Jay and Conan Both Got Screwed, Asserts the One of Them Who Has A Talk Show
· Jay Leno sat down with Joy Behar on her HLN talk show to discuss Conan O'Brien's new life with squirrels, and the bedenimed comedian's verdict is: We're all screwed -- together! Watch as the Tonight Show host gives Behar an answer worthy of his very own "Battle of the Jaywalk All-Stars." [New York Post]
This Year's Peabody Winners, and the Unawarded Shows That Paved the Way
The Peabody Awards annually honor clumps of accomplished TV series, news specials, and radio programs, but "no more than 36" per year, claims the official site. That's a lot of plaques! While the Peabody Board can boast an accolade that traces back over 60 years (predating the Emmys), they've also ignored a fair amount of top-notch programming, even in the face of this year's just-announced winners. Here, then, are three of the 2009 award winners in television and the under-honored shows that came before them.
DiCaprio Tipped to Play J. Edgar Hoover
Looks like Leonardo DiCaprio's going to venture back to the period setting that worked so well for him in Shutter Island, though this time, he'll going to slip into something a little more comfortable. Deadline says the actor will be playing J. Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood's upcoming biopic (which the director discussed with Movieline recently). We can only assume that there were no more open roles in Scorsese's next picture for him. [Deadline]
Vonn & Order
High-five to Lindsay Vonn, who, after trudging up through the Olympic ranks to gold-medal stardom, will finally achieve her real dream of appearing on an episode of Law & Order. It's not just any episode, though: According to NBC, Vonn will have a bit part on the season finale as "an administrative assistant with a vital clue in a case involving a terrorist." She'll shoot next week; the air date hasn't been specified beyond some time in May. Developing... [AP]
Neal McDonough's Ban on Sex Scenes Costs Him a Network Role
Three days into filming the dramedy series Scoundrels, ABC replaced its lead actor Neal McDonough with David James Elliott. The casting change seemed strange since ABC had a history working with McDonough, who had co-starred on over 20 episodes of Desperate Housewives as Edie's deranged husband, but no other insight was offered into the network's decision. Until a production insider revealed that the actor had duped ABC into hiring him only to refuse filming intimate scenes with the project's beautiful, Oscar-nominated lead.
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In Theaters: Clash of the Titans
In its attempt to upgrade a classic with kick-ass effects, Louis Leterrier's noisy, manic and not much fun at all Clash of the Titans saps much of the spirit of the 1981 cult epic. Leterrier countered fanboy skepticism with the prospect of a 3-D and CGI-enhanced version of the fantastical Greek myth that powered the original. A few scenes in an even better defense suggests itself: the sight of Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes plotting to make the plebes worship them again, to restore proper order between gods and mere mortals. Now you're talking, I thought; a modern critique of the socialization of fame could only have been stronger if they'd populated Argos exclusively with reality stars. Alas, the effects can't quite cut through the hazy narrative and wretched dialogue, and when it comes to subtext my imagination seemed to have outpaced that of the filmmakers by the 15-minute mark.
Iron Man 2's Villainous Cockatoo Finally Revealed!
"In an Iron Man poster," blogs did cry,
"You simply must promote its villain."
Consider this still to be Paramount's reply:
It's Whiplash and his cockatoo, stone-cold chillin.' [Yahoo]
Gabourey Sidibe to Host SNL
E! has it that Gabourey Sidibe, the Stern-ly admonished Academy Award nominee, will host Saturday Night Live before the season wraps up. No exact date has been set, but she'll have to work around the weeks of Jennifer Lopez (this Saturday), Tina Fey, Ryan Phillippe and working class hero Betty White. [E!]
G. Lo-Lilo Summit
Only a day after starting a Twitter feud with George Lopez, Lindsay Lohan has agreed to appear on the comedian's TBS show on Tuesday to discuss the joke he made about white powder on her shoes. Lopez confirmed the booking on his Twitter feed: "Here's the latest @lindsaylohan is scheduled to appear on Lopez Tonight next tuesday .. Chill !" [@georgelopez]
California Governor Cameos in New Expendables Trailer
So let's say you're Arnold Schwarzenegger. You're the governor of California, a state suffering from an unprecedentedly upside-down economy and mass panic about jobs, education, home foreclosures and the like. You're also one of the most celebrated action stars of the last half-century, invited by one of your hallowed peers to join him in the Tough-Guy Epic to end all Tough-Guy Epics (at least until the sequel). Do you politely decline the offer, opting instead to focus on your policy and governing responsibilities at home, where they're most needed? Or do you take a few days to join the Tough-Guy Epic abroad and secure your cinematic legacy? Come on! As the new Expendables trailer proves, that's an easy one.
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Buzz Break: Cover Songs
· The Glee cast is on the cover of the new issue of Rolling Stone. This is the moment that Lea Michele's panties have dreamed of forever!
· Speaking of Glee, Jane Lynch will receive the 14th Annual Achievement Award at Outfest this year.
· The Edward Norton/Edward Norton dramedy Leaves of Grass was supposed to come out on Friday. Now it's not.
· How prevalent has 3-D become? Even the next Harold & Kumar film (which will feature a returning Kal Penn) might be shot in it.
· On that note, Piranha 3-D director Alexandre Aja is promising that the film will feature "3-D double-D boobs." Looks like he beat you to the punch, Heidi Montag.
23 Questions About Lost Episode 610, "The Package," Answered!
Previously on Lost: Sawyer plays a record, sadly. Sayid returns from the dead. Kate seems useless. Ilana makes Ben dig his own grave, then doesn't make him climb in. Richard experiences existential despair, applies more eyeliner. Jack smashes some mirrors in the lighthouse out of fear and frustration. Desmond types a string of numbers into an old computer deep inside an underground bunker to stop some unknown "bad" thing from happening. A plane crashes on a mysterious island. A network exec approves a show about a plane crashing on a mysterious island.
Please join us, if you will, as we finally fling open the Door of Questions on the Lost submarine and release the Answers within for this week's episode:
Pierce Brosnan on How The Greatest Tapped Into a Terrifying Night He'll Never Forget
In Shana Feste's new drama The Greatest, Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon play parents who are grieving the car accident death of their teenage son (Aaron Johnson) in wildly different ways: he's buttoned-up and avoiding the issue, while she lashes out at others, including their younger child (Johnny Simmons) and the woman (Carey Mulligan) who's pregnant with their late son's baby. It's heavy material, and Brosnan was originally reluctant to sign on: the 56-year-old actor has dealt with his own fair share of grief in real life -- his first wife Cassandra died of ovarian cancer in 1991, and his son Sean was almost killed in a car accident in 2000 -- and Brosnan was unsure if he wanted to go to those emotional places while filming.
In an interview with Movieline, Brosnan discussed how he changed his mind, the guilt he feels over using his personal experiences as an actor, and his take on the evolution of the suddenly white-hot Mulligan.
Watch the Entirety of Step Up 3D in 10 Simple Screengrabs
Gather 'round, everybody -- I've got a very special edition of The Two-Minute Verdict for you today. In this installment let's all have a look at the new trailer for Step Up 3D, the third film in the popular dance-crew/romance franchise that helped launch Channing Tatum and The Proposal director Anne Fletcher into their respective big new careers. Now you can get to know tomorrow's stars today all over again -- and in about one minute flat -- with this handy 10-frame glimpse of raw talent at work. And the trailer is embedded as well in case you do in fact want to see any of them, like, move. Honestly, the floating Icee streams aren't quite the same without that, but you make the call.
