'The Birds' Mystery Solved: Was Poison to Blame?

Back in January -- when it seemed like you couldn't get through one day without reading about a rash of bizarre bird deaths -- you would have been forgiven for adding 'The Birds' to your Netflix queue in the hopes of finding out ways to survive the coming birdpocalypse. The 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film remains one of the scariest cautionary tales of all time, if only because of its mystery: Hitch based the film, in part, on a 1961 incident in Monterey Bay, California, where seabirds rammed themselves into houses. Fifty years later, it seems that the impetus behind the bizarre occurrence has been discovered. "I am pretty convinced that the birds were poisoned," said ocean environmentalist Sibel Bargu of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge to USA Today, presumably while a thunderclap exploded behind her. The cause of the poisoning? Not a platinum blonde looking for revenge, but plankton. According to Bargu and her team, who surveyed the stomach contents of turtles and seabirds taken from Monterey Bay in 1961, "toxin-making algae were present in 79% of the plankton that the creatures ate." The toxin created was nerve-damaging, which meant the birds suffered from confusion, seizures and eventual death. According to USA Today, a similar toxin killed four people in Canada's Prince Edward Island in 1987, after they ingested contaminated mussels. In a circle of life twist, the birds likely ate infected anchovies, which had eaten the plankton. And how did the plankton get infected themselves? Likely from leaky septic tanks, which were installed in the early 1960s after the housing boom in Monterey Bay. [via USA Today] [Photo: Everett Collection] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Montana Artists books clients

Montana Artists signed producer/UPM Tim Silver ("Community") and d.p. Grant Cruz ("Workaholics"). Agency reserved line producers Preston Stephen Fischer on Lifetime's "The Customer List" and Tracey Jeffrey on Lifetime's "American Housewife."Montana also reserved makeup effects artist Barney Burman on NBC's "Grimm" d.p.'s Jesse E. Thorin Junior. on CBS' "Memorable" and Jamie Barber on Lifetime's "Blue Eyed Butchers" production designers Gae Buckley on NBC's "Isabel," Mark Hofeling on Disney Channel's "Teen Beach Musical" and Ryan Berg on Adult Swim's "Children's Hospital" costume designers Lorraine Carson on VH1's "Single Ladies," and Karen Malecki on USA's "Whitened Collar" editor Scott Powell on Fox's "Touch" and vfx supervisor Eddie Williams on NBC's "Community." * * * Sid Ganis, former prexy from the Academy of movement Picture Arts and Sciences, was named proper consultant at Dolby Labs, supporting the business's business associations using the film community. "Dolby is really a special company that has were built with a profound effect on cinema," stated Ganis. "In my opinion the best improvements make cinema magical and anticipate using my background enthusiasm to Dolby's efforts." Before presiding within the Academy, Ganis held senior posts at The new sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., Vital and Last Century Fox. Ganis also sitting around the boards of Marvel Entertainment, Center Theatre Group in La, the College of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Off-shore Film Archive. Since exiting the Academy, Ganis has elevated his profile among gamers within the film biz, including China's Wuxi Studio. * * * Digital animation and visual design house Pixeldust Galleries hired Dianna Costello as professional producer. Costello, who spent six years at motion graphics studio yU+co. and done PBS' NOVA series "The Material from the Cosmos," will oversee marketing and development as Pixeldust seeks to grow close ties for manufacture of nonfiction entertainment for television, museums, companies, government departments and academic institutions. "(Dianna will) have the ability to mix her creative talents for project development together with her years of experience like a business development and marketing executive," stated Pixeldust leader/professional creative director Ricardo Andrade * * * Ali Ahmadi became a member of Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, as senior product manager. Additionally to heading the merchandise management department, he's billed with helping the organization remain on surface of market demands and product. Ahmadi's earlier gigs include stints at Sachtler, Vinten, Vinten Ramadec, O'Connor and Gas Bags. "(Ali's) understanding from the lighting marketplace will unquestionably lead to items that will permit Litepanels' Brought technology to enter new marketplaces and additional our resolve for be an innovation leader," stated Litepanels global marketing Vice president Chris Marchitelli. * * * Grass Valley hired industry veteran Colin Hay to Vice president for Northern Europe, the center East and Africa and billed him with customer relations, business development and purchasers management, confirming to Alan Wright, senior veep from the region. Hay formerly labored at Red-colored Bee Media, where his accounts incorporated Disney, Microsoft, Orange, UKTV and Sky. "We intend to bring our file-based, IT-centric technology to assist streamline workflows and improve productivity and Return on investment to some wider number of professional media organizations," stated Hay. * * * Veteran editor David Smalheiser has became a member of Gotham publish house outfit ShootersNYC, the boutique offshoot of Philadelphia-based ShootersINC. ShootersNYC is brought by controlling director Shaun Beckerman as well as features the talent of editor Anthony Marinelli. Contact Peter Caranicas at peter.caranicas@variety.com

Cloud Atlas Behind The Curtain Picture

Epic David Mitchell adaptation wrapsIf you'd asked for us a couple of years back which works of literature were essentially unadaptable, Cloud Atlas, along with possibly Paradise Lost, might have been pretty full of list. Move forward 24 several days then one just wrapped, because the other is near shooting with Alex Proyas within the helm. What conclusion will we make use of this? That individuals have no clue ve... look, a unicorn!What people two movies share, aside from labyrinthine plotting and epic scope, is company company directors with abilities in seriously ambitious science-fiction. Lana and Andy Wachowski, pictured here alongside co-director Tom Tykwer, are not any others towards the kind of advanced dystopias contained in David Mitchell's novel. Tykwer, meanwhile, cut his teeth in thrillers and period pieces, genres that handily complete Mitchell's matryoshka toy from the book. If anyone can pull this off, we're saying it's this trio. momentsThe photo is certainly a unique, but fun change to the normal Variety trade ads that greet wrap-day around the large Hollywood picture. While using cast - Tom Hanks, Jim Sturgess, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaver, Susan Sarandon and Hugh Grant incorporated within this - most most likely lower the pub, the organization company directors were grew to become part of by novelist Mitchell (sitting) as well as the movie's producers to farewell the Babelsberg set. Realizing it, additionally, you will recognise props within the six interlinking tales. We've spotted the Volkswagen Beetle of crusading journo Luisa Rey (Berry), the '70s thriller that ought to inject serious current to the film's middle act (in the event you actually know it, you'll place it's drab eco-friendly not rust orange). Also displayed are some Chatham Island totems, a piano from the composer in the 'Letters from Zedelghem' sections, some dystopian gadgetry from near-future Korea, together with a trolley that people are taking a chance will become accustomed to carry publish-apocalyptic veggies around Hawaii.If no helps to make the littlest sense for you personally, acquire it as being quickly as you can. It's awesome. Consider much more about the film after we get it. It's in america on October 26, getting a Uk release still TBC.Picture credit: Jay Maidment (SMPSP), Copyright © Cloud Atlas Production GmbH)

David Yates Listens to Your Voice During My Mind

Adapting Emma Forrest's memoirFollowing the colossal undertaking from the last four Harry Potter films, David Yates has already established a variety of high-profile projects dangled under his nose, carrot like, by his impressed and grateful Warner companies. There is talk of Stephen King's The Stand, Vertigo Comics' Fables, Al Capone epic Cicero, Jonathan Tropper's farce This Is When I Make You, then one-or-other known as The Physician Who Movie, But he appears to possess plumped for not one of them, a minimum of within the immediate future, using the news originating from Screen Daily that Yates will next direct Your Voice During My Mind, in line with the memoir by Emma Forrest.It's apparently a deliberate breather from large-scale efforts, along with a definite break in the broad strokes of Potter to some more intimate portrait of the mental breakdown and it is after-effects. Yates describes it as being "in regards to a youthful womanwho self harms... and also the mental health specialist who helps her to understand to reside again". The director promises "It's very increased, odd moments inside it which are slightly trippy." Therefore it sounds as though he is not quite departing the fantasy behind.Producer Alison Owen meanwhile, was keen to speak in the "contemporary youthful female character and razor sharp dialogue". The BFI is funding growth and development of the Ruby Films production, with Warner Bros walking in later to inject a few of the cash for that actual shoot. Forrest has written her very own script adaptation, and when you need to take a look at her book meanwhile, it will be released in paperback by Bloomsbury on The month of january 19.

Key legal rulings loom in 2012

The Janet Jackson incident led to conflict over the FCCs powers. At the start of the new year the expectations among entertainment law mavens are that the next 12 months will turn out momentous, precendential decisions that will dramatically change the way Hollywood does business. Then the biz gets mired in less lofty spectacles -- a tattoo artist's bid to hold up the release of "Hangover II" on copyright infringement grounds or Charlie Sheen's very public confrontation with a studio and a showrunner.Hollywood will surely see plenty of high-profile legal tangles next year, but there are cases that stand to have real impact, some drama and even a few oddities.Here's what to watch for:FCC vs. Fox Television Stations: It seems like eons since Cher swore on the Billboard Music Awards and Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunctioned at the 2004 Super Bowl, but in the protracted battle over the FCC's crackdown on indecent content on TV, the final showdown may well be here. On Jan. 10, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on whether the FCC's indecency policy over "fleeting expletives," unleashed a decade ago, is constitutional. Broadcasters think the rules are arbitrary and vague, and some networks are calling for the court to overturn its landmark 1978 Pacifica decision, which would significantly roll back the FCC's authority over content on the airwaves. The high court ruled in favor of the FCC in the first go-round, but the questions at issue were largely procedural rather than constitutional. This time, the government is hoping that the decision rendered will be a narrow one that does not curb too much its authority to police the airwaves.HFPA vs. Dick Clark Prods.: A little more than a week after the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and Dick Clark Prods. unite to pull off another Golden Globe ceremony, they will square off before a federal judge over the rights to the annual kudocast. A settlement is, of course, still possible before trial begins on Jan. 24 -- an NBCUniversal attorney recently urged as much -- but both sides have been far apart in their interpretation of what was meant by a clause in a 1993 agreement. The decision by Judge Howard Matz will affect where the show lands in 2013 and beyond. The trial itself may dredge up embarrassing details of HFPA politics as well as internal mechanics of DCP's business operations. Still ongoing is the suit filed by the HFPA's former publicist charging the org's members with a kind of payola, as well as a countersuit that claims the publicist engaged in unethical activity.Viacom vs. Google/YouTube: A federal appellate ruling is expected soon in Viacom's $1 billion suit against Google and YouTube, a case that centers on the "safe harbor" provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. A district court judge already ruled that YouTube was not liable for the tens of thousands of copyright-infringing clips of "South Park," "The Colbert Report" and other Viacom properties on its site because it removed them when the company issued takedown notices. But Viacom says YouTube built a business on the content that Viacom owns and that it knew users were routinely uploading pirated clips. The decision could determine when the liability of user-generated sites and social media for copyright infringement kicks in and when it does not.Disney et al. vs. Hotfile: The studios see cyberlockers as the latest front in the battle against piracy. These digital storage sites are easier to use than BitTorrent sites and therefore prone to facilitating copyright infringement of movies, TV shows and music. Hotfile has claimed that the studios, and Warner Bros. in particular, are engaged in overzealous antipiracy practices, something certainly at the center of D.C. policy debates, but the litigation marks a new front in Hollywood's efforts to stay apace with what has been technology's whack-a-mole. In 2012, the biggest test of studio antipiracy efforts will not be in the courts or Congress but when major Internet service providers begin rolling out a system of Copyright Alerts, or warnings given to consumers when they download or upload pirated content. Those who repeatedly violate the rule -- i.e., five or more times -- face a series of "mitigation measures" that could include reduction of Internet speeds. It will be telling whether this reduces piracy, creates consumer outcry or both.Scorpio Music vs. Victor Willis: Copyright termination is a nuanced, complex process in which authors are able to reclaim the rights to their works, except in cases where they were made "for hire." A provision of the 1976 Copyright Act allows artists to reclaim their songs 35 years after release, starting in 1978 -- meaning that in 2013 the ownership of some of the most famous songs of the disco era will be in doubt. While the impact of the rights termination provision is widespread, it only recently came to the fore when Victor Willis, the cop in the Village People, sought to reclaim ownership of dozens of songs, including the hit "YMCA." But the publishers are fighting back, claiming that Willis was an at-hire employee and that he is not the sole author of the songs, as other members of the group were involved. The case may shed light on the interpretation of copyright law -- as well as a sign of the litigation that is to come as a flood of artists seek to reclaim some of the most popular music of that era. Contact Ted Johnson at ted.johnson@variety.com

Sir Ben Kingsley on How 'Hugo' Ranks With Other Martin Scorsese Films and His 'Sopranos' Cameo

Other than being an enormously popular franchise, the 'Law and Order' empire is also a breeding ground for hundreds of unknown, up-and-coming actors looking for their big break. Although she may be famous now, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' star Rooney Mara counts herself among that group; in 2006, she had a small role on an episode of 'Law and Order: SVU.' So, does she cherish the experience of being on a nationally televised program? Not exactly. "It was so awful. So stupid. People are obsessed with that show. I don't get it," Mara admitted to Allure magazine. As she explains it, the episode featured a rather ridiculous plot line. "Me and my boyfriend -- although I don't look old enough to have a boyfriend-- went and beat up these fat people, and at the end of the show you find out that I used to be obese and I hate fat people. It's ridiculous. Who would ever do that? Who would beat someone up because they're fat? And as retribution, they sodomized her. I mean, I've been sodomized since the beginning of my career. I should have known then it would come full circle," said Mara. Of course, Rooney is on to bigger and better things now. She was just received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in 'Dragon Tattoo,' which opens nationwide on December 20. Take that, Dick Wolf! Best Performances of 2011 11. Uggie, 'The Artist'10. Corey Stoll, 'Midnight in Paris'9. Ryan Gosling, 'Drive'8. Kristen Wiig, 'Bridesmaids'7. Michelle Williams, 'My Week With Marilyn'6. Meryl Streep, 'The Iron Lady'5. Michael Fassbender, 'Shame'4. Albert Brooks, 'Drive'3. Charlize Theron, 'Young Adult'2. Brad Pitt, 'Moneyball'1. Rooney Mara, 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' See All Moviefone Galleries » [via Allure and TV Guide] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Clint Eastwood's Family Shooting Kardashians-Style Reality Show

Clint Eastwood and Family E!'s stable of stars includes Kim, Khloe now Klint? Wait, we mean Clint. Movie veteran Clint Eastwood and also the family are shooting possible demonstrate that will air on E!, TMZ reviews. From Ray J to Kris: A time of Kim Kardashian's males Eastwood themselves will simply are available in a few cameos. The main focus will probably be on his wife Dina and her relationship utilizing their daughter Morgan, 15, and also the 18-year-old daughter Francesca, who want to follow in their father's acting actions. The show will examine how it's would rather live as "Hollywood royalty," according to TMZ. Bunim/Murray can make the series and so are wanting to have a premiere date over the following handful of several days. Eastwood, meanwhile, remains busy. His Leonardo DiCaprio-starring biopic J.Edgar, they directed and produced, is presently in theaters. Are you able to watch an Eastwoods reality show?

E! banks on Burtka for talent deal

E! has signed a talent deal with David Burtka that will put him round the cabler's "E! News," "Live at a negative balance-colored Carpet" together with other programs and special deals. Burtka will report and conduct interviews with popular culture personas for your various E! options, in the month of the month of january. The partner of actor Neil Patrick Harris, Burtka has stage, smallscreen and also have film experience including "Gypsy" and "Free Air travel Wing." Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Past plaudits don't guarantee future performance

Lynne Ramsay, champion from the 1999 BAFTA British debut prize, has her first helming gig in nearly ten years with director of 'We Have to Discuss Kevin,' above.'Senna'How good is BAFTA at predicting the near future? Its awards for British debut and short are about promise around achievement, so the number of recent those who win go onto forge notable careers?Within the first couple of years after it has been around since 1998, the debut award appeared to do something just like a curse. Those who win for example Richard Kwietniowski (1998), Asif Kapadia (2001) and Emily Youthful (2004) required six years to direct another movie, while Joel Hopkins (2002) required seven. Of those, only Kapadia went onto make several.Lynne Ramsay (1999) and Pawel Pawlikowski (2000) moved onto their second projects more quickly, Pawlikowski even winning a BAFTA for his soph pic "My Summer time of affection.Inch But both slowed down until finishing their third movies this season.Amma Asante, who won for "A Life-style" in 2005, still has not made another film.There's clearly an abundance of talent of these names. Ramsay and Kapadia will both be competing at BAFTA again this season, with "We have to Discuss Kevin" and "Senna." Possibly it states much more about how little structure there's to assist the most promising British beginners to advance.But from 2006 forward, BAFTA designed a deliberate effort to recognize filmmakers with better prospects. The hit rate for that debut award enhanced significantly, with Joe Wright, Andrea Arnold, author Matt Greenhalgh, Steve McQueen and Duncan Johnson all evolving rapidly onto one or more new movies.Last year's champion, Chris Morris for "Four Lions," formerly required the short prize in 2002. Paddy Considine, a contender this season for his pointing debut "Tyrannosaur," is another former short champion.However, previously decade, the champion of best short was more prone to finish up pointing instances of the lengthy-running BBC daytime cleaning soap "Doctors" than creating a feature film. Only two others, Hattie Dalton ("Third Star") and John Percival ("A Boy Known as Father"), together with a number of nominees (Mike Taylor Wood, Martin McDonagh, Tom Harper and David Yates) have handled to obtain a movie made.BAFTA PREVIEWUpsets at BAFTA around the wane? Open area for bevy of British runners Hurdling British reserve Past plaudits don't guarantee future performance Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Top Moments: The Kardashians' Health Kick and Brian Williams' False Alarm

Kim Kardashian and Kourtney Kardashian Our top moments of the week: 12. Better Late Than Never Award: Con man Frank O'Hara (special guest star William Shatner) has spent most of his daughter's life on the run. So when he returns to town on Psych to try to redeem himself with Juliet in time for her 30th birthday, she is obviously skeptical. But Frank does what he does best to win her back: He figures out a way to deliver the bad guys to the front door of the police station. "It was a good plan, dad," Juliet tells him. "It was the least I could do," he responds. Well, there's also the little matter of what he's going to get her for her birthday. Bigger is better, dad. 11. Best Acceptance: Max Braverman, who suffers from Aspergers, has always been a handful, but when he runs away and returns unfazed about the stress his disappearance has caused his family, older sister Haddie finally snaps at him on Parenthood. She apologizes to her dad afterward and tells him it's fine, before changing her statement (slightly). "I guess it's not fine, but it is the way that it is." Yes, growing up sucks, but if only we all could do it as gracefully as Haddie. 10. Worst Rejection: After being forced out of the closet by a local politician playing dirty, Santana slowly begins to embrace her sexuality on Glee, going as far as to tell her parents, who accept her for who she is. Unfortunately, her beloved abuela has no such reaction. Instead of opening her arms, she tells her granddaughter that she should have kept her sexuality a secret and kicks her out of the house for good. Dang, Lima Heights-adjacent is a rough neighborhood. 9. It's About Time Award: Terra Nova finally gains momentum by not only revealing who the mole was, but also why she is betraying the colony. Until now, we thought Skye's mother had succumbed to fever. But no, her mom has been hiding out with the Sixers - who are the only ones who have the cure - in exchange for Skye's intel on the colony, of course. We're supposed to feel sad about this, right? 8. Best Double Hit: On Ringer, Bridget and Andrew agree to pay Charlie ransom in exchange for Gemma, but the drop-off goes awry when Charlie spots cops circling. Angry and impatient, he shoots Gemma dead -- or so he thinks. He inexplicably misses (uh, you were, like, less than a foot away from her) and when Gemma tries to escape, Charlie shoots her dead, for real this time. But just as he's cleaning up his mess, Siobhan - who had ordered Charlie to kidnap Gemma - arrives to clean up hers: She kills Charlie with the same gun and makes the whole thing look like a murder-suicide. 7. Best Power Play: Even with Clay's life hanging in the balance, this week's Sons of Anarchy belonged to the ladies battling for Jax's heart. Gemma finally tells Jax (most of) the truth about Clay's involvement in John's death and urges him to off SAMCRO's president and take his rightful seat at the head of the table. Meanwhile, Tara gives Jax a syringe of blood thinner that will discreetly end Clay's life so that Jax, Tara and their boys can ride off into the sunset. For now, it looks like Tara's winning: "He's mine," she sneers at Gemma. 6. Saddest Twist of Fate: Annoyed with Jimmy's debt repayment on Boardwalk Empire, Manny sets out to kill him. After breaking into Jimmy's house and holding his wife Angela hostage, the crime boss shoots the figure who exits the bathroom - except it's not Jimmy, but Louise, Angela's lover. Angela begs for her life, but Manny shows no mercy and turns his gaffe into an opportunity. "The most important thing in life, darling - your health. Your husband did this to you," he says, before shooting her in the head - twice. R.I.P., Angela. 5. Worst Reveal: Sometimes we don't want to be right. After finding Travis passed out in the Doomsday Killer's church lair on Dexter, Dex is convinced Professor Gellar is behind it and makes his way down the basement, where he sees a freezer. He opens it to discover a frozen Gellar, confirming what has been glaringly obvious all season long: Travis is acting alone and Gellar has been dead this whole time since he never interacted with anyone else. The inept, anticlimactic reveal is yet another reminder of how far the show's fallen. Unfortunately, it's not going anywhere. 4. Harshest Critics: Kids always tell you how they really feel - sometimes without any words at all. Take Michael Jackson's kids, Prince, Paris and Blanket, who look like they'd rather be anywhere else than at their dad's tribute night on The X Factor. While the hopefuls labor to kiss up to the Jackson clan, the kids are visibly unimpressed with the theatrics, staring blankly and unwilling to crack even the slightest of smiles. How bored are they? When Steve Jones tries to make small talk with Paris, Prince is listening to something else with his earbuds. Honestly, we don't blame you, kid. 3. Toughest Choice: After second-guessing himself all season, The Walking Dead's Rick proves he can still make the tough choices when it matters. When madman Shane, spurned by Lori, goes all trigger-happy on the walkers in Hershel's barn, Rick simply looks on as Darryl, Andrea and T-Dog join in on the zombie massacre. But when little Sophia - for whom the group has been looking all season - comes staggering out of the barn as a zombie, Rick is the only one willing to step forward and put her out of her misery. We just wonder how long that decision will haunt Rick. 2. Most Alarming News: Brian Williams remained as unflappable as ever when a fire alarm blared during his Tuesday Nightly News broadcast, but Jon Stewart is not exactly amused by Williams' calm and cool demeanor. "Weren't you a volunteer fireman? Fire alarm goes off in the studio and your example to the kids is, 'Stay on prompter'?" Stewart jokes on The Daily Show. "'Hey, kids, when faced with a fire, stop, drop, and be handsome.' No!" But Williams exacts revenge on his pal by interrupting Stewart's following segment with a bullhorn alarm. "Not so funny, is it, funnyman?" Let that be a lesson to us all: Never mess with BriWi. 1. Grossest Series of "Healthy" Events: We expected the biggest train wreck on the season premiere of Kourtney and Kim Take NY to be Kim and Kris's failed relationship, but we were wrong! Instead, Kourtney, who's, like, totally on a health kick, decides to take her healthy lifestyle to a new level - like to the point where she eats kale chips, gets an oil enema (on screen!) and takes naked yoga classes. And we thought Kim's sex tape was TMI! What were your top moments?

One Life To Live Executive Producer And Head Writer Join General Hospital

While it is ending veteran soap opera One Life To Live, ABC is keeping 2 of the series’ key players, executive producer Frank Valentini and head writer Ron Carlivati, who will assume the same positions on ABC’s only remaining daytime drama General Hospital, effective January 9. They replace executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, who had been at the helm of GH for the past decade, and Garin Wolf, who joined the soap this past summer. The move comes a week after Prospect Park announced that it was abandoning its plans to continue the canceled All My Children and One Life To Live online. The company had signed both Valentini and Carlivati to continue on OLTL, with Valentini also getting a top executive position. Frank and Rons creativity, passion and outstanding leadership will be a welcome addition to the cast and crew, as well as viewers and longtime fans, said ABC Daytime president Brian Frons. Reinforcing General Hospital is important because, with Katie Couric’s new talk show launching in the fall, the soap and new ABC talk shows The Chew and The Revolution will squabble over 2 slots for next season. Valentini is a 26-year OLTL veteran and has served as the show’s executive producer since 2002; Carlivati has been with the soap for 15 years, the last 4 of which as head writer.