matt.mitovich

Top Model Champ's Next Goal? Best Actress

Since America's Next Top Model winner CariDee English also won the season's acting challenge and a guest gig on One Tree Hill, it should come as no surprise that she hopes to follow posers-turned-performers like Rebecca Romijn and Molly Simms from the catwalk to the screen. "Totally!" the effervescent 21-year-old exclaims to TVGuide.com, adding that she even has a dream leading man in mind to costar in the kind of romantic fare she prefers. "Josh Hartnett  he's so hot."Coming up in TVGuide.com's Interviews & Features: The way-cool hottie shares the whole story on her rivalry with runner-up Melrose Bickerstaff, "noted fashion photographer" Nigel Barker's real reaction to her playful jab, and how an aversion to hypothermia got her labeled high-maintenance.Additional reporting by Ben Katner

Sat, Dec 9, 2006

I Owe, I Owe: Wesley Snipes Turns Self In

Wesley Snipes surrendered to police on income-tax evasion charges early on Friday at Orlando International Airport. The actor  who was reportedly in Namibia filming a horror movie called Gallowwalker  is due to appear in court this afternoon, where he could face 16 years in prison if convicted on charges of illegally claiming tax refunds of almost $12 million, and neglecting to file income-tax returns from 1999 through 2004. For more, see Reuters.UPDATE: Per the AP, Snipes, released on $1 million bond after pleading not guilty to the charges, said after the Friday hearing, "I look forward to clearing my name and resolving this issue posthaste."

Fri, Dec 8, 2006

Ratings: King of Queens Reigns

This Wednesday, as Fox, Criminal Minds and CSI: NY aired repeats... With a double-episode, CBS' The King of Queens returned to an audience of 9.85 million total viewers  a 1.4 mil gain over its May 22 season ender, and the night's most-watched program, save for the Minds and CSI: NY encores.  Show Me the Money (7.1 million) hit a series low, while America's Next Top Model's finale (6.26 mil, up 500,000) set a new season high. Day Break (4.45 mil) slipped yet another 300,000 heads, finishing in fourth place just barely ahead of One Tree Hill (which was on par with last week's season high of 4.2 mil).UPDATE: My Boys fans, I've got some numbers for you in Comments!

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

Will Rosie's View Run Get Nip'd Short?

Fueled by her recent disclosure to The View's Tuesday audience that she is in talks to headline her own Nip/Tuck spin-off, there is buzz that Rosie O'Donnell might wrap up her run, which started in September, "within six months," one source tells the New York Daily News. Says the insider, "She's grown tired of the daily dramas with her cohosts and the crew." Rosie's rep  who also fronts Barbara Walters  insists, "Rosie is having a great time. Everyone is getting along.... There is no animosity." Well, what fun is that?

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

Casting News: Heroes Cutie Is Terminator Series' Savior

Per the Hollywood Reporter, Thomas Dekker, aka Claire's freshly mind-swiped bud, Zach, on Heroes, has been cast as savior-of-humanity John Connor in The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Fox's drama pilot set in the aftermath of the Terminator 2 film. (In related news, Heroes is replaying the fall finale Saturday at 9 pm/ET. Watch poor Eden stain the window all over again.)Also, Variety reports that Rebecca Romijn is joining ABC's Ugly Betty as a series regular, playing the mystery woman who has been conspiring with Wilhelmina to take over "Mode"  minus any blue body paint, I am sad yet behooved to report. UPDATE: ABC's own press release reads, "Romijn will play the mysterious woman behind the mask who's been plotting to take over 'Mode.'"

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

Next Project Runway May Not Be Gunn-toting

Tim Gunn may not be joining judges Nina Garcia and Michael Kors when Bravo's Project Runway returns for its fourth season, Entertainment Weekly reports, since his "day job" at New York City's Parsons School makes him unavailable for filming during the academic year, and the next round's schedule has yet to be finalized. "As we have in past seasons, we will find a way to work around everyone's schedules," says a spokesperson for Runway's production company. [We] are confident the team will be back." In other words, they will (yes) "make it work."

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

Dreamgirls' Oscars Strategy Hits a Sour Note

With the Academy Awards season nearing full swing, there is already some controversy surrounding the campaign being waged by the yet-to-be-released Dreamgirls  namely, Paramount/DreamWorks' decision to position Beyoncé Knowles for a lead-actress nod, and relegate Jennifer Hudson, touted as the heart and soul of the pic, to supporting. "It's ridiculous," awards-show guru Tom O'Neill (TheEnvelope.com) tells the New York Daily News. "Dreamgirls is [Hudson's] movie. She owns it." Does the Idol alumna herself feel spurned? "Jennifer doesnt see it as an issue," a friend tells the News. "She can win as supporting actress, where she has the strongest chance."

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

National Board of Review Loves Clint's Letters

Speaking of the awards season... Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, the companion film to this fall's earlier-released Flags of our Fathers, has been named best picture by the National Board of Review. Martin Scorsese was named best director for The Departed, while Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland) and Helen Mirren (The Queen) nabbed the top acting prizes. Volver won best foreign film, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth was declared top documentary, and Cars led the animated-entries pack.

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

At the Movies: Reese Witherspoon Seeks Bunny Lake

Per Variety, Reese Witherspoon is likely to star in a remake of Bunny Lake Is Missing, a 1965 Otto Preminger thriller about a woman whose daughter goes missing, yet perhaps never existed. Um, Flightplan? That Julianne Moore thing?... Brittany Snow has landed the lead in Finding Amanda, an indie in which a TV exec (Matthew Broderick) tries to save his niece from her life as a Vegas hooker and stripper.... Spike Lee will direct L.A. Riots, a drama based in the racially charged events of 1992.... Per the Hollywood Reporter, James Franco, Frances Fisher and Jason Patric have joined the cast of Paul Haggis' new film.... Dennis Quaid plays an NFL coach in The Express, a biopic of Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis. All together now: Let's go, Orange!

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

Short Cuts: One Tree Hill, Pirates 2 and More!

The Children's Museum of Wilmington has resurrected a 22-foot pirate-ship prop used last season on One Tree Hill  which films in the North Carolina community  to be used as a float in a local holiday parade this weekend.... The Pirates of the Caribbean 2 DVD sold nearly five million units on Tuesday, its first day of release.... Access Hollywood's Jane Lynch and Fred Willard Nancy O'Dell and Billy Bush will cohost NBC's live coverage of the 118th Tournament of Roses parade on Jan. 1.... In early 2007, DirecTV will roll out NASCAR Hotpass, an NFL Sunday Ticket-like package offering driver- and camera-angle-specific channels for each of the 38 Nextel Cup races.

Thu, Dec 7, 2006

Smoke Monster Blinks: Lost Moved Out of Idol's Way

As you may have read last night in the Ausiello Report, ABC's just-revealed mid-season schedule finds Lost airing an hour later  Wednesdays at 10 pm/ET  so as to save the fan fave from being crushed by the return of Simon, Paula and Randy, as well as to stave off further ratings slippage at the hands of the surging Criminal Minds. Playing the role of sacrificial lambs in this scenario are the new comedies Knights of Prosperity and In Case of Emergency, which will fill the 9 o'clock hour starting Jan. 3  a month before Day Break was scheduled to end its run. Per Variety, Taye Diggs' thriller will either be dropped after its Dec. 27 airing or shuttled to a new night. ABC News programming will run at 10, until Lost's Feb. 7 return.

Wed, Dec 6, 2006

Derailed: Vaughniston Breakup Is Official

The good girl and the wedding crasher have called it quits. Having played dodgeball with the press during the entire run of their old-school courtship, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn are no longer together, their respective reps tell People. Rumor has it that the picture-perfect romance went south when Aniston and the object of her affection started spending more and more time apart, as Vaughn lensed Fred Claus. Still, their reps say the duo "continue to be good"  yep  "friends."

Wed, Dec 6, 2006

Britney's Overexposure Arouses Family Services

A source close to Britney Spears tells the New York Post's Page Six that in the wake of the pop tart's recent rash of hard partying and bidness-flashing, the Los Angeles Department of Children & Family Services "has been calling, trying to set up a meeting with her, so they can check on [sons Sean Preston and Jaden James]." Or as SNL Weekend Updater Amy Poehler so deftly put it last Saturday, in her rousing recap of Brit's antics: "Oh yeah  you have a 1-month-old baby at home."

Wed, Dec 6, 2006

Steven Spielberg Beholds The Talisman

Acclaimed filmmaker Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks TV and TNT, who last collaborated on Into the West, are reteaming for a six-hour adaptation of the Stephen King-Peter Straub novel The Talisman. Eyed for a summer 2008 debut, the project follows young (Losties alert!) Jack Sawyer's journey to locate a mysterious talisman that could save his mother's life. Along the way, Jack enters a parallel universe in which he must battle demonic forces.

Wed, Dec 6, 2006

In the Works: Chris Kattan Is Dreadful

SNL alum Chris Kattan and 3rd Rock's French Stewart are lending their pipes to Two Dreadful Children, the new cartoon comedy being developed at Fox, says the Hollywood Reporter. They will voice neighbors of a redneck family boasting a set of horribly disobedient, genius twins.... The gay-friendly pay network Here! has bought rights to The DL Chronicles, an anthology series about "men of color who lead double sex lives," aka are "on the down low," says Variety.

Wed, Dec 6, 2006

Ratings: Giants-Cowboys Scores Massive Touchdown

Sunday's New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys contest drew 27.6 million viewers for Fox, making it the most-watched regular-season NFL game since the 49ers-Broncos Dec. 15, 1997, face-off. It was also the highest-rated Sunday-afternoon game in almost exactly 10 years (Cowboys-49ers).... Katie Couric's CBS Evening News placed third for November sweeps in total viewers, averaging 7.73 million  more than a mil behind second-place ABC.... Last week, the CW delivered its best week yet in total viewers and adults 18-34, bolstered by strong sweeps-ending showings from Gilmore Girls (4.89 mil) and Veronica Mars (3.44 mil).

Wed, Dec 6, 2006

At the Movies: Innocent Man Speaks to Clooney

Per Variety, George Clooney and producing partner Grant Heslov are snatching up screen rights to The Innocent Man, John Grisham's nonfiction account of Oklahoman Ron Williamson's 11-year stint on death row for a murder he did not commit.... Open Water helmer Chris Kentis and Laura Lau are penning an adaptation of In Harm's Way, in which an estimated 900 World War II servicemen, after abandoning the torpedoed U.S.S. Indianapolis, floated for five days in the shark-infested Philippine Sea.

Wed, Dec 6, 2006

Short Cuts: Farrah's Good News, South of Nowhere and More!

Farrah Fawcett has completed her cancer treatment and is doing well, her publicist shared on Tuesday.... Prom night turns tragic on the Season 2 finale of The N's South of Nowhere, airing Dec. 22.... A survey by PA Consulting finds that five out of six moviegoers are satisfied with the quality of current films, while 86 percent would attend more often if prices were cut in half. Duh.... The Hollywood Reporter's annual ranking of the most powerful women in entertainment finds Sony Pictures cochair and film division head Amy Pascal in the top spot, unseating Disney-ABC Television Group prez Anne Sweeney. Nope, no sign of Claire Bennett.

Wed, Dec 6, 2006

24 Scoop: A Tardy Audrey? More of Chloe's Ex?

When Fox's 24 celebrated the Season 5 DVD release on Monday night in Hollywood, TVGuide.com was there to procure the following bits of Season 6 intel: Exec producer Howard Gordon told us that although he got a call about Kim Raver's availability the instant ABC put The Nine on hiatus, the actress has yet to film any scenes. At this point, Audrey would not put in her first appearance until mid-season, as Gordon says there are no plans to post-tape. Emmy nominee Jean Smart was tight-lipped about the circumstances of the disgraced First Couple's return: "You haven't seen the last of the Logans, that's all I can say. I think it was hard [to have us back], but they figured out a way to touch on that [story] a bit." Carlo Rota, who plays Chloe's ex-husband, revealed, "I'm back in a rather large way. Theyve written a fantastic story arc for Morris. I couldn't be more thrilled the way in which they've developed this character." As for leading lady Mary Lynn Rajskub, ...

Tue, Dec 5, 2006

Ratings: Supernanny Babysits 10.5 Million

Not much to mention on this Monday full of CBS and CW repeats, other than: The Billboard Music Awards placed fourth over its two-hour run, drawing just 6 million total viewers. Heroes (15 million) slipped 500,000, as it did last week. Hiro, find that sword! Supernanny returned to an audience of 10.54 mil, a 600K improvement over its previous season premiere, and 2.6 mil more than time slot predecessor The Bachelor's most recent season opener. At 10, Studio 60 stayed in place with 7.42 million, while What About Brian surged 810,000 from its previous outing, netting its best numbers since Oct. 30.

Tue, Dec 5, 2006

Mario Lopez Partners Up with the CW

More good news for Mario Lopez, who already has been spared having to display that garish Dancing with the Stars trophy in his home: Variety reports that the former Saved by the Bell beefcake has inked a talent holding deal with the CW, as part of which the network will either develop a starring vehicle for Lopez or cast him in a fall 2007 pilot. Hmm, a CW pilot? That Dancing disco ball is starting to look good after all....

Tue, Dec 5, 2006

Get a Load of Salma Hayek's Anatomy!

Hot off the success of shepherding Ugly Betty, Salma Hayek's production shingle is setting up a Grey's Anatomy-flavored drama at Fox, Variety reports. ER scribe/producer Joe Sachs will pen and exec produce (with Hayek and partner Jose Tamez) the untitled project, which will follow Ivy League med-school students, commencing with their first day on campus. McDerivative!

Tue, Dec 5, 2006