Before taking over the "Twilight" franchise for its final installments, "Breaking Dawn Part 1" and "Breaking Dawn Part 2," Bill Condon was best known for his contribution to modern movie musicals: He wrote the Oscar-nominated script for 2002 Best Picture winner "Chicago" and wrote and directed the 2006 film "Dreamgirls." Why did he want to tackle the vampires and werewolves of Stephenie Meyer's best-selling global phenomenon?

"What I looked for on this, and the reason I did get involved, was that it was a series that was open to drastically different interpretations," Condon, a native New Yorker who won an Oscar for writing "Gods and Monsters," told HuffPost Entertainment in a recent interview. "If there had been a stronger template, I don't think I would have been interested. For me, this was a full-on, non-ironic romantic melodrama. That approach appealed to me."

It seemed to appeal to fans as well: "Breaking Dawn Part 1" grossed over $700 million around the world, and "Part 2" is on track to have the biggest opening weekend of any film in the series.

Condon spoke to HuffPost Entertainment about the complications with making "Breaking Dawn Part 2," where stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson go from here, and why he decided to change the book's ending.

You've been with this franchise for a few years now. What was the biggest surprise you encountered?
I had never done a big visual-effects movie. There are twice as many visual effects in the second film -- there are over 2,000 shots -- than there were in the first. We started cutting that when the first movie got released -- so, a year ago. I didn't know how intense that process would be. We were just finishing up a few days ago. It feels like being in production for an entire year. There's such a big pile of work to do. It's long days and six-day weeks. The thing I learned is movies like this get made more in post-production than they do in production.

The other tricky thing is that today's audiences are conditioned to spot bad effects. I imagine that makes the task even more difficult?
There are so many shots where there are five different vendors working on it at the same time. Guys are putting in wolves, other people are putting in Bella's power, other people are putting in background and snow. It's crazy. Also, doing some beauty work on some of the actors. It's unbelievably intricate. The thing that sort of kept haunting us was the fact that you just know when something doesn't feel right. You can get 1,900 shots right, but if a few really stick out, people will say, "Oh, it had cheesy effects." You don't really get a pass too much. Again, because this is really different in scope and style to the other movies -- this really is a full-on action movie -- I think the pressure was on to really step up our game.

You also had to rapidly age Mackenzie Foy, who plays Renesmee.
It's exponentially harder, because this is a character who every time she goes out of the room and comes back, she's grown a few inches. It's all these subtle changes. Then imagining what Mackenzie Foy would look like at age 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Also, it's not just that it's Mackenzie -- she's playing a creature that's half-human and half-vampire. So, adding that aspect to it. She's not an entirely real person. And anybody's face changes from shot to shot based on the angle. People's faces -- what we know about them -- evaporates quickly. So, doing all that an applying it to an imaginary person who then has to emote and connect and speak -- it was the next-level kind of challenge.

Was casting Renesmee difficult?
I was terrified about it, and it turned out to be remarkably easy. Mackenzie Foy came in very early and just seeing her initially -- she's still beautiful, but she could be the child of [Robert and Kristen]. Meeting her and seeing that she's so sweet and open and not someone corrupted by a lot of child acting -- we found her and said, "This is it."

When you're working with such an effects-heavy film, is it hard to get the performances you want from the actors?
Luckily, they've been doing this for a while. But, their character have powers in this film. There's a beautiful idea in here that the reason Edward was interested in Bella in the first place was that he couldn't read her. She's a mystery, in other words. Which is what draws us to people, you know? But that quality she had becomes more developed when she becomes a vampire: she has an actual shield around her, and she's able to project it to protect other people from bad powers. So, something like that, it's just counting on Kristen to suggest that the shield is being pushed out and the other actors giving a sense of where it is. It's all about having actors so good and committed, who really worked hard at making it feel real.

What kind of careers do you think Kristen and Robert will have, post-"Twilight"?
I think they're going to have extraordinary careers, both in front and behind the camera. Kristen has been on sets since she was a kid and she knows filmmaking so well that I could imagine her directing movies before long. Rob, I think, is probably a really wonderful writer. He's got an incredibly analytical approach to everything. He attacks things like a writer, and he did a little bit of rewriting for us and has done that on other films. I could see them both doing that. In front of the camera, they're just evolving and getting so comfortable with who they are. We've watched that happen during this series. I think we've just scratched the surface of what they're going to do.

This film will be interesting for Kristen, too, because as opposed to the other people in this series, she winds up in a very different place than where she started. Bella as a vampire takes qualities that Bella has and makes them stronger, so it is still Bella, but it's a very different performance.

One of the more controversial aspects of "Breaking Dawn Part 2" is that Jacob imprints on Renesmee and falls in love. Was it hard to convince Taylor Lautner, who plays Jacob, that it wouldn't wind up being creepy?
As with all of them, we talked about it tons, but the reason I felt pretty confident about it is, again, it comes from qualities he has. He's a very good actor. So when he looks at Renesmee he can express love without it having any kind of creepy overtones. It was intended and written as something pure and natural. It obviously became controversial and dissed as something creepy. But with him, I think you see that there's no creep factor at all.

One of the things that surprised me is how this cast has remained pretty tight, even in the face of massive fame and tabloid controversy. Why do you think that is?
I think it's because they all grew up together. Imagine something like this happening to three people at that age in life as they're becoming who they are? I think they're very bonded by their sense of having protected each other. I've always felt that. It's interesting now because for me, this movie has been something I've continued to work on -- I'm still doing it. For them, there's a big set piece on a field that we shot two years ago. We finished this movie in April of 2011. So, a year and a half ago. The vibe here at this press day is like the first high school reunion.

There has been speculation about a "Twilight" reboot in a few years. Is that something you'd like to see?
I have no idea, honestly. I know I won't be part of it, so it's not about me [laughs].

"Breaking Dawn Part 2" changes the ending of the source novel a bit. No spoilers, but why did you decide to make some adjustments?
It's a visual medium. Stephenie had an interesting idea which is that you can talk anything out, and I think it informs part of the way those books are built. When you're in a dramatic medium that's also visual, however, you need to bring things to a head a little more. So, you get to the same place but in a different way.

Kate McKinnon has quickly become one of the stand-out performers this season on SNL, seamlessly filling the gap left by Kristen Wiig. On the most recent episode, she broke out her hilarious Ellen impersonation, and Ellen herself took notice.

Talking about the impression on her show, Ellen DeGeneres broke down the various elements: her unwavering upbeat vibe, her child guests, and, of course, her incessant dancing.

If you can get a thumbs up from the subject of your mockery, you know you're doing something right. Well done, Kate.

Via BuzzFeed

"Survivor: Philippines" star Lisa Whelchel has West Nile virus, she shared Tuesday with her Twitter followers. "Dr. just called with the blood test results...I have West Nile. Ugh. I'm fine, just tired. Takes a year to recover," she said.

The virus is spread by mosquitos and symptoms include general fatigue and malaise. Whelchel did not specify her symptoms further but did thank fans for their concern: "I've been very touched by all the sweet tweets. Other than tired, I'm feeling fine & expecting a full recovery. So grateful for you. Thanks!"

The 49-year-old former "Facts of Life" star and singer recently split from her husband of 24 years in March. She told People magazine at the time that the divorce was a motivating factor in her joining the 26th season of "Survivor." "Going out to 'Survivor' was helpful for me, to divert my attention and not just dwell on the loss," she said.

Freddie Mercury was a musician, a performer, an icon. A new book, Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender ($34.99, Insight Editions) contains photographs from the private collections of his parents, as well as Brian May, and portraits by famous photographers including Snowdon and Mick Rock.

Officially sanctioned and coinciding both with the release of a new documentary about Mercury's life, and the re-release of his recording Barcelona with Montserrat Caballé, this is a celebration of a unique life whose real story is only now being told.

With a new movie starring Sacha Baron Cohen in the works, this is the time to start learning about the remarkable tale of the boy from Zanzibar.

Here's a selection of fabulous photographs from the book:

Each year Out magazine chooses 100 of the most compelling lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the world to create its Out 100 list.

Those chosen for the list are shot by a renowned photographer, this year Michael Sharkey, who has blogged for HuffPost Gay Voices in the past, and featured both in the magazine's December/January double issue and on Out.com.

Honorees are chosen from all walks of life and include celebrities, writers, politicians, activists, sports figures and artists, among others.

The Out 100 cover stars this year include "Glee" star Jane Lynch, "RuPaul's Drag Race" season four winner Sharon Needles, "The New Normal" star Andrew Rannells and '80s icon Boy George.

Other honorees include Elton John and his husband David Furnish, trans model and designer Isis King, HuffPost Gay Voices Editor-at-Large Michelangelo Signorile, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and her wife Kim Catullo, actor Michael Urie and 14 LGBT members of the Obama-Biden administration.

Out magazine will throw a party to celebrate the Out 100 in late November in New York City.

Below, see a slideshow of images from the 2012 Out 100 and then head to Out.com to see the full list and portfolio.

In the comments section tell us who you would nominate for LGBT person of the year.

"Grey's Anatomy" fans all have their favorite couples: Meredith and Derek, Callie and Arizona, Cristina and Owen, Jackson and April. But another couple worth shipping might be walking down the aisle very, very soon.

HuffPost TV caught up with star Chandra Wilson to talk about Bailey's possible upcoming nuptials with Dr. Ben Warren (Jason George) -- "There will be a wedding before we finish out 2012, but that's all I'm gonna say about that!," she teased, presumably about the happily engaged long-distance couple -- but she also dished about this week's very special episode, which she directed.

For "Second Opinion" (Thurs., Nov. 15 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC), Wilson stepped behind the camera to direct her seventh "Grey's" episode, but this one marks the very first time in nine seasons that she's pitched a story to the writers. Keep reading for more on the rare disease she got incorporated into the show, what she got to direct her castmates doing (Cristina's dramatic return to Seattle Grace! Jackson and April's steamy hook-ups!), who is most difficult to direct and what lies ahead for Bailey.

It's always so nice when someone who's on the show, and has been living on the show for so long, can step behind the camera for a week, and I always enjoy the episodes you direct. What's Bailey up to this week?
Yes, this is my seventh time up at bat, and I knew that I was going to be directing this episode, but I didn't know the storyline. Cristina Yang is back in Seattle, so it's about how she gets reincorporated into the hospital. And we have some nice sex scenes with Jackson and April [laughs], and we also have Bailey being a busy-body and trying to get Arizona Robbins to get off of her behind and come on back to the hospital.

Beyond that, I was able to personally incorporate a character who is a Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (CVS) sufferer, and that was important to me because my oldest daughter is a CVS sufferer. There are so many sufferers out there that have never heard the name said out loud or said publicly, and this was a major confirmation for them, I felt, to be able to see somebody else go through what they're going through at home, or what their neighbor's kid or their nephew is going through, and to be able to validate that by saying I'm not crazy -- this intense nausea and vomiting that I go through has a name, somebody else has it, and now, maybe somebody can help me. So there was a lot of significance for me personally with this episode.

That's amazing that they were on board and able to incorporate that into the story.
This was the first time -- and we're in Season 9 -- that I actually made a pitch for a storyline. I'd never done that before ... I just never felt like I needed to. The show's been taking care of itself perfectly fine without my input! [Laughs.] But I did make that pitch, and not only were they on board with it, they also allowed me to make a public service announcement at the end of the episode for the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association that I'm the spokesperson for. If one extra person picks up the phone and calls to say, "Oh my god, I think that's me," that's a coup, but I would hope that it would be a lot more that get a chance to do that. I'm so very aware of the platform that I've been given with "Grey's Anatomy," and I feel a lot of responsibility in that position and want to do the best job that I can personally to use the gift that I've been given.

I love that you're taking full advantage of that. I also love that you said Bailey has a hand in getting Arizona back to work, because it's about time! Nothing else seems to be working ...
Yeah, and it's not necessarily on purpose. She hears Callie's gripes about what's been going on at home, and Bailey's been in kind of busy body mode this season [laughs], trying to find her way now that all her babies are grown and her son is in school. This opportunity just kind of presented itself, to see how is she going to help her friend.

I am always happy when Jason George comes to play. And there's some BIG stuff coming up for Miranda Bailey and Ben Warren!
Well, she completely accepted his proposal, even though he lives not only in another city, but another state! She's been married before, she's done that whole thing, and she thought she did it right the first time, you know? So she's not necessarily making all the plans to get married, but she told him yes and he's just gung-ho and excited and ready to get on with it. So now it's about how in the world do we get Miranda Bailey to the altar? [Laughs.]

And should she really be doing it? A couple of weeks ago on set, I talked to Sara Ramirez about all of Callie's domestic issues with Arizona ... with Callie often acting as Miranda's sounding board, I can't imagine she's really giving a lot of positive support to this marriage decision, is she? Is anyone? They all have their relationship issues ...
Yeah, nobody has a great perspective on our show right now! [Laughs.] But she does actually get some really interesting back-handed advice from Callie and from Cristina and from Dr. Webber -- none of them whose relationships have been great, but they actually have some great advice for her to consider in being able to go forward and choose to be happy with Ben.

When you're tasked with directing your colleagues, who is the most difficult to direct? Not in a bad way, but is there someone who's always cracking up or pushing your buttons, just for kicks?
[Laughs.] You know, I tell you, I'm in such a unique position being in-house because I know how our show works and I know everybody's temperament already. I know what's going to work from this person and what's going to work for the other, so I get a whole lot of appreciation when it's my turn! [Laughs.] If Patrick [Dempsey] needs to get out and go race, he's gone! If Ellen needs to get home to the baby, OK let's go! [Laughs.] It's already built in -- I know you and I know what you're gonna want, so we really move through our days and move through our scenes, and we get the stuff that we need. And we have a good time, because I laugh all the time -- I just don't allow it to be anything other than something that's fun.

Is there anything that you've wanted to happen for Bailey that hasn't happened yet? Something you'd love to see worked in before the series ends, whenever that will be?
Wow ... I have no clue what that would be. I literally have been riding this ride from the very beginning, and other than making the pitch for this CVS storyline, I have stayed so far away from that writers' room. [Laughs.] I feel like they do everything that they need to do for this character. Right when I think I know who she is, then something different will show up about her. Whoever thought she'd go into an on-call room? She was adamant that she'd never do that ... and here she is! I just have so much appreciation for what's being created. Whoever knew that I'd do the music event? I was one of those people the entire time saying, "I'll never do that. Never." And then there I was in the music event. I don't want to fix what isn't broken.

Shonda Rhimes might be one of the most persuasive showrunners in this business. The fact that any of you sang!
Oh yeah, she blamed the music event on the starving children somewhere. [Laughs.] Who are these starving children that I'm doing this for? [Laughs.] But that was the bribe line: It's for the starving children.

What else can you tease about the rest of the season?
Well, the plane crash and the ramifications are still rolling out legally, so there's an interesting place where blame ends up being placed, and we start to feel that in this episode. And that whole Owen and Cristina thing has an ending that's just crazy. You know how volatile those two characters are ... they are volatile. And yes, there will be a wedding before we finish out 2012, but that's all I'm gonna say about that!

Tell us: Do you think Bailey and Ben will get married? Will Callie and Arizona resolve their issues? And will Cristina and Owen get divorced?

"Grey's Anatomy" airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

Read ABC's full description of this episode:

"Second Opinion" - As the doctors continue with their lawsuit, they're forced to confront the realities of their injuries. Meanwhile, Bailey tricks Arizona into helping her with a pediatric case, and Cristina tries to find normalcy in her new environment.

Who doesn't love Rebel Wilson?

The Aussie actress has proved a scene stealer in flicks such as "Pitch Perfect" and "Bridesmaids" with her bawdy comic flair. And like everyone else, it seems Zac Efron has developed a crush.

"She's a Laker fan too??? I think I'm in love. -Z," the 25-year-old "Paperboy" actor tweeted Wednesday, along with a photo of himself planting a smooch on Wilson, 26, at a Los Angeles Lakers game.

For her part, Rebel tweeted, "Half time at Lakers hanging with main man @ZacEfron, freestyle rapping etc x."

Having played a teen basketball star in both the "High School Musical" franchise and "17 Again," Efron is presumably a longtime enthusiast of the sport. (We can only hope that Efron taught the Lakers some of Troy Bolton's signature moves.)

She's a Laker fan too??? I think I'm in love. -Z say.ly/bwl4zXC

— Zac Efron (@ZacEfron) November 14, 2012

The "MythBusters" are tackling Turkey Day with gusto, and we've got an exclusive sneak peek at their attempt to cook an entire Thanksgiving feast -- prepped by none other than science-happy chef and self-professed "MythBusters" fan Alton Brown ... under the hood of a car.

Jamie and Adam have the same attitude they do going into all their experiments, no matter how bizarre: If it's possible, they're gonna do it. But the chef doesn't seem so sure: "OK, this is an entire buffet of potential doom for me, but here we go," Brown says.

Watch the exclusive sneak peek of the Thanksgiving "MythBusters" (Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery) above to see how they'll tackle this meal, which consists of a turkey broken down into three preparations -- some roasted, some confit style and some baked over herbs -- dressing, sweet potatoes, asparagus, gravy, brussels sprouts in blue cheese, creamed corn and mini pies, which will bake over the air cleaner. Naturally.

"I'm also hiding one turkey leg someplace just for me, in case everything else goes to hell in a handbasket," Brown says, only half-kidding.

"We've done a lot of things on this show that, well, they're not exactly practical," Jamie says. "And this is one of those things. You're better off with an oven, but the attempt is interesting." We couldn't agree more.

Fire up your engines, watch the clip above, then tell us: Do you think any of the food will be edible?

"MythBusters" airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery.

LOS ANGELES — A judge dealt a blow Wednesday to a California law meant to crack down on reckless driving by paparazzi by saying the statute is overly broad and should not be used against the first photographer charged under its provisions.

Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson dismissed counts filed under the law against Paul Raef, who was charged in July with being involved in a high-speed pursuit of Justin Bieber.

The 2010 law raised the penalty for those who drive dangerously in pursuit of photos for commercial gain.

The offense is punishable by six months in jail and a $2,500 fine but went unused until Raef was involved in the freeway chase of Bieber that topped 80 mph and prompted several 911 calls.

Raef still faces traditional reckless driving counts and has not yet entered a plea.

The judge cited numerous problems with the paparazzi statute, saying it was aimed at newsgathering activities protected by the First Amendment, and lawmakers should have simply increased the penalties for reckless driving rather than targeting celebrity photographers.

He also said the law could be used against photographers rushing to shoot a wedding or political rally, or even a private citizen such as himself on the way to an event that might generate photos worth selling.

Assistant City Attorney Ann Rosenthal said hours after the ruling that her office would appeal. The judge put the case on hold until the appeal is resolved.

Rubinson's ruling only affects Raef's case, but the law could be struck down completely by the appellate court, said Brad Kaiserman, an attorney for Raef.

Kaiserman argued the statute was unconstitutional and meant to protect celebrities, not the public.

"This discrimination sets a dangerous precedent," he said.

Prosecutors countered that the law could be applied to people in other professions, not just the media.

"The focus is not the photo. The focus is on the driving," Rosenthal argued.

While the media is granted freedom under the First Amendment, its latitude to gather news is not unlimited, she said.

"This activity has been found to be particularly dangerous," she said of chases involving paparazzi.

Prosecutors should focus on using existing laws, including reckless driving and false imprisonment statutes, to tackle aggressive behavior by celebrity photographers, said Doug Mirell, a First Amendment attorney.

"I think that celebrities who are being stalked or chased by paparazzi are entitled to be concerned about their personal safety and the safety of their families when these events occur," Mirell said. "But I think that there's a legitimate question about whether the Legislature took the right path in trying to accommodate those concerns."

He said the judge's concerns about having other members of the public caught up in the case is valid, and any law that specifically targets newsgathering efforts will prove more difficult to win than a case filed using traditional laws.

The law used to charge Raef was influenced by the experiences of Jennifer Aniston, who provided details to a lawmaker on being unable to drive away after she was surrounded by paparazzi on Pacific Coast Highway.

___

Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

LOS ANGELES — Keira Knightley's language was anything but prim and proper when she discovered what director Joe Wright had planned for "Anna Karenina," their latest period drama together.

To hear Knightley tell it, some F-bombs were soundly dropped.

Knightley wasn't swearing out of anger with Wright, who directed her to an Academy Award nomination for 2005's "Pride & Prejudice" and to similar critical success on 2007's "Atonement." She worried that Wright's unusual approach to Leo Tolstoy's epic of doomed romance would make the hard-sell of a period drama even harder.

While "Pride & Prejudice" and "Atonement" were fresh, lively takes for an age that finds costume drama drowsy, Wright planned a wild and possibly off-putting ride on "Anna Karenina," confining most of the action to a dilapidated theater where the actors would perform in a stylized cinematic ballet without the usual grand sweep of period-drama locations.

"The first thing I said was `Oh (expletive)!' I was like, well, people are really either going to love it or absolutely (expletive) hate it," Knightley said. "I also was going ... you're taking it and spinning it on its head and turning it into something that is potentially totally uncommercial. Into an experimental sort of art-house film..."

"I also went, `(expletive), yeah. Let's give it a go.'"

The result is a fluid story that unfolds as much like dance as film, with a brisk pace compared to most period stories and contemporary sensibilities next to earlier takes on "Anna Karenina," whose previous big-screen adaptations have featured Greta Garbo and Vivien Leigh.

Reality gives way to fantasy in the opening moment, as a barber approaches Anna's brother, Oblonsky ("Pride & Prejudice" co-star Matthew Macfadyen), like a matador approaching a bull and shaves him clean with three lightning strokes of his razor. Walls roll aside, props rise up from trapdoors, a swirl of clerks in an office turns into a rush of waiters in a restaurant as Wright dispenses with realistic and time-consuming transitions in favor of a motion picture perpetually in motion.

The action in Moscow and St. Petersburg, where Knightley's Anna forsakes her staid husband (Jude Law) in an affair with a young cavalry officer (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), shifts around an aging theater. The idea was inspired by Wright's reading of historian Orlando Figes, who commented that 19th century Russian socialites modeled themselves on Parisians and lived their lives as though on stage, emulating that ideal.

Wright has built a career emulating the ideal of the period drama, once a mainstay for movie audiences now mainly interested in futuristic action or stories of the here and now. But Wright keeps looking for fresh ways to tell those old stories to modern crowds.

"I feel that the stories themselves are rich and relevant," Wright said. "The concern really is that the form that those stories are told in, it has become kind of stuffy and old-fashioned." But he adds, "just because it's set in the 19th century, it doesn't mean it has to look like it was shot in the 19th century."

One of the first people Wright had to win over on his bold approach to "Anna Karenina" was playwright Tom Stoppard, an Oscar winner for the "Shakespeare in Love" screenplay who had adapted Tolstoy's novel with a conventional location shoot in mind.

Two months before production began, Wright decided to switch the action to a confined space and sprang it on Stoppard, saying he would only go ahead if his writer agreed.

"He came around with a big folder of storyboards, and the more I got into it, the more interested and finally excited I was about it," Stoppard said. "It gives the movie a modern spirit, that's what it does. It's not the costume drama we've seen before."

It's not even the costume drama we've seen before from Wright and Knightley, who defied expectations with "Pride & Prejudice" and "Atonement."

Knightley had just scored with "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" and flopped as Guinevere in "King Arthur" when "Pride & Prejudice" came along, while Wright had directed only for television. So they looked like upstarts taking on Jane Austen's best-loved novel.

After that worked, they raised eyebrows again with "Atonement," based on Ian McEwan's celebrated novel, which many considered unfilmmable because of its elliptical structure that spans six decades.

"Then that worked, too," Knightley said. "When we got to `Anna Karenina,' everyone was like, `Oh that's great, you'll do that really well.' I think that freaked both of us out. The idea that people thought they knew what we'd do with it was something I don't think any of us felt very comfortable with.

"There was a general feeling that if we're all going to do this again, then we really need to push ourselves. The idea with this is we were very much walking hand in hand with total, absolute failure all the time ... If it fails, it fails, but at least you know that everybody's put everything into it."

"Silver Linings Playbook" was set to open in over 2,000 theaters on Nov. 21, but that national rollout won't happen as planned. As first reported by The Los Angeles Times, "Silver Linings Playbook" will now arrive in 400 theaters on Thanksgiving eve, with The Weinstein Company planning a slow unveiling throughout the rest of the year. "We felt we had the reviews and the long runway after the movie opened to let the word of mouth build," David Glasser, TWC's chief operating officer, told The Times. "This is right out of our playbook."

While that might sound like studio executive bluster, Glasser isn't wrong. The Weinstein Company has perfected the platform release in recent years, especially for its Oscar contenders. In 2010, the studio opened "The King's Speech" in just four theaters over Thanksgiving weekend, and slowly expanded that total over the next couple of months; the Best Picture winner reached a high-water mark of 2,386 theaters on Feb. 25, 2011 and earned $135 million at the North American box office.

TWC turned a similar trick with "The Artist" last year. That film, which also went on to win Best Picture, opened in four theaters over Thanksgiving weekend and was being shown in 1,756 theaters by March 2, 2012.

"Silver Linings Playbook" won't be as sheltered by the studio. The plan is to potentially have the David O. Russell film in 800 theaters by Nov. 30.

While the move makes sense for TWC from both a financial and awards perspective, giving "Silver Linings Playbook" time to grow its audience was also done out of some necessity. Hollywood Elsewhere blogger Jeffrey Wells -- one of the film's most vocal supporters -- reported that audience awareness for "Silver Linings Playbook" was recently gauged at 30; usually, films need an audience level of over 50 to earn around $10 million.

Regardless of the release pattern, "Silver Linings Playbook" is expected to be one of the leggy hits of the holiday season. The family comedy-drama -- which stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro -- could wind up with a box office total of over $100 million by the time the Academy Awards occur in February.

For more on "Silver Linings Playbook," head over to the Los Angeles Times.

[via LAT]

LOS ANGELES — There's a reason Kelly Clarkson has performed duets with country superstars like Reba McEntire, Jason Aldean and Vince Gill but never one of her Top 40 colleagues in the 10 years since she became the first "American Idol". They've turned her down – eight times.

"I have, like, 5,000 duets in country music," Clarkson says, flashing a smile. "I don't have one in pop. That's legitimately because everyone turns me down. I'm not even kidding. I've asked sooo many artists to sing with me. Everyone legitimately turns me down! The only one that hasn't was Chris Daughtry."

The sugary sweet pop star who's called Nashville, Tenn., home for the past six years isn't naming names (and much to the dismay of fans, her collaborations with fellow "Idol" alum Daughtry were never released.) While she hasn't exactly been able to hook up with the perfect pop ally, Clarkson has found a partner outside the recording studio.

When asked what's impacted her life most over the past 10 years, other than winning the "Idol" prize, Clarkson doesn't hesitate to say it's falling in love with current boyfriend Brandon Blackstock, a Nashville-based talent manager whose father is Clarkson's own manager and stepmother is McEntire. The pair has been an item for the past eight months.

"I completely fell in love," she says. "Welcome to Cheeseville! I did. I don't know. Your priorities kind of shift and you become happier, and all that stuff. It's probably my best accomplishment because I think, for me, especially, I just didn't think it would happen. It's like one of those cheesy love songs that didn't exist, but it does, so that's cool."

Clarkson says she and Blackstock never go two weeks without seeing each other. Though he's changed her life, she doesn't expect her lovey-dovey relationship status to end her fondness for man-hating tracks like "Miss Independent" and "Mr. Know It All." She points to thumping new tune "People Like Us" from her upcoming "Greatest Hits – Chapter One," out Monday.

"He's totally gonna piss me off at some point, right?" Clarkson said. "I'll write about it."

Clarkson was originally apprehensive about releasing a "Greatest Hits" album. She's only 30, after all. Her label convinced her that it would be a celebration of her music career since winning the first season of "Idol" in 2002. And she could record some new tunes, including "Don't Rush," her soulful throwback country duet with Gill.

Another duet, her "Don't You Wanna Stay" collaboration with Aldean, helped her score a nomination for female vocalist of the year at the Country Music Association Awards. Obvious fan interest combined with her affinity for the music has led to speculation she might one day release a country album.

Despite the camaraderie she feels from the Nashville music scene, she isn't fully committed to making a leap from pop diva to country star. Though she isn't ruling out goin' country from time to time.

"I'm not ever gonna be one thing," she says. "I want great music. I don't care what it is. I'm not gonna record a country song just to be on country radio. I want it to be something I'd legitimately have on my album, if I'm having a pop, R&B, whatever album. I guess it's hard for people to wrap their heads around. I don't want to be pigeonholed."

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Online:

http://www.kellyclarkson.com/

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter: . http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang

It's "Gilmore Girls" meets "Friends" next week -- or, if you prefer to think of it this way, a Braverman learns how to "Go On."

Lauren Graham, a star on NBC's "Parenthood" and Matthew Perry's real-life ex-turned-friend, will appear in next week's "Go On" (Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC) as Amy, an old college friend of Ryan (Perry) and Steven (John Cho). Of course, since Ryan and Steven are mature adults and good friends, they wouldn't compete over a woman, right? Or maybe they would.

Elsewhere in the episode, Ryan brings the grief-recovery gang to his radio station, and the delightfully acerbic Anne (Julie White) introduces her kids to the radio host.

"Go On" airs on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

As quickly as Selena Gomez blocked Justin Bieber from her life via her telephone and whatnot, they hooked up again ... capping off a 24-hour rendezvous at a swanky Beverly Hills hotel.

Lindsay Lohan stopped by "Good Morning America" to discuss her role as Elizabeth Taylor in the new Lifetime movie "Liz & Dick," and it was awkward, to say the least.

The actress looked and sounded years older than the 26 she's lived. The raspy voice she's known for has only become deeper with time and the help of cigarettes. Lohan spoke to "GMA" host Amy Robach, telling her it was "nerve wracking" to portray an iconic figure like Elizabeth Taylor in the film.

"You can never actually be a clone of the person, so you have to bring some of yourself into it," she said when asked about the challenges she faced while playing Taylor. "And I was lucky enough because I do relate to Elizabeth Taylor in a lot of ways."

Robach agreed that there are parallels between the two actresses, who both shot to stardom in their youth, and both have had periods where their lives were out of control. Lohan's new publicist canceled an interview with Barbara Walters because she didn't like the probing questions that would be asked of Lohan, but there was no way Robach couldn't avoid asking Lohan about her troubles -- though the actress did her best to deflect such questions.

It seems as though Lohan's new publicist has spent time training Lohan on how to answer questions about her personal life, given her canned answers. The "Mean Girls" star said that she believes her career would have been different to a certain extent had she not been subject to such constant scrutiny, but there's a reason for everything:

"I think that everyone goes through things in life, and I like to learn from my mistakes, obviously. I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn't gone through certain things and everything happens for a reason -- good or bad. So you can just take what you've learned from it and move forward," she explained.

But Lohan doesn't seem to learn from her mistakes -- she's made five trips to rehab, had multiple run-ins with the law, and the drama never seems to stop. Many would argue that her issues stem from her parents, who have done nothing but make excuses for her, or have tried to exploit their connection to her as much as possible.

Last month, the actress made headlines for a domestic dispute with her mother, in which she made a call to her father, telling him that her mother was on cocaine. While Lohan later publicly admitted that she was lying about her mother using drugs in order to hurt her in the heat of the fight, it's a perfect example of the Lohan-family dynamic.

Despite this, Lohan still says that her mother Dina is her rock and she turns to her and her younger siblings, Ali, Michael and Cody, when times are tough -- which if you are Lindsay Lohan, is often. And Robach pointed out that Lohan's family's dirty laundry is constantly aired in public -- just yesterday, a DNA test confirmed that her father, Michael, fathered a child with another woman in 1995. Though allegations that Lindsay had a half-sister first hit the news in 2008, the actress said it was the first she'd heard of it.

"I didn't even hear that, so thanks. I don't read the news. I don't pay attention to that," she said, and she wasn't eager to talk about how she copes with her family issues. "I don't really want to get into that. I want to stay on the positive side of things," she said.

Lohan is trying to move the focus from her personal life to her career, and wants nothing more than to be making films. The actress will next be seen in "The Caynons" starring opposite porn star James Deen, who is making his mainstream debut, and she says she's always looking for new projects.

"I'm reading scripts every day. I just want to keep calling my agents [to tell them] 'keep me on set,'" she said, adding "It's safer that way."

Yes it is Lindsay, it's safer for all of us.

On the eve of Kristen Stewart's final "Twilight" bow, IFC released a new trailer for the movie with her next appearance, "On the Road."

An adaptation of the celebrated novel by Jack Kerouac, "On the Road" shows a whole lot more of Stewart than was ever seen in "Twilight" -- the actress appears naked multiple times and is shown performing sex acts on two men at once, in a moving car.

"I wanted to do it" Stewart said at Cannes. "I love pushing, I love scaring myself."

Produced by Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather") and directed by Walter Salles ("The Motorcycle Diaries"), "On the Road" premiered at Cannes and TIFF to mixed reviews.

The movie stars Sam Riley as Sal Paradise, Garrett Hedlund as Dean Moriarty, and features Kristen Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, and Elisabeth Moss, in addition to Kristen Stewart.

"On the Road" is due out in theaters Dec. 21.

In October of 2011, Deadline.com reported that Ben Affleck was Warner Bros. top choice to direct an adaptation of Stephen King's "The Stand." The news was somewhat shocking in those pre-"Argo" days, if only because some two months earlier, HitFix reported that "Harry Potter" director David Yates was going to take on the project. (Yates never did; instead, he's working on a "Tarzan" adaptation for the studio.)

In January, Vulture reported that David Kajganich ("Invasion") was hired to adapt "The Stand," but precious little has been heard from the Free Zone since, but in a new interview with GQ, Affleck revealed that the film isn't near production just yet.

"Right now we're having a very hard time," he said. "But I like the idea -- it's like 'The Lord of the Rings' in America. And it's about how we would reinvent ourselves as a society. If we started all over again, what would we do?"

While he waits for "The Stand" to get into shape, Affleck is certainly keeping himself busy. He signed up to direct an adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel "Live By Night" in October; that film will probably be his next feature. He's also still working on a script with Matt Damon about mobster Whitey Bulger.

"My guess is honestly, [it'll be] the movie after next," Affleck told The Playlist about the mob movie. "I'll probably find something that's in better shape to do next until we got that one ready, and then we'll go ahead and fire that one up. [...] We're in the process writing it, the script is not ready yet, it needs a lot more work."

For more on Affleck, head over to GQ.

[via GQ]

With her buxom non-biodegradable body parts spilling out onto the sand, bikini-clad reality star of yore Heidi Montag backed her thang up to a photographer's camera on the beach in L.A. on Thursday.

Miley Cyrus showed off her toned abs in a cropped sweater while running errands in LA yesterday. She broke from spending time with fiancé Liam Hemsworth to head to an appointment, and she adjusted her black beanie as she made her way back to the car.

Domhnall Gleeson is having a bit of a moment. The erstwhile Bill Weasley in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" plays the big-hearted Konstantin Levin in "Anna Karenina," Joe Wright's ambitious adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel.

"I would have never considered myself for a romantic role, that was something Joe decided I was able to do," Gleeson told HuffPost during a recent interview. "He made a big step forward for me in that way, just by trusting me."

Gleeson, 29, has been working as an actor since he was a teenager, but it's only now that he's ready to ascend up the ranks. In addition to "Anna Karenina," Gleeson's next run of movies find him starring opposite Rachel McAdams (in the time-travel romance "About Time"), Michael Fassbender (in the comedy "Frank") and even his father, actor Brendan Gleeson (in the star-studded drama "Cavalry").

HuffPost Entertainment chatted with Gleeson about "Anna Karenina" and his burgeoning career.

How did you get involved with "Anna Karenina"?
I came onboard after somebody else dropped out. I had auditioned for a small part in "Hanna" for Joe, but didn't get it. So we kept in touch, because he's just sort of one of those guys. He said, "Do you want to come and audition?" I couldn't believe that he was letting me audition for it at all. I read the book in four days and went down to meet him and did a five-hour audition. I left the audition thinking, "Well, even if it doesn't happen, I feel like I've gotten better by having him direct me for a few hours." Then I did a table read, and after that, Joe asked me to do the part. I did a little dance in the street. It was one of the great moments.

What did you think of the book when you read it?
It was a pressure situation. I was cramming. It was a mixture of reading and cramming. But, I loved it. I had seen a version of it before, and Joe had talked me through what he thought Levin was. Obviously I was really looking at what was important to Levin's story and what I could take from Tolstoy. But also the book is a masterpiece and easy to read and enlightening.

Levin has a much bigger role in the book. Did having a lot of that unused backstory make it easer for you as an actor?
There is that, but you always have to create a character inside the film, too. You have to make sure the job you're doing is the best job for the film and that you're not trying to bring in stuff from the book that isn't helpful or might muddy the waters. At a certain point you're going to have to put the book down. Of course, it was hugely helpful. It was also just a great excuse to go back and read a fantastic book.

Levin and Kitty are almost a mirror image of Anna and Vronsky.
It's interesting. Levin starts off by putting her on a pedestal and acting she's the sun. He couldn't love her any more [if he tried]. Then he gets to know her and they marry and he gets to know the real her and she becomes a human and he loves her even more. That's a beautiful thing about love which doesn't change. That goes across history. You think somebody can't get better, then flaws appear and you love them even more. I think the "meant to be together" thing is probably incorrect, but the romance element is correct.

Between this film and a bunch of upcoming projects, you're basically holding down a permanent position on those hot, young actor lists. Is that weird?
I'm certainly a young actor. I'm certainly those two things. Actually, I'm not even young anymore; I'm 29. So, I'm an actor. [Laughs] The only thing I care about is the work. The worst thing as an actor is when you're not getting opportunities to try and show what you can do; the best thing is when you get material that really lets you express something and that you're excited about. The wonderful thing about the last couple of years is that I've been working quite a lot and I've been given opportunities. There are plenty of people who are better than me, who haven't gotten those opportunities. I recognize I've been really really lucky at the moment. I'm getting to work with extraordinary people that I can learn great lessons from. I'm trying to get the most out of it, because you never know when it's going to end.