 C’mon, you know you want to see some clips, don’t you? Let me know what you think, not only about her appearance but about the show itself. I’ve long been a fan of the show, and I’m on pins and needles waiting for the 3rd season pick-up. I haven’t even had a chance to watch these clips yet myself, but all I know is that if Britney’s guest shot brings enough ratings to the show to get it a Season 3, then I’m all for it. But, say, why don’t we both go watch the clips right now? Post-viewing opinion: Okay, A) she’s looking way cute, and B) her last line in that second clip made me laugh out loud. This definitely doesn’t look like the train wreck it so easily could’ve been, but, then, I pretty much trusted the producers of the show from the get-go. I’m just glad that Britney seems to have been able to step up to the plate and play at their level…well, based on these incredibly short clips, anyway. We’ll see the full product on Monday night. Filed under: TV and Actresses and Gossip and TV Comedies and External Entertainment and External TV Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
 You wouldn’t have thought so earlier today, when the National Enquirer’s story broke about Patrick Swayze not only having pancreatic cancer but, in fact, only five weeks left to live. But it sounded so damned dire that we just couldn’t bring ourselves to believe it…and now that we’ve read MSNBC’s report, we don’t believe it. Well, not entirely, anyway. Yeah, it’s pretty clear that Swayze does indeed have cancer - his representative, Annett Wolf, admitted as much - but the guy’s still got a pilot in contention for A&E, where he plays an unorthodox FBI agent (is there any other kind?), and everyone sounds optimistic about his chances. Of course, it could just be a case where everyone’s downplaying the situation, which means that we could be reading his obituary next week. But we’re still rooting for the Swayz. UPDATE: In a flurry of emotion, I have just joined the Facebook group, We Love You, Patrick Swayze. Don’t be afraid to follow suit yourself. Filed under: Actors and News and Gossip and External Entertainment and External Movies Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
 Have you considered the Amy Fisher sex tape? Yeah, me, neither. |
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And I’m sure it has absolutely nothing to do with a possible second season of their reality show that Corey Feldman has announced that he and Corey Haim are no longer on speaking terms. “He made some big mistakes,” said Feldman, in an interview with US Weekly, “and I am not sure why he made them. I am a bit confused by it all. He has big issues.” Frankly, we’re a bit confused, too. We figured anyone who’s had as many issues as Corey Feldman has over the years would be a little more sympathetic. Filed under: TV and Actors and Gossip and Interviews and External Entertainment and External Movies and External TV and Reality TV Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
 Hey Harry Potter fans, need another J. K. Rowling fix? Then you’ll be thrilled to know that the author is working on her next project, which is apparently a crime novel. Finally, a break from tradition! The only question remaining then is will children be snapping up this next novel like all the adults who bought all the Harry potter books? Oh, wouldn’t it be nice if the kiddies were subjected to real gritty murder, sex, drugs, and mayhem from their fave author? It would be awesome. |
 That’s right, CW: rub it in. Be sure we completely and totally remember that you cancelled “Veronica Mars” by starting a new show called “Gossip Girl” (based on the popular series of teen novels) and, for the voiceovers provided by the never-seen title character, hiring the former Ms. Mars herself, Kristen Bell. (Frankly, I was surprised that there wasn’t more of an uproar about that during the course of the panel, but, no, the big question people wanted answered was whether or not Bell’s voiceover was a one-off for the pilot…and, if you’re wondering that, too, the answer is, no, she’s supposedly here for the long haul.) So the good news about “Gossip Girl” is that one of its executive producers is Josh Schwartz, late of “The O.C.” and also currently an executive producer on NBC’s “Chuck.” Schwartz has always had a wit about him, as well as a seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture, so that would appear to bode well. Unfortunately, from what I saw of the series, it really didn’t offer much in the way of that usual wit; it basically seemed to be yet another series about rich kids suffering through teen angst and shitty morals, despite (or possibly because of) having a buttload of money. “Well, we’ll try to get funnier in the future,” replied Schwartz.
As to the despicable actions of some of these kids, from underage drinking to date rape, Schwartz says, “These are flawed characters, and they’re trying to do good, (but) in the environment that they grow up in, they don’t always have the best role models. They don’t always have an example set for them. But I think as long as we understand that they’re searching to do the right thing and that we see conquences for their actions, the world isn’t nearly as depraved as it appears to be. In fact, the Humphrey family (the main characters of the series) is an incredibly important component of that. I think they’re our audience surrogate. They’re our proxy, our way into that world, and they have a great perspective on that world. “The sort of the money that those kids in Orange County grew up with was nice,” Schwartz continues, unabashedly referencing his former gig, “but compared to the these kids and these families, it’s chump change. This is really royalty, or the closest thing we have to it, these sort of young socialites-to-be. You have to be born into this level of wealth. So that’s a big difference. And these kids — you know, in Orange County, it was very suburban. It was very sort of protective. It was very safe. And those kids weren’t necessarily as well-traveled. And I think education is incredibly important to this crowd, and these kids are really worldly and very well-traveled as well.” There is at least one moment within the plot that does seem to lend itsself toward amusing possibilities: Mr. Humphrey was apparently a member of a band that has been declared one of the Best Forgotten Bands of the 1990s. The name of the band? Lincoln Hawk, named after Sylvester Stallone’s character in “Over the Top.” Okay, now that’s funny… Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Gossip and Interviews and TV Dramas and External Entertainment and External TV and TCA Press Tour and Fall TV Preview Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
 As you’ve probably determined over the course of the past week or two, I’ve had a lot of close encounters with a lot of different folks thanks to this TCA press tour, but certainly one of the most high-profile of the bunch would have to be the one tonight with Keifer Sutherland. Sutherland made an appearance at Fox’s all-star party at the Santa Monica Pier, and although he pointedly hovered by himself in a corner for several minutes after his arrival, he was, thankfully, gracious enough to make himself available for a brief press scrum… As far as the new season goes, Sutherland admits, “We’re still really working on it. We tend to do shows…well, map out ideas…eight episodes at a time. I don’t know if that’s a conscious effort or if it just happens that way, and we really are…and I say “we” kind of very generously…Howard (Gordon) and Joel (Surnow) and Bob (Cochran) have really been focused on making those eight records right. I know, because someone else said it to me, that you all know about the female president. I think one of the things that the show’s always done, even though Jack Bauer is a real apolitical character, they’ve had a really interest comment on American politics through the different Presidents, and I certainly think this is going to be a very strong one, so that’s something to expect.” The relationship between Jack and the new President is, as far as Sutherland can speak to at the moment, relatively nonexistent. “They don’t start off…she’s not on his radar at all. Jack is starting from a very, very different place this season. You know, at the very end of Season 6, he was abandoning this as a life, and so we kick off and see not so much that it keeps drawing him back in a context that he wants to pursue anti-terrorist work but that certain things that he has done over the years that start to come back to get him. So that’s really where he starts off in the season: he’d like to let it all go, but he can’t. And then how the President and Jack Bauer will cross paths at some point in that day, I honestly can’t tell you. It’s not that I don’t want to, I just couldn’t! The first four episodes that they write…and last year, I thought that the first four episodes of Season 6 were really four of the best episodes we’ve ever made…but (those first four episodes) inform the rest of that day. They’re also very aware that they’re seen over two nights, back to back. So they’ve all got a different context, these four episodes, than the rest of the twenty, and they have to really write and cater to those for that reason. They have to be right. We’ve been known to go to the absolute wire, and this year will be no different. But (those episodes) will also open up everything you get to do for the next twenty episodes, or it’ll shut you down, and we have learned that…and again I say “we”!…they have learned over the last six years, and every year is an effort to make fewer mistakes. Every year’s got them, we run into bumps all the time, that is the cost of trying to do something different or new. And each year, we start the season off a little slower, trying to avoid as many bumps as we can before we start.” Sutherland says the new season will take place mere months after the previous season finale, and that it will start in the morning again, although he admits that “that’s as much a production issue as anything else. We shoot in the summer when it’s daytime and we get longer days, and we shoot night scenes in the winter when we have longer nights.” Hey, wait a minute: if it’s only a few months, then how is there already a new President? “That’s a great question,” he acknowledges. “In all fairness, they haven’t put an absolute time down.” Sutherland is only vaguely apologetic when it comes to discussing the backlash against the show from the fans and critics after the previous season. “I felt the same about last year as I did every year,” he shrugs. “Every year, there are moments that are better than we had ever expected, and there are moments that are disappointing for us. I read a lot of the criticisms, and some of them I agreed wholeheartedly with, and some of them I did not. Again, I thought the first four episodes of last year were four of the best episodes we’ve ever done, and I felt the same way about the last four, and there are moments in-between where we settled. I think that the writers…and I don’t want to speak too much for them…but I think they had a hard time getting my storyline going without my doing a whole lot of stuff that I’d already done. So, y’know, last year was a huge learning experience for us…but, again, it doesn’t feel any different to me than any other year. I mean, all the way back to the first year, there’s stuff where all of us go, ‘What were we thinking?’ But we have done well, and we have been given so much incredible support by all of you, but you have to have your shot (at us) at some point, and last year was as good as any. And we certainly hear you. We’re always looking over our shoulder a bit! But, y’know, it is what it is. Our job stays the same. We try to do the best we can, but it’s such a complicated format to write for, with the real-time aspect, and every year, there will be struggles.” In closing, don’t hold your breath waiting on that long-rumored “24″ movie showing up anytime soon, though. “We are so focused on the show right now that I couldn’t imagine that any of the writers have even thought about that,” says Sutherland. “I think we’ve collectively agreed that that will be the first thing that we’ll do after we finish the show.” Filed under: TV and Actors and News and Gossip and TV Dramas and TV Action and 24 and External Entertainment Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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…courtesy of the solo panel by CBS President of Entertainment Nina Tassler… * “The Amazing Race” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” will not return until mid-season. * Tony Scott will be directing the season premiere of “Numb3rs.” * Finally, three seasons into “How I Met Your Mother,” we will finally begin to get some hints as to who the hell “your mother” actually is. * The season premiere of “Cold Case” will be an all-Nirvana episode, so I guess that means the case in question must take place in the early ’90s, presumably in Seattle. (Tassler hadn’t actually seen the script yet.) * Jake, the half-man on “Two and a Half Men,” will be starting junior high. * Writer P.K. Simonds, late of “Party of Five,” will be re-teaming with Jennifer Love Hewitt and become co-runner of “Ghost Whisperer” with John Gray; apparently, Simonds and Gray are reinvigorating the series by creating a new mythology which indicates that main characters Jim and Melinda didn’t choose the town of Grandview but, rather, vice versa. (I don’t know what this means; I don’t watch the show. I’m just spreadin’ the info.) * There will be a “C.S.I.” / “Without A Trace” crossover this year, with William Petersen and Anthony LaPaglia appearing on each others series…and to alleviate the possibility of missing one half or the other, the episodes will air on the same night. * On “C.S.I.: Miami,” Horatio Cane will discover that he has a biological son…and although this isn’t confirmed yet, Premium Hollywood is going out on a limb and predicting that Caine’s tip-off to his child’s identity is his red hair and stilted acting skills. * They are in talks with Drew Carey to host “The Price Is Right,” but, then, they’re in talks with several people to host “The Price Is Right.” * There is, at least in Tassler’s eyes, no reason to expect that “NCIS” will change dramatically in this, its first season with Don Bellisario at the helm. “It’s the natural evolution of a show that you groom your writers on your staff to take over the mantle so you can move on to develop other shows. It’s time that Don developed another show for us which is what we’re looking to do. The look of the show is not going to change, and it’s, again, a part of changes that happen on virtually — in many of the show. Personality aside, it’s time for Don to do something else for us, and the show will go on. It’s in very capable hands.” * The network has been in talks with Rosie O’Donnell about a show. Some show. Don’t know what show. But definitely some show. * Tassler conceded that the lengthy hiatus between the two half-seasons of “Jericho” “maybe…wasn’t good for the show.” Y’think…? * Oh, and here’s what Tassler had to say about the whole Mandy-Patinkin-leaving-”Criminal Minds” thing: “Mandy came to us and came to me and asked to be released from the show, and we were able to accommodate that request on his part. And right now, it’s a personal issue. And, you know, I think the show is accommodating his needs. The creative on the show is very strong. The stories, as we know about the audience on ‘Criminal Minds’ — people come to that show for the ‘E ticket,’ you know, that white-knuckle ride that they’re going to get every week. And in the legacy of ‘ER’ and ‘Law & Tassberg couldn’t (or wouldn’t) provide any insight as to why Patinkin chose to make his departure from the second CBS series of his career. “I can only hope in the very near future that Mandy himself will be able to answer those very questions. I do not mean to sound like I’m avoiding the question. It is a personal issue. I wish I could say more. I just — I don’t feel that this is the forum in which I’d like to have that conversation.” What about the fact that the CBS press release said it was “creative differences,” not “personal issues”? “Well, I think ‘creative differences’ is a euphemism for ‘personal issues,’” said Tassberg…and then winked! Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Gossip and Interviews and TV Comedies and TV Dramas and TV Action and External Entertainment and External TV and Jericho and TCA Press Tour and Fall TV Preview Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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You’ve undoubtedly heard it all over the place since yesterday, but, yes, Jon Lovitz got in a fight with Andy Dick in a bar. Check out the tale of the full incident right here. I know a lot of people can’t stand Andy Dick, and I undestand that, but the guy always made me laugh more than Lovitz, whom I never really enjoyed since his original stint on SNL. The best thing he ever did on the show was an impression of David Crosby doing a TV commercial for the two record set “Sold Out Gold” and “Sold Out Bronze.” “The Critic” was midly amusing from time to time, but other than that, his career of starring in flicks like “High School High” and Subway commercials pretty much says it more than I can. |
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I’ll tackle the “Shark” panel in greater detail later, but I had to share these two moments of James-Woods-ian brilliance with you: 1) When one of the reporters bemoaned the panel - Woods, his co-star Jeri Ryan, and producer / creator Ian Biederman - for not giving them anything that made for good copy, Woods stepped up to bat. “Okay, well, I honestly hate these mother fuckers, but I’m getting paid so, you know, what am I going to do. That fucking Jeri Ryan bitch. She shows up in a fucking Borg suit and says, “Hey, remember me when I was hot?” One more fucking time and I’m done!” At this point, he finally gave in to laughter, saying, “Okay, I think we’re done now.”
2) In the last moments of the panel, Woods tackled the issue of his character’s questionable moral decision in the season finale, when he knowingly sent a man to prison for a crime he didn’t commit because he knew that he that he was guilty of other crimes. As it happens, Woods didn’t really agree with Biederman’s decision to have Sebastian Stark do what he did. “I don’t believe in vigilante justice,” he said…then, after a moment, added, “Except if I were pissed off about something. Then I would believe in it. I mean, you know, I get lousy customer support, I want to get involved in a workplace killing.” At this point, Woods began to mime speaking into a phone. “‘Where in India are you, mother fucker? Where exactly in Sumatra are you, you fucker?’” A beat. “Oh, boy, that wasn’t politically correct,” said Woods. “I wouldn’t want to see that get out.” Right. That would explain why he then proceeded to make the international hand signal for jacking off…and also why tried to give the publicists at CBS a heart attack with his next words: “Hey, Isaiah Washington’s back. So that’s good.” With a wicked grin, Woods continued. “Let’s have some controversy. I’m so tempted. I’m so tempted to say it, but I’m not…” The reporters, of course, were egging him on, even as Biederman was nervously suggesting, “Let’s wait ’til Season 4, can we?” In the end, Woods demurred. “I’m sure we could do it and kid around and have a good time,” he said, “but, no, somebody would take it the wrong way. All the CBS people back there, they’re shitting themselves right now.” And with that, “Shark” publicist Barbara Abseck got the biggest laugh of the panel: “Sooooooo…this concludes our session.” Yeah, but what a way to go… Filed under: TV and Actors and News and Gossip and Interviews and TV Dramas and External Entertainment and External TV and TCA Press Tour Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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If you haven’t heard already, when NBC’s fall season begins, there will only be two “Law & Order” series still on the network: the original and “L&O: Special Victims Unit.” But don’t cry for “L&O: Criminal Intent” just yet: the show will continue with new episodes on the USA Network, which is also part of the NBC-Universal family. “L&O” creator Dick Wolf showed up with a statement in hand to clarify how the network would handle it if Senator Fred Thompson ended up making a run for the White House (long story short: don’t count on seeing D.A. Arthur Branch show up on any episodes during the campaign…and that goes for re-runs, too), but the majority of his time was spent answering questions about whether or not the original “Law & Order” would beat “Gunsmoke” for the longest-running drama in television history. “I sure hope so,” admits Wolf. “I think that the show is going through one of its major renovations of the past 10 years. Jeremy (Sisto) is joining the cast. I think it was this year’s cast, in a sense, (but) I’m pleased to announce that Linus Roache will also be joining as the new prosecutor. So the show has a very different look than it had two years ago. I think that Sam (Waterston) is going to be a terrific DA, but if you look at a cast that, as I said, two seasons ago had Sam as the chief prosecutor, Fred as the DA, and Dennis Farina as essentially the lead cop and you look at the way it’s going to look this year, that is a very, very large shift and also a very deliberate shift to hopefully reignite or further penetrate a younger demo. The show has been skewing older, and we would love it to skew a little bit younger.” Sisto and Roache, together again? Two “Kidnapped” alumni on “Law & Order”…? “I thought ‘Kidnapped’ was an incredibly well produced show,” says Wolf. “Shows that may not have necessarily worked are very rarely the fault of the actors.” There’s not much that can be said about Roache’s character - he was only signed right before Wolf made the announcement, apparently - but Sisto at least acknowledged that his “L&O” character is completely different from his role on “Kidnapped.” Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Gossip and Interviews and TV Dramas and External Entertainment and External TV and TCA Press Tour and Fall TV Preview Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
 First things first: when we arrived at the “Jericho” panel, we were greeted with a bag on our chair from NutsOnline, including a bag of nuts and a t-shirt which proudly trumpeted the company’s role in saving “Jericho.” How cool is that? God bless those guys for their dedication… * No-one on the panel - producer Carol Barbee and cast members Skeet Ulrich, Lennie James, and Ashley Scott - had any reason to believe the show would return. Even when the “nuts” campaign began, they really only had the slightest inkling of hope that it might work. * The producers pitched the plot of the second season to the network, and CBS was quite happy with it. It originally was going to take place in Jericho, Cheyenne, and New York, which would have been revealed to have been survived, but things are being switched up a little bit now. They’re burning through ideas more quickly and having to compress the action more than they otherwise might have, since they’ve only got a 7-episode commitment at the moment, but they’re happy with how things are progressing. * Skeet was beside himself with the news of the reprieve, calling as many of the cast members personally as possible to let them know about the show’s having been saved. “I love giving people shocking news,” he said, with a grin. * The season opener will be a “big tent,” to help people understand the world of the series if they’ve never seen it before, but time will have passed since the season finale, so it’ll be new information for everyone, old and new viewers alike. But don’t worry: the big cliffhanger will be paid off. You’ll get the scoop on what happened with the battle, and then it’ll time-jump ahead. * It was always the plan that Johnston Green would die, because his arc was tied directly to Jake’s arc, for the son to replace the father. It maybe happened sooner than had originally been planned, but when the season end came around, the opportunity arose, and the producers took it. * Production schedule: they will start shooting this Monday, and, all things being equal, they’ll be finished shooting all 7 episodes by end of September. * Random observation from me: fucking hell, I had no idea that the dude who plays Robert Hawkins was British! * At the end of Season 1, right before the battle, Stanley said he was going to ask Mimi to marry him; it doesn’t exactly go down quite as easily as all that, but they do end up engaged, which is the big personal story of the new season. The bigger story, however, is that Hawkins and Jake will go on a mission to save the world. (Oh, no, not again!) * The new government from Cheyenne has come in to stop the battle between Jericho and New Bern and are helping Jericho to rebuild, getting them their water and electricity back. There are revenge killings going on between the two cities, however, as lingering vestiges from the battle. * It’s Barbee’s sincerest hope that everyone in the cast will be back. Titus Welliver, however, they wanted back, but scheduling prevented that; as a result, there’ll be another character coming in to fill the void left by Col. Robert Hoffman. Sprague Grayden will definitely be back as Heather. The budget was cut, says Barbee, but they’re trying to do their best to be creative in order to still deliver a quality product. Will Gerald McRaney be back in a flashback? “We’ll see,” says Barbee. “We loved him. But, right now, it’s not planned for these 7 episodes. We’ve pretty well got those laid out already.” Filed under: TV and Actors and Actresses and News and Gossip and TV Dramas and External Entertainment and External TV and Jericho and TCA Press Tour Comments: 4 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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There’ve been a lot of fun evenings provided by the various networks thus far on this press tour, but my personal favorite has probably been the one by American Movie Classics. It took place at the famous Friars’ Club, in Beverly Hills, and, in keeping with the theme of AMC’s new series, “Mad Men,” the waitresses wore short black dresses and bouffant wigs, offering up Old Fashioneds for the attendees. (I myself had several, and it may well now be my new drink of choice.) I didn’t really get to explore the club a great deal - the upstairs level was cordoned off after a short while in order to make a haven for the “Mad Men” cast - but I did pop up briefly and see the famous pool table on a bed of sand, so the members can smoke without incident, as well as several walls worth of photos of members. (In particular, I saw George Burns’s photo, which made me grin.) I ended up speaking with “Mad Men” cast member Vincent Kartheiser for a few minutes - you probably best remember him as Angel’s son, Conor, on “Angel” - as he gnawed on a cigar and mused about things were better back in the ’60s for “guys like us.” I think he was kidding…but, then again, he seemed vaguely tipsy as, moments later, he spotted the absence of a drink in my hand and literally demanded that I remedy the situation. “Drink up! It’s free, right?” True, that. I also had a chance to speak with Charles Collier, AMC’s Executive VP and General Manager, and I had only one question for him: “How does a network called American Movie Classics reconcile itself with airing a film like ‘Catwoman’?” Thankfully, Mr. Collier took it in the good-humored spirit in which it was intended, clapping me on the shoulder and saying, “I’ve got an on-the-record answer for you and an off-the-record answer for you.” Well, of course, I’m not getting myself in hot water by providing you with the off-the-record answer - although, to be fair, it was highly innocuous as off-the-record answers go - but as to the on-the-record one, basically, he said it helps the network fill out programming for things like, say, a Halle Berry week or a Sharon Stone week. “Or,” I helpfully suggested, “an all-kitsch week?” “Absolutely,” he said, with a grin.
The evening’s entertainment, by the way, was provided by Jeff Goldbum, who performed piano within a jazz quintet. There’s something markedly surreal about seeing the lanky Goldblum bouncing away at the keys as he bops his way through covers of TV themes like “77 Sunset Strip” and “Bonanza,” but they sure sounded good. Naturally, a few people said something to the effect of, “Well, now that ‘Raines’ has been cancelled, at least he’s got the music to fall back on.” Well, that’s true. On the whole, though, I’d rather have “Raines” back. That show absolutely didn’t get a fair shake. I know it’s because people couldn’t figure out what was different between it and a show like, say, “Ghost Whisperer,” but, still, there was so much more to it that should’ve been explored. I’m still pissed it got buried as a mid-season replacement rather than be given a fall berth. Oh, well. Too late now. Goodnight, everybody!
Filed under: TV and News and Gossip and Interviews and External Entertainment and External TV and TCA Press Tour Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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I gotta be honest: I really could care less about Star Jones. But I will say this: damn, she looks good. I don’t know how much weight she’s lost, but it’s gotta be a ridiculous amount. She’s downright skinny. I know you probably don’t care much more about her than I do, but there was one very interesting dynamic to the conversation between Jones and the more vocal writers in the audience: they were downright pissed at her for not wanting to offer up more details about her show. She did, however, offer her thoughts on the recent goings-on on “The View.” “I was a part of an amazing pop culture experience,” Jones began diplomatically, “and Barbara Walters gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to go on and do television that I really wanted to do, so I’m not going to do anything that damages that warm feeling that I had. I’m not going to pile on. I’m not going to participate in any of the silliness that might make excitement. Okay? Because it’s not me. And more importantly, it would destroy something that I love very much. But if you want to know something I’m disappointed in, it’s the fact that there is no person of color who has been permanently placed as a part of the cast of ‘The View.’ And I’ll tell you why. Not just for aesthetic purposes, but one of the roles that I played was in an editorial purpose. We all sat in the back and brought different values to the table and when you are putting forth a show, you need to make it look like the fabric of society and not just look that way from the outside, but feel that way from the inside. So that’s the only thing that I would encourage; that a permanent person of color who is a professional because that was my job, to bring the facts to the forefront.” Filed under: TV and News and Gossip and External Entertainment and External TV and TCA Press Tour Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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Sure, why not a crossover…? BET is running a new series entitled “Hip Hop vs. America,” and on the panel for the show was none other than the legendary Public Enemy front-man, Chuck D. The show focuses on the different sides of the hip-hop genre, and the social responsibility that its performers have to those who are listening. Great concept, and I’m psyched to see it…but, still, I had to ask what I knew lots of other wanted to know:
Yours Truly: Chuck, guys like you and KRS-One have taken rap and made political statements and aided it in being taken seriously as an art form. How do you think a show like, say, “Flava of Love” has affected you being taken seriously, I mean, as far as the rap community in general? Word. By the way, Chuck said he wasn’t really interested in getting his own show…although he said he did think that Professor Griff would do pretty good with one (though, personally, I have to wonder if that wouldn’t have the potential to be even more damaging to hip-hop’s reputation than Flav’s show)…but he admitted that, if he did get his own show, he’d want it to be a one-on-one interview format. I said, “Oh, kinda like Henry Rollins?” I knew he’d been on Rollins’ show…but, damn, boyee, I didn’t know how much he’d enjoyed it. Chuck just lit up and was, like, “Oh, man, Rollins, I love Henry Rollins, I love him, I love everything he does, and I’d love to do anything like that guy.” In closing, another writer asked Chuck if he thought Flava would ever find love, and he instantly offered up a laugh and a scoff, saying, “Flava found love. Flava got more love than he know what to do with!” Filed under: TV and News and Gossip and Interviews and TV Comedies and Documentaries and External Entertainment and External TV and TCA Press Tour Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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After the “Californication” panel yesterday, David Duchovny was literally SWARMED by writers with their recorders extended…and, yes, I was one of them. But, eventually, my arm got tired - I was having to stretch over the shoulder of another fella - and I have to give up the ghost. Still, I got this pic, and I also got this valuable info: Duchovny is anticipating that he’ll finally, FINALLY be receiving the script to the forever-gestating “X-Files” movie sequel. It’s a co-write by Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz, which longtime fans of the show will be giddy about, given that Carter, of course, is the show’s creator, while Spotnitz wrote, story-edited, and produced many fine episodes for the series. (Carter will also direct, according to Duchovny.) Gillian Anderson is on board, as you’ve no doubt heard rumored…but, then, this flick has been nothing but rumors for the longest time. Lord knows we’ve heard rumors that a script was on the way before. So what makes this different? “This time,” says Duchovny, “I really am supposed to get the script next week. And I’m looking forward to seeing what (Chris) did.” It’s to be a one-off script, i.e. there are no intentions to continue the franchise as an ongoing series of sequels, and - all things being equal - the plan is for filming to begin later this year, with a release date for sometime in 2008. Bonus anecdote: Evan Handler, who plays Duchovny’s character’s agent on “Californication,” joked, “It’s going to open the same weekend as the ‘Sex and the City’ movie.” Duchovny’s reply: “We’re gonna crush ‘em!” Filed under: Movies and TV and Actors and News and Gossip and TV Dramas and Action Movies and External Entertainment and External Movies and TCA Press Tour Comments: None Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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The “Weeds” panel just ended, and I figured, okay, how can I not at least try to get a photo of Mary-Kate Olsen? No dice. She was whisked off the premises like she was a Beatle. Surprisingly, Mary Louise Parker evacuated the premises just as rapidly, but at least she was willing to let people put their tape recorders in her face for a minute or two as she walked to her car.
Mary-Kate, however, was off like a shot, only stopping long enough to chat with an acquaintance, and, even then, she was swarmed so that you couldn’t get a pic. Dammit. So let me just say this: both Marys were wearing very cute and very short skirts, but it’s perhaps a testament to my age that it was Ms. Parker who won the Most Gorgeous category. (To be fair, though, she kind of looks like a deer in this headlights in this shot.) Filed under: TV and Actresses and Gossip and TV Dramas and External Entertainment and External TV and TCA Press Tour Comments: 2 Comments Digg this! Add to Del.icio.us |
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If you’re ready to see “The Price Is Right” finally fail, you may have your chance. According to Bob Barker, CBS is going to “have a meeting” with Rosie O’Donnell to be the new host. He then added, “[W]hether they want a lady host, I don’t know. I’ve never heard that discussed. As far as I know, they’ve only auditioned men.” So far, everything Rosie’s been related to in TV has either been cancelled or has not gone well for her. Granted, “The Price Is Right” has that cockroach lifespance going for it, but if O’Donnell takes over hosting, you can be sure something will go awry like clockwork. Frankly, I think someone like Eddie Izzard would really make that show, but he’s too busy doing actual work for such a deal. |
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Look out, kiddies. Justin Timberlake will be attending the upcoming MTV Movie Awards with new girlfriend Jessica Biel. Also attending will be Timberlake’s ex, Cameron Diaz. Back in January, Diaz erupted at Biel at a post-Golden Globes party. Ah, women. Always fighting over dudes that are going to inevitably dump them no matter what. Cameron should feel solace in knowing that Biel won’t last any longer than she did. Apparently, though, steps are being taken to make sure the two don’t cross each other’s paths. That’s too bad. The show might actually be entertaining otherwise. |
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Could it be trouble in paradise already for Mark Burnett and Roma Downey? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps, as the song goes. Word has it that Downey is less than ecstatic with Burnett’s obsession with the upcoming MTV Movie Awards, of which he is executive producer. The man’s certainly becoming the Sam Walton of TV, creating low-quality yet popular crap that everyone and their dead mothers seem to “enjoy.” Like the rest of his productions, the awards ceremony is sure to be “realistic” and decidedly hollow with no real reason to tune in to the thing at all, unless you’re a complete TV junkie that just can’t get away from the set for a couple hours. Come on, it’s MTV. You stopped watching that back in ‘94. |
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