Brothers & Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz has inked a two-year, seven-figure deal with ABC Studios to stay on as the an executive producer for the Sunday serial and develop new projects.... Also per Variety, Mark Steines has signed a multiyear deal to continue coanchoring Entertainment Tonight/applying Kiehls twice daily to Mary Hart's legs.... Hairspray producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have landed a lucrative production deal at CBS to produce movies and miniseries for the tube.
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• The paparazzi seem to have two new obsessions: Sarah Michelle Gellar, and celebrities with dogs. What begat either of 'em? No offense to Buffy at all, but it's as if they just this past week "discovered" her, or did she suddenly recover from agoraphobia? And Heigl with a dog, Paris with a dog, Duff with a dog.... Do the paps carry a spare Chihuahua in their film bag? • Knock me over with a feather, the Hairspray movie remake/redo/reimagining is getting some 4-star raves, including from the Post. Never underestimate the power of a luminous Michelle Pfeiffer.• Drew is the frontrunner! Ian is the fave! Don't count out Steines! I grow more and more convinced that the person who should ultimately "win" the Price Is Right gig is the overzealous publicist whose leaks helped get him there.• Does Posh ever crack a smile? Sexy gal, but... ever? UPDATE: I have since read that Mrs. Beckham thinks she looks "dorky" when she smiles, and thus (steadfastly) sticks to the "Posh...
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According to the New York Daily News, 90210/Dancing with the Stars alum Ian Ziering has gotten a callback from The Price Is Right, where he is among the crop of possibles to follow in Bob Barker's shoes. "He was all jittery" upon hearing the good news, a source tells the tab. "He really, really wants it." The New York Post, meanwhile, hears that ET's Mark Steines and Todd Newton, who have long been in this seemingly endless race, are the two final frontrunners.It may all come down to whether Nat at the Peach Pit gives Ian a good reference.
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We've almost got ourselves a showcase showdown! Sources tell the Hollywood Reporter that with several contenders now dropped from consideration, The Price Is Right has narrowed the field of Bob Barker replacements down to three: Entertainment Tonight cohost Mark Steines, actor George Hamilton and journeyman game-show host Todd Newton. CBS is expected to reveal the actual replacement host at its mid-May upfront presentation.Who of the three finalists is your pick? Vote here.
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Break out the high-test bronzer, George Hamilton, because you've got new competition. On the heels of talk that Hamilton had the inside line on succeeding Bob Barker as host of The Price Is Right comes reportage that Entertainment Tonight cohost Mark Steines and Saved by the Bell's Mario Lopez are now in the mix. Audition tapes of all the top contenders — including John O'Hurley (what's with all the Dancing with the Stars dropouts?) and former Beauty and the Geek host Mike Richards — are being shown to test audiences around the country. The wannabe who comes closest to meeting expectations without going over wins.
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