantana" won seven nods at the 2001 Australian Film Institute Awards, including best actor for LaPaglia. He earned a Tony Award in 1998 for his work in Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge." On the small screen, he starred in Steven Bochco's critically praised 1995-96 ABC drama "Murder One" and recently reprised his guest-starring role on NBC's "Frasier," for which he earned an Emmy nomination.

This week, LaPaglia and Susan Sarandon are taking over the leads in the off-off-Broadway play "The Guys" at the Flea Theatre through March 14.

On the big screen, he will next be seen in "The Salton Sea." LaPaglia is repped by ICM, Artists Management Group and attorney Bill Sobel. In addition to her Oscar-nominated performance in "Secrets & Lies," Jean-Baptiste's feature credits include "Spy Game," "The Cell" and "28 Days." She is repped by Innovative Artists.

FX, Artisan To Produce "RFK"

FX has signed British actor Linus Roache as the lead in "RFK," its original biopic about the late Robert F. Kennedy.

"RFK" is directed by Robert Lynn Dornhelm, who directed ABC's Emmy-nominated movie "Anne Frank" and FX's "Sins of the Father." Production begins in California and Canada in April. The film has a tentative August premiere date. Artisan Television CEO Bob Cooper, who produced "Sins of the Father," will serve as executive producer.

FX this month signed Artisan and Cooper to develop a dramatic film about the collapse of Enron Corp.

Hank Steinberg, who penned HBO's Billy Crystal-directed "61," is writing the original screenplay. Historian Doris Kerns Goodwin and former RFK staffer Dick Goodwin will serve as story consultants.

"RFK" is one of four films on FX's production slate for 2002. "It's really been about quality and not quantity," FX vp original programming Kevin Reilly said. "This is the first biopic we're doing. We're trying to avoid the typical, superficial story by hiring a lookalike and will try to do something different by coming at it from a more psychological standpoint."

"RFK," part of a multipicture deal with Artisan Television, will carry a $5 million-$6 million production budget. "RFK" focuses on Kennedy's life after the 1963 assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy, up to his own assassination in 1968.

"It's like a Greek tragedy," Dornhelm said. Dornhelm said that Roache, best known for his role in the 1997 movie "The Wings of the Dove," was his first choice to play RFK.

"He is a brilliant, brilliant actor," Dornhelm said. "When you have just a famous person to portray, it's useful not to look at so-and-so playing so-and-so. It's easy to create a more believable, authentic character by having an actor that you don't associate with an image (but) more with good acting."

Myriad Pictures will finance Neil Jordan's Borgia

Myriad Pictures will finance Borgia, the next film from Neil Jordan, which is being produced by Jordan's producing partner Stephen Woolley and Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey of Image Movers.

Jordan - who is also involved as a producer Conor McPherson's The Actors - wrote the script which follows the notorious Borgia family and their rise to power in Italy in the 16th Century.

Myriad is fully financing the film and working with ICM on the North American sale of the picture. Myriad's Kirk D'Amico, Philip Von Alvensleben and Lucas Foster will executive produce the film, which is scheduled to be shot in summer 2002.

Borgia, at one time called Lucrezia, will focus on Lucrezia Borgia, the daughter of a pope whose colourful life was noted for orgies, multiple marriages and incest. DreamWorks, where Image Movers is based, is no longer involved in the project.

Joining Borgia on the Myriad AFM slate are three completed films from American Zoetrope which Myriad will now sell - Pumpkin, which screened at Sundance this year, and CQ and No Such Thing, which played in sections at the Cannes Film Festival last year.

Myriad now co-finances Zoetrope's movies with MGM's United Artists. Capitol Films previously represented the films on behalf of VCL, which co-financed the first slate of Zoetrope movies.

Jordan is close to completing his latest film Double Down, which was fully financed by Alliance Atlantis. It stars Nick Nolte and Ralph Fiennes.

Mark Bakshi Promoted to Executive Vice President, Feature Production Management, for Paramount Pictures

Mark Bakshi has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Feature Production Management, for Paramount Pictures, it was announced by Fred T. Gallo, President, Feature Production Management, for Paramount Pictures.

Mr. Bakshi's responsibilities include overseeing the day-to-day business of physical production and production finance for Paramount's live-action and animated feature films. He will continue to report to Fred T. Gallo.

``Mark's experience and knowledge of the industry is a major asset to the studio,'' said Mr. Gallo. ``I am thrilled to acknowledge his expertise with this promotion.''

Mr. Bakshi is currently working on Paramount's ``The Core'' directed by Jon Amiel, ``Timeline,'' directed by Richard Donner, and ``The Wild Thornberrys,'' a collaboration with Nickelodeon Movies. He oversaw production management on ``Vanilla Sky,'' ``Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'' and both films in the ``Mission: Impossible'' franchise, among many others.

Mr. Bakshi most recently was Senior Vice President, Feature Production Management, a position he held since February 1996 where he worked on such titles as ``The Truman Show,'' ``The General's Daughter'' and ``Rugrats in Paris: The Movie.''

Before joining Paramount in January 1994, Mr. Bakshi held a number of positions with the Walt Disney Company, including serving as a production executive for Buena Vista Pictures from 1990-1993. Prior to that, he served as a production executive at Disney Television for one year.

Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies, and a leader in the production, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, and music.

Josh Hartnett Named ShoWest 2002 Male Star of Tomorrow

Josh Hartnett, (Read Interviews) who is currently starring in Ridley Scott's box-office hit ``Black Hawk Down'' and will next star in Miramax's upcoming romantic comedy ``40 Days and 40 Nights,'' will be honored as ShoWest 2002's Male Star of Tomorrow, it was announced today by Robert Sunshine, Chairman of Sunshine Group Worldwide (SGW), which operates the event.

Hartnett will be on stage in Las Vegas, March 7th to personally receive his award in front of the more than 2500 delegates of the annual convention of theatre owners at the ShoWest 2002 Gala Award Banquet, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company.

``Josh Hartnett is one of the most promising actors of his generation,'' said Sunshine. ``He is a talented young man whose acting skills demonstrate passion and skill well beyond his years.''

Most recently, Hartnett garnered great critical acclaim in Ridley Scott's ``Black Hawk Down,'' which was based on Mark Bowden's account of a group of elite U.S. soldiers sent into Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993 as part of a U.N. peacekeeping operation. Last summer Hartnett starred in Michael Bay's blockbuster ``Pearl Harbor.''

He next stars in the romantic comedy ``40 Days and 40 Nights'' directed by Michael Lehmann. Billed as the first ``no sex'' comedy, the story centers on a guy (Hartnett) who, after a brutal breakup, vows to stay celibate during the 40 days of Lent. During this time, he finds the girl of his dreams but can't to do anything about it.

Last year Hartnett also starred in Tim Blake Nelson's ``O,'' a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's classic tragedy ``Othello.''

Hailed as one of Hollywood's hottest young leading men, Hartnett made his feature film debut in 1998 in ``Halloween: H2O.'' He then landed roles in Sophia Coppola's critically acclaimed ``The Virgin Suicides'' and Robert Rodriquez's sci-fi thriller ``The Faculty'' written by Kevin Williamson.

ShoWest 2002 will be held from Monday, March 4th through Thursday, March 7th at Bally's and Paris Hotels in Las Vegas. Also confirmed to receive awards at the Gala Awards Banquet are Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Will Smith, Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts. Celebrating its 28th year, ShoWest is the world's largest motion picture industry convention, of which DLP Cinema(TM), a Texas Instruments company, is the Official Corporate Sponsor. Each year, ShoWest attracts delegates from more than 45 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. ShoWest is managed by Sunshine Group Worldwide, operators of ShowEast, Cinema Expo and CineAsia.

UK pop industry into hype overdrive for awards

Rock stars run amok, egos go into overdrive - it's time for the Brit Awards, the music industry's annual extravaganza where hype reigns supreme in the clash for top pop prizes.

Wednesday night's awards ceremony in London will be light relief for an industry reeling from an economic downturn and rampant piracy which sent global album sales plummeting by up to 10 per cent last year.

Showbusiness writers condemned this year's nominations as a farce after superstars U2, Madonna and Britney Spears were overlooked. The Brits were derided as a poor relation to the Grammys in the US.

Critics heaped on the scorn when singer/songwriter Dido was nominated for best newcomer after being in best female category last year. The organisers speedily withdrew the 2002 nomination.

"It does seem a bit of a mess this year," said Andre Paine, news editor at the influential music magazine NME.

"They have missed out bands like U2 who did genuinely well this year," he said. "The industry doesn't know who to put their money on. There are not the certainties of 10 years ago. You can be huge in Europe and never make it in the States," he added.

The Brit Awards invariably produce a drink-fuelled pop scandal and Zoe Ball, presenting this year's show with comedian Frank Skinner, agrees: "Something always happens."

"You have got a lot of stars, a load of booze and a load of record industry, telly people and journalists. There's bound to be some drama," she told the Mirror tabloid.

The most famous stunt was pulled by Britpop star Jarvis Cocker, who was arrested after bursting onto stage and making crude gestures while Michael Jackson was performing.

Oasis star Liam Gallagher once called Australian Michael Hutchence a has-been, and a member of the anarchic punks Chumbawamba soaked deputy Prime Minister John Prescott with a bucket of iced water.

This year, diminutive Australian pop diva Kylie Minogue has promised to go into sex kitten overdrive with a raunchy outfit.

And controversial garage group So Solid Crew are performing live - which could also spell trouble. Their tour was cancelled last year on police advice after a gunman opened fire in a packed club during one of their concerts in London.

The industry hopes badboy rapper Eminem and a string of other superstar releases such as Christina Aguilera and Alanis Morissette will help drag the industry from last year's lows.

But latest music sales figures show Britain is bucking the global trend thanks to a bevy of local talent including Dido, whose No Angel album has sold 13 million copies worldwide.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) said sales in the world's fourth biggest music market climbed 5.3 per cent in 2001, with the top seven best-selling albums all British acts, including former boyband star Robbie Williams.

"Britain and France stick out as the big success stories at the moment whereas in many markets you are seeing falling sales - and much of that is to do with CD piracy and mass copying," said Adrian Strain of the IFPI, the industry's trade organization

Amy Grant to Release ``Legacy'' May 21^st

5-time Grammy Award winning artist Amy Grant will release her 17th album, Legacy...Hymns And Faith, on Word Records this May 21st.

Legacy will feature the joint production efforts of longtime producer and friend Brown Bannister, along with artist and husband Vince Gill. This hymns album will include a selection of both well-known classics such as ``Holy, Holy, Holy'', ``Fairest Lord Jesus'', and ``This Is My Father's World'' as well as four original tunes.

This next musical offering from Grant chronicles her own journey of faith throughout the years and is meant to encourage listeners to connect personally in their own faith relationship.

``When Mike Blanton came to me with the idea of doing a hymns record to commemorate the last 25 years, I got excited,'' Grant says. ``I really see Legacy as identifying for myself a long overdue musical expression of my roots. The more life you live, you realize how precious it is to be moved. I just thought how much I would like to be moved again by these songs that really fashioned the framework of my faith as a child. I wanted to re-introduce these songs in hopes that the people who grew up on them could also be moved again and enjoy then in a very intimate setting.''

Grant, who debuted on the Word-owned Myrrh label in 1978 at the age of 17, has pioneered the path for Contemporary Christian music. Since then Grant's musical resume has come to include one Quintuple Platinum, one Triple Platinum, and one Double Platinum album, as well as additional six Platinum and three Gold albums. Sales from her landmark 25-year career total over 22 million sold worldwide. Along with her five Grammys, she also has received 17 Dove Awards, the highest honor in the Christian music market. Grant's vast media exposure includes appearances on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Oprah, Late Night With David Letterman, and Larry King Live among others, and also heralds special television productions such as the Lifetime Television special ``Women Rock!: Girls & Guitars,'' The Grammy Awards, The American Music Awards, Christmas In Washington, an acting debut role in a CBS network original movie ``A Song From The Heart'', as well as hosting the CBS network ``A Christmas To Remember'' special.

Most recently Grant was honored as the ``Nashvillian Of The Year'' for her leadership and community awareness strides which encompasses her work with the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the Nashville Symphony. Grant also participates in Nashville's Leadership Music Program and meets with terminally ill children as part of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Fans can also anticipate another studio release from Grant later this year.

Word Records, a division of Word Entertainment, is a property of Warner Music Group/AOL Time Warner, and heralds over fifty years of music-making history. Word is headquartered in Nashville, TN.

New Line Founder Robert Shaye honored

The American Film Market launches tomorrow under the banner of "Home of the Independents," marking the 22^nd edition of the annual event that has become the world's largest film market. Over the next eight days, Feb. 20-27, more than $500 million in film licensing deals are expected to take place, as well as premieres and press conferences, a record number of film screenings and industry seminars, and a star-studded gala tribute during which New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye will accept this year's AFMA Honors Lifetime Achievement Award.

"During the last 22 years, the AFM has evolved into the world's largest motion picture event while remaining true to its original vision as the home for independent producers and distributors," said Jonathan Wolf, managing director of the AFM and the executive vice president of AFMA.

The AFM opens its doors with 342 exhibitors, up 10 from last year while buyers are expected to be down about 8% from last year's. The number of films screenings this year is 408, the second highest in the market's history. An expanded seminar-conference program and a film commissions presence also are new this year. (Details below.) For the 12^th consecutive year, AFM will take place in the Los Angeles beach community of Santa Monica, with the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel as its primary location. Additional events will take place at the Fairmont Miramar and the Le Merigot hotels.

Cameron Diaz and Peter Jackson, director of "The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of The Ring," will present Robert Shaye, New Line’s co-CEO and chairman, with AFMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The star-studded AFMA Honors ceremony will be held Thursday, Feb. 21, at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel.