No matter how good Project Runway's new 90-minute format is, the fashion design series can't reclaim the characters who made the show revolutionary in its first and second seasons -- including Austin Scarlett and Santino Rice. However, Lifetime is claiming those two vets for a new series, On the Road with Austin & Santino, and that's good enough news to recolor my vision of reality TV this summer (for the better!). The two designers will visit small towns throughout America and provide stylish assistance to the country's downtrodden women. It debuts July 29 after Project Runway's eighth season premiere. I'm obligated to excite you with clips of Austin and Santino's best PR moments after the jump.
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Kelly Clarkson's primetime comebacks are always welcome, even if they're on a hokey pre-taped Fourth of July special. But do you think she'll sing "Miss Independent" and make us fall crazy-in-love with 2003 again? I vote yes. But before you take out your Nikki McKibbon voodoo doll and prepare for a night of idolization, take a look at the weird klatch of comedians who are joining Clarkson on America Celebrates July 4th at Ford's Theatre.
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So -- Fourth of July and all that. If you're looking for movies, you could go all orthodox and sit through 1776 again, or you could also hunt down alternative histories, dark underbellies and political handgrenades. Read on for nine hints where to look, and set your DVR's accordingly.
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You know the rumor that Piers Morgan is taking over Larry King's desk at CNN for approximately $8 milllion ayear? Well, Simon Cowell would like to clear that up in two parts. First, that is not a rumor -- that is an inevitability -- and second, the former American Idol personality is totally responsible for negotiating that lucrative move. "I knew about this weeks ago. [Morgan] was under contract to us on America's Got Talent, so he called me and we helped sort of broker the deal." [Extra]
After earning an Oscar nomination as the sultry object of a wine aficionado's affection in Sideways, Virginia Madsen realized that there still weren't many good film roles left for actresses. That's why the 80's sex symbol made the transition from the multiplex to mainstream television, and in her second-ever regular role on a network series, Madsen is tackling one of the biggest challenges of her career: balancing her well-honed dramatic talents while discovering comedy. The satisfying role is courtesy of ABC's summer dramedy Scoundrels, where Madsen stars as a headstrong mother of four who is determined to give her family an honest life after her husband (David James Elliott) is sentenced to prison.
Last week, Madsen phoned Movieline to explain why actresses are fleeing to television, the time her brain literally exploded, and her secret to great onscreen (and offscreen) chemistry.
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Well, that was a world of suspense. SYTYCD's judges booted tapper Melinda Sullivan last night, not a day after Mia Michaels snarked, "We made a mistake last week and should've eliminated you." Nigel Lythgoe at least pretended the technically imperfect Melinda had a chance at survival and refrained from saying, "At this point we just need to shoot the rabid greyhound in the face, Melinda, if you will. Sorry, dear." Oh, Melinda. You weren't going to outshine Billy Bell or Robert Roldan in the dance-off, not with a tap or a hoof or a prayer. But you were a phenomenal dancer, just like your ancient, awesome mentor said -- and according to the video we've posted after the jump, you apparently had a lot of you could've taught us.
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Listen, Eclipse will break $100 million by lunchtime today regardless of which stars promoted the film on the afterhours circuit last night. In spite of that knowledge, most of the cast (Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Peter Facinelli and Elizabeth Reaser) set out to sell their blockbuster to non-Twihards last night by playing "La Bamba" on the guitar, dancing the robot, revealing a weird celebrity crush and refusing to promise a college diploma. Click through to find out who did what last night while you were stuck celebrating your Spider-Man coup.
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· While Brett Ratner was doing a little last-minute research for The Hobbit (which he will probably not direct), CBS and 20th Century Fox were reaching a stalemate over his CIA drama pilot Chaos. Even though the project, written by Tom Spezialy, was picked up for midseason premiere, CBS and 20th TV could not agree on an episode order or the license fee. Two days ago, the options on the project's actors -- who included Freddy Rodriguez, Stephen Rea and Eric Close -- expired. [Deadline]
My Boys claims another network series victim, ABC locks down Cheryl Hines, and more TV Bites after the jump.
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The Real World used to cast a bunch of slightly mismatched young adults with obvious ideological and cultural differences, but for the past seven years (give or take), they've chosen six archetypes and one totally toxic center. We had Ayiiia in Cancun, Paula in Key West, and now in Back to New Orleans we have Ryan Leslie, a Tempe, Arizona hairstylist who flits, fumes, and remarks about a female castmate's miniskirt, "You're just asking to get raped." Yep, a charmer on all fronts. And there's 25 more bullets where that came from -- just from last night's premiere! Can you name them? Ready? Go!
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It's summertime in the world of on-demand movies, and there's an extra charge that movies get and give from sun-baked seasonal alignment. In other words, you should be as lucky as I am to so vividly remember the summer of '75, when Jaws came out...
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How could James Franco's second day back in Port Charles be even more of a snooze than yesterday's dramatically weird return, which featured around two minutes of the actor smiling menacingly under a hood (slide A), offering entertainment for food (slide B) and petting a toy monkey in a sinister manner (slide C)? Step into the shadowy alleyway and let Movieline explain.
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Everyone's favorite NYC housewife (seriously, I polled this Starbucks) reunites with an old co-star for a bridal shower tonight on Bethenny Getting Married. If you've been paying attention all season, you know who it is. If you haven't been paying attention to anything and are acting offended at nothing, you might be Kelly Bensimon. Cheers!
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This is either a sign that late night television is cannibalizing itself, less people are watching live TV or America just doesn't think Jay Leno is as funny as he used to be -- or all three! The Tonight Show clocked its lowest ratings this past quarter since 1993, when David Letterman premiered his Late Show on CBS. Coincidentally, this is also Leno's first full quarter at the Tonight Show since Conangate. [Deadline]
So You Think You Can Dance broke a new barrier yesterday, and it's one I like to call DUDES DANCING WITH DUDES. Look! It's Alex and Twitch! They're jiving together and exchanging stankface in front of America's kids. Harvey Milk krumps tearfully from heaven. That was just the beginning of last night's pleasures, as SYTYCD's nine remaining dancers pulled it out for an all-around spectacular evening. And best of all, Adam Shankman didn't bawl at the sky. Join us as we rate the Top 9 in quick succession!
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Vinny Guadagnino is the self-touted family man of MTV's reality juggernaut Jersey Shore, the ever-pinchable voice of reason who declares the "GTL" lifestyle a little ridiculous and who tames JWOWW after she punches The Situation in the chest. He's a party guy whose fist-pimping prowess is second to none, though his vainglorious co-stars tend to dwarf him when it comes to rambunctious spectacle and occasional insanity. Luckily, with the premiere of season two less than a month away, Vinny's just as torqued as Snooki or DJ Pauly D for the debauchery to begin anew. But did he thrive away from Seaside Heights in the new ecosystem of Miami? Movieline wanted answers.
We phoned Vinny earlier this week to discuss season two, his artistic (and political!) ambitions, and the rumors that he won't be on board for season three.
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