James Franco in Talks to Play Hugh Hefner in Linda Lovelace Biopic

James Franco as Hugh Hefner?The actor, who last starred in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," is in talks with Millenium/Nu Image to appear in a cameo as the iconic founder of "Playboy," in "Lovelace," the biopic of Linda Lovelace.Lovelace sees Amanda Seyfried as the woman who starred in one of the most famous pornos of all time, "Deep Throat." Also in the cast are Peter Sarsgaard as her husband, Chuck Traynor, and Hank Azaria as Jerry Damiano, the director of "Deep Throat."Bobby Cannavale and Chris Noth are set for the respective roles of the film's financiers, Butchie Peraino and Anthony Romano, while Robert Patrick will play Lovelace's father, John.Also in the cast are Sharon Stone, Juno Temple, Wes Bentley and Romeo Brown.Franco, who was at one point in talks to play Traynor before stepping aside, would appear in the Hef cameo only if dates work out. The actor and his reps have been dancing with producers around the timing of a one-day shoot, but so far a consummation remains elusive.The production, under the direction of Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, began shooting in Los Angeles this week. The Hollywood Reporter

Jersey Shore's Snooki Hit with Multimillion-Dollar Suit

Nicole 'Snooki' Polizzi Snooki remains hit getting a suit. Certification company SRG Endeavors has filed a $7 million suit in the lately super skinny Jersey Shoreline star and her management company, the NY Publish reviews. The business was hired by Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi to create Snooki-related merchandise a year ago. Jersey Shore's Snooki unveils dramatic fat loss In October, the Publish reviews Polizzi prosecuted to complete the partnership, proclaiming that SRG didn't fulfill its finish in the contract if the not successful "to land her enough dough or branding partners.Inch SRG's counterclaim is always that Polizzi "sabotaged the sale by settling with brands behind SRG's back" and needed considerable time sealing within the deals SRG did bring her, including Snooki-high quality school supplies, watches, shoes and lingerie. A repetition for Polizzi told the Publish: "Ms. Polizzi disputes SRG's version in the particulars and seems toward her day in the courtroom.Inch

Robert Downey Junior.'s 'Sherlock Holmes' Accent Is Ideal, Unlike Robert Downey Junior., Guy Ritchie States (VIDEO)

Get Robert Downey Junior. and Guy Ritchie in the room and supply them the freedom to go over anything they need, as Moviefone did for that latest edition of Unscripted, and you'll expect a freewheeling discussion about 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game Title Title of Shadows,' when the pair will synergy for future, non-Sherlock, projects, and RDJ's British accent. Does Ritchie think Downey Junior. does the director's home country proud? Uncover, additionally as to the Mister Arthur Conan Doyle would consider 'Sherlock Holmes' and why any youthful actor with sights on overpowering for Downey as Holmes afterwards might want to think carefully about challenging the A-lister. Watch Moviefone Unscripted: 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game Title Title of Shadows' above. For just about any bonus, have a look where character RDJ has more fun "getting fun withInch: Tony Stark or perhaps a Virtual Detective. 'Sherlock Holmes: A Game Title Title of Shadows' is at theaters on Friday. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook Embed inside your site:

Kenneth Branagh 'My Week With Marilyn' Live Q&A: Today at 2 P.M. EST!

In the event you loved 'My Week With Marilyn,' here's what's promising: today at 2 p.m. EST, star Kenneth Branagh -- who plays Mister Laurence Olivier inside the new film -- will be a part of an energetic web chat from Sweden where he'll answer questions. Curious exactly what it was like round the number of 'My Week With Marilyn'? Have to know Mister Kenneth's applying for grants his co-star, Michelle Williams, who plays the luminous Marilyn Monroe? Or just request him something about his extended career? Here's the time. Fans can participate by delivering in their own personal questions -- mind to Huffington Publish to register or watch the streaming event below. 'My Week With Marilyn' is at theaters now. To uncover a little more about the film, visit Facebook. [Photo: TWC] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

ABC Pulls Guy Up!

Guy Up! ABC has drawn its battling newcomer comedy Guy Up!, effective immediately. The sitcom is going to be changed with reruns of Tim Allen's Last Guy Standing, before the premiere of labor It on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Browse the relaxation from the day's news on TVGuide.com Guy Up opened on March. 18 and it has seen a stable rankings decline since. Tuesday's episode hit a set low having a 1.6 rating among 18-to-49-year-olds, and 4.8 million audiences - lower in the 7.7 million that updated to the premiere.

PGA taps five for doc prize

The Producers Guild of America has drawn on a quintet of nominees because of its documentary feature award.The nominated films, introduced Friday, are ''Beats, Rhymes and Existence: the Travels of the Tribe Known as Mission,'' ''Bill Cunningham NY,'' ''Project Nim,'' ''Senna'' and ''The Union.''Winners is going to be introduced Jan. 21 in the PGA Honours events in the Beverly Hilton.The PGA also stated Friday that Producers Guild arbitrations for individual producer credit determination for those film and tv groups continue to be going ahead. Television series nominations is going to be introduced Wednesday and all sorts of other nominations is going to be introduced Jan. 3. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Meghan McCain, Chelsea Clinton and TV's Shameful Love Affair with Political Daughters (Opinion)

This story appears in the Dec. 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Wanted: Reporter for regular feature segments on NBC Nightly News. No journalists need apply. NBC sent its viewers a miserable message about its brand with the addition of Chelsea Clinton (qualification: onetime residency in the White House, boldface parents) as a reporter for Making a Difference, its segment about volunteerism and community service. The quality of journalism that we deliver, NBC News implicitly states, is of such a low standard that a rank amateur is qualified to stand in front of our cameras, just as long as she has a famous last name. Chelsea the newswoman joins colleagues Meghan McCain, whose father was the Republican nominee for president, and Jenna Bush Hager, a double threat as both former first daughter and first granddaughter. NBC News did not initiate this trend: Former first son Ron Reagan's qualification to be a contributor for ABC's Good Morning America during the 1980s and '90s was as a professional dancer (and that famous name). PHOTOS: The Clinton Foundation's Decade of Difference Fundraiser This Clinton scion's hiring means that every former president since 1980 has a network TV journalist in the household or extended family. Why? The urge to hire from political families is an example of what NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen calls the "quest for innocence" in the political press. News organizations try to square a circle by asserting that they are inside players with access to the corridors of political power while at the same time remaining neutral outsiders, "innocent," without a partisan ax to grind. Hiring someone whose access derives from blood rather than political activism solves this problem. Clinton certainly has an insider's knowledge about West Wing crises, but as a reporter, she carries none of the ideological baggage that hiring a converted political operative (Tim Russert), onetime White House press secretary (George Stephanopoulos), former presidential aide (Diane Sawyer) or ex-speechwriter (Chris Matthews) entails. The other benefit of hiring a political heir is the freshness of telegenic youth: Chelsea, 31, is less grizzled than James Carville and has a less risque résumé than Eliot Spitzer. Nightly News likely hopes to improve its aging demographic with an on-air face in the target demo, a shift from 15 years ago when inspirational segments were filed by another nonjournalist impostor, "Stormin' " Norman Schwarzkopf. Nevertheless, this particular choice is peculiar: Clinton might know what an inside-the-White-House crisis feels like, but she has zero knowledge of how such a crisis -- or any news event, for that matter -- is covered by working journalists. Her parents kept her in a reporter-free bubble throughout her childhood; she stonewalled reporters when she stumped for her mother during Campaign 2008; and as recently as 16 months ago, she tried to block the press from covering her wedding, keeping the location secret in an attempt to thwart the paparazzi; and she wouldn't even give interviews in connection with her hiring by NBC. STORY: Chelsea Clinton Joins NBC News as Special Correspondent And the hiring of the hedge fund alumna reveals NBC News to have a particularly tin ear at a time when mainstream media stand accused by Occupy Wall Street of being complicit in an undemocratic political system as members and mouthpieces of the "one percent," rather than watchdogs scrutinizing corruption. NBC News has enough baggage with its CNBC brand; now imagine Clinton and Andrea Mitchell appearing on Nightly News during coverage of the next financial crisis: the daughter of the president who deregulated high finance with the wife of central banker Alan Greenspan, who allowed it to run amok. NBC News is reporting from that worldview rather than on it. You could say Clinton, Hagen and McCain are being exploited as eye-catching props by powerful men projecting an image of insider access. You could say this amounted to their being "pimped out" -- unless, of course, you happen to work for NBC News, in which case you would be suspended. Just ask David Shuster, who was suspended from MSNBC in 2008 for using that phrase in connection with Clinton. There is one group of professional journalists that should feel gratified by her arrival: field producers. Their reporting chops are all the more indispensable as the figures in front of their cameras become purely symbolic. Andrew Tyndall is publisher of Tyndall Report, which monitors network TV news. Related Topics NBC ABC News Good Morning America Today