SPT to open Middle East office

LONDON -- Sony Pictures Television is to open a local sales office in the Middle East. The Dubai outpost will license films and TV series from SPT's distribution catalog, plus finished content produced by local shingle SPT Arabia. The office will report directly to SPT's regional head office for Europe, Middle East and Africa in London. It will be run by Ziad Yaghi, who as executive director, sales, for the Middle East, will be responsible for SPT's distribution activity across the Middle East. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Boss Co-Showrunners Exit Starz Series

EXCLUSIVE: Boss executive producers/co-showrunners Richard Levine and Lyn Greene are exiting Starz new drama series, which was restored for just about any second season lately before its premiere last evening. The first sort Puppy puppy nip/Tuck executive producers shepherded the 8-episode first season of Boss alongside series’ creator/executive producer, Apocalypto co-author Farhad Safinia. Safinia didn’t have TV experience before creating the show however hear he shown a quick study throughout manufacture of the extremely first season. Search is under away for just about any new writing executive producer to participate Safinia together with the series’ other professional producers — director Gus Van Sant, star Kelsey Grammer, John Sher and Stella Bulochnikov — for Season 2. Boss, from Lionsgate TV, stars Grammer just like a callous Chicago mayor which has a secret that expects to topple him. The series has introduced mostly favorable reviews, specially when it calls for Grammer’s performance.

Gross! The Brains Behind The Walking Dead Dissect the Premiere's Zombie Autopsy

The Walking Dead [Warning: The following story contains spoilers from the Season 2 premiere of The Walking Dead. Read at your own risk.]AMC's The Walking Dead has never been for the squeamish, so it should come as no surprise that the Season 2 premiere would attempt what executive producer Robert Kirkman calls "one of the grossest things we have ever come up with."The Walking Dead looks for life after Frank DarabontLed by Deputy Sherriff Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), the show's band of zombie-apocalypse survivors left Atlanta behind in hopeful search of a safe haven at an abandoned military fort. However, the gang was stalled as they reached a section of interstate that was blocked with abandoned vehicles. When Rick and Dale (Jeffrey DeMunn) spotted a "herd" of walkers approaching, everyone quickly hid under cars until the mob had passed. But shortly thereafter, a couple of straggling zombies chased little Sophia (Madison Lintz) into the woods.Despite Rick's best efforts to save her - including bashing two zombies' brains in with a rock - Sophia never returned to the group, which instantly formed into a search party. When Rick and Darryl (Norman Reedus) came across a zombie who had just fed, they feared Sophia had become breakfast, but there was only one way to know for sure: They gutted the zombie and checked the contents of its stomach."I think I had the idea of doing like a CSI examination of fingernails and examining the zombie's mouth," Kirkman, who wrote the graphic novels upon which the series is based, tells TVGuide.com. "From that point on, it really just became a fun spit-balling session in the writer's room. [Writer Scott Gimple] made the suggestion of actually cutting the thing open and diving in there. ... [It's] one of the grossest things we have ever come up with."The Walking Dead: Creator weighs in on Season 1's biggest mysteryNewly installed showrunner Glen Mazzara says the scene was originally even more disgusting. But once it was edited, the scene also became darkly funny. "I decided to cut it down and really play a lot of sound effects," Mazzara says. "Then you get into the gore and Andy Lincoln does such a great job of playing the fact that he's nauseous. We just really love it. We think it's fun and memorable."While Mazzara and Kirkman agree that chuckling through the grossness is fine, they hope the audience realizes the stakes facing the characters in this world. "It's such an absurd situation ... but of course they would make that decision," Mazzara says. "Hopefully the audience will say, 'Well, yes, if I was there, of course I would gut that zombie.' These are people dealing with life and death situations every day. ...They live in terror that they might not make it through the day."To that end, the episode ends with a doozy of a cliff-hanger. While admiring a deer in the woods with Rick and Shane (Jon Bernthal), Carl (Chandler Riggs) was shot by an unknown assailant. Mazzara says the accident will have major impact on the rest of the season, particularly for his mother, Lori (Sarah Wayne Callies).Check out photos of the Walking Dead cast"She becomes a very major character, not just Rick's wife," he says. "When I was put into my new position, that was something that I immediately started to develop in a way that we had not previously planned. The more pressure we could put on our central character, the better. Rick is not only facing questions of leadership, but he is also facing marital problems, and a personal crisis."Adds Kirkman: "It's really a centerpiece of the season. Carl getting shot really kind of turns everyone's attention toward the fact that there are so many dangers in this world you can hardly keep track of them. He definitely wasn't shot by a zombie. [Rick and Lori] have to take note that no matter how hard you try, you just can't protect a child from everything. ...You figure out how to survive in this world, but if you really start to examine it, it starts to look like it's kind of impossible."What did you think of The Walking Dead's season premiere?

Bill Clinton's Lavish Fund-Raising Weekend in L.A.: Preview of Events Featuring Lady Gaga, Bono, Kenny Chesney

Think of it as the political equivalent of one of those Eagles revival tours -- nostalgia, a reminder of their greatest hits and very tight music.our editor recommendsKenny Chesney Added to Bill Clinton's Hollywood Bowl ConcertPresident Obama to Hollywood: 'I Never Promised You Easy'Chelsea Clinton Interviews Mom, Hillary, at Clinton Global InitiativeObama Adds Second Event to Los Angeles Fund-Raising Trip (Exclusive) Friday through Sunday, all three of the Clintons -- Bill, the former president; Hillary, the current Secretary of State; and daughter Chelsea -- will be in Los Angeles to celebrate Bill's 65th birthday and do some ambitious fund-raising for the William J. Clinton Foundation, which is now 10 years old. PHOTOS: 10 Hollywood Players That Will Make a Difference in the 2012 Elections The entertainment industry always has loved the Clintons, and why not? It's a business that values personal relationships, and the Clintons are ferocious networkers -- Friends of Bill, Friends of Hillary and, now, Friends of Chelsea -- interwoven in a fabric of loyalty. It's also not a family that takes opposition lightly: "Never get in a knife fight with a Clinton" is virtually a Democratic maxim. Most of all, Hollywood admires their dazzling and instinctive political skills -- something many suspect in lacking in the party's current leader, President BarackObama. "I give him credit," said Los Angeles political consultant Bill Carrick. "Clinton keeps working at it. People are still mesmerized by him." It certainly says something about the Clinton-Hollywood relationship that the former chief executive would feel comfortable tapping the industry's Dems for tens of thousands of dollars in charitable donations with a general election looming. And the scale of this weekend's festivities -- which Chelsea is chairing -- is lavish. PHOTOS: Best Presidents in Film and Television The weekend will kick off with a public memorial service for philanthropist Edie Wasserman at UCLA's Royce Hall. The former first couple are expected to attend the services honoring Hollywood's "first lady." Wasserman was the wife of longtime Universal chairman Lew, a powerful force in the entertainment industry and in politics. Also attending the services is Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. After the service, the Clintons will head to the Hollywood Palladium for a birthday gala for Bill, with Stevie Nicks performing. On Saturday, there's a 7 p.m. benefit concert for the Clinton Foundation at the Hollywood Bowl featuring Lady Gaga, Bono and the Edge, Usher, Kenny Chesney, K'naan and other artists. PHOTOS: Box Office Politics: The Movies and Stars Dems vs. GOPers Love (and Love to Hate) Those who raise between $500,000 and $1 million for the Clinton Foundation will get an invitation to the weekend's more intimate events, including Saturday brunch at Haim and Cheryl Saban's Beverly Hills compound, personally hosted by Chelsea and her husband,Marc Mezvinsky, and a round of golf on Sunday with Clinton. (No word on where the former president and family are staying. When Clinton was chief executive, he would often stay at Saban's lavish estate.) "They are wonderful people," Saban told THR. "They have dedicated their whole life to public service and continue to do so with stellar results. They are family to the Sabans." Not everyone has to be a millionaire to attend the weekend's events: While $100,000 gets you good seats at the gala and concert and access to VIP receptions, a more modest $6,500 gets a pretty good seat at the Palladium gala. A mere $50 secures a concert seat somewhere in the Hollywood Bowl's upper reaches. All in all, quite a party -- and, potentially, quite a haul for the Clinton Foundation's good works, which include improving global health, strengthening economies worldwide, promoting healthier childhoods and protecting the environment. Related Topics Lady Gaga Usher Bill Clinton Stevie Nicks Bono Kenny Chesney Politics

MTV Launches Iggy, Giving World's Bands a Platform in America

The music world got a little smaller Thursday when MTV World announced the launch of MTV Iggy, a multi-platform global music brand that brings artists and pop culture from around the world to America. VIDEOS: MTV: 30 Years of Music Videos MTV Iggy content will be available across multiple platforms, including online, on-air and social media outlets. On October 17th, MTV Iggy will premiere its first episode of "The MTV Iggy Show," a 30-minute, weekly roundup of the new music from around the world. It will air on mtvU at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT. Other editions of the show will air on MTV television networks including MTV and MTV2 as well as MTV.com. Why bring foreign artists to American consumers with more than enough homegrown music? "There is potential," Nusrat Durrani, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MTV World, tells Billboard.biz. "Beyond just the financial potential, there is an opportunity here for us to diversify the pop culture vernacular." Besides, artists want to reach American audiences. "Most artists are interested in being seen in the U.S. They've never had this platform before." STORY: MTV Shuffles Monday Night Lineup For the launch, MTV Iggy created Best New Band in the World, a program that features 10 acts from countries including the U.K., Australia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, U.S.A. and South Korea. The MTV Iggy staff started with 2,000 artists and whittled them down to the 10 nominees that will receive fans' votes at the Best Band in the World web site. The winter will have the opportunity to perform at an MTV Iggy Live taping in MTV's Times Square studio and be promoted on MTV U.S.A. platforms. Since MTVIggy.com launched in beta in late September, the competition has already attracted votes from 159 countries and territories. MTV Iggy is very much the result of today's Internet tools. In the past ten years, digital platforms and mobile and social have changed how people communicate. "The world is now talking to itself. Music discovery is not just happening on TV, it's happening on mobile, on social," says Durrani. "Kids are finding music all over the place." STORY: Coldplay, Jessie J and LMFAO to Perform at MTV Europe Music Awards Indeed, pop music knows no bounds these days. Durrani points out that K-Pop artists 4Minute and G.NA were appearing at MTV's Manhattan studios as we spoke and throngs of Korean girls were screaming on the street outside. One of the Best New Band in the World nominees is 2NE1, a K-Pop band from South Korea that has attracted the interest of Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am. "There's a little Korean girl inside all of us," says Durrani. As for the name Iggy, Durrani explains it came out of focus groups MTV ran with students. "Iggy just rose to the top. It was meant to be a nonsensical name." In addition to the web site, you can follow MTV Iggy at its Facebook page and Twitter account (@MTVIggy). Related Topics MTV

MIPCOM Briefs: ITV Sells NBCs Prime Suspect To 30 Areas Overseas Purchasers Get Happily Divorced

The worldwide TV market got going ahead in Cannes today having a flurry of bulletins. Listed here are a couple of titbits: – ITV Galleries Global Entertainment, the television distribution arm from the Brit broadcaster, has offered the brand new NBC version of Prime Suspect to in excess of 30 areas worldwide. This really is regardless of the show teetering near cancellation within the U.S. ITV, which co-created the remake with Universal Media Galleries, has licensed the Maria Bello-vehicle to tv stations including Nine (Australia), TVNZ (Nz) and TV3 (Ireland). Prime Suspect came an underwhelming 1.5 18-49 rating in the second week on NBC. My friend Nellie Andreeva reviews that NBCs chief Bob Greenblatt would like to provide the battling show, which got mostly reviews that are positive, a little additional time. – Meanwhile Shine Worldwide, the television distribution arm of News Corps Shine Group, has licensed a lot more than 200 hrs of programming to Discovery Systems Latin America/US Hispanic. It is the greatest commission Shine has brokered with DLA/USH up to now, and includes cooking show MasterChef, game show The Greatest Loser and unscripted format One Born Every Minute. – And Endemol has offered TV Land sitcom Happily Divorced too up to now-to-premiere comedy The Exes to tv stations in Europe, Canada, Latin America , Nz and Africa. Fran Dreschers sitcom Happily Divorced accomplished it well for TV Land that the second-series renewal would be a given. Drescher come in Cannes marketing the show. The Exes, around three males discussing a condo whose landlady is actually their divorce attorney, will premiere on television Land in November. – Talking about Latin America, Lionsgate has created Lionsgate-Tisa Television Worldwide to market Television shows including Mad Males and Weeds, plus its movies, through the territory. Maryann Pasante, former MGM Latin American executive, will run the Joint venture.