True Blood Trailer: Nothing Stays Buried Forever

Evan Rachel Wood and Denis O'Hare The return of the king?HBO's new True Blood teaser is pretty skimpy on footage, but it does feature the ominous tagline "In Bon Temps, nothing stays buried forever." Is it alluding to Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare), who was exhumed in the Season 4 finale? Or someone else?Twilight's Christopher Heyerdahl heads to True BloodSeason5 of True Blood will premiere in the summer. Check out the teaser: Season 5 - Buried Tease

Viacom Boss financials released

Viacom Boss Philippe Dauman's fiscal 2011 compensation totaled $43 million plus a $3.5 million base salary and hefty $20 million cash bonus Up from $11 million the last year, with different filing while using Opportunities and Exchange Commission late Friday. The quantity was paid out available and investment.His overall pay fell from $84 million this season when Dauman was the finest paid out Boss in corporate America.Chief operating officer Thomas Dooley acquired $34 million, his base salary of $2.5 million together with a $16 million bonus that was nearly double year earlier figure.As well as the company's billionaire controlling investor Sumner Redstone received $21 million in compensation getting a $1.75 million base salary together with a $millions of bonus, also nearly the double 2010 bonus.Viacom mentioned inside the filing that "The goal in our compensation programs could be to ensure that people hold the gifted professionals and employees we must achieve our proper plans and deliver financial returns to stockholders over temporary and lengthy-term. To accomplish this, we must attract and retain great managers and employees, and compensate them with techniques that encourages and rewards their performance."Viacom's fiscal year finishes Sept. 30. The business mentioned it'll hold its annual shareholders' meeting at its NY City headquarters on March 8. Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

ABC greenlights pilot '666 Park Ave.'

ABC has given the greenlight to the drama pilot "666 Park Ave.," from scribe David Wilcox, Warner Bros. TV and Alloy Entertainment. Series revolves around a young couple who manage a historic Gotham apartment building where they begin to experience supernatural phenomena that endangers the tenants. Wilcox ("Fringe") wrote the pilot and is exec producing with Alloy's Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo. "Park Ave." is based on the Alloy book by Gabriella Pierce. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

Platinum, Canton eye 'Atlantis' pic

Platinum Galleries is refreshing the film prospects of their "Atlantis Rising" comicbook, joining with "Immortals" producer Mark Canton to build up a possible new franchise from the property. An adaptation had formerly been setup at DreamWorks in 2008, with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who introduced the project towards the studio, mounted on produce at that time. Platinum Studios' "Cowboys and Aliens" was modified by Universal, DreamWorks and Imagine this past year. Since it's film privileges to "Atlantis Rising" in its possession, Platinum takes a brand new approach, restarting it with a brand new look and story. Produced by Platinum chief Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, "Atlantis Rising" was initially released like a five-problem miniseries. Property involves an underwater civilization that started over 10,000 years back and whose presence is unknown towards the surface population. "'Atlantis Rising' has got the franchise potential of 'Men in Black,' that we greenlit for Scott while at Sony's Columbia TriStar," Canton stated. "I am searching toward getting it towards the screen with Platinum like a dynamic, condition-of-the-art action thriller." Canton, chairman and Boss of Atmosphere Entertainment, is really a boardmember of Platinum Galleries. Atmosphere's recent credits include Relativity's "Immortals," that has gained a lot more than $210 million in the worldwide B.O., and Warner Bros.' "300," according to Frank Miller's graphic novel. "'Atlantis Rising' is really a provocative sci-fi thriller that at its core raises the question: whose planet is?Inch Rosenberg stated. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

'The Descendants' wins best drama Golden Globe

Film, DRAMA"The Descendants"ACTOR, DRAMAGeorge Clooney - "The Descendants"Film, COMEDY OR MUSICAL"The Artist"ACTRESS, DRAMAMeryl Streep - "The Iron Lady"ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL, MOTION PICTUREJean Dujardin - "The Artist"BEST COMEDY OR MUSICAL, TELEVISION"Modern Family" (ABC)BEST DIRECTOR, MOTION PICTUREMartin Scorsese - "Hugo"BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, MOTION PICTUREOctavia Spencer - "The AssistanceInchActing professional, COMEDY OR MUSICAL, TELEVISIONMatt LeBlanc - "Episodes"ACTRESS, DRAMA, TELEVISIONClaire Danes - "Homeland"Language FILM"A Separation" ("Jodaeiye Nader az Simin") - IranSUPPORTING ACTRESS Inside A SERIES, Small-SERIES OR MOTION PICTUREJessica Lange - "American Horror Story"BEST Script, FilmInchNight time in Paris" - Woodsy AllenBEST ANIMATED FEATURE"The Adventures of Tintin: The Key from the Unicorn"SUPPORTING ACTOR Inside A SERIES, Small-SERIES OR MOTION PICTUREPeter Dinklage - "Bet on Thrones"ACTRESS , COMEDY OR MUSICAL, MOTION PICTUREMichelle Williams - "My Week with Marilyn"ACTOR Inside A Small-SERIES OR MOTION PICTUREIdris Elba - "Luther"BEST ORIGINAL SONG, FilmInchWork of artInch - "W.E." - Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy HarryBEST ORIGINAL SCORE, FilmInchThe Artist" - Ludovic BourceBEST DRAMA, TELEVISION"Homeland" (Showtime)ACTOR, DRAMA, TELEVISIONKelsey Grammer - "Boss"ACTRESS Inside A Small-SERIES OR MOTION PICTUREKate Winslet - "Mildred Pierce"BEST Small-SERIES OR FilmInchDownton Abbey" (PBS)ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL, TELEVISIONLaura Dern - "Enlightened"BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, MOTION PICTUREChristopher Plummer - "Beginners"THE CECIL B. DEMILLE AWARDMorgan Freeman Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

'Contraband' bests weekend beginners

'Contraband' Universal's launch of smuggling thriller "Contraband" easily corralled the very best slot in the domestic box office with $24.a million at 2,863 locations because of its Friday-Sunday opening. The Objective Wahlberg vehicle, co-created by Relativity and dealing Title for around $25 million, should find yourself the 4-day holiday frame with $28.4 million. The outlet of Disney's three dimensional publish-converted "Beauty and also the Animal" finished a good second with $18.5 million at 2,625 for that 72 hours along with a forecasted $24.7 million for that four days with impressive returns around the Monday school holiday to see the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King. Mouse distribution prexy Dork Hollis stated the "Lion King" conversion cost the studio $8 million to $9 million, making the return of "Beauty" nicely lucrative.Paramount's fifth frame of "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" narrowly won the 3rd slot with $11.5 million at 3,346, edging out Warner Bros.' opening of gospel music comedy "Pleased Noise" at $11.3 million at 2,735. Monday biz could reverse individuals positions with Componen-Skydance's "Ghost Protocol" on the right track to cume $14 million for that four days while "Noise" might take because $14.5 million."Ghost Protocol" is forecasted hitting a domestic cume of $189.two million through the finish of Monday.Overall biz for that frame involved even going to up slightly in comparison towards the year-ago weekend, following last weekend's 28% surge in moviegoing, fueled through the stunning opening of Componen Insurge's "The Demon Inside." Warner's fifth frame of "A Virtual Detective: Bet on Shadows" arrived fifth with $8.4 million at 3,155 for Friday-Monday to edge the soph sesh of "Demon" with $7.9 million at 2,551. "Demon," designed for $a million, should consume $9 million for that four days for any heavenly $47.3 million cume in the first 11 days."Demon" rejected by 77%, not really a surprise after setting an archive for the best early The month of january debut. A trio of holidays records adopted with respectable holds as Sony's 4th frame of "The Lady using the Dragon Tattoo" finished seventh, lower 40% to $6.8 million at 2,674 for that 72 hours as well as an $88 million domestic cume. "Girl" also required in $16.5 million at 3,920 screens overseas for any foreign cume of $49.7 million. Fox's fifth outing of "Alvin and also the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" arrived eighth, off 39% to $5.8 million at 2,849 along with a domestic cume of nearly $119 million. "Chipwrecked" also drawn in $14.4 million at 6,527 in foreign marketplaces for any $154.a million worldwide take.Disney/DreamWorks' 4th weekend of "War Equine" rode into ninth, lower 35% to with $5.six million at 2,856, having a four-day projection of $6.8 million for any $67 million domestic cume. Worldwide, "Equine" made $6.8 million inside a dozen marketplaces for any $17.3 million foreign cume.The Weinstein Co.'s aggressive growth of "The Iron Lady" required the ultimate slot within the top ten with $5.4 million at 802 for any cume of $six million. Its per-screen average of $6,716 was the 3rd very best in the very best 10, following $8,405 for "Contraband" and $7,044 for "Beauty and also the Animal."TWC's eighth frame of "The Artist" -- among the honours season management -- drawn in $1.two million at 216 to lift domestic cume to $8.8 million.Around the specialty front, Oscilloscope's launch of "We have to Discuss Kevin" first showed remarkably with $44,000 at two locations. The Tilda Swinton starrer presently has a cume of $83,297 including its one-week Oscar-being approved run.IFC's "Pina" ongoing to do well with $108,000 at six screens for any $540,000 cume for that Wim Wenders dance pic."A Virtual DetectiveInch was the dominant title in overseas marketplaces with $27.4 million from 57 marketplaces, together with a $3.4 million soph sesh around australia along with a $3.3 million Brazilian launch, to push foreign cume to $222 million. That's 13% in front of the original -- which in fact had your final foreign total of $315 million -- in the same reason for its release.Componen saw lots of foreign pop from the holdovers -- "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" ongoing minting foreign gold coin with $16.8 million at 5,847 in 58 areas to lift the worldwide total to $320 million while "Puss In Boots" snagged $14.six million at 5,679 for any foreign cume of $331.7 million. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

MSNBC looks for '12 gains

GriffinMSNBC is searching to determine election-year ratings gains in 2012, while not as large from the leap since the cabler needed in 2008. MSNBC prexy Phil Griffin was careful about projecting viewership growth since the presidential race will get warmer. ''We couldn't possibly have forty percent growth'' the cabler saw in 2008, Griffin mentioned through the cabler's sesh Saturday within the TCA press tour in Pasadena. Still, ''we're depending on that it's a large year,'' he added. The 2008 race marked MSNBC's breakout year after its transformation with a liberal choice to Fox News, plus it prospered round the competish among Dems to be successful George W. Rose rose bush inside the White-colored House. This time around around around, Griffin mentioned he's been surprised up to now within the more moderate response from audiences to political coverage within the cable news spectrum. ''Nobody blew it out'' the other day with coverage of Tuesday's Iowa caucuses, adding he ''expected a bigger evening from Fox News.'' MSNBC used its TCA time to give a large push towards the ''Morning Joe'' ayemcast. Griffin suggested the show's growth and recognition because of its focus on in-depth interviews and measured tone, when compared with other cable politico skeins. '' 'Morning Joe' grew to become one in the great brands in cable,'' Griffin excited. Contact Cynthia Littleton at cynthia.littleton@variety.com

'Ghost Protocol' scares up $46 mil overseas

Paramount's "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" nabbed $46.2 million from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2, bringing its international cume to a terrif $227.6 million as it spent a third consecutive week atop the overseas box office.The pic, with a global tally of around $365 million through Jan. 2, is on track to become the franchise's highest-grossing installment, according to Par. The second "Mission" topped out at approximately $545 million worldwide in 2000.Large-screen exhib Imax has helped boost totals for "Ghost Protocol."The film's Imax presentation has collected north of $46 million worldwide, of which $13 million comes from international Imax wickets. Par released the film domestically for an exclusive week-early launch in Imax (the pic's domestic Imax tally has reached $33.1 million)."Ghost Protocol" opened in Blighty on Boxing Day (Dec. 26), topping the local B.O. with $12.7 million in its first seven days. (That's nearly 20% better than the third "Mission: Impossible's" initial-week gross in the U.K.)The pic also held pole position in holdover Asian territories, including Japan and South Korea, where after three go-rounds it has cumed $35.7 million and $34.8 million, respectively.Par has yet to release "Ghost Protocol" in several key markets, such as Italy, Argentina and China, where the pic is set to bow late this month. Because of the government-imposed blackout holiday period -- during which only local product is permitted -- China's Oscar foreign-lingo submission, "The Flowers of War," has had room to grow locally. The pic, which bowed Dec. 26, has scored $83 million at the Chinese B.O. in its first 17 days."Flowers" stands as the country's sixth-highest grossing film of all time. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com