Fantastic Fest Shorts Program Includes The Dungeon Master, Co-Directed by Boy Meets World's Rider Strong

Sure, Rider Strong has done a ton of stuff since his days on the ABC series Boy Meets World, but far be it from me to pass up a chance to name drop that TGIF classic! Since his days playing Cory Matthews’s BFF Shawn, Strong’s continued to act and began directing, co-helming the Dungeons & Dragons-themed short The Dungeon Master with brother Shiloh, which is set to screen at next month’s Fantastic Fest. After the jump, watch the film’s trailer and get the full list of genre shorts playing at the Austin festival. The Dungeon Master stars Adam Busch (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Alexander Polinsky (Charles in Charge!), Chris Wylde, Travis Shuldt, Chad Crone, and Alexandra Barreto and features the following synopsis: “After they discover they were both fantasy geeks as kids, Shane and Cooper decide to spend a night playing Dungeons & Dragons. But they cant remember the rules, so they invite a true gamer to help them. When he shows up in a cape, things get awkward very quickly…” Sounds a little Knights of Badassdom-esque, only with D&D instead of LARPing. But still! So very perfect for Fantastic Fest, the annual genre film festival that takes place this year in Austin from September 22-29. (The feature line-up includes Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, Kitao Sakurai’s Aardvark, Timecrimes director Nacho Vigalondo’s Extraterrestrial, Ti West’s The Innkeepers, the American horror indie You’re Next, the Australian serial killer thriller Snowtown, and the Christopher Doyle-lensed pink film Underwater Love. Also on the docket for the newly announced shorts program: Stop motion animator Sofia Carrillos’s haunting short Black Doll (trailer here), the Brandon Routh-starring Cost of Living (images here), and a host of envelope-pushing international works. Head to the Fantastic Fest website for the full shorts program announcement.

More football at CBS sports net

CBS Sports Network has lined up four new college football shows as the season is about to start -- "Tackling the Trends," "SEC Today" and "SEC Express" will air alongside the previously announced "Tim Brando Show" (a simulcast of Brando's syndicated radio program). The Eye's sports cabler (formerly CBS College Sports Network) is in its ninth year of college football coverage and has a notably expansive slate this season -- 42 games. Along with more programs, the net has an airdate of Aug. 29 for "Tim Brando," as well. There are further programming changes afoot at CBS Sports Network -- "Inside College Football" is expanding to a two-hour live program, and will air on Thursday evenings as well as its usual Tuesdays. "The Tony Barnhart Show" will move to Wednesdays. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

Legendary East To Raise $220.5M Through Hong Kong For Film Studio From China

Thisannouncement about another Hollywood-China deal wasjust posted to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange website in the past hour.It follows Legendary Entertainment'sJune news that it formed Legendary East, a stand-alone entertainment company creating feature film and related content for a worldwide audience. Legendary East is based in Hong Kong, with Chinese management andinternational investors as well as Thomas Tull's Legendary Entertainment.Today, Legendary East announced the investment vehicleto inject $220.5M of cashfromPaul Y Engineering Group Ltd by issuing new shareson the Hong Kong stock market. The investment would allow Legendary East to become a fully funded studio operating from China."A key feature of this structure is that it provides liquidity for those investors in Legendary East that are investing through PYE because PYE's shares are publicly traded on the HKSE," an insider emails me.Legendary East is led by CEO Kelvin Wu and Tull, its chairman who isalso chairman/CEO of Legendary Entertainment.As previously announced, China media conglomerate Huayi Media will take a key role as local Chinese production and distribution partner and investor in Legendary East: Hong Kong/Los Angeles (August 21, 2011) Leading global media company Legendary Entertainment ("Legendary") and Hong Kong-listed Paul Y. Engineering Group Limited ("PYE") (HKSE stock code: 577), today announced PYE as a potential new investor in Hong Kong-based joint venture, Legendary East Ltd. ("Legendary East"). PYE will acquire a 50% interest in Legendary East for a total consideration of US$220.5 million. This will be funded by a proposed placing of new shares by PYE to private equity firm AID Partners, and through UBS AG, to other institutional and professional investors. Legendary East also intends to establish a credit facility to fund film productions and operations. At closing, Legendary East will be jointly held by Legendary and members of Legendary East management (40.1%), PYE (50%) and Huayi Brothers International Limited ("Huayi Brothers") (9.9%). AID Partners has entered into a subscription agreement to invest US$35 million in PYE, and will become a significant shareholder of PYE. Legendary East was recently established as the Asia arm of leading global filmmakers Legendary Pictures, with a focus on developing and producing world-class English-language films that tap into the powerful fandom demographic and draw on Legendarys Chinese ties. The company is the vision of Thomas Tull, Legendary Entertainment Chairman and CEO, who along with Chinese born Hong Kong media and finance entrepreneur Kelvin Wu, created the venture. Legendary East initially plans on producing one to two major, event-style films annually for worldwide audiences, beginning in 2013. Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary Entertainment and Chairman of Legendary East commented, "We are very pleased that PYE has committed to Legendary East. This is another important milestone following the recent announcement of Legendary Easts formation. We share a common vision with PYE that with Chinas rapid economic growth and rich cultural background, this is a filmmaking marketplace on the rise. We are committed to China and the surrounding region for the long run, and to producing entertainment that is globally appealing in quality, scale and impact." Tom Lau, Deputy Chairman of PYE, said, "This proposal to invest in Legendary East is not only highly value accretive to the PYE shareholders, it also offers an attractive opportunity to diversify and refocus PYEs business activities to take advantage of the lucrative potential of the filmmaking business in China. We believe that the combination of Legendarys world-class experience in film production, and Huayi Brothers local production and distribution capabilities in China, represents a very strong opportunity for PYEs future growth." Kelvin Wu, Principal Partner of AID Partners and who will become Legendary East's CEO, said, "AID Partners will be investing US$35 million in Legendary East via PYE, demonstrating our tremendous confidence in this venture and in the opportunities for Legendary East to deliver large scale, world-class films out of the Greater China region. With the combined support of Legendary Entertainment and its highly successful business model, and the rapid growth of the Chinese film market, we are excited to be in Hong Kong and to contribute to its momentum to regain its status as the Hollywood of the East." Legendary Easts local co-production and distribution partner in China will be its strategic shareholder Huayi Brothers, a leading Chinese film conglomerate. Distribution of the films in all other parts of the globe is anticipated to be handled by Warner Bros. Pictures, with whom Legendary has a long-standing relationship. The joint venture will initially have five board members, with two appointed by Legendary, two appointed by PYE and one appointed by Huayi Brothers. The board will collaborate closely with a seasoned management team at Legendary East who have significant experience working with Hollywood studios as well as Western and Chinese entertainment companies. Legendary East was advised in the proposed placing and structuring of new shares by PYE by financial advisors Centerview Partners LLC. Legendary was advised in the structuring and formation of Legendary East by Goldman, Sachs & Co. Both Legendary and Legendary East were advised by lawyers OMelveny & Myers LLP in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. Anglo Chinese Corporate Finance, Limited is the financial advisor and Reed Smith Richards Butler is the legal advisor to PYE. UBS AG is the placing agent for PYE. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP advised Goldman, Sachs & Co. The transaction is subject to the fulfillment of certain conditions, including approval from PYEs shareholders at a Special General Meeting.

Today on indieWIRE: Anderson Cooper Loses It, Madonna's Rising Star & More

Today on indieWIRE, Anderson Cooper lost his cool, Andrea Riseborough dished on working with the Material Girl, Fantastic Fest announced some news, and much more. iW's Online Video of the Day: Gerard Depardieu Causes Anderson Cooper to Lose It On Air: Thank you Gérard! Yesterday, we at indieWIRE got our best chuckle of the week when news hit that French actor Gérard Depardieu had peed in the aisle of a packed plane. 'Michael,' 'Melancholia,' 'Headhunters' and More Make Fantastic Fest's 2nd Wave of Programming: Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film festival in the U.S., has announced the second wave of programming for its upcoming seventh edition. 'Peace, Love & Misunderstanding' to Open 12th Woodstock Film Festival & Other Highlights: Unveiling what it calls a "sneak peak" Thursday, the Woodstock Film Festival announced some highlights of its upcoming event that takes place in the scenic Catskills in upstate New York, Sept. 21-25. Indie Spirit Awards Call for Entries Begins Today: It's that time of year again: As summer starts to wind down, awards season revs up. Film Independent is getting a head start today, beginning its call for entries for the Independent Spirit Awards, now in its 27th year. How Little Documentary 'Quantum Hoops' Became a Big Ben Stiller Comedy: How does a tiny documentary become a hot Ben Stiller comedy? 'Quantum Hoops' was Rick Greenwald's 2007 documentary that followed the CalTech basketball team in their quest to gain a win after 21 seasons of losses. FUTURES: Andrea Riseborough Talks Madonna, RADA and 'Brighton Rock': Andrea Riseborough might be a familiar face for some. The English full-lipped beauty turned heads for her brassy turn in last year's 'Made in Dagenham,' had a small part in Mike Leigh's 'Happy-Go-Lucky' and garnered a bevvy of acclaim for her BAFTA TV Award nominated turn as the title character in the TV film 'Margaret Thatcher: The Long Walk to Finchley.' Critical Consensus: 'Last Circus' Tops Weak Week on criticWIRE: Spanish director Álex de la Iglesia's 'The Last Circus' hits theaters this weekend via Magnolia Pictures, and it's the pick of the week, according to the folks polled on criticWIRE. Morgan Spurlock, Nick Broomfield and Ted Hope on Tap for TIFF's Industry Programs: Nick Broomfield, Morgan Spurlock, Ted Hope, Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh and Canadian filmmaker Bruce McDonald are among the names taking part in this year's industry programs at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, it was announced today. The TIFF Industry programs provide sessions with industry professionals and some of the festival's filmmakers to provide networking opportunities for filmmakers. Watch: Nicole Kidman Cashes a Paycheck in Trailer for 'Trespass': Nicole Kidman must have really enjoyed her time spent hamming it up on the set of 'Batman Forever.' Watch: Wrenching Trailer for Sundance AIDS Doc 'We Were Here': 'We Were Here,' the deeply affecting documentary that takes a look back at the birth of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, garnered buzz following its world premiere at Sundance and has since gone on to play at a slew of festivals, including Berlin, Outfest and NewFest. How You Can Help the U.K. Distributors Who Saw Their Business Decimated by the London Riots: The London riots have ended, but the chaos has only begun for the country's independent film distributors. That's where The Other Cinema has stepped in. San Sebastian Fills Out Its Lineup With the Latin American Sidebar: The upcoming San Sebastian International Film Festival has added 13 films to its official lineup with the Horizontes Latinos sidebar, including two Cannes' Un Certain Regard players, Gerardo Naranjo's 'Miss Bala' and Chilean Christian Jimenez's 'Bonsai.' Ridley Scott: From 'Alien' Reboot 'Prometheus' to 'Blade Runner' Sequel: The highlight of Comic-Con, bar none, was Ridley Scott's 'Prometheus' footage. While Fox and Scott are downplaying the sci-fi space thriller's relationship to the original 'Alien' and the kick-ass James Cameron sequel 'Aliens,' there's no question this movie is grown from the same DNA; Scott admits it.

This Week's Page Turner: Emma Stone's Like Jen Aniston; 'Big Lebowski' Stars Reunite in NYC

Is Emma Stone a growth commodity? In the latest issue of New York magazine, Kyle Buchanan and Claude Brodesser-Akner assess the monetary value of her star "stock," polling insiders on whether they view her as a buy, a sell, or a hold. This is mainly an excuse to collect colorful quotes from anonymous Hollywood executives ("[Emma] has, as they say, that 'approachable' beauty -- sort of like Jen Aniston had in the early nineties"; "She has the C word. With Sharon Stone, it means something else, but with Emma Stone, it means 'charisma.' "), but in the end the authors compile enough evidence to convincingly declare Stone a strong buy. After seeing 'The Help,' we tend to agree. Also in this week's New York, Vera Farmiga doesn't just want to direct -- she actually pulled it off. The Oscar-nominated actress makes her directorial debut August 26 with the film 'Higher Ground.' Farmiga found the script in 2008 and took it to Debra Granik, her director on 'Down to the Bone,' only to be turned down. So she took matters into her own hands, even casting her youngest sister, Taissa, and her own three-year-old son, Fynn, in the film. Elsewhere in Jim Windolf's profile, we learn the inescapable truth that Farmiga absolutely adores ... pierogis. In other news, Will Russell, the man behind the annual Dude gathering known as Lebowski Fest, spoke to Variety about this year's event. So why is 2011 different from all other years? Mainly because the actual stars of the 1998 cult hit 'The Big Lebowski' will be showing up to celebrate the release of the film on Blu-ray. "It's been really great to work with (Universal)," Russell says. "They said, 'the Blu-ray's coming out, we'd like to get the cast back together -- are you interested?' And I said, 'I'm trying not to explode with joy.' " John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Julianne Moore and, the Dude himself, Jeff Bridges, will all be in attendance tomorrow night at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom to drink white Russians and bowl -- at least, that's what we hope. Moviefone will have full coverage of Lebowski Fest, so be sure to check back tomorrow for updates. Images courtesy of Touchstone and Sony Pictures Classics

Travel Channel Taps Andy Singer As Programming & Production Boss

Scripps Networks has appointed Andy Singer, formerly the general manager of the company's DIY Network, as head of programming and production at Travel Channel. Singer, whose new title is SVP Programming and Production Development, will focus on developing shows, talent and the network's programming strategy; he replaces Fred Graver, who is focusing on special projects. Scripps is looking to grow Travel beyond its current 66 million households; earlier today, the company reported that the network's revenue was up 15% year-over-year; Ross Babbitt will take Singer's post at DIY.Before Scripps, Singer was a show producer at VH1 and also produced programs for A&E, 20th Century Fox, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and nationally syndicated broadcast series Extra and Inside Edition.

Watch Footage From the How to Train Your Dragon Stage Show

· Take that, The King’s Speech! Oscar-nominated in the Best Animated Feature category in 2010, How to Train Your Dragon is headed to the United States as a stage show, but not before getting out its animatronic kinks out in Melbourne, Australia. The initial takeaway? These dragons look killer — in a non-Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark way. Expect to see Dragon in America sometime next year. Click through to watch, then stick around for more Buzz Break. [via io9] · Schwentke! Schwentke! Schwentke! Movieline fave Robert Schwentke is attached to direct The Poison Kitchen, about the rise of the Nazi Party and the German newspaper that stood in its opposition. [Variety] · Vera Farmiga and Mark Strong will co-star in Closer to the Moon, a period indie set in Communist Romania. [Deadline] · Ben Stiller will produce a feature adaptation of the documentary Quantum Hoops, about the Caltech basketball team which went 21 seasons and 245 conference games without a single win. [Deadline]

Travel With Phineas and Ferb to the 2nd Dimension

Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension Phineas and Ferb are about to embark on an adventure where they learn their pet platypus Perry is a secret agent in the TV movie Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (Friday, 8/7c, Disney Channel). Based on the Emmy-winning series Phineas and Ferb, the film takes the stepbrothers into a kind of parallel universe that eerily resembles their home. Once there, they come face to face with their alter egos and find out Perry (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is known as Agent P. The three band together, along with sister Candace (voiced by Ashley Tisdale), to stop the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz, who plans to follow the gang back to their real home in his quest for world domination. Series creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh say the film allowed them to develop the characters much further. The Disney show has featured numerous guest voices, including Tina Fey, Ben Stiller and Michael Douglas, and the duo say they're always surprised, but thrilled, to hear that it's not just little kids who watch the show. "We had Tom Bergeron on the show and he said, 'I'm on this big network show and my daughter doesn't care at all, but because I'm here, I am now her hero ... She's 20, she's in college.'" Povenmire says. Adds Marsh: "We always knew there was stuff there for the older folks ... so when you hear people say thanks for making something we can watch with our kids or as a family, I'm glad people out there discovered it." Watch our interview with Povenmire and Marsh:

Fans Will 'Rise' For 'Apes' Star James Franco, Says Director

Is James Franco's leading role in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" going to be a box office draw or disaster this weekend? He is worried about it, but director Rupert Wyatt isn't. "I think people are going to see this film, hopefully, for the film," the British filmmaker told MTV News. "Those that will go see this film for James Franco will still see the film for James Franco." The question was posed after Franco said in his Playboy interview that he figured critics would skewer this movie because he had such a good year last year. Fortunately, that doesn't look like it's going to be the case. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" currently is 81 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and looks like it's headed into a strong opening weekend. But that doesn't mean Wyatt doesn't get why Franco said the things he did. "I totally understand where he's coming from," the director said. "Obviously he took a bit of a knock with the Oscars, but at the end of the day, he's an actor and that's his job." Franco's motion capture costar Andy Serkis also said he understood Franco's mindset, but thinks he is wrong. Serkis, who has plenty of experience working opposite actors while he's covered in motion capture equipment, said he was impressed by Franco's ability to still connect with his character. "It was amazing working with him," he told us. "It really is a testament if they can truly believe the person opposite them who is wearing a performance-capture suit with a head-mounted camera actually go full-on and have a relationship with them. It's all about believability. All credit to him that he bought into the whole process." Does the fact Franco is starring in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" change your opinion of the movie at all? Let us know in the comments section below or on Twitter!