'Welcome Back Kotter's' Epstein, Actor Robert Hegyes, Dies at 60

The Flynn & Boy Funeral Home in Fords, NJ was informed in the actor's dying on Thursday by his family.Hegyes happen to be moved for the JFK Clinic in Edison, NJ that morning entirely stroke and died, the Star-Ledger reviews.Hegyes got his large break on Kotter, a seventies TV series of a teacher who returned to have an inner-city NY school he visited becoming an adult to coach students frequently recognized to as "Sweathogs." The cast incorporated Travolta Qantas Video, who carried out Vinnie Barbarino.Hegyes later came out in other Tv shows, including "Cagney & Lacey." More youthful crowd had stints on "CHiPs," "Diagnosis Murder," "The Came Carey Show" and "Lewis & Clark."Born in 1951 within glasgow - Perth Amboy, Hegyes was elevated the first child from the Hungarian father and Italian mother in Metuchen, NJ. He headed to NY City following graduation at Rowan College, where he'd frequently return to train master classes. The Hollywood Reporter

Pilot Season: Paula Malcomson to Star Opposite Liev Schreiber in Showtime's Ray Donovan

Paula Malcomson Paula Malcomson remains cast since the female lead in Showtime's Ray Donovan pilot, Deadline.com reviews. Liev Schreiber to star in Showtime's Ray Donovan The drama stars Liev Schreiber since the titular character, a specialist fixer for your wealthy and famous in La who's unable to flee their very own family issues. The Deadwood and Caprica star will portray his wife Abby, a hard Boston native who finds it tough to sit down within the Hollywood lifestyle. The project arises from Southland creator Ann Biderman, who'll executive-produce along with Mark Gordon (Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds) and Bryan Zuriff.

Oprah Confident Obama Will Win Re-Election

First Published: January 22, 2012 2:04 PM EST Credit: AFP Caption Oprah Winfrey gestures while in conversation with the press during the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) in Jaipur, India on January 22, 2012JAIPUR, India -- Oprah Winfrey says she is confident that President Barack Obama will win another four-year term in this years U.S. election. The talk show host was addressing a literary festival Sunday in the northwestern Indian town of Jaipur. Winfrey praised Obamas handling of the presidency. She said his next four years would be even more successful, with people able to get back to work. Winfrey backed Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign in her first-ever political endorsement. She was among the biggest crowd pullers at the annual Jaipur Literary Festival, which brings together top writers, poets and critics and around 50,000 literary fans from around the world. Winfrey has been in India for a week filming programs for her new TV network. Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kickstarter stretches Sundancers' budgets

Sundance dramatic competition player 'Keep the Lights On' was aided by crowdfunding. While traditional traders may have become skittish, film fans are walking around help fund the indies they most need to visit. In just its newbie, the Sundance Institute's partnership with film crowdsourcing fundraiser event Kickstarter has aided raise roughly $1.5 million for 50 projects -- about $35,000 per film normally -- according to Ernest Beyer, the Institute's director of digital initiatives.This year, 15 Kickstarter-assisted films were recognized to the festival itself. That's up from five (including breakout hit "Pariah") round the 2011 slate, the initial year the fest felt the impact in the crowdsourcing giant since its founding in Spring 2009 by Yancey Strickler and Perry Chen.A year ago, Kickstarter's film projects saw $32.5 million in film funding from around 310,000 people, an origin notes in the initiatives, that could repay encouraging cineastes with under a DVD in the finished film upon release. (Whether it doesn't meet its fundraising event goal, traders promises should never be collected.) "If you think (hundreds of 1000's) clients undertaking money to films that don't exist yet, it suggests that even though some regions of the organization might be in (bad) shape, you'll find other options people are searching toward.InchIn compliance to Beyer, the attention in Kickstarter among Sundance-connected filmmakers remains overwhelming, but he sometimes finds themselves speaking prospective producers from the Kickstarter campaign. "Lots of people have mentioned, 'This is a lot more work than I anticipated,' and then we make them by saying, 'This is not to suit your needs,A?Inch according to him getting fun. As Strickler describes, "It tests the acumen from the filmmaker to market a film and acquire an audience.InchThe mix-promotion boosts potential conflict-of-interest questions when Sundance Institute films funded with the Kickstarter partnership are recognized to the festival (seven were this year, and Institute emails marketing certain Kickstarter projects go out regularly), but Beyer states strict rules established yourself forbidding fest designers from buying and selling in or showing preference to people photos.This year, really the only Kickstarter-funded film in U.S. dramatic competitors are Ira Sachs' "Keep the Lights On." Parts and Labor's Jay Van Hoy, who professional produced, notes that online buying and selling inside the project allowed classical backers with bigger handbags to gauge the quantity of fascination with the film, encouraging those to come aboard.Other Kickstarter-funded Sundance features include documentary competition records "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry," "Me @ the Zoo" and "Indie Game: The Film.Inch Evening time selection "Black Rock" is within the mix, similar to Next features "Mosquita y Mari" and "My Best Day," and experimental New Frontiers projects "Abacus" and "Room 237."Like Sachs, the majority of the helmers are Sundance vets, some with fans the filmmakers have cultivated to invest in their new projects. The Austin-based Zellner brothers and sisters used momentum utilizing their 2008 Sundance feature "Goliath" together with a cult DVD shorts compilation to help fund the next entry "Kid-Factor." The Zellners attempted a short, two-week campaign becoming an experiment to enhance beginning funds, and needed in $10,000 -- a part of their budget -- from greater than 120 traders.People buying and selling around the certain threshold obtain a special mention inside the credits, yet another way filmmakers involve and cultivate their fanbase inside the crowdsourcing era."It can help to inform others,Inch states co-director David Zellner. "In hindsight, we'd did a long campaign for further money." Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

BAFTA to fete Martin Scorsese

LONDON -- Martin Scorsese is planned to be honored getting a BAFTA fellowship as of this year's film honours ceremony. The fellowship, that's granted yearly by BAFTA, is presented upon an individual in recognition from the outstanding and exceptional contribution to film. Scorsese will probably be honored for his celebrated career spanning across six decades, through which he's helmed works for instance "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," "Gangs of NY," "The Aviator," "The Departed" which year's 3d pic "Hugo." He's been nominated for just about any BAFTA nine occasions, garnering three wins in 1991 for "Goodfellas." "Martin Scorsese can be a legend within the lifetime an authentic inspiration to all or any youthful company company directors all over the world,Inch mentioned BAFTA chairman Tim Corrie. "We are delighted to recognition his contribution to cinema background anticipate needing to pay tribute to him london on February 12." Formerly honored Men include Charlie Chaplin, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Sean Connery, Bette Davis, Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Judi Dench and Vanessa Redgrave. Congressman Congressman Christopher Lee received the fellowship within the BAFTA film honours a year ago. The BAFTA film honours ceremony will unspool at London's Royal Opera House on Feb. 12. Nominations will probably be introduced Jan. 17. Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com