Davy Johnson, Lead Singer from the Monkees, Dies at 66

Ashley Greene Ashley Greene has won a starring role on Americana. Pilot Season: Lost's Emilie p Ravin moves to Americana The ABC cleaning soap is placed round the family business of legendary designer Robert Soulter, performed by Anthony LaPaglia. Greene will have Alice Clarke, a youthful designer who joins the look label. Already cast around the project are Emilie p Ravin, who'll play Soutler's daughter, and Siblings & Siblings alum Ken Olin. Greene, most well-known on her role within the Twilight film franchise, lately recurred on ABC's Pan Am.

David Morrissey To Play The Governor On AMCs The Walking Dead As New Regular

David Morrissey (State Of Play) has landed one of the most anticipated roles on AMC’s The Walking Dead. The British actor is set to join the megahit zombie drama as a new series regular in Season 3, playing The Governor, a popular character fromRobert Kirkman’s graphic novel that serves as the basis for the AMC series. The Governor is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for The Walking Dead‘s lead Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group. Morrissey, repped by The Collective and Troika in the UK, recently wrappedWelcome to the Punchopposite James McAvoy and Mark Strong.

Moira Buffini To Write The Night Circus For Summit

The Night Circus is based on the novel by Erin Morgenstern about two young illusionists battling out their fathers’ longtime rivalry.Summit has picked up all worldwide film and TV rights. Buffini will pen the script to the romantic story. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group published the novel, which has been on the NY Times’ bestseller list since October 2011. David Heyman and Jeff Clifford will produce the film via the Heyday Films banner. Richard Pine will executive produce. Buffinis writing credits include Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell and Judi Dench;Tamara Drewe;and the upcoming Byzantium. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group production presidentErik Feig and Summit creative executive Jeyun Choi will oversee the project for the studio.Buffini is represented by CAA.

'Royal Affair' provided to help areas

LONDON -- TrustNordisk has inked several distribution deals for Nikolaj Arcel's "A Royal Affair," which world preems Thursday in competish within the Berlin Film Festival. The newest distrib pacts proceed and take total to nearly 30 nations. Developing board within the European Film Market were Japan's New Choose Co., Russia's Volga Film, Taiwan's Cineplex and Latin America's LAP TV. The pic had been acquired by distribs in many the primary British-language areas, including Magnolia (U.S.), Madman (Australia/Nz), Metrodome (U.K./Ireland), and contains also guaranteed theatrical releases across Europe, including in Germany (MFA), Austria (Filmladen), Benelux (Wild Bunch), The nation (Golem), Elite Film (Europe), Belgium (Best Film), Slovakia and Czech Repetition. (AeroFilms), Estonia (Estin Film), Romania (Independenta Film '97), former Yugoslavia (Cinemania) and Lithuania (Scanorama). Other deals include Chicken (Calinos Ing.) and China (Lens Media). Directed by Nikolaj Arcel and starring Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander and Mikkel Boe Folsgaard, the pic notifies the actual story from the affair between Johann Struensee, the physician in the Danish king, Christian VII, as well as the British-born filled with Denmark, Caroline Mathilda, at the begining of 1770s. It absolutely was shot on location inside the Czech Repetition. and Germany with limited funds of 6.4 million ($8.3 million). Pic is produced by Louise Vesth, Sisse Graum Jorgensen and Meta Louise Foldager for Zentropa Ing. It's compiled by Nordisk Film in Denmark. Contact Leo Barraclough at leo.barraclough@variety.com

Supermodel Sara Ziff Starts Labor Movement While Using Model Alliance

As NY prepares for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week to begin on February 9, some models who'll walk people fashion fashion runways are putting together another kind of industry event.Their leader is Sara Ziff, one which has labored with top designers for instance Calvin Klein, Lv, Chanel, Tommy Hilfiger, and Stella McCartney. While she started her career at 14 years old, she graduated from Columbia College a year ago getting a b -.A. in Political Science, focusing on labor and community organizing. At 29, Ziff might be the face area in the Model Alliance, a non-profit organization she founded to boost the industry's working atmosphere."There is a feeling that fashion is frivolous and a lot of people do not understand models trying to arrange for better labor conditions," Ziff told "The Protector." "They probably start to see the profession just like a privilege."Our planet's considered super models as glamorous riches belies view of the organization for a lot of working models, according to Ziff. The normal internet annual earnings for just about any model is $27,000 yearly, and firms frequently pay with clothing rather than cash. Almost all models begin their careers before they achieve age 16, and can be uncovered to drugs, alcohol, and sexual exploitation inside a youthful age. To combat these together with other labor practices, Ziff created The Model Alliance together with Fordham University's Fashion Law Institute.Susan Scafidi, director in the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School, first experienced Ziff when she saw her documentary, "Picture Me," this season. The film exposes the potential risks of used in an not controlled industry through Ziff together with other models' encounters, and addresses issues that The Model Alliance hopes to solve.InchThe style industry must reject images of beauty that are created through truly ugly means," mentioned Scafidi, who's area of the Model Alliance's Board of Company company directors. "Shining a simple on people unsavory backstage practices is really prone to enable the fashion industry, as well as the modeling industry, and all of the attached industries together to create some factor beautiful."The Model Alliance's primary goals is to enforce child labor laws and regulations and rules, provide utilization of affordable health care, achieve financial transparency by agencies, also to start a support system for models who had been people with sexual harassment and abuse. The company has drafted a Models' Bill of Rights as some standard industry practices. Ziff and Scafidi desire to earn support not only from models, but others within the industry for instance designers, photography fanatics, and agencies to boost conditions."No-it's possible to be for anorexia, or for youthful women getting used by creepy photography fanatics," Scafidi mentioned. "But everyone knows it happens. And so the idea is always to create an alliance that's not just a voice of models standing outdoors the and shouting, but working inside the industry to produce change."Unlike stars, that are represented by unions like the Screen Stars Guild, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, as well as the Actors' Equity Association, models are believed independent companies and for your reason antitrust laws and regulations and rules stop them from creating a union."That doesn't mean we're not able to partner together with other organizations, which themselves take part in collective settling regarding their people, to supply some other type of services," Scafidi contended.Actors' Equity as well as the American Guild of Musical Artists have became a member of with Ziff as well as the Model Alliance, delivering a support system for models to confidentially report and seek assist with their complaints. Both Equity and AGMA are people in the AFL-CIO, the greatest federation of trade unions inside the U.S."Both AGMA and Equity represent ballroom ballroom dancers, and models today will be in the same position regarding the ballroom ballroom dancers experienced decades ago: Their workplace isn't controlled, they are objectified and bothered sexually, they have handful of protections for health, safety, or finances, and they are afraid to complain," Alan Gordon, national executive director of AGMA, mentioned in the prepared statement. "But no model ought to be uncomfortable about saying 'no.'""A variety of employees, mainly within the creative area especially if we are talking about youthful people, need as much help as they can get to ensure that just as much protection as they can get," Flora Stamatiades, national director of organizing and special projects for Actors' Equity, added.The Model Alliance is hosting a launch party on Monday, February 6 within the Standard Hotel in NY City, where the organization hopes to recruit about 1,500 models to participate the main reason. Models pays $50 with an annual membership, but Ziff assures nobody in need of funds will probably be averted."It takes merely a few voices to make a chorus," Scafidi mentioned. To find out more in regards to the Model Alliance, visit ModelAlliance.org. The Model Alliance Video Campaign within the Model Alliance on Vimeo.

SXSW unveils film lineup

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum star in Sony's '21 Jump Street,' which has been chosen as SXSW's Centerpiece pic.Sony's "21 Jump Street" and Emmett Malloy's documentary "Big Easy Express" are among titles set for the South by Southwest Film Conference, which has announced its feature lineup of 130 titles. "Jump Street" world preems March 12 as a centerpiece screening, while "Big Easy" is the closing night film. Fest runs March 9-17 in Austin, Texas. The narrative feature competition includes: "Booster," directed by Matt Ruskin; "Eden," directed by Megan Griffiths; "Gayby," directed by Jonathan Lisecki; "Gimme the Loot," directed by Adam Leon; "Los Chidos," directed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez'; "Pilgrim Song," directed by Martha Stephens, Starlet," directed by Sean Baker, and "The Taiwan Oyster," directed by Mark Jarrett. "21 Jump Street," starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, opens March 16. Other notable titles announced Wednesday include Wiliam Friedkin's "Killer Joe," Gotham Chopra's doc "Decoding Deepak," Jay & Mark Duplass' "Do-Deca-Pentathalon," Mark Ford's "Uprising: Hip Hop & The LA Riots," Matt Piedmont's "Casa de mi Padre," Patrick Forbes' "Wikileaks: Secrets & Lies," Nelson George's "The Announcement," Adam Sherman's "Crazy Eyes," Jacob Rosenberg's "Waiting for Lightning," Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe's "Black Pond," Kristen Sheridan's "Dollhouse" and Gareth Huw Evans' "The Raid." Film Conference and Festival producer Janet Pierson said the lineup maintains the fest's tradition of cutting-edge titles. "SXSW has long been a haven for bold filmmaking and a launching pad for authentic voices," Pierson said. "Every year we start anew, trying hard not to rely on our own formulas or expectations. This year we're excited to present a fresh slate of breakout talent, but one that's still uniquely SXSW." The program includes 51 films from first-time filmmakers, 65 world premieres, 17 North American premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The lineup was culled from a record 1,957 feature-length film submissions, composed of 1,387 from the U.S. and 570 from international filmmakers. Pierson noted that the submission deadline was moved up a month to Nov. 15 but still saw a 7% increase in overall submissions over 2011 with a record 5,243 total as costs of indie filmmaking continue to decline as cameras and editing equipment improve. She said that the fest, now in its 19th year, is committed to focusing on crowd-pleasing titles that have an edge and noted that registrations were up over last year at the same point. "We are turning down plenty of films that are commercial and interesting," she said. "We tell a lot of peope something like 'That's not for our audience' because people who come to SXSW expect a lot of genre films, a lot of comedy and some raunchiness. And because it's less expensive to make films now, a lot of filmmakers tell us that they'll be back next year. " Pierson told Variety that studios are growing increasingly interested in debuting their titles at the fest. Last year's centerpiece title was Summit's "Source Code" while the 2010 selection was Liosngate's "Kick-Ass." SXSW will also feature over 100 panels, workshops, mini-meetings and mentor sessions. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced Feb. 8 and the final conference lineup will be revealed a week later. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com