matt.mitovich

Pam Anderson Commissions an X-rated RV

To be featured during the third season of Speed TV's Unique Whips, premiering Feb. 21, Pamela Anderson has asked that her personal Airstream trailer be tricked out with, among other things (one of which I am not at liberty to share, though I really, truly wish I could), a mirrored ceiling, white shag (how apropos) carpeting and a round vibrating bed. [Gasp] It's round? "This thing will be off the chain," customization king Will Castro, of Long Island's Unique Autosports, previews. "Pam gave us a lot of wild ideas, and she's going to have a lot of fun showing off her new toy."I can't improve upon that. Let's move on....

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

NBA Games Get (Pussycat) Doll'd Up

Starting with the Christmas Day contest between the Lakers and Heat, ABC's NBA coverage will feature a new opening in which The Pussycat Dolls purr a variation of their song "Right Now." What's more, Nicole Scherzinger and... um, the others will add their special sizzle to commercial-break intros and outros. Touting the news, an ABC production exec says, "Like the incredible athletes who play in the NBA, the Pussycat Dolls have unique talents."He's as good as the Unique Whips dude. Why'd I even come in today?

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

NBC.com Frees Up Every Friday Night, 30 Rock

Itching to catch up on two of NBC's hottest new shows over the holidays? NBC.com has made available the first nine epsiodes of Friday Night Lights, and the first seven 30 Rocks, for free streaming, until each show returns with new eppys in mid-January. The pressure is really on Santa now to come through on all those requests for broadband.

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

Musical Notes: No Synching Feeling for Kat McPhee

Boldly going where no Rose Parade performer, and certainly not Ashlee, has gone before, American Idol alumna Katharine McPhee will sing live, and not lip-synch, from atop her float at the New Year's Day event, Access Hollywood reports.... The upcoming Grammy Awards will dole out lifetime-achievement awards to The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Maria Callas, Ornette Coleman, Bob Wills, and Booker T. and the MGs.

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

At the Movies: Jessica Simpson's Working Girl Redo

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Vanished's Penelope Ann Miller will play Jessica Simpson's conniving boss in Blonde Ambition, a loose remake of 1988's Working Girl.... Chris Klein, Jake Busey and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst will star in Play Dead, a dark comedy about a former TV action hero (Klein) forced to swing into real-life action when he uncovers a small-town meth biz.... Emily Mortimer has replaced an injured Samantha Morton in Transsiberian, a thriller starring Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley.

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

Short Cuts: "D--k in a Box," ScarJo and More!

Per the New York Daily News, the unbleeped version of Saturday Night Live's Justin Timberlake-Andy Samberg digital short, "D--k in a Box," has been viewed 320,000 times at NBC.com, and 3.5 million times via YouTube.... Though Scarlett Johannson was recently spied necking with former steady Josh Hartnett, the New York Post says the pair are taking ScarJo's bid for an "open relationship" seriously: On Saturday, Josh was seen in a liplock with supermodel Gisele Bundchen.... Sharon Stone's rep tells MSNBC.com that reports of the actress dating Bobby costar Christian Slater are false.... Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and The Devil Wears Prada topped last week's DVD sales and rental charts, respectively.

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

Lost Star's Home Destroyed by Fire

The Kailua house that Golden Globe nominee Evangeline Lilly calls home while lensing Lost was consumed by a fire early Wednesday morning, says the Honolulu Advertiser. As of 6:45 am Hawaii time, firefighters had doused the flames but had not yet been able to enter the house. Per the Advertiser, there are no reports of anybody being inside at the time of the fire. UPDATE: The fire, which burned for at least a half hour before a team of five fire trucks was able to quell it, left Lilly's home a total loss, says the Advertiser. Lilly, who rents the place with two female roomates, was likely filming at a Waialua beach at the time of the tragedy. (You can read a description of the cozy bungalow in this article in Elle magazine, in which she claimed to have furnished her living room for $300.) The cast of Lost is scheduled to break for Christmas on Thursday.

Thu, Dec 21, 2006

Through Thick and Thin: Lara Flynn Boyle Weds

Lara Flynn Boyle, whose past beaus have included fellow Twin Peaks vet Kyle MacLachlan, Jack Nicholson and David Spade, recently married Donald Ray Thomas in San Antonio, Texas, the actress' publicist tells the Associated Press. No details were released, other than that the wedding cake was a small salad.

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

CBS in Bed with Swingers and Other Hell-raisers

CBS has ordered a pair of pilots, Variety reports: Swingtown, a 1970s-set drama about suburban couples who experiment with open marriages and wife-swapping, and Demons, a drama from Joan of Arcadia's Barbara Hall and Joe Roth that concerns a Jesuit priest turned psychologist who performs exorcisms. And then, what, blames the possession on the host's unresolved mother issues?

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

Casting About: CBS Courts Janeane Garofalo

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Janeane Garofalo has been tapped to star in a CBS drama pilot following the loves of a team of public defenders.... Aussie beauty Rose Byrne (Marie Antoinette) is a fresh-out-of-law-school attorney who goes to work for Glenn Close's high-powered litigator in FX's untitled legal-thriller pilot. Additionally, Tate Donovan (The O.C.) and Zeljko Ivanek (24's Andre Drazen) have been cast as Close's most-trusted adviser and her opposing attorney, respectively.... David Carradine and Amy Madigan will guest on Criminal Minds during February sweeps. Check out the fresh Ask Ausiello for details.

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

Smallville Star Is Looking for Heroes

In an impassioned effort to raise money for a 5-year-old boy who is dying of cancer, Smallville's Allison Mack and MonDonation.com invite people to make a 30-second YouTube video detailing their love for superheroes. For each vid submitted, fan group SaveClana.com is donating $10, and AllisonMackOnline.com is chipping in another fiver. What's in it for you besides, you know, a good mark from the man upstairs? The vid-maker who makes Mack smile the most gets a T-shirt autographed by her super cast mates. For more details  or just to donate directly to the cause  click here.

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

Ratings: Dexter Draws Lotsa Blood

Sunday's first-season finale of Dexter drew an audience of 1.1 million total viewers, a 79 percent increase from the Oct. 1 series premiere, and Showtime's most-watched original-series episode since Nielsen started crunching the cabler's numbers. It also ranked as Showtime's most-viewed program of 2006.... ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas" effort, fueled on Sunday by the premiere of Christmas Do-Over (2.7 million viewers) and a visit from the Grinch (3.5 million), led the network to double-digit gains versus a year ago.... Toby Keith's acting debut, Friday's Broken Bridges (1.4 million viewers), ranked among CMT's most-watched original telecasts ever.

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

Omarosa "Shocked" by Trump's Miss USA Decision

Donald Trump has afforded Tara Conner a second chance and let her retain her Miss USA tiara, this amid reports that the just-turned-21-year-old has been painting the Big Apple red, availing herself of many an illicit vice/warm body. The Donald's decision elicited the wrath of, among others, infamous Apprentice alum Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, herself a onetime Miss USA and Miss America contender, and now an international beauty-pageant coach. "I'm shocked that, in the context of what [Conner]'s accused of, he wouldnt consider the impact of this [decision]," Omarosa tells the New York Daily News. "It's hard enough these days to recruit girls, but if parents think pageants are all about partying and boozing, it will be even harder." Citing the restrictive terms of the Miss USA contract, she says Conner's carousing "is way over the line. This is a shock for everybody."Though Conner, teary-eyed from Trump's forgiveness, denied that she has a drinking problem, Trump says that she...

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

Road to Oscar: More Kudos Arrive for Departed

Scorsese scores again. The Departed has been declared the year's best film by the Southeastern Film Critics Association, with Marty himself named best director. (Sounds like it's time for Matt to get a sitter and see this flick.) The top acting awards went to Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Helen Mirren (The Queen), with Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children) and Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) sweeping the supporting slots. Pan's Labyrinth, An Inconvenient Truth and Cars copped foreign-language, doc and animated honors.The Chicago Film Critics group, meanwhile, has unveiled nominations for the year in film, and Babel bested the rest with nine nods, including those for best picture, director and original screenplay. Also vying for best film: The Departed (which also netted nods for Scorsese, Leo, Jack and adapted screenplay), Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen and United 93 (which is currently residing in my sleek li'l Sony Watchman DVD gizmo).

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

Legal Briefs: O.J. Is Squeezed Again, and More

Fred Goldman sued O.J. Simpson on Tuesday, seeking any money that his son Ronald's once-accused slayer may have reaped as part of Simpson's canceled book and TV deal with Fox and HarperCollins. Goldman seeks about $1.1 million  O.J.'s alleged advance on the tell-all  plus punitive damages.... Hilary Duff and "her boyfriend, Joel Madden"  does the Associated Press not keep up with the tabloids?  have dropped their bid for a restraining order against paparazzo David Joseph Klein, who had been accused of stalking and then threatening the singers.... Eminem's second divorce from Kim Mathers was finalized on Tuesday, with the couple agreeing to share custody of their 10-year-old daughter, Hailie.

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

Al Gore Urges Teachers to Tell the Truth

So as to better inform the new generation that, like, the globe is being trivection-cooked into toasty nonexistence, 50,000 DVDs of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth doc about global-warming are being made available for free to educators across the country. To claim yours, Miss Crabtree, Mr. Hand et al, go to Participate.net with your nine-digit federal tax ID number at the ready.

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

Short Cuts: SNL, 24 and More!

Saturday Night Live Mobile is now live, offering Cingular customers video clips from past and present episodes as well as original, made-for-1.5-inch-screen content.... Fox has moved the Season 11 premiere of King of the Hill to Jan. 28. First up: Peggy is mistaken for a man in drag. Sad.... Lemme guess: Elisha Cuthbert was never at risk of being eaten by a cougar? 24: The E! True Hollywood Story premieres Jan. 13 at 6 pm/ET.... NBC has announced a Jan. 2, 2:05 am/ET (?!) premiere for Poker After Dark, a guide to dating Paris Hilton a nightly contest where pros play for a $120,000 purse.

Wed, Dec 20, 2006

American Idol Teases "Huge" Mid-season Twist

The option of voting via CB radio? A decidedly lucid Paula? In an interview with the New York Daily News, American Idol exec producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz says that the unstoppable reality competition will up the ante by staging "a huge event" midway through the coming season, which debuts Jan. 16, 2007. "Something we're working on is a big-event show... something that will blow America away," she teases, declining to elaborate. One thing that is for certain is the hit-or-miss quality of the fun-to-mock tryouts. As host Ryan Seacrest told TVGuide.com just the other day, "When we set out to audition this year, we thought, 'Well, what's going to be left?' [But] we were fulfilled. We saw plenty of naive talent, and plenty of good talent." Not at all coincidentally, "Naive But Good" was the working title of Kellie Pickler's debut album.Additional reporting by Megan Cherkezian

Tue, Dec 19, 2006

Apprentice Already Pondering Another Move

As The Apprentice prepares to premiere a Los Angeles-based edition on Jan. 7, 2007, there is talk that, based on the outcome of this first-ever venture outside of New York City  and in my opinion, yes, it breathes much fun and new life into the five-season-old NBC series  the Donald may stay on the move. In a Monday conference call, Trump, noting that the L.A. setting offers a "totally different feeling," cited Las Vegas, Miami and Chicago as possible future venues. Trump also said he is mulling over the idea of a reunion special, to catch up with past winners and finalists. "I don't have any specifics," he says, "but we're starting to think about it." The first step: working around some of the also-rans' McDonald's shifts.

Tue, Dec 19, 2006

ABC Is Ready to Tackle Footballers' Wives

Per Variety, ABC has greenlit a pilot for a U.S. adaptation of the U.K. hit Footballers' Wives, and even has X-Men's Bryan Singer  whose last TV pilot was House  loosely attached to direct. In its American incarnation, Wives will be set in the world of pro football rather than that "other" football, soccer, yet promises to retain its over-the-top frothiness. Also in the U.S. version: more-conspicuous dental hygiene.

Tue, Dec 19, 2006

AMC to Set The Prisoner Free in 2008

AMC has announced a spring 2007 production start for its remake of the 1960s series The Prisoner. The redo, targeted for a January 2008 debut, will feature a premise similar to the original, in which a man known only as Number Six finds himself trapped in "The Village" with others who also have no memory of their previous existence outside of civilization. Per Reuters, AMC is thinking a minimum of six to eight episodes, and will air the original series (which starred Patrick McGoohan) around the time of the remake's launch.

Tue, Dec 19, 2006

In the Works: Trio RSVP for ABC's Wedding

Teri Polo (Meet the Parents), Sarah Jones (Big Love) and KaDee Strickland (Fever Pitch) are The Wedding Planners in the new Fox series from David E. Kelley, to debut in spring 2007.... Also per the Hollywood Reporter: Treat Williams, Samaire Armstrong and Kevin Pollak will get caught up in The Staircase Murders, a Lifetime movie based on the real-life story of novelist Michael Peterson (played here by Williams), who was accused of killing his wife in their North Carolina home.... Jeff Conaway, call your agent: Avalon TV is developing for CBS a U.S. take on Shane, a hit British sitcom about a wisecracking cabdriver, says Variety.

Tue, Dec 19, 2006