Emma Watson selected for 'Bling Ring'

WatsonSofia Coppola has drawn on Emma Watson to star in "The Jewelry Ring," the real story of several teens who commit a string of celebrity robberies. Coppola will write and direct the pic, and can produce with brother Roman Coppola and Youree Henley. Executive producers are Fred Roos and Michael Zakin. "I am looking forward to the youthful cast we are putting together and I am searching toward shooting on location within La,Inch Coppola stated. Though Watson has stated she would like to dedicate additional time to her studies, thesp has still found time for work, focusing more about small-allocated projects publish-"Harry Potter." She was lately observed in The Weinstein Co.'s "My Week With Marilyn" and merely wrapped production on Fox Searchlight's "Perks to be a Wallflower." She's been drawn on to star in David Yates' "Your Voice during my Mind" for Warner Bros. Coppola makes a practice of giving rising female stars material that's permitted these to enter more adult, for example Scarlett Johansson in "Lost in Translation" and, more lately, Elle Fanning in Coppola'ss last pic, "Somewhere." Watson is repped by WME and Markham, Froggatt & Irwin. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

Basketball Rankings Go Lin-sane!

Charlie Sheen's go back to television is imminent - his sitcom, Anger Management, will premiere at 9/8c on Thursday, June 28, Forex introduced Tuesday. Contributing to the thrillOrinsanity, comedian Russell Brand's talk show, Oddly Beneficial, will debut exactly the same evening at 11/10c. Find Out More > Other Links From TVGuide.com Charlie SheenSelma BlairShawnee SmithRussell BrandLouieWilfred

Pilot Season Exclusive: SNL's Rachel Dratch and Danny Comden Join NBC's Kari Lizer Comedy

Mira Sorvino Mira Sorvino is in final negotiations to star CBS' drama pilot, Trooper, Deadline reports. The complete pilot report: CBS has Greg Berlanti, Louis C.K. and Bridesmaids stars Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the project follows a sensible mother who becomes a NY state trooper. Heroes scribe Aron Eli Coleite will write and executive-produce. If Trooper is picked up, it would be Sorvino's first TV series. She won the Oscar for best supporting actress in 1996 for Mighty Aphrodite and is also known for Romy and Michele's High School Reunion. She last appeared on the small screen in House's post-Super Bowl episode in 2008.

Australias Southern Star Names TV Industry Vet Janeen Faithfull To CEO Post

Endemol owned Southern Star, one of Australias largest independent production companies, today announced that it has appointed Janeen Faithfull as Chief Executive Officer. Janeen is a leading executive with 28 years international experience in television industry including 15 years at Australias Seven Network. She is currently Head of Content & Rights Management at Seven, responsible for the exploitation of IP across all platforms, domestically and internationally. Her role at Seven also includes the commercial responsibilities of her former position as Head of Network Production, which she first took up in 1996. In this capacity she led Sevens in-house production business, which included the creation, development and production of new programming, significantly growing Sevens in-house production business during her tenure. Her previous positions have included Vice-President of Business Affairs, Columbia Tristar Television in the USA and a senior business affairs role at Nine Network in Australia. Janeen takes up her role as CEO at a time of continued growth at Southern Star. The companys line up for 2012 includes the return of Big Brother launching on the Nine Network this Autumn, a number of key drama commissions confirmed across the year, including Puberty Blues on Ten and World Series Cricket (aka Howzat!) on Nine alongside further series of Offspring and Paper Giants; and a wide range of new and returning entertainment series including Deal or No Deal on Seven. As CEO of Southern Star Janeen will report to Martha Brass, Managing Director, International Operations at Endemol Group. Martha Brass comments: Janeen is an outstanding executive with over two decades of senior management experience in commercial television. Her expertise spans broadcasting, development, production, distribution and exploitation, working both in Australia and the US and across both scripted and non-scripted genres. We are thrilled to have someone of her calibre to take Southern Star into its next chapter of growth. Janeen Faithfull comments: I feel very excited and extremely fortunate to be taking on this role for Endemol and I look forward to leading the very successful, creative and motivated Southern Star team into the future. I am thankful for the challenges, experiences, successes and most importantly the support I received during my years at the Seven Network. Endemol is a world leader in television programming and I look forward to ensuring that Southern Star continues to contribute to the shared goals and successes of the Group. Janeens appointment as CEO of Southern Star follows the recent announcement that Rory Callaghan is stepping down from the role. Rorys departure date and Janeens start date will be announced in due course.

WBZ broadcaster Dork Maynard dies

Veteran Boston broadcaster Dork Maynard, who loved lengthy operates on WBZ on tv and radio, died February. 9 in Citrus Hillsides, Florida following a lengthy fight with Parkinson's Disease.Born in Larchmont, NY, he graduated from Emerson College and Boston College, teaching in the latter. He started his broadcast career like a disc jockey within the nineteen fifties, joining WBZ because the host from the public "Community Auditions" - a nearby talent show - within the sixties. He was using the show in to the eighties.In 1979 he started broadcasting on WBZ-AM. Throughout his newbie around the overnight change, he required a phone call from somebody that introduced he'd taken a drug overdose. Maynard stored him around the air nearly an hour or so as police located the caller and intervened. The year after Maynard was handed the plum morning drive-time place, that they held for 2 decades. Within the eighties he was the very best ranked morning guy in the area. He upon the market in 1991, but made an appearance frequently filling out for some individuals for an additional many years.He was honored by his peers because the 1999 Massachusetts Broadcast Association "Broadcaster of the season,Inch and was later awarded with a Massachusetts Broadcaster Hall of Fame.Made it by his wife, Patricia Early, three sons, three kids, a stepdaughter, a stepson, nine grandchildren, one step-grandchild, and 2 great-grandchildren. A memorial services are being planned. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Fringe's Astrid Drinking Game: This Week, You'll Be Sober

Jasika Nicole Finally, after four seasons of Fringe, Astrid is stepping into the spotlight when the Astrids from both universes come together. Early in Fringe's run, Astrid's conspicuously minimal dialogue became the topic of many a wager -- with fans betting how many lines she'd have in an episode -- and even spawned a drinking game in which viewers would take a drink every time Astrid was in a scene, but never spoke a word. "It's a great drinking game," portrayer Jasika Nicole jokes, but cautions that her juicy story line in Friday's episode won't be offering opportunities for audience inebriation. "You are going to be so sober by the end of [Friday's] episode, you might even be disappointed." TVGuide.com caught up with Nicole to find out what's in store for the Astrids' meeting, the David Robert Jones (Jared Harris) showdown and Peter's timeline troubles. Fringe Scoop: Joshua Jackson teases David Robert Jones' return and Olivia's fate What can you tell us about the Astrids coming face to face? Jasika Nicole: They're so fundamentally different than each other, more so than the rest of the characters on the show. I thought that them meeting would be really just incredible and beautiful and weird, because I couldn't imagine what it would be like. The Astrid that we're familiar with, the over-here Astrid, she's really personable, charming, emotional and she's a caretaker. The other Astrid from the alternate universe is none of those things. They serve as lovely foils for one another. The alternate-Astrid comes to this universe because something really traumatic had happened to her in her home universe, and she has no idea where to go from there. Interestingly enough, I think that alternate Astrid and Walter (John Noble) are also very similar because they're really uninterested in what other people think about them. They're super-focused people, they're really smart, and they're completely in their own world. What do the two Astrids learn from each other? Nicole: I wonder if the alternate-Astrid assumed that the Astrid over here was "more normal," you know, didn't have Asperger's the way that she does. Some part of me thinks that she probably assumed the other Astrid was different from her, but I don't think that this Astrid had any idea that alternate-Astrid was as different from her as she is, so it's really shocking for her to see her that way. They also have different relationships with the people in their lives, and that's another reason that they end up being brought together. Exclusive: Michael Massee tapped as Fringe's best bad guy Now that the two universes must work together to take down David Robert Jones, what will we see in the coming episodes? Nicole: He is still a part of what's going on, and as soon as we think that we've got his number, and that we know how to move on from that, something else ends up happening that kind of takes us two steps back. So it becomes really integral to both of the Fringe teams to be able to work closely together and not let ego stuff get in the way, and this ends up becoming really significant between the two Lincolns (Seth Gabel). We're starting an episode that's filmed heavily with the two Lincolns and their relationship with each other, and trying to pinpoint how different the humanoid shapeshifters are: Why they're different in both worlds and how we can get a handle on all of them, so that we can stop all the death and devastation that's happening. Peter (Joshua Jackson) is so desperate to get back to his time line. What will we see for the resolution of that story line? Nicole: We actually are in a point in our season right now that deals with this very specifically, and I think that the resolution is going to surprise a lot of the fans because it definitely surprised me. There is this kind of push and pull with the two time lines, with which one is better, which one has characters that the audience members relate to more. We ended up solving this problem in a really creative, interesting way, and I can't wait to find out how everybody reacts to it. I don't want to say that everything merges together, but there's going to be a balance between the time lines that I think will probably be pretty satisfying for people. Fringe airs Fridays at 9/8c on Fox.