Trade Round-Up: 'DaVinci Code' Gets Tautou'd
· Jeff Zucker takes a cue from American Idol contestants, putting a happy face on failure and falsely singing the praises of network parity. Don't let them see you cry, Jeff—at least not until you're in the confessional. [Variety]
· Audrey Tatou joins the Hanks-led cast of The DaVinci Code, instantly making the whole movie adorable and quirky. Aw. (Still, we were rooting for dark horse Rachel Weisz, who admits in the February issues of British GQ that hell yes, she's fluent in French. Whatever, Audrey.) [THR]
· The Aviator gains Oscar momentum, winning the Producer's Guild Award for Best Picture. [Variety]
· "The biggest problem this year" at Sundance "is all the 'special' people who want 'special' attention, who want tickets at the last minute. When we say no, they get pissed off and start threatening to throw rocks at us." Our bad! Sorry, we'll quit it now. [Variety]
· Disney launches 24-hour news network, ABC News Now. The net will differ from others by making their overblown and biased coverage available "at any time of day over any device." [Variety]
· Nicholas Cage to star in biopic of legendary gambler Amarillo Slim Preston, thus singlehandedly oversaturating and killing the trendy poker-playing market. [THR]
· ABC chief McPherson reflects on net's success, citing the "sameness" of procedurals as the catalyst for shows like Desperate Housewives. Look for the "sameness" of suburban soaps to open the door for another network in about three years. [THR]