NOOK Woes Contribute To Barnes & Noble Fiscal Q3 Loss

The book retail chain has a bleak story for Wall Street this morning. It reported a net loss of $6.1M for the three months that ended in January, down from a $52M profit a year ago, on revenues of $2.2B, -8.8%. Revenues missed analyst expectations for $2.4B. And with a dividend on preferred shares thrown in, the company generated a net loss of 18 cents a share ' a contrast to the 54 cent profit analysts anticipated. The NOOK results continued to disappoint. It generated $316M in sales in the quarter, down 25.9% from a year ago, with a cash flow (EBITDA) loss of $190.4M, worse than last year's $82.8M loss. The results include $21M for returns, and $15M in promotional allowances. As a result, Barnes & Noble took a $59M writedown on its NOOK inventory. It says that it is 'calibrating its business model and has implemented a cost reduction program that the company projects will significantly reduce NOOK's expenses.' CEO William Lynch says that the company remains committed to the tablet and e-reader business. In the main retail bookstore business, sales decreased 10.3% to $1.5B although EBITDA increased 7.3% to $212M. Not including NOOK sales, revenues at stores open at least a year were down 2.2%. This week B&N founder Leonard Riggio said he may offer to buy the stores.

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Hot Trailers: 'Renoir' And The New York Rendez-Vous With French Cinema

The Gilles Bourdos-directed Renoir debuted in Un Certain Regard at Cannes last year where Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired it for the States. It's been dated for a March 29 release, but before that Renoir will screen at the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema which kicks off tonight in New York. Celebrating its 18th year, the Rendez-Vous, presented by Unifrance and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, will screen 21 movies including A Lady In Paris with Jeanne Moreau, François Ozon's In The House and tonight's opener, Populaire which The Weinstein Co. has in the U.S. Renoir is set on the Côte d'Azur in 1915 and centers on Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Jean Renoir and the woman who becomes the painter's model and the filmmaker's lover. Veteran French actor Michel Bouquet stars with Vincent Rottiers and Christa Theret. The trailer is below; click over for the Rendez-Vous promo:

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Relativity Media Signs Mikael Hafstrom For 'Tunnels'

The Tomb helmer Mikael Hafstrom is now focusing on Tunnels, the fantasy adventure book series acquired by Relativity Media. The script by Andrew Lobel is based on the adapted screenplay originally written by Joel Bergvall & Simon Sandquist. Tunnels is the film adaptation of the first installment of the novel series from Scholastic/Chicken House publishing, by authors Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams, which has sold over one million copies and has been published in nearly forty countries worldwide.

The authors have already completed five sequels with the sixth and final book in the series, Terminal, to be published in the U.S. this Fall. The property was unearthed by Barry Cunningham, the man credited with discovering Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling and whose boutique Chicken House imprint is part of Scholastic. Beneath the streets of London, two teenage boys discover an incredible, hidden underground world where a secret civilization has been desperately waiting for a hero to save them all. The deeper they go, the closer they get to unearthing an evil that could destroy the world above and put an end to the lives they once lived.

Mark Canton, Neil Canton and Danny Davids are producing with Ryan Kavanaugh. Relativity's President Tucker Tooley will executive produce with Kelly Dennis and Atmosphere's David Hopwood will serve as co-producer.

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Tom Hardy, Solar Pictures Tackle Post Traumatic Stress Disorder With 'Samarkand'

EXCLUSIVE:Tom Hardy has teamed with Solar Pictures to develop Samarkand, a drama that will be directed by Greg Williams and tackles the topical hot button issue of post traumatic stress disorder.

Hardy will portray an SAS soldier returning from operations in the Middle East. Suffering from PTSD, he has a most difficult time reintegrating from the battlefield back into society. The script was written by Greg and Olly Williams, brothers who developed the picture with Hardy and Solar Pictures' Bobby Paunescu.

Williams, a celebrated photographer, makes this his feature debut. His 2011 short film Sergeant Slaughter, My Big Brother starred Hardy and it won Williams Best Director honors at the New York, Chicago and San Francisco Short Film Festivals.

Hardy is attached to the Steven Knight-directed Locke, the Daniel Espinosa-directed Child 44, and the Doug Liman-directed Everest. He'll next star with Noomi Rapace in an adaptation of Dennis Lehane's Animal Rescue for Fox Searchlight, with Michael R. Roskam directing. He's repped by CAA.

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Cinedigm Acquires Found-Footage Pic 'Absence'

(Los Angeles, CA, February 27, 2013) 'Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM), has acquired worldwide distribution rights to ABSENCE, Jimmy Loweree's debut feature film. Cinedigm's theatrical distribution of ABSENCE will commence in late 2013, with subsequent roll out across on-demand, digital, DVD and broadcast.

Independently produced and directed in the 'found footage' horror style, in ABSENCE (formerly Writewood), doctors are baffled when a young expectant mother, Liz (Erin Way, Alphas), wakes to find her nearly-to-term pregnancy apparently disappear overnight. The police are investigating the situation as a missing child and only her husband, Rick (Eric Matheny, J. Edgar), and brother, Evan (Ryan Smale) trust her version of events.

Co-written by Loweree and Jake Moreno, ABSENCE was produced by Parker Johal/Radcliffe Pictures, Michael Covino, Brent Emery/Coup d'Etat Films, and Loweree. Loweree also directed the film. The filmmakers were represented in the negotiation by Ben Weiss, Paradigm Agency; Kristin Harris repped Cinedigm.

Drag Race Pic 'Snake & Mongoo$e' Sets September 6 Release

EXCLUSIVE: Entertainment Universe closed a deal with Star Partners II for P&A funds and has set a 25-city September 6 release for Snake & Mongoo$e, a drama about the rivalry and friendship between Don 'The Snake' Prudhomme (Jesse Williams) and Tom 'The Mongoo$e' McEwen (Richard Blake) in the world of drag racing. Their unusual rivalry relationship drew a major sponsorship by Mattel's Hot Wheels division. Wayne Holloway directed and CAA is shopping the film to distributors, which should be easier with the P&A accounted for. The release comes just after the National Hot Rod Association's U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis on Labor Day weekend. Robin Broidy, and Stephen Nemeth produce. Here's a trailer for the film.

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Gary Smith Exiting Intandem; Production Delayed On '10 Things I Hate About Life'

Intandem Films, the UK-based production, finance, sales and distribution outfit, said today that CEO Gary Smith is stepping down to 'combine his career as an executive producer with new opportunities outside the film industry.' Veteran Disney exec Robert Mitchell, who joined Intandem in 2012 to head up the UK distribution business, replaces Smith immediately.

Intandem also said it has delayed production on 10 Things I Hate About Life. While not a sequel to 1999 comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, it is a re-team of that film's directing and producing duo Gil Junger and Andrew Lazar. Junger penned the script and is to helm the story of a young man and woman (Evan Rachel Wood) who meet while each is attempting to commit suicide. Smith is also a producer. Intandem said production was expected to resume in the second half of this year.

Further, demonstrating the difficulties facing independent distribution in the UK, Intandem laid out a new plan for the short to medium term. The company will continue to consider opportunities, but 'will only commit to UK distribution engagements where it is possible to partner with a second UK distributor in order to reduce the commitment' of its own resources. There is contraction in the UK market with the recent takeover of Alliance Films' Momentum Pictures by eOne. Added to that is the uncertain future of Revolver Entertainment and the failure of retail chains HMV and Blockbuster, which is impacting the sector.

Intandem did note that it closed sales deals in Berlin on upcoming titles Believe, a soccer drama starring Natascha McElhone and Brian Cox, and The Laureate with Sam Claflin and Imogen Poots that's currently in pre-production.

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Exclusive Media To Represent Icon Entertainment International Library

In late 2011, the Icon UK Group initiated a strategic restructure to focus on in-house film finance and production. At the time, it pacted with Lionsgate UK to handle distribution of its future production slate. Today, a deal was confirmed between Icon and Exclusive Media for the latter to represent Icon Entertainment International's 200+ title library. Among films included in the deal are Coriolanus, What Women Want, An Ideal Husband, Mean Streets and five titles from the 1960s Fu Manchu series. Exclusive is also taking over the Majestic Films library. The deal was negotiated by Guy East, Marc Schipper and Peter Naish for Exclusive and Icon's Aviv Giladi and Estelle Overs.

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Documents Shed Light On Peter Jackson's 2010 'Hobbit' Dispute With Australian Union

Don Groves is a Deadline contributor based in Sydney

Documents released by the New Zealand government today reveal more of the intense nature of the 2010 dispute over The Hobbit which threatened to move production out of the country. Included are emails between Peter Jackson and government officials which further crystallize the ire in the Shire over the aggressive tactics and demands of New Zealand Actors' Equity and its Oz-based umbrella, The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance ' which repped a small amount of actors ' during their campaign to unionize the production. The turmoil ultimately calmed when the government amended the labor laws and gave the Warner Bros. production $56M to shoot in the country after Jackson threatened to film elsewhere. Jackson and partner Fran Walsh said today they hope the dossier will 'put to rest the unfounded conspiracy theories that sought to characterize these events as a Hollywood studio dictating terms to a sovereign government ' a charge that is as spurious now as it was then.'

The exchanges related to the government and Warner Bros.' deal were initially deemed too commercially sensitive to be released. But a recent ruling under the Official Information Act ordered 18 documents be published by March 1. (Read them here). In one note to ministers, Jackson wrote: 'In the end, this is not about Actor's Equity, nor is it about The Hobbit ' it is about an Australian trade union making a blatant play to take a controlling hand in the NZ film industry ' for their own political and financial gain.' In a separate email about then Actors' Equity head Simon Whipp, the director said the government had 'engaged with a snake, who now feels quite fearless' He is in revenge mode, intent on inflicting as much damage as he can to our film, our film industry, to our country. I really can't [take] much more of this toxic nonsense.'

Via their WingNut Films, Jackson and Walsh said today, 'We could have made The Hobbit in Europe, or New South Wales (who offered Warner Bros. a huge tax rebate for the film), and earned the same fee for ourselves with a lot less stress. But we fought to keep the film here and work with the actors and crew we love. We think this was worth fighting for and we'd do it again.'

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OSCARS: ABC's Broadcast Up From Last Year In Early Ratings

Related:
Nikki Finke's 2013 Oscars Live Snark
Oscars 2013 Winners List

With host Seth MacFarlane, a Best Picture win for Argo and a lot of music, last night's Oscars were up from the 2012 show. In fact, the 85th Oscars saw the ABC broadcasted ceremony hitting its highest rating since 2007's show (see historical data below). Based on metered markets data from Nielsen, last night's Academy Awards drew an averaged household rating of 26.6 with a 41 share. The 8:30 PM to 12:05 AM ET broadcast saw a 4% boost from last year's 25.5/38 with Billy Crystal hosting. It probably didn't hurt that six of the nine Best Picture nominees have topped $100 million at the box office this year. The 2013 show was the highest rated Oscars since 2007's 27.7/42 when Ellen DeGeneres hosted. Last night's show hit its peak during the 10 ' 10:30 PM time period when it got a 27.5/41. Among the 18-49 demographic, Sunday's broadcast received a 15.7/40 in Nielsen's Local People Meters, also up from last year. Time-period adjusted fast nationals ratings are expected later this morning, and we'll update then. In the meantime, check out the historical Oscar data here:

2013 26.6/41
2012 25.5/38
2011 24.6/37
2010 26.5/40
2009 23.3/35
2008 21.9/33
2007 27.7/42

Deadline's Dominic Patten - tip him here.

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Marion Cotillard Books Dardenne Brothers' 'Deux Jours, Une Nuit'

Since winning her Oscar for La Vie En Rose in 2008, Marion Cotillard has steadily worked with distinctive directors on both sides of the Atlantic. That includes turns in Christopher Nolan's Inception and The Dark Knight Rises, Woody Allen's Midnight In Paris and Steven Soderbergh's Contagion along with her recent starring roles in Jacques Audiard's Rust & Bone and James Gray's upcoming Lowlife. The actress will next pair up with a pair of hardcore auteurs, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. The two-time Palme d'Or winning brothers will shoot Deux Jours, Une Nuit this summer in their native Belgium. Cotillard will play Sandra, a young woman who has only one weekend to convince her colleagues they must give up their bonuses in order for her to keep her job. Longtime Dardenne collaborator Fabrizio Rongione will play Cotillard's husband in the social drama for which further details are being kept under wraps. The film is a co-production between the Dardennes' Les Films du Fleuve and Denis Freyd's Archipel 35.

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Comcast's Fandango And Telemundo Create Site For Spanish-Speaking Movie Fans

MIAMI/LOS ANGELES ' February 25, 2013 ' Telemundo Media, the largest producer of Spanish Language prime time content in the U.S. and audiences around the world; and Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination representing more than 70% of U.S. screens online, today launched Fandango Cine, www.fandangocine.com the most comprehensive web and mobile movie site specifically geared toward Hispanic movie fans. Fandango Cine's launch partners are Universal Pictures' 'Fast & Furious 6' and Sprint.

Fandango Cine will be integrated into www.telemundo.com, mun2.tv and www.fandango.com, and will offer movie-related content in Spanish, as well as provide Fandango's comprehensive movie show times, unparalleled ticketing expertise and access to over 20,000 screens across the country.

Fandango Cine's rich content offerings include original movie-related editorial and video programming in Spanish with original features, interviews, movie guides and more. New original shows created especially for Fandango Cine will debut in March and include:

· 'Fandango Cine: En Taquillas': a Monday box office recap of the week's English and Spanish language films

· 'Fandango Cine: En Cartelera': a preview of the weekend's upcoming movies

· 'Pop Cine': the latest news of the movie industry

· 'Cine Buzz': an insider look at breaking news on Latinos in the movie industry

These segments will run across Telemundo Media platforms including digital, mobile and television.

Nearly 40 million Hispanic moviegoers purchased 286 million movie tickets in North America in 2011, according to the Motion Picture Association of America. Beyond that, Hispanics have the highest movie-going per capita rate, averaging five trips to the movies a year, as opposed to an average of four trips for other ethnic groups.

'Fandango Cine marks a significant move for Telemundo as we launch the most comprehensive and dedicated multiscreen approach designed to reach U.S. Hispanic movie fans,' said Peter Blacker, EVP of Digital & Emerging Media, Telemundo Media. 'In developing this initiative with Fandango, we have the perfect partner in innovation and consumer responsiveness that acknowledges the explosion of Hispanic mobile, internet and social media users. We look forward to further deepening the movie going experience for this dynamic and ever growing community.'

According to a 2012 study from Nielsen National Research Group, U.S. Hispanic consumers dominate over all ethnic groups in online and media usage on smartphones, online video, social networking and other types of entertainment. The study also indicated that Hispanic viewers are 68% more likely than non-Hispanic White viewers to watch video on the Internet and 20% more likely to watch video on their mobile phone.

'Universal is proud to have 'Fast & Furious 6' serve as a launch partner with Fandango Cine,' said Fabian Castro, Vice President, Multicultural Marketing, Universal Pictures. 'Hispanic moviegoers have long championed and embraced this signature franchise from the studio and we're excited to offer Fandango Cine's audience a look at creative materials well in advance of the film's arrival in theaters on Memorial Day.'

'Fandango Cine will be a one-stop destination for Hispanic movie fans, who stream more movie-related content than the rest of the U.S. population and over-index as moviegoers,' said Paul Yanover, President of Fandango. 'With our partners at Telemundo, we will provide the best-of-breed movie-related video programming, along with a seamless ticketing experience at the widest choice of theaters available online and on mobile.

Holdover 'Identity Thief' Steals Anemic Weekend; 'Snitch' And 'Dark Skies' Weak

SUNDAY AM, 4TH UPDATE: Seriously, why do studios open movies on Oscar weekend? With attention otherwise diverted, it's hard for me or Hollywood to care about these two newcomers Friday. Audiences didn't either. That's why the Melissa McCarthy/Jason Bateman frenemies comedy Identity Thief is #1 in its third weekend after going up +63% from Friday to Saturday for $14M through Sunday.

Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate's father/son actioner Snitch (2,511 theaters) opened #1 Friday and dropped to #2 Saturday despite bumping +36%. It logged a mediocre $12.8M weekend. That's a rare failure for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. (No harm, no foul: I hear he really excels in surefire hit Fast & Furious 6.) Audiences gave Snitch a 'B'  CinemaScore which won't help or hurt the pic.

Dimension Films/The Weinstein Company's new extraterrestrial thriller Dark Skies (2,313 theaters) from Paranormal Activity's Jason Blum fell out of the Top Five altogether by the end of the weekend. It received only a 'C+' CinemaScore from audiences to hurt word of mouth for just an expected $8.4M weekend.

Finally Twentieth Century Fox's first-place finisher from last weekend, A Good Day To Die Hard, fell apart Friday and struggled through Sunday. Guess those horrible reviews finally caught up with it.

Total moviegoing this weekend looks like $99M, down -26% from last year. Here's the Top Ten based on weekend estimates:

1. Identity Thief (Universal) Week 3 [Runs 3,222]
Friday $4.0M, Saturday $6.6M, Weekend $14.0M, Cume $93.6M

2. Snitch (Summit/Lionsgate) NEW [Runs 2,511]
Friday $4.1M, Saturday $5.6M, Weekend $12.8M

3. Escape From Planet Earth 3D (Weinstein) Week 2 [Runs 3,353]
Friday $2.3M, Saturday $5.2M, Weekend $11.1M, Cume $35.2M

4. Safe Haven (Relativity) Week 2 [3,223]
Friday $3.5M, Saturday $4.7M, Weekend $10.7M, Cume $48.2M

5. A Good Day To Die Hard (Fox) Week 2 [Runs 3,555]
Friday $2.8M, Saturday $4.7M, Weekend $9.7M, Cume $51.5M

6. Dark Skies (Dimension/Weinstein) NEW [Runs 2,313]
Friday $3.0M, Saturday $3.5M, Weekend $8.4M

7. Silver Linings Playbook (Weinstein) Week 15 [Runs 2,012]
Friday $1.5M, Saturday $2.9M, Weekend $5.9M, Cume $107.3M

8. Warm Bodies (Summit/Lionsgate) Week 4 [Runs 2,644]
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.3M, Weekend $4.8M, Cume $58.2M

9. Beautiful Creatures (Warner Bros) Week 2 [Runs 2,950]
Friday $1.0M (-54%), Saturday $1.6M, Weekend $3.4M, Cume $16.4M

10. Side Effects (Open Road) Week 3 [Runs 2,070]
Friday $1.0M, Saturday $1.6M, Weekend $3.4M, Cume $25.2M

For more estimates listed by title, see box office results here...

Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.

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R.I.P. Diane Charlotte Lampert

Diane Charlotte Lampert, who wrote lyrics to title songs for more than 20 movies including those starring Cary Grant and Bob Hope and Buster Keaton, died of heart failure at a Manhattan hospital Friday. She was 88. The AP reports that Lampert worked on songs in the 1950s and 1960s performed by Brenda Lee, Steve Lawrence, Red Foley, The Lettermen, and others. She also was a writer on the Beatles song, 'Nothin Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Trees)' that wasn't released until 1994 on 'Live At The BBC'.

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OSCARS: Best Director, Picture Picks

Deadline Hollywood Columnist Pete Hammond talks with ENTV's Brian Corsetti about who he thinks will capture Oscar's biggest prizes: Best Picture and Best Director. One film has dominated the precursor awards, but its director/star can't win for director, leaving a race between two frontrunners whose outcome could reprise a rare corner of Oscar history.

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Global Showbiz Briefs: 'Asad' Actors Oscar-Bound, Hong Kong Fest Lineup

Two child actors from Somalia are headed to the Oscars on Sunday for their nominated short film Asad after filmmakers and others including U.S. and South African government officials rallied to arrange passports, visas, transportation and lodging. Brothers Harun Mohamed (14) and Ali Mohamed (12) were flying today from Cape Town join filmmakers Brian Buckley and Mino Jarjoura for the Oscars. Asad has won popular acclaim along the film festival circuit since April when it premiered at Tribeca Film Festival where it won Best Short Film. Written and directed by Buckley, the film centers on a war-torn fishing village in Somalia and follows a 12-year-old boy who must decide between the pirate life or becoming an honest fisherman. Asad was inspired by a United Nations short documentary, No Autographs. Thanks to filmmakers Buckley and Jarjoura of the U.S. and South Africa's Rafiq Samsodien, the boys who had never attended school have received private tuition and enrolled in a home school system in South Africa. Buckley noted they have been 'on a time crunch from the time the nominations were announced and right up to the last minute on Thursday when their visas and passports were granted by the government of South Africa to allow Harun and Ali to be here. We are very excited to bring them as our guests.'

Herman Yau & Jafar Panahi Bookend Hong Kong Festival
The 37th Hong Kong International Film Festival (March 17 through April 2) opens with Herman Yau's Ip Man: The Final Fight and closes with Closed Curtain, the Berlin fest Silver Bear winner directed by Iran's Jafar Panahi and Kaboziya Partovi. Yau is a festival regular and the latest is a sequel to his The Legend is Born: Ip Man (2010). Wong Kar-wai's own Ip Man movie, The Grandmaster, will screen in the Panorama section. Johnnie To's Drug War, Arvin Chen's Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? and Ronny Yu's Saving General Yang will unspool in gala premieres. Among films that a curiously missing from the annual industry overview is Stephen Chow's Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons, which has broken China box office records. Roughly 70 new Asian movies figure among 306 features and shorts in the lineup. Additionally there are 10 new titles from both Japan and South Korea, seven from India and three each from Indonesia and the Philippines. Thailand and Australia also have a single feature each. Four titles from Tokyo Filmex's large retrospective of Kinoshita Keisuke (1912-1998) also tour to Hong Kong following their presentation at the Berlin International Film Festival.

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OSCARS: This Year Has Much In Common With 1962 Race

Many have said 2012 has been the most remarkable year for movies in the Oscar race in a very long time. The dense list of quality contenders makes for quite a race, and it's somewhat reminiscent of another legendary year for cinema a half-century ago.

The year 1962 was an embarrassment of riches, and in many ways, just an embarrassment for the Academy. Yes, they did include the year's two best films, To Kill A Mockingbird and (eventual winner) Lawrence of Arabia, in the best picture lineup and both have endured as certified classics. Both were worthy. But then the Academy padded out the remaining three spots with popular studio offerings like The Longest Day, The Music Man, and most egregiously, the bloated Marlon Brando remake of Mutiny On The Bounty. OK, these films might have been decent entertainment, but were they the best the Academy could do 50 years ago? Hardly.

Related: OSCARS: Hammond's Final Down-To-The-Wire Predictions For 2013 Winners & Losers

Just consider the films that didn't make the cut: Blake Edwards' Days of Wine and Roses; John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate, Birdman Of Alcatraz, And All Fall Down; Arthur Penn's The Miracle Worker; Robert Aldrich's What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?; Otto Preminger's Advise & Consent; Stanley Kubrick's Lolita; John Ford's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; David Miller's Lonely Are The Brave'and this is just a partial list! Was it because all these films were in black and white? Well, so were Mockingbird and Longest Day, so that doesn't explain it. Were they too challenging when compared to the populist films that made the cut instead? The point is, we are still seeing, experiencing, and talking about most of the best picture also-rans today. They have stood the test of time, a feat perhaps greater than ever being nominated for a best picture Oscar.

Related: OSCARS: Will Politics Change The Race?

It is interesting to note that, just as the Academy has done this year in failing to nominate the directors of best picture nominees Argo, Les Misérables, and Zero Dark Thirty, the Academy's directors branch of 1962 was just as prickly and contrarian in ignoring the directors of three best picture nominees (Longest Day, Mutiny, and Music Man) in favor of smaller entries like David And Lisa, The Miracle Worker, and the foreign language Italian film Divorce Italian Style, which like this year's Austrian/French Amour also nabbed nominations for acting and writing, winning for the latter just as Amour could do. The directors of those best picture also-rans were every bit as worthy of the nomination they didn't get (Frankenheimer's three 1962 classics should have gotten him a nod just based on volume alone). Some things never change. And, quite frankly, considering the advanced age of some Academy members, many of the same people are still doing the voting.

Related: OSCARS: Does 'Amour' Have A Shot To Make Academy History?

The year 1962 was also when James Bond was introduced to the movies in Dr. No starring Sean Connery, still one of the best of the Bonds, yet it didn't merit a single nomination back then. In fact, Bond has been consistently ignored throughout the past 50 years, with just a handful of technical nominations and awards. A half-century from the time Bond was introduced, it seemed like it was all going to change this year with Skyfall, which was poised to become the first Bond ever to earn a best picture nom. It didn't happen, just like it didn't happen 50 years ago. At least the Academy has been guilted into a special tribute to recognize this most successful'and brilliant'of all movie franchises.

Beyond best picture, which did at least go to a very deserving winner in David Lean's Lawrence Of Arabia, the acting races across the board were gut-wrenching cliffhangers. I can't recall the four categories to ever be so competitive as they were that year. For best actor, try to choose among Gregory Peck in To Kill A Mockingbird, Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, Jack Lemmon in Days Of Wine And Roses, Marcello Mastroianni in Divorce Italian Style, and Burt Lancaster in Birdman of Alcatraz. If it weren't for Peck's iconic Atticus Finch, which deservedly won, certainly O'Toole would have triumphed the first time out for his glorious T.E. Lawrence instead of going zero for eight and becoming Oscar's most losing actor (thank God they finally gave him an honorary award).

Related: OSCARS: Anything Goes In This Year's Race

Best actress was an imposing quintet with Bette Davis in a shocking comeback role, Lee Remick as a drunk, Geraldine Page as a fading film star, Katharine Hepburn doing Eugene O'Neill, and the winner, Anne Bancroft, training the blind Helen Keller. Pre-Oscar bets from Hollywood experts were on each and every one to prevail. There were duo Oscar upsets in the supporting races, too. Virtually everyone thought Lawrence's Omar Sharif would win, but he was upstaged by a career nod to Sweet Bird of Youth's Ed Begley. And in supporting actress, it was Angela Lansbury as Laurence Harvey's conspiratorial and chilling mother in The Manchurian Candidate who was seen as a sure thing, only to be passed over for 16-year-old Patty Duke as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker. It was the criminally overlooked Lansbury's to lose'and she did, never getting another shot. Oscar fans are still smarting, though Duke's performance still holds up.

Sometimes Oscar races leave lasting scars. It's about what could have been. And in a year as good as 2012 was, will we still be arguing the outcome 50 years from now just like we still do about '62?

Awards Columnist Pete Hammond - tip him here.

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FRIDAY BOX OFFICE: Holdover 'Identity Thief' #1; 'Snitch' & 'Dark Skies' Open Weak

SATURDAY 12:45 PM UPDATE: Seriously, why do studios open movies on Oscar weekend? With attention otherwise diverted, it's hard for me or Hollywood to care about these two newcomers Friday. Audiences didn't either. That's why the Melissa McCarthy/Jason Bateman starrer Identity Thief will be #1 with $4.0M entering its third weekend and at least $13M through Sunday. One rival studio thinks the frenemies comedy did more Friday and can exceed $20M this weekend. Let's see. After that there's a lot of confusion over numbers and placements. Full analysis later today.

Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate's father/son actioner Snitch (2,511 theaters) opened #2 with $3.7M Friday and looks like a mediocre $10.5M weekend. That's a rare failure for Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. (No harm, no foul: I hear he really excels in surefire hit Fast & Furious 6.) Audiences gave Snitch a 'B'  CinemaScore which won't help or hurt the pic. Relativity's Safe Haven was close behind with $3.5M for #3 Friday. Dimension Films/The Weinstein Company's new extraterrestrial thriller Dark Skies (2,313 theaters) is from Paranormal Activity's Jason Blum so should have opened better than $3.2m Friday. It received only a 'C+' CinemaScore from audiences to hurt word of mouth for just an expected $9M weekend. Worse among the holdovers is Twentieth Century Fox's first-place finisher from last weekend, A Good Day To Die Hard, which fell apart Friday and will struggle through Sunday. Guess those horrible reviews finally caught up with it. Total moviegoing this weekend looks $100M, or down -25% compared to last year. Here's the Top Ten based on Friday estimates:

1. Identity Thief (Universal) Week 3 [Runs 3,222]
Friday $4.0M, Weekend $13M, Cume $95.0M

2. Snitch (Summit/Lionsgate) NEW [Runs 2,511]
Friday $3.7M, Weekend $10.5M

3. Safe Haven (Relativity) Week 2 [3,223]
Friday $3.5M (-51%), Weekend $10.5M, Cume $48.0M

4. Dark Skies (Dimension/Weinstein) NEW [Runs 2,313]
Friday $3.2M, Weekend $9.0M

5. A Good Day To Die Hard (Fox) Week 2 [Runs 3,555]
Friday $2.8M (-61%), Weekend $9.2M, Cume $51.0M

6. Escape From Planet Earth (Weinstein) Week 2 [Runs 3,353]
Friday $2.3M (-36%), Weekend $10M, Cume $34.1M

7. Silver Linings Playbook (Weinstein) Week 15 [Runs 2,012]
Friday $1.6M, Weekend $5.8M, Cume $107.2M

8. Warm Bodies (Summit/Lionsgate) Week 4 [Runs 2,644]
Friday $1.4M, Weekend $4.3M, Cume $57.7M

9. Beautiful Creatures (Warner Bros) Week 2 [Runs 2,950]
Friday $1.1M (-54%), Weekend $3.5M, Cume $16.4M

10. Side Effects (Open Road) Week 3 [Runs 2,070]
Friday $1.0M, Weekend $3.0M, Cume $24.7M

For more estimates listed by title, see box office results here...

Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.

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Specialty Box Office Preview: 'Bless Me, Ultima', 'Inescapable', 'Rubberneck', 'Red Flag', 'Kai Po Che'

Brian Brooks is a Deadline contributor.

Producer Mark Johnson returned to New Mexico where he spent time with Breaking Bad for his latest, Bless Me, Ultima. The coming-of-age story is a staple in the Mexican-American community and beyond and will roll out on 263 screens. Canadian director Ruba Nadda's latest, Inescapable with Alexander Siddig, Joshua Jackson, Marisa Tomei had to change production locations following the chaos of the Arab Spring. Actor-director Alex Karpovsky took on two productions somewhat simultaneously and distributor Tribeca Film is opting for a double-bill rollout in New York. And this weekend's second biggest specialty release, Kai Po Che from UTV Communications will take the Indian-set story to 110 theaters this weekend.

Bless Me, Ultima
Director-writer: Carl Franklin
Writer: Rudolfo Anaya (novel)
Cast: Luke Ganalon, Joseph A. Garcia, Miriam Colon
Distributor: Arenas Entertainment

Oscar-winning producer Mark Johnson first came on board Bless Me, Ultima a half-decade ago after a meeting at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. Executive producer Christy Walton financed the feature, which is based on a book of the same title. 'I had not heard of the book, though it is considered a cornerstone of Chicano literature and its required reading in many public schools,' noted Johnson. 'I immediately read it. I'm a sucker for coming of age stories, but this is more of a coming of age spiritual story. The main character is trying to understand why people do evil things. It's about the nature of the world.' Set in New Mexico during World War II, the story is centered on the relationship between a young man and an an elderly medicine woman who helps him contend with the battle between good and evil that rages in his village. The production headed to New Mexico, where Johnson had worked producing TV's Breaking Bad. 'Christy Walton didn't demand [stars] in the cast. It is based on an 8-year-old boy and his grandmother,' said Johnson who added that the cast includes American and Mexican actors. 'I've done a lot of movies with young boys including the Narnia movies. Casting a child is very difficult. They're not actors in the way adults are actors. It's much more about instinct and feeling something naturally rather than just thinking about what is required to do.'

Johnson has known director Carl Franklin, who adapted the story, for some time. 'We talked about doing a movie together, so I gave the book to Carl and he did a take on it that we completely fell for,' said Johnson. The filmmaking team showed the feature to Arenas, which agreed they were the team to release the pic. The company suggested a test run in El Paso, Texas where it did 'spectacularly' according to Johnson. Bless Me, Ultima will open on 263 screens in 22 markets this weekend, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and other markets in the Southwest. It has already grossed $500K in test runs in three cities.

Inescapable
Director-writer: Ruba Nadda
Cast: Alexander Siddig, Joshua Jackson, Marisa Tomei, Oded Fehr
Distributor: IFC Films

Producer Daniel Iron has worked with writer-director Ruba Nadda since her last film Cairo Time. She was already well into developing the script for Inescapable while filming the previous film set in Egypt's capital. Like the previous film, Inescapable stars Sudanese-born veteran actor Alexander Siddig, who starred opposite Patricia Clarkson in Cairo Time. 'Ruba wrote the main role for Alexander Siddig,' said Iron. 'He was involved from early on. Then we approached Marisa Tomei through her agent at CAA who also reps Patricia Clarkson. We needed someone who could do a difficult role but also come off as Arabic. I can't imagine any other actor in Hollywood being able to pull that off.' TeleFilm Canada and co-production money from South Africa provided funding.

Initially, the project had been slated to shoot in Jordan, but the tumult that came following the Arab Spring lead the production to seek another locale, and though the story is set in Syria's capital, Damascus, that was not an option because of the country's civil war. 'I had done a film called The Bang Bang Club in Johannesburg, South Africa and we decided to re-locate there,' said Iron. 'We had hoped to do Jordan, but we couldn't do it.' Iron said that shooting in Jordan would have required the production buying 'kidnapping and ransom insurance,' which simply covered paying for a good negotiator. Paying the ransom or any other subsequent expenses would not be covered. Inescapable, which centers on a father who confronts the past he left behind years after leaving Damascus when his daughter goes missing, debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall and at the Palm Springs International Film Festival last month. It is slated to open in eight cities including New York and Los Angeles this weekend and is available via VOD and other platforms.

Rubberneck
Director-writer: Alex Karpovsky
Co-writer: Garth Donovan
Cast: Alex Karpovsky, Jaime Ray Newman, Dennis Staroselsky
Distributor: Tribeca Film
Red Flag
Director-writer: Alex Karpovsky
Cast: Dustin Guy Defa, Alex Karpovsky, Keith Poulson, Jennifer Prediger
Distributor: Tribeca Film

Distributor Tribeca Film picked up both Alex Karpovsky-directed titles last year. Rubberneck premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, a sister entity of the company which is releasing Rubberneck and Red Flag (which debuted at last year's Los Angeles Film Festival) as a double-bill at the Elinor Brunin Munroe Film Center in New York. 'I shot Rubberneck first, but before embarking on the edit, I went off to shoot Red Flag,' said Karpovsky. 'And after I finished Red Flag, I went back to do the edit on Rubberneck. There was a re-charge doing it this way.' Shot on 'very small budgets,' according to Karpovsky, the actor/director used savings and loans to finance both projects. 'I didn't have to go through an elaborate funding process,' he noted. Rubberneck follows a man who works at a research facility outside Boston. A weekend tryst with a co-worker leaves him wanting more, but when she takes interest in a new scientist at the lab, he becomes unhinged. 'The crew was much bigger and storyboarded,' Karpovsky explained about Rubberneck. 'It was particularly challenging because it's a thriller. I hadn't done anything that wasn't a comedy. It was intimidating and a learning experience.'

A comedy, Red Flag centers on a filmmaker who takes his independent film on tour hoping to escape the pain of a recent breakup. While on the road, he stumbles into a mix of fear, sex and tortured illumination. Karpovsky met his fellow cast-mates at the Sundance Film Festival only a month before production which started in February 2011. 'I like to be able to do both acting and directing,' said Karpovsky. 'If I was only doing one then I'd be anxious or unfulfilled. I love doing acting. I like to step away from myself.' Red Flag's shoot was more of what Karpovsky called a 'run and gun' shoot. 'We had no lights and a small crew. We could nurture impulsivity and it was chaotic.' In addition to its double-bill at the Elinor Brunin at Lincoln Center, Rubberneck and Red Flag are available on VOD. Rubberneck will head to Boston where it was filmed the following weekend. Further rollout for both will be based on performance.

Kai Po Che
Director-writer: Abhishek Kapoor
Writers: Chetan Bhagat (novel), Pubali Chaudhuri, Supratik Sen
Distributor: UTV Communications

Adapted from a popular book by a well-known author in India, Disney-owned UTV came on board the project in the scripting stage. 'The story is very original in its writing. It's one of the best scripts we have read', noted Lokesh Dhar, Executive Director ' Distribution and Syndication (North America) at UTV. 'It has a lot of challenges with respect to not having big stars. The script however is the biggest star of the film.' Dhar said the production shot in India's Punjab region in the summer. 'It was shot in very hot conditions and most of the film takes place on location in big cities in that state and some small states.' The film centers on three friends growing up in India at the turn of the millennium who set out to open a training academy to produce the country's next cricket stars.

Like most of its Indian releases, according to Dhar, Kai Po Che is being released simultaneously in multiple regions worldwide. In North America, Kai Po Che! will bow in 110 theaters in both major and medium-size markets. 'We're appealing to the South Asian audience, but also subtitling it into English. We also plan to target some of the art house crowd,' said Dhar. 'Talent from the film traveled to the U.S. for interviews across the country and we also did some related contests.' The film screened at the recent Berlin International Film Festival in the Panorama section and UTV hosted word-of-mouth screenings.

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Global Showbiz Briefs: Pistorius-Steenkamp, 'Reclaim', Savile Fallout, David Haslingden

BBC Three Orders Reeva Steenkamp Special
Fast-turnaround specialiast Mentorn Media is at it again. The producer has been commissioned by BBC Three for a quickie doc about the murder of Reeva Steenkamp. Steenkamp's shooting death has been making headlines since she was killed on Valentine's Day with star athlete Oscar Pistorius accused of murder. He has pleaded not guilty. Nick London is producing and directing for BBC Three. Rick Edwards, who presented Paralympics coverage for Channel 4, will host. Mentorn's credits include Ricky Gervais' An Idiot Abroad for Sky and HBO documentary For Neda. It also recently made fast-turnaround docs about Hurricane Sandy and the Aurora, Colorado massacre. Mentorn's sister company Passion Distribution is handling sales.

Luketic, Former MGM Exec Sutherland Team On Oz Thriller
Los Angeles-based Australian director Alan White is set to direct Reclaim, a psychological thriller about an American couple who come to Australia to adopt a child after their unborn child dies in a car accident. Due to shoot in Oz later this year, the film is the first from a co-venture between U.S.-based Australian director Robert Luketic and Ian Sutherland's Origin Productions, who will serve as producers with Brian and Josh Etting of L.A.'based Garlin Pictures. Sutherland, a former EVP of international theatrical distribution for MGM, and Luketic have been developing projects for several years. It will be the first Aussie film for White since 2000's Risk. The screenplay is by Luke Davies (Candy) and Carmine Gaeta. Casting is underway. Arclight Films, which is selling worldwide rights, pitched the project to buyers at the Berlin festival's European Film Market.- Don Groves

ITV Wins Prizes For Jimmy Savile Coverage
The Royal Television Society has handed out its TV journalism awards with three prizes going to ITV for its coverage of the Jimmy Savile scandal. Exposure: The Other Side Of Jimmy Savile, the ITV documentary that blew the lid off the sex-abuse allegations against the late BBC host, won two awards including Scoop of the Year, and a third award went to ITN for ITV News's Savile coverage. BBC News won in the international news coverage category for its handling of the events in Syria and CNN International was named News Channel of the Year. A full list of winners is here.

BBC Trust Chairman Says He Was Misled About Savile
Lord Patten has sought to distance himself from mistakes made by the corporation over its handling of the Jimmy Savile furor. The Independent reports Patten's evidence to the Pollard inquiry ' which looked at the sequence of events leading to the shelving of a Newsnight report detailing Savile's offenses ' includes expressions of betrayal and unhappiness about being misled about the reasons for the report's cancellation. The BBC will publish redacted witness statements from the inquiry this week, including Patten's, with the redactions the subject of much controversy as the BBC Trust seeks maximum transparency. Meanwhile, The Guardian reports today that a 100-page report has been filed with the corporation by the National Union of Journalists, alleging bullying, harassment and intimidation at the BBC. Forty pages of the report, it is said, detail the actions of a single, long-serving exec. BBC HR management will investigate the complaints, and a version of the report has been submitted to the inquiry into bullying and sexual harassment at the BBC being overseen by Dinah Rose, which was set up in the wake of the Savile scandal.

Former Fox Exec Haslingden Builds Mini-Production Empire
David Haslingden is assembling a collection of production businesses in Asia Pacific. The latest acquisition by the former president/COO of Fox Networks is the Queensland-based factual producer Northern Pictures. The newly appointed chairman of Australia's Nine Entertainment Co.bought New Zealand-based factual producer NHNZ from Fox Television Studios last October, a deal that was only revealed last week. The NHNZ acquisition includes Singapore-based subsidiary Beach House Pictures and its majority stake in South Africa's Aquavision TV Productions. Haslingden has said he is looking for further acquisitions and he told New Zealand media he is keen to see NHNZ expand into scripted dramas, including historical works. Northern Pictures, run by managing director Sue Clothier, is co-producing with Beach House Pictures Kakadu, a four-part doc on Australia's vast Kakadu National Park, for Australian pubcaster ABC. Later this year she will embark on a co-prod with NHNZ, Shark Attack 360, a one-hour doc for Discovery Networks U.S. and Australia. NHNZ's slate includes nature series Life Force 2, a co-production with NHK, Arte, Science Channel and Discovery Networks International; L.A. Frock Stars, which follows fashion entrepreneur Doris Raymond on her search for rare gems, a JV with Smithsonian Channel and BBC Worldwide; and I Survived' for A&E Television Networks. ' Don Groves

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