Last week's release of The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History brought about a never-before-heard crew anecdote of Michael Jackson's strange, voice-assisted guest spot on the series. Now that the Unauthorized History, based on 80 interviews and three years of research, has hit bookshelves, author John Ortved is sharing more about what he learned about the Simpsons lack of trophies, a potential amusement park and the "throwaway" movie.
more »
iPhoto's easy-to-use calendar feature + Top Chef's breakout battling brothers = 12 months of High Voltaggio beefcake for your home, office, or high school locker. Go ahead -- print it up! You know you want it!
more »
The new version of Melrose Place is about to get a first-season revamp, which seems fitting, given the original's early retinkering. Still, it can't be a happy thing for two of its departing actors to realize they're the new, pinkslipped incarnations of Amy Locane and Vanessa A. Williams. Since the news of their firings broke yesterday, both Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield have spoken out. One is sanguine in a statement; the other, not so much.
more »
It's been a busy month for the esteemed alumni of Friends. ABC picked up Courteney Cox's Cougar Town for a full season. Matt LeBlanc finally rebounded from Joey with a Showtime satire about the perils of stardom. According to IMDB, Jennifer Aniston has no less than seven projects in development. David Schwimmer is slated to direct a Clive Owen indie. And Matthew Perry is co-writing and exec producing a comedy series inspired by -- himself. Now, Lisa Kudrow can get back to regular work as well. To see which network saved Kudrow from a Smelly Cat American tour, and which Oscar-winning actress will join her, follow us after the jump.
more »
Jeff Dunham is one of the more commercial ventriloquists today: he performs (and sells out) at large venues, he appeared on Hollywood Squares a few times and he drew over 6 million viewers during his Comedy Central Christmas special last year. While the puppet vignettes in his self-titled series premiering tonight on Comedy Central, won't equal Wondershowzen in off-color cult status appeal or Craig Ferguson cold opens in charming spontaneity, the show stands a chance at besting Jay Leno Show numbers.
more »
It's officially been a good week for Glee, which has just secured two big deals: 1) a DVD release at year's end, and 2) access to the sacred works of highest-caste leotard god Madonna. EW has it that Glee will film an all-Madonna episode early next year featuring songs from the pop star's ouevre. The Fox show prides itself on picking unusual, controversial songs to pad its running time, and this occasion should be no different. After the jump, Movieline selects its most preferred, and most challenging Madonna classics for Glee.
more »
Despite encouraging DVR evidence that a sizable Dollhouse fan base exists, Fox is axing Joss Whedon's ratings-challenged series during November sweeps in favor of House repeats. Fox will honor its promise to air the complete second season of the sci-fi series by scheduling back-to-back Dollhouse episodes on Friday nights in December. Cast members are staying optimistic in the face of inevitable series death, as evidenced by Miracle Laurie's tweet late last night: "Trying not to be depressed. Get ANYONE you can convince to watch #Dollhouse LIVE this Fri, cuz we won't be back till Dec. see ya then! :(" [Entertainment Weekly]
Things are so brutal out there for The Jay Leno Show that even the First Lady for it may not be able to work a miracle -- and they just got a little worse. While Leno is routinely beaten in the ratings by 10pm shows on the other big networks, it fell behind another scripted drama on Tuesday, and this one was on cable.
more »
After yesterday's unprompted accusation by Bronson Pinchot that Risky Business-era Tom Cruise was homophobic, another random Cruise character assault bubbled to the surface today. In an interview with BlackBook, American Psycho director Mary Harron alleges that Christian Bale based his performance of serial killer Patrick Bateman on Cruise after the movie star made one particularly "Martian-like" Letterman appearance. But which one was it?
more »
Tonight's viewing options leave you no choice but to purchase that beanbag chair and Nerf rifle, because this lineup's pretty family-friendly. Slimer's giant yellow teeth and Glee's giant love of gangster rap may rumple a few petticoats, but otherwise, the coast is clear for the big-wheeled set. No headbutts allowed, Dad!
more »
In last night's installment of faux-reality saga The Hills, we learned several important lessons: The Justin-Audrina love saga is not over and will never be over, and if you're being paid $90,000 per episode and you want someone to shoot straight with you, you've got no choice but to go home. Beneath the dead-on lyrics of The Sounds' 'Home Is Where Your Heart Is,' we met the hero of the episode: Kristin's no-nonsense father. Unafraid to wear high-waisted jeans, diss Kristin's new beau ("Everyone needs a big tattoo on their stomach") and call out a self-absorbed spade for being a self-absorbed spade, we can only hope that Kristin's dad gets more screen time this season. Details and the winners of this week's Real/Fake Jackpot after the jump.
more »
Maybe we should have seen this coming, with all of the kitschy products being made into feature films lately. Yesterday, ABC announced that it is developing a a multi-cam series called I'm With Stupid, starring Judy Greer and being co-written by 21 and The Baster scribe Allan Loeb. The show is based on a novel by Elaine Szewcyk in which a Manhattanite (Greer) finds herself romantically entangled with a park ranger she met in South Africa; "When she returns home, she wonders whether she'll ever hear from him again, only to have him arrive unannounced at her doorstep. She quickly realizes her new roommate has limited intellectual capabilities and learns that what happens on safari should stay on safari." [Hollywood Reporter]
Although she is best known for her work in Less Than Perfect and Popular, Sara Rue has built a comprehensive resume dating back to her starring role in NBC's Grand and a Roseanne cameo as a younger version of the star, blockbuster parts (Pearl Harbor, The Ring) and the occasional reality appearances (Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, E! Hollywood Hold'em). These days, Rue plays Eastwick's most suspicious resident -- the younger, spunkier Gladys Kravitz of ABC if you will -- while developing her own feature film and scouting her next sitcom gig. Movieline spoke to Rue two weeks ago about all of this and Andy Dick as her dogs barked in the background.
more »
The oft-revived Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, which is already set for a 2012 film revamp, is joining forces with Nickelodeon, the fearsome network that brought us almost 70 sewer-dwelling seasons of All That. The new CGI series will also premiere in 2012, which gives Nickelodeon more than enough time to incorporate three of its forgotten reptilian charms.
more »
"The reality series, a departure for the network that typically airs new and old game shows, is the result of viewer response to Wilson, said Kelly Goode, GSN senior vice president for original programming and development. 'Carnie is incredibly funny and earthy. ... She's a personality the viewers have fallen in love with,' Goode said." -- AP. Ahead, five alternate titles without commentary for Carnie Wilson: Unstapled.
more »
