matt.mitovich

Random Thoughts, Starring an Odd Sandra Oh

• Someone out there may be wondering why my Today's News blog hasn't come within a country mile of this Donald Trump/Vince McMahon/"Who will shave their head?" nonsense. I think the last word of the previous sentence says it all.• Speaking of the Donald.... I get in the mail the other day a (seemingly) hand-addressed invitation with a Trump return address. "Finally," I thought for a moment. "My years of steadfastly standing by The Apprentice and Q&Aing the castoffs has not gone unnoticed. I'm off to a high-society soiree!" In actuality? Some Learning Annex nonsense. Grr.• For, like, forever, DVR ads have steered clear of touting the fast-forward button, only publicizing Pause and Instant Replay. "Big Advertising must be breathing down their neck," I assumed. So how is Dish Network now getting away with ads flaunting "Skippy," the FF button that neuters "geckos, ducks and cavemen"?• I know that "smiley" magazine covers sell best, but something isn't right with...

Fri, Mar 30, 2007

Idol's Chris Sligh: "I Wanted to Challenge Myself More"

Chris Sligh had planned to sing Supertramp's "Give a Little Bit" on Tuesday's American Idol, but changed gears late in the game (last Friday afternoon) by instead cueing up "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." "I wanted to challenge myself a little but more," Chris tells TVGuide.com. "I just didn't realize it was going to be quite that much of a challenge." Chris had difficulty "staying in the pocket," offering an off-rhythm rendition that Simon deemed "a mess." Having revisited his swan song "probably 10 or 15 times" since, Chris tells us, "It wasn't great.... But honestly, it was not as bad as the judges made it seem." That said, "As soon as they gave me the spanking they did, I knew I was going home."As for the week's other headline-maker, Chris gives Sanjaya props for the "pony-hawk," saying, "I could never pull that off"  though it'd probably be fun to yank at it a few times.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Will Trees Not Bloom Again Until the Fall?

Variety has an interesting take on the whole Men in Trees/Notes from the Underbelly sitch, spinning ABC's seemingly questionable scheduling move instead as a bold one  trying to launch a comedy in the 10 pm hour and whatnot. It's not until the final paragraphs that the slighted, was-supposed-to-return-on-April 12 Men in Trees is even mentioned. There, the trade mag says the Anne Heche/James Tupper flirtfest might not return until the fall, where any in-the-can episodes will be woven into Season 2.Still crazy, I say.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Good Buzz Delays Reveal of ScarJo's Diaries

According to Variety, the big-screen, Scarlett Johansson- and Paul Giamatti-fronted adaptation of the chick-lit hit The Nanny Diaries has had its mid-April release pushed to Sept. 7, so as to save it from getting lost in the summer ramp-up and to better position the film  as well as the dewy you-know-who  for awards consideration.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

At the Movies: Queen Is Nic Cage's Mother

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Helen Mirren has signed on to play Nicolas Cage's momma in the sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which features Ed Harris as the baddie.... Jennifer Hudson is in talks to join another freshly minted Oscar winner, Forest Whitaker, as well as nominee Jackie Earl Haley in Winged Creatures.... Ice Cube will star in Tough Love, a true-story-inspired comedy about an NFL star who makes his spoiled-brat kids spend a summer on the mean streets of Oakland.... MTV Films has bought the spec script I Want to Your Sister, about a brother trying to protect his younger sis from lugs just like him. Um, Date? Marry?

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Oprah Gets "First Interview Ever" with Elusive Author

Oprah Winfrey's latest book-club pick, the apocalyptic novel The Road, has landed the talk queen the "first television interview ever" with media-averse author Cormac McCarthy (All the Pretty Horses, Blood Meridian), who is oft touted as one of the greatest living American writers. McCarthy, his rep tells the AP, "respects [Oprah's] work, admires what she has accomplished, has an awareness of her book club, and thought it would be interesting to participate in the conversation with [her]."

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Fantasia Shows Broadway the Color of Money

The Color Purple is seeing a lotta green. The Oprah Winfrey-presented musical, which saw its coffers wilt after the holiday rush, has taken in $6 million since it was announced that American Idol champ Fantasia would join the show as Celie, starting April 10. "I was expecting that Fantasia was going to kick things up," producer Scott Sanders tells the New York Daily News. And for their next trick? Clay Aiken channels Danny Glover.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Do You Wanna Lick Luke or Leia?*

The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled 15 first-class stamps featuring your favorites from the Star Wars films, meaning Jar-Jar is nowhere to be found. The stamps made their debut at Grauman's Chinese Theater, which in addition to being across the street from TV Guide's Hollywood digs is also where the original Star Wars premiered almost 30 years ago. It's that milestone the stamps honor when they hit post offices May 25. May the parcel be with you.* This headline ignores for a moment that most stamps these days are self-stick.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Clue-filled Book Cover Keeps Potter Fans Up Late

Look at me, simply begging for derision by reporting on this. The wrap-around book jacket for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the spellbinding series' seventh and final entry, was unveiled on Wednesday, sending magnifying-glass-wielding fans into marathons of scrutiny. The eagle-eyed can look past the dominant images of Harry and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to find hints of Deatheaters, the mythical "horcrux" locket, and, by fantastically unreliable accounts, Hurley's numbers. HP and the DH hits stores July 21.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Next Week, Idol Finalists Take on the Classics

Fourteen-time Grammy winner Tony Bennett will leave his heart in San Francisco and visit L.A. to mentor the remaining nine finalists as American Idol takes on an "American Classics" theme next week. Bennett, in turn, will then perform on Wednesday's results show.What Sanjaya 'do goes best with "Blowin' in the Wind"?

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

In the Works: More Bad Girls and Housewives

 Oxygen has greenlit a second season of The Bad Girls Club, to feature seven new vixens, and has also ordered a six-episode spin-off in which Leslie, Aimee and Zara embark on a road trip. Bravo has launched its casting call for new editions of its Real Housewives docu-series. Interested woman should cancel their mani-pedi appointments and click here for details. Fuel TV has set a July 7 premiere for The 808, a seven-episode series following the Wolfpak, a group of aggressive surfers who patrol the North Shore of Oahu.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Lost Boss Explains Last Night's Double Demise

SPOILER ALERT for those who DVR/"videotape" Lost for later playback.... That the producers decided to kill off much-maligned castaways Nikki and Paulo on this week's episode may not have been a shock to fans. But how the greedy, murderous pair died provided one of the biggest twists  and thrills  of the season. (After being paralyzed by spider bites, the not-so-dynamic duo were buried alive  albeit unwittingly  by Sawyer and Hurley.) "People hated them before they even opened their mouths to say anything significant because it felt like they were crashing the party," exec producer Damon Lindelof acknowledges of the characters who were abruptly introduced last fall. "The easiest thing would have been to just write them out and forget they ever happened, like the cougar on [Season 2] of 24. But that's not Lost. We should at least own up to it." Kiele Sanchez wasn't bothered by the criticism directed at Nikki and reveled in going out with a bang, yet wasn't too ...

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Does Babies "R" Us Carry Tiny Little Sunglasses?

CSI: Miami star David Caruso and his girlfriend Liza Marquez are expecting a second child, TV Guide has learned. The couple are already parents to an 18-month-old son, Marquez Anthony.

Thu, Mar 29, 2007

Ratings: Sorry, Kristy  Your Donny Ain't So Dreamy

This Tuesday's ratings highlights:8 pm/ETFeaturing the luminous Gwen Stefani and a kick-ass performance by Gina, the 67-minute American Idol drew 26.84 million total viewers, a 2.6 mil drop from a week ago. A Dancing with the Stars recap show (10.8 mil) placed third behind an NCIS repeat.9 pmHouse (22.18 million) topped the hour with 2.3 mil fewer heads than its last fresh outing. DWTS was watched by 17.6 million, a 1.5 mil increase over Season 3's first results show. Pussycat Dolls (2.6 mil) dipped 400K.10 pmSVU (12.82 million) was up a mil from its last new entry. A Shark repeat bested the bow of ABC's excruciating Dream Vote thing (6.08 mil, shedding two mil during its back half-hour).

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

Dancing Host: Heather Mills Is "Kicking Ass"

On Tuesday night, as Dancing with the Stars dismissed its first couple, Tom Bergeron took a moment backstage to praise competitor Heather Mills, whom many viewers have their eye on, if only because of the prosthetic leg she prances upon. "I said to Heather that her dance [Monday] night made the whole leg thing moot," says the Dancing host. "I mean, this wasnt a woman who was dancing in spite of an artificial limb. This was a woman who was just kicking ass on the dance floor."Mills nonetheless can only fret over the next "leg" of the contest. "Now we've got the Jive, which is like my nightmare," she shares, "because youve got to bounce on a leg that wont bounce!"  Reporting by Deborah Starr Seibel

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

Fox Raises Hell's Sooner, Sits Standoff

According to a fresh release from Fox, Season 3 of Hell's Kitchen will premiere three weeks sooner than planned, on Monday, June 4, at 9 pm/ET. For a lead-in, the Gordon Ramsay-fronted competition will have Steven Spielberg's On the Lot, which will regularly air Mondays at 8 starting June 4. The freshman rom-dram Standoff, meanwhile, which was to resurface April 6, has had its return pushed back to Friday, June 8, at 9 pm.

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

At the Movies: Departed Baddie Joins Indiana Jones

Ray Winstone (Jack Nicholson's bearded right-hand man in The Departed) has joined the fourth Indiana Jones film, playing Harrison Ford's sidekick, sources tell the Hollywood Reporter.... Oscar winner Forest Whitaker is in final talks to join James Ellroy's cop drama The Night Watchman, about an alcoholic LAPDer (Keanu Reeves) pitted against his longtime mentor.... Denzel Washington will produce and may star in Journal for Jordan, a drama inspired by the 200-page journal a U.S. soldier had written for his son before he was killed in Baghdad a month before returning home.

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

Simpsons Film Gives 7-Elevens a Kwik-E Makeover

The deal isn't officially done yet, but as part of The Simpsons Movie's promotional campaign, 7-Eleven will refit some of its convenience stores nationwide to look like Kwik-E-Marts, the stop of choice for Homer Simpson. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, customers at the made-over markets will be able to buy such Simpsons staples as Krusty-O's cereal, Buzz cola and iced Squishee drinks (actually, Slurpees). The Simpsons Movie hits theaters July 27.

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

In the Works: Star Wars Changes History, and More

History Channel previewed its development slate on Tuesday, and the offerings include a two-hour Memorial Day special chronicling the impact of the original Star Wars film on pop culture, as well as Ice-Road Truckers, which follows drivers who haul heavy loads across frozen lakes, and The Universe, a look at possible life forms on other planets.Also per Variety, VH1 is producing Monterey 40, a documentary about the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival that kicked off the Summer of Love and marked the first major U.S. appearance for Jimi Hendrix.

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

Steve Irwin Appears on Daughter's New Series

Discovery Kids' Bindi: The Jungle Girl, a 26-part series debuting June 9 and aiming to gets kids interested in wildlife conservation, will include appearances by Steve Irwin, who began filming the series with his daughter Bindi months prior to his tragic September demise. Also, says Reuters, the night before Jungle Girl's premiere, Animal Planet will serve up My Daddy the Croc Hunter, in which 8-year-old Bindi reflects on growing up with her famous pop.

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

Melissa Rivers Puts Her Best Foot Forward

TV Guide Channel hostess Melissa Rivers is in New York this week to promote awareness for the Soles4Souls "Million Pair March," which aims to raise $1 million and one million pairs of shoes to be given to displaced families and refugees in the Sudan. "Anytime that I can get involved in an organization that helps people in distress, sign me up," Rivers says in a statement. "The tragedy in the Sudan is beyond horrific, and Soles4Souls is a wonderful way to provide aid." For how you can contribute/unload last season's espadrilles, visit GiveShoes.org.

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

Short Cuts: Planet Earth, Heroes and More!

Sunday's first three installments of Discovery Channel's Planet Earth, averaging 5.7 million viewers, were the the No. 1-, 2- and 4-ranked basic-cable programs of the week.... Serve the cheerleader, reap the ratings: ABC Family's Sunday airing of Hayden Panettiere's Bring It On: All or Nothing was the cabler's most-watched movie premiere of all time, with 4.8 million viewers.... Jimmy Kimmel and NBA star LeBron James will cohost ESPN's ESPY Awards, to be broadcast July 15.... Bobby arrives on DVD April 10.... The wife of Oliver Hudson (Rules of Engagement) will give Goldie Hawn her second grandchild in August, reports E!.

Wed, Mar 28, 2007

matt.mitovich

Random Thoughts, Starring an Odd Sandra Oh

Idol's Chris Sligh: "I Wanted to Challenge Myself More"

Will Trees Not Bloom Again Until the Fall?

Good Buzz Delays Reveal of ScarJo's Diaries

At the Movies: Queen Is Nic Cage's Mother

Oprah Gets "First Interview Ever" with Elusive Author

Fantasia Shows Broadway the Color of Money

Do You Wanna Lick Luke or Leia?*

Clue-filled Book Cover Keeps Potter Fans Up Late

Next Week, Idol Finalists Take on the Classics

In the Works: More Bad Girls and Housewives

Lost Boss Explains Last Night's Double Demise

Does Babies "R" Us Carry Tiny Little Sunglasses?

Ratings: Sorry, Kristy &#151; Your Donny Ain't So Dreamy

Dancing Host: Heather Mills Is "Kicking Ass"

Fox Raises Hell's Sooner, Sits Standoff

At the Movies: Departed Baddie Joins Indiana Jones

Simpsons Film Gives 7-Elevens a Kwik-E Makeover

In the Works: Star Wars Changes History, and More

Steve Irwin Appears on Daughter's New Series

Melissa Rivers Puts Her Best Foot Forward

Short Cuts: Planet Earth, Heroes and More!

Ratings: Sorry, Kristy Your Donny Ain't So Dreamy