Broadway fends off chill

Nick Jonas, center, assumed charge role in "How to achieve Business Without Really Trying" a week ago. Broadway's overall cume may take an autumn a week ago, but things were not so harmful to the person shows around the boards. Although total Rialto receipts fell by about $two million, lots of that may be paid for for by the lack of two implies that closed throughout the last frame, "Follies" and "The Mountaintop." The only real really large slide each week was taken by "How to achieve Business Without Really Trying" (defeating nearly 50% to $682,879), but even that were expected, since a week ago was the first one to see topliner Nick Jonas walk into the role that Darren Criss ("Glee") performed for 3 B.O.-busting days. Whereas the brevity of Criss' stint prodded fans to purchase now, Jonas' six-month run does not provide the same emergency, especially in the finish of what's typically a difficult month for that Rialto. Generally, the majority of the shows around the Primary Stem were built with a relatively steady week. Most productions, actually, upticked, and also the other declines were not terribly dramatic. "It of Mormon" ($1,445,407) for example, rose a little to interrupt another house record in the Eugene O'Neill Theater. Show handled to climb towards the second rung on top 10 -- an indication that although demand at other, older hits may sag a little this month, last season's "Mormon" is constantly on the ride its wave of must-see hype. Arriving directly behind "Wicked" ($1,503,461), "Mormon" outpaced both "Spider-Guy: Switch Off the Dark" ($1,417,922) and "The Lion King" ($1,382,353). Among the greatest bumps was seen at "Porgy and Bess" ($921,404), ongoing to appear strong despite winter season sales challenges and reviews which were all around the map. Actually, nearly all shows around the Rialto published gains, although most were fairly modest. The heftiest rise from the sesh was at "Chinglish" ($366,258), climbing a lot more than $100,000 because of last-minute biz just before its Jan. 29 closing. Also exiting a week ago were "On the Obvious Day You Can Observe Forever" ($614,214) and "Relatively Speaking" ($338,355). With three showcases the table, Broadway's overall cume might slide downward again now. Still, by having an attendance of 205,816 at 26 shows, a week ago was much more participating in the Rialto compared to same frame this year, which introduced within 150,000 theatergoers to some smallish slate of 19 productions. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com

Nomination scorecard

FILMS WITH MULTIPLE NOMINATIONS TITLE STUDIO Volume Of NOMS "Hugo" Vital 11 "The Artist" The Weinstein Company 10 "Moneyball" The brand new the new sony Pictures Delivering 6 "War Equine" Touchstone 6 "The Descendants" Fox Searchlight 5 "The Woman while using Dragon Tattoo" The brand new the new sony Pictures Delivering 5 "The AssistanceInch Touchstone 4 "Evening amount of time in Paris" The brand new the new sony Pictures Classics 4 "Albert Nobbs" Kerbside Sights 3 "Harry Potter as well as the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Warner Bros. 3 "Mess Tailor Soldier Spy" Focus Features 3 "Transformers: Dark in the Moon" Vital 3 "The Tree of Existence" Fox Searchlight 3 "Bridesmaids" Universal 2 "Very Noisy & Incredibly Close" Warner Bros. 2 "The Iron Lady" The Weinstein Company 2 "My Week with Marilyn" The Weinstein Company 2 "A Separation" The brand new the new sony Pictures Classics 2

PHOTO GALLERY: 'Moneyball' Event with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill

PHOTO GALLERY: 'Moneyball' Event with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill By Jenelle Riley January 17, 2012 Photo by Kevin Parry Photography Jonah Hill loves making prank phone calls, and Brad Pitt found his acting teacher through a stripper. These were just two of the revelations the actors made at a special Q&A on Monday, presented by Back Stage and the SAG Foundation. Both actors earned Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for their roles in the film, which tells the true story of how Oakland A's manager Billy Beane (Pitt) used statistical analysis to build a competitive baseball team with less money than other major leagues teams. Pitt said this idea intrigued him."I'm a sports fan; you see sports as a competitive level playing field," he said at the event, which also included a screening of the film. "One team takes on another team, one individual faces another individual, and the best man, the best team, wins. I was not aware of the gulf, the difference in payrolls, these teams are experiencing. And I was really taken by the idea that this is not fair. So these guys saying we've got to re-question how we do everything, I thought that was interesting." PHOTO GALLERY: 'Moneyball' Event with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill By Jenelle Riley January 17, 2012 PHOTO CREDIT Kevin Parry Photography Jonah Hill loves making prank phone calls, and Brad Pitt found his acting teacher through a stripper. These were just two of the revelations the actors made at a special Q&A on Monday, presented by Back Stage and the SAG Foundation. Both actors earned Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for their roles in the film, which tells the true story of how Oakland A's manager Billy Beane (Pitt) used statistical analysis to build a competitive baseball team with less money than other major leagues teams. Pitt said this idea intrigued him."I'm a sports fan; you see sports as a competitive level playing field," he said at the event, which also included a screening of the film. "One team takes on another team, one individual faces another individual, and the best man, the best team, wins. I was not aware of the gulf, the difference in payrolls, these teams are experiencing. And I was really taken by the idea that this is not fair. So these guys saying we've got to re-question how we do everything, I thought that was interesting."

Exclusive 'Chronicle' Clip: What Every High School Guy Would Do With Superpowers

It's time we moved past the whole "With great power comes great responsibility" thing. It totally ruins all the fun you could have with superpowers. In "Chronicle," a new found-footage film about three teenage boys who acquire superpowers, we learn what happens when superheroes forget responsibility and focus more on having a good time. Also, it's basically what every guy you knew in high school would do if he and his buddies got powers. Michael B. Jordan, Dane DeHaan and Alex Russell play the three high school student who mysterious earn the ability to move objects with their minds. (A quick Google search tells them this is called "telekinesis.") In the clip above, the guys play around with their new abilities, some yard equipment and an unlucky girl's skirt. Over the course of the movie, the gang's powers advance, and so do their egos. As they drift further and further toward super villain territory, Uncle Ben's old adage proves wiser and wiser. Though the film doesn't hit theaters until next month, "Chronicle" has already started to generate the right kind of buzz. The makers of the film previewed some footage for journalists in LA a few weeks ago, and the response was generally positive. And just today, Variety reported that director Josh Trank is now the front runner to reboot the "Fantastic Four" franchise. Moves like these, weeks before the film's release, are usually signs of good things to come and confidence from the studio. "Chronicle" flies into theaters on February 3. What did you think of the clip? Let us know in the comments below and on Twitter!

Kelsey Grammer Expecting Twins

Kelsey Grammer and Kayte Walsh Kelsey Grammer likely to be a father for that fifth and sixth time.In Charge star's wife, Kayte Walsh Grammer, is pregnant with twins, Grammer introduced Sunday within the press room following his Golden Globe win for drama TV actor.Take a look at all of the Globes fashion hits and misses"I'm really searching toward meeting these arrivals," Grammer stated.These would be the first children for that couple, who experienced a miscarriage in fall 2010.Take a look at photos of Kelsey GrammerThe ex-Frasier star, 56, has two children, 7-year-old Jude and 10-year-old Mason, with ex-wife Camille Grammer. Younger crowd has one daughter with Barrie Buckner, 19-year-old Greer, and something daughter with ex-wife Doreen Alderman, ex-Greek star Spencer, 28.Grammer and Walsh Grammer, 32, tied the knot in NY last Feb.Watch Grammer's press conference below: