Hurricane Irene: New Yorkers React to the Hype

Hurricane Irene slowly moved its way up the east coast Saturday night, and met New York in the morning as a tropical storm. The city that never sleeps was systematically shut down all night-subway out of service, building elevators shut off expecting major flooding across the island. And while some were affected with power outages and flooded basements, New Yorkers were left feeling a mix of emotions as the storm passed: thankful, disappointed, bored. Just like they did after the earthquake earlier this week, people are taking to facebook and twitter to share their personal accounts.our editor recommendsBox Office Report: Hurricane Irene Takes $25 Mil Bite Out of Box OfficeHurricane Irene Gets a Twitter Handle New mom and daughter ofDonald Trump,Ivanka Trump,tweeted: "In my daughter's 6 weeks of life, she has already experienced an#earthquake& a#hurricane! After all this, the average rain storm should feel pretty uneventful. Meghan Blalock, a writer from Alabama who now lives in NYC,tweeted: "Only NYers would complain about#Irenenot being big + bad enough. A hurricane ain't a new Coen brothers film. It's better to feel nothing." Hurricane Irene: All Broadway Performances Canceled This Weekend Bethenny Frankel apparently couldn't sleep through the storm out in the Hamptons, and reported that a tree that was knocked over took out the power in her home. She also tweeted photos of a lifeguard stand that had been blown a mile away from it's original spot on the beach: "Holy ballshttp://twitpic.com/6cmsgz." Others ignored the advice of Mayor Michael Bloomberg to stay indoors and tweeted pictures from downtown Manhattan, now slightly underwater: Julie Shapiro discovered that Water Street in the Financial Disrict was living up to it's name. She tweeted a photo: "Water Street. Literally.yfrog.com/h3r3hupj." STORY: Hurricane Irene Gets a Twitter Personality Christina Dalit stepped outside of her apartment building at 23rd Street and Avenue C in Manhattan and found several trees had been uprooted. She began tweetingpictures of the mess: "Oh, hey...this happened.yfrog.com/h0w0fkaj#Irene." On facebook, musicianKyle Saulnierreactedto an early report that only one person was left without electricity in Manhattan: "NY1 reports ONE (1) customer without power in Manhattan. Really, guys? One? If that's true, THAT'S your story right there." Alec Baldwin, who just moved into a new apartment in Soho with his girlfriend, Hilaria Thomas, 27, apparently lost electricity, among some other minor storm damage he encountered. He tweeted, "Lots of limbs down. No flooding. 1 window blew out of sun room. Only problem is power's out. I can't play Mayor's Hurricane Bunker on Wii." STORY: Earthquake: Twitter Users Learned of Tremors Seconds Before Feeling Them Comedian Jim Gaffigan, however, tweeted that the storm didn't live up to the hype: "Hey@apluskthat Hurricane Irene was the best episode of "Punk'd" ever." Hari Kunzru followed suit on his twitter: "BREAKING#Irenerevealed as viral marketing stunt by Duracell, Mag-lite andPolandSpring." Comedian Andy Borowitz tweeted a jab at both the Weather Channel and Fox News: "If the Weather Channel loses any more credibility it will be Fox.#irene." Related Topics Alec Baldwin Bethenny Frankel Hurricane Irene

NBC Nabs Comedy Project From Will Gluck With Production Commitment

EXCLUSIVE: After a fierce bidding war between NBC and ABC followed by a lengthy negotiation, NBC has nabbed a mocumentary-style comedy from Mastermind writers Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, Sony Pictures TV and Will Glucks Sony-based production company. The project, which received interest from all four major broadcast networks, has been given a pilot production commitment. The untitled project, previously known as The Yard, presents the life lessons of elementary school as seen through the lens of an Office-like documentary. The similarity in style between The Yard and NBC’s The Office made NBC a natural choice for the project from the get-go. This is the second mega deal for Sony TV this week. The studios also scored a script with penalty commitment from Fox for a highly sought-after 1980s comedy from Breaking In co-creator Adam F. Goldberg while also securing the 13-episode second-season pickup of the previously canceled Breaking In.

Disney Fires Marvels Marketing Department

EXCLUSIVE: Everyone is attempting to keep this secret. However I’ve found that yesterday Disney cannedDana Precious,EVP of Worldwide Marketing for Marvel’s LA Galleries (she'd changed Doug Finberg in the finish of last summer time) Jeffrey Stewart, Vice president of Worldwide Marketing (he’d been introduced in by Dana) andJodi Burns, Manager of Worldwide Marketing. That’s basically Marvel’s entire marketing department. Marvel redundant jobswere at risk since Disney bought the writer/studio last year. And also the marketing department much more sothis summer time after Vital launched Thor and Captain America locally and worldwide, thus effectively ending that studio’s marketing and distribution of Marvel pictures. I’m told that on June 24th, Take advantage of Steffens, who's Marvel Galleries’ EVP Procedures, met with all the department in the Manhattan Beach offices with what was referred to like a “Disney Rules from the Road” meeting. He told staff there could be no house-cleaning through the mouse, period, so theywere to not fear for his or her jobs and flee en masse.A lot for your promise. The state line on why Marvel’s marketing team was release is the fact that Disney is going to be overtaking that function and handling the releases of TheAvengers and future Marvel movies themselves.Actually I’ve found that Marvel brings in someone inside a “project management role”. But Kevin Feige’s continuedsupervision of other nutritional foods Marvelshouldresolve any doubts by fans that Disney will screw around or screw upthe comic films.Associates let me know thatPrecious and her teamwere not well-loved by Marvel bigwig Feige along with other top executives at Marvel or byDisney and Vital. (A few of the comments I heard todayincluded: “Not as much as or possess the expertise release a this brand correctly”… “Their job ended up being to keep an eye on the folks doing the actual work”… “Paper pushers”…”Would it have wiped out these phones return a contact?”… “Disney doesn’t need anyone to cut its trailers”…) Now Marvel stafferswonder if the firings werereally to prevent copying efforts with Disney orjust petty vindictiveness.Whether it’s the second, thenjobs are secure.But when it’s the first kind,then any jobsredundantin relation to Disney’s infrastructure aren’t. Attempting to reassure the Marvel folks, one insider informs me today, “If you need to do your work and therefore are wise and comprehend the business, you shouldn’t worry.”

RCR boards 'Phantom'

RCR Media Group originates aboard to invest in and convey submarine thriller ''Phantom,'' starring Erectile dysfunction Harris, Andy Garcia, William Fichtner and Natascha McElhone. The film, set on the Soviet submarine throughout the Cold War, is allocated at $18 million and will also be shot in Lengthy Beach, Calif., in October. Todd Robinson (''Lonely Hearts'') is pointing from their own script. John Watson of Trilogy Entertainment is creating and RCR Media Group principals Rui Costa Reis and Eliad Josephson are professional creating. Story's centered on the captain of the Soviet nuclear submarine who needs to leave his pregnant wife and hurry right into a secret mission, where he finds themself haunted through the ghosts of his past and challenged with a rogue KGB group which grabbed his vessel. He's confronted with a hopeless choice that may mean either the destruction of his country and family or trigger World War III. RCR has guaranteed domestic distribution for ''Phantom'' with The new sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group. It's drawn on K5 Worldwide to market foreign areas with several offered only at that year's Cannes Film Festival. RCR introduced throughout Cannes it originates onto co-finance Summit's reboot of ''Highlander.'' It is also been doing slate financing with The new sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisition Group on game titles including ''SWAT Firefight,'' ''The Hit List'' and ''Arena.'' Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Today In Awesome Movie Posters: Posters Made From Famous Quotes

We've been on a bit of a cool movie poster binge over the last few weeks. First we brought you mashups (including our personal favorite, 'Planet of the Snapes'), then we brought you neon posters. This week, we have posters made from famous quotes. Yea, we know, they don't sound too exciting, but you have to see these things before you judge. The posters come courtesy of Jerod Gibson. We posted two of our favorites below. If you want to check out the entire collection (and trust us, you definitely do), head on over to society6. [via society6] Follow Moviefone on Twitter.

UTA signs TV Director/Producer Brad Turner

Veteran TV director/producer Brad Turner has signed with UTA. He was previously with APA. Turner most recently served as co-executive producer/director on CBS' Hawaii Five-0 and was previously executive producer/director of 24. He is currently shooting Homeland for Showtime. Turner's series directing credits also include Alias, Battlestar Galactica, Prison Break and Bones. He is additionally repped by manager Jessica Pettelle and lawyer Cliff Gilbert-Lurie.

'Expendables 2' Targets Chuck Norris, John Travolta And Jean-Claude Van Damme?

It should be said that the rumored action stars lining up for "The Expendables 2" are anything but expendable. The original cast already had one hell of a line-up, including Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Jet Li, but now some new names are potentially joining the team. David Varod, the CEO of Bulgarian film company Nu Boyana, reportedly told Novinite in an interview that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis are both coming back for the sequel, and added several other names to the mix as well. Like who, exactly? Do the names John Travolta, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris get your excitement level up to 11? Those are the guys coming aboard the "Expendables" sequel, according to the interview, though there's been no official announcement confirming their involvement yet. "The shooting is going to take place the second week of September. The movie is on, definitely. It will be a very good thing for Bulgaria, since there are some very big stars coming," Varod said. "I believe the sequel will be better than the first movie." Of course, just because Varod has dropped these names doesn't mean the actors are signed on or set in stone -- again, there has been no official confirmation from Lionsgate yet. But if there's truth to the report, you can count us as fully on board for the incoming Norris-Travolta-JCVD trifecta, and equally excited about returns for Schwarzenegger and Willis. Fingers crossed that this latest rumor pans out! Are you pumped at the thought that these actors might join "The Expendables 2"? Who else would you like to see join the movie? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter!

Kelsey Grammer to stop Acting for Politics - Eventually

Kelsey Grammer is thinking about running for office in New You are able to.our editor recommends'Boss' Start Looking: Kelsey Grammer's Serious for Starz (Video) The first kind Frasier star and Republican (who campaigned on the highway for John McCain in 2008) informs the brand new You are able to Publish he might quit acting eventually to pay attention to politics. "I've had an excellent career and remarkable possibilities," he states. "However I take a look at my political aspirations as that last bit of my existence -- where I really hope to behave great for people and repay just a little.Inch "You require a resilient ego," Grammer states, adding he'd require a "narcissistic personality" for this to operate. He plays the mayor of Chicago in the latest show, Boss, which premiers on Starz this fall. Talking about typically liberal Hollywood, Grammer -- who set up funds to assist launch small cable funnel Rightnetwork last fall -- states, "It's not unfamiliar that i can possess a perspective that could be considered from the norm during my community." But he's moved from L.A. to New You are able to, he states, and may wish to run here, he informs the Publish. He didn't give any suggestion regarding when he'd go into the political fray. "The solution they're speaking about now -- the ten-year, $3-trillion solution -- that needs to be taken care of. Nobody is speaking about really eliminating your debt that is available already," he states. "That doesn't make sense at all. It's first-grade math." He states he made the decision to operate after recuperating from the minor cardiac arrest 3 years ago. "I spent several several weeks kind of searching inside my own existence," he states. "And That I just made the decision I didn't wish to have [Hank, that was rapidly canceled on Fox this past year] be my last story." Related Subjects Kelsey Grammer