matt.mitovich

Short Cuts: My Bare Lady, Degrassi and More!

Fox Reality will make the first episode of My Bare Lady, in which U.S. adult-film stars vie to become legit stage actresses in London's West End, available for download at iTunes on Nov. 30, days before its on-air debut.... Starting today, The-N.com is hosting the Give Some, Get Some Giveaway, an online auction of items culled from Beyond the Break, Degrassi, Instant Star and South of Nowhere. Someone hide Angel Cohn's MasterCard, now.... WGN has picked up U.S. rights to Corner Gas, Canada's top-rated scripted TV series, about life in the fictional town of Dog River, Saskatchewan. Look for an early-2007 premiere.

Mon, Nov 27, 2006

Richards Rant Has Jamie Foxx Fired Up

Speaking to Extra at Tuesday's American Music Awards, Oscar (and freshly crowned AMA) winner Jamie Foxx said that had he been in the audience for Michael Richards' now-infamous comedy act/racist diatribe, he would have been primed to channel, say, Ali, as opposed to Ray Charles. "He would've had to put his dukes up," Foxx shared, adding, "[Michael] probably should go get a private island somewhere, 'cause if I see him...!" What, you'll make him watch Stealth? The inhumanity.

Thu, Nov 23, 2006

Ratings: NCIS Shines on a Stars-less Night

On this Tuesday evening, as ABC's American Music Awards telecast averaged 10.86 million total viewers across its three-hour run.... With that Dancing show finally out of the way, NCIS surged to a season high of 17 million viewers, and The Unit (12.2 mil) had its best outing since Oct. 17. Standoff (4.93 mil) enjoyed a slight, 230K bump. As Gilmore Girls held steady, Veronica Mars (2.88 mil) inched up 140,000 heads. CBS' 3 LBS (9.23 mil) slipped 620,000 viewers from its premiere, placing third in the 10 pm hour.

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

Amazing Race: All-Stars  Who Will Make the Cut?

CBS has confirmed weeks-long speculation that the 11th round of The Amazing Race will be an all-stars edition featuring cast members from previous contests. Though the Eye is thus far mum on the actual roster, sources tell Variety that Rob and Amber, Joyce and Uchenna, and David and Mary from Kentucky are likely to make the cut, while neither famous feuders Jonathan and Victoria, nor fan faves Chip and Kim, are expected to be back. (Sorry, Angel Cohn, no word on Kevin and Drew.) Production began last week, with an anticipated 1Q 2007 premiere date.

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

30 Rocks On. But What About The Nine?

What fate is in store for the fall season's two remaining fence-riders? The jury is still out on ABC's The Nine  a show rep has nothing to report on a full-season pickup, and even Kim Raver, in her TVGuide.com Q&A, had no good news to share. As for 30 Rock, NBC has ordered three additional scripts. But will any of those three feature Rachel Dratch?

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

Will O.J.'s "Confession" Surface on the Internet?

As new controversy sprouted from the O.J. Simpson/If I Did It TV special and book  the late Nicole Brown Simpson's sister, Denise Brown, has accused News Corp. of offering her family "millions of dollars" in "hush money," had the projects made it to the public and generated a profit  there is speculation that bootleg versions of either might leak out. A HarperCollins spokesperson tells the Associated Press that while some copies of the book had already been shipped to stores by the time News Corp. pulled the plug, they have all been recalled and will be destroyed. But since the TV sit-down with Simpson has already been immortalized on tape, the consensus is that it is all but certain to turn up, be it on YouTube or elsewhere.

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

In the Works: Sci Fi Revisits the Land of Oz

Sci Fi Channel is producing Tin Man, a $19 million, six-hour miniseries that revisits The Wizard of Oz as a "relevant, modern and fresh" science-fiction fantasy. Per Variety, the update finds a young woman name DG plunged in a netherworld called the Outer Zone, where she meets up with Tin Man, a cowardly Wolverine-like creature, a sorceress named Azkadellia, and a larger-than-life entity called Mystic Man.... NBC has tapped Rick Cleveland (Six Feet Under) to bring the indie Thank You for Smoking to the small screen, in the form of a single-camera comedy focusing on superstar spin doctor Nick Naylor (played in the film by Aaron Eckhart).

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

Lawyer: Britney/K-Fed Sex Tape Doesnt Exist

Looking to "put this issue to rest once and for all," Kevin Federline's lawyer has issued a statement denying the existence of a homemade sex tape starring his client and estranged wife Britney Spears. "There is not a sex video of Kevin and Britney in existence," the lawyer states. "It goes without saying that the stories of Kevin trying to sell such a video are patently false." That said, if you're looking to score a bootleg DVD of Casino Royale, K-Fed "knows a guy"....

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

At the Movies: Nerds' Revenge Is Rescinded

Fox Atomic has officially ceased production on its Revenge of the Nerds remake, which it had hoped to release next summer. Sources close to the production tell Variety that studio biggies were not satisfied with the dailies for the film, which suffered a setback earlier this month when Emory University booted the production off its campus.... MGM has set a Dec. 1 release date for Two Weeks, a comedy about a quartet of brothers and sisters who rush home to say a final farwell to their ailing mother (Sally Field), only to see her cling to life, trapping them together for weeks. This sounds funny!

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

American Music Awards Serves Up Lots of Peas

The Black Eyed Peas were three-time winners at Tuesday's American Music Awards, named favorite rap/hip hop and soul/R&B group, and netting rap/hip-hop album honors, for Monkey Business. Taking home two AMAs were the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige and Rascal Flatts, while Oscar winner Jamie Foxx added to his trophy case with a win in the soul/R&B artist contest.

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

Short Cuts: TomKat, Kevin Spacey and More!

E! presents Tom and Katie's Wedding, a "news special" promising "every detail and romantic moment" from you-know-what, Thursday at 10:30 pm/ET.... Eugene O'Neill go-to guy Kevin Spacey returns to Broadway next spring in A Moon for the Misbegotten, playing alcoholic actor James Tyrone Jr.... Jennifer Holliday sounds off on her assorted snubs at the hand of the forthcoming big-screen Dreamgirls, on tonight's Inside Edition.... Adrianne Curry, with hubby Christopher Knight at her side, recalls the abuse she suffered as a girl on Monday's The Dr. Keith Ablow Show.... Auditions for Season 2 of CMT's The Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search begin Dec. 1 in Nashville. Go here for details.... Happy birthday, Scarlett Johansson! (Your lawyers permitted me to say that.)

Wed, Nov 22, 2006

Legendary Director Robert Altman Dead at 81

Born on Feb. 20, 1925, Kansas City, Missouri, native Robert Altman died on Nov. 20  less than a year after accepting an Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement, and a few months after the release of his last film, an affectionate adaptation of Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion. Altman had a heart transplant in 1995, keeping the surgery quiet while continuing to undertake demanding projects such as Dr T and the Women, Gosford Park and The Company. Altman began his long career directing industrial films on the order of "How to Run a Filling Station," graduated to episodic television (where his credits included Peter Gunn, The Millionaire and Alfred Hitchcock Presents), and then forged a feature directing career that produced some of the finest films of the 1970s, notably MASH, McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Nashville. Altman was famous for his deft use of large ensemble casts, overlapping dialogue and an intricate network of overlapping story lines that come togeth...

Tue, Nov 21, 2006

Ratings: Almost 16 Mil Attend Heroes Homecoming

Which milestones were achieved this Monday? Take a look: Prison Break hit a season high, with 9.58 million total viewers. Falling juuuust shy of 16 million viewers, Heroes set yet another series high. (And how about Eden goin' all Superman II Ursa on us?) During the 10 o'clock hour, both Studio 60 (down 480K, to 7.31 mil) and What About Brian (slipping 250,000, to 5.35 million) sank to series lows.

Tue, Nov 21, 2006

No Laughing Matter: Seinfeld Vet Says, "I'm Not a Racist"

With the help of Jerry Seinfeld, who said his longtime friend was "shattered" and "deserves a chance to apologize," Michael Richards appeared on Monday's Late Show with David Letterman to discuss the racial epithet-strewn rant that capped his Friday performance at a Los Angeles comedy club, and was immediately disseminated via the Internet. "I was... trying to do my act, and I got heckled, and I took it badly," Richards said. "I went into a rage and said some pretty nasty things... a lot of trash talk. I'm deeply, deeply sorry." Letterman asked Richards if he would have launched into a tirade had his hecklers not been African-American. "It may have happened," he replied. "The rage did go all over the place, to everybody in the room.... I'm not a racist, thats what's so insane about this. And yet it's said.... It fires out of me."

Tue, Nov 21, 2006

In the Works: Who Put the Gay in Game Show?

Lifetime has ordered an 18-episode run of Gay, Straight or Taken?, a dating show from the eerily omnipresent Endemol USA (Deal or No Deal, Show Me the Money). The premise, per Variety: A woman goes on a date with three men (see title), and then has to pick out the single, straight dude. If she's wrong, the guy she incorrectly chose wins the grand prize instead.... Dawn Stern (Viper) has landed the lead in the ABC Family pilot Nobody, playing a mother who is erased from the memories of her loved ones, all to save the life of her daughter.... Two-time Tony nominee Laura Benanti has joined the cast of Eli Stone, ABC's drama pilot starring Jonny Lee Miller.

Tue, Nov 21, 2006

Fox Sacks O.J.'s "If I Did It" Special

Breaking news straight from the AP:"After a firestorm of criticism, News Corp. said Monday that it has canceled the O.J. Simpson book and television special, If I Did It. 'I and senior management agree with the American public that this was an ill-considered project,' said Rupert Murdoch, News Corp. chairman. 'We are sorry for any pain that this has caused the families of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.'"Airing in its place will be "Robert Blake: OK, Now Just Supposing for a Second That I Did It."

Tue, Nov 21, 2006

TV Guide Exclusive: Sulu Beams Aboard Heroes

As exclusively reported by TV Guide magazine, none other than George Takei has been cast as the father of Heroes' Star Trek-obsessed Hiro. "It was one of those lightning-bolt ideas," series creator Tim Kring tells TV Guide. Adds Masi Oka, who plays Hiro, "This is absolutely brilliant! I just hope I get to say, 'Dad! Sulu is my hero, not you!'" For much more on this story — including when Hiro's pop materializes, and what sort of schemer he is  pick up the Nov. 27 issue of TV Guide, on newsstands Thursday.For scoop on this week's big "Homecoming" episode, read our brand-new Features Q&A with Heroes' "Eden," Nora Zehetner. Then, in Wednesday's Interviews & Features column: George Takei!

Mon, Nov 20, 2006

Mars Mission Cut Short; Plus: Season Greeting for Hill

As first scooped by the Ausiello Report last week, the CW has picked up Veronica Mars for a full season  if your definition of full happens to be "20," aka two episodes fewer than usual/anticipated. Translation: More than ever, it is time to put up (better Nielsens) or shut up. One Tree Hill, meanwhile, has been greenlit for a 21-episode season, having retained more of Top Model's audience than any lead-out the reality contest had during its UPN days.

Mon, Nov 20, 2006

Bada-Bonus: Sopranos Finale Extended. Plus: Playmates

Steve Schirripa tells Celebrity Week that the final salvo of Sopranos episodes, to begin unspooling on April 8, 2007, has been beefed up by one, to nine episodes total. As for any preview of the HBO crime drama's final days, Bobby's portrayer shares, "I'm still alive. That's all I will say".... E! has ordered a third season of The Girls Next Door (aka "Hugh Hefner: Pulsewatch"), to premiere in spring '07.

Mon, Nov 20, 2006

Office's Dwight to Play "Kick-ass" Ninja

Fox Searchlight has picked up Bonzai Shadowlands, a feature comedy that marks the screenwriting debut of The Office's Rainn Wilson, who will also star as a once-great ninja now mired in a life of mediocrity. Wilson, who is penning the script during his NBC comedy's hiatus, tells the Hollywood Reporter that he plans to enlist his Office mates for help in honing the humor. "I'm going to take my outline to all of the writers and one by one get their ideas and feedback. By the end of that, it will be kick-ass in a way only a ninja can kick ass."

Mon, Nov 20, 2006

TomKat Gives Village Never-ending Kiss-off

While those who actually attended the Saturday wedding between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have had the image of the nuptials-ending (and quickly coined) "never-ending kiss" between man and wife burned into their retinas, residents of the lakeside town of Bracciano, Italy, are grumbling that they didnt see the famed fawners at all, even though their Odescalchi Castle hosted the event. "I'm really disappointed," Reuters quotes one villager as saying. "It would have been fair to say at least a little hello from far away." In fact, one local paper on Sunday bore the headline: "Tom and Katie: The Invisible Newlyweds." And on that note, we all moved to Bracciano.

Mon, Nov 20, 2006

Ratings: CSI Surges Past Grey's

Thursday's ratings headlines include: Smallville (with 4.77 million total viewers) was up about 300,000 week-to-week, while Supernatural held steady at 3.2 mil. Picking up 3.4 million viewers versus its previous outing, CSI (23.83 mil) bested Grey's Anatomy (20.96 mil) for the first time since Sept. 28. While the overlapping numbers for Earl and The Office are fuzzier and thus harder to pinpoint, it appears that 30 Rock improved upon its last Wednesday airing by about 160K, albeit with an audience (approx. 4.96 mil) that was little more half as large as the night's other super-sized sitcoms. Shark (15.32 mil), up 1.7 million, trumped ER (12.41 mil), which was down two mil.

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

matt.mitovich

Short Cuts: My Bare Lady, Degrassi and More!

Richards Rant Has Jamie Foxx Fired Up

Ratings: NCIS Shines on a Stars-less Night

Amazing Race: All-Stars &#151; Who Will Make the Cut?

30 Rocks On. But What About The Nine?

Will O.J.'s "Confession" Surface on the Internet?

In the Works: Sci Fi Revisits the Land of Oz

Lawyer: Britney/K-Fed Sex Tape Doesn&#146;t Exist

At the Movies: Nerds' Revenge Is Rescinded

American Music Awards Serves Up Lots of Peas

Short Cuts: TomKat, Kevin Spacey and More!

Legendary Director Robert Altman Dead at 81

Ratings: Almost 16 Mil Attend Heroes Homecoming

No Laughing Matter: Seinfeld Vet Says, "I'm Not a Racist"

In the Works: Who Put the Gay in Game Show?

Fox Sacks O.J.'s "If I Did It" Special

TV Guide Exclusive: Sulu Beams Aboard Heroes

Mars Mission Cut Short; Plus: Season Greeting for Hill

Bada-Bonus: Sopranos Finale Extended. Plus: Playmates

Office's Dwight to Play "Kick-ass" Ninja

TomKat Gives Village Never-ending Kiss-off

Ratings: CSI Surges Past Grey's

Amazing Race: All-Stars Who Will Make the Cut?

Lawyer: Britney/K-Fed Sex Tape Doesnt Exist