JC Chasez to judge 'America's Best Dance Crew'

Former 'N Syncer JC Chasez knows a thing or two about dance moves (he rocked the "Bye Bye Bye" routine back in the boy-band day), and now he'll be joining Randy Jackson at the judging table for MTV's newest reality competition show, Randy Jackson Presents: America's Best Dance Crew. In a message sent to MySpace friends on Friday, Chasez announced his participation in the show, which starts airing Feb. 7. A few weeks ago, the Hollywood Insider spoke to Jackson about why he chose to take part in this search. "I just love the whole concept," he told us. "I love the battle, it's like back to the B-Boys and Krush Groove days, when Michael Jackson had 'Beat It.' Or the cast of High School Musical against Hair. I think it's really cool. And these kids, they pump each other up. I'm like, 'Yo, this is hot!'" Yo.

Sundance deals: Details on 'The Black List'

One thing this Sundance virgin has learned from my brief time here: Things move pretty fast. Just yesterday Variety reported that HBO had acquired The Black List, the documentary collaboration between former New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell and photographer/filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, and by the time I was sitting in the press screening at the Yarrow Hotel this morning, the HBO logo was in place in the film's opening credits. (Granted, an insider did tell us that the movie had been bought just before the fest began yesterday...but still.) 

In the film, 22 black icons from all fields — from Pulitzer winner Toni Morrison to comedian Chris Rock to former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell — share anecdotes about their experiences being black in America and how those experiences shaped their careers. Highlights: Slash (who is half black) describing the tension between himself and his bandmates in Guns N' Roses after he expressed discomfort over Axl Rose's lyrics in "One in a Million" (specifically its use of the n-word); Oscar winner Louis Gossett Jr. expressing his crushing disappointment that he "didn't get a phone call for a year and a half" after his Best Supporting Actor Oscar win; and Chris Rock (pictured, with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) explaining his off-kilter definition of true equality (when black people can "suck" just as bad as white people and still be accepted). But who got the biggest laugh at the press screening I attended? Vernon Jordan, who talked about trying to decide as a young man whether he'd go into law or the ministry: "In the process, I discovered sin. And I liked it."

Diego Luna joins cast of 'Milk'

Mexican actor Diego Luna (Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Night Buffalo) has joined the cast of director Gus Van Sant's drama Milk, which stars Sean Penn as gay rights activist and former San Francisco politican Harvey Milk. Luna is playing Jack Lira, one of Milk's supporters as well as his lover. He joins a cast that also includes Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco, Victor Garber, Denis O'Hare, and Stephen Spinella. The biopic will tell Milk's story as the first openly gay elected official in America, voted to San Francisco's city supervisors’ board in 1977. The following year, both he and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by another city supervisor, Dan White. Luna's breakout project was his starring role opposite Gael Garcia Bernal in 2001's Y Tu Mama. He most recently appeared in last year's Spanish-language thriller The Night Buffalo and the Harmony Korine-directed Mister Lonely.

--Additional reporting by Nicole Sperling.

Jay Hernandez tapped for 'Humboldt Park'

Jay Hernandez (Hostel, Six Degrees) has been cast in Overture Films' upcoming family dramedy Humboldt Park. He joins John Leguizamo and Freddy Hernandez (Planet Terror) in the project, which is being directed by Alfredo De Villa (Adrift in Manhattan, Washington Heights). Shooting is scheduled to start next month as the script reportedly was written before the writers' strike.

Do writers deserve credit for DGA deal?

The Directors Guild of America has certainly earned the right to preen over having carved out a historic new agreement with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. But do the writers deserve some of the credit for helping the directors get what they want out of their new three-year deal? Some writers are asking whether their crippling 11-week strike provided the necessary level of urgency to convince studio honchos Peter Chernin and Bob Iger to become more intimately involved in the DGA talks -- something the moguls didn't do when the WGA first sat down with the AMPTP in November. That duo's presence certainly helped cooler heads prevail in the DGA negotiating room, marking a stark contrast to the routine clashes that occurred between the chief negotiators of the AMPTP and the WGA (Nick Counter and David Young) before their talks broke off Dec. 7.

Still, the DGA deserves a tremendous pat on the back for having achieved a swift resolution, says one high-placed source at the conglomerates. For one, the DGA prepared for the talks by commissioning a two-year study on new media that ultimately helped pave the way for negotiating some of the stickier issues, like new residual rates for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the Internet. The DGA also benefitted from the strong, longterm ties that negotiating committee member Gil Cates has with the companies.

Now it appears Chernin and Iger may play an equally active role in the WGA negotiations. In a joint statement released Thursday, the moguls - along with six other CEOs - seemed to indicate their role will change by saying "we invite the WGA to engage with us in a series of informal discussions similar to the productive process that led us to a deal with the DGA to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for returning to formal bargaining."

Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule asks fans to fund her next CD

Now here's a novel concept: fan-funded recordings. Singer-songwriter Jill Sobule, who you may remember from her late '90s radio hit, "I Kissed a Girl," has been pounding away at a music career for well over a decade now, having been signed to four different labels at one point or another. But Sobule's got music in her blood and, after six CDs, she's not ready to give up. All she needs is a cool $75,000 to make her next album — and who better to fund it than her longtime fans? And who better to ask for help than Sobule's biggest cheerleader, her mom? "As you all know, my daughter is a real talent," writes Elaine on Jill's new website, jillsnextrecord.com. "She has put out six great CDs (which never leave my stereo), and has been on four labels, two of which went bankrupt; the other two were also farkakte. This time she wants to do it on her own.... So help and be a part of her new album, in exchange for some wonderful gifts and services."

Sobule outlines 11 different donation levels. For $25, you receive an advance copy of the CD. At the $50 "Pewter Level," you get the same plus a thank you; $50 more and you can be listed as a junior executive producer. For $5,000, Sobule will come and sing at your house. And for a whopping 10 grand ("Weapons-Grade Plutonium Level"), you can be on the album. "Don't worry if you can't sing," she writes. "We can fix that on our end. Also, you can always play the cowbell."

Sobule says she'll keep us updated on the tally, but judging from comments already posted on the site, she looks well on her way to booking studio time. See, who needs labels anyway?

UPDATE:  As promised, Jill Sobule got back to us with an official count and she's "shocked" to report that after one day of going live, she's already collected $18,000!   

'Nashville Star' heading to NBC this summer

A Nashville Star is reborn: The country music competition show that aired for five seasons on USA will move into a bigger galaxy — on sister network NBC — for season 6. Created by NBC chief Ben Silverman's former place of employment, Reveille (The Office, The Biggest Loser), the reality series will air its sixth cycle this summer alongside season 2 of American Gladiators, before the network begins coverage of the Summer Olympics in Beijing. The network switch makes perfect sense to Nashville exec producer Howard T. Owens, who notes, "We feel like country music is one of the few growing musical genres and now country music encompasses every type of American music that has a guitar in it. If Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mellencamp, or Sheryl Crow came out today, they would all be marketed under the country banner, and the theme of Americana music is what we're going to capture with the show this year."

Casting for Nashville begins next month, and this time aspiring solo artists, duos, trios — or any other band configuration for that matter — can audition. (Artists to emerge from the first four seasons include Miranda Lambert, pictured; Chris Young; Buddy Jewel; Lance Miller; and Angela and Zac Hacker.) "We're not just looking for country acts, we're looking for American music superstars," says Owens. "If you're a mom and a son, if you're the next Mellencamp, if you're the next Dixie Chicks, bring it on, because we're an incredible platform and can give you the exposure that the right new music sensation deserves." You heard the man, America. Do it for the love of your country.

(Additional reporting by Mike Bruno)

Beyonce, Foo Fighters band together for Grammys

The Recording Academy released a statement today on behalf of the "music community" addressing speculation of who may or may not perform at the Grammys should the WGA decide not to sign an interim agreement for the show. The Foo Fighters, as previously reported, were the only act confirmed to play, and indeed, singer Dave Grohl says his band will be at the Feb. 10 ceremony. As for Beyoncé, her father/manager Matthew Knowles is quoted in the press release saying, "Beyoncé, as well as my other artists Solange and Trinitee 5:7, have been asked to participate and will do so. We have an incredible Beyoncé performance that will be announced soon. We wish the Grammys the best."

The full release after the jump.

Doug Liman forms WGA-approved new media company

Producer-director Doug Liman (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) has a formed a new media company that will create "television-style programming for alternative distribution." The new company, Jackson Bites (named after Liman's 11-year-old sheep dog), has already secured an agreement with the Writers Guild of America, enabling union members to write, develop, and create programming for distribution on the Internet, set-top boxes, cell phones and other wireless devices, and via direct deals with satellite networks and cable companies. The deal with the WGA is described as being similar to the writers' deals with United Artists, Worldwide Pants, the Weinstein Company, MRC, and Spyglass Entertainment.

"If the last strike is best remembered for the studios attempting to show they could create programming without writers, this could be the strike where the writers show they can do it without the studios,” Liman said via a statement. “We are at a moment of opportunity in television where we have gone from three networks to six, and from a handful of channels to a thousand and YouTube. In that environment, what matters is compelling programming –- and compelling programming starts with the writer. Jackson Bites will afford writers the opportunity to create content that will be seen and enjoyed by audiences with or without the involvement of the television networks.”

Liman will not direct or produce any of Jackson Bites' content. His next directorial project, a film adaptation of Steven Gould's sci-fi novel Jumper, is set for release next month.

Report from the picket line: WGAE's Michael Winship and Amy Sherman-Palladino

Despite reports of dissension among members of the Writers Guild of America, (not to mention overall strike fatigue), many scribes at the WGA East picket line yesterday still seem spirited -- and hellbent on doing whatever it takes (read: picketing in really cold weather) to get a good deal. Hollywood Insider caught up with WGA East president Michael Winship (pictured), director-writer-producer Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls), and newbie writer Jim Juvonen (The Philathropist) to see what they had to say about where things stand.

The interviews after the jump.