matt.mitovich

Film Registry Keeps Mel Brooks' Saddles Blazing

Blazing Saddles, Fargo, Groundhog Day, Halloween, Notorious, Rocky and sex, lies and videotape are among the 25 films selected this year for inclusion in the National Film Registry, Variety reports. This update to the catalog of "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" films to be preserved in perpetuity also includes the silent fare Flesh and the Devil (the first on-screen pairing of John Gilbert and Greta Garbo) and Tess of the Storm Country (the 1914 feature that made Mary Pickford a star).Before you start grumbling, Liar, Liar, made in 1997, was not yet eligible.

Thu, Dec 28, 2006

Soul Man: Spike Lee to Helm James Brown Biopic

Mere days after the passing of the Godfather of Soul, Spike Lee has signed on to direct a feature chronicling the life of James Brown, Variety reports. Lee will first rewrite the latest of several drafts of the script, which has been tossed around for years and boasts Brown's blessing (as well as all music rights). He'll then hopefully begin production by late 2007, perhaps early 2008. Hey, Jamie Foxx, do you feel good?

Wed, Dec 27, 2006

Road to Oscar: Florida Favors Departed, Queen, King

There is yet even more kudos for The Departed and Martin Scorsese, which earned best-picture and -director honors from the Florida Film Critics Circle on Tuesday. Sweeping the lead-actor categories, again, were Helen Mirren (The Queen) and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), while Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) and Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond) copped supporting wins. Winning the documentary, foreign-language and animated categories were An Inconvenient Truth, Pan's Labyrinth and Monster House, respectively.

Wed, Dec 27, 2006

Love Notes: Divorce Final for Grey's Star

Per Us Weekly, Sandra Oh's divorce from writer-director Alexander Payne, with whom she did Sideways, was finalized on Dec. 21. The couple wed Jan. 1, 2003, and Oh filed for divorce 15 months later.... American Idol Carrie Underwood is dating Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo, says In Touch.... Kate Moss and on-again/off-again beau Pete Doherty may tie the knot this week in London, reports the U.K.'s Daily Mail. Now, I'm just spitballing here, but... maybe a honeymoon in Colombia?

Wed, Dec 27, 2006

At the Movies: Jessica Simpson Grabs More Willie

Per the Hollywood Reporter, country icon Willie Nelson will reunite with his Dukes of Hazzard costar when he plays grandpa to Jessica Simpson in Blonde Ambition, the bombshell's Working Girl redo. Also joining the cast is Larry Miller, as the CEO of a conglomerate.... The Lord of the Rings' Elijah Wood will head the international cast of Oxford Murders, a whodunit in which a university student (Wood) delves into a murder mystery with a Sherlock Holmes-style mentor (John Hurt).

Wed, Dec 27, 2006

Short Cuts: Friday Night Lights, Bones and More!

Reminder tonight starting at 8 pmET NBC is encoring the three most recent episodes of Friday Night Lights Or over on Fox you can catch back-to-back repeats of Bones AE presents Dog the Bounty Hunter Year of the Dog a look at Duane Chapmans wild n crazy 2006 on Jan 2 at 10 pm On Jan 4 the Biography Channel premieres The Final 24 a six-part series that will examine and debunk myths associated with the last living hours of such celebs as John Belushi River Phoenix and Sid Vicious

Wed, Dec 27, 2006

James Brown's Last Words: "I'm Going Away Tonight"

Felled by congestive heart failure on Christmas morning, James Brown used his final breaths to tell longtime manager Charles Bobbit, "I'm going away tonight," the New York Daily News reports. "I didn't believe him," Bobbit relates, adding that a short time later, Brown sighed three times, closed his eyes and died. Per the News, fellow music legend Little Richard remembers Brown as "an innovator, an emancipator, an originator... Rap music, all that stuff came from James Brown." Adds Public Enemy's Chuck D, "To this day there has been no one as funky. No one's coming even close." Noting the singer's most holy final day of life, the Rev. Jesse Jackson says, "He was dramatic to the end.... He would have it no other way."

Tue, Dec 26, 2006

What Were the Cineplex's Biggest Bombs of '06?

Which film follies were not just dramatically anemic, but memorably cash-poor as well? In alphabetical order, as detailed by Variety: All the King's Men ($7 million domestic gross versus a $55 million production budget, and despite an all-star cast) Sharon Stone's Basic Instinct 2 ($5 million versus $70 mil) Flushed Away ($61 mil versus $150 mil, though I cannot imagine it's any worse an animated film than Happy Feet, which my sons and I barely endured on Sunday afternoon. Subtle message that kids' film has.) Flyboys ($13 mil versus $60 mil) Hugh Jackman's The Fountain ($9 mil versus $53 mil) Freedomland ($12 mil, despite a cast that included Samuel L. Jackson, Julianne Moore and Edie Falco) Russell Crowe's A Good Year ($7 mil, hampered by misguided marketing) Lady in the Water ($42 mil versus $75 mil and a slew of critical barbs aimed at M. Night Shyamalan) Poseidon ($60 mil versus $160 mil) The Wicker Man (a $23 mil take ...

Tue, Dec 26, 2006

9/11 Mini "Hailed" for Maxi Falsehoods

The Center for Media and Democracy's Falsie awards, which recognize "the most heinous polluters of the information environment" this year lauded first-place dishonors upon ABC's The Path to 9/11 miniseries. Per Variety, the CMD says ABC used "the fifth anniversary of the September 2001 terrorist attacks.... as an opportunity to rewrite history," airing a mini purportedly based on the official 9/11 Commission Report but which included "fabrications that are directly contradicted" by its source material. Accepting the award for ABC: Donald Rumsfeld.

Tue, Dec 26, 2006

Mishap Renders Schwarzenegger a Broken-legger

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will need crutches, screws to secure his thigh bone, and several weeks of recovery after undergoing surgery on a broken right leg, which he suffered during a weekend ski trip with his family in Sun Valley, Idaho. Despite the booboo, the Governator does not intend to delay his second inauguration, scheduled for Jan. 5, a spokesperson tells the AP. Though Schwarzenegger is described as being "very comfortable" following surgery, the pain at times was likened to the excruciating Jingle All the Way.

Tue, Dec 26, 2006

Short Cuts: Nip/Tuck, Michael Moore and... More

The season finale of FX's Nip/Tuck, which effectively transplanted the series from Miami to silicon-friendlier L.A., drew an audience of 3.4 million total viewers, giving the show a season average of 2.75 mil and making it the No. 1 scripted show among adults, says the New York Post.... To reverse a ratings drop following the league's yearlong lockout, the Peacock's NHL on NBC will focus its efforts on creating a game of the week and highlighting emerging stars.... A federal judge has thrown out the lawsuit filed by Sgt. Peter Damon against Michael Moore, claiming that the filmmaker used the Iraq war veteran's image without permission in Fahrenheit 9/11.... Frank Stanton, a president of CBS for 26 years, during which he earned it the moniker "the Tiffany network," died in his sleep on Sunday. He was 98.

Tue, Dec 26, 2006

Ethan Hawke: Celebrity Marriage Is a "Huge Pressure"

In an interview appearing in this weekend's Parade magazine, Ethan Hawke hints at the circumstances surrounding his 2004 split from wife Uma Thurman, with whom he has two children, ages 8 and 4. Confessing that he "never wanted to be too hot, but instead prefers to fly under the radar, Hawke says being wed to another celebrity took its toll. "I didnt like being famous when I was single, and what it did to my celebrity status to be married to another famous person was a huge pressure," he shares. "One I didnt enjoy." Citing half of today's most headline-making duo, Hawke marvels, "I dont know how Brad Pitt does it.

Sun, Dec 24, 2006

Strip Tease: Lisa Rinna Ponders Playboy Pitch

Talk about unwrapping your gifts. During a Q&A to tout Tease, the upcoming Oxygen reality contest she is hosting, Dancing with the Stars alum Lisa Rinna told TVGuide.com that she is reconsidering Playboy's invite to pose. Having previously shrugged it off, figuring she had been there, doffed that  back in 1998, when she was six months pregnant  Rinna now says that as she keeps lean and mean during the DWTS tour, pals are encouraging her to grin and bare it. "Just yesterday, my makeup artist said to me, 'You know, you might want to rethink Playboy...,' because my body is in pretty good shape," she shared with an embarrassed laugh. "So... maybe. We'll see." And how.

Sun, Dec 24, 2006

Is Rocky Poised to KO the Competition?

Sylvester Stallone's sixth and final trip to the ring, Rocky Balboa, seems to be in fighting form, based on its first-day haul: Opening Wednesday, the film took in $6.2 million across 2,752 screens. Boosting its prospects, Variety notes, is the fact that Balboa is tracking very well with males, and also piquing the interest of females over 25. Myself, I really enjoyed the film  cheered, cried, everything  as I detailed in a recent Trivial Matt'rs posting.This weekend's other contenders: Night at the Museum, We Are Marshall and The Good Shepherd, reviews of which can be found here at TVGuide.com.

Fri, Dec 22, 2006

Short Cuts: Daddy Diddy, Diego and More!

Sean "Diddy" Combs and his girlfriend, Kim Porter, welcomed twin daughters on Thursday, says People. The couple also has a son together, age 8.... Nick Jr. has ordered a third season of Go, Diego, Go!, and will debut a new special, Great Jaguar Rescue  a prequel to the upcoming Diego Live Tour that my sons will inevitably drag me to  on Jan. 15.... On Christmas Eve at 8 pm/ET, Showtime presents Life After Tomorrow, a documentary catching up with the original 1977-83 cast of Broadway's Annie.... On Christmas Day starting at 9 am, Toon Disney airs an 11-hour marathon of holiday movies.

Fri, Dec 22, 2006

Casting About....

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) has landed the lead in Life, NBC's drama pilot about a former cop who rejoins the force after spending years wrongly imprisoned. Sarah Shahi (The L Word's Carmen) plays his partner.... Benjamin King (Saving Jessica Lynch) is Teri Polo's hubby and the CEO in charge of The Wedding Planners, on David E. Kelley's upcoming Fox series.... Aussie Rachael Carpani (McLeod's Daughters) has joined Janeane Garofalo in CBS' drama pilot about public defenders.

Fri, Dec 22, 2006

Tuned Out: Why Day Break Is MIA from ABC.com

I see a lot of TVGuide.com regulars wondering why ABC has not followed through on its promise, tendered at the time of Day Break's ouster from the broadcast schedule, to make any of the unaired episodes available on the network's website. Well, I checked in with an Alphabet rep, and he explains that the holdup is due to "unforeseen music clearance issues," which are currently being looked into. What, is Daniel Powter reluctant to lend his American Idol song to the finale?

Fri, Dec 22, 2006

Heroes Honey Rides to Carson Daly's Rescue

Score the cheerleader, score in the ratings? Hayden Panettiere (aka Heroes' Claire) will join host Carson Daly live in Times Square for NBC's New Year's Eve special. Also added to the star-studded countdown: rockers Tommy Lee and Dave Navarro will report from Las Vegas, along with the band OK Go (minus the treadmills, I will assume).

Fri, Dec 22, 2006

Betty-thon Ushers In ABC's "Ugly" New Year

On Dec. 31, starting at 9 am/ET, ABC Family will launch an 11-hour marathon of Ugly Betty episodes, kicking off ABC's "Be Ugly '07" campaign, a (and I'm quoting network copy here) "pro-social movement that asks America" — the country, not the actress, I figure — "to be real, be smart, be passionate, and be true to yourself.... To Be Ugly." Wait, is this at the heart of the Rosie-Donald feud?

Fri, Dec 22, 2006

Nein to 5: Simpson Declares New Dolly Tribute a Bust

Jessica Simpson, who famously flubbed a rendition of "9 to 5" at this month's Kennedy Center Honors tribute to Dolly Parton, has deemed a subsequent redo also subpar, and has had it yanked from CBS' Dec. 26 telecast. "She really wasn't happy with her performance and she did want it to be perfect for Dolly, who she idolizes," Simpson's rep tells the Associated Press. Says a show producer, "[We] respect the high standards [Jessica] has for herself and that of the Kennedy Center Honors," to which Simpson then said, "Oh, yeah, and tell Jamie I'm sorry. I loved Malibu's Most Wanted."

Fri, Dec 22, 2006

Sitcom Shake-up: New Time Slot for Old Christine

To make room for Rules of Engagement  the Adam Sandler-produced sitcom starring Patrick Warburton and David Spade, and premiering Feb. 5  CBS is moving The New Adventures of Old Christine up an hour, to 8:30 pm/ET, starting Monday, March 12 (following a brief hiatus for the Julia Louis-Dreyfus starrer). I know what you're about to ask, and here is the answer: A week prior to that, The Class will have concluded its first-season run.Also per Variety (and here is where it gets tricky): The King of Queens, currently airing on Wednesday and bound for hiatus after its Jan. 3 outing, will replace Rules starting April 9, to unspool the series' last seven episodes ever.

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

Battle of the Headline Whores: Rosie vs Donald

Positing for a moment that every single "shocking" thought out of Rosie O'Donnell's mouth isn't necessarily headline news, I sum up for you her latest rant as follows:Rosie: Donald Trump has bad hair, puffed-up finances and is in no position to question Miss USA Tara Conner's morality.Trump, in response: Rosie is not conventionally attractive, and not only might I sue her for questioning my solvency, but I might hire a hot chick to steal away her lesbian partner. (That last part per the New York Daily News.)Meanwhile, in semirelated news, MADD has severed its ties with Miss Teen USA Katie Blair, saying that Tara Conner's 18-year-old partner in NYC club-hopping cannot be an "effective spokesperson on underage drinking." Immediately striking up an affiliation with Blair was BABBQ (Bachelors Advocating Blotto Beauty Queens).

Thu, Dec 21, 2006