Let's Rank the 10 Finest Screen Performances of 2011

If you’re both a movie fan and a consummate statistician, it’s easy to love and appreciate the Oscars for shoehorning the majority of film history into a manageable grading rubric. I’m an Oscar apologist myself, and I still have one bone to pick with the Academy — and all award-spewing organizations: the unnecessary reliance on gender-based categories. Is it not more thrilling to pit all actors against each other? Is there such an objective difference between Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock? Meryl Streep and Robert Downey Jr.? “Actor” is a gender-neutral term, and I think we’d all better off — and better entertained — without the meaningless siphoning. Thus, I’m stacking up the best performances of 2011 without categorical regard for gender or role size. It’s a winner-take-all affair, and this winner definitely wants it all. Here’s my top 10: 10. Albert Brooks, Drive Albert Brooks is Drive’s Oscar-friendliest component, and that’s for one reason: eerie, sustained dastardliness. As the Driver’s shady foe, Brooks’s lovable, aw-shucksy expression hardens into a papier-mache fright. Perhaps he benefits generously from his decision to counteract the lovable schmos he offered in Lost in America and Broadcast News, but his rancor is too real and evil to dismiss. While Ryan Gosling’s stoicism helps substantiate Drive’s reputation as an evocative mood piece, Brooks’s performance steers — or careens — the movie into horrifying reality. 9. Keira Knightley, A Dangerous Method Knightley’s performance in the part-fascinating, part-boring A Dangerous Method embodies the acting trope “big choices,” but it’s still a triumph: As Carl Jung’s histrionic patient Sabina Spielrein, she’s a quivering, questioning, repressed and entirely believable intellectual. Even when she’s jutting her jaw in spastic episodes like an unhinged Ruth Buzzi, her humanity is apparent and her insight is breathtaking. For playing such an uncomfortable character, I missed her whenever she wasn’t onscreen. 8. Jeremy Irons, Margin Call Irons’s very presence summons actorly gusto, so it’s easy to write off his commanding performance (or any of his performances) as a mere extension of his Shakespearean bravado. But Irons is no ham as CEO John Tuld in the bracing ensemble drama Margin Call; he’s the perfect picture of bureaucratic spinelessness. If you’re wondering what happened to the ungodly chill he once emanated as Claus von Bulow, look for it in his delivery of Margin Call’s spookiest insight into Wall Street politics: “If you’re first out the door, that’s not called panicking.” 7. Ralph Fiennes, Coriolanus Stephanie Zacharek is on to something when she denounces the relatively ho-hum proceedings of Coriolanus’s original text, but let’s remember to commemorate Ralph Fiennes’s directorial debut for its greatest asset: crackling performances. As the titular veteran who wears his moral conflict like an Egyptian death mask, Fiennes’s rage transcends mugging, warps into agony, and projects thunderous depth. Thunderous, I say! He’s so thoroughly and bleakly numbed to the strife and fanfare he abandons in wartorn “Rome” that his grisly comeuppance in the movie’s final moments feels like something of a relief. You see, Fiennes’s performance is an internal bloodbath long before we’re confronted with a viciously Technicolor one — and if there’s any justice, he’ll be rewarded with the Best Actor nomination that he was snubbed for after Quiz Show. 6. Shailene Woodley, The Descendants The most revered teenage performances seem to share the same dichotomies: childlike overreaction and burgeoning maturity, self-assurance and bubbling insecurity, sensibility and selfishness. Woodley is no iconoclast in these departments, but she gives Alexander Payne’s drippy, but poignant The Descendants its handfuls of urgency and momentum. While I’d hate to whittle her fabulous — and subtle — work down to one scene, the most memorable sequence I’ve seen all year is Woodley’s underwater breakdown in her family’s pool. It’s a heartbreaking and startling shot, but moreover, it’s an expression of unadulterated fear that confronts the viewer and challenges him to disbelieve her.

Fox Intl. Channels to bow sports net in Brazil

Fox Intl. Channels will spike its presence in Brazil with the launch of a Portuguese-language Fox Sports in February. It will be entering a relatively underserved pay TV marketplace where ESPN, local net Sport TV and Fox-owned Speed are the only sports cable channels on offer. FIC has also bought out HM Capital Partner's majority stake in Fox Pan American Sports, the leading Spanish-language sports programming service in Latin America of which it previously owned a third. This will likely be renamed Fox Sports Latin America. FIC is in talks with Brazilian MSOs to carry both Fox Sports and/or Speed on their grids. It expects to build on the distribution of Speed Channel Brazil, which reaches 4 million homes on all key feevee and telco platforms. Fox Sports will be the only cable network in Brazil to carry live games of Copa Santander Libertadores and Copa Bridgestone Sudamericana, the biggest inter club soccer tournaments in Latin America. "We'll be offering 2,500 hours of regional productions in Brazil of which 2,000 hours are soccer games. The rest of Fox Sports Brazil programming will include original news and talkshows as well as two exclusive live games of the Barclays Premier League each week," said Hernan Lopez, prexy and CEO. Meanwhile, the company has upped Carlos Martinez to prexy FIC Latin America and Emiliano Saccone to prez, entertainment, FIC Latin America. Both were formerly exec VPs. Saccone has tapped Eduardo Zebini as VP, managing editor Fox Sports in Brazil. He was most recently g.m. of TV with the World Cup Brazil 2014 Committee. Zebini will be based in Rio de Janeiro. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Anastasia Griffith To Co-Star In BBC Americas Drama Series Copper

EXCLUSIVE: Anastasia Griffith, who recurs on ABC’s Once Upon A Time, has landed the female lead in BBC America’s first scripted series, drama Copper. The 10-episode series, from Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson, is produced by Canadian-based Cineflix Studios. Co-created by Tom Fontana and Will Rokos, Copper centers on an Irish cop operating in the immigrant communities of 19th century NY, a role that has not been cast yet. British actress Griffith, repped by Paradigm, Untitled and UK’s Ken McReddie Assoc., will play his wife. Fontana, Rokos, Barry Levinson and Cineflix’s Christina Wayne are executive producing the series, which is slated to begin production at the end of January. Griffith, who plays a woman locked into a love triangle with Snow White and Prince Charming on Once Upon A Time, also has been recurring on USA’s Royal Pains. She previously co-starred on NBC’s Trauma and FX’s Damages.

Time Warner makes fresh Endemol bid

ROME -Time Warner has restored its interest for Endemol getting a $1.3 billion all-cash offer, since the with debt Nederlander content giant gets into final countdown phase to attain an agreement with loan providers. In the statement, Endemol confirmed it's received "an altered offer from TW," and contains "passed it to the loan providers.Inch "We remain dedicated to our discussions with loan providers that have became a member of the best stages. We are sure that a solution that puts the business around the firm financial footing money for hard times is becoming imminent," the statement added. TW has recommended a thrilling-cash, non-binding offer, instead of the mixture of money and debt that composed their previous offer for a similar amount. But according to sources, this new TW offer is not likely to acquire a much more traction with Endemol than their first offer. "The primary focus for Endemol remains on capital restructuring," mentioned someone with close understanding in the situation. They noted that Endemol is outperforming budget the first time in five years, so has appear prospects becoming an independent entity, and is not prone to initiate a putting in a bid process. Nonetheless, loan providers may rather pick the Time Warner cash offer. Mediaset, the Italo broadcasting giant controlled by Silvio Berlusconi, which already has one-third of Endemol and contains developed a rival offer for just about any majority stake, did not have immediate discuss Monday. In 2007, a consortium made up of Mediaset, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and Cyrte, a good investment company through which Endemol co-founder John p Mol can be a minority investor, paid out some $3.5 billion for Telefonica's controlling stake in Endemol in the three-way split. Nonetheless they largely used utilized financial financial loans that now weigh heavily round the Nederlander unscripted TV giant most broadly noted for "Government,Inch whose other formats include "Deal or No Deal" and "Extreme Transformation: Home Edition." Endemol is hooked by some $3.7 billion with debt to creditors, including private equity finance finance funds Apollo Management, Centerbridge and Providence Equity Partners. The extended deadline with this particular capital restructuring looks like it's tomorrow, 12 ,. 13. Mediaset and Italian equity fund Clessidra have apparently presented to inject $268 million in Endemol to enhance their current 33% stake to 51%, with loan providers having the relaxation from the minority interests. Mediaset has apparently informed Endemol the outcomes from the restructure may modify the companies' relationship, telling Endemol it designed to negotiate all existing contracts, too. Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com

What Herman Cain's Presidential Campaign Suspension Means for Hollywood Conservatives (Analysis)

Disney Channel is at it again.our editor recommendsDisney Channel Sets Premiere Date for 'Frenemies' TelepicDisney Channel Renews 'A.N.T. Farm'Disney Channel Renews 'Phineas and Ferb' for Fourth SeasonDisney Channel Slate Includes 'Zombies,' 'Super 8' Comedy The premiere of holiday television movie Good Luck Charlie: It's Christmas, inspired by the cable network series Good Luck Charlie, hit ratings gold Friday evening. The Christmas movie delivered nearly 7 million total viewers (6.9 million to be more exact) at 8 p.m. Good Luck Charlie: It's Christmas averaged 3.3 million among kids 6-11, 2.4 million among tweens and 1.4 million among adults 18-49. The movie is now the top live-action cable film of the year among total viewers. To compare, Lemonade Mouth -- which aired in April and also starred Bridgit Mendler -- averaged more than 1 million less viewers with 5.7 million viewers to its premiere. The telepic's strong ratings performance boosted the launch of music comedy Austin & Ally at 9:30 p.m. The half-hour series drew 5.7 million viewers, with 2.7 million falling in the kids 6-11 demographic and 2.1 million in tweens. Next week will be a big test for Austin & Ally as it will premiere in its regular Sunday time slot at 8 p.m. Versus Friday's broadcast offerings, which were not tailored to kids or teens, the Disney Channel outdrew nearly every program during the 8-10 p.m. period in viewership -- the exceptions being CBS' A Gifted Man and CSI: NY. Good Luck Charlie: It's Christmas centered on the Duncan family who get separated during a trip to Grandma's house and going against the clock to reunite in time for Christmas. Austin & Ally follows Austin, an extroverted singer, and Ally, a brilliant but shy songwriter and their best friends. PHOTO GALLERY: View Gallery Disney Generation's New Rising Stars TV Ratings Disney Channel

Michael Fassbender: 'Shame' Made Me Go a 'Little Bit Loopy' (VIDEO)

Michael Fassbender is about one inch away from becoming a household name. The German-born Irish actor has enjoyed a breakthrough 2011, with roles in everything from 'Jane Eyre' to 'X-Men: First Class,' where he starred as Erik Lehnsherr -- better known as Magneto. His role in the critically acclaimed new drama 'Shame,' however, might be his biggest challenge yet. Fresh on the heels of his performance as Carl Jung in the David Cronenberg-directed 'A Dangerous Method,' Fassbender stars in the NC-17 drama as Brandon, a Manhattan-based sex addict struggling under the weight of his desires. Quiet and methodical, Fassbender nails the role (pardon the pun) and will likely be among the five Best Actor nominees this year. Moviefone caught up with him earlier this year at the Toronto International Film Festival to -- what else -- talk about 'Shame,' sex and full-frontal nudity. Michael Fassbender: Journey Through the Ages That Michael Fassbender sure is the master of period pieces. From Spartan times to the swingin' '60s, Fassbender proves he can tackle any era. '300''Jane Eyre'A Dangerous Method'Band of Brothers''Inglourious Basterds''X-Men: First Class'Shame See All Moviefone Galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook