Box Office Report: 'Burt Wonderstone' Eyeing Dismal $11 Million Weekend; 'The Call' Overperforms

"The Incredible Burt Wonderstone"

Steve Carell's The Incredible Burt Wonderstone opened to a meek $3.7 million on Friday, putting the magician-themed comedy on course for a dismal $11 million opening weekend.

Conversely, the new Halle Berry thriller The Call overperformed, grossing $6.2 million on Friday for a projected $16 million to $17 million opening and coming in No. 2 behind holdover Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful.

SXSW REVIEW: The Incredible Burt Wonderstone

Oz took in $11.4 million on Friday for a domestic total of $114.2 million (it's only the second film of the year to cross $100 million after Universal comedy Identity Thief). Sam Raimi's tentpole is expected to earn $42 million to $43 million in its second weekend.

Costing New Line and Warner Bros. $32 million to make, Burt Wonderstone received a problematic C+ CinemaScore from moviegoers despite its high-profile cast, including Jim Carrey.

The comedy, also starring Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin, Steve Buscemi and James Gandolfini, tells the story of Burt Wonderstone (Carell), a Las Vegas magician who reteams with a former partner (Buscemi) to take on up-and-coming street magician Steve Gray (Carrey).

Burt Wonderstone marks another disappointment for New Line and Warner Bros. following Bryan Singer's Jack the Giant Slayer.

PHOTOS: Jim Carrey's Most Incredible Onscreen Transformations

Sony/TriStar's R-rated thriller The Call, starring Berry opposite Abigail Breslin, earned a B+ CinemaScore and is benefiting from a strong turnout by African-American audiences. The Call cost a modest $13 million to produce.

In the film, Berry plays a 911 operator who receives a call from a girl who has been abducted. The operator soon learns she must confront a killer (Michael Eklund) from her past. Brad Anderson directed the film, which was produced and financed by Troika Pictures and WWE Studios.

Twitter: @PamelaDayM

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Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon Debut 'History of Rap' 4 (Video)

Jimmy Fallon, left, and Justin Timberlake

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon capped its Justin Timberlake-heavy week on a high note by debuting the fourth installment of “The History of Rap.”

Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon noted the last few times the actor-musician previously visited the NBC show, they’d performed a “History of Rap” medley. The men then awkwardly stared into one another'ss eyes while the crowd urged them to go for a round four.

VIDEO: 'SNL' Recap: Justin Timberlake Hosts Year's Biggest Episode

“We can’t,” Fallon said.

“We couldn’t,” added Timberlake.

“We shouldn’t,” Fallon said.

“We wouldn’t,” Timberlake concluded, before the pair got up insisted it was the last time they’d do it.

“Until the next time we do this,” added Fallon.

Watch the video, and see the list of songs included in the medley, below.

Sugarhill Gang – Apache (Jump On It) - 1981

Grandmaster Melle Mel - White Lines (Don’t Do It) – 1983

Kurtis Blow – Basketball – 1984

Fat Boys – The Fat Boys – 1984

Run DMC – Its Tricky - 1987

Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn - 1987

LL Cool J – Going Back to Cali - 1988

Slick Rick – Children’s Story - 1989

2 Live Crew - Me So Horny – 1989

Public Enemy – Fight the Power - 1989

A Tribe Called Quest – Scenario – 1991

Cypress Hill – Hand on the Pump – 1991

Wreckx-N-Effect – Rumpshaker – 1992

Salt N Pepa – Shoop – 1993

Snoop Doggy Dogg - Gin and Juice - 1993

Busta Rhymes - Woo-Ha! Got You All In Check - 1995

The Notorious B.I.G. – Hypnotize - 1996

Missy Elliot - Get Ya Freak On – 2001

Jay-Z – Izzo (H.O.V.A.) – 2001

Nelly – Ride Wit Me - 2001

50 Cent – P.I.M.P. –  2003

Chamillionaire – Ridin Dirty – 2006 // Wiz Khalifa – Black and Yellow – 2010

Trinidad James - All Gold Everything

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis – Thrift Shop – 2013

Eminem –Lose Yourself – 2002

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'Game of Thrones' Goes to War in New Season 3 Promo (Video)

Winter, war and all manner of foreboding w-words are heading to Westeros in the third season of Game of Thrones, as the latest promo makes quite clear.

Just about two weeks shy of the drama's return, "War" gives a rather concise run-down of who's fighting and why.

PHOTOS: 'Game of Thrones' Season 3 Preview

"A man who fights for gold can't afford to lose to a girl," says Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), clearly rebounding from last season's humbling desert sojourn.

It's Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), however, who seems to say what's on everybody's mind when he announces, "I want Joffrey dead." (Sure, he names several other characters, too, but who's keeping track?)

Watch the clip below, menacing armies and all:

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Showtime's 'The Vatican' Casts Its Pope: 'Downfall's' Hitler

Bruno Ganz, right, and as "Downfall's" Hitler

Showtime's The Vatican pilot has found its pope in an actor who once played Hitler and became an Internet sensation.

Just days after the Vatican named Jorge Mario Bergoglio its new pope, Downfall actor Bruno Ganz has been cast as Pope Sixtus VI in the cable network's drama pilot, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

STORY: Showtime Orders 'Vatican' Drama Pilot, Ridley Scott to Direct

The Vatican, a contemporary thriller about spirituality, power and politics, is set against the modern-day political machinations within the Catholic Church. The potential series would explore the relationships and rivalries in addition to the mysteries and miracles behind the institution. Friday Night Lights alum Kyle Chandler stars as Cardinal Thomas Duffy, a charismatic archbishop of New York.

Ganz's Pope Sixtus VI is of German ancestry and described as unassuming and an introspective caretaker of the Church who struggles with his own legacy and how history will judge his papacy.

Paul Attanasio (House) penned the one-hour script, with Ridley Scott (Prometheus, The Good Wife) on board to direct his first television pilot. Production on the Sony Pictures Television entry is expected to begin soon. Attanasio, Scott and David Zucker (The Good Wife) will executive produce. 

STORY: Kyle Chandler to Star in Showtime's 'The Vatican' Pilot

Ganz joins a cast that also includes Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies) as Duffy's sister, Kayla; Sebastian Koch (A Good Day to Die Hard) as Cardinal Marco Malerba, the Vatican's secretary of state; Matthew Goode (A Single Man) as papal secretary Bernd Koch; and Scottish actor Ewen Bremner as Monsignor Alberico Iemma, who is charged with the weighty and complex job of investigating and pronouncing miracles for the Church.

Ganz starred as Adolf Hitler in Downfall, earning awards for his portrayal at the European Film Awards, German Film Awards and London Critics Circle Film Awards, among countless others. His feature credits also include The Reader, Unknown and The Manchurian Candidate.

For his part, Ganz's performance as Hitler spawned an Internet craze with countless YouTube uploads of a key scene re-edited with different subtitles to poke fun at a range of news events of all kinds (see below).

Ganz is repped by Baumbauer Actors.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit

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Ashton Kutcher's 'Jobs' Biopic Release Date Pushed Back

Moviegoers will have to wait a bit longer to see Ashton Kutcher playing Steve Jobs.

Open Road Films is pushing back the release of Jobs, which was scheduled to hit theaters April 19, the 37th anniversary of the founding of the Apple Computer. A new date has yet to be determined (the film previously was titled jOBS).

Insiders tell The Hollywood Reporter that Open Road wanted more time to market the film, which was fully financed and produced by Mark Hulme's Five Star Feature Films. 

STORY: Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Hired to Help Aaron Sorkin on Steve Jobs Biopic

The biopic, directed by Joshua Michael Stern and written by Matthew Whitely, made its world premiere in January at the Sundance Film Festival. Jobs chronicles the Apple co-founder's ascension from college dropout to one of the most revered entrepreneurs of the 20th century. Part of the film was shot in the historic garage where Jobs first set up shop at his family's home in Palo Alto, Calif.

Jobs also stars Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons and Matthew Modine. 

CAA packaged Jobs, and Inferno Entertainment is handling international sales.

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'Men in Black' Writer to Rework Will Smith's 'Colossus' (Exclusive)

Universal Pictures is bringing Men in Black scribe Ed Solomon aboard to rewrite the Will Smith vehicle Colossus.

The move gives a shot in the arm to the Imagine Entertainment-produced project, a remake of the studio's 1970 Colossus: The Forbin Project that the studio began developing in 2007. Solomon, who is also collaborating on an untitled film with J.J. Abrams, has a long history with Smith, dating back to Smith's breakout hit Men in Black.

Blake Masters and Jason Rothenberg wrote earlier drafts of the super-secret sci-fi screenplay. Though the studio is keeping plot details under wraps, the project would see Smith taking on the role of Dr. Charles Forbin, who is the creator of a computer that has taken over the world and is the only scientist who can stop it.

Imagine's Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are producing alongside Erica Huggins and David J. Collins.

Universal’s Anikah McLaren and Sara Scott are overseeing the project for the studio.

Solomon is represented by CAA.

Email: Tatiana.Siegel@THR.com, Twitter: @TatianaSiegel27 

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Kate Beckinsale in Talks for Millennium's 'Eliza Graves' (Exclusive)

Kate Beckinsale is in negotiations to star in Eliza Graves, a psychological thriller from Nu Image/Millennium.

Brad Anderson, whose thriller The Call opens today, is directing the tale, which is loosely based on one of Edgar Allan Poe’s early works, an 1845 short story titled The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether.

Beckinsale will play the title character of Eliza, a patient at a mental institution in which the inmates have taken over and are posing as doctors. She becomes the object of affection of a newly arrived Harvard Medical School grad who has no idea of the topsy-turvy world he just entered.

A June 21 production start date in Bulgaria is penciled in.

PHOTOS: 'Total Recall' Premiere Red Carpet Arrivals: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale

Producing are Bruce Davey, Mel Gibson, Mark Amin, Cami Winikoff and Oren Peli.

David Higgins, Christa Campbell and Lati Grobman are executive producing. Joe Gangemi wrote the script.

Beckinsale is the star of the long-running Underworld action franchise and last year starred with Colin Farrell in the remake of Total Recall.

She is repped by UTA, Media Talent Group and Hansen Jacobson.

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Strike Averted as MPTF and Union Announce Cooling-Off Period

The Motion Picture and Television Fund and the union representing 500 of its employees, SEIU-UHW, jointly announced Friday a 60-day cooling-off period during which time the two organizations will continue to negotiate toward a collective-bargaining agreement. The announcement was made by Bob Beitcher, MPTF CEO, and Dave Regan, President of SEIU-UHW.

"I’m pleased we were able to reach this time out," said Beitcher. "After speaking at length with Dave, I feel more optimistic that the two sides can figure a way to reach a mutually satisfactory conclusion."

"I am confident that we can reach an agreement that will continue to make MPTF a great place to receive and deliver care," Regan said.

SEIU-UHW has rescinded its intent to strike at MPTF for three days starting the evening of Monday, March 18.  Both parties have also agreed to withdraw their Unfair Labor Practice claims at this time. 

SEIU-UHW has also chosen to withdraw its bargaining proposal regarding nurse staffing levels. The remaining issues in the ongoing labor dispute concern wage rates, proposed new health-insurance premiums, and a proposed freeze of employees’ existing pension plan.

The announcement came just a few hours after the union announced the filing of a Labor Board complaint against the MPTF.

Bookmark The Hollywood Reporter’s Labor Page for the most in-depth coverage of entertainment unions and guilds.

Email: jhandel99 at gmail dot com

Twitter: @jhandel

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Jay Leno Angers NBC's Robert Greenblatt With Ratings Jabs (Report)

Bill O'Reilly, left, and Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show"

Jay Leno may have found himself in hot water with NBC entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt after using The Tonight Show stage to mock the network’s ratings troubles.

Greenblatt fired off an email to the comedian after a Feb. 28 episode in which Leno skewered the network's falling to fifth place during sweeps month, the New York Times reports.

PHOTOS: The Faces of Pilot Season 2013

During the episode's opening monologue, Leno joked about NBC’s fifth-place status: "We are behind the Spanish-language network Univision -- or, as we call it here in Los Angeles, Cinco de Ratings." Other jokes included: "It’s so bad, The Biggest Loser isn’t just a TV show anymore; it’s our new motto" and "It’s so bad, NBC called Manti Te’o and asked him to bring in some imaginary viewers."

The exchange between Greenblatt and Leno is said to have occurred before The Hollywood Reporter reported March 1 that NBC was discussing an exit plan for Leno, which would see him cede his 11:35 p.m. timeslot in 2014, possibly to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon. NBC has denied the report, but two high-level industry sources told THR the network was considering making an announcement in May.

VIDEO: The Best Late Night Talk Show Viral Videos

The sources indicated NBC was concerned about ABC moving its younger-skewing Jimmy Kimmel Live!  to 11:35 p.m. in January. Leno remains dominant in most ratings categories, including the 18-49 demo, though Jimmy Kimmel bested Leno in his first week in the 11:35 timeslot.

"Kimmel has done extremely well," a network veteran told THR for the March 1 story. "Jay wins overall, but on any given night, it's neck-and-neck in 18-49. I understand where they might have fear and also feel that they own the solution [in Fallon]."

Leno’s rep told the Times there would be no comment on the report.

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'The Walking Dead' Star Joins CBS' 'Unforgettable' as New Series Regular

Milton's days on AMC's The Walking Dead may be numbered.

Dallas Roberts has joined the cast of CBS' revived drama Unforgettable, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

STORY: It's Official: CBS Revives 'Unforgettable' for Summer 2013

The actor, who currently recurs on Walking Dead as well as CBS' The Good Wife, will join the Poppy Montgomery drama as Eliot, a detective in charge of the major cases section of the NYPD. He's ambitious and politically connected and was brought in to turn things around for the unit and bring the attention back to the department.

His casting on Unforgettable -- which hails from CBS Television Studios and Sony Pictures Television -- also leaves the door open for him to return to The Good Wife as needed to reprise his role as Owen, Alicia's (Julianna Margulies) brother.

CBS revived Unforgettable in June for a truncated 13-episode order for the summer a month after canceling the steady performer. The network has been bulking up on original scripted fare following a lackluster summer of unscripted offerings last year.

PHOTOS: 'The Walking Dead's' Most Shocking Deaths

On Unforgettable, Roberts marks the latest addition for the drama's second season that also includes recurring players James Laio and Tawny Cypress joining regulars Dylan Walsh and Jane Curtin, among others.

Roberts, whose credits also include The L Word, Rubicon and features The Grey and 3:10 to Yuma, next appears in Dallas Buyers Club. He's repped by UTA and Circle of Confusion. He continues to recur on season three of Walking Dead as Milton, the Governor's right-hand man, who is now questioning the Woodbury leader's quest for blood.

Unforgettable returns July 28 on CBS.

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit

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Chinese Actress Tapped for 'X-Men: Days of Future Past'

Chinese actress Fan Bingbing is set to join Bryan Singer’s X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Bingbing will play Blink, who has teleportation powers.

Singer broke the news on Twitter but only partly. The filmmaker tweeted a semifuzzy photo of a wall of headshots. Most of the actors, ranging from Hugh Jackman to Omar Sy, already had been announced, but a few had not.

STORY: How Fox Is Reuniting the 'X-Men'

Bingbing recently starred in the Chinese art house hit Double Exposure as well as Lost in Thailand, which broke box-office records in China.

One of China’s rising stars, she has two films in the can and will shoot three later this year: The Lady in the Portrait, The Moon & the Sun and Empress Wu Ze Tian. She also is in negotiations to star in the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Bingbing is repped by WME and Timothy Mou of FBB Studios.

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Lil Wayne Near Death: Report

Lil Wayne is said to be recovering at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in L.A. after suffering multiple seizures.

The Grammy-winning rapper was initially hospitalized on Tuesday after suffering several seizures; shortly following his release on Wednesday, he was rushed back to the facility after being hit by more seizures.

Cedars Sinai declined to provide information about the singer.

PHOTOS: Lil Wayne Through the Years

TMZ had reported that the 30-year old's mother is on her way to Los Angeles, and that the rapper -- whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. -- had been read his last rites with friends and family around him. But the site later removed the report about last rites.

Wayne's personal rep tells THR "he's recovering."  Young Money Entertainment co-founder and longtime friend Mack Maine tweeted "Wayne is alive and well! We watching the Syracuse game...thanks for the prayers and concern..he will update you all soon" and then added "We will be releasing an official statement shortly but dont believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe...that's false!!"

Finally, a tweet from Wayne's account was sent out around 6:30 PST, reading, "I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love."

STORY: Lil Wayne Hospital Crisis: What is Sizzurp?

Maine also tweeted at TMZ, admonishing the site for its reporting.

"@TMZ it's certain shit you should not talk about or play with if u don't kno what u talking bout....don't deceive the fans or the people," he wrote, followed by, "and definitely don't try to kill a man before his time....so from the bottom of my soul and on behalf of my fam......F--- YOU."

I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love.

— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) March 16, 2013

At SXSW, Usher sent his thoughts to Wayne from the stage, where he was performing with the Afghan Whigs: "Lil Wayne is going through a real hard time right now. I just want to send a lot of positive energy."

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TV Ratings: Justin Timberlake 'Saturday Night Live' Is NBC's Top-Rated Show of 2013

Saturday Night Live, always dependable for NBC, is now regularly outperforming the network's entire primetime lineup -- and the most recent episode with Justin Timberlake was no exception.

Final Nielsen returns give the March 9 edition a 3.4 rating with adults 18-49 and 8.4 million viewers. It was the series' biggest episode in over a year, since a January 2012 broadcast saw a huge NFL lead-in for host Charles Barkley, and NBC's top-rated outing of 2013.

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The episode was obviously out-rated by the Golden Globes (a 6.4 adults rating on Jan. 13) and a primetime NFL playoff game, but among original entertainment programming, Timberlake's SNL was tops.

Even better for the third-place network, SNL surged in the Big Four rankings to top most of last week's primetime broadcasts across networks. It tied an original of CBS powerhouse NCIS for sixth place among all telecasts, trailing only The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men and three new episodes of American Idol.

And speaking of Idol, final SNL ratings actually topped this Thursday's episode of the Fox competition by four tenths of a point.

What a strange world we live in.

Email: Michael.OConnell@THR.com; Twitter: @MikeyLikesTV

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Danny Boyle on His Psychological Thriller 'Trance' and Why Coppola Is King

Danny Boyle is determined not to repeat himself. Having won the directing Oscar for 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, set in the teeming slums of Mumbai, and then followed that up with 2010’s 127 Hours, focused on one man trapped in a canyon in the American Southwest, he takes on a psychological thriller in his newest film, Trance, which Fox Searchlight is releasing April 5.

Starring James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel, the movie combines an art heist with a case of amnesia and a femme fatale.

But, said Boyle, "it’s not really about a stolen painting. It’s actually about stolen memories. It’s not really about amnesia. It’s actually about forgetting as a behavioral choice. And it’s not really about a femme fatale in the classical sense."

Speaking Wednesday night at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood at Behind Closed Doors, an ongoing series of one-on-one conversations with film and TV artists conducted throughout the year by BAFTA/Los Angeles, Boyle explained that he’s constantly testing himself against the demands of different genres because it allows him to return to the experience he had making his first film, 1994’s Shallow Grave, when he didn’t know any of the rules.

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"We always try to do films that are slightly different than the last one, and that’s partly trying to chase this dream of getting back to that place of not knowing what you’re doing," he said, adding, "You’re trying to get back to an innocence where there is something wonderful about having to research a particular genre."

As the evening’s moderator, Sandro Monetti, led him through a reconsideration of his film career, Boyle cited both Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now and Britain’s punk movement as formative influences.

Of Coppola’s journey into the heart of darkness, he said, “For me, it’s the greatest film ever made. It’s not perfect, but it’s the purest action movie ever made. There’s continual movement.”

As for punk, he admitted, “I was a punk, and that movement was really crucial to me and still informs me in the way I behave, the way I make films.”

It especially influenced his second feature, 1996’s Trainspotting, based on Irvine Welsh’s novel about drug addiction. But while the book centers on heroin addicts, Boyle and his screenwriter John Hodge decided a film about heroin addicts would be unwatchable because the characters would spend so much time zoned out, so “we made it more in the spirit of rave culture, of ecstasy culture.”

STORY: Oscar Winner Danny Boyle Rules Out Directing James Bond Movie

For some time, Boyle has been considering a sequel. Welsh himself wrote a follow-up novel about the Trainspotting characters called Porno, published in 2002. But Boyle said that while he likes the idea of returning to the same characters, he’s been waiting for the Trainspotting actors to begin to show some signs of aging before moving forward.

“We’ve always had the idea, because the actors and characters are indelibly marked in people’s minds. We thought rather than make a quick sequel, we’d try to do something with it that had a real reason to go back to it," Boyle said. "These guys who had pushed their bodies to the absolute limit when you can, when you’re in your 20s, then they hit their 40s. What have they made of their lives, what happened to them? The problem has always been that actors don’t age. They look after themselves. They look like Dorian Gray. They’re timeless. But," he joked, "we will be there waiting for them when they finally crash."

While he is looking at a possible start date on the sequel in 2016, he’s considering a couple of period projects, which he didn’t specify, for his next movie.

That would mean that Boyle would be wrestling with yet another genre he hasn’t worked in before, but he does see continuity in his varied body of films.

"We don’t make abstract movies," he said. "We try to make extreme films."

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Ex-'Law & Order' Staffer Sues NBC Universal Claiming Sex Bias

The cast of NBC’s "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

A female post-production employee who worked on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has sued the network's owner and several executives behind the series, claiming she was fired after complaining about sex discrimination and taking time off to seek treatment for breast cancer.

Charlotte Grau, who says she had 27 years of experience as a colorist in Hollywood when she was terminated in May 2012 after seven years with NBC Universal, claims in a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court that she was routinely mistreated by NBCU employees, paid less in overtime than male colleagues, told that her work was inferior and physically assaulted by a male superior.

She's seeking at least $5 million in damages on claims of sex discrimination, battery, assault, defamation and gender violence, among others. Defendants are NBC Universal, Universal Studios and former owner Vivendi, as well as individuals Mike Daruty, Robin Wilson, Nate Fitzgerald, Kip Sears, Ron Silveira, Arthur Forney, Scott Garrow, Harvey Landy, Dean Winger and Susan Gosstrom.

Read the full complaint here.

NBCUniversal declined to comment.

Hollywood's post-production community has long been heavily male, and Grau says she was the only female colorist working on L&O: SVU. She says she complained several times about what she believed was discriminatory treatment, but her complaints were ignored.

"[NBC] Universal was intentionally failing to prevent or remedy the sexual harassment of female employees by male employees," the lawsuit states. Grau "was routinely treated differently and less favorably than her male counterparts at Universal."

She claims the campaign to denigrate and discredit her went on for years.

"Because of [Grau’s] solid reputation in the industry, it took a long time to erode [Grau’s] standing with clients," the complaint alleges.

Grau also alleges that L&O: SVU executive producer Forney hit her forcefully in the back after giving her a hug, conduct she found abusive and reported to her superiors. "Universal was unconcerned that a client was physically abusing [Grau]," the complaint states.

STORY: Top 10 Legal Disclaimers in Hollywood History

Then, when Grau was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, she took a three-month leave from SVU for treatment. When she returned, she says she was removed from SVU without explanation. She says she overheard two Universal employees complaining that she "never finishes her work, and when she does it takes her longer than 'the boys,'" the lawsuit states.

Grau was reassigned to NBC’s Grimm but claims the production staff made it difficult to do her job, denying needed training and blaming her for technical difficulties. In May 2012, she was told she was being laid off because there was no work for her. "In reality, Universal terminated [Grau] in retaliation for [her] reports of verbal abuse, harassment, disparate treatment, and the exercise of [her] protected rights, including the right to take medical leave for her own serious health condition, among other things," the complaint alleges.  

The suit, filed by LA attorney Lisa Maki, alleges a whopping 18 causes of action.

Email: Matthew.Belloni@thr.com

Twitter: @THRMattBelloni

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John Cho Snags Guest-Starring Role in Fox's 'Sleepy Hollow'

It's a Star Trek reunion for John Cho.

The actor, who stars in NBC's Go On and reprises his role as Sulu in the upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness, has landed a guest-starring role on Fox drama pilot Sleepy Hollow from Star Trek producers/writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

PHOTOS: The Faces of Pilot Season 2013

Sleepy Hollow is a modern-day supernatural thriller based on the legend starring British actor Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane. Cho will play Officer Andy Dunn, a likable police officer in Sleepy Hollow who has Detective Abbie Archer's (Shame's Nicole Beharie) back and is seemingly compassionate and helpful. However, there is more to him than meets the eye.

Orlando Jones and Katia Winter co-star as a detective and Ichabod's wife, respectively.

Kurtzman and Orci (Fringe) will pen the pilot and executive produce, with Phil Iscove also on board to write and serve as a supervising producer. Heather Kadin will exec produce, while Len Wiseman will helm the pilot.

Repped by UTA, Cho has starred in big-screen efforts Identity Thief, Total Recall and the Harold and Kumar franchise. He currently is a series regular on NBC's freshman comedy Go On, which wraps its first-season run April 11.

E-mail: Philiana.Ng@thr.com
Twitter: @insidethetube

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'American Horror Story' at PaleyFest: Season 3 Title Revealed

Kathy Bates, left, and Jessica Lange

The cast and creators of American Horror Story revisited Asylum on Friday night, closing out the 30th annual PaleyFest with a special announcement about the mysterious third season of the FX anthology: its subtitle.

PHOTOS: PaleyFest 2013: 'Community,' 'Once Upon a Time,' 'Revolution,' 'Newsroom' a and 'Walking Dead'

Following a second season subtitled Asylum, co-creator Ryan Murphy revealed that next year will carry the subtitle Coven. "It's a really cool story that we've been talking for a couple years, and this seemed to be the year to do it," he said, noting the series will shoot in multiple locations, one of which is New Orleans -- the first time the series has exited its soundstage filming location. 

During the lively panel, Murphy also revealed that he's been talking with FX president John Landgraf about potentially doing a companion piece to AHS, noting that he had a couple of different ideas .While he declined to discuss it further, given Murphy's fascination with The Walking Dead -- which he noted helped inspire him to create AHS -- it's unclear if it would be scripted or a talk show similar to AMC's post-show The Talking Dead. Representatives for FX and 20th Television, which produces AHS and where Murphy's production company is housed -- had no additional information.

While little is known about season three, producers noted that the series would again search for haunted places in America. Murphy previously told The Hollywood Reporter that next year would feature three characters playing real people, including previously announced cast member Kathy Bates.

PHOTOS: 'American Horror Story': The Spookiest Set on TV

Bates, who recently revealed her double mastectomy as she battled cancer, was the surprise guest of the evening and received a standing ovation, like friend and co-star Jessica Lange did upon her introduction to start the panel.

"I've loved it from the very beginning," Bates said of AHS. "I called up Jessica and told her to talk to Ryan and tell him I'd do anything on the show." She, too, refrained from spilling details about her character.

For his part, Murphy said the series will deliver on one thing he really wanted to see when working on a show with Lange and Bates. "I wanted to see a lot of scenes with Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates going at it, and that's what you're going to see," he said to wild enthusiasm from the sold-out crowd at the Saban Theatre.  

PHOTOS: Unmasking Rubber Man: Behind the Scenes of 'American Horror Story'

Bates, whose casting leaked in February, will play Lange's former best friend turned enemy as the series continues to reboot every season. In addition to Lange, AHS cast members set to return for season three include Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Taissa Farmiga, Frances Conroy and Lily Rabe. (Farmiga, for her part, sat out the recently concluded second season.)

Murphy previously told reporters that the third season will be more upbeat than Asylum. "What season three is about is more historical in nature," he told reporters during a January screening of the Asylum finale.

"I'm also interested in getting into a horror romance," he said. "That's certainly something that's going to be in the water for season three. You're going to see a very different tone in season three, but that's the joy of the show. I think as a person right now, I do feel lighter and wanting to embrace something a little bit more fun."

Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit

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Seth Meyers Reveals Squabbling Behind Justin Timberlake's 'SNL' (Video)

Justin Timberlake and Saturday Night Live brought NBC its top-rated show of the year and rave reviews. Things behind the scenes were apparently just as hilarious as what TV viewers saw, according to Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers.

Appearing on CBS’ Late Show Friday, the SNL head writer shared details of what happened during rehearsals for the episode, which saw SNL royalty appear in a much-talkeda bout "five-timers" sketch.

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“It was hall of fame,” Meyers told David Letterman.

Heavy hitters Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks and Candice Bergen all appeared in the sketch about an exclusive club for people who have hosted SNL or performed as a musical guest five or more times.

“We’re all in awe of them, but they’re still really competitive with one another,” Meyers said. “Marty Short was explaining that one of his jokes was going to get such a long laugh, that Steve [Martin] shouldn’t talk right away,”

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Short advised Martin to wait multiple beats before coming back in. After a decent amount of time, Martin asked if he had permission to speak at that point.

“You can, but no one’s going to hear it,” Meyers recalled Short saying.

The Late Show airs at 11:35 p.m. on CBS.

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