Healthy Hollywood: Wellness Wednesday Chill Like A Rock Star!

By Terri MacLeodNEW YORK., N.Y. -- Ever envious of the rock star life? The bright lights! The fame! The VIP Treatment! Sounds, glam! Yet, life in the fast lane can be downright tiring even for the most hardcore rocker. Music icons U2, Coldplay, & Mick Jagger all share the same go-to trick to de-stress and relax on the road t spheres massage balls. These golf-size wonder balls are infused with aromatherapy oils and help relieve pain and muscle aches anywhere, anytime. The fact is a person like Dave Gahan or Chris Martin actually extends the energy of a marathon each night they perform, so refueling and taking good care of themselves is important, reveals celebrity masseuse and creator of the t spheres, Stephanie Whittier. The simple technique of placing the balls on the floor (or against a wall) and using your body weight to release trigger points to relieve pain and muscle soreness, reveals Stephanie. T spheres come two balls in a pouch, and there are six different sets from Pep-Up-Mint, to Perk-Up (grapefruit/peppermint) to Inner Beauty (rose geranium). Each aroma has medicinal qualities (ex. grapefruit/uplifting and detoxifying; lavender/calming; peppermint/stimulates mental alertness) we make sure the amount in each t spheres ball is perfect for neurological effects that occur through the olfactory nerves connection to the central nervous system, advises Stephanie. The best news: This is a do-it-yourself massage no partner or trip to the spa required. Its the perfect travel companion or an at work pick-me-up. I use them 2 minutes every hour to relieve eyestrain, reveals Stephanie, who also adds, Some days I just do a 20 minute foot session and this seems to take care of my back from sitting [at the computer]. Ready to roll? Here are two ways to find relief and experience sphere pleasure. Soothe Tired Feet:Start with one t sphere placed under the ball of your foot right in the middle at the knuckle of the toes. Take a deep breath and place pressure into the sphere- feel the connection from your hip (place your hands on the front and back of your hip) open and close your toes and then release the pressure. Do this again and add a side to side movement from here you can add rolling back and forth under the foot (not too much pressure at first). Then, place the t sphere under your arch (may want to sit) and press your upper body weight into your leg (by leaning on it with your forearms) putting pressure into the ankle and foot to get a deeper release. Decrease Stress: Brew herbal tea (perfect compliment to t spheres). Then, roll the t spheres across chest and forehead to release facial tension in between sips of tea. Ahhhh! For more information on t spheres, head to www.tspheres.com. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Judge declines Comcast effort to prevent DirecTV advertisements

A federal judge has refused a Comcast effort to instantly halt DirecTV from advertising its National football league Ticket Service as "free" and offered at "no extra charge."DirecTV stated the Illinois judge refused Comcast's request a brief constraint order. The situation can continue to proceed on other motions.A week ago, Comcast prosecuted the satellite provider for false advertising, declaring its offers are an "outright lie." It stated customers needed to place fine-print disclaimers to determine the offer applied simply to new clients.But DirecTV refused it was misleading clients, and stated the concept of the advertisements were obvious."We are pleased the judge recognized Comcast's veiled make an effort to limit our capability to compete available on the market and refused the TRO," stated Jon Gieselman, senior Vice president of selling and network marketing for DirecTV. "We are pleased to do mind-to-mind with Comcast every day on whose service is superior, therefore we anticipate competing available on the market as opposed to the court docket." Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

Headhunters (Hodejegerne)

A Magnolia Pictures (in U.S.)/Nordisk Filmdistribusjon (in Norway) release of Friland Film, Yellowbird Norge presentation and production, in association with ARD Degeto, Nordisk Film, with the participation of SVT, 2. (International sales: Trustnordisk, Hvidovre, Denmark.) Produced by Asle Vatn, Marianne Gray. Directed by Morten Tyldum. Screenplay, Ulf Ryberg, Lars Gudmestad, based on Jo Nesbo's novel.With: Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Synnove Macody Lund, Julie Olgaard, Eivind Sander, Daniel Bratterud. (Norwegian, English, Russian dialogue)A smooth, intriguing opening and a predictable but emotionally satisfying home stretch bookend helmer Morten Tyldum's otherwise by-the-numbers Norwegian thriller "Headhunters." Based on Jo Nesbo's eponymous bestseller, the slickly assembled project stars local name thesp Aksel Hennie as the story's man on the run, an insecure but successful recruitment specialist who moonlights as an art thief -- until a big score goes awry. Though unlikely to match international B.O. numbers of co-producer Yellowbird's "Millennium" films, "Hunters" should hit targets as a home-entertainment item. Pic already sold to several Euro territories and Magnolia in the U.S., which is eyeing a fall release. Marketing a film filled with at times blackly comic violence might prove tricky in Norway, where it goes out Aug. 26, in the wake of recent tragic events. Elsewhere this should be straight-up Scandi genre fare, with enough graphic bloodshed, nudity and sex to ensure a hard "R" rating. In the sleekly filmed and edited opening sequence, a balaclava-wearing Roger Brown (Hennie) is seen slipping into an affluent home to steal a canvas while, in v.o., he explains the rules that guide any good art thief. The film will actually turn into a feature-length demonstration of rule number five: "Eventually, you'll either steal an artwork so expensive you never need to work again, or you'll get caught." But before it sends Brown running, pic's nimble, half-hour intro convincingly sets up the protag's meek, overcompensating character and the neat way in which Brown's headhunter job dovetails with his second, more dangerous occupation. Though the adapted screenplay, credited to Ulf Ryberg ("The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest") and Lars Gudmestad ("Liverpool Goalie"), uses pure pop psychology 101, Hennie's John Doe-like qualities and entertaining narration make it hard not to root for this slightly dorky Everyman with a plan. Brown's big score involves a Rubens painting in the Oslo apartment of Dane Clas Grave (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who also happens to be the perfect candidate for an executive post Brown needs to fill. Almost disturbingly good-looking and suave, Grave is the polar opposite of Brown, so it's no surprise the mark is often one step ahead of the thief. Midsection is basically one long, well-executed but hardly original chase through the wet and dirty Norwegian countryside. Tight focus on Brown and Grave highlights the narrative's cat-and-mouse nature but also barely leaves room for dead ends or red herrings -- which could help keep auds guessing about where all this is headed; it's clear from early on that each supporting character onscreen will either almost immediately end up dead or live just long enough to provide crucial information later on. Nonetheless, Hennie generates enough interest in his character's plight to keep auds hooked. The thesp even manages to inject a note of utter loneliness and melancholy following an impressive car-crash sequence and a painful attempt to shave his head. As his opponent, Coster-Waldau is efficient but more one-note, while Eivind Sander, as a sex-crazed accomplice of Brown, is the otherwise solid ensemble's standout. As per the closing credits, the film's helicopter shots are actually from Yellowbird's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." The rest of the tech package is smooth.Camera (color, widescreen), John Andreas Andersen; editor, Vidar Flataukan; music, Trond Bjerknes, Jeppe Kaas; production designer, Nina Bjerch-Andresen; costume designer, Karen Fabritius Gram; sound (Dolby SRD), Tormod Ringnes; special effects supervisor, Koo Hummer Hojmark. Reviewed at Locarno Film Festival (Piazza Grande), Aug. 3, 2011. Running time: 100 MIN. Contact Boyd van Hoeij at news@variety.com

Can We Decipher the Plot of 'Man of Steel' From One Photo?

Zack Snyder, who once made a pretty good movie called '300' (and once made a very terrible movie called 'Sucker Punch') has released the first photo of Henry Cavill as the title character in his new Superman movie, 'Man of Steel.' Now, it's impossible to decipher the actual plot of a film based on one photo and, it's probably a little bit reckless to attempt such a thing... But let's have some fun! Look, I'm not the one who released such a bizarre photo as the first image from such an anticipated and iconic film. And it is bizarre. What is Superman doing? Did he just pull off a bank heist? If so, that doesn't seem very challenging for a man with his powers. Based on this image, perhaps the title of the film should be spelled 'Man of Steal.' From what I gather, in 'Man of Steal,' Zack Snyder's vision of Superman appears to be as a bank robber. And a very bad one, apparently, because he has emerged from the vault without any money. And now he's looking directly at me, because I have money. Not a lot, mind you -- I have only $27 currently in my wallet -- but it's certainly more than he has right now and, from what I'm seeing, he reeks of desperation. Now, why would Superman be a bank robber? In comic book lore, and in past films, Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, has been a newspaper reporter. But in this tough economy, it's probably a safe guess that Clark is not making enough to make ends meet in an expensive city like Metropolis. One night, while eating yet another bowl of Kix for dinner, Clark thinks to himself: What the hell am I doing? I have super powers, I can take all of the money I need. Look, I'm just a simple alien from a destroyed planet, it's certainly not my fault that I got tricked into this worthless journalism degree. So begins the Man of Steal's reign of terror. From the looks of this photo, we are well into Superman's heist spree. How can we be so sure? I don't know how many newspaper reporters that you know, but I know quite a few and I personally don't know any that have hair like that. So it's obvious that after a couple of successful "jobs," Clark uses his new wealth to start a hedge fund firm. (Only someone who runs a hedge fund firm would have a haircut like that. This is not up for debate.) See, at heart, Superman doesn't want to make a living by robbing banks, he just wants enough to get his firm off of the ground... oh, and to support his new love for cocaine. (Only someone who has a cocaine habit would have a haircut like that. This is not up for debate.) Unfortunately, the economic downturn has been tough on Clark's hedge fund, resulting in what we finally see in this photo: a coked out Superman looking for "one last big score." Of course, it's always "one last big score." And see all that dust on the lower right hand corner? That's not concrete residue -- you guessed it, that's the remnants from last night's party at Clark's coke den. We were promised a darker take on the Superman story. And from what we see so obviously in this photo -- a desperate, bank robbing, hedge fund owning, coked out Superman -- Zack Snyder has fully delivered on that promise. Look for Zack Snyder's 'Man of Steal,' a story of an addict -- rivaling Nic Cage's performance in 'Leaving Las Vegas' -- that will surely be the most depressing movie of 2013. Do you think the first photo from 'Man of Steel' fits the classic image of Superman?

In Time Trailer Runs Online

Justin Timberlake knows time is money.... Just over a week ago, 20th Century Fox dispatched Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and writer/director Andrew "Gattaca" Niccol to Comic-Con to talk up their new sci-fi drama thriller In Time. You've likely already read our panel report from the day and watched the footage from the press conference. Well, now the full trailer for the film is online over at Apple. In Time is set in an alternate near future, a world where mankind has cracked the idea of aging. Everyone ages until 25, whereupon they stop. But there's a catch! In this universe, time is literally money and unless you're one of the rich types who have banked years of life and can waft about in luxury (albeit bored and constantly paranoid about injury or illness), you have to work to stay alive. Justin Timberlake's Will Salas is in the latter category, surviving day to day until he meets Henry Hamilton (Matthew Bomer). Despite his wealth, Henry is sick of living (he's 105 years old) and sneakily gives Salas the majority of his time before waiting to die. But Will's troubles are just beginning as he's accused of killing Henry by the obsessive lawmen, the Timekeepers. On the run, Will takes rich girl Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfried) hostage and they soon learn a little something about how society really works...We're hopeful that Niccol's return to the sort of intriguing sci-fi idea he tapped so well before can help lift his career out of the post-Lord of War doldrums. Take a look at the trailer and let us know your thoughts. If you're keeping a watch on the release clock, In Time arrives on November 1.

USA acquires rights to 30 Universal films

'Bridesmaids'USA has acquired network television rights to more than 30 Universal Pictures films, including ''Bridesmaids'' and ''Fast Five.''The features, which also include ''Little Fockers'' and ''The Adjustment Bureau,'' will begin airing on USA in 2013 , with some of them eligible to run on such sister NBCUniversal channels as NBC, Syfy, E!, Bravo, Oxygen, Style, G4, Chiller, Sleuth and UniHD. ''This groundbreaking acquisition package represents our ongoing dynamic partnership with Universal to deliver blockbuster movies and A-list talent to our audience,'' ''These films provide a strategic platform for our originals, while complementing our brand of character-based entertainment,'' said USA programming, acquisitions and scheduling EVP Jane Blaney. Frances Manfredi, NBC Universal Domestic TV Distribution EVP and general sales manager, said she was pleased at the ''win-win deal.''Other recent acquisitions for USA include off-net rights to ''NCIS: Los Angeles'' (premiering this fall) and ''Modern Family'' (2013). Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Only For Laughs Goes Global For Discovery Talent

MONTREAL -- Only For Laughs COO Bruce Hillsides can finally exhale, since the 29th edition from the Montreal comedy festival wrapped Sunday evening.He's been pointing lots of Hollywood feet traffic within the last couple of days, as La and New You are able to talent scouts looking for the following Large Factor mostly flit from venue to venue to venue within the roads round Place des Arts and also the Hyatt Regency hotel."You need to hit five shows, you now give four minutes to achieve with a home Astral towards the Imperial, in order to the Gesu, or Club Soda," Hillsides described.The irony is the fact that, just like Only For Laughs performances have coalesced round a downtown Montreal hub, the festival is focusing on an progressively global comedy business, online and round the world, because of digital age."This (Only For Laughs) will be a location where individuals will find individuals to cast," the festival's talent producer Robbie Praw stated."But everybody knows it is not the the nineteen nineties," he adds.Which means Only For Laughs no more is dependent on the nucleus of coming back U.S. stand-up comics to lure Hollywood executives and scouts with comedy talent.The Canadian chuckles festival is rather getting more worldwide functions to Montreal, especially in the United kingdom and Here, to find the attention of industry scouts.Typical was the Craig Ferguson-located Saturday evening gala "The Worldwide House of Comedy" in the Salle Wilfred Pelletier, which featured Aussie Adam Hillsides, Britons Eddie Izzard and Russell Howard, and Scottish comic Danny Bhoy.While revealing their talent in Montreal, worldwide comics will also be featuring in varied Television shows that simply For Laughs now creates the worldwide market."Besides carrying out, I tell the talent I am going to provide you with a United States TV audience," Bruce Hillsides described.The most recent TV deal just for For Laughs includes two one-hour stand-up comedy special offers for BBC America.Only For Laughs can also be creating two TV special offers for Network Ten around australia, six shows for Sweden and also the Netherlands, 1 hour of stand-up comedy each for Germany and The country and shows for, in most, four Canadian systems, such as the CBC and Cinemax Canada.Hill was adamant the elevated worldwide TV exposure just for For Laughs demonstrates the way the comedy clients are altering, as festival headliners this season like Russell Peters, Eddie Izzard, Tim Minchin, Jimmy Carr, John Oliver and Beardyman have gone from being homegrown to global talents, assisted by their online group of followers and exposure.The British comic and ventriloquist Nina Conti earlier this week in Montreal signed using the Gersh Agency for U.S representation on the effectiveness of her one-lady show, "Nina Conti Speak With The Hands," which she carried out in the festival."We met once and today I have plenty of ideas of the items Let me do right here," Conti stated after inking an offer with Gersh.Only For Laughs' Hillsides underlines the current overhaul from the festival has taken care of immediately a altering business."There's still (U.S.) TV executives approaching. But deals aren't done in the (hotel) bar any longer. And today worldwide TV executives and festival artistic company directors are circulating around the festival," he stated.Only For Laughs can also be deep into social networking, has devoted Youtube channels and top quality smartphone applications have been in the whole shebang.Eventually, the festival's growing worldwide focus is sensible for that digital age.Regardless of the strange and wild comedy that filled varied venues during the last three days inside a stone's throw from the Place des Arts, Only For Laughs isn't Montreal any longer, but somewhere and otherwise within an progressively borderless and digital entertainment business.The Needed For Laughs festival wrapped Sunday evening using the "Decline from the American Empire?!" gala, located by "The Daily Show with John Stewart's" John Oliver. The Hollywood Reporter