Pilot Season: Jordana Spiro Lands Lead in Fox Surgical Drama

Lindsay Lohan is made the decision to prove she's become her existence in line. Before she hosts Saturday Evening Live now, she sitting lower with Current day Matt Lauer, and spoke candidly about trying to exhibit everyone she'll be reliable again. "In my opinion that will take time,Inch Lohan mentioned throughout the interview that will air on Thursday's show. "Because... Discover More > Other Links From TVGuide.com Saturday Evening LiveTodayElizabeth TaylorLindsay Lohan

Actors Equity endorses SAG-AFTRA merger

The Actors Equity Council has endorsed the proposed combo of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists.The council, which approved the endorsement unanimously on Tuesday, is the first organization to back the SAG-AFTRA merger.The resolution said that the council "strongly supports" the merger. The council has 84 members.SAG and AFTRA will mail out ballots on Feb. 27 to 120,000 SAG members and 70,000 AFTRA members, who include actors, broadcasters, DJs, singers and dancers, with a tabulation date of March 30. To be approved, the merger must receive at least 60% of the votes from each union.Should that merger agreement be approved, new mergers would have to be approved by the 60% of the voting membership or by 60% of the delegates of the new SAG-AFTRA. That means future combos with such performer unions as Actors Equity would not be subject to direct approval by the members of SAG-AFTRA.Merger proponents have long asserted that combining unions is a logical response to the increasing power of the mega-conglomerates and contended that the combined unions will have more bargaining clout. Merger opponents, who lost power at SAG in recent years, have argued that SAG will lose its unique character as a performers union and that the combined entity won't have more power at the negotiating table.SAG members voted down a proposed merger in 2003, when the merged union would have been called the Alliance of Intl. Media Artists. The Actors Equity Council unanimously backed the "consolidation and affiliation" proposal in 2003.Approximately two-thirds of Equity's 45,000 members are also in SAG and/or AFTRA. The American Federation of Musicians and the Intl. Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees also endorsed the 2003 merger plan. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Italy basks in glow of Golden Bear

'Caesar Must Die'Rome--Italy's film community is ecstatic over the Berlin victory of directorial duo Paolo and Vittorio Taviani's prison-set "Caesar Must Die," which is racking up a slew of sales while also marking the country's first Golden Bear in 21-years.Produced by Grazia Volpi with financing from RAI Cinema, the low-budget semi-docu is shot in Rome's maximum-security Rebibbia slammer where murderers and mafiosi rehearse and perform Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar."RAI Trade has now sold "Caesar" to more than twenty territories, including to the U.S., where Adopt Films will distribute, to France (Bellissima), Spain (Golem), and Australia (Palace).The powerful prison pic, which is mostly in black-and-white, will go out theatrically in Italy on March 2 via Sacher Film, owned by helmer Nanni Moretti, the upcoming Cannes fest jury prexy who jetted to Berlin to celebrate."We did not think we would be back in a festival competition, after so many prizes," said Vittorio Taviani upon receiving the nod. "But this film is so particular that we wanted it to have a chance to reach as many spectators as possible."For the Taviani's, who are both in their early 80's, the Berlin Bear is the biggest nod since "Padre Padrone" won the Palme d'Or in Cannes in 1982."Italy is back to winning in Berlin with a film on a difficult theme, very heartfelt, using the language of great cinema, like only our best auteurs are capable of," enthused RAI Cinema topper Paolo Del Brocco.The last time Italy won the Berlinale's top honours was in 1991, when Marco Ferreri scopped the Golden Bear home for "House of Smiles." Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com

Maya closes 'Ass Backwards' deals

Maya International has closed multiple territory deals for comedy "Ass Backwards" during the Berlin market. The film's directed by Chris Nelson and stars Alicia Silverstone, Jon Cryer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael. Territories sold included Australia (Starz), Canada (VVS), Latin America (Swen), Middle East (Eagle Films), China (DDdream Ent), CIS (Voxell Ent), Hungary (RTL), Israel (Shoval), and Former Yugo (MG Films). "Ass Backwards" tracks two best friends in NY who run into their former pageant nemesis and embark on a cross-country road trip back to their hometown in an attempt to win a pageant that eluded them as children. Producers are Heather Rae and Molly Conners. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Berlin sets Bingham Ray memorial

Ray The Berlinale will remember indie film pioneer Bingham Ray having a memorial to become held Monday in the European Film Market.Telluride Festival founder Tom Luddy and The new sony Classics' Michael Barker will join Berlinale topper Dieter Kosslick and EFM director Beki Probst in the event, that will occur at 4:30 p.m. within the market's new American Independents in Berlin lounge in the primary Martin Gropius Bau venue.Ray died Jan. 23 after having suffered a stroke while attending the Sundance Film Festival. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com