- Notes provided by Warner Bros. Pictures -

Director/producer Garry Marshall is joined by a stellar ensemble cast to ring in the 2011 holiday season with the romantic comedy ``New Year's Eve.
``New Year's Eve celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, with intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.
The film's all-star cast includes Academy Award(R) winner Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Academy Award(R) nominee Abigail Breslin, Chris ``Ludacris Bridges, two-time Academy Award(R) winner Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Academy Award(R) nominee Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, two-time Academy Award(R) winner Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara.
Reuniting with Marshall from last year's hit romantic comedy ``Valentine's Day are screenwriter Katherine Fugate and producers Mike Karz and Wayne Rice. Serving as executive producers are Toby Emmerich, Samuel J. Brown, Michael Disco, Josie Rosen and Diana Pokorny, with Heather Hall as co-producer.
The behind-the-scenes creative filmmaking team includes director of photography Charles Minsky, production designer Mark Friedberg, editor Michael Tronick, Oscar(R)¬nominated costume designer Gary Jones and Oscar(R)-nominated composer John Debney.
A New Line Cinema presentation of a Wayne Rice/Karz Entertainment Production, a Garry Marshall Film, ``New Year's Eve will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
It is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for language, including some sexual references.
www.newyearseve-movie.com
For downloadable general press information please visit: http://press.warnerbros.com
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Fresh Starts and Second Chances
New Year's Eve... the great reset button of life.
Director Garry Marshall, renowned for a catalogue of films that capture love in so many rich, warm and funny ways, calls it ``the perfect opportunity to take stock of things, to think about the mistakes of the past year and about how maybe you can do better. A time to be thankful for what you have. But it's also a fun, exciting, wonderful time, full of anticipation-and yes, some craziness. Mostly it's about hope, when everything you want seems possible again, if you're willing to take another chance.
Marshall means what he says. It was on New Year's Eve nearly 50 years ago that he became engaged to the love of his life, his wife, Barbara. ``She was wearing a dress the same color as the dress Halle Berry wears in the movie. We were in love, we were dancing, and we said, 'Well, let's see how it works out,' he recounts. ``It's always been her favorite holiday.
Undeniably, romance steals the show in the countdown hours of December 31st as many couples look forward to that special midnight kiss, others seize the magic of the evening to make lifelong commitments, and still others decide to take a chance on someone new who might just be ``the one. But the emotional reach of the holiday goes further. While ``New Year's Eve serves up romance in some of its myriad delicious and maddening stages, it also looks at love in some of its other forms: forgiveness, compassion, and the everyday miracle of people opening their hearts to a different point of view.
The movie addresses these ideas in a collection of individual stories told as if randomly selected among the countless tales that play out every day. Each stands alone but some touch briefly upon one another, while others ultimately cross paths to a perfect closure. Marshall, a one-time jazz-band drummer, says, ``I hear the music under every scene, the beats and the notes in the dialogue. In 'New Year's Eve' there are some very touching moments and a lot of comedy, a lot of different stories to tell, and each one has its own rhythm. I like to move things around, to balance the intensity of one scene against the lightness of another.
Producers Mike Karz and Wayne Rice reunited with Marshall and their ``Valentine's Day screenwriter Katherine Fugate to explore dozens of potential characters and scenarios before narrowing the field to the most resonant. ``We talked about the kinds of experiences and circumstances that would best convey the themes of the movie across a range of different relationships, offers Fugate. ``We wanted a story of first love and one of forgiveness, as well as stories about taking a risk, letting things go, revisiting an old flame, making amends, having a baby, starting fresh... with love being the mitigating force through all of them.
Says Karz, ``We were also looking for characters that move in directions you don't necessarily see coming, or interact with characters who may or may not be the ones you expect them to connect with. Katherine is so skillful, not only in creating these individuals, but also in interweaving their storylines in a natural way.
``What's also interesting about this kind of ensemble piece is that it's designed so the entire sequence takes place in one day, adds Rice ``The third act of a movie is often about a ticking clock, and in this case, there's an actual clock that triggers the action for everyone. You can take the audience on a roller coaster ride through all these possibilities, but that ball is going to drop at midnight and they all have to conclude simultaneously.
Not surprisingly, Marshall's ``New Year's Eve celebration attracted a multitude of Hollywood's A-list talent, primarily for the pleasure of working with the renowned director. The film's remarkable multi-generational starring cast includes Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris ``Ludacris Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara.
Additionally, film fans will recognize numerous surprise cameos and supporting roles filled by such stars as Jake T. Austin, Jim Belushi, Cary Elwes, Carla Gugino, Cherry Jones, Jack McGee, Joey McIntyre, Alyssa Milano, Sarah Paulson, Sarge and Yeardley Smith, among others, to help welcome the New Year in style.
Ashton Kutcher and Jessica Biel rejoin Marshall on this second holiday outing, following ``Valentine's Day, in which they portrayed entirely different characters. ``When they told me Garry was directing, I said yes before I even read the script, says Kutcher.
Michelle Pfeiffer, who starred in Marshall's ``Frankie and Johnny, would agree. ``I love Garry. He has tremendous energy and he's always ready for anything. He's one of the best when it comes to giving audiences a story they're truly going to enjoy, something to relate to and laugh about, and who wouldn't want to be a part of that?
Others cast members were new to what's known as the ``Garry Marshall experience, including Hilary Swank, who quickly understood what that meant. ``I can see why he's a comedy legend. His instincts are right on. He's always coming up with a funnier line or finding that balance between the drama and comedy, and he brings humor out of a story in a way that makes you laugh not just because it's funny but because it's so true, she says.
``He's incredibly cool, attests Zac Efron, a fan of Marshall's movies long before he became an actor, himself, and who recalls how easy it was to fall into sync with the veteran director at their first meeting. ``You could say we're from different eras, but we still had so much to talk about. I think it's impossible to meet Garry and not instantly pick up his enthusiasm. We just try to keep up.
In the way that ``Valentine's Day revolved around Los Angeles and featured some of its most beautiful locales, ``New Year's Eve showcases New York in a blend of the iconically familiar with some lesser-known gems for a portrait of the city at its breathtaking best-dazzling, kinetic, glamorous, and all lit up for its close-up on the biggest night of the year.
``This movie is Garry's celebration of New York City, states Karz.
An estimated 500,000 people traverse Times Square on an average day, but on December 31st that number doubles, with over a billion more watching on television across the globe. ``There are parties in other big cities-London, Paris, Moscow-but I think people everywhere still look to see that ball drop in New York, says Halle Berry. ``There's just something about The Big Apple.
Marshall, born and raised in The Bronx, has always been closely associated with New York and draws upon an endless supply of vivid memories for the film. ``It was always a big night for me, even as a kid, he says. ``It's really an adult holiday, but the kids like it because there's such an excitement in the air, they can't help feeling that something special is going on, and if they're lucky, their parents will get them up at midnight, half asleep, to make a little noise. In our family it was all about banging pots and pans and yelling out the window. Then, when I was a little older, I went to Times Square to watch the ball drop and later, as a musician, I played in some of the clubs there.
``It was terrific to relive those moments making this movie, Marshall continues. ``But that's what New Year's Eve does to people; it stirs up memories. It makes you look forward and back at the same time, and think, 'Where will I be this time next year?'
Five... Four... Three... Two... One...
Happy New Year!

The focal point for all this ``New Year's Eve action is the countdown to 2012, represented by the ceremonial ``ball drop in Times Square. Imagine one person being responsible for seeing that this spectacle goes off without a hitch, live, while the eyes of the world watch... and that would be Claire, the newly promoted Vice President of the Times Square Alliance, portrayed by Hilary Swank.
Swank, who trained with her real-life counterpart for the role, admits, ``I had no idea of what goes on behind the scenes. As an audience member you think someone pushes a button and it just happens, but there is so much that can go wrong. Is it going to drop or isn't it? From the time you meet Claire to where the story ends there are a lot of dramatic and funny things that happen on that platform, any of which could potentially ruin the entire event-not to mention her career.
As she struggles with the logistics of keeping it all on track, while holding the media at bay and trying to keep everyone's midnight appointment with tradition, she is privately mindful of another important appointment she means to keep when all the hoopla is over. The details of this late date she has confided to only one other person: her dear friend Brendan, an NYPD officer, played by Chris ``Ludacris Bridges, accompanying her on the Times Square night shift.
``Brendan wasn't even supposed to be working that shift, but he wanted to be there to help Claire because he knows what a big night it is for her, and what a huge responsibility, says Bridges. ``He's there to boost her confidence if she needs it, to help smooth the way and make sure she's 100 up for everything she has to do.
As it turns out, Claire needs all the support she can rally when it appears that the ball's propulsion mechanism is in dire need of a gifted engineer-namely, the recently laid-off Kominsky, played by Hector Elizondo in a part written specifically for him. A longtime member of the Marshall repertory and often cited as the director's good luck charm, the versatile actor has appeared in every one of his seventeen feature films.
Kominsky has tended this complex machinery for years and knows it better than anyone. The question is, even if he can be located in time, will he be willing to return to his former job and coax his ``baby? Says Elizondo, ``When he gets the call he's not sure he wants to help. He doesn't know if Claire was the person who fired him, so he's wary. But they need his expertise. If he comes back it will be for that and, frankly, for the sake of what the night itself means.
But the ball drop is only part of the show. Claire is also charged with coordinating the evening's headline act, rock superstar Jensen, set to kick off the festivities at 12:01 following an earlier gig at a private party nearby. Jensen is played by the multi-talented Jon Bon Jovi, who worked his shooting schedule into a break in his recent worldwide tour. Says Karz, ``Bon Jovi is the most successful touring act in the world. Apart from that and raising his family, Jon wasn't really thinking about making another movie, but when he read the script he really responded to the character and wanted to do it.
Even single-named international rock stars have problems and what's troubling Jensen on this festive night is a heartache he's been carrying too long, over a woman he left behind for the wrong reasons. ``Now he's trying to think of a way back into her life, a way to get back into her good graces, if that's even possible, Bon Jovi explains.
Katherine Heigl plays Laura, the girl he let slip away. Although still hurt and angry about the way they parted a year ago, Laura has gone on with her life and earned her own measure of success, parlaying her culinary talents into a growing catering business. Tonight she's handling her highest-profile job ever: an exclusive New Year's Eve bash for the rich and famous... at which Jensen is scheduled to perform.
``It all comes to a head at the party, says Heigl. ``Their meeting is immediately contentious. Without warning, Laura just slaps him, out of nowhere, and storms off, and then you realize they have a history. They were serious about each other once but he moved on without any explanation. He broke her heart and she's been harboring a lot of resentment ever since, just dreaming of the day when she could let him have it.
Clearly, the singer would have a better chance with Laura's vivacious sous-chef, Ava, played by Sofia Vergara. Ava is thrilled to be working this fantastic venue, doubly thrilled to catch an up-close-and-personal glimpse of Jensen and then shocked to see her boss take a swing at him. Still, she recovers quickly enough, Vergara confirms, to help Laura vent: ``We did a scene in the kitchen where Laura is so mad she's just throwing food and Ava is there to help, handing her tomatoes and fruit to toss. It was a lot of fun.
Because ``Jensen and Laura have a love story with a serious side, we put Sofia into the middle of it to help bring out the humor of the situation, Marshall explains. ``And she does so, beautifully.
Unbeknownst to Jensen, there could be more trouble ahead. Making her feature film debut, Broadway and television star Lea Michele appears as Elise, the rocker's newly hired back-up singer, who just got unexpectedly delayed en route to the concert. It's the worst possible luck, tonight of all nights, on the brink of her first big break.
Adding insult to injury, Elise is stuck for the unknown duration with what appears to be the only guy for miles around who could make things even worse: Randy. Played by Ashton Kutcher, Randy is a too-cool-to-care killjoy who has nothing good to say about anything, and especially about New Year's Eve, against which he seems to hold some kind of grudge. Kutcher admits, ``He's a bit of a jerk. His holiday plan is to stay home and avoid the whole celebration because all the amateur partiers are crowding the streets-all those guys who don't go out all year and then suddenly go bananas on New Year's Eve- and he thinks he's above all that.
``In 'Valentine's Day' Ashton was the classic romantic, and here he couldn't be more cynical; it's a 180 degree turn, says Rice.
Revealing that the actor chose the role of Randy, Marshall remarks with a laugh, ``Ashton's smart. He wanted to be the guy working indoors because he knew it would be freezing outside, because we were shooting winter in New York City.
``It doesn't start well, says Michele of the strained exchange between Elise and Randy. ``Out of the thousands of people celebrating that night, Elise can't understand why she got stuck with this one. But as time passes they get to know each other a little. She's a singer and he's an artist so they discover that they have more similarities than differences. She's also curious about what happened to make him feel the way he does.
Fugate uses the plot point to suggest, ``Sometimes the best thing that can happen is what you think is the worst thing. Sometimes it's about taking a breath and paying attention to what's happening right in front of you.
Leaving Randy and Elise to test that theory, the story moves to a man who has reason to feel even more trapped than they are. Confined to a hospital bed, Stan, played by Robert De Niro, is an acclaimed photojournalist who spectacularly cheated death in war zones around the world throughout his hard-driving career but is now coming to terms with an enemy he can't evade. Citing his conversations with De Niro during production, Marshall touches on the actor's consummate focus and attention to detail. ``He said, 'I want to get my eyes right for the part.' So he got contact lenses and we spent some time working on that aspect of the character. It was that precise.
Stan admits to having alienated everyone he's ever known. Now, refusing treatment, he is determined to hold on just long enough to watch the ball drop in Times Square one last time. Alone. But that's not something Nurse Aimee, played by Halle Berry, will allow. As the evening progresses, says Berry, ``Stan reflects on his life and there's a point when he starts to hallucinate and believes Aimee is someone else, someone who was once close to him. It's a sweet and touching moment. Aimee is away from her own loved ones on New Year's Eve and doesn't expect it to be a joyous occasion, but she's going to make the best of it, and tonight that means caring for her patient. I think there's a part of her that understands what it's like to have regrets.
Another expert on the subject of regrets would be Ingrid, ``a meek, unassuming soul who has walked the same small circuit of her neighborhood and worked the same thankless job without complaint her entire adult life, says Michelle Pfeiffer, who takes on the role of the easily overlooked assistant. ``Afraid of her own shadow, she's carved out a simple, safe existence that won't throw her any surprises.
Even so, there are surprises in store for her. Ingrid has a heart-pounding brush with mortality and it turns her life around in a dramatic way. Reviewing a list of long-unfulfilled New Year's resolutions, she finally summons the courage to quit her job, which is the first item on it, and embarks on a quest to cross off as many of the remaining items
as possible before the clock strikes twelve.
But she's going to need some help.
The filmmakers paired Ingrid with an unlikely yet perfect companion for her impromptu adventure: a confident young bike messenger named Paul, played by Zac Efron, with whom Pfeiffer previously co-starred in ``Hairspray. If Paul provides the wheels and resourcefulness Ingrid needs to beat the clock, then she, in turn, can offer him the one thing he covets most on this night of revelry: tickets to the hottest party in town, the Ahern Records Masked Ball. Intended for her ungrateful boss, the tickets were the last thing Ingrid purposefully picked up on her way out the door.
Efron sees Paul as ``an energetic, fun-loving guy who prides himself on being a wheeler-dealer, a guy who gets things done and nothing breaks his stride. When Ingrid strikes this deal with him, he knows he's definitely the man for the job. But along the way, the party becomes secondary to what turns out to be an amazing New Year's Eve, and he spends every minute of it helping her and making her happy. It's a real testament to the power of spreading joy.
``We wanted the juxtaposition of a character who's seen enough of life to have felt some missed opportunities, with someone who's younger and doesn't really think in terms of resolutions and regrets, offers Rice. ``We thought, let's put these two together and watch them bring awareness to each other in a way that will change both their lives.
``It's sensational when you see this shy woman burst out of her shell and come alive. When you see that beautiful smile, it's just magical, says Marshall. ``And Zac is a natural at being cool, which is the definition of Paul. But then you see other elements of his character come out as he gets to know her better.
If Ingrid's story is about not waiting to fulfill your dreams, that philosophy would surely get a thumbs-up from 15-year-old Hailey, a young woman on the edge of independence, with big plans to celebrate this New Year instead of sitting it out, as usual, with her mom and a bowl of popcorn. Abigail Breslin appears as the spirited teen, while her loving but overly cautious single mother, Kim, is played by Sarah Jessica Parker, without whom, Marshall simply states, ``New York wouldn't be the same.
Hailey and her friends have secured a spot in Times Square to witness the countdown together. Then, if all goes well and a certain boy steps up-that would be Seth, played by Jake T. Austin-she might even get that first kiss she's been dreaming about.
But not if mom has anything to say about it.
Says Parker, ``It's probably been a great source of comfort for Kim to have her daughter and this routine in her life, but what we discover is that Hailey is no longer willing to play that role. She's at an age where she wants to be out experiencing life. For many parents that's a hard transition, and in particular for Kim, because she's alone and has been more reliant upon Hailey for company than she'll admit.
By restricting Hailey's budding social life, Kim keeps herself locked away as well, rather than face the daunting prospect of taking another chance at love and life, a fact that's not lost on her daughter. ``Hailey isn't trying to be mean. She's just trying to claim her independence and let her mom know she's not a baby anymore, and at the same time remind her that there's a whole world out there that she's been missing, offers Breslin.
As Kim and Hailey confront their issues in Brooklyn, over at New York Memorial Hospital in Manhattan two couples are facing parenting issues of another kind. Tess and Griffin, played by Jessica Biel and Seth Meyers, are expecting their first child at the same time that Grace and James, played by Sarah Paulson and Til Schweiger, are due to add another to their growing family. Ordinarily, their chance meeting in the doctor's office earlier that day and then again, later, at the hospital, would be an opportunity to bond but instead the four become locked in a frantic battle over who will take home the hospital's $25,000 prize for giving birth to the first baby of the new year.
``Pregnancy is such a miraculous thing but we try to make it funny, too, showing what people will go through and how silly it can become when you lose sight of what really matters, says Marshall.
``They try all kinds of unusual things to induce labor, hints Biel. ``Then, after a couple of false starts, Grace's water breaks the same time that Tess's does and they go into labor simultaneously. It's really close. You don't know who's going to win till the very last minute.
Even though the women are doing all the work, Schweiger points out, ``It's the men who are competitive. Immediately after the two couples meet in their doctor's waiting room they're stumbling over each other in their race to be the first. It's the men who run from the elevator to the hospital reception desk while the women waddle behind.
``It was very exciting preparing for the birth of my fictional child, which is something most guys look forward to because real children are so much responsibility, quips SNL regular Meyers. ``Your fictional children you can just leave on the set.
Meanwhile, as these stories unfold, one New Yorker is desperately trying to get back into the city for two very important appointments. Sam, played by a tuxedoed Josh Duhamel, has just attended his best friend's wedding in Connecticut and is driving back, pondering the direction of his life, when he collides with a road sign. Out of towing distance and with no body shops or rental agencies available on this special day, he's forced to take an unconventional route home that could turn out to be the course-correction he needs most.
The evening is especially meaningful as it's the first New Year's Eve his family is commemorating since losing Sam's father, and Sam is set to speak in his place at their annual gathering. As much as this weighs on his mind, he also can't help thinking about the fascinating woman he met by chance on this very night one year ago.
``She wouldn't give him her number. She said things were complicated for her and that if he was still interested next year they could meet at the same spot, same time, Duhamel reveals. ``As much as he thinks it's crazy and tries to dismiss the idea, he wonders if she'll be there now... and if she'll be looking for him.
Nothing Beats New York City on New Year's Eve
Filming on ``New Year's Eve began in Times Square on December 31, 2010, making it the first feature film to capture the event, live, in its 106-year history.
``Rather than try to recreate the scene on a soundstage, we opted for the real thing, says Mike Karz, who describes some of what that actually meant. ``There are a million people there, thousands of policemen, the streets are blocked off, you never know what the weather is going to be like, there are TV schedules and news crews to work around, and it's being broadcast live all over the world. Other than that, it was a piece of cake.
``It was the most exciting thing I've done in a long time, attests Marshall's longtime cinematographer Charles Minsky. ``We shot with 12 high-def Alexa cameras. We also had cameras on cranes and rooftops, three on the stage and one down on the street where we filmed for eight hours. It was fantastic.
To coordinate the shoot, the filmmakers worked with the New York City Mayor's Office and NYPD, as well as the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment, the two organizations that produce the ball drop. They also enlisted Anthony Calvano's Landmark Signs & Electrical, which manages the 1,070-pound Waterford crystal sphere and its 3,500-plus lighting cues. The result was approximately 40 hours of raw footage, including some staged moments involving a crowd of extras decked out in 2012 gear for close-ups.
For Wayne Rice, who had never before celebrated the holiday at its undisputed epicenter, being in Times Square on New Year's Eve was ``an experience difficult to describe. Certainly television can't do it justice. When you take in that sea of humanity, the confetti is raining down and you hear Sinatra singing 'New York, New York' with a million people singing along, it's electrifying.
But that was just the beginning. In February they returned and appropriated the site for an additional two weeks of filming with the actors, and rebuilt the stage at 45th and Broadway. Shots focusing on the malfunctioning ball were caught from atop the roof of a building adjacent to One Times Square.
Among their other practical locations were Rockefeller Center's Radio City Music Hall, the neo-Gothic New York Life Building and Chelsea Market. Additionally, the ``New Year's Eve crew was the first to film in Lincoln Center's newly renovated Alice Tully Hall. Audiences will also go inside Queens Museum for a look at what production designer Mark Friedberg calls ``one of the most incredible jewels in the city that was created for the 1964 World's Fair.
For the film's big gala, where Jensen makes a heroic effort to win back the woman he lost, the designer dressed the Brooklyn Museum's Beaux Arts Court. ``It's sophisticated but avant-garde, with a Busby Berkeley kind of stage. We brought in trees for an illuminated forest, and hung hundreds and hundreds of china balls from the ceiling, he says. Because the museum's high, open ceiling afforded no structural grid from which cinematographer Minsky could hang lights, he and Friedberg worked to incorporate lighting directly into the party décor, enhancing its magical effect.
Friedberg's team also transformed a warehouse into a Balinese set and built a freight elevator on a sound stage.
Apart from coordinating the schedules of their extensive cast, the filmmakers cited cold temperatures as their biggest challenge, since they were not cheating any of their outdoor locations during one of the city's harshest winters in decades. ``The weather did get in the way of the kissing, says Marshall with typical humor. ``When you're leaning in for a kiss and your breath comes out like smoke it looks like you're in London fog and we can't see the girl's face. They were all troupers, though. They had to pile on the heavy coats and hats and then take them off, do the scene, six or seven takes, freeze, and then back into the coats. I never heard any complaints.
It was all déjà vu for Chris ``Ludacris Bridges, who performed in Times Square for NBC's ``New Year's Eve with Carson Daly in 2008. He concurs, ``It was freezing. But if you have a warm heart, you'll survive the cold.
``Have a Little Faith in Me.
Because it wouldn't be a New Years's Eve party without memorable music, audiences will see Jon Bon Jovi-as Jensen-cover Otis Redding's ``I Can't Turn You Loose on the Times Square stage, and John Hiatt's ``Have A Little Faith in Me in the more intimate setting of the masquerade ball.
Grammy Award-winning music producer Don Was produced both songs with Jon. Based on recordings of Bon Jovi performing the songs in concert, he explains, ``We shaped the tracks around what Jon would do and then went in with Garry Marshall and got the performances they needed for the film.
Also, Lea Michele delivers a stirring rendition of the New Year's classic ``Auld Lang Syne, produced by ``Glee music producer Adam Anders.
Recalling how Bon Jovi worked with the filmmakers on song selection, Rice says, ``He came to the table with some songs that fit the themes of his story and spoke of love and optimism, moving forward, the things we would associate with New Year's Eve.
``Garry wants to deliver an experience for audiences that's fun and fulfilling, and he gravitates towards themes and stories that serve those values. He really believes that when people go to the movies they deserve a break, they deserve a happy ending, says Karz.
``No matter what they tell you, New Year's Eve is about hope, Marshall concludes. ``A lot of people think about who they're going to kiss at midnight, who they're going out with, where's the best party, and all of that. For others, well, they have other concerns. Maybe things haven't been going so well. You make plans and sometimes they fall through, and those are some of the things we look at in the movie.
``The fact is, New Year's Eve means something to a lot of people all around the world and watching that countdown is a shared moment. That's what I love about it.

ABOUT THE CAST
HALLE BERRY (Nurse Aimee) won an Academy Award(R), a Screen Actors Guild(R) Award and the Berlin Silver Bear Award and was named Best Actress by the National Board of Review for her brilliant performance in ``Monster's Ball. No stranger to accolades, she also earned the Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG(R) and NAACP Image Award for her extraordinary performance in HBO's telefilm ``Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and was nominated for a Best Actress Golden Globe Award for her role in the 2010 biographical drama ``Frankie and Alice, both of which she also produced.
Her upcoming projects include the epic ``Cloud Atlas, for directors Tom Tykwer and the Wachowski brothers, currently in production, and the Paul Weiland comedy ``Shoe Addicts Anonymous. She will also be seen in the action thriller ``Dark Tide.
Berry earned critical acclaim for her starring role in ``Things We Lost in the Fire, written by Sam Mendes and directed by Susanne Bier. She also recently starred in ``The Perfect Stranger and reprised her role as Storm in the worldwide hit ``X-Men: The Last Stand. In 2006, Berry earned Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for her performance in ``Their Eyes Were Watching God, produced by Oprah Winfrey, and as executive producer of the HBO telefilm ``Lackawanna Blues.
Previously, Berry heated up theatres across the globe in the title role in ``Catwoman and provided the voice of Cappy in the animated hit ``Robots. She starred in the thriller ``Gothika, ``X-Men and ``X2, and as Jinx in the James Bond feature ``Die Another Day, which became the largest-grossing Bond film to date.
Berry made her feature film debut in Spike Lee's ``Jungle Fever. She went on to star in ``Bulworth, ``Losing Isaiah, ``Executive Decision, ``The Flintstones, ``The Last Boy Scout, ``Strictly Business, ``Boomerang and ``Swordfish. Her additional television credits include the highly rated ABC miniseries, ``Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding, directed by Charles Burnett, as well as the title role in Alex Haley's mini-series, ``Queen, a performance that earned Berry her first NAACP Image Award for Best Actress, as well as the Best Newcomer Award from the Hollywood Women's Press Club. She also starred in Showtime's original telefilm ``Solomon and Sheba.
In recognition for her achievements as an actress, the Harvard Foundation at Harvard University honored Berry as Cultural Artist of the Year.
JESSICA BIEL (Tess) most recently starred in the action adventure ``The A-Team, and in Garry Marshall's romantic comedy ``Valentine's Day. She will soon be seen in the thriller ``The Tall Man, the sports comedy ``Playing the Field and Len Wiseman's much-anticipated remake of ``Total Recall, currently in production.
Biel previously received critical acclaim for her performance in the thriller ``The Illusionist. For her work in the film, she won several festival awards, including the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival, the Shining Star Award at the Maui Film Festival and the Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
She was also recently seen in the independent feature ``Easy Virtue, which premiered to rave reviews at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival before screening at the Rome, London and Tribeca Film Festivals. She also starred in the worldwide hit comedy ``I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.
Biel's additional film credits include Lee Tamahori's ``Next, ``Elizabethtown, written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Rob Cohen's ``Stealth, ``Blade: Trinity, the hit remake of ``The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and ``Summer Catch.
JON BON JOVI (Jensen) won a Golden Globe Award and earned an Oscar(R) nomination for his song ``Blaze of Glory, from the film ``Young Guns II.
His acting career includes roles in numerous feature films, including ``Moonlight and Valentino, ``The Leading Man, ``Destination Anywhere, ``Homegrown, ``Little City, ``No Looking Back, ``Row Your Boat, ``Vampires Los Muertos, ``U-571, ``Pay It Forward, ``Cry Wolf and ``National Lampoon's Pucked.
Additionally, he has appeared on television, in guest starring roles on such popular series as ``Sex and the City, ``30 Rock, ``Las Vegas and ``The West Wing, as well as an extended run on ``Ally McBeal.
As lead singer and namesake of the internationally popular rock group Bon Jovi, he has sold more than 130 million albums worldwide. Last year, Billboard named Bon Jovi the Top Touring Act of 2010, an honor the band held previously in 2008.
ABIGAIL BRESLIN (Hailey) had the amazing opportunity to play the leading lady to Mel Gibson - at the age of five - in M. Night Shyamalan's 2002 film ``Signs.
Breslin was most recently seen starring as the title character in ``Janie Jones, directed by David Rosenthal, in theaters October 28th. Also recently, she wrapped the independent film ``The Class Project, directed by Stan Brooks, set for a 2012 release.
Most memorable is her role in the critically acclaimed ``Little Miss Sunshine, the irreverent, antic comedy which created a sensation at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. For her performance as Olive, Breslin received a Best Actress Award from the Tokyo International Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award(R) as well as Screen Actors Guild(R) and BAFTA Best Supporting Actress honors. In addition, she was honored as ShoWest's ``Female Star of Tomorrow in 2008.
Breslin also earned notoriety for her performance in ``Raising Helen, directed by Garry Marshall. She also starred in ``The Ultimate Gift, and had a surprise role as a perky elf in ``The Santa Claus 3.
In 2008 she starred in ``No Reservations, directed by Scott Hicks, ``Definitely Maybe, ``Nim's Island and ``Kit Kittredge: An American Girl. In 2009, she starred in Nick Cassavetes' drama ``My Sister's Keeper and in the horror comedy ``Zombieland.
On television, Breslin has had guest roles on ``Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, ``NCIS, ``What I Like About You and ``Grey's Anatomy.
In the spring of 2010, she graced the stage starring as Helen Keller in the first Broadway revival of ``The Miracle Worker.
CHRIS ``LUDACRIS BRIDGES (Brendan) has sold more than 12 million albums domestically thanks to the blockbuster success of such singles as ``Stand Up, ``Get Back, ``Number One Spot and ``Money Maker, all of which had imaginative videos that stretched the boundaries of what rap videos should look and feel like. One of music's premiere entertainers, Bridges is equally adept at writing infectious tunes and powerful songs with serious subject matter, such as runaways, on ``Runaway Love.
Making a seamless transition into acting, Bridges most recently appeared in the Justin Lin action thriller ``Fast Five and Ivan Reitman's romantic comedy ``No Strings Attached. His acclaimed film performances include roles in ``Crash and ``Hustle & Flow, and for television he guest-starred on ``Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
The recently launched Conjure Cognac joins Bridges' Disturbing Tha Peace Records as another successful venture.
He is currently working on his eighth studio album, ``Ludaversal.
ROBERT DE NIRO (Stan) won the 1974 Academy Award(R) for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the young Vito Corleone in ``The Godfather, Part II. In 1980 he won his second Oscar(R), as Best Actor, for his extraordinary portrayal of Jake La Motta in Scorsese's ``Raging Bull. De Niro has earned Academy Award(R) nominations for his work in four additional films: Martin Scorsese's acclaimed ``Taxi Driver, Michael Cimino's ``The Deer Hunter, Penny Marshall's ``Awakenings, and in 1992, Scorsese's remake of the 1962 classic ``Cape Fear.
He has also twice won the New York Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor, in recognition of his critically acclaimed performances in ``Bang the Drum Slowly and Martin Scorsese's ``Mean Streets
In 2009, De Niro received the coveted Kennedy Center Honor for his distinguished career. He also received the Hollywood Actor Award from the Hollywood Film Festival and the Stanley Kubrick Award from the BAFTA Britannia Awards. He most recently starred in ``Limitless; ``The Killer Elite; ``Little Fockers, the third installment of the highly successful Tribeca Productions' ``Meet the Parents franchise; Filmauro's Italian romantic comedy ``Manuale d'amore 3; the thriller ``Stone; and ``Machete, for directors Ethan Minquis and Robert Rodriguez. His upcoming projects include the Paul Weitz comedy ``Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, the crime drama ``Freelancers, the thriller ``Red Lights and the comedy ``The Wedding.
De Niro launched his prolific motion picture career in Brian De Palma's ``The Wedding Party in 1969. His distinguished body of work also includes performances in Elia Kazan's ``The Last Tycoon; Bernardo Bertolucci's ``1900; Ulu Grosbard's ``True Confessions and ``Falling in Love; Sergio Leone's ``Once Upon a Time in America; Scorsese's ``King of Comedy, ``New York, New York, ``GoodFellas, and ``Casino; Terry Gilliam's ``Brazil; Roland Joffe's ``The Mission; Brian De Palma's ``The Untouchables; Alan Parker's ``Angel Heart; Martin Brest's ``Midnight Run; David Jones' ``Jacknife; Martin Ritt's ``Stanley and Iris; Neil Jordan's ``We're No Angels; Ron Howard's ``Backdraft; Michael Caton-Jones' ``This Boy's Life; John McNaughton's ``Mad Dog and Glory; Kenneth Branagh's ``Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Michael Mann's ``Heat; Barry Levinson's ``Sleepers and ``Wag the Dog; Jerry Zaks' ``Marvin's Room; Tony Scott's ``The Fan; James Mangold's ``Copland; Alfonso Cuarón's ``Great Expectations; Quentin Tarantino's ``Jackie Brown; John Frankenheimer's ``Ronin; Harold Ramis' ``Analyze This and ``Analyze That; Joel Schumacher's ``Flawless; Des McNuff's ``The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle; George Tillman's ``Men of Honor; John Herzfeld's ``Fifteen Minutes; Frank Oz's ``The Score; Tom Dey's ``Showtime; Michael Caton-Jones' ``City By The Sea; Nick Hamm's, ``Godsend; John Polson's ``Hide and Seek; Mary McGuckian's ``The Bridge of San Luis Rey; DreamWorks's "Shark Tale" Jay Roach's ``Meet The Parents, and "Meet the Fockers," Barry Levinson's ``What Just Happened, Jon Avnet's ``Righteous Kill and Kirk Jones' ``Everybody's Fine.
De Niro takes pride in the development of his production company, Tribeca Productions, the Tribeca Film Center, which he founded with Jane Rosenthal in 1988, and the Tribeca Film Festival, which he founded with Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. Through Tribeca Productions, he develops projects on which he serves in a combination of capacities, including producer, director and actor.
Tribeca's ``A Bronx Tale in 1993 marked De Niro's directorial debut. He later directed and co-starred in ``The Good Shepherd with Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie.
Tribeca features include ``Thunderheart, ``Cape Fear, ``Mistress, ``Night and the City, ``The Night We Never Met, ``Faithful, ``Panther, ``Marvin's Room, ``Wag the Dog, ``Analyze This, ``Flawless, ``The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, ``Meet the Parents, ``Fifteen Minutes, ``Showtime and ``Analyze That. The company's television credits include the acclaimed series ``Tribeca, on which De Niro was an executive producer, and the NBC telefilm ``Witness to the Mob, based on the life of Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano.
JOSH DUHAMEL (Sam) starred in ``Transformers 3, for director Michael Bay, earlier this year. He also recently starred in the romantic comedy ``Life as We Know It, the family comedy ``Ramona and Beezus, ``When in Rome and ``The Romantics, which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and lent his voice to Nickelodeon's Emmy Award-winning animated series ``Fanboy & Chum Chum.
Duhamel will next be seen in the feature drama ``Fire With Fire and the comedy ``Movie 43, both scheduled for a 2012 release.
Duhamel's other film credits include the box office bonanza ``Transformers and ``Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. In 2006, he starred in the horror thriller ``Turistas and, in 2004, in the title role of the comedy ``Win a Date with Tad Hamilton.
Duhamel landed his first acting job playing Dorian Gray in an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic ``The Picture of Dorian Gray. After the shoot, he moved to New York City to join the cast of the long-running ABC series ``All My Children. He received three consecutive Daytime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Leo du Pres, and took home the Emmy in 2002.
Named one of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, Duhamel starred for six seasons as Danny McCoy on NBC's one-hour drama ``Las Vegas, with James Caan.
ZAC EFRON (Paul) most recently starred in the title role of the fantasy romance ``Charlie St. Cloud, and in the comedy ``17 Again, both for director Burr Steers. He will next be seen in Scott Hicks' romantic drama ``The Lucky One, based on the Nicolas Sparks best-seller and as a voice in animated film version of the popular Dr. Seuss book ``The Lorax. He recently wrapped production on the Lee Daniels film ``The Paperboy, and also finished working on an untitled Ramin Bahrani film.
Previously, Efron starred as the lovable Link Larkin in 2007's smash hit musical ``Hairspray, directed by Adam Shankman. As part of the all-star cast he shared a Critics Choice Award for Best Acting Ensemble, the 2007 Hollywood Film Festival Award for Ensemble of the Year, and was honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award(R) nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast. In addition, he won an MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Performance.
Efron also starred in Richard Linklater's ``Me and Orson Welles, an adaptation of the Robert Kaplow novel, which premiered to rave reviews at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. More recently, he starred in Kenny Ortega's ``High School Musical 3: Senior Year, which set a box office record for highest-grossing opening weekend for a musical.
Efron first garnered attention in 2006 as the star of the original ``High School Musical, for which he won the Teen Choice Award for Breakout Star. He returned to the role of Troy Bolton in ``High School Musical 2, which broke cable TV records with 17.5 million viewers. Efron's additional television credits include a role on the WB series ``Summerland and guest-starring roles on such shows as ``ER, ``The Guardian, ``CSI: Miami and ``NCIS.
On the stage, Efron has starred in the musical ``Gypsy, and appeared in productions of ``Peter Pan, ``Mame, ``Little Shop of Horrors and ``The Music Man.
HECTOR ELIZONDO (Kominsky) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an American Comedy Award for his performance in Garry Marshall's mega-hit ``Pretty Woman. He has worked with Marshall in all of the director's films, beginning with ``Young Doctors in Love and going on to include ``The Flamingo Kid, ``Nothing in Common, ``Runaway Bride, ``The Princess Diaries and ``The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and last year's hit ``Valentine's Day.
Elizondo's additional film credits include ``Love in the Time of Cholera, ``Music Within, ``Tortilla Soup, ``Necessary Roughness, ``American Gigolo and the original ``The Taking of Pelham One Two Three.
He won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Dr. Phillip Watters on CBS's ``Chicago Hope. During his six seasons on the show, Elizondo received three additional Emmy nominations and a Screen Actors Guild Award(R) nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series. He also received an Emmy nomination, for Best Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special, for his role in the telefilm ``Mrs. Cage. Currently, he can be seen in the ABC comedy hit ``Last Man Standing, also starring Tim Allen.
Elizondo first gained recognition on the New York stage for his Obie Award-winning portrayal of God in ``Steambath. He went on to garner praise for his work on Broadway in Neil Simon's ``The Prisoner of Second Avenue, ``The Great White Hope, and ``Sly Fox, for which he received a Drama Desk Award nomination, and the revival of Arthur Miller's ``The Price.
KATHERINE HEIGL (Laura) became a box-office sensation starring first in Judd Apatow's smash hit comedy ``Knocked Up, followed by a starring turn in the romantic comedy ``27 Dresses and the romantic comedy ``The Ugly Truth, which she also executive produced. These earned Heigl ``Female Star of the Year honors at the 2010 ShoWest awards.
Heigl will next be seen in January, starring as bounty hunter Stephanie Plum in ``One for the Money, based on the first novel in the best-selling series by Janet Evanovich. Directed by Julie Ann Robinson and produced by Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Wendy Finerman and Sidney Kimmel, it will be executive produced by Heigl via her production company, Abishag. Heigl also recently completed filming on ``The Wedding.
Her film credits include ``Life As We Know It, directed by Greg Berlanti; the action comedy ``Killers, for director Robert Luketic; the comedy ``The Ringer; Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed depression-era drama ``King of the Hill; ``Under Siege
2: Dark Territory; ``Stand-Ins; and ``That Night. Her first feature film leading role was in ``My Father the Hero.
Heigl will star in ``The Knitting Circle for HBO Films, executive producing the project with her mother and producing partner, Nancy Heigl, under their Abishag banner, alongside Pine Street Pictures. Craig Wright is writing the screenplay adaptation, based on the best-selling novel by Ann Hood. Abishag also recently announced that they will executive produce an original series, ``Trending, for The CW Network, in partnership with Lakeshore Entertainment and CBS TV Studios. Gren Wells is writing the pilot.
On television, for six seasons, Heigl portrayed Dr. Isobel ``Izzie Stevens on ABC's critically acclaimed drama ``Grey's Anatomy. In 2007, she earned an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Heigl also starred on The WB sci-fi drama series, ``Roswell.
ASHTON KUTCHER (Randy) currently stars in the hit CBS comedy ``Two and a Half Men. Earlier this year he starred on screen opposite Natalie Portman in the Ivan Reitman romantic comedy ``No Strings Attached.
Kutcher is also a producer and co-founder of Katalyst, a new breed of media company developing innovative content for TV, film and the web. Founded in 2000, Katalyst is driving a radical shift in the way content is created and consumed, celebrating the social connection between the viewer and the brand. Katalyst film credits include ``The Butterfly Effect, ``Guess Who, ``Killers and ``No Strings Attached. The company's television property credits include the hit series ``Punk'd, ``Beauty and the Geek and ``True Beauty. Digital Media properties include programming for major brands such as the Levi's Curve ID campaign, winner of the 2011 OMMA Award for Best Integrated Online Fashion Campaign, Nikon's ``The Chase, Mountain Dew's ``DEWmocracy and the United Nations' ``Malaria No More. In 2010, Katalyst was named one of the year's Top 50 Most Inspiring Innovators by Ad Age and one of Fast Company Magazine's Top 10 Most Innovative Companies.
Kutcher first gained recognition as Michael Kelso on the hit comedy series ``That '70s Show, which aired for eight seasons. He has since starred in several box office hits, including ``What Happens in Vegas, ``The Guardian, ``A Lot Like Love and the cult hit ``Dude, Where's My Car?
In 2010, he was named one of Time Magazine's Top 100 Most Influential People.
SETH MEYERS (Griffin) returns for his eleventh season as a cast member and his sixth season as both head writer and ``Weekend Update anchor for ``Saturday Night Live. As the sole ``Weekend Update anchor, Meyers charms audiences as he lampoons top news stories and entertains fan favorite guests, including the outlandish and über trendy correspondent ``Stefon as well as the perpetually ill-prepared singing duo ``Garth and Kat. Before focusing his attention solely on ``Update, Meyers was a regular player in sketches, performing numerous characters.
A graduate of Northwestern University, he studied and performed at Improv Olympic, where many ``SNL cast members and writers got their start, before moving on to the Boom Chicago Theater in Amsterdam, Holland. His acclaimed show ``Pick-ups and Hiccups with partner Jill Benjamin toured Europe and eventually caught the eye of ``SNL.
Most recently, Meyers returned to host the 2011 ESPY Awards on ESPN and headlined the 2011 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, to rave reviews.
LEA MICHELE (Elise) made her Broadway debut as Young Cosette in ``Les Misérables at age eight. Since then, she has appeared on stage in ``Ragtime and joined the 20th anniversary cast of ``Fiddler on the Roof. Her most recent theatrical role was Wendla in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of ``Spring Awakening, for which she earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
Michele can currently be seen on the third season of Ryan Murphy's critically acclaimed, Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award(R)-winning series ``Glee. For her work on the show, Michele was honored with both an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Television Actress, Comedy or Musical, along with a 2010 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress and a 2009 nomination for Choice TV Breakout Female Star.
She will next lend her vocal talents to the animated 3D musical ``Dorothy of Oz, an update of the classic ``The Wizard of Oz, for which she will voice the lead role and provide vocals on several original numbers written by Bryan Adams. The film is scheduled for a 2012 release.
SARAH JESSICA PARKER (Kim) recently starred in and produced ``Sex and the City 2, the sequel to the 2008 worldwide box-office hit ``Sex and the City, adapted for the big screen from the hugely popular HBO series ``Sex and the City,
Parker originated the role of Carrie Bradshaw on the series, for which she received numerous Best Actress awards, including Golden Globes in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004; a Screen Actors Guild Award(R) in 2001; and an Emmy in 2004. Her other honors include five more Emmy nominations, four more Golden Globe nominations and three more Screen Actors Guild Award(R) nominations, all for Best Actress. She also shared in two SAG Awards(R) for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Parker also served as an executive producer on the series, which garnered the Golden Globe Award for Best Comedy Series three years in a row-2000, 2001 and 2002-and won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in 2001. In 2004, the series' producers won a Producers Guild of America Award for Television Producer of the Year.
Her recent film credits also include the Douglas McGrath comedy ``I Don't Know How She Does It, Marc Lawrence's ``Did You Hear About the Morgans?, Noam Murro's ``Smart People, the independent film ``Spinning Into Butter, which she also produced, and ``Failure to Launch. In 2006, Parker earned Best Actress Golden Globe(R) nomination for her performance in ``The Family Stone. She will next lend her voice to an all-star cast for the animated family adventure ``Escape from Planet Earth, set for a 2012 release.
Among her previous credits are starring roles in such films as David Mamet's ``State and Main, ``Dudley Do-Right, ``'Til There Was You, Tim Burton's ``Mars Attacks! and ``Ed Wood, ``The First Wives Club, ``If Lucy Fell, ``Miami Rhapsody, ``Hocus Pocus, ``Honeymoon in Vegas and ``L.A. Story. Her earlier work includes ``Flight of the Navigator, ``Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Michael Apted's ``First Born and Herbert Ross' classic ``Footloose, with Kevin Bacon.
Parker began acting on the stage, making her Broadway debut in the revival of the drama ``The Innocents. She went on to star in the title role of the hit Broadway musical ``Annie. She also starred in the Broadway revivals of ``How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and ``Once Upon a Mattress. In addition, she earned Drama Desk Award nominations for her work off-Broadway in ``Sylvia and, more recently, ``Wonder of the World.
Early in her career, Parker had regular roles on the television series ``Square Pegs and ``A Year in the Life.
MICHELLE PFEIFFER (Ingrid) has earned three Academy Award(R) nominations: two for Best Actress, for her performances as Dallas housewife Lurene Hallett in ``Love Field and as the sexy chanteuse Suzie Diamond in ``The Fabulous Baker Boys, and a third in the supporting actress category for her role as the long suffering Madame de Tourvel in ``Dangerous Liaisons.
Additionally, she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in ``The Fabulous Baker Boys and received Golden Globe nominations for her performances in ``The Age of Innocence, ``Love Field, ``Frankie and Johnny, ``The Russia House and ``Married to the Mob. Her memorable roles include a haunting portrayal of Tony Montana's wife in ``Scarface.
Among her upcoming projects are the Alex Kurzman drama ``Welcome to People and the highly anticipated ``Dark Shadows, reuniting her with director Tim Burton, with whom she previously collaborated on ``Batman Returns.
Pfeiffer most recently starred as a retired Parisian courtesan in ``Cheri, directed by Stephen Frears; in the drama ``Personal Effects; and in the Golden Globe-nominated hit musical ``Hairspray. She also played the villain in the fantasy epic ``Stardust, an adaptation of the Neil Gaiman fantasy novel directed by Matthew Vaughn.
In 2003, she lent her voice to the animated feature ``Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas and in 2002, received a Screen Actors Guild Award(R) nomination for her role as a murderous mother in ``White Oleander. In 2001, she starred in the critically acclaimed ``I am Sam, and in 2000, the summer blockbuster ``What Lies Beneath.
Pfeiffer's films also include ``The Story of Us, ``A Midsummer Night's Dream, ``One Fine Day, ``To Gillian on her 37th Birthday, ``Up Close and Personal, ``Dangerous Minds, ``Wolf, ``Batman Returns, ``The Witches of Eastwick, ``Tequila Sunrise, Sweet Liberty and ``Ladyhawke.
TIL SCHWEIGER (James) is Germany's biggest movie star and most successful filmmaker, with his production company, Barefoot Films, in Berlin. He made his filmmaking debut in 1997 with ``Knockin' on Heaven's Door, an enduring cult favorite worldwide. He also directed and produced ``Der Eisbaer (The Polar Bear) in 1998.
Schweiger has appeared in a wide range of American films, including ``Already Dead, ``King Arthur, ``In Enemy Hands, ``Magicians, ``Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, ``Driven, ``SLC Punk, ``Investigating Sex, ``Joe and Max, ``The Replacement Killers and, most recently, Quentin Tarantino's ``Inglourious Basterds. His upcoming projects include the crime drama ``The Courier and the action comedy ``This Means War.
Schweiger won a 2005 Bambi Award for ``Barfuss (Barefoot), which he wrote, directed and starred in. He also won a Bambi for his lead role in ``Raumschiff Surprise (Dreamship Surprise) and was the first foreign actor to win the Polish Oscar at the Warsaw Film Festival in 1996 for his performance in ``Bastard.
``Keinorhasen (Rabbit Without Ears) was written, produced and directed by Schweiger and became the most successful film in German theaters in 2008. It won a Bambi Award, a Bavarian Film Award, the German Comedy Award, two DIVA Awards, a Jupiter Award and the Ernst Lubitsch Award. Its sequel, ``Zweiohrkueken, was also a huge box-office success. Schweiger then went on to direct, produce and star in the 2008 hit ``1 ½ Ritter (1 ½ Knights). His most recently served as director, co-writer, producer and star of ``Kokowaah, which was 1 on the German Movie Charts for five weeks.
Schweiger made his debut in front of the camera in 1991 in ``Manta, Manta. Additional television and film roles followed, including ``Der bewegte Mann (The most desired Man), ``Maennerpension (Jailbirds), ``Das Mädchen Rosemarie (The Girl Rosemarie), ``Bastard (Bandyta), ``Bang Boom Bang, ``Der grosse Bagarozy (The Devil and Ms. D.), ``Was tun, wenn's brennt (What to do in case of fire), ``Les Daltons vs. Lucky Luke, ``Der Rote Baron (The Red Baron), ``Wo ist Fred? (Where is Fred?), ``Phantomschmerz (Phantom Pain) and ``Männerherzen, to name but a few.
HILARY SWANK (Claire) is a two-time Academy Award(R) winner in the category of Best Actress. She won her first Oscar(R) for her portrayal of Brandon Teena in the 1999 drama ``Boys Don't Cry. For her work in that film, she also won a Golden Globe Award and Critics' Choice Award, as well as New York Film Critics, Los Angeles Film Critics, Chicago Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics Awards in the same category. Additionally, the National Board of Review recognized Swank's work with the Breakthrough Performance of the Year Award, and she earned BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild Award(R) nominations.
In 2005, Swank won her second Academy Award(R) for her starring role in Clint Eastwood's Oscar(R)-winning Best Picture ``Million Dollar Baby. In addition, she won her second Golden Globe Award and a SAG Award(R), as well as the National Society of Film Critics and Critics' Choice Awards for Best Actress. That same year, she earned Golden Globe and SAG Award(R) nominations for the role in HBO's ``Iron Jawed Angels.
Swank recently received a 2011 SAG Award(R) nomination for her performance in the fact-based drama ``Conviction, on which she also served as executive producer. She previously executive produced and starred in two true-life dramas: Mira Nair's ``Amelia, winning the Hollywood Film Festival Award for her portrayal of the legendary aviatrix; and ``Freedom Writers, directed by Richard LaGravenese.
Last year, Swank was a producer on the romantic comedy ``Something Borrowed, the first film produced under the banner of her production company, 2S Films, formed in partnership with Molly Mickler Smith.
Her additional credits include LaGravenese's ``P.S. I Love You, Brian De Palma's ``The Black Dahlia, ``The Affair of the Necklace, Sam Raimi's ``The Gift, Stephen Hopkins' thriller ``The Reaping and Christopher Nolan's ``Insomnia.
SOFIA VERGARA (Ava) has earned two consecutive Emmy Award nominations, a 2011 Golden Globe Award nomination and Screen Actors Guild Award(R) nomination for her current role as Gloria Pritchett-Delgado in the 1 comedy series in America, ABC's ``Modern Family.
On the big screen, she most recently starred in the role of Odile in the global box-office hit ``The Smurfs, and lent her voice to the recent holiday release ``Happy Feet 2. She also recently wrapped ``The Three Stooges, which opens nationwide on April 4, 2012.
Vergara made her feature film debut in the comedy ``Big Trouble, and has since starred in films such as ``The 24th Day, ``Four Brothers, ``Lords of Dogtown and Tyler Perry's box office sensations ``Meet the Browns and ``Madea Goes to Jail.
On stage, Vergara earned rave reviews in her Broadway debut role of Mama Morton in ``Chicago.
Her previous television credits include the primetime series ``Dirty Sexy Money, ``Entourage, ``Hot Properties and ``The Knights of Prosperity, among many others.
In the Hispanic market, her television credits include ``Fuera de Serie and ``A Que No Te Atreves as well as a guest appearance on 2008's highest-rated Spanish language soap opera, ``Fuego en la Sangre, on Univision, the 1 U.S. Hispanic network. Additionally, she executive produced the Spanish version of ``Desperate Housewives.
Already the face of Diet Pepsi and Skinny Pepsi, Vergara was recently named the newest face of Cover Girl. She also launched a women's clothing and accessories line called Sofia, exclusively for Kmart, and was named one of the most talented and powerful women in Hispanic entertainment by The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
GARRY MARSHALL (Director/Producer) is one of Hollywood's most respected writers, producers and directors of television, film and theater. He has also helped launch the careers of many film and television stars.
Marshall has directed a number of memorable box office hits, including the classic romantic comedy ``Pretty Woman, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. His long list of film directing credits includes ``The Flamingo Kid, starring Matt Dillon, which Marshall also co-wrote; ``Nothing in Common, teaming Tom Hanks and Jackie Gleason; ``Overboard, starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell; ``Beaches, starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey; ``Frankie & Johnny, pairing Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino; ``The Other Sister, starring Diane Keaton, which he also co-wrote; ``Runaway Bride, which reunited Marshall with Gere and Roberts; ``The Princess Diaries and ``The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, both starring Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway; ``Raising Helen, starring Kate Hudson and Joan Cusack; and most recently, last year's hit romantic comedy ``Valentine's Day.
A Bronx native, Marshall began his career in television. He went on to create and executive produce some of the longest-running and most celebrated sitcoms in American television history, including ``Happy Days, ``Laverne & Shirley, ``The Odd Couple and ``Mork & Mindy.
Also known for his work as an actor, some of Marshall's notable film roles include the casino owner in ``Lost in America; the head of the network in ``Soapdish; baseball team owner Mr. Harvey in ``A League of Their Own, directed by his sister, Penny Marshall; Mr. Gold in ``The Twilight of the Golds; and Irwin, in his son's directorial debut, ``Keeping Up with the Steins. He has also made cameo appearances in a number of his own films and has guest starred on numerous television series.
In 1997, Marshall, together with his daughter Kathleen, followed his dream by building the Falcon Theatre, a 130-seat live theatre space in Burbank, California. The theatre has flourished since its opening. In 2005, Marshall directed his first opera, Jacques Offenbach's ``Grand Duchess, starring Frederica von Stade, which opened the season for the Los Angeles Opera. In 2008, he directed Donizetti's ``L'Elisir d'Amore (``The Elixir of Love) for the San Antonio Opera.
Over the course of his illustrious career, Marshall has been the recipient of such prestigious awards as the American Comedy Awards Lifetime Achievement Award and the Publicists Guild Motion Picture Showmanship Award for Film and Television. In 1995, he was voted the Valentine Davies Award winner by the Writers Guild of America. In November 1997, Marshall was inducted into the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Television Academy Hall of Fame. He was honored in 2002 by Washington, D.C.'s National Italian American Foundation.
Adams Publishing released Marshall's autobiography Wake Me When It's Funny, which he wrote with his daughter Lori in 1995. In April 2012, Random House, Inc.'s Crown division will release the much anticipated My Happy Days In Hollywood, a new memoir written by Marshall and Lori about his five decades in television and film.
MIKE KARZ (Producer) has over 20 years' experience as a successful film and television producer, television writer, and studio executive. His next release will be the family feature ``Thunderstruck for director John Whitesell, which stars the NBA's Kevin Durant. Additionally, Karz has a number of projects in development, including ``Honeymoon with Harry, written by Oscar(R) winner Paul Haggis and set to star Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, ``West Texas United, to star Russell Brand and ``Fratboy, to be directed by David Dobkin.
Karz most recently produced the hit romantic comedy ``Valentine's Day, his first collaboration with Garry Marshall; and Robert Luketic's action comedy ``Killers, starring Ashton Kutcher and Katherine Heigl. His earlier producing credits include ``Sorority Row, whose cast collectively won the Female Stars of Tomorrow Award at the 2009 ShoWest convention; ``Good Luck Chuck, starring Dane Cook and Jessica Alba; ``First Daughter; ``Malibu's Most Wanted; and ``Max Keeble's Big Move, which was the recipient of a Special Certificate of Recognition from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For television, he also co-created and executive produced the WB's long-running television series ``The Jamie Kennedy Experiment.
Prior to becoming a producer, Karz was an executive at Orion Pictures, TriStar Pictures, and Mandeville Films. As an executive, he focused on the family market with such projects as ``Rudy and ``The 3 Ninja Kids, and was an early proponent of developing the classic cartoon series ``George of the Jungle into a feature.
While working as an executive at a Disney-based production company, Karz saw an opportunity to produce family films for ``The Wonderful World of Disney, which was being revitalized and introduced to a new generation of television viewers. Karz secured an overall production deal for himself and, under the Karz Entertainment banner, produced many of the series' most high-profile projects, including ``Toothless, the first original movie for the division; ``Geppetto, Disney's first original television musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the recipient of four Emmy nominations; ``Model Behavior, starring Justin Timberlake in his movie debut; and ``My Date with the President's Daughter.
WAYNE RICE (Producer) brings his extensive experience in film writing and producing to the ``New Year's Eve team. He most recently served as producer on Garry Marshall's 2010 hit romantic comedy ``Valentine's Day and the thriller ``11-11-11, which opened in theaters this November, directed by Darren Bousman.
Rice's writing and producing credits include ``Chasing Liberty, starring Mandy Moore; the David Spade comedy ``Lost and Found; and ``Class Act, starring Kid N' Play. He also produced the hit comedy ``Dude, Where's My Car?, which launched the film careers of Ashton Kutcher and Seann William Scott. In the independent world he co-wrote and produced the critically acclaimed and financially successful cult film ``Suicide Kings, starring Christopher Walken and Dennis Leary, and produced ``The Runner, starring John Goodman and Courtney Cox.
He recently launched, with his partner Richard Heller, Capacity Pictures. The company produced ``Finding Amanda, starring Matthew Broderick and Brittany Snow, and ``No Place Like Home, a comedy starring Danny DeVito and directed by Sam Harper. Among Rice's upcoming projects is ``Fatherhood, which he is producing with Overbrook, and the horror film ``The Killing Grounds, set to begin production in December.
KATHERINE FUGATE (Screenwriter) created and executive produced the flagship hit Lifetime series ``Army Wives. She has since worked directly with Michelle Obama on the ``Joining Forces campaign, appearing on MSNBC and writing a PSA, starring Steven Spielberg, to further shine a light on the sacrifices of our military families.
Fugate marks her second collaboration with Garry Marshall on ``New Year's Eve, having written the screenplay for his 2010 hit romantic comedy ``Valentine's Day. Previously, she wrote the screenplay for the 2004 feature ``The Prince & Me, directed by Martha Coolidge and starring Julia Stiles. She also wrote the largely autobiographical 2003 film ``Carolina, starring Shirley MacLaine. Her script ``The Senator's Wife was named on the annual Top Ten Best Unproduced Screenplays list of 2006.
Through her company, Carpe Diem Films, Fugate has optioned the life rights to two different true-life stories. She is currently writing and directing her first feature, ``Boxer, and executive producing and writing ``An Ordinary Murder, for Lifetime.
In 2008, Fugate was chosen as one of 50 women in Daily Variety's Annual Women of Impact in Hollywood issue and she has been elected to two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America, West. Fugate has also created two non-profits, The Writers Fund, which aids WGA writers in need, and Prize The Surprize, Inc, which focuses on the women and children from homes affected by domestic violence. In 2010, she was feted by the French Film Commission as one of the Top Ten Screenwriters of the Year. She holds a BA in Theatre from the University of California, Riverside.
TOBY EMMERICH (Executive Producer) is President and COO of New Line Cinema. In January 2001, he was named president of production and oversaw the most successful period in company history.
Since Emmerich took the production helm, New Line has released such hits as the Academy Award(R)-winning blockbuster ``The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King; 2005's highest-grossing comedy, ``Wedding Crashers; ``Elf; ``The Notebook; ``Hairspray; ``Sex and the City; ``Journey to the Center of the Earth; ``He's Just Not That Into You; ``Four Christmases; ``Valentine's Day; and ``Horrible Bosses. He will next serve as executive producer on ``The Hobbit, set for release in 2012.
A longtime studio veteran, Emmerich previously served not only as president of New Line Music, but also as an accomplished screenwriter and producer who wrote and produced New Line's sleeper hit ``Frequency, starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. Emmerich joined the company in 1992 as a dual development and music executive. In his position as president of music, he oversaw the development of platinum- and gold-selling soundtracks for such films as ``Seven, ``Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, ``Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, ``The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, ``Elf, ``Friday After Next, ``Menace II Society, ``Love Jones, ``Freddy vs. Jason, ``Who's the Man? ``Above the Rim, ``The Mask, ``Dumb and Dumber and ``Mortal Kombat.
Prior to his posts at New Line, Emmerich was an A&R representative at Atlantic Records from 1987 to 1992. He attended The Calhoun School and Wesleyan University, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1985 with honors in English and concentrations in classics and film. An avid motorcycle enthusiast and art collector, Emmerich also enjoys long-distance running.
He serves on the board of directors for the American Cinematheque.
SAMUEL J. BROWN (Executive Producer) has been a development executive with New Line Cinema since 2002 and is currently Vice President of Production for the studio.
Among Brown's upcoming projects are the family adventure film ``Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and the Adam Shankman musical ``Rock of Ages. Most recently, he served as executive producer on ``A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, the comedy ``Horrible Bosses, the 2010 hit romantic comedy ``Valentine's Day and ``Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
Previously, he worked as a director of development and creative executive, overseeing and managing the productions of ``The Last Mimzy, ``Fracture, ``Rush Hour 3, ``Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, ``Appaloosa and ``Pride and Glory. Brown began his career at New Line as an assistant in the development department before he was promoted to executive assistant to Toby Emmerich.
MICHAEL DISCO (Executive Producer), a development executive who has been with New Line Cinema since 2000, currently serves as Vice President of Production for the studio.
Disco most recently served as executive producer on ``A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, the comedy ``Horrible Bosses, the romantic comedy ``Going the Distance, starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long, and Garry Marshall's hit romantic ensemble comedy ``Valentine's Day.
Previously, he worked as a director of development and creative executive, overseeing and managing the productions of ``Fracture, ``Hairspray, ``Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, ``Journey to the Center of the Earth, ``Four Christmases and ``He's Just Not That Into You.
Among Disco's upcoming projects are Bryan Singer's epic action adventure ``Jack the Giant Killer, currently in production, and Adam Shankman's ``Rock of Ages.
JOSIE ROSEN (Executive Producer)'s most recent credit was the 2010 hit film ``Valentine's Day. She also served as executive producer on ``Sorority Row and ``Killers. Previously, Rosen was President at Farrell Paura Productions and Senior Vice President of Production at Twentieth Century Fox, where she oversaw the development and production of the films ``Dude Where's My Car, ``From Hell and ``Just Married.
Rosen has also served as President of Production for Horseshoe Bay Productions, where she oversaw and developed their slate of films. Her other producing credits include ``Gloria, ``Desperate Measures and ``The Amazing Panda Adventure.
Rosen is currently President of Development at Karz Entertainment, based at Warner Bros. She has overseen the development of such projects as ``Honeymoon with Harry, written by Oscar(R) winner Paul Haggis and set to star Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro; ``West Texas United, which will star Russell Brand; and ``Blended. Currently, she is in production as executive producer on ``Thunderstruck, a family film starring basketball superstar Kevin Durant of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder.
DIANA POKORNY (Executive Producer) most recently served as an executive producer on the comedy ``Horrible Bosses; Garry Marshall's hit ensemble romantic comedy ``Valentine's Day; and the drama ``My Sister's Keeper, directed by Nick Cassavetes and starring Cameron Diaz. She also produced Iain Softley's fantasy adventure ``Inkheart, starring Brendan Fraser, and was an executive producer on the comedy ``Mr. Woodcock, starring Billy Bob Thornton and Susan Sarandon.
Pokorny's earlier credits as a co-producer include the thriller ``Dark Water, starring Jennifer Connolly; Lasse Hallström's ``The Shipping News, starring Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett and Pete Postlethwaite; ``Hanging Up, directed by Diane Keaton, who also starred with Meg Ryan and Lisa Kudrow; ``The Astronaut's Wife, pairing Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron; ``A Thousand Acres; and the Nicholas Hytner films ``The Object of My Affection, starring Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd, and ``The Crucible, based on Arthur Miller's play. Pokorny also served as the line producer on ``Safe Passage.
For HBO, Pokorny produced the controversial 1995 docudrama ``Indictment: The McMartin Trial, directed by Mick Jackson from a screenplay by Abby Mann and Myra Mann. Profiling the infamous 1984 McMartin Pre-School child abuse case, the telefilm won both Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for Outstanding Made for Television Movie.
CHARLES MINSKY (Director of Photography) marks his sixth collaboration with director Garry Marshall on ``New Year's Eve, having previously shot ``Pretty Woman, ``Dear God, ``Raising Helen, ``The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement and last year's ``Valentine's Day.
Minsky's additional film credits include the romantic ensemble comedy ``Something Borrowed, released earlier this year, as well as Anthony and Joe Russo's ``Welcome to Collinwood, ``You, Me and Dupree, ``The Producers and ``Post Grad.
The numerous successful pilots to his credit include director Mimi Leder's ``Related and ``Vanished; and ``China Beach, for director Rod Holcomb. His most recent telefilms are ``Loving Leah, starring Lauren Ambrose, and ``The Russell Girl, starring Amber Tamblyn.
Minsky was also a producer on the 2009 documentary ``Citizen McCaw, about the Santa Barbara News-Press newspaper.
MARK FRIEDBERG (Production Designer) won an Emmy Award earlier this year for Best Art Direction for his work on the acclaimed HBO miniseries ``Mildred Pierce. Also this year, he served as production designer on the Jodie Foster feature drama ``The Beaver. His recent credits include Roger Michell's comedy romance ``Morning Glory, Julie Taymor's ``The Tempest, Kevin Macdonald's thriller ``State of Play and Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, ``Synecdoche, New York.
Originally a student of fine art, the Manhattan native sustained his passion for both film and painting by merging them into a career as production designer on a series of influential low-budget movies during the New York independent film movement of the early '90s. Among the films he designed were Alexandre Rockwell's ``In the Soup and Maggie Greenwald's ``The Ballad of Little Jo.
Friedberg's additional credits include a previous collaboration with director Garry Marshall on ``Runaway Bride, as well as ``The Producers, for Mel Brooks; ``Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love, for Mira Nair; ``The Ice Storm, for Ang Lee; ``Pollock, for Ed Harris; ``Far From Heaven, for Todd Haynes; ``Broken Flowers and ``Coffee and Cigarettes for Jim Marmusch; ``The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and ``The Darjeeling Limited, for Wes Anderson; and ``Across the Universe, for Julie Taymor.
MICHAEL TRONICK (Editor) was twice-nominated for an American Cinema Editors Award: for his work on Adam Shankman's ``Hairspray and on Martin Brest's ``Scent of a Woman.
He most recently served as editor on Michael Gondry's ``The Green Hornet; the 3D feature documentary ``Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience; and the upcoming action adventure ``Act of Valor, for directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh.
Tronick's film editing credits include Adam Shankman's ``Bedtime Stories, the highly successful ``Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour, ``Mr. & Mrs. Smith, ``S.W.A.T., ``The Scorpion King, ``Remember the Titans, ``Blue Streak, ``Meet Joe Black, ``Volcano, ``Eraser, ``True Romance, ``Days of Thunder, ``Midnight Run, ``Less Than Zero and ``Beverly Hills Cop II. He also served as an additional editor on the box-office smash ``Iron Man.
Prior to his film editing career, Tronick was a successful film music editor, with notable credits including Garry Marshall's feature directorial debut, ``Young Doctors in Love. as well as ``Predator, ``Outrageous Fortune, ``Nobody's Fool, ``Ruthless People, ``A Chorus Line, ``Streets of Fire, ``Star 80, ``48 Hrs., ``Reds, ``Xanadu and ``All That Jazz, among many others.
He is a member of the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, representing the Film Editors Branch.
GARY JONES (Costume Designer) has designed for a wide range of feature films, including director Sam Raimi's ``Spider-Man 2; ``Two Weeks' Notice; Callie Khouri's ``Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood; ``Secondhand Lions; ``Desperate Measures; Louis Malle's ``Vanya on 42nd Street; ``Heartbreakers; Sidney Lumet's ``Guilty as Sin and ``A Stranger Among Us; Peter Weir's ``The Mosquito Coast; and ``The Trip to Bountiful. His most recent projects include the romantic comedy ``Something Borrowed for director Luke Greenfield, and the independent feature ``Main Street, which premiered at the 2010 Austin Film Festival.
Jones is currently in production on Sam Raimi's ``Oz: The Great and Powerful.
Previously, he worked with Garry Marshall on ``The Other Sister, ``The Princess Diaries, ``The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, ``Raising Helen, ``Georgia Rule and ``Valentine's Day. Jones has also enjoyed a long creative collaboration with famed costume designer Ann Roth and, together, they worked on such films as Mike Nichols' ``Primary Colors; Anthony Minghella's ``The English Patient; Sydney Pollack's ``Sabrina; Alan Pakula's ``Consenting Adults; Arne Glimcher's ``The Mambo Kings and ``Just Cause; and Brian De Palma's ``Dressed to Kill.
In 1999, Jones and Roth shared an Academy Award(R) nomination for their work on Minghella's ``The Talented Mr. Ripley. Among his additional credits are ``All About Steve, starring Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church and Bradley Cooper; Scott Marshall's ``All's Faire in Love, starring Christina Ricci and Ann-Margret; ``Observe and Report, starring Seth Rogen; Adam Brooks' ``Definitely, Maybe, starring Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin; and ``Underdog, with James Belushi and Peter Dinklage.
JOHN DEBNEY (Composer) earned an Academy Award(R) nomination for his score for Mel Gibson's ``The Passion of the Christ. His work will next be heard in the highly anticipated Farrelly Brothers' comedy, ``The Three Stooges.
Debney has worked repeatedly with several noted directors, including Garry Marshall on ``The Princess Diaries, ``The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement, ``Raising Helen, ``Georgia Rule and ``Valentine's Day. He has also worked multiple times with Robert Rodriguez on ``Spy Kids, ``Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams, ``Sin City, ``The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D and ``Machete; with Tom Shadyac on ``Liar Liar, ``Dragonfly ``Bruce Almighty and ``Evan Almighty; and with Jon Favreau on ``Elf, ``Zathura and the recent box office smash ``Iron Man 2.
Debney's wide range of film credits also includes ``A Thousand Words, ``The Double, ``Dream House, ``The Change-Up, ``No Strings Attached, ``Yogi Bear, ``Predators, ``Hannah Montana: The Movie, ``The Stoning of Soraya M., ``Swing Vote, ``Idlewild, ``Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story, ``Chicken Little, ``The Pacifier, ``The Scorpion King, ``The Emperor's New Groove, ``End of Days, ``Inspector Gadget, ``I Know What You Did Last Summer, ``The Relic, ``Little Giants and ``Hocus Pocus.
Classically trained, Debney has conducted some of the world's greatest orchestras performing his original works. Following the success of ``The Passion of the Christ, he premiered ``The Passion of the Christ Symphony in Rome, featuring an 83-person choir and 96-piece orchestra.
In recognition of his many musical accomplishments, Debney received ASCAP's prestigious Henry Mancini Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.