VIDEO: David Letterman Finds Lighter Side Of Jihadist Threat

In his first night in front of the cameras at Late Night With David Letterman since a threat on his life was posted to a jihadist website, Letterman hit the ground running and used the occasion as one big punch line in his monologue. Saying that the feds were investigating the threat, the late-night host said “they could save themselves some time: Everybody knows it’s (Jay) Leno.” Joking aside, a bomb-sniffing dog was posted outside the Ed Sullivan Theater in Manhattan, where the show is taped; there were no incidents reported. Here’s the monologue:

'The Help' outpacing all comers at Friday B.O.

'The Help'As of Friday afternoon, runaway word-of-mouth hit "The Help" is outpacing a group of new openers, which seem to be tracking neck-and-neck.B.O. observers put "The Help" at $5.5 to $5.75 million through Friday, projecting that the pic will gross in the $18 million-$20 million range for the weekend."Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is tracking to cume in the $4.5 million-$4.75 million range as of this afternoon, projecting a three-day cume of $16 million through Sunday. Dimension's "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" is tracking at $4.5 million as of Friday afternoon, with observers pegging the day's grosses as low as $4 million and as high as $5 million, with a hopeful projection in the low teens.Lionsgate's "Conan the Barbarian" is tracking to do somewhere in the $5 million range, but observers caution that that number is likely to jump from night-time auds for the R-Rated flick. Based on Friday afternoon figures, though, weekend estimates fall in the $13 million range.Similar cautions surround projections for DreamWorks Studios' "Fright Night." The horror pic is tracking toward a $4 million opening day cume with three-day estimates around $10 million. Focus' "One Day" is looking to do $5 million-$6 million for the weekend. The film is tracking best among female auds, though "The Help" also has a strong hold among femmes. Both pics could potentially coexist this weekend, however -- "The Help" is looking to attract higher interest with that demo based on word-of-mouth and its prior weekend perf. Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

Lima Film Festival's Top Prize Goes to First-Time Director

BUENOS AIRES -- Argentina led the awards stand at the Lima Film Festival, as first-time filmmaker Paula Markovitch won the top prize with her film "The Award." The Argentine sweep also included Anahi Berneri picking up best director for "In Your Fault," thebest opera prima award for "Las Acacias," and writers Ana and Miguel Cohen walking away best script for "Sin Retorno."A Mexican production that had won the Silver Bear in the last Berlin International Film Festival, "The Award" is set during the last Argentine junta and focuses on a little girl's perspective of things while she lives in hiding with her mother.Directed by Pablo Giorgello and winner of the Golden Camera in Cannes, "Las Acacias" describes the relationship between an introverted truck driver and the woman he's giving a 1,500-kilometer lift to Buenos Aires from Paraguay's capital Asuncion. Anahi Berneri's "It's Your Fault" also took home the Peruvian Film Critics Assn. Prize for "depicting a family's border-line situation through an economy of language without losing expressive richness," and creating "an oppressive climate by adding apparently innocuous scenes." APRECI's statement also praised the film's "transparent and crude manner" in which it depicts the family ties' violent ambiguity "without prejudice or judgment" and lead actress Erica Rivas, who "is now inscribed among the new heroines of melodrama."The jury presided by Geraldine Chaplin also gave a special jury prize to Israel Cardenas and Laura Amelia Guzman's "Jean Gentil" (Dominican Republic/Mexico), which also won the FIPRESCI Award. The international critic's jury added a special jury's mention to Federico Veiroj's "A Useful Life," from Uruguay.The best actor and actress awards went to Damian Alcazarfor "Chicogrande" (Mexico) and Elena Albagarian for "Trabajar cansa" (Brazil). The Hollywood Reporter

Brad Pitt to become The Gray Man?

Brad Pitt might currently have his hands full with marauding zombies on World War Z, but the star has reportedly taken a break from all the brain splattering to line up his next big role.Variety reports that Pitt is in talks to star in The Gray Man as the world's greatest assassin, charged with fighting his way across Europe in order to save the life of his handler and their family.Two Lovers director James Gray is heading up the project, with Adam Cozad's script having been plucked from last year's Black List of the best unproduced screenplays.Adapted from the thriller of the same name by author Mark Greaney, the story will cast Pitt as a former CIA operative who soon learns there are shadowy government forces out to get him.Pitt had been linked to the project back in November, but things appear to have become more advanced since Gray's appointment in January. As for Gray himself, he seems to be thinking clearly as to where he wants the film to go, and how he'd like it to differ from the similar-sounding Bourne films."What [Paul Greengrass] did was a documentary-style, objective approach," he told Deadline earlier this year. "He owns that style. I want to do the opposite, which feels like a good way to sympathize with a professional hitman. You humanize him by never distancing yourself from his experience."Nothing has been confirmed as yet, but Gray is targeting a start date for early next year.

Demi Lovato On Sharing Her Struggles

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- With a new album on the way and a birthday this coming weekend, Demi Lovato was beaming when Access Hollywood spoke to her on Sunday at the Do Something Awards, especially when it came to speaking out about her recent struggles. The more that people tell their story, the more therapeutic it becomes, a radiant Demi said. Also, if Im able to share my story and it helps someone, then Ive done my part. Demi told Access she feels empowered to be so honest due, in part, to her loyal supporters. My fans are dealing with some of the same issues, she continued. And if I am a role model, then I need to speak up and be there for them. The star, who turns 19 on Saturday, told Access shell be celebrating her birthday at Kim Kardashain and Kris Humphries wedding in Montecito. Im so excited, [Kims wedding] falls on my birthday, she explained. So, its going to be my birthday and I get to spend it at Kims wedding. Demi added that Kim will help her celebrate turning a year older on a different night, Shes going to come to my birthday party. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Gordon Ramsay's New Montreal Restaurant Evacuated on Opening Evening

TORONTO -- Gordon Ramsay's new Montreal restaurant converted into Hell's Kitchen Wednesday evening following a burst sprinkler system left its opening evening a clean out.our editor recommendsGordon Ramsay in lucrative TV deal The celebrity chef was this is not on hands for that opening from the doorways at Laurier Gordon Ramsay, getting cut the ribbon about the establishment each day previously Tuesday. The restaurant's twitter account introduced following the Wednesday evening problem: "Because of an issue with our sprinkler, we evacuated the restaurant. The sprinkler has been looked over. Update to follow along with.Inch The restaurant inside a statement later confirmed the malfunction and apologized "to any or all affected clients for that incident." Related Subjects Gordon Ramsay Worldwide

NBC Gives Life to 'Frankenstein' Reboot

Jack Esten/Getty Images1957's "The Curse of Frankenstein" NBC is following in FX's footsteps and exploring the horror genre, with a script order for Frankenstein. The script, described as a modern-day take on the legend of Frankenstein, will be penned by House executive producers Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner for Universal Media Studios and BermanBraun. The script order follows FX's series order for Glee duo Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's "psycho-sexual" horror drama American Horror Story, which FX topper John Landgraf referred to as a "breakthrough commercial piece of television that's going to be imitated widely if people find it." Universal Studios owns the intellectual property rights to Frankenstein, as well as such other classic characters as Dracula, the Wolfman and the Mummy. The legend of Frankenstein was first told via Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. The first film project, directed by J. Searle Dawley, came in 1910, with reboots including Universal's 1931 Boris Karloff starrer. Universal was behind a series of films featuring the classic characters from 1942-48. The character was famously spoofed via Mel Brooks' 1974 spoof Young Frankenstein. The story was adapted for TV in 1973 with Leonard Whiting, Michael Sarrazin, James Mason and Jane Seymour. Other takes have included the TNT telefilm in 1993 with Patrick Bergin and Randy Quaid. Email: Lesley.Goldberg@thr.com; Twitter: @Snoodit NBC

Mouse sets Marvel, Pixar pix for 2014

"Captain America: The First Avenger" Disney is filling out its summer 2014 pipeline with a crop of untitled projects, including two from Marvel and a Pixar toon.The first Marvel pic will hit theaters on May 16, followed two weeks later by the Pixar offering on May 30 and then the second Marvel pic on June 27.Marvel has a number of projects in development that could be prepped for those dates, including a "Captain America" sequel and bigscreen bows of "Ant-Man," "Doctor Strange," "Runaways" and an "Avengers" spinoff that would revolve around "S.H.I.E.L.D" agents.The Mouse House is continuing the superhero strategy laid out by Paramount's back-to-back releases of "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" this summer.Already on the Disney docket for summer 2013, Marvel's entries include "Iron Man 3" (May 3) and the "Thor" sequel (July 26), added to Pixar's June 21-dated "Monsters University," the follow-up to 2001's "Monsters, Inc."Also landing dates are Disney's "The Odd Life of Timothy Green," which will bow Aug. 15, 2012, and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" helmer Henry Selick's untitled 3D project, which has been set for release on Oct. 4, 2013. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

'Mecca' on road to Broadway

Rosemary Harris, Carla Gugino and Jim Dale will star in a new production of Athol Fugard's 1987 play "The Road to Mecca," to be produced on Broadway by Roundabout Theater Company. Helmed by Gordon Edelstein, "Mecca" is presented by special arrangement with Off Broadway's Signature Theater, which already has announced Fugard as the focus of its next season of works by a single playwright. Signature's Fugard programming doesn't begin until February, when that troupe's new venue opens in midtown. Harris, last on Broadway in the 2009 revival of "The Royal Family," will play "Mecca's" central character, a reclusive old woman in South Africa who, after her husband dies, decorates the walls of her home with broken glass and creates a sculpture garden in which all the statues face east. Gugino ("Desire Under the Elms") plays the teacher who befriends the old woman, with Dale as the leader of the town's church congregation. Edelstein recently helmed a well-received revival of "The Glass Menagerie" that played Off Broadway at the Roundabout after its New Haven preem. Design team for "Mecca" includes Michael Yeargan (sets), Susan Hilferty (costumes) and John Gromada (sound). It's the first time "Mecca" has played the Main Stem. The play originally appeared Off Broadway in a 1988 production that starred the playwright. "Mecca" begins previews Dec. 16 ahead of a Jan. 17 opening at the American Airlines Theater. Contact Gordon Cox at gordon.cox@variety.com