New Line Picks Up Secret Horror Pitch from 'Friday the 13th' Writers (Exclusive)

Mark Swift, left, and Damian Shannon
New Line has picked up an untitled and top-secret horror pitch from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the writers behind the company’s 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th and 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason.

Chris Bender, J.C. Spink and Jake Weiner of New Line-based BenderSpink are producing.

No details of the pitch are being revealed, but it is described as a potential franchise starter. It is not part of the microbudget and found-footage trend.

STORY: Warner Bros. Gives Up 'Friday the 13th' Rights to Board Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar'

Dave Neustadter and Walter Hamada are overseeing for New Line.

BenderSpink is gearing up for the Aug. 7 release of We’re the Millers, the comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis.

Shannon and Swift are New Line favorites, having worked on adaptations of comic books Hawaiian Dick and Power and Glory, both set up at the company. The duo is repped by UTA, Magnet Management and McKuin Frankel.

Elevator Pitch: Why Care About Washington

­­My friend, Mark Leibovich — a New York Times reporter — has written a book about the inner watchworkings of Power Washington called This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America's Gilded Capital. Among the incestuous cognoscenti of the Capital City, This Town has more buzz than a top-bar beehive.

"His tour through Washington only feeds the worst suspicions anyone can have about the place — a land driven by insecurity, hypocrisy and cable hits, where friendships are transactional, blind-copying is rampant and acts of public service appear largely accidental," observes Carlos Lozada in The Washington Post.

"In a super-literal way, the city that I live in—where people live on the Green Line or in Bloomingdale/Eckington/LeDroit Park or out on H Street NE—is a very different city from the one Leibovich profiles," writes Matthew Yglesias in Slate. "It's become a city of principle, and a city where much less gets done in backroom deals. But it's also a city with much more vicious partisanship and much less of a spirit of 'let's compromise for the public good.' It's a city that people have come to hate for whole different reasons and in whole different ways."

Lozada and Yglesias are both Washingtonians. As are many of the people who are at once drawn to and repelled by the behavior described in This Town.

So my question to Mark: Why in the world would anyone Outside the Beltway care to read about Washington's wretched ways? You've got 30 seconds. Go.

"People from out of town should read This Town because no one truly knows what the whole giddy carnival here has become. All of the vanity, opportunism and shamelessness that ever was has been amplified by so much big money and so much New Media. It captures a moment — meaning, the nation's capital in the 21st century — that people don't fully appreciate in all its decadence. It's a serious story. But people seem to be laughing hard at it, so that's good, too..."

Further Reading:

The Payoff: Why Wall Street Always Wins by Jeff Connaughton, a 2012 Washington scather by a former aide to Vice President Joe Biden

What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception, a 2008 tell-some by Scott McLellan, former press secretary to Pres. George W. Bush

Jim Parsons Enlisted by Houston Rockets to Pitch Dwight Howard

The L.A. Lakers have used billboards emblazoned with the word "STAY" to convince free agent Dwight Howard to sign a new deal with the franchise. The Houston Rockets, however, are enlisting a bit of Hollywood star power to convince the center to leave and join their team.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey, who reportedly met with Howard in L.A. earlier this week, posted a video message from The Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons on Friday that urged Howard to sign with Houston.

STORY: Air Ball: How Lakers' Losses Impact Ratings

Wearing a Rockets hat, Parsons pledged: "I promise you that no organization, and no fan base, understands and respects the role that an all-time great center like yourself plays and the success of the team the way Houston does and the way the Rockets do."

Free agency officially began on July 1. The Lakers can reportedly offer the all-star a five-year contract potentially worth up to $30 million more than a competing offer if Howard signs a max deal.

Reps from Time Warner Cable, which inked a 20-year broadcast deal with the team in 2011, had planned to be present at the Lakers pitch meeting to discuss ideas with Howard, ESPN LA reported.

Teen Choice Awards: 'Glee,' 'Pitch Perfect' Top Second Wave of Nominations

The second wave of nominations for the Teen Choice Awards has been announced.

Music-centric projects are proving to be strong contenders at the Aug. 11 event, with Fox's Glee snagging five nominations and a cappella film Pitch Perfect grabbing four.

Acuvue will return for the third straight year to present the Acuvue Inspire Award, awarded to an inspirational person who has used his or her celebrity status to make a difference in teens' lives. During the broadcast, Candie's will debut a new TV commercial with Carly Rae Jepsen.

Additionally, a slew of presenters have been added to the lineup for the annual summer awards show: Erin Andrews, Skylar Astin, Abigail Breslin, Emblem3, Max Greenfield, Simon Helberg, Demi Lovato, Bridgit Mendler, Hailee Steinfeld, Bella Thorne, The Wanted, Russell Westbrook and Rebel Wilson.

Previously announced presenters include Lily Collins, Alexandra Daddario, Liam Hemsworth, Brandon T. Jackson, Logan Lerman, Chloe Moretz and Tyler Posey. One Direction and Paramore will both perform.

The Teen Choice Awards air from 8 to 10 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 11, on Fox.

See the second wave of nominees below:

MOVIES

Choice Movie Villain
Javier Bardem, “Skyfall”
Adam DeVine, “Pitch Perfect”
Tom Hardy, “The Dark Knight Rises”
Ben Kingsley, “Iron Man 3”
Melissa McCarthy, “Identity Thief”

Choice Movie Scene Stealer
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, “The Dark Knight Rises”
Hana Mae Lee, “Pitch Perfect”
Kellan Lutz, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2”
Channing Tatum, “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”
Ben Platt, “Pitch Perfect”
Choice Movie Breakout
Adam DeVine, “Pitch Perfect”
Alice Englert, “Beautiful Creatures”
Nicholas Hoult, “Warm Bodies”
Ezra Miller, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”
Eddie Redmayne, “Les Misérables”
TELEVISION

Choice TV Villain
Carly Chaikin, “Suburgatory”
Joseph Morgan, “The Vampire Diaries”
Lana Parrilla, “Once Upon a Time”
Janel Parrish, “Pretty Little Liars”
Becca Tobin, "Glee"

Choice TV Personality - Male
Nick Cannon, “America's Got Talent”
Simon Cowell, "The X Factor"
Adam Levine, “The Voice”
Ryan Seacrest, "American Idol"
Blake Shelton, “The Voice”
Choice TV Personality – Female
Erin Andrews, Fox Sports
Cat Deeley, "So You Think You Can Dance"
Carrie Ann Inaba, “Dancing With The Stars”
Heidi Klum, “America's Got Talent”
Demi Lovato, "The X Factor"

Choice TV Female Reality Star
Honey Boo Boo, “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”
Danielle Jonas, “Married to Jonas”
The Kardashians & Jenners, “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”
Abby Lee Miller, “Dance Moms”
Tia & Tamera Mowry, “Tia & Tamera”

Choice TV Male Reality Star
Kevin Jonas, “Married to Jonas”
Ryan Lochte, “What Would Ryan Lochte Do?”
Gordon Ramsay, "Hell's Kitchen" and "Masterchef"
The Robertsons, “Duck Dynasty”
The Wanted, “The Wanted Life”

Choice TV Male Scene Stealer
Max Greenfield, "New Girl"
Steven R. McQueen, “The Vampire Diaries”
Tahj Mowry, “Baby Daddy”
Chord Overstreet, "Glee"
Rico Rodriguez, “Modern Family”
Choice TV Female Scene Stealer
Candice Accola, “The Vampire Diaries”
Miley Cyrus, “Two and a Half Men”
Heather Morris, "Glee"
Eden Sher, “The Middle”
Ariel Winter, “Modern Family”

Choice TV Breakout Star
Stephen Amell, “Arrow”
Melissa Benoist, "Glee"
Blake Jenner, "Glee"
AnnaSophia Robb, “The Carrie Diaries”
Derek Theler, “Baby Daddy”

Choice TV Breakout Show
“Arrow”
“Baby Daddy”
“The Carrie Diaries”
“The Fosters”
"The Mindy Project"

MUSIC

Choice Country Song
“Boys ’Round Here,” Blake Shelton featuring Pistol Annies & Friends
“Crash My Party,” Luke Bryan
“Cruise,” Florida Georgia Line
“I Want Crazy,” Hunter Hayes
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift

Choice Single: Female Artist
“Come & Get It,” Selena Gomez
“Cups (Pitch Perfect’s ‘When I'm Gone’),” Anna Kendrick
“Heart Attack,” Demi Lovato
“I Knew You Were Trouble,” Taylor Swift
“We Can't Stop,” Miley Cyrus
Choice Single: Male Artist
“Beauty And A Beat,” Justin Bieber featuring Nicki Minaj
“Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke featuring T.I + Pharrell
“Feel This Moment,” Pitbull featuring Christina Aguilera
“Locked Out Of Heaven,” Bruno Mars
“Suit & Tie,” Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z
Choice Single: Group
“Get Lucky,” Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams
“I Love It,” Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX
“Live While We're Young,” One Direction
“Love Somebody,” Maroon 5
“Thrift Shop,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song
“#Beautiful,” Mariah Carey
“Can't Hold Us,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton
“Diamonds,” Rihanna
“Next To Me,” Emeli Sandé
“Started From The Bottom,” Drake
Choice Rock Song
“Carry On,” fun.
“Gone, Gone, Gone,” Phillip Phillips
“Ho Hey,” The Lumineers
“Radioactive,” Imagine Dragons
“Sail,” AWOLNATION
Choice Love Song
“Just Give Me A Reason,” P!nk featuring Nate Ruess
“Little Things,” One Direction
“Mirrors,” Justin Timberlake
“Treasure,” Bruno Mars
“The Way,” Ariana Grande featuring Mac Miller

Choice Break-Up Song
“Come and Get It,” Selena Gomez
“DONE.,” The Band Perry
“Stay,” Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko
“We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” Taylor Swift
“When I Was Your Man,” Bruno Mars
Choice Music Breakout Artist
Candice Glover
Ariana Grande
Psy
Emeli Sandé
Ed Sheeran
Choice Music Breakout Group
Emblem3
Icona Pop
Imagine Dragons
The Lumineers
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

OTHER

Choice Web Star
Ryan Beatty
Cimorelli
Dave Days
Kid President
The Screaming Sheep

Choice Social Network
Facebook
Instagram
tumblr.
Twitter
Vine
Candie's Choice Style Icon
Miley Cyrus
Ariana Grande
Demi Lovato
Lea Michele
Emma Watson
Choice Twitter Personality
Justin Bieber
Lady Gaga
President Barack Obama
Katy Perry
Rihanna