SAG Top Moments: The Scorsese-est Drinking Game

Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy Our roundup of the most memorable moments of the SAG awards: 1. Scorsese-est Drinking Game: In showing a highlight from their nominated film Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy talk about devising a drinking game while making the movie. "You have to take a drink every time, and I mean every time, you hear the word Scorsese," says Rudolph. McCarthy adds: "You'd be surprised how often that comes up in casual conversation because people just like to throw that thing around." After describing the film, Wiig says: "Do you think thatScorsese saw our movie?" Then they proceed to throw the name around willy-nilly, with Rudolph mixing in "prosecco." 2. Scorsese-est Drinking Game, Part II: Steve Buscemi begins his acceptance speech as Best TV Actor for Boardwalk Empire by thanking his executive producer - Martin Scorsese. "You can take a drink," he says. He also apologizes for - obligatory spoiler alert for the DVR happy - killing off Michael Pitt's character: "To all the Michael Pitt fans out there, I know, I'm sorry. Stop yelling at me on the street." (Part III of the drinking game comes when Buscemi speaks for the show's winning ensemble.) See all the SAG Awards red carpet arrivals 3. Youngest Bleep!-ing Standup: The Modern Family cast allows its child stars to take to the mic for their Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series win. And while Rico Rodriguez and Ariel Winter deliver gracious thank yous, Nolan Gould is all (scripted) cheekiness, ranting about child actors being treated like animals. Screen mom Julie Bowen attempts to censor him when he's about to curse but he manages to make his way back to the podium to wrap it up: "Thank you to the unions for making sure we're properly fed... and put into our pens each night by sundown!" 4. Best Shout-Out to the Have-Nots: In accepting the Supporting Film Actress award to go along with her Golden Globe for The Help, a tearful Octavia Spencer nixes agent-thanking (whew!) and instead acknowledges the black women of the Jim Crow South. "I have to say it was really a privilege to give voice to so many women who made it possible for me to stand here tonight," she says, adding: "By honoring me, you honor them." After offering a shout-out for the legendary civil rights activist Medger Evers, she concludes: "I'm going to dedicate this to the downtrodden, the underserved, the underprivileged, the overtaxed, whether emotionally, physically or financially." 5. Squealiest Sixpeat: Alec Baldwin wins his sixth straight statuette for his work on 30 Rock and squeals repeatedly, "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God ..." OK, then it's time to act like he's not so jaded - so he lauds Tina Fey's writing, which he says, is what wins him the award. Check out all the SAG Awards fashion hits and misses 6. Spunkiest Tribute: Dick Van Dyke begins the loving tribute to his sitcom co-star Mary Tyler Moore's Lifetime Achievement award by tracing her long career in comedy, concluding "She really did make it after all." In her acceptance speech, Moore recounts how she had to think of an alternate name while registering for the Screen Actors Guild because they already had six Mary Moore's on record. So, inspired by her father George Tyler Moore, she registered her own full name. "I wrote it down on the form... SAG was happy, my father was happy, and tonight... I too am happy after all. Thank you." 7. Wisest Acting Advice: Tina Fey offers up Kathie Lee Gifford's sage words to the actor seeking success: "If drag queens love you, you'll have the longest career in the world. They know phony, and they know real." 8. Most Shocked Winner (No, Really!): Betty White is surprised to win her second consecutive SAG as Supporting TV Actress for Hot in Cleveland - and suggests the presenters might not be literate. "I don't think they can read. I think they made a terrible mistake." Again she stroked the buff statuette as she did last year. This time, though, she didn't linger as long over his body. 9. The Next Best Thing to Betty White: And you know what the world's oldest profession is... Christopher Plummer, who wins his first SAG for his supporting performance in Beginners, cracks: "I just can't tell you what fun I've had being a member of the world's second-oldest profession." What were your favorite moments? Tune in Monday at 8/7c for Screen Actors Guild Fashion Wrap on TV Guide Network.

Native filmmakers draw funding

Eleven aspiring filmmakers of indigenous heritage each received a $10,000 grant and two years' mentoring from an established Hollywood producer in the first such round of awards by the Indigenous Film Circle, which opened the screenwriting program last year to native cultures across the globe. Org came to Park City to announce the scholarship winners -- including the attending Guatemalan poet Rosa Chavez (of Maya K'iche' origin) -- at a luncheon ceremony hosted by Bird Runningwater, director of the Sundance Native American and Indigenous Program. The Indigenous Film Circle has high hopes that two or three commercially viable projects will emerge from the program's first round of grants, and is already seeking funds for the second round of $10,000 grants in two years. "That kind of money can go a long way in a place like Bolivia," said Donald Ranvaud, an org fellow and producer. Ranvaud is advising on Chavez's ""The Spirit of the Stones," as well as Alvaro Sarmiento Pagan's "Now." Funded largely by Scandinavian governments, the IFCircle and its mentors will spend the next two years reviewing and advising on the 11 proejcts to ensure they develop into screen-ready scripts. Other winners include: Philipp Abryutin (Chukchi/Russian Federation) "Sunrise Diary"; Tvli Jacob and Valarie Blue Bird Jernigan (Choctaw/USA) "Trickster"; Darlene Johnson (Dunghutti/Australia) "Baru"; Sara Magrethe Oskal (Smi/Norway) - "Let's Get Married"; Edgar Noe Sajcabun Mux (Maya/Guatemala) "The Time in the Mountains"; Silja Somby (Sami/Norway) "Keeper of the Drum"; Elle-Maija Tailfeathers (Sami and Blackfoot/Norway and Canada) "Untitled"; John Erling Utsi (Sami/Sweden) "Mr. No-one"; and Orgun Wagua (Kuna/Panama) "The Return of the Herons." Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Witherspoon, Reynolds land 'Big Eyes'

WitherspoonReynoldsReese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds are attached to star in the indie "Big Eyes," a biopic of Margaret and Walter Keane that will be written and directed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Tim Burton is producing through his Tim Burton Prods. banner, while Lynette Howell and Jamie Patricof will produce through their new shingle Electric City Entertainment. Production is skedded to start this spring.Based on a true story, pic concerns the Keanes' pop-eyed paintings, which became a worldwide sensation in the 1960s. However, their lives were fraught with controversy; While Margaret was the true talent who toiled in obscurity, Walter stole all the credit and enjoyed fame."We are ecstatic to have this dream cast for our dream project," the helmers said in a joint statement. "Walter is a larger-than-life antihero -- charming, funny, dangerous, and a little crazy. Ryan will knock it out of the park. As for Reese, she will be perfect as Margaret -- soulful, decent, transforming from vulnerability to learning to fight for herself."Karaszewski and Alexander previously collaborated with Burton on the Oscar-winning Johnny Depp-starrer "Ed Wood." Their other credits include "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" and the Andy Kaufman pic "Man on the Moon."Reynolds next stars opposite Denzel Washington in the action-thriller "Safe House," which Universal opens Feb. 10.Witherspoon next stars alongside Chris Pine and Tom Hardy in McG's action-comedy "This Means War," which Fox opens Feb. 14. Alexander and Karaszewski are repped by UTA, while WME reps Burton. CAA reps Reynolds and Witherspoon, who is also repped by Management 360. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

Desperate Housewives: Can Lynette and Tom Get It Together By Series' End?

Felicity Huffman and Doug Savant Will one of Wisteria Lane's most beloved couples be able to reconcile before time runs out? For seven seasons of Desperate Housewives, Lynette (Felicity Huffman) and Tom Scavo (Doug Savant) were one of the show's few stable relationships. While Gaby and Carlos, and Susan and Mike were busy breaking up and getting back together, and Bree had her hands full bedding half the block, the Scavos always seemed to have it together. But after separating at the beginning of the season, things aren't looking good. "We're worried," Huffman tells TVGuide.com. "We just keep getting farther and farther apart." How will Desperate Housewives end? Marc Cherry teases a special cameo That gap is only going to widen on this Sunday's episode, airing at 9/8c on ABC, when Lynette starts dating again. Tom already has a girlfriend, Jane (Andrea Parker), but that doesn't mean he's going to take the news well. "While I was away from the set, James [Denton] took a picture of Felicity in bed with another actor and sent it to me and I said, 'That's it. I want a divorce,'" Savant says with a laugh. "I don't anticipate Tom reacting any better than I already did, which is poorly." Savant is hardly the only one having a tough time accepting the couple's break-up this season. "I used to get very good reactions on the street. People liked Tom and thought he was funny. And now I hear 'You're stupid,'" Savant says. ("Do they really say you're stupid?" Huffman asks. "Was it me?" At least they still do the old married couple banter off-screen.) Watch full episodes of Desperate Housewives Huffman anticipates more tough feedback now that Lynette is playing the field again, and she empathizes with fans. "People are shocked. People don't like it. I read a lot of stuff about people hating Jane, but I've been dating so I'm sure stuff is going to come out about that," Huffman says. "People are attached, as are we, to the marriage and they want them to get back together." Considering the many hardships their marriage has endured over the years -- the discovery of a long-lost love child, cancer, miscarriage, money troubles, the grocery store shoot-out, the tornado and the plane crash -- how much will it take to keep them apart for good? "They're meant to be together. They have a deep and abiding love," Huffman says. "Like a lot of marriages, they've let the bad stuff overtake the good stuff." A happy ending for Lynette and Tom is the only way Savant sees fit to say goodbye to Desperate Housewives. "I so closely relate this entire experience to our personal friendship and working relationship because she's my wife on the show. She's the reason I exist on the show," Savant says. "I can't imagine the show coming to an end and us not being together."

'Game of Thrones' returns on April 1

Cinemax has set April 1 since the date for your 10-episode second-season premiere of ''Game of Thrones.''Fantasy drama will be a huge ratings champion for your pay cabler within the debut a year ago, additionally to some massive profit center for your internet since Cinemax produces the series too. Furthermore to become domestic hit, ''Thrones'' came numerous audiences around the globe.Other premiere dates introduced with the cabler are the Lena Dunham comedy series ''Girls'' to debut April 15, Julia Louis-Dreyfus laffer ''Veep'' soon after on Apirl 22 and a pair of-hour telepic ''Game Change,'' with Erection dysfunction Harris as Sen. John McCain and Julianne Moore as Gov. Sarah Palin, will debut March 10. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Prometheus pictures reveal Alien link?

Ever since Prometheus was first announced, there has been some confusion as to just how connected it is to Ridley Scott's earlier journey into space, Alien.According to Scott himself, "Alien was indeed the jumping off point for this project," and the director would go on to explain that, "the keen fan will recognise strands of Alien's DNA."However, those hints appeared to be contradicted by writer Damon Lindelof, who was keen to stress the originality of the film as a standalone piece. "I don't think that any of us would have been doing our jobs right, if this movie couldn't stand on its own," said Lindelof. "The idea of connecting it in, in an incredibly profound way, would denude its originality a little bit."So what elements will overlap? Well from the looks of a pair of new images leaked from the Prometheus set, the Space Jockey will feature prominently, as the pictured mask appears to be a dead-ringer for the mysterious figure seen aboard Alien's derelict ship.It's not an exact replica, but it's enough to convince us the Alien links are more significant than we had originally thought. All will become clear when the film finally arrives in UK cinemas on 1 June 2012.

Utility player orchestrates 'Miracle'

'The Finest Miracle'McKenzieFor yesteryear 2 decades, accomplished orchestrator Mark McKenzie remains a busy schedule-to guy behind-the-moments for such top film composers as Jerry Goldsmith, Hendes Zimmer and Danny Elfman. Nevertheless the guy who's orchestrated such hits as "Spider-Guy," "Ice Age: The Meltdown" and "The Exorcist: Enemy," together with a gifted composer within the own right, is finally obtaining the limelight due to an obscure indie Mexican 3d animated spiritual film titled "The Best Miracle," which recently won him the indie/documentary/online video score award within the Hollywood Music On Tv Honours."The whole factor can be a miracle," states McKenzie in the belief-based family film directed by Bruce Morris and produced by Mexico City-based Pablo Barosso and Claudia Nemer, "simply because they did not have money, and were also throwing out an early on score once i met them. And so they thought I'd can be found in and save these with a somewhat cheap synthesizer score."Rather, McKenzie was adament the film, allotted just $millions of, deserved an entire symphonic score -- an expensive proposition. "And amazingly, they referred to as back and described to go to with this,Inch he recalls.Doing the work wasn't super easy. "To start with, they didn't really possess a copy in the film in British without any music in the prior composer," he reviews. "Therefore I literally was writing music without any dialogue, after which it I'd change it up slightly, therefore i could hear an sufficient quantity of the dialogue to produce sense of everything, but without hearing the music activity beneath it.InchMcKenzie spent six days writing the completely new score and doing their very own orchestration, after which it experienced another minor miracle because he carried out the incomplete material to Morris and Barosso on three separate visits to his L.A. studio. "Without fail, they loved everything I carried out them, and that i have did not have which happen before," he reviews.To record the score, McKenzie used an 80-piece orchestra, the acclaimed London boys' choir Libera together with a women's choir. "After which it I written a 15-minute suite using the score, which opened up last August in Madrid, incorporated in World Youth Day, before Pope Benedict XVI," he adds. "Aspects of the film's been amazing."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