Imagine's Brian Grazer has landed a commitment from Fox for a drama about the FBI, the first series in more than 35 years to have the full cooperation of the feds. The project, to be penned by Chap Taylor (Changing Lanes), revolves around a character based on John O'Neill, the real-life G-man who warned the FBI about Al Qaeda early on, only to be ignored.... Per Variety, NBC has given the go-ahead to a legal thriller from Barry Sonnenfeld (Pushing Daisies) that is centered on a NYC firm populated by civil-case lawyers who "do whatever it takes to win".... Per the Reporter, Oxygen has ordered a true-crime series titled Captured, as well as Deion and Pilar Sanders: Prime Time Love, a reality series fronted by the former pro athlete.
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...humanitarian side. Rush Hour director Brett Ratner is on board to helm Playboy, a feature about the original lad mag's presumably libidinous founder, Hugh Hefner. But, notes Variety, this being a production by Brian Grazer (the Beautiful Mind Oscar winner), the flick will hail Gramps not only as a loverboy but also as a social activist. Wait, isn't that the same thing? Oh, right — they probably don't mean that kind of social activity.
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Fresh Diet Raspberry Snapple? Check. Fully charged Dell laptop? Check. Leftover Vicodin from last year's root-canal crisis, just in case? Check. OK, let's do this, people. EXECUTIVE SESSION 9:08 am: I spy Eye president Nina Tassler embracing a reporter prior to walking on stage. Is that ethical? Oh, wait, this is coming from someone who reserves judgment on a show until after the tie-in swag is delivered.9:14 am: Stop the presses! In her opening remarks, Tassler drops a bombshell: "It's [been] a "really great year at CBS for us!" 9:22 am: With no major controversies swirling around CBS, the initial questions lobbed at Tessler are decidedly tame. Where's a good Big Brother scandal when you need one? Speaking of which, did anyone watch the live video feed last night? Maybe someone got stabbed, and we don't know it! (Hey, a guy can dream.)9:29 am: Things may be picking up. Citing the demise of Fox's Reunion as an example, a reporter asks Tassler if she's worried that viewers might thi...
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What is the formula for blockbuster-movie success? And how does it differ from the recipe for disaster? Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters, an HBO documentary premiering tonight at 9 pm/ET — and based on the new book Boffo! How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster and Fear the Bomb, by Variety editor-in-chief and former studio exec Peter Bart — explores those much-asked questions by way of A-list talking heads and fantastic clips from films both great and... so-so.
Bart says that — especially as cohost of AMC's Sunday Morn
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What is the formula for blockbuster-movie success? And how does it differ from the recipe for disaster? The new book Boffo! How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster and Fear the Bomb, by Variety editor-in-chief and former studio exec Peter Bart, explores those much-asked questions, as does an accompanying HBO documentary, Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters, premiering June 29 and featuring almost as many A-list talking heads as fantastic clips from films both great and... so-so.
Bart says that — especially as cohost of AMC's Sunday
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