matt.mitovich

Prison's Break May Be Cut Short

Due to its swelling ratings — and just as likely because Fox has precious little mid-season programming waiting in the wings — there is talk that Prison Break might return from its winter hiatus much earlier than expected. The serialized thriller, set to air its "fall finale" on Nov. 27, was going to be MIA until March of next year, but a source now tells TVGuide.com that it could return as soon as late January. The emphasis being on could, seeing as Prison Break isn't very far ahead at all in production. Indeed, when I asked the lovely Sarah Wayne Callies about this scheduling shift on Thursday afternoon, she quipped, "They may have to start filming [the episodes] live, then, because we're pretty close to the wire!" I'll have much more from Dr. Sara's portrayer in Monday's Interviews & Features.

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

Vanished Vanishes as Justice Reappears

Gale Harold's Eddie Cibrian's ratings-anemic Vanished has been pulled from Fox's prime-time lineup effective immediately, though the final four episodes wrapping up Sara Collin's mysterious disappearance will air online at Fox On Demand, starting today, with Episode 10. The recently vanished Justice will resurface Dec. 1 to claim the Fridays-at-8 pm time slot.

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

Pickups: Standoff Stays On, New Life for Death

Also at Fox, additional episode orders have been awarded to Standoff (for six more) and 'Til Death (for another nine).... ABC, meanwhile, has okayed production on a 10th installment of The Bachelor, perhaps to premiere as early as spring 2007. OK, why?UPDATE: Live from L.A., where he is shooting an episode of Scrubs, Mike just posted an Ausiello Report entry about the status of Veronica Mars.

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

Exclusive News About... Santa Claus

Which extra-special guests are on board for NBC's live-action take on the stop-motion classic The Year Without a Santa Claus, premiering Dec. 11? In addition to John Goodman and Delta Burke (as Santa and his Mrs.), Chris Kattan, Ethan Suplee and Eddie Griffin (as elves), and Harvey Fierstein and Michael McKean (as Heat- and Snowmeisers), the star-studded outing features cameos by Queer Eye's Carson Kressley (playing Santa's dresser), Dr. Laura Schlessinger (as, duh, a TV talk-show therapist), and Jack LaLanne (as another legendary fitness nut, Hercules, who is now living in a "retirement home" for mythological figures).

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

Say, Say, Say: Heather Mills Tells All

Looks like we are about to get a whole lotta "She said." Extra's Dayne Devon has scored an exclusive sit-down with Heather Mills, Paul McCartney's extremely estranged wife, to air in two parts, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 21 and 22.

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

A Mother's Joy: Jaime Pressly Pregnant

Stopping by The Tonight Show on Wednesday, My Name Is Earl star Jaime Pressly confirmed that she is four months pregnant with her and fiancé Eric Cubiche's first child, and that she knows it wil be a boy. "I'm healthy, the baby's healthy...," she told Leno. "We're good." As of this Friday morning, there was no word yet on whether Earl will write in the pregnancy, or just hide Joy behind extra-large pieces of trailer-park kitsch.

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

In the Works: J.Lo Brings Gangbanger to Fox

Jennifer Lopez, along with Ross Fineman and Simon Fields, is exec-producing for Fox Brethren, an hourlong drama based on the true story of Isaac Guillen, a single-dad ex-gangbanger who cleans up his act and becomes a defense attorney. "What interested me was the fine line the character must walk in terms of his professional and personal life," J.Lo tells Variety. "The fact that it comes from a true-life story makes it all the more compelling".... Logo has given a green light to Exes and Ohs, a scripted comedy about lesbian friends and relationships, to star Michelle Paradise, Megan Cavanagh, Marnie Alton and Heather Matarazzo.

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

At the Movies: Brosnan's Back in Spy Mode

Hey, tough-guy Daniel Craig! Can you get the laughs? Per the Hollywood Reporter, former 007 James Bond Pierce Brosnan will star in Spy vs. Stu, a comedy about a commitment-phobe who fears losing his one true love to a debonair superspy (Brosnan).... Per Variety, Battlestar Galactica exec producer Ronald D. Moore is penning a remake of John Carpenter's The Thing.... DreamWorks has grabbed rights to Camp Creepy Time, the forthcoming children's book authored by Gina Gershon (Bound) and concerning a summer camp that's a front for an alien-run smuggling operation.

Fri, Nov 17, 2006

Weeds to Light Up a Third Season

This just in..."Hot off last month's shocking second season finale of Weeds  the most-watched episode in its history  Showtime is greenlighting 15 new episodes for the third season," to resume production in Los Angeles in spring 2007 for a summer premiere.I can't print here what Doug's exact reaction to the news was, but it started with "That's" and ended with "awesome."

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

Prime-time Shuffle: Will Dancing Stars Take On Idol?

At a Wednesday panel discussion hosted by the International Radio & Television Society Foundation, network entertainment execs previewed their latest plans. Among the reveals, per the Hollywood Reporter: ABC's Dancing with the Stars, which crowned its third winning pair last night, may return as early as March. The big decision is whether to keep it where it is, on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, where it would compete directly against American Idol.  CBS is poised to order additional episodes of The Class, though the exact amount was not disclosed. As reported earlier this week, NBC, come January, will likely move Friday Night Lights from Tuesdays at 8 (aka Idol-time) to a time period "with hopefully more protection." Promises Peacock scheduling VP Mitch Metcalf, "We'll take care of it." Fox will "probably" order six more episodes of the struggling Standoff, and may also move the freshman series. The O.C., however, is staying put on Thursdays, where it is ...

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

Casting About: Luke Perry Moves to Cincinnati, 45210

The Hollywood Reporter has Luke Perry joining the cast of John from Cincinnati, HBO's new drama series from Deadwood creator David Milch, and to debut in summer '07. I'm not great with math, but this could mean that Windfall is not returning.... Speaking of Deadwood, Ian McShane will make his first appearance on Broadway in 40 years when he stars in a revival of Daniel Sullivan's The Homecoming, says the New York Times.

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

In the Works: It's Mayhem at the CW Network

Per Variety, Mayhem Pictures, known best for producing sporty big-screen fare (Invincible, Miracle) has set up a half-hour comedy pilot at the CW: Unhitched, about two thirtysomething divorcées who move in together to start new lives.... Per the Reporter, ABC has given a pilot order to The Thick of It, from Arrested Development's Mitchell Hurwitz and Richard Day. Whereas the BBC inspiration was centered on a Parliament member, the U.S. take eyes a member of Congress.... Food Network has greenlit Dinner: Impossible, in which chef Robert Irvine will tackle weekly challenges, such as preparing a first-class supper for 400 passengers on a speeding train in under four hours. Or, say, getting my son Jared to eat something besides Perdue chicken nuggets.

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

At the Movies: Prison Breaker Is Up a Creek

Holy hunkitude! Prison Break's Dominic Purcell and Desperate Housewives' Jesse Metcalfe are brothers on a revenge mission who become ensnared in an occult experiment in Town Creek, a vampire flick directed by Joel Schumacher.... Per Variety, Warner Bros. is moving up the release date of Letters from Iwo Jima, Clint Eastwood's companion pic to Flags of Our Fathers, from Feb. 9 to Dec. 20, making it, too, eligible for awards consideration.

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

Love Notes: Terminatrix Gets Some Tailie

Geez, did I actually just write that headline? In an interview with The Advocate, Terminator 3 villainess Kristanna Loken coyly clued in the mag to the fact that she is romantically involved with Lost alum Michelle Rodriguez, with whom she costarred in 2005's BloodRayne.... Esquire's "Sexiest Woman Alive" of 2005, Jessica Biel, was spied on an apparent Tuesday-night date with Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, the New York Post's Page Six reports. I wonder if he turned two? (What does that mean?)

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

Music Notes: Jacko Gyps His Fans

At Wednesday's World Music Awards ceremony in London, Michael Jackson delivered his first public performance since his acquittal on child-molestation charges, yet fell well short of expectations, singing but a few lines of "We Are the World." Cutting the song short, Jacko offered a few platitudes, tossed his jacket into the crowd, and then exited stage left.... Houston, we have a money problem. Whitney's Parsippany, New Jersey, manse is slated to be sold at a Jan. 4, 2007, sheriff's sale because she is more than $1 million in debt, reports the town's Daily Record. The diva's rep, though, insists it is not a foreclosure.

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

Short Cuts: Warren Beatty Gets His Due, and More!

Warren Beatty will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement (in acting, not so much skirt-chasing) at the 64th-annual Golden Globe Awards, to be held Jan. 15, 2007.... Disney's Cars topped the DVD sales charts last week, moving five million units in its first two days alone. Mission: Impossible III held on to the top spot in rentals, earning $9.3 million to Lightning McQueen's $9.2 mil.

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

Smallville Preview: Will Things Get Batty?

As part of an interview with TV Guide, Smallville cocreator Al Gough revealed that in tonight's episode, (SPOILER ALERT!) Lana tells Lex that she is pregnant, prompting Clark's rival to pop the question at the episode's end. Alas, Lex will have to wait  until January  to get his answer. Um, January?! "She's out of town most of the [next fresh] episode [airing Dec. 7]," Gough explains. "But it will be touched on."Also tonight, yet another someday Justice Leaguer puts in a shadowy cameo: the Oreo-munching Martian Manhunter. "He is potentially going to show up again," says Gough. But as for the latest batch of Bruce Wayne buzz, "Yeah, I know, I saw the rumor as well," he chuckles. "It's not happening."Additional reporting by Rich Sands

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

Ratings: SVU's Best Audience Since May Day

On this Tuesday night: Dancing with the Stars' 90-minute final dance-off was watched by a season-high 26.7 million total viewers. The just-picked-up Friday Night Lights (5.52 mil) slipped 750,000 heads. Gilmore Girls (4.44 million) and Veronica Mars (2.74 mil) each dropped about 100K, with 'Ron sinking to a new season low. Man, that Pizzes me off. CBS' 3 LBS debuted to an audience of 9.85 million  compared to time-slot predecessor Smith, which premiered to 11 mil. Just sayin'. And last but by no means least, while Law & Order: CI (9.06 mil) surged 1.3 mil in the 9 o'clock hour, lead-out SVU drew 14.67 million, its best numbers since May 2. (Hey, Raven, was it that good an eppy?)

Thu, Nov 16, 2006

O.J.'s TV Special Muses, "If I Did Kill Nicole...."

On Nov. 27 and 29, Fox will air a two-part special titled [Insert shudder here] O.J. Simpson: If I Did It, Here's How It Happened. Over the course of the two hours, the former footballer reveals to publisher Judith Regan (who, not coincidentally, is putting out his If I Did It book later this month) how he killed ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Oops, I mean how he would have killed them. "This is... the definitive last chapter in the Trial of the Century," says Mike Darnell, Fox's executive vice president of alternative programming. All together now: Ewww!Wednesday's Today's News column was written by Ben Katner.

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

TomKat Wedding Snubs Oprah, But Not Brooke

Since his last appearance on her talk show nearly ruined his career (not to mention a perfectly good sofa), it isn't surprising that Tom Cruise chose not to ask Oprah Winfrey to attend his and Katie Holmes' Saturday wedding. "It's not that I'm not going," Oprah spins it for Extra. "It's that they had a limited number of people that they could invite. [But] that's fine. I don't get invited to everyone's wedding, [and] I don't invite [Tom and Katie] to everything I do." Adding insult to injury, the New York Post reports that Brooke Shields, of all people, made the cut! In further nuptial news, while Liz Smith whispers that there will be no media at the event, the groom's flack assures her, "That isn't to say that it won't be covered — pictures and stories will appear, but none of [the coverage] will be sold, for charity or otherwise."

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

At the Movies: "Out of Africa 2: Afghani Boogaloo"

Speaking of the future Mr. Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise is thisclose to making his first purchase as co-owner of United Artists, says the Hollywood Reporter. And the winner is... Lions for Lambs, a drama set in Afghanistan that would star Cruise (duh) and Out of Africa leads Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. Redford is also set to direct, meaning there's a 50/50 chance he got invited to the wedding.... Per Variety, MGM expects to begin production on new installments of its James Bond, Pink Panther and The Thomas Crown Affair franchises in 2007.... Beach Boy Brian Wilson has made a deal with producer Mark Gordon to tell his life story in a feature film.

Wed, Nov 15, 2006

And So the Retooling of Couric's News Begins....

The "Free Speech" segments on Katie Couric's CBS Evening News are being cut back to just a couple of times a week  maybe even less sometimes, exec producer Rome Hartman tells the Washington Post. And in the future, the people whose opinions are being expressed will be less-famous ones, the kind that don't already have a platform for mouthing off. Holy smoke, this is my big chance to speak out on... aw, crud, I need an issue.

Wed, Nov 15, 2006