E! Utilizes ABC Professional Kevin Plunkett to supervise Scripted Programming

E! finds itself a scripted chief in Kevin Plunkett.our editor recommendsE! Network to pass through 'Brand Audit' Under NBCU's Bonnie Hammer (Exclusive) The first sort SVP of comedy development at ABC Art galleries remains named senior v . p . of scripted programming within the network most broadly known for your Kardashians' reality fare. "It is extremely exciting for individuals at E! to use this new programming genre, which we understand that Kevin might be the best person to steer the charge," mentioned the cable network's entertainment programming leader Lisa Berger from the executive whose credits include Scrubs, Cougar Town, Samantha Who and Happy Being. "He's both experience as well as the creative vision that will help us establish making a great scripted programming initiative that's exclusively personalized to draw in the E! audience." The move utilizes a several days-extended search, which E!'s lately installed leader Suzanne Kolb remains set on filling since she was hired within this summer time. Several days earlier, NBCU cable entertainment and cable art galleries' Bonnie Hammer confirmed for the Hollywood Reporter they will probably be pushing the network into the scripted drama space over the following two to three years. "Clearly we execute a ton at USA and Syfy, and E! happens,Inch she mentioned, watching that "E! will not become Syfy or USA." As THR first reported, the network remains dealing with what Hammer dubs a "brand audit," much the means by which her USA did seven years earlier. "I'd condition that E! is definitely an empty book at this time around if this involves where we go," she told THR of her intend to determine just what the female-leaning network is -- and perhaps more poignantly, may be last spring. "E! is very good at this time around it is not broken at all, shape or form. Nevertheless the goal is always to triggered by E! that which you did to USA within the last seven years: children a effective funnel and possess it really completely use.In . Related Subjects E! Entertainment

Tough battle for SAG-AFTRA merger plan

Plans to merge Hollywood's two biggest performer unions appear likely to face some significant opposition --based on a pair of advisory motions approved Sunday at the Screen Actors Guild's national membership meeting. Leaders of SAG and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists have continued targeting January for completing a final proposal. SAG and AFTRA issued a joint statement Wednesday, a day after a five-day meeting concluded, asserting that the confab had been ''remarkably productive.'' But most of the 180 attending SAG's member meeting Sunday indicated opposition to a merger, sources said. The event, held at SAG headquarters in the mid-Wilshire area, was open only to guild members. One advisory motion to the national board specified that a minority report be included in the merger referendum regardless of the vote of the board. Another advisory motion required that the board adhere to the three-decade-old Phase 1 agreement, which requires both unions to perform a feasibility study regarding the SAG pension and health plans prior to a merger vote. The SAG plans -- which recently announced tightened eligibility requirements -- are operated independently of SAG with oversight from reps of the guild and the congloms Merger advocates have asserted that the combined unions will have more clout. Sources also said that SAG Treasurer Amy Aquino told that audience that the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers -- which serves as the congloms' bargaining arm and hasn't taken an official position -- does not want SAG and AFTRA to merge. ''They are afraid of a merger,'' Aquino said. SAG president Ken Howard -- who has been a strong advocate of merger -- presided over the meeting. Along with Aquino, national VPs Ned Vaughn, Mike Hodge and David Hartley-Margolin were on the dais along with SAG national exec director David White and general counsel Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. SAG and AFTRA have disclosed only general details about the substance of discussions to hammer out a merger plan. Proponents have argued that a combined union would be more powerful and remove jurisdictional overlaps. Opponents have contended that the new union should be for actors only but SAG voters have been backing pro-merger candidates overwhelmingly in recent elections. Should the proposal be approved in January by the national boards, members could be asked to vote by next spring in a contest that would require 60% of those voting in each union to approve. SAG currently has about 120,000 members while AFTRA has about 70,000 with about 45,000 performers belonging to both unions. SAG members voted down merger proposals in 1999 and 2003. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Producers Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall Near Deal to Move From Sony to DreamWorks (Exclusive)

In a move that is both logical and somewhat surprising, the Kennedy/Marshall production company has left Sony Pictures and is negotiating a first-look deal with DreamWorks. The company headed by prolific producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall departs Sony after two years without a greenlight from the studio. The move to DreamWorks reunites the husband-and-wife team with their longtime associates, Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks CEO Stacey Snider. "It's nice to be home again," Marshall tells The Hollywood Reporter. What's unexpected is that DreamWorks, which has been operating under tight financial constraints, is making a production deal. In a recent interview, Snider told THR that the company's chief financial backer, India's Reliance, is giving DreamWorks "real" and "absolute" support. But she acknowledged that the company has cut back on buying scripts, describing that as "prudent management." Given Kennedy/Marshall's track record, the move also is a sign of the difficult times facing film producers. Though many projects were offered, Marshall acknowledges, "We didn't bring them a movie they wanted to make." Kennedy is the producer on Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse, which will be released on Dec. 25. She is also producing his next film, Lincoln, set for a December 2012 release, and she is likely to take on the director's Robopocalypse. Marshall is working on The Bourne Legacy for Universal, which is set to hit theaters in August 2012. Kennedy and Marshall have worked with Spielberg for decades on such signature films as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Jurassic Park and Schindler's List. Email: Kim.Masters@thr.com Twitter: @KimMasters Related Topics Steven Spielberg Kathleen Kennedy Dreamworks Studios

NBCs Marc Graboff Joins TV Academy Foundations Board Of Directors

Veteran NBC executive Marc Graboff, president of West Coast TV Business Operations at NBCUniversal, has been elected to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation’s board of directors. The foundation’s board oversees such initiatives as the Archive of American Television and educational programs such as the annual College TV Awards, Faculty Seminar and the Student Internship Program.

The new sony to maneuver Bin Laden pic after election

The new sony likely will not be delivering Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal's untitled project concerning the search for Osama Bin Laden prior to the 2012 Presidential election as planned. Initially skedded to produce March. 12, the studio stated it'll certainly move the film -- but is thinking about a couple of different choices regarding when. Why? The new sony moved its Kevin James-comedy "Here Comes the Boom" from the summer time berth to March. 12, meaning the studio might have two films on that date. Regarding political reasons, it isn't known just how much (if whatsoever) the film's story is really a motivation. In August, Repetition. Peter King (R-N.Y.) known as to have an analysis in to the Obama administration's cooperation with Bigelow and Boal's project, stating NY Occasions writer Maureen Dowd's column saying Bigelow received "top-level use of probably the most classified mission ever.Inch Dowd also noted the pic, detailing among the administration's large achievements, could be launched just days prior to the election. The Whitened House, together with Bigelow and Boal, refused the project was getting preferred treatment, calling the operation "a united states triumph, both heroic and non-partisan ... (with) no basis to claim that our film will represent this enormous victory otherwise." Bigelow and Boal happen to be developing the work for nearly annually, beginning before a team of Navy Closes shot and wiped out Bin Laden in May, forcing Boal to rewrite the 3rd act of his script. The new sony stated it needs to come to a decision concerning the date over the following couple of days. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

'Kinyarwanda' wins Skip's top prize

Tokyo -- U.S. helmer Alrick Brown's debut feature "Kinyarwanda" won Japan's Skip City D-Cinema Festival Grand Prize on Sunday. Set in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, the pic focuses on Hutu Muslims who resisted joining the massacre of Tutsis. Belgian helmer Vanja d'Alcantara took the director prize for "Beyond the Steppes," about a Polish mother sent with her baby to the Russian steppes in 1940. Panamanian helmer Abner Benaim picked up the screenplay prize for family comedy "Chance." Swedish comedy "Simple Simon," helmed by Andreas Ohman, won the Special Jury Prize. Helmer Kenji Kohashi's road docu "Don't Stop," about a disabled Japanese man who dreams of crossing the U.S. on a Harley despite having lost the use of his legs, won the Skip City Award and was selected by the Skip City D-Cinema Project, which supports the theatrical release of competition pics. Unspooling in the Tokyo satellite city of Kawaguchi, the fest's eighth edition presents digital pics by young helmers worldwide. Skip City is a multipurpose media center for professionals and the public. It includes a video archive and museum as well as screening and post-production facilities. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

News Corp. Sets Up Employee Hotline to Report 'Illegal Activity' (Report)

News Corp. has set up a hotline for employees to report suspicious activity by their colleagues as it continues to be the focus of a bribery investigation, the U.K.'s Independent reported.our editor recommendsJames Murdoch Recalled to Parliament for More Phone-Hacking QuestionsPhone-Hacking Inquiry: Evidence 'as Clear as Mud'Confessions of a 'News of the World' Reporter (Exclusive) Rupert Murdoch 'Very Humbled' as He Apologizes Personally to the Family of Murdered Schoolgirl Milly DowlerRelated Topics•Rupert Murdoch Rupert Murdoch's company -- which is being investigated by both U.S. and U.K. authorities over alleged payments made by its U.K. tabloids to British policemen for news tips -- circulated instructions to its employees that emphasized they are under an obligation to report suspicious activities. The dedicated line is available around the clock. PHOTOS: News of the World's Top 10 Scandals "Employees who suspect ... violations of this policy must report them to the legal department of the business unit or of News Corporation or to the News Corporation alertline," the document states. News Corp. also assured would-be whistleblowers that it would protect those who incorrectly accuse one of their colleagues. "If you make an honest complaint in good faith, even if you are mistaken as to what you are complaining about, the company will protect you from retaliation," the policy says. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Memorable Mea Culpas The company also warned employees about giving gifts to government officials or even entertaining them. "Gifts and hospitality that may be perfectly acceptable among private parties can be completely forbidden when the other party is a government official," it reads. Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter requesting information from News Corp. as part of an investigation into whether it violated America's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a law that prohibits companies from bribing foreign officials. STORY: Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. Target of Fresh Attacks From Shareholders and Lawmakers The company also is under investigation in the U.K. for violating its bribery laws. Meanwhile, News Corp. is in the midst of trying to settle several lawsuits in the wake of its News of the World phone-hacking scandal. Earlier this year, it was revealed that the paper's employees had hacked into the voicemails of murdered teen Milly Dowler as well as some actors and other stars. VIDEO: Rupert Murdoch 'Is Going to Have to Step Down,' Says Ted Turner The news led to the paper's closure and also sparked the investigation into whether the paper's employees had paid police officers for confidential information. Late last month, the company made a $4.7 million offer to Dowler's family, which would be the largest sum ever paid out by a newspaper owner. Related Topics Rupert Murdoch News Corp.