Cynthia Nixon Clarifies Comments: "Bisexuality Is Not a Choice"

Cynthia Nixon Cynthia Nixon has backtracked on her controversial sexuality remarks, saying that "bisexuality is not a choice."The Sex and the City star drew ire from gay rights activists last week when she was quoted in a NY Times piece as saying that, for her, being gay "is a choice."Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon: I'm gay by choice"My recent comments in The NY Times were about me and my personal story of being gay," Nixon tells The Advocate in a statement. "I believe we all have different ways we came to the gay community and we can't and shouldn't be pigeon-holed into one cultural narrative which can be uninclusive and disempowering. However, to the extent that anyone wishes to interpret my words in a strictly legal context I would like to clarify:"While I don't often use the word, the technically precise term for my orientation is bisexual. I believe bisexuality is not a choice, it is a fact. What I have 'chosen' is to be in a gay relationship."As I said in the Times and will say again here, I do, however, believe that most members of our community - as well as the majority of heterosexuals - cannot and do not choose the gender of the persons with whom they seek to have intimate relationships because, unlike me, they are only attracted to one sex."Our community is not a monolith, thank goodness, any more than America itself is. I look forward to and will continue to work toward the day when America recognizes all of us as full and equal citizens."Check out the rest of today's newsNixon's clarification comes a week after several members of the gay and lesbian community, including celebrity chef Cat Cora, criticized the actress for her initial comments. "I'm gay, and I was born this way," Cora told the ladies of The Talk. "I really feel like it was dangerous and irresponsible of Cynthia, especially in this environment today when so many young people are taking their lives."Nixon, 45, is engaged to her partner of eight years, Christine Marinoni, who gave birth to their son Max last year. Prior to their relationship, Nixon, who is currently sporting a bald head for a Broadway role, was in a 15-year relationship with Danny Mozes, with whom she has two children.

ABC orders 'Scruples' pilot

ABC has bought the drama pilot "Scruples" from Flame Endeavors LLC in colaboration with Warner Bros. Television. Using the Judith Krantz novel, the drama concentrates on a wealthy and effective clothing designer in a whole lot of sex, revenge and scandal. Executive producers are Bob Brush, Mel Harris, Tony Krantz, Natalie Portman and Annette Savitch. Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

Adele Haenel: Cannes can-do girl

Adele HaenelYoung actresses dream of making their screen debut in a lead role: 22-year-old Adele Haenel achieved it, at the age of 13, toplining Christophe Ruggia's "The Devils" in 2002. Playing an autistic child on the run from the authorities in Marseilles, watched over by an older brother, she projected a combination of courage and vulnerability."It was intense. I was a total beginner when I first met Christophe; we worked for nine months, rehearsing and researching. I look at my picture taken on the set, now, and it's ridiculous: I was so little!"She went back to school, earned her degree and went on the study economics but resumed acting in 2007 ("If I'm honest, it was always my first passion"),and earned a Cesar nomination for her work in Celine Sciamma's fest fave, "Water Lilies."Of the four films she shot in 2010, three were selected for Cannes 2011: Valerie Mrjen and Bertrand Schefer's "Iris in Bloom," Jean Jacques Jauffret's "Apres le sud" (both in Directors' Fortnight), and Bertrand Bonello's competition entry "House of Tolerance." Up next is Sylvie Verheyde's "Confession of a Child of the Century," alongside Charlotte Gainsbourg and German August Deihl.She says, "For me, it's usually about wanting to work with a particular director.That's the most important thing -- even more than the script. They don't have to be established names, they could be new directors, because I admire their energy and their enthusiasm. And secondly, I want to do things that are intelligent. If it's something I've seen too many times before, I'm not interested."Return to the Berlin Preview >> Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Gossip Girl Mother to Romance the 'Stache Tom Selleck on Blue Bloods

Margaret Colin On Gossip Girl, it's all about the Chuck-Blair-Louis love triangular, nevertheless the soon-to-be mother in the bride will get entangled in the steamy romance of her on Blue Bloods, TVLine reviews. Margaret Colin, who plays Blair Waldorf's mother, look in the March episode in the CBS crime drama just like a love interest for Frank (Tom Selleck). Colin may have Melanie, a correctly-known investigative reporter with an worldwide cable news network that's been moving on top-secret, extended distance relationship with Frank for some time. However, their private and professional lives intersect in the dangerous way when Frank must track the theif who's after Melanie. Watch full cases of Blue Bloods This isn't the first time Frank remains connected with someone in media. He formerly dated NY TV reporter Kelly Davidson (Andrea Roth). The March episode will reunite Colin and Selleck, who formerly co-starred in Three Males together with an infant plus an episode of Magnum P.I. Blue Bloods airs Fridays at 10/9c on CBS. Gossip Girl's 100th episode premieres Monday at 8/7c round the CW.

HBO zooms in on 'Zoo'

'Me @ the Zoo'HBO has acquired U.S. broadcast rights to documentary feature "Me @ the Zoo," which focuses on the phenomenon of Internet celebrity. "Zoo," an official selection for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival documentary competish, is a first-time directorial effort from Chris Moukarbel and Valerie Veatch. Vin Farrell, Jim McKay and R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe of C-Hundred Film exec produced with Rachel Grady. Using as a focal point Chris Crocker, who gained notoriety with a YouTube appeal to for people to lay off criticizing Britney Spears, "Zoo" explores how online video and social networks have affected lives. Josh Braun at Submarine negotiated the deal with HBO Documentary Films. Memento Films is handling international rights. Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Cougar Town Returning To ABC On Valentine's

First Launched: The month of the month of january 17, 2012 2:23 PM EST Credit: ABC Caption Courteney Cox as Jules on Cougar Town, 2011LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Cougar Town is going to ABC. Just one week after show boss Bill Lawrence as well as the cast, including Courteney Cox and Christa Burns, needed part in the guerilla media event for television experts in Pasadena, Calif., ABC confirmed to get into Hollywood on Tuesday the series will probably be back round the air on Valentine's. Cougar Town will begin its third season on February 14 at 8:30 PM, and continue every week on one evening and time. Guy Up! formerly held time slot, but was attracted in December and transformed while using mix dressing comedy Push The Button, which was also attracted. The timeslot is presently held by repeats of Tim Allens Last Guy Standing. The returning Cougar Town matches with Valentine's as Grayson (Josh Hopkins) is positioned to provide Jules inside the first episode, Courteney formerly told Access. We have active in the initial episode, Courteney told Access last Monday evening. Season 3 will tackle the rise for the wedding. Whenever we achieve the altar, Courteney taunted. Exactly what have an engagement and arranging a wedding will definitely unnerve the completely flappable real estate agent getting a penchant for wine, Jules Cobb. Shes neurotic, but shes game for everything, Courteney told Access. Shes much less smart, but shes worry about getting her past baggage to the relationship. However appreciate it I really like that have been just dealing with issues mind on rather than Do they really? Wont they? They just went suitable for this. Beyond Jules engagement, the show in Season 3, will feature guest spots from the 3 major people of co-creator Bill Lawrences former show, Scrubs. Maybe Zach Braff did a cameo on Cougar Town, Christa Burns (Betty) taunted. Maybe most of the Scrubs cast did a cameo on Cougar Town You never know who stops by our show. Really, Sarah Chalke, Christas former Scrubs co-star, is positioned to stir the loins of Bobby (Bryan van Holt). Bobby falls for one another. Sarah Chalke, she will come in the show, Courteney mentioned, of approaching plot twists, adding, Travis posseses an accident on his skateboard and requires to use mind gear for seven episodes Lori falls deeply deeply in love with someone online. Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Corporation. All rights reserved. These elements is probably not launched, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Transmedia set to get more credit

GomezTransformers is one of the first franchises to give credit to a transmedia producer. It took two years for the Producers Guild of America to approve a transmedia credit. Two years later, it's finally expected to become a fixture on film credits.For the creative community, that means an official title to recognize storytelling that spans film, TV, videogames, comicbooks, toys, the Internet, mobile -- and new interactive platforms all on display at CES.Since the PGA started recognizing the role in April 2010, the first credits have already started to appear, with George Stayton getting a transmedia producer title on Paramount and Hasbro's "Transformers" franchise. The credit's also appeared on THQ's "Red Faction" videogame.But 2012 should prove a watershed year, according to veteran transmedia producer Jeff Gomez, who's been championing the concept for more than a decade. The Canadian Media Fund will add the credit to its projects. And "there will be (another) major studio getting on board very soon," Gomez said.Although the PGA doesn't have collective bargaining agreements, Gomez hopes transmedia work will eventually become part of the master contracts handled by the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, with those groups already starting discussions to consider the credit, which would net their members more money for their multiplatform work.Expanding jurisdiction is tricky turf for the guilds -- SAG was unable to persuade the companies to include language addressing performance-capture by actors in the last negotiation -- but it's a potentially huge area for Hollywood's creatives.Christopher Pfaff, a transmedia consultant who's vice chairman of the PGA's New Media Council, believes the PGA's support of the credit has already had a profound impact. "It took us about two years to get the credit enacted but doing that woke a lot of people up," he added.Pfaff, noting that the guild counts over 600 members on the new media council, believes that the turning point in recognizing transmedia has been the cratering of the DVD market."The changes in DVDs really resonated for a lot of mainstream PGA members, who are realizing that everything's up for grabs in terms of platforms," Pfaff notes. "There are all kinds of opportunities to extend the narrative -- and the conversations are now taking place at day one. They've seen people like James Cameron and J.J. Abrams using multiple entry points into stories."Pfaff points out that the PGA's New Media Council already has a working relationship with the WGA East and predicts that the other guilds will want to come on board. "It's inevitable that their members are going to wake up and say 'I want to work in transmedia.'"Transmedia's not an abstract notion for Gomez, who sits on PGA's New Media Council and is a co-founder of transmedia developer Starlight Runner Entertainment, which has worked on large multiplatform projects such as "Avatar," "Tron Legacy," the second and third "Pirates of the Caribbean" films and "Transformers."He believes that the majors have started to realize that their approach to transmedia needs to be less reactive."Transmedia is something that the studios have been trying to do once a movie hits big, so it tends to repeat itself," he noted, citing the rush to release a game based on a film that's a watered down copy of a pic's plot.That's starting to change, Gomez believes, turning to Warner Bros.' approach to its Batman films and games."What's really intriguing is studios are discovering that the videogame can expand the property, not replicate, by exposing other aspects of it," Gomez said. "Warner Bros. is not making any effort to duplicate the Batman story in 'Arkham Asylum' and 'Arkham City' and they're making hundreds of millions of dollars (from them)."Gomez's Starlight Runner's no longer alone in the transmedia arena, with about two dozen shops mining the same realm including 42 Entertainment, Campfire and Red Six Media, which recently worked on "Real Steel.""Hollywood is discovering that the return on investment becomes more minimal if you don't employ your property across all platforms," he added. "Young people want to be told stories in the way that they use media. So you're looking for a way to reach them pervasively."And earn creatives more coin in return. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com