Seth MacFarlane 'Ecstatic' Over Oscars Gig; Unseen Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour Footage Surfaces: Biz Break

Also in Tuesday morning's round-up of news briefs, Emmy winner Danny Strong is rumored to be the writer for the final installments of a big franchise. A study of men and women using mobile devices in choosing their movies gives its findings. And the upcoming 53rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival gives some details for its upcoming event.

53rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival to Fete Three Diverse Directors
Finland's Aki Kaurismaki (Le Havre, Iran's Bahman Ghobadi (No One Knows About Persian Cats) and Germany's Andreas Dressen (Cloud 9) will be celebrated at the upcoming Thessaloniki International Film Festival, taking place in Greece November 2 - 11.

Around the 'net...

Seth MacFarlane is 'Ecstatic' About Oscar Hosting Job
The Family Guy creator said he can't remember if it was before or after his successful turn at hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live September 15th, but said the Academy approached him around then. MacFarlane said he was excited and has done a fair amount of hosting in the past, but nothing as huge as this. "I was, very, very pleasantly surprised," Deadline reports.

Beatles Unseen Magical Mystery Tour Footage Goes Online
Previously unseen footage of the Beatles sharing fish and chips during filming of their 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour has surfaced on The Space. ""Few people have seen Magical Mystery Tour in its entirety and the material in the chip shop has never been shown anywhere," explained Arena editor Anthony Wall. "It captures perfectly the fabulous world of The Beatles at this time." BBC reports.

[Related, check out Gallery Images of the Unseen Magical Mystery Tour on Movieline]

Game Change Writer Danny Strong To Write Hunger Games: Mockingjay Finale
A final deal is still pending, but the two-part finale to The Hunger Games will likely go to Strong, who wrote the HBO movie which placed strong at the Emmys. Mockingjay is the third book in Suzanne Collins' trilogy, which will be split into two features, Deadline reports.

More Men Than Women Use Mobile Phones to Choose Movies, Watch Trailers
Seventy-one per cent of men said they use their phone to help them choose a film, versus 69 per cent for women and more men (38 per cent) than women (33 per cent) turn to social media to check what people are saying about a film, THR reports.