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L.A. Production Listings - Film & Television - TV Pilot Season Casting - 12/30/11

  

Every week Back Stage publishes updated production listings on BackStage.com and in the Back Stage newspaper. These production charts are not casting notices, but do reflect the best general information available about current casting assignments, so you can find out what casting directors are currently working on each production; whether or not the projects are still casting; and where you can send your pix & résumés.

Covering major feature film and television projects in New York and Los Angeles (and top theater projects in NYC), these listings contain valuable casting data available exclusively to Back Stage subscribers.

To view our current production listings — plus lots of additional entertainment-industry listings — visit BackStage.com/Listings. And to find contact info for top casting directors and agents, visit BackStage.com/CallSheet. (And don't forget to sign up for Back Stage's free Espresso e-newsletter at BackStage.com/Newsletter to receive free access to updated production listings, casting notices, news, interviews, and reviews.)

Check out the list below for an overview of some of the projects currently included in Back Stage's production listings.

Reality TV Casting Highlights - 12/30/11

Back Stage runs hundreds of casting notices every year for reality television shows, games shows, reality competitions, talk shows, documentaries, commercials, and multimedia projects and events seeking real people, hosts, contestants, and performers. And now with the help of our partner RealityWanted.com, we're pleased to bring you even more reality casting opportunities than ever before.  See below for some of this week's top reality casting calls and auditions.

You can find all of these casting notices and more in the Reality TV category on BackStage.com, at Twitter.com/RealityTVCast, and in Back Stage's new Reality TV Casting iPhone app.

Mara's Audition Challenges; Webber's Reality Show?

• Before Rooney Mara auditioned for the role of Lisbeth Salander in the "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," she was provided with a list of challenging requirements she would have to agree to do if she was hired. According to the Irish Echo, Mara was told she would have to become a smoker, be naked, do rape scenes, isolate herself for a year, and ride a motorcycle. Mara is up for a Golden Globe, so it appears to have been worth all that.

• Andrew Lloyd Webber may be making a new reality show that will find an actor to play Jesus in a stadium tour of "Jesus Christ Superstar," reported Whatsonstage.com.

• "Bambi," Charlie Chaplin's "The Kid," and Robert Rodriguez's "El Mariachi" are among the 25 films that have been chosen to be preserved the National Registry. Check out out Los Angeles Times for the full list.

• Cheetah, a chimpanzee who was one of the most famous animal stars of the 1930s and was featured alongside Tarzan in that era's franchise films, died. He was estimated to be 80 years old. Read the story at The New York Times.

Pictured: Rooney Mara (Photo: Getty Images)

Christmas Special for Visually Impaired, and More

• On Christmas Eve, the 17th annual “The Eyes of Christmas” television special for the visually impaired will start with an airing of the 1946 movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” The holiday classic will be broadcast in TheatreVision on NBC at 8 pm and be narrated by former President George H.W. Bush. Following “It’s a Wonderful Life” will be special holiday programming beginning at 6 a.m. (ET) Christmas morning on ION Television. The block of Christmas morning programs will be hosted by Vin Scully with stars, such as Sandra Bullock, Bob Costas, Tom Hanks, Nicole Kidman, and Reba McIntyre, sharing holiday wishes. For more details, please click over to RP International.

• Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken will write new songs for the Broadway production of "Newsies." Read the story at Playbill.

• A 19-year old British man was imprisoned because he missed the last day of jury services by pretending to be ill and instead attended the West End production of "Chicago." The young gent, and apparently passionate theater-lover, served a sentence of fourteen days, which some consider too harsh. Check it out at The Guardian.

• Film director Don Sharp passed away at 89. He was known for his Gothic horror films. Read his obituary at The New York Times.

Opera Sees Mediator; New B'Way Shows Struggle

• New York City Opera management and union leaders met with a federal mediator Monday morning in the hopes of resolving a labor dispute, reported The New York Times. The American Guild of Musical Artists, which represents City Opera's chorus members, stage managers and assistant directors, said it agreed to return to negotiations on Jan. 3.

• The number of long-standing art house theaters is decreasing nationwide. These theaters aren't faring so well partially because they're losing customers to high-end theaters, which offer premium services and more mainstream titles, and major chains that are now showing the types of movies normally reserved for indie theaters. Read the story at Los Angeles Times.

• Last week, several new Broadway musicals struggled to sell tickets. The main reason: holiday tourists tend to attend long-running shows like "The Lion King" and "Wicked" instead of trying something new. Read the story at The New York Times.

• Tokyo-based management company Japollywood Artists is looking to give American and British actors more fame in Asia along with possibly hefty paychecks. The best part is you don't have to be on Hollywood's A-list to work with the new company. Check it out at The Hollywood Reporter.

• The Weinstein Company is moving forward developing its first stage musical, “Finding Neverland,” based on the 2004 film of the same name, according to The New York Times.

Reality TV Casting Highlights - 12/20/11

Back Stage runs hundreds of casting notices every year for reality television shows, games shows, reality competitions, talk shows, documentaries, commercials, and multimedia projects and events seeking real people, hosts, contestants, and performers. And now with the help of our partner RealityWanted.com, we're pleased to bring you even more reality casting opportunities than ever before.  See below for some of this week's top reality casting calls and auditions.

You can find all of these casting notices and more in the Reality TV category on BackStage.com, at Twitter.com/RealityTVCast, and in Back Stage's new Reality TV Casting iPhone app.

Met Opera Singer Injured; Apple's Vague TV Goals

• During a Metropolitan Opera performance of "Faust," Wendy White, a mezzo-soprano, fell about eight feet from a platform to the stage.  Read the story at The Huffington Post.

• Los Angeles Times spoke with actor-director Ed Burns about using video-on-demand for his indie films.  He argues that as indie movie theaters continue to disappear, for either economic or digital shifting reasons, it is harder for indie films to vie for space against blockbusters in megaplexes. VOD is, thus, a logical place for indie films in his opinion.

• The New York Times interviewed Louis C.K. on recently succeeding with his web experiment: putting an entire stand-up concert on his website for only $5. He's expected to make at least a $1 million off the venture. As great as this endeavor has proven to be, it still is a unique situation. Before putting his concert online, Louis C.K. already had a substantial core audience, a few cable stand-up specials, and one currently successful cable show. In other words,  even though this Internet experiment paid off literally, he couldn't have done it without his previous exposure from decades of stand-up comedy and being on television, which C.K. points out in the article.

• According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple is moving ahead with its TV ambitions. Details are a bit scarce, as is always the case with Apple technology, but the only information most people want is the release date; alas, no luck... yet.

Pictured: Ed Burns (Photo: Getting Images)

Thus Quoteth Back Stage to 'Saturday Night Live'

This weekend's episode of Saturday Night Live featured the return of former cast member Jimmy Fallon, who more than rose to the challenge of his first-time hosting duties in what was easily one of the highlights of an already consistently funny season. But one Fallon-free skit in particular caught Back Stage's attention.

Behold Tommy Palemese's highly inventive, utterly original one-man show, "Half Jewish, Half Italian, Completely Neurotic." The reviews are in, and they're... factual? Watch the sketch below:

Reality TV Casting Highlights - 12/16/11

Back Stage runs hundreds of casting notices every year for reality television shows, games shows, reality competitions, talk shows, documentaries, commercials, and multimedia projects and events seeking real people, hosts, contestants, and performers. And now with the help of our partner RealityWanted.com, we're pleased to bring you even more reality casting opportunities than ever before.  See below for some of this week's top reality casting calls and auditions.

You can find all of these casting notices and more in the Reality TV category on BackStage.com, at Twitter.com/RealityTVCast, and in Back Stage's new Reality TV Casting iPhone app.

'Fear Factor' Returning to NBC This Week

For those who missed the grossest of the grossest reality shows, fear not. For “Fear Factor” is back and more disgusting than ever! The program will begin its second life on NBC tonight.

Chiller, a small cable channel owned by NBC’s parent company, Comcast, has been running repeats of the show, and by Chiller standards, the ratings are strong. Based on that, NBC decided to give the show another chance, but because desensitization has done wonders, the show has to be “bigger, badder, and grosser” than ever before.