'X Factor' prepared to collect yourself

Foxs The X Factor, whose first season featured Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, L.A. Reid, Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Johnson, is trembling some misconception because it prepares because of its soph season within the fall. Where does "The X Factor" move from here? With idol judges Nicole Scherzinger and Paula Abdul and host Steve Johnson fired in the musical competition show, only Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid remain in the first season. Even though "X Factor" gained a proper 4.3 rating within the 18-49 demo and 12.six million audiences each week, the series unsuccessful to satisfy Cowell's sky-high fall anticipation, and it is participants never joined the cultural zeitgeist in the manner the youthful entertainers of "Idol" did. Now "X Factor" professional producer Cowell risk turning to his "The American Idol ShowInch playbook again.Following the veteran Fox juggernaut started losing steam in season nine, new idol judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler reinvigorated the show and goosed its rankings. Cowell, together with Fox reality topper Mike Darnell, is going to be searching to obtain the right personas to create that curiosity factor to "X Factor." Like a former "The American Idol ShowInch judge themself, Cowell would be a well-known personality to "X Factor" audiences, but many American audiences had no clue who Johnson was prior to the singing-competition series released. Scherzinger would be a better-known quantity like a singer, but she grew to become a target of critique for questionable choice during the period of the growing season. For Abdul, Cowell might have thought their stormy on-camera relationship will bring "Idol"-like amounts and awareness to "X Factor," but which was not the situation. As Cowell looks to construct a brand new roster of top-draw personas, you will find lots of marquee names being bandied about. Mariah Carey and Britney Warrior spears would appear to suit the feminine bill -- if they are interested. Along with a slew of male rockers could generate enthusiasm -- think Guns N' Roses lead singer Axl Rose or someone more youthful and much more contemporary. Additionally, there are Beyonce, who was once in Reid's stable of music artists. And an amount teenage heartthrob Attacking Young Boys consider as being a primetime star? Fox may have Bieber on speed dial if he appears even slightly interested. Many think that whomever occurs board will need to possess the gravitas to endure Cowell and become resolute in shouting their opinions over the din. Whomever causes it to be to the knowing panel wish list, Fox and also the producers will have to back the18 wheeler track of a lot of cash to convince these to come aboard a show that's presently struggling with bad PR. But NY-based TV analyst Shari Anne Brill thinks the slew of musical competition shows on television recently has softened the marketplace for "X Factor" -- appearing a substantial hurdle regardless of who sits around the idol judges panel. "What made 'Idol' unique was it was a yearly event, and today with 'X Factor' individuals kind of shows on Fox are semiannual," Brill stated. "They're removing the specialness of every one." Indeed, Abdul already diluted the waters together with her own CBS series, "Live to bop,Inch this year, and NBC's rankings hit "The Voice" stole a few of the thunder from "Idol" and "X Factor" using its undertake the performance genre. Fox hasn't introduced an audition or production schedule yet for season a couple of "X Factor," but NBC is going to be searching to construct some volume because of its "Voice" because the show starts its second season on Sunday following a Super Bowl. Oddly enough, some have suspected it wasn't any coincidence the "X Factor" firings were made just days before "The Voice" came back towards the airwaves, with Cowell and Fox wishing to take a few from the thunder from their reality rival. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Wikipedia to go black Wednesday in protest of SOPA

Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales said that the site will black out on Wednesday in protest of pending anti-piracy legislation. Wales announced the blackout in a tweet on Monday, calling it a "decision of the Wikipedia." Wikipedia is so far the highest-profile of all of the sites to stage a blackout. Even though the White House gave a big setback to the anti-piracy bills over the weekend, announcing that it was opposed to portions of the legislation, champions in Congress still plan to move forward. Although supporters of the anti-piracy legislation, including Hollywood studios and most of its guilds, won significant bipartisan in Congress, they've had a tough time in conveying their message on the P.R. front. The central argument that the bills would help preserve jobs has been overshadowed by opponents' alarm that the legislation threatens the freedom of the Internet. Other popular sites including Reddit and Boing Boing also have announced plans to shut down. The Stop Online Piracy Act is pending in the House Judiciary Committee, and the PROTECT IP Act is facing a floor vote in the Senate. "Rumors of the death of SOPA may be premature. But Senate version going strong," Wales wrote in one of a series of tweets. He even related the protest to Martin Luther King Jr. Wales wrote, "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." MLK -- on Wednesday, Wikipedia demands."Wikipedia's 24-hour protest will take place only on its domestic site. Wales noted that Wikipedia generates 25 million visitors a day around the globe, according to Comscore. Contact Ted Johnson at ted.johnson@variety.com

Carriers leverage 4G for content deals

Verizon, headed by Ivan Seidenberg, has made high-profile wireless content deals such as the NFL Super Bowl streaming sponsorship. With faster 4G networks powering mobile devices, wireless carriers are seeking new ways to leverage their ability to deliver video with new content deals. "Verizon Wireless has been the most active dealmaker," said Aapo Markkanen, senior analyst, consumer mobility, for ABI Research, pointing out recent deals with videogame publisher Electronic Arts for "Rock Band," user-generated content site Ustream, and music sites Rhapsody and MOG. "That's been a natural piece to their strategy given that they're ahead of others in rolling out 4G infrastructure," first introduced at CES in 2011. What telcos seek, continues Markkanen, is "selling points for new, pricier 4G handsets and more extensive data bundles." "In general, providing subscribers with popular content bundles can be a handy way to increase customer retention," he said. "They act as incentives for users to stick to the same carrier even as their contract expires." As part of its four-year sponsorship agreement with the NFL, valued at $720 million, Verizon will make history by streaming Super Bowl XLVI live to mobile devices equipped with Verizon's exclusive NFL Mobile application on Feb. 5. Not to be outdone, Sprint recently signed a multi-year deal with the National Basketball Association to be its official wireless service partner, including the Sprint NBA Mobile Android app for in-game and postgame video highlights, news, scores, and other features. The parties did not disclose the terms of the deal. Besides the bright spot of sports, however, telcos are losing ground. For content owners, making an exclusive deal with a single mobile carrier no longer makes sense when they can make deals with mobile video retailers and streamers, or simply make the event available themselves. "A few years ago, we used to talk about the mobile content ecosystem as on-deck, meaning content preloaded by the carrier, and off-deck, which was mostly ringtones and wallpaper," said Fierce Mobile Content executive editor Jay Ankeny. "Now that seems prehistoric. I don't see a return to an era where the carriers control what people see." What happened to completely change that dynamic? "Apple redefined the mobile market space," said Juniper Research research director Windsor Holden. "It took someone like Apple to make the experience of accessing content interesting and user friendly. Carriers are excellent at delivering voice and data, but they're not the best source to sell content." Can the carriers even compete in this new environment? "The telcos are keen not to be dumb pipes but I'm not sure they're the best people to market content," Holden said. "Their key assets are the network and the billing relationship. My suspicion is that they'd generate far more revenue that way than trying to sell the content themselves." Content deals are also complicated by the fact that Verizon and AT&T both offer Internet and TV services like FiOS and U-Verse. MetroPCS also announced a deal with Mobile Content Venture, the mobile TV effort by broadcasters including Cox Media Group, Fox, and NBC, to preload their mobile TV service on its upcoming Samsung Android devices. "These are still quite early days to see what strategies the carriers will eventually adopt," Markkanen said. "But, ideally, consumers want to access their content regardless of time, place and device." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Powell animated by quartet of pix

'Rio''Happy Ft 2'The film, which inspired the most popular Angry Wild birds spinoff videogame application (also named "Rio"), "would be a love letter to (Saldanha's) home town," states Powell, who gained an Oscar nom this past year for his soaring "How you can Train Your Dragon" score.When preparing, Powell visited Rio and was handed the grand tour by Saldanha, investing 72 hours going to locations where would seem within the film, and taking in local sounds and tastes. "Carlos wanted the seem from the film to feel associated with Rio," states Powell. "He wanted the tastes and smells and also the charm."John Powell, perhaps Hollywood's king of animation soundtracks, experienced an active 2011, scoring no less than four blockbuster animated features, included in this Fox's "Rio," an avian caper directed by Brazilian helmer Carlos Saldanha.It makes sense a soundtrack simply carnivalesque, bold and colorful since it's feathered figures, and including guest looks by a few of the greatest names in Brazilian pop and bossa nova. A primary flying sequence features legendary song "Mas Que Nada," re-recorded with Sergio Mendes, the music performer who managed to get famous together with his group Brasil 66."We gave it our very own spin, put an orchestral arrangement around it, and managed to get as romantic and soaring once we could," states Powell.Getting Mendes aboard opened up the doorway with other top-tier Brazilian music artists, including Bebel Gilberto. She sings an audio lesson and voices a toucan that, ironically, can't sing. "Making her seem tone-hard of hearing was very hard for all of us, because Bebel's voice is simply beautiful," states Powell. "She needed to really act to obtain that scene right Carlos was on at her, saying, 'Worse, worse!' "For "Kung Fu Panda 2," Powell partnered with mentor Hendes Zimmer (with whom he'd obtained the very first film within the franchise). Out of the box frequently the situation with sequels, the primary musical styles had recently been established, therefore the challenge was "to experience with individuals styles in new ways," for the entertaining fight moments that are presently a trademark from the franchise.Most painstaking was a dent fight scene that director Jennifer Yuh Nelson desired to animate exactly over time towards the music. "We needed to produce the music for your particular scene annually in advance," states Powell, "while anything else is made three several weeks prior to the final dub."George Miller's "Happy Ft Two" signifies an uncommon follow up that a director required entirely new musical styles. "I done 'Happy Ft Two' for 3 1/24 months, and that i was on the first for 3 1/2 years, too. Like the way in which George works would be to fine-tune and fine-tune things until they're perfect, inside a constant condition of backwards and forwards.InchAnd merely because "Mars Needs Moms" would be a critical and box office disappointment did not mean Powell was any less connected to the figures or even the music he produced on their behalf.InchWhen you are involved with a tale you lose all perspective," he states. "Then when the film arrives with no one would go to view it, it is extremely puzzling."The coming year might find the discharge of Dr. Seuss adventure "The Lorax," that Powell has written five tunes a score for "Ice Age: Continental Drift," and possible future shows together with his band, created by Jeffrey Katzenberg and fronted by Powell and Hendes Zimmer.Their last performance was around the DreamWorks roof another was before 12,000 people at Althorp, the U.K., the estate from the Spencer family (which Princess Diana would be a member). "We'd an attractive time," states Powell, "although I do not think I have have you been before 12,000 folks my existence."Eye around the Academy awards: Song & Score Are acad rules from synch? 'Muppety' although not too 'Flighty' Pinch hitter Elizabethan notes culled from boulders Utility player orchestrates 'Miracle' Powell animated by quartet of pix Animal, mineral add 'Apes' score Gregson-Williams relishes the chase Byrne scores large 'Albert Nobbs' O'Connor in tune with 'Albert Nobbs' Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Byrne scores large 'Albert Nobbs'

Calling "Albert Nobbs" John Byrne's large break might be overstating the problem, while not by much. "It absolutely was a fantasy project," Byrne states in the Glenn Close starrer that's his finest scoring assignment so far. "I still can't believe I obtained asked for to make it happen.InchA dog project of Close's (she co-written the script and socialized as producer), the Rodrigo Garcia-helmed pic notifies the story from the 19th-century lady who stays decades just like a starchy butler in the Dublin hotel.Byrne -- which has alternated between orchestrator, arranger and composer on various projects before coping with this, his initial feature -- states he wanted his music for everybody time and support Garcia's subtle directorial approach."There's lots of upstairs-downstairs moments inside the film, there's however also serious stuff," Byrne keeps. "I didn't wish it to be sentimental, and Rodrigo agreed. I desired to obtain the gig right and not get fired -- I'm new available on the market and every job may be the last, virtually."The composer chosen for just about any traditional melodic orchestral score getting an exceptional imprint. "I didn't wish it to be too flamboyant," according to him. "I understood it must be Irish, however i didn't wish it to be cheesy. I didn't wish it to appear just old. And That I made the decision to take advantage from the harp, because it has associations of Ireland."Though Byrne's score also features piano and harpsichord (because both versions he plays round the soundtrack), harp was the indispensable instrument here."In my opinion the harp is essentially Albert -- both males and ladies,In . according to him. "The harp is at every film score you'll ever hear, but it's usually supporting the strings. It is not usually presented just like a solo instrument. I believed it may be a type of mystical appear, essentially could realize success.InchHe distributed with horns and flutes, for concern with making his music too ornate."There is lots detail in this particular film whenever you cloud track of a lot of inside the orchestration, it'll just get in the way,Inch Byrne states. "Less is a lot more. I'm furthermore a jazz music artist, so considering doing that large lick in jazz, avoid them -- leave the region. I apply that principle for the writing of film scores, too."Eye round the Oscars: Song & Score Are acad rules from synch? 'Muppety' while not too 'Flighty' Pinch hitter Elizabethan notes culled from big chunks of rock Utility player orchestrates 'Miracle' Powell animated by quartet of pix Animal, mineral add 'Apes' score Gregson-Williams relishes the chase Byrne scores large 'Albert Nobbs' O'Connor in tune with 'Albert Nobbs' Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com