Billboard: Extended Panel Coverage

Get ready for a brand new animated Dorothy who "cuts like a knife."

Well, she isn't violent or anything. But she's armed with some veteran pop firepower.

Preceding panels on emerging platforms and building business relationships, attendees at the Billboard / Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference at Hollywood's Renaissance Hotel were treated Tuesday to a handful of scenes from the forthcoming "Dorothy of Oz," an animated musical featuring original music from Bryan Adams. The "Case Study: Dorothy of Oz" panel featured the film's director, composer, music supervisor and lead producer, who described a reverent indie feature that's simultaneously striving to offer a fresh take familiar characters.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report on The 'Dorothy of Oz' Case Study, 2012 & Beyond & My First Job Panels at the Billboard Film & TV Music Conference.

Billboard: Rock Stars Turned Composers

Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park), Curt Smith (Tears For Fears) and Cliff Martinez (ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Dickies) are a few of the musicians in possession of the unique temperament, artistic outlook and skill sets necessary to crossover from the soundtrack to the score. They were among the musicians assembled for the "Out of the Band and Onto the Screen" panel at Billboard / The Hollywood Reporter's Film and TV Music Conference on Monday at Hollywood's Renaissance Hotel, moderated by 20th Century Fox Music President Robert Kraft.

Martinez joked that it was the Red Hot Chili Peppers infamous "sock" band photo (where the members all appeared wearing nothing but socks over their private parts) that set him on his current career path. "The sock is what made me make the move from the world of rock to the world of movies," he deadpanned. "I kept trying to visualize myself at the age of 40, 50, 60, walking out on stage with the sock." CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.

Billboard: 'Glee' Star Serenades Film Composer

Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who wrote the scores for "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin" and many more, once handed a hundred dollar tip to a college kid doing an acoustic medley of his songs at a coffee shop.

These days that "kid" is better known as Darren Criss from "Glee" -- and at the Billboard / Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference, he made a surprise appearance before participants, with his acoustic guitar in hand, and serenaded Menken once again.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.

Billboard: Advice from Music Supervisors

If you don't include basic information with the music you're submitting to music supervisors, you might as well be sending it directly to the trash. Handwrite it if necessary, but make sure it's on there: track titles, writer / publisher information, PRO information, how to get in contact, relevant artist URLs. If it's an MP3, encode the metadata. Sending a download link? Don't set it to expire.

These were the recurring sentiments expressed by the cross-section of experienced industry experts assembled for the "Real Time Critique: Music Supervisors React To Your Work" panel at the Billboard / Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference, taking place Monday and Tuesday at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles. The half-dozen music supervisors and related professionals each offered similar advice as they listened to tracks gathered from conference attendees. CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.

MTV: Box Office Report

Moviegoers were feeling the Halloween "spirit" over the weekend. "Paranormal Activity 3" broke the box-office record for the biggest fall opening with an estimated $54 million debut, passing "Jackass 3D" to become the highest-grossing September/October opening ever. Meanwhile, "The Three Musketeers," "Johnny English Reborn" and "The Mighty Macs" all underperformed. Milla Jovovich had a lot to say about Summit Entertainment's handling of "Musketeers" on Twitter, too.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.

MTV: 'The Secret Circle' Recap: 'Wake'

Witch hunters, boozy revelations, a huge breakup, a girl stabbed in the throat and a short novel's worth of new layers of "Secret Circle" mythology? If we didn't know better, we'd have thought "Wake" was the season finale. But we're still only six episodes in. CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.

MTV: Box Office Report

Hugh Jackman's latest movie proved to be more than a one-hit wonder. "Real Steel" retained the #1 spot at the box office for a second consecutive weekend, fending off competition from re-workings of '80s classics, "Footloose" and "The Thing" (a remake/prequel). Meanwhile, the combined star power of Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin didn't prevent "The Big Year" from bombing.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.

MTV: 'The Secret Circle' Recap: 'Slither'

How did "The Secret Circle" celebrate The CW's announcement of a full season order? Why, by killing off a major character, of course! And with a whipped cream fueled make-out session, to boot. CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.

MTV: Box Office Report

Hugh Jackman KO's George Clooney at the Box-Office! "Real Steel" was the clear victor at the box office this weekend. The action-packed robot-boxing movie took in $27.3 million, according to studio estimates, which easily bested the rest of the flicks in theaters, both new and old. Of course, the contest wasn't exactly along the lines of George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.

*Yes that's me in the photo with Atom and Noisy Boy.

Huffington Post: How to Walk Away

The Huffington Post ran what is perhaps the most personal piece I've ever written as their front page story over the weekend. I made my last mortgage payment on November 1, 2009. Bank Of America changed the locks on my house on September 29, 2011. What happens when you walk away? Are you arrested? Are you shunned? CLICK HERE to read the rest of my article.

MTV: 'The Secret Circle' Recap: 'Heather'

It's not Halloween yet but "The Secret Circle" is handing out treats to genre fans.

Last week's episode had a killer '80s psycho-stalker movie vibe and this week's storyline gave us demonic possession, a little taste of a haunted-ish house and (finally!) the show's first outright reference to the teen witch classic "The Craft."

"Heather," the title of the fourth episode of The CW's new supernatural series, may not be a reference to the classic Winona Ryder flick "Heathers" but the episode was otherwise chock full of nods to decades of suspenseful horror. The biggest "gotcha!" jolt of the series thus far appears in this episode along with evil snakes and a sexily unstrapped bra.

CLICK HERE to read the rest of my recap.

Hugh Jackman, Shawn Levy & Sugar Ray Leonard Interviews

I recently caught up with Hugh Jackman to talk about "Real Steel," which is a surprisingly fun and engaging popcorn movie with a mix of futurism and midcentury Americana that I quite enjoyed. I don't think I had spoken to Jackman since "X2: X-Men United" and he's frankly a fantastic interview.

On the cutting room floor, there's a bit where I show him my Dark Phoenix tattoo as well as my ultra-nerdy tattoos of Wolverine supporting characters Elsie-Dee and Bloodscream. I told him that I was one of the people who complained about him being a foot taller than the "real" Wolverine but that I absolutely have loved him in the role. (No, I didn't profess to love all of the "X-Men" films).

I spoke with Jackman and "Real Steel" director Shawn Levy about CGI vs. real effects (they actually constructed robot standins for the actors to interact with), the "Rocky" movies, a "Real Steel" sequel (Jackman is already signed on for one), Americana and more. I also had a chance to interview Sugar Ray Leonard. Jackman overheard me telling someone how I starstruck I was by Leonard and quickly exclaimed, "Me too, mate! I was starstruck by him as well! It's Sugar Ray Leonard!"

Head on over to MovieWeb and watch my interviews RIGHT HERE.

MTV: Box Office Report

A bunch of animals (and Brad Pitt) fended off competition from four new films over the weekend. "Dolphin Tale," "Moneyball" and "The Lion King" (in 3-D) took the top three spots at the weekend box office, respectively, with "50/50" achieving moderate business. "Courageous" did well considering its budget and range of release, while "Dream House" and Anna Faris' "What's Your Number?" tanked. CLICK HERE to read the rest of my report.