Hello gang, Johnny here from the "Extreme Team," and this week I have the pleasure and privilege of talking about our incredible build week in Leon County, Florida, just outside of Tallahassee.
Now to begin with, I have to tell you a story. Back in my Catholic high school days, I had a Jesuit priest as a philosophy teacher, and when it came to the great Socrates proclaiming that he was "not an Athenian nor a Greek but a citizen of the world," I remember thinking, "What the heck is this cat talking about!?" Little did I know that ...
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Beyonce Knowles
Beyoncé, Stevie Wonder and will.i.am will be on hand to keep the beat at the NAACP Image Awards this Thursday (8 pm/ET, Fox). The trio joins previously announced performers Jennifer Hudson and Seal at the 40th annual event.
A plethora of other stars will also appear throughout the evening, including...
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Stevie Wonder
Few people, let alone celebrities, are as universally adored as Stevie Wonder. At tonight's 39th NAACP Image Awards (Fox, 8 pm/ET), the humble music legend and inspiring civil-rights activist is inducted into the organization's hall of fame. We were fortunate — and a bit awed — to chat with Wonder about the honor and how he took his career to higher ground.
TVGuide.com: You're joining some awfully heavy company — Ray Charles and Sidney Poitier among them — in the hall of fame. How does that make you feel?Stevie Wonder: Very thankful. Very honored. I have to thank everyone that I've met along the way, because they are one reason for me getting to this point and receiving this honor. Those inductees have been inspirations to me or encouraged me in various ways.
TVGuide.com: Do these
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Spider-Man 3 courtesy Sony Pictures
Come Oct. 30, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 will be available on Blu-ray HD in the Spider-Man High Definition Trilogy Set. Spider-Man 3 will also be available as a stand-alone. Living legend Stevie Wonder is going to tour the U.S. for the first time in decades starting Aug. 23. At present, the Wonder Summer's Night tour is set to include 13 cities, but he may still add a few dates. TNT has OK'd a pilot for Family Man, an hour drama starring William H. Macy as an everyday dad by day, criminal mastermind by night. If he really wants to do projects this kooky, he oughta just join wife Felicity Huffman on Wisteria Lane and be done with it, already.Friday's Today's News was written by Ben Katner.
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Brooke Hogan
To command the undivided attention of Brooke Hogan has proved a difficult task. This is not so much the fault of her being the 18-year-old celebutante offspring of Hulk and his wife, Linda — though TVGuide.com concedes this factoid may play a small role, considering the former wrestling champion of the world is more than happy to pile-drive anyone who looks the wrong way at his "Brooketini" — nor is her designated role as the all-American beauty on the family's VH1 reality series Hogan Knows Best, which returns for the second half of Season 3 on Sunday, Jan. 7. In truth, her high-octave vocals and flawless piano-playing are the true culprits. Since the release of her debut album, Undiscovered, in October, Hogan has become
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Consider this an unqualified rave. NBC is offering a deluxe sweeps and holiday treat in Tuesdays prime-time special Tony Bennett: An American Classic (8/7c), which is as lustrously filmed as it is impeccably sung. For those of us whove been waiting for Oscar-nominated director Rob Marshall (Chicago) to tackle a new musical project, here it is. Marshall has lovingly conceived and masterfully executed a shimmering, swinging hour of razzle-dazzle showmanship that redefines what a variety special can be.Im tempted to say they dont make em like this anymore, but the truth is, even back when they did, they didnt make em this good very often. (What this special reminded me of most, especially in the elaborate and evocative production numbers, was Bob Fosses landmark Liza With a Z special that Showtime so magnificently resurrected and restored earlier this year.)This is the rare music special that looks as good as it sounds. And it sounds spec...
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Elmo, A Capitol Fourth
A Fourth of July television tradition continues tonight on PBS with A Capitol Fourth (check tvguide.com listings), the annual fireworks and music celebration broadcast from Washington. Host Jason Alexander will welcome Stevie Wonder, JoDee Messina, Michael Bolton, JoJo and the National Symphony Orchestra, and there will also be a special appearance by Elmo, who will take the
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Vanessa Williams, A Capitol Fourth
Of all the leading men in the multimedia career of Vanessa Williams, Kevin Clash is — by far — the least recognized.
In fact, this strappingly handsome, soft-spoken and unassuming African-American gentleman may be the most famous anonymous star in the celebrity universe. For Clash, a puppeteer since his childhood in Baltimore, provides the voice and movements for Elmo,
read more

Elmo, A Capitol Fourth
A Fourth of July television tradition continues Tuesday night on PBS with A Capitol Fourth (check tvguide.com listings), the annual fireworks and music celebration broadcast from Washington. Host Jason Alexander will welcome Stevie Wonder, JoDee Messina, Michael Bolton, JoJo and the National Symphony Orchestra, and there will also be a special appearance by Elmo, who will take the
read more

Vanessa Williams, A Capitol Fourth
Of all the leading men in the multimedia career of Vanessa Williams, Kevin Clash is — by far — the least recognized.
In fact, this strappingly handsome, soft-spoken and unassuming African-American gentleman may be the most famous anonymous star in the celebrity universe. For Clash, a puppeteer since his childhood in Baltimore, provides the voice and movements for Elmo,
read more