Oops Raspberry braid encourages Maurer

Maurer Andy Fickman's Oops Raspberry braid has promoted Laura Maurer for everybody as creative executive within the shingle.She formerly assisted Oops partner Betsy Sullenger and labored at Flower Films on "Whip It," "Unhealthy Foods Nation" and "He's Not That Into You." Oops' current slate includes "Boy Scouts versus. Zombies" "The Plantation," some pot production with RKO and Twisted Pictures based on RKO's "I Walked Getting a spook,Inch with Adam Marcus pointing and Bryan Fogel's "Jewtopia," which just completed production starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Rita Wilson, Jon Lovitz, Camryn Manheim, Tom Arnold, Joel David Moore, Ivan Sergai and Jamie Lynn Sigler. Fickman directed family comedy "Parental Guidance," likely to be out November. 21. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Sucherman Talking to grows in L.A.

Stuart Sucherman's talking to and executive search firm has broadened its La office and hired Angela Garden enthusiast, an experienced professional and former senior Vice president for Talent Purchases at Fox Entertainment Group. ''This is definitely an incredibly interesting some time and the planet is altering in a very rapid pace,'' Sucherman told Variety. ''The real question is, have you got the best folks the best job?'' because the media biz develops more complicated each day and firms are constantly seek advice and executives who're creative and electronically savvy. Sucherman Talking to, a little eclectic shop with decades-lengthy associations with leading media and entertainment companies, also stated chief operating officer Erik Sorenson, who became a member of this year, is becoming an equity partner. Garden enthusiast began late this past year located in La with Matthew Wagner, who heads free airline Coast operation in addition to SGC Industry Intelligence, a brand new business offshoot ''to bring thorough industry analyses to the clients using private, highly-placed contacts inside the media and entertainment landscape,'' the organization stated. It presently has five employees in La and 15 in NY. Clients include divisions of NBC Universal, Wally Disney and Viacom, America online and also the NY Mets. It's placed professionals at ABC, AandE, CNN, CNBC, Comedy Central, Endemol, Food Network, Fuse, Fox, Game Show Network, MTV, NBC, Nickelodeon, Showtime, Sundance, Telemundo, Tennis Funnel, VH1, the NY Mets and also the NY Jets. Sucherman would be a friend of broadcast legend Fred Friendly, and it has labored for that Columbia School of Journalisml, WNET/ 13 NY, CBS News so that as an attorney for that FCC. Sorenson leader of MSNBC from 1998 to 2004, was professional producer of ''CBS This Morning'' and ''The CBS Evening News with Serta Rather.'' He's won a lot more than 20 Emmys along with a Peabody. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

OWN greenlights three series

The Oprah Winfrey Network is adding three more new series to its programming slate, amping up a sked that is slowly finding its feet after a shaky first year.New series include "Lovetown, USA," "Lives on Fire" and "Are You Normal, America?"The first two series are produced by BBC Worldwide Productions for OWN, with "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" shingle Zoo Productions producing "Normal.""Lovetown" follows a pair of matchmaking relationship gurus as they take over Kingsland, GA in an effort to help eight singletons locate mates. "Lives" is a little less lighthearted, focusing on the struggles of four female firefighters in California as they try to balance the demands of their difficult jobs with the challenges of a male-dominated field and the pressures of family life."Normal" is, coincidentally, the least conventional of the three. The series tells viewers whether or not they're normal for, say, doing their household chores naked or snooping into their partners' emails. Series takes a gameshow format. Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

A Few More Details On The 24 Movie

It's a day in two hoursBack at the start of December, Kiefer Sutherland confirmed that the long-developing 24 Movie was finally storming ahead. Intriguingly, it seems that it's only Sutherland that's ever talking about this film, which gives us an appropriately Jack Bauer-like notion of him going rogue and making the thing entirely on his own. But whatever the circumstances, Sutherland has just provided a few more bits of 24 Movie intel to compliment what we already knew.Firstly, while the film will obviously not be 24 hours long, it will still cover a full day. Hence the name. So all you wags who suggested it should be re-titled something like 90 Minutes... are sort of right, actually. There is a precedent for a more conflated 24 narrative: there was the Redemption TV movie back in 2008. But that was still supposedly in real time and only covered a two-hour period. This will be the first 24 hours that hasn't unfolded over (more or less) 24 hours...Secondly, in terms of the film's place in the 24 canon, Sutherland says it's about six months after the end of the eighth season, picking up the thread of... actually, we won't say, in case you haven't got that far yet.And finally, there's confirmation that Mary Lynn Rajskub's Chloe will have a place in the movie's story.The much-touted Billy Ray wrote the initial drafts of the screenplay, with recent additional work by Mark Bomback (Unstoppable, the upcoming Wolverine). Brian Grazer is producing.The film is believed to see Jack Bauer making his ends justify his means in Europe, but the previously reported Fox shortlist of five directors still hasn't resulted in an announcement. Can't be long now.

George Clooney, 'Monuments Men'? Actor Plans to Direct and Star in Film About Stolen Nazi Art

It looks like George Clooney has found his next directorial project -- and it might be the biggest of his career. Speaking with TheWrap at the Palm Springs Film Festival over the weekend, Clooney confirmed that he would tackle "Monuments Men" next -- a film about the recovery of art stolen by the Nazis in World War II. "I'm excited about it," Clooney said to TheWrap on Saturday. "It's a fun move because it could be big entertainment. It's a big budget, you can't do it small -- it's landing in Normandy." Based on the Robert M. Edsel book "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History," the project would follow a team of art experts who hunt the lost artifacts. (Like "Ocean's 11" in World War II?) In addition to starring and directing, Clooney will co-write "Monuments Men" with his long-time producing partner Grant Heslov. Clooney, who previously directed "The Ides of March," "Leatherheads," "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," said this could be his most commercial film yet...but with a twist. "Im not opposed to doing a commercial film, I'm just opposed to doing a commercial film that doesn't feel organic to me," he said. "So if we're going to do a commercial film we thought, 'Let's do something that seems fun and actually have something to say.'" Start the Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon casting rumors...now. [via TheWrap] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

CW accumulates 'Cult' pilot

The CW has acquired the pilot "Cult" from author Rockne O'Bannon. Logline for that project: Following a rash of disappearances along with a likely murder, an inquisitive, youthful female production assistant on the extremely popular tv program known as "Cult" joins a journalist blogger in looking into the rabid fans from the series who may be re-creating crimes seen around the program, in tangible existence. The show was initially developed in the WB for that 2006-2007 and then again in the CW for that 2009-2010 season. From Warner Bros. Television and Fake Empire, the CW's "Cult" is going to be professional created by O'Bannon, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage and Len Goldstein. O'Bannon, who had been the creator of "Fascape," most lately composed a chapter of ABC's sci-fi drama "V." When the pilot will be acquired to series, there's the chance CW would only order 13 episodes as opposed to the traditional 22. Fox attempted that strategy last fall, but which was mostly due to the in-depth effects work required for the series that shoots around australia. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Aretha Franklin Engaged To Longtime Friend

First Published: January 2, 2012 3:53 PM EST Credit: Getty Images NY, N.Y. -- Caption Aretha Franklin steps out at the 2010 Apollo Theater Spring Benefit Concert & Awards Ceremony at The Apollo Theater in NY City on June 14, 2010Aretha Franklin is engaged to longtime friend William Willie Wilkerson. The Grammy-winning singer told The Associated Press in a statement Monday that she and Wilkerson are considering a summer wedding, perhaps in Miami Beach, Fla. The Queen of Soul wants to follow the ceremony with a reception on a private yacht. The 69-year-old jokes: No, Im not pregnant. Franklin and Wilkerson became engaged over the holidays. She is considering Vera Wang, Valentino and Donna Karan to design her dress. Franklin has been married twice before. ___ Mesfin Fekadu covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/musicmesfin Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.