Gaul photos have some fun, will travel

'The Untouchables,' 'The Artist,' 'A Gang Story' and '17 Girls' are some of the new French films with broad appeal overseas and locally. "The Artist" is on the roll, sweeping trophies around the world -- but that is just one sign that Gallic cinema has its mojo back.This Year, Franch-language films made 85% of the gross outdoors France. Time dropped to 52% this year (once the greatest-grossing French photos within the U.S. were "Colombiana," "Unknown" and "The 3 Musketeers" -- British-lingo photos with British-speaking stars).But this season, Gallic cinema is placed to achieve new levels. "The Artist" has made more than $28 million Stateside and it is certain to rise to new levels, increased by its Oscar wins for pic, actor, director and 2 other trophies.To be certain, U.S. marketing secrets is partially accountable for the prosperity of "The Artist." "The film's upbeat box office results cheap its actor Jean Dujardin and director Michel Hazanavicius happen to be so positively active in the film's promotion campaign, orchestrated with brio through the Weinstein Co., are improving the benefit of French cinema worldwide," states Regine Hatchondo, controlling director of Paris-based pic promotion org Unifrance.Actually, Weinstein continues to be getting a lot of 2011's high-profile French films, particularly Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledanos' "The Intouchables" and Olivier Marchal's "A Gang Story." Both game titles, repped by Gaumont, will have in the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in NY, the annual week-lengthy French cinema lovefest."Lately, there has been more movies from France that talk to us that we are very looking forward to,Inch states David Glasser, COO at Weinstein Co.The prosperity of "The Intouchables" is rejuvinating the look of French movies and opening buyers' minds, states Cecile Gaget, worldwide sales topper at Gaumont. " 'The Artist' and 'The Intouchables' underscore the diversity of French cinema today."Bowing with "The Intouchables," the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in NY will sample Gallic work and introduce promising beginners, particularly Delphine and Muriel Coulin's edgy feature debut "17 Women," David and Stephane Foenkinos' "Delicacy," and 2 photos from thesps-switched-company directors: Daniel Auteuil's "The Well-Digger's Daughter" and Mathieu Demy's "Americano," starring Salma Hayek like a Mexican stripper.And all sorts of these directorial debuts have U.S. distribution.Per Richard Lorber, top professional at arthouse shingle Kino Lorber, that has acquired "The Well-Digger's Daughter," "French cinema finds again its authentic voice and it is coming back to the roots with a brand new dimension of originality. 'The Artist,' 'Declaration of War' and 'Daughter' are quintessentially French but with an entertaining value and quality which makes them special."Strand Delivering prexy Marcus Hu, who's acquired "17 Women" and Andre Techine's "Inforgivable," confirms. "We've labored with strong auteurs from Gaspar Noe to Francois Ozon and Andre Techine, and also have seen them create a crossover film while still maintaining their strong fashion sense.InchFollowing fearing the worst a couple of in the past once the galleries shuttered their niche divisions, many French retailers agree that closing a distribution offer the U.S. today is simpler compared to some European nations like Italia or even the U.K."The U.S. is really a market of niches that provides many distribution models," states Gaget. "There's an arthouse circuit in NY and L.A. where we are able to have a movie launched on 10 copies, and also the VOD type of IFC or Magnolia." She adds that such new gamers as Cohen Media Group, Film District and Open Road also have vitalized the marketplace.Even though VOD can always maintain its infancy, it's giving industryites a brand new feeling of chance. "VOD platforms within the U.S. are becoming bigger," states Marie-Laure Montironi, mind of internatioanl sales at Luc Besson's EuropaCorp. "Marketers like Magnolia and Music Box now consider the film's VOD potential simply because they know they are able to sometimes recoup their investment with a decent VOD deal."The launch of Weinstein Co.'s VOD label, Radius-TWC, can also be viewed as great news for independent films. "VOD enables us to make use of new audiences for foreign-language movies," states Glasser. "We are likely to open your eyes from everyone towards the great type of cinema that's available through our very own video-on-demand system.""There'll always a segment of yankee audiences engaged with foreign films and edgier and more personal product," states Hu. "The adventurous tastes of cinephiles will always be around, they simply develop diversely nowadays."Related Links: Gual's gamers: The brand new generation Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

See Amanda Seyfried as Linda Lovelace on vintage Deep Throat poster

A trio of new images from porn star biopic Lovelace have been unveiled at NYTimes.com.The images give a further look at Amanda Seyfried as porn star Linda Loveface, who found fame with hardcore breakout hit Deep Throat, before becoming a dedicated anti-porn activist later in her life.The new images also offer another minute glance at Peter Saarsgard, who plays Lovelace's abusive husband/manager Chuck Traynor.Most interesting of the new shots is the mocked-up Deep Throat poster starring Seyfried's Lovelace, hinting at an authentic period vibe that will hopefully permeate the entire movie.Check out the images below:Lovelace is expected to open later this year.

McFarland, Caswell dig into 'Files'

McFarlandNew Line and director James Wan are rounding out the cast of horror pic "The Warren Files," signing up Hayley McFarland and Shanley Caswell to play members of the family beset by a haunted house.Mackenzie Foy and Joey King have already been tapped to play the younger sisters in the true-life Perron family. McFarland and Caswell will portray the oldest siblings.The Perrons claimed they "lived among the dead" in the 1970s as spirits -- both friendly and sinister -- inhabited their Rhode Island farmhouse. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson are playing the investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Lilli Taylor and Ron Livingston will portray the Perrons.Peter Safran and Tony DeRosa-Grund will produce "The Warren Files" -- formerly titled "The Conjuring" -- through the Safran Co. and DeRosa-Grund's Evergreen Media Group. Rob Cowan will also produce. Wan is directing from a script by Chad and Carey Hayes with shooting scheduled to start Feb. 21 in North Carolina.McFarland's credits include "Lie to Me" and "An American Crime." Caswell appeared in "Detention." McFarland is repped by Coast to Coast and managed by Protege; her attorney is Lev Ginsberg. Caswell's repped by APA. Shanley is managed by Semler Entertainment. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Keck's Exclusives: Glee's Valentine To Fans

Amber Riley Glee's February 14 episode, titled "Heart, "sounds like a true valentine to fans - with Mercedes singing a Whitney Houston classic, Kurt receiving a surprise visit and The Glee Project winner Samuel Larsen finally making his debut. "It's Valentine's Day and everyone's really excited about it," says Matthew Morrison (Will Schuester). "There is a lot of love in the air during our Valentine's Day episode," echoes Naya Rivera (Santana). "There's a big dance at the school and Brittany [Heather Morris] and I are definitely going to go together. So maybe fans will get what they've been wanting." What fans have been wanting, according to the obsessive tweets I've been receiving, is some serious Brittana smooching. Well, get ready guys. Heather confirms, "They'll be a lot of kissing for me and Santana. Naya and I had to do it over and over and over again." Heather also offers a Valentine's Day Easter egg clue for fans. "Here's something to look for," she says. "Somebody from our set dressers stamped a candy heart with 'Teen Lesbians.' It's really funny and I hope somebody spots it." Fans also won't be able to miss Larsen's long-awaited debut in the jam-packed hour as a character named Joe Hart. Among the other developments: "Will and Emma [Jayma Mays] get in a fight," reveals Matthew, who doesn't see a wedding in Will and Emma's immediate future. "I don't think there will be a ceremony just because a lot of attention needs to be paid to the kids who are exiting the show." Chris Colfer (Kurt) confirms that while Darren Criss (Blaine), who was in NY City performing on stage during the shoot, "is in the episode, it's not in the way you might think. But there's definitely a huge development for Kurt in that episode that involves someone in a gorilla costume." Hmmm... Though Chord Overstreet's Sam never got to sing Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy," as was planned as a mash-up with "Human Nature" in the Michael Jackson episode, the late great musical legend's romantic ballad, "L-O-V-E" will be performed by lovebirds Mike (Harry Shum Jr.) and Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz). And what of Sam and Mercedes (Amber Riley)? "There's a lot of love and a little bit of heartbreak in the episode," Chord tells me. "Mercedes still has her boyfriend, and I'm still trying to jump in on that and convince her to break up with him. There's a lot of that throughout this episode. He acts sweet and sings to her to win her over." Look for Mercedes, Sam and Joe Hart to sing Gym Class Heroes' "Stereo Hearts," while Mercedes will solo on "I Will Always Love You," made famous by Dolly Parton and Whitney Houston. Ah, sweet amour... this one sounds like one not to be missed! Subscribe to TV Guide Magazine now!

Film restorer John Lowry dies

John D. Lowry, a professional in film restoration who had been set to get an Academy Plaque for his innovative Lowry Process at February. 11's Scientific and Technical Honours, died Jan. 21. He was 79. With several co-workers, Lowry developed what AMPAS referred to like a "unique and efficient system for that decrease in noise along with other items, therefore supplying high-quality images needed through the filmmaking process." Lowry's company enhanced the look quality on a large number of films, including recent photos for example "Avatar" and "The Curious Situation of Benjamin Button" and classics for example "Gone Using the Wind," "Citizen Kane," "Sunset Boulevard," "Singin' while it is raining,Inch "Roman Holiday" and "Dr. Zhivago." Lowry founded his company in 1988 as Lowry Digital Images. It later grew to become DTS Digital Images underneath the possession of DTS from 2005-08 however the Burbank-based firm eventually grew to become a part of India's Reliance Large Entertainment Group. Reliance MediaWorks Boss Anil Arjun stated, "We're deeply saddened through the passing of John Lowry. He would be a visionary who introduced unparalleled technological and imaging developments towards the film industry. His work has been utilized to revive probably the most exclusive classic films from the century and respected for that standards and excellence the various tools represented." Additionally to the work rebuilding in the past significant films, Lowry Digital is becoming progressively expert in focus on three dimensional films. Jon Landau, co-producer of "Avatar," which won an Oscar for visual effects, stated: "Lowry Digital's innovative digital image processing assisted us produce the wholly immersive world that (director and co-producer James Cameron) imagined. We introduced Lowry directly into cleanup and enhance live-action moments where necessary, permitting us to provide three dimensional images with unparalleled quality." Lowry seemed to be active in the change in Cameron's "Titanic" to three dimensional. Born in Toronto, Lowry began within the entertainment industry like a stagehand in the CBC in 1952. In 1971 he acquired recognition in the market for his calculations utilized in the restoration from the NASA Apollo missions 16 and 17 films. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Protests staged at NY senators' offices

hundreds of protesters switched out Wednesday outdoors the surface of the East Side offices to NY Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to protest the questionable antipiracy legislation now wending through Congress. Nevertheless the event was far within the raucous crowds that collected a few several days ago for your Occupy Wall Street demos. A sense of calm won, with protesters mostly remaining from chanting too noisally, together with a few police herding compliant audiences into well-maintained protest zones. Third Avenue was blocked off between 48th and 49th streets allowing the protest. The speeches, however, were rousing: "The Stop Online Piracy Act will not do much to avoid online piracy!" mentioned NYU teacher and "Cognitive Surplus" author Clay Shirky, who recommended the title in the legislation be changed for the First Amendment Sunset Act. "You can't just shut people up if you don't like what they're saying!" he told the entertaining aud. Hollywood needed its mounds within the rally, organized with the networking org NY Tech Meetup. "When Hollywood insurance supporters appear with $94 million simply because they did a year ago, both Dems and Republicans lineup,In . mentioned Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. MoveOn.org's Eli Pariser being more adamant: "You've groups like MoveOn completely to groups like (conservative coalition) Red-colored-colored Condition who think this is often a bad idea," he mentioned. "Really the only people who think this is a great idea will be the failing old legacy media who want to go back to VHS tapes and Dvds and congresspeople." Contact Mike Thielman at mike.thielman@variety.com

Publishers rethink comics for tablets

DC Comics Geoff Johns says digital comics are ideal for giving readers extra content. The Aquaman comic was designed with tablet display in mind. When readers opened "Aquaman #1," last fall, they saw sinister bioluminescent creatures ascending the black waters of the Atlantic. Swirling upward in six vertical panels across two pages, the layout was a coup for DC Comics chief creative officer Geoff Johns after the publisher pledged to release each new issue in its 52-book reboot day and date in print and on digital platforms such as tablets.The increased usage of tablet computers is forcing comicbook publishers and scribes like Johns ("Green Lantern," "The Flash," "Superman") to consider new ways of designing their books.Tasked with writing stories that would play in print and pixels, Johns had to re-evaluate the medium since readers of digital comicbooks are ignorant of page breaks, focusing on stories panel by panel instead."Every panel becomes a page, which I find really fascinating," Johns said. "Right when I saw that, I thought about how that could change the way you look at comics."Although the impact of a double-page spread diminishes and folded pullouts disappear completely in digital, Johns said digital readers spend more time on individual panels, slowing down and taking in details before moving on. He compares the experience to reading Japanese manga, which paces slower with only a few panels per page."It's weird to go back and look at some of the old comics now," Johns said. "If you read something in this fashion you will notice stuff that you skipped over so quickly because your eye takes in the whole page instead of the panel individually. I think that's probably one of the biggest advantages of digital."Without pages to structure the narrative, big character and action reveals don't need to hide after a page turn to prevent wandering eyes from skipping ahead. Now every panel has to keep readers wanting more.A few pages after Johns introduces his slimy ocean villains, Aquaman defeats a band of armed crooks attempting to rob a big city bank. Now on land, the action unravels in successive horizontal panels to exploit the iPad's ability to spin from portrait to landscape modes and punctuate the stories' transition from water to land."It's just a subtlesubconscious change -- it feels different," Johns said. "It's like when Hitchcock used to shoot those angles, kind of canted angles in his films. It would be a normal room but because an angle was turned, it would feel a little bit off. I think there are certain things we can play around with."Animation would seem a likely addition to the digital format, allowing characters to move freely and transition between panels. But previous attempts at motion comics, which pile on animated elements while attempting to keep the medium's storyboard format, have a decidedly underwhelming, choppy feel.Johns, who co-produced Warner Bros. "Green Lantern" film, also is wary of sound effects and voiceover. In the same way, the film adaptation of a popular novel can never live up to the scenes and characters readers envision, sound effects can rob fans of their mental score and create an unwanted distraction, he said.The scribe has even begun scaling back internal dialogue so the text won't bite into DC's brawny, saturated art. Digitally, the illustrations glow with a hypnotic brilliance."I would rather let the art and characters expressions speak for themselves, let the reader experience it as more of a subtle experience rather than slamming you over the head with their inner thoughts," Johns said.There are more changes on the comic horizon. Johns predicts the digital format will soon give readers interactive access to character bios and links to past stories, while a digital edition of the author's "Flashpoint" comicbook lets readers break down the page piece by piece, removing color to reveal the original black-and-white penciling. All five issues of "Flashpoint" include such a "Digital Deluxe" version."The mythology of DC's comics is so deep you could layer on a whole other experience on top of it," Johns said.Some of DC's new digital books have zoomed in on certain panels or pulled back in dramatic modes to enhance the imagery in a filmic way. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com