George Clooney, Martin Sheen
The guild had planned to send out ballots Jan. 2 and to tabulate them by Jan. 23. But it now plans to delay sending out ballots until after an emergency meeting to be held Jan. 12 and 13, SAG national executive director Doug Allen announced late Monday.
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In an upcoming magazine interview, Martin Sheen opens up about his son Charlie Sheen's drug addiction and how he intervened to help him. The elder Sheen says he became "fanatic" in his efforts to help his son, explaining, "Nothing ever gets done unless it's done by a fanatic."Sheen also details how he learned the specifics of Charlie's abuse, divulging that it was only when he went to pay the hospital bill that he learned the extent of things, says MSNBC. "In paying the bill, I got to see why he was in there. He'd consumed an illegal substance; he was on probation.... This was a criminal matter. And so that was the wedge; that was the leverage I had. That is what I took to the court.... It was the only way I got him."Martin Sheen, who has suffered from alcoholism, turned to Alcoholics Anonymous to help Charlie: "I only got involved with AA when I was trying desperately to find a way to help Charlie, because I didn’t have any skills." The details of the father-son relationship ...
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Jennifer Aniston by Gregg DeGuire/WireImage.com
Martin Sheen has been cast as Aaron Eckhart's pop in Traveling, the romcom that's already sparking rumors of an off-camera crush between Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston. The ubiquitous Judy Greer (27 Dresses, What Women Want, 13 Going on 30... I could go on) has also been tapped to fill — what else? — the best-friend role.... Focus Features at Sundance nabbed rights to Hamlet 2, a high-school satire starring Steve Coogan as a drama teacher staging a scandalous sequel to the Shakespeare play.... Russell Crowe, Kate Beckinsale, John Travolta, Debra Messing, Tommy Lee Jones, Terrence Howard, Nikki Blonsky and Holly Hunter have been added to the list of presenters at Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards. — Ben Katner
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Melanie Lynskey by Cliff Lipson/CBS
Melanie Lynskey may have driven off the set of Two and a Half Men, but when the sitcom celebrates its 100th episode, she'll be back as Charlie’s stalker Rose, and apparently for more than a pit stop. At the CBS Monday Night Lineup Premiere Party on Sept. 19, Men costar Marin Hinkle (who plays Judith Harper) revealed that in the milestone episode, Charlie will realize his true passion for his stalker. "He goes to seek her out to tell her how he feels about her, and there’s a surprise to how she handles it. I’m sure she will be back for many episodes. The way they left it had a wonderful dot-dot-dot."Lynskey is not the only guest star appearing on the comedy in its first six episodes. Janeane Garofalo appears as one of Alan's romantic mistakes, Ming Wen will be one of Charlie’s objects of affection, and much to Holland Taylor’s delight, Robert Wagner will come back to romance her character, Evelyn Harper. "I’ve had Martin Sheen and Robert Wagner as my lo...
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Question: It was my understanding that when The West Wing was first going into production, the role of the president was somewhat peripheral to the activities of his staff: that he would be sort of an unseen (or infrequently seen) presence. But when Martin Sheen got the role, it shifted the gravitational center of the show so that President Bartlet was at the center. The staff then orbited the president, as it would be in the real West Wing. I'm wondering if you think, as I do, that Sam Waterston is capable of similarly "pulling rank" as the new district attorney on Law & Order.
Answer: You may be right. At the very least, it will be refreshing to see a real actor in the DA role again. Here's what Dick Wolf had to say at the TCA press tour when asked about Jack McCoy (aka Sam Waterston) getting promoted for the new season: "Sam is not going to be the pragmatist that the elected politicians have been. He is also going to be somebody who goes through changes in his own attitude because he
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Martin Sheen by Jesse Grant/WireImage.com
Martin Sheen speaks from experience when he weighs in on Bobby cast mate Lindsay Lohan's imploding life and career. "The bottom line is you have to get through the entourages that surround these celebrities who are spinning out of control," he tells TV's Extra. "[These entourages] don't want to let it go, this is their meal ticket."Indeed, when Sheen's son Charlie was battling addictions of his own, Papa Sheen says, "I literally disarmed [his entourage]. Some of them had guns, literally."Sheen's directive to Lohan's folks? "You get in there and fight for life. You get between her and the grave and you say, 'I won’t allow it.'" (After you get done crawling the nightclubs, that is, Dina.)
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Question: Finally Denis Leary gets his long-overdue nomination for his terrific performance on Rescue Me! I am now torn between whether I want Denis (a hometown favorite for me) to win or Kiefer Sutherland, who so rightly deserves this as well. I guess I will be happy with either, but it's such a hard decision. Let's just hope the Emmy voters don't mess this up. I'll admit that it would be nice to see Martin Sheen finally win, but we must look at this past season, and both Kiefer and Denis had the best performances. Let's hope that if Denis loses the Emmy race, then he wins a Golden Globe. Although I am a little puzzled as to why Michael Chiklis was left off the list, along with The Shield for best drama.
Answer: There probably wasn't room for two shows from the upstart FX network, and FX put more muscle behind campaigning for Rescue Me this year. I agree, though. This last season of The Shield, building to the tragic finale, was among its strongest ever, but the drama category is jus ...
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Hugh Laurie, House
Question: Six of one, half dozen of the other, huh? So much for the "improved" Emmy nomination process. It seems that just as many glaring omissions were made this time around as before, just different ones. Now, rather than the overlooked performers from small shows getting shafted, the respected stars from equally respected shows got the pie in the face. How any panel of humans viewing televised programming could find five more deserving fellow Homo sapiens than Hugh Laurie in the best-lead-actor category boggles the mind. Yes, Denis Leary, Gregory Itzin and Jean Smart got welcome nods, but the rest? Sheesh! No James Gandolfini or Edie Falco, but Martin Sheen and Geena Davis? No Jason Bateman or Lauren Graham, but Kevin James and Sto
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Martin Sheen, The West Wing
Question: Will the intellectual drama die? Last week's episode of The West Wing (the C.J.-centric "Institutional Memory") was not just a testimony to the quality of what was, but, more importantly, what could be. I find those "suck in your breath" moments on these recent episodes of West Wing to be a testimony to the brilliance of these final hours. It also makes me question if I see life for this series. I have to admit that I thought this series was dead, but the brilliance they are bringing to this close has me questioning whether this should be the end, since I could continue to watch this series in its current form for a long time.
Answer: As we approach the final curtain of The West Wing this Sunday, I figured I'd lead with the positive, since there's so much negative to come. While I also have liked these last episodes a great deal, let's get some perspective here. This final season has been so memorable because the election and the transition are momentous events. If the show
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Whale Rider's Keisha Castle-Hughes has been cast as Mary in Nativity, a look at the Virgin Mary's life before the birth of Christ.... Universal has optioned the James Sallis novel Drive, about a stuntman by day/getaway-car driver by night, as a starring vehicle (no pun intended) for Hugh Jackman.... The Weinstein Co. has bought the domestic rights to Bobby, writer-director Emilio Estevez's drama about the 1968 assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. The film's cast includes Estevez, Anthony Hopkins, Lindsay Lohan, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, William H. Macy, Laurence Fishburne, Christian Slater, Helen Hunt and Martin Sheen.
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