Ratings: People Dont Love I Hate My Teenage Daughter

I Hate My Teenage Daughter I Hate My Teenage Daughter, which didn't get a lot of love critically, also didn't get a lot of love from viewers, as the show lost some 37 percent of its lead-in's audience, Nielsen overnights show. Muppets and models, meanwhile, gave The CW its most-watched Wednesday in a year. NBC's Christmas in Rockefeller Center declined by 5 percent from a year ago, and Harry's Law set series highs in both viewership and the 18-to-49-year-olds, while the Grammys special rose 12 percent from a year earlier. Catch up on today's news 8 p.m.CBS: Survivor: South Pacific 10.92 million viewers (3.1 demo rating)ABC: The Middle 6.01 million (1.8); Suburgatory 5.26 million (1.7)Fox: The X Factor 10.87 million (3.7) {8-9:30 p.m.}NBC: Christmas in Rockefeller Center 9.42 million (1.8)CW: Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa 2.40 million (0.8) 9 p.m.CBS: Criminal Minds [rerun] 7.55 million viewers (2.1 demo rating)ABC: Modern Family [rerun] 7.16 million (2.6); Happy Endings [rerun] 4.96 million (2.1)Fox: I Hate My Teenage Daughter 6.84 million (2.8) {9:30 p.m.}NBC: Harry's Law 9.91 million (1.4)CW: America's Next Top Model 1.93 million (0.8) 10 p.m.CBS: Grammy Nominations Concert Live 5.36 million viewers (1.9 demo rating)ABC: Revenge 4.01 million (1.2)NBC: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 9.83 million (2.2)

REVIEW: The Lady Flubs Its Chance to Tell the Story of Aung San Suu Kyi

There’s something immobile at the center of The Lady, a kind of Botoxed biopic with an unlikely director — Luc Besson — manning the syringe. Technically, that something is the figure of Aung San Suu Kyi: Here the Burmese activist is played by Michelle Yeoh, who gets the already wearisome Shepard Fairey treatment on the film’s poster, and seems to have attended the special edition stamp school of acting in preparation for the role. Almost to a scene, Yeoh is so still and serene she’s practically submerged, her dialogue seeming to rise like beatific air bubbles that burst into tiny, untroubled smiles at the surface. Rather than ripple out — and risk the suggestion of any small mercy of movement whatever — Yeoh’s performance forms a kind of undertow that pulls the surrounding story and characters into the hagiographic shallows, where they float like sea monkeys with better set dressing, blooping away about Burmese democracy. Besson begins The Lady with an X-ray of the origin story that opens his last producing project, Colombiana: A young girl bidding farewell to her about-to-be martyred father. Here it is Suu Kyi being kissed good-bye in 1947 by her dad, Burma’s interim prime minister and founder of its independent army, before he is killed in a coup. From there we move to Oxford in 1998, where Suu Kyi’s husband, Michael (David Thewlis), has just been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer. Michael’s twin brother (also Thewlis) shows up to offer some words of comfort, and we learn that his wife has been stuck in Burma for almost a decade, and he hasn’t seen her in three years. This little info drop is the first of several pieces of rather pressing news that are revealed, if not dully, then with a distinct lack of dramatic horse sense. Suu Kyi’s story is worthy of Puccini, which is its own challenge, but The Lady lays its cards down so casually that it would be easy to assume that anyone might interrupt an urgent personal visit from England home to Burma — as Suu Kyi does during a subsequent flashback to 1988 — to give a game-changing speech at a massive political rally for peace, or that receiving a Nobel Prize is as easy as buttering up an insider at an academic cocktail party. From that 1988 trip, the story of Suu Kyi’s conversion to homeland activism takes over, but our sense of Burma’s political climate remains murky and malleable. Elections and sentencings happen without any real sense of what’s at stake, beyond the dictatorial gamesmanship of the country’s military junta, led by a cigarette-sucking cartoon of General Ne Win (Htun Lin). Much of what follows alternates between scenes of Suu Kyi — who transitions seamlessly from Oxford housewife with a writing habit to saintly figurehead who is never less than fully turned out in elegant silks with flowers tucked into her hair — inspiring the people with stump speeches for peace, and the General’s fist-shaking schemes to detain her. Detain he does, with years-long house arrests, periods that for reasons that are poorly understood continue despite the fact that Suu Kyi wins a 1990 election by a landslide. Her family — Thewlis and two teenage sons played by Jonathan Raggett and Jonathan Woodhouse — are allowed to visit intermittently, but even when she’s free, Suu Kyi vows not to leave Burma, knowing she would not be permitted to return. What is actually accomplished by this vow is frozen, like the rest of The Lady, inside of Suu Kyi’s Mona Lisa smile. When Besson presses on the romantic drama of the central couple’s separation, the script (written by Rebecca Frayn) tatters under the strain: Thewlis is neutered into a piece of tweedy furniture — constant, supportive, there — who says things like, “If they think I’m going to take this lying down they’ve got another thing coming!” and “Another refusal, and all the while time slipping through my fingers!” Suu Kyi says she has a terrible temper but endures her mother’s death, her family’s absence, and a hunger strike with the same temperate, monsoon-proof expression. Given The Lady’s Teflon, cinema-of-quality surface (the odd vernal, Asiatic vista is thrown in for variety) and almost childishly palatable contents (triple-blended for global smoothness), the film’s two organic moments feel miraculous. The first illustrates the translation of Suu Kyi’s heated standoff with the militia into myth as it is pantomimed across Rangoon in a brief, brilliant montage. The second is much (muuuuch) further on, as Suu Kyi shares in her Nobel Prize ceremony by transistor radio, an award her family accepts in her stead in an unexpectedly lyrical sequence. Knowing that it’s still possible to breathe life into Pachelbel’s Canon only enhances the sense that the rest of this somnolent hymn to a national hero is a sorely missed opportunity. Follow Michelle Orange on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

TBS Conan OBrien-Produced Comedy Pilot Casts Its Leads

EXCLUSIVE: TBS has cast up-and-coming comedian Jay Malone and UCB performer David Neher as the 2 leads in the half-hour comedy pilot from Conan OBriens production company. The untitled multi-camera project, referred to as BFF, centers on Mark (Malone), a family man who quits his day job and returns to the neighborhood where he grew up. There, he reunites with his quirky childhood best friend Roland (Neher) who still lives with his parents. The project, from O’Brien’s Conaco Prods. and Warner Horizon, was written by Ben Wexler, who serves as showrunner, Ross Novie and Jay Rondot. The three are executive producing with OBrien, David Kissinger and Jeff Ross. The Conaco project is one of 3 half-hour pilots at TBS, along with Men at Work and Sullivan & Son.

Ashton Kutcher: 'Man' finds new man

KutcherAll eyes were on Ashton Kutcher when he stepped in to fill the "Two and a Half Men" void left by Charlie Sheen. Though the first episode's astronomical showing, which saw 28.7 million tune in, could be chalked up to curiosity, the CBS skein continues to impress two months later, as Monday's No. 1 entertainment series in all key demos.Still, not everyone was amused by Kutcher's performance. The season premiere called for him to appear nude in a scene. "We were trying to figure out how we were going to do that in front of a live studio audience," says Kutcher, who dusted off a prosthetic made for his "Naked Man" Internet sketch from a few years back. "When I took my clothes off, the audience could tell that I wasn't really naked. But we didn't tell the Standards and Practices person from CBS that I was going to do that, so she came down screaming from her booth, freaking out."In addition to filling Sheen's shoes, the actor-producer-Internet trailblazer also filled seats at the multiplex in 2011. Kutcher's edgy romantic comedy "No Strings Attached," which nabbed $149 million worldwide, did particularly strong business overseas -- an impressive feat given that such fare typically doesn't travel well. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Ough Gervais on Golden Globes Bubble, and 6 Other Tales You Will Be Speaking About Today

Happy Tuesday! Also in today’s edition from the Broadsheet: Channing Tatum may be the latest subject of Guy From U.N.C.L.E. gossips… Felicity Johnson will Hughes up with Warren Beatty… We’re conveying Meryl Streep and Joel Coen to China… and much more. · The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has before the finish of the week to find out whether it really wants to bring Ough Gervais back for his third Golden Globes hosting gig in The month of january. I'm able to’t even believe this can be a real internal debate — obviously they invite Gervais back (presuming he even really wants to host at this time he’d really have more attention turning this sad, sad group lower than he'd taking their cash and consuming their beer onstage). But here’s the “controversy” because it apparently stands today: “NBC has place the HFPA inside a lose-lose situation. When the Hollywood Foreign Press states ‘Yes’ to Ough, it risks turning the Globes in to the Ough Gervais Show and departing the sense they’re yearly tossing an excellent party while inviting somebody that humiliates all the visitors. Whether it states ‘No,’ the HFPA appears like it's no spontaneity about itself.” Really, no: It puts any nominees who decline to go to within the position of getting no spontaneity about themselves, and also, since everybody’s having to pay to experience anyway, who’s likely to not appear? Get it done, already, HFPA. [Deadline] · Could Channing Tatum function as the lead for that Guy From U.N.C.L.E? Someone’s agent appears to consider so. [Deadline] · Actual headline: “Russell Brand to Star in and convey Comedy The Leader Stole My Girlfriend.” And Russell Brand stole my will to reside. [THR] · Breakout Constantly actress Felicity Johnson has apparently nabbed the feminine lead in Warren Beatty’s lengthy-gestating Howard Hughes film that might really get produced in our lives. [Deadline] · Meryl Streep and Joel Coen are some of the People in america headed to some cultural summit in Beijing, where Streep will screen The Iron Lady the very first time. Tough crowd! [Variety] · With J. Edgar dead both in this area-office and Oscar water, an autopsy in without doubt so as. Who understood it was 9 % Watchmen? That’s enough to kill anything. [Moviefone] · Below may be the only Jobs tribute you’ll ever need, which terrific interview using its illusionist, Paul Gertner, persuasively describes why. Brilliant, heartbreaking items that nonetheless makes me wish to smash my Mac to bits. [Press Play/indieWIRE]

'The Muppets' Premiere Red-colored Carpet Arrivals

Jason Segel, Can Be, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and also the stars of Disney's family comedy, opening in U.S. theaters November. 23, walked the eco-friendly carpet in the film's premiere on November. 12 at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre. The feature, composed by Segel and Nicholas Stoller, marks the very first Muppets movie produced in 12 years.

FEINBERG'S 5: Billy Crystal, AFI Fest, 'The Iron Lady,' 'Margin Call,' Morgan Freeman

Kevin Winter/Getty Images These, in my judgment, are the five awards-related stories from the past week that every self-respecting movie buff should know about...our editor recommendsBilly Crystal to Host the OscarsMeryl Streep Movie 'The Iron Lady' to Open Dec. 30Roadside Celebrates 'Albert Nobbs,' Prepares to Mount Late Campaign for 'Margin Call'Morgan Freeman to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement at Golden GlobesSteven Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin' Gets North American Premiere as 25th AFI Fest Closes 1. The Academy Makes the Best of It It was a rollercoaster of a week for the Academy. As THR was the first to report, Brett Ratner, who had been named the producer of February's Oscar show, resigned from the job on Tuesday after provoking a firestorm of controversy by stating during a Q&A that "rehearsal is for fags" and explicitly discussing his sex life with Howard Stern. Then, on Wednesday, Eddie Murphy, whom Ratner recently directed in Tower Heist and recruited to serve as the host of the Oscar show, also walked away from the show, leaving things in disarray. But that same day, Brian Grazer, the co-chief of Imagine Entertainment and the Oscar-winning producer of A Beautiful Mind (2001), stepped up to the plate and agreed to replace Ratner, and, on Thursday, Billy Crystal, the popular host of eight previous Oscar shows, agreed to come back and fill in for Murphy. (As a publicist friend said to me, it's a pretty safe bet that Crystal's opening monologue will begin, "Good evening and welcome to the Oscars. I'm your host, Eddie Murphy!") PHOTOS: Oscar Hosts Through the Years Despite the inconvenience and stress that the last week must have caused the Academy, they actually came out of it in pretty good shape; after all, does anyone doubt that they'd have preferred a Grazer/Crystal combo over Ratner/Murphy in the first place? Now, the Academy can devote its full focus to Saturday's third annual Governors Awards ceremony, at which actress/producer Oprah Winfrey will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and honorary Oscars will be presented to actor James Earl Jones (in absentia -- he didn't want to miss a night of his West End play Driving Miss Daisy) and makeup artist Dick Smith. (Click here to read my preview of the event and interviews with all three honorees.) 2. AFI Fest Closes Out Fall Festival Season The fall festival season drew to a close with the 25th annual AFI Fest, a week-long festival that was held in Hollywood (primarily at Grauman's Chinese and Egyptian theaters) and was bookended by two highly-anticipated films. The opening night screening was the world premiere of Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar and the closing night screening was the North American premiere of Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin, both of which generated mixed-leaning-positive responses from critics. PHOTOS: 'J. Edgar' Kicks Off AFI Fest In-between, many other awards hopefuls that have been playing on the festival circuit for months were also screened, including contenders for the big eight categories (Michel Hazanavicius's The Artist, Steve McQueen's Shame, Roman Polanski's Carnage, Luc Besson's The Lady, Ralph Fiennes's Coriolanus, Lynne Ramsey's We Need to Talk About Kevin, Oren Moverman's Rampart, Simon Curtis's My Week with Marilyn, Lars von Trier's Melancholia), foreign language category (Wim Wenders's Pina, Asghar Farhadi's A Separation, Bela Tarr's The Turin Horse), and doc category (Werner Herzog's Into the Abyss). Be sure to check out my recent interviews with Coriolanus's director/star Fiennes (click here) and The Lady's star Michelle Yeoh (click here). 3. Iron Lady to December 30 The Weinstein Company has decided to push back the release date of Phyllida Lloyd's Margaret Thatcher bio-pic The Iron Lady -- which stars Meryl Streep in the title role -- from December 16 to December 30. This move, along with the fact that a trailer for the film has yet to be released, has stirred up doubts about whether the film will provide to be the awards contender that many expected it might be. Indeed, this film will test whether Lloyd will bring her game up to Streep's historic level (Streep seems to get nominated every time she appears in a film), or Streep will bring hers down to Lloyd's (Lloyd is best known for the 2008 big screen adaptation of Mamma Mia!). Either way, Harvey Weinstein will have a stake in the best actress Oscar race: he's also distributing My Week with Marilyn, which features an awards-caliber portrayal of Marilyn Monroe by Michelle Williams, who has been nominated twice in the past. 4. Margin Call Surprises Roadside Attractions has decided to mount a late but aggressive campaign on behalf of the timely Wall Street drama Margin Call, which was written and directed by first-time filmmaker J.C. Chandor and features an incredible ensemble cast led by Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Demi Moore, and Mary McDonnell. The film, which was released concurrently in select theaters and on VOD on October 21, quickly generated enthusiastic support from critics and phenomenal numbers on VOD, convincing the little studio -- which has previously guided The Cove (2009), Biutiful (2010), and Winter's Bone (2010) to Oscar success -- that they have a second contender on their hands to go along with Albert Nobbs, for which they hope to score a best actress nod for Glenn Close and a best supporting actress nod for Janet McTeer. Margin Call, which one publicist described as "The Help for men," received a best ensemble Gotham Awards nod earlier this month, and seems to have a strong shot a best ensemble SAG nod and a best original screenplay Oscar nod; a so-so shot at best supporting actor SAG/Globe/Oscar nods for Irons and/or Spacey (although both are currently working overseas and therefore unable to do much glad-handing); and a long shot at a best picture Oscar nod. Roadside has already mailed screeners to the HFPA, with others for SAG and the Academy still to come; Quinto is doing SAG Q&As and will probably attend the Gothams, perhaps with Irons and other members of the cast; and the studio is starting to buy ads on various websites that might be read by awards voters. 5. Globes to Fete Freeman The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced that actor Morgan Freeman will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the 69th annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 15. The 74-year-old, whose booming voice has been likened to God's, made his film debut in 1964. In the years since, he has given memorable performances in dozens of critically and/or commercially successful films. Freeman has received five Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations, winning the best supporting actor Oscar for Million Dollar Baby (2004) and the best actor (musical or comedy) Globe for Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Previous recipients of the honor, which is determined by the HFPA's board of directors, include Alfred Hitchcock, Lucille Ball, Sidney Poitier, Sophia Loren, Sean Connery, Barbra Streisand, Martin Scorsese, and, at last year's ceremony, Robert De Niro. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Most Unforgettable Oscar Speeches PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Actors Who've Played Politicians Billy Crystal Brett Ratner Clint Eastwood Morgan Freeman Oscars Oscars 2012 J. Edgar Tower Heist