The second season of Disney's hit series kicked off last night and already the title character has long-lost relatives crawling out of the woodwork. On this Friday's episode, the tween pop princess will come face-to-face with her late mom, played by Brooke Shields, in a series of dream sequences and flashbacks. Her first piece of otherworld advice? Always pack a spare set of tweezers. —Reporting by Raven Snook
In addition to the previously announced Kristin Chenoweth, Gina Gershon will also guest-star on the May 17 season finale of Ugly Betty, reprising her role as cosmetics diva/awfulplasticsurgery.com model Fabia, the frienemy of Vanessa Williams' editrix Wilhelmina Slater. In a sly nod to the series' off-shore roots, Mexican telenovela actress Angélica Vale is also slated to appear. Daniel Meade should certainly like the looks of this trio. —Reporting by Raven Snook
According to British tabloids (and we all know how reliable they are), sometime film star Woody Harrelson will return to his TV roots in an American remake of the popular British dramedy Shameless. The former barman will play the layabout patriarch of a dysfunctional working-class family. Whether all the costumes will be made from hemp remains to be seen. —Reporting by Raven Snook
And it's only on number six. The cult sci-fi series continues its never-ending journey on July 31 with the release of Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, a made-for-video (video? What century is this?) movie starring the happy-to-be-employed Bruce Boxleitner, Tracy Scoggins and Peter Woodward. Set in 2271 on a spiffy Earth Alliance space station, the film follows the adventures of John Sheridan and crew as they try to keep the peace among various alien races. Hmmm, are they sure this film is set in the future? Sounds awfully current. —Reporting by Raven Snook
As the fourth season of The Batman (Saturdays at 10:30 am/ET, on the CW) winds down, the Caped Crusader is starting to make some superfriends. In the two-part season finale, which begins this Saturday and concludes on May 5, Batman joins forces with Martian Manhunter to stop an alien invasion in Gotham City. And that's just the beginning: When the show returns this fall for Season 5, a parade of superheroes will guest-star. "Martian Manhunter is starting the Justice League," executive producer Alan Burnett says, "and he would like nothing better than to have Batman on the team." Also on the guest list: the Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkman and Superman. And though the Dark Knight Detective and the Man of Steel are the ultimate good guys, don't expect them to be instant friends. "Their first meeting is a little contentious," Burnett teases. "These are two guys sizing each other up." We can hear it now: "My cape is bigger than your cape." — Reporting by Rich Sands
Tomorrow night's "Idol Gives Back" charity special will find La Dion singing the King's "If I Can Dream" with a virtual version of him — à la Natalie and Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable," TMZ.com reports. The only thing less imaginable, I have to think, would be Clay Aiken singing a love song to a female recording artist like... um, any female recording artist, really. Anyhow, Ellen DeGeneres has been named host of Wednesday's extravaganza.Today's news was written by Ben Katner. A presumably well-rested Matt will be returning tomorrow.
Through a statement released by her rep, Kim Basinger has denied releasing her ex Alec Baldwin's Golden Globe-worthy voicemail to their daughter, Ireland, but adds that even if she did, their case wasn't sealed by court order anyway. Naturally, she couldn't leave it at that, either. The statement goes on to say, "Everybody is always asking why this custody battle has been going on for so many years, and now they have the answer. The issue is not about Kim or the alleged alienation that Alec constantly refers to. It is about his ongoing aggressive behavior. Kim's sincerest wish is for him to finally address his unstable and irrational behavior so he, at some point, can potentially create a relationship with his daughter." Uh-huh. In the words of Helen Lovejoy, "Won't somebody think of the children?"
Speaking of "Idol Gives Back," here's a guy who should make a big ol' heaping donation. Russian billionaire Andrei Melnichenko forked over $2 million to have J.Lo do a 40-minute set at his and his wife's joint B-day party last weekend, People says. What's more, he paid an additional 800 grand to fly the singer and husband Marc Anthony to England and get them what I'm sure was a palatial hotel suite in London. Maybe Daddy Warbucks takes the concept of "charity begins at home" a wee bit too literally.
According to Newsweek, early in The Simpsons Movie, Homer dares his firstborn to skateboard naked through the streets of Springfield, and natch, the biggest menace since Dennis does just that, at one point giving the camera the full monty. Elsewhere in the flick, an environmental crisis brings into Lisa's life a new beau, a green activist. In related news, Variety reports that Universal Studios Hollywood and the Universal Orlando Resort are building Simpsons-themed rides, which are expected to be ready to roll in spring of '08. The deal also allows for Simpsons characters to be allowed to roam the parks freely and interact with guests. Because, really, who doesn't want to have Comic Book Guy following them around?
The unsinkable Molly Brown is teaming up once again with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet for the upcoming Sam Mendes drama Revolutionary Road, about a 1950s couple whose relationship devolves into one that sounds an awful lot like Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's. Unreliable sources say Billy Zane was considered for a role, too, but the furniture on the set was so nice, they didn't want the scenery getting chewed. In other movie news, Kevin Bacon has agreed to accept the lead in HBO's Taking Chance, the true story of the military man who escorted the body of a Marine, Chance Phelps, a casualty of Iraq, back to his Wyoming hometown in 2004. Here's hoping he insists on a name change for the project. Is it just me, or does the one they have sound alternately corny as hell and vaguely porny?
Maybe he's a Method actor. In any case, People.com reports that Tudors star Jonathan Rhys-Meyers has entered rehab for a drinking problem.... Resident Evil babe Milla Jovovich and her fiancé, director Paul Anderson, are expecting their first bambino this fall....
A random smattering of tube notes. Remember to chew them thoroughly before swallowing. It aids in digestion. • Although it often seems like she can do it all, Grey's Anatomy jefe Shonda Rhimes knows that she can't — especially not if she has two hours of TV to oversee every week next season. So, says Variety, while she'll remain show-runner of Grey's and its spin-off, Private Practice, she's chosen Krista Vernoff as her day-to-day Grey's point person and Buffy alum Marti Noxon to do that same job at PP. • CBS will air the Tonys on June 10. I will watch the performances and only the performances on TiVo the following day. I mean, three hours? Jack Bauer can save the world three times in 180 minutes. • Per Variety, Lifetime has greenlit a two-part TV-movie from Battlestar Galactica exec producer David Eick. In The Gathering, a doctor investigating his wife's disappearance discovers a cabal of witches operating out of New York. My question is, if he's so worried abo...
When Regis Philbin returns to Live with Regis and Kelly on Thursday, he'll have a friendly face waiting to greet him — and I don't mean Kelly Ripa's. The Associated Press reports that David Letterman will be his first guest.... He's throwing his hat into the presidential race today, but last night Sen. John McCain made history of a different sort: His appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart — his ninth — makes him the most frequent occupant of the hot seat since the program's debut.
Although ABC won Sunday night with new eppies of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Desperate Housewives, the hit-and-miss suburban soap's ratings hit all-time lows in both overall viewership (15.6 million/6.0 rating) and with adults 18-49 (a 14 share). Perhaps even more shocking, the live finale of a series I could have sworn was dead as a doornail, The Apprentice, came out on top in its time slot with adults 18-49 (7.9 million, 3.2/8).
Ladies and gentlemen, my new hero: In the wake of the Don Imus brouhaha, Def Jam cofounder Russell Simmons has released a statement suggesting that the music industry erase the words "bitch," "ho" and "n-----" from its vocabulary. Furthermore, he and the advocacy group Hip-Hop Summit Action Network support the formation of a Coalition on Broadcast Standards to debate other "extreme curse words." I think what I'm most excited about is the possibility of 200 new rap songs coming out about "harlots," "strumpets" and "nerds."
If employees of Smithfield Foods have their way, she sure will be. The union to which the staffers want to belong is trying to get the Food Network dish to cut her ties to the company for which she has been a spokeswoman since last fall — and they're not shy about letting her know it. During a recent book-tour appearance at the National Museum of Natural History, two dozen protesters held a prayer rally outside. Those rabble-rousers! What will they think of next? A staring contest? A declaration of "I'm not speaking to you"?
Maybe we oughta sick Alec Baldwin on him! Denied access to a party over the weekend, Sons of Hollywood golden boy Sean Stewart began throwing crap at a car in which a married couple were presumably laughing their butts off (at least until the missus was cut by broken glass). TMZ says the "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" singer's offspring is now under investigation for assault with a deadly weapon. Tuesday's news was written by Ben Katner. Thank you, Ben, for being such a fun fill-in!
David Boreanaz is spending part of his summer hiatus from the hit Fox show on stage in New York in Spalding Grey: Stories Left to Tell. The former Angel star will be filling the guest-actor role from May 22-27. Also joining the show for stints this summer are Bruce Vilanch and Nip/Tuck’s Dylan Walsh. —Angel Cohn
On Friday, the 30 Rock star went into damage-control mode (after his voicemail was leaked), posting a lengthy apology on his website for his outburst at Ireland, his daughter with ex-wife Kim Basinger. "I'm sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child," he wrote. "I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now. You have to go through this to understand. (Although I hope you never do.) I am sorry for what happened. "I have endured a great deal over the last several years in my custody litigation," he went on to say. "Everyone who knows me privately knows that certain people will go to any lengths to embarrass me and to disrupt my relationship with my daughter." And for sure, he wants them held accountable. To that end, his attorneys have asked the court to investigate the source of the leaked phone message. "I am sorry for what happened," he repeated on his site. "But I am equally sorry that a court order was violated, which ...
According to the Hollywood Reporter, America Ferrera is being squeezed into a sequel to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, much to her chagrin. During her ABC hit's hiatus, the actress had wanted to do the film An Invisible Sign of My Own for Betty producer/pal Salma Hayek, but the producers of Pants have the option to force her to do a sequel, and now that she's a bigger star than Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn combined, doggone it, that's exactly what they're doing.
While The O.C. grad's new release, In the Land of Women, opened with a whimper this weekend, taking in a paltry $4.9 million for an eighth-place finish, the artist formerly known as Even Stevens held onto the top spot at the box office, with Disturbia raking in another $13.5 mil. Meanwhile, Anthony Hopkins' latest Hannibal Lecter — I'm sorry, very different psycho killer — feature, Fracture, bowed at No. 2 with a haul of $11.2 mil. Rounding out the top five were Blades of Glory (in third place with $7.8 mil), the motel thriller Vacancy (in fourth with $7.6 mil) and Meet the Robinsons (in fifth with $7.1 mil).
Eddie Murphy could learn a thing or two from Chris Rock. Although TMZ says even the cops consider the woman accusing Chris Rock of being her 13-year-old's babydaddy a crackpot, he's offered to take a DNA test to prove that he isn't — same as he offered to a decade ago, the last time she pulled this stunt. In the meantime, she's racked up a rap sheet that's longer than an Oliver Stone script.