Rob Lowe by Avik Gilboa/ WireImage.com
It was a win-win situation Thursday for both Rob Lowe and ex-nanny Jessica Gibson after a California judge threw out four of Lowe's claims against Gibson as well as one of her allegations, says People.Superior Court Judge Denise de Bellefeuille ruled Lowe could not pursue his defamation claims against his former nanny because 24-year-old Gibson is protected under laws allowing people to protest alleged workplace conditions. Gibson's lawyer, Gloria Allred explained what a "huge victory" the ruling was and that she and her client "look forward to continuing with our sexual harassment suit against the Lowes." Three other claims were dimissed as well. On the Lowe front, the judge also tossed out Gibson's claim that the actor retaliated against her. The actor's attorney Larry Stein expressed delight with the dismissal and further went on to state that their "lawsuit against Gibson remains totally intact."What do you think about the judge's ruling in this courtroom saga? Was it fair? Or...
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Rob Lowe by Steve Jennings/ WireImage.com
Brothers & Sisters' Rob Lowe is having all sorts of trouble with his employees. Lowe and his wife have filed three separate lawsuits against two former nannies, who they claim spread lies about their family, and against one chef they claim had sex in their home and stole prescription medication.According to the AP, one of the former West Winger's complaints charges Laura Boyce, a caretaker of Lowe's two sons for most of 2007, with defamation, violating a confidentiality agreement and inflicting emotional distress on Lowe and his family. Although the complaint provided no specific examples of the "secrets" she spread, the Lowe family is seeking at least $1 million in damages.Meanwhile, People is also reporting that Lowe is suing another nanny (whom Lowe claimed in a blog post is trying to extort $1.5 million from the family to keep mum about a "laundry list of false terribles") as well as his chef Pete Clements. The complaint against the second nanny suggests the woman claimed th...
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Danny Glover by Richard Cartwright/ABC
Danny Glover’s much-anticipated eight-episode arc on ABC’s Brothers & Sisters, as love interest for the family matriarch (played by Sally Field), may be cut short due to the writers' strike (which Glover supports). He’s already grown attached to his character, an advisor hired by Kitty (Calista Flockhart) to help Robert’s (Rob Lowe) campaign. "I like his sensibility. He’s funny, he’s witty, he’s basically a good guy," says Glover. Despite the uncertainty caused by the strike, he says, "I’m having a good time. I love acting, so it’s not a chore. It’s just something I love doing."Glover tells TV Guide he’s shot only three of his episodes. While he once did a four-episode turn on ER, he says it’s been a while since he’s done episodic television, explaining that he had not done TV "in a long time, except very early in my career, and so I don’t know how it works, with rewrites. There seem to be a lot of rewrites. B...
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Question: I love your column. It is refreshing to hear the way you dissect television art, and I'd like to discuss Brothers & Sisters. I'm so glad I tuned in, despite the early problems. Not only was my perception of Calista Flockhart as annoying totally shattered, especially in the Sept. 11 episode, but the players I had no preconceived notions about, like Matthew Rhys and Dave Annable, showed me how strong the show really is. And last week's episode with Justin's return was pure brilliance, from the beginning with Kevin and Sarah talking on their respective cell phones all the way to the beautiful scene where Justin clings to his mother Nora, played brilliantly by Sally Field. I immediately thought of my mother through the tears this scene brought to my eyes, and remembered trying times in my life when a long hug made me feel better. This show has opened my eyes to the power of storytelling and reinvigorated my desire to crack into this business as a writer. I think this hour of ...
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Even wedding dress shopping can't keep their minds off Justin. Brothers & Sisters by Michael Desmond/ABC
Episode Recap Home FrontAs Brothers and Sisters jumps into its second season its nice to see that the neurotic and argumentative Walkers are still just that The little quirks that made us love them last year are all back in full force They talk over one another pick at each other hold mini-grudges against each other get drunk together and they worry about each other Tonight it was the worrying that was at the crux of the show Justin still on active duty in Iraq has not been in touch for 21 days Is he okay Is he injured or worse Starting the show off with Nora recording a video message to her son was an effective way of catching us up with the family and keeping Justins off-screen character as much a part of the show as the rest of the family One of my favorite moments was just after Nora signed off and her game face immediately reverted back to the mask of concern that we know shes been wearing since that tearful airport good-bye in last seasons finale T
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Rob Lowe by Ron Tom/ABC
Rob Lowe is deftly placing a producer's hat atop his perfect head of hair, teaming with writer Alison Cross (Commander in Chief) to create a procedural pilot for ABC. The project, says Variety, concerns the Los Angeles Police Department's anti-stalking unit, and represents the first offering out of Lowe's new production shingle. Lowe tells the trade he originally conceived the idea more than a year ago and as a starring vehicle for himself. Now it will be fronted by someone else (Andrew McCarthy? Emilio Estevez?), seeing how his dance card is full as a Brothers & Sisters series regular.
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1. I learned how to type "Isaiah" correctly on the first try. (Yeah, that lesson became kind of imperative.)2. I learned that creating a keyboard shortcut for "from O.C. creator Josh Schwartz" would have saved me loads of time come pilot season.3. I learned that no matter how you ask, no matter which one you are talking to, you will never get an American Idol castoff to pick their favorite to win. Good manners, you say? Top-secret contract clause, I theorize.4. I learned that unless a new series holds onto about 10 million viewers, it's a goner. (Unless it's a kickass comedy starring Tina Fey or the stellar Friday Night Lights.)5. I learned that Rob Lowe simply doesn't age.6. I learned how to spell Dannielynn. Boy, did I.7. I (or rather my e-mail box) learned that Supernatural fans really, really, really want to see Sam and Dean hug.8. I learned that the show you could never imagine cutting from your play list, you actually can, and with little pain. Case in point: Desperate Housewi...
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After it was resolved that Justin's deployment to Iraq would be delayed to allow him to work on his recovery, much of his story line has centered on his struggle to shake his addiction. But Justin's fears about going back to war were always there in the background. And tonight those fears became a reality in the worst way, as Justin found out at the last minute that his departure date was earlier than planned. At first I liked the way Justin handled his goodbyes individually — until, like Nora, I realized that he was saying goodbye for real, in case he wouldn’t be coming back. Even though I can see, rationally, how it doesn’t matter whether or not the word “goodbye” is actually said, I can understand how Nora felt that avoiding a formal goodbye would bring Justin back to her, as if not saying goodbye would make it impossible for him to die. Justin’s early departure coincided, unfortunately, with Kitty’s engagement party. He’d already said his ...
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The birth of Tommy and Julia’s twins has been anticipated by the Walkers all season long. Sadly, what should have been the happiest moment in Tommy and Julia’s lives turned out to be one of the most difficult. I can’t imagine how awful they must have felt, trying to decide whether or not their daughter should be a kidney donor for their son. Although he’s usually not a very emotional person, you could really see Tommy’s anguish when he told Nora that he was afraid when he saw his daughter that he wouldn’t be able to ask her to give her kidney, especially knowing how much she had been through. And although we haven’t seen much of Julia this season, Sarah Jane Morris really shone tonight in her portrayal of a mother saying goodbye to her son. I thought it was especially sad when the doctor asked Tommy and Julia if there were any final things they wanted to do, and Julia said she wanted to hold the baby.The other central story line tonight involved th...
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As far as I can remember, this is the first year in awhile that I am really loving Sunday night TV. With Discovery's special eye-opening series Planet Earth (which I've raved about before), the return of Entourage and Ari's fuming and hysterical ways, and ABC's new family hit Brothers & Sisters, I've ended my weekends on a good note recently, instead of wishing for more free time to play. And although staying up for Brothers & Sisters, which airs at 10 pm/ET, is tough some weeks and forces me to wait until the next day when I can fast-forward through all the agonizing commercials, I truly believe this is one of the top new shows — in fact, the top on my list — on television and everyone should be tuning in. Here's why:5. If you don't have a big, overbearing family, you'll sink right into the complex nature of this one and feel grateful for your manageable relatives while watching a well constructed cast maneuver jaw-dropping obstacles combined with everyday worries...
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